Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Emily Goodwin hit my radar about a year ago with her Dawson Family books. To say that I gobbled them is an understatement. There was something charming and heart-wrenching about the stories of the Dawson family, and I was hooked. Now, Emily Goodwin brings us a new series, the Hard to Love series, with the release of the first book in the series, Hard Place.  

Hard Place tells the story of Alexander and Harper. Harper is a single mother of twins who lives in poverty as she struggles to raise her children. She works for a successful PR group doing meaningless data entry driven work. One day, her supervisor notes her work ethic and job effectiveness, and she suggests her for the administrative assistant job of the owner. With more money and benefits, Harper accepts.

Alexander is the owner’s son and future of the business. Until the start of the book, Alex has been known as a hard-driving boss by day and a playboy at night. Unfortunately, the lifestyle at night has grown wearisome, and he feels an emptiness. During the day, he works very hard to ensure the company’s success so that it becomes his future after his father retires. His relationship with his family is fraught with issues, and he portrays himself to others as uncaring and work focused. As we come to find out, though, this is merely a front to the hurt that Alex carries within himself.

Harper and Alex meet early on in the story under problematic circumstances. She doesn’t realize until after she receives the promotion that she will be assisting Alex. At the outset, they are physically attracted to each other, but Alex doesn’t sleep with his employees, and Harper detests Alex given their early interaction and his sullen and taskmaster- driving treatment of her and the other employees. However, over time, her feelings begin to change, and Alex vacillates back and forth between acting or not acting on his urges for Harper. Later in the story, to gain back an account, Alex asks Harper to act as his girlfriend. Their attraction becomes undeniable, and they finally act upon it at the end of this first book. Sadly, the story doesn’t end here, and Goodwin leaves us on a cliffhanger.

Here is the thing with this book. I like the general premise of it. I like Harper. And I even like Alex. While the blurb and tagline indicate it is an enemies-to-lovers story, it isn’t in the traditional sense of that trope. Yes, Harper is not a fan of Alex’s for quite a bit of the story. He acts snappish at times with her because Alex is hiding. A lot of himself. I would never characterize Alex as not liking or detesting Harper. He doesn’t trust himself with her, and he doesn’t believe himself to be good enough for her as he doesn’t engage in relationships. So the trope is loosely enemies-to-lovers.

There is quite a bit of hurt in this story. I think that’s the part of Goodwin’s book that I connected with. That we finish the first book and Alex hasn’t revealed the essence of his brokenness yet suggests that the second book will be an emotion-fest of his revelation. He requires healing, and it doesn’t happen in this book.

In fact, their relationship barely begins to transpire at the end of it. Instead, this book is the set-up, the preliminary push-pull, of their relationship. And Goodwin complicates it at the end. I think there might be a love triangle in the next book given her ending.

I struggled with a vacillating Alex. One second, he is enamored with Harper, and the next second, he pushes her away. I can understand an author’s need to keep characters apart as a way to build towards the climax of the story. But it read as indecision in a way that was off-putting. At least to me. As a heroine, Harper is amazing. However, she browbeats herself for too much of the book. I think Goodwin could have edited her angst about her body, her back story, or lack of resources down so that the reader isn’t reminded of it in every chapter with Harper’s point of view. I also think that Alex needed more emotional development. His character doesn’t evolve enough for this first book. I imagine that Goodwin will move the story forward more in the second book, but I’m not sure.

I am definitely intrigued for the conclusion to Harper and Alex’s story, and I am hoping they find their happily-ever-after together. I cannot wait for Alex to truly come into his own as a hero, as someone who can become a partner for Harper. Right now, he is on the cusp. And Goodwin has an opportunity to help us fall more deeply in love with them in the next book. If you like a struggling relationship between two people with fraught pasts, then you should definitely read Hard Place.

In love and romance,

Professor A

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️++

I love L.B. Dunbar. She has found a niche in contemporary romance with her over 40 books. It’s easy to fall in love with the handsome young billionaire with the great body. But the silver fox or the man with the dad bod (not that her over 40 guys have dad bods)? There are “daddy” books with them, but a mature man and woman falling in love, not too many.

I found her with Second Chance when I was asked if I wanted to review an ARC for an honest review. At the time, I was intrigued with the over 40 trope, as that’s my age group and I know how it looks. That book grabbed me and made me a fan of Dunbar’s. Then Wine & Dine did the same thing. So when faced with the opportunity to read Dunbar’s newest book, Silver Brewer, you bet that I was “all in” on this one.

And it didn’t disappoint.

Silver Brewer follows George “Giant” Harrington and Olivet “Letty” Pierson. Letty is interested in buying the land for her uncle’s development company where Giant’s Pap’s cabin (now his) resides. Giant, the quiet, sullen man, is not interested in selling any property to Letty, but he makes her a deal that, if she camps on his land with him for three days, he will consider talking with her about it. Undeterred, Letty agrees, and they find themselves in the wilderness of his land. What Letty doesn’t realize is Giant has no interest in selling his land. It’s his refuge from life. After a stint in the military and the death of his wife, Giant recognizes his need to get away and his Pap’s cabin affords him that ability, so he has no interest in divesting himself of it.

During their camping trip, it becomes clear that Giant and Letty are attracted to each other. Quickly, these two fall into their attraction, and Letty feels a strong connection to Giant and his land. At the end of their camping trip, Letty realizes Giant has no intention of selling his land, and she feels like he took advantage of her. Even though these two have grown feelings for each other, she breaks their bond and leaves.

After some time, these two realize their need for each other and reconcile, exploring their feelings. Unfortunately, Giant realizes that Letty is interested in adopting a child and starting a new phase of her life, while he has already done that as he has two daughters with his deceased wife and two granddaughters. Struggling to determine if Letty’s need for her own family is something he wants for himself, he must decide if Letty and her adopted son will be his future or his past.

After reading Dunbar’s Second Chance and Wine & Dine, Silver Brewer, honestly, was refreshing. With those two books, I struggled with the heroes. Don’t get me wrong. Those books made me fall in love with Dunbar’s writing and storytelling. Nothing is more interesting to read than reformed playboys. But, for most of those stories, I didn’t really connect with the heroes. I loved her heroines Mati and Dolores, but the men seemed a little self-absorbed. With Silver Brewer, one of the best parts of this book is Giant. This is a man with some level of integrity. Yes, he has engaged in brief dalliances since the death of his wife, but you realize quickly that he isn’t a playboy. He is sullen, solitary, and solid. With the exception of his deceit to get Letty camping and his confusion over his future, he is the type of hero that you fall in love with quickly. He’s capable and loving and adores Letty from early in the story. Yes, he makes mistakes, but he remedies them quickly. In fact, Letty made me crazy more than Giant did. His want to care for her makes you fall deeply in love with his type of hero.

While frustrating at times as she pushes Giant away, Letty is still an incredibly strong heroine. Her family is awful: a selfish sister, an indifferent mother, a manipulative ex, and an emotionally abusive uncle. They’ve made her life difficult, yet Letty stands strong against them at every turn, and she makes decisions for herself regardless of her family’s intent to dissuade her. Before Giant, she is doing life alone with the exception of her assistant Marcus. It’s her tenacity and ferociousness for living HER life that connects you with her.

Together, Letty and Giant are sweet, endearing, and their chemistry is palpable. They have long splits in the books, and you can’t help but keep reading to get to the parts where they are reunited again. Giant loving and caring for Letty and Letty helping Giant heal and move beyond his past creates this tour de force couple. Yes, I loved the couples in the other two books I’ve mentioned above, but there is a sweetness and sensitivity with Giant and Letty that made this book better for me. It currently sits as my favorite Dunbar book to date.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you’re in the over 40 crowd like me or a “young’un” like many of the romance readers. If you’re a fan of love, Silver Brewer will grab your heart and wrap its pages around it. Giant and Letty’s story is a deep reminder that love will prevail over dead spouses, a complicated past, distance, and life. As long as love is there, anything is possible.

In love and romance,

Professor A

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The genius of a good writer lies in his/her craftsmanship of story and characterization. You always want to find a little bit of yourself somewhere in the humanity of a character. Looking into a mirror of sorts, you cannot help but empathize with the character through your soul’s connection to him/her. Fiona Cole’s Another did just that for me. Her newest story shares the dichotomy, the struggle, of being a woman of great strength and allowing one’s self to feel vulnerable. This contest leads to the revelation that women can be both tenacious and emotionally available.

Another tells the story of Carina, the ex-fiancee of Jake from Cole’s book, Lovers. When we leave her in that story, her heart has been broken when Jake realizes his love for his college friend, Jackson, and breaks his engagement. At the end of that story, Carina meets a man in a bar and asks for a kiss, a way to know if she can still feel desired. Quickly, we find that there is a potential mystery man for her future.

At the beginning of this book, Carina’s aunts have arranged a blind date boudoir session. When she arrives to meet her partner, she finds it’s the man from the bar. Together, these two struggle for dominance, which only sparks their chemistry. This leads to a quick dalliance. Overwhelmed by it, Carina runs away from the man, Ian, avoiding exchanging last names and contact information. Fast forward six weeks and Carina realizes she’s pregnant. Without contact information for Ian, she determines to raise the child by herself until, one day, she meets Ian again, and they begin the journey of parenthood and partnership. Will Ian and Carina find love? Will Carina allow herself to fall in love again, or will she be destined to live in her strength, raising her child on her own?

In reading this story, there is an ease in liking Ian. He is affable, easy-going, and he moons over Carina and their child. There is no doubt you should fall in love with Ian Bergamo; Cole forms him into this hero we should pine for. Even in moments when he fails Carina (like all male heroes, he makes mistakes), Cole makes it easy to forgive him, rooting for him and Carina to find a happy ending. I think it’s easy to be distracted by Cole’s hero.

However, the crux of this book is Carina. I had commented out to Cole in her Facebook fan group that Carina needed a big book, one that would remedy the heartbreak of Lovers. And Cole does not disappoint. As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, the mark of genius in a writer is his/her ability to create characters where the reader finds a bit of herself in a character. Cole does this beautifully with Carina. One aspect that I’ve admired about this character in other stories within Cole’s universe is Carina’s acceptance of other women. In Savior, she buoys Alexandra. In Liar, she admires Olivia’s ability. In this book, she continues to build relationships with women like Erik’s sister, Hanna, even when Hanna makes some unwise choices and hurts Carina in the process. Carina is a woman in the business of building up other women in the workplace and out of it. You cannot help but admire Cole’s commitment to creating this type of character, especially in a genre where female characters can be awful to each other. And especially in the world outside of books, where women are still fighting for equitability and respect.

Secondly, Carina’s struggle with vulnerability truly resonated with me. Over and over again, when Carina comments on her “walls” that she has constructed through heartbreak and surviving a predominately male workplace, this evoked feelings of solidarity within me. Women who carry internal strength struggle with making ourselves “soft.” We worry it will be taken advantage of, or, in the case of Carina, we will realize, once given, we won’t be someone’s priority, their first choice, that our vulnerability will be diminished in favor of another’s feelings. When this happens, it’s crushing to the soul. Each moment when Carina struggled with this, I felt it in my soul. I knew that struggle, and it connected me deeply to her.

But what’s truly amazing about this trial is Cole’s resolution of it. In the real world, most of us walk around with gaping fissures in our walls without people to help fill them up with apologies or actions to protect us. In Another, Cole specifically creates Ian to bring about this resolution, this repair of the heart, to show us that women can both carry a strength of being AND be loved into submission. That the two are not mutually exclusive, but, rather, they work best residing together in a person’s soul.

There is so much to love about Fiona Cole’s newest book, Another. An indelible woman coupled with a man who loves her beyond herself plus a surprise baby is the best of romance. If you truly want to live in the genius of Fiona Cole, if you want to appreciate her ability to craft a woman of substance, and if you finally want Carina’s happily-ever-after, then Another should be at the top of your booklist. This is one of Cole’s bests.

In love and romance,

Professor A

The Deception by Nikki Sloane

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publishing date: November 5, 2019

Cover Designer: Shady Creek Designs

I’ve been through hell to get to this place. To wear the perfect white dress and stand beside Royce Hale, the liar I tried desperately not to fall in love with and failed.

Or maybe I’m still trapped in hell because the devil is here, too. He lurks at my side, plotting terrible ways to make me his.

It’s win at all costs in this family, and I know now just how far the Hales will go to get what they want.

But you can’t survive in a house full of lies without learning the art of deception, and once I become a Hale, I’ll show them exactly what I’ve mastered.

THE DECEPTION is the third and final book in the twisted Filthy Rich Americans trilogy. It should be read after THE INITIATION and THE OBSESSION.

Pre-order your copy today!

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About Nikki:

USA Today bestselling author Nikki Sloane landed in graphic design after her careers as a waitress, a screenwriter, and a ballroom dance instructor fell through. For eight years she worked for a design firm in that extremely tall, black, and tiered building in Chicago that went through an unfortunate name change during her time there.

Now she lives in Kentucky, is married and has two sons. She is a three-time Romance Writers of America RITA© Finalist, a Passionate Plume winner, a HOLT Medallion finalist, and couldn’t be any happier that people enjoy reading her sexy words.

Connect with Nikki:

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It’s going to take a strategic attack from more than a couple brilliant minds to win her affection, but luckily, I know exactly where to find the right guys for the job…

The Billionaire Book Club.

The Billionaire Book Club, an all-new hilarious romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Max Monroe, is available now!

Check out my 5 ⭐️review HERE.

The Billionaire Book Club Questionnaire

#1: Who is your least favorite character in the book?

Me—Caplin Hawkins. I am an absolute idiot.

#2: Who is your favorite character?

Gorgeous, addictive, insanely challenging Ruby.

She’s smart, driven, self-confident, and so beautiful, she makes my chest ache.

#3 What is your biggest takeaway from the story?

Ruby Rockford and I are meant to be.

I just have to prove it to her.

For the entirety of my adult life, I’ve been content.

Content in my single lifestyle, content in my stressful-but-extremely-successful job as the main corporate counsel for almost every Fortune 500 company in North America, and content in my playful, spontaneous ways.

I had no idea it was possible for someone to change my mind.

The endless women and work are no longer enough, and just as Ruby Rockford told me—it’s about time I grow up.

It’s going to take a strategic attack from more than a couple brilliant minds to win her affection, but luckily, I know exactly where to find the right guys for the job…

The Billionaire Book Club.

It’s safe to say that I, Caplin Hawkins, the man most women would call The Ultimate Player, have finally met my match, and man oh man, has my end game changed.

I’m coming for you, Ruby.

And soon, you’ll be coming for me, too.

Download your copy today for only 99 CENTS or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

(99¢ Release Week Only)

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Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2MGEbFV

About Max Monroe

A secret duo of romance authors team up under the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling pseudonym Max Monroe to bring you sexy, laugh-out-loud reads.

Max Monroe is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of more than ten contemporary romance titles. Favorite writing partners and long time friends, Max and Monroe strive to live and write all the fun, sexy swoon so often missing from their Facebook newsfeed. Sarcastic by nature, their two writing souls feel like they’ve found their other half. This is their most favorite adventure thus far.

Connect with Max Monroe

Website: https://www.authormaxmonroe.com/

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Stay up to date with Max Monroe by joining their mailing list today: https://www.authormaxmonroe.com/newsletter

Check out my 4 1/2 ⭐️ review HERE.

Olivet Pierson needs his land. 

Name your price, Mr. Harrington. 

She has her reasons, and this muscular mountain of masculinity isn’t going to get in her way. However, her heart has a different plan after she accepts his crazy conditions: three nights up on the ridge.

George Harrington is a quiet, giant of a man.

No sale, Cricket.

He’s a war hero, a widower, and COO for the family brewing company, but his life lacks spontaneity. Then, she arrives, chirping away at him, roaming his body with those sky-blue eyes, and negotiating for something he won’t put a price on. Too bad his heart is immediately sold.

With the challenge accepted, this silver fox can no longer deny his desires for something a little different.

+++

Welcome to Blue Ridge where sexy silver foxes meet their match of feisty vixens.

The Harrington brothers are a spin-off from Second Chance, but don’t you worry, this over 40 romance can be enjoyed as a stand-alone.

PP’s Bookshelf – “Sexy. Emotional. Angsty. Real. Honest. Heartbreaking. Swoonworthy. Heartwarming.”

Bibliophile Chloe – “Ms. Dunbar doesn’t fail to amaze me with her writing of mature characters, still full of life, still wanting to find love and the holy hotness of the chemistry and smexy times!”

Cee Cee Houston – “L.B. Dunbar has found her niche. The over 40’s is definitely a trope she does extremely well.”

L.B. Dunbar loves the sweeter things in life: cookies, Coca-Cola, and romance. Her reading journey began with a deep love of fairy tales and alpha males. She loves a deep belly laugh and a strong hug. Occasionally, she has the energy of a Jack Russell terrier. Accused—yes, that’s the correct word—of having an overactive imagination, to her benefit, such an imagination works well. Author of over two dozen novels, she’s created sexy rom-coms for the over 40; intrigue on an island; MMA chaos; rock star mayhem, and sweet small-town romance. In addition, she earned a title as the “myth and legend lady” for her modernizations of mythology as elda lore. Her other duties in life include mother to four children and wife to the one and only.

HOSTED BY:

Hard Place, an all-new standalone enemies to lovers/office romance by Emily Goodwin is LIVE!

Cold. Callous. Cocky.

A total playboy with abs for days, a panty-melting smirk, and a face the gods themselves would be jealous of.

And he’s my new boss.

None of that matters, because as a single mom, men like Alexander Harding are the last thing I need. What I do need is this job, so I’m going to keep my head down, work hard, and avoid that asshole as much as humanly possible.

But then he gives me an offer I can’t refuse, even though everything inside of me is warning me to run away and never look back. It’s just one weekend. One weekend to convince a bunch of stuffy investors that Alexander has changed from the player who spent more time in the bedroom than the boardroom into a family man they’d be happy to go into business with.

But the more time I spend with him, the more I realize that there might be a beating heart buried under his designer shirts and spectacular pecs after all…which is bad news for me.

Because the only thing worse than hating your boss is falling in love with him.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

About Emily:

Emily Goodwin is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of over a dozen of romantic titles. Emily writes the kind of books she likes to read, and is a sucker for a swoon-worthy bad boy and happily ever afters.

She lives in the midwest with her husband and two daughters. When she’s not writing, you can find her riding her horses, hiking, reading, or drinking wine with friends.

Emily is represented by Julie Gwinn of the Seymour Agency.

Connect with Emily:

Facebook: http://bit.ly/EmilyGoodwinFB

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Website: http://www.emilygoodwinbooks.com/

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Twitter: http://bit.ly/EmilyGoodwinTW

✮ ✮ ✮ NOW AVAILABLE IN AUDIO ✮ ✮ ✮

I Hate You, a steamy enemies-to-lovers standalone from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills, is now available in audio! 

Start listening today! 

Amazon Audible: https://amzn.to/2PYC1V1

Amazon Audible Worldwide: http://mybook.to/IHateYouIMM

Now a Top 5 Amazon Bestseller

WSJ bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills returns with an all-new, enemies-to-lovers second chance romance between the football hottie and the feisty nerd girl he can’t forget.

I want you . . . even when I hate you.

Blaze Townsend: I hate you.

Charisma Rossi: I hate you more.

She’s been expecting this ever since their latest showdown. She had good reason.

Hottest guy she’s ever seen.

Former fling.

Dumped her in front of all her friends.

At her own party.

So no, she’s not about to forgive and forget just because he sits next to her in class. He thinks all he has to do is turn on those baby blues, and she’ll melt right back into his arms. Please. She’d be crazy to let this cocky player affect her again. (Tell that to her body.)

Charisma Rossi.

Brainy girl with a dash of bad.

The one who got under his skin.

The one he cut loose.

Blaze knows she’s the riskiest prospect at Waylon University, but none of the interchangeable girls he hooks up with have ever made him feel the way she did. There’s absolutely no way he can have the girl and the game.

So why can’t he stop trying to win her back?

Can this wide receiver score the girl or will he make the biggest fumble of his life?

*Steamy and flirty with all the emotional feels, I Hate You is a new adult standalone romance.

ALWAYS WITH YOU, the next book in Layla Hagen’s Connor Family series, is available now! Get your hands on Hailey and Reid’s story now!

About ALWAYS WITH YOU

Get your hands on ALWAYS WITH YOU now:

Amazon | Apple Books | Kobo | Nook | Paperback

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Layla Hagen has a great giveaway for running on her facebook page and her instagram – head on over to check it out!

Read an Excerpt from ALWAYS WITH YOU

“You can’t just go around commanding everyone to do what you want.”

I loved her fierceness. Her fire. It drew me to her like nothing else.

“Generally, I can. But that wasn’t my intention here.”

Honestly, I had no fucking idea what my intention had been. I’d called Cameron on a whim, which went against everything I knew about myself.

“So what was it, then?” Her eyes flashed. I wanted to kiss her. Lift her up in my arms, hold her against that bar and bury myself inside her.

“You’re beautiful when you’re all worked up like this.”

Her cheeks flushed. “I’m serious. I want an explanation.”

“I don’t have one, Hailey.” I stepped right in front of her, breathing her in, losing myself in her citrusy scent, the shape of her lips. “I’m not an impulsive man, never have been. I don’t make spur of the moment decisions, and I definitely don’t act irrationally.”

I’d always been the type to think everything through, to weigh pros and cons before acting. I wanted to do everything differently with Hailey. Correction. It wasn’t simply that I wanted to. It was something stronger. I had to.

I cupped her cheek. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t attempt to move away.

“Since meeting you, I keep doing things I never thought I would do.”

I cupped her other cheek as well, and when she parted her lips, darting out the tip of her tongue just a bit, licking that lower lip, I couldn’t control myself anymore. I buried my hands in her luscious hair, kissing her hard. I needed to explore every single curve.

Most of all I needed to know what she needed and give her exactly that.

I moved to kiss her cheek, up her temple, then down to her neck. Hailey hummed slightly, and it was all the encouragement I needed. I slipped a hand between us, touching her breast, circling the nipple until I felt it tighten and push through the fabric. I remembered how it had felt to touch her in the pool, how I’d barely kept myself from slipping my hands under the tiny bikini and touching her bare skin. I couldn’t hold back tonight. It was impossible.

I lifted her dress, turning rock hard when I realized she already had goose bumps on her thighs, as if she’d been yearning for my touch just as much as I’d been craving to give it to her.

About Layla Hagen

Layla Hagen is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She fell in love with books when she was nine years old, and her love affair with stories continues even now, many years later.

She writes steamy and romantic stories and can’t wait to share them with the world.

She is represented by fabulous Louise Fury (The Bent Agency)

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