5 Smooches!

Synopsis

July Dupree and Dean ‘PD’ Hargrove fell head over heels in love. When PD comes home to tell July the good news about joining the SWAT team as a tactical medic, everything changes.

July can’t fathom why PD would want to be a cop in this day and age. Wasn’t it enough that he already had a dangerous job with the fire department? Now he has to add another, even more dangerous, job to the equation? With so many cruel people in the world who make a sport out of hurting cops just because of the badge they wear, she has to make him understand. But when he refuses to listen to her reasoning, she feels she has no other choice but to issue an ultimatum: her or the SWAT team.

Dean doesn’t like ultimatums. He’s furious with July for putting him in the awful position of having to choose between a dream and her.
July never believes for a second that he’d choose the SWAT team over her, but she is wrong.

A year later, they’re both still in love with each other, but neither one is willing to budge regardless of their feelings.

July’s feelings for Dean haven’t changed, in fact her love for him has only grown. But seeing him living his life seemingly unaffected by the loss of what they had breaks her heart over and over each time she sees him.

Dean has a good poker face, though. He’s just going through the motions of his life until finally, the smoldering embers of his feelings erupt into a full-on blaze of emotion, burning through everything but his love for July. When the smoke clears, Dean wants to know if they can reignite the fire of their love or is he destined to live his life in a constant state of controlled burn?

REVIEW

Lani Lynn Vale’s Kilgore Fire series has fast become a favorite of mine. I love how she blends the stories of the new cast of characters in this series with fan favorite characters from her other Kilgore, Texas-based series, and in the case of this story, her Uncertain Saints MC series. This series is hot, hot, hot – and it has nothing to do with fires.

I’ve been waiting for Dean’s story since he was introduced in the first book of the series, and Vale did not disappoint with this character. He’s an all-alpha male, perhaps one of the most alpha that Vale has ever written, and if you’ve read her work, then you know that’s really saying something. He’s dominant, he’s bossy, he likes a bit of kink with his sex, and he knows what he wants, both in the bedroom and out.

July is a strong and sassy heroine. She’s got some demons from her childhood, though, and unfortunately, they fed into her insecurities and tainted her relationship with Dean. Their relationship was on the fast-track – Dean and July fell for each other deep, hard and instantly. But some miscommunications along with July’s demons and the fact that Dean didn’t fully grasp them or their impact on her, fueled their relationship’s downfall. A long, heartbreaking year apart later, and neither one of them has really moved on from the other. They want to be together, but there is a lot they need to work through to get there.

The love story of Dean and July isn’t the only thing happening in Controlled Burn, though. Not by a long shot! Lani Lynn Vale has weaved a positively riveting suspense plot into this story, and I was on the edge of my seat reading it. Vale knows exactly how to deliver the ‘shock and awe’ factor in her books, and let me tell you, she really did that here. It unexpected, exciting and really held my attention – I couldn’t get through it fast enough. I never fail to devour her books when one lands on my Kindle, but this series it different. It’s just so much more intense, raw and gritty than readers have seen from Vale in her previous works. Yet even with the darker, sexier, gripping storyline, incredibly Lani has still managed to hang onto that unique sense of humor that her readers love and expect to find in her stories. It’s right there, threaded throughout the story, popping up in expected places and ways. I loved it and this book.

I adore this series, and this was a fabulous addition to the series. Heart aching, heart racing and full of heat and humor, Lani Lynn Vale’s Controlled Burn gets 5 smooches from me!

~ Danielle Palumbo

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5 Smooches

Synopsis

A FREE-SPIRITED GIRL IN NEED OF A BREAK.
A MAN WEIGHED DOWN BY RESPONSIBILITY.
A ROAD TRIP VACATION WHERE ALL BETS ARE OFF.
OH, AND A LOT OF WINE.

After walking in on her boyfriend shagging another girl in their place, Pippa Bay Cox ditches London for the States to go on a drunken road trip with Ruby Miller and some of her Beautiful friends.

Scaling the career ladder is the default way to deal with heartbreak—and to just deal—for Jensen Bergstrom. Absolutely buried by his drive and workload, he rarely takes time for himself. But when his sister Hanna convinces him to join the gang on a two-week wine tour, he has a rare moment of cutting loose. Of course, it’s only once he’s committed that he realizes the strange girl he met briefly on the plane is coming along, too. She might be too much for him…or he might realize his life has become too small and needs her to make it bigger, crazier.

With this circle of friends there’s always something going on: from Chloe and Sara’s unexpected personality swaps to Will’s new domestic side to Bennett’s text message barrage and George’s own happily-ever-after. In short, their adventures in love, friendship, and hilarity are nothing short of Beautiful.

Review

‘Jensen and . . . me. Did I want to play this game? Maybe. I mean, clearly I had a crush. Immediately, blindly, and – ,most likely – uselessly.’

First off, who else is tearing up over the end to a series that got so many of us hooked on this style of funny, sexy, and emotional style of novel. I know that this duo will continue to write novels that blow us all away but for me personally it was this series that got me reading romance again. I have always since I was a young teen read some form of romance but I would go back and forth to it. Up until I discovered this series I had taken a several year romance break and then I discovered Bennett. And then Max. And when Will came out there was no hope for me. I was gone and have not turned back since.

“Contrary to what I said, I think I like your rambles. You aren’t some crazy lady on the plane anymore. You’re Pippa.”

Now for this book. This review will probably feel like a love letter to Pippa. Don’t get confused, I did love Jensen and while he’s not my favorite man from this series I still enjoy seeing his staunch and somewhat rigid personality loosen and relax when mixed with someone who is as much of a free spirit as my beloved Pippa. But the true beauty in Beautiful was Pippa.

“You’d do this for me? “Kissing you is a hardship I’ll have to bear.”

Pippa was fun, fearless and never afraid to make a fool out of herself when the need arises. And yet despite being a tad over the top and silly at times, she read utterly real and genuine. I loved her. I want to be her. I want to be her best friend. I am sitting here trying desperately to come up with any form of critique I can for her and am coming up blank. She was the perfect girl to pull the series to a close. From the moment she goes off on her cheating ex for trying to tell her the name of the woman he was just inside, I mean for real what if she wanted to name her daughter that one day, to having to make the hard decision of how much of herself and her life she can give up for love, she was perfection.

‘This wasn’t what a fling should be. He wasn’t casual, forgettable. He wasn’t flaky or flippant. He was attentive , he was considerate, and – holy fuck – he seemed more committed to spending time with me than he was to sleeping, to eating, even to finding closure with Becky. It was almost as if this was what he wanted. But only temporarily.’

The premise of the story has all of my favorite characters together on a road trip and that in itself had me over the top giddy. Any chance I get to spend more time with Will, Hannah, Ruby and Naill I am all for it. But the authors did a great job of incorporating all characters in this book but making sure the focus was on Jensen and Pippa. Not till the epilogue did we get anyone other than their POVs. I really appreciated this. I wanted the chance to fall for these two like I did all the others. And fall I did. With every embarrassing, sensual, awkward and endearing moment I fell harder and harder for Jensen and Pippa.

‘It’s too bad I’m too eccentric for you. It’s too bad you’re too busy for me. It’s too bad I’m only learning my heart and you have yours rolled in bubble wrap.’

So while the journey for a cast of characters that has over the years become so close to me personally comes to a close I sit with bated breath hoping that Christina and Lauren give us some clues as to what the future holds for them and what we can expect to see them write soon.

~miranda

5 Smooches!

Synopsis

Seduce the teacher.
Meet the cousin.
Make a deal.
Steal the painting.

Andrea Anderson has no clue of the thoughts churning around in the dark and dangerous ex-con’s head as he enters her classroom. In fact, she’s momentarily lost for words. Not in her entire teaching career has she had a student who looked quite like Stu Cross.

A widow at just twenty-eight, love is something Andie hasn’t considered a part of her life for a very long time. However, when lingering touches turn to whispered words and hot, searching stares, she begins to wonder if maybe she should take a leap of faith.

But Stu is in her class for a reason, and it has nothing to do with love. He’s there to burrow his way into her life and repay a debt, otherwise his family will suffer. Andie is the first person to show him true kindness since he left prison, and though he doesn’t want to mislead her, he doesn’t have another choice.

Before long, Stu can’t tell whether or not he’s acting anymore, and his feelings for Andie could throw all of his carefully crafted plans into complete and utter disarray.

REVIEW

This book!  This damn book!  Actually all of this authors books!  They surprise me.  Intrigue me.  And make me swoon!  This story in particular had my heart racing because I went into it blindly.  I didn’t read the blurb because I was worried I would come across a spoiler and I wanted Stu’s book to surprise me and it did.  Because all of my preconceived notions about Stu went flying out of the window.  He was a gentile giant of a man and I loved the student teacher aspect of this book.  Even though they were both adults it still had that forbidden feel to it that I love in my romance.

“I’m not deflecting, Miss Anderson, I’m flirting.”

Andrea and Stu’s chemistry was off the charts right away and the author really kept this slow burn climbing and climbing.  I loved every second of it.  It was also an incredibly sweet story full of overcoming life’s trials.  And when it wasn’t sweet, it was ridiculously sexy and stomach fluttering.

“Don’t get shy on me now, luv.  You just stole my post-prison virginity cowgirl style.”

But what I really loved most about this book was getting to revisit with all of my favorite characters from the past and also getting to see Trevor some more.  God knows, I am jonesing for his book with his bestie.  Those two are a trip this go around and only made me want to know them better.  I have a feeling their book is going to be epic.  And I’d forgotten how I missed Lee until I got to see him again.  Gah, this author really brings you into her world.  Her descriptions and characters area always so vivid in my minds eye and I can’t get enough of her writing style.  If you haven’t given this series a try yet, you must!  And this one was magnificent.  Pure gold.  Stu was nothing that I expected and everything that I wanted.  And Andrea was perfect for him.  Thief of Hearts was full of swoons and action.  Loved it!

“Wait and see.”

~Amie

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