Archives for September 4, 2018

* Release Blast / Review * MESS ME UP by Lani Lynn Vale

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Release Blast / Review * MESS ME UP by Lani Lynn ValeMess Me Up by Lani Lynn Vale
Series: The Bear Bottom Guardians MC #1
on September 4, 2018
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four-half-stars

When Rome Pierce moved to Bear Bottom, Texas, it was his intention to lay low. To not be seen. To find a way to heal his body and soul—as well as his son’s.

Nobody would know by looking at him that he used to play professional football. Not with the Bear Bottom MC cut covering his back, and definitely not with his friendly smile completely obliterated.

No longer is there charm in each smooth word that comes out of his mouth. What’s left is an angry, bitter, scared man that’s terrified one day he’s going to wake up and his entire world is going to be gone.

Nobody knows what drove him to leave the game he loved—nobody but her.

She’s the one person that has helped him make it through the dark days and even darker nights. She’s the bright and shining star in his pitch-black sky.

And he doesn’t even know her name.

He should be afraid that she knows things that not anyone—not even his best friend—knows.

Yet, with each encounter, he gives what little bit of his soul remains, and before he knows it only two people on this earth—one dying, and one too afraid to live—make his life worth living.

Until one day he has to choose—the love of his life, or the life he brought into this world.

Two impossible situations. One decision that would change him forever.

 

Absolutely heart wrecking! This book tore my heart out … and then slowly put it back together again. It’s my first read by this author, but it will definitely not be my last. It’s not your average MC (Motorcycle Club) romance, but it’s a powerfully written book that takes you on such a rollercoaster ride of emotions, that you don’t even care that it’s not giving us the biker lifestyle that we might have picked it up hoping for. The characters are addictive, and the various plots of the story held my attention with ease. Really great read!

Former pro footballer Rome Pierce retired from his career without giving specifics why, moved to Bear Bottom, Texas and joined an MC … all within a short timeframe, and all while living the darkest period of his life. He has only his MC brothers to count on while he hopes the changes in his life help to heal him as well as his son.

She’s been there when he needed an ear, offering words of wisdom and just plain kindness when he needed it more than anything. She’s got a past of her own that only he knows details of, but she knows he won’t tell anyone. After all, he doesn’t know who she is. He holds her secrets, but not her name. She has seen into his soul, but never into his eyes.

 

 

 

When Rome Pierce moved to Bear Bottom, Texas, it was his intention to lay low. To not be seen. To find a way to heal his body and soul-as well as his son’s.

Nobody would know by looking at him that he used to play professional football. Not with the Bare Bottom MC cut covering his back, and definitely not with his friendly smile completely obliterated.

No longer is there charm in each smooth word that comes out of his mouth. What’s left is an angry, bitter, scared man that’s terrified one day he’s going to wake up and his entire world is going to be gone.

Nobody knows what drove him to leave the game he loved-nobody but her.

She’s the one person that has helped him make it through the dark days and even darker nights. She’s the bright and shining star in his pitch-black sky.

And he doesn’t even know her name.

He should be afraid that she knows things that not anyone-not even his best friend-knows.

Yet, with each encounter, he gives what little bit of his soul remains, and before he knows it only two people on this earth-one dying, and one too afraid to live-make his life worth living.

Until one day he has to choose-the love of his life, or the life he brought into this world.

Two impossible situations. One decision that would change him forever.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

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EXCERPT

Rome

RP’s Biggest Fan,

I’m not sure how you became my therapist, or how we even got to the point of being pen pals, but I’ll take what I can get.

I could use a friend.

So, you want to hear about my life? How it’s nowhere near as glamorous as everyone makes it out to be?

Where should I start?

How about the paparazzi. They’re awful. They follow me home. They follow me to work. They follow me to my son’s appointments—though technically, they don’t know he’s my son. Luckily. That was one thing I did manage to do right—keeping him out of the limelight.

Lucky for me, too. Or, at least for him.

And if the paparazzi wasn’t bad enough, my ex was only with me for my money—because she knew that I had it.

If there was one thing I could erase from my life, it would be her.

But, if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have my son…and at this point, he’s the single bright light in the sea of darkness that is my life.

Last week she threatened to sue me because I broke the custody agreement we have for our son. Do you want to know what I did? Nothing. Not one damn thing. I stayed at her house while she went away for the day, and I put a drink on her coffee table.

Let me repeat that…I put a drink on her coffee table.

Ok, so it was a Coke can, and I didn’t use a coaster… but I’d finished the damn thing. It was completely empty, it wasn’t sweating, and it didn’t leave any sort of mark.

But, with the way she reacted, you would’ve thought that I’d carved my initials in the table using a screwdriver or something.

Oh, and let’s not forget what my team manager wants me to do.

He wants me to pose naked except for a strategically positioned football for Sports Illustrated.  When did Sports Illustrated stop focusing on sports in favor of selling what’s sexy?

You told me last week that you weren’t sure that you were going to write anymore. I realize that this back and forth we have going on isn’t normal, but if it doesn’t bother you, it doesn’t bother me.

I hope you write to me soon, RP’s Biggest Fan.

Rome.

 

 

 

Lani Lynn Vale is a USA Today Bestselling Author of over thirty titles. She is married with three children, two dogs, two cats, a donkey, and a couple (a couple also meaning over twenty) chickens.

When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up in her favorite chair reading.

Lani is married with three children and lives in the Great State of Texas.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | BookBub

 

four-half-stars

* Release Day Blitz * ONE MORE MOMENT by Samantha Chase

 

ONE MORE MOMENT
Samantha Chase

Release Date: September 4, 2018
Sourcebooks Casablanca

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KPOyXl
B&N: http://bit.ly/2KW0Mh8
Apple: https://apple.co/2KYRzEy

 

Julian Grayson is taking a break

     …from his cheating fiancée

     …from his band

     …from his life in the spotlight

Charlotte Clark is devoted to her work

     …to save the world

     …to help the homeless

     …to get a broken man back on his feet

When Charlotte Clark offers to pay for Julian Grayson’s coffee, the world-famous drummer assumes she wants something from him. But Charlotte has no idea who he is, and Julian can’t resist keeping up the charade—being incognito is a novelty and a relief. He’ll have to tell her…eventually. But as Charlotte cheerfully undertakes to transform his life, Julian realizes there’s something about her that gives him what he hasn’t felt in years: hope.

 

 

EXCERPT

In front of her, the guy reached into his back pocket and cursed.

Loudly.

“Um…cancel my order,” he told the cashier, his voice so low and deep it was almost a growl. “I forgot my wallet.”

Without hesitation, Charlotte stepped forward and smiled at the young cashier. “Hi, Carly,” she began, reading the girl’s nametag, “if it’s okay, you can add his order to mine.” She was feeling pretty good about herself and her gesture, but when she turned and looked up at the man she was helping, she couldn’t help but gasp.

Jet-black hair and silver eyes—which were currently glaring at her. There wasn’t even a hint of a smile and if anything, he was borderline snarling.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked.

Charlotte had met enough people who were down on their luck to know that sometimes pride was a huge deterrent to them accepting help in any form. “I heard you say you had forgotten your wallet and just figured I’d help.”

“Why?”

Her shoulders relaxed even as her smile grew and she laughed softly. “What do you mean, ‘why’?”

“Ma’am?” the cashier asked. “What can I get you? The line’s getting backed up.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Although she was a little miffed at being called “ma’am.” At twenty-seven, she didn’t consider herself old enough for that title, but she’d deal with that later. “I’ll have a tall mocha Frappuccino and a blueberry muffin, please.” Then she handed her credit card over before looking back at the angry man.

“I don’t need anyone to buy me coffee,” he growled.

Undeterred, she smiled and accepted her card back from the cashier. “Oh, please. I know I get cranky when I can’t have my coffee, and you look like you could use it. It’s not a big deal. Really.” She stepped around him to go wait at the other end of the counter for their order. For a minute, she didn’t think he would follow, and she had to hide her smile when he finally did.

“I could have just gone and grabbed my wallet and come back,” he argued. His voice was low, but there was still heat in it.

She shrugged and offered him a smile. “Now you don’t have to.”

They stood in silence until their order was placed on the counter, and Charlotte thanked the barista and then smiled at the man. He still hadn’t picked up his coffee or muffins, and she wondered just how stubborn he was going to be.

“Look, if it bothers you that much, just…pay it forward,” she said.

“Pay it what?”

“Forward. You know, next time you’re in line and notice someone in need of a hand, help them out.” Her smile broadened even as he looked at her as if she were crazy. “Anyway, enjoy and have a great day!”

Without waiting for an answer, she walked out of the coffee shop and across the street toward the park benches where she could sit and see the beach and enjoy the fresh air. It really was a beautiful day out and there was no way she wanted to waste it sitting inside.

Sitting down, she pulled the muffin out of the bag and was about to break off a piece when someone sat down beside her.

Her unkempt man.

With her sunglasses on, she was certain he couldn’t read her surprise, and she did her best to sound casual as she asked, “Would you like to join me?” For the life of her, she had no idea why she would even suggest such a thing. It was obvious he was annoyed with her and really, just because she tended to be trusting didn’t mean it was always the right thing to do. For all of her speculation, she had no idea who this man was.

“What is your deal?” he asked a little suspiciously, but not snarling or growling nearly as much as he had been inside the coffee shop.

“My deal?”

He nodded. “Why’d you buy my breakfast? What’s it to you if I didn’t have my wallet?”

For a moment Charlotte could only stare. Was this guy for real? Here she was doing a nice thing and he was giving her crap for it?

“It was just coffee and two muffins,” she reasoned pleasantly. “It wasn’t a big deal, and like I said, just pay it forward.”

That should have been the end of it, but considering he didn’t move or say anything, she figured it wasn’t.

Now she started to feel a little uneasy.

Looking around, she tried to see how many people were around. It was early and people were out walking on the sidewalk and down on the sand, so she relaxed. She could handle this.

“What is it you want from me?” he finally asked, his scowl back in place.

Charlotte turned to look back up at him and frowned herself. “Excuse me?”

He sighed in agitation. “You heard me. What is it you want? You want me to sign something?”

Sign something? What the…?

“Look, Mr.…?” She paused and waited for him to fill in the blank, but when he didn’t, she was the one to sigh. “I’m Charlotte, by the way. Charlotte Clark. I’d prefer not to keep calling you ‘angry guy’ in my head.” And when he still didn’t answer, she stuffed her muffin back in the bag, grabbed her coffee, and stood. “I honestly didn’t mean to offend you, okay? I just thought it would be a nice thing to do and then we’d both be on our way—me feeling good and you feeling thankful. Obviously, I was wrong. So… I’m sorry if I was mistaken and if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go and enjoy my breakfast elsewhere.”

Her heart was hammering in her chest as she moved around him and walked back along the sidewalk to the crosswalk in hopes of finding someplace else to sit and eat. The whole time she complained in her head, because she seriously enjoyed sitting and watching the waves crash and all the sights and smells of the beach.

Stupid angry guy messing with my good morning.

 

Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than forty titles under her belt! When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in North Carolina.

Websitehttps://www.chasing-romance.com/
Twitterhttps://twitter.com/SamanthaChase3
Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/SamanthaChaseFanClub/
Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/samanthachaseromance/
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BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/samantha-chase

 

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