NEW REVIEW: The Good GIrl by Nikki Sloane

 

She's ready to be naughty.

The Good Girl by Nikki Sloane is now live! 

What are you supposed to do when your best friend's little sister—a classic good girl—asks you to help her go bad?

You should say no.

You shouldn't pretend to date her so she can piss off her parents.

You definitely shouldn't agree to take her virginity and show her all the experiences she's been missing out on.

And you really shouldn't keep it a secret from her brother, the one who's your best friend and business partner.

But I don't always make the best choices. In fact, I can be kind of a dick sometimes.

And I know if I don't do it, someone else will . . . and I can't have that. If anything, it means I get to be the good guy for once.

I just wasn't prepared for how gifted this good girl would be at going bad.

OUR REVIEW:

This series just gets hotter and hotter. In the latest book in the Nashville Neighborhood series, we finally get Preston's book. He's been hovering in the background for a while and it was interesting to get into his head, especially when it concerns a certain friend's little sister....ahh how the mighty fall. Mr. Hook-Up finally finds the girl he can't seem to stay away from, even if it means potentially ruining a friendship and maybe even his business. And Sydney? Well, she can't resist the opportunity to get to know the person she's been crushing on for a long time.

In alternating viewpoints we watch them really get to know each other, try to resist each other, and fall for each other, all under the guise of teaching Sydney lessons of an intimate nature. This one is a quick and fun read. Go get it.

  Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Kobo!

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3pIju1P

Apple Books: https://bit.ly/40sjhfV

Nook: https://bit.ly/40qZQ6U

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3KWyakE

Google Play: https://bit.ly/3LhP1zQ

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/43NVDgu

Meet Nikki

USA Today bestselling author Nikki Sloane landed in graphic design after her careers as a waitress, a screenwriter, and a ballroom dance instructor fell through. Now she writes full-time and lives in Kentucky with her husband, two sons, and a pair of super destructive cats. She is a four-time Romance Writers of America RITA® & Vivian® Finalist, a Passionate Plume & HOLT Medallion winner, a Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist, and couldn't be any happier that people enjoy reading her sexy words.

Sign up for her newsletter: https://www.nikkisloane.com/newsletter/

 

Connect with Nikki

Website: https://www.nikkisloane.com/

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/NikkiSloaneBB

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1SbBUyM

Facebook: http://bit.ly/NikkiSloaneFB

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1620479414890336/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authornikkisloane/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorNSloane

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nikki-sloane

Verve: https://ververomance.com/app/nikkisloane

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authornikkisloane

REVIEW: The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

 

OUR REVIEW:

The Grace Year is a quick read that builds on the dystopian novels that have come before. What I mean by that is that there seems to be a nod to female driven narratives that pit women against the oppressive societies that rule them, a nod that acknowledges that you know where we're coming from so let's just dive right into the action without a lot of the backstory of how they got there. In The Grace Year, that's not the point. I think the point is that Tierney and the other girls are in it now, so now what?!

In this novel, young women are sent away for a year to dispose of their 'magic' and when they return they'll return to assigned roles, like in a caste system. Some will marry and some will be laborers and some will be sex workers or outcasts. Tierney, our main character, assumes that she'll be a laborer because she's purposely led a life that would make that so. Her assumption is wrong and she starts her journey to their 'grace year' property in a state of shock and determination. Once all of the grace year girls arrive at their grace year destination, the immediate devolution of civility begins. There's peer pressure, bullying, and mob mentality at work ...among other things. Tierney tries to set up a society that would be equitable and helpful and within days, it's all destroyed. Within weeks she's an outcast and not long after that, she finds herself on death's doorstep. It's only when someone who should be her enemy nurses her back to health that she begins to really understand all of the elements working against the grace year girls, and begins to try to work against them to make things right, better for them all. Ultimately, when Tierney makes it back to her original home and has some time to reflect on it all, she gains some clarity and leaves us with a sense of hope for better days.

While I really enjoyed The Grace Year--it's definitely a 4.5-5 star read for me--I did want a little more backstory and information about how in the world they got to this point to begin with, where are they, and when is this all taking place. Other than those things, The Grace Year held my attention, was a quick read, and offered insights about being a woman in the world, insights that I wish we didn't have to learn because we lived in a truly equal and free society. 

BUY IT HERE: https://amzn.to/440HE6O

Synopsis:

The instant New York Times bestseller, Kim Liggett's The Grace Year is a speculative YA thriller in the vein of The Hunger Games and The Power, now in trade paperback.

No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden.

In Garner County, girls are banished for their sixteenth year to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage.

But not all of them will make it home alive.

Tierney James dreams of a better life―but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that there’s more to fear about the grace year than the brutal elements and the poachers in the woods.

Their greatest threat may very well be each other.

With sharp prose and gritty realism, Liggett's The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between.

REVIEW: Accidental Attachment by Max Monroe

OUR REVIEW:

It's been a while since I've picked up a Max Monroe rom com and so I decided to pick up Accidental Attachment. True to my expectations, this writing duo plunged the reader right into the comedy part of the romcom, but the romance wasn't far behind. 

 Accidental Attachment is the story of Brooke and Chase, a writer and her editor, and how she accidentally sends him a draft of a novel that hasn't been requested or sold. It's essentially her fantasy if she was an on air anchor and he was her producer. Chase reads it, loves it, pitches it and when he's successful, has the joy of telling Brooke-who has no idea that she sent the file that she sent. Once she discovers her oopsie, she basically dies and then tries to avoid doing anything with it. Of course that can't happen and the rest of the novel is divided up between her making peace with the fact that she's publishing her fantasy and trying to figure out how to be around the object of her affection without blowing it, all while being trapped in an RV, with her crush, on a cross country road trip to promote her previous hit turned Netflix series. 

As you can imagine, there's lots of comedy: physical comedy, puns and word play, and the always fun second hand embarrassment hilarity that ensues from their various snafus. The romance is slow burning and sweet and a nice counter to the constant funny. All in all, a fun, slightly nutty read.

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/430qAwr

SYNOPSIS:

A successful writer accidentally sends her new (and super-dreamy) editor the wrong manuscript. Instead of the full-length paranormal novel she promised Longstrand Publishing, she sends the fan fiction she’s written about her crush…on him—including every detail of the hot, steamy “physical activity” she’s fantasized about happening between them.

And Chase Dawson may be the hottest man alive and a super-talented editor to boot, but he’s completely oblivious that he’s the star of the manuscript he just convinced his boss to green-light.

Brooke Baker has been through a lot in her thirty-one years of life.

A divorce.
A career change.
A move to New York City from “small-town” Ohio.
Not to mention, she has a bit of a medical condition that involves occasional fainting spells, mild embarrassment, and the companionship of her adorable service dog and canine sidekick, Benji.

But none of it has prepared her for this.

None of it prepared her for Chase Dawson.

Strong jaw, blue eyes, cut muscles, and a perfect swoop of superhero-worthy black hair, Chase’s features are those of a book boyfriend and then some. Obviously, Brooke would know—she literally filled an entire manuscript with it.

A manuscript no one was ever supposed to see.

Will she survive two months of revising and editing the sizzling romance she imagined with Chase in extremely close quarters with him? Or will the constant white lies and overwhelming attraction make her spontaneously combust?

 

NEW REVIEW: Son of a Gun by Jay Crownover

OUR REVIEW:

I've been loving this series-following the 2nd generation of Marked Men children and now with Son of a Gun, characters from The Point. It's always interesting to see how an author envisions her characters and what they're up to long after their story has been published and while it's been a while since I've thought of some of these characters, it didn't even matter. Jay Crownover did a great job of making Son of a Gun stand alone if you haven't read any of the other novels (or have forgotten characters). 

I'd been waiting for Daire and Campbell's book and it did not disappoint. Ever since they met and seemed to rub each other the wrong way, I knew these two would be fun to read about. They were. Both Daire and Campbell are grappling with finding their way and figuring out who they are in this world, and it works so beautifully because they soon discover that as opposite as they are, their situations are strangely complimentary and can teach them each a little something about how to see things from a different perspective. 

I enjoyed all aspects of their romance-how they were thrown together, how they bond, how they learn from each other and fall for each other. I also enjoyed that their problems were never really with each other, but with those on the outside. It made those inevitable hard moments easy because it was them against the world, and not them against each other. In a novel that had a lot of other drama, it was nice that it was never drama they created to make things worse. 

This mash up of characters and backgrounds worked and I'm so glad that Jay Crownover put these two together on the page; I flew through the pages because of how much fun they were to read.

BUY HERE: https://amzn.to/45zk5Cl

SYNOPSIS:

Heavy is the head that inherits the crown.

The only thing on Daire Archer’s mind when she pulled a disappearing act on Christmas was proving she was worthy of being her father's daughter. She was born an Archer, which was a blessing and a curse, and Daire was determined to show everyone she deserved to carry the legacy that came with her name.

There is power in a name, and being an Archer meant Daire needed to do better, to be better. At least, that’s what she thought she needed, until a boy from nowhere—with a name that meant nothing—showed her that she was already pretty great just the way she was.

Campbell has always rejected everything concerning his maniacal father and his troubled past. When he left Nowhere, he was certain he wanted a nice, quiet life free from the only things he'd ever known: violence and bloodshed. He thought he needed to be a better man. He wondered if there was a kinder, gentler version of himself under his thick armor of scars and tattoos.

It wasn't until he started chasing Daire Archer all over hell and back that Campbell realized he needed to be a man who was better at being bad than everyone else in his troubled world.

Because now, he had a problematic princess to protect. One with an uncanny ability for finding trouble. Where Daire is concerned, being a good guy isn't necessary.

 

REVIEW: Codename Charming by Lucy Parker

 

OUR REVIEW:

When Lucy Parker releases a new novel, we're always ready. Her novels entertain us with snappy dialogue, plunge us into London (and in this case a royal family), and always guarantee a good time. In Codename Charming we get to watch Pet and Matthias go from pretending to be annoyed (or actually just a little flustered) around each other to becoming friends while faking a relationship that we all know will never be fake at all. Both Pet and Matthias come from less than wonderful upbringings and both carry wounds from earlier years; the difference is that Pet is a ray of sunshine while Matthias is perceived to be a grump (he's actually a huge softy) and while these wounds could prohibit them from falling for each other, it's really their disbelief that the other could possibly want them that is the real obstacle. Typical. 

Playing in the background is a royal family that is a hot mess in the most hilarious ways and a nefarious media circus always trying to put them in the worst light--which is how the "fake" romance comes to be. While this is all going on, we get to know more about our main characters and their friends, as well as see more of Pet's brother and sister-in-law and how their dueling bakeries are doing (happy to report all is well there). 

As usual, Parker not only has us invested in what's going on with our main characters, she's building interest in secondary characters, making us hopeful we'll get another book in this series. 

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/3jWWc5x

SYNOPSIS:

Following Battle Royal, beloved author Lucy Parker pens another delicious romantic comedy about a fake relationship between a grumpy royal bodyguard and the charming, sunny assistant who melts his cold, hard exterior.

Petunia De Vere enjoys being the personal assistant to lovable, bumbling Johnny Marchmont. But the job has its share of challenges, including the royal’s giant, intimidating bodyguard, Matthias. Pet and Matthias are polar opposites—she’s spontaneous and enthusiastic, he’s rigid and stoic—but she can sense there’s something softer underneath that tough exterior…

For Matthias Vaughn, protecting others is the name of the game. But keeping his royal charge out of trouble is more difficult than he imagined because everywhere Johnny goes, calamity ensues, and his petite, bubbly assistant is often caught in the fray. Matthias hates the idea of Pet getting hurt and he’s determined to keep everyone safe, even if it means clashing with his adorable new coworker.

When a clumsy moment leads to a questionable tabloid photo, the press begins to speculate that Pet is romantically involved with Johnny. To put an end to the rumors, the royal PR team asks Pet and Matthias to stage a fake relationship and the two reluctantly agree. But as they spend more time together outside of work, they begin to wonder what real emotions this pretend connection might uncover. Especially when a passionate kiss leaves both of their heads spinning… 

REVIEW: Second Down Darling by Lex Martin

Title: Second Down Darling

Author: Lex Martin

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Single Dad/Forbidden Romance

Release Date: August 7, 2023

OUR REVIEW:

 I am such a sucker for this series. The second I download the newest book, I inhale it, which is exactly what I did with Second Down Darling. This novel featured Charlie (a friend of Maggie's in The Baby Blitz) and Jake; she's been crushing on him since high school, even though he's totally off limits (due to his one night stand with her sister, resulting in his son). Case closed, novel over. Yeah right. Never ever is that easy, and why would we want it to be? 

On the surface, anyone can see why Charlie and Jake being in a relationship would be a huge no-no. He has a son with her sister and that just seems so weird and confusing, right? Well the way that Lex Martin builds their world, you never feel that weirdness. As a matter of fact, it feels absolutely natural and right that Charlie and Jake be together, despite the initial SMH-ness of it. Charlie's been nothing but respectful of Jake and the 'relationship' he tried to forge with her sister, for the sake of his son. As a matter of fact, when she realizes that her unrelenting crush is potentially damaging for all involved, she removes herself from the situation. Fast forward two years, and Jake and Charlie end up in the same town, despite her ghosting everyone from home. As their story builds and you get to know them, you can't help but want things to work for them both. Charlie and Jake are genuinely good people trying to do the best they can with what they have. 

As with all of the Varsity Dads, it's never an easy journey to a happily ever after. There's fear, desperation, and hope all wrapped up in football and parenthood and the relationships they're all involved with/in, as they all look ahead to trying to achieve their dreams. And while each of these couples have different challenges, I love that I know they're going to get it all figured out and dreams will come true by the end of it all. Lex Martin never leaves me in that anxious angsty-ness for too long, and always gives me more than enough of an ending (and those extra epilogues are the best for really closing things out and giving each couple a sense of finality). Second Down Darling is a great escape and the perfect way to wait for regular season football to start. 

BLURB

Jake’s my best friend and first love. There’s just one problem—he belongs to my sister.

I’ve been crushing on Jake for years, but never had the guts to tell him. One drunken night with my sister and two pink lines later, and he’s lost to me forever.

She doesn’t care that I met Jake Ramirez first. That he and I were best friends first. That I fell in love with him first. Because what my sister wants, my sister gets.

When she video-calls me and Jake accidentally walks by in the buff, something in me snaps.

Transferring to a different college might seem like a copout, but I have to get away from Jake and my sister before I say or do something I’ll regret. In an act of desperation, I ghost my old life.

For the next two years, everything is great—until I come face-to-face with Jake and his son, who my sister abandoned.

Jake’s the new wide receiver at my school, and he wants nothing to do with me, which is fine because I plan to keep my distance. Except we’re thrown together in the most dire circumstances that bring back all those old feelings.

They say everyone deserves a second chance, but my heart can’t handle breaking one more time.

Second Down Darling is an angsty, friends-to-lovers, forbidden romance, featuring a sexy single dad who’s a down-and-out college football player and a nerdy girl determined to overcome her wallflower ways. It has major second chance vibes and lots of steam! Second Down Darling is a dual POV standalone in the USA Today-bestselling series Varsity Dads.

ADD TO GOODREADS

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

UNIVERSAL

Free in Kindle Unlimited

AUTHOR BIO

Lex Martin is the USA Today bestselling author of The Varsity Dad Dilemma, the Texas Nights series, and the Dearest series, books she hopes readers love but her parents avoid. A former high school English teacher and freelance journalist, she resides in Texas with her husband, twin daughters, and a bunny named Dandelion.

AUTHOR LINKS

NEWSLETTER

FACEBOOK

FACEBOOK GROUP

TIKTOK

INSTAGRAM

BOOKBUB

GOODREADS

AMAZON

TWITTER

PINTEREST

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NEW REVIEW: Hideaway Heart by Melanie Harlow

OUR REVIEW:

Hideaway Heart continues the Cherry Tree Harbor series with Austin's brother, Xander, and the woman he's doing security for, Kelly Jo. If you read the first book,  Runaway Heart, you definitely remember Xander-he knew exactly how to antagonize his brother with his big personality and his dares/bets. That big personality continues here. He's bossy and confident and stubborn which means he's met his match with Kelly, who is also bossy, confident, and stubborn. 

Xander becomes Kelly's part time bodyguard (for her vacation-time off from being a country music star- in his area) when his friend (her brother) asks him to watch over her; she's had some unsavory people involved in her security and her brother wants her safe. Xander agrees, since her brother basically saved his life, with some major preconceptions about what kind of girl she is. He thinks she's going to be an entitled, shallow person and so he goes in with that expectation. Meanwhile, Kelly wants complete isolation and has rejected the idea of having security and feels suffocated and not listened to when Xander shows up anyway. To add insult to injury, she's not entitled or shallow and doesn't like being treated that way. So obviously, when they meet (that's a fun scene!), they are immediately rubbing each other the wrong way. 

As they get to know each other, level heads appear and then we get to see them for who they are. They're both bossy and stubborn and confident and under all of that bravado, vulnerable and hopeful romantics. They both want a partner who loves them for who they are, who support their various dreams and endeavors, and who can be trusted to be faithful and true. This is not a case of opposites attract but like recognizing like. What starts as one passionate night that maybe shouldn't have happened blossoms into a deep and abiding love. They become true partners and friends. 

Hideaway Heart features all of the things we love about Melanie Harlow: hilarious banter and inner monologues, sweet romance with a side of steam. With more siblings to fall in love, I'm looking forward to the next books in the Cherry Tree Harbor series. 

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/3rWXotn

She's a country music star trying to escape the spotlight. He's the scorching hot bodyguard she doesn't want on her vacation. And there's only one bed. 

 

Hideaway Heart by Melanie Harlow is now live! 

 

All I wanted was a break—two weeks off from being Pixie Hart, country music sensation, and fourteen days of peace, privacy, and solitude as plain old Kelly Jo Sullivan.

But thanks to some overzealous paparazzi, my family refuses to let me go anywhere alone, and I’m stuck sharing this tiny cabin with a tall, dark, and bearded bodyguard.

And guess what? There’s only one bed.

Well, he can couch it.

Xander Buckley might be hotter than a stolen blow torch, and I get that he’s a former Navy SEAL and all, but the man gives new meaning to the words overbearing, overprotective, bossy alpha male. I can’t even post a photo on social media without him warning me it’s not safe, or take a morning jog without him following behind.

But he’s made it clear that what he says goes, and if I don’t like it, I can kiss my vacation goodbye.

Instead, I end up kissing him.

I don’t even know how it happened—one minute we were at each other’s throats, the next we were at each other’s mercy. What’s even more shocking is how good we are together. He understands my need for freedom, and I understand his need for control.

But emotional trust doesn’t come easily to me. And we’re on two completely different paths.

Without question, I’d put my life in his hands.

Just don’t ask me to give him my heart.

 

 

  Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Meet Melanie

 

USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling author Melanie Harlow writes sweet, sexy, feel-good romance. She likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. If she's not writing or reading, she's probably at Orangetheory or watching Schitt's Creek again. She lifts her glass to readers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.

 

Connect with Melanie

 

Website: www.melanieharlow.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7095467.Melanie_Harlow

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Melanie-Harlow/e/B00DXOYC1S

Facebook: harlow.pub/ap

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/351191341756563

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melanie_harlow/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authormelanieharlow

Bookbub: harlow.pub/bb