Pretty Face (London Celebrities #2) by Lucy Parker

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Highly acclaimed, award-winning author of Act Like It Lucy Parker returns readers to the London stage with laugh-out-loud wit and plenty of drama

The play's the fling

It's not actress Lily Lamprey's fault that she's all curves and has the kind of voice that can fog up a camera lens. She wants to prove where her real talents lie—and that's not on a casting couch, thank you. When she hears esteemed director Luc Savage is renovating a legendary West End theater for a lofty new production, she knows it could be her chance—if only Luc wasn't so dictatorial, so bad-tempered and so incredibly sexy.

Luc Savage has respect, integrity and experience. He also has it bad for Lily. He'd be willing to dismiss it as a midlife crisis, but this exasperating, irresistible woman is actually a very talented actress. Unfortunately, their romance is not only raising questions about Lily's suddenly rising career, it's threatening Luc's professional reputation. The course of true love never did run smooth. But if they're not careful, it could bring down the curtain on both their careers…

Source: audiobook borrowed from Hoopla

Luc Savage has much on the line at the moment. He's invested a huge chunk of money in renovating the Queen Anne Theatre, his newest play is proving to be quite challenging with a diva in the cast and the urgency to find another actress to take on one of the final key roles to be filled. His assistant, Amelia keeps pushing him to consider Lily Lamprey who has achieved notoriety in a scandalous but popular tv show. Luc's being a snob about it. On a normal day - which is near impossible in the theatre - he wouldn't even entertain the thought that Lily could be talented enough for his production. But right now he's desperate and he trusts Amelia enough to give it a go. when he does, he sees potential though she will need extensive training and discipline to make this gamble work. Never having done theatre before, Lily is all too aware that she has much to prove - to herself, to her detractors  - who view her as an upstart who most likely slept her way into her latest role. She understands that her looks and her current role as a sultry homewrecker on her tv show seem to have people thinking that she's just like her alter ego. To distance herself from that she abides by a certain set of rules but then there's Luc. For how much he might still have doubts about her acting ability on stage, she can't help but fall for him. Same goes for him. Lily is not someone he'd ever expect to be attracted to but despite the number of times he's been brusque with her, she's never broken down. Now that they're working together he gets to see firsthand what she contends with as a woman who looks a certain way and receives a certain kind of attention and gossip. 

One reason I like Lucy Parker is that she writes strong, funny women. Lily faces so many presumptions based on her looks that lead people to be skeptical of her talent and work ethic. However, she chooses which battles to fight on her terms. In both books I've read so far (Act Like It was the previous one), the female leads have been top notch figures who are unyielding and don't easily fade into the background when up against a forceful personality. In Pretty Face I was also excited about Amelia whose quick replies and jabs at Luc's grumpiness and sometimes irrational tones made me laugh. She kept him on the straight and narrow. Behind every man ... as the saying goes. Even Lily's bestie, Trix was a joy. And as for Lily and Luc? They're terrific together. As much as distancing themselves from each other for propriety's sake would be the best professional move, they can't fight that inevitable collision. They seriously have great chemistry and even though he's the director and she's the actress, and there's an age difference, as far as their relationship is concerned, they're equals. I like that Luc started out the gruff, stalwart of the group but relented to the change in dynamics, even showing remorse for his own past behaviour towards Lily.

Lucy Parker is basically my hero. She gifts us with amusing and uplifting reads that just put me in such a good mood and I love how happy I feel after I'm done with her books!

~ Bel

Remind Me by Samantha Chase Excerpt Reveal

About Remind Me

It’s been years since Mallory Westbrook set foot in Magnolia Sound, but the death of her great-grandfather forces her back. Two weeks to get his affairs in order then she would return to her life in New York. The perfect plan, if not for Jake Summerford—her first love who broke her heart.

Jake always regretted the way things ended with Mallory and now that she’s back in town, he’s hoping they can put the past behind them. As they reconnect, old feelings resurface and Jake realizes that friendship is only the beginning of what he wants from Mallory.

With one foot out of the door, Mallory is looking for any excuse to leave Magnolia Sound behind. Forever. Will Jake’s plan to replace the old, painful memories help him finally show her their love deserves another chance?

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About Samantha

Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than forty titles under her belt! When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in North Carolina.

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Excerpt

“But we were already hanging out,” Mallory reminded him and the look Sam gave her bordered on hysterical. “What? What’s so funny?”

“We all know I’m the third wheel here and the two of you would like nothing more than to be alone, so…I’m leaving,” he said, walking back into the kitchen to put the beer back in the refrigerator. “I’m gonna go home and tell Mom what the plan is–I’m going out to be a good cousin, while you’re here doing…I don’t know…Jake.” He winked. “You two have fun!”

Jake knew he didn’t let out a breath until the back door closed and he saw Sam walk down the deck stairs from the living room window. “Well…that was…awkward.”

“Just a little,” Mallory agreed. “Ugh…why is my brother such a dork?”

Laughing, Jake shifted them until her head was on his shoulder. “I wouldn’t call him a dork, he’s just a little…”

“He’s a dork. Trust me. We’re twins and I’m allowed to say it.” She shook her head. “He’s going to be snarky about this until he leaves.”

“About what?”

“You and me. Us. The fact that he knows what we’re doing.” She groaned. “Now, every time I mention seeing you or doing something, he’s going to make some sort of doofus comment about how I’m doing you. I’m telling you, he’s the worst.”

But Jake couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t have any siblings so he didn’t understand the dynamics, but from where he was sitting, it was all pretty comical. The fact that they each other and had such obvious affection for each other was a pretty amazing thing. Maybe it was because they were twins or something. All he knew was that he hadn’t met many siblings with the kind of relationship Sam and Mallory had.  

Plus, he liked knowing Sam looked out for her when he couldn’t.

And that one single thought had him going still.

This wasn’t going anywhere–this was about passing the time and getting her out of his system. He wasn’t supposed to be thinking about his feelings or hers. This was temporary. They both saw the end before they started up again, so why was he suddenly feeling concerned about how Mallory was going to be when he wasn’t around?

“Jake?” she asked softly, looking up at him. “You okay?”

He nodded. Right now, he didn’t want to talk. Hell, he didn’t want to think either. All he wanted was to feel–feel Mallory’s body against his. Feel her skin under his hands. Feel her breath mingling with his.

Standing, he gently tugged her to her feet before plunging his hands into her hair and giving her a searing kiss. If she was surprised by the sudden change of events, she didn’t show it. If anything, she kissed him back with equal abandon.  

So good, he thought. Kissing Mallory was always so damn good…

When he had invited her to come home with him earlier–before Sam showed up–Jake envisioned them coming in and talking and maybe sharing some lazy kisses before he seduced her into staying the night. But as Mallory pressed up against him and purred, he was pretty sure nothing was going to be slow and lazy, and that he was the one being seduced.

And he loved every minute of it.

Without breaking the kiss, they maneuvered across the room and down the hall, stopping once so he could back her against the wall and grind against her. She tore her lips from his and sighed his name like a plea. Reaching down, Jake lifted her until her legs wrapped around his waist and it took every bit of self-control he possessed not to take her right then and there. Her dress was bunched up at her waist and the barely-there panties would be gone with only the slightest of tugs…

“Bed,” he growled against her throat even as he continued to rub against her. “I want you in my bed.”

“Then take me there,” she said breathlessly.

Easier said than done, he thought, forcing himself to walk the last ten feet to his room. At the side of the bed, he simply let himself fall and kept Mallory in his arms. They laughed and rolled until they were comfortable and then he sank back into the kiss.

Mallory tugged at his shirt and once she had it pulled free of his trousers, her nails scraped up his back and it gave him chills. Sitting up quickly, he ripped the shirt off–buttons flying in every direction.

“Wow,” she panted. “That was incredibly sexy.”

“Oh, yeah?” he asked, his own breath coming out roughly. “How do you feel about this?” His hand snaked under her dress and he tugged her tiny panties off–the sound of the fabric ripping seemed insanely loud in the room.

“Oh!” she cried as her hips bucked off the bed. Jake knew what she wanted and he was more than happy to give it to her.  In a flash her dress was off. He peeled her bra off with his teeth as she writhed beneath him. “Jake…”

Once he had her completely naked, his self-control completely vanished. His mouth and hands were everywhere. While he licked and suckled at her breasts, his hand was ruthlessly teasing her between her legs. Watching Mallory lose control was one of his favorite pastimes and as he urged her on, he knew it would always be this way. She cried out his name again and again and again and each time it ratcheted his own arousal up more and more.

He hated to move away from her even for a second, but he still had half of his own clothes to discard. Mallory reached for him as he moved away and he smoothed a hand across her stomach. “Soon,” he whispered. “I’m not going anywhere.”

The Wages of Sin (Sarah Gilchrist #1) by Kaite Welsh

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Sarah Gilchrist has fled London and a troubled past to join the University of Edinburgh's medical school in 1892, the first year it admits women. She is determined to become a doctor despite the misgivings of her family and society, but Sarah quickly finds plenty of barriers at school itself: professors who refuse to teach their new pupils, male students determined to force out their female counterparts, and—perhaps worst of all—her female peers who will do anything to avoid being associated with a fallen woman.

Desperate for a proper education, Sarah turns to one of the city’s ramshackle charitable hospitals for additional training. The St Giles’ Infirmary for Women ministers to the downtrodden and drunk, the thieves and whores with nowhere else to go. In this environment, alongside a group of smart and tough teachers, Sarah gets quite an education. But when Lucy, one of Sarah’s patients, turns up in the university dissecting room as a battered corpse, Sarah finds herself drawn into a murky underworld of bribery, brothels, and body snatchers.

Painfully aware of just how little separates her own life from that of her former patient’s, Sarah is determined to find out what happened to Lucy and bring those responsible for her death to justice. But as she searches for answers in Edinburgh’s dank alleyways, bawdy houses and fight clubs, Sarah comes closer and closer to uncovering one of Edinburgh’s most lucrative trades, and, in doing so, puts her own life at risk…

An irresistible read with a fantastic heroine, beautifully drawn setting, fascinating insights into what it was like to study medicine as a woman at that time, The Wages of Sin is a stunning debut that heralds a striking new voice in historical fiction.

Source: library


Sarah has been sent away from London by her family after a scandal which has unfortunately followed her to Edinburgh. Under the ever-watchful eye of her aunt, she is allowed to attend medical school at the university though they're only doing it to appease her and bide their time until they can get past the scandal and find her a possible suitor. Sarah has no interest in marriage, only her studies. Her ambition to become a doctor will not be thwarted by naysayers, her fellow students who often ostracize her due to the rumours, or even the professors who openly sneer at their female students. As a volunteer at a hospital in the sketchier part of town, she sees a different kind of life that its people lead. One day a young girl named Lucy comes in for assistance but is eventually turned away. Sarah doesn't give her much thought until she shows up as a corpse at her school. She's convinced the girl was murdered and is bent on finding her killer.

There's so much story in here and I couldn't help but think some of the social tensions in Victorian Edinburgh of 1892 were similar to that of what's happening today. Sarah and her fellow female students are not accepted by their male counterparts. They're subjected to pranks and crude behaviours and the professors don't defend them. There's very much a boys-will-be-boys attitude and a belief that if these women want to enter the male-dominated medical field they need to learn how to accept hazing from the men. Women are seen as feeble-minded and even Sarah's aunt thinks it's ghastly that women are pushing for social change. Sound familiar? Sarah is also plagued by the rumours dogging her and once again, it's the woman who bears the brunt of any scandal even when the man is the predator or equally to blame. Male privilege is abound throughout and she has to fight it with regularity. But Sarah has carried herself with as much dignity as she can, balancing her own sensibilities with the expectations of her aunt and uncle. Lucy's case tugs at her because she feels a certain kind of kinship with her. They're both women turned away by their families and left to deal with the consequences of the horrors done to them. 

I liked how Sarah is this spunky, inexorable character. She's had to defend herself and/or advocate for herself because so often there's been no one in her corner. She takes that grit and applies it to her studies and to this mystery of Lucy's death. However, she is still young and green so her attempts at detective work go awry several times. For example, she's quick to judge and jump to conclusions, therefore making premature accusations that do backfire on her. But I think she'll develop some finesse in that area and her skills will get sharper as the series continues. I enjoyed this novel and the second book, The Unquiet Heart releases in May, so you know what I'll be reading soon!

~ Bel

Southern Player (Charleston Heat #2) by Jessica Peterson

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I’m looking for a hot hookup with no strings attached. And I want my older brother’s best friend to step up to the plate...

My dating history is lame. My experiences in bed? Even lamer. As the owner of a thriving business, I’m used to calling the shots. But one place I don’t always want to be in charge is in the bedroom.

Enter Luke Rodgers. My brother’s best friend. Former Major League baseball player. A guy who now hangs out on his farm, sweaty and shirtless, as he nurses a shoulder injury.

If the rumors are true, he also likes to work up a sweat behind closed doors. A total MVP in the sack.

Just the take charge guy I’m looking for.

With Luke and I, it’s game on. And it’s all good until Luke decides he wants forever, and he wants it with me.

I’m just not convinced I can trust Luke. Will he keep playing the field? Or is he really ready to hang up his cleats for good?

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


Luke and Grace are old friends, he being her brother's best friend. They might have even had a fantasy or two about the other. Nothing ever happened because one, life took them in different directions in their twenties and two, you don't go for your best friend's little sister. But when the attraction is undeniable and they're both up for a bit of fun, what's to stop them?

On the surface, Grace has achieved so much to be proud. Her resourcefulness and smart business sense has resulted in her owning and running her own successful coffee shop. But something's been gnawing at her lately. While her work life is going great her love life has been non-existent since her breakup. To soothe herself she finds comfort in listening to the sizzling dialogue of her favourite romance novels. Listening to them makes her wish for the sexual potency that's she's never experienced and how stifled she felt in her previous relationships. Emboldened by this new self-awareness, she enlists Luke to help her. She has a bucket list of sexy things to accomplish and can only trust Luke whose rep around town is that of god-like status. He will be careful with her and treat their arrangement with discretion.

My first thought about Luke was, here finally is a hero who wants a "forever" with a woman. Up until the moment when he voices that, I didn't realize how weary I've become of the guys-who-don't-do-relationships trope. Luke was refreshing! My second thought was, good for Grace who's smart, sexy and caring, and finally taking her turn in the director's chair. She's not embarrassed about exploring this other side of herself and Luke is right there willing to give her want she wants. He gets something out of it as well but at no point is his experience used against her or does he make her feel ashamed of her asking for what she wants. And while she hopes to keep things physical, he encourages her to keep a open mind about having a relationship. This felt like a genuine give-and-take arrangement and I found that to be comforting. 

Luke and Grace are in their early thirties and are past a lot of the anguish and impulsiveness of their younger years. Instead, the hurdle these days is figuring out what the next step is after already having made some dreams come true. Now it's about whom to share those dreams with. Not only finding the right person but also being the right person for that special someone. I'm really digging these older characters who are on the precipice of the next stage in their lives. You'd think that we'll all stop being scared at some point but that hesitancy never goes away and that was something very relatable about Luke and Grace. 

I've enjoyed this Charleston Heat series so far and I feel like Peterson is really hitting her stride here. There's a smooth flow to the story that feels welcoming and makes you want to stay for the ride. I even looked up some of the places she mentions in the book and honestly, I hadn't ever thought much about Charleston as a destination but now I feel a visit is warranted. She makes it sound like a spectacular place to get lost in for a few days. Southern Charmer is a love letter to the city but it's also to the men and women out there with their own bucket lists waiting to turn them to reality. 

~ Bel

Bad Influence by Stefanie London Release Day Blast

About the Book

Annie Maxwell created the Bad Bachelors app to warn women away from guys like Joe Preston. Too bad she won't take her own advice...

Annie had her whole life figured out...until her fiancé left her when his career took off. If that wasn't bad enough, every society blog posted pictures of him escorting a woman wearing her wedding ring. To help the women of New York avoid men like her ex, she created the Bad Bachelors app.

Outside his stellar career, CEO Joe Preston has made a lot of mistakes. None was worse than leaving the love of his life when she needed him most. Now, he's ready for a second chance. He may still be one heck of a bad influence, but when Annie's safety is threatened by a hacker, Joe is the only one who can save her - and he'll do whatever it takes to win her back.

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About the Author

Stefanie London is the USA Today bestselling author of over twenty contemporary romances and romantic comedies.

Stefanie’s books have been called “genuinely entertaining and memorable” by Booklist, and her writing praised as “Elegant, descriptive and delectable” by RT magazine. Her stories have earned accolades such as the RT Top Pick and have achieved bestseller status with USA Today and iBooks.

Growing up, Stefanie came from a family of women who loved to read. After sneaking several literature subjects into her ‘very practical’ Business degree, she worked in HR and Communications. But writing emails for executives didn’t fulfil her creative urges, so she turned to fiction and was finally able to write the stories that kept her mind busy at night.

Originally from Australia, she now lives in Toronto with her very own hero and is currently in the process of doing her best to travel the world. She frequently indulges in her passions for good coffee, lipstick, romance novels and anything zombie-related.

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An Unconditional Freedom (The Loyal League #3) by Alyssa Cole

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Daniel Cumberland’s uneventful life as a freed man in Massachusetts ended the night he was kidnapped and sold into slavery. To then have his freedom restored by the very man who stole his beloved’s heart is almost too much to bear. When he’s offered entry into the Loyal League, the covert organization of spies who helped free him, Daniel seizes the opportunity to help take down the Confederacy and vent the rage that consumes him.
When the Union Army occupies Janeta Sanchez’s small Florida town, her family’s goodwill and ties to Cuba fail to protect her father from being unjustly imprisoned for treason. To ensure her father’s release, Janeta is made an offer she can’t refuse: spy for the Confederacy. Driven by a desire for vengeance and the hope of saving her family, she agrees to infiltrate the Loyal League as a double agent.

Daniel is both aggravated and intrigued by the headstrong recruit. For the first time in months, he feels something other than anger, but a partner means being accountable, and Daniel’s secret plan to settle a vendetta and strike a blow for the Union can be entrusted to no one. As Janeta and Daniel track Jefferson Davis on his tour of the South, their dual hidden missions are threatened by the ghosts of their pasts and a growing mutual attraction—that might be their only hope for the future. 

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


Alyssa Cole has made no secret of the fact that she had a hard time writing An Unconditional Freedom. I had an equally hard time reading it. Every page confronts you with the brutal truth about slavery. And when current events make you feel as if we're regressing, it makes this novel that much more imperative to read, here and now. 

Daniel was born a free man and knows what freedom tastes like. He had a potentially bright future studying law but in the hopes of doing good for his fellow countryman, he placed his trust in the wrong people and was thus captured and sold as a slave. Years of mistreatment and witnessing evil upfront broke him to an extent. His heart and resolve hardened, he's determined to fight back now and bring about change. His reputation in the Loyal League is that of a lone wolf which he prefers so he's none too thrilled about the Loyal League foisting a new partner upon him. Janeta's own upbringing is a far cry from anything Daniel has experienced. Born to a former slave who ended up marrying her owner, Janeta is of both worlds. She's never known hardship, only that she is different. Her entry into the Loyal League is dubious as her agenda is to infiltrate them and spy for the South. Travelling with Daniel, she witnesses closeup the lives of those enslaved. This forces her to question her own indoctrination and discern who the good guys really are. More importantly, who stands to gain the most should the war be won or lost. She went into this to protect her family, and perhaps her naiveté made her easy to manipulate but now her allegiance is shifting.

Cole has injected a lot of the frustration and despair that's sprung up recently and poured it into her latest work. Combining history and a modern perspective, An Unconditional Freedom questions everything about why one person should feel superior to another. It highlights the economics and politics of slavery, and how lack of an education and literacy can be a weapon in suppressing a population. Reading Daniel's personal history in particular wrenches your soul apart. 

Writing this book has been a labour of love and Cole has outdone herself here. There's no sugarcoating the history of a something as vile as slavery, a raw wound that just keeps reopening. An Unconditional Freedom doesn't allow you to turn away from it but invites you to learn from it in hopes that common sense, decency and an intrinsic belief in everyone's worth will always be greater than the evil that exists.

~ Bel

Tikka Chance On Me by Suleikha Snyder

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He’s the bad-boy biker. She’s the good girl working in her family’s Indian restaurant. On the surface, nothing about Trucker Carrigan and Pinky Grover’s instant, incendiary, attraction makes sense. But when they peel away the layers and the assumptions—and their clothes—everything falls into place. The need. The want. The light. The laughter. They have more in common than they ever could’ve guessed. Is it enough? They won’t know until they take a chance on each other—and on love.

Source: ebook purchase


First of all, there's no way to read this title without singing it - amiright? And look at the cover. I covet those shoes. This cheeky title along with the cute cover made it irresistible to pass up. Inside is an adorable story of two people who are trying to find their place without rocking the boat too much. 

This was a biker story without being a biker story. Trucker is leader of a biker gang who makes sure that they're not causing too much trouble when they don't need to. He just causes it in other ways like when he shows up with his guys at Pinky's parents' restaurant where he can discreetly flirt with her. She doesn't mind of course being she's doing the same. How can she not notice this tall, commanding drink of water. Steamy fantasies abound and let me tell you, there's a fantastic trip to Walmart that won't be forgotten any time soon. Seriously. 

I absolutely enjoyed Tikka Chance On Me (and I love saying it, too). It's amazing that this is a novella because of how much story Snyder packs into it. Her characters feel so fleshed out. I do like her sharp writing and what feels like a rhythmic flow at times that makes me wish I could write like that. If you're looking for a steamy romance with a smart, charismatic hero and heroine, this one's for you!

~ Bel