Archives for November 2015

BOOK REVIEW – Mistletoe Misconduct – Catherine Gayle

November 16, 2015 Leave a Comment

5 STARS!

The GM of the Portland Storm NHL franchise is always giving people a second chance. He picks up player after player that has an injury no one is supposed to come back from, or who has behavior issues, etc. so a bunch of the player’s and coaches wives decide it’s time to give Jim a second chance of his own … a second chance at love. When they post a profile on Match.com for him, they never expect it to be his ex-wife Elaine who reaches out to them. What will come of it when she flies into town to meet the ladies and to go see Jim?

** Received free in exchange for an honest review **

NOTE: I only reviewed one of the stories from this box set so far. SET RELEASES TOMORROW FOR 99¢ … 100% of the proceeds from sales of this anthology go to the Autism Society of America!

Filed Under: Book Reviews

BOOK REVIEW – How To Fall – Rebecca Brooks

November 16, 2015 Leave a Comment

4 STARS!

HOT! A sexy, fun read about meeting the man of your dreams … even if only one night worth of dreams.

Chicago teacher, Julie Evans has always put everyone else’s needs before her own, but when her 30th birthday rolls around, she decides to do something for herself for a change. She’s on a solo trip to Brazil!

Screenwriter, Blake Williams is on an extended trip from his home in Australia. When he sees Julie checking in at the hostel he’s staying at, he thinks it’s his lucky day.

Julie can’t believe this sexy guy is interested in her. She decides to throw caution to the wind and live a little and have a vacation fling! It’s supposed to be one night, but when they can’t walk away and decide to spend more time together, how far will they fall? He lives in Australia and she’s in Chicago … can this work?

** Received free in exchange for an honest review **

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccabrooksromance/

BLOG TOUR – BOOK REVIEW/GIVEAWAY – To Dare a SEAL – Sara Jane Stone

November 16, 2015 Leave a Comment

4 STARS!

A fun, sexy read! The characters feel real and make you want to like them. By the first couple of chapters, you are pulling for them to get together. The one thing I wasn’t enthralled by, were all of the descriptive scenes that they imagined doing to each other. After a hot scene, I want to see how they interact and whether they’re going to admit their feelings, etc. … not have them be abruptly pulled back into real life and out of their head. It was still a very enjoyable book, I just would have given it 5 Stars if I hadn’t disliked that aspect of how it was written.

Jack Barnes, US Navy SEAL, is on leave to be best man at his fellow SEAL Cade’s wedding in Vegas. He’s marrying Lucia, who is the little sister to Natalie Lewis, the bartender at Bottoms Up that Jack has been crushing on for years.

When Natalie overhears a bet made between Jack & his brothers and fellow SEAL’s about whether he can get her into his bed during the trip to Vegas, she decides to set him up. She’s going to do the seducing, and then walk away before falling into his bed. Only it doesn’t exactly turn out that way.

** Received free in exchange for an honest review **

Book Title: To Dare a SEAL
Author: Sara Jane Stone
Release Date: 11/16/15
Genre: Contemporary Romance (HOT)
Tour Host: DRC Promotions

Book Blurb

Playing best man in his teammate’s Las Vegas wedding is not U.S. Navy SEAL Jack Barnes’ idea of a vacation—especially when the maid-of-honor is the one woman who knows how to push his buttons. Now his teammates are taking bets on whether he’ll end up in the fiery bartender’s bed. Not one to turn away from a challenge, Jack vows to seduce Natalie Lewis. And he’ll do so on his terms—demanding complete control.

The tantalizing SEAL may have a hand-over-your-panties smile and a body she’d love to explore, but there’s no way Natalie’s falling into his bed. No, she’s going to get revenge. After bringing Jack to his knees with a series of Sin City dares, she’ll walk away. It’s the perfect plan—until it backfires. Beneath his devil-may-care attitude, Jack’s unbridled desire proves irresistible. But he also requires the one thing Natalie can’t give. Control.

Buy The Book

Amazon – BN – iBooks – Entangled Publishing

Other books in the series

The first book in the sexy new Sin City SEALs series by Sara Jane Stone!

He can resist everything…except her.

For the first time in her life, art therapist Lucia Lewis is ready to live. And the masquerade ball in Las Vegas is just the place to find a ridiculously hot guy to complete her wicked to-do list. The only rule? Her elegant Venetian mask-which conceals the scars that have always held her back from the life she deserves-stays on.

Navy SEAL Cade Daniels heads to Vegas on a mission to keep his best friend’s little sister out of trouble. Except the woman he’s sent to find is all heat and flame…and perfectly capable of handling herself. And him. But the moment Lucia’s mask slips, the need to heal her, body and soul, is complete and absolute temptation.

But revealing himself could cost him the one thing he isn’t willing to risk…his heart.

Buy The Book

Amazon – BN – iBooks – Entangled Publishing

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About The Author

After several years on the other side of the publishing industry, Sara Jane Stone bid goodbye to her sales career to pursue her dream-writing romance novels. Sara Jane currently resides in New York with her very supportive real-life hero, two lively young children and a lazy Burmese cat. Visit her online at www.sarajanestone.com or find her on Facebook at Sara Jane Stone.

For sneak peeks at Sara Jane Stone’s latest red-hot reads, giveaway and more, join Sara Jane’s Seducers! facebook.com/groups/324831797700603/

Connect with Sara

Website – Blog – Twitter – Facebook – Goodreads – Newsletter

Hosted by

//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Filed Under: Blog Tour, Book Reviews Tagged With: https://www.facebook.com/SaraJaneStone

DUAL BOOK TOUR – Falling for Her Enemy by Victoria James AND Kissing Her Crush by Ophelia London

November 16, 2015 1 Comment

Falling for Her Enemy
Still Harbor #2

By: Victoria James

Releasing November 9, 2015
Entangled Bliss

Blurb

Falling for Her Enemy: Still Harbor #2 by Victoria James

She’s falling for the one man who could destroy everything…

Alex McAllister always dreamed of a life filled with the laughter and love of a family, but being abandoned at a young age left her wary of letting anyone in. Now that she’s settled in Still Harbor, Alex struggles between keeping her distance and the magnetic pull of the handsome stranger who claims he’s the biological father of her adopted daughter.

Hayden Brooks never wanted to be a father. Long hours spent building his family’s real estate empire suits him just fine. But when he discovers an ex put the baby he unknowingly fathered up for adoption, his world crumbles. He tracks the child to Still Harbor with the intention of bringing her home—and comes face to face with his daughter’s stunning adoptive mother.

The paternity test is in. And Hayden’s about to make the most shocking decision of his life, just in time for Christmas…

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/09/falling-for-her-enemy-by-victoria-james.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26173418-falling-for-her-enemy?ac=1

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/156171-still-harbor

Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Her-Enemy-Still-Harbor-ebook/dp/B014PC4BR6

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/falling-for-her-enemy-victoria-james/1122600080?ean=9781633754706

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Victoria_James_Falling_for_Her_Enemy?id=di93CgAAQBAJ

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/falling-for-her-enemy/id1035259635?mt=11

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/falling-for-her-enemy

5 STARS!

Definitely a pulls-at-your-heartstrings kind of read! Loved it! I couldn’t figure out whether to love Hayden or hate him, but there were just too many lovable moments and I admit it, I was weak and let him weasle his way into my heart. 🙂

Hayden Brooks is minding his own business being his typical workaholic self, when his world is blown away. A one night stand from years prior shows up at his door to announce he’s a Dad … of a 6 year old daughter that she put up for adoption when she was born.

Alexandra McAllister gets her own shock when she gets notified that there’s a man claiming possible paternity to her daughter.

Hayden comes to Still Harbor to meet Alex and try to convince her to let him have a DNA test done on Cassy. They spend time together on several occasions to get to know each other. They start to feel like true family outings.

When the paternity test results come back just in time for Christmas, what will happen to the feelings Hayden and Alex are having for each other, and will Cassy have a new Dad, but lose her Mom?

** Received free in exchange for an honest review **

Author Info

Victoria James is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance.

Victoria always knew she wanted to be a writer and in grade five, she penned her first story, bound it (with staples and a cardboard cover) and did all the illustrations herself. Luckily, this book will never see the light of day again.

In high school she fell in love with historical romance and then contemporary romance. After graduating University with an English Literature degree, Victoria pursued a degree in Interior Design and then opened her own business. After her first child, Victoria knew it was time to fulfill her dream of writing romantic fiction.

Victoria is a hopeless romantic who is living her dream, penning happily-ever-after’s for her characters in between managing kids and the family business. Writing on a laptop in the middle of the country in a rambling old Victorian house would be ideal, but she’s quite content living in suburbia with her husband, their two young children, and very bad cat.

Sign up for Victoria’s Newsletter to stay up to date on upcoming releases and exclusive giveaways, follow her blog for daily antics and insight into her daily life, and get to know her on twitter and Facebook. She loves hearing from readers!

Author Links: Website| Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

Website: http://www.victoriajames.ca/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-James/412431258807271
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/vicjames101
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6585223.Victoria_James

Kissing Her Crush
Sugar City #2

By: Ophelia London

Releasing November 9, 2015
Entangled Bliss

Blurb

Kissing Her Crush: Sugar City #2 by Ophelia London

He’s sweet trouble…

Natalie Holden wants three things: To be the best chocolate chemist in Hershey, Pennsylvania, to prove her chocolate recipe can help teenage depression, and to get over gorgeous Luke Elliott, the guy she’s had a crush on since birth. Unfortunately, he’s the microbiologist set to debunk her chocolate study. And, of course, he looks more delicious than ever!

Luke Elliott is still bitter over his divorce. Work is his passion now, and landing a huge promotion is just what he needs. What he doesn’t need is a crackpot trying to prove that chocolate cures depression. The last thing he expects is for the crackpot to be Natalie Holden—his “what if” girl from high school—or that she’d still tempt the hell out of him.

They may not see eye-to-eye on her project, but they can’t deny the explosive chemistry that keeps pulling them together. Even when it risks their jobs and the very different futures they both want…
Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/09/falling-for-her-enemy-by-victoria-james.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26087184-kissing-her-crush

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/133704-sugar-city

Buy Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kissing-Her-Crush-Sugar-City-ebook/dp/B0166RDA7K?tag=entangpublis-20&link_code=ur2&creative=9325&camp=211189

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kissing-her-crush-ophelia-london/1122749491?cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-je6NUbpObpQ-_-10:1

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/kissing-her-crush/id1046490493?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/kissing-her-crush?utm_source=linkshare_us&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=linkshare_us&siteID=je6NUbpObpQ-UcvTA.hU_OCmLkg4SUjAbw

4 STARS!

A fun read!

Natalie Holden is over the moon because she just got approved for a grant to test her pet project! Making a secret recipe for chocolate that will help teenage depression has been her passion for awhile now. She heads to a restaurant to meet her family to celebrate, and runs into Luke Elliott. She’s had a crush on him for like forever, but he moved away and got married years ago.

Luke is begrudgingly in town for a job. He hasn’t lived in Hershey, PA for years and he doesn’t miss it. He’s been divorced for a couple of years now, and when he sees Natalie across the room, he does a double take. When her family is running late, he joins her and they have dinner with nice conversation and lots of flirting. But towards the end, a revelation is made that puts a damper on their reunion. Luke is the person sent by NIH to oversee and observe her project to make sure everything is above board.

They butt heads over just about everything, but they also can’t seem to resist each other. Over the next few days, they keep sneaking off to have time together and grow closer. Will Luke still make a hasty retreat when all is said and done, or will he and Natalie have a future together?

** Received free in exchange for an honest review **

Author Info

USA Today bestselling author Ophelia London was born and raised among the redwood trees in beautiful northern California. Once she was fully educated, she decided to settle in Florida, but her car broke down in Texas and she’s lived in Dallas ever since. A cupcake and treadmill aficionado (obviously those things are connected), she spends her time watching arthouse movies and impossibly trashy TV, while living vicariously through the characters she writes. Ophelia is the author of AIMEE & THE HEARTTHROB; DEFINITELY, MAYBE IN LOVE; the Abby Road series; Perfect Kisses series; Sugar City series; and the brand new cozy mystery CHALK LINES & LIPSTICK. Visit all her books HERE, but don’t call when The Vampire Diaries (or Dawson’s Creek) is on. #paceylove

Author Links Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

Website: http://www.ophelialondon.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ophelia-London-Author/235557139857428?ref=hl

Twitter: http://twiter.com/ophelia_london

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6423090.Ophelia_London

Link to Rafflecopter Page, http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/ZWEwMDQxNzA0M2VlYmZiNWQxZDBlOGUwMTFlZDM4OjEx/?

Filed Under: Blog Tour, Book Reviews Tagged With: https://www.facebook.com/Ophelia-London-Author-235557139857428/?fref=ts, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-James/412431258807271

BOOK REVIEW – Blurring the Lines – Marisa Cleveland

November 15, 2015 Leave a Comment

Blurring the Lines

4 STARS!

A nice read about resisting temptation … or not! 🙂

Blake Whitman, Real Estate Developer/CEO meets Kira Layton when she and a pack of dogs run into him on the street. He’s quite taken with her and hopes he runs into her again.

Kira is into helping a lot of causes. When she finds out who Blake is, she’s interested in talking to him about saving a building that’s about to be torn down to redevelop that meant a lot to her Mom over the years. Blake convinces her to become his Secretary in exchange for funding some of her favorite projects, and trying to help her historic building be saved. As they work together, they become closer and start a relationship. Will they last when a few secrets come to light?

** Received free in exchange for an honest review **

Filed Under: Book Reviews

BOOK REVIEW – The Billionaire’s Christmas Proposal – Victoria James

November 15, 2015 Leave a Comment

5 STARS!

I fell in love with this story. They’re both scarred from things from their past, but such good hearted people.

Allison Barrington is not having a good week. First she finds out the shelter where she’s a social worker is going to have to close , and now her apartment building has caught on fire and she, her little sister and their dog are homeless. She goes to the the only guy she can trust to help her.

Ethan Dane has been trying to get Allison to date him since he met her at her best friend’s wedding to his best friend. She thinks he’s just a playboy and has kept it friends only. He moves her gang into his condo as soon as he hears what happened, not caring about anything but helping them. As they spend time together, she starts to see what a genuinely good guy he is, Will she be able to resist letting herself fall for him?

** Received free in exchange for an honest review **

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: https://www.facebook.com/victoria.james.7146557?fref=ts

BOOK REVIEW – Calling Her Bluff – Kaia Danielle

November 14, 2015 Leave a Comment

Calling Her Bluff

4 STARS!

A sexy hot read!

Kamaria Wilson is in Vegas for a romance writer’s convention. She slips out to a quiet bar one night, receives a bit of good news while there and decides to celebrate by having one sexy night with the guy at the end of the bar.

Jack Aldirisi wakes to find Kamaria gone the next morning. He’s disappointed because he felt a connection with her. Then the luck is upon him when he’s called in for a special security assignment that will have him by her side the rest of the week.

Will more time together have Kamaria admitting to liking Jack too, or will she still play hard to get and refuse to have more than one night?

** Received free in exchange for an honest review **

Filed Under: Book Reviews

BOOK REVIEW – The Greek’s Stowaway Bride – Alexia Adams

November 14, 2015 Leave a Comment

4 STARS!

A sexy, fun read!

Greek billionaire Demetri Christodoulou is minding his own business on his new yacht, when all of a sudden he has a woman literally throwing herself at him!

Egyptian heiress Rania Ghalli has been boisterously trying to get her Uncle Fouad freed from his captors, and now has heavily armed men trying to capture her to imprison her as well. She has snuck on board Demetri’s yacht, hoping to stowaway and get out of the country, but unfortunately they have followed her. She convinces Demetri to play her new husband and to protect her.

After getting her out of trouble, Demetri convinces her a real temporary marriage will be advantageous to both of them. Will they go their separate ways in a year as planned or will the feelings they start having for each other change things?

** Received free in exchange for an honest review **

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: https://www.facebook.com/AlexiaAdamsAuthor/

BLOG TOUR – BOOK REVIEW – His Contract – Rebecca Grace Allen

November 13, 2015 Leave a Comment

His Contract

5 STARS!

Really enjoyed this book! You have to be okay with BDSM or you won’t like it … as long as you are, it’s sexy hot!

Jack Archer is a Harvard Law Professor. He lost his wife to cancer a year ago and is still mourning her heavily. He works alot and then goes home to an empty house. He misses their times in the basement playroom more than he can say.

Lilly Sterling is a paralegal in a law firm. She should have been a full fledged lawyer herself by now, but life got in the way of her taking the bar exam and now she’s not sure if she wants to do it anymore. She’s feeling pretty traumatized from a past relationship and trying to heal from that.

Both Jack and Lilly are drug out to a bar with family and friends one night, and meet through them. Lilly’s brother Nick played football in college with Jack’s brother Brady and remain good friends. The moment Jack lays eyes on Lilly he’s intrigued and feels the first tug of attraction that he’s felt since his wife died. Lilly feels a draw to him too.

As they spend time together a few times in the group, Jack realizes Lilly is a submissive, and it brings the Dom in him to life. They agree to make up a contract to play together short term. He wants to show her how a true Dom treats his lady, and she wants to help ease him back into the world of the living.

Will they walk away when their contract is over or will they decide they want more?

** Received free in exchange for an honest review **

His Contract
Rebecca Grace Allen
Date of Publication: November 10, 2015

BLURB

Lawyers know when to play by the rules…and when to break them.

Harvard law professor Jack Archer once balanced his professional life with the private world of dominance, surrender, and trust he shared with his wife. Since cancer stole her a year ago, finding love again—her final wish for him—is the furthest thing from his mind. From his empty house to the classroom, grief follows his every move. Until he meets a young woman with shadows in her eyes even darker than his own.

Once a shining star at law school, Lilly Sterling’s dreams died when the Dom she trusted left her heartbroken and lost. She’s starting fresh in a new city as a paralegal, but meeting Jack reawakens all her old demons—and her lingering desires.

Jack offers to become Lilly’s mentor for both the courtroom and the playroom, but tells himself it’s not a relationship. Their carefully worded contract guarantees that. But when their trial agreement starts heating up, both Jack and Lilly must decide what will tip the scales: the letter of the law…or love?

Warning: All rise for a book that contains a wounded submissive and a Dominant who wants to retrain her while retaining control of his heart. Discovery phase may involve spankings, bondage, edging, and blindfolds. Is it hot? You be the judge.

EXCERPT

Jack closed his front door and leaned against it, as if doing so could shut out what he’d felt tonight. As if it could shut Lilly out. He’d wanted to murder Patrick for leaving him alone with her, and yet, during that short time, he’d forgotten how for the last year it had hurt to do anything more than breathe.

Hearing she was at least older than Josh was a small comfort. His age, however, seemed of no consequence. He’d thought she hadn’t read anything into the question, that the attraction that was driving him out of his mind was all one-sided, but Lilly’s blush said otherwise. As did the quick pass of her soft, pink tongue over gorgeously full lips.

Jack groaned and scrubbed his hands over his face, then looked at his scar. He could only imagine what Lilly would think if she knew where it came from, what kind of life he’d lived. The Dominant he once was.

He closed his eyes and saw Eve in their playroom, the two of them beginning their scene with practiced words.

“You are mine, love.”

“I am yours, always, Master.”

Grief shouted from the past. But the image was quickly replaced with one of Lilly looking up at him in the bar. How would she react if he ordered her to strip for him? Would all of her skin bloom with the rosy hues he’d seen on her cheeks? Jack’s mind traveled to a place where he had her bound and naked, telling her to bare everything to him—body, mind and soul.

Realizing where his thoughts had strayed, he tried to shut the fantasy down but it was too late. Lilly had flipped a switch in him, waking the part that had been buried under the ashes of Eve’s death. And now that he’d opened that door, he didn’t know how to close it again.

BUY LINKS

Amazon (Kindle): http://amzn.to/1Hbxf6S

BN (Nook): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/his-contract-rebecca-grace-allen/1122473890?ean=9781619232297

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/search?Query=rebecca+grace+allen

iBooks: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/his-contract/id1027696257?mt=11

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Rebecca_Grace_Allen_His_Contract?id=IdJQCgAAQBAJ&hl=en

ABOUT AUTHOR

Rebecca Grace Allen writes kinky new adult and hot contemporary BDSM romance. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with a double concentration in Creative Writing and Literary Comparison, as well as a Master of Science in Elementary Education, both of which seemed like good ideas at the time. After stumbling through careers in entertainment, publishing, law and teaching, she’s returned to her first love: writing. A self-admitted caffeine addict and gym rat, she currently lives in upstate New York with her husband, two parakeets, and a cat with a very unusual foot fetish. – See more at: http://www.rebeccagraceallen.com/about

Find Rebecca Grace Allen Online

Website
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway
//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Hosted by:

Filed Under: Book Reviews

BOOK TOUR – BOOK REVIEW / GIVEAWAY – Guarding Sophie – Julie Brannagh

November 13, 2015 Leave a Comment

4 STARS!

Kyle Carlson and Sophie Hayes went to high school together in Cocoa Beach, Florida. They both had a little crush on each other in school, but nothing ever came of it. They haven’t seen each other for years when they run into each other at Sophie’s job in Noel, Washington.

Kyle is a wide receiver for the Seattle Sharks and needs some quiet space for awhile, so he came to Noel for some time away. Sophie ran away from her old life and has been living in Noel for a few months now. She’s acting afraid and Kyle wants to get to the bottom of it and see how he can help her.

As their time together has them growing closer, will Sophie be able to relax and enjoy her life again? And when her past comes back to haunt her, will Kyle be able to keep her safe and secure them having a future?

** Received free in exchange for an honest review **

Guarding Sophie
Love and Football #5.5

By: Julie Brannagh
Releasing November 10, 2015
Avon Impulse

BLURB

Hearts beat and sparks fly when two people find shelter in each other

Seattle Sharks wide receiver Kyle Carlson needs to escape and Noel, Washington, is the perfect place for him to do it and figure out his next step. He likes the seclusion and predictability of the small town…until the biggest surprise of his life turns up in the local grocery store.

Sophie Hayes has her own reasons for disappearing without a trace and moving to Noel. This mountain town makes her feel safe for the first time in a long time. But her quiet routine is threatened when Kyle walks back into her life. Growing up in the same Florida town, she always had a little thing for the sexy football player. This tie to her old life, though, could mean she has to run again, even if her heart wants to stay.

When the reason she fled shows up in Noel, Kyle and Sophie, with a little extra help from his teammates, must decide to stay and fight for the life, and love, they’ve found together.

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/09/guarding-sophie-love-and-football-55-by.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25792935-guarding-sophie?ac=1

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/112833-love-and-football

EXCERPT

Kyle Carlson wore sunglasses, but they were no match for the brilliance of Noel, Washington’s late-spring sunshine. Noel was a mountain pass and a ninety-minute drive away from his life in Seattle. The small town was the perfect place to get lost for a while.

He shielded his eyes with one hand as the real estate agent and interior decorator he’d hired drifted into view. The real estate agent held out a shiny new set of house keys to him.

“It’s all yours, Kyle. Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” he said. “Everything’s ready to go?”

“Of course,” the decorator said. “You wanted simple but comfortable and earth tones. I hope you’ll love it. If you have questions or need anything else, please give me a call right away.” She dug into what Kyle knew was an expensive designer handbag and extended her brightly-patterned business card to him. “Thank you for the business and enjoy.”

“Take a look inside,” the real estate agent said. “I think you’ll love it.”

“I’ll do that,” Kyle said. “Thanks again.”

The real estate agent and interior designer shook hands with him and got into their car. He raised a hand in farewell as they followed the winding, narrow road back to downtown Noel, I-90 and civilization as quickly as possible.

Kyle longed for privacy like other people wanted drugs or alcohol. He hadn’t always been so anti-social. The past seven years of dealing with scores of family members, “friends” and others who thought he was their personal ATM machine since he was drafted into the NFL had finally taken its toll. He realized that his profession didn’t really lend itself to anonymity. Maybe he should have become a plumber or an auto mechanic instead of the starting wide receiver for the world champion Seattle Sharks. If he’d had a more unobtrusive life, he’d go to work from seven to four or so, go home, put his feet up, have a beer and quit worrying about the problems that came when one was lucky enough to earn a staggering income for catching a football six months a year.

Kyle walked up the front path and climbed two stairs to the A-line’s wraparound front porch. The front door of his new cabin was hardwood inlaid with baguettes of beveled, leaded glass. Two stories featured floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over a view of blue skies, puffy white clouds, and endless evergreens. Instead of the rustic, unfinished structure most people would imagine when hearing the word “cabin”, his new place was as luxurious as the stylish Seattle hotel he’d just checked out of. It was also the perfect place to hide out for a couple of months.

He stepped over the threshold of the cabin he’d spent a shocking amount of money on and took a deep breath. Sun-warmed, lemon-scented air surrounded him. The front door shut behind him as he glanced around.

The floors were hardwood. The furnishings were earth tones, man-sized, with a few brightly colored accents to draw the eye. A gas fireplace with a stone surround dominated most of one wall in the living room. A long staircase led to a loft that overlooked the first story and three bedrooms. He’d thought long and hard about the extra two bedrooms before buying the place. If he had nowhere for anyone else to sleep, they’d be a lot less likely to visit, which worked for him.

He let out a contented sigh as he realized the only sound was his breathing. He’d bought the house in the name of a trust his family and friends knew nothing about. He’d moved out of his huge house in Newcastle two days ago and used the proceeds from its sale to fund the house he was currently standing in and a one-bedroom condo in a Bellevue high rise, also in the name of the trust. It was his choice who found out where he was and what he was doing from now on.

He’d have almost two months of solitude before training camp started. He couldn’t wait.

Reprinted Courtesy of HarperCollinsPublishers

Author Info

USA Today Bestselling Author, Julie Brannagh has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pencil. She lives in a small town near Seattle, where she once served as a city council member and owned a yarn shop. She shares her home with a wonderful husband, two uncivilized Maine Coons and a rambunctious chocolate Lab.

When she’s not writing, she’s reading, or armchair-quarterbacking her favorite NFL team from the comfort of the family room couch. Julie is a Golden Heart finalist and the author of contemporary sports romances.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Website: http://www.juliebrannagh.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JulieBrannagh

Twitter: https://twitter.com/julieinduvall

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7127296.Julie_Brannagh