Saturday 30 November 2013

Switched by Cassie Mae

The Book
Release Date: 2 December 2013

Ever since high school, Kayla has been crazy for gorgeous football player Talon. But before she could muster the courage to tell him, he became a hot item with her beautiful BFF, Reagan. The only person who knows Kayla’s secret is Wesley, Talon’s best bud—and he’s got it bad for Reagan. Now they’re all in college together, hanging out 24/7. For Kayla, seeing the two lovebirds together is absolutely unbearable. So Kayla and Wesley hatch a plot to drive them apart before Talon has a chance to give Reagan the Christmas gift she’s been waiting for.

Soon enough, the once happy couple is fighting. Reagan suddenly can’t get enough of Wesley’s goofy sense of humor, and Talon seems to be paying more attention to Kayla than a guy who’s “only a friend” ever should. But just when everything seems to be falling into place, Kayla and Wesley accidentally spend a night together and discover a hitch in their plan they never considered: that switching partners may not lead to a perfect ending after all.

My Opinion  3 STARS
**ARC Provided by Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Flirt for an honest review**

At the beginning of the book i really disliked the main character Kayla. She seemed very immature and selfish in her want of her best friends boyfriend as"she was him first". But when she plots with his best friend to split them up I had to wonder if friendship meant anything to her.

Wesley was a strong character and was portrayed as a more 'normal' boy rather than other hyped up characters. Talon was described to be rather too perfect and I do hate that at times.

Reagan was a bother character that I could not connect with, she definitely came across as selfish and childish.

Mind you considering their ages, they still have a fair bit of learning to do about themselves in general as they are all fairly young.

Wesley was full of good humour and I really warmed to him. I mean who doesn't want a funny, charming good-mannered boy?

I certainly loved the ending with the twist that I had not seen coming. It totally changed the book for me to something I wasn't sure I liked to something I did like. I am really glad I gave this book a go now :)

Friday 29 November 2013

BLOG TOUR - What Tomorrow Brings by Cyndi Raye

The Book
Release Date: 18 August 2013
TOUR:  Irresistible Reads Book Tour

Maggie McCoy, best selling author of romance, went to the Florida Keys for a much needed getaway to break the writer's block that was threatening her success. Her plans to be alone died the moment she met Jake Hatfield. He wound up to be too much of a distraction for serious minded Maggie.

She had never let her hair down before, but when she finally decides to, it leads her on a motorcycle ride through the land of paradise, an adventure at a full moon party and other trials as well. All she wanted to do was to create a best seller, not live it. There were never any plans to fall for a hot, sexy man in the middle of nowhere.

What Tomorrow Brings is a lighthearted, clean romance with a little spice set in a tropical paradise like no other, the Florida Keys.

                                                       Amazon US  |  Amazon UK 

My Opinion  3 STARS
This is a nice clean romance for those that want nothing but kissing in their book.

A sweet story of Maggie, a romance writer with writer's block who has been sent by her mother from Pennsylvania to the Florida Keys to get some inspiration for her latest book.  What her mother fails to mention is that her bungalow is below the owners house and he lives there year round.

Maggie first meets Jake when his puppy escapes and wakes her up with a big kiss to the face.  A little startled she sits up only to give JAke an eyeful as her bikini top is not secured.

Maggie and Jake flirt with each other and Maggie, who hasn't had a serious relationship, or a big of fun in a while decides that she needs to step out a little.  Maybe, if she acts like the ladies in her books she can experience something and cure her writers block.

He takes her out for dinner on the back of his bike, then takes her to a beach party where she drinks far to much tequila and wakes up in Jakes arms swinging in a hammock the morning after feeling rotten.  Once back she goes to bed and doesn't wake up until the next day when Jake invites her for breakfast. 

He tells her there is a good place for her to write that is secluded and he takes her to a private little island by boat.  They have  frolic in the water and kiss before he sets off in the boat promising to be back for her later.  When it gets dark and he still hasn't arrived Maggie gets nervous and as the rain pelts down goes for cover.

When jakes eventually turns up, it is only on the way back that she sees that he is bleeding from the torso and needs attention.  He's awfully pale.

When they get back to the jetty by his house, she helps him inside her bungalow whilst her calls her twin brother who is a doctor.  After meds and stitches they put him in her bedroom to recover whilst she plays nurse and sleeps on the couch.

A few days pass where she feeds him and gives him his meds, writes and sleeps.  Eventually as he is getting better she checks her author Facebook page and asks if she should try and take advantage of the hot man in her bed.

The next morning she is reading the responses when Jake walks out.  Putting the computer aside she goes to make breakfast.  When he asks for his own computer so he can work from her place, she gets in then goes back to her Facebook page.  Jake messages her and offers a guys view, making her all hot and bothered.

After a shower she sits on the bed and ends up falling asleep.  Jake wakes her up for supper, he has ordered in and they drink their wine.  It is only when she goes to get more and Jakes is falling asleep does she realise that they have not been drinking wine but apple juice with sleeping tablets.

After a quick call to the brother to make sure they have not overdosed, she takes Jake to the bed where they both collapse and fall asleep.

They next day Jake, feeling better, takes Maggie out to a hotel of his where he needs to work, but she can order and do whatever she wants.  She indulges.

Of course there are a few little mix ups along the way in this book, a catty woman who wants the man for herself and confessions of love.  Don't forget Maggies mother, who has a previous lover she reveals to be Jakes father.

A cute read, yes there were a few spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, but you find those in a lot of ebooks so it didn't take anything away from the story.

I did have a little problem with the ending.  I found it rushed and felt the book wasn't finished.  A shame as the rest of the book was really quite pleasent.

Thursday 28 November 2013

Married for Christmas (Willow Park, #1) by Noelle Adams

The Book
Release Date: 1 December 2013

After years of dreaming, Jessica is finally getting married, but the marriage isn't exactly what she thought.

Daniel is her best friend, and she's known him all her life, but he's never gotten over losing his wife two years ago. His dream is to become the pastor of the church in their hometown, but the small-town congregation keeps balking over calling an unmarried minister. Since Daniel needs a wife and Jessica wants a husband and family, she proposes an arrangement that benefits both of them.

They can get married. They can build a life together. They can celebrate Christmas as a couple. It's fine that he doesn't love her. And it's fine that she's not exactly suited to be a small-town pastor's wife. And it's fine that she's more attracted to her sexy, brooding husband every day.

Jessica can be practical about this marriage. She knows what she's getting into, after all...

This book includes fully-developed sex scenes between a husband and wife.

My Opinion  3.5 STARS
**ARC Provided by Netgalley and Noelle Adams for an honest review**

I really did enjoy this book and the fact that the male lead was a Pastor did not get in the way of the story.

The church bit was put across softly but the relationship and dynamics of the two was put across really well. My only criticism would be that I would have loved to have read Daniel's POV too, as it felt quite one dimensional.

Jessica is a really strong character and you could really feel her emotions and I was really rooting for the marriage to work out well. Daniel was strong in his beliefs and in his loyalty, and he came across as a really caring character.

I read this book really quickly and loved their happy ending.

Wednesday 27 November 2013

Searching for Someday (Searching For #1) by Jennifer Probst

The Book
Release Date: 26 November 2013

Kate has given up on love—at least for herself. She is both blessed and cursed with the ability to sense a romantic connection between two people—a gift that her family passed down for generations. When Kate launches her own matchmaking company, Kinnection, with her two best friends in a cozy New York town, she has to put aside her own romantic disasters to make her business a success.

But when a furious man stalks into her office and accuses her business of being a scam, Kate is given the ultimate challenge to prove herself. Slade puts himself in her hands and asks Kate to find him love. Enraged at his arrogance but stubbornly eager to prove herself, Kate agrees, dedicating herself to the journey of finding him love...only to find herself falling for him along the way

My Opinion  5 STARS
**ARC Provided by Netgalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for an honest review**

This series is a spin off from The Marriage Bargain series and features the purple Book of Spells again.  So we do get to see a little more of the characters from this series.

Kate is able via touch to tell if a couple has a connection that will last for life and has helped many a could find love with her matchmaking company.  A company that she set up with two of her best friends.

Slade is cynical of love and does not believe in it any more, his marriage crumbled years ago and he is an overprotective big brother.  He only joins the matchmaking company to prove it a fraud after his sister says she has signed up.

The tension sizzles between the two and there is a lot of pushing and pulling as they decide what they really want in life and of each other.  There is a very cute dog called Robert who just steals your heart.  Honestly, you just can't help but fall in love with it.

There are a lot of  different characters and each one compliments the other.  I really enjoyed this story.

Sunday 24 November 2013

Baby It's Cold Outside (Flirting for Fun) by Carly Carson

The Book
Release Date: 1 November 2011

Jenna only intends to apologize to the man of her dreams for the great wrong she did to him five years ago. But when she shows up uninvited at the door of his Manhattan apartment, an unexpected blizzard is blowing up outside and she's dressed for a beach day in Florida. What can he do but invite her in?

Though he's never met Jenna before, Grant is immediately drawn to this blizzard-bopping beach babe. He'll do her, but he doesn't do deception. He thinks he's spotted her minor trickery, but the big secret that blew up his life is waiting in the wings…

And things are about to heat up.

My PoinionJenna only intends to apologize to the man of her dreams for the great wrong she did to him five years ago. But when she shows up uninvited at the door of his Manhattan apartment, an unexpected blizzard is blowing up outside and she's dressed for a beach day in Florida. What can he do but invite her in?

Though he's never met Jenna before, Grant is immediately drawn to this blizzard-bopping beach babe. He'll do her, but he doesn't do deception. He thinks he's spotted her minor trickery, but the big secret that blew up his life is waiting in the wings…

And things are about to heat up.

My Opinion  5 STARS
**ARC Provided by Netgalley and Aspendawn Books for an honest review**

I loved this book. Lots of flirtation, some guilt and some good dynamics between the two characters.

Jenna has emotions that flutter from lust, like, embarrassment and guilt, whilst Grant mainly focuses on lust and anger but the end shows his sweet side.

The book is well plotted and is a perfect holiday read to keep a smile on your face and a tingle else where. Certainly a book to get out year after year to give you a smile.

Saturday 23 November 2013

Serafina and the Silent Vampire (Serafina's #1) by Marie Treanor

The Book
Release Date: 28 August 2012

Silence has never been so sinful…

Welcome to Edinburgh's unique psychic investigation agency, Serafina's.

Serafina MacBride is psychic - but not strictly honest. While staging a hilarious vampire attack at a client's party, Sera is stunned to encounter a real vampire - annoying, gorgeous and inaudible to everyone but her. When her client's son is found dead with puncture wounds in his neck, she tracks the silent vampire to his lair.

But the amoral and seductive Blair is also on a mission - to find and kill a nest of young vampires who've invaded his territory. Soon Sera is drawn into the bizarre world of the undead, where danger lurks in the shadows along with forbidden sensual delights - and a murderous conspiracy to flood the world with financially astute vampires who talk.

Supported and hindered by Blair's eccentric, undead friends, and by her own motley crew from Serafina's, Sera and Blair uncover surprising truths about each other and about the mysterious Founder from whom all vampires are descended.

In the end, Sera draws on powers she never knew she had in a frantic fight to defeat the forces of evil and preserve the strange, complicated being she's trying so hard not to love.

My Opinion  3 STARS
**ARC Provided by Netgalley and Marie Treanor for an honest review**

This book certainly had a different twist on vampires. Vampires that didn't dazzle and couldn't talk other than telepathically with each other.

Serafina was a strong character but i found it hard to identify with her or her emotions and found the relationships a little stiff.

Blair the love interest and main Vampire held true to what he was portrayed and i loved his honesty. Still he fell a little flat for my tastes.

I struggled through this book, finding slow reading. I was never gripped by the story and struggled to pick the book up once i had put it down. 

I probably will never pick this up again to read.

Friday 22 November 2013

BLOG TOUR - After the Rain (Rain Trilogy 3) by Karen-Anne Stewart

The Book
Release Date: 14 October 2013
TOUR:  Irresistible Reads Book Tour

Finally able to put her harrowing past to rest, Raina looks forward to her future with Kas, but the Ghost has other plans. As the FBI team gets closer to taking down the largest human trafficking ring in the modern world, the Ghost begins a wicked game, making Raina the pawn and the target. Never before encountering a worthy adversary, he's fascinated by Raina and is enjoying the refreshing challenge of her intellect. 

The danger ignites to a blazing new level, and Kas struggles between the need to finally exorcise the Ghost and his need to protect his wife. Tension mounts as an internal battle wages, tormenting Kas as he watches Raina put her all into taking down the man responsible for horrific sex slavery and gruesome deaths. 

When a new player takes control, Jefferson orders the end of the Ghost's game with Raina, which results in one final, devastating act, leaving Kas desperate and willing to do whatever it takes to save her...by whatever means necessary.


Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |  B&N 

My opinion  3 STARS
** I received a free copy of this book from the author for an honest review**

Having gotten used to Karen-Anne Stewarts writing style I am now used to the jumping of the story from character to character and from one point in the story to the next, even if the previous part felt unfinished.

This book is definitely the best of the series, although there are far too many glossed over sex moments between Kas and Raina.

Raina has really grown as a person in this part of the trilogy, she has grown stronger thanks to Kas and the team around her as they protect and continue to heal her wounded soul.  Kas really is a character full of strength and love as he shows her exactly how far he would go for her.

It is certainly not a light-hearted trilogy as it focuses on the darker aspects of life that most people tend to turn a blind eye to.  Human trafficking, abuse, rape, murder, all are worn into the story, however it is lightened by the camaraderie and love shown by all the major key characters of Kas's team and by his family.  

I am sure that my eyes have been opened even wider to the human trafficking situation, as I'm sure your have too.

A job well done by the author.


About the Author: 
I am a new author and have recently discovered that i an now addicted to writing.  My first novel, Saving Rain, was originally going to be a single novel, but it quickly turned into a trilogy.  I fell in love with the characters and had to continue with the story.  Saving Rain is a new adult contemporary romance meant for readers 18 and older.
I live in the mountains with my family, and I love to read, hike, and travel when I am not writing. I am a sucker for romance, especially a book with a strong alpha male who has a sensitive side. I also enjoy a good mystery and thrillers. My favourite author is James Patterson, he is an amazing writer.
With being a newbie, I am just learning all the ropes, but I'm loving the wild ride. I plan on writing for as long as my fingers have dexterity.

Thursday 21 November 2013

GIVEAWAY & EXCERPT - Her Sexiest Mistake by Jill Shalvis

To celebrate the digital release for HER SEXIEST MISTAKE, Jill Shalvis is giving away 
25 copies to readers and the author would like to invite you to be a part of the giveaway!


The Book
Release Date: 5 November 2013

"Fall in love with Jill Shalvis. She's my go-to read for humor and heart!"
-Susan Mallery, New York Times bestselling author

Mia Appleby finally has the life she always wanted. She's escaped her trailer trash childhood and built a nice life for herself with a marketing job and a cute, little condo. But no matter how much baggage she's ditched from her past, she still hasn't managed to shake her greatest weakness-men. So when her new neighbor turns out to be single and oh-so-sexy, Mia's worried she's playing with fire . . . 

Kevin McKnight can't get enough of his gorgeous neighbor, but after one amazing night, she's already showing him the door. Something tells him this is the way she handles most men. But Kevin is far from your average guy-and he's ready to prove it to Mia. When a blast from her past shakes up Mia's life in a major way, will she stick with her self-sufficient solo act . . . or take a chance leaning on Kevin's strong shoulders?


Excerpt
The kiss started out sweet, soft, but cranked to intense quickly, a hot, deep, wet connection
that reminded her that their bodies knew each other, craved each other like air, and that being this close was inviting the inexplicable maelstrom that occurred every time she let him put his hands on her. She stopped thinking then, just let herself feel, starting with the pure sensation of his solid, hard-muscled body against hers and ending with the heat of his mouth as he deepened the kiss.
He put his hands on her now, in her hair, holding her face, then with a groan glided them down her body, touching everything he could as he trapped her between the hard desk and his tough body. He stroked her breasts, then slid his hands beneath her clothes to warm her flesh with his hands, and the simmer burst into flames.
When he finally pulled back, she was grateful to have the desk behind her holding her up, because he’d just decimated her, burst right through her every single defense with one simple kiss.
Simple? Ha! She’d never been kissed, so thoroughly, so deliberately, so absolutely fully.
He staggered back a step himself, looking surprised and just as shaky. “There,” he said in a voice low and ragged and satisfyingly hoarse. “You’re finally speechless. I like you that way.”
She stared at him, let out a sound of disgust, and pushed past him to the door. “You’re an ass.”
She slammed the door behind her, a gaffe that surely announced in a scream how he affected her, but she couldn’t seem to help it. No more, she told herself. No more. She was Mia Appleby, ad exec, queen of her world, and no one made her crazy. She kept her cool at all times.



Author Bio:
New York Times Bestselling author Jill Shalvis wrote RESCUE MY HEART and FOREVER AND A DAY, along with many other romance novels including her acclaimed Lucky Harbor series. The Rita winner and 3-time National Readers Choice winner makes her home near Lake Tahoe. 


Author’s Social Networking Links:

GIVEAWAY:

Britton (The Awakening #3) by Abby Niles

The Book
Release Date: 25 November 2013

"I would lick that man up one side and down the other."

Half-shifter and lead SPAC agent, Val Calhoun, has listened to women gush over the Don Juan of the precinct for the last four years. Yeah, Detective Britton Townsend is hot and has stunning blue eyes, but that foul mouth he saves only for her? What a waste of good looks. And no way does Val want that mouth anywhere near hers.

When the shifter community is threatened, Val is assigned to the case…and fails. So the High Council turns to the rogue shifter they'd sentenced to twenty years as a human--that same obnoxiously sexy Detective Townsend. And sends the two arch-enemies deep into the North Carolina Mountains-—together, and alone.

Being stuck in a tiny honeymoon cabin with Miss Castration and only one bed is definitely not Britton's idea of a good time. But the High Council doesn’t take no for an answer. After his shifter abilities are restored, Brit is once again susceptible to the dreaded, irreversible bonding instinct, the Drall. Thankfully, all he’s ever felt for Val is intense loathing, no reason to worry. Right? All he has to do is solve this case pronto, and he can go back to his footloose Casanova ways. That is, if they don’t kill each other first. Or worse...fall in love.

My Opinion  4 STARS
**ARC Provided by Netgalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for an honest review**

This is the best book in the series and really grabbed me from the beginning.

We have met Britton is all the other books and Val in Liam's story. This is the story of the two finding their mate, each other.

Val has always liked what Brit looked like, she just didn't know why he was the one who started the hate between them.

Brit was given serum years ago to keep his animal and other senses locked away since just before Val took over his job. He has a physical repulsion to Val that hurts. Not that he knows why as he is nice to everyone else.

When Val fails on a case Brit is given another serum to release him and brought in and given temporary use of his abilities again. Know one has a sense of smell like him. He is put on the case with Val and they have to work closely together in cramped confines. They start being nice to each other.

However it is not long that Brit finds he has a need to kiss her. She ends up kissing him and he knows he has to fight the urge to claim her as his abilities are only temporary.

However Val has an accident as a doctor is called out who flirts with Val. Not happy, Brit chases the doctor off and goes out saying he has a date with Val not realising he is in the throughs of the Drall. She invites the doctor back for dinner and they get ready to use the hot tub.

However Val has feeling for Brit, but before she can say anything an enraged Brit storms in saying she's his mate. They don't claim each other as they are unsure of the future and Val says she will wait the sixteen years until he is free if needed.

They solve the kidnapping case and go back only to have Brit immediately injected with serum to withdraw him to his sentence again. It works stronger than last time and now he can barely look at her. 

Miserable days go past and all the woman notice a change in Brit. He no longer flirts and just looks sad. Eventually Val goes to the high council and has words, but as they don't listen she tells them she is no longer proud to work for them and resigns saying it was Brit that solved the case not her.

The council a few days later rings Brit, but he no longer wants to work if Val is not there. His friends talk him into going to the meeting with the council where they overturn his verdict and give him the reversing serum again. Val also has a new job as advisor to the council.

They are waiting a few days to see each other but something goes wrong and Brit is rushed to the hospital where he is in great pain, she is told it is possible he might die and goes nuts. They have to tranquillise her.

Val wakes up back home and finds Brit in her lounge. He survived and now they can have their happy ending.

Wednesday 20 November 2013

Liam (The Awakening #2) by Abby Niles

The Book
Release Date: 26 August 2013

Shifter, Liam Doyle knows Hell. At least he believed he did. The night he feels his mate die, he learns how very wrong he was. Nothing he’d struggled with since Ava’s rejection compares to the emptiness that fills his soul by her death. Lost in his grief, he’s taken by surprise and drugged. When he wakes, everything changes. Nothing is what it seems, and someone is dead set on making him pay.

When Ava Michaels is taken captive, she’s thrust into a dark and terrifying world along with the man she was forced to leave behind. While being near Liam again is heartbreaking, the motive behind her kidnapping is gradually revealed. The more she learns, the more she worries Liam isn’t the man she believed him to be. He has enemies willing to do anything to extract their revenge. Can their love survive a crazy man’s vengeance?

My Opinion  4 STARS
Ava and Liams story. This story was really well written and had me hooked very quickly.

We start off with Liam waking up gasping realising that he is feeling Ava's panic and clawing at himself not to go into her emotions and being stuck. It is only when he wins that he notices that something is wrong. He can no longer feel her. She has died. He gets in his car and drives, finding himself at her house where he finds her in blood. He hears a mans voice before it goes dark.

He wakes in a padded cell but cant get out. There is a wall with a curtain which comes back to show Ava strapped to a table. A man walks into her cell and sticks her with a needle where she wakes and he can then feel her again.

Many games are played on Ava, another where she dead dead to him. She is giving porridge to eat where he has been given steak, he goes nuts any time the man is in the room with her and bangs against the glass. It is only when the man uses a knife on the marks he put on her that he finally breaks through the glass and the man runs.

This is where Liam and Ava kiss for the first time healing him where he knows he is now longer knows he's going to get lost. He suddenly knows he can change.

The man returns with a gun and shoots Liam three times and Ava with another gun. When he wakes up, he is inside a cage he cannot get out of and Ava is still on the ground. The man wakes up Ava and hurts her in front of him, trying to get Liam to change but he fights no to.

Liam taunts the man and grabs him through the cage and tells Ava to run. She runs but the man gets free. She gets out of the building where his friend Brit finds her. Both are saved but the man escapes.

Once awake Ava is told little but watches as Liam changes to his Lion and licks her cuts better and healed. But she knows for her sisters safety she has to push him away. However Liam is persistent even as she tries to push him away. 

The man calls and she pretends is her friend and it only when the friend comes round and hugs Ava he loses it and goes into a trance. Ava calls Brit who in turn calls the doc, however Ava fixes it by kissing him. Stalking off after his embarrassment it is the doc that tells her a few truths. She also finds out what would happen with death and bonding. 

Finding herself alone she goes upstairs only to find the man in her bedroom. She screams and runs falling down the stairs and twisting her ankle. He catches her and they end up in the kitchen with her on the floor under him. He slowly sinks a knife in her side, killing her slowly. Liam crashes through the window and the man takes out the knife and a fight ensues. The man dies and Liam licks her wound closed.

She dies twice on the way to hospital where Liam saves her. When she wakes up she has a weeks rest before they bond for their happily ever after in life as well as the ever after.

Tuesday 19 November 2013

The Book of Spells (Marriage to a Billionaire #4.5) by Jennifer Probst

The Book
Release Date: 15 June 2013

The Book Of Spells is the OFFICIAL love spell from the bestselling MARRIAGE TO A BILLIONAIRE SERIES by Jennifer Probst. This also contains and EXCLUSIVE SHORT story with Nick and Alexa from the bestselling book MARRIAGE BARGAIN.

My Opinion  3 STARS
This was a very short book.

It contains the love spell from the Marriage to a Billionaire series along with a recipe. It also has avery short story involving Nick and Alexa from book one called Second Chances.

Its a tale of Old Yeller and a health scare. Its told mostly from Nicks point of view and he is given some good advice from his sister in how to help battle with his dark side which helps him immensely.

Its a very sweet read.

The Marriage Merger (Marriage to a Billionaire #4) by Jennifer Probst

The Book
Release Date: 30 July 2013

Her sisters have found wedded bliss with their wealthy,wonderful dream men, but not Julietta Conte. She’s stayed on terra firma as top executive of the family’s corporation, La Dolce Famiglia bakery. Work is her passion, and her trendy Milan apartment her sanctuary . . . until Sawyer Wells, a masculine masterpiece in a suit, lures her out of hiding with an irresistible offer: an exclusive partnership with his international chain of boutique hotels.

Julietta’s been burned before—and trusting her brother-in-law’s friend, whose powerful gaze alone has her rethinking the best use of a conference room, is the riskiest proposition. But with a once-in-a-career chance to take the bakery global, will she mix stone-cold business with red-hot seduction?

My Opinion  5 STARS
**ARC Provided by Netgalley and Gallery Threshold Pocket Books for an honest review**

This is by far the best book of the series, giving the end of the series a bag and sizzle leaving you very satisfied. 

Julietta Conte is the last member of the Conte family how has not been married off.  She is a hardball business woman used to making sacrifices for the family business.  Most people call her the ice queen and probably even frigid.

Her sister Carina gave her a purple book claiming that she just has to do the spell inside and constantly hounds here until she caves in and does the one spell in contains.

We met Sawyer Wells in the previous book in Vegas.  He has moved to Italy to start on his visions in regards to his hotels and has a concrete plan and he wants Juliettas involvement with her family business.  The first meeting with her rocks him as he finds that she is feisty, has a sharp wit and humour and is able to fight back when most would cave.  He  is very intrigued and finds that he really wants her in the most carnal way.

Sawyer having a dom inside pushes Julietta past some of her boundaries, telling exactly what he wants how he wants it.  Eventually they come to a compromise.  If he can get her can't get her to orgasm in one night he will give her final say in the business dealings.  She agrees knowing her body shuts down with men.  But she doesn't realise the talent that the man holds over her.  And he gives her at least three.

Sawyer however have secrets that haunt him.  Growing up after his parents died with a foster family he was treated very badly which left scars both on his body and mind.  He has even picked up Wolfe, a boy with a past like his own.  He tells her from the start that he does not believe in love.

Saywer has a past in which Mama Conte had helped him out one fateful night and her promised her anything  and a boon would be paid.  When she calls him one day to dinner, Julietta is surprised to see him there.  At the end of the evening Mama Conte tells Sawyer that she wants him to marry Julietta and reminds him of his vow.

Julietta and Sawyer are married with only Mama Conte and Wolfe as witnesses.  They move into a new home and have a side area that Wolfe moves into as part of their new family.  Even though Julietta is not happy with the arranged marriage, they end up in bed every night even though they have their separate rooms.

Things go well until Sawyer gets a letter from his old foster father blackmailing him.  He pulls away from her family, Julietta and Wolfe knowing being with them will only hurt them further and Julietta and Wolfe become concerned.

Eventually Julietta talks to Max and asks for his help.  However both Wolf and Max talk to Sawyer, but he still can't see past it.  It is when her family are leaving Italy that Mama Conte steps in and tells him again that he has to choose his path in her own unique way.

Sawyer sees his mistake and goes to the airport to fix his mistake with the rest of the family as witnesses where he finally tells Julietta that he loves her.

Monday 18 November 2013

The Marriage Mistake (Marriage to a Billionaire #3) by Jennifer Probst

The Book
Release Date: 6 November 2012

Carina Conte has had a crush on her brother Michael’s best friend, Max Gray, since she was a teenager. Now she’s earned her MBA and come to work at Michael’s new venture, America’s fastest-growing bakery empire. But some things never change: her family still treats her like a child. With three drop-dead gorgeous siblings, she’s still the ugly duckling of the bunch. And Max, the company’s new CEO, still barely notices her.

Max knows Carina Conte is strictly off limits. But hot-blooded lust wins out at a conference when the two share a scorching one-night stand—and are busted by her mother! Now, forced by old-world Italian tradition into a marriage he’s not ready for, Max is miserable—and Carina is furious. Her new husband is about to realize that hell hath no fury like a woman transformed….

My Opinion  4 STARS
This is the best book in the series by far. I was looking forward to Carina's story and i wasn't disappointed at all. The story really brought me in and i couldn't help myself from crying near the end.

Carina has been in love with Max since she was a teenager and everyone knew even Max. But Max was her big brothers best friend and a series commitment freak. If he didn't feel a spark he didn't continue with the relationship and he certainly never invited them to meet his family.

Max has struggled with the knowledge that his father left his pregnant mother and has wanted nothing to do with him and was really disappointed with the man he went to find. He has vowed never to be like him so has struggled to find what he really wanted, or just been too plain scared to go for it.

Carina has started work in America to get away from being cosseted. She wants the American way of dating without her family breathing down her neck and has changed a lot since Max last saw her. Now what stands before him is a woman he finds himself lusting after. But Carinas big heart gets in the way of business and shes not really sure she wants to be there. She is only there to please everyone else.

The attraction between the two is hot and they have many heated kisses and a few fumbles. But it is on a business trip to Vegas where things take a major u-turn and Max takes what he wants. 

What is supposed to be a one night stand as a virgin ends up a lot more when Carinas mother gives them a surprise visit and insists they marry. Max agrees as his honour and Carina's is at stake, but Carina is not at all happy. 

Surprisingly for Max, he takes to the change very well, but Carina is not happy. She didn't get the fairy tale she wanted, she got forced wedding from him. Having left the company she helps Alexa with the bookkeeping and paints more. She finds herself painting flat until she starts on the erotic side.

Things take another turn as Max finally tells her he loves her but she cant and wont believe him. She walks out on him to find herself. She works long shits and paints more, getting herself a showing.

When her mother gives her a visit before going back home to Italy she is told some home truths by her mother. She realises what she needs to do as she misses Max. It is at her showing that she shows and tells Max her decision and love.

Get their free Valentines story online here http://thesubclubbooks.com/?p=6157

Sunday 17 November 2013

The Marriage Trap (Marriage to a Billionaire #2) by Jennifer Probst

The Book
Release Date: 2 October 2012

WIFE WANTED…

Italian billionaire seeks faux fiancée. Willing to agree to anything in return...

In order for his sister to marry, Italian billionaire Michael Conte has to find himself a bride – and fast! When he learns that photographer Maggie Ryan is going to be in Milan, Michael hatches a plan to introduce her to his family as his “fiancée.” Never mind that Maggie is confident, independent, and a control freak. Never mind that she’s everything he doesn’t want in a wife… and everything he wants in his bed!

Convinced that Michael is in love with her married gal pal, Maggie agrees to keep up the ruse if he’ll keep away from her friend. Besides, she’s not attracted to charming, ridiculously hot billionaires who drive her nuts. Once they’re in Italy, however, everything changes – and the sexual tension between Maggie and Michael goes from simmer to naked nuclear meltdown!

But have they found the perfect arrangement… or are they trapped in a make-believe marriage?

My Opinion  3.5 STARS
Yey.  It's Maggie's story and the delectable Michael Conte.

Maggie is Alexa's best friend and her husbands sister.  She is a spitfire and a professional photographer who works with mostly naked men and under ware with a brilliant eye for a great picture.  She is also a bit of a control freak.

Michael Conte is the man in charge of his families chain of bakeries and looks after his three sisters and his mother.  He too is a bit of a control freak after taking charge of the family business after his fathers death and giving up his own dreams of racing.

Maggie has always seen the close friendship between Michael and Maggie as something other, that Michael is in love with her best friend and is determined to do everything to keep him away from her.  With a call from his sister however Michael's world spins.

His sister cries as her boyfriend has finally proposed, but his mother says that she cannot marry until Michael has done so.  Family tradition that the eldest marries first.  But his sister and her fiancé do not want to wait.  So Michael needs to find someone to pretend to be married to for a while.  The only one who fits the bill is Maggie.

Maggie cannot believe what she hears, but before she turns down his request, he goes for the kill, suggesting that perhaps he talks to Alexa to help him.  Thereby she agrees to help, but only if he never sees Alexa again.  She doesn't want him to interfere with her friend marriage to her brother.

They go to Milan where she has a photo shoot and she charms his family, and a stray cat that know one else can get close to along with his cousins children.  It is obvious that his mother can see the truth immediately and she weaves her own little web.

Maggie and Michael have a tempestuous relationship, fire and passion and dominance all rolled into a flaming ball of heat.  Maggie can see the truth about the family and is not shy at telling him what she really thinks and steps out to help his sisters.  She sees the true heart of them all.

She helps young Carina bloom, one sister to marry the man she loves and the other as a business woman.  She takes some fab shots at the photo shoot with Carina in the shadows that stuns Michael.

With a suspect sudden illness from his mother Michael and Maggie end up actually getting married, and Maggie reveals a secret that she has told know one other than her mother who was less than kind.  But with the revelation and the sudden closeness she runs leaving both unhappy, especially as he tells her he loves her.

Once back Alexa tells her that Michael visited her and told her everything, that Michael really does love her.  Michael on the other hand has decided that he will take another chance to see if he can get his wife to believe him and makes the grand gesture.  Needless to say she sees the truth and runs to him.

A sweet story on marginally better than the first.