ARC Review: Luscious by Melissa Schroeder
Luscious
Melissa Schroeder
Camos and Cupcakes Series, Book 2
Published August 2019 by Harmless Publishing
When by the book Harry Bradley gets thrown together with his sister’s best friend EJ, opposites don’t just attract, they explode.
She’s my sister’s best friend. A woman who calls to me on every level, but she can’t stand me. Our one date ended when she deemed it over and left–before we even ordered food. So I shouldn’t want her.
But I do.
Still, I’ve mastered controlling my emotions and my lusting…well, mostly. Of course, when she suggests we work together to promote both of our businesses, I jump at the chance. That chance leads to a kiss…and so much more.
Now, if I can just restrain my control freak ways, all will be well.
Warning: This book includes more cupcakes (of course), meddling friends, romance book references, a gun-toting Grandma, a trip out of state, wine, more cupcakes, and a dirty talking hero who not only surprised the heroine, but also this author. I’m not embarrassed…not really. Okay, maybe a little…a lot. Never mind. Just know that you have been warned and I will not be held responsible for any blushing in public. Also…CUPCAKES.
4 Stars
From the concept, to the characters, to the storyline, what’s not to love. Melissa Schroeder gots something special going on with her Camos and Cupcakes Series. The second book of the series, Luscious gives readers the icing on the cake on with an emotional, fun and sexy read. Harry and EJ are decadent together.
Harry is one fine Texas man. What can I say, Harry is giving all my favorite Santini men a run for their money. Charming, a smile to stop you in your tracks, and a mouth you never see coming. Smart, caring and as Harry says his momma raised him right. He’s charismatic and full of personality. Harry is fun character.
EJ is a spit fire of a southern belle if there ever was one. She’s strong, independent and in control of her life. Seeing love fail first hand has steered her clear. Being the owner of a romance only bookstore is kind of a contradiction to EJ’s way of thinking. In EJ’s mind happily ever after‘s are for books not for life.
Harry and EJ shared an evening together months back that they both referred to as the date from hell. It may have been a date from hell, but their chemistry and their bodies didn’t agree with that. Fast forward to the present and you’re both trying to fight the crush is a decade in the making and what chemistry is doing to them. I love the dynamic between Harry and EJ. The back-and-forth banter between these two is downright hysterical at times. As they give into the chemistry that’s when the emotional side of the story comes into play. They are explosive. Hot doesn’t even begin to discribe what these two do to each other. When one doesn’t want to believe in love and then realizes they’re in love that’s some emotional turmoil in the making. The way Harry stands by EJ, shows her support and is there for her, even after a heated argument shows what kind of man Harry is. Even if he does do the man thing. Men! EJ learns for herself what love can be and is. Slow Harry help pull away some of those layers of hurt and replaced them with happiness.
Luscious is what I love in my romance reads. Fun and sexy. Emotional and heated. Good characters with great personalities. Harry and EJ will knock your socks off. Bold and brazen and a healthy dose of dirty talk. You will love Harry by the time you read the end. Luscious is just that, a truly luscious read!
Warning: This book will trigger your need for something very sweet.
Book Blitz: Finders Keepers boxed set
Book Links:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47578462-finders-keepers
Kindle/Kindle Unlimited: https://amzn.to/2ZxDiGx
Book Blurb:
Welcome to Finders Keepers where Possession is 9/10ths of the law and it has never been so sweet…or scandalous! Curl up with eight romances where each heroine discovers a surprise in her purse that sends her on a wild ride to her happily-ever-after.
Open the clasp and see what’s inside!
USA Today Bestselling Author Jen Talty: What started as a reunion ends in a deadly twist and an unexpected finish.
USA Today Bestselling Author Casey Hagen: Mama always warned her that her sense of adventure would only lead to trouble. Tall. Dark. Delicious. Trouble.
Nicole S. Patrick: He’d cracked the wall around her heart.
Stacey Wilk: When a chance encounter warms the heart and lights the way home.
Rayvn Salvador: Their past is the key to everything, but the move to unlock the future has yet to be made.
Lisa Ricard Claro: When the past and present collide, love can be a real killer.
Robin Stone: He lost his true love. Will he ever find another?
Judy Kentrus: Their journey to love is battered by secrets from their pasts
What started as a reunion ends in a deadly twist and an unexpected finish.
About the author:
Welcome to my World! I’m a USA Today Bestseller of Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, and Paranormal Romance.
I first started writing while carting my kids to one hockey rink after the other, averaging 170 games per year between 3 kids in 2 countries and 5 states. My first book, IN TWO WEEKS was originally published in 2007. In 2010 I helped form a publishing company (Cool Gus Publishing) with NY Times Bestselling Author Bob Mayer where I ran the technical side of the business through 2016.
I’m currently enjoying the next phase of my life…the empty NESTER! My husband and I spend our winters in Jupiter, Florida and our summers in Rochester, NY. We have three amazing children who have all gone off to carve out their places in the world, while I continue to craft stories that I hope will make you readers feel good and put a smile on your face.
Website: http://www.jentalty.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/191706547909047/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenTalty
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jen-Talty/e/B007H91LVY/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jen-talty
Book+Main Bites: https://bookandmainbites.com/JenTalty
Mama always warned her that her sense of adventure would only lead to trouble. Tall. Dark. Delicious. Trouble.
About the author:
USA Today Bestselling author Casey Hagen pens her snarky, passionate stories from the salty air of Kennebunk, Maine. She’s a born and raised Vermont native, a New England girl to the core, with Ben & Jerry’s in her heart and real Vermont maple syrup pumping through her veins.
She’s the proud mother of three girls and a new, first-time grandma with an insatiable addiction to Fall Out Boy, and a new, rather concerning obsession with tattoos and piercings. Can you say “cool grandma?”
The inked and pierced grandma spends her time tucked away in her office, coated in cat hair, alternating between tearing her hair out trying to find the perfect words and being one step ahead of her three scheming fur babies she is positive are plotting her demise with every swirl around her ankles at the top of her office stairs.
She loves writing stories about real people, with complicated histories, relatable everyday problems, and giving them the hard-won happily-ever-afters they deserve.
And she thanks every last one of you who picks up one of her stories.
Casey is done talking about herself in the third person.
*Casey out*
Website: http://caseyhagenauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaseyHagenAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaseyHagenAuth
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2nsawlU
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/casey-hagen
Book+Main Bites: https://bookandmainbites.com/CaseyHagen
He’d cracked the wall around her heart.
About the author:
Nicole S. Patrick has always loved to read, and in her teenage years, she “borrowed” her mom’s books to sneak away and become lost in the world of romance. After more than ten years in the corporate world of tech recruiting and HR management, she decided to stay home and raise children. But with so many romantic stories and characters floating around in her head, when the kids napped, she was compelled to put those words on a page and pursue this crazy dream of becoming published. Nicole writes romantic suspense and her heroes are those alpha males in uniform. She lives in New Jersey with her real-life hero, her husband, and her two sons.
Website: http://nicolespatrick.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NicoleSPatrickauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicolespatrick
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nicole-S-Patrick/e/B00GHUSJFK/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_3
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nicole-s-patrick
When a chance encounter warms the heart and lights the way home.
About the author:
Stacey Wilk wrote her first novel in middle school to quiet the characters in her head. It was that or let them out to eat the cannolisand she wasn’t sharing her grandfather’s Italian pastries.
Many years later her life took an adventurous turn when she gave birth to two different kinds of characters. She often sits in awe of their abilities to make objects fly, it snow on command, and remain dirty after contact with water. She does share the cannolis with them for fear of losing her fingers.
Because of the extraordinary characters now in her home instead of in her head, including a king who surfaces after dark and for coffee, she writes novels about family: those that we are born to and those that we pick up along the way. You can find her message in her middle-grade fantasy novels as well as her women’s fiction novels. Family are those that love you when you need them.
When she’s not creating stories in make-believe places, she can be found hanging with the cast members of her house, or teaching others how to make make-believe worlds of their own.
Website: https://staceywilk.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stacey.t.wilk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stacey_wilk/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Stacey-Wilk/e/B00J3AF30K/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_4
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/stacey-wilk
Their past is the key to everything, but the move to the future has yet to be made.
About the author:
Rayvn Salvador is a lifelong bibliophile who left her eighteen-year IT career to live her dream: gettingpaid to read and write. She lives in Florida with her hellion kitten and her incredibly supportive beau, dreaming about the Midwest’s changing leaves as she perfects her yoga poses on the beach.
Website: http://www.rayvnsalvador.com (under construction)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RayvnSalvador
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RayvnSalvador
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rayvn-Salvador/e/B07WC3PMQN/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_5
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/rayvn-salvador
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17895655.Rayvn_Salvador
Book+Main Bites: https://bookandmainbites.com/rayvnsalvador
He lost his true love. Will he ever find another?
About the author:
Robin started writing stories when she was five years old. She wrote essays, articles, and over a million words of nonfiction before turning to fiction in 2011. She watched erotic romance authors having way too much fun, and after writing her first erotic romance, she was hooked.
She writes erotic romances starring handyman heroes. Robin’s imagination is filled with delivery men, landscapers, and carpenters. Her sex-positive books (M/F, M/M, and M/M/F) are emotional stories that keep readers coming back for more.
Robin lives near Boston and likes reading, travel, and eating good chocolate. She loves hearing from her readers.
Website: http://robin-stone.net/bio/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobinStoneBooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobinStoneBooks
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Robin-Stone/e/B019JSO8JM?ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vu00_tkin_p1_i0
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/robin-stone-376014bc-273f-4a47-b7d2-607c940aa9ae
When the past and present collide, love can be a real killer.
About the author:
Lisa Ricard Claro is an award-winning author and Pushcart Prize nominee whose work is published across multiple media to include articles, essays, short stories, children’s educational books, and her hands-down favorite: melt-your-heart Romance novels featuring unforgettable characters who tangle their lives and their hearts on the road to a life-changing love.
After years of spinning her stories from a landlocked Southern town, Lisa heeded the call of her inner mermaid and moved to the beach with her husband, cat, and two dogs, because nothing soothes her spirit and sparks her creativity like saltwater and sand. Margaritas are also a plus, because mermaids love that salty stuff!
Lisa also has a heart for rescues, and you’ll find a rescued pet companion in every one of her books. After all, even if messy and covered in fur, love is what life is all about.
Website: https://www.lisaricardclaro.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisaricardclaroauthor
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lisaricardclaro
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Ricard-Claro/e/B00MUYB8IW
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lisa-ricard-claro
Book+Main Bites: https://bookandmainbites.com/lisaricardclaro
Their journey to love is battered by secrets from their pasts.
About the author:
I was born and raised in NJ and moved to PA ten years ago. I’m a romantic at heart, having married my high school sweetheart and we raised a wonderful son and daughter. My books are fun, romantic suspense that will make you laugh, cry and sigh from their HEA’s.
Website: http://www.judykentrus.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judykentrusauthor?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/judykentrus
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Judy-Kentrus/e/B00J73FZ1A?ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vu00_tkin_p1_i0
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/judy-kentrus
Book+Main Bites: https://bookandmainbites.com/judykentrus
Cover Reveal: Sink or Swim by Tessa Bailey
SINK OR SWIM
By: Tessa Bailey
Goodreads Link: https://bit.ly/2MbDTXM
BLURB:
Andrew Prince wakes up before everyone else. He schedules the bar shifts, demands perfection from Long Beach’s lifeguards—most of all himself—and makes sure the family debts are paid. His unfaltering worth ethic might leave him exhausted, but it comes with one advantage. It distracts him from the love he’s been harboring since childhood for the girl next door—who he cannot have.
Jiya Dalal has dreams. To fly a plane, see the world below…and prove irresistible to her best friend, Andrew. But she needs to be a good daughter first, which is becoming an increasingly difficult task, since her parents expect a good marriage and the man she loves with all her heart refuses to pursue the blistering connection between them. Just when she’s beginning to believe Andrew truly doesn’t want her, a moonlight tryst on the beach exposes his true feelings. But an echo from the past kept them apart before…and it’s only growing louder with every stolen kiss…
Tessa Bailey
Website: www.tessabailey.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tessabaileyisanauthor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TessaBaileyAuthor/?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mstessabailey
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6953499.Tessa_Bailey
Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans and laptop, driving cross-country to New York City in under four days.
Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention.
She now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband of eleven years and six-year-old daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.
Excerpt
Jiya looked up and found Andrew watching her intently. “What is this, Andrew?”
“We’re dancing,” he rasped, his gaze slightly unfocused.
“You’ve never danced with me like this before.”
His gaze strayed to her lips, before he resolutely dragged them away. “Do you want to stop?”
“No and that’s the problem.” Come on, Mrs. I Don’t Play Games Anymore, bring up the elephant in the room. It’s not going away. “You’ve been different with me lately. Is it…” She took two bracing breaths. “Is it because I’m dating?”
He started to deny it, then changed his mind. “Might be. Yeah. I know that’s fucked up,” he said. “You’ve always been min—my best friend. We won’t have this if you start dating someone seriously. If you…”
“Get married?”
His complexion turned gray. “Mmm.”
Cement caked her insides, but she was used to it by now. She’d loved Andrew since she was a child. She’d waited patiently for him to love her back—as more than a friend—and he hadn’t. He’d done nothing about it. So while she yearned to dissect his every word and rejoice in them, ached for what he was feeling, she couldn’t do it anymore without being a fool. “Ask me the question, Andrew. The one you ask me every night.”
A line formed between his brows. “Can I do anything for you, Jiya?”
“Yes.” She took his face in her hands. “You can stay my friend. No matter what happens. Fine, things are changing in my life. But I couldn’t bear it if I ever lost what we have. Just stay my friend. Promise me.”
His jaw bunched. “You know I’d cut my heart out before saying no to you, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then you have your answer.” He wet his lips. “But we’re finishing the dance.”
Falling With You by Carrie Ann Ryan
Falling With You
Carrie Ann Ryan
Fractured Connections Series, Book 3
Published: July 16, 2019
NYT bestselling author Carrie Ann Ryan concludes a brand new series where second chances don’t come often, and overcoming an unexpected loss means breaking everything you knew.
The day I lost my best friend was the day I realized that I’d been living in the past. I’ve tried to find a way to heal, to mend that break. Somehow, I came through it partially whole. But I know I couldn’t have done that without Aiden Connolly.
The problem is, he once loved my best friend. And now she’s gone, and I refuse to be in that shadow, or worse, a replacement for someone we both loved.
~~
I left them all behind.
My brother.
My family.
My best friend.
And her.
Only Sienna Knight doesn’t realize what she means to me. But before I can make sure she knows, I need to figure out exactly what that is.
4.5 Stars
Falling With You is an emotional and intimate story of friend to somewhat enemies to lovers. And one I have been waiting for. Sienna and Aiden bickering and banter since the beginning of the series has had these two in my sights.
Aiden is an extraordinary and amazing chef. A man who can make amazing food and has a caring nature that you have to look beyond the layers to see. Aiden is a brute of a man at times but once you get to know him and see beyond the cover, is a man you may have never expected. Aiden is a self proclaimed asshat, but he cares and tries, even if it’s in his own way.
Sienna is a physical therapist extraordinaire. Dedicated to her work and holds the utmost professionalism in what she does. Sienna is a strong and independent, self proclaimed cat woman. To me that just means she has an amazing heart. Sienna is dealing with the loss of her best friend. That loss has shaken not only Sienna’s world but those of her circle as well. Sienna is the type of woman you can count on. A good friend.
I so loved Aiden and Sienna story. A tale that way years in the making. Falling With You is my now favorite read in the Fractured Connections Series. Emotional, deep and intimate on a level that is different from Ms. Ryan’s other works. Sometimes loss draws people together and that is what happens for Aiden and Sienna. Although they had a friendship along the way they became bickering enemies. To allowing each other to divulge their secrets and show their wounds that are soul deep. To finding something together they have never and making something they can’t let go of.
Bust out the tissues ladies. You just may need them.
Falling With You is emotional and deep but leaves you feeling quite good at the end.
Review: Hard Ride by Jayne Rylon
Hard Ride
Jayne Rylon
Powertools: Got Rides Series, Book 3
Published: July 12, 2019
There’s a thin line between love and hate.
Kyra Kado hates Van Hernandez. Or at least she wishes she could. Ever since she kissed him and he rejected her as a “mistake”, things have been tense onboard their tour bus. Kyra takes out her aggression during her drumming performances as a member of Kason Cox’s band and tries not to think about how well Van guards her body between their shows.
Until she meets Ollie Dawes, who’s the perfect distraction. Funny, flirty, and cute AF, he takes her mind off Van. The Hot Rides salvage man is used to being alone on his solo part-finding missions, but she suspects he’d rather not be lonely anymore. She can relate. So she invites him to come see a show.
When Van discovers Kyra and Ollie performing an illicit encore together, he goes berserk. Distancing herself from Van might keep Kyra’s heart safe, but what about her body? A string of unsettling incidents make Kyra afraid one of her admirers has crossed the line from fan to fanatic.
With Ollie and Van teamed up to protect Kyra, she isn’t sure she’ll survive being torn between the two men she craves. She might have to sacrifice her friendships with them to stay sane, unless she can think of a way to keep them both in her life or in her bed.
This is a standalone book in the Hot Rides series and includes an HEA with no cheating. The series is part of the greater universe where both the Powertools and Hot Rods books are also set, so you can visit with many of your previous favorite characters and see what they’re up to now!
4 Stars
Hard Ride gets a reader heated in more ways than one.
Mix together a fine looking bodyguard(Van), a hottie parts finder(Ollie) and kicka** drummer(Kyra) and you get a wicked hot mess that heats up the pages, has the reader beyond invested and possibly over emotional to the point of screaming at their chosen reading device, kind of story. This triad knows how to get each other’s blood pumping.
Kyra, Van and Ollie are all very unique people with very different backgrounds. Each of them bring something different and compelling to their union. Each of them proves that what you see on the outside may not be what’s lurking on the inside. Ollie is so passionate it makes my heart melt. Kyra is so strong but yet has a vulnerable side that some may not see. Van tries to keep feeling separated from his job but when the missing piece falls into place there’s no denying.
Ms. Rylon keeps readers on their toes with Hard Ride! Emotional and sexy, but the waters are rough before Ollie, Van and Kyra find smooth sailing. The level of intimacy that the three come to share is beautiful. All in all, Hard Ride is a well balanced story with all the heat and heart, and just enough drama and angst to shake things up.
Review: Alpha’s Promise by Rebecca Zanetti
Alpha’s Promise
Rebecca Zanetti
Dark Protectors Series, Book 10
Lyrical Press, Published June 25, 2019
To hell and back . . .
Though he has vampire, demon, and Viking blood rushing through his veins, Ivar Kjeidsen’s soul-crushing trip to hell broke him in ways he can barely fathom. One vow keeps the deadly immortal standing: To rescue the vampire brother who had sacrificed freedom for him. To do that, Ivar needs the help of a brilliant physicist with wary brown eyes, fierce brilliance, and skin that’s way too soft.
Dr. Promise Williams understands the underpinnings of the universe but has never figured out the human beings inhabiting it. Her function is to think—and not feel—until she’s touched by a vampire who’s nowhere near human. The primal hunger in his eyes awakens feelings in her that defy calculation. As she shows him the way to step between worlds, he brands her with a pleasure that could last more than a lifetime . . .
4 Stars
Ivan Kjeidsen make the average person shake in their shoes. He is a vampire-demon hybrid after all. Having seen hell with his own eyes leaves Ivan not quite right. He may be damaged in ways but not broken. Ivan made a promise, that is his driving force. The man is primal and determined. Not to mention sexy and hard headed, like many of the alpha that we love. Ivan sets himself on a mission to save a friend and in turn gets blindsided by something he didn’t see coming.
Promise Williams trusts numbers and science. Facts, that can be explained and seen. It’s a matter of logic. She was raised not to feel only to think. Mathematics is her world. A very lonely kind of world. Promise is beyond smart. Dr. Williams is an extremely talented physicist who just may hold the knowledge to be able to travel to worlds not her own. Promise is a bit quirky and takes some time to get used to, however in the end I truly enjoyed her character. Don’t let the smarts fool you Dr. Williams has some sass and spunk.
Ms. Zanetti rocked it hard with Alpha’s Promise. Excellent world building, great story, intricate plot and deep characters. Promise and Ivan get pushed into each other’s worlds and get more than their asking for. A talent physicist teaming up with a vampire-demon hybrid who on a mission to keep a promise and protect something precious. I very much enjoyed the banter between these two and the way the played to each other strength. They captivated this reader! Now I would like to note that I have not read every book in this series, but I was able to follow along with the overall plot of the series fairly well. I will also say I could tell I was I miss out on something but that didn’t take away from the story of Alpha’s Promise. It just makes me want to go back to the beginning of the series and learn more of this world and the interesting characters within it.
People will think I’m crazy when I say I have not read many books by Ms. Zanetti. Yes, I know. I’m smashing myself on this one. Paranormal is what brought me into the world that is Romance reading. Ms. Zanetti checks off everything I love in a paranormal while delivering a story that keep you going until the end. Alpha’s Promise is a fantastic read that I highly recommended.
Netgalley provided an ARC for an honest review.
Review: Shouldn’t Have You by Carrie Ann Ryan
Shouldn’t Have You
Carrie Ann Ryan
Fractured Connections Series, Book 2
I’ve been many things in my life: daughter, friend, student, lover, wife…and now, widow. Getting past those labels and finding who I could be without them was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Then I became friends with Brendon Connolly.
Every time I look at him, I see a past, I see a present, and I’m afraid if I look too hard, I’ll see a future.
~~~
I’ve known Harmony Wynham since before she got married. Before she lost everything. I didn’t know that one day she wouldn’t be just my friend but the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
Only I don’t think that can happen.
Not when every time she looks at me, she sees what she lost, and I can only see what I can’t overcome.
I love her, even though I shouldn’t. Somehow, we need to find a balance.
Because if we don’t, walking away will be the hardest thing I’ve ever done—even if it’s the only thing I should do.
4 Stars
Carrie Ann Ryan continues to pull on the heartstrings and emotions with the second book of the Fractured Connections Series, Shouldn’t Have You.
Harmony’s life is not what she thought it would be. Her psyche and soul are damaged after the loss of not only her best friend, also her partner in live. She’s trying, even when it epically fails her. Harmony brushes it off and gets back up. She looking to fill something she’s missing in life, but Harmony is maybe not looking at all the options.
Brendon, too, is picking up the pieces of his past and trying to get on track. He has also felt the loss of losing a friend. Brendon is amazing. Sweet and caring, knows how to be a true friend and is loyal. As his feelings develop, he gentle and respectful. Brendon is what I call one of the good ones.
Shouldn’t Have You is about healing and moving on with and within love. Learning to love again and finding oneself. It’s a fantastic friends to lovers story but so much more. Harmony and Brendon are going to take you on a emotional ride. Intense, raw and real. Ms. Ryan captures the essence of the emotions and transcribes this tale into a journey of healing and love. Mending what’s broken, nurturing what hurt and embracing something or someone new. That’s what Shouldn’t Have You was for me.
Warring: Tissues may be needed.
Review: Slow Ride by Jayne Rylon
Slow Ride
Jayne Rylon
Powertools: Hot Rides Series, Book 2
Happy Ending Publishing
Published: May 14, 2019
When tragedy struck, the loss of Jordan and Wren’s shared lover ripped them apart.
Guilt and shame made it impossible for Agent Jordan Mikalski to look the love of his life in the eye. If he couldn’t face her, he sure as hell couldn’t live with her or make love to her or even be the man to comfort her in the depths of her grief.
Wren Asbery’s mourning threw her into a deep depression she wasn’t sure she’d ever climb out of, made worse by Jordan’s abandonment in the time of her greatest need. For that she’ll never forgive that bastard.
After years of slow healing they realize they’re both attracted to the same man, which means they have some things to figure out fast. Will Kason Cox be doomed to lust after two people who can’t stand each other or will he be able to become the glue that sticks them back together?
This is a standalone book in the Hot Rides series and includes an HEA with no cheating. The series is part of the greater universe where both the Powertools and Hot Rods books are also set, so you can visit with many of your previous favorite characters and see what they’re up to now!
4 Stars
Emotional and Hot. Ms. Rylon gets deep.
Slow Ride is a roller coaster ride of emotional. Learning to love in unconventional ways and finding happiness to have it stripped away in the blink of an eye. Wren and Jordan both suffered the same loss. Losing a loved one, a lover, had rocked the foundation of their world. The pain remained to great and Jordan and he chose to walk away. Jordan is strong and dominant, yet doesn’t believe he had the softness needed to nurture Wren the way he believes she should be.
Fives years later paths cross, with all the old feeling and desires still burning strong. A new player to the game has changed the board so to speak. Kason just maybe an angel set from a past lover or just happened to walk in to the right place at the right time. There’s something about him that makes Jordan and Wren wake from the fog of their past and start looking towards the future again.
Ms. Rylon completely surprised me with the unexpected emotional depth of Slow Ride. Ladies you might want to pull out the tissues as well as grab the fan. Slow Ride is deep on an emotional and sexual level. Mason, Wren and Jordan story wraps around the reader like a blanket. You can’t help but to get emotionally involved and invested with them. There is a touch of darkness to the story but one that gets to see the light at the end. If you have read Ms. Rylon’s book Middle Man, which is my favorite of her works, you will complete fall for Slow Ride.
Excerpt: Eli’s Triumph by JoAnna Wylde
From New York Times Bestselling author Joanna Wylde comes ELI’S TRIUMPH, a new novella in her Reapers MC series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! Be sure to grab your copy today!
About ELI’S TRIUMPH:
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Joanna Wylde comes a new story in her Reapers MC series…
Peaches Taylor spent the last seven years slinging drinks and dodging drunks at the Starkwood Saloon. Some might call it a dead end job, but to her it was an investment—another six months, and she’d have enough money to buy the place.
Life would’ve been perfect if Eli hadn’t come home.
Eli King is ready to settle down. He stood by his brothers when they needed him, paying the price for their freedom with his own. Now it’s time to claim his reward—the Starkwood Saloon. He’s got the cash to buy the bar, the skills to run it, and just one person standing between him and his dream: Peaches Taylor.
She’s been driving him crazy since they were kids, and not in the good way. When she was six, she shoved a spider down his pants. When he was ten, he locked her in a closet overnight. Then she hot-wired his car at seventeen, and things got ugly…
They’re adults now, and the Starkwood isn’t a toy to fight over—it’s the hill they’ll die on. No prisoners. No compromises. No mercy.
Peaches Taylor and Eli King are going to war.
**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**
Grab your copy of ELI’S TRIUMPH today!
Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA
Download the Free Kindle App
Learn more about the Reapers MC Series
Add to Your Goodreads TBR
Joanna Wylde’s ELI’S TRIUMPH – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:
May 8th
Book Addict Reviews – Review
Book Loving Pixies – Review & Excerpt
Cup of Tea Book Blog – Excerpt
Ga Books LoverX – Review
Reading Is My Bliss – Review
Red Hot + Blue Reads – Review & Excerpt
Shelleen’s Musings – Review & Excerpt
Smut Book Junkie Reviews – Review & Excerpt
The bookworms obsession – Review
May 9th
Bingeworthy Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Books & Spoons – Excerpt
Deluged with Books Cafe – Review & Excerpt
Friends Till The End Book Blog – Excerpt
Literary Misfit – Review & Excerpt
MrsLeif’s Two Fangs About It – Review
Reviews by Tammy and Kim (Rachel and Jay) – Review & Excerpt
Somewhere Lost in Books – Review
Wicked Babes Blog Reviews – Review & Excerpt
May 10th
Always a happy ever after – Review
An Asian Chick & Her Cat Walk into a Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Bad boys and bedtime stories book blog – Review
BBKA – Review & Excerpt
Cinta’s Corner – Excerpt
Dog-Eared Daydreams –Review
Edgy Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Kris & Vik Book Therapy Cafe – Review & Excerpt
Sip Read Love – Review
Stephanie’s Book Reports – Review & Excerpt
May 11th
Angela’s Opinion – Review & Excerpt
Another Book Hangover – Excerpt
Books 2 Blog – Review
Brittany’s Book Blog – Excerpt
Cat’s Guilty Pleasure – Review
Coffee Books Life – Review & Excerpt
Dreamer’s Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Nerdy Dirty & Flirty – Review & Excerpt
The Staircase Reader – Review
May 12th
A crazy vermonters book reviews – Review
Angie and Jessica’s Dreamy Reads – Review & Excerpt
Book Babes Unite – Review
Book Lovers Reviews and Recommendations – Review & Excerpt
CoensK Reviews – Excerpt
Jax’s Book Magic – Excerpt
Kari’s Book Reviews and Revelations – Review & Excerpt
Lynn’s Romance Enthusiasm – Review & Excerpt
Marie Stuck In A Book – Review & Excerpt
May 13th
A Book Nerd, a Bookseller and a Bibliophile – Review & Excerpt
Blushing Babes Are Up All Night – Review
Garden of REden – Review
Obsessive Reading Disorder – Review
Nadine’s Obsessed with Books – Review & Excerpt
Panty dropping Book Blog – Review
Red Cheeks Reads – Review & Excerpt
Ripe For Reader – Excerpt
The Haute Bookworm – Review & Excerpt
May 14th
A Lucky Grace – Review & Excerpt
Busy Bumble Bee Book Reviews – Review
Canadian Book Addict – Review & Excerpt
PBC – Excerpt
Reading in Pajamas – Review & Excerpt
Romancing the Dispatcher – Review
The Book Reading Gals – Review & Excerpt
The Reading Cafe – Review & Excerpt
Two Girls with Books – Review
May 15th
A Hopeless Romantic’s Booklandia – Review & Excerpt
Between the Screens – Review & Excerpt
Book Lovers Hangout – Review & Excerpt
I’m A Sweet And Sassy Book Whore – Review
MI Bookshelf – Review & Excerpt
OMGReads – Review & Excerpt
Reading Between the Wines Book Club – Excerpt
Reese’s Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Reviews from the Heart – Review & Excerpt
May 16th
All Things Dark & Dirty – Excerpt
Alphas Do It Better Book Blog – Excerpt
Bobos Book Bank – Review & Excerpt
Cupcakesandbookshelves – Excerpt
Jen’s Reading Obsession – Excerpt
Queenzany & Audio Loves – Review & Excerpt
Real Tasty Pages – Review
Renee Entress’s Blog – Review & Excerpt
The Escapist Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Zili in the Sky – Review
May 17th
Abibliophobia anonymous book reviews – Review
Angels With Attitude Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Books & Beauty Are My Bag – Review & Excerpt
Family, Books and Food – Excerpt
Les chroniques aléatoires – Review
MJ’s Book Blog and Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Read-Love-Blog – Excerpt
Spoons, Hooks, and Books – Review & Excerpt
Three chicks and their books – Review
Wrapped Up In Reading – Review & Excerpt
Excerpt
I’d earned this bar, paid for it with five long years in prison, holding my tongue and taking the punishment for a crime that wasn’t mine. Gus owed me for that alone. The fact that he’d get a cash payout was just a bonus at this point.
No reason for me to feel guilty. And that was the truth.
Still, I could see how much this sucked for Peaches. She’d put in time, too. Time and good faith. Riling her up was a blast, but I’d never wanted her hurt. Not for real. I cared about the girl. Cared about her a lot.
Too much.
Gus had been weak. I loved my uncle, but he’d f*cked this one up big time. She deserved better from him—and from me. I should be in there with them. Decision made, I reached for the door.
“Get out! Get the f*ck out of here, you lying bastard!”
The door burst open, and Gus stumbled out, walking backward. I caught his arm and steadied him as the slabslammed shut again. I heard the heavy bolt sliding shut, locking us out. My uncle looked at me, then sighed.
“Actually went better than I expected.”
“Glad I don’t have to deal with hiding a body.”
“Not yet,” he replied, then sighed again. “She’s not a happy camper. Probably should’ve warned her that our plans might change once you got out.”
“Why didn’t you? Would’ve been a lot easier on her.”
“Guess I didn’t want her turning on me,”my uncle admitted, surprising me with his honesty. “I knew she’d hate me for it. God, but I miss her mom. Saw her in town a couple weeks ago. It’s been twenty years, and Glory still won’t even look at me.”
Raw pain filled his eyes. I cleared my throat, uncomfortable. F*ck. I didn’t like this. Didn’t like my girl hurting, and didn’t like having to see my uncle like this.
Didn’t like knowing I was part of it.
A loud thump came from behind the door, breaking the moment. There was a crash, and then some kind of tearing noise. Shit.
Some women pouted when they got upset.
Others cried.
Peaches had always skipped that part, moving straight to revenge. Another crash. This one so hard that the door rattled. I pictured her all pissed off in there, those glorious t*ts of hers straining against the front of her low-cut black StarkwoodSaloon shirt. My c*ck twitched. Christ, she was hot when she got angry.
Her cheeks would be flushed, and she’d run her fingers through that wild, dark hair of hers in frustration.
Total sex hair.
About Joanna Wylde:
Joanna Wylde started her writing career in journalism, working in two daily newspapers as both a reporter and editor. Her career has included many different jobs, from managing a homeless shelter to running her own freelance writing business, where she took on projects ranging from fundraising to ghostwriting for academics. During 2012 she got her first Kindle reader as a gift and discovered the indie writing revolution taking place online. Not long afterward she started cutting back her client list to work on Reaper’s Property, her breakout book. It was published in January 2013, marking the beginning of a new career writing fiction.
Joanna lives in the mountains of northern Idaho with her family.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter Sign Up
Review: Eli’s Triumph by JoAnna Wylde
Eli’s Triumph
JoAnna Wylde
Reaper’s MC Series
1001 Dark Nights
Evil Eye Productions
Published: May 8, 2019
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Joanna Wylde comes a new story in her Reapers MC series…
Peaches Taylor spent the last seven years slinging drinks and dodging drunks at the Starkwood Saloon. Some might call it a dead end job, but to her it was an investment—another six months, and she’d have enough money to buy the place.
Life would’ve been perfect if Eli hadn’t come home.
Eli King is ready to settle down. He stood by his brothers when they needed him, paying the price for their freedom with his own. Now it’s time to claim his reward—the Starkwood Saloon. He’s got the cash to buy the bar, the skills to run it, and just one person standing between him and his dream: Peaches Taylor.
She’s been driving him crazy since they were kids, and not in the good way. When she was six, she shoved a spider down his pants. When he was ten, he locked her in a closet overnight. Then she hot-wired his car at seventeen, and things got ugly…
They’re adults now, and the Starkwood isn’t a toy to fight over—it’s the hill they’ll die on. No prisoners. No compromises. No mercy.
Peaches Taylor and Eli King are going to war.
**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**
4 Stars
There is nothing like a visit with The Reapers to shake up your reading world. Eli’s Triumph is like Shade’s Lady, it’s such a Reapers story. (I said that to Ms. Wylde once and she replied- yes you get it!). Fun, entertaining and the sexual tension is off the charts.
If there were to ever be a true female Reaper member, Peaches would be that woman. Talk about a woman able to stand her ground, not take crap from anyone and what a mouth on that woman. Peaches is a force. There is no other description I can give her. Peaches is dedicated, hard working and can hold a grudge like no other. I will put my money on her every time.
Eli’s is more than what meets the eye. MC life is all he’s know and he embraced it head on. Learning family is more than blood at a very age. Eli’s dedication to the club is unwavering however he’s looking for a little more stability. Coming off a five year jail stint, Eli’s future just shattered the dream of the one woman that gets to him like no other. Eli’s a Reaper and Reaper’s get what Reaper wants.
There are so many thing that I love about Eli’s Triumph. Eli and Peaches have known each other practically their entire lives. Picking on each other from childhood. Dancing around the sexual tension as soon as they realized what it was. The banter and the revenge tactics amongst the two of them is absolutely outstanding. The sexual tension surrounded between Peaches and Eli is so intense it’s ready to ignite. For two people that try to get under each other skin the way they do they’ve always been there for each other. Even when they’d rather be slapping the other one upside the head because they can’t seem to admit, together, they are so intense they both are ready to ignite. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Peaches and Eli torment each other in the best ways. In true Reaper style, Eli and Peaches figure out their way.
Excellent, one sit read.
Coffee Books Life 