Saturday, April 30, 2016

BOOK REVIEW: Mr. Tucker by Justine Elvira

~Synopsis~

A senior bet.

Almost every school has one–a tradition that's passed down from year to year. My small school in Tennessee is no different. While some seniors at schools all across the country have senior pranks or senior ditch days, our school has the senior bet. 

Lose your virginity by spring break–have proof–and you're in the running for prom queen.

Does it sound ridiculous?

It absolutely is, but ridiculousness won't stop me from getting my prom queen nomination. I've had plenty of opportunities to lose my V-card to one of the boys at my school, but I don't want to sleep with a high school boy. I want a man with experience. I want the man that's been starring in my wet dreams at night. I want my history teacher. I want Mr. Tucker.


*Warning: This book contains strong language and graphic sex between a teacher and his consenting student. It's hot and sexy smut at its finest. Mr. Tucker is recommended for mature readers 18 and over.


GOODREADS

~Book Review~
3.75 Stars

Savannah Simple is a seventeen year old going on eighteen year old high school senior.  She’s practically dirt poor, works at a gas station, and doesn’t care much about school. But her good looks and heritage have earned her a spot in a circle of upscale friends.

Mr. Tucker or Landon, once you get on a first name basis with him (*wink*), is a twenty five year old History teacher, new to the school.  Savannah’s never had much serious interest in boys her own age and one look at Mr. Tucker has her setting her sights on him.

What I liked best about the book…  It’s pretty low angst and mainly focuses on how a student and teacher get together and make it work. A plus— the author even takes readers into the future to nail home that point.

What was smoking hot… Landon and Savannah’s first hook-up. Holy cow! As far as sex scenes go it was steaming and fit the student-teacher theme perfectly.
“‘I figure if I fuck you for the first time with this tiny country as your focal point, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two.’”
What could have made the book stronger…The pacing. The story basically spans Savannah’s senior year so there’s a lot of jumps in time and not a lot of daily build up. Sometimes I felt like I wasn’t connecting with the characters because I wasn’t getting to know them as two people interacting with each other to the point of falling in love.

What readers should probably know… This is definitely contains some smut-style writing. No judgment. Just saying. Be prepared to get your porn on.
“…I woke up this morning sexually frustrated after dreaming of Mr. Tucker filling my tank with his hose and pumping me with his fluid.”
You might also need to suspend some disbelief in terms of the way the characters behave. There are certain aspects that I had a hard time envisioning in the real world or maybe I’ve just been out of high school too long. Or never lived in a town like this. Either way, a lot of the characters seemed shallow and the teens are very preoccupied with sex and status.

My impressions of the characters…. I honestly had a hard time relating with Savannah. While on the surface she seemed to think very highly of herself and her looks, I felt that deep down she was really an insecure girl. There were places where she really blatantly went after Mr. Tucker and acted pretty immature. Though we are repeatedly told she’s supposedly god’s gift to men, I didn’t always feel it and I also didn’t always see her appeal, especially to an older, educated man. Landon seemed like a good guy, but I’m not sure the connection between them (beyond physical attraction) completely came across to the point that I understood why he was willing to risk so much. The story is told by their dual point a view but perhaps more chapters by Landon would have helped...On second thought, yes, definitely craved more of his POV. ;-)

All in all, if a sexy forbidden tale is what you're after then go ahead and 1-click:



~Also by the Author~

Book Review

Monday, April 25, 2016

RELEASE/REVIEW: Magnificent Bastard by Lili Valente

(Super Sexy Standalone)
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Comedy 
~Blurb~

F*&k Prince Charming. Sometimes, you need a Magnificent Bastard.

Face it, ladies: love sucks and then you cry…while your ex rides off into the sunset banging your best friend.

But why let a break-up end in tears when it can end with sweet revenge? Enter Magnificent Bastard Consulting and me, chief executive bastard. I’ve got it all—looks, brains, a heart of gold, and the killer instinct guaran-damn-teed to make your ex regret the day he said goodbye.

With the help of my virtual assistant, I’ve built an empire giving broken-hearted women the vengeance they deserve, while keeping myself far from the front lines of the heart. Life is a bowl of f*&king cherries, until my virtual assistant shows up on my real doorstep for the first time, begging for a Magnificent Bastard intervention of her own.

F*&king hell. She’s a bona fide sex kitten.

I pride myself on being a true pro, but pretending to be her lover soon leads to giving it to her good, hard, fast, and up against the wall. And somewhere between getting balls deep in my sweet and sexy assistant and watching her ex beg for a second chance, I break every last one of my damn rules—professional and personal.

So what’s my next move? Fight for the girl who makes me want to get up on a white horse and ride to her rescue, or stay a Magnificent Bastard to the end?



Warning: MAGNIFICENT BASTARD is a stand-alone erotic romance told from the hero’s point of view. No cliffhanger. Lots of dirty talk.

~Book Review~
3 Stars

Sebastian “Bash” Prince, 32, is the public face of Magnificent Bastard, his vengeance company for jilted lovers  that he abandoned Wall Street to launch. Penny Pickett, 25, is the behind the scenes face of Magnificent Bastard that Bash has never seen.

Till he does.

And then he can’t unsee it. So it turns out that a romantically jaded Bash is more than smitten than he knew possible, which causes the lines of their employer-employee relationship to become blurred.
“I’m not sure what this is anymore, a declaration of love or an announcement that she plans to sue me for sexual harassment but I’m certainly hanging on her every word.”
Faced with the ultimate douchbag ex-boyfriend, Penny needs the services of the very company she works for, and Bash takes on his new role like he’s never helped a client before.

The romantic aspect of the story had a lot of potential and was really cute in the beginning. Though they had a burning attraction that on the surface would seem like insta-lust, as the background evolved you could also feel a deeper, more solid, level to their relationship.
“After all the things I’ve seen, I’m pretty sure romantic love is the stuff of fairy tales and bad porn, but friendship is real.”
Sadly though the closer the story got to the climax the more it fell into tired cliché and predictable plot turns. Really most readers should be able to see it coming and have already read it before. Overall, this was a solid 4 star read for me till the ending, and then I deducted a major point for how it all plays out with a gaggle of silly OM/OW drama that certainly didn’t deliver the romance and made the heroine look immature. (See their ages above. There really was no excuse for that.)

I also had one picky complaint—the number of times that Bash references/adores Penny’s “curvy” body. (We get it already!)  The description was highly over used and distracting.  

Told via Bash’s (with one chapter by Penny) first person point of view, there’s sufficient dirty details and steamy scenes and the writing/prose is engaging, but the last part didn’t live up and the resolution just wasn’t enough (or maybe too little, too late) for me. 

AMAZON US / UK
B&N / KOBO / iBOOKS 

~Playlist~

~Excerpt~

Picture this: it’s a rainy spring day in the city. The streets are covered in a fine layer of mud and soggy garbage, the sun is a distant memory from another, brighter time, when you were still stupid enough to believe in happy endings, and you’ve just been dumped so hard your heart looks like it’s gone three rounds with Mike Tyson. You’re ugly crying in a corner with a box of wine and a chocolate bar the size of your forearm, wishing Prince Charming would come scoop you up on his white horse and carry you far away from all those nasty memories of Mr. Wrong, but I’m here to tell you, ladies—

You need to stop that shit.

Stop it. Right now.

Why? Because Prince Charming is a crock of shit. He doesn’t exist and even if he did, he’s a fucking wimp.

When you’re down and out and your heart has been ripped to shreds by an asshole with a dickish-side a mile wide, you don’t need Prince Charming. You need a man who’s not afraid to get his hands dirty, a man who can teach Mr. Wrong a thing or two about what it feels like to be deceived, betrayed, and laid low by the one person in the world you thought you could trust. What you need is a Magnificent Bastard, your very own one-man vengeance machine.

Love isn’t a fairy tale, sweetheart; it’s war, and now you’ve got a soldier with an anti-asshole missile on your side.

Want to ruin your ex’s reputation? No problem. Every true asshole has a few skeletons in his closet and I specialize in making skeletons dance out of the darkness and into the light. Want to send that fucker to jail? A little harder, but often still possible. I only accept cases involving the very worst examples of mankind, the most miserable liars and cheats and scoundrels. Those types tend to be good at covering their tracks, but I’ve delivered exes locked in police cuffs before.

Want to make your former lover green with envy? Make him wish he’d never kicked you off the love wagon, spat in your face, and walked away? Well, that, cupcake…that’s what I’m best at.

I’ve been blessed with a face that turns heads, worked hard for a body that inspires shudders of lust at twenty paces, and honed my envy-inspiring skills into a razor sharp weapon I wield with ruthless efficiency. I will make you feel like a queen and ensure your ex doesn’t miss a minute of it. You’ll be treated like an irreplaceable treasure, pampered like a princess, and kissed like a slut who can’t get enough of my magnificent dick.

In reality, of course, things between us will never go further than a kiss, but your ex won’t know that. He’ll see your flushed cheeks, lust-glazed eyes, and wobbly legs and think I’m giving it to you hard every night.

He’ll imagine my hands on your ass, my fingers slipping between your legs, and your pussy slick and dripping just for me. He’ll imagine you screaming my name while you ride my cock and remember all the times he was lucky enough to be balls deep in your incomparable snatch. Before long, he’ll have a jealousy hard-on so bad he’ll come crawling back to you on his belly, begging for a second chance.

But you won’t give it to him.

Did you hear that? Even so, it bears repeating—

You. Will not. Give that fucking loser a second chance.

By the time I’m through with you, you will know deep down in the marrow of your bones that you’re better than that. You’ll understand that you deserve a man whose eyes won’t wander, whose hands won’t hurt, and whose heart belongs to you and only you. By the end of our time together, you will be able to look down at the sniveling, pathetic, limp-dicked excuse for a man you used to love and tell him that he has no power over you.

Not anymore. You will be free to move on with your life without any of the ugly, bad breakup, psychic baggage.

And that, gorgeous, is the most important of the services I deliver. I give you back to you, the only person who can be trusted to steer your course as you ride off into the sunset.

But if for some reason, you break this all-important rule. If you sour the gift you’ve been given by going back to Major Dickweed, don’t bother contacting me again. No amount of money will convince me to pick up the phone.

A Magnificent Bastard intervention is a once in a lifetime opportunity. One and done, no exceptions.

None.

Not even for her, the woman who made me break all my other rules, the woman who made me think—for one amazing week—that even magnificent bastards can live happily ever after.



U.S.A. Today Bestselling author 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. 


~Giveaway~

Thursday, April 21, 2016

EXCERPT REVEAL: Filthy Foreign Exchange by S.E. Hall & Angela Graham

~Excerpt~

On Monday morning, I find myself ripping off my clothes and jumping in the shower like I’m going for the gold at an Olympic race. I crank the nozzle as far right as it’ll go—the hotter the better, for the steam to build quickly.
A prelude.
More than I want a cleansing, I want the hidden message—our secret exchange of thoughts, belonging to only us—to appear.
But as the shower glass fogs, no words emerge. And the depth of my disappointment is irrational; there should not be the sting of tears in my eyes right now.
Kingston is forbidden fruit in so many ways: he’s our exchange student, my father has already warned him against me…and his departure date is set and inevitable. So my anticipation of these messages is not only foolish, but self-destructive. Because the more attached I get, the worse it will hurt when they’re no longer even a possibility.
I hurry through my now-mundane shower with a heavy lump of disenchanted sensibility in my gut.
But when I turn off the water and step out, every thought I’d just told myself made sense is replaced with a swell of immeasurable bliss.
Guess what else fogs up in a steamy bathroom?
The mirror.
And on it is his message to me—the best one yet.
There was something in her movements that made you think she never walked but always danced.
I’m instantly aware—this is bad, because once you think something’s gone and it comes back better than ever, your craving for it reaches a whole new, dangerous level.
You only fully realize the depth of want and need immediately after experiencing loss.
Too many emotions to name surge inside of me, my head a good kind of hazy while the muscles around my heart cinch tighter. I know Kingston and I are merely friends, albeit becoming better ones with every effortless interaction. We’re just housemates who’ve found a clever, entertaining way to match wits.
But if it was, if it could be, more…he’d be damn good at it.
I now understand how he’s able to bewitch girls by the droves. It’s not just his strikingly good looks, or enticing accent…it’s him. Those girls are such simpletons, so spellbound by the outside package that they don’t even realize the entirety of his allure.
But I do. I see his invisible, inherent charm; the sheer seductiveness that emits from his every smile and move; and his keen mind.
Shaking off the silly, romantic musings that have no place in my life, I hustle to get ready for school.
But once I’m in the parking lot, ignoring the bell warning me I’m about to be late, I throw caution—and my better judgment—to the wind, and type out a text.
Me: You’ve read Anne of Green Gables?
The second bell rings as I wait for a response, but for some inexplicable reason, I simply don’t care. Then a different ding sounds—and with it, my heart thrums an anxious beat.
Kingston: No, should I have?
Me: Yes, great books. But I asked bc the quote you left me this morning, which I really liked btw… it’s from one of the books.
Kingston: Ah, well they stole your story then, Love.
I’ve definitely unfairly judged the girls caught under his spell. The choice was never theirs. He’s that good.
Me: How do you figure?
Kingston: I searched “quotes for Echo Kelly” and that came up. As it should. Said it perfectly.
This—he—could get addictive. And lines clearly drawn in my head and heart could easily become blurry, if not completely obliterated, should I sit here any longer.
So I force myself back into friend mode and reply accordingly.
Me: You’re on a roll this morning. Better save some of those savvy lines for the tarts.
I hesitate before sending one last message.
Me: I’m late. Have a good day playboy!
I run into school, out of breath for two reasons but satisfied with myself for taking back control of the situation that was headed in a direction I dare not explore.
First, you don’t leap from shy introvert who doesn’t date to Kingston Hawthorne: a smooth-talker with a face made for dreams, a body of unworldly men, and the entourage of a celebrity. He’s not the type of guy to get your feet wet with, or you’re sure to drown on your first swim. And secondly, the detour I threw worked, because the texts that continue the rest of the day are back on the track they need to be.

Monday, April 18, 2016

RELEASE/REVIEW: Didn't I Warn You by Amber Bardan

SeriesBad for You #1
Publisher: Harlequin 
Genre: Erotic Thriller

~Blurb~

Not everything dangerous is bad. 

From the moment Angelina laid eyes on him, she fell into a fantasy. Mysterious, foreign, gorgeous, Haithem offered her what she needed most—a chance to feel again.

But Haithem is much more than he appears to be. He lives in a world of danger where everything comes at a price.

For Angelina, that price is her future.

He's made sure the life she's left behind is in tatters. Made her family believe she's dead. Still, he talks about protecting her, about keeping her safe, but she can't distinguish his truth from his lies. She can't separate her pleasure from his betrayal.

Haithem warned her. He told her he'd make her heart race, her body come alive and her most primal needs rush to the surface. His for the taking.

He didn't say she'd come to love the devil who's destroying her, even as he keeps her prisoner.


~Book Review~
3 Stars

Melbourne, Australia native Angelina Morrison, 20, sets her sights on a dark and mysterious stranger at a café one afternoon. When she spots him again she indulges in her fascination and thus sets herself on a potentially dangerous path with Haithem, 30.

This is a very slow build and while I typically enjoy a low angst read, I didn’t find this one all that interesting. Part of the problem was my struggles to connect with both of the main characters. Through the majority of the book, character development seems to be sacrificed in the process of maintaining the mystery surrounding the characters. Instead the reader gets a lot of pages devoted to what they ate and what she wore. I also struggled to have much sympathy for Angelina as a supposed captive because she largely put herself into the situation. She comes across wishy-washy and lacking any kind of intuition of danger. Haithem, while having potential to be an intriguing character, didn’t exactly strike me as being overly in lust or in love with Angelina once she’s his captive, although he certainly pampers her. I just didn’t feel the chemistry or the connection between them. 

The story is told via dual first person point of view although at times the speakers changed without notation. While this is book one of a two book series, the ending does have closure, which was a plus. The sequel, Didn't You Promise?, releases in a few months.

AMAZON US / UK / AU
B&N / KOBO / iBOOKS

~Excerpt~

Prologue

Long fingers close around my throat. Not squeezing, not hurting, but commanding. I look at him. This man I love. This devil I adore. He’s gorgeous—dark hair, darker eyes, olive skin, body and features all chiseled hardness. But that’s not what makes my veins jump under his hand. That’s not what makes my skin slick with sweat.

There’s more to this man than meets the eye.

His thumb strokes my pulse, gleaning secrets right out of my blood. His mouth curls to the side, forming a smile that reveals he knows exactly what I’m thinking.

“Didn’t I warn you, Angel,” he says, and his thumb moves up to my chin, “that it’s not a good idea to love me?”

My pulse leaps from erratic to chaotic. I can’t answer, only listen in horrified fascination to what I know will come next.

He traces the groove below my bottom lip. “Didn’t I warn you my love would be bad?”

Shivers run hot then cold over my skin.

“Didn’t I tell you, you’d pay for my heart?” He touches my mouth, dragging my bottom lip down.

My body sings, my blood hums right down to my womb. I can’t resist him. He did warn me. He truly did. But I was greedy. I wanted him anyway.

I didn’t understand how bad he could be.

He’s the devil. Tempting me with what I desire most. Luring me to an irresistible destruction. A destruction I’m so close to I can smell it—taste it—touch it. Pain grips me, my insides bruise with it. My family believes I’m dead. The life I’ve left behind lies in tatters because of him. Because he keeps me.

He won’t let me go.

He tilts my face, brushing his cheek against my ear. “I promise it will be worth it.” His stubble chafes my earlobe, stinging and electrifying. I’ve felt those bristles scrape against my neck, my breasts, my thighs. There’s not an inch of me that hasn’t felt the sweet torture of their abrasion. “Can’t you see it?” he asks. “The future where you’re mine?”

My eyelids drift shut. I know it’s only the hand cradling my face that’s holding me up. I can see that future. I see it with fluorescent intensity. Life with the lights turned on. Life where living means more than existing. For everything he’s taken from me, he’s given me back more. He breathed a soul back into me. Without it, without him, I’d be a walking corpse.

I see our future. I ache for it, yearn for it, despise myself for it.

“Say it, Angel. Say, Haithem, I’m yours.”

For all intents and purposes, I’m a prisoner—captive—perhaps even a slave. Because I have no choices but the ones he gives me. Yet, he gives me this choice—or at least the illusion of a choice—to choose him.

To love him.

As if making a choice had ever been an option. The moment I met him, I may as well have been branded.

After spending years imagining fictional adventures, Amber Bardan finally found a way to turn daydreaming into a productive habit. She now spends her time in a coffee-fuelled adrenaline haze, writing romance with a thriller edge.

She lives with her husband and children in semi-rural Australia, where if she peers outside at the right moment she might just see a kangaroo bounce by.


Amber is an award winning writer, Amazon Bestselling Author, and member of Romance Writers of Australia, Melbourne Romance Writers Guild, and Writers Victoria.


~Giveaway~

COVER REVEAL: Convenient Fall by Jerica MacMillan

Convenient Fall Cover Reveal Banner

Series: Players of Marycliff University Book 2

Genre: New Adult Romance 

Release Date: May 16, 2016 


~Blurb~

Sleeping with your roommate is a bad idea, right?

Megan Davidson is scrambling to find a new place after Abby, her roommate and best friend decides to move in with her boyfriend Lance. With just a week until classes start, the open spot left in Lance’s old house looks like her best option. She moves in with Matt and Chris, shameless flirts and notorious players.

Chris Schwartz first met Megan at their Fourth of July party over the summer, and he’s wanted her ever since. She’s now tantalizingly close, and he doesn’t want to keep his hands to himself, even if its the worst idea ever. Chris doesn’t do relationships, but once with Megan just isn’t enough.

With ground rules in place, it seems like everything’s working out fine. But will Chris’s history catch up to him and ruin everything?

Goodreads

Convenient Fall Cover

Special Preorder Price $.99

Amazon US/UK/AU   B&N  iBooks  Kobo 


~Excerpt~

She started struggling again. With the way he held her, her breasts were pushed against his chest and they rubbed back and forth with her movements. He could feel his body start to react. "Matt told me to back off and leave you alone, so I did." He spit out the words through gritted teeth.
Megan stopped struggling and looked up at him, eyes wide. "Why would he do that?"
He thrust his now hard cock against her belly. "You really don't know the answer to that question?"
Megan's eyes grew even wider, and he couldn't be sure in the dim light, but he thought her cheeks went a little pink. Who knew Megan could be made to blush? Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and it was all Chris could do not to groan. "Why would …? What …? I don't understand."
In answer to her inarticulate questions, Chris pulled her closer and crushed his mouth to hers. She stiffened at first, but relaxed into him, opening for him when he began questing with his tongue. Her lips were soft, and he could taste the beer from the party. He wondered a little how much she'd had. She didn't seem drunk.
When he pulled back, she was staring up at him, looking a little dazed. He released her, letting her step back. She brought a hand to her mouth, never taking her eyes from his. Her pupils were dilated, her eyes hooded. He felt smug that he'd managed to take her from pissed off to aroused with one kiss. Or maybe, like him, she'd already been aroused from their fighting. He reached for her free hand. "Let's get out of here."

~Other Books In This Series~

Summer Fling Cover
 A chance encounter at a party brings Lance and Abby together.
Lance just graduated and has a summer internship. His parents expect him to come back to Texas to work in the family business at the end of the summer. He likes to have fun and doesn't want to be tied down too soon. Until he meets Abby.

Abby still has two years left of college and a mom who keeps her anchored near the town where she grew up. She is cautious in relationships, not letting people close. But Lance's persistence wears down her defenses. Knowing Lance is leaving, Abby tells herself it's just a summer fling.

Will that be enough to keep her from falling in love?
iBooks Amazon US/UK/AU B&N Kobo



Jerica MacMillan is a lifelong reader and lover of romance. Nothing beats escaping into a book and watching people fall in love, overcome obstacles, and find their happily ever after. She was recently named a semi finalist in Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write 2015 contest.
Jerica is living her happily ever after in North Idaho with her husband and two children. She spends her days building with blocks, admiring preschooler artwork, and writing while her baby naps in the sling. Join her Book Club at www.JericaMacMillan.com and get a free book!
Find Jerica on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, April 16, 2016

BOOK REVIEW: Revenge With My Ex-Best Friend's Dad by Alexa Banger

~Synopsis~

Lindsay Danes has it all. Straight-A student, star athlete, smoking hot boyfriend. 

But when she walks in on her best friend hooking up with her boyfriend at a party, her perfect life is shattered. 

Now she wants revenge, and what better way to get it than with the one man she’s always wanted but could never have? Mr. Jacobs is her best friend’s dad, and totally off-limits. Or at least he was. With the friendship irretrievably broken, Lindsay is determined to do whatever it takes to convince her best friend’s father to be her first—and to do it in her best friend’s bed!




~Book Review~
4 Stars 

I think the blurb on this one pretty much explains it all. Lindsay catches her best friend, Melissa, with her boyfriend and in turn sets her sights on Melissa’s dad, who she already had a crush on.

I liked that Lindsay wasn’t presented as a weak female who fell apart when her best friend betrayed her. She is a cute, spunky character:
“‘Don’t apologize Mr. Jacobs. It looks super sexy.’”
What Melissa did was totally unacceptable so I was rooting Lindsay on as she enacted her revenge, and what better way to get it. Of course, Lindsay gets more than just revenge ;-)

I don’t generally read these short stories, but it was free at time of purchase and the premise intriguing enough to 1-click. That being said the main reason I don’t read these shorts is the lack of development, and I’ll be honest, I really wish this would have been developed further because I think it has potential with two likeable characters and I’d love to see how it played out further. The ending was definitely lacking what seemed like a critical 'reaction' in the story.  

Obviously it’s a hot, detailed, dirty read though.
“It’s hard to believe how long it’s been since he’s done it. It must be like riding a bike—once you learn how, you never forget—because he’s going down on me like a pro.”
End of my smut break, back to my regular TBR pile…