Wednesday, 31 January 2018

COVER REVEAL: Deliverance by Jane Henry







He’s bred to protect.

Tobias Creed likes things done his way, and he likes his women ready to submit. No strings attached. Until the night he meets the one woman who challenges him, practically begging to be taken over his knee.

As a single mom to a child with special needs, Diana McAdams does things her way. She’s in control and doesn't have time for love. Happily-ever-afters aren’t for her.

Then she meets the man who demands her submission...















Jane has been writing since her early teens, dabbling in short stories and poetry. When she married and began having children, her pen was laid to rest for several years, until the National Novel Writing Challenge (NaNoWriMo) in 2010 awakened in her the desire to write again. That year, she wrote her first novel, and has been writing ever since. With a houseful of children, she finds time to write in the early hours of the morning, squirreled away with a laptop, blanket, and cup of hot coffee. Years ago, she heard the wise advice, “Write the book you want to read,” and has taken it to heart. She sincerely hopes you also enjoy the books she likes to read.






COVER REVEAL: The Trouble with Unicorns by D.T. Dyllin


The Trouble with Unicorns
D.T. Dyllin
(Team Unicorn Talia, #1)
Publication date: April 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Part-time demon tracker, full-time optimist …
Talia White does what comes naturally to a Unicorn: Balances the scales between light and dark with hefty doses of love and joy.
Faced with a string of high profile demon possessions, Talia is determined to do her job, despite the fact that she finds herself strapped with a brooding dragon warrior as her new guardian.
That’s the trouble with Unicorns … they’ll get their way one way or another, even if they have to get a little stabby to accomplish their goals.


Author Bio:
D.T. Dyllin is a bestselling author who writes paranormal, sci-fi, and contemporary romance. Basically, anything with a love story is her kryptonite. Her obsession with affairs-of-the-heart is what first drove her to begin twisting her own tales of scorching romance.
D.T. was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Black & Gold for life, baby!) She now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband, and two spoiled German Shepherds.

XBTBanner1

REVIEW: Double Trouble by Sierra Cartwright


Double Trouble by [Cartwright, Sierra]


Double Trouble (I Heart That City) by Sierra Cartwright


Series Note: Although linked by a common theme, the stories in this series may be read in any order.


Revenge can be sexy and sweet. Dom Daniel Armstrong has waited twenty years for the chance to possess the beautiful and fiery I Heart TC waitress Bridget Kelley. She broke his heart and crushed his ego, twice, and he’s never gotten over her. This time, he won’t take no for an answer. Seeing her in an oh-so short skirt at a BDSM club has reignited his determination, and a charity auction provides a means for him to possess her and do good at the same time. Who could resist?

When she realizes the always-persistent Daniel has won her, Bridget is frantic. She desperately tries to back out of the deal to spend an entire weekend at his family’s secluded James River plantation. This is a man she’s scorned, and worse, a Dom who knows her naughty desires. She’s seen him control a woman before, and the idea of submitting to him both thrills and frightens her. And just when she thinks things can’t get worse, he introduces her to his twin, David. Suddenly, she’s faced with not one, but two determined Doms…

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: anal play/intercourse, BDSM theme, and content, ménage (m/f/m), spanking.


Cover Art by April Martinez



Julie's Review 
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

For hot, steamy, sexy men Sierra Cartwright is one of my GOTO authors.

Her stories always leave you wanting more... and Double Trouble is no different.

Daniel Armstrong, sexy businessman has been asking Bridget out for 3 years, and she always turned him down, aware that he could destroy her, as he had a reputation for being a player.

So when Bridget's sister sets her up in an auction, Daniel wastes no time in placing a very generous bid for her. Winning a weekend with her.

I love Bridget, she has a great sassy tough exterior, and whilst she was trying to protect herself she was about to get way more fun that she has even thought possible.

It came in the package of twins, which should have scared anyone away but it made Bridge more excited to see and learn what was in store for her.

If you're looking for a sexy, hot book about self-discovery and learning to trust others on a very deep level, this is a must!

I really liked Jacob Armstrong, he was a totally different personality to Danel, but they were both very intense and it seems they always get what they want.

Daniel was a bit more hot-headed than Jacob, whereas Jacob was a thoughtful thinker.

Their dynamic as a triad was breathtakingly beautiful, they were great as 3 individuals but as a threesome they were unstoppable.

A great page turning book, with a fab storyline, and a very exciting look at how BDSM can work in a normal familial environment.

I loved Daniel figuring out different things from Jacob but totally loved Jacob making his hot-headed brother realise what was happening. They were a very well suited trio, and as much as I didn't want it to end, I couldn't put it down.

Great storyline, great characters, great job!

Tuesday, 30 January 2018

RELEASE & REVIEW: Tempting Love my Kelly Elliott


Tempting Love (Cowboys and Angels, #3)


Can a woman actually make you feel like you’re losing your damn mind?

Yes.

If she is Corina Miller.

The only woman who has ever made me long for something more, and let me tell you, that has me all kinds of messed up. After months of ignoring my feelings, it’s clear to me I’ve fallen for those piercing blue eyes and sexy smile.

But is it too late?

Have I pushed her into the arms of someone else?

Hell no am I letting that happen.

I’m on a mission to win the heart of the only woman I’ve ever cared about—and the only thing standing in my way is one stubborn and pissed off Corina.

I always did like a challenge.

Tempting Love is book 3 in the Cowboys and Angels series

Julie's Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ooh These Parker boys! Swoon worthy, sexy heart stoppingly great guys.

I really have enjoyed Corina and Mitchell's story, they shared one night some months ago, where they both felt more than just a one night stand.

They have blossomed and get along great. I love how well developed the Walker family are, and how close a family unit. Then we get the characters who join the Walker family from the outside fitting right in, like Paxton, Wade and now Corina.

I love that Corina is friends with Paxton, and how great is her relationship with little Chloe.!

Corina and Mitchell started off on the wrong foot, with them both shutting their hearts to what could be an amazing relationship. There were some tough times, but I'm really pleased they actually managed to work through the issues as and when they arose.

I loved the meddling mama, I saw some of me in her, with how I am with my boys, thankfully thought I only have 3!

Ca't wait to see how WayLynn deals with her life and which Parker man gets bitten by the Love Bug next.

These stories grab you instantly and keep you invested into the whereabouts and the why fors with the story.

I have been really loving the Love Series, getting to know them all, and to where its all leading.

NEW RELEASE & EXCERPT: A Crack in Everything by LH Cosway


We're celebrating the release of A CRACK IN EVERYTHING by L.H. Cosway!



Title: A Crack In Everything (Cracks Duet)
Age Group: Adult
Release Date: January 30, 2018
A Crack in Everything

Life used to be simple.

I was a city girl with humble dreams. Then Dylan O’Dea broke into my flat, held me against the wall and told me to stay quiet.

It was like in the movies, where the universe zeros in on a single scene. I looked into his eyes and knew he was going to change me.

For Dylan, the sky was always falling. He showed me how our world is a contradiction of beauty and ugliness. How we choose to ignore the awful and gloss over it with the palatable. How you need just a tiny drop of something unsavoury to create every great scent.

Pretty deep for a pair of teenagers living in a block of council flats in inner city Dublin, right Probably. But we weren’t typical. We both had our obsessions. Mine was growing things, Dylan’s was scent. He taught me how to use my nose, and I introduced him to the magic of flowers.

I had no idea that one day he’d build an empire from what we started together. But before that, there was love and happiness, tragedy and epic heartbreak…

My name is Evelyn Flynn and I’m going to tell you about the crack in everything.

A Crack in Everything is Book #1 in L.H. Cosway’s Cracks duet.





Excerpt



One

Inner City Dublin, Ireland. 2006.

Waiting for a flower bud to open was one of my favourite things.

It started out like a closed little pistachio. The next day its petals moved. The following day they spread. The day after that they spread a little bit more, and then finally the flower blossomed to its full potential.

I was waiting for the buds on my pink hibiscus to open, but they still had a few days to go yet. I poured a little water into the pot with a plastic bottle then screwed the cap back on. I was just about to place it on the shelf when someone hammered on my door.

It was a panicked knock, one that demanded attention. In this neighbourhood, it didn’t always bode well to open the door to knocking like this. I squinted through the peephole and recognised a boy I went to school with. His name was Dylan O’Dea, or was it O’Toole? Anyway, I was pretty sure he lived one or two floors below me here at St Mary’s Villas.

Don’t let the ‘Villas’ part fool you. There was nothing villa-like about this place. St Mary’s War Bunker would’ve been a more appropriate title. Everything was grey. The windows gave the barest minimum of light and every single flat smelled vaguely of mildew, no matter how much you cleaned or aired the place.

Dylan looked sweaty and desperate, and there was something about his panicked gaze that had me unlocking my door for him. Before I even had the chance to say a word, he barrelled in and slammed the door shut behind him.

“What the hell!” I exclaimed, at once regretting my decision. I lived with my aunt Yvonne, but she was at work and wouldn’t be home for hours.

Dylan stared me dead in the eye, his chest heaving, and raised a finger to his mouth in the universal gesture of ‘be quiet.’ I closed my mouth and a second later noise sounded from outside. People banged on doors the same way Dylan had been banging on mine. Our eyes met again, and he must’ve sensed I was going to say something because he came at me. He backed me up against the wall until his frame surrounded mine and his hand went to my mouth. I instantly struggled but then he whispered in my ear.

“Please, don’t make any noise. Some people are after me. I just need to hide here for a few minutes and then I’ll leave. I promise.”

I glared at him and lifted my foot to stomp on his ankle. He swore under his breath but didn’t loosen his hold.

“Fuck you,” I mumbled past his fingers. “Get out!” It sounded more like, “Fup Ooo. Et oot.”

“Please, Evelyn. I need your help.”

My heart hammered. He knew my name. Although it wasn’t so strange since most people knew each other’s names around here. It just felt odd for him to address me so familiarly, because we’d never spoken.

The sincerity in his dark blue eyes made me pause in my struggle. We stared at each other for another long moment, and goosebumps claimed my skin. His chest was wide and solid, and he smelled like cloves.

“If I lower my hand, do you promise not to scream?” he asked very quietly.

I nodded slowly, and his hand left my mouth. “Who’s after you?” I whispered, worried he’d brought trouble to my door.

“A few lads from the McCarthy gang. They’ve been trying to recruit me. I told Tommy McCarthy to go fuck off and now they want to give me a hiding.”

“Shite,” I breathed.

The knocking came closer. Whoever it was reached the flat next to mine and hammered on the door. I held still, barely breathing. My eyes traced Dylan’s face, his dark blue eyes, masculine jaw, and gruff expression. He wore grey jeans, black boots and a navy padded jacket. His sandy hair was somewhere in between blond and brown, and it had a slight curl to it. It was clipped short, so the curl didn’t have much room to . . . be curly.

He was very attractive, but that didn’t take away from the fact that he’d basically broken into my home. When my neighbour came out and started talking to the lads who were looking for Dylan, I whispered, “Why did you come here to hide?”

He made a thoughtful expression, his brow furrowing in a way that made him look like a grumpy bear. “What?”

“You could’ve gone into any flat, why this one?”

There was a beat of silece, then finally he whispered back, “Because you’re the only person on this row who wouldn’t feed me to the wolves.”

I arched a brow. “You don’t know that.”

You don’t know me.

Before he had a chance to reply, the banging started on my door. My chest seized, clutched by fear, because I knew the type of blokes who were out there.

Poor. Hard. Brutal.

Suddenly, Dylan was on me again, his hand on my mouth, his body holding mine in place. This time I didn’t struggle, instead I held still and stayed quiet. A shiver trickled down my spine at his closeness. I wasn’t often this close to people I hardly knew.

“Answer the bleedin’ door,” a male voice shouted. “Or I’ll knock it the fuck down.”

“Maybe I should answer and tell them you’re not here,” I whispered against his fingers.

He glanced down at me, probably because my lips were on his skin. He tilted his head, like he found it in some way interesting, then said, “No, they’ll come in and ransack the place.”

I let out an anxious breath. He was right. And I couldn’t do that to Yvonne. I couldn’t have her come home from her shift at the bar to a wrecked flat.

More banging ensued. I startled when a head appeared at the window, though thankfully Yvonne’s net curtains shielded us from view.

“He’s not in there,” someone said. “He probably ran down to the Willows.”

The Willows was a dilapidated block of flats about five minutes away. It was where people went to drink and do drugs. If you were homeless, it was where you went to sleep.

“Come on,” the same person said and the guy peering in the window disappeared. Dylan let go of me, took three strides across the room and looked out through the curtains.

“They’re gone,” he said and exhaled, his shoulders slumping in relief.

“Yes, now you should go, too,” I said, on guard again. I felt on edge having a strange boy in my flat who I’d never even spoken to before. Though ‘boy’ wasn’t exactly the right term. Dylan was probably about a year older than me, eighteen maybe, but he was built like a man. Soon his shoulders would get even broader, his features more defined. He’d be a sight to be reckoned with then, I was sure.

He turned back to look at me, one eyebrow arching as he stared me down. He didn’t do anything for a long moment and then his attention moved about the living room. His tension faded, and something like fondness, or maybe amusement, took its place.

“Big fan of New York?” he asked wryly, taking in all the posters and memorabilia.

I cleared my throat. “No, my aunt Yvonne is. She saw When Harry Met Sally and became obsessed. She’s saving up to move there in a couple years.”

Dylan’s mouth formed an attractive, thoughtful line. “And what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Will you go with her?”

I shrugged. “I don’t think so. Probably not. My grandma lives in the retirement home in Broadstone. We’re all she has. I couldn’t leave her.”

Dylan took this in, his dark eyes softening, then stepped to the front door. “Thanks for letting me hide here. I owe you one,” he said, ducking his head to make sure the coast was clear.

“Sure,” I said, not knowing what else to say.

He looked back at me one last time. “See ya, Evelyn.” And then he was gone.

***

“I’m sorry, but I’d sell my own mother for a night with Jared Leto, no question,” said Sam as we walked to English on Monday.

“Are we talking 30 Seconds to Mars Jared Leto or Jordan Catalano Jared?” I asked. “Because those are two entirely different kettles of fish.”

“30 Seconds, of course. You know I can’t resist a man in eyeliner,” he said then winked. We reached our lockers when a familiar head of sandy brown hair emerged from the crowd.

Dylan.

He must’ve sensed my attention, because his eyes flashed to mine. I sucked in a harsh breath at the sight of him. He had a purple bruise beneath one eye, and there were various other cuts and grazes all over his face. Jesus.

Sam followed where I was looking and made a crass comment. “Looks like Dylan O’Dea likes it rough.”

So it was O’Dea.

“I think he got that beating on the streets, not in the sheets,” I said, chewing worriedly on my lip. Those McCarthy fellas must’ve caught up to him yesterday.

“Good one.” Sam chuckled, but I didn’t share his humour.

A pang of concern hit me square in the chest and I moved toward him automatically, leaving Sam by his locker. Dylan saw me approach and stopped in place, his attention skittering over me. He hitched his bag up on his shoulder and let out a gruff breath. “What?” he asked.

“They got you, didn’t they?”

He shifted from foot to foot, seeming uncomfortable with my concern. “Nah, walked into a wall.”

“Don’t be cute.”

Another sigh. “Yeah. They got me, blondie. Probably better to get it over with anyway. Now maybe they’ll leave me alone.”

I nodded slowly, not sure how to react to his endearment. It wasn’t very original, but it still made my breastplate tingle. “You think?”

“I hope, but who knows.”

“Have any teachers asked about your bruises?”

He gave me an incredulous look. “Where do you think we are? Nobody gives a shit here.”

I hated that he was right. The teachers at this school were either too mean or too downtrodden to care about students’ home lives. In a way, I didn’t blame them. Even the nice teachers eventually got so sick of being bullied and verbally abused that they shut off all their emotions. This wasn’t a soft place to grow up, but I liked to think I still had a heart.

I didn’t think before I said my next words. “Well, I give a shit.”

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Why?”

“Because I’m not an unfeeling rock, that’s why.”

Dylan stared off over my head and shoved his hands in his pockets. “You probably should be,” he said, then walked by me and disappeared back into the crowd.

Huh.

“Oh blondie, get your bum over here,” Sam crooned, and I turned back to my friend.

“What?” I asked.

“I didn’t know you and Dylan O’Dea were acquainted.”

I frowned. “We’re not. Not really.”

He folded his arms and pursed his lips. “Sure sounded like you are.”

“He was being chased by some blokes who wanted to beat him yesterday and I let him hide in my flat. That’s it.”

“Oooh, racy. Did he happen to hide in your bedroom by any chance? And did you share a sexy moment once the coast was clear? How did he express his gratitude?”

Trust Sam to turn everything into some sort of risqué soap opera. Although thinking about it, the way Dylan held his hand over my mouth did give me a flutter in my belly.

“He told me he owed me one,” I replied with a shrug. Sam’s eyes glittered.

“That means he owes you a good rogering.”

“Sam!”

“What?”

“Don’t be disgusting.”

“Nothing disgusting about sex with a fella like that, Ev. Besides, you need to lose that flower of yours before it shrivels up and dies.”

I scrunched my face. “Please don’t call it a flower. And anyway, I’m not the only one who needs to lose it, so you can quit talking like you know it all.”

He gave me a sassy look. “If I were as straight and as pretty as you are, I’d have lost it years ago. It’s not exactly easy to find gays in this neck of the woods.”

“Not easy to find gays who are out, you mean. Just wait for the next person who throws some homophobic slur at you and there’s a good chance he’s in the closet.”

“Hmm, I do get a hint of an angry sex vibe from Shane Huntley sometimes. Maybe you’re onto something.”

Speak of the devil. A few seconds after Sam mentioned him, Shane walked by with his ever-present posse of arseholes, usual sneer in place. I wondered why the meanest kids always seemed to have the most friends. I didn’t have a mean bone in my body and the only real friend I had was Sam. Shane walked on, not acknowledging us aside from his sneering expression, and I turned to neaten up my locker.

“I found a book on Freud in Yvonne’s collection,” I told him. “He had this theory that when we see the things we dislike in ourselves in others, we hate on it.”

“Hmm,” said Sam. “Could be some truth to it. But anyway, back to the luscious Mr O’Dea, when are you going to cash in on that debt?”

I chuckled. “Not sure. Maybe the next time I need some help moving furniture. The boy’s got some serious shoulders on him.”

“All the better for throwing you around the bedroom with.”

I shot him an irritable glance. “You’re not going to quit with this, are you?”

His answering wink was pure devilment. “Not in this lifetime, blondie.”



Releasing February 6, 2018!




How the Light Gets in

He came back to me 16 minutes and 59 seconds into Beethoven’s Symphony no. 7.

We parted amid tragedy, so it seemed poetic. Dylan O’Dea, my childhood sweetheart, had once
meant everything to me. Now we were strangers, and honestly, after eleven years I never thought
I’d see him again.

I lived in the world of the average, of getting paid by the hour and budgeting to make ends meet. But
Dylan, he lived in the world of wealth and success. He’d achieved the great things I always suspected
he would. The dissatisfaction he’d felt as a teenager had obviously been an excellent motivator.

He started a business from scratch, pioneered a brand, and created perfumes adored by women
across the globe. I was just one of the people who’d been there before. Now he was living his best
life in the after.

And me, well, I’d been in a dark place for a while. Slowly but surely, I was letting the light back in, but there was something missing. I was an unfinished sentence with an ellipsis at the end. And maybe, if I was brave enough to take the chance, Dylan could be my happy ending.

How the Light Gets In is Book #2 and the concluding installment in L.H. Cosway’s Cracks duet.

About the author:


L.H. Cosway lives in Dublin, Ireland. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books. She thinks that imperfect people are the most interesting kind. They tell the best stories. L.H. is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Social Media Links:FB: www.facebook.com/LHCosway

REVIEW: Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins

Now That You Mention It by [Higgins, Kristan]


One step forward. Two steps back. The Tufts scholarship that put Nora Stuart on the path to becoming a Boston medical specialist was a step forward. Being hit by a car and then overhearing her boyfriend hit on another doctor when she thought she was dying? Two major steps back.

Injured in more ways than one, Nora feels her carefully built life cracking at the edges. There's only one place to land: home. But the tiny Maine community she left fifteen years ago doesn't necessarily want her. At every turn, someone holds the prodigal daughter of Scupper Island responsible for small-town drama and big-time disappointments.

With a tough islander mother who's always been distant and a wild-child sister in jail, unable to raise her daughter--a withdrawn teen as eager to ditch the island as Nora once was--Nora has her work cut out for her if she's going to take what might be her last chance to mend the family.

But as some relationships crumble around her, others unexpectedly strengthen. Balancing loss and opportunity, a dark event from her past with hope for the future, Nora will discover that tackling old pain makes room for promise...and the chance to begin again.


Julie's Review 
⭐⭐⭐⭐


That was an interesting read.

I thought Nora was a bit of a wet blanket, a Debby Downer but after getting more of her backstory she certainly grew on me.

She was a ballsy person, who had dealt with her fair share of crap, but it made her stronger.

Bobby, what a prize git! he was hiding a lot of insecurity issues, I am glad Gloria finally exposed him.

Poor Nora, being hit by the Bug killer truck and then listening to her boyfriend hitting on another doctor. Having a near-death experience makes a person re-evaluate their life.

Her new life, back at home with her mom, to re-hash her teenage years, that was tough but she got a lot more than she bargained for, she discovered a lot of things.

Why her sister stopped communicating, why her father left, how she won the scholarship.

I liked that Nora found love, and experienced living after a number of life-changing experiences.

Monday, 29 January 2018

BLOG TOUR & REVIEW: The Rebound by Winter Renshaw

















The last time I saw Nevada Kane, I was seventeen and he was loading his things into the back of his truck, about to embark on a fourteen-hour drive to the only college that offered him a full ride to play basketball.

I told him I’d wait for him. He promised to do the same.

But life happened. I broke my promise long before he ever broke his. And not because I wanted to.

We never saw each other again …


Until ten years later when Nevada unexpectedly returned to our hometown after an abrupt retirement from his professional basketball career.

Suddenly he was everywhere, always staring through me with that brooding gaze, never returning my smiles or “hellos.”

Over the years, I’d heard that he’d changed. And that despite his multi-million dollar contracts and rampant success, life hadn’t been so kind to him.

He was a widower.

And a single father.

And rumor had it, he’d spent his last ten years trying to forget me, refusing to so much as breathe my name … hating me.

But just like a rebound, he’s back.

And I have to believe everything happens for a reason.


Caroline's Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐


"Lambs Grove reminds him too much of me. What we had. And what we lost."

Yardley Devereaux hasn't seen Nevada Kane for ten years. She broke his heart but she's the one who has never been able to move on. She knows that he stayed away from their hometown because of her. When she finds out that he's moving back, she hopes that he'll finally let her explain exactly what happened all those years ago, and possibly give her another chance. Unfortunately, she realises that all the rumours are true - he hates her.

"As much as I hate this girl for what she did to me, a part of her still belongs to me in a way I can't deny."

Nevada has moved back to Lambs Grove out of necessity. He wants nothing to do with the woman who destroyed his love and his heart. However, circumstances find her in his orbit and he finds out that old feelings really do die hard, especially when he's assaulted by memories of their past relationship.

Overall, this was a great, sexy, second chance romance. I felt that it could possibly have been longer. The story moved along quite quickly, and I thought it could have been a bit more drawn out and meatier.

Yardley is a great character. She's strong, capable, and determined. She's a really good person with a massive heart. Nevada is cold and moody, but a big softie when it comes to his children. He's tried to live a good, fulfilling life with his late wife and children, but he never really got over his first love.

I felt the loss of the years they had apart, but no matter how much Nevada fought it, there was no denying that they belonged together.




Chapter One


Yardley Devereaux, age 16



I don't belong here.
I realize being the new kid makes people give you a second look, but I don't think it should give them permission to stare at you like you have a second head growing out of your nose. Or a monstrous zit on your chin. Or a period stain on your pants.
At this point it’s all the same.
Not to mention, I don't think anyone can prepare you for what it feels like to eat lunch alone, like some social reject.
The smell of burnt tater tots makes my stomach churn, and the milk on my tray expires today. I'm pretty sure the “chicken patty on a bun” they gave me is nothing more than pink slime baked to a rock-hard consistency. I’m unwilling to risk chipping a tooth, so I refuse to try it.
Checking my watch for the millionth time, I calculate approximately 3 1/2 hours left until I can go home and tell my parents what an amazing first day I had. That’s what they want to hear anyway. Dad moved us here from California with the promise that we were going to be richer than sin, whatever that means. But if Missouri is such a gold mine then why doesn't the rest of the world move here? So far, Lambs Grove looks like the kind of place you'd see in some independent film about a mother trying to solve her son's murder with the help of a crooked police department, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, JK Simmons, and Frances McDormand.
Okay, I'm probably being dramatic.
But this place is pretty lame. I miss the ocean. I miss the constant sunshine and the steady stream of seventy-five degree days. I miss the swaying palm trees.
I miss my friends.
Forcing your kid to move away from the town they’ve grown up in their entire life—in the middle of their sophomore—year is cruel. I don't care how rich dad says we’re going to get, I'd have rather stayed in Del Mar, driven a rusting Honda, and paid my own way through a technical college if it had meant we didn't have to move.
And can we talk about my name for a second? Yardley. Everyone here has normal names. Alyssa. Monica. Taylor. Heather. Courtney. If I have to spell my name for someone one more time I’m going to scream. My mom wanted my name to be special and different because apparently she thinks I'm special and different, but naming your daughter Yardley doesn’t make her special. It just makes it so she’ll never find her name on a souvenir license plate.
I’d go by my middle name if it weren’t equally as bad, but choosing between Yardley and Dove is akin to picking your own poison.
Yardley Dove Devereaux.
My parents are cruel.
I rest my case.
I pop a cold tater tot into my mouth and force myself to chew. I'll be damned if I'm that girl sitting in third block with a stomach growling so loud it drowns out the teacher. I don't need more people staring.
Pulling my notebook from my messenger bag, I pretend to focus on homework despite the fact that it's the first day of spring semester and none of my teachers have assigned anything yet, but it’s better than sitting here staring at the block walls of the cafeteria like some loser.
Pressing my pen into the paper, I begin to write:
Monday, January 7, 2008
This day sucks.
The school sucks.
This town sucks.
These people suck.
After a minute, I toss my pen aside and exhale.
“What about me? Do I suck?” A pastel peach lunch tray plops down beside me followed by a raven-haired boy with eyes like honey and a heartbreaker’s smile. My heart flutters in my chest. He's gorgeous. And I have no idea why he's sitting next to me. “Nevada.”
“No. California. I’m from Del Mar,” I say, clearing my throat and sitting up straight.
The boy laughs through his perfectly straight nose.
I can't take my eyes off his dimpled smirk. He can’t take his eyes off me.
“My name,” he says. “It's Nevada. Like the state. And you are?”
“New,” I say.
He laughs at me again, eyes rolling. “Obviously. What’s your name?”
My cheeks warm. Apparently, I can’t human today. “Yardley.”
“Yardley from California.” He says my name like he’s trying to memorize it as he studies me. I squirm, wanting to know what he’s thinking and why he’s gazing at me like I’m some kind of magnificent creature and not some circus sideshow new girl freak. “What brings you here?”
He pops one of my tator tots between his full lips, grinning while he chews.
Nevada doesn't look like the boys where I’m from. He doesn't sound like them either. He isn't sun kissed with windswept surfer hair. His features are darker, more mysterious. One look at this tall drink of water and I know he’s wise beyond his years. Mischievous and charismatic but also personable.
He’s … everything.
And he’s everything I never expected to come across in a town like this.
A group of girls at the table behind us gape and gawk, whispering and nudging each other. It occurs to me then that this might be a set-up, that this beautiful boy might be talking to this awkward new girl as a dare.
“Ignore them,” he says when he follows my gaze toward the plastic cheerleader squad sitting a few feet away. “They’re just jealous.”
I lift a brow. “Of what?”
He smirks, laughing at me like I’m supposed to ‘get it.’
“What?” I ask. If this is a joke, I want to be in on it. I refuse to add butt-of-the-joke to the list of reasons why this day can go to hell.
“They’re jealous because they think I’m about to ask you out,” he says, licking his lips. Nevada hasn’t taken his eyes off me since the moment he sat down.
“Should I go inform them that they have absolutely no reason to shoot daggers our way?”
His expression fades. “Why would you say that?”
“Because …” I laugh. “You’re not about to ask me out.”
“I’m not?”
I peel my gaze off of him and glance down at my untouched lunch. “Why are you doing this?”
“Why am I doing what? Talking to you? Trying to get the courage to ask you on a date?”
I glance up, studying his golden gaze and trying to determine if he’s being completely serious right now.
“You’ve never seen me before in your life and then you just … plop down next to me and ask me on a date?” I shake my head before rising. If I have to dump my tray and hide in the bathroom until the bell rings, then so be it.
“Where are you going?”
My lips part. “I … I don’t know. I …”
Nevada reaches for me, wrapping his hand around my wrist in a silent plea for me to stay. “Do you have a boyfriend back in California? Is that what this is about?”
“What? No.” This guy is relentless.
“Then go on a date with me,” he says, rising. “Friday.”
“Why?”
His expression fades. “Why?”
The bell rings. Thank God.
“I was new once. So I get it,” he says, fighting another dimpled smirk. God, I could never get tired of looking at a face like his. “And, uh … I think you’re, like, really fucking hot.”
Biting my lower lip and trying my damnedest to keep a straight face, I decide I won’t be won over that easily. It takes a lot more than a sexy smile, some kind words, and a curious glint in his sunset eyes. If he truly wants me … if this isn’t a joke and he honestly thinks I’m “really fucking hot,” he’s going to have to prove it.
“Bye, Nevada,” I say, gathering my things and disappearing into a crowd of students veering toward two giant trash cans.
I don’t wait for him to respond and I don’t turn around, but I feel him watching me—if that’s even possible. There’s this electric energy pulsing through me from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I’m not sure if it’s excitement or anticipation or the promise of hope … but I can’t deny that it’s real and it’s there.
Making my way to the second floor of Lambs Grove High, I find my English Lit classroom and settle into a seat in the back.
For the tiniest sliver of a second, I imagine the two of us together. We’re laughing and happy and so in love that it physically hurts—the kind of thing I’ve never had with anyone else.
The tardy bell rings and a few more students shuffle in. My teacher takes roll call before beginning his lecture, but I don’t hear any of it.
I can’t stop thinking about that beautiful boy.










Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestselling author Winter Renshaw is a bona fide daydream believer. She lives somewhere in the middle of the USA and can rarely be seen without her trusty Mead notebook and ultra portable laptop. When she’s not writing, she’s living the American dream with her husband, three kids, and the laziest puggle this side of the Mississippi.




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REVIEW: Torch by K.B. Winters

Torch (CAOS MC Book 4) by [Winters, KB]


Torch (CAOS MC #4) by K.B. Winters


Rule #1: Never screw the sheriff’s daughter.

I’m an enforcer—an outlaw. I’ve never been big on playing by the book.

But when I see Kyla Darlington and her candy-sweet curves, I can’t resist.

It’s my job to protect her, to keep her safe given what’s she witnessed.

Small towns are good for keeping secrets, but it’s hard when you’re a big, burly biker with an attitude the size of a city and the c*ck to match.

Keeping a low profile is the name of the game, but playing house isn’t my style.

All I know is that I want Kyla—every smoking inch of her body.

And I’m going to have it.

Just as long as her Daddy doesn’t find out.



If you love dirty-talking bikers who love their MC as much as their women, one-click this instalove novella now.

Torch is a standalone MC Romance. The fourth book in the CAOS MC Series. No cliffhangers, no cheating, just kindle-melting happily ever afters!



Julie's Review 

⭐⭐⭐⭐


I thought I had finished the series, but alas I found Torch was unread!

I really liked the dynamics of Torch and Kyla, they were really great together.

The Sheriff's Daughter :) who'da thought it! she was a firecracker, I loved her ballsy attitude. Even after experiencing seeing what happened to her friend Chase, she went on to autopilot and returned home to her daddy. She had been away at College and about to embark on the rest of her life until she arrived back at her Dad's. It should have been her graduation ceremony. but everything changed for Kyla, her priorities were changed due to circumstance. But she got on with it, accepted her new normal and tried NOT to fall for Torch, who was now protecting her.

He'd offered to keep her safe after her dad went to the MC club looking for help.

Torch was an older guy to Kyla college girl age, but they had a connection, it just worked. They clicked.

I loved how when needed the CAOS members looked out for each other, helped each other, always had each other's backs.

They are a close-knit group of people, I have really enjoyed that about the CAOS series. I know I have read the whole series out of order, but it certainly didn't make it any less exciting. Seeing the 5 big burly guys fall in love, and treat their ladies with total love and respect, even being turned into mush. Just loved these guys.

Sunday, 28 January 2018

REVIEW: Baz by K.B. Winters




Baz (CAOS MC Book 5) by [Winters, KB]

Baz (CAOS MC #5) by K.B. Winters


When Trina left ten years ago, it just about killed me.

And damn! She just walked back into my life with a kid in tow.

I bet he’s mine. Looks a lot like me. But I don’t know how to be a father.

I’m an outlaw, a party animal, and a player.

Favorite game? Wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am with all the chicks in Brently.

But there’s only one girl I truly want. And she’ll realize that once I get her crazy ex-convict boyfriend off her back.

I’ll kill the bastard if I have to.

'Cause this time, she’s mine and no one is getting in my way.

If you love dirty-talking heroes who love their MC as much as their women, one-click this insta love novella now.

Baz is a standalone MC Romance. The last book in the CAOS MC Series. No cliffhangers, just kindle-melting happily ever afters!

Julie's Review 
⭐⭐⭐⭐

What started out being read in the wrong order, turned out to be a fun hot sexy series.

Really liked Baz, he'd been in all the other guy's books.

Really liked Trina, from the prologue she was a ballsy, independent girl, who turned out to be a really great Mom, and eventually a great girlfriend.

I thought Jack was a great kid, he was a fun kid and spoke straight from the hip, said what he was thinking. I loved catching up with the other guys, and their ladies plus the new additions.

A caring protective bunch of guys, with sweet fun loving women to keep them on their toes!

This had my attention from the start with the very hot sexy love lives running through the series. Sad its come to an end, but a great finish.

Saturday, 27 January 2018

COVER REVEAL: Hedging His Bets by Laura Carter

COVER REVEAL
Hedging His Bets
Meet Jake and Jess in book 3 of the Brits in Manhattan series
HEDGING HIS BETS
Coming 22 May 2018

“Carter's writing style is absolutely brilliant.” —The Romance Reviews

A high-flying investor
New Yorker Jake Harrington loves a lot of things about living in London. His lucrative hedge fund job. The way British women melt at the sound of an American accent. His just-sex arrangement with his gorgeous roommate, Jess. And, oh yes, being thousands of miles away from the girl who betrayed him.

His sexy British flatmate
Jess’s deal with Jake suits her fine. No commitments, no risk of being hurt again, just friendship and mindblowing pleasure. And friends do each other favors, like agreeing to go on a trip to New York where Jake will have to face his past.

And a vacation that will change everything…
What friends shouldn’t do? Suddenly find themselves feeling something much more complicated than simple lust. When “no strings” is no longer enough, will Jake be willing to take the ultimate gamble?

HEDGING HIS BETS
is the third standalone novel in the
BRITS IN MANHATTAN SERIES
#HedgingHisBets #BettingonLove #BritsinManhattan

PRE-ORDER:
Amazon UK: goo.gl/oSSXUr
Amazon US: goo.gl/dAanZX
Barnes & Noble: goo.gl/G3Mk5R
Kobo: goo.gl/M4AYH7 
iBooks: goo.gl/Z7L2X9

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