Review:The Navy Seal's Accidental Wife (Ballybeg Bad Boys, #5) by Zara Keane

After months on an undercover operation that went explosively wrong, former Navy SEAL JD Teller has one week to win back his estranged wife before the birth of their baby. Can he convince Naomi that she’s the love of his life? Or will their happiness be torn asunder by a ruthless diamond smuggler with a particular hatred for JD?

What I thought about The Navy Seal's Accidental Wife

This 30,000-word action-adventure romance novella is part of the ROMANCING THE ALPHA 2 multiauthor action-adventure romance boxed set. I'm a big fan of Zara Keane's Ballybeg characters and this spinoff series Ballybeg Bad Boys is full of sexy alphas and their women that don't take crap from anyone.

In The Navy Seal's Accidental Wife, JD Teller is returning to a wife that he married and then left for an assignment.  She's been left alone to deal with being pregnant and unsure about her future. Both of them aren't sure what's going to happen next, except for the fact that Naomi is now nine months pregnant and a baby will be part of their lives any moment.

JD's assignment didn't go well, and the criminal he's trying to apprehend is still at large. When he happens to run into the diamond smuggler at Naomi's place of work, it sets off all sorts of red flags for JD and his attempts to work out things with Naomi are distracted by the criminals he's trying to capture.

I really loved JD in this novella.  He's got a good heart and his interactions with Naomi and both sensitive and loving.  I've got to give Zara some kudos for giving the reader some very hot loving between JD and 9-month-preggers Naomi. There was definite heat between JD and Naomi.


Things get complicated once JD is called upon to continue his assignment and Naomi inadvertently gets involved in the chase.  There are some tense moments here for the couple and that made the end of this novella just fly by in a very good way. 

I really liked this story. It's perfectly sized for an afternoon, the pace is very good and will keep you engaged to the end, and it's easy to root for these characters to make a go of it.  

 
This title appears in the Romancing the Alpha 2 anthology, released on July 12.  The price is a very low 99 cents for release week, so grab yourself a copy! 

Synopsis

HOT NEW adventure romance super bundle. Spice up your summer with 9 never-before-published action-adventure romance stories by USA Today and NYT bestselling authors. Fall in love with your next book boyfriend! Sexy Navy SEALs, treasure hunters, mercenaries, and more. 

Buy The Book

Amazon US    Amazon  UK   Amazon CA    

Nook  Kobo

Zoe York — FALL QUIET

A chance meeting on a Caribbean island gives Navy SEAL Quinn Parry another opportunity to impress the sexiest Army sergeant he's ever laid eyes on.   

Anne Marsh — XANDER

Desperate to find protection for her family, Lily turns to the only man in Miami who can help her: Xander Volkov. She hasn’t seen the billionaire Russian since their unfortunate shotgun marriage six years ago but he now runs one of the most powerful Mafia families in town. Lily hates everything about the Russian mob, but hating Xander gets harder each day… and when they bet the future of their marriage on the outcome of an adventure yacht race, Xander is determined to win once and for all.

Zara Keane — THE NAVY SEAL'S ACCIDENTAL WIFE

After months on an undercover operation that went explosively wrong, former Navy SEAL JD Teller has one week to win back his estranged wife before the birth of their baby. Can he convince Naomi that she’s the love of his life? Or will their happiness be torn asunder by a ruthless diamond smuggler with a particular hatred for JD?

Leigh James — ESCORTING THE ASSASSIN

Sean Kingston only knows one thing: the hard life of a hired assassin. On probation for an assignment gone wrong, the last thing he wants is to babysit an escort on his next mission. But whether he likes it or not, beautiful Kylie's been hired as his pretend girlfriend for a dangerous undercover assignment. Now he has to keep her alive, and try to stop himself from falling in love... which might prove to be his toughest job yet.

Kat Cantrell — RESCUING HER SEAL

“There was not one single thing about him that said bring me home to meet your mother.”

A scavenger hunt around the Caribbean partners Navy SEAL Theodore Fitzhugh with a shy photographer seeking an adventure… except a gut feeling tells him she needs an experience of a more passionate nature—and Fitz is definitely the operator for that mission.

Anna Hackett — UNEXPLORED

Former Navy SEAL Logan O’Connor is big, rough…and haunted by a past betrayal. Now he works for Treasure Hunter Security. Dangerous archeological digs – easy. Daring expeditions – no problem. But on a mission to the Peruvian Andes, he collides with cool, classy CEO, Sydney Granger, and they are swept into a deadly hunt for her kidnapped brother and an ancient lost city.

Lyn Brittan — THE PROTECTOR OF AMBRA

When feisty chocolatier Melody Thompson files down to Mexico to corner her thieving business partner, she finds unexpected help from a hunky doctor with some secrets of his own.

Sadie Haller — HER WILD DOM

Sean Murphy has one goal after he rescues a beautiful composer from the ocean: get her headed on her way. But Julia Scott fits into his reclusive life in a way he never expected. She can't stay, of course. But he can't bring himself to make her go, either...

Lydia Rowan — ULTIMATE ENGAGEMENT

Adam Reins needs a woman—fast. A couples’ retreat is the only way he can get the information he needs to bring down a dangerous criminal. But pretending to be engaged to the sweet and sexy Sloan Wakefield might be too much for him to handle—or for either of them to survive.

Romancing the Alpha is available on all major ebook stores with a special introductory price of just $0.99!

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/romalpha_2

Nook: http://smarturl.it/bromalpha2

iBooks: http://smarturl.it/aromalpha2

Kobo: http://smarturl.it/kromalpha2

Google Play: http://smarturl.it/gromalpha2

All Romance Ebooks: http://smarturl.it/allromalpha2

About the Authors

Lyn Brittan

Zoe York

Zara Keane

Sadie Haller

Anna Hackett

Kat Cantrell

Anne Marsh

Lydia Rowan

Leigh James

Cover Reveal:Bound to Submit by Laura Kaye

Decadent… Sensual… Forbidden…

12 Masters. 12 Desires.
12 Fantasies Come to Life. 

Meet the Masters of Blasphemy…

 Releasing September 13, 2016,
 

BOUND TO SUBMIT
is the first full-length novel in Laura Kaye's Blasphemy Series.

A Note from Laura Kaye:

Dear Readers,
I’m so excited to share my new cover art for Bound to Submit with you today! From the moment I met Detective Kyler Vance in the Hard Ink series, I was intrigued. And from the second I knew Kyler was a Dom in an exclusive club named Blasphemy, I knew I had to learn more. That was the moment the Blasphemy series was born, and now I’m just thrilled at how the whole thing is taking shape – beginning with Bound to Submit, which promises to be scorchingly hot and achingly emotional. I hope you’ll grab your copy. In the meantime, enjoy this amazing cover! And if you haven’t already, get caught up with Hard to Serve, the book that introduces it all!

Sincerely,
Laura Kaye

From the ruins of an abandoned church comes Baltimore’s hottest and most exclusive BDSM club.

Twelve Masters. Infinite fantasies. Welcome to Blasphemy…

He thinks he caused her pain, but she knows he’s the only one who can heal her…

Kenna Sloane lost her career and her arm in the Marines, and now she feels like she’s losing herself. Submission is the only thing that ever freed her from pain and made her feel secure, and Kenna needs to serve again. Bad. The only problem is the Dom she wants once refused her submission and broke her heart, but, scarred on the inside and out, she’s not looking for love this time. She’s not even sure she’s capable.

Griffin Hudson is haunted by the mistakes that cost him the only woman he ever loved. Now she’s back at his BDSM club, Blasphemy, and more beautiful than ever, and she’s asking for his help with the pain he knows he caused. Even though he’s scared to hurt her again, he can’t refuse her, because he’d give anything to earn a second chance. And this time, he’ll hold on forever.

"A searingly sexy story with some of the hottest scenes I've read in a long, long time. Laura Kaye shows her mastery of the BDSM world. I'm eagerly anticipating more in this bold new series!"

~ Cherise Sinclair, NYT Bestselling Author of the Masters of the Shadowlands Series~

Pre-Order Bound to Submit, releasing 9/13/16

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo

B&N and paperback links to come

Add to your Goodreads

   

Meet the Masters of Blasphemy in Hard to Serve,
now available

Amazon exclusive until September 2016
in paperback and ebook

About Laura Kaye:

  Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty-five books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense, including the Hard Ink and Raven Riders series. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.    

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp| HARD TO SERVE on Goodreads |BOUND TO SUBMIT on Goodreads

 

Release Day Review: 5 ★'s for Steadfast (True North #2) by Sarina Bowen

She’s the only one who ever loved him—and the only one he can never have.

Jude lost everything one spring day when he crashed his car into an apple tree on the side of the road. A man is dead, and there's no way he can ever right that wrong. He’d steer clear of Colebury, Vermont forever if he could. But an ex-con in recovery for his drug addiction can’t find a job just anywhere.

For Sophie Haines, coming face to face with the man who broke her heart is gut-wrenching. Suddenly, he’s everywhere she turns. It’s hard not to stare at how much he’s changed. The bad boy who used to love her didn’t have big biceps and sun-kissed hair. And he’d never turn up volunteer in the church kitchen.

She knows it’s foolish to yearn for the man who returned all the heartsick letters she wrote him in prison. But the looks he sends her now speak volumes.

No one wants to see Sophie and Jude back together, least of all Sophie's police chief father. But it's a small town. And forbidden love is a law unto itself.

Buy Links
Amazon | iBooks

What I thought about Steadfast

After Bittersweet, the first book in the True North series, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Jude’s story.

In Steadfast, Sarina Bowen has crafted a beautiful second chance love story against the backdrop of opiate addiction and recovery, a very timely problem that touches so many lives and often doesn’t end well. Jude and Sophie have a difficult path ahead of them, and Steadfast is at times gut-wrenching and had me grabbing at every moment of hope in their journey.  I couldn’t put this book down.

Jude has returned home after leaving the Shipley farm and finds himself in a bit of trouble. There’s temptation all around him while he deals with his drug cravings and his feelings for his  ex-girlfriend, Sophie. Their history is a difficult one and Jude knows they shouldn’t be together, but Sophie and Jude are like moth to flame. I loved these two, especially the determination that runs so deep in both of them. Even so, I wondered for a good part of this book how they were going to be able to make it.

There’s a great cast of secondary characters, including the Shipley family (I’d like to adopt Ruth Shipley as my mom -- can I do that?)  and some darker local characters too. Steadfast is not a fluffy sort of romance, but it’s well worth the ride, especially if you like writing that will make you feel things.

From the very first pages of Sarina Bowen’s introduction, I knew this was going to be a special book. Addiction and recovery is not an easy topic, and Sarina does a perfect job of making you feel just how hard recovery is.  That’s not to say it’s a downer either but it does depict some of the harder moments in life, which only make the good ones all the more beautiful.

I adored Steadfast.  It’s definitely a contender for my best read of 2016. Overall, this is a  well-written series with good writing, finely developed characters, great emotional content and romance that runs the full gamut of emotions. Oh, and did I mention steamy?  Yes, this series has it all. Definitely recommended.

ARC provided for review.

 

About the Author

Sarina Bowen is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. She lives in Vermont's Green Mountains with her family, six chickens and too much ski gear and hockey equipment.

 

WWW | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest |  Instagram | Tumblr

Hot New Adventure Romance Super Bundle:Romancing the Alpha 2

Synopsis

HOT NEW adventure romance super bundle. Spice up your summer with 9 never-before-published action-adventure romance stories by USA Today and NYT bestselling authors. Fall in love with your next book boyfriend! Sexy Navy SEALs, treasure hunters, mercenaries, and more. 

Buy The Book

Amazon US    Amazon  UK   Amazon CA    

Nook  Kobo

Zoe York — FALL QUIET

A chance meeting on a Caribbean island gives Navy SEAL Quinn Parry another opportunity to impress the sexiest Army sergeant he's ever laid eyes on.   

Anne Marsh — XANDER

Desperate to find protection for her family, Lily turns to the only man in Miami who can help her: Xander Volkov. She hasn’t seen the billionaire Russian since their unfortunate shotgun marriage six years ago but he now runs one of the most powerful Mafia families in town. Lily hates everything about the Russian mob, but hating Xander gets harder each day… and when they bet the future of their marriage on the outcome of an adventure yacht race, Xander is determined to win once and for all.

Zara Keane — THE NAVY SEAL'S ACCIDENTAL WIFE

After months on an undercover operation that went explosively wrong, former Navy SEAL JD Teller has one week to win back his estranged wife before the birth of their baby. Can he convince Naomi that she’s the love of his life? Or will their happiness be torn asunder by a ruthless diamond smuggler with a particular hatred for JD?

Leigh James — ESCORTING THE ASSASSIN

Sean Kingston only knows one thing: the hard life of a hired assassin. On probation for an assignment gone wrong, the last thing he wants is to babysit an escort on his next mission. But whether he likes it or not, beautiful Kylie's been hired as his pretend girlfriend for a dangerous undercover assignment. Now he has to keep her alive, and try to stop himself from falling in love... which might prove to be his toughest job yet.

Kat Cantrell — RESCUING HER SEAL

“There was not one single thing about him that said bring me home to meet your mother.”

A scavenger hunt around the Caribbean partners Navy SEAL Theodore Fitzhugh with a shy photographer seeking an adventure… except a gut feeling tells him she needs an experience of a more passionate nature—and Fitz is definitely the operator for that mission.

Anna Hackett — UNEXPLORED

Former Navy SEAL Logan O’Connor is big, rough…and haunted by a past betrayal. Now he works for Treasure Hunter Security. Dangerous archeological digs – easy. Daring expeditions – no problem. But on a mission to the Peruvian Andes, he collides with cool, classy CEO, Sydney Granger, and they are swept into a deadly hunt for her kidnapped brother and an ancient lost city.

Lyn Brittan — THE PROTECTOR OF AMBRA

When feisty chocolatier Melody Thompson files down to Mexico to corner her thieving business partner, she finds unexpected help from a hunky doctor with some secrets of his own.

Sadie Haller — HER WILD DOM

Sean Murphy has one goal after he rescues a beautiful composer from the ocean: get her headed on her way. But Julia Scott fits into his reclusive life in a way he never expected. She can't stay, of course. But he can't bring himself to make her go, either...

Lydia Rowan — ULTIMATE ENGAGEMENT

Adam Reins needs a woman—fast. A couples’ retreat is the only way he can get the information he needs to bring down a dangerous criminal. But pretending to be engaged to the sweet and sexy Sloan Wakefield might be too much for him to handle—or for either of them to survive.

Romancing the Alpha is available on all major ebook stores with a special introductory price of just $0.99!

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/romalpha_2

Nook: http://smarturl.it/bromalpha2

iBooks: http://smarturl.it/aromalpha2

Kobo: http://smarturl.it/kromalpha2

Google Play: http://smarturl.it/gromalpha2

All Romance Ebooks: http://smarturl.it/allromalpha2

About the Authors

Lyn Brittan

Zoe York

Zara Keane

Sadie Haller

Anna Hackett

Kat Cantrell

Anne Marsh

Lydia Rowan

Leigh James

ARC Review & Author Interview: Cream of the Crop (The Hudson Valley Series Book 2) by Alice Clayton

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Alice Clayton brings her trademark blend of funny and sexy to this second contemporary romance in the brand-new Hudson Valley series!

Manhattan’s It Girl, Natalie Grayson, has it all: she’s a hot exec at a leading advertising firm, known industry-wide for her challenging and edgy campaigns. She’s got a large circle of friends, a family that loves her dearly, and her dance card is always full with handsome eligible bachelors. What else could a modern gal-about-town wish for? The answer, of course, is...cheese.

Natalie’s favorite part of each week is spending Saturday morning at the Union Square Farmer’s Market, where she indulges her love of all things triple cream. Her favorite booth also indulges her love of all things handsome. Oscar Mendoza, owner of the Bailey Falls Creamery and purveyor of the finest artisanal cheeses the Hudson Valley has to offer, is tall, dark, mysterious, and a bit oblivious. Or so she thinks. But that doesn’t stop Natalie from fantasizing about the size of his, ahem, milk can.

Romance is churning, passion is burning, and something incredible is rising to the top. Could it be...love?

  

Cream of the Crop releases July 12, 2016

I had the opportunity to ask Alice Clayton a few questions regarding the Hudson Valley series! Here's what she had to say:

Interview with Alice Clayton

1. I adored Nuts, the first book in the Hudson Valley series and thought it was a wonderful ode to small town life. You write about it as if you’ve been there. Can you tell us a little about your inspiration for this series?  

Sure! The entire series came from an afternoon at our local farmers market and then it was off and running. I love farmers, especially good looking ones, and I'm so in love with the idea of people knowing who is actually producing their food that I wanted to try and take something like the farm to table movement and inject a little hot and heavy into it.

2.  How many books will there be in the Hudson Valley series?  I’m not sure I want this to end!

Right now the plan is to have 3 all together, but who knows what I might get up to in the future;)

3.  In Cream of the Crop, Natalie is an advertising exec attracted to cheese maker Oscar. What makes them good together from your perspective?  

They're the definition of opposites attract. And I feel like Oscar is the only man to be able to really see Natalie for who she is.

4.  If you had to pick one for the long term, are you small town or big city? 

Can I be both?

5.  I’m a big fan of collaborative writing and I’m looking forward to Roman Crazy.  Can you tell us a little about your writing experience with your co-author Nina Bocci?

We're so excited for everyone to get a peek at this book! We had the best time, we've been thinking about writing together for years and it just finally worked with our schedules to do it, and it was a blast

Roman Crazy by Alice Clayton & Nina Bocci releases on September 13, 2016
 

What I thought about Cream of the Crop

I always love a romance that makes me feel like I'm falling in love right along with the characters, and Cream of the Crop did a good job of leaving me with a happy heart and enjoyable reading experience.

Natalie Grayson has a successful career in NYC, her choice of men if she's interested, and yet she finds herself with a lustful crush on a cheese farmer from Bailey Falls.  It's a good thing her best friend Roxie lives there!  When the little community contracts with Natalie's advertising firm and she gets the contract, she finds herself up close and personal with the gorgeous cheese farmer.

Oscar Mendoza is living a simple life taking care of his cows and making cheese. He doesn't have a lot to say and when he does, he can a bit short. When he finally meets Natalie, oh do the sparks fly!  I loved these two together. There was great chemistry between them -- his quiet reserve complements her sassy, sometimes brash demeanor quite nicely.  This is definitely an opposites attract sort of romance, and it's very well done.  I ended up loving them both.  

There's a real theme of reconciliation in Cream of the Crop, with Natalie and Oscar having to reconcile two very different life styles.  He wants the small town life, and Natalie wants it all.  There's also some past history that might not be quite so "past" for both of them.   

Roxie, Leo and Polly from the previous book in the series also make quite a few appearances and the town of Bailey Falls is just a lovely secondary character to the story.

For me, the best part of Cream of the Crop was Natalie and Oscar together. I loved the way they interacted and I felt the heat between them.  I did feel that their issues were resolved too quickly and I was left with wanting something more there. The book long build-up to them facing their city/country dilemma needed to be balanced with a few more actual scenes rather than just having Natalie and Oscar tell the reader how it was resolved.

Overall, I really like this series and I'm looking forward to what and who comes next! 

ARC provided for review.

About the Author 

ALICE CLAYTON worked in the cosmetics industry for over a decade before picking up a pen (read laptop).

She enjoys gardening but not weeding, baking but not cleaning up, and finally convinced her long-time boyfriend to marry her.

Now, about that Bernese Mountain dog

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Cover Reveal: Long Way Home by Katie McGarry

Being released on January 31^st, 2017, the highly anticipated third book in Katie McGarry's Thunder Road Series has a cover that we can't wait to share with you! 

LONG WAY HOME is a Young Adult Contemporary Romance being published by Harlequin Teen! 

Pre-order your copy of the next book in this emotionally charged series, and don't miss Violet and Chevy's story!

Seventeen-year-old Violet has always been expected to sit back and let the boys do all the saving.

It’s the code her father, a member of the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, raised her to live by. Yet when her dad is killed carrying out Terror business, Violet knows it’s up to her to do the saving. To protect herself, and her vulnerable younger brother, she needs to cut all ties with the club—including Chevy, the boy she’s known and loved her whole life.

But when a rival club comes after Violet, exposing old secrets and making new threats, she’s forced to question what she thought she knew about her father, the Reign of Terror, and what she thinks she wants. Which means re-evaluating everything: love, family, friends . . . and forgiveness.

Caught in the crosshairs between loyalty and freedom, Violet must decide whether old friends can be trusted—and if she’s strong enough to be the one person to save them all.

"An intoxicating and unforgettable story that kept me glued to the page."

—Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on Walk the Edge

 

Add it to your Goodreads Now!

 

LONG WAY HOME Pre-Order Links:

Amazon | Kobo | BAM | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | IndieBound

 

And Don’t Miss the First Two Titles in the Thunder Road Series!

NOWHERE BUT HERE

WALK THE EDGE

   

 

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. 

Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. 

Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.

     

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Pinterest | Goodreads

 

Review:The Boss Vol. 6: a Hot Billionaire Romance by Cari Quinn and Taryn Elliott

This is the FINAL book in the six part serial. This book is from BOTH Grace and Blake's points-of-view and will be more than twice the size of the other serial installments.
She doesn’t know how bad I’m willing to be…
For years, Grace Copeland was the one woman I couldn’t have. Now she’s mine.
Mine to possess. Mine to protect.
Mine to kill for.
He doesn’t realize how far from good I’ve come…
Blake Carson was first my nemesis, then my boss, and now my lover. He’s determined to shield me from the threat that surrounds us, closer than we could ever guess.
But I’m no one’s damsel, and I might be going down…but I won’t go down alone.
This time, when we fight, we’ll fight back to back—or not at all. No matter the consequences.
Win, lose, love, death. Whatever it takes.

Amazon

What I thought about The Boss

So this is the final installment of this serial and as expected, there were a few twists and some really serious stuff happening between Grace and Blake.

It's time for Blake to open up and let Grace know what he's been hiding all along. It was fairly clear that he had been holding something back, and there were some nice surprises here. Nice because I wasn't really expecting what was revealed. I love being surprised like that.

As for Grace, she stumbles across some information about Blake too.  The scenes between Grace and Blake as they square off over the lies and ommissions are some of the best in this installment, perhaps the entire series.  I really liked how the tension built with each book in the serial, along with the mystery involving Grace's grandmother.

I've had this series on my TBR for some time and when the last book came out, I devoured the entire series in about a day. The action moves along quickly and these books are packed with some real heat along with a little mystery that brings some nice suspense.  It was more than the typical billionairre romance for me and I really liked that about this series.

I really love how Cari Quinn and Taryn Elliott know exactly how to balance the drama and the smoking hot lovin to craft stories that are just fun to read and don't take themselves too seriously.  Their stories always leave me with a smile, and I appreciate that as a reader very much.

So, I definitely loved the conclusion to the series, and recommend that you grab this series up for yourself, especially if you are in the mood for some hot boss action. 

All Six Volumes of The Boss!