Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: The Chameleon Effect by Joe Arden

September 16, 2022 sunnyshellyreadsLeave a comment

🎬★NOW AVAILABLE★🎬
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 is the debut solo novel from acclaimed, award-winning romance narrator, Joe Arden, is LIVE! A secret identity romance from the man with the secret identity! One-click yours now!

Read FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
Purchase here: https://amzn.to/3vN8sZh
𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Chameleon-Effect-Audiobook/B0B9HLY62L
𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 and 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 can be purchased here: https://www.therealjoearden.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61377825-the-chameleon-effect

Blurb:
Lights. Camera. *Action*…
I’ve got everything it takes to make it in Tinseltown: confidence, charisma, and a killer chin. Now all I need is a chance.
But Los Angeles is full of hot, young hunks, and talent might not be enough to separate me from the cookie-cutter crowd.
Well, you know what they say: fake it till you make it.
So I devise a wild scheme to get noticed. Pretend I’m someone I’m not—goodbye Will O’Connell of Cincinnati and hello Liam O’Connell of Dublin.
‘Liam’ and his talent with accents is enough to get myfoot in the door, but I never anticipated meeting the woman who has me more worried about keeping my foot out of my mouth.
Enter Raven Locke, the dark-haired bombshell who puts the ‘tude in tattooed.
On set, she’s the costumer tasked with fitting my pants, but all I can think about is how to get into hers.
As my — I mean, Liam’s — budding career begins to heat up, so do our feelings.
While Raven pursues her passion for fashion; I chase her heart.
Our picture-perfect screenplay seems sure to send us riding off onto Sunset Boulevard… Until Raven finds out that Comedy and Tragedy aren’t the only masks I’m wearing. Our romance might be destined for the cutting room floor, unless I can salvage our story with a plot twist she won’t see coming.

*This first-person, male-POV rom-com has it all: lots of heat, plenty of heart, and a Hollywood-worthy HEA.

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

The Chameleon Effect is a solid debut novel from one of Romancelandia’s most popular audio narrators, Joe Arden. I thought Arden did a great job in writing Will’s story and creating a world where the main character struggles with guilt over pretending to be someone he’s not.

Liam and Raven have an instant connection, and I bought it. This book has all the spice and steam, but is still charming and sweet. I also really enjoyed being inside Will’s head, and getting a firsthand look at his struggles to make it as an actor, balancing his desire for a career 8 years in the making with building a relationship based on a fake identity. What a quandary!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought there were some instances where Arden’s writing style was a bit too wordy in his descriptions, but that will improve with time. The Chameleon Effect is a sexy, hot fake identity romance from a guy who has his own secret identity! I definitely want to check this book out in audio and hear Arden do Liam’s Irish brogue!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Find Joe Arden here: https://www.therealjoearden.com/

Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Shattered Sea by Catherine Cowles

September 15, 2022 sunnyshellyreadsLeave a comment

He was the last person she expected to fall for…

Shattered Sea, a sexy, suspenseful, small town romance from USA Today bestselling author Catherine Cowles, is out now!

I’ve known every kind of pain. Of the heart. Of the body. Of the soul. All I want now is the freedom that comes from making my art.

The last thing I expected was Hollywood royalty to waltz into my gallery in a small town in the middle of nowhere and see me.

A man like Boden Cavanaugh shouldn’t understand me. Shouldn’t be able to soothe my most ragged edges. Even worse, he makes me want the one thing I can’t have. Him.

All it takes is one spark, and friendship catches flame. But as our attraction burns bright, there are forces desperate to send us back into the darkness. And they’ve already killed before…

Keep reading for a look inside Shattered Sea!

The way Boden’s muscles tightened told me the little he’d shared was only the tip of the iceberg. That tension called to me, and I reached out, kneading the flesh along his shoulders. His head fell to my own shoulder, and he sighed. “I’ll only let you do that forever.”

I chuckled. “I do have the magic touch.”

“You could be making millions with those hands.”

“I only use them on very special recipients. They aren’t for sale.”

Boden straightened, but as he did, he came closer. Our faces were close. Lips just a breath away. The urge to lean forward, to know what he felt like, tasted like, was strong. Boden’s hand skated up my arm to my neck to tangle in my hair.
I knew that Boden Cavanaugh was more than dangerous. But like a moth to a flame, I kept getting closer.

Fall in love today!
Amazon: https://geni.us/ShttrdSeaAmzn
Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/shatteredsea
Apple Books: https://geni.us/ShttrdSeaAppl
Nook: https://geni.us/ShttrdSeaNook
Kobo: https://geni.us/ShttrdSeaKobo
Amazon Paperback: https://geni.us/ShttrdSeaAmznPB
Nook Paperback: https://geni.us/ShttrdSeaNookPB

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

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

The Tattered & Torn series keeps getting better and better! While each book thus far in this series has been raw and emotional and gritty, there was something just *extra* about Laiken and Boden in Shattered Sea. These two broken souls both have experienced so much pain in their lives. Laiken hides her pain behind her art, and Bo hides his behind the mask he wears as a Hollywood moviestar. But when they cross paths at the gallery Laiken manages in Wolf Gap, there is an undeniable thread that pulls these two together.

As with all of Catherine Cowles’ books in this series, there is an element of suspense involved, and I must admit that I was shocked by the plot twist when it was revealed.

Cowles has a gift for weaving together an intriguing story full of heart and heat while including heartache, pain, and healing. Boden and Laiken were a perfect match in every way, and audio narrators Ava Erickson and Sebastian York magnificently brought these broken characters to life.

Now I am on pins and needles waiting for Shiloh and Ramsey’s story next! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

About Catherine Cowles

Writer of words. Drinker of Diet Cokes. Lover of all things cute and furry, especially her dog. Catherine has had her nose in a book since the time she could read and finally decided to write down some of her own stories. When she’s not writing she can be found exploring her home state of Oregon, listening to true crime podcasts, or searching for her next book boyfriend.

Connect with Catherine

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IEQXSw

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2Lc4mU0

Twitter: https://twitter.com/catherinecowles

Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2RFY7Jv

Instagram: http://bit.ly/31TE3rJ

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2xdUZLn

BookBub: http://bit.ly/2J3dWWF

Website: https://www.catherinecowles.com/

Stay up to date with Catherine by joining her mail list:

http://bit.ly/2JZE0DH

Uncategorized

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Mine To Cherish by Natasha Madison

September 15, 2022September 15, 2022 sunnyshellyreadsLeave a comment

Release Date: September 13

From USA Today bestselling author Natasha Madison comes a small town, enemies to lovers second chance romance.

Things are supposed to go smoothly on your wedding day.

Aren’t they?

Clarabella

Did I want to get married today?

It’s hard to say when he proposed in front of over a hundred people.

Everything happened so fast, and I thought it was just nerves.

It was not.

The knock on the door showed me that what I was feeling was more than just cold feet.

I was a runaway bride.

Luke

The whole town was busy attending her wedding.

She was the one I let get away when I told her our night together was a mistake and then left town.

So I planned to spend the weekend getting drunk.

When she ran out of the church looking for a hideout, I opened the car door for her.

My cabin has one bed, and my longing looks don’t mix well.

Somehow, I have to keep my heart intact and her reputation together.

Maybe she was just mine to cherish.

Grab Your Copy Here!

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

I am absolutely loving the Southern Wedding series by Natasha Madison, and adore Clarabella and Luke’s story in Mine to Cherish. What a romantic tale of a second chance with the one that got away!

Clarabella and Luke have such a great chemistry, so it was easy for me to root for them as the endgame even though she’s engaged to someone else when they cross paths again. And it was only six months ago that they crossed the line of their friendship, so they are both still at the forefront of each other’s minds. Because of that connection, I hate to say that this story is a rebound romance. Because Luke and Clarabella should have been together all along. Edward was never right for her, and that was super obvious.

When Luke offers Clarabella an escape plan from her wedding, their time alone at his cabin provides them with a forced reason to reconnect. They approach their resumed romance with a lot of transparency in their communication, and though they each allow anger and hurt to overcome them a few times, they are quick to apologize and set things right, which I found refreshing.

I thought the last chapter was a bit rushed, to be honest, but NM made up for it with the two epilogues!

Bring on Presley and Bennett! I received 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

Facebook| Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Reader Group

Follow on Amazon | Follow on BookBub | Subscribe to Newsletter TikTok

Hosted By:

Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Stay Over by Kaylee Ryan

September 13, 2022 sunnyshellyreadsLeave a comment

Stay Over by Kaylee Ryan is now live!

Brooks

Overhearing my cousin’s best friend confessing that she’s never been satisfied wasn’t my fault… but offering to help her change that definitely was. Her brother is a friend of mine, and while this has a bad idea written all over it, it doesn’t stop us from becoming friends… with benefits.

Palmer is gorgeous, off-limits, and stubborn as hell. For the first time, I’m the one left wanting more.

I’m tired of watching her walk away. I’m ready for her to stay.

Palmer

I never dreamed having my crush overhear my most embarrassing confession would land me in his bed… or that I would want to stay there.

But our secret relationship has rules. No strings. No expectations. No feelings. What’s that saying about rules? Oh yeah, they’re meant to be broken.

But when it comes to Brooks, I’m afraid if I’m not the one to walk away, it won’t be just the rules broken.

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
https://geni.us/StayOver

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3JYhDfn

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Stay Over is a great start to a new series by Kaylee Ryan! Technically, the series begins with Stay Always, a novella in the Ten First Dates anthology, but Stay Over is the first full-length novel in the Kincaid Brothers series.

I fell in love with the Kincaid Brothers when I read Never With Me, and I was fully prepared to commit to a series featuring nine rowdy brothers. And Brooks and Palmer’s story did not disappoint! Palmer is the sister of Deacon from Never With Me, and Brooks is Ramsey’s cousin. She’s always had a crush on Brooks, her older brother’s best friend, and takes the opportunity to hang out with him the night of Ramsey and Deacon’s engagement party, where this book begins.

Over the next few weeks, Brooks and Palmer forge a friendship all of their own, with a sizzling attraction simmering underneath. That turns into a friends with benefits hookup, and eventually a secret relationship. I loved how Brooks was kinda slapped in the face with his attraction to Palmer. It completely caught him off guard, and I loved that he didn’t know what to do with his feelings at first.

Of course, the drama between them could have been avoided if they were just honest with each other about how they were feeling, but then we wouldn’t have gotten those super sweet last few chapters where they reunite!

I adored this story and can’t wait to see what comes next for the Kinkaid brothers!! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Kaylee Ryan

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylee Ryan has been crowned the Queen of Swoon by her readers. With nearly fifty romance books under her belt, she’s known for penning happily ever afters with heart. When she’s not writing, you can find her with a book in her hand or hanging out with her family where she resides in her home state of Ohio.

Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Mr. Gray Sweatpants by Whitley Cox

September 10, 2022September 10, 2022 sunnyshellyreadsLeave a comment

Title: Mr. Gray Sweatpants

Authors: Whitley Cox

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Tropes: Neighbors to Lovers, Alpha, Slow Burn Romance

Release Date: September 10, 2022

“Mr Gray Sweatpants was a romantic comedy that also was packed with emotion and heartfelt moments. This author never disappoints with the heat and the steam with the chemistry between Leo and Casey being like an inferno. These two made me laugh, cry and everything in between. A story that ticks every box and leaves you completely satisfied.”– Wiley Kate (Bookbub Review)

“Another touching, engaging story with many characters from the Single series if you’ve read and become a fan of them, and even if this is your first you’ll be captivated from beginning to end.” – Cheri ~Words Turn Me On (Goodreads Review)

“I opened this book and started with a smile, which turned into a giggle and developed into a laugh! It’s a slow burn romance with so much more in store.”– Sue Hancock (Goodreads Review)

“The storyline was so sweet, emotional and really steamy. I loved they way the author was able to make me care about the characters both the main characters but also the minor characters. I would love to see more stories within this world.”– Sarah Nielson (Bookbub Review)

Secrets, assuming, and an a$$hole cat that gives zero f*cks

A hot boy summer romantic-comedy. The boy next door, the girl with a million secrets and an a$$hole cat that cares about nobody. This book takes passing love notes in class to a whole new level. Guitar music on the beach, plenty of hardcore wooing and way too much assuming. And we all know what assuming does …

Casey Savage is a workaholic. During the summer she works two jobs and nearly seventy hours a week in order to save money for school. She has zero time for dating, boys, or being wooed. However, she’s also no fool and will willingly choose mind-blowing orgasms over sleep any day. Which is where Mr. Gray Sweatpants down the road comes in.

Leo Brandt is spending the summer fixing up his late grandmother’s house with the goal of it selling to turn a profit. The hottie up the block doesn’t seem to know he’s alive, but that doesn’t stop his fantasies from getting wild.

An a$$hole cat brings them together, and Leo’s determination to learn more about Casey than just what makes her reach climax the fastest, has Casey taking a hard step back.

Her past isn’t anybody’s business, least of all an itch-scratcher like Leo.

But try as she might, the sexy contractor is not just getting under her sheets, but he’s also getting under her skin and she finds herself falling for him. Dammit!

When Leo finally learns the truth about Casey and all the dirty secrets that she’s keeping will he still see her as more than just a hookup? Or will he sell the house as-is and not only get out of dodge but the neighborhood and Casey’s life completely?

“Casey,” he panted, breaking their kiss. “I’m trying to be good.”

“You are. Oh boy, you are. You’re sooooo good. You feel so good.” She rocked against him and moaned again.

His mouth fell to her neck, and he scraped his teeth along the side, seeing stars behind his closed eyelids as she slid the V of her legs along his hard shaft. He wasn’t going to last long. He was going to make a mess in his shorts if she kept moving the way she was, kept making those sexy little noises and pressing her tits toward his face.

“I’m willing to wait if it’s what you need, Leo,” she said, all breathless and sounding like she was hanging on by a thread. “But know that it’s not easy. I want nothing more than to feel all of you inside me. I can feel how big you are.” She slid her hand between them, and the heat from her palm felt like a brand against his cock, even through all the layers.

He growled. “Careful.”

“But don’t you just wonder how it would feel?” She ran her fingers up and down along his cock, driving him ever-loving mad with how badly he wanted to punch a hole through the khaki and fill her up properly.

“Every damn minute of the day,” he gritted out.

“How much of me do you need to know before we finally get to … give in to our basest desires?”

“So much more, baby. I want to know it all.” It took every ounce of willpower he had left not to push his hands down the front of her panties—since that was all that was between them, as she was wearing that sexy summer dress—and feel just how wet she was. He knew she was wet. He knew that when she climbed off him, there’d be a wet spot on the front of his shorts from where she was riding him. But he wanted to feel that wet heat on his fingertips, on his tongue, and wrapped around his cock.

“This feels so good.”

“So good,” he echoed.

“I’m close, Leo.”

Oh fuck. Yes.

He hadn’t heard the sweet melody of Casey coming in what felt like forever. Granted, it’d only been a little over a month since that night on his couch, but given the level of self-inflicted torture and sexual deprivation he felt, it could have been thirty years. Every moan, every mewl, every whimper made his dick throb against his khakis and his balls cinch up tight.

“Leo …” she said on a gasp.

“Casey, I want to get to—”

But his words were cut off at the knees when she grabbed him by the hair, lifted his head up and crushed her mouth to his. A second after her tongue surged forward into his mouth, she began to whimper and breathe heavily, the puffs from her nose hitting his upper lip.

She was coming.

Fuck him.

She was coming.

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

Mr. Gray Sweatpants is a sweet neighbors romcom that starts off with the funniest meet-cute. I loved how Casey and Leo got to know each other without even realizing it through her a$$hole cat. When they finally meet IRL, there’s an instant spark. Even though Leo is looking for a relationship and wants one with Casey, he lets her set the pace. They start a sizzling friends with benefits relationship, mostly because Casey is hiding some major baggage from her past when it comes to her family and keeps Leo at an arm’s length.

But just as feelings get involved, Casey’s past comes back to haunt her. Will Leo stand by her side, or ditch her the way she expected him too?

Whitley Cox did a great job of balancing out some serious family drama with a whole lot of comedy in this fantastic, slow-burn neighbors romance! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

A Canadian West Coast baby born and raised, Whitley is married to her high school sweetheart, and together they have two beautiful daughters and a fluffy dog. She spends her days making food that gets thrown on the floor, vacuuming Cheerios out from under the couch and making sure that the dog food doesn’t end up in the air conditioner. But when nap time comes, and it’s not quite wine o’clock, Whitley sits down, avoids the pile of laundry on the couch, and writes.

A lover of all things decadent; wine, cheese, chocolate and spicy erotic romance, Whitley brings the humorous side of sex, the ridiculous side of relationships and the suspense of everyday life into her stories. With single dads, firefighters, Navy SEALs, mommy wars, body issues, threesomes, bondage and role-playing, Whitley’s books have all the funny and fabulously filthy words you could hope for.

HOSTED BY:

Uncategorized

Sunny Shelly’s Review: The Love of My Next Life by Britt Benson

September 10, 2022 sunnyshellyreadsLeave a comment

Release Date: September 8

I calmed his demons. 

He created mine.

Macon Davis.

My best friend’s brother. 

My tormentor.

My least favorite person.

Pothead. Delinquent.

A careless, directionless loser.

That’s what I used to believe,

but I didn’t really know him.

And when I finally saw him,

it was the best and worst thing to ever happen to me.

We burned hot and fast.

Passion. Anger. Love. Pain.

We were reckless. Naive.

We were doomed from the start.

When I finally saw Macon Davis for who he was,

We both went down in the flames.

***

 The Love of My Next Life is part one of a duet.

It is just as much a love story as it is a tale of ruin.

While the duet will end with an HEA, book one does not.

Book two is set to release in October 2022.

Grab Your Copy Here:

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

Available in KU

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Wow. Macon and Lennon’s story is a doozy. I read this book in a day because it was one of those stories that I just had to keep reading “one more chapter” — and the next thing I knew, it was 1 am.

This story is definitely not sunshine and rainbows. It’s dark and gritty, and Macon does some despicable things. Not that it’s an excuse for his behavior, but the dude has some serious demons.

The push and pull between these two drove me crazy, which I’m sure was Benson’s intention. Two steps forward, five steps back. Mostly because Macon is such a broken hero… and don’t we all secretly love that? I felt every emotion that these two went through. How conflicted Lennon was about her feelings for Macon, how he struggles with falling for his sister’s best friend when he shouldn’t. I felt so much for these two with the life twist that affects them just when things are going well and the betrayal that follows. So much angst and family drama wrapped up in a slow-burn romance!

There are trigger warnings that Benson lays out for the readers, so beware that this story deals with some sensitive subjects. And that ending was a fabulous cliffhanger to set up the rest of this duet!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Brit Benson

Brit Benson writes romance novels that are sassy, sexy, and sweet.

When she’s not dreaming up her next swoony book boyfriend and fierce book bestie, she’s reading.

When she’s not reading, she’s probably marathoning a Netflix series or wandering aimlessly up and down the aisles in Homegoods.

Brit currently resides somewhere near the Blue Ridge Parkway with her husband, daughters, and dogs.

mailer

To learn more about Brit and her books, visit here!

Hosted By:

Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 50 Ways to Win Back Your Lover by Kelly Siskind

September 6, 2022 sunnyshellyreadsLeave a comment

50 Ways to Win Back Your Lover
by Kelly Siskind is now live!

From Kelly Siskind comes a slow-burn romantic comedy about one man’s creative attempt to win back his high school sweetheart after a change in fortune gives them a second chance at love.

Growing up, I had it all—my art, close friends, a gorgeous girlfriend who owned my heart—but then my life exploded.

Turns out my father was laundering money, and my whole family got shoved into witness protection. No notice. No chance to explain. I was ripped away from beautiful, blue-eyed Delilah Moon, shattering both our worlds.

A decade later, fate has given us a second chance.

The cartel my father worked for has been wiped out. I’ve returned to my hometown, determined to win back the love of my life. But Delilah is engaged.

Or . . . is she?

I’m almost positive she’s lying about her fiancé to protect her heart. Which means I need to up my game.

I’ve made a list of fifty ways to prove we’re meant to be. Except Delilah’s barely looking at me, never mind swooning. I have a feeling my disappearance scarred her more than she’s admitting, and no one in town will tell me what happened . . .

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
https://smarturl.it/50WaysTWBYL

Goodreads: https://smarturl.it/50WaysGR

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

Told from the hero’s POV, 50 Ways To Win Back Your Lover is a delightful second-chance romance — with a twist. It’s been 10 years since Edgar (or E) had to leave in the middle of the night to enter witness protection with his family, crushing Delilah’s heart as she was ghosted and left behind. A chance encounter — in an airport of all places! — reunites this couple. But is Delilah still available? E doesn’t much care, because he is determined to win back the one that got away. Well, the one that he was forced to leave behind.

This story is sweet and sexy and E is so dang charming. I was really rooting for him to win her over all over again! I love books that are totally from the male POV, and feel like I don’t come across them often enough. So I was really excited to get this story fully from E’s perspective.

Kelly Siskind sets up a great series with this book, and I am excited to see what comes next for the Bower brothers. There are some issues that the brothers have to deal with due to their father’s involvement in a cartel that led to them being in WITSEC to begin with, so I’m interested to see how that plays out through the rest of this series as well.

I received an advanced copy from Montlake via NetGalley and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Kelly Siskind

Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Kelly Siskind moved from the city to enjoy the charm of northern Ontario. When she’s not out hiking or home devouring books, you can find her, notepad in hand, scribbling down one of the many plot bunnies bouncing around in her head.

Sign up for her newsletter and never miss a giveaway, a free bonus scene, or the latest news on her books: http://www.kellysiskind.com. And connect with her on Twitter/Instagram (@kellysiskind), and Facebook (@authorkellysiskind).

Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Resisting The Grump by Ashley Munoz

September 5, 2022 sunnyshellyreadsLeave a comment

Once upon a time he broke me, and for that, I refuse to fall for him again.

Resisting the Grump, an all-new small-town romantic comedy full of heat and humor from bestselling author Ashley Munoz is available now!

Stalking the town recluse wasn’t exactly wise.

Davis was five years older than me…antisocial and temperamental. And there was the little fact that he didn’t know I existed.
Still, I gave him my heart, and he crushed it.

So I picked up the pieces and ran away to New York City. I had a plan that kept my heart intact for four years.
But one phone call changed everything.

Returning home meant facing the past…and the man who ruined me.
I had hoped that the mountain had swallowed him whole. Alas, as I set out to help my parents, I discover he’s not only alive and well, but that they apparently love the jerk.

He has no idea that we have a past, which is both a relief and salt in the wound.
I promise myself I’ll ignore how his eyes linger on me, or the way his touch feels like a live wire, and I’ll remember that once upon a time he broke me and for that I refuse to fall for him again.
But I can’t control that he seems to be falling for me this time.

Download your copy today!
Read FREE in Kindle Unlimited
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3OYL7uu
Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/resistingthegrump

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3PRw86q

Excerpt

“Can I kiss you, Rae?” he whispered, moving along my skin.
Shaking my head, my throat bobbed. “No.”
“You don’t seem like the kind of girl who likes to be asked, so I’m just going to do it.”
“Try it and see what happens,” I smiled wickedly.
He stared at me, a tiny smile lifting in the corner of his mouth. “You can’t resist me forever.”
“Watch me.” I glared defiantly, hating that he’d called out something that simmered so close to my core.
His body pressed against mine for a second longer then it vanished. “I think I’ll kiss you when you’re least expecting it. Maybe in church or something.”
“Why bother with this ruse? I overheard you talking that night in the garage. I know my dad asked you to place the order, and I know you think I’m too much work to befriend.” My palms went flat against the brick, so I could somehow find balance.
His stormy glare cut through me, as if I were a cold stick of butter and he was the searing knife, just pulled from the fire.
“You misheard…or at least misunderstood.”
Tilting my head, I asked, “Did he tell you to place the order and lie to me?”
Without a single hitch in his voice, or flicker in his gaze, he answered. “Yes.”
“Then I don’t know what’s left to—”
His grip returned to my waist as his body pressed into mine, pushing me tighter against the brick at my back.
“You misunderstood…I don’t want to be your friend, Rae, and you are a lot of work, but if you haven’t noticed, work doesn’t scare me off. I like work. I like trouble. You’re a fucking delicious mixture of both, and please understand me when I say this”—he lowered his head, his lips just barely a breath away from mine—“I like kissing you.”

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Rae and Davis’ story is full of all the feels. I struggled with the fact that Rae fled from town and went to college across the country because she was so humiliated after walking in on Davis with another girl all those years ago. But aside from suspending belief for that, I adored this couple and their romance.

Davis is the mountain recluse everyone in town gossips about — and the poor sap carries so much baggage. He’s a squishy marshmallow of a hero once you get past those walls, and my heart broke for him when he told Rae about what had happened with his brother and family.

Do I think Rae should have come clean with him about her teenage crush when things first got serious between them? Absolutely. But Davis was kind of out of line with his reaction as well. The split led to the heartbreak necessary for them to come back together in a wonderful way and I was all over their reconciliation!

I can’t wait for the next book in this series!

I received an advanced 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.

Connect with Ashley
Website: https://www.ashleymunozbooks.com/
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3MOeXAW
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2JatpXh
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3MMhvzz
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3F9k1gS
TikTok: https://bit.ly/3ON2lfg

Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: Second To None by K.A. Linde

August 31, 2022August 31, 2022 sunnyshellyreadsLeave a comment

Release Date: August 30

First love can’t come second.

A stand alone second chance grumpy sunshine romance about Josie & Maddox by USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde…

Maddox Nelson is the only boy I’ve ever loved.

And the only one to break my heart.

I thought I was over that long ago. After drowning the heartbreak in two failed marriages, I should want safe and easy, and Maddox is nothing but complicated.

Now that I’m back home in Savannah, I can’t deny the pull toward him. He’s the grumpy to my sunshine, the introvert to my extrovert, the uncompromising to my go with the flow. But years of friendship, love, and tangled lust binds us together in the city where it all began.

When heat flies between us, he makes it clear that we already had our chance. Both of us should move on.

Except I’m no longer okay with that idea.

I’ll prove to him that I come second to none.

Grab Your Copy Here:

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Well, I read this book in a single sitting three days ago and I am still trying to wrap my head around what I want to write about Maddox and Josie’s story.

Like the others in the Coastal Chronicles Series, KA Linde manages to write a beautiful, heartbreaking masterpiece of angst. The back and forth between Maddox and Josie is a maddening rollercoaster of emotions. The story goes back and forth between the present and the past, and the years jump around as their story slowly unfolds. It’s hard to keep it straight in mind, chronologically, but it all comes together in a whopper of a reunion for this couple, a brilliant grumpy graphic artist and the television star he’s loved since they were teenagers.

The secondary story with Josie’s mother left me speechless. How that dovetailed with healing the relationship between Josie and her mom, as well as her mom and her dad, and sparking Josie’s next career move was brilliant.

Second to None takes place at the same time as Hold The Forevers and At First Hate — I loved seeing scenes play out from Josie and Maddox’s POV. And the nuggets that were dropped between Amelia and Ash left me wanting their book pronto!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet K.A. Linde

K.A. Linde is the USA Today bestselling author of the Avoiding Series, Wrights, and more than thirty other novels.

She has a Masters degree in political science from the University of Georgia, was the head campaign worker for the 2012 presidential campaign at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and served as the head coach of the Duke University dance team.

She loves reading fantasy novels, binge-watching Supernatural, traveling, and dancing in her spare time.

She currently lives in Lubbock, Texas, with her husband and two super-adorable puppies.

Visit her online at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @authorkalinde.

Join her newsletter for exclusive content, free books, and giveaways every month.

Hosted By:

Book Review

Sunny Shelly’s Review: After We Fall by JH Croix

August 31, 2022August 31, 2022 sunnyshellyreadsLeave a comment

Release Date: August 30

A swoon-worthy, small town romance from USA Today Bestselling Author J.H. Croix!

✔️We’re roommates.

✔️We work together.

✔️She’s my friend’s little sister.

✔️She’s soooo off limits.

✔️I want her anyway.

I made a deal with Harley Jackson. We’d burn that fire between us to ashes with a few nights between the sheets. Friends with benefits, but with a time limit. It turned out to be colossally stupid.

A few nights together only made the fire burn hotter. I was never supposed to fall for her.

Grant & Harley’s story is perfect for readers who love small town romance, daring pilots, sassy heroines, roommates who can’t get enough of each other, slow burn, emotional romance with a dash of angst, oozing with swoon, and one smokin’ hot protective hero.

Grab Your Copy Here:

Apple | Amazon | Nook | Kobo | Google Play

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

Grant and Harley have known each other for years, and there has always been a simmering attraction between them. But they work together, live together in the employee house of Walker Adventures, and she’s his best friend’s little sister. It could be a recipe for disaster, so they agree to a limited fling as friends with benefits, hoping to get the other out of their system. Well, it doesn’t work!

But Harley is hiding a health issue from everyone she knows, and her secret has the potential to put an end to her relationship with Grant before it really gets started. Grant has incredible guilt over not being around when his mom died (he was away at college), which just gives Harley more of a reason to keep her issues to herself. But when Grant finds her after she faints, it more or less forces her hand. Can he forgive her for keeping the truth from him? Will his guilt about his mom’s death cause him to run away from Harley?

This story hit the right notes in mixing sweet, swoony, and sexy. After We Fall is one book in the Dare With Me series, but it can be read as a standalone. I’ve read a few of these — not the whole series — and the characters crossover since the Walker Adventures crew is a close-knit bunch. So it’s nice to see appearances from the other couples.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet J.H. Croix

USA Today Bestselling Author J. H. Croix lives in a small town in the historical farmlands of Maine with her husband and two spoiled dogs.

Croix writes steamy contemporary romance with sassy women and rugged alpha men who aren’t afraid to show some emotion. Her love for quirky small-towns and the characters that inhabit them shines through in her writing.

Take a walk on the wild side of romance with her bestselling novels!

Connect with J.H. Croix

Hosted By: