Book review: Making It Last (Camelot #4) by Ruthie Knox

Available July 15th 2013 136 pages novella
A hotel bar. A sexy stranger. A night of passion. There’s a part of Amber Mazzara that wants those things, wants to have a moment — just one — where life isn’t a complicated tangle of house and husband and kids and careers. Then, after a long, exhausting “vacation” with her family, her husband surprises her with a gift: a few days on the beach . . . alone.

Only she won’t be alone long, because a handsome man just bought her a drink. He’s cool, he’s confident, and he wants to take Amber to bed and keep her there for days. Lucky for them both, he’s her husband. He’s only got a few days in Jamaica to make her wildest desires come true, but if he can pull it off, there’s reason to believe that this fantasy can last a lifetime.

Ruthie Knox takes us back to Camelot one more time to put us in touch with the couple from the first book in the series Amber and Tony.  This short book takes place 10 years and 3 kids after they met in How to Misbehave . Like many marriages the Mazzara's are busy trying to make ends meet, take care of their kids and eek by with some kind of life.  After a family wedding in Jamaica Amber and Tony are trying to get their brood on the airplane when Tony tells Amber to stay. Her aunt has a few days paid for a room at the resort and she should relax and he'll take care of the kids etc. She is left standing there before she can say anything. Amber feels lost. She has doubts about her husband love and her place in the world now that her baby has started school she has time to think about these things. When Tony leaves her in Jamaica she should be happy to be able to relax and be on her own for a while but what she really wants in for Tony to be there with her and reconnect. Finally with the help of his mother in law he comes back to find her and get back to being a couple. Being married for over 20 years i can totally relate to this story. It's not easy being married. Many can't see past the wedding that marriage is give and take and being there for each other. It's kid of fun to go back and see how couple turn out from past books. This was an emotional journey that any married couple can relate too.  I was so happy to see Amber and Tony find their way back to love and life. 4 out of 5 stars for Making it Last by Ruthie Knox.

Find out more about Ruthie Knox and her work on her website here www.ruthieknox.com

Book review: Caught in the Spotlight (Hollywood #1) by Jules Bennett

A True Hollywood Love Story?Who's the exotic beauty on the arm of mega-hot ladies' man Bronson Dane? Word is she's Mia Spinelli, recently rumored to be the mistress of her former boss—and Bronson's longtime industry rival. Now she's the personal assistant to Bronson's mother. Is Mia getting "personal" with Bronson, too? He's been spotted escorting her into a Hollywood doctor's office, and Mia has a noticeable baby bump. Has the sultry assistant managed to get under the playboy producer's skin—and into his bed?

This is a true Hollywood kind of story. Lots of Drama and intrigue, secrets and sex! Mia is a sweet innocent girl but her beauty gets her in trouble when working for one brother( Anthony) proves scandalous because the press make it seem like she's having an affair.  Even if the relationship is honest she leaves  to protect her friendship with Anthony and if possible his marriage. She finds herself working for a Hollywood actress who is a icon and falls into a relationship with Anthony's brother Bronson. To bad Bronson doesn't know his rival in Hollywood is actually his brother. After a wonderful week together Mia find Bronson is to busy for her and then later she finds out she's pregnant. Now what? Bronson was suspicious of her supposed affair with Anthony and what she's might be after by coming work for his mother. Now with this sudden pregnancy he makes comparisons to the last time a woman said she was pregnant with his baby. Mia is a strong and proud woman though and tells his flat out she doesn't want anything from him and doesn't need anything from him. Her heart wants him but she's more concerned about the child she will have and that comes first.  The story has a very Hollywood style vibe to it that fits right in with the idea behind the story. If it didn't have all the secrets and cynicism would wonder why it doesn't.  Bronson's past experiences shape his views on life and love and he has to try very hard to overcome that and see what he might have in front of him. Mia's parents were killed when she was just 5 and it's not been a easy life since. She sees this at her chance for a family. She would love to include Bronson in that but she won't do anything that won't protect her baby either.  I enjoyed this fast paced read and liked the attention to detail Bronson had in the little things when he attempts to get know Mia better. His struggle to believe is a real one and not overly rushed.  The characters are strong and interesting and draw you through the story. 4 out of 5 stars for Caught in the Spotlight by Jules Bennett.

Find out more about Jules Bennett and her work on her website here www.julesbennett.com

Curveball by V. K. Sykes Book Blast and Giveaway!!

Curveball

Ebook

Book Four in the USA Today Bestselling Philadelphia Patriots Series

May, 2013

Blurb:

Taylor Page never wanted anything but a career in major league baseball.  Through talent and guts, she’s finally landed a position as Assistant General Manager of the Philadelphia Patriots.  The only problem is that most men in baseball still don’t take a woman exec seriously, especially a thirty-year old blonde with no on-field experience.  She needs to do something big to convince her bosses she has what it takes to run a team.

Veteran Pittsburgh outfielder Ryan Locke’s career is in jeopardy when a suddenly unreliable throwing arm comes on top of rehab from a major injury.  A single parent with a troubled daughter and an alcoholic mother to provide for, retirement is out of the question. Ryan’s best hope is for a trade to an American League team as a designated hitter, allowing him several more years of play.

When Taylor needs a replacement for an injured first baseman, she comes up with an innovative but risky idea:  convince her boss to make a trade for Ryan Locke, and then convince the still talented slugger to play first base for the Patriots.  With Ryan dead-set against that plan and both their careers on the line, neither Taylor nor Ryan can afford the explosive physical attraction between them.  But despite Taylor’s best efforts to resist Ryan’s campaign of seduction, she’s not sure she’s got the willpower to keep from playing along.

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About The Authors

V.K. Sykes is really two people - Vanessa Kelly and Randy Sykes, a husband and wife team who write USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance. Randy excels at plot and characterization, but tends to fall down on the job when it comes to that pesky old thing called emotion. That's where Vanessa steps in. She usually writes the sex scenes too, since Randy is a bit uncomfortable when it comes to that sort of stuff. Vanessa also writes award-winning Regency-set historical romance for Kensington Zebra under her own name. You can find V.K. on the web at http://www.vksykes.com and Vanessa at http://www.vanessakellyauthor.com

Vanessa is also a member of Rock*It Reads, a group of traditionally published authors who are committed to bringing high standards and professional quality to their independently published works. Members include New York Times bestselling and award winning authors like Pamela Clare, Monica Burns, Elisabeth Naughton and Kris Kennedy. You can find Rock*It Reads on the web at http://www.rockitreads.com.

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Leave a comment and be entered to win a ebook  copy of either FASTBALL, book one in the The Philadelphia Patriots series, or HOT NUMBER. Be sure to leave your email address to be entered in the giveaway.

Blog is on hiatus this week. Back on July 8th !!!

Book review: What a Wicked Earl Wants (The Sinful Scoundrels #1) by Vicky Dreiling

Available May 28th 2013
WILL A RAKE'S WICKED WAYSAndrew Carrington, Earl of Bellingham, believes in being a gentleman, whether it's fishing a soggy stranger out of the Thames or assisting a fetching lady into his bed. If the stranger becomes a friend and the lady a mistress, all the better. He certainly welcomes the opportunity to help Laura Davenport, a dazzling young widow with a rebellious stepson. Her gratitude, he hopes, will take an amorous form. But from the moment he sets foot in her drawing room, he gets far more than he bargained for ... 

LEAD THE LADY ASTRAY?

It was a moment of desperation. On the brink of losing her stepson, Laura turned to the notorious Lord Bellingham for help. Suddenly she, a vicar's daughter, is in the precarious position of resisting his tantalizing advances. How Bell earned his wicked reputation is clear; the surprise is how much more there is to him than the gossip sheets could possibly reveal. Now every moment with this dangerously desirable man puts Laura's good name at risk-and promises pleasure unlike any she has ever known ..

I am a hard sell when it comes to historical romance. My first taste of this genre was Julie Garwood " The Bride". I ate up the rest of her books after that and then needed to find another author who  could give me that same lovely feeling when i finished reading.  It proved to be a hard to do. I need that perfect mix of historical setting with humor and love and heart. I started What a Wicked Earl Wants thinking i would like it i read the novella " A Season for Sin" that's like a prequel to this series. I loved that so i was hopeful but i did not expect to love the book as much as i did.  Bell and his two pals Harry and Colin are just hilarious together. They are definitely typical men with their dirty mind and crude behavior when they are together but perfect gentlemen when the occasion calls for it. I thoroughly enjoyed their conversations together. Bell experience the loss of his entire family when he was away at college. Never got to say goodbye and he had a wonderful family and has been carrying around guilt over their deaths ever since.  He feels like he doesn't deserve love or a life of good things. Along come the pretty widow Laura and her stepson Justin. Justin is 17 and trying to show his independence but falls into the wrong crowd. Bellingham or Bell as he is called by his friends steps in to help Laura straighten him out and soon he finds himself in deeper with her than he wanted. He can't help it though he's drawn to her.  Of course there is a bad guy that's going to cause problems and in this case Justin's uncle is his guardian and threatens to take him away from Laura. You don't see a lot of him but he has spies around London watching Laura and Justin. When he makes the threat though Bell happens to be there and Laura announces they are engaged. Which Bell goes along with to help her. What starts out as a friendship turn into so much more and Bell finds himself in deeper and deeper with Laura. Question is can she break though the shield around his heart?  Dreiling writes lush characters that you can easily envision in your mind as you read. Even the secondary characters will win a place in your heart. The dialogue is fun and witty and sexy when it needs to be. You find yourself rooting for Bellingham to get with the program and figure out that Laura is everything he needs. Totally enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I think i have found another historical romance author to follow with Vicky Dreiling.  5 out of 5 stars for What a Wicked Earl Wants.

Find out more about Vicky Dreiling and read a excerpt for this book on her website here www.vickydreiling.com