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Release & Review Tour ~ Our Best Shot by A.M. Williams

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My life seemed perfect until he came back to town. With his sights set on me, he’s ready to settle down and face any challenge. Fans of Briar U by Elle Kennedy will devour Our Best Shot by A.M. Williams, a small-town, forced proximity, hockey romance.

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Rory

On the outside, my life seems perfect. I have my friends, family, and quirky small town to keep me satisfied plus my secret writing career that’s done better than I ever dreamed. What’s not to love?

There’s just one thing missing. But I don’t know what it is.

At least until he comes back to town. The man I crushed on so hard in high school, I couldn’t talk in full sentences around him.

He’s back, he’s ready to settle down, and he’s set his sights on me, the wallflower.

Every time I turn around, there he is. He wants to know about me. And no matter how hard I try to ignore him…I can’t. He’s everything I wanted as a teenager.

And as an adult? I’m discovering that he’s the total package and is ready to sweep me off my feet.

Alex

Deciding to retire from my professional hockey career was easy. I miss my family, friends, and hometown. I crave a slower lifestyle so I can finally settle down.

What isn’t easy? Figuring out how to coach teenaged boys in how to play hockey and win over the woman I can’t stop thinking about.

I think about her constantly and am constantly finding ways to run into her ‘by accident’. I want to know everything about her, but she’s hesitant and I have my work cut out for me to convince her to step outside her comfort zone and date me.

But I’m up for the challenge. I’m ready to show her what being with me could be like and that she doesn’t need to be scared.

With outside forces working against us, can we get it together for our best shot at a happily ever after?

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Excerpt 

Copyright 2022 @A.M. Williams

 “You want to sit for a little while?” Alex asked, pointing to a bench just ahead of us and off the main path.

I nodded, hoping that the bench would be enough out of the way that people wouldn’t notice us sitting there and stop staring.

We settled in and I sipped my coffee, looking the park over.

Compared to the weekend before, the park looked totally transformed.

There were bright tents throughout the trees with local crafters and artisans, and loud chatter filled the air from people walking around.

“This festival looks no different from when I came as a kid,” Alex said, pulling my attention to him.

I glanced at him and watched as he looked over at what I’d just been looking at.

“Are you surprised? You know we like tradition here.”

Alex chuckled. “Not really. I guess since it’s been so long since I was here, that I expected something to have changed. But nothing has. The same tents, same vendors, same atmosphere.”

I made a noise low in my throat. “There are some new vendors. They’re just peppered throughout. Some ones you’re thinking of don’t come anymore.”

What I didn’t say was that some owners had died because of how old they were and their businesses closed. The town had to get some new life for the vendors, otherwise this festival would have dwindled.

“Still. This is the same. If I close my eyes, I bet I could recall where everyone is and the order of the games at the rink. I feel like no time has passed.”

I said nothing at first. Then I asked, “Are you happy to be here at least?”

Alex met my gaze and nodded. “I am. It’s weird how I didn’t think about so much related to town while I was gone. I came home for holidays and brief visits, but everything else was just background. But now that I’m here, I can’t help remembering coming as a kid with my mom and sister. Hanging with my friends before our games. And all the other shit that the town does throughout the year.”

I thought about what he was saying. I didn’t have any experience not coming to the town events, considering I went to college close by and returned to town the minute I could. I’d kept coming to everything, even throughout college.

Where do I begin? I just really loved Rory and Alex, separately and together. She is one of those teachers that you love but not in a brown-nosing sort of way, just like a cool teacher you don’t feel ashamed of saying ‘Hi’ to in the halls or around town. Oh and she’s an undercover author, so I mean what’s not to like about her?

Alex is a former professional hockey player who has returned home to his small town to live a normal life, no matter how strange others think his choices are. I loved that he had to work to get Rory to go out with him. Even though he had no idea it was because of her past baggage, he didn’t ask what her problem was, he just worked harder to charm her.

And he did.

Together they were fun and flirty and sure, a little bit steamy too. I had a good time reading Our Best Shot, smiling nearly the whole time I was immersed in the story.

The Harpy was terrible and even after finding out why, I still didn’t care and I hope she gets what’s coming to her. I really loved Bea, Rory’s best friend. We all need friends like that and I hope everyone has at least one. I really hope she gets the story I think she’s going to get.

Our Best Shot was a really fun and romantic read. I love a good small town romance and this was a really good time.

Our Best Shot – A.M. Williams

About A.M. Williams 

A.M. Williams is just a simple girl from the south that found herself living abroad. When she’s not annoying her cat or reading, she’s spending time with her husband and traveling as much as possible. She has a serious case of wanderlust and wants to go as many places as possible while she can. She loves Cheerwine, sweet tea, and North Carolina (eastern style) BBQ as well as those crystal clear waters on the North Carolina coast.

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BOOK REVIEW!!! ~ Love to Hate You by Whitley Cox

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Title: Love to Hate You
Author: Whitley Cox
Release Date: March 12, 2022
Genre: enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, best friend’s brother, road trip, forced proximity, romantic comedy, high heat, erotic romance
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/love-to-hate-you-by-whitley-cox
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60402988-love-to-hate-you

Blurb: 

She needs arm candy, he needs her insurance, but first, they need to drive across the country without killing each other.

Eli

Since the first day of kindergarten, I have hated Alexandra Hartford.

And twenty-something years later that hasn’t changed.

But she has.

She’s still a tomboy with a chip on her shoulder, but now she’s a hot tomboy with a chip on her tattooed shoulder who can fight like a badass.

I’d still rather have a bath with fire ants than spend ten days in a car with her, but she has something I need.

Once the deal is done, we can go our separate ways.

That is … if I want to.

Alex

Eli Evans is my nemesis.

He blames me for his sister’s death, our parents’ divorces, and probably global warming, too.

Why on Earth would I help him?

Because he’s as easy on the eyes as he is the bane of my existence and I need a hot date to a wedding in San Diego.

Can we drive across the country without me leaving him at a truck stop somewhere? I doubt it.

But, I’m willing to try.

Ten days in a car, a wedding, and a marriage of convenience, then I’m done with him forever.

Right?

Love to Hate You is an enemies to lovers romance and holy cow are these two enemies when this story begins. Eli and Alex have known each other–a term I use loosely–since they were in kindergarten. She was best friends with his twin sister and he was her bully, her tormentor.

They were hardcore enemies who found themselves living in the same small Maine town years after their lives were blown apart by tragedy and circumstances.

The story itself is mostly entertaining.
Mostly.

My major problem is that I just could not warm up to Eli. I understand where his misdirected anger came from, but those first few chapters just soured me on him and I never recovered from what he said about Alex. I just couldn’t. Not sorry.

But they make a deal which I won’t spoil for you except to say it’s a fake relationship/marriage of convenience which mostly takes place on a road trip. I appreciated the growth shown by both throughout the trip and the heat between them was HOLY SMOKES OFF THE CHARTS!! Together, they burn up the sheets and my kindle.

The story itself was good even if I didn’t like Eli all the way to the very end. I loved Alex though. She was scarred and tough and brilliant and managed to find ways to navigate her pain that were healthy and positive. She is exactly the kind of heroine you can and want to root for, and I did. She wanted Eli and I wanted her to get what she wanted, it’s as simple as that.

Good read, meh hero and awesome heroine.

Buy Links: Kindle Unlimited

Universal: http://mybook.to/love2hateyou
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3JgqRT6
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B09R18H3JH
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09R18H3JH
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B09R18H3JH

book reviews, New Adult/NA Romance, New Releases

BOOK REVIEW ~ Sparkle (Enigma Models INC Book 2) by Alyne Hart

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About:

I walked away from the one girl I’ve ever really loved. The most painful thing I’ve ever done. I’ve never been good enough for her, and keeping my distance is hard. But it has to be done. For her. For me. For us.

She’s everything I’ve ever wanted. Miley and her sunshine sparkle. When I close my eyes, I can still see her spinning beneath the stars, laughing and eating cotton candy. It’s the only thing that keeps me going.

When I come back a better man, healing from my own personal hell…the only question is…is she mine? Or is she his?

Sparkle (Enigma Models INC, Book 2)

Miley and Kellan are back and this time…well this time is even better than the first go round! The first book, Glitter, was a wild ride of emotions, highs and lows, happiness and sadness, breakups and makeups and a wicked love triangle. Glitter was like your first rush of love and lust, hot and fast and out of control.

Continue reading BOOK REVIEW ~ Sparkle (Enigma Models INC Book 2) by Alyne Hart →
Blog Tours, book reviews, New Releases, Romance

New Release & Book Review!!! ~ Never My Love by Kathryn Shay (The President’s Daughters #1)

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Title: Never My Love
Series: The President’s Daughters #1
Author: Kathryn Shay
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 1, 2022


He finally finds a woman he can love but she plans to be the President of the United States…

Annalise Masters Manwaring, one of the twin president’s daughters, knows what she wants and how to get it. But when she meets cranky, arrogant Luke Branson, she’s derailed in a big way. She has to choose between him and her political career. Luke, wounded by his brutal past, knows he’ll never fit into her life. Both have impossible decisions to make.


Never My Love is a classic enemies to lovers romance story. Luke and Annalise start out as coworkers but he doesn’t like the former President’s daughter and makes no bones about it. Her response to Luke is exactly what endeared her to me as a character, because Annalise is a real class act. She doesn’t let his bad attitude or snide remarks get to her, she keeps her head held high, putting him in check with a smile on her face.

Annalise wants to be President someday which means she can’t be involved with her boss, no matter how much she wants to be.

I enjoyed this story even though it moved slower than I would have liked at times. I love politics. I studied it in college and I am a political junkie, but the whole scandal avoidance thing really rubs me the wrong way. Despite that, I was on board for whatever Annalise and Luke came up with and following them was a fun journey.



Chapter 1

President James Manwaring sat across from Annalise in her swank Foggy Bottom condo, looking youthful at sixty-seven. His face sported only laugh lines around his eyes and mouth. “I like your place, but I wish you’d listened and chosen a big building so you could be on an upper floor.”

She kissed his cheek. “I know, Dad. I wanted a deck. A backyard.” She handed him coffee. “Let’s sit.”

“So, sweetheart, how are you doing?”

She took one of the other white leather couches across from him. “I’m good. You? How’s the foundation?”

Her parents had set up a foundation to eradicate human slavery. They worked parttime on an awareness campaign and fundraising.

He watched her with those searing green eyes that she’d inherited. “We’re well. Our work is satisfying. Tell me about your new job.”

“I love it so far. I’ve always been interested in The Justice Project.” A national political action organization that supported candidates for their party’s elections. “And I’ve donated to it for years.”

“But?”

He could always tell when something was wrong.

“One of the founding members, Luke Branson, voted against me. The women on the project told me to be careful around him. He’s not a founder, but started there seven years ago, and is technically my superior.”

“Why would he do that? Your qualifications are impeccable.”

She shifted in her seat. “People tend to think I’m unqualified to do anything but cut ribbons and be pretty.”

“That’s not fair. After you got your law degree from Georgetown, you clerked for two years with Tom Anderson.”

“Who is a judge you appointed.”

“I’m sorry then, honey. I regret my part in his veto.”

“Don’t be. I’ll never apologize for being the president’s daughter.”

The former president chuckled. “I like your pride in our family.”

Sighing, she sat back. “As for the job, I signed on for four days so I can still take pro bono cases on Fridays at my old firm.”

“That’s a boon.”

She stood. “I think the banana bread you love is cooled by now.”

As she passed him, he grabbed her hand. “You don’t have to pretend everything’s going well with your life, honey.”

“I’m not pretending. I want to follow in your footsteps and this is the path. I’ll be right back.”

Annalise went to the kitchen and cut the bread. The sweet scent of sugar and bananas was heavenly. When she returned, her father was staring out at the D.C skyline. He sat again when she did. “Now, give me a slice.”

She bit into one, too. Contrary to Hannah, her younger sister, who ate organic foods, Annalise wasn’t that rigid, though she did use all-natural ingredients for baking. She envied her sister, who’d chosen a different path than she.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Hannah.”

A smile spread across his tanned face. “I heard from her yesterday.”

“Yeah, she’s called me twice and both times, I couldn’t get back to her. How is she?”

“She was fixing her furnace.”

Annalise grinned at that. Hannah had said no to college, a scandal for the president’s child. Instead, she went to trade schools—got an electrician certification, one in plumbing, another in carpentry and one in construction, for which she was required to work on a building site. Annalise remembered seeing a picture of the Secret Service standing by in their suits and hard hats. “She’s something, isn’t she?”

“Always was. She’s busy but sees Sasha frequently.”

Both of those sisters had moved to upstate New York. Hannah used her trust funds from her mother’s parents to buy the farm and Sasha used the money to buy a dance studio in downtown Rockford. Annalise had purchased an estate in Maryland where she planned to move sometime in the future. Andraya had saved hers.

“Well, that’s why Sasha opened her dance studio in Rockford. I wish my twin hadn’t gone halfway across the world to work.”

“Andraya loves Casarina and teaching. She got close to the Gentileschis when she spent her senior year at the Marcello schools.”

“I know. I’m going over to Italy to see her when I get some time off.”

“I adore the fact that you’re all so different.” Her father was the only person she knew who used the word adore naturally.

She checked her watch. “I’m afraid I have a meeting in a half-hour.”

“On Saturday?”

“Said the man who sat in the Situation Room on a number of weekends.”

An expression which had charmed America when he first ran for state office, then the House of Representatives, then the Senate and finally the presidency spread across his face. “I know. So, I won’t harp. But your mom and I will be more available to you now.”

“Give her my love.” Annalise and Karen Masters were very close.

She stood with her father and walked him to the door. Hugged him fiercely. “I love you, Daddy.”

“Ah, Daddy,” he said as he drew back. “I love you too, Annie.”

She opened the front door to find his two Secret Service agents standing at attention. Eddie Cramer and Milt Smith had been and still were her father’s guards, as her dad was entitled to protection for life. And now that he wasn’t president, all three of them had loosened up somewhat, were friendlier and wore casual clothes.

“Hi, guys.”

“Ms. Manwaring.”

She rolled her eyes. “You didn’t call me that when one of the boys I dated took me out on his motorcycle, Eddie.”

He smirked. “Okay, Shining Star.” The code name she’d been given by her protectors.

“Goodbye, everyone.” She went back inside and her cell rang. She clicked on. “Hello.”

“Annalise. Where are you?” Luke Branson’s tone was annoyed.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re late for the meeting.”

“It isn’t for another half-hour.”

“The meeting started at nine!”

Hell. “I’ll be right there.” She didn’t live far from the Lincoln building. “I’m sorry, Luke.”

“Just get here.”

“I said I would.” She disconnected abruptly. That guy got under her skin. He did it intentionally, but to be fair, she was late, and she might have been as impatient as he. Grabbing her briefcase, she headed out.

Fifteen minutes later, Annalise walked into a large conference room of the building where The Justice Project was housed. Housed on two floors, it spread out in offices to hold fifty employees and several large and small conferences rooms.

“Annalise, hi.” Harold Franklin, a founding member and elected as chair, said the words kindly.

“I’m sorry, Harold. No excuses.” Except that she was with the former president.

“Not to worry. It happens. We’re divvying up some projects. You and Luke are taking candidate assessment for the 204th district in Pennsylvania.”

Damn, she was going to have to work with the man after all.

#

Luke Branson watched Annalise Manwaring walk into his office with all the confidence in the world. She’d handled her lateness with aplomb. Once inside, she glanced around at the two desks adjacent to each other and a small table and chairs by the window on the streets of D.C. Recessed lighting made the area ideal for working. “Where’s everybody else?”

“It’s you and me. Harold assigned us.”

“Why didn’t you object?”

“Because I’m a team player.” He held his temper. “You heard I was reluctant to hiring you.”

“I did.”

“It’s important that The Justice Project remain impartial. I didn’t want your appointment to seem like nepotism. But I was outvoted, so here we are.”

“I assure you,” she said, coldly. “I’m fully qualified.”

“That’s true.” He motioned to the small conference table. “Would you like coffee?”

“No thanks.”

She sat, pulled down the skirt of the sage-green suit she wore and took her slim laptop out of her briefcase.

She was a beauty, all right and, unfortunately, he’d been mesmerized by it for years. He’d envied her when they were both at Georgetown. She’d sailed into law school, while he had to delay a law degree to save up for tuition. In the end, he got a masters in marketing and finance which he excelled in. He was embarrassed by still, at thirty-six, having remnants of negative feelings about her.

“Do I have banana bread on my face?”

“Excuse me? Banana bread?”

“I baked some this morning.”

Ah, he got it. Rumor had it President James Manwaring loved his daughter’s banana bread, a story leaked to the press to underscore his happy family life. That didn’t sit with Luke at all, since his family was never much a part of his life.

“You were late because you were baking bread for your father?”

“No, I was late because I got the time wrong.” She held his gaze. “Can we get to work?”

“If you’re finally ready.” He grabbed his tablet. “I’ll send you the candidates we have to choose from.”

Quickly, her tablet pinged. Four candidates were in the running for congress in the November primary in Pittsburg. She read the notes on all of them.

“Hmm, they certainly have different agendas. From a quick scan, I think it’s going to be between Meredith Long and Mark Dawson.”

Meredith was running on LGBT rights, social security and Medicare. She also favored environmental issues and education. Those were the issues Annalise would have chosen, too. Mark Dawson was for steelworkers, ran on his experience in science and technology, highways and transit and the economy. She looked up. “At first glance, I gravitate toward Long’s agenda.”

“Let’s take our time, consider the others and if we chose Long and Dawson, we’ll vet both of them. Then we’ll present them to the rest of the members.”

“Whatever you say.”

Man, she was a sassy one. Too bad he liked spunk.





A NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author, Kathryn Shay has been a lifelong writer and teacher. She has written dozens of self-published original romance titles, print books with the Berkley Publishing Group and Harlequin Enterprises and mainstream women’s fiction. One of her firefighter books hit #20 on the NEW YORK TIMES list. Her novels have been serialized in COSMOPOLITAN magazine and featured in USA TODAY, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL and PEOPLE magazine. There are over ten million copies of her books in print and downloaded online. Readers call her work heartwarming.



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Release & Review Tour!! ~ Scammer Girl by Michelle Dayton

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Jo is a professional online romance scammer and Jamie is The Conscience of Silicon Valley.  They don’t trust one another, and when they meet in person, they quickly discover that not everything appears as it seems. Fans of Christina Lauren and Sally Thorne will love Scammer Girl, a spicy enemies to lovers romance. 

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Five years ago, Jo Harper did a bad thing. Dumped, injured, and in crippling debt, Jo did what any desperate woman with a PhD in psychology and above-average computer skills would: become an elite, undetectable online romance scammer. Now Jo and her team of four young women bring in enough cash to keep them securely afloat. Their targets? Married cheaters.

Jamie March, Bay Area royalty known as “The Conscience of Silicon Valley,” hates every aspect of online crime, especially those who defraud people. And when it appears that his brother is the victim of a sophisticated romance scam, he can’t stand idly by.

What’s weird though, is that when Jo and Jamie meet…they don’t hate one another. Not at all. He makes her laugh and feel alive again. She challenges his intellect like no other. But they can’t trust one another, right? And you can’t fall in love with someone you don’t trust—or can you?

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Excerpt 

Copyright 2022 Michelle Dayton

We swayed together as the song reach its climax. It was much more of an embrace than a dance. My lips were inches from that damn freckle, and his hands were roving through my loose hair, tugging my head back. My lips parted—

He stiffened, just the slightest bit. I felt the withdrawal. “What’s wrong?”

There was a storm in those sea eyes. A sharp bite in his voice. “Does every man you target feel like this? Like you’re both the drug and the antidote?”

If he’d physically slapped me, it wouldn’t have hurt more. 

I took a step back, dropping my hands and jutting out my chin. Not that it mattered or that he would believe me, but, “You were never a target.”

The song ended, and I raised my hands in applause to the stage before coolly pointing to my sofa, marching to it, and sitting down. “I assume you want to discuss your brother.” Jamie lowered himself to the cushion next to me, but he didn’t relax into the seat. His rigid posture made me want to give him a good shove. 

“I’m sorry I said that,” he mumbled. “I’m extremely uneasy about the effect you have on me.” His lips tightened. “I know a lot about the ways people can be damaged by Internet scams: financially, emotionally. But I’ve never been involved in one personally.” 

He moved his head from side to side, a little sheepish. “The past month, our letters. There was always the possibility you were acting or lying. But I didn’t think you were. I chose to believe that the letters you wrote were coming from you, not someone you made up. That the conversation we had the night we met was real.” He looked at the band, at the couples swaying. “When we were dancing, I was so … so fucking thrilled, I scared myself. What if you’re pretending? Performing? What if I’m the world’s biggest idiot?”

His straightforward truthfulness was jarring. Maybe I’d been in the game for too long, but I just didn’t expect men to be so open about their feelings, especially ones that made them vulnerable. In writing, yes. In person, no. 

“I’m not pretending or performing,” I bit out. The truth came through my lips before I could stop it. “I’m extremely uneasy about the effect you have on me too.”

His shoulders relaxed a few inches. “I do want to talk about Bobby,” he admitted. “But,” he leaned forward. “First I just want to talk. To you. About anything.”

Still a little stung, I just shrugged. “Well, no Jeopardy! tonight. So I guess we won’t be trading quotes from classic literature.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” he said. “There’s one perfect quote that’s been boomeranging around my skull for the last several weeks.” He quirked one brow and made meaningful eye contact. “‘You have bewitched me, body and soul.’”

Oof. I hung my head in mock surrender and covered my heart with my hands. He just undid with me with his ridiculous adorableness. “Ok, Indy. You win. You’ve just recited my favorite line in all of fiction. Let’s talk.”

Jamie’s eyes widened with glee. “Indy? That’s the Harrison Ford I am? Indiana Jones? Should I buy a hat and whip?”

I burst out laughing. “I mean, sure. You’d look great in a fedora. But I was referring to Indiana Jones in professor mode. With the three-piece suit, tie, and glasses.”

He slumped down, looking deflated. “Oh. Yeah, that makes more sense.”

I poked him in the shoulder. “Don’t pout. There is a huge population of women who find classroom Indy even sexier than sweaty jungle Indy.”

He cocked his jaw. “Interesting. Are you within that population?”

Oh. This was getting dangerous. But not even a little part of me felt like stopping. I smiled directly into his eyes. “Hell yes.”

Even though it took me a little longer than I normally like to get into Scammer Girl, I loved Jo almost from the beginning and the more I learned about her backstory the more I liked her. She is not your average romance heroine, not even a little bit. Well, not on the surface anyway and that only adds to her charm.

This opposites attract romance doesn’t start typically, because Jo and Jamie interact a lot through their computers, which given their chosen occupations, makes a lot of sense. This format allows us to get to know them both on a deeper level than you’d get with first and second dates. And I think it’s the perfect way to show the truth of both characters’ missions.

Jo is fine with scamming cheating men because they’re cheaters who can afford it, and most of all, it’s easy to tell them exactly what they want to hear online. On the other side of that coin, Jamie knows the damage that can be done by online scammers exactly because it is so easy to pretend to be something you’re not. They both have points and the fun in the journey is finding out who, if anyone, will give in for this love in the making.

Scammer Girl is a fun read, once it gets going, and you’ll love Jamie and Jo equally. There are lots of laughs, a few tears, and some really great conversations in this story. Great read.

About Michelle Dayton 

There are only three things Michelle Dayton loves more than sexy and suspenseful novels: her family, the city of Chicago, and Mr. Darcy. Michelle dreams of a year of world travel – as long as the trip would include weeks and weeks of beach time. As a bourbon lover and unabashed wine snob, Michelle thinks heaven is discussing a good book over an adult beverage.

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BOOK REVIEW!!! ~ The Sweetheart Deal by Miranda Liasson

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Happy Release day to Miranda Liasson! The Sweetheart Deal is LIVE!

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Pastry chef Tessa Montgomery knows what everyone in the teeny town of Blossom Glen says about her. Spinster. Ice Queen. Such a shame. It’s enough to make a woman bake her troubles away, dreaming of Parisian delicacies while she makes bread at her mother’s struggling boulangerie. That is until Tessa’s mortal enemy—deliciously handsome (if arrogant) chef Leo Castorini, who owns the restaurant next door—proposes a business plan…to get married.

Leo knows that the Castorinis and the Montgomerys hate each other, but a marriage might just force these stubborn families to work together and blend their businesses for success. The deal is simple: Tessa and Leo marry, live together for six months, and then go their separate ways. Easy peasy.

It’s a sweetheart deal where everyone gets what they want—until feelings between the faux newlyweds start seriously complicating the mix. Have they discovered the perfect recipe for success…or is disaster on the way?

The Sweetheart Deal, for me, started off a little bit slow. I wasn’t a fan of anyone really at the beginning of the story. Both Tessa and Leo have very selfish parents who would rather see their businesses fail than give paying customers what they actually want, but expect their children to stick around until the business inevitably implodes.


That was my first thought during the first quarter of the story.


Once The Sweetheart Deal became more about the deal and the romance between Tessa & Leo, the story picked up and grabbed my interest. I liked their banter and the way they’d both kind of gotten the wrong impression of one another. It allowed for just the right amount of lack of communication to push the story along, while giving me a reason to root for this couple.


Overall the story was fun and an easy upbeat read.

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Book Tour & Review ~ The Hart Sisters of Birch Cove Minnesota

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Series: The Hart Sisters of Birch Cove Minnesota
Author: Alie Garnett
Genre: Small Town Romance
Cover Design: Designed with Grace






Zoey has no place left to go but home.
Her past makes that nearly impossible.

Zoey Hart is finally back in Birch Cove. In the years since she lived there, a lot has changed, her dad has passed and her sister now runs the farm that they were raised on. A farm she wants to be a part of. A dream she has held onto for so long. Except the army has changed her. No longer is she the outgoing, bubbly girl whose teen who couldn’t keep herself out of trouble. Now nightmares haunt her sleep and the fear of one misstep will get her sent away again. This time for good.
Gabe Watson’s not ready for the feisty red headed woman to kiss him minutes after laying eyes on her. But he can’t forget her either. Nobody can, but she isn’t the woman that everyone in town talks about. She hides the pain that he sees so clearly. Her past is far to present, and he is the only one who understands what she went through, and what she is going through.
Zoey needs Gabe, but will being with him be the last straw for her sister? Can she move past long buried secrets she has kept so long, secrets that will blow up her family if they came out. Because if they come to light, she will definitely be sent away forever. And Gabe won’t be able to keep her safe.

Seeing Her Pain is book one in the Hart Sisters Series, a heartfelt series about finding love with just the right amount of steam and stories that will stay with you after you’ve turned the last page.

I loved Zoey and Gabe from the opening bar fight. She’s tough and vulnerable and totally incapable of talking about her vulnerability. Gabe gives off instant protector vibes that never let up, and even better, he’s not overbearing about keeping her safe.

The instant attraction was perfectly written, not over the top, just two people recognizing sameness in each other. Seeing Her Pain wasn’t insta-love and Zoey & Gabe’s story didn’t move at hyper-speed but the connection between them felt that visceral. They were wonderful together and other than Gabe and Evie harping on it, the age gap never presented that big of an issue.

I am curious to learn who was in that photo and more about the Hart sisters’ father. And mother.

This series is off to a good start and I can’t wait to read book two.


Some neighbors ask for a cup of sugar.
But Evie’s going to ask for a whole lot more.

Seeing her sister fall in love warmed Evie’s heart. But she can’t help but wonder if she’ll get her own chance at happiness. Despite being a widow, she has little experience in the bedroom. She’s sure she’d disappoint any man she dated.
When her neighbor, Jasper, comes home for the harvest, Evie gets an idea. And she figures Jasper is probably too nice to turn her down. So she asks for a favor:
Would he, ever so kindly, mind taking her to bed?
Little did she know her request was like something out of Jasper’s dreams. He’s always known that Evie was the one for him, ever since he was a teenager.
Jasper is more than happy to oblige her. But he’d be happier still if she could realize he is the man for her.
In the bedroom, they’re a match made in heaven. But the rest of it may turn out to be more complicated…

Her Favor is book two in the Hart Sisters Series, a heartfelt series about finding love. There’s just the right amount of steam and stories that will stay with you after you’ve turned the last page.

I really enjoyed Jasper and Evie’s story but I admit that I did not connect to Evie at all. I felt she just created whole stories out of nothing. What she believed had no bearing on her situation with Jasper and he never once made her feel as if any of her negative thoughts were his feelings, which made her more annoying than a heroine I wanted to root for.

Even giving her plenty of latitude because of what she went through with her ex and all that, it was hard to say, “yeah, she totally deserved this happy ending.”

I mean, I am glad she got it because I think Jasper deserved it because he was great, honest and open with his emotions, while giving her the time she needed to figure her stuff out. The scenes between them were hot and sweet at the same time, which only made her actions and attitudes all the more annoying.

For that reason, Her Favor gets a 4.5 star rating from me.


Don’t look. Don’t move. Don’t even breathe.
Max Valentine is looking at me.

Yes, that Max Valentine. The tall, handsome and super successful lawyer that every woman at the firm is trying to get her hands on.
Well, every woman except Della. Okay, well, she does think he’s hot, but she’s more interested in making partner than making out with Max. Or anyone else. But that doesn’t matter. Because Max Valentine would never look at her.
Her career dreams are shattered when she gets fired unexpectedly. Della doesn’t know who she is without her work. With no clue what else to do, she moves back to her home town and rents an old Victorian home.
And she feels… free. She stops dying her hair. She wears whatever she likes. She starts finding a new kind of joy in her life.
Until she looks up and sees Max Valentine is looking at her. Really looking. But he couldn’t be, could he? She thinks maybe he wants a fling. Maybe she’s just the nearest woman.
But she’s wrong.
Max can see the real Della. And he would like to do much more than look. Because he’s convinced he’s looking at the love of his life.
If only he could convince Della of that.

Max Valentine is Looking at You is book three in the Hart Sisters Series, a heartfelt series about finding love with just the right amount of steam and stories that will stay with you after you’ve turned the last page.

Wow, I thought Zoey was the complicated sister but she doesn’t hold a candle to Della! I mean that in a good way, because Della’s pain and reservations were palpable and totally understandable. She did jump to conclusions the same way Evie did, but her reasons were crystal clear to me.

I loved Della and Max together. They were fun and flirty, but there was always that underlying tension of me just wondering when/if Della would blow up this amazing relationship she’d stumbled into. For his part, Max was supportive and kind, he thought she was brilliant and let her shine. I mean, what more could you want in a proper book boyfriend?

Watching Della grow beyond her professional achievements was truly a pleasure and I rooted for her all the way. I was worried that this story would go the ‘woe is me’ route but it didn’t. Della was a fully independent woman with demons and flaws that she—mostly—embraced. I loved this story almost as much as Zoey & Gabe’s.


Zoey and Gabe’s story was my favorite of the series but Zephyr and Zachary are a very close second. Zephyr’s pain was palpable throughout the story and the way she turned in on herself to stay safe was heartbreaking.

It took me some time, okay it took ALL the time to warm up to Zachary but I really liked them as a couple. He was just the right amount of protective and she was just stubborn enough to keep the story moving forward. The whodunnit wasn’t all that shocking but I’m not sure it was meant to be because the highlight was Z&Z together, actually getting to know each other this time around and unraveling her secrets.

It was great to make a trip back to Birch Cove and see everyone else again, and I admit to feeling as hesitant as Zephyr about the reception she would receive when she got there. This was a fun, rollercoaster ride of a story and I’m glad to say I enjoyed every step of the journey with the Hart sisters.

Zachary made two promises. To keep Zephyr safe. And to keep his hands off her.
But promises can be hard to keep.

The daughter of a hard-drinking mother who died too young, life has been tough on Zephyr. The one break she got was when local cop, Brian Wainwright, tried to adopt her and give her the better life she deserved. But his son, Zachary, put a stop to that.
Zachary might have stopped the adoption, but he made a deathbed promise to his father to keep her safe. And with threats made against her life, he knows it’s time to fulfil that promise.
In the dead of night, he steals her away to Minnesota, a place he knows no one will find them.
Despite ruining her chance for happiness, Zephyr has always had a crush on Zachary. One she’s finding hard to put aside when she finds herself in close confines with him.
So she asks him to make another promise: to keep his hands off her. And while keeping her safe is difficult for Zachary, staying away from the beautiful enigma that is Zephyr Hart is going to be downright impossible.

Keeping Her Safe is book four in the Hart Sisters Series, a heartfelt series about finding love with just the right amount of steam and stories that will stay with you after you’ve turned the last page.



Alie Garnett loves a little spice in her books. She lives on a small hobby farm in northern Minnesota with her husband and two kids. When she isn’t writing, she is doing everything that she didn’t ‘get to’ while writing.




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Book Review ~ Christmas in Wishful: A Small Town Southern Holiday Romance Extravaganza by Kait Nolan

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DANCE ME A DREAM

As guardian to her younger siblings, Tara Honeycutt has forgotten what it’s like to be a normal twenty-something. When a major gas line breaks, leaving them with no heat, no hot water, and no way to cook for Christmas, Jace Applewhite invites Tara and her sibs out to his family’s Christmas tree farm. Will a good old fashioned farmhouse Christmas be enough to get Tara to give him a second glance?

THE CHRISTMAS FOUNTAIN

After finding out her Mr. Right was actually Mr. Wrong, Mary Alice is taking a break from love to chair her favorite holiday charity. Chad thinks volunteering is the perfect way to get to know his Christmas crush. Will he manage to overcome her once bitten, twice shy caution?

A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

Hannah’s waiting tables at Wishful’s Dinner Belles diner and dreaming of getting an interior design business off the ground. What better way to practice and show off her skills than with some holiday decorating? Jaded Ryan, an Army medic on leave, and his cantankerous great uncle, Percy, are desperately in need of Christmas cheer—and a referee. Can Hannah’s warmth thaw these frosty hearts?

A VERY CAMPBELL CHRISTMAS

The Campbell clan is in for a very special Christmas surprise in this exclusive bonus short story!

Christmas in Wishful is a wonderful collection of holiday love stories in the town of Wishful, the brainchild of Kait Nolan. This collection has a sweet and sassy heroine to fit whatever mood you’re in when you pick it up. Personally, I really loved Tara with her beautiful, sad smile. She’s stepped in to raise her half-siblings, foregoing a dance career to do so. She’s not bitter, she’s exhausted and determined to put the kids first for the first time in forever and I love her for it. And I love Jace for putting Tara first for once, for giving her something to smile about. For just being a good guy when she needed one, even if she didn’t know she did need one.

In fact, each of the stories contain women who are strong but in different ways. They do the hard things, the right things, and the universe rewards them beautifully. The best part of all is that I got to read every word and go on the journey with Tara, Mary Alice, Hannah and Norah (bonus story). Each story takes you on a beautiful journey of love and romance, complete with holiday cheer because it’s Wishful and that’s what we do here!

Each time I take a trip to Wishful, MS, I want to hop a plane, penny in hand and make a wish of my own. I had a different reaction to each story, each couple but they were all a different type of the feels.

Pick your format to buy HERE.

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Book Review! ~ Until We Meet Again (Men of the Misfit Inn) by Kait Nolan

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Freshly sprung from the Marines, Griffin Powell is looking for some fun. Las Vegas offers the perfect playground to blow off some steam before getting to the serious work of deciding what to do with his life. He never expects that fun to include the high school crush who tutored him years ago.

Samantha Ferguson arrives in Vegas for a friend’s wedding only to get dumped by text. Desperate not to be the only single in a sea of couples, she makes an impulsive offer to the former bad boy she used to tutor in high school: Be her fake boyfriend for the weekend.

Griff knows he’s not the guy for Sam, but he can’t resist saying yes for the chance to get to know this grown-up version of the girl who once starred in all his dreams. Turns out, there’s not a lot of faking it involved. Between the single bed and the endless couples activities, new feelings flare from the old, until they both fall under the spell of Sin City.

Will what happens in Vegas stay in Vegas? Or will one impulsive weekend be the start of a brand new forever?

*NOTE TO READERS: This is a prequel novella and does not end with a HEA or HFN. Their story continues in COME A LITTLE CLOSER.

Men of Misfit Inn Book Review

This was such a fun novella, featuring Griffin and Samantha. Everything from their surprise airport reunion to the fake boyfriend scheme for the weekend was fun and, yeah, a bit sweet. I loved being along as they sifted through old high school memories and realized that their adolescent feelings were mutual. The end was kind of gutting and I am totally looking forward to (hopefully) going along as Samantha makes Griffin work for it if he wants her back.

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