Tag Archives: New Release Reviews 2018

A Billionaire Wolf for Christmas (Heart of the Wolf #26) by Terry Spear-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway tour

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A BILLIONAIRE WOLF FOR CHRISTMAS (Heart of the Wolf #26) by Terry Spear-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 25, 2018

When the wolves’ own blood betrays them, they risk their lives to find a miracle.

Wolf shifter Dr. Aidan Denali has been working day and night to find a cure for werewolves’ alarmingly sudden decline in lifespan. The key to the problem eludes him. But when Aidan grudgingly leaves his work to do some holiday shopping, he meets a remarkable she-wolf whose mysterious pack could bring him one step closer to the answer.

Dr. Holly Gray is thrilled to meet the wolf who’s been working so hard to help others. Now, it’s her turn to help him. But while their attraction is sizzling, the packs are at odds, and the danger is increasing. It’s going to take a holiday miracle for Holly and Aidan to get themselves–and their loved ones–out of this alive…

•••••••••••

REVIEW:  A BILLIONAIRE WOLF FOR CHRISTMAS is the twenty-sixth instalment in Terry Spear’s contemporary, adult HEART OF THE WOLF paranormal, romance series. This is billionaire wolf shifter and researcher Dr. Aidan Denali, and Dr. Holly Gray’s story line. A BILLIONAIRE WOLF FOR CHRISTMAS 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 third person perspectives (Aidan and Holly) A BILLIONAIRE WOLF FOR CHRISTMAS follows the building relationship between wolf shifters Dr. Aidan Denali and Dr. Holly Gray. Aidan Denali is struggling to discover the reason behind the werewolve’s sudden decline in lifespan but with the approach of the holidays, our hero must take some time to visit family. Along with his two bodyguards Ted Gallagher and Mike Stallings, Aidan heads into town for some last minute shopping only to come face to face with his future-gray wolf shifter Dr. Holly Gray. An attempted kidnapping, and the search for an older, lone wolf pull our couple together as they begin to commiserate about the sudden aging process of a number of wolves. In the hopes of discovering the how and why, Aidan is desperate to check the blood of Holly’s Seattle pack- a pack whose members have not been affected by the mysterious disease. But trouble seems to stalk our story line hero as his presence is seen as a threat to the pack whose alpha is reluctant to allow outsiders in. What ensues is the building relationship between Aidan and Holly, and the potential fall-out as Holly’s alpha threatens the people she loves the most.

Holly’s family, and a number of her pack-mates are unhappy with their current leader, a man who leads by power and control. Hoping to work with Dr. Aidan Denali, Holly struggles with the possibility her family will be targeted when she leaves the pack.

The relationship between Holly and Aidan is quick to develop but Holly has another suitor that is reluctant to back down. Holly knows that Aidan could be her mate, and as our couple search for a cure, Aidan takes the next step in making Holly his own. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

A BILLIONAIRE WOLF FOR CHRISTMAS is a slow building storyline with an enormous amount of unnecessary filler and fluff information that had little to do with the actual story. The conflict between Aidan and the Alpha was quickly negated once the truth about the aging process was revealed, a revelation that brought about trouble for those in the clear. The premise is intriguing; the romance fated; the characters colorful and energetic but I struggled with the copious amount of irrelevant material that added to the slow building process.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

 

Holly walked out to speak to her family, and saw Jared standing at the front door, her sister still holding onto the doorknob. Holly’s heart plummeted. With their sensitive hearing, she hoped he hadn’t overheard what they’d been discussing in her bedroom. Then again, they’d been keeping their voices low so that the rest of her family couldn’t hear what she was up to and Greg had closed the bedroom door.
“I thought we could go on a wolf run together, Holly.” Jared didn’t look like the prospect thrilled him.
“Thanks, but—”
“We’re going to make snowmen.” Greg smiled as if he were a kid again and was thrilled to build one. “That’s where we were headed. Now.”
“Me too,” Marianne quickly said, casting a glance at Holly, looking to see if she would go along with it.
“Snowmen.” Jared sounded like he didn’t believe them.
Holly hoped he didn’t offer to make one with them, but she loved her younger brother and sister for playing the game.
“I’ll clean up the dishes so you can go play,” their mom said, sounding amused.
Holly grabbed her parka, gloves, hat, and scarf and set them on the back of the couch so she could put them on. She hated getting her sister involved in this too.
Marianne grabbed her tasseled hat and pulled it on her head. Then she seized her jacket and put it on. “You can make your own, Jared.”
No, no, no, he couldn’t.
“Thanks, but I’ll pass,” Jared said, his gaze shifting from Marianne to Holly. “I’ll run with you later tonight then.”
She gave him a nod, then jerked on her parka. Greg was all ready to go and moved toward the door, showing his alpha nature by trying to force Jared out of the way. Jared smiled darkly at Greg.
“Last one to make a snowman is a rotten egg,” Greg called out, racing off.
“Best one wins, not the fastest one made,” his sister said, still tying her scarf round her neck and tore off after him.
Now what? They’d take forever making three snowmen. And she’d miss meeting Aidan and his men. He’d worry, and she wouldn’t be able to call him. No doubt he’d already be on his way to the meeting place in his wolf coat.
Jared stepped out of Holly’s way, and she hurried outside.
“Later,” Jared said to Holly, and left.
He wasn’t even interested in dating her, so why the change of heart? The business with Aidan at the mall yesterday? Maybe he’d like a hug too? Never!
Holly raced after her sister and brother and found them about a quarter of a mile away, starting to build the bases of their snowmen.
“What is going on with you?” Marianne asked, shoving another handful of snow onto the base.
“We’re on a mission that you shouldn’t know about,” Greg said, slapping a snowball against his snowman.
“A mission,” Marianne said, glancing at Holly.
“To look for Nick,” Holly said.
“Well, you said that already.” Marianne tilted her chin down. “There’s more to it than that. And I want to help.”
“No.” Greg grabbed another two handfuls of snow. “It’s too dangerous.”
“If it’s too dangerous, the two of you shouldn’t be going. You know Jared will check later to see if you built your snowmen or not,” Marianne said.
Holly saw her parents headed their way. Great.
“Looks like it’s about time to tell the family what you’re up to,” Greg said.
“So, there’s more to this business of you looking for…ohmigod, you’re going to meet up with Aidan Denali, aren’t you! I want to go too,” Marianne said.
Holly thought her sister had a crush on Aidan, or maybe one of his bodyguards. “No. I didn’t want any of you to know about it.”
“Know about what?” their mother asked. To Holly’s surprise her mom and dad began to build a snowman.
“I’m meeting with Aidan and his bodyguards to search for Nick.”
Her parents stopped working on the snowman and straightened.
“I didn’t want to have to tell you because I didn’t want you to get into any trouble with the pack over it.”
“I’m going with her. I have to see this guy she’s got the hots for.” Greg smiled at her and she grabbed a wad of snow, made a snowball, and threw it at him. He dodged it, but it splatted on his shoulder.
“I’m just doing what I always do, except I’m running with them for protection,” Holly said.
“We’ll finish your snowmen. Go, take off.” Her dad smiled a little.
Her mom worked faster. “Eddie, keep adding snow.”
Holly couldn’t believe her parents would cover for her like this.
“Me too?” Marianne asked, looking hopeful.
“No, not you,” their mother quickly said. “You’re supposed to run with Joey’s family tonight. And you have to make your own snowman. No telling how long Holly’s little adventure is going to last.”
Marianne sighed, but hurried over to give Holly a hug. “Give him a kiss for me?”
“We’ll be wolves.” Holly hugged her back. Then she started heading in the direction where she would be meeting Aidan and the others.
“Just strip and shift, and we’ll take your things with us so no one finds your clothes out here,” her mother said.
Just in case anyone happened to be watching them from a long distance off, both Holly and Greg went into the woods and stripped, and then shifted.
“Be careful, the both of you,” their dad said.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

 

USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear has written over sixty paranormal and medieval Highland romances. In 2008, Heart of the Wolf was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. A retired officer of the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry also creates award-winning teddy bears that have found homes all over the world. She lives in Spring, Texas with two Havanese puppies.

 

 

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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Cyclone (Linear Tactical #1) by Janie Crouch-Review and Author Q&A

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CYCLONE (Linear Tactical #1) by Janie Crouch-Review and Author Q&A

CYCLONE
Linear Tactical #1
by Janie Crouch
Genre: adult, contemporary, romantic, suspense

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 25, 2018

He’d protect her from any threat…
But what if the biggest threat is him?

Doctor Anne Nichols is back in Oak Creek, Wyoming, only because she has no other options. Here, she was always the shy, stuttering girl, invisible to everyone.

Except Zac Mackay. The very reason she left in the first place.

Zac’s years in Special Forces taught him survival skills, and he’s created a company—Linear Tactical—to teach those skills to others, so they never have to live in fear.

Then why is Annie, the last person he’d ever want to hurt, afraid of him?

Zac’s determined to wipe the fear from the eyes of the woman who has never been far from his mind. And fix the mistakes—his mistakes—that put that look there in the first place.

But a predator has set his sights on Annie. And now survival skillswill become much more than lessons

••••••••

REVIEW: CYCLONE is the first instalment in Janie Crouch’s contemporary, adult LINEAR TACTICAL romantic, suspense series focusing on a group of former Special Forces soldiers who own and operate Linear Tactical, an Oak Creek, Wyoming business focusing on survival skills, security and protection. This is Special Forces Green Beret / widower Zac ‘Cyclone’ MacKay, and ER physician Anne Nichols Griffin’s story line.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Anne and Zac) CYCLONE follows the building relationship between Special Forces soldier / widower Zac ‘Cyclone’ MacKay, and ER physician Anne Nichols Griffin. Six years earlier Anne Nichols’ life imploded when her best friend, and Zac’s wife Becky, along with their young son Micah, was killed in an accident that left Zac a shell of his former self. On the eve of his last deployment, a few days following the death of his beloved wife, Zac destroyed Anne’s already fragile ego, a destruction he doesn’t remember yet is unlikely to forget. Fast forward to present day wherein Anne, now divorced, has returned to her hometown of Oak Creek, Wyoming, to take up a position at the local hospital, a position that places her in direct confrontation with the people from her past. Enter Zac MacKay, and the man with whom Anne Nichols was once in love. What ensues is the rebuilding friendship and relationship between Anne and Zac, and the potential fall-out as a serial rapist descends upon the small-town of Oak Creek, Wyoming targeting our heroine in the process.

Anne Nichols Griffin is unable to forget the destructive nature of Zac MacKay’s anger and pain. Having loved Zac from afar, shy and withdrawn Anne Nichols would be the recipient of his hate spewed vitriol meant to hurt and destroy. An unwilling target but a target none the less, Anne bore the brunt of Zac’s grief and temper forcing our heroine to run, and never look back. Zac MacKay doesn’t remember the night he destroyed Anne’s life; a drunken night full of hatred that pushed away the woman with whom he would fall in love.

The relationship between Zac and Anne is one of second chances, of a sort. A past mired in loss, pain, heart break and anger, Zac and Anne’s rekindling friendship struggles with Anne’s memories and Zac’s lack thereof. Anne refuses to reveal the truth about what happened, it is only when Zac faces a witness to his adolescent and destructive behavior does our hero truly understand the exact nature of Anne’s reluctance to accept Zac’s friendship at face value. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including a few of Zac’s fellow Special Forces soldiers and business partners: Finn Bollinger, Aiden, Dorian Lindstrom, Finn’s son Ethan, Finn’s sister and local waitress Waverly ‘Wavy’ Bollinger, Sheriffs Curtis Nelson and Landon Rogers, ER nurses Riley Wilde and Mia Stevenson; locals Frank Jenkins, Mayor Barbara Dimont, diner cook Trey, and Frank’s buddy Shawn. Finn’s story line is next in EAGLE.

The world building focuses on the rekindling relationship between Zac and Anne, the search for a rapist, as well as the introduction of the Linear Tactical Team who must do battle to protect one of their own. The small-town of Oak Creek, Wyoming has their fair share of gossips and wannabe’s whose presence drives a good portion of the story line premise.

CYCLONE is a story of family, friendship, forgiveness and unrequited love. The premise is engaging and spirited; the characters are broken, flawed but energetic; the romance is emotional and sensual. CYCLONE is a slow building story of drama and suspense, and the fated reunion between friendship and love.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

This is an author Q & A kindly provided by the author

Question 1: Please tell us a bit about your new release.

Perhaps the most thrilling thing I can say is that CYCLONE (actually the entire Linear Tactical series) is: this is the book I’ve been waiting to write my entire career! It’s longer and sexier, and because I didn’t have to conform to any pre-determined word count, it’s got a deeper and richer feel to the whole novel. I love it and think readers will too!

Zac Mackay has spent his life protecting people—first in the Special Forces, and now as the owner of Linear Tactical, a survival and defense skills school. So why is Anne Griffin—the quiet doctor he never thought he’d see again—afraid of him? He’s determined to wipe that fear from her eyes, and even more, protect her from the predator who has placed Anne in his sights.

This book, man… it’s got the relationship and mystery twists that are keeping everyone guessing! (cue evil laugh)

Question 2: What’s coming next, or what are you working on now?

Next, I’m happy to say, is the continuation of the Linear Tactical series with EAGLE, Finn and Charlotte’s story. You meet those two in Cyclone, and readers are already beating down my proverbial door wanting to read Eagle now!

I deliberately planned the Linear Tactical releases so that readers don’t have to wait long. Eagle releases in October and fan-favorite Shamrock releases at the beginning of December!

Question #3: What distracts you the most when you’re trying to write?

My insanely blessed, full, busy life is what distracts me most! I’m a wife, and mom of four teenagers (aka: amateur taxi driver) so there’s always something happening around my house. Even crazier, we are currently stationed in Stuttgart, Germany in support of my husband’s job at the DoD, so the opportunities for travel here are insane, and we take advantage of it as much as possible (hop over to France for a day? Sure! Morocco for the weekend? Okay!).

So yeah, it can be difficult to stay focused on writing when there’s so much going on. But I set a weekly word count for myself, and try to meet that no matter what.

Question #4: Do you write by the seat of your pants, or do you carefully plot your stories?

I’m most definitely a plotter! Here’s my theory: you’re either a map-user or you’re not.

I could drive across the country without a map, and only a general sense of direction. And who knows, I might end up in some interesting places! But I also might end up having to turn around and backtrack for miles and miles if I get lost—wasting time and causing myself a lot of frustration.

If I take a map and plot out my course, my trip is going to be more efficient, faster and more organized. Some (ahem, pantsers) might say more boring too, but I don’t think so. Instead, I would research the interesting and exciting things I want to see in my book, er…I mean, on my trip, and make sure they’re included from the beginning rather than something I happen to stumble upon.

Of course, I won’t lie, sometimes a wrong turn can lead you to a right place. But ultimately I’d rather plan everything out and get there with my sanity intact.

Question #5: Would you like to share a favorite moment from your writing career?

Favorite moments from my writing career have definitely been my two back-to-back RITA Award nominations (2017 & 2018). Attending the award ceremony in my ball gown was almost surreal. It made me feel like a princess.

But…a princess who was wearing her Wonder Woman converses with her dress, rather than high heels. I’m 5’9. Heels and I don’t get along. And the Wonder Woman shoes kicked ass.

Alas, I didn’t win either time, but fingers crossed that I’ll have another nomination next year. Maybe it will be for Cyclone!

Question #6: What’s your favorite snack and/or beverage while you’re writing?

Wait…there are beverages besides coffee? Why didn’t someone tell me this?

Question #7: What’s your ideal scenery while you’re writing?

I would absolutely love to write on a train in my own private passenger/sleeping car. They have a few of those long routes across Europe close to where we live (um, Venice to Prague to Paris anyone? Yes, please!), and if these trains didn’t cost exactly 8 million dollars, I would totally do it.

Writing while in my personal cabin, looking out at the scenery flying by…a steward bringing me all my meals? Sounds like some perfect scenery to me!

Question #8: What are three romance novels on your to-be-read list?

Don’t Trust a Killer – Cynthia Eden’s new release. Seriously, is there anything this woman can’t write? She does romantic suspense, paranormal, steamy romance. And I love it all!

Hunting Danger by Katie Reus. She’s one of today’s best romantic suspense authors in my opinion. Happy to share a release date with her and can’t wait to get my hands on this one!

Dirty Headlines by L.J. Shen. Because I can already feel the steam coming off my e-reader every time I even think about opening it.

Question #9: Tell us something interesting about yourself?

Something a little interesting about me is that I spent my Christmas break last year trekking to Mt. Everest Base Camp with my eldest daughter in Nepal. Took ten days to hike up (you’re at 17,580 feet at the highest point—over three times the altitude of the “mile-high” city of Denver), and 3 days to hike back down (unless you’re like our group and someone gets food poisoning and has to be medevac-ed off the mountain—but…that’s a different story for a different time.)

It was a life-changing experience that pushed us to our absolute limits. It changed my world perspective, forever. (I blogged about our journey on my website if anyone wants more info)

USA TODAY bestselling author Janie Crouch writes what she loves to read: passionate romantic suspense. She is a winner and/or finalist of multiple romance literary awards including the Golden Quill Award for Best Romantic Suspense, the National Reader’s Choice Award, and the coveted RITA© Award by the Romance Writers of America.

Janie recently relocated with her husband and their four teenagers to Germany (due to her husband’s job as support for the U.S. Military), after living in Virginia for nearly 20 years. When she’s not listening to the voices in her head (and even when she is), she enjoys engaging in all sorts of crazy adventures (200-mile relay races; Ironman Triathlons, treks to Mt. Everest Base Camp) traveling, and movies of all kinds.
​
Her favorite quote: “Life is a daring adventure or nothing.” ~ Helen Keller.

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Cross Breed / Elizabeth’s Wolf by Lora Leigh-Reviews & Giveaway

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CROSS BREED / Elizabeth’s Wolf (Breeds #23 & #3) by Lora Leigh-Reviews, Excerpt & Giveaway

 

 

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 25, 2018

It’s been over a decade since she was introduced as an unforgettable eight-year-old in Elizabeth’s Wolf. Now all grown up, Cassie is unique among the Breeds as a Coyote/Wolf mix. She has long known that her mate was somewhere out there, but he’s stayed frustratingly out of sight and beyond her senses. Cassie has decided to make her move and her mate is ready to make his. The Breed world will be rocked to its foundation as dangerous secrets are revealed.

•••••••••

REVIEW: CROSS BREED is the twenty –third instalment in Lora Leigh’s contemporary, adult BREEDS erotic, paranormal romance series focusing on a government experiment that went horribly wrong. This is coyote/wolf/human hybrid Cassie Sinclair, and coyote hybrid / Council enforcer Dog’s story line. CROSS BREED can be read as a stand alone but for backstory and cohesion, I recommend reading the series in order as Cassie’s story began in book three Elizabeth’s Wolf (see review below) wherein we were first introduced to the powers of a then eight year old child whose abilities were far more than anyone could have imagined.

SOME BACKGOUND: Trying to create the ultimate warrior, genetic scientists combined animal DNA with human embryos resulting in a species that has been feared and tortured since their inception. With the increase in natural conception of cross-breed species, not only have the Breeds, but humans have become wary of the powerful results.

Told from several third person perspectives including Dog and Cassie, CROSS BREED focuses on the relationship and mating between coyote/wolf/human hybrid Cassie Sinclair, and coyote hybrid / enforcer Dog-a mating and relationship that began years before. Six years earlier Dog knew, a then eighteen –year old Cassie Sinclair to be his mate but the young woman wasn’t yet ready to be claimed, a claiming that would be troublesome and life-threatening for everyone involved.

Cassie Sinclair is considered the ‘breed princess’, a protected cross-breed of unknown powers with the knowledge, comprehension and the ability to ‘know and see’ that which she should not, and could not have known. Early in their story, Cassie loses some of her strong personality traits but quickly recovers when their relationship is threatened by an outside source. Dog is considered a traitor to the Breeds, working with the Council to control his own kind, a position that has placed our hero in the direct line of fire. But Dog refuses to step away from the woman he loves until threats of a different nature advance on our story line couple.

The relationship between Cassie and Dog is fated; a mating destined by hormones and animal attraction; a lifetime alliance dependant upon nature and DNA. For years Dog has known Cassie to be his mate but the Breeds view Dog as a threat to their existence contrary to what Cassie and others know to be true. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic, aggressive and intense.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and familiar secondary and supporting characters as Cassie and Dog’s mating is called into question. From the first Leo, to the Breed primals or Prime Leaders, Dog and Cassie’s relationship will be tested and threatened in more ways than one.

CROSS BREED is an erotic, sexy, heartbreaking and intimate tale of fate and love. The premise is revealing and dramatic; the characters are strong, capable and spirited; the romance is provocative and energetic. Dog is the perfect mate for our story line heroine- a mate that is willing to do anything to protect the woman he loves.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

_____________

ELIZABETH’S WOLF
(Breeds #3)
by Lora Leigh
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, paranormal, romance

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date 2005 / Rerelease January 2018

Re-Release : January 2, 2018

Special-Forces soldier Dash has all but given up his will to live until an innocent letter from a little girl brings him back to life. Cassie writes to him every week, strengthening his resolve to recover from the devastating loss of his unit. But when the letters suddenly stop arriving, Dash instinctively knows Cassie and her mother are in critical danger.

Elizabeth and her daughter are on the run from a dark and bloody past that refuses to let them go. The stakes are too high for her to fall for this dangerous man who’s just walked into her life, but now more than ever she needs help.

Saving his mate and her daughter calls Dash’s beast to the forefront and transforms the lone wolf into an alpha protector–he becomes Elizabeth’s wolf.
Special-Forces solider Dash has all but given up his will to live until an innocent letter from a little girl brings him back to life. Cassie writes to him every week, strengthening his resolve to recover from the devastating loss of his unit. But when the letters suddenly stop arriving, Dash instinctively knows Cassie and her mother are in critical danger.

Elizabeth and her daughter are on the run from a dark and bloody past that refuses to let them go. The stakes are too high for her to fall for this dangerous man who’s just walked into her life, but now more than ever she needs help.

Saving his mate and her daughter calls Dash’s beast to the forefront and transforms the lone wolf into an alpha protector–he becomes Elizabeth’s wolf.

•••••••••••••

NOTE: This is a reread of a book I first read back in 2008. The publisher has re-released Elizabeth’s Wolf in advance of Cassie’s story line-Cross Breed.

REVIEW: ELIZABETH’S WOLF is the third instalment in Lora Leigh’s contemporary, adult BREEDS erotic, paranormal romance series. This is Special Forces soldier and Wolf Breed Dash Sinclair, and Elizabeth and her seven-year old daughter Cassie Colder’s story line. ELIZABETH’S WOLF can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion as there is a continuing premise throughout.

SOME BACKGROUND: Lora Leigh’s paranormal Breed series focuses on a government experiment that went horribly wrong. Trying to create the ultimate warrior and weapon, scientists combined animal DNA with human embryos resulting in a species that has been feared and tortured since their inception. Hoping to prevent their exposure, the Breeds are hunted, tortured, tested and destroyed by the very people who created them. This is not a series about animal shifters, but a series about humans created with animal DNA.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Dash and Elizabeth) ELIZABETH’S WOLF follows the building relationship between Special Forces soldier and wolf Breed Dash Sinclair, and human Elizabeth Colder. Elizabeth and seven year old Cassie Colder are on the run. With the recent murder of Elizabeth’s abusive husband, Cassie was forced to watch her father die, and now someone is hunting the mother and daughter duo, and our heroine has no idea as to the reason why. When a grade-school project finds Cassie in communication with a wounded Special Forces soldier, Elizabeth is unaware how her life is about to change. Enter Dash Sinclair, Wolf Breed enforcer, and the man with whom Elizabeth will fall in love. What ensues is the building relationship between Elizabeth and Dash, and the potential fall-out as the Breed hierarchy and Dash hunt for the people responsible for the attack on Elizabeth and Cassie’s lives.

Like all of Lora Leigh’s BREED books, ELIZABETH’S WOLF is an erotic romance story line with graphic scenes of sexual aggression, and animal like sexual behavior. Lora’s excessive use of a certain four-letter word is troublesome but like many authors Lora’s style will change throughout the series.

Dash Sinclair has never found a mate, and is unaware of the animal-like tendencies during mating that may create some problems and difficulties claiming the woman that calls to his heart. Once again, as the series develops, each animal characteristic will become evident as the author offers up the true nature of the beast.

The world building continues to focus on the search for a number of the missing Breeds thought to have escaped the government compounds. With each successive instalment there is more background information, and Breed features and characteristics revealed.

Cassie, as we will discover, is a special child who talks to spirits, specifically a ‘fairy-like’ apparition that warns and directs Cassie throughout her life. This spirit will become more prominent as the heroine grows, playing an active role in Cassie’ book CROSS BREED.

ELIZABETH’S WOLF is an action packed, exciting, and revealing story line that sets-up many of the upcoming instalments. If you are a fan of the paranormal romance, Lora Leigh’s BREED series is worth the price of admission.

Copy supplied by Netgalley / Own a copy

Reviewed by Sandy

 

Dressed in gray cotton lounging pants and a matching camisole, Cassie sat back in her chair, the remains of dinner almost nonexistent. The steak, loaded potatoes, salad and yeast rolls had seemed far too much for her to finish when Dog unloaded the bags that were delivered.
Now replete, all she had to do was fight back the distracting arousal beginning to build inside her for just a while longer. She could feel a sense of imperative warning awakening as well. That warning had begun before the attack, though. It had begun the night her sister Kenzi’s fear and panic had reached out to her.
It wouldn’t be easy for her sister; she’d lost the foster parents who had sacrificed so much to protect her, only to ultimately lose their lives. And now she was having to finally face the parents she’d been kept from.
The threads of knowledge were dangling in her mind; she could feel them, sense them. They were all connected somehow; she just wasn’t certain how, because that sense of impending warning still brewed inside her senses.
Though she and her father never spoke of it, as Cassie had matured, her underlying paternal scent had begun emerging. It was faint because of the Coyote genetics she possessed, too faint for most Breeds to detect, but it was still there. Somehow, the Council had acquired Dash Sinclair’s genetics and the scientist who performed the in-vitro procedure had created not just Cassie, but Kenzi as well.
“Here.” Dog moved to her side, laying a phone and tablet on the table as he took her plate. “Both are encrypted and secured. I’ve programmed my number into the phone, and both devices are equipped with a nano-ghost. They’re safe.”
Her brows lifted. Nano-ghosts were even harder to build and program than nano-nits. Their encryption and ability to access the Internet through the wireless connections around them without leaving a trail made them highly valuable.
“How did you manage a nano-ghost?” Turning her head, she stared up at him suspiciously.
“Because I’m good like that.” He grinned, flashing those canines he seemed so damned proud of.
Charm practically oozed out of him along with the arrogance and ever-present confidence. Unfortunately, that bad-boy charm only turned her on more. It had aroused her before he’d ever touched her. Six years of calls, messages, favors and ridiculous demands, and each time, she’d become more captivated by him. She’d always known he was part of the Council. She’d suspected he was a Coyote. And she’d still so rashly made that final bargain with him.
“I’m not certain how I feel about that,” she admitted. “You’re too damned good at the wrong things, Dog.”
Rising from her chair, she wondered what that said about her, that she was so willing to break Bureau rules by accepting such a device. Not that she would be caught doing so. Detecting nano-nits was hard enough. Nano-ghosts were impossible to detect unless the programmer knew exactly what she or he was looking for.
“I try.” His expression was both sensual and knowing. “But you have a little bad inside you as well, halfling. Admit it.”
A little bad? Sometimes she felt in danger of being possessed by instincts she had no idea how to handle. Jonas had once said he sensed the battle between the Wolf and the Coyote she was created from and he wondered which would win in the end.
She had walked away from the discussion, terrified that he had seen that inside her. That battle between the good and the bad.
“I can’t exactly deny it.” She lifted her shoulders negligently. “Those genetics aren’t exactly hidden. Any Breed can smell them.”
Dog was watching her too closely now, staring at her as though she were a puzzle he needed to put together.
“You think the Coyote genetics are responsible for the hellion you keep hidden?” A grunt of laughter followed the question. “I don’t think so.”
“There’s no hellion hiding, Dog.” Picking up the phone and tablet, she moved for her room. Both needed to go in the pack she kept ready in case she had to leave quickly. “Though sometimes, being nice takes work.”
Sometimes, she wanted to tear into those who allowed their hatred of her to mark their scent, who allowed their distaste to touch her. Sensing it and actually smelling it were two different things. Allowing another Breed to scent those feelings was considered the ultimate insult.
“And you think Wolf Breeds or felines are naturally nice?” He laughed at the idea. “Baby, you are so determined to deny the little Coyote crouched and ready to defend itself that you amaze everyone who really knows you. Breeds aren’t nice. Doesn’t matter their designation. Just as humans aren’t really nice. They just hide it from each other better.”
Crouched and ready to defend itself? No, the Coyote was crouched and straining to attack at all times. It was the impulse to slip up behind the guards outside her room and prove she was just as deadly as they. It was the need to snarl in fury at the enforcers who had worked beneath her when they questioned her every order, every decision. It was a lifetime of resisting the desire to run from the protection her parents put around her, to strike against her enemies with deceptive stealth.
How many times had she been forced to run and hide at Sanctuary with her brother while her parents faced danger? Her father had trained her to fight, he’d trained her to be deadly, but when she’d had to use that training, he’d stared at her with such disappointment, she’d cringed inside.
She agreed with Dog, though. Breeds weren’t always nice. Not when dealing with the enemy or the prejudice that poured from humans. But they weren’t cruel either. They took each situation as it came and dealt with it. They didn’t bemoan their lives or whimper over the blood they had to shed, but neither did they want to shed that blood.
The need to shed blood was becoming harder and harder for her to dismiss, though. 

 

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Lora Leigh dreams in bright, vivid images of the characters’ intent on taking over her writing life, and fights a constant battle to put them on the hard drive of her computer before they can disappear as fast as they appeared.

Lora’s family and her writing life coexist, if not in harmony, in relative peace with each other. Surrounded by a menagerie of pets, friends, and a son who keeps her quick wit engaged, Lora finds her life filled with joys, aided by her fans whose hearts remind her daily why she writes.

Lora Leigh’s publisher (Berkley)  is graciously offering a paper copy of ELIZABETH’S WOLF and CROSS BREED to ONE lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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Once Upon a Sure Thing (Heartbreakers #2) by Lauren Blakely-Review & Excerpt Tour

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ONCE UPON A SURE THING (Heartbreakers #2) by Lauren Blakely-Review & Excerpt Tour

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

ADD IT TO YOUR GOODREADS TODAY!

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 24, 2018

It’s so easy being best friends with a gorgeous, talented, charming guy.

Said no woman ever. Except me.

My friendship with Miller is a sure thing — he’s my plus one, my emergency contact, and my shoulder to lean on. He’s also been by my side helping me raise one helluva awesome kid who’s the center of my world.

Nothing will change our easy breezy friendship. Until I have the bright idea to convince him to start a new band with me.

Trouble is, our sizzling chemistry in the recording studio is getting harder to ignore, no matter how risky it might be.

***

Sing sexy songs with the woman you’ve been lusting after? Get up close and personal as you croon to the woman you’ve wanted for years?

Piece of cake.
NOT.

Performing with the sweet, sassy and insanely wonderful Ally is like one gigantic obstacle course of challenges for my libido. And my libido is one sexy love song away from kissing her senseless and taking her home.

But, I’m not a serious kind of guy, and she’s not a one-night-stand kind of woman. If we cross the horizontal line, we might risk our sure thing and end up out of tune forever..

•••••••••••••••

REVIEW:  ONCE UPON A SURE THING is the second instalment in Lauren Blakely’s contemporary adult HEARTBREAKERS erotic, romance series focusing on the Hart Brothers. This is Miller Hart, and YA audio book narrator Ally Zimmerman’s story line. ONCE UPON A SURE THING can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Ally and Miller) ONCE UPON A SURE THING follows the friends to lovers relationship between Miller Hart, and audio book narrator Ally Zimmerman. Ally Zimmerman has been the sole guardian to her eleven-year old niece Chloe following the death of her sister Lindsay five years earlier. Hoping to bring in a little more cash Ally sends in an audition tape knowing that if she is selected she will be singing with her best friend and the man with whom she has lusted after for close to six years. Enter Miller Hart, former teen idol, and one-third of the pop band the Heartbreakers. What ensues are Miller and Ally’s friends to lovers/ friends with benefits relationship that grows into something more.

Miller Hart has wanted Ally since the first time they met but Ally was about to become the mother to her sister’s six year old daughter, and Miller wasn’t about to disrupt their lives any more than it already had. Best friends for years, Miller was shocked when he discovered that Ally had considered singing a duet, a duet that was about to bring the Heartbreakers back together.

The relationship between Ally and Miller is a friends to lovers/friends with benefits romance that turns into something more. Ally isn’t willing to risk their friendship for a one-night stand but when Ally realizes she is falling in love, our heroine battles between head and heart, and pushes Miller back into the friends-only zone. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate; the palpable sexual attraction is heavy and hot; the back and forth banter is sassy and sexy, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

All of the Hart brothers play secondary and supporting characters including Miles, and Campbell and his girlfriend Mackenzie, as well as Mackenzie’s best friend Roxy Sterling. We are introduced to Ally’s eleven-year old niece Chloe; her best friend Macy; and Miller’s ‘little brother’, seventeen-year old Jackson who is filming a behind the scenes video of Ally and Miller, for his college application. Miles and Roxy’s story line is next in Once Upon a Wild Fling.

ONCE UPON A SURE THING is a story of family and friendships, falling love and happily ever after. The premise is realistic and spicy; the characters are spirited and lively; the romance is seductive and provocative. ONCE UPON A SURE THING is a flawless and energetic story that will have you wanting more.

Click HERE for sandy’s review of book one -ONCE UPON A REAL GOOD TIME

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

~Ally~Miller holds open the hobby shop door for me. “After you, my warrior princess. I believe we have a castle to create.”

“Chloe left me a list of items to pick up, since she’s seeing her therapist.”

“Never miss a shrink visit, I say.” Miller stops in front of a remote-controlled helicopter display. “How are they going for her, anyway?”

“Good. She’s almost done with the appointments. She’s doing so well now, but it took a while,” I say, smiling as we go inside, proud of my girl.

“I’m glad she’s doing better. It’s all because of you.”

I wave off the compliment as we head down the aisles. Pom-poms and fabrics abound, nestled alongside scrapbook boxes and glitter glue, which cuddles with glitter guns and ribbons. I stop at an aisle bursting with silver ribbons, polka-dot ribbons, and ribbons with tassels. I scratch my head. “I don’t understand why there are so many ribbons.”

Miller leans in close and whispers, “The better to tie you up with, my pretty.”

A tingle spreads over my shoulders, surprising me, even thought I’m not surprised by his words. He’s a natural-born flirt, and I’m used to his naughty banter. It’s never directed toward me, per se. He’s just having fun. It’s Miller being Miller, like when we play Bananagrams and he tries to make as many naughty-sounding words as possible, like caulk and diphthong. “In that case, let’s make it a polka-dot ribbon. I can wear it with my famous polo shirts and ponytails,” I say, referring to the super-sweet style I wore when I sang online with my brother.

“Ooh, that makes it even naughtier, and it proves my point.”

“What’s that?”

He holds up a finger. “I have a hunch craft stores are frequented by the Fifty Shades crowd.”

I laugh. “DIY BDSM-ers?”

He wiggles his eyebrows. “Ribbons are for typing pretty wrists.” He circles his hand around my wrist, sending another unexpected charge through me. I do my best to ignore the sensation. He lets go quickly and leads me to an aisle of wooden frames, birdhouses, and, oddly enough, paddles. “Those paddles are not for school projects, I tell you.”

“Whatever are they for?” I ask, feigning innocence.

Miller mimes spanking my butt. Next, he gestures to the candle-making section. “Exhibit B that hobby shops are fronts for kinky sex clubs—just imagine all this wax dripping on bellies and butts tonight.”

“How on earth am I supposed to work on a project with Chloe now that you’ve put these thoughts in my head?”

He runs a hand lightly over my hair and says in his raspy baritone, “I suspect those thoughts were already there.”

Were they?Are they? Images scroll through my mind, mostly involving ribbons.

 


 

A #1 New York Times Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s hot, sweet and sexy. She lives in California with her family and has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs. With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than eighty times, and she’s sold more than 2 million books. In October she’ll release HARD WOOD, a sexy, standalone romantic comedy. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter!  laurenblakely.com/newsletter

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Wicked Wedding (Wicked Horse Vegas 3.5 / Left At The Altar #4) by Sawyer Bennett-Review & Excerpt tour

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Wicked Wedding (Wicked Horse Vegas 3.5 / Left At The Altar #4) by Sawyer Bennett-Review and Excerpt Tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 20, 2018

It all started with a wedding…

Well, three weddings, to be exact. The one that happened, the one that went up in flames, and the one nobody saw coming.

Andrew Collings has seen a lot of things living in Vegas. Hell, he’s done a lot of things. But one thing he’s never witnessed is a beautiful brunette, hitchhiking her way into the city, wearing a wedding dress. Until now, that is.

Brynne Adams is running away from a broken heart. She expected a lot of things from her wedding day but finding photos of her fiancé and maid of honor and best man in a compromising position wasn’t one of them. She most certainly never imagined that she’d end up marrying the handsome stranger that rescued her from the side of the road that day.

Andrew and Brynne’s quick nuptials may have been the result of a drunken joke, but they soon realize that love can be found in the most unlikely of places if you just stop and take a chance.

* Wicked Wedding is the fourth book in the LEFT AT THE ALTAR series in a collaboration of six New York Times Bestselling Authors: J. S. Scott, Ruth Cardello, Raine Miller, Sawyer Bennett, Minx Malone, and Melody Anne.

•••••••••

REVIEW: WICKED WEDDING by Sawyer Bennett is the fourth instalment in the multi-authored contemporary, adult LEFT AT THE ALTAR erotic, romance novella series, and a stand alone in the author’s Wicked Horse Vegas series focusing on the members of an exclusive $ex club in Las Vegas. This is microbiologist and scientist Andrew Collings, and dentist Brynne Adams’ story line. Andrew, Dane and Avril were first introduced in Sawyer Bennett’s Wicked Envy. You do not have to have read Wicked Envy  to follow or understand Wicked Wedding.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Andrew and Brynne) WICKED WEDDING follows the quick building relationship between microbiologist and scientist Andrew Collings, and dentist Brynne Adams. A few hours after the Vegas wedding of his best friends, Caterva BioTech Industries business partners, and former sex partners Avril and Dane Hawthorne, Andrew finds himself, on the side of the desert road, picking up a wayward runaway bride, who is desperately trying to put miles between herself and the man she thought she had loved. Discovering, via text and picture, that her business partner and fiance, had been carrying on a threesome affair behind her back with fellow dentist and partner, Brynne takes off on foot for places unknown. With nothing better to do for the night, Andrew makes Brynne an offer she did not refuse. What ensues is the quick Vegas wedding between Andrew and Brynne, and the potential fall-out as Andrew’s lies of omission destroy Brynne’s heart, once again.

The relationship between Brynne and Andrew is quick to develop. From a roadside rescue to marriage to a long distance love affair, Andrew discovers that he wants something more than a marriage of convenience but a happily ever after. Brynne never thought she would find her own happily ever after on the side of the road but Andrew’s lies of omission about his past find our heroine walking away from the man with whom she had fallen in love. The $ex scenes are erotic and intense but I take issue with the use of a certain four-letter word I dislike in my romance story lines-erotic or otherwise.

WICKED WEDDING is a sexy, sassy and seductive story line about two people who find love and forever when and where they least expect to. The premise is provocative and entertaining; the romance is seductive and hot; the characters are energetic, spirited and strong. WICKED WEDDING is a decadent and edgy story line from the pen of Sawyer Bennett.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews of the Wicked Horse Vegas Series
Wicked Favor
Wicked Wish
Wicked Envy
Wicked Wedding
Wicked Choice

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

NOTE: The excerpt is intended for mature readers 18+ due to strong language.

Let me prop the door open and I’ll carry you over the threshold,” I tell Brynne as I press the keycard against the magnetic reader.
She giggles, a sound I normally find grating on a grown woman, but on Brynne it’s charming. Her cheeks are flushed, and her eyes are still sparkling with energy.“Well,you are very Thor-like, so a girl would be crazy to refuse to be carried over the threshold by her husband.”
That’s right. I’m her husband, but let’s rewind just a bit to detail how this all went down.
It took me exactly fifteen minutes and three phone calls to set things up, just as I promised her.
The first call was to the nicest, swankiest Vegas chapel that I could find with a Google search. I was advised we’d have to obtain a license at the Las Vegas Marriage Bureau for the low price of seventy-five dollars, and I wasn’t surprised in the least to learn it was open twenty-four hours a day on the weekends. I was able to arrange a limousine to pick us up, as well as an explosion of flowers within the chapel itself. When I gave my credit card number to the woman, I told her to go crazy on decor, but I specifically requested white calla lilies for the bride bouquet because Brynne told me those were her favorites.
The second call was to a jeweler where I was able to purchase two very simple wedding bands in gold. It’s a detail I probably could have ignored considering we both knew this was just for fun, but fuck it. I’m rich, which means I have the ability to make this as nice as I can for Brynne.
The third call was to my attorney, who explained annulment laws and assured me it was a fairly straightforward process. I’d have to institute the action—called a complaint—and if Brynne waives service, we can present our annulment request to the court to be approved after twenty days. It wasn’t immediate, but twenty days was nothing in the grand scheme of things.
By the time we took a limo to the marriage bureau, stood in line for about thirty minutes with other like minded folks, and then made our way to the chapel, we’d sobered up quite a bit.
“You sure you want to do this?” she asked me just before we went in.“I mean… it was a fun notion when we were a little more buzzed.”
“Hell yes,” I’d told her with a devilish grin.“Mostly so we can send a picture to the whore and the asshole.”
Her laugh was sparkling and beautiful and just a little evil, which made her infinitely more attractive to me.“It’s all in good fun with no risk,” I’d added on to assure her.
So we went in, both of us grinning like fools during the ceremony. It felt fake, because it was fake, but in some respects, it’s the most real thing I’ve ever done. Because what we were doing had real purpose. It was to give Brynne and her glorious wedding dress a moment to shine.
It became even more real when the minister—who was not dressed like Elvis, but was very dapper in a dark gray suit with an old-fashioned cravat tied at his neck—told us in a very cultured voice,“You may kiss the bride.”
Fuck.
I hadn’t thought about the kiss.
I mean, I’d thought of kissing her because she’s sexy and vibrant and smiling despite the fact she was shit on hard today. But I hadn’t thought about the“wedding kiss”. Because even though this is all fake, somehow a man giving us formal permission to put our mouths together to seal our marriage vows makes it very fucking real.
There was no hesitation. When my lips touched hers and she gave a tiny huff of pleasure, I realized I wanted to consummate this fake marriage very badly.
I did not, however, know if Brynne felt the same. Because today would probably go down as the worst and weirdest of her life, I wasn’t going to push. Instead, I took her out for a radically expensive late dinner and then we hit a popular jazz club where we listened to music.
And then it happened.
A slow song was played. A bluesy number people just sort of sway to, and I asked her to dance with me.
She accepted.
It was Brynne who kissed me. Slid her delicate fingers into my hair, went to her tiptoes in her gray tennis shoes with teal-blue accents, and pressed her mouth to mine. My mind reeled, and my cock started to twitch to attention as we swayed and kissed. The words were forming in my mind on how best to invite her into my bed without sounding like an opportunistic douche, but then it didn’t matter.
She pulled her mouth from mine, relaxing and tipping her head back to see me.“If we have sex tonight, does that ruin our chances of getting an annulment?”
I had no fucking clue what the answer was. It had never crossed my mind I might actually get the chance to fuck her, so I didn’t ask my attorney.
“Not that I know of,” I hedge. At least I didn’t flat-out lie to her.
“Good,” she said with a smile.“Let’s go to my hotel room.”


 

Since the release of her debut contemporary romance novel, Off Sides, in January 2013, Sawyer Bennett has released more than 30 books and has been featured on both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists on multiple occasions.

A reformed trial lawyer from North Carolina, Sawyer uses real life experience to create relatable, sexy stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From new adult to erotic contemporary romance, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.

Sawyer likes her Bloody Marys strong, her martinis dirty, and her heroes a combination of the two. When not bringing fictional romance to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to a very active toddler, as well as full-time servant to two adorably naughty dogs. She believes in the good of others, and that a bad day can be cured with a great work-out, cake, or a combination of the two.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | BOOKBUB | AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | INSTAGRAM

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Christmas on Mistletoe Lane by Annie Rains-Review, Excerpt & Interview with the Author

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CHRISTMAS ON MISTLETOE LANE (Sweetwater Springs #1) by Annie Rains-Review, Excerpt & Interview with the Author

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About the book: Release Date September 25, 2018

‘Tis the season for a fresh start . . .

It’s the start of the holiday season in the North Carolina mountains, and the air is fresh and crisp and filled with promise. After the devastating loss of her job in the big city, the small town of Sweetwater Springs feels like heaven to Kaitlyn Russo. She’s inherited her grandparents’ charming (if a little rundown) bed and breakfast, and it’s just the new lease on life she needs. Only “heaven” comes with a catch-and a handsome and completely infuriating one at that.

After what he hopes will be a quick trip, Mitch Hargrove wants nothing more than to put his hometown in the rearview mirror. But his plans get derailed when he learns he’s now half-owner of the Sweetwater B&B. The fact that he’s given only two months to make the inn a success is a huge problem, but it’s his pretty-and incredibly headstrong-partner who’s the real challenge. With the holiday fast approaching and a grand re-opening looming, will Mitch keep running from the ghosts of Christmas past . . . or will he realize the true gift he’s been given?

•••••••••

REVIEW: CHRISTMAS ON MISTLETOE LANE is the first instalment in Annie Rains’ contemporary, adult SWEETWATER SPRINGS romance series focusing on the small town of Sweetwater Springs, North Carolina. This is interior designer Kaitlyn Russo, and retired US Marine Mitch Hargrove’s story line.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Mitch and Kaitlyn) CHRISTMAS ON MISTLETOE LANE focuses on the building relationship between interior designer Kaitlyn Russo, and retired US Marine Mitch Hargrove. The recent death of her grandmother Mable pulled Kaitlyn Russo to the small town of Sweetwater Springs, North Carolina where our heroine inherited her grandmother’s beloved Sweetwater B&B, an inheritance that came with a questionable caveat. Enter retired US Marine Mitch Hargrove, one-time B&B caretaker and friend to Henry and Mable Russo, and the new co-owner of the Sweetwater B&B. A two month ‘obligatory business arrangement ‘ in order to inherit or sell the B&B finds our couple working together to make the small hotel into a thriving business. What ensues is the building relationship and romance between Kaitlyn and Mitch, and the potential fall-out as Mitch struggles with memories of the past, and the perceived sins of a teenaged boy.

Mitch Hargrove wants nothing to do with Sweetwater Springs, a town that brings too many fractured memories of long ago. Aside from him mother, there is nothing and no one that calls to his heart. Preparing for a security assignment in the new year Mitch is surprised to discover that Ms. Mable has ‘arranged’ a two-month assignment of her own. Kaitlyn Russo was a successful New York interior designer but a designer whose career was destroyed by a professional fall-out and the accusations of a celebrity extraordinaire. Hoping to restart her life Kaitlyn is shocked when she is forced to work alongside a man who wants nothing to do with the Sweetwater B&B. If they cannot find a way to work together, the B&B will be sold, and everything will go to charity.

The relationship between Mitch and Kaitlyn begins as a forced business arrangement, an arrangement neither one is happy to oblige. Mitch’s plans do not include running a run-down B&B, and Kaitlyn hopes to rebuild her grandmother’s once-successful business. The sexual attraction between Kaitlyn and Mitch is palpable and immediate. The $ex scenes are intimate, passionate but mostly implied.

We are introduced to the colorful and charismatic people and places of Sweetwater Springs including attorney Jacob Garrison; police chief Alex Logan; Mitch’s mother Gina Hargrove, and aunt Nettie, and longtime friend Tucker Locklear; Fudge Shop owner Dawanda; bookstore owner Julia Kent; Kaitlyn’s best friend and journalist Josie; as well as a number of Sweetwater B&B guests including graphic designer and biker Paris. I am definitely hoping to read a happily ever after for Paris.

CHRISTMAS ON MISTLETOE LANE is a sweet and sexy story line; a small-town romance focusing on two people who lives are interrupted by a meddling but well-meaning old lady. The premise is entertaining, engaging and endearing; the characters are dynamic and lively, especially the B&B guest; the romance is tender and dramatic as Mitch continues to pull away giving mixed signals with every encounter. A wonderful holiday read, CHRISTMAS ON MISTLETOE LANE is a great start to the holiday season.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

NOTE: The excerpt has been provided by the publisher

 

“So,” the lawyer clapped his hands together, “congratulations, you two. Looks like you’ll be business partners.”
Kaitlyn straightened. “I’m sorry. What?”
“Mable left you half of the Sweetwater B and B,” he told her and then looked at Mitch. “And you the other half. I’m sure you know the Russos thought of you as a grandson, Mitch. They were very proud of your service as a military police officer.”
Kaitlyn’s eyes darted between the two men. “Excuse me, Mr. Garrison, but I was under the impression that I was the new owner.”
“You are. Along with Mr. Hargrove.” Mr. Garrison pointed at the papers in front of him. “Says so right here. Under one condition that your grandmother spelled out in no uncertain terms.”
Kaitlyn’s head was spinning. “Condition?” she asked.
Mr. Garrison nodded. “That’s right. The condition is that you and Mr. Hargrove must run this place together for the first two months after signing these documents.”
“I love Mable but no way am I staying in Sweetwater Springs for two months,” Mitch said flatly.
Kaitlyn shot him a scornful look. “This was my grandparents’ business. We can’t just let it go.”
“I hate to break it to you but this place has been declining for years,” Mitch said. “Mable rarely had a full inn. I say we save ourselves the trouble and forfeit now.”
“We are not forfeiting,” Kaitlyn snapped between gritted teeth. She didn’t care how big or attractive Mitch Hargrove was—and he was big and attractive—she’d lost too many fights lately. She was fighting for this B&B with every ounce of strength she had. “Is there any way to get around the legal terms?” she asked. “So I can run the B and B and Mr. Hargrove can go on his merry way?”
Mr. Garrison frowned. “I’m afraid not. The will is detailed. Mable was insistent that you two work here together. Leaving the inn to the both of you was her final attempt to revive this old place.”
Mr. Garrison angled himself to look at Kaitlyn. “Mable was proud of how creative you are. She said you could turn menial things into magic.” He turned back to Mitch. “And she said you could fix just about anything.” Mr. Garrison’s gaze flitted between them. “She knew it would take the talents of both of you combined. “So,” Mr. Garrison said on an inhale, “do you accept or not?”
“No,” Mitch barked at the same time that she said, “Yes.”
Kaitlyn folded her arms across her chest. How dare he even consider refusing her grandmother’s final wish. “We’re not giving up on this B and B.”
“This inn is a money pit. We’d be fools to go into business together.” Mitch shook his head. “And I don’t know about you but I have a life to get back to. Two months of trying to avoid the inevitable isn’t in my plans.”
“I have a life,” Kaitlyn shot back. Albeit one that seemed to be in shambles lately. Apparently, Grandma Mable had been struggling too. How had Kaitlyn not known her grandmother was under so much financial strain? Not that Kaitlyn could’ve helped. All she’d really had of value when she’d driven down from New York to the North Carolina mountains was hope, and even that was dwindling fast. 


 

 TRC:  Hi Annie and welcome to The Reading Café.

Annie:  Hi! Thank you so much for inviting me today!

 TRC: Congratulations on the recent release of CHRISTMAS ON MISTLETOE LANE

Annie: Thank you! I’m very excited about this release! I really hope readers enjoy this story!

 TRC: We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

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Annie: Yes, I’m a wife and mother of three kids, ranging in age from 4-10. I also have a full-time job, so all my writing is done in the wee hours of the morning. I love coffee, reading (romance and women’s fiction), and going to the beach. I also enjoy a good rainstorm. 

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Annie:I fell in love with reading at an early age. I always admired the authors of what I was reading and wanted to be just like them. I think that was my biggest influence. Just loving books and the people who wrote them, and wanting to emulate them.

 TRC: What challenges or difficulties did you encounter writing and publishing your first novel?

Annie: The first several novels that I wrote were never published. It was a long, hard, learning experience for me. Each book made me better and brought me closer to publication though. The challenge was continuing to believe in my dream and finding the time to invest in making it happen.

 TRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise of CHRISTMAS ON MISTLETOE LANE and the Sweetwater Springs Series?

Annie: The premise is that the hero and heroine, Kaitlyn and Mitch, are two strangers who have inherited a bed and breakfast. Together they must run the inn for two months or they forfeit it to charity. Kaitlyn is all-in, but Mitch needs some convincing to stay in the hometown he never planned on returning to.

 TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?

Annie: I’m in love with the town of Sweetwater Springs. I want to stay there indefinitely so I’m hoping there will be quite a few more books. As of right now, there are 3 full length novels and two short stories planned.

 TRC: Will Paris get his own story ???

Annie: Nothing is planned for Paris yet, but it’s possible ☺

 TRC: From where did you get the idea for CHRISTMAS ON MISTLETOE LANE?

Annie: It started with my hero, Mitch. He has a tragic backstory that I knew about from the beginning. It’s the reason he never wanted to return to his hometown. From there, I created a compelling reason to bring him home.

TRC: What kind of research/plotting did you do, and how long did you spend researching /plotting before beginning CHRISTMAS ON MISTLETOE LANE?

Annie: I created a vague outline with characters and goals prior to starting and then dove in. I find that the plot changes as I write. I also don’t know what I need to research until it’s on the page, so I research as I go. I needed to research the mountains of NC and how to run a functioning bed and breakfast, among other things.

 TRC: There is a fine line between romance, erotic and erotica fiction. What do you believe are the differences? And where should the author draw the line?

Annie: I don’t write erotic or erotic fiction so I can’t really speak on it. I don’t think there’s a line though. I feel like each author must make that choice for themselves. How far do they feel comfortable going? Likewise, each reader must decide what heat level they prefer to read.

 TRC: What was the most challenging scene to write?

Annie: The black moment, where all is lost, is always, always, always the hardest for me. It has to be done right to gut the reader and make them feel all the emotions. If they don’t, they won’t care if the hero and heroine get back together at the end.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Annie: I think a great cover is key. At least it is for me as a reader. I’m first attracted to the book based on the cover and/or the author. Then I read the blurb and if that’s good, I buy the book. A cover reveals so much, including the tone of the story.

 TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Annie: The characters are in the driver’s seat. I like to think I write their stories, but they’re in control, lol. I’m just along for the ride!

 TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Annie: Pulling the reader into the storyline is definitely key! I think to do that, an author has to create likeable, relatable characters that readers fall in love with. Readers have to feel for these characters in order to care if they get their hearts broken. I think, as authors, we all do our best in trying to do this. It’s not easy. I know that if I love a character and care about them, and if I’m crying as I’m writing their stories on the page, then hopefully my readers will too.

 TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the storyline direction? Characters?

Annie: I don’t listen to music while I’m writing, but I do when I’m plotting a story. I love to make a soundtrack for my books to listen to and get me in the right mood for the story.

 TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

Annie: I’m not sure. I guess that authors live glamourous lives. When I’m in author mode, I’m in my pajamas and tucked away in a quiet office, usually during the hours when most are sleeping. I spend the rest of the day running around and doing other things for my day job and my family.

 TRC: How should authors measure a book’s success?

Annie: Speaking for myself, I measure success by how well my book is received. I love to hear from my readers and know that they enjoyed a book. That’s success to me. I want to give my readers an escape and make them feel a wide range of emotions.

 TRC: What is something that few, if anybody, knows about you?

Annie: Hmmm. That’s a hard one! I guess most people don’t know that I’ve always wanted to be an author, but romance wasn’t my first love. It was suspense and horror.

 TRC: Who is your favorite author (living or dead)?

Annie: Favorite author, hands down, is Nora Roberts. Not just because of her awesome books, but because she’s such an inspiration to the writing and romance community. I’ve seen her speak in person several times and I always walk away in awe of her. She’s absolutely amazing!

 TRC: On what are you currently working?

Annie: Right now I’m editing book 3 in my Sweetwater Springs series. It’s due in November and then I’ll start writing a short story for the series.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food
Steak.

Favorite Dessert
Bananas.

Favorite TV Show
The Handmaid’s Tale

Last Movie You Saw
Infinity Wars

Dark or Milk Chocolate
No milk.

Secret Celebrity Crush
Dwayne Johnson, The Rock!

Last Vacation Destination
Denver, Colorado

Do you have any pets?
A dog named Carter.

Last book you read
Kristan Higgins’ On Second Thought.

TRC: Thank you Annie for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of CHRISTMAS ON MISTLETOE LANE. We wish you
all the best.

Annie: Thank you so much for having me! This was fun!

 

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Uncontrollable (Beyond Human #3) by Nina Croft-a review

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UNCONTROLLABLE (Beyond Human #3) by Nina Croft-a review

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

ABOUT THE BOOK : Release Date September 24, 2018

Quinn Sutherland, second in command of the Tribe, a group of powerful telepaths, has always been certain of who and what he is—one of the good guys. All he wants is to keep his friends safe—no easy feat when everyone in the world is after them. While on a rescue mission, he meets a mysterious FBI agent, who appears to know a lot about them, and seems to want the same thing he does. But her assignment could literally mean the death of him…

When Melody Lyons is inducted into the Federation’s elite Time Control Unit, it’s the pinnacle of her ambitions. Only when she’s sent back to the twenty-first century to eliminate a group of rogue time travelers, she never guesses she’ll fall for a man who died two thousand years ago… Quinn awakens emotions she hadn’t known existed, and for the first time, her loyalties are tested.

••••••••••

REVIEW: UNCONTROLLABLE is the third instalment in Nina Croft’s paranormal, sci-fi, post apocalyptic romance series focusing on a class of supernatural humans known as the Tribe-descendants from a group of people discovered, over 150 years earlier, by an expedition to the Mountains of the Moon (Congo Free State of Africa). This is Tribe member Quinn Sutherland, and Special Agent Melody Lyons’ story line. UNCONTROLLABLE can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order for backstory, history and cohesion. There is a continuing premise throughout. There is a prequel short story-NO MORE LIES-that introduces the premise behind the series concept. On that note, NO MORE LIES can be found in the multi-authored anthology THE TELEPATH CHRONICLES originally released in 2014.

SOME BACKGROUND: The Tribe believe themselves to be descendants of a species of humans, found in Africa, blessed and cursed with obviously similar physical traits, and supernatural, psychic powers. Their discovery has led to the formation of the Conclave who have taken it upon themselves to experiment with the mind and the brain, destroying that which they do not understand. The Beyond Human series focuses on the Tribe’s struggle to survive against a human faction of government who have been tasked with hunting down anyone with psychic powers.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Melody and Quinn) UNCONTROLLABLE follows Special Agent Melody Lyons as she embarks on a two-thousand year journey into the past wherein she will meet the man with whom she will fall in love. Melody is a member of the Federation’s elite Time Control Unit, a special faction that governs time-travel, searching for the source of anomalies in space, an anomaly that has led our heroine to the year 2017, and the hunt for a man linked to the original Tribe. What Melody never expected was to find her future in the guise of Tribe member Quinn Sutherland, a man who battles between head and heart with his attraction to a woman he knows nothing about. What ensues is the building relationship between Quinn and Melody, and the potential fall-out as the past, present and future collides in an attempt to thwart or engage the Cataclysm that destroyed 95 percent of the Earth’s population in the year 2020.

Melody Lyons holds the secrets to Earth’s demise but sworn to not interfere in Earth’s history, our heroine struggles as she endeavors to uncover the truth about what happened and why. Quinn Sutherland knows that Melody is hiding a secret but something is blocking his ability to read her mind. Unable to resist due to his attraction to our story line heroine, Quinn will find himself two thousands years in the future caught between an interstellar war between species of unknown origins.

The relationship between Quinn and Melody is one of immediate attraction but Melody knows she doesn’t belong in the twenty-first century. From a time where physical and emotional comfort have but all been forgotten, Melody finds herself wanting and needing the pleasure and luxury of physical contact. Quinn isn’t about to question his attraction to a woman who could destroy them all but something about Melody tugs at his heart. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The colorful secondary and supporting characters are fun, flirty, knowledgeable and strong. Quinn’s group is desperate to rescue the man they have come to call friend and father, but the group has been targeted by more than one enemy.

The world building continues to focus on the members of the Tribe, as they search for more of their kind in an attempt to understand the who, what, how and why. As the Conclave continues to search and destroy, another enemy from the future is hoping to kill them all.

UCONTROLLABLE is a fast paced, action-packed, intriguing and intelligent time-travel story line of discrimination, specieism, betrayal and lies. The future has collided with the past ensuring total annihilation of the present- a butterfly ripple of epic proportions. Worlds at war are battling for power and control affecting everything in their path. The premise is thought-provoking, intense and imaginative; the romance is stirring; the characters are spirited and lively. Nina Croft’s BEYOND HUMAN is a dramatic, intimate and captivating series that will have you thinking twice about interfering in the space-time continuum.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Unthinkable
Unspeakable
Uncontrollable

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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American Asshole (Bachelor International #1) by Tara Sue Me-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

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AMERICAN ASSHOLE (Bachelor International #1) by Tara Sue Me-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

AMERICAN ASSHOLE
Bachelor International #1
by Tara Sue Me
Release Date: September 17, 2018
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.au / Amazon.uk /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Release Date September 17, 2018

He’s a self proclaimed bastard with a double helping of lying asshole.

Mia Matthews never thought much of big shot matchmaker Tenor Butler, but when she finds out he loaned her late business partner a quarter of a million dollars and no one told her, there aren’t enough four letter words to describe him. She’d like nothing more than to pretend Tenor doesn’t exist, but she owes him all that money, not to mention he’s hot as hell.

Tenor doesn’t see why it’s his fault Mia didn’t know about the loan. In fact, he thinks he’s being very magnanimous when he offers to forgive the loan if Mia closes her own matchmaking business and works for him for five years. But as he gets closer to Mia, he realizes two things: 1) he doesn’t want her as an employee and 2) she hates his guts.

When an old flame threatens them both, Mia and Tenor find themselves working together and are unable to ignore their mutual attraction. But it might be too late for these two romance experts to create their own love story

••••••••

REVIEW: AMERICAN ASSHOLE is the first instalment in Tara Sue Me’s contemporary, adult BACHELOR INTERNATIONAL romance series. This is independent businesswoman Mia Matthews, and businessman Tenor Butler’s story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Mia and Tenor) AMERICAN ASSHOLE follows the building relationship between independent businesswoman Mia Matthews, and businessman Tenor Butler. Upon the recent accidental death of her mother and business partner Dee Matthews, Mia discovered that her mother was in debt for a quarter of a million dollars to their main competitor Tenor Butler, the man with whom Mia would fall in love. Tenor will make Mia an offer that is too good to be true, an offer that places Mia in the direct line of contact. What ensues is the quick building relationship both personal and professional between Mia and Tenor, and the fall-out as Mia’s credibility is questioned by someone with the power to destroy her life.

Mia Matthews had no idea her mother, and thusly their own Boston matchmaking business-Cross My Heart- was struggling to survive. Having discovered her mother lied about the finances, Mia is surprised when Tenor Butler, self-proclaimed ‘a$$hole’, offers Mia a position with Bachelor International, Tenor’s widely successful and thriving business. Tenor Butler knows that to go against company policy risks everything and more but his attraction to Mia finds our hero offering Mia a position that places her within reach.

The relationship between Mia and Tenor begins acrimoniously; a business arrangement to pay off all debts but an arrangement that threatens both of their hearts. The $ex scenes and intimate and passionate, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Mia’s best friend, and former dancer Wren Prescott, as well as Tenor’s legal council Piers Worthington. Wren’s story line is next in Roman Rouge.

AMERICAN ASSHOLE is a quick read; a story of betrayal and heartbreak; an emotional tale about one woman as she comes to terms with the loss of everything, and one man who battles between right and wrong. The premise is entertaining; the romance is seductive; the characters are intelligent and strong. My only complaint is the title-I dislike the title, and I am disappointed as this was not the original designation. I see no other explanation than shock value, something I believe cheapens the entire novel.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

“I have to be honest, Mia. As much as I’m attracted to you, you and I can never happen.”

I wasn’t sure why I just lied to her. I probably didn’t sound very convincing, because Mia froze for a brief second before she continued eating. She took her time chewing and swallowing her bite of pancake.
“Okay.”
That was all she said. Okay. My proclamation didn’t seem to bother her a bit. I was shocked. I thought she’d push back or argue with me. Anything. But the calm, cool, and collected way she continued to eat her breakfast told me one of two things:
Either she wasn’t attracted to me at all, which implied I’d read her all wrong or…
She thought I was completely filled with horse shit.
I was more inclined to go with the second option. I was, after all, a matchmaker and there was no way possible I could have been that wrong about the signals she was throwing my way the night before.
And if option two was correct, she didn’t believe a word I’d just said. Not that I did either.
I cleared my throat. “Can we at least pretend that I meant what I said?”
She gave me a sultry grin. “You’re the boss.”
That shouldn’t have made me hard. It really shouldn’t have. But damn…
“Did you sleep okay last night?” I asked. Maybe a change of subject would help.
Help what? I didn’t know.
“I did. And if I didn’t say it before, thank you for everything you did.”
“No need to thank me, Mia.”
I wasn’t sure she would thank me if she knew how much I’d enjoyed holding her during the night or how I’d spent a lot of the night battling my erection.
We fell into silence as we finished eating our breakfast. We would start meetings soon and we had plans to continue business through lunch. But tonight I had plans.
Plans that didn’t involve Benjamin. Meetings. Or anything remotely similar to behavior my lawyer would approve of.
Which made me wonder why I even spoke that lie about us never happening. Maybe I should have worded it differently. Much differently.

FOLLOW: Website / Facebook / Twitter

Tara-Sue-Me-

Tara Sue Me is the New York Times bestselling author of the Submissive series, including The Enticement, The Training, The Dominant, and The Submissive. She lives in the southeastern United States with her family, two dogs, and a cat.

 

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