Archives for May 1, 2018

* Review * DEADLY SECRET by Tara Thomas

May 1, 2018 Leave a Comment

Deadly Secret by Tara Thomas
Series: Sons of Broad
Published by St. Martin's Paperbacks on March 27, 2018
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SHE KNOWS THE TRUTH IS IN REACH
As a lawyer and aspiring Congresswoman, Bea likes to keep things professional. But she’s hired to investigate past dark secrets embedded in the Benedict business empire—and as secret wife to Knox Benedict, the job is about to become even more personal…

BUT THE CLOSER SHE GETS
Knox is the moral backbone of the Benedict family, but even a modern-day saint can have a mysterious side. He’s out to win back his estranged secret wife—but getting close to her again could destroy them both…

THERE IS NOWHERE LEFT TO RUN…
As Bea and Knox dig up the truth, Bea falls deeper and deeper into danger. Someone close by is watching her—and waiting to kill. Can Knox save the woman he loves from the enemy out to destroy them? And can their marriage survive the deadliest secret of all?

Suspensefully wicked! With the next book in her Sons of Broad series, Tara Thomas continues to weave a web of danger and secrets as she brings us Knox and Bea’s story. With each book we grow closer to learning who the evil Gentleman is, but he still has cards yet to play and isn’t going to reveal himself just yet. You’ll already be familiar with most of the key players in the storyline if you’ve been following along with the series, but with each book we learn more info about the family history and secrets. I found myself second guessing one of the siblings in this book, so I’m anxious to move forward and find out who the bad guy really is! Very entertaining!

Knox Benedict might have gotten married in a hurry and on the sly, but he loves his wife and will do anything to win her back. When they figure out that the danger that still lurks around her is all because of the investigation she was doing into his family’s business from years ago, he steps in and tries to keep her safe. He asked her to delve into their personal affairs, so why is someone now after her for doing as he asked?

Attorney Bea Jacobs doesn’t want to be apart from Knox, but danger is surrounding him as long as she’s anywhere near, so she has her heart set on staying away and keeping him safe. As more questions are answered, suspicion continues to fly about who has it out for this family.

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* Review * LOVE SONGS AND LULLABIES by Amy Vastine

May 1, 2018 Leave a Comment

Love Songs and Lullabies by Amy Vastine
Series: Grace Note Records
Published by Harlequin Heartwarming on April 1, 2018
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Their engagement is a sham…

But their baby-to-be isn’t!

Country music stars Sawyer Stratton and Piper Starling are headed for the top of the charts. But then their course shifts unexpectedly…toward parenthood! The only way to keep Piper’s pregnancy from making the wrong headlines is to set the proverbial date. But how can Piper go through with a fake engagement when her feelings for Sawyer are anything but?

Sweet and sassy! With the next book in her Grace Note Records series, Amy Vastine takes us a journey of young love! We’ve met both Sawyer and Piper as side characters in previous books in the series. She’s already a country music super star while he’s a talented songwriter but new to the industry as a whole. They have several things working against them as they try to forge through the distractions to find a way to be together. I liked the characters in general, but their story fell a little flat. Not my favorite in the series, but an entertaining read none the less!

Sawyer Stratton thought he was falling in love, but Piper turned the tables on him when she said they were making a mistake and walked out on him. He’s still upset that she ended things and wonders if he can do anything to change her mind.

Piper Starling can’t believe her luck. She thought Sawyer wanted the same things she did, but then outside influences made her suspect it wasn’t the real deal, so she pulled the plug on their love affair and put her concentration back on her tour. Only problem is, she just found out she’s pregnant with his baby! To protect her squeaky clean reputation with her fans, they decide to fake an engagement … but real feelings get involved and pretty soon they’re trying to figure out if forever is a possibility!

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* Review * CROSSING PROMISES by Kimberly Kincaid

May 1, 2018 Leave a Comment

Crossing Promises by Kimberly Kincaid
Series: Cross Creek #3
Published by Kimberly Kincaid Romance on March 5, 2018
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For Owen Cross, the only thing that matters more than family is farming. As the oldest Cross brother, the land is his legacy, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make Cross Creek a success—including hiring local widow Cate McAllister to manage the bookkeeping tasks that are growing in his office like weeds. Cate’s as pragmatic as she is pretty, and she rattles his hard-fought composure at every turn.

Cate had known a lot of things about her husband before he died three years ago in a car accident, but how much debt he’d gotten them into wasn’t one of them. She needs her job at Cross Creek, even if her boss is both gruff and gorgeous. But Owen’s a family man, through and through, and the last thing Cate is interested in is anything—or anyone—with strings attached.

As Owen and Cate join forces to right the farm, they discover there’s more to the other than the surfaces shows, and that passion can be found in unexpected places. Can Cate heal from the loss of one family to gain the love of her life? Or will the past prove too much for the promise of the future?

Heartwarming & sexy all rolled into one! With the third book in the Cross Creek series, we finally get big brother Owen’s story. Throughout the series he’s been the most serious and brooding brother as he pushed everybody hard to keep the farm running no matter what. Now that they’ve had some success and there’s a promising future, he’s starting to feel a yearning for the happiness his brothers have settled into. When the woman he sets his heart on ends up being resistant to a happily ever after, can he convince her to take a chance on him? The main characters were a joy to get to know, and their connection was really sweet. I also enjoyed getting an update on some of our favorite previous characters. I couldn’t love the Cross’s more!

As the oldest Cross sibling, Owen has always been the one that felt the passion of the farm in his blood the most. He lives and breaths his work and will do anything to make sure Cross Creek not only survives but thrives for generations to come. The big thing holding him back at the moment is the back long of administrative duties piling up in the office. When he hears Cate is willing to take the job on, he jumps at the chance!

Cate McAllister works as many jobs as she can manage to try to pay down the debt her husband left behind when he died 3 years ago, so when Owen mentions a need, she offers her services. She’s basically just been going through the motions since she lost the family she had put so much effort into, so the attraction she feels towards Owen is surprising. She’s never planning to settle down again, but if he’s game for a no-strings fling, so is she!

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* Review * INKED by Anne Marsh

May 1, 2018 Leave a Comment

Inked by Anne Marsh
Series: Hard Riders MC #2
Published by Harlequin Dare on April 1, 2018
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Bankers and bad boys don’t mix

So why is she getting under his skin?

Harper, a buttoned-up banker, is a tattoo virgin before Vik draws her first ink. And once the bad-boy biker lays his hands on the beautiful canvas of her body, he’s addicted! Harper says the two of them could never mix outside of the bedroom—but she’s finding that she wants the feeling of Vik’s touch to last forever.

Cute, hot and sexy! With the next book in the Hard Riders MC series, we get bad boy Vik’s story. He’s a major player, but he just might make an exception when he meets a good girl too hard to resist! I loved the characters and their cute connection. There’s really very little MC lifestyle shown in the book, but overall I enjoyed it!

Investment banker Harper is tired of living the laid back, staid lifestyle that has left her alone and looking to start over. She’s going to shake things up and live it up for once … starting with her first tattoo!

Tattoo artist and motorcycle club member Vik isn’t one for settling into a relationship, but one look at Harper has him sitting up and taking notice. Add the fact that he gets to touch her and make his permanent mark on her? Oh yeah, he’s ready to get down to business with this chick!

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* Review * SHUTDOWN PLAYER by Jami Davenport

May 1, 2018 Leave a Comment

Shutdown Player by Jami Davenport
Series: Seattle Sockeyes Hockey
Published by Cedrona Enterprises on April 27, 2018
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After a brief marriage to an unfaithful, gold-digging wife, Jared Roderick is looking for the perfect good girl, and he thinks he’s found her. Sweet, quiet, prim Stephanie Clarke is exactly the woman he wants and nothing like his cheating ex. Now to convince a reluctant Steph they were meant to be together.

Steph has had enough of men controlling her life from her preacher father to her abusive boyfriend. She wants to regain the innocence she lost and ignore the ugliness of her recent past. She’s not the pure and sheltered virgin Jared is looking for and fends off his advances despite the sizzling chemistry between them.

Jared is as determined to win Steph over as he is to win hockey games; but when his fantasy becomes tarnished, does he have the strength to skate the distance?

With the next book in the Seattle Sockeyes hockey series, we get Jared & Steph’s story. We’re familiar with them both from previously in the series, so the story flows well even from the start of the book. We get to see check in on some of our favorite previous characters along the way and watch Jared & Steph finagle their way through difficulties from their past still haunting them and seeing if they can overcome it all to be the support each other needs to move forward in a relationship. It wasn’t my favorite in the series, but I enjoyed it and it was a solid read!

Jared “Hot Rod” Roderick might still be feeling the pain from his recently ended marriage to a cheating gold-digger, but he’s not one to serial date or remain single for long. He loves being half of a relationship, so he’s setting his sights on finding the woman of his dreams. A sweet and loyal good girl … and he thinks he’s just met her!

Stephanie Clarke is doing whatever it takes to make ends meet while she picks up the pieces of her stomped on life. She recently got away from an abusive boyfriend and wants to turn her life around to be more of the person she truly wants to be instead of the things he coerced her into becoming. She’s far from the innocent angel that Jared is looking for, but he’s such a nice guy that she figures what can it hurt if he doesn’t know her past for just a little while.

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* Review * UNWRITTEN by Rachel Lacey

May 1, 2018 Leave a Comment

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Unwritten by Rachel Lacey
Series: Rock Star Duet #1
Published by Rachel Lacey on May 1, 2018
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Pop sensation and Hollywood star Katherine Hayes has worked hard to maintain her squeaky-clean image. But with nude photos going viral on the internet, the ensuing smear campaign threatens to ruin everything.

A chance meeting with a handsome college professor—who’s adorably clueless about her identity—is a rare break from the stress. But when shocked recognition dawns in his eyes, her survival mechanism kicks in. She can’t simply let him walk away to add grist to the rumor mill.

Josh Randall has already loved and lost his soulmate. Yet when he witnesses Kate in a vulnerable moment, he can’t deny the pull between them. Even though he believes down to his bones that true love doesn’t come twice in a lifetime.

A no-strings fling sounds like the perfect solution. But Kate never expected Josh to see the woman hiding behind the celebrity—or that the paparazzi would catch on to their sizzling passion so quickly. Making it hard to keep their tangled emotions from tearing their hearts apart when it’s time to say goodbye…

Sweet, sensual and electrifyingly real! With the first book in her brand new Rock Star Duet, Rachel Lacey dazzles us with the story of a down-to-earth pop star facing ugly scandal and a harsh past coming back to bite her when she least expects it. As if he was sent to her at the time she was going to need him most, she meets an unbelievably kind soul of a man that she just instantly connects with. She’s hesitant to trust anyone with her secrets, and he doesn’t think love can strike twice, but the two of them together sparkle in a magical way that just works. It felt a little long as I was reading it, but the drama was spaced well throughout to keep our attention, and the characters were easy to become enthralled with. Detailed descriptions of settings and feelings left the picture painted in our mind as we traveled this trying path with Kate and hoped against hope that she’d get that happy ending she so richly deserved. Loved it!

Pop star Katherine Hayes has worked unbelievably hard to reach the top in her career. She adores her fans, and loves the work that put her on top, but fake nude pictures being spread across the internet are threatening to tank her career! She’s anxious to set the record straight and get out from under this ugly cloud, but just when it seems things are on the right track, surprise after surprise pops out of the woodwork to derail her progress!

College professor Josh Randall has no idea who Kate is when he meets her during a walk through Central Park. They strike up a conversation and really enjoy each other’s company, but once she’s outed as a superstar, he backs away. Lucky for him Kate is persistent and insists that he have dinner with her to let her apologize for pulling the wool over his eyes. Josh lost the love of his life two years ago, and he knows he’ll never feel that way about another person again … but when Kate suggests a two week fling while she’s in New York, how can he resist this gorgeous dynamo??

Filed Under: Book Reviews