4 Smooches

Synopsis

A Chicago reporter in her mid-twenties unexpectedly finds love in Napa Valley when she’s assigned to spend a week with a famously reclusive genius.

Kate Corbin has lost her spark. From the outside, her life seems charmed. She has a handsome, long-term boyfriend and a budding journalism career at a popular Chicago newspaper. But in reality, her relationship is going nowhere, and she’s quickly losing motivation for what she once believed was her dream job. When her boyfriend dumps her unceremoniously, Kate loses all hope of finding love.

With no living family and few friends, Kate confides in her boss. Trusting that the hungry, ace reporter is buried somewhere deep inside, he gives Kate the opportunity to jumpstart her career. The assignment: to interview the famously reclusive R.J. Lawson, a wealthy tech genius who disappeared years ago but recently reemerged as a Napa Valley vintner. The week takes an unexpected turn, however, when Lawson refuses to divulge any information. Desperate for a lead, Kate turns to Jamie, a vineyard hand who shows her the romance of wine country—and stirs her aching heart. But his connection to Lawson is ambiguous, and when Jamie disappears before the end of the week, Kate is left to investigate another story: the truth behind the man who stole her heart.

USA TODAY bestselling author Renée Carlino explored love and heartbreak in her beautifully written debut Sweet Thing, and her newest novel does not disappoint. For fans of Colleen Hoover, K.A. Tucker, and Katja Millay, Nowhere But Here is a stirring and satisfying romance that you won’t want to put down.

Review

“My nerves were in overdrive, but not because of my interview with Lawson. I was feeling something I’d never felt before. And I was feeling it for a guy I had just met.”

This was such a sweet love story about a girl who was convinced she was destined to be alone and a man she spent four days with who just knew she was meant to be his. I really enjoyed this stand-alone romance by Renee Carlino. This was my first book of hers and I will definitely be looking into reading more of her books in the future!

“The pretty ones are always a little cray-cray.”

Nowhere but here centers around Chicago journalist, Kate, and her quest to get her writing spark back. After losing the woman who raised her, who was the only family she had, Kate has been struggling. She cannot find inspiration anywhere and her writing went from phenomenal to just average. When her boss, Jerry, offers her the opportunity to go to Napa and interview reclusive billionaire and uber private winery owner RJ Lawson, Kate soon finds herself on an airplane. Once there she finds that she cannot rely on public transit as she did in Chicago.  She takes off to the winery in her new rental car only to hit the truck of winery worker Jamie. Jamie is sexy, charismatic and definitely can get under Kate’s skin (although I am pretty sure she likes that.)

“‘Please Kiss me.’ ‘You have a boyfriend.’ I didn’t hesitate for a second. ‘Not anymore.’ And then his lips crushed mine.”

After a terrible interview with RJ Lawson and deciding it was best to communicate via email, Kate relies heavily on Jamie to show her the working of the winery and all that there is to love about Napa. It doesn’t take long for the spark that formed when they met to blossom and after just a few days they find themselves virtually unable to do anything without the other. But when things take a turn for the worse and Kate returns to Chicago it truly seems like their fling is doomed and she was right that the only one she can rely on is herself.

“Hey Kate, you wanna go to the skate park with me tomorrow night?” “I can’t, I have a date with a lesbian.”

Ok so depressed Kate is a funny Kate. I know it seems weird but my favorite part of the book was when Kate was going thought her hardest times. Honestly, I fell in love with her during this part and it really propelled the book for me. I found myself laughing out loud with the things that came out of her mouth once she just stopped caring what others thought. The whole second half of the book really picked up for me and made me love the story.

“Don’t give up, Kate. Don’t stop searching. Find him, take care of each other, hold on to each other, never let go.”

Overall, this was a sweet and romantic love story about finding the important things in life and moving past all the bullshit. Renee’s writing is beautiful and well thought out. I honestly look forward to reading more books by her in the future.

~miranda

5 Smooches

Synopsis

I should’ve known.
I should’ve listened to my gut.
But I didn’t.
I listened with the wrong head.
And where did it get me?

Secrets.
Lies.
Deceit.

She embodied them all.
Deceived her way into my company.
Lied about who she was.
Kept secrets from me after convincing me I could trust her.

Those walls she tore down are back up in full force.

Cold.
Angry.
Unforgiving.

She was no longer my intern.
She was no longer mine.

*The Intern is a three-part romantic suspense serial.*
Not suitable for readers under 18.

Review

The Intern Vol 3 is the third and final volume of The Intern Serial and I cannot say how much I love this dramatic and sexy story! From the first moment we met Bentley and Cece two books ago I loved them and their complex and forbidden relationship. Their story had so many twist and turns I was constantly on the edge of my seat just wondering what Brooke could have come up with. So often in these books it is the man who is hiding something and lying and the woman has to find a way to understand and love him, I loved how Brooke took all the typical things in a romance and just did something new and exciting. Cece is not perfect, she lies and is sneaky and but what she needs (even if her driving force is noble) above the needs of others and ultimately this is going to hurt her. She needs to know what happened to her father in order for her to be able to move on with her life and be happy. But what price is she willing to pay for this to happen.

“Everything in me is fighting against each other. What she did versus who she is. Knowing why she did it helped give me closure, but it doesn’t change the fact she lied and manipulated me. It also didn’t change the way I felt about her.”

Now that the truth is out there this story is all about the fallout. Everything that happened in the first two books is building to see if Bentley can and will move past the deceit and I will tell you (without giving much away) it is not easy. I actually found myself in the middle of reading this book messaging the author in utter shock at some of the events that happen. I did not see that coming AT ALL!  If you like to be taken on a journey this serial is for you. It has everything I look for in a book, hot sex (cause I mean really we all need to admit we like that), a strong willed heroine, a I want-to-lick-him-all-day-long sexy man, a mystery and an element of surprise.

As usual Brooke did an excellent job of writing a book that I couldn’t put down. The writing is great and the story flows perfectly. I did find that I really enjoyed the build in this volume and that you have to work a little to get to those too sexy scenes! While the first two books were amazingly sexy pretty early on this installment dealt more with the issues between Cece and Bentley before divining into the you -might-need-clean-panties scenes! Also in order to give them time to work through all the drama that comes with lies, deceit and a mystery that needs to be solved this is quite a bit longer than the first two and definitely worth every penny! I am more than happy to give this volume 5 AMAZING AND SEXY SMOOCHES!

~miranda

Synopsis

Sloane 

For over two years, Sloane Romera has pinned everything on finding Alexis. Life was going to get better. Easier. Happier. The nightmare of having a missing sister was supposed to end, and everything was supposed to go back to normal. 
However, now that she’s found her sister, Sloane is discovering that life has a way of ridiculing what we expect of it.
Nothing is easier.
And ‘normal’ is falling for a man who might never be able to feel the same way.

*** 

Zeth 

A lengthy history of breaking things with his fists has given Zeth Mayfair a fairly good idea of how to get his own way. But when his goal, the one, single woman on the face of the planet that he’s truly ever wanted, can only be obtained by fixing things instead of destroying them, how can he adjust a lifetime of violence in order to make her his once and for all? And how can he make sure that she is safe?
The first part is going to take time. But the second part…
The second part is easy.
He must kill Charlie Holsan.

Review

WOW. Another amazing part to this epic saga. There was so much happening in this story that it left my head spinning at the end. Finally, finally Zeth and Sloane give in to each other. Zeth asks her for something simple, and yet we tend to guard it close to our heart. That would be the truth. He only asks that she never lie to him. Seems simple, and yet it’s a major turning point in their relationship. He admits that if anything were to ever happen to her, he’d kill everyone in his path to seek justice. Admitting that to himself was probably one of the hardest things Zeth ever had to do. Violence comes easy to him. Love and compassion are foreign. And yet, they finally get there. This isn’t about sex; it isn’t about letting go for a night. It’s about finding that person that ignites you, that blinds you, that makes you cherish all that surrounds you. Zeth never gave a second thought to things such as this but with Sloane, she is everything.

One of the many things that I love about this series, is that it plays out like a movie. There is so much action and adventure that keeps your blood pumping. There are some new characters and major plot twists and turns in this one to keep you guessing and hooked. I only see good things in the future for this series. Zeth and Sloane hit me on a deep level. They are both so vivid and full of life, even as they are combating death. They are feisty and rigid and so set in their own ways, and yet, all they care about is each other. It’s really quite beautiful the depths they will go to survive.

“I’ve fallen for this reckless, dangerous, terrifying soul, and now that I’ve realized it, I’m not ready to give it up.” ~Sloane

“You don’t need to ask me if I want you to leave. You don’t ever need to ask me that. At this stage in the proceedings, I don’t think there’s any leaving for either of us.” ~Zeth

Let me end by saying, I need more. I love this series. It’s fun, and imaginative and so well written.

5 ENORMOUS SMOOCHES

~Nicole

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4.5 Smooches!

Synopsis

Sex, drums, and denial; three things that Ryker Jeffries excels at.

Ryker buries himself in music and insignificant women, all part of his plan to keep the woman who owns his heart free from his tainted past and his darkest secret. But pretending not to want her has never been easy.

Loyalty, honesty, and desire for Ryker; three things that Faith Bishop excels at.

Excited about her future, Faith looks forward to finally living life on her terms. Intelligent and realistic, she knows the women who steal Ryker’s attention are all of the things she will never be. But wanting him has never been a choice.

Will he be able to resist her, or will he finally cave to his desires? Will she be able to handle his past, or will it shatter her?

**Due to adult content – 18+ please**

Review

Ryker happens to be my very first Joanne Schwehm novel.  I am very glad that I had the opporturnity to finally read her and I really enjoyed Ryker.  Ryker came along right when I needed a sexy drum playing bad boy.  Sometimes I just get in the mood for a book boyfriend that is so damaged that he can’t even accept accept kindness or love.  I loved watching Ryker fight helplessly against Faith’s ability to break him down.

Faith has wanted Ryker for years, but Ryker wants nothing to do with love, especially from Faith.  His horrible past mistakes have ruined him and he thinks that he will never be good enough her.  Ryker believes that Faith is good, kind, and loving and deserves someone else that pure, but Faith isn’t easily swayed. She wants Ryker and refuses to give up on him.

The writing was very good in this novel.  I felt it was just a tad rushed and that Joanne could have milked the angst a little bit more, but what can I say, I really love me some angst.  The sex was very very hot without me being ridiculously long and over the top.

“Look at me.  Let me see you when I bring you pleasure.”

In truth, it was really just an extremely sweet and romantic story featuring a bad boy drummer and the innocent girl next door.  I felt incredibly connected to the characters and sympathized very much with Ryker and his past.  I was really rooting for Faith to be able to break through to him.  I also enjoyed all of the side characters.  Max especially.  Great story and really well written.  4.5 Smooches!

“Faith, you’re my composer.  You make the beats stronger, you give them purpose; you give me purpose.  I want you by my side as we write the best love song, our song.”

Amie

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4 Smooches!

Synopsis

Charlie should be packing her bags for college, but the life ahead of her isn’t one she’s certain she wants. Maybe that’s what led her to sleep with a perfect stranger at the county fair. Finding out he was a carnie was like winning the bonus round of the world’s worst game.

Blue grew up in the carnival, never staying anywhere long enough to call home. He never thought of himself as the type to seduce a local, let alone fall in love with one, but his impulsiveness got the better of him this time. He should go where the carnival takes him, but for the first time he’s not sure if he wants to follow.

When he makes the decision to stick around, Charlie eagerly follows him down the rabbit hole; into a world with no regard for consequences or regret. Most of all, he shows her that home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling they can create and share. For a price. Because the higher the roller coaster goes, the faster it all comes crashing down.

Review

I give this book 4 Smooches! 🙂

Tricia

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