Category Archives: Romance

#LIVE Twice As Delicious

How can Harper be sweet when all she wants to do is give them a taste of her honey?

She’s in trouble. Big trouble. Mafia big. Harper Larson works. Hard. She’s had no breaks in life, but that only drives her to put it all on the line. Nothing’s going to stop her from succeeding at building her catering business. At least until she gets mixed up with the Irish mafia. There’s only one person…no, two, who will help her stay alive. Dane and Leo.

One look at Harper’s sweet curves and irresistible body is all it takes to make two alpha males hungry, and not for food. They know she’s going to be theirs. One taste and there’s no going back. And when witnessing more than she bargained for puts her life at risk, they’ll do whatever it takes to protect her.

 

 

NEW RELEASE & Review ~ Roomies by Christina Lauren

Get your copy HERE!!!

ABOUT:

Marriages of convenience are so…inconvenient. 

For months Holland Bakker has invented excuses to descend into the subway station near her apartment, drawn to the captivating music performed by her street musician crush. Lacking the nerve to actually talk to the gorgeous stranger, fate steps in one night in the form of a drunken attacker. Calvin Mcloughlin rescues her, but quickly disappears when the police start asking questions.

Using the only resource she has to pay the brilliant musician back, Holland gets Calvin an audition with her uncle, Broadway’s hottest musical director. When the tryout goes better than even Holland could have imagined, Calvin is set for a great entry into Broadway—until his reason for disappearing earlier becomes clear: he’s in the country illegally, his student visa having expired years ago.

Seeing that her uncle needs Calvin as much as Calvin needs him, a wild idea takes hold of her. Impulsively, she marries the Irishman, her infatuation a secret only to him. As their relationship evolves and Calvin becomes the darling of Broadway—in the middle of the theatrics and the acting-not-acting—will Holland and Calvin to realize that they both stopped pretending a long time ago?

Roomies was a fun read and it would have been a great one if not for its first person telling. But despite all that, I loved the story of Holland and Calvin.

Holland is a glorified gofer for her uncle’s wildly successful musical productions but she secretly longs to be something more. A novelist. But her own lack of self-confidence is getting in the way so she’s content-ish to keep working for her uncle.

Until she hears the voice of an angel in the subway, screws up her courage to go talk to him and then falls prey to a random attacker and her sweet singer steps in to protect her. What’s a girl to do? Honestly the only thing she can do is return the favor, in the form of her brilliant musically successful uncle. But this is a romance novel which means there is some sort of problem, which in this case, is Calvin’s citizenship status. Or lack of.

And that’s where things really get interesting!

His story is so inspiring and brave that Holland offers to help him with his problem because he’s talented and because it’s the right thing to do. One of the things I loved that Christina Lauren did with this story was, she made Holland honorable. Sure she was harboring a serious crush on Calvin, but it didn’t feel like that’s why she decided to help him. The chemistry was apparent from the moment she gave him an adorable mini-lecture about Holland. In the Netherlands.

And my goodness but unrequited love is the worst and I felt her pain. Down deep. But I loved how Calvin didn’t just take from her. Nope, Roomies is a tale about two good people who form a bond and help each other achieve their dreams. And that is what a really good romance is all about.

So I’m giving this story 4.5, it didn’t bother me that it was written in first person stars!

Review ~ Oklahoma Christmas Blues by Maggie Shayne

Get your copy HERE!!!

ABOUT:

Darryl is on a quest for peace. His chance at fatherhood was taken from him long ago, and an IED in Iraq ensured he’d never get another. In Big Falls, the McIntyre brothers hire him to keep an eye on their beautiful cousin Sophie in case her criminal ex shows up. He doesn’t expect to fall head over heels.

Sophie McIntyre’s life was blown apart by a drug dealing ex who cost her her job and nearly her medical license. She comes to Big Falls because she has nowhere else to go. And the minute she gets there, things start to get better.

Is it because of that letter to Santa her Aunt Vidalia convinced her to write?

Within days she meets a beautiful man with a deeply wounded soul. And oddly, she finds herself giving him the same advice the town Santa gave to her—try believing again, and if it’s too much to believe, then just try hoping.

Love, magic, and miracles ensue.

Because this is Big Falls, Oklahoma. Miracles are an everyday occurrence around here. Especially at Christmastime.

If you know me at all, then you know that Maggie Shayne is one of my one-click authors and that is especially true with the ever expanding Oklahoma branch of the family! This is a heaping serving of Christmas magic mixed in with a little bit of love and romance.

Sophie was in Oklahoma visiting her uncle and aunt-in-law (Vidalia of the Oklahoma Brands), but really it’s because her ex cost her a fancy job at well respected hospital and he nearly cost her career. So she’s lying low and trying to figure out what happens next and going back to her roots as a bartender.

Darryl was hired on the down low by her overprotective cousins, the titular McIntyre Men, to keep her safe in case her ex comes after her. But Sophie thinks Darryl is the bouncer who likes to flirt with her, until a misunderstanding forces the truth out quickly. I really appreciated this in Oklahoma Christmas Blues because sometimes we really don’t need to have it drawn out over the length of the story. It was handled and we all moved forward.

The cutest part of this story was the letters to Santa and how slowly they came true. Of course there’s a lesson to be learned here because neither Sophie or Darryl asked for material things. They wanted help getting their lives back on track while they sorted it out for themselves.

Again Maggie Shayne has done a fantastic job with this fun holiday tale to kickoff the newest series. Oklahoma Christmas Blues was a quick read but my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. I can’t wait to watch each of the McIntyre men fall, and I have Oklahoma Moonshine already!

Side note: I missed Vidalia’s story and I’m adding it to my TBR list! You can do the same here!

Review ~ Homecoming in Christmas Falls by Ciara Knight

Get your copy HERE!!!

ABOUT:

Eight years after fleeing Christmas Falls because of a high school prank gone wrong, Ashley Brooks receives a mysterious letter from her mentor asking her to come home. She arrives to face all she left behind—her family, her friends, and the rich boy she’d loved who would never date the girl from the wrong side of town.

Brent Donnelly, high school jock, brainiac, and dutiful son did everything right until the day Ashley returns to Christmas Falls. With one look at the girl who got away he questions all his life choices, including following in his father’s footsteps in the family business.

Faced with a potentially devastating decline of tourism in their hometown, Brent and Ashley must work together to save the magic of their town, but when Ashley discovers he still has feelings for her best friend she must finally face the real reason she left Christmas Falls—to try to heal her broken heart.

Seven fabulous authors bring you this holiday romance series about a group of special friends returning to their hometown at the request of their high school mentor. Each book is a standalone, but read them all to fully enjoy the journey of these remarkable women and their emotional reunion with their mentor, an incredible woman who changes their lives and helps save a small town community forever.

When I first cracked open Homecoming in Christmas Falls and saw that it was written in first person, I nearly closed it right away. It’s just a personal preference of mine, but I have a hard time enjoying stories written this way, but I was SO curious about the story that I pushed past the first chapter and then the second, and soon I was wondering who’s story would be next.

Ashley was a bit of a wild child back in the day, not reckless or even destructive, just energetic for a small town girl who never fit in with her family. Though this is a love story, I really enjoyed watching Ash reconnect with her parents, who she’d always viewed through the eyes of a hurt teenage girl. But nearly a decade apart can change things. Change people and their perspectives. This part of the storyline really enhanced the overall Christmas-y feel of the whole story.

Now Ash and Brent. Ash, despite her gregariousness as a kid, had some self-esteem issues and thought she would never be good enough for the town golden boy, Brent. She thought he’d be better suited—and was already interested in—one of her besties, Piper. So after THE EVENT, she packed up and left town never to return.

Until this year when her teacher, mentor and surrogate mother calls the girls home, setting the stage for the whole Christmas Falls series.

Now that she’s a successful business woman with a clear vision of the past, Ash wants to help the town get back the magic it used to have. She’ll put her business sense to good use, along with Brent, to make the place truly fantastic again.

But this is a romance and Homecoming in Christmas Falls wouldn’t be complete without talking about these two. From the moment they appear on the page together, sparks fly. Brent is gorgeous and sweet, an irresistible combination that Ash succumbs to pretty quickly. Instead of being scared as she’d always been, Ash dives in and lets him know how she feels and her plans for the future.

Then it’s Brent’s turn to chicken out and go running. I was upset with him, but Ciara Knight created really beautiful drama with this part of the story. You could feel Ash’s pain and wanted to do serious bodily harm to a guy that seemed pretty damn perfect…until this moment. But I loved that it allowed Ash to see how strong she really is.

This was a really good read. It was cheesy and sweet and fun and filled with over the top Christmas, and none of that took away my enjoyment of this story.

Review ~ Christmas Glitter by Ann B. Harrison

Get your copy HERE!!!

ABOUT:

After a rough year involving a serious car accident, painful recovery and broken engagement, Dakota Moore moves to Cherry Lake to rebuild her life. To embrace her new community, she volunteers to coordinate the annual Christmas tree gala.

Adam Clements has come home to help his mother run the family business while his father recovers from a heart attack. For the last decade, he’s been a high-flying soccer player, enjoying the life that comes with his popularity. But something is missing and he can’t put his finger on it… until he returns to Cherry Lake and remembers the feeling of home.

Adam tries to keep his distance because he knows he’ll be leaving, but he can’t deny his attraction to Dakota. With the countdown to Christmas on, can Dakota convince Adam that his home is right there in Cherry Lake, with her?

One of the things I liked most about Christmas Glitter was the overall theme of making choices. Both Dakota and Adam have had some life changing events happen in their lives recently and Ann B. Harrison’s tale is about the choices they make. Do they let these things happen to them or do they make a choice about what their lives will look like next? It’s an interesting choice, but a good one as the story unfolds with Dakota recovering physically and emotionally, and Adam dealing with the realities of aging parents and an aging body as a professional athlete.. With both Adam and Dakota back in Cherry Lake, they will both have to decide what happens next. Her life is now in Cherry Lake but his stay is only temporary, even if the life that’s waiting for him isn’t as fulfilling as it should be.

The thing the author does so well in Christmas Glitter is the way the relationship builds. Not that I’m opposed to it, but there is no insta-love, this is definitely a slow burn that starts with friendship and gradually changes as they get to know each other. Healing, though in different ways, changes their perspectives and as the story moves forward you just know this will cause some drama later on! Aside from the basic relationship drama, I loved the focus on the holiday and the small town calmness.

I am a sucker for a small town romance and Christmas Glitter was the perfect holiday treat.

LIVE!!! ~ The Christmas Fountain by Kait Nolan

Elementary school teacher Mary Alice Reed wanted a nice, stable guy to share her happily ever after. When she thought she’d found him, everyone tried to tell her that the guy she thought was her Mr. Right, was really Mr. Somebody Else’s. Living with a town’s worth of I-told-you-so isn’t easy, but she’s coping. And definitely taking a break from love in order to get past her last disaster to chair her favorite Christmas charity.

Trauma surgeon Chad Phillips gave up the intensity and long hours of a big city hospital to move to Wishful. He wants a home and family, a town with a slower pace, where he can actually build a life. Being one of Wishful’s most eligible bachelors has gotten him a lot of pie and casseroles, but it hasn’t helped him find that special someone to come home to.

When a friend’s accident lands Mary Alice in his ER, Chad finds himself more than intrigued. Part Martha Stewart, part Mary Poppins, and all Girl Next Door, she’s exactly what he’s been looking for. Volunteering for the Fountain of Hope charity seems like the perfect way to get to know his Christmas crush. But just as he seems to be overcoming Mary Alice’s once bitten, twice shy caution, that one tiny thing from his past, that he probably should have told her about, shows up for a Christmas season visit. Chad’s gonna have some explaining to do.

Get it HERE!!!

Review ~ Christmas Nights – J.H. Croix

Get your copy HERE!!!

ABOUT:

Sometimes it takes more courage to love than to be alone.

When Janie Stevens gets fished out of the icy ocean after a boating accident, she doesn’t expect to fall for the man who saves her. Travis Wilkes, the man in question, is all kinds of man—firefighter, emergency responder and pure, rugged masculinity. She’s completely unprepared for the burning, yearning craving he kindles.

Travis is the quintessential sexy outdoorsman and much too busy for love. He’s been honed by a life on the edge in Alaska and not much rattles him. When he yanks Janie out of the freezing waters of picturesque Kachemak Bay, he takes one look into her eyes and can’t stop thinking about her. A man who doesn’t blink in the face of danger finds himself nearly brought to his knees by a woman.

Janie has her reasons for being committed to a life that doesn’t include romance. To say she has trust issues is a bit of an understatement. With the sparks flying between Janie and Travis burning too hot for them to ignore, they discover there may be much more than passion binding them together. Steamy nights, snowy days and Christmas just might convince Travis and Janie that love is possible.

This wasn’t my first Diamond Creek, Alaska novel and I doubt it’ll be my last even though they are sometimes hit or miss. Christmas Nights though was pure, romantic fun. Janie gets pulled from ice cold water by resident bachelor, town hero and rugged outdoorsman, Travis and from there, things get interesting. Janie and Travis kind of dance around each other at first, which was fun to watch because they both had their own reasons—though totally lame ones—for not pursuing romance.

Once they started spending time together, I was hooked. First of all, you have to love any guy who saves your life and then stops to check on you in the hospital. And throw in that sizzling chemistry that was there in the hospital room with them and you knew this was going to be a fun read. Travis is hot and all man, but he’s also sweet and kind, so yeah I have a bit of a crush on him.

One of the best things about Christmas Nights is that it was a mostly angst-free read. There was drama, particularly where Janie’s reasons for being wary of relationships was concerned and that was more than enough drama, and not in a bad way. There were no scheming exes or crazy stalkers either. Just one precocious teenager and two adults trying to find love in Alaska. Oh! That’s the other thing J.H. Croix does really well with these novels. I feel like I’ve been to Alaska (I haven’t…yet) but the author really pulls you into the rugged chaos of the terrain, the beauty and serenity of the area.

Over the past year and a half I have become a solid J.X. Croix fan because of the Diamond Creek, Alaska series and this one was the perfect holiday read. Steamy, sweet and just enough Christmas to make you feel warm and fuzzy.

Just $.99 TODAY ONLY!!!

It Must Be Love is on sale for just 99 pennies until midnight PST TODAY!!

If you haven’t been to Mustang Prairie yet, let Trixie and Jack reel you in.

 

💖💋🔥💖💋Welcome to Mustang Prairie🔥💖💋🔥💖💋
Trixie is a Mustang Prairie girl, born and raised. At least until her parents up and moved her to a commune in Oregon and far away from the love of her young life. Jack Thorpe.

But grownup Trixie is back in Mustang Prairie and ready for the next chapter in her life, which includes her lingerie store Under the Skirt and starting her own line of sexy lacy things. When her past collides with her present in the form of a tall, blonde artist, Trixie has to wonder if her girlish crush could be the answer to her grownup dreams?

Jack married his high school sweetheart, only it didn’t turn out so sweet and he never got to tell her it was over. Now he has to smile and pretend while the world goes on and on about how great Marissa was, especially now that he’d brought his girls back to Mustang Prairie for good.

The one bright spot in town was the new and improved girl next door. Little Trixie wasn’t so little and Jack was more than a little interested. Too bad he wasn’t interested in another round of the rollercoaster known as love and commitment.

Too bad he can’t stay away.

It Must Be Love
US: http://amzn.to/2hFSIzw
UK: http://amzn.to/2k8vAdA

Fall in love with the rest of #MustangPrairie!!!

Conflict of Interest (Shellie & Noel) ~ http://amzn.to/1SJDcyR

A Little Bit In Love (Alex & Baxter) ~ http://amzn.to/1L9772p

Feels Like Love (Sadie & Dylan) ~ http://amzn.to/1KIICF5

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

To all my friends, family and readers in the United States, I wanted to take a moment to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and tell you that I am thankful for ALL OF YOU!! Those of you who have bought my books, reviewed them or helped pimp them. To those of you who supported and encouraged me, and those who offered critiques that were hard to hear…thank you.

Putting one book out for consumption is hard. Making a career of it is even harder without the right people around to help you succeed. It is a slow climb but we’re all still making it together. So thank you for being the kind of people to help and I hope I’ve given back as much or more to you.

Eat well and be thankful for those that are with you today, and remember those who aren’t with you any longer.

And wish me luck as I embark on my very first vegan Thanksgiving meal.

After your belly is stuffed and your heart is full of mashed potatoes and yummy pecan pie, snuggle up with a good book or two.

Just #99cents

Alex & Baxter

Review ~ The Christmas Fountain – Kait Nolan

Get your copy HERE!!!

ABOUT:

Elementary school teacher Mary Alice Reed wanted a nice, stable guy to share her happily ever after. When she thought she’d found him, everyone tried to tell her that the guy she thought was her Mr. Right, was really Mr. Somebody Else’s. Living with a town’s worth of I-told-you-so isn’t easy, but she’s coping. And definitely taking a break from love in order to get past her last disaster to chair her favorite Christmas charity.

Trauma surgeon Chad Phillips gave up the intensity and long hours of a big city hospital to move to Wishful. He wants a home and family, a town with a slower pace, where he can actually build a life. Being one of Wishful’s most eligible bachelors has gotten him a lot of pie and casseroles, but it hasn’t helped him find that special someone to come home to.

When a friend’s accident lands Mary Alice in his ER, Chad finds himself more than intrigued. Part Martha Stewart, part Mary Poppins, and all Girl Next Door, she’s exactly what he’s been looking for. Volunteering for the Fountain of Hope charity seems like the perfect way to get to know his Christmas crush. But just as he seems to be overcoming Mary Alice’s once bitten, twice shy caution, that one tiny thing from his past, that he probably should have told her about, shows up for a Christmas season visit. Chad’s gonna have some explaining to do.

The Christmas Fountain by Kait Nolan is the perfect holiday story. It’s a full blown romance, complete with meet cute and a slow, sexy buildup. Only it all happens around the holidays. There are no cheesy Christmas themes or kitsch thrown in, just Mary Alice and Chad.

And I LOVED them together. Flirting in the ER over drunk friend was the perfect way for this serious couple to meet. And from that point their relationship progressed perfectly, with fun dates and plenty of sweet romance and a whole lotta steamy romance. There was a little bit of everything for everyone who loves a great small town romance.

I can’t say there was a part of this story I didn’t like. I cracked open my Kindle yesterday and finished it just a minutes before starting on this review. It was quick, fun and easy. But, I’m gonna have to call BS on Chad for one tiny little misunderstanding. Yeah, I know it’s a romance and there has to be drama and/or misunderstanding, I got it and love it. Hell, I write romance myself and I have a bit of a girl crush on Kait. But Chad…seriously? I think Mary Alice was totally within her rights to be pissed off because of ALL the things you hide or keep to yourself IT’S NOT THAT! Not when you know her history, so while it all worked out, I’m calling Dr. Phillips out on his behavior on that part.

Overall, I loved this story. It had just enough holiday for the season and I loved some of the secondary characters. Kait Nolan is one author who excels at pulling in different characters without overloading the story with too many people.

The Christmas Fountain was a fun holiday romance to get you in the spirit!