Review- Hard Edit by Andrea Smith and Eva Lenoir

September 16, 2016September 19, 2016Leave a comment

I was totally enamored by the follow up to Troy and Larson’s story. Once I picked it up, I was turning the pages at top speed. It was utterly addictive. I was thrown for a loop several times and couldn’t believe what I was reading. It was high on drama and had me laughing out loud several times. I was glad I wasn’t in public while reading it. I would have surely been committed.
After Troy publishes his story with a fictional twist, he becomes an instant bestseller. What happens with fame though? The past comes back to haunt you. Larson and Troy now find themselves in a battle for their own happily ever after complete with old ladies, cats, and dogs. If you’ve read Black Balled, you definitely want to read the follow up and see if Larson and Troy can overcome all the obstacles thrown in their path.

It’s all fun and games until egos get hurt.

After a year of a seemingly happily-ever-after, Troy Babilonia throws a curve ball that smacks Larson Blackburn right in the head. When Troy’s debut novel, “Bridge to Lonely,” threatens to overshadow Larson’s own success, inviting a past shadow into the light of their present, the two alphas must learn to adjust.
“Bridge to Lonely” has garnered an unexpected success both in the literary world and in the film industry, forcing Larson to accept that he is not the only successful author in the building. But as Troy’s old flame decides to make an appearance, the two alphas are forced to test the strength of their love. Let the battle of the egos recommence; where sarcasm is the preferred weapon, and the testosterone levels go beyond the boiling point.
Because Black Balled just wasn’t enough…Smith & LeNoir bring you Hard Edit.
Adult Content 18+

Amazon US – http://amzn.to/2b9F17m

Amazon UK – https://goo.gl/sXSoq9

Amazon CA – https://goo.gl/BC5PYG

BBB Best Books of August 2016

September 14, 2016October 10, 2016Leave a comment

The Bookalicious Babes Blog (BBB) Team read a ton of books this past month so our list is bigger this time. BBB has picked its top 5-star romance reads for August! It was not an easy choice as there has been so much book awesomeness this Summer where BBB has fallen in love with so many amazing authors’ stories.

BBB Best Books - August.jpg

BBB’s top picks are all ranked 5 stars and are not listed in any particular order. Click on the books to purchase!

WAIT BY AL JACKSON

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.

Our desire is overpowering.
Our need unrelenting.

She is my hope.
He is my weakness.
We should have known a passion this intense would burn us right into the ground.

NEIGHBOR DEAREST BY PENELOPE WARD

After getting dumped, the last thing I needed was to move next door to someone who reminded me of my ex-boyfriend, Elec.

Damien was a hotter version of my ex.

I thought my heart had been broken by Elec, but it was alive and beating harder than ever for Damien.

I just hoped he wouldn’t shatter it for good.

FURIOUS RUSH BY SC STEPHENS

Mackenzie Cox 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 in the male-dominated sport of professional motorcycle racing. The last thing Kenzie needs is to be antagonized by her rival team’s newest rider, Hayden Hayes.

As Kenzie and Hayden push each other on the track, the electric energy between them off the track shifts into an intense–and strictly forbidden–attraction. The only rule between their two ultra-competitive teams is zero contact.

AN INDECENT PROPOSAL BY KATEE ROBERT

Greed. Ambition. Violence. Those are the “values” Olivia Rashidi learned from her Russian mob family. When she meets Cillian O’Malley, she recognizes the red flag of his family name . . . yet she still can’t stop herself from seeing the smoldering, tortured man.

Plagued by a violent past, Cillian is more vulnerable than anyone realizes. Anyone except Olivia, whose beauty, compassion, and pride have him at “hello,” even if she’s more inclined to say good-bye to an O’Malley. While his proposal of sex with no strings seems simple, what he feels for her isn’t.

RAVAGE BY TILLIE COLE

Taken as a teen, prisoner 194 was stripped of his name and freewill, meticulously honed to be a ruthless machine. Even as he tries to fight his captors hold on him he knows that obedience is the only way to save his sister, who is the one person that keeps him from turning into a monster.

As a young girl Zoya Kostava barely escaped the brutal attack that killed her entire family. Now twenty five she lives in secrecy. Zoya risks her safety and anonymity to find the brother she thought dead and is captured by a beautiful, brutal man. A man who both captivates and scares her, in him she sees a soul as lost as her own.

ANTI-STEPBROTHER BY TIJAN

He told me to settle.
He asked what was wrong with me.
He called me an easy target.
That was within minutes when I first met Caden Banks.
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.

I came to college with daydreams about being with my stepbrother, but what if I fell for the anti-stepbrother instead?

THE ARROGANT ARCHITECT BY LK COLLINS

King is arrogant, cocky, and everything your heart tells you to stay away from.

Ever is sassy and strong willed.

Together these two are explosive…but getting there is a challenge. A challenge King happily accepts no matter how bad Ever fights it.

STRIPPED DOWN BY EMMA HART

Rich. Demanding. Hot. Crazy.
That was Beckett Cruz in a nutshell.
Not to mention wild, determined, dangerous, and forbidden.
He was my boss—and, after a drunken moment of insanity, my new husband.

An annulment was impossible… so was keeping him.
But Beckett Cruz had never taken no for an answer.
And he wasn’t about to take mine.

TURBULENCE BY WHITNEY GRACIA WILLIAMS

Jake Weston and I met under a cloud of cliches: Boy meets girl. Boy charms. Boy screws girl.

He was the sexiest, cockiest man I’d ever encountered, but I had no idea he was a senior pilot when we met. No idea we worked for the same airline and had secrets just like me.

After a passionate night of unforgettable sex, I thought I’d never see him again, but when I did, neither of us could walk away…

We knew we could potentially crash and burn, but what we had was so intoxicating and inescapable that we were both willing to risk it all…

THE SUMMER GAMES: OUT OF BOUNDS BY R.S. GREY

I despise Erik Winter.

He’s arrogant and cruel—a man I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy—and by some twisted turn of fate, he’s my new Olympic gymnastics coach.

If he pushes me, I’ll push back harder. If he wants to test me, to play with my head, I’ll show him just how many boundaries I’m willing to cross. Because I know it’s not a choice between winning or warring—not if you can have them both. At the end of it all, I plan on leaving Rio with gold around my neck and his icy heart in the palm of my hand.

BAD JUDGMENT BY MEGHAN MARCH

He’s arrogant.
She’s self-righteous.

I hate him.
I want her.

I’ve been turning him down for two years straight.
Every shut-down makes me work harder.

I’m not a one-night stand kind of girl.
She doesn’t realize I won’t settle for only one night.

WRANGLER BY DANI WYATT

After five lonely years out west, Chad Butler spots a curvy beauty in the crowd at his hometown honky-tonk and knows he has to have her. He’s going to lasso this little filly straight into his bed – and into his life.

Rachel Sweeting enjoys the peace she’s found in the middle of miles of cornfields with her Aunt Jessie. Her new life keeps her safely tucked away from the pain and embarrassment of her past. But, when her truck breaks down in the middle of the night and a hunky cowboy rides to the rescue, she’s knocked straight out of her boots.

THE FIRST TASTE BY JESSICA HAWKINS

Andrew Beckwith has already devoted his life to one girl—and as far as he’s concerned, she’s all he needs. The rough-around-the-edges bad boy left his reckless ways behind six years ago when his daughter Bell was born. To the female population’s dismay, he’s unapologetically single.

Amelia Van Ecken isn’t just another woman. She’s an independent, smart, and savvy businesswoman who doesn’t have time for sex, much less love. In the midst of a drawn-out, bitter divorce, all she wants is to bury herself in work. But when sharp-tongued Amelia and stubborn Andrew cross paths, sparks fly—and burn.

UNDISPUTED BY A.S. TEAGUE

As the undisputed MMA light heavyweight champ, I’ve faced the world’s toughest men. But, with a single glance, I knew that the five-foot-five redhead with a smart mouth and innocent eyes would be my hardest opponent yet.

Sidney O’Neil isn’t my type. While I spend my nights out drinking at the trendiest clubs in town, she spends hers taking care of her sick nephew. She is nothing I thought I wanted, yet she’s somehow become the one thing I need.

But what happens when the world is tipped on end and I’m no longer who she needs?

IN DEEP BY CALLIE HARPER

Chase is an Olympic swimmer going for gold. Focused, driven, intense.

Emma is a blogger going for the scoop, and she has the perfect in. She’s gotten herself hired as his physical therapist.

With all that intimate time together, the secrets from his past don’t stand a chance.

And neither does she.

THIS ISN’T ME BY T.A. MCKAY

Nathan Cooper thought he had everything in life worked out; his own company, a great best friend, and all the women he could want.

That is until one night his whole outlook changed.

One misunderstanding, a man instead of a woman, and just like that he was looking at guys like he never had before.

REFRESH BY S. MOOSE

Perfection slipped through Caroline Spencer’s fingers. One moment she had it all, and then it was gone. All she has left are her memories, her pain, and her close friends.

And Mason Ryan was not part of her plan–wasn’t even on her radar. After all, he was her husband’s best friend. But now that her husband is gone, he’s the only person who understands her, feels what she feels, and knows her inside and out.

Together, they try to rearrange the shattered pieces of their pain.

THE SAPPHIRE HEIST BY LAUREN BLAKELY

Keep your lover close and your enemy closer…

After giving in to a fiery night of passion, island adventurer Steph Anderson and bounty hunter Jake Harlowe are back to square one. With millions in stolen jewels at stake, it’s hard for Steph not to question her new partner’s true motives—no matter how sexy he might be. Jake is hungry for more of Steph, but he can sense her growing mistrust, which only fuels his own doubts. Worse, there’s undeniable evidence that someone else is now after the jewels—and that they are both in real danger.

Fighting against their magnetic attraction is a distraction these two can’t afford.

EL DIABLO BY M. ROBINSON

I was a bad man, never claimed to be anything else. I’ve done things I’m not proud of. Seen things that can’t be unseen. I’ve caused pain that I can’t undo.
It was all my choice. Every decision. Every order.
Right and wrong never mattered.
Until her.
She was under my protection, until she became my obsession.
But who was going to save her…
From. Me. The devil himself.

HARD RULES BY LISA RENEE JONES

The only man within the Brandon empire with a moral compass, Shane Brandon is ready to take his family’s business dealings legitimate. His reckless and ruthless brother, Derek, wants to keep Brandon Enterprises cemented in lies, deceit, and corruption. But the harder Shane fights to pull the company back into the light, the darker he has to become. Then he meets Emily Stevens, a woman who not only stirs a voracious sexual need in him, but becomes the only thing anchoring him between good and evil.

Emily is consumed by Shane, pushed sexually in ways she never dreamed of, falling deeper into the all-encompassing passion that is this man. She trusts him. He trusts her, but therein lies the danger. Emily has a secret, the very thing that brought her to him in the first place, and that secret that could that destroy them both.

KADEN BY BRIT LAUREN

My name is Kaden Ryan and I’m a male escort. I never intended to become an escort, but an opportunity fell into my lap and I took it. It was simple: get paid for sex, an orgasm, a night of pleasure. It’s certainly an easy way to work my way through medical school.

But not everyone’s fantasy is as simple as an orgasm. Some women like the game, and one in particular wants to push me to places I never thought I would go, paid or otherwise. She’s going to be the one to give me a real education.

DISCLAIM BY PAM GODWIN

Camila was seventeen when Van Quiso kidnapped her. Ten years after her escape, the shackles refuse to release her. Not while there are still slave traders preying on her city.
She will stop at nothing to end them.
Even if that means becoming a slave again.

Returning to chains is her worst fear—and only option. They won’t know who she is or what she intends to do. She’s prepared for every complication.
Except him.
The one who decimated her sixteen-year-old heart.

PRISONED BY MARNI MANN

When I opened my eyes, I was in a cell, my body covered in bruises.

Not a jail.

I’d been kidnapped and imprisoned.

I wasn’t alone. I shared the cell with Garin Woods, the man I’d loved since I was a kid.

The man I couldn’t be with because of the secret. A man who would kill me if he found out what that secret was.

WORKING FOR THE BILLIONAIRES CLUB BY SKY CORGAN

Now enlisting volunteers! Looking for ten super-rich men willing to please some lucky ladies for a good cause.

Requirements: You must make at least a billion dollars annually. You must be hot as hell. You must be a stud in the bedroom.

Job duties: Treat our clients like the queens they are. Fulfill their every fantasy while they enjoy their stay at our state of the art resort. You’ll have access to all of our amenities and fantasy rooms so that you can create the best experience for our clients.

PRETTY PERFECT TOY BY ANGEL PAYNE

With their attraction too explosive to ignore, Cassian Court has whisked Mishella Santelle from her tiny island kingdom to the empire he rules: New York City. Here, they have succumbed to the magic of Temptation Manor, surrendering to their lust—and a love that won’t be denied.

But happiness is nearly ripped away, when an act of heroism turns Cassian into a target of violence…from which physical recovery is only the beginning of healing. Cassian must find a way to expose his emotional scars too—meaning he must visit a past refusing to release him from its haunting grip.

LUCKY STAR BY REBECCA NORINNE CAUDILL

What happens when best friends who are secretly in love with each other hook up after one too many shots of tequila? For Sarah and Cameron, their friendship is overshadowed by the uncertainty that comes with crossing the line from friends to lovers.

Their problems escalate when Cameron is cast as the lead in a major Hollywood blockbuster. Now he must decide what’s more important: sticking by the woman he’s loved for years or the bright lights and temptation of superstardom.

WIDE SPACES BY AURORA ROSE REYNOLDS

That moment your life changes.
That moment that changes your life.
That moment you love someone more than you love yourself.
That was the moment we gave our son up for adoption and the moment

I was left bare. A wide-open space that would forever be empty.
There are moments that define you as a person, moments that prove just how strong you are, moments you push yourself to keep going forward when all you really want to do is give up. It was in one of those moments when I reached out and found him waiting for me.

AN ACT OF OBSESSION BY KC LYNN

She’s beautiful yet scarred beyond repair.

He’s powerful and lethal, in and out of the ring.

One act of kindness brought Sophie Parish far more danger than she could have ever imagined. Now she’s on the run, leaving behind her family and the only dream she’s ever had.

Retired EFC fighter Kolan Slade’s life has been one endless battle after another. He has a dark past with an even darker desire—the only one he’s ever known.

Until he meets Sophie.

RUSHING IN BY LEXI RYAN

The favor seemed simple: Keep my new stepsister out of trouble for one summer.

I’ve never met Grace Lee, but Mom tells me she’s a quiet and artsy college student with a troubled past. When I agreed to let her stay with me, I thought it was no big deal. I expected to share my apartment with a sullen girl who’d spend hours locked in her room.

I didn’t expect a walking fantasy determined to make me lose my cool.

I didn’t expect a woman with secrets so dark, so deep, I’d throw away everything if it would save her from the past.

ALWAYS THE ONE BY CC MONROE

Friendships are defined as a bond between two people, a building of a strong connection and like for one another. Usually excluding romantic or sexual feelings. Now what occurs when the typical doesn’t happen and friendship turns to love?

Trey Adams spends his days working with music and pining over his longtime best friend, Shayla Donovan. The only thing holding him back is his past, a past where love only hurts and leaves you. To love Shayla the way he desires may be a long, arduous road.

Shayla Donovan has lived thirteen years of her life with a secret she is ready to confess. Pushing her fear aside may be the only way she can move forward in helping Trey learn the meaning of true love.

DIVINE CONSPIRACY BY ROSE HUDSON

Two hearts lost to their pasts…
Brought together by chance..
Torn apart by destiny.

I guess I’ll never know if my life is driven by fate or just a series of coincidence. But what I do know is the first time I looked at Erin, I didn’t care which of the two it was that brought her to me. Because being with her is the one right thing I’ve done—until my past proved me wrong and came back for us both.

THIS ISN’T OVER BABY BY K. WEBSTER

They’d won the battle and I held up the white flag of defeat…
But the war wasn’t OVER.

I suffered the aching loss of what they had stolen from me.
OVER and OVER again, my heart broke.
The white Queen and the black King had taken OVER the game
and ruled for what seemed like eternity.

Until one day, eternity was finally OVER.

JONQUILS FOR JAX BY KATE REGNERY

Jacqueline “Jax” Rousseau is vivacious, rich, smart and beautiful. She’s on a self-imposed hiatus from love when she has an unpleasant run-in with her neighbor’s gorgeous new landscaper, Gardener Thibodeaux.

Jax is not accustomed to gruff, ill-mannered men that can’t be charmed, but when he saves her skin, she realizes that something about Gard intrigues her…and if she can find her way through the armor that surrounds his heart, she might finally find a love that won’t let her down.

SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN BY ELLA FOX

Rock star, Tyson Allen, is the hilarious, in-your-face bass player for one of the world’s most popular bands. Behind his funny-guy exterior hides a tragic past full of unbearable horror. He found a way to move forward and live life—a way he was comfortable with. All was going according to plan until he met the new assistant for his band.

Daisy Hammond has a slew of her own tragedies. And the last thing she needs is a crush on one of America’s rock legends. Working with the band isn’t easy as Tyson doesn’t want anything to do with her. Despite his standoffish and rude demeanor, Daisy can’t deny the pull she has for him. Will she find a way to break down Ty’s walls before it’s too late?

RUSH BY C.A. HARMS

I was running from my husband, a man I thought I’d known.
Running from the hell he had put me through.

He’d nearly destroyed the woman I had once been and
I would do whatever it took to regain my freedom.

I would lie, and cheat.
I would steal if it meant that I never had to go back there.

I’d run and keep running…

But there was one problem. I hadn’t planned for Ashton Montgomery.
He was a distraction I couldn’t allow. Not if I wanted to stay safe. I had to remain distant, but he was relentless and had other ideas.

SACRED SERENITY BY AUDREY CARLAN

Twenty-two-year-old Amber St. James’s focus is on her education. Her plan is clear―finish the elite San Francisco/Berkeley Medical School program early and become a pediatrician. She hasn’t given much thought to dating or to men in general, until she enrolls in the required human sexuality course…a subject foreign to her for religious and personal reasons.

Tantric yoga practitioner Dash Alexander is Lotus House Yoga’s most sought after sensual teacher. Women flock to him for his unique teaching style, calm nature, and wicked hot body. When he hears of Amber’s plight, he offers to help. The condition? Amber must assist in his couples’ Tantra yoga class as his partner. The sizzling attraction between the two of them is beyond anything Dash has ever experienced…spiritually or otherwise.

Review – Get Inked by Helena Hunting

September 14, 2016September 15, 2016Leave a comment

Get Inked: A Pucked Series and Clipped Wings Crossover Novella by Helena Hunting

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Laughter is the sound of the soul dancing.” ~Unknown

I love to laugh as laughter is life. Life is just better when you’re laughing. A gut-wrenching giggle fest feels good and is therapeutic. Some may even say laughing is the cheapest medicine you can buy.

When I need good laugh, the kind that makes me contemplate slapping on a Depends adult diaper due to the thorough laugh-to-bladder work-out, I’ll grab a Helena Hunting book. I’ll stalk these stories so hard that I could teach those wanna-be Hollywood stalkers outside celebrities’ homes a thing or 10. Once a story from Helena Hunting’s hot and hilarious Pucked series appears on my e-reader, I will drop off of the earth or go missing for hours. I may be physically present, but my mind is off on one great giggle fest and involuntary-thigh-clenching quest.

Helena Hunting decided to gift me or readers with a new naughty but oh-so-nice novella, Get Inked, which centers on a tattoo shop. Oh YES!!! Giddy like a first date, oh did it feel FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC to be reunited with Violet, Alex, Randy/Balls, Lily, Darren, Charlotte, Lance, and even the Beaver and Super MC! Get Clipped was the best family reunion ever. It was so exciting to meet new family members too: Hayden, Tenley, and Chris from the Clipped Wing books I now need to devour.

The first line sent a spark of scorching heat to my body and lit me up in laughter.

“Randy’s on the couch stroking Wiener.”

I LOVED the peek into the love life of Lily and Randy, AKA Balls. Even after a year, their chemistry is still SMOKIN’ HOT.

“Sometimes Randy and I have plank-offs. Whoever wins gets oral. I’m up to six minutes now. I’m pretty sure I can hold this position at least that long. But it really depends on what’s at stake.”

When my favorite couple, Violet and Alex, came back to play, my BOOKGASM blasted with approval!!! Alex is so sweet and sexy, the perfect alpha and hero. Violet, my favorite humorous and heated heroine is so many things: beautiful, curvy, sexy, klutzy, cute, hilarious, and uncensored. My soul sister. Spirit animal.

“He liked it when I blinged out my beaver, maybe he’d be into blinged-out boobs, too.”

I’M DYING OF LAUGHTER LIKE A LOON!

Secondary characters, MC and Beaver, had to join this riveting and racy reunion too:

“You’ll rub Super MC all over my sexy, naked Beaver?”

“You read my mind.”

There is no other book series that makes me drunk girl laugh like Helena Hunting’s Pucked series and characters. Violet has nearly made me purchase some Depends from the serious snort-laughing I do every time she speaks through these hot and hilarious stories.

Lance, whose character I’m dying to meet, and Lily sum up the powerful Pucked series and this story perfectly:

“…I recognize that these guys have become my family…Sometimes it’s about the people who come into your life, and embed themselves in your heart until you can’t imagine you’d be without them.”

Get Inked felt like coming home, a giddy and great feeling. These Pucked characters are my family, and feel so raw and real. Alex, Violet, Miller, Sunny, Randy, Lily, and more have burrowed themselves in my heart where they will likely remain.

A hot and hilarious hybrid of Clipped Wings and Pucked, Get Inked satisfied my ache to laugh while sending my body into a blaze of burning bliss. The banter, bounce, and brilliance of this book wrapped itself around me so tightly where I was swept into this sinfully spellbinding saga. I CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THE PUCKED SERIES.

Get Inked and the Pucked series are my laughing gas, my lust, and my love. I LOVED THIS TASTY TREAT AND I’M HUNGRY FOR MORE. Helena Hunting tickled my funny bone to where I was screaming for mercy. These Pucked stories make my soul sing, my gut giggle, and my heart happy. PURE PUCKING PERFECTION.

5 pucking perfect stars

View all my reviews

When the itch for new ink takes over, NHL star Randy Ballistic commissions his trusted tattoo artist to design a new sleeve, and the rest of the PUCKED boys decide it’s time to commemorate their love of hockey with a team tattoo.

But it can’t just be about the boys—the PUCKED girls want in on the action, too. Ink cherries will be popped, cupcakes will be consumed, and the hazards and enhancements of boob bling will be pondered.

Worlds collide when the hockey boys pay a visit to Inked Armor, the renowned Chicago tattoo studio where master artists Hayden Stryker and Chris Zelter ply their trade. Don’t miss the resulting action and insights in this Pucked series and Clipped Wings crossover novella.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2d0CoY4

Nook: http://bit.ly/2cxUaka

iBooks: http://apple.co/2cYDgwD

Review – Confessed by Nicola Rendell

September 14, 2016Leave a comment

Confessed by Nicola Rendell is a captivating, consuming read that grabs you by the heart and doesn’t let go.

So before I go any further I must address a huge point. One I feel you need to know before you read.. You ready?

This book is F’ING HOT! So hot, you’re gonna need an ice bath. Literally, just sit in one while reading BELIEVE ME. Sheesh, some of the scenes in Confessed were ON FIY-AH! Honestly Vince and Lucy…. Hot mother effers!

Okay so, Confessed is Nicola’s second release and from this day forward I pledge to read every book this woman writes because her storytelling capability is on point. Words flow into thrilling sentences throughout this whole book. There was never a time where I felt a lull or wanted to leave the book. Confessed sunk it’s claws into me and held on. TIGHT.

Vince and Lucy are an amazing couple. Both hopelessly flawed. Both from opposite lifestyles. But both so similar.

I have to say I have a major woman crush on Lucy, this woman has balls! I loved her! She’s super strong and so funny it’s ridiculous. I want to be her friend, like RIGHT NOW.

Vince Russo, is rugged, raw, ruthless and dangerous to womankind. Seriously this man is DELICIOUS! Vince is one of those cocky alphas you just know you’re going to love. And I loved him HARD. Fell hook, line and sinker for the dude!

What I also loved about Confessed though is the epic storyline Nicola has penned here. The connection I felt as a reader to this book as a whole was so deep. The story hit me full force, ticking every box on the “great books checklist”. Confessed had connection, charisma, love, lust, breathtaking romance, intense HOT scenes, laugh out loud humour, gutting, heartbreaking moments just everything.

All in all Confessed is an insanely addicting read. Super hot and utterly breathtaking!

A brand new dirty, sexy, funny standalone romance…

Lucy Burchett is the heiress to a notoriously disastrous family, and she’s left home for good. But when she runs a big, black pickup off the road, totaling it, she finds herself stuck in the middle of nowhere with the driver. He’s got a body to die for and a hair-trigger temper. Vince Russo looks like a felon, but he’s also pretty funny. He’s on the lam from the cops… and a psychopathic, Russian mob boss who wants to put his balls on a barbeque. Literally.

After a night of ill-advised cocktails and bathroom-wrecking sex, Vince just can’t get Lucy off his mind. But he’s got plans to rob her. And Lucy’s life is about to get a little bit criminal too.

But can a bad boy and a good girl really escape from their troubles together? Can they trust each other at all?

In the steady march of disasters that follow them west, they fight and they laugh. They tease and they’re tender. They’re either oil and water, or chocolate and peanut butter.

Except, they can’t run from the real world forever. And there’s a hell of a surprise in store for both of them…

Amazon US: http://goo.gl/JnjEzH

Amazon UK: http://goo.gl/6bV9PY

Amazon CA: http://goo.gl/q5dFNX

Amazon AU: http://goo.gl/nXgLVL

iBooks: http://goo.gl/vJps8N

Kobo: http://goo.gl/dS1SMN

Review – Torrid Affair by Callie Anderson

September 13, 2016Leave a comment

How is it possible that a book can leave you so broken but so whole? How is possible that a book can strip you of every single feeling, but leave you stupidly happy? I’ve never read any books by Callie Anderson before. I really didn’t know what to expect. So to now be sat here in absolutely strung out from having experienced EVERY SINGLE EMOTION, I can safely say I will read every single thing Callie has ever wrote and will ever write.

Callie is an evil genius. In Torrid Affair she ripped out my heart and soul and OBLITERATED it! Crushed me to within an inch of my life. I guess the introduction at the front of the book should have given me some indication but nothing could have prepared me for the utter devastation I’d feel while reading this. I UGLY CRIED. Honestly tears ran down my face while I struggled to breathe because this book, Torrid Affair, is breathtaking. It’s a beautiful disaster, utter perfection, delicious devastation. I cannot even begin to express how emotionally strung out I am now I’m finished..

At 30% I knew I loved this book, those butterflies that us bookworms love to experience deep inside our stomachs began to flap their wings like crazy and started the intense burn that I LOVE.

At 49% I COULD NOT BREATHE. My heart was being painstakingly pulled from my chest and my soul trampled on. I hurt because the characters were hurting. Because I connected to them on such a level that my world was theirs and their pain was mine. I watched as my heart and soul was held in front of me, while words and sentences dropped like bombs onto it, totally blasting every part of me.

At 68% I had to stop and calm myself.. Nothing was ever going to stop me reading this book EVER. But I needed a minute. I don’t know how Callie did it, but she sucked me so deep into this story that I never wanted to leave. I fell in love with Brie, from the start she became a part of me. Some people, I’m sure will not want to read this book because of the warning. But I would tell them to just read it, put aside everything and just read because what Callie does with this story is so fucking powerful you’ll get it. You’ll get Brie and you’ll love her, like I did.

You’ll also love Nate. OMG Nate! He’s my beautifully broken man, so consumed by love. So ridiculously perfect and stupid at the same time. I loved him. So, so much. But I also could have slapped him silly while kissing him better. He’s that guy, you know?

Together Nate and Brie are raw, ugly, beautiful and intense. Imagine the strongest storm. One that starts as a low rumbling across the sky. The closer it gets the more obvious it becomes. With it, it brings pounding rain and strong winds, intense feelings that scare. It also brings lightning, bright, vibrant sparks that light up the sky, crackling with such heat and intensity that you can’t look away. It wreaks ugly devastation but also delivers painstaking beauty. It’s power builds and builds, there are small reprieves where it eases but that just adds to the next wave. It’s intensity never dies and still you can’t hide away. Don’t want to hide away. Because you know when the storm is over it will leave the most breathtaking ending filled with beauty and colour. And it does. It leaves so much beauty. So much perfection. Together Nate and Brie are EVERYTHING.

I’ve read a lot of books this year, books that have upset me and tugged on my heart. But I’ve only read a couple that have actually blown me apart, that have dragged me through feelings so strong I’ve been left broken. But in that brokenness is a happiness that skips hand in hand with it. Its that broken happiness that us bookworms experience when we read books that will stay with us forever, books that elicit the strongest book hangovers. It’s that broken happiness that we savour every single second of because it’s beautiful. Torrid Affair is, from beginning to end, a broken happiness that will forever be more, than I can ever hold in my heart.

I’m fucked.

The life I have lived for the past ten years is built solely on lies and secrets.

But I can’t help myself.

I’m in love with two different men. And one of them is my brother-in-law.

He’s my drug. My fire. My addiction.

But he’s married to my best friend. And I’m married to my husband.

I’m not ashamed. I have no guilt.

None.

I’m not fucked. I’m a fucked up person.

This is the story of how I ruined my life.

And the life of the one I loved most.

Amazon US ★ http://amzn.to/2cceA7N

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Review – Spiked Lemonade by Shari Ryan

September 13, 2016Leave a comment

This book was so much more than I expected. From the intense emotions of the beginning scenes to the moments I laughed so hard my stomach hurt, I just loved this book! Sasha, the sweet Southern Belle, and Jags, the down and dirty Navy Medic have a totally different kind of love and romance. Even as I sit to write this review, I remember some of their antics and cannot help it – I am laughing hysterically.

They met under some stressful situations and through their best friends Tango and Cali (their story is begins in TAG). Tango and Cali knew that Jags and Sasha could bring out the best in each other. Jags was lost and jagged from his time in combat overseas. Sasha is coming out of very bad relationship where her life was at risk. He’s foul and wants to f*ck. She’s so repressed she can’t even say the word f*ck. So what do you get when you combine surly with sass? I got an amazing story that once I started I could not put down.

I will admit that for a bit I wasn’t sure what story I was reading. If you had not read Cali and Tango’s story before, it would be easy to feel somewhat lost. Still the story was written in such a way that after a time it was simply Sasha and Jags’ story. Two people who really were quite lost and trying to discover who they are underneath the disguises that they wore. No way was Jags this manwhore that he professed to be and no way was Sasha this stuck up wanna be Southern housewife in training.

They both had demons to face and decisions to make so that they could be together. They have an all out amazing journey discovering who they are individually as well as being a couple. A bit of insta-love and really, I cannot said it enough about the belly aching laughs. Don’t read this in public. I got the worst looks for laughing! My favorite line and scene from the book? “Are you Irish?” And there I go laughing all over again.

This was my first read from Shari. What a great introduction. This is not your typical romance! It’s down and dirty, complex and complicated. It’s fun and frivilous. It has moments of serious contemplation and deals with a very important issue that needs more attention. It has just some of the hottest sex scenes. It was a total blast! Fantastic, Shari!

5 Jack and Lemonade Stars!

I traded in my Navy uniform and short hair for tats and a scruffy beard to become a man on the run. Moving from town to town, taking comfort in hot cars and fast women was the only way I could outrun the nightmares.

Then I met her…

Looking like a Southern Belle in a small Texas town, all layered in pretty dresses and perfume, I call her beautiful.
She calls me a perv.

This beauty won’t admit I have something she wants (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), or that I’m the one she’s looking for, but I love that she has something I never knew I needed.

I may be labeled as a jerk, but she’s going to fall in love with me, and I’m going to make her cuss and drink whisky instead of lemonade. Why? Because sometimes beauty comes with a dirty mouth and sometimes your lemonade needs to be spiked.

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2bAYmRr
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Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2aBAOhx

Review – Hostile Workplace by A.M Madden

September 9, 2016September 9, 2016Leave a comment

When I started reading Hostile Workplace I thought I was going to get a hot and humorous enemies to lovers book that would make me laugh and swoon and burn up a bit. And I did at the start but what soon develops alongside while reading Hostile Workplace is a deep, heartbreaking story that tugs at every part of you. At times I was left gasping because my heart couldn’t take it. The way everything played out was magnificent. Honestly AM Madden seriously worked some major magic with this book.

Sam and Lydia’s relationship is heart breaking to say the least both spun tales of lies and betrayal, both left with six broken years that they haven’t recovered from. However despite all their time apart their connection was electric and the love/hate banter was off the charts.

This book has been super hard for me to review because it contains some major jaw dropping moments and some spectacular twists. I darent give those away because it really adds to the impact of this story. So I’ll stop here.

All in all Hostile work place is a hot, heartbreaking read. Perfect for people who love friends to lovers and second chance romances.

4.5 Sexy, second chance romance stars.

Sam Stanton knows these simple facts:
~ He is a great catch—successful, smart, gorgeous…but the wrong woman caught him.

~ He has the perfect girl who is madly in love with him.

~ He wasted six years of his life by playing it safe.

~ He is damn good at his job and intends to keep climbing the ladder.

~ He can’t get her off his mind or out of his heart—no matter how hard he tries.

But, what he doesn’t know is just as important:

~ Will he ever really move on and forget how badly she broke his heart?

~ Should he settle for a sure thing, even knowing it’s the wrong thing?

~ Can he give up his career for a chance at happiness?

~ Does he correct one mistake with another?

~ What would he do if she were to return?

Confused yet? Welcome to Sam Stanton’s life.

Hostile Workplace is LIVE !!!

Goodreads —> http://ow.ly/bJit302M6RI

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Review – The Playbook by Kelly Elliott

September 9, 2016September 15, 2016Leave a comment

The Playbook by Kelly Elliott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Love is not something you go out and look for. Love finds you, and when it does, ready or not, it’ll be the best thing to ever happen to you.”

Love found me in the form of a sensational and swoon-filled sports story: The Playbook. Fast and furiously, The Playbook became my fix and my fascination. I was glued to this story with the intensity of watching my favorite team play football. The Playbook captivated me, caught me, and claimed me. I WAS ALL IN. The romance poured off the pages while the heat set them ablaze, both penetrating straight through me, The Playbook felt like a good old fashioned love story full of sweetness, swoon, and smolder, and oh did I fall in LOVE SO MUCH.

The Prologue wrapped itself around me tightly, sinking me into the story before it really started. That last line is love at first sight where I first swooned, one of so many swoons in this sweet and spellbinding story.

“Little did I know that one simple exchange would rock my entire world.”

Beautiful ESPN Analyst Aubrey ‘Bree’ Cain reports from the sidelines of college games but has dreamed about covering the NFL for years. Little did she know one hot coach, Brett Owens, would stir up her desire with one mere intense look from the sidelines one day.

“It was no ordinary smile. It was one that you read in romance books where your knees get weak and your stomach does that stupid flip thing.”

I fell in insta- lust with Coach ‘Clincher of the Thighs’ Owens early in the story and it just grew to full on love by the end. Dark messy hair, ice blue eyes, a tall and muscular body, and one dirty mouth makes for one panty-melting player. I LOVED BRETT, AND HIS DIRTY WORDS AND BIG HEART SO MUCH!

The ladies’ man, Brett, can’t fathom why one woman who has ignited him with just a smile has him turned inside out. One woman who now has to accompany him, the best coach in college football, for a month for a big sports article for ESPN.

“We were dealt the same card, now we had to play it.”

Bree may have one tough time not mixing business with pleasure as Brett’s dirty mouth gets her hot and bothered. Who could not succumb to those wanton-inducing words?

“I know another thing that is coming up – my cock. You look sexy as f**k. By the way, I love the ponytail. Gives me something to hold on to when I take you from behind.”

That elevator…gah! My body heated from head to toe from Brett’s words alone.

“…I’m attracted to you, Brett. And the way you make me feel when I’m around you is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before, and it has me shaken to the core.”

Bree tries her hardest to not mix business with pleasure. She must keep her head in the game and goal of the NFL. She can’t lose herself in Coach Panty-Melter no matter how dirty his mouth is and how much she wants it on hers. She can’t get played by the player.

Easier said than done. How could Bree not relent to Brett’s witty and wanton-inducing words?

“Smashing my lips to hers, it didn’t take long for her to open up to me…She tasted sweeter than honey…Instead of pulling back, I deepened the kiss while our tongues danced in perfect harmony.”

Their chemistry is electric like the buzz in the air during a sold-out football game; Bree and Brett’s passion pounded from the pages sraight to me.

Bree doesn’t want to like the cocky player who turns her on while they are working together, but she can’t help what her traitorous body feels.

Her brain also can’t help but process every dirty word and look that makes her want to pounce on Brett like a cat in heat. Temptation never looked so good.

“I did the one thing I said I wasn’t going to do again. Let Brett Owens in.”

As much as their attraction is off-the-charts hot, neither Brett nor Bree want complications; both want to stay focused on their jobs and protect their hearts so no one gets hurt. Will one woman be enough to change this player’s Playbook for good?

Oh my SWOON! My sexy thigh clenches turned into swoon-filled sighs. I SWOONED HARD, my soul soared high, and my heart was hit like a football over this unexpected story. The Playbook didn’t just smoke the story and me with heat; it hit my heart with a bigger impact than I imagined. One laced in lust where love threatened to seep through, a hijacking of my heart I did not see coming.

The Playbook played me in the best way!!! I did not think this story would soar right into my soul with the speed of a fast football. I did not think this football story about a player would play me in the best way. I did not think my heart would pound all over the pages fast and furiously. I did not think the feels would flow in the form of tears of happiness, swoon, and sorrow. I LOVED EVERY MINUTE of this sensational story and could not get enough.

Kelly Elliott dropped a tender and terrific touchdown of a romance with The Playbook – a spellbinding story that made me swoon and sweat. I swooned so hard that I’m crowning Kelly Elliott the new Queen of Swoon. This Southern gal fell head-over-heels in love with The Playbook in a Gone with the Wind Meets Sweet Alabama way. This is my new favorite story by Kelly Elliott and I need not just a book but a whole series like The Playbook because I’m not done swooning yet!

5 swoon-filled stars

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My life revolved around two things. Football and my cock. And not necessarily in that order.

Being the head football coach for a top university in Texas had its ups and its downs.

The ups? Endless women to f*ck.

The downs? The politics that came with the job.

From the moment Aubrey Cain walked into my office, she turned my world upside down. Being forced to have her follow me around for a month was going to be a pain in the ass. Especially since I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her.

The best I’d hoped to come out of this was a few nights with her in my bed. I never imagined she’d be the game changer.

Brett Owens was my assignment.

Head football coach for a top college, bad boy reputation, short temper, and handsome good looks should have scared me off. But I was tougher than that.

From the first words out of his obnoxious, dirty-talking mouth, I knew it was going to be a long month. It wasn’t five minutes after meeting him, he hit on me. If only I had known his blue eyes would haunt my dreams and awaken a desire inside of me I never knew existed.

This was business. There was no way I would be tempted by him no matter how good looking he was or how many things he whispered in my ear.

He was only supposed to be my assignment. Not the man who threatened to destroy both my heart and my career. I would follow along with his playbook for now. But who would end up winning was anyone’s guess.

The Playbook is a stand-alone novel.

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30762503-the-playbook

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iBooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-playbook/id1128611665?mt=11&at=11lQ8t

Barnes and Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940153367774

Kobo – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-playbook-6

Review – Just Friends by Monica Murphy

September 8, 2016September 13, 2016Leave a comment

Just Friends by Monica Murphy

Karen's Review

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There is something that shines in a young adult (YA) romance. Maybe it’s the movement, the faster pace, the engagement of the story. Perhaps it’s the childhood innocence resonating through the story. It could be the trip down memory lane it takes to those teenage years, sparking good and trying times. The glue that usually cements YA stories—with tough topics, some sexy scenes, and lots of depth—together is hope. Who doesn’t need a little hope in their life?

While I’ve read many college romances in the past few years, I can’t recall the last time when I hit the ‘rewind button’ even further and read a high school romance: a full-on young adult story. With adrenaline surging through me, I was excited to be reunited with a true YA romance.

Just Friends came to life before my eyes as I fell into a deep coma of captivation, fully immersed and intoxicated, where I felt every word I read. I feel deep into this slightly dark and deceptive tale, so deep that Just Friends found my lost high school years. I felt my teenage years flash before my eyes. Those years when I was a rebel against my parents…against the world…where I knew everything and they knew nothing.

Fast and furiously, Just Friends became my fix…my fascination. I could not put this all-consuming story down. This alluring tale was my addiction, my angst, and my amazing escape. These characters wrapped me into their web of deceit and dangerous consequences from playing with ones’ hearts where I fell into their tumultuous triangle of messy love. Oh did I LOVE every messy minute!

“The problem with messing around with your best friend who happens to be a boy is that they form certain expectations. We’ve crossed the line. In his eyes, there’s no going back. He wants more. He wants it—me—all the time. I think I want that too, but I’m not sure.”

Once a girl messed around with a boy, one of her best friends. Then that boy best friend messed around the with other girl best friend. Their triangle of friendship became one of fraud. A new boy enters the mix, messing with two of the best friends in the triangle, making for one screwed up square of deception.

“When he looks at me like this, I can feel that crackling chemistry between us…I can’t wash away his touch. His words. His everything…And I shouldn’t. He doesn’t belong to me. He belongs to Em. I should be thinking about Dustin. Not Ryan.”

Olivia, Emily, and Dustin are best friends, best friends for life, or so they thought until things became difficult. One Summer, Olivia went away to stay with her dad. One Summer, everything yet nothing changed. One Summer, friendships were formed and friendships fell in one messy love triangle or more like square. High school that’s supposed to be care-free became complicated.

“He played us both. She’s a fool. But then again, so am I.”

I did not expect to love a YA story as much as a contemporary romance…but I did! I did not expect to become engrossed and entangled in story of high schoolers…but oh I was so tangled and twisted up in every part of this tale! I did not expect to fall in insta-love with Just Friends…but I FELL IN LOVE SO HARD with this spellbinding story! I did not expect Just Friends to be my new favorite Monica Murphy romance but it is now my favorite story by this amazing author!

Intoxicating and intense, Just Friends is a coming of age romance that bleeds angst, penetrating the heart and soul, where you’re thrust full throttle into this tender yet turbulent tale of first love. This story tormented me in the best way where I welcomed every ounce of angst! My pulse pounded. My heart beat out of my chest. My feelings flowed all over the pages. I WAS ALL IN…hook…line…sinker! I sunk so hard, fell so hard, and LOVE THIS STORY SO HARD! Just Friends is JUST AMAZING!!! I’m dying for the sequel like yesterday.

5 terrifically turbulent stars

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It’s the end of summer. Just before I start senior year with my two best friends in the whole world. Dustin and Emily are everything to me. We’ve been inseparable since middle school, and when we’re together, nothing can go wrong.

But things aren’t always what they seem. Em’s turned into a drunken mess who parties too much. Dustin and I have hooked up a few times—and now he’s ready to take our relationship to the next level. Yet I’m not sure I want things to change. I’m scared if I take it any further with Dustin, our friendship will be ruined forever. Then there’s Ryan. The new guy. He’s hot. He flirts way too much. And Em has totally set her sights on him.

So when my best friend betrays me in the worst possible way, guess who’s there to help me pick up the pieces of my broken heart? Ryan. But he’s so confusing. Annoying. Sweet. Sexy. I want to trust him, yet he makes it so hard. What I really want is for everything to go back to the way it was before.

Before I found out that best friends make the worst kind of enemies.

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Review – Wide Open Spaces by Aurora Rose Reynolds

September 7, 2016Leave a comment

From the very beginning of Wide Open Spaces, I knew Zach and Shelby’s story would be one of the most moving, the most heartbreaking stories that ARR has written. It starts off at such a personal place – one that Aurora has documented over time for her readers. We struggled with her, laughed and cried with her and celebrated so joyfully when her dream of family came true. Her dedication to the people would made her dreams a reality show how special this story would be. This story is about finding the love of your life, losing it through unforeseeable circumstances, to finally getting a second chance to have it all.

Shelby lost her parents but found family with her grandparents. Zach came from a family barely surviving. When the two teenagers found each other, they found their missing half. He vowed to be the man that gave Shelby everything. She vowed to love him always with all her heart. But like some teenagers they became careless and had to make the decision together to give their child to a family t-hat could give the child all the things that at 15 years old they could not.

But the loss changes them. Hurt, angry and unable to forgive, Shel leaves home to try and start over. Zach waits for her and waits some more, slowly losing himself and making mistakes that he must make right. He moves on, marries, has two beautiful children and divorces. Shel marries, has another child and tries to have a good life. Only she divorces too and after the death of her beloved grandfather ends up next door to the man that still has her heart.

Though time has gone on and they have gone in opposite directions, some things don’t change between Shelby and Zach. Love is just as strong – stronger even. Chemistry and passion just as high – if not higher. There are still obstacles to over come, a settling of old pains. There are new obstacles now to face: angry exes, blended families, creating a new life. An epic new journey for these two that was amazing to watch.

This story is filled with swoony moments, angry encounters and soul searing romance. It was a beautiful, angsty second chance that stuck with me happily once those final words were read. So very highly recommend that tissues, a favorite beverage and a comfortable spot are close by when you dig into Wide Open Spaces.

Very well done, Aurora. Very well done!

5 Wide Open Stars!

That moment your life changes.
That moment that changes your life.
That moment you love someone more than you love yourself.
That was the moment we gave our son up for adoption and the moment I was left bare. A wide-open space that would forever be empty.
There are moments that define you as a person, moments that prove just how strong you are, moments you push yourself to keep going forward when all you really want to do is give up. It was in one of those moments when I reached out and found him waiting for me.

When Shelby Calder left home fifteen years ago, she never planned on returning to the Alaskan town she left behind. But after the death of her grandfather and a bitter divorce, she hopes going home will be a fresh start for her and her ten-year-old son.

Zach Watters has made a lot of mistakes in his life. But when he sees Shelby Calder, looking more beautiful than ever, standing outside her childhood home, he promises himself that letting her go won’t be a mistake he ever makes again.

Some things never change and love is one of them.