4 flames for A Christmas to Remember Anthology

Curl up with this heartwarming Christmas collection!

Jill Shalvis, Dream a Little Dream: Melissa has kept every man at a safe distance-especially firefighter Ian, a sexy friend with sexy benefits. But Ian secretly longs for more. Luckily, 'tis the season for giving love a chance . . .

Kristen Ashley, Every Year: Holidays don't come easy for Shy and his brother, Landon. But with the magic of Christmas, along with a little help from Tabby and her family, the Cage brothers are about to get the gift of a lifetime . . .

Hope Ramsay, Silent Night: Down on her luck and evicted from her apartment, single mother Maryanne hopes to start over in Last Chance. When the snow begins to fall, it looks like her baby might literally spend Christmas Eve in a manger. And Maryanne might celebrate the holiday with a handsome stranger.

Molly Cannon, Have Yourself a Messy Little Christmas: Lincoln is a bachelor who's set in his ways-until a professional organizer dressed up as Mrs. Claus changes his life, one tip at a time. . .

Marilyn Pappano, A Family for Christmas: War widow Ilena doesn't mind spending Christmas alone. But when a new doctor blows into town with the winter wind, will she get her secret Christmas wish?

Here’s what I thought...

 Jill Shalvis, Dream a Little Dream

Oh, this was so sweet! How can you resist the firefighter saving the girl he dreams of while she’s doing the same for him? And Melissa knows she has to fix it, and she works hard to do just that. My first story from this author, and now I see why my friends like this author. Very nice second-chance romance!.

Kristen Ashley, Every Year

This was the story that attracted me to this anthology. Own the Wind was one of my favorite reads this year, and this is the perfect novella to go along with it. Shy and Landon aren’t quite sure how to process all their feelings over what they had and what they lost, but Tabby and Tyra and the entire Allen clan show them what family is all about. Even though her part was small in this story, Tyra still stands out as the perfect matriarch of the family, having just the right words to put everything in perspective in her loving way. I hope there will be more stories coming about the Chaos MC, and Tack and Tyra and the boys. Can we get something hot and sweet from Rush? Loved this story.

Hope Ramsay, Silent Night:

Genuinely sweet story of a woman down on her luck. Maryanne is looking for a fresh start and takes a huge chance on a relative she hasn’t seen in twenty years. She’s got a baby, no money, and no gas in her car, so she ends up walking the last few miles to her destination, only things look different in the dark and she miscalculates and ends up in a neighbors barn. After a huge, but slightly improbable sacrifice, she ends up with the help she needs to start over again. Not your typical fall-in-love story, and I think that was what I really liked about this story. Very nice interpretation of the joys of the holiday.

Molly Cannon, Have Yourself a Messy Little Christmas:

Very cute story of two people meeting up because of a job. Linc and Dinah get off to a rough start, mostly because Linc is reluctant to admit and accept he needs help. But over the course of the job, they develop an attraction to each other that can’t be denied. Very sweet ending to this story, as Linc demonstrates that he really does have a tremendously sweet and unselfish view of the holiday.

Marilyn Pappano, A Family for Christmas:

And this was the story that was so sweet and wonderful it made me cry. I absolutely loved Ilena’s outlook on life in this story. She’s just what Jared needed to help him find what he’s looking for in his life. Really enjoyed this one.

Overall, a really lovely holiday anthology. The stories are on the shorter side so they are perfect for when you want a quick read.

Bitter Sweet Love Release Day

Jennifer L. Armentrout's amazing novella in her new The Dark Elements Series, BITTER SWEET LOVE, is out and we are excited to join in the release day launch for it. BITTER SWEET LOVE is the Prequel Novella for The Dark Elements Series and is full of Wardens, fantasy, and romance. The first novel in the series, WHITE HOT KISS, will be released February 25, 2014. Check out what we have for you today! There's also a fantastic excerpt for you to check out below!

EXCERPT:

Moving lightning fast, Dez shifted and I was suddenly underneath him. His arms were on either side of my head, caging me in. Our bodies didn’t touch, but I felt him to the tips of my toes anyway.

                The teasing grin disappeared when I dragged in a deep breath and my chest brushed his. Everything changed in an instant. The playful mood faded, replaced by primal heaviness. Our gazes collided and locked. Neither of us moved. His closeness sent a series of shivers skittering across my skin and made it hard to take slow, even breaths. My body tensed when his gaze dropped to my mouth.

                He tilted his head to the side. “I… I honestly have no idea what we were talking about.”

                “Good. Neither do I.”

                He shifted his weight onto one arm, bring him closer. “Have you enjoyed your trip so far?”

                “Yes.” I felt as if I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs.

                “Good.” He lowered his head. His breath was minty as it moved across my cheek and then my lips. “I’m glad.”

                I wasn’t really following the conversation and I wasn’t sure that he was fully aware of what was coming out of his mouth. I searched my hazy brain for something to say and wet my lips. I-

                The sound that came out of Dez’s chest rumbled through me. A stuttered heartbeat passed and then his lips were on mine. There was nothing slow about this kiss. It scorched my skin and caused my body to stretch tight like a bowstring. The kiss deepened, spinning my senses. I shuddered when his hand curved over my shoulder and drifted down to my waist, his long fingers spreading out under the hem of my shirt, grazing the bare skin of my stomach.

                I gasped, floored by the raw sensations pounding through my blood. My skin felt as if I was about to phase. Maybe I was.

                “Jasmine,” he whispered, the word falling against my lips, and then his body was pressing mine into the mattress, heavy, sweet and hard.

*Amazon*     *Barnes and Noble*     *iTunes*

ABOUT BITTER SWEET LOVE (The Dark Elements #.5):

In a sizzling prequel novella to her new series The Dark Elements, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout draws readers into the extraordinary, irresistible world of Wardens and demons.

Dez wasn't just Jasmine's crush. A gargoyle Warden like Jas, he helped her come to terms with her destiny—fending off demons and maintaining the balance between good and evil. He was her everything…right until the moment he disappeared without a trace. It didn't help that Jas's father had just announced that she and Dez would one day be mated. Hard not to take that personally.

And now he's back, three years older, ten times hotter, ready to pick up exactly where they left off. But Jas isn't taking that risk again. Dez has seven days to meet all her conditions and earn back her trust. Seven days filled with terrifying danger and sweet temptation. Seven days to win her heart—or shatter it all over again…

Don't miss White Hot Kiss, book one in Jennifer L. Armentrout's The Dark Elements series from Harlequin TEEN!

About Jennifer L. Armentrout:

# 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 and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Links:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

BITTER SWEET LOVE Goodreads

WHITE HOT KISS Goodreads

Jennifer L. Armentrout Goodreads

Jennifer L. Armentrout Amazon

WHITE HOT KISS Buy Links:

AMAZON

BARNES AND NOBLE

iTUNES

4.5 Flames for Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a good girl with a reckless streak, a street-smart guy with nothing to lose, and a romance forged in the fast lane

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

 4.5 Flames

I know. Everyone has been waiting for this book with Isaiah’s story, me included. There was a lot of hype around this book from the bloggers, flinging out 5’s like candy. Of course this just made me want to be even more critical. This has been a challenging review to write. I had to re-read before I could even begin to put my thoughts together.

This series has always been about family to me, with Katie McGarry pairing the family of foster kids with the seemingly have-it-all ‘normal’ families that underneath are incredibly dysfunctional in some very serious ways. It’s always been somehow easy and natural for these young adults to pair up, in spite of their socio-economic differences.

In Crash Into You, Isaiah meets Rachel, a car-loving, slightly rebellious and very naive seventeen-year old with secrets of her own. Her family is fairly messed up too, with a mother that’s still grieving for a lost child, a father who will do anything to appease the mother, and brothers that are frankly just awful to Rachel under the guise of protecting her. Oh, and she has a health problem she’s hiding from everyone, although her twin brother is catching onto her.

Rachel and Isaiah get into a bit of trouble with the local gangster, Eric, and their initial attraction turns into a real relationship as they navigate the dangerous situation they find themselves in. There were some really sweet moments between these two, including their first kiss and a scene at Lover’s Leap that epitomizes what young, first love is all about.

Much of the hype surrounding this book came from wanting to know more about Isaiah and we do get his story. Even though the scenes with his mom are emotionally charged, the brief scenes where he finally opens up to his case worker are a window into his fears, and these packed a powerful punch for me. These were the moments that I look for in this series, and I wasn’t disappointed.

I was disappointed that Isaiah’s partying seemed to have been a big fabrication, and that seemed odd since a lot was made of his smoking in previous books. It seemed a little too convenient to write away his drug use in that way. It sounds odd to say that this bothered me, but it did. Another disappointment was Rachel never taking on her brothers for what they did to her. She left them off the hook much too easy.

But in spite of these little things that itched me, this was still a good read for me, and a perfect wrap-up of the three main characters from this series.

I absolutely loved the scenes where the gang was all together, and Beth Risk remains my all time forever favorite character in this series. I loved the scenes between her and Isaiah as they resolve the tensions in their relationship. The scenes where everyone was together, even though the circumstances were less than ideal were some of the favorite parts of the book for me. I love how this ‘family’ of teenagers come together to help each other. Makes me feel hopeful for the future.

Honorable mentions go to Logan and Abby for providing great supporting characters.

Crash Into You did a nice job of telling Isaiah’s story in the same style as the previous two books in the series and with the same emotional impact. Recommended.

4 stars for With or Without Him by Barbara Elsborg

Synopsis: "The most dangerous refuge could be his lover's arms. "

Everyone has at least one deep-seated fear. For Tyler, it's being in debt. He's so desperate to get out and stay out of it, he'll do almost anything-including selling his body at Saturday night sex parties.

But he refuses to open his mind to anyone, especially the men paying to use him however they want. The only time he's truly happy is during the week at college, when he can escape into his music.

The moment Haris sees Tyler playing piano at a concert, he falls hard, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to make the guy his. Even if it means-for the first time in his life-opening his wallet as wide and desperate as his heart.

20,000 to live with a good-looking guy for four months? How can Tyler resist the chance to ditch the sex party scene for good? But neither man realizes how much they're risking. And when outside forces close in, ready to destroy them, the trickiest part about the next four months could be just surviving.

Warning: Contains a "for hire" bad boy with a filthy mouth, an awkward guy with a penchant for BDSM, a hypochondriac butler who won't shut up, a dog called Alcide, and a lot of hot and dirty M/M sex.

 There's a lot I liked about this story. I've always felt that Barbara Elsborg does a very good job with M/M relationships in her books. They feel very authentic to me, so when I saw this release,I wanted to give it a read. Very hot cover, too.

In this story, Tyler is a college student paying off his loans by selling his body to other men at Saturday night "parties" set up by a man named Prescott. Tyler doesn't really like what he's doing, but he likes the money. When Tyler encourages the new boy, Jeremy, to stay away and not live this lifestyle, he buys himself a heap of trouble from Prescott, who then retaliates with demands that mess with Tyler's college music recital and his life in general.

Haris is a wealthy man who happens to be at the recital and overhears what's going on. He's intrigued and on a hunch, he follows Tyler. Good thing he does, because Tyler is in some trouble. When Haris saves him, so begins their relationship.

Haris makes a deal with Tyler to live with him, but he also has problems of his own that impact how he reacts in his life. His secrets aren't revealed until the end of the story, so its tempting to judge him as just a rich and selfish man who only knows how to buy his way into and out of relationships.

But the reader does get some of the innermost thoughts of both men. I thought this was a great way to show how these men felt about each other, but they end up acting in a different way. I liked having that glimpse into their fears and desires and watching how each interaction brought them closer to sharing what was really in their hearts. It did take a long time for that to happen, but it seemed very believable considering what these characters have been through.Some of my favorite scenes were those that had Tyler trying to break Haris from his tight shell of control.

There's a nice little mystery plot threaded through this that I really enjoyed. I appreciated the twists and turns in the story and that there were multiple villains to choose from. Kept me guessing all the way until the end.

This is a very rich story, with many twists and turns and interesting reveals of the background of both of these men. Honestly, Tyler and Haris's backstory broke my heart and I was rooting for them to overcome their history so they could find happiness together.

I read this book in less than a day. The story held my interest in a way that I wanted to keep reading to find out what happens to Tyler and Haris. Even though a good part of the story was dark, I liked the complexity and diversity of it.

I think it's challenging to write sex scenes dealing with prostitution without sensationalizing sex-for-hire and Barbara Elsborg does a great job with this. I really liked the contrast between the prostitution sex and the love scenes between Tyler and Haris. That was very well done.

So great main characters, even though Haris was bit frustrating with his jumping to conclusions. I liked that his trying to use his money to buy everyone was a subject that was dealt with thanks to the fabulous and funny butler Wilson. I loved his contributions to the plot, his sense of humor and his common sense were a relief to the darkness of this story.

So overall, a good read for me. If you like M/M stories with realism, you might like this one.

4 stars for Holiday Games by Jaci Burton

A Holiday Novella

A Riley wedding is in the works, a Riley Christmas means a house full of family, and baby making is on Liz Riley's mind. Chasing Gavin around and meeting in dark closets can be fun, but Liz is more than a little determined. Even with family in every corner of the house, Gavin is more than ready to do whatever Liz wants—especially when sex is involved. It's a Riley family Christmas.

 First off, let me say I love the early books in this series and the entire sports-minded Riley family. I was so excited for this novella because my favorite couple of the series, Jenna and Tyler, are getting married!

But as much as some of the activity in this book centers around wedding and holiday preparations, this is really Gavin and Liz's story. Liz wants a baby in the worse way and thinks she can manage it just like she does her job. The story opens with a negative pregnancy test and an even more determined Liz.

Most of the Riley's make an appearance in this novella, but unfortunately their interactions are used mostly to present backstory for new readers to the series. I did find that left me wanting more. The football game with Cole and Mick matching up was awesome and while I missed some real dialogue between these characters, it was still nice to have them in the story.

A good bit of the story revolves around Jenna's wedding preparations, and I have to say that the girls bacholorette party was fun, with Jenna kissing bald heads and getting loaded. On the other hand, the guys bachelor party is ho-hum. I would have thought those men could have put together a much better send-off for Tyler.

But this is really Gavin and Liz’s christmas miracle. The absolute best moments of this book are between Gavin and Liz, and I gotta say, I don’t remember Gavin being quite as hot as he is in this book. The scenes between them are steamin’. But Gavin really won my heart when he called his mom to help when they needed it. It’s the little moments in this book that have the impact.

Overall, this is what I’d expect in a Christmas novella. It was great to visit with the Rileys.

Hard one to rate. There were some definitel pluses and minuses. But I wasn’t disappointed to pay for this one. So I'm rounding my 3.5 stars up to 4 on this.

4 stars for Addcted to You by Krista & Becca Ritchie

She’s addicted to sex. He’s addicted to booze…the only way out is rock bottom.

No one would suspect shy Lily Calloway’s biggest secret. While everyone is dancing at college bars, Lily stays in the bathroom. To get laid. Her compulsion leads her to one-night stands, steamy hookups and events she shamefully regrets. The only person who knows her secret happens to have one of his own.

Loren Hale’s best friend is his bottle of bourbon. Lily comes at a close second. For three years, they’ve pretended to be in a real relationship, hiding their addictions from their families. They’ve mastered the art of concealing flasks and random guys that filter in and out of their apartment.

But as they sink beneath the weight of their addictions, they cling harder to their destructive relationship and wonder if a life together, for real, is better than a lie. Strangers and family begin to infiltrate their guarded lives, and with new challenges, they realize they may not just be addicted to alcohol and sex.

Their real vice may be each other.

New Adult Romance recommended for readers 18+ for mature content

I will admit that I was a little worried about this book at the start. Two self-indulgent, co-dependent, running-from-their-problems privileged young adults. I wasn't sure if I was going to like them, but I decided to give it a go and I ended up really liking this book.

Lilly is a sex addict and Loren is an alcoholic. They live together, hiding each other addictions from their families, hiding from their problems behind their addictions. The first 2/3 of the book is their descent to rock bottom. Lucky for them, they do have a support system of friends and relatives to help them.

The last part of the book reveals some secret that I had figured out early on, but its reveal was still done very well. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger too, and I will admit to digging right into Ricochet as soon as I finished.

By the end of the book, somehow I'd become very interested in these characters, even though there are some disturbing scenes depicting both Lilly's and Lo's addictions. Their love story is what really pulled me into this book and I'm looking forward to finding out what is going to happen next.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. 

Sentinel Tour + Giveaway : Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book Summary for Apollyon

Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex.

Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.

The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.


Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself.

Buy Links:      Amazon     |   Barnes & Noble

# 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia.

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true.

Well, mostly. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don't Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen.

Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.jenniferarmentrout.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/JLArmentrout

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4476934.Jennifer_L_Armentrout

---

Spencer Hill Press is giving away a $200 gift card to Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Book Depository or any indie bookstore of the winner's choice to not only stock up on amazing books, but to perhaps buy a Nook HD or Kindle Fire. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'm in the midst of re-reading Apollyon in anticipation of the release of Sentinel.  So many good lines!  but my favorite so far is this one:

 "Well it's good to see the Scooby gang all in one piece. Warms my heart and all that jazz, but let's get to the point."

Do you remember who said that? 

This book was chock full of action!  I gave it 4 stars!   Here's my review: 

Wow! Another emotionally charged and action-packed installment in this series. Apollyon picks right up where Elixir ends and we learn many new details regarding the two Apollyons, Lucian's plot, the gods involvement, and lots of feels from the "gang of nine" While Apollyon doesn't have quite the intensity of Deity, it is a great setup for Sentinel, the final book in the series.

And although Aiden is incredibly swoon-worthy, I've got to say that Alex is the star for me in this series. She deals with a whole world of crapola in Apollyon and does it well. Even though her feistiness takes a few hits, her core values remain intact. I'm really hoping that Alex and Aiden get the happily ever after they have both been dreaming of, but it's still a long and dangerous road to get there. *sigh*
Here's a mini interview with the author and characters of  Apollyon:

For JLA – So much of your personality comes out in the snark in your books and Apollyon is no exception.  Which character has the most of you in them?  Probably Alex. 

For Alex – As far as I can tell, Aiden is just about perfect.  What are your thoughts on the matter?  I don’t think anyone could be more perfect than Aiden. 

For Aiden – This journey has been full of so many close calls.  When were you most concerned that you would lose Alex?  I can’t even answer that question because Alex is always scaring me.  It seems like I’m never there to protect her or I’m locked on the other side of the door. 

For Caleb – What was it like for you, seeing Alex again?  I wanted to see Alex, she’s my best friend, just not where we were reuniting.