Indulge Yourself Event with Cathryn Fox

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Cathryn is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and red wine. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. Cathryn can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.

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Feature and Giveaway: The Penthouse Pact by Cathryn Fox

Billionaire software developer Parker Braxton knows everyone wants something from him. That's why he made a multi-million-dollar bachelor pact with his friends to never marry. But he never counted on running into, literally, the quiet but sensual Layla Fallon.

Layla isn't afraid of hard work. Still, there is no light at the end of her student-loan tunnel. When Stuck-Up Suit—Parker Braxton—accidentally runs her over, it's the last things she needs. She refuses his help, but he's persistent. He’s also handsome, kinder than she ever expected, and she’s doing her best to ignore her attraction. Which is harder than it sounds when she’s recuperating at his penthouse.

Sparks fly. Hearts flutter. But falling for Layla could cost Parker more than just several million dollars.

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Naughty New Year Event with Cathryn Fox

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cathryn Fox is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and red wine. Cathryn has two teenagers who keep her busy and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. When not writing, Cathryn can be found laughing over lunch with friends, hanging out with her kids, or watching a big action flick with her husband.

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ARC Review: House Rules by Cathryn Fox

This is Part 2 in the "Dossier" novella series. The series is about a group of friends who leave a birthday dossier for one another that includes a list of things that have to be done when each reaches a certain age. I did not read the first book in the series and it isn't required to read this one. I don't think there are any spoilers of preceding books so if you want to read this book, you can feel free to start the series right here.

This is one of Cathryn Fox's short dirty novellas. It's only 90 pages but it delivers everything you need to satisfy your craving for a bossy alpha male, a heroine who finds herself and lots and lots of steam. Kennedy has been in love with Sean since she is a teenager. Sean is the older brother of Kennedy's best friend. He has treated Kennedy like an annoying kid sister and never like a woman. So when Kennedy gets her dossier and it directs her to a location where she encounters Sean, it's her chance to shoot her shot. What Kennedy doesn't know is that as much as she has wanted Sean over the years he's been barely repressing his desire for her. When Kennedy shows up as a stripper at a club that Sean frequents, all the little sister best friend bets are off.

Sean comes up with a crazy idea to keep Kennedy around so they can explore whatever it is they have together without the dossier making things temporary. From the first time Sean is with Kennedy, he feels like one time is not going to be enough. Kennedy feels the same. The interesting thing about this book is that Sean doesn't tell Kennedy that he knows the girl he met in the club is the same girl he grew up with and Kennedy mostly believes he doesn't know. When Kennedy finally figures out Sean knows who she is, she doesn't tell him she knows. The couple spends most of the short book exploring what they have and unleashing some crazy chemistry. There isn't much of a story here because hey, it's only 90 pages. I have to say though, to be a novella, I really enjoyed these characters and I can absolutely say that the book is worth reading.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Body Contact by Cathryn Fox

This book is a continuation of the first installment. They are so short that they really aren’t separate books but I’m not even going to get into one of my rants about that. Jack is still helping Danielle to learn about sex so that she can be an effective sex therapy professor or whatever. Danielle is still a virgin and remains that way throughout the book (more on that later). 

Of course, as this book goes on Jack feels increasingly more towards Danielle than the teacher student relationship and vice versa. Jack in particular gets all cave man-ey when other guys are looking at Danielle and begins internally referring to her as “mine.”  We also meet Jack’s brothers who tease him mercilessly and set him up to take things with Danielle to the next level. That was cute in a frat boy sort of way.  For her part, Danielle also realizes that she feels more for Jack than just wanting him to be her teacher. Danielle likes Jack and keeps telling him that she would not want to be on this sexual journey with anyone but him.

I wanted to know what other people were saying about this book so I looked at some of the other reviews. Other readers are quite happy with this installment so take what I’m about to tell you with a grain of salt. If I had to describe my primary feeling when reading this book, it would be “annoyed.” I just didn’t understand the connection between Jack and Danielle. I don’t get where it came from or how it got so serious so quickly.  I also totally do NOT understand why Jack and Danielle have gone through another installment in this series without getting it on. Their ENTIRE relationship is about sex but they don’t have it….I’m lost.  At the same time, they are doing things that are level 10 for the highly sexual active. Like they go to a BDSM club and Danielle let’s Jack tie her up.  But no actual sex….there is watching sex, talking about sex (in explicit detail) and performing various sexual acts, but no you know what in the you know where. WHY? WHY? To make things even more confusing (annoying) Jack is obsessed with getting it on with Danielle and talks about it and thinks about it constantly….but doesn’t do it. Whatever. I’m tired just reliving this experience.

I don’t know. I like this author and the book is ok. I just found it aggravating. Don’t count this one out but don’t be mad at me if you find yourself irritated while reading it, I warned you.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Hands On by Cathryn Fox

I like the premise of this book, it's a super fast read and it had some hot parts. I just didn't leave the book feeling like it had a logical conclusion. I know it's the first part in a series but I hate a "part 1" that is really just a few chapters from a book.

In "Hands On," the "hands on" refers to Danielle's need for a sex tutor. Danielle gets a job as a sex therapy teacher. Small problem, she hasn't actually had any sex and has no experience to draw from. She gets in her head to ask the former high school jock and current NFL player for hands on lessons. Jack, of course agrees to be her teacher...sort of. Jack agrees to bang her brains out but he doesn't know why or that she's member of the v club.

The way Jack finds out about Danielle's virginity is that Danielle acts super awkward during foreplay. I get that she was a virgin but she was also a grown woman. As widely available as porn hub and it's freaky cousins are, I see NO reason for an adult woman to be acting as weird and silly about sex as Danielle did. Not only that, the woman has taken a job teaching sex therapy....how? How? How are you acting this freaked out ma'am?

I actually liked Jack's initial reaction. He wasn't an idiot or like always high so he figures out that Danielle was not the sex kitten she was trying to portray. Once Danielle confesses her ridiculous plan, Jack is on board for the sex but he sets out to make her first time special. I liked Jack for his efforts to give Danielle a more complete sex experience. What I found frustrating is that there is no actual sex in this installment. Well, there is some well described "self love" but no mutual satisfaction while the couple was in the same room. Unfortunately reading their phone sex was kind of silly.

All in all, this a pretty decent installment in the series but I think I would be feeling more excited if this were a longer book that got to more of the coupledom.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Learning Curves by Cathryn Fox

This book is short in terms of pages but long on entertainment. I really enjoyed this story from beginning to end and I only wished it had lasted longer. Learning Curves is about Linc and Lauren. Lauren is cast as the girl who was to boring to keep her the attention of her ridiculous/vain ex (I'm talking dude was checking himself out in the mirror on the sly). Linc is the smoking hot billionaire who has the good sense to see Lauren for the sexually repressed wild woman that she really is. The problem for these two is that Linc is...well, you know, a manhoe and Lauren is not impressed by it. 

At the very beginning of the book Link and Lauren make a bet that Lauren loses (but wins for the greater good). Lauren learns right away how much Linc actually wanted her and the two wind up on a steamy weekend. The book goes by fast but it becomes clear that the couple needs to sort out if they are together because of the bet or because there is something more between them. While that gets worked out we have a sweet romance that develops and some very hot sexy times.

I walked away liking both Linc and Lauren. My favorite thing is how Linc helps Lauren to stand up to her super douche of an ex. This book is just a short good time all around.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Betting On The Wrong Brother by Cathryn Fox

This is a cute, easy, quick, fun read with some good humorous moments sprinkled throughout. For all you hardcore contemporary romance readers, this is the book for you. If you're like me and you're more of a erotic romance fan, this is going to be a little too sweet and too light weight for you but its nice to mix that in to your reading diet every now and again.

The premise of the book was sort of unique and interesting. Andi thinks that Ryan is his brother. Andi had a really really bad experience with the brother, Nolan, so of course she sets out to punish Ryan...because she thinks he's Nolan. Andi hatches one plan which is cute and funny but doesn't really punish Ryan because he's such a good sport. She then comes up with another plan that is totally ill advised and which completely backfires. The backfiring, however, is a good thing for both Andi and Ryan. It starts them on the path to what is supposed to be a one week strictly after dark agreement but quickly becomes a really sweet romance. Andi thinks there's no way the week s going anywhere because she is still holding a grudge against the person she thinks Ryan is. Ryan thinks it can't go anywhere because he doesn't believe in HEA. Also, Ryan figures out that Andi thinks he's his brother but keeps failing to mention it and you just know that isn't going to end well. Toss in some really cute/creative dates, a little bit of steam and the intrigue of Andi being a romance writer in the book, and you have the story here.

I don't have that much to say in the way of commentary. The book was predictable but not in a bad way, it was just very familiar...like a good friend. There is great development of the feelings between Ryan and Andi. I guarantee you will be rooting for their romance before it's over. The book moves at a good pace, despite being able to guess the end from the beginning, I never felt bored. I like Andi as a character and I really liked the fact that she used to be chunky. I thought that was an interesting twist. The only thing that I found kind of annoying was Ryan's failure to tell Andi who he really was. I just couldn't make any sense out of it. Still, I recommend this book for those of you who like your sweet romances with a side of sex.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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Guest Post with Authors Cathryn Fox, Alison Bliss and Clare James and Giveaway

Please welcome authors Cathryn Fox, Alison Bliss and Clare James.

Meet Cathryn Fox author of Wild Ride.

New York Times and USA today best selling author, Cathryn is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and red wine. Cathryn can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.

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ARC Review: Cowboy’s Way by Cathryn Fox

Chase Cooper has his sights set on Mari Blair, he decides that it’s time to settle down and Mari is the person that he decides to settle with. There is a mix up in plans and Mari’s sister, Julia Blair is the one that ends up at the dude ranch with the sexy doctor/cowboy Chase Cooper. When Julia receives a mysterious note in the middle of the night she is not sure how to react but realizes that her quiet lifestyle needs a change.

Chase is shocked when he discovers that Julia is the one at the dude ranch and not Mari, but both decide that even though it was not what they planned on they are going to make the best of the situation. Chase realizes that he’s thought Julia was the right girl for him all along but she never gave him the time of day and seemed very disinterested in him. When Julia realizes that the invitation was meant for her sister she is ready to leave but Chase convinces her to stay until the next flight out and enjoy the ranch.

This was a very cute story. I really liked that both Chase and Julia were nervous about getting to know each other. They reminisce about their time together in high school and start to get to really know each other. Julia is bothered by the mix-up but when Chase finds her out for a swim and asks her for company, Julia can’t resist.

This was a short but incredibly sweet story about how Julia and Chase finally find their way to each other. What started out as a mix up ends up as a perfect love story.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Fling: A BDSM Erotica Anthology by Sara Fawkes, Cathryn Fox and Lauren Hawkeye

Fling is an anthology comprised of three different novellas.

Take Me - Sara Fawkes

After being dumped by text message days before her wedding, Kate decides to go ahead and take the vacation that should have been her honeymoon. She shows up at the hotel that her fiance had booked only to discover that her room has been given to someone else and that the hotel is currently hosting a fetish week! The sexy manager of the hotel Alexander is immediately attracted to Kate and goes out of his way to make sure that she stays. Alexander thinks Kate will be the perfect sub to get him back in the action after losing the sub he thought that he would spend his life with. As Kate and Alexander go through the different scenes and activities at the hotel they begin to feel a strong connection to each other that goes beyond just sex.

I really liked both Kate and Alexander. They had great chemistry and their scenes together were hot. The author did a great job of showing the attraction they felt to each other. I was hoping to get a little more to their story though. It would have been nice to see them not just during the quick falling for each other phase, but also see some of their relationship as it was really starting to grow. Their falling in love felt pretty rushed to me considering only a week had passed during the story and they had been complete strangers before meeting at the hotel. But overall I enjoyed Kate and Alexander's story. I really enjoy the heat that Sara Fawkes always brings to her stories, and this one was no exception.

Teach Me - Cathryn Fox

After her entire office gets food poisoning, Josie is the only person left to try and convince Luca Mancusi that he should carry her boss's lingerie in his resort. She arrives at his yacht and the attraction between the two is instant. Luca knows that he wants to take this business meeting with Josie and make it more personal. He whisks her off to his resort, which is currently hosting fetish week. Luca knows that Josie would make a great sub to his Dom, but convincing her of that will take a little time and he knows he needs to ease her into it. As the two of them begin to negotiate the terms of a business contract, things get steamy! Luca and his business partner/best friend show Josie just how pleasurable they can make this experience. But soon Luca no longer wants to share Josie and decides that he needs to make Antonio and Josie see that what started out as a quick fling is actually the relationship and family he didn't know he was looking for.

Because this is a novella and it is so short, everything about this story felt a bit rushed to me. Especially since it started as a fling and was a threesome with Luca's friend Antonio. Josie and Luca were enjoyable to read about and they had amazing chemistry. But I just thought that their connection would have been more believable had it just been about the two of them. I really didn't feel their connection so much as the attraction between them. The scenes between Luca and Josie are really hot, and I found myself wanting more of them!

Tame Me - Lauren Hawkeye

Ever since they shared a moment at a party, Marco cannot get Ariel out of his mind. He knows that she would be the perfect front woman for his new line of malls as well as a perfect sub to his Dom. After trying to meet with her several different times, and her no-showing for them all he decides its time to track her down. Ariel has just hopped a flight to Rome and ends up at the Mancusi resort rather than the hotel she had originally planned to stay at. After Marco shows up and tells her that they will be having their meeting, she agrees to stay and discuss his proposal about the malls and nothing else. As the meeting goes on things quickly turn from business to personal. Ariel is not used to people telling her what to do, but with Marco she discovers that she enjoys giving up control when it comes to her personal life.

I thought that Marco and Ariel were both great! Marco was confident and sexy. I loved that he wanted to take care of Ariel to the point that he would deny himself to show her that he was about more than just being with her because of her high profile career in the music industry. Ariel was feisty and fun, often times being sassy before submitting. Even though their relationship progressed quickly due to this being a novella, I really felt the connection between the two of them. Not only was the emotion there, but the physical action was scorching hot! These two really burned up the pages, and I loved the chemistry between them!

Overall

Overall, this anthology was a quick and hot read for me. I loved that even though these were all separate stories they went together. It was nice to catch little glimpses of the characters throughout all three stories. All of these stories center around fetish week and submitting, but I felt like these were about more than just the typical BDSM stories you usually find and the characters were really enjoyable. I would recommend this book if you enjoy dominating males and steamy scenes!

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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