Jun 15
Roman by Sawyer Bennett Review
4 Smooches
Synopsis
In a league full of troublemakers, Cold Fury defenseman Roman Sýkora stands out—at least when it comes to negative publicity. When he’s not chilling in the penalty box, the sizzling Czech skate demon is racking up tabloid headlines for his scandalous behavior with the ladies. But now Roman’s feeling the burn from management to clean up his act, or else. Luckily he’s got an enticing distraction: a fun-loving barista who plays the ukulele and brings out a side of Roman he didn’t know he had.
Lexi Robertson came to Raleigh, North Carolina, to finally meet her father, Brian Brannon, and her half sister, Gray, both of whom work in the Cold Fury’s front office. That’s where she first meets sexy, intimidating Roman—who’s really a big softie at heart. As one relationship takes off, another begins: Brian seems to be clicking with Lexi’s boss at the coffee shop. But when the friction between Roman and her new family heats up, Lexi wonders whether she’s a pawn in their game. Feeling hurt and foolish, Lexi’s ready to quit while she’s ahead. Trouble is, Roman’s not ready to quit on her.
Review
I simply cannot get enough of these Cold Fury boys! Roman is the Czech troublemaker who needs to get his act straight or he is off the team. Lexi is the long lost sister to the head of management and the daughter the owner never knew he had. Mix these two and you have a recipe of fire!
I loved Lexi. She was a free spirit who stood her ground. She doesn’t always make the best choices but she does always own all her decisions. Enter Roman, while everyone tells her to stay away from the bad boy she knows there is more to him than what the press puts out there. To her he is sweet, patient, kind, and funny. I really truly did love the two of them together.
The only part of the story that was harder for me personally was while we watched Lexi and Roman falling in love, dating, and having sex we also got a POV from he dad as he pursued the woman who was like a mom to Lexi. While we didn’t get direct sex scenes from these two sometimes going from a Lexi/Roman scene into hearing her dad woo basically her mom just pulled me out a bit. While I really did love their story I kinda wished it was a separate novella instead of woven into this book. This was definitely not a deal breaker and there are not a ton of scenes in Brian’s POV it was worth mentioning.
Overall, This was another hit for Sawyer Bennett’s hockey boys. Whether you are reading this as a standalone or have devoured the entire series (like me) I trust you will fall hard for Roman and Lexi!
~miranda
Jun 15
The Line by Amie Knight Release Blitz with Excerpt
THE LINE by Amie Knight is available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited!
Purchase your copy today!
AMAZON US | AMAZON UK | AMAZON CA | AMAZON AU
The Line by Amie Knight
Genre: Contemporary Romance
I was a thief.
The invisible girl only he could see.
The woman who wanted to be more.
He was the mark.
The extraordinary cowboy who stole my sixteen-year-old heart.
The damaged man who still owned it, even four years later.
The Line was where we began.
Where fates collided.
Where truths derailed.
The place where our love story ends.
Available on Kindle Unlimited!
AMAZON US | AMAZON UK | AMAZON CA | AMAZON AU
EXCERPT:
How could it be so damn hot at seven in the morning? I wasn’t sure, but it was. Even in a thin tank, cut-off shorts, and my boots, I was melting. I stood at the top of a ladder Cole had placed against a tree so that we could reach the peaches up top. I used the rubber band on my wrist and tied my hair into a knot at the top of my head, hoping that it helped.
Cole climbed up behind me on the ladder and stood a couple of rungs below, but still, he towered over my small frame.
“Okay?” he asked.
“Yep,” I answered, even though I wasn’t okay. He was so close, and that familiar earthy, smoke smell I loved almost as much as rocky road invaded my senses.
“Good.” He looked at the peaches. “Alrighty. You see the ones that have that pink color?” He motioned to a cluster of fruit in front of us.
I nodded, trying not to breathe in too much. Because Jesus, he smelled delicious.
“Those look ripe and done. The paler ones behind them don’t look ready yet.”
I nodded again, and Cole grabbed my hand. He pressed his fingers in, wrapping both of our hands around a peach. He pushed the tips of his fingers into mine at the top of the fruit, near the stem.
“Feel the give, how it feels soft there?”
I squeezed my fingers around the stem again without his help and said, “Yep. Feels softer there.”
He smiled down at me. “Good. That’s also a sign it’s ripe for picking. But be gentle. They bruise easily.”
Cole’s front pressed closer to my back, and I shivered. The way Cole taught me to do things here was pure torture. It was also outright ecstasy. I lived for these moments as much as I loathed them. Because the man was a damn tease. He’d sent me back to the big house a sweaty, panting mess more times than I could count, my panties drenched.
He gently squeezed our hands around the peach and twisted and pulled. The peach came free, my tiny hand gripped it and his big, rough hand wrapped around mine. He brought our hands to my face and pressed the peach closer to my nose.
“How does it smell?” he asked in my ear.
I wanted to say, “I don’t know. I can’t smell a damn thing but your smoke and leather, and I don’t want to.”
Instead, I closed my eyes. I pressed my nose right up against the peach and concentrated on the smell.
“Sweet,” I said, my eyes still closed.
Our hands moved, and I felt the peach at my lips. My heart hammered and fire raced across my skin, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the weather.
Cole positioned himself even closer, and it seemed, in that moment, that every breath he took sucked up every bit of air in the atmosphere.
My own breath quickened, and a growl rumbled low in Cole’s chest.
“Taste it,” he whispered in my ear, his lips so close that I was sure he could taste me on them.
I opened my mouth and wrapped my lips around the fruit, the fuzzy skin tickling my lips. I bit down, and that rumble I heard from Cole made an appearance again. I moaned as I pressed my teeth to the fruit, the juicy sweetness of the peach sliding over my tongue.
“So good,” I groaned as Cole pulled our hands and the peach back. A little juice rolled down my chin and I attempted to lift my free hand to wipe it.
“I got it,” Cole said, brushing his hand over my chin, slowly picking the juice up with his finger, and ever-so-Goddamn-enticingly placing his finger in his mouth before sucking it clean like it was the best thing he’d ever put in his mouth.
“Delicious,” he said, his hooded eyes on mine as he popped his finger out of his mouth.
And fuck me. I swayed on that ladder, my own eyes closing as I willed my cowboy to kiss me with every breath I took. I made myself only will this about once a day, so I thought I was doing pretty good.
He brought our hands holding the peach to his mouth. He wrapped his mouth around it, his lips brushing my fingers, and I felt it deep in my core. I pressed my thighs together and swallowed a moan.
“Perfect,” he said, staring into my eyes. He held my gaze for a moment more before shaking his head and letting my hand, which was still clasped around the peach, go. Then he stepped off the ladder like he hadn’t just made sweet, sweet love to that peach with his mouth right here in front of me.
I watched him walk off to another tree, place a ladder against it, and climb up like nothing in the world had happened. I kicked the rung of the ladder and turned back to the tree. Damn peach molester.
Amie Knight has been a reader for as long as she could remember and a romance lover since she could get her hands on her momma’s books. A dedicated wife and mother with a love of music and makeup, she won’t ever be seen leaving the house without her eyebrows and eyelashes done just right. When she isn’t reading and writing, you can catch her jamming out in the car with her two kids to ’90s R&B, country, and showtunes. Amie draws inspiration from her childhood in Columbia, South Carolina, and can’t imagine living anywhere other than the South.
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Jun 15
Bad Penny by Staci Hart Release Blitz
Today we have the release day blitz for Bad Penny by Staci Hart! I love this fantastic new contemporary romance! Check it out and grab your copy today! 
Title: Bad Penny
Author: Staci Hart
Genre: Contemporary Romance
About Bad Penny:
Nothing good comes after the third date.
Date three is the crucial point when things get real, which is exactly why I bounce out the door, twiddling my fingers at whatever poor boy I’ve left behind. Because if I stick around, one of three things will happen: he’ll profess his undying love, he’ll get weird and stalky, or I’ll go crazy. Like, Sid and Nancy crazy. Like, chase-him-through-the-streets-begging-him-to-love-me crazy.
Seriously, it’s better for everyone this way.
So when I meet Bodie, I figure it’ll be the same as it ever was. It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t put a single string on me. Doesn’t matter that he’s funny and smart and jacked or that he can play my body like a grand piano. Because even though I’m built for love, love has only carved me up like a Christmas ham.
Resistance is something I can only hang on to for so long, and he has persistence in spades. But my heart isn’t as safe as I want to believe, and neither is his. And the second I ignore my cardinal rule is the second I stand to lose him forever.
Get Your Copy Today!
CHECK OUT OUR 5 SMOOCHES REVIEW HERE.
About Staci Hart:
Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life: a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can’t forget that. She’s also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She’s been a wife, even though she’s certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She’s also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she’s been drinking whiskey. Her favorite word starts with f and ends with k.
From roots in Houston, to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she’s not writing, she’s sleeping, cleaning, or designing graphics.
Connect with Staci:
Website
Amazon
Jun 15
Bad Penny by Staci Hart Review
5 Smooches
Synopsis
Nothing good comes after the third date.
Date three is the crucial point when things get real, which is exactly why I bounce out the door, twiddling my fingers at whatever poor boy I’ve left behind. Because if I stick around, one of three things will happen: he’ll profess his undying love, he’ll get weird and stalky, or I’ll go crazy. Like, Sid and Nancy crazy. Like, chase-him-through-the-streets-begging-him-to-love-me crazy.
Seriously, it’s better for everyone this way.
So when I meet Bodie, I figure it’ll be the same as it ever was. It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t put a single string on me. Doesn’t matter that he’s funny and smart and jacked or that he can play my body like a grand piano. Because even though I’m built for love, love has only carved me up like a Christmas ham.
Resistance is something I can only hang on to for so long, and he has persistence in spades. But my heart isn’t as safe as I want to believe, and neither is his. And the second I ignore my cardinal rule is the second I stand to lose him forever.
Review
Staci Hart delivered us the comedy we all wanted. Bad Penny was deliciously dirty, funny, and sweet. I fell hard for former chubby nerd Bodie and was taken aback in the best way possible by his dirty mouth.
Penny has been screwed over before so she decides to start having a three date rule because nothing good comes after date three. The first three dates are full of sex, fun, and excitement. After that feelings get involved and inevitably someone is hurt. Enter sexy blond Bodie. Bodie challenges her and makes her question everything but in order to explore her feelings for him she would have to abandon all the rules she made for herself and open herself up to getting truly hurt.
‘I wanted zero commitment. I wanted the fun and the thrill and to call it before things got messy. Sticky. I always skipped out the door before those pesky old feelings got involved and wrecked the whole train.’
Bad Penny is HOT. Like need a dip in the pool to cool down HOT. But it is so much more. There wasn’t a character I didn’t love and the book as a whole was hilarious. I couldnot stop reading this story, staying up way later than I should have and even exhausted the next morning I cannot bring myself to feel bad about it. Grab Bad Penny today and I promise you won’t regret it.
~miranda
Jun 14
My Kinda Night by Lacey Black Review
5 Smooches!
Synopsis
Payton Summer doesn’t have time for love. Between running her own business in her hometown of Jupiter Bay and her monthly night out with her sisters, Payton has no room for men, dating, or the drama that it entails. Her life is fine just the way it is. Yet, her attraction to the one man she shouldn’t want can’t be ignored.
Dean McIntire has one rule: don’t date clients. It’s a lesson he learned the hard way, and sees the consequence every day when he looks at his five-year-old daughter. It’s not a rule he’d break again. Until he meets the gorgeous Payton Summer, and suddenly, Dean finds himself ready to throw the rule book right out the window.
What happens when the sparks of lust can’t be denied? One night turns in to two, and two turns in to more. Payton and Dean find themselves unable to stay away, but can they survive when their secrets are exposed?
Note: Though part of a series, this book can be read as a standalone. It is intended for those 18 and over due to graphic language, descriptive sex, and the world’s most inappropriate grandparents.
Review
I’ve been a fan of Lacey Black’s since she released her first book, Trust Me. I was immediately smitten with her writing style, and the way she vividly captures life and love in a small town. I absolutely love small town romances, especially when big families are involved, and when I find myself wanting to reach for one, it is Lacey Black who always comes to my mind first.
My Kinda Night is the second book in her Summer Sisters series. Set in the beach town of Jupiter Bay, the series is based on the six Summer sisters as they find love in their quaint town. This is Payton, the oldest of the Summer sisters, and Dean’s story. This couple both had some obstacles to overcome before they were willing to open their hearts to more. But the chemistry between them was so palpable, so encompassing, so undeniable that there was no choice but for them to find a way. Add in a healthy dose of Payton’s big, boisterous but loving family, the antics of their hilariously inappropriate grandparents, a show-stealing five-year-old little girl, and an emotional shock that rocked this family to its core, and Black has penned another winner with this fantastic story.
Lacey Black tackled a difficult topic in My Kinda Night, and while I was wrecked by the genuine emotion she delivered here, it was gorgeous love story between Payton and Dean that took center stage here. Their happily ever after kept me riveted in place – heart racing, cheeks burning and laughing out loud – as I devoured on this beautiful and romantic story. Lacey Black’s My Kinda Night gets five smooches from me!
~ Danielle Palumbo
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Jun 13
The Darkest Promise by Gena Showalter Review
5 Smooches!
Synopsis
New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter returns with a sizzling Lords of the Underworld story about an iron-willed sovereign and the somber beauty who melts him with a glance
Possessed by the demon of Misery, Cameo isn’t allowed to experience joy. If she dares, her memory is wiped clean. With no other recourse, she sneaks into a land more fantastical than any fairy tale, determined to find the one man with the key to her redemption.
Lazarus the Cruel and Unusual rules his kingdom with a single unwavering focus: to build his army and annihilate his enemies. Nothing distracts him – until Cameo. He is relentless in his quest to make her smile and seduce her into his bed.
As dark forces conspire against them, threatening to destroy the fragile bond they’ve forged, the once-calm Lazarus grows crazed. Every heart-stopping kiss and wicked touch causes Cameo to teeter on the brink of happiness. But if she falls, she risks forgetting him forever.
REVIEW
It seems like every book I read in this series, I love it more and more. And I think it’s because I get to revisit with so many characters I love. I get to watch them grow and change and its like coming home to family. An extremely odd and dysfunctional one, but still, it feels like I know this group like the back of my hand. Every book is so much fun and so very familiar.
Honestly, I didn’t know if I was going to love Cameo’s book because I really couldn’t envision her love story. Her demon is really one of the worst of the bunch. She’s always a bummer, but God she is tough and fearless and I found out during this read that I actually like Cameo. And don’t even get me started on Lazarus. Because I am seriously in love with him. He has to be one of my favorite heros in this series. He’s cocky and sweet and alpha–kinda the perfect book boyfriend. While their story is definitely an angsty one that had me on the edge of my seat, my favorite part about their story was the banter. These two had the most ridiculous and hilarious conversations ever. I loved every bit of dialogue between them. They melted my heart as much as they made me laugh. Gena Showalter managed to blend the perfect amount of drama, angst and wit in The Darkest Promise which made for an unputdownable read.
I so enjoyed revisiting with some of my favorites and getting to know newbies this go around. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next! 5 Stars!
~Amie
BUY IT NOW
Jun 13
Preservation by Kate Canterbary Release Blitz
Preservation
The Walshes #7
By: Kate Canterbary
Releasing June 13, 2017
Vesper Press
Blurb
Two lonely hearts.
Just once, she’d like to be someone’s first choice.
She’s strong-willed and spunky, but she’s left picking up the pieces from her ex’s lies and manipulations, and daydreaming about taking a scalpel to his scrotum.
Flying under the radar is what he does best.
He’s laid-back and loyal, but he wants the most off-limits woman in his world, and nothing will ever make that a reality.
An arrangement of mutual benefit.
Two months, four dates.
Five, if things go well.
Five at the most.
But possibly six.
Definitely no more than six dates.
Only the appearance of a romantic relationship is required, and they expect nothing more from their time together. There will be none of those benefits involved.
One wild weekend.
After waking up in bed together—very naked and even more hungover—the terms and conditions of their arrangement no longer apply. Now they’re faced with something riskier than exposing their fake relationship: letting go of the past and zipping up the future.
Some things have to fall apart before they can be put back together.
Check out our 5 smooches review HERE.
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31084536-preservation
Goodreads Series Link https://www.goodreads.com/series/135208-the- walshes
Buy Links: AMAZON | B & N | ITUNES | KOBO
Author Info
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.
Author Links: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS
Jun 13
Preservation by Kate Canterbary Review
5 Smooches
Synopsis
Preservation is a slow burning standalone romance that turns hot and steamy.
Two lonely hearts.
Just once, she’d like to be someone’s first choice.
She’s strong-willed and spunky, but she’s left picking up the pieces from her ex’s lies and manipulations, and daydreaming about taking a scalpel to his scrotum.
Flying under the radar is what he does best.
He’s laid-back and loyal, but he wants the most off-limits woman in his world, and nothing will ever make that a reality.
An arrangement of mutual benefit.
Two months, four dates.
Five, if things go well.
Five at the most.
But possibly six.
Definitely no more than six dates.
Only the appearance of a romantic relationship is required, and they expect nothing more from their time together. There will be none of those benefits involved.
One wild weekend.
After waking up in bed together–very naked and even more hungover–the terms and conditions of their arrangement no longer apply. Now they’re faced with something riskier than exposing their fake relationship: letting go of the past and zipping up the future.
Some things have to fall apart before they can be put back together.
Review
Let’s begin by stating that this review will be vague at best because . . . you know . . . spoilers. So many spoilers. Amazing spoilers. GAH how I want to talk to you about all things spoilery but I can’t do it. That would be a disservice to you all as readers. But one piece of advice. When you are halfway through chapter one and can’t decide if you want to throw your kindle and abandon ship or embrace the uncomfortable, trust me, embrace it. Embrace it all and you will be rewarded with an amazing story.
If you are just starting your journey into the Walsh world you could start here since it is a complete standalone (I get it seven books is a commitment) but I highly recommend you go back to the beginning. There has not been one book in this series that has let me down and if you start with Preservation you will encounter some big ole family secrets/spoilers you would possibly want to avoid since I am confident that once you get a taste of Kate’s writing you will want to devour each of these book with an unquenchable thirst.
Without giving away the things I typically discuss in a review such as plot and characters let me tell you that Preservation is a delicious slow burn that makes you ache with the need for more as you read each page. So that leaves me trying to figure out what to talk about in this review. Let me just tell you what I love most about Kate Canterbary’s writing. She has this uncanny ability t write some of the smartest books I have ever read without making me feel dumb. Her writing is full of knowledge and information I know nothing about and by the end I am googling all kinds of things I never knew I was interested in before. Then there is the way she uses dialogue to move forward a story. Dialogoue is something I find to be a necessity in stories that so many slack on. When her characters talk I feel like I can hear them. When the Walsh siblings are sitting around a conference table arguing or simply talking over one another I feel like a fly on the wall constantly turning my head to keep up with who is speaking. I love her use of dialogue and because of it her books read so fast and easy for me.
Seriously though, if you are on the fence about reading Preservation than you probably haven’t started the series, because if you have had a taste of her writing than I guarantee that she would already be a one click for you. So if you haven’t read her yet you need to go back to the start and jump feet first into Underneath It All. Each of these standalones is a superb story and together as a whole they make one of my personal all time favorite series.
~miranda
Jun 13
