5 Smooches!

Synopsis

He’s only a friend.

Those words had haunted him from the moment Jessie James had heard them muttered from the girl who held his heart, and whom he thought had his back.
Fourteen years later, he still feels those words like a brand on his soul.
Lucky for him he has a son to focus on, a full-time job that demands his attention the rest of the day, and not a single moment to spare for a woman who won’t stand up for him when he needs her the most.

He’s only a friend.

The words had slipped out of Ellen’s mouth, and before she could recall them, or better yet, explain them, Jesse is gone from her life for good, taking her heart with him.
She tries to move on, to climb her way out of the pit of despair, but not one single person – regardless of how badly she wants to make it work – can fill the void that was left in his wake.

Time heals all wounds.

Or at least that is how the saying goes.

It’s a crock of crap, though.

Fourteen years pass when Jessie and Ellen see each other again without the influence of the town and bad memories surrounding them, and it’s as if not a single day has passed.

Ellen knows the instant that her eyes see her old love that she’s still just as in love with him today as she was all those years ago.

The problem is that Jesse wants nothing to do with her. Or at least that’s what he keeps telling himself.

Review

No surprise here, I adore Lani Lynn Vale’s writing. But the Dixie Wardens Rejects series is fast becoming a favorite. Her writing style, her sense of humor, the way she pairs her couples, the obstacles in their paths—it all works very well for me. The fictional worlds she has created in Kilgore, Texas, Benton, Louisiana, and now Mooresville, Alabama have become some of my top favorite fictional places to visit. Lucky for me, Vale’s creativity knows no bounds, and she takes me on new a trip there once a month.

This is Jesse and Ellen’s story. Teenage first loves, separated by circumstance and parental interference, the love they carried for each other never dissipated. Fast forward fourteen years later and their paths cross again. Though both have attempted to move on, it never really happened for either of them. Their chemistry and attraction to each other was so combustible that when they finally did come together, they exploded off the page. They had a lot of obstacles to overcome and not a small amount of drama to deal with. But they both knew how hard it was to be apart and how much better it was to be together, and they were determined to make it work this time. If only everyone else in their world was on the same page.

I love a good second-chance romance, especially one that began as teenage first loves, and Lani Lynn Vale delivered a fantastic one in The Beard Made Me Do It. Stoking the fires of first love lost but never forgotten, Vale rekindled this couple with plenty of heat, humor and a bit of drama. This story made my heart race, my cheeks burn and kept me laughing out loud well into the night. A stellar addition to an already amazing series! Five smooches from me for The Beard Made Me Do It by Lani Lynn Vale!

~ Danielle Palumbo

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4 Smooches!

Synopsis

Joanie Fox can’t wait to settle down and marry the man of her dreams. However, when her engagement starts to look more stalemate than soulmate, her best friend stages an intervention sure to make even the most hardened, serial daters wince: 10 Dates in 10 Days.

Statistically, if you kiss a lot of frogs there’s bound to be at least one that’s not a complete toad, isn’t there? With nothing to lose, Joanie embarks on a crazy rollercoaster of blind dates. After all, what can possibly go wrong in the search for Mr. Right?

10 Dates is a standalone, sexy, laugh out loud romantic comedy with a happy ending. It is not for the feint hearted and is best suited for readers over the age of eighteen due to sexual themes and mature content.

REVIEW

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5 Smooches!

Synopsis

ALL DEBTS MUST BE PAID

Tommy

Seven years ago, I thought I could save Beth, the girl I loved from the monster who was supposed to take care of us. I thought I could keep Beth and all the other kids at St. Jude’s Home for Court Placed Juveniles safe.

I failed. Badly. Now we all have blood on our hands and owe a dangerous man a very dangerous debt. We don’t know when he’ll come calling for payment, but when he does – we pay, or we suffer.

When my turn comes, I’m ready for anything.

Except seeing Beth again.

LOVE IS NEVER FREE

Beth

No one ever tells you that the cost of having your dreams come true is literally every single other part of your life. Yes, I’m a huge pop star these days, but I’m pretty much a mess, too.

I’ve spent my life hiding behind disguises, make-up and costumes, all to protect myself from the kind of pain that comes from revealing your true self to someone.

I did that once. With Tommy. The only person I ever loved. It didn’t turn out so well.

And now, with everything else falling apart around me, I’m suddenly in the backseat of his car.

Being kidnapped.

And the past we’ve both tried to run from is catching up with us.

Contains The Debt: A Prologue and 50,000 more words in the continuation of Tommy and Beth’s story.

REVIEW

This was just so good and unexpected.  I had absolutely no idea where this story was going and I admit that I was completely hooked from the The Debt (the long prologue before this book that you must, must read).  I love epic love stories that start when the characters are just children.  They pull at all of my heart strings, especially when the young characters have suffered a hardship.  And when young people are flawed, gritty, broken.  I had all the feelings from page one until the very end of this sexy, scintillating, sweet, gut churning romance.

The writing was top notch as is usual with this author and the story exceeded my expectations.  It was so twisty and turny and I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen next.  I am too excited for the conclusion of this epic romance.

~Amie

5 Smooches

Synopsis

Twenty-four-year-old truck stop waitress and single mother Catherine Wright has simple goals: to give her five-year-old daughter a happy life and to never again be the talk of the town in Balsam, Pennsylvania (population three thousand outside of tourist season).
And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed date, Catherine saves a man’s life. It isn’t until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has rescued: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.

Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works. For a time.

But when she finds the man she saved standing on her doorstep, desperate to thank her, all that changes. There’s an immediate connection, and it’s more electric than the bond of two people who endured a traumatic event. It’s something neither of them expected. Something that Catherine isn’t sure she can handle; something she is afraid to trust.

Because how long can an extraordinary man like Brett be interested in an ordinary woman like Catherine…before the spark fades?

Review

As a longtime lover of K.A. Tucker’s books I had no doubt I would enjoy this one but I had no clue just how much it would make me fall in love with it. Until It Fades was so different than the romantic suspense I am used to from K.A. Tucker but her jaunt into contemporary romance minus the crazy suspense was a delight and a dream to read.

Single mom Catherine has had her name run through the ringer in her small town after several scandals left her as a social outcast. Enter sexy hockey star, Brett Madden, and her world is turned upside down. I’ve seen this book described multiple times as a modern fairy tale and that is exactly what comes to mind when thinking back over the story.

Until It Fades was a delight to read. I love a slow burn romance and I was unable to put this one down. K.A. Tucker delivered the heat and the heart in a story you won’t want to miss.

~miranda