4 STARS!

This was an easy, fun read filled with lots of smiles along the way at their sass and antics.  I enjoyed it.

Kelsey Kyle is a concierge extraordinaire at Masquerade Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.  She’s angling to be accepted into the Management Trainee Program, so when an opportunity from a VIP guest presents itself to get a good recommendation, she’s all for it!

Micah Holmes is a best selling romance artist who is too shy to enjoy dealing with the hoards of fans he has.  He needs Kelsey’s help to put him at ease with the crowds and their emotions.  The fact that he really likes her helps!

Kelsey has to convince Micah to have a one-on-one interaction with the wife of a VIP guest to get the recommendation that she needs.  Only Micah doesn’t do those type of promotions.  Can she convince him to change his mind?

**  Received free in exchange for an honest review  **

Her Secret Lover by Robin Covington

Release date: 1/18/16

 About the book:

 Kelsey Kyle will do whatever it takes to get into the management trainee program at the casino where she works. So when she’s given the opportunity to get a VIP customer’s endorsement for the program, she jumps at the challenge. All she needs to do is arrange a one-on-one fan experience with the woman’s favorite author, tall-dark-and-intense Micah Holmes.

An entire week at a Vegas romance readers’ convention, surrounded by hundreds of people, is Micah Holmes’ idea of hell. But one look at Kelsey, his assigned hotel concierge, and the attraction is immediate. Maybe this week won’t be so bad after all…

Anything beyond a “strictly professional” relationship will get Kelsey fired, but she needs to get close to Micah to get the super fan experience her client wants. Hot sex in her apartment pool begins a game of “undercover lover” that quickly escalates to something more. But when Micah discovers her secret agenda, all bets are off.

Find it online:

Amazon | B&N | Goodreads

EXCERPT:

“This is what I don’t get, man. How do you write these incredible books when you don’t believe in love? They are the most romantic shit ever put between two covers. You write the ‘books that make America fall in love’ for Christ’s sake.”

“I hate that stupid tagline…”

“You can hate it all you want, but it’s true. You even get me weepy when I read them.” His friend smacked him on the shoulder. “We’ve been friends long enough that I can tell you I thought you had a vagina after I read your first book.” That got his attention. He swiveled his head to glare at his best friend. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m just saying I didn’t believe a guy wrote them when I first read them.” He held his pointer finger up to forestall the comment Micah wanted to make. “I know you don’t actually have a vagina. I’ve seen you at the gym and you’ve got plenty going on down there to make the rest of us feel bad.”
“Stop looking at my dick, Allen. Seriously.”
“I only looked that one time, and you’re missing my point.”
“You have one?” He snorted and ducked another jab that almost made him spill his beer. “I’ve been writing for a solid week, please don’t make me read your mind.”

Allen got up and headed over to the kitchen area, opening the refrigerator to get another beer. He removed the bottle cap before he continued. “My point is that you write this shit that gets every woman in America crying and then climbing on top of their husbands who immediately start begging their doctors for Viagra by the truckload, and I don’t know how you do it when you don’t date…”

“My lifestyle doesn’t make it feasible.”
“You don’t have a sex life to speak of…”
“As long as my hands aren’t amputated, my sex life is fine.”
“That’s pathetic and disturbing,” Allen said and took a swig from his beer bottle. “But what I don’t get is how you don’t believe in love and you still write books that sell like ammo during the zombie apocalypse.”

Micah thought about explaining all the shit in his head about love and life and what went through his mind when he sat down to write a book, but he’d have to get into Becky and his marriage and his divorce and the Marines and getting blown up, and he didn’t want to go there. Not today. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in love, it just wasn’t easy to find, and to make it last was even rarer.

“It’s not hard to sell the happily ever after in four hundred pages,” he said and finished off his beer.

About the author:

 A USAToday bestseller, Robin Covington loves to explore the theme of fooling around and falling in love in her books. Her stories burn up the sheets. . .one page at a time. When she’s not writing she’s collecting tasty man candy, indulging in a little comic book geek love, and stalking Chris Evans.  Don’t send chocolate . . . send eye candy!

Robin’s books have won the Golden Leaf Award and finaled in the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice, the Book Seller’s Best and the National Reader’s Choice Awards.

She lives in Maryland with her handsome husband, her two brilliant children (they get it from her, of course!), and her beloved furbabies.

Drop her a line at robin@robincovingtonromance.com – she always writes back.

Find Robin online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Giveaway:

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5 STARS!

This is such a fun read!  The feisty attitudes of the characters make you smile and occasionally chuckle out loud as you read their antics.  It’s not all fun and games though.  There are serious life issues experienced throughout.  I smiled alot, I laughed and I cried at one scene.  I’m really glad to have read it, and look forward to the next up in the series!

Donna MacIntyre is all for having a good time.  She’s sassy and loves to flirt with Kilby, TX Catfish catcher Mike Solo on a regular basis.  When Mike finally lays a big ol’ kiss on her at the end of the season, they’re both blown away.

After a few months away, Mike gets back into town and runs into Donna. She’s a totally changed person … clothing, attitude, looks, etc.  He finds out that she’s in a custody battle with her ex for a son he didn’t know she had.  After some media coverage  of them hanging out together makes it look bad for her with the judge, Mike suggest they get married to give her an advantage in getting her son back.

Even though love wasn’t in the cards for either of them in the beginning, the more time they spend together, the more they start wondering what they are truly feeling.

**  Received free in exchange for an honest review  **

Caught by You
Love Between the Bases #2
By: Jennifer Bernard

Releasing December 29, 2015
Avon Impulse

BLURB:

Love comes out of left field in the second novel in USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Bernard’s sexy baseball-themed series…

Months of alternately flirting and bickering with Kilby Catfish catcher Mike Solo just turned into the hottest kiss of Donna MacIntyre’s life—and that’s a major league complication. Any hint of scandal could keep her from getting her son back from her well-connected ex. Then Mike comes up with a game-changing idea: a marriage proposal that could help win her case—even as it jeopardizes her heart.

Mike hasn’t been able to get the gorgeous, gutsy redhead out of his fantasies. The least he can do is fix the mess he helped create. Yet their engagement is quickly becoming about a lot more than doing the right thing. Because after swearing he’d never risk love again, Mike has found a passion that puts all his emotions in play, and a woman he’ll go to bat for again and again.

Link to Follow Tour:  http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/11/caught-by-you-love-between-bases-2-by.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25311108-caught-by-you

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/136342-love-between-the-bases

Buy Links:  Amazon | B & N | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Caught-You-Between-Bases-Novel/dp/006237219X/ref=tmm_mmp_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1447446587&sr=1-1

B&N:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/caught-by-you-jennifer-bernard/1122570456?ean=9780062372192

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jennifer_Bernard
_Caught_by_You?id=qJ_gBwAAQBAJ&hl=en

iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/caught-by-you/id982996959?mt=11

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/caught-by-you

EXCERPT:

Mike looked around at the milling Roadhouse crowd. Denim jackets and cowboy boots, short skirts and long legs, plenty of lip gloss and teased hair, glimpses of cleavage, earrings dangling against bare skin, pretty girls flipping their hair, laughing, teasing, sexy, cute …

And not Donna.

He drained his club soda. “Mañana,” he said to the other Catfish, who stared after him with expressions of shock and betrayal. He never left the party early. Too bad. The Roadhouse without Donna was like a game without a hit. A dinner without steak. A shower without water.

It just wasn’t worth the bother.

He strode out of the Roadhouse into the still-warm night. Up above, stars bedazzled the blue-velvet sky. The Wade kid had it right. Play well, get out of town. That was the plan. Definitely, for sure, forget Donna.

Unless, of course, she was standing right in front of him.

“Donna?”

He blinked, but she didn’t disappear. On his way to the stadium for batting practice, he’d stopped at the Dunkin’ Donuts for coffee and a cruller. Now his coffee steamed, forgotten, in his left hand while he drank in the sight of Donna MacIntyre. She stood next to a miniscule red Kia in the drive-through, a little brown bag in one hand and a Big Gulp of coffee in the other.

She looked … different.

“You are Donna, right? Donna MacIntyre?”

She rolled her eyes with a Lord-help-us expression that confirmed her identity. “Solo. How’ve you been?”

“Great. What are you wearing?” It looked horrible, whatever it was. Boxy, boring blue, below the knee. Its only benefit was that it showed off her calves. Unfortunately, they were covered in beige panty hose. “Did you just come from Salvation Army band practice?”

“That’s an extremely inappropriate comment.”

Yeah, it was, but he was rattled. “Sorry. I’m a little traumatized. Are you on a Mormon mission or something? What did you do to your hair?”

The state of her hair made him want to cry. All the curls had been flat-ironed out of it; he knew the process because his sisters used it on their curly black mops. The color hadn’t changed, thank the saints, but she wore a headband that hid most of the glorious red. A headband! And her hair was short too. She’d chopped it to shoulder-length. All that wild, beautiful hair, sitting on a salon floor somewhere.

“Wait, let me guess. You’re on your way to an encyclopedia convention.”

Looking extremely annoyed, she brushed past him. He caught the scent of fresh woodlands. At least that hadn’t changed. As she peered into the Kia, he followed her gaze and saw a sleeping kid strapped into a car seat in the back. The window was halfway open, giving the child plenty of air. He had red hair and his mouth lolled open.

“Is that the Shark?”

For the first time, she looked kindly at him. “You remember about the Shark?”

“Of course. You’re a nanny for a Shark. Hard to forget that. Or the rest of it.” He raised one eyebrow suggestively, but she ignored his double entendre. His suspicion grew that something was wrong in Donna’s world. In the old days, she never let a chance to flirt pass her by.

“I’m not a nanny anymore,” she told him, circling around to the driver’s side. “I’m a receptionist at a dentist’s office. You should come by sometime. We’re famous for our root canals.”

Cradling her coffee and paper bag against her chest, she put her key into the lock on the driver’s side door. Damn. She was about to drive away, and he didn’t know when he’d see her again.

“You know, I could use a good teeth cleaning. They look kind of green up on the Jumbotron. Where’s your office?”

“Oh. Where? It’s, um, at the corner of Twelfth and Forget I Said Anything.”

“Ouch. Now there’s the Donna I remember.”

She fumbled with the lock. “Well, forget her.”

“I tried that. It wasn’t any fun.”

She glanced up at him, her eyes narrowed, and a zing shot between them. For the first time since he’d gotten back to Kilby, Mike felt completely happy with life. He bounded around the car and lifted her coffee out of her way. “There, is that easier?”

“You don’t have to help me. I’m fine. Don’t you have some balls to play with?”

“Ouch again. I think our Donna’s back in business.” He squinted at her. “Are you wearing a football pin? Now you’re just breaking my heart.”

“Welcome to Texas,” she said, all sassy. “Where football is king, and baseball is the nerdy neighbor boy your mom makes you play with.”

“Them’s fighting words, Donna MacIntyre. You can’t just say something like that and not give me a chance to prove how superior baseball is in every possible way.”

She turned the key in the lock and swung open the door. He stepped back to avoid getting a crotch full of South Korean automotive metal. In the car seat, the child’s legs twitched, and a low wail began.

“Gotta go,” said Donna, suddenly in a big hurry. “Nice running into you and all. Have a good season.”

“Mama!!!” the boy cried. Mike could see it was a boy now. A boy with bright red hair the exact color of Donna’s.

“Shhh, sweetie. It’s okay. I’m here, and I got you some milk.” She stuck a straw in the cup and handed it to him.

Abruptly, the crying stopped. Donna shot Mike a complicated look—he detected regret, warning, pleading, and probably a few more layers—then closed the door.

He watched her drive away, speculation running rampant. So Donna had a kid. She’d never mentioned any such person. Neither had Caleb or Sadie. Not that it was his business.

Except … well, he kind of wanted to make it his business. How many dental offices could there be in Kilby, Texas?

AUTHOR INFO:

Jennifer Bernard is a graduate of Harvard and a former news promo producer. The child of academics, she confounded her family by preferring romance novels to … well, any other books. She left big city life for true love in Alaska, where she now lives with her husband and stepdaughters. She’s no stranger to book success, as she also writes erotic novellas under a naughty secret name not to be mentioned at family gatherings.
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Website:  http://jenniferbernard.net/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/JenniferBernardBooks

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/jen_bernard

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(Five Winners will receive a Love Between the Bases Print Bundle including, ALL OF ME and CAUGHT BY YOU)

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5 STARS!

Another great one that wrenches at your heartstrings!  The 2nd book in The K-9 Trilogy did not disappoint.  I loved meeting Rick and Madison and it was great to see Cal & Jessica again from the first book in the series.

Sergeant Rick Vasquez meets Veterinarian Madison Long under non-ideal circumstances.  He’s brusque and a bit condescending because he doesn’t know if she’s qualified to be the primary vet of the San Diego Police Department’s K-9 unit.

On her second meeting of Rick, Madison learns the circumstances that made him be so tightly wound on their first meeting, and appreciates that he is there apologizing for his rudeness.  She likes the man she meets.

They are like oil and water.  Rick fled drug-related violence in Mexico as a boy and has made it his life’s work to end cross-border drug running and helping other young boys like him from being drug into cartels.  Madison is the privileged only daughter of a well-respected judge.  She sees the law as black or white and doesn’t understand Rick’s view on aiding a criminal that has come into the country illegally.

Will the attraction they feel for each other be enough to surpass their differences or will they only be fooling themselves in thinking they can have a relationship?

**  Received free in exchange for an honest review  **

This is an exciting time for Harlequin Heartwarming. Thanks to the loyalty of our readers, for the first time, our January releases, including When Love Matters Most, are available as mass-market paperbacks through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Harlequin.com. Also, When Love Matters Most will be available in select Walmart stores in the United States in February! Please check the Harlequin website for the location nearest you. Thank you to all our readers who made these advancements possible for us!

— Kate

4 STARS!

Country artist Holly Wix married billionaire Creighton Karas on the spur of the moment in Book One.  He possesses her with such sexy charisma.

After disappointing her by forgetting a promise about putting her career up there as important as his, Creighton tracks Holly down and goes along on part of her tour to be able to spend time with her and prove to her that she’s important.

She falls harder for him every day.

Can’t wait for the final book, coming soon!

**  Received free in exchange for an honest review  **

Dirty Pleasures by Meghan March

Book Two of The Dirty Billionaire Trilogy

Date of Publication: December 29, 2015

Blurb

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About Meghan March

Find Meghan March Online

More from the Dirty Billionaire Trilogy!

Dirty Billionaire: Release Date 12/08/2015

I’ve got a big dick and an even bigger bank account. That’s pretty much where my bio ends.

Honestly, I don’t need to say anything else. I’ve just sold 99% of women on going home with me.

Do I sound like an asshole to you?

That’s because I am.

And guess what? It works for me just fine.

Or at least it did.

Until I met her.

Books talk about sparks flying. Fuck that shit. With her, it was like emergency flares mixed with jet fuel. Or maybe just straight up napalm.

Only one problem.

She wouldn’t tell me her name or her number when she disappeared from the hotel room after the hottest fucking night of my life.

Now I’ve had a taste of unicorn pussy–the sweetest, rarest of all pussy–and I need it again.

So what’s an asshole to do?

I took this problem to the street. A missed connection gone viral.

And when I find her? I’m keeping her.

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Dirty Together: Release Date 01/12/2015

My wife.

I love saying those words.

She’s mine, and if she thinks I’m going to let her run without tracking her down and bringing her back to where she belongs–with me–then she’s about to be introduced to a new reality.

Because I’ll fight dirty to give her the happily ever after she deserves.

Preorder Now:

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4 STARS!

A wounded soul finally succumbing to his one true love.

Ella Clark has known the Grayson brothers practically since she was born. Best friends with Cooper since she was 4 years old, great friends with Jackson, and crushing on Alex since she was 12 and noticed boys.

Alex has resisted his attraction to Ella for years by avoiding her as much as possible.  Ever since she laid a kiss on him when she turned 16, he’s been envisioning doing nasty things to her.

Now that Ella is leaving her job at Graysons, she makes one last effort to get Alex to notice she’s alive.  She flirts and propositions him into agreeing to a no-strings affair with her at his adult club, Excalibur.

Will their fun stay just that, or will Ella get Alex to see that his crazy past doesn’t have to sway the future they can have?

**  Received free in exchange for an honest review  **

Hold Me Until Forever
Grayson Brothers #3
By: Christina Phillips

Releasing January 4, 2016
Entangled Brazen

BLURB:

 She’s the only one he wants…and the one he can never have…

Ella Clark has been in love with Alex Grayson forever. She’s tired of being invisible—or worse, being treated like his kid sister. If she can just get him to drop his iron-fisted control for two seconds, she’ll prove she knows exactly how to blow his mind.

Alex has been fighting his attraction to Ella since her should-have-been-innocent sweet sixteen kiss burned down his world. He’s damaged, and there’s no way he’ll ever drag her into his screwed up life. Until she offers him something he’s always craved—steamy, no-strings sex inside his exclusive BDSM club. Where she’ll be safe from the darkness that haunts him.

Except there’s nothing safe about being with Ella, and the more she gives, the harder it is to let her go. If he stays, he risks everything, but how can he walk away from the only woman he’s ever needed?

Link to Follow Tour:  http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/11/hold-me-until-forever-grayson-brothers.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27568200-hold-me-until-forever?from_search=true&search_version=service

Goodreads Series Link:  https://www.goodreads.com/series/155763-grayson-brothers

Buy Links:  iBooks | Amazon | Amazon UK | Kobo | B&N

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hold-Until-Forever-Grayson-Brothers-ebook/dp/B0191KMG1A/

B&N:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hold-me-until-forever-christina-phillips/1123105636?ean=9781633755260

iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/hold-me-until-forever/id1065457056?mt=11

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/hold-me-until-forever

EXCERPT:

(Ella’s just told Alex that she’s leaving Grayson’s, and Alex has gone round to her apartment to try and talk her out of it…)

Guilt twisted through her again. Before he’d taken her into Grayson’s she’d been floundering, her self-confidence still in bad shape after her mom’s asshole boyfriend had cornered her when she’d been fourteen. Her succession of part-time and casual jobs was nothing to brag about, and the only constant in her life had been her volunteer work at the Wildlife Retreat.

“I’m not leaving you in the shit. There’s plenty of time to find a replacement for me.”

He gave her a smoldering look. Oh, for fuck’s sake… “No one could take your place.”

If only he were talking about her as a woman and not his indispensable work colleague.

“Hate to say it, but you’ll probably be surprised.”

He didn’t immediately deny it, which stung more than it should.

“You plan on staying in touch?”

She couldn’t tell by his tone of voice whether he gave a damn one way or the other. So much for no one being able to take her place. Looked like he was already over it.

Don’t you dare say it. Heat flooded through her, but the words spilled out anyhow. “I might come visit you in your club one night.”

At least it wiped that infuriating, unreadable expression from his face. He stared at her as though she’d just grown a pair of horns.

“I don’t think so.”

It was the note of finality in his voice that really pissed her off—as if he thought she was joking and he didn’t find it funny.

“Why not? I think I’d really get off on a night at your club.” Take that. If only she didn’t look so rough. It was hard trying to act like a sophisticated woman of the world when she was barefoot and Alex could’ve stepped off the cover of GQ.

“Didn’t know you were into that scene.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” Including the fact I sleep in one of your old shirts. At least he hadn’t recognized it. Then again, it was about three years old. He’d left it here when the brothers had helped her move in, and somehow she kept forgetting to give it back to him.

Accidentally on purpose.

“I would’ve known about this.”

Was he laughing at her? He didn’t look as if he was, but it was hard to tell what he was thinking.

Whatever. She wasn’t backing down.

“I might not be hardcore, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like to experiment now and then.”

“Define what you mean by ‘experimenting.’”

He damn well was laughing at her. What’s the kinkiest thing I’ve read lately? “Ménages.” That’d shut him up. Or turn him on.

“You enjoy having sex with two men at the same time?”

She glared at him. “You find it so hard to believe that two men would want me?”

“That’s not what I find hard to believe.”

His quick-fire response took her breath away. Trust Alex to compliment and insult her in one easy comment.

She cleared her throat, which kind of ruined the worldly aura she was going for, but it was better than choking on her own words. “So, does your club cater for that kind of thing?”

What was she saying? She’d die if he called her bluff.

He didn’t answer right away. His eyes were all dark and smoky and it was suddenly hard to breathe properly. He seemed to be considering her question, which sent prickles of alarmed excitement over her bare skin.

“Excalibur caters for almost anything,” he said.

AUTHOR INFO:

Christina Phillips is an ex-pat Brit who now lives in sunny Western Australia with her high school sweetheart and their family. She enjoys writing paranormal, historical and contemporary romance where the stories sizzle and the heroine brings her hero to his knees.

She’s addicted to good coffee, expensive chocolate and bad boy heroes. Christina is also owned by three gorgeous cats who are convinced the universe revolves around their needs. They are not wrong.
Author Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

Website:  http://christinaphillips.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/christina.phillips.528

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ChristinaPh_

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3216349.Christina_Phillips

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3 1/2 STARS!

Teague O’Malley is NOT happy when his father insists he is going to marry Callista Sheridan in order to bring together an alliance of their families.  Once he sets eyes on her and sees the bruises around her neck, he decides to take her under his wing and make sure no one ever hurts her again.

Callie is drawn to Teague from the first moment she sets eyes on him.  She’s knows his family is bad, but she can’t resist his appeal.

Will their families survive a union?

**  Received free in exchange for an honest review  **

THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT

 by Katee Robert

When Teague O’ Malley and Callista Sheridan are ordered to marry they soon realize that there is much more at stake than money. Fans of Jackie Ashenden’s Make You and Kresley Cole’s The Master, Unexpected, will devour the super steamy and fast paced first book, The Marriage Contract in the O’ Malley series by NYT and USA Today Bestselling Author Katee Robert.

Series: The O’Malley Series #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: Paperback- December 22, 2015 Digital- June 2, 2015
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing- Forever

SYNOPSIS:

Teague O’Malley hates pretty much everything associated with his family’s name. And when his father orders him to marry Callista Sheridan to create a “business” alliance, Teague’s ready to tell his dad exactly where he can stuff his millions. But then Teague actually meets his new fiancée, sees the bruises on her neck and the fight still left in her big blue eyes, and he decides he will do everything in his power to protect her.

Everyone knows the O’Malleys have a dangerous reputation. But Callie wasn’t aware of just what that meant until she saw Teague, the embodiment of lethal grace and coiled power. His slightest touch sizzles through her. The closer they get, though, the more trouble they’re in. Because Callie’s keeping a dark secret—and what Teague doesn’t know could get him killed.

Get More information at: Goodreads  | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

EXCERPT:

“Any other untoward habits I should know about in my future wife?” Future wife. Fuck if he didn’t love the sound of that, especially when it meant that four short weeks from now, Callie would be his. It was a savage thought, but he couldn’t shake it. Or deny exactly how much he wanted it.

“I love old movies.” That brought his attention back around to her, a moth to her flame. She twisted a lock of her blond hair around her finger. “If it has Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, or Audrey Hepburn in it, then I own it and have watched it entirely too many times to admit in public.”

He could see that. There was something about Callie that brought to mind the glamour and grace of actresses from that time period. He took a drink of his whiskey, enjoying the ease of their conversation. It didn’t matter that he’d convinced her to come out tonight in order to stop a war he was beginning to get the feeling there was no way to stop. Hell, he liked her. “I’d like us to be clear on something.”

“Yes?”

“This”—he motioned between them—“is a date.”

She gave him a look like she wasn’t sure if he was joking or not. “Okay…”

“Which means that we’re going to eat, and after that, I’m going to walk you to your car.” He leaned forward, crowding her a little. “Then I’m going to kiss you.”

Her eyes went wide. “And if I don’t want you to?”

He didn’t so much as twitch, because she looked like she was torn between bolting and actually liking the idea. He wanted to point out that, reasons for initiating it aside, she’d sure as fuck enjoyed their kiss in the alley. Not to mention the fact that they were getting married in a month, but that wasn’t a threat he was willing to utter. Neither of them had chosen this pairing, no matter how well they seemed to get along right now, and he couldn’t go into this expecting a certain outcome. But he could hope—and he could stack the deck in his favor as much as possible. “Do you?”

“I…” Her mouth opened and then closed, as if reconsidering whatever her knee-jerk reaction had been. “Yes.”

His breath left him in a whoosh. He’d thought she was just as interested as he was, but there was always the risk of miscommunication. No longer. Now he knew exactly where Callie stood. She wanted him, whether she was comfortable with the feeling or not. He took her hand and lifted it to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of her knuckles. “In that case, I hope you’re hungry, because here comes our food.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. She found romance novels at age twelve and it changed her life. When not writing sexy contemporary and speculative fiction romance novels, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her wee ones, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.  Connect with Katee at: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | GoodReads | Instagram | Tumblr | Youtube

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5 STARS!

I enjoyed this book even more than the last one in the series!  It was nice to see Duncan and Sophie again after enjoying them in Share The Moon, but I really enjoyed meeting his brother Trent.  There’s just something about two injured souls finding each other that pulls at the heartstrings, so having him find Veronica was really comforting to read.

Trent Jamieson has had a dramatic life, but he’s finally coming into himself and finding that he’s happier being himself and living an honest life.  He has moved closer to his brother to take a new job for a Vineyard they are starting up, he has an interesting friendship with someone he met on-line, and he’s looking forward to the future.

Veronica Sussingham is a haunted soul due to past happenings in her life, so she has been leading a plain, unfulfilling life where she can feel safe and comfortable.  She has felt the first excitement in her life in many years by chatting with a guy online for the past 6 months.  He really gets her.  Then in walks Trent to add to the excitement with his sexy smile and glimmer in his eyes each time he teases her.

When they put two and two together and realize that they not only like each other in real life, but they are looking at the person that has been sharing their life with them virtually for months, will they be happy with who they see in front of them?

**  Received free in exchange for an honest review  **

Harvest Moon
Blue Moon Lake #2
By: Sharon Struth
Releasing December 22, 2015
Lyrical Shine

BLURB:

 Getting past the librarian’s guard…

Trent Jamieson isn’t one for virtual romance, but there’s something about the intriguing woman he meets on the Internet he can’t resist. Then the small town bachelor discovers the mystery woman who shares her secrets with him online is the laced-up librarian in his self-defense class! Veronica Sussingham may just be his toughest student yet. Because how can he show the vulnerable beauty that some men areworth letting your guard down for?

Veronica returned to her hometown seeking shelter for her shattered spirit. The last thing she needs is a blue-eyed charmer who wants to show her how to live—and love—again. Then she discovers Trent is not just another admirer, but a man who knows her deepest secrets. Now Veronica must choose between running from her past—or finding future happiness with the kind of man she swore she’d never fall for….

Link to Follow Tour:  http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/09/harvest-moon-blue-moon-lake-2-by-sharon.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25252888-harvest-moon?ac=1

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/150677-blue-moon-lake

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/tUXrrq2pLK8

Buy Links:  Amazon | B & N | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Harvest-Moon-Blue-Lake-Book-ebook/dp/B00VEG4T9M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442341652&sr=8-1&keywords=9781616506476

B&N:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/harvest-moon-sharon-struth/1121649536?ean=9781616506476

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Sharon_Struth_Harvest_Moon?id=2DS3BwAAQBAJ

iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/harvest-moon/id991697270?mt=11

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/harvest-moon-34

EXCERPT:

This kiss. Oh, this heavenly kiss. Veronica patted herself on the back for pushing aside her first instinct to remove Jim’s hands from her waist in a public place. The way he’d whispered “sexy” drove a warm blast straight to the core of her belly.

This time when they kissed, his mouth molded perfectly to hers, not his usual awkward preamble. He was strong and demanding, yet not too pushy. His relaxed lips lulled her into a quick surrender, a surrender she strangely didn’t mind at all.

His hand slipped to the back of her head, and she sighed into his mouth, wishing this kiss would never end. Slowly and surely, however, he pulled away, but she kept her eyes closed, clinging to the sensation a few seconds longer as his breath landed near her ear.

“God, baby,” he said, low and husky. “I can’t wait to get out of here with you later.”

Not. Jim’s. Voice.

Her eyes flashed open. She slapped her palms to the stranger’s chest, pushed him away. “What the hell!”

He stumbled back a few steps, his mouth agape and brows furrowed. “You’re not Angie.”

“Well, you’re not Jim! How dare you touch—”

“Calm down. I thought you were my date.” He blinked a few times. “Hey, I know you. From—”

“The elevator.” Her head spun as she stared into his crystal blue eyes. His gaze swept her from head to toe, making his dark lashes flutter. “Thank God you kept your lips to yourself then.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” His smiled dropped. “I’d never do that to a stranger.” With a slight cock of his head, a grin creased his cheeks and he lowered his voice. “Although I’m pretty sure we both enjoyed what just happened.”

Her face burned, as if set on fire. “How dare you suggest that I—”

“Hey! You guys are early.” Sophie entered the bar area, Duncan in tow.

Veronica tried to speak but found herself more flabbergasted when Sophie walked right up to Hotlips and they hugged. “Hi, Trent.”

Veronica pinched herself in a bid to wake from this surreal dream. Before she could gather her bearings, Duncan surrounded her in one of his big bear hugs. “Ronnie, you look beautiful. New dress?”

She blinked, nodded.

Sophie came over and hugged Veronica. “You okay?” she whispered in Veronica’s ear.

“I’m fine. Happy birthday.” From over Sophie’s shoulder, Trent watched them. Veronica narrowed her gaze, but he only grinned, like the devil might if he learned your biggest secret.

Duncan slung an arm around Trent’s shoulders. “I see you’ve met my brother.”

“Yes. I have.” The heat of her cheeks still simmered.

Trent winked in her direction, and a sizzling blast assaulted every inch of her skin.

“Pearls made me feel right at home.”

“Pearl? That’s not my name.”

“Pearls,” he corrected, an extra emphasis on the s. “Like your necklace.”

She reached up and touched the smooth, hard jewels near her collarbone. A few other guests arrived and snagged Sophie and Duncan’s attention. While she clutched the hard beads and tried to digest what just went down, she glanced at Trent. He watched her closely, but a playful twinkle in his eyes suggested the case-of-mistaken-identity kiss hadn’t upset him a bit.

AUTHOR INFO:

“Heart-tugging small town romance with real emotion. Struth is an author to watch!” —Laura Drake, author of RITA-award winning The Sweet Spot

Sharon Struth is an award-winning author who believes it’s never too late for a second chance in love or life. When she’s not writing, she and her husband happily sip their way through the scenic towns of the Connecticut Wine Trail. Sharon writes from the small town of Bethel, Connecticut, the friendliest place she’s ever lived. For more information, including where to find her other novels and published essays, please visit her website.

Author Links:  Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

Website:  http://www.sharonstruth.com/
Blog: http://www.sharonstruth.wordpress.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sharon-Struth-Author-Page/139641182749036
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/sharonstruth
GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5823760.Sharon_Struth

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3 1/2 STARS!

I enjoyed meeting Declan & Maura and watching them wade through life together.  This book shows you that you can overcome tragedy and go on to lead just as good, if not better of a life down the road.  My biggest negative of the book, was there were several abrupt time changes when switching scenes.  Like one thing would be happening, then bam it was days or weeks later, and there wasn’t cohesive closure to one scene before it was off to another.  I just found it a little strange.  Overall, I enjoyed the book and would say it’s definitely worth sitting down with and getting to enjoy sexy Declan!

Master Chief Declan Swifton loves his life as a member of SEAL Team Five, and enjoys training hard to do it.  He’s noticed his neighbor, Maura Maxwell several times, but no matter how much he reaches out, she’s always stand-offish.

Maura is so mad at herself every time she interacts with Declan.  She wants to talk to him, but she’s just so shy.  When he helps her one evening on the beach, she vows to step up and make an effort in the future.

When Declan comes back from a hard mission a changed man, Maura is there to help him see life through her eyes and decide what it has to offer for the future.

**  Received free in exchange for an honest review  **

A SEAL Forever by Anne Elizabeth
West Coast Navy SEALs, Book 3
ISBN: 9781402268960
Release date: December 1, 2015
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Summary

Even a hero needs someone to believe in him…

Parkour instructor Maura Maxwell has always denied her attraction for her bachelor neighbor because she’s seen his revolving door of women and doesn’t want to become another notch on his belt. But the man who rescues her from a sudden storm isn’t the one she thinks she knows—he’s Master Chief Declan Swifton of SEAL Team Five, and he literally sweeps Maura off her feet.

Just as his teasing and tenderness start to work their way into Maura’s heart, Declan and his team are called in for a dangerous op in the Middle East. The man who returns is facing the toughest fight of his life, and he needs Maura by his side more than ever…

Buy Links

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1MAFrDB

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1O3JffD

Apple: http://apple.co/1M6H7Dj

Books a Million: http://bit.ly/1M6Hrlt

Indie Bound: http://bit.ly/1O3JEPe

EXCERPT:

Master Chief Declan Swifton of SEAL Team Five rolled over the side of the Rigid-hulled Inflatable Boat and slid soundlessly into the Pacific Ocean. The RIB took off without even a comment from the operator, leaving Declan to sink farther into the drink.

The temperature cooled as he swam away from the surface. Fish skirted the edges of his thighs, small shimmers of movement against his skin. He scissor-kicked his way forward. The ocean currents caught him, dragging him in the direction they wanted to go, toward shore. He lay with his arms at his sides, frog-kicking only. Above him, he could see the afternoon sunlight glistening and frothy foam chasing away the glassy surface. Down here things were different…calmer. Peaceful, in a way few souls would understand, and yet he knew that even he would have to surface soon.

His lungs would start to ache and burn, his gut would begin to feel as if it would cave in, and that would force him to either head topside or drink in the salt water. But there was still time. This was the water in front of Imperial Beach and the apartment he lived in. He knew it very well.

Scanning the ocean floor, he gauged it would be about thirty seconds until he reached one of the many rocky sandbars out here. He’d have to pull up before then, or the force of the current would smack him against the side.

As his body began to complain, he used both arms and legs to draw himself upward. Breaking the surface, he opened his mouth and drew in air like a thirsty man would gulp water.

The waves bounced him like a buoy. The tide was coming in and the wind was picking up momentum. Looking at the sky to the east, he could see that there would most likely be a storm today. Over his should, to the west, he spied a wave coming his way large enough to take him to shore. It would reach him in about thirty seconds.

Dec took a long, slow breath and appreciated the sun dropping into the horizon. The colors were extraordinary; orange and gold dappled the horizon as the blazing ball of light attempted to sink before the moon lifted higher in the sky.

His hands flexed, cupping the water. It had been a hot day, and the sun’s rays had heated the top of the ocean, making the surface feel like a warm bath, loosening his muscles. Three months ago, he’d been in waters so frigid, with actual ice caps—the memory still made him cold. But here, the Pacific Ocean off California’s Imperial Beach, was a slice of heaven.

Coming in from the east were some nasty-looking cumulonimbus clouds. Seeing the lightning arc way off toward the distant desert, he decided it was time to go in, and right on cue, here came a perfect wave.

Swimming at top speed, Declan pushed his way through another changing current, one that sought to drag him into faster-moving waters. He went over a higher sandbar, having no intention of going to Mexico today, and increased the reach of his stroke. With single-mindedness he worked his way into the more placid surf as he homed in on a large stretch of beach.

The SEAL felt a few sea lions swimming around him, and one nosed him in the gut and another in his back a few times, assessing whether or not he’d play. Not this time, my friends. He continued swimming without engaging. If he stopped to play, he’d be out there for hours.

Switching to the breaststroke, his arms protested. His platoon had switched their training this month to desert-warfare techniques, and he’d been sweating his balls off in the heat. He managed to learn a thing or two, even now, after all of his years in the Teams. But it felt good to be back in the ocean, his element. He’d live in the deep blue like a Jules Verne character if he could.

Author Bio

New York Times bestselling author Anne Elizabeth is an award-winning romance author and comic creator. With a BS in business and MS in communications from Boston University, she is a regular presenter at conventions as well as a member of The Author’s Guild and Romance Writers of America. Anne lives with her husband, a retired Navy SEAL, in the mountains above San Diego.

Social Networking Links

Website: http://www.anneelizabeth.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aeauthorfanpage/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aeanneelizabeth

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/732316.Anne_Elizabeth

A Navy SEALs Fun Fact from Anne Elizabeth

Teammates use humor to push each other up and forward. Healthy teasing goes a long way, especially when they know it comes from a good place.

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