Thursday 31 July 2014

✤ Behind the Scandal ✤ M.A. Stacie ✤ Reluctance #2 ✤



© Bianca  



M.A. STACIE
BEHIND THE SCANDAL

RELUCTANCE #2 
• release date -  31 July 2014
can be read as a stand-alone - but I would suggest you read
Beneath The Surface  first ☺





★★★★★
4.9 Stars




Sent to the family ranch to overcome his addiction, Taylor Reese is angry and hurt. Feeling rejected by his father and brother, Taylor throws himself into ranch life to help him forget. But it isnt long before it hits him hard how much his life has spiraled out of control, leaving him floundering and looking for a lifeline.

Libby Karlin is cautious, wary of Taylor
s presence. Her dark past makes her reluctant to let anyone near her family. But after Taylor strikes up a friendship with her son, Libby finds herself drawn to the sadness within him. His experiences are no secret to her, though she keeps her own buried until a knock on her door has her gasping for breath.

Could dealing with their pasts really give them a future?



We already met Taylor Reese in Beneath The Surface - where he was this totally unresponsible, drug-addict brother of our hero Kyran.
Nothing much changed .... he's still all that.
But now his Dad makes him stay at his Uncle's farm in Wyoming for six months!!!!
He needs to clean up his act, and unless he does that, he will be cut off from the Reese family - and for Taylor more importantly, the Reese money.

So poor Taylor finds himself on this smelly little horse farm with nothing to do.
That won't last for long, because his uncle has lots to do for him

The only interesting thing about this whole mess are the people who are living in the cottage behind the farmhouse.
Beautiful redhead Libby and her adorable 6 year old son Levi.
 


They're on the run from their past and have found a peaceful place to live and work on Uncle Jacob's farm. (Libby is working as a horse-riding teacher.)

It takes them all a long while to like each other, because basically, Taylor is a horrible ass to everybody.
He's selfish and irritated and in pain and he's behaving like a little kid.

But with a little time and the attention of Libby and Levi and Uncle Josh, Taylor slowly starts to live again...

But not only Taylor's past is a point of trouble for the little 'family' on the farm....
Libby's past comes into town too....


WILL TAYLOR FINALLY BEAT HIS ADDICTION?
WILL LIBBY & TAYLOR GET THEIR HEA???
WILL THERE BE A CLIFFHANGER o.O


OR WILL EVERYBODY DIE AT THE END???

 NOPE..... I'm not telling you ☺



I don't want to spoil anything!!! ☺☺☺
(OK - I can tell you that there's no cliffhanger ;) )
____________________________________________________________



I REALLY LOVED THE BOOK!!!

This was soooo different from every other book we read.
This hero - Taylor - he's such an idiot, ass, selfish prick, petulant little boy - not your typical hero material. But that's what made me like him even more. You had to look really hard to find something good in him - but it IS there. It just takes him a while to grow up.

He's not the way he is without reason of course - he was basically abandoned by his parents - his mom died when he was a baby and his dad hired nannies and maids to raise him and his brother Kyran.... Plus a lot of other 'Daddy and Brother Issues' that all came together to make him want to forget everything by taking drugs.

But he's now 28 - he should've gotten over his childhood troubles a long time ago.
That was the one thing that bothered me a bit.
The whole book would've made a bit more sense to me if Tayler would've been somewhere between 19 and 25 - but with 28 he's a bit old in my opinion....but - it didn't bother me all that much ☺

I really enjoyed reading this book.

It has everything a great book needs...

LOTS OF SEXY SCENES!
Moving scenes
Funny scenes
Suspensy scenes
Frustrating scenes
Romantic scenes


 If you like sexy Romances with a bit of suspense and a total anti-hero who will turn into a really hot cowboy - GO BUY THE BOOK!!!! ☺


LINKS TO THE BOOK & AUTHOR




STALK M.A. STACIE ON:




 STOLEN FROM GOODREADS

 M. A. Stacie is never without a book or her eReader. A voracious reader, with a love of sexy, yet angst ridden novels, she loves getting lost in new worlds. Her need to write did not grip her until after her second son was born, when her previous rambles became fully fledged stories.

She describes herself as one huge contradiction, and though not the most conventional of hobbies, she counts getting new tattoos as one of hers. Along with running, knitting, and listening to loud music. However, she is yet to work out how to do them all at the same time.

M. A. Stacie lives in the UK with her husband and three sons.

Wednesday 30 July 2014

✤ No Strings Attached ✤ Susan Andersen ✤

© Bianca ✰ 



SUSAN ANDERSEN
NO STRINGS ATTACHED

• 384 pages
• release date: 29 July 2014
Razor Bay Series #3
(not officially, but if you love Susan's books - make sure to read the other 2 books first ☺)



★★★★★
4.9 Stars

 


Some mistakes are worth repeating

Tasha Riordan's one night with Luc Bradshaw was the best of her life. The following two
when she got thrown into a Bahamian jail on bogus chargeswere her worst. Now, seven years later, the undercover DEA agent is back. Invading her town. Her restaurant. Her fantasies. She can't trust a man who lied to her. Yet, neither can she trust herselfnot when their chemistry burns even hotter than before.

Learning he has two half brothers shocks Luc. Discovering they live in the same town as Tasha
that's a different kind of thrill. Their mutual lust is still off the charts, but he can't get her to listen to his side of what happened on that long-ago night. Good thing he's got powers of persuasion that go deeper than words. Because nothing has ever felt this right



 The book starts seven years ago. Tasha is 22 years old and spending her vacation on a island in the Bahamas. That's where she met Diego. He's the hottest guy she's ever met and she just spent the perfect sexy night with him.
But unfortunately he has to leave for work and she is left behind in his cabin. Where she is then being arrested as Diego's accomplice in a drug deal!!!! o.O She has to spend to horrible nights in jail before she's released!

Seven years later Tasha is the proud owner of a Pizza restaurant in Razor Bay, Washington.
Then one day, her girlfriends Jenny and Harper invite her to a dinner to introduce her to their boyfriends' new-found, long lost half-brother Luc.
Turns out Diego wasn't really the drug-dealing criminal she thought he was.
He's actually a DEA undercover agent named Luc Bradshaw.
But that still doesn't make her forget the two most horrible nights of her life - the two nights she spent in that dark prison cell!

Luc tries everything to get back on her good side again - but she's making it extremely hard.
There's still this huge sexual attraction between them, but whenever she sees him, Tasha is always reminded of those two days in hell. But she's also being reminded of this one, most perfect night of her life.



SO, WHAT WILL SHE DO???
WILL THE TWO OF THEM GET THEIR HEA???


I'm not telling you that of course!! GO READ IT!☺☺☺
 _____________________________________





I REALLY ENJOYED THE BOOK!

I'm normally not a fan of stories with side-stories in them.
We have the main story about Tasha and Luc, but we also have a little side thingy about Tasha's teenage employees Jeremy and Peyton. But I really enjoyed reading about them. Adorable.

The whole book was the perfect sexy, romantic & funny beach-read!!!!

We have this sexy dark mysterious half-Latino government agent: LUC
and this strawberry blonde, tough & sweet Pizza Place owner: TASHA
plus LOTS of other characters we all fall in love with....

Unfortunately you kind of get the feeling that the stories of Luc's brothers have been told by Susan in previous books, but it didn't bother me all that much, and this book doesn't say anything about being part of a series, so it was ok. But if you want to read the books about how Luc's brothers Jake & Max found their happy ever afters, you can read the ► RAZOR BAY SERIES ☺
Normally I don't like it when I missed two books - and those are literally the only two Susan books that I haven't read. It would've been nice of the publisher - or Susan - to mention the Razor Bay Series connection somewhere. Why isn't this book #3 of this series??? Very confusing.
But you can totally read NO STRINGS ATTACHED without having read the other two books. But I always like having read everything, and that I didn't know there's a connection, just bothered me a tiny little bit :(((

BUT - all ^^^^ that doesn't change the fact that I really enjoyed reading this book.

If you love Susan Andersen books - like I do - you will love this one as well!!!


IT REALLY WAS THE PERFECT SUMMER ROMANCE ☺

with lots of romantic & sexy & funny & frustrating and moving scenes!!! ☺☺☺



LINKS TO THE BOOK AND AUTHOR



STALK SUSAN ANDERSEN ON:

FACEBOOKHOMEPAGEGOODREADS


I grew up in a household with two brothers, a daddy, and my grandfather. Too many men, in other words. They diluted M'ma's influence by diverting my attention to things like the danger of answering nature's call in the dead of the night. I've got a hint for those of you raised in a less spit-and-scratch world: check before you sit, because chances are that seat is gonna be up. And they don't even have the grace to be embarrassed about it. According to my sweet baby boy, if you're the minority sex in the household, you oughtta be putting it up for them. Sigh.

Having brothers was a mixed bag. When anybody messed with me they were always quick with an offer to beat them up. That was sorta nice, although I personally believe it had more to do with the fact that guys just like to fight than with any towering concern for my welfare. You might think that's cynical but guess who the target was if no one else was around and they were tired of fighting each other? I must've spent half my childhood locked in the bathroom, screaming, "Dad's gonna get you when he gets home." I know, I know, nobody likes a stoolie. But it was either that or have my block knocked off on a regular basis, and trust me, Daddy was the best deterrent going.

A smart woman probably would've gone away to an all-girl school or moved in with some girlfriends at the first opportunity. Me, I got married to my high school sweetie. And the tradition continues. Our only kid (who hasn't been a kid for quite some time now) is the aforementioned sweet baby boy, and except for an Irish setter we had for eleven years a long time ago, even our pets have all been male. I just try to stay afloat whenever I find myself in the deep end of the testosterone pool, and if you don't think that isn't a trial sometimes, I'm here to tell you- it can be hell.

Then again, it can also be heaven. In fact, it mostly is. But listen, don't tell my guys I 'fessed up to that, okay? Trust me, it's difficult enough already, just trying to stay one step ahead of the game.


Tuesday 29 July 2014

✪ Blog Tour ✪ Dead Heat Ranch series ✪ Boots Optional (0.5) and Betting On Grace (1) ✪ Nicole Edwards


 



 SYNOPSIS - BOOTS OPTIONAL


Note: This novella was previously published in the Some Like It Hot Anthology. Although the story has not changed, this version contains a short bonus scene.

New York Times bestselling author Nicole Edwards is heating things up with Boots Optional, a sexy new ménage novella which is the first book in a hot new series called Dead Heat Ranch.

Grace Lambert is familiar with hard work, long days, and handsome cowboys. Shes been working for her familys dude ranch since she was old enough to ride a horse and shes not afraid to get her hands dirty. What she is afraid of is the heat thats been generating between her and not one, but two sexy cowboys whove set their sights on her. And each other.

Grant Kingsley and Lane Miller have both had their eyes on Gracie for years, but the feisty cowgirl has managed to keep them at bay. As far as they are concerned, cowboys dont give up, and neither of them is ready to give up just yet. Not on her and not on the heat that transpires between the two of them.

Find out what happens when the sultry Texas nights get as hot as the fierce Texas days.


Grant and Lane have been chasing Gracie for the past couple of years.... but lately they have been chasing each other as well.  We start off with a heated exchange between the pair in Grant's kitchen one night, which Grace just happens to walk in on.... ***fanning myself***

Gracie takes not crap from nobody.  She will call them on their BS, will give back as good as she take.  And she is sick of the games that Grant and Lane are playing with her... or are they? 

I loved the push and pull with this trio.  Grant thinks things through a lot more then Lane who is the more spontaneous and easy going of the pair.   I loved that they had to work for what they are going to get.

Also loved the interactions with Grace's sisters, especially Faith and Mercy.  I guess when it comes to all the family living and working together, there is not much you can hide! 

I tell you what, no one can write a cowboy menag` like Nicole Edwards.  




 
 



Dead Heat Ranch, #1

New York Times bestselling author Nicole Edwards is continuing to heat things up with Betting on Grace, a sexy new ménage novel which is the first book in a hot new series called Dead Heat Ranch.

The tables have turned on Grace Lambert. For a woman familiar with long days and hard work, she just recently discovered just how hot the sultry Texas nights can get. Finding time to spend with her two smoking hot cowboys, Grant and Lane, isnt exactly easy, but shes forging ahead with what has turned out to be the hottest relationship she has ever been in. The true test comes in standing up for what she wants.

Grant Kingsley has landed his feisty cowgirl, Gracie, and an equally sexy cowboy, Lane Miller, but everything outside of his romantic life has gone from routine to chaos in a matter of days. Unfortunately, hes become rather acquainted with Murphys Law as he is inundated with a string of bad luck. His mother is missing, his father, a gambling addict, is worried about only one thing these days, and when Grant refuses to give in, all hell breaks loose on the ranch.

Lane Miller will be the first to admit that he falls in love easily. And hes done so again, with both Gracie and Grant. Only this time around, hes not giving up or giving in. Cowboys dont know what it means to back down and Lane will ensure that the two most important people in his life get all of him, no matter what it takes.

ARC received from the author for an honest review

You will have to have read Boots Optional (#0.5) before Betting on Grace, as it set up the background story.

All I have to say is WOW!  Ms Edwards really is the queen of cowboy menag` stories.  Can you say 
Grant, Lane and Grace's relationship is never going to be an easy one - hell, relationships with just two people are hard enough, adding that third has to make it so much more difficult.

Add to the mixture secrets, lies, hiding their relationship.  I felt that Ms Edwards dealt with these difficulties well.  There was no glossing over the fact that it is an unconventional relationship, making it all seem as easy as anything.
I LOVED how each of the characters dealt with the day to day difficulties of their relationship.  Lane was all in and right up front about it, whereas Gracie and Grant are both more subdued and secretive about things.

Secrets, don't get me started on secrets! OMG for a family that is supposed to be so close, the number of secrets flying about the ranch was unbelievable!  The amount of friendships and relationships the secrets could have destroyed was scary!

But let's not forget about the S.E.X!  The sex scenes between Lane, Grant and Grace is smokin', burn up the kindle hot!  You will need to throw your reader in the freezer to cool it down!  And the really great thing - there is no sex just for the sake of sex.  Yes there are times where they all rip their clothes off and get down and dirty (and I LOVE them) but there are times when they are just sweet and talking, getting to all know each other better.

 There are some great secondary characters in the Dead Heat Ranch series.  I love Grace's family, especially her sisters - Hope, Faith, Trinity and Mercy.  Mercy is the girl I would love as a sister or best friend.  She is funny, loyal, sweet.  She will have a laugh at your expense, but then protect you fiercely if anyone else tries to do the same.  She is Grace's biggest supporter when it comes to her relationship with her two sexy cowboys.

All her sisters have their love interest starting to bring out their moves, and I am looking forward to reading about them as the series continues.

So, as much as I dislike horses (I think they are beasts of Satan and you won't find me within 50 feet of one), Ms Edwards makes me feel that I need to have a holiday on a ranch!!

I can't wait to get back in the saddle with the next in this series.


  




New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nicole Edwards lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, their three kids, and four rambunctious dogs. When shes not writing about sexy alpha males, Nicole can often be found with her Kindle in hand or making an attempt to keep the dogs happy. You can find her hanging out on Facebook and interacting with her readers - even when shes supposed to be writing.