The cocky jock I once wanted to kill with my bare hands is now the only one I trust with my heart.
In a city full of corruption and darkness, knowing whoโs on your side gets harder to determine every day. Especially now that Vinโs on the warpath, passing out threats he fully intends to see through to the end. His power here in Cypress Pointe seems limitless, but thereโs no time to see if thatโs true. Iโm prepared to make sacrifices to keep my family safe.
Even if whatโs sacrificed is my own happiness.
As our circle of loyal friends becomes clear, we cling to it, because itโs all any of us has. But if thereโs one thing Vin didnโt count on, itโs that blood isnโt always thicker than water.
He might just find out firsthand why itโs never wise to cross the kingโs queen.
A great conclusion to Blue and Westโs story! This book really shows how far this couple has come since the first book, when they just hated the sight of one another.
As they try to come up with a solution to the issues posed with Westโs dad, Blue and West really work together. At one point, I thought the book was going to go in a different direction regarding Vinโs illegal activities, but I was relieved that it didnโt go the way I thought it was going to!
This book concludes the trilogy for Blue and West, but there is much more to come in this series. I canโt wait for Dane and Josslynโs story!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
I left our hometownโa place she once called paradiseโwhen we were just a couple of dirt poor teenagers. I left to flee the aftermath of a horrifying event that completely broke us. And now, ten years later, I’m going back to face the wreckage that I thought I’d put behind meโmy father’s gruesome legacy, the trauma of our past, and the girl who survived it all without me by her side.
She hates me now for leaving her behind and I don’t blame her.
I don’t blame her, but I want her.
I want her, even though I know I should stay away from her.
I could be dangerous.
I am my father’s son, after all.
Content Warning: This book contains brief scenes of violence and is premised around a theme of trauma and healing. Some parts may be triggering to some readersโdiscretion is advised.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
Wow, this book was tough. This is the first book I’ve read by Brynn Ford and I was kind of blown away.
Jagged Line Paradise is told in two parts — 10 years ago and then the present, when Andres returns to their small desert town a decade after a traumatic event turned Avalon’s upside down and he took off. Everything was perfect and sweet the night of her 18th birthday, and then it all fell apart the next morning. While Avalon was afraid to leave their hometown afterwards, Andres felt like he had no choice other than to leave town afterwards. They never spoke again, until 10 years later when he comes back home to make a documentary about the tragedy that hit their small town.
Avalon felt like she was deserted when she needed Andres the most. He felt like there was no way they could build a life together with the reputation that was following him. Their reunion doesn’t go well at first, but eventually these two figure out how to bury the demons between them and realize that their love for the other never faded.
It’s not an easy book to read, and there is a lot of angry sex involved, so beware if that isn’t your thing. But at it’s core, Jagged Line Paradise is all about finding beauty and strength, that our scars are badges of honor, and that peace and paradise can be a person, not a place.
This emotional story is full of angst, but a beautiful one! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
About the Author:
Brynn Ford is an author of dark and dirty romance for daring readers. She is a lover of the dark, twisted, and playful and strives to bring the unmentionable aspects of passionate romance into her stories.
Brynn resides in the Midwest with her husband and sons, whom she expects will someday be embarrassed by their mom’s books. When she isn’t obsessively writing, you may find her binge watching favorite shows while eating far too much junk food or fanatically reading, always seeking to lose herself in the emotional roller coaster of a damn good story.
She is quite the idealist, despite her fascination with the wicked and warped aspects of humanity. Some of her stories may run out of words before a happily ever after, but sheโs a firm believer that her characters continue to live on outside the pages in the minds of her readers. Stories donโt end just because there arenโt any more pages to turn.
Hearing the disbelief from my best friend’s mouth makes the events of my failed date sting that much more.
I would like to make it known, I have a lot more swagger than what it seems. I don’t normally ask a girl out, have her fail to recognize it’s a date, and then give me a high five–as if I’m her wingman–and take off with someone else.
No. Normally I’m the one taking the girl home but with Stella, it’s been one failed attempt after another and frankly, I’m done trying.
But thanks to my best friend getting married in Hawaii right before the school year starts, I’m stuck on a tropical island, watching Stella parade around in what she claims is a bathing suit.
Unfortunately, that’s not the worst of it, just the tip of the iceberg. Because what I think is going to be a relaxing vacation, avoiding the one girl I can’t seem to make it work with, has turned into a spectacle of being recruited as Stella’s doting fake fiancรฉ so she can save face with an old “friend” from high school.
Now I’m navigating through purgatory while trying not to get turned on by the way she holds my hand or kisses my jaw. It’s all fake, that’s what I keep telling myself, even though it feels entirely too real.
EXCERPT:
โDo you want to sit next to Stella on the airplane?โ Arlo asks.
โWhat? Fuck, no,โ I say while turning up the game so I can hear the announcers over my tedious, wedding-planning best friend.
Arlo snatches the remote from my hand and turns off the TV. The room is silent for a moment before uproarious objections fill the air.
โGentry is up next,โ Gunner, my other best friend and former teammate, complains from next to me. โHeโs three for three so far.โ
โWe need to talk,โ Arlo says in that stern, alpha-like voice that won over his fiancรฉe. Little does he know it doesnโt work on me.
I reach for the remote but he swats my hand with a resounding thud, causing me to yank my hand back. โWhat the actual fuck, man?โ
When I decided to have the guys over to my loft, I assumed weโd tear up some wings, drain some brews, and watch the Bobbies game. Never in my wildest fucking dreams would I have pictured Arlo Turner, the grumpy curmudgeon of the Forest Heights English department, to roll in like a beaming bride, holding a wedding planning folder to his chest, and consume the night with questions about what he should wear and if coconut cake is too โHawaiian-yโ for his Maui destination wedding.
But here we are.
โCut the crap, Romeo.โ
โCut what crap?โ I reach over to the coffee table and pick up my almost empty glass of beer.
โIโm not about to have the Bickersons attend my wedding, so what the hell is going on with Stella?โ
โNothing is going on,โ I answer, then take a small sip of my beer, making the liquid last so I donโt have to get up for a refill.
Gunner leans in and asks, โIf we get to the bottom of the problem, can we turn the TV back on?โ
โYes,โ Arlo answers.
โThen it was the baseball game he took her to.โ
โDude,โ I say in protest while sitting up on the couch. โWhat the fuck happened to donโt say anything?โ
Gunner unapologetically shrugs. โI really want to watch the Bobbies kill the Rebels in interleague play.โ
โWhat baseball game?โ Arlo asks. โDo you mean the game you took her and Cora to?โ
โYup.โ Gunner pops a chip in his mouth from the bowl on the coffee table. โExcept Cora wasnโt supposed to go. It was supposed to be a daaate,โ Gunner drags out.
โYou asked Stella out?โ Arlo asks, shocked.
โWay to sell me out for a game, you dick.โ
Not showing an ounce of remorse, Gunner stands from the couch and takes my glass from me.
โIโll top you off. Youโll need it.โ
Seething, I pass my hand over my head and say, โYeah, I asked her out. She invited Cora. End of story.โ
โThatโs not the end of the story,โ Gunner says from the kitchen, the open concept of my loft allowing his voice to carry to us easily.
When you think a friend is trustworthy and then they go and shock your fucking nuts right off by divulging everything you told them in secret . . . without even a blink of an eye. Gunner is dead to me.
Youโre probably wondering why I didnโt say anything to Arlo about what happened, given heโs one of my best friends, right? Itโs simple. Gunner got me drunk and I relished in the comfort of far too many cold beers and a listening ear. If it wasnโt for that, Iโd have kept my mouth shut, because the entire incident was fucking humiliating.
Between you and me, Iโve liked Stella Garcia, the Spanish teacher at Forest Heights, for a while now. Far too long actually. I canโt quite pinpoint when it happened, but all I know is over the three years Iโve known her, Iโve been pining after the girl for the majority of the time.
Fucking bold, quick-witted with a sharp tongue, loves sports, shy when it counts. Flat-out gorgeous with her long, wavy brown hair and fascinating green eyes that have a ring of brown around the pupil. Sheโs had my attention for a while and last year, I decided to finally make a move.
Enough was enough. We shared too many dinners together as friends. Sheโs pressed her lips to my beer glass without a second thought way too many times. The moment presented itself, I grew a pair, and asked her out to a baseball game knowing she loves watching the sport as much as I do.
But fuck did it backfire.
โWhatโs the end of the story?โ Arlo asks, growing agitated. His patience runs thin, which is surprising, given his profession of educating the youth.
Heโs not going to drop it.
Arloโs relentless when he wants to know something.
Dragging my hand down my face, I say, โIt was supposed to be a date.โ Gunner sits next to me and hands me my refilled glass, which I gladly take. โShe invited Cora. Which was fine. We had a good time, I still sat next to Stella, and we shared jokes even if there was a third wheel. But it was what happened afterwards thatโโ
โThat gutted him,โ Gunner finishes for me. When I snap a look at him, he smirks. โThatโs what you told me. Just thought Iโd help tell the story.โ
โI wasnโt gutted.โ
Maybe I was a little.
Hell . . . I was humiliated.
Gutted isnโt a strong enough word for what happened.
โWhat the fuck happened after? Christ. Why are you taking so damn long to get to the point?โ Arlo practically growls.
โGo easy on our guy.โ Gunner grips my shoulder. โHe was embarrassed, man.โ
โItโs fine, Iโm over it now,โ I say in a passive-aggressive tone.
โYouโre clearly not if you and Stella canโt even be in the same room together. I donโt want anything ruining this trip for Greer, and your constant arguing with Stella is driving everyone fucking crazy.โ
โGreat, then I just wonโt talk to her. Simple.โ
โJust tell him,โ Gunner says, nudging me.
Christ.
Staring down at my beer, I quietly say, โShe went home with someone else that night.โ
The room falls silent.
They donโt have to react for me to know what they must be thinking. They know Iโve liked Stella for a while. They know Iโve been trying to figure out a way to ask her out.
And this . . . hell, this was an epic fail on my end.
It wouldnโt be as bad if I werenโt already carrying a chip on my shoulder about the way I was forced to twist my life around.
Five years ago, everything changed.
Five years ago, I was stripped of the one thing that brought me life.
A ruptured Achilles tendon ended everything for me.
I never got the chance to appreciate my last game.
I never had the opportunity to sit on the field and say goodbye.
Instead, playing professional baseball was stripped from me and I was forced to fall back on my teaching degree I earned while playing in college.
To say Iโm bitter, resentful, and fucking angry . . . yeah, thatโs an understatement.
I live with regret daily and harbor more animosity than anyone should.
So, when I took Stella to the game, on a date, hoping to tell her how I feel, and she went home with someone else, it fucking stung.
Do you know what stung more, though?
The fact that she looked right past me and instead went for a rookie on the Bobbies.
Why go out with a washed-up baseball player turned phys ed teacher with a slight limp in his walk, when you can go out with an unmarred professional baseball player?
Yeah. Thereโs resentment for a reason. She chose the star. Thatโs who she wants.
Thatโs who Iโll never be.
And thatโs why I plan on staying as far away from Stella Garcia on this trip as I can.
And when we get back to Chicago and the school year starts, everything will go on as planned.
Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.
Too easy, right?
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
AH! Stella and Brock’s story was everything I wanted it to be! These two just COULD NOT get on the same page!
Miscommunication abounds in this story, and it leads to lots of frustration and hurt and anger on both their parts. Neither one of them actually comes out and says how they feel about the other until it is almost too late, and that’s a shame because they are made for one another.
Stella and Brock’s relationship is so easy. They were best friends for a long time before either of them realized that they wanted something more from the other. That friendship is a solid base for them, but Stella has some family drama she needs to work through before she can be the woman that she thinks Brock deserves to be with. And all Brock wants to do is be there for her, to hold her hand, be the shoulder she cries on…. The guy is a saint when it comes to waiting for Stella to be ready to take their relationship to the next level!
I loved all the shenanigans with this group of friends. The way that the guys and the girls both come together for each other is amazing. And I love the interactions between the girl group and the guys as well. Those text messages between the guys crack me up! I know that Cora’s book is coming next, and I would love to see a Keiko/Kelvin book. And this has all made me realize that I would have loved to have read a longer story between Gunner and Lindsay. Oh well!
Great job, Meghan! Bravo! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
I swear I didnโt mean to flirt with the world-famous Brayden Clarkeโespecially not right in the middle of an interview for a job.ย
It was a slipโor perhaps a gut reaction to his smoldering eyes and deep, sexy voice.ย
To my total disbelief, they give me the assignment. My task is simple: advise Brayden and his band on how to communicate with their fans. Easy-peasy. Or so I thought…
I can handle the job, but the sexy lead singer who’s intent on getting under my skin might be too hot to resist.ย ย
But our lives are too different. His life is under constant scrutiny. I thrive on freedom and spontaneity. I like exploring the streets of New York and meeting up with my siblings without needing security detail.ย
But when weโre together, all our differences fade, and I canโt get enough of this man. And he wonโt quit until he makes me his.ย
Say You’re Mine starts off a new spinoff series from Layla Hagen’s Irresistible Bachelors series. It is a standalone, but the connections between the characters in the IB books are explained well enough.
This instalove story is entertaining and lighthearted. Brayden’s band needs some social media assistance to connect with their fans, so Isabelle is hired to do an analysis. There is an instant connection between them, even though they (of course!) try to resist one another. I love that Isabelle doesn’t care that Brayden is one of the biggest rock stars — and of course that is what he finds intriguing about her. She could care less about who he is, and he finds the possibility of being in a real relationship with her intriguing. She’s kind, honest and down to earth, and the more time Brayden spends with her, the more he realizes that he wants to be with her.
But Isabelle and Brayden can’t live their lives in a bubble. Will she be able to handle the scrutiny and life in the spotlight that goes along with being Brayden Clark’s girlfriend? Will their romance go past the expiration date of when Brayden’s band leaves for their next tour? There are many ups and downs to their relationship as they navigate trying to find a middle ground. This story was well-written, and Isabelle and Brayden are great characters who are easy to connect with.
I look forward to seeing more from the Gallaghers in this series! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Layla Hagen
Welcome! My name is Layla Hagen and I am a Contemporary Romance author.
I fell in love with books when I was nine years old, and my love affair with stories continues even now, many years later. I write romantic stories and can’t wait to share them with the world. And I drink coffee. Lots of it ๐
She was never mine to keep, still I took every second that girl was willing to give me.
I always knew sheโd go back to him.
But I never expected sheโd take a piece of me with her.
Hayden
He changed my life forever, and it happened long before our two weeks together.
I didnโt mean to fall for him.
But how could I not when he gave me the most precious gift of all?
Weโre Made of Moments (A Cole Creek Novel) is the first book in a brand new, small town romance series by Molly McLain. This series is full of Mollyโs guaranteed feel-good vibes, amped up emotion, and page-sizzling heat. If you liked the River Bend and Velocity series, you will LOVE Cole Creek!
โDaddyโs here!โ Jett shrieks from the first floor and, just like that, my stomach drops to my toes.
Lane winks. โYou got this, gorgeous.โ
I know I do. But that doesnโt mean I have to like any part of it.
When he turns away, I paste on my game face and chink my armor firmly into place, just like I do every other Friday. I also send up a prayer for extra grace this week, because these exchanges seem to be getting harder and harder. Iโm not sure why, but I feel the unease creeping in a little more with every swap.
โMama, come on!โ Jett yells again, and I pull in a deep breath. Shoulders back, girlfriend.
I make it halfway down the stairs when my son yanks the front door open and launches himself at the brick wall of a man standing on the other side.
Big arms wrap around our little boy and lift him from the floor, while my lungs hold every ounce of air in my body hostage.
My son adores his father. Of that, I am absolutely certain. And when aquamarine eyes, the exact same color as Jettโs meet mine over the top of our little boyโs head, I realize that no matter how hard I try to prepare myself, this will never get easier.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
We’re Made of Moments is the first book I’ve read by Molly McLain, and I was totally hooked on Jesse and Hayden’s story! This second-chance romance is the rip your heart out and piece it back together kind of tale that I love to devour! The prologue hooked me, and the rest of the book was just as gut-wrenching.
Hayden and Jesse knew each other socially from around the small lake town where her parents had a cabin and he was from a local family. He always liked her, but respected that she had a boyfriend. They shared a few moments of pure connection over the years, so when Hayden’s boyfriend, Lane, cheated on her, Jesse was the guy she sought out when she escaped to her family’s cabin. Their two-week fling was never supposed to amount to anything more, and when Hayden eventually returned home, she reunited with Lane… and stayed with him even after discovering that she was pregnant with Jesse’s child.
Jesse.. wow. What a stand-up guy. I knew from the first time he and Lane were introduced in this book that I would be rooting for Jesse to get the girl. The guy is a super dad, and everything he does is for Hayden and their son, Jett. Even though he is hopelessly in love with Hayden, he respects her relationship and is the best co-parent he can be. But when Lane and Hayden split and she admits that she’s had feelings for him all along, Jesse wants his shot at truly making his family his.
The reunion between Hayden and Jesse isn’t easy. There are some issues they both have to hash out as far as their insecurities and personal demons, but We’re Made of Moments is a beautiful journey as they do exactly that. My heart broke for each of them at times, and I was overjoyed to see them finally get their happily ever after. This book is the gut-punch kind of story that gives you all the feels!
I will definitely be looking for more of the Cole Creek series! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
AUTHOR BIO
Molly McLain lives in a tiny Wisconsin town with her husband, three kiddos, and two adorable German Shorthaired Pointers. She’s addicted to 80’s ballads, 90’s rock, cheesecake, and office supplies, and she’s been scribbling down love stories in spiral notebooks since she was old enough to daydream about hunky boys and happily-ever-afters. Now, she turns those daydreams into steamy, small town romance novels.
Gabrielโs Album Sian Ceinwen
(Cruise Control Heroes, #1)
Publication date: March 14th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
The rock star always gets the girlโฆ
Iโm living my dream. For as long as I can remember, Iโve wanted to be a rock star. And now here I am, about to start my first big tour, when she comes along.
Ariana.
From the second we meet, sheโs all I can think about.Asking her to come on tour with me is easy. But sheโs shy, insecure, and the paparazzi scare her. We live in two completely different worlds.
I love her and I know that sheโs worth fighting for. The problem is, Iโm not sure if love is enough.
Gabrielโs Album is the first book in the Cruise Control Heroes series. Itโs the companion novel to The Album. Fall in love with Gabriel and Ariana all over again as Cruise Control embarks on their first world tour.
EXCERPT
Sebastian hands us our bottles of water and walks over to a trunk with โDREAMS COME TRUEโ written on it. He opens it and pulls three journals and pens out if before giving one of each to both me and Hayden.
โThis is called the Wisdom Tree,โ Sebastian informs us. โYou write your thoughts, ideas, or dreams in these books. People add to them all the time. I thought this might be good for you, Gabriel.โ
I flick through the journal he gave me, reading the thoughts, dreams, and ideas that other hikers have contributed. My heart rate increases as I consider what I should add to this. I close my eyes and take some deep breaths while I think about it. Iโve just achieved a life dream, probably my biggest one, but I know what I want. I begin to write.
Iโve worked hard to get where I am. Iโve succeeded in achieving my goals. What does it mean if I canโt have you?
Itโs the thought that Iโve been struggling with since Ariana left. I thought that what we were building together could become something much more. The possibility that she might not come back to me is too painful to bear. I have to cling to the hope that Heather will get through to her while sheโs back at home, and we can get through this.
A single tear drops from my face and splashes on the page, causing the ink in front of me to blur. I wipe the other tears from my face and close the book before walking over and placing the journal and pen in the trunk again.
I cough and ask, โAre you guys done?โ
โJust finished,โ Hayden smiles.
โIโm done too,โ Sebastian nods.
If either of them notices my tears, they donโt mention them, and we continue on our way to the sign. On the way there, Sebastian stops and drops the backpack on the ground before pulling out my phone.
โYou can check it if you want,โ he says as he holds it out to me.
My heartbeat increases as I take it from him, and I can barely breathe as I check the screen. Nothing. I take a deep breath and fight back tears. Surely, Heather shouldโve gotten a hold of her by now.
I hand the phone back to Sebastian without saying a word, or even unlocking it. He puts it away without further comment, but for the rest of the hike, my mind is a blur. I canโt focus on the amazing scenery; I can only focus on my inner turmoil. Everything is wrong. I hate knowing that Iโm going to see the Hollywood sign without Ariana. She shouldโve been here.
When we get to the point where we can see the sign, we finally see other hikers. Sebastian was right about the Burbank Peak Trail being a solitary hike. I see a couple of the other hikers take photos of us, but they donโt approach us.
โShould we go and try to climb the sign?โ Sebastian asks with a cheeky grin on his face as he gestures to the chain-link fence protecting it.
โPass,โ Hayden laughs. โI donโt feel like being arrested today. Can you even imagine what Cooper would say?โ
โYouโre not talking me out of it,โ Sebastian smirks, then looks at me, and his face drops. โOkay, bad idea, I guess. Well, letโs get pictures. Iโll put them on Instagram and make Heather jealous, at least.โ
We take selfies in front of the view of the sign below us. Iโve gotten so used to posing for photos that when I look at the ones weโve taken, you canโt even tell that my heart is broken and every cell in my body is aching for Ariana. I look like any other guy out on a hike with his friends.
Sebastian takes some more pictures of the view, then we have a drink of water before beginning the hike back to the car.
When we reach the Wisdom Tree again, I say, โWait a second.โ
I open the trunk and pull out another journal and pen. I open it to write another message.
If you donโt come back to me, I know the pain will fade. My love, though? That will remain the same.
I know Ariana will never read this, but it doesnโt matter. I feel better for writing it down. Itโs the truth, as well. I can barely stand to think about her not coming back to me, but even if she doesnโt, I will always love her. I kiss the words on the page, wishing they were Arianaโs lips, and place the journal back in the trunk.
By the time we get back to the car, Iโm tired, both physically and emotionally. Sebastian and Hayden talk on the way back to the hotel, but Iโm grateful that they donโt push me to talk at all. As soon as I reach the quiet darkness of my hotel suite, I pull out my phone again and see nothing of interest. People have called and messaged, but none of them are Ariana. So, I call her.
Hi, Iโm Sian Ceinwen and I live in Western Australia with my husband and two kids. I started writing this in the third person but it was just odd. A little bit about me, Iโve enjoyed writing all my life, getting the worlds and characters in my head down for other people to enjoy is my passion.
Writing a book wasnโt something I ever thought I could really do but inspired by a song, I aimed to do it. With a lot of coaxing from my friends for me to finish it so they could find out the ending.
I released Gabriel and Arianaโs story, The Album, on March 14th, 2020. Harrison and Heatherโs story, The Wedding, came out on June 6th, 2020. Sebastian and Litaโs book, The Baby, was released on November 18th, 2020.
The first book in the companion series, Gabrielโs Album, is available for pre-order and will be released on March 14th, 2021. Itโs Gabriel and Arianaโs story retold from Gabrielโs point of view.
I hope that you will fall in love with the Cruise Control world the same way that I have.
My name is Carter Trayland, And I really screwed up.
Wreck My Plans, an all-new standalone enemies-to-lovers romance from Kelsey Clayton is available now!
I shouldโve ended things before they began. Instead, I wound up in a twisted love triangle, One that I never wanted to be a part of.
The wrong choice sent my life on a whirlwind. A woman I forced myself to love is dead. My best friend was nearly blamed for her murder. And the one Iโve always wanted, now wants revenge.
Her favorite person is gone, and she thinks itโs my fault. Iโm not about to correct her either. Not when the reality is so much worse.
She canโt find out the truth of what happened. Knowing would ruin her in ways I canโt fathom. If blaming me is her way of coping, Iโll gladly carry that burden.
Because Tyeler Morgan is the one girl Iโd protect at all costs.
Wreck My Plans is a standalone and part of the North Haven University series. It deals with sensitive topics that my be triggering to some readers.
I turn toward the door to see Carter, Jace, and Jace’s girlfriend standing there. The guys look just as shocked to see me as I am to see them, but the girl next to Jace is most likely picturing ways to murder me in her mind.
“You two know each other?” Amelia asks.
She grunts. “Not exactly, but I know enough of her to know she’s a fucking bitch.”
“Woah,” Kennedy steps in. “Easy, Paige.”
“Yeah, babe. Let’s calm down a little,” Jace tries, but she’s not having it.
She rips her arm out of his hold. “No! Fuck no! She tried to put you away for life, Jace. For life!”
The reminder of my best friend’s murder trial is a slap in the face, and my testimony was based off my belief that he actually did it. If I had seen the tape showing the other angle before I got on the stand, I never would have agreed to testify. The one thing I can see, though, is that Jace seems to value his life a little more than he used to, because he doesn’t try to calm his girlfriend down again.
Paige glares at me as she steps forward and into my face. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re doing here, but let me make one thing clear: if you try fucking with my friends, my family, we’re going to have serious issues.”
There is absolutely nothing that I find intimidating about this girl. To be honest, it looks like I could have the right guy punt her across a football field. But I can respect her loyalty to her friends and the courage to jump into the lion’s den to defend them.
I used to have that.
She turns around and walks back toward Jace. “Come on. We’re leaving.”
“No. Allow me.” I interrupt and my eyes find Carter’s. “Suddenly, this is the last place I want to be.”
Neither Kennedy or Amelia try to stop me as I slip out the doorโnot that I expected them to. They’ve been friends with them longer. Of course, Carter manages to take everything from me. He took Davi. Now he already has Kennedy and Amelia. There’s no way those two will have anything to do with me once I start doing things to get back at Carter, and nothing will stand in the way of my plans.
Nothing.
As if he has an actual death wish, the door opens and Carter comes running out, calling my name. I consider not stopping. I’m sure nothing good can come from talking to him, but my anger is enough to get me to freeze.
“Don’t leave,” he tells me. “I’m sorry for what Paige said.”
I balk. “For what Paige said? That’s what you’re sorry for?”
Running his fingers through his hair, he sighs. “Not the only thing, but it’s something I’m sorry for. Can we just go somewhere and talk?”
A bark of humorless laughter echoes out of me. “No. I don’t want to go anywhere with you. I don’t even want to fucking look at you.” My fists clench, and I can feel my nails digging into my skin as he stays quiet. “You just have the perfect life, don’t you? You’ve got your team and your friends and your family. And where’s mine? Oh. That’s right. Six feet under, right where you fucking left her.”
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Star
Wreck My Plans is another great story in the North Haven University series by Kelsey Clayton, telling Carter and Tyeler’s story. It is a standalone, but events are referenced from the previous book, Change My Game, but I think the reader would be fine not going in without that background.
Now we know exactly why Tyeler transferred to NHU, and why she’s gunning for Carter: She wants him to pay for the death of her best friend, Davi. Even though Jace was wrongly tried for having killed Davi, Tye holds Carter responsible. After all, he was Davi’s fiance, and she blames him for taking her best friend away from her.
This book is all kinds of twisted, and Tye is really out of control. Some of her paybacks are harmless pranks but she crosses the line to illegal more than once. And Carter just takes it all because he’s been in love with her for years, and knows that she’s suffering and hurt. While it’s a bit outlandish that Tye never pays for anything she does, I read it knowing that I had to suspend belief. Carter carries his own guilt over Davi’s death, and has been worried about Tye ever since. He knows that her grief is consuming her, and rather than being pissed off about her antics, he is genuinely terrified for her own mental health. The worst part of it all is that Carter has the info that would make Tye stop it all, but he knows that revealing the truth to her about Davi would hurt her even more.
Wreck My Plans is a second-chance story with a bit of hate, lust, love, revenge and forbidden romance between two enemies to lovers who have both been hurt by events of the past and find a shred of peace in one another to move forward. I think Carter and Tye may be my favorite couple of this series so far… but I can’t wait for Easton and Kennedy’s story!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
About Kelsey Kelsey Clayton is an internationally selling author of Contemporary Romance novels. She lives in a small town in Delaware with her husband, two kids, and dog.
She is an avid reader of fall hard romance. She believes that books are the best escape you can find, and that if you feel a range of emotions while reading her stories – she succeeded. She loves writing and is only getting started on this life long journey.
Kelsey likes to keep things in her life simple. Her ideal night is one with sweatpants, a fluffy blanket, cheese fries, and wine. She holds her friends and family close to her heart and would do just about anything to make them happy.
From International Bestselling author Kaydence Snow, comes a student-teacher romance full of suspense and forbidden heat.
Harlow
My life is a mess.
No plans for the future, constantly disappointing everyone, and now some creep is threatening me, making me do reprehensible things.
Oh! And a teacher is somehow involved too. Easton Monroe is strict, aloof, and not at all what everyone at school thinks he is. The more I dig beneath his neat shirts and disapproving frowns, the more I catch feelings for the complicated man.
I have to figure him out โ before we do something weโll both regret.
Easton
My life is a lie.
In a job I canโt stand, alone and miserable, the anonymous psycho blackmailing me is the only person I speak to regularly.
In case I didnโt have enough to stress about, a student is being targeted by the same psycho. Harlow Mead is stubborn, brave and so much more than she lets people see. Sheโs determined to fight and more beguiling the more I get to know her.
I have to get us out of this deadly situation โ before I ruin us both.
Like You Should is a student/teacher romance, but it’s worth noting that Harlow is 18, Easton only 23, and he’s not *her* teacher — just teaches at the same elite academy where she attends.
Going into this book, I didn’t have much of an opinion of Harlow based on her appearances in the previous ones. She was just kind of a background player, but she really comes into her own in Like You Should. She was always Donna’s little sister who needed taking care of, but now she’s trying to take care of her big sister. Even if it means doing shady, illegal things to protect Donna’s wild past from coming to light. I *really* liked Harlow. Whereas I found Donna to be a bully and a mean girl in her book, I thought Harlow was fiercely loyal to her family and selfless. Sure, she was being coerced into breaking and entering among other things, but she was doing it to protect her big sister. Harlow always put herself down as being stupid, but I found her to be full of street smarts and a strong heroine.
Then there’s Easton. Cold, uptight Mr. Monroe is actually a weekend tattoo artist, full of ink and a pretty sweet guy to boot. He’s cold at school because he hates being there. He, too, is being coerced to do shady things, and it’s all to protect his little brother, Ford. He tries so hard to distance himself from Harlow, but there’s a strong connection there that he can’t deny. Even though he’s not her teacher, Easton tries to do the right thing and not compromise either of their reputations.
But as Easton, Harlow and Ford work together to try to uncover the identity of their mysterious blackmailer, Easton learns that there is much more to Harlow than the bratty rich girl he originally thought she was, and she discovers that there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to protect those who matter to him… and that includes her. I thought these two were wonderful together… I really think they are my favorite couple of this series so far!
Like You Should can be read as a standalone, but there is an ongoing storyline with a mysterious self-help group called BestLyfe that has continued through all three books so far. Somehow โ I’m sure of it! โ the hacker who was blackmailing Easton and Harlow is connected to BestLyfe, but that was mysteriously dropped as soon as Ocean’s identity was revealed. But I trust Kaydence Snow has the resolution to it all planned out for Amaya’s book, coming next! And can we PLEASE get a book for Ford??
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Kaydence Snow has lived all over the world but ended up settled in Melbourne, Australia. She lives near the beach with her husband.
She draws inspiration from her own overthinking, sometimes frightening imagination, and everything that makes life interesting: complicated relationships, new experiences and good food and coffee. Life is not worth living without good food and coffee!
She believes sarcasm is the highest form of wit and has the vocabulary of a highly educated, well-read sailor. When she’s not writing, thinking about writing, planning when she can write next, or reading other people’s writing, she loves to travel and learn new things.
โWaiting for your next victim?โ a cool, dark voice asks from my left.
โWhat do you want?โ I ask without turning around. His voice alone sends shivers down my spine. God only knows what seeing his smug smile and sharp jaw would do to me right now.
Stupidly, I let my guard down tonight. Every single fiber of my being is telling me to run, but I refuseโpartly because the thought of making a scene in front of all of these people has my skin feeling tight and itchy, and also because I refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing me run away… again.
Sterling leans in, his breath tickling my neck and his body warming mine. โIโm just saying. Dressed the way you are, you must be looking for a good time. And I canโt help but wonder…โ He trails off, skimming his nose down the column of my throat before scraping his teeth against the sensitive flesh where my neck and shoulder meet.
โStop it!โ I pray for my voice to come out firm and commanding, but seeing as God abandoned me long ago, I sound raw and needy. Which is a lie. I am a lot of things in regard to Sterling Abbotโangry, frustrated, hurtโbut definitely not needy.
I try to shoulder-check him, but he bands an arm around my waist and pulls me in closer, bringing my back flush with his front. The feel of our bodies pressed together has my heart slamming against my ribs as arousal and disgust battle for dominance inside of me.
Judging from my roiling gut and damp panties, itโs a tie.
โI donโt really think you mean that, little mouse.โ
ย
ย
ย
ย
ย
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars
I started this book at 11 pm and was up until 2 am reading because I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down. Reader beware of trigger warnings, because this book is full of dark themes and the heroine is an abuse survivor.
Emmy’s life has been horrible. Horrible! Betrayed by everyone who was supposed to protect her, namely her mother. The cruel, mean things that have been done to her and said about her nearly broke her, but she arrives at college hoping for a fresh start. And she makes a solid circle of friends in Stella and the guys, people who finally believe her word over that of her stepbrother Rob. But then she sees that her TA is Sterling, Rob’s best friend, who is continuing her stepbrother’s reign of terror.
Except that along the way while making Emmy’s life miserable, Sterling discovers that maybe she wasn’t the liar after all.
The only thing I would have liked to have seen more of was the transition from Emmy mistrusting Sterling to being full-blown trusting relationship. There was plenty of Sterling’s change of heart that was shown to me through his POV, but I would have liked to have had more from Emmy’s side. But otherwise, this book is a gripping bully romance. Realistic? Not likely. But wildly entertaining, and left me with a helluva book hangover.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
ย
AUTHOR BIO
LK Farlow (A.K.A Kate) is a small town girl with a love for words. She’s been writing stories for as long as she can remember. A Southern girl through and through, Kate resides in beautiful, sunny LA–that’s Lower Alabama, y’all–with her amazing husband and four rambunctious children. When she’s not writing, you can find her snuggled up on the couch watching car shows while she crochets or with her nose in a book.
First, she tampered with my pickle. Then, she got us both kicked off a cooking show. Now, weโre fake engaged. Sit back, friends, this is one crazy tale of treachery and pickle juice.
Anthony: All right. Hereโs how it went. My pickle went viral. Millions saw it. Thousands ate it. Hold up, pervs. Let me backtrack. I invented a very spicy pickle made with ghost peppers. One bite and youโll swear someone stuffed a hot coal in your mouth. Itโs extremely popular in pranks. Iโm in the middle of filming with a prominent cooking show when in walks Little Miss Perfect Pants from a rival deli to insist she has improvements for my pickle. It all goes downhill from there.
Magnolia: Read the reviews and weep, Anthony Pickle. I got the best of you on reality TV. You got me back with a very public kiss. After your new deli poached on my territory, I swore to hate you. But every time those smoky eyes meet mine, I melt a little. Cheesy, right? By the time you’ve kissed me, I already know Iโm in deep. But then you propose? How am I supposed to keep faking it when every swoon is real?
___
Spicy Pickle is a romantic comedy about a culinary feud, potent pickle juice, and the most not-fake fake love story in the history of reality TV.
She glances up when I enter the room that adjoins our two hotel suites. I could kiss our cooking tour publicist for this arrangement.
โHey!โ she says. โYou got fancy sleepwear from the designers, too.โ
I sit in the chair next to her. โYou got some?โ
โYou bet I did. It was mixed in with all the fancy dresses for the talk shows. But I wonโt be caught dead in it.โ
Now she has my interest. โWhat is it?โ
She runs her finger down the room service menu. โWouldnโt you like to know?โ
Yes. Yes, I would.
ย
ย
ย
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars
Ah, I adored Anthony and Magnoliaโs story! This enemies to lovers/fake relationship romance was perfect. Great characters, funny innuendos, a super sweet hero and a slightly awkward heroine.
Anthony is the youngest Pickle brother, and after his ghost pickle goes viral on TikTok for how spicy it is, he is invited on a popular cooking show. Unbeknownst to him, the daughter of a rival deli is also on the show, determined to show him up. Things donโt go as either Anthony or Magnolia planned, and they find themselves in the midst of a social media firestorm and scandal when they are accused of pulling a prank on the show host. To save both their businesses, they go on a publicity tour, flipping the script and pretending that theyโve fallen in love. And at some point, the lines between what is reel and what is real begin to blur.
I loved this book so much. Anthony is such a sweetheart, and he is the perfect fake boyfriend. Magnolia is stronger than she gives herself credit for, and she holds her own during their tv appearances, despite thinking sheโs a wall flower. I loved seeing her blossom and find confidence during the PR tour as she fell in love with Anthony despite herself!
Spicy Pickle marks the end of the Pickle Brothers series, but the epilogue sets up a new series staring with Havannah, Magnoliaโs sister, set in the new deli that the sisters open up. I canโt wait!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
ย
ย
JJ Knight is the USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic comedy. Sheโs never met a pickle she didnโt want to eat.
Sunny Shelly Reads 