Thursday, April 30, 2015

From Fake To Forever by Kat Cantrell


Bride: Meredith, soon-to-be co-owner, wedding dress business
Marital Status: Victim, Vegas wedding mix-up
Action Required: Divorce, ASAP
 
After one night of tequila and sex, their impromptu Vegas wedding shouldn't be valid. But Meredith Chandler-Harris just discovered she's still tied to irresistible businessman Jason Lynhurst. She needs out of their marriage, but to become his company's new CEO, he needs her as a bride. Let the newlywed games begin.


Title: From Fake To Forever | Series: Newlywed Games #2 | Author: Kat Cantrell | Publisher: Harlequin | Imprint: Desire | Category: Passion | Release Date: April 2015 | Genre: Contemporary Romance | Source: MLM Media Relations | Rating: 4



My Thoughts:  I love it when the hero and heroine have a history. It just makes the chemistry that much more intense. And Jason and Meredith have amazing chemistry that sizzles off the pages.
 
“What’s your dream, Meredith? Tell Me?”
 
“Why?” she asked suspiciously. “More leverage?”
 
Oh, yeah, she was no dummy. And that turned him on as much as everything else in her full package. More maybe. The fact that she was so savvy about his motivation changed it instantly.  “No, because I’m curious.  My mouth has been between your legs. That gives me special right to know what’s between your ears, too.”
 
So here’s what’s going on. Meredith and Jason meet in Vegas and spend a dirty weekend together. The two end up tying the knot—not a big surprise given it’s Vegas—although what is surprising —and a little mystifying—is the fact that they entered into this marriage to seal the ‘Grown-Up Pact’. Apparently, they’ve decided that entering into a marriage with a random stranger somehow proves you’re an adult (I really don’t get their reasoning, but let’s move on).
 
Neither believed that their marriage was valid so they parted ways. Fast forward two years later and Meredith discovers that she is indeed married to Jason. Although to move forward with her ‘Grown-Up Pact’ she needs a quickie divorce to end her marriage that never should have been.
 
When Jason discovers he’s married to Meredith he sees it as an opportunity to reunite his family’s fashion empire and he refuses to grant his wife the divorce she wants until he gets something in return.  When it becomes apparent that having Meredith as his wife will aid in his becoming CEO, he doesn’t want to let her go.
 
Although he’s not ready to admit to himself—or Meredith—the real reason he doesn’t want to let her go.
 
The chemistry between Jason and Meredith was some of the best chemistry that I’ve seen in a romance novel. They have a past but they haven’t seen each other in two years yet neither have gotten over the other. And neither have been able to find someone who makes them feel what they felt during their wild weekend in Vegas.
 
The pacing of this book was fantastic and the dialogue was amazing but I would have liked to see a bit more conflict. It was there but because this was a category romance (under 200 pages), the conflict and resolution felt a bit rush.  
 
Overall, I enjoyed this fun, sexy, little romance. It was a fast-paced read with likable characters and a brilliant plot. I look forward to checking out the first book in this series.


 



Newlywed Game Series

Book 1: From Ex To Eternity by Kat Cantrell






The Memory Garden by Mary Rickert $1.99


Hello Lovelies,
 
Sourcebooks Landmark has yet another great title on sale for $1.99, so don’t forget to snatch this e-book up before Amazon’s daily deal ends.
 
 


Bay Singer has bigger secrets than most.
 
Not that she knows about them. Her mother, Nan, is sure that the burden of those secrets would be too much, and that's why she never told anyone the truth, not even Bay.
 
There's a lot that Nan's kept quiet over the years, especially those times with Mavis and Ruthie—times that were dark and full of guilt. But some secrets have a power all their own, and Nan realizes she needs Mavis and Ruthie now more than ever. When the three meet again in Nan's garden, their reunion has spellbinding effects that none of them could have imagined, least of all Bay...

 

Buy Link:






Monday, April 27, 2015

Excerpt from WOLF BRIDE by Elizabeth Moss and Ruby Necklace Giveaway


 
Hello Lovelies!
 
I’m so excited to be sharing an excerpt from Wolf Bride {review to come} with you as well as a giveaway.
 
 As some of you know, I have a major Tudor obsession and I was excited to see that Sourcebooks was releasing this book. So, don’t forget to mark this one down on your TBR list because you’re not going to want to miss it.

 
 
 
 
 
Bound to him against her will…
 
Lord Wolf, hardened soldier and expert lover, has come to King Henry VIII's court to claim his new bride: a girl who has intrigued him since he first saw her riding across the Yorkshire moors.
 
Eloise Tyrell, now lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne Boleyn, has other ideas. She has no desire to submit to a man she barely knows and who-though she is loath to admit it-frightens her more than a little.
 
Their first kiss awakens in both a fierce desire that bares them to the soul. But as the court erupts into scandal around the ill-fated Queen, Eloise sees firsthand what happens when powerful men tire of their wives...
 
Title: Wolf Bride | Author: Elizabeth Moss | Release Date: May 5, 2015 | Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca | Genre: Historical Erotic Romance | Series: Lust in the Tudor Court Book #1



Buy Links:

 
“Let’s have a kiss to seal your oath,” Wolf said shortly, and bent his head to hers.
 
Eloise had thought Lord Wolf would give her a token kiss, like that given by a bridegroom after the marriage vows had been exchanged. Some cold and bloodless meeting of lips to remind her that she belonged to him now. But his mouth took hers with a kiss of such ardent fervor she could barely stand beneath it, her hands clinging to his shoulders. She was dazed, her body under assault, not expecting the wave of violent passion that swept through her in the wake of his embrace.
 
His kiss was bold and darkly possessive. Lord Wolf was sure of her acquiescence, she realized with a shock. Nor was he wrong. Eloise found her lips parting beneath his, her tiny gasp an opportunity for his tongue to slip inside.
 
Seeming to sense her surrender, he lifted her slightly, pressing her against the cold stone wall, just as Simon had done, and lowered his head again to claim her lips.
 
He tasted of heat and long summer nights, his scent as well as his hands enticing her closer, reminding her of spice and oranges. She had meant to resist, but it was impossible. His tongue traced slowly along her lower lip, then dipped back inside, stroking and flickering, promising the kind of sensual pleasures she had only dreamt of before in the privacy of her bed.
 
In a few ecstatic seconds, she had forgotten Simon’s boyish, enthusiastic kisses. This was beyond mere physical desire. His body weighted strongly against hers, he no longer needed to hold her still. His mouth teased and played her, one hand cupping her face, the other stroking her long hair.
 
Eloise moaned under his kiss, her eyes closing with pleasure. She felt new worlds opening up as he touched her, parts of herself suddenly springing to life under his hands. Her breasts tingled in a way she barely recognized, her nipples taut, pushing against the neckline of her gown. Between her thighs a strangely sweet ache had begun to throb, her flesh there slick with unaccustomed longing.
 
Eloise drew back, turning her head away so he could not kiss her again. “Please,” she whispered.
 
His gaze followed her, heavy-lidded with desire. “Please yes, or please no?”


 
About The Author:
Born into a literary family, Elizabeth Moss lives with her husband and five children in South-West England, and is a keen countryside walker. She writes fun and sexy historical romances. She also writes award-winning fiction as Victoria Lamb. For more information, please visit her website: www.elizabethmossfiction.com.
 
Social Networking Links


 

Friday, April 24, 2015

$1.99 E-book sale


 
Hello Lovelies!
 
I hope you all are well!
 
I bring exciting news of hot hunky cowboys and brilliant romances. So, Sourcebooks Casablanca has done it again! They have lowered the price of two of Carolyn Brown’s amazing cowboy romances to $1.99 each.
 
Both books are simply the sweetest romances that I’ve read and if you haven’t snatched these up, I suggest you do so now!


The Cowboy’s Mail Order Bride by Carolyn Brown
 
Emily Cooper promised her dying grandfather that she'd deliver a long-lost letter to a woman he once planned to wed. Little does adventurous Emily know that this simple task will propel her to places she never could have imagined...with a cowboy who's straight out of her dreams...
 
When sexy rancher Greg Adams discovers his grandmother Clarice has installed Emily on their ranch as her assistant, he decides to humor the two ladies. He figures Emily will move on soon enough. In the meantime, he intends to keep a close eye on her-he doesn't quite buy her story of his grandmother as a mail-order bride.
 
A lost letter meant a lost love for Clarice, but two generations later, maybe it's not too late for that letter to work its magic.
 
Fans of Linda Lael Miller and Diana Palmer will thrill to this charming story of a sexy Texas rancher and the mail order bride who brought him to one knee.

 

 
How To Marry A Cowboy
 
Texas rancher Mason Harper's daughters want a new mama in the worst way, and when a beautiful woman in a tattered wedding gown appears on their doorstep, the two little girls adopt her-no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Mason isn't sure about taking in a complete stranger, but Lord knows he needs a nanny, and Annie Rose Boudreau stirs his heart in long-forgotten ways...
 
Annie Rose is desperate, and when a tall, sexy cowboy offers her a place to stay, she can't refuse. After all, it's just for a little while. As she settles in deeper, her heart tells her both Mason and her role as makeshift mama suit her just fine. But will Mason feel the same way once her nightmare past catches up with her?
 
Fans of Linda Lael Miller and Diana Palmer will thrill to this moving story of a lonely cowboy and his two little girls finding the family of their dreams.
 
*at the time of posting, both e-books were $1.99.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Heartbreaker by Diana Palmer


STONE-COLD COWBOY 
 
 Wealthy Texas cattle rancher J. B. Hammock was proud of his reputation as a heartbreaker. He treated his women well, but they all knew they would never have a permanent status in his life—all but one. Innocent Tellie Maddox had been just a girl when she’d been orphaned and had come to live with his family. She was fiercely devoted to J.B., but when that devotion turned into something passionate between them, J.B. knew he had to break yet another heart.
 
 Tellie hated him for that—until she lost her memory in an accident. Now all she remembered was the closeness she and J.B. once shared. He didn’t want to hurt her all over again, but it quickly became clear that there was too much fire between him and Tellie for them to ever just be friends. And the deeper their feelings grew, the more J.B. feared the inevitable return of Tellie’s memory….



Heartbreaker just didn’t work for me. Rather than immersing me in the story, I felt as though the narrator was giving me a choppy retelling of a story they heard through the grapevine. And the hero and heroine were cringe-worthy. I tried so so so hard to find something I liked about them but I came up empty handed.
 
Tellie is almost twenty-two yet she acts so immature it’s downright annoying. Really, I wanted to reach in a smack her and tell her to grow up and move on. Anywho, she has this mad crush/obsession with J.B. and she’s drooling over him like a Saint Bernard even though—wait for it—he’s parading his flavor of the week, a buxom blonde whose about as deep as a puddle, around Tellie just to hurt her.
 
Rather than growing up and going on with her life, she’s all I-love-him-I-want-to-marry-him-my-life-is-over-without-him. I mean, seriously!?!?! What kind of bloody heroine is she supposed to be? I don’t understand people like her. I can’t stand people like her. Then to add to the insanity of an already screwed up plot, Tellie gets in an accident, gets amnesia, thinks she’s seventeen again and that she and J.B. go together like peanut butter and jelly. Cue the googly eyes and teenage angst.
 
J.B. is a complete and utter dickhead/arsehat/wanker. The guy is most definitely an anti-hero, why in the world he was even in a romance novel, I will never know. Throughout 80% of the novel, he was intent on doing things just to hurt Tellie. Then when he finally saw the light, he was still a wanker.
 
I would have been so happy if this novel would have ended with Tellie telling J.B. to sod off.
 
So, this was my first time reading a Diana Palmer novel and if I’m being honest, I’m not sure that I will be reading another one. I think my brain might implode if I read another romance like this one.
 
Overall, this one would have been a DNF, although I kept reading hoping to see some road-to-Damascus moment with J.B. or a moment of clarity with Tellie but it never happened.  
 
Just a F.Y.I., this book was originally released in 2006 and was re-issued in 2015 in Harlequin’s Bestselling Author Collection. This release also includes In Bed with the Wrangler by Barbara Dunlop, but I haven’t been brave enough to read it just yet.



 

Book Details
Title: Heartbreaker
Author: Diana Palmer
Publisher: Harlequin
ISBN: 978-0-373-01024-0
Release Date: March 2015
Source: Mass-Market Paperback from Publisher
Rating: 1




Monday, April 20, 2015

The Rebel of Copper Creek by R.C. Ryan



A love worth fighting for . . .
 
The last thing widow Juliet Grayson needs is a man in her life. Between caring for her two young sons and maintaining her husband's ranch, her hands are more than full. Then she meets Griff Warren. With his quiet strength and his easy way with her boys, she's tempted to trust him. But if there's anything she's learned, it's that love only leads to heartbreak.
 
Former Marine Griff Warren never thought he'd settle down. Rebellious and proud, he's always been on his own . . . until the father he never knew he had died, leaving him with land that is his legacy and brothers to share the load. He doesn't need more than that. But Juliet touches something deep inside him-and he wants nothing more than to protect her and her sons. Now if only he can convince her to take a second chance at true love.



The Rebel of Copper Creek was a cute little romance with a hint of suspense peppered in.
 
Juliet Grayson is a widow caring for her two young sons—one who hasn’t spoken since the death of his father—and trying to run her husband’s ranch. She knows she’s failing the ranch. Some of her hired hands are running wild and the place is falling down around her.
 
Griff Warren is a former Marine who had a bit of a troubled childhood. After his mother’s death, he thought he was alone but a legacy left to him by his father allowed him to connect with his half-brothers. When he meets Juliet and her two young boys, he knows what it’s like going up against things on your own and he’s determined to do what he can to help her.
 
I was a huge fan of R.C. Ryan’s Fools Gold series then for some reason, I stopped reading her so I completely missed the start of the Copper Creek series. I really need to remedy that situation and read book one.
 
Juliet was such a strong heroine. I suppose, given all that she’s been through—she would have to be to survive. She also has this suborn streak that makes her interactions with Griff so intense.
 
Griff had his broody moments. He’s trying to fit in with his new found family while trying to start a relationship with Juliet and keep her and her boys safe. There is a lot going on in Griff’s life and he’s struggling a bit to cope but he refuses to give in.
 
The romance between Griff and Juliet was a bit delayed but that only made their chemistry so much more intense. I was truly rooting for these two to get together.
 
The suspense aspect was intriguing. Someone’s been causing havoc around the ranch which causes Griff’s protective instinct to go into overdrive. I had an inkling of who it was at the start, but a few twists and turns had me second guessing myself.
 
Overall, I liked The Rebel of Copper Creek. It was a fast-paced, well-rounded romance that I finished in a few hours.



 

Book Details
Title: The Rebel of Copper Creek
Copper Creek Cowboys #2
Author: R.C. Ryan
Publisher: Forever
An imprint of Grand Central
ISBN: 937-1-455-57226-7
$8.00
Source: Mass Market Arc from Publisher
Rating: 4


Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Bear Naked: A Midnight Liaisons Novella by Jessica Sims


 
Nikolina Aasen’s lived a lonely life as a single were-bear female with no compatible mate in her small clan. But when she shows signs of going into heat, the clan decides they will pick the man to sire her child.
 
Nikolina has other ideas, though. She’s thinking of someone tall, dark and handsome…who disappeared sixteen years ago.
 
Leif Ludvik left the bear clans behind to go totally, completely wild and bury his grief when his fiancee died. He’s been hiding out in bear-form for so long he hardly remembers who – and what – he is. When Nikolina finds him, she’s determined to make the sexy beast her mate no matter the cost…
 
But will seducing Leif get her the family she's always wanted...or destroy both of their lives?





So…Nikolina is going into heat but since her betrothed left the bear clan, her options are limited. Although the clan elders, bloody idiots that they were, decided that one of the mated men should ‘take one for the team’ and impregnant Nikolina. However, Nikolina has a mind of her own—and a bit of a wild streak, yay, Nikolina! —so she decides to search out the handsome were-bear that left the clan sixteen years ago.
 
When Leif Ludvik’s fiancée died, he left the bear clan and moved to Antarctica. Living in bear form for sixteen years has made him feral. Let’s just say that he’s wild and wooly and having a problem connecting to his human side although Nikolina’s determined to mate Leif and bring him back to reality.
 
Just when Nikolina has saved Leif from himself, she may lose him because of the clan elders.
 
Okay, so the were-bear clan elders are a bunch of tossers. I just had to put that out there. But really, I think they all have burrs up their arses.  
 
Anywho, it was interesting watching Leif come back from his wild state. And I really admired Nikolina’s moxie. They had amazing chemistry that nearly melted the snow around them and, oh my, those sex scenes were scorchers.
 
The start of the book was a little too much inside Nikolina’s head, but it rounded out fairly quickly allowing the plot to flow as the characters engaged with one another. And the flow stayed nice and steady.
 
I really liked Bear Naked. It moved up to my second favorite in the Midnight Liaisons series and I’m actually looking forward to reading it again.
 
So, why didn’t I give it a 5-cup rating if I liked it? It was the ending. While it had a warm and fluffy ending, it didn’t give me enough to satisfy me.
 
Overall, it was a quick, hot, little read that I devoured. The characters were brilliant and loved the fact that Leif was wild.  






Book Details
Title: Bear Naked
Midnight Liaisons #3.5
Author: Jessica Sims
Publisher: Jill Myles
ASIN: B00IEUX2VW
Format: E-book
$2.99
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4.5



Midnight Liaison Series 
 

2.     DESPERATELY SEEKING SHAPESHIFTER
3.      VIXEN (novella)
6.      SINGLE WOLF FEMALE (novella)
7.     MUST LOVE FANGS
8.      BEAR NAKED (novella)
9.      CLAWS & EFFECT (novella)
10.       WANTED: WILD THING