ARC Review: Play It Again, Charlie by R. Cooper

From the blurb:

After an accident left him broken in body and spirit, Charlie Howard retired from the police force to teach at a community college. Life has taught him that he’s unlikely to get what he wants, so he’s stopped asking. Instead, he hides from the world in the apartment complex he manages. After all, no one can leave him if he doesn’t let anyone in.

Will, a sexy, classic-film-loving twink, moves into the apartment across from him and—to Charlie’s surprise—makes it clear that he’d like nothing more than to hole up with Charlie and get kinky. Will has no problem expressing what he wants in bed or out of it, but he’s never dated anyone long-term, and Charlie isn’t sure Will’s ready for anything serious.

Charlie is a serious kind of guy. He wants Will and everything a relationship could mean, even if he doesn’t have any experience in that scene—even if that makes him vulnerable. As they grow closer, Charlie realizes that it’s time to start asking for what he wants, and if he wants to be happy, he’ll have to risk everything and ask Will to stay.

My rating:





This was an interesting, albeit at times frustrating read, mostly due to the writing style and Charlie, the main character.

Charlie is a former police officer in his late thirties, who had to retire from his job after a car accident that left him with scars and a limp. He's forever fielding calls from his four younger sisters and his abuela (grandmother), trying to convince them that he's fine and that his status of man of the house is not affected. Even though he secretly doesn't want to be the man of the house. He's taking a job that uses his criminal justice degree and is now a teacher at the local community college.

Book Release Blitz: Bound by Bonnie Bliss

Today, we are celebrating the release of Bound by Bonnie Bliss.

From the blurb:

A single woman with a sexual longing and two homecoming marines.

The 4th of July and a long due homecoming sees Brad Cooper and his Marine buddy Kenny Curtis return. Millie Newton has always loved Brad, but was crushed when he enlisted. Now he’s back and she has no intention of letting him go without showing her true feelings. The block party provides the opportunity as this surprise threesome find themselves providing the fireworks in this hot BDSM story.

A hot nurse, a handsome fireman.

Halloween is here and it’s a stressful weekend for Fireman Tom Newton. With the promise of a Halloween Play Party things seem to be picking up. Lucy, an overworked nurse is ready for some time off. She steps into a mess when her best friend, Millie gets them invites to Robert’s Halloween Play Party. Tom and Lucy both have desires on each other but neither are aware. Can Robert and Millie bring this destined couple together and will it run smoothly. Will true love blossom, will the Master get his slave?

A lost memory and a harbored secret; can bondage find true love.

Wounded and depressed, lying in a hospital, Kenny Curtis has given up on ever finding happiness. Sacrificing a threesome lifestyle with his best friend Brad and Millie so they can be together, Kenny is now alone at Christmas. Lindsey has needs of her own, a sub, a slave, she wants what Kenny has to offer. However an incident in their past threatens to spoil everything. Can the spirit of Christmas pull them together long enough for them to see that they belong as one? Or will Lindsey desert and ruin her best chance?

**Note: This title contains adult content and should not be read by readers under the age of 18. The titles in his bundle have been previously released as Bondage on the 4th of July, Halloween Submission, and A Slave for Christmas. The entire series has been reedited for re-release. You can still purchase these titles individually.**

An excerpt:

Lindsey started to fidget with her fingers. They tangled in front of her. She tried to avert her gaze, to come up with a lie. But she didn’t want to lie to him. He was her teenage dream. That song, any time she heard it. It made her feel like the nerdy, needy high school girl that wanted Kenny Curtis more than anything in the world. This was her moment. If she didn’t take this chance she would forever wonder. The quick plan to run out of the room and never come back seriously entered her mind for just a moment. Kenny, the whole time she mused to herself, never lost the Dominant expression on his face. He looked cold, calculating, and disappointed. Why did he have to look disappointed? Didn’t he know that was the worst thing a submissive woman could see on the face of the man she wanted to please more than anything?

Author Spotlight: JP Hansen

Today, we shine the spotlight on JP Hansen and his book 

Pink Slips and Glass Slippers.

About the author:

J.P. Hansen is an award-winning, bestselling author of three books, a professional speaker, a life coach, and CEO of an executive search company. He has appeared on FoxNews, CNN, The Los Angeles Times, Fortune, FoxBusiness, and numerous national and local radio and TV shows. On a dare (“guys can’t write Romance”), he wrote “Pink Slips and Glass Slippers” (agented by Jane Dystel), a Contemporary Romance. It skyrocketed to the #1 most downloaded spot on Amazon in January. [Source: JP Hansen]

Blurb:

Brooke Hart was beautiful, smart, and groomed from birth to deal with adversity.

Her widowed father did his best to raise his baby girl to be a strong-minded business woman. Then she found Tanner. Just when her world seemed perfect, everything turned upside down.

Following Tanner’s tragic death, Brooke joins a start-up company that is developing a cure for the disease that killed the love of her life. Just before the treatment is ready to market, the company is gobbled up by a giant conglomerate. She moves to the acquiring company as its youngest VP and becomes enamored with CEO Chase Allman—only to be betrayed by him.

Brooke rebounds again and sets out on a personal journey to discover what will truly make her happy. Sparks fly when she and Chase cross paths again in an unlikely way. Now, they need each other to find an abducted child and save thousands of people.

An excerpt from chapter 1:

“What am I doing here?" Brooke had been asking herself that question for the past six weeks. The thirty-three-year-old vice president seemed to have it all, yet it felt as if her career ladder and life had crashed. Hoping to move on, relocating to the new company had officially backfired. All the blind dates set up by her well-meaning inner circle—her father, Melissa, Shane, and Todd—had fizzled before hors d’oeuvres. Online dating turned into mis-matched.com. Damn Tanner.

Feeling claustrophobic in this stuffy room, the corporate strangers eyed her like a piñata and they were clenching bats. The stiff dress code mirrored the culture, and both felt about as comfy as tweed pajamas.

Suddenly, the boardroom hushed. All eyes pointed to the entryway like canines at obedience training graduation. Except for Brooke, whose back faced the door. She craned her neck; a whisk of sandalwood and cedar. Seductive.

Mr. Smellgood looked striking from the side. His physique matched his fragrance. He set his fancy briefcase at the head of the table—mahogany on mahogany. As if revealing a game show prize, he slid off his navy suit coat. Brooke’s eyes widened as he draped it over the high-backed leather chair. He had a rugged build she expected to see on a mountain climber or surfer, but not on an executive for a drug company. Brooke’s instant attraction surprised her.

Add Pink Slips and Glass Slippers to your Goodreads shelves

Connect with JP Hansen: Facebook | Goodreads | Website

Buylinks: Amazon

JP Hansen is giving away an e-copy of Pink Slips and Glass Slippers as well as a signed paperback (US Residents only for paperback). 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time,

Buylinks are provided as a courtesy to the reader and do not constitute an endorsement by this blog and/or its owner. No affiliation exists between this blog, its owner and the booksellers in question. 

Blog Tour Stop: Sellling Out by Amber Lin

Today, we are shining the spotlight on Amber Lin and her latest novel, 

Selling Out. 

From the blurb: 

Shelly Laurent escapes her life as a high-class escort, but against her better judgment she takes the scared young Ella with her. Framed for murder by her pimp and his dirty cops in retaliation, Shelly turns to the one man who could be her salvation: Detective Luke Cameron. She doesn’t know if she can trust him or if he’s just a mirage, but it's time for her to take a stand. Just one shot, make it count, she’ll fight Ella’s demons—and face her own.
Shelly throws light on the shadows of Chicago’s underworld, challenging everything she knew and the man she’s come to love. Together, a prostitute and a cop fight for truth stronger than secrets, hope deeper than deception, and a bond more enduring than betrayal.

An excerpt:

“Shh,” I murmured, stroking his back.
“Shelly, goddammit.”
But his protests fell away as I pressed my breasts to his arm and my tongue to his ear. His harsh inhalation sounded broken, shattered, or maybe that was me.

Blog Tour Stop: Vegas Knights by Marina Maddix

Welcome!!

Today we shine the spotlight on Marina Maddix and her latest novel, 

Vegas Knights, the sequel to Knight Fall. 

From the blurb:

After a passionate public encounter with a mysterious and very sexy biker, big girl Kelly Saunders finds herself on the ride of her life. Her 'Knight on shining armor' -- Rick Knight, billionaire heir to a motorcycle legacy -- whisks her away from her soul-sucking corporate job to Las Vegas, where she finds the road to love is treacherous. As urgent business matters demand more and more of Rick's attention, Kelly is left to wonder about the future of their relationship. A ruthless betrayal throws her life into turmoil, and a devastating discovery threatens to pull them apart. Is their love just so much Vegas glitter or is it strong enough to survive beyond the dazzling lights of Sin City?

An excerpt:

They sat entwined under the stars, swaying slightly with the rhythm of their own bodies. Rick's hands moved slowly from her hair down her back. Shivers of anticipation rippled through Kelly. They were going to make love under the stars. It had always been a fantasy of hers but she'd never imagined it would come true. But a lot of things she'd never imagined were happening lately.

Feeling the need to show him she wasn't some precious flower that needed tending and special care, that she was an independent woman, Kelly took control. His eyes never left her body as she moved to stand over him, legs spread, hands on her hips.

ARC Review: Code Red by Amy Noelle

From the blurb:

After getting hurt in college by a gorgeous man, Nicole Magette vowed never to risk losing her heart again. Now she lives a structured and satisfying life. Her work is easy, her friends are her family, and the only consistent men in her life are her two cats, Winchester and Huntington Peabody the Third. She doesn't date, and she hooks up only with losers—men she has absolutely no risk of falling for. But if she finds herself in danger, she has her old fail-safe in place—the Code Red.

That is, until Joshua Daniels is transferred to Nicole’s office from New York and assigned to work with her on a special project. He's everything she's avoided and everything she claims she doesn't want, so why can’t she get him out of her mind? He's persistent, dangerously handsome, and sexy as sin. In other words, he’s her worst nightmare. She turns to her friends to help her resist Josh’s considerable charms and the inescapable draw she feels every time she gets near him. Can the Code Red save her this time, or will Josh send her perfectly balanced life into chaos?

My rating:





Very cute romance about a sports-loving girl who's been burned before and the hunk who breaks through her defenses.

Code Red is Amy Noelle's debut novel, but if you've been lucky enough to have read her other writing before, you won't be at all surprised to hear that I was delighted to receive the ARC from the publisher for a review.

Actually, let's be honest, I begged for the ARC and was lucky to get it.

ARC Review: My Only by N.K. Smith

From the blurb:

Shy, awkward Adam is resigned to sit on the sidelines of life, overshadowed by his outgoing and popular twin brother, Aaron. But when a free spirited new girl with a troubled past moves in across the street, Adam's eyes are opened to a new world of possibilities. Olivia Cartwright is a fun loving, beautiful girl whose philosophies on life give her a deeper understanding of the world around her. An instant connection between Adam and Olivia draws them closer, but why would anyone choose him when a better version exists? What will happen when Adam’s outgoing twin Aaron takes an interest in Olivia as well?

Plot: 5
Character development: 5
Writing: 2.5
Editing/proof-reading: 2


My rating overall:





Spoilers below. Proceed with caution.

My Only tells the story of Adam and his twin brother Aaron. Both have grown up without a mother, and it's long been Adam's belief that he's the reason for his mother's death. He's somewhat antisocial, a self-proclaimed nerd playing drums in his school's marching band and his friends' garage band, and has lived most of his life in the shadow of his identical twin, who's a complete opposite as a social butterfly and jock. He accepts this fate without question, until Olivia Cartwright moves in next door, to live with her grandparents. Both Adam and his brother are vying for this girl, and she becomes the catalyst for the changes Adam makes in his life and his outlook.

ARC Review: Fixer by Gene Doucette

From the blurb:

What would you do if you could see into the future? As a child, he dreamed of being a superhero. Most people never get to realize their childhood dreams, but Corrigan Bain has come close. He is a fixer. His job is to prevent accidents—to see the future and “fix” things before people get hurt. But the ability to see into the future, however limited, isn’t always so simple. Sometimes not everyone can be saved.

Graduate students from a local university are dying, and former lover and FBI agent Maggie Trent is the only person who believes their deaths aren’t as accidental as they appear. But the truth can only be found in something from Corrigan Bain’s past, and he’s not interested in sharing that past, not even with Maggie. To stop the deaths, Corrigan will have to face up to some old horrors, confront the possibility that he may be going mad, and find a way to stop a killer no one can see.

My rating:




"Don't let them know you can see them."

Fixer, the latest offering by Gene Doucette, is written in much the same style as his previous books - witty, snarky and always highly entertaining. Due to the subject matter, I suggest ingesting much caffeine and/or sugar before starting this book, so your brain and you are wide awake when reading this. The complexity of the theories employed in this book does not make for a little night time reading.

Which, of course, is perfectly fine. It would be a damn shame if you missed the little zingers the authors throws in every few paragraphs, just because you're getting ready to sleep. You know, those little snarky jokes that made you grin and snort and laugh out loud. Gene Doucette delivers as expected. The irreverent inner and outer voice of the protagonist is a big part of what makes this book such a fun read.

Blog Tour Stop: Bring Me Back by Karen Booth

Today, we welcome Karen Booth and her latest novel, Bring Me Back.

From the blurb:

Music critic Claire Abby is a single mom dreading her daughter’s departure for college and worried that turning forty will leave her career running on fumes. She’s floored when she lands a Rolling Stone cover story on 80s British rock legend Christopher Penman. She spent her teenage years fantasizing he was her boyfriend. In person, Christopher is everything Claire feared he’d be—charming, witty and unwilling to address the rumors he’s dodged for a decade. Still, she contains her adolescent fantasies and manages to earn his trust, unearthing the truth and the devastating secret behind it. His blockbuster story is her first priority when she returns home, a nearly impossible task when Christopher starts calling and flirting. She knows she should maintain a professional distance. She knows she should focus on the story. She knows it would be best to simply walk away. But how can she say “no” to the man she could never forget?

ARC Review: Forbidden by Jacquelyn Frank

From the blurb:

The unexpected happens in an instant. On her way to work, secretary Docia Waverley hurtles into a crashing crossroads, and she quickly begins to suspect that things will never be the same. Then, when a tall, blond, muscular stranger intervenes on her behalf, telling her it is his duty to protect her at all cost, what is just a feeling turns to proof positive. That is, as long as Docia’s savior doesn’t turn out to be a crazed kidnapper.

When Ram finds Docia, he has no doubt that she is his queen. But as this golden warrior sweeps in to protect her, he feels something more than body heat every time they touch. He is overwhelmed by a searing connection that goes deep into the twin souls inside him. A desire rises in him that is forbidden—this woman is his queen, the mate of his king, his leader, his best friend. And yet Docia is so vulnerable and attractive that she awakens a hunger in Ram that is undeniable, a carnal craving he cannot yield to . . . not without risking the very survival of the Bodywalkers.

My rating:




Since I can't seem to decide between three and four stars, I'll give it three and a half, rounded up. Now that that's out of the way, let me tell you why this book didn't work as well for me as Ms. Frank's Nightwalker series.

There is a good attempt in the beginning of the book to tie Forbidden to the previous series, as Bella works in the Nightwalker library and muses about other Nightwalker breeds that are still unknown to them. It reads like an introduction to the world, but for anyone to know what's being talked about, one has to have read the Nightwalker series first.

ARC Review: Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin

From the blurb:

It’s been over six months since the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano. Alex and Darla have been staying with Alex’s relatives, trying to cope with the new reality of the primitive world so vividly portrayed in Ashfall, the first book in this series. It’s also been six months of waiting for Alex’s parents to return from Iowa. Alex and Darla decide they can wait no longer and must retrace their journey into Iowa to find and bring back Alex’s parents to the tenuous safety of Illinois. But the landscape they cross is even more perilous than before, with life-and-death battles for food and power between the remaining communities. When the unthinkable happens, Alex must find new reserves of strength and determination to survive.

My rating:





Ashen Winter starts about six months after Alex and Darla arrive on Alex's uncle's farm in Illinois, after a harrowing trip from Iowa fraught with many perils. Alex's parents are still missing.

Alex decides that he needs to go back to Iowa to find them. Of course, Darla won't let him leave alone, so they back up a sled with supplies and begin the long journey back to Alex's hometown.

The landscape has changed since they've been out on the road, snow covering most of the ash and food scarcer than ever before.

Book Review: Ashfall by Mike Mullin

From the blurb:

Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet. For Alex, being left alone for the weekend means having the freedom to play computer games and hang out with his friends without hassle from his mother. Then the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence. Alex begins a harrowing trek to seach for his family and finds help in Darla, a travel partner he meets along the way. Together they must find the strength and skills to survive and outlast an epic disaster.

My rating:





This book. THIS BOOK! 

I was hooked from the first chapter and unable to put it down for any length of time. Mike Mullin delivers an amazing debut novel, well-researched, really well written and absolutely believable.

The book begins with sixteen year old Alex being a typical teenage boy - sullen, not wanting to spend time with his family, rather staying home alone in their house in Iowa than go on a visit to his uncle's farm a two hours' drive away. He's home alone when the super volcano commonly known as Yellowstone erupts and turns his life literally upside down. Once he gets out of his house, he realizes that nothing will ever be the same. Scared yet driven by his need to find his family, he sets out on the long journey across the ash, with not much more than his backpack and his father's skis. And his wits.