Wednesday, January 31, 2018

BLOG TOUR: Hostage by Skye Warren & Annika Martin

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Publication Date: January 30th, 2018
Genre: Romantic Suspense

~Synopsis~

I never knew when he’d come to me. Only that he would.
I’d never even kissed a boy the night I met Stone. The night I saw him kill. The night he spared my life. That was only the beginning.
He turns up in my car again and again, dangerous and full of raw power. “Drive,” he tells me, and I have no choice. He’s a criminal with burning green eyes, invading my life and my dreams.
The police say he’s dangerously obsessed with me, but I’m the one who can’t stop thinking about him. Maybe it’s wrong to let him touch me. Maybe it’s wrong to touch him back. Maybe these twisted dates need to stop. Except he feels like the only real thing in my world of designer labels and mansions.
So I drive us under threat, until it’s hard to remember I don’t want to be there.
Until it’s too late to turn back.
HOSTAGE is a dangerous standalone romance by New York Times bestselling authors Skye Warren and Annika Martin. It’s set in the same world as PRISONER, but can read separately!
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~Book Review~
4 Stars

Brooke Carson is celebrating her 16th birthday, but it’s far from a sweet sixteen. When an encounter with a violent criminal puts her face to face with death it’s the beginning of her world being turned upside down.
“A beautiful girl like her, turned on by fear.”
Stone Keaton is on a mission for vengeance. He doesn’t have time for love or relationships. He’s hard and cold on the outside but capable of warming just the same. He’s been his brothers’ protector and their rock as much as he can.
“The ultimate lost boy, leading his band of lost boys out of hell.”
Hostage takes place before Prisoner and after. If you haven’t read Prisoner, this story can easily be read as a standalone, and it might even flow seamlessly at their point of intersection. If you have read Prisoner then you’ll probably notice the jump over that story.  Hostage also provides closure to the overall mystery-action-adventure plot started in Prisoner. On that note, I think the ending to Hostage holds more significance if you’ve read Prisoner first and have the full story.

Admittedly, it’s hard not to compare the two (okay it’s really hard for me as I had picked up Prisoner again for a re-read from the beginning and was about half way when Hostage popped up on my kindle screen). Like Prisoner, the themes and symbolism are woven well; the writing and character development thought-out, and the story a page turner.
“Driving her around as if I’m the one taking her hostage, but really it’s the other way around. She’s the one who keeps me coming back, even knowing I shouldn’t.”
Who’s in control? Who’s taken who hostage on an emotional level?

There are similar internal conflicts that the main couples wrestle with making the temptation to compare Stone and Brooke with Grayson and Abby strong.  In fact, I had a serious bone to pick with Stone over all the grief he gave Grayson in the last book. I was glad when Stone finally acknowledges his hypocrisy and then the guys don’t let him off the hook so easily.
“Maybe it’s a little hypocritical of me to warn him away from this girl when I’ve been taking Brooke hostage like it’s a goddamn hobby.”
I must also confess that I’m still partial to Grayson and Abby. I connected more with their characters and sensed a deeper connection and chemistry. So hands down, my favorite moment in this book was Abby’s appearance. That scene rocked. She just keeps getting more and more bad ass! And I gotta say, I’m not above begging the authors for an outtake of what followed between her and Grayson (“‘You are in so much trouble’”). 😉

In contrast, Brooke is pretty young and thus she projects a mix of naivety, idealism, restlessness, and some teen angst.  Told via her and Stone’s alternating first person POV, the romance is a bit slow burn.  Even though there’s a nice resolution to the series, I still hope to see the other guys get romances, especially Nate. 

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Hostage-AN.jpg
~Excerpt~

It’s him or me. It’s stand here and let a man die, or do something—for once in my life, do something that’s not wearing a dress and smiling and getting it all wrong.

So I run out there. I watch myself do it, like a movie almost. “Stop it,” I yell.

The attacker just keeps on, a dark storm, all fists and fury. My presence means nothing to him. My words don’t touch him. It’s as if I’m yelling at thunder.

My heart beats out of my chest. I’ve risked everything, come out in the open, but it’s not enough. I stamp my foot to get his attention, crushing gravel beneath my mother’s Louboutins.

“The cops are coming,” I say.

The man stills and looks up. It’s a shock when it happens, even though I’ve been trying to get him to see me. His eyes seem to blaze into my chest, hot and bright.

Breathless, I back away.

He stands, leaving the man in a groaning, whimpering heap.

I retreat slowly, showing him my phone, as though that might protect me. “Cops are coming,” I say again. A lie. I couldn’t punch in the code.

He’s coming at me, expression unreadable. He’s a few years older than I am—late twenties, maybe.

My back hits something hard. The van.

He keeps coming. I try to spin and run, but he grabs my arm and slams me back into the van. “Where do you think you’re going, little girl?”

I stare up at him, panting.

His warm breath is a feather on my nose; the heat in his eyes invades me. He grabs my hair and tilts my head back, forcing me to stare into his face, as if he’s trying to read my eyes.

A moment later, he looks up at the night sky. He seems almost wolfish, and I’m conscious, suddenly, of my bare neck so close to his snarling mouth. I wonder if he’s staring at the moon. It’s like he’s going to howl or something.

Then I get it. He’s listening for sirens.

“You’re a little fucking liar.”

~Also in the Series~
*Read Prisoner for FREE! Limited Time Only*
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Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance such as the Endgame trilogy. Her books have been featured in Jezebel, Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.
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Annika Martin loves fun, dirty stories, hot heroes, and wild, dramatic everything. She enjoys hanging out in Minneapolis coffee shops with her writer husband, and also likes birdwatching at her bird feeder alongside her two stunningly photogenic cats, especially when she should be writing. She’s heavy into running, music, saving the planet, taking long baths, and consuming chocolate suckers. She’s worked a surprisingly large number of waitressing jobs, and has also worked in a plastics factory and the advertising trenches; her garden is total bee-friendly madness and her most unfavorite word is nosh or possibly fob. A NYT bestselling author, she has also written as RITA award-winning author Carolyn Crane.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

BOOK REVIEW: Babyjacked by Sosie Frost

4 Stars

Cassi Payne hasn’t seen Remington Marshall, 27, in five years when he fled town following the burning of her family farm’s barn.  Self-imposed exile in the Canadian wilderness comes to an end for Rem when his little nieces need him.  Turns out a three year old and a one year old is more work that cutting down trees, and a nanny in the form of his old love is just what he needs.
“I grabbed the biggest zucchini from the display and wiggled it before her. She had enough class to ignore the metaphor.”
This started out really comical. The scenes and descriptions were witty and I chuckled out loud quite a few times at the chaos with the kids. Rem and Cassi also had an entertaining rapport and great banter with plenty of innuendo. It kept the dialogue fun to read.
“‘All good girls like a little nut.’
‘You haven’t seen me crush one yet.’
‘Say the word, and I’ll bust one myself.’”
As the story progresses though, some of the issues get a little heavier, and I noticed the tone shifted from light-hearted romcom to life problems and miscommunication, which was disappointing as the author shows talent at writing humorous scenarios. While it’s not angsty, whiplash was starting to build from Rem’s changing resolutions to win her back or let her go.  And poor Cassi with those 5 grown brothers of hers—oh man she was a saint for putting up with them as much as she did. None of them were endearing and Tidus needed to man up long before he did. Either there wasn’t enough resolution there or he got off easy. And speaking of getting off easy, that social worker needed a complaint filed about her and her racist remark.  

There were certainly places where this story affirmed my distain for judgmental small towns, and my god did the public library not know they make washable children’s paint these days??? Or hello, Crayola’s ColorWonder only shows up on special paper!  As far as I was concerned, the only person who should have been ashamed in that situation was the children’s librarian who ran the program.

I gotta say, the cover is alluring—the abs, the V, the baby—yeah it grabbed my attention. Told via Remington and Cassi’s alternating first person POV, there are a few hot scenes too. That tub and that porch…well it’s used well. 
“No more words, only grunting. No more foreplay, only rutting.” 
I do wish the tale would have been clearer on whether Rem had been celibate or not. I’m going to hope for the best, especially since Cassi at twenty-some years old and a college graduate was a still a virgin. On the plus side, the story is free of OW/OM drama. I also give kudos for depicting an interracial couple, something that’s not embraced enough in contemporary romance market. 

Thursday, January 18, 2018

RELEASE BLITZ: An Uphill Battle by LK Farlow

A Southern Roots Standalone
Genre: New Adult

~Blurb~

Azalea Barnes has hated Drake Collins since the day he broke her teenaged heart.

Fast forward almost seven years later and her libido still hasn't gotten the memo.

Now they're frenemies... with benefits.

Which suits Azalea just fine. She gets what her body craves while keeping her heart safe. Kind of.
Mostly.

Drake has loved Azalea since the day they met. He knows that she's his forever. Too bad she only sees him as a good time. He wants more. Needs more.

If only he could convince her that it's real this time. He's more determined than ever to prove to Azalea that chemistry like theirs doesn't exist only in the bedroom.

The odds may be against Drake, but he's prepared for an uphill battle.


~Book Review~
DNF @49%

I think the title sums up my reading. This really didn’t hold my attention, I didn’t connect with the characters, and I didn’t feel their connection or any chemistry. Now, I didn’t read the first book in this series so maybe Azalea Barnes and Drake Collins are introduced more intriguing in that one, but here it feels as if the reader is thrown into the middle of an existing friends-with-benefits situation. And then it’s several chapters till we’re given a tidbit of their history in flashbacks. 

Meanwhile, their friends are constantly commenting how these two are just made for each other, but that’s where the story suffers from tell rather than show. From my impression, she’s kinda bitchy to him; he’s kinda bossy to her. They are grown adults who met when he was 16 and she was 13. He claims he has been in love with her since the first time he saw her (again tell, definitely not show) and knew she was his future. Statements like that from the hero are seriously problematic in a romance. For one, there’s a big maturity and developmental difference between a 16 year old guy and a 13 year old girl so I’m not even going to touch on the ick factor with their initial attraction. But the other issue is him getting action elsewhere (in the past) when he claimed to be in love with her. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating them hooking up at those ages. For both of their emotional development, they probably should have seen other people, which is why insistences of ‘love at first sight’ in these scenarios just doesn’t work. So when she was 15 and he was 18 she made her move, which plays out about how a 15 year old girl with a crush and an about-to-start-college guy would probably go--a big bust. Of course, this could have been avoided if she would have 1) heard her friend out (h has a bad habit of not listening the the full story. 2) let H explain. Why many years later after they are already hooking up they still haven't talked this out, I don't know other than the communication between these two sucks! Plus, he doesn’t help matters with the way he handles things. I believed he wanted her in the present, but he was a dense shithead to put it bluntly the way he went about things with the OW. Anyways, add in some “small town” feel to this and it wasn’t appealing to me.

“‘A whole fucking lot of assumptions and nowhere near enough honesty.’”
That’s the words of one of his buddy's, and it pinpoints the problem with the nature of their immature relationship.


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Free in Kindle Unlimited

~Excerpt~

“Drake Collins, I don’t see you on our appointment book today,” Seraphine says,wagging her finger at me with a twinkle in her dark brown eyes.

“That’s because I’m not. Does Azalea have time to fit me in?”

“Hmmm. Magnolia could fit you in quicker than—”

“Nah, I don’t mind the wait. How long’s it gonna be?”

“About twenty minutes.”

I turn, and make myself comfy in one of the waiting room chairs, “That’ll be just fine, Seraphine.”

She rolls her eyes at me, “I’ll let her know you’re here.”

“Totally unnecessary. It’s a surprise visit.”

Seraphine shakes her head at me, but goes back to whatever she was doing at the computer, thank God. Because I’m counting on the element of surprise to work in my favor here. If she knows I’m here, she’ll start working on getting her walls up, but if I catch her off guard, I might just catch her unguarded, if you know what I mean.

To pass the time, I play around on my phone, checking social media and shooting the shit with Simon and Cash in group text. I impress myself by only checking the time every five minutes, but my God, it really does feel like an eternity waiting on her.

I perk up when I hear the sound her sweet voice coming closer. “You have a wonderful day Mrs. Jones, and be sure to tell Seraphine to book extra time at your next appointment so that we can do those lowlights.”

She doesn’t walk far enough into the room to see me, so I stand and follow behind her to her station. She grabs the broom and starts sweeping, but jumps and throws it down when she sees me. “Holy guacamole, you scared the ba-jeezus outta me!”

I cover my smile with my fist, “I can see that.”

“What’re you doing here?”

“Need a haircut,” I tell her, claiming her chair.

She scowls her trademark scowl at me, her eyes drilling into me like lasers. “So, make an appointment.” She turns of walk away, but I reach out and snag her wrist.

“Don’t need one,” I tell her, knowing it will make her that much more irritated. I know these games are stupid, but her mad gets me so hot. 

“You most certainly do,” Azalea replies, her cheeks red with anger.

“Pretty sure there’s a sign in the window that reads ‘Walk-in’s welcome’. You’re certainly not making me feel very welcome. Not at all. Which, as the owner of this establishment, you should know is bad for business.” I tsk, wagging my finger at her.

 “Drake Ulysses Collins, you get your ass up right now!” Azalea hisses through clenched teeth. Her eyes are so big, they look like they might pop right on out of her head.

“Nah, don’t think so. You get your cute ass over here, and buzz my hair down.”
“No!”

“Now.” It’s a battle of wills and I’m playing to win. We remain frozen, staring one another down, until she rolls her eyes and stomps back over to me, like I knew she would. Drake, 1. Azalea, 0.

With a snap of her wrists, she has the cape draped around me. She shoots me an evil gleam, before pulling it as tight as it will go, damn near choking me. “Take it easy, Bit,” I croak, only to be whopped upside the back of my head with her comb.

“What the hell?” I yell at her, but she just smiles and pops the guard she knows I like onto her clippers.

With one hand planted on the top of my head, she uses the other to move the clippers through my hair, buzzing it down in fluid movements. Azalea takes her time, dragging out my simple buzzcut because she thinks it’ll annoy me. She couldn’t be more wrong. Hell, for half the haircut, her perky C cups are all up in my face, and for the rest of it… her hands are on me, and there’s not a single thing annoying about any of that. No, I fucking love it.

“There, all done assface.”

“Assface, huh? That an invitation?”

“God! You’re so gross!”

Grasping the front of the cape with both hands, I pull until it unsnaps. Rising from the chair, I take two steps toward Azalea, effectively backing her into her station.

“Gross? You think I’m gross?”  I gently run my nose up her neck, lingering just below her ear. “Naw, you don’t mean
that, do you?” My voice is hoarse and low, the sound of it causes Azalea’s skin to break out in goosebumps.

“Sure do,” she fires back, but her tone—all soft with want— betrays her words.

I take a step closer, leaving not even an inch between us, “We both know you’re lying through your teeth, but that’s okay Bit. Best be glad we’re in your place of business, or I’d call your bluff.” I cover her lips with mine and tunnel my

fingers into her long, blonde hair. “Or maybe I still will,” I speak the words against her lips, delighting in the feel of her rapid breaths. “Right here. Right now.” I punctuate the words with a kiss, hard and rough, before stepping back.

Azalea stands there, bracing herself against her station, almost as if she’d crumple to the floor without its support, and damn if that doesn’t make me feel like the king of the world. “Thanks for the haircut. You have a nice day, and when I

call you later… answer.”



LK Farlow (A.K.A Kate) is a small town girl with a love for words. She’s been writing stories and poems for as long she can remember. A Southern girl through and through, Kate resides in beautiful, sunny LA—that’s Lower Alabama, y’all—with her amazing husband and three wonderful children. When she’s not writing, you can find her snuggled up on the couch watching nature  documentaries while she crochets or with her nose in a book. All Kate really wants in this life is her family happy, strong coffee, a good book and more Happily Ever After’s.

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~Giveaway~

Monday, January 15, 2018

BOOK REVIEW: Fix Me Not by Carey Heywood

4 Stars

Asher Thompson likes living alone on his lakefront property. He’s content with his woodworking and has a stop-in housekeeper to run his errands and do his cleaning. Until he has the housekeeper’s daughter to contend with and she turns his world on its side.

Paige Sullivan, 30, was running a booming event planner business in NYC; now she’s working odd jobs in New Hampshire. As if life hasn’t crapped on her enough, she has a ‘not her type’ man getting under her skin….in more ways than one.
“Is there a female equivalent to blue balls? Maybe woeful vagina, or dismal cooter? Either way, I have the worst case of blue lady balls ever.”
Although Paige comes across pretentious in the beginning, she was also kind of amusing and I could guess that her character was going to grow.  I was also rather intrigued with the spin on this enemies to friends to lovers tale—Paige is actually a little jealous of Asher because she thinks her mom likes him better!

Like the previous book in the series, Fix Her Up, this romance is fairly low angst and slow burn with down-to-earth characters.  In fact, Asher doesn’t like the spotlight or women’s attention thrown at him. Yeah, let that sink in a moment.  Asher’s a sweet guy with a lot of integrity.
“‘When we Thompsons met the women of our dreams, we do whatever it takes to win her heart.’”
I so adore how the men in this series aren’t man-whores or attention-whores. Told via their dual first person POV, this is an opposites attract romance. Finley and Noah from the first book make appearances. Abby, Asher and Noah’s sister, gets her story next in Fix My Fall, coming in February. 

GOODREAD    AMAZON     B&N    KOBO   

~Also in The Fix series~

#3 Fix My Fall
(Coming Feb. 2018)

Saturday, January 13, 2018

BOOK REVIEW: Fix Her Up by Carey Heywood

4 Stars

Finley Reeves 35, has bought a money pit in a new town following her divorce. Noah Thompson, 38, is the brother of her realtor and a contractor with a heart of gold.

Being this is romance, Finley’s lucky that her prince charming swoops in to save the day, or in this case her house. I must admit I was initially a little stuck on the premise when she buys this dilapidated house in New Hampshire, far from family and friends, after making “a killing off the place she sold in Texas.” Part of me questioned Finley’s intelligence while another part of me suspected it was mostly psychological.
“I was in way over my head when I moved here. If he hadn’t of swooped in I would have drowned without him. I thought fixing up this place would fix me. Without his help, this project would have broken me at my core.”
I was glad when we got that out of the way because I quit side-eyeing Finley after she started to recognize her issues. Granted it took till half way through the book, but Finley grew as the story progressed and she went up in my estimation with her handling of her ex.

Noah was an all round great guy—total book boyfriend!  We really need more of him in romance. While I think there was a little insta-love on Noah’s part, he didn’t rush the romance or their relationship. Instead he spent time with her and became her friend first. He’s patient, heeds her cues, and helps her move on. It’s qualities like this that should be highlighted more in this genre.
 “‘He’s figuring out he made a mistake letting you go. Too bad for him that’s not a mistake I’ll make.’”
Told via Noah and Finley’s alternating first person POV, the steam is slow burn, but they eventually make up for it.
“‘You want, you can crawl up here, hold onto the headboard and I promise you I’ll make you scream.’”
If you are looking for a romance with low angst, positive examples of making a relationship work, and likeable characters who behave like the mature adults they are, this is one to cozy up with.  I think the inspiration for the house renovating theme is clear and though I’m not a fan of the couple on that show, I became a fan of Noah and Finley. I’m also looking forward to seeing how the rest of the series goes. Up next, Noah’s reclusive brother, Asher’s story. 


~Also in The Fix series~

#3 Fix My Fall
(Coming Feb. 2018)

Thursday, January 11, 2018

RELEASE BLITZ: Mr. Ruin by Maya Hughes

Genre: Contemporary Romance

~Blurb~

They were wrong--revenge is a dish best served hot.

They call me the Boardroom Bastard.
A bastard out for vengeance.
No one messes with Killian Thorne.

Then Rachel shows up.


She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Luscious curves. An ass I wanna smack and squeeze. No man has ever touched her  the way I do, and she’s making me feel things I’ve never felt before..

But she works for my greatest enemy, and destroying him means taking her down too.

She’s ruined me for all other women. Will I ruin her too?
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~Also Available~
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Maya Hughes has always loved romance novels. One look at her Kindle is confirmation. She started writing her first romance novel while pregnant with her third child and she hasn’t looked back. Now, her romance writing addiction has replaced her romance reading addiction.

You can find her writing on her foldable keyboard and phone anytime inspiration strikes. Her sweet and steamy stories range from rockstars to small towns and everything in between. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her three kids, running errands or vegging on the couch with the love of her life and biggest fan, her husband.

Monday, January 8, 2018

BOOK REVIEW: Sext God by Jess Bentley

3.5 Stars

Dahlia Cox, 21, has a crush on her dad’s widowed friend, ex-military and current security guy August Berner (specific age never given). After setting aside college due to financial constraints, she works a job at a security firm too—a job that August helped her get but with his competitor.

When Dahlia’s firm runs into some financial difficulties, she gets herself into an awkward situation at work that leads to an intimate new relationship with August, her identity unknown to him.
“‘I am not a slut…I only play one on Instagram.’”
This is where the plot gets a little convoluted. I could brush off Dahlia’s missteps on experience as she does come across a bit sheltered, if not naïve, at times; but, it required some suspension of disbelief when it came to August. As the head of a private security company in this day and age, it seemed like he should have had IT skills or connections to trace her account.

Anyways, if you don’t think too hard on that aspect or the fact that August is attracted to her, but is really into sexting his “mystery woman,” then it might be smooth sailing. Their texting is pretty hot!
I want you to wrap your fingers around me. Pull on me a little bit…”
Told via their alternating first person POV, Dahlia and August especially had potential. It was refreshing (and a bit funny) to see the guy also stumble through new things when so often it’s the heroine who’s the fish out of water.
“I have never taken a picture of my own dick before, and there is something sort of awesome about it.”
I just wish they’d have been fleshed out a little more and their actual relationship developed alongside the sexting. When they finally get together, it felt rushed and lacking.

There’s a little suspense angle involving August’s job and his musician client. Those scenes kept me turning pages both for the who-done-it and for their amusing rapport with each other.  I do wish the reveal would have been a little more exciting though. Otherwise, the safe, low angst aspect of the tale was pleasing. The cover's pretty hot too!

I purchased this copy as a freebie from Amazon. As a final, published copy, it needed another proofreading. 

Friday, January 5, 2018

REVIEW/RELEASE BLITZ: Stud in the Stacks by Pippa Grant

TGenre: Sexy Romantic Comedy
 Release Date: January 5, 2018

~Blurb~

When it comes to women, I know what they want. And all day long, I give it to them. Dark, broody, and sexy? You got it. Need to laugh? I’m your guy. Desperate for something to put you in the mood? You’ve come to the right place, kitten.

Every morning when my library opens, there’s a line around the block, the ladies flocking to me in need of their next book boyfriend. I’m that dude. The one who knows his way around the romance section. And if you think that hasn’t gotten me plenty of action over the years, you’d be wrong.

But I've made a few miscalculations, and now my reputation has my job in danger. If I can’t prove to my boss that I’m more than a playboy who recommends romance in the hopes of getting some hanky panky in the stacks, I can kiss my job goodbye.

Stud in the Stacks is a sexy, hilarious, sometimes embarrassing romantic comedy told in both points of view, complete with tacos, romance novel love, and unicorn parties with no cheating or cliffhangers.

~Book Review~
3 Stars

Librarian Knox Moretti has a love for reading. That extends to romance novels and playing hero in his real life. Parker Elliot is in need of a hot date for her high school reunion. When she sets her sights on Knox, she doesn’t realize they’ve met before. But then neither does he.

This story started out really cute. I thought I might never watch The Lion King the same way again. But that’s okay, because the new imagery is much….hotter. Knox was likable from the start. His narration was light-hearted and witty and despite the suggestion of a cocky womanizer from the blurb, he’s really quite the catch.

On that note, the blurb is a little misleading (and I’m referring to the complete one that came with the cover reveal, not the cut off one on GR). I was pleasantly surprised that Knox was an all round good guy, but on the downside, Parker wasn’t what I expected.

This was the biggest issue I struggled with—Parker.  See there’s the perception she has of herself and the one Knox has of her. Knox is more than intrigued about her and that doesn’t waiver when he remembers her from the past. But Parker is incredibly awkward and insecure in her POV.  I get that we don’t always see ourselves the same way others see us, but with Parker it was hard to reconcile the two selves, and eventually how she saw herself is what won out as my take on her character.
“…I’m awkward as a sheltered teenager.”
I’ll admit, even from the start I enjoyed Knox’s chapters more than Parker’s. But then I thought maybe Parker just had layers that needed to evolve and be revealed and then she’d be a more likable character. But after a while, it was hard not to see Parker as a dorky, clumsy, insecure, annoying, weak twit who had no finesse and left lousy impressions.

Yep, I’m not going to mince words; I closed the book still not liking her!  Her clumsy and awkwardness was over the top, and despite her insistence in the beginning that she had changed since high school, she continued to prove that she not only hadn’t but that it was more pathetic as an adult.

I was constantly distracted by her age after it’s established that she’s older than Knox who early on confirms he’s thirty. Parker never seemed very mature. This is a woman with two (yes 2) master’s degrees and fifteen years working experience and yet she worries that she’s not cut out for her recent job promotion. How insecure is that?  When she and Knox are caught making out by his mother and grandmother they behave even more oddly for a 30 year old man and woman “pushing forty.”  [Spoiler alert: It’s later finally confirmed she’s 38.] 

In addition, her reasons for not wanting kids pointed strongly at her need for therapy. Don’t take that the wrong way, I’m not saying a woman who doesn’t want kids needs therapy; I’m saying her reasons for not wanting them suggested she had bigger issues. In other words if you think your life is too big of a mess and you’re almost forty, maybe it’s time you get your life together and get to the root of your troubles.  And Knox, being the gem of this book that he was, even acknowledged this more than once.
“Because for a fling, we’re perfect. Long-term, though, we’d have issues.”
Yes—THIS!

Knox secures his place as a book boyfriend. He’s an intelligent, good-hearted, easy going, down-to-earth, good looking man who didn’t take himself or life too seriously. (And I totally agree with him on Titanic.)

Sadly though Knox’s very valid intuitions that they weren’t compatible all got swept aside in the name of romance. I was so disappointed in Knox because he deserved better. His one downfall was that he tosses aside all his rational concerns every time they have an intimate encounter, and for a while I was convinced it was his sex brain not his heart or his head making the decisions.  Because all the things Knox starts to think doesn’t matter really does matter. It’s easy to brush aside incompatibilities when you’re falling in love. I guess he was a true romantic because he convinced himself they were meant for a happily ever after even when (IMO) she wasn’t the one.

This is a scenario where opposites didn’t make a good match. From Knox being great with kids and Parker never wanting to have them to Knox enjoying his blog for fun and Parker forcing a business out of it, I couldn’t have been more convinced that Knox could have done so much better than Parker. Not only that, but Parker’s life was set up to suit Parker and she was set in her ways.  Parker wanted a no strings man, but with all the benefits of a relationship. Nothing that transpired convinced me that she would realistically change or compromise or that they would make it in the long haul.

I do give kudos for the story avoiding the clichéd OW drama with Lila. She was a pleasant turn of events. There are also some nice messages regarding the value in reading romance.  Told via Knox and Parker’s alternating first person POV, I adored Knox but wish this Tarzan would have kept looking for his Jane.
“Parker Elliot. I don’t get it.”
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited
~Excerpt~
Even though it’s been six years since I stripped for a roomful of women, I’m pleased to report my loincloth still fits in all the right places. Tad more snug in front than I remember, but if I had to grow, might as well be in the junk. I give the elastic one last test as the producer signals that I’m up. Spider-Man gives me a fist bump. Thor smacks my ass. They’re the last two bachelors going up on the block after me in tonight’s superhero-themed auction. There are some who might say Tarzan isn’t a superhero, but Jane would beg to differ.
And I fucking own this costume.
Plus, if no one else bids on me, my Nana’s right up front, ready to throw down the hundred bucks I slipped her before the show. I’m hoping for a little higher than that though. Batman just went for a cool five grand.
Batman was a dick, which I assume my Nana didn’t know when she started the bidding on him. A grade-A, condescending asshat who thought just because he had a few million bucks in the bank, he could call people gay like that’s an insult and take a metaphorical shit on my favorite books.
I fucking want to beat Batman. 


Pippa Grant is a stay-at-home mom and housewife who loves to escape into sexy, funny stories way more than she likes perpetually cleaning toothpaste out of sinks and off toilet handles. When she’s not reading, writing, sleeping, or trying to prepare her adorable demon spawn to be productive members of society, she’s fantasizing about chocolate chip cookies.

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