New Release~Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

Release date: March 9th 2021
Series: The Brown Sisters #3

Publisher: Avon
Purchase: Amazon | B&N
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Blurb:

In Act Your Age, Eve Brown the flightiest Brown sister crashes into the life of an uptight B&B owner and has him falling hard—literally.

Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong—so she’s given up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It's time for Eve to grow up and prove herself—even though she's not entirely sure how…

Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry—and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car—supposedly by accident. Yeah, right.

Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen—and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore—and it’s melting Jacob’s frosty exterior.

About the Author

Talia Hibbert is a USA Today bestselling author who lives in a bedroom full of books. Supposedly, there is a world beyond that room, but she has yet to drum up enough interest to investigate.
She writes sexy, diverse romance because she believes that people of marginalised identities need honest and positive representation. Her interests include beauty, junk food, and unnecessary sarcasm. She also rambles intermittently about the romance genre online.
Talia self-publishes via Nixon House and is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan at Handspun Literary.

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Book Spotlight~Risky Encounters by Shane Morgan (me)

Hey there! Just doing a spotlight on my most recent release!

Release date: February 9th 2021

Series: Risks & Betrayals Duet #1
Purchase: Amazon
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Blurb:

One unforgettable night forges a connection steeped in passion and danger.

It started as a dare that led to a steamy kiss.
Trisha Hartman never expected to end her birthday night-out throwing herself in the path of a bullet to save a man she doesn’t even know.

Alexander Westerfield is blown away by a fiery moment with a beautiful stranger. Considering she hurried off right after, he convinced himself the woman had no further interest. Then she does something quite heroic that causes him to desire her more.

The chance of a romance proves to be difficult when threats arise at every turn, and exposing the culprit behind the plot seems impossible. But after several attempts on Xander’s life, doubts start to set in, and he wonders if he may have placed his trust in the wrong person.

*Note: This is not a standalone. This book is part of a duet and it ends on a cliffhanger. So keep that in mind if you dislike those but still want to read the book.

~Teaser~

My feet carry me forward.

Neither of the men notices my approach.

I'm about to interrupt their conversation, but the incoming SUV catches my attention as a gloved hand reaches out the back window.

I instantly spot the dark object.

A gun.

It's aiming at blue-gray eyes.

"Get down!" I scream, hurrying to him.

I grab his jacket.

A loud pop rings in the air as we tumble together.

Frantic cries bellow around us.

Tires screech as the vehicle speeds off.

My breathing is erratic while lying on top of the man I don't know, yet I just risked my life to save his, possibly because of an epic kiss.

A kiss that clearly robbed me of my damn senses.

About Shane Morgan (me lol)

In case you didn't know, I'm also a self-published author of YA/Adult Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, and Suspense. I currently live in Rhode Island with my husband, and I spend my days blogging, writing, reading, listening to music, and watching movies.

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February Wrap-Up~Mini Reviews

These are all the books I read in February!

Release date: November 3rd 2020
Publisher: Warm Hues Creative
Purchase: Amazon
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My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Blurb:

In my defense, I wasn't the one who messed up.

And if that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have run into him the first time, in the first place.

But then there was the second time, in the second place.

And then the third time, in the third place.

Then the fourth... you get it, right?

I really wasn't trying to get involved with him like that, but the happenings kept happening, and well... what had happened was...

~MINI REVIEW~

It's The Chase For Me: A Heights Story was quite enjoyable. January frustrated me at times, but overall, it's an entertaining short story. I'm loving these books by Ms. Jones!

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Release date: February 14th 2021
Purchase: Amazon
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My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Blurb:

Boring. Invisible. Pretty for a plus size girl. Those were all the things I felt about myself, thanks to my chosen career as an accountant and society’s depiction of the perfect female. For once, I wanted to be something, no someone, different. So, I booked a trip to Vegas for my birthday. Then, walks in Soul Matthias, treating me and my body as anything but ordinary. He lit a fire inside of me. However, it wasn’t real.

Player. Bad boy. High risk. That’s what the blogs depicted me as. That’s what baseball owners banked on to lowball my contract extension. I didn’t care about social media, but I definitely cared about my money. I had to get my act together. Then, struts in Alexa Livingston. A breath of fresh air, someone completely different than what I had ever been used to. But what we had wasn’t real. It was just a marriage contract. Or was it?

~MINI REVIEW~

Short and fun read!

I liked both main characters, and the plot was intriguing. It's a great short story if you're in a funk and looking for a romance that's unconventional and quick.

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Release date: December 21st 2020
Purchase: Amazon
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My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Blurb:

My picker is off. I always fall for the bad boys, the players, the men with "red flag" written all over their gorgeous faces. I should've learned my lesson after having my heart eviscerated into tiny, unrecognizable pieces. But no, not me. That would be way too simple, and my life is nothing but.

Luca Fiore is Manhattan's Prince. He's sex in a suit personified, and he's also my stepbrother. I've moved back to New York, and he's offered me a place to crash until I find a place of my own. What could possibly go wrong?

My subconscious screams, "EVERYTHING!"

With his piercing gray eyes, sharp jaw, and dark hair, Luca makes me weak in the knees. And I would gladly get on my knees for him.

Five years ago, I left home with a broken heart and a lifetime worth of sins. Now, I'm back with a naïve hope that I can make things right. How I expect to do that when I have no intention of confessing my sins remains to be seen. One thing is for sure. I have to stay away from the one person who was why I left home in the first place — the man who once called me his Achilles. His flower. His secret. His stepdaughter.

I'm not the good girl in a love story. I don't deserve a happily ever after. I have secrets on top of secrets on top of secrets. I've sowed, and I've reaped, and something tells me karma isn't done with me yet.

~MINI REVIEW~

What an emotional rollercoaster!

These characters are flawed with a capital F, and I liked that. This story is well-written, intriguing, and full of crazy moments. This is my first experience with Tia's work and it certainly won't be the last.

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Release date: August 14th 2020

Series: Rose & Thorns #2

Publisher: Warm Hues Creative
Purchase: Amazon
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My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Blurb:

As a rose abandoned in the desert, she's made a vow - she'll never go back to the way things were... a promise that was easier to keep before a thorn showed up. (This is not a book centered around a love story.)

~MINI REVIEW~

Christina C. Jones has easily become a favorite author!

I really liked the first book and so I wanted to continue the series. Once again, very interesting. I'm so curious about the Garden though. Would love a book about that point in time and what went down with all the roses and the thorns.

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Release date: January 2nd 2021

Publisher: Foster & Black
Purchase: Amazon
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My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Blurb:

I was barefoot, sobbing, running for my life. But the men hunting me made one mistake: they chased me into *his* woods.

Cal Whittaker. Big, gruff and gorgeous, he’s made his home in the heart of the forest and has barely spoken to another person in six years. He deals with the men chasing me with a brutal efficiency that hints at a dark past. I should be scared...but when I look into his eyes, I feel a soul-deep longing I can’t explain. And the way he looks at me, like he just wants to push me up against a tree and tear my clothes off...

He offers me shelter on his smallholding. I’m used to the big city but I’ll have to learn a whole new way of life: a cow for milk, a wood stove for warmth and no one but the two of us for miles in any direction. I learn that Cal’s carrying a guilt that won’t let him get close to anyone...but neither of us can fight the attraction and in his tiny cabin, it’s impossible to keep our distance.

Even in the forest, though, we may not be safe. My escape has threatened a conspiracy so vast, so evil, that the men behind it won’t stop until they’ve silenced us. They know where we are. And they’re coming.

~MINI REVIEW~

Thrilling!

I thoroughly enjoyed this woodsy and adventurous romance. Add the intensity of suspense and it makes the story even more exciting. I'm definitely reading the books that follow this one because I want more of Cal and the other men.

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Review: Say You Still Love Me by K.A. Tucker

Release date: August 6th 2019
Publisher: Atria Books
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Life is a mixed bag for Piper Calloway.

On the one hand, she’s a twenty-nine-year-old VP at her dad’s multi-billion-dollar real estate development firm, and living the high single life with her two best friends in a swanky downtown penthouse. On the other hand, she’s considered a pair of sexy legs in a male-dominated world and constantly has to prove her worth. Plus she’s stuck seeing her narcissistic ex-fiancé—a fellow VP—on the other side of her glass office wall every day.

Things get exponentially more complicated for Piper when she runs into Kyle Miller—the handsome new security guard at Calloway Group, and coincidentally the first love of her life.

The guy she hasn’t seen or heard from since they were summer camp counselors together. The guy from the wrong side of the tracks. The guy who apparently doesn’t even remember her name.

Piper may be a high-powered businesswoman now, but she soon realizes that her schoolgirl crush is still alive and strong, and crippling her concentration. What’s more, despite Kyle’s distant attitude, she’s convinced their reunion isn’t at all coincidental, and that his feelings for her still run deep. And she’s determined to make him admit to them, no matter the consequences.

I don't even know where to start this review. This is the seventh book I've read by K.A. Tucker, my first that is not romantic suspense, so I went in not knowing what to expect from her straight contemporary style. But from beginning to end, I was utterly enthralled. Say You Still Love Me is a fun and beautiful story filled with silly, youthful moments and emotions that will surely leave you wanting more.

At first, the business aspect was a bit hard for me to get into with how the story opened, but I understood the significance of seeing Piper in her element and how hard she worked at her father's company. She also wasn't doing any of it by force. She truly loved her job and everything it entailed. So that was interesting in itself, along with the fact that she matured into a strong woman who knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to speak her mind.

Kyle was a fun and wild guy back at camp; full of mischief and enjoyed adventures. Understandably, he tamed those characteristics a tad to make something of himself as a man. With everything involving his family, he had a lot to prove, mainly to himself. And I got why he'd feel undeserving or out of place when it came to Piper's world and her status. But I liked how throughout the story, since meeting at camp, she focused on their moments together, instead of financial situation.

I think what I love the most about the story is the intensity between the two, and how life can send you on all these different paths only to eventually lead you back to someone you are meant to be with. I believe in second-chance love, especially if the timing wasn't right in the beginning, but you've reached a place where things are now not exactly perfect, but steady. And despite the horrible situation that happened back at camp, it actually caused both Piper and Kyle to grow from that and develop a better understanding of each other and the love they feel.

Again, a beautiful story that will make you swoon.

About the Author

K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge.

She is the USA Today bestselling author of 17 books, including the Causal Enchantment, Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series, He Will Be My Ruin, Until It Fades, Keep Her Safe, and The Simple Wild. 

Her books have been featured in national publications including USA Today, Globe & Mail, Suspense Magazine, First for Women, and Publisher's Weekly. She has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance 2013 for TEN TINY BREATHS and Best Romance 2018 for THE SIMPLE WILD. Her novels have been translated into 16 languages.

K.A. Tucker currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto with her family.

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Re-release Spotlight~Spend the Night by Elizabeth Lee

We're celebrating the re-release of SPEND THE NIGHT by Elizabeth Lee! One-Click yours today!

Adult Contemporary Romance/Suspense

Free with Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2IKhzmL

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2KXTqLa

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2vqaZsx

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2W3tE9j

BLURB:
Welcome to The Wellesley-Crawford...

Hannah Wellesley has spent her entire life running the halls of her family-owned hotel, the infamous and opulent Wellesley-Crawford. Noted as one of the city's richest, most luxurious hotels in Chicago, the WC is what Hannah has devoted her life and career to.

The hotel’s Annual Masquerade Gala is the event of the year, but this year Hannah’s evening involves more than just handing out masks. After a mysterious rendezvous in a secluded stairwell with an irresistible and unidentifiable man, Hannah becomes consumed with discovering the identity of her masked lover. Just as she’s about to give up the search, two men blow back into her life with drastically different intentions. They both have secrets and uncovering them will lead Hannah down a darkly dangerous path.

Drawn to both of the intriguing bachelors, she’ll have to determine which one is after her heart and which one plans to do her deadly harm before it’s too late.

*Spend the Night is a re-release. It has new bonus content and a new cover.

About the Author

Born and raised in the middle of a Midwestern cornfield (not literally, that would be weird), I’ve spent my entire life imagining stories. Stories where the right guy always gets the right girl, first kisses are as magical as they are on the big screen and anything is completely possible if you believe.

Although this journey began years ago, it recently took on a whole new life. After years of devouring hundreds of Romance, YA and New Adult novels, I had an epiphany... I should write a book. And I did it!

If I’m not reading, writing, enjoying drinks with my amazing group of girlfriends or chasing around a sarcastically funny kid, I’m probably watching television shows that were created for teenagers, while my husband teases that I’m too old to watch them.

Connect with Elizabeth:

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Spotlight~Only Want You by Shane Morgan 😊😊

Release date: March 15th 2019

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Purchase: https://amzn.to/2TnoDv2

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Synopsis:
Evelyn Harris.
Twenty-eight-year-old assistant project manager.

Has a great life.

Loving (nosy) family. 

Supportive best friends.

The problem? Her love life is going nowhere. After a few failed relationships, laughable blind dates, and online dating fiascos, Evelyn is about ready to give up on love and commit entirely to her career.

Things change when she meets James.

James Westbrook.

Thirty-two.

Wants to be taken seriously as an architect.
But a scam involving a former friend has rocked his reputation, both professionally and personally. Plus, he’s avoided commitment after a broken engagement two years ago.

When the opportunity to work again finally comes around, James feels grateful. He puts an end to occasional hookups and focuses on rebuilding his career.

He never anticipated meeting Evelyn.

These two were on the verge of saying ‘screw it’ to love. But with so much spark between them, fate becomes harder to fight the more time they spend together at work.

Will James and Evelyn give this office romance a chance or will fear destroy their possible happiness together?

About the Author

Shane Morgan is the author of several novels, including Unresisting, Impossibly Love, Finding Julian, and The Right Song. She lives in Rhode Island with her husband. Aside from writing, Shane enjoys listening to music, watching movies, and traveling.

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~EXCERPT~

Evelyn finished her wine and set the empty glass next to her laptop. “Thanks for inviting me over. Surprisingly, I feel more relaxed here than I do at the office.”

Then stay.

“Glad you’re comfortable.”

Our eyes remained linked for a while, until I lowered mine to her full lips, swallowing hard as the memory of kissing them rushed me.

I blinked the vision away, wanting to respect Evelyn’s wishes and her job.

“More wine?” I offered, standing.

She shuddered a tad and looked at her empty glass. “No, um, I should get going.”

“Oh. All right.”

Please stay.

Evelyn closed her laptop, packing it away into her bag. I brought the empty glasses into the kitchen.

She stood as I walked back to the desk. “Thank you for dinner and for a different space to work.”

“You’re welcome.”

I could see apprehension within her fluttering eyes. She was more nervous than ever.

Evelyn gnawed at her bottom lip as her eyes slowly glanced over me. Then she squeezed them shut as if fighting back her emotions. I was tempted to step closer.

It’s okay. You don’t have to fight.

“I should go,” she said again, opening her eyes.

Please don’t leave, my mind shouted.

“Okay,” I said instead and walked her to the door.

She lifted her hand to open it, hesitated, but then opened it at last.

What was going on inside that head of hers?

Was she as conflicted as I was?

“See you tomorrow,” she said softly, barely meeting my gaze before she stepped out of my apartment.

“See you.”

Evelyn shut the door behind her.

A sigh of regret gushed from my lips. Seconds later, I turned to go shower, but urgent knocking made me halt in my steps. I spun around and quickly opened the door.

My brows shot up. “Evelyn?”

Review: Not Her Daughter by Rea Frey

Release date: August 21st 2018
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Emma Grace Townsend. Five years old. Gray eyes. Brown hair. Missing since June.

Emma Townsend is lonely. Living with her cruel mother and clueless father, Emma retreats into her own world of quiet and solitude.

Sarah Walker. Successful entrepreneur. Broken-hearted. Abandoned by her mother. Kidnapper.

Sarah has never seen a girl so precious as the gray-eyed child in a crowded airport terminal--and when a second-chance encounter with Emma presents itself, Sarah takes her, far away from home. But if it's to rescue a little girl from her damaging mother, is kidnapping wrong?

Amy Townsend. Unhappy wife. Unfit mother. Unsure she wants her daughter back.

Amy's life is a string of disappointments, but her biggest issue is her inability to connect with her daughter. And now she's gone without a trace.

As Sarah and Emma avoid the nationwide hunt, they form an unshakeable bond. But her real mother is at home, waiting for her to return--and the longer the search for Emma continues, Amy is forced to question if she really wants her back.

Emotionally powerful and wire-taut, Not Her Daughter raises the question of what it means to be a mother--and how far someone will go to keep a child safe.

*Received a paperback copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A truly incredible story! I was invested from start to finish, so intrigued with the characters and how this intensity would wrap up. It's still so fresh in my mind that I can't even find the words to write a sensible review. For starters, let's see if I can get my thoughts out clearly on Sarah deciding to take Emma. 

Okay, you could say Amy and her husband deserved it, they weren't the best parents and Amy was rather abusive, both physically and verbally towards Emma. The poor child was depressed and I could see her growing up to be a broken adult. And I believe during that first sighting of Emma with her family and observing the ill-treatment from Amy, something clicked in Sarah and she could instantly relate, having experienced a similar treatment from her own mother as a child. Perhaps it was fate or just mere coincidence, but spotting Emma again led Sarah into thinking she had to do something to help the little girl. Should she have gone as far as to kidnap Emma? I don't think so. That's wrong in itself, and Sarah based her judgment on the fact that the child protective system was messed up and she didn't believe they'd save Emma from her unfit mother. Whatever the reasoning, kidnapping is never the answer. Personally, I would have reported Amy after seeing the way she treated her daughter and let the authorities handle the situation. But I completely understood Sarah's intentions and saw how the abandonment from her own mother had affected her and possibly caused her to take Emma in hopes of giving her a better life. Also, the immediate bond between Sarah and Emma was quite adorable and so opposite of what both girls had with their mothers. You just couldn't stay mad at Sarah for doing what she did when the two were enjoying each other so much, and I would constantly question myself as to whether or not the kidnapping would change Amy into becoming a better and more loving mother should Emma return home.

Staying on Amy a bit, it was hard sympathizing with the woman. While I'm not a mother, I know how tough it is for mothers and how they are simply doing the best they can. But my gosh, Amy had some seriously deep rooted issues that she took out on her daughter. She seriously needed to see a psychologist. I don't want to give too much away as to how terrible her behavior and attitude toward life in general was, but she pretty much took a lot out on Emma and acted as if the five-year-old girl was out to destroy her when she was, in fact, reacting to the abuse of her mother. And don't let me get started on the father. He was oblivious of a lot and never really stepped up. His attention was mostly given to their younger child so his actions toward the end were totally predictable. Amy often thought to herself how she didn't really want children, but I'm not sure if her marriage would have still worked out had they not been parents, not with the unaddressed issues she had coming into their relationship.

Back to Sarah. It was interesting seeing how much she gave up to save Emma. She initially seemed so career driven so I was a tad surprised. However, in the flashbacks to her relationship with Ethan, she'd often mention becoming a wife and mother. But I wonder if that had to do with the neglect she carried from childhood and desire to do the opposite for her own family? Whatever the case, I was hoping for closure for her and was delightfully fascinated when the opportunity arose. I'm not sure how I would have handled that but I commend Sarah for her strength in facing it. I also would have liked to know how the second encounter went but then the story might have become too stretched. 

As for how things turned out in the end, I honestly wasn't expecting that. I'd thought it a bit at the beginning of the story but felt like Amy would've changed somewhat to a point where she deserved a second chance. Either way, I was sort of left in limbo as to how I feel about the ending and had questions as to what would happen next. But I'm also contented with that and draw my own conclusions, for instance, what would Emma think about Sarah and Amy when she got older? Would she hate Sarah for kidnapping her? Things like that will stay with you after reading this book. Kudos to Rea Frey on such an incredible and intense story. The writing is wonderful and consuming. You won't put this down once you've started, and you'll hate for it to ever end. I highly recommend!

About the Author

Rea Frey is the author of four nonfiction books. NOT HER DAUGHTER is her debut novel. When she’s not exercising, mothering, adulting, wifing, eating, or writing about herself in the third person, you can find her hard at work on her next book and ghostwriting for other people.

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