5 Smooches

Synopsis

Party with your favorite New Adult authors as they celebrate Spring Break with a collection of 13 scorching hot novellas and short stories.

Confessions by Jay McLean: A flat tire and a twist of fate bring them together, but it’s their pasts and their confessions that keep them there.

Spider on a Plane by Ilsa Madden-Mills: When lead guitarist for Vital Rejects boards his plane, he’s assigned to sit next to the most famous, goody-goody in New York. He hits on her; she snubs him. The plane lands, but their journey is far from over…

Bunsen Burner Bingo by Penny Reid: Katy Parker likes being the invisible girl almost as much as she obsesses over the campus golden boy, Martin Sandeke. But when she inadvertently overhears a nefarious plot about Martin, she’ll have to overcome her fears and summon the courage to be seen.

To Steal a Kiss by Pam Godwin: When petty thief, Addy Goldner, is caught with her hands in the pockets of a dark-eyed college boy on spring break, will he turn her in or punish her by stealing something for himself?

Ricochet by Missy Johnson: He wasn’t supposed to be anything more than a one-nighter to ease my broken heart…he also wasn’t supposed to be my best friend’s younger brother.

Claiming Freedom by Dawn Robertson: Greyson Scott is exactly what Stella Lewis needs for a Spring Break to remember. But when the vacation is over and real life returns, she’s shocked to learn he’s one fling she can’t seem to forget.

Color Me Bad by Linda Barlow: Fleeing a dude with a shotgun, Rory McKay seeks help from bad boy townie, Griff O’Malley, only to learn that Griff may have murdered his last girlfriend.

Invaluable by Alana Albertson: For Kyle Lawson, former NFL star turned Navy SEAL, a hot one night stand with a USO cheerleader ends in an early morning rescue mission. He will never win MVP, never get the Super Bowl ring, but some heroes don’t play games.

Bling Ring in Mexico by Carly Carson: When spring break fun turns into crime, Susanna must choose between chasing bling and chasing a hot dolphin trainer. But straight-arrow Joaquin has no intention of being the boy toy of his flighty classmate. Too bad lust has such a good grip on him.

Contacts by Farrah Farside: Brooke thinks she’s got the best she can get in Liam, but those closest to Brooke make her face the harsh truth: she’s Liam’s secret after-hours screw.

Unbreakable by Nicole Blanchard: Stranded with her ex-boyfriend on an island during a storm, Rue Lawrence will either resist temptation…or surrender to it.

Rained In by Cherie Blakeley: Stuck dog-sitting for her boss, Kiera Vane’s spring break plans are looking bleak. When a handsome stranger appears she panics, but soon discovers he’s the least of her worries.

In a Daze by M-E Girard: Martie receives an invitation to a women-only evening from Daze, the girl she’s been obsessing over in class. She lands in a throwback to the ’50 butch-femme scene, and if Daze is the femme, then Martie better man up—and fast.

Review

This was a fun collection of coming of age New Adult stories from a variety of different authors. Each story revolved around spring break but they could not have all been more unique and . different. There were several authors in this anthology that I had previously read their New Adult stories and some that I had read in different genres. I really enjoyed the ones I had never had the pleasure of reading before. I can honestly say there was not one story I did not like, but that being said there were a few that I found absolutely FABULOUS!

Bunsen Burner Bingo by Penny Reid was amazing. I would die for this to be a full-length novel. I have read all of Penny’s Contemporary books and as far as I am aware this is her first dive into the New Adult world and I have to say I hope that she writes more in this genre in the future.

Spider in a Plane by Ilsa Madden-Mills was so much fun. Who doesn’t love a sexy British guy who is a bit of a prick and plays in a band. I mean really. I had no doubt that I would love this though because Ilsa’s first book Very Bad Things is to this day one of my favorite NA books!

Confessions by Jay McLean was a great start to this anthology. I had never read any of Jay’s books before but after this fun short story I immediately went and bought the first book in her series. This story set the whole anthology off to the perfect start and got me excited to see what else was to come.

To Steal A Kiss by Pam Godwin was a fun story that did not go the way I was expecting. I love to be surprised in stories and this one did that for me. I thought the premise was fun  and different than anything I have read and look forward to reading more from her in the future!

Although I only picked four stories to highlight, none of the stories in this book disappointed me. Each one took me on a different journey and the way these girls spent their spring break was often vastly different and exciting. I hope everyone gives this anthology a shot because I guarantee you will discover some authors who will soon become among your favorites!

~miranda

5 Smooches!

Synopsis

You don’t choose when.

You don’t choose where.

And you don’t get to choose who you fall in love with.

The minute he opened his sexy mouth, Holliday Hughes should have known Jack Dalton was trouble. His smooth pickup lines, broad shoulders, and ridiculously handsome face charmed her right out of her clothes. She gave into her desires, the instant attraction blinding her to the obvious.

One night. That was all it took for Holliday’s world to be flipped on its axis. Jack Dalton was cocky. Smug. Volatile. Demanding. He ignited something deep inside her like no other, but there was something more to this brooding bad boy. There was a dark side to him she couldn’t help but be drawn to.

Torn between what she knew about him and a mysterious side he tried to hide, could she walk away or was he simply too hard to resist?

Review

This book follows Holliday and Dalton. They meet in a bar while they are both in Vegas on business. Holliday is there at a convention and Dalton is there because the hotel hired him. They get talking and one thing leads to another and they end up in Dalton’s room. “I want to spend some time with you privately.”

After many up and down’s in the evening in Dalton’s hotel room, he gets a call and has to leave for business, leaving Holli angry. He makes an effort to make things right with Holli, as he seems to really like her. But he is a little closed off, there is something that he is hiding. They try to see each other as much as they can before Holli has to leave Vegas. Agreeing to meet the next night, Holli finally finds out what it was that Dalton was hiding. “I want you to know where I am. I have your number and now you have mine. I don’t want us to end tonight.”

Dalton and Holliday don’t have a normal relationship, as they are both busy with work and Dalton is hardly ever where she is. He does the romantic things off dropping in on a surprise for a day or 2. And they spend most of this time holed up in the comfort of each other. “I’ve been in this business long enough to know how things play out, you might just be a game changer.”

Dalton is a very jealous person and even the slightest most innocent thing sends him into a different person, I don’t like this side of him and neither does Holli. She doesn’t seem willing to put up with it and he has to do a lot to make it up to her.

In the book we get to meet many of the people closest to Dalton and Holliday. We meet Tracy, who works with Holliday and is also a really good friend of hers, she is the person that Holli confides in. We meet Rochelle and Cory, Cory works with Dalton and Rochelle is his girlfriend. They are a great couple and Rochelle becomes a good friend to Holli. When tragedy strikes we see them all try to hold each other together, but that’s not what happens with Dalton and Holli. They seem to drift further apart, as Holli tries to be there for him but not lose herself in him.

We follow them as they fight to survive with each other or apart from each other. The ending for me was how it should be, there was no cliff-hanger, and everything that in my opinion should have happened did. So well done S L Scott on another fantastic read.

Stacey

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4 Smooches!

Synopsis

Haunted by the responsibility of caring for her troubled family, Maya Jacobs gave the only answer she could when Cameron asked her to marry him. Years later, entrenched in a soulless professional routine, she distracts herself from the lingering regret of her decision with a “work hard, play hard” lifestyle that guarantees no man will ever find his way into her heart again.

Cameron Bridge has spent the past five years married to the military, trying to escape the painful memory of losing Maya. After fighting his own war in the desert, he starts a new life in New York City, with his siblings, Olivia and Darren, by his side.

When fate brings Maya back to him in the heart of a city filled with its own hopes and shadows, can Cameron find the girl he once loved in the woman she’s become?

Review

On My Knees is a story about a young couple, Cameron and Maya, who were so in love despite being so young but then were torn apart when Maya was too scared to take the next big step and Cameron walked away. It wouldn’t be until 5 years later when they meet again but Maya isn’t the sweet, young girl Cameron was once in love with. She is self destructive and has no confidence about herself or her life and has erected shields around her heart.
But Cameron can’t forget the girl he has always loved and still does and is determined to bring her back to who she once was and bring them together once again..and to do it right this time.

“All I know is that I love you Maya. That needs to be enough”

I really enjoyed this story. It was what a romance story should be. It was filled with passion, angst, love, frustrating but easily likeable characters and great sex scenes.

I adored Cameron. I loved how he refused to give up on Maya and how he had loved her all this time. He was funny, sweet, determined and definitely sexy, it was clear through the sex scenes that he certainly knows how to turn a woman on.

“The person I wanted to desperately run from was the only one who could put me back together”

Maya wasn’t an instant like for me I have to admit. I did feel sorry for her, her life clearly wasn’t what she hoped it would be and I could feel her struggle through the days sometimes. I found her self destructive nature and the utter lack of confidence about herself annoying sometimes because even though her life wasn’t perfect it still wasn’t terrible. She did grow on me though and I began to understand why she was the way she was. She was strong in her own way even though she doesn’t believe she is at all and when she would start to lose herself in Cam you saw the sweet side of her, the way she was when her and Cam were first together.

“I loved him and fucking hated him, how he never gave me the room I needed to run”

The story line was good. It was a change to read a romance that focuses solely on the romance and relationship between the main characters. It was full of angst and there were plenty of hot sex scenes thrown in. There was drama and suspicious characters…Jia was definitely someone I was unsure about and who I thought had an hidden agenda and also the mystery about Maya’s mum.

“Trust and this love that even she could no long deny perhaps was the bridge that would take us from who we were to who’d we become”

A lovely satisfying romance story with just enough drama and angst to keep you wanting more and praying that this couple has the happily ever after they so desperately deserve.

“I’d unbreak everything I’d broken and bring her back to me if it was the last thing I did”

Bethany

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5 Smooches!

Synopsis

Tatum Elliot is a successful writer on a hit television show, lives in an Upper East Side apartment and loves her life. She wouldn’t change a thing. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have a choice. She’s losing her sight.

Tripping over her tongue and her heels, Tatum all too quickly realizes that the things which appeared so important before are slowly slipping away leaving room for what really matters. With the support of her best friends, family and colleagues, she begins to see that there’s much more to life… and herself.

When Ben Harris enters her life as her new personal assistant, she can’t tell if it’s his good looks and charm that are working on her libido, or his kind and helpful nature working on her heart? Whatever it is, neither one of them can resist it.

As her vision fades out, a world of love and happiness just might…Fade In.

Fade In is a contemporary-romance novel about laughing through your tears and telling life to, quite frankly, “Suck it.” This novel contains sexual situations that the author may or may not have tried at home… for your safety, of course. Research is research.

Review

This book follows Tatum and Ben. Tatum seems to have very much going for her she lives in a nice place, has great friends and a great job. But she is losing her eyesight. Considering she is losing her eyesight quicker then she thought she wasn’t a mopey character like I was expecting, in fact she was the complete opposite. Tatum is a sarcastic, comical and fun loving girl. She is a rather lovable character and such a joy to read about.

Tatum is told her eyesight is getting worse and that she needs to consider simplifying her life, she does this by hiring a personal assistant to help around her home. This is when she meets Ben. Ben comes into the interview and they just seem to click. Tatum seems comfortable with him, so she hires him on the spot. This is where the fun begins as they try to maintain a professional relationship although they flirt from time to time. Ben is also hiding something that it takes a long time to find out what it is.

There is lots of miscommunication between these two, which causes some tears and heartbreak for both. Tatum at times feels like Ben is trying to make her face her issue quicker than she is ready to and Ben sometimes doesn’t say the things he really means. Getting help from her best friend Winnie and her brother Cooper she starts to see that the things he is doing isn’t to be annoying but because he cares about her.

They go on a date to a place that Ben thinks that she will want to see while she can, Tatum agrees but is unsure of how the next day at work will be. Will they go back to being professional or are they now more. A second date happens and it looks like things are going well. Until Tatum goes to the doctors and is told more bad news. This leads to a sob fest but also a relationship changing moment for the two of them. “Please, just say you feel this. Tell me you feel it for real, not just some fling. Not just to scratch an itch.”

A trip away for the two of them, is just what is needed for them to try and figure out what they are to each other and how they feel about each other. Coming back from the trip as a couple things seem to be going well for them, until Cooper and Winnie’s wedding, this is where disaster happens. Things that were hidden are now out in the open, people that you thought were honest turn out to not be, hearts are broken, tears are shed and relationships are tested to the max.

The ending to this book, was how it should have been in my opinion. I wouldn’t have wanted it to end any other way. This book was such a roller-coaster of emotion from start to finish. Well done M Mabie on a fantastic read.

Stacey

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