Thursday, November 7, 2019

Blog Tour Review: Twist of Fate (Heartbreaker Bay #8.5) by Jill Shalvis

We are beyond excited to be celebrating this release from Jill Shalvis with you today by participating in the blog tour!

TWIST OF FATE is part of her 
Heartbreaker Bay series and
it is releasing as part of 1001 Dark Nights. 

Check out the book trailer from the title below.
Click here to grab your copy now.
  

Purchase your copy of TWIST OF FATE today!


About TWIST OF FATE:

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes a new story in her Heartbreaker Bay series…
 


When the one you want…

Daisy doesn’t believe love is ever-lasting, so it’s ironic as hell that she parlayed a business degree into a wedding planning business. More ironic still is her latest job bringing her back into contact with the man who’d taught her that love can’t last.

Is the one you can’t have…

To say Diego has been taught the hard way to bury emotions is an understatement. But when he’s called home to help the brother he hasn’t seen or spoken to in years, that’s one thing. It’s another entirely to also come face to face with the first woman he ever loved. First and only…

Can love conquer all?

Daisy’s learned to depend only on herself, and Diego is and always has been an island of one. And yet when they’re together, even when they’re bickering, still wary and haunted by memories of what was … it’s magic. The question is, how to find their way back to each other…?


 **Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**   

Purchase your copy of TWIST OF FATE today!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

BOOK TRAILER

Excerpt


Daisy smiled at Tyler and then turned back to Diego. “It’s nice to see you.”
What the hell? He’d fallen asleep on the boat and was dreaming this, right? Nice to see him? Was she kidding? He’d told her that he loved her, and then she’d left. Moved to New York for college without looking back. He opened his mouth to remind her of that fact, but Rocco stood up and tugged on his arm.
“I think we should talk outside.”
Diego wrenched free without looking at him and turned to Daisy. “I need to talk to you.” He had no idea what game she was playing, but he intended to find out.
Daisy opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Rocco once again put a hand on him.
Diego looked down at his arm. Rocco was older by two years, but at six foot four, Diego had four inches on his brother—most of them harder and leaner. Rocco with his bulkier mass outweighed Diego and was more badass when it came right down to it, but Diego was working on a lot of resentment and anger, so it’d be a solid match.
And a fight long overdue.
Rocco dropped his hand from Diego and shoved his fingers through his shaggy, black hair that was the same as Diego’s. Apparently, Rocco had learned some restraint over the years, but not too much as he jerked his head to the door and lumbered out.
Diego followed without looking back.
Which wasn’t easy because Daisy had looked…different. Among other things. She’d always been girl-next-door pretty. And part of what Diego had loved about her was that they’d had a lot in common. Both had grown up on the wrong side of the tracks, the poor kids who didn’t have a penny to their name.
She was still girl-next-door pretty, but there was a whole new air about her now, as well. She was dressed in a blue suit dress and matching heels, looking professional, smart, and incredibly sure of herself—which he had to admit, was attractive as hell.
But she also looked like someone he didn’t know. Certainly not the type of woman who’d mesh with a guy who lived on a boat.
“Well,” he heard her say to Tyler as he walked away. “That went about as well as expected.”
In response, Tyler laughed softly, apparently unconcerned that his fiancĂ© was about to get the pretty punched off his face.  

REVIEW QUOTES FOR JILL'S NOVELS:

“Readers will enjoy this return to the small-town-in-the-big-city atmosphere that Shalvis has honed to perfection.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review
 “Red-hot passion that promises to last longer than the holidays. Bringing readers a tough outsider heroine and a hero whose wounds run deep, Shalvis (Playing for Keeps) knows how to write characters readers adore and keep them coming back for more.” – Library Journal starred review
“Shalvis serves up another rewarding addition to her Heartbreaker Bay series with a contemporary romance that deftly pivots between snarky humor and sexy romance without missing a beat, while also celebrating the power of forgiveness, family, and friendship.” – Booklist

“Another amazing installment in an already fabulous series by Jill Shalvis. Great read at any time in the series. Each story reintroduces some fan-favorite characters but absolutely stands on its own merit. Never too late to join the band wagon of Jill Shalvis fans and Wrapped Up In You guarantees membership.” – Fresh Fiction

“An uplifting tale of two emotionally wounded and like-minded souls helping each other heal.” – Romance Junkies


 
 What I thought about Twist of Fate

Diego returns to San Francisco for his brother's wedding and finds out his ex-love is the wedding planner. It's a bit tense until their first kiss, and then Diego and Daisy are suddenly thinking they might pick up where they left off. They do have some past trust issues to resolve first, but it's clear that the feelings are still there.

I adored Diego's brother Rocco and his fiance Tyler. They were a sweet part of the story and I found myself wanting more of their story.

I love the Heartbreaker Bay series from Jill Shalvis, mostly because it takes place in my favorite city and the characters are engaging and interesting. While I did like Daisy and Diego and their second chance story, Twist of Fate is just too short to develop deep feelings for these characters, which is why I'm rating this 3.5 stars. 


 

About JILL SHALVIS:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.  
Connect With Her:

 

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Release Day Review: 5 Stars for Tacker (Arizona Vengeance #5) by Sawyer Bennett

Tacker (Arizona Vengeance, Book #5)
Sawyer Bennett
Release Date: November 5, 2019


Synopsis: 
I am not okay. 

Fifteen months ago, my life was turned upside down when the plane I was piloting went down. Injured and trapped in the wreckage, I had to watch my fiancĂ©e die a painfully slow death, which is something that can really mess with your head. 

Since that day, I’ve had little desire to do much of anything. Except play hockey, that is. Because that is the one place where the bad memories are banished and I can escape my pain. 

But off the ice, I’m spiraling out of control. Losing the grip on my life and putting myself and my career in danger. Now, thanks to a string of bad decisions, I’ve been ordered to complete therapy in order to stay on the team. 

The problem? Nora Wayne, my beautiful and somewhat unconventional therapist. I can’t buy into the brand of happy clappy crap this woman is feeding me. What could she possibly understand about the type of loss that I’ve suffered? How does she know anything about finding happiness after losing the most important person in your life? 

Turns out, I’ve got a lot to learn, and she’s just the person I need to break through those walls I’ve erected. 

I am not okay. 
But for the first time in a long time, I know that I will be.

Download Tacker:

Amazon | B&N | Apple | Google Play | KoboPaperback | Audible

What I thought about Tacker

Tacker's story has been building since the first book in the series (that's why even though this can be read standalone, it will pack a bigger punch if you read from the beginning). 

Readers of this series know that this book might induce tears -- so standalone readers be forewarned.  This story hits some real lows and also definite high spots and everything in between.

The book starts out with Tacker in bad shape and with some conditions or he's off the team. One is that he get some counseling. It's not easy to find a counselor that Tacker will work with, but the team owner comes through with a solution. 

His new counselor is fairly skilled at handling Tacker and getting him to open up. Which he does, so have some tissues ready.  It's one of the best scenes in the story, and there's no doubt that Tacker has made significant progress.   But then things get complicated when both Tacker and Nora realize they have feelings for each other.

The story is fast paced and it was wonderful to see Tacker's story take a positive turn.  Nora was amazing and her relationship with Raul was an interesting addition to the story.  It was great to catch up with the previous couples in the series as well as get teased about Dominik's story. 

Overall, an emotional and entertaining read. 
An ARC was provided for review.


About the Author:
Since the release of her debut contemporary romance novel, Off Sides, in January 2013, Sawyer Bennett has released multiple books, many of which have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists.

A reformed trial lawyer from North Carolina, Sawyer uses real life experience to create relatable, sexy stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From new adult to erotic contemporary romance, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone. Sawyer likes her Bloody Marys strong, her martinis dirty, and her heroes a combination of the two.

When not bringing fictional romance to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to a very active daughter, as well as full-time servant to her adorably naughty dogs. She believes in the good of others, and that a bad day can be cured with a great work-out, cake, or even better, both.

Sawyer also writes general and women’s fiction under the pen name S. Bennett and sweet romance under the name Juliette Poe.

Connect with Sawyer:

 

Available Now: Twist of Fate (Heartbreaker Bay 8.5) by Jill Shalvis



When the one you want…

Daisy doesn’t believe love is ever-lasting, so it’s ironic as hell that she parlayed a business degree into a wedding planning business. More ironic still is her latest job bringing her back into contact with the man who’d taught her that love can’t last.

Is the one you can’t have…

To say Diego has been taught the hard way to bury emotions is an understatement. But when he’s called home to help the brother he hasn’t seen or spoken to in years, that’s one thing. It’s another entirely to also come face to face with the first woman he ever loved. First and only…

Can love conquer all?

Daisy’s learned to depend only on herself, and Diego is and always has been an island of one. And yet when they’re together, even when they’re bickering, still wary and haunted by memories of what was … it’s magic. The question is, how to find their way back to each other…?


Add to Goodreads

Buy Links
 

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Review: Fever (Dark Kings #16) by Donna Grant


His kiss was fire and passion. She shivered, wondering how he knew just how to touch her, to send her spiraling into an abyss of pleasure…
 
For centuries, the Dragon Kings have lived among mortals, forsaking their true selves. But for Kelton, hiding in the realm of shadows—and existing only in the world of dreams—is no longer an option. A human woman claims to know that he, like other dark warriors of his kind, is real. That the legends about these powerful, seductive men with hearts ablaze are true. And that, with just one embrace, Kelton could destroy her…or love her until the end of time.
Bernadette Davies is an anthropologist who knows better than to fall into the arms of a Dragon King. But how can she resist Kelton when he’s so willing to share his secrets and bear his soul? He hasn’t met a beautiful, trustworthy woman like Bernadette in…forever. But once they give into their mutual desire, their worlds will never be the same. Soon Bernadette must face her dilemma: 

Should she expose the truth about Kelton in the name of science? Or join him in his battle with the dark forces—in the name of love?


Buy Links 


What I thought about Fever

 When anthropologist Bernadette Davies threatens to expose what she knows about Dreagan and the Dragon Kings, something must be done about it. Kelton goes to check out Bernadette and what she knows. If you've read any of the books in this series, you know what happens.  There's a spark between these two that won't be denied.

Since these books are meant to be able to be read standalone, there's usually a good bit of page time devoted to giving some background to the story. Not having read this series from the start, I'm not that invested in the Fae aspects of the story. I'm more interested in the developing love story between the dragon king of choice and his mate.  Fever did not disappoint in this aspect of the story.

There's something sexy and charming about the Dragon Kings that just keeps me coming back for more. If you are a fan of shifter paranormal romance, with a rich, full world, you might like this series.

An ARC was provided for review. 

 

 About DONNA GRANT

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Donna Grant has been praised for her "totally addictive" and "unique and sensual" stories. Her latest acclaimed series, Dark Kings, features a thrilling combination of dragons, Fae, and immortal Highlanders who are dark, dangerous, and irresistible. She lives with her two children and an assortment of animals in Texas.  

Follow Donna:  

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Release Day Review: Gypsy King (Tin Gypsy #1) by Devney Perry




The former Tin Gypsy motorcycle club has everyone in Clifton Forge, Montana convinced they’ve locked their clubhouse doors and ripped off their patches. Everyone but Bryce Ryan. There’s more happening at the club’s garage than muscle car restorations and Harley rebuilds. Her instincts are screaming there’s a story—one she’s going to tell.

As the new owner of the small town’s newspaper, Bryce is hungry for more than birth announcements and obituaries. When a woman is brutally killed and all signs point to the Tin Gypsies, Bryce is determined to expose the club and their leader, Kingston “Dash” Slater, as murderers.

Bryce bests Dash match after match, disappointed her rugged and handsome opponent turns out to be an underwhelming adversary. Secrets are exposed. Truths defeat lies. Bryce is poised to win this battle in a landslide.

Then Dash breaks all the rules and tips the scales.

One kiss, and she’s fighting to save more than just her story.

She’s fighting to save her heart from the Gypsy King.

Buy Your Copy Here:

What I thought about Gypsy King
I was so very excited to read this for two reasons -- first, I've been looking for a MC romance that I could get into and second, I have heard so many good things about this author.  I hadn't read anything by her until Gypsy King and I'm definitely going to be following this series as it moves forward.

I was hooked from the very first scenes in Gypsy King, especially when Bryce Ryan meets Dash Slater. Oh my! The sexual tension in that meet-up is just off the charts. Things continue to heat up between them each time they are together. It's just so well done, especially since they aren't exactly friends at the start of the book.

There's a compelling mystery to Gypsy King as Dash and Bryce both try to uncover a murderer. I loved the suspense here, and the gradual unfolding of the clues. But I must say that the enemies to lovers story of Dash and Bryce was really what had me turning the pages. 

Gypsy King had everything I want in a MC Romance -- hot men on bikes who value friendship and family along with strong women who love hard and protect their men just as much as the men protect them.  I really enjoyed this story and I'm ready for more of this world.

An ARC was provided for review. 


 


Devney is a USA Today bestselling author. Born and raised in Montana, she loves writing books set in her treasured home state. After working in the technology industry for nearly a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to enjoy a slower pace at home with her husband and two sons. Writing one book, let alone many, was not something she ever expected to do. But now that she’s discovered her true passion for writing romance, she has no plans to ever stop. Devney loves hearing from readers!

Connect with her on social media!


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Release Day Review: The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae by Stephanie Butland

The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae by Stephanie Butland
Description:
For fans of Josie Silver's One Day in December, The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae is a wholly original, charismatic, and uplifting novel that no reader will soon forget.
Ailsa Rae is learning how to live. She’s only a few months past the heart transplant that—just in time—saved her life. Now, finally, she can be a normal twenty-eight-year-old. She can climb a mountain. Dance. Wait in line all day for tickets to Wimbledon.
But first, she has to put one foot in front of the other. So far, things are as bloody complicated as ever. Her relationship with her mother is at a breaking point and she wants to find her father. Then there's Lennox, whom Ailsa loved and lost. Will she ever find love again?
Her new heart is a bold heart. She just needs to learn to listen to it. From the hospital to her childhood home, on social media and IRL, Ailsa will embark on a journey about what it means to be, and feel, alive. How do we learn to be brave, to accept defeat, to dare to dream?
From Stephanie Butland, author of The Lost for Words BookshopThe Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae will warm you from the inside out. 


Excerpt

6 October, 2017

Hard to Bear
 

It’s 3 a.m. here in cardio-thoracic.

All I can do for now is doze, and think, and doze again. My heart is getting weaker, my body bluer. People I haven’t seen for a while are starting to drop in. (Good to see you, Emily, Jacob, Christa. I’m looking forward to the Martinis.) We all pretend we’re not getting ready to say goodbye. It seems easiest. But my mother cries when she thinks I’m sleeping, so maybe here, now, is time to admit that I might really be on the way out.

I should be grateful. A baby born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome a few years before I was would have died within days. I’ve had twenty-eight years and I’ve managed to do quite a lot of living in them. (Also, I’ve had WAY more operations than you everyday folk. I totally win on that.) OK, so I still live at home and I’ve never had a job and I’m blue around the edges because there’s never quite enough oxygen in my system. But –

Actually, but nothing. If you’re here tonight for the usual BlueHeart cheerfulness-in-the-teeth-of-disaster, you need to nd another blogger.

My heart is failing. I imagine I can feel it floundering in my chest. Sometimes it’s as though I’m holding my breath, waiting to see if another beat will come. I’ve been in hospital for four months, almost non-stop, because it’s no longer tenable for me to be at home. I’m on a drip pumping electrolytes into my blood and I’ve an oxygen tube taped to my face. I’m constantly cared for by people who are trying to keep me well enough to receive a transplanted heart if one shows up. I monitor every fliicker and echo of pain or tiredness in my body and try to work out if it means that things are getting worse. And yes, I’m alive, and yes, I could still be saved, but tonight it’s a struggle to think that being saved is possible. Or even likely. And I’m not sure I have the energy to keep waiting.

And I should be angrier, but there’s no room for anger (remember, my heart is a chamber smaller than yours) because, tonight, I’m scared.

It’s only a question of time until I get too weak to sur- vive a transplant, and then it’s a waste of a heart to give it to me. Someone a bit fitter, and who would get more use from it, will bump me from the top of the list and I’m into the Palliative Care Zone. (It’s not actually called that. And it’s a good, kind, caring place, but it’s not where I want to be. Maybe when I’m ninety-eight. To be honest, tonight, I’d take forty-eight. Anything but twenty-eight.)

I hope I feel more optimistic when the sun comes up. If it does. It’s Edinburgh. It’s October. The odds are about the same as me getting a new heart.

My mother doesn’t worry about odds. She says, ‘We only need the one heart. Just the one.’ She says it in a way that makes me think that when she leaves the ward she’s away to carve one out of some poor stranger’s body herself. And anyway, odds feel strange, because even if my survival chances are, say, 20 per cent, what- ever happens to me will happen 100 per cent. As in, I could be 100 per cent dead this time next week.

Night night, BlueHeart xxx

P.S. I would really, really like for one of you to get your- self a couple of goldfish, or kittens, or puppies, or even horses, and call them Cardio and Thoracic. My prefer- ence would be for puppies. Because I love the thought that, if I don’t make it to Christmas, somewhere there will be someone walking in the winter countryside, let- ting their enthusiastic wee spaniels off the lead, and then howling ‘Cardio! Thoracic!’ as they disappear over the brow of a hill intent on catching some poor terrified sheep. That’s what I call a legacy.


From The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae by Stephanie Butland. Copyright © 2019 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.

 What I thought about The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae

Ailsa Rae has a serious heart ailment and is waiting for a transplant.  Not expecting to live very long, she hasn't comtemplated what she would even do if she wasn't ill.   Her blog is where she really gets to interact with people, and she has quite a following, calling herself BlueHeart.  But after a transplant heart is identified, and Ailsa makes it through the aftermath, she has some questions she needs to answer.  What is she going to do now that she has a new heart?

What follows is a sometimes cute and sometimes insightful treatment of how one chooses to live their life after a serious illness, told through a mashup of chapters, blog posts and emails.   I liked that about the book as it added some levity to the story.  I also really liked Ailsa and how she handled herself through some of the tougher moments she encounters.

I was really drawn into the story quickly, and The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae is a quick read that will have you asking what you might do if you had a second chance.  I really liked this story and the revelations Ailsa makes throughout.  Her mother is a terrific secondary character as well.  Overall, a satisfying read from a new-to-me author.

An ARC was provided by the publisher. 



About the Author

Author Bio:STEPHANIE BUTLAND lives with her family near the sea in the North East of England. She writes in a studio at the bottom of her garden, and when she's not writing, she trains people to think more creatively. For fun, she reads, knits, sews, bakes, and spins. She is an occasional performance poet and the author of The Lost for Words Bookshop.

Review: Brimstone Hollow (Annie Gore #2) by Archer Sullivan

Following her powerful debut in The Witch’s Orchard , private investigator Annie Gore returns in Brimstone Hollow , bringing readers back to...