Sale Blitz: Fighting for Devlin by Jessica Lemmon

FIGHTING FOR DEVLIN

Lost Boys #1

Jessica Lemmon

Released November 24th, 2015

Loveswept

Perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Katy Evans, Jessica Lemmon’s irresistible Lost Boys series kicks off with the story of a good girl who plays by the rules—and the bad boy who brings out her wild side.

Devlin Calvary makes his own luck. Orphaned as a young child, he was taken in by a crew of bookies and gamblers—and they became his family. They’re the reason Dev’s running a trendy bistro, living in a high rise, and enjoying the good life with a string of women who never ask for too much. Until, one night, he finds out how much it hurts to trust the wrong people. . . .

Rena Lewis sticks to the straight and narrow, determined not to slip up again . . . like the terrible night of partying four years ago that ended in tragedy. A waitress at Oak & Sage, she knows that sleeping with her boss is not a smart move. But when Dev shows up on her doorstep, beat up and clearly shaken, Rena’s not about to turn him down . . . or kick him out of bed.

Dev reawakens something primal within her—a need to go wild. And Rena soon finds out that the heart she’d sealed away years ago still has the power to fight for love.

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A former job-hopper, Jessica Lemmon resides in Ohio with her husband and rescue dog. She holds a degree in graphic design currently gathering dust in an impressive frame. When she’s not writing super-sexy heroes, she can be found cooking, drawing, drinking coffee (okay, wine), and eating potato chips. She firmly believes God gifts us with talents for a purpose, and with His help, you can create the life you want.

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Review: Entangled by T.M. Wells

Cerise's childhood was not easy. She had to grow up quickly and learn how to take care of herself, independently. The unfortunate events in her past, affected her deeply, leaving her guarded and selective on the people she let into her life. Memories of her past haunted her daily life. When suspicious notes surfaced, she had to sacrifice her independence for her safety.

Cerise did not make time for a 'LOVE LIFE'! Avoidance was Cerise's solution, when it came to love. She did not want to get hurt, the way her mother did, when it came to relationships. She preferred to spend time with her friends. Carter was one of them! Would she risk their friendship for romance? Everything seemed so simple, when she was with Carter.

Cerise was an entrepreneur, with ambitious goals. Her career was her life! She accepted a major business ‘Contract’ to oversee financial investments, between two wealth executives, who were merging their businesses. It was the biggest opportunity of her career. However, with a sexy-cute CEO in the picture, would this 'Merger' cost her more than she bargained for? Was it a disaster from the beginning? Or, was it the best thing that could have happened to her?

She had to face her past, deal with the present, and make decisions that would affect her future.

Paperback, 168 pages

Published December 28th 2015 by Impavid Press

Terri's Thoughts

I won a copy of this book in a giveaway on Goodreads.  In exchange I will offer my honest review.

I am having a difficult time penning my thoughts on this story.  It is clear that the author poured her heart in to this story and knowing that this is her debut work I do not want to be too critical.  After all, who am I but someone who reads a lot and offer up my thoughts on my little blog.  Although I dream of being able to do the same thing (and have a story in my head), I have never truly made an effort to put it in to words like Wells did.

The main storyline is a good one.  Two best friends coming together after years of friendship in what would be considered a fairy-tale romance.  Then add in a little bit of danger and conflict and poof you have a story.  My only issue is that perhaps due to the shorter length, I never really felt that the sub plots and storylines were developed.

Things between Cerise and Carter seemed a little too easy for me.  Even with the conflict.  They were both good looking, had money and were successful.  It was almost as if the conflict had to be inserted in to the story in order to make something happen aside from the chemistry between the two.

I thought there would be more with the introduction of the sexy CEO then what was in these pages.  Now there is an opening for a second story and if that is Well's intentions then there would be a good opportunity to expand on some of what occurred in this story.

I also had a little bit of a difficult time with the story being written in the first person.  I feel if it was not this would allowed for a bit more description and added a little bit more depth to the story.

If you are a fan of Fifty Shades then this story will be up your ally.  I felt a lot of similarities and there definitely was enough steamy scenes for those who seek them in there stories.  This was also a fast read so time commitment was required.

I am not sure if a second story is in the works or not.  I certainly hope so as I can envision so many directions the story could take...hint hint....bring the sexy CEO back in the picture.  This could add a lot of drama!

Cover Reveal: Dishonor Thy Wife by Belinda Austin

Tasty Book Tours is thrilled to bring you the incredible cover

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DISHONOR THY WIFE

DISHONOR THY WIFE

Belinda Austin

Releasing June 13th, 2016

Cover by Cover Couture

A Sexless Marriage. A Dangerous Game. A Suspenseful Thriller. A Hot Romance.

After six years of a sexless forced marriage, Ronni finds she enjoys her husband spying through the keyhole of her bedroom door. She begins to perform for him, even remembering his past violent outbursts, because Brad returned home to Austin from a Philadelphia business trip a changed man.

Once Ronni has a taste of forbidden passion, she is addicted until Brad begins acting like a Jekyll-Hyde.

She believes Brad may be bipolar, never realizing that something far more sinister is going on.

What happened at a Philly medical convention sets off a chain of events that begs the question, does a woman really know the cracks beneath her husband's skin?

 Pre-Order

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Belinda is a former Software Engineer and Web Developer. She is a Zumbaholic. Belinda loves to create novels with twists and turns, and love stories that will squeeze your heart. Her goal is to entertain and touch you by making you laugh, cry, get angry: go through the emotional experience that makes us all human and by doing so humanize her characters.

Her aim with her books is to grab the reader by the shirt collar and drag him or her into the novel, and not let go until the end. She hopes that the reader will not just read her story, but experience it, with chills, blood pounding, brain bursting, etc.

Belinda was born in the Los Angeles area and lives in Texas.

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Review: Catching Summer by L.P. Dover

Hailed by Heidi McLaughlin as a bestselling author who “knows how to create the men who make us swoon,” L. P. Dover returns with an edgy, emotionally gripping Second Chances novel about a beautiful widow who can’t resist a chiseled NFL player.

Former nurse Summer Jacobs has seen her fair share of suffering, but she never expected tragedy to hit so close to home. After watching her husband die in the MMA ring, Summer spends the next two years fighting her way through the darkness. The last thing she needs is another hardheaded athlete turning her life upside down. But that’s exactly what happens when she meets a gridiron star who’s as skilled at stealing hearts as he is at snagging passes.

Carolina Cougars wide receiver Evan Townsend usually has no problem winning fans, so he’s intrigued when Summer shoots down his go-to plays for winning a woman’s attention. Never one to back down from a challenge, Evan turns up the heat, setting off sparks that neither can deny. But as his slow seduction begins to chase away Summer’s pain, he gets the feeling that someone is desperate to keep them apart. Now Evan will do anything to protect her—because he never misses a chance to make a perfect catch.

Kindle Edition, 231 pages

Expected publication: April 5th 2016 by Loveswept 

Series: Second Chances #6

Genre: Romance 

Kristine's Thoughts:

** I received an advanced readers copy from Random House- Loveswept via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

Catching Summer is the 6th book in the Second Chances series. It can be read as a stand alone as each book is about different characters.

I felt a little disconnected from this story and I'm not really sure why. Perhaps it was because I didn't read the books that came before it and I wasn't familiar with the secondary characters. I'm not sure? All I know is that I wasn't really feeling Evan and Summer's story.

There was a lack of chemistry between Evan and Summer that had me finding them a little bit dull. Considering Summer's past, things happened too squeaky clean and easy between them to be believable. Also, I found it extremely predictable. The whole mysterious and dangerous part of the plot didn't even require any guessing. It was easy to see what direction it was going to take.

This book was not long but it managed to set up two possible future instalments within the pages which I found to be distracting. Although the potential to be really interesting was there, I was wanting more of the story at hand and a little less of what to expect in the future. Perhaps I am off the mark but I did feel like quite a bit of the book was setting up other character's stories.

In the end, this book was just OK for me. I feel like I might have enjoyed it more if I had read the entire series from the beginning. Although it wasn't necessary to follow along, perhaps I might have enjoyed all of the characters more.

 

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, L.P. Dover, is a southern belle residing in North Carolina along with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she even began her literary journey she worked in Periodontics enjoying the wonderment of dental surgeries.

Not only does she love to write, but she loves to play tennis, go on mountain hikes, white water rafting, and you can’t forget the passion for singing. Her two number one fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime and those songs usually consist of Christmas carols.

Aside from being a wife and mother, L.P. Dover has written countless novels including her Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, the Gloves Off series, the Armed & Dangerous series, the Royal Shifters series, and her standalone novel, Love, Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read is romantic suspense and she also loves writing it. However, if she had to choose a setting to live in it would have to be with her faeries in the Land of the Fae. 

Connect with L.P. Dover

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Release Blast & Giveaway: Cuff Me by Lauren Layne

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and a Print Set of FRISK ME and STEAL ME

CUFF ME

New York's Finest #3

Lauren Layne

Releasing on March 29th, 2016

Forever: Grand Central

Vincent knows he's not the most charming of the Moretti brothers. He prefers brooding to flirting, reading to talking, and he sure as hell isn't about to give into his mother's insistence that he 'settle down with a nice girl.' Luckily, Vincent's gig as one of the NYPD's top homicide detectives keeps him busy. As does his long-time partner, Jill Henley–a tough-as-nails cop with the face of an angel and smart mouth that makes Vincent crazy in all the worst ways.

After six years of working the homicide beat with the tight-lipped Vincent Moretti, Jill figure she knows him better than anyone. Which is not at all. But when their most recent case points to a potential serial-killer situation, the higher-ups send them on a rare undercover mission to a place no NYPD officer dares go: the Upper Eastside.

Now the bureau's most antagonistic set of partners is posing as Mr. and Mrs. Brooks of Park Avenue. Spending 24/7 in the suspect's territory brings them closer and closer to their killer . . . and closer to each other. Soon Vincent and Jill are playing good cop/bad cop in and out of bed, and Jill's falling hard. But can she convince Vincent to give her a shot as partner in life, as well as at the bureau?

Only a week after, he’d stuck out his hand and introduced himself as Tom, Tom Porter, in a sort of James Bondian way that made her giggle. They had been eating dinner at that very same hotel restaurant.
 
Only a week after that, dinner with Tom had become the norm rather than the exception.
The week after that?
 
They occasionally threw lunch into the mix, either her coming to meet him at some fancy place while her mom was in physical therapy, or him bringing fabulous picnicstyle lunches to her mother’s house, where he’d proceed to charm Jill’s mom almost as thoroughly as he charmed Jill.
 
Five weeks into Jill’s stay in Florida, Jill had stuck around for breakfast.
In his hotel room.
 
And then there’d been last night.
 
“Okay, okay, so he’s a dreamboat,” Elena said as the car crept slowly through rush hour traffic toward Manhattan. “How’d he pop the question? Champagne? Roses? Fancy restaurant with a water view?”
 
“Holy crap,” Jill said with a laugh. “Were you there?”
 
“I know all,” Elena said, extending her hands to the side as though she were some wise sage. “Did you see it coming at all?”  
“Not even a little bit,” Jill admitted.
 
Not even with the expensive champagne, or the two dozen roses, or the fact that the restaurant staff seemed to be going out of their way to give Jill and Tom privacy at the terrace table overlooking the ocean.
 
She’d simply thought it had just been a really fantastic good-bye.
 
Instead it had been a bit more of a be mine forever and ever.
 
And Jill had said yes.
 
She’d said yes almost the second he’d gone down on his knee, not because she’d been that sure—she’d been pretty sure . .. sort of sure—she’d said yes because in that moment, Jill had wanted what Tom Porter was offering her.
 
A companion. A partner. Love.
 
And that’s what it came down to. Jill wanted to be loved. She wanted to love.
 
She loved her mother, obviously. And loved the memory of her father, God rest his soul.
And though she had no siblings of her own, the Morettis had filled that gap. And with the recent addition of Luc’s girlfriend, Ava, and Anthony’s new wife, Maggie, she had some amazing girlfriends to add to the mix.
 
And last, but never least, there was Vincent. Her partner. In some ways her best friend, although in a way that was different from her relationship with Elena.
 
But as much as Vincent sometimes seemed like two parts of the same whole, he’d always held a bit of himself back from her. From everyone.
 
He’d made no secret of the fact that he had no intentions of getting married, ever. Any fantasies Jill had had that her partner would one day wake up and see her were long gone.
Which left her a bit.. . lonely.
 
She wanted someone to come home to at the end of the long day who would just be there. Who’d pour her a glass of wine, maybe rub her feet and just listen.
 
Tom offered Jill what nobody else had offered her... ever.
 
Love. Commitment. A future.
 
And she knew that he loved her. Fast as their relationship had developed, she could feel it. And she loved him too. At least she was pretty sure.
 
“Aww, you like him,” Elena said teasingly, reaching out a finger and poking the dimple in Jill’s left cheek.
 
“I want to be happy, El. I want the happily-ever-after with someone who wants it with me.”
 
She met her friend’s eyes and saw from the flash of regret on Elena’s face that El understood what Jill wasn’t saying out loud.
 
I can’t wait for Vin forever.

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Lauren Layne is the USA Today Bestselling author of more than a dozen contemporary romance novels.

Prior to becoming an author, Lauren worked in e-commerce and web-marketing. A year after moving from Seattle to NYC to pursue a writing career, she had a fabulous agent and multiple New York publishing deals. 

Lauren currently lives in Manhattan with her husband and plus-sized Pomeranian. When not writing, you'll likely find her running (rarely), reading (sometimes), or at happy hour (often).

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Want More Moretti's?

Frisk Me

(New York's Finest #1)

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STEAL ME

(New York's Finest #2) 

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Review: Flip This Love by Maggie Wells

Nothing draws a magnate like a steel magnolia…

Harley Cade is back in town—and the former bad boy is downright irresistible now that he's donned a hard hat and set to work restoring the South's finest homes to their former grandeur. While wealth may have gained Harley entry into high society, it's going to take a lot more than a fat bank account to win the lovely Laney Tarrington.

Laney isn't open to giving the self-made magnate a second chance—no matter how much she needs him. With her family fortune gone, Laney finally has to stand on her own two feet. The last person she'd ever lean on is Harley, the man who left her behind with nothing more than memories of the passion they once shared….

With the attraction still burning hot between them, Harley isn't above seduction—or secretly buying Laney's bankrupted family's estate. After all, he no longer has to prove himself to anyone, least of all the daughter of Mobile, Alabama's most prestigious family. But will pride keep Harley from gaining the biggest prize of all—a place in Laney's heart?

ebook, 150 pages

Expected publication: April 26th 2016 by Lyrical Shine

Terri's Thoughts

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  The expected publication date is April 26, 2016.

This is the second story in the Coastal heat series.  I have had the opportunity to read the first one Going Deep and was anxious to see what this one had to offer.  No worries for those who have not read the first story.  This can be read as a stand alone as the first story features Laney's best friend Brooke.

This is a pretty short story so there is not a lot one can say without giving away the whole thing.

I was interested in the direction the story was taking with Laney's new business venture as it was something that hit home with me.  Anything that will assist those with terminal illness will make the world a better place.  This showed the substance of her character.  The unfortunate thing is that the this was not the focus of this story and we saw the other side of Laney the majority of the story.

This was the shallow, spoiled & insecure Laney.  I really started to dislike her towards the end.  What started out as the standard cat and mouse game between Laney and Harley and was entertaining quickly became old to me.  Throughout I felt Harley was too good for Laney and that he should just give up the chase.  He was simply too good for her and she wasn't worth the effort.  I get that she had demons she was battling but she just seemed clueless.

For those who like their stories steamy, this book offers it up in spades.  I would say that over 50% of the story is devoted to the time between the sheets.  Maybe this is why I didn't feel the emotional connection.  The story was simply too short to build on more than the physical chemistry.

I have to admit I was a little disappointed with this read.

About the Author

Maggie Wells is a deep-down dirty girl with a weakness for hot heroes and happy endings. By day she is buried in spreadsheets, but at night she pens tales of people tangling up the sheets. The product of a charming rogue and a shameless flirt, this mild-mannered married lady has a naughty streak a mile wide.

Fueled by supertankers of Diet Coke, Maggie juggles fictional romance and the real deal by keeping her slow-talking Southern gentleman constantly amused and their two children mildly embarrassed. They are the food purveyors to three dogs, a passel of fish, and one impertinent house rabbit she claims is the love of her life. Shh. Don’t tell her husband.

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Review: Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

Inspired by the life of a real World War II heroine, this powerful debut novel reveals an incredible story of love, redemption, and terrible secrets that were hidden for decades.
 
On the eve of a fateful war, New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939—and then sets its sights on France.

An ocean away from Caroline, Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager, senses her carefree youth disappearing as she sinks deeper into her role as courier for the underground resistance movement. In a tense atmosphere of watchful eyes and suspect neighbors, one false move can have dire consequences.

For ambitious young German doctor, Herta Oberheuser, an ad for a government medical position seems her ticket out of a desolate life. But, once hired, she finds herself trapped in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power.

The lives of these three women are set on a collision course when the unthinkable happens and Kasia is sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious female-only Nazi concentration camp. The tragedy and triumph of their stories cross continents—from New York to Paris, and Germany to Poland—capturing the indomitable pull of compassion to bring justice to those whom history has forgotten.

In Lilac Girls, Martha Hall Kelly has crafted a remarkable novel of unsung women and their quest for love, happiness, and second chances. It is a story that will keep readers bonded with the characters, searching for the truth, until the final pages.

Kindle Edition, 496 pages

Expected publication: April 5th 2016 by Ballantine Books 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Kristine's Thoughts:

** I received an advanced readers copy from Ballantine Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

Historical fiction is a genre that I tend to really enjoy and often love, particularly stories surrounding WWI or WWII. Needless to say, my excitement and expectations for this book were both very high. The fact that it was inspired by real people and events of WWII had me really curious and anxious to turn the pages.

This book followed three very different women from three very different areas before, during and after WWII. There was Caroline Ferriday from America (the authors inspiration for the story), Kasia Kuzmerick from Poland (based on Nina Ivanska) and Dr. Herta Oberheuser from Germany. Each was affected quite differently by the events of that time and led very different roles but they all intersected in this sweeping story that centred around Ravensbruck Concentration Camp, the only all female camp of that time.

I won't re-tell the story because I could never do it justice. It really needs to be read to be appreciated. What I can say is that I have read hundreds (no exaggeration) of books about WWII covering just about every angle imaginable yet this book still provided me with something new or different from the other books. What I really liked about this book is that it was written in a simplistic manner that made it easy to understand the events that were happening. Some historical fiction books are written with language and terminology that is so difficult, if English is your only language, that the story gets lost in the writing. That was not the case with Lilac Girls. It flowed with an ease that made for pleasurable reading.

There were multiple points of view within the pages. Caroline, Herta and Kasia all had a voice. Each one of them played major roles in the plot and each one had me glued to the pages. I adored Caroline and Kasia and as much as I hated Herta, I found her voice was still extremely interesting in a horrified kind of way. The entire story and all three women would make for amazing book club discussions and I think a lot of time could be spent on Herta and her role in the Ravensbruck experiments.

The writing may have been easy but this book was not an easy book to read. The events that occurred were both shocking, tragic and unimaginable. The treatment and experiments of the woman that were housed at Ravensbruck was hard to swallow and often difficult to read. Having said that, I do feel it is important to know this part of our history so that nothing like that ever happens again.

Through the sadness, loss and horror there was a small shining light in spite of the events that occurred. There was a strong sense of sisterhood and camaraderie between the prisoners of Ravensbruck. The support they had for each other was ever present and I'm sure also aided in keeping a lot of them alive and going.

Lilac Girls was everything I was hoping it would be and I loved every minute of it. I'm not sure if that is the proper thing to say about a book that it filled with such horrors but it fed my hunger for knowledge and my interest in WWII. I would highly recommend this book for fans of the genre and also think that it would be a great introduction for new readers of the genre for its easy flow and writing. I strongly recommend reading the authors notes at the end of the book and visiting her website to read about how this story came to be. It will show you the degree of research that went into this book and making it what it was. It is just as good as the book was in my opinion.

About the Author

Martha is a native New Englander but has become nomadic, splitting her time between New York City, Martha's Vineyard and Atlanta, Georgia. She worked as an advertising copywriter for many years and raised three splendid children, while researching Lilac Girls, her first novel. When Martha is not chasing after her new puppy she is hard at work on her next book.

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Review: Keep On Loving You (Cabin Fever #4)

Mackenzie Walker's siblings have all found their happy-ever-afters, but she has everything a single girl needs in her California mountain hometown. Family, friends, a thriving business…and memories of Zan Elliott, her first love, whose touch—and betrayal—she's never forgotten. Now, ten years after he left town, Zan returns to manage his late grandfather's estate…and flip Mac's life upside down with one heated glance.

Documentary filmmaking has taken Zan all over the globe, yet nowhere was far enough away to make him forget Mac. Seeing her ignites their incredible chemistry all over again. Mac's trust won't be easily won, however, especially when Zan's inheritance jeopardizes her family's hard-earned dreams. But every moment together is challenging Zan to stop living life through a lens and dare to let his guard down for a chance at forever…

Mass Market Paperback, 393 pages

Published January 26th 2016 by HQN Books

Terri's Thoughts

I won a copy of this book in a giveaway on Goodreads.  In exchange I will offer my honest review.

I will start by mentioning my favorite part of this book.  It was the story of Tilda and Ash.  Not mentioned anywhere in the synopsis, it was essentially a secondary plot within the story.  I found myself anxiously waiting for the storyline to keep going back to these two.  In every way I found these characters more interesting than Mack and Zan.

The story of Mack and Zan was just ok for me.  I found that there was no real original element to their storyline.  Zan returns after ten years and of course Mack has never gotten over him and basically had her life on hold.  Upon his return she just can't stay away from him yet fights it every step of the way. 

I found the push and pull of their relationship simply went on for too long.  You already know how it is going to end and it found the story started to drag on.  In my opinion, the book went 50-100 pages to long and it felt like everything was getting repeated over and over again.  Trimming the story would have went a long way.

I enjoyed the setting of the story and could imagine what the small mountain town was like.  That and the story of Tilda and Ash redeemed the story for me.  Otherwise I would have had a hard time finishing.

About the Author

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Book Blast & Giveaway: The One Who Got Away by Ava Claire

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THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY

An Alpha Billionaire Romance

Ava Claire

Released January 27th, 2016

It was supposed to be the best day. I was marrying the love of my life--and nothing would ever be the same.

And then he left me at the altar.

Five years later, I get a job offer I can't refuse. The trouble is, the boss just so happens to be the one who got away...

 I don’t know if he hit the emergency brake or I did, but the elevator jolted and we weren’t going anywhere. We were frozen in this place. A place where the past was forgotten and we slipped back into the warm deliciousness of memories.

My fingers slipped through his hair and I pulled him close, quivering from head to toe when I felt the solid wall of muscle pressed against me. His hands took possession of me, sweeping over my hips, gliding over the swell of my breasts and before he even got to my nipples that were swollen and aching for him, I was lost and found, all at the same time.
 
My mind was filled with two words. Don’t stop.

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Ava Claire is a sucker for Alpha males and happily ever afters. When not putting pen to paper or glued to her Kindle, Ava likes road tripping, watching an unhealthy amount of Netflix, karaoke and vintage fashion.

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Review: To Win Her Heart by Mackenzie Crowne

In order to protect her, they’ll both have to let their guards down…
Country music’s It Girl Jessi Tucker is fed up with her family’s stifling security measures. The threat of a dangerous stalker has gotten the men in her life—including her football star cousin, Tuck Tucker—monitoring her every move. To get the freedom she yearns for, Jessi hatches a plan to recruit Max Grayson, Tuck’s sexy brawler best friend, to play the role of her new boyfriend. But if her scheme works, will she be forced to hide her true romantic feelings for the sake of her independence? Or will she finally steal the heart of her dream man?...

Max has been pining for Jessi for years and would do anything to protect her, but a professional cage fighter with too many skeletons in his closet has no business being with one of America’s sweethearts. Yet while Max does his best to keep Jessi at arm’s length, the Tucker family persuades him to accept her offer.

Max believes he can keep Jessi safe from danger, but can he shelter her from his own dark secrets, the media’s unforgiving spotlight—and a mutual desire that’s harder to resist each day…

Kindle Edition

Expected publication: April 12th 2016 by Lyrical Shine

Terri's Thoughts

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  The expected publication date is April 12th, 2016.

This is the third instalment in the Players series.  See my review of the second book To Win Her Trust here.  Although I had read the previous book, I had not read the first.  This can be read as a stand alone however reading the others will give a little background on some of the secondary characters.

This story delivers exactly what you would expect from it based on the story synopsis.  You have two people with an intense attraction to each other and a thousand (in their eyes) reasons why it could never work.  As you are well aware, the harder they fight it the more they are fighting a losing battle.

Jessi is a spitfire who knows what she wants in love but not necessarily in life.  Max is someone who feels he does not deserve any of the good things in life most importantly, love.  As they are thrown together they realize that perhaps both of them were wrong about everything.

The mystery of the stalker was not really a mystery.  I was able to figure it out from the very beginning although I felt Crowne may have been trying to throw the reader of off the scent.  Regardless, you are really there to see what happens with Jessi and Max so it wasn't a big deal.

If you like your stories with a little bit of the steam factor, this book has that for you.  If you like a little romance, it has that also.  If you like broken characters who come together, again the story delivers.

Ultimately I had a good time with this story.  I was able to fly through it and it kept me entertained.

About the Author

(from her Goodreads profile)

I'm a wife, mother and really young grandmother. Together with my high school sweet heart husband, a neurotic Pomeranian and a blind cat, I call Phoenix home because the southwest feeds my soul. My love of the romance genre has been a lifelong affair, both as a reader and a writer. A bout with breast cancer sharpened my resolve to see my stories shared with others. Today I'm a seven-year survivor living the dream.

Raised on the concept that a stranger is just one conversation away from being a friend, I love meeting new people. My friends call me Mac. I hope you will too.

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Release Blast & Giveaway: Once Burned by Lisa B. Kamps

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ONCE BURNED

Firehouse Fourteen #1

Lisa B. Kamps

Released March 21st, 2016

Michaela Donaldson had her whole life planned out: college, music, and a happy-ever-after with her first true love. One reckless night changed all that, setting Michaela on a new path. Gone are her dreams of pursuing music in college, replaced by what she thinks is a more rewarding life. She's a firefighter now, getting down and dirty while doing her job. So what if she's a little rough around the edges, a little too careless, a little too detached? She's happy, living life on her own terms--until Nicky Lansing shows back up.

Nick Lansing was the stereotypical leather-clad bad boy, needing nothing but his fast car, his guitar, his never-ending partying, and his long-time girlfriend--until one bad decision changed the course of two lives forever. He's on the straight-and-narrow now, living life as a respected teacher and doing his best to be a positive role model. Yes, he still has his music. But gone are his days of partying. And gone is the one girl who always held his heart. Or is she?

One freak accident brings these two opposites back together. Is ten years long enough to heal the physical and emotional wounds from the past? Can they reconcile who they were with who they've become--or will it be a case of Once Burned is enough?

"Oh shit," Mike repeated under her breath, too horrified to do anything more than force herself to breathe. Not an easy task, considering she was literally frozen to the spot. The air was thick with heated tension and the buzzing in her ears made it impossible for her to hear anything. She willed herself to move, to do something.
Shit, it's Nicky. Shit, it's Nicky. The phrase kept spinning through her mind until she thought she'd be sick with the dizziness of it. Her chest heaved, like she was breathing water instead of air, and her pulse beat in a crazy tap dancer's rhythm.
Did anyone else notice the sudden change in the room? Mike looked away from that face from her past and quickly glanced around. Four sets of eyes fixed on her with varying degrees of bewilderment. She could still feel his eyes on her, too, filled with stunned disbelief.
Feeling like she was trapped in a nightmare where everything moved with the speed of molasses, Mike pushed away from the counter and walked across the room, straight past the frozen figure of Nicky Lansing and through the swinging door. She turned a corner and rushed through a second door that opened into the engine room, not stopping until she reached the engine on the far side, where she promptly collapsed on the back step.
Heedless of the dirt and grime, she let her head drop against the back compartment door, ignoring the length of hose line in her way. Her breathing came in shallow gasps that did nothing to help the lightheadedness that caused black dots to dance across her closed lids.
Hyperventilating. She was hyperventilating. The calm, rational part of her—she was surprised she still had one—told her to lean forward, to get a grip on herself and her breathing. Now bent over, sitting with her head between her knees, Mike grabbed the running board with both hands and concentrated on the feel of the diamond plate cutting into her palms.
The spots faded away and her breathing slowed to something closer to normal. One last deep breath and she straightened, only to choke on a scream when she came face-to-face with Jay, his brows lowered in a frown as he studied her with concern.
"Jesus! Don't scare me like that!" She pushed him away then stood, only to sit back down when she realized how bad her knees were shaking.
"Scare you? What is wrong with you? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I couldn't be better! Don't I look fine?"
"You look like you're ready to pass out. What the hell is going on? Do you know that guy? He looks like he's seen a ghost!"
"He probably thinks he has." Mike moved over and motioned for Jay to sit down, ignoring his scrutiny as he twisted sideways and continued staring at her.
"Are you going to explain that?"
"No." She ran her hands through her hair, muttering when she pulled a thick hank of it loose from the pony tail. Sighing, she reached back and pulled the elastic band loose, then quickly rearranged her hair into a more secure hold. Jay watched her intently then nudged her leg with his when she continued to ignore him.
"Well?"
"Well nothing. He's just somebody I used to know, that's all."
Jay snorted. "Bull."
"Okay, fine," she conceded grudgingly. "He's also somebody I never wanted to see again." Mike reached down and gingerly touched her right side, trying not to remember but unable to forget. If Jay noticed the motion, he didn't say anything.
They sat in silence, the familiar background noises of the station virtually unnoticed. A few minutes went by before Jay spoke again. "You sure you don't want to talk about it?"
Mike shook her head, ready to make a sarcastic reply when the sound of footsteps echoed through the engine room. The steps paused, then changed directions and hesitantly walked around the side of the engine. Mike knew without looking who it was: the steps were those of a stranger, someone who didn't know his way around.
Nicky stopped at the back of the engine, not saying anything as Jay slowly stood and positioned himself slightly in front of Mike, shielding her. She touched his arm briefly, in a gesture both of thanks and of reassurance that she was alright. Jay looked back at her, one brow  cocked in question, then reluctantly walked away at her nod. Mike didn't see where he went but knew that he would be close by in case he was needed.
She stood slightly, leaning against the running board, then crossed her arms in front of her, covering the jagged scar that ran along her left forearm. The stance was as close to aloof and detached as she could manage considering her insides were making a milkshake of her early dinner. Too late, she remembered the sunglasses hanging around her neck and wished she would have thought to put them on to hide any emotion in her eyes.
With an effort that took more strength than she wanted to admit, she let her eyes slowly, coolly rake the man in front of her from top to bottom.
Dammit. The Nicky Lansing from her past had been ruggedly handsome with dark looks and boyish charm; this Nick Lansing was dangerously gorgeous. A little taller than she remembered, he stood just over six feet, and was definitely broader through the shoulders and chest. The boy she remembered had finally filled out, to all the best advantages.
The long hair of his past was gone, cut to a length that brushed just past the collar of the light blue shirt he wore. Still too long to be squeaky clean, but short enough by today's standards to be rated as acceptable. His eyes were the same, though. A dark chocolate brown framed in long lashes, they invited a person to swim in their depths and lose their soul without a second thought.
She would know, since she had done just that.

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Lisa B. Kamps is the author of the best-selling series The Baltimore Banners, featuring "hard-hitting, heart-melting hockey players" (USA Today), on and off the ice. ONCE BURNED is the launch title of her much-anticipated new series, Firehouse Fourteen, featuring hot and heroic firefighters.

Lisa grew up with an overactive imagination, strong encouragement from her parents, and an insatiable infatuation with the Peanuts gang. That infatuation—along with an impatience she has yet to outgrow—jump-started her love of writing. After all, why should she be forced to wait a whole week to read the stories of her favorite characters when she could create stories for them whenever she wanted?

That love of writing continued to grow, along with all those voices in her head, even during her assorted careers: first as a firefighter with the Baltimore County Fire Department, then a very brief (and not very successful) stint at bartending in east Baltimore, and finally as the Director of Retail Operations for a busy Civil War non-profit.

Lisa currently lives in Maryland with her husband and two sons, one very spoiled Border Collie, two cats with major attitude, several head of cattle, and entirely too many chickens to count.

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