ππ§π₯π² ππ’π―ππ₯π¬ by Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Charity Ferrell is LIVE! Donβt miss this enemies to lovers romance!
I didn’t realize until I dove into Only Rivals that it is a next-generation spinoff series connecting Charity Ferrell’s Blue Beech and Twisted Fox series! OMG! I am HERE for it all!
Jax (the son of Maliki and Sierra from Just Roommates) and Amelia (the daughter of Silas and Lola from Last Call) have been rivals since they were practically in diapers. Their parents are friends, their fathers are business partners, and Jax and Amelia have always known how to push each other’s buttons. The story starts a few months after Amelia’s fiance/Jax’s best friend, Chris, has committed suicide, which Jax blames her for. And now Chris has left his half of the brewery he and Jax own to Amelia.
Well, we all know that there is a fine line between love and hate. And OMG this book gutted me. Amelia and Jax have such a deep history and there is SO MUCH between them. It’s ugly between them at first, but they both eventually show such vulnerability to each other. Jax makes some mistakes along the way and it’s a rollercoaster of emotions before they get there, but this is a wonderfully complex story of grief, forgiveness, moving on, letting go, and getting back the one that got away.
I can’t wait to see what’s next! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
ABOUT CHARITY FERRELL
Charity Ferrell is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the Blue Beech and Twisted Fox series. She resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. Angst is her happy place, and she loves writing about flawed people finding love.
I am a sucker for a marriage-in-peril story and M. Robinson delivered with Second Chance Vow!
The story is told in dual timelines as it goes back and forth between the current stat of Christian and Kinleyβs marriage β on the precipice of divorce β and when they first started dating as high schoolers 20 years ago.
There is so much hurt and regret between these two, and Sebastian York and Maxine Mitchell delivered every beat of the heartbreak with their narration. I cried ugly tears for Christian and Kinley as they went through their divorce, a divorce he didnβt want and she was only insisting upon bc it was the only way she knew how to set him free. And when they finally got everything they wanted, my heart soared. Iβm sure it would have impacted me just as much if I read this story, but listening to the audio amplified my feelings so much!!
I received a complimentary copy and voluntarily left a review.
All I knew about him was how good at breaking my heart he was.
The Wrong Boy, a sensual small-town second-chance romance in The All American Boy Series from bestselling author Ashley Munoz, is available now!
Having a bed and breakfast with just one communal bathroom wasnβt working, and it was past time to bite the bullet and upgrade the inn.
There was just one small problem: In the small town of Deacon, Texas, there was only one contractor.
Yep, just one: Jonathan Oaks.
But it didnβt matter how skilled he was at building things when all I knew about him was how good at breaking my heart he was.
Five years could put a lot into perspective, but it wasnβt enough time to make me forget that he was the wrong boy for me then and heβd be the wrong boy for the job now.
I should have known better.
Jonathan Oaks wasnβt about to lose the chance to renovate my inn, or to rub in my face that heβd been right about us all along.
This place was breathtaking in the spring and charming in the summer, and in the winter, she had the fire roaring and thick, wool blankets out for all the guests to use while watching the rain pour from the porch. I had wanted Tilly to upgrade this place years ago, but we always fought whenever I brought it up, which made this entire situation even more frustrating because sheβd finally decided to upgrade, just not with me. βWell, thank you for your timeβ¦β I heard Tilly say gently while tugging open the screen door and holding it for the man exiting her inn. He had a white head of hair and a matching white beard to match. βNot a problem, maβam.β He gave me a swift nod of acknowledgment and headed to his truck. Meanwhile Tillyβs eyes were on me as if I were a werewolf that had just snuck onto her property. βWhat are you doing here?β I stalked up the creaking steps and joined her on the porch, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my worn jeans. Just like every other time, I felt naked in front of her, as though she was seeing all my weaknesses and everything that made me vulnerable. βGot a visit from your sister today.β A few bees hovered overhead near the flower baskets as a cool breeze made the blooms sway back and forth. Tilly let out a soft breath as her eyes darted to the side, which gave me a free pass to check her out. She had changed over the past five years, a lot. I mean, we lived in the same small town, so it wasnβt like I hadnβt seen her around, but we were usually goinβ in the other direction if one of us was in the same vicinity. It was an unspoken rule that we never frequented the same spots at the same time, and our friends and family had learned over time not to invite us both to the same events, so it was rare that I was actually in front of her like this. Her hair was red gold, as if each piece of auburn hair was intertwined with sunshine. It hung down to the middle of her back in thick, glossy waves. Her petite frame was similar to her sistersβ: big chest, curved hips, and an ass that made my brain empty and my dick hard as stone. She was still as perfect as sheβd been five years ago, and the years Iβd seen and wanted her prior to that. My mother once guessed that Tilly Banks would be the great love of my life, but because I couldnβt seem to keep the girl, sheβd be the great loss of it too, which explained my perpetual grumpy attitude. My mother was wrong, though. I was over Tilly. I had been for years; I just couldnβt help noticing Godβs fine handiwork. The man deserved a medal for what heβd done with Telissa Banks. βOaksβ¦β I snapped my attention from Tillyβs chest back up to her face. βWhat?β βI asked why you came.β I shrugged. βTold you, your sisterββ βYeah.β She waved me off, heading inside. βHoney is always marchinβ and talkinββdoesnβt explain why you suddenly jumped to it.β I followed her through the foyer, bypassing the small service desk being managed by a much younger Banks sister, the youngest of the six. βHello Hennessey.β I tipped my head in her direction. She had her cell phone shoved under her nose as her eyes tipped up. βYouβre still the enemy, Oaks, at least according to my father.β βThatβs enough, Henny,β Tilly warned as she stormed past the desk and toward the small alcove under the stairs that acted as her office. There wasnβt any fire in her warning to her sister, though, so I knew Iβd become the butt end of a joke in their familyβ¦which sat in my chest like a spiked barb. Slowing my steps outside of Tillyβs office, I watched as she took a seat at her desk. There wasnβt enough room inside for two people, so I placed my hand along the doorway and leaned down. βCompetition, Ms. Banks. Youβre callinβ in outside contractors when the good people of Deacon could use that work.β She shuffled a few papers at her desk, completely unaware of the fact that with her sitting and me standing, I could see right down her dress. βWell, Iβm sorry to say, but it was a wasted effort on your end. Iβll be having Tack Construction handle the renovation.β I let out a loud scoff, because this girl was ridiculous. βTheyβre going to travel all the way from Austin to handle this every single day?β She nodded but didnβt look up from her monitor. βWhat was their bid on this place?β I pushed off the frame and looked down the hall. βAnd what all are you doinβ anyhow?β βNothinβ. Now if youβll please find your way out, Iβd appreciate it.β Cold and mean as a honey badgerβthat was all Tilly had been to me for five years, and I was fucking tired of it. Heaving a sigh, I shook my head and decided Iβd get my answers elsewhere. βIβll go, but plan on me beinβ back,β I warned as I turned to leave, but I didnβt miss the little comment she made as I turned my back. βNot likely, Oaksβ¦you never come back.β
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars
The Wrong Boy is a sweet, indulgent second-chance romance between inn owner Tilly and contractor Oakes. It’s short enough to read in a single sitting, and long enough to feel satisfied with the arc of the story and reunion between these two hurting characters.
While I hated that the reason for their breakup was because of what she assumed about Oakes rather than speaking to him about it, I did like the way these two worked through their problems this time around.
This book has the right amount of steam, the right amount of angst, the right amount of family drama, the right amount of swoon. I’ll definitely be checking out the books featuring Tilly’s sisters in the future!!
I received a complimentary copy and voluntarily left a review.
About Ashley Ashley resides in the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her four children and her husband. She loves coffee, reading fantasy, and writing about people who kiss and cuss.
“Hunting puts her own sexy spin on the classic fairy-tale” – Booklist
Starry-Eyed Love, an all-new laugh out loud romantic comedy with off the charts chemistry and all the feels from New York Times bestselling author Helena Hunting, is available now!
Charming, hilarious, and emotional, Starry-Eyed Love is Helena Hunting at her very best!
Having just broken up with her boyfriend, London Spark is not in the mood to be hit on. Especially not when sheβs out celebrating her single status with her sisters. So when a very attractive man pays for their drinks and then slips her his number, she passes it right back to him with a βthanks, but no thanksβ. As the business administrator for their familyβs event hotel, the Spark House, London has more important things to worry about, like bringing in new clientele.
As luck would have it, a multi-million-dollar company calls a few months later asking for a meeting to discuss a potential partnership, and London is eager to prove to her sisters, and herself, that she can land this deal. Just when she thinks she has nailed her presentation, the companyβs CEO, Jackson Holt, walks in and inserts himself into the meeting. Not only that, but he also happens to be the same guy she turned down at the bar a few months ago.
As they begin to spend more time together, their working relationship blossoms into something more. It isnβt until their professional entanglements are finally over, that London and Jackson are finally ready to take the next step in their relationship. But between Jacksonβs secretive past and Londonβs struggle with her sisters, London must question where she really stands – not just with Jackson, but with the Spark House, too.
My stomach does a flip-flop as our server moves on to another table and the hot guy slides across the bench seat and rises. Heβs tall, must be over six feet, and lean. Broad shoulders that taper down to a narrow waist. I glance at his feet and notice his scuffed running shoes. He rolls his shoulders back and crosses over to our table. He nods to my sisters, but doesnβt really look at them, his eyes on me. Now that heβs right in front of me, I notice theyβre a deep mossy-green color, reminding me of a Colorado forest. βHi.β A slow smile forms as his gaze moves over my face. I feel it like a gentle caress and heat travels through my veins. Itβs an unexpected reaction, so my own βhiβ comes out rather breathily. βThank you for the drinks and the food. You really didnβt need to do that.β His grin widens, showing off perfectly straight, white teeth. βWell, I wanted to make a good impression, and have an excuse to come over and talk to you.β Harley squeezes my leg under the table. I donβt risk looking at her because Iβm sure sheβs smiling like a loon. βYou certainly did that. Make a good impression, I mean.β Why am I so awkward right now? And why does it feel like this man is sucking all the oxygen out of the room and turning my brain cells into mush? That gets me another smile. βI wanted to apologize if it seemed like I was staring. I hope I havenβt made you uncomfortable.β I touch my fingers to my lips and resist the urge to play with my hair, but just barely. Why does this man make me feel like a starry-eyed high school girl? βYou havenβt made me uncomfortable.β βGood. Thatβs very good.β His tongue drags across his bottom lip. βI just needed to tell you that from across the room, you were beyond stunning, but up close.β He lets out a low whistle. βYou are an absolute work of art.β I fight with my eyebrows not to rise. This guy has all the lines. βOh, really?β I lace my fingers together and set my chin on them. βThe kind of art you might hang in your living room?β βBedroom, actually.β I laugh. I canβt decide if this guy is too smooth for his own good. Or mine. I have to wonder how many times heβs dropped these lines on other women and theyβve ended up in his bed as a result. βThat sound is music to my ears,β he says, his white-toothed smile still in place. βI knew Iβd be kicking myself if I didnβt come over here and at least say hello.β He slides a small piece of paper across the table, roughly the size of a business card. βIβm going to leave my number, and maybe if youβre interested, I can take you out for a drink, or dinner, or a hot air balloon ride.β I can see exactly where this will go if I take that card from him. And while getting into bed with a random, attractive man might be fun, I know itβs not the right thing for me. Before I can really consider what Iβm doing, or fully absorb the last part, I put a hand out to stop him. βIβm very flattered, but I have to be honest with you. I wonβt call you. I have a boyfriend.β The lie tastes sour on my tongue. Although, had it been three days earlier, it would have been the truth. Avery does some kind of cough-choke thing, and I kick her under the table and get Harley on the back swing. His smile falters for a moment, but he doesnβt break eye contact. βThatβs disappointing, but unsurprising. I didnβt see a ring, so Iβd hoped maybe luck was on my side.β He tips his head to the side. βIs it serious?β βPardon me?β βYou and this boyfriend, are you two serious?β This guy is unbelievable. βAnd if we are?β βHmm.β He withdraws his hand and slips the paper in his pocket. βIβd hate for karma to pass judgment on me and get in the way of our future together, so Iβm just going to hope I run into you again when youβre single. Have a lovely night, ladies.β He nods to my sisters and gives me one final lingering glance before he winks. βThank you for existing.β And then he walks away.
Return to Spark House with this charming, sexy, slow-burn office romance. I loved the development of Jackson and Londonβs story. And that they had not one, but two meet-cutes!
Even though these two are pretty perfect for each other and wildly attracted, they keep things professional as Spark House partners with Holt Media for a promotion and London is planning a charity event for Jackson. Itβs as these two get to know each other and I was waaay invested in them as a couple by the time they finally crossed the line to become more than colleagues.
Jackson and London really balanced each out nicely, and I thought that they handled the baggage each of them is carrying around from the past well as they worked it to solidify their romance.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and voluntarily left a review.
About Helena Hunting
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She writes contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.
Be sure to check out the #giveaway pinned to the top of the page:http://bit.ly/1QsjK8X
Everyone knows the Bad Boys of Penwood University dominate campus life with their power to make or break anyone they want. Sadie Alexander never thought sheβd end up on their radar. All she wanted was to escape her childhood, and Penwood was her ticket to a new life. But Theo Hudson, the number one Bad Boy and all-star football player, makes it clear he has his sights set on her.
Sheβd heard the stories, knew the warnings, yet Theo makes it impossible for her to run the other way. The harder she fights to keep her distance, the more determined he becomes to have her. But Sadie isnβt willing to risk everything she has worked so hard to achieve for a guy with a reputation.
The deeper Theo manages to slip into her life, the tighter Sadie gets wrapped up in the unraveling secrets around her.
In the end, Sadie is forced to answer one questionβ¦was he worth it?
I’m a sucker for a story when a guy who never wanted to commit before falls head over heels in love with a plucky heroine, and we definitely get that with Sadie and Theo in Wrong Side. Sadie is trying to escape a wretched mother by studying art at a small college that is not Harvard (seriously, her mom is so pretentious). But when she finds herself on the receiving end of rumors and on the popular mean girl’s bad side, football star Theo steps up as her personal protector.
There’s a really sweet development to their romance, and I enjoyed how they both opened up to one another. While Sadie was raised in the lap of luxury with cold, icy parents who hated her, Theo had an awful start to life, but found supportive and loving guardians — as different as their backgrounds are, they found common ground. And in Sadie, Theo found a reason to look forward.
That said, I am in the minority here because I liked this book, but I didn’t love this book. There is a major plot twist that I enjoyed, but I was left with too many questions afterward and things were glossed over with a passing sentence or two. I felt like the epilogue, while satisfying in visiting the future of Sadie and Theo’s relationship, was rushed. But those things aside, I found Wrong Side to be an entertaining college romance, a relatively quick and mindless escape to indulge in.
I received a complimentary copy and voluntarily left a review.
MEET THE AUTHOR HJ Bellus is a small town girl who loves the art of storytelling. When not making readers laugh or cry, she’s a part-time livestock wrangler that can be found in the middle of Idaho, shot gunning a beer while listening to some Miranda Lambert on her Beats and rocking out in her boots.
Reports of arguing with the TSAβs at the airport, three drunk grandmas, siblings fighting, a tooth fairy, two celebrities, one sunburned redhead, a wild blonde running the halls and one unexpected layover in San Francisco.
Enjoy your trip!
Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Kobo!
I love these mutli-character novellas that Piper Rayne does. This time, we go on vacation to Hawaii with the Greene family, and this binge-able book covers crazy sunburn, wild grannies, cranky kids, a male Tooth Fairy (hilarious!), lots of chemistry between Fisher’s pal Cameron and one of Fisher’s sistersβ¦ and an epic tease for Xavier and Clara’s upcoming book. Seriously. Why leave us hanging like that?
I am so excited about what’s coming up next for the Greene family based on what happened on the Family vacation!
I received a complimentary copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Piper Rayne
Piper Rayne is a USA Today Bestselling Author duo who write “heartwarming humor with a side of sizzle” about families, whether that be blood or found. They both have e-readers full of one-clickable books, they’re married to husbands who drive them to drink, and they’re both chauffeurs to their kids. Most of all, they love hot heroes and quirky heroines who make them laugh, and they hope you do, too!
This summer was supposed to be an escape from the city and the demons lurking within it. Too bad the minute I arrive at the beach house I’m sharing with friends, the guy I swore I’d never talk to again in my life walks through the door.
Now I’m not only stuck hiding out from an ex who won’t leave me alone, but with someone who screwed me over before he could even be considered an ex.
That’s right, two years ago Campbell Whitlock double booked me on our fourth date. As in, had a girl show up to the table where he was feeding me off his own fork and barely disguising it as foreplay. Meanwhile, my head and heart had been completely on board to make our relationship more serious.
But a leggy blonde foiled that plan, and I’ve hated him on sight since. The ex-Marine turned millionaire restauranteur didn’t even have the decency to follow me with an apology as I ran out of his own establishment.
It’s just my luck that I’m forced to room right next door to my nemesis, who couldn’t be acting more like a saint if he tried. And then the impossible happens; my ex hunts me down to deliver loaded threats and the fear I thought I’d left behind in Manhattan. Who is the only person to witness it? Campbell, of course.
His apology tour apparently extends to offering himself up as my fake boyfriend to scare off my stalker. While the plan is moronic and means having to spend more time with him, the danger I feel is real. Having a hulking, intimidating boyfriend, fake or not, might be exactly what I need.
With every passing day, pretend date, emotional gaze and midnight run-in, our relationship starts to feel less like a deal and more like something very similar to the connection I thought we had years ago. Even though I promised myself I’d never give him a second chance.
But what happens when the person protecting me starts to feel like the one I want to trust forever?
And how will I recover if his favor was done only to gain forgiveness, instead of a chance at falling in love?
Now that I have finished Kiss and Fake Up, I love the cover of this book even more! It perfectly captures everything that I love about Campbell and Heather! This book is set at the same Hamptons beach house as Love at First Fight, and has crossover characters, but Campbell and Heather’s fake relationship story is a standalone.
I really disliked Campbell after reading the prologue where he double books Heather on a date. How was Carrie Aarons going to make me like him? Seriously, not even halfway through the first chapter, I was hooked on this guy. He puts forth a tough exterior, but he is a troubled soul somewhat adrift. Lonely from a lack of love in his childhood, a failed Navy SEAL, cocky to cover up his vulnerability…. YES, PLEASE!
So two years after their failed attempt at dating, Heather and Campbell are spending the summer at their friends’ Montauk beach house. For Heather, it’s more than just a summer at the beach since she had a horrible breakup with a controlling ex. Who is now stalking her. Campbell offers to be her fake boyfriend for the summer to get her ex to back off, but he has an ulterior motive: He knows he made a mistake with her two years ago and is hoping that he can get back in her good graces and get a second chance to date her.
They fall into an easy routine as the lines of their fake relationship get blurry, and it’s not long before Campbell realizes that despite being a declared bachelor, a life with Heather wouldn’t be so bad. But can he convince Heather that his feelings for her are real? Will the danger of her crazy ex-boyfriend cast a shadow over any future they might have together?
I really adored this couple and how close they grew. How sweet he was of her when she needed him to play nurse. How much she realized she had the wrong impression of him and Campbell was so much more than the cocky restaurant owner he presents to the rest of the world. I devoured this book, and can see myself cracking it open again this summer because it is a perfect beach read complete with wonderful characters and a happily ever after.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Carrie Aarons
Author of romance novels such as Fool Me Twice and Love at First Fight, Carrie Aarons writes books that are just as swoon-worthy as they are sarcastic. A former journalist, she prefers the love stories of her imagination, and the athleisure dress code, much better.
When she isn’t writing, Carrie is busy binging reality TV, having a love/hate relationship with cardio, and trying not to burn dinner. She lives in the suburbs of New Jersey with her husband, two children and ninety-pound rescue pup.
FromΒ USA TODAY Bestselling AuthorΒ Sara Ney comes a new series about strong, single girls falling in love: accidentally.
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I never thought I would get pregnant in college.
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When I did, I thought leaving Jack Jennings was doing him a giant favorβhe had a bright future ahead of him as a football starβthe last thing he needed was me and a baby standing in his way of his dreams.
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Honestly? I figured he would eventually forget about me.
I would raise our child in secret and watch Jack on television, and the pain of what Iβd done to him would heal.
The last person I expected to see on my brothers doorstep seven years later was Jack;Β obviously, or I wouldnβt have answered it.
A superstitious athlete, dreams were keeping him awake at night that were preventing him from excelling on the fieldβdreams he was hoping I could makeβ¦disappear.
He looked so good. So much older.
Kind.Β Handsome.
Turns out, he hadnβt forgotten about me either, and heΒ hadnβtΒ put our past behind him.
The Mrs. Degree is a secret baby, sports, second chance romance all rolled into one. Jack is one of the biggest NFL stars in the league, but he can’t seem to stop thinking about Penelope, the one that got away back when he was in college. When he’s in town for a game, he knocks on her brother’s door (a former NFL player, so at least there’s a connection there and Jack isn’t being a creepy stalker) — and is shocked when Pen answers. Jack is even more shocked to meet Penelope’s young daughter.
Over time, Jack gets to know his daughter, and Penelope tries to right the wrong that she made all those years ago. The connection between Jack and Pen is still there, and they put in the work to try to reconnect and get to know each other now, 7 years later. I loved how Jack forged a relationship with Skipper — she was just darling. But I never fell in love with Jack and Pen as a couple the way I wanted to.
I wish that Jack had been angrier about what Pen did to him. And I couldn’t rectify Penelope’s actions for ghosting him and never intending to tell him that she was pregnant — that is one of my pet peeves with the secret-baby trope. If Jack hadn’t tracked her down, I felt that Skipper never would have known her father. Despite this book being well written, that’s a hard pill for me to swallow with this trope, and made the difference for me in this book being a 4- or 5-star read. Admittedly, I did not read the previous book in this series, The Player Hater, which introduced Penelope and Skipper in Pen’s brother’s story. The Mrs. Degree is a standalone, but perhaps I wasn’t as connected as I could have been because I didn’t read book 1 first? I don’t know…. Maybe I will try again another time and see if Penelope can change my mind.
I received a complimentary copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet SaraΒ Ney
Sara Ney is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the How to Date a Douchebag series, and is best known for her sexy, laugh-out-loud New Adult romances.Β
Among her favorite vices, she includes: iced lattes, historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives colorfully, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British.Β
All the best love stories are tragic. Ours is no different.
Lennon is the woman who should have always been mine. The one that I let slip through my fingers time and time again. I was young, stupid, and arrogant enough to think love would wait.
Being in the Marines has taught me patience. The enemy never strikes when you expect it. Love is the same way.Β Β
And falling in love with your best friend requires a special type of patience.Β Β
So when tragedy strikes, the only thing I can do is be what Iβve always been to her β her best friend.
Iβve learned everything has a cost β even love. Lennon has paid dearly.
But Iβm not about to let tragedy steal our happily ever after.
Man, I’d forgotten how much I love a good, angsty romance where the hero and heroine just can’t get on the same page with their feelings. Goodbye Never reminded me so much of Kandi Steiner’s A Love Letter to Whiskey, one of the great angsty romances of missed opportunities and unrequited love. Duke and Lennon have literally been best friends since they were in diapers, and have always been each other’s rock. There is so much history and love and friendship between Duke and Lennon, and this book is just one big ball of angst! Will they forever have each other in the friend zone? Will he ever realize how much he loves her and she loves him?
Goodbye Never is full of incredible twists and turns that left me vowing to “just read one more chapter.” I could not get enough of this wonderful, heartbreaking, inspiring story of missed moments, tragic losses, and realizing that tomorrow is never guaranteed. There is so much more I want to say about this breathtaking story, but I won’t. Do yourself a favor and just read it. You won’t be sorry.
Now that I’ve finished it, that cover gives me chills. This book packs such an emotional punch, I’m still not over it!
Goodbye for now.
Goodbye never.
I received a complimentary copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Prescott Lane
Prescott Lane is the USA TODAY best-selling author of ALL MY LIFE. She’s written several other romance books with strong heroines and swoon-worthy heroes. She is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, and holds a degree in sociology and an MSW from Tulane University. She married her college sweetheart, and they currently live in New Orleans with their two children and two crazy dogs. Prescott started writing at the age of five, and sold her first story about a talking turtle to her father for a quarter. She later turned to writing romance novels because there aren’t enough happily ever afters in real life.Β
Town playboy. CEO extraordinaire. Monumental prick. And my blind date.
Unlikely Date, an all-new spicy single parent, contemporary romance from Amazon bestselling author Samantha Christy, is out now!
Tag Calloway is toxic. If you arenβt in his small inner circle of friends, youβre nothing. An inconvenience at best. And itβs just my luck that my first blind dateβheck, my first date since βThe Incidentβββhappens to be with him. Iβve spent years hiding myself from men. From life. Wallowing in guilt and camouflaging my body. I live for one reason. Gigi. The broken-condom accident who has become the singular light of my life. Why did I let my friends talk me into this? Heβs the last person I should trust with my feelings. My body. My scars.
But when our night turns into something I never expected, common sense fails me and I fall hard, knowing this time, it wonβt be my body that suffers gruesome damage, it will be my heart.
βLetβs get it over with then,β she says, as if completely uninterested. βThe next episode is one of my favorites.β My eyes fall to her lips. The lips I watched spew words to two other men I wished were me. The pouty pink lips Iβve been imagining running up and down my cock for the last four hours. The lips Iβd trade the Range for if theyβd just whisper my name. βWell?β she says impatiently, her mouth waiting like a question. Fuck. Iβm almost thirty goddamn years old. Iβve never been nervous about anything. I started my own business on a loan that could have bankrupted me. I double majored in college even though it meant pulling all-nighters and hiring tutors. Iβve slept with models, television actresses, and Brazilian beauties. Yet, right here, right now, in front of FlowerGirl529, my entire body wound like a bow string, I have fucking stage fright. I clear my throat and set my drink down. I crack my knuckles and shift my weight. Her hazel eyes peer up at me. Waiting. Wanting. Maybe even challenging. And Tag Calloway never backs down from a challenge. I put a hand on the back of her neck and close the gap between us. βTime to collect,β I say, just as my lips find hers. Her eyes close, as do my own. This is a one-time thing and both of us know it. After today, this moment, this kiss, sheβll go back to being the sheepish flower shop owner, and Iβll continue being the CEO asshat everyone thinks I am. Our lips brush together tentatively, the warmth of hers consuming me instantaneously. Itβs nothing like I expected. Her lips donβt form a firm line, a barrier against which Iβm not allowed to pass. Her mouth doesnβt stay shut. My tongue doesnβt have to force an entrance. Her lips part willingly and invite me inside. And when our tongues meet, itβs fervent, greedy, explosive; each of us fighting for something we donβt even know exists. Neither of us wins. Or we both do, itβs hard to tell. Iβve never been a big fan of kissing. Now I feel itβs landed in my top ten and is quickly moving its way up the list. My cock protests to the order change and is reminding me painfully that he will steadfastly hold on to the number one spot. She tastes of wicked temptation and sinful delight, and it has every cell in my body erupting with desire. With the way Iβm panting, I pray the taste of cigarettes is no longer on my breath. Itβs an invocation thatβs never crossed my mind before now. A mewl escapes her. My cock thinks itβs all for him and thickens further. I tell him to fuck off, her lips are all mine. He can wait his turn. Itβs a turn he knows heβll never have, and heβs pissed. He throbs against my boxer briefs, begging to be seen. Felt. Paid attention to. I give into him, but only so much as in I walk her back to the wall and press myself against her. Thereβs no way she doesnβt feel my hardness through our robes. She doesnβt protest. She does the opposite and deepens the kiss, exploring my mouth and sucking on my tongue. My cock thinks itβs a preview and is happy with this. For the moment anyway. And this time, a sound escapes me. She holds me against her, hands running across my shoulders, my back, even the top of my ass as she kisses me with toe-curling determination. I move her head to the side, exposing her neck, and let my lips devour her jaw, the supple skin below her ear, her collarbone. The peachy scent of her hair invades my nose, driving my want for her. My hands cup her face and move along her jawline back into her hair as I pull her lips to mine. I expect her to pull away, say the kiss is over. One kiss is all we bargained for. She doesnβt. Her swollen lips part for mine, and once again, our tongues engage in battle. I fear itβs a fight thatβs going to leave both of us in ashes. I suck her lower lip. She bites mine. Our chests mash together, leaving me unsure if the thud I feel is her heartbeat or mine. Maybe itβs both and theyβre beating in sync. Her breathing is heavy and ragged, her chest rising and falling as if sheβs running a marathon. I should know. Iβm running the same race. I taste her again, sucking her tongue. Needing more. Needing everything sheβll give me. Thereβs a loud noise in the hall, and Maddie pulls back. I want to go out there and kill the fucker who put an end to this. I take half a step back, staring down into her eyes as I wonder if the kiss rendered them glassy, or the alcohol. βI, uhβ¦β She ducks under my arm and walks to the mini fridge. She downs a full bottle of water before sitting on the bed. My balls remind me theyβre so blue theyβre about to explode. I thumb to the bathroom door. βIβm gonnaβ¦β Whack off? Take a cold shower? Fucking cry?
Man, I really wanted to hate Tag after that introduction, but I ended up falling in love with the guy by the end of Unlikely Date. Maddie was a character that I liked right off the bat, and the more I got to know her, the more I loved how strong of a heroine she was. Even when she didn’t think she was very strong at all.
Tag is the kind of alphahole that keeps everyone at an arm’s length aside from those in his inner circle. And after surviving a house fire, the last thing on Maddie’s mind as a single mom is dating again. Even though she and Tag peripherally know each other, they connect on such an amazing, pure level after their blind date. Tag sees who Maddie is, beyond her scars and despite of her scars. And with Maddie, he becomes such a different person.
I loved the push and pull between these characters, the banter and sweetness. Gigi was a doll, and I loved how smitten Tag became with her as well.
I received a complimentary copy and voluntarily left a review.
About Samantha Christy Samantha Christyβs passion for writing started long before her first novel was published. Graduating from the University of Nebraska with a degree in Criminal Justice, she held the title of Computer Systems Analyst for The Supreme Court of Wisconsin and several major universities around the United States. Raised mainly in Indianapolis, but also living in Lincoln, NE for a time, she decided to devote herself to family upon the birth of her third child and became a stay-at-home mom. It was then when the writing bug really took hold as she was a voracious reader. Being a stay-at-home mom facilitated her ability to follow her dream of becoming an author. When she is not writing, she keeps busy cruising to every Caribbean island ships sail to. Samantha Christy currently resides near St. Augustine, Florida with her husband and the two of her four children who havenβt flown the nest. Oh, and her dog, Ozzy, who she worships and thinks is the most adorable Whoodle on the planet.
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