5 Smooches!

Synopsis

He’s hot. Like, stop breathing kind of hot with his killer body, vivid blue eyes, and constant five o’clock shadow.

Did I mention his body?

Watching Hollis Knightly, Olympic diving gold medalist, man-pony specialist—and cocky bastard—stand up on the diving platform in nothing but a small piece of Spandex? Yeah, I’m beguiled.
And easily seduced.

I want to keep things light but he won’t leave me alone. And hell, if he’s not wearing me thin.

What is supposed to be a simple summer fling with a very hot man, has now morphed into a f*cked-up mess of feelings, attachment, and dare I say it…love. But I don’t do relationships. And Hollis Knightly does.

REVIEW

This is the third book in Meghan Quinn’s Stroked series, and right off the block, it started strong and just got stronger with each subsequent book. Quinn’s writing style – a positively captivating and engaging blend of humor, heat and heart – never fails to draw me in. This is the fifth book of hers that I’ve read this year. I’d be hard pressed to name a favorite, but I the whole Stroked series has definitely become a favorite of mine.

“I’m not a one-and-done man. I like being in a relationship.”

Readers of this series have gotten to know Olympic gold medal diver, Hollis, through the previous two books. In reality, though, we barely scratched the surface of this character in the previous two books. The Hollis we’ve gotten to know was cocky, a bit arrogant and whip-quick witty. He never seemed to take anything too seriously, that is until he met Melony. Hollis turned out to be such a huge surprise – he was not at all what I was expecting! He was shockingly swoony and heart-thumpingly sexy, and don’t ask me how this was even possible, but his over-confident cockiness was actually quite endearing! I know, it’s crazy!

“It seems so effortless, uncomplicated, like we were meant to be together.”

Melony is a make-up artist working for the she-Devil, Bellini Chambers. She’s a bit closed off, a bit brusque and doesn’t trust easily, if at all. Relationships are not for her, she doesn’t date and falling in love isn’t something she will ever allow herself to do. The thing is that she is <very begrudgingly> drawn to Hollis, and it’s becoming exhausting warding off his never-ending, continuous barrage of advancements. She’s not even sure she wants to, but doesn’t think her already battered and broken heart can withstand the inevitable run through the mill that she is certain a relationship with Hollis will deliver.

“…he Noah Calhouned my ass.”

Oh my, the wooing that this man does of this woman was breathtaking. It’s the legendary type stuff of the great male romantic leads, like Noah Calhoun from Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook. The lengths that Hollis went to in order to get Melony’s attention, her affection, were staggering. Not only was the man a complete romantic, but he was relentless in his pursuit of her. It stands to reason that an Olympic caliber athlete would be a highly focused individual, so it’s not surprising that when Hollis decided to focus on Melony, he was in it to win it. He never gave up, he never gave in, and he gave it his all. He was so incredibly creative and thoughtful in quest to win her over that I was literally swooning in my La-Z-Boy. The problem is that Melony has some serious trust issues, and her walls are higher and more fortified than the ones that Trump wants to build along the U.S. border. Hollis, despite all of his cocky arrogance, has a full plate himself. He’s training for the Olympics, he’s pursuing Melony, and under that outward happy-go-lucky persona, he’s carrying a tremendous amount of guilt over a tragic mistake in his youth. He’s just so adamant, unwavering in his certainty, that he and Melony are meant to be together, he’s just got to convince her to try. There is no other option as far as he’s concerned.

“Melony, are you in? Will you put faith in us? In me?”

I loved this story, every single word of it. Meghan Quinn did a fabulous job developing this story and these characters. By this point in the series, I felt like I knew them all, and I was invested in Melony and Hollis before I even picked this book up. Even while tackling some sensitive, emotional obstacles, the romcom genius that is Meghan Quinn liberally wove in that snort-laugh-inducing, tears-in-my-eyes, clutching-my-sides, can’t-catch-my-breath sense of humor her readers have come to associate as uniquely hers. The things she comes up with are original, fresh and so flipping funny. But humor wasn’t the only thing, this book was heavy on the romance – this is a really great love story!! – and the chemistry between Hollis and Melony was explosive. This book was so hot, absolutely unashamedly, deliciously sexy.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this entire series. After each book, I swore that it was my favorite. Now, having read them all, I honestly can’t choose a favorite among them, I loved them all and for very different reasons. Quinn’s writing kept me engaged, entertained and grinning from cover-to-cover. I am so beyond impressed by her, by this book, by this entire series, she’s earned a fan for life with me. Without hesitation, Meghan Quinn’s Stroked Hard gets 5 smooches from me.

~ Danielle Palumbo

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 4 Smooches

Synopsis

Zoe
I’m not interested. I’m not interested in his blue-green ocean colored eyes, his lean muscular body, or that crooked smile that can be so infuriating. I have more important things to worry about, like how to keep myself in college and my sixteen year old brother fed and sheltered. We all know life is hard, some of us just learn that lesson younger than others, but that doesn’t mean I’ll give up. I intend to succeed and make sure my brother has the opportunities he deserves, and no privileged jerk is going to distract me.

Landon
I don’t date. Don’t get me wrong, I’m far from celibate, but my condition makes carrying on any kind of normal relationship impossible. My life revolves around In Safe Hands or ISH, the underground hacker group I work with to track down and take care of predators and sex offenders who beat the system. I’m satisfied with my life until the day I meet the smart mouthed, compassionate, determined woman who opens my eyes to possibilities I never thought existed.

This is book one in a series of standalone novels.

Review

Landon is the first standalone in the new In Safe Hand’s series by S.M. Shade. I have read many of her previous books and I always enjoy her stories. The highlight of Landon for me was the heroine, Zoe. She left her evangelical parents as soon as she could and has been surviving on her own until her gay brother gets kicked out at just 15. Even though she is struggling to survive while in college she never hesitates to take him in. She is admirable and strong. When Landon comes on too strong when she meets him at the club she doesn’t do what so many women in romance novels do, which is fall for the overly sexualized one liner. Instead she high tails it out of there and grabs a cab home. She never expect to walk into a job interview for a house keeping position only to find him as her new boss. But he is full of secrets and not ready to share.

‘He completely devastates me with just one kiss, and the smug grin on his lips when we break apart says he knows exactly how he affected me.’

Overall, this was a good start to a sexy and suspenseful new series. I really enjoyed these two characters and I am very much intrigued by the other characters who have been introduced to us, especially Justus. I did find a few parts rushed and the story got a bit darker than I was expecting but neither hindered my ability to thoroughly enjoy the book. Landon was all alpha male, just like I like them! Him and Zoe meshed wonderfully and together they sparked.

~miranda

5 Smooches

Synopsis

There’s no way I’ll fall for Wyatt Hennington.

He can keep his Southern drawl, irresistible smile, and those pick-up lines all to himself. I made the mistake of sleeping with him not once, but twice. I’m not stupid enough to give him round three, especially after he left me in the middle of the night so I could see myself out. I vow to return to Philadelphia and forget him.

It proves easier said than done.

When the doctor informs me I’m the winner of door prize number two, I put my life on hold and head back to Bell Buckle. Three months and if we can’t make this work, I’m gone.

The problem is—when the cards are stacked against us, and I can’t bring myself to leave him, I’ll finally know if he truly loves me or if all my fears were real . . .

Review

“You’re going to destroy me, Wyatt.”

WOW! I finished this book early this morning and am forcing myself to sit and write the review when honestly I probably need more time to reflect on the beautiful story I just read. First, let me explain that I have not read Say You’ll Stay even though I was hopeful I would have the time before this one. Sadly, I was not able to squeeze it in and instead opted to read this one as a complete standalone, though I do have every intention of going back asap and reading it. I want to let others who might be considering reading this as a standalone know that while the characters from the other book are heavily in this story I had zero problem following along and never felt like I was missing something. This book was beautiful, fun, touching, heart wrenching and simply just amazing. I fell hard for Wyatt from the start and even at his worst I couldn’t help but be head over heels for him.

‘I should have told her I love her. I should’ve done so many fucking things. But I failed.’

After a night of passion months ago in which Angie woke up alone and dismissed she returns home to Philadelphia. She knows when to turn in the towel and it was clear that her time with him was just meant to be between the sheets. Both two months have passed and she when she finds out that she is pregnant with his child she returns to Bell Buckle to give this thing with him a fair shot. But can two people in their late thirties change their lone wolf ways and actually succeed at a relationship?

‘It’s not a test of love when things are good. It’s how you handle things when times are bad.’

I have so many emotions to sort through I am not even sure where to start so I guess I’ll just start at the beginning. The first half or more of this book was sweet, swoony and fun. Wyatt and Angie are thrown together because of the pregnancy but from the start it is clear that there is more there. It is impossible not to love Wyatt. He is romantic and protective and goes out of his way to may Angie happy. He knows he is asking a lot of her to leave her business and comfortable life in the city to move to the country but he is determined to make her want just that and he is not afraid to pull out all the stops in his pursuit. Now the last bit of the book is what shook all I thought I knew for a loop. It was beautiful while being emotionally draining. I am not one known to cry actual tears while reading. I tend to get emotional but I don’t cry so imagine my surprise when I realize I am full on bawling. It was hard and these two strong and loving people are tested in the worst way possible and yet I loved every second of it. Corinne’s writing was gripping and emotional and she blew me away. I knew I loved her books and this one has just completely cemented her as a favorite writer for me.

~miranda

4 Smooches

Synopsis

The last place Vaughn Westbrook expected to find himself was at a charity gala. But the dark path he’s walked since his discharge from the military led him into the upper echelons of society—where he hunts for the man behind a human trafficking ring.

Carissa Hastings lived a sheltered life in the lap of luxury. Forced to participate in a bachelorette auction, her parents expect the man of their choice to win a date with her.

Vaughn’s winning bid on Carissa was a tactical move, but logic is thrown out the window when he meets the innocent beauty.
Vaughn sold his soul long ago. There’s no way he’s going to let Carissa do the same.

Review

Rochelle Paige is one of my go to authors when I want something fun, sexy and suspenseful. Sell Your Soul hit all those marks and then some. I have read all the books in this steamy novella series and Sell Your Soul might just be my favorite yet. When Vaughn encounters Carissa at a bachelorette auction in which he is investigating a human trafficker he knows his whole outlook is changed for the beautiful and innocent Carissa.

‘No matter how much I wanted her, no matter how fucking delicious she tasted when I’d kissed her — I needed to remember that Carissa Hastings wasn’t for the likes of me.’

For me what Rochelle excels at is mixing in suspense with your typical sexy read making for something unique and different. Her men are alpha and her women are sassy. I had so much fun reading this story and am looking forward to more from  Rochelle in the future.

~miranda