Watch Me Follow by Harloe Rae Review

5 Smooches!

Synopsis

Creep. Freak. Crazy Eyes.
I’ve heard it all.
Over the years, they’ve slammed me with every demeaning name in the book.
Their taunts warped me like a steady stream of poison.
Anger replaced anxiety as I started believing the cruelty spat my way.
Until she showed up and changed everything.
Lennon Bennett is pure innocence—warm sunshine breaking apart my stormy existence.
She’s everything good and maybe I can be too.
For her. With her. Because of her.
Lennon doesn’t know I’m beckoned closer with each breath.
She isn’t aware that I’m completely consumed with her.
It’s become my sole purpose to protect her, by any means necessary.
But if she discovers the depth of my obsession, it will be the end of me.
So, I remain in the shadows.
Waiting. Watching. Wanting.
She’ll be my first. My last. My only.

 

Review

Ryker and Lennon are two unique individuals who have both battled troubling childhoods and are both suffering with the consequences. Ryker suffers from anxiety and Lennon is very shy and this doesn’t make life any easier for them. As soon as Ryker sees Lennon he knows he will do anything to protect her from the world and anyone who will do her harm. But it is not an easy ride for these two; Ryker is sometimes suffocated in his darkness but Lennon is the sunshine that pushes through and he doesn’t want to let her go. He won’t let her out of his sight even if she doesn’t know it.

“You’re a wonderful man with a beautiful soul and my life is so much better with you in it,” Lennon’s soothing words smooth my ragged edges.”

This is not a sweet normal romance story- Ryker and Lennon’s story has some darkness, sadness, twisty moments but even in the darkness there is a sunshine that will push through. A true love of two people who are not seen as normal in society’s standards but who will show you that true, raw, beautiful love exists – it isn’t easy but it is worth it.

“Lennon is different, she always has been, she sees me, just like I always wished she would. Someone is finally giving me a chance and I’m so fucking grateful that person is her.”

Ryker and Lennon were both beautiful people. Two characters that you will easily fall in love with. Both have had such horrible experiences and my heart broke for them but it was built back to being whole as I read their love story. Ryker’s anxiety and the little faith he has in himself was hard to read sometimes but as the story develops so does Ryker and he gains strength from Lennon and her sunshine in his life. Lennon also grows throughout the story. She also gains strength from Ryker and she gets stronger and more determined to stand up for herself which is a great thing to witness.

“His romantic messages have kept me floating in bliss and I want to know what else he’s capable of. I want to see it all, hear his words, and hopefully Seek will let me.”

This is a unique love story, different from anything you will read. I don’t want to give much away, but you will know from the synopsis that this isn’t a simple straight forward love story. The differences in this story will keep you hooked and will keep you cheering and wishing harder than any couple before that these two make it and get their HEA. It’s not an easy ride for these two; the battles and demons they face in their life and in getting to know each other and trust each other is a struggle, but nothing worth fighting for comes easy.

Bethany

 

 

Buy It Now

Fresh Catch by Kate Canterbary Cover Reveal

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No strings, no promises, no problems.

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Title: Fresh Catch
Author: Kate Canterbary
Cover Design: Anna Crosswell, Cover Couture
Release Date: February 20, 2018

Blurb

Take a vacation, they said. Get away from Silicon Valley’s back-stabbing and power-grabbing. Recharge the innovative batteries. Unwind, then come back stronger than ever.

Instead, I got lost at sea and fell in love with an anti-social lobsterman.

There’s one small issue:

Owen Bartlett doesn’t know who I am. Who I really am.

~~

I don’t like people.

I avoid small talk and socializing, and I kick my companions out of bed before the sun rises.

No strings, no promises, no problems.

Until Cole McClish’s boat drifts into Talbott’s Cove, and I bend all my rules for the sexy sailor.

I don’t know Cole’s story or what he’s running from, but one thing is certain:

I’m not letting him run away from me.

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Don’t want to wait for a taste of Owen and Cole?
Follow Kate Canterbary at Book+Main for exclusive Fresh Catch content!

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Bio

Kate Canterbary doesn’t have it all figured out, but this is what she knows for sure: spicy-ass salsa and tequila solve most problems, living on the ocean–Pacific or Atlantic–is the closest place to perfection, and writing smart, smutty stories is a better than any amount of chocolate. She started out reporting for an indie arts and entertainment newspaper back when people still read newspapers, and she has been writing and surreptitiously interviewing people—be careful sitting down next to her on an airplane—ever since.

Kate lives on the water in New England with Mr. Canterbary and the Little Baby Canterbary, and when she isn’t writing sexy architects, she’s scheduling her days around the region’s best food trucks.

Links

Newsletter | BookBub | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

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Escape by Jay Crownover Review Tour with Excerpt and Giveaway

 

 

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jay Crownover returns with the third standalone title in her Getaway series, ESCAPE. Check out the review below, and pick up your copy today!

 

About ESCAPE:

Everything inside of him is screaming that he needs to run, he needs to go, he needs to escape.

 

Lane Warner is used to being overshadowed and overlooked.

After all, he’s the youngest brother and the most laid back one in the family. He’s the one known for going with the flow and not making waves, even when things seem to be at their worst.

Very few things in life have had the ability to rile Lane up and get under his skin. At the top of that list is his childhood friend Brynn Fox…no…Brynn Warner. The fact that they share a last name was the one thing that has the power to light him up and spin him out of control like no other. There was no calm, cool and collected when it comes to all the reasons why Brynn had to become part of his family.

It’s slowly killing him to keep wanting what he can’t have, so Lane sees only one way to stop himself from doing something they’ll both regret…he has to leave.

Everything inside of her is calling out to find him, to follow, to bring him home.

Brynn Warner is used to being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

After all, she’s the daughter of an unrepentant gold-digger who never once blinked at being the cause of her daughter’s pain and suffering.

Very few things in her life have ever brought happiness and a sense of security. At the very top of that list is Lane Warner. She has unwaveringly loved the youngest Warner since the first minute she laid eyes on him. He was everything Brynn ever wanted and everything she knew she could never have.

Sometimes the right choice is the one that hurts the most and Brynn’s had to make a few that felt like they might be the end of her.

When Lane takes off, one thing is clear, the only choice Brynn has is to go after him.


She’s going to bring her wayward cowboy home….whatever it takes.

Escape is a standalone novel, the third book in the Getaway series, which features the hardheaded and brokenhearted Warner brothers and the women who dare to love them. These boys are very good at putting the wild in wilderness.

 

Check out our 4.5 smooches review HERE.

Order your copy today!

 

Amazon | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo

 

Add to your Goodreads

 

 

EXCERPT 

 

Brynn

“Want me to follow you or meet you at the house?” I was going to have to GPS my way back. There were a lot more roads in northern California than there were in Sheridan and a lot more traffic. Everything was busy and moved so fast, driving felt like a full-contact sport on these roads. Getting back to Sutton’s place was going to take nerves of steel and white knuckles on the steering wheel now that I didn’t have a missing cowboy to distract me and occupy my mind.

Lane gave the sensible rental a once over, and then shifted his gaze to where his lifted, beast of a truck was parked. I’d seen the mud-splattered, red four-by-four from a mile away, and the familiar sight made my heart thump so loudly I couldn’t hear the blaring horns honking at me as I dared to drive the speed limit. That truck meant Lane was close by and everything would be okay once I could touch him, and talk to him. Everything would go back to normal and the home I had sacrificed for would once again be a place where I felt like nothing bad could ever touch me again.

“Follow me. We’ll eat there and grab something to take back to the house. That gives Sutton another hour to do whatever it is he’s doing with Em.” The knowing gleam in his gaze said he knew exactly what it was that his older brother was doing with Emrys. “We can drop Daye and the food off and then head back to the airport so you can ditch the rental.”

I blinked at him in surprise as I tried to follow his train of thought. “I was just going to drop it off when I flew home.” I didn’t see any reason to make an unnecessary trip to the airport. All the people coming and going was overwhelming. It was like I’d stepped off the plane into a whole new world, one that was waiting to swallow me whole and run me over.

“When were you planning on flying home?” Gentle curiosity colored his tone as he watched me carefully.

I shifted anxiously on the heels of my boots and nervously tugged on the ends of my long hair. “I don’t know. I bought a one-way ticket since I didn’t know how long I was going to have to beg and plead with you to come back to the ranch. I figured I would leave my options open in case you sent me on my way without hearing me out.” Dread that he wouldn’t even see me when I came all this way ate at my insides from the moment I stepped on the plane until his arms had wrapped securely around me in a hug that I would never forget. Being in his arms felt more like coming home than any time I’d walked through the door of the ramshackle home my mother kept on the reservation, or anytime I’d managed to h8ide away at the Warner ranch.

He cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at me. “I’ve always listened to what you had to say, Brynn. Even when the words hurt.”

The “yes” that ended everything we may have been to one another. I could still feel the way that word ripped my heart to shreds and turned my future upside down.

I sighed. “Things are different now, Lane. You left.” I couldn’t keep the hint of betrayal and hurt that colored my tone hidden.

A frown pulled at the corners of his mouth as he moved away to put his boots on. He was looking at the ground, tension tight along the line of his broad shoulders when he muttered, “I know I did. I took the easy way out. I thought things would be even harder than they already were if I stayed.”

I scoffed and gave my head a shake. “Things were worse with you gone.” At least I was far worse without him there.

 

 


And don’t miss the first two standalone novels in the Getaway series, RETREAT and SHELTER. RETREAT is on sale for just $.99! Grab your copy today!
✦ RETREAT on Amazon http://amzn.to/2iOD0DB
✦ RETREAT on Other Retailers https://www.jaycrownover.com/thegetawayseries

✦SHELTER on Amazon http://amzn.to/2zGQh98
✦SHELTER on Other Retailers https://www.jaycrownover.com/thegetawayseries


 

 

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Jay Crownover’s ESCAPE Review Blitz:

January 29th

A Book Lovers Playlist

Fanlovesbooks

From the TBR Pile

I Love Romance

iScream Books Blog

KDRBCK

Kick Back & Review

Kimberly’s Hot Reads

KinkyGirlsBookObsessions

NallaReads

Reads All the Books

Romance Schmomance

Romancing the Pages

Shayna Renee’s Spicy Reads

The Book Maven

Zili in the Sky

January 31st

A crazy vermonters book reviews

A Literary Perusal

Adirondack Reads Romance

City of Fandoms

Cocktails and Books

Elenasbookblog

Geybie’s Book Blog

I Heart Books

Krista’s Dust Jacket

Literary Misfit

Milky Way of Books

Mustreadbooksordie

Nose Stuck in a Book

Once upon a romance blog

Red Hot + Blue Reads

Reviews by Tammy And Kim (Rachel and Jay)

Reviews from the Heart

The Bookworms Obsession

Three chicks and their books

February 1st

Book Angel Booktopia

Evermore Books

Four Chicks Flipping Pages

Jax’s Book Magic

K.T. Castle

Late Night Reading

Love Notes Book Blog

Nerdy Dirty & Flirty

Obsessive Book Nerd

Random Book Muses

Red Cheeks Reads

Reds Romance Reviews

RentasticReads

TjLovesToRead

Two Book Pushers

Up All Night Book Blog Canada

WickedGoodReads

Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess

 

 

About Jay Crownover:

Jay Crownover is the international and multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men Series, The Saints of Denver Series, the Point Series, the Breaking Point Series, and the Getaway Series. Her books can be found translated in many different languages all around the world. She is a tattooed, crazy haired Colorado native who lives at the base of the Rockies with her awesome dogs. This is where she can frequently be found enjoying a cold beer and Taco Tuesdays. Jay is a self-declared music snob and outspoken book lover who is always looking for her next adventure, between the pages and on the road.

 

 

 

 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

 

Escape by Jay Crownover Review

4.5 Smooches

 

Synopsis

Everything inside of him is screaming that he needs to run, he needs to go, he needs to escape.

Lane Warner is used to being overshadowed and overlooked.

After all, he’s the youngest brother and the most laid back one in the family. He’s the one known for going with the flow and not making waves, even when things seem to be at their worst.

Very few things in life have had the ability to rile Lane up and get under his skin. At the top of that list is his childhood friend Brynn Fox…no…Brynn Warner. The fact that they share a last name was the one thing that has the power to light him up and spin him out of control like no other. There was no calm, cool and collected when it comes to all the reasons why Brynn had to become part of his family.

It’s slowly killing him to keep wanting what he can’t have, so Lane sees only one way to stop himself from doing something they’ll both regret…he has to leave.

Everything inside of her is calling out to find him, to follow, to bring him home.

Brynn Warner is used to being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

After all, she’s the daughter of an unrepentant gold-digger who never once blinked at being the cause of her daughter’s pain and suffering.

Very few things in her life have ever brought happiness and a sense of security. At the very top of that list is Lane Warner. She has unwaveringly loved the youngest Warner since the first minute she laid eyes on him. He was everything Brynn ever wanted and everything she knew she could never have.

Sometimes the right choice is the one that hurts the most and Brynn’s had to make a few that felt like they might be the end of her.

When Lane takes off, one thing is clear, the only choice Brynn has is to go after him.She’s going to bring her wayward cowboy home….whatever it takes.

Review

Escape is the third book in the Getaway series and both my most anticipated and favorite of the series. In the second book we got to see into Lane and Brynn’s complicated (to say the least) past. Hurt feelings, miscommunications, and immunity prevented these two best friends from ever becoming more as teenagers. Bit years have past and when forced to decide how they want to be in each other’s lives now they have to make a decision that has been on the horizon since his dad married her to protect her, making her his step-mom.

Now I know the premise sounds odd but trust me it is done so well that you are clear that nothing sexual every occurred between his dad and her. It was simply a way to protect her from a very scary life at home. But in the years since, his dad has passed, and Lane has become more than just a ladies man, hurting Brynn in a way he never knew he was.

“We burned together. There was a spark as soon as our lips touched and our breath mingled.”

 

This second chance romance was exciting, fast paced and full of emotion.  As a reader you are so desperate for these two to get together that you devour each page. I will say, similar to the rest of the series, I could have personally used more dialogue. Over all this was really good, easily read as part of the series or as a standalone, I know you will all enjoy.

~miranda

A Crack In Everything by L.H. Cosway Review Tour



We’re celebrating the release of the CRACKS DUET by L.H. Cosway! 

 
Title: A Crack In Everything and How The Light Gets In (Cracks Duet)
Age Group: Adult
Release Date: January 30 & February 6, 2018
A Crack In Everything  Goodreads
How The Light Gets In GoodreadsA Crack In Everything
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2DvxZc5
iBooks: https://apple.co/2BsghVg
Nook: http://bit.ly/2n7Od4k
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2Gd10ez

How The Light Gets In
Book Description:
A Crack in Everything

Life used to be simple.

I was a city girl with humble dreams. Then Dylan O’Dea broke into my flat, held me against the wall and told me to stay quiet.

It was like in the movies, where the universe zeros in on a single scene. I looked into his eyes and knew he was going to change me.

For Dylan, the sky was always falling. He showed me how our world is a contradiction of beauty and ugliness. How we choose to ignore the awful and gloss over it with the palatable. How you need just a tiny drop of something unsavoury to create every great scent.

Pretty deep for a pair of teenagers living in a block of council flats in inner city Dublin, right Probably. But we weren’t typical. We both had our obsessions. Mine was growing things, Dylan’s was scent. He taught me how to use my nose, and I introduced him to the magic of flowers.

I had no idea that one day he’d build an empire from what we started together. But before that, there was love and happiness, tragedy and epic heartbreak…

My name is Evelyn Flynn and I’m going to tell you about the crack in everything.

A Crack in Everything is Book #1 in L.H. Cosway’s Cracks duet.

How the Light Gets in

He came back to me 16 minutes and 59 seconds into Beethoven’s Symphony no. 7.

We parted amid tragedy, so it seemed poetic. Dylan O’Dea, my childhood sweetheart, had once
meant everything to me. Now we were strangers, and honestly, after eleven years I never thought
I’d see him again.

I lived in the world of the average, of getting paid by the hour and budgeting to make ends meet. But
Dylan, he lived in the world of wealth and success. He’d achieved the great things I always suspected
he would. The dissatisfaction he’d felt as a teenager had obviously been an excellent motivator.

He started a business from scratch, pioneered a brand, and created perfumes adored by women
across the globe. I was just one of the people who’d been there before. Now he was living his best
life in the after.

And me, well, I’d been in a dark place for a while. Slowly but surely, I was letting the light back in, but there was something missing. I was an unfinished sentence with an ellipsis at the end. And maybe, if I was brave enough to take the chance, Dylan could be my happy ending.

How the Light Gets In is Book #2 and the concluding installment in L.H. Cosway’s Cracks duet.

Check out our 4 smooches review 

 

 

About the author:

 

L.H. Cosway lives in Dublin, Ireland. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books. She thinks that imperfect people are the most interesting kind. They tell the best stories. L.H. is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Social Media Links:FB: www.facebook.com/LHCosway
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LHCosway
Instagram: www.instagram.com/l.h.cosway
Website: www.lhcoswayauthor.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lhcosway13/

A Crack In Everything by L.H. Cosway Review

4 Smooches!

Synopsis

Life used to be simple.

I was a city girl with humble dreams. Then Dylan O’Dea broke into my flat, held me against the wall and told me to stay quiet.
It was like in the movies, where the universe zeros in on a single scene. I looked into his eyes and knew he was going to change me.

For Dylan, the sky was always falling. He showed me how our world is a contradiction of beauty and ugliness. How we choose to ignore the awful and gloss over it with the palatable. How you need just a tiny drop of something unsavoury to create every great scent.

Pretty deep for a pair of teenagers living in a block of council flats in inner city Dublin, right? Probably. But we weren’t typical. We both had our obsessions. Mine was growing things, Dylan’s was scent. He taught me how to use my nose, and I introduced him to the magic of flowers.

I had no idea that one day he’d build an empire from what we started together. But before that, there was love and happiness, tragedy and epic heartbreak…

My name is Evelyn Flynn and I’m going to tell you about the crack in everything.

A Crack in Everything is Book #1 in L.H. Cosway’s Cracks duet.

REVIEW

I didn’t really know to expect with this duet. I want to start by saying that I really enjoyed this book but the second in this duet really stole the show for me.  The first book I felt like we were really mostly getting to know the characters from a young age.  I felt like this was specifically written for us to fall in love with the cast of characters and I did.

A Crack In Everything really does delve into the struggles of teens growing up in a poverty stricken area.  As always this author transports us to their poor living conditions, the little light in their lives (the greenhouse Evelyn has created on the roof of their building), and thoroughly enthralls us with characters that are unique and quirky.

I really enjoyed witnessing Evelyn and Dylan’s relationship grow.  I loved how she was the day to his night and watching them spiral really made me want the second book in this duet.

Anther great book by one of always read authors.

~Amie

 

 

 

 

 

BUY IT NOW

Heart Stronger by Rachel Blaufeld Cover Reveal

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Heart Stronger, an all-new emotional romance from Rachel Blaufeld is coming February 19th!

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Heart Stronger
Author: Rachel Blaufeld
Release Date: February 19th
Cover Designer: Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations, LLC
Photographer: Eric Battershell
Model: Rick Van Den Bosch

Synopsis

“Sometimes, I feel like I’m watching a movie . . . that it’s not really me, Claire Richards, getting this second chance at life.”

“Open your eyes, it’s you, and I’m damn glad it’s with me.” ~ Aiken

Single mom and college professor Claire Richards only wanted a few hours of me time to soak in her tub, read a book, and drink wine.

But tragedy struck, and Claire found herself with a lot more me time than she bargained for.

Three years later, Claire is still mourning her losses when Aiken Fordham—who looks young enough to be one of her college students—moves in next door.

Forcing Claire to face her fears, Aiken almost forgets his reason for moving to Small Town, Pennsylvania. Falling for the sexy, smart, and strong professor next door was never in the plan.

But now it is . . . until their future intersects with their pasts.

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Preorder Exclusively on iBooks:

https://apple.co/2DQ48zn

Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2Fwcs3R

About Rachel:

Rachel Blaufeld is a bestselling author of Romantic Suspense, New Adult, Coming-of-Age Romance, and Sports Romance. A recent poll of her readers described her as insightful, generous, articulate, and spunky. Originally a social worker, Rachel creates broken yet redeeming characters. She’s been known to turn up the angst like cranking up the heat in the dead of winter.

A devout coffee drinker and doughnut eater, Rachel spends way too many hours in local coffee shops, downing the aforementioned goodies while she plots her ideas. Her tales may all come with a side of angst and naughtiness, but end as lusciously as her treats.

As a side note, Blaufeld, also a long-time blogger and an advocate of woman-run anything, is fearless about sharing her opinion. She captured the ears of stay-at-home and working moms on her blog, BacknGrooveMom, chronicling her adventures in parenting tweens and running a business, often at the same time. To her, work/life/family balance is an urban legend, but she does her best.

Rachel has also blogged for The Huffington Post and Modern Mom. Most recently, her insights can be found in USA TODAY, where she shares conversations at “In Bed with a Romance Author” and reading recommendations over at “Happy Ever After.”

Rachel lives around the corner from her childhood home in Pennsylvania with her family and two beagles. Her obsessions include running, coffee, basketball, icing-filled doughnuts, antiheroes, and mighty fine epilogues.

When she isn’t writing, she can be found courtside, tweeting about hoops as her son plays, or walking around the house wearing earplugs while her other son, the drummer, bangs away.

RachelBlaufeld

Connect with Rachel:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachelblaufeldtheauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rachelblaufeld

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelblaufeld/

Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TunnelVIPS/

Stay up to date with Rachel by joining her mailing list today: http://www.rachelblaufeld.com/signup

http://www.rachelblaufeld.com

Savage Prince by Megan March Cover Reveal

 

 

 

Who knew things could get even darker and dirtier in New Orleans? New York Times bestselling author Meghan March introduces the Savage Prince of the city, the man you never want to meet.

I do what I want and who I want. I don’t follow anyone’s rules—even my own.
I knew I shouldn’t touch her, but it didn’t stop me.
Didn’t stop me the second time either. Only made me want a third.
My lifestyle suits the savage I am, and she doesn’t.
But Temperance Ransom is my newest addiction, and I’m nowhere near ready to quit her yet.
I’ll have her my way, even if it means dragging her into the darkness.
Hopefully it doesn’t kill us both.

Savage Prince is book one of the Savage Trilogy, set in the same world as Ruthless King, however you do not need to read the Mount Trilogy to devour this scandalously hot new story.

 

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | iBooks | BN | Kobo

 

 

 

 

 

A New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty novels, Meghan March has been known to wear camo face paint and tromp around in woods wearing mud-covered boots, all while sporting a perfect manicure. She’s also impulsive, easily entertained, and absolutely unapologetic about the fact that she loves to read and write smut. Her past lives include slinging auto parts, selling lingerie, making custom jewelry, and practicing corporate law. Writing books about dirty talking alpha males and the strong, sassy women who bring them to their knees is by far the most fabulous job she’s ever had.

Sign up for Meghan’s newsletter and receive exclusive content that she saves for her subscribers: http://meghanmarch.com/subscribe

To get the inside scoop on a daily basis, search Meghan March’s Runaway Readers on Facebook and join the fun.

FACEBOOK | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | TWITTER | PINTEREST

The Hookup by Kristen Ashley Review

5 SMOOCHES!

SYNOPSIS:

When the new girl in town, Eliza “Izzy” Forrester decides to hit the local drinking hole, she’s not ready to meet the town’s good, solid guy. She’s definitely not prepared to engage in her very first hookup with him.

Then Izzy wakes up the next morning in Johnny Gamble’s bed and good girl Izzy finds she likes being bad for Johnny.

Even so, Izzy feels Johnny holding her at arm’s length. But Johnny makes it clear he wants more and Izzy already knows she wants as much of hot-in-bed, sweet-out-of-it Johnny Gamble.

Floating on air thinking this is going somewhere, Izzy quickly learns why Johnny holds distant.

He’s in love with someone else. Someone who left him and did it leaving him broken. Whoever was up next would be runner up, second best. Knowing the stakes, Izzy will take what she can get from the gentleman that’s Johnny Gamble. And even knowing his heart might never mend, Johnny can’t seem to stay away from Izzy.

Until out of nowhere, his lost love comes back to town. He’s not going back, but Johnny still knows the right thing to do is let Izzy go.

And Izzy knew the stakes, so she makes it easy and slips through his fingers.

But that’s before Johnny realizes Eliza moved to town to escape danger that’s been swirling around her.

And that’s why Johnny decides to wade in.

That and the fact Eliza Forrester makes breakfast with a canary singing on her shoulder and fills out tight dresses in a way Johnny Gamble cannot get out of his head.

 

REVIEW:

I’ve never made a secret of Kristen Ashley fandom. This author has had a profound effect on me as a reader. Her books had such a tremendous impact on me and are the ones that began a voracious, insatiable love of romantic fiction. That love, and the need I felt to satiate it, started me on a journey that, several years ago, I had no idea was even possible. Yet here I am, and I can trace it all back to that day in 2012 when I picked up my first Kristen Ashley book.

So, fast forward five years, and I’ve read the vast majority of her books, and many of those books, I’ve read more than once. At any given time, you can look at the first page of my Kindle, and there will be a KA book on that page in process of being read. It seems that most days I find myself reading at least a few of her words. I may only be able to sneak in a favorite scene, maybe just a chapter or two, or if I’ve got the time, I’ll allow myself to get lost in the story and reread the whole book. So, I consider myself a devout fan, I hesitate to use the word authority, but well, five plus years of reading and rereading these books over and over again has given me a solid understanding of her writing style, her characters and her stories.

I preorded The Hookup, but I’d been saving this book for a time that I could luxuriate in it, take my time with it and enjoy it. Read it purely for the pleasure of a new KA book and of reading. That time came for me this weekend. From the first page, I was hooked. Drawn right into this new KA world of Matlock, Kentucky, I was riveted in place and forcing myself to slow down and enjoy the story, not devour it like the starved fan that I was. It was a struggle, but I did it, and I’m so glad that I did. This book was…. everything I went into it hoping it would be.

If you’ve read KA’s previous works, specifically her Colorado Mountain, The Burg, Dream Man and Chaos series, you know she’s got a vibe. There is something special about the way she pours all that alpha-male goodness onto the page and mixes it with just the right heroine into a story that is pure magic. So, it thrills me, it thrills me, to say that this series has kicked off with a book just like that. Swooning in my seat, firmly rooted in place, I took in the awesomeness that was this book with a happy, racing heart.

Johnny Gamble was a perfect KA hero. Loyal, sweet, sexy, decisive and as alpha as they come, this man was all man, and the kind of man who when he loves, does it hard. Eliza Forrester, Izzy to her friends, may not have had the easiest life, but her optimistic spirit gave her the natural ability to make the best of any situation. These two sizzled from the start, and their chemistry leapt from the page. Even though the attraction was strong and there from the beginning, this was no whirlwind romance, and I absolutely love, love, loved every minute of the build-up of their relationship. A dash of suspense, an in-your-business small town and a cast of side characters I loved, The Hookup was the full package of KA stories with a compelling love story, an interesting plot, characters I was invested in and a setting I can’t wait to visit again.

The Hookup was a fantastic start to a series that felt familiar and comforting, while still managing to pull off being new and exciting. I cannot wait for more, and I hope that KA will give it to us soon in the form of Toby and Addie’s book. The Hookup by Kristen Ashley gets five smooches from me!

~ Danielle Palumbo

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Messy Love by Stephanie Witter Review

4 Smooches

Synopsis

It was messy.
It was raw.
It was love.

MARISSA

The first time I laid eyes on Wyatt Burton was outside of my biological mother’s house. Abandoning me twenty years ago, I never knew that meeting her would change my life so completely. In fact, there were many things that I never expected that day, but there were a few things I knew for sure. Nothing would ever be the same–not even me. And it was all about to get very MESSY.

WYATT

Marissa Thornton deserved so much. She was beautiful beyond reason and never took my shit. She drew me in, while driving out the worst in me. But when she let me in, trusted me completely, I thought I could finally let down my guard and find true happiness. I was wrong. Dead wrong, about myself, about her, and most importantly about the binds of LOVE.

Review

Marissa first laid eyes on Wyatt at her biological mothers house, the mother who had abandoned her all those years ago but who has now adopted Wyatt. Although they both are attracted to each other Wyatt’s past and his demons forces him to continually push Marissa away. Will Wyatt ever be able to put his past behind him to allow Marissa to help him heal or will Wyatt’s anger and self destruct attitude keep her away for good and his past catch up and endanger all that he loves?

“I had always thought that being a good person was easy. I had been so damn wrong I’d laugh if only my fucking heart weren’t about to irremediably break and if I wasn’t so scared.”

This was a heart breaking and complicated love story and yet it was also beautiful at the same time. Two people who are both broken in their own way trying to heal their broken pieces and find a way to let go of the past so that they can have a future!

“For once, I had to figure out a way not to hurt someone and repair who I had broken. That was, to some extent, for me too.”

It was easy to like Marissa- a shy and sweet young woman and yet she also had a strong back bone and courage to defend those she loved no matter what. My heart broke for her as Wyatt kept pushing her away because you could feel the depth of emotion she had for him. Wyatt might have been a harder character to love for some, but for me I completely got him even in the beginning. He was terrified that his past would harm Marissa and his desperation for a loving family was heartbreaking. Yes he would push Marissa away but that’s because he truly thought things would be better that way and I could understand that.

“And then, finally, he kissed me with a tenderness that chased all the darkness that threatened to swallow us today.”

This was a romance story with real grit and a hardness around it. The relationship between the two main characters was not one I had read about before so I found that unique and interesting. It wasn’t all hearts and flowers- this was a hard fought love and there were some definite jaw-drop-intense moments that added another layer to the love story. There was chemistry and danger- a great combination to keep me hooked throughout! The ending was intense and nail biting but we get there in the end with a sweet epilogue that finishes the story well!

~Bethany

 

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