Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Release Day Blitz! "It Happened on Love Street" by Lia Riley

Hey everyone, I am so excited to be a part of this blog tour and release day blitz for Lia Riley's "It Happened on Love Street"! This was such a cute book, so read on for my review, an excerpt, and a great giveaway!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: IT HAPPENED ON LOVE STREET
Author: Lia Riley
Series: Everland, Georgia
On Sale: April 25, 2017
Publisher: Forever
Mass Market: $7.99 USD
eBook: $5.99 USD



In the tradition of New York Times bestselling authors Kristan Higgins, Jill Shalvis, and Marina Adair, comes the first in a new series by Lia Riley about two city sisters finding love in a small town.



The most romantic place she never wanted to be . . .



Pepper Knight moved to Everland, Georgia, as step one in her plan for a successful legal career. But after this big-city gal's plans go awry, going home with her tail between her legs isn't an option. So when the town vet—

and her sexy new neighbor—offers Pepper a temporary dog-walking job, she jumps at the chance. No one needs to know that man's best friend is her worst nightmare . . . or that Everland's hot animal whisperer leaves her panting.



The last thing Rhett Valentine wants is to be the center of small-town gossip. After his first love left him at the altar, he's been there, done that. These days, life is simple, just the way he likes it. But sultry southern nights get complicated once sparks fly between him and the knockout next door. When she proposes a sexy, secret fling—all the deliciousness and none of the prying neighbors-it seems too good to be true. And it is. Because Pepper's determined to leave Love Street, and when she goes, she just might take his heart with her . . .



BUY THE BOOK HERE


THE EVERLAND, GEORGIA SERIES


IT HAPPENED ON LOVE STREET, #1
THE CORNER OF FOREVER AND ALWAYS, #2

Excerpt:

“Here’s an idea.” He nudged his finger on hers. “Say we—and this is purely hypothetically—enjoyed the . . . ahem . . .pleasure of each other’s company in the privacy of our homes.”
“Hypothetically, kept it casual and under the radar?”
She nudged back. “When I leave, there’s no heartbreak, no drama, and no one is the wiser.”
“Interesting theory?” He reached out, his hand splaying her knee. “Or recipe for disaster?”
Tingles shot up her thigh. His skin was warm, those fingers very big and very male. “I have enough to worry about with my future. If you don’t need me for more than a little here and now? I might be persuaded. Hypothetically.”
He moved his hand from her knee to the back of her neck. The touch melted her faster than an ice cube in the July sun.
“What are you thinking?” she murmured.
His deep blue gaze locked on hers and there it came again, that curious sensation of floating and drowning. “That I’d like to hypothetically kiss you.”
There was a sudden roaring in her ears, a whoosh of blood. “Well, there’s only one way to test a hypothesis.”
Slowly, oh so slowly, he dipped forward. His lips didn’t settle on hers like she expected. Instead, he kissed the center of her forehead, softly, experimentally. A tremble rocked through him.
The evening air was sultry, no a hint of chill. The idea that she shook this steadfast man sent a shiver of need through the join of her thighs, a throbbing shudder that swelled to an ache as he peppered a light trail of kisses down her temple, and then moved lower. He took his sweet time on her cheeks, treating her as something to savor, a delicious dessert you didn’t want to wolf in one bite. Tension spread through her body, pulling tighter and tighter, her belly doing a fluttery dips and dives.
When he finally reached her lips, it seemed reasonable to expect that the kiss would be as soft as the others. Silly. Because Rhett was full of surprises. He didn’t hold back, his tongue was greedy, insistent, and hungry. Their teeth banged together. A chair tipped over. They crashed against a table leg, sent it screeching across the floor.
“In theory, you’re a good kisser,” she gasped, tracing her lower lip with her tongue. The skin was puffy, aching.
“Let me experiment a bit more. The initial results are promising.”



 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR



Lia Riley is a contemporary romance author. USA Today describes her as "refreshing" and RT Book Reviews calls her books "sizzling and heartfelt." She loves her husband, three kids, wandering redwood forests and a perfect pour over coffee. She is 25% sarcastic, 54% optimistic, and 122% bad at math (good thing she writes happy endings for a living). She and her family live mostly in Northern California.




FOLLOW FOREVER ONLINE


My gosh, Lia Riley never disappoints!  I have been a huge fan since I read her first book, "Upside Down", three years ago, and I've enjoyed every one of her titles I've read since.  While "It Happened on Love Street" was certainly more lighthearted than Riley's "Off the Map" series, I loved the change of pace and small town feel here.

Pepper Knight was a fun character. She's a bit introverted, highly driven to succeed, smart, sassy, and feisty. She's also petrified of dogs, due to a traumatic incident when she was a child. Unfortunately, I can also relate to this trauma as my daughter was bitten in the face by our family dog a couple of years ago. It was awful, and although my daughter does not seem to have any lingering fear of dogs, she still bears the scars on her cheek. Pepper, too, has scars on her face, but the internal wounds are what she needs to overcome if she wants to make ends meet in her new town of Everland, Georgia, as the only job she could find once her clerkship position was rescinded was that of dog walker.  Poor Pepper, I really felt for her, things weren't going even remotely as she'd envisioned! But at the same time, Rhett Valentine was there to ease the pain, so I couldn't feel too sorry for her.

If you are tired of reading romance novels where the hero is a clichéd brooding bad boy, then Rhett Valentine is definitely your man. He doesn't sleep around, he's always respectful and chivalrous - even to the old biddies who drive him bonkers poking their noses into his personal business! - and he has strong relationships with his best friend, his sister, and even his ex. In a word, he's amazing! Even though he's extremely attracted to Pepper, he feels the need to be cautious, considering how he'd been burned in the past. Eventually, he and Pepper enter into a friends-with-benefits type of secret relationship, which is super sweet and steamy, and I loved everything about it! This arrangement works out great for both of them, until of course, it doesn't.

So what else is there to love about this book? Well, Everland itself sounds pretty fabulous. There are some interesting characters making appearances throughout, most notably Mayor Beau and Tuesday (born on a Friday). There's a villain, a treasure hunt, and a mystery, plus a new twist on an old classic board game. And then there's the time that Pepper lost her favourite hat...

I do wish that some of the townspeople and events surrounding them had a bit more depth and description.  For instance, there was one character introduced in the beginning of the book, and he didn't appear again until the end, where he was able to fulfill a pretty significant role in solving the mystery. I would have liked to know more about him, or for his character to at least be mentioned a couple of times throughout the book. Otherwise, his role in the story feels a tad forced, know what I mean? The mystery itself was cute, but I didn't really feel any urgency to see the resolution. Same with the treasure hunt - it was a neat idea, but too easily solved, and didn't add a whole lot of significance to the story. I also felt like Pepper was able to overcome her fear of dogs quite easily, and I wanted more detail on how she did this. Plus, she only ever made mention of walking the Chihuahua, Wolfgang, and maybe one other dog. I'm not asking that Pepper's every moment of every day be explained in detail, but for a person with a major phobia suddenly forced to spend a good chunk of time each day with the object of that phobia? I need a bit more to buy into the whole deal.

Those minor complaints aside, I thoroughly enjoyed my time hanging out on Love Street with Pepper, Rhett, and all their kooky sidekicks. You can bet I'll be picking up "The Corner of Forever and Always" as soon as I'm able!

Many thanks to Forever Publishing for the Advance Reading Copy in exchange for my honest review.

My rating:


Tuesday, April 18, 2017

"Accidentally on Purpose" by Jill Shalvis: On Sale Now!!!

Accidentally On Purpose- FB sale banner        

From New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis comes the sexy, standalone novel, ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE, on sale for $1.99 in the eBook format for a limited time only! Grab your copy today at this amazing price!

        Accidentally On Purpose-cover

About ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE:

There’s no such thing as a little in love . . .

Elle Wheaton’s priorities: friends, career, and kick-ass shoes. Then there’s the muscular wall of stubbornness that’s security expert Archer Hunt—who comes before everything else. No point in telling Mr. “Feels-Free Zone” that, though. Elle will just see other men until she gets over Archer . . . which should only take a lifetime . . .

There’s no such thing as a little in lust . . .

Archer’s wanted the best for Elle ever since he sacrificed his law-enforcement career to save her. Their chemistry could start the next San Francisco earthquake and he craves her 24/7, but Archer doesn’t want to be responsible for the damage. The alternative? Watch her go out with guys who aren’t him . . .

There is such a thing as . . .

As far as Archer’s concerned, nobody is good enough for Elle. But when he sets out to prove it by sabotaging her dates, she gets mad—and things get hot as hell. Now Archer has a new mission: prove to Elle that her perfect man has been here all along . . .

     

ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE in ebook or paperback! ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE is on sale in eBook format for just $1.99 for a limited time only!

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            Accidentally On Purpose- April Sale Teaser    

Add to your Goodreads

      EXCERPT:  
His hand caught her, long fingers wrapping around her elbow and causing all sorts of unwelcome sensations as he pulled her back around.
                “What?” she asked.
                “Waiting for my apology.”
                “Sure,” she said agreeably. “When hell freezes over.” She lifted her chin, grateful for her four-inch heels so that she could almost, kind of, not quite look him in the eyes. “I’m in charge of this building, Archer, which means I’m in charge of everything that happens in it. I’m also in charge of everyone who works for this building.”
                He cocked his head, looking amused again. “You want to be the boss of me, Elle?” he asked softly.
                I am the boss of you.”
                Now he outright smiled and her breath caught. Damn, stupid, sexy smile. And then there was The Body. Yes, she thought of it in capital letters, it deserved the respect. “If you don’t want to be walking funny tomorrow,” she said, “you’ll stop invading my personal-space bubble.”
                Complete bravado and they both knew it. She’d only been at this job for a year and it’d come as a surprise to her that he’d been in the building at all. An unfortunate coincidence. Before that it’d been years since they’d had any contact, but she still knew enough to get that no one got the better of him.
                He was quick, light on his feet, and physically strong. But that wasn’t what made him so dangerous to her. No, it was his sharp intelligence, his quick wit, how he was willing to go as dark as he needed to in order to do what he thought was right.
                And then there was the biggie—the way he had of making her feel shockingly alive.
                He did as she asked and stepped back but not before pausing to make sure they both knew who was in control here, and it most definitely wasn’t her.
                No one did intimidation like Archer, and in his line of work he could be in a coma and still intimidate everyone in the room. He had muscles on top of muscles but didn’t look beefed up like a body builder might. Instead his body seemed lean and seriously badass, with caramel skin that strayed from light to golden to mocha latte depending on what the season was, giving him a look of indeterminable origin.
                And sexiness.
                It worked for him, allowing him to fit in to just about any situation. Handy on the job, she imagined. But with her he was careful. Distant. And yet she’d seen the way he sometimes looked at her, and on the rare occasion when he’d touched her, like when he guided her through a door with his hand low on her back, he let himself linger. There was always a shocking and baffling yearning beyond both the glances and the touches.
                That, or it was all just wishful thinking.
                Not that it mattered since he still held back with her. The problem was she yearned too. Yearned for him to see her as a woman, strong and capable enough to stand at his side.
                But after what they’d been through, she knew that would never happen. She turned away, annoyed by how her entire body had gone on high alert as always, every inch of her seeming to hum beneath the surface.
                She should have just emailed him.

Heartbreaker Bay graphic    

And don’t miss the previous books in Jill Shalvis’s Heartbreaker Bay Series, SWEET LITTLE LIES, THE TROUBLE WITH MISTLETOE and ONE SNOWY NIGHT, now available! Grab your copies HERE!

        Jill Shalvis - headshot
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 sexy contemporary and award-winning books wherever romances are sold and click on the blog button above for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.            

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Tuesday, April 11, 2017

"Twist" by Kylie Scott - Release Day!!!

        Dive-Bar-banner-with-Chaser       twist
From New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott comes the second sizzling stand-alone novel in the Dive Bar series!   When his younger brother loses interest in online dating, hot bearded bartender Joe Collins only intends to log into his account and shut it down. Until he reads about her.   Alex Parks is funny, fascinating, and pretty much everything he's been looking for in a woman—except that she lives across the country. Soon they're emailing up a storm and telling each other their deepest, darkest secrets...except the one that really matters.   When Alex pays Joe a surprise visit, however, they both discover that when it comes to love, it's always better with a twist.
 

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | Amazon CA | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | Google Play

    Twist-promo-7            
“I wanted to talk to you a bit more about what happened between us online,” he said, his mouth a serious straight line. “How I came to use my brother’s profile.” Ugh. “I’m pretty sure I found out everything I needed to know last night.” “I didn’t mean to lie to you, Alex.” “Once is a mistake.” I crossed my legs, kicking my black leather bootie back and forth. So I was a little aggravated. Sue me. “Months’ worth of e-mails is not. You could have introduced yourself to me, Joe, told me who you really were. You chose not to. Christ, no wonder you kept putting off meeting. I should have known something was wrong.” “You’re right. I shouldn’t try to sell you excuses.” A big sigh from my “friend.” “Truth is, I’m not used to being the bad guy. Usually I’m the one cleaning up my brother’s messes.” “Lucky me.”

Twist-promo-9                   kyliescottimage
Kylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013 & 2014, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet. You can learn more about Kylie from http://www.kylie-scott.com/      

Monday, April 10, 2017

"Twist" by Kylie Scott - Blog Tour and Review!


 You guys, I'm so stoked to be a part of this blog tour! Read on for more info on "Twist" and my review!!! Dive-Bar-banner-with-Chaser  
twist
From New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott comes the second sizzling stand-alone novel in the Dive Bar series! When his younger brother loses interest in online dating, hot bearded bartender Joe Collins only intends to log into his account and shut it down. Until he reads about her. Alex Parks is funny, fascinating, and pretty much everything he's been looking for in a woman—except that she lives across the country. Soon they're emailing up a storm and telling each other their deepest, darkest secrets...except the one that really matters. When Alex pays Joe a surprise visit, however, they both discover that when it comes to love, it's always better with a twist.
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | Amazon CA | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | Google Play         Twist-promo-10     Twist-promo-5       kyliescottimage
Kylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013 & 2014, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet. You can learn more about Kylie from http://www.kylie-scott.com/  

This is probably my fave of the three Kylie Scott books I've read, and I reckon that's because of Joe - he's a real sweetie. The other thing I'm loving about this series is the setting - Coeur d'Alene sounds like such a great place, I'd love to visit there! And the building housing the Dive Bar, tattoo parlour, and music shop sounds so cool - all it needs is a coffee house/bookstore, right?

"Twist" opens with Alex going out on a limb by traveling from Seattle to Coeur d'Alene to surprise Eric Collins for his birthday. She's made a real connection with Eric via an online dating site, emailing back and forth for months. Only, she doesn't realize it's actually Joe she's been emailing, not Eric, until she shows up at the Dive Bar and it's too late to avoid making a fool of herself in front of Eric, Joe, and all their friends.

I did feel sorry for Alex. I don't know if she was agoraphobic, exactly, but she definitely was an introvert, preferring to hang out with her one friend and working in isolation from home. It was extremely difficult for her to put herself out there enough to see Eric in person, and then to find out he wasn't the person she thought he was? Humiliating and devastating!

The real show stopper here for me, though, was Joe. Big, masculine, chivalrous, a tad shy, but totally competent mixing a drink, renovating apartments, or seducing a woman - namely Alex - what's not to love?  It was really great to see the connection between Joe and Alex when they were working together to renovate the building, too. I know of marriages falling apart when it comes to renovations, so the fact that Joe and Alex could work together in harmony proves a lot when it comes to the strength of their relationship.

Unfortunately, not everything can be smooth sailing. There was a point in the book where things took a tragic turn, and while I don't want to give anything away, I will say that this was one of the main things I had issue with. It's not that I wish it didn't happen, it's actually that I didn't like how the event was written. Everything happened so abruptly and without sufficient detail that it had me shaking my head a bit. That said, the story as a whole had me fully engaged and once I'd started reading, I had a very difficult time stopping!

If you're a Kylie fan, I don't think you'll be disappointed in "Twist" - it's got all the ingredients I look for in a quick, steamy read. And if you're not a fan yet, perhaps you better give this series a try. Definitely start with "Dirty", though, because you won't want to miss out on any of these characters' stories! 

My rating: 3.5 stars!
Thanks to InkslingerPR via Netgalley for the free review copy in exchange for my participation in this blog tour! 







Friday, April 7, 2017

Cover Reveal: "Chaser" by Kylie Scott

 

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Kylie Scott brings you the next Dive Bar Novel. We are excited to reveal the cover for CHASER releasing APRIL 2018!

Chaser (1)      
Given his well-earned bad boy reputation, Eric is having a tough time scoring.. When single Jean moves to town, she seems heaven sent by the sex gods. Only problem is, she not only wants nothing to do with him, but it turns out that she’s pregnant.   Starting over in a small town, Jean is determined to turn her wild lifestyle around and be the kind of mother she always wished she’d had. Since local bar owner and all round hottie, Eric Collins, is now determined to steer clear of her pregnant self, it should be easy. When she goes into labour during a snow storm and her car slides on some ice, it’s Eric who comes to the rescue.   There seems to be a bond between them now, but is it enough? And can Eric give up his manwhore ways to be the man Jean needs?        

PRE-ORDER NOW

AMAZON  | AMAZON CA | AMAZON UK | Books A Million | Indiebound

            kyliescottimage
Kylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013 & 2014, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet. You can learn more about Kylie from http://www.kylie-scott.com/