Fairest Of All Book Reviews

Down in Whynot, NC, there are three things that hold true: 1) life moves just a little bit slower, 2) family means everything, and 3) you don’t mess with history.

When his family decides to sell a home that’s been part of their history for over a century, Lowe Mancinkus is madder than a hornet. To add insult to injury, the woman who purchased it is some fancy pants, city girl looking to fix it up and sell it off. Doesn’t matter that she’s sexy as hell or that just being near her gets his blood racing like never before. That home belongs to his family, or at least it did until she came to town.

Well that just won’t do, now will it?

From the moment that she laid eyes on the historical home in rural North Carolina, Melinda Rothschild knew Mainer House was something special. The perfect escape from life in New York City, Melinda signed the papers and set to work restoring the house to its natural beauty. That is until an angry Lowe showed up on her doorstep one day. With a scowl on his handsome, chiseled face. And a shotgun in his strong, muscular arms.

Is it getting hot in here?

Melinda’s about to get a lesson on life in the south, but Lowe is about to learn a lesson of his own – this city girl doesn’t back down from a fight.

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Excerpt

The booming sound coming from downstairs causes me to sit straight up on the mattress that is placed in the middle of the master bedroom floor. I’ve yet to get a good night’s sleep because there’s a damn train that runs parallel to the town. It’s just two blocks over from the Mainer House, and it feels the need to blow its whistle around two AM each morning. This isn’t that big of a deal to most of the residents of the small town of Whynot, but to me… it chafes just a little because, well… I love my sleep.

I’ve been assured by the nice lady who runs Sweet Cakes, the bakery right across the street from Mainer House, that I’ll get used to it, but I seriously doubt it. Even the noise of New York City never penetrated my sleep the way a train whistle does, and I get a totally empathetic look from her when I stagger in for some coffee and a cheese Danish each morning.

I think I’ve slipped into a pattern at night where I now anticipate being woken up by that stupid train, so I’m not even able to get into good REM sleep. It’s probably why I shot straight up in bed at the banging that’s going on downstairs, although I can’t quite pinpoint from where it’s coming. A glance at the alarm clock sitting on the floor shows it’s 5:30 AM. It’s still dark outside, and I’m slightly—okay, greatly—confused. I struggle to process since it’s been almost two weeks since I came to Whynot and I’ve not had a decent night’s sleep since then.

Then it penetrates… someone’s at my front door.

Banging.

At 5:30 AM.

Immediate anger flows through my veins, heating me up from within. Without any further consternation, I know it’s Lowe Mancinkus causing all that noise. It must be him because there’s no one else in the entire world who has ever been such a thorn in my side.

Flipping the blanket back, I roll off the mattress and wince as my knees hit the floor. Almost three decades of sleeping on a mattress, box spring, and a frame, and I can’t get used to being only a few inches off the floor. I’ve held off on buying any furniture for the house until the remodeling is complete.

Pushing first to my hands and knees, I manage to lurch upright and stagger out of the bedroom. Down the rotund, sweeping staircase to the main floor. I don’t even bother to look out the leaded glass panels on either side of the heavy wooden door—so convinced I am that it’s Lowe on the other side—that I fling it open without an ounce of worry.

“What in the holy hell are you doing?” I snarl as the breeze generated from the doorway swinging open so fast actually blows my hair back.

Lowe stands there in mid-bang, fist raised high and a diabolical glitter to his eyes. His eyes lock onto mine for just a moment before they drop and casually run down the length of my frame. I look down at myself and cringe as I realize I’m still in my pajamas, which in the sweltering South consists of a cotton tank top and sleep shorts that are really short. My hand falls from the doorknob, and I cross my arms over my chest as Lowe looks back up at me.

And why does he have to be so damned gorgeous? In ordinary circumstances, this man pushes all my girlie buttons. Tall, just enough muscle to be strong but not freakish, and that dark chocolate hair with bright hazel eyes that are every woman’s fantasy. I always have to remind myself he’s a nasty SOB who I wouldn’t give the time of day to… in ordinary circumstances, that is.

“I’m here to start work,” he says casually as he pushes past me into the main foyer.

“It’s five-freaking-thirty in the morning,” I grit out, not moving from the open doorway. I expect him to be walking right back out again.

Instead, he ignores me and moves down a wide hall beside the staircase that goes to the kitchen. With a growl of frustration, I slam the door shut and then stomp off after him. “It’s completely rude to show up here at this hour.”

He doesn’t respond and as I turn the corner into the kitchen, I find him rummaging through the cupboards. “Where’s the coffee?”

“I don’t have any,” I snap at his backside since he hasn’t bothered to give me a second glance since he barged in. “And I don’t like you ignoring me any more than I like you barging into my house.”

“Get some decent clothes on, and I wouldn’t be forced to look through your cupboards for nonexistent coffee,” he replies calmly, moving onto the next cabinet even though I’ve told him I have no coffee.

In fact, I have hardly anything at all here. A mattress, pillow, sheets, and blanket in the bedroom, some orange juice in the fridge, and towels in the master bathroom. Those are the only creature comforts at this point, and they’re enough to get me through the remodeling. I’ve been eating out almost every meal and this is not a hardship as that’s pretty much what I do when I’m back home in New York. One, however, can only eat so many grits and collards, although I’ll take them over fatback and pickled pigs feet any day.

“I would like to remind you…” I say in a voice that comes off far too rancid and nowhere in control. “That this is my house. I can wear whatever I like to bed, with the assumption I won’t have visitors until a decent hour.”

“I’m not a visitor,” he points out, back still to me. “But because you couldn’t take a little joke and had to run crying to Judge Bowe, I now have to work for you. I also have to keep my own business running, which means I have to work early and late. You need to suck it up, buttercup. This is your life for the next few months.”

Juliette Poe is the sweet and swoony alter ego of New York Times Best Selling author, Sawyer Bennett.

A fun-loving southern girl, Juliette knows the allure of sweet tea, small towns, and long summer nights, that some of the best dates end sitting on the front porch swing, and that family is top priority. She brings love in the south to life in her debut series, Sex & Sweet Tea.

When Juliette isn’t delivering the sweetest kind of romance, she’s teaching her southern belle daughter the fine art of fishing, the importance of wearing Chucks, and the endless possibilities of a vivid imagination.

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The Darkest Sunrise (The Darkest Sunrise Duet, #1) 

Buy it Now

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Synopsis

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.

Whoever coined that phrase is a bald-faced liar. Words are often the sharpest weapon of all, triggering some of the most powerful emotions a human can experience.

“You’re pregnant.”

“It’s a boy.”

“Your son needs a heart transplant.”

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.

Lies.

Syllables and letters may not be tangible, but they can still destroy your entire life faster than a bullet from a gun.

Two words—that was all it took to extinguish the sun from my sky.

“He’s gone.”

For ten years, the darkness consumed me.

In the end, it was four deep, gravelly words that gave me hope of another sunrise.

“Hi. I’m Porter Reese.”

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Review

I don’t even know how to begin this review…I just finished The Darkest Sunrise…it’s barely been minutes since I read the last page, and I’m struggling to put into words the impact this story…these characters…Aly Martinez’s words have had on me.

I’ve always adored Aly’s writing because she doesn’t confine herself to tried and true story lines; she puts herself out there as a writer, unwilling to put the voices in her head into one certain box; she allows them to roam free and in doing so, she provides her readers with rich storylines and dynamic characters who transform right in front of us, for better AND worse, and as we turn the pages of their story and realize the significance of their pasts and what it will take for them to be able to move on, we get lost in Aly’s words and plead for her to find a way to make her characters shine, despite their pain…despite the loss…despite life’s tendency to pull them into the darkness.

The Darkest Sunrise is such a powerful story of loss, of grief, of guilt…it’s a story that illustrates the true power of words, and how they can both save and destroy, heal and harm, set free and enslave.

Words and deeds have slayed both Charlotte Mills and Porter Reese, forcing them to merely exist…to survive a past that they can’t move on from because the numbness and emptiness are their constant companions, and while they went through separate defining moments – ones that shattered their lives and drowned them into the darkest existences possible, they’re drawn to one another because they share a mutual pain…they share a similar look behind the facades they put on for those around them. Both of them understand just how easy it is to lose the light from their lives, plummeting into the darkness and suffocating from it without the knowledge of how to crawl back out into the sunshine.

Metaphorically, the darkness that Charlotte and Porter find themselves in, since the day their lives went pitch black, is both comforting and disconcerting;

in part, the shadows serve as a protective shield…as a way to cope with incidences they couldn’t control and still manage to deal with the life they continue to live. In some ways, the blackness is where they need to be; it’s a place they feel comfortable because it numbs them enough to endure, but there are also demons there – ones trying to keep them in their clutches, never allowing them to find a way into the light because the circle of hell is where the anger, guilt, despair, and hate need them to be…it’s a place where those dark emotions can fester and grow in ways that Charlotte and Porter may not be able to come back from even if they help one another to willingly try. 

Charlotte and Porter’s story has a multilayered plot; there are several story lines occurring at the same time, and it’s not until the end of the first book that all of them blend together as one and leave readers reeling for The Brightest Sunset because it seems impossible for Charlotte and Porter to procure themselves out of the darkness with what’s revealed at the end of The Darkest Sunrise…any progress into the light seems futile with the devastating knowledge of just how similar Charlotte and Porter’s pain and suffering truly is, and I have to be honest…I don’t know how they’re going to be able to remain each other’s support when questions and judgments are bound to reveal even more heartbreaking information for all those involved.

I’m truly blown away by The Darkest Sunrise…every word written…every character trait described…every theme explored is crucial to understanding the pain these characters carry EVERY DAY of their lives, and as I head into the second part of Charlotte and Porter’s duet, I pray that Aly Martinez brings them as well as readers into a sustainable light – one that will blind us in the best ways possible and remain shining when the darkness forcefully comes back to reclaim its captives and keep them from the brightness of a new day.

5 Poison Apples

The Brightest Sunset (The Darkest Sunrise Duet, #2) 

Coming July 27th 

Pre-order it Now

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 You won’t want to miss this amazing series!

———————

Author Information

Originally from Savannah, Georgia, USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez now lives in South Carolina with her four young children.

Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, mystery leggings, and baked feta. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person.

She passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a super-sized tumbler of wine by her side.

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Being young is all about the experiences: the first time you skip school, the first time you fall in love…the first time someone holds a gun to your head.

After being held hostage during a robbery at the local convenience store, seventeen year old Edie finds her attitude about life shattered. Unwilling to put up with the snobbery and bullying at her private school, she enrolls at the local public high school, crossing paths with John. The boy who risked his life to save hers.

While Edie’s beginning to run wild, however, John’s just starting to settle down. After years of partying and dealing drugs with his older brother, he’s going straight—getting to class on time, and thinking about the future.

An unlikely bond grows between the two as John keeps Edie out of trouble and helps her broaden her horizons. But when he helps her out with another first—losing her virginity—their friendship gets complicated.

Meanwhile, Edie and John are pulled back into the dangerous world they narrowly escaped. They were lucky to survive the first time, but this time they have more to lose—each other.

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072FH6SHL/

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Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trust-jess-c-sc…/1114123457

Audible: Coming soon

TRUST by Kylie Scott (Official Book Trailer) from FILM 14 on Vimeo.

Kylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013 & 2014, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet. You can learn more about Kylie from http://www.kylie-scott.com/

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Twisted Twosome, an all new sexy, laugh out loud romantic comedy from Meghan Quinn is coming August 3rd!

Twisted Twosome by Meghan Quinn

Publication Date: August 3, 2017

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover Designer: Meghan Quinn

Photographer: DesLaurier Media

Cover Model: Model: Jess Kasser

Racer McKay is a broody bastard.

From the moment I met him, he’s been rude, irritable, and unbearable.

A contractor working to remodel my parents pool house for extra cash, he stomps around in those clunky construction boots with his tool belt wrapped around his narrow waist, and a chip on his shoulder.

Racer McKay is also infuriatingly . . . sexy as hell. I want to take that pencil tucked behind his ear, and draw lazy lines slowly up and down his body all the while wanting to strangle him at the same time.

We try to stay out of each other’s way . . . that is until I have no other option but to ask for his help.

But what I don’t realize is he needs me just as much as I need him. I have money he’s desperate for, and he holds the key to making my dreams come true.

Our pranks turn from sarcastic banter, to sexual tension and lust-filled glances. Bickering matches quickly morph into slow burn moments. We’re hot, we’re cold. We push and pull. I need him, I don’t want him. We’re on the verge of combusting with an agreement dangling dangerously between us. Neither one of us can afford to lose one another and yet, we’re finding it quite hard to decipher the line that rests between love and hate.

Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/TFxJ7s

About the Author

A BLONDE AT HEART

Born in New York and raised in Southern California, Meghan has grown into a sassy, peanut butter eating, blonde haired swearing, animal hoarding lady. She is known to bust out and dance if “It’s Raining Men” starts beating through the air and heaven forbid you get a margarita in her, protect your legs because they may be humped.

Once she started commuting for an hour and twenty minutes every day to work for three years, she began to have conversations play in her head, real life, deep male voices and dainty lady coos kind of conversations. Perturbed and confused, she decided to either see a therapist about the hot and steamy voices running through her head or start writing them down. She decided to go with the cheaper option and started writing… enter her first novel, Caught Looking.

​Now you can find the spicy, most definitely on the border of lunacy, kind of crazy lady residing in Colorado with the love of her life and her five, furry four legged children, hiking a trail or hiding behind shelves at grocery stores, wondering what kind of lube the nervous stranger will bring home to his wife. Oh and she loves a good boob squeeze!

Connect with Meghan

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In this second of the sultry, Western-set Coming Home series from New York Times bestselling author Harper Sloan, Quinn Davis might finally have a shot at her own happily-ever-after—but will she let love in, or will she tell it to go ahead and kiss her boots?

Quinn Davis prefers to live her life quietly. She’s the stereotypical tomboy with two overprotective big brothers who have always been there to protect her, especially from devilishly handsome cowboys with silver tongues. That is, until Tate Montgomery comes riding into town. Their first meeting, however, is far from something out of a fairy tale and only further convinces Quinn that men aren’t worth her time.

The only place Tate Montgomery ever truly felt at home growing up was during the long, sweltering summer months he spent at his Gram and Paw’s farm in Pine Oak, Texas. Now, Tate has returned to his childhood sanctuary seeking a fresh start—but if he’s being entirely honest, he’s not just back for the wranglers and Stetsons. During those summers, Quinn was a friend-turned-young-love who Tate lost when life threw him a curveball and he cut all ties to his past; but all it takes is one glance at the raven-haired beauty he did his best to forget for him to realize just how much he’s been missing….

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Harper is a NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL and USA TODAY bestselling author residing in Georgia with her husband and three daughters. She has a borderline unhealthy obsession with books, hibachi, tattoos and Game of Thrones. When she isn’t writing you can almost always find her with a book in hand.

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Blurb

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Review 

A criminal and a heiress…those two individuals and their worlds should be mutually exclusive, but when Anthony Bear kidnaps Christy Chapman, using her as ransom for her father’s debt, Anthony and Christy become so much more than kidnapper/victim, proving that the relationship they create and grow is an enigma – one where this ”perfectly matched mismatched couple” proves that true love has no limitations, regardless of contrasting backgrounds, criminal dealings, sinister activities, and/or heartbreaking secrets. 

The Iron Tiara spans over two decades, illustrating the whys and hows of what made Anthony Bear the man he is and showcasing the highs and lows that Anthony and Christy endure as well as those family and friends closest to the dynamic couple. There are multiple perspectives used in the story, which can be a bit confusing, but in this case, it helps to fully develop all of the plot lines, constructing a comprehensive view of a very complex world, and because there are so many lies and half-truths told throughout the course of Anthony and Christy’s story, hearing valid insights from those who know the truth make it easier to sort out all of the details and understand how all the varying events form one complete picture – a messed up and beyond deplorable one but one that nonetheless allows readers to wrap their heads around everything that has occurred to bring Anthony and Christy into each other’s lives.

In a lot of ways, this is NOT a feel good story; brutal acts occur throughout the book, indicating just how dark and evil Anthony and his crew can be as well as those who use others for purely selfish reasons. Anthony is definitely more of a villainous anti-hero than a man who puts himself on the right side of the law; he’s probably one of the most sadistic male leads that I’ve read in a long time, but his transformation and perhaps even his redemption comes through what he willingly risks for Christy and would willingly give up if she asked him to, which in not means makes him a good man but Christy accepts Anthony for who he is and she doesn’t need him to change to be with him; in fact, his strength and need to protect her by any means necessary proves his love for her time and time again. 

If I had to use a series of words to describe the various plot lines and events that take place in the Iron Tiara, they would definitely be dysfunctional, savage, deviant, and dangerous. But beneath all of the dark and deadly acts is one hell of a love story – one that weathers devastating and deplorable circumstances, finding solace in what they are building despite all of the obstacles and complications that threaten who and what they’ve come to mean to each other.

This is my first Beth Flynn read and from the beginning of Anthony and Christy’s story, I understood just why her stories, writing, and characters appeal to so many readers and allow them to escape into a world much different than their own and while I can’t begin to understand how Flynn crafts the hellish worlds she does and I fear for her mental health at times, I’d gladly give up hours to read another one of her stories because they definitely leave quite the impression.

4 Poison Apples

ABOUT BETH FLYNN

STALK BETH FLYNN

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From New York Times Bestselling author Laura Kaye, comes EYES ON YOU, a new novella in her Blasphemy Series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights!

Be sure to grab your copy today!

About EYES ON YOU (Blasphemy #3):

She wants to explore her true desires, and he wants to watch…

When a sexy stranger asks Wolf Henrikson to rescue her from a bad date, he never expected to want the woman for himself. But their playful conversation turns into a scorching one-night stand that reveals the shy beauty gets off on the idea of being seen, even if she’s a little scared of it, too. And Wolf loves to watch.

In the wake of discovering her fiancé’s infidelity, florist Olivia Foster never expected to find someone who not only understood her wildest, darkest fantasies, but would bring them to life. As Wolf introduces her to his world at the play club, Blasphemy, Liv finds herself tempted to explore submission and exhibitionism with the hard-bodied Dom even as she’s scared to trust again.

But Wolf is a master of getting what he wants—and he’s got his eyes set on her…

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Review

Master Wolf has always intrigued me since starting Laura Kaye’s Blasphemy series. His kink isn’t about whips and chains or pain and pleasure; he’s a voyeur/exhibitionist – one who gets off on watching people give and receive pleasure as well as bring his lover to orgasm with as many eyes on them as possible. It makes sense that Wolf would feel a bit restless and even bored in the club he helps run and has a stake in because there aren’t any risks involved in playing at Blasphemy. It’s a place of like-minded people, so while they are more than willing to watch with avid interest when Wolf and his partner decide to play in the main room of the club, the riskiness and fundamental pleasure of partaking in sexual acts out in the open does not hold the same thrill because there’s no one to judge them…no one to fear outing their activities because no one would disapprove of any type of carnal act they choose to explore while all eyes are on them.

Olivia Foster is just the submissive Wolf needs to bring out his “full Dom mode,” which is interesting because Liv has never realized that part of her nature due to her ex’s judgmental attitude when it comes to her sexual fantasies, making her feel abnormal and inappropriate. But all it takes is one interaction between them for Wolf to know exactly what Liv needs to feel alive and find sexual pleasure, and when Olivia agrees to explore her very public desires, both of them find exactly who and what they need to live fulfilling personal and professional lives.

Laura Kaye does an amazing job of illustrating Olivia’s transformation as Liv finally realizes that there’s nothing wrong with what she wants and needs in a sexual partner. Liv and Wolf fit so perfectly together that the quickness of their relationship makes sense and it doesn’t feel rushed because they provide each other with exactly what they need and give fully of themselves, ensuring that they both are satisfied in all facets of their lives. 

The whole concept of voyeurism and exhibitionism is an intriguing one; in a sense, that’s exactly what readers of erotic romance are doing, so while we may not feel comfortable enough to act out or to explore our own fantasies, letting go of all inhibitions, we are allowed to witness our desires play out in front of us every time we pick up a sexy, smutty, romantic, or kinky read, and I, for one, wouldn’t want it any other way.

4.5 Poison Apples

Excerpt

The silence that followed was thick with tension, and Liv almost couldn’t decide if she’d hallucinated what’d happened or if this first date was truly just that bad. Jerry wouldn’t make eye contact and, instead, peered down at his cell phone beneath the table. So she took the opportunity to survey the diners sitting at the horseshoe-shaped bar near them in the hopes she’d see someone, anyone, she knew. God, please give me a way to escape Mr. I Don’t Use Menus. But God had clearly forsaken her, because the party of three women having a girls’ night out were strangers. As were the various groupings of men, some of whom wore Orioles gear and watched the pre-game commentary on the captioned television screens above the bar. An elderly man she didn’t know sat alone nearest to their high-boy table nursing a glass of bourbon, and two seats down from him…sat the hottest man Liv had ever seen.

And that was her impression just from seeing him in profile.

He had dark blond hair and a chiseled jaw, and even sitting, it was clear that he was tall.

Seriously broad shoulders filled out a dark green button-down shirt, and big hands gripped a glass of water. Now God was just being mean. Because someone was going to get to be with that man tonight while she was stuck here with Jerry of the I Don’t Use Menus clan. As she watched, not-Jerry pressed his cell phone to his ear and began talking in tones too low for her to hear.

On a sigh, Liv returned her attention to Jerry. Not that it mattered, because his gaze remained fixed on his phone. She drained the rest of her Prosecco and wished someone would bring her the bottle. That wouldn’t be too awkward for a first date, right? Right?

https://s3.amazonaws.com/embed.animoto.com/play.html?w=swf/production/vp1&e=1500204461&f=fgQV1JcbegzkUOTP57RErw&d=0&m=p&r=360p+480p+720p&volume=100&start_res=720p&i=m&asset_domain=s3-p.animoto.com&animoto_domain=animoto.com&options=

About Laura Kaye

New York Times and USA Today bestseller Laura Kaye is the author of over twenty books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Laura grew up amid family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses, cementing her life-long fascination with storytelling and the supernatural. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Laura is a member of the Romance Writers of America, the Maryland Romance Writers, and she is past president of the RWA-Contemporary Romance Writers.

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Damien Fox lived up to his name. Cunning, sly, and dangerous, fifty percent of Vegas’ strip clubs were his.

Whatever he wanted, money, attention, women, he got.

And now he wanted to buy my bar, no matter the cost.

I wanted him to go to hell on a first-class ticket.

He played a dirty game, and I followed his rules. I let him think he would win.

Despite our differences, it was clear to see that we were no more than two broken hearts colliding in the darkness.

Closed off, sexy, and holding a pain that would crush a lesser man, he was the ultimate sin.

One I couldn’t deny myself, even though I knew better than to trust a fox…

(SIN is book one of the Vegas Nights series. Each book in this series is a standalone novel.)

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2rPpndl

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2rP1e6Q

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2sz7XzI

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2rOOlJV

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/SinVNBN

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Kobo: http://bit.ly/2sNdGkW

Review

A sinner and a saint…a fox and his prey…a man who hides his emotions and a woman who wears her heart on her sleeve…a man who gets what he wants and a woman who refuses to bend to anyone’s demands…Meet Emma Hart’s newest dynamic duo – Damien Fox and Dahlia Lloyd.

These contrasting characteristics perfectly describe the hero and heroine of Emma Hart’s latest release, SIN, and there’s no better location/setting for a story rich in secrets and a decadent, enticing, sinfully hot story line than Las Vegas.

At first glance, Damien Fox personifies every woman’s ideal man because of his striking good looks and well-toned body, but once he opens his mouth, he becomes a bit of a smug asshole who believes his smooth moves and calculating actions allow him to claim anything and anyone he wants. But what’s most interesting about Mr. Fox is that his cocksure and smug attitude is more of a facade than anything else; it’s a shield for him to protect himself against his past and against the possibility of someone getting too close to him because he refuses to give that kind of power to anyone ever again.

In order to truly understand why Damien became the cold and emotionless man that he’s perceived to be, Emma Hart slowly reveals his past and his true nature, which means that initially, readers agree with Dahlia’s assessment of the pompous jerk, but as Damien and Dahlia’s exchanges become more about their attraction to one another than about what he wants from her, Dahlia as well as readers begin to see him in a new light and can’t help but want to bring out the man Damien truly is and see if there’s a chance of a future for him and Dahlia despite their shaky start. 

Dahlia Lloyd is quite the dynamic heroine – one who Damien drastically underestimates simply because he’s too far under his father’s control at the beginning of the story. Regardless of the tragic events, Dahlia has had to endure, she’s an independent, intelligent, and good-natured woman who counts her blessings despite losing those most important to her. She definitely keeps Damien on his toes from their first interaction, and her sassy personality knows no bounds, especially when it comes to some arrogant man child who thinks he can smooth talk his way into her pants and into the deed to her bar. And as Dahlia figures out a way to beat Damien at his own game, she also helps him let go of the guilt he feels over his past and find a new way to handle things both in the present and the future.

Emma Hart makes Damien Fox work for everything when it comes to Dahlia. They seem to walk around each other for quite some time, never truly succumbing to their desires because there’s too much at stake for both sides. But once they give into their attraction, the rules and the game itself are redefined, forcing both acknowledge what is truly happening between them and what that means for both their personal and professional lives.

The secondary characters in SIN make for quite the entertainment. Abby and Fergus provide a dramatic flair to the story, offering commentary when it comes to Damien and Dahlia’s more than business relationship as well as adding some over the top antics to lighten the heaviness of some of the story line.

I can’t write a review about SIN and not bring up the name and theme of Dahlia’s Las Vegas bar. I absolutely LOVED the concept of The Scarlet Letter and the back story of its creation and its reinvention now that Dahlia’s in charge. There’s something so cool about the bar’s dynamics and what it offers its patrons and I for one would wait in line to experience the ambience of a bar like The Scarlet Letter.

Dahlia and Damien’s story is a fantastic start to what I’m sure will be a sexy and dramatic series, and with who the female lead is in book two, I can’t wait to see how Hart crafts Perrie’s story because that girl has a ton of demons to slay and a past and present that once told will shed light on just how dark and gritty her life became.

4.5 Poison Apples

Excerpt

“Why wouldn’t you talk about your work in the restaurant?” I set my purse on the floor by my feet and shifted to face him. “I’ve never seen anyone get out of a dinner so fast.”

A small smile tugged the edge of his lips up. “Just like I said in there, some things shouldn’t be discussed in public.”

“Like politics and religion.”

“You have a very smart mouth.” He glanced down at said smart mouth. “Do you ever turn it off?”

“Never,” I reassured him. “Now, we’re no longer in public, so tell me about what you do.”

He rested an arm along the back of the seats. His fingertips landed just inches from my hair, and I gave a cursory glance at their closeness.

Shivers tickled their way down my spine as he stared at me. He was entirely still except for the way his eyes flicked left and right repeatedly. It felt an awful lot like he was taking me in, committing me to memory for some strange reason.

“A lot of people don’t like me. Pissing people off is part of business, and I’ve done that a lot, so I try to keep my work private. It’s that simple, sweetheart.”

“I get it. But now, it is private.” I wasn’t going to let this drop. I’d quit reading before I did that. “I’ve told you a lot about my bar tonight, so now tell me something.”

“You have the innate ability to make me feel like I’m back in high school and writing an essay about being reasonable.”

“If you’d done that, you might know how to be reasonable.” I paused when he laughed. It was low blow time again. “Look, Mr. Fox—”

“Damien.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything about your business and what you do, but given that you’re failing embarrassingly in your attempt to buy my business, it’s probably in your best interests to start talking.”

He leaned forward and took my hair between his finger and thumb. Slowly, he twirled the strands around his finger, each twist lightly tugging against my scalp. “You should have been a cop. You’re very persuasive.”

“In that case, you could probably learn a thing or two from me. Your own skills are lacking.”

“I don’t know.” He dropped his voice to a low murmur. “I think, if I tried hard enough, I could persuade you into a few things.”

I raised my eyebrows. We’d moved on from talking about business. Once again, the Master of Deflection was doing what he’d been doing for most of our evening together.

“I still haven’t forgiven you for your antics yesterday, so I wouldn’t even try it.” I tapped his hand so he released his hold on my hair. It tumbled away from his finger so I could smooth the strands back down and gave him a pointed look.

“Forgiven me, or yourself?” His eyes glinted knowingly. Almost self-assuredly.

Hell, there was no almost about it. He knew exactly how I’d felt when he’d left me. He knew exactly what he’d done to me, and I did, too. Denying that I was annoyed at myself because I could still remember how it’d felt when he’d taken my chin in his hand was pointless.

“Both,” I answered, sitting up a little straighter. “That doesn’t invite you to exercise poor judgment and make another attempt to mix business with pleasure?”

“Attempt? Sweetheart, if I’d attempted to do that, there would have been a lot less business and a lot more pleasure before I’d left you.”

“You think I’d give in to you so easily?”

At those words, Damien slid smoothly across the leather seats. His arm, still resting along the back of them, hung down behind me, his thumb just brushing against my back. The rest of his body was mere inches from mine, and I bit the inside of my lip as he trailed his fingertips up my bare arm. My eyes followed his feather-light touch while his stayed fixated on my face.

He coasted his fingers over my shoulder where he touched them to my jaw. Lightly, he tilted my face around and up until I had no choice but to look him in the eyes again—to look right there where I could see exactly how much he wanted me.

Dark.

Hot.

Full of temptation.

Heavy and intense, his eyes screamed of raw lust and selfish need.

“I don’t think you’d give in at all,” he whispered. “I think your body would do that for you, and you’d be helpless to it.”

“You think a lot of yourself, don’t you?” I said quietly. I touched my finger to his belt, then ran it up the length of his torso, ghosting it over the solid packs of muscle that made up his body until I flicked the starchy collar of his shirt. “You think you can do this and I’ll give in to what is essentially a biological reaction? I’m stronger than you take me for, you know.”

He curled his fingers around my chin and dipped his face to mine. “She says with a racing heart.”

I pressed one finger against his mouth and ran another along his strong thigh…right up to where his hard cock was straining against the soft material of his pants. “Don’t you hate it when your attraction to someone is so obvious?”

His jaw clenched. “If you have any sense at all inside that gorgeous head of yours, you’ll move your hand.”

By day, New York Times and USA Today bestselling New Adult author Emma Hart dons a cape and calls herself Super Mum to two beautiful little monsters. By night, she drops the cape, pours a glass of whatever she fancies—usually wine—and writes books.

Emma is working on Top Secret projects she will share with her followers and fans at every available opportunity. Naturally, all Top Secret projects involve a dashingly hot guy who likes to forget to wear a shirt, a sprinkling (or several) of hold-onto-your-panties hot scenes, and a whole lotta love.

She likes to be busy—unless busy involves doing the dishes, but that seems to be when all the ideas come to life.

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