Archives for September 1, 2017

* Review * SARAH AND THE SECRET SHEIKH by Michelle Douglas

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * SARAH AND THE SECRET SHEIKH by Michelle DouglasSarah and the Secret Sheikh by Michelle Douglas
Published by Harlequin Romance on September 1, 2017
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five-stars

Expecting the sheikh's baby…

When one magical night with gorgeous and enigmatic Majed leaves Sarah pregnant, she's torn apart over whether to reveal her secret. She already loves this baby, but will confirmed bachelor Majed feel the same?

Discovering he's going to be a father changes everything for Majed. It's time to face the music and unveil his true identity as Prince of Keddah Jaleel! He'd love to make Sarah his sheikha, if only he can convince her she'll be much more than his convenient bride…

 

Opposites attract? This was a really fun read! Sarah & Majed had a really sweet connection and friendship over a several month period before they ever moved towards romance. After there is a baby on the way and they are having to decide what type of future is in store for them, they continue to grow close and each is willing to give up what they might ultimately want in order to make the other happy. Loved it!

Sarah Collins has lived a fairly laid back and free lifestyle. She carries scars from her childhood along with her and wants no part in heading towards the poison that her parents spewed on a daily basis towards each other. When her friendship with Majed turns steamy for one night of fun, she thinks that’s all it is … until she finds out she’s pregnant and has to go tell him!

Majed likes Sarah and appreciates her for the talented person that she is … he only wishes she could see herself through his eyes. When she tells him their one night tryst has left them expecting a baby, he’s blown away. He finds himself telling her his secret … that his father is the ruling Sheikh of Keddah Jaleel and he’s his heir! Sarah agrees to accompany him to his country to make amends with his father and see if she’s interested in the future he offers her with his proposal.

five-stars

* Review * THE HEIR AFFAIR by Cat Schield

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * THE HEIR AFFAIR by Cat SchieldThe Heir Affair by Cat Schield
Series: Las Vegas Nights
Published by Harlequin Desire on September 1, 2017
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three-half-stars

Bound by the Baby

Singer Melody Caldwell has given guarded entrepreneur Kyle Tailor months to take their relationship from casual to serious—and run smack into the wall around his heart. But fate has intervened—because Melody's pregnant.

Jealousy. Fear. Amazement. Kyle doesn't know how to feel about Melody's news. He's been holding back to protect himself. But when a mysterious someone takes too great an interest in Kyle's woman and unborn child, it forces Kyle's hand. If the millionaire hopes to keep what's his, he has to stake his claim now…with all his heart and soul.

 

Will a baby bring them back together? If you’ve read the previous books in the Las Vegas Nights series, you will recognize Melody and Kyle. I was really intrigued by their story from reading the lead up to it in the other books, but somehow it fell flat. I understood her being irritated that he didn’t trust her, but her reaction to it was over the top. She was hard to connect with because it didn’t feel like she even wanted to work things out with him. She was constantly blowing him off and making it seem like she felt like she was doing nothing wrong. I liked Kyle and I understood the walls he had up … I just couldn’t connect enough with her to believe their story.

Singer Melody Caldwell is supposed to be in a relationship with Kyle Tailor, but when her being on tour and away for months made him feel insecure, she basically gave up and ran away instead of even discussing things. When she finally is cornered and has no choice but to finally talk to him, she decides to finally fess up about the baby she’s carrying as well.

Kyle Tailor knows he was in the wrong, but he also doesn’t understand why Melody isn’t willing to fight for their relationship. She acts like she doesn’t even want to be with him anymore. He has issues that he’s been working on from his youth, but how is he supposed to put what he’s learned to use if she won’t open up in return?

three-half-stars

* Review * TAKING HOME THE TYCOON by Catherine Mann

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * TAKING HOME THE TYCOON by Catherine MannTaking Home the Tycoon by Catherine Mann
Series: Texas Cattleman's Club: Blackmail
Published by Harlequin Desire on September 1, 2017
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five-stars

Sexy cybersecurity guru Max St. Cloud's trip to Royal, Texas, is strictly business: he's here to expose a tech-savvy blackmailer. Falling for Natalie Valentine, the captivating widow who runs the local B and B, isn't on the agenda. Plus, Max isn't daddy material and she comes with two kids too many. So why does he rethink his bachelor status after one red-hot kiss?

Max's heart is damaged goods, yet Natalie can't deny her growing feelings. But will the recently widowed single mom go to any lengths to show the reluctant family man where he belongs?

 

Catherine Mann has us feeling all the feels with her latest release! She’s bringing us the latest in the Texas Cattleman’s Club: Blackmail series and is telling the story of a young widow trying to survive with her two young kids when along comes a rich techie who is much more down to earth than she ever imagined he would be. It’s sweet to watch him connect with her kids, and gently woo her into giving him a chance. Really enjoyed this story!

Billionaire Max St. Cloud comes to Royal, Texas as a favor to his good friend Chelsea Hunt. His specialty is cybersecurity, and he aims to track down who this cyber bully that’s terrorizing the Texas Cattleman’s Club is. During interviews around the area, he meets the town’s lovely B & B owner and is suddenly smitten.

Natalie Valentine is overworked and still trying to find her footing on her own with two toddlers. When the sexy stranger comes to town, she can’t help but notice him … but why is he acting like he’s interested in her? She’s plain Jane compared to what he’s used to … and he’s not exactly Daddy material!

five-stars

* Blog Tour / Release Blast * ROMANCING THE WALLFLOWER by Michelle Major

In a Colorado mountain town, a good girl kindergarten teacher propositions a sexy bad boy uncle of one of her students…It’s all part of ROMANCING THE WALLFLOWER by Michelle Major

 

 

About ROMANCING THE WALLFLOWER 

Dedicated kindergarten teacher Erin MacDonald isn’t the type to make the first move on a man—especially gorgeous David McCay, her secret crush. But when a crisis involving one of her pupils offers a chance to help the pro baseballer turned local brewery owner, Erin goes way out of her comfort zone. So way out she makes a shocking suggestion!

David moved to the Colorado mountain town to look after his sister and her son. Now he’s a stand-in parent to his nephew, trying to fight his attraction to Erin…who just propositioned him. David is nobody’s hero. So why can’t he convince the sweet, kindhearted beauty that she deserves better than him? Is it because they’re the perfect imperfect match?

 

On Sale in Print: August 22, 2017

 

On Sale in Digital: September 1, 2017

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Harlequin

 

 Add ROMANCING THE WALLFLOWER to your TBR pile on Goodreads!

 


CELEBRATE THE RELEASE WITH A GIVEAWAY!

Grand Prize: 1 Winner Will Each Receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card

Runner-Up: 3 Runner-Up Will Receive any Backlist Michelle Major Title (Digital Version Only)

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Excerpt:

“Stop staring at the hottie brewmaster’s butt.”

Erin MacDonald choked on the gulp of strawberry daiquiri she’d just swallowed. “I’m not staring at anyone’s butt,” she said as she grabbed a wad of napkins and dabbed at her chin and shirtfront. “And don’t talk so loud.”

Melody Cross, one of the second-grade teachers at Crimson Elementary, snorted. “It’s a crowded bar on a busy Thursday night. No one can hear me.”

But Melody had the kind of booming voice that could quiet a room full of squirming eight-year-olds the afternoon before summer break. The tall table they stood at was a good five feet from the bar, but Erin swore she saw the man’s broad shoulders stiffen.

“Want me to take a picture of him?” Suzie Vitale, her fellow kindergarten teacher, offered with a tipsy smile. “It lasts longer.”

Before Erin could stop her, the curvy blonde aimed her phone at the backside of the gorgeous guy who not only worked the bar but also owned Elevation Brewery. The brewpub had opened a little over a year ago and had become a popular hangout for both locals and tourists in the quaint mountain town of Crimson, Colorado.

Erin had noticed David McCay, the brewery’s owner, the first time she’d stepped into the nouveau rustic—and very on-trend for Colorado—space. He was tall and lean, with dark blond hair that curled around the collars of the flannel shirts he favored. David McCay was as handsome as a movie star and built like he spent endless hours tossing huge sacks of barley—or whatever it was beer brewers did.

Erin, who was built like she spent her days sitting cross-legged on a reading rug, had surreptitiously watched him each time she came into the bar with friends or coworkers for a random happy hour or birthday celebration. He was often tending bar or sometimes she’d spot him coming out from the back, wearing the heavy rubber boots and backward ball cap that she’d quickly learned were his uniform when actually brewing beer.

Colorado was known for its craft brews, and the fact that Elevation had made a name for itself so quickly was a testament to his hard work and talent at running a business.

At least that’s what Erin wanted to believe. Her mother liked to remind Erin that she too often assumed the best about people, which allowed them to regularly take advantage of her.

But David McCay hadn’t taken advantage of her, even though it was the stuff of her fantasies. Even though his nephew, Rhett, was now in her kindergarten class and David had been with the boy and his mother for back-to-school night. Erin had barely been able to put a sentence together with David towering over the other adults in the back of her classroom, but he hadn’t bothered to acknowledge her. Heck, it was doubtful he even knew she existed.

Except when she blinked and looked up, he was staring straight at her. Sparks of awareness flamed through her body, setting every inch of her skin on fire. He lifted one thick brow as if he could read her thoughts. Which might be impossible since it felt like all of her brain cells had spontaneously combusted under the weight of his stare.

She heard Melody giggle behind her, and Suzie gave her a little shove forward. David now stood at the edge of the bar, only a short distance from her, with movement all around him. Customers in groups laughed and talked. A waitress set her tray on the rich wood bar top. A group of women at near the edge of the bar vied for his attention. But his focus remained on Erin.

Then something—someone—suddenly blocked her vision. Cole Bennett, Crimson’s recently elected sheriff, was talking to David. Cole was also tall and broad, and to use one of her mom’s favorite expressions, made a better door than a window.

Erin shifted to the right as she overheard Cole mention Rhett, David’s nephew. David’s gaze hardened and his jaw clenched. Unable to stop herself, she moved forward, sidestepping a couple heading toward the back of the bar and a group of twentysomething guys who looked like they’d just come off a hiking trail, until she stood directly behind the sheriff.

She was five feet four inches tall in the clogs she favored for work, so both men towered over her and were completely unaware she was listening to their conversation. Invisibility was Erin’s unintentional superpower. She knew much more than she should about her coworkers and neighbors, simply because people didn’t notice she was there.

“Rhett is safe,” Cole told David. “But they can’t get him to come out.”

“What the hell was Jenna thinking?” David asked, then scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “No, don’t answer that.”

“She’s in trouble, David. The crowd she’s running with—”

“I’ll handle it.” He pulled a set of keys out of one of the pockets in his tan cargo pants. “I just need to tell Tracie I’m leaving for the night. I’ll be over for Rhett.”

“I have to call Social Services,” Cole said softly, and Erin felt the tension ratchet up a notch.

“Give me some time with him first, okay?”

“Can you—”

“I’ll handle it,” David repeated. He moved behind the bar and spoke to the woman filling two pint glasses from the tap.

The sheriff walked out of the bar, patrons instinctively clearing a path for him although he wasn’t in uniform tonight.

When she looked up, David McCay stood toe-to-toe with her. She realized she’d moved forward to block his path from behind the bar.

In her daydreams, she’d compared his eyes to the brilliant summer sky above the ragged peak of Crimson Mountain or the iridescent cobalt of a tropical lagoon. But now his frosty stare was more like the ice blue of a glacier, so cold a shiver passed through her.

“I don’t have time for this, sweetheart. You and your friends are going to have to play your liquid courage bar games with someone else.”

“It’s not a game,” Erin said.

“Darlin’, you ordered a froofy drink in my bar. It’s either a game or a joke.”

This close to David, the heat and frustration radiating off him made her feel different from the woman she knew herself to be. She was aware of her body in a way that was new and exhilarating. She wanted more. She wanted…something she couldn’t name. Still, the promise of it made her weak with longing.

Also braver than she’d ever been. Or maybe crazy was a better word, because when he moved to step around her, she placed a hand on his arm.

“I can help with your nephew.”

 

Author Bio:

Michelle Major grew up in Ohio but dreamed of living in the mountains. Soon after graduating with a degree in Journalism, she pointed her car west and settled in Colorado. Her life and house are filled with one great husband, two beautiful kids, a few furry pets and several well-behaved reptiles. She’s grateful to have found her passion writing stories with happy endings. Michelle loves to hear from her readers at www.michellemajor.com.

Connect with Michelle: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

 

 

Two misfits collide and brings us a sweet love story! A trip to Crimson, Colorado is just never disappointing! It’s a town filled with a down-home feel, fun characters and a depth of realness to each and every story that makes you feel like you’re right there beside them. I always leave looking forward to my next visit!

When a crisis with a student brings kindergarten teacher Erin MacDonald within touching distance of her secret crush, she can’t believe her life! Always deemed the plain, boring one, Erin doesn’t really think anything she does makes a difference in the world until she’s put in a situation that has her reaching out with comfort and earning back the trust of a weary little boy and his self-crucifying uncle.

Pro baseball pitcher turned brew master David McCoy moved to Crimson two years ago to be there to support his sister and nephew. When a melody of bad decisions by his sister leaves him filling in as parent to his nephew, he ends up relying on Erin more than he ever thought possible. She’s a great person … he only wishes she could see that!