Tag: #contemporaryromance

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: His Brand of Justice by Delores Fossen

Hi, everyone!

Today I am excited to be sharing on the September 2020 Harlequin Category Romance Blog Tour. I chose the Harlequin Intrigue for my Feature Post and Book Review – HIS BRAND OF JUSTICE (Longview Ridge Ranch Book #4) by Dolores Fossen.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

USA TODAY bestselling author Delores Fossen does it again, with a romantic suspense book that forces a US Marshal to confront his past—and the woman who might hold all the answers…

Can he help her recover her memory before they are both killed?

The only person who knows who killed Marshal Jack Slater’s father is Caroline Moser. But the Texas profiler has no memory of the murder, her abduction…or Jack. And her witness-protection safe house has just been compromised. Now in Jack’s protective custody, Caroline must trust her ex to help her recall her past before a murderer steals their future.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54811989-his-brand-of-justice

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

HIS BRAND OF JUSTICE (Longview Ridge Ranch Book #4) by Delores Fossen is the final romantic suspense in this series. Ms. Fossen does give enough backstory that you can read this as a standalone, but I would recommend you at least read book #1 first. These four books are about four modern day law enforcement cowboy brothers and the women they meet under perilous circumstances.

Caroline Moser was a profiler and computer wiz working on a program for law enforcement to identify serial killers spearheaded by Gemma Harrison. Their research assistant, Eric Long was a serial killer who almost killed both women. Caroline escaped with a severe head wound causing amnesia and she was placed in the WITSEC program under the protection of Marshall Jack Slater.

Marshall Jack Slater is determined to keep Caroline safe at all costs. Their relationship was lost when Caroline lost her memory as well as any clues to the murderer of the Slater brother’s father who was killed trying to save the women.

Eric Long might be dead, but someone does not want Caroline to get her memories back. As Jack tries to keep Caroline safe, he races to find the threat before even more people turn up dead.

I really enjoyed this conclusion to the Longview Ridge Ranch series. Ms. Fossen does a great job of bringing together all the threads of this plot and the overall arc of the series. I was bouncing back and forth between the suspects and for such a limited number of characters, I was still surprised. I always know that I am going to get an alpha cowboy hero and a strong heroine to match in any of Ms. Fossen books I pick up. I was excited to read Jack and Caroline’s HEA and it did not disappoint. There are explicit sex scenes, but they are not gratuitous or dragged out.

The Intrigue series always gives me a great romantic suspense or mystery that I can read quickly and be completely satisfied with the HEA. I recommend this book, this series and any book by Ms. Fossen!

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Excerpt

“I nearly got Lucille and you killed,” she said, and Caroline cursed her own voice. It was shaking, too.

Jack lifted an eyebrow. “Funny, I thought it was the shooter who nearly killed us.”

“The shooter wouldn’t have been firing those bullets if it hadn’t been for me.” She expected him to give her some sugarcoated answer, but she’d obviously forgotten this was Jack.

“That’s true.” With that hanging in the air, he waited a heartbeat. “And since I’d rather not have any more attempted murders, that means you’re going to have to let me help you.”

“You mean I’m going to have to trust Kellan,” Caroline blurted out. She was feeling a lot less shaky now.

Jack shrugged, took his hand from his pocket so he could tap the badge on his belt. “Every lawman in Texas isn’t tainted, and if you dig beneath all the anger, fear and whatever else it is you’re feeling, you’ll remember that I’m the best shot you’ve got at keeping us both alive.”

He followed that too logical minilecture with a long stare. Jack was obviously waiting for her to come to the only conclusion that she had right now.

“I’m not going to trust your brother,” she insisted, but left the rest of it unspoken—that she would trust Jack. Again, it was the only choice she had.

He nodded as if they’d just hashed that out with a heated argument. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.” He paused. “Want me to take a bullet for you to prove it?”

Jack didn’t wink, but he might as well have, because he was obviously trying to lighten things up. Trying to bring her back down and ease some of the still raw adrenaline. It was working, sort of, since it was something he’d said to her in jest when they’d been lovers. A way of letting her know that he cared that much for her.

“No,” she said, drawing out the one-word answer to emphasize it. There was a lot more emotion in her voice than she wanted as she stared at him.

Thinking.

Remembering.

Yes, definitely remembering.

That helped more than his lame attempt at cop humor. His being there helped, too, and despite everything she’d been through—or maybe because of it—Caroline wanted to step right into his arms. Those strong arms with their toned muscles. She wanted to feel the heat, and the comfort that she’d gotten there before. Jack had tugged and pulled at her in a way that no man ever had before.

Or ever would again, she was forced to admit to herself.

***

Author Bio

USA Today bestselling author, Delores Fossen, has sold over 70 novels with millions of copies of her books in print worldwide. She’s received the Booksellers’ Best Award, the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award and was a finalist for the prestigious Rita ®. In addition, she’s had nearly a hundred short stories and articles published in national magazines. You can contact the author through her webpage at www.deloresfossen.com

Social Media Links 

Author website: https://www.deloresfossen.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deloresfossen

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dfossen

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDeloresFossen/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/240672.Delores_Fossen

Purchase Links

Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781488067587_his-brand-of-justice.html

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Here To Stay by Adriana Herrera

Hi, everyone!

Today is my turn on the blog tour and to share my Feature Post and Book Review for HERE TO STAY by Adriana Herrera.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

Award-winning, highly-acclaimed author Adriana Herrera delivers the sexy, modern enemies-to-lovers romance you’ve been waiting for.

Starting over is more about who you’re with than where you live…

Julia del Mar Ortiz is not having the best year.

She moved to Dallas with her boyfriend, who ended up ditching her and running back to New York after only a few weeks. Left with a massive—by NYC standards, anyway—apartment and a car lease in the scorching Texas heat, Julia is struggling…except that’s not completely true. Running the charitable foundation of one of the most iconic high fashion department stores in the world is serious #lifegoals.

It’s more than enough to make her want to stick it out down South.

The only monkey wrench in Julia’s plans is the blue-eyed, smart-mouthed consultant the store hired to take them public. Fellow New Yorker Rocco Quinn’s first order of business? Putting Julia’s job on the chopping block.

When Julia is tasked with making sure Rocco sees how valuable the programs she runs are, she’s caught between a rock and a very hard set of abs. Because Rocco Quinn is almost impossible to hate—and even harder to resist.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53179166-here-to-stay

Title: Here to Stay

Author: Adriana Herrera

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Imprint: Carina Press

On-Sale: August 25, 2020

Format: Ebook (Trade Paperback & Audiobook formats also available!)

Ebook ISBN: 9780369700926Ebook Price: $3.99 USD

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

HERE TO STAY by Adriana Herrera is a contemporary romance that brings the heat. This is a standalone which could easily become a fun series with ethnic New Yorkers coming together for support and fun in their new surroundings of Dallas.

Julia del Mar’s year did not start out well, but she loves her new job running a charitable foundation and she is making her life in Dallas work. The foundation is run by one of the most iconic high fashion department stores in the world and which was family run, but the siblings have decided to go public.

Rocco Quinn is sent by his New York based consulting company to ready the chain to go public. Rocco is trying to stay above the family feud and do his job. The twins want the foundation to continue, but their younger brother wants it gone. And if the brother gets his way the beautiful Julia will lose her job.

Julia is tasked with introducing Rocco to all the programs the foundation runs. The heat generated between these two is explosive, but both know they are on opposite sides and in a no-win situation.

I was completely drawn into Julia and Rocco’s lives. Ms. Herrera made them come to life with not only their business dilemma, but all the family and friends that were a part of their lives. I feel Julia and Rocco’s romance built at a realistic pace as they both tried so hard to fight their attraction, but the chemistry is just too hot.

I thoroughly enjoyed this contemporary romance and its glimpse at Dominican culture.

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Excerpt

Julia

I stepped into the elevator and shoved my phone into the pocket of my dress, took a moment to send a prayer to the employee discount that let me buy bomb clothes on a nonprofit worker budget, and did some mental math of what could be going on.

Was the program really in trouble? Could we actually get shut down?

Nope, I would not go there. I would not think about what it would be like to get on a plane back to New York dumped and unemployed. Not happening.

A distraction. That’s what I needed. Just as the door to the elevator was about to close, someone got in. The fact that I was eye level with the base of his throat was a good clue as to who it was, but when he opened his mouth and the now familiar knee-weakening baritone echoed off the walls of the elevator, I got my confirmation.

“Morning, Ms. Ortiz.” That voice could be used for interrogation tactics. Every muscle in my body loosened at the same time whenever I heard it.

I squeaked out a “Morning” and took my time lifting my head all the way up to look at the last person in the world I wanted overhearing my conversation with my mother.

Him.

Rocco Fucking Quinn, otherwise known as the “Team Leader” for the consulting firm looking to bag my job. The guy with the New York City-est name on the planet. I hadn’t exactly gotten personal with Mr. Quinn, but I picked up on that accent the first time we met.

“What’s good?” I really tried to sound polite, but my Queens jumped out in situations like this. I did not gulp, because I could not let this fucker see me sweat. I managed not to cut my eyes at him, but it was a close call.

I took him in, ramrod straight, every hair in its place, not a wrinkle in sight, and decided he could not be the proprietor of the laugh-choke from before. The man seemed to be completely lacking a sense of humor. I knew he must have teeth but I’d never seen them.

Yeah, definitely not him. That fact rallied my spirits a little bit as I stood close enough to pick up on how he smelled. Like the ocean and something woodsy. That was not helpful information.

Without saying another word, I ran my eyes over him. It struck me that he was not wearing something bespoke like pretty much everyone here. Don’t get me wrong, he still looked good enough to eat, but he was clearly on a budget. And at a place where everyone looked like they were heading to a New York Fashion Week photo shoot, it was sort of jarring. Still, the suit fit him well. And there was no question, this guy could wear the fuck out of a suit. I held back a whimper when I envisioned him in a Brioni or a Zegna. They’d have to put out a heat advisory for the building if that ever happened.

“I thought I could detect a familiar accent when I was coming down the hall.” His perfectly blue eyes twinkled at what I was certain was an expression of utter mortification on my face. He sounded pleasant enough, but he was also alluding to the fact that I was yapping on my phone. This wasn’t the first time he tried to be cute. Rocco Quinn seemed to like fucking with me. And it was only a matter of time before he stepped on my last nerve and I reamed him out.

Thankfully, just as I was scrambling to respond to his comment, the elevator got to my floor. I was planning to just leave him hanging and run off, but he was hot on my heels.

Dammit.

“Sounds like your mom misses you.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Why did he have to act all fake nice?

I nodded without looking at him. “She does. Listen, Mr. Quinn—”

“You can call me Rocco.”

Nope, that was not happening. I was not letting this sexy bastard talk me into getting all chummy with him. I was already on thin ice as it was. He could keep his pheromones and his slick-as-fuck expressions to his damn self. I came to a dead stop a few feet away from the conference room door where my boss—and whatever shitty news she was about to give me—was waiting.

When I turned around, Rocco was looking down at me with an expectant smile. God he was handsome, that jet-black hair so dark it almost had a tinge of blue and those eyes, piercing. And I guess he had teeth after all, and of course they were perfect. Asshole. I shook my head hard when my traitorous brain started wondering what Pantone color his eyes would be.

Get your head in the game, Julia del Mar.

I straightened my back, determined to fight off the debilitating effects of those gleaming teeth and perfectly pink lips. I had to remember this niceness was probably his way of getting us to let our guard down. He was here to find ways to cut jobs. I was not about to mouth off and get myself fired, but I needed to get some things clear.

“Look.” I was proud of myself for not rolling my neck or pointing at his face. “I know you’re trying to be nice, but you make me nervous.” I pulled on the hem of my blue polka-dot dress and smoothed my yellow cardigan, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

“Why do I make you nervous?”

Uh, maybe because you’re here to close down as much of the foundation as you can.

I refrained from actually saying that because I had not been raised by a Puerto Rican man and Dominican woman just so I could act like I had no home training with the guy who could get me fired. But it was a close call.

“I’m sorry for saying that. You don’t make me nervous.”

Lies.

Rocco Quinn didn’t just make me nervous. He made me want to run my hands all over that big-ass body and moon over his almost but not quite curly hair and blue eyes, in spite of the fact that I knew he was out here gunning for my entire program. And yet, I still wanted to kiss the hell out of him while I climbed him like a sequoia.

Copyright © 2020 by Adriana Herrera

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About the Author

Adriana was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last fifteen years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people, getting unapologetic happy endings.

When she’s not dreaming up love stories, planning logistically complex vacations with her family or hunting for discount Broadway tickets, she’s a trauma therapist in New York City, working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

Her Dreamers series has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist and has been featured in The TODAY Show on NBC, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Library Journal and The Washington Post. Her debut, American Dreamer, was selected as one of Booklist’s ‘Best Romance Debuts of 2019’, and one of the ‘Top 10 Romances of 2019’ by Entertainment Weekly. Her third novel, American Love Story, was one of the winners in the first annual Ripped Bodice Award for Excellence in Romantic Fiction. Adriana is an outspoken advocate for diversity in romance and has written for Remezcla and Bustle about Own Voices in the genre. She’s one of the co-creators of the Queer Romance PoC Collective. Represented by Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary.

Author Social Media Links

Website: https://adrianaherreraromance.com 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ladrianaherrera 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laura.adriana.94801 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladriana_herrera/ 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18639202.Adriana_Herrera 

Purchase Links

Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9780369700926_here-to-stay.html

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Here-Stay-Adriana-Herrera-ebook/dp/B086R2QY77

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/here-to-stay-adriana-herrera/1136795733

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/here-to-stay/id1506190677

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Adriana_Herrera_Here_to_Stay?id=_-zaDwAAQBAJKobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/here-to-stay-20

LIVE: COME AND JOIN the CHRISTMAS IN JULY FUN! Harlequin Movie Watch Party on Facebook

Hi, everyone!

Sharing something a little bit different today. This Thursday, July 23rd at 8 PM EST you are invited to a Harlequin Facebook Movie Watch Party.

Below is an about the book section, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Come and join the Christmas in July fun!

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About HIS COUNTRY CINDERELLA

Hold on to your Stetsons! A reliable source tells me that Zane Gunther is hiding out in Thunder Canyon. Now the tweets and texts are flying about the music legend and a certain single mom who’s having trouble making ends meet Zane came to the Montana mountain town to escape the paparazzi and a tragedy he can’t forget. But keeping a low profile seems next to impossible, especially once he falls hard for local girl Jeannette Williams.

Is this cowboy looking to make a home in Thunder Canyon? Stay tuned, loyal readers, to see if Zane is getting ready to propose to the widowed waitress who’s already gaga over him by crooning a love song straight from his heart.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11255608-his-country-cinderella?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Nanhw3VgA6&rank=1

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About KAREN ROSE SMITH

Award-winning author Karen Rose Smith lives in Pennsylvania and has sold over 80 novels since 1991. Her romances have made both the USA TODAY list and the Amazon Contemporary Romance Bestseller list. Believing in the power of love, she envisions herself writing relationship novels and mysteries for a long time to come! Readers can e-mail Karen at www.karenrosesmith.com or follow her on Twitter @karenrosesmith and on Facebook.

Author Links

Twitter: https://twitter.com/karenrosesmith

Purchase Links

Harlequin.com: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781459212220_his-country-cinderella.html

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Holiday Date by Debbie Ioanna

Holiday Date by Debbie Ioanna

#BlindDate @Debbie_Cleo @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours

Hi,everyone!

Today I am very excited to be the first stop on the Holiday Date Blog Tour! I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review of HOLIDAY DATE: Book 2 of the “Blind Date” Series by Debbie Ioanna.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb

Relationships are tested in this highly anticipated sequel to ‘Blind Date’.

Jenny is back in this romantic comedy, and this time she has her man. Life is wonderful as she switches her sex dreams for the real thing with her hunk, Zack. As well as feeling loved up, she must also console her recently-single best friend, Sarah. Those much-loved blind dates make a welcome return as Jenny gets the sweet taste for vengeance.

After a girly holiday to Rome, and a somewhat unexpected vegan experience, Zack whisks Jenny abroad for a romantic holiday of their own. However, jolly holidays aren’t on the menu when faced with a twenty-something stunner in the next villa.

Holidays take the centre stage for this sequel, where relationships are put to the test, at home and abroad.

Also includes a bonus chapter.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51263719-holiday-date

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

HOLIDAY DATE: Book 2 of the ‘Blind Date’ series by Debbie Ioanna is a contemporary romance/romcom which picks up with Jenny’s life nine months after the end of Blind Date. I would recommend reading these books in order. They are not long and they are easy to read.

Jenny and Zack are still together and very happy She is helping Sarah get on with her life after her parting with ‘The Wanker’. They take off together for two weeks on a girls only holiday in Rome.

Sarah is living with Jenny until she finds a new house and for just a little bit of revenge, Jenny makes Sarah sign up on the same dating app she made Jenny use. They keep their code word for rescues, but Jenny is just a little slow in responding. Turn around is fair play. After one disastrous date, a new name pops up on Sarah’s app, but how can she break it to Jenny?

When Sarah moves out, Zack moves in. Zack decides to invite Jenny on a holiday for the two of them and his parents at his family’s villa in Greece. What Jenny was not counting on was the beautiful blonde twenty-something in the neighboring villa who is much to familiar with her boyfriend.

I enjoyed this follow-up to Jenny, Zack and Sarah’s lives. While there are funny moments, this book is more about Jenny and Zack’s romance and Jenny and Sarah’s friendship. Not quite as laugh out loud funny as the first book, but I still loved catching up with Jenny’s life. Jenny is realistic and relatable which makes me want to be her friend, too. Bing Clawsby is also back. The plot has a few surprises in store for the reader that kept me turning the pages. The additional chapter added after the end of Holiday Date will finally answer the question of – What went so wrong on Jenny and Sarah’s trip to Zante? It ended the book on laugh.

I recommend this continuation of the Blind Date series and I am hoping for many more!

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About the Author

            Debbie is a multi-genre indie author and blogger who was born in Bradford and lives there with her husband, two-year-old daughter and anti-social cat Cleo. When she isn’t busy being a Mum, working for her local council or studying towards her Open University degree, she is busy focusing on her writing career.

            Debbie doesn’t write to just one genre as she likes to write about anything. She is currently working on a romantic-comedy series but who knows what she will be working on in the future. As well as writing novels, short stories and blogs for her website, she is also reviewing other works by indie authors. She is passionate about helping other indie authors as she knows it is a hard world to master and getting reviews is a challenge on its own.

            Debbie has been a regular attending author at the UK Indie Lit Fest in Bradford for the last few years and will be returning in 2020, as well as attending events in Shipley and Liverpool for the first time.

            Debbie began studying with the Open University in 2015, aiming towards a BA Honours in Humanities, focusing on History and Creative Writing which are her two greatest passions. It is a part-time course, due to end in 2021 which Debbie is hoping means she will have more time to write.

Social Media

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Debbie_Cleo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debbieioannaauthor/

Website: https://debbie-ioanna-author.blog/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debbieioannaauthor/

Purchase Links

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/31jaH8d

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Bj0Pk2

Publishing Information

Published in digital and paperback formats on 12th May 2020

Book Review: Forking Around by Erin Nicholas

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

FORKING AROUND (Hot Cakes Book #2) by Erin Nicholas is a heartfelt contemporary Cinderella romance and the second book in this scrumptious series. I will never be able to look at a strawberry pie again without thinking of Jane and Dax.

Jane survives her life day by day. She has a terminally ill father in a nursing home and a wicked stepmother who continually pits her daughter against Jane’s younger sister. As she struggles to keep the peace between her relatives, she also is the go-to person at work who is willing to take on problems to help her coworkers out. She does not have time for her fun loving and charming new boss.

Dax lives to prove that you can be successful even as you are having a good time. With his yellow office, beanbag chairs and jars of gummy bears, he works at making ideas come true. He has never met a problem he cannot use his charm and his money to solve while also making everyone happy.

Jane does not believe in happily ever after and she does not believe Dax will stay. Dax wants to make Jane happy, but he needs to quit forking around and prove to her that he is in her life for all the good and the bad happily ever after.

This is such a fun story! Dax is wonderful with his attitude of fun and it is always used to make someone else happy. With his love of all things Frank Sinatra and gummy bears, you cannot help but fall for him. Jane so deserved to have someone like Dax walk into her life and it is the sweetest of Cinderella stories with plenty of strawberry bakery goods thrown in. The dialogue is witty and full of double entendre. The sex scenes are fun and hot, but not gratuitous. This book can be read as a standalone, but you are going to want to read how all the friends from FLUKE, Inc. fall.

I recommend this new addition to the Hot Cakes series and cannot wait for the next!

***

About Erin Nicholas

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Erin Nicholas has been writing romances almost as long as she’s been reading them. To date, she’s written over thirty sexy, contemporary novels that have been described as “toe-curling,” “enchanting,” “steamy,” and “fun.” She adores reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines, and happily ever afters.

Erin lives in the Midwest, where she enjoys spending time with her husband (who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books), her kids (who will never read the sex scenes in her books), and her family and friends (who claim to be “shocked” by the sex scenes in her books).

Social Media Links

Website: http://bit.ly/2NkB2uF

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2tdTM8e

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2QLd1Pr

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3a3rnm4

Instagram: http://bit.ly/36NqV9y


Website: http://bit.ly/2FM3Doo


Stay up to date with Erin Nicholas by joining her mailing list:
http://bit.ly/38a5Fv5

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Salt + Stilettos by Janet Walden-West

Hi, everyone!

Today I am excited to be sharing my Feature Post and Book Review on the Blog Tour for Salt+ Stilettos (South Beach Romance Book #1) by Janet Walden-West.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section with social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Good luck on the giveaway and enjoy!

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Book Blurb

Sweet Home Alabama meets Top Chef when Miami’s most determined image consultant clashes with Samoa’s most uncooperative chef in a race to rebrand him as South Beach’s newest star.

Brett Fontaine learned early that appearance matters and not to count on anyone but yourself. Trading her red-dirt roots for the title of Miami’s go-to image consultant, she refuses to let anything jeopardize her new life. 

Not an influential client-turned-stalker who’s up for parole. 

Not post-kidnapping panic attacks. 

Certainly not the stubborn, attention-phobic chef she’s challenged to transform into a celeb in ninety days.

Will Te’o can almost taste the dream he sacrificed American Samoa, culture, and cherished family ties for—opening a four star restaurant in the most cut-throat culinary location in North America. 

Unfortunately, that requires navigating it’s equally cut-throat social scene. When his first public performance ends in a social media spectacle, his only option is turning to the stiletto-wearing nemesis who’s invaded his kitchen. 

Neither expected to share anything but barbs, yet somewhere between accidentally bonding over comfort food and office-wrecking sex, they’re named South Beach’s hottest pairing. Until Brett’s stalker engineers a reputation-shattering reveal. She may be going down, but she’s not taking Will’s dreams with her. Now Will’s pulling out all his new skills and cooking up a last-ditch event. He’ll prove to Brett that relying on the right person makes for the perfect recipe—or be left heartbroken in the spotlight.

Ebook and paperback: April 21st from City Owl Press

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851170-salt-stilettos

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My Book Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

SALT + STILETTOS (South Beach Romance Book #1) by Janet Walden-West is a new contemporary romance by a new to me author with plenty of food, fashion and love.

Will Te’o is about to realize his dream. He worked his way up from his home in American Samoa to the top of the culinary scene in South Beach. With his partner, he is about to open his first restaurant but as talented as Will is in the kitchen, he has no understanding of the social scene and celebrity status he must now achieve for his and his restaurant’s success.

Brett Fontaine worked hard to raise herself up from dirt poor and hungry to the top image consultant in South Beach. Brett knows image and clothes matter. Her best friend has hired her to take on his partner, Will and get him ready in just 45 days for their restaurant’s grand opening.

Brett and Will butt heads, but slowly they learn to trust each other and the chemistry builds to a flash point. When Brett’s stalker engineers a reputation shattering reveal, Will is determined to prove that Brett can always rely on him. Can Will prove to Brett that he will always be there for her?

I fell in love with Will and Brett. Both are such contradictions and you would think opposites, but under the shell of each is someone so ready for love. Will is six feet eight of talented chef, traditional Samoan, and chief support of his extended family back home. He was so loving and that his character started out so insecure and hurt it broke me up. I was so glad that Brett was able to understand him and build him up rather than hurt him more. Will was so full of love and Brett needed it. Brett had to deal with both her terrible childhood and a stalker which left her traumatized and yet she was still willing to let Will in. When these two finally came together the sex scenes were smokin’ hot. The romance progressed at a realistic pace and the sex scenes were never gratuitous. All the secondary characters were interesting and fully fleshed.

I can highly recommend this contemporary romance and am looking forward to many more books in this series!

***

About the Author

Janet Walden-West lives in the southeast with a pack of show dogs, a couple of kids, and a husband who didn’t read the fine print. A member of the East Tennessee Creative Writers Alliance, she is also a founding member of The Million Words craft blog. She pens diverse Urban Fantasy and inclusive Romantic Suspense and Contemporary Romance.


A 2X PitchWars alum, 2019 Pitch Wars Mentor, and Golden Heart® finalist, her debut multicultural Contemporary Romance, SALT+STILETTOS, is due out April 21st 2020 from City Owl Press. She is represented by Eva Scalzo of Speilburg Literary Agency.

Social Media Links

Twitter: @JanetWaldenWest

Website: http://www.janetwaldenwest.weebly.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janetwaldenwest/

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