Category: Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Slow Burn by Jessica Prince
Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Slow Burn by Jessica Prince

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Title: Slow Burn
Author: Jessica Prince
Series: Redemption

Contemporary Romance, Small Town, Single Dad, Nanny, Virgin Heroine

When she started on the path to her new life, she never could have guessed where it would lead her.

Deva Kent spent most of her life dreaming of escaping. She hated being forced to live among the Fellowship of the Enlightened, the small community closed off from the rest of the world, and was desperate to spread her wings and discover something new. When she applied to be a nanny for a single father and his two-year-old son, the Fellowship wasn’t happy, but she knew that was her fresh start. However, she never thought she’d end up falling for the man with more baggage than he could carry and storm clouds in his eyes.

Laeth Harker’s world fell off its axis the morning a past one-night-stand showed up on his doorstep with a son he knew nothing about in tow. He barely had his own life together and didn’t know the first thing about caring for a child. But after spending most of his life screwing everything up, he was determined to do right by his own flesh and blood. He just didn’t know where to start.

When Laeth hired Deva on as his son’s nanny, she was supposed to make his life easier. But the way he felt about her was the very definition of complicated.

Their feelings might have started off at a slow burn, but once it catches, it’s hot enough to set the world on fire.

**The Redemption series is a series of interconnected, standalone, small town romances.**

Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

SLOW BURN

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Another great addition to the Redemption series!’

Reading Deva and Laeth’s story made me think of what it would be like for sheltered Jana Duggar to be hired as the nanny for a hot single dad! Deva led such a sheltered life up on that mountain with the Fellowship community, but she had so much spunk and moxie despite her upbringing. She was strong and secure and had so much common sense despite her insecurities and not knowing anything about social norms.

Laeth’s life was turned upside down when a former one-night stand showed up at his door with a toddler and handed Cash over for him to raise. Still tormented from his time in the Army, Laeth had been living his life with a series of one-night stands while drowning his demons in booze. Now, he has a son to protect and live his life for. And it’s not long before Cash’s nanny also claims a place in his heart.

This slow-burn story captivated me from the start and I read it in a day. Deva and Laeth are perfectly matched; she calms him and he introduced her to a world she was just itching to be a part of. I thought Jessica Prince did a great job of writing all of Deva’s “firsts” — not just romantically, but her first time drinking coffee, driving a car, and being in the library… it was so well done! There is a real sense of made family among Deva and the people she meets in Redemption, like her friendship with Lyric the librarian, and Poppy and Farrah. I loved seeing another side to Bennett, and how Myra “adopted” Deva and saved her from a life of hell.

Slow Burn was a wonderful story to get lost in!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.


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a series of interconnected standalone romances

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Born and raised around Houston Texas, Jessica spent most of her life complaining about the heat, humidity, and all around pain in the ass weather. It was only as an adult that she quickly realized the cost of living in Houston made up for not being able to breathe when she stepped outside. That’s why God created central air, after all.

Jessica is the mother of a perfect little boy–she refuses to accept that he inherited her attitude and sarcastic nature no matter what her husband says.

In addition to being a wife and mom, she’s also a wino, a coffee addict, and an avid lover of all types of books–romances still being her all time favs. Her husband likes to claim that reading is her obsession but she just says it’s a passion…there’s a difference. Not that she’d expect a boy to understand.

Jessica has been writing since she was a little girl, but thankfully grew out of drawing her own pictures for her stories before ever publishing her first book. Because an artist she is not.

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Sunny Shelly’s Review: Hail Mary by Kandi Steiner
Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Hail Mary by Kandi Steiner

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Hail Mary by Kandi Steiner is now live!

 

Leo F*cking Hernandez.

North Boston University’s star running back, notorious bachelor, and number one on my people I would murder if I could get away with it list.

And now?

He’s my new roommate.

I used to think I loved him.

But that was before I hated him.

He doesn’t remember who I am, or how he made my life miserable for years. And before I unknowingly moved across the street from him, I couldn’t have cared less. I was living my life despite him and what happened that summer, chasing my dream of becoming a tattoo artist.

“The Pit,” as the university so gracefully nicknamed the house he lives in with three other football players, has served as nothing more than a pain in my ass and a constant reminder of the boy who broke my heart. Watching him parade his one-night-stands in and out of it never helped, either.

But with rent this cheap and so close to the tattoo shop, I’ve learned to ignore him — no matter how he’s tried to get under my skin.

At least, until this summer. Because when a water and mold disaster leaves me with no choice but to vacate my house, I have nowhere to go. And Leo Hernandez offers me a deal I can’t refuse.

Live at The Pit with him and the guys, free of charge, until my landlord fixes this mess.

Ignoring him was easy when I lived across the street, but in the same house, with him shirtless half the time and watching me with his cocky grin and searing gaze? It’s impossible.

Still, I have to try. I have to push him away, even when he makes it infuriatingly difficult to do so.

He’s broken my heart once.

I won’t let him do it again.

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3QqAF1f

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/HailMaryKS

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3GeXksA

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

I could not put this book down and I could not have loved Hail Mary any more! I really wanted to hate Leo after reading the first chapter, but then we got his version of the events that took place when he and Mary were 15 and… oh, my heart! He was just as torn up about things as she was! Of course, she didn’t know that, so her hate for Leo festered for seven years, and he was completely clueless about who Mary was to him.

I loved that the reveal happened mid-way through the book — and the payoff was so, so good, I read that chapter twice! — because I loved seeing how they worked as a couple. These two were so head-over-heels in love with each other, but both had their issues and scars as a result of their teenage years. Leo always felt like he had to “be on” and never felt comfortable in his own skin. And Mary was subjected to years of torment and bullying as a teen. Even after the truth all comes out, she still doesn’t fully trust Leo’s intentions because of how hurt she’d been in the past as a result of his actions. Or inactions, as the case was.

But watching this couple blossom was wonderful to read. There is a scene of SA in this book (not between Leo/Mary), which ultimately leads to The Conflict between the two. And it leads to a great reunion between them.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Kandi


Kandi Steiner is an Amazon Top 5 bestselling author and whiskey connoisseur living in Tampa, FL. Best known for writing “emotional rollercoaster” stories, she loves bringing flawed characters to life and writing about real, raw romance — in all its forms. No two Kandi Steiner books are the same, and if you’re a lover of angsty, emotional, and inspirational reads, she’s your gal.

An alumna of the University of Central Florida, Kandi graduated with a double major in Creative Writing and Advertising/PR with a minor in Women’s Studies. She started writing back in the 4th grade after reading the first Harry Potter installment. In 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.”

She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a die hard hopeless romantic, and likes to highlight all the challenges of love as well as the triumphs.

When Kandi isn’t writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, planning her next adventure, or pole dancing (yes, you read that right). She enjoys live music, traveling, playing with her fur babies and soaking up the sweetness of life.

Connect with Kandi

Website: www.kandisteiner.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7319216.Kandi_Steiner

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kandi-Steiner/e/B00JDJOINE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KandiSteiner/

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KandiSteiner

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kandi-steiner

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

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

Pinterest: pinterest.com/authorkandisteiner

Kandi Steiner may be coming to a city near you! Check out her “events” tab to see all the signings she’s attending in the near future: www.kandisteiner.com/events

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Made For You by Natasha Madison
Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Made For You by Natasha Madison

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Release Date: February 14

From Wall Street Journal and USA TODAY bestselling author Natasha Madison comes a brand new stand-alone enemies-to-lovers grumpy/sunshine sports romance.

A spin-off from the Only One series

Vivienne
I did the last thing I ever expected to do. I bought a boat. A beautiful boat that was all mine to spend the summer on.
Only thing I was looking forward to was the calm being on the water brought me.
A place where I wasn’t a hockey dynasty princess or the only single girl of the family.
What I wasn’t looking forward to was the broody man in the boat next to me.
 
Xavier
I was at the top of my game two years ago.
Then it all came crashing down.
I hung up my skates and vowed to never play again.
I was good at hockey, but hockey was bad for me.
I planned to spend my life on my boat with my dog.
Alone. Happily alone.
Until she came along. 
 
Grab Your Copy Here!

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

For the second couple in Natasha Madison’s Made For series we get Xavier and Vivienne, and I just fell in love with this grumpy/sunshine couple! He is a broody loner, a former hockey pro, who lives alone with his dog, and his world gets turned upside down when hockey royalty moves into the yacht next slip over at the New York marina he now calls home.

They definitely did get off on the right foot, and that just made their falling in love that much sweeter because, dang, I love an enemies-to-lovers romance! Once Xavier started opening up to Vivienne, my heart cracked open for the cranky brute. He really had a rough go with things with the last team he played for before his fall from grace, and my heart went out to him. In return, he got to see a side of Vivienne that not many people know, and I loved how Xavier fangirled after finding out her secret!

This story has the perfect amount of spicy and sweetness. I also found this book to be a bit deeper than some of the other Natasha Madison books I’ve read simply because Xavier’s mental health is such a big part of this story. And I thought that Madison handled it wonderfully.

Bring on Abbie!

I read an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Natasha Madison


When her nose isn’t buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she’s in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It’s a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn’t listen to her…



 
Connect with Natasha Madison


 
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Sunny Shelly’s Review: You Can’t Kiss the Nanny, Brady Banks by Piper Rayne
Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: You Can’t Kiss the Nanny, Brady Banks by Piper Rayne

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You Can’t Kiss the Nanny, Brady Banks by Piper Rayne is now live!

Brady Banks.

The Kingsmen’s best wide receiver.

Rich AF.

Hot as hell.

A stallion in the sack.

How do I know that last fact? I may have shared a one-night stand with him six months ago when I was rebounding from a broken heart.

I didn’t forget him, but I was done with him, until I discovered he’s the single dad of the boy I’ve been hired to nanny.

It’s near impossible to ignore my attraction to him now that we’re living under the same roof—but I have no choice.

First, this job pays well, and I need the money to move out of my parents’ spare room.

Second, he’s a public figure and there’s no room for me to get caught up in a scandal with him—I can’t disappoint my parents again.

Third, men like Brady were built to break hearts. I barely managed to piece mine back together after my failed engagement and Brady would do irreparable damage if I gave him the chance.

Let the longest three months of my life begin…

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

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3GQ3dug

Apple Books: https://apple.co/3JFDcA2

Nook: https://bit.ly/3rP7BWs

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3gE5tKK

Google Play: https://bit.ly/3I0MAgT

 

Audible: https://books2read.com/ycktnbb

Narrated by: Cindy Kay & Aaron Shedlock

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3Bsywu8

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

You can’t kiss the nanny, Brady Banks. Even if she was the one-night stand you haven’t been able to get out of your mind for months!

But of course, kissing the nanny is exactly what Brady Banks does! And Violet, the nanny, loves kissing him back! There is so much sexual tension simmering between these two, and it’s just compounded a hundred times over by the fact that they had a one-night stand months ago and are trying to ignore the undeniable chemistry between them!

This story is sexy and fun, a little bit forbidden, and a whole lot of steamy. Aaron Shedlock and Cindy Kay did a wonderful job with this duet narration (which I’ve decided is the best narration of all!).

Brady is a great dad, and Violet is wonderful with Theo. And Brady and his ex, Hannah, have a wonderful relationship co-parenting their son. I loved that, rather than the meddling ex-wife trope. Instead, we have Violet’s meddling mom! Seriously, she drove me bonkers. But I loved Brady’s mom, Lennon, and dad, Jasper, and hope we see more of them as owners of the Kingsmen in future books!

I received an advanced 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!

Connect with Piper Rayne

Website: www.PiperRayne.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15810938.Piper_Rayne

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Piper-Rayne/e/B01ND0R15R

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PiperRayne/

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PiperRayneRocks

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

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/piper-rayne

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorpiperrayne/_created/

Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PiperRayne?ref=shop_sugg

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

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Forget Me Not by Jess Taylor
Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Forget Me Not by Jess Taylor

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Title: Forget Me Not
Series: Blossoming Beginnings #1
Author: Jess Taylor
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 14, 2023
BLURB
People Always Leave.
They’ve proved it time and time again for as long as I can remember. You’d figure I’d be used to it, but that feeling, the one of losing someone you love, it can be unbearable. That’s why it’s easiest to never let people too far in to begin with.
It’s the cardinal rule that I broke with one look into his deep blue eyes. I let him in. All of him. His touch, his love, his secrets, his lies. I thought it was the fairytale that I never believed in.
I thought that we were soulmates. But how could he be my soulmate when my soul was broken from the start?
PURCHASE LINKS
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
I can’t believe Forget Me Not is a debut novel. Jess Taylor blew me away with this beautiful, deep, emotional romance between Kade and Logan.

This book was not easy to read — both Kade and Lo have some major trauma in their past. But their souls seek out one another because they are each other’s other half. And together, they find a way to heal. What starts out as a fake date becomes a consuming passion as they understand one another on a level that they haven’t found with anyone else. But Kade is keeping a secret from Logan that will threaten to destroy the happiness they’ve found together.

These two characters go on a lovely journey together. And there is such a nice development in Kade’s relationship with his sister/Lo’s roommate Demi. (I really hope that Demi and Asher get a story, because WOW!) The characters that Jess Taylor introduces us to are wonderful. There is a tight bond between the friends, and I loved getting to know the supporting characters as much as I loved getting to know Kade and Lo.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

AUTHOR BIO
Jess Taylor is an author of romance in all of its many forms.
She fell in love with romance as a reader at a young age, and it wasn’t long before she started creating her own fictional love stories. She aspires to write love stories that are equal parts steamy and swoon worthy.
Jess currently lives in South Florida with her two baby kittens, Boo and Luna. When she isn’t writing, you can find her at the theme parks, reading, or binge watching reality tv.
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Sunny Shelly’s Review: Meet Hate Love by Stevie J. Cole
Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Meet Hate Love by Stevie J. Cole

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MEET HATE LOVE by Stevie J. Cole

Release Date: January 19th

Genre/Tropes: Rom Com/Office Romance/Enemies to Lovers

MEET HATE LOVE by Stevie J. Cole is NOW LIVE!!

Grab this all-new enemies-to-lovers rom-com today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3wqnQe8

Amazon INTL: https://geni.us/MeetHateLove

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/72403858-meet-hate-love

BLURB

An act of hysterical blackmail between two work enemies kicks off this flirty and utterly ridiculous laugh-out-loud romantic comedy from USA TODAY bestselling author Stevie J. Cole.

I hated Vance Morgan, my arrogant office mate, more than anyone in the world. And yet, there I was, on a Paris-bound flight, cramped in the small space by his six-foot-four, arrogant frame.

And why?

Because after the sexy, thieving bastard stole my dream assignment, I found out he had a Lonely Fans page. One dedicated to pictures of his man-meat stick in front of world monuments. So, I did what any rational woman in my situation would do.

I blackmailed his hot, article-swindling ass. The problem was, he blackmailed me right back. And thanks to him and his can’t- lose-attitude, we ended up stuck together, Traveling around Europe while coming up with tips and tricks on how to survive vacationing with someone you hate. Easy. Like I said, I despised the man. Or at least I thought I did…

After a few days of tiny hotel rooms and steamy tension, everything between us came to a head—a really big, massive, enticing head.

Now the only tip I’m desperately seeking is how to survive falling for my used-to-be enemy.

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

In all seriousness, I could barely contain my snorts of laughter while reading Meet Hate Love in the lobby during my daughter’s dance class. It is hilariously funny, with likable characters, over-the-top scenarios that just somehow make complete sense, and two workplace rivals that are just perfect for each other!

Every time I thought things couldn’t get weirder or more awkward between Vance and Blake… they did. And I loved it. The banter between these two is so witty, and as they go on Vance’s *ahem* Europeen tour as a side project of their work assignment, things just kept getting funnier and funnier. Let me tell you — if I ever get to the Sistine Chapel, I will be looking for that bathroom!

Don’t let this one pass you by. Blake’s Eat Pray Love trip may have not started out how she’d imagined it would, but it brought her to her happily ever after and the trip there is an absolute riot!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

About Stevie J. Cole:

Stevie J. Cole likes to write realistic stories with raw, gritty characters you should hate but can’t help but to love.

She’s obsessed with rock music, loves sloths, and has an unnatural obsession with British accents.

Her books are not recommended for the faint of heart.

Connect w/Stevie:

Website: https://www.steviejcolebooks.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorsteviejcole

Twitter: https://twitter.com/StevieJCole

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7736491.Stevie_J_Cole

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Stevie-J.-Cole/e/B00K9PK3EY

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/stevie-j-cole

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Reluctant Husband by Hope Ford
Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Reluctant Husband by Hope Ford

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Title: Reluctant Husband
Series: Whiskey Men #1
Author: Hope Ford
Genre: Contemporary Small Town Romance

Release Date: January 30, 2023

BLURB
I’m in love with Lucas Blaze, the player grandson of the woman I take care of. I’m nothing like the women he dates, so the chances of him noticing me are slim to none. Until the day he asks me to marry him.
Lucas is the youngest Blaze Brother. He works twenty-four seven, and his only use for women is to get his rocks off when he’s taking a break from putting his family’s liquor brand into every store in the country.
I don’t wear the right clothes, I don’t mingle in the same high-profile groups, and I sure as heck don’t know the first thing about pleasing a man.
But to make his Granny happy, Lucas is willing to marry me.
Our marriage is one of convenience and I know it won’t last.
But try telling that to my heart.
He doesn’t believe in love and happily ever after.
I want a love that lasts forever.
In the end, will he give us a chance? Or will he walk away holding my heart?
USA Today Bestselling author Hope Ford, brings you a standalone first book in the Whiskey Men series. If you love reading about curvy women getting the hot guy, opposites attract, jealousy trope, marriage of convenience, and small-town romance, then you’ll love Lucas and Isabella’s story.
PURCHASE LINKS
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
UNIVERSAL
Free in Kindle Unlimited
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

Reluctant Husband is a cute (if not predictable) fake marriage/marriage of convenience romance between a hero who doesn’t believe in love and the family friend who has been in love with him for her entire life.

Lucas has more or less been raised by his grandmother since his mom abandoned the family when he was a newborn. As a result, he doesn’t really trust or believe in true love. Isabella is the family friend who takes care of Lottie, aka Granny G, and has always been in love with Lucas. G, of course, knows this, and as her health deteriorates, she tells Lucas that she would love to see him settle down and get married — and that she’s worried about Isabella, who doesn’t have any other family. With the seed planted by his grandmother, Lucas proposes a fake marriage to Isabella.

Predictable? Of course. But Hope Ford did a nice job of showing how Granny really knew best because Bella and Lucas are a well-matched pair. The major conflict for this couple comes from his crazy assistant (who wants him for herself), but I was glad to see that Lucas quickly put her in her place. Because it didn’t take much for this fake marriage to become something very real for Lucas and Bella.

Hope Ford is a new-to-me author, and I enjoyed this story very much. I’m interested in reading about Lucas’ brothers as well in the rest of this series. I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

COMING SOON
Releasing March 27
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
UNIVERSAL
AUTHOR BIO
Hope Ford is a USA Today Bestselling author of Steamy, Sweet, Satisfying Romance.
She loves writing about small towns, swoony men, and curvy women that get their happily-ever-after. Stay up to date with new releases at authorhopeford.com
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Sunny Shelly’s Review: Beautifully Scarred by P. Rayne
Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Beautifully Scarred by P. Rayne

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We are excited to announce that Beautifully Scarred by P. Rayne – Dark Romance Author is now live!

Lilah

Growing up, all we had was each other.

Jimmy’s always been the one who protected me—at any cost. I was content to let him clean up my messes. And when he kept his promise to get us out of our hometown and living the lives we always dreamed of, I was happy to pretend everything would be okay… for a while.

While Jimmy was able to leave the past behind, mine felt like a tattoo I could never scrub clean.

Jimmy thinks he can fix me—he tries, and tries, and tries.

Sometimes love isn’t enough to heal all the wounds from the past. Sometimes even your savior thinks you’re not worth saving.

And he’d be right… until everything changed.

Jimmy

I’ve loved Lilah for as long as I can remember.

And for as long as I can remember, she’s pushed down the traumas of her past until they became poison running through her veins, infecting everything she touched.

Watching the woman you love destroy herself piece by piece is the slowest, most painful form of torture I know.

Giving her up may be the only way to save her. But how do I just walk away from the one person I love most in this life?

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/BeautifullyScarredPR

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3W9sZ4y

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Beautifully Scarred is quite a different story than the lighthearted contemporary romcoms I’ve come to know and love from Piper Rayne. Writing as P. Rayne, these co-authors do a fabulous job of presenting an emotional best-friend romance between Lilah and Jimmy — a darker, more intense tale touching on a whole host of deep and somewhat taboo subjects.

At their best and at their worst, Lilah and Jimmy have an intense, binding connection. Yet as their careers rise — he’s Hollywood’s latest golden boy and she’s a rising superstar model — their friendship veers off to different paths. While he does his best to be there for her, Lilah falls deeper into addiction as a way to cope with the trauma of her childhood. Her history is heartbreaking and even though most of it happened off-page, the way it has affected her is there in every move that she makes. And P. Rayne did a great job of portraying the heartache and pain in this character.

Beautifully Scarred takes place in two parts with a six-year time jump as these two damaged souls find their way back to one another. It’s a long and bumpy road for Lilah and Jimmy to find peace, and there is a lot of growth from both characters on the journey. This book is a whopper of a story at nearly 80 chapters — it was originally released as a duet several years ago before being repackaged –but it grabbed me from the start. I will definitely come back to read this angst-fest again!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Tasty Pickle by J.J. Knight
Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Tasty Pickle by J.J. Knight

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Title: Tasty Pickle
Series: Everything Tasty #2
Author: JJ Knight
Genre: Standalone Romantic Comedy
Trope: Opposites Attract
Release Date: January 20, 2023
BLURB
Surely nobody has ever met their great love while using duct tape to pull cactus needles out of their girl parts on a mountain trail.
Except I just did.
Let me tell you about Axel Pickle.
He’s a bronzed god.
Totally outdoorsy.
Worth half a billion after selling his nature app.
And he hikes naked.
He showed up in nothing but his hiking boots when I ran shrieking onto his private property after peeing on a prickly pear and being unable to put my pants back on.
We’ve been staring at each other’s private parts from the moment we first laid eyes on each other.
But I can’t date him.
I shouldn’t even talk to him.
And why he’s showing up at the hotel deli where I work, volunteering to slice the salami is a mystery to me.
I’m running from a terrible situation, and I need to keep my head down and avoid the world.
But something about the way Axel looks at me gets under my skin.
And this time, no duct tape in the world can yank the hooks he’s set in my wary, introverted soul.
__
Tasty Pickle is a full-length standalone rom com about the most charming, witty, completely useless hunk of man-meat ever to nature walk au naturel, a skeptical, purposefully underachieving deli worker, and the ghost pepper pickle relish that brings them together with a kiss so fiery that it ends up requiring medicated lip gloss.
It is part of the bestselling Pickleverse, but you do not need to read any other books before this one. You can start your outrageous adventure into the world of the Pickles right here.
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EXCERPT
First, I was forced on a hike by my employer.
Then, I got tired and slowed down for like fifteen seconds and somehow lost the group.
Then, I got pelted with nuts by maniac squirrels with a grudge.
I ran in the direction where I thought the group was headed and lost the trail completely.
Of course, I had no cell signal.
Of course.
Just like a horror movie.
I started stress-drinking Gatorade.
Then, I had to pee.
So, I popped a squat.
Apparently on a cactus hidden in the brush.
Tiny spines attached to my girl parts.
And now, I’m on my back, my cactus-impaled vajajay flashing in the sun, my yellow daisy underwear caught on my ankle.
I would like very much to be eaten by a mountain lion.
I can think of nothing else to do, so I close my eyes, lay my head in the dirt, and wish for death.
Then something nudges my shoe.
Uggh.
I ignore it.
Nudge.
No. I’m dead. Death has become me.
Nudge.
“Hey.”
Someone is here. Great.
I open one eye in a squint. A man stands over me like a bronzed god, wearing a backpack, a neckerchief, and hiking boots. And nothing else.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars
I have loved the Pickle family right from the beginning, and I’m so glad that JJ Knight has found ways to continue telling stories with the extended family members. Now we have Axel Montgomery, who is a first cousin of OG Pickle Anthony.

The meet-cute between Axel and Calypso Ash is while he’s hiking — naked — and she’s just fallen on a cactus, getting needles in her hoo-ha. Yep. It’s hilarious and awkward, yet these two somehow manage to move past all that and develop a sweet friendship as she’s working at Havannah’s castle hotel opening a Tasty Pickle deli. But Calypso is a former debutante running from her oppressive past, and when she finds out that Axel is a self-made (half) billionaire, she freaks out because of how wealth has controlled her life in the past.

Axel is so sweet in his dedication to not giving up on Calypso. While Calypso hates how restrictive her old life was because of her family’s societal status, Axel can never trust if someone likes him for him or for his money. Their very vulnerable first encounter kind of put them on a level playing field, and they got to know each other for who they are, not the money in their bank account.

This sweet story is infused with all the zaniness that comes with the Pickle family, and I loved seeing Uncle Sherman and John Boudreaux and the rest of the bunch when it came to getting Tasty Pickle up and running. There are a few cameos from Indigo (aka Lilli from Royal Escape), as part of this story overlaps a bit with hers.

Tasty Pickle delivers a sweet bite of romance, steam, and family drama, and I loved how Axel supported Calypso and gave her the confidence to stand up for what she wanted — and didn’t want — from her past.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

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AUTHOR BIO
JJ Knight is the USA Today and Amazon Top 100 bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic comedy including Single Dad on Top and Big Pickle.
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Sunny Shelly’s Review: Zane by Kat Baxter
Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Zane by Kat Baxter

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Title: Zane
Series: The Bad Boys of Saddle Creek #1
Author: Kat Baxter
Genre: Steamy Romantic Comedy
Release Date: January 18, 2023
BLURB
Emmy
I am a walking nerdy girl cliche. Smart? Check! On the spectrum? Check! Awkward? Check! Virgin? Check! The only nerdy-girl box I don’t check is “friendless.” That’s because I have the coolest best friend ever—Zane. Everyone in town thinks Zane is just a hot, bad boy inkslinger, but I know better. With me, he’s kind, sensitive and thoughtful. I know he doesn’t see me as anything more than a friend, but when I decide it’s time to lose my virginity so I can finally date and find love, he’s the only man I can imagine asking for help.
Zane
Emmy thinks we’re just friends, but I know better. I’ve been in love with her for damn near half my life. Until now, I could be satisfied being just her best friend. But now that I know she’s ready for a physical relationship with a man, all bets are off. She wants help losing her virginity so she‘ll be comfortable dating some super geek she works with? Fine. I will take her V-card, but I plan on ruining her for other men.
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Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars
Zane is a quick, no-drama romance between a quirky, curvy heroine and her tattoo-artist best friend, who has been in love with her for years. At only 11 chapters, I read this book in a little under an hour, and it was the right amount of sweet and sexy.

I thought the character of Zane was a little underdeveloped and not as well-rounded as Emmie’s. But oh, I loved how patient, sweet, and kind he was with Emmaline. Emmie is on the autism spectrum, and I thought that Kat Baxter did a great job of incorporating those quirks into the character development and the romance that unfolded between the two.

This book is from a “bad boys” series, but I didn’t really think Zane is a “bad boy” aside from his physical appearance of tattoos and piercings. He was actually a pretty great, nice, sweet, guy, who is utterly devoted to Emmie.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

COMING SOON
Releasing March 7
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AUTHOR BIO
USA Today Bestselling Author Kat Baxter writes fast-paced, sweet & STEAMY romantic comedies. Readers have dubbed her books “laugh-out-loud funny,” “hot enough to melt your kindle,” and “The Queen of Adorkable.” She lives in Texas with her family and a menagerie of animals. Kat is the pseudonym for a bestselling historical romance author.
Connect with Kat online.
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