LATEST NEW RELEASES, RECOMMENDATIONS, & PRE-ORDERS — Week of August 22, 2016

NEW REVIEW & RECOMMENDATION: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (Read my Review) 
OMG. This book was BRILLIANT!!!! Full disclosure: it is NOTHING like what I usually review. I’m a romance reader and this is a sci-fi thriller. Trust me, I’m SHOCKED that I loved it… Imagine you had a life you loved: a husband/wife, a son, a lifetime of memories. Then imagine waking up one day and your family is GONE. Not dead, not taken, but gone — like they never existed. That’s what happened to this hero. And this is his story of doing everything in his power to get back to the woman he loves more than anything. It’s as if Fringe, Orphan Black, The Notebook, and The Matrix had a book baby and I LOVED IT. I usually hate this “type” of book but THIS ONE WAS BRILLIANT. It made SENSE. It was CHARACTER driven. It had a LOVE STORY. It was GRIPPING. I could not put it down. If you’re looking for something DIFFERENT, try this!!! (PS: it takes place in the real world: no time travel, not in the future, and no space stuff. Also it’s a standalone with a HEA. I say that bluntly because not all thrillers have them and I want to reassure my largely romance-reader following that this has an ending you’ll be happy with.)

 
BOOKWORM NEWS:  

• My Lucky Days by SD Hendrickson was just announced!! This is a new standalone second chance romance novel by the author of two of my other top favorite standalones: The Mason List (review) and Waiting For Wyatt (review). — “He was an up-and-coming country singer. She was the last girl you’d ever see in a bar. But one night, under those neon lights, they found each other. … Beginnings are always exciting. Always fun. Always hopeful. She was in her last year of college. He was still playing local stages. She fell for his voice. She fell for his words. They fell in love. It was beautiful. But time changed their world. She was alone. He was on the road. Life happened. And that love was torn apart. Endings are always painful. Always heart wrenching. But not always final. One day, he came back to her. And this is their story.”
• The Night Mark by Tiffany Reisz was just announced!! This is a new novel from the author of the fantastically well-written erotic Original Sinners series (review). — She has nothing to live for in the present, but finds there’s something worth dying for in the past… An enthralling new novel about a woman swept away by the tides who awakens to find herself in 1921, reunited with the husband she’s been mourning for four years. Fans of Kate Morton and Diana Gabaldon will fall in love with the mystery, romance and beauty of an isolated South Carolina lighthouse, where a power greater than love works its magic.
• Womanizer by Katy Evans was announced! It’s time for the last of the Chicago players to fall…

WEEKLY NEW RELEASES RECAP

• Ravenous by M.S. Force (erotic BDSM romance, he’s helping her have a baby! Quantum Series standalone)
• I’m Still Here by Clelie Avit (she’s in a coma and he’s a stranger, as she regains consciousness they fall in love)
• Edge by Cora Brent (bad boy/love after loss romance, standalone in Gentry Boys series)
• Bad Judgment by Meghan March (sexy enemies-to-lovers romance standalone)
• Anti-Stepbrother by Tijan (college romance standalone)
• Show Me How by Molly McAdams (love triangle romance, standalone in Thatch series)
• With Every Breath by Maya Banks(‘sizzling and suspenseful’ standalone romance in Slow Burn series)
• Wait by AL Jackson (second chance romance, can standalone)
• The Secret Wife by Gill Paul (historical/modern crossover)
• The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena (suspense thriller standalone)
• Body Shot by Kelly Jamieson (sexy opposites attract romance standalone)
• Cupcake Overload by Bethany Lopez (romantic comedy/suspense, sequel to Always Room For Cupcakes)
• Daring the Bad Boy by Monica Murphy (bad boy romance standalone)
• Furious Rush by S. C. Stephens (forbidden romance, can standalone)
• First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (sporty, sexy romance standalone in Chicago Stars series)
• Under the Lights by Abbi Glines (YA love triangle, Field Party series)
• Game Saver by BJ Harvey (pretend romance, standalone in the Game series)

DETAILED LIST: NEW RELEASES

 

Ravenous by M.S. Force — New Release!!

Can standalone: “She wants a baby. He wants her. Simple enough, right?
Tired of waiting for “The One”, she decides to have a baby on her own before it’s too late. When he hears about her plan, what else can he do but step in and offer to “contribute” to her project. Does that make him an opportunist? Whatever. He wants her, and when he sees his chance, he takes it. That she’s the sister of his business partner and close friend gives him pause, but it doesn’t stop him from having what he wants.
As they embark upon their secret “project,” he makes it clear that for as long as they’re together, he’s in charge—in the bedroom anyway. After the hottest sex of her life, she realizes she’s made a deal with the devil himself…”

 

Edge by Cora Brent — New Release!!

Can standalone: It was him. Conway Gentry.
The boy I’d known years ago – the one who’d loved my best friend and was left shattered by her death – was now a macho adrenaline junkie, an arrogant, womanizing hustler.
There was not a single good reason on this earth to fall for him.
But no one told my heart that.

She didn’t seem like my type.
Snobby, boringly mainstream and above all, tied to a part of my past I’d kill to forget, I should have just had my fun with her and moved on.
Instead I kept coming back. I couldn’t help it.
I’ve known for a long time that if you live fast you crash hard.
But I also know that’s nothing compared to what love can do to you.

 

I’m Still Here by Clelie Avit — New Release!!

Standalone: Elsa has been in a coma for five months. With all hope of reviving her gone, her family and doctors are having to face the devastating fact that it might be time to turn off her life support… They don’t realise that in the past few weeks Elsa has regained partial consciousness; she knows where she is and can hear everyone talking around her bed, but she has no way of telling them she’s there.

Thibault is in the same hospital visiting his brother, a drunk driver responsible for the deaths of two teenage girls. Thibault’s emotions are in turmoil and, needing a retreat, he finds his way into Elsa’s room. Seeing her lying there so peacefully, he finds it hard to believe she is not just sleeping.

Thibault begins to visit Elsa regularly. As he learns more about her through her family and friends, he begins to realise that he is developing feelings for her. And when he talks to her, he can’t help feeling that she can hear his every word…

For Elsa, his visits are like a breath of fresh air. Here is finally someone who speaks to her as if she is a real life person. Who makes her laugh. And who gives her something to fight for…

And so begins a love story that might just save both their lives…

 

Bad Judgment by Meghan March — New Release!!

Standalone: “She’s stuck between a rock and a stripper pole. She lost her law school scholarship, which means she has two choices to keep her life on track: strip for her tuition or tutor the most distractingly sexy guy in her class—the one she’s been turning down for two years straight. It should be an easy choice, but tutoring himcould derail her plans to graduate with honors faster than two-for-one night at the Déjà Vu. Then again, topless has never really been her color. She could take the easy road, just this once… but the deal has enough loopholes to trip anyone up. Who knew they taught bad judgment in law school?”

 

Anti-Stepbrother by Tijan — New Release!!

Standalone: He told me to ‘settle, girl.’
He asked if ‘something was wrong with me?’
He said I was an ‘easy target.’
That was within minutes when I first met him.

I labeled him an *sshole, but he was more than that. Arrogant. Smug. Alpha. He was also to-die-for gorgeous, and my stepbrother’s fraternity brother.

Okay, yes I was a little naive, a tad bit socially awkward, and the smallest amount of stalker-ish, but if he thought he could tell me what to do, he had another thing coming. I came to college with daydreams about being with my stepbrother, but what would happen if I fell for the anti-stepbrother instead?

 

Show Me How by Molly McAdams — New Release!!

Can standalone: After her first love was ripped from her grasp four years earlier, Charlie was sure she would never be able to trust anyone with the shattered pieces of her heart… Until he forces himself into her life, and makes those pieces swirl in chaos. But she doesn’t know how to let him in… until a stranger stumbles upon a notebook filled with her secrets and shows her how.

He’s known for sleeping his way through the town, as well as the surrounding cities—something he used to take pride in. But that persona has haunted him ever since he decided to leave that life behind for the girl he wants more than anything. But when another girl falls into his life, allowing him to be himself without judgment for his past, will their conversations hinder his relationship with Charlie … even if he’s never seen her?

 

Furious Rush by S. C. Stephens — Live at midnight!!

Standalone: She has a lot to prove. Daughter of a racing legend, she is eager to show the world that she has inherited her father’s talent. The last thing she needs is to be antagonized by her rival team’s newest rider, Hayden Hayes. Plucked from the world of illegal street racing, he immediately gets under her skin. His insinuations that she’s a spoiled princess fuels her desire to win, and she soon learns she performs better when she’s racing against him.

As they push each other on the track, the energy between them off the track shifts into an intense—and strictly forbidden—attraction. She always does her best to play by the rules, and she has too much to lose to give in to her desires. Especially when she begins to doubt that he has completely left his street life behind…

 

First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips — New Release!!

Can standalone: A star quarterback and a feisty detective play for keeps in this sporty, sexy, sassy novel! — She’s a woman with a dream—to become the best detective in Chicago. First job? Trail former Chicago Stars quarterback, Cooper Graham. Problem? He’s spotted her, and he’s not happy. Which is why a good detective needs to think on her feet. “The fact is I’m your stalker.”

She soon finds herself working for him, although not as the bodyguard he refuses to admit he so desperately needs. Instead, he’s hired her to keep an eye on the employees at his exclusive new nightclub. But his life might be in danger, and she’s determined to protect him, whether he wants it or not. (Hint: Not!)

 

The Secret Wife by Gill Paul — New Release!!

Standalone: 1914. Russia is on the brink of collapse, and the Romanov family faces a terrifyingly uncertain future. Grand Duchess Tatiana has fallen in love with cavalry officer Dmitri, but events take a catastrophic turn, placing their romance – and their lives – in danger…

2016. Kitty Fisher escapes to her great-grandfather’s remote cabin in America, after a devastating revelation makes her flee London. There, on the shores of Lake Akanabee, she discovers the spectacular jewelled pendant that will lead her to a long-buried family secret… Haunting, moving and beautifully written, The Secret Wife effortlessly crosses centuries, as past merges with present in an unforgettable story of love, loss and resilience.

 

Under the Lights by Abbi Glines — New Release!!

Field Party series: She can’t erase the bad decisions that led her down the path she’s on now. But she can fight for forgiveness from her family. And she can protect herself by refusing to let anyone else get close to her.

High school quarterback and town golden boy Brady used to be the best of friends with her. But that’s all changed now: her life choices have made her a different person from the girl he used to know… Gunner used to be friends with them, too. He too is a high school football star. He doesn’t care about anyone except himself. But she’s the exception—and he understands the girl she’s become in a way no one else can… As secrets come to light and hearts are broken, these former childhood friends must face the truth about growing up and falling in love… even if it means losing each other forever.
 

Wait by AL Jackson — New Release!!

Can standalone: She is his strength and he is her weakness. And this time he won’t let her go … She’s gorgeous. Sexy. Kind. She’s also the definition of off-limits. But that didn’t stop me from sneaking into her room to comfort her at night. But guys like me? We destroy everything, so it should have been no surprise when I destroyed us, too. The night I sent her running, I thought I’d never see her again. Until I saw her standing like a vision in the crowd…

He is dangerous. Alluring. Tempting. He broke my heart and I refused to give him the chance to do it again. It’s been years since I’ve seen him, and now I can’t do anything but stare at the gorgeous, tattooed man playing onstage. I should run. I know I should. But like a fool, I run straight back to him…

 

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena — New Release!!

Standalone: How well do you know the couple next door? Or your husband? Or even—yourself? People are capable of anything… A domestic suspense about a young couple and their apparently friendly neighbors—a twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal, and the secrets between husbands and wives…

“Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all—a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story. Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they’ve kept for years. What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family—a chilling tale of deception, duplicity, and unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist…” <---- I'm intrigued!!!

 

Body Shot by Kelly Jamieson — New Release!!

Standalone: He’s a former Navy SEAL who left a world of privilege to prove he could make his own way. Money, mansions, expensive cars—none of it could heal the loss of his older brother, or buy his parents’ love. Now, after using his trust fund to open a tequila bar with his brothers-in-arms, he has it all. When it comes to women, commitment’s not his thing—until he gets a taste of the pretty professor who walks into his bar… and winds up in his bed. She knows all too well that emotional decisions can lead to heartbreak, and nothing screams “bad decision” like a playboy bartender with inked biceps and a wicked smile. Still, their chemistry is off-the-charts explosive. For once, this good girl longs to let loose…

 

Game Saver by BJ Harvey — New Release!!

Can standalone: How do you know when fake turns real? She lives her life by her own rules. She works hard, plays hard, and knows who she is and where she wants to be. Following a repeat one-night stand with the dashing Dr. Cade Carsen, he asks her for a favor: be the fake girlfriend on his arm for the duration of his father’s mayoral campaign. Never one to turn down a challenge, she doesn’t hesitate. I mean, who would when all that’s involved is a little fake girlfriending with a side of hot sex, and with Doctor Hottie no less? But like any game, there are always twists and turns, unexpected players, villains, heroes and ultimately, winners and losers.

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