REVIEW - Somebody's Baby (Darling, VT #3) by Donna Alward

The Book
Release Date: 4 April 2017
Goodreads Link

-Number three [Somebody's Baby] in Alward's Darling, Vermont, series is a fantastic friends-to-lovers tale featuring a true-to-life wary-of-commitment couple.- - RT Bookreviews

Veterinarian Rory Gallagher chose a different path from his brothers, both of whom became first responders in the lovely little town of Darling, Vermont. Rory's always had an affinity for animals--and the ladies. Known for his impressive track record in breaking hearts, Rory never meant to hurt anyone; he's just never been in a hurry to settle down. It's not as if he needs to pay a visit to the town's famed Kissing Bridge to magically find love. He'll know The One when he sees her. . .right?

Oaklee Ferguson is the kid sister of Rory's best friend--and, even now that she's all grown up, remains immune to the pet-doctor's charms. When she shows up at Rory's clinic late one night--devastated after hitting a stray dog with her car--Rory's so-called -bedroom eyes- are the last thing on her mind. Still, his care and kindness toward the dog, and his concern for her feelings, catches Oaklee by surprise. . .and soon the two (and rescued dog makes three!) begin to share a deep connection that neither could have ever imagined. Could it be that love has been waiting for them by the bridge all along?

My Review  4 STARS
**My thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

This is a very sweetbread where a brothers best friend becomes the guy for our leading lady.

Both Oaklee and Rory have baggage, they have both been very badly hurt by previous lovers and have taken many years to get to the point at which they are now.

Both are actually softer in heart than they think they are and end up not only confiding in each other, but taking the step from their comfort zones into a world where they may get hurt again and into each other arms.  Both finally move past the stale existence where Oaklee has been isolating herself and Rory has been having meaningless dates with woman to a relationship with someone they care about.  All it takes is a moment of stupidity on Oaklees part and a stray dog to get their worlds to forever change.

REVIEW - The Knocked up Plan by Lauren Blakely

The Book
Release Date: 23 June 2017
Goodreads Link

Stud Finder is a standalone, dual-POV novella that links characters from The Knocked Up Plan with the The Big Rockbooks and does not need to be read in any order.

There are three little words most guys don’t want to hear on the first date. Not those…I mean these… “knock me up.”

This single gal has had enough of the games, the BS and the endless chase. I know what I want most, and it’s not true love. It’s a bun in the oven, and I’m not afraid to hit up my sex-on-a-stick co-worker to do the job. Ryder is gorgeous, witty and charming — and he’s also a notorious commitment-phobe. That makes him the perfect candidate to make a deposit in the bank of me.

I won’t fall for him, he won’t fall for me, and there’s no way baby will make three.
Right?

****
There are four words every guy wants to hear on the first date — “your place or mine?”

When my hot-as-sin co-worker makes me a no-strings-attached offer that involves her place, my place, any place — as well as any position — I can’t refuse. Besides, I've got my own reasons to take her up on her deal even with her one BIG condition.

There’s no way I’ll want more from one woman than any position, any where, any night? Except . . . what if I do?

Note: Be prepared to swoon and fan yourself from the heat! This full-length standalone contains lots of hot baby-making s-e-x, happy tears, naughty jokes and a hot, swoonworthy hero you will fall madly in love with. 

My Review  5 STARS
The two characters in this book, Ryder and Nicole have great chemistry together.  Starting as colleagues and partners in ping pong, the temperature between the two sizzles as soon as Nicole asks Ryder for a favour.

What starts as just a good plan with rules and a transaction, soon turns into more with the extra time that they are sharing together and getting to know each other better.  It probably helps that they both have a very similar profession.

Its was funny, sweet and very enjoyable to read and was the first book that i have read by this author as a sole writer.  I shall certainly be looking at seeing what else this author has written.

REVIEW - Big Hard Stick (Buffalo Tempest Hockey #3) by Sylvia Pierce

The Book
Release Date: 22 November 2017
Goodreads Link

“Pleasure isn’t a dirty word, gorgeous. Not unless you want it to be.” 

Thanks to an epic playoffs loss and a somewhat regrettable bachelorette party video starring half the team and a can of whipped cream, Buffalo Tempest captain Roscoe LeGrand is on serious PR duty this summer. His assignment? Organize a youth hockey clinic and clean up the team’s tarnished image before the season’s first face-off.

But one look at the hot-as-hell hockey mom storming the ice, and Roscoe’s thoughts slide right back into the gutter…

Ally Heinz is afraid of everything—with good reason. Three years ago, her husband died in a freak workplace accident, leaving Ally behind with their only child and a mountain of grief. Now, keeping her child safe is all that matters. Letting the kid play hockey? With all that hard, slippery ice and no onsite medical team? Not happening.

If only the sweet, sexy NHL player in charge wasn’t so good at charming the pants off her. Um, literally…

Despite Ally’s reservations, it’s not long before her kid’s rocking the rink, and Roscoe’s rocking her world, unlocking pleasures Ally has denied herself for years. Hat tricks in the bedroom are one thing, but when it comes to winning the hockey mom’s wounded heart, Roscoe’s going to need a lot more than a big, hard stick…

My Review  5 STARS
**My thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

Holy cow, Roscoe Le Grand is one truly swoon worthy guy.  Seriously, everyone needs to get their hands on a guy like this one. 

Ally is another tough little cookie.  After the death of her husband she carried on, looked after her daughter in her darkest of times, has moved across the country and has even started a job after spending so many years as a full time mum.

Yes at times the romance can seem a little too good and a little too sweet, however, we do get enough ice hockey thrown in that it also gives us something else to grasp onto as well as old friends from the previous books in the series.

I really do hope that we get more books in this series.

REVIEW - The V Card by Lauren Blakely & Lili Valente

The Book
Release Date: 13 December 2017
Goodreads Link

A brand new sinfully sexy standalone romantic comedy from bestselling authors Lauren Blakely and Lili Valente! 

When you think about how easy it is to lose keys, phones, sunglasses and your dignity on social media, you might figure it'd be a cinch for me to ditch my V Card. 
You'd be wrong.
At 25, I run a successful business, live in a fantastic apartment, and have fabulous friends to go out with any night of the week. And yet I'm still a card-carrying member of a club I don't want to belong to anymore. Good thing I know just the man for the deflowering job—my brother’s business partner and best friend. 
Graham Campbell is charming, smart, and, I’m told, oh-so-skilled in the sack. As long as I keep my eyes on the prize, there’s no way this pluck-the-flower project could possibly complicate matters.
***
Work and pleasure. As the CEO of a fast-growing company, I've been enjoying both to the fullest. What do I do when the board throws me for an unexpected loop so I can keep my business in my hands? I enlist the help of my best friend's little sister since she holds a big stake in the company. But then I learn there's another big stake she wants. 
The one between my legs.
I can do this. Seven nights to teach her everything I know in the bedroom. There's no way I'll fall for her, even though she’s earning top grades in every single sinfully sexy lesson. And turns out I’m learning something too. The trouble is I don’t have the answer key to what to do when I fall hard for her.
And that throws a whole new hitch in my plans.

My Review  5 STARS
**My thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

This is one sexy as hell book written by two brilliant authors.  You have a friends to lovers scenario in which things only happen because they both want something from each other, however it is CJ that turns the tables on Graham and she ends up teaching Graham a few life lessons that he never expected.

Both CJ and Graham are likeable characters and the writing flows so well you end up so invested in the story that you cannot put it down.  

It is a stand alone book, but i really hope that these two authors are able to collaborate in the future if this is the kind of book that comes forth from their very talents brains and fingers.

REVIEW - Immortal Coil (Dragon Spirit #1) by C.I. Black

The Book
Release Date: 6 March 2012
Goodreads Link

Two souls. One Body. Sharing is not an option…

Terrible news has turned Anaea Salis’s life upside down. There’s nothing she can do to make it right, and the stranger who stops to talk to her can’t help. But when that stranger, Hunter, an ancient dragon spirit, is viciously attacked and forced to transfer his spirit into her body, Anaea’s life takes a new terrifying twist.

Hunter should have known by now not to get involved with human affairs, but there was something about the woman that drew him to her, and he just couldn’t help himself. Trapped in her body all he wants is to get out, except whoever is trying to kill him is now after her.

Their only hope of survival… plunge into the deadly world of dragons. 

My Review  4 STARS
**My thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

This is a slightly different read to what i have been reading recently, however the book starts with a hard subject.  Anaea has been suffering from Cancer and things are bad, she is going to jump off the bridge in Pittsburgh.

The subject  is tackled well, however its not a book that pulls you down, by the end you are lifted up and happy things have gone well for our two characters. 

We do get points of view from multiple characters, not just the main two characters in a bid to give us a well rounded view of what is happening, but as we get the point of view of the baddie, i feel that it loses the suspense it could have had.

We get to meet characters that are also going to have their own endings and get their points of view at times, so we start to get invested in them, wanting to hear them have their own story.

A good read, certainly giving us a good idea of the world that they inhabit and the law of the dragon kind.

REVIEW - Man Hands by Sarina Bowen

The Book
Release Date: 11 December 2017
Goodreads Link

He puts the "screw" in screwball comedy...

BRYNN

At thirty-four, I’m reeling from a divorce. I don’t want to party or try to move on. I just want to stay home and post a new recipe on my blog: Brynn’s Dips and Balls.

But my friends aren’t having it. Get out there again, they say. It will be fun, they say. I’m still taking a hard pass. 

Free designer cocktails, they say. And that’s a game-changer. 

Too bad my ex shows up with his new arm candy. That’s when I lose my mind. But when my besties dare me to leap on the first single man I see, they don't expect me to actually go through with it.

TOM

All I need right now is some peace and quiet while my home renovation TV show is on hiatus. But when a curvy woman in a red wrap dress charges me like she’s a gymnast about to mount my high bar, all I can do is brace myself and catch her. What follows is the hottest experience of my adult life. 

I want a repeat, but my flying Cinderella disappears immediately afterward. She doesn’t leave a glass slipper, either—just a pair of panties with chocolate bunnies printed on them. 

But I will find her.

My Review  5 STARS
**My thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

This book was just EPIC!  I honestly cannot remember the last time that i laughed this much with a book and to be honest, Brynn was a good lover of food and she had a way with words that i couldn't stop smiling.  I just want her as a friend.

Things move fairly fast in this book, but i honestly could not put the book down until i had finished it.  I was literally glued to the pages and went to bed at some god-forsaken-hour as i just had to read it all, but knowing the kids would get me up early.

This is definitely a feel good book, you can't help but be happy reading this book and it will definitely be put on my must read again shelf.

REVIEW - Hardheaded (Deep in the Heart #1) by Kim Law

The Book
Release Date: 31 October 2017
Goodreads Link

Construction tip #1: Never anger a hot-tempered woman who knows how to wield a sledgehammer. And right now, Jill Sadler is spitting mad. Her company is competing on the wildly popular show Texas Dream Home, and she intends to give it her all. The opposition: We Nail It Contractors, helmed by the man who once married her…and walked out twenty-four hours later. Jill can’t let Cal Reynolds take this round. Not when she has her foster sisters and years of righteous resentment spurring her on.

Winning the contest would do wonders for Cal’s firm. Getting under Jill’s skin is just a bonus. She paints him as a villain, though Cal had no choice but to leave. Yet being around Jill again—fiery on the outside, vulnerable and warm underneath—is setting off sparks that can’t be blamed on faulty wiring. And the only way to fix the Jill-size hole in his heart is to risk everything and see if this love is built to last…

My Review  4 STARS
**My thanks to NetGalley and Montlake Romance, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

This is the first book in the series about a trio of foster sisters and their lives.

This book focuses on Jill and her ex-husband of 24hrs Calhoun, who is also her rival in business.  They both have construction firms and where he gets most of the renovation business, she seems to have been sidelined to creating sheds for women.

The book is fun, creates a lot of chemistry between the two characters and shows a great level 0f friendship between the foster sisters and their foster mother.

Their is lots of interaction between the sisters and so so get a feel of all of them, Jill the fiery tempered on, Heather the soft sweet one and Trenton the no nonsense one.  All feel like a member of your family when you finish the book and you are really happy that Jill and Cal have managed to find their way together again.

COVER REVEAL - Man Card (Man Hands #2) by Sarina Bowen

The Book

Release Date: 15 January 2018

Goodreads Link

Nothing ventured, nothing banged... 

Ash

I still don't know how it happened. One minute I was arguing with my arrogant competitor--our usual trash-talk over who deserves the larger commission. But somehow I went from throwing down to kneeling down... 

It can never happen again. I don't even like Braht. He's too slick. He's a manipulating mansplaining party boy in preppy clothes.

So why can't I get him out of my head? 

Braht

There are two things I know without question. One: Ash and I are destined for each other. Two: never trust a man with a unibrow.

Ash is my missing my piece. She's the sweet cream to my gourmet espresso. And nothing gets me going faster than her contempt for me. They don't call her the Ashkicker for nothing. 

Eventually I'll win her over...if my past doesn't ruin everything first.

Preorder Links

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

REVIEW - The Big, Bad Billionaire (Billionaire Fairy Tales #4) by Jackie Ashenden

The Book
Release Date: 21 November 2017
Goodreads Link

An intensely sexy Billionaire Fairy Tales standalone novel by Jackie Ashenden that is billionaire romance meets Little Red Riding Hood with a happily ever after. 

Wicked. Ruthless. Obsessed.

Sent away from his family as a boy because he couldn’t be controlled, Rafe DeSantis’s new guardian turned him into a monster. One who wants only two things out of life: To get revenge on the father who destroyed his life. And to possess the woman who was kept from him. Ella Hart has been his obsession for years, and now that he’s her guardian he’s finally in position to black mail her into his bed. And once he has her there? He’s going to eat her up.

Innocent. Alone. Hunted.

Ella has been living with her grandmother since the death of her parents when she was a child. She’s learned to pour her grief and pain into dance, and it’s become her escape. Her passion. Now she’s set her sights on a prestigious dance school in Paris. But there’s one problem. Ella was so young when her parents died, her money was left in the hands of the DeSantis family…and it’s now controlled by Rafe. A man she’s always found compelling and terrifying at the same time. Rafe offers her an ultimatum: Give herself to him, body and soul, and she’ll get the money she needs.

Ella isn’t in a position to refuse, though she tries to resist the sexy billionaire. It feels good, until her heart becomes involved. Does the big bad billionaire want to capture her heart? Or does he only want to own her body?

Don't miss these standalone Billionaire Fairy Tales:
The Billionaire's Virgin (Cinderella)
The Billionaire Beast (Beauty and the Beast)
The Billionaire's Intern (Sleeping Beauty)

My Review  4 STARS
**My thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

This is the last book in the series, but can be read as a stand a lone book as none of the other brothers are seen until the epilogue.

This is a new way of telling the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.  However if Guardian / Ward stories are not your thing then turn away now.

Rafe has always wanted Ella as she was the only person who was not afraid of him before he was sent away to his grandfather after an angry outburst as a teenager.  Since then he has done everything he can to get his revenge and to get Ella back in his life.

Ella has always wanted to be a dancer, but lost her mother and father within a month of each other when she was young and has lived with fear ever since.

Rate brings Ella feelings and emotions that she does not understand, but the same happens to Rafe.  Both push each other to open up and share their hurts and find that they are getting closer but still pushing each other away.  

Yes Rafe was probably the worst De Santis man, but he also had a sweet side that he only let Ella see when she started to respond to him.

Its was certainly avery different telling of the famed story, but it was certainly well done.