DRAWING BLOODLINES (The Princeton Allegiant #1) by Deborah
Garland is the first book in a new paranormal vampire romance series. The
vampires are a bit different from the norm and this leads to new world-building
opportunities for this author.
Dr. Alexander Manning is a doctor, a professor and a
vampire. He is a valued member of the Princeton Allegiant due to his ability to
supply blood to the group. Alex was turned over one hundred years ago and is
still learning how to use the “special” gifts he received from his sire, Loren.
No one knows about his extraordinary talents and he prefers to keep it that
way.
Elizabeth Lockspier is a teacher and is adjusting to her
life as a divorced mother of one. While having her blood drawn at a doctor’s
visit by one of the most beautiful men she has ever seen, she becomes
lightheaded as he takes too much and faints when she finds him drinking from
one of the vials.
Alex could not help himself. He finds Elizabeth’s scent and
blood intoxicating. The problem is that no human can know of a vampire’s
existence and if they do they must be reported to the head of the Allegiant.
Alex breaks into Elizabeth’s house to wipe her memory rather than report her,
but finds she is as drawn to him as he is to her even though he is a vampire.
As Alex and Elizabeth grow closer, Alex’s past threatens to
pull them apart forever. He must decide to obediently go into a forced marriage
with a vampire he hates or attempt to change his immortal future with a secret
science experiment of a colleague.
I was drawn into this new paranormal vampire world with all
of the twists in the world-building and action. This is a complete story, but
the author introduces enough secondary characters and questions to carry the
series forward. The sex scenes are explicit, but not gratuitous. (Personally, I
would not be interested in those cold interactions.) If you are looking for a
new twist on vampire paranormal romance this is the book and series for you.
Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.
I am very excited to share this Feature Post and Book Review for THE PROMISE OF US (Sanctuary Sound Book 2) by Jamie Beck. Below you will find an interview with the author, an excerpt from the book, my book review, a book summary and the author’s biography and social media links. At the end of the post is a Rafflecopter giveaway.
I actually missed my bus stop going to work because I was so engrossed in Claire and Logan’s story! This story is as heartwarming and realistic as it is emotionally heartbreaking at times. Have the tissues ready for this one. As always, good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
***
Interview with Author Jamie Beck
1. Can you give readers a quick snapshot of your newest
novel The Promise of Us.
At its heart, this book is based on some favorite romance
tropes (best friend’s older brother, unrequited crush, second chance-ish)
although the circumstances are unusual. Basically, Logan returns to town to
help his sister recover and, in his desire to help his sister mend fences with
Claire, he hires Claire to redecorate his apartment. What starts out as a
somewhat manipulative—though well-intentioned—plan flips on him. He remembers
the version of Claire from before the gunshot wound and wants her to stop
living in fear, so he sets about slowly challenging her limits to help her lead
a fuller life. In the process, he falls for her, although his job and wanderlust
(and Claire’s inability to forgive Peyton) conspire to make her push him away.
Ultimately, they have to figure out how to compromise if they want things to
work out.
2. What makes Claire and Logan’s story special to you?
Each book I write is special in its own way. I think what
stays with me about this one is a sense of tenderness that developed in Logan
that didn’t really exist before he spent more time with Claire. He was a fairly
selfish guy (meaning he put his needs and career aspirations ahead of
everything) for most of his life. His sister’s life-threatening illness was the
first catalyst for change, but his relationship with Claire develops a new
facet of his personality. I liked him so much by the end of the story. And I
had fun writing Claire, despite her being a very nervous, conservative
character at the outset.
3. Your heroine Claire has suffered tremendously (both
physically and emotionally) yet she perseveres and has made a great life for
herself. What gives her strength?
In my mind, Claire’s greatest strengths are her ability to
be content with the little things and her gratitude for her family and friends.
For the most part, she rarely laments her quiet life. When she had to give up
her first love (tennis), she directed her energy into something else she
enjoyed and made that a career. She feels that she is good at her job and she
enjoys it, so that also gives her a sense of pride and accomplishment. I think
her job (making old or ugly things pretty) is a bit of a metaphor for how she dealt
with her injury.
4. Claire has had love and lost it. How has her past
experience changed her?
I think losing her boyfriend to a best friend rocked her to
the core. Those two betrayals shook a fundamental sense of trust in all
relationships. And in love. She recovered much better from her physical injury
that the emotional ones, that is for sure. In any case, this cynicism about
love and friendship definitely makes it hard for her to believe anything Logan
has to say, or to believe that he could truly love her.
5. What is her reaction to first seeing her childhood crush
Logan?
She’s caught unaware, so she reacts badly, especially
because she suspects he is trying to manipulate her. Hostile might be how some
would describe her mental state, although Claire tempers her feelings most of
the time, so it is more of a quiet rage with a hint of desperation to flee!
6. It seems like Claire and Logan are complete opposites.
She is cautious about new experiences, while he jet sets around the world. Was
it difficult to write about two very different characters?
No. They are opposites, but in a complementary manner. In
other words, he is able to use his strengths (courage) to help her tap into her
own, and she is able to use her strength (contentedness) to give him a sort of
stability and affection sorely lacking in his life.
7. What common ground do your heroine and hero have?
The have the common ground of growing up in the same
community, with all the values and ideals that help form us as children. They
also have mutual friends and some shared history, which binds them. In terms of
their interests, they are both creatives—him with photographs, her with fabrics
and such—so they understand that way of seeing the world.
8. A hallmark of your writing is the maturity that your
characters find throughout their journey of falling in love. What are some
lessons that Claire and Logan must learn for them to get their
happily-ever-after?
The hallmark of any well-written romance (of which there are
plenty) is that its characters will have a strong arc (they will grow and
become better, stronger individuals). In this story, Claire needs to learn to
take risks again, and to trust that, come what may in life or love, she will
survive and be okay. Logan needs to learn to compromise, and to learn that the
relationships he makes in the here and now are more likely to bring true happiness
than achieving any aspirational goal.
***
The Promise of Us Excerpt
“What are you
thinking?” Claire dropped her hands to the table.
Steffi shook her head, waving one hand.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t lie. Is there another problem I’m not
aware of?”
“No.” Steffi inhaled, held her breath, then
exhaled slowly.
“I know of one project that would make a sweet
profit and let you really stretch your talent. ‘Sky’s the limit’ kind of
budget.”
Excitement lifted Claire’s spirit,
straightening her spine. Anything that accelerated plans to open a retail
outlet merited her attention. “Sounds amazing. What’s the catch?”
Steffi hesitated.
“Never mind. You won’t take it, so let’s move
on.” Steffi spooned whipped cream into her mouth. “Oh! Molly says that Mrs.
Brewster is thinking of remodeling her master bath.”
Mrs. Brewster’s late husband had left her
comfortably well off, but you’d never know it. She clipped every coupon
available to humanity—Claire had been behind her at the grocery store more than
once. She put only two dollars in the collection basket at church each week,
despite having enough money to leave more. And she gave out bite-size candy at Halloween.
Bite-size!
“We can’t rely on Ryan’s mom as our major
source of leads, and Mrs. Brewster spending big bucks on a remodel sounds
improbable..” She leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Don’t make me beg. If
you have a solution, I won’t dismiss it out of hand, I promise. I’m not an
idiot. We need income. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep the doors open.”
Steffi went still, her chin just above the mug
held midair. “Whatever it takes?”
Claire’s hair stood on end, but she motioned
“Let’s have it” with both hands.
Steffi hesitated. “How would you like to
redecorate a high-end condo in Chelsea?”
“In the city?” Her entire body prickled
painfully at the thought of putting herself in the midst of that chaos and
danger. She’d already been one madman’s random victim. Manhattan teemed with
crazy people, not the least of whom were the ones who drove their cars like
heat-seeking missiles. “Who’d hire us instead of any of the premier designers there?”
Steffi met Claire’s gaze. “Logan.”
Claire’s tongue seemed to swell and turn
sticky. Work with Logan … Her blood thickened
like warm syrup. Tingles and terror all at once—a sensation she both loved and
loathed. Her own brand of crazy. Maybe she did belong in New York, after all. “No.”
“You just said you’d do whatever it takes.”
“Not that. Never that.” Claire didn’t need to look into a mirror to know that her
fair, lightly freckled cheeks now looked like someone had smeared them with
ripe strawberries.
“As I suspected.” Steffi shrugged nonchalantly,
as if she hadn’t just pulled the pin from a grenade and dropped it on the
table. “So that leaves us a little tight until something else comes up. In
terms of our social media presence, I just read an article …”
Claire heard Steffi talking, but the words ran
together like white noise because Claire’s brain was still stuck on the idea of
working with—no—for Logan Prescott. His
obvious ploy made her want to laugh. Did he really think he could buy her
forgiveness for his sister? Well, Claire would never, ever forgive Peyton. Not
even if he paid her a million dollars to renovate his condo.
“Claire? Did you hear anything I said?” Steffi
turned her hands out in question.
“Sorry.” She rubbed the scowl from her
forehead. “I’ll find another way to turn up new leads. Working with Logan is a
hard no.”
“Too bad. You’d have so much fun decorating his
place. I’m sure he’d let you do whatever you wanted. Anything would be better
than how it looks now. Guess he never cared before, since he was rarely around
to enjoy it.”
Only a Prescott would own a million-dollar
property that sat vacant as often as it was occupied.
“I’m not an idiot.”
“Did I call you one?” Steffi had the gall to
look stunned.
“This has Peyton’s paw prints all over it. I’d
bet my last penny that she put him up to it. I don’t know what I hate more,
that she did it, that you took the bait, or that she knows we’re desperate for
money.”
“It’s not a conspiracy. I mentioned that I felt
bad about putting you in this situation because of this home. Logan tossed out
the idea on the spot.”
“I can’t deal with the strings that would come
with his offer.” Except now Claire couldn’t focus on anything else because
thinking about Logan took up all the space in her head. If Peyton hadn’t stolen
Todd, she might’ve pounced on a chance to work closely with Logan. Of course,
then she wouldn’t have been free to act on her desire. Not that she had ever
acted on it before Todd, either. The hawkish way Logan could stare at her
turned her to jelly around him and—oh, just no. “I thought you finally
understood that.”
“I do. That’s why I wasn’t going to say
anything.” Steffi crossed her arms. “You forced me to tell you.”
True enough. Logan’s image flickered through
Claire’s mind again, poking at the tender spot of her pointless longing, like
always.
She shook her head, dislodging all thoughts of
Logan. “I’ll catch up with Mrs. Brewster and pitch a proposal for her bathroom.
But we also have to scrape together funds to advertise and update the website,
and you need to scare up reno work pronto. Promise me we’ll earmark new revenue
toward retail space—”
A knock at the door interrupted her monologue.
Steffi rose from the table and disappeared
around the corner.
From the other room, Claire heard Steffi’s
surprised voice say, “Oh, we didn’t expect you so early.”
“Hope that’s not a problem,” replied Logan, in his unmistakable baritone.
***
My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
THE PROMISE OF US (Sanctuary Sound Book 2) by Jamie Beck is
a contemporary romance with characters I know I will be thinking about well
beyond “The End” of this book. Ms. Beck’s characters in The Sanctuary Sound
series are realistically written and fully fleshed enough to walk right off the
page. Even knowing my HEA will arrive, the journey is never easy or
cookie-cutter in Ms. Beck’s Sanctuary Sound books.
Claire McKenna is the artistic design half of the fledgling
company she started with one of her closest childhood friends in her hometown.
She has rebuilt her life since losing her promising career as a professional
tennis player to a random bullet to the hip in the local mall and her boyfriend
who dumped her and left town with her other best friend. Claire was focused on
her career and travelled the country, but now she allows her fear to build a
wall around her hometown and never takes any risks.
Logan Prescott lives every day trying to live up to his famous
grandfather’s legacy. He is a photographer who travels the world trying to find
the job that will give him fame and recognition. When his sister is diagnosed
with breast cancer, he comes home to be by her side. They have returned to the
family home to document Peyton’s cancer fight and Logan would like to get
Claire’s forgiveness for his sister, who is the one who stole Claire’s
boyfriend.
Logan offers Claire the job of remodeling and decorating his
NY condo for enough money to get the store front she wants for the business. He
turns on his charm to get Claire to take the job, but he soon finds that Claire
has changed and he wants to help her get over her fears as much as he wants
forgiveness for his sister. Claire has had a crush on Logan since they were
young. Can taking risks with Logan free her or break her all over again?
Get the tissues ready. Claire and Logan are opposites that attract and in the end fill the empty spaces in each other, but not without a lot of emotional growth. Claire’s fears after the shooting and her parents’ over-protectiveness, Peyton’s breast cancer journey and Logan’s emptiness were realistically written and intertwined into a beautiful story. They are imperfect characters that are all changing and on a journey to forgiveness and understanding. The sex scenes are behind closed doors or PG rated. This book can standalone, but Claire’s partner, Steffi has a great story in book 1 of this series that you will not want to miss.
I highly recommend this romance, series and author!
***
About the Book
Title: The Promise of Us
Author: Jamie Beck
Release Date: April 9, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Summary
Claire McKenna
knows about loss. The bullet wound that ended her promising professional tennis
career drove her to make a quiet life for herself working with fabric samples,
chatting with her book group, and spending time with her parents in her sleepy
coastal Connecticut hometown. Then there was the boyfriend who dumped her to
pursue her adventurous childhood friend. Now, Claire’s business has hit a
financial snag, but she’s up to the challenge. After all, she can survive anything.
At least she thinks so . . . until her teen crush, Logan, returns to town with
his sister, Claire’s traitorous friend.
Photographer
Logan Prescott is more playboy than homebody. But his sister’s illness teaches
him that there’s more to life than chasing the next thrill. Bent on helping her
win Claire’s forgiveness, he turns his charm on Claire and offers her big bucks
to renovate his multimillion-dollar New York City condo.
After years of playing it safe, Claire must now take some risks. The payoff could be huge, but if it all falls apart, can her heart recover from another loss?
***
Author Biography
National
bestselling author Jamie Beck’s realistic and heartwarming stories have sold
more than one million copies. She’s a Booksellers’ Best Award and a National
Readers’ Choice Award finalist; and critics at Kirkus, Publishers
Weekly, and Booklist have respectively called her work
“smart,” “uplifting,” and “entertaining.” In addition to writing, she enjoys
dancing around the kitchen while cooking and hitting the slopes in Vermont and
Utah. Above all, she is a grateful wife and mother to a very patient,
supportive family.
For fun tips,
exclusive content, and a chance to win the monthly birthday reader box, please
sign up for her newsletter at jamiebeck.com.
ALLEGRO COURT (Bendixon Sisters Series Book 1) by Brenda Margriet is a second chance contemporary romance set in British Columbia by a new to me author. The heroine is one of three sisters and I believe this will be the first book of a trilogy. This romance does stand on its own.
Matilda “Mattie” Bendixon has strong family ties and she
grew up knowing she would work with her grandfather in the family construction
company in Prince George. She loves her job and could not imagine doing
anything else. Mattie lost the boy she always loved to his classical musical
career, so the business is her life. Lately business has been very slow and
Mattie is worried about the company, but her grandfather refuses to admit it is
anything other than a slump that will change.
Marcus Temple is a world-class classical cellist living in
Vancouver. He has always despised his home town and left as soon as possible.
His beloved father, who taught him his love of music, died when he was 15 and
his mother barely realized he was there. The only bright spot in his summers’
home was being with Mattie, but even that changed after high school. Now, he
has been notified that his mother has had a stroke and he must return home to
deal with his mother’s health and face once again the girl whose heart he
broke.
Mattie believes she can save Bendixon and Sons. She makes a
wager with Marcus to let her company do a rehab of his mother’s house over one
month and in that month Marcus must stay in Prince George. While there is a
financial incentive, it is really Mattie’s heart that is at risk. Marcus could
leave again or he can face the fears and misconceptions of the young boy who
lost his father.
Mattie and Marcus are both such wonderful characters. I
really did not know how they could come together, but Ms. Margriet does a
beautiful job writing realistic feelings and motivations that end with a HEA
with both sides changing and growing. The secondary characters are fully
fleshed out and the secondary plotline of Mattie’s grandfather and Marcus’
mother coming together is heartwarming. I got just enough information about
Mattie’s two sisters to look forward to their stories, too. The sex scenes are
explicit, but not overdrawn and I loved that the first one was included in the
story (not everyone is always perfect). I can highly recommend this emotional
second chance romance and I am looking forward to reading the sisters’ stories.
Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.
Below you will find the Feature Post for Rachel Van Dyken’s new release RISKY PLAY (Red Card Book 1). It is book one of a contemporary romance series featuring professional soccer players. This post includes a guest post from the author, an excerpt, my book review, the author’s social media information and a Rafflecopter giveaway.
This is a great start to a new series. I hope you enjoy all of the information in this post and as always good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway.
Why Sports Heroes Make the Best Book Boyfriends by Rachel Van Dyken
Hey everyone! I’m Rachel Van Dyken,
author of over eighty (holy crap) books in multiple genres, one of my favorites
being, sports romance! My latest book, Risky Play, is about two broken
main characters who find themselves on a last minute holiday to Puerto
Vallarta.
Pro Soccer player Slade Rodriguez is trying to lay low after finding out his girlfriend and his ex teammate hooked up behind his back, for over a year. Licking his wounds he changes teams and moves to Seattle, but isn’t ready to settle down yet. Needing time to himself, he gets on the first jet out. He sits next to Mackenzie Dupont on a plane and is immediately intrigued, especially since a few hours into the plane ride, they have single engine failure. She asks him what one thing he would do different. And they kiss. Once the plane safely lands, to protect his own identity, he gives her a fake name, Hugo. What he doesn’t realize is she’s famous in her own right, so she does the same thing. After all, she’s running away from a broken engagement.
What follows is a whole lot of steaminess and taking chances with a complete stranger assuming that it’s just that, a one night stand, a two night stand. Whatever it is, Mackenzie’s obsessed with “Hugo’s” intense golden gaze, the eight pack helps, and the fact that he seems genuinely interested in everything she says. He promises the universe he’s going to keep her, but sometimes the universe is against us. Tragedy strikes and they go their separate ways only to meet again in Seattle, this time, sparks fly and not the good kind The “I want to kiss you, then strangle you, then kiss you again” kind.
I love writing sports romances because I think it adds this extra layer of pressure from the press to act a certain way. Not only does Slade have to deal with paparazzi but he has pressure to perform, to lead his team to the championships after training with another team. I think it brings in so many details from behind the scenes that we never think about when watching sports on TV. I’m fully dedicated to interviewing real athletes (and my last sports romance I interviewed NFL players). This time I wanted to focus on a sport that isn’t as huge here as it is internationally and really do it justice. These athletes eat, sleep, and breathe their sport, there isn’t a lot of time for a personal life and if you do have one, the balance is always going to be a struggle (not to mention the fact that Slade is still mourning). In this book, I wanted to introduce a really strong female character that wouldn’t let Slade project all those feelings and basically Mackenzie is the type of girl that doesn’t put up with his crap. I think it’s important to have strong female characters that women can look up to. I love that during the entire journey my heroine doesn’t give up. She knows her worth and demands that Slade recognize it too.
All in all it was such a fun book to
write, I can’t wait for everyone to read it!
***
Excerpt: Risky Play by Rachel Van Dyken
I was kissing her again.
Maybe it was because it had been months since
I’d had a decent kiss, since I’d jumped into the arms of anyone who didn’t know
me by name.
I could be Hugo for a few days.
Hugo seemed spontaneous.
Hugo seemed relaxed.
Hugo seemed fun.
I sure as hell needed some fun.
I broke away from her kiss and trailed my
fingertips down her chin. “So, now that we’ve established the plane didn’t
crash and we’re here side by side, what did you have in mind?”
Ashley grinned up at me, her eyes a bit
hesitant as she looked from me to the ocean. “Well, I’ve never gone cliff
diving, I heard there’s a great place close by.”
My eyebrows shot up. “No offense, but you don’t
seem like a thrill seeker.”
She laughed. I decided I liked the way her
laugh relaxed me, made me respond with a smile and a need to kiss her again.
“I’m not, trust me.” She sobered a bit. Her lips turned down.
I wanted nothing more than to press a soft kiss
to the corner of her mouth just to see if it would it make it decide to smile
in my direction again.
“But it would be fun, I need fun.”
I sighed heavily and looked at my feet. When
the hell had I ever looked away like that? “That makes both of us.”
“Great!” She walked ahead of me into her
penthouse suite, which matched mine even in color. I suddenly wondered what she
did for a living. I mean I could afford it because I had been the highest paid
soccer star in Europe for the last ten years.
The place was around three grand a day.
I eyed the large master suite as she ran around
and then held up her hand. “One sec, I’m going to change into a suit, alright?”
“Great.” I smiled reassuringly. It would give
me time to look around, not that I was stalking her, but I could never be too
careful. I was still surprised she didn’t recognize me. And I knew when she
did, this little facade, this freedom I felt in my chest, the easy way she let
me breathe around her? It would go to hell, and I’d need another escape.
I thumbed through a few of the magazines on the
table, and dropped the last one down just in time to hear the sliding bathroom
door open and see a goddess emerge.
A one-piece swimsuit covered her body. It had a
plunging neckline that showed off two generously sized breasts, and I
immediately regretted not telling her who I was.
Because clothing tended to get pulled off, not
put on, when I was in the room.
I eyed the scrap of material she called a
swimsuit, my eyes raking over her muscular legs, her curvy body.
“Unless you’re jumping naked, you should change
too,” she pointed out, then cleared her throat and looked away like she was
insecure. Damn, the woman could make a man cut his own heart out for a taste of
her special brand of sin.
I peeled my shirt off over my body and
shrugged. “Ready.”
Her eyes went so wide I had to fight not to
laugh.
I knew what she saw.
I had Instagram pages dedicated to my eyes
alone, don’t even get me started on my abs.
Eight.
Tight, packed abs, all tanned and golden like I
was the sun god himself.
“Uh, right.” Her cheeks brightened as she
clasped her hands together. “Let’s go!”
I checked her out the entire time she walked
ahead of me, and when she caught me staring I just shrugged and said, “Next
time wear more clothes if you don’t want me to look.”
“You should talk,” she fired back.
“Misunderstanding.” I grinned. “I wanted you to
look.”
She slapped a hand against my bare chest.
I laughed, and then grabbed her hand and kissed
her fingertips. “You ready to jump off a cliff with a stranger you’ve kissed
twice?”
“Once,” she corrected with a whisper. “I kissed
you, you kissed me, we’re even.”
The doors to the elevator opened as I whispered
under my breath. “Not for long.”
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
RISKY PLAY (Red Card Book 1) by Rachel Van Dyken is the
first contemporary romance in a new series featuring pro soccer players.
Mackenzie “Mack” Dupont had her fiancée walk away from her at the altar. Splashed across all of the society pages, Mack’s humiliation leads her to taking her already scheduled honeymoon trip to Mexico alone to get away. She is ready to lose her virginity and live life on her terms.
Slade Rodriguez is now the highest paid striker in the
American soccer league. After finding out his fiancee was pregnant with a
teammate’s baby he knew he had to change his life and location. Before the new
season begins, he is off to Mexico to hide out and get away from the paparazzi.
When Mack and Slade come together, what they hope can be
more turns into a one-night-stand with Mack waking up alone and wondering why
everyone leaves her.
Slade has tragic personal reasons for vanishing from Mexico
without a goodbye. Grieving and blaming the stranger for his loss, Slade is
shocked when Mack shows up at his door as his new personal assistant. Mack
cannot believe who opens the door for her new temporary job. They both have a
lot to learn about each other after all the lies. Slade needs to let his grief
and anger go and Mack refuses to be walked all over anymore. What they do not
know is that they have a common enemy who wants to ruin them both.
Mack is such a great heroine. She had a lot of emotional
growing up to do. She starts out just rolling along filling everyone else’s
expectations and doing all the right things. After having two major emotional
upsets, she learns to stand up for herself and make herself first and she does
this without becoming bitter or hard. I love sports, but I do not necessarily
like the players, young men with too much money, too many women and bad
attitudes. I had a hard time liking Slade and his treatment of Mack at first
when she ends up working for him, but he did redeem himself and had me cheering
for him in the end. The author’s writing has made me interested in finding out
more about the other players in future books.
I loved the dialogue in this book. It feels realistic and
had me laughing out loud and near tears at times. Ms. Van Dyken brings her
characters to life on the page. The sex scenes are hot and explicit and at
times funny, but they never felt gratuitous. The secondary characters were
fully fleshed out and realistic. This is a new to me author that I am looking
forward to following in the future.
***
About the Book
Title:
Risky Play
Author: Rachel
Van
Dyken
Release Date: March 19, 2019
Publisher: Skyscape
Series: Red Card, Book 1
Summary
What else can a
virgin do when she’s ditched at the altar? Seattle heiress Mackenzie Dupont is
treating herself to a single-girl honeymoon in Mexico and a desire to
relinquish her innocence to a gorgeous one-night stand. Fake names. True
pleasure. But when she wakes up alone, Mackenzie realizes just how much anger
is left in her broken heart.
Suffering a tragic
personal loss, pro soccer player Slade Rodriguez has his reasons for vanishing
without a goodbye. Right or wrong, he’s blaming the beautiful and infuriating
stranger he never wants to see again. They’re both in for a shock when
Mackenzie shows up as his new personal assistant. And they both have a lot to
learn about each other. Because they share more than they could possibly know,
including a common enemy who’s playing his own games. And he’s not afraid to
get dirty.
Now there’s only one way Mackenzie and Slade can win: to trust in each other and to stop hiding from the lies they’ve told, the secrets they’ve kept, the mistakes they’ve made, and the attraction that still burns between them.
***
About the Author
Rachel Van
Dyken
is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and #1 New York Times bestselling author known for regency romances, contemporary
romances, and her love of coffee and Swedish fish. Rachel’s
also recently inked a deal for her Wingmen Inc. series—The Matchmaker’s Playbook and The Matchmaker’s Replacement—to be made into movies.
A fan of The Bachelor and the Seattle Seahawks (not necessarily in that order), Rachel
lives in Idaho with her husband, a super cute toddler son who keeps her on her
toes, and two boxers. Make sure you check out her site, www.RachelVanDykenauthor.com,
and follow her on Twitter (@RachVD).
NEVER SAY I LOVE YOU (Never Say #1) by Amy Pennza is the
first contemporary romance in a new series by a new to me author.
Ashley Ann Scobel is an out of work actress. For two years,
she has made ends meet by refurbishing antiques, but she decides she needs to
return to her small Texas hometown of Prattsville and try to pull herself and
her finances together. But Prattsville has no fond memories for Ashley. She
hopes to use her grandmother’s old furniture in her family home attic to
finance a return to California. When she gets home, she finds her mother gone
and the house sold to the next door neighbor named Smith. Hopefully he won’t
mind if she stays for just a few weeks.
Chief of Police Smith Salvatierra likes everything orderly
and predictable. He and his canine partner, Deuce appreciate the boring and
quiet small town over the crowds and frantic pace of the larger San Antonio. He
likes his privacy and his partner never asks about his past. When Smith finds
Ashley in the house he bought next door, they come to an arrangement. Ashley
can stay for eight weeks.
Smith’s new tenant is messy, unpredictable and beautiful.
Ashley finds Smith to be by-the-book tall, dark and handsome and is not sure
what to make of her landlord’s hot and cold attitude. Can the two of them find
what they need in each other?
I was very happy I tried this new to me author. This
contemporary romance had an interesting twist with Smith dealing with a tragedy
in his past that colors all of his decisions in the present. His rigid
adherence to predictability is challenged by Ashley and he begins to see an
opportunity for change. I love dogs in books and I loved Deuce. He is a great
example of an emotional support dog. The sex scenes in this book are explicit but
not gratuitous. My only problem with this story was I felt the ending was too
abrupt. I would have preferred that some of the secondary issues had been
locked down instead of still up in the air. Hopefully this H/h will be
revisited in future books in the series and I will find some of the answers I
am looking for in a complete HEA. Overall, a good start to this new series.
Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.
Today’s Feature Post/Bog Tour and Book Review is for the first book in a new romantic suspense series with a unique plot setting – the world of on-line gaming.
OFF HER GAME (The Game Lords Book 1) by Zoe Forward is a unique suspense plot which will continue to arc over more books in this series, but the romance is a complete HEA in each book. Below you will find the book description, my book review, author social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway.
You will enjoy this new romantic suspense series whether you are a on-line gamer or not and as always good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
Tori Duarte’s big dreams to be a video game designer…well, they haven’t panned out. And a girl’s gotta eat. Enter: the Stadium, a secretive video game gambling ring. As a world ranked eGamer, winning should be cake. Until it’s not. Gambling debts suck her in deep.
A chance encounter with the media shy, ridiculously handsome video game CEO Noah Harrison offers her a way out. The deal: 1) Assist the FBI to catch the underworld eGaming kingpin (doable but dangerous). 2) Keep the FBI connection secret by pretending to date Noah (not optional but keeping it PG is problematic).
Noah’s never been more attracted to a woman in his life. Maybe because he’s never been the focus of anyone as sexy, smart, and badass as Tori. But while the dates are fake, the threat to Tori’s life is real. What neither expected was an explosive chemistry that’s more than convincing—it’s sizzling. Falling for each other is the most dangerous thing they could do…
OFF HER GAME (The Game Lords Book 1) by Zoe Forward is the
first book in a new romantic suspense series set in the unique world of on-line
gaming. The suspense plot was very intriguing and keeps the pages turning. The
romance has a gamer nerd turned hot hunk game creator, rich CEO still being a
nerd in personal situations in a fake relationship with a feisty, sexy female
gamer, game creator.
Tori Duarte is ranked as one of the top female gamers in the
country. She attended MIT, she can program and code and she has a video game
she is trying to sell. She also has a big chip on her shoulder because of the gender
bias in the gaming world. When she needs help with money, she gets involved in
a secretive on-line video gambling ring called the Stadium. The game is rigged
and she just keeps getting further and further in debt.
CEO Noah Harrison is co-owner of a major gaming company. He
is set up on a chance meeting with Tori. He lost his brother to the Stadium and
is now helping with an FBI sting. He wants Tori’s help to stop them from
killing more people and bring them to justice. They will pretend to date to
cover for the FBI.
Tori and Noah play at dating, but with the sparks flying
between them, could this lead to more? As they are caught up with this dangerous
cyber-criminal, the stakes continue to rise. Can Tori get out of the Stadium to
have a real relationship?
Tori and Noah were an interesting pairing. The shy CEO who is inept with women, but can sure turn it on and take control during sex with the snarky, but insecure gamer girl. When they were together it was really hot, but I felt the author pulled them apart too frequently. There was too much insecurity coming from such a supposedly smart and talented heroine. The sex scenes were explicit, but not over the top. All of the secondary characters were well fleshed out and I am looking forward to seeing how the author continues on with their stories, also. I did like the twist during a very well written suspense plot when the heroine faced the kingpin without the hero at her side. Overall, I loved the suspense plot and that the Stadium plot will arc over future books with this book having a complete HEA romance.
I can recommend this first book in this new series and I am
looking forward to reading more.
***
About Zoe:
Award winning author Zoe Forward is a hopeless romantic who can’t decide between paranormal and contemporary romance. So, she writes both. Her novels have won numerous awards including the Prism, Readers’ Choice Heart of Excellence, Golden Quill, Carolyn Readers Choice Award, and the Booksellers’ Best Award.
When she’s not typing at her laptop, she’s cheering her son on at baseball, chasing the toddler or cleaning up the newest pet mess from the menagerie that occupies her house. She’s a small animal veterinarian caring for a wide range of furry creatures, although there has been the occasional hermit crab.
She’s madly in love with her globe trotting conservation ecologist husband who plans to save all the big cats on the planet, and she’s happiest when he returns to their home base.
