Category: Contemporary Romance

Blown Away by Brenda Rothert

Posted July 28, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: Blown Away
Series:
Author: Brenda Rothert
Genre: contemporary Romance
Published: May 3, 2016
Publisher: Random House Publishing – Loveswept
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

One year after her fiancé died in a heartbreaking accident, Drew McGovern decides to honor his memory by joining his old storm-chasing buddies on their latest excursion. What she’s not so sure about, however, is whether she’s ready to move on. Drew wasn’t expecting to feel the powerful pull of desire toward Colby’s best friend. But there’s no denying the intensity of their connection . . . or the heat he inspires in the parts of her that are still very much alive.

Aiden O’Neal doesn’t trust himself around Drew. He’s wanted this girl for a long time—long enough to remember the stab of jealousy he felt the first time he saw her in Colby’s arms. Now he’s trying his best to behave himself. But when the wind starts blowing and the adrenaline starts pumping, Aiden can’t resist the urge to claim Drew as his own. Because when it comes to desire, he’s hoping to make lightning strike twice.

Just Say Maybe by Tracy March

Posted July 28, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Just Say Maybe
Series: Thistle Bend #2
Author: Tracy March
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: May 3, 2016
Publisher: Random House Publishing – Loveswept
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Real estate lawyer Holly Birdsong’s hike in the Rockies takes an unexpected turn when a smokin’-hot stranger tumbles off his bike and into her path. Turns out he’s purchasing the abandoned Lodge at Wild Rose Ridge, and Holly agrees to take him on as a client—despite her family’s traumatic history with the previous owner, who shamelessly abused the town’s goodwill at every turn. But when their professional relationship turns personal, Holly must reconcile the past with her hopes for the future.

Adding the rustic lodge to his portfolio of adventure properties isn’t just a business decision for Bryce Bennett. The rugged mountains also offer a killer setting for his extreme-sports camps for at-risk teens. What’s not in the blueprints is finding a kindred spirit in his irresistible lawyer, even if she seems apprehensive about getting involved in the deal. Bryce’s plan to ease her mind just might work, as long as no one discovers his secret. Yet he can’t stand hiding the truth from the woman who makes him want to build something permanent: a happily ever after.

Play It Safe by Leslie North

Posted July 28, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Play It Safe
Series: The Safe House #2
Author: Leslie North
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance
Published: April 14, 2016
Publisher:
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Ex-Navy SEAL Samson Jackson has lost everything he’s ever fought for – and nothing can bring back his wife. But when he’s offered a new mission protecting brilliant, sharp-tongued biochemist Angela McAllister from those who want to exploit the deadly knowledge she carries, he’s got no choice but to accept. He couldn’t save his first love, but maybe he can finally find redemption keeping the fiery scientist safe.

Samson knows he has a difficult road ahead of him, but he doesn’t count on the asset he’s charged with protecting being so . . . intriguing. Falling in love isn’t part of the plan. Especially when a rogue government official with nothing to lose plans to harness a lethal bioweapon and take revenge on the terrorists hiding out in Samson’s South African village with Angela’s help—and holds her brother as leverage.

Now, it’s up to Samson to protect a town full of innocents, one of whom is the son he hopes to adopt, while keeping the woman he loves from harm. He’ll have to fight powerful enemies, and his own demons, to save his world from catastrophe.

One of the Guys by Shiloh Walker

Posted July 28, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: One of the Guys
Series:
Author: Shiloh Walker
Genre: Erotica, Contemporary Romance
Published: February 8, 2016
Publisher:
My Rating: 3 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Complete and utter humiliation—that was what Jaynie felt as she stood in the doorway watching her fiancé playing out his ménage fantasies with his best friend and the cute neighbor from across the street. Bad enough that the cute and sexy neighbor is the woman her fiancé clearly wants her to be, but now she finds the man she loves in bed with the woman. To add fuel to the flame, he later tells her that she couldn’t be a real woman if she tried.

Humiliated and hurt, she’s hiding out at her best friend’s house and ends up coming across her friend’s older brother Brian. Brian…hot, sexy…also her partner from work. The last thing she needs is another complication, but she can’t think about that right now.

The heat in his eyes, the desire she can see on his face—that is something she does need and she offers him one night, no strings.

But one night of no strings turned into something neither of them could have counted on. Brian’s take-charge attitude in the bedroom and his oh, sexy, smile are getting to her.

Friends all their lives, they’ve played together, now they work together. Faced with the most important question of all, Jaynie has to figure out…can they work together.

Every Bride Has Her Day by Lynnette Austin

Posted July 27, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Every Bride Has Her Day
Series: Magnolia Brides #2
Author: Lynnette Austin
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: May 3, 2016
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Can love revive a wilting heart?

Cricket O’Malley can’t wait to plant roots back home in Georgia, where she’s returned to restore an abandoned flower shop to its former glory. The only blemish? Her neighbor’s house is even more neglected than her old flower shop, and its occupant seems as surly as he is darkly handsome.

Devastated body and soul after a tough case went south, New York City detective Sam DeLuca thought he’d have no trouble finding solitude in the quiet Georgia town of Misty Bottoms, but his bubbly neighbor seems determined to shine happiness into Sam’s life. Sam is equally determined to close himself off, but his heart says otherwise..

Her Forever Hero by Melody Anne

Posted July 27, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Her Forever Hero
Series: Unexpected Heroes $3
Author: Melody Anne
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: February 23, 2016
Publisher: Pocket Books
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Growing up in a big adoptive family, gorgeous small-town attorney Cam has always had a life rich with love. But the one thing he’s missing is the perfect woman to grow old and raise a family with—and send sparks flying on those cold Montana nights! Still, Cam knows if it wasn’t for his caring parents and brothers, he wouldn’t be where he is today, so he tries to pay it forward whenever he can. And if the client happens to be a modern-day damsel in distress, he’ll happily don a suit of shining armor.

This time, his sister-in-law’s best friend Grace is in serious trouble, and Cam’s determined to get his smart, beautiful client off the hook. But as attorney-client privilege brings Cam and Grace closer than they ever imagined, the sexual tension heats up. It’s clear before the gavel comes down that the verdict is going to be red hot!

Hero Forgotten by SaraLynn Hoyt

Posted July 27, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Hero Forgotten
Series: Blakemore Family: Oasis #1
Author: SaraLynn Hoyt
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Published: April 13, 2016
Publisher: Romance Beckons
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Abigail Blakemore is a descendant of talented female mediums and is one of the best in her own right. Law enforcement from all over the Seattle area seek her out to help with their toughest cases. But hiding at home and conducting most of her business via the internet is no way to meet men. But a new ghost who has entered her life is about to change all that.

Kent Caruso, ex-Special Forces, now a highly skilled hacker at a Seattle dotcom, can’t forgive himself for his wife’s accidental death while he was deployed in Afghanistan nearly two years ago. Interested in the supernatural for years, he finds himself wandering into a little occult shop on Valentine’s Day and smack into the sexiest palm reader in Seattle.

The first book in the Oasis Group series starts with a fast, hot romance between Abby and Kent that has a little help from cousin Marty and one of his not quite perfect elixirs. What will the side effects be and will Kent and Abby’s love be strong enough to prevail over the powerful Blakemore legacy?

Only cousin Jake Blakemore, CEO of the Blakemore Oasis Group—a prestigious private security firm of highly skilled operatives—knows how deep those male dominated Blakemore secrets go and he won’t share much of his knowledge with Abby. But he assures his cousin that if hers and Kent’s feelings are true than in the end, nothing can stand in the way of their happiness.

Shift by Sidney Bristol

Posted July 26, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Shift
Series: Hot Rides #2
Author: Sidney Bristol
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: July 26, 2016
Publisher: Kensington Books – Zebra Shout
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Nothing shines like classic cars under the Miami heat. With engines revving hot and emotions running high, sparks are sure to fly . . .

Tori Chazov isn’t exactly the girl next door. For one, if the neighbors found out she’s an FBI asset and the daughter of a KGB defector, she’d have to grab her go bag and run. Then there’s her day job: making magic happen under the hood of big beautiful muscle cars. She’s more likely to be wearing engine grease than mascara, and most guys don’t fantasize about their mechanics.

But then most girls don’t fantasize about FBI tech geniuses, either, and Tori has it bad for Emery Martin. Emery has a past. She can see it in the way he keeps his body honed like a weapon, in the mysterious scars under his snap-button shirts. She can see it in the way his eyes follow her around the room, even though he never says a word.

He’s going to have to start talking now, though. A vicious Russian hit squad is on the way to Miami to take Tori out for good. And without Emery’s help, she might not make her last great escape.

Toast and Char by Jennifer Bramseth

Posted July 26, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Toast and Char
Series: Bourbon Springs #8
Author: Jennifer bramseth
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: July 26, 2016
Publisher:
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

The heat still burns between them…

When Prent Oakes, former playboy and wealthy half-owner of Commonwealth Cooperage, Kentucky’s oldest barrel-making business, left Dr. Miranda Chaplin at the altar over two years ago, he was sure it was over.

Except since that day Miranda had never been able to tell him to get out of her life. Undaunted and with the faintest hope, Prent pursues the fiancee he abandoned and knows he doesn’t deserve.

Just as he thinks his win-her-back campaign has finally been successful, their tentative efforts to revive their love are threatened by Prent’s past, problems in their professional lives, and the disapproval of family—as well as a secret Miranda has harbored since their wedding day.

There’s no doubt the heat still burns between them—but will their love be resurrected from the ashes or will they both be left burned?

Ultimate Courage by Piper J. Drake

Posted July 26, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Ultimate Courage
Series: True Heroes #2
Author: Piper J. Drake
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Published: July 26, 2016
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing – Forever
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Retired Navy SEAL Alex Rojas is putting his life back together, one piece at a time. Being a single dad to his young daughter and working at Hope’s Crossing Kennels to help rehab a former guard dog, he struggles every day to control his PTSD. But when Elisa Hall shows up, on the run and way too cautious, she unleashes his every protective instinct.

Elisa’s past never stays in her rearview mirror for long, and she refuses to put anyone else in danger. But with Alex guarding her so fiercely yet looking at her so tenderly, she’s never felt safer . . . or more terrified that the secrets she keeps could put countless people in grave peril. The only way for both to fully escape their demons will take the ultimate act of courage: letting go and learning to trust each other.

Love Blooms on Main Street by Olivia Miles

Posted July 26, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Love Blooms on Main Street
Series: Briar Creek #4
Author: Olivia Miles
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: July 26, 2016
Publisher: Grand Central publishing – Forever
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Florist Ivy Birch fantasizes about the day a man will surprise her with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Especially if that man happens to be Brett Hastings. One stolen kiss at her best friend’s wedding and Ivy can’t get the sexy ER doctor out of her head.

In the small town of Briar Creek, you can’t avoid anyone for very long. Not that Brett has been trying to avoid Ivy. He just can’t afford to let anything distract him from his work-not again. So when a hospital fundraiser throws them together, love is the last thing on his mind. But with her quick wit and sweet laugh, soon the one woman he’s tried to keep at arm’s length is capturing his heart.

Fearless by Kimberly Kincaid

Posted July 26, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Fearless
Series: Rescue Squad #2
Author: Kimberly Kincaid
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: July 26, 2016
Publisher: Kensington Books – Zebra
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Firefighter Cole Everett’s life revolves around the firehouse. Committed to saving lives–and to the guys who always have his back in the most dangerous moments on the job–Cole’s focus is a coveted spot on the Fairview Rescue Squad. When his captain asks him to mentor a rookie firefighter, he jumps at the chance, hoping it will help to prove his skill. But the new “guy” is none other than Savannah Nelson, a female firefighter as stubbornly determined as Cole is, and a whole lot curvier in all the right places .

Savannah won’t let anyone extinguish her dream of fulfilling her family legacy and becoming a top notch firefighter–and she’s happily surprised when strong-willed, sexy Cole is willing to give her the chance she deserves. Concentrating on the job isn’t always easy when the heat between them flares higher every day, but Savannah won’t give up–not even when one of Station Eight’s veterans seems bent on trashing her reputation. To stop a string of possible arsons, Savannah and Cole will need to eliminate every distraction–but can they let their love go up in flames?

Full Heat by Carla Swafford

Posted July 24, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Title: Full Heat
Series: Brothers of Mayhem #2
Author: Carla Swafford
Genre: Contemporary Romance, MC Romance
Published: July 19, 2016
Publisher: Random House Publishing – Loveswept
My Rating: 3 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Forget shining armor. Motorcycle shop owner Mary Jane Parker could use a knight in black leather right about now. A local gang has been extorting her for protection money, and standing her ground would be a lot easier with the Brothers of Mayhem at her back. She just needs to convince the club’s new president to take the job. The powerful, brooding biker claims he’s not interested—but if his version of tough love is supposed to be punishment, Mary Jane would gladly misbehave for the rest of her life.

Storm Ryder has no interest in rescuing anyone but himself. He spent three agonizing years in prison, and there’s no way in hell he’s going back, not over a spoiled rich girl who’s flirting with trouble. So why does he find himself craving Mary Jane’s lips—and holding her close when he should be pushing her away? Deep down in his tortured soul, Storm knows she’ll be there for him. And when Mary Jane needs him most, he’ll find the courage to give her everything he’s got.

Read on for my thoughts on Full Heat. No true spoilers, promise.

The Goodbye Ride by Lily Malone

Posted July 24, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance / 0 Comments

Title: The Goodbye Ride
Series:
Author: Lily Malone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: May 1, 2016 (Originally May 17, 2013)
Publisher: Escape Publishing – Harlequin Enterprises Australia
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Olivia Murphy is a woman on a mission. The Ducati motorbike that once belonged to her brother has come up for re-sale. Liv wants to buy the precious bike, and she needs the ink dry on the paperwork before the approaching long weekend, when tourists with fat wallets will descend on her hometown of Hahndorf.

Only one person stands in her way; and she’s just tripped and fallen at his feet…

Owen Carson likes rare and beautiful things and he has the Ducati in his sights. Then Liv literally falls into his path, and he finds his heart captured by beauty of a very different kind.

How far will Liv go to make the motorbike hers? Can a viticulturalist fall for a man who prefers beer? And will a long weekend among the grape vines be long enough for Owen to convince Liv he’s interested in more than just a holiday fling?

Read on for my thoughts on The Goodbye Ride. No true spoilers, promise.

Her Survivor by Vonnie Davis

Posted July 23, 2016 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Series / 2 Comments

Title: Her Survivor
Series: Black Eagle Ops #1
Author: Vonnie Davis
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Military Romance
Published: July 19, 2016
Publisher: Loveswept
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:

Navy SEAL Dustin Frank can handle physical pain; it’s his soul that needs mending. After losing part of his leg in an explosion, the panic triggered by his PTSD nearly drives him over the edge. So Dustin retreats to the Eagle Ridge Ranch, a charming hideaway tucked into the Hill Country of Texas. There he finds solace in the arms of a shy beauty who reawakens desires he thought he’d lost forever—and who makes him want to lose control, just when he needs it most.

Kelcee Todd sees beyond Dustin’s scars to the real man beneath: fiercely protective, strong yet tender. She wants nothing more than to feel his battle-hardened hands on her body. However, Kelcee is not the ordinary small-town girl she appears to be. Her brother is a killer with ties to the Russian mob, and after her testimony put him in prison, he’s out and eager for revenge. Now Dustin is her best defense, even if it could cost him everything. Kelcee could never ask him to make that sacrifice . . . but she can’t stop him, either.

Read on for my thoughts on Her Survivor. No true spoilers, promise.