COVER REVEAL! New book coming in January from Claire Marti!

 

 

 

 A cocky, charming real estate attorney.

A brilliant, gorgeous sommelier.

Neither has time for romance.

One mind-blowing kiss changes everything.

Jack Cassidy heads the team opening the next in an exclusive line of boutique hotels, this one in wine country. Working with his best friend’s sister should make it easier, tapping into her expertise about the area and its wines. The pair have been friends for years, so sharing an apartment shouldn’t pose any issues… except for the simmering heat building between them.

Campbell Taylor’s one of only a handful of women to battle the all-boys club and go for the title of master sommelier. She didn’t rise to her position by being a pushover, but living and working with her brother’s best friend – the man she’s secretly crushed on for years – might prove to be her greatest challenge. How can she get him to see her as more than Cameron’s little sister? And will their undeniable attraction derail her dreams?

 

Pre-Order:

http://www.clairemarti.com/r/WineCountryKing-Kindle
http://www.clairemarti.com/r/WineCountryKing-Kobo
http://www.clairemarti.com/r/WineCountryKing-Apple
http://www.clairemarti.com/r/WineCountryKing-Nook
https://books2read.com/winecountryking

Add to your Goodreads TBR:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59582325-wine-country-king

 

5 Sparkling Stars for MATT'S MYSTIC CONNECTION !

 Matt's story is available and the reviews have started coming in - 

5 stars all around!

Have you read it yet? 

Grab your copy on AMAZON and let me know what you think!

"Told in Katie O'Sullivan's usual witty, quick, and sexy style, this book hit all the marks for me: a heroine who pursues her passion, a hero who's willing to take risks for love, and a storyline that I found intriguing."

~ Bookbub review

"When these two meet, sparks fly! The physical chemistry is palpable and once they are able to explore beneath the surface, the emotional connection is just as strong."

~ Amazon review

"Go get this treasure and get ready fall in love with Matt, Samantha, and O'Sullivan's vivid portrayal of the kiteboarding world" 

~ Goodreads review

Brand New Hot Hunks Book on Its Way!!!

 

Here's the scoop:

Sparks fly when Sam meets Matt at a kiteboarding tournament in Mystic, Connecticut, where the sizzling connection between them is almost combustible.

Samantha Jones moved to Cape Cod at the age of ten, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Between wrangling first graders and caring for her aging grandmother, she doesn’t have time for serious relationships. Every free moment is spent on the water, and the money from the sponsorships doesn’t hurt.

Up until recently, Matthew Daniels had it all: great job, cool apartment in the heart of San Francisco, and a girlfriend he was ready to take the next step with. Now, all that’s left is the job at the up and coming kiteboard brand. He’s hoping a fresh start on the East coast – back with all of his college buddies – will be the hard reset he needs to get his life back on track. What he doesn’t anticipate is the unforgettable woman he meets in Mystic.

Available Now on AMAZON

Monday Book Review: Cold as Ice, by Toni Anderson

 

About the Book:

When Darby O'Roarke wakes up in a strange house with a dead man - with no memory of what happened - she knows who she has to call: FBI Supervisory Special Agent Eban Winters...the man she fell for, and who rejected her, last summer.

A negotiator isn't supposed to get involved with kidnap victims, and Eban has been trying to avoid the temptation that is Darby O'Roarke ever since they met. One frantic phone call has him racing to Alaska to uncover the truth, but he faces stubborn opposition from the local police, and a growing media frenzy.

Getting Darby released from jail and keeping her safe is his first priority. When another woman is brutally slain, evidence emerges that suggests Darby is being framed, and that the culprit is a vicious serial killer who has eluded the FBI for more than a decade...and, now, the killer has Darby in their sights.

 

MY TAKE:

This is the fifth book in the Cold Justice - The Negotiators series, and another winner from author Toni Anderson. I've read and loved every one of her Cold Justice books from both this series and the prior series, and have to say they keep getting better, the action tighter, the plots twistier. Anderson is a master of romantic suspense.

Readers met Darby O'Rourke previously in another book from the series, Colder than Sin, where she was kidnapped and held hostage by a terrorist group on a tropical island. It was then she first met Eban Winters, the FBI hostage rescue team negotiator who comes to her rescue again in this book. 

This time, Darby's been framed for murder in her small University town in Alaska. The police think it's a slam dunk case, until Darby reaches out to her FBI friends for help. Eban hasn't been able to stop thinking about Darby since they first met, even though he knows he shouldn't get involved with a victim he's helped to rescue. Especially not one who went through the physical, mental and sexual traumas that she did. But he can't ignore her cry for help and rushes to Alaska to help the local cops find the real killer.

The story alternates POVs between Darby and Eban, with first person chapters from the killer scattered throughout. It's those chapters as much as the police investigation that give the reader clues as to the killer's identity - and yet I was still surprised at the end. Great attention to detail, with tons of red herrings thrown in, make this a really absorbing mystery to solve. Totally recommend this new release - and if you haven't read the previous books in this series or the original Cold Justice series, you are in for a huge treat! 

Cold as Ice is now available on AMAZON

Monday Book Review: My Only One, by Charlotte O'Shay

 

About the Book:

My Only One, Book One of the Fortunato Family series, is a friends to lovers, romantic suspense that’s chock full of feels.

Esme:
We grew up in side-by-side New York City tenements. Shane was my first friend, my first crush, and when he enlisted, my unforgettable heartbreak. When fate brings us back together after ten years, I’m in a world of danger. But I’m not a kid anymore and I know what I want. Shane and I have a second chance at forever and there’s no way I’ll lose him again.

Shane:
Brilliant, beautiful, bound for success, Esme was the girl next door and a temptation I had to resist. I was too old for her, but I couldn’t forget her. When we meet again after ten long years, she’s caught in the crosshairs of a deadly drug kingpin. But I wear a badge now. Nothing will stop me from protecting the woman who claimed me—heart and soul—so long ago. I’ll keep Esme safe or die trying.

Time’s running out for Esme to pay her father’s debt to the cartel.

 

MY TAKE:

 

Charlotte O'Shay is a master storyteller, grabbing the reader on page one - hook, line and sinker. I've read her previous books and really enjoyed them all... but with MY ONLY ONE, O'Shay hits her stride as an author. I expect great things from this series, especially if this first book is any indication.

 

This story starts in fifth gear with the heroine running for her life, and the pace never slows, dragging you headlong through emotional highs and lows and everything in between. From the moment Esme and Shane reconnect, sparks are flying. Told in first person with alternating viewpoints, the reader gets all the feels right along with the main characters. The romance progresses quickly, but then again, this couple has been waiting ten years to act on all the suppressed feelings they had for each other as teens. Having Esme's life literally on the line means everything is in stark focus for them both, and they need to make every moment count.

 

I loved the secondary characters as well, from Shane Fortunato's large, warm family to the drug lord who oozes evil with every word and action. I also loved Esme's grit and spirit, and the fact that she never gives up. She's no fainting princess waiting to be rescued, she's determined to rescue herself, even if she has to run barefoot through the streets of Manhattan. Gotta love a heroine with spunk, which she keeps up throughout the story (and no, no spoilers here.)

 

Totally recommend adding this fast-paced page turner to your fall reading list. 5 bright stars for this story, and hope the author hurries up with the next installment of the Fortunato series.

Grab your copy on AMAZON and get reading!

  

 

Monday Book Review: Balance, by Peggy Jaeger

 

About the Book:

She’s a wealthy socialite who survived an abusive marriage.
He’s a hardworking guy raising his son and caring for his widowed father.
They come from different worlds, but it’s said…opposites attract.
Can they find the balance between their two lifestyles to make their love work?
Or will their differences tear them apart?

Life and love are a balancing act

 

MY TAKE:

Peggy Jaeger's emotional and descriptive writing make her an auto-buy author for me, and with Balance she has another winner. This story of opposites attracting is not a fast, breezy read as some of the subject matter is heavier than your average romance - our heroine Phillipa recently got out of a 15-year abusive marriage, and now volunteers at a battered women's shelter. Phil was also the rich, spoiled, and highly unlikeable secondary character in a previous book (Woke, a reimagined tale of Sleeping Beauty), so I wasn't sure I wanted to even like her, despite her tragic story.

And yet... Jaeger has a way of peeling back the layers to reveal the goodness in her characters. When Phil meets Decker on call in the ER, he seems just as prickly, pompous, and unlikeable as she is, despite his handsome good looks and surprisingly caring bedside manner. Yet... as more of his character is revealed, we find he's a hardworking single father, struggling to care for his son and aging father while making ends meet.Each has opposite problems to overcome, and yet the whole opposites attract thing seems to flow so naturally and un-forced. The problems the pair face also flow naturally from circumstances.

The story is told all in Phillipa's first person POV, and although I would have loved to know what exactly was running through Decker's mind, the one POV helped to keep the tension running throughout the story. Peggy Jaeger is a master of description and emotion, tugging you by the heartstrings through the story until you reach the satisfying happily ever after.

5 stars for this emotional roller coaster of a romance. Highly recommend.

Grab a copy on AMAZON

COVER REVEAL + GIVEAWAY! My One and Only by Charlotte O'Shay - available September 21!

 

My Only One, Book One of the Fortunato Family series, is a friends to lovers, romantic suspense that’s chock full of feels.

Esme:
We grew up in side-by-side New York City tenements. Shane was my first friend, my first crush, and when he enlisted, my unforgettable heartbreak. When fate brings us back together after ten years, I’m in a world of danger. But I’m not a kid anymore and I know what I want. Shane and I have a second chance at forever and there’s no way I’ll lose him again.

Shane:
Brilliant, beautiful, bound for success, Esme was the girl next door and a temptation I had to resist. I was too old for her, but I couldn’t forget her. When we meet again after ten long years, she’s caught in the crosshairs of a deadly drug kingpin. But I wear a badge now. Nothing will stop me from protecting the woman who claimed me—heart and soul—so long ago. I’ll keep Esme safe or die trying.

Time’s running out for Esme to pay her father’s debt to the cartel.

Enter to win a $50 Amazon US or Apple gift card:

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/92db7750128

Open to US residents only. You must have an active Amazon US or Apple account. 

Runs August 23 – September 7, 2021.

Winner will be drawn on September 8, 2021.

#comingsoon #coverreveal #romanticsuspense #bookstagram #bookaholic #newseries #romancereaders #readmoreromance #steamyread #preordernow #giveaway #win #giftcard #upcomingrelease #friendstolovers  #newinromanticsuspense @N. N. Light 

Monday Book Review: TOTALLY FOLKED by Penny Reid

 

About the Book:

One unforgettable night leads to an unlikely shared connection, and unlikely connections never go unnoticed by the good folks in Green Valley, Tennessee. . .

Jackson James follows the rules. He has to. He’s a sheriff’s deputy in a super small town with a super big personality. However, strict adherence to the law during the day has been enjoyably balanced by rakish rules at night. Jackson, typically happy to protect and serve (and serve, and serve), starts questioning the value of wayward evenings when getting laid starts to feel more like being waylaid. Could it be that Green Valley’s most eligible—and notorious—bachelor longs for something (and someone) real?

Mega movie star Raquel Ezra follows only one rule: always leave them wanting more. Studio execs, reporters, audiences, fans, lovers—no one can get enough of the smart, savvy, and sexy bombshell. But when “generous offers” begin to feel more like excessive demands, years of always leaving has the elusive starlet longing for something (and perhaps someone) lasting.

When Raquel abruptly returns to the quirky Tennessee hamlet, her path crosses with the delectable deputy with whom she spent one unforgettable night. Unfortunately, scandal and intrigue soon follow. Raquel and Jackson must decide which is more important: following their rules? Or, at long last, finding something real.

TOTALLY FOLKED is a standalone, contemporary romantic comedy novel and book #1 in the Good Folk: Modern Folktales series.

 

 MY TAKE:

Have you read any Penny Reid books? If not, you need to get acquainted with the wonderful, quirky, smart, comedy-prone, fast-paced, fabulous author and her books.  Her Knitting in the City series is to die for - or at least to curl up on the couch for a weekend and read non-stop, not leaving except maybe to use the bathroom or refill your wine glass. But I absolutely love her Winston Brothers series, which she cleverly spun into a whole universe for other writers to play in. Except I didn't realize she'd reserved some of the characters for herself - but boy, am I glad she did.

Jackson James is a deputy sheriff in Green Valley, with big shoes to fill and big expectations to meet, considering that his daddy's been the sheriff forever. No one expects more out of Jackson than he does of himself, and in the Winston Brothers series he comes off as a bit of an uptight prick, especially when he's trying to arrest the heroes of those books...

Like the rest of the Green Valley stories, TOTALLY FOLKED is told in alternating first person POVs between Jackson and Rae, otherwise known as Raquel Ezra, mega-movie star and Hollywood sex symbol. Which may seem contrived, unless you've read the previous books and know one of the Winston brothers met (and eventually married) a Hollywood star when she was filming on location in the State Park where he was a ranger.

Their love affair is an emotional rollercoaster with so many levels you'll want to flip back to page one as soon as you hit "the end", just to experience the ride all over again. Which you should totally do. Unless you haven't read the other previous books. In that case, you should totally START WITH BOOK ONE AND READ THEM ALL.

You can grab TOTALLY FOLKED on AMAZON

#NEW Preorder Available Now ~ MATT'S MYSTIC CONNECTION Coming in November!

 

More Hot Hunks Steamy Romance books are coming your way! This time, all the stories center in Mystic Connecticut, that bustling seaside town along the banks of the Long Island Sound. Like always, each of the eight stories is a standalone romance by a different author. You can read them in any order, read one or read all. Eight hot hunks discovering love...

Here's the blurb for my contribution to the collection:

Sparks fly when Sam meets Matt at a kiteboarding tournament in Mystic, Connecticut, where the sizzling connection between them is almost combustible.

Samantha Jones moved to Cape Cod at the age of ten, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Between wrangling first graders and caring for her aging grandmother, she doesn’t have time for serious relationships. Every free moment is spent on the water, and the money from the sponsorships doesn’t hurt.

Up until recently, Matthew Daniels had it all: great job, cool apartment in the heart of San Francisco, and a girlfriend he was ready to take the next step with. Now, all that’s left is the job at the up and coming kiteboard brand. He’s hoping a fresh start on the East coast – back with all of his college buddies – will be the hard reset he needs to get his life back on track. What he doesn’t anticipate is the unforgettable woman he meets in Mystic.

In the quaint seaside town of Mystic, Connecticut, love is in the air—and who knows where you might encounter a look, a smile, a kiss… that moment when you know your whole life is about to change. It could happen at the Seaport Museum, the Mystic Aquarium, at famous Mystic Pizza, or on a romantic sailboat cruise. Maybe even a Sunday outing at the Elm Grove Cemetery like they did in the late 1900's, strolling in the salt-kissed breeze.

Eight hunky guys, each on his own path through life, navigate their way through the rich history of Mystic, discovering steamy romance along the way.

River’s Mystic Crush- Natalie Ann
Luke’s Mystic Romance - Suzanne Jenkins
Malachi’s Mystic Assignment- Jen Talty
Matt’s Mystic Connection - Katie O'Sullivan
Liam’s Mystic Passion- Alicia Street
Cael’s Mystic Reunion- Stephanie Morris
Ridley's Mystic Roots- Reina Torres
Max's Mystic Magic- Tamara Ferguson

Since this is me, I'm still working on my story, but can I tell you I'm totally in love with these characters! If you've read my other books, you may recognize the main character Samantha as Eliza's best friend in BATTLING BENJAMIN, the elementary school teacher with the smart mouth who always talks in exclamation points when she's out with her friends. She's a bit of a complicated character - probably too complicated for a shorter novel, so we'll see how long this one turns out in the end.  Matt started as a cartoon outline of a guy I met on the beach over the winter - there are a ton of kiteboarders who congregate at a beach a few miles from my house, and we were walking the dogs along there over the winter quite a bit. But my character Matt has surprised me at a few turns, and keeps revealing more hidden depth than I'd initially given him credit for. And the cover! I love this cover a lot, so I'm hoping my story lives up to the hype.

All the new Hot Hunks are available for preorder now, individually or as a set, from AMAZON.

 

Monday Book Review: EVERYTHING BY PIPPA GRANT

 

If you haven't checked out this awesome box set, you need to go to Amazon and grab it now.

$1.99 for 11 full books by 11 wonderful authors. Here's a link: https://amzn.to/3dimusE

I grabbed the boxset on preorder when it was free or 99 cents or something like that, after seeing it advertised on Penny Reid's facebook page. I've read most of Penny Reid's books... and saw that Claire Kingsley was in there, and I've read a whole lot of her books too.... turns out both of their stories were ones I already own. So started to read some of the others in the anthology - that's what box sets are for, to find new to you authors at a discounted price. It's also like saying, if you like these authors, you might like these others too.

I found Pippa Grant. 

Oh. My. Good.

She's prolific, profane, and pretty all-around amazing at world-building an extended group of friends that spill from Manhattan down to Virginia and encompass hockey stories, baseball stories, billionaire stories, small town stories, enemies to lovers, best friend's brother, brother's best friend, the one that got away... you name it, she's written it, and in the funniest most down to earth way possible.

All the stories I've read are first person, told in alternating viewpoints between the two lead characters in mostly alternating chapters (sometimes one character gets a few chapters in a row, depending on where the arc takes us.) 

My favorites so far (and yes, I do mean that since I haven't read them all yet, but the summer is just getting started) are:

America's Geekheart (Bro Code Book 2)

 

and 

Mister McHottie (Girl Band Book 1)

Yes, okay, sometimes the stories are a little over the top. Like Eloise's book (The Hero and the Hactivist, Girl Band Book 4) where the main characters comes up with outrageous, over-the-top bad-romance-book euphemisms for her "love muff," his "rod of pleasure" and the acts themselves - and never uses the same one twice. I think someone must have dared the author to come up with as many as possible... or she'd fallen into a vat of bad 1970s Harlequins, or something equally outrageous. 

Or Grady Rock's over-the-top way he talks so lovingly it's pretty sexual to his dough when he's creating his culinary masterpieces in Master Baker (the first Bro Code Spin-off standalone)

Yeah, maybe over-the-top is the way to sum up a lot of these books...

But they're also fun and flip and entertaining and engaging, and like plugging pure sugar into my Kindle each time. Addicting in a dangerous way if you work from home. Or have kids that need to be fed. Or laundry piling up in the corner. Oh wait, is that just me? 

(and have I mentioned how much I love love love her cover art? Yum...)

I want to write like Pippa Grant when I grow up.

Instead of giving you a book link, I'm giving you the link to Pippa's Amazon page. Start anywhere. Seriously, I didn't start with book one of anything, except for Flirting with the Frenemy (Bro Code Book 1), which was in the Box Set (now a bargain $1.99) that started me down this dangerous wormhole of literary genius or devilry, I'm still not sure which. But like Alice when she went through the looking glass, I'm having fun exploring all that's here.

Pippa's Amazon author page - https://www.amazon.com/Pippa-Grant/e/B075KNG97R

COVER REVEAL!! The Hotel King by Claire Marti ~ Coming August 12!

 

COVER REVEAL 

 

HOTEL KING by @clairepmarti is coming August 12!   

#PreOrderHere : https://books2read.com/hotelking/ 

 

Entrepreneur Ryan Michaels never loses. Well, except that time, a few years ago when he lost a promotion to spoiled rich girl, Charlotte “Charlie” Ray. Now he’s forced to hire his nemesis to secure funding to develop a string of luxury boutique hotels. Not only does she not fit his corporate vision, but she’s too damn attractive for her own good. And his. 

 

Working as VP of Sales and Marketing for a luxury hotel is Charlie’s dream job. Too bad her boss is Ryan Michaels, the same pompous stick-in-the-mud that she remembers. If he tells her that this project is his legacy one more time, she might scream. Or maybe kissing him will get him to shut up? 

Because that’s the other thing. The sizzling attraction between Ryan and Charlie is impossible to ignore. But everyone knows not to mix business and pleasure. Don’t they? 

Add to your Goodreads TBR List Here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58113283-hotel-king 

 

#comingsoon #readyourheartout #bookaholic #instabook #needtoreaditnow #readmoreromance #booknerdigan #bookobsessed #bookstagram #wildfiremarketingsolutions

Ready for Beach Days? Pre-Order your Summer Reading Now!

 

Are you ready for hot summer days sitting by the pool, or on the beach with your toes in the sand?

Do you have something good to read? Something with a little summer sizzle?

Grab this HOT SUMMER ROMANCE set - 9 bestselling authors with 9 stories to get you in a summertime frame of mind!

99 cents for 9 stories ~ find some great new-to-you authors and enjoy some hot summer romance.

Available for preorder NOW ~ Coming to your Kindle June 13

BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B091DSMVFN

 

 

Celebrate International Tiara Day with the Romance Chicks bloghop!

 

 

Quick! Grab your crowns and join me on May 24th to celebrate International Tiara day!

Hop on over to the Romance Chicks Partypalooza group and check out the list of participating Wear Your Crown Blog Hop authors. Hop to each author’s site for fun and giveaways, and then return to the group to enter the Grand Prize Giveaway of a $150 giftcard!

 

I'm giving away a copy of my latest Hot Hunks romance, Battling Benjamin. Enter to win by liking my Facebook page and answering the question ~ what do you look for in a romance read? Leave your comment here or on Facebook - but join the fun!

 

Find the full list of participants here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/romancechicks

 

 

Battling Benjamin is a 5-star read!

 

 

First reviews are in! BATTLING BENJAMIN is a 5-star read! Grab a copy while it's still on sale for 99 cents... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08VRQF1T4

 

"Well written characters and well written story! I couldn't put this book down and read it in just a few hours! Loved it!" - Goodreads reviewer

 

"Enemies with beneifts? Oh! What a nice twist!" - Bookbub reviewer

 

"I loved Eliza and Ben... This pair are well matched and I love their banter, lingering looks and explosive chemistry." - Amazon reviewer 

 

(and one last pic for you ~ to prove Ben's other arm is just as buff... you're welcome...)