Promoting and reviewing romance novels one book at a time
Author: professorromance
I teach students to write for college. I love to read writers who write romance. Why not review and promote the writing of people who love to write romance? Win-win for me
Land an amazing job with Boston’s professional hockey franchise? Check.
Fall stupidly in love with hockey’s favorite bad boy? Ugh.
After wasting years of my life with the wrong person, I told myself all I wanted was a little no-strings fun. Enter Alex Braun—a wealthy, handsome, notorious playboy who’s equal parts charming and dangerous as hell to my wounded heart.
After enduring a very public breakup of his own, the sexy player doesn’t want to be anyone’s forever. Too bad he barreled his way into my heart, instead of just my bed.
But this professional athlete knows a thing or two about competing, and he won’t let go so easily.
A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than three dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 3 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world.
Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than 100 times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine.
Genre: Second Chance Contemporary Romance Release Date: June 1, 2021
BLURB
EVEN THE STRONGEST HEART CAN BREAK.
Gabe
I can’t be with you anymore.
She tore out my heart with those words six years ago, as I lay recovering in a hospital bed. But her leaving cut deeper than any wound I bore on my flesh.
Now she’s back, desperate to make amends. I swore I’d never forgive her, but one look and I’m back to a place where she loved me.
One kiss—her hands on my body, my name on her lips—makes me wonder . . . is there hope among the ruins of us?
Mia
I didn’t want to leave him.
But I had to.
Back then, staying seemed impossible. I was held captive by my own fear. It wouldn’t allow me to see that loving him was all I needed.
I’m not the same scared girl I was then. I’m ready to surrender to everything I feel.
But there’s something he doesn’t know—the real reason why I left.
And once he finds out, the second chance I’ve dreamed of might be nothing but a fantasy.
For Lilian, a love of writing began with a love of books. From Goosebumps to romance novels with sexy men on the cover, she loved them all. It’s no surprise that at the age of eight she started writing poetry and lyrics and hasn’t stopped writing since.
She was born in Azerbaijan, and currently resides in Long Island, N.Y. with her husband, two kids, and a dog named Gatorade. Even though she has a law degree, she isn’t currently practicing. When she isn’t reading or writing, Lilian is baking or cooking up a storm. And once the kids are in bed, there’s usually a glass of red in her hand. Can’t just survive on coffee alone!
From USA TODAY Bestselling Author Claudia Burgoa comes a single-dad sports romance where the only thing more heartfelt than the small town is the love story.
I never wanted to go back to Baker’s Creek.
But when it rains, it pours. I lost my job, lost the guy, and lost the house. The perfect trifecta of ruin.
Ten years after I said I can make it on my own, I have no choice but to ask for help. But it’s my mother who needs me now…
So it’s back to where I don’t belong.
There’s no opportunity in my hometown. The only job that I can get is nannying. For a player from the Vancouver Orcas. “Mean” Mills Aldridge is going to be my new boss… and I’m supposed to pretend he isn’t sex on skates.
Between avoiding the town mean girls, helping my parents, and trying not to behave like a puck bunny, my job with that sweet boy is fast becoming just like the rest of my life–one big complication.
My only escape is my late-night chats with Mills.
The confessions we share make me feel like I belong. The stolen kisses make it hard to remember why I ever left.
Until the opportunity I’ve been waiting for arrives, and it’s time for me to say goodbye.
But can I leave that little boy and his father behind?
The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers series is a romantic comedy saga that’s swoonful and sexy, with the right mix of ugly-cry moments and sweet seductions.
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Claudia is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author.
She writes alluring, thrilling stories about complicated women and the men who take their breath away. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and her youngest two children.
She has a sweet Bichon, Macey, who thinks she’s the ruler of the house. She’s only partially right.
When Claudia is not writing, you can find her reading, knitting, or just hanging out with her family. At night, she likes to binge-watch shows with her equally geeky husband.
Dominique Price hates me. He wants me. He can never have me.
At least that’s what I tell him. Good looking, arrogant, football God, everything comes so easy for him. I won’t be just another game to win. It doesn’t matter that I want him. It doesn’t matter that with just one look, he takes my breath away.
He’s my brother’s best friend and officially off limits. But when he touches me, I forget what we’re supposed to be. Acquaintances. Enemies. Nothing. And I dream of what we could be. Friends. Lovers. Everything.
If only everyone’s expectations weren’t standing in the way.
Also in the Series
About the Daniela Romero
Daniela Romero is a Snarky AF, Latinx Author, who happens to also be a Mom of 3. Born and raised in sunny California, she now makes her home in the Pacific Northwest and is happy to enjoy all four seasons even if the snow can sometimes be a bit much. She hates cheese–of all kinds–and yes that means she orders cheeseless pizza. Daniela is an ENTJ all the way which means she loves to talk (a lot) and is probably as extroverted as they come so feel free to shoot her a message, send a raven, throw up smoke signals. Whatever it may be. She love’s chatting with readers so feel free to stalk her.
“Kristen Ashley’s books are addicting!” — Jill Shalvis, New York Times bestselling author
Dream Spinner, an all new action packed standalone with heat and heart from New York Times bestselling author Kristen Ashley, is now live!
In this steamy and emotional contemporary romance from a New York Times bestselling author, two damaged souls must overcome the pain of their pasts to have the love they’ve always dreamed of.
After years with no one but herself to rely on, Hattie Yates has finally met the man of her dreams. But she was taught from a young age that it was hopeless to dream. There was only success, failure was not an option and it had terrible consequences. Now, the thought of another disappointment petrifies her. But when a suspicious phone call leads to more trouble than she can handle, there’s only one man Hattie trusts to help . . .
Axl Pantera knows Hattie is the only woman for him—and so does Hattie. Yet despite the attraction burning between them, Hattie refuses to let Axl in. The former soldier is determined to woo Hattie into letting down her walls, yet when danger comes calling, he finds himself battling for more than her heart. Axl will do anything to prove to Hattie that they’re meant to be, but first, he’ll need to keep her safe.
In answer, Hawk tipped his head to the chair opposite his desk and tossed his phone on the top of it.
Since Hawk rarely sat, the men who visited him didn’t either.
But for this, Axl closed the door behind him after he entered, moved to a chair, and put his ass in it.
Hawk watched this, and he hesitated, but then he joined him, sitting behind his desk.
“Is everything cool?” Hawk asked.
“I got a sitch. Personal. And I was hoping you might talk it through with me. Maybe have some insight.”
“Hit me,” Hawk invited.
And there was one of the bennies of working for Cabe “Hawk” Delgado.
He was a good boss, generous with his knowledge, gave credit where it was due, didn’t get in your face if you fucked up and held up your hand that you did…
And he had time for you even when he didn’t.
“I met Hattie’s dad last night.”
Hawk’s lips thinned.
Right.
His boss might not be in on their chats, but not much happened with his crew that Hawk didn’t know about.
So he knew about Don Yates.
“I got blindsided,” Axl told him.
“How?” Hawk asked.
“He loves her, Hawk.”
Hawk held his gaze a beat before he sat back in his chair.
Yeah.
This was going to be a conversation.
Hawk’s voice was lower when he inquired, “He loves her, and he hits her?”
Axl shook his head. “I got no excuse for that. Or the verbal abuse he keeps doling out. What I know is, recently, he called her a whore.”
“Jesus,” Hawk clipped.
“She didn’t tell me that. She told Ryn, Ryn told Boone. And I got it from Boone. But before…” He paused, then got to it, “I can’t step in with her dad. She knows their relationship is dysfunctional. She feels beholden. I could only have her back. Until I heard that. Then I shared I was going to have to have words with her father.”
“Good,” Hawk murmured.
“Then I got there, and the man was practically beaming, he was so fuckin’ happy Hattie brought her boyfriend over to meet him.”
“Fuck,” Hawk grunted.
“So we sat down. He gave me the ‘What do you do for a living’ and ‘How’d you meet my daughter’ gig. I answered. All was good. Then I told him I couldn’t have him upsetting Hattie like he did by calling her a whore. He tried to explain it by saying he was in a bad mood. I told him, in future, if he was in a bad mood, he needed not to take that out on Hattie.”
“On your first meeting,” Hawk noted.
“On our first meeting,” Axl confirmed.
“Which happened…what? How long have you been seeing her? A few days?”
“Yep.”
“You laid down the law with your woman’s father the first time you met him after you’ve been with her a few days,” Hawk laid it out.
“Yep.”
“Christ, Axe, you don’t fuck around,” Hawk muttered.
About Kristen Ashley Kristen Ashley is the New York Times bestselling author of over sixty romance novels including the Rock Chick, Colorado Mountain, Dream Man, Chaos, Unfinished Hero, The ’Burg, Magdalene, Fantasyland, The Three, Ghost and Reincarnation, Moonlight and Motor Oil and Honey series along with several standalone novels. She’s a hybrid author, publishing titles both independently and traditionally, her books have been translated in fourteen languages and she’s sold over three million books. Kristen’s novel, Law Man, won the RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award for best Romantic Suspense. Her independently published title Hold On was nominated for RT Book Reviews best Independent Contemporary Romance and her traditionally published title Breathe was nominated for best Contemporary Romance. Kristen’s titles Motorcycle Man, The Will, Ride Steady (which won the Reader’s Choice award from Romance Reviews) and The Hookup all made the final rounds for Goodreads Choice Awards in the Romance category.
“Nova wasn’t my lover, as much as I wanted her to be, but she was my partner – my best friend. My other half. She created this all-consuming tidal wave of this feeling – all the feelings – inside me, and I couldn’t put a name to it, but I knew it made me happier than I had ever been before.”
Complicated. In a word, this is the essence of Fiona Cole’s newest story, Blame It on The Tequila. Even more than the first book of her series of standalones, Blame It on the Champagne, BIOTT puts you, the reader, through its paces. Fiona Cole did not hold back on this story, and it makes for a story that arouses you from the beginning to its end. Why? Oh…let me count the ways.
I should begin by focusing on the romance between Nova and Parker, but I can’t because my favorite part of this series has been the friendship between Rae, Nova, and Vera. Everyone needs the stabilizing friendship of a Vera, and the crazy making protective actions of a Rae. As Nova negotiates her interactions with Parker, the foundation of her friendship with Rae and Vera catalyzes the intensity of her relationship with Parker.
Parker and Nova are so complex in their composition but so simple in their adoration for each other. Cole threw so much at this book: a forbidden attraction, a traumatic experience, a tour with some bawdy musician friends, the angst of a second chance romance and imposing fake girlfriend, and Cole’s quintessential steam. In the midst of these qualities, Parker and Nova’s chemistry and relationship blossoms. Honestly, it takes most of the pages of BIOTT, but it’s so fulfilling by the end of the book that you hate to say goodbye to them.
Nova’s characterization is definitely more interesting than Parker’s. While Cole wrote both perspectives, Nova’s journey is more compelling and complicated that Parker’s characterization acts as a bit of a salve to Nova’s emotional quest. I probably shouldn’t mention this here, but I don’t think it’s spoilery. Parker’s interest in Nova is constant. It means that you can rest in his feelings for her as Nova processes her own, and to ameliorate the angst of her journey, I needed that constant.
In true Fiona Cole form, this book is a steam-fest. There is one scene, in particular, that is so titillating that you’ll smile at Fiona Cole’s signature. I love that $ensuality is a cornerstone of her romances. And she does this tastefully while getting dirty.
As second chance, rockstar romances go, Fiona Cole’s Blame It on the Tequila is a good one. It really is a wild roller-coaster ride of romance, one that will steal your breath as Parker and Nova find their happily-ever-after. Just be forewarned: Fiona Cole takes much of the space of her story to reconcile these two. But be patient because, in the end, you’ll be satiated by the gravity of their love.
This reader has been “All In” from the beginning of Helena Hunting’s series. An unclaimed spin-off of her Pucked series, reading the “next-gen” of hockey greats intermingled with the specters of her popular series, has been exciting and a reminder of everything you love from the Pucked series. In fact, my favorite character from the All In series is King, a boy scout of a talented hockey player who acts as a foil to the series’ grump, Bishop. King’s story, A Secret for A Secret, plays heavily into Hunting’s newest story, A Kiss for A Kiss. At the end of that book, a family secret has been revealed, and the way forward seems easy…until you enter A Kiss for A Kiss where you realize that the complications of that secret influence the feelings of the characters.
A Kiss for A Kiss is the story of Jake, Queenie’s father, and Hanna, King’s Momster. In ASFAS, Jake and Hanna’s chemistry is clear from their meeting. In AKFAK, Jake and Hanna explore that chemistry falling into a fling that should end at the culmination of King and Queenie’s wedding. However, life has other plans, and Hanna finds herself pregnant. As Jake and Hanna navigate this life change, they must choose the type of relationship they want, yet there are complications ahead.
Okay, here’s the thing. I’m probably in the minority who didn’t think this story needed to be written. I thought A Secret for A Secret ended well, and I didn’t really have a want for Jake and Hanna’s story. Yet, after reading A Kiss for A Kiss, Hunting allows us to focus on areas that you won’t find in most romances: the complications of a “geriatric” pregnancy and the complex feelings that surround the revelation of a lifelong family secret. There are elements of A Kiss for A Kiss that I didn’t love; there is a decided didactic feel to this story. There are moments when the story feels informative as it details the complications of Hanna’s late in life pregnancy, and I thought it undermined the development of Jake and Hanna’s evolving relationship. In fact, my biggest criticism for AKFAK is the lack of progression of Jake and Hanna’s chemistry.
Yet, at the core of this book isn’t really Hanna’s pregnancy or even Jake’s part in it; it’s the way in which Hanna and King finally reconcile their feelings over the revelation of the family secret in ASFAS. That journey is the most important one in A Kiss for A Kiss. I share that because, while Jake is incredibly heroic in this story, he isn’t complicated in his characterization. The most compelling character in Hunting’s newest story is Hanna.
Obviously, A Kiss for A Kiss offers up more of the All In characters as well as Alex and Violet from her Pucked series. This cast of characters provides the foundation that Jake and Hanna require to move through their journey. It also shadows the story with humor which is a signature of Helena Hunting’s romance. However, be forewarned. As she’s so apt to do in her Pucked and earlier All In stories, humor isn’t a hallmark of AKFAK. It’s there in tinges, but, as I mentioned earlier, this story is more informational and serious as Hanna, Jake, and King work through their feelings over a new baby.
In the end, Helena Hunting’s A Kiss for A Kiss is an emotional story tinged with humor about reconciling the feelings of past choices in the shadow of new beginnings. It’s a story about second chances but the ones we’re used to as romance readers. Yes, Jake and Hanna are sweet together with a touch of sensuality, but the true love here is between Hanna and the promise of her future after letting go of the hurts of her past.
Just when I think that Jolie Vines can’t make me fall in love with one of her heroes, she proves me wrong. Hunted, Vines’s newest book, features a hero in her Wild Mountain Scots series, the next-gen of her wildly popular Marry the Scots series, who is hands-down one of my favorites overall. I was intrigued with Cameron in the first book of this newest series, Obsessed. There has always been a steady quietude to Cameron, the son of William “Wasp” and Taylor whose story is featured in Picture This. Interestingly enough, Wasp was also one of my favorites in that series for the same qualities. As Hunted progresses, Cameron’s surety of spirit seen in Vines’s earlier books makes him more and more attractive. He isn’t flashy; he is dependable, trustworthy, and capable. Even more, he adores his heroine, Elise, a film actress ensconced in the poisonous world of Hollywood. While their chemistry isn’t entirely clear in the first eighth of Vines’s book, one of my criticisms of her book, Vines deftly crafts it over the course of their edge-of-your seat story.
After the first quarter of Hunted, you find a story that captivates you. One of the main reasons I adore Jolie Vines is her ability to create heroes like Cameron who absolutely adore their heroines to the point of bodily sacrifice. Each of her heroes would lay their life down for the woman they love. They don’t even need to know their heroine for long, and their dedication becomes otherworldly. Cameron and Elise are much of this. And this reader never tires of reading Vines’s heroes because they make me believe in this soulful love.
Underlying this foundation is Hunted’s story, one that is so familiar to anyone who reads the headlines. I love that Vines decided to tackle sexual harassment and the struggles of the #metoo movement through the scope of Elise’s character. Even more, she highlights the difficulties of anyone who has started in the business of Hollywood at a young age.
Besides heroes who adore their heroines, another trait that I adore about Vines’s romances is the steadiness of family. As you read story after story, the foundation of family is core to her series. Whether it’s the Marry the Scot, Wild Scot, or Wild Mountain Scot series, the McRae family provides a place for people who have been isolated to find a home. As Elise’s drama evolves in Hunted, it’s clear that she needs the home that is Cameron as her steadying force. It’s that realization that allows Vines’s readers to fall more deeply in love with the McRae family. It also underscores her message about the power of family to overcome the world.
Beyond Hunted’s delectable romance lies a story, revealed in small moments. With the exception of her beginning, Vines’s pacing for this story is key to keeping her reader engrossed. She reveals Elise and Cameron’s story in such a way that you feel compelled to turn the page to gain access to the sordid details of Elise’s story. Once I moved beyond the very beginning of Hunted, I couldn’t put this book down.
As I’ve mentioned before, my only issue with Hunted is its beginning. Elise and Cameron’s chemistry came from out of nowhere, instantly fiery without a more developed connection between the two. Additionally, Vines hints at some details in each of their stories that stop the reader to question why Vines isn’t revealing it immediately. It makes sense over the course of the story, but I found the foreshadowing too direct. I think she could have avoided it by staying silent until later in the story.
Honestly, in the grand scope of Hunted’s exceptional characterization and story, that is a minor detail. As I stated earlier, Cameron is now tied with his father for my favorite Vines hero. His love for Elise will make you swoon hard for him, and the happily-ever-after is the stuff that movies are made of.
The world loves him and his music, but I loved him first.
Blame it on the Tequila by Fiona Cole is now live!
It started on a dance floor after too much tequila and ended with looking into the handsome face I never thought I’d see again. In-person, at least.
I saw his face all the time on magazine covers.
To the world, he’s Parker Callahan- famous rockstar.
To me, he was the boy I loved, the stepbrother who left me behind to follow his dreams.
After our tequila-fueled encounter, he wants me back but that’s not a road I’m ready to walk down again. He broke my heart once, and even five years later, I’m not sure I could handle another blow.
When a once-in-a-lifetime offer comes my way, even my broken heart isn’t enough for me to be able to turn it down. I agree to join the band’s tour and help Parker write his next album–but this time I’m not falling in love.
This time I’ll walk away.
If there is one thing life has taught me, it’s that love never goes to plan–especially when Parker is involved.
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Fiona Cole is a military wife and a stay at home mom with degrees in biology and chemistry. As much as she loved science, she decided to postpone her career to stay at home with her two little girls, and immersed herself in the world of books until finally deciding to write her own.
There’s a small complication. A beautiful, sexy complication named Hanna.
A Kiss for A Kiss, an all-new second chance-at-love mature adult romance from New York Times bestselling author Helena Hunting is available now!
I’m Jake Masterson, single dad, and the General Manager of Seattle’s NHL team. I walked away from a career as a player so I could raise my daughter. For the last twenty-plus years, Queenie has been my main priority, but now she’s getting married. And there’s a small complication. A beautiful, sexy complication named Hanna. She’s my son-in-law’s older sister. Or at least that’s how they were raised. The truth is a little more scandalous than that. I’ve been drawn to her from the moment I laid eyes on her. And I spent months trying to keep a lid on that attraction. Until we finally give in. It starts with one searing kiss, but quickly ends with us between the sheets—and in the shower, and the hot tub, you get the picture—and turns into months of sneaking around. Here’s the problem: we live on opposite ends of the country. It can’t be anything but casual. And as I’ve already said…it’s complicated. But when Hanna finds out she’s pregnant…suddenly things get real serious.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She writes contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.
Professor Romance 