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Showing posts from June, 2018

seriously romantic: playing her secret crush by casey griffin

katie has been in love with her best friend alex forever, it seems, in playing her secret crush . now it's senior year and she's going to do something about it. step one is taking all the advice from magazines on how to hook your guy. step two, then, will be putting herself forward and making sure he sees her. what katie doesn't know is that alex has liked her always. but he believes that she is his dead brother's girl. so he's permanently put their relationship in the friend zone out of respect for his brother. not realizing that he has it all wrong. when katie's new neighbor shows up and alex decides that she will be his new girlfriend, he ropes katie into helping him do it by getting her to recruit lexi to their gaming group. as the relationship roller coaster between katie and alex rises and falls, the story also covers how their group of five goes about trying to win it all. **playing her secret crush will publish on july 2, 2018. i received an adva

seriously romantic: counterfeit boyfriend by cindi madsen

when evan convinces his twin brother ethan to take his place on a road trip while switching places on his girlfriend in the counterfeit boyfriend , it's a totally insane plan. and ethan doesn't want to go along with it. except when he meets gwen, it's like fireworks. he can't let her down when she is counting on company to her friend's wedding. and he just wants to spend time with her. even though he knows it's wrong. except evan doesn't even want to date her. so maybe she's not that off-limits? ethan does a lot of lawyering to wriggle himself out of the sticking points. gwen doesn't pick up on the clues, even though once she learns the truth it's so obvious from the get-go. when they met for coffee to discuss the road trip plans, she'd been on the verge of calling the whole thing off. but there was something different about evan that day. she felt that missing connection click. it makes sense that it happened to be that her boyfrien

something from the archives: another sunset - part 12

surprisingly this wraps up in another two parts...here liz celebrates her birthday and prom...

seriously romantic: one for the rogue by manda collins

the last book in the studies in scandal series, one for the rogue , features a couple that was strongly hinted at in the previous book. with gemma hastings connecting with cameron lisle. both geologists, they find themselves at odds over finds and published papers. but that antagonism over their work spills over into sparks when they kiss. thrust together to avoid scandal, gemma and cam find that it's too difficult to keep their hands off each other. but with gemma's life in danger and cam wanting to protect her at all costs, there's plenty standing in their way before they get to that happy ending that they never knew they wanted with each other. **one for the rogue will publish on june 26, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press in exchange for my honest review. 

simply all about the couterfeit boyfriend by cindi madsen

ABOUT THE BOOK My twin brother’s talked me into a lot of crazy things, but taking his place on a road trip with his girlfriend so he can party with his friends is a whole new level of insanity. What’s even more insane is I somehow find myself agreeing to it—thanks, alcohol, guilt, and bribery. I’m determined to undo the arrangement, but then I meet Gwen, this sexy redheaded hurricane of energy and brains. And then she kisses me. Just like that, I’m driving her up the coast, on our way to a wedding with a mess of complications. With each hour and each stop, I’m falling harder and harder for a woman who doesn’t know my actual name. I’m trying to do the right thing. Or the lesser of the wrong things. All my life I’ve had to clean up my brother’s messes, but for the first time ever, I’ve landed the upper hand in one of our switcheroo schemes. Now I’ve just got to come clean and convince Gwen that I’m the brother she should be with. BUY THE BOOK Amazon ABOUT THE AUTHOR Cin

seriously romantic: six weeks with a lord by eve pendle

in six weeks with a lord , grace alnott needs to marry to access her fortune, and she must do so quickly to protect her young brother from the guardian her late father appointed. a man she was supposed to marry, but who she finds terrible. her father requires her to marry an aristrocrat, but her previous dealings with the lords trawling society give her a poor opinion. but she's desperate and decides to let it be known that she's willing to marry in exchange for half her dowry, but the catch will be that once her fortune is acquired, the marriage will be annulled and she will be allowed to go off to france where she plans to raise her brother. everett, earl of westbury is in need of a rich wife. and how delightful that the heiress looking to marry a desperate aristocrat is the one woman who catches his eye across a full ballroom. he agrees to grace's terms even as they run counter to his interests, but he also demands that she spend six weeks with him, hoping to sedu

something from the archives: another sunset - part 11

liz asks michael to prom, not knowing she might already have a date...

seriously romantic: highland temptation by lori ann bailey

the latest book in the highland pride series, highland temptation  has kirstie cameron crossing paths with her childhood (and current) crush alan mackenzie. raised together in the same clan, alan feels a sense of duty and responsibility to the cameron's and doesn't believe himself worthy of kirstie's heart. but the more they are thrust together by kirstie's impulsive and ill-thought out plans it becomes harder for alan to resist the real feelings he has always had for her. when she confessed her love in the past he told her she was like a sister to him. but that was never true. and the more time they spend together, the more he realizes that she's the woman he wants to be with. and that the connection they share is worth fighting for. **highland temptation  will publish on june 25, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (amara) in exchange for my honest review. 

seriously romantic: him by sarina bowen and elle kennedy & us by sarina bowen and elle kennedy

i don't read a ton of m/m romance, but i kept hearing about how good these two books were and decided to take a chance and check them out. well, talk about a #bingeread. in him ,  hockey players jamie canning and ryan wesley reconnect after 4 years of no contact. the last time they were together, wes pushed at the bounds of an attraction he felt for jamie that he was certain wasn't reciprocated. after all, jamie was straight. and wes was gay. and getting your best friend drunk and giving him a blow job wasn't the best way to maintain a friendship. except that wes cut himself out of jamie's life before he could be cut. and maybe they needed time to figure out what they needed and wanted out of life. but the truth was that jamie would have never cut himself from wes. not even if he had known wes was gay. when they find each other, wes comes out and apologizes for his behavior. but jamie finds that he is curious. and that he doesn't think he wants to share wes. a

seriously romantic: improper proposal by cathryn fox

the last of the dossier novellas,  improper proposal , ends with the story of the girl who started it all. harper clark is thrilled to finally get her turn for a weekend of epic sex. she's not the type to believe in love and happily ever afters. but she's not quite sure she's at the right address. but when the girl who grew up with no family is welcomed into the scottish castle and told by a family that they've been waiting for her. she's delighted, confused, and pretty sure that they have the wrong girl. they believe that she's a surprise from their cousin/son/nephew/grandson george. given that harper hasn't met greorge she's certain that's not it. but then she meets their american cousin will thomas. and she can't stop thinking of him. and when he proposes that they have all the sex. she can't stop herself from giving in. except things get turned on their head and everyone is up in arms before will can get a handle on the situation.

seriously romantic: wild child by a.s. green

they met on a road trip years before wild child   begins, and fell head over heels in love. but the need to take care of those closest to her sent her home. and he felt abandoned, shattered by how easily he was left behind. when jax and natalie cross paths by chance once more, circumstances keep pulling them together. that wild attraction, that crazy love is still there. but they've also grown up, changed from the two kids who fell in love one summer long ago. it's going to be in how they deal with the latest set of obstacles. if they can fight past the old hurt and pain and reach the point where their love is at its purest, truest, and most real. **wild child will publish on june 18, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (embrace) in exchange for my honest review. 

seriously romantic: wicked design by tina donahue

wicked design  is the latest book in the wicked brand series. tattoo artist van gogh is painfully shy. and uninhibited clover has no boundaries or ability to close her open heart to the world. this is what makes her so special and perfect for van gogh in every way. she loves fully, wholly. and from the get-go she is all-in on van gogh and their relationship. when she tries to being van gogh out of his shell, she loses him for a bit. and actually, he deserves to be dumped on his ass for his douchey behavior. but clover is loving and forgiving and van gogh is genuinely repentant and proves that he will put her first the way she puts him first. so all's well that ends well. **wicked design will publish on june 18, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (scorched) in exchange for my honest review. 

something from the archives: another sunset - part 10

some au sadness: it's the parkers' funeral, and liz doesn't handle it well. but she's got michael's arms to fall into...

seriously romantic: safe haven by red phoenix

safe haven  isn't your usual romance. we meet charlie at 18 about to enter the army against his father's wishes in the summer of 1976. disowned from his biological family, he finds a new family in the army. we see him grow into a soldier. we see him lose his first love. we see him after he's lost everything, even an eye. when he runs into one of his men, someone he helped through a rough time, he is offered a chance to explore a new lifestyle. he gets training as a dominant and is welcomed by his friend to participate at his school for submissives. and charlie finds that maybe he doesn't need to be so alone. that there is a community of people who need things the way he does. that there might be a girl who needs what he can offer her. cleopatra cox is actually that girl. doesn't matter if charlie, or captain, is thirty-six years older. doesn't matter his scars. doesn't matter than on paper there should be nothing that would ever make them seem a plausibl

seriously romantic: knocked up by stacey lynn

in  knocked up , cara finds herself knocked up after a one-night stand. of course, the guy happens to be her best friend's husband's best friend. so she knows how to find him. she's just afraid of his reaction. when she finally finds braxton to tell him about the situation, she's surprised to find that he's mad at her. angry, resentful. because he believes that she things he's trash. that sleeping with him was a disaster. what he doesn't know is that cara thinks she is trash. that she is the disaster. once they clear the air, however, braxton quickly proves himself to be kind, supportive, and all in. and most of the novel is spent dealing with cara's baggage and need to be independent and need to be loved unconditionally. there's a moment where braxton almost lets his own demons get the better of them. but when they both take a moment and really listen, they figure their baggage out. and so that even though everything in their relationship ha

strictly literary: more than words by mia sheridan

mia sheridan writes romances that pack some real heavy emotional weight. you get your happy ending, and thank goodness because the characters are put through the wringer to earn it. but you are also left thoughtful, pensive, wistful after reading her books. personally, i enjoy the mix. i love a good fluffy romance, but i also love a heavier, angstier tale. more than words is more the latter. callen and jess do not have an easy go of it. they met as children and jess loved him then, but callen had demons and secrets that kept him away. and when his musical career foundered and he re-encountered jess at a low point, he still had some tumbling to do before he was ready to pick things back up. for this story to work, we need the glimpses of the past. we need to understand who callen was to jess, and why she loves him even when he's kind of a jerk. he comes around, and it's her love that gets him there. and so it's an earned happy ending. and sometimes when you earn it, i

seriously romantic: wagering for miss blake by callie hutton

in a flip on the usual trope, wagering for miss blake , has the hero tumbling head over heels in love with the heroine three pages into the story. but the course of true love can't run smoothly in a romance novel, and he finds himself thwarted by circumstances of birth. mr. giles templeton is the third son of an earl, but miss suzanna blake's mother wants her to wed a title. and up until now, suzanna has never had any reason to counter this particular parental demand. knowing what she knows about her parents and what they want for her, suzanna tries to resist giles. she tries to dissuade him of his pursuit. she tells him point blank it will never work. and yet, he persists. but he isn't actually goinog against her wishes, suzanna wants him around. she is in love with him too. she just doesn't see how her parents will ever agree to their courtship and wants to avoid heartbreak. sometimes it's hard to assess books like this in the #metoo era. you can see how mod

seriously romantic: doctor sexy by katy connor

doctor sexy  is a steamy but sweet novella that has pastry chef isabella deluca getting it on with hot australian doctor jack scott. she's rebounding from a bad relationship. he's getting over the loss of his fiancée. both of them are gun-shy on a relationship. but the chemistry between them is ridiculously hot. it's so hot that they keep almost doing it in public so hot. for a short read, it's a lot of sexy. so if that's not your jam be aware. but there's just enough baggage to counterweight the sex with some real emotional story. and jack and bella are really charming together. **doctor sexy will publish on june 11, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (one-handed reads) in exchange for my honest review. 

seriously romantic: scotland or bust by kira archer

book 3 in the winning a billionaire series, scotland or bust , has straightlaced harrison troy finding his match with the free-spirited nicole franklin. they meet-cute on a plane, and from there things just seem to snowball. first she's hired as his temporary assistant. they're accidentally caught in bed together and everyone who walks in on them decides they're engaged. from there everything spirals. on the one hand nikki is smart and efficient and super good at getting things done, on the other she's flightly and funny and quirky and harrison has been avoiding that his whole life. he's already got enough flight, funny, quirky in his family to last him several lifetimes. but the connection is there. and it's impossible to ignore. and this is a sweet and funny and sexy story. i loved seeing the characters from previous books in the series, even though this novel functions as a standalone. i almost doubted myself that this was one of the series, because the

something from the archives: another sunset - part 9

it's about that time liz and michael give into the attraction...

seriously romantic: her super-secret rebound boyfriend by kerri carpenter

i read her super-secret rebound boyfriend  in one sitting, and it's a super-fun, super-sweet love story that is based on one of my all-time favorite tropes: the fake relationship. lola and luke meet-cute at luke's 10-year high school reunion. one that lola happens to be crashing on the advice of the golden girls  and her crazy roommate. when luke catches her in the act, he is charmed and is also being harassed by his three sisters and mom to bring a date to their family reunion, so he decides not to rat her out if she'll pretend to be his girlfriend. in order to pull off the ruse, however, they decide it's important to get to know each other a little better. and soon they are dating. even though luke has commitment issues and lola is on the rebound. so they don't call it dating. but it's totally dating and when luke is an idiot and tries to deny what is happening, he has to pull out all the stops to convince lola that he's on the same page she is. an

seriously romantic: kissing games by tara eglington

picking up not long after how to keep a boy from kissing you left off, kissing games  continues aurora skye's story with neighbor/boyfriend hayden paris and her group of friends. jelena, aurora's bestie, has decided to run for student council president, using aurora's how to find your prince/princess program to entice the student body to vote for her. but aurora is learning that love isn't so easy to program. and keeps being thrown for loops in her own blossoming relationship with hayden. added to that, she's got major parental drama to contend with. her flighty mother continuing the push–pull of giving her hope of a proper mother-daughter relationship and disappointing her with absence and neglect. her nad's also confusing relationship problems add to aurora's conflicted feelings about love. but hayden proves strong and steadfast. he's loved aurora for years. he'll wait till she figures it out. and it's so swoonworthy. **kissing games

seriously romantic: head over heels by serena bell

when chase and liv become best friends after a bad blind date, it's perfection. they are complete opposites after all. he's an outdoorsy guy who prefers action flicks and minimalist décor, while she is a high-maintenance, rom-com, fluffy pillows kind of girl. in head over heels , everything changes for them when liv moves into chase's to help him out with his five-year-old daughter. suddenly all those things that seemed to make them incompatible start to fit together perfectly. but liv has plans, she's leaving seattle for denver. everything in her life thus far has taught her that it's best to plan to leave because nothing is ever permanent. she's never had a home and doesn't want to believe the one that she and chase and katie build together can be something real. all that chemistry, all that friendship, all those deep feelings are real. and what liv and chase find together is something worth sticking around for. **head over heels will publish on ju

seriously romantic: the right stud by isla madden-mills and tia louise

the thing about the right stud is that from super early on you know exactly what the problem is going to be between the two leads. and for some reason it meant that i couldn't really get into this story. even though i really wanted to. ashton and jax are perfection together. and knowing that it's all going to fall to pieces because jax holds back some vital pieces of information is frustrating. because otherwise, they are super good together. and he really does it for the best reasons. but you know exactly how it's going to fall to pieces before it ever does. and then after all that build up, it's almost solved too easily. so i was left feeling annoyed that it was ever as big a deal as it was. oh well. it's still a fun read. i just wish the big issue hadn't been so telegraphed, or that the payoff were something more than it was. **the right stud published on may 31, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of candi kane pr in exchange for my h

seriously romantic: only with you by nicole mclaughlin

the latest novel in the man enough series, only with you  picks up where should've been you   left off. aiden has had his eye on hannah for a long time, but she was always jase's, except not really. because jase and becca (hannah's sister) are the ones who are together. and hannah is adjusting to the changes in her friendship with jase. and she finds herself drawn to aiden, who is a strong, silent presence around her constant chatter. aiden and hannah are opposites, but they are also lost and lonely and find something in each other that is worth fighting for. it's not an easy journey for them. aiden has demons that aren't easily overcome. but hannah is strong enough to help him deal with them, for all that she seems flighty and insubstantial, there is more to hannah. and aiden sees it. and it's so heart-achingly lovely. **only with you will publish on june 5, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press (swerve) in e

seriously romantic: dirty-talking cowboy by stacey kennedy

when emma monroe gets roped into a game at kinky spurs, the bar she's bartending at while she figures out her next steps, she doesn't expect the connection and excitement she feels with shep blackshaw. recovering from a breakup that also ended her career emma wants to avoid men in general. but when emma is dragged by an abused horse and shep rescues her, things change between them. they can't deny the chemistry between them. and when they give in, shep is pretty clear that just sex will be good enough for now . but there will be a time when it isn't, and that's what emma needs to figure out. i loved the way their relationship deepened, and one of my favorite things about shep is how strong and steady he is about his feelings. he knows that emma is the one he wants, and he's strong enough to allow her the time and space to figure herself out. i really enjoyed dirty-talking cowboy  and can't wait for the next books in the series. **dirty-talking cowboy

seriously romantic: burning bright by chris cannon

i hadn't read the other books in the going down in flames series, but even still burning bright  was a fun read, and enjoyable for a first timer to the series. i may not have had all the background on the dragons and the character histories, but i figured out what was going on pretty quickly. and the story between bryn and jaxon traces the thin line between love and hate. they have completely different world views, but they've also endured loss, broken hearts, and they have to learn to behave as if they are on the same side. because they are. and they are also navigating family drama and dragon drama, and it's a totally enjoyable read. even for not having read the full series, i can tell you it's an entirely satisfying conclusion. **burning bright will publish on june 4, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (entangled teen) in exchange for my honest review. 

seriously romantic: just one of the royals by leah and kate rooper

i loved the first book in this series, just one of the boys , which hit on tropes i love. but just one of the royals  was not as good. mainly because the princess diaries  twist on the main character being the only legal heir to a made-up kingdom did not work for me at all. and so like even though i liked daniel and madison a lot. this royal-in-plain-sight story just couldn't draw me in. for some reason, i couldn't suspend the disbelief. and this is weird to me because i've read and enjoyed many a royal from a fake country story. i think the issue is that the world these characters inhabit was so contemporary and real in the first book, so it was hard to make this leap in book two. it's still cute and fun and all about hockey. but yeah, i'm kind of bummed that i didn't love it as much as i wanted to. **just one of the royals will publish on june 4, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (crush) in exchange for