Fiction

All posts tagged Fiction

DIRTY FLIRTY ENEMY(REVIEW POST)

Published July 16, 2019 by bookbesties

 

He’s the arrogant Manhattan
realtor with billboards advertising his six-pack more than his expertise in
negotiations.I’m the competing broker who stupidly moved across the hall
from his office.

From day one, I’ve been his sworn enemy. Okay, so I might
have accidentally stolen one of his clients. Well, is it stealing if the client
comes to me?

Even our vicious banter and loathing gazes can’t hide the
chemistry between us. Who can blame me? He has enough charisma to make every
hot-blooded woman in the city melt with a single word.

Just when I think a mutual respect could be born between us,
the biggest developer in the city offers us an opportunity that pits us against
each other.

Time to forget Carmelo Mancini’s dreamy eyes and tight abs.

Game on.

Just seeing that the author is Piper Rayne would be enough to one click and buy, but for everyone else I guess we will talk about the book a little.

Once again we see the second Mancini brother in this series and he is sex on a stick and charm that drips off the pages.

Carmelo Mancini is this hotshot sexy realtor broker and his enemy is Bella the FSBO(for sale by owner) broker who seems to be giving our boy Carm a hassle and she just moved her office right next to his……cue sexual tension and rivalry.  They both are put on with the same client to try and sells a condo on the floor they were given. With just a little competition,  sexual tension, and alpha male, what could happen?

 The banter between these two is exhilarating and sweet. Bella is not a pushover but is a great strong character. I can’t say enough how personable and relatable these characters are. They are very homey and warming. This is an excellent read. The last of the Mancini brothers has been quite mysterious so I cant wait to see what’s in store. Thanks for another great read!!

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Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one. Our goal is to bring you romance stories that have “Heartwarming Humor With a Side of Sizzle” (okay…you caught us, that’s our tagline). A little about us… We both have kindle’s full of one-clickable books. We’re both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We’re both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes and quirky heroines that make us laugh, and we hope you do, too.

DAMARIS

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Someone to Honor by Mary Balogh(Review Post)

Published July 2, 2019 by bookbesties

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Abigail Westcott’s dreams for her future were lost when her father died and she discovered her parents were not legally married. But now, six years later, she enjoys the independence a life without expectation provides a wealthy single woman. Indeed, she’s grown confident enough to scold the careless servant chopping wood outside without his shirt on in the proximity of ladies.

But the man is not a servant. He is Gilbert Bennington, the lieutenant colonel and superior officer who has escorted her wounded brother, Harry, home from the wars with Napoleon. Gil has come to help his friend and junior officer recover, and he doesn’t take lightly to being condescended to–secretly because of his own humble beginnings.

If at first Gil and Abigail seem to embody what the other most despises, each will soon discover how wrong first impressions can be. For behind the appearances of the once-grand lady and the once-humble man are two people who share an understanding of what true honor means, and how only with it can one find love.

OUT NOW!!!

Heyyyyy Westcott family addicts!!!!

I was so anxiously waiting to get my hands on this next book that I literally stopped reading everything else to start this book.  Mary Balough has delivered another beautiful leading lady who finds her perfect match in the most unlikely place.   I was sure the this story was going to be about Jessica or any of the other Westcotts but was very pleasantly surprised when I discovered it was Abby who finds love in this book.  I loved this story as much as I did the others and truly cannot wait for the next one.

      Abigail Westcott is ready to live a peaceful life as a spinster, after the discovery of her illegitimate birth she has no desire to return to society in spite of her familytrying to encourage her. When her brother returns home from war in ill health she seizes it asthe perfect opportunity to return to her childhood home in the country, get away from it all, and live the life she chooses.  Well she will just as soon as her brother’s friend and escort returns to London.

     Lieutenant Colonel Gilbert Bennington is relieved to be back home in England after so many years away at war.  Before he can return to his own life he must see his friend Henry Westcott on the road to recovery by escorting him home and remaining there until his health improves.  Little did he know that while there he would meet the one woman who can solve all his problems and break down the walls he built around his heart.

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DANIELLE

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OPERATION Bailey Wedding(Cover Reveal)

Published July 1, 2019 by bookbesties

 

No one could have guessed a
marriage could sprout from a one-night stand, but Holly Radcliffe and Austin
Bailey appear to be written in the stars. From the backseat of Austin’s Jeep to
the altar they come. The town of Lake Starlight along with the Bailey’s are
prepping for the event of the year, but as usual things never go smoothly with
these nine siblings and let’s not forget Grandma Dori! This is a novella in the Bailey series!

 
 
 
 
 
PRE-ORDER NOW
 
AMAZON | AMAZON AU | AMAZON UK 
| AMAZON CA | APPLE | B&N | KOBO
 
Piper
Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author,
we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one.
Our goal is to bring you romance stories that have “Heartwarming Humor
With a Side of Sizzle” (okay…you caught us, that’s our tagline). A
little about us… We both have kindle’s full of one-clickable books. We’re
both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We’re both chauffeurs to our
kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes and quirky heroines that make us laugh,
and we hope you do, too.
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A Destitute Duke By Patricia Knight(Review Post)

Published June 28, 2019 by bookbesties

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Captain Duncan Worthington Everleigh had committed his life to king and country. When he returns to London, a startling revelation about the legitimacy of his brother the Duke of Chelsony alters his future. However, no new discovery could be more life-changing than what he grows to feel for Lady Florence Lloyd-Smith. Duncan finds in Florence a woman he can love with unchecked passion. To protect her, no sacrifice is too great, even if his actions could cost him her love.

Too headstrong, independent, and beautiful for her own good, the widowed Lady Lloyd-Smith isn’t the carefree lady of leisure she pretends to be. She has pulled herself from bitter poverty and through careful investment has amassed a substantial fortune. She has little time for men who treat all women as bubble-headed nodcocks or consider her tarnished because she “stinks of trade”. She has little need for men at all, until she meets Captain Everleigh. Florence finds in Duncan a man who promises love, honor, and protection—even if it’s from himself. Yet the violence of her love for him leaves her trembling, and Lady Lloyd-Smith isn’t a woman to give up easily.

Duncan finds in Florence a woman he can love with unchecked passion. Florence finds in Duncan a man who will love, honor, and protect her—even if it’s from himself.

This is book number 2 in the Heirs & Spares series, and it was just as good as book one!  This book has it all; war heroes, independent ladies, betrayal, theft, passion, and romance.  Lady Florence is everything I love in a leading lady, she is independent, business savvy, intelligent, incredibly fashionable, and an absolute socialite.  I loved getting to know her better in this book and seeing her find her happy ending.

Captain Duncan Worthington Everleigh is a decorated war spy who is returning to England to visit his favorite half-brother and report the findings of his latest mission to the war office.  He is happy with his life in the military and has no plans of settling down, that is until he meets Lady Florence Lloyd-Smith, a friend of his new sister in-law.

      Lady Florence Lloyd-Smith can have any number of gentlemen as suitors but she isn’t interested in being married again, especially now that she has her business investments and her own financial independence.  Will a chance meeting with her best friend’s brother in-law and his offer to financially back her business change her mind, or will it lead to heart break?

    This book was a thrilling read that pulled at my heart strings from start to finish.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

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Danielle

 

 

The Laird’s Promise by Cassidy K. O’Connor(Review Post)

Published June 28, 2019 by bookbesties

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The Ferguson clan had always governed their land differently than most. Lady Margaret Ferguson’s twin brother, Gavin, lay on his deathbed, a plan of deception was set in motion. Appointing Margaret as the new Laird upon her brother’s death wasn’t a stretch, and her people willingly accepted her. Disguised as her brother, her clan is committed to keeping Margaret’s identity hidden from outsiders.
…None of them accounted for invites to the Kings court…
Sir Keelan MacDougall is directed to ensure the Ferguson clan’s loyalty to the King during wartime. Keelan meets both Laird Gavin and his sister, Margaret, and the resemblance is uncanny. Exhausted after days of switching back and forth between her two personas’, Margaret is torn between wanting Keelan to leave and begging him to stay…

Will the family secret damage the Clan’s future?

Will falling for Keelan expose her deception?

This is another author I discovered because will be an attending author at the Space Coast Book Lovers book signing event that your Book Besties will be attending.  I really enjoyed this Highlands romance with its strong heroine and loyal hero.  This was a fun story that kept me on my toes from the get go.  I am so happy I got to know these characters and see where their adventure would lead them.

Upon the death of her twin brother, Lady Margaret Ferguson secretly takes over the role of Laird of Clan Ferguson.  In order to maintain her ruse she stays far away from court functions and that makes the King question the loyalty of her clan.  Sir Keelan MacDougall has been sent to the Highlands by the king to insure the loyalty of his subjects.  Upon arrival he gets to know the Laird and “his” sister but never at the same time.  Will he figure out the deception and tell the King or will he become Lair Ferguson’s biggest champion?

I really hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!

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Danielle

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The Assist by Rebecca Jenshak(Review Post)

Published June 26, 2019 by bookbesties

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You know those stories where the smart girl tutors the dumb jock? This isn’t it.

Blair:
What’s the probability of insulting the one guy on campus I need to help me pass statistics? If I knew, I wouldn’t be standing in front of Wes Reynolds begging him to tutor me.

Basketball player, sexy, arrogant, always sleeping through class… these are the things I knew about him. What I didn’t know is that he is a seriously smart jock.

Wes:
What’s the best way to get rid of the peppy and unrelenting girl that keeps asking me to tutor her? If I knew, I wouldn’t be staring at her tan legs and attempting to teach her statistics.

Sorority girl, fine as f**k, determined, ball buster… these are the things I knew about her. What I didn’t know is that she is all the things I didn’t realize I wanted or needed.

Or that one semester with her would change everything.

OUT NOW

Wes is Valleys basketball star and Blair is you college sorority girl who seems to be struggling in Statistics. She wonders how is it that the jock who sleeps in class , just got a big fat ‘A’ and here she is with a big flop on her test. She reaches out to the jocks thinking if she could get her hands on their tutor she can get what she needs for the MBA program but little does she know that Wes is the secret weapon.

So he is sexy with basketball skills and smart. Blair wins Wes tutoring skills and things get complicated from there. Can she get the grade she needs? What happens when the attraction sparks and will they give in and if so can Wes be serious? Can’t spoil what happens but this is a great read.
Ok so this is a new author to me but it was a sports romance so I said hey why not! First the cover is a win, second it’s a Sports Romance and third the characters are great. The setting is in college senior year and when the college romances are written well me as a 40 year old can enjoy lol. Wes is a bit cocky but he is smart. He goes through some struggles dealing with an injury and then a pesky ex of Blairs but he is refreshing. Then there is Blair ,which I was digging the name, she has some struggles with again that pesky ex but I like that in the beginning she wasn’t all over heart eyes for Wes. The romance simmered a bit before she started falling and gave Wes a little run for his money. Interested to see what happens with the other characters.

stars 4

DAMARIS

30483411-0-Edelweiss-Reviewer-B

 

 

The Fadeaway Audio is OUT NOW!!(Sample +Review)

Published June 26, 2019 by bookbesties

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He thinks we’re playing the longest game of hard-to-get ever.  We’re not.

Joel: The hottest girl on campus won’t go out with me. I know, I know, that sounds presumptuous, but this girl… this girl has gotten under my skin, and I can’t seem to walk away.
Every Thursday, I show up at the café where she works. She’s fed me every excuse in the book. I should give up and bang one of the many girls blowing up my phone. I’m not. Even when she says no, Thursday is my favorite day of the week.
Katrina: The hottest guy on campus won’t stop asking me out. I know that sounds like a good problem to have, but this guy… this guy has no idea how complicated my life is trying to juggle being a single mom and college student. Every Thursday, he shows up at the café where I work. His cheesy pickup lines and arrogance should have me completely annoyed. I’m not. I can’t say yes, but Thursday is my favorite day of the week.

Audio OUT NOW

Click below for an audio sample!

TheFadeaway_Teaser_Audio1

Katrina works at the cafe on campus and looks forward to the one day a week she gets to see Valley U basketball star and certified womanizer Joel. He tries hard to get a date every time their paths cross but Katrina will not give in. Being a single mom has her reserved and reluctant to give in to her desires. Joel himself feels like she is the one girl that won’t throw herself at his feet and he is determined to change that. In the process feelings are going to hit a high and Joel has some past trust issues. Katrina can’t afford to get in too deep and risk hurting not just her but her 3 year old son. Can she be the one to reform this certified player on and off the court?

So this is the second book of the series and she is a new author to me but it has been a win. Some of the reviews about Joel were negative but I am glad I made my own opinion. Great cover and the story has no fluff and flows great. Joel has this arrogant and cocky feel that you first see in the book The Assist but you really see he is a family man but with a bad high school relationship in his pocket he makes sure all the ladies know that there will not be any white picket fences. He is sexy and when he interacts with Katrina son Christian it is swoon worthy. The chemistry between these two is fire and great sexy times! I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

stars 4

Damaris

Save the Date by Monica Murphy(Review Post)

Published June 26, 2019 by bookbesties

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Caroline Abbott loves her job—helping engaged couples pick out the perfect save the date cards and invitations for their dream wedding. Working at Noteworthy means she has to deal with the occasional bridezilla, but Caroline’s always up for the challenge.

Until one particular bridezilla walks into the stationery store whose fiancé happens to be the boy Caroline shared her first kiss with. Alexander Wilder is all grown up now, helping run his family’s successful luxury hotel chain, and is somehow even better looking than she remembers.

When Caroline just happens to catch Alex’s fiancée half naked with another man well, of course she has to tell Alex. Of course, he breaks off his engagement.

And of course, the ex-bridezilla has gone completely bonkers.

At least Caroline has her friends to save her from crazy ex-fiancées. But she also has the sudden interest of…Alex? Caroline knows they share a connection, but is he on the rebound? Or after seeing her all these years later, does he really want something more?

OUT NOW!!!

 This was a new author to me. I really enjoyed the story line and characters. Caroline works at a store called Noteworthy(very cute) where she helps people pick Save the Dates, invitations and thank you cards. She has to deal with a lot of different personalities and who would have known that her client one day would pose a huge challenge. Her client’s fiance happens to have been her first kiss and boy he has grown up.

Alex is a VP for his family hotel chain and recognizes Caroline right away. There is some chemistry that grows throughout the story. Caroline finds Alex’s fiance in a compromising position and tells Alex. From this point you have fake relationships, crazy exs, wicked attraction and Paris of course! The characters are funny and cute together and have great banter. Very much enjoyed and look forward to more from this author.
I received an Arc for a honest review

stars 4

Damaris

30483411-0-Edelweiss-Reviewer-B

 

To Resist a Scandalous Rouge(Review Post)

Published June 25, 2019 by bookbesties

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For Finlay Swinton, Viscount Firthwell and only son of a powerful earl, life has been a lark…until he discovers a terrible family secret that could ruin him. Determined to make a name for himself free of scandal’s shadow, he runs for Parliament. However, he encounters Charlotte, the mysterious woman who disappeared after their one night together, and he finds it impossible to stay away, despite her working class status and Jewish faith that threaten to destroy his chance for success.

Widowed, penniless, and desperate, Charlotte Taylor secures a teaching position at a foundling home and relaxes into a predictable existence. That is, until Finlay, the man she shared one romantic night with, reappears, a specter from her past. He ignites her passion, even while he threatens the precarious foundation on which she’s rebuilt her life. But when those from her past return to endanger her hard-earned security, she’ll have to reveal his secret or go to prison.

Each book in the Once Upon A Scandal series is STANDALONE:
* To Love a Scandalous Duke
* To Resist a Scandalous Rogue

OUT NOW

This is my first time reading this author and while this is book two in a series I didn’t know it until I sat down to write this review. To me that speaks volumes about both the superior writing ability of the author as much as my enjoyment of the book, and please know I REALLY enjoyed this book. I love this book for its historical accuracy even as it shines a light on prejudices of the era. It is so refreshing to me when an author isn’t afraid to show the darker side or history. I love how the leading characters overcome their societal differences and find passion in one another.
Finlay Swinton, Viscount Firthwell is in line to inherit a prominent Earldom as long as his family’s darkest secret stays a secret. After a renewed acquaintance with a woman he shared a single unforgettable night of passion turns sour will his entire future be lost?
Charlotte Taylor has found a perfect job, and with her fond memories of a night of unbridled passion and freedom, she is ready to start her new life. All until that perfect new job causes her become reacquainted with the man she shared that night with. When her past catches up to her will she betray the man she loves to protect herself or will she sacrifice her life to protect his future?
This was a book I couldn’t put down and I can’t wait to get my hands on its predecessor.

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Danielle

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