Check out this gorgeous teaser for RISING by Jessica Ruben! Don't forget to add it to your TBR!
I finished reading this one the other day and OMG, to say I was impressed by this debut author is a severe understatement. You can find my review on Goodreads here.
As the bus approaches my stop on the Lower East Side, I raise the hood of my black sweatshirt. Anonymity is key in my neighborhood—particularly as a lone female walking at night.
All I want is to leave my crime-ridden shadow of a home in New York City. I’ve done everything I can to keep my head down and focus on my studies. College is my only goal; love has never been on the map…
That is, until my sister brings me to an underground fight, where I meet a gorgeous and mysterious man: Vincent.
He is the ghost in my shadows, showing up to feed me pieces of his upper-crust life, then evaporating into darkness until his next visit. I’m falling hard and fast. How can I trust him amidst the depth of his secrets?
Vincent may be even more dangerous than the dark world I’m trying to escape.
About the Author:
Jessica Ruben lives and works in New York City, where she spends her days dominating in the court room as an attorney. Come nightfall, she writes romances centering on gorgeous alpha males and the intelligent women who love them.
Jessica is an insatiable reader, and will devour a few books a week without batting an eyelash. Books have always been her drug of choice, and she has no plans on detox anytime soon. She has three wildly delicious children and a husband who, for reasons unimaginable to her, loves her brand of crazy.
It started the moment I saw the simple message pop up on my computer screen:
Cameron’s Mac: Hi.
And when I met the eyes of the gorgeous man messaging me from across the coffee shop, I never thought my reply would lead to the most intense, sexual, and passionate relationship of my life.
We both agreed to check our bags at the door and put our future hopes and aspirations on the table.
It worked.
I fell in love with his no holds barred attitude, sexy smirk, and undeniably good heart . . . and for a while we forgot about our baggage. We happily tripped over it to get to the other, neither of us willing to show the contents of our pasts in the off chance it could ruin us.
We built our love on a foundation of gray.
It was life in black and white that threatened to tear us apart.
I feel like I have been on an epic journey with this book,
being involved from the beginning, reading draft after draft and seeing it’s
growth from a great story to an incredible story. These characters have
embedded themselves into my heart and soul, the journey they embarked…I have
taken every footstep with them, the highs and lows…I witnessed them all…I felt
them all and these two have definitely made a lasting impression.
“Ask a hundred people what love
means to them and you’ll get a hundred different answers. I suspect most of
them will say it has something to do with comfort or safety. But that’s false.”
Kate Stewart is an author for me that never fails to deliver.
Many, many years ago, I read my first Kate Stewart book and I just clicked with
her writing. The emotion pours from every page and her character connection is
always on point. Kate Stewart writes real romance with real characters, those
you can relate to, understand and connect with and most importantly, fall in
love with and The Real is a prime example.
“This is me at my worst. Please
don’t do this to us.”
“I didn’t do this.”
“You’re right. I did. Love me
anyway.”
Dialogue forms a huge part of this book and Kate Stewart
killed it, she brought back wooing with a capital W, she brought back the days
of getting to know a person before jumping into bed, building up that trust and
using that as a foundation to build a relationship. Yes, this is a slow burn, but
it is a delicious slow burn, one that has you wanting for the next step, the
next kiss, just salivating for…more.
“Tell me I can have this, tell me
I can be this happy. Tell me I can have you.”
Cameron and Abbie meet at a coffee shop, where Cameron first
makes contact with Abbie from his Mac, sending her a message. This is the start
of a beautiful friendship, a stunning courtship and the beginning of an epic
romance. A romance born from the here and now, no pasts, no baggage, just them
in their coffee shop cocoon.
“A kiss can be an introduction,
statement, and a promise. I plan to make all three when you let me.”
This is a book best read blind. Read this book as the author
intended so that the King of Woo and his Witchy Woman can take you along for the
ride. As with any Kate Stewart book, the course of true love never runs smooth,
but this is one heck of a journey, one that most will never see coming.
“I wanted what we had to be it. I
wanted him to be the last man I kissed, the last man I gave my heart and body
to. And I didn’t want my heart to be a liar. And only he had to power to make
it true.”
The Real is an epic, all-consuming read with all those
emotions I crave, a book with its own heartbeat. No cookie cutter romance, just
a Kate Stewart original with all those writing traits I love and crave. Their
story will consume you, it will probably make you cry, but by the end you will
be so in love, the journey will be a distant upset and you will bask in the
glow of an unforgettable love story.
“It was so obvious we were more
than coffee.”
Fan Made Trailer:
Excerpt:
Cameron’s Mac: Hi.
I looked above my laptop and took a deep breath before I accepted his invitation.
Abbie’s Mac: Hi.
Abbie, he’s going to wear your skin! I tried to ignore my inner voice.
Cameron’s Mac: I saw you with the homeless guy.
Abbie’s Mac: Ok?
He took a sip out of his Real Men Love Pomeranians mug and shrugged before he typed.
Cameron’s Mac: So, that was nice of you. Most people in the city just walk on by.
Abbie’s Mac: Oh. Most people do walk past Bennie. But he’s different and I’m not most people.
He lifted a brow and bit his lip.
Cameron’s Mac: I see that.
Cameron’s Mac: Want to have your next cup with me?
Say yes, say yes! It’s only coffee!
Abbie’s Mac: No, thank you.
You idiot.
His brows drew tight with his frown.
Cameron’s Mac: Sure? How about some breakfast?
My pulse raced with the memory of my last reaction to that type of attention and the consequences, and I answered without another thought.
Abbie’s Mac: No, thanks.
His chuckle was deep and covered me, even across the space between us. He bit his full bottom lip as he typed, his smirk still intact.
Fuck. Me. Damn it, Abbie!
Cameron’s Mac: Well, I guess today is not my day.
Abbie’s Mac: That’s all you’ve got?
I had no clue why I sent that message . . . why I was bothered that he didn’t try harder. Just that fucking smirk. It was sexy as hell.
He read my message and shrugged as he typed.
Cameron’s Mac: You seem to enjoy coffee. I don’t have an agenda. You’re beautiful, I noticed. I wanted to drink coffee with you. You said no. I’m going to scrape up the rest of my pride now and head out.
He closed his laptop and stood while I deflated. Damn it. He was being nice. Since when are guys just . . . nice?
Am I a man hater? Have I become that woman?
I spoke up as he slipped his computer into a worn leather bag.
“I’m sorry,” I offered in quick apology. “I was expecting some horrible line or screwed up proposition. The web, messaging, anything that has to do with technology has been hazardous for me. I’ve seen enough unsolicited dick pics for a lifetime. I was just being cautious.” And that was the truth. But I’d said it aloud in verbal vomit. Did I really say “dick pics” out loud?
He chuckled again as he looked down at me from where he stood, then grinned.
“Today isn’t the right day.” The husky baritone of his voice matched the silky hue of his eyes, which seemed to darken as he looked me over.
“No?” I asked in a whisper as I sized up his six-foot-plus frame and imagined the possibilities.
“No,” he said. “Maybe we can not have coffee again sometime?”
He’d tapped out with a simple ‘no’ from me. He couldn’t have been that interested in the first place.
I couldn’t deny the disappointment welling up in my ovaries.
“Okay.” I lifted the last syllable when he didn’t press further.
Cameron pulled out his wallet and set some money on his table then walked over to mine and did the same.
“At least let me buy your next cup.”
After setting the bills down, he stood over me briefly and I caught his scent—purely masculine. I inhaled as much as I could without being obvious. He didn’t smell like a psycho.
Cameron picked up his man–bag while I pictured running my fingers through his messy, inches thick, dark-brown hair.
Don’t let him leave. Tell him you aren’t that big of a bitch. But that would seem desperate. You aren’t desperate. But you are horny. Omg, are you horny??
As if reading my thoughts, I caught another flash of his teeth and had to bite my cheek to keep my reaction in check.
“I’ll see you.”
“Yeah, see you. And thanks,” I said to his retreating back, an octave louder than necessary. “For the coffee,” I added. Outside the window, Cameron bent and exchanged words with Bennie before sticking some cash in his hand.
Well, Abbie. Guess you’ll just have to wait until the next time you roll out of bed and a beautiful man hits on you. Should happen again, you IDIOT!
Once again, my hesitance had cost me. And I couldn’t help but feel like this time it cost me big.
Sagging into my seat, I continued to stare in his direction, watching those broad shoulders walk out of my life.
Giveaway:
Kate Stewart is having a $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway here:-
Kate Stewart lives in Charleston, S.C. with her husband, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie. A native of Dallas, Kate moved to Charleston three weeks after her first visit, dropping her career of 8 years, and declaring it her creative muse. Kate pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense because it's what she loves as a reader. A lover of all things '80s and '90s, especially John Hughes films and rap, she dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity only and does a horrible job of playing the ukulele. Aside from running a mile without collapsing, traveling is the only other must on her bucket list. On occasion, she does very well at vodka.
We are thrilled to bring you the cover for MISTER TONIGHT the swoony new romantic standalone from New York Times bestselling author Kendall Ryan releasing on JUNE 18th!
Book Description:
From New York Times bestselling author Kendall Ryan comes a standalone romance about a swoony single dad and the new neighbor he falls for.
Last night was the most embarrassing night of my life.
I was THAT girl.
You know, the highly intoxicated chick celebrating her thirtieth with her two best friends—the ones who are happily married. And the more I drank, the more I wanted to do something reckless to celebrate.
By reckless, I meant the sexy and alluring man dressed in a business suit standing near the bar. You know his type—tall, dark, and handsome. I was sure he was out of my league, but I'd had just enough alcohol that things like that no longer seemed to matter. I'm not fat, mind you, but you can tell I like French fries, so there's that.
He took me home and I enjoyed the hottest birthday sex of my life, well until it came to a screeching, and rather unwelcome halt.
There's nothing quite like being interrupted mid-ride with a little voice asking:
"What are you doing to my daddy?"
Just kill me now…... or so I thought.
Come to find out the man I rode like a bull at the rodeo is my new landlord.
A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She's a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she's appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine. Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com for the latest book news, and fun extras
Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn. Kennedy Ryan does this EVERY.
SINGLE. TIME. She kills me with her words, her characters and her stories. How
I still have a beating heart after this is a mystery. This author is insanely
talented, she has this innate ability to draw you into her character’s worlds,
lives and relationships and makes you live and breathe every single step. They
hurt, you hurt, they laugh, you laugh, but you FEEL EVERYTHING. And damn, did this
book make me feel.
“I fear that I, like them, will
not live to regret it.”
Even though Kennedy Ryan writes a long book, it never reads
that way, in fact her words are effortless, they whisk you away and before you
know it, an afternoon has passed, and the book has been devoured and that was
how I found myself after reading this book. At the end though, I had nothing.
It was one of those books where you look at those around you and think you don’t
know what you are missing. They say a reader lives a thousand lives, well I’ve
just added another two, two that I will never ever forget.
“She remembered who she was and
the game changed.”
Kennedy Ryan delivers a powerful story, an unforgettable
one, one so viscerally delivered that you cannot help but be affected by
EVERYTHING. Kennedy Ryan pulls punches with it’s delivery, uppercuts, body
shots, the whole enchilada and she doesn’t hold back, and the hits just keep on
coming. My head…buzzing. My heart…battered and bruised but as with any Kennedy
Ryan book she expertly puts you back together again, but what an emotional
rollercoaster to get there.
“A few moments with the truth
don’t chase away the lies forever,”
I am deliberately keeping this review vague, you need to go
into this one blind and read the book the way the author intended. This book is
harrowing at times, extremely thought provoking and incredibly honest and raw.
It does not make easy reading and at times I felt physically sick, but this is what
I love about Kennedy Ryan, when she embraces a particular subject, she goes all
in, she pushes the envelope.
“If you were mine, Iris there
would be no doubt what position you’d hold in my life. You’d be center. I’d
play you at the five.”
Iris was a fantastic heroine, who, had life dealt her a
different card would not be in the situation she finds herself in during this
book, through no fault of her own. However, her inner strength, her
determination and her sheer will to survive is what gives her life story its
happy ending. Kennedy Ryan takes a sensitive subject and delivers it with
honesty, compassion while keeping her integrity. Kennedy Ryan shows the effects
it not only has on the individual but the people around them and they are often
forgotten in these types of stories.
“For a long time, I was Caleb’s
marionette, but he doesn’t pull the strings anymore.”
Set in the baseball arena, Kennedy Ryan delivers a hero that
will top many a book boyfriend list and show another on the total opposite end
of the spectrum, but for all intents and purposes, this is definitely Iris’s
story. Make sure you can read this book in one sitting, because once you start,
you will not be able to put it down. Make sure you have plenty of tissues,
preferably a glass of something strong and your trash food of choice,
chocolate, ice-cream etc, you will need it. You have been warned. But most of
all, be prepared for an EPIC read, one you will never forget and one you will
not stop thinking about for a very long time. Seriously AMAZING!
