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Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Welcome to Smalltown, USA!

Where everyone knows everyone else and your problems aren't just your own!




I love small town romances. There is just something about books that take place in small towns. Maybe it is the sense of community. Or the quirky characters. Or how everyone is all up in everyone else's business. Or maybe it is because books are often lighthearted. Or maybe it is all of the above. I feel like these are the books where I am going to find a second chance romance or a friends to lovers story, which are my favorite tropes. You know what I mean...guy/girl returns home for whatever reason and runs into his or her high school sweetheart while shopping at the one grocery store. Or maybe the person they run into is the brother or sister of their best friend and WOW, did they grow up. (LOVE THOSE!)

And I know, there are LOTS of small town romances out there and everyone has their favorites, but these are just some of the books (all part of a series!) that I have read and enjoyed. I hope you find some new books to read and add them to your TBR!


Laura Trentham

Falcon Football Series






CottonBloom Series






Rachel Lacey
Love to the Rescue Series


Confession: I've never actually read the 1st book, but only because I discovered Rachel when the 2nd book came out and just haven't had a chance to go back and read it!






Risking It All Series



Review of Book 1: Formal review coming next week, but I loved it!!!



Tracy March
Thistle Bend Series


Review of Book #0.5: No formal review, but it's an adorable (short) story that is talked about in Should've Said No. Well worth the read!







And now two authors I consider to be the queens of small town romance: Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery!! If you are willing to settle in and commit to a long term relationship with a book series, these are for you.

I started reading these books long before I started this blog, so I don't have any formal reviews for their books. And with the more recent books, those are the ones that I sit back and read "for fun." But you don't worry, you really can't go wrong with any of their books!


Susan Mallery
Fool's Gold Series


I love Susan's Fool's Gold series. There are 20+ books and I've read almost all of them. The author released them in groups of 3 (you can tell by the titles) so those books are somewhat related to each other, but it not necessary to read them in order.

Since this series is so big, you will get a little bit of all the tropes! Check out the series' Goodreads page to find out more.

And I HIGHLY recommend checking out the Fool's Gold section on Susan's website. It has everything you need to know about the books and MUCH MORE. (Like that fun downloadable map up above!)


Jill Shalvis
Lucky Harbor Series


This series has 12 full books (the above image is of the first 3) plus some novellas and like the Fool's Gold series, you get a little bit of all the tropes. Check out the series' Goodreads page or Jill's website where you can read excerpts from each book.

Also check out her Animal Magnetism and Cedar Ridge for some more goodness. I've read and enjoyed those books as well!

AND her blog because you never know if she will be posting a photo of a hot guy, a cute animal or sharing a funny story!
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BLOG TOUR, 5 STAR REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Sacred Serenity (Lotus House #2) by Audrey Carlan




Sacred Serenity (A Lotus House Novel)
by Audrey Carlan, #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
Genre: Erotic Romance
Release Date: 30th August 2016
Synopsis:

Twenty-two-year old Amber St. James’s focus is on her education. Her plan is clear—finish the elite San Francisco/Berkeley Medical School program early and become a pediatrician. She hasn’t given much thought to dating or to men in general, until she enrolls in the required human sexuality course…a subject foreign to her for religious and personal reasons.

Tantric yoga practitioner Dash Alexander is Lotus House Yoga’s most sought after sensual teacher. Women flock to him for his unique teaching style, calm nature, and wicked hot body. When he hears of Amber’s plight, he offers to help. The condition? Amber must assist in his couples’ Tantra yoga class as his partner. The sizzling attraction between the two of them is beyond anything Dash has ever experienced…spiritually or otherwise.

Through his teachings, Dash makes love to Amber’s mind and merges with her soul. Physically there’s only one problem, a secret that’s sacred. Amber St. James is a virgin…by choice.
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My Review

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

I absolutely LOVED this book. Amber is a shy, twenty two year old virgin (by choice) and Dash is a sexy, very experienced Tantric yoga teacher. When Amber assists with his class as part of her premed course load, her world gets flipped upside down. Along with pretty much every women who has come in contact with Dash, she has been harboring a crush on him. And now she finds herself up close and very personal with the man himself. 

Pretty much from the moment they meet, Dash feels a ridiculously strong connection to Amber. He is intrigued by her. They share these intense moments that had me holding my breath because I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen next. 
“Look at me.”
Her eyes shot open, and her breathing became erratic.
“Relax. Breathe with me. In for four beats through the nose and then out for four beats through the mouth.”
She nodded and we breathed together. I could feel the heavy thud of her heart turn into an even thump after a few rounds of guided, measured breaths. Through breathing, she relaxed, closing her eyes once more.
Then the craziest thing happened. Something that had never happened—not once, not ever before with another partner—our heartbeats began to synchronize spontaneously. Not only were we breathing evenly, our heartbeats matched.
The simple, extraordinary occurrence speared ribbons of heat down my arms and into my hand where it rested over her heart. My hand became fiery hot, the chakras in my palms swirling in dizzying circles. I blinked a few times and watched in awe as her eyes opened, and those green orbs blasted straight into my soul.
One thought flared in my mind as simple as flicking on a light switch.
Soul mate.
Spooked, I released our connection. Her head bobbed drowsily and her eyes opened, half-lidded while she blinked rapidly. I hopped up and walked through the room, pretending to assist the couples. Usually, I didn’t need to assist through a simple breathing exercise, but I needed a moment to put my head together, and distance from the ethereal being waiting on the riser was priority. What the hell was that?
The zap of connection I’d had with Amber was far beyond anything I’d ever experienced with another human being. And I was including partners, friends, and past lovers. The ghost of her heartbeat still called to mine as I stood in the back of the class watching her take in each couple and write something down in a notebook she kept close enough to reach but hadn’t yet used since we’d started class.
Cringing, I assessed her. She was relaxed, perfectly at peace as she sat on the stage writing in her notebook, whereas I was a maelstrom of doubt and insecurity, completely unusual responses from me. On the whole, confidence and the ability to center myself were traits I was proud of. But with this woman, the surprising jolt of a deeper union prevented me from being capable of centering my reactions. How could I have felt something so unique and she not be affected? Perhaps I mistook the experience for something that wasn’t there. Maybe I wanted something more to be there?
Exhaling all the air out of my lungs, I vowed to find those answers and soon.
After having a few more experiences like the one above, Dash just knows. Amber is it for him. He just has to convince her of that. Gah! I just loved him to pieces. Talk about a gentleman. Dash is pretty much the ultimate man. He's kind. Gentle. Sexy. Understanding. He never once gave up on what he wanted and even found himself questioning everything he thought about marriage and spending the rest of his life with "the one".

I also loved Amber.  I already liked her because she was such a good friend to Genevieve, but this book made me love her even more. She's hesitant to start anything with Dash and I can't really blame her. He is a lot of man and trying to stay the course, when it comes to her virginity, proves to be a lot harder than she thought it would be. Meanwhile Dash is putting out all the stops to prove to her that they belong together. And boy, does he do a good job of that. Amber does eventually come around, but she is also determined to stay true to her faith, so that means no sex.
But don't let that fool you! This book is HOT and there are plenty of sexy times throughout the book. It's may just be a little different than what you may be used to. I mean Dash is a Tantric sex expert! This story takes the phrase "slow burn" to a whole new level and the pay off is WELL worth the wait. The last chapter and epilogue are absolutely amazing. It brought me to tears and it was the perfect way to end the book. 

I just adore this series. It just has a different feel from anything I've ever read and it's so refreshing. I can't wait to read the third book in this series. It's about Atlas and Mia, who we meet in Sacred Serenity. They have one of those love/hate relationships that will definitely be entertaining to watch unfold and I can't wait to read it! 




Author Bio:

Audrey Carlan is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She writes wicked hot love stories that are designed to give the reader a romantic experience that's sexy, sweet, and so hot your e-reader might melt. Some of her works include the wildly successful Calendar Girl Serial, Falling Series, and the Trinity Trilogy.

She lives in the California Valley where she enjoys her two children and the love of her life. When she's not writing, you can find her teaching yoga, sipping wine with her "soul sisters" or with her nose stuck in a wicked hot romance novel.
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SURPRISE RELEASE BLITZ: Necessary Roughness by Courtney Cole

NECESSARY ROUGHNESS- INSIDE ME TEASER


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NECESSARY ROUGHNESS- COURTNEY COLE 

Necessary Roughness Love is a game best played hard and rough 

Nicky…

Nicky Chase was the star Running Back for the New Orleans Sinners. 

Until he blew out his knee.

Playing ball is out. In thirty seconds, Nicky went from being on top to hitting rock bottom. 

Sophia… 

Sophia De Bartoli is the best physical therapist in New Orleans.  Her Italian roots have given her a fiery temper, but her Catholic faith has kept her innocent.     

But then she was hired to make house-calls for Nicky Chase. THE Nicky Chase.   

He’s known far and wide for his sexy abs, panty-melting grin, and his skill both on and off the football field.   But Nicky refuses to leave his house, so no one gets to see him anymore.  No one except Sophia. 

And she gets to see all of him.

That smoldering gaze and that rock-hard tattooed body haunt her every night, but it's the vulnerable, broken man she sees inside that haunts her every day.   Resisting him might be more than this Catholic girl can handle. 
   
Nicky’s a New Orleans Sinner, after all.  And he seems bound and determined to make her one, too.  

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NECESSARY ROUGHNESS- BREAK TEASER

NECESSARY ROUGHNESS- ROUGH TEASER



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Courtney Cole is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author who lives near Lake Michigan. She's best known for writing the Beautifully Broken series (IF YOU STAY, IF YOU LEAVE, BEFORE WE FALL), although she has Young Adult and Women's Contemporary titles out, as well. 

Sign up for her newsletter and get announcements of new releases, exclusive fan contests, and fabulous giveaways right in your inbox! Sign up right here: http://smarturl.it/CourtneyColeEmail


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BLOG TOUR, EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: An Indecent Proposal (O’Malley #3) by Katee Robert





Title: An Indecent Proposal 
Author: Katee Robert
Series: The O’Malley Series #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: August 30, 2016
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing- Forever




When a no strings attached arrangement turns into something more, Cillian O’Malley and Olivia Rashidi must overcome the family ties that bind them. Fans of Jackie Ashenden’s Make You Mine and Kresley Cole’s The Master, will devour the super steamy and fast paced third book, An Indecent Proposal in the wildly popular O’ Malley series by NYT and USA Today Bestselling Author Katee Robert.

Greed. Ambition. Violence. Those are the "values" Olivia Rashidi learned from her Russian mob family-and the values she must leave behind for the sake of her daughter. When she meets Cillian O'Malley, she recognizes the red flag of his family name . . . yet she still can't stop herself from seeing the smoldering, tortured man. To save her family, Olivia sets out to discover Cillian's own secrets, but the real revelation is how fast-and how hard-she's falling for him.

Plagued by a violent past, Cillian is more vulnerable than anyone realizes. Anyone except Olivia, whose beauty, compassion, and pride have him at "hello," even if she's more inclined to say good-bye to an O'Malley. While his proposal of sex with no strings seems simple, what he feels for her isn't, especially after he learns that she belongs to a rival crime family. Cillian knows that there is no escape from the life, but Olivia may be worth trying and dying for . . .





EXCERPT

Which only served to make her feel more awkward. Olivia threw up her hands. “I don’t know how to do this.”

“Do what?”

“This.” She motioned between the two of them. “This isn’t normal.”

He laughed again, quieter this time. “What does normal look like?” When she would have balked, he held out his hand. “Sit down. You’re making me twitchy with all the pacing. I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at the absurdity of this entire situation. So humor me and tell me what normal looks like.”

She didn’t know. That was the problem. Olivia wasn’t sure she’d recognize normal if it hit her in the face. But she wasn’t quite willing to share with Cillian exactly how messed up her childhood had been, outstanding chemistry or not. She inched closer to the bed and perched on the edge, but even with three feet between them, she felt like a lightning rod to his storm, full of vibrating energy and impending boom. She pulled at the edge of her T-shirt. “You know—we’d meet somewhere normal.”

“We met at a bar.”

“Most relationships don’t start in a bar.” She realized what she said and shoved to her feet. “Strike that. I didn’t mean relationship. I just…” Not sure what she was trying to say, she charged on. “Maybe a coffee shop. You’d be behind me in line and say something witty, and I’d laugh and you’d spend the next ten minutes charming me until I gave you my number.”

She was almost afraid to look at him and see his expression. His silence said it all. “That’s stupid, isn’t it?”

“No, not at all. It sounds nice.”

Olivia faced him. “You’re humoring me.”

“Sit down.” He waited for her to obey before he spoke again. “I’m not. It does sound nice.” He carefully leaned back against the headboard. “So I charm your number out of you, huh? I must be pretty charming.”

She shot him a look. “In this scenario, yes.”

Cillian laughed. “Then I’d call you.”

She edged over to sit on the other side of the mattress against the headboard. It was such a silly thing they were doing, but after how intense the rest of the night had been, maybe silly was exactly what they both needed. “A call instead of a text? I must have made an impression.”

“More like I was determined to make the right impression. Texts are lazy, and you can’t get a good read on someone that way. So I’d call.”

She hadn’t spent much time dating…well, ever, really…but even she knew that was different from the norm. “I’d think you were a freak for calling, but I’d answer because I was intrigued.”

“We’d talk for a while, feeling each other out.”

“More like me trying to figure out if you’re a psycho.”

He grinned. “Or that. I’d say all the things a normal guy would say. You’d be reassured that I wasn’t likely to chloroform you and chain you up in my torture-slash-sex dungeon.”

“That’s…comforting.”

“It would be, yes.”

She laughed softly. “We’d set up a date at the end of the call.”

“Somewhere nice and public and nonthreatening.”

“Now you’re getting the idea.” She stared at the ceiling, part of her kind of weirded out at how well the conversation was flowing with him playing along. “Dinner, no movie. Movies are for people who are too intimidated by the thought of first-date conversation that they chicken out.”

“The conversation would be titillating.”

“You think so?” She rolled onto her side to face him, finding that he’d done the same. His bandage was a vivid reminder of why they were there in the first place. Olivia frowned. “How’re you feeling?”

“That’s not part of the game.” He yawned. “So we’d drink pretentious wine that neither one of us liked and order things that we could barely pronounce and, at the end of it, we’d sheepishly admit that we didn’t like either the drinks or the food, and we’d go find a food truck and laugh at ourselves.”

It was an attractive picture he painted. Normal and kind of sweet and something she’d never have the option of doing. She made a face. “Instead, you wander into my bar because your family’s territory encompasses it and we have a quick fuck in the alley.” She should regret it. She knew she should. There were thousands of dating books and columns out there advising women to withhold sex until they had some sort of commitment.

Except she didn’t regret a damn thing.








New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. She found romance novels at age twelve and it changed her life. When not writing sexy contemporary and speculative fiction romance novels, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her wee ones, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse


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RELEASE DAY BLITZ, 4 STAR REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Tango For Two (A Limelight Short) by Elisabeth Grace

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Tango Cover


Cover design: Kari March / K23 Designs
Release Date: August 31, 2016
 
Synopsis
Against her better judgement makeup artist to the stars, Jasmine Andrade, agrees to learn and perform a sexy tango live on television for a charity telethon. She’s hoping the dance classes from her youth will be enough to keep her from falling flat on her face in front of the nation.

The only trouble is the obnoxious celebrity she's partnered with AND the fact that she's falling for her charismatic choreographer, Eduardo, who’s made it crystal clear that he doesn’t mix business with pleasure.

There’s a first time for everything, right?



Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2c6jVIQ
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2cbZf5u
Kobo: COMING SOON!

Goodreads

Tango For Two.Teaser 2
My Review
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 
Full disclosure: I have not read the first two books in this series. There are some references and cameos of people that I wasn't familiar with, but that didn't matter. So if you haven't read the previous books you will be fine. 
From the moment Jasmine and Eduardo meet, they are attracted to each other. But then again they are two attractive people, dancing the Argentine Tango, which is probably the sexiest dance on the planet. So what we get is a short, sweet and SUPER sexy story. 
I am a huge Dancing with the Stars fan. I'm not the most graceful person so I am always in awe of what they can do. AND I am also the person who is constantly thinking "Hmmm...I wonder if they are doing it?" Sometimes you just see a couple dancing and think "Yeah, they have to be doing it." Much like Jasmine thinks when she originally sees Eduardo dancing with his assistant Marina. So I devoured this story and finished it in no time. 
    
GIVEAWAY
WINNERS CHOICE - $10 Amazon Gift Card or your pick of one Limelight Series signed paperback
 
 


    Sexy beauty couple    


About the Author
USA Today Bestselling author, Elisabeth Grace, has a hot spot for alpha males and a soft spot for happily ever afters. She lives outside of Toronto, Canada with her husband, two small children, and killer cat. Her theory is that Satan himself spawned the white furball. She's almost always eaten a chocolate bar before 10am (don't judge) and has a mild, but healthy obsession with model David Gandy. ;) If you're a lover of romance novels, hot sex in obscure places, alpha males, and a little LOL on the side than you may enjoy her work! She LOVES talking with fellow readers about books! If you're the same she encourages you to reach out to her via one of her social media links! You can sign-up for her newsletter and get information on her books, signings, and more at Elisabeth-Grace.com  
Connect with Elisabeth
Newsletter signup: http://eepurl.com/bli-LP
Facebook Author Page: http://bit.ly/1WDZ3sM
Facebook Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2c9tU3j
Goodreads Author Page: http://bit.ly/2cmvGzi
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2bvTdLF



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BOOK TOUR & GIVEAWAY: Chasing Charlie by Aria Cole

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Warning: If a panty-melting alpha male with an irresistible accent and an overwhelming desire to protect the woman he's hellbent on having isn't for you, keep on clicking! Like your book boyfriends devilishly charming with a side of dirty talk? Me too! Grab the batteries, turn off the lights,
and enjoy Chasing Charlie.


NOW ONLY $0.99 & FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!




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Charlie de Rossi has spent every summer of her life tending her dad's bar. Raised to be one of the boys, she pulls no punches and takes no shit from any man. She's had to learn the hard way that life isn't about the wine or the roses, but when the new bartender turns out to be a handsome Irish import, everything she thought she knew about life and love is challenged in a single heartbeat.
Far from the only life he's ever known, Liam Fitzpatrick knows he should ignore the wild, intoxicating need that pulses through his veins whenever the boss's daughter is near, but the moment Liam first caught sight of Charlie he knew her sassy mouth and sexy curves were made to be wrapped around his body. After just one night of tending bar together, the magnetism proves too much for either of them to bear and in an uncharacteristic moment of weakness, Charlie breaks every law she has and finds her legs locked around Liam's waist, his lips coaxing her into mouth-watering submission.
Scared to lose her heart again, Charlie tries to avoid the sexy, stubborn Irishman that's hijacked her thoughts, but Liam makes himself damn hard to ignore. One taste of her won't ever be enough to satisfy the hunger she's awakened and he is determined to show her what she's missing. She's holding the key to his forever and he won't ever give up on chasing Charlie.
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EXCERPT

“I’m not sure how they raise men in your country, but here, you should look a woman in the eye when you speak to her.” Her eyes gleamed with some sort of flirty challenge.

“I apologize,” I growled, discarding the box of bottles at my feet and lunging across the small space between us.

Her hands were in my hair, her thigh hooked around my waist. Now she felt my cock, hard and pounding between us and pressed against the seam of her skirt, the very goddamn place it’d been itching to be all night.

“You’re an Irish bastard,” she said as her teeth nipped at my bottom lip.

My hands clawed at her arse before I hoisted her on my hips and pressed her against the metal shelves behind her.

“Looks like you’ve got a thing for bastards then.”

I nipped at the tender flesh beneath her ear before laving my tongue up the line of her throat. A low whimper fell from her lips and landed a sucker-punch to my balls. My hips worked against her body, my hands roaming her torso and teasing at the neckline of her top.

“Jesus, I want to taste you.” I trailed my tongue across the swell of one breast. Her fingers thrust in my hair as a tremor pulsed through her body. “I want to see what you’re wearing under this hot little skirt.”

I fisted at the tight skirt, desperate to shove my hand beneath her panties and coax that soft, wet pussy to an orgasm with my fingers. And then my tongue. God, how my tongue ached to taste every inch of that perfection. I was going mad with the thoughts of how she would taste.

My hand found its way beneath the elastic of her panties, my fingers soaked instantly by her silky juices. I nearly came in my pants from just a single touch. I slid another finger through her hot lips and circled her clit slowly with my thumb. Breaths shuddered out of her body, her nipples hardening even further. Without a second thought, I pulled the low neckline of her top down, the creamy round flesh of her breast spilling out of the cup of her bra. I tugged the lace out of my way with my teeth, and finally, my lips attached to the dusky pink bud. I drew out the delicate flesh in slow, torturous sucks.

Soft mewls fell past her perfect pink lips as I worked her soft body. I couldn’t wait to hear her come, my name biting past her lips as I pushed her to a mind-blowing orgasm.

“Christ, you feel this good in my hands. I can’t wait to taste this sweet pussy.”

“Irish,” she sighed, her eyes falling closed when I pressed my thumb to the bud of her clit, applying pressure until her nails cut into the skin at my shoulder and her head fell back against a box.

“Name’s Liam, beautiful, and I can’t wait to hear you scream it from the rooftops.”



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Aria Cole is a thirty-something housewife who once felt bad for reading dirty books late at night, until she decided to write her own. Possessive alpha men and the sassy heroines who love them are common, along with a healthy dose of irresistible insta-love and happily ever afters so sweet your teeth may ache. 

Aria's new release BLACK is the first in her modern fairy tale series. For a safe, off-the-charts HOT, and always HEA story that doesn't take a lifetime to read, get lost in an Aria Cole book!




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$25 Amazon Gift Card


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