Category: Uncategorized

He’s a player. I’m a virgin. Yet, I can’t seem to stop myself.

The Rulebreaker by Claire Contreras is now live!

Maverick Cruz and I started off as pen pals and became besties when we went to the same sports camp at age twelve.

He rooted for me at my soccer games.
I cheered for him at his hockey tournaments.

Through heartbreaks, new relationships, and failed friendships, we knew we could always count on each other.

That’s why no one is more surprised–or panicked– than I am when I start to develop different feelings for him. But Instead of telling him the truth, I agree to help him find a girlfriend.

Someone who is not me.

Someone who is so opposite of me that I have to make a list for the charade. The problem is, he wants to practice his dating skills with me. The corny pickup lines, the hand-holding, the door opening, the staring.

Before this, I thought sharing a house with him was an excellent idea. Who wouldn’t want to room with their best friend? Now, the close proximity is killing me. What’s worse is that I can’t stop looking at him like he’s a Greek god, and he can’t stop seeing me as his virginal little sister. Still, I push it aside, until one night, when he’s lying beside me in bed and I’m the one who forgets the rules and crosses the line between friends and something more.

It’s a horrible idea. He’s a player. I’m a virgin. Yet, I can’t seem to stop myself.

New item on my list: DO NOT FALL FOR YOUR BEST FRIEND.

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

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 Meet Claire

Claire Contreras is a New York Times Best Selling Author. Her books range from romantic suspense to contemporary romance and are currently translated in seven different languages.

She was born in the Dominican Republic, raised in Miami, and now lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband, two adorable boys, and French Bulldog. When she’s not writing, she’s usually lost in a book.

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Title: Second Chance Summer

By Poppy St. James

Release Day: July 1, 2021

About the Book

Perfectly bingeable for fans of Bridgerton and Emily in Paris, Second Chance Summer is a romantic feel-good story about finding true love in the least likely of places…

Somewhere along the way, Charlotte Freemont stopped believing in happily-ever-afters. It’s one of the reasons why she ran out on her own wedding instead of settling for anything less than she deserved.

Now instead of the cross-country road trip she had planned, she’s stranded in a small town with a rough and hardened hunk of a man who’s got secrets of his own.

Luke Wilder doesn’t have time for the sassy brunette who he’s sure won’t stick around anyways. He’s had his heart broken before and there’s no use getting bent out of shape over someone who’s just going to move on. But this newcomer isn’t at all like he assumed and their chemistry? Well, explosive is too tame a word.

Will Luke open up and risk heartbreak again? And can Charlotte put her past behind her and trust in love again?

Come find out in this all new sweet and sizzling small-town romance from Poppy St. James!

Purchase Links

Amazon US ➜ https://amzn.to/3x6LdrL

Amazon Intl. ➜ https://geni.us/OcPwM

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About Poppy St. James

Author Poppy St. James writes fun, flirty, sweet romance. As a full-time novelist for more than ten years, she turned her passion for reading into a literary career and has sold millions of copies of her novels, published under various pen names, worldwide in more than a dozen languages. When she isn’t writing, you can find her attending one of her sons’ basketball or hockey games or cleaning up after her very naughty bernedoodle puppy.

Connect with Poppy:

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Are you ready to return to Corinne Michaels’ Salvation series world?!?

THE SALVATION SOCIETY is a collection of books written by various authors, filled with Navy SEALs, strong heroines, CIA operatives, plus so much more!!! Check out who will be featured in the tenth set of FIVE books releasing on July 11th!

This set will feature:

Unveiled by Verlene Landon

Revelation by Missy Ann

Reckless by Nicole Blanchard

Revive by Heather Lyn

Relinquish by Alexia Chase

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Unveiled by Verlene Landon

Featuring: Mark and Charlie

Genre/Trope: Romantic Suspense

Preorder TODAY!

https://geni.us/UnveiledAmazon

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57830973-unveiled

Salvation Society Author Page:

https://www.thesalvationsociety.com/books/author/verlene-landon/

Blurb:

If someone told Tatum six months ago that she’d be running down the road in a wedding dress, she’d have laughed. With each step of her white flats, she realizes it’s really no laughing matter. But with the help of strangers, she at least has a safe place to hide. Now all she has to do is solve the mystery of her parent’s death and get her life back.

All Rush wants after a grueling ride through four states is to walk into his new home, fall face down on the first piece of soft furniture, and sleep for hours. When he arrives, however, he discovers an addition to his bedroom that wasn’t listed in any of the closing documents. . .a drop-dead-gorgeous woman, wrapped in a towel, singing off-key into a hairbrush.

Can a serial relationshipist unveil the heart of the passionate but wounded woman posing as his housekeeper or will his emotional unavailability destroy their newly-forged connection?

Revelation by Missy Ann

Featuring: Natalie and Liam, Gretchen

Genre/Trope: Single Parent

Preorder TODAY!

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Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53463280-revelation

Salvation Society Author Page:

https://www.thesalvationsociety.com/books/author/missy-ann/

Blurb:

“Never say never, or it will be your forever.”

It’s a saying my mother has repeated my entire life. Fortunately, for Rhett Barnes, I’ve never been known to listen.

Never have children.

Never tell my secrets.

Never stay.

How was I to know each never would be what put my pieces back together?

With each revelation, I’m watching it all slip away.

Reckless by Nicole Blanchard

Featuring: Catherine and Jackson

Genre/Trope: Opposites attract

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Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58318818-reckless

Salvation Society Author Page:

https://www.thesalvationsociety.com/books/author/nicole-blanchard/

Blurb:

She plays by the rules. He lives to break them.

Phoebe Hart can’t take any chances. Her new job as a publicist on a breakout Hollywood film is her one shot at getting her life back under control. Screwing up could cost her everything.

From his time as a U.S. Marine to the silver screen, Griffin McNalley is a wild card and makes no apologies. But his devil-may-care attitude may have finally caught up with him. If he makes one more mistake, his career could be over, and getting involved with Phoebe Hart could be the biggest mistake of his life.

Despite their determination to stay apart, when Phoebe is thrown into a real-life action/thriller, it’s Griffin who volunteers to be her protector.

Revive by Heather Lyn

Featuring: Liam and Natalie

Genre/Trope: Single parent

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Add to Goodreads:

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Salvation Society Author Page:

https://www.thesalvationsociety.com/books/author/heather-lyn/

Blurb:

Genevieve Miller

I thought I found a prince, but he turned out to be a toad. Then that toad turned into a monster and I ran away, taking my little girl with me. Deciding to start over, I moved to Virginia, hoping for a safe place to live and finding so much more. I found my gorgeous neighbor, and he set out to heal my heart, to show me true happiness existed. But when evil comes knocking on my door, I discover that even my newfound salvation might not be enough to protect me.

Sawyer Ellsbury

Being a Ranger was my life, until it was taken away from me in the blink of an eye. I spent years healing and trying to decide what my next steps would be. Owning a boxing gym is my own slice of heaven, and I never thought it would get any better until my new neighbor moves in with her little girl. I want them more than my next breath of air, but I have to prove to her that I’m worth the risk. I’ve vowed to always protect them, but soon enough I’m fighting to keep that promise. And if I can’t, we just might lose everything.

Relinquish by Alexia Chase

Featuring: Mark and Charlie

Genre/Trope: Enemies to lovers

Preorder TODAY!

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Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58267986-relinquish

Salvation Society Author Page:

https://www.thesalvationsociety.com/books/author/alexia-chase/

Blurb:

What happens when chaos and control collide? Find out in this explosive battle of wills between two enemies who must learn to work together.

Lola has escaped the clutches of her over-protective yet loving father. And for the first time, she’s experiencing life out on her own. New city. New job. New life.

The destruction and chaos of Cade’s past have taught him that control is the only answer. He doesn’t let anyone close to keep from experiencing any more pain. And why would anyone want him? He’s damaged goods.

Lola wants freedom. Cade wants to control.

Can these two opposing forces squelch.

Easton Westbrook entered my life like an arrogant, grumpy, wrecking ball, and refused to leave.

One Little Mistake, an all-new enemies-to-lovers romance from Avery Maxwell, is available now!

Our banter is addicting, and nothing I do or say will make him change his mind. But when his mind becomes focused solely on me, I run.

I can’t afford to give my heart away again. Not when I’m barely surviving with the broken one I have.
I have walls up for a reason. Reasons that are none of his business, but Easton is used to getting what he wants. And when he decides he wants me, I’m not sure I’ll survive it.

Lexi Heart entered my life like an arrogant, bossy, she-devil in heels, and I can’t get her out of my head.
She’s always ten steps ahead, and I have to admit, I’m intrigued. With every lash of her sharp tongue, she puts me in my place. But when I peel back the layers of her tough girl exterior, I see the broken shell she’s hiding, and my own walls come crashing down.

We quickly learn that what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay there, and I know I’m done for. I want this girl in every sense of the word, but can I convince her to take a chance on us? Or will the damage from her past be too much, even for true love?

Join Easton and Lexi in their highly emotional journey to a happily ever after. One Little Mistake is an enemy to lovers, accidental marriage romance that will draw you in and refuse to let you go.

Download your copy today!
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About Avery
Avery Maxwell is an American Romance Author who loves wine, sexy stories, pizza, and her family.

Avery is a hot mess of a mom to four wildly sweet mini-humans and two fur babies. She spends far too much time in her pj’s and trips over herself multiple times a day. Accident-prone is probably a fair assessment.

Having grown up in small-town Vermont, Avery often jokes about being the most naïve person in the room. Luckily, she’s used that small-town charm to write character-driven contemporary romances that have you laughing one minute, and crying the next.

When she isn’t refereeing (three little boys require a lot of whistle blowing), or cuddled up with her real-life Prince Charming, you can find her tucked away with a bottle of wine (because those steamy scenes don’t write themselves!), or coaching her daughter’s basketball team.

Avery now lives in North Carolina where she brings life, love, and a happily ever after to every character she writes.

Connect with Avery
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Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

J.H. Croix’s Heartwood is a solid addition to the Speakeasy Taproom/World of True North universe. As its second offering for the Speakeasy world, it does a good job of connecting us with Karen Stivali’s Touchstone, the other first book released in tandem with Heartwood. It also nods to Sarina Bowen’s True North stories in its cameos of Alec, May, and Griff. 

Along with its place in this world, Heartwood highlights the struggles of mental health. Its heroine, Belle, suffers from bipolar disorder, and Croix takes the space of this book to magnify those struggles and the fear and pain involved in living with it. Through Belle’s character, we recognize the worry along with the determination of living an abundant life in the specter of that mental health challenge. 

Her hero, Ty, also illuminates the challenge of living in the shadow of a parent, a parent who holds his children as emotional hostages. As Ty’s character develops, we find a man willing to stand on his own.

This story is a story of second chances. As Ty and Belle find their way forward, it’s fraught with needing to define their relationship. This is also the frustration of Heartwood. I found the story to be a bit sleepy in its pacing and never fully connected emotionally with Ty and Belle. I think Croix’s strength in this book is her capacity to situate this couple in this world. However, I wanted to feel their struggle more distinctly. 

J.H. Croix’s Heartwood is a worthy read. Will it bowl you over? I’m not sure. I wanted a bit more from it, but it will leave you satisfied in the end. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

Overall Grade: 4.5 ⭐️

J.T. Geissinger is a constant revelation. From my perspective, she seems like ab unassuming romance writer with a moderate social media presence. In the world of romancelandia, I don’t see her promoting on the level as other writers, but she is no less important. This writer crafts the heck out of the alpha-male hero who does all the bad things only to be saved by the erstwhile, usually unaware heroine. Every time I crack open her books, I’m reminded again and again how much I love her storytelling. Carnal Urges, her newest book, is more of that same fantastic storytelling. 

If you’ve read her Cruel Paradise and its predecessor, Beautifully Cruel, then you’ve met Declan, this book’s hero. He’s the right-hand man of the heroes of those stories. He works in a way that encourages those heroes forward with their heroines. In terms of this book’s heroine, you’ve met Sloane in Geissinger’s Ruthless Creatures, as that book’s heroine’s best friend. Declan and Sloane are romance gold. Declan is a self-possessed man bent on ruling the mafia world. He’s an alpha male in and out of the bedroom. When he kidnaps Sloane, you think he’ll terrify her. Instead, Sloane is his perfect match. She’s intelligent, witty, and unafraid. As their story progresses, you fall deeply in love with their coupledom because they challenge each other, they support each other, and they eventually love each other to infinite depths. 

Geissinger does what she does best in Carnal Urges. She builds fiery chemistry between Sloane and Declan. She crafts story that keeps you turning the page, and, in this book, she creates banter between her hero and heroine that makes you laugh and cry in equal measure. This story reads fast on the page because Declan and Sloane are entertaining. They push you through their story, moving from moments of hilarity to moments of tenderness. Both Sloane and Declan struggle with vulnerability, yet, in their pairing, their emotional walls fall. 

And this book is a dirty one. On the fire scale, Carnal Urges is a 4 to 4.5 in carnality. Declan and Sloane cannot help themselves. They’re tempestuous and drawn to each other on an essential level. 

There is more to come in J.T. Geissinger’s Queens & Monsters world. If Carnal Urges and its precursor, Ruthless Creatures, are any indication, there is more fire and drama to come. I can’t wait for more of Geissinger’s brand of romance. It’s everything I love about romance.

In love and romance,

Professor A

Carnal (adjective):
1) Relating to the pleasures of the body
2) Given to sensual indulgence
3) The man who kidnapped me

Carnal Urges, an all-new standalone mafia romance from J.T. Geissinger is available now!

The devil has blue eyes, an Irish accent, and a hatred for me that runs deep.

He blames me for starting a war. Consorting with his enemies. Getting his men killed. Though I’m innocent on all charges, he wants his pound of flesh. With an eye on revenge, he makes me his captive.

But as we’ll both soon discover, there are more powerful urges than that for revenge.

When the devil meets his match but she’s his sworn enemy, that’s when the real war begins.

Download your copy today!
FREE in Kindle Unlimited
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About J.T. Geissinger

J.T. Geissinger is a #1 internationally bestselling author of emotionally charged romance and women’s fiction. Ranging from funny, feisty romcoms to intense, edgy suspense, her books have sold millions of copies and been translated into several languages, including German, Hebrew, French, Czech, and Japanese. The film & TV rights to her Night Prowler series have been optioned by the BAFTA-winning studio that created VFX for movies such as Avatar, X-Men, and The Avengers.

She is a three-time finalist in both contemporary and paranormal romance for the RITA® Award, the highest distinction in romance fiction from the Romance Writers of America®. She is also a recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book and the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy.

She’s a Southern California native currently living in Nevada with her husband and rescue kitty, Zoe.

Connect with J.T. Geissinger
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Overall Grade: 4.5 ⭐️

For Speakeasy’s first published story, Touchstone is intriguing and one of my favorite reads in the World of True North. Here’s the thing about Karen Stivali’s book:

1. Its characters, Phoebe and Sam, are lovely together. I know that’s a strange term, but there is a mystical underpinning to their coupledom that truly qualifies them as soulmates. It’s unlike anything I’ve read before to the extent that there’s almost a paranormal feel to it. 
2. The ancillary characters to this story, namely Sam’s aunt and her sister, so remind me of the aunties in Practical Magic, and you can’t help but love wizened good witch characters who help guide the hero and heroine. 
3. Sam is only an alpha character in the bedroom. He is a Renaissance man: well-traveled, insightful, compassionate, and emotionally connected. You cannot help but love his character in this story. 
4. Phoebe’s entrance into the story is one of my favorite beginnings for a heroine even in its horror. She is the reason for any strife between them, but Stivali rectifies that quickly so that Sam and Phoebe can live in their bliss.
5. I love the mysticism of this story. I’ve not read this focus in a romance yet, so I found it alluring and insightful. I think most readers will love that bent to this story. 

And finally, what’s not to love about Colebury and its connection to our favorite characters in Sarina Bowen’s universe of characters. There are cameos from Griff, Alec, and others. Even more, we’re introduced to other future Speakeasy characters. 

Once I began reading Touchstone, I simply couldn’t put it down. In fact, I broke one of my rules about reading ARCs: I read it out of turn. This is a testament to Karen Stivali’s storytelling and character development. If you haven’t downloaded this ebook, you should grab it now.

In love and romance,

Professor A

Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Corinne Michaels’s You Loved Me Once is, for me, one of her angstiest books. In fact, while designated as women’s fiction, this book feels tied for angst with Michaels’s Indefinite Duet from her Salvation series, which for me is her most angsty. There is something beautiful in its angst, in its recognition that life must go on after death even if we want to fight it. There is something beautiful in the tenacity of a hero who loves a woman who seems unloveable. And there is something beautiful in the brokenness of a heroine when she must finally acknowledge and face her pain and in doing so, she is finally available to love her adoring hero. The grit and pain of this story are what make it an important read. And there is a quality to this book that seems different from Michaels’s other books. There is a solemnity to it, a reticence to move forward. This, sometimes, makes it difficult to read especially when her heroine, Serenity, self sabotages her own happiness. Boy, does she do this often in the book. In fact, I saw the major plot device early on as it seemed to mimic a plotline of Grey’s Anatomy. When you have to face a heroine who undermines her own success, it is a tough pill to swallow (sorry for the cliche, but it seems so apt here). However, in saving herself, she finally positions herself where she should have been all along. 

I think this book’s success will hinge on Michaels’s readers adoring Weston, as I did. You won’t get this story through his point of view, but he is a big presence in this story. He is the perfect mate for Serenity, but she makes him work for his love. Try not to be angry with her. Instead, recognize the motivation behind her actions. Remember how any kind of pain causes people to make unwise choices. Revel in Corinne Michael’s ability to bring you to the end with the sweetest, and I think, quietest of happy endings. You Loved Me Once should be already downloaded on your e-reader. If not, then grab it now. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

Overall Grade: 4.5 ⭐️

“She was the only star in a very dark night. She was a light that seemed to shine only on me, and the heat of that light —the fire of her attention— had me burning up from head to toe.”

Okay, so let’s talk Laurelin Paige’s Wild War, the newest story in her Dirty Wild Trilogy. In the first book of the series, Wild Rebel, much of the point of view lies with her hero, Cade. It was clear about his animosity for Jolie, the heroine of this series. While we were treated to a little bit of her perspective, it was Cade who pulled the majority of the focus…and an angry focus it was. In fact, I found myself frustrated with him as he vacillated between loving and hating her, and it wasn’t until the jaw-dropping cliffhanger that I felt fully connected to this series. 

In Wild War, the point of view is balanced between Cade and Jolie. They have begun their journey into undermining Jolie’s father; however, in order to fully understand the significance of their story, Paige metes out their past. In the first book, Paige set the present stage for Cade and Jolie’s journey, but she needed Wild War to help us understand their past in order to move them forward. At the time of reading Wild Rebel, I didn’t recognize Paige’s genius in pacing. It is in Wild War where it shines. In fact, there is very little of Jolie and Cade’s present; it is focused mostly on their past, helping us understand the fraught nature of their relationship as it is built upon trauma. Laurelin Paige has this immense capacity to engage her reader through her trilogies (a cornerstone of her writing) so that they never lose interest. Instead, you become this rabid reader, frothing at the mouth for more story at her book’s end. 

And she does this almost masochistically with Wild War, once again leaving us with a HUGE cliffhanger. However, I need to be honest: I saw this cliffhanger from a mile away. Did that stop me from reading until the end? NO! Because the power of this book lies in the painful journey of Cade and Jolie. There is immense trauma in their background, and each of them has been tediously sculptured by it. With that, there is an impact on their ability to be a couple. Be warned: even at the end of Wild War, there is no promise of that. I am sure Paige will rectify that in the final book of the trilogy, Wild Heart. However, I suspect it will grow rockier before they find their happy ending. 

If you’re looking for resolution in Wild War, you won’t find it. Everything is still ambiguous. With the bomb that Laurelin Paige drops at its end, there are guaranteed fireworks coming in the next book. When you read Wild War, just sit and take in the deft ability of Paige to drive a story forward as she takes us backward. Revel in her capacity to create interwoven universes of engaging characterization. Because it’s all here. Add to that some suspense that keeps you wanting to gobble each page so that you can finally watch the villain get his comeuppance. It’s coming soon, but Paige makes you wait…and it’s glorious. 

In love and romance, 

Professor A