Tuesday 30 April 2019

RELEASE BLITZ & GIVEAWAY: Frenemies by Nicole Blanchard

Frenemies

by Nicole Blanchard 
Publication Date: April 30, 2019 
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance





Dashiel Hampton is her enemy. 

Layla Tate reminds herself of that fact every morning she goes to class and sees his smug face smirking up at her. There hasn’t been a moment they weren’t pitted against each other and she refuses to back down…not even when she learns he’s her new teaching assistant. 

Layla Tate is going down. 

There is nothing that makes Dash Hampton as happy as the look on Layla’s face when she realizes he’s won. He lives to drive her crazy because if he can’t have her beneath him, then he’ll have her any other way he can. He’ll get her to notice him, even if it means making her semester a living hell. 

When their classroom rivalry crosses the line between frenemies and forbidden, the hardest lesson they’ll have to learn is that sometimes you have to lose to win.

Also in the Series

About Nicole Blanchard

Nicole 

Nicole Blanchard is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of gritty romantic suspense and heartwarming new adult romance. She and her family reside in the south along with their two spunky Boston Terriers and one chatty cat.



RELEASE BLITZ & REVIEW: Fluffy by Julia Kent




Title: Fluffy
Author: Julia Kent
Genre: Romantic Comedy/Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 30, 2019



Blurb

An all-new STANDALONE from New York Times bestselling author Julia Kent

It all started with the wrong Help Wanted ad. Of course it did.
I’m a professional fluffer. It’s NOT what you think. I stage homes for a living. Real estate agents love me, and my work stands on its own merits.
Sigh. Get your mind out of the gutter. Go ahead. Laugh. I’ll wait.
See? That’s the problem. My career has used the term “fluffer” for decades. I didn’t even know there was a more… lascivious definition of the term.
Until it was too late.
The ad for a “professional fluffer” on Craigslist seemed like divine intervention. My last unemployment check was in the bank. I was desperate. Rent was due. The ad said cash paid at the end of the day.
The perfect job!
Staging homes means showing your best angle. The same principle applies in making a certain kind of movie. Turns out a “fluffer” doesn’t arrange decorative pillows on a couch.
They arrange other soft, round-ish objects.
The job isn’t hard. Er, I mean, it is — it’s about being hard. Or, well… helping other people to be hard.
Oh, man…
And that’s the other problem. A man. No, not one of the stars on the movie set. Will Lotham – my high school crush. The owner of the house where we’re filming. Illegally. In a vacation rental.
By the time the cops show up, what I thought was just a great house staging gig turned into a nightmare involving pictures of me with a naked star, Will rescuing me from an arrest, and a humiliating lesson in my own naivete.
My job turned out to be so much harder than I expected. But you know what’s easier than I ever imagined?
Having all my dreams come true.


Caroline's Review
✮✮✮✮

This story was Fluffy by name, fluffy by nature. It was fun and humorous with some fab characters.

"I've spent ten years chasing him out of my head. I evicted him. Turns out he's been squatting in my heart."

Mallory Monahan is a professional fluffer - of houses. When she innocently applies for a fluffer role, she ends up being shocked in more ways than one, when she comes face to face with her high-school crush, Will Lotham, for the first time in ten years. Although she's mortified beyond belief, she can't really afford to turn his surprising job offer down, even though her old feelings come roaring back to life. And, what happens when it appears that the attraction is mutual?

"No part of how I feel about you is empty. It's full. Overflowing. So intense that I need help breathing sometimes."

This was a great romantic comedy. Mallory and her two best friends, Persephone (AKA Perky) and Fiona have the funniest conversations. Mallory is a brain box who went off to an Ivy League college but came back to live in her hometown. I loved that she knew who she was and what she wanted out of life. Will was gorgeous and flirty, and always seemed to be chasing after Mal, but he was swoony thoughtful and wasn't about to give up on her. 

Looking forward to the next book in the series!



Danielle's Review
✮✮✮✮

Fluffy is a quick, lighthearted read. It’ll give you a few good laughs and even make you swoon. 

Mallory & Will are not high school sweethearts. They weren’t even really friends. He was the object of her obsession and he never knew it. 

Fast forward ten years, they’ve now reunited under the oddest of circumstances. Doesn’t take too long for sparks to fly. 

I enjoyed this book overall. No real depth to the story, no seriousness or drama. Just plain old fashioned love.










Purchase Links





Excerpt

“I can't tonight. I have a date,” I blurt out, remembering David. The dating app. The asshole who isn't an asshole.

Yet. I haven't met him, so that judgment remains withheld.

“A date?” Will asks, intrigued.

“Yes. A date. You know, that thing where you go out with someone who has no intention of really getting to know you and you spend the entire time eating bread that doesn’t taste as good as your date claims and trying to decide whether to initiate rescue-text sequences with your mom.”

“That’s your idea of a date?”

“That is my actual experience of every date I’ve had since college.”

“You’re dating the wrong guys.” He holds my gaze for just a little too long. I look away.

“I have to keep fishing in the pond if I ever want to catch a different one.”

“If that’s the way you talk to your dates, I am beginning to understand why they all turn out so badly.”

“Hey!”

“What?”

“Don’t accuse me of being a bad date. I’m a great date! I Google the guy in advance and read his LinkedIn profile. I make sure I don’t wear super-tall heels in case he lied about his height on his dating profile. I pretend to care about all his hobbies and don’t reveal that I’m secretly tallying all the micro-aggressions he’s sending my way during appetizers and wine. And if he makes it to dessert, well–” I falter.

“You never make it to dessert, do you?” Will asks, eyebrows up. He drops them quickly, wincing.

“I–well–it’s not that I don’t. He doesn’t!”

“He ditches you?”

“No! No! It’s just that he always has a thing.”

“A thing?”

“A work emergency. Or a dog with a twisted bowel. Or a grandma in the ER.”

“How many guys used the twisted-canine-intestine thing?”

“Three.” I sit down and sag against his teenage desk, elbows sliding forward, fingers deep in my hair. “I looked it up. There’s an entire subreddit devoted to inventive ways to get out of a bad date.”

“And yet here you are.” He leans against the edge of his desk. “Trying again.”

“I’m a masochist.”

His eyes gleam. “Maybe you should start your dates with that line. ‘Hi. I’m Mallory Monahan. I’m a masochist.’ You’d definitely make it to dessert.”






Author Bio


New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men's room toilet (and he isn't a billionaire). She lives in New England with her husband and three sons in a household where the toilet seat is never, ever, down.


Author Links




BLOG TOUR & REVIEW: Getting Hot with the Scot by Melonie Johnson




Title: Getting Hot with the Scot
Author: Melonie Johnson
Release Date: April 30th, 2019




ABOUT THE BOOK:

The first in a new series, a journalist focused on her career and a sexy Scottish comedian turn a one
night stand into forever.

Cassie Crow leaves for vacation with two goals: fill up her empty charm bracelet and have a one night stand. For once, she wants to have fun instead of obsessively checking her work email. And kissing a man in a castle who’s dressed as a Scottish Highlander is the perfect solution. 

Except when that man turns out to be Logan Reid, the host of a popular sketch show—and Cassie has
just been roped into his latest prank. She wants nothing to do with his antics, but that was a really great kiss, and one night together couldn’t hurt.

It’s clear that one night isn’t enough and when Logan’s show brings him closer to Cassie, they decide to give dating a try. Can the woman who’s focused solely on her career and the man who refuses to take life seriously make it work?


Caroline's Review
✮✮✮✮

This was a really enjoyable, passionate read.

"Logan wasn't an appetizer - he was dessert - sweet and sinful and totally bad for her."

Cassie Crow is on the tail end of a European trip with her best girlfriends. She's collected souvenir charms from every place she's visited. However, there's one souvenir that she hasn't managed to collect yet - a hot, sexy fling. But, that's all about to change when she bumps into a gorgeous, kilted Scotsman. Unfortunately, she wants no part of the reason she bumps into him, as she's determined to prove herself as a serious reporter, and this Scottish prankster would put her ambitions at risk.

"He wanted every day Cassie could give him - every day he could give her. Every morning and every night, every kiss, every fight, every laugh, and every tear - he wanted it all."

Logan Reid is desperate to make it big. His pranks are renowned but he's after the golden egg. When Cassie falls into his trap and the resulting edit is a cracker, he's got his work cut out for him in trying to persuade her to sign the release waiver. When he chases after her to London, he's realising that there's more at stake than his stardom. Unfortunately, a serious commitment is not on the cards for him. 

This was a fun, sexually-charged story with a touch of angst in the background, as Cassie and Logan come to terms with their feelings about life, love and their ambitions. I loved the dynamics between Cassie and her friends, as well as between Logan and his friend, Theo. I loved Cassie's strength and I loved that she totally knew her own worth. Logan is kinda lost and working towards success for not quite the right reasons. However, I enjoyed his epiphany when he realises just how much Cassie means to him


EXCERPT:


Would you look at that? The man is wearing a kilt.

Note to self: Cassie Crow—be careful what you wish for.


The man groaned again and raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight now cutting across the hidden alcove.

“Are you all right?”

“I will be fine once ye douse that blasted light.” He squinted up at her. “Be ye a new chambermaid?”

Chambermaid? She eyed the wide sleeves and open neck of the old-fashioned piratey shirt he wore. “Not sure what kind of weird-ass stuff you’re into buddy, but I don’t do RPG.”

“Weird . . . ass?” His dark red brows drew together as he shaped his mouth around the letters. “Are pee gee?”

“Role playing games. You know, like cosplay or what- ever.” She pointed at him. “Look, you’re the one wearing that get-up and talking like a reject from Macbeth.”

He narrowed his eyes at her finger. “Be ye a witch?” “What did you call me?”

With another groan, he lurched forward. Oh God, what if he was hurt? For all she knew he was a member of some historic castle tour who got lost in a back passageway and hit his head. She leaned down to inspect him for bruises.

He threw a hand out, palm up, warding her off. “Back away, sorceress,” he hissed.

“Seriously?” She slapped his hand out of the way. “Here, let me help you out of there.” Cassie tugged gently on his shoulder. The voluminous shirt was loose, but she could feel—and appreciate—the thick spread of muscle beneath the soft fabric.

Just my luck, I finally run into a hot Highlander, and he’s delusional.

The man waved off her assistance and struggled to his feet, shaking a wild tousle of thick, red hair out of his eyes. Cassie never fancied herself to be a ginger girl, but it worked on him . . . or maybe that was the kilt talking. She eyed the swath of plaid fabric wrapped around his hips and wondered, like any female in her position would, what might or might not be under there. Reluctantly, she raised her gaze and caught him scrutinizing her in return.

“What be these strange breeks ye wear?” he asked, moving in a circle around her.

Cassie swore she could feel the weight of each of his eyeballs resting on her denim-clad backside. Fair enough. After a prolonged moment, she glanced over her shoulder. “Get a good look?”

“Aye.” He swallowed. “’Tis most unseemly, lass.” He shook his head, gaze still glued to her ass.

“They’re called jeans.” She pivoted to face him. “Are you for real?”

He met her gaze, his answer falling from his lips in a deep, rich brogue with trilling r’s that curled her toes, “Aye, lass, I’m real.”

Cassie’s heart hiccupped. Of course he’s real. Unless those shots were stronger than I thought. “Were you at the whisky tasting?”

“Whisky?” His green-gold eyes lit with interest. “Do ye have whisky for me, then? I could use a wee dram. Be a good lass and fetch it for me.”

“Ha! I think you’ve had enough, mister. Is that how you ended up stuck in there?” Even as she said this, Cassie doubted it. She didn’t smell a hint of alcohol on him, though she did pick up other pleasant smells. Mint and clove and man and . . . Stop being ridiculous.

His broad shoulders lifted and dropped. “I dinna ken.” “How long were you in there?”

Another shrug.

Cassie dragged her attention away from the wide curve of his shoulders and leaned past him, inspecting the dark, narrow space behind the bookshelf.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, panic edging his voice. “Nay, lass. Doona be going in there.”

“Why not?” She inched forward and tried to get a better look.

“It canna be safe.” He tugged on her wrist again, his fingers warm and firm.

Tiny butterflies danced along the path where his skin touched hers. She brushed away the tingling sensation and slipped out of his grip, careful not to snag her bracelet. “Well, you were in there, and you appear to have managed.”

“Are ye daft, wench? I was trapped!”

She sniffed, not sure she liked being referred to as a wench, and frowned up at him. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

He closed his eyes and slumped against the shelf. “I canna recall anything afore the moment I woke to find myself crammed within yonder wall.” He blinked and focused intently on her. “The moment I found you, lass.”

Cassie decided she liked being called lass much better than wench, especially when he was looking at her like that. Gazes locked, her other senses sharpened, heighten- ing her awareness of his body and its proximity to hers. She cleared her throat. “Hm. I think it’d be more accurate to say I’m the one who found you.” Telling herself she was only searching for injuries, she reached up and tentatively skimmed her palms along his temples, her fingers trailing his scalp.

“Looking for devil’s horns?” The man cocked one wicked brow at her as he raised his arms to mirror her movements, running his hands over her head and shoulders before brushing his palms down her back. “Ye’ve naught got any fairy wings, so I’d say we’re even. In fact,” he whispered against her hair, standing so close the low burr of his voice became a purr in her own chest, “ye feel perfect to me.”

Like the migrating monarchs her dad studied, the butterflies made a return trip, enveloping her in a fluttery haze. She shivered. Whether it was the Scot or the scotch or both, Cassie didn’t care. He was here and she was here, and damn it all, it was about time she skipped to the good stuff. With a forceful mental click, Cassie turned off her brain, tilted her chin up, and caught his mouth with hers.

He made a low sound in the back of his throat, of pro- test or surprise, she wasn’t sure. But then his hands settled at her waist, and he returned the kiss. His mouth was somehow soft and hard at the same time, and when he slipped his tongue between her lips, she felt more light- headed than if she’d downed every shot of whisky that had been on that tasting list.

Cassie rolled her tongue against his, savoring the delicious contact. He met her thrust for thrust, deepening the kiss until she was swept away on a tidal wave of desire. This. This is what I’ve been waiting for. She clung to him, hands gripping his shoulders, swimming in sensation, drowning in it.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



A Star Wars junkie and Shakespeare groupie who quotes both Yoda and the Bard with equal aplomb,
award-winning author Melonie Johnson—aka #thewritinglush—is a two-time RWA Golden Heart®
finalist who loves dark coffee, cheap wine, and expensive beer. And margaritas. And mimosas. And
mules. Basically any cocktail that starts with the letter m. She met her future husband in that most
romantic of places—the mall—when they were teenagers working in stores across the hall from each
other. They went on to live happily ever after in the suburbs of Chicago with two redhead daughters, a dog that’s more like a small horse, and a trio of hermit crabs. After earning her Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude from Loyola University Chicago, Melonie taught high school English and Theatre in the northern Chicago suburbs for several years. Now she writes smart and funny contemporary romance and moonlights as an audiobook narrator under the pseudonym, Evelyn Eibhlin.


Buy this book: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250193094
Author website: https://meloniejohnson.com/
Author Twitter: @MelonieJohnson
Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meloniejohnson/
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelonieWrites/
SMP Romance Twitter: @SMPRomance or @heroesnhearts
SMP Romance Website: https://heroesandheartbreakers.com/

RELEASE BLITZ & REVIEW: International Player by Louise Bay

 

INTERNATIONAL PLAYER by Louise Bay 
Release Date: April 30th 
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance


 
AVAILABLE NOW!! 

B&N: coming soon!


 


 

Blurb: 

Being labelled a player never stopped me from being successful with women. Until I met Truly Harbury.

Truly was the first girl who ever turned me down.
The first female friend I ever had.
And she might just be the first woman I ever fall in love with.

When an emergency means she needs my help running her family’s charity, I’m happy to introduce her to the glitz and glamour of the London business world—taking her to dinners, coaching her through speeches, zipping up the sexy evening gown I helped her pick out.

The more time we spend together, the more I want to convince her I’m not a man to avoid, that we’re not as unsuited as she believes.

She sees herself as the book-reading, science-loving introvert while I’m the dangerous, outgoing, charmer.

She thinks I love parties and people whereas she prefers pajamas and a takeaway.

What she doesn’t realize is that I like everything about her–the way her smile lights up a room, how her curves light up my imagination, and especially the way her lips taste when coated with tequila.
She’s the first woman I ever fell in love with. I just need to know if she could ever love me too.

*International Player is a complete standalone contemporary romance




Caroline's Review
✮✮✮✮✮


One of my top favourites from this author! 

"She’d been my first and only woman friend. She always captured my interest in a way I never quite understood."

Truly Harbury and Noah Jensen have been friends for years but that didn't stop Truly from crushing on him. He's been away for a long time and now he's suddenly back in her life, but she's determined to put her crush behind her and get on with the business of just being friends with him - pushing herself to start dating other guys. However, he's making it rather difficult when he steps up to help her and ends up working in close proximity with her. And, what is she supposed to do when he starts showing signs that the attraction she feels is wholly mutual?

"The thing I didn’t understand was the way I couldn’t take my eyes off her and how my hands were hot with a need to touch her."

Ooh, this was a sizzler of a story! Truly is sweet and awkward but adorable! Noah is pretty suave but I loved how Truly affected him - how possessive he felt over her. I absolutely thrilled at the chemistry between these two - they were so hot together! 

"Loving Truly wasn’t a goal or a challenge. She was a way of life. She was and would be at the heart of everything, forever."

Loved, loved, loved this story and thoroughly recommend!

 

Excerpt: 

In, two, three, out, two. Shit. I tried again. In, two, three, out, two, three. It wasn’t helping. My heart was hammering against my chest, my palms were sweaty, and images of hundreds and hundreds of faces staring at me flashed into my head.
I ignored the knock on my office door. I was too concerned about what was happening to me. Was it possible to have a heart attack at twenty-eight?
“Truly,” a familiar, male voice called.
I couldn’t look up. Couldn’t even open my eyes.
Warm hands covered my knees and body heat radiated in front of me.
“Are you okay? Take a breath.” What was Noah doing here?
I nodded, still counting my breath. As if he was familiar with the technique, he began counting along with me. “Out, two, three. In, two, three. Out, two, three.”
His voice was calming. The counting hadn’t worked when I’d done it alone, but hearing him counting too helped me settle into a rhythm.
Eventually, his hands slid from my knees, and I sat up and opened my eyes, right into his.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his brow
furrowed.
I was such an idiot. A mess. And this was why Noah and I had only ever been friends. He was used to seeing me in no makeup with a smear of kung pao chicken on my face. And now I was panicking about a meeting that he would think nothing of. Yes, Noah only ever saw me at my absolute worst.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. I didn’t want him to see me like this.
“Do you want some water?” He stood and poured me a glass of sparkling water from the bottle on my desk.
“Thanks.” I took a sip and sat back in my chair.
“I came to talk to you. Apologize if I seemed harsh last night. I’m sorry if I made this worse, Truly.”
I cleared my throat. “I’m fine. Just a little . . .” I watched as he slid into the chair opposite my desk, his long legs unfurling in front of him. “I just have a lot to do.”
He nodded, steepling his fingers. “And I’m here to help.”

 

About the Author: 

USA Today bestselling author, Louise Bay writes sexy, contemporary romance novels – the kind she likes to read. Her books include the novels Faithful (not currently on sale as undergoing maintenance!), Hopeful, The Empire State Series, The Royals Series, The Nights Series (both series of standalone books each following different characters) and the standalone Gentleman series.
Ruined by romantic mini-series of the eighties, Louise loves all things romantic. There’s not enough of it in real life so she disappears into the fictional worlds in books and films.
Louise loves the rain, The West Wing, London, days when she doesn’t have to wear make-up, being on her own, being with friends, elephants and champagne.
She loves to hear from readers so get in touch!

Connect w/Louise: 

 

Monday 29 April 2019

RELEASE BLITZ: Pretty Reckless by L.J. Shen

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Pretty Reckless, an all-new standalone high school, bully romance from USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen, is available now!


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We were supposed to be best friends
But turned out to be worst enemies…

Penn

They say revenge is a dish best served cold.
I’d had four years to stew on what Daria Followhill did to me, and now my heart is completely iced.
I took her first kiss.
She took the only thing I loved.
I was poor.
She was rich.
The good thing about circumstances? They can change. Fast.
Now, I’m her parents’ latest shiny project.
Her housemate. Her tormentor. The captain of the rival football team she hates so much.
Yeah, baby girl, say it—I’m your foster brother.
There’s a price to pay for ruining the only good thing in my life, and she’s about to shell out some serious tears.
Daria Followhill thinks she is THE queen. I’m about to prove to her that she’s nothing but a spoiled princess.

Daria

Everyone loves a good-old, unapologetic punk.
But being a bitch? Oh, you get slammed for every snarky comment, cynical eye roll, and foot you put in your adversaries’ way.
The thing about stiletto heels is that they make a hell of a dent when you walk all over the people who try to hurt you.
In Penn Scully’s case, I pierced his heart until he bled out, then left it in a trash can on a bright summer day.
Four years ago, he asked me to save all of my firsts for him.
Now he lives across the hall, and there’s nothing I want more than to be his last everything.
His parting words when he gave me his heart were that nothing in this world is free.
Now? Now he is making me pay.


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Download your copy today for the special release week price of ONLY $2.99 or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2FZssQ7


About LJ Shen:

L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.

Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets people's’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.

She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.


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Connect with L.J. Shen:

Stay up to date with L.J. Shen by signing up for her mailing list:


Friday 26 April 2019

BLOG TOUR & REVIEW: Stay With Me by K.L. Grayson

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Stay With Me by K.L. Grayson
Release Date: April 23rd, 2019

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Stay With Me, an all-new standalone contemporary romance by USA Today bestselling author K.L. Grayson.

Stay with me.
Three simple words.
One impossible request.

I’ve loved Allie McCallister for as long as I can remember. Her happiness and well-being mean more to me than anything else, which is why when the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself, I had to take it. Three months was such a short amount of time to be apart to provide the financial stability we needed to start our lives.

It wasn’t supposed to catapult my band to stardom, and it sure as hell wasn’t supposed to set off the chain of events that pushed my relationship with Allie to the brink. Our hearts were shattered, our love tested, and when everything fell apart she begged me to leave.

Eight years ago, tragedy broke us. Now we’re back in the same little town where we once dreamed of building our future.

She’s a divorced, single mom.
I’m a damaged country music star.
There are a hundred reasons for us to stay apart.

But all it takes is one look, one touch, one kiss to know our story isn’t over. Now I have to convince her to let me stay.




Danielle's Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Allie & Jackson were a teenaged love that suffered tremendous loss. Not being able to get past that loss, Allie pushes Jackson away from her and toward his dream. Being a country music star.

Jackson's coming home. He's done with stardom; he just wants his simple life back. Finding out that Allie is now divorced is music to his ears. Now that he's got his one and only true love back in his life, he'll fight for her and her son, Mason.

I adored this story. I like that they were open to loving each other again, neither one of them left the relationship with any ill will toward the other, making it easy to enjoy the rekindling.

BONUS...Mason is just the cutest little 5 year old ever!


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Download your copy today!

Amazon Worldwide: mybook.to/StayWithMeKLG
Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2H4TWmW

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Excerpt:

“Can we talk?” Mason whispers. “Last time Mom said if I talk too much I would scare away the fish, but I get bored if I can’t talk.”

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Stuff.” He shrugs, his chubby hand reeling his line in. He tosses out another cast. It’s perfect for a little guy and when his lure hits the water he tilts his head and looks at me. “Are you Anna’s daddy?”

Crap. I knew this was coming. I take a deep breath and look for Allie because this isn’t the type of conversation I want to have without her. She’s now on the other side of the pond and when she sees me look at her, she waves.

My God, she’s beautiful.

I wave back.

“Are you?” Mason asks again, this time nudging me in the leg.

Looks like I’m on my own for this one. Honesty is always the best policy, right? Even with kids?

“Yeah, I was her daddy.”

He nods and looks at the water while I look at him. Say something, kid. Anything. When he doesn’t, I nudge him back.

“Do you want to talk about it? Do you have questions?”

Mason shrugs. “Maybe.”

“Okay,” I say laughing. “Well, you think about what you want to ask, and I’ll just sit here and wait.”

A few seconds pass before he looks at me. “Why are you Anna’s daddy, but not mine?”

“Well, because you have a different dad.”

“Richard,” he sighs. At that exact moment his line goes taut. “I got something!”

I set my pole down, wrap my arms around him, resting my hands over his, the way a father would with his son. Except Mason isn’t mine and I need to remember that. “Give it a little tug,” I say, flicking our wrists. The fish splashes out of the water and yanks the pole. “Nice and easy. Just like that. You’re doing great.”

I let him go but stay crouched behind him in case he needs help reeling the fish in, but he doesn’t. Allie hoots and hollers, her pole bobbing on her shoulder as she runs toward us. She makes it to our side just as Mason pulls out the tiniest bass I’ve ever seen and pride surges through me. Luckily the hook comes out with ease.

“You did great, buddy. Hold the fish up just like this”—I show him how to hold the fish and he reaches for it like a champ—“and I’ll take a picture of you and your mom.”

Mason holds up the fish, a proud smile on his handsome face and his mama’s arm around his shoulder. They smile for the camera and then Mason turns to Allie.

“Will you take one of me and Jam?”

Allie pulls out her phone while I kneel down. Mason situates himself between my knees and half sits on my leg with the fish dangling from his fingers.

“Say fish sticks!”

Mason and I laugh and repeat Allie. “Fish sticks!”

“Okay, little dude. Let’s toss him back before he dies.”

“We can’t keep him?” he says, walking toward the water.

“Why would you want to keep him?”

“To eat him. Duh.”




About K.L. Grayson

K.L. Grayson resides in a small town outside of St. Louis, MO. She is entertained
daily by her extraordinary husband, who will forever inspire every good quality she
writes in a man. Her entire life rests in the palms of six dirty little hands, and when the
day is over and those pint-sized cherubs have been washed and tucked into bed, you can find her typing away furiously on her computer. She has a love for alpha-males,
brownies, reading, tattoos, sunglasses, and happy endings…and not particularly in that
order.

Connect with K.L. Grayson

Thursday 25 April 2019

EXCERPT REVEAL: International Player by Louise Bay


INTERNATIONAL PLAYER by Louise Bay Release Date: April 30th



 
PRE-ORDER TODAY!! 
Apple Books exclusive pre order: https://apple.co/2QdJdwn 

 

Blurb: 

Being labelled a player never stopped me from being successful with women. Until I met Truly Harbury.

Truly was the first girl who ever turned me down.
The first female friend I ever had.
And she might just be the first woman I ever fall in love with.

When an emergency means she needs my help running her family’s charity, I’m happy to introduce her to the glitz and glamour of the London business world—taking her to dinners, coaching her through speeches, zipping up the sexy evening gown I helped her pick out.

The more time we spend together, the more I want to convince her I’m not a man to avoid, that we’re not as unsuited as she believes.

She sees herself as the book-reading, science-loving introvert while I’m the dangerous, outgoing, charmer.

She thinks I love parties and people whereas she prefers pajamas and a takeaway.

What she doesn’t realize is that I like everything about her–the way her smile lights up a room, how her curves light up my imagination, and especially the way her lips taste when coated with tequila.
She’s the first woman I ever fell in love with. I just need to know if she could ever love me too.


 
Excerpt: 

I held out his glass, and he took it with one hand, loosening his tie with the other. I pulled my eyes away from his long fingers and the way he always seemed so confident everywhere he went.
“How was your day?” he asked as he sat on the other end of the sofa, one long arm stretched across the back of the cushions, almost touching me like he’d done the night we’d kissed at the tequila bar.
“Good,” I said, nodding furiously.
He chuckled. “What’s going on, Truly? Do you have bad news you need me to help you deliver to Abigail? An issue with the foundation?”
“Not exactly,” I replied, tipping back some more wine. “Not at all, in fact.” I had to tell him what I was thinking, but it seemed so stupid now that he was here, all perfect and gorgeous. Why on earth would he want me?
“I just thought we could have some wine and talk. You know.”
His smile faltered. “Okay.” He took a sip of wine. “You said you had a proposition.”
“Yeah, but I’m not drunk enough yet,” I replied. I wasn’t sure I would ever be drunk enough. “And neither are you.”
“I have to be drunk to hear whatever you have to say?” He glanced around my book-lined room. “Are you going to tell me you’re MI6 and that you want to recruit me? Because I’m in. I always thought I’d enjoy a life as a spy. It just doesn’t pay enough. But I could do it part-time.”
I fixed him with a glare. “I’m not trying to recruit you into MI6, Noah.” I rolled my eyes. Men. Why did they always think they were a step away from being the next James freaking Bond?
He grinned. “Yeah, I didn’t think so. You’d make a terrible spy.”
I leaned back into the sofa. “There’s no way I could do that job.”
“For one thing, they look for people who don’t stand out—you’re way too beautiful for people not to notice you.” He twisted my hair in his fingers, and I closed my eyes, forgetting for a few seconds how that wasn’t normal behavior between us.
My eyes flew open. “That’s a perfect example.” I shifted to look at him properly. “Things like that. The fingers. The telling me I’m beautiful. I need you out of my system. And Jesus God and a banana, I need some sex.”
He chuckled and grabbed the bottle, topping himself up. “I’m cutting you off until you tell me what this is all about,” he said.
“I just told you. I need to get laid, and you, with all your tequila kisses and unzipping dresses and that thing you do with my neck—you’re the man for the job.”
“The job?” he asked, his eyebrows retreating into his hairline. “The job of getting you laid?”


About the Author: 
USA Today bestselling author, Louise Bay writes sexy, contemporary romance novels – the kind she likes to read. Her books include the novels Faithful (not currently on sale as undergoing maintenance!), Hopeful, The Empire State Series, The Royals Series, The Nights Series (both series of standalone books each following different characters) and the standalone Gentleman series.

Ruined by romantic mini-series of the eighties, Louise loves all things romantic. There’s not enough of it in real life so she disappears into the fictional worlds in books and films.

Louise loves the rain, The West Wing, London, days when she doesn’t have to wear make-up, being on her own, being with friends, elephants and champagne.
She loves to hear from readers so get in touch!

Connect w/Louise: 

 

BLOG TOUR: Good Intentions by Ana Balen



Title: Good Intentions 
Author: Ana Balen 
Genre: Contemporary Romance 


Add to your TBR - Goodreads 










The road to hell is paved by good intentions.

I'm living proof of that.
When I met my wife I had good intentions. When I stayed in a marriage that doesn't work (to put it lightly) I had good intentions.
But then she came to work for me. 
She was supposed to just a desire I would never fulfil.
I am a married man.
A father,
and she is too young.
But then, my wife crossed the line, and she came offering something I couldn't say no to, and all my good intentions went right where I was going.
To hell.






















Ana Balen was born in Zagreb, Croatia, where she still lives with her husband, their son (read boss!) and the son’s pet rabbit named Shhh! (or some other gibberish that’s the favorite of their son for the day.)
She spends her days driving her husband up the wall (when he can’t get her ass up from the bed in the mornings), reading and daydreaming, or following orders from a three-year-old. In the hectic life she leads (and loves every second of it), she never thought about writing. But, then one day a name popped in her head, then, the snippets of things, and she sat down and started typing. Next thing, she wrote a book. And now, she’s trying to write another one ;)