I am very excited to once again be a part of a Release Blitz for a new Freya Barker book! TRACKING TAHLULA (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha Series, On Call #3) is another GREAT romantic suspense addition to the series!
Below you will find a description of the book, my book review and the author’s info and social media links. Enjoy!
As author Tahlula Rae has discovered; success is a double-edged sword. Leading a quiet and anonymous life, she isn’t prepared for the hateful backlash when her latest book hit the lists, propelling her into the limelight. No longer feeling safe in Denver, she takes her laptop and dog, Luke, and moves to the mountains around Durango, where her peaceful solitude is disrupted when a red-bearded man knocks on her door.
While one of the fire department’s finest, Evan Biel, is relatively content with his life, he can’t escape the sense something’s missing. When on fire-safety housecalls, he finds himself staring into a pair of soulful, copper-colored eyes sparking a deep interest. Discovering the exotic-looking woman may be in more trouble than he can handle, he tries—yet fails—to keep his distance.
When Tahlula offers San Antonio firefighters, Moose and Penelope Jacobs, temporary lodging, as they help fight seasonal wildfires, Evan’s relieved she’s no longer alone on the mountain. Yet when her troubles become outright threats on her life, his focus has to be keeping Tahlula safe.
TRACKING TAHLULA (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha Series, On Call #3) by Freya Barker is a GREAT romantic suspense addition to this series! Ms. Barker always gives me realistic characters that I would love to be friends with out of her books. This book can be read as a standalone, but there are several crossover characters from previous books in this series and Susan Stoker’s Operation Alpha world.
Tahlula Rae is a successful romantic suspense author who is
finding herself in a real-life suspense plot. As soon as she hit the NY Times
bestseller list and had to do live publicity, she seems to be the target of a
stalker for an unknown reason. After a break-in, she moves to Durango from
Denver with her rescue dog, Luke to be closer to her brother and hopefully get
away from any danger.
Evan Biel, Durango firefighter and paramedic is out making fire-safety
house calls. As he rings the bell for a remote home in the hills, he is
surprised by the exotic beauty with the soulful copper eyes who answers the door.
Evan finds he cannot get the feisty, independent, pregnant woman off his mind.
As their relationship grows, Tahlula and Evan work to
balance her independent streak vs. his protective nature. At the same time, the
summer wildfire season threatens the city as the personal dangers to Tahlula
increase. Can Evan and his friends keep Tahlula safe?
I always LOVE Ms. Barker’s characters! They are mature,
realistic, smart and likable. The romantic suspense plots keep you turning the
pages, but it is always the characters that make Ms. Barker’s books a “must buy”
for me. I am happy when I find an author who writes about older characters
finding their HEAs and Ms. Barker does it so well.
I recommend this romantic suspense and the whole series for
great characters and stories. I highly recommend Freya Barker for realistic
mature HEAs.
***
About Freya:
Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
Driven to make her books about ‘real’ people; with characters who are perhaps less than perfect, but just as deserving of romance, thrills and chills, and their own slice of happy.
A recipient of the RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for best first book, “Slim To None”, and Finalist for the Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, Freya has not slowed down.
She continues to add to her rapidly growing collection of published novels as she spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
I am BURSTING to share this Feature Post and Book Review for Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward’s DIRTY LETTERS. This is one of my favorite standalone romance reads of the year and Griffin definitely made my BBF list!
Below you will find an excerpt from the title, my book review, a book summary the author’s bios and social media links and the link to the Rafflecopter giveaway for a $100 Amazon Gift Card giveaway!
I highly recommend this romance and good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
***
EXCERPT:
The small dining room
table had a pile of mail. I’d had Dad’s mail forwarded to my house, so mostly
it was just catalogs and junk. Once a month, Mrs. Cascio sent me
everything that arrived, even though I’d told her it wasn’t necessary. I
mindlessly fingered through the pile, not expecting to see anything worth
keeping. But I stopped at an envelope addressed to me—well, not me, but Luca
Ryan. That was a name I hadn’t heard in a long time. In second grade, my
teacher, Mrs. Ryan, started a pen pal writing program with a small town in
England. We weren’t allowed to use our real last names for safety reasons, so
the entire class used her last name—hence I was Luca Ryan. I checked out the
return address for the sender’s name.
G. Quinn
Wow, really? It couldn’t be.
I squinted at the
postmark. It was from a PO box in California, not England, but I didn’t know
any other Quinn other than Griffin. And the handwriting did look pretty
familiar. But it had been close to eight years since we’d exchanged letters.
Why would he write now? Curious, I ripped it open and scanned right to the
bottom of the letter for the name. Sure enough, it was from Griffin. I started
at the beginning.
Dear Luca,
Do you like scotch? I remember you said
you didn’t like the taste of beer. But we never did get around to comparing our
taste in hard liquor. Why is that, you might ask? Let me remind you—because you
stopped answering my letters eight damn years ago. I wanted to let you know,
I’m still pissed off about that. My mum used to say I hold grudges. But I
prefer to think of it as I remember the facts. And the fact of the matter is,
you suck. There, I’ve said it. I’ve been holding that shit in for a long time.
Don’t get me wrong—I’m not obsessive or anything. I don’t sit in my house
thinking about you all day long. In fact, there have been months that go by
when thoughts of you don’t even enter my brain. But then some random thing will
pop into my head out of the blue. Like I’ll see some kid in a pram eating black
licorice, and I’ll think of you. Side note—I’ve tried it again as an adult, and
I still think it tastes like the bottom of my shoe, so perhaps it’s that you
just have no taste. You probably don’t even like scotch. Anyway, I’m sure this
letter won’t find its way to you. Or if by some miracle it does, you won’t
answer. But if you’re reading this, you should know two things.
1. The Macallan 1926 is worth the extra
cash. Goes down smooth.
2. You SUCK.
Later, traitor, Griffin
***
My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
DIRTY LETTERS by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward is one of the best contemporary romances I have read this year! This romance has a swoon worthy rockstar hero and a heroine who is battling severe anxiety after a life altering event eight years ago.
Luca and Griffin became pen pals from the age of seven when
Luca’s teacher set her class up to write to children in England. Luca’s life in
New York could not have been more different than Griffin’s life in England, but
they became best friends. They told each other their deepest fears and secrets
and formed a bond that lasted over years, until Luca stopped answering Griffin’s
letters.
Out of the blue, eight years later, Luca finds a letter from
Griffin as she is cleaning out her deceased father’s apartment. His letter is
full of anger over her breaking their connection.
Luca reconnects by letter with Griffin, who now lives in California.
Luca explains to Griffin the reason for her discontinued writing and when he
learns the cause he forgives her. The spark and deep connection is still there
and soon the letters go from the flirty childhood connection they had, to an
adult connection full of their wildest sexual fantasies.
Luca wants to meet in person, but Griffin is afraid that when Luca meets him, everything will change. Neither go by their real last names in their correspondence or professional lives. Luca is willing to take a huge leap and go find her friend, but what she finds is not what she expected. Can two such different people find a way to be together forever?
This is one of those romances that pull you in and when you
reach “The End”, you do not feel any time has passed and you do not want to
leave Luca and Griffin’s world. I had all my emotions yanked, tossed and pulled
and believe me, you better have tissues for the last few chapters, some for sad
tears and ultimately for happy tears. The parts of the story told in written
letters between the H/h had me laughing out loud, squirming in my seat (explicit
and sexy hot) and crying like a baby. There is just something so much more in a
written letter than today’s emails, texts and phone calls. Griffin definitely
made it to my book boyfriend list. Luca is written with empathy and is a wonderful
portrayal of living through the good and bad days with an emotional anxiety disorder.
This is one of the most emotional, heartfelt and just plain
romantic books I have read this year. Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward have “knocked
it out of the park” with this collaboration! I highly recommend this romance!
***
About the Book
Title: Dirty Letters
Authors: Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward
Release Date: November 5, 2019
Publisher: Montlake
Summary
She had yet to meet him but had never forgotten the British
boy who’d warmed her heart.
As childhood pen pals, Griffin Quinn and Luca Vinetti couldn’t have been more
different. Over the years, through hundreds of letters, they became best
friends, sharing their deepest, darkest secrets.
Until one day it ended.
Griffin never understood why Luca disappeared. She was special. She knew the
real him like no one else. He writes her a drunken letter, an angry one, never
expecting her to write back.
Before they know it, they’re right where they left off. This time with heat.
But as playing catch-up goes from fun to flirty to downright dirty, Luca wants more. She wants Griffin in the flesh. That’s where it gets risky. Because when they meet, the mystery will be over. And once they really get to know each other, there’ll be no going back.
***
Author Biographies
Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street
Journal, and USA Today bestselling author. With millions of books
sold, her titles have appeared on more than one hundred bestseller lists and
are currently translated into twenty-six languages. She resides in New York
with her husband and their three children, where she is living out her own
happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.
Penelope
Ward is a New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Wall Street
Journal bestselling author of more than twenty novels. A former television
news anchor, Penelope has sold more than two million books and has appeared on
the New York Times bestseller list twenty-one times. She resides in
Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.
Together,
Vi and Penelope are the authors of Dirty Letters, Hate Notes, and
the Rush Series. For more information about them, visit www.vikeeland.com
and www.penelopewardauthor.com.
I am very excited to share this Feature Post and Book Review on the Blog Tour for Susan Mallery’s new contemporary romance MEANT TO BE YOURS (Happily Inc Book 5). This is another heartfelt addition to the Happily Inc series. It can easily be read as a standalone.
Below you will find a Q&A with Susan Mallery, an excerpt, my book review, the author’s bio and social media links. I hope you enjoy your time in Happily Inc as much as I did!
***
Q&A with Susan Mallery:
What was your favorite part about writing Meant to be Yours?
Ohhh, that’s a hard question! I love everything about writing romance. The first kiss is still magical to me. The passion, the emotional intensity. It’s a moment that changes the course of a person’s life. When you fall in love, your life is bisected into before and after. Love is transformative, and the greatest pleasure of my life is to write about it.
Jasper and Renee in particular were a lot of fun to write because Renee is just such a mama bear when it comes to protecting her brides. She’s a wedding planner at Weddings Out of the Box, a theme wedding venue in the town of Happily Inc. Jasper is a bestselling thriller writer who wants to set his next book at a wedding. Renee’s response made me laugh so loud that I’m pretty sure I scared my pets.
Jasper continued. “I thought I could follow you around for a few weeks, learn about the business and—”
“No,” she said firmly, as all thoughts of them having another close encounter faded from her mind. “You’re not getting your serial killer cooties on my weddings. I’m a big believer in keeping the energy positive and flowing forward. Do you know what a serial killer would do at a wedding?”
He stared at her, his gaze intense. “That’s what I was thinking. I want the serial killer to be a wedding crasher.”
“No,” she said firmly. “Just no.”
When Jasper goes behind her back to get intimately involved with one of her weddings, Renee vows to keep him from bringing darkness to her bride’s special day.
I also adored the animals in this book. In the beginning, Jasper doesn’t trust himself to let a woman into his heart. His simple but profound act of kindness to a dog who needs a home leads to him finally being ready to fall in love. The dog, Koda, is based on a reader’s real-life dog. I gave Koda the same adorable quirks and characteristics that make him special—and I gave Renee the reader’s last name in her honor.
Did you find out any funny or interesting facts about wedding planning when writing this book?
I have learned that brides and wedding planners are some of the most creative people in the universe. I can’t tell you how much time I spent on Pinterest, looking at pictures from theme weddings. There are some really beautiful themes, and some that are charming and humorous. Every theme uniquely reflects the bride and the groom in the most beautiful way. In Meant to Be Yours, Renee designs several lovely theme weddings with beautiful touches I think readers will enjoy. Here’s a snippet from one:
Jim and Monica Martinez were a sweet couple with a fun firefighter theme for their big day. There was a long tradition of firefighters on both sides of the family and plenty of cute touches in the wedding and reception.
Monica’s dress laced up the back and instead of white ribbon to cinch her gown, she’d used bright red. The centerpieces were ceramic boot vases painted to look like firefighter boots, filled with red, orange and yellow flowers. There was even a walk-through fountain at one end of the reception area, created with fire hoses, a pump and a lot of engineering.
Pay attention to that last sentence because I also discovered that a lot can go wrong when you invite a few hundred people to a party. Imagine a room filled with people who aren’t used to dressing up, plus a fountain made with fire hoses, and a wedding planner who will do anything to protect her bride.
Did Renee or Jasper surprise you while you drafted this novel?
They did! When I started this book, I thought Jasper was the more wounded of the two. But as I wrote, I discovered that Renee’s scars went deeper than I thought. She’s been keeping a secret from her friends in Happily Inc, a secret about her mother that has cost her jobs, friendships and romantic relationships. Just when she starts to feel safe and accepted in her new home, her mother comes for a visit. . .
Can you share about what you’re working on right now?
I’m working on revisions on the next Happily Inc book, a Christmas book that will be out next year. No title yet. It has all of the humor and heartfelt emotion readers love in my books—plus Christmas! I invited members of the Susan Mallery All Access group on Facebook (www.facebook.com/groups/susanmalleryallaccess) to suggest random items for me to incorporate into the story. When the book comes out next year, I’ll share a scavenger hunt list with my readers so they can find the objects as they read. It’s just a fun way for me to stay connected to my readers as I write.
Who is an author you draw inspiration from?
Years ago, the fabulous Debbie Macomber suggested to me that I stop writing series about families, and start writing series about people who live in the same town. That advice was the inspiration for my Fool’s Gold series, which led to my Happily Inc series, as well. I’ll always be grateful to Debbie for that.
Who is a book character you’d be best friends with?
Each of my heroines is someone I’d be friends with—after all, I spend months with them, so I want them to be people I enjoy hanging out with. As for best friends, I’ll go with Ellen Fox, heroine of The Friendship List, which will come out next year. Ellen had me laughing all the way through the book. She’s blunt and smart and would drop everything to help someone she loves.
She’s a single mom who got pregnant in high school. She had sex one time, got pregnant, and then… nothing. She’s basically a virgin with a kid. But when she discovers what she’s been missing, she has no inhibitions. Her lack of filter was a source of constant amusement for me. Every day, I was excited to get back to work so I could spend time with her again. Such a fun book to write!
What do you hope readers will experience or gain when reading Meant to Be Yours?
I hope Meant to Be Yours will be a happy escape for them, an entertaining break from the stresses of their daily lives. This is a book for readers who like to feel the sharp pings of emotion—and the release of laughter with a guaranteed happy ending.
What inspired you to write Meant to Be Yours?
I loved the humor inherent in the idea of a thriller writer wanting to research weddings, and a wedding planner who wants to keep his darkness away from her bride’s special day. Jasper is the kind of writer who does his research in tangible ways. Before he writes a fight scene, he blocks it out with his buddies—weapons and all. He wants to get the details right.
So when he decides to set his next book against the backdrop of a wedding, he’s determined to get those details right, too. And the only way to do that is to be involved with a wedding from start to finish. But Renee is determined to keep any hint of darkness away from her bride’s special day. It’s not an intellectual exercise to her—it’s someone’s wedding day, and that means something.
It’s just a humorous conflict that I thought would be a ton of fun to write. And it was!
Oh, and by the way, Jasper also decides that his detective character needs a love interest…so he needs someone to block out the kissing scenes with him, too. (Full confession: I do occasionally ask my husband for help with my research. 😉 )
What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
I’m active on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter—but mostly on Facebook. I share book news on my main page, www.facebook.com/susanmallery. In the Susan Mallery All Access group, www.facebook.com/groups/susanmalleryallaccess, I share personal anecdotes and pictures, hold contests and play games. It’s a lot of fun, and everyone is welcome to join! (Unless you’re some weird spammer guy who wants me to marry you. Ew.)
***
Excerpt:
“It might just be okay,” wedding coordinator Renee Grothen murmured softly to herself as she surveyed the wedding reception. She wouldn’t risk admitting everything had turned out as planned until the last guest had left, but four and a half hours in, things were going really well.
Jim and Monica Martinez were a sweet couple with a fun firefighter theme for their big day. There was a long tradition of firefighters on both sides of the family and plenty of cute touches in the wedding and reception.
Monica’s dress laced up the back and instead of white ribbon to cinch her gown, she’d used bright red. The centerpieces were ceramic boot vases painted to look like firefighter boots, filled with red, orange and yellow flowers. There was even a walk-through fountain at one end of the reception area, created with fire hoses, a pump and a lot of engineering.
Renee walked around the perimeter of the indoor reception space, looking for problems. So far, so good, she thought with cautious optimism. The cake had been cut, the bar service was about to end and the tone of the party had faded from raucous to comfortably tired—exactly as it should. With a little luck, things would wrap up on time and without a crisis. This was Monica and Jim’s day—Renee wanted it to be as perfect as possible. While she always took care of her clients, she tended to unleash her mother bear instincts for her special couples and Monica and Jim certainly qualified.
She spotted Pallas Mitchell, her boss, walking toward her. It was nearly ten on a Saturday night and Pallas, a pretty brunette only recently returned from maternity leave, yawned widely. When she spotted Renee she held up her hands, palms up.
“What can I say? I’ve been home with an infant. These wild late-night hours are going to take some getting used to.”
“No one’s judging,” Renee told her. “As I said at seven, at eight and again at nine, go home. I can handle this. You’re barely back and you need to give yourself time to adjust to the schedule.”
“You’ve been running things for nearly six months. You need a break.”
In truth, Renee was a little ragged around the edges, but she’d loved handling Weddings Out of the Box while Pallas had been gone. She’d enjoyed the challenges each unique wedding presented and watching all the details fall into place on the big day.
“I had lots of help,” Renee pointed out. “Hiring college students on summer break was a good idea.” And what they’d lacked in experience, they’d made up for in energy and enthusiasm.
“Now that I’m back, things can return to normal,” Pallas said, covering another yawn.
“Go home,” Renee urged. “Please. I can handle things here. I promise.”
“Okay. I will. Thanks. Don’t you dare come in tomorrow.” Pallas’s voice was firm. “For once, we don’t have a Sunday wedding. Enjoy the break.”
“I will.” Renee would probably pop in to do a little paperwork, but she wouldn’t stay long. “Are you coming to The Boardroom on Monday night?”
In a wedding destination town, the rhythms of the residents were determined by weekend weddings. Happily Inc’s workweek started on Wednesdays as the businesses geared up for the dozens of nuptials that occurred in multiple venues. Which meant the town’s Friday night was actually on Monday.
The Boardroom, a local bar, hosted game nights on Mondays. Board games ruled and tournaments were heated and fun as friends crushed each other at everything from Candy Land to Risk.
Pallas shook her head. “I’ll admit to being a bit of a worrier. When we went a couple of weeks ago, I couldn’t stop thinking about Ryan. He’s only five months old. It’s too soon to leave him at night.”
Renee held in a smile. “Sure. I get that.”
“I know you don’t, but thank you for pretending. Have fun for me, too. Oh, Jasper’s back, so tell him hi, if you think of it.”
Jasper was back? Renee hadn’t heard. She liked knowing he’d returned from his big book tour. Not for any reason in particular, she amended hastily. Sure, he was nice, but there were a lot of nice guys in the world. There was just something about Jasper. Maybe it was because in addition to being good-looking and just a little dangerous, he wasn’t a forever kind of guy.
“I saw that!” Pallas grinned. “I totally saw that. You did the predatory smile thing I was never good at. You want to use him for sex! Did I know this?” She stomped her foot. “Did this happen while I was on maternity leave? What else went on while I was off having a baby?”
Renee laughed. “You’re reading way too much into my smile. I’m happy he’s home from his book tour. That’s all.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Jasper and I are not involved. I doubt we’ve had more than a three-sentence conversation.”
Not that it took many sentences to ask Your place or mine? And while the description of predatory was nice, it gave her too much credit. Would she stalk him and pounce? Not even on her best day. Would she say yes if the man asked? She smiled again. Oh, yeah, she would. Definitely. Okay, probably. If she was feeling brave. Because while she worked her butt off to give her couples their perfect happily-ever-after day, she knew it was never going to happen for her. Those who could—did. Those who couldn’t became wedding planners.
Avoiding relationships might be the smart choice, but it was also a lonely one. She knew Jasper was into the long-term, monogamous, not-serious kind of thing and she was pretty sure she could handle that. Assuming she was his type and he was interested. They could have some laughs, lots of sex and walk away completely unscathed in the heart department. Where was the bad?
“There’s something going on and you can’t convince me otherwise,” Pallas said. “You have depths. I’m very impressed. Okay, use Jasper and then tell me the details because hey, he’s got to be great.” She yawned again. “I’m such a lightweight. I’m leaving now.”
“Good night. Hug Ryan for me.”
“You know I will.”
Pallas walked out of the reception hall. Renee continued to circle the space, looking for any forgotten handbags or phones, and noting how long it would take the cleaning service to return the huge room to order. Doing her job and not thinking about the fact that Jasper was back—that was her.
A loud whoop got her attention. She turned and saw three teenaged guys running through the fountain at the far end of the big, open room. Each of them jumped, trying to touch the arc of water dancing overhead.
The younger brother, she thought as she made her way toward them. And his friends. No doubt they were bored after so many hours with not very much to do. Regardless, she was not going to have them disrupt the reception when it was so close to being over.
As she approached the running, jumping teens, she saw both sets of parents, along with the bride and groom, still dancing. They swayed in time with the music, oblivious to the fountain and the idiots messing with it. Then several things happened at once.
The younger brother started an extra long run toward the fountain. Jim let go of Monica and spun her out the length of their arms. Monica bumped her mom, who stumbled a little. Dad grabbed Mom, moving all of them closer to the fountain and the younger brother running, who had to swerve suddenly to avoid them. As he swerved, he lost his balance and slipped, tumbling into the fountain mechanism. One of the hoses broke free, wiggling and spraying water everywhere.
Renee saw it all happening and knew there was no way she was going to allow her beautiful bride to get soaked. She lunged for the hose, caught it and held it tightly against her chest as the bride’s father rushed to turn off the water to the hose. It took only seconds, but by then the entire fountain had spilled over and Renee was drenched, shivering and had water up her nose even as she wondered if she looked half as ridiculous as she felt.
The new Mrs. Martinez hurried over. “Renee, are you all right?” She turned on her brother. “How could you? This is a wedding, not a water park.”
Aware that end-of-wedding exhaustion could easily lead to emotions spiraling out of control, Renee quickly faked a smile.
“Monica, it’s fine. Don’t worry. Keeping you and the rest of the wedding party dry was my only concern.” She glanced at the water draining onto the floor and realized part of the fountain was still pumping out water. That couldn’t be good. If she couldn’t get everything turned off, she was going to have to call in one of those companies that took care of disasters like flooding. “Really. It’s no problem.”
“You’re dripping and the water’s rising. My dad went to find the main shutoff.”
Renee wrung out her hair and hoped her makeup wasn’t too badly smudged. Then she realized the water level in the reception hall was indeed climbing and hoped Monica’s father found the shutoff soon.
She was just about to go help him when he returned.
“All turned off.” He glanced at the mini flood. “Sorry about this.”
“It’s fine,” Renee lied, her tone soothing, because that was part of her job. To pretend all was well even when they needed to be figuring out how to build an ark.
The rest of the guests were heading out. Nothing like the threat of an unexpected flood to get people moving, she thought, trying to find the humor in the situation.
“I’m so sorry,” Monica told her as she held her dress out of the water and slipped out of her shoes.
“Don’t be. You had a wonderful wedding and reception. Why don’t you and Jim start gathering your things? I have a spare set of clothes in my office. I’ll get changed, then help you make sure you have everything.”
As she spoke, she noticed the water seemed to have settled at about the six- or seven-inch level. Yup, she was going to have to call someone. No doubt she would be here all night. Oh, joy.
“I’m really sorry,” Jim said. “We thought we’d planned for every contingency.” He glared at his new brother-in-law. “Except for stupid.” He turned back to her. “Let us know the cost of cleanup. We’ll pay for it.”
“Thank you. I think the deposit should take care of it but I’ll let you know if there’s a problem. Now if you’ll let me go get changed, I’ll be back with you in ten minutes.”
Monica nodded.
Renee slipped out of her shoes and walked through the ankle-deep water. When she reached her office upstairs, she carefully closed the door behind her before undressing, then slipped on jeans and a T-shirt. Not exactly professional, but she wasn’t going to worry about that right now. Before she returned to her bride and groom, she looked up the local disaster cleaning service. The number was in her files, but wasn’t one she had had to use before.
They picked up on the first ring.
“Happily Inc CleanUp. This is Hilde. How can I help you?”
“Hi. I’m Renee Grothen at Weddings Out of the Box. We had a firefighter wedding tonight with a big fountain. There was an accident with one of the hoses and now our main reception hall is flooded.”
There was a pause. “Um, did you say firefighter wedding? Never mind. How much water?”
“About six inches.”
“That’s a lot.”
“It was a big fountain.”
“Give us thirty minutes and we’ll be there.”
“Thank you.”
Renee hung up, gave herself a second to catch her breath, then headed back to deal with the bride, the groom, the flood and anything else that might happen tonight. Because with a wedding, it was always something.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
MEANT TO BE YOURS (Happily Inc Book 5) by Susan Mallery is a
contemporary romance set in the wedding destination town of Happily Inc. Even
though this is the fifth book in the series, it can easily be read as a
standalone romance with a complete HEA.
Renee Grothen is a wedding coordinator at Weddings Out of
the Box. She works hard at making sure everything is as perfect as possible for
such a memorable day for every couple. As happy as she is for each of the
couples, she believes that marriage is never to be in her future.
Jasper Dembenski is a successful suspense novelist who has
managed to make a comfortable life for himself in Happily Inc. Jasper had
severe PTSD when he left the Army and still feels he is broken and unable to
have any type of permanent relationship.
When the two are seated together on game night at The
Boardroom, there is an attraction that surprises them both. Neither is looking
for permanent, but can they have a no strings fling?
Renee soon becomes the inspiration for the female character that Jasper needs to add as a love interest in his book. As he writes and learns about his female character, he learns about relationships and his own life. Maybe he is not as broken as he believes. Renee may seem to have it all together, but she has a lot of secrets in her past that have shaped how she relates to her present. Is she willing to take a leap of faith and put her heart on the line one more time?
I read this book in one day. I was so engrossed in finding out how Ms. Mallery was going to take two people who believed they would never have a HEA for themselves and give them their HEA together. This romance has more H/h character development than most intertwined with realistic dialogue and sex scenes while also keeping you entertained with secondary characters and the weddings happening at Weddings Out of the Box. I felt empathy with Jasper right away, but it took finding out the secrets in Renee’s past for me to understand her and how she was emotionally damaged. Renee’s mom, Verity was a wonderful secondary character and I enjoyed how she interacted with all the people, pets and animals in Happily Inc.
I always know I will be engaged and entertained when I read a Susan Mallery romance. This is another heartfelt addition to the Happily Inc series.
***
Author Bio:
SUSAN MALLERY is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship, romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations,” and readers seem to agree—40 million copies of her books have sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.
Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband. She’s passionate about animal welfare, especially that of the two ragdoll cats and adorable poodle who think of her as mom.
CROSSROADS CORNER (Bendixon Sisters Book 3) by Brenda
Margriet is the third book of the contemporary romance trilogy featuring the
Bendixon sisters of Prince George and the men with whom they find their HEAs. I
read the first two books in the series and was anxiously waiting for Camryn’s story.
I was not disappointed. This romance can be read as a standalone, but the plotline
overall arc of saving Bendixon and Sons starts in book one and is resolved in
this third book.
Camryn Bendixon returns home to Prince George with no job,
no self-esteem and under police suspicion. Her embezzling ex-boyfriend besides
being the reason she had to leave her job, has run up all their credit cards,
not paid rent on their expensive condo and refuses to clear her with the police
of any knowledge of his crimes.
Camryn is determined to succeed at bring Bendixon and Sons
back from the brink of closing. She wants to prove to her family she can help
save the company, while getting back her own financial stability and self-esteem
in the process.
Will Danson manages the Prince George division of the
Kohlenburg Group. They are Bendixon and Sons major competitor and because of
their size, they are able to win the majority of new construction jobs. Over
the last year, since their move from Vancouver, Will and his young daughter have
settled into Prince George and enjoy the city.
Camryn and Will meet as they are competing for a new, lucrative
contract. Will is instantly attracted to the beautiful and smart Camryn
Bendixon, but Camryn is not letting another good-looking man take advantage of
her, no matter how nice he may seem. Can Camryn and Will keep their personal
lives and hearts separate from their competitive business lives?
Camryn and Will are wonderful together, but it was
definitely a bumpy road getting there. I loved how Ms. Margriet continually had
the characters at a breaking point both personally and/or professionally and
yet was able to find a compromise that was beneficial to both in the end. Will’s
daughter was written realistically with empathy, not sympathy. Also, the
ex-partner, Will’s daughter’s mother added a messy realism to the story which many
deal with themselves in today’s society. The dialogue was realistic, the plot flowed
smoothly right up to the climax and I finished the entire book in one sitting.
As in the other books in this series, the sex scenes are explicit and steamy. I
also enjoyed catching up with the other sisters, family and friends from the
first two books.
I highly recommend this romance!
I can also recommend the whole trilogy for three entertaining
and heartfelt contemporary romance reads.
I am happy to be a part of this Release Blitz for Amy Briggs’ new book The Inheritance (A Port Henry Novel).
Below you will find a book description, the author’s bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. I loved Scrappy, the Great Dane. As always, good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
***
Book Description:
Riley Maxwell spends her days working from her New York City apartment, designing websites and copywriting for clients around the world. Most of her exposure to people outside of her home base is her visits to the local Chinese takeout place down the street. Satisfied with her life of solitude, Riley’s summer gets turned upside-down when a wealthy client passes away, leaving her a beach house in Port Henry, New York, one of the wealthiest shore towns on the East Coast.
When the Great Dane, Scrappy, who—surprise!—she also inherited, gets sick, she takes him to the nearest veterinarian, where she meets Donovan Hunter. A ridiculously good-looking playboy, Donovan immediately gets under Riley’s skin, and she can’t wait to be rid of the house, the dog, and Port Henry. Dr. Hunter, on the other hand, can’t get enough of Riley’s sass and how different she is from the usual summer crowd.
As the summer passes and Dr. Hunter runs out of made-up reasons to get Riley and Scrappy back into the office, he cooks up a new strategy to catch her attention, setting a plan in motion to get the girl, and the dog.
Formerly a firefighter and EMT, Amy Briggs grew up next to a military base, which inspires many of her stories. Her love of fairy tales contrasted with suspense carries through each of her novels and she hopes to inspire readers to fall in love with love. Amy lives in Texas with her family where she spends her time at her family’s MMA gym and has more cats than she can handle.
Amy loves to hear from readers and can be found on all the social media here: www.facebook.com/amybriggsauthor, Instagram @amybriggs23 & on Twitter at @amybriggs23. You can also email her at amy@amybriggsauthor.com
Find a full list of all of Amy Briggs books at www.amybriggsauthor.com
I am pleased to share this Feature Post and Book Review for J.S. Scott’s ENAMORED (The Accidental Billionaires Book 3). I loved the hero in this romance! This book is part of a series, but easily read as a standalone.
Below you will find an excerpt from the title, my book review, the author’s bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card and a digital copy of the book. Enjoy and as always, good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
***
Excerpt
“You
said you’d trade for my services,” I prompted. “But I don’t have much to offer
to a man like you.”
He studied me for a moment, which made me
uncomfortable.
I didn’t want anyone to know me better.
A man like Seth would never understand me.
“You have a hell of a lot to offer any guy,” he considered.
“Not exactly true,” I disagreed. “I was engaged
once, but I was never enough for Nolan Easton,” I muttered, instantly wishing
the name hadn’t left my mouth.
For some odd reason, Seth was easy to talk to,
but I needed to guard my words better.
He whistled softly. “Nolan Easton? Head of
Easton Investment Firms? The very wealthy Nolan Easton?”
“Yes,” I said tightly.
“Even so, I can’t believe he dumped you,” Seth
answered.
“He didn’t,” I admitted. “I finally broke it
off. He didn’t know how to keep it in his pants, and I didn’t want to spend my
entire life being who he wanted me to be.” I coughed nervously. “Now can we get
back to the business at hand?”
“Not yet,” he insisted. “I’m still trying to
get why any guy would want to change a single thing about you. Not that I
exactly love your line of work right now, but you’re passionate about it. You’re beautiful. You’re smart. You
seem to know exactly what you want. Considering our circumstances, I can’t say
I’ve seen your sense of humor, but I’m assuming you have one of those, too.
What the hell else did he want?”
I ignored his question. “I have three older
brothers,” I shared. “I have to have a sense of humor or they’d drive me
crazy.”
He rested his arms on the table and leaned
forward. “You didn’t answer my question, Riley. What else did he want?” His
voice was low and persuasive.
“It’s not important. My engagement has been
over for a while, and I’m happy. I finally found my own home here in Citrus
Beach, and I’m pretty content with being alone. It’s a lot nicer here than San
Diego. Quieter.”
It was a hell of a lot better than being with a
man who made me feel like I was less than nothing.
“When exactly did you move here? And where are
you living now?”
“Almost two years ago,” I ground out, growing
impatient to get back to business. It wasn’t wise to dump a lot about my
personal life to a defendant—no matter how good a listener he might be. “I had
a condo, but I recently purchased your sister’s cottage. I’ve settled there
now. She and Eli have the bigger home next door, so I already knew I’d have
good neighbors.”
“I’m right down the beach from there,” Seth
said, sounding surprised. “I’ve never seen you.”
“Like I said. It’s recent. I just moved in.”
I was squirming in my chair. I didn’t care for
the feeling of being interrogated. I was usually the one asking the questions.
He shot me a playful grin that made my heart
trip. “Welcome to the neighborhood,” he said jokingly.
“Thanks,” I said uncomfortably. “Now tell me
what you want from me to leave that piece of property alone.”
He took his time answering, and the silence
seemed to stretch out forever.
I gulped down the last of my tea while I waited
for him to answer.
Was he playing with me?
Or did he actually have some kind of
proposition?
Probably the former—since I really didn’t have
much to offer him in the way of services. I could guarantee that Eli Stone had
set Seth up with his gaggle of business attorneys. Why in the hell would he
need an environmental attorney?
“If you’re playing with me, this encounter ends
right now,” I said tersely.
“I’m not,” he said emphatically. “I’m just
wondering how to explain what I want.”
“If it’s acceptable, I’ll write up the contract
today,” I offered.
“It’s not exactly the contract I’m thinking
about,” he said thoughtfully.
God, I was jittery, and I wasn’t used to
feeling that way. I was pretty certain that it wasn’t the extra-large chai I’d
just consumed, either.
It was him.
Maybe it was the way he studied me.
Or the way his steely gray eyes never left my
face.
I couldn’t read him, and that completely pissed me off. As an attorney, I’d gotten
very good at judging exactly where a defendant’s mind might be, and what their
motives were.
“Just name your terms,” I said irritably. “I’ll
work out the details.”
I forced myself to meet his eyes in what I thought would be a battle of
wills, and then was sorry that I had even glanced his direction.
My breath hitched as I fell into a stormy gaze
that wouldn’t let me go.
I was stunned at the possessive way he eyed me.
I was confused about the emotions I saw there.
And I was mesmerized by the carnal desire that
flared up in his steely irises like a bolt of lightning as he held me still
with a single look, unable to rip myself away from his fixed stare that was
holding me in place.
I knew I was blushing like a damn teenage girl
with her first major crush. My brain was begging my body not to react, but my
stupid body wasn’t listening.
His voice was hoarse and beguiling when he
finally said, “I need a woman, Riley. And that woman has to be you.”
***
My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
ENAMORED (The Accidental Billionaires Book 3) by J.S. Scott is the new contemporary romance in this series. It features an absolutely swoon worthy alpha male hero and a heroine who needs to learn she is worthy of unconditional love. The Accidental Billionaires series are all contemporary romances that follow a family of brothers and sisters who go from blue-collar to billionaire overnight. They have some family cross-over, but they can all be easily read as standalone HEA romances.
Seth Sinclair has taken his share of the family win-fall and
invested in his own property and construction company. It has been quite a
change to go from construction worker to head of his own company, but he has
made it work and prosper. Just one problem, the beach front he wants to develop
is a nesting site of an endangered bird and a beautiful and stubborn environmental
attorney is fighting Seth every step of the way. Even as he considers giving in
for his sister’s sake, he does not want to quit his sparring with Riley.
Riley Montgomery wants the beach front property for a
wildlife sanctuary. She has been battling Seth for months and has suddenly
received a proposition from Seth. If she will pretend to be his girlfriend and
help him at society functions for two months, he will hand over the land. As
apprehensive as she is, she wants that land and agrees with certain conditions
and one of those is absolutely NO sex.
Seth is not happy with Riley’s conditions, but he is willing
to play along for now. As the sexual tension builds, Seth wants nothing more
than to prove to Riley he will always be there for her unconditionally. Riley has
a secret from her past though that she feels makes her unworthy of Seth and his
love.
This is such an emotionally charged romance. Seth is BBF swoon
worthy. (I want one of those!) Riley is so strong to have survived her past,
grown out of the need to be a part of her old social circle and be willing to
allow Seth in and tell him the truth. Seth is absolutely perfect for Riley. The
sex scenes are explicit, but not gratuitous. I felt they were well written and
take into account Riley’s history. This is the type of billionaire romance I
like. Rags to riches, but not letting the money change who and what you are.
Family, true friends and love is still the core of the Sinclair family values.
Ms. Scott has written an entertaining, steamy and healing romance that I can highly recommend. I now need to catch up on the previous books as I wait for the next which I hope will be Noah’s story.
**Trigger Warning: The heroine has survived and discusses her childhood sexual abuse.
***
About the Book
Title: Enamored
Author: J.S. Scott
Release Date: October 15, 2019
Publisher: Montlake
Summary
Like his
brothers and sisters, Seth Sinclair went from blue-collar to billionaire
overnight, and he’s decided to invest in what he knows best: construction.
There’s only one thing in his way—the endangered birds nesting on a piece of
prime beachfront real estate. And fighting for the birds is Riley Montgomery, a
stubborn, pain-in-the-ass, drop-dead-gorgeous environmental lawyer.
The worst part? Seth will do anything to keep her around—even if it means
hiring her to be his fake girlfriend.
With a cause to fight for, Riley agrees to Seth’s scheme. If she keeps the
superficial women away from Seth, then he’ll leave the wildlife sanctuary
alone. But pretending to be his girlfriend comes with ground rules: No ass
grabbing. And absolutely no sex. Ever. The problem? The sexual
tension sizzles when they’re together.
Seth isn’t so keen on Riley’s rules, but he’ll keep his word, at least
until she decides otherwise. But bringing Riley into his circle has
brought her past back to haunt her in ways that neither of them expected. Now
it’s less about broken rules and more about broken hearts, and Seth will do
whatever it takes to protect the woman he loves.
***
Author Biography
J.S.
“Jan” Scott is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling
author of numerous contemporary and paranormal romances, including the
Sinclairs and the Accidental Billionaires series. She’s an avid reader of all
types of books and literature, but romance has always been her genre of
choice—so she writes what she loves to read: stories that are almost always
steamy, generally feature an alpha male, and have a happily ever after, because
she just can’t seem to write them any other way! Jan loves to connect with
readers. Visit her website at www.authorjsscott.com.
