5 SMOOCHES!

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SYNOPSIS:

“Make a sex tape,” they said.

“It’ll be fun,” they said.

Spoiler alert: they lied.

I’m an overworked attorney, but hey, at least my latest case is an interesting one. I’ve been hired to help my friend Teddy keep a sex tape he made years ago private. And considering Teddy is a pro hockey hunk with a huge reputation and an even bigger following, this news can’t get out.

Plus, I have an extra interest in making sure that tape never sees the light of day. Because the other person in that video?

Is me.

Your favorite hot jocks are back with an all new stand-alone novel. If you like sexy, confident men who know how to handle a stick (on and off the ice), and smart women who are strong enough to keep all those big egos in check, this series of athlete romances is perfect for you!

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REVIEW:

I love hockey romances, and when Kendall Ryan announced the Hot Jocks series, I was so excited. I loved the first book, Playing for Keeps, a hybrid romance blending the friends-to-lovers and best friend’s little sister tropes. All the Way, the second standalone in this series, absolutely stole my heart. While not the lighthearted sports romance readers may have been expecting, it was a beautiful, moving love story, and Kendall broke my heart with that emotional story before she painstakingly pieced it back together. I’ve been a big fan of Kendall Ryan’s writing for years. Sassy, sexy, easy-reading contemporaries and romantic comedies are among my favorite things to read, and Kendall’s always find their way to the top of my list.

Kendall has been killing it with the Hot Jocks series—each book has been better than the last. Trying to Score is a blend of several tropes, and Ryan swirled the frenemies-to-lovers, fake relationship and second-chance romance tropes together masterfully. Pairing pro hockey player, Teddy King, and attorney, Sara Dawson, she matches two opposites in a surprisingly sweet, sexy romance. Teddy has had the whole playboy thing going on for most of the series, and Sara has been focused on her career and clawing her way to partner. What the unlikely duo hasn’t told anyone before is that they weren’t just study buddies in college, they had a casual, friends with benefits relationship that resulted in a sex tape. While they’ve kept their brief relationship a secret from their friends, they’re forced to work together to deal with the consequences of their actions, and the closeness they once shared comings roaring back to life.

I couldn’t get enough of their witty back-and-forth banter and how easily their relationship shifted. Teddy had been kind of the goof-ball of their group, but there was so much more to him and it really took me by surprise. Their chemistry has never been an issue, but it really explodes here in the best possible way. Teddy has always wanted more with Sara, and now that he has this chance, he’s not squandering it. I loved how comfortable and effortless their relationship was, but Teddy was so sweet and swoon-worthy, I couldn’t help but root for them the whole way.

Trying to Score was a fantastic addition to Kendall Ryan’s hockey-themed sports romance series. Full of sizzling chemistry, Teddy and Sara’s sweet friends-to-lovers romance was addictive, and I devoured it in a day. Trying to Score by Kendall Ryan gets 5 smooches from me!

~Danielle Palumbo

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5 SMOOCHES!

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SYNOPSIS:

I didn’t mean to see him naked–it was an accident.

It had to be, right?

Because Noah McCormick and I have never been anything more than friends. In all the years I’ve known him, he’s never once laid a finger on me. And even though he was a cute lifeguard at 16 and a hotter-than-hell sheriff’s deputy at 34, he’s always been that protective guy I could trust to keep his hands to himself. I never wanted to mess with that.

Until I walked in on him getting out of the shower and saw his hard, muscular body totally bare and dripping wet. At that moment I never wanted to mess with anything so badly in my entire life.

I should have covered my eyes. Said I was sorry. At the very least, I could have handed him a towel.

After all, I was only in town for a few days, and he was just doing me a favor by escorting me to my sister’s wedding. It wasn’t a real date.

But I didn’t apologize. And he didn’t cover up.

(Talk about a hot mess.)

After all those years of being just friends, suddenly we’re insatiable.

He’s made it clear he’s not interested in romance. Which is fine with me because

I’ve got a plane ticket back to my real life at the end of the week.

It’s all in fun…or is it?

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REVIEW:

I love Melanie Harlow’s beautiful writing—she just writes the kind of unputdownable, addictive stories that I simply can’t read fast enough and usually wind up inhaling in a day. I’m a relatively new reader of hers, but I am absolutely a fan of her richly emotional, captivating storytelling. Full of all the feels, her sweet, steamy romances and endearing characters come together into tender love stories that I never fail to get swept right up into.

The third book in the Cloverleigh Farms series, Insatiable was a heart-tugging, heat-filled friends-to-lovers, small town romance. Meg Sawyer and Noah McCormick have been friends since they were teenagers when Noah saved her from drowning. These two knew each other as well as they knew themselves, and I loved their witty, comfortable banter. A workaholic whose priority is her career as a political strategist in Washington DC, Meg is fresh out of another failed relationship and home at Cloverleigh for her sister’s wedding.

Meg has always been career-driven, but she’s beginning to feel like life is passing her by as she sees her dreams of becoming a wife and mother slip further away. For the first time in a very long time, though, Meg is truly happy, despite her recent break-up, and the contentment she feels at being home, with her family and Noah, isn’t lost on her. Noah, a sheriff’s deputy in their hometown, has deep roots in this community. Noah is very devoted to his family, especially to his special needs twin brother, Asher, and he stepped right into the void left by the passing of his father, the much beloved town sheriff. His relationship track record isn’t exactly stellar either, and part of it has to do with the only commitment he is willing to make—to remain unmarried and childless.

For Noah, it’s always been Meg Sawyer. He never let himself go there, though, choosing the role of her friend and protector instead. Meg wrongly assumed that Noah didn’t have the same feelings for her that she felt for him, so she contented herself with him as one of her closest friends and her personal hero. But things are different this visit home, and it seems that the heat always simmering between them burns a little hotter. So when the opportunity presents itself, they decide to give in to their attraction with the understanding that it would be a one-time-thing since Meg was headed back to her life in DC at the end of the week.

Insatiable by Melanie Harlow was a great addition to this fantastic family-based, small town romance series. Intensely emotional and passionate, at times bittersweet and a bit angsty, Meg and Noah’s hard-earned happily-ever-after was all the more rewarding for the struggles they endured and the love they found on the other side of them. Insatiable by Melanie Harlow gets 5 smooches from me!

~Danielle Palumbo

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Amazon US  |  Amazon Worldwide

5 SMOOCHES!

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SYNOPSIS:

All I want for the holidays is the willpower to resist my brother’s sexy, charming, easy-on-the-eyes new business partner.

Instead, I’m stuck planning all the holiday parties with the one guy who makes me want to break my dating diet.

Who thought that was a good idea?

Oh, me. Yep, brilliant, strategic me who raised her hand and said yes I’d love to hang mistletoe with that hot former sports star. (Note to self: Mistletoe leads to toe-curling, knee-weakening kisses.)

And I’d love to get snowed in with the one guy I shouldn’t fall for. (Addendum to the note to self: You know exactly where eight inches of snow leads to. Ahem, eight inches.)

As long as I can make it through the holidays I’ll be on my merry way, fa la la la la. But the holidays have a surprise for me.

SPECIAL DELIVERY is a standalone romantic comedy in the Always Satisfied series of standalones! The series includes SATISFACTION GUARANTEED, INSTANT GRATIFICATION, NEVER HAVE I EVER, OVERNIGHT SERVICE and the novella SPECIAL DELIVERY they can be read in any order.

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REVIEW:

Lauren Blakely’s first foray into holiday romances was exactly the kind of swept-up-in-the-magic-of-the-season love story I’d expect from her. A standalone novella in the Always Satisfied series, Special Delivery was deliciously sweet and steamy, and I devoured it in an afternoon. Quinn, a party planner, and Vaughn Channing, a former NFL football player and current business partner of Quinn’s brother, are tasked with planning his company’s Christmas party.

Blakely takes readers on a right person, wrong time jingle all the way to happily ever after. Quinn is on a man-break while she focuses on her business, and Vaughn is on a love diet after his last disastrous relationship—not to mention he’s gearing up for a move to Miami after the holidays to head up the firm’s expansion efforts there. But what neither one was expecting was the triple holiday treat of instant connection, natural chemistry and magnetic attraction between them. Agreeing to spend Vaughn’s last few weeks in the New York together, they may have agreed to a casual fling with an expiration date, but everything about their time together screams that it’s so much more than that.

Nicely developed yet still a fast-paced read, Special Delivery is bubbling over with all of the sexy, swoony romance that I love from Lauren Blakely. With all the charm of a Hallmark Channel holiday movie—that was directed by the good folks at Cinemax—Lauren’s first holiday romance was fiery, frisky and festive. Special Delivery by Lauren Blakely gets 5 smooches from me!

 ~Danielle Palumbo

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5 SMOOCHES!

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SYNOPSIS:

Darby
I’m here.
Back in the same town I ran from years ago and the man I left behind.
Pierce Kendrick, the man I’ve never stopped loving.
The day he walked up to me with his cocky smile, everything changed.
Now, I don’t recognize the cold, harsh, bitter man that stands in his place.
It’s time Pierce knows why I left, and the secrets that drove me away.
Nothing could prepare me for what happens next.

The man I loved reappears. This time, he’s a powerhouse, determined to get back what we lost.

Can it be that simple? 

Pierce
She’s home.
Darby Graham, the woman who ruined me, has returned. She rolls back into town, stirring up memories and feelings that I buried long ago.

One look at her and I know she’s been hiding something. What I don’t expect is for the truth to rock my world.  For a second time in my life, I’m helpless against the power Darby holds over me.

She’s mine.

Her resistance fuels my determination.
My insistence drives her wild.
She says we’re impossible.
I say she’s wrong.

And I’m going to prove it.
Darby Graham thinks I’m crazy.
She’s about to see how crazy things can be.

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REVIEW:

This is the third book I’ve read by Ahren Sanders, and this is the third time she has blown me away with her incredible storytelling. Richly detailed and full of every single feel, Sanders has a way of developing her characters that enables her readers to truly get to know them. The effort and care she takes in progressing her plots and stories, in laying them out and building the anticipation, is evident on every page. It’s easy to get lost in her stories, swept right up in them and invested in her characters. Sanders always makes the journey, even the painful parts, worth every single step of the way. I devoured Pierced Hearts in a day, hushing my family when they tried to talk to me, ignoring texts and phone calls, and cooking dinner with my Kindle in one hand.

A deeply moving second-chance romance, Pierced Hearts rekindles the first-loves romance between Darby and Pierce. This couple has suffered mightily, and neither one of them has gotten over the other or moved on. I don’t want to say to much about this story, I think it is important for readers going into it to experience everything as it unfolds. But I will say that this was one of the most emotional second-chance romances I’ve ever read. My heart was in my throat when it wasn’t aching or breaking for all that this couple went through. The misunderstandings, mistakes, lapses in judgment all snapped together to build what felt like an impenetrable wall between this young couple.

Twelve years later, they’re finally hashing everything out, clearing the air, and they are gutted by the realizations they make. So much has changed, and while Darby is stronger now than she’s ever been, she still has a fragility about her. While they may have talked it all through, Darby thinks what is between them in the present is insurmountable and Pierce is determined not to let her get away again. They have so much more than their own personal demons to battle, though, and Sanders takes readers along on their journey, painstakingly detailing every single gut-wrenching and heart-healing step of the way.

Ahren Sanders may have ran me through the emotional wringer through most of Pierced Hearts, but she put me back together, too. This was no easy-to-read love story, it was raw, devastating and painful, but it was also beautiful, hopeful and romantic. Sanders filled the pages with a steamy, hard-fought-and-earned, second-chance romance, and this story that will stay with me for a long time to come. Five smooches from me for Pierced Hearts by Ahren Sanders!

~Danielle Palumbo

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5 SMOOCHES!

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SYNOPSIS:

Theo Cruz, a New York man known for his family’s billion-dollar empire, Cruz Enterprises, has been indicted this afternoon in the Court of Public Opinion on charges of Bro-Code Conspiracy.

Chief counsel for the prosecution, Caplin Hawkins, spoke candidly about the accusation.

“Once thought of as a best friend to many—including myself—Theo Cruz has officially turned his back on human decency. He’s conniving and dishonest, and a habitual offender of Bro-Code Law 676. He’ll rue the day he forgot that you never—under any circumstances—get involved with your best friend’s little sister.”

Fact: I haven’t actually been arrested or indicted.

More important fact: I inadvertently messed up—big-time.

Two strangers in a foreign country, we said hello.

Hello turned into a kiss.

A kiss turned into a rendezvous.

And a rendezvous turned into more than I’d ever imagined.

But her unruly golden curls and beautiful body hid an important detail—She’s my mouthiest billionaire best friend’s forbidden little sister.

Fact: I knew not of my crimes.

More important fact: I know now, but even though I know I’m playing with fire, there’s no way I’m stopping. I can’t leave her alone.

Question: What do you do when you fall for your best friend’s little sister?

More important question: How long can you keep it a secret before it all goes up in flames?

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REVIEW:

I absolutely love romantic comedies, they’re at the top of the list of my favorite things to read, and a Max Monroe romantic comedy is a special kind of reading experience for me. What makes their romcoms stand outs in the genre is that while they are wildly hilarious, if the authors were to strip the humor from the story, there would still be a solidly engaging, steamy romance there that could stand on its own. That is a testament to the creativity of this author duo, and speaks volumes about the quality of their writing. I truly hope the authors don’t do that, though, because I really fluffing love their uniquely comical sense of humor. Imaginative plots coupled with endearing characters embroiled in these deliciously sexy romances that are heart-tugging and heart-warming, and this is romantic comedy perfection on the page. I can always count on Max Monroe to give me an unputdownable, audible-laugh-inducing, feel-good romance, and it’s what drives me to pick up their books time and time again.

The Billionaire’s Forbidden Little Sister was totally up my alley—I loved everything about it. The brother’s best friend/best friend’s little sister trope is a personal favorite of mine, and Max Monroe penned an absolute winner here. Theo and Lena were magic together. She breathed life into this incredibly focused, schedule-driven billionaire, and he was the steadying, stable force she needed. Their relationship was all about the balance, and shenanigans aside, these two were perfectly paired. Add in a splash of drama that only Caplin Hawkins, Lena’s big brother and one of Theo’s billionaire best buddies, and this story was an entertaining, amusing, passionate page-turner.

An utterly charming blend of sweet, sexy romance and laugh-out-loud humor, The Billionaire’s Forbidden Little Sister is exactly what readers crave from this author. Fantastically well executed, light-hearted and fun, I smiled from ear-to-ear the whole way through as I practically inhaled this book. Five smooches from me for The Billionaire’s Forbidden Little Sister by Max Monroe!

~Danielle Palumbo

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