Feature and Giveaway: Cream of the Crop by Alice Clayton

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Alice Clayton brings her trademark blend of funny and sexy to this second contemporary romance in the brand-new Hudson Valley series!

Manhattan’s It Girl, Natalie Grayson, has it all: she’s a hot exec at a leading advertising firm, known industry-wide for her challenging and edgy campaigns. She’s got a large circle of friends, a family that loves her dearly, and her dance card is always full with handsome eligible bachelors. What else could a modern gal-about-town wish for? The answer, of course, is...cheese.

Natalie’s favorite part of each week is spending Saturday morning at the Union Square Farmer’s Market, where she indulges her love of all things triple cream. Her favorite booth also indulges her love of all things handsome. Oscar Mendoza, owner of the Bailey Falls Creamery and purveyor of the finest artisanal cheeses the Hudson Valley has to offer, is tall, dark, mysterious, and a bit oblivious. Or so she thinks. But that doesn’t stop Natalie from fantasizing about the size of his, ahem, milk can.

Romance is churning, passion is burning, and something incredible is rising to the top. Could it be...love?

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ARC Review: Surrender to You by Shawntelle Madison

Surrender to You is the second book in this series. I read the first book and you don't have to read that one to read this one. Also, if you want to go back and read that one after you read this one, it contains no spoilers. When I read the first book in the series, there were some aspects of the plot I didn't care for but I really liked the authors writing and felt like there was a lot of potential there. I must pat myself on the back for being right and giving this book a chance because overall I really liked it.

STY is Carlie and Tomas' story. Carlie and Tomas have history that goes back to their teens. They were each others first loves. Both Carlie and Tomas thought that their teen love was going to last forever but something happened that separated them. Over the years they remained friends with a lot of freaky benefits but there was some unspoken rule that things could never go beyond one night. At the point where this book begins, its pretty clear that the one night rule is much more Carlie's thing than it is Tomas.' From Carlie's perspective Tomas left her. That's true but it's not the whole story. I got where Carlie was coming from. The first loss of Tomas devastated her so even though she was still in love with him, she was focused on avoiding a repeat of the devastation.

Ok, now here is where I had a bit of an issue. The reason Tomas left Carlie made sense. I couldn't understand why over the next 10 or so years, Tomas didn't just explain what happened to Carlie. The reason it was so hard for me to understand is because it was clear that Tomas loved Carlie and wanted to be with her. All it would have taken was some sort of explanation so Carlie knew he had not just abandoned her but years went by and Tomas said nothing. And while he was saying nothing, he was in agony. I guess people really have that hard of a time dealing with their own feelings and saying what needs to be said but I just really wanted him to spit it out.

The other reason this book was not a total 5 star read for me was because there was just so much going on. Carlie got a totally random job even though she owned her own business. Within the random job, there is a sub-random plot about this kink club of sorts. There was the story of Tomas trying to sell a hotel. Carlie's secret health issue. Carlie trying to find her parents and then what happened when she did. By the time you get to the end of the book, the characters have spent more time a part dealing with separate issues than they have spent together. An author like Madison can pull this sort of thing off because her writing is good enough that the subplots hold your interest. The only thing was I wanted a lot more from the actual romance in the book. When all was said and done, I just wanted more Tomas and Carlie together.

Still, I have to say, I really enjoyed this book. It was sexy and with all that was going on, it was never boring. I will be back for whatever this author has next.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: One Week to Score by Kate Meader

One Week to Score is the third book in the Tall, Dark, and Texan series by Kate Meader. This is my first book by her and can easily be read as a standalone story, though the books in this series are interconnected. I really enjoyed this story, and I liked the characters a lot. After reading this book, I will definitely be reading more from Kate Meader in the future. I can't wait to go back and read the previous books in this series. 

Olivia Kane just found her fiance hooking up with her maid of honor on her wedding day, and heads to the hotel bar to drown her sorrows and maybe find a hook-up of her own. But when her brother's best friend and the man who broke her heart shows up, her day goes from bad to worse. Flynn Cross has no intention of letting Olivia find comfort in the arms of another man, and he sets out to make sure that if she is looking for sex it will be with him. He follows her on her honeymoon, and they begin a week filled with pleasure. What starts out as them fulfilling their forbidden desires they have always fantasized about but never acted on quickly turns to more, and soon both Flynn and Olivia are wondering if there is something more between them. But Flynn's secrets could destroy everything they are building, and the truth always comes out in the end.

I really liked both Flynn and Olivia. I hated how he had hurt her before, but the more we got to see of Flynn the easier it was to see why he had done the things he did. It didn't excuse his actions, but I did feel for him. He was sweet and sexy, and the perfect match for Olivia. Olivia was strong and easy to like and relate to. She hadn't had the easiest childhood, despite the wealth and status of her family and I loved that Flynn had always seen how great she was. These two had so much chemistry between them, but they also had a great connection. Their relationship had been easy and filled with friendship and so much more, even if they had never acted on it. I really enjoyed seeing them explore that side of their connection though, and I couldn't get enough of them together. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and read it pretty much straight through. It was sexy and sweet, and really funny! I was surprised just how witty these two were and I had such a great time with their banter. They were so much fun to read about, and this book was exactly what I had been looking for. It was light and easy to lose myself in for a few hours, while also being filled with enough steam to keep me flipping the pages and hungry for more. I liked these two so much and I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a great contemporary read. I look forward to reading more from Kate Meader in the future and I am excited to go back and read the previous books, especially Olivia's brother's story.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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Feature and Giveaway: One Week to Score by Kate Meader

He’s the man she loves to hate . . .

Olivia Kane’s wedding day has just imploded spectacularly. Shots lined up at the bar? Bring it. Hot stranger on the hook? Come on down. What this party does not need is six feet and change of home-grown Texas cockiness in the form of her brother’s best friend, the man who broke her heart seven years ago.

She’s the woman he has to have . . .

Flynn Cross won’t stand by while Liv finds sensual solace in the arms of a stranger, not when his own hard-for-her body is more than up for the task. For one week, he’ll make her honeymoon-for-one a sizzling party for two.

Breaking the rules, one steamy night at a time . . .

But the taboo they’re breaking is only the beginning . . . and Flynn’s part in Liv’s wedding debacle could bring about their end.

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Interview with Author Jess Michaels

Meet Jess Michaels author of An Affair in Winter.

Jess Michaels writes erotic historical romance set in the Regency period. She lives in Tucson, AZ where she hangs out with her awesome husband and does geeky things in the desert.

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