BOOK REVIEW: Sharing Rylee by D. Kelly

3.5 Stars

Rylee Stafford, 28, can’t decide between her new love interest Pete Rafferty and her longtime on-again/off-again love Nick Morris. Rylee feels the pressure to choose while struggling with her ultimate fantasy.

I think I picked this up as a freebie at some point. It’s been sitting on my kindle for a while, and I just now gave it a try.  It drew me in and it was pretty hot….Okay really hot, especially Nick who was also sweet.  I should point out that while I generally don’t have a problem reading ménages provided they have a group HEA, I don’t do love triangles. Initially it seems like Rylee and Nick and Pete’s love story is a triangle, but it’s really a ménage romance or more accurately a triad relationship.

On one hand, this story offers the feel-good perfect coupling signature of many romantic reads. In fact, Rylee frustrated me in the beginning because her perfect happily-ever-after is literally right in front of her, and yet she didn’t communicate very well with either of the men in her life. On the other hand, the story maintains a realistic approach to the topic. The three character’s struggles with their sexuality are detailed, Rylee’s therapy sessions are depicted, and stress and anxiety over family reactions is portrayed. There’s no insta-love or insta lust driving this plot.  Rylee, Nick, and Pete’s desire for an alternative relationship as well as their love for each other is aptly developed.  

“‘…you don’t get to be ashamed of who you are. Of what God made you. Made us. People may not understand it, but that’s their burden to bear, not ours.’”

I also give major points for the positive discussions of sexuality and acceptance of non-traditional pairings.

“‘…just because your sexuality isn’t the norm, doesn’t mean you’re not normal.’”

The glaring flaw in this otherwise engaging erotic romance was the abrupt shift from first to third person for part two. Until this almost half way point, the story is narrated by Rylee, Nick, and Pete, allowing the reader to hear all three perspectives and become invested in their individual as well as shared struggles. But once the third person narrator, a detached observer, kicks in, I was pulled out of the story and struggled in what were otherwise anticipated and critical scenes. The POV change was not just abrupt and annoying, but made me feel cheated of the character’s inner thoughts and reactions for the rest of the tale. This narration switch appears to be a poor editorial decision.

Sharing Rylee is the second book in a series, the previous title depicting Rylee’s twin brother and his girlfriend’s romance. I have not read Chasing Cassidy so that may be why there were places where it seemed like backstory was referenced. I was still able to easily follow this one though.

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COVER REVEAL: Vegas Boss by Alexis Abbott

Release Date: March 23, 2018

~Synopsis~

Our love is based off of lies.

An undercover cop and a mob boss can’t be honest easily.

The first time I met her, she was almost naked, giving me a lap dance.

But I’m no good for her, and she knows it. She was my arresting officer, after all. She thinks she can wash her hands clean of me, but she’s wrong. That night together, she realized who I really was. And she keeps coming back despite herself, because she needs a bad man like me.

I’m going to get out of jail. I’m going to help her.

And then I’m not going to let her go.

This novel is a full length romantic suspense novel with no cliffhangers. Explicit language. Safe from cheating.

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Preorder price: $2.99 instead of the usual $3.99 so 25% off

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 I'm Alexis Abbott, and I love bad boys, gritty backdrops, and super steamy sex! Sign up for my mailing list to be notified of new releases, sales, giveaways, and lots of other fun stuff ;)

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~Giveaway~

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REVIEW/RELEASE: Fix My Fall by Carey Heywood

Series: The Fix #3

Genre: Romantic Comedy

~Blurb~

Abby Thompson’s love life is a disaster. Everyone around her is blissfully falling in love, while she’s busy binge watching anime. The last thing she needs is a walking temptation, in the form of ex-nerd turned dreamy astrophysics professor, Spencer Hill, aka her new client.

It’s her job to find Spencer his dream home, NOT fantasize about a ride on his space rocket. But the sparks between them are impossible to ignore, and soon, Abby is wondering if her losing streak in love could be turning around.

Can she get over her anxiety he’s got her out-brained, and can he let go of the past and the fear that the girl he crushed on in high school is still out of his league?

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~Book Review~

3 Stars

Spencer Hill is an astrophysicist working at the university in his old home town in New Hampshire.  Abby Thompson is the peppy younger sister to Noah and Asher from the first two books. Acquaintances back in high school, when Spencer needs a realtor, his mother knows who to call.

Like the heroes in the series books before him, Spencer is an upstanding guy—a real gentleman.

“I’m not going to make her jealous, and I’m not going to force myself on her.”

He avoids some popular romance pitfalls, displaying his maturity and intelligence. While Noah remains my favorite hero from this series, Spencer is a good guy too.

Abby was a cute supporting character in the previous books, seemingly confident and even a bit of a matchmaker so I was disappointed when Abby’s insecurities showed in her own relationship. Eventually she handled it well, but I would have had more respect for her if she’d also confided in/conversed with Spencer about her feelings.

Fitting with the rest of the series, the story is low angst and slow burn. While the steam level has never been high, I don’t know what happened with this one. The sex scenes are fade-to-black or skipped over. It definitely could have benefited from some more details and to be spiced up.

One other item to note, which pulled me out of the story to ponder and felt a bit awkward dialogue wise. There’s what I would deem an inaccurate exchange between Abby and Spencer where Abby claims that all professors are doctors in regards to the titles Spencer and his colleague go by, which Spencer confirms, and then asserts that ‘professor’ is a cooler name than ‘doctor.’   While the later could be construed as simply her opinion, most Ph.D holders I’ve ever known would certainly prefer ‘Dr.’ over ‘professor’ when being addressed since they put in the time and study and earned that degree. In fact, some professors would even take offense to not being called ‘Dr.’ The terms are not entirely interchangeable as most but not all professors (post secondary teachers) hold doctorate degrees. You can teach at a college level with a master’s as well (probably more likely an adjunct position as opposed to tenure track); hence often where the ‘professor’ title is used by the students since they can’t call them “Dr.” While ‘Professor’ is the highest ranking position as opposed to ‘Associate Professor’ and ‘Assistant Professor’ among the faculty hierarchy, typically students don’t pay a lot of attention to that.

Told via Abby and Spencer’s alternating first person POV, this third book in the series can be read as a standalone. The previous couples make appearances. 

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Available at other retailers soon

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Carey Heywood is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author. She was born and raised in Alexandria, Virginia. Supporting her all the way are her husband, three sometimes-adorable children, a mischievous black cat, German Shepherd rescue puppy, and their nine-pound attack Yorkie.

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RELEASE BLITZ: The Pilot and the Puck-Up by Pippa Grant

Genre: Sexy Romantic Comedy

~Blurb~

He’s the biggest, baddest, most spider-fearing motherpucker on the ice…

When you’re named after the king of the gods, the world expects certain things of you.

Tough? Damn right.

Smart? Don’t let the hockey uniform fool you.

Large and in charge? Honey, I’m the biggest, baddest, mother pucking-est machine to ever own the ice. I shoot. I score. In and out of the rink. I don’t come early, but I come often, if you know what I mean. And I always leave the ladies wanting more.

Until that chick last night.

I’m no one-thrust wonder, and you’re damn right I’m going to prove to her I can do better. But every time I think I’m finally on my way back into her pants, she one-ups and out-balls me.

I should cut my losses, lick my wounds, and walk away.

But Zeus Berger doesn’t walk away from anything.

Especially when she's the only woman in the world who might be able to handle me.

The Pilot and the Puck-Up is a standalone romantic comedy featuring a hockey player whose ego is the only thing bigger than his shoe size, the most badass woman to ever fly a plane, rubber chockey (don't ask), and no cheating or cliffhangers.

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~Book Review~

DNF @39%

The pilot—Joey “Fireball” Diamonte is probably pushing thirty, runs her own business (which has her hobnobbing with celebrities), attended college, and served a six year stint in the military. And yet despite all those life experiences surrounded by men, she’s never gotten down and jiggy with one.

  

This manwhore/virgin trope has grown so stale it just tastes bad at this point. Why aren’t these heroines allowed to have had some fun??? What is the appeal of having a woman hold on to her virginity for a decade past the point where she turned legal only to lose it to some guy who has enough notches on his bedpost to draw a stick figure village?

Even more mind boggling is that the only man who seems to waken her drowsy woman bits is the loud ass, large dude who she likens to a wooly mammoth and happens to be at a golf country club wearing a dress and bra stacked with coconuts.

While I’m sure the tone was aimed at romcom, the romantic part was missing. It seemed more like the Wayans brothers got a hold of a contemporary romance book and turned it into one of their skits. I mean, the hero is described as smelling like man sweat, beer, and fried cheese in one scene and Joey is still considering letting him go down on her. Yeah, definitely more of a parody of a romance than an actual one.  And don’t get me started on Joey’s undergarments.

Meanwhile, we’re told a few too many times that’s she’s “badass,” which pretty much ensures that she’s not! She comes across as cold rather than caring, brash rather than ballsy, and cocky rather than confident. She treats her 26 year old sister like a child, and I was starting to really wonder about her obsessive need to interfere in her sister’s social/love life. It got to the point where her cock-blocking was creepy. 

“One day, when I pick a man good enough for her, she’ll give me nieces and nephews…”

 When I pick???

Okay, let’s add controlling and bossy to her characterization description too.

And then there’s Zeus Berger, 30, pro hockey player. He’s also cocky (not to be confused with confident), obnoxious, and immature. While he proclaims to not care what people think of him, he sure goes out of his way to get their attention. On one hand, they are made for each other; on the other...well I never thought I’d say this in a romance, but for one time—just this once—I was rooting for him to go hook up with someone else.

I know, I know, I usually rail against that in a romance, but the romantic vibe here was just that lacking, and I actually felt bad for the jerk after the way she treated him over the whole pre-ejaculatory incident. Or the fire drill that wasn’t even his fault.

And the more I mentally rooted for him to ditch Fireball and screw anything else that was more pleasant, alongside growing bored over their golf game, I realized it was time to throw in the towel on this one.  

If you’ve ever wondered how Mr. and Mrs. Neanderthal courted, well then this might be one to give a whirl. But if you prefer both your heroine and hero to have social skills more advanced than a toddler, this is one pass the puck on by. 

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Free in Kindle Unlimited

~Excerpt~

Zeus Berger (aka the biggest, baddest, most spider-fearing mother pucker to ever play in the NHL)

Coconuts are itchy. I should’ve gone for the watermelons. But it was a bitch and a half getting that last-minute private fitting at Madame Cosette’s anyway, and the woman probably would’ve had to stitch three bras together and then nailed the damn contraption to my shoulders to get it to hold without losing a melon, so coconuts it is. Besides, it’s the heels that are gonna be the bigger problem. Damn good thing I have ankles of fucking steel. And my minidress is stretched to max capacity over the coconuts anyway. It’s also in danger of showing my other coconuts, if you catch my drift. And there’s definitely a drift—or is that a draft?—on my other coconuts.

A wolf whistle echoes through the swanky private clubhouse where I’m strolling in with my twin brother on my left and my brother from another mother on my right. A passing server drops a tray of champagne. Conversation stops. And a bunch of stuffy golf pricks gape at us like we’re a mutant alien circus freak show crashing their million-dollar wedding reception. We’re three dudes who have more money than God, more muscles than all the Kardashians’ bodyguards combined, and more fun than cotton candy and roller coasters.

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Book Review

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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~Giveaway~

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COVER REVEAL: The Troublemaker by Lili Valente

Genre: Sexy Romantic Comedy/Contemporary Romance

Release Date: April 23, 2018

~Blurb~

They say Rafe Hunter is trouble with a capital T.

I say—bring it on.

As long as Trouble comes in a package as delicious as Rafe’s, I’m ready to climb on his Harley and ride all night long—and I’m not just talking about his motorcycle.

I can hide out until the scandal with my evil ex blows over AND have a wild rebound at the same time. Besides, I’ve got no heart left to break. My ex made sure of that.

As long as Rafe and I keep our no-strings fling from our families, what can possibly go wrong?

***

This is so damned wrong.

I don’t do drama, and this thing with Carrie Haverford has Bad News written all over it. After one red-hot kiss, I know I should cut and run.

Instead I take her home, take her in her car, take her to the beach and make her scream louder than the crashing waves. And then I take her so far into my heart I don’t see how I’m ever going to let her go.

The say the bigger and badder they are, the harder they fall. But when I fall for a girl with third degree love burns, how can I convince her that fire is a good thing?

This sexy Standalone romance will make you laugh, melt, and fall madly in love. 

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Cover Design: Bootstrap Designs

Photo: Perrywinkle Photography

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~Also in the Series~

Book Review & Character Interview

Lili Valente has slept under the stars in Greece, eaten dinner at midnight with French men who couldn’t be trusted to keep their mouths on their food, and walked alone through Munich’s red light district after dark and lived to tell the tale.

These days you can find her writing in a tent beside the sea, drinking coconut water and thinking delightfully dirty thoughts.

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EXCERPT REVEAL: INK by Elizabeth Hunter

 INK, an all new opposites attract, Contemporary Romance by Elizabeth Hunter is coming March 13th!

~Synopsis~

It’s everything but business as usual.

Emmie Elliot hadn’t expected to come back to Metlin, California. She definitely didn’t expect to stay. She returned to her childhood home with a mission: Sell the building that housed her grandmother’s book store and move on with her life.

But life doesn’t always go according to plan.

To reopen her grandmother’s book shop, Emmie will need a hook. She’ll need a strategy. She’ll need an… Ox?

Miles Oxford doesn’t have much interest in quiet bookstore owners. He’s a tattoo artist without a space to work, and the last thing he wants is to get involved with anyone after his last disaster of a relationship. Work and pleasure don’t mix for Ox, but since he doesn’t have any interest in the cute girl with the bold business proposal, he should be safe from any awkward complications, right?

She sells ink. He tattoos it. Unusual? Yes. But a book shop/tattoo studio might be the ticket for both Emmie and Ox to find success on their own terms. As long as they keep their attention focused on business.

Just on business.

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~Excerpt~

The sign Ox was painting in the alley would hang over the 7th Avenue door. It simply read INK.

INK. What else could they call it? Books and tattoos. Tattoos and books. Ink.

They were doing this, and Emmie asked herself every morning if she was making a horrible, awful mistake.

“It’s not too late to call it off,” Daisy said. “Then you can find a nice children’s retailer to work with while I convince Ox that the two of you are meant for each other.” Daisy had hopped on the INK train and immediately hopped off when Emmie had told her about Ox’s condition.

“Don’t be ridiculous and keep your voice down,” Emmie said. The shop was finally clean, the shelves were empty with all salvable stock boxed and organized, and Emmie was standing on a ladder, starting the new coat of vanilla cream paint that would set off the dark oak bookshelves and the counters that Ethan and his dad had ordered.

“You and Ox would be great together,” Daisy hissed, glancing toward the back hallway that led to the alley. “I was thinking about setting you up. I was just waiting for him to break up with Ginger.”

“You are full of it. He may be hot, but I am the opposite of his type.” Emmie started the paint and immediately let out a happy sigh. Everything was better with fresh paint.

“He is a twenty-eight year old man,” Daisy said. “Trust me, he doesn’t know what type is good for him.”

“Good for him? What about me?”

“Trust me. That man would be very good for you. Or parts of you, at least.”

Emmie rolled her eyes. “We are starting a business together. Not getting involved was a smart condition, and I agreed immediately because I am a grown up and business is more important than my hormones.”

“And then you died a little inside,” Daisy said sadly. “Because you will linger alone, a poor village girl, slave to her virtue, never having felt the fire of passion in your too-short life.”

Emmie laughed so hard she snorted and almost smudged the woodwork. “Have you been watching telenovelas in the kitchen again?”

“I swear, Eddie works faster when they’re on in the background,” Daisy said. “I think I’m absorbing them subconsciously.”

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ELIZABETH HUNTER is a contemporary fantasy, paranormal romance, and paranormal mystery author. She is a graduate of the University of Houston Honors College and a former English teacher. She once substitute taught a kindergarten class, but decided that middle school was far less frightening. She’s the author of the Elemental Mysteries, the Irin Chronicles, and the Cambio Springs Mysteries. 

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REVIEW/RELEASE BLITZ: The Baby Maker by Lili Valente

Genre: Sexy Romantic Comedy/Contemporary Romance

Release Date: February 5, 2018

~Blurb~

Some men are troublemakers or dealmakers. The men in my family? We’re baby makers.

For six generations, the women of wine country have had a saying: don’t bang a Hunter man unless you want a bun in your oven.

Yeah, well. I’ve got a saying too: no thanks. The last thing I need is baby makes three. My business is expanding and the only thing I’m interested in getting knocked up is my bottom line.

But then one night Emma Haverford makes me an offer I can’t refuse—she backs away from the land I have my eye on in exchange for a favor…

A big, fat, baby making favor…

******

When I hear women have gotten pregnant shaking hands with Hunter men, I know I need Dylan Hunter’s…ahem, special skills…way more than I need to expand my vineyard.

I’m ready to give my heart to a child and I’m tired of waiting for my late-to-the-party Prince Charming to make my dreams come true. So I promise Dylan—three months of hot, heavy, baby-making s-e-x and then I’m out of his hair forever.

But what if when it comes time to say good-bye, all I want to do is keep bottling up more memories with this big-hearted man?

This sexy Standalone romance will make you laugh, swoon, and blush baby-makin’ red. Heat level: A risk of getting knocked up during download. Paperback and audio versions are especially dangerous. Handle with care…

GOODREADS

~Book Review~

4.5 Stars

Dylan Hunter, 31, has his hands full salvaging his family’s farm, looking after his nephews, and trying to build a life of his own. The last thing he thinks he needs is a baby making job with the determined new neighbor.

Emma Haverford, 34, has left the fast city and career life along with a cheating ex behind in Silicon Valley to purse a less stressful existence in the vineyards. The change is suiting her, but there’s still one thing her heart desires.

First things first because this is one of the biggest things that impressed me about this story and this type of premise—a complicated situation is handled well and while neither party is perfect, they both behave maturely. There are plenty of smutty tales in the romance market that incorporate baby-making or breeding—the misogynist notion of using conception as a means of control where the so-called hero makes a rash decision in the middle of sex to stake a claim. Thankfully this is not one of them. It’s also not a tale of a heroine trying to trap the hero to get the whole baby and baby-daddy package. Both the hero and the heroine are depicted thinking things out, rationalizing their decision, alongside consulting the advice of medical professionals and trusted family members in efforts to make an informed decision about a situation that isn’t ideal or either of their first choices.  I applaud the author for tackling a more modern dilemma in a thought-out and respectful manner rather than to throw out a load of archaic modes of thinking and call it romance.  The difference is a story that actually is romantic and hotter because the main characters are developed and shown falling in love rather than espousing insta-love. 

“‘If I don’t stop soon, I’m going to take you right here….On the ground, in the dirt. It’s been a long time for me, Blondie.’”

 Dylan had a good head on his shoulders, and even though he didn’t think he was ready for fatherhood, it was clear he was a great catch.  I appreciated how he stressed them getting to know each other and how his monologues revealed how he was falling in love. 

“Mental scrapbooking of orgasms is a classic warning sign that love is right around the corner.”

 Emma was a strong and independent female character. I admired how she held firm to her goals.  I didn’t find her desperate; simply that she knew what she wanted and when she saw an opportunity with a man she was strongly attracted to, went after it. I respected the fact that she choose Dylan for the good qualities she saw in him and the hope that her child would have those same genes rather than utilizing a sperm bank, an option that she does keep open. While a little more communication between them would have gone a long way, it wasn’t unrealistic given the short time they’d known each other and their original arrangement. And the story still stayed pleasingly low angst.

Told via Dylan and Emma’s first person POV, the pair had good chemistry. I found them both likable from the start, and the story easy to get into from the opening. By the end, I was swooning over Dylan. All in all, it’s a very sweet, feel-good romance.  The next book, The Troublemaker, features Dylan’s half brother Rafe and Emma’s sister Carrie. The intro to their book that is included has me intrigued. I’m not usually a fan of the manwhore hero, but Carrie looks like a formidable match so as long as it’s safe (fingers crossed), I’ll give it a go. I hope at least one of the twins gets a book at some point too. 

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ALSO AVAILABLE ON AUDIBLE

Narrated by Andi Arndt & Sebastian York

~Character Interview~

Book Boyfriend Data Sheet

Name: Dylan Hunter

Age: 31

Birthday:🎂 May 15th ♉

Birthplace:🌎 Mercyville, California (Sonoma County)

Measurements: 📏

Height: 6'1"
Weight: 180 lbs
Length: More than enough

Girth: Gentlemen don't brag

Turn-ons:👍 Hard work, good coffee, better beer, kindness, big blue eyes, and sexy librarian glasses (and the fantasies that go with them!)

Turn-offs:👎 Complaining, narrow minds, and cows that bite.

Favorite time of day for “baby making”: We guys wake up ready in the morning for a reason...

Food cravings and aversions: Addicted to coffee and MUST have the good stuff. ☕

First person I call to babysit when we desire couple time:😗 My nephews. For teen boys, they're great with babies.

Last person I call to babysit when we’re desperate for couple time:😳 My dad. Who knows what that man is going to do with my kid. Ten months is too young to learn to whittle.

Baby gear item that I couldn’t live without: Bike seat so baby can hit the trails with mom and dad.

Kids’ toy I wish I had when I was a kid: Remote control T-Rex. Oh, the ways I could have terrified my younger brother...😱

My favorite childhood memory growing up: Riding dirt bikes with my brothers.

What to expect when you’re expecting—advice to other fathers-to-be:👶 Relish every step of the journey. It's all amazing and it all goes way too fast.

A big thanks to Lili Valente for making Dylan available for this feature!

Lili Valente has slept under the stars in Greece, eaten dinner at midnight with French men who couldn’t be trusted to keep their mouths on their food, and walked alone through Munich’s red light district after dark and lived to tell the tale. 
These days you can find her writing in a tent beside the sea, drinking coconut water and thinking delightfully dirty thoughts.

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