5 SMOOCHES!

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SYNOPSIS:

He saw her from across a crowded ballpark and knew she was about to change his life.

Yes, he realizes just how cliché that really is, but the moment his eyes locked on her, he knew that she was the one.

At least, the one that royally screwed him over. The one responsible for his demotion and the subsequent disciplinary action taken against him before he’d even gotten out of the probationary period with Kilgore Police Department.

It all started with a kiss.

***

Saylor Rae Spada tried to mind her business. She also tried to not get involved in petty disputes.

However, from the moment she saw him sitting next to her at a professional baseball game, a game she didn’t even want to be at but was dragged to by her blind date, she couldn’t look away.

Then the kiss cam came on, featuring none other than her and the handsome stranger.

Without missing a beat, he kissed her.

Then her blind date decided to pull a knife and try to stab him.

From that point forward, she’s done nothing but cause him trouble.

Trouble that he’s starting to find increasingly adorable.

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REVIEW:

One of my favorite things to do is to sit down each month with the new Lani Lynn Vale book and catch up with a group of old friends. I’ve been reading her books and these characters’ stories on a monthly basis for so many years now that I am utterly invested in them and this amazing East Texas world Vale has created. The KPD Motorcycle Patrol series is a next generation series based upon the stories of the children of the lead couples from some of Vale’s earlier series, and in the case of this book, both the hero and the heroine are children of original lead couples from The Heroes of the Dixie Wardens MC and Code 11-KPD SWAT.

Saylor Spada is the daughter of Adeline and Tiago “Kettle” Spada. Originally from Benton, Louisiana, she’s relocated to the Longview/Kilgore area to get out from under her father, and his MC’s, watch and stand on her own two feet. Lachlan Downey, Junior, or Lock, is a police officer and the son of the Kilgore SWAT team negotiator, Lachlan Downy, Senior and his wife, Memphis.

Lani kicked off this romance with her take on a meet cute – complete with a kiss-cam moment and junk punch viral video. Lock and Saylor had incredible natural chemistry, and this is about as close to insta-love as Vale gets, which is probably why the couple doesn’t see each other again for six months. Unfortunately, when they do, it’s essentially on the eve of Saylor’s move back home to Benton. Lock has to pull off a miracle to keep her in Kilgore, and much to Kettle’s chagrin, he does just that. Theirs is a bit of a whirlwind romance, and they fell hard and fast for each other. They definitely had insanely hot chemistry, but on top of that, they also adored each other and were so sweet together. Lani always includes a suspenseful element to her stories, and this part of the story seemed to involve almost everyone.

Sinners are Winners is a fantastic blend of the past and the future in Vale’s world. Full of all the heat, heart and humor I crave in Vale’s writing, this was an addictively sweet, sexy and suspenseful addition to a fantastic series. Sinners are Winners by Lani Lynn Vale. gets five smooches from me!

~ Danielle Palumbo

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5 SMOOCHES!

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SYNOPSIS:

Jensen Grayson has truly loved one woman. Even after a short-lived marriage, the ghost of the girl he once knew has plagued his adulthood. Now, a single father, Jensen’s world revolves around his son, Max, and his landscape business. Until one day, he’s contracted for a job at the house he’s always avoided.

Rockland Falls was the only place that felt like home. Pulled from the life she knew at eighteen, Kathryn Elliott was forced to leave it all behind, including the boy she loved. Now, she’s returning home to pick up the pieces of her chaotic life and find her happiness once more.

Will Jensen and Kathryn be able to look past the years’ worth of hurt to forge a future? When exposed secrets wreak havoc on their new life, can they move past the lies if they revolve around their own families?

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REVIEW:

Love and Landscape is the third book in Lacey Black’s Rockland Falls series, a spin-off of her Summer Sisters series, but you don’t have to read that series to enjoy this one. This book is a second-chance romance between first loves, Jensen Grayson, owner of a successful landscape business, and Kathryn Elliott, the girl who broke his heart with no explanation. This couple had a history going back to high school that was cut short by Kathryn’s unexplained, middle-of-the-night departure with her family. Returning to Rockland Falls 12 years later, Kathryn just wants a fresh start in the only place that’s ever felt like home.

The chemistry between Jensen and Kathryn is still there, but old wounds and hurts need to be dealt with before this couple can move forward. Not only do they also have to deal with Jensen’s nightmare of an ex, but the truth of what happened all those years ago still has to be dealt with as well. A love like theirs never really goes away, though, and Lacey masterfully takes readers along for the ride as Jensen and Kate navigate that journey back to it. Heart-tugging, emotional, sweet and romantic, this is a must-read for any second-chance romance fan.

Love and Landscape was an entertaining and sexy addition to this fantastic series, and I finished it already thinking about the next book. I need more of this town, more of this family, and I will never get enough of Lacey Black’s small town romances. Black fills her amusing, engaging stories with endearing characters and sexy-sweet romances, and I reach for her books when I want to get lost in the lives, and loves, of a big family in a small town. Five smooches from me for Love and Landscape by Lacey Black!

~Danielle Palumbo

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5 SMOOCHES!

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SYNOPSIS:

Falling for the enemy has never been so deliciously complicated in this standalone romance where a sexy single dad meets his unexpected match! Get ready for all the feels!

Never have I ever been so infuriated by a man I wanted to kiss.
They say opposites attract, but I beg to differ. Combust is more like it. Because every single time I talk to Zach Nolan, I see red.

The too-good-looking, too-smart, too-effortlessly charming single dad who works down the hall from me has turned getting under my skin into a sport. Call it the battle of wits between the wedding planner and the divorce attorney.

Trouble is, when we’re forced into closer quarters planning an engagement party for our best friends, I start to see his other sides.

And I fear I’m falling for the enemy.

***

I’m not out to make friends. My goals are simple — fight till the end for my clients, and my family.

The last thing I need is a vibrant, outgoing, snarky, and surprisingly big-hearted wedding planner to spend my precious free time with…except, watching Piper bond with my daughter just might break down the cinder block walls I’ve built around my heart these last few years.

Second chances don’t come around for guys like me…or do they?

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REVIEW:

I’m going to be honest here, I haven’t met a Lauren Blakely novel that I didn’t love. An all-time top favorite of mine, she is one of the very few authors whose books are automatic buys for me. It’s not even necessary for me to read the blurb because regardless of what the premise of story is, what trope the plot is based upon or who the characters are, I already know Blakely’s special brand of storytelling is going to entertain and amuse me. This isn’t something I say off-handedly, lightly or often—this particular personal list of mine is extremely short. It is simply a statement of fact for me, born of years of reading her work and consistently being entertained and amused by it. She’s managed to surprise me over and over again with her plots, characters and passionate love stories while never letting me down in the execution of them, and as a result, she’s earned this spot as a go-to author for me.

But even saying all of that, sometimes there are those stories that float to the top of the pile of favorites. The ones that mark me, that move me, the ones I know will linger in my thoughts long after I’ve finished them and picked up the next book. Never Have I Ever was that kind of story for me. Don’t be fooled by the whimsical sounding name, this book was chock full of emotion—the good kind. Lauren Blakely doesn’t do unnecessary drama and heavy, heart-breaking angst, but instead she masterfully portrays the couple’s conflicts with enough genuine emotion to keep the reader engaged as they work through their issues, you know, like two adults. It’s pretty darn refreshing, actually, and it’s yet another reason why she’s a favorite of mine.

I love the enemies-to-lovers trope, and it seems that lately I’ve been reaching for these types of stories when I’m choosing what I want to read next. Never Have I Ever looked to be a promising rendition of this favorite trope, and I was looking forward to experiencing it, Lauren Blakely style. There’s just something about that initial push and pull between the characters that just does it for me. They say that love is the other side of the coin to hate, and these kinds of stories highlight those opposing feelings in a rewarding way. Blakely did a fantastic job skirting that line here, with a seemingly opposite-in-every-way couple chasing after a surprise second-chance.

Zach is a somewhat jaded, shark of a divorce attorney who is also a widower and a single father of two. Piper is a wedding planner with a positive outlook, an upbeat personality and friendly nature. Their history goes back to college, and while they both still run in the same circle of friends, they’ve never really gotten along. This is where Blakely works her magic. This pairing at first glance was all wrong for each other, but as she pulled back the layers, as we got to know them, they became a couple I couldn’t help but root for to get it together and just get together. The pacing of their romance was perfect. At times their need for each other was fiery and voracious, the kind of red-hot, heart-racing desire that cannot be denied. While at other times, when it was important, when it really mattered, they took it slowly, maturely and thoughtfully. It felt like they both entered into this relationship mindful of what was happening between them, knowing where the relationship could go and what they could become. I loved that—it felt like a choice, as if they were choosing love with each other. As a reader, the lack of angsty uncertainty freed me up to just feel all the hopeful, heart-warming, urgent feels of two people consciously falling in love.

I’m not even going to beat around the bush, Never Have I Ever is one of Blakely’s finest contemporary romances to date. Lofty praise indeed, considering Blakely’s extensive back catalog, but well earned, I promise you. Zach and Piper were completely endearing, and their romance was exactly the kind of sexy, swoony, sigh-inducing and magical story that I love to get lost in. This book had layer upon layer of emotion and heat and heart with perfectly timed pops of humor, and I simply didn’t want to put it down. THIS, this kind of story right here, is exactly what I’m looking to experience when I reach for a contemporary romance. A home-run on all counts, Never Have I Ever by Lauren Blakely gets five smooches from me.

~Danielle Palumbo

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4 SMOOCHES!

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SYNOPSIS:

Dear Self—Do not pass Go, do not bang your oldest friend in the limo on the way to the swanky Vegas hotel. Just get back on the plane, fly home, and forget you almost had co-ed naked best buddy time with the one man who is completely off limits.

I give myself very good advice. 
Too bad I suck at taking it.

Not that Colin Donovan, my bad boy rock star best friend, is any help. Walking around looking ridiculously sexy, telling me I’m beautiful and fun and perfect the way I am and somehow making me believe it.

If only we hadn’t drunk so much whiskey that first night, if only I’d kept that red bikini in my suitcase, if only his evil ex-girlfriend hadn’t come sniffing around making me feel all territorial and protective.

And if only I hadn’t been secretly in love with Colin for years before this Friends with Bennies Vacation got started.

Who knows? Maybe the high will be worth the fall. 
Either way, there’s no way I’m leaving Vegas without one heck of a Bangover.

The Bangover is a red-hot, laugh out loud rom-com featuring two best friends on a collision course with Vegas-flavored disaster—and each other. It stands alone. No cheating or cliffhangers.

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REVIEW:

Lili Valente writes some truly entertaining romantic comedies, and I’ve enjoyed each one that I’ve picked up. From her hockey romcoms to her small towns romances, she consistently turns out enjoyable stories rooted in fun and original plots with sweet, sexy romances.

The Bangover is a best-friends-to-lovers romance between Colin, a rock star, and Kirby, a horror novelist. Colin and Kirby head off to Vegas on a temporary friends-with-benefits sex-cation, complete with the heroine’s cat, Murder, in tow. As a series of hilariously unfortunate events begins to unfold, pandemonium, passion and pondering of possibilities ensue as someone—literally—tries to get away with Murder.

An easy-reading, light and breezy, suspenseful romantic comedy, The Bangover was low on the angst but loaded with laugh-out-loud humor and fanning-my-cheeks heat. Four smooches from me for Lili Valente’s The Bangover!

~Danielle Palumbo

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