definitely, possibly, maybe

dallas easton   has a reputation. he's the league's best goalie. and he's good at scoring with the ladies. but everything changes when he meets callie davis. he's still the league's best goalie. but the only lady he wants to score with is callie. callie is not a regular puck bunny. her brother and cousin are on the team and neither is a big fan of dallas. blocked  is partly about how dallas wins callie over, but also partly about how he has to win everyone over because his reputation precedes him. the thing about books that set up the main character this way is that you have to immediately make him redeemable. because no one really wants to read about a dirtbag falling in love. here's the thing, i never thought dallas was all that awful. but the way some of the characters treat him, especially during the first third of the novel is way over the top for his alleged misdeeds. that one time he almost hits callie and everyone makes him feel super bad ab...

the champion valley series continues with back in the game , and has single dad brandon figuring out his slow burn romance with ballet dancer stella. after their disastrous first date where stella ended up throwing up all over brandon's shoes, they'd spent most of their time avoiding each other. but when brandon's son matt learns that taking some ballet lessons might help him with his footwork on the football field, stella finds that she can't help herself from running interference. i'm still kind of confused as to who had to convince who and who was willing to do what, but the point is that brandon and stella have to spend time together, and neither of them is all that upset about it. because even though stella has these big plans to leave town for an opportunity with her old dance company, she find herself more and more tangled up with brandon. and she's happy to be tangled up with him. he's the first guy in a long time who respects her hang-ups and i...

when clayton east is called back home to his family's ranch in the opening pages of the christmas cowboy hero , he's not sure he wants to face what awaits him there. his father has taken ill and the ranch's financials are in the toilet after their accountant embezzled the funds. on top of that, cattle rustlers have stolen a herd of pregnant cows and their sire which endangers the ranch's future. brice harper might be the key to untangling the mystery, but he's only sixteen and in a whole heap of trouble. his older sister and surrogate mother, abby has been trying to make ends meet and keep her family together, but this trouble is too big for her to handle alone. and she has every expectation that the forbidding cowboy meeting with her to discuss brice's involvement in the whole scheme will end up throwing the book at her brother. but instead he gives brice a second chance. and that gift keeps on giving as his family welcomes hers into its fold. when what b...

totally his   opens with the theater sophie has poured her heart and soul and life savings into on fire. and there's a script that she needs to save no matter what. so she tries to sneak back in. except she's not inconspicuous in any way while wearing a dark wig and pink frilly underwear. when finn o'malley catches a glimpse of her he tries to convince himself that he would have followed her back into the theater no matter what she was wearing. it's foolhardy and dangerous and when he has to carry her out of the theater he knows it's wrong to admit that he would have preferred to carry her to his bed. when he finds out who she is, he's shaken to realize that his mother didn't want him to meet her. even though sophie and his mother are not just good friends but collaborators. and even though he promises his mother he'll stay away, he finds he can't. he finds himself doing things that are so out of character only to spend a little time basking...

aurora paxton left london in disgrace eight years before the events in   the scandalous flirt . at the time she had no idea what lucas vale, lord dashell thought of her, though given his attitude the one time they danced, she figured he found her contemptible. turns out that lucas has quite the poker face, because back then all he wanted was to bask in the heat of rory's smile. lucas and rory dance around their attraction as they search for a packet of letters that would implicate rory's stepmother and lucas's father. the truth hidden in those letters proves to be quite the bombshell. one that highlights a lot of the hypocrisy in the attitudes of victorian society. rory is an independent-minded female and her strength of mind and beliefs contrast nicely with lucas's innate sense of decorum and his fair-mindedness. he is more accepting of things than he actually appears to be, in part because he's been born and bred and a key member o...

meg timmons has been in love with lord hart highgate since she was 16 and he stood up for her to her mother. in the intervening years he's been a total rogue, but this year he's decided to take a wife. and so meg, in spite of being a terrible match for hart on paper, she has no dowry and her father's title has no social capital to speak of, decides that she's going to make a play for hart. meg is not one for strategems at least not the kind she needs if she's going to land hart. in the right kind of rogue  she turns to lucy hunt, duchess of claringdon, for help. except lucy has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer and when she conspires to catch meg and hart in a scandalous moment she overplays her hand. hart rises to the occasion, but the whole moment felt like such a rude interruption to the actual story. because if they hadn't been interrupted hart and meg would still have probably found each other. and we wouldn't have had to withstand ridiculous hur...

the second book in the cavensham brides,  the bride who got lucky , has independent-minded lady emma facing off with the reclusive nicholas st. mauer, earl of somerton. emma has been devastated by the loss of her closest friend, lena, lady aulton. especially given the circumstances of lena's death. emma knows that her husband killed her and is anxious to seek justice for her friend. but at every turn she is thwarted. by nick, by the coroner's report, by lena's lady's maid who won't come forward. it is made clear to emma that given lord aulton's social standing, he will get away with murder. and as much as she tries, there is nothing she can do about it. the thing is, that nick empathizes and understands what emma is trying to accomplish. he is disgusted by lord aulton's actions. he believes that emma has a brilliant and empathetic mind and wants more than anything to support her, but he also wants to protect her from h...

when law librarian becky schrader sets eyes on foster deacon she thinks he's the perfect person to break her streak of jerks who are bad in bed. no more lawyers or stuck up suits who look the part but never come through on marriage and the white picket fence and the 2.5 kids. he's a sexy lumberjack who clearly wants her and fulfills every promise of a good time. foster isn't looking for a relationship, but his one night with becky was unexpectedly hot. and he's disappointed when he realizes that she really meant it when she said it was a one and done type deal. when it turns out that he's the new lawyer starting up at the firm becky works at, she's mortified. he's thrilled to have a second shot. he'll need more than one to win her over. laws of attraction puts foster through his paces. he needs to work hard to convince becky to take a chance on him. she's been hurt enough, not just by romantic partners but by her own family, and the last thing...

pepper watson likes to be in control. she's always had a plan. leave sunshine and make a life for herself in seattle, the one place she remembers being happy. but lately, all her plans seem to have fallen apart. she's back in sunshine, jobless. her relationship is broken. and she's just not sure what to do next. spending time with ben cooper, her childhood nemesis, is not helping her figure things out. dating the wrong mr. right puts the girl who was on the lookout for bigger and better things together with the boy who never wanted to be far from home. for pepper and ben the chemistry is there. it sizzles every time they are in a room together. it's a miracle pepper's nosy sisters don't notice because they'd never hear the end of it if they did. it's so unexpected for everyone. even pepper and ben are taken by surprise. not by the chemistry or the feelings, they've always been aware of each other. they just never realized that those things wer...

catch up with parts  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  7 ,  8 ,  9 ,  10 ,  11 ,  12 ,  13 ,  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18 ,  19 ,  20 ,  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 ,  26 ,  27 ,  28 ,  29 ,  30 ,   31 ,  32 ,  33 ,  34 ,  35 ,  36 ,  37 ,  38 ,  39 ,  40 ,  41 , and 42 at the links. part 43 dances on after the jump...

there were no earth-shattering revelations in episode 2 of riverdale , just more build up around this season's mystery killer. we know fred was possibly targeted. ms. grundy was also targeted. and by the end of the episode there are two dead teenagers who may or may not have been targeted. what is going on? i'm sure we'll discover more as the episode continues. molly ringwald is m.i.a. again after appearing briefly in the premiere when fred was released from the hospital. but archie has been staying up nights to protect his home and is kind of falling apart. and i don't know if the material is better, or the direction is better, or if kj apa is just bringing it this season, but archie suddenly has some real depth to him. it's not just washboard abs and strumming the guitar mournfully with him anymore. there's an edge to archie, one that they seemed to be reaching for last season, but that is really being tapped into now and it's working for me. ...

no flowers required  is the second book in the love required series. alexa conroy is the owner of a struggling flower shop losing business to a value hardware store even though her products are better designed and of higher quality. they are also more expensive. when she meets dillon james she mistakes him for the building handyman, not knowing that he owns part of the business she hates and technically owns the building she's renting both her storefront and her apartment from. dillon tries, not very hard, to explain to her who he is. but in the moment she is consumed by other things. like the crazy sexual chemistry that lights up between them. before you know it they are in a relationship and the other shoe is going to drop because at some point he is going to have to come clean about who he is. and as these things happen, she kind of finds out in the worst possible way and he has to do a lot of groveling. but again the sexual chemistry is undeniable. and it...

the impossible becomes possible in move the stars . time has passed and nothing has unfolded the way it should have. manning's heart still beats only for lake. and lake's for manning. there is distance and pain and heartache. and stolen moments of time. when they have a chance to come together can they actually hold on to the love and the spark that ignites between them? what happens when the possible becomes impossible again? once again, jessica hawkins takes us on a journey filled with the highest of highs and lowest of lows. if you've already read the first two books in the series, there is no way you aren't reading move the stars , because all roads lead to here. in some ways everything that came before builds up to this story. and there are secrets revealed here, things we didn't realize were happening that color everything that came before in a different light. the truth is, lake and manning, shouldn't be meant to be. there is no reason for their...

it’s been almost two years, and manning endured the worst to keep lake safe. to keep her innocent. nevermind that the circumstances that condemned manning had stripped that away from lake already. it’s been two years, in somebody else’s sky   and nothing has changed. everything has changed. lake and manning still can’t stop their connection, their chemistry from being felt. but while lake tries to get closer, the more tightly she tries to hold on to manning and to what she knows lies between them, the more manning pulls away.  he is still trying to do what’s right. he’s trying to assure the future that everyone has dreamed for her. he knows deep in his bones that he is not meant for lake. the best he can hope for is tiffany, and it’s not really settling when he loves her too. it’s not the same as his feelings for lake. those are unfathomable. the pull of her presence—it’s enough to undo him every single time.  so he pushes her away. the more she pushes, the...

when lake meets manning in   something in the way   she’s riveted. possessive. he’s hers in a way that will never let him be anyone else’s. except that would be too easy. and lake is sixteen. and manning is twenty-three. and he knows that lake can’t be his. it’s too messed up. those seven years wouldn’t make a difference except for timing. and lake has plans. she’s going places. and manning knows that he won’t ever be the guy to take her there. he can’t be even though when he’s with her he’s understood and wanted and needed in a way that calls to his soul.  he will do anything to protect lake from hurt. from loss. from the pain of life’s disappointments. even if he has to give up what little hope he has of making a better life for himself. because that way leads him further away from lake than he is willing to go.  it’s twisted and messed up and angsty and forbidden. lake and manning suffer every time they are in a scene together and can’t reveal thems...

what the earl needs now  picks up after good earls don't lie  left off. the love of lily thornton's life has returned, but instead of claiming her as his wife, matthew larkspur, the earl of arnsbury, is out of his mind with trauma from the terrible torture he endured while he was in india. matthew isn't the man lily remembers from two years ago. he barely remembers loving her. and he is in no condition to keep promises made before everything changed.  it’s hard for lily to accept that the matthew she loved is gone. she refuses to believe it, until she catches him in a weak moment and he snaps. and it’s then, when she realizes that he doesn’t even see her, that she accepts that the matthew who has returned from india is a fundamentally altered man.  so they can’t pick up where they left off, but perhaps what they really need is to start over. and it’s not an easy thing to do, to let go of what you thought was known and certain, and see where these n...

book 2 in the brides of beadwell series, the offer , picks up the story of emma's best friend lucy betancourt. lucy is the daughter of a humble vicar, possesses no fortune and doesn't expect to marry. but she also doesn't want to be a burden on her friends and family. she believes that her best way forward is to seek a position as a governess. when she mistakenly assumes that bexley brantwood is the earl of ashby, a comedy of errors ensues. she believes that she's speaking to him about a possible governess in his household, while bex thinks she's propositioning him. when they realize that it’s all a misunderstanding they keep it to themselves. but the sliver of attraction remains. if bex were a man with prospects, perhaps he could follow his impulse to flirt and tease and kiss lucy. but he’s not. he’s so far from eligible that an alliance between him and lucy would actually be disastrous. he’s trying so hard to make money on his own so as to not have to ...

ivy clarke has rules against falling in love. 13 of them actually. her best friend savannah might be a dating coach with 12 ways to love, but ivy knows that her rules are better. they are meant to keep her heart safe in nailed it . if only she hadn't gotten in way over her head in a house-flipping project. if only her only source of salvation weren't jackson gamble. if only her stupid body and heart wouldn't react every time jackson was in the same room with her. she tries to mask all her attraction with antagonism. but it's just an act. and the more closely they work together it's inevitable that they'll end up in bed together. but jackson wants the real thing—love, commitment, and a happily ever after. and ivy knows that she'll never be able to give jackson what he wants. she's a mess. she has no idea what to do with her career. her mother continues to be an emotional timesuck. she's that girl from the wrong side of the tracks and there is no...

ABOUT THE BOOK Title: TWISTED TRUTHS Author: Rebecca Zanetti Series: BLOOD BROTHERS Publication Date: November 14, 2017 Trade paperback: $14.99 eBook: $5.99 ISBN: 978145559431 Series Page  on Goodreads "TOP PICK! 4 1/2 stars! Zanetti proves that when it comes to RS, she is in a class by herself!" ― RT Book Reviews One year ago, Denver Jones blew up his life and left everything behind. To stay alive, he had no other choice. But now, when video footage of the woman he could never forget goes viral, begging for his help, he has no choice but to go to her. Her niece has been kidnapped and Denver and his blood brothers are the only people she can trust. But Denver isn't the only one watching that video. The deadly forces from his past see it too—and they'll use anything—and anyone—they can to lure Denver out of hiding to exact their revenge. BUY THE BOOK Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book-a-Million | Google Play | iBooks | IndieBound | Kobo ABOUT...

click on the links for parts  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  7 ,  8 ,  9 ,  10 ,  11 ,  12 ,  13 ,  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18 ,  19 ,  20 ,  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 ,  26 ,  27 ,  28 ,  29 ,  30 ,   31 ,  32 ,  33 ,  34 ,  35 ,  36 ,  37 ,  38 ,  39 ,  40 , and 41 . read on for part 42...

season 2 of riverdale picks up immediately where we left off. archie’s dad has been shot and whether or not he survives becomes the main question of the episode. i mean it’s freaking luke perry so no way he dies, but i admit there were moments i was concerned. the shows heightened reality allows it to play with time and dreamlike visions in a very effective way. we kept seeing scenes where you were meant to question the future for these characters and the mystery and the symbolism all played so well on the screen.  riverdale is a show i love for the atmosphere, the aesthetics, the juicy stories and the rich characters, even though at times the acting is not on point. but honestly this episode, everyone brought it. kj apa was at his most effective. the scene with veronica where he breaks down and tries to send her away was possibly the best of the episode.  jughead and betty also have their own drama to contend with, betty’s mom is very much against her daughte...

if you're looking for emotional, angsty sports romances, then kelly jamieson is the author for you. in slap shot  the aces hockey series continues with left wing max hall getting his shot at happily ever after. the thing with max is that he already had a love story. but then she got cancer and died. and max doesn't want to fall in love again. he doesn't think he can endure another loss like that. so he has one goal. to make the hockey team. even though he was a star in his prime, he's been out of the sport for eighteen months, and when younger and faster and stronger athletes are competing for the same spots as veterans nothing is guaranteed. but at his teammate's wedding he's distracted by one of the bridesmaids. kendra has an openness and joy in her soul that calls out to him. he hasn't been with a woman since his wife died and suddenly he finds himself wanting that. but he only wants sex. not a relationship. not love. just friends, maybe. with benef...

except for one last novella, which will hopefully bring together some old favorite characters, the maiden lane series comes to a close with duke of desire . we've met both raphael and iris before, namely in duke of pleasure , and i was happy to see both characters again. when raphael saves iris from the lords of chaos she isn't sure she can trust him. and maybe she shouldn't because once he has her in his home, raphael finds he can't let her go. he says this is for her safety, but it runs deeper than that. it's something he's not ready to explain or explore. but he knows all the same that letting iris go is not an option for him. and once iris gets over her initial distrust, she doesn't want to leave. she sees the things that have hurt and damaged this beautiful, broken man and she doesn't shy away from them or from him. she never sees him as the monster he sees himself as. but until he lets go of this warped view of himself, their future toget...

well. that cliffhanger. those last few twists. ruthless king was even better than i expected and i already thought it was going to be amazing. i loved everything about lachlan mount and keira kilgore’s story so far—and to think there is more!! the fact that there is so much more about lachlan mount that peeks out from that hard mask of his. he’s not a good guy. but he’s so sexy and burdened with this dark power. “ heavy is the head that wears the crown ”—it’s clear that mount has demons that give him no peace. and he wants keira. and he will do anything to get her. and while she isn’t powerless exactly, it’s hard to fight someone like mount. at least hard to fight him on everything. especially when there are things he offers that she wants. even if she hates to admit it. this relationship is tempestuous and hateful and passionate and there’s this thread—this sliver of want, of need, of being completely wrong and yet completely right for each other—that keeps them craving m...

shattered childhoods make gabriel and crystal the adults they are today. but while gabriel chooses to be open and wears his heart on his sleeve, crystal guards hers so fiercely you wouldn't even know she still possessed one. it shouldn't be a contest as to who has survived more trauma, though it very nearly is. somehow gabriel has come out of his stronger, and his ability to leave himself open and vulnerable to others makes him an amazing hero to read.  as most of all you  begins he's looking for help with his one remaining problem area. he can't stand the touch of others. but he's reached a point in his life where he craves closeness. he wants to have a family. he wants to be with someone. he was never meant to live his life alone. so he decides to hire someone to get him used to the touch of others. and it doesn't go well. except she fascinates him. he sees the vulnerability she tries so valiantly to hide. and he recognizes it because he understands...

as you might imagine from the title, pride and prejudice and mistletoe  is a pride and prejudice  retelling. but this reimagining of one of my favorite stories cleverly twists the narrative to be told from the perspective of one darcy fitzwilliam, otherwise known as our intrepid heroine. darcy has returned home to pemberley, ohio to see her mother who recently had a heart attack. she's been estranged from her family for years for not bowing to pressure to stay home and marry her high school sweetheart, one carl donovan. while home she reconnects with her best friend, bingley charles. and through his sudden romance with jim bennet, her high school nemesis luke bennet. a series of encounters with luke under mistletoe have darcy reeling. as everything in her life seems to go topsy-turvy. this retelling does a great job of hitting the right beats from the book, but also telling its own story. it's fun to see characters reimagined in different genders but with simil...

in spite of its title,  chasing  xander , is not really about a romantic chase, because kylie and xander spend little time running away from their romance. when kylie quinn drops her underwear and other unmentionables in front of xander collins as she moves into her freshman dorm room she is beyond embarrassed. the last thing she expects is to keep running into him or for him to seek her out. xander is ridiculously attractive and genuinely kind, and is an upperclassman to boot. so she can't figure out why he wants to spend anytime with her. she's just an incoming freshman with an alcoholic and abusive father and the grandmother who raised her who is in the last stages alzheimer's. but it is actually quite simple, there is something about kylie that keeps xander intrigued. she's the first girl who seems to like him, for just him. not his money, not what he can do for her. and this makes him willing to do anything for her. xander wants to ma...

never apart is like a cross between before i fall and infinity . grace keeps reliving the same five days in alternate realities. each reset comes with its own set of rules but the end is always the same—she and her boyfriend, ander, die at the hands of their friend finn. told in alternating chapters, between a time before the falls (then) and the current fall (now) we slowly unravel the deeper mystery of why grace and ander are stuck in this endless loop. it would be unfair to reveal more of the plot since how grace figures out what is going on is well worth the journey. bernard does an amazing job of sharing the urgency, the frustration, and the utter hopelessness grace feels at having to relive the same-ish scenarios over and over and always getting the same ending. in the end, this is an excellent high-concept young adult thriller. ** never apart  published on october 3, 2017. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishng (entangled:teen)...

this part is heavy on mythology/backstory... parts  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  7 ,  8 ,  9 ,  10 ,  11 ,  12 ,  13 ,  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18 ,  19 ,  20 ,  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 ,  26 ,  27 ,  28 ,  29 ,  30 ,   31 ,  32 ,  33 ,  34 ,  35 ,  36 ,  37 ,  38 ,  39 , and 40  can be read at the links. read on for part 41...

a dangerous year  is an action-packed ya debut from kes trester. riley collins is feisty, smart, and never backs down from a fight. even when she's outnumbered on a street in karachi, pakistan, she has the presence of mind to save a young pakistani girl and emerge unscathed from a street fight. her antics get the attention of the u.s. state department, and she's pressed into service to serve as the bodyguard/handler for the daughter of a tech genius who may be uncoding the latest, greatest spyware. but in order to do this, she must attend an exclusive connecticut boarding school that is a far cry from her life as an ambassador's daughter in pakistan. riley is so personable and charming that it's actually enjoyable to watch her forays into the social cesspool that is high school. and the people she meets and befriends are fleshed out enough that you really begin to enjoy the setting. this book is the launch point for a series, and i look forward to future appearenc...

when songwriter brad "hitman" maxwell first notices savannah wolf in can't walk away   he's so impressed by her talent that he feels compelled to write his first song in years. from the get-go he knows savannah will be a star, even though she's already had one run at stardom and wants nothing to do with the celebrity lifestyle. working with brad is a dream come true, but she struggles to manage the impact her increased profile has on her, on her family, and on her life. and the more closely she works with brad the harder it is to deny that she is incredibly attracted to him. and knowing that she inspires him to write music is just as heady. brad and savannah fall into a relationship pretty quickly, even if they take pains not to define it. both of them have been burned by relationships past and have to work hard not to let the lessons they've learned close them off to something real and true. these two fall hard and fast for each other, but at the sa...