Fairest Of All Book Reviews

Blurb

 

Title: Only You (A Second Chance Novel)

Author: Stephanie Rose

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: October 14, 2015

Synopsis

Only You is a STANDALONE novel in the Second Chances Series.

I spent my life searching for love, but Evan was right there all along. As gorgeous on the inside as he was on the outside, I never had to wonder if he loved me. He showed me with every glance, every sweet touch, every scorching kiss.

I wanted nothing more than to give him my forever—until I found out I may not have one.

Paige was the girl of my dreams. So beautiful in every way; no one would ever compare. I feared she would never be mine, and then she became my everything. I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life.

I wanted her to be my forever. But love may not be enough.

Why do I have to say good-bye to the love of my life? How can I let you go—when it’s always been only you?

PLEASE NOTE: Only You is a Contemporary Romance with intense language and sexual situations meant for readers 18 and up.

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Excerpt

“So, are you . . . interested in anyone now?” Evan leaned forward, his voice low and husky.

“Actually, yes I am.” Oh God, I was really doing this! “He’s a friend of mine, so it’s a little weird . . . but he’s sweet and sexy . . . and it annoys me that I never noticed how amazing he was. I think he might be interested, too—but like I said, my instincts are shit so who knows.” I shrugged and took a sip of my coffee, pretending to focus my attention on my computer screen.

I had never been so forward with a man in my entire life. How could I play this off that I was talking about someone else if I read him wrong? 

“Maybe not.” Evan scooted his chair closer to the table and slammed my laptop shut. I had nowhere to look but into his hay-colored eyes that, at the moment, seemed to burn right through me.

“Maybe he’s noticed you for years, but never thought he had a shot. Maybe he’s sick of watching you waste your time with guys who don’t deserve you. Maybe if you ask, you’ll find out he’s very, very interested.” The intense expression on Evan’s face as he fixed his gaze on me made my pulse race.

“Maybe he figured out who I was talking about?” I crinkled my nose and gave Evan a playful grin.

He lowered his eyes and chuckled. “I need to work this weekend; the diner job starts on Saturday morning, but I’m free Thursday night. There is an awesome restaurant I know in Brooklyn if you wouldn’t mind making the drive with me.”

“I would love that. But, if you’re busy, it can wait. I know you guys are trying to get as much work as you can. We can always go out when things aren’t so crazy—”

“If things go the way I hope they will, business will always be busy and crazy.” Evan rose from his seat and threw away his empty cup. He sauntered over to where I sat and leaned over, one hand on my chair and one on the table—completely closing me in.

He pressed a soft kiss right below my ear and whispered, “I’ve waited for this date since I was fifteen years old, and I’m not waiting anymore.” I stiffened as his wet and warm lips lingered on my skin. My breath hitched, and I was sure Evan noticed as he stood with a sweet and satisfied smile.

“See you Thursday, Daisy.” I watched him stroll out the door, too tongue-tied to say anything in reply. Sweet, butter-doesn’t-melt-in-his-mouth Evan was hot as hell, and had a little alpha streak.

I had a lot to learn about nice boys, and couldn’t wait for Evan to teach me.

About The Author

Stephanie is the author of the Second Chances series, stories based in New York City about second chances at love. She lives in the Bronx, New York with her superhero-obsessed husband and son.
Her day job is marketing, but she always has a story in her head. This lifelong New Yorker lives for Starbucks, book boyfriends, and 80s rock. Her voice often gets mistaken for a Mob Wives trailer.
After making up stories her entire life in various journals, she took her fingers to the keyboard on a dare from a friend and wrote her first novel in 2015.
She’s excited to finally bring the characters she’s been dreaming about to life!

 

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The Second Chance Series

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Title: The Artist
Author: Shealy James
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 20, 2015

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Title: Lily in Bloom
Author: Tammy Andresen
Genre: Historical Romance

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Title: Exposed (Unguarded, #1)

Author: Ivy Stone

Genre: Erotic Romance/ Romantic Suspense

Release Date: October 13,. 2015

Synopsis

One explosive encounter brought them together.
One infatuation led to a love like no other.
One secret tore them apart.

As head of the NYPD Organized Crime Control Bureau in Manhattan, Chief Detective Mason Cole walks in the line of fire every day. Between dodging bullets and braiding his daughter’s hair, Mason is tormented with haunting memories that refuse to relinquish control over him, no matter how hard he tries. After a bust gone wrong, he’s thrown for a loop by a woman who will fill his life with more chaos than ever before.

Lindsey Jenkins is a self-made woman. Bold and independent, she lives unapologetically in a life of deception. That is until her facade is threatened by a force stronger than anything she’s ever felt before—love.

Leaving their hearts unguarded could lead to destruction. Even worse, it could expose them both to a war they never saw coming.

In a city coerced by corruption and treachery, what happens when your greatest passion becomes your biggest weakness?

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Excerpt

Lindsey

A light, calloused touch scorches up my side, waking me from sleep. Goose bumps rise from the touch of fingertips and just as I’m about to scramble away, his signature scent hits me with a force of desire and I instantly calm. My shoulders fall and I relax my body back into the hot wall of pure muscle plastered behind me. Feathery kisses trail over my shoulder blade and I quiver at the tingling sensation freezing my body in place. His whiskered jaw prickles my skin, along my shoulder all the way up to my neck. It heightens my senses as lust shoots through my core, and I clutch my pillow, fighting the fire in my belly. I yearn to yank him over me and drive his cock right into me as far as it can go. His hand slides from my waist to my ass and as he squeezes firmly and I can’t help the moan from slipping past my lips. My own sounds of desire echoes through the room much louder than intended, and as soon as it’s left my mouth, Mason spreads his hand over my ass cheek and hip, clutching tightly, and with a quick jerk, he pulls me backwards pressing his jean-clad cock into my ass, rubbing his hardness against me.

“Fuck,” he whispers near my ear, his voice breaking. His head leans on my shoulder and I reach back, gliding my shaky hand up his thick firm thigh, over his ass and bringing it up behind me to his head. Pulling at his hair, I angle my head and bring his up closer to mine. We’re nose to nose, body against body, and breathing so rapidly it’s like we’ve both just run a marathon.

“We shouldn’t do this.” I whisper, staring into his lust-filled eyes. We both know we shouldn’t. I can’t do it, not now. He wants too much, I don’t want enough. It’s too risky, too dangerous. What if one night ruins it all? What if after, my body and my heart want more? If once isn’t enough, denying him again will be so much harder. His job, my job, if our worlds collide, it’ll be one fucked-up mess we’ll never survive.

He shakes his head and rolls swiftly over on top of me, pushing me on my back. “Didn’t plan this when I came in here, Linds. But I sure as fuck don’t want to stop now, not now that I know you want it too.” His lips crash to mine, his tongue searching for an opening. My lips part and his tongue slips inside, caressing my own in one powerful kiss, so gentle and long, so passionate. Pulling him closer, he deepens the connection and his hand trails down, fingering the edge of my panties.

“Stop.” I break the moment, panting heavily. “I can’t give you what you want, Mason.”

His eyes reach into mine and my heart pumps harder. He wants the unattainable.

He scoops the side of my face in his hand, brushing his thumb back and forth. The movement is so intimately sweet that my fingers twitch to cover my own hand with his. He makes resisting him so much harder by simply being him. “You can come up with whatever excuse you want, Lindsey. But that’s all they are, excuses. You’ll run out of them at some stage, and I’ll be here waiting when you do.”

I can’t speak. My lips seal shut. Mason rolls off me, enveloping me in his arms as he moves.

Spooning me in my bed, I ignore everything else. I shut off my mind, shut out the world. Closing my eyes, I sink into nirvana, hoping to avoid this inconceivable feeling tearing me in two. I’m conflicted by the comfort of his arms: I’ve never felt so safe, yet stripped bare, all at the same time.

About The Author

“Mother. Lover. Dreamer.”

Ivy Stone is an Australian author and self-confessed lover of alpha males and happily ever afters. Getting lost in a fictional world is how she discovered her passion for writing. When she isn’t daydreaming up new romantic stories she’s likely to be found spending time with her family.

Ivy’s debut novel ‘Exposed’ is to be released on October 20th 2015. This is the first instalment in the Unguarded series.

Ivy loves to hear from her readers, you can visit or contact her here:

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About FEISTY PRINCESS (A Sexy Manhattan Fairytale: Part Two)

Excerpt

The soft ding of the elevator stopping on this otherwise quiet floor catches my attention. I practically leap out of my seat, not wanting to be in a position to be talked down to if it is Alexander.

It’s only seven. Most of the employees don’t start rolling in for at least another forty-five minutes, but I know that Alexander is always the first one at the office every morning.

I hold my breath as I hear heavy footsteps head in my direction.

Our gazes meet as soon as he rounds the corner and turns into my office. He’s always so put together, and today is no different as he waltzes toward my desk in his perfectly pressed black suit. I stare into Alexander’s gray eyes, ready to begin our verbal sparring match, but I never get the chance to say a word. He turns without so much as a word to me and storms into his adjoining office, slamming the door shut behind him in the process.

My mouth drops open. So much for my thought-out plan of attack.

I plop down in my chair and do my best to pretend the man, who is now my husband, isn’t on the other side of that door, avoiding me at all costs.

Asshole.

I flip off the door but refuse to go chasing after him to demand answers. If he wants to play ‘let’s pretend last weekend never happened,’ then so be it.

Game on.

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About the Author

Michelle A. Valentine is a Central Ohio nurse turned New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of erotic and New Adult romance. Her love of hard-rock music, tattoos, and sexy musicians inspired her erotic BLACK FALCON series.

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Synopsis

Quinn has spent her whole life working in her dad’s garage, leaving her more comfortable with a carburetor than a curling iron. Her world is turned upside down when her beloved garage is bought by none other than world famous, sexy as sin, custom car builder, Tazen Watts. He’s the one man she can’t stand…even though he makes her hotter than a high performance engine in top gear.

Tazen has no use for Quinn, at least not professionally, and he’s making sure she knows it. But there’s a spark between them that she’s finding hard to ignore. She’s determined to prove her talent is as impressive as her sassy mouth. When she finds out Tazen is hiding a secret that could bring down his career and everyone involved in it, she wonders: is falling for him is going to be work the risk?

**Hard To Break is a full-length standalone romance with a HEA**

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Review

I love the connotative meanings that go along with the title of Quinn and Tazen’s story, Hard to Break, because there are a multitude of positive and negative experiences that they go through both individually and as a couple that definitely demonstrate what it means to splinter, fracture, and come unhinged.

Since her mother’s death, Quinn’s life has been like fighting an uphill battle that always sends her tumbling down, but that hasn’t stopped her from trying to move forward, relying on only herself to keep a roof over her and her father and keep the shop open and out of the red. All of these are daunting tasks, but through it all, Quinn refuses to break; she refuses to quit, and one way or another, she’s going to prove that the garage is where she belongs no matter what the cocky son of bitch says!

Tazen Watts – the name oozes sex and charm – too bad none of his smooth talking wins Quinn over; in fact, his demeanor and attitude grates her nerves and turns her crush on him into an all out war of barbs and antics.

The volatile nature of Taz and Quinn’s relationship goes from bad to worse when Taz takes the one thing Quinn’s always had, threatening to unhinge her entire life and forcing her to fight dirty in order to maintain some sense of what defines her. But when everything plays out, who will break whom and what kind of fracturing will it be? The kind that draws people together or tears them even further apart?

Even though Hard to Break is a slightly predictable enemies to lovers’ story, I still enjoyed watching Tazen and Quinn rev each other up until they both blew in a variety of ways! I love the fact that Quinn is a phenomenal mechanic and lets her work speak for itself. She’s exactly who she portrays herself to be and to me, that’s why Taz is drawn to her even though they come from completely different worlds. Taz is also quite surprising once Quinn gets underneath his tough exterior; he’s actually quite sweet and knows what Quinn needs as their relationship progresses. There’s some angst but not an excessive amount. The primary focus is more on Quinn’s refusal to stop fighting and how Tazen’s realizes her unbreakable spirit is exactly why he’s falling for her.

A complimentary copy was provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 poison apples

Author Bio

Triple Play by Sloan Johnson
Publication Date: September 29, 2015
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, Sports

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Drew Jackson seemed to have it all. He has a family who loves and supports him, a tight circle of friends, and is a rising star with the Milwaukee Mavericks. Then, it all begins to unravel. Cam, the only man he’s ever loved, falls head over heels for Drew’s teammate. He makes a critical mistake in the playoffs that he’s not sure he’ll be able to recover from. And then, his world really crashes around him…

Eric Sapp may no longer play for the Mavericks, but he’s still one of the guys. No one could have imagined how much his life would change when he agreed to help his former teammates mourn the end of their run for the pennant. After stopping a brutal attack, Eric is forced to face the feelings that’ve been growing for his roommate, Drew. That’d be much easier if Drew wasn’t hell-bent on pushing everyone away as he recovers.

Neither of them were counting on Bryce Shaw. He and Drew enjoyed the one night they spent together, but knew it was unlikely they’d be anything more since they lived in different parts of the country. After Bryce is relocated to help a failing LGBT homeless outreach, he wants to explore something more with the Mavericks’ short stop.

As much as Eric wishes he could be the one to help his friend, he knows Bryce holds the key to Drew’s recovery. Will pushing the two back together be the biggest mistake of his life or will they all learn there is strength in numbers?

Also in the Series

About Sloan Johnson

Sloan Johnson is a big city girl trapped in a country girl’s life. While she longs for the hustle and bustle of New York City or Las Vegas, she hasn’t yet figured out how to sit on the deck with her morning coffee, watching the deer and wild turkeys in the fields while surrounded by concrete and glass.

When she was three, her parents received their first call from the principal asking them to pick her up from school. Apparently, if you aren’t enrolled, you can’t attend classes, even in Kindergarten. The next week, she was in preschool and started plotting her first story soon after.

Later in life, her parents needed to do something to help their socially awkward, uncoordinated child come out of her shell and figured there was no better place than a bar on Wednesday nights. It’s a good thing they did because this is where she found her love of reading and writing. Who needs socialization when you can sit alone in your bedroom with a good book?

Now, Sloan is a tattooed mom with a mohawk and two kids. She’s been kicked out of the PTA in two school districts and is no longer asked to help with fundraisers because she’s been known to lose herself with a good book and forget she has somewhere to be.

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Title: Tell Them Lies

Author: Karla Sorensen

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: October 8, 2015

Synopsis

Liz Peters hasn’t exactly gotten the happily-ever-after she’s read about in her Jane Austen books. ‘Always a bridesmaid’ is more fitting to the way life has been passing this good girl by. About to go postal from loneliness, she meets a man who doesn’t seem to fit any of her requirements for a book-worthy hero.

Kieran Carter would do just about anything to put a smile on his terminally ill mother’s face. When he meets a woman in the ice cream aisle at the grocery store, Kieran finally has opportunity to do just that. If he needs to lie in order to give his mom a little hope? Not a freakin problem.

It all seems so neat and tidy. An arrangement is struck that benefits them both, but when lines get blurry and the guilt of lying to everyone they love becomes too much, neither Liz or Kieran can tell what’s real and what’s for show. And somewhere in the middle is the last person they ever expected to fall in love with.

 

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Excerpt

“Besides,” she continued, completely oblivious to him doing a running checklist of how much he sucked, “it’s not like you’re busy with a girl, are you?”

Good Lord. He wanted to dig that spoon into his eye so that he didn’t need to see that hopeful, searching look in her eye. For years, she’d been dropping hints about grandchildren for shits sake. He hadn’t even had a girlfriend, not a real one, for five years. Just, you know, scratching the itch when necessary. And here she was, slowly withering away in front of him, wanting something, anything for him so badly. 

“I am,” he said before he could think twice about it.

“Really?” Oh God, forgive him. She looked so happy. 

“Uh huh. I, uh, didn’t want to say anything until I knew she was on the same page as me.”

And yeah, Blondie from the grocery store had not been on the same page as him. Not the same page, or the same book. Probably not the same bookstore even. And as soon as he’d blurted out those two words that would condemn him to lying to his dear, beloved, sick with cancer mother, it was her face that he saw. Those pale blue eyes that had damn near stabbed into his brain. 

“Oh, honey. Where you did you two meet?”

The eyes that had been clouded with exhaustion about five minutes earlier were bright. Fricken’ sparkling. Like diamonds or sapphires or some shit.  

“The grocery store. She, uhh, she was standing in front of the ice cream, kinda spaced out, you know? And we just got to talking.”

Lie. Lie, lie, liar, liar, pants on fire. He was going to hell. For sure. He just bought his VIP ticket.

“What’s she like?”

It would have been manly to keep a stoic face and list some random generic traits. But instead, he smiled like a dumbass and just started rambling. 

“Beautiful. Like, angel-level beautiful. I wasn’t even sure she was real when I first saw her standing there. But she’s, uhh, she’s smart. It was obvious right away. And she gave me shit within like five minutes of meeting her. Which made me act like an ever bigger ass than I normally would.”

She chuckled. She chuckled and Kieran felt his heart damn near skip. It was one of the best sounds he’d heard in a while.

About The Author 

Well, let’s see. I’m a wife and a mother. I’m a writer who wants to make people smile when they read my words. I own a dog that sheds roughly eighteen pounds of hair every day. I am obsessed with Outlander (both the books and the show). I’m almost exclusively a romance reader, which means I will never truly be considered a literary snob. I think that if I could meet one historical figure, it would probably be Jane Austen. I majored in Public Relations and worked in health care marketing before I had my babies. And I hate twitter. I do it, but I hate it.

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Title: Beautiful Storm

Author: Megan Isaacs

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: December 7, 2015

Cover Design: Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations

Photography: Lauren Watson Perry, Perrywinkle Photography

Synopsis

He was my salvation.

Interviewing the notorious owner of ‘Ignition’ should have been simple. When asked to go home with him, I should’ve said ‘no.’ But Noah Hamilton’s tattooed, hard body and rugged features were impossible to resist. I wanted him to touch me. And I longed to be loved again. I craved the escape and was desperate to know him. Much like his lifestyle, our heated affair took off at warp speed, proving to be stronger than either of us anticipated. Trapped between my past and future, there was only one decision to make. So I ran…

She was my downfall.

From the moment Lizzie Ryder stepped into my shop, I wanted her. Had to have her. A reserved journalist with a body of sin and mesmerising eyes was all it took for me to fall. Hard. The night she let me touch her, taste her, I knew I was done for. I never deserved her, but needed to make her mine. She found the heart I never knew I had, brought it to life, and then crushed it to dust. And just like her storm-filled eyes, I drowned in the flood of her desertion. Reaching my breaking point, I struggled to forget the only woman I ever foolishly fell for and dove headfirst into my dark past, barely surviving her.

And now she’s back.

What happens when our weaknesses become our strengths? Do we reveal and fight…or keep our secrets and run? And can we withstand the devastation left after the Beautiful Storm?

Due to sexual content, possible triggers, and excessive bad language reader discretion is advised. 18+

Excerpt

“Do you do this often?”

He has the decency to look a little embarrassed. He runs his fingers through his hair, and the action ruffles it to the point of distraction. I struggle to tear my eyes away.

“This… Doing relationships, if you want to call them that, this way, is the only thing I can offer. I’m the guy women want for a night. I’m a trophy fuck. I can’t give more and I don’t want to.”

My heart stutters a fraction before I regain control. His words shouldn’t bother me because I never expected anything more from him. Still, the absolute certainty he emits brings the whole situation to reality. But there’s something in the way his brow furrows that makes me think it’s a choice. There’s a reason.

“Why? Just out of interest.”

He stalks over, caging me against the wall. My hands press against his taut chest and his breath flutters against my ear. “Well, if I told you, it wouldn’t be my secret then, would it?”

All logical thought disappears, replaced with an intense desire heating my veins. It surges through me setting every nerve on fire. What did I ask him?

I dig my fingers in a fraction, but there’s no give in the flesh, his muscles beneath are strung tight. His face is a hair’s width from mine. His breath grazes across my face in small pants. I catch the faint smell of beer, mixed with his closeness and the strength of him, and it makes me weak. I have no defences. I don’t want any.

Without warning, he pulls away and strides to the other side of the room. He keeps his back to me. With his head dipped, his shoulders rise and fall almost as if he’s restraining himself.

His reaction confuses me. “Noah?”

When he turns to me the wildfire in his eyes takes my breath away. And I swallow hard, waiting to see what he’ll do next.

“You need to leave.” The words strike hard, but his demeanour counters them. 

“What? Why?”

“I promised I wouldn’t touch you unless you asked me to. I can’t keep that promise.” 

 

About The Author

Megan Isaacs lives happily in the UK with her husband and son.

If you asked her about herself she would say she’s completely crackers. Always the introvert with an extrovert exterior. A complete mash up of improbabilities.

She loves her family, but that goes without saying. She loves reading and tea. Lots and lots of tea. She used to be pretty good shot with a shotgun, but hasn’t shot since she was five months pregnant when she beat her husband for the one and only time. Hanging up her barrels seemed like a good idea after that.

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