Twice Bitten (Argeneau #27) by Lynsay Sands-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

Twice Bitten (Argeneau #27) by Lynsay Sands-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

TWICE BITTEN
Argeneau #27
by Lynsay Sands
Release Date: March 27, 2018
Genre: adult, contemporary, paranormal, romance

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 27, 2018

For someone who’s been around for over a hundred and forty years, immortal Elspeth Argeneau hasn’t done a whole lot of living. Now that she’s moved away from her controlling mother, she’s tracking down rogue vampires and enjoying some overdue freedom. A fling would be fun. A life mate can wait. Yet to Elspeth’s surprise, her landlady’s hot grandson checks both boxes.

Wyatt fell instantly in love with Elspeth four years ago. He’s stunned to run into her again, especially as she has no memory of him. Then again, there are a lot of things about Elspeth that don’t make sense, like the miraculous speed with which her wounds heal. And the chemistry that transforms every touch into an explosion of desire. But with mysterious “accidents” besieging Elspeth, the ex-Special Forces soldier appoints himself her bodyguard. But time is running out to uncover the truth about her enemies—and rediscover the man determined to love her for eternity.

••••••••

REVIEW:Twice Bitten begins with Elspeth coming home after responding to a so-called “soft” call for the Enforcers, for whom she has been working until she starts teaching at university. All she wants to do is go home and go to bed. Upon entering her bedroom she discovers that she has company, and not the company she wanted. Having moved away from home (England) just six weeks prior, she was a little stunned to find that her mom , Martine, and her twin sisters were not only visiting, but have basically taken over her apartment. She and her mother spar over their invasion of her apartment. Elspeth becomes concerned when her mother tells her a man let her in, and not the sweet, elderly lady from whom she rented the apartment.

Elspeth heads to her landlord’s apartment and finds that it’s Merry’s (Meredith) grandson who let them in. Elspeth has become very close with Merry in the few weeks she’s been in Canada, but said grandson, Wyatt, is suspicious of Elspeth. He also can’t figure out why she acts like they’ve never met, because their meeting is burned into his very soul.

To say that Elspeth’s mother, Martine, is overbearing and controlling is the understatement of the century. Her back story makes you understand with why she controls (literally) her kids, but that story doesn’t make you agree with her methods. Once a series of accidents follow, that leave Elspeth gravely injured more than once, one can’t help but wonder if it is her own mother causing the accidents. Or, is it someone completely unknown to Elspeth? One thing is for sure: Wyatt is going to make her remember him, and protect her, even if it kills him.

Twice Bitten is another awesome addition to the Argeneau series. I love the characters of this series. Elspeth and Wyatt are no exception. This one is also different in that the heroine has to decide if she does indeed WANT what every immortal searches for: a life mate. I loved the angst that you could feel from Elspeth as she navigated her relationship with her family. I also loved Wyatt’s protective streak. The chemistry between the two leaps off of the page. We also see a lot of the Argeneaus in this one, which is always a HUGE plus for me. This is number 27, but don’t let that number fool you. These are quick reads filled with some intrigue, some humor and a whole lot of sizzle. If you’re a romance fan, with some paranormal mixed in, you will never go wrong with this series. Well done, Lynsay Sands! Very, very well done!

Copy supplied by Edelweiss

Reviewed by Vickie

“Wyatt?” she said, surprised at how breathless her voice was.
She was panting, Elspeth realized. The man hadn’t even touched her and she was panting like an overheated dog . . . or a horny one.

“I’m sorry,” Wyatt growled, and turned away to quickly search the room, and then spotting the bath towel over the towel rack, he grabbed it and turned back to offer it to her.

Elspeth reached for it, but froze when their hands touched. For a minute, they just remained like that, both silent and still as shockwaves rolled through them, and then Wyatt cleared his throat. His voice was husky as he said, “I know you’re not ready for a life mate, and I-“

That was as far as he got before Elspeth finished taking the towel from him, let it drop to the floor, and reached for him instead.

LYNSAY SANDS is the nationally bestselling author of the Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series, as well as numerous historicals and anthologies. She’s been writing stories since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there’s occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big bonus. Please visit her on the web at www.lynsaysands.net.

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NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the tour promotor.

GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS:  Open to US shipping addresses only. Five winners will each receive a paperback copy of A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands.  This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Avon Romance.  Giveaway ends 4/6/2018 @ 11:59pm EST. Avon Romance will send the winning copies out to the winner directly. Limit one entry per reader and mailing address.  Duplicates will be deleted.

LINK: https://goo.gl/u3N6Xh

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What Are You Afraid Of? (The Agency #2) by Alexandra Ivy-a review

WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF ? (The Agency #2) by Alexandra Ivy-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 27, 2018

SHE’S LEARNED ALL ABOUT KILLERS
They aren’t the kind of women anyone misses. Truck-stop hookers, runaways . . . no one would even notice they’d disappeared if the killer didn’t photograph their lifeless bodies, posed in the back of a semi-trailer. Exactly like the infamous Trucker murders. But this isn’t just a copycat. It’s a vendetta.

NOW HE’LL TEACH HER
Carmen Jacobs interviewed the world’s most terrifying serial killers for her bestselling book, The Heart of a Predator. The police might not believe her, but she knows there’s a monster out there, paying homage to other murderers. The only person who can predict where he’ll strike next is Griffin Archer—a reclusive software millionaire with ample reason not to help her.

HOW TO DIE . . .
Carmen has charmed her way past Griffin’s defenses before. He didn’t intend to let it happen again. But with a psycho sending her trophies of his kills, he has no choice but to get involved. The clues point to a killer obsessed with Carmen—someone who knows her work, her past, her secrets. Someone who won’t be satisfied until he has made all her deepest fears come true . . .

••••••

REVIEW: WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? is the second instalment in Alexandra Ivy’s contemporary, adult THE AGENCY romantic suspense series. This is IT specialist Griffin Archer, and best-selling author Carmen Jacobs’ story line. WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Told from several third person perspectives including Griffin and Carmen WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? follows the hunt for a serial killer-a copycat killer who is re-enacting the murders profiled and researched by our heroine Carmen Jacobs. With the upcoming, paper back release of her best-selling book Carmen finds herself the victim of a stalker, a killer who is copycatting the murders and sending her the pictures of his latest ‘achievements’. Needing additional assistance when the local police refused to help, Carmen contacts an IT expert who isn’t thrilled with Carmen’s re-appearance. Enter Griffin Archer, IT specialist, and the man with whom Carmen will fall in love. What ensues is the building romance between Griffin and Carmen, and the potential fall-out as a serial killer ups the body count in direct proportion to Carmen’s best-selling novel.

WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? is a suspense-filled, thrill ride but the ‘guilty’ party(s) is alluded to early on thus avoiding the twists and turns that I would have expected. The predictability was disheartening as were the likely and forseeable reasons behind the copy-cat killings-sometimes too much information imparted to the reader unravels the mystery before it begins. The premise is engaging; the characters are intense-we are reintroduced to Rylan Cooper from Pretend You’re Safe (book one); the romance is a slow build towards a happily ever after.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one-PRETEND YOU’RE SAFE.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Her Defiant Heart (Damaged Hearts #1) by Monica Murphy-Review & Excerpt Tour

HER DEFIANT HEART (Damaged Hearts #1) by Monica Murphy-Review & Excerpt Tour

Read Today Exclusively on –> iBooks

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 29, 2018

Life can feel like a cruel joke. I grew up poor and motherless, with a father who never got over his wife’s abandonment. But now he’s gone too, and I’m dead set on finding the woman who so carelessly tossed me aside when I was a baby.

I want revenge. And I’m going to get back at my mother any way that I can.

I change my name. Start my new life in college, and just happen to cross paths with the gorgeous, ultra-rich Rhett Montgomery. He’s immediately interested in me, not that I’m surprised.

You see, I planned it that way. I meant for him to find me. He’s the one connection to my mother, and I’m using him, so I can destroy her. But I didn’t plan on Rhett being so charming. Sweet. Sexy.

And I definitely didn’t plan on falling for him either.

•••••••••

REVIEW: HER DEFIANT HEART is the first instalment in Monica Murphy’s contemporary, new adult DAMAGED HEARTS romance trilogy focusing on college students Rhett Montgomery, and Jennifer ‘Jensen’ Fanelli.

Told from first person point of view (Jensen) using preesent day and memories from the past, HER DEFIANT HEART follows our heroine as she sets a plan into motion to destroy the mother she knew nothing about. At almost two years of age Jennifer Fanelli lost her mother when the woman she no longer remembers walked away without looking back. Years of hardship and her father’s inability to let go of the past found our heroine planning to confront the woman her destroyed her life, beginning with befriending a young man she knows to be her mother’s step-son. Enter Rhett Montgomery, fellow college student and all-around popular guy, and the man with whom Jen would fall in love. What ensues is Rhett’s pursuit of the woman he knows as Jensen, and the potential fall-out as Jennifer’s secrets are about to be revealed.

Jensen, as she calls herself, struggles on a daily basis but having battled an alcoholic father for most of her life, wants revenge against the woman who broke her father’s heart. Getting close to Rhett Montgomery meant one step closer to her ultimate goal but Jensen never thought she would lose her heart along the way.

The relationship between Jensen and Rhett is one of immediate attraction although Jensen never expected to lose her heart to the man in question. Rhett is the perfect boyfriend, not what Jensen thought him to be, which makes her ambition to destroy her mother’s life, that much more questionable and confusing. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic, language and text.

The world building focuses on the growing lies Jensen tells to keep secret about the path upon which she has embarked. We learn how Jensen’s earlier years were filled with a mother’s rejection, a father’s loss of control, and a childhood marred by emotional abuse, and thoughts of being unwanted and unloved. Jaded and tired our heroine battles between head and heart wondering if vengeance is the most important direction in her life.

HER DEFIANT HEART is a story of struggle and rejection; hatred and vengeance; secrets, lies and moving on from the past. The premise is heart breaking; the characters are broken, colorful and charismatic; the romance struggles with Jensen’s inability to let go of the past.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

“Your friends are calling you,” I finally say.
He glances over his shoulder, then returns his attention to me. “They can wait.”
I’m surprised he’s putting talking to me above wanting to spend time with his friends. “Well, my homework can’t.” I gesture to the open textbook by my laptop. “Nice to see you again.”
“Nice to see you again? That’s all I get?” He slides into the booth seat across from mine, leaning across the table like he wants to get closer to me. “I bet you don’t even remember my name.”
“I bet you don’t remember mine either,” I toss back at him, tacking on an annoying giggle after I say it.
He makes a face, like he knows I’m fake as hell. “Jensen.”
“Rhett.”
His smile is back, wider than ever. “You should come sit with us.”
“No, thank you.” My voice is prim, like a snotty rich girl’s would be. Wouldn’t they find it hilarious to know that I spent my teenage years living in a mobile-home-slash-trailer park, in the decrepit old fifth-wheel my dad called our new home right before I started eighth grade.
One brow lifts. “My friends would love to meet you.”
“I doubt that.”
“It’s true.” He glances over his shoulder again, and they call out to him, a couple of choice words ringing in the air. The waitress glares, stomping over to their table to give them a lecture I suppose, and Rhett whirls around so he’s facing me once more, his expression full of amusement. “Or maybe not.”
“Go hang out with your friends,” I tell him gently, wanting to give the impression that I am the perfectly understanding girlfriend. He might not have those types of serious thoughts about me—yet—but my good behavior can enter his subconscious, right?
“Jensen. I want to see you again.” He reaches across the table and touches the top of my right hand, his warm fingers practically burning my skin. I snatch my hand away from his, my fingers trembling as I clutch my hands together in my lap.
One casual touch from him and I feel like I’m going to erupt in flames.
It’s terrifying.

Monica Murphy is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of the One Week Girlfriend series, the Billionaire Bachelors and The Rules series. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and has sold over one million copies worldwide. She is both self-published and published by Random House/Bantam and Harper Collins/Avon. She writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance.

She is a wife and a mother of three who lives in central California on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere along with their one dog and too many cats. A self-confessed workaholic, when she’s not writing, she’s reading or hanging out with her husband and kids. She’s a firm believer in happy endings, though she will admit to putting her characters through angst-filled moments before they finally get that hard won HEA.

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Elementals: Ice Wolves by Amie Kaufman – a Review

Elementals: Ice Wolves by Amie Kaufman – a Review

 

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Description:
Everyone in Vallen knows that ice wolves and scorch dragons are sworn enemies who live deeply separate lives.

So when twelve-year-old orphan Anders takes one elemental form and his twin sister, Rayna, takes another, he wonders whether they are even related. Still, whether or not they’re family, Rayna is Anders’s only true friend. She’s nothing like the brutal, cruel dragons who claimed her as one of their own and stole her away.

In order to rescue her, Anders must enlist at the foreboding Ulfar Academy, a school for young wolves that values loyalty to the pack above all else. But for Anders, loyalty is more complicated than obedience, and friendship is the most powerful shapeshifting force of all.

 

 

Review:

Ice Wolves by Amie Kaufman is the 1st book in her new YA/Middle Grade Fantasy Elementals series. I do enjoy Fantasy, and even though this is middle grade/ya, it is a story that anyone can read and enjoy. 

Anders and Rayna are brother & sister twins, who lost their family years before and at the age of 6 they left the orphanage they were living in for fear of being separate.  They both live in the streets of Vallen and work closely together  to survive using their skills to steal, which they do very well, and seem to have fun in doing so. 

The city they live in is protected by Ice Wolves, who guard the city against attacks by Scorch Dragons.  Every month the leaders have a trial for those coming of age (12) to be tested if they have wolf blood and thereby be sent to Ulfar Academy to train to be Ice Wolves and become in time Wolf Guards.  Anders and Rayna always attend the meetings in the village, since it is a good day to pickpocket.  However, as they try to escape being caught stealing, they end up on the line to be tested.   Rayna touches a magic staff, and shifts into a scorch dragon. Anders watches in horror as Rayna is attacked, but manages to escape and fly away. Anders, who no one knows is related to the scorch dragon is tested and shifts to a wolf.  Though he wants to go to the academy and learn how to fight dragons, Anders is determined to find his sister.  The next day he finds her at a secret hiding place, and they both do not understand how twins of the same blood can be different species.  Before they could talk more, Rayna is spotted and dragons come to her rescue and take her away.

The story now centers on Anders at the academy, where he meets other Ice Wolves, and makes friends with other students, especially one who he will learn to trust, Lizabeth.  Anders is determined to learn all he can to fight dragons, and find special artifacts that could help him find Rayna.  Though he has hated dragons all his life, it is Lizabeth, who feels that dragons may not be as bad as they all think; since they were at peace years before.

What follows is watching Anders learn to be more self sufficient, and being to realize that perhaps Lizabeth is on the right track, since she feels that it is in the best interest of everyone to get the wolves and dragons to talk.  While it was nice to watch Anders make new friends, and learn how to fight, the last 1/3 of the book is very exciting, as he and Lizabeth will leave to help rescue Rayna.  What they find will change the game, and open things up for future books.  Will Anders and Lizabeth survive in Dragon territory?  Will Anders find Rayna safe?

Ice Wolves was a good start to this series, and I really enjoyed the characters that Kaufman has created.  I loved the cute relationship early on with Anders and Rayna.   I really enjoyed the friendship between Anders and Lizabeth.  I will warn everyone, that Ice Wolves ends in a cliffhanger, which has us anxiously awaiting the next book.  Of course, I hate cliffhangers. Lol    If you like fantasy, teen heroes, then you should read this book.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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The Pursuit of Mrs. Pennyworth by Callie Hutton – a Review

The Pursuit of Mrs. Pennyworth by Callie Hutton – a Review

 

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Description:
Recently widowed, Charlotte Pennyworth is relishing her independence and it rankles to have to rely on a man to help her with an increasingly sinister stalker. Former Yardman, Elliot Baker, is reluctant to take on Charlotte’s case but despite himself and his history with another woman, he is drawn to the bright, attractive widow.

Sparks smolder between the PI and his client but neither is looking to form an attachment. Elliot thinks Charlotte is hiding something. Charlotte has no desire to marry again, especially to a private investigator, no matter how handsome, brave and kind he is. The risk to his life and her heart is too great. But more dangerous than a menacing stalker is secrets and when Charlotte’s come to light, even the passion between them might not douse the flames of Elliot’s distrust.

 

Review:

When a woman’s word is often overlooked, if not blatantly dismissed, few options are available when threatened with Scotland Yard. Charlotte was poor and struggling to make ends meet, but she did not steal her employer’s jewelry. Be that as it may, Charlotte flees, desperate to avoid repercussions (and the unwanted advances of her employer). Callie Hutton tells a tale of wicked torments, overcoming adversity, and embracing second chances in The Pursuit of Mrs. Pennyworth.

Elliot and Charlotte are at odds in terms of relationships. She hires him to investigate a series of disturbing gifts arriving anonymously on her doorstep, but such proximity blossoms into business of a personal nature. Problem is, Elliott was humiliated by a former lover and now views every woman with a scrutinizing eye; suspicious of her character. Charlotte could break the mold, but he won’t pursue her. *Let’s just put a pin in it for now, shall we?* Charlotte is a widow after the briefest of marriages. She’s out of the mourning phase and is experiencing personal growth, but she does miss the intimacy of marriage. The attraction is a slow burn. Both anxious to explore, both reluctant to succumb.

This was an up and down read. I got caught up in several scenarios, frightened by the heightened aggression in the “gifts”, and ecstatic when a subtle touch lingered past propriety. It just seemed to drag on for too long; same dilemma, different scenario. Charlotte should have trusted her gut. While her escape might have extracted her from the hands of a lothario, she didn’t seriously connect her past to her present. Elliott would have considered the nasty character; if his grudge was capable of such pursuits. I ended up frustrated by recurring scenes that didn’t advance the plot. A good 50 pages less might have made the book more enticing to finish.

I enjoyed Charlotte’s new found independence. She wasn’t miserable in her first marriage, but there seemed an air of deprivation. Widowhood was desolate, but running her own home and answering only to herself was rather life affirming. Reading the newspaper while she drank her tea, instead of waiting until her husband was done, was a tiny, but fulfilling victory. Seemingly innocuous duties reinvigorated Charlotte’s self-esteem.

There was potential to devour this book had an editor curbed the redundancy and augmented the whodunit aspect. For all the buildup and drama attached to the perpetrator, the resolution was too tidy an ending for this reader. Callie Hutton is a seasoned writer, the love story is both endearing and sexy, but I wished to be swept up on all levels.  

Reviewed by Carmen

Copy provided by Publisher

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Deadly Secret (Sons of Broad #2) by Tara Thomas-Review & Excerpt

DEADLY SECRET (Sons of Broad #2) by Tara Thomas-a review and excerpt

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 27, 201

In this next novel in the stunning romantic suspense Sons of Broad series from Tara Thomas comes a novel of deadly games and uninhibited passion. In the sultry streets of Charleston, one family, ruled by its powerful, take-no-prisoners sons, has risen to the top. But a ruthless serial killer is out to destroy them…and everyone they hold close…

Exclusive bonus material ONLY available in print edition!

Knox Benedict is known as the Saint. He’s the upstanding son of the Benedict family, the moral backbone, the one who sets his entire life by the world of rules and constraints he’s created for himself. But Knox Benedict has a secret. A secret that has unleashed the intense passion, the fierce hunger that lives deep within him. A secret he’d live and die for. But a deadly enemy of the Benedict’s is about to take Knox’s hidden life and fling it out into the open…and in the process, begin a dangerous game.

Bea was never supposed to be Knox Benedict’s wife. They were rivals, locked in a dead heat on opposite sides of a negotiation table, supposed to fight tooth and nail. Instead, she took one look at those smoldering Benedict eyes and knew there would be no loving anyone else. But when Bea’s investigation into Benedict industries leads to an attack that leaves her for dead, Bea knows she has to follow through with what she’s started – just as Knox knows he must keep his secret wife safe, even if it means sacrificing everything he knows.

As an enemy strikes closer and closer to Bea with every waking day, Bea and Knox must race to uncover the truth, before it’s too late.

••••••••••

REVIEW:  DEADLY SECRET is the second full-length, and third instalment in Tara Thomas’s contemporary, adult SONS OF BROAD romantic suspense series. This is attorney’s Knox Benedict, and Bea Jacobs’ story line. DEADLY SECRET can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary but I recommend reading the stories in order as there is an ongoing and continuing plot throughout the series.

Told from several third person perspectives including Bea and Knox DEADLY SECRET continues to focus on the threats against the Benedict family, and their connections to an unknown source. Weeks earlier Bea Jacobs wed Knox Benedict in a whirlwind Vegas wedding but upon their return Bea received a series of threatening messages that force our heroine to walk away from the man that she loves. Fast forward to present day wherein the threats against our story line heroine begin to take on a more personal note, forcing Bea to go to the one man she was trying to protect. Enter Knox Benedict, Bea’s husband, and the man she has not stopped loving. What ensues is the protection and security of our story line heroine, and the potential fall-out as the enemy is closer than anyone could have imagined.

The actions of Bea Jacobs are questionable at best but nightmares, PTSD and continuing threats play a major role in our heroine’s decisions and the direction upon which she chooses to follow. All of the previous story line couples return including Janie and Brent from the introductory serial novellas; Keaton and Tilly, brother Kipling; housekeeper Lena; Officer Alyssa Adams; assassin Tom, and the story line antagonist- a man known only as The Gentleman.

DEADLY SECRET continues to untangle the mystery behind the threats against the Benedict siblings; their origins, some of the backstory, and history about a family mired in secrets, betrayal and vengeance. The Gentleman is determined to destroy the Benedicts including the women whom they love. Kaja Jade Mann returns as The Gentleman’s hired assassin, a reluctant assassin whose own life begins to unravel as she ventures closer to the truth about her past. Tara Thomas slowly and methodically answers some of the questions while adding to a growing list of the who, what and why. The premise is engaging and suspense filled; the characters are energetic and animated; the romance is a rekindling relationship between two people pulled apart by threats and intimidation-the $ex scenes are passionate and seductive. The quick jump between points of view is, at times disconcerting, as there is no break in between the opposing perspectives.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
.5 Shattered Fear
.6 Hidden Fate
.7 Twisted End
Darkest Night

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Excerpt supplied by the publisher. Copyright © 2018 Tara Thomas.

 

Bea had to get out of the conference room before the man across the table tried to kill her.

Logically, she told herself he wasn’t dangerous. Even though she knew better than to judge people based upon their appearance, the man in question was short, on the stocky side, and, unless he pulled a gun on her, she could probably take him, thanks to the self-defense course she’d completed last week. It was the pen he kept tapping on the table that tested her sanity. The tap, tap, tapthat wouldn’t stop and she couldn’t get out of her head because it brought back thoughts of the man who almost had killed her.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Sweat trickled down her spine.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Her stomach began to feel sour.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

She closed her eyes, took deep breaths, and tried everything she knew of to make it stop. None of it worked. Not counting backwards. Not running through multiplication tables. Not even picturing herself relaxing on a deserted beach. Damn it, she was going to have a full-blown panic attack sitting in the middle of her senior partner’s meeting with a client he wanted her to co-represent.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

She took another deep breath. This was not happening. She wasn’t going to let it. But her heart began to race and she knew she was fighting a losing battle.

“Ms. Jacobs?” Skip, the senior partner, asked. “Your thoughts?”

Shit. “I, um, agree with your analysis.”

The pen stopped tapping and she was able to suck in another breath. Deep even breaths. Surely the meeting wouldn’t go on much longer and she’d be able to get up and walk. Splash some water on her face and maybe go outside for some fresh air.

Skip raised an eyebrow. “Really? You were most forceful in your opposition yesterday.”

The pen started tapping once again.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

She was going to be sick. She pushed back from her chair and stood on wobbly legs. “If you’ll excuse me.”

Without waiting for a reply, she darted from the room as quickly as possible, managing not to crash into Vicky, the office admin, who was bringing coffee into the conference room.

“Ms. Jacobs?” Vicky called as she raced by.

Bea didn’t slow down or turn around. She made it to the bathroom and shut the door, sagging against it, and forcing herself to take deep breaths. For a brief second, she thought she was going to be fine, but the panic she’d tried to hold back clawed its way up her throat. Her stomach lurched in response and she stumbled forward, desperate to make it to a toilet before losing her breakfast.

After, she rinsed her mouth out and leaned her head against the cool tile on the wall. She was still breathing heavy and she balled her fists in defiance, even as her mind replayed the seconds leading up to her attack: the sudden shift in the air that alerted her something was wrong and the feel of rough hands pushing her against a brick wall. In what she thought was a cruel mind trick, all of her senses had been super-heightened and now, almost six weeks later, she could still feel him breathing on her, still smell the stench of human waste in the alley he dragged her into, and through it all, still hear the tick tick tick of his watch that haunted her.

She stood up with new determination. The assholes who hurt her weren’t going to win. She’d be damned if they were going to get the best of her.

If she had to force herself to listen to pen tapping for hours on end, she would beat this. Maybe she should get some professional help like they’d recommended at the hospital after her attack. At the time, she’d thought she’d be fine if she could only get home and she’d thrown away the business cards they’d given her.

Little did she know that getting home was only one step in the seemingly three thousand needed for recovery. And in no way had it ever crossed her mind that she’d still be having panic attacks weeks later. Knox would be upset if he knew.

Knox …

He was an entirely different problem. Her gaze dropped to her bare left hand and she had to squeeze her eyes closed so the tears that always seemed to follow thoughts of him didn’t fall. But trying not to think of his devilishly handsome grin, his tousled dirty blond hair, and his utterly devastating charm only made her think of them more.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Ms. Bea.”

It was Vicky, bless her heart.

“Just a minute.” Bea splashed water on her face and wiped her eyes. A quick glance in the mirror told her she looked like shit, but there was little she could do to fix it at this point.

“You okay?” Vicky asked when Bea finally opened the door.

“Getting that way.”

Vicky pressed her lips together. Probably because she knew a lie when she heard one. Bea wasn’t getting better. Some days she felt as if she were barely functioning. And it didn’t help that Vicky was a mother hen and had sharp eyes.

“I don’t feel so good,” Bea said. “I’m going to work from home. I’ll call Skip when I get there.”

Vicky nodded. “I’m going to let you go, but I don’t like you being alone so much.”

Once she made it home and she called and left a voice mail for Skip, she pulled on her pajamas and curled up on her couch with her comfy blanket. It was absurd to even have a blanket out this time of the year, much less to use one. But for some reason, it made her feel safe to have it wrapped around her. Silly, of course, the blanket being a thin piece of fabric.

It was probably because he gave it to her. She snorted at the way her brain worked. Of course it was because he gave it to her. For what other reason would she bring the soft material to her nose in order to see if some small trace of his scent still lingered there?

But the softest of fabric was nothing even close to him and she shrugged the blanket from her shoulders. She turned her laptop on so she wouldn’t think about him anymore, only to have the project she’d been working on with him before the accident pop up. She shook her head, hating that she now kept track of time and events that way.

The Johnson case? Oh, yes, that was before.

The Turner case, however, that was after.

Another thing she needed to take care of and fix. Thinking that way gave her attackers too much power over her, her life, and her future. She would stop that type of thinking today. Right this minute.

She thought about opening the file containing the project, but with the memory of her recent panic attack still fresh in her mind, she didn’t dare. Too afraid that thinking about anything having to do with the Benedicts would stir up a pot of trouble she wasn’t prepared to deal with.

It shouldn’t bother her not to work on the case. After all, it wasn’t a case for work. It was a personal matter, from Knox. He asked her privately to look into some issues his family’s company had years ago. His older brother, Kipling, had thought the human resources records looked off. She had gone to work, looking into the personnel files he gave her for any kind of clue she could find, and in the end, she got attacked for it.

That last bit had come to her days later in the hospital. When she remembered the man she associated with the ticking telling her to stay away from Knox. Or else. She still recalled the cold sweat that covered her body the moment she remembered and the way goose bumps rippled her skin. But most of all, she remembered the despair she felt, knowing she had to end her relationship with Knox. Because she knew the next time she met the ticking man, he wouldn’t leave her alive. And Knox would be his next target.

Her phone rang and she grabbed it, thinking it was Skip.

“Hello,” she said, not looking to see who it was.

“Ms. Jacobs, this is Mandy at Dean Family Law. Your divorce papers are here and ready to be signed.”

* * *

Someone else might have described it as being watched. Jade was being hunted. Watched was much too mild of a term to describe what he was currently doing to her. There was no doubt in her mind, she was being hunted. She was the prey. He was the lion.

Perhaps if she were smart, she’d have stayed away from South Carolina, but she’d learned early in life that running from your problems got you nowhere. In fact, that had been what killed her mother. When she had time to think about it, the irony didn’t escape her.

The Gentleman had found her after her mother’s death and now it seemed he’d be the instrument for hers.

Did she hate him? Of course.

But without him, would she be alive?

The answer to that only made her hate him more. But that hate did something she didn’t think he’d counted on. It moved her forward. Consumed her with the need to bring him down. And that’s why she’d come back.

Now, if she could only stay alive to see her plan finished.

* * *

Knox Benedict knew he was pushing his luck with the Charleston Police Department, but surely they had more information than they were telling.

“Come on,” he told the lead investigator, Alyssa Adams. “You have to have more than you’re letting on.” After all, she’d been involved in every aspect of the threats directed to the Benedict family.

“Even if I did, Mr. Benedict,” she said. “I’d hardly share it with you.”

What Knox needed was his older brother, Kipling. Out of the three Benedict brothers, Kipling was the player and he’d often got into verbal sparring matches with Officer Adams a few months ago when she was investigating a series of murders that touched the Benedict family. Hell, she’d arrested Kipling for one of them. Of course, all charges had been dropped, but still, to say his family had history with the police officer was an understatement.

Besides, she’d shared information before. Why wouldn’t she do the same and fill him in with the latest on how close they were to finding Bea’s attacker? He’d worked in Afghanistan during the summers while he was in college. One of the skills he’d honed while there was IT security. Or to be more exact, how to get around it. He didn’t want to hack into the police department’s systems, but he would if he kept getting the run around.

“You do not have access to privileged information in an active police investigation.”

“So you’re admitting that you do have more information, but you’re just not sharing it at the moment.”

He thought he had her until she gave him a sarcastic smile. “And here I was under the impression it was your wife who was the practicing attorney and not you.”

His smile faltered for a moment, but he finally decided she’d misspoke. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You know when I first investigated the attack on Bea, I did a thorough background on her.” She said it so matter-of-factly, he almost didn’t grasp her meaning.

“You mean, you knew? This entire time? And you didn’t say anything?” He was stumbling over his words, but he didn’t care. He was shocked to find out that she might be privy to information he and Bea thought was private.

“That you and Bea are married?”

He was so stunned, he didn’t answer her question, but his shocked expression must have been the confirmation she needed.

“I only reveal what is needed, Mr. Benedict. And your marital status had no bearing on the case.”

“In that case,” he said, “is it safe for me to assume that you will not divulge our secret?”

“Absolutely, Mr. Benedict.”

He thought so, but he had learned the hard way it was never a good idea to assume anything.

“I’m not getting anything out of you today, am I?” he asked.

“Or tomorrow or the day after.”

Not ready to give up, he flashed her a smile. “How about I invite you over to Benedict House for dinner?”

She raised an eyebrow.

“I could make sure Kipling’s there,” he added.

She laughed. “That especially won’t work.”

“Then I’ll make sure he’s not there.”

“Good-bye, Mr. Benedict.”

Her tone was light, but her meaning was clear. He knew better than to keep trying. Best to wait for another day. He tipped an imaginary hat and left.

Once he made it to his car and pulled out of the parking lot, he headed in the direction of Bea’s office. She would hate it if she knew, but he drove or walked by her office or apartment at least once a day. He couldn’t say exactly why he started. He never spoke to her and rarely saw her. Yet somehow just being in her space seemed important. Even if it was an odd one-sided attachment. He couldn’t help but wonder if she ever thought of him. What he wouldn’t give to know exactly what she was thinking.

He couldn’t accept that their marriage was over. How could he when she’d not once given him a reason for why she felt that way? Even though Bea had been very adamant the few times they had spoken since her accident, he wasn’t ready to give up hope yet. He’d never thought he’d find love, not the all-encompassing type that he had found with Bea. As such, he could not imagine not living without it.

For now, he would give her space. He’d only surrendered the battle, he had no intention of losing the war.

He drove by her office, but didn’t see her car. Pushing back the uneasy feeling that always seemed to be simmering just under the surface since her attack, he told himself he wouldn’t worry until he had a reason to do so.

A short drive down the road and five minutes later, he should have been able to relax since her car was in its spot. He pulled into an empty spot and debated on knocking on her door. Just a glimpse of her would do. Even if all she did was tell him to go away and not come back like she had the last time.

He decided not to knock on her door in the hope that if he abided by her wishes maybe she’d come to her senses quicker. It still made no sense why she didn’t want him. He was her husband, he was supposed to protect her.

He remembered when they had first met. A local corporation didn’t like the Benedict Industries plans for the expansion of their docks, and had threatened legal action. Knox had spoken to the family lawyer, Derrick, who had assured him that the corporation didn’t have a case. Knox requested a meeting with them and told them to bring their attorney. He knew he was screwed when Bea Jacobs walked into the room.

Her reputation had preceded her and she was truly a sight to behold. In under two minutes, it became very clear that this was not an open-and-shut case. In fact, it soon became a real possibility that the expansion would be shut down. Sure she was beautiful, but she was also brilliant. When he’d finally made it home after that first meeting, he put his computer hacking skills to work and discovered she also did a lot of pro bono work. He ended up falling hard and fast. It took a lot of compromise and considerable expense, but an agreement was eventually reached, and the expansion proceeded.

He knew the smart thing to do would be to leave her alone. But he found he couldn’t do it. He showed up at her office, with coffee made just the way she liked, and asked her out. He thought she’d be impressed that he’d paid such close attention to her. He’d thought wrong. She turned him down, but he was persistent. Even though he believed she only went out with him to get him to leave her alone.

And yet, much to his surprise, one date led to two, two led to three, and after that he stopped counting. He couldn’t pinpoint exact when he had realized that he couldn’t live without her anymore. Yet he remembered very well the day he had asked her to marry him. He wasn’t sure who was more surprised she said yes, her or him.

After she’d accepted him, they both stood there silent for several long seconds, then they both started laughing. The laughing ended in a kiss. But all too soon reality descended upon them. For starters, her father hated him. He’d made that very clear the only time they had seen each other. Usually the Benedict name opened doors, but her father only saw him as a wealthy and reckless playboy, unworthy to serve soup to the homeless. Not only that, but Knox wasn’t sure how his family would react to her being his wife. Especially after the expansion case.

With the potential of her father’s ability to create a shit storm neither one of them could withstand, coupled with his family’s ability to do the same, they decided to keep their marriage secret. They went to Vegas next weekend, and eloped.

Neither of them had ever regretted not telling others. Or that was what he’d thought. Now he wasn’t sure.


 

Tara Thomas’s love of books and writing started as a child and though she wanted to be an author, she decided a degree in science was more practical. After fifteen years in the pharmaceutical industry, she returned to her first love and hasn’t looked back since.

She writes erotic romance as Tara Sue Me. Her Submissive Series novels have been on both the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists. Her novel THE MASTER earned a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, was awarded Best Romance of 2016 from Best Book Awards, and is a 2017 RITA Finalist for Best Erotic Romance.

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Kiss Me Back (Panic 3) by Sidney Halston-a review

KISS ME BACK (Panic #3) by Sidney Halston-a review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 27, 2018

The only thing hotter than the Miami sun is the sexual tension at Panic, the South Beach nightclub where love knows no boundaries.

Lola: I’ve seen the way women in line behind the velvet rope look at William Fox, like he’s an Armani-clad St. Peter at the pearly gates. Except Panic isn’t heaven, and this bouncer is no saint. He’s been tempting me to sin ever since I started working here, but Fox’s slick smile and bad-boy swagger tell me everything I need to know about him. Still, a girl has needs. And Fox looks ready to fulfill every last one—at least for a night. . . .

Fox: I’m not used to being ignored—especially by women—but Lola Daye is different. The pretty bartender with the red lips and icy blue eyes seems perfectly happy pretending I don’t exist. Too bad, because the more she ignores me, the harder I fall. So I’m floored when she answers my drunken, flirty text with a yes. Lola claims she only wants a fling, but after one kiss, our bodies are speaking the same language. And I’m ready to prove that what we have could be forever.

No cheating. No cliffhangers. And no dress code.

••••••••••

REVIEW: KISS ME BACK is the third instalment in Sidney Halston’s contemporary, adult PANIC erotic, romance series focusing on the men and women who work for the high-end Miami night club Panic. This is security specialist William Fox, and bartender and graduate student Lola Daye’s story line. KISS ME BACK can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual first person points of view (Fox and Lola) KISS ME BACK follows the building relationship between security specialist aka bouncer William Fox, and bartender Lola Daye-a relationship with an end date that will come all too soon. Lola knows that her time at Panic is drawing to a close; only weeks away from completing her Masters degree, she intends to head to Ecuador to work with the under-privileged but her attraction to bouncer William Fox is met with an equal attraction that has been ongoing for close to six months. What ensues is the building relationship between Fox and Lola, and the potential fall-out as their time together draws to a close.

Lola Daye has a secret she believes will set her apart from the people she has grown to love. It is this secret that has shaped the woman our heroine has become, a woman who refuses to accept help or aid at times when she needs it the most. William Fox is a man determined to be successful as a security specialist but success is represented by the persona he wants everyone to see. Fox, too, keeps secret a hidden past, a past mired in loss, abuse and rejection by the man he no longer acknowledges. Fox’s acceptance of Lola’s secret is heart warming and all encompassing to the degree that any help offered is met with resistance and fire.

The relationship between Lola and Fox is one of immediate attraction but Lola knows her time at Panic is limited as she intends to finish her degree working with the children in the villages of Ecuador. Throughout their growing relationship there are many misunderstandings between Lola and Fox, due in part to Lola’s hyper-sensitive take on Fox’s need to protect and worry. The mutual vulnerabilities are hidden behind fake facades that mask the truth about who they really are. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic, and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Nick and Katherine (Pull Me Close), Matt and April (Make Me Stay), and bartenders and servers Helen and Jane. Helen’s story line is next.

KISS ME BACK is a story of friendship and love; struggles and anxiety; moving forward and letting go. The premise is engaging and inviting; the romance is seductive and passionate; the characters are sassy but broken. Lola’s commitment to be independent is counter intuitive to Fox’s need to protect and defend, and in this our heroine’s feisty attitude leaves something to be desired.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Pull Me Close
Make Me Stay
Kiss Me Back

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Come A Little Closer by Kim Karr-Review Tour

COME A LITTLE CLOSER by Kim Karr-Review tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 28, 2018

I haven’t always been this bad…

Up until recently, I was the kind of girl who wore white cotton panties and bent at the knees rather than the waist.

Pomp and circumstance changed all that.

Jaxson Cassidy was my first taste of bad, and I liked it more than I should have. Just not in the way I was meant to. I couldn’t help myself though. I found him irresistible. That sexy grin, those skilled fingers, and that dirty, dirty mouth were a lethal combination.

I wasn’t supposed to want him. I wasn’t supposed to let him put his hands on me. I wasn’t supposed to do a lot of things…but I did.

He wants to keep me close.
I should push him away.

He says he can help me.
I’m not so sure.

For some reason, he thinks there’s good left in me.
What if he’s wrong?

Everyone knows a good boy can’t turn a bad girl around.
Everyone knows it’s always the other way.
Everyone…except him

••••••••

REVIEW: COME A LITTLE CLOSER by Kim Karr is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, erotic romance story line set in the world of The Thing About Love. This is photographer Jaxson Cassidy, and online blogger Sadie Banks’s story line. COME A LITTLE CLOSER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary. Jaxson was first introduced to the reader in the author’s The Thing About Love.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Jaxson and Sadie) COME A LITTLE CLOSER follows Sadie Banks in the aftermath of losing her job when the new PA screws up and our heroine takes the fall. Sadie, desperate for money, and something to do, goes home to Moon Island, Georgia where she will encounter Simon McCoy, the town rebel and her childhood friend. An accident will send our heroine spiralling out of control in an attempt to right the wrongs from the past. Enter Jaxson Cassidy, world-renowned photographer and stock model, and the man with whom Sadie will fall in love. What ensues is the tempestuous relationship between Jaxson and Sadie, and the potential fall-out as Sadie discovers the truth about the past; and the secrets Simon keeps hidden from our story line heroine.

Jaxson Cassidy found himself stranded in Atlanta during the height of storm season but stranded alone meant finding a companion that was willing to find any port in a storm. A one-night stand that went horribly wrong, Jaxson set out to destroy the person who had attempted to destroy his life.

The relationship between Sadie and Jaxson is acrimonious. Jaxson’s anger toward our heroine is tempered by the truth, an unbelievable truth that finds our couple caught up in someone’s game of betrayal and revenge. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic, and intense with some light Dom/sub sexual situations, and anal-play. Jaxson likes to talk dirty both in and out of the bedroom. Once again, I dislike the use of a certain four-letter word, although only used once its purpose is shock value, more than anything else. There are also some issues of coerced consent of which I had a difficult time accepting.

The secondary and supporting characters add color and intrigue, and some background information as Jaxson seeks to learn the truth. Jake and Juliette, as well as Juliette’s cousin Finn, and Jake’s sister Dr. Rory Kissinger return for familiarity and cohesion.

COME A LITTLE CLOSER is a story of betrayal and vengeance; hopelessness and tragedy; falling in love and letting go of the past. The premise is entertaining, intriguing and engaging; the characters are spirited, flawed and energetic; the romance is provocative and on fire. COME A LITTLE CLOSER is an angst-ridden, roller coaster ride of sass, $ex and sensuality.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Reader * Chocolate Lover * Writer * Coffee Lover * Romantic * Beach Lover * Yoga Beginner

Kim Karr is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of eighteen novels. Best known for writing sexy contemporary love stories, she enjoys bringing flawed characters to life.

Her romances are raw, real, and explosive.
Her characters will make you laugh, make you cry, make you feel.
And her happily-ever-afters are always swoon worthy.

From the brooding rock star to the arrogant millionaire. From the witty damsel-in-distress to the sassy high-powered business woman. No two storylines are ever alike.

Get ready to fall in love.

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