Battle Royal (Palace Insiders #1) by Lucy Patker

 * * * * *

Beloved author Lucy Parker pens a delicious new romantic comedy that is a battle of whisks and wits.

Ready…

Four years ago, Sylvie Fairchild charmed the world as a contestant on the hit baking show, Operation Cake. Her ingenious, colorful creations captivated viewers and intrigued all but one of the judges, Dominic De Vere, the hottest pastry chef in London. When her glittery unicorn cake went spectacularly sideways, Dominic was quick to vote her off the show. Since then, Sylvie has managed to use her fame to help fulfill her dream of opening a bakery, Sugar Fair. The toast of Instagram, Sugar Fair has captured the attention of the Operation Cake producers…and a princess.

Set…

Dominic is His Majesty the King’s favorite baker, the go-to for sweet-toothed A-List celebrities, and a veritable British institution. He’s brilliant, talented, hard-working. And an icy, starchy grouch. Learning that the irksome Sylvie will be joining him on the Operation Cake judging panel is enough to make the famously dour baker even more grim. Her fantastical baking is only slightly more troublesome than the fact that he can’t stop thinking about her pink-streaked hair and irrepressible dimple.

Match…

When Dominic and Sylvie learn they will be fighting for the once in a lifetime opportunity to bake a cake for the upcoming wedding of Princess Rose, the flour begins to fly as they’re both determined to come out on top.

The bride adores Sylvie’s quirky style. The palace wants Dominic’s classic perfection.

In this royal battle, can there be room for two?

*Source: NetGalley; ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

You know anything that comes from Lucy Parker is going to be adorable. It's generally a safe bet. Battle Royal delivers on the sweetness and silliness but also gets real that it can be a bit disconcerting.

Sylvie has been doing well for herself since she was last on national tv and made a complete mess of things before she was booted off the show. Her bakery is a hit, her creations are phenomenal and now the show, Operation Cake wants her back as host. Sounds good but she'll have to judge alongside Dominic who was literally the recipient of her messy baking mishap on live tv. Their creative styles are drastically different, their approach to judging different, so what on earth could they have in common? How about the fact that their bakeries are down the same street from one another and that they're both asked to submit cake design proposals for an upcoming royal wedding. Soon these two enemies become cohorts of sorts on a mission to produce the best cake possible. Success for both of them would mean thriving businesses and a chance to gloat at the other.

As always, Parker writes some of the best zingers and ridiculous situations. Sylvie is one of the most disarming characters, full of love and ready to champion anyone. Dominic appears gruff on the outside but he's honestly a teddy bear on the inside. Sylvie brings that out. The two of them working together is unexpected but fun. 

The touching aspect of Battle Royal is the element of grief. It's pervasive throughout. All the main characters have suffered some sort of loss or abandonment, and their souls are deeply marked by it. It's this that has me thinking that Battle Royal isn't the typical rom-com that readers of Parker's are used to. It's still good and I enjoyed it but I think anyone dealing with grief should be aware that it is a general theme of this story. That and the notion of a found family. They've all had their hearts broken by family either through rejection or disappointment, but it's the ones that they've fostered and nurtured that's become what a family should ideally be. Not going to lie, this hit kind of hard because I understood it so well. 

I will read anything by Lucy Parker because her stories are always entertaining and touching. I think she pushes herself here to explore some complicatedAny fan of Great British Bake Off and romance in general will love this. Battle Royal appears to be a good start to a new series!

~ Bel

A Lowcountry Bride (Brides of Lowcountry #1) by Preslaysa Williams

* * *  

A heartwarming Avon debut of love, forgiveness, and new beginnings set in the beautiful South Carolina Lowcountry.

Maya Jackson has worked for Laura Whitcomb, Inc, a renowned New York City bridal gown brand, for years and dreams of becoming Head Designer. She has the talent; she just needs a chance to showcase her unique style. Due to an illness, she’s always prioritized her career over her personal life until her father fractures his hip and Maya returns to Charleston, South Carolina. While home for only a few months, she’s thrilled to find an opportunity at the local bridal gown boutique, never expecting sparks to fly with its owner...

A military veteran and widowed father, Derek Sullivan hopes to save Always a Bride from bankruptcy in order to preserve the legacy of his mother. He also wants to reconnect with his estranged, twelve-year-old daughter, who is still recovering from the loss of her mother. The last thing he needs is a relationship with a beautiful, smart, complicated woman who will be leaving soon.

When Derek begins to fall for the lovely Maya, he knows there’s no future. But destiny has its own plans, and these two lonely people with big hearts discover that coming home to love is the best gift life can give.  

Source: NetGalley; ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Preslaysa Williams' debut is about a bridal gown designer, Maya who has high ambitions to become Head Designer at the famous Laura Whitcomb brand she has worked for for years. She's hoping that her eye for detail, her creativity, and her forward-thinking vision will catch the attention and trust of her well-established employer, Laura Whitcomb. No matter how hard she works she seems to always fall just short of what her Laura needs. When Maya finds out her dad is recovering from an injury, she convinces her Laura to let her work remotely and sell her own designs out of one of the bridal gown boutiques they're scouting. The boutique is owned by widower, Derek who's balancing a floundering business and life as a single dad with a daughter who's still mourning the loss of her mother. 

I thought the storyline around Maya's career goal was on point. Every interaction with her condescending boss made me cringe. It was very obvious to me that Laura was taking advantage of her skills while also tempering any hope she might have of upward advancement. It was a lot of promises if she continues to work hard and deliver on time yet now is not a good time to promote you blather that a lot of employers do to their employees. I just didn't get why Maya didn't see that, especially because she's so determined to accomplish so much in a short period of time due to her chronic illness - sickle cell anemia. Maya here chooses to downplay her health issues by not speaking about it much and pushing through her pain whenever an episode occurs. There were times where I didn't know if I should admire her for her stubbornness or be frustrated that she'd let work or anyone come before her health. 

It's while she's staying with her dad and working at Derek's boutique that Maya starts to open her eyes to a different approach to life. Her reason for working so hard is that she wants to fulfill a promise to her mother. Her mother taught her to sew and incorporate her Filipino heritage into her designs. Her work ethic coupled with her mother's keep her motivated. Though she is career-focused, she also can't help but fall a little bit for Derek. He's a devoted father, a caring employer and just an all around decent human. He's suffered his own loss - his wife was killed in a church shooting - and Maya doesn't want to lead him on to think that there's a long future for them because her illness means she's on borrowed time.

Aside from those three biggest issues, there was more packed into this little story. Derek's daughter is resistant to him dating Maya initially but does have a change of heart eventually. At the beginning, in a conversation with Laura about working from Charleston, the conversation runs in to racist territory when Laura mentions the proximity of an African-American history museum in the vicinity of the bridal boutique is, how it's not good for the are or the business, and the possibility that the museum will be closed. Laura's flippant view of the museum, Charleston's history and the history of that particular business district, and dismissal of their importance - all done to Maya's face - is incredibly offensive. However, I did get Maya's stunned reaction and hesitation to speak up or contradict her boss. This is an area where Maya does develop a strong backbone and finally stands up to Laura. 

I thought A Lowcountry Bride was good overall but I have mixed feelings about it. I appreciated much about the characters individually but thrown all together I felt something was off. The romance didn't grab me, and I think there was a lot in the story that weighed it down. If you're looking for a romantic escape from reality (kind of what the cover implies, and the blurb downplays her illness), then this may not be the best choice. On the flip side, it is wonderful to see a character who has a chronic illness get her HFN. 

~ Bel

Act Your Age, Eve Brown (Brown Sisters #3) by Talia Hibbert

* * * * *

In Act Your Age, Eve Brown the flightiest Brown sister crashes into the life of an uptight B&B owner and has him falling hard—literally.

Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong—so she’s given up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It's time for Eve to grow up and prove herself—even though she's not entirely sure how…

Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry—and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car—supposedly by accident. Yeah, right.

Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen—and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore—and it’s melting Jacob’s frosty exterior.

Source: NetGalley; ARC generously provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

I wish my review could be one line: "This is a bloody good book, read it!", but I should probably elaborate.

I have experienced so much joy in reading about the Brown sisters but I was not prepared to fall so head over heels for Eve Brown and her beautiful, genuine soul. She hardly has it all together - at least by her family's standards - and she's hardly got a clue as to what she wants to do, so when her family holds an intervention to set her straight, she literally runs away. She gets on the road and in her complete haze, ends up in a cute little village, sees a wanted ad for a chef at a bed and breakfast and pops on in for an impromptu interview. The interviewer, Jacob is aghast that Eve would show up unprepared and not dressed for the occasion (she is in a graphic tee and her hair is an unnatural color of purple). No prospective employer would take an interviewee who shows up like that seriously, so he sends her off, and only a few minutes later he gets hit by her car. Now he's SOL and desperately needs someone to help him at the B&B and Eve feels she must stay and help. This is a temporary arrangement. TEMPORARY, she reminds herself. 

The start of this story is so bonkers and it so perfectly sets up the cheeky and fiery dynamic between Eve and Jacob. She is the sunshine and roses to his grumpy, rigid persona. She's always challenging him and they're constantly verbally dueling or aggravating each other. It's all done with the best humor and sarcasm which made me so, so happy! Eve settles in to her role delightfully at the B&B and even the moody Jacob can't deny how positively radiant and vibrant she is, making his guests feel welcome and comfortable. As with the previous two Brown Sisters books, AYAEB is another own voices story with Eve and Jacob both being on the autism spectrum. Jacob has learned he had it at a younger age and how to manage it while Eve hasn't figured it out yet. I found this discovery like a lightbulb going on because I obliviously operated under the assumption that autism is always diagnosed early in childhood. I never gave it a second thought that diagnosis could happen later in life and that this could drastically impact the person's quality of life. Once again, Talia Hibbert educated me and set me off to do my own mini research on it. She doesn't beat the info into the reader's brain but rather simply shows it through the characters' growing awareness. This is why despite their different temperaments that Jacob and Eve click because there's something deep below the surface that they inevitably recognize in each other. And oh my gosh, they are totally hot together! It's been a long time since I've been this excited about a fictional couple and of course, it'd be a Talia Hibbert book!

How many ways can I say this? Reading any of these Brown Sisters books is a joyous experience and I think AYAEB has to be my favorite of the trilogy. Everything about it pushed all the right buttons for me -- the humor, wit, Eve and Jacob's chemistry, the setting... Eve herself is instantly likable and I just want to be besties with her. And her family makes an appearance - all of them so bizarre and off the rails sometimes - but so uniquely themselves. I've had a blast reading this series and Act Your Age, Eve Brown is the icing on the gingerbread (read it, you'll get it)!

~ Bel

First Comes Like (Modern Love #3) by Alisha Rai

* * * *

The author of The Right Swipe and Girl Gone Viral returns with a story about finding love in all the wrong inboxes...

Beauty expert and influencer Jia Ahmed has her eye on the prize: conquering the internet today, the entire makeup industry tomorrow, and finally, finally proving herself to her big opinionated family. She has little time for love, and even less time for the men in her private messages—until the day a certain international superstar slides into her DMs, and she falls hard and fast.

There’s just one wrinkle: he has no idea who she is.

The son of a powerful Bollywood family, soap opera star Dev Dixit is used to drama, but a strange woman who accuses him of wooing her online, well, that’s a new one. As much as he’d like to focus on his Hollywood fresh start, he can’t get Jia out of his head. Especially once he starts to suspect who might have used his famous name to catfish her…

When paparazzi blast their private business into the public eye, Dev is happy to engage in some friendly fake dating to calm the gossips and to dazzle her family. But as the whole world swoons over their relationship, Jia can’t help but wonder: Can an online romance-turned-offline-fauxmance ever become love in real life? 

Source: digital ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

In her third book in the Modern Love series, Alisha Rai opts out of insta-lust and instead goes for a bit of a slowburn romance that perfectly fits the natures of Jia and Dev.

It all starts with an unfortunate case of catfishing. Jia was convinced that she'd been exchanging those sweet texts with Bollywood star, Dev. She decides to make the bold move to meet him in person when he's in LA to film a new show. Their interaction is the stuff of nightmares because Dev is caught off guard and has no idea who she is. Humiliated and angry, she runs off leaving a perplexed Dev to fight out what just happened. Sure enough he does and feels this immense responsibility to make things right with her. Right there, THAT is what sets Dev apart immediately. He's so super conscientious about things and people, he can't let go of what happened so he reaches out to Jia. She initially wants nothing to do with him ever but when being seen with him might get her parents and family off her back for her career choices, she offers up a different way for him to make it up to her. A fauxmance could serve them both well.

First Comes Like has a different tone to it. It's not flashy and as I said earlier, it's not insta-lust. It's a gradual progression to romance based on becoming friends first and then leading to more. Dev has always maintained a low profile opposite to that of the rest of the men in his family. It's like his goal is to be under the radar and not be embroiled in scandals. What's most wonderful about this story is how much their different cultural backgrounds play in to their relationship for which there's a deep mutual respect. There's no deep conversation about it just that it's something they get about each other. Which reminds me, can we please take a moment to adore this cover and acknowledge how monumental it is that there is a brown, hijab-wearing Muslim woman on the cover of a romance novel? This means the world to so many women looking for representation. And on the same level, Dev is a huge supporter of Jia's career. Being an influencer is still a suspect choice in the eyes of some families, but he sees her remarkable skills and encourages her. He's seriously a sweetheart.

The hardest time I had with this was when the families became involved. I'm just so uncomfortable with families in general pushing for marriage before the parties involved even know how they feel or have any feelings for each other in the first place. I felt their presence only rushed matters and I guess it didn't feel quite as romantic to me because it wasn't an outcome that happened in its own due time. It also seems that Jia and Dev become weird around each other after that, like they've suddenly forgotten how to communicate. They had such a good rhythm going and then it was all thrown off. 

I enjoyed First Comes Like because of its different approach to a romance based on the personalities and cultures of its hero and heroine. I'm glad for the change of pace and it just fed my soul to read two genuinely lovely, decent people become closer. Alisha Rai is a supberb writer and I'll go on reading this series as long as she keeps churning them out.

~ Bel

Forbidden (Old West #1) by Beverly Jenkins

* * * *

USA Today bestselling author Beverly Jenkins returns with the first book in a breathtaking new series set in the Old West

Rhine Fontaine is building the successful life he's always dreamed of—one that depends upon him passing for White. But for the first time in years, he wishes he could step out from behind the façade. The reason: Eddy Carmichael, the young woman he rescued in the desert. Outspoken, defiant, and beautiful, Eddy tempts Rhine in ways that could cost him everything . . . and the price seems worth paying.

Eddy owes her life to Rhine, but she won't risk her heart for him. As soon as she's saved enough money from her cooking, she'll leave this Nevada town and move to California. No matter how handsome he is, no matter how fiery the heat between them, Rhine will never be hers. Giving in for just one night might quench this longing. Or it might ignite an affair as reckless and irresistible as it is forbidden . . . 

Source: borrowed from Hoopla audio

It's taken me this long to read my first book by Ms. Bev. It should've happened sooner but I'm glad to finally have at least one of her many books under my belt. 

Eddy is a free black woman and she has ambitions for herself to make it West to open her own restaurant. On her way there, she's robbed in the middle of the desert and abandoned. Rhine finds her on the verge of death and brings her back to his place so she can receive treatment and recuperate. When Eddy finally comes to she's shocked by Rhine's kindness and generosity but also a little uncomfortable because not only is he a man, he's white. Rhine, a saloon owner, has been passing as white ever since he was freed. He hasn't forgotten where he came from but understood that he could do more for his people by passing as white and quietly making headway for them. Being politically active, he works diligently to better the lives of other blacks in his community. He's also very much engaged to be married to Natalie, daughter of one of the town's most important families. Rhine is already influential but joining with Natalie's family will only increase his stature thereby garnering him more influence that he can use to improve life for the town's black citizens. Only his best friend knows his secret history but Eddy with her demure charms and incredible confidence is making him seriously reconsider everything his life is built on. He wants to be with her but he would have to reveal the truth to everyone and risk losing all that he has gained, including his political influence. Would he rather be with someone with substance whom he loves and respects or in a marriage of convenience with someone who looks down on anyone she considers inferior?

The romance in Forbidden was sweet and I like how Jenkins gradually built it up to the point that the sexual tension between Rhine and Eddy was so unbearable that they had to do something about it soon. Oh my gosh, she wrote those stolen moments between them so well! Rhine is a gentleman and courted her and that had me swooning. Eddy's self-assurance and pride in her work makes her an admirable character. The creative dishes she'd whip up had me wishing I could taste her cooking for real. I was also drawn in by her generosity and kind nature. Whenever I pictured her, I saw her with a wide smile for anyone, brightening their day. 

Aside from Eddy and Rhine's romance, I enjoyed the bits of historical context that were dropped here and there giving me a better sense of the current events of that time period and how, even after the Civil War, there was still much work to do. It was bittersweet actually because in this story Rhine and Eddy's friends had so much hope and trust that things were starting to get better but as a reader to know that the struggle would continue on for years ... like I said, bittersweet. There's no getting used to the ugly side of human beings and I was worried for what that meant for Rhine and Eddy moving forward. Thankfully, they're strong individuals who don't scare easily. 

Ms. Bev is a wonderful storyteller and Forbidden was not only an enchanting read but also for me, an educational one. I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in this series - Breathless and Tempest. 

~ Bel

Fix Her Up (Hot & Hammered #1) by Tessa Bailey

* * * *

A brand new romantic comedy from New York Times bestseller Tessa Bailey!

Georgette Castle’s family runs the best home renovation business in town, but she picked balloons instead of blueprints and they haven’t taken her seriously since. Frankly, she’s over it. Georgie loves planning children’s birthday parties and making people laugh, just not at her own expense. She’s determined to fix herself up into a Woman of the World... whatever that means.

Phase one: new framework for her business (a website from this decade, perhaps?)

Phase two: a gut-reno on her wardrobe (fyi, leggings are pants.)

Phase three: updates to her exterior (do people still wax?)

Phase four: put herself on the market (and stop crushing on Travis Ford!)

Living her best life means facing the truth: Georgie hasn’t been on a date since, well, ever. Nobody’s asking the town clown out for a night of hot sex, that’s for sure. Maybe if people think she’s having a steamy love affair, they’ll acknowledge she’s not just the “little sister” who paints faces for a living. And who better to help demolish that image than the resident sports star and tabloid favorite?

Travis Ford was major league baseball’s hottest rookie when an injury ended his career. Now he’s flipping houses to keep busy and trying to forget his glory days. But he can’t even cross the street without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his… bat. And then there's Georgie, his best friend’s sister, who is not a kid anymore. When she proposes a wild scheme—that they pretend to date, to shock her family and help him land a new job—he agrees. What’s the harm? It’s not like it’s real. But the girl Travis used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman and there’s nothing fake about how much he wants her...

Source: borrowed from Hoopla audio


The scene opens with Georgie giving Travis a much-needed reality check. He's returned to his hometown after a career-ending injury, wallowing in self-pity and numbing his senses by drinking the days away. Since she's known him forever, Georgie knows that Travis is better than all the media gossip or rumours floating around. He's been an unofficial part of the Castle family for years. Never mind her unrequited crush on him. What matters is that he picks himself up and finds his purpose again. Travis can't believe that little Georgie is now this feisty, insistent woman in front of him. She gives him real talk without sugar-coating anything. He actually sobers up and gets a temporary job working for the Castle family business in home renovations. It'll keep him busy until he decides his next move. Except that people in town won't let him forget that he used to be a baseball player or that his glory days are over. Worse off, he's only seen as a womanizer - a label he once wore so proudly. These days he doesn't want to be anyone's joke or plaything but no one else has gotten that memo except Georgie. She sees Travis and knows he's hurting. She might have an idea of what it feels like to not be taken seriously. As a birthday clown, Georgie is living her best life, doing something she loves by bringing happiness to people. But people see clown and think that's all she has to offer. Just the youngest Castle sibling with a weird business and nothing more. It's time for an image makeover so she convinces Travis that if they pretend to date, they could change people's views of them. They'd both be taken more seriously and it would help them with their respective career ambitions.

The chemistry between Georgie and Travis is off the charts! She's sexy without even trying and she drives him crazy in all the good ways. But most importantly, she challenges him to be better, and that's what's been missing in his life. Georgie sees him as a person and he sees her as not the youngest Castle sibling like everyone else, but a smart, successful woman. She sees a situation she's unhappy with - her business, for example - and rather than complain about it, she's proactively seeking ways to improve it. Her self-motivation inspires him and before Travis knows it, he's falling in love. 

Fix Her Up is adorable from start to finish. It's funny, touching and truthful at crucial moments. Travis is great but honestly, Georgie steals the show here. She's the kind of person I'd love to be besties with because she's inclusive, supportive and full of life. I listened to the audiobook and I thought the narrator, Charlotte North, captured Georgie's personality perfectly. If you're looking for a feel-good, uplifting and sexy read, Fix Her Up should be your next pick!

~ Bel

Beautiful Lawman (Devil's Rock #4) by Sophie Jordan

* * * *

From the wrong side of the tracks and with most of her family in jail or dead, Piper Walsh is used to everyone in town thinking the worst about her. It doesn’t seem to matter that she’s worked hard to build a good life for herself. So she isn’t surprised that when she comes into contact with Sweet Hill’s wildly irresistible, arrogant sheriff, Hale Walters, they’re instant adversaries. Piper has nothing in common with the town golden-boy-turned-lawman—and she refuses to be a notch on his bedpost.

Despite rumors, Hale avoids fooling around with the women of Sweet Hill, many of whom are hoping to get him to the altar. But staying out of Piper’s path is proving near impossible. The infuriating troublemaker clearly has no respect for his badge. As she continues to push his buttons, it becomes clear to Hale that he must either arrest Piper—or claim her as his own. 

Source: advance e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review


I adore stories about couples from vastly different backgrounds coming together. There's a degree of skepticism, assumption and also curiosity that lends itself to the making of some good chemistry, which is what happens in Beautiful Lawman. Piper has had a rough life with non-existent parents meaning she and her older brother, Cruz, were left to care for themselves and their younger sister, Malia. With Cruz serving time, the responsibility has fallen on her shoulders. There are few options where Piper can make some good cash so working as a waitress at a grimy men's club is what she has to do. Hale Walters is the town's sheriff and has a sterling reputation as a disciplined man. He initially sees Piper as a victim of her circumstances who continues to make bad decisions but soon learns that there's more to her. She's not interested in correcting anyone's gossip about her. That's their problem for all she cares and she's certainly not looking for a saviour but for an opportunity like anyone else to make life better for herself and her sister. Piper's attitude challenges all of Hale's preconceived notions about what he thought he understood of her and it's not long before he realizes that she's also the first woman in a long time to ignite something within him.

The Devil's Rock Series has been thoroughly enjoyable and I think Beautiful Lawman is the best one yet. In fact, it's probably my favourite (it's a toss up between this and Fury on Fire. Speaking of that, North and Faith do make an appearance here). I enjoyed the setup that had Piper and Hale getting closer, and then there was that oh-so-sweet delayed gratification when it came to sexy times coming to fruition. The wait is worth it and the two of them are exciting and mischievous together, a combination that I approve of!

Sophie Jordan is one of my favourite authors and this series is an auto-buy for me. Beautiful Lawman is everything I want in a read - sexy, smart, good humour and an equally matched couple that's hard not to love.

~ Bel

Fury on Fire (Devil's Rock #3) by Sophie Jordan

* * * 3/4

When you live next door to the big bad wolf . . .

After years in prison, North Callaghan is finally free. But the demons haunting him still make him feel like a caged beast. He loses himself in work and hard living, coming up for air only to bed any willing woman to cross his path. So when his new neighbor snares his interest, he decides to add another notch to his bedpost. The only problem? Faith Walters is a white picket fence kind of girl.

Prepare to be devoured.

Faith’s new neighbor is the rudest man alive. He’d rather grunt at her than speak and he takes her “welcome-to-the-neighborhood” scones without a thank you. She knows she should run for the hills from the ex-con. If only he weren’t so smoldering sexy…if only the sounds of him with other women didn’t drift through their shared wall and fill her with longing…and if only he didn’t look at her like they were a collision waiting to happen.

*Source: advance e-galley provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review


Faith is a hard-working professional who moves out of her parents' home into her own only to finds that her brand new neighbour is anything but friendly. Not that she wants to be besties but she'd like a bit of consideration, that's all. I liked that Faith is never intimidated by this neighbour she has yet to meet. So far communication has been through curt notes she's left for him that he ignores or quick glimpses out the window. A true-face-to-face doesn't occur until almost the middle of the book. I actually liked that. It's a departure from any insta-lust scenario. Instead Faith and North are left to resort to their imaginations about what the other is like. Neither views the other as potential relationship material though there's plenty of curiosity. When they do finally come face-to-face, all the ire and sexual tension that's been built up is that much sweeter.

As far as the books in series goes for me, Fury on Fire is the best one. I simply liked the setup and the pacing which allowed time for me to get a feel for the characters. I felt Faith lived openly and carried her heart on her sleeve. As a social worker, she has one of the most demanding jobs there is, yet she has so much room for compassion and forgiveness. North, a man of few words who was inside his head most of the time, is so tormented by his past mistakes and failures that he's emotionally stuck. It takes a strong woman with some sense to break through to him. 

Sophie Jordan, doesn't disappoint. She has created a wonderfully, sexy fantasy with the Devil's Rock series, stoking the fires of those bad-boy daydreams we have from time to time. As with all fantasies, this bad boy has a big heart once you dig deep enough to find it.

~ Bel

One Snowy Night by Jill Shalvis Release Day Blitz

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Heartbreaker Bay with a fun and festive holiday novella! ONE SNOWY NIGHT is out now! Grab your copy for just $0.99 today!

We are thrilled to bring you info on One Snowy Night!  Check out my review here.

     

About ONE SNOWY NIGHT:

It’s Christmas Eve and Rory Andrews is desperate to get home to the family she hasn’t seen in years. Problem is, her only ride to Lake Tahoe comes in the form of the annoyingly handsome Max Stranton, and his big, goofy, lovable dog Carl.

Hours stuck in a truck with the dead sexy Max sounds like a fate worse than death (not), but Rory’s out of options. She’s had a crush on Max since high school and she knows he’s attracted to her, too. But they have history… and Max is the only one who knows why it went south.

They’ve done a good job of ignoring their chemistry so far, but a long road trip in a massive blizzard might be just what they need to face their past… and one steamy, snowy night is all it takes to bring Max and Rory together at last.

Order ONE SNOWY NIGHT in ebook or paperback

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo| B&N

Add to your Goodreads

   

EXCERPT:

Christmas Eve had the nerve to show up just like it did every year: way too quickly and with ridiculous fanfare.

The nerve.

Rory Andrews stood in the courtyard of the Pacific Pier Building in San Francisco, surrounded by sparkly holiday lights and enough garlands to give the place its own ozone, and told herself things could be worse.

She just wasn’t sure how.

It was the unknown, she decided. Because this year, unlike the past six, she’d be spending Christmas with her family, a thought that caused a swarm of butterflies to take flight in her belly.

Not an uncommon feeling since she’d turned twenty-three a few months back and decided it was time to become a person she could be proud of if it killed her. And given the guy leaning against one of the lamp poles clearly waiting for her, arms crossed, frown in place, it just might.

Max Stranton. At his side sat Carl, his huge, eternally hungry, adorable Doberman. 

“No,” she said, not to Carl but to Carl’s owner. Who was not lovable. “No way.”

As always when their gazes locked, Max’s was a disconcerting mix of heat and…something else that she couldn’t quite figure out, as he was good at hiding when he wanted to be. She never quite knew how to take the heat because it seemed reluctant. He was attracted to her but didn’t want to be.

Ditto.

He made her knees wobble. And also a couple of other inner reactions that shouldn’t be happening in public.

“Merry Christmas to you too, Rory,” he said, and damn. It wasn’t just his eyes. His voice was rough and sexy, and for that matter, so was the rest of him.

He worked for an investigations and security firm in the building. Basically he and the rest of his team were fixers and finders for hire. To say that Max was good at his job was an understatement. He stood there looking like sex on a stick with a duffle bag slung over a broad shoulder, his dark hair two weeks past needing a cut, and the icy wind of an incoming storm plastering his clothes to a body that could be registered as a lethal weapon.

“What are you doing here?” she asked calmly even if her heart was anything but, pounding all the way up to her throat and ears because she knew. She knew exactly why he was here. “I don’t need a ride home.”

A flash of wry humor slid in with all that sizzling heat. “Because you’d rather take two buses and a train than get into my truck with me?” he asked.

Well yes, actually.  

And don’t miss the first two novels in Jill Shalvis’s Heartbreaker Bay Series, SWEET LITTLE LIES and THE TROUBLE WITH MISTLETOE, now available! Grab your copy today!

   

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Jill Shalvis: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s sexy contemporary and award-winning books wherever romances are sold and click on the blog button above for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.      

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp

   

Hell Breaks Loose (Devil's Rock #2) by Sophie Jordan

* * * 3/4



Hell hath no hunger like a man let out of a cage . . .

Shy and awkward, First Daughter Grace Reeves has always done what she’s told. Tired of taking orders, she escapes her security detail for a rare moment of peace. Except her worst nightmare comes to life when a ruthless gang of criminals abducts her. Her only choice is to place her trust in Reid Allister, an escaped convict whose piercing gaze awakens something deep inside her. Reid is nothing like her other captors.

He’s tougher, smarter…and one blistering look from him makes her hotter than any man ever has.

Reid spent years plotting escape and revenge . . .years without a woman in his bed. For this hardened felon, Grace Reeves isn’t just out of his league—she’s from another planet, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting her. Escaping Devil’s Rock was tough, but resisting this woman could be the end of him. For a man with nothing to lose, protecting her . . . claiming her as his own, becomes more necessary than his next breath.


Source: advance e-galley provided by Avon for an honest review


Sophie Jordan writes fun romances. Her Devil's Rock series featuring alpha males who are all about protecting what's theirs is no different though she always manages to soften them up a bit. Sheer pleasure and escapism is all the reason you need to read this!

Reid planned his escape from prison so that he could seek revenge on the man responsible for putting him there in the first place. He's forced to reassess his plans when he unwittingly gets involved in the kidnapping of the First Daughter. Now instead of just taking care of his business he has to worry about her safety and that of his brother who is one of the kidnappers. Grace wishes that she hadn't outsmarted her security detail because now she's hiding away in god knows where with some morally-challenged folk, frightened for her life. She senses that her kidnappers seem to be afraid of Reid and so she tries to appeal to his good side. Reid wants no part of this but he's ultimately a decent man and can't leave Grace to these thugs. The two of them must lie low while he figures out how to save them both.

I've already mentioned that Reid is a decent man. His humble backstory is sad and explains how he landed behind bars. Grace has lived her entire life in the public eye on the campaign trail with her parents. Constantly under pressure to present herself as a dutiful daughter who's part of a picture-perfect family has become tedious and not to mention a bitter experience. Everything she does is always up for scrutiny and heaven forbid she have a plan for her own life. She also comes off as a bit naive to me only because she hasn't ever had the chance to live normally. Despite the privileges she's had throughout her life, she's not elitist - something I appreciated about her. And though she has been kidnapped, the situation has its silver lining in that she gets to see what she's made of. I liked the connection that she and Reid made however difficult and dangerous it was to get there. The only thing that gave me pause was the ending. Grace and Reid falling in love has its own set of complications. It felt too easy for me but then again, I am reading this for the happily ever after and I expect them to get there some way, somehow. I guess it's up to our imaginations to fill in those blanks.

Hell Breaks Loose is another action-filled romance with some angst that's overall a fun, quick read. A criminal who turns things around. A young woman who unleashes her inner badass. Yeah, you need to spend some time with Reid and Grace!

~ Bel

Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis

***

All it takes is one wish to gain your heart’s desire, but with this wishing well, you better be ready for the fates to throw you a curveball…

Ever the rational one, Finn is the brains behind the bar he runs with his wild brother—but lately it seems like he’s just been going through the motions. The tragedy of his mother’s death all those years ago still feels like yesterday and it’s only when Pru, the feisty new girl, appears that he realizes there’s more to life than hanging on to the past. And with sexy, adventurous Pru, there might even be a future. 

Pru made a wish—but not for herself. New to town, but more familiar with Finn than she’d like to admit, she made a wish for him…that he might fall in love and find the happiness he deserves. But as she helps him find joy in every fun, quirky way possible, Pru realizes she’s in over her head—and her heart. 

Pru’s secret could ruin everything, but will the truth set them free? Or will the pain of the past ruin any chance at new love? 

Set in beautiful San Fransisco, Sweet Little Lies is the perfect read for a snowy winter day.  Shalvis expertly transports you to the Bay, filled with hot alpha males with beautiful souls, making you wish Heartbreaker Bay was real.  

Sweet Little Lies introduces us to Pru, a young woman whose life was changed when she called her parents to pick her up from a party, resulting in her parents being killed in a car accident.  Making matters worse, her father had been drinking.  Pru carries the guilt of that accident, trying her best to help all those who were hurt and the surviving family of the man who was killed.  She just didn't plan on falling for the son of that man.

Finn thinks meeting Pru was just happenstance and falls hard for her.  He has a very close and small group of friends.  They are the family he and his brother have chosen after a childhood with an abusive father, Finn was forced to come home from college to raise his little brother, Sean, when his dad died in a car accident.  He's spent the last eight years holding everything together and building a life by sheer force of will.  He doesn't let anyone else in, until Pru.  

I love Jill Shalvis, but my problem with her most recent books is that the heroine does something bad to the hero (here, Pru purposefully inserts herself into Finn's life without telling him who she is and why she's doing it), then the hero finds out, after the window of opportunity for the heroine to come clean, and usually because something else has happened to force the heroine's hand.  Hero then gets angry and leaves.  Somehow, hero in considering the circumstances, realizes that despite being the wronged party, it's somehow his fault that heroine lied or omitted material facts.  His friends and/or family all tell him it's his fault.  And finally, hero finds heroine and apologizes to her!  I get that this is fiction and we all want everything to be someone else's fault, but this scenario really gets on my nerves!  I have this crazy sense of fairness and a logical mind and this situation goes against everything in me!  

That being said, Sweet Little Lies is my favorite recent Shalvis read.  Finn and his crew of crazy friends are awesome.  Pru is, well, she carries a massive amount of guilt and desperation.  She's strong in many ways, but terrified of life and living, instead she buries herself in this quest as a means to keep from really putting herself out there.  In the end, Finn and Pru are a great match - he's steadfast and loyal, which is what Pru needs most of all.  I'm interested to see how Shalvis pairs up the remaining friends.  

~ Shel

All Chained Up (Devil's Rocks #1) by Sophie Jordan

* * *

There are bad boys and then there are the men of Devil’s Rock . . .

Some men come with a built-in warning label. Knox Callaghan is one of them. Danger radiates from every lean, muscled inch of him, and his deep blue eyes seem to see right through to Briar Davis’s most secret fantasies. But there’s one major problem: Briar is a nurse volunteering at the local prison, and Knox is an inmate who should be off-limits in every way.

Knox feels it too—a shocking animal magnetism that drives him to risk his own life to protect Briar’s. Paroled at last, he tries to resist her. She’s too innocent, too sweet, and she has no idea what Knox is capable of. But a single touch can lead to a kiss—and a taste . . . until the only crime is denying what feels so right . . .

“When the prison doors are open, the real dragon will fly out.”—Ho Chi Minh

Sophie Jordan has an impressive catalogue of books and I’m always amazed by her ability to jump between genres. Fresh off her recent YA release, Reign of Shadows, she now offers, All Chained Up, an adult contemporary romance that’s first in the Devil’s Rock series.

Nurse Briar Davis has begun volunteering at Devil’s Rock Prison once a week. The very thought of being there among the inmates freaks her out of her mind but she’s doing it to impress her boss and ensure that she has a future at the clinic she works at. On her first day she treats the inmate Knox, an intimidating presence, inside the clinic. She’s unnerved by the fact that they can’t keep their eyes off each other. Despite her wrecked nerves, she manages to make it through the remainder of the day. She doesn’t expect to be back until the following week but plans change and she’s accompanying her boss again the very next day. And this is the day that things go dreadfully wrong and all of Briar’s nightmares about prison come true. Thankfully Knox is her savior. That’s the last they see of each other until a run-in at a convenient store some time later. Neither of them can believe the coincidence. The time since prison has not erased the electricity between them.

The beginning of their relationship is mostly carnal. Briar is the only woman Knox has lusted after in some time. To Briar, Knox is the dangerous man with a secretive past that she can’t resist. Could her physical attraction to him be clouding her better judgment? As for Knox, his life is screwed up enough already that he’s worried about ruining hers just by association. Still they can’t stay away from each other. Aside from the action at the prison in the beginning, not a whole lot happens in between except for Knox and Briar romping through the sheets without much communication. It’s not supposed to get serious – this is only supposed to be a series of hook-ups but that’s not how it ever goes. All this leads to a bit of a mess down the road. 

The story is hot and a bit on the dark side. Knox fits the bill for those seeking a quiet but imposing hero who’s also a fierce protector. Briar starts out as the damsel in distress (though I can’t fault her because I’d certainly be a mess if I had to work in a prison) but grows into a more outspoken person. All Chained Up does include an unexpected subplot that felt oddly of place at first but now I’m curious as to how it’ll play out in the next book. In the meantime, Jordan serves up another delicious romance with plenty of magic time to make your head spin! Also, you may never look at Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia the same again ;)

~ Bel

Make Me by Tessa Bailey

***1/2

From Avon:

Construction worker Russell Hart has been head-over-work boots for Abby Sullivan since the moment he laid eyes on her.  But he knows a classy, uptown virgin like her could never be truly happy with a rough, blue-collar guy like him.  

If only she'd stop treating him like her personal hero- a role he craves more than oxygen - maybe he could accept it.  

With the future of her family's hedge fund on her shoulders, Abby barley has time to sleep, let alone find love.  And her best friend Russell acting like a sexy, overprotective hulk any time their Super Group goes out in public defnitely isn't helping her single status.  But after a near-tragedy lands Russell in her bed for the night, Abby's suddenly fantasizing about what he looks like shirtless.  Chest hair and tattoos - who knew?  

As Russell struggles to keep Abby at a safe distance, she begins to see through his tough-talking exterior - and acknowledge her own feelings.  Now she's ready to turn the friend-zone into foreplay... and make him lose control.

I love Tessa Bailey!  I loved Chase Me, the first in the Broke and Beautiful Series.  Need Me, book 2 was not my cup of tea - I can't do the student-teacher thing, not even at the college level.  Make Me was good, but still didn't get me as much as Chase Me.  I freaking love that book.  I didn't connect with Russell and Abby like I did Louis and Roxy.  

Russell is too overbearing and controlling for me.  He's also very down on himself, which was a turn-off.  On the plus side, he's hot and strong and I wouldn't mind watching him work at a construction site, without a shirt.  He clearly loves Abby, but doesn't think he's good enough. 

Abby is awkward and shy.  I like her more at the beginning of the book.  Later she let's Russell treat her pretty poorly.  While she eventually tells him to stuff it, she let him go too far, in my opinion.  She definitely needed to learn to stand up for herself, which I guess is the point.  

I enjoyed seeing more of Roxy and Louis.  I love the interaction between Louis, Russell and Ben (I'm all about the bromance!).  Louis is my fave of the guys, but for the girls, it's a pretty close tie between Roxy and Honey.  I'm going to miss them all!  

Make Me is curl-the-pages steamy and if you like your heroes dominant and controlling, this is your book.  I can't wait to see what Tessa Bailey has in store for us next!

~ Shel

Wild (The Ivy Chronicles #3) by Sophie Jordan

* * * *

Available November 18, 2014

A good girl goes fabulously bad in the final book in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s sexy New Adult romance series, in which three Ivy League suite-mates seek higher knowledge of just how far they can go.

Months after her boyfriend dumped her, Georgia can still hear the insults he hurled at her. Boring. Predictable. Tame. Tired of feeling bad, she’s ready to change her image, and go a little wild. What better way to prove her ex wrong than a hot night of sexual adventure at the secret campus kink club?

In the shadowy den of the kink club, she unexpectedly runs into Logan Mulvaney, her friend’s little brother. A player extraordinaire too hot for his own good, he may be younger, but the guy is light years ahead when it comes to sexual experience. Now he’s telling her to go home—“good girls” don’t belong here!

Georgia is tired of having others define her. She’s going to teach Logan a lesson he won’t forget—one white hot, mind-wrecking kiss . . . that leads to another . . . and another . . . and. . . . Realizing she’s way in over her head, Georgia runs.

Only Logan won’t let her go. Everywhere she goes he’s there, making her want every inch of him. Making her forget who she is. Who he is. And just how wrong they are for each other.

Oh boy! That Sophie Jordan is a sneaky one. She saved the best, or rather the kinkiest for last. Foreplay hinted at the infamous kink club, Tease gave us a glimpse and now Wild invites us inside.

At the end of Tease, we found out that Georgia and her longtime boyfriend broke up.  Georgia’s seemingly happy and solid relationship was one that her roommates Pepper and Emerson wanted to emulate. Her break-up came as a surprise to her, devastating her.One night she gets fed up of feeling so pathetic and decides to accept an invitation to head over to the kink club to see what it’s all about.  This is more like a dare to herself. She’s tired of being the predictable good girl and she’s looking to shake things up. When she gets there, she realizes she’s in over her head.  She runs in to Logan (believe me, this scene is kind of hot!) who can instantly tell that she is way out of her comfort zone there and promptly escorts her from the premises. Even in Georgia’s very confused state, there’s no denying that there’s some chemistry between them. And as much as she’d like to forget about the fact that she’s lusting after her roommate’s boyfriend’s younger brother, who also happens to be younger than her, Logan won’t let her off that easily. He actively pursues her and every moment they are together, whether it’s a run in or at an actual social gathering, their moments are charged.

Each book in the series has gotten more daring in terms of sexual tension which is rather thrilling. But there’s more to it with Wild. Georgia’s break up and the relentless demands from her mother begin to grate on her. Away from her ex, she’s finally starting to see herself more clearly. She has spent so much of her life living up to everyone else’s expectations that she hasn’t given her own needs a second thought. Wild becomes about Georgia's self-discovery from under the rubble of a failed one-sided relationship and the shift in her relationship with her overbearing mother. It just so happens that there's a new love interest as well. Logan pushes her buttons, bringing excitement to her very calm, scandal-free life. The excitement is a lure but she’s still afraid to take that crucial leap in admitting what she really wants for herself.

As with the other books, it’s nice that all the previous players make appearances. What’s also nice is that Sophie Jordan has consistently allowed her heroines to grow and explore life beyond what they’re used to.  It’s great to see female characters overcome their own fears and not be ashamed to ask for what they want, do what they want and in the end, understand that they deserve happiness.  

So fellow readers, read Wild. If you haven’t tried the series yet, what are you waiting for? Romance, emotional growth and let’s not leave out fantastic sexual tension with really hot guys -- The Ivy Chronicles is one of the best New Adult series out there!

~ Bel