Monthly Archives: March 2017

Book Review – Alpha Delta

17 Friday Mar 2017

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Alpha Delta

by RJ Scott

Officer Finn Hallan has never run from a fight. With Niall’s life and love at stake, he’s not about to start now…

Finn Hallan is a member of the elite Norwegian Emergency Response Unit, code name Delta. When the team is sent to respond to a hostage situation on a Oil Platform in the Norwegian Sea, he has to face demons he thought he had buried a long time ago.

Scottish engineer Niall Faulkner’s skills in oil platform decommissioning takes him to the Forseti platform at the worst possible time. When he’s captured by terrorists, his only thought is that he will never get to tell his lover how he really feels.

Can Finn keep Niall alive? Or will they both die at the hands of hijackers in the frigid waters of the Norwegian sea?

While there are some romantic elements to the story (with Finn & Niall meeting and hooking up), this is more of an adventure story.  Which is fine, just not quite what I expected  🙂  But don’t get me wrong, I really, really enjoyed it.  I do have to warn you though that it is a short read … although that doesn’t stop Scott from delivering a heck of a ride.

Finn & Niall meet at a conference and their attraction to each other isn’t what they expect but it also can’t be denied.  With their schedules though getting together isn’t all that easy, plus Finn isn’t much for relationships.  It doesn’t stop them from falling for each other – it just keeps them from talking about it.  Then, the hijacking of the oil platform with Niall on it happens.  Now keeping his distance is the last thing on Finn’s agenda.

It’s refreshing that Scott has Niall be as important to the operation as Finn.  He doesn’t have the training but he does have a sharp mind and a lot of guts.  He’s not willing to go down without a fight and will do whatever he has to to help Finn do his job.  There’s a lot of hair-raising moments that will keep you glued to the pages and you’ll feel a little worn out by the time it is all over.  But in my mind that’s the mark of a really great storyteller – I got so caught up in it that I felt like I was right there with them every step of the way!

Spotlight – Welcome to Forever

16 Thursday Mar 2017

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We’ve seen this book before (twice actually, as well as the rest of the series) but for those who haven’t read it yet now is the time … it’s on sale for only $0.99!!

*****

Welcome to Forever

Hero’s Welcome #1

by Annie Rains

Released December 1, 2015

Loveswept

Blurb:

“Don’t miss this sparkling debut full of heart and emotion!” raves Lori Wilde. The Hero’s Welcome military romance series introduces a small coastal town where America’s best and brightest risk everything for love.

In Seaside, North Carolina, there are two kinds of people: Marines, and kids of Marines. Then there’s Kat Chandler. Recently hired as the principal of Seaside Elementary, Kat makes it her mission to turn the school into a place of peace and calm. That’s not going to be easy with hard-liner parents like Micah Peterson storming in, telling her how to do her job—and then kissing her with those gorgeous lips of his and turning her brain into mush.

As a Marine Sergeant and a single dad, Micah Peterson has just two priorities: doing his job better than anyone else, and getting the absolute best for his son, Ben. But when he meets Ben’s beautiful new principal, a different yearning shifts into focus. He wants her, sure, but he’s also moved by the connection Kat forges with her students. So after learning that she refuses to date Marines, Micah sets two more objectives: convincing Kat to give him a chance . . . and then holding on to her forever.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25614154-welcome-to-forever

Goodreads Series Link https://www.goodreads.com/series/154832-hero-s-welcome

Buy Links:      AMAZON | B & N | GOOGLE |iTUNES | KOBO

*****

Excerpt:

“Have you thought about that kiss?” she asked, as he leaned in close to fasten her seatbelt. She couldn’t control what was coming out of her mouth. “Because I have. A little.” She started laughing again. Val had warned her that she was a horrible drunk, and evidently, it was true.

“What have you thought about it?” he asked, his voice low and bristly. Her buckle snapped into place with a loud click. He could step back now, but he didn’t.

And she didn’t want him to. What was the point of being drunk if you couldn’t say and do what you wanted, and then apologize for it in the morning? No one blamed a drunk, they blamed the drink. “I thought that I liked it. The kiss. It was amazing.” She held her breath as he lingered in front of her, his hand still resting on the seat’s buckle.

“I thought the same thing.”

“You did?” She swallowed thickly, as her heart rode up her throat.

His brow lifted. “You sound surprised.”

“I’m out of practice.” She nibbled on her lower lip, drawing his gaze there. Then his gaze flicked back to her ring. Just the thought squashed the flutterings in her chest, leaving a deep ache that vibrated with the alcohol. “He’s been gone for two years,” she said.

Micah’s brows pinched together softly.

Explaining about John in her state wasn’t a good idea, though. She might start crying, which she didn’t do in front of others anymore, and right now all she wanted to do was forget everything but their kiss. That she wanted to remember. “You could kiss me again,” she said softly.

His smile deepened and, damn, he smelled good.

Leaning in closer to her ear, his hot breath melted her as he whispered, “Kat, you’ve had too much to drink. I’m taking you home now.”

Before she could process what he’d said, he stepped back and shut the Jeep’s door, the sound as offensive as if someone had crashed cymbals in her ears. A moment later, he reappeared on the driver’s side and cranked the engine, another sound that made her wince.

She closed her eyes, unsure of what to do with her drunken emotions.

“If I kiss you again, I want to be one hundred percent sure it’s what you want. Not because my almost ex is walking up and you want to help me out. Not because you’ve had too much to drink and want to escape.”

She suddenly felt very tired, as the Jeep Cherokee headed out of the parking lot. “So, you are going to kiss me again?” she asked. Before she could hear his answer, though, her eyes closed and the sounds of the road and his voice, and the blood thundering in her head, blurred together. She remembered their kiss, the feel of his stubble roughly brushing against her cheek, and the way he had smelled like pine and fudge brownies.

No, wait. His eyes reminded her of fudge brownies. He didn’t smell like them.

Her eyes fluttered open. Yeah, she was definitely going to regret tonight in the morning.

*****

Author Info:

Annie Rains is a USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance author who writes small town love stories set in fictional towns on the coast of North Carolina. Raised in one of America’s largest military communities, Annie often features heroes who fight for their countries, while also fighting for a place to call home and a good woman to love.

When Annie isn’t writing, she’s spending time with her husband and 3 children, or reading a book by one of her three favorite authors.

Author Links:   WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS

*****

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Book Review – The Wingman

15 Wednesday Mar 2017

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The Wingman

by Natasha Anders

She was supposed to be his one-night distraction. But their attraction is undeniable.

Introverted Daisy McGregor is used to being a wallflower, but what she lacks in style, she makes up for with an acerbic wit, a passion for life, and a deep devotion to her family. So she’ll suffer through her sister Dahlia’s bachelorette party and accept the cloud of pity for going stag to the wedding.

Out at the pub, sexy bad boy Mason Carlisle is a reluctant wingman tasked with entertaining Daisy while his brother flirts with her oldest sister, Daffodil. When the plan fails and Mason’s true intent is revealed, he feels intense guilt—and a sensual spark of desire for the unlikeliest of women.

Daisy decides to use this unfortunate encounter to her advantage: to make it up to her, Mason will be another kind of wingman, playing the role of her boyfriend and wedding date. Will their ruse unravel completely—or will Mason and Daisy’s undeniable attraction ignite a scorching love affair that knows no rules?

I enjoyed this story so, so much.  Daisy and Mason are a ton of fun together.  She touches a part of him that he’s left out of his … um, romantic (ha!) entanglements.  She’s smart and funny, a good match for him, but she’s also a victim of low self-esteem.  Which he doesn’t appreciate 🙂  He starting to uncover the sexy woman she’s got in hiding and wants to make sure that she sees her too.  But she’s had a lot of years of feeling poorly about herself so it isn’t an easy journey and they both suffer a little for it (although it does make for such a delicious epilogue).

I don’t think I’ve ever read anything by Anders before but she has a delightfully entertaining writing style.  Her characters are bright and real, playing off each other in hilarious and touching ways.  It isn’t just the romance between Mason and Daisy, but the familial interactions as well.  There is so much complexity in Daisy’s family that gets uncovered a little as Mason helps her find her mojo.  There’s a lot going on there that we didn’t see in detail but with two more sisters (and Mason’s brother) I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for what comes next!

Book Review – Home at Last

14 Tuesday Mar 2017

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If you read Close to Home, you’ve been waiting for this story … If you haven’t, head on out to pick up a few Sanctuary Island books, we’ll wait for you  🙂

*****

Home at Last

A Sanctuary Island Novel

by Lily Everett

Price: $7.99

Publication Date: 3/7/2017

ISBN: 978-1-250-07406-5

Blurb:

Home is where the heart is…

Marcus Beckett left Sanctuary Island after his mother’s funeral, and he hasn’t been back since. Until now. Needing a change from the high-risk, high-stakes life of a bodyguard, Marcus makes a solitary life for himself running the neighborhood bar in his hometown. His only mistake? Seducing and then dumping the town’s sweetheart, Quinn Harper. Marcus knows he did the right thing—a good girl like Quinn has no business with a broken man like him. But now no one will come to his bar, and he’s watching his last chance at a peaceful life go up in smoke. So when Quinn proposes a fake four-week courtship, he can’t refuse…even though he knows it’s a bad idea.

It’s a romantic charade that will buy Quinn time to distract her mother and father from their own marital problems—and will help Marcus welcome back some paying customers. But what begins as an engagement of convenience slowly transforms into a deeper connection, one that heals both of their hearts. . .and ignites the simmering passion between them. Could it be that pretending to be together is just what Quinn and Marcus needed to give their real love a second chance?

Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | iBooks | Kobo

*****

Excerpt:

Quinn had taken the floor for exactly the reasons she’d said, in addition to the knowledge that however little she liked to think it mattered, Marcus was ten years older than she was. And he was a secret stress case who carried all his tension in his back and shoul- ders. She should know, since she’d nearly sprained her thumbs trying to dig the knots out during a massage that had started out sexy and turned into a to-the-death battle between Quinn and the long muscles lining Marcus’s spine.

Marcus didn’t need to screw up his back by lying on the floor for eight hours, was her point. Not that she would ever say that to him. She didn’t have a death wish.

But as it turned out, the floor was more uncomfort- able than Quinn had anticipated. And as the hours wore down, so did her resistance to the temptation of the warm, soft bed mere inches from her stiff, aching body.

She stared at Marcus’s sleeping form and wondered if she dared.

Then she wondered what the hell was the matter with her. It was a bed. They were adults. Sleeping next to each other didn’t mean they were automatically going to cross some invisible, arbitrary line. She wasn’t going to roll over in her sleep and accidentally impale herself on his penis. They’d be fine.

This is fine, she told herself, getting up off her shaky knees and creeping around to the other side of the bed. The way her knees popped when she stood up was a deciding factor. Quinn carefully peeled back the cov- ers and slid into the bed beside Marcus.

Quinn held her breath, but he didn’t move. His broad chest rose and fell with his deep, even breaths. He threw off heat like a roaring bonfire; Quinn went from chilled to toasty in seconds.

Letting her body relax into the softness of the mat- tress, she drifted peacefully into sleep.

Quinn’s dreams were chaotic, flashes of memories mixed with totally random people from her past and present. She was aware they were dreams, in that vague way that happens sometimes, even when the dreamer is deeply asleep.

In the dream, she and Marcus were walking through the woods behind her parents’ house, holding hands. Even Dream Quinn couldn’t suspend disbelief quite enough for that. Marcus wasn’t a hand-holding kind of guy. So she knew it was a dream, even as he led her deeper into the pine copse, their footfalls muffled by layers and layers of dried pine needles that released their evergreen scent as they were crushed.

Come here, said Dream Marcus, giving Quinn the smile she’d only glimpsed once or twice—the small, private, completely unguarded smile that made

Marcus look like the carefree boy Quinn had first fallen for.

She could never resist that particular smile. Not that she wanted to resist. This was only a dream. She could have whatever she wanted, with no consequences.

Emboldened by her freedom, Quinn followed Marcus down to lie on a bed of springy green moss. He lay back, arms crossed behind his head and more re- laxed than she’d ever seen him in real life. Sunlight dappled his handsome face, patterns of light and shadow that shivered over his cheekbones when wind fluttered through the branches overhead.

Her heart swelled with all the feelings she’d been stuffing down and denying since the day Marcus un- ceremoniously ended their relationship. It wasn’t smart to care about him. She knew that, and Quinn wanted to be smart, she really did.

The trouble was that she’d never learned how to stop caring about someone. Her poor, bruised heart was as optimistic and stubborn as her hungry body was when it came to Marcus Beckett.

Despair teased at Quinn’s mind, but she pushed it away. This is a dream, she said aloud to remind them both. Only a dream.

Beneath her, Marcus smiled again, the smile that promised things like love and forever and the kind of pleasure she could live on. Thighs tensing with need where she was suddenly straddling his hips, Quinn felt the low-down clench of her body around the emptiness only Marcus could fill.

A shudder racked her, sweeping up her frame in a rush that tightened the peaks of her breasts and forced her mouth open on a gasp.

Yes, like that, Marcus murmured, his eyes going hot and feral the way she remembered from their first nights of passion. The grip of his hands at her hips ex- cited Quinn. She squirmed a little, wanting to feel it, hoping it bruised so she could look in the mirror later and see the evidence of Marcus’s desire for her.

With a smooth twist of his massive torso, he flipped them so that Quinn’s back was arching off the cool moss and Marcus was covering her with his body. Her legs fell open, wanton and wanting, and she relished the stretch of her thighs as he fit himself into the cra- dle of her hips.

His hardness slotted against her softness with a series of rhythmic nudges that stoked the fire inside Quinn higher and higher. In the dream, her panties melted away like fog, and he was naked too, and they were pressed together so intimately and perfectly and yet, somehow, there was still something in the way, a barrier to Quinn getting what she really wanted. Frus- tration mounting, she reached down between their hot, straining bodies and felt . . . cotton?

Quinn blinked and suddenly, instead of staring up at the waving pine needles of the Lantern Point woods, she was looking at the familiar starburst pattern of the plaster ceiling in her girlhood bedroom.

Her immediate thought was a dismayed No, let me go back to the dream! But in the next instant, she realized Marcus was still on top of her, his hard chest and strong arms caging her in. Their legs were tangled hopelessly in the sheets and they were both still wear- ing what they’d gone to bed in, but other than that?

The dream was real.

Eyes still closed, Marcus twisted his hips, grinding wickedly against Quinn’s most sensitive spot and scat- tering her thoughts like dried pine needles before she could figure out what to do. She reacted mindlessly, her body taking over and bowing up hard, her arms going around Marcus’s neck.

Through her haze of heated lust, Quinn saw the exact moment Marcus woke up.

Copyright © 2017 by Lily Everett and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Press.

*****

Review:

I was so ready for this story after reading Close to Home because I really wanted to find out Marcus’s secrets  🙂  And while we do find out a lot, he’s definitely a complicated guy.  He’s carrying around a lot of weight from his time in the military and as a secret service agent … and even more so from his youth.  Lucky for him, Quinn isn’t going to keep to herself.  Instead she pokes and prods and makes sure that he looks into some of those areas that he doesn’t want to face.  And pushes him to go home again, make things right to give himself a little peace.

Quinn may be young and come across as flighty but she’s got a good heart and good instincts.  Both of which she’ll need not only with Marcus but with her parents.  It’s a silly idea – pretending to be a couple – that only shows up in romances but that doesn’t stop it from working here.  Time spent together forces them to look at themselves and each other a little more closely.  And gives Quinn that chance to influence Marcus a little more.

We also get Quinn’s parents rocky marriage here.  It’s a nice juxtaposition of an long-standing couple who have hit a rough patch and a potential new love story that’s dealing with a rocky start.  Both are full of heart and troubles but with a good amount of hard work and communication they have a good chance of figuring things out.

With her Sanctuary Island series Everett has brought readers well-crafted and wonderfully emotional love stories.  Full of small town charm, quirky characters and all the heart you could want, they are the perfect stories for kicking back and just letting it all unfold.

*****

Author Info:

LILY EVERETT is the author of the Sanctuary Island series for St. Martin’s Press. She grew up in a small town in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains and now resides in Austin, Texas, where she writes full-time.

SMP ROMANCE SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Twitter: @SMPRomance

Facebook: @SMPRomance

http://smpromance.com/

Spotlight – Sweet As Sugar

13 Monday Mar 2017

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Come celebrate with Stacy Eaton!!!

*****

Sweet As Sugar

The Celebration Series, Book 5

by Stacy Eaton

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb:

Missy Moresco might be Celebration Police Department’s police dispatcher, but she’s also got her thumb on the pulse of the township. When FBI Agent Casper Princeton shows up in town on a case, Missy and Casper go undercover to protect the real reason he’s there by pretending they are a couple.

With Missy’s snarky comments and Casper’s quick comebacks, these two find it hard to keep a professional distance. When Casper needs to rush home to a family emergency, Missy is torn on whether it’s a good thing or a bad one. Just when she decides it doesn’t matter, Casper shows up on her doorstep with his five-year-old daughter.

Can Missy and Casper keep the fake relationship going while they wait for his case to come to a head, or will his daughter and his job come between them before Easter arrives?

Welcome to the fifth book in the Celebration Township Series, Sweet as Sugar. This series consists of thirteen novel and novellas that take place over the course of a year, beginning with Christmas. During that year, twelve more stories will unfold in the Township of Celebration, Pennsylvania, and each release will coincide with an upcoming holiday.

Add the book to Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34401655-sweet-as-sugar

Buy Links:

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/sweet-as-sugar

iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sweet-as-sugar/id1210063354?mt=11

B&N – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sweet-as-sugar-stacy-eaton/1125853273?ean=2940153530567

*****

Excerpt:

It had been like this for the last two hours. I still had four hours left of my shift, and I was dead tired. I hated working in snowstorms, especially when they surprised us. We had expected four to six inches, and the storm stalled over us and dumped a foot of snow in several hours.

If it were light and fluffy, it wouldn’t have been as bad, but this stuff was heavy and causing havoc everywhere: Power lines were down, trees were falling, cars were stuck on every roadway in the area.

The worst bit was that I was also dispatching for Dexter Township tonight. A massive tree fell down on their dispatch tower, and we were their backup while they repaired it. It made everything twice as bad.

“Celebration Police, what’s your emergency?”

“Hey, Missy, I know you’re busy. It’s Todd Cummings over in Dexter.” Todd was a police officer in the neighboring township. He was a young guy, only on the force a couple of years, but a good officer and not too bad to look at either.

“Yeah, I’m slammed. What’s up, Todd?”

“I’ve got a guy here trying to get through to you. He says he has official police business to attend to in Celebration, but we have two big trees down on the road. Do you by chance have any road crew that could head over this way?”

You have got to be kidding me, I thought. If he has official business, then he is probably in law enforcement of some kind—which means he should understand how serious our situation was right now.

“No, my crews are up the creek without paddles right now. We have trees down everywhere, and my plows are leading my police cars and ambulances around trying to get them to where they need to be.”

“But he says it’s important. He’s with the—”

I cut him off. “I don’t care if he’s the president of the United States. We’re in emergency mode up here, Todd. You know that. I don’t have anyone who can come down there and remove a stupid tree right now. Close the damn road and turn his ass around. There are no police officers available to help with whatever official business he might have anyway, so tell the city slicker to turn the hell around and go home. He can call our chief or Thad after the storm is over and speak with one of them then.”

“But, Missy—” he started to say.

I snapped. “Todd, I have been on one call after another for the last two hours. I have two calls holding right now, a house on fire, and a guy who just cut his hand off in a snowblower. My head is killing me, I haven’t peed since I got here four hours ago, plus I’m starving. I don’t have time to listen to his whiney ass even if he did get through. Tell him to take a hike. There are people that need my attention right now, and he is not one of them. Did you get that?”

“Um, yeah, we got that,” he answered, his voice subdued.

“Good.” I hung up to answer one of the two lines that were flashing as I heard the fire chief calling out for another fire truck to respond. The house on Cedar Street was fully engulfed. Damn, that was a shame, but I didn’t have time to feel for them. Later, I would, but now, I had more work to do.

“Celebration Police, what’s your emergency?”

*****

Additional Books in the series:

TANGLED IN TINSEL 

Welcome to Celebration Township.

Casey Lowe is new in town and hiding from her past. Her next-door neighbor, Thad Wagner, is a sexy police officer, who is good with his hands, and his lips, but Casey refuses to get involved with a married man, and Thad can’t seem to understand why she keeps pushing him away. No matter how they try to stay apart, something keeps drawing them together. When an unexpected visitor shows up at Casey’s house the week before Christmas, her future is on the line. Will Thad figure it out in time to save her, or will Casey become a conspirator to a murderer?

Tangled in Tinsel is the first book in the thirteen-story novella series that takes place in quaint Celebration Township, Pennsylvania. The rest of the series will begin to release in the fall of 2016.

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes | Goodreads

TEARS TO CHEERS

Linda Maxim is a woman who learned early on how to work hard and succeed. Her only regret is that the man she loved disappeared just days after she got pregnant at the tender age of sixteen.

Fourteen years later, Ian Dugan needs a break from life and ends up crashing his vehicle and waking up in the hospital to find Linda watching over him.

Can Linda forgive Ian for leaving her alone as a pregnant teen? Will Ian be able to forgive Linda and himself when he learns of the daughter he never knew about? Find out on New Year’s Eve if Ian can erase the tears and find something to cheer about.

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes | Goodreads

HEATHENS TO HEARTS

Jason Hayes loves working as a nurse and living in Celebration Township—or he did until Riayn Simmers showed up in town, and a secret from his past is threatened to be exposed.

Riayn Simmers is shocked to find her college love-and the man she had called a heathen-residing in the same town as her aunt. Now Riayn needs to decide if she can handle sticking around to run her aunt’s bakery, My Baked Buns.

Somehow Riayn and Jason must find a way to coexist in the small town, but what happens when Jason’s secret is exposed and he’s up to be auctioned off at the Valentine’s Day Party? Will the town believe, as Riayn once did, that Jason truly is a heathen, or will he finally win over her heart for good?

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes | Goodreads

RAINBOWS BRING RICHES

Dabby Finnegan got roped into being auctioned off for the annual Valentine’s Party, and nothing could have prepared him to face the vibrant and determined Paige Brogan. From the moment she jumps into his arms to collect her prize, his life will change.

Paige Brogan has had a crush on Dabby for a long time, and this auction is exactly what she’s been waiting for to finally catch his eye. When Paige wins a date with Dabby, the only thing she wants to do is spend the day with him working at his tavern.

As Paige and Dabby get to know one another, Dabby has a hard time understanding why this incredible woman would be interested in him. It’s when the rainbows are overhead, and green beer is flowing that Dabby finally realizes what he has and vows to never lose it.

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes | Goodreads

And Coming Soon!

MAKING MOM MAD

Corrine Wagner is determined to make a good life for herself and her son while hunting for the perfect man to complete her family. Unfortunately, with her crazy schedule of school and work, her patience begins to run thin with her constantly-in-trouble, five-year-old son, Tommy.

Nolan Tigues has lived across the street from Corrine his whole life—and carried a torch for her almost as long. When Nolan tries to help Corrine with Tommy, she takes it all the wrong way. She can’t believe Nolan thinks she’s a bad mom.

Can Nolan find a way to prove to Corrine that he cares about her—and about Tommy—as more than just a friend, or will Corrine push away the man who could give her everything she’s dreamed of her whole life?

preorder – http://amzn.to/2mraX0m

*****

Author Info:

Stacy Eaton is a USA Today Best Selling author and began her writing career in October of 2010. Stacy took an early retirement from law enforcement after over fifteen years of service in 2016, with her last three years in investigations and crime scene investigation to write full time.

Stacy resides in southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband, who works in law enforcement, and her teen daughter who is working toward her second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and on the choral and cheerleading squads at school. She also has a son who is currently serving in the United States Navy.

Stacy is very involved in Domestic Violence Awareness and served on the Board of Directors for her local Domestic Violence Center for three years.

Website | Twitter | Amazon | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Youtube | Newsletter

*****

Book Review – The Bastard Billionaire

10 Friday Mar 2017

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The Cranes are all sorts of HAWT and readers have been impatiently waiting to finally get their hands on this soldier brother’s story!

*****

TOP 5 FAVORITE LINES FROM TBB

#5~ Isabella Sawyer’s smart-aleck remark when Eli fires her for the umpteenth time:

“Apologies, Eli, but I’m not changing my shoes.” She came into his office, her hips swaying with each sure step she took toward him.

“Fine. Then you’re fired.”

“Oh, no, not again.”

#4~ Merina, the heroine from The Bastard Billionaire shows up as yet another feisty woman who refuses to bow to Eli’s gruffness.

“I can go out into public, you know,” he grumbled, setting the beer bottle next to his plate—on the table, no coaster, thank you very much. “You guys don’t have to come in here and serve me.”

He was skilled at his new role of miserable bastard, and since everyone expected it now, he was determined to excel.

“Oh but we do, Lord Crane.” Merina smiled demurely as she leaned over and handed him a glass.

#3~ I loved this line after Eli and Isa had sex—his honesty cracked me up!

“I like this.” She touched the corner of his mouth. “I’ve been trying to get you to smile since I started working here.”

“Well now you know how to do it.”

#2~ Bold Isabella knows how to ask for what she wants!

“Is kissing you in my marching orders for tomorrow night?” he asked, his eyes picking up a trace of heat.

She wasn’t going to pass up this opportunity. No way. No how.

“Yes,” she answered. “Need to practice?”

#1~ Eli’s worry that he didn’t have what it took is my favorite line in the book.

He’d done what he needed to be a good soldier.

Now that he wasn’t a soldier, he wasn’t sure what it took to be a good man.

*****

The Bastard Billionaire

Billionaire Bad Boys, #3

by Jessica Lemmon

On Sale: February 28, 2017

Publisher: Forever

Mass Market: $7.99 USD

eBook: $6.99 USD

Blurb:

Beauty and the Beastly Billionaire . . .

Eli Crane is one tough bastard. After an explosion left him injured and honorably discharged from the Marines, all he wants is to be left alone. Yet his brothers insist he take a greater role in the family business. They’ve hired him ten personal assistants—and Eli sent each one packing as fast as possible. But when beautiful number eleven walks through the door, Eli will do anything to make her stay.

Isabella Sawyer’s employment agency can’t afford to lose Eli Crane’s business. Her plan: to personally take on the role of his PA, and secure her reputation with the wealthy elite in Chicago. But this beauty and her hot billionaire bad boy soon find themselves mixing business with pleasure in the most delicious ways. And passionate, stubborn Isabella won’t rest until she tames this wicked beast . . .

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Google Play | iBooks | Indiebound | Kobo | Goodreads

*****

Excerpt:

Standing, she smoothed her hands down her pants and flipped her hair. She had planned to quietly finish her work and leave without seeing him again. No such luck. And no hiding that she was heading his way when her heels clicked along the concrete floor.

Well.

The kiss had happened. The button incident had happened. There was no taking it back. Regardless of how either of them felt about it, she was going to continue working here. So. She would deal with the here and now.

Since the sun was shining, Eli’s lair was welcome instead of foreboding. No fire cracked in the hearth today. Also unlike his usual, he wasn’t at his desk. He was at the printer.

“This yours?” He offered a sheet of paper.

“Yes.” She couldn’t keep from explaining. “Pressed the Print button by accident.”

“Mi printer es su printer.”

Isa accepted the document and Eli sank his hands into his jeans pockets, his forearms flexing with the movement.

“I wasn’t—”

“I shouldn’t—” they said at the same time.

He pursed his lips and she looked at her shoes. “Go ahead.” She was going to say, I wasn’t offended when you kissed me, but now that she’d had a millisecond to think it through, maybe she should pretend the kiss hadn’t happened. Which was . . . impossible. Standing this close to him, it’s all she could think about.

“I shouldn’t have ruined your shirt,” he said.

“I dared you to.”

“Why?” His eyebrows compressed along with his lips.

“Because you have accepted the role of beast, but I don’t believe that’s who you are.” She let her gaze linger on his face before tracking down his body. “And because I like a challenge.”

“Do you?” He took a wide step toward her.

She matched his move and took one step closer to him. “Yes. I don’t wilt easily.”

He threaded her hair between his fingers, a look of longing and hurt mingling in his eyes. “I was about to lie and say I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

Shivers climbed her spine as she remembered how firm his lips felt against hers. “Maybe . . . you shouldn’t have stopped.”

*****

Review:

(I will be sharing a BIT of a spoiler about the ending later but I will be giving you fair warning so you can read some of the review if you want and then stop at the *s)

I’m thinking that Isabella needs to hire some people with a little more backbone.  What we see of Eli isn’t all that pleasant but he’s carrying a lot.  He’s struggling to find his way again and unfortunately his family keeps pushing him to be what they want him to be.  Granted he’s a TERRIBLE communicator and is keeping a lot to himself so they don’t know what is going on with him.  I get why he’s not sharing but it might make his life a little easier if he’d just be a little more forthcoming with those that love him  🙂

Buuuut, that would mean that he’d never have met Isabella.  And she’s exactly what he needs.  She’s not going to take his crap.  Instead she’s working hard to make things work with the Crane company and, as she gets to know him better, for Eli himself.  He’s sexy and troubled and all sorts of growly but what he really needs is someone to push him, stand up to him, and support him.  It’s a fine line she has to dance on but she’s got the guts and smarts to do it.

**I’m kinda giving away a little bit of a spoiler next so if you don’t want to know any more STOP HERE**

Kinda like with The Billionaire Next Door I was a little confused toward the end.  I think that if we’d be given a better look at Isabella’s relationship with her ex and why she would feel like she HAD to have a commitment right then (when I’m pretty sure they were only a few weeks into knowing each other) it might have been different.  But really I just wanted to give Eli a hug and tell him that I’d give him the time that he needed.  But once she gets her head out of a place it isn’t supposed to be then she definitely makes up for it well.

**End Spoiler**

As an ending to Lemmon’s series about the Crane brothers The Bastard Billionaire is a winner.  Eli is deliciously gruff but redeemable and Isabella is a strong match for him.  She helps him figure his new life out and learn to embrace the future.  Bringing the fun, heat and tons of emotions, Lemmon proves once again that she’s a fabulously talented author!

*****

THE BILLIONAIRE BAD BOYS SERIES

The Billionaire Bachelor, #1

The Billionaire Next Door, #2

The Bastard Billionaire, #3

Series Page on Goodreads

*****

Author Info:

A former job-hopper, Jessica Lemmon resides in Ohio with her husband and rescue dog. She holds a degree in graphic design currently gathering dust in an impressive frame. When she’s not writing super-sexy heroes, she can be found cooking, drawing, drinking coffee (okay, wine), and eating potato chips. She firmly believes God gifts us with talents for a purpose, and with His help, you can create the life you want.

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*****

Giveaway:

Five (5) sets of The Billionaire Bad Boys series

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/26635ce2422/

*****

Book Review – Hero in Disguise

09 Thursday Mar 2017

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Hero in Disguise

by Sharla Lovelace

“Sharla Lovelace’s prose is smart, witty, funny, with a hot sexy edge.” —Kathryn Magendie, author of Tender Graces

Billionaire Jake Jericho has it all, except for the one thing he wants—something real. Twice in his life he’s found that. Once as a delinquent teenager when he was sent to work on a ranch, then later in the arms of Harper Haley, the only girl he ever loved. One helped shape him. The other he had to leave behind.

Harper learned the hard way that trusting Jake only leads to heartbreak, and twelve years later she’s structured her life with a singular focus—to keep running the coffee shop started by her late mother. But now a giant development firm run by Jake’s father wants to level the waterfront neighborhood she calls home, and her shop is on the chopping block.

Forced to turn to Jake for help after all these years, Harper will have to risk everything to save the one dream she has left, and Jake will have to prove he can be the man he never was to save the only woman he’s ever loved.

This novella first appeared as part of the Heartbreakers and Heroes boxed set.

This was such a sweet little story about finding your strength and second chances.  Jake is one of those entitled rich kids who thinks he can get away with anything.  Until he’s sent to work a ranch after getting caught breaking the law.  The man who ran it managed to teach him how to be worthy, but old habits are hard to break and it doesn’t take long for him to slip back into his old life again.  It’s been over a decade but he’s about to have a reason to find his way again.

At 18 Harper fell in love with Jake (without knowing who he was) but then he left her just when she gave him her heart.  It’s been years and he’s just stepped back into her life.  Even worse, he won’t go away.  After everything, she still finds him hard to resist.

Even though Jake lost himself in his shallow lifestyle again, when his eyes get opened he does a great job of stepping up.  I enjoyed his journey as he discovered how to be a good man again, stand tall and be strong for something important even if it means going against his own father.  But he’s hiding who he is from Harper and although he thinks he has his reasons you know it isn’t going to end well.

Lovelace does a great job of showing Jake’s progress and making the business thing with his company (which could easily have been boring) work with the love story.  The story is short but she packs in a great deal of heart, growth, and forgiveness.

Spotlight – Sinful Scottish Laird

08 Wednesday Mar 2017

Posted by in Blog Tour, Contest

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We started the day with a modern, sexy brit … let’s finish it up with someone a little more old school!

Julia London was one of the author’s who got me started reading romances so I’m super excited to be on the tour for her newest book.

*****

Sinful Scottish Laird

by Julia London

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: HQN Books (February 28, 2017)

Blurb:

A young widow puts her sexy suitors to the test in New York Times bestselling author Julia London’s scintillating return to the idyllic Scottish Highlands. 

Widowed and forced to remarry in three years’ time or forfeit her son’s inheritance, Daisy Bristol, Lady Chatwick, has plenty of suitors vying for her hand…and her fortune. But a letter from a long-lost love sends Daisy and her young son to her Scottish Highland estate to buy time for his return. Along the way she encounters the powerful Cailean Mackenzie, laird of Arrandale and a notorious smuggler, and she is utterly—though unwillingly—bewitched.

Cailean has no use for any Sassenach in his glen. But Daisy’s brazen, flirtatious nature and alluring beauty intrigue him. When her first love appears unexpectedly at her estate, Cailean knows that a passionate woman like Daisy cannot marry this man. And to prevent the union, Cailean must put his own life at risk to win her heart.

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

*****

Author Info:

Julia London is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the popular Secrets of Hadley Green historical romance series, the Cabot Sisters historical romance series, and the Homecoming Ranch contemporary romance series. She is a six time finalist for the presitigous RITA Award for excellence in romantic fiction, and RT Bookclub award recipient for Best Historical Romance for Dangerous Gentleman. She lives in Austin, Texas.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

*****

Giveaway:

$25 Gift Card

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/82ae250c53/

*****

Click on the banner below to check out the rest of the tour

Spotlight – Crave Me

08 Wednesday Mar 2017

Posted by in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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I love the idea of an opposites attract love story.  And Wren seems like a straight-talking, take-no-prisoners kina gal … just right for shaking things up!

*****

Crave Me

O’Brien Family #3

by Cecy Robson

Releasing February 28, 2017

Self-Published

Blurb:

RT Book Reviews proclaims that the O’Brien Family series from award-winning author Cecy Robson “has the hottest brothers ever!” And in Crave Me, it’s time for the sole sister in the family to discover love.

Wren O’Brien isn’t your typical female. As the only girl from a loud Irish family with seven siblings, she prefers fast cars to lip gloss and bad boys to good men. It’s the reason she’s nursing a wounded soul and keeping her distance from a dangerous ex.

Evan Jonah is running an empire and just moved from the lavish thoroughfares of London to the gritty streets of Philadelphia. When he walks into the nearest dealership, he’s expecting to find a reliable vehicle to handle the brutal winters, not a sexy female car rep with killer legs.

Wren doesn’t know why “Hotness in a Suit” asked her out. She doesn’t expect a great time or a night of passion that knocks her on her ass. But that’s exactly what Evan shows her.

She also never counted on how hard and fast she’d fall. But men like Evan—good men with even better hearts—don’t desire tough-talking Philly girls for long.

Evan has never met a woman like Wren. But he’s up for the challenge and ready to prove her wrong.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33392351-crave-me

Goodreads Series Link https://www.goodreads.com/series/153646-o-brien-family

Buy Links:      AMAZON | B & N | ITUNES | KOBO

*****

Excerpt:

“Get the hell out of here.”

Evan lowers his plastic menu, laughing softly at my remark. When he first walked into the dealership, I couldn’t quite figure him out. The sides of his cashmere coat parted when he moved, exposing what has to be a very pricey suit. But while he’s clean shaven, he’s not exactly clean-cut.

His dark wavy hair curls around his ears, long enough that I can tell he’s overdue for a trip to the barber, but not so long he appears unkempt. I take another long look at his straight nose, broad shoulders, and perfect posture. No, he’s not unkempt. He’s cute. Damn cute if you like pretty boys with deep green eyes with specks of gold and a jawline angels must have chiseled from granite.

“I’m serious,” he tells me, the way he looks at me taking him from damn cute to sexy. “I’ve never eaten a cheesesteak.”

I reach for the iPad tucked in the bag at my feet to give me an excuse to break away from those pretty eyes and thick lashes that curl at the tips. “So when I asked you if you wanted to go out for steaks, you weren’t picturing enough flat screens to fill a cruise ship and Yeung-Ling on tap?”

“Is Yeung-Ling a beer?” he asks.

I cringe, setting my iPad in front of me. “Oh, Evan, you have a lot to learn if you plan on staying in Philly for the long haul.”

*****

Author Info:

Cecy Robson is an award-winning author of magical realms and to-die-for Alpha heroes. A double RITA® 2016 finalist for Once Pure and Once Kissed, and published author of more than sixteen titles, you can typically find her on her laptop or stumbling blindly in search of caffeine.

Author Links:   WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS

*****

Giveaway:

a Crave Me Prize Pack including a Coach Purse stuffed with a Tote, Coasters and a Print Copy of LET ME

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/521ac4c81239/

*****

Click on the banner below to check out the rest of the tour

Spotlight – Her Secret Ranger

07 Tuesday Mar 2017

Posted by in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Moving on from this week’s sexy musician  to our hottie soldier!

*****

Her Secret Ranger

The Men of At Ease Ranch, book 2

by Donna Michaels

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Comedy

Blurb:

Kissing the sexy soldier was a dare she couldn’t resist…

By-the-book event planner Beth Brannigan’s best friend dared her to kiss a cowboy. She should have said no. Instead, she said please…again and again. If her brother finds out she’s dating—okay, kissing—okay, sleeping with—one of his military buddies, he’ll kill her. Assuming he doesn’t kill his friend first.

Former Army Ranger Brick Mitchum isn’t a relationship kind of guy. But then he meets Beth and starts to wonder if maybe it’s time he settled down. She’s mysterious. Unpredictable. Curvy in every way he needs… And hiding something. He’s just got to figure out what.

Amazon | Amazon Int’l | Entangled Publishing | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Goodreads

 

*****

Excerpt:

The best damn fantasy Brick Mitchum ever had hit him in the middle of the Braxton fair, of all places…and he was in no hurry for it to end. The gorgeous, green-eyed woman from two weekends ago miraculously appeared out of nowhere and laid a lip-lock on him that sent all the blood storming straight to his crotch.

She had to be a figment of his imagination. How else could he explain how they were both back in Braxton today and happened to bump into each other at the fair in a town of over forty-thousand people? The odds of them being there at the same exact time was not only impossible, it was improbable. It sure as hell wasn’t a coincidence. He didn’t believe in them.

And yet, here she was.

The sweet little thing nibbled and tasted and let out a breathy sigh of pleasure that had him harder than the sledgehammer used in the strongman game down the fairway. Part innocence and part hot-as-hell in a lacey peach sundress, Beth was already halfway to ringing his bell. Doing his best to keep cool and let her run the show, he tried to concentrate on the fact Cord was waiting for him at the auction, but then she went and brushed his bottom lip with her tongue.

During the eleven years he was in the Army—the last eight as a Ranger—Brick had planned and carried out enough missions to know that if you wanted something to happen, you made it happen. And, hell yeah, he was making this happen.

With a low growl, he shoved his hands in her soft caramel-colored waves and held her head while he took over the kiss. Deep, long passes with his tongue brought her essence to him and a soft whimper to her throat. He loved how she clung to his shoulders, practically climbing his body in a show of need that rivaled his own. Brick knew from their hot weekend they had a killer chemistry, but the way this simple kiss morphed out of control in the space of a heartbeat shocked the hell out of him.

All too soon she drew back, staring up at him with heat smoldering in those incredible eyes he hadn’t been able to get out of his head the past two weeks. He’d tried. Oh, he tried. After all, they’d had a fun, no-strings-attached fling. Nothing more. Hell, they hadn’t even exchanged last names. No need. They’d kept it light. Fun. Hot. He might have broken his one-date rule with her, but he wasn’t sticking around Texas. Once the ranch was in the clear and the veterans’ barracks were completed, he was Vegas bound to work in his former commander’s security firm.

Didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy the moment at hand, though.

“Well, hello to you, too.” He grinned as his hands made themselves at home at her waist. They certainly knew every inch of her delectable body. And itched for a reunion. “I’m not complaining, mind you, but what was that for?”

Color increased in her cheeks. “It was a dare.”

A dare?

He raised a brow. The woman was full of surprises. “Someone dared you to kiss me?”

“Sort of. I was supposed to kiss the next cowboy to walk through the gate. I’m just grateful it was you.”

Well, hell. “You were willing to kiss a stranger?”

“No.” She released him completely and stepped back, a flicker of unease clouding her gaze. “I refused until you strode in and I saw an opportunity to make this work to my advantage.”

*****

Also make sure you check out …

In A Ranger’s Arms 

The Men of At Ease Ranch, book 1

by Donna Michaels

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Comedy

Blurb:

Former Army Ranger Stone Mitchum doesn’t have time for sex. Since starting a company with his brother and two buddies, he’s had more important things on his mind. Like transitioning veterans back into society. But when his curvy new tenant falls into his arms—literally—his libido snaps to attention.

Jovy Larson has four weeks to prove she’s worthy of taking over the family business. Her challenge? Sell gluten-free, vegan food—in the middle of cattle country, Texas. It’s a tough task, but not half as tough as fighting her attraction to her sexy, surly landlord.

Before she knows it, Jovy’s tangling sheets with the hot cowboy, stalked by a jealous cow, and strategizing ways to help Stone’s ranch. But by the time her lease runs out and the test is over, she’s faced with a new challenge…competing against Stone’s sense of duty to win his heart.

Amazon | Entangled Publishing | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Goodreads

*****

Author Info:

Donna Michaels is an award winning, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of Romaginative fiction. Her hot, humorous, and heartwarming stories include cowboys, men in uniform, and some sexy, primal alphas. With a husband in the military fulltime, and a household of nine, she never runs out of material to write, and has rightfully earned the nickname Lucy…and sometimes Ethel. From short to epic, her books entertain readers across a variety of sub-genres, and one has even being hand drawn into a Japanese translation. Now, if only she could read it.

Facebook | Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

*****

Giveaway:

Win a $100 eGift Card to Bootbarn.com, and a Print Prize Pack!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1cb554951053/

*****