Feature and Giveaway: Strong Hold by Sarah Castille

“Shayla?”

For the longest moment Zack’s brain couldn’t process the sight in front of him.

Seven years, ten months and twenty-seven days. That was how long it had been since he’d seen her. That was how long it had been since he’d lived a life without regret.

Fight promoter Zack Grayson is on the prowl for a rising star. As the top recruiter of a prestigious MMA promotion company, he wants to take someone where he will never be able to go again: the top of the professional league. He didn’t expect that someone to be the woman he loved…and left.

Top-ranked MMA amateur fighter Shayla “Shilla the Killa” Tanner built walls around her heart when Zack left her seven years ago—and again when her husband turned violent. Now, seeing Zack is nearly enough to send those walls crumbling. But she can’t risk the exposure of the limelight, and she definitely can’t risk another heartbreak.

As Shayla and Zack grow closer, though, business turns personal. And once their passion unleashes, there’s no going back…

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo |

Blind Date with a Book Event with Sarah Castille

Sarah Castille is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Redemption Series, Ruin & Revenge Series, Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club series, and Legal Heat series. A recovering lawyer with a fondness for dirty-talking alpha males, she now is a full-time writer, who lives on Vancouver Island. 

| Site | Facebook | Twitter |

My Favorite Things Event with Sarah Castille

Sarah Castille is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Redemption Series, Ruin & Revenge Series, Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club series, Legal Heat series and the Club Excelsior series. A recovering lawyer with a fondness for dirty-talking alpha males, she now is a full-time writer, who lives on Vancouver Island.

| Site | Facebook | Twitter |

ARC Review: Fighting Attraction by Sarah Castille

I really like Sarah Castille so I was looking forward to this book. The erotic content is good but I must admit, I didn't love the story.

This is the fourth book in the Redemption MMA series. It is my first time reading a book in the series but you don't need to read the other books. If you are looking for a place to start this series, you can start wherever you want. This is Penny and Jackson's (Renegade) story. Penny and Jacks have been friends via their mutual enjoyment of the Redemption gym where Jackson trains for quite a while. Jackson has recently gone pro and is now somewhat of a celebrity. Penny is a refugee from a life of misery at the hands of her father. As a way of dealing with her pain, Penny has developed some really questionable coping mechanisms. Penny is a sweet thing in sweaters and kitten heels on the outside. On the inside, she's a huge damn mess who is really a bunch of broken pieces.

Penny discovers that Jackson, the nice guy who everyone loves at the gym, is hiding his own dark side. Jackson is "Master Jack" for a famous sex club. Penny works for a law firm that represents a client that is trying to get the club shut down. When Penny visits the club to serve legal documents, the course of her life is drastically altered. Penny discovers there may be another way to deal with the demons she has been facing on her own. What Penny is not prepared for is that her masochism is related to sexual pleasure. When she discovers that about herself, it freaks her out. When she discovers it with Jacks, her relationship with him is strained as she tries to run away from her own self. On the other side of the equation, Jacks was raised as a Southern gentlemen. He is completely horrified by his desire to hurt women but it's there. Jacks has not fully accepted that what he wants his normal and he doesn't want to subject Penny to it no matter how much she might enjoy it.

Penny and Jacks are flip sides of the same coin. Neither one of them can accept the truth about their self so it causes them to push the other one away. My problem is how confused things became. Jacks is over the top in his intensity about Penny. When any other guy even glances her way, Jacks flies into a crazy rage. On the other hand, when he has an opportunity to declare to Penny that he wants her, he goes running in the opposite direction. As for Penny, she is just really emotionally unstable. The way Penny's past comes back to haunt her and she fixates on not being good enough was sad but also exhausting. Penny just really need a big gulp of self confidence. I did like Penny and Jacks together but I wish they could have gotten there with just slightly less angst.  I also didn't really care for the use of supporting characters in this book. I thought there was too much information about other characters and it got a bit distracting at times.

All in all, this was not my favorite book by this author. It delivers some really great sex scenes and some intense emotion but parts of it felt tedious.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | iTunes |

Naughty New Year Event with Sarah Castille

Sarah Castille is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Redemption Series, Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club series, Legal Heat series, Ruin & Revenge series, and the Club Excelsior series. A recovering lawyer with a fondness for dirty-talking alpha males, she now is a full-time writer, who lives on Vancouver Island.

| Site | Facebook | Twitter |

ARC Review: Nico by Sarah Castille

I don't know what happened here. I should have loved this book. I love this author, I love the other books by her that I've read, I loved the blurb for this book....I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED HERE. To make matters even more confusing, when I started this book, I was like yes yes yes. Mia was smart and snappy and I loved her boldness. Then we meet Nico and I was like hot damn, I'll take one of those. Castille is great at descriptive writing and she conveys Nico loud and clear. Nico is enigmatic and magnetic at the same time. He is not "the boss" but he is still "a boss" and boy can you tell. From the first moment that Nico and Mia meet, there attraction is explosive and jumps off the pages at you. I really thought we were headed to the happy place.

Mia finds herself in a precarious situation. Her father is a mob boss who decides to marry her off to the son of another mob boss to solidify the family's ties. Of course Mia knew nothing about the planned union and has no intention of marrying a total stranger. The problem is if Mia doesn't marry strange mob boss son, her Father will force her little sister to do it. By a strange twist of fate, Nico winds up sort of rescuing Mia from the marriage and perhaps death. And it is is right around this point in the book that things went left for me.'

Like right around the 30% mark in this book, I just got...bored. I felt like Nico and Mia were spending too much time apart. I didn't understand how the whole kidnapping thing went so left. Mia's life didn't really make sense to me. I didn't understand how she went on running her company and teaching classes while all hell broke loose. There was a lot of action surrounding the story of Mia and Nico but I just wasn't all that into it. Nico is a really compelling character to me but as the book went on, I didn't love Mia as much. I honestly don't know how this happened. I sometimes read other reviews when I read a book by an author that I really like that doesn't move me. So I read some other reviews of this book and people loved it. And now I feel even more like I'm on asshole island all by myself. So this is what I will say, give the book a try. If you get to the 40% mark and it's rocking your world, you can assume LJ was just having an off day. But if you find that something goes missing in the plot around the 30% mark, you can't say I didn't try to warn you.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | iTunes | Kobo |

ARC Review: Chaos Bound by Sarah Castille

Chaos Bound is my first book by Castille and my first book in the Sinners Tribe MC series. This is book number four and I'm fixin to gobble up books 1-3 because I already love this series after one book. I'm an MC (motorcycle club) romance fan but there are A LOT of books in this genre and many of them just aren't right. This book, however, was everything I love about MC romance and gave me the things I love about romance books in general.

This book starts out with a bang and keeps a fast, interesting pace from that point forward. Both Naiya and Holt find themselves at the mercy of the evil Black Jacks MC facing a miserable existence with limited options. Both need to get back to the Sinners for very different reasons. Holt has a vendetta and Naiya has the hope that the Sinners can help her. Naiya and Holt are able to help each other and basically become inseparable after that. I absolutely love Naiya and Holt as characters. Naiya is smart, resilliant and a little bit snarky. Holt is an intense alpha male who dominates every situation and believes in protecting his woman.

The thing that was really interesting about this book to me is the way that Holt has changed and is adjusting to his new role in life. I was really into Holt's journey and his feelings about his brothers who he thought betrayed him. I loved that Naiya wanted the best for him and was able to see the situation with clear eyes and help him to reconnect with his family. Naiya kept telling herself that MC men were exactly what she did not need in her life and based on her history, that was a pretty logical position to take. But Naiya couldn't resist Holt and I love a story about irresistible attraction.

There is a lot going on in this book in terms of action. Naiya and Holt are being chased. Holt is doing some chasing of his own. The DEA gets in on the action. There is a very questionable news reporter tangled up in the mix and then there is an entire MC struggling to reclaim their lost brother. There was absolutely no shortage of entertainment and romance. My only one criticism of this book is that at the end too many things happen too fast and I was having a hard time putting it all together. I just felt like the author got to a certain page, remembered she had somewhere she needed to be and decided to just wrap it up. This did not take away from my overall rating because I still felt like I got a lot of book for my buck. So for all you MC and action romance fans, this book is for you. I think you will really enjoy it.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | iTunes |

RFTC I've Got a Secret Event with Author Sarah Castille

Sarah Castille is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Redemption Series, Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club series, Legal Heat series and the Club Excelsior series. A recovering lawyer with a fondness for dirty-talking alpha males, she now is a full-time writer of contemporary romance and romantic suspense, who lives on Vancouver Island.

| Site | Facebook | Twitter |

Audiobook Review: Legal Heat by Sarah Castille, Narrated by Charlotte Kane

Sarah Castille is one of those authors that I always keep meaning to read. I finally had a chance to read one of her motorcycle books and it fell a little short for me. However, when I began listening to “Legal Heat” I was instantly interested in the story and the characters. I loved the seductive setting that the author began with and the suspense that carried throughout the story.

I really enjoyed this audiobook and it came at a perfect time. I wanted something light, fun and interesting and this story “Legal Heat” really covered all those areas. I also really enjoyed the hero and the heroine. The heroine, Katy Sinclair, is at a “pleasure” club solely on business but it quickly turns to a lot more. Right at the entrance of the pleasure club she meets Mark Richards. Both Katy and Mark are attorneys and they will eventually end up on opposite sides of the courtroom. But before that, Mark thinks that Katy is at the club for pleasure, he moonlights there as a bartender with his partners. They are attorneys by day and they work at the club by night until business picks up for them. As luck would have it Mark’s biggest client needs representation. His clients are a big pharmaceutical company and Katy’s client is suing them because they unjustly fired her. There is a lot more happening than just employment law issues. It quickly turns into a scene with dead bodies and threats are made. Despite their big attraction to one another neither Katy nor Mark can afford to drop their clients.

Aside from the suspense of element of this story, and I have to say that the author had a lot of surprises along the way, Katy and Mark can’t fight their attraction to one another but this presents a legal issue of “conflict.” Both love their careers and neither want to jeopardize their case but neither can avoid their feelings. Katy and Mark had excellent chemistry. They really got the best out of each other and they were perfectly matched. I also personally liked how Castille evolved Katy’s character. At the beginning she was very insecure and worried about not only her career but also her personal life- her ex-husband was a key player and Castille really had a lot of surprises in store for him. Not to be outdone with suspense and excellent lead characters Castille had equally fascinating secondary characters in James, the cop, and Lana the private investigator I loved every single scene they were in and I even ended up buying the book because I just have to know what happens between those two.

Finally, there was so much going on that I was interested from beginning to end. I could not wait to see how Katy and Mark would resolve their relationship, the villains were so deliciously bad and there were surprises at every turn. The narrator Charlotte Kane was great and her voice fit with the story perfectly. This was a fun, intense and exciting story!

**Audiobook provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Audiobook | Amazon | B&N | iTunes |

ARC Review: Sinner’s Steel by Sarah Castille

“Sinner’s Steel” by Sarah Castille was my first read by this author. I’ve heard nothing but great reviews about her work so I jumped at the chance to read this and review it. This is the third book in the “Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club Series” and although I have not read the previous books, I still enjoyed this book. I really love MC books and enjoy them, however I think they need to be done right.

Zane was an interesting character. He was a silent, moody, keep-to himself and at times jerk, type of guy. He came from a broken home and is determined to make something of himself. Evie had her heart broken by Zane and feels jaded by life. Evie is tougher now and her anger at Zane pushes her to move on with her life. She is carrying a big secret and eventually the truth comes out.

I had some issues with this story and I put it down and forced myself to finish. One issue is apparently Evie and Zane were best friends when they were kids. They fought their feelings for each other but eventually they gave in and took their relationship to a new level. Ok, so far. I really love friends to more type of stories. I even love those types of stories where they fight their feelings for one another. My first issue is that Evie doesn’t recognize Zane. He also doesn’t feel the need to say, “hi, I’m the guy from your childhood and the one you shared that very special night with.” When Evie and Zane reunite it was a little bit awkward. The flow of the story felt awkward and Zane felt awkward with Evie. I thought some parts of the story were overly dramatic and the author just had too much going on.

Although I did not love this book as much as I wanted to, I still plan to read more by Castille. She has a lot of other things going on while Zane and Evie try to figure each other and themselves. She presents some of the dangerous aspects of the MC world and it becomes a point of contention between Evie and Zane once they figure out where they want their relationship to go. Also, I have to confess, I love Joanna Wylde’s Mc books and I think she does great with the alpha males. Honestly, I thought some of the men in this book were immature teenagers. They should have been on bikes instead of motorcycles. I’m sure Castille’s fans will really enjoy this addition to the series and I’m going to stay put for the next one to see how it continues.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | iTunes |

Feature and Giveaway: Sinner's Steel by Sarah Castille

HE’S HELL ON WHEELS.

Tall, dark, and dangerously handsome, Zane “Tracker” Colter is the strong, silent type of tattooed muscle biker who drives women wild. But as a master of strategy for the outlaw MC club, Sinner’s Tribe, he doesn’t have time to play around with groupies and biker chicks-especially when he can’t stop thinking about Evie, the girl who got away…

SHE’S PLAYING WITH FIRE.

Evie’s been in love with Zane ever since they were children-until he broke her heart and disappeared. Now he’s back in her life, bigger and badder than ever. Zane is stunned by how beautiful and confident Evie’s become, using her artistic talent to customize motorcycles. He wants her so bad, he’d ride through fire to win her back. There’s one problem: Evie is dating his deadliest rival-the leader of the Black Jacks-and if Evie and Zane hook up, there’ll be hell to pay…

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | iTunes |

RFTC Hall Pass Event with Sarah Castille

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Sarah Castille, writes contemporary erotic romance and romantic suspense featuring blazingly hot alpha males and the women who tame them. A recovering lawyer and caffeine addict, she worked and travelled abroad before trading in her briefcase and stilettos for a handful of magic beans and a home in shadow of the Rocky Mountains.

| Site | Facebook | Twitter |

Guest Post with Author Sarah Castille and Giveaway

Meet Sarah Castille, author of Rough Justice.

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Sarah Castille, writes contemporary erotic romance and romantic suspense featuring blazingly hot alpha males and the women who tame them. A recovering lawyer and caffeine addict, she worked and travelled abroad before trading in her briefcase and stilettos for a handful of magic beans and a home in shadow of the Rocky Mountains.

| Site | Facebook | Twitter |

Audiobook Review: In Your Corner by Sarah Castille, Narrated by Lucy Rivers

Oh. My. Gosh. This book was simply amazing. Not only was it my first exposure to Sarah Castille, but it was also my first exposure to a book that has MMA as part of the plot. It won’t be my last by Ms. Castille and I will definitely be seeking out more books featuring MMA. Please use the comments if you have some to recommend to me.

So what did I love? Everything. No really. First there is Amanda, she’s a lawyer trying to live up to what her parents expect. She’s on the partner track at the law firm, yet by night she’s a lot less uptight. She’s trying to get over one of the best things that ever happened to her, Jake, but she couldn’t commit to him so she ended it. Now she seeks out other men at night, and not the type her parents would approve of. She’s safe but she likes sex. All is going well until the main firm partner shows her the information the firm PI has on her extracurriculars and then propositions her as a form of blackmail. At this point Amanda has had enough. Oh and if the proposition wasn’t enough, the same day, Jake walks back into her life all cleaned up in a business suit at her law firm.

From there things go downhill until Jake and the men from Redemption step back into her life. This time however Jake is trying to keep his distance. He’s not that involved with MMA anymore while trying to run the family business. He also still has feelings for Amanda but he knows she won’t commit and he won’t be hurt again, so he’s trying hard not to act on his feelings until he knows how Amanda feels about him.

The sparks fly. And by sparks I mean raging hot flames. I swear I had to turn my AC higher while listening to this audio in the car. Amanda and Jake could just be in the same room and the heat would radiate through the reader of the book. A semi-relationship commences, the two dance around each other and Amanda begins her own law firm. There are a lot of bumps in her life and in their relationship but that made the book interesting. I loved the characters. Makayla and Torment are in this one (they were the couple in the first book) and I liked the look at them and can’t wait to go back and read their story. I also loved Amanda’s British office manager/receptionist, she was a lot of fun, the PI who follows her from the large law firm to her small one and the guys at Redemption. I especially loved Fuzzy and can’t wait to get his story.

The storyline is great, never a dull moment. The characters really came alive with this reader. I never questioned who was who when she was doing the reading, each character came alive through her voice. Amanda and Jake are simply amazing. I loved their story and how they overcome what needs to be overcome to get together. It’s not an easy relationship, but they both find it is very worth it to pursue. And the heat, definitely a fall/winter read because it is hot, hot, hot! But in a good way. For those of you that don’t like too much sex, it never seemed gratuitous, it was there for a reason in the book. I never felt like Ms. Castille wrote a sex scene just to have another sex scene which is great.

I can’t find a fault with this one, it was amazing on audio. The plot kept me interested and excited to get into the car next. The characters seemed so real that I felt like they were my friends and the world they were living in seemed like it was right around the corner. I’m ready for a Redemption gym nearby. And yes this is part of a series, but I had no problem with it as a stand-alone. But I will be going back and reading Against the Ropes and will eagerly look forward to Full Contact.

**Audiobook provided by Tantor**

Purchase: | Audiobook | Amazon | Kindle | B&N |