REVIEW - Raw Power (11th Hour #1) by Jackie Ashenden

The Book
Release Date: 27 February 2018
Goodreads Link

They fought for their country. Now they fight for you. 

To find the people lost in the shadows, you need the men who live in them. The former soldiers of 11th Hour are unaffiliated, unacknowledged, and definitely illegal. They protect the innocent, destroy the guilty--and capture hearts along the way . . .

Rugged, skilled, and hard-bodied, Jack King's whole life was the Marines until an injury left him discharged from active duty. But he finds a new purpose when he's recruited by a special unit that employs ex-military to do very special jobs. Yet he's not impressed when his first assignment is babysitting the pretty, perfect daughter of a politician--especially when she's far from the angel she appears to be . . .

Callie Hawthorne hates politics, and she hates playing the part of a senator's goody two shoes daughter even more. It only gets worse when her father decides she needs a security detail 24/7--and the bodyguard happens to be the most insanely hot guy Callie's ever seen. Still, she's not going to be ordered around just because of some half-assed threat to her father. . . . But when it turns out her dad's no angel either, Jack has to kidnap Callie in order to protect her. And as danger closes in, he'll need all his considerable talents to keep them both alive. The greater challenge will be to keep his hands off her . . .

Praise for Jackie Ashenden's Dirty for Me

"An intense scorcher of a story that is sure to delight fans and win her a legion of new devotees. . . . Unforgettable." --RT Book Reviews, Top Pick

"Tension and heat pervade the frequent sex scenes . . . Readers will eagerly anticipate future installments in the series." --Publishers Weekly 

"Explosively sexy." --Heroes & Heartbreakers

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

This is the first book in a new series in which retired former soldiers get a second chance with a job that is not entirely legal, but not illegal either.

Jack King was injured in the line of duty and has not been able to get a job, until now, when a woman hands him a card for the 11th Hour.

Jack has a protective streak and when his first assignment is for Callie Hawthorne his sensors go on red alert from the beginning.  One for the responses that she brings out from him and the second with her situation.

Callie is fed up of being her fathers pawn and with the arrival of Jack initially believes that he is there to take away her had won freedom.  However her simmering attraction to Jack has her acting herself for the first time in forever.

The chemistry between the two is explosive and their pasts are not light hearted at all.  

We get our happy ever after and introductions to the rest of the team, however the secretive Mr Night has me captivated, so i hope we get a story with him at the helm.

A brilliant start to the new series.

REVIEW - Confessions of a Klutz (Confessions Series, Book #1) by Abigail Davies

The Book
Release Date: 22 February 2018
Goodreads Link

What do you get when you cross a klutz with a GQ model lookalike? 
Sounds like a bad joke, right? Only it’s my reality. And reality comes in the form of arm veins, dimples, and THE sexiest voice I’ve ever heard. 
But there’s a slight issue. You see, I have a confession: I’m a klutz. 
I’m used to it now and everything's going fine— if you don’t count the monthly trips to ER and the twenty-three jobs in the last four years—that is until I’m sent to New York. 
The city of dreams… a klutz's worst nightmare.
Three weeks. Twenty-one days. 
I can control it right? 
WRONG.
Let the fun begin.

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

I enjoyed this book, however i think that Violet acts a little childish at times, however i love that she owns the crap out of being a Klutz.

Axel is your typical business man, however having Vi thrown into his path causes hilarity to ensue along with a lightning of his day, if not certainly a distraction.

The novella went very quickly for me and i am certainly hoping that we get more of these characters and the other supporting characters as i had a blast reading this one.

REVIEW - Baby Maker (It takes Two #1) by P. Dangelico

The Book
Release Date: 20 February 2018
Goodreads Link

Stella Donovan’s biological clock is a ticking time bomb.

The successful financial manager has spent her adult life building a career and neglecting her personal life. Problem is, she doesn’t believe in marriage. Not after watching her mother be treated like garbage by her father. Nope, marriage is not for her. All she wants is a baby. All she needs is a man to agree to her terms.

Dane Wylder, recently retired NFL tight end and future Hall of Famer, wants a baby.

Naturally, marriage is off the table. He’s not the marrying type. Women are great––as long as they’re trying to get into his bed and not his heart. But after years of living only for himself, he’s ready to be a father. 

Sparks fly when a successful financial manager and a legendary football player enter into a legal agreement to have a kid together. They planned on everything––they just didn’t plan on each other.

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

I really liked this book.  It has plenty of LOL moments and you could just tell that this was going to a bit of a rough ride to a happy ever after couple.

Stella is a very strong woman who knows what she wants, what she likes and is very independent.  After her mother struggling to raise enough money to raise her and her twin brother with an absentee father, she knows she will never get married and has a thing about spending little and earning well.  However she wants a child.

Dane is a retired NFL player and after having a absentee mother has decided that he will play the field and harbours no illusions about getting married.  However he wants a child.

After meeting through a mutual friend our couple have quite a few hurdles to get over, along with outside forces pushing them together, along with annoying feelings that seem to get in the way.

The chemistry between the two is great, it is a slow burn and you can't help but be happy when they FINALLY get together and go for gold.

I may well look for more books by this author.

REVIEW - The Undercover Billionaire (Tate Brothers #3) by Jackie Ashenden

The Book
Release Date: 27 March 2018
Goodreads Link

The Tate Brothers were raised to protect what is theirs…

Navy SEAL Wolf Tate is on a mission of vengeance. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to infiltrate the lair of his arms-dealing enemy—and rescue the mother he never knew. To do this, he’ll need more than his father’s fortunes or his brothers-in-arms. He must find a way to kidnap his enemy’s daughter for leverage. There’s just one problem: She is also one of Wolf’s closest friends—and the only woman he’s ever loved…

For years, Olivia de Santis has been waiting for Wolf to take her in his arms and make her dreams come true. But she never imagined that he’d sneak into her bedroom one night…and take her as his hostage. Olivia knows she should resist him—and stay loyal to her own family. But how can she deny the burning justice of Wolf’s mission, and the blazing desire in his eyes—even if giving into the heat of the moment can put her in grave danger?

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

 This is the last book in the series and at first i was totally unsure of the characters, especially Olivia.  Olivia is mid twenties, dresses like a nun, a virgin and never been kissed.  She is also completely sheltered and naive.

Wolf is a navel SEAL and figures himself stupid, he also has a bit of a temper on him.  In most of the book he does what has been expected of him as a weapon, whilst thinking he is not the sharpest tool in the box which annoys me.  He has had his mind fucked by his father and by Cesare de Santis.

Olivia who has had a crush on Wolf since she was 15\16 takes Wolf in his stride, but finds her life falling apart by a few abrupt revelations about her father from Wolf.  It is from there that the doubt creeps in and she is able to dig about for her fathers final downfall.

The chemistry between the two is combustable, and Olivia does some growing up over the course of the book which redeems her character, but Wold is the only brother that does not bring in another for help, he just asks them a couple of very quick questions that leave him reeling.

A decent end to the series.

REVIEW - Hot and Bothered (Hot in the Kitchen #3) by Kate Meader

The Book

Release Date: 4 March 2014

Goodreads Link

A Fire They Can’t Put Out . . .

Although her baby boy keeps her plate full, Jules Kilroy is ready to take her love life off the back burner. Despite a bevy of eligible bachelors, it’s her best friend, Taddeo DeLuca, who's fueling her hormones with generous servings of his mouth-watering Italian sexiness. But Jules learned her lesson once before when she went in for a kiss, only to have Tad reject her. She’s vowed never to blur the lines again . . .

After a lifetime of excuses and false starts, Tad has finally opened a wine bar, a deal made even sweeter when Jules joins his staff. Lovers come and go, and he’s had his share, but friendships like theirs last forever. Still, ever since he tasted her luscious lips, he can’t stop fantasizing about what could be. Then she signs up for an online dating site—and the thought of his Jules with another man makes Tad’s blood boil. Even if he gets burned, Tad can’t stop himself from turning up the heat this time. 

My Review  4 STARS

The last book in this series focuses on Jacks sister Jules Kilroy and her best friend since moving to Chicago Taddeo (Tad) DeLuca.

Tad has been there for Jules since day one, being everything she needs in a friend, just not there in the romantic sense as he didn't want to take advantage of this amazing woman.

Jules has dyslexia and has struggled her whole life, believing that she is pretty much useless.  She has been using her body to get her through, but after running to her brother after finding herself pregnant she builds herself up stronger with a newly acquired family.

The friendship between Tad and Jules is strong and when they finally get their groove on it is completely combustable. These two really deserves each other and Jules is there for Tad in his darkest hours.

Loved this book, however i would have loved an epilogue a year or two down the line.

REVIEW - All Fired Up (Hot in the Kitchen #2) by Kate Meade

The Book
Release Date: 5 November 2013
Goodreads Link

Her sweetest mistake . . . 

Cool as a Chicago winter, private events planner Cara DeLuca is a model of self-control . . . until she meets the one temptation she can't resist: Shane Doyle. The sexy, Irish pastry chef is too hot, too sure, too young, and after a crazy night in Vegas-her new husband. While at first Cara wants nothing more than a way out of her sham marriage to Shane, she soon finds that beneath his farm boy demeanor lies a man who can match her drive, both in and out of the bedroom. How can the wrong guy feel so deliciously right?

. . . Tastes so, so good

Shane has carefully structured his career and life around one goal: connecting with the family that doesn't know he exists. Marrying a woman with more issues than a magazine stand wasn't part of the plan, but melting Cara's icy exterior is so worth the detour. Now as the annulment date nears and long-buried secrets are revealed, Shane will have to fight for the one thing guaranteeing the perfect life he craves . . . the current Mrs. Shane Doyle.

My Review  4 STARS
**My thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

The second book in the series starts a year down the line from book one.  Jack and Lili are only weeks away from getting married and it ends at their wedding.

However the book focuses on Lili's sister Cara who we meet in the first book along with a new character, Shane who hails from the same town in Ireland as Jacks late mother.  Its is Shane's happy nature and persistence that cracks Caras shield and gets behind her walls to see the true her that she has been hiding from everyone.

Shane winkles out her secrets and starts to heal the hurts she has been hiding making her a stronger woman, not that she is not already a strong woman.  I should mention that Cara has an eating disorder which is handled really sensitively by the author.

The chemistry between the two is explosive and i am really glad the two get their HEA and that we get to see the beginnings of something happening between Taddeo DeLuca and Jules Kilroy, as the next book is about them.

I can't wait to read book three.

REVIEW - Feel the Heat (Hot in the Kitchen #1) by Kate Meader

The Book
Release Date: 28 January 2014
Goodreads Link

IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT . . .

Photographer Lili DeLuca spends all her time working at her family's Italian restaurant, instead of following her dream of getting an MFA. When famous British chef Jack Kilroy unexpectedly challenges her father to a cook-off, Lili decides she's tired of playing it safe and vows to seduce the tempting Brit. But once a video of her and Jack kissing goes viral and her luscious (if voluptuous) butt starts trending on Twitter, Lili fears she's cooked up a recipe for disaster . . . 

Jack Kilroy's celebrity has left him feeling used and used up. While Lili's oh-so-sexy moans when she tastes his delicious creations turn him on, he's even more aroused by how this beautiful, funny woman is unimpressed by his fame. He knows they could be amazing together, if she could only see past his rabid, bitch-fork-wielding fan base. Now as he's about to start a new prime time TV cooking show, can Jack convince Lili to realize her own ambitions-and turn up the heat in his kitchen?

My Review  3 STARS
Although i liked this book it seemed to take forever to read and i was a little unsure of the chemistry between Lili and Jack to begin with, the will they won't they, push and pull saga.

Lili has the past fat girl image and mentality to get over, especially as she is still on the very curvy side.  Having a celebrity chef fawn over her is something Lili feels inadequate for especially as her family seem to have problems of their own and seem to have taken all of Lili's care and attention without giving very much back.

Jack is a Gorden Ramsey type of chef from England now living in America with TV success, however his personal life is all over the tabloids especially as he is a single man and therefore highly eligable.

Lili's family support her when the times comes, even with a little underhanded foul play and the push and pull of her family towards Jack is annoying.

Loved that they ended up together stronger than ever though.

COVER REVEAL - The Troublemaker by Lili Valente

Title: The Troublemaker

Author: Lili Valente

Genre: Sexy Romantic Comedy/Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Bootstrap Designs
Photo: Perrywinkle Photography

Release Date: April 23, 2018

Blurb

They say Rafe Hunter is trouble with a capital T.

I say—bring it on.

As long as Trouble comes in a package as delicious as Rafe’s, I’m ready to climb on his Harley and ride all night long—and I’m not just talking about his motorcycle.

I can hide out until the scandal with my evil ex blows over AND have a wild rebound at the same time. Besides, I’ve got no heart left to break. My ex made sure of that.

As long as Rafe and I keep our no-strings fling from our families, what can possibly go wrong?

***

This is so damned wrong.

I don’t do drama, and this thing with Carrie Haverford has Bad News written all over it. After one red-hot kiss, I know I should cut and run.

Instead I take her home, take her in her car, take her to the beach and make her scream louder than the crashing waves. And then I take her so far into my heart I don’t see how I’m ever going to let her go.

The say the bigger and badder they are, the harder they fall. But when I fall for a girl with third degree love burns, how can I convince her that fire is a good thing?

This sexy Standalone romance will make you laugh, melt, and fall madly in love. 

ADD TO GOODREADS

Pre-order Links

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / iBOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY / PAPERBACK

Author Bio

Lili Valente has slept under the stars in Greece, eaten dinner at midnight with French men who couldn’t be trusted to keep their mouths on their food, and walked alone through Munich’s red light district after dark and lived to tell the tale.

These days you can find her writing in a tent beside the sea, drinking coconut water and thinking delightfully dirty thoughts.

Author Links

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WEBSITE

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NEWSLETTER

COVER REVEAL - Confessions of a Klutz (Confessions Series, Book #1) by Abigail Davies

Three weeks. Twenty-one days. I can control it right?

🍆🐱 #COVERREVEAL🐱 🍆

Title➜ Confessions Of A Klutz

Series ➜ Confessions Series: Book 1

Author➜ Abigail Davies

Genre➜ Romantic Comedy

Cover Designer➜ Pink Elephant Designs

Release Date➜ February 22nd 2018

Blogger sign-up➔ http://bit.ly/2GtbzdF

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Giveaway➔ http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5440a3541395/

🍆🐱BLURB🐱 🍆

What do you get when you cross a klutz with a GQ model lookalike?

Sounds like a bad joke, right? Only it’s my reality. And reality comes in the form of arm veins, dimples, and THE sexiest voice I’ve ever heard.

But there’s a slight issue. You see, I have a confession: I’m a klutz.

I’m used to it now and everything's going fine— if you don’t count the monthly trips to ER and the twenty-three jobs in the last four years—that is until I’m sent to New York.

The city of dreams… a klutz's worst nightmare.

Three weeks. Twenty-one days.

I can control it right?

WRONG.

Let the fun begin.

#AbigailDavies #COAK #Romanticcomedy #Books #Vi #Axel #Romance #funny #bookstagram #amazon #comingsoon

🍆🐱ABOUT THE AUTHOR🐱 🍆

Abigail Davies grew up with a passion for words, storytelling, maths, and anything pink. Dreaming up characters—quite literally—and talking to them out loud is a daily occurrence for her. She finds it fascinating how a whole world can be built with words alone, and how everyone reads and interprets a story differently. Now following her dreams of writing, Abigail has found the passion that she always knew was there. When she’s not writing: she’s a mother to two daughters who she encourages to use their imagination as she believes that it’s a magical thing, or getting lost in a good book. If she’s doing neither of those things, you can be sure she’s surfing the web buying new makeup, clothes, or binge watching another show as she becomes one with her sofa.

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REVIEW - Kissing the Boss (Fairy Tale Quartet #2) by Linda Kage

The Book
Release Date: 2 March 2018
Goodreads Link

What’s the one thing you shouldn’t do when your boss is your ruthless evil widowed stepmother who hates your guts more than anyone?

Kiss the man she’s interested in.

So what does Kaitlynn Judge find herself doing?

Yep, she kisses the one man her stepmother currently wants, who also happens to be the CEO of the company where she works.

Can we say doomed?

After the death of her father, Kaitlynn's life has been stuck in a rut. But that begins to change after meeting a dashing stranger during the office Halloween party. Now she has to navigate vengeful stepmothers, meddling stepsiblings, and gorgeous guys in hot pursuit to reach her happily ever after.

While making a detour from the fantasy aspect, this contemporary take on the Cinderella story continues to cling to a few of our favorite traditions. You’ll still find the unmerited oppression along with fleeing women, missing shoes, mouse companions, magic wands, pumpkin-like rides to the big bash, and so much more. So rest assured, it’s all familiar and yet quirkily different. 

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

This is another retelling of a fairytale, however this one is based on Cinderella and focuses on Kaitlynn Judge, who has a wicked stepmother, and two nice stepbrothers.  We also have Ezra Nash, the brother of Isobel Nash from book one.

Kaitylnn is a lovely warm-hearted girl who sees the good in everyone, even her wicked stepmother.  There is also so much love (sibling) between Kaitlynn and her stepbrother Brodrick (Brick) and we see a loving helpful brother, the other brother Hayden has his own issues, but also loves her.

Ezra has never met anyone like Kaitlynn before and cannot stop himself from falling for her, even as he tries to distance himself from her to keep her safe he just cannot do it.

Both are sweet individuals and we meet two other characters Camilla and Gabriella who will probably feature in the next two books.  I cannot wait to read them.

I read this book in one sitting as i just could not put this book down and i loved the suspense as to what was going to happen next.

REVIEW - Monster Among the Roses (Fairy Tale Quartet #1) by Linda Kage

The Book
Release Date: 25 July 2017
Goodreads Link

“Do you know how to get to the rose garden?”
“No, you can’t go there. A monster lives there.”

Shaw Hollander is desperate.
Broke, unemployed, and determined to help his ailing mother, he falls on the good graces of a wealthy benefactor who is willing to give Shaw a job at his mansion in order to pay off his mother’s debts. Suddenly finding himself surrounded by lavish riches, he has no idea what his duties truly entail until he’s sent to the rose garden and meets the tragically mutilated Isobel.

This Beauty and the Beast story holds true to the core of the fable while shaking off the element of fantasy and dragging it into present day reality. Shaw and Isobel are ready to let you climb into their four-wheel-drive pickup and take a ride with them into their version of happily ever after, but only if you first dare to gaze upon the monster among the roses. 

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

This is a re-telling of the story of Beauty and the Beast, but with a role reversal.  The beast Isobel, a woman scared by fired and who has isolated herself from the world.  Shaw is our beauty and the story is told from his point of view.

Shaw has a wonderful, yet very soft heart and it is with that he gets Isobel to open up to him and to do things out of her structured day.

I was crying at a few points in the book as poor Shaw does seem to get a bum deal, especially with his family, however after a misunderstanding with the Nash family, especially Isobel our fated lovers find their way back to each other, especially as Shaws soft heart cannot not forgive the woman he loves.

I read this book in just one day as i found it captivating.

REVIEW - The Billionaire's Sweet Valentine by Laura L. Walker

The Book
Release Date: 18 January 2018
Goodreads Link

When a Valentine's Day contest for Arizona's Cutest Couple throws two romance-challenged people together, can they survive a fake engagement?

All Penny Merrill wants to do is run her own sweet shop in beautiful and ritzy Scottsdale, Arizona, but her money-hungry mother and conniving stepfather are making it nearly impossible to keep her dream alive. When Penny finds an advertisement for a Valentine's Day contest for Arizona's Cutest Couple, with the winnings being enough to enable her to hold on to her floundering business, she comes up with an idea that just might work--if she can find the right man for the job.

Commercial contractor Preston Ames is starting to develop feelings for Penny, and even though he's been through enough heartache to know that he should avoid her at all costs, he can't keep himself from visiting her sweet shop everyday. When Penny asks him to participate in a crazy scheme so that she can overturn her stepfather's underhanded business ploy, Preston is tempted to run the other way. But one look into her soulful blue eyes and he's a goner. Little does he know that just one picture will turn Penny into his sweet Valentine.

But when the fact that Preston is a billionaire comes to light, and Penny and Preston compete against another couple whose heartache transcends all of their misconceptions about love, will they do the right thing? And in the process, discover a bond that is greater than they thought was even possible?

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

This is a sweet read, just in time for Valentines day that should warm up your heart.  Penny is fighting for her sweet shop, and wants to enter a completion where the grand prize is a holiday to Hawaii and $5,000.  She needs the money to help fix her failing car.

Preston owns his own construction company and goes to the sweet shop every day for doughnuts for his crew.  He has always liked Penny and her sweet and generous heart.

After agreeing to pose as her fake boyfriend for round one, thinking it won't go further than there, he  is surprised each time tha=ey get to the next round.

Both characters get deeper feeling for each other, and there is a little intrigue with the story too with a little sabotage to Penny shop.

Preston finds something he was not sure still existed and Penny finds a man that will love her and protect her from others, even her family if needed.

Review - Princess Ever After (Royal Wedding #2) by Rachel Hauck

The Book
Release Date: 4 February 2014
Goodreads Link

Regina Beswick never dreamed of faraway places. She’s happy with her life as a classic car mechanic and owner of a restoration shop.

But an unexpected visitor and the discovery of a fairytale, drawn by her great-grandma, causes Regina to wonder if she might be destined for something more.

Tanner Burkhardt, Minister of Culture for the Grand Duchy of Hessenberg, must convince the strong-willed Southerner, Miss Beswick, that she is his country’s long-lost princess. Failure could destroy his reputation and change his nation forever.

As Regina and Tanner face the challenges before them, neither are prepared for love to invade their hearts and change every thing they believe about themselves.

However, when a royal opponent nearly destroys Regina’s future, she must lean into God and trust He has sovereignly brought her to her true and final destiny.

My Review  3 STARS
**My thanks to NetGalley and Zondervan Fiction, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

I am grudgingly giving this book three stars.  Although the cover and the book description got me to try this book, as a consumer i felt them slightly misleadinging.  Why?  Because of the amount of country politics and the very hard and clear christian theme throughout the book. If you are going to have such a christian theme in a book, warning would be nice as i was NOT expecting it.  

The backbone of the story was good, a 29 year old finds out she is a lost princess and heir to a throne in which if she does not take the crown the country will be absorbed into another country.  There is also a love of classic cars going on.

There is love, plotting, a very strong christian theme, diary readouts from her dead grandmother, lots of politics and friendship.  The book is also very clean and only has a few kisses dotted around, with our couple skirting around most of the book with their feelings.

Certainly not an author i will be reading again.