REVIEW - Tempting Little Tease (Forbidden Desires #4) by Kendall Ryan

The Book
Release Date: 20 March 2018
Goodreads Link

She's the tutor I hired to teach me Italian.

She's way too young for me, but she's also gorgeous, bright and filled with a curiosity about life that I find incredibly refreshing. 

It's fucking adorable. 

I’m old enough to know better, but this pretty young thing tempts me beyond belief. And for the first time in my life, I can see myself falling. 

***
Is this what it's like to be pursued by an older man? The complete confidence, the lack of expectations, the sincerity?

My God, it's exhilarating.

Quinn Kinglsey is totally unexpected. I'm moving to Italy in three weeks to teach English, and while I never expected something so real to develop between us so quickly, our chemistry is explosive. 

There's something so sexy about this back and forth he and I share. Flirting with this man is like playing with fire, and I'm bound to get burned. 

Io sono attratto da te I'm attracted to you, he tells me.

But is our attraction enough to get us through the complications of a massive age gap and an international love affair? Only one way to find out… 

This is book 4 in the Forbidden Desires series, but it can be read as a complete standalone.

My Review  5 STARS
This is the fourth book in this series and could probably be read as a stand alone book.

The chemistry between Quinn and Alessandra is combustable from the first meeting and both characters fall very fast and hard, but are unable to admit to themselves.

Quinn is the oldest brother and has kept the family together and been the strength behind them all, however he has not fallen like this before for a woman, never mind that she is MUCH younger than he is, although she possesses a maturity and calm of a woman much older.

The story is sexy and sweet and you can't help but want them both to get a happy ending together and they both finally realise what they want.

We also get an introduction into one of the main characters for the next book provided by a PI that Quinn hires.  How exciting.  I really cannot wait for the next book to come out.

REVIEW - Royal Affair (Last Royals #2) by Cristiane Serruya

The Book
Release Date: 3 May 2018
Goodreads Link

She wants a night of wild fun to mend her broken heart--no commitment needed.
He thinks his life is complete--until she shatters his perfect illusion. 

Princess Angelica de Castella y Aragon was left at the altar. Humiliated and heartbroken, she's willing to give her V-card away to the first hot hunk who comes by…as long as there're no strings attached. 
Grand Duke Ludwig von Kröenenberg has everything: success, fame, money, women, and hotness in abundance…but he's never found a woman enticing enough to keep his interest. 

A feisty and forbidden week-long affair with the sweet, sassy, and sexy princess drops him to his knees. And when she leaves him without a goodbye, he becomes determined to win her heart…and her love. 

Yet Angelica's ex-fiancé is back, seeking her hand and the Aragon throne. If he gets in the way, the couple will have more to lose than each other--they could sacrifice an empire. 

Get hot and heavy over Royal Affair, the second standalone romance in the Last Royals Series by USA TODAY Bestselling author Cristiane Serruya, a billionaire royal romance story full of suspense that will leave you on the edge of your seat! Fans of romance legends such as Nora Roberts, Sylvia Day, and Maya Banks have found their new obsession with Royal Affair!

My Review  1 STAR
**My thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

Although this book is part of a series it can be read as a stand alone book.

The write up of the story had me thinking that this would be my kind of book, but in reality after 28% i had to heavily skim to get through it.

I could not connect to either of the characters, the writing and ideas seem old fashioned and the countless names and points of view told in the story was just too much. Points of view told from more than two people just becomes too much. Where we could have had suspense from the villains as to what was going to happen was left wanting as everything was spelled out for us.

The premise of the book is good, but it just fell so flat for me and read more like a historical book, which is not my thing at all.

Sad to say, but i will probably not read anything by this author again.

REVIEW - Crush (Boston brawlers 3) by June Winters

The Book
Release Date: 24 April 2018            
Goodreads Link

Shea Ellis doesn't have time for love -- all the Boston Brawlers captain wants is one last shot at the Cup before he retires. Besides, after his ex-wife did him dirty, the single dad isn't sure if he could love again. Hell, he'd be happy just to find a decent nanny to help with his three kids.

Sure, the latest nanny to get a try-out, Brynn, is a babe. But the hottest thing about the bright-eyed twenty-something isn't her sizzling figure -- it's how fast his kids fall for her.

For a grizzled veteran, it's a pointless crush on a girl he knows he shouldn't have. And with the Brawlers marching towards the playoffs, the last thing he needs is a distraction. So why can't he get the cutie out of his mind?

Can the hockey legend keep his eyes on the ice ... and his hands off the nanny? 

Brynn Conley never expected to nanny for her childhood crush. The pretty-boy rookie whose poster she painted with lipstick kisses all those years ago? He's a rugged man now. A salt-and-pepper single dad struggling with a troubled teen daughter and two wild twin boys.

The hockey star has aged like fine wine, but Brynn's not looking for love -- she's got a job to do. And to Shea's delight, she's great with kids. It's a cruel irony for a young woman who can't have any children of her own.

Brynn knows she shouldn't hook up with the athlete -- the last thing she'd ever want to do is confuse the kids. But when her hunky boss wraps his big hockey hands around her waist, will she insist that their relationship remain professional? Or will it be the start of an ice-melting romance? 
Crush is a 70,000 word single dad hockey romance! This stand-alone novel is the third and final book in the Boston Brawlers series. No cheating, no cliffhanger, HEA always guaranteed!

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

This is the second book that i have read by this author and it is another brilliantly written book.

Shea Ellis is a veteran Hockey player and he is fast approaching his chosen retirement at the age of 37.  A string of failed nannies has him putting out a notice again, only to get Brynn as the only suitable applicant.

Both characters have been hurt in the past and they have an instant attraction to each other that keeps getting hotter and hotter until they both combust.  The chemistry is really hot and they both try to keep in in as they both feel it would be unprofessional to have a relationship whilst Brynn works for Shea.  However, both of them struggle hard with this notion.

We get mentions of players and characters from the first two books and we also get a mention of who may well get a book next in the series.  There is also an epilogue that sure up Shea and Brynn's relationship after everything happens between them, leaving us all in a good place and the characters really happy together.

Looking forward to reading more from this author.

REVIEW - Softhearted (Deep in the Heart #2) by Kim Law

The Book
Release Date: 10 April 2018
Goodreads Link

Heather Lindsay loves falling in love—even though her blueprint for romance has failed her time and time (and time) again. But now that she’s signed on to design an outdoor-wedding venue for her friend’s home renovation show, Heather’s found a new focus: her career. Only it’s not long before she’s being distracted—by the hunkiest man who ever swaggered down the streets of Red Oak Falls.

The show’s new ranch manager, Waylon Peterson, a.k.a. Prince Harry in a cowboy hat, has every woman swooning. He’s also got a bad-boy rep that’s made him the hottest mess in town. In other words, he’s catnip for Heather, the Texan queen of bad choices. That’s why she’s steering clear—even with Waylon’s charm going full throttle.

Waylon is determined to trade one night stands for true love, but convincing Heather may be an impossible task. He’s ready to settle down, but can she get past her fear of settling and give love one more shot?

My Review  5 STARS
**My thanks to NetGalley and Montlake Romance, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

I have read a few books by this author now and each book pulls me into the story as i am always pleased that i read the book.

We met Heather in the first book, but here we get to see the softer woman get stronger in herself and both characters face their flaws and they eventually come together proving that they are stronger together.

Waylon is a flawed man in that his past has not been the best, but he shows integrity and strength of character when he fights for what he wants and what should be with him.

The three friends, Jill, Trenton and Heather stick together and stand by each other when needed still and Aunt Blu even finds herself in a new world of possibilities.

Looking forward to reading Trentons story as she needs a good love story.

REVIEW - Neighbors with Benefits (Anderson Brothers #2) by Marissa Clarke

The Book
Release Date: 30 June 2015
Goodreads Link

A satisfying category romance from Entangled’s new Lovestruck imprint…

Love thy sexy jerk of a neighbor…

CEO Michael Anderson might be something of a “control freak.” Still, he’s not quite sure why his therapist thinks dogsitting will fix anything—especially since he and the canine share a kind of mutual loathing. And to make matters worse, a house sitter moves in next door disrupting his peace—and his dates—with the worst possible music at the worst possible time... every time. 

Free-spirited artist Mia Argaropolis has settled into the perfect gig—housesitting in NYC’s Upper West Side while working as an art therapist. Too bad she’s stuck living next door to a bossy control freak with a penchant for calling building security when she blasts music to drown out the noises coming through his bedroom wall. 

Post-apocalyptic dinner rolls that nearly take her kitchen with them, a douchebag ex, and a Shih Tzu with the personality of Godzilla attack Mia in one day, and her unlikely neighbor comes to the rescue. Like it was her fault. And now, somehow, they find themselves engaged? Both agree, this neighborly feud just got taken to a whole new level.

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

I liked this book.  We have two very different people in Michael and Mia.  Michael likes routine and things to be in their place, whilst Mia is flighty and spontaneous and a bit of a mess to be honest.

Mia really makes Michael look at his life and lighten up a bit, the kind of thing his therapist would want him to do, she even helps him with an unwanted at first animal he has to look after.

The two characters really connect well and the heat is turned all the way up.  We get our usual angst and a few misunderstandings so that the path to true love is not all roses and not a straight line, however both characters grow and become better people because of each other and the people around them that care for them.

Would love at some point to read book three in the series.

REVIEW - The Troublemaker by Lili Valente

The Book
Release Date: 23 April 2018
Goodreads Link

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.

Buy Links

iBooks: https://apple.co/2ryOX80
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2F7o6BM
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2DvYFcG
Amazon paperback: http://amzn.to/2E7FU0u
Googleplay: http://bit.ly/2n61UAS
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2F7sOjh
Nook: http://bit.ly/2GaC3QV
Coming soon in Audible narrated by Andi Arndt and Sebastian York!

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

This is the second book in a series which can be read as a stand alone book and it is just as good as the first one.

We met Carrie (Caroline) in the first book as a supportive sister when Emma needed it.  Now it is Carrie's turn in needing help from her sister and those baby making men.

Rafe has been a bit of a womaniser, but with Carrie he sees a strong woman who has been dealt a shitty hand and he finds himself captivated by her and they strike up a friends with benefits situation that their families cannot find out about.  However things as always take a turn of events when things get more steamy and they find themselves wanting more than what they started with.

Rafe is a strong man who stands beside Carrie when she needs someone the most and supports her and keeps her strong.  Well, along with giving her lots of orgasms that is.

The book is seriously hot, just what we expect from this author, and the chemistry is just off the charts steaming hot and will melt your panties off.

I very much look forward to reading the next book, which we have been introduced too, to see what happens between Tristan and Zoey.  

About the Author

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

FACEBOOK

WEBSITE

TWITTER

NEWSLETTER

REVIEW-Across My Heart by Shanna Clayton

The Book
Release Date: 27 April 2018
Goodreads Link

Meet the Serras: A Dynasty of Murders

AMELIA

Everything I know is a lie. 

My name. My family. One huge, tangled web of lies. Oh, and the biggest of them all? That I'm safe. 

Only one man has the guts to tell me the truth. 

Casper North is everything I'm not. Brave. Wild. Adventurous—with a reputation for living on the edge. My story unravels around the same time I discover he's stalking me. Or as he calls it, protecting me. He invades my personal space, refusing to leave. Just being near me puts his life at risk, but he stays anyway, ripping away the illusions and exposing me for who I really am.

Who am I?

My real name is Amelia Serra. My family's legacy is death. One by one, we fall like dominoes, until eventually, there will be none of us left. 

Guess who's next in line? That's right—yours truly.

CASPER

I can't save her. 

She's naïve. Gorgeous. And a Serra. Meaning, she will die. Soon. 

I was never even supposed to meet her. She was just a side job, some extra cash in my pocket, and a favor to her father. Watch her, find out if someone's after her—that's all I was told to do. Then she had to go and put herself on the brink of death, forever linking my life with hers.

Across My Heart is a standalone novel at 100k+ words. 
NEW ADULT ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
Recommended for 17+ due to mature language and adult situations.

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

This book started off a bit slow for me, but then it really picked up.  There was so much suspense and mystery as to who was responsible for the family murders and the family along with Casper were intriguing.

Considering the amount of change and danger that Amelia is put through just months after the death of the only family member she can remember, Amelia copes remarkably well.  Never once does she break down and go into the self pity route, she just goes every day and does what she need to do to survive.

Casper is a troubled soul, who has not really recovered from the death of his girlfriend, Amelia may have started as a job, but getting to know her changes something in him and he finds that he wants to help her live, especially as she appears to be the next target.

Some things wrap up a little too quickly, but their is a slow burn in the relationship between Casper and Amelia, plot twists and the big reveals of the murder.  One is not a surprise, but the other was a bit for me.  The only reason we don't get is the why the deaths were wanted by the person which was a little annoying.

On the whole it was a good book and had me turning page after page until it was finished.

REVIEW - Skinny Pants (Happy Pants #3) by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

The Book
Release Date: 20 April 2018
Goodreads Link

From New York Times Bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff Comes a New, Standalone, Romantic Comedy, SKINNY PANTS.
(Book Three, The Happy Pants Café Series) 

SHE ACCIDENTALLY CATFISHED THE PERFECT GUY. 
BUT WILL HE EVER LOVE THE REAL HER?

DR. JACK REED has been through hell. His wife cheated on him, broke his heart, and lied for years. But moving on isn’t easy, and it’s impossible to trust women again. Until he meets Macie, a nurse at his new hospital. There’s something about her honest heart that makes him want to fight to get his life back. 

NURSE MACIE FRANKLIN was always known as “the fat girl.” After decades of failed diets, she doesn’t dream of ever being anything but invisible to the opposite sex. One moment of weakness and two glasses of bubbly later, she’s in a steamy online chat with “Dr. J-Love” as the fake, size 8, bubbly Catrina.

Their passionate conversation convinces her it’s time to make big life changes. But when she goes to see Dr. Reed, the new amazing surgeon everyone’s talking about, it’s Dr. J-Love! And he’s way hotter in person.

They hit it off a second time as friends, but now Macie’s heart is at risk of falling hopelessly in love. Will he ever love the real her back?

KINDLE➔ http://smarturl.it/3riw0n

B&N➔ https://goo.gl/vjo18e

iBOOKS➔ https://goo.gl/TqZWQn

KOBO➔ https://goo.gl/pcDx8z

Paperback➔ http://smarturl.it/293h0b

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

This book although part of a series can be read as a stand alone, but it will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions.

Both Macie and Jack have a lot to go through in this book, both as individuals and as a couple, Jack has trust issues and Macie has a a slight loss of body confidence.

As with previous books we get taken on a journey of discovery for our characters and we get to see a little more of Ms Luci and some of the other characters from the previous books brought into the mix along with mentions of the authors other penned works.

Its another amazing book that finished far too quickly and the end of a series that must be re-read as most of the authors books and to be.

I certainly recommend not only this book, but ALL other the authors previous books.

REVIEW - Yogi and the Bear by Nix Knox

The Book

Release Date: 21 April 2015

Goodreads Link

If the fall is inevitable, might as well enjoy the tumble... 

Months after a scaffolding accident leaves him in chronic agony, construction worker Ryan Powell has exhausted all that Western medicine has to offer. He’s willing to try anything, even yoga, to get some relief. 

He expected to feel out of place at the New Age Center, but he never expected a power-outage bathroom encounter to magically erase his pain. When he discovers the man with the magic hands is his drop-dead-sexy yoga teacher, Ryan decides that there might just be something to this metaphysical thing, after all. 

Yogi Niklas Baumgartner has found it remarkably easy to keep his shiny vow of chastity untarnished—until now. Still, a bathroom hand job doesn’t really count as sex, right? But his footing on the no-nooky wagon slips when he realizes the big, blond bear at the back of the class is his man in the dark. 

Their unlikely attraction brings out sides of themselves they never knew lurked beneath the surface, sides it takes courage to accept. But when trust is broken, repairing the damage might just tear them apart. 

Warning: Contains a gentle giant, a dominant orgo-bunny, a pair of weighty manacles, too many movie references, accidental porn, overcoming stereotypes, and deliciously kinky sex.

My Review  3 STARS

**My thanks to NetGalley and Samhain Publishing, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

This is a new to me author and although the grammar and spelling were pretty much faultless, i did have issues with some of the content of the story.

My main problem was with Nik and his personality split which was finished too easily.  I mean if each personality is different and has a different name (Nik is shy and submissive whilst Julien was a dominant) there is something stronger going on than was presented.  Nik also has other issues, the main one with his estranged family.

Ryan is a lovely easy going guy, but he shoulders a lot of stress which has not been helped by an accident.  He also has family issues and his sisters situation detracted from the main story and didn't really add much to the plot.  

The BDSM angle also had a few issues but was know where as bad as the personality issue, but the main theme was fair sound.

Not sure i will be up to reading this book again, but could be interested into reading more from this author in time.

REVIEW - Wrong Place, Right Time by Brooke Williams

The Book
Release Date: 9 December 2014
Goodreads Link

As the bumbling town TV traffic reporter, Kate Covington is a constant source of entertainment, but Kate sticks with her dead end job because of her love for news anchor Brian Schaffer. When Brian spontaneously runs off to marry his high school sweetheart, Kate panics and quickly follows. She finds herself in a Las Vegas wedding chapel, desperate to tell her best friend how she feels before he makes a huge mistake and marries the wrong person. The mistake, however, is all Kate’s. 

As the scorned bride runs back down the short aisle, Kate quickly realizes she just interrupted the wrong wedding. The would-be groom, Chad Leida, explains the predicament Kate has caused him…he needs to marry before turning 30 in order to inherit his family fortune…and he no longer has a bride. 

When Chad asks Kate to marry him and promises her a million dollars for a year of her time, Kate isn’t sure what to do. She has a great deal of debt to her name due to caring for her ailing grandmother, but she also doesn’t want to let go of the idea of love and marriage going together. 

Kate’s impulsive decision changes her entire lifestyle…and her ideas about love. From Las Vegas to San Francisco and even to the Midwestern city of Omaha, Kate learns that even when she turns up in the Wrong Place, sometimes it is at just the Right Time.

My Review  3 STARS
**My thanks to The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

This is a cute romance, however the last part of the book felt a little rushed and therefore was a little disappointing for me.

Things happen fairly quickly in the beginning, Kate has a crush on a guy who tells her he is getting married in Vegas and she goes to interrupt his wedding, however she interrupts the wrong wedding.

Chad is an ok guy, certainly not an alpha male, but he does look after Kate in his own way although at one point he does not give her the benefit of doubt that she well deserves.

Kate is actually a fairly strong character and does not fall apart, however she certainly has her flaws.

Not a bad read, but not something that i would rush to read again.

REVIEW - Bliss and the Art of Forever (Hope Springs #4) by Alison Kent

The Book
Release Date: 7 April 2015
Goodreads Link

Now that she’s committed to leaving Hope Springs, she’s falling for the wrong man…but he just might give her all the right reasons to stay.

Two years after her husband’s death, kindergarten teacher Brooklyn Harvey is leaving Hope Springs for her in-laws’ vineyard in Italy—with no plans of coming back. That is, until she meets a disarmingly sexy biker-turned-chocolatier. He might be the man of her dreams, but he’s also the father of one of her students; as such, he’s strictly off-limits.

Callum Drake knows a good thing when he sees one, and he doesn’t want to let Brooklyn get away, even if his rival for her affection is the ghost of her dead husband. He’ll do whatever it takes to win her over, including making chocolates concocted just for her—chocolates that evoke memories of their time together. But can he create a second love bright enough to pull her, and her heart, out of living in the past?

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

Although this book is part of a series this book can very much be read as a stand alone book.  

Although i liked this book there were recipes that were included that felt superfluous to me and made the book shorter than i thought it was.

Brooklyn is a lonely woman still grieving two years later after the death of her firefighter husband.  It is only after meeting one of her pupils parents that things start to change for her.

Callum Drake is an ex biker, returned home only because of his daughter years ago.  In Brooklyn he find the first person to tempt him since Addy was born and someone he finds to gets close to very quickly.

It was a good read but it didn't't light my fire or left me wanting more, it just satisfied the craving a little.

REVIEW - Bitter Rivals: a novella by Winter Renshaw

The Book
Release Date: 30 April 2016
Goodreads Link

First it was love. Then it was war.

XAVIER

Work hard, play harder.

All I wanted was a weekend in the Hamptons, but what I got was forty-eight hours of quality time with my former business partner. My ex best friend. The girl who walked away without so much as an explanation the second sh*t got real.

I’m going to make her sorry she was never mine.

MAGNOLIA

Work hard, forget the rest.

All I wanted was a peaceful weekend alone at my boss’ Hamptons manse, but what I got was forty-eight hours with the guy who convinced me to fall in love with him and then did the unthinkable.

He broke my heart once, and I’ll be damned if I let him anywhere near it ever again

My Review  3 STARS
I found this novella hard to get into, mainly because the pair had already got a relationship of sorts, but that was in the past.  It felt like we had missed something within the relationship by not getting the beginning and being thrown into where they were meeting up again by mistake.

Yes we end up getting the information we need, but it took me a while to adjust.

The pair have good chemistry, but the last two years apart basically comes down to not Magnolia not trusting her friend and the pair not communicating about what happened, which would have so easily sorted everything out.

You don't need to read any other books in order to read this novella although there are other couples in the book that have stories from the Never Series.