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Blurb

Five guys. One bar. And a whole heap of sexy trouble…

Sawyer Landry is sexy, rugged, charming… and did I mention sexy? Back in college, we were best of friends – which meant  I secretly hid an epic unrequited crush, while he dated every other girl on campus… and then told me all about it the morning after.

Now I’m back in Chicago for the first time in years, and Sawyer is determined to rekindle our friendship. I swore, I wouldn’t put my life (and heart) on hold for him again, but just one look at his handsome face and I know, he’s still the only man for me.

But this time, things are going to be different. No more sitting around, waiting for him to realize his dream woman is right in front of him. No, I’m going to make him see, I’m not just one of the guys anymore.

But can I really go from sidekick to soulmate? And will this playboy bachelor realize, true love is waiting – if he’d only take a chance?

My Review

Best Friends.

A Guy Who Doesn’t Do Relationships or Love.

A Girl Who Feels More Than Friendly Feelings for Said Guy.

And One Overwhelming Case of Unrequited Love.

This is the situation that Katie McCoy presents readers with in her newest release, Soulmate; this is Sawyer and Gabi’s story and out of all of the couples that McCoy has introduced readers to in her Rascals series, I have to say that these two frustrated me so much more than any of the others, partly due to Sawyer’s apparent obliviousness of Gabi’s feelings for him but mostly because some of Gabi’s antics didn’t sit too well me, which made it difficult to connect with her and see the possibility of them rebuilding a friendship that was lost when Gabi ghosted Sawyer let alone something romantic developing between them.

I get why Gabi left her life and her friendship with Sawyer; for her own sanity, she needed a fresh start after repeatedly witnessing Sawyer’s manwhoring ways. But Gabi’s thought process when she returns is quite skewed, especially when she thinks that she can change Sawyer’s mind about commitment by becoming his friends with benefits’ bedmate.

Sawyer’s reasons for not wanting a committed relationship seemed a bit too surface level and the fact that he didn’t learn from his mistakes the first time didn’t make me feel confident that he could make things right after he messes up yet again.

Despite my issues with the main characters, though, the story line is well paced and it provides the necessary insights into Gabi and Sawyer’s shared past. It also quite clear that their connection is deeper than Sawyer’s willing to admit, so it didn’t surprise me that he had to lose Gabi all over again before he went about claiming the one woman who has always been his…his friend…his lover…his soulmate.

3.5/4 Poison Apples

ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE STANDALONE RASCALS SERIES

#1 Rascal

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#2 Wingman 

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#3 Heartbreaker 

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COMING SOON

#5 Troublemaker – Releasing December 10, 2018

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Author Bio

Katie McCoy is a self-proclaimed sushi addict, Cardinals baseball fanatic, and lover of all things theatrical. A St. Louis native transplanted to Brooklyn, she acts, sings, and shakes her booty when she isn’t writing books about hot men and the girls who love them.

Author Links

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Rhys Rivera is the star short-stop for the Longview Lumberjacks. Many know him, even more love him. He has a pretty face, a quick smile, and an air of danger about him that everyone seems to adore.

He’s not known as the bad boy of baseball for nothing.
It all started with his father, who decided to be a criminal mob boss, then die.
Fortunately for his uncle, Rhys wants absolutely nothing to do with the family business and runs before anyone can figure out which way is up.

By the time his uncle, the successor to his father’s criminal empire, thinks to look for him, Rhys has made too big of a name for himself to be taken out quietly, and he wants to keep it that way.
Fast forward eight years, and Rhys is living life one breath at a time, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. That shoe coming in the form of a nosy neighbor who has no idea just how hot she is in her mail carrier uniform.

Her sweet little body and positive outlook on life make him want to laugh at how naïve she is when it comes to the way of the world.

The harder he tries to stay away, the weaker he seems to get, until one day he decides to put his morals on hold long enough to satisfy his cravings.

One time is all he needs—or so he tells himself.

But then two pink lines change everything, and all of a sudden, he doesn’t have just himself to worry about anymore.

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My Review

Listen, Pitch is quite the intriguing title for Henley and Rhys’ story because it becomes more than apparent that both of them have a few people in mind who they’d like to tell off, and in some ways, that’s exactly what they do the further into the story readers go, which is where things go a little off-kilter and a lot out of control.

Henley Cree is quite a fiery yet positive thinking woman – one who always puts others ahead of herself and one who has distorted self perception that Rhys is more than happy to correct for her because as much as Henley sees herself as defective is as much as Rhys sees her as being everything he’s ever wanted but never knew he needed. I love how Henley owns her quirkiness, embracing her eccentricities, even though, sometimes, it’s extremely difficult for her to do so.

Rhys’ nickname as the ‘bad boy of baseball’ seemed ill-fitting due to the where and when readers are introduced to him, and while there’s mention of his past activities in Chicago, he left that life over 8 years ago, and he has no desire to ever return to it, so I felt like I didn’t really get a full picture of why Rhys received that moniker; I needed a little more background into who Rhys was before the accident and before a certain beautiful neighbor got in his face about the noise and then was found at his bedside when Rhys finally came back to the land of the living.

Rhys’ uncle is the perfect antagonist because his actions and the lengths that he’s willing to go to are so over the top and somewhat unexpected. Rhys’ uncle is a cruel and vindictive man who lives his life according to his own rules, to hell with anyone or anything else. The things that he did to Rhys’ dad and continues to do to Rhys and Rhys’ sister, in order to keep them in line, absolutely paints this man as the menacing bastard he is. So it makes complete sense to me why Rhys goes the route he does and doesn’t allow his uncle to steam roll him. Is this decision more dangerous, absolutely! Readers see that firsthand, but part of Rhys’ transformation, if you will, needs to come from his own personal revelations and his uncle is responsible, along with his parents, for Rhys’ warped sense of love and relationships, so before he can move forward with Henley, in all the ways that deep down he wants and needs to, Rhys must deal with his uncle’s threats as well as the series of actions that his father laid out for him to claim his dirty mafia money – money that Rhys doesn’t need but he sure as hell isn’t willing to let his uncle take it off his hands.

I really liked how Lani Lynn Vale explained why Rhys has been somewhat safe from his uncle’s maniacal plans. The idea that Rhys’ stardom continues to save his life makes sense; Rhys is a high profile professional athlete, so he’s in the spotlight, not only for his baseball skills but also due to his physique and his personality. If anything happened to him, it would be well publicized, meaning the person or people behind it would be easily apprehended, so his uncle needs to find less pronounced ways of trying to kill him.

But Henley entering Rhys’ life changes everything and sets things in motion at warped speed which means that his uncle is almost out of time and options, but as readers will see, that fact doesn’t stop Rhys’ uncle, it only makes him desperate, which doesn’t bode well for anyone involved because a desperate man is one willing to do anything to get what he wants regardless of who’s affected by those plans.

Rhys and Henley’s story is one crazy, jacked up, but beautiful ride. I never doubted that Rhys loved Henley, even when he thought he was incapable of doing so because a man doesn’t meet someone like her, feel an instant connection, and then find out that she spent all that time at his bedside keeping vigil even though she barely knew him and let her go…and yea, his life is dangerous, but it’s clear that he’ll protect Henley with everything he is because that’s what a guy does for the woman who is his entire world, which is exactly what Henley becomes.

I’ve been in so many of Lani Lynn Vale’s worlds that I can’t quite decide which one is my favorite, but what I do know is that every single one of them has entertaining stories and dynamic characters, so there’s not one of them that I mind returning to time and time again.

4 Poison Apples

Lani Lynn Vale is a USA Today Bestselling Author of over thirty titles. She is married with three children, two dogs, two cats, a donkey, and a couple (a couple also meaning over twenty) chickens.

When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up in her favorite chair reading.

Lani is married with three children and lives in the Great State of Texas.

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I should have known it was only a game.

I should have known he was too good to be true.

He’s nothing but a player…

Player, an all-new sexy, standalone romantic comedy from Staci Hart, is LIVE!

He’s a player.

He plays the bass with expert fingers. He plays women with intoxicating charm. And he’ll play me with the ease of a virtuoso.

Who better to teach me to play than the master himself?

I’m his model student, front row, pencil sharp. Pick up lines? I’ve got them. Free drinks? By the dozen. Kissing? Let me grab my chapstick.

But the most valuable lesson I’ve learned is that there’s so much I don’t know. Like why his touch sets off a chain reaction straight to my nethers. Or how I’m certain each kiss is the best I’ll ever have, until the moment his lips take mine again.

There’s so much I don’t know.

Like the fact that I’m only a bet.

But we are what we are. He’s a player, through and through.

And I’m the fool who fell in love with him.

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My Review

There’s nothing a woman can’t do with a little red lipstick, some positive thinking, and quite a bit of gumption, even if she embarrasses herself, and let me tell you, any time our heroine, Val, is around her secret crush, Sam, things always seem to go wrong, which means that she needs every drop of inner strength and feistiness she has to take a chance and put her heart on the line regardless of the fact that the man she wants epitomizes a player in every sense of the word.

Without a doubt, Val is one of my favorite Staci Hart heroines, and a big reason for my love of everything Val is the fact that she’s an ‘every woman’ type of character. Hart portrays Val so realistically that it’s incredibly easy to connect with her struggles with the opposite sex as well as her body image and insecurities. Val’s internal musings are ones that many female readers have probably said themselves, which means that as Val comes into her own, realizing her self worth and the beautiful woman she is on the inside and on the outside, we cheer for her and commend her strength and empower ourselves to take the same journey that Val did in Player.

Sam’s an intriguing hero because while he’s the quintessential single guy who’s beyond attractive and charismatic, I didn’t feel like he truly knew himself or what he was capable of when it came to commitment because as Sam and Val’s ‘relationship’ deepens, he really seems to come into his own and his self confidence and determined attitude helps Val to see herself as the beautiful and captivating woman that she is.

Throughout the course of the story, Val and Sam connect on a number of levels, so despite what pushed Sam to pursue Val in the first place, what matters most is that their relationship changes them both; it challenges Sam’s view on anything long term and helps him to grow as not only a man but as a human being, and it’s their undeniable chemistry and the fact that Sam looks at Val like she matters that helps her to see herself, not only through his eyes, but also her own non-judgmental ones. Nobody is perfect and it’s with that idea in mind that helps them both to realize just how capable they are in all aspects of their lives.

I adored Staci Hart’s latest release; it’s steamy and sweet; it’s comical and witty; it’s everything I needed it to be and because Hart brings such uniqueness to her stories and characters, I’ll never get enough of her books!

4.5 Poison Apples

Excerpt

The night flew by, time speeding up and sliding past with nothing to mark the hours but his laughter and my smiles and our bodies bouncing around the parquet like we had nothing in the world to do but dance. I had no idea how late it was until “New York, New York” came on with the house lights.

Sam hooked me under his arm and guided me out into the chilly fall evening. Like an idiot, I’d come without a jacket, and I tried to play it off like I wasn’t cold. A shiver wracked down my spine, betraying me.

He shrugged off his leather jacket. “Here, wear this.”

“B-but then y-you’ll be cold,” I said, shifting away from him in an effort to stop him. “Look, it’s n-not even cold. It’s f-fake cold. It’s only what—like, sixty out? M-my body is j-just being drunk and d-dumb.”

“Val.” The word was a gentle warning. He held out his jacket like a matador. “Put it on.”

“N-no,” I said with a laugh.

He shook it once like he was taunting me. “Toro.”

I giggled, stumbling a little as I brought my hands to the top of my head, pointer fingers to the stars. “Olé!” I cheered as I charged. But instead of running through his jacket, I found myself in his arms.

I didn’t know how it happened. The jacket was there, and then it was gone. But instead of being laid out on the sidewalk like I should have been, Sam’s arms were hooked around my waist, our bodies winding together and twisting from the force of his catch. And then I looked up, and time stretched out in a long, still moment. His eyes on my mouth. Mine on his. His nose millimeters from mine and his mouth so close, if I turned my head just right, our lips would brush. The warmth of him was everywhere.

I wasn’t cold anymore. I was on fire.

So I said the first thing that entered my empty mind.

“Are you going to kiss me, or am I gonna have to lie to my diary?”

The moment broke with our laughter, filled the air around us, stopped my chugging heart. He pressed his lips to my forehead.

I sighed. “I guess that’ll do.”

He hooked his jacket over my shoulders, taking a moment to look over my face, watching his fingers as he tucked a loose curl behind my ear. “Come on. Let’s get you home. You did good tonight, Val.”

“Thanks to your expert advice.”

But he smiled. “Pretty soon, you’ll figure out you didn’t need me at all.”

And I smiled back and pretended like it was possible that statement held an iota of truth.

About the Author

Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life — a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can’t forget that. She’s also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She’s been a wife, though she’s certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She’s also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she’s been drinking whiskey.

From roots in Houston to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.

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LEGACY OF LIES by Tara Leigh

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Blurb

Money. Status. Wealth. Power.
I believed I was entitled to all of it.
My legacy.

Jolie Chapman.
I thought I was entitled to her, too.
My love.

In a scandal that set our families against each other, I lost.
My legacy.
My love.
Everything.

I was heir to a throne built on lies, my crown forged from corruption.
Stripped of everything I’d been raised to consider my birthright.
Including my princess—who wasn’t mine, after all.

I’ve spent the past decade rebuilding my life, on my own terms.
Money. Status. Wealth. Power.
They’ve been earned.

Now I’ve returned to Manhattan for redemption, too.
Jolie wasn’t supposed to be here.
… And I wasn’t supposed to care.

Screw me once, shame on you.
Screw me twice—
Who am I kidding? I don’t believe in second chances anymore.

LEGACY OF LIES Giveaway

The LEGACY OF LIES series novella, THRONE OF LIES, is available for FREE TODAY ONLY!

THRONE OF LIES by Tara Leigh

Prequel Novella to Legacy of Lies

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Blurb

I was called a prodigal son.
A scion of Midas.

I believed it. Why wouldn’t I?
Everything my father touched turned to gold.

The proof was all around me.
Luxury cars.
Elite schools.
A billion-dollar business.
Even my girlfriend, a Park Avenue Princess.

I reigned from a throne of lies.
My fall from grace… wasn’t graceful at all.

Tara Leigh writes steamy contemporary romance featuring tortured heroes worth lusting after and the women they didn’t know they needed. She attended Washington University in St. Louis and Columbia Business School in New York, and worked on Wall Street and Main Street before “retiring” to become a wife and mother. When the people in her head became just as real as the people in her life, she decided to put their stories on paper. Tara currently lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut with her husband, children and fur-baby, Pixie.

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I broke her heart ten years ago and left town.

She hates me, and rightly so. It doesn’t matter that the rest of the country loves me, that I’m a starting quarterback with a multimillion-dollar contract. Because when I look in the mirror, all I see is a failure who was too young—and too afraid—to fight for what I wanted.

But I’m not that guy anymore, and all I need is one shot to convince her.

***
He has no idea what happened after he left. And now I’m supposed to work alongside him like we don’t have this huge, messy history?

But I’m older now, wiser, and I won’t let anything stand in my way of doing a good job for this league. Not even one overpaid, arrogant player who thinks we’re going to kiss and make up.

News flash, buddy: I am over you.

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My Review

I’m all about second chance romances, especially when it’s one that tells the story of a couple who were high school sweethearts, experiencing all of their firsts together and never quite forgetting one another despite the time and the distance between them after they went their separate ways.

As soon as Weston and Jane see each other, it’s clear that they’re both caught off-guard by the other’s appearance…that Jane doesn’t quite know how to react to having Weston back in her life…that Weston sees this little reunion as a way to prove himself to the girl he left behind. But what’s also abundantly clear is that Weston and Jane’s past is complicated and messy, and Jane’s emotional stability in the present is wrapped up in not thinking about the events of the past and just how drastically her life changed after Weston left, which, at this point, almost seems like a mute point given the fact that Weston appears to be a permanent fixture in Jane’s life and career.

To make sense of Weston and Jane’s reactions in the present, it’s important to see what happened in their past, and Kendall Ryan concretely explores the connection that Weston and Jane once shared over a decade ago, and by illustrating how good they were together and how strong their bond was, it makes even more sense that they would have unfinished business, regardless of how ‘over’ one another they want to ‘appear’ to be. And, by the time Ryan finishes providing all of the necessary insight, readers have a better handle on what led to their first break-up and what could happen between them in the here and now if they put each other first instead of their ambition and responsibilities.

There has to be a reason that fate put Weston and Jane in each other’s paths again, even 10 years later, so while these two can attempt to fight their attraction and the feelings that have been laying dormant for all that time, it’s pretty much an impossible feat, but the scars from the past also take up Jane’s present headspace and because they reconnect a bit too quickly, their second chance might be over before it ever really begins.

Dear Jane is a sweet and swoon worthy read, and while I felt like Weston and Jane jumped into a new beginning without really addressing the past or what they went through, it’s clear that they’re made for one another, and as long as they can clearly see what they’re up against and vow to work together when things get tough then they’ll more than make it, and I enjoyed see how these characters worked things out.

4 Poison Apples

A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She’s a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she’s appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine.

Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com for the latest book news, and fun extras

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♦ ♦ ♦

Words like unnatural and impure started the whispers.

From the very beginning, Ivy Blackwood was different. She was only a child when she was accused of setting the fire, one she passively watched engulf the small house she had called home. Her fingertips burned and her hair singed. Some who watched her crossed themselves, convinced she was soulless for she showed no emotion at all. Calm and dispassionate, even when the screaming started that quickly turned to bellows of agony before dying into nothing but the roaring of the fire.

She was locked away where she couldn’t bring harm to herself or others. To all involved, they had protected the world from a monster, but sometimes things are not what they seem.

♦ ♦ ♦

I’m a lover of words; partly, because I’m a high school English teacher, but mostly, because I find writers’ ability to fluidly string words together in a way that clearly illustrates the ‘voices in their head’ and illicits a response from their audience to be a compelling tool for offering insights, teaching lessons, or just simply entertaining readers.

There’s a sense of power in words, both the oral and written ones, and while they can serve as weapons, the ones that consume me…that awaken my imagination…that lure me in and hold reign over me until the final word is read are the ones that empower me to continue to teach my students how to use them correctly, making them so much more than simply a means to communicate.

In my almost 41 years, I’ve read A LOT of books; you don’t become an English teacher with a Masters in English without being introduced to an expansive library of texts, but up until about 5 or 6 years ago, I had never ventured into the romance world because I thought I knew what good writing was…what literary storytelling was, but I can wholeheartedly say that I was just being a pretentious snob, and that revelation changed my entire view on what constitutes a piece of literature, and what I’ve learned since becoming a member of the romance community is that the craft of writing cannot be singularly defined, and it’s through my need for escapism and my need to experience stories that speak to my heart and to my soul that my role in the book world has grown, offering me the opportunity to Beta read and also proofread as well as granting me a look inside the makings of a story, of its characters, and of its lessons, and I’ll forever be grateful for it because one of the many authors it allowed me to form a bond with is L.A. Fiore, and it’s her newest release, The Gathering, that made be fall in love with lyrical words, multifaceted characters, and a setting that offers up a world of possibilities.

I can’t begin to concretely explain just how epic Ivy and Bain’s story is, but I’ll try because it’s a book that deserves to be praised. The Gathering is a love story of epic proportions…not just between a man and a woman or otherworldly beings but it illustrates the love of life…of the choice of how to live and what to live for, and as difficult as it is to keep the world balanced with both good and evil and the sacrifices that have to be made to do so, there’s a hope that in the face of adversity, selflessness will light the way and allow a fresh start…a new beginning of sorts, for all those involved. An despite the loss, there’s a hopeful lesson at the end and a challenge to humanity to keep one another in check but not by intolerance and anger but by realizing the bigger picture and choosing to bring light instead of dark to the forefront.

Even though there are a plethora of characters and plot lines, it’s easy to understand how everyone and everything fits together in the big picture because as the story progresses, the author guides her readers to realize exactly how all of the characters are connected and just what’s at stake, not only for New Orleans and the main people involved, but also for the world at large. Readers learn so much about mankind’s strengths and weaknesses through the events of The Gathering, and in some ways, those characteristics are embodied by the supernatural beings involved, clearly illustrating a commonality between other worldly creatures and human beings. All of mankind as well as other worldly beings are flawed and all have the ability to choose right or wrong, and what becomes quite obvious as those decisions are made is that those two paths are not exactly opposite; they actually run next to each other, allowing some to veer in one and then the other until a final decision has to be made…one that there may not be any turning back from.

Every character that L.A. Fiore crafted for Ivy and Bain’s story, regardless of how big or small their impact is, plays a significant role for the resolution of the book, so it’s important to understand all the players involved, where they stand, and the effect they have, not only on the pivotal events throughout the story line, but also in the grand scheme of things. ‘Seeing is believing’ is an important idea, not only for those individuals refuse to acknowledge that which is unknown, but also for readers as they traverse through the story and are exposed to the supernatural beings and events that transform New Orleans and have the potential to destroy the world.

Ivy and Bain’s love transcends time and space, and as their past comes full circle into their present, readers see what they both sacrificed and endured for their powerful connection. It’s quite interesting to see the contrast between Bain and Ivy…her innocence and in some ways timidity to his brashness and girth for lack of a better word. It’s exciting to explore the 21st Century through Ivy’s eye, knowing she doesn’t quite understand but the fact that she loves all the chaos adds to her awe. There’s pureness in Ivy and Bain’s bond and as their memories are explained and truths revealed, it’s clear just who they are to each other and why nothing can break what was created so long ago.

The Gathering is a powerful story filled with multifaceted characters, a setting that is both spellbinding and horrifying, and a plot rich in tumultuously evil actions as well as emphatically good moments and like all happy endings…good defeats evil…perhaps not in the way once thought but in a way that tips the scales maybe just a little bit in good’s favor.

The world and characters L.A. Fiore created in Ivy and Bain’s story are ones that I won’t soon forget, and the fact that Jareth’s story is up next has me anxiously waiting to reunite with the members of Ivy and Bain’s extended family, hoping that the momentum gained in The Gathering will continue to hold true as the series continues.

5+ Poison Apples Review

LA Fiore is a hybrid author of thirteen novels. She believes in a happily ever after, but she likes to make her readers work for it. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found in the garden or hanging on the deck with her family and friends. She lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with her husband and two kids and their four fur babies.

♦ ♦ ♦

Title: Blind Devotion

Author: S. Nelson

Genre: Romantic Suspense, Standalone

Release Date: January 22, 2018

Cover Designer: CT Cover Creations

💋 💋 💋

I dream of one day taking over the family law firm, the largest on the East Coast. But in order for that plan to become a reality, I must do everything my father asks, including marrying a man I barely know.

Enter Maxton Colter, a walking contradiction and not the man my father chose for me.

He’s infuriatingly arrogant… yet charming.

He’s inappropriate… yet intriguing.

He’s a playboy… yet focuses all his attention on me.

He’s doing everything he can to unravel my goal to one day take over the firm.

Question is… will I fall prey to the undeniable chemistry between us and allow him to destroy my dream?

S. Nelson grew up with a love of reading and a very active imagination, never putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard until 2013. Her passion to create was overwhelming and within a few months she’d written her first novel, Stolen Fate. When she isn’t engrossed in creating one of the many stories rattling around inside her head, she loves to read and travel as much as she can. She lives in the Northeast with her husband and two dogs, enjoying the ever changing seasons.

💋 💋 💋

Title: RIDGE

Author: S.L. Scott

Standalone Contemporary Romance

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/RidgeAmzn

Goodreads TBR: http://bit.ly/RidgeGR

 

 The One didn’t exist.

Then I met Meadow.

The band’s honorary little sister was off-limits. Too late for that. She says we’re “nothing serious,” but she’s gotten under my skin and I can’t stop thinking about her. And when I touch her, I know we’re meant to be.

Happy Endings don’t exist.

Not even with Ridge.

My big plans never included falling for a rock star. Too soon for that. He wants to make us a “thing,” and I can’t deny our chemistry is combustible. His persistence is wearing me down, making his proposition hard to resist.

If true love only exists in fairy tales, why am I beginning to believe that Ridge just might be my happily ever after?

This STANDALONE Second Chance Rock Star Romance by New York Times Bestselling Author, S.L. Scott, will have you falling in love with Ridge Carson while introducing you to his Sexy as Sin band mates—Jet, Tulsa, and Rivers Crow.

FREE in Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited Program

THE CROW BROTHERS SERIES 

Spark Amazon: https://amzn.to/2JVP9X4

Tulsa Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LTXSGA

Rivers Amazon: https://amzn.to/2uPkkup

 Ridge Amazon: http://smarturl.it/RidgeAmzn

Spark on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/SparkGR

Tulsa on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/TulsaGR

Rivers Goodreads: http://bit.ly/RiversGR

Ridge on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/RidgeGR

**Series Cover Designs: RBA Designs**

My Review

Since I started reading romance, I’ve been all about second chance romances, especially when the couple shares such an intense and deep connection and then when S.L. Scott adds in a hero with a heart of gold – one who is thoughtful, understanding and honest, an atypical rocker if you will, I can’t help but want him to get exactly what his heart desires, and what he wants and needs is the quirky, stubborn, and independent woman who Meadow aspires to be.

Ridge/Dave and Meadow’s journey is a tumultuous one to say the least – it’s one that started some time ago, sent them in opposite directions, and then brought them back together, but as they reunite, they appear to want different things, which makes rekindling their previous romance, not only difficult, but, at times, extremely frustrating because regardless of the man Dave proves himself to be, Meadow can’t let go of her past, and she also can’t let go of the fact that she wants to stand on her own, relying on herself and no one else for her happiness, so while Dave shows just how patient he can be for the woman who owns his heart, if the back and forth, push and pull doesn’t have an ending point, it’s unclear if what these two once shared stands a chance of becoming their forever.

While I can understand Meadow’s need for independence, especially given the scars of her past, I’ll confess that I wanted to throttle her several times throughout the story due to her indecision and conflicted thoughts. In some ways, she’s seems naive or maybe she just doesn’t quite know how to handle such deep feelings and she does things by what her head thinks instead of her heart, stemming from her parents being horrible role models for relationships. And, if I’m completely honest,

a part of me didn’t think she deserved, not that she wasn’t worth the effort, but Dave was offering her everything she could want in a man…in a relationship, but, too many times, she allowed her insecurities and her fears to control her words and her actions.

But, I will say, that because S.L. Scott never stops revealing who her characters are at their core, I slowly warmed back up to Meadow and reveled in her times of clarity and understanding, and I also held on to the fact that her love for Dave would keep that light burning regardless of what they had to endure in order to get to that point.

The cameos of previous characters is something that I always love, and the Crow brothers are some of my favorite S.L. Scott characters. These characters’ bonds speak to the sense of family that’s been created, beyond blood, and it illustrates just how lucky people are when they find their people – the ones who get them…the ones who love them unconditionally…the ones who have their backs at any and all costs.

I’m a huge fan of S.L. Scott’s books, and every time I read one, I appreciate the depths of her story lines and characters because they allow a connection to be made between the readers and Scott’s heroes and heroines, and it’s an emotional one that drives us to absorb everything that occurs in the book in order to truly capture who these characters are and what they’re teaching us through their words and actions.

4.5 Poison Apples

 

 Excerpt

Prologue

Dave “Ridge” Carson

Somewhere between El Paso and Tucson, I found my soul under the bright stars of the Southwest.

Looking up, I drink her in. Meadow hates when I stare at her, but beauty like hers is rare. Her chin dips down, and she kisses my cheek, trailing more toward my ear where she whispers, “You feel so good inside me.”

“You have it all wrong. You make me feel good inside you.” I capture her lips on the edge of a laugh and kiss her while she continues to rock on top of my lap.

The sound of our bodies, our skin slick against each other becomes part of the hum of the desert outside the car. A night wind whistles through the cracked open window as the temperatures continue to fall well after sunset. We couldn’t wait—not for a hotel or a rest stop. When her hand dipped to my pants and she rubbed over me, causing my body to react, I pulled over.

Time is our enemy. There’s never enough of it when I’m with her. Every time I’m with her, I want to drain every ounce of life from the seconds, minutes, few short hours we get to be with each other.

My gaze rolls over the bottom of her jaw as her head tilts back, her mouth open, her bare breasts in front of me. I want to hold her still, hold her here, right the fuck here on top of me.

I run my hands over her body as I make love to the woman who’s become an addiction of mine. I breathe better, easier when I’m with her. The music of our bodies together is the only melody I hear. She’s become my friend.

My lover.

My muse.

Lifting up, she eases back down and then lifts again, gripping my shoulders and digging her nails into my skin. The pain is pleasure when doled out in provocative ways. “Dave,” she whispers on the end of a purr. No other name has been uttered in pure ecstasy like the way she says mine.

I hold her by the hips in the back seat of the SUV taking in the full view. “Hey,” I say.

She comes back to me, her eyes open, her soul exposed in such a vulnerable way, setting my heart on fire. “Hey.” She smiles, and I hold her still again, wanting this to last forever while equally wanting to rush the release.

A few sips of the wine we’ve been drinking straight from the bottle make her eyes sparkle. Caught between want and need, her smile is even until the corners, which curve up. It’s a smile that both hurts and heals my heart when it appears. “Don’t leave.”

Leaning down, she kisses my forehead, my nose, my mouth. With her lips against mine, she whispers, “I have to go.”

I’ve been careful about making plans with her for so long that the words feel foreign to me even now when this feels more intimate than any other time before. Every time with her is like this—better than the last. “I want you to stay.”

I fell for the free-spirited beauty long before we left Austin. But like all who are meant to soar, she can’t be caged by antiquated notions of romance. Meadow Fellowes has been clear about what we are or ever could be—nothing serious. But sometimes, when she looks at me, I see more hidden in the emerald pools of her eyes. I understand the yearning. She says, “My flight is tomorrow night.”

We’ve been so good at keeping it casual, but nothing serious means we’re fucking because we want to have sex. This isn’t fucking, just like we’re not casual, not to me. “Can you change it? Give us another week. Another day. Give us a chance.”

Leaning down, she kisses me and then sits back up. With her palms on my chest, she holds her smile. “I am. By leaving.” Her eyes close, and she starts moving on top of me again.

So I grip her a little tighter, holding her while I can. I meet every one of her pushes with a thrust of my own. As she comes back to me, the lids are half-mast, but her gaze is fixed on me. She whispers, “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I’m thinking how good this feels. Just us. Alone. In the desert, making love, having sex, fucking. All of it. All of you. You feel so good to me. Maybe we should be more to each other.”

“You’re more than you know,” she purrs softly and then leans back as if our connection is too much before she starts a slow gyrate. God, she feels amazing. A hand rubs over my chest, and this time, my eyes meet hers, coming back from the hazy edge of release. “We’re not those people.”

“What people are those?”

“The kind of people who make plans.”

Our bodies glide together as I say, “We’ve made plans before.”

“Spur-of-the-moment plans. Those don’t count.”

“They count.” They fucking count. I want to argue, but my mind clouds as our bodies move of their own volition. My eyes dip closed, and I swim in the moment, buried deep inside her.

We fall, tipping over that line that keeps us safe and the one that will end us—heart, body, and soul. It’s where I prefer to be with her. If only we could stay in this place longer than it takes for our breathing to recover.

My heart calms, and my breathing steadies. Meadow slides down with me still inside her and rests her head on my shoulder. Her fingers toy with the hairs on my chest before a kiss is placed on my neck. “Six months,” she says. “I’ll be back in six months.”

I tighten my arms around her. I don’t care that my body’s too big for this back seat or that we’re covered in sweat. All that matters is that I have her in my arms for a short time, and I intend to savor every second until she boards that plane.

ABOUT S.L. SCOTT

  Living in the capital of Texas with her family, Scott loves traveling and avocados, beaches, and cooking with her kids. She’s obsessed with epic romances and loves a good plot twist. Her favorite color is blue, but she likens it more toward the sky than the emotion. Her home is filled with the welcoming symbol of the pineapple and finds surfing a challenge though she likes to think she’s a pro.

~ Text “slscott” to 77948 ~

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Today, we’re celebrating the release of THRONE OF LIES by Tara Leigh!

THRONE OF LIES is a prequel novella from the Legacy of Lies series and it is available to read for FREE until October 15th!

LEGACY OF LIES is the first novel in the series and it is set to release on October 15th and you can pre-order it now.

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Watch the Book Trailer

——————

The LEGACY OF LIES series novella, THRONE OF LIES, is available for FREE for a limited time!

THRONE OF LIES by Tara Leigh

Prequel novella to Legacy of Lies

READ IT NOW FOR FREE (very limited time sale!)

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

Purchase in PAPERBACK NOW!

COMING MONDAY (October 15)

LEGACY OF LIES by Tara Leigh

Releasing October 15

PREORDER NOW:

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

Purchase in PAPERBACK NOW!

——————————

Tara Leigh writes steamy contemporary romance featuring tortured heroes worth lusting after and the women they didn’t know they needed. She attended Washington University in St. Louis and Columbia Business School in New York, and worked on Wall Street and Main Street before “retiring” to become a wife and mother. When the people in her head became just as real as the people in her life, she decided to put their stories on paper. Tara currently lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut with her husband, children and fur-baby, Pixie.

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CLOSE (Ryder Brothers #1) by Laurelin Paige

Release Date: October 10th

Cover Design: Laurelin Paige

Photographer: Wander Aguiar Photography

Cover Model: Kaz Vanderwaard

AVAILABLE NOW!!

FREE in Kindle Unlimited!!

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J6R58BW

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.com.uk/dp/B07J6R58BW

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07J6R58BW

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.au/dp/B07J6R58BW

Paperback: https://amzn.to/2IL1jPs

Add to TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42036631-close

Blurb

Everyone wants to get close to a rock star.

The bright lights.

The music.

Those talented fingers strumming… a guitar.

Everyone wants to bang a rock star.

So why do I keep running from the one who wants me?

I’m America’s Sweetheart.

I have a reputation.

He’s a boy-band icon turned rock god.

I’m vanilla.

He’s every flavor of bad.

And he’s much, much too young for me.

If I end up in Nick Ryder’s bed, my career and I will both be screwed.

…but that’s only if I’m caught.

My Review

There’s not a Laurelin Paige romance that I haven’t adored, and while Hudson Pierce will always be my favorite book boyfriend in all of the worlds that Paige has introduced me to, by the time my introduction to everything that is Nick Ryder came to an end, he had definitely moved up my list because what romance reader wouldn’t be left swooning when Nick makes it his mission to pursue and convince Natalia that the two of them deserve a chance to be together, despite their age difference, despite public perception, and despite whatever excuses Natalia keeps telling herself and Nick as she slowly develops the same kind of feelings that Nick held from the very beginning.

I have to say…I love when the heroine doesn’t make it easy on the hero when it comes to her claiming. The fact that an uber sexy and seductive guy has to work a bit to get and hold the attention of a woman when he usually only needs to look a woman’s way shows what he’s willing to do for the right woman in his life and not just another woman in his bed. And Nick follows this path brilliantly.

A huge plus, for me, when it comes to stories is witnessing the transformation of characters throughout the story, and the way that Paige plotted out Natalia’s personal and sexual awakening truly depicted who Natalia was coming through her experiences with Nick and as she worked to feel more comfortable in all aspects of her life, accepting her desires and her needs, both in and out of the bedroom, readers are able to understand just how far Natalia has come when Close ends and just how much work she put into defining herself according to who she is and who she wants to be.

Laurelin Paige always does a fantastic job of illustrating the importance of her hero and heroine’s physical connection as an indicator of the feelings they’re not quite ready to give voice to, and that is definitely the case in Close. As America’s Sweetheart, Natalia has an image to maintain – one that can’t be sullied or sexified but damn if she doesn’t want to dirty herself up under Nick’s more than capable hands, mouth, and cock, and Nick is more than ready and willing. And, while it definitely take Natalia a bit to get out of her head and acknowledge what’s building between her and her rocker, the reasons behind her hesitancy are made clear and the fears holding her back are factors that must be addressed one way or another.

I SO NEEDED a fun and light read – one low on angst and dramatics and one high on sexiness and that’s exactly what Laurelin Paige gave me in Nick and Natalia’s story. I couldn’t get enough of the main characters’ interactions, both the intimately private ones and the ones where Nick gave chase to the woman who has always been his celebrity crush. What these two build together is something that can definitely last as long as they both are open and honest, holding nothing back, giving everything to each other because that’s what they both deserve.

Nick and Natalia’s sizzling chemistry resonates from the pages of their story and the fast paced plot makes it easy for readers to get swept up in the Hollywood and Rock Star glam, and while it’s a deceptive, chaotic, and potentially hazardous world, it’s also the reason these two met, so as long as they both hold onto who they are at their core, this Hollywood romance won’t fizzle out like so many others.

4.5 Poison Apples 

Excerpt

“Hi,” he says, doing a double-take when he realizes it’s me. He looks fabulous, of course, because why wouldn’t he when I look so scrubby? He’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt and a hoodie, and his face doesn’t look like he’s tired, or like he stayed up late to drink too much and tear up the dance floor.

Or like he spent last night making out with somebody more than a decade older than him.

“It’s crazy seeing you here,” I say. I giggle again at the sheer ridiculousness of this. “Do you come here often?” What am I doing? What am I saying? It’s like I just learned how to talk to people of the opposite sex. How have I ever gotten a date?

Not that I’m trying to date Nick.

“Occasionally. You?” He sticks his hands in his pockets and he’s so relaxed, so sexy, and I just can’t stand all that swagger on such a handsome guy that I am not allowed to touch. It’s unfair for anyone to look so effortlessly edible before nine a.m.

“It’s my favorite shop. Come here all the time.” I take a couple steps backwards, trying to shift toward my car. “I probably should—”

“Don’t you think it’s probably more than a coincidence?” He takes a step towards me, and I take one back, willing myself not to respond to the rumble of his deep voice and the magnetism of his body. “That we’d see each other again so soon. Kind of like fate, almost.”

Oh my god, Oh my god, he’s flirting with me. What do I do? He’s so hot, I can’t even look at him. But then I do, and I have total church-giggles over this, and I have to escape before I make an even bigger fool out of myself. Someone is bound to notice that I am losing my cool, and they’ll draw conclusions that aren’t even true.

It was just kissing!

“It’s really weird, I have to admit.” I dance back some more, then glance behind me to make sure I’m not going to back into the street and get run over and make this even worse. “And really awkward.” I brush some hair back that’s come loose from the messy bun at the base of my neck.

He shrugs, seeming to disagree. And it’s true that I’m the only one who seems to be awkward right now. “I don’t know about that. Doesn’t have to be awkward. Could just be convenient. Since I never got your phone number.”

If I didn’t think he was flirting before, I know he definitely is now. I don’t want to say no to him, but I have to say no to him. He cannot have my number. Can’t have anything more than a memory of a scorching-hot make-out in the back of a club. What we did was not for a sunlit day. It was for a dark corner. And yet, I still can’t seem to actually say the word no. So instead I say, “Why do you need my phone number?”

Oh my god, this is mortifying. It really is like I’m in high school again and I’ve forgotten not only how to talk to boys but how to stand in their presence.

He takes another step toward me, laughing. “Well, for one thing, I thought it might be nice if we had dinner sometime.”

He has the most ridiculous smile, I realize. It lights up his entire face. You can see it in his eyes, and there’s no pretension. It’s all genuine. Pure sunshine. I’m rendered speechless by it for half a second and I have to ask, “What was that?”

“Dinner,” he says, that huge-ass grin in full force, taking another step toward me, and now there’s only three feet between us, and I can feel the body heat from him, can remember what it felt like the last time he walked me backwards into a wall and then his body was pressing into me, and his mouth was on me. When his chest was against me, when his cock was pressing into me and my hips—

I suddenly jump backwards. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.” I look around suddenly to see if anyone’s noticed this exchange yet.

It’s fine, it’s still fine.

We’re just two people who work in the same industry who bumped into each other on a Saturday morning and are chatting like people do on Saturday mornings when they bump into each other. While giggling. Totally fine.

“What are you worried about, Natalia?” He doesn’t chase after me, just stands there looking confident and laid-back. Like a man trying to tempt a scared animal out from hiding. “I mean—I do bite, but most women like it.”

I smile at that, because I can’t help it, but I duck so he doesn’t see.

He’s probably so much more experienced than me.

He’s probably so dirty in the bedroom.

God, I shouldn’t be thinking about that. “I shouldn’t even be talking to you,” I say, shaking my head. I turn toward my car.

“No, you shouldn’t be,” he calls from behind me, and I have to actually close my eyes to collect myself because it’s obvious he’s thinking about doing not-talking things. Things like last night. Things like biting.

Things good girls have no business being so turned on by.

I tell myself he probably says stuff like that to all the girls who walk away from him.

But who am I kidding? Who has ever walked away from Nick Ryder? Besides me, I mean. Twice now. I deserve an Oscar for my willpower. That should be a new category.

“Bye, Nick,” I call as I flee with my coffee.

Then I step into my car, put my keys in the ignition and drive away before I lose my senses and change my mind.

About the Author

With over 1 million books sold, Laurelin Paige is the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Fixed Trilogy. She’s a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Game of Thrones and the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She’s also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn’t do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio.

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