June 12, 2018

* Review * TAKE HOLD OF ME by Arell Rivers

Take Hold of Me by Arell Rivers
Series: A Hold Series Spin-off #1
Published by Tarnished Halo Publishing LLC on June 7, 2018
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She has a body that needs guarding. He has the muscle to do it ... but he’s moved on and refuses to look back.

A Woman Fighting to Stay on Top

After a decade as a supermodel, a younger version of me is scooping up my contracts. To regain my status in the industry, my agency devises a strategy—which so happens to require a bodyguard. And I know the perfect guy for the job: Wills Sumner, the man who saw beneath my veneer. Who currently is evading my texts like a Parisian taxi driver in the rain.

A Man Surrendering Hope

I need to start over. Watching my partners die on the job cemented my belief that I'm toxic. So, with the money from that fateful gig, I buy my sister’s gym. At least I can honor her in death—considering I failed to step up when she was alive. Now, if only the French beauty Emilie Dubois would lose my number.

Emilie is fixated on having me at her side. I'm resigned to doing one final turn and escaping with my heart intact.

But neither of us expected to be stripped bare … In the end, she may be the only one who can Take Hold of Me.

Quite an emotional read! If you read the Hold Series previously, you will recognize several of the key players in this book. We met them during Cole and Rose’s tumultuous story, now they’re the main characters themselves! There was something about Cole and Rose that just can’t be compared with, so they will always be my favorite couple, but Wills and Em really turned on the heat and turmoil in their story. A really enjoyable read! I’m looking forward to more spin-offs!

Former bodyguard turned gym owner Wills Sumner is convinced he’s to blame for everything bad that happens in his life. His sister died and he feels like he should have done more to keep her in a safe place. His partners were killed by Cole’s crazy stalker, and he feels like he should have been able to save them in addition to Cole and Rose. He might still be alive, but he’s living in a dark place in his mind, just going through the motions.

French supermodel Emilie Dubois isn’t sure why Wills suddenly disappeared from her life when she thought they were just getting started. Now she can’t get him to answer her calls or texts at all. She’s having a mini career crisis and decides she’s going to track him down once and for all and see if she can get him to help her out. She’s not willing to take no for an answer when she can clearly see he still wants her just as much as she wants him … but can she get him to commit in the long run when he’s so convinced that he’s bad news?

* Review * ENCORE by Rachel Lacey

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Encore by Rachel Lacey
Series: Rock Star Duet #2
on June 12, 2018
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SHE STOLE CENTER STAGE…IN HIS HEART

Rocker Colton Nix would do just about anything to rid himself of the unflattering nickname his womanizing ways have earned him in the tabloids—anything except settle down with a woman, of course. If his parents taught him anything, it’s that love is as fleeting as celebrity. But after a few too many drinks on a private island in the Caribbean, Cole wakes up with the king of all hangovers…and a wedding band on his left ring finger.

Celebrity assistant Jenn MacDonald has her future meticulously planned, and she’s ready to make her next move: becoming a songwriter. Drunk-marrying a rock star was definitely not on the list. When Cole suggests they stay married for six months so that he can ride out the good publicity while helping her launch her new career, she can’t help but say yes. She’s even able to convince herself—almost—that her decision has nothing to do with the way one glance from Cole sets her body humming like the strings on his favorite guitar.

They were near strangers when they exchanged drunken vows on the beach, but the connection—and the attraction—between them is powerful and real. Soon, they’re making beautiful music together, both in and out of bed. They’re giving the performance of their lives, until it all comes crashing down around them. But every great performance deserves an encore, and theirs might just be love.

Electrifying chemistry! Great follow up to the first book in the duet! We met Jenn in that first book as Kate’s assistant and now she’s getting her own story with a bad boy rocker. The storyline caught my attention quickly, and the friendly turned sexy chemistry between the two of them is off the charts. I really enjoyed getting to play a little catch up with Kate and Josh from the first book too. A really great series!

As the personal assistant to pop princess Katherine Hayes, Jennifer MacDonald is used to the rocker lifestyle, but when she comes into contact with rock ‘n roll bad boy Colton Nix while they’re in the Bahamas for a shoot, he’s not at all what she was expecting. Enjoying letting loose and chatting over drinks a little too much, they wind up taking their drinking games a little too far and waking up hitched!

Colton Nix has been suffering from crappy headlines all over the media ever since a scorned groupie started fake rumors, so all he needs is a quickie marriage followed by an immediate change of heart to flare it all up even worse than before. He convinces Jenn that they can both benefit from staying married for a few months … he’ll get his reputation cleaned up a bit, and in return, he’ll help her get her start as a song writer in the industry. But when they find themselves falling for each other, all bets might be off!