NOTORIOUS IN A KILT (Hot Scots #5) by Anna Durand is a
smokin’ hot contemporary second chance romance. This entire series of sexy
Scottish brothers and cousins is easy to read and entertaining. Each book can
be read as a standalone although it was fun to read them in order and watch how
each meets their perfect American mate.
Rae Everhart fell in love with her college professor. With
only one month to go before graduation, they could not wait. They were both
adults and only had one night of passion before the jealousy of others tore
them apart. Her lover disappeared leaving Rae with so many unanswered questions
and a daughter to raise alone.
Iain MacTaggart thought he was saving Rae by leaving her. He
knows nothing about his daughter and has quite the reputation since returning
to his home in Scotland. Since he can’t have the one woman he loves, he sleeps
with many others. He never promises them anything except a good time.
Thirteen years later on Rae’s sheep ranch in Texas, Iain
comes marching back into Rae’s life. He
is willing to do anything to win her trust back, but he still has secrets that
could break them apart once again. Can Rae trust Iain with not only her heart,
but her daughter’s heart also?
This is the book I have been waiting for! Iain was a
secondary character in other books in this series and I always wanted to know why
at fifty he was still not settled. You knew there were secrets and this book
tells all. Both Rae and Iain suffered and yet rebuilt their lives as best they
could. They had to be together though in the end for this HEA to satisfy. Iain
is extremely hot and Rae is the perfect strong and resilient heroine. Beside
the reignited romance, you also get blackmail, misunderstandings and a bumpy
road to happiness. The sex in this book is explicit and hot as in this whole
series.
I really enjoyed this story and was very happy to finally
find out more about Iain. This is a great second chance romance and one of my
favorite in this series to date.
Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.
This second book in the Sweetwater Springs contemporary
romance series is an absolute joy to read from beginning to HEA. I cried and laughed
and just could not put it down. SPRINGTIME AT HOPE COTTAGE (Sweetwater Springs
#2) by Annie Rains was a pleasure to read.
Josie Kellum is a writer on a major magazine in NYC. It was
her dream job until the arrival of the new owner. She decides she needs a trip
to visit her BFF, Kaitlyn in Sweetwater Springs for article ideas and time to
consider her future at the magazine. As Josie is walking behind Kaitlyn’s
B&B, she goes off the trail and ends up with a severely twisted knee.
Kaitlyn knows the perfect physical therapist to help get her up and about as
soon as possible. She is supposed to return to NYC soon.
Tucker “Tuck” Locklear grew up in Sweetwater Springs and
returned after college to run his physical therapy practice using the outdoors
and nature at Hope Cottage to heal instead of an exercise room in a facility.
He has been a widower for two years now and is just starting to move on. His
first impression of Josie is of a high maintenance city girl, but as the two
get closer he finds she is so much more. Tuck knows Josie will be returning to
NYC soon and it would be stupid to risk his heart on someone who will be
leaving, but there is so much he likes about Josie.
Tuck and Josie get an extra month together when there is a
fire in the apartment next to Josie’s in NYC. They each have reasons that
should keep them apart, but the attraction is too strong. Can Josie slow down
and quit running? Can Tuck take the chance at a second love?
This is story that will stay with me for a while. Josie’s
reasons for hiding in her work and Tuck’s reasons for not getting involved were
all handled realistically by this author. Ms. Rains writing had me completely
engrossed in Sweetwater Springs and its inhabitants. So many little things can
add up in our lives and change a person. These characters showed that sometimes
you have to forgive yourself as much as others. All of the secondary characters
are as realistic and entertaining as the H/h. This is a sweet romance and none
of the sex scenes are explicit.
This is an emotional romance read with a very satisfying HEA.
I can highly recommend this book and I am looking forward to reading more books
in this series.
Thanks very much to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and
Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC.
SALVAGING TRUTH (Hunters & Seekers Book 1) by Joanne
Jaytanie is the exciting start of a new romantic suspense series. The books
revolve around a salvage and investigation company called Hunters & Seekers
run by three ex-SEAL friends.
Dagger Eastin, Kaleb LaSalle and Stone Garrison are partners
and friends who run Hunters & Seekers. As ex-SEALs, they all have a love of
the sea and have found the perfect way to carry on in the private sector while
still getting that punch of adrenaline they all still seek by being private
investigators.
Riley Rawlings is in shock as she listens to her mother’s
message on her phone. The research vessel Claudia is on is sinking. Riley does
not know exactly what her mother was working on when she died, but it was going
to change the balance of power in the energy business world. Riley was left
clues by her mother to follow in a scavenger hunt to retrieve her research and
get it into the right hands.
Riley needs help solving her mother’s murder and someone
watching her back as she follows the clues to her mother’s research. It seems
everyone wants Claudia’s research and are willing to kill to get it. Riley and
Daggar have to deal with universities, the military, energy corporations and
Russian spies. Daggar has Riley’s back as they follow the clues, but can Riley
trust him with more?
I really enjoyed the whole premise of this story and the
execution. Ms. Jaytaine’s writing was easy-to- read and the scavenger hunt kept
me turning the pages. Riley was an intelligent heroine with an interesting
career. Daggar was the strong ex-SEAL hero. I had a little difficulty with the
romance because for me it felt forced. The author gave reasons for the back and
forth, but for me, it was not really believable if he cared for her so much, but
the suspense plot in the book more than made up for the weakness in the
romance. Kaleb and Stone are strong characters in this story and I am looking
forward to reading about future adventures featuring each.
I can highly recommend this first book in this series and I
am looking forward to reading more.
Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.
Today I am happy to share with you this Feature Post/Release Blitz and Book Review for Riley Edward’s new book FINDING MERCY (The Next Generation Series#3).
Below you will find the book description, my book review, the author’s social media and a Rafflecopter giveaway. I am always excited every time I get a new Riley Edward’s book and this one did not disappoint!
I hope you enjoy the info below and as always good luck on the giveaway!
***
Book Description
DEA Jason Walker became a widower at Twenty-eight. Two years later he’s still torturing himself with guilt. They’d married young, and she’d been his first love, but her illness changed everything. They’d fought a losing battle and he’d held her to the very end. Now he just wants to be left alone with his misery and memories.
Mercy James is no stranger to grief and loneliness. Her brother’s death of a drug overdose, and her police officer father’s death in the line of duty were the driving forces behind her pursuit of a career in the DEA. In spite of—or maybe because of—her past, Mercy doesn’t believe in feeling sorry for others, or for herself.
When a case brings Jason and Mercy together, and their attraction heats up, can her tough, straightforwardness help Jason learn to live in the light again? He’d lost his first love, but is he ready for a forever love?
***
My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
FINDING MERCY (The Next Generation Series Book #3) by Riley
Edwards is her new romantic suspense in the Next Generation Series. This
generation of brothers, sisters and cousins are all a close extended family who
serve in a variety of ways and in each book they meet their perfect match. This
story is especially emotional and leans more to the romance of the story than
the suspense. It can be read as a standalone because the crossover family
characters are easily explained by the author.
DEA Agent Jason Walker married his first young love. He was faithfully by her side through her battle with cancer, but it changed their relationship. When the cancer returned, he refused to leave her side and held her until she died. For two long years, he has pushed his family away and wallowed in his self loathing, memories and misery.
DEA Agent Mercy James knows what it is like to grieve and be
alone. Her mother died while giving her birth, her brother died of a drug
overdose and her father died avenging his son’s death. Even with her loss,
Mercy works to keep an upbeat attitude and moves always forward with her career
and life. She also recognizes the sadness in Jason’s eyes.
When Jason and Mercy are partnered together on a case,
sparks begin to fly. Mercy is straight-forward and a breath of fresh air in the
self-imposed isolation Jason has surrounded himself in. He cannot resist her
and her love of life. After having lost his first love, can Jason move forward
to claim the forever love that Mercy is offering him?
This story had me emotionally wrapped up in Jason’s past and
present. Ms. Edwards’ writing was so authentic in regards to how we can become
so caught up in an emotional loop in our heads and how we need family, friends,
whomever to sometimes help us find a way out. Mercy is a strong heroine which I
always enjoy reading about. The sex scenes are explicit, but not gratuitous to
the story. The suspense subplot in this book took a backseat to the romance,
but it was a page turner especially at the end and it did tie into hopefully
the next book in this series.
I can highly recommend this book and the whole series for a
great romantic suspense read!
***
About Riley
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 happy to be a part of the Blog Blitz for Heleyne Hammersley’s new book BAD SEED (DI Kate Fletcher Book #3). This Feature Post contains a book blurb, my book review and the author’s social media info.
Even though this is the third book in the series, I had no trouble reading it as a standalone and it is definitely a page-turner. (I will be going back to read the first two books, too.) I love Kate and all of her team. I am hooked on another British police procedural series!
***
Bad Seed Blurb
When the body of a woman is discovered near
Doncaster’s red light district, DI Kate Fletcher is called to the scene.
The victim has an abdominal wound that looks
like a Caesarean incision, leading the police to believe she may have been
pregnant.
Kate’s team establish the woman’s identity
but it soon becomes clear that those close to her have something to hide.
The post-mortem reveals the victim wasn’t
pregnant and, when a second body is discovered with similar wounds, the police
realise they are hunting for a serial killer with a sinister fixation.
Can Kate solve the case before another
woman dies?
And can a ruthless, methodical killer be brought to justice?
***
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
BAD SEED (DI Kate Fletcher Book #3) by Heleyne Hammersley is
the latest DI Kate Fletcher British police procedural in the series. This is
the first book I have read in this series by this author and it is easily read
as a standalone. I enjoyed it so much, I will definitely be going back to read
the first two books.
DI Kate Fletcher is called to the scene of a gruesome murder victim found dumped in a field. The victim has been strangled, raped and had her abdomen sliced open with a precision cut similar to a Caesarean incision. She was not pregnant. As Kate’s team works to identify the woman, they soon discover that those around her are hiding something.
When a second body is found with similar wounds, Kate
believes they may have a serial killer. Can Kate and her team catch this methodical killer before
another woman dies?
This is a fast paced procedural that kept me turning the
pages. Ms. Hammersley’s writing pulls you in and with all the twists and turns I
could not put it down. I love DI Kate Fletcher. A strong female lead character
done well. The whole team makes a great cast of secondary characters that I
hope to learn more about as I follow the series.
I can highly recommend this book and I cannot wait to read
more in the series!
***
Author Info
Heleyne
Hammersley is a British writer based in Cumbria. She writes psychological
suspense thrillers and crime novels.
Heleyne has been writing since junior school –
her first work was a collection of poems called ‘Give Them the Works’ when she
was ten years old. The poems were carefully handwritten on plain paper and tied
together with knitting wool.
When she’s not writing, Heleyne can often be
found wandering on the fells or in the local park with her dog.
Below is the Feature Post for Adriana Locke’s new book TUMBLE (Dogwood Lane #1). This is the start of a new contemporary romance series set in the small town of Dogwood Lane, TN. Also included in this post is a message from the title’s hero, an excerpt, my book review, the author’s info and social media and a Rafflecopter giveaway for you.
This first book in the series is a second chance romance and also introduces several secondary characters that I am looking forward to reading about in their own books in the future. Good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway and enjoy!
***
Guest
Post: Spend a Morning with Dane Madden, The Hero of TUMBLE
I looked in the mirror this morning to shave. As I lifted the razor to my cheek, I saw a little scar that sits just to the side of my right eye. It’s not something most people would ever notice. Hell, I don’t notice it every day. But the light caught it just right and suddenly it was all I could see.
I’m Dane Madden, the carpenter, not Dane Madden the philosopher, so why I stood there for a good five minutes remembering the night I got that scar is beyond me. But I did. I thought about how the barbed wire caught my skin and ripped the flesh and how Neely Kimber’s face filled with so much concern I was kind of glad I was bleeding.
She and I were inseparable back then. From the moment she opened the door and our eyes locked, there was a bond between us that grew stronger. We went from finding ways to bump into each other, to hanging out with a group of friends, to dating in the sincerest way. She wasn’t just a girl. Neely wasn’t a pretty face I wanted on my arm, or in my bed as things evolved, like many of the guys I knew back then labeled their girlfriends. She was more than that to me—my best friend. My confidant when things with Dad went sour. My trusty right hand that bailed my ass out of more trouble than I was worth.
The night my eye was cut, she remembered to go back and get my hat so it wouldn’t be found the next day. Had she not done picked up the evidence, the farmer whose cows my friends and I had been trying to tip (terrible idea, if you’re wondering) would’ve been able to track the mess in his field to me and my friends.
Dogwood Lane is a small town. Word gets around easy enough without trying. Then there was the night my brother Matt, our friend Penn, and I went corning around Halloween. That’s another terrible idea, if you’re wondering, and involves throwing shucked corn at cars passing by. Let’s just say a certain driver in an oversized pick-up truck didn’t appreciate the sentiment. After being chased on foot to the outskirts of town, we had to hide in a chicken coop until Neely could come get us. Despite my antics, she was there. She might’ve laughed at me or pointed out how stupid we were, but she took my worst right along with my best.
Our lives were entwined by shenanigans, stories, and so much love. Damn, I loved her. I didn’t know where she stopped and I started. I didn’t want to know. She was the best thing in my life. She made me better. And that was the ruination of us because I couldn’t bear to think I would make her life worse.
Seeing her again after all these years lit a fire inside me that I didn’t think was possible. I haven’t felt this burn since the day I walked off her porch having broken her heart. I want to talk to her, touch her, hold her and I can’t do any of it. Even though so much of our lives were built together, our memories from the easiest time of our lives shared, we aren’t those people anymore. And it’s all my fault.
***
Tumble
Excerpt
Splat!
The sound of the hammer crushing my thumb—swung with more force
than was necessary, to boot—ricochets across the front lawn. The tool falls
from my hand, striking against the sawhorse, and flips into the soft grass with
a gentle thud.
“Son of a…!” My hand shakes, the top of my thumb threatening to
explode. I tilt my head to the sky and try to find some peace in the clouds.
I come up empty. “Matt!” I call to my younger brother. “I’m taking
ten.”
He nods from halfway up the ladder leaned against the side of the
house.
Wrapping my good hand around my thumb, I head toward my truck.
Sounds of construction ring out behind me. It’s usually music to my ears, the
lifeblood of the Madden name. But each cut of a sawblade, buzz of a power
drill, and swing of a hammer feels like a distraction this morning. I have a
throbbing thumb to show for it.
Beads of sweat cluster along my forehead. I remove my hat with my
good hand and run the back of my forearm along my brow.
“Damn it.” Everything feels sticky. Mildly irritating. And the
progress on the project that usually energizes me has failed me epically this
morning. I just don’t want to be here. Not that I have a better place to be. Quite
frankly, I have a lot of places I shouldn’t be, and with Neely, or thinking
about Neely, is one of them.
I would’ve recognized her anywhere. Same gray eyes that glimmer
like she’s about to tell you a secret. Full lips that spread into a smile so
infectious you can’t help but feel your own mouth following suit. The hint of
floral perfume, the golden hair that may as well be silk, and the aura about
her that’s just as strong as the day she left Dogwood Lane and me—it’s all the
same. It’s like time forgot to age her. She somehow has become more beautiful,
sexier, stronger.
The world hates me. I’ve postulated this for a long time, but it’s
obvious today.
The tailgate of my truck lowers. Scooping a handful of ice from
the cooler in the bed into a bandanna, I wrap it around my injured digit. The
relief lasts only a few moments.
“What are you doing down here?” Penn rests his forearms over the
side of the truck, the tattoos carved in his skin like mini masterpieces on
full display. He eyes my makeshift bandage. “What happened to you?”
“Hammer,” I groan, adjusting the ice.
“That’s interesting.”
“How you figure?”
“Never knew you to hit yourself with a hammer before. I find that
interesting.”
“If that’s interesting, you need a hobby. Or you could work like
I’m paying you to do . . .”
“I have a hobby, thank you, and you should’ve seen her last
night,” he says, smacking his lips together. “Lord Almighty, she’s a—”
“Penn.”
“Yeah?”
The tip of my finger sticks out of the bandanna. It’s bright red
and hot to the touch despite the ice packed around it. “All your escapades
really sound the same at this point.”
“Is that jealousy I hear?” He cups his hand to his ear. “I thought
so. Not my fault you’re in a dry spell.”
Leaning against the truck, I look at him. “Jealousy isn’t how I’d
describe it. But if that makes ya feel good, go for it.”
“My hobby makes me
feel good.” He moves his lips around, like he’s fighting the next words trying
to pop out. He does this when he knows he shouldn’t say something but can’t
quite convince himself not to. “From the looks of you, I’d say you’re more than
jealous. I’d say you’re . . . tempted.”
My tongue presses on the roof of my mouth. “Tempted to what?”
He leans against the truck, too, the gold St. Christopher’s medal
he’s worn since elementary school clamoring against the side. The corners of
his lips nearly touch the corners of his eyes. He knows.
“Word travels fast, huh?” I say, prodding around to see if my
guess is right.
He slow blinks. Twice.
“What?” I ask.
“That’s all you have to say about Neely being back in town? ‘Word
travels fast.’ What’s wrong with you?”
We don’t have time for that conversation.
I sigh. “What do you want me to say?”
“I’d love to have been a fly on the wall for that little run-in.”
Penn snickers. “Did you stutter around like I imagine? Or did you not manage to
say an entire sentence?”
Working my jaw back and forth, I point a finger his way. “You
better stop while you’re ahead.”
He reads me correctly, and his animation drops a notch. “Really, though.
How’d it go? But before you answer that, let me toss out there that I heard
sparks were flying all over the diner so hot Claire had to call the fire
department.”
I shake my head. “Shut up.”
“Just telling you what I heard.”
“The firemen were there to order food, you idiot.”
He thinks he’s onto something. There’s a glee in his face that
means only one thing: it’s going to be a long day around here.
“So, what happened?” he asks, resting his arms over the truck bed.
“You know, sometimes I think you should’ve been a girl with all
the gossiping you do.”
“This isn’t gossip,” he contends. “This is Neely-freaking-Kimber,
man. Every memory I have of my entire adolescence has her in it. She bailed me
out of jail when I was too scared to call my dad and you and Matt were passed
out on moonshine. Remember that?”
My chuckle is so hard, it causes my thumb to throb. “I forgot
about that. She was pissed.”
“Neely came through, though. God, I miss her.”
Those last words echo through my mind.
I have shoved her out of my head for the last few years. Took over
Dad’s business, took care of my business. Trudged forward without her because
that was the only choice I had. I hardly even think about her anymore unless
someone brings her up in conversation.
So why do I itch to crawl into the truck and hunt her down?
***
My Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
TUMBLE (Dogwood Lane #1) by Adriana Locke is a second chance
contemporary romance that is the first book in a new series set in the small
town of Dogwood Lane, TN. The hero and heroine have some issues that are still
as fresh today, 10 years later, as they were when the heroine left town for
college and then on to New York City to work in sports publishing.
Neely Kimber was on track to achieve her dream job until she
was cheated out of a promotion. She quit and returned home to Dogwood Lane and
her childhood home to lick her wounds and regroup. She is happy to be home with
her mom until she runs into the boy, now man, who broke her heart and is the
main reason she stayed away for so long.
Dane Madden knows he is the reason Neely has stayed away. He
hurt her in the worst possible way, but it gave him his daughter, Mia so he
cannot regret it. Now she is back in town and she ends up helping at the gym
were Dane’s daughter is a junior gymnast. Even though Dane knows Neely is only
home for a short time, he cannot stop himself from pursuing her and letting her
get close to Mia.
Is a career in New York City really what this small town
girl’s heart really wants? Can the past be forgiven and this couple become a
family?
I have to say that I was having some difficulty in the first
few chapters liking Neely, UNTIL I found out what Dane had done. I felt that
Ms. Locke’s handling of all the strong emotions is well written and realistic. There
is only one sex scene not behind-closed-doors and it is not overly explicit.
The secondary characters are all entertaining and I am
looking forward to reading their stories in future books in this series.
***
About the Book
Title: Tumble
Author: Adriana Locke
Release Date: February 26, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Summary
After being burned by her dream job in New
York City, sports journalist Neely Kimber suddenly finds herself jobless and
paying a long-overdue visit to her hometown in Tennessee. Her plan? Relax,
reset, and head back up the corporate ladder. There’s just one unexpected step.
Neely’s back in Dogwood Lane for barely a day when she sees the man she ran
from nine years ago: the bad boy next door who was her first kiss, her first
love, and her first heartbreak.
Devoted single
dad Dane Madden knows he hurt Neely in the worst way. He’s got a lot to make up
for. And as passionate as their reconnection is, it’s a lot to hope for. Having
her back in his arms feels so right. But falling in love all over again with a
woman who wants to live a world away is bound to go so wrong.
What’s it going to take for Neely to give him—and Dogwood Lane—just one more chance?
***
Author Biography
USA Today bestselling
author Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly
obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys dreamed up by other authors,
she decided to create her own. She is the author of Tumble, the
first novel in her Dogwood Lane series; the Exception series; the Gibson
Brothers series; and the Landry Family series.
She resides in
the Midwest with her husband, her sons, two dogs, two cats, and a bird. She
spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and
cooking. You can find her outside if the weather’s nice, and there’s always a
piece of candy in her pocket. Besides cinnamon gummy bears, boxing, and random
quotes, her next favorite thing is chatting with readers. She’d love to hear
from you! Look for her at www.adrianalocke.com.
