Review – Rebel Bride

23 Thursday Oct 2025

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Book Review, Chicago Players series, Kate Meader, Rebel Bride

Rebel Bride

Chicago Players #2

by Kate Meader

Blurb:

She’s just jilted my teammate at the altar and I’m the one who helped her escape. We never hit it off, but I’ll still keep her safe … and pray she never learns how I really feel about her.

SUMMER

I can’t marry him.

I have no good reason to jilt my hockey player fiancé, except that the closer we get to the big day, the more I feel myself shrinking to a hollow shell. Two minutes after I slip into the church bathroom to calm my pre-wedding jitters, I jump out the window to make my escape …

… and land on Hatch Kershaw, my fiancé’s teammate on the Chicago Rebels.

This guy has always hated me for reasons I can’t fathom. Half the time he looks right through me, like I’m no better than the ice shavings on his skate blade. The other half? That brooding green gaze strips me bare and sees right into my soul.

Neither option is good for me, so I really shouldn’t want his help … should I?

HATCH

The bride hit me like a ton of bricks.

The last thing I expected was for my teammate’s bride to ask for my help in fleeing her wedding. Make that the second last—even more unexpected is that I said “yes.” Before I know it, I’ve driven her to my family’s vacation home because I’m a nice guy and she needs to catch her breath.

Only now, I can’t breathe around her.

Summer Landry and I have never hit it off, so why the hell am I going along with this madness? Every stolen glance and accidental touch tell me she’s off-limits, while each torturous second with her in our lakeside hideaway has me questioning everything I thought I knew about who she is and what she’s hiding.

No one can know what I did—not my teammate, not my family, not the media—or all hell will break loose. Most of all, Summer can never know why I dislike her so much.

Because if she did, I might never recover.

Buy Link:

https://geni.us/rebel-bride

*****

Review:

**slight spoilers ahead**

Oh goodness did I love Hatch and Summer together. Granted I got seriously frustrated with both of them – Hatch for his impatience and Summer for her habit of running away – but I embraced the angst and just went with it 🙂 Meader brings the cheese, the banter, the heat, and the heartbreak.

I felt for Hatch and having to hide his feelings and being conflicted about what to do now. I also felt for Summer and how easily she found herself swept away, losing bits of herself along the way, in her relationship with Dash. (And I love love love that Meader had her take that back for herself.)

I’m enjoying this series, and Meader’s writing, so much and as with Sweet Thing there’s a cliff-hangerish moment at the end for the next story that I am definitely here for!

Review – Sweet Thing

17 Thursday Jul 2025

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Book Review, Chicago Players series, Kate Meader, Sweet Thing

Sweet Thing

Chicago Players #1

by Kate Meader

Blurb:

My dad’s teammate needs a nanny and I need a job. Sounds perfect, right? Except for my massive crush on him … the one he knows all about.

LARS

I just found out I’m a dad.

My one-night stand dropped a baby bombshell in my local bar where I was celebrating my team’s win. Then she fled, leaving me holding my new daughter.

Thank God for Adeline. The daughter of my teammate and closest friend on the Chicago Rebels, she practically raised her little sister and knows exactly how to deal with this situation. I need a nanny; she needs a job. Problem sorted, right?

Not so fast …

ADELINE

I think you’re the sexiest guy alive.

That’s what Lars Nyquist overheard me say while recounting my embarrassing crush on him. Yeah, that Lars Nyquist. Defenseman for the Chicago Rebels. Owner of the thickest thighs in the league. More than a decade my senior. Oh, and my dad’s teammate.

My only option? Leave the country, of course. Luckily, I’d already planned a round-the-world trip with my bestie and by the time I returned to Chicago a year later, I expected my blunder would be long forgotten. Shows what I know. Now I’m lying awake in the bedroom next to his while playing nanny to his surprise little girl. But I can ignore this stupid infatuation. I have to. Even though the sight of Lars learning to be a dad leaves me breathless and takes that crush to a whole other level.

One that has the potential to break my sorry little heart …

Sweet Thing is the first book in the brand new Chicago Players hockey series from Kate Meader, the USA Today bestselling author of the Chicago Rebels and Rookie Rebels series.

https://geni.us/sweet-thing

*****

Review:

I’m a little conflicted about this one. I liked the slow burn and the characters are interesting, with their hangups and troubles (although I do wish both of them had gotten some professional help). Plus his daughter, and the relationship he develops with her, is just the absolute cutest. I also like the idea of Addy and Lars together, the way they are brought together and even the way things are resolved between them. It is a little predictable but aren’t most romances 🙂

I did find the age gap a little much for me, just a personal preference when its anything over 10 years and one of them is that young. It helps that Addy is a bit of an old soul so most of the time I didn’t even really think about it unless they brought it up. Some others found issue with the friendship between her dad and Lars but it didn’t really bug me all that much. I found their relationship kinda fatherly anyway.

Overall I liked these two together, loved little Mabel, and enjoyed them figuring out a way to a HEA. There are some hints leading to future books, including a cliff-hangerish moment in the epilogue. I’m definitely intrigued and excited to see where Meader is going to take things.

(There’s a lot of characters that returning readers will know but I got a little jumbled for me as a newbie. But the romance itself will stand on its own.)

*****

Author Info:

Originally from Ireland, USA Today bestselling author Kate Meader cut her romance reader teeth on Maeve Binchy and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Harlequins thrown in for variety. Give her tales about brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron, a fire hose, or a hockey stick, and she’s there. Now based in Chicago, she writes sexy contemporary romance with big-hearted guys and strong heroines – and heroes – who can match their men quip for quip..

Connect with Kate Meader:

https://www.katemeader.com/links

Book Review – Hooked On You

01 Friday Jun 2018

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Book Review, Chicago Rebels series, Hooked On You, Kate Meader

I’m so happy to finally get this story but so VERY sad to have this series end!

*****

Hooked On You

The Chicago Rebels series, Book 4

by Kate Meader

Mass Market Paperback • Price: $9.99 • ISBN: 9781501168574

eBook • Price: $5.99 • ISBN: 9781501180903

Blurb:

Violet Vasquez never met her biological father, so learning he left his beloved hockey franchise—the Chicago Rebels—to her is, well, unexpected. Flat broke and close to homeless, Violet is determined to make the most of this sudden opportunity. Except dear old dad set conditions that require she takes part in actually running the team with the half-sisters she barely knows. Working with these two strangers and overseeing a band of hockey-playing lugs is not on her agenda…until she lays eyes on the Rebels captain and knows she has to have him.

Bren St. James has been labeled a lot of things: the Puck Prince, Lord of the Ice, Hell’s Highlander…but it’s the latest tag that’s making headlines: washed-up alcoholic has-been. This season, getting his life back on track and winning the Cup are his only goals. With no time for relationships—except the fractured ones he needs to rebuild with his beautiful daughters—he’s finding it increasingly hard to ignore sexy, all-up-in-his-beard Violet Vasquez. And when he finds himself in need of a nanny just as the playoffs are starting, he’s faced with a temptation he could so easily get hooked on.

For two lost souls, there’s more on the line than just making the best of a bad situation… there might also be a shot at the biggest prize of all: love.

*****

Excerpt:

She blew out a breath that was half growl, picked up a can of Italian wedding soup, and examined the ingredient list like she was studying for a test. Why wasn’t she taking this opportunity to get under his skin using those taunts that tripped off her tongue like sensual ninja knives?

“Have I offended you in some way, Violet?”

Keeping her chin dipped, she shook her head, but it was a shake of disbelief, not of disagreement with his question.

“Violet, look at me.”

Glittering eyes snapped to his, in them a flash of something—a visceral response to his demand—but it was gone so quickly that even the rewind called him a liar.

“Has something happened?”

“Look, St. James, you and I have never meshed, so we don’t need to pretend to get along. We just ran into each other at the store and you ‘saved’ me from the unseemly interest of a fellow shopper. ¡Maravilloso! ¡Gracias! Now you can take your steel buns and your sexy scowl off in the opposite direction.”

Color flagged her cheeks, making her olive skin glow. She was furious, and he still didn’t know why. He was also furious, and he had a better idea of the reason.

She’d changed the social contract. They’d been moseying along with her teasing and taunting and flirting, and him acting like it was the worst thing ever to happen to him. Like Violet’s attention was a fresh slice of hell, because in a way it was. She reminded him of everything he couldn’t have. She reminded him of the man he used to be. His body came alive around her, and alive was dangerous. Alive was the opposite of numb, and numb was his best defense against the demons whispering in his ear.

One drink won’t hurt. Thirst like yours can’t be quenched with anything but whiskey.

If he allowed himself to want her, it was a slippery slope to succumbing to the demons at the door. Of course he couldn’t tell her this, so instead he latched on to her words.

“Steel buns?” There was also “sexy scowl,” but he figured he’d start with the ass stuff.

She rolled her eyes, then coasted those same eyes down his body, half hidden by the grocery cart. “As if you don’t know.”

“That I have an ass you could bounce a puck off of?” He twisted to check himself out. “S’pose I do, lass.”

She burst out laughing and muttered something in Spanish.

“What’s that?”

“Not for your ears, Scot.”

One day she’d tell him. One day, he’d get it out of her, preferably while her body arched into his and his body drove into hers.

*****

Review:

I tend to turn away from books that have a heroine who is that free-spirited, wild child kinda character but I’d been drawn in by the other books and already started to fall for Bren … and Violet too, I admit. She’s not one of those in your face, “I gotta be me” kind of people. Instead she’s a glorious mix of daddy issues and seize the day mentality. Having faced cancer at a very early age she’s pretty set on living life to the fullest and you gotta admire that! If doing that also involves teasing a broody, sexy Scot … well, that just makes for even better reading 🙂

While Bren has his reasons for being so broody (he did fall into the bottle pretty darn far), he’s working hard to get his life back on track. It’s been almost a year but he’s serious about being the man his daughters, his team, and at some point a partner deserves. He’s still a little unsteady on his feet so he’s trying to avoid anything too tempting – and Violet is oh-so-tempting.

Returning readers will have enjoyed seeing bits and pieces of their dance over the last few books but it is so very satisfying to get it in full detail. Meader has never failed to deliver the feels and she does it again here in spades. And not just with Bren and Violet. While I loved how she made sure that readers understood where those two were coming from every step of the way, I think I might have loved the relationship Bren has with his team just as much as finally getting this particular HEA 🙂

*****

Author Info:

Originally from Ireland, Kate Meader cut her romance reader teeth on Maeve Binchy and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Harlequins thrown in for variety. Give her tales about brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron, a fire hose, or a hockey stick, and she’s there. Now based in Chicago, she writes sexy contemporary romance with alpha heroes and strong heroines (and heroes) who can match their men quip for quip. Visit her at KateMeader.com.

*****

Book Review – Undone By You

07 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review, Contest

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Book Review, Chicago Rebels series, Kate Meader, Undone By You

I am just loving this series and fall more in love with every new book.

*****

Undone By You

The Chicago Rebels Series

by Kate Meader

On sale March 5, 2018

ISBN: 9781501182907

Pocket Star

eBook

Blurb:

Dante Moretti has just landed his dream job: GM of the Chicago Rebels. And screw the haters who think there should be an asterisk next to his name because he’s the first out managing executive in pro hockey. He’s earned the right to be here and nothing will topple him off that perch—especially not an incredibly inconvenient attraction to his star defenseman, Cade “Alamo” Burnett. Cade has always been careful to keep his own desires on the down low, but his hot Italian boss proves to be a temptation he can’t resist. Sure, they both have so much to lose, but no one will ever know…

As Dante and Cade’s taboo affair heats up off the ice and their relationship gets more and more intense, they’ll have to decide: is love worth risking their careers? Or is this romance destined to be forever benched?

*****

Review:

(While this one can stand on its own, it does run parallel to So Over You, which adds a little extra fun for returning readers. The few references to the previous book make more sense if you’ve read it, but I don’t think that they will matter much to newbies or impact their reading pleasure.)

I couldn’t be happier with the story-line Meader gave these two! Cade is a big ball of awesome fun but it’s obvious there is more to him than what he wants people to see. And I have been so curious about Dante since he first showed up – all suave and debonair. They may seem like an unlikely pair but the tension between them hints at something more.

Dante has worked hard to get where he is in the NHL – the first openly gay GM of a professional hockey team. Running into one of his star players in a gay club, and being propositioned by said player, is definitely not good for his professional goals … regardless of how unbelievably sexy he finds Cade. Unfortunately there’s something about him that Dante just can’t ignore.

Cade is this appealing mix of brash confidence and uncertainty. He’s young and seems to have the world at his feet, but he’s hiding a pretty big secret. So far he’s been successful at keeping his love-life private but an instantaneous and overwhelming attraction to his new GM complicates things immensely. He may not have thought he was ready to make some tough decisions but life seems to have other plans.

Meader does such a fantastic job of balancing Dante’s gay yogi with growth moments. While he is older and has had more time being publicly gay, it doesn’t mean that he has the answer for everything. Instead, there’s this fantastic give and take between the two as Cade faces life choices (and they are big ones!) which has Dante evaluating his past and his future.

Cade and Dante might think that they can play with fire and not get burned but we know better 🙂 Instead, the more time they spend together and the deeper their feelings grow, the more complications they’ll have to overcome. Steamy and sweet, with fabulous characters and heartfelt emotions, Undone By You beautifully highlights that just because you don’t want your heart to get involved doesn’t mean that it won’t.

*****

Author Info:

*****

Giveaway:

$50 Amazon gift card

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1a0e71ad19/

*****

Tour Info:

March 4^th

A Midlife Wife

CJR The Brit

Hoards Jumble

March 5^th

Abigail Books Addiction

Dog-Eared Daydreams

Once Upon A Page

Oh My Growing TBR

March 6^th

Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

Read Your Writes Book Reviews

Romancing the Readers

Scandalicious Book Reviews

iScream Books Blog

March 7^th

Romantic Reads and Such

KT Book Reviews

Biblio Junkies

March 8^th

Four Chicks Flipping Pages

Dirty Girl Romance

Only One More Page

March 9^th

Read-Love-Blog

What’s Better Than Books

Romance Junkies

March 10^th

Collector of Book Boyfriends

Belle Readers Thoughts

Book Review – So Over You

26 Tuesday Dec 2017

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Book Review, Chicago Rebels series, Kate Meader, So Over You

So Over You

Chicago Rebels #2

by Kate Meader

Three estranged sisters struggle to sustain their late father’s failing hockey franchise in Kate Meader’s sizzling Chicago Rebels series. In this second entry, middle sister Isobel is at a crossroads in her personal and professional lives. But both are about to get a significant boost with the addition of a domineering Russian powerhouse to the Rebels…

Isobel Chase knows hockey. She played NCAA, won silver at the Games, and made it thirty-seven minutes into the new National Women’s Hockey League before an injury sidelined her dreams. Those who can’t, coach, and a position as a skating consultant to her late father’s hockey franchise, the Chicago Rebels, seems like a perfect fit. Until she’s assigned her first job: the man who skated into her heart as a teen and relieved her of her pesky virginity. These days, left-winger Vadim Petrov is known as the Czar of Pleasure, a magnet for puck bunnies and the tabloids alike. But back then… let’s just say his inability to sink the puck left Isobel frustratingly scoreless.

Vadim has a first name that means “ruler,” and it doesn’t stop at his birth certificate. He dominates on the ice, the practice rink, and in the backseat of a limo. But a knee injury has produced a bad year, and bad years in the NHL don’t go unrewarded. His penance? To be traded to a troubled team where his personal coach is Isobel Chase, the woman who drove him wild years ago when they were hormonal teens. But apparently the feeling was not entirely mutual.

That Vadim might have failed to give Isobel the pleasure that was her right is intolerable, and he plans to make it up to her—one bone-melting orgasm at a time. After all, no player can perfect his game without a helluva lot of practice…

Meader delivers another wonderful romance and I couldn’t be happier. There’s so much drama and bad feelings and it just leads to a great second chance – and not just for Vadim and Isobel! I loved the Vadim has some issues he needs to address with his mother too and Meader makes sure that he does all of it with Russian-ness on full display. And I just ADORED every Russian piece of him – so haughty and formal and sexy and confident. It’s no wonder that Isobel finds him hard to resist even with the history between them. He’s also difficult and closed off and commanding … also sexy but frustrating 🙂

Like with the first book in the series, there can only be trouble if anything happens between the two but the Chase sisters aren’t afraid to dance that line. It makes things more complicated that she’s an owner and wants to be a coach while he’s her player but that isn’t their biggest issue. They’ve got to put their pasts (both individually and as a couple) to rest before they can even think about looking at what the future could bring. While there’s drama, Meader makes sure that things never get over-dramatic which I appreciate. Instead she delivers a sexy, emotional, and humorous love story that had me captivated until the end.

(This is the second in a series and it can stand on its own but I think that it will be much more enjoyable if you have read Irresistible You.)

Book Review – Irresistible You

15 Tuesday Aug 2017

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Book Review, Chicago Rebels series, Irresistible You, Kate Meader

Get this one soon – price will go up in a couple of weeks and you definitely don’t want to miss out on Remy and Harper!!

*****

Irresistible You

Chicago Rebels series, Book 1

by Kate Meader

Pocket Star EBooks

August 14, 2017

$1.99 (August 14^th – August 27^th, 2017)

$5.99 (After August 27^th, 2017)

ISBN 9781501168550

Blurb:

IRRESISTIBLE YOU kicks of the all new, scorching Chicago Rebels hockey series by Kate Meader, featuring her signature “steamy sex scenes, colorful characters, and riveting dialogue” (Romantic Times). Three estranged sisters inherit their late father’s failing hockey franchise and are forced to confront a man’s world, their family’s demons, and the battle-hardened ice warriors skating into their hearts.

Harper Chase has just become the most powerful woman in the NHL after the death of her father Clifford Chase, maverick owner of the Chicago Rebels. But the team is a hot mess—underfunded, overweight, and close to tapping out of the league. Hell-bent on turning the luckless franchise around, Harper won’t let anything stand in her way. Not her gender, not her sisters, and especially not a veteran player with an attitude problem and a smoldering gaze designed to melt her ice-compacted defenses.

Veteran center Remy “Jinx” DuPre is on the downside of a career that’s seen him win big sponsorships, fans’ hearts, and more than a few notches on his stick. Only one goal has eluded him: the Stanley Cup. Sure, he’s been labeled as the unluckiest guy in the league, but with his recent streak of good play, he knows this is his year. So why the hell is he being shunted off to a failing hockey franchise run by a ball-buster in heels? And is she seriously expecting him to lead her band of misfit losers to a coveted spot in the playoffs?

He’d have a better chance of leading Harper on a merry skate to his bed…

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ktKuiM
Nook: http://bit.ly/2ktBFkU
iBooks: http://apple.co/2k4aYXk
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2jy3E2D
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2k0sZW5

“Meader’s strength is creating characters who live, breathe, and jump off the page; Remy and Harper shine, and the supporting cast of characters, including Harper’s half-sisters, is very strong. The mix of sexual tension and emotional decisions will lead Meader’s series launch to many a keeper shelf.”

—Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW

“Meader takes her readers on a breathtaking, non-stop, glorious ride. The sex scenes are lyrically written with fresh, descriptive prose. Enough is included about hockey to add its fast rhythm to the book. Remy’s family is multi-faceted and fills the pages with joy. Readers will love the relationship between Remy and Harper, and will be excited for the next story — Isobel’s.”

—RT Book Reviews Four and a Half Star TOP PICK

*****

Excerpt:

Two things happened simultaneously: Harper’s eyes went wide, and Remy realized he was cold. Both of these things were related.

He’d answered the door completely naked.

And his boner was back, urgent as ever, though he wondered how long that would last because it was pretty fucking chilly out here.

“I’ve interrupted something,” she said, her gaze greedily roving his still-damp body.

“Only a pity party in my shower.”

She swallowed audibly, and just that sliver of vulnerability had him ready to fall to his knees for her. She was here, yet he had the distinct feeling that rushing her would be bad. This woman was like a high-strung filly that needed gentling and every ounce of TLC he possessed.

“Minou, talk to me.”

A shallow breath was followed by . . . another shallow breath. Before he could worry about which would happen first—Harper’s panic attack or his dick dropping off like an icicle—she spoke, her voice scarcely above a whisper.

“I shouldn’t be kissing you. I shouldn’t be touching and licking and stroking your hard body. I shouldn’t be begging you to take me all night long. I shouldn’t be fantasizing about the player I signed to save my team and career because this could be the very thing that tanks my team and career.”

His sexy little minou was hurting, and the only cure was the thing that might destroy them both.

*****

Review:

I wasn’t sure I was going to like Harper. When you first meet her she’s a little harsh and brittle but Meader makes sure that you understand that most of it is a front. She’s under a lot of stress, with a lot of insecurities from her youth, and being thrown into the same orbit as her half-sisters and the man that she can’t have isn’t helping. Before too long I found myself with all sorts of feels for the poor woman. But you can’t feel too bad for her once Remy turns his attention her way!

The youngest with a whole passel of sisters and nieces, Remy was guaranteed to be perfect hero material … even if he is surrounded by testosterone as a hockey player 🙂 He’s patient and understanding, but also with a streak of charming bad boy in him. He’s the perfect balance of Alpha and sensitive. He’s good for Harper, supportive & caring, and he keeps her life from overtaking her.

My only trouble was with the ending because it’s just hard when Harper has been so adamant about how she is perceived. But you knew it was going to work out some way and I’m pretty sure that this is the only way it would have been satisfying.

Definitely an engrossing read and I’m so intrigued by the other sisters & where there stories are going. Meader did an amazing job of giving this group of people complexity and depth. You can’t help but want to get to know all of their secrets!

*****

Author Info:

Kate Meader was raised on romance. An Irish girl, she started with Catherine Cookson and Jilly Cooper novels, and spiced it up with some Mills & Boon. Now based in Chicago, she writes romances of her own, where sexy contemporary alpha heroes and strong heroines match each other quip for quip. When not immersed in tales of brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron or a fire hose, Kate lives on the web at katemeader.com.

*****

Tour Schedule:

July 17^th

*****RT BOOK REVIEWS GUEST POST BY KATE MEADE

August 10^th

*****HEROES & HEARTBREAKERS EXCERPT

August 14^th

CARPE DIEM CHRONICLES

FIRE AND ICE BOOK REVIEWS

FEEDING MY ADDICTION

DIRTY AND THIRTY

A MIDLIFE WIFE

HINES AND BIGHAM LYTERARY TRYST

MY FAVORITE THINGS

A BOOK WHORES OBSESSION

BOOKLOVERS FOR LIFE

COLLECTOR OF BOOK BOYFRIENDS

ROMANCE JUNKIES

READ-LOVE-BLOG

JOYFULLY REVIEWED

August 15^th

*****FRESH FICTION Q&A

REVIEWS BY CRYSTAL

ROMANTIC READS AND SUCH

READ YOUR WRITES

LILY ELEMENT

THE LOVELY BOOKS

READING BETWEEN THE WINES

August 16^th

*****USA TODAY’S HAPPY EVER AFTER DOWN & DIRTY Q&A

August 17^th

ROMANCE REVIEWS TODAY

CAROLINE JANE READS

August 18^th

BOOKAHOLICANON.COM

STRAIGHT SHOOTIN’ BOOK REVIEWS

August 21^st

DIRTY GIRL ROMANCE

ROMANCING THE READERS

August 23^rd

READING FRENZY BLOG

August 24^th

TREAT YOURSELF WITH BOOKS

FOUR CHICKS FLIPPING PAGES

September 1^st

TWO BOOK PUSHERS

Spotlight – Baby, It’s Cold Outside

04 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

≈ 1 Comment

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Baby It's Cold Outside, Emma Chase, Jennifer Probst, Kate Meader, Kristen Proby, Melody Anne

Now for the last of our day’s treats – a Christmas anthology to get you in a festive, and romantic, mood – featuring some of today’s best romance authors.

*****

BABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE Anthology

Blurb:

Outside it may be frosty, so turn the heat way up with these stories of desire!

Can a determined woman executive and a playboy billionaire survive being stranded together in a snowstorm? Jennifer Probst depicts an encounter almost too hot to handle…

Drew and Kate play an encore to Tangled in this sexy take on a “Christmas Carol” by Emma Chase. When a Christmas Eve argument condemns Drew to a troubled night, three dream women teach him that no gift could be more tantalizing than Kate…

With Kristen Proby, ski slopes are quite delightful. Grace Douglas is sure she’ll never learn to ski, but instructor Jacob Baxter could teach her lessons of a different kind…

Can a southern California transplant survive Montana’s deep snows? Melody Anne, author of the bestselling Andersons series, melts the icy drifts completely away with the heat between sexy Hawk Winchester and brand-new teacher Natalie Duncan…

What could be hotter than a firefighter? Kate Meader shows how hot it can get as Beck Rivera and heiress-turned-tattoo-artist Darcy Cochrane discover that nothing ignites holiday flames like rekindling a lost love…

Buy at:

Simon & Schuster: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Baby-Its-Cold-Outside/Jennifer-Probst/9781476783833

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1476783837?tag=simonsayscom

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/baby-its-cold-outside-jennifer-probst/1118892322?ean=9781476783833&itm=1&usri=9781476783833&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-PwUJvmDcu1U-_-10:1&r=1,%201

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/baby-its-cold-outside/id837629311?mt=11

BAM: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781476783833

IndieBound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781476783833

*****

Excerpt:

“Saving Grace” by Kristen Proby in BABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE

I lead her over to an area that has a gentle slope and is perfect for beginners. It shouldn’t scare her. Though I’ve skied places on this mountain that made me break out into a cold sweat.

She’ll never see those places.

“So you think I’m handsome?”

“You know you’re handsome.” She laughs and brushes some snow off her pants. It’s begun snowing. Large, fluffy flakes are lazily making their way to the ground.

“Handsome enough to have dinner with tonight?”

She bites her lip and I know she wants to say yes. I want her to say yes. I want to do much more than have dinner with her, but I’m willing to take it slow.

For the first time in a long time, I’m enjoying a woman’s company when she’s fully clothed.

Good grief.

“Well, you are rather handsome,” she replies, trying to copy my accent and failing miserably.

Fuck me, she’s adorable.

“Your accent needs work,” I reply, and brush my finger over her nose.

“I’m just trying to blend in. I’m a chameleon.” Her face is perfectly sober, but her hazel eyes are full of laughter. Her golden blond hair is cut short, shorter than I normally prefer, but it’s perfect on her. It frames her delicate face, setting off those witching eyes.

“Dinner, Grace,” I remind her.

“If you insist.”

Oh, I think I’ll be insisting on quite a few delicious things, darling.

I smile softly to myself and lead her through more snowplow moves, how to turn, and damn if she isn’t learning quickly. She’s a natural.

“You’re doing great, Grace.”

“I am?” She smiles widely as I help her out of her skis.

“Absolutely. You’ll be flying down this mountain in no time.”

“How are we getting down to the lodge?” she asks nervously.

“We’re riding the chair, love.”

“I’m sorry, this can’t be very much fun for you.”

“Actually, I’m having a lovely day.” I help her back onto the chair and hop on next to her. “I’m grateful that your friends are getting married and talked you into Aspen.”

“Me, too.” She smiles up at me and I want to kiss her more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. I pull my glove off and pull my knuckles down her cold cheek, glide my thumb over her plump lower lip.

“Grace, I’m going to kiss you here on this chairlift.”

Her tongue pokes out of her mouth, wetting her lower lip and brushing my thumb and my cock tightens. I lean in and rest my lips on hers, waiting for her to push me away, but she plunges her fingers into my hair and holds on and I sink into her. I rub my lips back and forth over her soft skin before licking her lower lip and slipping my tongue inside, over her tongue and exploring her mouth. She moans softly, opening readily and I sink in farther, caught up in her clean scent and the smell of the snow around us.

I pull back to find her eyes wide and glassy. The pulse in her throat throbs quickly, matching my own.

Bloody hell, I want her.

*****

Author Info:

Jennifer Probst

Jennifer Probst’s New York Times and USA Today bestselling novels, novellas, and ebooks include the acclaimed Marriage to a Billionaire series, as well as Searching for Someday and Searching for Perfect. She lives in upstate New York.

Visit her at www.jenniferprobst.com.

Jennifer’s Facebook ** Twitter ** Goodreads

Emma Chase

Emma Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Tangles, Twisted, Tamed, and Tied. She lives in a small town in rural New Jersey with her husband and children.

Follow Emma on Twitter and Facebook, or visit her at www.emmachase.net.

Emma’s Facebook ** Twitter ** Goodreads

~~~

Kristen Proby

Kristen Proby is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Loving Cara and Seducing Lauren, as well as the popular With Me in Seattle series. Kristen spends her days with her muse in the Pacific Northwest.

Visit her at kristenproby.com.

Kristen’s Facebook ** Twitter ** Goodreads

Melody Anne

Melody Anne is the New York Times bestselling author of the indie published Billionaire Bachelors series, the Baby for the Billionaire series, and the Surrender series, and she has a new series coming soon from Pocket Books. She lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Visit her at www.melodyanne.com.

Melody’s Facebook ** Twitter ** Goodreads

Kate Meader

Kate Meader is the author of the sexy new series Hot in Chicago, coming soon from Pocket Books. When not writing she works in an academic library in Chicago.

Visit her at www.katemeader.com.

Kate’s Facebook ** Twitter ** Goodreads

*****

Giveaway:

5 Copies of Baby, It’s Cold Outside

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/66a76e1e133/

*****

Tour Schedule:

October 29

Smut Book Club-Excerpt and Review
Vilma’s Book Blog-Excerpt
Abigail Books Addiction-Review
Born To Read-Excerpt and Review
CJ’s Book Corner-Excerpt
Fandomly Bookish-Excerpt
Lovin Los Libros-Review
Reading Addict-Excerpt
Romance Schmomance-Review

October 30

Shh Mom’s Reading-Review
2 Girls Book-Review
Books and Bubblebath-Excerpt
Garden of REden-Review
I Dare You To Read-Review
Mama She’s Crazy About Books-Review
My One True Obsession-Excerpt
Reading is my Superpower-Excerpt
Romancing the Readers-Review
The Blushing Reader-Review
The Romance Cover-Excerpt

October 31

Becky’s Book Bytes-Excerpt
Books Are My Friends-Review
Lis Les Livres-Excerpt
Living in Our Own Story-Review
Roxy’s Reviews-Review
Southern Belle Book Blog-Excerpt
Tangled Up in Books-Review
TB Recommendations-Review
Three Girls and a Book Obsession-Review

November 1

A Literary Perusal-Review
Book Lit Love-Excerpt and Review
Can’t Talk, I’m Reading-Review
My Fictional Escape-Review
Nette’s Bookshelf Reviews-Excerpt
Romance Obsessed Book Blog-Review
Smart and Savvy with Steph-Review
The Phantom Paragrapher-Review
Two Unruly Girls-Review
Vera is Reading-Excerpt

November 2

Book Bumblings-Excerpt and Review
Book Freak-Review
Four Chicks Flipping Pages-Excerpt and Review
Jodie’s Wine List-Excerpt
One Click Bliss-Review
Rumpled Sheets Blog-Excerpt
Short and Sassy Book Blurbs-Review
Those Crazy Book Chicks-Excerpt

November 3

Nose Stuck in a Book-Excerpt
BCS Reviews-Excerpt and Review
Becky on Books-Excerpt and Review
Coffee Lover’s Heart-Review
Made For You Book Reviews-Review
Mia’s Point of View-Excerpt
Naughty Book Eden-Excerpt
Travels N Reads-Review
What I’m Reading-Review
Word of Mouth-Review

November 4

All Romance Reviews-Excerpt and Review
Bujoijoi22-Review
For the Love of Books by Jaime-Excerpt and Review
In Between the Pages-Excerpt
Jen’s Reading Obsession-Review
Red Cheeks Reads-Review
Romantic Reads and Such-Excerpt
Smut Book Junkie-Review
Southern Babes Book Blog-Excerpt
Whirlwind Books-Review

November 5

Becca The Bibliophile-Excerpt and Review
Books Need TLC-Excerpt and Review
Girl Meets Books-Review
Island Lovelies-Review
Literary Gossip-Excerpt and Review
Lulo Fangirl-Excerpt
Reading Between the Wines-Excerpt
Sizzling Book Blog-Review

November 6

As You Wish Reviews-Excerpt and Review
Confessions of a YA and NA Book Addict-Review
Fire and Ice Book Reviews-Excerpt and Review
Hannah’s Words-Review
Kate George-Excerpt
My Favorite Things-Excerpt
Sexy Book Reviews by Shelly & April-Review
Tsuki’s Books-Review

November 7

True Story Book Blog-Excerpt and Review
Booklover Sue-Excerpt
Deluged with Books Café-Review
Four Brits and a Book-Review
Friends Til the End Book-Excerpt
KT Book Reviews-Review
Read-Love-Blog-Review
Sexy Bibliophiles-Review
Two Book Pushers-Review

*****

Book Review – Feel the Heat

30 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Book Review, Feel the Heat, Hot in the Kitchen series, Kate Meader

IF YOU CAN’T STAND THE HEAT . . .

Photographer Lili DeLuca spends all her time working at her family’s Italian restaurant, instead of following her dream of getting an MFA. When famous British chef Jack Kilroy unexpectedly challenges her father to a cook-off, Lili decides she’s tired of playing it safe and vows to seduce the tempting Brit. But once a video of her and Jack kissing goes viral and her luscious (if voluptuous) butt starts trending on Twitter, Lili fears she’s cooked up a recipe for disaster . . .

Jack Kilroy’s celebrity has left him feeling used and used up. While Lili’s oh-so-sexy moans when she tastes his delicious creations turn him on, he’s even more aroused by how this beautiful, funny woman is unimpressed by his fame. He knows they could be amazing together, if she could only see past his rabid, bitch-fork-wielding fan base. Now as he’s about to start a new prime time TV cooking show, can Jack convince Lili to realize her own ambitions-and turn up the heat in his kitchen?

There is so much going on with this story – Jack’s unhappiness with his life path and his disconnect with his sister, Lili’s insecurities over her weight and her shifting family dynamic, plus a whole slew of other DeLuca’s thrown in for fun. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, but it also has a deeper emotional complexity. Everyone has fears and Meader does a wonderful job bringing those to the surface and doesn’t pull any punches.

I loved Jack – his passion and strength, the fact that he whole-heartedly accepts Lili and wants to support her at every turn. He’s smart, funny, sexy and so very very HOT. Lili has a lot of baggage leftover from growing up fat and now there is tension in the family because her mother just recently beat cancer. Not only did Lili put her dreams on hold to help out with the restaurant, but it also put a strain her relationship with her father and her sister. She’s so unsure of herself when it comes to taking a chance, whether it is on her photography or with Jack, and it makes her very relatable.

Like a good Italian family, there are tons of people around, all of them were interesting and hilarious. Plus Jack brings along a couple of his own. The interactions between the different characters – at times cheeky and other times poignant – absolutely sparkled. It wasn’t just Lili and Jack, although I smiled every time they got together because I knew they’d say something to make me laugh. Everyone was witty and funny but still true-to-life and by the time I was done, I felt like I knew these people and could call them friends.

With Feel the Heat, Meader shows her talent, with a wonderfully engaging writing style and captivating characters, and I’m looking forward to many more books to come.