I am posting a Feature Blog and Book Review for Book One of a wonderful new romance series featuring sexy professional Savannah Heat hockey players and their HEA heroines.
JUDE’S SWEET FIRE (A Savannah Heat Hockey Romance Book One) by Jessica McBrayer brings the heat. This book features the gorgeous Norwegian team captain and star, Jude Christensen. He is sweet and smokin’ hot.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, author info and social media. After reading Jude’s Sweet Fire there is a BONUS free novella download offer. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb:
What starts as a routine run becomes anything but ordinary for sexy NHL player, Jude Christensen, when he stops to rescue a yowling kitten in distress. He rushes the mauled kitten to Dr. Megan James, the most gorgeous woman he’s ever seen. Even though she seems reluctant to respond to their instant chemistry, Jude is used to working for what he wants.
A new town, a new beginning, and a new life put Megan at a safe distance from the man that nearly killed her. But when her past returns to threaten her once again, the Savannah Heat captain walks a fine line; Megan is suspicious. She is hyper-alert to the dangerous difference between a man’s natural desire to protect his loved ones, and the need to own and dominate. Once fooled is more than enough for Megan. Will Jude be able to make her safe without interfering with Megan’s need to fight her own battles?
Jude’s Sweet Fire is the first book in the Savannah Heat series. Boasting a real hero, a spunky heroine, fun and sassy friends, Southern charm and danger. The passion in this suspenseful romance will leave you breathless with satisfaction.
JUDE’S SWEET FIRE (A Savannah Heat Hockey Romance Book One)
by Jessica McBrayer is the first book in a new series of contemporary romances
by a new to me author featuring Savannah Heat NHL hockey players.
Jude Christensen is the captain of the Savannah Heat NHL
hockey team. On a morning run, he rescues a kitten being attacked by a feral
dog. He runs all the way to the veterinary clinic he passes on his route to see
if the kitten can be saved. He meets Dr. Megan James and asks her to save the
kitten at any cost.
Dr. Megan James is intrigued by the gorgeous man who is willing
to pay for the surgery of a kitten that does not even belong to him. She is
able to save the Maine coon kitten which Jude names “Gordie Howe”. Even though
Megan is not looking for a relationship, fate continues to bring them together.
As the press tries to identify the mystery woman with Jude,
someone else is watching their growing relationship, also. Megan thought she
was done with an abusive ex-boyfriend, but he is not happy that she has found
someone new.
As the danger escalates, Megan refuses to be intimidated and
hide from the life she has built for herself. Jude will do anything to find a
way to protect and save her, but will it be enough?
I loved Jude and Megan together! Jude is so sweet with
Gordie Howe and how can you not love a man who loves animals while also being
considerate, hot and sexy. Megan is a combination of grit, determination and a
loving heart so her father’s nickname of “Sweet Fire” is very appropriate. The
sex scenes are smokin’ hot and explicit, but I never felt they were gratuitous.
Their relationship does move quickly, but that is due to the danger posed by
Megan’s ex.
Ms. McBrayer writes realistic dialogue that had me laughing
out loud and blushing with the characters. The plot escalates in pace along
with the increased suspense. I also, enjoyed that the suspense climax was
resolved before the very end of the book, so the HEA is not quickly written
into the ending.
This is an enjoyable romance read that left me satisfied,
but also interested in reading the next book in the series.
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Author Bio:
Jessica McBrayer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family. She enjoys reading voraciously as well as writing and is often daydreaming about her next book. A die-hard San Jose Sharks fan, you can find her during hockey season wearing her favorite player’s name on the back of her jersey and yelling at the TV. She never wants to find out what the world would be like without hockey in it.
Social Media:
Facebook: @JessicaMcBrayerAuthor
Jessica’s Bookinistas Group on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/568621823624240/
Instagram: @jessica.mcbrayer
Be sure to visit www.jessicamcbrayer.com for info on new releases, bonus material and inside information on characters from Jessica’s books.
I am happy to bring you this Feature Post and Book Review for Only a GoodMan Will Do (The Good Man Series Book 1) by Dee S. Knight which is the first book in a new contemporary romance series by a new to me author.
Curl up in your favorite reading spot and fall in love with Daniel and Eve just as I did. (And make sure a fan is handy.) You are going to want to start this series right now with book 1. Below you will find a book blurb, buy links, an excerpt from the book, my book review and the author’s bio and information.
Enjoy!
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Blurb:
Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to
encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover
Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!
Daniel Goodman is a man on a mission. He aims to become headmaster of Westover Academy. For that he needs a particular, special woman to help him set high standards. Into his cut and dried life of moral and upright behavior, comes Eve Star, formerly one of Europe’s foremost exotic dancers. Her life is anything but cut and dried, black and white. Daniel is drawn to her like a kid to chocolate. Nothing good can come of this attraction. Or can it? He is after all, a good man.
Daniel
walked into the parlor of the headmaster’s house Saturday afternoon seeking
first the food table and second, his friend, Stan Baxter. He spotted them both
near the front window.
“You’re
late,” Stan said.
“Lots
of people wanted to chat.” Parents’ Weekend, when teachers sat in their
classrooms to meet their students’ mothers and fathers, meant mandatory tea
afterwards for all professionals at the Academy. Board members and parents
attended at their own discretion, and the boys—the reason the school existed
and they were all there—mostly stayed out of sight and hearing.
“Fortunately
for me, a good many parents now have grabbed their progeny and left campus, so
I have access to the snacks unimpeded,” Daniel said, examining the finger food
on display before making his selections. The challenge was always how to load
his plate while appearing to take a socially acceptable portion. “Did I miss
anything?”
“Only
an angel.” Stan turned toward the window. “Holy Mother! Look at that,” he
muttered.
“What?”
Daniel asked, fitting a cucumber sandwich beside the smoked salmon-topped
cracker on his dessert plate. “Am I missing a table of fare? I swear, every
year the offerings at these teas are more meager than the last.”
Stan
chuckled and answered in the same low voice, “Is your stomach all you think
about? I was talking about another kind of dish. One you can have fun eating in
bed, if you catch my drift. And she just slipped out onto the lawn.”
“Is
your libido all you think about?” Daniel bit a carrot stick in two and
sighed. Only three more hours and he could order a pizza. With all of his
charges gone from the dormitory for Parents’ Weekend, he had a rare, private,
two-day holiday ahead of him. With the tiny plate full, he joined Stan at the
large windows. “Where is this goddess?”
“There.
In the red dress and hat.”
Daniel
saw nothing but the shapely form of a woman walking away. Slender ankles topped
three inch heels. A dress of some kind of lustrous material hit her mid-calf.
The style was soft and feminine, and berry red. Not many women showed up at
Westover in a color sure to make them the focus of attention. Not that most of
them didn’t expect to be the focus—didn’t demand it, in fact—but they
usually weren’t so obvious. The breeze at her back molded the material to the
curves of her hips and ass, and fluttered the dress’s full sleeves. A
wide-brimmed hat hid her hair, but based on what was visible, Daniel easily
imagined a long column of neck designed for kissing.
“If
the rest of her matches the back view, you’ve got reason to be drooling down
the front of your gown.”
Frowning,
Stan glanced down as though to make sure the drool comment was only facetious.
“Can’t afford to drool on this. I had to use my tax refund to pay for the thing
and show off my Master’s chevrons. I don’t know how you afforded to pay for
your Ph.D. paraphernalia.”
“The
new degree looks sharp on you. Now, why are you mooning over a woman you see at
the headmaster’s tea, when you know she’s some student’s mother and off
limits?”
“She
looks young enough to be a sister, so it’s not a given she’s out of bounds.”
At
that moment, a young boy wearing the school uniform and a big grin ran up to
the woman. She bent to catch him in her arms. When she straightened, she
ruffled the boy’s hair. His expression and his wagging finger showed that he
chastised her, but then he laughed and finger-combed the mussed hair back into
place. She took his hand and they walked toward the circle where most of the
parents parked. Looking up at the woman, the boy’s lips moved the whole while,
carrying on a steady monologue.
Something
in her actions captured Daniel’s attention. They were artless, performed
naturally and with unabashed love. The child fairly skipped beside her and the
frequent turns of her head showed she looked at him as though hanging on every
word he spoke.
“How
wonderful,” Daniel murmured, impressed with her total attention to the boy.
“Did you see that?”
“Oh,
yeah. I didn’t think her hips would ever stop swaying, and it’s a crime they
make hemlines so long.”
Daniel
laughed. “You’re such a hedonist.”
“And
proud of it. But you were right. Looks like she’s a student’s mother after all.
Damn the luck.”
For
once, Daniel agreed with his friend. But not just because of the woman’s
obvious good figure. More because she seemed to love her son and didn’t care
who knew it. He normally kept his distance from flashy women, as this one
appeared to be, based on her dress color, but her easy manner with the boy
would be enough to make him ignore his own inclination toward the conservative.
If she weren’t also a patron of the school. Assuming the gods smiled on
him and he became headmaster, he and the woman would be on business terms, and
nothing good ever came from mixing business with pleasure. Pleasure is
what every male instinct in him screamed she would be.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
ONLY A GOOD MAN WILL DO (The Good Man Series Book 1) by Dee S. Knight is a contemporary romance by a new to me author that had me falling for the hero and heroine, fanning myself during the well written sex scenes and looking forward to the other brothers’ stories.
Daniel, Jonah and Mark Goodman are a set of natural born identical
triplets. Growing up in North Carolina to loving, but eccentric parents, each
brother may look alike, they have gone in very different directions in their
adult lives.
Daniel Goodman loves being an educator. He has worked for
years to achieve his goal to become the Headmaster of Westover Academy.
Westover Academy is one of the most prestigious schools in the country and only
accepts boys. There are stringent rules for both the students and those who
teach them. Daniel wants to become Headmaster to carry on some of the school’s
traditions, but also to make changes that would better serve the students.
Jonah visits Daniel, who has not been home for several years
to ask him to come home for Thanksgiving. Daniel loves his parents and
brothers, but the reason for his visit home could derail his path to the
Headmaster’s office which requires a life of moral and upright behavior.
Enter Eve Star and her son Timmy. Eve is formerly one of
Europe’s foremost exotic dancers. She will do anything to provide her son with
an education at Westover Academy. This includes making up a false background. All
it takes is one night of helping a young man from Westover for the possibility of
her secrets being revealed and her son removed from the school.
Daniel decides to help keep everything he has learned about
Eve to himself, but is it to help his students or is it because he cannot control
his attraction to this beautiful mother? And are Daniel’s years of sacrifice to
achieve his goal more important than one woman?
I sat down and just got lost in this romance. Daniel was a
great hero to follow through his journey in this book. At first, everything was
black-and-white and goal oriented and then… Eve upends his world. I knew from
the glimpses of his childhood remembrances that there had to be a hero under
all of that pomp and circumstance. Eve was a wonderful single mother doing her
best for her son and not letting others define her or her past. Daniel and Eve
challenge each other and their beliefs. The sex scenes in this book are
explicit and smokin’ hot, but not gratuitous. I also fell in love with all the
boys who were secondary characters. I completely agree with Daniel who believed
in rules, but there are also times, as he discussed when you have to let kids
be kids.
I highly recommend this romance and I am looking forward to reading Jonah and Mark’s stories!
COLTON ON THE RUN (Coltons of Roaring Springs Book 9) by
Anna J. Stewart is a new Harlequin Romantic Suspense that I could not stop
reading. Ms. Stuart had me completely engrossed in Skye Colton’s story and the
strong rancher who will do anything to protect her.
Skye Colton is missing.
She wakes with no memory of who she is. She needs to escape.
She is bound in an old shed and just knows she needs to run before someone
comes back.
Leo Slattery has returned to Roaring Springs, to run the
ranch his grandparents left him. As he and his dog, Ollie head into the barn to
begin their day, they find a half-dead woman hiding in a pile of hay. The woman
has no memory, but she knows she is in danger and she is terrified of the
police. Her injuries and fear bring out Leo’s protective streak and he promises
he will keep her safe.
As Leo keeps her secret and “Jane” begins to heal, the two
forge a bond while working side by side on the ranch. “Jane” wants more from
Leo than he is willing to give until they can find out who she really is and
where she belongs, but she refuses to go to the police out of an unknown fear
and not wanting her time with Leo to end.
But someone is looking for her and will not stop until she
is silenced. She witnessed something that a killer does not want her to
remember.
This book is an absolutely perfect escape read. It is fast
paced, easy-to-read and contains all the elements I am looking for in a
romantic suspense. Leo is the hero we all want; strong, protective and loving.
Skye/“Jane” may need Leo’s help, but she is no pushover and blossoms on the
ranch. There is one explicit sex scene, but it is not gratuitous. As the
romance builds, the suspense continues to build the more “Jane” remembers. All
of the secondary characters were fully fleshed and realistic which is unusual
for a story of this length. Also, this book can easily be read as a standalone.
I love and recommend this addition to the series!
Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.
I am very excited to be a part of this Release Blitz for Riley Edward’s new romantic suspense NIXON’S PROMISE (Gemini Group Book 1). This book had me completely immersed in the romance, the two suspense plot-lines and the formation of the Gemini Group. This book had everything I am looking for in a romantic suspense!
Below you will find the book description, my book review, the author’s information and social media links and a Goodreads giveaway. Good luck on the Goodreads giveaway and I highly recommend you start this series now!
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Book Description:
Former Navy SEAL Nixon Swagger was home.
After twelve years of service and twice as many deployments, all Nix wanted was quiet. He’d sought the solace of the land he’d grown up on and found the peace he needed to silence the noise and figure out his next move. Nixon’s stay was supposed to be temporary. He wasn’t supposed to meet a feisty, head-strong woman who made his pulse race and set his body on fire. Falling in love hadn’t been part of his plan. Taking a government contract to stop a homegrown terrorist group hadn’t been either, but when the organization threatens to attack Philadelphia, he had no choice but to accept.
McKenna Wilson was living. Every day was the same. Raising her two teenage siblings didn’t leave time for much else. Most days, she was okay with that. Then she bumped into the sexy war hero and, in an instant, her world changed. She had no idea falling for Nixon would be so dangerous. Now she was going head-to-head with the small-town’s dirty sheriff who was hell-bent on ruining Nixon and avenging a fifteen-year-old grudge. She’d lost her heart, but losing her life wasn’t part of the plan.
Nixon Swagger had learned a few things as a Navy SEAL—adapt, improvise, and overcome were among the many. In the middle of an inferno, so ominous even Dante wouldn’t buy a ticket, Nixon must adapt to his new surroundings and overcome multiple threats before he loses the woman he loves.
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My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
YEAH! Riley Edwards is writing a whole new series featuring
more smokin’ hot former SEAL’s for us to fall in love and lust with.
NIXON’S PROMISE
(Gemini Group Book 1) by Riley Edwards is a romantic suspense that not only
gives you a feel good romance, a strong and drool-worthy alpha hero, an intelligent
and loving heroine and a page turning suspense, but also sets you up with more men
to follow into future books.
McKenna Wilson is trying her best to raise her two siblings
after the death of their father and mother, her step-mother. McKenna was hoping
small town life would be good for them all and give them time to slow down and
grieve, but the teens are having problems adjusting. While in town picking up
feed for their animals, McKenna is helped by the sexy war hero she heard was
back in town.
Former SEAL Nixon Swagger has been back home for six months.
He is looking for peace and quiet in his small hometown as he works to fix up
his family’s farm his father left him while he decides what he wants to do with
his future. Nixon has no plans to stay, but when he helps rescue a feisty brunette
beauty’s feed bag his plans instantly change. Nixon knows the McKenna is the
one woman for him and he will slowly work to intertwine their lives, but
sometimes small town history can interfere.
Just as Nixon and McKenna begin to see a future together,
Nixon is asked to get his old team together to help DHS with an anti-government
group, but not everything is as it seems. Nixon and his team find themselves
having to adapt on the fly with very little time to stop a plot that surprises
them all only to come home to a life-or-death situation that has culminated
from the past.
I could not put this book down! I love Nixon and McKenna. Nixon
is the type of alpha hero that everyone dreams about. He is completely in charge
and yet understanding and it is displayed in the way he helps McKenna with her
siblings’ teenage angst and grief, the way he protects McKenna and the way he
appreciates her intelligence and computer skills. McKenna always worried about
everyone else, so when Nixon was able to help her it was done out of love and
not control. Both of these characters are mature adults and respect each other.
The sex in this book is explicit and smokin’ hot. Get your fans ready!
There are two suspense threads in this book. There is a
story-line that revolves around corrupt local law enforcement that begins long
before this story and carries over into Nixon and McKenna’s present. There is
also a story-line that revolves around Nixon’s team of friends and the
formation of the Gemini Group which will lead into more stories in this series.
The pace of the suspense of both threads just keeps building and building into
not one, but two climaxes.
I highly recommend this book and author! I am also anxiously waiting for the other Gemini team members’ stories. You will definitely want to start this series now with book 1.
Riley Edwards is a bestselling multi-genre author, wife, and military mom. Riley was born and raised in Los Angeles but now resides on the east coast with her fantastic husband and children.
Riley writes heart-stopping romance with sexy alpha heroes and even stronger heroines. Riley’s favorite genres to write are romantic suspense and military romance.
I am very excited to once again be featuring a new Freya Barker romantic suspense book. This author’s heroes and heroines are always realistic portrayals, a little older and more seasoned by life, with an element of suspense that brings them together.
10-Code is the fourth book in the Rock Point/La Plata County FBI series. All of the books in this series are easily read as standalones, but believe me, you will want to read them all!
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Book Description:
As a forty-one-year-old mother of three boys, working two jobs, Marya Berger doesn’t have the time or energy to consider a relationship. Especially after a lifetime of poor choices in the romance department. But when the disappearance of a young boy strikes a little too close to home, and a younger man she’s tried to ignore offers his help, she doesn’t stand in the way.
Single father, Dylan Barnes, the junior member of the La Plata County FBI team at thirty-three, has his focus firmly on his job and his son, Max. He’s certainly not looking to complicate his life, when he finds himself at his son’s soccer game, sitting beside the spirited brunette he can’t get out of his mind. Fate, however, appears to have different plans.
When an unspeakable crime draws the attention of the FBI, Dylan finds himself torn between his job and his instinctive need to protect Marya and her boys.
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Goodreads book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45158145-10-code?from_search=true
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My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
10-Code Rock
Point/La Plata County FBI Book 4 by Freya Barker is a new FBI romantic suspense
which returns to Rock Point and is the fourth book in this series. While there
is character crossover from the previous books in this series, it can be easily
read as a standalone without confusion.
Marya Berger had her dead-beat husband walk out on her and
their three boys five years ago. With the help of her mother and working two
jobs, she has done her best. Between the boys, her jobs and her past poor
dating choices, Marya does not have the time or energy for romance.
FBI agent Dylan Barnes is firmly focused on his career and
his son. He is very lucky to have his mother and step-dad close to help with
his son when his job interferes. At his son’s soccer game, Dylan is surprised
when Marya shows up. He learns her middle son plays on the team and the two
boys have a lot in common. This Marya is different than the buttoned up woman
he buys coffee from at the book store. She is spirited and sarcastic and he
finds he cannot quit thinking about her.
When a young boy the same age as both Marya and Dylan’s sons
disappears, and Marya’s ex-husband shows up out of the blue demanding to see
the boys, Dylan is torn between his job and his need to protect Marya and her
boys.
This is a wonderful romance with two people who truly
deserve each other and a HEA. The road had more than enough bumps in it between
Marya’s ex-husband, Dylan’s ex-fling and the suspense plot surrounding the
boys. The sex scenes are explicit and realistic as they try to just grab
whatever time is available as they deal with everything going on in their jobs
and lives. Ms. Barker has the characters dealing with what age to get children cell
phones, on-line gaming, predator danger and codes for dangerous situations.
This is another home run from this author. Her characters
are always flawed in ways everyone can relate to, the romance is hot and the
suspense keeps you turning the pages to the end. Excellent book, excellent
series and excellent author. I highly recommend you pick up a Freya Barker
romantic suspense and get reading!
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About Freya:
Freya Barker inspires with her stories about ‘real’ people, perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy.
She is the author of the Cedar Tree and Portland, ME Series, the Northern Lights Collection and the Rock Point Series. She is also co-author of the SnapShot Series.
To see Freya’s complete backlist, or to find out what is coming down the pipe, visit freyabarker.com.
I absolutely LOVED this new historical cozy mystery!
THE RIGHT SORT OF MAN
(Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery Book 1) by Allison Montclair ticked off all of
my favorite things in a historical cozy mystery. The time and place is the
immediate years post WWII in London. The characters are appropriate to the
time, realistic, extremely entertaining and smart. The plot is full of
interesting twists and red herrings.
Two very different women meet at the wedding of a mutual
friend and form an instant friendship. With their individual talents, they
decide to start a business venture called The Right Sort of Marriage Bureau. Iris
Sparks is quick witted, impulsive and secretive in regards to her time during
the war. Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge is a war widow with a young son, Ronnie who
is now destined to become the next Lord Bainbridge. While very different on the
surface, both women fit well together with their individual strengths and
abilities.
As their fledgling business is starting to take off, one of
their newest clients, Tillie LaSalle is found murdered and Scotland Yard arrests
the prospective husband Iris and Gwen paired her with. The detectives believe
they have their man, but Gwen refuses to believe in Mr. Trower’s guilt. To
clear his name and rescue their business, Iris and Gwen decide to investigate
on their own using the skills and contacts each has acquired during the recent
war.
As the pair investigate the murder, they find themselves
surrounded by individuals involved in all forms of illegal post-war activities.
Will Iris and Gwen be able to save Mr. Trower and their new business without
becoming victims themselves?
I cannot emphasize enough how much I loved these characters.
As the mystery plot keeps you turning the pages, so does each revelation in
regards to Iris and Gwen’s pasts. The main characters, the secondary characters
and the mystery plot make this a perfect historical cozy mystery read. I highly
recommend this book and I cannot wait for the next book in this series.
Thanks very much to Net Galley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur
Books for allowing me to read this eARC. It was definitely my pleasure!
