Before You by Jenna Bennett
March 4, 2014
New Adult Contemporary Romance
One of the “Sex on the Beach” Novellas
BOOK SUMMARY
It’s all fun and games
I had a simple plan for spring break.
Sun, sand, and a hot guy. Sex on the beach, with no strings attached.
A chance to get rid of this pesky virginity once and for all.
And when I met Tyler McKenna, I thought I had it made.
Until someone gets hurt
But then girls started turning up at Key West landmarks. Girls who looked like me, but with one crucial difference: They’d all been drugged and relieved of their virginity.
The virginity I still have. The virginity Ty refuses to take.
And now I’ve begun to wonder whether there isn’t more to him than meets the eye.
Suddenly, sex on the beach doesn’t sound so good anymore…
BUY LINKS
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1jMeX1U
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20371409-before-you
Before You by Jenna Bennett is one of the three novellas in the Sex on the Beach collection. All three stories intersect one another. They follow three best friends who are on Spring Break down in Key West, Florida. While the other two texts in the collection center around being carefree and experiencing a week full of sex, Cassie’s book has a more romantic suspense feel to it. Cassie’s quest to lose her virginity leads her to Ty, and while they do hit it off, he keeps her at an arm’s length, making Cassie feel like she’s reading the signals all wrong. As Cassie continues to try and put the moves on Ty, some truths are revealed that changes the dynamics of their relationship and also puts Cassie in a dangerous position.
Before You was a bit too different from the other two texts in the collection. While I enjoyed some of the local history provided, it got to be too much. I didn’t feel as much of a connection to Cassie and Ty’s story because the text was more about solving the mystery more so than Cassie having Spring Break fling. It was still an entertaining and interesting read; I just would have liked the focus to be more on Cassie and Ty’s connection.
Complimentary copy of book was provided by author for an honest review.
3 poison apples
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jenna Bennett (Jennie Bentley) writes the Do It Yourself home renovation mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime and the Cutthroat Business mysteries for her own gratification. She also writes a variety of romance for a change of pace. For more information, please visit her website, www.jennabennett.com
Website: www.jennabennett.com
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenna-Bennett-Jennie-Bentley/192400104127600
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bennett_Jenna
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1549070.Jenna_Bennett
BETWEEN US by Jen McLaughlin
March 4, 2014
New Adult Contemporary Romance
One of the “Sex on the Beach” Novellas
BOOK SUMMARY
I’m just a girl…
I’m a famous country star who’s spent her life cultivating a good girl persona to avoid bad press, but I’ve reached my limit. I’m going away for spring break with my two best friends from college, and we’ve vowed to spend the vacation seeking out fun in the sun—along with some hot, no-strings-attached sex. The only thing I needed was the perfect guy, and then I met Austin Murphy. He might be totally wrong for me, but the tattooed bad boy is hard to resist. When I’m in his arms, everything just feels right.
And I’m just a guy…
I’m just a bartender who lives in Key West, stuck in an endless cycle of boredom. But then Mackenzie Forbes, America’s Sweetheart herself, comes up to me and looks at me with those bright green eyes…and everything changes. She acts like she’s just a normal girl and I’m just a normal guy, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. My past isn’t pretty, you know. I did what I had to do to survive, and she’d run if she learned the truth about my darkness. But with her, I’m finally realizing what it’s like to be alive. To laugh, live, and be happy.
All good things must come to an end…
Goodreads link:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20369409-between-us
REVIEW
Between Us by Jen McLaughlin is a sweet and sexy novella that’s part of the Sex on the Beach collection. This story focuses on Mackenzie Forbes, a 21 year country music singer, who takes her two best friends down to Key West for Spring Break to have some fun in the sun and a quick fling with a hot guy. Despite what the tabloids say, Mac is a virgin, but she’s looking to cash in her “V card” by hooking up with Austin Murphy. Austin has bad boy written all over him, which is just fine with Mackenzie because she’s just looking to have a week of fun…nothing long term…no emotions involved. Despite Mac’s intentions of not allowing her feelings to get in the way, they do, and when she and Austin fail to communicate, her spring break fun just might leave her with a broken heart.
Mackenzie and Austin’s story is a great read. Because it’s told in both of their point of views, readers get an up close and personal look into both of their thoughts and feelings as they spend their week together, which definitely makes it easy to understand where both characters are coming from. Mac is a sweet and innocent girl who has been let down by too many people for being so young, and Austin’s life has been an uphill battle since the beginning. They may seem like complete opposites, but when they take a closer look at each other, Mac and Austin just might realize that what’s between them is so much more than sex.
Complimentary copy of text was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
4 poison apples
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jen McLaughlin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She writes steamy New Adult books for the young and young at heart. Her first release, Out of Line, came out September 2013. She also writes bestselling Contemporary Romance under the pen name Diane Alberts.Since receiving her first contract offer under the pen name Diane Alberts, she has yet to stop writing. She is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.
Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, a cat, and a Senegal parrot. In the rare moments when she’s not writing, she can usually be found hunched over one knitting project or another. Her goal is to write so many well-crafted romance books that even a non-romance reader will know her name.
JEN MCLAUGHLIN
Website: http://dianealberts.com/
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/DianeAlberts6
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DianeAlberts
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6921962.Jen_McLaughlin
Beyond Me by Jennifer Probst
March 4, 2014
New Adult Contemporary Romance
One of the “Sex on the Beach” Novellas
BOOK SUMMARY
CAN FUN IN THE SUN TURN INTO LASTING LOVE?
Spring break in Key West with my besties was supposed to be casual fun. But I never expected to meet James Hunt. Sex and frolic? Yes! A relationship? No. But his hot blue eyes and confident manner drew me in. And when he let me see the man behind the mask, I fell hard, foolishly believing there could be a future for us. Of course I never considered our relationship might be based on lies…or that his betrayal could rock my foundation and make me question everything I believed in…
OR WILL A LIFE BUILT ON LIES RUIN EVERYTHING?
The moment I saw Quinn I knew I had to have her. She hooked me with her cool eyes and don’t touch me attitude. I had it all, money, social status, and looks. I could get any girl I wanted…until her. When my friends challenged me with a bet to get her into bed by the end of the week, I couldn’t pass it up. But sex wasn’t supposed to turn into love. She wasn’t supposed to change me, push me, and make me want more for myself. She wasn’t supposed to wreck me in all ways. And now, if I can’t turn my lies into truth, I just might lose her forever…
Out of the three best friends, Quinn, in my opinion, is the one who needs a Spring Break fling the most. She gives so much of herself and her time to everyone else who needs her that she never gets to focus on her wants or her needs. The first day in Key West, she meets James; he definitely gets her attention, but Quinn classifies him as an arrogant ass; despite that thought, though, the sexual tension between them is quite obvious, and James does everything in his power to get close to the girl who makes him feel real emotions. Quinn’s much different than the girls James normally surrounds himself with; she actually is a game changer for him. She makes him face some hard truths about himself and his life. The way she views life and her willingness to give of herself so freely makes James want to be a better person, but he can’t help but feel that she is beyond him…way better than what he deserves, and James might be right because a deal that he made before he really got to know Quinn may end up costing him everything.
Beyond Me is definite must read. It’s a sexy story that focuses on issues that most readers can relate to, at least on some level. I love the fact that the story was told from both Quinn and James’ point of views. For me, this is the best way to read a romance story. I like to get into the heads of both main characters because I feel like it allows for a deeper understanding of where they are coming from. You can’t go wrong with this fun and steamy read.
Complimentary copy of the text was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
4 poison apples
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She took a short hiatus to get married, get pregnant, buy a house, get pregnant again, pursue a master’s in English Literature, and rescue two shelter dogs. Now she is writing again.
She makes her home in Upstate New York with the whole crew. Her sons keep her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean.
She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, was ranked #6 on Amazon’s Best Books for 2012. She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases and her street team at www.jenniferprobst.com.
JENNIFER PROBST
Website: www.jenniferprobst.com
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferprobst.authorpage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenniferprobst
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2965489.Jennifer_Probst
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