Tag: #series

Feature Post: Burning Up by Jennifer Blackwood

I am very excited to be sharing this feature post from Jennifer Blackwood.

Below you will find a message from the hero of Burning Up, an excerpt from the book and a Rafflecopter giveaway. This looks to be the start of sizzling hot firefighter romance series!

 

 

Message From Jake Bennett, Hero from Burning Up

Hey, everyone. I’m Jake Bennett. I’m thirty-two and live in Portland, Oregon (Jesus, this sounds like I’m creating a dating profile, which I am definitely not). I’m a firefighter and single parent. Firefighting just came naturally as a career choice. My grandfather was a firefighter. Loved to take me to the station when I was a kid, and I haven’t wanted to do anything else ever since my four-year-old self held a hose. And why would I? I get to help people in need and my day is never boring when I get to spend it with my best buddies. Besides my job, my twelve-year-old daughter Bailey keeps me on my toes. I’ve Googled and YouTubed more than I’d care to admit to keep current on her latest obsessions (seriously, I know way too much about winged eyeliner and HTML coding).

It’s been me and Bailey for over a decade and we’re not looking to add to the family. See, after her mom skipped town on us when she was a baby, I’ve had a tough time trusting people. There are a few people I do trust, which include my firefighter brothers and my best friend’s little sister, Erin Jenkins. She’s back in town for the summer, and after ten years of not seeing her, she’s not the girl next door I remember. She has curves for days, blonde hair I want to sink my fingers into, and a mouth that drives me absolutely mad. She’s off limits and yet somehow, I decided it’d be a good idea to ask her as my date to my sister’s wedding (I claim sleep deprivation and a temporary loss of sanity).

And once we get to the wedding, we’re stuck in the same hotel room together.

Someone upstairs must be tempting me, because Erin is everything that I could ever want in a woman. Smart, sexy, and irresistible. But right now, I need to focus on being a parent. I made a promise to myself and Bailey that she’d be my number one until she went off to college. There’s also the fact that Erin is leaving at the end of the summer. It’d be stupid to contemplate something that already has an expiration date. Right?

Burning Up Excerpt

“Jake, honey, can you get more ice?” Jake’s mom called from down the table.

Without as much as a glance, his chair scratched against the hardwood floor as he backed away from the table. “Sure.”

Erin caught his hand before he could make it past. “Mind if I come, too?” The thought of sitting at the table and making small talk was enough to give her hives. Plus, she’d get this weirdness all out in the open because she wasn’t going to spend all weekend with him if he was going to act like a spooked horse.

Jake looked from the hallway back to the table, clearly debating his strategy. After a few moments, he nodded.

“I think it’s in the storage room over here,” he said. It was to the point where he wasn’t even looking at her now. What the hell had she done?

Before he could disappear into the room, she grabbed his arm again.

“Jake.”

He swiveled to face her, his eyes nearly melting her into a puddle of goo. Girl. Get ahold of yourself. It’s just a freaking man. Her body and mind were obviously on different terms. “Yeah?”

“Listen, this is just getting weird. Right? It’s not just me?”

He quirked a brow. “Weird how?”

“Don’t you play it off like it’s all me.” Erin did have a knack for making situations awkward, but there was no way she was the only one experiencing this level of discomfort. She put her hands on her hips. He had to feel this, too. One minute they were laughing like old times, the next, she was subject zero of an infectious disease. “It’s like I have the plague or something.”

“Do you have the plague?” he asked, clearly amused.

“No.” Copious amounts of hand sanitizer ensured that. “But you’re treating me like I do.”

“I’m not treating you like you have the plague.”

“Poisonous warts? Dengue fever? Halitosis? Take your pick,” she said.

He moved closer to her, his scent, a mix of cologne, beer, and mint encasing her. She’d like to say she didn’t inhale it creepily, but she was still Erin Jenkins.

“None of the above.” He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple climbing his throat.

“Then what is it?” She was at the point she almost wished she hadn’t come. At least then, she could live in her delusional bubble of reminiscing about the way things used to be, when he actually hung out with her.

Perfectly straight teeth raked across his bottom lip. “Being around you just brings back a lot of memories.”

“Hopefully not embarrassing ones.”

“Those are the best kind.”

“I see.” That was not an answer she’d been expecting. Play it cool. Yeah, she was never good at listening to her inner chi.

“Erin, as gorgeous as you are in that unfairly tight dress, you are my best friend’s sister. I work with Reece. I don’t want to lose my kneecaps because of something stupid I’d do.”

“You want to do something stupid?”

He grinned, his eyes lighting up into the dangerous glint he used to have when he was younger and about to do something that he’d absolutely regret. The one that always made Erin’s knees wobble like jelly. “Yes. Insanely stupid.”

His fingers brushed against her cheek, scorching a trail down her jawline.

“Tell me, Erin. Do people still use the word ravish?”

Damn it. So he had heard her earlier. When she thought she’d kept her thoughts in her head—where they belonged. She fought back a cringe and squared her shoulders. She was a grown woman and would own up to it.

“Those who read material other than Firefighters Monthly, yes.”

“A lesser man might be offended.” He took a step forward, and she parroted the move, taking a step back, her back hitting the wall. His arms bracketed her head, caging her in. “Feel free to peruse my science fiction selection anytime you want.”

She rolled her eyes. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d call that for what it is—the worst pickup line in existence.”

“Trust me, Erin, even if I dropped my best pickup line on you, it wouldn’t work.” He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath.

“Is that so?” Little did he know that he could use single-word commands, and she’d be playing her own version of “What Would You Do for a Klondike Bar?” Except instead of ice cream, her prize would be in the form of licking other things.

***

About the Book

Title: Burning Up

Author: Jennifer Blackwood

Release Date: May 8, 2018

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Series: Flirting with Fire, #1

Summary

Unemployed schoolteacher Erin Jenkins is back in Portland, the town she hasn’t called home for more than a decade. It’s not the way she wants to spend her last days of summer: in between jobs and avoiding her mother’s snooping by escaping to the ice-cream aisle. But when the opportunity arises for her to accompany her brother’s best friend—her lifetime crush—to a wedding, summer gets a whole lot more interesting.

Firefighter and single dad Jake Bennett has built a nice, safe wall around his heart—no romance, no getting burned. That doesn’t mean he’s ruling out a fling. Considering Erin’s visit is temporary, they’re the perfect fit for a scorching no-strings one-night stand. Or two. Or five. Until the worst thing happens: Erin and Jake are feeling more. Damn that four-letter word.

Now their hearts are on the line, and when their smoldering summer comes to a close, it’s going to be harder than ever to put out the fire.

 

Author Biography

Jennifer Blackwood is the USA Today bestselling author of the Rule Breakers, Drexler University, and Snowpocalypse series. Aside from writing contemporary romance, Blackwood teaches English in Oregon, where she lives with her husband, son, and unruly black Lab puppy. When she isn’t writing or teaching, you can find her binge-watching some of her favorite TV shows, such as Supernatural and Gilmore Girls.

Social Media Links

Website: www.jenniferblackwood.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferBlackwood

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jen_blackwood

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8532549.Jennifer_Blackwood

Rafflecopter Giveaway

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Book Review: No Darker Place by Debra Webb

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

NO DARKER PLACE (Shades of Death #1) by Debra Webb is an intense, psychological thriller with a sadistic serial killer who had me checking my own doors before bed. This is an edge of your seat read. (Please Be Aware: This book does contain graphic violence. I would also suggest that you read the prequel, The Blackest Crimson first.)

Detective Bobbie Gentry has recovered physically and returned to duty after her escape from the notorious serial killer, The Storyteller. Mentally, she has only one goal, find and kill the killer who destroyed her family.

Nick Shade understands Bobbie’s desire for vengeance. He has a secret past of his own. He is on the hunt for The Storyteller and he knows his best chance of catching him is to stay close to Bobbie, the only person to survive The Storyteller. Nick is finding it difficult to stay emotionally uninvolved as Bobbie becomes more and more reckless as people she knows become victims.

Will Nick protect Bobbie from herself even if his target gets away? Bobbie has to decide if she can trust this stranger, who can read her so well. Can both of these broken people come together to stop The Storyteller from finishing Bobbie’s story?

This thriller has so many psychological twists and turns in all of the characters, not just the serial killer. At times it can be almost too intense and yet, I could not put it down. Bobbie’s backstory is heart wrenching. Nick’s backstory is being revealed gradually throughout the book and I was continually surprised. The Storyteller is terrifying.

I am really looking forward to reading more in this series to see how Bobbie and Nick proceed forward with their lives.

Book Review: Scandalous in a Kilt by Anna Durand

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

SCANDALOUS IN A KILT (Hot Scots #3) by Anna Durand is the third book in this contemporary romance series that had my emotions all over the place and that is what I always hope for when reading a romance. I was happy, sad, understanding, mad, frustrated and completely satisfied right along with each main character. Ms. Durand made Rory and Emery come to life!

Emery Granger has been downsized. As a last hoorah before she has to make decisions regarding her future, she takes off to New Orleans to forget her problems for a weekend. Sitting at the hotel bar, fresh off the plane, Emery is approached by a gorgeous, hot Scot in a kilt with a proposition.

Rory MacTaggart is in New Orleans on business. A successful Scottish solicitor by day, he has had no luck at love. After surviving three failed marriages, he no longer believes in love. Seeing his brothers’ wedded bliss with their American wives, he decides after his night with Emery to offer her a contracted marriage with many rules, but no emotions.

As free-spirited Emery adjusts to her new life in Scotland, her new husband and all of his rules, she begins to discover the true Rory hidden behind the hardened shell of hurt around his heart. Their relationship is passionate, but can she break through and help Rory to love again?

The premise of this romance is not new, but Emery and Rory make it exceptional. I love how Emery knows herself and what is truly of value in life. Even as she takes some emotional knocks at she tries to get through to Rory, she is not a doormat. Rory is successful, hot and so lonely. I believe Ms. Durand very successfully portrayed a man hurt to the extreme, but who is willing to slowly learn to love and trust again with the right person.

As in all of this series, the sex is explicit and smokin’ hot, but I did not feel it was gratuitous. The relationship rules and breakdown of those rules fit into their growing relationship realistically. This book can be read as a standalone, but I feel you will want to read about the other two brothers and their American wives, too. I have enjoyed this whole series, but Emery and Rory have stolen my heart and are now my favorites!

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.

Book Review: The Blackest Crimson by Debra Webb

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

WOW!

This prequel is a gut twisting, edge of your seat, unable to put down read to Debra Webb’s new Shades of Death series.

THE BLACKEST CRIMSON (Shades of Death #0.5) introduces us to a demented serial killer known as The Storyteller. Once a year, he takes a victim and tortures her for weeks as he tattoos a story on her back before dumping the body in another state in a public location. He leaves no DNA, no one knows who he is because all of his victims are dead.

Detective Bobbie Gentry was excited to be involved in working The Storyteller case with the FBI. After his latest murder and no new leads, everyone believes he will move on for another year. Bobbie is ready for a break from the intense case. Her husband, and small son are looking to celebrating Christmas with her, but The Storyteller has plans for her, too.

On Christmas Eve, Bobbie has her world destroyed. The Storyteller abducts her after killing her husband. He is obsessed with Bobbie and breaks his pattern to have her. As she is tortured for weeks and becomes resigned to her death, he makes a mistake. Can she escape the fate of all his other victims?

This is a very fast paced and intense read. I was done in one short sitting and could not put it down. The characters are compelling and realistic. I cannot wait to get the first full length book in this series. Bobbie and The Storyteller are not done with each other.

Book Review: Deadly Secrets by Robert Brynzda

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

DEADLY SECRETS (Detective Erika Foster, #6) by Robert Brynzda is another highly addictive addition to the series. I wait anxiously for each of these books to come out so that I can be completely engrossed in a new crime mystery and catch up on all of the characters that I have come to love.

DCI Erika Foster is still recovering from her last case and is finding this Christmas season especially difficult emotionally. Rather than deal with what is sure to be an emotion packed Christmas lunch with the Marsh family, she takes the lead in a horrific murder of a young burlesque dancer. As Erika and her team start to work the case, they find that their murder case may overlap with a separate series of attacks in the same neighborhood. All of the victims have been attacked by a frightening specter in black wearing an old fashioned gas mask.

As the case progresses, Erika receives a call from up north that her father-in-law has had a medical emergency. DI Kate Moss is promoted to handle the case. As the clues come together and the case heats up, Moss finds herself stumbling into a dangerous situation with a soulless madman who will do anything not to be caught.

This book has Erika facing some very difficult personal problems and decisions. Mr. Brynzda humanizes Erika in this story more than in any other. Putting Moss in charge shows her vulnerabilities and strengths in her work and home life. Peterson is back to work and brings a new personal twist to his story. The whole team is facing dynamic personal changes in future storylines.

What appears to be one plot, turns into two diverging plotlines. Each has twists and surprises that had me guessing until the end. It is a fast paced read that kept me turning the pages and hating to set the book down. These books can be read as standalone crime fiction mysteries, but the continued growth and interactions between all of the main characters makes me glad that I read them in order. This is a series that continues to engage, surprise and be on my “Must Read” list!

Thanks very much to Bookouture and Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Heat by Lisa Carlisle

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

HEAT (Underground Encounters Book 5) by Lisa Carlisle is a fast paced novella that returns the reader to the hot and steamy paranormal romance world of VAMPS. All types of paranormal creatures are drawn to VAMPS and this novella features a gorgeous gargoyle shifter.

Tracy is a bartender at VAMPS who has overcome an abusive relationship. She has taken out an order of protection, taken self-defense classes and now focuses her personal life on attending college and spending time with her little brother when not working at VAMPS. Through all her troubles, Tracy has confided everything to the gargoyle statue by the bar. She does not know why she is drawn to the statue, but she considers it an old friend.

Danton is a powerful gargoyle shifter who transforms into human form to protect people in danger, but especially Tracy. He anxiously awaits her shifts at the club and yearns for her as a man. When Tracy’s ex shows up drunk and attacks her, Danton comes to life. Due to a curse, he only has twenty four hours in his human form to convince Tracy to spend the time with him and possibly more?

This novella has Tracy and Danton instantly attracted and having sex. There is a twenty four hour time limit and it is a novella, so it calls for a quick hook-up, but based on Tracy’s past with abuse, I felt very uncomfortable with her decision. The author does take you through Tracy’s thought process and explains her feelings, but I feel it would have made a better novel length story with the topic of abuse. Tracy and Danton are well written for the shortness of the story and I really did like them. As always in this series, Ms. Carlisle’s sex scenes are smokin’ hot and steamy and a new paranormal lover appears in each with interesting world-building and backstory.

I will be looking forward to more stories coming out of VAMPS and the Underground Encounter series.

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.