5 SMOOCHES!

SYNOPSIS:

Evander Lennox doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to do. At least, that is, until he’s sent to prison. The four years he’s incarcerated, he’s had no choice but to do the things he’s asked to do, when he’s asked to do them. And now, if he doesn’t, it will mean a one-way ticket straight back to hell.

Once he’s free, it takes him twenty-four hours to get his old job back, his dog at home where he belongs, and an understanding that people aren’t as forgiving as he once thought them to be. He’s just about given up hope of ever integrating back into society when a woman slams into his heart, literally and figuratively.

***
Kennedy Swallow just wants to belong somewhere.

When she was younger, her parents divorced, and chose to separate her from her twin. Fast forward fifteen years, and she’s finally getting to meet the family she’s always wanted to be a part of. To make that happen, she uproots her life and moves to the tiny town of Hostel, Texas—giving her almost everything she’s ever wanted.

Just when she thinks she’s making progress in winning her family over, she finds out that her twin is ill, and the only reason her family tolerates her is due to the convenience of having a free caretaker whenever they might be in need of one.

After a few eye-opening experiences, she quickly realizes that she’s being used. Vowing to herself that she’ll make the best of the situation, she begins to steel her heart. What she doesn’t prepare for is a man named Evander who sees that barrier as a challenge.

***

It takes Evander all of ten seconds while watching the woman on the floor, bleeding from her jaw, to realize that maybe life isn’t as bad as it could be.

This woman with her thrill for life, a crazy obsession with chickens, and a desire to be wanted, changes everything he thinks he knows.

But it doesn’t take long for him to realize that just by being around her, the people of the town have judged her guilty by association.

Her business suffers, and soon after, she realizes what it will mean to have him by her side—the loss of everything she’s worked so hard for.

Kennedy knows that Evander is worth it. Evander, however, decides that he’s not letting another person get hurt because he was stupid enough to care.

REVIEW:

As a long-time Lani Lynn Vale fan, I’ve been anxious for the Hail Raisers series since the Hail brothers started popping up in her previous works. Vale started her writing career with a romantic suspense series about a covert group of men, working out of a mechanic garage, who also rescued women from abusive relationships and gave them the opportunity to start over. From that series came three MC romance series, a SWAT team series and another about firefighters and paramedics. She’s even branched out with a series about dragons and another about baseball players. Even though she’s written three best-selling MC romance series, readers shouldn’t mistake this series for one. Because while the Hail Raisers are a loosely organized group of pleasure bikers, Vale is clearly returning to her romantic suspense roots with this series, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Hail No starts off with a punch to the feels courtesy of a hero who broke my heart and a heroine that my heart went out to. Fresh out of prison for a crime that he didn’t commit, Evander is beaten down enough that he just accepts the scorn he receives from the residents of his hometown, Hostel, Texas. What he won’t accept, however, is his military service dog turned pet’s caregiver attempting to keep said dog when he returns from prison—a notion that the dog hilariously wasn’t willing to accept either. Van was so focused on not tainting the few people left in his life with his sullied reputation, that he almost missed on something truly special in Kennedy. He was such a strong, stoic character, and I ached for how isolated he felt.

Kennedy has never felt more alone. Following the death of her mother, she just wants somewhere to belong. Her mother’s deathbed confession rocked her world and sent her off in search of a father and two siblings she didn’t remember. They didn’t exactly welcome her with open arms, though, and were quite content to hold her at arms’ length before they eventually pushed her away. Even as she tried to start a life for herself in Hostel, fate seemed to have other plans for her. Just when she was about to throw in the towel, a big, bossy, sometimes silent savior stepped in and saved the day. The problem was that he was also intent on saving her from the judgment of others for merely associating with him. It took a series of mishaps, missteps and murders for Van to stop fighting the inevitable. The past seems poised to repeat itself, and Van scrambles to get to the bottom of who is behind it and why before it can drag him—and Kennedy—down again.

This was a couple that I couldn’t help but root for— they were just so sweet, so genuine and so sexy together, and I loved them together right from the start! I’m always excited for a book from Lani Lynn Vale, and I’ve never been disappointed with anything she’s ever written. I’m thrilled that this series is off to such fantastic start with what I believe is some Vale’s best writing to date. A twisting, turning, richly-developed suspense plot running in tandem with a red-hot romance and liberally sprinkled with Lani’s quirky sense of humor is a guaranteed hit for me. Five smooches for Hail No by Lani Lynn Vale from me!

~ Danielle Palumbo

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4 Smooches

Synopsis

He’s the newly drafted quarterback.
Hot. Arrogant. Too sexy for words.
Ready to score.

I’m an athletic intern, and the coach’s daughter.
Driven. Determined. Prepared to conquer the world.
Completely off-limits.

The NFL is full of rules. Rules I’ve never broken. Never challenged. Never even scratched–until the day Lucas Carrington crashes into my life with his hard body and I-don’t-give-a-f*ck attitude.

After I almost injure my father’s star player, I volunteer to make sure he’s in top shape. At first, it’s hell. I don’t like his cockiness, his easy smile. Don’t like the way he oozes sex. Or how his penetrating eyes follow me everywhere.

That doesn’t stop me from wanting him.  He’s meant to be a distraction–something to occupy my mind for these precious few remaining hot summer nights before I’m forced to leave football behind forever.

I know what we’re doing will lead nowhere good. I know we’re crossing the line. And I know my father will never understand.

None of that matters.

But maybe it should.

Rules aren’t meant to be broken.

Or are they?

Review

Lucas has dreamed of the moment he would be drafted but when fate steps in and he is drafted by his home city, a city he couldn’t wait to get out of, he knows he has to suck it up and accept it. So he does. After all, he is still doing what he loves. His attitude isn’t as easy to get over though and it might lose him his shot. Gillian may be the coaches daughter but that doesn’t mean she’s terrified she might have injured the new star quarterback and it doesn’t stop her feeling instantly attracted to him. Will Gillian and Lucas be able to come together under the pressure of the football world and with a dad who would not understand? Or will the obstacles and the pressure to keep their relationship secret be enough to keep them apart?

“A feeling coursed through me that everything in the world was somehow right. And that’s when I knew . . . I really did have it all.”

I have to admit that I’m not normally a lover of sports romance books and I wouldn’t seek them out. But this one easily grabbed my attention. The characters instantly drew me in and the love story was intense, heart breaking, beautiful and passionate all at the same time.

“Our need for each other kept building. Higher and higher. On the edge, I wanted more. I had to have more.”

Lucas was one hot, broody, football player! Even though he definitely had a chip on his shoulder I pretty much instantly fell for Lucas. It was obvious from the begging that he worked so hard to get where he was and that life hadn’t been easy. I admired his determination and even though he definitely had a cocky side, he was also very flirty and good at it and as the story progressed his romantic and passionate side came out. Gillian was also an instant like for me. She was also determined and a really strong woman in my eyes. Despite being such a mans world, she had both feet firmly planted and knew what she wanted. She was also sweet and funny and held her own against Lucas. 

“What I didn’t know then was that was only the start of the dominos I couldn’t stop from falling.”

This story was definitely a mix of sports and romance. Lucas’s dream of playing football professionally played a big role and because of how much I loved Lucas it became a gripping part of the story for me. I was desperate for all his hard work to pay off and for nothing to jeopardise it. Obviously the relationship between Lucas and Gillian kept me hooked. You know it’s not going to be an easy ride with the secrets, lies and each of their determination to reach the top of their careers. It was intense and there is definite heartbreak and I was biting my nails waiting for Gillian’s dad to find them! But there is also so much passion and beautiful moments between them both that had me swooning and wishing for my own broody football player. Overall, this was a top sport romance with two, (yes two!!), brilliant epilogues! 

~Bethany

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5 SMOOCHES!

SYNOPSIS:

Man seeking woman: Hot, rich, smart, witty, self-made multimillionaire Internet genius seeks classy, intelligent, sexy, fun-loving woman who’s interested in settling down and sharing all the good things.

There. Best. Ad. Ever.

I will absolutely find the woman of my dreams, someone who’ll love me for me. Even if my sister thinks I need help dating, I’m confident I can pull this off, courtesy of the great worldwide web.
Let me just hit the upload button right now…
***
No. Just no. As a woman and a professional matchmaker, I can’t let Dylan Parker run this ad. He’s the catch of all catches. That’s why his sister has asked me to help her ridiculously good-looking, insanely rich, but socially clueless brother find a woman. As a broker of happily ever afters, I’m known as the Stud Finder since I make a great living pairing wildly successful women with men who won’t fleece them but will adore them. After all, what woman in her right mind wouldn’t fall in love with Dylan?

I mean, besides me. It totally won’t be me.

REVIEW:

At this point in my Lauren Blakely fandom, I don’t even have to read the blurb to know that I’m going to buy and read (and love) the book. A full-length novel or sexy little novella, a new story from her is an event for me, one that I not only look forward to but I also plan the day around. It doesn’t even matter what trope it is – friends to lovers, second chances, best friend’s little sister – I know that I’m going to get wrapped up in whatever world she’s created and enjoy the heck out of the trip. Her writing never fails to entertain me, to make my heart race and to bring a smile to my face. This kind of consistency, both in terms of quality storytelling and reader reaction, is rare and special, and it’s one of the many reasons why Lauren Blakely is such a standout author for me.

In Stud Finder, a standalone novella in the 1001 Dark Nights series, Ms. Blakely takes on the hot nerd trope, and she did it with spectacular results. Her spin on it, with a professional matchmaker heroine who is also a friend of the hero’s sister, was fresh, fun and heart-flutteringly flirty. Don’t let the length of the story deter you, either, because she packed a heck of a lot of story into this perfectly paced, richly developed novella.

“…this woman… She’s the one I want.”

Dylan is the whole package—handsome, smart, rich and an absolute sweetheart—and I found his dating naïveté very endearing. An internet entrepreneur who sold his business for millions at a very young age, he’s a firm believer in the world wide web as the way to find, well, just about anything, so it seems logical to him to use it to find the woman of his dreams. Quickly overwhelmed and a bit disillusioned by the responses to his ad on a dating site, he realizes that he’s going to need some help finding this woman. So, it’s a good thing that his sister is friends with the just person to help Dylan out. What he wasn’t expecting, though, was being so attracted to the matchmaker herself.

“I want this man. I want him so much.”

Evie’s so focused on building her business and other peoples’ relationships, she doesn’t have time for one herself. Even if she did, though, it seems her time is mostly spent with clients, and that is an ethical line she just won’t allow herself cross. She goes all-in to help Dylan, including some one-on-one dating instruction to prepare him for his dates. When their effortlessly witty banter and flirty, fun “practice” dates start to breach the boundary Evie has set for herself, she’s got a tough decision to make—go against the matchmaker’s cardinal rule or give into the attraction simmering between them.

“…there’s nothing more to say. There’s only the sheer honesty of this moment. When you finally give in. When you finally admit. When you finally know.”

Right from the start, I couldn’t help but root for this couple. Stud Finder was an addictively slow burning story, but my Kindle was positively smoking when Evie and dirty-talking Dylan finally gave in to the chemistry sizzling between them. I devoured this sexy, sweet, quick-reading romance in a single sitting, smiling wide and fanning myself the whole way through. Five smooches from me for Lauren Blakely’s Stud Finder!

~ Danielle Palumbo

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5 Smooches

Synopsis

I am not a victim.

At least that’s what I wanted to believe. What I wanted the world to see. Five years of trying to find the girl I hid from the world.

I wouldn’t let the bullies win. I couldn’t.

What was I supposed to do when he walked into the building? He’d made my high school years a living hell.

But, he doesn’t recognize me.

How do I prove he didn’t break me? Simple, take him home for a one-night stand.

At least it sounded like a good idea at the time.

Review

Rebecca Brooke has once again given me a book I was unable to walk away from. I read an early copy of this story and could not believe this was her first jump into the rocker lifestyle.  Rock Me is a second chance romance that was never supposed to happen. Mari reunites with Cole years after her ugly duckling, being bullied days of high school. Only now that she has reinvented herself he doesn’t recognize her. He becomes enamored and she is torn for falling for who Cole is now and the boy who hurt her all those years ago.

Second Chance romances are always the ones that give me the most feels. The thought of all those years lost hurts but the idea that nothing is ever lost forever is exciting. I love Rebecca’s story telling and this was another hot for me. I fell for these two and loved their struggle. Rock Me is an exciting, fun, sexy, and heart-warming story wrapped up in the rock and roll lifestyle!

~miranda