Blog Tour, Review & Excerpt ~ King of Code by CD Reiss

King of Code, an all-new intriguing and sexy standalone from CD Reiss is available NOW!

King of Code by CD Reiss 

Publication Date: September 18th, 2017 

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Book Description:

From New York Times Bestselling author, CD Reiss, comes a sexy tale of secrets, intrigue, betrayal, and a love worth crossing a continent for.

Taylor Harden is a man on the edge.

The edge of fame. The edge of untold wealth.

The edge of utter humiliation.

He built an unhackable system, and in front of everyone, it’s hacked. 

His reputation goes from king to goat in a split second. Boom. Like that.

Some dude in Barrington, USA (AKA Nowhere) has locked down Taylor’s code, and if he doesn’t get it back, he’s going to be wearing a monkey suit for the rest of his life.

Except, this guy? This hacker from Nowhere? He’s not a guy. 

Harper Watson’s all woman. And she has a plan for Taylor, his code, and his body.

Buy Links:

Audio: http://amzn.to/2wSiU0b

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2hbf50r

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2wAsDIp

iBooks: https://goo.gl/rMGk9m

Nook: https://goo.gl/W79CEB

Kobo: https://goo.gl/W5Zq8s

Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/68zRuf

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 3 stars

***ARC received for an honest review***

“I wanted to hire her, fuck her, kill her, and decode her.”

To say I was eagerly anticipating this one would be a huge understatement. I love reading about cybercrime, I love watching programmes about it, I am fascinated by it and while what I probably know about it is the tip of the iceberg, I am constantly hungry for more. So, when one of my favourite authors writes a book about it, you can be sure I’m going to read it and devour it.

“God didn’t make me sleep with you…Even though I see him when I do.”

As with any CD Reiss, the writing was flawless. I adore the way this author constructs her sentences, her paragraphs and her chapters, hell her books are always a work of art. The amount of research, time and effort that went into this book must have been a huge undertaking and I appreciated every single cyber morsel that I devoured.

Taylor is a computer genius who has spent years developing the un-hackable code. His baby would make him billions as conglomerates, governments etc grapple to get their hands on it. So confident is he in his ability he opens his programme to the press on launch day and is mortified when it seems the un-hackable has indeed been hacked. Taylor’s programme is being held to ransom and as he finds himself in a small town, quick on the heels of the hacker, it seems he has more than underestimated his nemesis.

Harper is one of a kind with a heart the size of Texas and is one of the most compassionate and selfless people I have read about in a long time. Harper’s heart belongs to the little town where she lives where life is a struggle because of the economy or lack of it. Harper’s reasoning behind this hack is to help her town, not herself. This is the platform she needs to tell the world.

“Harper Barrington, you are working with so much bad data…Sorting it out is going to take me a lifetime of loving you.”

The suspense element was fantastic, the cyber speak was engrossing but for me though, I felt that the pacing was off, what was a book I should have devoured, in places became a struggle to read, it just didn’t hold my interest and I found myself putting it down when normally it would have had to have been prised out of my hands. I would have liked more connection to Taylor and Harper, I just didn’t feel them as a couple in my bones and normally with CD Reiss you cannot help but feel everything. I still liked it, I just didn’t love this one, which hurts.

“I’m not your boyfriend. I’m half of your binary pairing.”

“You’re the one to my zero?”

“I’m your mate. A boyfriend can be stolen. A mate can’t.”

Excerpt: 

“About time!” the older lady shouted.

“Is Harper back?” I asked, handing the bags to the blushing redhead.

As if summoned, Harper came through the swinging door, keeping it open so everyone could get past. She looked at me through the screen.

“You coming in?” she asked.

“We need to talk.”

“Did the decryption key work?”

The door slapped closed behind her as she came out, and we were alone. The way the setting sun hit her cheeks made her glow, and the strands of gold hair at the edges looked translucent. She belonged on a postcard.

I kept forgetting she was holding me hostage. I kept forgetting I needed to think strategically. I had more at stake with this girl than I’d ever had with another.

“Did you doubt it would work?”

“Not really. I’m just making conversation.”

“What are the thorns about?” I pointed at the thorn bed that had eaten my phone and went down the stairs to the yard.

She came after me. “Don’t you have these where you’re from?” She snapped a dry twig off the end.

“Roses? Yes. Impenetrable, groomed thorn bushes in our yards? No.”

“It’s not normal to give the gardeners in town something to do?” We walked around the perimeter.

“You are not normal.”

“It still blooms in spring. It’s really nice. You should see it.”

We were at the back end of the yard, where the very top of the factory’s roof cut the horizon.

I took her hand, pulling her to a stop. “Harper.”

“Taylor?” Her hair flew in her mouth when she turned, and she drew her finger across her cheek to get it out.

What was I supposed to tell her again? That I knew we’d interviewed her. That I didn’t give her the job despite her having a leg up on everyone else we saw.

But was I contrite? Accusatory? Was I just going to relay information? What did I want out of her after I told her I knew?

“Thank you for helping today,” she said. “If you’d asked me when we met, ‘Would Taylor Harden help clean the factory?’ I would have said, ‘No, not for any reason.’ But there you were. Pushing a broom. Scooping up shit. Not being an asshole.”

“My watch was at stake.”

“Yeah. Whatever. You can say what you want to keep your reputation as a shithead intact.”

“I have a reputation as a shithead?”

“You know you do.”

I did know it, and I reveled in it.

She faced me and put her other hand out. I took it, holding both hands between us. I couldn’t help it.

“Well, you guys are such a bunch of sad sacks I had to help. And let me tell you, every guy in Barrington has a little asshole in him. Trust me. I’ve played pool with them.”

“I want to say…” She stopped herself as if she really didn’t want to say. “Let’s get together tonight and get you another decryption code. But… saying this is stupid.” She bit her lip.

“Say it anyway.”

“The sooner you get four codes, the sooner you leave.”

I looked at our hands so I wouldn’t have to look at her.

“I’m not sure if I want that,” she said.

About the Author: 

CD Reiss is a New York Times 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 CD Reiss:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2iwpkPQ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDReiss.writer/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cdreisswriter 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/cdreiss/ 

Website: www.cdreiss.com 

Newsletter: https://cdreiss.com/cd-reiss-mailing-list-signup/

Release Day Blitz, Review & Giveaway ~ Mondays With You by KJ Lewis

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Book Description:

High-school teacher West Connors struggled to put the pieces of his heart back together after the sudden departure of his best friend, Blake Thomas, from his life ten years ago. While loves have come and gone, West has never quite filled the hole in his heart Blake left behind.

  Blake Thomas gets things done. As a handler for one of the top political fixers in the business, he focuses on work, friends, and one-night stands. He's fooled himself into thinking he's conquered the demons of his past until he runs into the best friend he was forced to leave behind when he was sixteen.  

When their jobs force them into a fake relationship, Blake learns something about his childhood best friend and eventually about himself.

 As they try to repair their damaged friendship, they find that moving forward can sometimes lead you back home.
 

 

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2wrKFgp

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2wdLn1r

B&N: http://bit.ly/2tNsYLm

iBooks: http://bit.ly/2v3yYif

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2eRSmIY

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Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 3 stars
***ARC received for an honest review***

“You can’t really love something that can’t love you back.”

KJ Lewis is a new to me author and this book called to me from the synopsis alone. MM, best friends and gay for you are some of my favourite tropes and this one was a fantastic mix of all three. I did not realise that this was part of a series and despite not reading book one, which concentrated on another couple, I didn’t feel all at sea and soon picked up on the who is who.

“He deserves someone who can give him their heart. Not someone who has no heart to give.”

West and Blake were inseparable as kids but their home life was like chalk and cheese. West was part of a huge loving family and Blake was always on the wrong end of his abusive, alcoholic uncle’s fists and boots. Being neighbours bought them closer together and West some became Blakes confidante and safe place, West’s home became Blake’s home…until one day it was all ripped apart.

What Blake’s uncle did to him had lasting repercussions and modelled Blake into the man he is today, but underneath the cool, aloof, control freak persona was a man that always missed what he once had, and more importantly the one person that meant the world to him. West took Blake’s departure bad, really bad. West knew he was gay, knew he was in love with his best friend. Years of mourning, not knowing whether Blake was alive or dead ate at West so when their paths cross in the most unexpected of circumstances some ten years later the past comes flooding back.

“…how can I admit to him that the best friend he had is gone? How do I explain to him the monster I had become?”

West is a teacher in an under-privileged area and also coaches them in sport. West has poured his heart and soul into his kids and has turned many a life around. Blake is a political fixer, being ex-military, his training comes in handy and his tasks are sometimes flirting with the wrong side of the law. Total chalk and cheese and yet despite their differences as soon as they meet, it was like they were never apart.

“I wonder if people realize all-consuming love shouldn’t devour your light, it should reflect it, make it shine brighter.”

Second chances, forgiveness, explanations, finding oneself and a lot of love are at the centre of this book all the while wrapped in a case for Blake and his band of merry men and women. A little suspense and intrigue gives another dimension to this MM love story. For me, I did find the pacing a little slow in parts and though the story dragged a little I was so engrossed in West and Blake that I kept going regardless. KJ Lewis really nailed the intensity between Blake and West, their connection was electric, intense and extremely hot! Gay for you is something hard to convey, especially when said man was a manwhore before, but being that these two had history and they work through their issues, their coming together wasn’t all that unexpected. While in the beginning I had a hard time accepting that this tough mercenary type person had changed at the flick of a hormone switch, together, these two just worked.

“…I can’t be the only one to fight for us. He has to want this. I can’t want it for him. I won’t force him to be with me. Without a doubt I love him, but I love myself too.”

• • •

 

 Click HERE to enter the Release Day Giveaway!

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KJ is a novelist, hot tamale-addict, and an abolisher of grammar. When not writing, you can find her reading at the beach, exploring New York City, or hanging out in her hometown of Memphis, TN. She started hitting Amazon's top 100 lists with her first novel, Taylor Made, in 2016. She is currently working on the next installment in the Sunday Love Series.

 

Website: http://kjlewisbooks.com/

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2cuZiIf

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KjLewisBooks | @kjlewisbooks 

IG: http://bit.ly/2uf9NpB

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Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2cySN5Z

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Master List: rebrand.ly/kjmasterlist

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Review ~ Start Me Up by Maggie Riley

Book Description:

He's arrogant, sexy and aloof. And now I have to write his book. 

Jack Willis is every bit the start-up prodigy—seriously smart, inventive, and totally sexy. With his incredible mind, extraordinary body, and a bank account with more zeroes than you can count, he would give the sharks from Shark Tank a run for their money. Everyone from Wall Street investors to drooling house wives wants a piece of him. Everyone except Libby Hanson, that is.

Libby Hanson is a crafty, curvy bombshell, more accustomed to macrame and crochet than fine dining and stealth engineering. She reads, she writes, she drinks wine with her cat...and she's never even heard of Jack Willis until she lands an interview that will change her life forever.

Jack needs a book written—and fast. His sexy new car is about to be released on the market, and a New York Times bestselling book would be the perfect marketing push to get his business to the next level. He could have any writer he wants: but he wants Libby. She's feisty, gorgeous, and has a way with words like nobody else.

To write his book, Libby has to see everything he does. She gets thrust into a brand new world of A-list red carpet events, meetings with executives, and long nights in the workshop that grow increasingly intimate. But to write a bestseller, Libby needs more. Their connection is off the charts, but she'll need to discover the real Jack—the man behind the inventions, the man who's steadily stealing her heart. Jack has secrets—lots of them—and Libby will do anything to get the scoop. With Jack's true nature coming to the surface, Libby finds herself torn—will she expose the man everyone is dying to get the dirt on? Or will she protect the man she is slowly but surely falling for?

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2tjyF3w

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2tiLPxy

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 3 stars

“I didn’t deserve her…But I wanted her. I wanted to be the person she imagined me to be.”

I am a sucker for books about authors so when I saw the blurb for this one I had to buy it. Self-made billionaire meets author should make for some interesting reading…right? Well, not if you are Jack Willis. Jack Willis was a man that kept his private life, just that, PRIVATE. No-one knew anything about the man that built his fortune from nothing, was a revered man in his field and one of the most highly sought-after targets for gossip mags and journalists. Hoping to quell the curiosity surrounding himself, Jack hires a ghost writer to write his autobiography, however, not willing to cross those personal lines makes for extremely boring reading, but at least the ghost writer is a helluva lot more entertaining. Maggie Riley delivered a fun, cute read and whatever you do, click the link at the end to get the bonus chapter…sigh.

Libby Hanson was a refreshing character, she had that naturally bubbly, infectious personality and was as laid back as they came. People could take her as she was or not bother at all, what you see is what you got. Libby was honest, didn’t have a negative bone in her body and was loved by everyone, except Jack Willis…or maybe not. Libby was a crafty woman, knitting, macramé etc were her forte and what she normally wrote about. When her best friend sets her up for this interview she doesn’t know what she is signing up for, could this be the best or worst career move that she has ever made?

“…Someone who ignored all my rules. Ignored all my orders. Someone who did what she felt was right, even when I tried to block her at every turn. She knew me.”

Jack Willis was intriguing from the very beginning, while my suspicions about his private life were correct I admired his reasoning behind wanting to keep them private. Jack was a fantastic boss, everyone loved him, he knew the company inside out and from the bottom up. Jack was a hands-on boss trying to deliver something he loved while protecting the environment. Jack’s business ethic was admirable, as was the man. I simply adored him.

The chemistry between these two from the beginning was always simmering, but the more time they spent together the more the spark ignited and while this is a little bit instalove, it didn’t really feel that way. There were a few editing issues which were a little distracting in the beginning but they seemed to dry up as the book progressed so please do not be put off. This was my first read by Maggie Riley and it won’t be my last. Thoroughly entertaining, totally engaging and really enjoyed this authors writing style.

Release Day Blitz, Review & Giveaway ~ Glamour Anthology by Skye Warren, AL Jackson, Sophie Jordan, Lili St Germain, Nora Flite, Sierra Simone and Nicola Rendell

Title: Glamour Anthology

Author: Skye Warren, AL Jackson, Sophie Jordan, Lili St. Germain, Nora Flite, Sierra Simone, and Nicola Rendell

Genre: Contemporary Fairytale Retellings

Release Date: July 18, 2017

Book Description:

Once upon a time... 

Remember the fairy tales your parents read to you when you were little? 

These are NOT those fairy tales. 

From modern day royalty to metaphorical dragons, contemporary castles to sexy heroes, these bestselling authors twist tales as old as time into something new. 

GLAMOUR contains eight exclusive never-before-seen novellas that each have an HEA... because they all lived happily ever after.

Buy Links:

❧ Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2u4ss8r

❧ Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2veo07c

❧ Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2sKjKih

❧ iBooks: http://apple.co/2tkF7pk

❧ Kobo: http://bit.ly/2sJTCnL

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35277538-glamour

Our Review:

Bedtime Story by Skye Warren ~ 3 stars

***ARC received for an honest review***

I will be going back and reading all of these, they are ideal for reads between books and if Skye Warren’s novella is anything to go by, then they take well under an hour to read so are absolutely ideal for palate cleansers.

Bedtime Story was a really quick read about a character that was introduced in The King, so hopefully this is a pre-cursor to a full book about this couple. This novella did end incredibly abruptly, hence the sentence before this, I am hoping that there is more to come.

I really cannot say much about the novella itself, else it would spoil it, but single mom and baby running away from her past and falling into the path of a hot, broken sheriff. Said hot, broken sheriff with a past to rival her own. Her very own knight in shining armour.

Little steam, an under-current of the beginnings of sexual tension between the two, but this was really all about how they met. A great introduction and as I said above, I am hoping for a lot more from these two.

Giveaway:

Every single reader who one-clicks the new book for the low limited-time release price ALSO gets 6 FREE bonus books from the bestselling all-star author lineup. These are SIX five-star full-length books that the authors are giving away exclusively here to show their immense gratitude for your support. 

GET YOUR BONUS BOOKS ➤ 

https://goo.gl/forms/F7ve5ycwvRaH6srr1

Meet the Authors:

Syke Warren - 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skyewarren/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Skye-Warren/e/B006RDKS60

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5339130.Skye_Warren

Website: http://www.skyewarren.com

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2tYWs5M

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/skyewarren/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skyewarrenbooks/

AL Jackson - 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljacksonauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5784542.A_L_Jackson

Website: http://www.aljacksonauthor.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aljacksonauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aljacksonauthor/

Newsletter: https://www.aljacksonauthor.com/contact

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/aljacksonauthor/

Sophie Jordan - 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophiejordanauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/89439.Sophie_Jordan

Website: http://www.sophiejordan.net

Newsletter: http://www.sophiejordan.net/uninvited/contact.html

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoVerySophie

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SoSophieJordan/

Aleatha Romig - 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Aleatha-Romig/e/B009SYSSE4

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AleathaRomig/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5131072.Aleatha_Romig

Website: https://www.aleatharomig.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aleatharomig

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AleathaRomig

Newsletter: https://www.aleatharomig.com/contact

Lili St. Germain -

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lilistgermain/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7373567.Lili_St_Germain

Website: http://www.lilisaintgermain.com

Newsletter: http://www.lilisaintgermain.com/newsletter

Nora Flite - 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NoraFliteAuthor/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nora-Flite/e/B00CY10AX0

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7103149.Nora_Flite

Website: http://www.noraflite.com

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2lfG5PZ

Twitter: https://twitter.com/noraflite

Sierra Simone - 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSierraSimone/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7369992.Sierra_Simone

Website: http://www.authorsierrasimone.com

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2rPzvzr

Nicola Rendell - 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNRendell/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15292581.Nicola_Rendell

Website: http://nicolarendell.com

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2tYSOZA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cute_chameleon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorNRendell

Review ~ The Night Mark by Tiffany Reisz

Book Description:

She has nothing to live for in the present, but finds there's something worth dying for in the past…

From Tiffany Reisz, the international bestselling storyteller behind The Bourbon Thief and The Original Sinners series, comes an enthralling new novel about a woman swept away by the tides who awakens to find herself in 1921, reunited with the husband she's been mourning for four years. Fans of Kate Morton and Diana Gabaldon will fall in love with the mystery, romance and beauty of an isolated South Carolina lighthouse, where a power greater than love works its magic.

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2mSFZzu

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2lApub4

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 3 stars

***ARC received for an honest review***

“That’s how you tell us apart in the dark. You see, a light’s night mark is its heartbeat. You know a man by his heart. You know a lighthouse by its beacon.”

Tiffany Reisz is one of my favourite authors so it pains me that I didn’t love this one as much as her others, whether they be the saucy, erotic reads of the Original Sinners series or the beautiful, engaging story telling of The Bourbon Thief. I desperately wanted to love this one, but for me, this was a book I started several times, yet just couldn’t get into and that was so frustrating.

““…I will love you and take care of you as long as you live, Faye”

“Don’t you mean as long as you live?”

He said no. He wasn’t interested in till death do us part. Even if he went first, he would find a way to take care of me. I treasure that vow. I hold it right here…But I’m still waiting for him to keep it.”

I loved the premise of the book, the writing as ever was perfection in its execution and the voice of Tiffany Reisz is one that I just find intoxicating and totally beguiling. Tiffany Reisz had obviously done her research and the snippets of history interspersed with this time travellers love story was fascinating. The chapters set in 1921 were a great flashback to the times and I clearly pictured Tiffany Reisz pouring over old cook books as she delivered the little details that really cemented the reader in the era in which she was writing. Lighthouse lore and history satiated my need for facts and history and for me, personally, it was the history lesson that kept me turning the pages.

“To think I spent my whole life believing time only went in one direction… Thought it was a river. Turns out it’s an ocean. Waves come in. Waves go out. Sometimes those waves take us with them.”

For me and I will probably be in the minority I had no character connection and anyone that knows me, knows that I need that for a book to work. I just felt that I knew too little about the characters to be able to empathise with them as individuals. Yes, I felt for Faye, after losing the love of her life, anyone would, but to understand her as a person, I felt bereft of information, I just needed a little more background. With regards to Carrick, again, no real pertinent background information, I had so many questions with regards to him, I would have loved a few chapters in his POV to maybe help understand the man behind the name.

“Whoever first said it was better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all had neither loved nor ever lost.”

I loved the side characters, Pat and Dolly, they both had their parts to play and I found myself enjoying scenes more when they were in them. I felt that the ending was rushed and rather confusing as so many loose ends and plot lines were frantically tied up. I did have a few issues with certain statements made that just didn’t add up and thought that inconsistencies like these would have been picked up in editing.

“This is me, Will…I’m just like this lighthouse. Still standing, still here. But I’m falling apart. The light’s off, and I don’t know how to turn it back on again.”

For those that loved Quantum Leap, this book definitely reminded me of that somewhat, albeit Faye had the ability to return to the same place at the same point in time. The logistics do not make sense but if you can open your mind and embrace the implausibility as miracle and magic then you won’t get too bogged down in the details. Once the book got going I did have the urge to finish and while for me it dragged in places I was focused on finding out how their story ended. 

Review ~ Stay Awhile by Gia Riley

Book Description:

Life can change in the blink of an eye.

And every choice can unravel more of the truth.

One split second decision after a lifetime of lies, has created a world so confusing, happily ever after isn’t guaranteed. Not even when the stars align and the pieces fit perfectly into the puzzle. 

This time, she'll have to fight for love with a vice clamping her heart and a gaping hole swallowing her soul––absence won’t make the heart grow fonder.

Lies and deceit.

Broken promises and disappointment.

Megan Campbell knows them all too well. 

So far, the pain has won. But the pain doesn’t have to be permanent. 

Note:

Stay Awhile is a Contemporary Romance Standalone.

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2niXPf8

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2n4KxCn

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 3 stars

“Don’t want me because you think you owe me. Want me because you have to have me.”

This was a book that I picked up because of the cover (eek), I must admit I did think this one was about a dancer, but alas no, no dancing in here but Gia Riley delivers a story that is all singing and dancing in its own right.

This is a hard book to review because I don’t want to give too much away but Megan Campbell’s life as she knew it was turned upside down and inside out in the blink of an eye. Everything she thought she knew was wrong, she had been betrayed, lied to and as a result her five-year-old daughter was in hospital. Her husband, Connor, was her only partner, they got together in high school and had been together ever since. Megan thought he was her forever, but maybe fate and repercussions had other ideas? Lainey, Megan’s daughter was just a little darling and was a great character from start to finish, nothing like a little kid’s honesty to bring the adults down to earth. She was truly adorable.

“I was naïve. Maybe I still am, because no matter how much I trusted Connor, he’s always had the power to destroy me, because I’ve always loved him unconditionally.”

Connor, I hated him with a passion, there was something about him that grated on my very last nerve and I pride myself on being a good judge of character. He was as fickle as they come, selfish and abhorrent and despite the last few chapters, my sentiments haven’t changed.

Dr Garrett Kristoff was a school friend of both Megan and Connor, he is now the surgeon in charge of Lainey’s case and it has been a long time since their paths have crossed. Garrett was completely delightful in everything he said and did, he went above and beyond one hundred percent of the time. Garrett was the victim of unrequited love, he had only loved one person and that was Megan. Megan had always belonged to Connor and so he never made his move or made his feelings felt. Now that Connor had destroyed his marriage, all he had to do was bide his time once again.

“You’re right. My heart wants to protect you, but my body wants to explore the fuck out of you.” “Do it. Be Christopher fuckin’ Columbus.”

Stay Awhile is one hell of an emotional roller coaster and I absolutely loved everything about this book…until the end. The last few chapters are a complete mystery to me and in my opinion were not needed. It was just one unnecessary plot twist that fell flat, left my head shaking side to side and gave me that what the ever-loving fuck feeling. Up until this point, this was a solid 4 star read, but the ending was rushed and just didn’t fit into the story at all.

You cannot make a martyr out of an arsehole.

This also left me with so many unanswered questions.

This is a book about hard knocks, where most would never recover, you just get back up, fight harder. Taking the rough with the smooth, seeing people for the reality they are and dealing with the consequences, learning to trust again, learning to be vulnerable again, falling in love once again and having something real to live for. Megan certainly had her fair share of curveballs, but she showed her inner strength and owned it.

“It’s time the man in her life got it right. It’s time to rewrite the ending.”

Release Day Blitz, Review & Giveaway ~ Legally Charming (Ever After #1) by Lauren Smith

Cover Design: Frauke Spanuth / Croco Designs

Release Date: March 13, 2017

Book Description:

THE RIGHT DRESS CAN CATCH THE EYE OF PRINCE CHARMING… 

Felicity Hart has one goal: Completing her masters in art. Falling in love isn’t part of the plan. She reluctantly agrees to attend a Halloween party with her best friend. After sneaking away from the party and falling asleep in an unoccupied room, she wakes to the sexiest pair of eyes she’s ever seen. Eyes that belong to the one man who could turn her well organized world upside down. When he flashes that wicked, panty-melting smile at her the vow to not fall in love seems impossible… 

EVERY PRINCE IS LOOKING FOR HIS SLEEPING BEAUTY TO KISS… 

Jared Redmond used to be the ultimate bad boy. But now his legal career is taking off and the partners of his firm are trusting him with high-dollar real estate transactions. Jared’s king-size bed is empty. But when he arrives home on Halloween to find a princess sleeping in his bed – his all work and no play attitude goes out the window. There’s nothing he wants more than to explore the hidden desires of this mysterious beauty and show her just how much of a bad boy he really is by fulfilling her every fantasy. 

WHEN MIDNIGHT STRIKES AND COACHES TURN TO PUMPKINS… 

Underneath the glitter of this fairy tale romance, Felicity and Jared might have found true love. But the mounting pressure of their real lives takes hold again and Jared and Felicity are pulled further and further apart. Can they find their fairy tale ending or will they be left with the dying embers of what could have been?

Goodreads

Buy Links:

Amazon UK:  http://amzn.to/2lStBKH

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2mSfUQT 

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2lKMkcw

iBooks: http://apple.co/2mtzn6V

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2mAr4FM

   

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 3 stars

***ARC received for an honest review***

“Sometimes a girl wants to know if a man will fight for her. So if you want her bad enough, fight for her.”

Lauren Smith is a new to me author and I was drawn to this book because of “Legal” being in the title. I do love books set in that domain and hot lawyers are definitely easy to read about. Legally Charming is a book I enjoyed, it was what I deem an “easy read,” everything was nice, sweet with a little angst and a lot of insta love.

Felicity Hart was a likeable character in so far as she was sweet, innocent and naïve, but for me the damsel in distress act did get a little old after a while. For someone extremely intelligent, I found her very flaky and she was just a little too wet for me to warm up to. Felicity was very insecure about herself, especially her curves, and she couldn’t see the beautiful woman underneath despite who and how many times people told her otherwise. Felicity was however extremely independent which was a fantastic trait, even if rather annoying at times when you just wanted her to accept help when she really needed it. Overall though, I liked her.

Jared Redmond was your typical red blooded, alpha lawyer. Jared worked all the hour’s god sends to further his career and hopefully make partner in the firm that is owned by his ex-girlfriend’s father (cue drama). He wasn’t a defender or prosecutor but worked in real estate law which is apparently just as demanding. Jared had no time for romance or relationships, his work ethic had only one track, focus, focus, focus. Jared was extremely good at his job and that is the way he wanted it to stay or at least did until he wandered in on a sleeping Felicity in his bed.

“…You don’t walk away from the chemistry we have. When I touch you? It makes my entire body burn. I’ve never felt that way about anyone else.”

Legally Charming was the proverbial player to love sick puppy story line and was predictable, the little plot twist I could see coming a mile away and the ex-girlfriend drama was a foregone conclusion, but for an easy read this was perfect. Personally, I would have liked a little more depth to the characters but Lauren Smith surprised me when my eyes were leaking at one point so the emotional connection I crave was there. I was curled up on my sofa reading away without a care in the world, this was a great lazy weekend read.

Giveaway:

$20 Amazon Gift Card

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

About the Author:

 

Lauren Smith is an Oklahoma attorney by day, author by night who pens adventurous and edgy romance stories by the light of her smart phone flashlight app. She knew she was destined to be a romance writer when she attempted to re-write the entire Titanic movie just to save Jack from drowning. Connecting with readers by writing emotionally moving, realistic and sexy romances no matter what time period is her passion. She’s won multiple awards in several romance subgenres including: New England Reader’s Choice Awards, Greater Detroit BookSeller’s Best Awards, Amazon.com Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter-Finalist and a Semi-Finalist for the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award.

   

Connect with Lauren Smith

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2n4nVSW

Facebook Author Page: http://bit.ly/2njTHHt

Facebook Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2mLOTOQ

Goodreads Author Page: http://bit.ly/2naXqIe

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2mLTbFI

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2lIIfZJ

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2mnWgZX

Review ~ Schooled by a Senior by K Webster

Book Description:

Aut Banks is a brilliant bad boy with a chip on his shoulder. 

Mrs. Macmillan is a substitute teacher way in over her head. 

When they're forced to work together, the sexual tension is off the charts.

Will the teacher remain professional or will she be schooled in a lesson on sex by a filthy boy who barely fits in his desk?

***

Schooled by a Senior is a hot novella that was created originally for an anthology therefore it had to meet certain size requirements. It is all kinds of smokin’ instalove that’ll have you fanning yourself until the very end.

Please take a seat and open your book…

Class is now in session.

Buy Links:

Amazon UK:  http://amzn.to/2iMYu5B

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2i3uFws

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 3 stars

“She comes alive at my touch and that’s heroin to my ego. I’m high on her need for me.”

Schooled by a Senior is a novella that first appeared in the Hot for Teacher Anthology and has now been released on its own. This is a student/teacher, hot and steamy short story that epitomises the forbidden in more ways than one.

Author Banks is a popular kid in school and when one of his favourite teachers is temporarily replaced by the meek and timid Maise he feels the need to jump into the breach and bring order to the class because she just isn’t cutting it. It takes a while for Maise to find her feet but eventually she does find her stride, but Aut has more on his mind than Maise as a teacher…

Aut is mature beyond his years, yet his mouth just spews crude and vulgar dialogue that will either have you thinking, wow, he is hot and alpha, or yuck, he is disgusting. He has had it tough emotionally but has a decent lifestyle thanks to the child support his absent father is feeding his mother. His dad has never been on the scene and rather than child support, I would say this is more like hush money. He has never been interested in Aut and never will be.

Maise was an incredibly weak heroine, she is the carpet that everyone treads all over, married to a man that berates her and physically abuses her, he has knocked every ounce of self-worth out of this woman. As Maise’s relationship with Aut progresses though, you can see a metamorphosis or sorts as Maise comes into her own, Aut breathes life back into this deflated woman.

“I’d let it get out of hand when I should have stopped it right away. Each day letting get a little more under my skin. He schooled me, the teacher.”

The dialogue is a little OTT and cheesy at times, Aut was a cocky little shit with a dirty mouth but for a quick, hot, read this one ticks the boxes. For a short story the plot was addictive and although I could see it coming a mile away it still made me smile when it did. Karma is a beautiful thing.

“…for the first time in years, I feel alive and wanted. Your mouth can be mean but your eyes don’t lie, Author. What your eyes say is enough to keep me here.”

Review ~ Scarlet Stone by Jewel E Ann

Book Description:

“My name is Scarlet Stone, and my biggest fear is that someday I will find what I want most in life, and it will be impossible to steal.” 

What happens when life just stops? When one moment makes you question your entire existence? 

Scarlet Stone is a third-generation thief who has everything: a doting fiancé, a spacious London flat, and a legitimate job offer. In a single breath, everything becomes nothing, and she finds herself on a plane to Savannah, Georgia in search of the meaning of life. 

After securing a six-month lease for a beachfront house on Tybee Island, Scarlet changes the way she looks, thinks, eats—basically her entire outlook on life. She needs peace, but what she gets is a housemate who looks like Thor, acts like a warden, and smells her proximity like a Bloodhound. 

Theodore Reed is a carpenter and perfectionist with a body built of steel, a black, hollow heart, and a hunger for revenge. He doesn’t like company, girly-smelling crap, and British accents. 

He resents every breath she takes. 

She’s fascinated by his every move. 

In time, they discover their coexistence is toxic, their physical attraction is electric, the secrets they keep mean the difference between life and death, and the only truth they share is that everything is a lie. 

“Over eighty-five percent of the world's population believes in a higher power, yet, very few people believe in miracles.”

Do you believe?

Buy Links:

Amazon UK:  http://amzn.to/2hn2OVi

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2hDTa3y

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 3 stars

“The only thing worse than living with regret, is dying with regret.”

This is a really hard review for me to write because I have loved everything I have read from Jewel E Ann so I had high expectations for this one. Maybe that is the biggest problem, Jewel E Ann had set the bar so high. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate this book, I liked it, I just didn’t love it, I just had too many issues.

For me this book lacked character connection and that is something that I need to really love a book. I want to feel everything, I want to be hit in the heart with the emotions, driven into a frenzy by the angst and totally blindsided by the twists and turns. The twists and turns were great, I never saw them coming but the previous two were lacking for me.

Scarlet Stone was hard to connect with. Maybe it was her aloofness and her secrets that kept her from conveying herself through the pages but she always seemed disconnected and disassociated from the story itself even though this was her book.

“You are a labyrinth—an onion with infinite layers. If given the chance, I think I could really miss you someday.”

Scarlet and Theo were both broken characters and I love that, I love those characters that are desperately struggling and need that helping emotional hand to get themselves back on the straight and narrow. There is something about vulnerable characters that always tugs at my heart strings and that is why I was surprised with my apathy towards Scarlet. Theo was intriguing though and his story was the one that really kept my attention throughout. Literally knowing nothing about him had me thinking of endless possibilities, none of which were correct of course, but I loved the way that his story tied into the book overall.

“My head is undiscriminating with the memories it keeps, but my heart has already forgotten.”

This book though is more about a journey, a journey for all characters in some form or another. The ramifications of lies and mistruths, the debilitating effects of guilt and revenge. There are many messages cleverly interwoven throughout this book and they were easily received and this part is what I took the most away from.

“I think revenge is a very animalistic part of human behavior that is ingrained in all of us from birth. Even on a very basic level of a mother’s instinct to protect her child, humans have that capability. And like certain animals, we can tame it, control it, but it never completely goes away.”

As in usual Jewel E Ann style there is wit smattered throughout an otherwise, intriguing, suspenseful read. The writing style as ever was absorbing and engaging and beautiful in its delivery, I just needed that character connection that I craved. I will say being a Brit, Scarlets dialogue was rather irritating at times. Yes, it was British, but at times it was over the top British, and considering the kind of person she was it just didn’t fit her as a character, it actually had the opposite effect and made me laugh at times when I should have been emotionally invested. The conclusion to the reason why Scarlet moved from the UK to the US was unbelievable and after the way this plot line was integrated into the story from the very beginning and it being a major part, to have this conclusion to me, was a let-down and seemed an easy way out.

“It’s mad love. The kind that makes no sense. The kind that is bigger than anything I’ve ever experienced. The kind that ensnares your soul and never lets go.”

However, I still liked it, I liked how all the characters’ lives were interwoven and how each had a domino effect on the other. The story was cleverly put together and intelligently written. If it wasn’t for my few issues, this definitely had five-star potential.