Tuesday, September 29, 2015

A Royal Temptation (Dynasties: The Montoros) by Charlene Sands Review





Synopsis:
 
Secrets, lies and forbidden love… USA TODAY bestselling author Charlene Sands brings you the most shocking royal romance yet!
Juan Carlos Salazar II never thought he'd become King of Alma. But when an explosive family secret leaves him next in line for the throne, he's ready.
Until he catches a glimpse of Princess Portia Lindstrom at the coronation. Because it's love at first sight with this mysterious woman. But Portia's secrets test the power of his devotion and Juan Carlos is tempted to throw duty out the window. Sorely tempted.
Soon he must choose between commitment to country and family…or his own heart.

Be sure to read the other sizzling and scandalous stories in the Dynasties: The Montoros series, only from Harlequin® Desire!
MINDING HER BOSS'S BUSINESS by USA TODAY bestseller Janice Maynard
CARRYING A KING'S CHILD by USA TODAY Katherine Garbera
SEDUCED BY THE SPARE HEIR by Andrea Laurence
THE PRINCESS AND THE PLAYER by Kat Cantrell
MAID FOR A MAGNATE by Jules Bennett



My Review:

A perfect fairy tale. 


Alma's new king, Juan Carlos Salazar II knew hard work would get him ahead in life, but he never knew his true destiny was to be a king.  He would be honoring his aunt Isabella's wishes by restoring the monarchy.  During his coronation, Juan Carlos sees a beautiful lady who winks at him as he passes her. He has to meet her.

Princess Portia Lindstrom of Samforstand was attracted to Juan Carlos but she knew better than to get involved with another high profile man after her last relationship ended badly.  A king was definitely out of the question.  Still, she couldn't stop thinking about him.

When Juan Carlos finds out Portia is an art advisor, he asks for her help finding the artwork that his ancestors had hidden before the war.  That's when their attraction grew stronger and they soon find themselves in love

During wedding planning Portia discovers a secret about her past which could destroy everything between her and Juan Carlos.  Will they be able to work through this new discovery?

I really enjoyed this story. There were many surprises in it and my heart broke for Portia when she found out the truth about her past.   I couldn’t have asked for a better ending.  



Purchase A Royal Temptation on Harlequin

Pre-order A Royal Temptation on Amazon

Pre-order A Royal Temptation on Barnes & Noble


Follow Charlene Sands





Sunday, September 27, 2015

Book Feature: Next Stop: Nina by Robin Raven





Synopsis:

Nina is pushed to the edge, then falls over that edge into a whole new world.

There's something different about Nina; she never felt comfortable in this world. As she struggles to cope with the pain of her present and past, the young girl's life is changed through the beauty of art.

When Nina grows up and winds up in over her head in a dark place, she finds herself somehow transported to another time when nothing is quite what it seems. She must fight the horrors of her past all over again. Along the way, she faces greater challenges than she imagined and enjoys sweet surprises when she discovers true love.

This is a character-driven novel with a heroine who faces suicidal depression on her own terms, and that's just the beginning. At its heart, Next Stop: Nina is a love story that takes on the types of love that change us and allow us to discover the truth in ourselves.


Purchase Next stop: Nina on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011ZPBRHS

Purchase Next stop: Nina on Barnes & Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/next-stop-robin-raven/1122431757?ean=9780692406298


Visit Robin Raven's Website 
 http://www.robinraven.com/




Saturday, September 26, 2015

Hold Me, Cowboy (2015 Montana Born Rodeo) by Alissa Callen




Synopsis:

The Copper Mountain Rodeo has returned to Marietta and cowboy reputations aren't the only thing at stake...



Marietta home town girl Kendall Dixon knows who she is and what she wants, even if the stubborn and slow-smiling cowboy who owns her heart is long gone from Montana.



Rancher Brent Ashton returns to Marietta to care for his sick mother. Haunted by the death of his father, he is determined to save his derelict home and to resist rekindling the romance with the only girl he's ever loved. He can't let sacrifice her dreams for him.



But the shy and sweet Kendall he left behind has become a strong and determined woman. A woman who won't let her cowboy walk away for a second time.








My Review:

A sweet second chance romance.



It's been four years since Kendall Dixon last saw Brent Ashton.  After Brent's father's death he moved to Australia to live with his cousin.  Now he's back in Marietta and Kendall swears she is over Brent, but deep inside she is just hurt that he never returned her phone calls.  She still wants him.

If there were any spark left of Brent’s feelings for her, she’d find it.  Even if she had to find a way to make him talk, she wasn’t losing her cowboy for a second time.

Brent is home for good and plans to help his mom and to get Fire Weed Ranch back in business again.  He would have returned sooner, but his mom didn't tell him the truth about the ranch or her health.  The first person he sees after returning to town is Kendall at Big Z Hardware.  Kendall is the reason he stayed away so long.

Kendall didn't know that her mother had gone to see Brent the day before he’d left town and told him if he really loved Kendall, he would give her the freedom to follow her own destiny.  Hazel had made it clear the only reason why Kendall wouldn’t accept a Harvard offer to complete a postgraduate landscape qualification was because of him.

With Kendall staying at the ranch, Brent works hard fighting the feelings he has for her.  How long will he be able to resist Kendall?  He doesn't interfere with her future.

I enjoyed this sweet story.  Kendall and Brent's heartbreaking pasts made a great story line and the slow build up to romance made it seem very true to life.   With Brent and Kendall and their friends and family, the book had a lot of depth to it.


Thursday, September 24, 2015

Crushed (Sons of San Clemente Book 1) by Katherine Garbera




Synopsis:

Heath “Con” Connelly is back in San Clemente after three stints in the Middle East with the Navy SEALS. Despite the fact that he’s known to his “brothers” at Preach’s Place for being better with his hands and dangerous when angered, he’s trying to turn over a new leaf. And that’s going…well, not great when he bumps into Mia Santos and notices someone has been beating up the beauty who was always the woman he could never have.

Mia Santos, daughter of one of the most dangerous drug lords, finds herself in the cross-hairs of a turf war. Knowing she put herself there by making bad decisions when deep in a tequila bottle has sharpened her resolve to keep anyone—especially Con—from getting involved in the bloody and dangerous world that is her own. But Con’s not walking away and danger is like a second skin to him. He intends to protect his “family” and claim Mia, unless he gets crushed beneath the dual instincts of lust and rage…



My Review: 


I had a hard time putting this book down.  It was one intense scene after the next.  It's a love story and a story about fighting for what is yours.

Former juvenile delinquent turned Navy SEAL, Heath "Con" Connelly is finished with the Navy and back in San Clemente.  He is living over Preacher's bar, surfing during the day and bartending when he is needed at night.  Preacher is a former preacher who has helped many troubled kids in the past and got them on the right track in life.  He is loved and respected by everyone. 

One day after surfing, Con runs into Mia Santos, a beautiful girl he knew from school, on the beach.  Mia has bruises on her body and a black eye.  Con is very upset about this and wants to take care of whoever did it to her.  Little did Con know, trouble was to soon follow and Preach's bar is attacked. 

Mia has worked hard to get away from her past and being known as a drug kingpin's daughter.  She wants revenge on the drug dealer who is after her and trying to take over her father's old turf.  Con insists on taking matters into his own hands after the attack at Preacher's bar.  How far will Con go to protect his woman and the people he considers family?

This very sexy story has a well scripted plot and characters you'll find yourself cheering on as you turn each page.  With very detailed sex scenes, intense fight scenes and an emotional ending, be prepared for a wide range of emotions while reading this one. 


 

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Some Girls Do (Outback Heat Book 1) by Amy Andrews



Synopsis:

Fashion student Lacey Weston is desperate to leave the city and go home to Jumbuck Springs. Her three older brothers are adamant she’s not. They made a death bed promise to their mother that Lacey would stay the distance at design school and Ethan, the oldest, takes this responsibility very seriously. But Lacey is deeply homesick and determined not to be dissuaded again. She’s also impulsive enough to try anything - even faking a pregnancy.

Ex-cop turned mechanic, Cooper Grainger - one of Ethan’s oldest friends - agrees to watch out for Lacey in the city even though he has a history with her he’d rather forget. How hard could it be, right? But a couple of years later, Coop is over pulling Lacey out of scrapes and cleaning up her messes as she tries to outrun her grief and sense of dislocation. He takes her back to Jumbuck Springs so she can persuade her brothers to let her come home. But things don’t go according to plan. Before Coop knows it Lacey’s pregnant and he’s putting his hand up as the fake baby daddy, filling in for the town mechanic and moving in with her at the local pub.

Lacey is thrilled to have won a reprieve but nothing about the situation sits well with Coop. Least of all having sweet little Lacey Weston as his new roomie…



My Review:

When a lie gets blown out of proportion, could anything good possibly come out of it?


Lacey Weston had her reasons for wanting to leave Brisbane where she was attending design school and go back home to Jumbuck Springs.  But when she got home, her brothers wanted her to turn around and go right back.

Cooper Grainger used to be Lacey's bother Ethan's partner and he was asked to keep an eye on Lacey while she was away from home and in school.  She might need someone's help and her brothers wouldn't be there for her.  When Lacey comes to him the night after she breaks up with her boyfriend and says she wants to go home, Coop takes her.

Coop didn't plan on getting caught up in the middle of a family mess, but when he saw them gang up on Lacey, he had to step in.  Lacey had lied about being pregnant so her brothers would let her stay home. When they demanded to know who the father was, Coop said it was him to put an end to the discussion and so they would leave Lacey alone.

Lacey quickly becomes popular in her home town after she reconstructs a damaged wedding gown for a friend and the story makes it in a magazine.  When dream job is presented to Lacey, she can't say no, even if it means leaving her home town and Coop behind and moving to Melbourne.  She has to tell her brothers the truth about not being pregnant so she can take on this new job.  But what will happen to the relationship Lacey and Coop have started during the time they have been living together? 

Sometimes you have to let go of who you love so they can be all they are meant to be.

This steamy story is one not to be missed.  Lacey and Coop were meant to be together even though Coop was a lot older than Lacey.  The passion they shared was intense. I can't wait to read the next books in this series.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

The Billionaire's Charade (Amalfi Night Billionaires Book 5) by Eve Gaddy Review




Summer St. Croix hates weddings. But when she meets hot-as-sin Luke Vanetti at her oldest friend’s ceremony, he promises to give her a reason to like them.

It’s all sexy fun and games until Summer realizes that Luke is none other than her new boss. Summer refuses to continue to have a fling with her superior, even though the passion between them still runs wildfire hot. But the billionaire private investigator doesn’t see the problem, especially since he knows that one night with Summer won’t be enough.

When Luke’s cousin sends an SOS asking for help in stopping a ring of jewel thieves from robbing his luxury hotel on the Amalfi Coast, Luke agrees. And Summer’s first assignment will be posing as his very sexy, rich, and bejeweled fiancée at the Hotel dei Fiori Isola del Sole.

Playing the happy couple is hard enough during the day, but the nights… will those romantic Amalfi nights turn the charade into more than just a job for both Summer and Luke… for good?



My Review: 

It's a small world.

While out of town for a wedding, the man Summer St. Croix has a one night stand with turns out to be her new boss.  She finds out when she shows up for her first day at Longhorn Investigations.  This isn't good.  Summer doesn't believe in sleeping with someone she works for.

Luke Vanetti's partner Earl hired the new investigator, so Luke had no idea it would be Summer.  It was a surprise when he saw her in the office the morning Summer showed up for work.  Will they be able to work together without giving into temptation? 

Summer and Luke’s first job together is to pose as an engaged couple at Hotel dei Fiori on Isola del Sole in Italy for a big wedding that a lot of wealthy guests will be attending.  Jewel thieves have been hitting luxury hotels across Europe and the owners fear they might be next.

This was one sexy, nail biting and exciting story and a perfect ending to the series.  The writing in this book was incredible.  The characters and the interactions between them felt so real.  I loved the setting and plot.  All around, it’s a great book.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Taming the Italian Bad Boy (International Bad Boy) by Joanne Walsh Review




Wealthy, incredibly sexy Italian entrepreneur Danilo Spinozzi zooms into Lucy Luxton’s life on a motorcycle one quiet afternoon, and she can’t keep her mind or eyes off him. The people of Ravello, a small town on the Amalfi Coast where she is studying jewelry design, warn her that he is the town’s bad boy and a ruthless womanizer, but how can Lucy keep her distance when he is the one man who looks beyond her shy, plump exterior and sees the sensuous and creative woman about to bloom?

Devastated by the one woman in his life who should have loved and protected him, Danillo Spinozzi has had good reason to avoid long-term commitment. But after he takes one look at Lucy and basks in her kindness and unassuming, voluptuous beauty, he needs to make her his for more than a handful of nights. She’s a girl who deserves to be treated right, a tall order when he’s left a trail of broken female hearts behind. He’s going to have to do something he’s never done before—stay and woo her.

Even though Lucy knows she’s due to return home to England at the end of August and that Danilo will move on to his next conquest, she can’t resist him… Or has Danilo really changed his ways for good?




My Review: 

Taming the bad boy can be so much fun.


Danilo Spinozzi was a bad boy that everyone kept warning Lucy Luxton about.  But she didn't want to listen.

Lucy and Danilo met when Danilo was in England for a sales meeting and he wrecked on his motorcycle trying to avoid hitting Lucy's cat in the road.  Lucy’s doctor father brought Danilo back to their house to make sure he didn’t have any injuries.  When Lucy mentioned she was planning to go to Ravello Italy for a specialized jewelry course, Danilo told her to look him up.  He would be happy to show her around.  But Lucy hesitated to call when she arrived in Ravello.

One day while out riding her scooter, Lucy swerves to avoid hitting a dog in the road.  She soon learns the dog belongs to Danilo.  It was like history repeating itself.  From that moment on, Lucy decides to give Danilo a chance even thought everyone warns her about him.

Even though Lucy is very unlike any of the women who Danilo has been actor acted to in the past, her innocence intrigued him.  Will Danilo break Lucy's heart like all of the women he has left in the past?  Or will she be the one to change him? 

I really loved this book.  The story was written really well and I couldn't have asked for better characters.  Their passion was off the charts.  I know this story will stick with me for a long time.  I will definitely be revisiting this book again in the future.