ARC Review: The Earl Takes All by Lorraine Heath

Lorraine Heath is an automatic read for me. She is one of my absolute favorite writers. I’ve read the first book in “The Hellions of Havisham” which I liked. The tension between Lady Julia Kenney and her brother –in-law was very notable in the previous book so I could not wait to see how Heath unraveled the story between Edward and Julia.

The background of this story is very important. First, Edward is a twin. His brother, Albert, the Earl of Greyling is the first born and has everything going for him. He has a beautiful wife, Julia and they are both madly in love. Julia and Edward have not gotten along. Julia thinks Edward is irresponsible, womanizer, drinks too much, gambles all the time-which is all true. Edward has always been in love with Julia and one night she stole a kiss from her, when she thought he was Albert. When Julia becomes pregnant Albert and Edward go on a trip to India to have a last hurrah. An unfortunate event occurs and Albert dies. He makes Edward promise to pass himself off as Albert for fear that Julia would lose their baby. Edward feels guilt ridden for his past and because he suggested the trip so he agrees.

When Edward passing himself off as Albert returns it’s very tense. Julia is pregnant and she notices a difference in “Albert” she attributes it to just mourning and tries to be supportive of her husband. Edward for his part feels very uncomfortable as he tries to portray his brother and mimic his mannerisms but at the same time fights his own feelings as he mourns for his brother and fights his feelings for Julia.

Although I love Lorraine Heath, for me, this story felt very uncomfortable. The funeral scene that they held for “Edward” was so sad and heartbreaking. Edwards own discomfort felt real. These can be seen as attributes for a fantastic writer-which Heath is- but I had to put the book down several times and come back to it. As can be expected Julia immediately wanted to continue their marital relations and Edward has to make the decision, does he make love to his brother’s wife under the guise of Albert or keep putting her off and add a strain to the already strenuous situation. If he tells her the truth he breaks his promise to Albert and risks losing his heir. For me, I would have loved it if Edward just came back as himself and the story unraveled from there. It would have been easier for me to accept. As can be expected the truth does come out and it’s not just a mere confession and it’s not just Julia’s wrath that he has to face.

Although this was a three star, I still plan to read the next book in the series.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Indigo Nights by Louise Bay

I am a huge fan of Louise Bay's! With each new book of hers that comes out, she just solidifies herself as an auto-buy author for me and I know I will enjoy every book I read from her. I have to say though that Indigo Nights is my absolute favorite book of hers yet! It is so hard to pick between her books for me but after finishing Indigo Nights, Dylan and Beth are definitely my favorite couple of hers. While this book is a standalone, it is connected to What the Lightning Sees and Calling Me. 

Beth Harrison has used the years since becoming sober to find herself and start a career pursuing her passion for baking. So when she meets a sexy stranger at the airport, the last thing she expects is to start a relationship with everything else going on in her life. Dylan James knows that women want him for his money and power, and he is fine with that in exchange for sex. He keeps things casual and never sees a woman for long. But Beth Harrison is unlike any woman he has met before, and he can't get her off his mind after meeting her. With Beth living in London and Dylan living in Chicago, they know that things need stay casual, but what happens when feelings start to develop and it becomes more than just cake and orgasms? 

I absolutely loved these two! From their very first meeting I was hooked and it just got better as the story continued! The way that they met and things got started was so much fun to read about, and these two were so hot together! Dylan and Beth were so sexy I don't know how my kindle didn't burst into flames! The dirty talk between them was fantastic, and you could just feel the attraction between them. But I also really loved that these two could talk about everything right from the start, and Beth wasn't afraid to tell Dylan who she was and what she had been through. He was great for her, just as she was for him. These two had something so undeniable and special, and it was so great to see something different here with these two. 

Overall, this book was just fantastic. I finished it and immediately wanted to dive back in because I wasn't ready to be done with Dylan and Beth. These two were sexy and I enjoyed the steam between them, but I also loved how fun and flirty they could be too. Louise Bay had the perfect balance of sex, emotion, and romance here and I had a blast reading this book. I didn't want to put it down, yet wanted to savor each bit of it. I highly recommend any of Louise Bay's books, but this one should be at the top of your list! I know this will be one of those that I reread again in the future, and I already can't wait to go back and experience this story again!

**ARC Provided by Author**

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RFTC I've Got a Secret Event with Author Cindi Madsen

Cindi Madsen is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and young adult novels. She sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting, revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a pretty new pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music and dancing and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children.

You can visit Cindi at: www.cindimadsen.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter to get all the up-to-date information on her books.

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ARC Review: Wicked Need by Sawyer Bennett

Wicked Need is the third book in this series about the Silo fantasy sex club and its super freaky patrons. I read the last book in the series but I have not gotten around to reading the first although I plan to do that some day. You don't have to read these books in order, you can start wherever you want. In fact, I didn't think this book contained any specific spoilers of the book before it.

This is Cat and Rand's story. If you read any of the other books in this series you know that Cat has been screwed in every filthy way you can imagine at the Silo. In the past she came to the club with her old decrepit husband who liked to watch. After he passed away Cat returned to the club by herself to do more truly crazy ish. Rand is one of the club fantasy makers who we have also met in the past. Rand goes every which way, if it feels good he does it and lets it be done to him. I'm not really into the m/m scenes and you should be warned there is a lengthy one in this book. But, if that is your thing you will be happy and even if it's not and you're like me, there is plenty of steam for you to enjoy in this book.

Cat falls on some hard times and Rand finds himself rescuing her from a bad situation. Almost immediately Rand starts to see Cat as more than a woman from the club who has been ran through more times than the tunnel at the Patriots stadium. The vulnerable position that Cat is in cast her in a new light in Rand's eyes and for the first time he appreciates her as more than just an object of pleasure. As for Rand, it turns out that he's just a really great guy. Even though he screws whatever walks upright, once he is with Cat, he is totally with her. He has no problem giving up all of his other pleasure unless it's for Cat's pleasure. I love that Rand is protective of Cat and possessive. I loved even more that Rand was good at knowing what Cat needed and backing off enough to let her find it on her own.

The issue with Cat is that her sexual history is really sordid and she has some self esteem issues as a result of it. Even though Rand knows all her dirty secrets from the beginning of their relationship (and he even participated in creating some of them), Cat struggles to believe that Rand could want her. At one point in the book she refers to herself as "well used." Listen, I love that Rand was able to look behind Cat's freaky history and see the wonderful woman she was but I like the author gave a realistic depiction of Cat. Anyone who had to do the things Cat did to survive might feel some type of way about themselves on the back end, the author addresses that issue head on and I was very satisfied with the resolution.

If there were any negatives for me in this book it would be that it was a little bit predictable in terms of the plot and had a few slow moving parts. These were pretty minor issues in what was overall a well written novel with well developed characters and some great sex scenes!

**ARC provided by Author**

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ARC Review: Single by Collette West

Single is the first book in the new Stockton Beavers series from Collette West. This series is a spin-off of her New York Kings series, so if you have read any of those books you will recognize a few familiar faces here. Don't worry if you haven't though as Single is a complete standalone and you do not need to have read any of those to understand this one. 

After getting hit in the neck with a pitch, Luke "Single" Singleton not only lost his career, but nearly his life. So when he is offered a chance to play for his hometown team the Stockton Beavers, Luke knows that this could be his one chance to make it to the majors. But Luke's mom has Alzheimer's and he promised his dad he wouldn't put her in a facility, leaving him as her sole care provider. So when Roberta Bennett comes to town, he knows that she could be the solution to all his problems since she is a personal care aide. Soon Roberta has accepted the job and is living under the same roof as Luke while she cares for his mom and things between them start to heat up. Though neither of them were looking for a relationship, they can't fight the connection between them. But Roberta has a past that she is trying to hide from, and when her secret comes out it could destroy everything they have been building together. 

I have to admit that when I first saw Roberta was going to be the heroine here I was worried. She was definitely not my favorite character in the New York Kings series and I was nervous that I wouldn't like her or be able to connect with her. That was absolutely not the case here though. There was so much more to her than we had seen and it was a case of how one should never assume they have all the facts when looking in from the outside. Roberta was easy to like right from the start of this book, and I felt like she was very was to relate to. Luke was amazing. He was sweet and humble, not like your typical cocky athlete at all. It was great to see a guy that cared more about his mother and taking care of her than pursuing a career that could make him rich and famous. He was willing to give it all up for her, and I really admired that about him. At the same time he was hard working, and gave baseball everything he had. I thought that he was great with Roberta too, and these two had great chemistry and a connection that I really enjoyed seeing form.

I will say that Single had less heat than other books I have read from Collette West and there were times that this book felt a bit slower than her others have. But I really enjoyed the story and the characters and didn't mind that this one had a bit of a different feel to it. Collette is a great writer, and I really liked seeing this more emotional and inspirational type of writing from her. Not that I don't enjoy a good amount of steam with my books, but I felt like in this case the story was so good that I didn't miss it. If you haven't read anything by her I would recommend checking them out, especially if you are a sports romance fan. I have really enjoyed everything I have read from her, and I am looking forward to reading more from her in the future.

**ARC Provided by Good Choice Reading**

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