ARC Review: Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley

Kat Holloway Mysteries is a new series from Jennifer Ashley. It’s not a quite cozy mystery and it’s not your typical Victorian Murder Mystery either, it’s a little bit more. I really liked the fact that Kat is a cook, Jennifer Ashley was really good about showing all the inside workings and intendance of the kitchen and below stairs without taking way from the main plot. Every other book out there for this kind of genre always it the upper-class and it was nice to find one from a different perspective. 

Kat Holloway is a very successful cook, she left her last post when they left London and she has her own reasons for staying in London. Her new post in with Lord Rankin, she doesn’t much mind the eccentricities of the family just as long as they stay out of her kitchen. But when she finds her assistant, Sinead who reminded her so much of herself at that age, dead in the larder she becomes involved in the case to solve her young assistant’s murder. Enter Daniel McAdams, a man of mystery, Kat knows he is not what he appears to be so she goes to him for help. When he concurs that Sinead’s death was not the result of a simple robbery gone wrong Kat finds herself immersed in a mystery which proves to be just the tip of the iceberg, and so much more complicated than a simple murder. Daniel and Kat together with a genius mathematician, Elgin Thanos, and the cross dressing sister-in-law of Rankin, Lady Cynthia Shires, they try to piece together the clues they have for the plot against the Queen. 

Along with the mystery we get into Kat’s personal life and the problems she has to face while dealing with the mystery and conspiracy. Daniel obviously has feeling for Kat but she tries to keep him at a professional distance, but he knows her too well. Unfortunately Kat doesn’t know much about Daniel and he plans to keep it that way no matter his feelings but that’s not going to stop him from keeping an eye out on her.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. Jennifer Ashley’s wonderful writing and her unique take on the Victorian Murder Mystery makes this a definite winner with me, I can’t wait for the next book.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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A Naughty New Year with Tina Donahue

Tina Donahue is an Amazon and international bestselling novelist who writes passionate romance for every taste – “heat with heart” – for traditional publishers and indie. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times and numerous online sites have praised her work. She’s won Readers’ Choice Awards, was named a finalist in the EPIC competition, received a Book of the Year award, The Golden Nib Award, awards of merit in the RWA Holt Medallion competitions, and second place in the NEC RWA contests. She’s featured in the Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market. Before penning romances, she worked at a major Hollywood production company in Story Direction. Outside of being an admitted and unrepentant chocoholic, she’s flown a single-engine plane, rewired an old house using an electricity for dummies book, and has been known to moan like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally whenever she’s eating anything Mexican or Italian.

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ARC Review: Follow by Tessa Bailey

This is Tessa Bailey's first self published book and if it is indicative of what is to come, her career in self publishing is going to be fantastic. I didn't even read a synopsis of this book. I just knew it was a Tessa Bailey book and figured it was worth trying. I so love when I'm right like I was here. 

Teresa is 23 and living in LA. Both of her parents are deceased. Teresa's family consist of her and her 20 year old brother Nicky. Nicky has gone to NY and gotten himself tangled up with the very crime lord that her parents escaped a decade ago. It's never really clear how Nicky got tangled up with the Devil but he calls Teresa for help. Teresa drops everything, including her dream of going to film school and goes to NY to help her brother. Teresa meets with the crime boss, Silas, and a weird thing happens. Silas is willing to let Teresa's brother out of his criminal employment if Teresa will help him. What he needs help with is getting his son Will back to NY. Will is on a cross country trip to give his dying dog one last treasure trove of memories. 

Will is a hedge fund manager who has been very successful but who let work become his whole life. Will also feels like he built his life on what his Father wanted. When he realized he never really knew who his Father was, it changes his view of who he is and who he should be. So when Will finds out that his beloved dog is dying, he puts Southpaw in the car and heads out of town. When Will meets a beautiful topless stranger in his hotel room in Texas he is suspicious but he is also attracted and intrigued. 

From the first time Teresa meets Will she loses track of where her hustle begins and where she is just genuinely into Will. The attraction between these characters is seriously off the pages hot. The sex scenes are like, OMG! I really liked how the author handled role playing. Teresa has a fantasy that Will is willing to play out with her but he is so respectful about it instead of it just being sexual it becomes another opportunity to see how Will feels about Teresa. It is clear that Will loves Teresa almost immediately and vice versa. But both Will and Teresa know that Teresa is lying about something. Will keeps trying to get Teresa to tell him what it is and Teresa keeps chickening out. Teresa is terrified of endangering her brother and she hesitates too long and everything goes to crap. They get it all figured out but it was dicey for a minute there. 

If you like super dirty talking alpha men, dog lovers, travel books and a bit of action, this book is for you. It's a totally entertaining experience and very hot. Add this to the Tessa Bailey hit list.

**ARC Provided by Author**

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A Naughty New Year with Allison Gatta

Allison Gatta is an avid writer of steamy contemporary romance, an obsessive viewer of bad television, and an occasional player of overly-complex board games. In her free time, she thinks up fun, new characters and argues with her family over sci-fi trivia. She is a firm believer that Voldemort would vanquish Darth Vader in a duel.

Allison lives in the bustling city of New Haven, CT with her husband and their scrappy pup, Sophie. She is fueled by coffee and feedback, so feel free to get to know Allison through Twitter (@Allison_Gatta), Facebook (Allison Gatta), or her website www.AllisonGattaRomance.com.

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A Naughty New Year with Alice Gaines

USA Today bestselling author, Alice Gaines, lives in Oakland, California with two feral cats she cares for (neutered, of course), her adorable corn snake, Casper, and dozens of neglected orchids.  Her hobbies are cooking and vegetable gardening as well as knitting and crocheting.  If you join her newsletter, you may win one of her handmade projects.

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