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Saturday, July 12, 2014

Weekly Winners

Below is a list of all of the winners from the last week.

JoannaM
Fireborn by Keri Arthur

Laurie
In Your Corner by Sarah Castille

Danielle
Finding My Way Home by Michele Summers


All winners have been notified via email. Thank you to everyone that stopped by and entered. =)

Review: Flaw by Ryan Ringbloom


Flaw is the first book that I have ever read by Ryan Ringbloom. This book was different than anything I had ever read before, and while I liked a lot of it there were also several things that I had issues with. I think that this book had a lot of potential, but ultimately needed some work. It was a good read and I enjoyed it. But I liked it rather than loved it.

Aiden Turner has had a rough life, and lives with the evidence on prominent display everyday. He has a huge scar on his face and has dealt with the looks and whispers ever since. He mostly stays at home when he isn't working and only goes out at night or dressed in a hooded shirt with sunglasses. He is best friends with Becca who lives across the hall, and she is the only one who loves him and sees him for who he really is. When he puts up an ad for a roommate, Josh Brewster shows up and is everything Aiden isn't. Josh is all looks on the outside but is a total jerk to women and relies on his mother to do everything for him. As Aiden and Josh get used to living together, Josh meets Becca and they are instantly drawn to each other. Josh has no idea if she and Aiden are together though and he knows that he should stay away from her. Aiden and Becca are great friends and love each other, but there isn't the same chemistry between them as what Becca and Josh share. When Becca introduces them to Jordyn, things get even more complicated. Jordyn has always been known in her family as being the perfect one. She does everything she is supposed to and never has a hair out of place. But when she meets Aiden she finds herself drawn to him and looking to upset the perfect balance for once. Do Becca and Josh belong together despite his past, and can Jordyn and Aiden get past appearances? Or will these friendships and relationships be over, leaving them all heartbroken?

I didn't like Josh at first. He was a straight up arrogant jerk, and I couldn't believe some of the things that came out of his mouth and the thoughts in his head. He was sheltered and was used to his mom doing everything for him. He won me over though, and I really saw the change in him. It was real and wasn't overnight and I think that is what made it so believable. He was better because of Becca, Aiden and Jordyn. I liked who he turned out to be and it was great to see him redeem himself. Aiden was by far the highlight of this story. It was impossible not to read this book and not fall in love with him. He was sweet and caring, kind and generous. He was truly beautiful because of who he was and not what he looked like. He had been given so many bad things in his life to deal with, and yet the person he was is someone that most people could never hope to be. He was the only character in this book that I didn't dislike at one point or another. Becca had her moments that I really liked her, but she was also judgmental and immature. I felt like she had no idea what she wanted a lot of the time, and she acted childish often. I liked her with Josh and I thought that they were good for each other. But I couldn't get over some of the things that she did to Aiden, and it was hard to like her when she treated him the way she did at times. Jordyn I liked right away, but as the story progressed that changed. She was nice and kind and I liked that she didn't treat Aiden any differently. She seemed to not care about his looks and was interested in getting to know the real him. But then all of a sudden she seemed to have a total personality switch and did some truly horrible things and said so many hurtful and disgusting words that broke my heart for Aiden. I understood why he was so hurt and why he didn't want anything to do with her after that, and honestly if I were him I am not sure I would have ever been able to forgive her.

Besides the character problems I had, I felt like there were a few other things that didn't work for me. Part of Becca's treatment of Aiden was because she felt like they belonged together and needed to protect each other. She said it often, and Aiden's story was clear why he would need that. But Becca's situation was never revealed and it didn't make any sense to me. She didn't have a lot of money and she had pink hair...that didn't require protection to me. I felt like if it was going to be brought up so many times that there should have been a reason for it. I also thought that some parts of this story moved slowly while others too quickly. I saw Becca and Josh's connection develop over time and it was natural. They had chemistry from the start, but by being together and hanging out you really got to see the emotional connection start to build. But with Aiden and Jordyn, you didn't ever really get to see their emotional connection happen. They were drawn to each other and had chemistry, but they didn't really spend that much time together or talk that much before all of a sudden they loved each other. I would have liked to have seen more development there. Overall, this book had promise but could have used some tweaking in my opinion. I loved Aiden, but I found it hard to fully like or connect with the other characters in this story. I also felt like the characters in this book acted more like high school kids or young adult age rather than new adult, and that got a bit old at times. I think that this book is different and offers a sort of Beauty and the Beast feel with both couples. I think if you are looking for a NA read that has a different take most of the NA books out there that you might give this one a shot. I would be interested to read more from Ryan Ringbloom in the future.

**Review Copy Provided by Book Enthusiast Promotions**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N |





Interview with Author Tawdra Kandle and Giveaway

Meet Tawdra Kandle, author of Just Desserts.

Tawdra Kandle has been a writer since the invention of the pen. Her first published work appeared in Child's Life magazine when she was 13. After a brief, thirty-year hiatus, she published a young adult quartet, The King Series. More recently, she's released contemporary and paranormal romances in both the adult and New Adult genres. Tawdra lives in central Florida with her husband and children, of both skin and fur types. And yes, she has purple hair.

Find Tawdra at:

Feature and Giveaway: Awakened by Virna DePaul


Perfect for fans of J. R. Ward, Nalini Singh, and Lara Adrian, bestselling author Virna DePaul’s thrilling series of paranormal romances invites readers into a seductive and dangerous world where vampires secretly exist among the general population, while the FBI tries to keep the Rogues among them from preying on humans—for killing, for turning, for pleasure.

Ex-soldier Barrett Miles had no idea that vampires were real—until Belladonna recruits her to serve as a covert agent and infiltrate a murderous sex ring run by the most depraved of immortals, those who feed on the purity and blood of innocents. Their latest victim: a young girl whom Barrett promised to protect. She will be sold—unless Barrett can find her first. Forced to team up with her former lover, Nick Maltese, an undercover sniper, Barrett is caught between fulfilling her personal mission and shielding her heart from the man who betrayed her.

Nick’s hunting a new breed of vampires and harboring a terrible secret when Barrett finds him. Soon a seething underworld of strange desires threatens to engulf them all. Can he save the girl and reclaim Barrett’s heart? Nick knows he has only one chance to prove himself to her as the hunt begins—and their love forces them to embrace the darkest places in their souls.

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N |

Review: Essence of Time by Liz Crowe


Essence of Time is the fourth book in the Stewart Realty series by Liz Crowe. I had not read any of the other books in the series before reading this book and I read this one easily as a standalone. I will say that because of that I really had no idea what to expect with this book and I didn't have a clue the emotional wringer that this book would run me through. This book was really good don't get me wrong, but it was absolutely heartbreaking at times. Prepare yourself ahead of time and have the tissues on hand with this one. 

Rob Frietag has lived his life making no commitments, and making as few emotional connections as possible. He tends to run when things get close to that, and there are very few people who know the reason behind that. His best friend Jack Gordon is one of the few that knows everything, and they spent their college years enjoying life to the fullest. Rob throws everything into making a successful career as a chef and is finally realizing his dream in his late thirties. Blake Thornton is trying to drown his sorrows after the end of his emotional relationship with Suzanne Baxter when he attends a beer festival in Chicago when he meets Rob. Rob helps take care of him after he ends up drunk and alone. Rob and Blake instantly hit it off and find a connection with one another that they both didn't expect or want.Through their ups and downs Blake and Rob finally accept everything between them and are ready to spend their lives together. Rob will stop at nothing to make Blake happy, and will do everything he can to find a way to give Blake the one thing he can't. When they talk to Blake's sister Sara, she tells them of a single mother looking to make some money after a terrible divorce. Lila Warren has a young daughter and will get pregnant for them in order to care for her child. But when Lila doesn't get pregnant right away, they all begin to realize that they are growing attached to each other. Lila finds a relationship with Blake and Rob to be everything that she has been missing and they grow to love her as much as they love each other. But with Rob's secret hanging over their heads, time quickly becomes the one thing they don't have.

I really loved Rob and Blake. They were both so great in completely different ways. But their relationship worked so well because they were the perfect compliment to one another. Their road wasn't easy, but it showed just how strong their connection was once they finally came together. Rob and Blake were able to share their passion for cooking and brewing together, and I loved that they opened up a place together. I liked seeing them share so much passion outside of the bedroom as well as inside. They were so hot together and had off the charts chemistry. But the beauty of their relationship was in the emotional bond that they shared. I will admit that I didn't like Lila right off. I honestly didn't want anyone to come in between the guys, and at first she did. I thought that she was not needed in their relationship and that they could have found someone else to give them what they wanted without causing problems between them. But she did grow on me, and I saw that they were both falling for her as she was for them. It was a struggle at times to merge their relationship from being two to being three, especially with her daughter involved as well. But I think it was worth it and that it was what was right for all of them in the end. It was great that they had such a support system and that they all had one another to lean on.

I knew this book was going to break my heart from the moment I found out what Rob's secret was. I honestly didn't know exactly how things would go, but I knew something had to happen and it wasn't going to be good. I can honestly say I was surprised with what happened, and yes it broke my heart but not in the way I had expected. I am still heartbroken about what happened, and I think that this is one of those that will always stay with me because I absolutely loved these characters so much. It was so hard to get through this one at times, especially the last 30% or so. It was so worth the read, but it was just emotionally draining to say the least. I will say that the reason this book is a 4 star for me rather than a 5 star is because of how this book was done. It was divided into portions based on the characters, and that felt disjointed and choppy to me. It took me a really long time to get into this book because I felt like it was slow to get to the relationship. Yes we got a lot of back-story, and it was great to see what each of the guys had been through, but I just struggled with the format. I have to say that this book was still a really great read though, and it made me want to instantly go back and read all the rest of the books in the series. I highly recommend this story, and I think that it was beautiful even as it was breaking my heart. I can't wait to read the rest in this series, and I look forward to reading more from Liz Crowe in the future. Next time I will be better prepared and have tissues at the ready though.

**Review Copy Provided by Book Enthusiast Promotions**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | The Book Depository |







Friday, July 11, 2014

ARC Review: Operation Sheba by Misty Evans


I really like Misty Evans and the thrills and intrigue of spy books, so putting the two together in the Super Agent series is like book catnip. OPERATION SHEBA is the re-release of Ms. Evans’s debut novel with new editing and some bonus material, and it’s interesting to see the growth and maturity of her storytelling voice (much more polished in her later work) in the face of a newbie author’s growing pains. Though the story is a bit slow to get started, laying the operational background for the rest of the series, once it picks up it’s full of intrigue and high-stakes action layered atop a finely crafted political plot and a chillingly manipulative villain. The bulk of the romantic development—though central to the characters’ motivation—occurs prior to the start of the novel, so the balance is definitely shifted toward the suspense.

The story opens with CIA-analyst-turned-explosives-field-expert Julia Torrison and former-SEAL-turned-CIA-operator Conrad (Con) Flynn on an undercover mission in Germany to flush out and eliminate an arms dealer. The mission ends in a fiery explosion with Con in the middle of it and Julia is yanked back to Langley and given a new identity and job as an analyst in the CIA’s Counterterrorism Centre to protect her from enemies made in the field. But all is not as it seems and Con’s ‘death’—which Julia blames herself for, since she prepped the explosives—is part his elaborate plan to protect her and go deep undercover to hunt down a mole within the CIA that threatens to bring the Agency down. All the evidence points to Julia’s new lover and boss, and so Con must break cover after seventeen months to recruit his former lover and partner to help him investigate her current lover and bring down the traitor. Misdirection, subterfuge, disparate agendas, spy-on-spy spying, and attempts to frame and/or kill the good guys ensue and make for an intense, high-stakes game of cat and mouse that is well written and superbly paced. The CIA mole is chillingly Machiavellian with multiple backup plans to ensure a favourable outcome for a plan over a decade in the making but feels completely realistic, keeping the reader engaged and turning pages to see if (and how) the mole will get his/her comeuppance.

Whilst the action and suspense portions of the book were well done, the weakest link in the story for me was the romance. The love triangle is an extremely tough sell for me—a matter of personal preference—but props to Ms. Evans for making the reasons believable and the emotion genuine. When your partner and lover of five years is (supposedly) blown up in an explosion of your own making and a solid, all-around great bloke helps you piece your life back together, falling for him is inevitable. The sudden reappearance of the supposedly dead love of your life—who’s been keeping an eye on your for the past 17 months—is bound to bring back old feelings and cause significant confusion, and Ms. Evans does a good job portraying that. But since both of Julia’s romantic relationships developed before the start of the book, little page time is devoted to them, which made it hard for me to become emotionally invested in either relationship or feel like there was much relationship development. Part of that probably comes from my feelings about Julia: whilst I liked her well enough as a character (highly intelligent, kickass, with a tough past and a great reason to have chosen her career path—what’s not to like?), her behaviour in the context of the love triangle drove me mad. The flip-flopping and ‘whom should I choose?’ nature of triangles likely draws many readers to the trope, but it generally gives me reader whiplash, and this was definitely the case with Julia’s. I also found the two male vertices of the triangle to be almost laughably cliché: the edging-on-loose-cannon badass love of her life vs. the rock-solid good guy you bring home to meet your parents, complete with an all-out brawl to settle their claim on Julia.

Overall, OPERATION SHEBA was an enjoyable romantic suspense read that will delight readers who enjoy their thrills and espionage with a touch romance and creates a well-crafted world full of intriguing characters whose stories—the other books in the Super Agent series—will likely be equally satisfying reads.

**ARC provided by Author**

Purchase: | Amazon |



ARC Review: How to Lose a Lord in 10 Days or Less by Elizabeth Michels


This is my third book by Elizabeth Michels and she keeps getting better and better. I enjoyed the previous two books of “Tricks of the Ton” series, “Must Love Dukes” and “Desperately Seeking Suzanna”. I thought they were fun and light but also had substance to their stories. Her heroines are always the odd girls out and Katie Moore is no exception. Michels’ writing is always entertaining and engaging. I have really come to enjoy her story-telling style.

Our heroine Katie is very “unique”. She has exiled herself from society. Because of her riding accident she is has an injury and is terrified of horses even though she loves them. She also wears male clothing and lives in a remote cottage on her land without any servants or anyone else. She enjoys her quite life and solitude… or so she thinks. When Andrew Clifton, Lord Amberstall, has an accident on her property she offers him a place to stay while his horse is healing. Katie is affronted when Andrew wants to put his horse down after he suffers and accident. She is determined to help the horse heal. While Andrew is staying in Katie’s residence they form a very special relationship. I really liked that Katie and Andrew fell in love slowly and that they did not have insta-lust. The more time that Katie spends with Andrew the more she starts to care for him and the more she realizes her secluded life is not what she would hope.

Lord Amberstall, or Andy as Katie begins to call him, appears in the previous story, “Must Love Dukes (Trick of the Ton #1). I wish I had paid more attention to him but I do remember his “fall from grace”. In my opinion, it wasn’t such a big debacle to cause him to feel disgraced but I took it as a part of the story. Andy is interesting because he is so uptight. He has very precise ideas of how his life should be and how a lady should behave. To say that Katie is the exact opposite is an understatement. She follows her own rules. Andy can’t help but start to see Katie’s eccentricities as charming, after a while.

Katie and Andy are thrown together by coincidence but we learn that her uncle is behind many of Andy’s circumstances and we learn while. I thought this aspect of the story was interesting, even though it was a backdrop to their story. In true Michels fashion there are so funny episodes in the story and some serious ones, I think she is able to find the perfect balance. I really enjoyed this story and equally loved the hero and heroine.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N |



ARC Review: Bonds of Courage by Lynda Aicher


Bonds of Courage is the 6th book in Lynda Aicher's Wicked Play series. These can easily be read as standalones and do not require you to have read the rest. The characters in these books are interconnected, and it was great to see how the different character's stories are intertwined. Bonds of Courage is Vanessa Delcour (Mistress V) and Holden Hauke's story, and I really enjoyed it. Lynda Aicher's writing style was really great, and I was instantly drawn into the story. I didn't want to put this one down, and I thought that it was really well done.

Pro hockey player Holden Hauke has recently relocated after being traded for a picture of him tied to a spanking bench was released. Even though it felt right for him to give up control and be submissive, the backlash on his career wasn't worth it. Ever since he has been trying to clean up his image and avoid being the subject of any type of rumor. When he feels the need to give in to his desires, he applies for membership at The Den. The exclusive sex club is the one place he can explore his desires and keep a low profile. But when he comes face to face with the woman who helped orchestrate his trade, he begins to worry he has been found out. Vanessa Delcour is part owner of The Den and is an experienced Domme. She immediately is against taking Holden as her sub, but once he figures out what she is doing at The Den he won't take no for an answer. He sets out to prove to her that he belongs to her and that he is exactly the type of sub she needs. As they begin to explore the passion between them, they realize that the other fulfills their needs in a way no one else ever has. But Vanessa has been betrayed in the past and isn't convinced that Holden is any different than every other guy out there. Can Holden prove to Vanessa that what they have together is worth fighting for?

I really liked Holden. He was such an easy going guy, and he had complete trust in Vanessa. He gave in to his desires and didn't question what he enjoyed. I loved how comfortable he was with his sexuality, and how he was able to just lose himself in the moment. He was also really sweet and caring, and knew exactly what Vanessa needed. He was the perfect balance for her uptight personality and I thought that he brought out such a different side to her. I liked that she was able to open up to him and really be different with him than she was with anyone else. Vanessa was harder to warm up to though, and at first she definitely held up to her reputation of being an ice queen. But as the story progressed it was clear that she had been hurt and felt betrayed and it had made her put up walls and have such a tough exterior. She was just trying to protect herself from getting hurt, and I love that Holden was able to crack through her tough shell and get to the person underneath. I thought that they had really great chemistry and the sex between them was smoking hot! These two had the physical connection, but they also had the intense emotional bond as well and that is what made them work so great together.

Overall, I thought that this was a really great story. Sometimes with a BDSM story things get really dark and heavy, and it makes the story drag. But I didn't feel that way at all about Bonds of Courage, and I thought that despite it being an intense relationship that there were plenty of light hearted moments to balance the book out. Holden and Vanessa's relationship had its ups and downs, but I really felt like these two belonged together and that they worked extremely well. I loved the secondary characters, and I thought that they all added a lot to the story. I am really looking forward to seeing what happens next for Noah and Vanessa's sister Liv. I would highly recommend this book if you are looking for a sexy story with BDSM elements to it that doesn't feel as though it is super dark or heavy. I liked that this one wasn't weighed down with a ton of punishments and pain, but rather focused on the beauty of a sub giving themselves to a Domme that took care of them and looked out for them. I look forward to reading more from Lynda Aicher in the future and can't wait for more in this series.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N |





Interview with Author Elizabeth Michels and Giveaway


Elizabeth Michels grew up on a Christmas tree farm in rural South Carolina. After tip-toeing her way through school with her focus on ballet steps and her nose in a book, she met a boy and followed him a thousand miles away from home to Kansas City, Missouri, before settling down in North Carolina. She attended Park University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Interior Design. Elizabeth is a lover of happily-ever-afters; she invites you to read her stories, get lost, and enjoy. For more information, please visit http://www.elizabethmichels.com/.

Find Elizabeth at:

ARC Review: Between Friends by Vristen Pierce


Between Friends by Vristen Pierce was a short and sexy read. While this one did have some menage, most of the book did not. This story starts with Stacy being dumped by her longtime boyfriend. She decides to lower her inhibitions and shed her current persona as a good girl. When she goes to a bar with her best friend, she ends up meeting two hot guys that she is interested in. Evan is a sexy bartender, and Justin is his hot friend. She ends up going home the first night with Justin, but returns the next weekend to the same bar and goes home with Evan. She starts seeing both of them separately, and while not exactly dating they do end up doing more besides just sex. As things progress she starts hanging out with both of them at the same time. Eventually her friend puts the idea of a menage in her head and she ends up with both of them at the same time. But with no commitments to either one of them, and the way things have turned out, will she end up with one, both or will they all end up going their separate ways?

I really liked both Justin and Evan. They were both super sexy, and fun guys. They were laid back and both of them were great with Stacy. They didn't get jealous or start to fight, and they knew everything going in. I liked that everyone was aware of the situation and that there wasn't a bunch of drama involved. Stacy was easy to like, and it was fun to watch her shed her inhibitions and really show her sexy side. She really made a huge transformation from the start of the story to the end, which surprised me given the length of this one. She had a lot of chemistry with both Justin and Evan, and they were absolutely explosive as a threesome! The sex scenes were all super hot, and there were plenty of them.

That being said though, there was a bit of side story with Stacy's work but otherwise this book was pretty much one sex scene after another. If you are looking for a super deep connection forming between the characters, then you might not want to read this one. But there were feelings starting to be developed between the three of them, and you could tell that it was more than just sex. I thought that everything was real and believable, and was handled really well in the short length of this story. I am interested to see where Vristen takes these characters next, especially after the ending of this one! I would recommend this story if you are looking for a short and sexy read, with hot heroes and some menage. This one is worth the read for the steamy scenes alone.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N |





Thursday, July 10, 2014

ARC Review: The Captive by Grace Burrowes


Christian Severn, the eighth Duke of Mercia, has just been released from a French prison. One thought kept him alive during his torture and disfigurement, revenge against his captors. Upon arriving home in England, he finds his wife and son have died and his daughter, Lucy, has stopped speaking. His heir, Marcus Easterbrook, is also the new Lord Greendale. Christian’s late wife’s cousin, Gillian, is the recent widow of the late Lord Greendale. There was an inquest suggesting she may have helped him along to the grave. She wants nothing to do with Marcus and turns to Christian for help. She has spent quite a bit of time at his home and is close to Lucy. They agree she will live there and help Christian. Devlin St. Just brought Christian home and comes back to check on him. A friendship grows and Devlin realizes the depth of Christian’s suffering. A few stolen kisses and nights heal Christian and Gillian. She survived a brutal marriage and is not anxious to join hands with anyone. Christian proposes a number of times. Three accidents befall the couple and the target is Gillian. Christian suspects his former tormentor is in England and seeking to kill him. His true enemy is closer than he thinks and guilty of many crimes against the House of Mercia.

Christian is a guilt ridden and broken man. Gillian insists on tending to him, from fixing nursery tea to tailoring his clothes. She demands he confront his past and losses. She knows he was not happily married and he’s the only one to bring Lucy’s speech back. Gillian knows true pain and suffering. She can relate to being caught in an enemy’s net. Both have overcome much to stay sane and be together. I especially like Gillian. She knows Christian has been through hell, but she can help. She anticipates his needs and moves to fill them without embarrassing him. His recovery is her focus and she’ll do whatever it takes to make him better. She starts as a devoted friend, concerned for a child and ends up as a perfect mate.

Christian’s captor is a surprise. He’s careful and conniving. He keeps Christian alive and almost helps him. When he arrives in England, he has no interest in Christian and is trying to blend in. Christian tracks him down and challenges him to a duel. Instead, he gets is an explanation, which is what he needs to heal.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N |




ARC Review: Broslin Bride by Dana Marton


BROSLIN BRIDE is the fifth entry in Dana Marton’s popular Broslin Creek romantic suspense series, but it can be read as a standalone and/or introduction to the series, since characters from previous instalments only make brief, spoiler-free cameos. The full-length novels in the series lean toward the darker end of the RS spectrum, so the lighter, humorous tone of this novella was a refreshing change of pace thatwas executed with the same skill as Ms. Marton’s darker work. It’s no secret that novellas are often the bane of my reading existence, but—whilst it suffers from the usual lightning-speed relationship development pitfall of the format—BROSLIN BRIDE read more like a short novel than a typical novella and delivered a layered storyline with a fast-moving plot and solid characters.

We first meet heroine Luanne Mayfair as she stands contemplating the damage to her car that indicates she may have run her boss over during a night out she can’t remember clearly. Said boss was a dodgy lecher who constantly harassed the maids at his motel and who won’t be sorely missed, but as the sole guardian of her twin four-year-old sisters, Luanne needs to get away with murder whilst former high-school flame and current Broslin PD detective Chase Merritt investigates. But did she really do it… and if not, who’s framing her for murder? What follows is a fast-moving plot full of misdirection and a somewhat-implausible twist that had me raising a skeptical eyebrow but that I could roll with because it was such a fun ride.

I really liked and had great respect for Luanne. She quit her studies and moved back home to raise her baby twin sisters after their father split and her mum died of breast cancer, and she works multiple cleaning jobs to make ends meet as well she can. Despite being perpetually broke and exhausted from working, she does an excellent job ensuring the twins have the best life possible, and her willingness to do anything—even (seemingly) lie to the police—to keep the twins is commendable. She’s an incredibly strong character who’s held her own and kept her family together—her biggest motivation as a character—in the face of adversity, and she’s so warm and loving you can’t help but want to be friends with her. Even with her incredible naïveté, which is endearing rather than annoying. And, oh, Chase… be still, my heart! Romantic suspense tends to be dominated by an overabundance of alpha maleness, but I prefer my heroes to be less testosterone-laden. Chase is the rock-solid, all-around good guy with a badge you want to take home to meet your mum, and the little things he does for Luanne beyond protecting her are incredibly endearing. Case in point: constantly over-ordering food whenever they’re together to ensure she eats a decent meal and has leftovers for the twins. Their past history—whilst clearly taking the place of the traditional meet-cute and serving as the standard novella trick to pave the way to a somewhat-believable accelerated HEA—is also equal parts hilarious and cute and fits perfectly with the humorous-but-intense tone of the novel: underwhelmed by her first sexual experience, Luanne inadvertently ruins teenage Chase’s reputation and spends the next decade avoiding him. With the murder investigation, Chase finally has the opportunity to redeem himself and convince Luanne to give him a second chance—forever. Whilst we get some delicious sexytimes, it’s in this area where the shortcomings of the novella format are most evident: with a strong focus on the plot, Ms. Marton relies on that past history as the source of the chemistry between Luanne and Chase rather than building it up and developing it as the story progresses.

BROSLIN BRIDE is an extremely fun, quick read that’s a great addition to the Broslin Creek series and serves a good launching pad for new readers to get into the series. Looking forward to the next book!

**ARC provided by Author**

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



Feature and Giveaway: Trapped by Beverley Kendall


My life has turned out to be such a cliché. And not in a good way.

It’s not exactly Sixteen and Pregnant, but at eighteen my only advantage is a high school diploma. And if that’s not enough, the father—and I use that term loosely—couldn’t have hightailed it out of my life fast enough.

I thought I really knew him. Unfortunately, my boyfriend of three years transformed from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde once he realized his carefree, childless days would be coming to an end.

I’m over him now though. The real love of my life is chubby, has more gum than teeth, and stands a little over two feet tall. She may not have been planned, but I’ve never regretted having her. She is the center of my world.

A world that's turned upside down when my ex returns ready to earn the love and trust of the child he abandoned before birth.

Letting him into my daughter’s life is one thing but letting him back into mine isn't going to happen. Because the biggest mistake of my life has a name, and that name is Mitchell Aaron Kingsley.

And he's one mistake I don't ever intend to make again.

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Feature and Giveaway: Something Sweeter by Candis Terry


The men in Texas are hard to resist . . . Seattle event planner Allison Lane is an expert at delivering the perfect wedding—even if she might not exactly believe in the whole "'til death do us part" thing. When her father decides to tie the knot with a woman he barely knows, Allison heads to Sweet, Texas, to make sure his new honey is the real deal. What she didn't expect to find at the local honky-tonk was a sexy Southern man as bent on charming her pants off as he is on blowing her "true love doesn't exist" theory all to hell. And they always promise . . .

Veterinarian, former Marine, and Sweet's favorite playboy Jesse Wilder takes one look at Allison and knows she's a handful of trouble he can't deny. But even after a sizzling kiss and obvious mutual attraction, it seems Allison has no such problem. When Jesse uncovers her sweet side, can he crush his playboy image, melt her cynical heart, and change her mind about taking a trip down the aisle?

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ARC Review: Taken by Koko Brown


Taken is the first book that I have ever read by Koko Brown, and I had absolutely no idea what to expect with this one. I was drawn in from the blurb because this one sounded so unique and completely different from anything I have read before. It definitely was unlike any other book I have read, and I honestly am not quite sure what to think after having finished. On one hand I liked parts of the story, and yet I am still having a tough time with the relationship between the hero and heroine because of how everything happened. This one will not be for everyone, but I think that if you are looking for something different it is definitely worth a shot.

When Khalid Francois Duis meets his former college roommate's little sister, he is immediately drawn to her. He is used to having any woman he wants for however long he wants her. But Olivia Bryant is the first to tell him no. He refuses to give up though and continues to pursue her. When Khalid and Olivia share a passionate moment, he asks her to marry him. She turns him down and immediately plans a trip out of town to avoid him. But Khalid refuses to let her go and his obsession with her is enough that he kidnaps her to keep her with him. Khalid takes Olivia to Africa to become his and be a slave to his every desire. Khalid sets out to seduce her and make her see that he can give her the world. But will it be enough to convince Olivia to stay with him? Or will Olivia continue to search for a way to escape and return to her life before Khalid?

I both liked and disliked Khalid. He went about everything the wrong way, and he was completely obsessed with Olivia. But yet, she also had the exact same feelings as he did and she didn't fight him too hard on anything. I just didn't really know what to think, because while Khalid and Olivia shouldn't have worked they did. He was always thinking of her and trying to provide nice things for her. He treated her well and even came to admire everything about her that at first he couldn't stand. He really got to see her as a person and not just a woman who told him no. Olivia confused me as well because she kept turning him down and denying her feelings and yet she was upset that he didn't declare his love or include her in his picture of the future. These two really just needed to speak to one another and I wanted to smack them both at times. They had a ton of chemistry though and when they weren't fighting things between them they worked really well together.

I wasn't aware at first that this book was set in the early 1900s, so that was a bit of shock for me. But I thought that the author did a good job of bringing that to life and making it real. I did think that certain words or phrases weren't always accurate though, and seemed to be a bit too modern. But then other times things were spot on. I found it a bit strange and a bit distracting from the story. I would have to stop and think about whether that should have been said or done back in that time period. Overall, this one was an interesting and different read and I can honestly say I have never read anything like it before. I am still thinking about it and that tells me a lot right there. I think that this one is worth the shot if you are looking for something out of the ordinary with a twist on romance. This one had a pretty predictable outcome and wasn't anything new there, but the story itself was what made this one unique. I will definitely look for more from Koko Brown in the future.

**ARC Provided by Good Choice Reading**

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