One hot mess. One hot boss. One too many hot encounters…

Catastrophe Queen, an all-new hilarious office romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Emma Hart is coming January 29th!

It’s not you. It’s me.

No, seriously. It is me. Not only does my name literally mean “unfortunate,” but that’s the story of my life.

Everything I touch turns to cr*p. An apartment fire—that I swear I was not responsible for—means I’m living back at home with my s*x-mad parents. Yay, me!

Which is why I need my new job as personal assistant to Cameron Reid to get back on my feet. Three months in this job and I can move back out and, hopefully, remember to turn off my flat iron once in a while.

Ahem.

On paper, my job is easy. Make coffee. Book appointments. Keep everything in order.

Until I walk in on my boss, half-naked, wearing nothing but the kind of tiny white towel that dreams are made of.

Now, nothing is easy—except our mutual attraction. But he’s my boss, and you know what they say about mixing work and pleasure: unless you do p*rn, it’s just not worth it.

Or is it?

Pre-order your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2SzEyCn

AppleBooks: https://apple.co/2Jtpp1m

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/CatastropheQueen

Nook: http://bit.ly/2OmHHT2

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2RrrzkN

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

About Emma Hart

Emma Hart is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels and has been translated into several different languages.

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She is a mother, wife, lover of wine, Pink Goddess, and valiant rescuer of wild baby hedgehogs.

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Emma prides herself on her realistic, snarky smut, with comebacks that would make a PMS-ing teenage girl proud.

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Yes, really. She’s that sarcastic.

Connect with Emma

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

BookBub: http://bit.ly/2Dr0atq

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2Dq42ez

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2EBbZNe

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2D91d3T

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmahartauthor/

Stay up to date with Emma by joining her mailing list: https://www.emmahart.org/newsletter

Website: https://www.emmahart.org/home

 

HOOPS Holiday, a Christmas bundle featuring all-new, never-before-published content by Kennedy Ryan, releases December 17th, and we have the brand new cover for you!

Enter the $25 Gift Card & Signed Paperback Giveaway

on Kennedy’s FB Page:

https://www.facebook.com/KennedyRyanAuthor/

Cover Designer: Letitia Hasser, RBA Designs

Photo: Perrywinkle Photography

MacKenzie Decker was a question Avery never got to ask, much less answer.

They met when she was a young reporter fueled by ambition, and the ink on Deck’s first NBA contract was barely dry. Years later, they’ve climbed so high and lost so much, but one thing hasn’t changed. The attraction that simmered between them in a locker room before is still there. With success like theirs, everything has been possible . . .

except them.

But that was then.

The only question is…what about now?

** Hoops Holiday consists of FULL-COURT PRESS, a HOOPS novella originally published in the TEAM PLAYER Anthology. It has been expanded with all-new, never before published content & epilogue.

It also includes Christmas-themed bonus material for LONG SHOT (Iris & August) and BLOCK SHOT (Banner & Jared).

*All HOOPS Stories are standalone, and can be enjoyed individually or in order.

Catch up on the other HOOPS novels:

LONG SHOT: https://amzn.to/2xYBvv5

BLOCK SHOT: http://mybook.to/BlockShot

Add HOOPS Holiday to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2EU5RVg

Coming March 2019!

Add HOOK SHOT, Hoops 3, to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/KeLoGoodreads

About Kennedy

A Top 30 Amazon Bestseller, Kennedy Ryan writes about women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. Her heroes respect, cherish and lose their minds for the women who capture their hearts.

She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son. She has always leveraged her journalism background to write for charity and non-profit organizations, but enjoys writing to raise Autism awareness most. A contributor for Modern Mom Magazine and Frolic, Kennedy’s writings have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, USA Today and many others. The founder and executive director of a foundation serving Atlanta Autism families, she has appeared on Headline News, Montel Williams, NPR and other media outlets as an advocate for families living with autism.

Connect with Kennedy

Never Miss A Release! Follow Kennedy on BookBub: bookbub.com/authors/kennedy-ryan

New Release Txt: http://bit.ly/KennText

Subscribe to Mailing List: http://bit.ly/2QjisCW

Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/681604768593989/

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Website: http://kennedyryanwrites.com

 

Do you ever read a book and feel as though you are wrapped in a warm fuzzy blanket? Even when the story grows cold, you still feel the warmth of that blanket because the cold isn’t too cold, and you know it will thaw eventually.

This is the state of Karla Sorensen’s The Ex Effect. Let me state that I did not read the first book in this series, The Bombshell Effect. It currently sits in my Kindle Library waiting for a read. Given my experience with The Ex Effect, I will read it sooner than later.

The Ex Effect tells the story of Ava and Matthew. Ava is the PR guru for the Washington Wolves, the fictional team of Sorensen’s first book. Matthew is a formerly retired player who comes out of retirement to play for the Wolves. Matthew and Ava have a past. It is this past that complicates a potential love relationship for the two. Will they be able to move beyond that past to find a future?

Together, Ava and Matthew make up the comfort of the warm blanket I mentioned at the beginning of this review. They have chemistry from the start, and, not shockingly, they end up together quickly. Personally, I love that. I don’t want them to rush into marriage at mach speed. However, I don’t want to be tortured by their tortured attraction to each other. Sorensen does not make us wait on them. She gets in, hooks them up, and starts the trouble in the relationship to move the story along.

The satin of the warm blanket that is this book is the continuing story of the Wolves. We read Allie and Luke again, along with Paige and Logan. It’s this community that provides the comfort of the trust of an ongoing story. We can relish in the idea that we will see the characters again in future stories. I’m hoping we will get a story for Logan, as he plays prominently in this story. With that, I’d expect to read Allie, Luke, Ava, and Matthew again in his story. It’s that warm comfort that keeps you picking up that blanket again.

Even when Ava and Matthew struggle, it isn’t a heart-rending struggle. It pinches for a bit, but Sorensen resolves it for us quickly. She does it with some humor, to boot. Lastly, and I appreciated this too (trust me, I am not a prude. I have read lots of sexy stuff in books), sexually, Ava and Matthew are fairly tame. Yes, they are sexual dynamite, but she doesn’t force them into bed over and over again. We understand that they are sexual dynamite but we read a focus on their relationship, not the sex. Lastly, Matthew is the one who first struggles with wanting deeper intimacy from Ava. He wants “in” because his feelings grow deeper by the chapter. It’s refreshing to read a man who has a certain depth of emotional maturity. It gives us hope for the men in our world.

If you want the comfort of a serious rom-com, wrapped in the love of two characters who will make you smile, then you’ll want to read this book. I couldn’t put it down, and I covered myself in its delicious warmth.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In love and romance,

Professor A

 

“But I think giving us this story gave us power too. They wanted to divide us that night. Make us hate each other. But that’s not what happened. We fell in love. As a group, I guess. We grew closer. We became friends. These special people who were raised in privilege took my side and saved my life. That’s my story, anyway. That’s the happy ending I need to write.”

I need to preface this review with a warning. As I’ve noted on my blog page, I am a writing professor. I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degree in literature. When reading romance, which I oft do nowadays, much to the detriment of my grading sadly, I am not always looking to analyze it deeply. I like to sit back and “enjoy the ride,” so to speak. This post won’t be me “sitting back and enjoying the ride.” JA Huss’s book pushed my internal literature student out of hibernation with her newest book, The Dirty Ones.

To me, this book is not a standard romance. Yes. There are seemingly a main male and female protagonist, Connor and Keira. (I say “seemingly” because there are other characters who figure in prominently to this story). And yes, we encounter their love relationship. However, if you read this book and only see that relationship, then you have missed the genius of Huss’s book.

Okay, I am going to book nerd out hard right now. Firstly, I have a love-hate relationship with looking deeper into books. I did it for so many years, I teach students to do it every day, and I don’t really want to do it with my leisure reading. But Huss wouldn’t allow me to put my mind on pause with her story. From the outset, the cover is suggestive of something meatier within her story. Styled in 1920s Art Deco, it looks very MUCH like the most recent cover of The Great Gatsby (post-2013 Leo Dicaprio movie version Gatsby). You should initially ask yourself “why.” As you read, however, other than a nod to The Great Gatsby later in the story, you cannot initially see the connection. At least, until the end. This book has given me a bit of a book hangover, as I ponder its depth. In many ways, this story IS The Great Gatsby (TGG) of modern romance. Keira is the Nick of TGG. Her family has some wealth, but it is nowhere close to the other members of their group, The Dirty Ones. They are wealthy and come from “old money.” As such, it doesn’t allow her to be fully integrated and accepted into their group. This is mentioned multiple times through the words of the other characters that you start to believe it. Like Nick, Keira skirts the perimeter of this group as an observer, at least, seemingly so.

Like TGG, nothing is at all as it seems. I have to admit. I was worried I wouldn’t like the book after reading the first couple of chapters. Like the characters in the book, I felt confused. I didn’t really know what was going on, and I worried it wouldn’t be remedied. I was completely wrong. I will not be offering any kind of true summary or synopsis of this book because there is so much that transpires in the story I don’t want to ruin any of it. All I can say is…read it. And be prepared to feel confused. I believe that’s intentional. Like TGG, we have an unreliable narrator who makes you question everything that happens in the story.

This story doesn’t shy away from hedonism. There were times when my straight-edged brain struggled with the hedonistic tendencies of the characters. But, again, this is so The Great Gatsby. While this book sits in a different era from TGG, people’s lust for each other hasn’t changed. Be prepared to cool off after reading this book.

Finally, the allusion to The Great Gatsby aside, this book is a book about writing one’s truth. It is a meta-offering of writing. The story asks the question of responsibility to self. Is it ethical to allow others to write your story or co-opt it? There are so many moments in the story when Keira tasked with writing the story of their group, The Dirty Ones, will not take responsibility for it. She recognizes that it was written outside of her, and it lacked the truth of their situation. These moments made my head hurt in all the best ways as I thought about the ethics of authorial agency. And morality.

Now, if you’ve come this far in my review, and you’re either bored or confused, I am sorry, dear reader. I LOVE a book that challenges my thinking while satiating my lust for romance. Most people will read this book and see something completely different from me. And that is fine. That is the beauty of writing. There are some amazing moments between the characters. There are some moments when you really don’t like them. And there are moments when your heart will hurt for The Dirty Ones. In the end, though, I think you will see that this story is something more than the average romance. It holds a little bit of Gatsby’s magic.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In love and romance,

Professor A

 

 

 

 

Level Me Up (Gamer Boy Book 1)

 

 

 

A Place Without You, an all-new emotional, new adult romance from Jewel E. Ann is coming January 2nd, and we have a sneak peek for you!

The Law of Henna and Bodhi:

When love breaks, fall inward, fall together, and fall hard. Then let time pick up the pieces.

Everything feels temporary when you’ve experienced tragedy—until Henna Lane meets Bodhi at a music festival.

Young and spontaneous, they have a lust for seizing the moment, falling hard and fast.

When Bodhi is forced to leave without a goodbye, Henna thinks she’ll never get over him. But then she meets Mr. Malone, her sexy, new guidance counselor.

They are reckless.

They are forbidden.

When their secret is discovered, Henna has to choose between finishing school—banned from seeing Mr. Malone—or dropping out to follow her nomad dreams.

Henna chooses her dreams.

Over time, she learns that life is not a destination or a journey, some things are more than temporary, and the forbidden can never be ignored. But if she returns for him, will he still be hers?

A Place Without You is an emotional story of young love, shattered dreams, and impossible decisions.

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

Excerpt from Chapter One

His lips move. I stare at them for a few breaths before I realize he’s talking. My hand tugs out my earbud again.

“Sorry. Did you say something?”

“What are you listening to?” he asks in a voice as smooth as his Mediterranean eyes.

“That’s kind of a personal question. Like asking my underwear color.”

He grins. It’s all kinds of wicked. “Personal?” He shrugs. “I don’t know about that. Depends on the song … and the color.”

“Amy Shark, ‘Adore.’And red and silver polka dots.”

“Mmm …” He nods slowly. “Good choice.”

“The song?” I bite the corner of my lower lip to control my grin.

“The underwear.”

My heart wakes up as if to say, “Whoa, is something going on here I should know about?”

“Wanna see mine?”

My eyebrows lift a fraction. “Your underwear?”

He digs his phone out of his front pocket. “Do I look like a perv? My song.”

Damn. He’s good. My tummy joins in on the little dance happening inside of me.

Twisting his wrist, he shows me his phone screen.

“Apocalyptica, ‘Nothing Else Matters.’ Hmm … that’s unexpected.” I let my gaze fall into his, a dangerous place to be. “You going to Coachella?”

He nods several times, glancing over the seats to the road before us. “I’m working there.”

“Oh, cool. Doing what?”

He inspects my hair. I’d planned on changing clothes and doing something a bit more original with my crazy, dark auburn hair than a messy braid over one shoulder, but sushi dad took away my hotel room. Sexy stranger grins like either my question or my messy hair pleases him. “I’m an in-house tech—audio, lighting, video.”

Dear God, he’s the full package, especially when that grin of his grows as I continue to violate him with my eyes. Maybe it’s just the lollipop I had on my way to the hotel. Everything seems aesthetically pleasing when I’m a little high.

“So, I’ll know who to blame if the sound is a bit off while one of my favorite bands performs.”

“You’ll know who to thank when it isn’t.” He leans toward the middle of the backseat. I follow his lead because I’m curious if he smells as good as he looks. “But I get this feeling that in your state, everything will sound good.”

Ignoring his whispered accusation that I’m high, I sniff. “You smell like lemon.”

He sticks his tongue out, revealing a half-melted lemon drop.

I grin as we sit straight again. “Last year my mom brought back lemon drops from the Limoncello factory in Sorrento. They were amazing.”

Sucking more intensely on his sour goodness, he nods slowly. “I’m sure they were. Sadly, I don’t think my lemon drop was made in Italy.”

“That is incredibly sad.”

He chuckles. Is he laughing at me?

“Nice tats.” He nods to my arms.

Holding them out, I admire my art. “They’re henna, like me.”

“Like you?”

“Yes. My name is Henna. And these will be much more intense tomorrow.”

“Like you?” His teeth scrape along his bottom lip. It’s ridiculously sexy.

“Are you flirting with me?”

He chuckles. “We met less than five minutes ago. I have a little more tact than that.”

“Tact? Like asking the color of my underwear?”

He runs his hands over the legs of his jeans. Is he sweating? Am I making him sweat? That possibility gives me a whole other kind of high.

“I didn’t ask. You freely offered that information. Besides, I have rules about flirting.”

“Well, I despise rules, but you must share your rules anyway.”

“Never flirt with someone who is not sober.” He stares out his window like his rule is the end of our friendly conversation.

“Sober? Dude, this is as sober as I get.” Leaning forward, I shove down the waist of my shorts in back, exposing a long L-shaped scar.

He glances over, forehead wrinkled.

“If I sit too long or stand too long or do anything too long, life kinda sucks. But a little high can go a long way with making said life a lot less sucky.”

Sitting back, I exhale. Sexy stranger seems at a loss for words.

“Tell me, tech guy, do you have a name?”

The driver stops at the crowded entrance.

“Thank you,” we say while getting out of the car.

To read the rest of Chapter One, visit:

http://bit.ly/2r9bWU0

About Jewel:

Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor.

With 10 years of flossing lectures under her belt, she took early retirement from her dental hygiene career to stay home with her three awesome boys and manage the family business.

After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the Contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing.

When she’s not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree at a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of course…heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.

Connect with Jewel:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JewelE_Ann

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjeweleann/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jewel-e-ann

Stay up to date with Jewel by joining her mailing list:

http://www.jeweleann.com/free-booksubscribe/

http://www.jeweleann.com

 

Add to GoodReads: https://bit.ly/2NYnbaZ

Well, if you’ve been reading any of my prior reviews, you know how anxious I was for this book. Cherish is the fourth and final book in the Arsen and Fiore story. The third book left us on a cliffhanger: did Fiore shoot Tony or did she shoot Arsen?

From the outset of the story, that question is answered quickly. And, as this is the final book, you can imagine the answer. However, the question for this book revolves around love. Can Fiore and Arsen find love given the beginning of their story? Will Fiore ever see “Monster” as something more than that, a sociopathic monster? To be honest, I don’t want to even give you a little bit of the story. I’d rather you read the final book to find out the answer.

I loved this series. Even though, for me, it started out incomplete with the novella, Ryann built Arsen and Fiore’s story in a way that seemed believable for a dark romance. I will say that Arsen’s character surprises me in this book. Yes, Fiore has changed quite a bit from the 1st book in the series. She has gone from acting timid and naive to finding her strength. For me, Arsen is the true interest of the series. He goes through the biggest change, one that might make some people struggle with in the end.

As she loves to do, Olivia Ryann leaves us with a tantalizing tidbit at the end of the book. We now know we are getting Dryas’s story. I’m hoping we will see more Arsen and Fiore in it since it will be hard to let them go. I’m also ready for the rest of Damen’s story, introduced in Ryann’s Cards of Love book.

If dark romance is your thing, the type of romance that gets your heart pumping and panties wet, then you should read this series, especially this book, Cherish. It enslaves you from the start and sets you free in the end.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In love and romance,

Professor A

 

 

 

I received an email regarding an ARC for Emily Goodwin’s Side Hustle. Given that I love to read romance and review it, I figured I would sign up for the ARC and introduce myself to a new author. This is clearly my first experience with Emily Goodwin, so I was excited to figure her out as a writer.

Side Hustle is the second book in Emily Goodwin’s Dawson Family series. I did not get a chance to read Quinn and Ashton’s story, but, given this story, I’m apt to read it in the future. Side Hustle follows Scarlet and Weston. Weston is the oldest son/brother in the Dawson family. And Scarlet is the oldest sister in her family. These two come from two very different backgrounds. The Dawson family is the prototypical loving family. Both parents are engaged in the family, and the brothers and sister are very involved in each other’s lives, even as adults. Weston’s story is the one of single dad. His wife and his son’s mother left him early. He is former military who returned to his hometown to work in law enforcement. He feels guilty that his son’s mother left him so early, so he overcompensates by being everything to his son. He is an amazing dad, but he also has a family who helps him raise his son.

Scarlet comes from the polar opposite situation. Her mother dies when Scarlet is a teen, and her drunk father comes back into her family as a guardian. However, Scarlet is tasked with raising her younger sister and brother, as her father is an alcoholic. Needless to say, they live in poverty, and Scarlet must do anything she can to provide for her sister and brother, even if it skirts the lines of the law. Basically, she calls herself a con artist.

As one of her cons, Scarlet signs up to become a nanny as a way to seduce a rich father and blackmail him. There is a mix-up and Scarlet ends up with Weston, who is anything but rich. However, on meeting him, she decides to try the “legitimate” profession of being a nanny. Very quickly, she falls in love with Weston’s son and eventually, Weston. However, life is never easy, and their pasts come back to cause problems for their burgeoning relationship.

I’m intrigued with Emily Goodwin’s series. I am a fan of family series, as we are given the stories of the different family members while getting updates of the characters we have read previously. This seems to be the case in Goodwin’s series. In Side Hustle, we find out more about Quinn and Asher, so we can stay invested in their story. And I imagine Wes and Scarlet will figure into the next book in the series.

As characters, Scarlet and Weston have chemistry. However, I did think their romance was rushed. She had only been in the house a week before they were already physical. For me, this oftentimes seems unbelievable, and I like to read characters who take a bit longer to fall in love. Thankfully, Goodwin slows them down a bit after their first experience, and she builds their sexual tension for later. When they finally fully consummate their relationship, you root for their success, and it seems more natural.

However, there is always trouble in paradise, and my heart ached at one point for Scarlet as she reveals her truth. I tend to love heroines like her, ones who are a bit broken and sullied by life experience. When they really find themselves after finding the love of the hero and recognize their value, they become the most important person in the story, the redemption. Scarlet embodies this type.

My biggest criticism for this story is its length. There were times when I didn’t think Goodwin needed to include every step of Weston and Scarlet’s story. It seemed like we were given every thought, feeling, and action. I think a bit more revision could help this, so the story didn’t drag along at times.

That being said, I think Side Hustle is an easy read about two people finding love after pain. Two broken parts finding a wholeness in each other makes for a feel-good read in the end.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Anyone who is reading my reviews will know that I am falling in love with reading various authors and writing reviews about their books. Most of the authors I’ve reviewed thus far are authors I love, so reviewing is easy.

A couple of weeks ago, I received an ARC review request for a book written by authors, Max Monroe. Until 4th & Girl, I had not read anything by Max Monroe. After reading this book, however, I had no idea how I had never read any of their work previously. I. Fell. In. Love. The type of love where you quickly begin reading their Amazon book list. 4th & Girl was so good that I developed an insta-crush on Max Monroe and have quickly read their Jerk Duet, The Billionaire Bad Boy series, and joined their Facebook group, Camp Love Yourself. Needless to say, I have a serious girl crush on this author pairing, thanks to 4th & Girl.

4th & Girl is the fourth and, I think, the final book in the Mavericks series,  a series that follows the football players of the fictional New York Mavericks. This book involves a new player on the Mavericks, Leo, and Gemma, a quirky, “trying-to-find-herself” woman. They meet in one of the funniest, most embarrassing meet-cutes I’ve read to date, and there is insta-attraction.  They lose each other and find each other later, engaging in a most uproarious, sexy relationship. This story isn’t incredibly angsty, although it has a moment. It is funny, cute, and the characters make you smile. A LOT.

I would usually spend some time in my review talking about Leo and Gemma here, but it’s the ancillary characters (the others characters) that make this story. Yes, Leo and Gemma have chemistry and are amazing together. You root for them from the start. Their dates are hilarious, and they kept me laughing throughout the story. For this book, however, Alma (Nonna), Abby, and Cam are scene-stealers. The last time I laughed out loud at a book was Jana Aston’s newest book, Good Time. However, these types of laughs are few for me. I tend to read the dark, erotic, angsty type of romance. In this book, these characters don’t allow us to get too far into the angst of this book. From Nonna’s “online business” to Abby’s “ninja skills” to Cam’s “give-Leo-crap” moments, you are belly-laughing.  It’s refreshing.

From start to finish, this story is cute and funny and light. I have never read a meet-cute like the one of this book, and the epilogue frames out the meet-cute in a way that will make you smile your biggest smile.

If you have just come off reading something intense or dark, read this book. It is everything that contemporary rom-coms should be.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In love and romance,

Professor A