Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Dear Ava Ryan,

Thank you! Thank you for carefully curating a story such as The Billionaire’s Beauty where all of my favorite elements reside. As a new to me author, you have excited me because I have a new author to add to my list of favorite authors. Your careful plotting and characterizations have pulled me into this series of emotionally-stunted billionaires, and I don’t want to leave. If you want to know all the reasons for my love of The Billionaire’s Beauty, well here goes…

Griffin. Griffin is the kind of hero that I ADORE. There is nothing better than a broken hero, one who needs a strong partner to help him find himself, to help him be honest with himself. And Griffin is just such a hero. From his “beastly” persona to his very soft, hurt child underbelly, Griffin is the type of hero who you want to pull into your arms and soothe that beast. Put aside his handsomeness; it’s his character, his need for Bellamy that makes him dreamy. As his trainwreck of a journey unveils in the story, as the reader, you cannot help but “tut” this hero because he has no idea what’s coming ahead of him, but as the reader, you see it plainly. Yet, even when he makes ill-advised choices, you root for him because you know that he will fall even deeper once he self-actualizes and figures out where his true love lies. You know that, at his core, he is a big ole teddy bear of a man for the right woman. Throughout your story, Ava Ryan, I was right there with that fool of a hero, and it was delicious. 

Bellamy. If Griffin is the trainwreck of this story (even though he tries so hard to hide it), then Bellamy is the crew set to fix the train. Here’s the thing. She is the smartest person in the story, and I love…love, love, love that you made her so very strong. I read this type of story all the time, and I cringe when authors make these incredibly independent women too weak for the broken hero. But not you, Ava Ryan. Instead, you made her stalwart. She doesn’t readily moon over Griffin. She’s internal. She challenges his gruff exterior; she sees him, and she expects him to rise to the challenge of understanding his wounds. Even when he makes a “sacrifice” for her, she accepts it, and you place the mother of monologues in her mouth. Like Griffin, I ADORED Bellamy because she is clearly Griffin’s best fit, and you deftly crafted her to be just that. 

I enjoyed the first book of your series, The Billionaire’s Princess. I didn’t think any of the other Black brothers could unseat Damon from the top spot for this series. And I was completely and utterly incorrect. Griffin did it. The second book of the Fairy Tale Billionaires’ series is the best thus far. With Ryker’s story coming next, I am hoping for a big story from you, Ava Ryan. To be honest, I’m not sure how you’ll top Griffin and Bellamy’s romance, but I believe you can do it. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

Overall Grade:⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

You must know, from the depths of my soul, that I adore Kandi Steiner. I don’t “know” her necessarily, although I have met her and she’s wonderful. But I always feel like I know her better because her romances, her stories, feel like little bits of her soul poured onto the page, and what she offers time and time again shows me the character of this woman. 

In The Right Player, Steiner’s newest book, she offers up an allusion through the voice of her hero, Makoa. Her heroine, Belle, struggles with intimacy because she’s been hurt deeply by a past love. She covers her bruise with a temporality to her relationships with men; however, Makoa’s need and care for her draws her to him. As she explains to him her fear of wanting “more” with him, he promises her to live by the “campsite rule.” Belle questions him about that, and he says, “You know, when you go camping, you leave your campsite in the same or better condition than when you found it. No trash, no fires left burning.[…] What I’m saying is that it’s okay to be a little freaked out. We have no idea which way this is going to go.” This allusion traveled around and around in my mind, as I was thinking about Steiner’s story. And I think this is the reason that I adore her brand of romance. When you read one of her stories, one like The Right Player, you leave it feeling better, knowing better, and generally being better in the end. When you read The Right Player, the “better” is understanding the significance of vulnerability because her characters struggle with it, especially Belle, and it feels like an admonishment for her readers: that to be vulnerable allows for greater depths of love to be found. 

When you finish this book, you walk away from it, like you would a campsite, better than when you sat down with it, and this is the reason you should be reading it right now. 

For me, Makoa is a dream. Yes, he has his faults. I love that Steiner creates him with them. Without crafting a problem for him, Makoa is quite perfect. He is emotionally available unlike many romance heroes. He’s empathic and kind. Honestly, I was worried at his “softness” until I realized Steiner’s insistence on giving him layers. His name alludes to it, “bold man.” While he is a big teddy bear like his father, in the bedroom and out of it, he is pure dominance. He is both solid places with a soft underbelly, and he’s the perfect mate for Belle. 

With Belle’s characterization, we also find layers. While she is Gemma’s best friend and wisdom-giver, she has also been the humor of these stories. Yet, as we know about people, they can often hide their wounds and bruises behind tough exteriors. Belle’s mask is beautiful. She’s a gorgeous, independent, talented woman. Belying that, though, is a woman whose wounds have created big walls to hide vulnerable undersides. Her journey over the course of this book is its treasure. It’s the crux of this book, and it’s the reason that The Right Player’s message is a profound one. 

Together, Makoa and Belle are romance gold. Every moment of their journey carries you along, and you hate to look away from their love. They complete each other in ways that remind you why you read romance. They are a promise, a vow, a reminder that soulmates do exist. And Kandi Steiner, once again, reminds us that her true gift lies in campsite moments. The Right Player is a true addendum to The Wrong Game. Together, these two are clear powerhouses for Steiner’s brand, and it would be a shame if you didn’t spend your time in Steiner’s campsite. 

In love and romance, 

Professor A

It’s finally happening! Staci Hart is heading back to her Austen series and bringing us Pride & Papercuts, a modern love story inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice!

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Hate is a strong word.

Depending on the company, loathe is a good substitute. Abhor might be a little fancy, but it gets the job done. But the word that really sums up how I feel about Liam Darcy is, without question, hate.

He doesn’t seem to think much of me either. The second he lays his fault-seeking eyes on me, he sets out to oppose me. Everything about him is imposing, as if he consumes the nearby air to power the rise and fall of his broad chest, and it’s clear he resents my presence on his advertising team. Every idea I have is shot down. Every olive branch I offer is set on fire by nothing more than the blistering coals he calls eyes.

In return, I light him up with my words.

It’s not as if he can dismiss me, since I work for his client, Wasted Words. Instead, he’s forced to tolerate me, which seems the closest we’ll ever be to friends. Fine by me.

I can be civil and still hate Liam Darcy.

But if there’s more to him than his exterior shows, I won’t be able to hate him at all. I might stumble over that line between love and hate and fall right into his arms.

Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life — a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can’t forget that. She’s also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She’s been a wife, though she’s certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She’s also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she’s been drinking whiskey. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.

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The Right Player: A Sports Romance by bestselling author Kandi Steiner is now live!

From bestselling author Kandi Steiner comes a sexy, hilarious, opposites-attract sports romance set in the lively city of Chicago…

I have a three date rule — but it’s not what you think.

See, I’ve been told I’m the “good time girl,” not the one you take home to Mom. And

while that label stung at first, I’ve since embraced it — living the wild and

free life and sticking to a three date max. That’s just enough time to have

some fun and snuff out the possibility of catching feelings. And it’s been

working for me for years… 

Until Makoa Kumaka.

Sadly, he also has a three date rule — and it’s the exact

opposite of mine. From the second I meet him, all I can think about is

stripping down that six-foot-five Herculean hunk of a man. But like the

gentleman I wish he wasn’t, he’s making me wait.

The more time we spend together, the more I feel those pesky emotions creeping in.

I’m even tempted to trust him, but blame it on my past or my instincts, I can’t

shake the feeling that he’s hiding something… 

I’ve been playing the game forever, and no man has ever won my heart — which meant

they never had the power to break it.

But maybe I just hadn’t met the right player.

Maybe I’ll wish I never did.

  Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

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Amazon Worldwide: mybook.to/TheRightPlayer

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 Meet Kandi

Kandi Steiner is a bestselling author and whiskey connoisseur living in Tampa, FL. Best known for writing “emotional rollercoaster” stories, she loves bringing flawed characters to life and writing about real, raw romance — in all its forms. No two Kandi Steiner books are the same, and if you’re a lover of angsty, emotional, and inspirational reads, she’s your gal.

An alumna of the University of Central Florida, Kandi graduated with a double major in Creative Writing and Advertising/PR with a minor in Women’s Studies. She started writing back in the 4th grade after reading the first Harry Potter installment. In 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.” She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a die hard hopeless romantic, and likes to highlight all the challenges of love as well as the triumphs.

When Kandi isn’t writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, talking with her extremely vocal cat, and spending time with her friends and family. She enjoys live music, traveling, anything heavy in carbs, beach days, movie marathons, craft beer and sweet wine — not necessarily in that order.

Connect with Kandi

Website:  www.kandisteiner.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7319216.Kandi_Steiner

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kandi-Steiner/e/B00JDJOINE/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KandiSteiner/

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kandilandks/

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Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kandi-steiner

Book+Main: https://bit.ly/39u1KLs

 

From the new fairy godmother of petal-dropping romance,

Ava Ryan, comes The Billionaire’s Beauty,

the second standalone in the Fairy Tale Billionaire series.

 

No one walks away from me. Not a client, not a deal… I won’t let her go, either.

They call me The Beast.

Some people think I’m a bully. I’m not here to make friends.
I ruthlessly clawed my way to the top of the real estate market in NYC. No friends needed.

She’s my feisty executive assistant. My right hand… woman.

We have an unspoken arrangement: she pretends I’m smarter than she is while I pretend not to notice how sexy she is.

That was before she gave me her notice while wearing that dress.
I can do a lot. Run my family empire. Ignore the loneliness the top brings. Punch anyone who looks twice at her.

But letting her go without a fight?
Over my dead body…

 

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

US: https://amzn.to/2DrT388

WW: http://mybook.to/billbeauty

 

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2NmULtc

 

Meet Ava

Ava Ryan is an author of sexy contemporary romance. Her favorite things, in no special order, are animals, her family, cookies, people with great senses of humor and love stories. Currently in her writer’s cave (ostensibly working hard on her next book while also checking Netflix every few hours to make sure she hasn’t missed a new true crime documentary show), she loves hearing from readers via her website or social media. If you love billionaire alpha males, the feisty women who snag their hearts and books that end with a happily ever after, you’ve come to the right place. Please make sure to subscribe to Ava’s newsletter to stay in the loop about her latest releases and upcoming books!

Connect with Ava

Website | https://avaryanbooks.com/

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Ryder by Prescott Lane is now live!

 

Country music headliner, crowd pleaser, legend in the bedroom.

You know how your mother always warned you that it only takes one time. Well, I’m proof of that.

One night with country music’s hottest star, Ryder Merrick, and I got knocked up.

He promised me it wasn’t just a one night stand.

But I woke up alone, and a few weeks later found out I was carrying his child.

I’m sure Ryder won’t want anything to do with us. After all, he’s famous for not believing in love. There’s a reason he’s never written a love song.

Why should he change his tune now? But telling him I’m pregnant still feels like the right thing to do.

All it takes is maxing out my credit card to buy a front row seat to his concert.

And then wait for him to notice me… and my bump.

 

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

US: https://amzn.to/3fJsTeE

WW: http://mybook.to/plryder

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3gbieL1

 

Meet Prescott

Prescott Lane is the USA TODAY best-selling author of ALL MY LIFE. She’s written several other romance books with strong heroines and swoon-worthy heroes. She is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, and holds a degree in sociology and an MSW from Tulane University. She married her college sweetheart, and they currently live in New Orleans with their two children and two crazy dogs. Prescott started writing at the age of five, and sold her first story about a talking turtle to her father for a quarter. She later turned to writing romance novels because there aren’t enough happily ever afters in real life.

Connect with Prescott

Website | authorprescottlane.com

Goodreads | https://bit.ly/2XMt2YM

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Facebook | https://bit.ly/2XPBh6p

Facebook Group | https://bit.ly/33Kb9xk

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Reclaim, an all-new emotional and gripping second chance romance from USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez is coming November 12th and we have the beautiful cover!

Choices. Everyone makes them. From mundane to unimaginable, one choice can change the trajectory of your entire life.

My mother’s choice was to abandon us with our abusive father.
My brother’s choice was to go to prison for killing the boy who assaulted his soulmate.
Camden Cole’s choice was to fall in love with a shattered girl who had absolutely nothing to offer him but heartbreak.

It was one summer beneath the trees, but with Camden, I had a place where I belonged.
A friend who was always waiting for me.
A boy who I caught staring at me more often than not.

He was mine, but when the world closed in and secrets exploded all around us, it was my choice to let him go.

Choices. Everyone makes them.
But mine would ruin us all.

Pre-order your copy today!
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Add Reclaim to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3mysHDA

Cover Designer: Hang Le
Photographer: Wander Aguiar

About Aly
Originally from Savannah, Georgia, USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez now lives in South Carolina with her husband and four young children.
Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, mystery leggings, and olives. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person.
She passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a super-sized tumbler of wine by her side.

Connect with Aly
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2RvbjCA
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2DUCq1Z
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Website: https://alymartinez.com/

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“Life is messy and terrifying, but it is also crazy beautiful. You taught me that. You showed me that my wreckage could be perfect in its own way, that all those little cracks in my soul just made me stronger, more beautiful. Truly and authentically me. You taught me what it means to truly live.”

Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

In a world where everything is run through a filter, where standards of beauty seem impossible, perfection, or the need for perfection, feels onerous, in that same world, success is honored, while there is no deference paid to failure. No one posts their failures or mistakes on Instagram or Facebook. Instead, our most perfect selves are delivered. These ideas belie Catherine Cowles’s poignant Perfect Wreckage. While it’s not presented through the realm of our world, instead it’s individuated through her hero, Crosby, and her heroine, Kenna, its message is still important, even more so as readers see it played out through their lives. For me, that is the power of Cowles’s newest book, showing us that the true beauty of life is found in the wreckage of our mistakes because they make us more humane. 

As I’ve explained in past Catherine Cowles reviews, I am constantly bowled over by the quietude of Cowles’s storytelling. Its truths whisper over the page as you fall into the heaviness of the story’s plotting. And there is heaviness in Cowles’s stories. In Perfect Wreckage, Kenna’s characterization is the most difficult. It’s also the best representation of the book’s message. Kenna’s past is rife with the mistakes of her mother and her own personal choices. In the small town where she grew up, these mistakes have been used to characterize her in a way that she seeks to mitigate by better choices and the mask of perfection. No one works harder than Kenna. No one holds themselves to a higher standard than Kenna. No one is more resolute in wanting to lead a safe life than Kenna. And all of this is a part of Kenna’s mask. By crafting Kenna in this manner, Cowles pokes at our own sense of control. She reminds us, through the course of Kenna’s journey, that our failures and the things out of our control make us human and interesting. As Kenna embraces this, Cowles rewards the story with a treasured ending. Even in the midst of Kenna’s troubles, there is this quiet resolve to find her happy ending. It’s not overwrought; instead, there’s a peace that comes to Kenna and to Cowles’s story when Kenna realizes that the “wreckage” of our life is perfect in itself. For me, that truth hit me right in my heart. 

Cowles also lays this truth out in Kenna’s seeming opposite, Crosby. At the surface, Crosby is an adventure seeker, not afraid to embrace physical challenges. He will willingly throw himself off the face of a mountain or out of an airplane. It seems as though he’s living except that he isn’t really. He hides behind the mask of his adventure. This is where Kenna and Crosby are more alike than dissimilar. For Crosby, he hides from emotional challenges because his past choices changed him. While Kenna pursues outward perfection, Crosby avoids the appearance of it, and he does this to avoid his emotions. As Kenna inflitrates his heart, Cowles creates this delicious tension within Crosby that makes you ache. As he works through his emotions, Cowles leaves her readers suspended, wondering if Crosby and Kenna can find their happy ending. These are the moments of Cowles’s storytelling that I adore because this is life. It’s messy and painful in the midst of the possibility for joy and love. She compels me to adore her stories because they speak gently to my own insecurities and heartbreaks, and this is the mark of a skilled storyteller.

Lastly, one of the main parts of Cowles’s romances is the suspense of her stories. There is always some part of the story that requires ferreting out whether it’s a true mystery or a character-specific challenge. In Perfect Wreckage, there is more of this. Let me tell you. You will detest the villains of this story, which is delightful. On the one hand, you hate that her main characters must journey into this pain, but on the other hand, it keeps you suspended and intrigued in Cowles’s story. Once I began reading Perfect Wreckage, the only reason I put it down was work. Even then, I found myself sneaking peeks of it between teaching classes and bemoaning the fact that I couldn’t just sit and finish it. That happens for me with each Catherine Cowles story. 

Over and over again, Cowles illustrates her capacity to craft stories that slay your heart. Perfect Wreckage is more of that. I had been waiting impatiently for Kenna and Crosby because I wanted Crosby to mess up Kenna’s life. Instead, what Cowles has done with this story is to show us that we are all messy, that we all need people to break our masks. She reminds us that perfection is made more perfect in the wreckage of our choices. That love and passion are stil available to us all when we authentically live our lives.

In love and romance, 

Professor A

Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2

On TikTok, there’s this trend where people criticize each other using this phrase “it’s the…” and the person goes on to mention one thing that bothers them. For this review on Skylar Hunter’s Get Over You, I want to change that phrasing to all the ways that this book is worthy of a spot on your Kindle AND an afternoon read. So here goes…

It’s the…hero for me with Hunter’s Get Over You. Reyes is the type of hero you can’t help but love. As the blurb asserts, Reyes is back in his paternal family’s home town, bent on connecting with his childhood best friend and paramour. On the surface, seemingly he’s there to find out why she broke off their relationship when they were younger and exact some type of revenge in the process. However, you learn quickly that his feelings run deep and his intention might not match his subconscious need for her. Even more, his character, while very alpha, isn’t really cruel. As Hunter’s story goes, you, in fact, realize that he is the dreamiest of heroes. There isn’t really anything that this NFL playing, crooning, chefing, morally resoluting hero can do. By the story’s end, you will lament the fact that Reyes isn’t real…because he’s the man you would love to love. 

It’s the…heroine for me too. At first sight, Emerson is incredibly self-possessed. I love that Hunter crafts this woman in the midst of a predominately male world. And she’s incredibly successful in it. While almost all of the men in her life fail her in some way or minimize her, Emerson stands in her strength, and it’s inspiring. She pushes back on anyone who seeks to diminish her with the exception of Reyes. For the first third of the story, the contradictions of Reyes and Emerson’s connection is probably the hardest part of reading Get Over You. As Reyes seeks to wound Emerson, she, however, takes it willingly. Knowing Emerson’s background, this makes reading their initial experiences heart-wrenching. There was a part of me that wanted her to punish Reyes for his cruelty towards her even though I understood his pain. Yet, Emerson bears the weight, and you recognize that the last half of Get Over You is a gift for her sacrifice at the beginning. 

It’s the…story for me. I think what I found interesting about Hunter’s story is the ease in which Reyes and Emerson reconcile. What this does is allows Hunter to craft more story for her hero and heroine as a couple. Oftentimes, romance writers reconcile the couple very late in the story, and you receive an epilogue which never feels like it’s enough. With Get Over You, Hunter treats you to the early challenges of Reyes and Emerson’s reconciled couplehood, and it’s oddly endearing. I will say that there are parts of the story (overly wrought descriptions of rooms) that could have been revised down. However, this story isn’t just about Reyes and Emerson; there is an additional story about the problems of power here too. What happens when power becomes one’s focus? How low must someone go to maintain that power? Even more, how does power destroy the meaningful relationships around you? These are the questions of Hunter’s story, and they feel important. 

And ultimately, it’s the…author for me. Skylar Hunter is a revelation. I’ll be honest. I enjoy reading new authors to me, especially one’s who are beginning in the business of pusblihing their work. Oftentimes, though, I’ve been disappointed because they require more resources to revise their stories than they often have. To be honest, that isn’t Skylar Hunter. I’m imagining another book in her Dare Me series, one that includes Reyes’s best friend, Greer, and maybe, Susana, his cousin. And you can be sure that I will definitely be reading that story because Skylar Hunter’s Get Over You found itself a new fan in me. 

In love and romance, 

Professor A