Romance book reviews. Reviews of books that make my heart race, have a beautiful love story, and a happy ending.

Romance book reviews. Reviews of books that make my heart race, have a beautiful love story, and a happy ending.

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LATEST NEW RELEASES, RECOMMENDATIONS, & PRE-ORDERS — WEEK OF December 19, 2016

LATEST NEW RELEASES, RECOMMENDATIONS, & PRE-ORDERS — WEEK OF December 19, 2016

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UPCOMING RELEASE & RECOMMENDATION: Rock Chick Reawakening by Kristen Ashley 
OMG. OMG. OMG!!!!! I’m seriously CRYING HAPPY TEARS here!! Like I’m an honest blubbering mess because the FEEEEEEEEELS!!!!! I finished an early copy of Rock Chick Reawakening, one of my most highly anticipated releases, and IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!! First, it’s technically a novella, but it’s long—practically a full length book. Second, HOLY GORGEOUS EPILOGUE!!! We all know KA is the queen of epilogues but seriously this one had me almost happy sobbing!! Oh and the STORY!!! Such beautiful love and healing! An absolute must read for fans of ALPHA MALE ROMANCE!!! I love love LOVED IT!!!!!! This was pure Old School Vintage KA GOLD!!! Gah. I need to read it again now! SQUEEEEEE!!!!!! — You can read this as a complete standalone. Technically, it’s a prequel to the awesome badass Rock Chick Series but you can read it either separately, before, or after honestly. If you’re desperate for something to read now, I suggest starting with Rock Chick (my review) which is one of the most awesome books ever, but either way, definitely pre-order Rock Chick Reawakening because you do not want to miss it!!!

WEEKLY NEW RELEASES RECAP


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Book Review — Max: A Cold Fury Hockey Novel by Sawyer Bennett

Book Review — Max: A Cold Fury Hockey Novel by Sawyer Bennett

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“I adore you, Jules. And I know I’ll adore you even more tomorrow, and more the day after that.”

SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!! OMG! This was such a gorgeous, SWOOOOOOOOONY book! The hero was a famous hockey player who fell head over heels in love with a normal girl. She was raising three young kids alone and he swept into her life and fell for all of them!! This was a perfectly balanced romance novel from start to finish. It had the SWOON, it brought the HEAT, it dished out the ANGST, and tied everything together with gorgeous FEELS. I absolutely LOOOOOOVED IT!!! Kind of a Cinderella romance with a sporty twist!!! Definitely a new top favorite!

… A romantic at heart, Max believes in love; he’s just not great at relationships. So when he finally meets a nice girl who’s not blinded by his celebrity, he’s feeling the heat—and the pressure to save her from herself.

Between working two jobs and raising her sister’s kids, Julianne Bradley doesn’t have time for sports—or men. All she knows about Max is that he’s the sexiest customer to ever grace her gas-station counter. And he sees past her tired eyes and makes Jules yearn for things she can’t have: a glamorous fling, a passionate lover, and the time to enjoy both. Max makes her feel like Cinderella, even though Jules has enough baggage to crush a glass slipper. Luckily, he’s no prince—only a fierce competitor determined to win her heart.

Max and Julia couldn’t have been more different. Max was a famous and successful professional hockey player whose life was in the spotlight — fame and recognition were an unavoidable, if unwelcome, part of his daily life. Meanwhile Jules was struggling to make ends meet juggling jobs to help support her late sister’s three young children who were now under her sole care. When they met, she had no idea who he was and for that and so many other reasons, he couldn’t help but be drawn to her.

He was determined to date her, but the kids were her top priority and she couldn’t imagine how dating could fit into her already exhausting life. However, he wasn’t daunted and made every effort to find a way for them to be together. And I have to say that watching this big famous goalie fall so completely in love for this woman and her three little charges was heart-warming on a whole other level.

“That kiss,” he says, his voice deeper than I’ve ever heard before and his hand tightened its hold on my ponytail.
“Yeah, that kiss,” I agree dreamily.
“Just the beginning, Jules,” he whispers before leaning in one more time and brushing his lips against my temple.

Max was pure swoon material. He was adorably sweet and caring — definitely the kind of guy who will steal your heart in a minute. And I loved that he wasn’t afraid to admit his feelings for her and he wasn’t scared by the intensity of how he felt for her either.

Jules was a wonderful heroine. Responsible, practical, dedicated, and just with a really good head on her shoulders. She devoted herself to the kids with everything she had, and handled the stress of suddenly having her life thrust into the spotlight with understandable levels of wariness and maturity.

Speaking of that, OH MY GOD. The thing I loved MOST about this book was how freaking MATURE this couple was. Seriously. Between the ugly side of fame, gossip columns, and just their vast differences, Max and Jules had a lot of pretty big issues to work through but I can’t tell you enough how MATURE they were. There were sooooo many times when their issues could easily have spiraled out into stupidity but EACH TIME they were faced with challenges, they approached them with a level-headed stability that was SO REFRESHING in a romance novel.

I stand up, now angry at her leap from this article to even remotely hinting I view her that way. “That is not fair, Jules.”
She throws her arms out in frustration. “I know it’s not. But I’m operating on an overload of emotion right now. Give me some latitude.”
… I step in to her, slip my arms around her waist and look right into her eyes. “I’m sorry someone hurt you. It hurts me that you’re hurt.”
She nods in understanding. “I’m sorry I took my bitch-moment out on you.”
“I think I can handle it,” I tell her.

Not to mention that once they got serious, things got veryyyyy steamy!!

Max’s hands come to mine. They grip my fingers and halt my actions.
I look up to him.
“You get my jeans open,” he growls at me, “I’m not going to be able to stop. I’m not a saint, Jules.”
I smile at him, lean in and give him a light kiss. “You are a saint, Max. You’re an absolute saint. But right now… I’m completely fine with you sinning.”

I feel like I can’t even say this enough times — but they faced the challenged that came their way TOGETHER with logic, understanding, and they just really acted responsably. It was so wonderful reading about characters that I could respect like this. And they really did have a lot to overcome. They came from such different worlds — she was poor, he was rich, she was a guardian, he was single and unattached, she was unknown to the world, he was famous, and with that fame came the ugliness of gossip that tested their newfound relationship. But I can honestly say that I absolutely loved the way they handled their challenges.

It really didn’t hit me until I walked into this arena tonight with the kids.
My boyfriend plays professional hockey.
My boyfriend is Max Fournier… the starting goalie for the Carolina Cold Fury.
Not once in the past five weeks have I really had that sink in, and it’s probably because Max and I haven’t really spent much time together, but our developing relationship was never about something like that. It was about a man seeing a woman who he wanted to help and lift up, and a woman taking a chance on a man who believed in her.
But here… listening to the fans chant his name or scream at the top of their lungs when he makes a great save… it’s a heady feeling knowing that he’s mine.

You can read this book as a complete standalone. It is part of the Carolina Cold Fury Hockey series (which is a series of interconnected standalones), but I read this book separately without reading any of the other ones and I was completely fine with all the content and never confused. It really can be read separately with no issue.

This was EXACTLY the kind of book I was looking for! It had a gorgeous, sweet, caring Alpha hero, a level-headed, understanding heroine, a hot, sexy romance, and a genuinely wonderful, heart-warming story! I LOVED IT!!

Rating: 4.5 stars!! Adult Romance. Can standalone.

LATEST NEW RELEASES, RECOMMENDATIONS, & PRE-ORDERS — WEEK OF December 12, 2016

LATEST NEW RELEASES, RECOMMENDATIONS, & PRE-ORDERS — WEEK OF December 12, 2016

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NEW RECOMMENDATION: Max: A Cold Fury Hockey Novel by Sawyer Bennett (Read my Review) 
SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!! AHHHH!!!!!! I honestly can’t stop smiling!!!!!! This was seriously the most gorgeous, SWOOOOOOOOONY book!!! The hero is a famous hockey player who falls head over heels in love with a normal girl. She’s raising three young kids alone and he sweeps into her life and falls for all of them!! OMG – The thing I LOVED the most was how freaking MATURE this couple was. Between his fame and their differences, they had a lot of issues to work through but they were so level-headed that… GAH, it was just SO refreshing!!! This was a perfectly balanced romance novel from start to finish. It had the SWOON, it brought the HEAT, it dished out the ANGST, and tied everything together with gorgeous FEELS. I absolutely LOOOVED IT!!! Kind of a Cinderella romance with a sporty twist!!! You can read it as a complete STANDLAONE and it’s was just released so be sure to grab a copy!!

 
NEW RECOMMENDATION: After We Fall by Melanie Harlow (Read my Review) 
OMG!!!!! This was such a wonderful book!! It genuinely warmed my heart and left me feeling so happy. It was an incredible well balanced story — it will make you laugh out loud in one scene, break your heart in the next, and then have you fanning yourself with how HOT it is!! The hero was former soldier who tragically lost his beloved wife and just never recovered from the loss. The heroine was his complete opposite, a city girl hired to help his business. When they first met, he was grouchy, grumpy, and wanted nothing to do with her — still lost in his grief — but the more they worked together, they were both unable to deny their chemistry… This book had it all — HEALING, HOTNESS, and an ADDICTIVE romance!! I LOVED the story and highly recommend grabbing a copy!! (And, if you’ve already read and loved this book, you can now pre-order the next standalone If You Were Mine)

 
NEW KRISTEN ASHLEY COVERS & SERIES SALE: All the books in her paranormal series just got new covers and they’ve all dropped in price to $2.99 (reg. $3.99) to celebrate! If you’re new to her books, she’s one of my Top Favorite Authors and here’s the Recommended Reading Order For All Kristen Ashley Series 🙂


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BOOKWORM NEWS:

  • Without Merit: A Novel by Colleen Hoover was just announced!! Colleen Hoover has just shared some exciting news about her next book! She says it’s “about a girl in high school named Merit and how she deals with her crazy family and falling in love. I’m going back to my Slammed/Hopeless roots for this one and revisiting young love. It’s been so much fun and I can’t wait to get it in your hands.” — I have literally loved every single book she’s ever written so I can’t wait to get my hands on this one! Be sure to pre-order a copy! I sure did!

  • Dating You / Hating You by Christina Lauren was just announced as well! — Despite the odds against them from an embarrassing meet-awkward at a mutual friend’s Halloween party, Carter and Evie immediately hit it off. Even the realization that they’re both high-powered agents at competing firms in Hollywood isn’t enough to squash the fire… But when their two agencies merge—causing the pair to vie for the same position—all bets are off. What could have been a beautiful, blossoming romance turns into an all-out war of sabotage. Carter and Evie are both thirtysomething professionals—so why can’t they act like it?

  • It’s You by Katy Regnery was just announced! She’s writing under a pen name ‘K.P. Kelley’ here and this is a paranormal romance! — “ONCE UPON A TIME… the most beautiful boy in the world kissed me. I’ve never been able to forget. Perhaps it was his jet-black hair, or the changing copper-color of his eyes, the intense way he looked at me… or the fact that he awakened my passion for the first time, at once otherworldly yet heartbreakingly real. After that kiss, I never saw him again. His name was Jack Beauloup. Jack, my “Beautiful Wolf.” Twenty years passed. He has returned. For me…”

  • Commander In Chief by Katy Evans has a blurb now! This is the sequel to Mr. President! — “We fell in love during the campaign. The stakes were high. Reputations could have been ruined. Scandal hovered over us like a cloud. Now the man I love is the President. And its not my vote he is after. He wants it all. My heart. My body. My soul. He wants me by his side. In the White House. Normalcy will be gone from my life, privacy forgotten. I am only twenty three. I just wanted to play a part in history. But it seems like history wasn’t done with me. The part where I lost my heart to Matthew Hamilton? It was only the beginning…”

WEEKLY NEW RELEASES RECAP


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Book Review — After We Fall by Melanie Harlow

Book Review — After We Fall by Melanie Harlow

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“I’m not asking for a promise. I’m asking for a chance. That’s all. A chance.”

SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!! This was such a wonderful book!! It genuinely warmed my heart and left me feeling so happy. It was an incredibly well balanced story — it will make you laugh out loud in one scene, break your heart in the next, and then have you fanning yourself with how HOT it is!! The hero was former soldier who tragically lost his beloved wife and just never recovered from the loss. The heroine was his complete opposite, a city girl hired to help his business. When they first met, he was grouchy, grumpy, and wanted nothing to do with her — still lost in his grief — but the more they worked together, they were both unable to deny their chemistry… This book truly had it all — HEALING, HOTNESS, and an ADDICTIVE romance!! I seriously LOVED the story and highly recommend it!!

Jack Valentini isn’t my type.

Sexy, brooding cowboys are fine in the movies, but in real life, I prefer a suit and tie. Proper manners. A close shave. Jack might be gorgeous, but he’s also scruffy, rugged, and rude. He wants nothing to do with a “rich city girl” like me, and he isn’t afraid to say so. But I’ve got a PR job to do for his family’s farm, so he’s stuck with me and I’m stuck with him. His glares. His moods. His tight jeans. His muscles. His huge, hard muscles.

Pretty soon there’s a whole different kind of tension between us, the kind that has me misbehaving in barns, trees, and pickup trucks. I’ve never done anything so out of character—but it feels too good to stop. And the more I learn about the grieving ex-Army sergeant, the better I understand him. Losing his wife left him broken and bitter and blaming himself. He doesn’t think he deserves a second chance at happiness.

But he’s wrong.

I don’t need to be his first love. If only he’d let me be his last.

Now usually I’m rooting for the main couple as soon as I know who they are but in this case, Jack had been so crazy in love with his wife that even though we’d never met her within the story, we got to see her through his memories and I honestly wasn’t sure I was ready yet for him to move on (weird as that might sound) so I really genuinely appreciated how open Margot was to speaking about Steph and asking him about her, remembering her, not trying to replace her in any way but just exploring this new thing they had between them. This element of the story was very well done. And I just want to say that the ‘cemetery scene’ especially was SO WELL WRITTEN! I don’t want to give any spoilers about it but I just really felt like everything about the characters came together in such a pivotal way in that scene. It was beautiful!

“Is it strange?” she asked.
I looked over at her. “Is what strange?”
“Being in bed with someone else.”
Returning my eyes to the ceiling, I put my hands behind my head. “Yeah. It is.”
She turned onto her side to face me, tucking her hands beneath her cheek. “I’m glad you didn’t lie and say it wasn’t.”
I focused on her again. “I won’t lie to you. I promise.”

Tortured heroes have always been my favorite and poor Jack was a complete wreck. Between PSTD from his years serving in the military and suffering the devastating loss of the one person he loved more than life itself, he was so far from happiness that he didn’t think he ever deserved to find it again. And yet this unexpected city girl came to his farm and shook up his whole life, made him crave things he didn’t think he wanted, was sure he didn’t deserve, and yet neither of them could stay away from the other no matter how hard they tried…

“So you were looking for a bathroom in the woods?”
“Well, yes.” She swallowed. “Sort of. But then I heard a splash and saw you…” Her cheeks were practically purple now.
I played dumb. “Saw me what?”
“Saw you naked, OK?” she blurted, throwing her hands up. “I admit it—I saw you naked.”
I had no hang-ups about nudity, but I was damn serious about my privacy, and about people sneaking up on me. But her embarrassment was funny. The two times I’d seen her before, she’d been so polished and poised. It felt good to put her in her place a little. “So you climbed a tree for a better view, is that it?”

I read this book in one sitting and didn’t want to put it down. It’s a standalone Adult romance told in alternating first person POVs between Jack and Margot. It’s a full length novel but a fast read because there are just no good stopping points. And for those of you who love epilogues as much as me, you’ll be very pleased with the one in this book! It’s beautiful, heart-warming, and the perfect ending to this story!

“I know I can’t be your first love, but — “
“Shh.” He put a finger over my lips. “I’m not looking for my first love. I’m looking for my last.”

Equal parts humorous, romantic, heart breaking and sexy, this is a well-written, addictive read you won’t want to put down. I highly recommend it as one of my favorites of the year!

Rating: 4.5 stars. Standalone Adult Contemporary Romance.

GIVEWAY: $25.00 Amazon Gift Card + Signed Set of FOUR LETTER WORD & HIT THE SPOT by J. Daniels

GIVEWAY: $25.00 Amazon Gift Card + Signed Set of FOUR LETTER WORD & HIT THE SPOT by J. Daniels

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HUGE GIVEAWAY ALERT!!! To celebrate the newest release in this great series, you can enter to win a signed set of Four Letter Word and Hit the Spot by J. Daniels, along with a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card!! I’ve posted info on the books below so check ’em out and then scroll down to the bottom of the post to ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!!!! 😀

FOUR LETTER WORD by J. DANIELS

Fate. Hate. Love. Lies.
Which four letter word will change their lives forever?

Sydney Paige was never so mortified to hear the words “wrong number” in her life. She meant to tell off the guy who broke her best friend’s heart, but unleashed her anger on a perfect stranger instead. And now her world is turned upside down by the captivating man who wants to keep her on the line.

Brian Savage is living a life he’s quickly come to hate-until Sydney’s wild rant has him hooked and hungry for more. Soon the sexy woman on the phone becomes the lover in his bed. But Brian has secrets, and the closer he lets Syd get, the harder it is to shield her from the devastating mistakes of his past . . .

HIT THE SPOT by J. DANIELS

Is this love or just a game?

Tori Rivera thinks Jamie McCade is rude, arrogant, and worst of all . . . the sexiest man she’s ever laid eyes on. His reputation as a player is almost as legendary as his surfing skills. No matter how her body heats up when he’s around, she’s determined not to be another meaningless hookup.

Jamie McCade always gets what he wants. The sickest wave. The hottest women. And Tori, with her long legs and smart mouth, is definitely the hottest one. He knows Tori wants him-hell, most women do-but she won’t admit it. After months of chasing and one unforgettable kiss, it’s time for Jamie to raise the stakes.

Jamie promises that soon Tori won’t just want him in her bed, she’ll be begging for it-and he might be right. Somehow he’s found the spot in her heart that makes her open up like never before. But with all she knows about his past, can she really trust what’s happening between them? Is Jamie playing for keeps or just playing to win?

  SIGNED PAPERBACK GIVEAWAY

Open Internationally. Void where prohibited by law. Must be over 18 to enter.

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Book Review — Hit The Spot by J. Daniels

Book Review — Hit The Spot by J. Daniels

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“Came to me last night, upset, crying, wanting someone to make that shit better for you. Needin’ someone.” I looked into her eyes. “You got people you smile at, babe. People you take in and let live with you. And you came to my door. You gave me that.” I breathed a laugh and cupped her cheek. “Still don’t think you know what that meant to me.”

If you’re a fan of bossy, dirty-talking, over-the-top Alphas who relentlessly pursue the women they want, are guaranteed to infuriate and piss you off many times with what they say and do and make you curse their name, but ultimately will melt your heart, then you’re probably going to love Jamie! And if you’re a fan of sexy, angsty enemies-to-lovers romance with that wavering ‘will they or won’t they’ tension, then this might just be the book for you!

While you can read this book as a complete standalone if you want, we do first met the characters of Jamie and Tori in Four Letter Word by J. Daniels (my review) which I LOOOOOOVED! In that book, they were side characters, and in this book, they’re the main focus. I’d recommend reading the books in order. But it’s up to you!

With Jamie being the ultimate manwhore — who was not only hot and wanted, and shamelessly aware of his assets — he wasn’t used to women turning him down. Ever. So when his usual pick up strategies didn’t work on Tori, he decided to take things to the next level by proposing a bet.

Tori had no reason to trust him. Not only had she heard of his playboy reputation, she’s seen it flaunted in front of her in public and private and she wasn’t about to give her heart or body over to someone who wouldn’t take care of it. But he was determined to show her he was serious about her — and that he cared on a whole other level for her. So this is their story.

Within the first few pages of the book, I was already chuckling to myself over how brazenly bold Jamie’s banter was. OMG. This guy had no filter! He was literally a shameless flirt. His manwhore title was well earned and when he straight up declared his plan to claim her as his own, while some women might have found that a turn on, it couldn’t have turned her off more. All it showed her was that he had no respect for love — at least not that she could see — and that was a deal breaker.

I mean, truth be told, I was on her side. I’m more the kind of gal to swoon over all-out commitment rather than playboys so I was kinda hoping someone would take this guy’s ego down a notch or two — some of the things he said and did were downright infuriating!!! — and I was really hoping it would be Tori. BUT I had to give Jamie props for his relentless pursuit of her. It was kind of adorable — and sometimes even hot!

I’m going to be a hundred per cent honest with you here though. Jamie is not the kind of hero I really like and even in the end, I never fully “fell” for him. I really did enjoy this book, but there’s a fine line between bossy Alpha and asshole Alpha and he strayed into asshole territory too many times for me. I also wish Tori hadn’t given into him as much. I wanted her to call him on his shit more than she did (even though she did do it a fair bit) but I just felt at times like he just wasn’t worthy of her. Ultimately though, it was very clear that in his own way, he really loved her so while I didn’t really fall for him as I usually do with heroes in the books I love, I respected the fact that she fell for him and so I was rooting for them because what each of them ultimately wanted was each other if that makes sense.

I blinked. “Legs? Did you just call me Legs?”
… Half of his mouth lifted, revealing one killer dimple.
“Fuck yeah, I did,” he answered… “Seen a lot of good ones. Had a lot of good ones wrapped around me, but yours? Babe, seriously.” He looked to me again. “Yours take the fucking cake. I’d give my left nut for a feel.”
I stared at him. I was never a woman of few words [yet] here I was, stripped of my vocabulary for the first time in my twenty-four years of life, all because a man wanted to chop off his left testicle to cop a feel.
Unbelievable.
He laughed, low and rumbly in his throat, and hearing that, I broke out of my speechless haze.
“Do you offer up appendages to all the women you meet?”

I’m a really big fan of this author’s writing in this series — it flows well, it’s got great banter, a good balance of humor, angst, feels, and character development. Not to mention that the entire surrounding cast of characters is one I’m eager to read more about. I’m really hoping Stitch gets his story told soon! He’s the next hero I’m most interested in within this series and I will definitely be looking forward to the next book — no matter who it’s about!

Ultimately if you’ve been looking for new Alpha male romance books, then this series is definitely a great one to check out. You can read either one alone, but I personally would recommend reading them in their release order — so Four Letter Word and then Hit The Spot. The writing is strong, the romance is hot, and they have great endings!

Rating: 4 stars. Contemporary Adult Romance. Can standalone.

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Series of standalones.


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