ARC Review: Riskier Business by Tessa Bailey

Riskier Business is the prequel to Tessa Bailey's new Crossing the Line series. This novella features Troy and Ruby from her Line of Duty series, though this novella can be read as a standalone. You do not need to have read His Risk To Take to understand this book, but I would recommend it to fully know the backstory for Troy and Ruby.

Ruby Elliott gave up a life of pool hustling and has been living with her cop boyfriend Troy Bennett. But when her father comes around offering a deal of information on her mother that left years before in exchange for her playing a game, she can't help but agree though she knows there is something he isn't telling her. Troy wants her nowhere near that world again, but when Ruby agrees he starts to feel his control slipping and soon Ruby and Troy are no longer on solid ground. Can Troy keep Ruby safe and keep their relationship intact, or will Ruby risk losing her heart and her life?

Fans of Ruby and Troy will enjoy getting more of these two, and the chemistry between them is stronger than ever. But there was a lot of drama in this story and I really felt that while it had heat, it wasn't quite at the level I have come to expect from Tessa Bailey. I did think that this story did a good job of filling in the reader on more of Ruby's history, and I loved that it set up Bowen's story for her next book, Risking It All. I absolutely love Bowen, so it did a great job of putting together some of the puzzle that was Ruby and Bowen's friendship. Since I read Risking It All first, I felt like this story really explained their history. I would definitely recommend reading this before Risking It All, but it isn't necessary. Though I love Ruby and Troy, I think that this story was good but wasn't one of my favorites. I think that what kept me from loving it was that the drama and action going on around Ruby and Troy was the focus, when I wanted them to be the focus. They kind of did their own thing in this story when I wanted them to lean on each other more for support. I still love Tessa Bailey and her dirty talking heroes, and Troy is still one of my favorites. But this novella just wasn't what I had been expecting from her.

**ARC Provided by Entangled Publishing**

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A Naughty New Year...Brazen Style with Tessa Bailey and Giveaway

Tessa lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and young daughter. When she isn't writing or reading romance, Tessa enjoys a good argument and thirty-minute recipes.

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ARC Review: Eyes Turned Skyward by Rebecca Yarros

Another fantastic read from Rebecca Yarros. After reading Full Measures, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Eyes Turned Skyward. I just wanted more of these characters and the world that Rebecca Yarros created. As soon as Jagger appeared in the last book, I just knew that I wanted more of him and wanted to read his story. This book was so good and Jagger's story was everything I was wanting and more.

In Full Measures when we meet Jagger, we meet a sexy, cocky playboy that is all about a good time. Don't get me wrong, he's still all about the good time in this book but he's no longer the playboy that we met in the last book. Now he's got his eyes on being number one in his class in flight school and wants no distractions...that is until he meets Paisley.

Diagnosed with a with the same heart condition that killed her sister, Paisley just wants to live her life and cross as many things off on her bucket list that she can while she can. When a chance encounter with Jagger ends up saving her life, Paisley and Jagger spark up an unlikely friendship that eventually leads to more.

One thing that I loved about this book is that Paisley and Jagger don't immediately jump into a relationship. They start out as friends. Yes, part of the reason for that is because Paisley has a boyfriend when they meet but because they are friends first they were really able to get to know one another. I found myself on edge waiting to see when and how they two would finally get together and when they did, it was spectacular. There was just so much chemistry between them both and their sparks were evident to everyone around them.

What I loved most is how Jagger is with Paisley. He's kind, sweet and just so damn cute with her. He really "sees" Paisley and gets what she's about and what she likes. Yes, he wants to be with her but he is more than happy to be her friend if that is all that she is willing to give him. He was patient and just so damn adorable. I can honestly say that Jagger blew my mind. He turned out to be nothing like I was expecting.

This book was intense, emotional and just an all-around great read. I found it difficult to put down and read it in pretty much one sitting. From the first page to the last, I found myself rooting for these two but not only with their relationship but with everything going on in their personal lives. They both have so much that they have to deal with and I feel like the way the author handled things rang true to the characters and the story.

Eyes Turned Skyward was a fantastic read and I HIGHLY recommend. I definitely can't wait to read more from Rebecca Yarros.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Seducing the Princess by Diane Alberts

Seducing the Princess is the third book in the Shillings Agency series by Jen McLaughlin writing as Diane Alberts. This book is a standalone with interconnected characters, and you do not need to have read the rest of the series to understand this story though fans of the series will recognize some familiar faces. I thought that this book was a quick and easy read that was enjoyable. While there were parts that I enjoyed, this story wasn't anything really new or fresh. It was good, but I just didn't love it.

Gordon Waybrook has just received the assignment to protect a princess for the Shillings Agency, and is not looking forward to dealing with an entitled snob. To make matters worse, she shows up late to their first meeting. But once he starts to get to know princess Isabelle, he quickly realizes that he was all wrong about her. She is feisty and sexier than he would have thought, and they decide to spend a passionate night together. Though Isabelle wants Gordon, she knows that they can't have anything beyond a quick fling with her duty being to her country. She is set to marry a prince that will help her country regardless of the fact that she doesn't want to marry the stranger. But soon Gordon and Isabelle are developing real feelings for one another, and both of them would do anything to keep Isabelle from marrying someone else.

Gordon was a sexy bodyguard and former marine that was also a really great guy. He had a great code of ethics, and was determined to be an honorable guy after what his father put his mother through. Though he wanted Isabelle, once he found out there was a possibility of someone else in her life he did his best to keep his distance and remain professional despite his feelings. I really admired that about him, and it made me think he was that much greater. He was commanding and alpha, and I enjoyed seeing him boss Isabelle around in the bedroom. Isabelle was feisty and I loved that she wasn't a mild and meek Disney type princess. She was committed to doing the right thing for her country, but she also wasn't afraid to be who she was or go after what she wanted. I liked that what Gordon did had no bearing on her feelings for him, and she wasn't stuck up or entitled at all. These two had amazing chemistry right from the start and were super hot together. I thought that their sexy scenes were definitely the highlights of this book.

I will say though that I felt like this book was pretty rushed, and I didn't fully buy into their emotional connection. Yes, they did share things with one another that they typically didn't with others, but I really saw more of the lust between them than actual love. Gordon even admitted that he wasn't sure what love was or that he felt it for Isabelle. I wish that we could have seen more of the depth and developing bond between them, rather that just the physical side and the constant push and pull. I think that her indecision on if she should put herself or her country first hurt the development of her relationship with Gordon, and I would have liked to have seen her figure things out a bit sooner. It wasn't all Isabelle's fault though, as Gordon made plenty of mistakes himself. I also thought that their relationship suffered from so many outsiders interfering, but with Isabelle being a Royal it was realistic. I wish that Isabelle and Gordon had actually talked more though, as I think that better communication would have cleared up a lot of the problems and assumptions between them. While I enjoyed and liked this story, it isn't one that I would read over and over. I thought that the sex between them was hot and steamy, but beyond that the story to me was just okay. If you are looking for a good story with plenty of sexy times, you might give this one a shot. But if you are looking for more depth, this might not be the story for you.

**ARC Provided by Entangled Publishing**

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A Naughty New Year...Brazen Style with Diane Alberts and Giveaway

Diane Alberts is a multi-published, bestselling contemporary romance author with Entangled Publishing. She also writes New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling new adult books under the name Jen McLaughlin. She’s hit the Top 100 lists on Amazon and Barnes and Noble numerous times with numerous titles. She was mentioned in Forbes alongside E. L. James as one of the breakout independent authors to dominate the bestselling lists. Diane is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Diane has always been a dreamer with a vivid imagination, but it wasn’t until 2011 that she put her pen where her brain was, and became a published author. Since receiving her first contract offer, she has yet to stop writing. Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, and a cat. Her goal is to write so many fantastic stories that even a non-romance reader will know her name.

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