* Review * I FLIPPING LOVE YOU by Helena Hunting

* Review * I FLIPPING LOVE YOU by Helena HuntingI Flipping Love You by Helena Hunting
Published by St. Martin's Paperbacks on May 29, 2018
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four-stars

SHE’S GOT CURB APPEAL. HE’S A FIXER UPPER...

Rian Sutter grew up with the finer things in life. Spending summers in the Hamptons was a normal occurrence for her until her parents lost everything years ago. Now Rian and her sister are getting their life, and finances, back on track through real estate. Not only do they buy and sell houses to the rich and famous but they finally have the capital to flip their very own beachfront property. But when she catches the attention of a sexy stranger who snaps up every house from under her, all bets are off…

Pierce Whitfield doesn’t normally demo kitchens, install dry wall, or tear apart a beautiful woman’s dreams. He’s just a down-on-his-luck lawyer who needed a break from the city and agreed to help his brother work on a few homes in the Hamptons. When he first meets Rian, the attraction is undeniable. But when they start competing for the same pieces of prime real estate, the early sparks turn into full-blown fireworks. Can these passionate rivals turn up the heat on their budding romance—without burning down the house?

 

Deep, sexy and just plain fun! Laugh out loud moments caught my attention, and extreme sexual chemistry between Rian and Pierce kept it! The story line is fairly fast paced as we’re drawn into the story of Rian’s past and our attention is held trying to figure out what’s going to come of the two of them and the properties their siblings are fighting over!

She hasn’t summered in the Hamptons since her family lost their fortune years ago, but Rian Sutter is enjoying being back in her old stomping ground! She and her sister have finally done well enough in their real estate business to afford to buy a fixer upper to flip, and they’re not going to stop there!

Lawyer Pierce Whitfield doesn’t usually spend his summers doing construction, but he’s a bit down and out with his career at the moment and using some downtime to help his brother out with some renovation properties. When he meets Rian and sparks fly, he figures he just might be in for a summer fling … but when they start competing for the same properties on the beach, sparks of a different type start flying!

four-stars

* Review * ARMED RESPONSE by Janie Crouch

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * ARMED RESPONSE by Janie CrouchArmed Response by Janie Crouch
Series: Omega Sector: Under Siege
Published by Harlequin Intrigue on August 1, 2018
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five-stars

Lillian Muir is the lone female member of the close knit Omega Sector SWAT team, but that's never been a problem. She can throw down with the best of them. Can outfight anyone or anything that gets in her way.

Except her past.

She's made damn sure no one on her team suspects the darkness that haunts her. But when former Special Forces soldier Jace Eakin arrives to help fight a terrorist mastermind, he sees Lillian not only as the fierce warrior, but as the wounded woman. He's determined to stand beside her as she battles her demons.

But he never dreamed those demons would dwell so close to home...

 

Unexpected twists from start to finish! We’re closing in on the end of this series, so the story line is winding up one bit at a time. With this book, we learn Lillian’s past and figure out who the traitor is. It’s exhilarating and shocking as we go from one plot twist to another learning things we never knew about one of the most present members of this team that we’ve loved for so long. I’m looking forward to the big finale … except I’m going to be heartbroken to lose this group of friends that have entertained me so much along the way!

Omega Sector agent Lillian Muir has worked long and hard for her position on the elite SWAT team, and no one would expect the past she has survived. She’s surprised to see the new guy coming on board for temporary help during an assignment. She knew him once upon a time … and worse yet, he knew her and her past!

Jace Eakin served with Omega Sector big wig Ren McClement 10 years ago in the Middle East, so when he calls him asking for a favor, he’s all in. He might be there serving as a warm body to fill an assignment on the team, but most importantly, he’s working behind the scenes to try to figure out who the mole is … and who’s setting up Lillian for a fall!

five-stars

* Release Day Blitz/Review * PLAYING HURT by Kelly Jamieson

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Release Day Blitz/Review * PLAYING HURT by Kelly JamiesonPlaying Hurt by Kelly Jamieson
Series: An Aces Hockey Novel
Published by Loveswept on July 17, 2018
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four-stars

Chase: The last thing I’d ever want to do is let my team down. After overcoming my bad-boy reputation, I was dominating on the ice. But things aren’t going so well this season, and even my parents think I’m partying again. Now I’m really worried about my career. The only bright spot in my life is the Twitter flirtation I’ve struck up with pop princess Jordyn Banks. Turns out she’s a huge hockey fan—and she’s willing to wager a date on her favorite team. . . .

Jordyn: Even though I’m an L.A. fan now, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Aces, since I grew up in Chicago. Then I lose a bet to Chase Hartman, and suddenly I’m up close and personal with a pro athlete who’s anything but soft. Not only is Chase the hottest guy I’ve ever met, he’s secretly super sweet. As if I had time for a relationship . . . yeah, right. But when I suddenly have nothing but time on my hands, he’s the only one who understands. Now, with both of our careers at stake, Chase is tempting me to put my heart on the line too.

 

Sassy, sweet and oh so sexy! With the next book in the Aces Hockey series, we delve into Chase’s life and watch him fall hard and fast for the girl he’s been crushing on. The characters are well developed and really easy to like. The storyline takes us through the ups and downs of their career highs and lows as they try to make a relationship work that neither of them was really looking for at this point in their life. It’s a fun read!

Pro hockey player Chase Hartman was finally finding his groove after partying too hard and letting it all go to his head, but just when his team is looking bright, he can’t score to save his life! He got over a minor injury in the off-season, but there’s just still some weird twinge there. He has to get his game back under control … everyone thinks he’s partying hard again! The one bright spot in his life right now is a Twitter flirtation with his not-so-secret crush!

Pop star Jordyn Banks is busier than she’s ever been while gearing up to record her second album. She’s been a hockey fan all her life, and since moving to LA had to favor their team, but her heart’s still with her hometown Chicago team as well. When she follows Chase on Twitter and he strikes up a conversation that leads to them betting a date depending on the outcome of a game, they’re in for the ride of their lives as they both face career set-backs as they grow closer and meander the roads of their new relationship.

 

 

 

 

 

He’s playing hurt. She’s laying low. And they’re both flirting with disaster.
Playing Hurt by Kelly Jamieson is AVAILABLE NOW!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IZAxCi
iBooks: https://apple.co/2sfDWGC
Nook: http://bit.ly/2JfJFWs
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2xoZRjv
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2soQavI

“Kelly Jamieson is my go-to author for hockey romance.”-Jami Davenport

He’s playing hurt. She’s laying low. And they’re both flirting with disaster.

Chase: The last thing I’d ever want to do is let my team down. After overcoming my bad-boy reputation, I was dominating on the ice. But things aren’t going so well this season, and even my parents think I’m partying again. Now I’m really worried about my career. The only bright spot in my life is the Twitter flirtation I’ve struck up with pop princess Jordyn Banks. Turns out she’s a huge hockey fan-and she’s willing to wager a date on her favorite team. . . .

Jordyn: Even though I’m an L.A. fan now, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Aces, since I grew up in Chicago. Then I lose a bet to Chase Hartman, and suddenly I’m up close and personal with a pro athlete who’s anything but soft. Not only is Chase the hottest guy I’ve ever met, he’s secretly super sweet. As if I had time for a relationship . . . yeah, right. But when I suddenly have nothing but time on my hands, he’s the only one who understands. Now, with both of our careers at stake, Chase is tempting me to put my heart on the line too.

About Kelly Jamieson

Kelly Jamieson is a USA Today bestselling author of over 40 romance novels and novellas.

Her writing has been described as “emotionally complex”, “sweet and satisfying” and “blisteringly sexy”. She likes black coffee, white wine and high heels…and of course cheering on her Winnipeg Jets during hockey season!

Connect with Kelly

four-stars

* Review * DEADLY GAMES by Karen Rock

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * DEADLY GAMES by Karen RockDeadly Games by Karen Rock
Series: Dallas After Dark
Published by Lyrical Liaison on July 17, 2018
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four-half-stars

ONE NIGHT ONLY
Special Agent Katherine Bowden doesn’t do girls’ nights out. She doesn’t do blazing hot dances with male strippers or unbelievable, uninhibited one-night-stands. If you ask her ex, all she does is work: study evidence, profile criminals, track them down. And now Katherine’s back home in Dallas, with a new set of all-male colleagues second-guessing her every move, and a possible serial killer hunting women just like her. But just this once, Katherine is going to try all those things she doesn’t do . . .

Growing up on the Reservation led Nash Hawkins down paths he’d rather forget. When his dream of joining the police force was crushed, he turned his hard body and wicked imagination into a meal ticket. His chemistry with Katherine is like nothing he’s ever felt. And though he’s sure a woman like her won’t want to get seriously involved with him, Nash knows things—things that might help catch a killer.

Nash and Katherine can save lives, if they put aside the desire that torments them both. But the closer they get, the more they have to lose . . .

 

Riveting from the first page! With the second book in her Dallas After Dark series, Karen Rock takes us back to the sultry nights of the Dallas Heat male strip club. We recognize several of the characters from the first book in the series, and get down and dirty with Nash Hawkins fairly quickly! The start of the book draws us into the terror that is about to strike, then we’re electrified with sexual tension when Nash and Katherine cross paths for the first time before joining forces to solve an intriguing case. The plot was developed well and the characters were pretty spot on in believability and interaction. My favorite in the series!

FBI agent Katherine Bowden didn’t expect to find herself back home in Dallas at this point in her life, but here she is … amidst the downtown party scene where she’s least likely to belong! She’s not one to typically be out partying, but when she reconnected with an old friend from school at just about the same time that her divorce was finalized, there was no turning down the invitation to hang with the girls at a strip club for the night!

Private investigator by day, stripper by night Nash Hawkins is used to the women ogling his well-defined body, and he’s only too happy to flaunt it for them to bring a smile to their face. When his eyes meet a buttoned-up Katherine’s during his routine, he’s mesmerized. He draws her onto the stage with him, turns her on like nobody’s business and then propositions her for the night. It’s a night he’ll never forget … and he’s disappointed to find her gone the next morning … luckily for him, his most recent case seems to follow the details of the serial killer she’s trying to catch!

four-half-stars

* Review * PLAYING DIRTY by Amy Andrews

* Review * PLAYING DIRTY by Amy AndrewsPlaying Dirty by Amy Andrews
Series: Sydney Smoke Rugby Series
Published by Entangled: Brazen on July 9, 2018
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five-stars

Sydney Smoke star recruit Kyle Leighton can’t believe the best sex of his life was just a one-night stand. He didn’t even know her name… Until she shows up at the locker room two weeks later and he connects the dots.

Val King. Oh shit.

Coach has one hard and fast rule: Never, ever date (much less f*ck ten ways to Sunday) his daughter. And not only did Kyle break that rule, but he wants to break it over and over again. In the shower. Against a wall. On every flat surface in his home.

But the coach and his daughter share more than just DNA. Their issues run deep and fooling around with her could widen the family chasm.

And get Kyle benched for life.

So why can’t he stop thinking about her? Flirting with her? Suggesting they date for real and damn the consequences?

 

A steamy hot, forbidden affair! With the next book in her Sydney Smoke Rugby Series, Amy Andrews takes us on a delectable ride of riveting sex, heartfelt connections and just down right fun people to hang out with! I loved Kyle and Val’s story so much!

Professional rugby player Kyle Leighton might not have known anything but a first name for the one-night stand that rocked his world, but she certainly knew who he was … and the added metaphorical “screw you” finger in the air to her father was just icing on top of the yummy cake! Fast forward a few days and he happens to catch sight of her outside the locker room and lays a massive kiss on her … only to hear the growl of the coach who already seems to hate his guts behind him telling him to unhand his daughter. His daughter?? What has he done? He’s already on the outs for being the new guy, can he really afford to further antagonize?

Valerie King knew the rule her father laid down to his team about her, but she has had just about enough from her father to last a lifetime, so if she could thumb her nose at him in a way that also made her night, oh well! She’s not happy that she got Kyle in trouble though. He’s actually a really nice guy … and he doesn’t seem wiling to walk away from her just because he’s going to get into trouble either!

five-stars

* Review * A DATE WITH DR. MOUSTAKAS by Amy Ruttan

* Review * A DATE WITH DR. MOUSTAKAS by Amy RuttanA Date with Dr. Moustakas by Amy Ruttan
Series: Hot Greek Docs
Published by Harlequin Medical Romances on July 1, 2018
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four-half-stars

A date with her former flame…

Brings the past flooding back!

In this Hot Greek Docs story, doctor Naomi thought her ex didn’t want kids. So she’s shocked to find Dr. Christos Moustakas at her new workplace—and he’s now a single dad! Chris has dropped his playboy ways, but he still has a hold on Naomi’s heart. And if she can now reveal their secret loss, it might finally give them another chance…

 

A sweet reunion, hidden secrets and the hope of forgiveness carry us into the final installment of the Hot Greek Docs series. I’ve enjoyed the entire series, but I think Chris and Naomi’s story touched me most of all. They were both kind-hearted people. so it was really easy to hope they could find their way through the past and work towards that new found forever!

Years ago, Naomi Hudson and Christos Moustakas were a couple. She was all in and assumed they would be sharing the rest of their lives together, but Chris carried scars from a rough childhood around like a load on his back, and didn’t think he’d ever be in a mindset to give her the life that she deserved, so he set her free and went on with his life separately.

After stepping up to help on the Greek island of Mythelios, they are reunited by working in the clinic together. The man who said he never wanted a wife or family is now a single father to an infant, and the woman who wanted a family with all of her being is alone in life. Spending time together brings back those same old feelings that they once shared, but will the secrets that exist between them stand in the way of acting on them?

four-half-stars

* Review * STRIPPED by Tara Wyatt

* Review * STRIPPED by Tara WyattStripped by Tara Wyatt
Series: Blue HEAT
Published by Avon Impulse on May 15, 2018
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four-half-stars

The first in a sexy new series from Tara Wyatt!

Detective Sawyer Matthews isn’t just having a bad day—he’s having the worst day. His hunt for the criminal who killed his team member has stalled and now… he’s got to play nice with his new, totally unwanted partner. It’s not that she isn’t qualified, or that he doesn’t like her—it’s because he knows what she looks like naked. So very, very naked.

Brooke Simmons finally landed her dream job working for H.E.A.T, an elite undercover detective squad, and she’s not giving up simply because she had a one-night-stand with her sullen—but undeniably sexy—new partner. They’ll just have to keep it professional. Easier said than done, considering their first case requires Sawyer to infiltrate a drug cartel operating out of a male strip show. Watching him do his best Magic Mike impression every night isn’t just hot—it’s torture.

Sawyer doesn’t need any distractions, yet his attraction to Brooke is explosive and he can’t resist going for round two. Or three. Or four. But as their investigation progresses and danger mounts, they’ll have to put their jobs, hearts, and lives on the line to fight… for each other, for survival, and for justice.

 

Fast paced, lots of intrigue and sexy, sexy, sexy! I really enjoyed the first book in Tara Wyatt’s new Blue HEAT series! The characters were well-developed and easy to like and storyline hooked me from the start. Looking forward to more in the series!

Detective Sawyer Matthews is on a mission … a mission to catch the scum-bag who killed his partner. He’s what you’d call “married to the job” and doesn’t have a problem with that, but he can’t deny when the new detective he’s going to be partnered with walks in the room, he’s thinking of a lot more than work!

Brooke Simmons has just gotten the promotion of a lifetime to become a member of Atlanta’s High-Risk Evaluation & Action Team (H.E.A.T.), so her life couldn’t be working out better … until she walks in and finds out her new partner is the man she had a smoking hot one-night stand with! Working with him on a daily basis, and as he’s undercover as a male stripper none-the-less, is going to be temptation personified!

four-half-stars

* Review * LOVE MACHINE by Kendall Ryan

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * LOVE MACHINE by Kendall RyanLove Machine by Kendall Ryan
on July 16, 2018
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four-stars

She says she needs some help ... in the bedroom.

Come again? No, really come again.

Sweet, nerdy, lovable Keaton.

She's my best friend and has been for years. Sure she likes numbers and math, and thinks doing other people's taxes is fun. And I like ... none of that stuff. She's obsessed with her cat and reads novels I'll never understand, and yet we just click. There's no one I'd rather share breakfast burritos with or binge watch hours of Netflix. She's my person. And so when she takes off her glasses and asks me to help her improve her skills in the bedroom, I barely have to think about it.

Of course I'll help her. There's no one better for the job.

I've been there for her through everything, why should this be any different?

But what happens when she's ready to take her new-found confidence and move on?

 

Steamy with a touch of sass! A really fun read that puts a tasty quirk on the typical friends to lovers storyline. She wants him to teach her how to be bad … oh so bad! Kendall Ryan always delivers a sassy set of characters that are really easy to fall for and who keep us entertained with the witty banter she’s famous for. This one was no exception!

Keaton Henley is tired of her staid life. She wants to be the exciting one for a change, the sexy one! She is so under-rated in the sex department that it’s not even funny … but she can’t become the bomb that she wants to be in the sack without a little help! Who better to ask to be her sexual mentor than the sex god of all that is holy, Slate.

Slate Cruz has been her best friend since college. They are polar opposites … she’s a nerdy numbers girl and he’s a charismatic lady’s man. He’d do anything for her, and when she puts the invitation out there to teach her the ways of life, well, he can’t wait to get his hands on that tight little body of hers! It’s all fun and games until feelings start to grow and when it’s time to set her loose on the world to show her new-found prowess, well, he doesn’t want to share anymore!

four-stars

* Review * DAN by Leigh Duncan

* Review * DAN by Leigh DuncanDan by Leigh Duncan
Series: The Hometown Heroes Series #3
Published by Gardenia Street Publishing on July 13, 2018
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four-stars

More than hooks and lines are in the lesson plans when an upcoming fishing trip with his new business partners forces a hunky thoracic surgeon to work hand-in-hand with a feisty fly fishing instructor.

Dan Hamilton is a foster care success story who lives for the day he can help give kids stuck in “the system” a good start in life. His wildest dreams are finally within reach when Dan is asked to join in building an exclusive medical center on Florida’s east coast.

Widowed Jessica Cofer wants little more than to help her young son grow into an honest man and preserve the natural beauty of Phelps Cove.

When Dan and Jessica meet, their temperatures rise faster than mercury on a summer day...until she learns the handsome doctor has his eye on more than her curves—he plans to steal the land from under her feet.

*This book was originally published in 2011.

 

An oasis among the Florida coastline is the draw in the next book in The Hometown Heroes Series. While not nearly my favorite in the series so far, Dan’s story was still an emotionally heartfelt journey into the heart of a widowed mother, an adorable little boy and the man who can’t imagine his life without them in it once they carve their place into it. The series so far has been a pleasure to read, but I do find it surprising we’re not really seeing interaction between the main characters of each book. We see a small mention of them, but so far no meeting up.

Jessica Cofer has been doing it all on her own for a few years now. It’s not easy being a single mother after her husband’s death, but she’s doing her best raise her son to be a strong, honorable little man. Her fly fishing business on the Florida coast is getting by, but her true passion lies in getting the conservation of a local favorite spot Phelps Cove completed.

Dan Hamilton is a successful surgeon, but he’s looking forward to the day when he can make a change in the way foster kids age out of the system. He has an opportunity dropped into his lap that will allow him to raise the funding he needs faster than he ever thought possible, but when he goes to tour the proposed building site of a leading edge medical facility, he realizes it’s in the midst of the land Jess wants to save. As circumstances lead him to grow closer to her and her son, will he change his mind on trying to buy the land out from under her, or will the opposite sides situation be more than their fledgling relationship can bear?

four-stars

* Review * FREED by Carly Phillips

* Review * FREED by Carly PhillipsFreed by Carly Phillips
Series: Rosewood Bay Series #3
Published by CP Publishing on July 10, 2018
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four-stars

Juliette Collins is privileged and isolated from the world by her over-protective father. She thinks she knows the truth about her history until a file in her father’s safe reveals she has sisters she never knew about. A family she’s never met. Betrayed, she realizes there’s a life waiting for her outside the walls of her daddy’s New York City penthouse and Juliet is determined to live it. Against her father’s wishes, she heads to a small beach community to meet her siblings… and finds herself way out of her depth instead.

In the personal protection business, Braden Clark thinks nothing of taking on a job to watch over a city girl in town for the summer. If her father wants to know his daughter is safe, it’s no problem and an easy way of earning a paycheck. Except Braden doesn’t count on falling for the sheltered Juliette. Watching her experience her firsts, getting an apartment, finding a job, meeting up with her lost sisters, soon Braden’s brand of protection becomes a little too personal. He’s mixing business with pleasure and lying to a woman he’s coming to care deeply about.

Sexual attraction burns bright between them and Braden is by her side as she finds herself, her family, and what it means to love... but what happens when she discovers his secret? That he’s been paid to watch over her all along?

 

Secrets exposed! With the next book in the Rosewood Bay series, we get to meet the long-lost sister Juliette. After discovering she has sisters out there, she makes her way to town and connects with Phoebe and Halley. It’s fun to watch these two sisters who have been so close since they reconnected be able to share memories with the sister who didn’t even remember they existed. Emotionally gritty and powerful!

Sheltered heiress Juliette Collins has lived her life as Daddy’s Little Girl and it’s the only life she knows, but when she stumbles across a file in her father’s safe that informs her she has half-sisters she never knew about out there, she’s shocked. She never imagined her father would lie to her, but here’s proof that not only did he, but he’s been keeping her tethered to his side when she could have had more family to share in her life. She’s not going to stand by and watch the world pass her by anymore … she’s heading to Rosewood Bay to find her sisters!

Security expert Braden Clark figures it will be easy money when he gets a call from Andrew Collins requesting he keep tabs on his daughter while she’s in town. Follow up on the rich girl and report to Daddy on occasion about her comings and goings … no problem. Until he meets her and becomes taken with her. She’s such an authentic person, and he enjoys watching her come into her own self as she’s getting to enjoy so many little things in life … her first job, her first apartment, meeting her sisters for the first time. It doesn’t take long for him to be in deep with her … but she doesn’t know her father has been paying him to spend time with her!

four-stars