ARC Review: The Gypsy King by Devney Perry

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

ARC Review: The Gypsy King by Devney Perry

Gypsy King by Devney Perry
Series: Tin Gypsy #1
Published by Devney Perry LLC on 29th October 2019
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Pages: 404
Format: eARC
Source: the Author
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The former Tin Gypsy motorcycle club has everyone in Clifton Forge, Montana convinced they’ve locked their clubhouse doors and ripped off their patches. Everyone but Bryce Ryan. There’s more happening at the club’s garage than muscle car restorations and Harley rebuilds. Her instincts are screaming there’s a story—one she’s going to tell.
As the new owner of the small town’s newspaper, Bryce is hungry for more than birth announcements and obituaries. When a woman is brutally killed and all signs point to the Tin Gypsies, Bryce is determined to expose the club and their leader, Kingston “Dash” Slater, as murderers.
Bryce bests Dash match after match, disappointed her rugged and handsome opponent turns out to be an underwhelming adversary. Secrets are exposed. Truths defeat lies. Bryce is poised to win this battle in a landslide.
Then Dash breaks all the rules and tips the scales.
One kiss, and she’s fighting to save more than just her story. She’s fighting to save her heart from the Gypsy King.

Rating: 3.5+ stars (Almost but not quite 4 stars)

Lets do this again, I already wrote a review for this but unfortunately I broke my laptop so I couldn’t use it (its still broken so :///) which is why the reviews are late, I was hoping it would be fixed and I wouldn’t have to rewrite them but 🙁 anyways, I’ll update this review with the original one later on.

Whats its about: It’s about Bryce Ryan, the reporter we’ve met in the outpost. She’s smart, beautiful and strong. She left her tv anchor person job to come work with her father at their local newspaper. Bryce has always wanted to be a reporter, she longs to do investigative journalism and her curiosity and instincts are questioning the Tin gypsy motorcycle club’s recent closing down. Which leads to Kingston “Dash” Slater, the former leader of the club and now just the owner of an auto shop. Dash has left behind the club and all its illegal dealing and he’s much happier for it. This all changes of course when a murder charge against his father is bought up and Bryce is there to make things more complicated for him. Now the only way to get answer might be to work together.

What I liked: Bryce, I really liked her, I wanted her to get her own story when I read the outpost so I was very excited to read this and she didn’t disappoint. Bryce along with her strong side, also really longs for a family and her wanting to change her life from the lonely woman, away from her family and not doing what she really desired took some guts. Dash, I liked him as well. He had decided to change the clubs ways and to go the more legal way. I liked the mystery aspect, its not as big or twisted as I generally read in my romantic suspense but it made the book more interesting. I liked the chemistry Bryce and Dash had, it was pretty great. I always enjoy a bit of reluctant feelings about by enemy stories. I like the writing, the characters and the general plot line.

What I didn’t like: Overall if you look at the amount of time Bryce and Dash actually have spend together in the months following their first meeting, its only a couple of days…nearly not long enough for them to fall in love when all they did was focus on finding the culprit or having sex so the conclusion of the feelings felt rushed. I was hoping for more development in their relationship. I didn’t really understand why they didn’t go to the police in the later bit in the book, it kinda just felt like it was done for dramas sake but it didn’t make sense? Along with 1-2 more inconsistencies in the book, along with certain things not making sense and my feeling very confused after finishing it. I’m sure we will continue on in the next book but it just felt very baffling to not get a proper answer. The last few chapters just felt rushed and made the characters made some decisions that I felt they wouldn’t have in the earlier ones.

Overall, I liked the book, its just not my favourite from Devney Perry. I generally really like the characters and the storylines and feel satisfaction after finishing Devney Perry’s books which I suppose contributes to me rating this lower. I’m really looking forward to Isaiah and Genevieve’s book which releases next year.

Release Day: Calico Descending by Keri Lake

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Release Day: Calico Descending by Keri Lake

Calico Descending by Keri Lake
Series: Juniper Unraveling #2
on October 29th 2019
Pages: 297
Format: eARC
Source: the Author
Buy on Amazon US, Buy on Amazon UK, Buy on Kobo, Buy on itunes, Buy on B&N

In a world of suffering and brutality, she's the key to his humanity ...
I was fourteen when I was sold to the men in black uniforms. Too young to understand I served a purpose beyond that of the other girls they’d taken.
For the greater good.
Now, after four years in Calico, I’ve seen more death and suffering than during my days of surviving out in the Deadlands against the threat of Ragers and famine. I didn’t think this world could get any bleaker. Didn’t think it could take any more from me than it already had.
Not until I finally learned my purpose.
That same day, I walked the dark halls in the bowels of this hell, where the suffering is in silence, and ghosts of the dead whisper through the walls. A place where nightmares are real.
A place where I met my Champion—the most revered Alpha in S-Block—locked away in his dark cell.
For the greater good.
He’s their weapon, their only line of defense against the mistakes of the past: the mutations that could wipe out all of what’s left of us.
Me, I’m his whipping girl. His reward for good behavior. And his punishment for acts of defiance.
Calico Descending is the follow up book to Juniper Unraveling, a full-length dystopian post apocalyptic romance.
SERIES READING ORDER: Juniper Unraveling (Book 1) Calico Descending (Book 2) Kings of Carrion (Book 3)

Rating ~ 3.75 stars

Calico descending takes us back to the dark, dangerous and the dystopian world where zombies, human’s infected with viruses might not be the most dangerous and evil creatures out there, it might be the humans that seem to take joy in making other humans suffer in the all name of finding the cure. This time around, the story revolves around Calithea and Valdys, the prisoners in the Calico.

Calithea has been in Calico for the last four years, suffering and in pain as part of the alpha project. The book starts off with her meeting her campion and an alpha, Valdys. Calithea like all characters in the series, has been through a lot, she lost her mother and then her little sister. She hasn’t had any reason to hope to escape or even attempt one but this all changes when she meets Valdys.

Calithea is very interesting, she’s strong and even though she has been through so much and seen so much still somehow retains her humanity. She’s caring and loving for people even when they might not deserve it. We don’t get to see much of Valdys, but it is clear from what we do see, is he is willing to do anything for Calithea. We also meet the other alphas in the alpha project, Camdus and Titus.

It’s super easy to get lost into this world, its painful, gut wrenching and heart breaking. Often times I was like no no don’t do that. With some action, some romance and some topsy turvy curves to keep the reader interested. And of course Keri Lake’s writing is addictive.

Quibbles: the whole reason why the rating isn’t higher is because of the whole Camdus and Calithea aspect of the book. I didn’t like it at all and the more it went the more I dreaded anytime she was with him. I wish there had been some kind of warning or something in the blurb that suggested this aspect 🙁 This also meant that Valdys and Calithea had slightly less interactions and this interfered with my connection to them as a couple. Also feel like the book could have really benefited from having Valdys pov.

Overall, it’s a good instalment to the Juniper unravelling dystopian world by Keri Lake, its twisted and intriguing and dangerous. It’s just not my favourite book by her. I adore the world building and the complexities of this world and the glimpses we got of what’s more to come in the series makes me excited and am looking forward to the conclusion of Calithea and Valdys’s story.

For a chance to win a signed paperback + $15 Amazon gift card, visit Keri Lake’s Facebook page and check out the release day post pinned at the top of the page.

Facebook page >> http://www.facebook.com/kerilakeauthor

About Keri Lake

Keri Lake is a married mother of two living in Michigan. By day, she tries to make use of the degrees she’s earned in science. By night, she writes dark contemporary and paranormal romance. Though novels tend to be her focus, she also writes short stories and flash fiction on the many occasions when distraction sucks her in to the Land of Shiny Things.

She loves hearing from readers …

Blog Tour: Bishop’s Queen by Katie Reus

Bishop's Queen by Katie Reus
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Format: eARC
Source: the publisher

Return to the Endgame trilogy where blood is thick, but passion is thicker…
He doesn’t believe in fairy-tale endings…
They used to call Evan Bishop the golden boy. He had it all and was about to close the business deal of a lifetime, then marry the woman of his dreams. But everything goes to hell when a faceless enemy wants to destroy his family’s empire and see him dead. Except the bomb meant to kill him fails. He wakes up from a coma to find his face scarred and his brother missing and wanted for murder. Now that he’s damaged, he hides away from the world—including the woman he loves. He refuses to be a burden to her, so even though it destroys him, he sets her free.
She’s about to prove him wrong…
Isla MacDonald isn’t walking away from Evan just because he’s decided to shut her out of his life. He blames himself for the bombing that got her father killed and nearly killed him—but he’s wrong. After all attempts to see him fail, with a broken heart she tries to resume her life and take over her father’s firm. Though it’s not her dream, she wants to honor his legacy. But when someone tries to kill her—twice—she needs a bodyguard. To her surprise Evan steps up and insists on protecting her, putting on a show as the caring fiancé. But he won’t let her back into his life or into his heart. To have any chance at a future together, they’ll have to resurrect the past and stay alive long enough to expose the man determined to see them both dead.
Author note: This book can be read as a stand-alone, complete with HEA.
Books in trilogy: Bishop’s Knight, #1 Bishop’s Queen, #2 Bishop’s Endgame, #3

Rating~ 3.75 stars

Bishop’s queen is about Evan and Isla, the two people who were in love before the tragedy happened in the book 1 of the series, leaving Evan with physical and mental scars and him pushing away from everyone, including breaking off his engagement with Isla. Now with Isla in danger, Evan can’t help but stay close to her.

I quite enjoyed the book, though I do wish I had read the first book in the series, it would have made my connection to Evan and Isla stronger and would have given me an insight of how they were before the event. Regardless of that, I liked Evan and Isla together, though they Evan had broken off their engagement, it was very much obvious of how much they both still loved each other and Isla couldn’t care less about his scars. I also enjoyed the romantic suspense element to the book, it was done well to keep me interested in who might be the culprit.

Quibbles:I do wish however that we had gotten a bit more of the romance between Evan and Isla, since the suspense part of the book takes it away from romance a bit, I guess if the book had been longer it wouldn’t be an issue.

Overall, I enjoyed Bishop’s Queen, it had been sometime since I read a romantic suspense by Katie Reus and it reminded me why I enjoy her writing and her characters, they are just very easy to connect to and get lost in. I’m looking forward to reading the book in the series!

He leaned down, not sure what the hell he was going to do to cut her off. Kiss her? God, what was he thinking? He started to pull back, then she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yanked him down to her.

Her green eyes flashed in anger—and hunger—as her lips collided with his. What was she doing? What was he doing? He should pull away, but he couldn’t. Instead, he threaded his fingers through her thick auburn hair, cupping the back of her head as she plastered herself to him.

He loved the sweet taste of her, had missed her for far too long. Every morning he woke up, expecting to roll over and see her, but his bed was always empty. And cold. He’d ached for her in that hospital room, even as he was the one who’d kept her out. And he’d continued to ache for her once he’d been discharged. He simply couldn’t stop wanting her.

Needing her.

Without breaking the kiss, he reached behind himself and held his hand to the scanner. A second later, the door opened with a soft snick and then they were inside his place.

Though it wasn’t really his place, but a sparsely furnished rental with the basics and a killer view.

He wasn’t sure what they were doing, not really. He wanted to be friends with her, wanted her in his life, but he didn’t want to saddle her with him. And he really didn’t want her to have any regrets. “We should stop,” he rasped out, surprised he was able to talk at all as he pulled back, his breaths coming in hard and shallow.

She slid off his jacket and tossed it to the ground. “Should we?” Her tone was tart as she stared up at him almost defiantly.

Dammit. He couldn’t remember why they should stop as he looked into her bright eyes. He wanted her so much, had never stopped wanting her, loving her.

About Katie Reus

Katie Reus is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Darkness series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it.

However, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally graduated summa cum laude with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense.

Review: Beard With Me by Penny Reid

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Beard with Me by Penny Reid
Series: Winston Brothers #6
Published by Cipher-Naught on 16th September 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Young adult
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: the Author
Buy on Amazon US, Buy on Amazon UK, Buy on Kobo, Buy on itunes, Buy on B&N

‘Beard With Me’ is the origin story of Billy Winston and Scarlet St. Claire (aka Claire McClure) and is just the beginning of their epic love story.
No one is better at surviving than Scarlet St. Claire and making the best out of circumstances beyond her control is Scarlet’s specialty. In an apocalyptic situation, she’d be the last person on earth, hermitting like a pro, singing along to her CD Walkman, and dancing like no one is watching.
Scarlet is clever, Scarlet is careful, and Scarlet is smart . . . except when it comes to Billy Winston.
No one is better at fighting than Billy Winston and raging against his circumstances—because nothing is beyond his control—is Billy’s specialty. In an apocalyptic situation, he’d be the first person on earth to lead others to safety, overcome catastrophe, or die trying.
Billy is fearless, Billy is disciplined, and Billy is honorable . . . except when it comes to Scarlet St. Claire.

Rating ~ 3 – 3.5 stars

I have been waiting for Billy’s story since he was introduced in Beauty and the Mustache and we found out that the Winston brothers would be getting their own stories. Over the course of the series we have been getting glimpses of Billy and Claire so I was beyond excited to read their backstory in Beard With Me and how they met and what had happened to get them to be where they were today.

Onto the positives, it’s written really well as expected really, it’s Penny Reid. Theres so much heartbreak in this book. Both Billy and Scarlett have a very difficult life. The Winston’s have been through a lot of crap and their mother was truly lovely and it didn’t really help what we know that she dies in the future :/ I did like the more lighter moments (duh) bought on by Cletus because it stopped the book from too gloomy. I really want to see Billy and Claire get their happily ever after. This book really made me adore Billy more. I liked that we got to see the younger versions of our favourite characters even though it didn’t feel they were actually young…I also liked seeing Billy and Scarlett’s sweet moments.

I don’t know if it was because of those expectations I’d had for them for years or maybe its my issues with reading young adult stuff (i.e that I rarely read them because of the way they deal with stuff and all the wishy washy emotions and endless drama that seems to come with them but I digress) that while I enjoyed this book, I didn’t entirely love it for several reasons but I’ll state 3 bigger one here; while the characters are very much young adults, how they talk and interactive and their monologues don’t entirely suit that, I kept forgetting of how old they were because of the way they talked. Secondly because of the fact that they are both young adults, Scarlett 14 and Billy 16 respectively, it just made me feel squirmy at times reading their scenes together and then there was the Ben and Scarlett thing which was even more ://// because of how much more older he is too her. If they had been adults the age difference wouldn’t have mattered but they are not and Ben is an adult but Scarlett isn’t so. :/// It felt just unnecessary to have that, I didn’t like any of it which made it difficult for me to read, it just felt creepy because for a supposedly good guy him lusting after a 14 year old is gross and we know that Ben and Scarlett get married so it made it even more blegh. Lastly I would have really preferred if this was a novella instead of the whole length novel this is because I just so much of it could have been condensed or perhaps the flashbacks etc could have been saved and we could gotten all that in beard necessities. I’m probably alone in that but it would have been personally better for me to have that together as a whole. I don’t like misunderstanding storylines and all that that could really be solved in an afternoon, actually with just one proper talk so for this thing to have lasted for 2 decades is just sigh. Also wasn’t a fan of the whole Sam thing…so many parts of this book frustrated and angered me especially why they actually separated and don’t talk, it was just so typical and for some reason I’d thought it would be something more than that.

Having said that I will be reading their book when it comes out just have to moderate my expectations accordingly. Anyways I’m eagerly waiting for Billy to get his HEA.

Enter the giveaway for a signed paperback set of The Winston Brothers Series!

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About Penny Reid

SEX! It all started with sex, between my parents. Personally I don’t like thinking about it, but whatever works for you is a-ok with me. No judgment. The sex happened in California and much of my life also occurred in that state until I moved from the land of nuts (almonds), wine, silicon… boobs, and heavy traffic to the southeast US. Like most writers I like to write, but let’s get back to sex. Eventually I married and gave birth to 2 small people-children (boy-6, girl-4 as of this writing).

By day I’m a biomedical researcher with focus on rare diseases. By night I’m a knitter, sewer, lino block carver, fabric printer, soap maker, and general crafter. By the wee hours of the morning or when I’m intoxicated I love to listen to the voices in my head and let them tell me stories. I hope you enjoy their stories.

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Review: Archangel’s War by Nalini Singh

Archangel's War by Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter #12
on 24th September 2019
Pages: 480
Buy on Amazon US, Buy on Amazon UK

Wings of silver. Wings of blue. Mortal heart. Broken dreams. Shatter. Shatter. Shatter. A sundering. A grave. I see the end. I see. . .
The world is in chaos as the power surge of the Cascade rises to a devastating crescendo. In furiously resisting its attempts to turn Elena into a vessel for Raphael’s power, Elena and her archangel are irrevocably changed. . .far beyond the prophecy of a cursed Ancient.
At the same time, violent and eerie events around the world threaten to wipe out entire populations. And in the Archangel Lijuan’s former territory, an unnatural fog weaves through the land, leaving only a bone-chilling silence in its wake. Soon it becomes clear that even the archangels are not immune to this deadly evil. This time, even the combined power of the Cadre may not be enough. . .
This war could end them all.

*Spoiler Free*

LOVEEED IT!!

I know there were mixed reviews and opinions about the last book (which I didn’t read) but I honestly enjoyed it and was eagerly waiting for Archangel’s War and it really delivered. This is the 12th book in the series, seems it just started yesterday….

Archangel’s War starts of where Archangel’s Prophecy left off and ohh boy so much happens in the book. It’s truly an epic proportions of a ride. I cannot wait to see what happens in the guild hunter world next. Nalini Singh really brought her A-game to this book and it makes more excited see what are we gonna have next in store for Elena and Raphael and his seven.

There is a huge story progression that happens in this book, we see quite a bit of the prophecies and other things that have been teased for some while come into play. And more teasing of things to come. As I write this, I’m suffering from a huge book hangover and now going to started rereading the whole series again.

I will also say, its so very interesting how the characters, the immortals who were very complex of course but also remote have come such a long way from when we met them in Angel’s Blood. There was also a very good balance of action, romance and humour and intensity in the book to stop it from being doom gloom.

ALSO ELENA AND RAPHAEL are one of my all time favourite couples, especially after these two books (this is coming from someone who doesn’t like reading series about the same couples so its a pretty big thing for me, I still want more of them). Raphael is still very much an archangel but the way he loves Elena is just amazing and their love is truly swoon worthy especially in these two past instalments. Elena of course I love her and it makes me really happy to see how far she has come from the woman who had friends but was lonely and haunted by her childhood and it’s really nice seeing a kickass heroine getting the love she deserves and seeing her been loved by Raphael and her friends/family. Also I love the legion.

That is all, can’t wait for the next book!! Wonder if [redacted] will be the one to get his book next ?? @_@

About Nalini Singh

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Psy-Changeling, Guild Hunter, and Rock Kiss series Nalini Singh usually writes about hot shapeshifters and dangerous angels. This time around, she decided to write about a beautiful, charismatic guitarist with a dark past. If you’re seeing a theme here, you’re not wrong.

Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand, and is passionate about writing. If you’d like to explore her other books, you can find lots of excerpts on her website. Slave to Sensation is the first book in the Psy-Changeling series, while Angels’ Blood is the first book in the Guild Hunter series. Also, don’t forget to swing by the site to check out the special behind-the-scenes page for the Rock Kiss series, complete with photos of many of the locations used in the books.

Review: Team Player 2 Anthology

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Team Player 2: A Sports Anthology by Charleigh Rose, Ella Fox, Emma Scott, Ilsa Madden-Mills, Kate Stewart, Kennedy Ryan, Mandi Beck, Meghan Quinn, Rochelle Paige, Sara Ney, Teagan Hunter
on 20th September 2019
Genres: College Romance, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Sports
Pages: 1014
Format: eARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon US, Buy on Amazon UK

Our love of hot jocks is never-ending.
Muscular football players. Passionate tennis pros. Sexy soccer stars. All sorts of alpha hotties, on the field and off.
Have no fear! The team is back again, and this time...it's thicker. You'll get your sports romance fix with brand-new stories from eleven bestselling authors.
Need one last summer fix? Dive into this anthology.
*This anthology contains original, never-before-seen stories by the following authors: Mandi Beck, Ella Fox, Teagan Hunter, Ilsa Madden-Mills, Sara Ney, Rochelle Paige, Meghan Quinn, Charleigh Rose, Kennedy Ryan, Emma Scott, and Kate Stewart.

We still aren’t responsible for melted devices.

I was eagerly awaiting the release of Team Player 2 anthology, it has stories from 8 contemporary authors, some of whom I absolutely adore and some who are new to me.

Fast Break by Kennedy Ryan

4+ stars

This is Quinn and Ean Jagger’s book. Quinn who we met in Block Shot (book #2) and Ean who is the coach of August’s team (from Book #1). I really enjoyed this one, its pretty short but as everything with Kennedy Ryan its well written and she made me teary at the epilogue. All in all a pretty great short wish I could have a bit more time with a couple but its done really well for a short novella. We also get to see/hear about the other characters/couples from the HOOPS series which was a plus, especially if your are a fan of Banner. It’s a great little addition to the series!!

The Teaching Hours by Sara Ney

3.5+ stars

This was fun, cute! I haven’t read the Jock series so I didn’t know the characters from beforehand (which I think would have made it a better read for me) but it was also fine as a standalone. Hannah and Rex were cute, again I wish we had a bit more time with the couple but its was pretty rounded off as we got to see them from strangers to getting to know each other and then starting dating. Also Rex and his niece were so cute together.

**I will update this as I read other novella’s in the anthology**

About Ella Fox

Ella Fox writes like a woman possessed whenever she gets the chance! She is the author of The Hart Family Series, The Renegade Saints Series and The Catch Series.

When she’s not writing, Ella indulges the gypsy in her blood and travels the country. Ella loves reading, movies, music, buying make-up, reading Tmz, Twitter and pedicures… not necessarily in that order. She has a wild sense of humor and loves to laugh. Her favorite thing in the world is hanging out with her family and watching comedy movies.

About Emma Scott

Emma Scott is a bestselling author of emotional, character-driven romances in which art and love intertwine to heal, and in which love always wins. If you enjoy thoughtful, realistic stories with diverse characters and kind-hearted heroes, you will enjoy my novels.

About Kennedy Ryan

A Top 30 Amazon Bestseller, Kennedy Ryan writes about women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. Her heroes respect, cherish and lose their minds for the women who capture their hearts.

She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son. She has always leveraged her journalism background to write for charity and non-profit organizations, but enjoys writing to raise Autism awareness most. A contributor for Modern Mom Magazine and Frolic, Kennedy’s writings have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today and many others. The founder and executive director of a foundation serving Atlanta Autism families, she has appeared on Headline News, Montel Williams, NPR and other media outlets as an advocate for families living with autism.

About Meghan Quinn

Born in New York and raised in Southern California, Meghan has grown into a sassy, peanut butter eating, blonde haired swearing, animal hoarding lady. She is known to bust out and dance if “It’s Raining Men” starts beating through the air and heaven forbid you get a margarita in her, protect your legs because they may be humped.
Once she started commuting for an hour and twenty minutes every day to work for three years, she began to have conversations play in her head, real life, deep male voices and dainty lady coos kind of conversations. Perturbed and confused, she decided to either see a therapist about the hot and steamy voices running through her head or start writing them down. She decided to go with the cheaper option and started writing… enter her first novel, Caught Looking.
Now you can find the spicy, most definitely on the border of lunacy, kind of crazy lady residing in Colorado with the love of her life and her five, furry four legged children, hiking a trail or hiding behind shelves at grocery stores, wondering what kind of lube the nervous stranger will bring home to his wife. Oh and she loves a good boob squeeze!

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Instagram

About Sara Ney

Purveyor of all things witty & romantic, I love: iced latte’s, traveling, and bright, bold colors. On any given day, you can find me in my office, lovingly gazing at my bookshelf or shuffling my Bic felt-tip pen collection. I love hand writing letters, and sarcasm.

I live in the midwest, but “Will Write for Travel,” and believe everyone should follow their dreams, no matter how big or small. My favorite authors include Cindy Miles, S Walden, Suzanne Enoch, Tessa Dare (to name a few). I am a glutton for Historical, RomCom, Sports and MC romance.

One husband. Two daughters. Plenty of chaos.

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Instagram

Audiobook Review: Never Have I Ever by Lauren Blakely

Never Have I Ever by Lauren Blakely
Published by Audible Studios Narrator: Amanda Ronconi, Jason Clarke
Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
on 30th July 2019
Format: Audiobook
Buy on Amazon US, Buy on Amazon UK

What happens when two frenemies can't stop pushing each other's buttons? Find out in this tender, laugh-out-loud funny romance from number-one New York Times best-selling author Lauren Blakely, available in audio first!
Never Have I Ever been so infuriated by a man I wanted to kiss.
They say opposites attract, but I beg to differ. Combust is more like it. Because every single time I talk to Zach Nolan, I see red.
The too-good-looking, too-smart, too-effortlessly-charming single dad who works down the hall from me has turned getting under my skin into a sport. Call it the battle of wits between the wedding planner and the divorce attorney. Trouble is, when we’re forced into closer quarters, planning an engagement party for our best friends, I start to see his other sides.
And I fear I’m falling for the enemy.
***
I’m not out to make friends. My goals are simple -- fight till the end for my clients, and my family. The last thing I need is a vibrant, outgoing, snarky, and surprisingly big-hearted wedding planner to spend my precious free time with…except, watching Piper bond with my daughter just might break down the cinder block walls I’ve built around my heart these last few years. Second chances don’t come around for guys like me…or do they?

This is my first ever audiobook review! Last time I tired an audiobook was when it was just starting out and I didn’t really enjoy it and I stopped after hearing a few mins so I decided to give it another go and what do you know, I had a lot of fun. I will definitely be trying more audiobooks in the future. I think it was a safe bet to choose an authors books I enjoy and Lauren Blakely and the enemies to lovers trope was good choice to begin with. Onto the review…

Zach Nolan is widowed single dad of two amazing kids and a total ‘shark’ (his words) of a divorce attorney and Piper is a wedding planner slash whatever else you need on your big day girl. They met each other back in university, they have the same circle of friends so however much they wish they didn’t have to see each other, they do and then they started sharing a building which meant more interactions.

I loved Zach and Piper together; from their enemies, your existence annoys me relationship to sharing a work building to their budding romance to them falling in love, all aspects of their developing relationship were so much to fun to listen to. I think the narrators really did a great job at expressing the emotions in the voices and you know making them sound ‘real’. Also Amanda’s voice reminded me so much of Dianna Agron’s voice it was slightly ?? Honestly Zach and Piper were adorable together, even when they were bantering when they didn’t get along in the beginning. They made me smile.

Zach was a great dad, he’s trying his best. Even though he is a divorce attorney, he isn’t a guy that hates the institution of marriage or doesn’t believe in love, on the contrary he really loved his late wife. Piper on the other hand, has attended her fair share of marriages even before she become a wedding planner and while she doesn’t think she’d ever find someone or get married herself, she believes in the marriages she plans for. I liked how they had great friends and familial relationships. They weren’t isolated, even though they were both complete workaholics. I also really adored Zach’s kids, they were great, Lucy was a precious child. I loved seeing Zach and Piper interact with her. They had a lot of love to give, and were you know just good people, that you think deserve the best.

Overall, this was such a fun book to listen to, the protagonists, them as couple and their circle of friends made it all a worthwhile read. There is just the right amount of drama, angst, humour, romance and chemistry in Never Have I Ever and the narrators Amanda Ronconi and Jason Clarke did a great job at bringing Piper and Zach to life and the narration/voices they did for the other characters were distinct which was really nice as well. It entirely based onto the narrators that I would call this a very successful start of my audiobooks/audible journey.

Quibbles: Obviously this was my first audibook so I didn’t really know what to expect and how things in general go, so I’m a complete novice at this and so my quibbles will probably won’t mean anything to you but I just want to share my opinions on certain things; I didn’t like hearing them having sex, it creeped me out (thank fully the book doesn’t have that many), I didn’t understand why they had the actual male/female narrator use their use when they texted each other but not when they were talking to each other ? Is that normal ? It just felt weird, for them to use it for one thing but not the other. And it takes a long time to finish a book (which I guess can be a positive since I tend to gobble books up at times) but thats about it.

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About Lauren Blakely

Since self-publishing her debut romance novel CAUGHT UP IN US three years ago, Lauren Blakely has sold more than 1 million books. She is known for her sexy contemporary romance style that’s full of heat, heart and humor. A devout fan of cake and canines, Lauren has plotted entire novels while walking her four-legged friends. She lives in California with her family. With ten New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than fifty times. Her bestselling series include Sinful Nights, Seductive Nights, No Regrets, Caught Up in Love, and Fighting Fire as well as standalone romantic comedies like BIG ROCK and MISTER O, which were both instant New York Times Bestsellers. In the fall she’ll release WELL HUNG, another romantic comedy.

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Review: Hold My Breath by Ginger Scott

Hold My Breath by Ginger Scott
Published by Amazon Digital Services on 18th November 2016
Pages: 292
Format: Kindle
Buy on Amazon US, Buy on Amazon UK

Fractions of seconds can do lots of damage. One decision can ruin lives. A blink can be tragic. And loving a Hollister…can hurt like hell.
I would know.
They say the average person can hold their breath under water for two full minutes when pushed to the extremes. Will Hollister has been holding his for years. The oldest of two elite swimming brothers, Will was always a dominant force in the water. But in life, he preferred to let his younger brother Evan be the one to shine.
Evan got the girl, and Will…he got to bury all of the secrets. A brother’s burden, the weight of it all nearly left him to drown.
The daughter of two Olympians, my path was set the day my fingertips first touched water. My future was as crystal clear as the lane I dominated in the pool—swim hard, win big, love a Hollister.
My life with Evan burned bright. He gave me arms to come home to, and a smile that fooled the world into believing everything was perfect. But it was Will who pushed me. Will…who really knew me.
And when all of the pieces fell, it was Will who started to pick them up.
In the end, the only thing that matters are those few precious seconds—and what we decide to do while we still have them in our grasp.

My first book by Ginger Scott!!!! Astrid’s being telling me for years to read her books. However I’m just very selective about NA and especially NA’s that are contemporary and from new authors is something that I rarely do.

I really enjoyed this book though, maybe its sort of the mood I’m. And somehow I ended up reading too many books with deaths of loved ones and grief and sadness .

I really liked Will and Maddy together. They were childhood friends along with Will’s now dead younger brother Evan. Evan who was dating Maddy at the time of his death. Will and Maddy make each other

Will, poor man…he just trying too hard for everyone. For his family, for mistakes not his own. He’s drowning under the weight of responsibilities and feelings of guilt and just wanting to not let anyone down. When Will comes back into Maddy’s life, she isn’t happy…she has mixed feelings for the man that survived when his family, when her Evan didn’t. But Will was also her best friend and seeing him after years is difficult for her especially when its her last chance at the Olympics.

I was not a fan of Maddy’s father, wanted to punch the man. I also didn’t understand how Maddy’s parents who were said to be extremely close with Will’s parents and Will because of coaching at the camp/being friends with his daughter…didn’t bother being there for him after his parents deaths….they just left him, okay if Maddy didn’t want to see him doesn’t mean that they couldn’t have been there for Will.

Anyways moving on I loved Will. My heart really broke for him and Maddy, her love for Will made me love her. He’s strong in general but vulnerable in some aspects and I loved Maddy being strong for him then. She was there for him in a way no one could be. They made each other feel alive and took on each others pain and burdens. They were really great together. They had to go through through a lot to get their HEA but it was very rewarding.

About Ginger Scott

Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling and Goodreads Choice and Rita Award-nominated author from Peoria, Arizona. She is the author of several young and new adult romances, including recent bestsellers The Hard Count, A Boy Like You, A Girl Like Me, Cry Baby, This Is Falling and Wild Reckless.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. She has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for a hella long time. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns.

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Review: Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean

Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean
Series: The Bareknuckle Bastards #2
Published by Avon on 30th July 2019
Genres: Historical, Regency
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: the publisher
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The Lady’s Plan
When Lady Henrietta Sedley declares her twenty-ninth year her own, she has plans to inherit her father’s business, to make her own fortune, and to live her own life. But first, she intends to experience a taste of the pleasure she’ll forgo as a confirmed spinster. Everything is going perfectly…until she discovers the most beautiful man she’s ever seen tied up in her carriage and threatening to ruin the Year of Hattie before it’s even begun.
The Bastard’s Proposal
When he wakes in a carriage at Hattie’s feet, Whit, a king of Covent Garden known to all the world as Beast, can’t help but wonder about the strange woman who frees him—especially when he discovers she’s headed for a night of pleasure . . . on his turf. He is more than happy to offer Hattie all she desires…for a price.
An Unexpected Passion
Soon, Hattie and Whit find themselves rivals in business and pleasure. She won’t give up her plans; he won’t give up his power . . . and neither of them sees that if they’re not careful, they’ll have no choice but to give up everything . . . including their hearts.

Will preface this with saying I generally really love Sarah MacLean’s books and her writing. She is one of my favourite historical romance authors and I’ve reread some of book multiple times. I didn’t really enjoy the first one of the series, but I wanted give this series another shot. I think I’m in the minority of this one, my friends really seem to be enjoying this series.

What I loved: Henrietta ‘Hattie’ Sedley is a great character, she is rather unusual woman for her time period, she wants to gain control of her father’s business and so she embarks on the mission to do so with her Year of Hattie plan. She’s practical and brazen. She’s a go getter, she’s ambitious and I really liked that about her. Saviour ‘Whit’ Whittington is also a likeable guy, he’s a bastard son of a duke and known for his fighting abilities. He’s also not a very talkative fellow. I just didn’t understand how his reputation contrasted with how he is with Hattie.

I did also like them together. The banter, the couple, and the secondary characters were all good.

What I didn’t like: I’m not really a person who hates insta love in romance but it has to work, here it just didn’t for me.

Also the whole revenge part just left recycled from the last book which is where my enjoyment suffered a lot. I don’t know what exactly is missing in these books but with the added revenge only motivator and with me wanting my H/h wanting something to come about their way because of what they do themselves do, it left like a let down and then the end left very rushed.

I’m uncertain right now if I want to read Ewan’s story, Grace and Ewan show a lot of promise however so I’m conflicted.

Overall, it’s more or less a decent read, I just had higher expectations I guess. It does have it’s good parts and a lot of people seem to really enjoy this so do give it a shot and see for yourself.

About Sarah MacLean

Sarah MacLean grew up in Rhode Island, obsessed with historical romance and bemoaning the fact that she was born far too late for her own season. Her love of all things historical helped to earn her degrees from Smith College and Harvard University before she finally set pen to paper and wrote her first book.
Sarah now lives in New York City with her husband, baby daughter, their dog, and a ridiculously large collection of romance novels. She loves to hear from readers. Please visit her at www.macleanspace.com

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Review: Down to You by Jayne Frost

Down To You by Jayne Frost
Series: Sixth Street Bands #5
Published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform on 4th sep 2018
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 425
Buy on Amazon US, Buy on Amazon UK

She started from perfect.
A star who shone brighter than the rest.
But then fate took it all away.
Now she's broken. A beautiful song with a fractured beat.
But I'm still on the rise. Chasing a dream that she's already left behind.
If I'm lucky, I can find my redemption in the spotlight.
Destiny brought us together. Put her in my path.
It started with a road trip.
But somewhere along the line, it became a journey from here to there. Maybe she can help me.
Maybe we can help each other.
Maybe music is enough.
Maybe.
Every story deserves a soundtrack.
And ours is epic.
Down To You is a standalone, rockstar romance within the Sixth Street Bands Series. 18+ for adult situations.

I have been stalking people’s 5 star/favourites shelves to find new authors recently and I came across this, it was recommended me on GR as well and since I was still in the mood for contemporary plus enemies to lovers is like catnip to me. I want it as soon as I sniff it.

Victoria Grayson once lived a very charmed life which changed after the death of her husband and one of her best friends. The woman she is now is vastly different, just sort of being existing, mostly for her friends, work and family. Logan Cage on the other hand had an awful childhood, his mother’s death and his father being an asshole and awful father and human. The only thing he really cares about is his sister and his music.

Logan and Tori, man I really adored them together. Their lives regardless of the riches they have is very bleak, lonely and filled with grief.

I really loved Tori and Logon together, they interactions at first are filled with barely concealed animosity that grows in friendship and love. They go on a journey together and take you along the ride of them finding their HEA. Which is filled ups and downs, angst and heartbreak. I adored them together and individually. They had great chemistry, you could see them falling deeper and deeper for each other. They both become open not just with each other but their friends as well. They help each other become more open and become better and stronger people.

I liked that Rhenn wasn’t made to be a bad guy and Tori didn’t compare her love to him with Logan. She loved Logan, he made her feel alive again and even when it breaks her heart…she continues to love him. Logan is of course insecure about Tori’s feelings for him but ultimately he comes to realise she does love him for him. She’s it for him.

Logan probably wouldn’t appreciate it but he was just so cute at times with Tori, getting her cookies, teasing her, helping with her stretches and working with her with song writing. And Tori, really needed that, she needed someone to see her, not Belle the rockstar, part of the famous couple and not Tori, the manager of Twin Souls but Victoria. Who longed for a child, who was sweet, loved her family and was just so lost in her personal life but was strong in her career and had so much love to give.

I haven’t read the other books in the series, I was completely fine with the story (probably would have loved the book even more had I read them) so this can be read as a standalone. I’m looking forward to reading Miles story next which is out now!

Slight quibble aside of me wanting more Logan and Tori together since they spend quite a bit at the end separately and wanting more conversations between them. It was a very good read. On a very surface level it reminded me Steal by Rachel Van Dyken and Faking it by K. Brombery. One because of the whole celebrity aspect, two because of the ‘forced’ closeness/tour and three because of the grief and pain that the couple had. Which are books I also really enjoyed so!

About Jayne Frost

Jayne Frost, author of the Sixth Street Bands Romance Series, grew up in California with a dream of moving to Seattle to become a rock star. When the grunge thing didn’t work out (she never even made it to the Washington border) Jayne set her sights on Austin, Texas. After quickly becoming immersed in the Sixth Street Music scene…and discovering she couldn’t actually sing, Jayne decided to do the next best thing–write kick ass romances about hot rockstars and the women that steal their hearts.

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About Lauren Blakely

About Ginger Scott

About Sarah MacLean

About Jayne Frost