ARC ebook review: He's So Fine (Lucky Harbor #11) by Jill Shalvis

Available Sept 30
ARC ebook provided by Netgalley

For Olivia Bentley, Lucky Harbor is more than the town where she runs her new vintage shop. It's the place where folks are friendly to strangers-and nobody knows her real name. Olivia does a good job of keeping her past buried, not getting too cozy with anyone . . . until she sees a man drowning. Suddenly she's rushing into the surf, getting up close and personal with the hottest guy she's ever laid hands on.

Charter boat captain Cole Donovan has no problem with a gorgeous woman throwing her arms around his neck in an effort to "save" him. In fact, he'd like to spend a lot more time skin-to-skin with Olivia. He's just not expecting that real trouble is about to come her way. Will it bring her deeper into Cole's heart, or will it be the end of Olivia's days in little Lucky Harbor?


As we get ever closer to the last book in the Lucky Harbor series I'm reminded how i got hooked on book one with the original three ladies and their books. I have book one in audio as well and i enjoy listening to it and taking myself back. Do you re-read a series that has had a big impact on you? If it's a Jill Shalvis book i could totally see that, as her books always, always make me laugh, make me enjoy someone else's life for 300 or so pages. Olivia Bentley  makes a big impression on Cole Donovan when she literally jumps on his head and just about drowns him in her attempt to save him when he falls into the water. Even though Olivia tries to keep to herself now that she's brought herself front and center with Cole she's on his radar. Cole is a helper and a fixer so he's one to just jump right in and help anywhere he can. He's had a relationship in his past that left him feeling betrayed in the end and he's guarded his heart since then. Olivia is hiding something about her past that she wants to leave in the past and it's such a biggie that when she finally decides to tell him about it's hard to find the perfect moment and then it's to late. Loved these characters. Once again Jill Shalvis get's you to invest in her characters and care about them.  The secondary character's as always jump in and out of the story to entertain you as well. Not sure if i can bear to see this series comes to end but I can't wait to read the last book. It's great but bad at the same time but as always exciting!

Find out more about this series and Jill Shalvis and her blog on her website here www.jillshalvis.com.

ARC Book review: The Maverick of Copper Creek (Copper Creek Cowboys #1) by R.C. Ryan

Available Sept 30th
eARC provided by publisher through Netgalley

First love always burns hotter . . .

Ash MacKenzie broke his share of hearts when he left Copper Creek all those years ago and struck out on his own. Tall, tough, and proud. That's how Brenna always remembered him, and from the looks of things, he hasn't changed much. Once, she thought he could save her—whisk her away from her rough childhood home and start fresh together. Now she knows better . . .

Ash isn't planning to stick around town long. As soon as he uncovers the truth about his father's death and makes sure the family ranch is safe, he'll be back out on his own. And then he runs into Brenna Crane. It broke his heart to leave her once—a herd of stampeding horses couldn't make him do it again. But Brenna has made a new life for herself, one that doesn't include him. Now he just has to convince her to give their first love a second chance.


An amazing start to a new series by R.C. Ryan. Ash MacKenzie was a first born son to one of the toughest and biggest ranchers in Montana. At age 19 after years of trying to please his father and win his approval he never seemed to find a way to make that happen. Finally after spending the night in freezing conditions out on the range only to come home to find his father still saying he's not in the right place at the right time and not doing what he should be doing he's had enough. Taking only the clothes on his back he takes off. Leaving everything including the girl who had become his best friend and who had depended on him to be there for her. Nine years later tragedy bring him home and that's where the drama and excitement really begins.  This series kicks off with a murder mystery that i assume will span the series but this book also has a couples romance as well. The story begins with a explanation of  Ash's separation from his family and then shoots ahead nine years and picks up with Ash coming home to deal with his father's death.  He also want to see if coming home for good is the right thing for him as well as finding out if the girl he left behind is the right woman to spend forever with. The book slowly but steadily picks up and the characters find out that not only do they have the mystery of Ash's father's death but someone is out to get Ash or Brenna. You have some action, some suspense and of course some romance. You are kept wondering who the bad guys are. I had several ideas but was never sure until it was revealed. You won't be finding out what  happened to Ash's father in this book but you might get some clues. I loved the characters and the intensity between Ash and Brenna and the action toward the end was intense. You feel for the characters and you might even shed a tear or two along the way. It left me with a feeling of investment in the character's and wondering what might be in store for the MacKenzie family.

Find out more about this brand new series and the author here www.ryanlangan.com

ARC Book review: Starving For Vengeance (Bantorus MC #7) by Debra Kayn

Available Now!
eARC provided by author for honest review

Born into Bantorus Motorcycle Club, Lee Ramchett skirts the law, works secretly for the federal government, and kills. As he grows closer to seeking revenge for what the Mexican mafia has done to his family, his supervisor orders him to go back to Bantorus MC to watch over Shari —one of the available and beautiful Silver Girls. In the chaos Shari creates inside of him, he learns his purpose has more to do with washing his hands free of blood than becoming a lifer, and sets out to end the war between Bantorus MC and Los Li for good.

Five years ago, Shari’s Uncle Ted dropped her off in Federal, Idaho to keep her safe after he received threats linking her to Tango, an undercover agent. She works hard to make herself a valuable asset to Bantorus MC, but her charade is compromised when the dangerously troubled nomad biker with more scars and secrets of his own demands her attention. This time, she’s not sure she’ll be able to stay away from the one biker who needs her more than she needs the safety of the club.

—Each Bantorus MC novel features a new couple with their own happily ever after.


Finally, finally we get to find out what's been going on with the mysterious Lee Ramchett! If you've read all the related books to this series you would have met Lee as a young boy. He witnessed some terrible things that  involved his step mom and Los Li a mafia group out of Mexico. It was something that stuck with him into adulthood. He became very withdrawn and took off to ride as a nomad. In reality he was working to bring Los Li down and hooked up with Ted Tango who used to be a MC member of his dads but was in reality a undercover FBI agent. Now with a possible end to Los Li he's taken a spot with his brother in the Bantorus MC in order to protect Ted's niece and only living relative.  Shari is Ted niece and has been living a half life in Federal waiting for him to come and collect her and take her back to her old life. She can't let herself get close to anyone because she knows she's there temporarily and she doesn't really belong. Then came Lee. For some reason she can't seem to keep him at bay. He gets under her defenses but in turn let's her a little bit at a time under his. Is it going to be enough? Between their growing attraction and Los Li  and all the secrets you're on the edge of your seat waiting to see what will happen next. Debra Kayn knows how to draw the reader in and deliver a story that a you can invest yourself in. You can jump in with any book in this series and not feel lost. Love that! 

Find out more about Debra Kayn and the Bantorus series here www.debrakayn.com  

ARC Book review: Rock Addiction (Rock Kiss #1) by Nalini Singh

Available now! 
ebook ARC provided by Netgalley 

A bad boy wrapped in a sexy, muscled, grown-up package might be worth a little risk… 

Molly Webster has always followed the rules. After an ugly scandal tore apart her childhood and made her the focus of the media’s harsh spotlight, she vowed to live an ordinary life. No fame. No impropriety. No pain. Then she meets Zachary Fox, a tattooed bad boy rocker with a voice like whiskey and sin, and a touch that could become an addiction. 

A one-night stand with the hottest rock star on the planet, that’s all it was meant to be… 

Fox promises scorching heat and dangerous pleasure, coaxing Molly to extend their one-night stand into a one-month fling. After that, he’ll be gone forever, his life never again intersecting with her own. Sex and sin and sensual indulgence, all with an expiration date. No ties, no regrets. Too late, Molly realizes it isn’t only her body that’s become addicted to Fox, but her heart…

I have not read a rock star book in a while so when i saw Nalini Singh had written one i knew i had to see what it was all about. This book starts out in Australia which i thought was interesting and then later heads to the States and California. Fox is the lead singer in a band and they are in Australia for a month to relax before going back to the US and touring again. Fox sees her across the room at a party and immediately is attracted to her. Approaching her, Molly, who never lets anything to exciting into her life, decides to have a one night stand with him. She's really attracted to him too but a terrible past experience in the media has turned her off any chance of that life again. The book moves along swiftly. Fox knows from the beginning he wants more from Molly than one night. He has to convince her of that now. First he talks her into the month they are in Australia in the hopes he can convince her they are worth a shot. Both have issues in their pasts to deal with along with the whole Fox being famous. There are a lot of stops and starts between the two on the path of Fox's goal of permanence between the two. Sometimes Fox runs hot and cold but i think that was from a mixture of his past and him wanting to take things slow with Molly and then misunderstandings. He's really quite sweet with her.The secondary character's were really interesting and hopefully they will get some front and center time in books to come in this series. All around though this book reads fast, the character's are enjoyable on the whole and who doesn't like a rock and roll romance! Nalini Singh kicks off the start of this new series with a kick! 


Find out more about this series and Nalini Singh here www.nalinisingh.com

ARC Book review: Barefoot in Lace (The Barefoot Bay Brides Trilogy #2) by Roxanne St. Claire

Available Now!
Ebook ARC provided by author

Kick off your shoes and fall in love again in with the Barefoot Bay Brides! 

Destination wedding planner Gussie McBain needs a man . . . specifically, a wedding photographer. Just her luck that the shutterbug she runs into is more used to snapping pictures of glamorous models in couture gowns than brides in white lace. But Gussie's never been one to let bad odds stop her from a good gamble, so she asks for a favor she never dreams superstar TJ DeMille will actually grant.

Tom DeMille lives his life exactly as he pleases—always alone. In fact, he’s got that motto tattooed in Greek on his arm. But when Tom is suddenly saddled with guardianship of his twelve-year-old niece, he'll lose more than his freedom if he can't figure out how to take care of her. Then an alluring young woman with pink hair and a sassy mouth shows up at his door, and he agrees to do the unthinkable . . . photograph a wedding in exchange for some help with his niece.

As they work together, Tom begins to take down the walls Gussie has erected around herself to discover a truly beautiful and tender woman he knows he could love. But will his own heartache and refusal to lay down roots prevent him from giving Gussie the family life she craves . . . or could she be the one woman who can finally break his vow of solitude?

Book 2 in this series bring us to Gussie, the quirky wedding planner whose hair color could change every day with her mood or her outfit. She's way more than just her outward appearance though. She's got a huge heart and a big hurt or two in her heart along with some big regrets. Tom DeMille lives life on a fast train to the next city and the next city. You get the picture. Circumstance put him right in Gussie's path at the Super min the local convenience store. She knows exactly who he is. A world class photographer whose work she's admired for a long time.  Not long after that guess what she needs for a wedding when the photographer just dropped out last minute?  Tom is back in Florida after the death of his sister puts him as guardian of his 12 year old niece Alex and the relationship between the two is not going well at all. Then Gussie steps into the mix and is amazing with her. Gussie and Tom both have events in their lives that have changed their lives and bruised their hearts. Then add Tom's niece he has her to worry about when he's given up on any kind of lasting relationship years ago. Alex finds  herself motherless and with a Uncle who has trouble relating to her and her to him. Really you have three lost souls trying to make it work. This book had it's funny and light moments but also the sad and frustrating moments. I really felt for the characters but Tom is the one who ends up having the hardest time letting go and make the commitment to living a whole life again. An amazing story from beginning to end. 

Fine out more about this series and Roxanne St Claire here www.roxannestclaire.com

ARC book review: The Arrow (Highland Guard #9) by Monica McCarty

Available now!
arc ebook provided by publisher through Netgalley

As King Robert the Bruce of Scotland plots to retake his English occupied castles, he needs the stealth and skill of his elite soldiers, the Highland Guard. Fearless and indomitable, no men are more loyal to their king, or cherished by the women they love.

The talents of legendary marksman Gregor “Arrow” MacGregor are crucial now, as Bruce moves to reclaim his Scottish holdings. Gregor is considered the most handsome man in Scotland, and his fame as an archer is rivaled only by his reputation with the lasses as a heartbreaker. But when his infamous face is exposed during a covert mission, Gregor is forced to lay low. He returns home only to find a new battle waiting: a daring game of seduction involving his now very grown up and very desirable ward, Cate of Lochmaben.

A born fighter, Cate was clinging to life when Gregor rescued her after a vicious English raid on her village left her mother dead. But five years later, the once scrappy orphan Gregor took under his protection has become a woman. Brave, strong, and skilled in warfare, Cate is determined to lay claim to the warrior who refuses to be trapped. The heat in his eyes tells her she has his attention . . . and his desire. But will Gregor allow his heart to surrender before danger finds them, and the truth of Cate’s identity is revealed?

I can't believe we are on book number 9 of the Highland Guard series. I got into this series late and have missed a few books i believe but that has not caused me to have any problems picking up in the middle somewhere and reading from there.  Gregor MacGregor is one of the mysterious Highland Guard. He's the best archer around and his skills have been heavily relied on for their success.  He saves Cate  from a well when her village was attacked and her mother brutally raped and killed. He then took her on as his ward but 5 years later she's a full grown woman. After a disastrous mission he comes home to take a break and finds he's attracted to her. She's attracted right back and wants him and so starts trying to seduce him. She's carrying a few secrets though as to who she really is and how old she really is. This book is full of fun interactions as Gregor tries to fend off Cate when his conscious tells him it isn't right to want her. Once he decides its a losing battle it gets hot fast.  Just when it  looks like everything is going along fine one overheard conversation turns into misunderstandings and pride and old hurts ruin everything.  I love how Cate is portrayed as a smart yet innocent woman. She's trained as a fighter by Gregor's brother John and then Gregor helps her with some more training.  They don't treat as a inferior person and tell her she need to learn how to sew and doing womanly stuff. I also love that the other Highland guard men champion her training and treat her with respect. A great series i always enjoy how Monica McCarty always ties in real history into these books and shares it at the end of her books.  


Find out more about Monica McCarty and her Highland Guard series here www.monicamccarty.com

ARC book review: Beyond Addiction (Beyond #5) by Kit Rocha

Available now!
ARC ebook provided by author

She’s fought like hell to leave the past behind.

Trix changed her name and her life when she got clean four years ago. Now, she has a new family and a job she loves—tending bar and dancing at the Broken Circle. As an O’Kane, she’s happy, untouchable. Until a nightmare from her old life tears her away from her home and drags her back to Hell—also known as Sector Five.

He’s still living—and dying—in it.

Losing Trix was the kick in the head Finn needed to get sober, but working as an enforcer for a man he hates is slowly crushing his soul. The only thing that keeps him going is his determination to destroy Sector Five from the inside. Then Trix comes back into his life—alive, in danger—and nothing else matters.

Getting her home could be a suicide mission. The only thing deadlier is the old spark that flares to life between them. Soon, Finn and Trix are battling the one addiction neither of them ever managed to kick—each other. And it could cost them everything


This latest edition in the Kit Rocha series " Beyond" sports a hero that is not from Sector 4.  Little is known about Trix who is one of the newer members of sector 4. Finally we're going to find out her history and where she came from and who and what she left behind. Each book and novella builds more and more of the landscape of this series. We get more details of things we've already seen and more places that are new to us. The characters get more and more defined and you can almost visualize yourself there . Finn and Trix are not new to each other but years have passed since seeing each other and Finn thought that Trix was dead. He thought he saw her die.  He's been beating himself up for what he perceived as his failure to take care of her since her believed death and when he sees her alive now as a O'Kane he decides quickly he's going to fix that are die trying. As always lot of a great characters, hot sexy scenes and plenty of suspense and cage fight or two.  It's never to late to start this series and get into the O'kane's and sector four! 

Find out more about Kit Rocha and the O'kane's here www.kitrocha.com

ARC Book review: It's in His Kiss (Lucky Harbor #10) by Jill Shalvis

Available August 26th
ARC ebook provided by publisher through Netgalley

ONE KISS CAN LAST FOREVERBecca Thorpe has uprooted her life and escaped to the beach. Now's her chance to get away from city living, throw caution to the ocean winds, and live in the moment. Especially if the moment includes the deliciously sexy surfer she meets shortly after arriving in Lucky Harbor. Something about the dark intensity of Sam's eyes and the thrill she gets at his touch convinces her to stay awhile.

Boatbuilder and investment genius Sam Brody is a self-made man who knows how dangerous it can be to mix business and pleasure. But he can't resist offering Becca a job just to hear her laugh and have her near. Yet when her brother comes to town asking for help, will he tempt her back to her glamorous life in the city? Or do Sam and little Lucky Harbor have a chance to win Becca's heart?

This is the first of the last three books in the Lucky Harbor series. I'm really sad to see it come to a end it's been a great series since book one. Sam Brody is a guy who likes to keep things close to the vest. He's a great guy and the first to help out but he only let's people in so far. He and his two buddies run a boat chartering business among other water related things. Becca Thorpe is running away and hiding from something. Trying to find herself and what makes her happy she lands in Lucky Harbor and right in Sam's back door. Sam tries to resist Becca but there is something about her that brings out his protective tendencies.  One of the most enjoyable books in the series. You could read this one on it's own if you had not read the previous books. Sam and the guys are there for each  other and when Becca comes into their lives they include her as well. Well paced this book was plenty of humor and small bit of drama. A great read to just sit back and enjoy. 


Find out more about the Lucky Harbor series and the author Jill Shalvis here Jillshalvis.com

ARC Book review: Single Man Meets Single Mom by Jules Bennett

Available now!
ARC ebook provided by publisher through the author.

From player to…daddy? 

Hollywood agent Ian Schaffer could have his pick of gorgeous women. So he's totally thunderstruck by the intensity of his attraction to horse trainer Cassie Barrington. The single mom, with her luscious curves and unadorned beauty, is so much hotter than the bombshells he's used to. But it's her vulnerability and passion that the jaded player finds utterly irresistible—and that sets off alarm bells, because Ian's as commitment-shy as they come. A woman with a child is absolutely off-limits! Too bad the voluptuous mom has Ian aching to break all his old rules…




If you read Jules Bennett's "When Opposites Attract" you will recognize a couple of the secondary characters in this book. Cassie Barrington was a secondary in that book and now she comes to the forefront to tell us her story. When agent Ian Schaffer shows up at the Barrington estate to check in with his client and star of the a movie being filmed there Cassie literally falls into his arms. Sparks fly between the two of them right away. The two seems to get along until Ian finds out she has a child. Thinking the wrong things about Cassie he puts the brakes on any relationship that might have had. His past experience with a mother who was single and spent all her spare time finding new men and no time with Ian growing up he casts Cassie wrongly in the same light. Cassie being a single mom and what she feels is a bit frumpy and no where near the glamorous women she thinks Ian's used to.  Just to throw another player in the mix Cassie's ex-husband shows up after walking out on her 10 months ago and never trying to see his daughter wanting them both back. Wanting the life he through away back. This is one of those quick fast reads. You can read it in one evening in one sitting. Jules Bennett gives you a full book feeling in a little less than 200 pages. Just the right size for when you just want to get lost in a book for a while.


Find out more about this book and the author here www.julesbennett.com

ARC Book review: Texas Twist (Texas Montgomery Mavericks #4) by Cynthia D'Alba

Available now! 
ARC ebook copy provided by publisher through the author.

Real bad boys can grow up to be real good men.

Texas Montgomery Mavericks, Book 4

Hit hard by the death of her parents, Paige Ryan needs to figure out what to do with her life. She moves to Whispering Springs, Texas, to be near her step-brother. But just as she starts to get her life on track, the last man she ever wanted to see again sends it right back off the rails.

Cash Montgomery was on the cusp of having it all. Three bull riding titles, fame, fortune and respect from his family. Until a bad bull leaves him injured, angry and searching for comfort at the bottom of a bottle. With nowhere to go, he moves into his sister-in-law's old ranch house in Whispering Springs which he's surprised to find already occupied.

As Cash rebuilds the dilapidated home and Paige starts out on her medical career, their old friendship begins to reemerge and sparks are ignited. Paige knows that Cash is nothing but a heartache waiting to happen. But maybe this bad boy has grown up to be a real good man?

Warning: Watch out for falling lumber, falling in holes, and falling for the wrong guy again. You can leave your hard hat on

I actually sat down and read this entire book on one sitting. It reads fast and the story moves along well. That in itself makes it a good read for me.  The characters that bring it to life just tops everything off. Cash was on a life high. He was at the top of his world in his profession as a bull rider. He was set to retire after winning one more season and then it all fell apart when one of the nastiest bulls on the circuit threw him and then pommeled him into the ground.  He let all pain and disappointment of  this work at his body and his soul  and took up drinking. Not to far from being a alcoholic his family tries to help but setting him up in Travis ( Cash's brother) wife's old ranch home is just what he needs. Especially when getting there he finds out that Travis's wife Caroline has already rented it out to Paige. Paige has degrees in nursing and psychology so Travis fixes it up so both can stay and maybe Paige can keep an eye on Cash. The family doesn't know it but Cash and Paige already have a history together. Cash broke Paige's heart seven years earlier. Doesn't take long for sparks to fly between the two. Some of it pure lust and some of it pure fear. Each one of them is dealing with the past. Some more recent and some seven years old. It's fun to watch it all play out with the two of them along with some of the other exciting things going on in family. A fun sexy enjoyable read you can't put down.

Find out more about the series and the author here cynthiadalba.com

Release Day book blast! Rafflecopter Giveaways! Texas Twist by Cynthia D'Alba

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Real bad boys can grow up to be real

good men.

Hit hard by

the death of her parents, Paige Ryan needs to figure out what to do with her

life. She moves to Whispering Springs, Texas, to be near her step-brother. But

just as she starts to get her life on track, the last man she ever wanted to

see again sends it right back off the rails.

Cash

Montgomery was on the cusp of having it all. Three bull riding titles, fame,

fortune and respect from his family. Until a bad bull leaves him injured, angry

and searching for comfort at the bottom of a bottle. With nowhere to go, he

moves into his sister-in-law’s old ranch house in Whispering Springs—which he’s

surprised to find already occupied.

As Cash

rebuilds the dilapidated home and Paige starts out on her medical career, their

old friendship begins to reemerge and sparks are ignited. Paige knows that Cash

is nothing but a heartache waiting to happen. But maybe this bad boy has grown

up to be a real good man?

Warning: Watch out for falling

lumber, falling in holes, and falling for the wrong guy…again. You can leave

your hard hat on.

Teasers

1. “Here’s the deal, slick,” she said with a lift of an eyebrow. “I’m still attracted to you and, if I’m reading your kisses accurately, the feeling is mutual.” She sat back on her heels with a sigh. “I want to finish what we started seven years ago. Don’t freak out,” she added quickly when he opened his mouth to speak. “I’m not looking for long-term or asking for a commitment. Come fall, school’s going to be time consuming and tough. I won’t have the time or the energy for a relationship.” She shrugged. “So for as long as it lasts, I propose roommates with benefits. What do you say?”

 2. Before I decide one way or the other, I want to make sure we’re clear on a few points. We have no future. There is no us. No long-term happy-ever-after. This isn’t a fairy tale, Paige. It’s real life.” He hated sounding so hard, so brusque, but she had to understand he had nothing to offer her. “If we do this, it’s just sex. Not making love or any other pretty label you might want to put on it. If it lasts through the summer, fine. We’ll go our separate ways when you leave for school. If either of us wants out before then, it’s over. No questions. No tears. No regrets.” 

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winning author Cynthia D’Alba was born and raised in Arkansas. After being gone

for seventeen years, she’s thrilled to be back home living on the banks of an

eight-thousand acre lake. When she’s not reading, writing or plotting, she’s

doorman for her two dogs, cook, housekeeper and chief bottle washer for her

husband and slave to a noisy, messy parrot. She loves to chat online with

friends and fans

WEBSITE  |  FACEBOOK  |  TWITTER  |  GOODREADS

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