A goalie has to trust his instincts, even when taking a shot to the heart…

Mike Beacon is a champion at defending the net, but off the ice, he’s not so lucky. A widower and a single father, he’s never forgotten Lauren Williams, the ex who gave him the best year of his life. When Lauren reappears in the Bruisers office during the playoffs, Beacon sees his chance to make things right.

Lauren hates that she’s forced to travel with the team she used to work for and the man who broke her heart. There’s still undeniable sexual tension running between her and Mike, but she won’t go down that road again. She’s focused on her plans for the future—she doesn’t need a man to make her dreams of motherhood come true.

Lauren plays her best defensive game, but she’s no match for the dark-eyed goalie. When the field of play moves to Florida, things heat up on the beach.

One of Mike’s biggest fans doesn’t approve—his teenage daughter. But a true competitor knows not to waste the perfect shot at love.

I  enjoy a good sports romance book very much and this one was right up my alley and a great read! I had already read the other books in the series even though you won’t be that lost if you don’t read the others. Mike is a single father and Lauren is the one that made him happy but life got in the way. The romance is sweet if not at times frustrating but the story pulls at the heartstrings. The path for these two goes through different obstacles that will have you hoping desperately for it to all payoff in the end.  Very much enjoyed this story and can’t wait for what’s next from Sarina!

Bookbesties- Damaris

In the latest novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Don’t Let Go, it’s never too late for a second chance at first love…

When Loretta Simmons returns to Hope, Oklahoma, after a disastrous marriage, she’s determined to remain independent for the sake of her daughter. The only thing standing in her way is Deacon Fox—the man she loved and walked away from years ago.

Since Loretta owns the bookstore right next to his current renovation project, Deacon can’t escape the woman who broke his heart. Throw in her adorable little girl and one ridiculously oversized dog, and they’re almost a family. Only he can’t be that guy—what they had was once in a lifetime.

But love has a funny way of reopening a door you thought was firmly closed…

I loved Rules of Contact by the same author and loved the writing style, and I do love second chance romance books. I felt like this was a must read for me. Loretta is back home after a bad relationship and now her ex is working right next door! I enjoyed the book for the most part as I was a little against Loretta at first. Loretta has a daughter who softens Deacon heart and It was sweet to see her and Deacon’s interactions. The story ended well for me but Loretta frustrated me at times with her choices, but I did wind up liking her by the end. I was a Team Deacon from the start though all the way!
Great read and one, that I will re-read again!

BOOKBESTIES- DAMARIS

From the award-winning author of The Summer Bride comes the first in a charming new historical romance series where marriages of convenience turn into true love matches.

Major Calbourne Rutherford returns to England on the trail of an assassin, only to find he’s become Lord Ashendon, with the responsibility for vast estates and dependent relatives. Cal can command the toughest of men, but his wild half-sisters are quite another matter. They might just be his undoing.

When he discovers that Miss Emmaline Westwood, the girls’ former teacher, guides them with ease, Cal offers her a marriage of convenience. But strong-minded and independent Emm is neither as compliant nor as proper as he expected, and Cal finds himself most inconveniently seduced by his convenient wife.

Emm knows they didn’t marry for love, yet beneath her husband’s austere facade, she catches glimpses of a man who takes her breath away. As pride, duty and passion clash, will these two stubborn hearts find more than they ever dreamed of?

Lately, I have been reading a lot of HR that has left me kinda wanting more and I’m happy to say that Marry in Haste was not one of those books!

This book was sooo good! THIS, This story is why I love Historical Romance so much!   I truly couldn’t put it down and have started re-reading it! I adore the characters and the story of their relationship.   I love how even though I was expecting certain things to happen in the story, because at some point reading HR things can get predictive, but the author blew that out of the water without being completely predictable.  It was fresh and fun and  I can’t wait to get the printed version of this book and add it to my personal library!

Bookbesties-Danielle

From the New York Times bestselling author of I Thee Wed comes a Wicked Worthingtons novel of a love that will not be denied….

As a ship’s captain, highborn bastard Morgan Pryce has spent his life sailing away from England. The last thing he needs is a wife. But when he fears that his titled half brother, Neville, is about to be snared by a gold digger, Morgan aims to protect Neville by tricking the lovely crook into marrying him first. He knows he can’t allow himself to believe a word she says. If only she weren’t so convincing….
 
Determined beauty Bliss Worthington is not terribly fond of finding another man waiting for her at the altar—after all, no one tricks a Worthington and gets away with it. Somehow she must persuade her dangerously handsome new husband to grant her an annulment, because her heart is set on his brother.
 
Soon the newlyweds must deal with a secret but mutual attraction. Morgan finds himself oddly devastated by her tenderness and braveness. When Neville shows up to rescue her from a loveless marriage, she will have to quickly decide which man is the right one for her….

This was a very good book.  I really appreciated finding out who the characters truly were and how it played in to the dynamic of their relationship.  I don’t normally care if everyone (including minor characters) gets a happy ending if the ending fits the characters and their story, so I was very surprised and pleased that this author made it happen for all the characters in a way that didn’t make it obvious that she adjusted the story line right at the end of the book to make it happen.  This is a book I look forward to reading again and adding to my collection.

Bookbesties- Danielle

Introducing book 2 in the new Checkmate Duet Series from a secret duo of romance authors who teamed up under the USA Today Bestselling pseudonym, Kennedy Fox! This friends to lovers romance will have you swooning and laughing from the first to the last page! Are you ready to play the game? 


***

Courtney Bishop is as sugary sweet as her famous blueberry muffins.
Southern belle at heart, Cali girl by choice.
She barged into my life and easily became my best friend.
All was great as roommates and just friends, but then I fell for the girl who could chop firewood, deliver baby calves, and bail hay without breaking a sweat.
She’s the perfect mixture of sugar and spice, and I love her.

Being more than friends and trying to build our future isn’t as easy as it sounds.
Moving forward and creating memories is all I want for us, but when the past continues to come back and haunt me, I’m not so sure she’ll stay for the ride.

Loving her is easy, but losing her will break me. Burning passion combined with an undeniable chemistry constantly pushes and pulls us together. In the end, I’ll prove we’re worth the fight, even when the game is far from over.

Checkmate, sweetheart.

*Recommend for ages 18+ due to sexual content and adult language.*
**This is book 2 in the Checkmate Duet Series–a friends to lovers romance. You must read book 1, Checkmate: This is Reckless first. Highly recommended to read the Checkmate Duet, This is War and This is Love first, but not necessary. This can read as a standalone duet.**

I couldn’t wait to read this book since I was left waiting to see how  the story would unfold with Drew and Courtney in book one! I found the love between these two magical and had me turning each page and rooting for them.  It says it can be read as a standalone but I fell you won’t get the backstory if you don’t read the first one(Checkmate this is Reckless. Click for review) first. Courtney and Drew still have a lot of obstacles on their road of  love.  Kennedy throws you off kilter because just when you think their love is going to be easy, BOOM think again. I am officially not a Mia fan and could not believe how she turns out! It was overall a great read and definitely not a predictable  plot or ending! It will have you turning each page and not wanting to stop! This, like all her others is a must read!

Well done Ms. Fox!

Get the series:

The second in the scorching hot Deep Connection trilogy from the author of Forsaken.

Cole Talent never had to go looking for trouble. It always had a way of finding him. After his father’s arrest, the family money is gone, their name is in the mud, and both of Cole’s sisters, Elaina and Marsella, are missing. In search of answers, Cole leaves Reno for the last place he heard from Marsella—Ambrose, Ohio—and instead finds MacKenzie Sharp, the beautiful owner of the diner where Marsella once worked.

But others have followed Cole from Reno, intent on bringing the family down for good. When MacKenzie gets caught in the crossfire, the only chance she has at safety is to go into hiding with the one man who put her in danger. From Reno to Ohio and now Vegas, trouble keeps finding Cole. But with MacKenzie in danger, it’s time to stop running and face it head on.

MATURE AUDIENCE

This is a new to me author and even though I don’t really read suspenseful romance I wanted to give it a try. Cole is on the hunt for his sister’s after she disappeared and his dad is in jail for criminal activity. Que in Kenzie, a small town girl who knows how to find what he needs, in more ways than one. The only one problem is that Cole is not the only one on the lookout for his sister. This book was filled with suspense/drama and leaves wanting to find out if Cole and Kenzie will work it all out. It’s a slow start but it starts to pick up and by the end it was a truly satisfying read.

BOOKBESTIES- DAMARIS

From the author of Veiled Magic and the Baba Yaga novels comes an exciting new paranormal romance…

Since Witches came out of the broom closet in the early twenty-first century, they have worked alongside humans as police officers, healers, stock traders, and more. But they aren’t the only paranormal entities in our world…

Witch and police officer Donata Santori is no stranger to magical mayhem, but lately her life has been unexpectedly charmed. Her job as a Ghost Yanker now includes the occasional paranormal investigation, and she’s advancing her magical abilities with the help of an ancestor’s treasured spell book. And while both of her former love interests—reclusive half-Dragon art forger Peter Casaventi and disgraced Shapechanger Magnus Torvald—are nowhere to be found, she’s not averse to being wined and dined by wealthy businessman Anton Eastman.

But Eastman isn’t what he seems, and what he wants from Donata is far more than she’s willing to give. When a mysterious relic, the Pentacle Pentimento, resurfaces, along with Peter’s Dragon father and a shocking Santori family secret, Donata must fight to save herself, her friends, and just maybe the fate of the world from a magic as old as it is dangerous…

Includes an exclusive preview of the next Broken Rider novel, Dangerously Divine

I have read several of Deborah Blake’s books and have loved each one.  The world she created has nicely integrated with our world and I can see her characters walking around and blending in as I see people on the streets.  One thing with her female characters, I can see that they are kick ass forces that can have a major effect on the world, but they never have enough confidence in themselves.  Donata fits just along these lines.  Her area of expertise is a pretty awesome area of study, but she doesn’t have that self propelling confidence that will boost her into unstoppableness; but I am confident that she will have it by the end of the book.

There is vital information that is given, but tends to do so in large sections of the story line that personally cause me to fade off a little until I get back into the action.  And I haven’t personally done it, but working for 15 years as a Spiritual Witness Retrieval Specialist would be too taxing on my emotions.  I would go home and curl up with a bottle of bourbon and cry myself to sleep having to hear the horribleness that a person has inflicted on another.

I can say that I was happy with the way the book ended and left more to come and I loved the sneak peek into her other series(Which I love) Broken Rider: Dangerously Divine

Bookbesties: Heather

How many @Jkennerbooks fans are there out there? I have her 3rd in the SIN series up for grabs!! Just tell me your fav book by J. KENNER! Winner will be chosen at random on 04/17! (US ONLY) Good luck!

PR agent Annika Lund can spin any disaster into a win. But revamping the reputation of a notorious Swedish hockey player will take every trick in her arsenal, especially when his agent insists that convincing everyone he’s no longer a playboy is top priority. And that it requires a sham relationship—with Annika playing the part of the loving girlfriend.

On fire in the rink and in the bedroom, Axl Hammerquist couldn’t care less about being anyone’s golden boy. So when his agent forces him to play nice with a new publicist, he takes satisfaction in being as much of a pain as possible. But the more time he spends getting to know Annika, the more Axl starts to think that being Mr. Nice Guy might be worth it if it gets him the girl…

Annika is the PR go to and Axel is the Alpha hockey player! Annika is brought in to help Axel with a better image and she is sure to make sure he stays straight! The relationship is different from others and their chemistry between these two is complex and goes deeper than between the sheets! A fake relationship that has a different destination than both of them intended. I was rooting for this relationship till the end! The banter is cute and I love how you get to see other supporting characters! It was a great read and definitely recommend picking up this series! Lorelei does it again!

Damaris- Bookbesties

A USA TODAY BESTSELLER!!
Introducing book 1 in the new Checkmate Duet Series from a secret duo of romance authors under the USA Today bestselling pseudonym, Kennedy Fox! 
This friends to lovers romance will have you swooning and laughing from the first to the last page! Are you ready to play the game?

Drew Fisher is the type of guy every girl wants.
Noble police officer by day, charming prince by night.
He has no idea the effect he has on women, especially me–his little sister’s best friend.
I’m the blonde Southern belle who lives up to the cliché, except I have my own quirks. I’m smart as a whip, can change my own oil, and recite The Pledge of Allegiance backward, but he doesn’t see that girl.

It’d be easier to forget him if he wasn’t my roommate and if the first thing I saw in the morning wasn’t his shirtless body covered in tattoos. I’ve crushed on him since the day we met, but he’s made it perfectly clear where we stand. Just friends.

I know I need to move on and accept that his feelings will never be mutual, but every day he smiles at me, I’m left dreaming of what if.
He has girl issues, and I’ve got a crush I can’t deny.
We’re friends, but I want more.

One drunken hookup leaves us with much more than a platonic friendship. Pretending it never happened proves to be more difficult than anticipated.

A crazy ex-girlfriend, a dangerous war of stolen glances, and passionate kisses leads to the most reckless battle yet. I won’t be a pawn in his game, but I’ll play by his rules if it will show him I’m the one worth breaking them for.

Checkmate, Prince Charming.

I read the other series of checkmate and loved it and was looking forward to. Courtney story and I am not disappointed! Courtney and Drew are best friends and roommates and Court has been in love with him for the past couple years! But the only problem is that Drew has a girlfriend..of three loooong years. Drew has been oblivious since he has been blinded by Mia his girlfriend!

Right before Drew’s sisters wedding he breaks up with Mia and things between him and Court start to change! Courtney and Drew I fell in love with their characters and their romance is so undeniable! The chemistry between them is so hot it sets the pages on fire! That being said nothing is what you expect especially when Drew past comes rearing back! Ohhhh this is a must read! I can’t wait to see how things turn out for Courtney and Drew! This book is a edge of the seat read and I can’t wait to read the next chapter book! Team Court all the way!

Damaris-Bookbesties