Thursday 31 March 2016

Blog Tour & Review ~ Hardball by CD Reiss


Book Description:

Perfect ass. 

Perfect arms. 

Perfect swagger. 

They call Dash Wallace the Diamond King. 

He’s the hottest commodity in baseball and in the bedroom. 

When he runs the bases, every woman’s eyes are glued to his stunning body and a smile that puts the night lights to shame. 

I’m no queen. I’m a regular girl with a regular job. I just watch him on TV and from the bleachers, season after season. 


Girls like me grab a guy like that one in a million times. 

My number just came up, and he is as spectacular in bed as he is on the field. 

But there’s not a woman in the world who can distract Dash Wallace from the game. Not for a moment. Not even me. 


Until the night I do. And everything changes.



Buy Links:


Meet Dash Wallace: http://dashwallace.com/

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4 stars
***ARC received for an honest review***


“The very instant that I saw you, did my heart fly to your service.”


This was a new side to CD Reiss and I have to say I loved every word. CD Reiss does Contemporary Romance with ease and soon has you emotionally invested with her characters Dash and Vivian.

Vivian was a beautiful person on the inside and out and had the hugest heart of gold. Having lost her mother at an early age she now lives with her step-dad who has chronic arthritis. The relationship that she has with her step-dad is beautiful and despite not being blood related their bond is impenetrable. Having never known her father, he was the only Dad she had known and he had been the best. Vivian was a school librarian in a school that taught mainly under-privileged kids. Her heart knew no bounds when it came to making sure they were okay and not hungry. While not the highest paying of jobs it was a job that gave her emotional enrichment and she adored those kids.

It is on a school trip that Vivian meets Dash, she needs her baseball signed, he’s a bit of an ass, but an extremely handsome ass.

Dash, Dash, Dash…I adored him and all his little OCD tendencies, he was a man that despite his fame and fortune always questioned his ability and put his success down to his routines. He was a man that shied away from the camera lenses for fear of letting people in and exposing his vulnerabilities. He was a man that had walls around his heart so love wouldn’t escape and more importantly couldn’t be let in but at the end of the day he was a man that needed to be loved the most. My heart broke for him and I just wanted to jump into the kindle and give him the hugest of hugs.


“I feel like the sky is eight feet over my head, a million tons and falling fast. I don’t know what you want from me, but I’m pretty sure I can’t give it to you. I tried. But I’m squeezed.”


For the first time in his life Dash is drawn to a woman, while they only met briefly and he did not come across as the true man he is, there was something about Vivian that wouldn’t leave his thoughts. Vivian had made a lasting impression, so when their paths cross once again he is determined to make one of his own.


“She wasn’t completely broken or completely whole. She was guileless without being naïve. Vulnerable and strong at the same time. A locked box with a tiny window that let me see something shiny inside.”


Dash has to do a lot of fighting in this book, not the physical kind, but the mental and emotional kind. He had to fight his demons, his sub conscience and all his anxieties. He was pushed the furthest he has been out of his comfort zones, sometimes with disastrous effects but he had an end goal and it was one he never ever thought he wanted or deserved.


“Yeah, a two-month bellyache called Vivian-itis…Symptoms include desperate longing and an inability to do anything but feel like a douchebag. Patient can’t do shit on the field but stand there like an ass, wondering what the fuck he’s doing with his life. It’s chronic. No known cure.”


Dash is a man of words too, he is well read (swoon) and loves a good book and their conversations through books had me sighing many times, their cheeky texts and sexual banter has Vivian’s own comfort zones pushed but whereas she was always so sensible and reserved, Dash brought her out of her shell. Dash was all kinds of dominant in the bedroom and CD Reiss certainly knows how to pen a sex scene. These two were insanely hot together and she perfectly captured their connection on every level.


“Were you this irritating when we met?”
“I was charming. Very charming.”
“Where did Mr Charming go?”
“That guy didn’t have staying power…but Mr Irritating? He’ll stick around?”


While on paper these two shouldn’t have worked, they did, in all the best ways. They centred each other, they were great for each other and I was championing them along all the way. These two have mountains to climb but together they make a great team, they just need to reach for the summit. Another great read from CD Reiss.


About the Author:


CD Reiss is a USA Today bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn't pick up she's at the well hauling buckets.

Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master's degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere but it did give her a big enough ego to write novels.

She's frequently referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut which is flattering but hasn't ever gotten her out of chopping that cord of wood.

If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.

Connect With Christine: 



Cover Reveal ~ Devil's Kiss (Sunset Cove #2) by Ella Frank

Title: Devil's Kiss (Sunset Cove Series #2)
Author: Ella Frank
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 24, 2016

Cover Designer: Jay Aheer of Simply Defined Art
Front Cover Photographer: Eric Battershell of Eric Battershell Photography
Back Cover Photographer: Wander Aguiar of Wander Aguiar Photography
Cover Model: Jason Dickson
Cover Model: Ryan VanDyke


Book Description:

What do you do when the one you least expect to matter…

Ends up mattering the most?

Derek Pearson likes to think he’s an easygoing guy. Uncomplicated, upfront, and unapologetic with what he wants. His what you see is what you get attitude is on prominent display for anyone who cares to look, and his foul mouth is right there to back it up should you miss the point.

However, what you see isn’t always what you get, and only a select few have ever glimpsed the real man under the brash exterior.

Among them? Professor Jordan Devaney. Complicated, high-maintenance, and vibrant, he’s Derek’s opposite in every way. From the moment they saw each other, a love-hate relationship began.

But what happens when one person wants more?


  

Finley (Sunset Cove series, #1)



Book Description:

It's time to come home, Finn.

It’s been seven years since Daniel Finley left his hometown in Florida for the hustle and bustle of Chicago’s city life.
Since then, he’s worked hard for his position at the prestigious law firm Leighton & Associates, even when it’s caused distance and isolation from his family and friends. But that’s all about to change.

On his thirtieth birthday, he receives the one thing he never dared hope for. Something that was promised to him years earlier—a note. One simple sentence from the man he’s never been able to forget.

Six words will forever change the course of their lives.

Brantley Hayes has it all. Or so he thinks. When he first made the decision to take a job down in Florida, his family thought he was crazy. But, after years of living in the quiet beach town, he finally feels a sense of community. He’s surrounded himself with friends who are like family, has a job he loves, and owns a spectacular beachfront property that is his sanctuary.

Yet he still feels unfulfilled, as if a piece of the puzzle is missing, and he knows exactly which piece it is. On an impulse, he follows through with a promise he made years earlier. A promise to call home the one he sent away.

Nothing is as simple as it seems.

After years of separation, the former lovers are reunited, but Brantley wasn’t expecting to encounter the high walls now guarding Daniel’s heart.

Daniel may not be the same person he was when he left, but he knows that the first step to healing is the note in his hand.



About the Author:


Ella Frank is the author of the #1 Bestselling Temptation series, including Try, Take, and Trust. Her Exquisite series has been praised as “scorching hot!” and “enticingly sexy!”

A life-long fan of the romance genre, Ella writes contemporary and erotic fiction and lives with her husband in Portland, OR.  You can reach her on the web at www.ellafrank.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ella.frank.author

Some of her favorite authors include Tiffany Reisz, Kresley Cole, Riley Hart, J.R. Ward, Erika Wilde, Gena Showalter, and Carly Philips.


Ella Frank Author Links

Ella Frank’s Newsletter – www.bit.ly/1hEYtgn
Website – www.ellafrank.com
Twitter – @EllaFrank2012
Email: admin@ellafrank.com


Books by Ella Frank

Sunset Cove Series

Finley #1


Temptation Series

Try


Take


Trust


The Exquisite Series

Exquisite


Entice


Edible


Masters Among Monsters

Alasdair


Isadora


Standalones

Blind Obsession


Veiled Innocence

Release Day Blitz, Excerpt & Review ~ Down to My Soul (Soul #2) by Kennedy Ryan


Down to My Soul concludes the journey of Rhyson Gray and Kai Pearson that began in Book 1 of the Soul Series, My Soul to Keep! You must read Book 1 first.

Release Week Pricing
Both Books 99¢ This Week


Book Description:

RHYSON

She doesn't wear my ring.
We never stood before a preacher.
The only vows exchanged were between our bodies; between our souls.
But she was mine and I was hers until I ruined it. I have to believe that every day, every step, every breath brings me closer to making things right.
To making her mine again. 

KAI 

I've seen promises broken.
I know love makes no guarantees.
But things were different for Rhys and me, until he lied, and I walked away. Only there's a chain between our hearts that I can't break. Even if I forgive him, a shadow from my past hangs over us; over this love that reaches all the way down to my soul.

Add it to Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/hvyhqaf

Buy Links:

iBooks:  apple.co/1TzobTg
Barnes & Noble: to come

Book One: My Soul to Keep


Goodreads ➔ bit.ly/1OrzB3r

*Add the Audio Book for only $1.99! 


Excerpt:

“Rhys?”
His name rushes from my mouth on a breath, and I’m off the bed, hurling myself at him top speed. Somehow my legs wrap around his waist and my arms tangle behind his neck. I couldn’t hold back and play this cool if I wanted to. Every part of me that’s been fighting to stay focused, to keep working, to be on, collapses against him. Surrenders to the feel of him in my arms and the smell of him. My fingers lace through his hair. I scatter kisses across his face, the sharp angles and taut skin warm beneath my lips.
“So I take it you’re happy to see me?” He chuckles, pressing his forehead to mine, hands squeezing my thighs.
“Happy?” I release something that’s half a sob, half a laugh, pulling back a few centimeters to let him breathe. “What gave you that idea?”
We stop grinning at the same time, laughter dissolving, our bodies exchanging sensual information. My breasts flattened to his chest. His erection growing and hardening against my core. Our breaths mingling and hearts tattooing beats through our clothes and into the other’s skin.
I move first, leaning in to capture his bottom lip between mine, sucking and pulling between my teeth. Licking into his mouth like there’s honey hidden inside. He groans into the kiss, walking backward until we reach the bed and dropping me so I bounce a little, his eyes roving over me head to toe.
“Pep, what the hell are you wearing?” Humor and desire tussle in his eyes.
I look down, laughing when I see the young Jackson brothers emblazoned across my chest, my legs ending in the footed bottoms.
“If I’d known you were coming, I could have made sexier arrangements.”
“Arrangements?” He quirks a dark brow, placing a knee on either side of my legs, hovering over me like a promise. “Lingerie would have been nice. Other rock stars have girlfriends who wear lingerie.”
“Oh, are you referring to yourself as a rock star now?” I grin up at him, feeling whole for the first time since he kissed me goodbye a week ago. “That’s not egomaniacal at all. Is there a club? You guys have rock star meetings? Does one of you take rock star minutes?”
“You are sitting in here listening to my music in the dark.” He leans forward to tug at the zipper beneath my chin. “Maybe you’re actually one of my crazed fans. Or a groupie. I might even find a Mrs. Rhyson Gray t-shirt around here somewhere. My girlfriend doesn’t like those.”
“No, she doesn’t.” I shake my head, eyes never straying from his.
A small frown jerks his brows together. He tugs again at the zipper, but it doesn’t budge.
“Pep, it’s stuck,” he says.
“Sometimes it does that,” I answer easily, enjoying the frustration spreading over his expression as he keeps pulling and it keeps staying.
He places my hand over his cock, hard and poking through his jeans.
“Well, it’s not exactly a good time for it to do that.”
I laugh, grasping my zipper and tugging. Wow, it really is stuck. These are vintage PJs, older than I am and threadbare in places. I’m surprised the zipper hasn’t rusted before now. I sit up, bringing our bodies closer as I jiggle the little hook a few times. Nothing.
“Just how attached are you to this Jackson Five onesie?” His glance burns hot across my subtle curves visible through the thin flannel, telegraphing his intentions.
“Well this is Michael’s original nose.” I release a fake exasperated sigh. “But I do have my sewing kit.”
“All I needed to hear.”
Sorry, boys.
He grabs the two ends of the collar separated by the zip line and pulls until there’s a ripping sound, the panels falling back to reveal my naked breasts and my panties. A wicked grin spreads across lips.
“You naughty girl.” He runs a finger over the writing on the front of my calendar panties, carrying a current that simultaneously hitches my breath and gets me wet. “Wearing Monday panties on a Thursday. My little rebel.”


Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 5 stars
***ARC received for an honest review***


“Sometimes our best intentions come with our worst decisions.”


I adored the first book in this series and was a little reticent to read this one at first as I had extremely high expectations. My Soul to Keep was my first Kennedy Ryan read and she totally captivated me with her lyrical writing, intense character connection and Kai and Rhyson’s all-consuming story. Well, I needn’t have worried because Kennedy Ryan delivered once again, in spades. This is the continuation of Kai and Rhyson’s story, therefore you need to have read My Soul to Keep first.

Down to My Soul continues where My Soul to Keep finished and once again I was thrust into the lives of Kai and Rhyson, full throttle, with intensity, emotion and once again passion. With fantastic dialogue that keeps the reader thoroughly engaged Kennedy Ryan totally captivates you from the offset and while their lives were never going to run smoothly these two throw their all into trying and at the end of the day that was all I could hope for.


“There’s no happiness without you anymore. This didn’t have to happen.”


Being friends first and foremost really gave a fantastic foundation for Kai and Rhyson and knowing everything about the other has its pluses and negatives. These two can read each other like an open book so when one is hiding from the other, they know.

Rhyson really puts his heart and soul out there in this book and Kennedy Ryan captured this perfectly. Emotionally brutal at times Kennedy Ryan draws you in to his inner turmoil and his fight to keep Kai by his side. His growth throughout was a necessary evil but it was great to watch him finally really trust and give his all to his forever love. He just needed her to open up too and accept it with open arms.


“Every wall I’d ever raised, every defense I had, you got past them all…You went deeper than anyone ever had. You peeled away every layer of skin, sunk through the flesh, and I felt you right next to my bones. For the first time in my life I felt fully…known.”


The one thing I have loved about Kai and Rhyson’s relationship from the offset is its “realness.” They were two characters that had their issues, but they knew they were flawed and try desperately to overcome their faults. They want to be better for the other while still keeping their own identities. Kai was just breaking out into the music world and was desperate to make it on her own without the constant nametag of being Rhyson’s girlfriend. Rhyson wanted to navigate Kai through the pit-falls of the music industry and while he only had her best interests at heart it was hard for Kai to accept as being anything other than Rhyson being overbearing and interfering.


“She blurs everything. Erases every line I’ve drawn in the sand. Forces me to rethink the boundaries of right, wrong, acceptable, never would, and couldn’t ever. She’s my absolute.”


We still have the suspense and intrigue with Kai’s mysterious texts and my heart was in my mouth so many times just wishing that she would share the burden. The be all and end all for Kai was to protect Rhyson at all costs, even if it meant her own sanity was at stake. I loved the way Kennedy Ryan explored the behind the scenes of the music industry and all the pressures and sharks that it encompasses. As a person looking in you think that their lives are glamourous but sometimes fail to realise the hard work that goes into it, it was eye opening at times, the constant invasion of privacy and navigating your way through agents and companies that just want their pound of flesh no matter the consequences.


“She promised me that you would make mistakes, and that the real test would be to love you through them. It’s a test you already passed when you loved me through mine.”


But most of all this was a love story, a love story that has had me captivated from the first word of the first book and has kept me engrossed to the very end of the second. A love story that Kennedy Ryan penned perfectly and one that you cannot help but become emotionally invested. A love story that would stand the test of time and delivers all the bumps and curveballs with stark reality and intense emotion. A road that was far from straight but with every twist and turn a lesson was learned and a remedy found. This was a journey for both characters but one that had a pot of gold at the end, a pot that had all the riches that these two deserved and the only one they needed…each other.


“He is mine and I am his. Our darkest secrets, shared. Our deepest places, reached. We are completely known. Completely loved down to our very souls.”

About the Author:

I just can't write about myself in third person for one more bio! I'm a wife, a mom, a writer, an advocate for families living with autism. That's me in a nutshell. Crack the nut, and you'll find a Southern girl gone Southern California who loves pizza and Diet Coke, and wishes she got to watch a lot more television. You can usually catch me up too late, on social media too much, or FINALLY putting a dent in my ever-growing To Be Read list! I love to hear from readers at kennedyryanwrites@gmail.com. 

Let's Connect! 


Giveaway:

($10 Amazon Gift Card, Rhys + Kai mason jar glass, Reader's Choice Kennedy Signed Paperback)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday 30 March 2016

Release Day Blitz ~ Hardball by CD Reiss


HARDBALL 
CD REISS

Release Date: March 29th
Genre: Contemporary/Sports Romance

Praise for HARDBALL:

“Dash Wallace is a dirty talking, sexy professional baseball player who falls hard for the girl next door, but beware... your heart will take a beating as you watch him struggle with sticking to all he's ever known at the risk of losing the best thing that ever happened to him. Hardball is one of those books that will suck you in and won't let you go until you devour every last, juicy bite.”

Sawyer Bennett, NY Times Bestselling Author


“Fiery hot and enticingly realistic, CD Reiss's captivating writing, complex characters and explosive love scenes make Hard Ball an irresistible modern day romance.”

Katy Evans, NY Times Bestselling Author


Book Description:

Perfect ass. 

Perfect arms. 

Perfect swagger. 

They call Dash Wallace the Diamond King. 

He’s the hottest commodity in baseball and in the bedroom. 

When he runs the bases, every woman’s eyes are glued to his stunning body and a smile that puts the night lights to shame. 

I’m no queen. I’m a regular girl with a regular job. I just watch him on TV and from the bleachers, season after season. 


Girls like me grab a guy like that one in a million times. 

My number just came up, and he is as spectacular in bed as he is on the field. 

But there’s not a woman in the world who can distract Dash Wallace from the game. Not for a moment. Not even me. 


Until the night I do. And everything changes.



Buy Links:


Meet Dash Wallace: http://dashwallace.com/

About the Author:


CD Reiss is a USA Today bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn't pick up she's at the well hauling buckets.

Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master's degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere but it did give her a big enough ego to write novels.

She's frequently referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut which is flattering but hasn't ever gotten her out of chopping that cord of wood.

If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.

Connect With Christine: 



Release Day Blitz ~ Unseen Messages by Pepper Winters

From New York Times Bestseller Pepper Winters comes a timeless love story answering the question of what happens when everything is stripped away.


Book Description:

"There is a message for everything. From handwritten to verbal, seen and unseen. Messages exist all around us." 

But what if you don't see?
What if you don't understand?
What if, by ignoring the message, your life is never the same again? 

Estelle Evermore morphed from nobody to somebody overnight. 

Galloway Oak put his past behind him and endeavored to make his fortune using his trade. 

Two strangers.
One plane.
Multiple unseen messages. 

From sky to island, they find neither fame nor skills can save them. Stripped from society and left alone to survive the elements, the very task of staying alive outweighs all other needs. 

Until survival turns to desire.
And desire turns to danger.


Buy Links:

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1LZXfKB


About the Author:

Pepper Winters is a NYT and USA Today International Bestseller. She wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex... her books have sex. 

She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends. She's also honoured to wear the IndieReader Badge for being a Top 10 Indie Bestsellers, best BDSM series voted by the SmutClub, and recently signed a two book deal with Grand Central. Her books are currently being translated into numerous languages and will be in bookstores in the near future. 

To be the first to know of upcoming releases, please join Pepper's Newsletter (she promises never to spam or annoy you.) 


Or follow her on her website 


She loves mail of any kind: pepperwinters@gmail.com 

You can stalk her here: 

Pinterest/Pepperwinters
Facebook Pepper Winters 
Twitter @pepperwinters
Blog pepperwinters.wordpress.com

Tuesday 29 March 2016

Blog Tour & Review ~ A Mess of a Man by AM Hargrove and Terri E Laine


A Mess of a Man by A.M. Hargrove and Terri E. Laine

Release Date: March 21, 2016


Book Description:

From USA TODAY BESTSELLING authors of Cruel and Beautiful, A.M. Hargrove and Terri E. Laine bring a new full-length standalone New Adult Contemporary Romance. This novel includes mature content, not suitable for younger readers. (Rated R) 

Womanizer, Man Whore, Player, Heartbreaker are all familiar names to Ben Rhoades. He prefers Money Man or Sex God, but he doesn’t let other people’s opinions rule him. And he’s only gotten worse without his compass, his best friend, whose devastating death at a young age has taught him a valuable lesson about not getting too close to anyone … ever. Until one smart and stubborn woman with eye-catching curves throws him for a loop and refuses to be tamed. 

Samantha Calhoun has her life on track even after the shattering break-up with the guy she’d thought she’d wanted to marry. With her chin held high, she focuses on her career, building her business and making a success of it all. Only a chance meeting has her lost in a set of alluring steel gray eyes that have her steps faltering and her heart leaping out of her chest. Forewarned by not-so-flattering rumors plus his no-holds-bar rules, she tries desperately to play his game while guarding her heart. 

Only they have no idea of the journey they’re about to undertake when their lives collide. Ultimately they’ll tackle the biggest test of their lives because she is his game changer. The one, who through the ensuing wreckage, can domesticate the mess of a man that he is. 

Add it to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1R50Y52

Buy Links:



Excerpt:

There is finality to the sound of the door closing behind her. A sort of tormenting peace knowing the end has come. It’s not like I should have expected things to go on this way for long. How could they? 

I stare holes in the walls as if I can still see her, the one woman I let in. 

Sweeter than peach cobbler, she hardly has a bad thing to say about anybody—until now. Her parting description of me, beginning with ass and ending with hole, reverberates through my hollow heart, as I stand here rooted to my spot. I’m not even shocked, as this isn’t the first time I’ve been on the receiving end of that sentiment. I’m only surprised because I don’t think I’ve ever heard her so much as mutter a single curse word before. And the first time I do, it’s aimed squarely at me. 

My hands tighten around a tumbler filled with amber liquid before I toss back its contents hoping for oblivion or something close to it. This road is so familiar. Only this time is different. I never cared like I do now. She means more to me than a quick fuck. Hadn’t I been about to tell her just that? How could things have gone wrong so fast? 

Don’t be a dumbass. You can still fix this. 

Instead, I stubbornly stay embedded to my spot because nothing can change the outcome. It’s a truth she and I know will haunt me until my last breath. And it’s created a wall between us I’m unable to climb … even if you gave me a damn ladder. 

I’ve never been much of a risk-taker when it comes to matters of the heart. I can fill a bank account with a number having many zeros behind it from my astute choices in the market. But I can’t be a man a woman stays with. Hadn’t I warned her about that too? 

Unable to see past my own shitty existence, I long for her to come back. I want to believe it’s all been some kind of mistake and I can forget what I know to be true. As the seconds continue to tick by, the inevitability that things are really over sinks in. My window of opportunity quickly closes as fast as her car door slams and the engine fires to life. 

She’s so close, yet miles away. The longer I let the minutes expand between us I know distance won’t make the heart grow fonder. But maybe it’s for the best. Love, or whatever masquerades as it, just isn’t enough for the dirty, fucked up truth. Right when things were better than I ever expected, facts messed it up. 

Groaning, I launch the crystal glass worth a small fortune at the door I can’t seem to force myself towards. A beautiful show of light plays off the shards as they cascade down in an explosion of fireworks. Visually, it’s what I feel inside as desolation constricts and then obliterates my chest because the best thing I ever had is gone … leaving me with only the certainty I’m meant to be with her. 

I love you, I whisper for the first time and in place of goodbye. She left me and will never hear it. I can only pray we both survive what’s to come.


Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4 stars
***ARC received for an honest review***


“Sometimes, love isn’t enough.”

After reading Cruel and Beautiful by these two authors I fell in love with the way that these two write together and I was itching for this book. Although A Mess of a Man can be read as a standalone I do recommend you read Cruel and Beautiful first so that you can get an idea of the man that Ben Rhoades really is because the man in this book is quite frankly…a mess. While Cruel and Beautiful is not Ben’s story he does feature and you will get a greater understanding as to why Ben is the way he is for the majority of this book.

Ben Rhoades is going through the five stages of grief, except he hasn’t really moved on from stage one. Although it has been over a year Ben cannot move on from losing his best friend, a best friend he has had since child hood, he still goes to call him when he needs advice, he still talks to thin air in the vague hope that his best friend can hear and give him the impartial advice that he was renowned for, he feels him all around, yet he isn’t and Ben just isn’t coping very well.

His grief manifests itself in an intense work load and a manwhore type attitude. He daren’t get close to anyone just in case. He’s a heart breaker but he goes into liaisons letting the women know exactly what they are getting…nothing…just his dick. He is extremely closed off, extremely lost and flailing from day to day just trying to get through without losing his mind and trying his hardest to prove his self-worth to his Dad. His grief is deep and debilitating, as far as he is concerned there is no end in sight, he just desperately misses his best friend. As another “relationship” hits the skids because of their insensitivity towards his grief the last thing that is on his mind is another…but he hadn’t met Samantha…yet!


“He plows through women like a John Deere tractor.”


Samantha was beautiful on the inside and out, she is a hard worker, has her own business and is finding her way in the corporate world as an event planner and she is damn good at it. A random meet in the produce isle of the grocery store has Ben and Samantha crossing paths and while I would call this a bit of insta-lust, these authors make you wait for the real deal.  Samantha is unlucky in love and the broken and damaged Ben Rhoades is probably the last thing she needs but there is something about him that has her coming back for more and more.

Trust is the biggest issue between these two and they are making each other earn it, which is no bad thing but sometimes being upfront about certain things is the safest option, even if you think the end result could hurt. These two have a lot of ups and downs and yes I am being vague but you need to experience their journey first hand. It is hard, it is heart-breaking at times but most of all you feel that these two need each other. These two were so well suited, Samantha is compassionate and Ben has finally found his soul mate, someone that understands him, settles and centres him and most of all loves him. He has a hard transition, he makes his mistakes, but he makes up for them.


“I love you so much that your happiness means the world to me, even if I’m not the one giving it to you.”


This is a book about grief and compassion, about finally “adulting,” a voyage of self-discovery and recognising and facing your demons head on. A story about loving wholly and completely and recognising it for the blessing that it truly is. A story about sacrifices for those you love and putting yourself second and being their through thick and thin. But most of all about a friendship that meant the world and even though they may be around in body they will always be there in spirit, ever present with their words of wisdom.


“My heartbeat slows and echoes from the other side of the chasm created between us when she unknowingly ripped my heart out of my chest and left with it.”


While this was a slow starter for me by the end I was totally invested. Another great read from these two authors.


“You make me less of a mess of a man.”


About the Authors:

A.M. Hargrove: 

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, USA Today bestselling author, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn't do something soon, it would be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life. So she made a quick decision to quit her job and reinvented herself as a Naughty and Nice Romance Author. 

She fancies herself all of the following: Reader, Writer, Dark Chocolate Lover, Ice Cream Worshipper, Coffee Drinker (swears the coffee, chocolate, and ice cream should be added as part of the USDA food groups), Lover of Grey Goose (and an extra dirty martini), #WalterThePuppy Lover, and if you’re ever around her for more than five minutes, you’ll find out she’s a non-stop talker. 


Terri E. Laine: 

Terri E. Laine, USA Today bestselling author, left a lucrative career as a CPA to pursue her love for writing. Outside of her roles as a wife and mother of three, she’s always been a dreamer and as such became an avid reader at a young age. 

In her early years, she and her best friend would tell each other stories over the phone when they were bored. They called them their "soap operas" and generally revolved around whatever boy they liked at the time. 

Many years later, she got a crazy idea to write a novel and set out to try to publish it. With over a dozen titles published under various pen names, the rest is history. Her journey has been a blessing, and a dream realized. She looks forward to many more memories to come. 

Connect with A.M. Hargrove: 



Connect with Terri: 

Release Day Blitz & Giveaway ~ This is Love, Baby by K Webster


This is Love, Baby is LIVE!!!! This is the second and final book in the War and Peace duet. I loved This is War, Baby and cannot wait to read this one.


Book Description:

THIS IS BOOK TWO IN SERIES. PLEASE READ THIS IS WAR, BABY FIRST. 

My War was over and I had lost. My captor reminded me I was nothing more than his pawn. His strategy never changed…it was always me. 

But what he didn’t know was that LOVE always wins. 

In my War, I’d found not only peace but LOVE as well. 

I’d been through a battlefield with my War and LOVE was what brought us to the other side. Our LOVE was beautiful and pure. Undying. 

My captor thinks he has won this war. That I will LOVE him. What he doesn’t know is this time, I’m the one with a strategy. I’m always thinking several moves ahead of him, my War taught me that.

I will outsmart him and find peace again. 
This is a war I will win. 
My LOVE will conquer all. 

Warning: This is Love, Baby is a dark romance. Strong sexual themes and violence which could trigger emotional distress are found in this story. Terrible, terrible things happen to our poor heroine, so you’ve been properly warned. This story is NOT for everyone.


Buy Links:


Book One: This is War, Baby


About the Author:

K Webster is the author of dozens romance books in many different genres including contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormal romance, and erotic romance. When not spending time with her husband of twelve years and two adorable children, she's active on social media connecting with her readers.

Her other passions besides writing include reading and graphic design. K can always be found in front of her computer chasing her next idea and taking action. She looks forward to the day when she will see one of her titles on the big screen.

You can easily find K Webster on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Goodreads!


Giveaway: