Review:The Goal by Elle Kennedy

New York Times bestseller Elle Kennedy brings you a sexy new Off-Campus novel that can be read as a standalone…

She’s good at achieving her goals…
College senior Sabrina James has her whole future planned out: graduate from college, kick butt in law school, and land a high-paying job at a cutthroat firm. Her path to escaping her shameful past certainly doesn’t include a gorgeous hockey player who believes in love at first sight. One night of sizzling heat and surprising tenderness is all she’s willing to give John Tucker, but sometimes, one night is all it takes for your entire life to change.

But the game just got a whole lot more complicated
Tucker believes being a team player is as important as being the star. On the ice, he’s fine staying out of the spotlight, but when it comes to becoming a daddy at the age of twenty-two, he refuses to be a bench warmer. It doesn’t hurt that the soon-to-be mother of his child is beautiful, whip-smart, and keeps him on his toes. The problem is, Sabrina’s heart is locked up tight, and the fiery brunette is too stubborn to accept his help. If he wants a life with the woman of his dreams, he’ll have to convince her that some goals can only be made with an assist.

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ISBN-13: 9781533344342

ISBN-10: 1533344345

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What I thought about The Goal

If you've been reading this series, you know something of what is going on between Tucker and Sabrina as The Score ends in a huge reveal of one of the challenges that befall this couple.  I was really eager to read more about how Sabrina and Tucker get together and what would become of them so I dove right into The Goal.  While the book can be read as a standalone, I think you will get more of an impact by reading the entire series.

Tucker and Sabrina have a hook up one night and Sabrina makes it very clear that it is a one-night occurence.  Fortunately for her, Tucker is one super patient guy and he's got a pretty good idea that pushing Sabrina for more wont' work, so his pursuit has to be more subtle.  He does a great job in many ways, because Sabrina finally gives in to him. 

I was really glad to see that these two had somewhat of a relationship before the big news hits them, and when it does, I couldn't help but fall more for Tucker. Not only is he patient, he's willing to let Sabrina call all the shots when it comes to their connected future.  

I loved how this book overlaps with the events in The Score.  That made it really special for me and made me want to go back and re-read the entire series from the start all over again.  I found my self really liking Sabrina -- her drive and determination were awesome and so was Tucker's support of whatever she wanted to do. That was so important to their relationship.

There's a lot of heat between these two as well, as was expected.  Nothing like a good old hook-up in a vehicle to bring back those college memories!  These two are so good for each other, but it takes a while for both of them to see it and for their friends to see it as well.  I loved the resolution between Sabrina and Dean, although at first I wondered how that was all going to work out.

So I really loved this entire series and Tucker and Sabrina's story is a great addition.  Recommended.

ARC provided for review.

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About Elle

A New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.



Elle writes romantic suspense and erotic contemporary romance for various publishers. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!




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Review:School Ties by Tamsen Parker

From the USA Today bestselling author of the Compass Series, the teacher becomes the student in a tale of forbidden romance in the hallowed halls of an elite, all-boys boarding school…
 
Erin Brewster is nervous enough on her first day of teaching at Hawthorn Hill. But the way Zach Shepherd looks at her with his dark and dreamy blue eyes really throws her off her game. He simply has to walk past her to send her heart racing. Although he’s eighteen and a senior, he’s still just a student—and very off limits. To let her eyes linger over his body, to fulfill her fantasies would be more than inappropriate. It would be career suicide.

Three years after his graduation from Hawthorn, Shep has returned as a member of the faculty—and he hasn’t forgotten his favorite teacher, the prettiest woman he’s ever seen. When they finally have a chance to get to know each other, they realize they share a common interest: kink. In fact, Shep has learned a lot about the subject during his time away and is ready to teach Erin a thing or two. He’ll soon have her begging to be held after class.

As their relationship comes under scrutiny, the ties that bind Shep and Erin may begin to fray. But some bonds grow stronger under pressure…

SCHOOL TIES is available now: 

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What I thought about School Ties

I liked this (former) student - teacher story.  I'm always a bit concerned with stories like this because there are some lines that can get crossed, but Tamsen Parker does a nice job of keeping this tale from going into questionable territory.

I love when a romance starts out slowly and gradually builds and this story does that perfectly.  The little looks and moments in the beginning string together nicely to the point where I was dying to see Shep and Erin together.  Adding BDSM into this in a very believable way had me really enthralled in this story.  And even though the falling-for-each-other part was quite nice, I really liked when Shep and Erin can finally both be together.  I adored this part of the the book where they talked honestly about what they wanted sexually, and I especially liked Shep's approach to all of it.  

I did have some issues with the pacing of the story, though, and found myself skimming at times, which usually means things are moving too slow for me or there's too much internal narration that slows things down.  

So, overall, I really liked this student-teacher romance.  Shep is just about perfect and Erin is perfect for him.  This doesn't happen very often, but I really disliked Will and was so very happy when he was out of the story.

An enjoyable read. 

ARC provided for review.

About Tamsen Parker

Tamsen Parker is a stay-at-home mom by day, USA Today bestselling erotic romance writer by naptime. She lives with her family outside of Boston, where she tweets too much, sleeps too little and is always in the middle of a book. Aside from good food, sweet rieslings and gin cocktails, she has a fondness for monograms and subway maps. She should really start drinking coffee.

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Review: Overexposed (In Focus, #4) by Megan Erickson

Love runs wild on the Appalachian Trail in the latest from the author of Out of Frame and Focus on Me...

Levi Grainger needs a break. As a reality show star, he’s had enough of the spotlight and being edited into a walking stereotype. When he returns home after the last season of Trip League, he expects to spend time with his family, only to learn his sister is coming back from her deployment in a flag-draped casket. Devastated, Levi decides the best way to grieve will be to go off grid and hike the Appalachian Trail—a trip he'd planned to do with his sister.

His solitary existence on the trail is interrupted when he meets Thad, a quiet man with a hard body and intense eyes. Their connection is stronger than anything Levi has ever experienced. But when Levi discovers the truth about what Thad is hiking to escape, their future together looks uncertain, and uncertainty is the last thing Levi needs...

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What I thought about Overexposed

So what happens when two men decide to use a hike on the Appalachian Trail to work out their individual problems, only to find that they have a spark between them that will either destroy them or make them whole again?

I was totally enthralled by this book within in the first few pages. Even though I haven't had the opportunity to read the first three books in this series, I jumped right into this one and finished it in a few hours, just because it was that engaging.

I love a story that relies on the two main characters talking to each other rather than having tons of external conflicts.  In this story, Megan Erickson does a fabulous job showing how Levi and Thad's relationship grows from a simple night watching the moon together to something much more. The setting provides enough conflict to keep it interesting, as did their limited communications with their loved ones back home.

Levi is trying to get over the loss of his sister, while Thad's reasons for hiking the trail are released to the reader more slowly.  But I've got to say, it's Levi who made this book sing for me, and I could so relate to Thad's feelings for Levi as the story progresses.  For me, that makes this a five-star read -- the emotions got to me early and went deep.  

I thought this worked very well as a standalone, although the epilogue had some characters I hadn't met yet, I didn't really mind that. I got what I needed from the overall scene and it was just a lovely way to end Levi's and Thad's story.

So, loved, loved, loved this. It was just the right size story for the circumstances and  I am definitely going back and reading books 1-3.  

About the Author

Megan Erickson is a former journalist who switched to fiction when she decided she liked writing her own endings better. She likes to pretend she has control now, but usually her characters are the ones who hold the reins. Her romance novels have a touch of humor, a dash of nerdy, and always a happily ever after.

She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two kids, and two cats named after John Hughes characters. She's still waiting for the party she was promised when she grew to five feet... maybe because she never got there.

Website: http://meganerickson.org/

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

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Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Megan-Erickson/e/B00AWD8MHS/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1454466025&sr=8-2-ent

In Focus series

Trust the Focus

Focus on Me

Out of Frame (Coming soon)

Bowler University series

Make it Count

Make it Right

Make it Last

Mechanics of Love series

Dirty Thoughts

Dirty Talk

Dirty Deeds

Gamers series

Changing His Game

Playing for Her Heart

Tied to Trouble

Leveling the Field (coming soon)

Review:Wilder by Rebecca Yarros

He’s Paxton Wilder.

Twenty-two-year-old, tattooed, smoking-hot leader of the Renegades.

Five time X Games medalist.

The world is his playground—especially this year—and for the next nine months I’m stuck as his tutor on the Study at Sea program.

He’s too busy staging worldwide stunts for his documentary to get to class.

But if I can’t get him to take academics seriously, I’ll lose my scholarship…if I don’t lose my heart first.

Six unlikely friends on a nine-month cruise with the Study at Sea program will learn that chemistry is more than a subject and the best lessons aren’t taught in the classroom…but in the heart.

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Check out the trailer!

 

What I thought about Wilder

I really liked this story about Paxton Wilder, one of the original Renegades.  He's a daredevil, looking for a new thrill when he meets Leah.  She's his tutor on a nine month cruise around the world.  There's a bit of an instant spark between these two, and a definite rough start, but I really did enjoy their falling in love.  This is a storyline that Rebecca Yarros does best -- I just love how hard Paxton falls for her.

There's some intrigue from a mysterious perpetrator who sabatogues their rigs which provided some nice tension and provided the needed breaks from the romance.  I have to admit, I sometimes found Pax too good to be true, and his continued use of the word "exquisite" got on my nerves a bit.  I also liked that Leah was a lot stronger than she thought she was, and really came through when she needed to and got angry in the right spots too.

Overall, Rebecca Yarros does a nice job with this NA romance.  The characters don't come off as too young or too seasoned and I found the backdrop of the cruise and the Renegades fresh. I did have a few problems in spots that had to do with pacing.  The middle was a bit slow, and the ending seemed rushed.  It would have been nice to have some balance there. These are the reasons I'm giving this four stars.  

Looking forward to rest of The Renegades!

ARC provided for review.

About the Author

Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and lover of all things chocolate, coffee, and Paleo. In addition to being a mom, military wife, and blogger, she can never choose between Young Adult and New Adult fiction, so she writes both. She's a graduate of Troy University, where she studied European history and English, but still holds out hope for an acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Her blog, The Only Girl Among Boys, has been voted the Top Military Mom Blog the last two years, and celebrates the complex issues surrounding the military life she adores.

When she's not writing, she's tying on hockey skates for her kids, or sneaking in some guitar time. She is madly in love with her army-aviator husband of eleven years. They finally can call Colorado home along with their gaggle of rambunctious kiddos and snoring English Bulldog.

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ARC Review:Levi's Blue by M. Leighton

Are you ready to #unzip #LevisBlue?

Levi's Blue by M. Leighton is LIVE!

From the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, M. Leighton, comes a brand new super sexy standalone that is guaranteed to make you sweat and make you swoon.

"Amazing. Unique. Beautiful. Sexy.  LEVI'S BLUE by M. Leighton is ALL THAT and MORE!" ~~ Shayna Renee's Spicy Reads

Levi’s Blue

Four beautiful days. Three steamy nights. One breathtaking love.

Levi Michelson. He wanted four dates. Four opportunities to prove I could trust him. Four chances to change my mind about him.

I agreed.

Probably not my smartest decision. He was everything I knew to avoid—gorgeous, charming, sexy as hell—but I couldn’t help myself. When he touched me the whole world disappeared. I should’ve known I could lose myself to him, that he could be the one man to destroy me.

I guess it’s true what they say—some things are too good to be true. And Levi Michaelson might just be one of them.

#LevisBlue  #Unzipped  #Sept19  #NewRelease  #ComingSoon  #MLeighton

NOW LIVE on all platforms!

Amazon US: http://smarturl.it/LevisBlueAMZ

Amazon UK: http://smarturl.it/LevisBlueAMZUK

Barnes&Noble:  http://smarturl.it/LevisBlueBN

iBooks:  http://smarturl.it/LevisBlueiBooks

Kobo:  http://smarturl.it/LevisBlueKobo

Add to Goodreads:  http://smarturl.it/LevisBlueGR

What I thought about Levi's Blue

 One thing I love about Michele Leighton’s books is that they are unique.  There’s always something about them that gets right to me, whether that’s the story or the writing or the wonderful hero’s and heroine’s she crafts.  Levi’s Blue is no exception, starting with the yummy cover and title that twists your head around a little.

Evie isn’t exactly confident when it comes to men. She doesn’t trust them.  But when she meets Levi, she gives him a bit of a chance. Four dates is all he has to change her mind about their future. These two are super-sexy when they are together. If you want passion, you definitely get it with Evie and Levi. Passion for me is a lot about how the couple talk to each other and these two really do the banter up right.

Of course there are some bumps in the road that are going to give them challenges.  Levi has a secret and when it gets revealed, their connection gets tested big time.  I love a man confident enough to be able to really work for what he wants, and Levi does an awesome job of reminding Evie of everything they are together and just what she means to  him.

Another winner from M. Leighton.  I love books that make me feel something, and she always manages to stir something inside me that keeps me wanting to read her work. Recommended.

ARC provided for review.

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ARC Review:Twelve Truths and a Lie by Christina Lee

TWELVE TRUTHS AND A LIE

Contemporary Romance

COVER DESIGN: Natasha Snow

RELEASE DATE: 9-19-16

Aurora Jones has it all—a job she loves as a child and family therapist, supportive friends, and a decent place to live. What she doesn’t have is much luck when it comes to dating men. And not only are her choices terrible, she also hasn’t been boyfriend free since she was a teenager. So she places herself on a sabbatical of sorts. No dating for twelve months.

Cameron Miller has had a crappy year. His girlfriend fell for his best friend and to ease the pain, he drowns his troubles in more booze and women than he can count. When his buddies finally slap some sense into him and urge him to focus on his new position as a special education teacher in an urban school district, he decides to get his act together.

Away from the prying eyes of their mutual friends, Cameron and Aurora agree to hang out once a week in their newly dubbed Chastity Club. Number of members? Two. It’s a chance to find solace, companionship, and something neither anticipated – a burgeoning attraction. But when Cameron invites Aurora to be his fake date at the reunion his ex-girlfriend and best friend will be attending, their passion ignites. What happens in Chastity Club stays in Chastity Club, right? Until they discover that a year of self-truths might actually lead them to true love.

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Excerpt

“Well,” I explained, after swallowing a bite, “depends how, um, sexually frustrated you’ve been and—”

“Extremely,” she said without hesitation, and I nearly choked on the cheese sliding down my throat. “I mean, Richard doesn’t even—”

She smashed her hand over her mouth, looking positively mortified. “Shit, never mind.”

“Who’s Richard?” I asked, thoroughly confused, wondering if I’d missed something in the conversation.

“Oh, God,” she said. “Can you forget I even said that?”

“Not a chance,” I replied, knowing it would bug the shit out of me all night if she didn’t fess up. “Don’t be embarrassed, we’ve talked about plenty of things already…”

As she took deep breaths, I tried to match up the name Richard to one of her old boyfriends she might’ve mentioned. Or was she more mortified that I’d brought up the idea of being sexually frustrated?

“Look, I wasn’t trying to embarrass you,” I said, attempting to dislodge her hand from her face. “Guys talk about jacking off all the time, I don’t know if girls do, but—”

“Of course we do,” she finally huffed out, her eyes bulging. “Richard is the name of my vibrator.”

Oh fucking Christ, what a visual. My dick immediately tented against my zipper. In that moment, I was so grateful the tablecloth was covering me. After I got over the initial shock and stimulation of her bringing up her vibrator, I focused in on the fact that she had named it in the first place. Richard.

I couldn’t hold back a snort and that caused a chain reaction in Aurora, who began giggling and then full-on laughing. Her face was so beet red that when we made eye contact and I said, “Richard. As in dick?” she howled even louder, causing the people in the booth behind her to turn around and stare.

What I thought about Twelve Truths and a Lie

I love a good friends to lovers book.  Twelve Truths and a Lie is a well crafted romance involving two people who want to keep it in the friends zone but just can’t.  It’s about finding a soulmate and falling in love.

Through their “Chastity Club”, Cameron and Aurora find a connection of the mind.  I loved how they built the intimacy between them through their “club”.  It’s always a treat to see how an author finally gets them from friends to the lover zone.  Christina Lee does a nice job of getting them together using the tried and true “fake date” approach.

I liked this romance.  While there wasn’t anything incredibly new to the story, it was very well done and enjoyable.

ARC provided for review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Once upon a time, Christina Lee lived in New York City and was a wardrobe stylist. She spent her days getting in cabs, shopping for photo shoots, eating amazing food, and drinking coffee at her favorite hangouts.

Now she lives in the Midwest with her husband and son—her two favorite guys. She’s been a clinical social worker and a special education teacher. But it wasn't until she wrote a weekly column for the local newspaper that she realized she could turn the fairytales inside her head into the reality of writing fiction.

She’s addicted to lip balm and salted caramel everything. She believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.

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