Tag Archives: New Release Review 2018

A Christmas Proposal by Lindsey Hart-a review

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A CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL by Lindsey Hart-a review

99¢ or £0.99 : Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 3, 2018

He was single again! Finally!

Lana was not about to miss this opportunity. She’ll had a crush on the guy for oh so many years. And as her brother’s best friend, he was going to be spending Christmas with the family.

It was all perfect. Seduce the guy and get to know what all the hype of her teenage years was about.

There was only one problem. He is a jerk. He is interested only in off-limits women.

Welllllll, what better way to attract his attention than bring home for Christmas a fake boyfriend and who better for that than her bestie, Cameron, a hot shot doctor who knew just about everything on her.

It was the perfect plan for the holidays … until she had to share a bed with Cameron.
Umm, hello, where was the kid who used to wet his bed? Where did this gorgeous fine-ass man came from?

••••••

REVIEW: A CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL by Lindsey Hart is a contemporary, adult, stand-alone, romance novella focusing on the friends to lovers relationship between bar waitress Lana DeLangly and Dr. Cameron Johnsworth.

Told from third person perspective A CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL follows the friends to lovers / fake relationship between bar waitress Lana DeLangly and Dr. Cameron Johnsworth. For close to twenty-five years Lana and Cameron have been best friends but Lana is completely oblivious to her best –friend’s attraction to, and love for our story line heroine. With the approach of the Christmas holidays, Lana sets a plan into motion in the hopes of catching the attention of her brother’s best friend Dale, a man she has lusted after for close to fifteen years. What ensues is the fake boyfriend/girlfriend relationship between Cameron and Lana, and the potential fall-out as misunderstanding, jealousy, and miscommunication threaten a life-long friendship between our leading couple.

A CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL is an easy read; a sweet and sexy holiday story where the hero is willing to sacrifice his own happiness for the woman he loves.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Craved by Her Cougar (Cougar Creek Mates #4) by Felicity Heaton-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

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CRAVED BY HER COUGAR (Cougar Creek Mates #4) by Felicity Heaton-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

CRAVED BY HER COUGAR
Cougar Creek Mates #4
by Felicity Heaton
Release Date : September 29, 2081
Genre: adult, contemporary, paranormal, romance

Amazon.com| Amazon.co.uk| Amazon.ca| Amazon.com.au

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ABOUT THE BOOK: September 29, 2018

For the last twenty years, Cobalt has burned with a need of one female, a beautiful raven-haired cougar who captured his heart the moment he set eyes on her. His position as pride protector has been a blessing at past mating gatherings, keeping females away, but this time it feels like the worst of curses, because the female who has bewitched him so thoroughly is taking part for the first time and all he can do is watch as males battle for her.

As much as she hates the way her mother controls everything in her life, Ember is thankful for it as she constantly turns away suitors, unaware of the pain she’s sparing Ember from with every male she rejects. Every male who isn’t the gorgeous blond with darkness in his eyes and an easy smile she burns for with an intensity that scares her, awakens feelings in her that have her verging on doing something reckless. Damaged goods he might be, dangerous and unpredictable, but with every contest over her that pulls her closer to her doom, she grows more determined to follow her heart, no matter the consequences.

With every fight over the right to Ember, the tethers on Cobalt’s feelings twist and threaten to snap, a torment he cannot bear and one that has him willing to risk it all, because a single kiss would make even the harshest punishment worth it. He would die for one moment with her… his fated mate.

••••••••••

REVIEW: CRAVED BY HER COUGAR is the fourth instalment in Felicity Heaton’s contemporary, adult COUGAR CREEK MATES paranormal, romance series focusing on the cougar shifters of Cougar Creek, Canada. This is cougar shifters Cobalt and Ember’s story line. CRAVED BY HER COUGAR can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: The Cougar Creek Mates series is a spin-off from the author’s Eternal Mates series. It is not necessary to have read the previous series but there is an on-going premise throughout with the inclusion of the group known as Archangel.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Ember and Cobalt) CRAVED BY HER COUGAR picks up immediately following the events of book three wherein the ‘gathering’ for all unmated male and female cougar shifters is drawing to a close. Cobalt and his brothers own the cabins and compound where the gathering is taking place but Cobalt keeps to himself to contain his violent tendencies since the murder of his parents by the human working for Archangel. With Ember’s arrival at the gathering Cobalt struggles to reign in his control knowing Ember is his fated mate but our hero believes himself unworthy of the beautiful cougar shifter. As the other males fight for the right to claim Ember as their own, Ember takes it upon herself to prove to Cobalt he is worthy of her love knowing, he too, is her fated mate.

For twenty years Cobalt has kept his distance from the woman that calls to his heart-his fated mate-but a woman who battles between head and heart as her mother prepares our heroine for another potential mate. As the gathering continues Ember refuses to accept any challenges for her heart knowing her heart belongs to someone else.

The relationship between Ember and Cobalt is one of mutual attraction and fated DNA. Cobalt struggles as the other males fight for the right to claim Ember as one of their own but in the end Cobalt is willing to risk everything for the woman he loves. The $ex scenes are limited, passionate and intense.

Most of the previous story line couples play secondary and supporting characters including Rath and Ivy, and Yasmin and Flint.

Like most of Felicity’s story lines CRAVED BY HER MATE is more of a written narrative using memories, thoughts and introspection. The world building continues to focus on the ‘gathering’-a time of mating heat between unmated males and females. Once again, Archangel is worthy of only a mention in relationship and explanation of Cobalt’s emotional withdrawal and outbursts. The premise is engaging; the romance is fated; the characters are broken, charismatic and colorful. CRAVED BY HER MATE is a solid and strong instalment in Felicity Heaton’s Cougar Creek Mates paranormal series.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Claimed by Her Cougar
Captured by Her Cougar
Courted by Her Cougar
Craved by Her Cougar

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

As her mother started talking about the males currently residing at the creek, Ember pushed the door open and peered out, and relief washed through her when she saw the male who had been ogling her was gone now.
She carried her mug of coffee to her favourite recliner on the deck that wrapped around her family’s large cabin and eased into it, loosing a deep sigh as she let all the tension drain from her limbs and savoured the silence of morning.
She loved this time, when the creek was quiet, the babbling river and the movement of animals in the distance the only sound.
The quiet before the storm.
It wouldn’t be long before the rest of the creek woke and the first fights of the day happened.
Although, she wasn’t the only one who was up and out early today.
She glanced off to her right, up the two hundred metre clearing to the cabin that stood proud at the top of it, sheltered by deep green pines, and the two males on the deck.
Rath raked a hand over his thick dark brown hair and said something she couldn’t hear to his brother.
Cobalt.
The towering platinum-blond had his back to her, his fine backside pressed to the railing around the deck and his hands planted beside his lean hips, bracing himself upright. His shoulders were tense beneath his black t-shirt, his hair mussed in a way that made him look as if he had come straight from his bed to see his brother.
Or from a female.
Ember hadn’t failed to notice the way a lot of the females at the creek looked at him, blatant desire in their eyes as they tracked his movements. She had never attended a gathering before, but she knew that as a member of Rath’s family, he was responsible for overseeing everything and wasn’t allowed to participate in the fights or see to the females.
So it had shocked her when she had seen the way they eyed him, hungry gazes raking over him, and how they flirted with him whenever he happened to stop near them. A few of them used any excuse to touch him, laying a hand on his arm as they spoke about something innocent like the fight schedule, or brushing their bodies against his.
He never reacted, other than to move away and place some distance between them, but he was male and that meant he wasn’t immune to the instincts the spring gathering roused in him. The mating heat affected him too. His brothers, Storm and Flint, had eyed the females in return, had even flirted with a couple.
Did Cobalt ever flirt in return?
Did he ever secretly sleep with the females?
Gods, the thought he might twisted her stomach and heart in knots.
Partly because she didn’t want him to secretly bed the females, and partly because she wanted him.
Always had.
Always would.
If she approached him, if she flirted with him as the other females did, would he turn her away? Would he draw back from her and distance himself as he did with them? Or would he give her what she needed?
What she needed from only him.
She had agreed to come to the creek for the gathering because she had wanted to see him, had needed to see him. For over thirty years, she had watched him, had seen him grow and mature, had witnessed him come into his own, becoming more alluring to her as he had found his feet and his confidence.
For three decades, she had harboured what she had thought of as a ridiculous crush on him, watching him from afar, secretly yearning for him to even glance at her whenever they were at the creek at the same time.
Aching for him to notice her.
Whenever he had taken the time to speak with her, she had been assaulted by nerves, convinced she would say or do something stupid that would tarnish his opinion of her, whatever that was.
It had taken maturing for her to discover her own confidence, to settle into her skin and be comfortable in it, to realise that she was beautiful enough to contend with the other females at the creek, to vie for his attention and maybe even steal his heart if she set her mind to it.
Her mother had rattled that confidence when she had asked Rath to tend to her, and had been chipping away at it ever since, with every male who fought for her and every time she was paraded in front of them.
It didn’t help that Cobalt seemed determined to avoid her, barely looked at her now when he had let his eyes linger on her at times in the past, before she had matured.
Ember looked down at herself.
She had put a little more weight on her bones, her hips curvier than before, belly rounded and breasts fuller. Maybe he didn’t like the changes she had made to herself, but this was who she was, and she liked it. She loved her curves, didn’t want to be a stick thin female.
Her curves made her feel sexy, empowered.
Movement off to her right drew her attention back to Cobalt.
He pushed away from the railing, heaved a long sigh that lifted his broad shoulders, and said something to his brother.
Rath nodded, stood and clapped a hand down on his shoulder as Cobalt scrubbed a hand over his mouth and rubbed it across his straight jaw. His brother smiled at him, but Cobalt’s handsome face remained sober as he nodded in return, twisted and stepped off the deck.
He strode down the green, long black-jeans-clad legs making easy work of the distance between her and him, and she couldn’t take her eyes off him, watched him over the rim of her mug as he approached.
Damn, he was fine.
He radiated an alluring sort of danger and temptation, roused her instincts and brought them to the fore, until she was restless with a need to stand and move around the deck, to let him get a good look at her and what he was missing out on, all in an effort to lure him to her.
Ember kept her backside planted to her recliner instead.
Not because she didn’t want Cobalt to look at her, or because she would have been ashamed at herself for trying to lure his gaze to her by parading herself in front of him when her mother insisted on her showing off her curves to every male who fought for her, but because her confidence was low today, the last few weeks battering it.
Every fight she had to watch, and every suitor who stood before her stole a piece of it.
Every horrible moment where she had to wait, praying her mother would refuse that suitor, shook it.
Every day when Cobalt ignored her tore it down a little more.
But every day when she set eyes on him, he gave back that fragment he ripped from her. Just looking at him started a fire within her, one that burned so hot it had her forgetting that she was tired of males, tired of fights.
And whenever he did look at her?
When his stunning pale grey-gold eyes landed on her, that fire exploded into an inferno that had a shot of adrenaline blazing through her, filled her to the brim with confidence again.
Ember tracked him across the green, silently willing him to look at her. She needed his eyes on her today, needed that boost so she could finally tell her mother she was done with letting her control her life, that it was time for some changes and she was going to make her own decisions from now on.
But he didn’t even glance her way as he neared her.
His grey eyes remained locked on the grass, a troubled edge to them that echoed the emotions she could sense in him as he grew closer.
Emotions that had her wanting to rise onto her feet for a different reason, not to lure his eyes to her but to ask him what was wrong.
The sight of him troubled roused her deepest instincts, ones that had come into sharp focus over the past few weeks and had hit her with a revelation that had rocked her, but gods, it had explained so much at the same time.
She had always believed the attraction she felt towards Cobalt was based solely on his charisma, looks, and personality, all the sorts of things that falling in love with someone normally involved.
But this was the first time she had seen him since she had matured, and the attraction she had felt towards him when she had set eyes on him again had burned so fiercely it had left her shaking.
Over the weeks, that attraction had only grown stronger, seemed to multiply one hundredfold every damned day, and now it was becoming a struggle to restrain herself when he was near, to deny her instincts to approach him and push him, to initiate something by attempting to dominate him.
To provoke a reaction.
It hadn’t taken her long to realise the reason why.
He was her fated male.
Was he aware that she was his fated one?
He was older than her, matured three decades ago now, and as far as she knew, males were meant to be more aware of their true mate, found it easier to tell who it was than the females of her species. Males were driven by instincts that females also possessed when it came to a mate, but hers weren’t as fierce or as controlling.
She felt an ache for him, soul-deep and consuming, one that demanded she provoke him, push and cajole him, rub against him and make him notice her. Her instincts wanted her to tease him into dominating her and staking a claim on her.
His instincts should have been pressing him to do just that, to seize her and bite her nape, and bind them as mates. They should have been riding him as hard as hers were, demanding he take care of her, and drive any unmated males away from her.
If he was feeling any of that, he was hiding it well, because he was more distant than ever, had barely said three words to her over the past few weeks and showed no sign of desire when he did look at her.
He watched the fights over her without a trace of emotion on his face, in complete and utter control as he oversaw them, and didn’t even seem bothered when her mother mulled over whether to give the winner permission to ease her needs.
Didn’t he want her?
The thought that he might not left her cold and aching inside, scraped out and hollow.
Was it possible she was wrong about him and he wasn’t her fated one?
If she wasn’t mistaken, was it possible for a male to not want his true mate?
Rath had gone crazy over Ivy when she had come to the creek, and Ember had witnessed both Storm and Flint driven to extremes to protect and win their fated ones.
Was it really possible that Cobalt didn’t desire her as his mate?
He finally lifted his head and a shiver bolted through her when his eyes slid her way and his gaze settled on her, some of the shadows lifting from his face as he looked at her.
Ember opened her mouth to greet him.
Her mother stepped out onto the deck and Cobalt’s grey gaze shifted to her.
“Two more fights today.” Her mother sighed. “Neither of them containing any males really worthy of you. If only Rath had accepted our offer.”
Ember’s eyes widened as Cobalt’s narrowed, her heart hitching in her throat and pounding there as she fought to find her voice to say she didn’t want Rath and it hadn’t been her idea to approach his brother.
She swore Cobalt’s face darkened before he looked away and lowered it, and his pace picked up, long legs carrying him swiftly past her. She watched him go, feeling the faintest echo of his emotions and trying to decipher them, because she needed to know what he was feeling.
She needed to know whether he felt anything at all for her.
She just needed a sign.
One sign.
A look. A smile. Anything to make his feelings clear.
Because then she was sure she would find the courage to follow her heart.
And it would lead her straight to him.

Felicity Heaton is a New York Times and USA Today international best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books, she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons! If you’re a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.

If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try the best-selling Vampire Erotic Theatre series. Or if you prefer huge detailed worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the new Eternal Mates series.

If you want to know more about Felicity, or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:

Website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk
Blog: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/blog/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/felicityheaton
Twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the Grand Giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the author.

Enter the grand tour-wide giveaway to win one of a $75, $50 or $25 Amazon Gift Card at the Craved by her Cougar book page. This giveaway is international and open to everyone, and ends at midnight on October 14th. Enter now: http://www.felicityheaton.com/craved-by-her-cougar-shifter-romance-book.php

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Outrageous (Quantum #7) by Marie Force-Review & Excerpt Tour

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OUTRAGEOUS (Quantum #7) by Marie Force-Review  & Excerpt Tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon. uk / Amazon. au / iBooks / B&N / KOBO / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 14, 2018

She drives him crazy… In more ways than one.

Every time Leah Holt encounters Quantum Production’s chief counsel, Emmett Burke, the only thing she can think of is how much she wants to lick him. Everywhere. She’s never had that kind of reaction to a man, and the fact that he’s a much-older colleague makes her out-of-control attraction to him far more complicated than it should be. Every day, she brings a new legal question to Emmett, hoping to catch his attention and make him see her as a grown woman who wants him desperately. She walks a fine line in trying to remain professional as the assistant to superstar Marlowe Sloane while lusting after Marlowe’s sexy attorney.

To Emmett, Leah is a fly buzzing around his head who can’t be swatted away. She’s always there, looking at him, asking him legal questions that have nothing to do with his specialty in entertainment law and generally driving him mad with her overt sexiness and sassy mouth. He wants to toss her over his desk and run the sass right out of her, which is hardly the way a professional who loves his job should behave in the office—especially with a young, fresh, sexy colleague. As the author of the company’s policy on inter-office dating, he’s painfully aware of all the reasons he should stay far, far away from her and the tantalizing temptation she represents.

Then Leah gets her chance to step up for Emmett, to help him through an unfortunate “accident” and to show him she’s much more than just a smart mouth and a sexy body. When she realizes she has genuine feelings for him—and that those feelings are returned—she wonders if he will take a chance on her or continue to hold her at arm’s length. Slowly but surely, she chips away at his resistance, and he begins to crave more of her. But Emmett knows if he’s going to let her in, he has to let her all the way in. What will she think when he introduces her to his BDSM lifestyle? Will she still want him the way she does now or will she run away in horror? And what will he do if she runs away?

When Leah confronts a dangerous threat from her past, Emmett is forced to acknowledge that his “annoying little fly” has worked her way firmly into his heart—and his bed.

Also, join the entire Quantum team at the company’s vineyard in Napa for Hayden and Addie’s wedding!

••••••••••••

REVIEW: OUTRAGEOUS is the seventh instalment in Marie Force’s contemporary, adult QUANTUM erotic, BDSM, romance series. This is Quantum’s in-house attorney thirty-four year old, Emmett Burke, and twenty-four year old, PA Leah Holt’s story line. OUTRAGEOUS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: OUTRAGEOUOS is an erotic story line with scenes of light bondage, spanking, D/s and anal play that may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from several first person perspectives including Leah and Emmett OUTRAGEOUS follows Leah Holt as she embarks on a slow seduction of Quantum’s in-house attorney Emmett Burke. For months Leah, PA to megastar Marlowe Sloane, has battled her attraction to Emmett Burke, but not one to stand in the shadows waiting for something to happen, Leah becomes the aggressor as she plays a dangerous game in her attempts to bewitch and beguile Quantum’s attorney. With Hayden and Addie’s wedding only days away, Leah sets a timeline to ‘implement Operation Nail Emmett Burke’. Unaware of Emmett’s passion for the kinky side of life, Leah will be drawn towards a submissive side that is not-so perfect for her dominating personality. What ensues is the building relationship and romance between Emmett and Leah, and the potential fall-out as Leah’s past demands a second chance, a chance that endangers our heroine’s life.

Emmett Burke doesn’t do relationships, and has only loved one woman that destroyed his heart. As the chief legal counsel to Flynn, Hayden, Marlowe, Jasper and Kristian, the principal shareholders of Quantum, Emmett is well aware of a fraternization policy, a policy he himself wrote and enforces. Taking a chance with Leah in the hopes of shocking the woman out of her attempts to seduce our story line hero, Emmett grants Leah one-night of passion but one-night will never be enough for Emmett and Leah. When Leah’s past insists on a reconciliation, Emmett becomes her protector but is unable to stop the disaster about to unfold.

The relationship between Emmett and Leah is one of mutual attraction but their ten-year age difference, and his membership at Quantum’s elite BDSM sex club are big deterrents for our story line hero in his potential sexual endeavors with Leah Holt. Leah’s ongoing attempts to seduce and entice Emmett into something more will fail miserably when Leah battles between head and heart knowing Emmett wants nothing to do with forever or a happily ever after. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and seductive with scenarios of light bondage, spanking, D/s and anal play.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and familiar, secondary and supporting characters as the team from Quantum prepare for the upcoming nuptials between Hayden and Addie. Marlowe Sloane has a new man in her life but Sebastian waits in the shadows. Marlowe’s storyline is next in FAMOUS.

OUTRAGEOUS is a sexy, spicy, and steamy story line. The premise is intriguing and enticing; the characters are animated and charismatic; the romance is passionate and intense. OUTRAGEOUS is an intoxicating story with playful and provocative situations that will titillate and tease.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews

Virtuous
Valorous
Victorious
Rapturous
Ravenous
Delirious
Outrageous

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

NOTE: The excerpt is intended for mature readers 18+ due to sexual content.

Leah

I want to lick him. I want to strip him naked and lick every hill and valley of his muscular body. I want to know if all his muscles are as big as the ones on his arms. I want to ride him like a cowgirl. And then I want to ride him like a reverse cowgirl.

My obsession with Emmett Burke began on my first day at Quantum Productions, where I work as assistant to megastar Marlowe Sloane, a Quantum partner and overall amazing, badass woman. On day one, Emmett was charged with reviewing the company’s nondisclosure agreement with me. Even with Flynn Godfrey’s assistant, Addie, sitting with us, I didn’t hear a word Emmett said about the NDA because I was so fixated on his obscenely sexy mouth. Right there in the Quantum office, I had visions of all the places I’d like to feel that mouth.

Then he mentioned how I could be sued for discussing Quantum business or the partners outside of work, and that got my attention off his mouth, for a second or two, long enough to sign the NDA. I would never blow the amazing opportunity my friend Natalie secured for me after she fell in love with Flynn the superstar and ran away to Hollywood to marry him. But I sure would love the opportunity to blow Flynn’s attorney.

At her wedding, Natalie hooked me up with Marlowe, who hired me on the spot and bought out my contract with the charter school I’d worked for in New York—unhappily, I might add. Teaching wasn’t for me. Being the assistant to one of the top movie stars in the world? Hell to the yes, that’s for me. Marlowe paid for my move to LA, and now that I’m here, doing a job I truly love, I’m the envy of everyone I know.

Telling tales out of school—no pun intended—is not going to happen. I’d never do anything to screw up this sweet deal and the amazing opportunity I’ve been given to have a career I couldn’t have dreamed up for myself.

But me and Emmett Burke? That is so going to happen. If I can just figure out a way to break through his uptight, always-professional demeanor to find the hot-blooded man under the three-thousand-dollar suits that have to be handmade for him because no off-the-rack suit would fit those biceps.

In the meantime, I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about licking him and trying to come up with reasons to talk to him. I wish I had the balls to come right out and tell him I want to suck his dick until he explodes down my throat, but something tells me that wouldn’t be the best career move I could make.

While Emmett isn’t one of the Quantum principals—and let me tell you, the word principal in this business is a whole lot different than it was in the school business—he is best friends and chief legal counsel to Flynn, Hayden, Marlowe, Jasper and Kristian, otherwise known as the bosses. That means I need to tread lightly and keep my drooling and licking to a minimum.

But God help that man if I ever get him alone in a bedroom—or any room that isn’t an office in the building where we both work. I have to laugh at how ridiculous this obsession has become, because it’s truly out of character for me. Before now, before Emmett, my interest in men has been more along the lines of wham-bam-thank-you-sir. I’ve never actually given a shit about any of them. But this one… This one is different, and I knew it right away. Every time I’ve been with him since that first day, and I’m “with him” just about every day, between work and play—these people love to party—I only want him more than I did the day before. It’s insanity. I willingly admit that, but I have no desire to make it stop. No, my desire is entirely focused on making it start.

Sometimes, when I’m home alone at night with my trusty rabbit, I allow my wildest fantasies to take flight. I picture myself with Emmett in every conceivable position, as well as a few that haven’t been invented yet. I’ve begun to anticipate rabbit time a little too eagerly, which is worrisome. I’ve never been the kind of girl to run from a challenge, but I suspect Emmett thinks I’m too young and immature for him.

There’s really no one I can talk to about my “dilemma,” since my closest friends here also work for Quantum or are married or engaged to the partners. Of course, they’re the ones whose opinions I most want because they know him better than I ever will at this frustrating rate.

I’m going to have three whole days with him when we head up to Napa at the end of this coming week for Hayden and Addie’s wedding. I’ve been counting the days with plans to implement Operation Nail Emmett Burke while we’re there. I figure I only need to get Marlowe and Sebastian out of the way, because other than Emmett and me, they’re the only ones who aren’t in relationships. With lovebirds circling all around us, I expect the four of us to end up on our own quite a bit and will fully exploit any opportunities that present themselves without humiliating myself in front of Marlowe.

Fine line that’ll be…

I’ve made up my mind that the weekend in Napa is go time. Enough fantasizing about what I’d do if I had a night with him. It’s time to make those fantasies a reality.


 

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M.S. Force is the erotic alter-ego of New York Times bestselling author Marie Force. All three books in her initial Quantum Trilogy were New York Times bestsellers in 2015, and the Quantum Trilogy became the Quantum Series with Rapturous and now Ravenous, with more to come!

With more than 5 million books sold, Marie Force is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling, award-winning author more than 50 contemporary romances. Her New York Times bestselling self-published Gansett Island Series has sold 2.5 million e-books since Maid for Love was released in 2011. She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling Fatal Series from Harlequin’s HQN, as well as the New York Times bestselling Green Mountain Series, among other books and series, including the Quantum Series, written as M.S. Force.

Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news.

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Light My Fire (Man of the Month #11) by J. Kenner-Review Tour

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LIGHT MY FIRE (Man of the Month #11) by J. Kenner-Review Tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 26, 2018

I don’t do relationships.

I’ve lived my life hiding my scars, revealing myself only the in the scripts I write and the characters I voice.

Few people know the real me. I’m too careful. Too afraid of getting burned all over again.

Enter Beverly Martin. A movie star. A woman so beautiful and caring she makes my heart ache. She says she wants me—and her touch almost makes me believe that a girl like her could love a man like me.

But being with her would mean letting the spotlight of fame shine on me, too. And I’m not sure I can do that—even if walking away means losing the woman I love.

Each novel in the series is a STANDALONE romance with a guaranteed HEA!

••••••••••

REVIEW: LIGHT MY FIRE is the eleventh instalment in J. Kenner’s contemporary, adult MAN OF THE MONTH novella, romance series focusing on a fund raiser for the popular Austin, Texas bar known as The Fix. This is writer and podcaster /voice actor Griffin ‘Blaize’ Draper, and actress Beverly Martin’s story line. LIGHT MY FIRE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary although I recommend reading the series in order for backstory and cohesion.

SOME BACKGROUND: The Fix on Sixth, a local Austin hangout and bar, is in desperate need of renovations and a quick influx of cash so a plan is put into motion, by a group of regulars, a plan that includes a Man of the Month calendar competition, a recipe book, and a reality show aimed at rehabbing the bar.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Griffin and Beverly) LIGHT MY FIRE follows the slow building romance between writer and podcaster /voice actor Griffin ‘Blaize’ Draper, and actress Beverly Martin. For months Griffin and Beverly have been dancing around once another but Griffin hides the painful reminders of a childhood accident, an accident that has left our hero both emotionally and physically scarred. When his most recent manuscript is selected for Beverly’s next movie, our leading couple must work together in an effort to prepare the manuscript for final reading. What ensues is the barely veiled palpable sexual energy and attraction between Beverly and Griffin, and the potential fall-out as Griffin struggles with the paparazzi, Hollywood’s perception of beauty, and the scars that are attracting some unwanted attention.

LIGHT MY FIRE is a quick read; a story of the physical vs the mental; of one man’s struggle to move on with his life, and of one woman who has fallen in love with his heart and his soul. The premise is engaging, revealing and emotional; the romance is passionate and seductive; the characters are real and energetic. LIGHT MY FIRE is a tender, sweet and spicy story where love does conquer all.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Down On Me
Hold On Tight
Need You Now
Start Me Up
Get It On
In Your Eyes
Turn Me On
Bar Bites
All Night Long
In Too Deep

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

J. Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and #1 International bestselling author of over seventy novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.

Though known primarily for her award-winning and international bestselling erotic romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, JK has been writing full time for over a decade in a variety of genres including paranormal and contemporary romance, “chicklit” suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal mommy lit.

JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations” and by RT Bookclub for having “cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swoon for them.” A five time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy awarded in the category of erotic romance in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy). Her Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series (as Julie Kenner) is currently in development with AwesomenessTV/Awestruck.

Her books have sold over three million copies and are published in over twenty languages.

In her previous career as an attorney, JK worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and practiced primarily civil, entertainment and First Amendment litigation in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, as well as in Austin, Texas. She currently lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and two rather spastic cats.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YouTube | Amazon Author Page

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Rome’s Chance (Reapers MC 6.6 /1001 Dark Nights) by Joanna Wylde-Review & Excerpt Tour

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ROME’S CHANCE (Reapers MC 6.6 / 1001 Dark Nights) by Joanna Wylde-Review  & Excerpt Tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon. au / Amazon. uk /

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About the book: Release Date April 24, 2018

Rome McGuire knew he was in trouble the first time he saw her.

She was sweet and pretty and just about perfect in every way. She was also too young and innocent for the Reapers Motorcycle Club. He did the right thing, and walked away.

The second time, he couldn’t resist tasting her.

Gorgeous and smart, fun and full of wonder, she jumped on his bike and would’ve followed him anywhere. Still, she deserved a shot at happiness somewhere bigger and better than a town like Hallies Falls. Walking away wasn’t so easy that time, but her family needed her and he had a job to do.

When she came around a third time, he’d had enough. Randi Whittaker had been given two chances to escape, and now it was time for Rome to take his.

This time, the only way Randi would be leaving Hallies Falls was on the back of Rome’s bike.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

•••••••••••

REVIEW: ROME’S CHANCE by Joanna Wylde is a contemporary, adult, story line in the author’s erotic, REAPERS MC series, and the latest addition to the multi-authored 1001 Dark Nights series. This is MC member and EMT Rome McGuire, and dental hygienist Randi Whittaker’s story line. ROME’S CHANCE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. ROME’S CHANCE takes place approximately eight years after the events of REAPER’S FIRE but you do not have to have read any other books in the series to follow or enjoy ROME’S CHANCE.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Rome and Randi) ROME’S CHANCE is a second chance romance between Reaper’s MC member and EMT Rome McGuire, and dental hygienist Randi Whittaker. Eight years earlier fire destroyed most of the Okanogan Valley surrounding the small town of Hallies Falls, Washington, forcing Randi Whittaker and her family to relocate to Missoula, Montana before leaving a forwarding address for the people they left behind including Rome McGuire, the man with whom Randi would fall in love. Fast forward to present day wherein Randi returns to Hallies Falls for her ten year high school reunion, a return that marks the rekindling romance between Randi and Rome, and the potential fall-out as Randi battles between her new life in Missoula, and her desire and family responsibilities in Hallies Falls.

ROME’S CHANCE is a rekindling romance story line that focuses on Randi and Rome’s attraction to one another, and the life style from which Randi continues to run. With her ailing mother, and seventeen year old sister Lexi, and nine year old brother Kayden residing in Hallies Falls, it is only a matter of time before Randi’s inevitable return forces a face to face confrontation with the man that she loves.

The premise has a little bit of suspense and drama including some continuing bad luck for our story line heroine; the characters are colorful, broken and charismatic; the romance is provocative, steamy and intense (although I dislike the use of a certain four-letter word in my romance story lines; only used once it was more for shock value than any thing else). There are some questionable misogynistic comments about reputation that in reality are often used to undermine a woman’s self-esteem, or as threats to focus on someone’s behavior but this is a fictional story line, with fictional characters including the fictional life style of the Reaper’s MC. ROME’S CHANCE is a quick read; a second chance romance for two people ready to move on from the past, facing the future together and strong.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

I couldn’t figure out what’d happened.
One minute I’d been having one of the most exciting sexual experiences of my life. The next my ribs were being crushed as Rome slammed into me. Then I was on my feet, trying to catch my breath, as people shouted all around us. The music had stopped. Thankfully, Rome’s big body formed a barrier between me and the rest of the room, because everyone else in the place had lost their minds.
For an instant, I thought maybe I’d be safe behind him. Then some guy in a cowboy hat launched toward us, fists flying. I don’t know what I expected, maybe that Rome would start punching him—you know, like they always do in movies—but instead he ducked, then started dragging me toward the bar. More shouting. I saw a man lift a chair and slam it down against another guy’s back from behind. The poor bastard went down hard, so hard that his head literally bounced on the floor. He couldn’t even get his hands up in time to break the fall.
This definitely wasn’t a movie.
I needed to get the hell out of here. Now.
Rome didn’t need to drag me any more—adrenaline had set in and sexy times were forgotten. My instincts said to run, and I wasn’t going to argue. Running wasn’t really possible, though, what with people and bottles and tables flying all around us.
It felt like it took an hour just to get across the room, although it was probably just a few seconds. Nothing touched me. Every other step, he was pushing me to the side, standing over me, or slamming into someone to get them out of the way until we reached an opening at the far end of the bar. He shoved me down behind it, toward a group of women huddling under the safety of the ledge.
“Stay here and keep your head down!” he said, catching my eyes to make sure I heard him. “I’ll be back soon.”
With that, he left to wade back into the crowd.

Joanna Wylde started her writing career in journalism, working in two daily newspapers as both a reporter and editor. Her career has included many different jobs, from managing a homeless shelter to running her own freelance writing business, where she took on projects ranging from fundraising to ghostwriting for academics. During 2012 she got her first Kindle reader as a gift and discovered the indie writing revolution taking place online. Not long afterward she started cutting back her client list to work on Reaper’s Property, her breakout book. It was published in January 2013, marking the beginning of a new career writing fiction.

Joanna lives in the mountains of northern Idaho with her family.

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Dog and Bitch Island (Ben Blackshaw #5) by Robert Blake Whitehill-Review and Interview

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DOG AND BITCH ISLAND (Ben Blackshaw #5) by Robert Blake Whitehill-Review and Interview

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 1, 2018

Ben Blackshaw’s old friend Travis Cynter is dead. Cynter was Blackshaw’s comrade-in-arms in the U.S. Navy SEALs. He was killed in full tactical gear during a black-ops mission on American soil. FBI Agents Molly Wilde and Pershing Lowry try to draw Blackshaw into helping them solve Cynter’s murder. The agents need Blackshaw because the case landed in their laps from an American intelligence agency with overseas interests. From two previous cases, these Feds have come to appreciate how Blackshaw can work in the shadows, off the books, and be easily disavowed should his investigations implode.

Blackshaw is torn. He has a longstanding mistrust of doing any kind of clandestine work for government intelligence agencies. In fact, when patriotism has led him to do the right thing in the past, usually against his better judgement and instincts, his friends and loved ones have suffered; many have died. Helping Wilde and Lowry always comes at too great a cost. This unhappy history weighs heavily against Blackshaw’s profound desire to solve the mystery of Travis Cynter’s death. Should he serve with patriotic duty to an ideal that might not exist, or act with honor to clear the name of his murdered friend?

Against the wishes of LuAnna, Blackshaw’s expectant wife, and contrary to the grim and hard-won advice of his friend Knocker Ellis Hogan, Blackshaw reluctantly launches the investigation with a close study of the murder scene on Dog Bitch Island near Ocean City, Maryland. The trio finds the exact spot where Travis Cynter died. It is LuAnna who discovers a clue which spins the team into a deadly transatlantic chase; she quickly learns that the Feds have not told them the whole truth about Cynter’s final mission.

Thanks to Ellis’s wisdom and wealth, and LuAnna’s independent deductive logic, Blackshaw operates like a small covert agency unto himself. Along the way, he tangles with an old enemy, discovers an unfinished SEAL mission, and cuts out rot at the highest levels of government, including a scandal that could rally terrorists the world over. And it is all controlled by the iron hand of a shadowy syndicate called Faction.

••••••••••

REVIEW: DOG AND BITCH ISLAND is the fifth installment in Robert Blake Whitehill’s contemporary, adult BEN BLACKSHAW military suspense series focusing on continuing adventures and investigations of retired Navy SEAL Ben Blackshaw. DOG AND BITCH ISLAND can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from several third person perspectives including Ben Blackshaw and his wife former Natural Resources Police officer LuAnna Blackshaw DOG AND BITCH ISLAND follows Ben, LuAnna, and their friend, former business partner and Vietnam veteran Knocker Ellis Hogan as they hunt for the person who killed one of their own- Lieutenant Travis Cynter had been killed; a classified and covert mission focusing on the retrieval of an unknown package; and Ben Blackshaw was now the target of an FBI investigation that will take our hero from Smith Island to Bermuda as he searches for the truth.

DOG AND BITCH ISLAND is a fast paced, action packed, infinitely detailed story of intrigue, corruption, and the hunt for a killer. The political machine and the power elite are part a multi-faceted tool that controls the who and what of a mix of information that is revealed to the world- a world that is completely unaware of the backroom, and war room decisions that govern our lives and the lives of the people in the news. The allure of power, and the battle for control attract the wannabes and has-beens in a story that could be ripped from the headlines in a world at war. Robert Blake Whitehill’s DOG AND BITCH ISLAND is a thrilling, clever and intelligent tale of one man’s unique vision of right and wrong.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Deadrise
Nitro Express
Tap Rack Bang
Geronimo Hotshot
Dog and Bitch Island

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

TRC:  Hi Robert and welcome back to The Reading Café.

Robert: Hi Sandy! It’s a genuine pleasure to visit with you again. Your support putting readers together with authors and their books is so important.

TRC: For anyone who does not know you, please tell us something about yourself?

Robert: For a while, I was bucking the family tradition of writing (my father, Joseph Whitehill, was a novelist, and my mom, Cecily Sharp-Whitehill is a poet and editor) by studying acting. But memorizing roles, and even just working with great monologues, always brought me back to the power of the written word and how I enjoy writing them rather than only interpreting them. I love writing tight, pithy, sayable dialogue. I’ve written for true crime shows on Discovery, like The New Detectives, and screenplays.

Writing a novel was the suggestion of a good friend. It took the poor guy two years of nagging to get me started. I worked for eight years off and on to craft Deadrise, the first title in the Ben Blackshaw series. Of course I was researching the story’s location on the Chesapeake and on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, even though I grew up there. I needed to see it afresh with an author’s eye, even the Chesapeake Bay islands, including Smith Island. During that time, I was looking at the big picture of the series, plotting later books that would follow Deadrise, which include Nitro Express, Tap Rack Bang, Geronimo Hotshot, and now, Dog & Bitch Island.

TRC: How did publishing your first book change your writing process?

Robert: Deadrise came out in 2012, and it was life-altering in so many ways. First of all, with thanks to reviewers like you, Sandy, I started meeting the Blackshaw readers, who up until then had been a dream.   I mentioned I took eight years to shape the Blackshaw series and the first book. Now I really had to step it up, and create one book per year, which is the usual output for an author crafting a popular fiction series.

The prospect of that workload was terrifying, but I had already taken the time to lay important groundwork that would serve the entire series. In order to keep up with the new demands of press interviews, readings, signings, I needed a highly structured work-week to make sure I could have a new book ready for publication a year later. Thank goodness, after all the research and preparation, I was able to bring out Nitro Express on time.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about your new release DOG & BITCH ISLAND?

Robert: In Dog & Bitch Island, the FBI calls upon Ben Blackshaw to assist in solving the murder of Lt. Travis Cynter, Blackshaw’s buddy from the Navy SEALs. Cynter died in full assault gear, but on the eponymous island near Ocean City, Maryland, which is very odd, since SEALs are always deployed overseas. Blackshaw reluctantly agrees to help the FBI, I think because Cynter is a little like Blackshaw himself, an independent operator working outside the system; Cynter went rogue. Blackshaw, himself a maverick, is the best guy to help figure out what happened. What’s fun about this fifth Blackshaw book is that LuAnna, Blackshaw’s wife who’s expecting their first baby, comes along to help with the investigation. Her insights are crucial to completing the mission. Of course, Blackshaw’s old friend Knocker Ellis Hogan is also right there with him start-to-finish.

TRC: What direction do you plan for the Ben Blackshaw Series?

Robert: The direction for the Blackshaw series is both outward and inward. It’s an outward direction, in that Blackshaw, though from a small Chesapeake island community, will continue to fight to right wrongs that affect us all, especially the weak, throughout the world.

The series direction is also inward; I want to deepen the relationships between Blackshaw, his wife LuAnna, and his friend Ellis. I want to learn more about Blackshaw’s relationship as a grown man with his parents, both of whom abandoned caring for him when he was a teenager. They’re still alive, and they drop into the stories from time to time. There is still a lot to explore there. And what is Blackshaw’s relationship with his half-sister Annie Vo, and her wife? Relationships, and the emotional truths that surround, support, and infect them, are so important to the evolving arc of the Blackshaw series.

TRC: What type of research/plotting do you do, and how long do you spend researching /plotting before beginning a book?

Robert: I pull my plot cores from world events, local news, anything where the downtrodden need Blackshaw’s helping or his avenging hand. The Southern Poverty Law Center is a constant source of news about righteous fights on behalf the disadvantaged. And Project Censored always dives deep into news stories that might not be telegenic enough for CNN or Fox News.

Though the series starts in the Chesapeake Bay environs, there are far flung locations that require travel to research. When I can’t do that, I take extra time on the internet to get to know every aspect of a place.

That said, I don’t have a set research phase in the writing of a book. It’s always ongoing, and guided by plot turns and twists. I might study the plot core before starting the book, but I do so much more research between writing one line and the next while the work is in progress.

TRC: How often do real-life events influence your story lines and, ultimately the direction of your books and series?

Robert: Real-life events, both on grand and deeply personal scales, lie at the heart of the Blackshaw series. As an author, I have to be able to empathize, sympathize, or at the very least identify with every aspect of a book, every character, action, every line of narration, and every line of dialogue, or I can’t keep it. If it doesn’t move me, it won’t move a reader. That’s where my absorption with news media feeds the engine. Who needs help? Who needs avenging? Who has been forgotten? When I find the victims and the survivors, I quickly meet their oppressors. And then the oppressors quickly meet Blackshaw. And that’s all it takes to seed a Blackshaw story.

TRC: What has been your hardest scene –ever-to write?

Robert: In the main, I love writing, and letting moments emerge from my subconscious that shock even me. In Deadrise, LuAnna was badly and terribly injured. I asked myself, how could I do such a thing to such a wonderful, sterling character? However disturbing they are, I know I have to keep moments like those.

I suffered awfully once again when writing Tap Rack Bang. There were a number of scenes in which young children were in danger, and suffering in complete and bewildering terror. I remember being so afraid and alone at times as a child, so I had to relive those memories writing those scenes. I suppose having a vivid recollection aids me in writing these scenes as truthfully as possible. Blackshaw readers will be the ultimate judges of this.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Robert: I absolutely believe a book cover plays an important role in helping a book or series find its audience. There was a time I worked as a pitch man, and the most important lesson I was taught to make a sale was put the item in the buyer’s hand. As soon prospect took hold of the product I was selling, it wasn’t mine anymore. The prospect immediately began to feel as though the item was theirs. Since I can’t be present whenever and wherever readers are looking for exciting new books, or a great new series, the book covers have to stand in for me. I’m always trying to imagine what kind of cover will make someone want to pick the book up at a store, or buy it on line.

I pitch my initial idea to the cover artist, and then we work through to the most intriguing image possible. I’ve worked with graphic artists like Carol Castelluccio at www.Studio042.com to create several exciting covers. Buffalo Gouge (https://www.facebook.com/buffalo.gouge) did amazing work on Geronimo Hotshot and Dog & Bitch Island. Betty Horne Fowler (https://www.facebook.com/betty.fowler) provided a totally haunting photograph for the cover of Tap Rack Bang. My covers are not standardized. They run the gamut in style, color palette, and original media. They are eclectic because my taste is eclectic; I never can tell which style of cover is going to draw a reader to a Blackshaw book for the first time.

TRC: How do you select the names of your characters?

Robert: No one’s asked me that before, Sandy! I sit through the end credits of movies, and text myself any names that are real grabbers. It might be a first name. It might be a last name. It might be a name that I change, but it’s inspired by a gaffer or a make-up artist, or a stunt double. I hate vanilla names. I really prefer names that are evocative, and that reveal something of the nature of the character. There you have it. Movie credits!

TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the storyline direction? Characters?

Robert: I need serious quiet when I’m writing. Music just carries me away. I start listening, and stop writing. My father listened to classical music when he was writing. I can’t handle it. I don’t know how he did it. Music drowns out the voices of the characters rattling around my skull.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors? About yourself?

Robert: Some readers might think writers are bookish loners, and introverts. I like being with other people, but only for short bursts.  Then I need some quiet time to charge the batteries. What folks might not know is that authors have to generate new work all the time, but after that first book comes out, they also must think and act like entrepreneurs, planning and executing marketing strategies, thinking about covers, making appearances at readings and signings. It goes from being a quiet life to an insanely busy life very quickly.

Thank goodness on the screenwriting side of things, I work with Liza Moore, who is an amazing producer in addition to being a manager with a strong guiding vision. On the book side, I am lucking to have amazing interns, like Erin Blake and Haylee Berry, and formerly, Heather Bailey. They free me up so much designing the Blackshaw travel app (available in the App store for Apple and Android as a guide to visit Smith Island where the series is set), and handling social media for me in such imaginative and creative ways. In return, the interns and I collaborate on Blackshaw short stories that are published at the end of the novels. Karl Guthrie is an amazing attorney who sees to it that I don’t make any mistakes with contract negotiations. An active author really needs a supportive team as soon as possible.

TRC: What are your thoughts on e-books vs paper? Traditional vs Independent publishing?

Robert: I sell mostly ebooks, but I make sure an attractive paperback edition is also available for those who prefer print books. The paperbacks are also important if you ever want to do signings in brick-and-mortar bookstores.

When it comes to the question of legacy vs. independent publishing, I guess I’m a hybrid case, Sandy. For English language Blackshaw books, I still believe in independent publishing for both the ebooks and paperbacks as I said. But the German publisher, Luzifer-Verlag bought the German language rights in a legacy, or traditional agreement structured in the usual way, with advances followed by royalties. They purchased the rights to the first four Blackshaw books all in a bundle like that. I’m happy to break the tremendous news here that Luzifer-Verlag have just agreed to purchase Dog & Bitch Island as well, for release in 2019. I am so fortunate to be associated with such a terrific publishing company. Their translations are excellent, the covers are mind-blowing, and their marketing team is quite creatively aggressive. It boils down to which style of publishing offers the greatest creative freedom for the greatest financial opportunity. Every situation is different. One no longer has to handle publishing in just one way.

TRC: What is something that few, if anybody, knows about you?

Robert: Very few folks know that one of my former gigs was as a bridge tender on the Old Severn River Bridge outside Annapolis, Maryland. I had twelve and twenty-four hour shifts, opening the bridge now and then for passing boats. I could get pizza delivered at any time, the view was spectacular both up- and downriver, and it was a tremendous private office for a writer.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Robert: At the moment, I’m working on the screenplay adaptation of Tap Rack Bang, the third book in the Ben Blackshaw series. After that is complete, I’ll continue with Blackshaw Book 6, entitled simply, Blast.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Robert: As ever, I would like to thank the Ben Blackshaw readers for all their support and encouragement for the series. I must also thank them for their patience awaiting Dog & Bitch Island. Other writing commitments prevented my bringing this new book out as quickly as I would have wished. I truly hope readers will share their enjoyment of Blackshaw with their friends and family.

I welcome emails directly from Blackshaw readers at rbw@robertblakewhitehill.com anytime, and try to reply as promptly as possible. You can sign up for newsletters, or follow Blackshaw and me at:

www.robertblakewhitehill.com

@rbwhitehill

https://www.facebook.com/rbwhitehill/

Free Blackshaw Travel App for Visiting or Learning About Smith Island

Apple
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blackshaw/id1159429726?mt=8

Android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.swjrtgkuqrpveflmnzzipuvdiafxybkndwygscmqlbo&hl=en

TRC: Thank you Robert for taking the time to answer our questions.

Robert: Your questions teach me about Blackshaw and his world, and about myself as an author.

TRC: Congratulations on the release of Dog & Bitch Island.

Robert: And thank you Sandy. You are such a terrific advocate for readers and authors alike.

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Gentleman Nine by Penelope Ward-Review Tour

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GENTLEMAN NINE by Penelope Ward-Review Tour

Kindle. com  / Amazon paper / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / iBooks

ABOUT THE BOOK: February 19, 2018

Growing up, the three of us were friends.
He was the nerd.
I was the playboy.
She was the beauty.

Deep down, I only ever wanted her. I kept it inside because Rory and I made a pact that our friend, Amber, was off-limits.

He lied.

I went off to college, and he got the girl.
Amber never knew how I felt.
They were together for years—before he broke her heart.

Through it all and across the miles, she and I casually stayed in touch.
When my job sent me to Boston for a three-month contract position, Amber let me stay in her spare room.

Still reeling from her breakup, she’d sworn off men.
One night, I opened her computer to find the shock of my life. She’d hesitantly contacted a male escort company. Afraid to date and get her heart broken again, she was looking for sex with no strings.

Every emotion imaginable ran through me: protectiveness, jealousy—curiosity.
Amber had chosen Gentleman Number Nine and sent him a message.
She opened up to him, confessing, among other things, her physical attraction to her friend—me. But she considered me off-limits—and she thought I was a manwhore. (Ironic, considering the circumstances.)

Eventually, she set up a date to meet Gentleman Nine at a hotel.
When she showed up several nights later to meet him, she was stunned to see me standing there—with an offer I hoped she wouldn’t refuse

•••••

REVIEW: GENTLEMAN NINE by Penelope Ward is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, erotic, romance story line focusing on three friends: Channing Lord, Amber Walton, and Rory Calhoun.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Amber and Channing) with a chapter from Rory GENTLEMAN NINE follows the friends to lovers relationship between twenty five year old part time grade school teacher Amber Walton, and twenty seven year old Channing Lord. Three months earlier Amber’s life imploded when her boyfriend of nine years, Rory Calhoun, walked away saying he needed to explore other options. Three months will pass as Amber struggles to make sense of her life when their mutual friend Channing Lord calls looking for a place to stay while in town for a contracted business arrangement, and Amber’s B&B is available for rent. What ensues is the building romance between Amber and Channing, and the potential fall-out when Rory comes looking for a second chance.

Nine years earlier, Channing and Rory made a pact not to pursue a relationship with Amber, their friend (Channing’s younger sister Lainey’s best friend) and the woman they both equally loved but Channing went off to university, only to return to discover his best friends had fallen in love leaving our hero the awkward third party in their one-time close-knit friendship. Fast forward to present day Channing discovers that the girl he secretly loves is about to hire an escort to ‘sate’ her sexual needs. Not one to stand back and lose the woman he loves a second time, our hero offers Amber a ‘friends with benefits’ relationship that will turn into something more.

The relationship between Amber and Channing is one of friends to lovers, a second chance of sorts between two people who have loved one another most of their lives but circumstance and betrayal found Amber falling in love with someone else. Their friends with benefits agreement and rules are eventually thrown caution to the wind as love becomes the overarching theme that will be threatened by Rory’s attempts to win back the woman he still loves. The $ex scenes are intimate, passionate and seductive but, once again, I take offense to a certain four-letter word that holds no place in a romance story line.

We are introduced to Amber’s best friend Annabelle, and Milo, a young autistic man who loves to smell all newcomer’s hair, as well as Channing’s ex-girlfriend Emily, his ailing mother Christine, Rory’s neighbour Boris, and Boris’s daughter Stephanie.

GENTLEMAN NINE is an emotional and sometimes heart breaking story line that treads dangerously close to love-triangle territory, if not, crossing over for several chapters, which, not being a fan of the three sided romance-ever- amped up my anxiety exponentially. The premise is creative and moving; the characters are determined and passionate; the romance is provocative and intense.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family-friendly career. She is the proud mother of a beautiful 11-year-old girl with autism and a 9-year-old boy. Penelope and her family reside in Rhode Island.

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Judgment Road (Torpedo Ink #1) by Christine Feehan-Dual Review and Giveaway

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JUDGMENT ROAD (Torpedo Ink #1) by Christine Feehan-Dual Review and Giveaway

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JUDGMENT ROAD
Torpedo Ink #1
by Christine Feehan
Release Date: January 23, 2018
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, paranormal, romance

Judgment Road

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 23, 2018

An outlaw motorcycle club sets up shop next door to Sea Haven in the dangerously sexy new series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

As the enforcer of the Torpedo Ink motorcycle club, Reaper lives for riding and fighting. He’s a stone-cold killer who turns his wrath on those who deserve it. Feelings are a weakness he can’t afford–until a gorgeous bartender gets under his skin…

Near Sea Haven, the small town of Caspar has given Anya Rafferty a new lease on life. And she’s desperate to hold on to her job at the biker bar, even if the scariest member of the club seems to have it out for her. But Reaper’s imposing presence and smoldering looks just ratchet up the heat.

Anya’s touch is everything Reaper doesn’t want–and it brands him to the bone. But when her secrets catch up to her, Reaper will have to choose between Anya and his club–his heart and his soul.

••••••••••

Sandy’s REVIEW

JUDGMENT ROAD is the first instalment in Christine Feehans’ contemporary, adult TORPEDO INK slightly paranormal, erotic, romance series focusing on the members of the MC Torpedo Ink. The Torpedo Ink series is a spin-off from the author’s Sisters of the Heart /  Sea Haven series but you do not have to have read the original series to understand or follow Torpedo Ink. This is Torpedo Ink enforcer and Sergeant at Arms Savva ‘Reaper’ Pajari, and bartender Anya Rafferty’s story line.

NOTE: Most of the characters including Torpedo Ink club president Victor ‘Czar’ Prakenski, and his wife Blythe Daniels were introduced in the final instalment of the author’s Sea Haven Series BOUND TOGETHER.

WARNING: JUDGMENT ROAD contains, and makes reference to graphic violence, rape, murder, torture and abuse against children and women, and therefore, may not be suitable for all readers.

SOME BACKGROUND: At the tender age of ten years old, Victor ‘Czar’ Prakenski set about to save and rescue over three hundred children from a Russian child sex-slave operation but in the end only eighteen survived. The Torpedo Ink series focuses on the survivors: their stories, their history, and their happily ever afters.

Told from several third person perspectives including Reaper and Anya JUDGMENT ROAD follows the acrimonious relationship between Torpedo Ink enforcer, assassin and Sergeant At Arms Savva ‘Reaper’ Pajari, and bartender Anya Rafferty. Anya Rafferty is a new hire at the biker bar run by the Torpedo Ink MC; a woman that quickly gets under Reaper’s skin but a woman whose past may be a threat to the security and safety of the Torpedo Ink MC. When a rival MC comes looking for help the Torpedo Ink gang set into motion a search and rescue mission that reveals a much darker and deeper threat than anyone had suspected, a threat that quite possibly leads back to Anya Rafferty. What ensues is the building and volatile relationship between Reaper and Anya; the search and take down of the threats against Torpedo Ink; and the potential fall-out when Reaper’s nightmares and heart breaking past refuse to let go.

Reaper is a stone-cold killer; a dark and tormented man whose own family-the Torpedo Ink MC- is troubled by his emotional instability and inability to let go. Trained as an assassin Reaper believes he is incapable of any relationship involving the woman with whom he will fall in love. With the arrival of Anya Rafferty, Reaper slowly begins to shed his dark and cold exterior. Anya Rafferty is on the run and finding a home with the Torpedo Ink MC places everyone in danger. Unaware of the history, and the savage beginnings of the man that she loves Anya finds herself at a crossroads, ready to run, on more than one occasion.

We are introduced to all eighteen members of Torpedo Ink- survivors of horrific abuse, torture and betrayal at the hands of the sick and depraved. A tight-knit group that calls itself family, the Torpedo Ink gang collectively share telepathic abilities, as well as a heart breaking and devastating history that only furthers their close relationship and over-protective nature as it pertains to one of their own.

The world building reveals the tragic history of abuse, torture, rape and ‘education’ of a group of children who discovered that the world and people have a sick and twisted version of right and wrong. In past reviews I have remarked on the author’s increasing violent story lines and abuse against women and children but in the case of the Torpedo Ink series, the violence is part of their history and lives-ingrained and imbedded –into their very existence. The story line heroes are not the perpetrators of the violence and abuse against the women they love but are the saviors and salvation of those who suffered years before.

JUDGMENT ROAD and the Torpedo Ink are the stories of the broken; the damaged; betrayal and revenge. The premise is dark, startling and edgy; the characters are colorful, charismatic and protective; the romance is dramatic, controversial and healing. Christine Feehan enters the world of the MC with the first fiery instalment in the Torpedo Ink series.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

 

Barb’s Review:

Judgment Road by Christine Feehan is the 1st book in her new Torpedo Ink series, which is a spin off from her Sisters of the Heart/Sea Haven series. When the last book in the Sisters of the Heart series left off, our heroes, (Viktor/Czar) and his wife, Blythe and all the members of Torpedo Ink Club were together as a team,  and will continue to be major or supporting characters in this new series.   Czar is the President of Torpedo Ink, and the man who is the glue that keeps them (his 17 members of Torpedo Ink) together as a team.  All of them suffered horrible abuse in their childhood, making them all lethal assassins; living still in the darkness of the past.  In Bound Together, Blythe was the lone light that they all grabbed hold of, and being Czar’s wife, she is always protected by them.

In Judgment Road, Reaper is our damaged hero; Torpedo Ink’s enforcer, and the man who is always first to protect Czar.  Reaper is feared by the enemy, but loved by his brothers and sisters of Torpedo Ink; but mentally he also lives in a cold and dark inner world. 

Anya, our heroine, is one of the new bartenders in the club, and she is very beautiful.  Reaper starts feeling things he has never felt, and this brings his shield up; which makes him try to fire Anya.  She cannot understand why he is mean to her, as she has done nothing wrong; she is a loner, who also does her job well.  When Czar refuses to fire her, Reaper will have to fight off his attraction to Anya.  When he follows her after work, he sees she lives in her car; and forces her to come back to the compound.  In a short time, Reaper and Anya will act on their lustful feelings for each other, though he was very macho and demanding. Reaper begins to realize that he needs Anya (his only light to his soul), but he has a long way to learn how to treat her, something she tries to work with him on.  Their chemistry was off the wall sizzling. 

When a rival gang, comes to check out Torpedo Ink, Czar and the team notice that they keep watching Anya, and soon they fear she might be a spy.  They will all take her to the back and question her, using mental force to find out the truth.  But Anya is not a spy, she is running for her life, as she accidently discovered something about the rival gang, and ran for her life, when her friend was murdered.  Now after she recovers from the damaging force, she wants to leave Reaper, since he did not trust and protect her.  She loves him, but she needs to know she has to be his first priority.  Reaper, Czar and the entire team try to apologize for their mistake. Can Reaper win Anya back, and be able to protect her first?

What follows is an exciting adventure with Czar, Reaper and the team trying to help another rival club fight off the bad guys, who were kidnapping club leaders wives.   I loved so many of the Torpedo Ink members, and loved how the two girls ( Lana and Alena) were just as lethal as the guys, especially using their looks to trick the bad guys.  They were all so good together.  You have to sympathize, and Feehan gives us flashes to the past, and shows us how much they suffered; especially Reaper.   It is these dark memories, that will hurt his relationship with Anya, who loves him; but Reaper fears he will hurt her when in the midst of his bad dreams.  Very emotional.

As usual for Feehan, the story does have a lot of sex scenes, and though they were very steamy and great together, there were times early on when Reaper was too rough and always demanding control.  I also thought the mental torture scene was something that was easily brushed off, which was surprising. 

Judgment Road is a very dark story and romance, especially when we learned the things they had to endure in Russia; abuse, rape, torture, and murder.  But they are survivors, and slowly we will get to meet the other members of the team, as they find their way out of the darkness to the light of love. Despite the dark violent story, Judgment Road was a great read, exciting, sexy, and  a fabulous group of secondary characters.  

 

 

giveaway

Christine’s Feehan’s publisher is graciously offering a paper copy of LEOPARD’S BLOOD to ONE lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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9.. Giveaway runs from October January 23-29, 2018

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