4 Flames for Holiday Kisses

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...Love!

A man gives the gift of trust and receives a second chance at love in return. A woman helps to heal the wounded heart of a soldier. A couple finds that true love knows no distance. And a young widow learns that there can be two great loves in a lifetime. Love, romance and passion come together in this collection of four seasonal shorts.

Anthology includes:

This Time Next Year by Alison Kent

A Rare Gift by Jaci Burton

It's Not Christmas Without You by HelenKay Dimon

Mistletoe and Margaritas by Shannon Stacey

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Fabulous holiday anthology with 4 awesome stories.

I knew I would enjoy the Jaci Burton story since I had read A Rare Gift before in the Kent Holiday series.

I really liked this, and it worked as a novella. The story hits on a few emotional levels, and had a lot of heat and good tension. I loved Calliope and how she tames Wyatt. A nice little love story.

Shannon Stacy also delivers in her story, Mistletoe and Margaritas, a sweet friends-to-lovers starting over story. You can’t help but want Claire and Justin to find comfort and love together. Shannon Stacy always makes me feel like her characters could come from my home town, and I like that about her work.

Alison Kent and HelenKay Dimon were new authors for me and I really liked both stories.

In This Time Next Year by Alison Kent, Brenna is rescued by the hot but damaged local doctor and she has to make some tough decision about not only their relationship, but her own future. Will she see her own dreams come true or has she changed them now that she’s met Dillon?

I loved the recognition of health care professionals in the armed forces and those who volunteer to help the needy. Such wonderfully understated but powerful themes for me in this story.

It's Not Christmas Without You by HelenKay Dimon was an interesting treatment of career versus love story. What happens when you are still in love but the job keeps you apart? I loved the struggles of these two characters and I especially loved Austin’s love and devotion to Carrie. It came across so clearly.

Lovely holiday anthology. Recommended.

Thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Heating Up the Holidays 3-story Bundle by Lisa Renee Jones, Mary Ann Rivers and Serena Bell

As leftover turkey and stuffing give way to stockings and little black dresses, this tantalizingly sexy eBook bundle offers up holiday-themed novellas from a trio of beloved romance authors. Lisa Renee Jones gives a dedicated reporter and a powerful businessman a chance to count their Thanksgiving blessings in Play with Me; Mary Ann Rivers presents Snowfall, the story of a woman who confronts a life-changing event—hopefully with a special man by her side—just in time for Christmas; and in Serena Bell’s After Midnight, an explosive New Year’s kiss leaves two strangers wondering whether they’ll ever see each other again.

PLAY WITH ME by Lisa Renee Jones

Kali Miller has spent three years reporting fluff stories, waiting for the article that will launch her career to new heights. When she suddenly finds herself forced to take a job as an executive secretary at a Vegas casino, Kali meets the subject of what will surely be a shocking exposé: her boss, Damion Ward, the arrogant and undeniably sexy CEO. But after Damion invites her to help him plan a Thanksgiving charity event, Kali begins to see another side of the man. And when she surrenders to the exhilarating tension simmering between them, Kali hopes her story will have a happy ending.

SNOWFALL by Mary Ann Rivers

Jenny Wright can’t get enough of her erotic conversations with someone she knows only as “C.” Flirting online helps Jenny temporarily escape confronting the changes to her life as she slowly loses her vision. Jenny’s occupational therapist, Evan Carlisle-Ford, is helping her prepare for the challenges ahead, but the forthright, trustworthy man can no longer ignore his growing attraction to his fiercely intelligent client. Now Jenny must choose between the safe, anonymous “C”—or the flesh-and-blood Evan, whose heated kisses can melt snow faster than it can fall.

AFTER MIDNIGHT by Serena Bell

The clock is ticking down to midnight on New Year’s Eve, and all Nora Hart and Miles Shephard can think about is kissing each other—even though they met just minutes before. Then, as fast as Miles enters Nora’s life, he’s gone . . . and she never even gets the name of the man she thinks might just be “the one.” One year later, Nora and Miles are reunited. The chemistry between them is just as strong as they remember. But Miles broke her heart once before—and this time around, Nora’s not sure whether she can give love a second chance.

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I love this time of year when the holiday anthologies get released. It’s a great way to get introduced to new authors. Heating up the Holidays contains three stories, which really makes for a perfectly sized read. 

Play With Me is the “starting over” story of Kali.  When circumstances force her to take a job as an executive assistant, she meets Daimon. Kali’s instincts tell her he’s not quite what he seems, but it isn’t until she learns more about him that she sees what he’s really hiding. This was my second read from Lisa Renee Jones and  I loved how this story captured the spirit of generosity

Snowfall by Mary Ann Rivers is the very personal story of Jenny Write, a woman dealing with life changing circumstances.  What struck me most about this story was the very unique voice and it doesn’t pull any punches as far as the emotional content. It captures the sometimes sad part of the holidays  but ends on a hopeful note. Nicely done.

After Midnight might just be my favorite story in this anthology by a very narrow margin.  This was such a sweet story of Nora and Miles.  They meet at a New Year’s Eve party  and a full year passes before they see each other again.  A lovely story of attraction, taking chances, and rebuilding that really touched me.

This gets a solid 4 star rating from me. Very nice holiday anthology from authors to watch.

Thanks to Loveswept and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Buy Links:

Amazon       |  Barnes & Noble

5 Flames for Breaking Nova by Jessica Sorensen

Nova Reed used to have dreams-of becoming a famous drummer, of marrying her true love. But all of that was taken away in an instant. Now she's getting by as best she can, though sometimes that means doing things the old Nova would never do. Things that are slowly eating away at her spirit. Every day blends into the next . . . until she meets Quinton Carter. His intense, honey brown eyes instantly draw her in, and he looks just about as broken as she feels inside.

Quinton once got a second chance at life-but he doesn't want it. The tattoos on his chest are a constant reminder of what he's done, what he's lost. He's sworn to never allow happiness into his life . . . but then beautiful, sweet Nova makes him smile. He knows he's too damaged to get close to her, yet she's the only one who can make him feel alive again. Quinton will have to decide: does he deserve to start over? Or should he pay for his past forever?

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I loved this read. It has all the characteristics of a 5 star read for me: I stayed up all night reading it and it ended with me feeling that I can’t wait for the next book in this series.

This is not a story that will appeal to everyone. It deals realistically with some very difficult subjects: suicide, accidental death, hard-core drug use, and depression. If these topics are triggers for you, you may want to pass.

This is the story of Nova. She’s a mess, still grieving after losing her boyfriend and best friend. And there’s Quinton, dealing with same emotions under slightly different circumstances. There’s a lot of pain here. When they meet, neither one knows that they are fighting frighteningly similar demons. I couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen when so much pain came together. How could these two damaged souls be good for each other?

But they are drawn to each other, and over the summer, their shared experiences may change the course of their lives. Yes, I’m being deliberately vague because this book is a journey and I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you.

There is a lot of drug use in this, but in my opinion it wasn’t glorified.I loved the gritty real feel of this book. It was a realistic depiction of how kids get involved with drugs, and what it takes to get away. I thought this aspect of the book was very well done without preaching about it.

The emotional content in this book is huge. If you like a story that takes you deep into the heart and mind of the characters and like a darker story, this may be for you. The emotions dripped from the pages, but yet I did not find this maudlin. I think that’s pretty darn good writing, because there is so much sad in this.

So for me, this book had a lot of what I look for in a read. It was fast paced, had some interesting multi-dimensional characters, had supporting characters that weren’t just placeholders, and it left me wanting more when I got to the end. I liked the dark realism of this read. Jessica Sorensen isn’t afraid to give the reader a heaping dose of it in this.

I also loved how Nova moves forward as the book comes to a close. It was a very hopeful ending.

I can’t wait to find out what happens to Quinton. Will he pull himself out abyss or will he fall? What will happen to Nova when she tries to help him? I will definitely be making a note of the release date for the next book in this series.

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

AMAZON         |      B&N

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout Cover Reveal

 

Don’t Look Back release date: 04/15/2014 

Don’t Look Back synopsis

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it’s one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took “mean girl” to a whole new level, and it’s clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She’s getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she’s falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn’t just buried deep inside of Sam’s memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

AMAZON                        BARNES&NOBLE

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture.
She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

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Lisa Desrochers: A LITTLE TOO MUCH Cover Reveal

Check out this cover!  I I've got to say that I love cover art and I really love the design of this one, enough to make me want to read this book.  So check it out!  What do you think?

In the follow-up to Lisa Desrochers’ explosive New Adult novel A Little too Far, Alessandro Moretti must face the life he escaped and the girl he loved and left behind.

Twenty-two year old Hilary McIntyre would like nothing more than to forget her past. As a teenager abandoned to the system, she faced some pretty dark times. But now that’s all behind her. Hilary has her life on track, and there’s no way she’ll head back down that road again.

Until Alessandro Moretti—the one person who can make her remember—shows up on her doorstep. He’s even more devastatingly gorgeous than before, and he’s much too close for comfort. Worse, he sees right through the walls she’s built over these last eight years, right into her heart and the secrets she’s guarding.

As Hilary finds herself falling back into love with the man who, as a boy both saved and destroyed her, she must decide. Past or future? Truth or lies?