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Sunday 27 November 2016

Sick Pleasure (Crazy Beautiful #3) by Jessica Serra Huizenga



Blurb:

Hazel Blake loves Tristan Sharp.
Tristan Sharp hates Hazel Blake.

There is only one word to describe Hazel Blake and Tristan Sharp: history. Intense, painful, passionate history. (Ok, four words.)

But it’s been over five years now and Hazel’s ready to leave the past behind. Having nobody but an absent father, a crazy mother, and a preoccupied brother means she could really use her old friend again. So what if she still has deeper feelings for Tristan? She knows she majorly screwed things up and doesn’t deserve him anymore, so she’ll settle for anything he might be willing to give — even if it’s just his body.

When Hazel comes storming back into Tristan’s life, opening all sorts of old wounds, he wants nothing more than to get to the forgetting part. But he’s also having trouble with the whole forgiveness thing, too. When the girl you love rips your heart out and tosses it around like a beanbag, it tends to change a guy. But nobody gets under Tristan’s skin like Hazel, so he just needs to get her out of his system, right? Hit it and quit it. For good this time, and nobody ever needs to know.

Yes, everything that went down between Hazel and Tristan is in the past.
Too bad history is about to repeat itself…

What happens when you love the person you hate?
Can people that hurt each other heal together?

**This books is for readers over the age of 18 due to strong language and explicit sexual content**

Find on Goodreads

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2gLFWSP
Amazon PB: http://amzn.to/2guAEXL
Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2gyKclQ
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2gyKzwF

Kristine's Review:
Reviewed: November 2016.

Jessica Serra Huizenga has become an author that intrigues me greatly, her debut Crazy, Beautiful was the breath of fresh air I desperately needed to read, light, fun and sexy, her ability to draw the reader in and create characters that I desperately wanted to know more about, with Mad Addiction, her second offering I again felt that dizzying excitement that comes with loosing yourself in a writer's words, throughout learning more about Hazel and Tristan, eagerly awaiting that moment that their past would be explained.

"she was there- written on me, wrapped around me, buried under my skin and permanently etched into my heart. She was and still is. Always has been, always will be."

Sick Pleasure is darker, more complex that the previous books in the series, with the shroud of secrecy that Huizenga has methodically built hanging over the main characters I found myself itching to know what happened between them all those years before. Second chance romance is a trope I enjoy when done well, when the build up is absolute, the writing flawless, and most importantly when the reason for the original break up when revealed is valid. As a reader of primarily contemporary romance I need a sense of reality in my happily ever afters, I need to feel that sense that this could truly happy in real life, and what I really enjoyed here was the rawness and honesty that shone through in Huizenga's words.

"Do I love Hazel Blake? F*ck I don’t know. Can you love somebody you hate?"

Huizenga burst onto the Indie scene this year and has easily created one of my favourite full series of the year, consistently strong writing, beautiful covers, intriguing blurbs, Sick Pleasure has all the hallmarks of a great second chance romance, showcasing the author's ability to create a dynamic and soulful story about addiction and recover, first loves and last loves, about the family you wish you could choose and the friends who become family. Hazel and Tristan share the kind of past that is filled with soaring highs and heart wrenching lows, a past that clearly still has it's clutched firmly in their hearts years later, it's their connection, and their own self realisations that make this story so very compelling.



About Jessica Serra Huizenga:



When she’s not making confetti as head honcho over at The Confetti Bar (theconfettibar.com),
co-dreaming with creative women through Monarch Workshop (monarchworkshop.com), and
blogging about her health & wellness journey going sugar-free at Simple Unsweet ((simpleunsweet.com), Jessica loves to spend her nights getting caught up in imaginary worlds.
She lives in central CT with her husband, Clifford, and the cutest cat EVER, named Curious.
She loves colorful things, making people smile, things that smell good, and is obsessed with
lemon water. And glitter. Lots of glitter.
She also loves, well…love. (She’s a sucker for a sweet story.)

Connect with Jessica on Facebook




Sunday 20 November 2016

Bad Romeo Christmas: A Starcrossed Anthology (Starcrossed #4) by Leisa Rayven


Blurb:

From the internationally best selling author of BAD ROMEO, BROKEN JULIET, and WICKED HEART comes an anthology of sweet and sexy novellas featuring beloved Starcrossed characters such as Ethan and Cassie, Liam and Elissa, and Josh and Angel; as well as the gang from The Grove.Have Yourself A Sexy Little Christmas: An Ethan and Cassie Novella

Ethan and Cassie’s first Christmas with the Holt family should be nothing but jolly. Sure, Cassie’s a mess trying to impress her future in-laws with the perfect casserole, but when an unexpected blast from Ethan’s past shows up beneath the tree, the season gets a whole lot more serious—and sexy.
The Naughty List: A Liam and Elissa Novella

After being apart for months, Liam and Elissa are making up for lost time on a secluded island, where they think they’re free to explore each other’s bodies in peace. But when it turns out their Christmas sanctuary isn’t as deserted as it first seemed, their Christmas dreams turn into a nightmare.
Happy, Horny New Year: A Josh and Angel Novella

When the gang from the Grove gets together at a lavish New Year’s Eve party, it’s like no time has passed. Except Elissa and Josh are dating Hollywood royalty, Jack and Zoe have been hooking up in secret, Connor’s new girlfriend wants to murder Cassie, and Erika’s mystery man has everyone talking. Before midnight, shocking revelations are made, industry tongues are wagging, and the poor mistletoe is ready to pass out from overuse.

No matter how you're spending the holidays,
BAD ROMEO CHRISTMAS is sure to heat up your festive season this winter.
 

Find on Goodreads


Purchase Links:



Kristine's Review:
Reviewed: November 2016.

Have you ever had a book that you can remember exactly where you were when you read it for the first time, in thousands of books I've devoured since rediscovering reading a few years ago I remember but a few in such exacting detail that I remember where I was and the date that I read it for the first time. Bad Romeo was one of the those such titles, New Years Eve 2014 I had work until 6pm, I started Rayven's debut on my lunch break, and found myself sneaking chapters when I returned to the sales floor, when my husband picked me up to head to a NYE party I tried to fake illness to go home instead, he saw through my lies immediately, and told me I should put the kindle down and enjoy the party we were on our way to. Hours passed, I became the designated driver, and the host of the bash told me to read my book... I grinned and pulled my phone out of my pocket, pausing only briefly to kiss my husband as the clock struck twelve.

"How I love you, Cassie? It's like heaven and hell all wrapped up into one. I love you so much that I worry that my chest will crack open most days."  - Ethan Holt.


Bad Romeo, Broken Juliet and Wicked Heart quickly became firm favourites of mine, with countless rereads and dozens of recommendations to friends to READ THESE BOOKS I've become so utterly invested in the Starcrossed series that the characters have become like friends, the kind of friends that seeing them once or twice a year is never enough, Cassie and Ethan, Elissa and Liam, Josh and Angel hell even Jack, Connor, Zoe and most definitely Erika, I was so desperate to be reunited with these characters that I begged off plans of leaving the house once again to lose myself in Rayven's words.

"Don't you get it? ... It won't matter. I'd walk through fire to be with you, and I'd be grateful for the burns." - Elissa Holt.
Everything about the Starcrossed Anthology had me utterly invested, I didn't move, my coffee long went cold, all I wanted was to revel in Rayven's writing, reconnect with my beloved friends, laugh at their snark and sass, swoon when the leading men threw down the sexy gauntlet and cheer when there was cause for celebration, for fan of my much beloved series Bad Romeo Christmas will hit all the right notes, the perfect length to quench my thirst, and yet leave me desperate for more. In the coming weeks as the high of this anthology begins to wane I'll no doubt find myself begging the author once again for more.

"You know that saying 'Love is blind'? Well that's completely ass-backwards. Love lets you see people in perfect, crystal clarity. It doesn't make flaws invisible. It paints that in 3-D high definition and demands you to love them anyway." - Erika Eden.

In Rayven's trademark style, Bad Romeo Christmas is laugh out loud funny, incredibly sexy and filled to the brim with exquisite prose. In each of the stand alone novella's I was reminded why I fell so in love with the author's words in the first place, turning the last page of the anthology, giddy smile on my face, heart full of joy and love, only cemented my absolute adoration of this series. With the perfect blend of heat, heart and humour with just a dash of angst I have no doubt that this release will be a fan favourite once again.



About Leisa Rayven:


Writing has always been a passion for Leisa, and even though she originally intended to be an actress, it wasn’t long into her time at drama school that she began writing plays.

Those plays were bad. Very bad. Well, her friends thought they were good, but that’s because they were always cast in them and any opportunity to be on stage was met with an obnoxious amount of enthusiasm.

Since then, she’s honed her craft, and several of her plays have been produced and toured throughout Australia.

These days, playwriting has given way to fiction writing, and Leisa’s debut novel, BAD ROMEO, was published through Macmillan New York in December 2014. The sequel, BROKEN JULIET was released in April 2015, and the final book in Leisa’s Starcrossed series, WICKED HEART, will hit bookstores and kindles on May 3rd, 2016.

The Starcrossed series has gained hordes of passionate fans all over the world, and the books have now been translated into eight foreign languages. Bad Romeo and Broken Juliet have also featured on international best seller lists in Brazil and Germany.

Leisa Rayven lives in Australia with her husband, two little boys, three cats, and a kangaroo named Howard.

(Howard may or may not be her imaginary marsupial friend. Everyone should have one.)

Connect with Leisa on Facebook









Wednesday 16 November 2016

The Sugartown Collection by Carmen Jenner






COVER RE-REVEAL & BOX SET RELEASE BLITZ
Title: Sugartown: The Collection
Series: Sugartown Series
Author: Carmen Jenner
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Be Designs
Release Date: November 16, 2016

Sugartown: The Collection: Wander Aguiar
Welcome to Sugartown: Perrywinkle Photography
Enjoy Your Stay: Sara Eirew
Greetings From Sugartown: Perrywinkle Photography
Now Leaving Sugartown: Sara Eirew

BLURB

Box set contains over 307,400 words, 123 chapters, and two bonus Sugartown short stories.



One would assume life in quiet Australian Sugartown would be sweet, but you know what they say about assumptions. Between a hotter than hell, tattooed, biker sex god, run-ins with the club, rock star baby daddies, trampy ex-lovers and old flames that refuse to be smothered, Sugartown is sweet—until it isn’t.

For the first time, you can read all four books in the hilarious, hot and addictively suspenseful Sugartown series. Box set includes: Welcome to Sugartown, Enjoy Your Stay, Greetings from Sugartown and Now Leaving Sugartown. 

And you thought small towns were boring.

Welcome to Sugartown.

Warning: intended for a mature 18+ audience. Contains explicit sex, oodles of profanity, short-tempered Australian wildlife, and a crap-tonne of AWKWARD. Scenes from this series may be a trigger for certain readers.




BOX SET PURCHASE LINKS - 99c FOR ONE WEEK ONLY



THE COMPLETE SUGARTOWN SERIES

#1 Welcome to Sugartown



Ana Belle never wanted anything more than to hang up her apron, jump on her Vespa and ride off into the sunset, leaving Sugartown in the dust.

Elijah Cade never wanted anything more than a hot meal, a side of hot arse and a soft place to lay his head at night where he could forget about his past.

But you know what they say about wanting: you always want what you can’t have.

Nineteen year-old virgin Ana is about to discover that’s not quite true because a six foot three, hotter than hell, tattooed, Aussie sex god just rode into town. He’s had a taste of her pie and he wants more– no really, Ana bakes pies for a living, get your mind out of the gutter.

She’d be willing to hand over everything tied up in a big red bow, there’s just one problem; Elijah has secrets dirtier than last week’s underwear. Secrets that won't just break Ana’s heart, but put her life at risk, too. When those secrets come to light, their relationship is pushed to breaking point.

Add to that a psychotic nympho best friend, an overbearing father, a cuter than humanly possible kid brother, a wanton womanizing cousin, the ex from hell, and more pies than you could poke a ... err ... stick ... at.

And you thought small towns were boring.

Welcome to Sugartown

Content Warning: Intended for a mature 18+ audience. Contains explicit sex, oodles of profanity and a crap-tonne of AWKWARD. 




#2 Enjoy Your Stay



The last thing Holly Harris expected was to wind up nineteen, knocked-up, and all alone. When Coop left to pursue his dreams of becoming a rock god, he left a tiny piece of him behind.

Holly wishes he hadn’t.

Jackson wishes he hadn’t.


Jackson Rowe tried filling the void his family left by drinking, screwing around, and leaving a string of heartbroken women in his wake. Moving back to Sugartown should have been easy, but he hadn’t counted on the fact his sometimes attraction to Holly would still be alive and kicking—and he sure as hell hadn’t counted on her being pregnant with another man’s baby.

They drive one another crazy, and yet they can’t stay away.

When old flames resurface, and even older wounds are torn open, can two people so similar make it work? Or will their stubbornness only drive them further apart?

Content Warning. Intended for a mature 18+ audience. Contains angst, a crap-tonne of profanity, short-tempered Australian wildlife, and some very pregnant sex.




#3 Greetings from Sugartown



Life in Sugartown hasn't always been easy, not for an ex-con like Elijah, and certainly not for Ana, who grew up desperate for a way out.

Meeting Elijah changed all that; Elijah changed a lot of things.

You’d think that after three years together and the worst behind them that life would be a walk in the park, but Sugartown’s sexiest couple may be about to face their biggest obstacles yet.

Between failed marriage proposals, a trampy ex-lover and a tempting new biker, Sugartown is suddenly not so sweet. 

They’re head-over-heels in love. It should be simple—but it rarely is.

Will they make it down the aisle to the happy ever after they deserve? Or are some relationships just destined to fail?

Intended for an 18+ audience. Contains explicit sex, violence, a crap-tonne of profanity, and naked encounters with disastrous outcomes.




#4 Now Leaving Sugartown



Pepper Ryan grew up the troublesome, spoiled child of a rock god. With her less-than-stellar parentage, and the bipolar disorder that has plagued her existence, to say this little firecracker is a handful would be the understatement of the century.

Sammy Belle spent more than half his life saving Pepper. He’d been her strength, her sanity, and the protective brotherly figure she never wanted to have.

They were never meant to be together.

They gave in anyway.

And just when Sammy thought he had everything he wanted, Pepper ran.

Now twenty-three, Pepper returns to Sugartown, a failed tattoo artist with one too many screws loose who’s down on her luck, wielding an ice cream van as beaten up as her heart.

Sugartown’s most coveted bachelor has always been content with the quiet life he leads until Pepper, the hellion from his past, returns to test his strength, his patience, and perhaps even his sanity. But two can play at that game, and Pepper is about to learn that Sam can give as good as he gets.

Can this good country boy survive Pepper’s cruel city world, or will the whole thing be put down to a bout of temporary insanity?

One thing is for certain:

He’s crazy about her.

She’s just crazy.

Warning: Intended for an 18+ audience. Contains sexual content, oodles of profanity, a firefighter so hot you may need a very cold shower, and one pink-haired crazy Harajuku girl. May also contain traces of nuts. Some scenes within this book may be a trigger for certain readers.



About Carmen Jenner



Carmen Jenner is a thirty-something, USA Today and international bestselling author.

Her dark romance, KICK (Savage Saints MC #1), won Best Dark Romance Read in the Reader’s Choice Awards at RWDU, 2015.

A tattoo enthusiast, hardcore makeup addict and zombie fangirl, Carmen lives on the sunny North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, where she spends her time indoors wrangling her two wildling children, a dog named Pikelet, and her very own man-child.

A romantic at heart, Carmen strives to give her characters the HEA they deserve, but not before ruining their lives completely first … because what’s a happily ever after without a little torture?

 Connect with Carmen






Sunday 13 November 2016

Sweet Cheeks by K.Bromberg



Blurb:

An all new second chance love story by the New York Times Bestselling author of the Driven series.

It all started with the invitation. To my ex-fiancé's new wedding.

I should have ignored it. Thrown it away. Set it afire. But I didn’t. I replied.

With a plus one.

And then my assistant accidentally mailed it.

Enter Hayes Whitley. Mega-movie star. The man who has captured the hearts of millions. But I gave him mine years ago. He was my first love. He was my everything. Right until he up and left to chase his dreams without so much as a simple goodbye.

When he showed up out of the blue ten years later, I should have known to steer clear. I should have rejected his offer to take me to my ex’s wedding. I should have never let him kiss me.

But I didn’t.

And now we’re left wondering if the pieces of the life we once shared still fit together somehow. First loves are hard to forget. The question is, do we want to forget? Or do we risk the chance and see what happens next?

Find on: Goodreads



Purchase Links:


Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2ePJ3Ud
Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2fMygvb
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2fO8sT7
Audible: http://amzn.to/2g2gYPs
iBooks: http://apple.co/29Plxb6
B&N: http://bit.ly/2bMuSj7
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2euz9Jc
Audible: http://adbl.co/2fVsr3i
Paperback: http://bit.ly/2fZ1ITA



Excerpt:

He chuckles and all of a sudden my back straightens. “That’s their schedule, Ships. Ours is a secret.” He abruptly stands and grabs my hand to pull me up. My body jolts at the connection th...at sitting side by side with him all this time has had buzzing just beneath the surface. As if knowing he was close enough to touch but not really touching was an awareness all in itself. I know he can feel it too. That I’m not alone. Because the words on his lips falter momentarily before he recovers. And a part of me wants to stay like this a bit longer but know it’s just that missed connection we lost so long ago that’s causing the sensations to simmer to the surface. Nostalgia. Muscle memory of the heart. “C’mon. Let’s go.”
“Go?”
“Yes. Go. It’ll be easier if you think of this whole trip as an adventure rather than their wedding.”
“And what? You’re my tour guide?”
“If that’s what you want to call me. I prefer cruise director though, considering we’re kind of stuck with the nautical theme, Ships.” He winks and holds his hand out.
“Oh, please.” I roll my eyes.
“Or captain.”
“You’re certifiable, you know that?” I shake my head and he pulls on my hand to help me stand.
“Quite possibly, but all that matters is I’m in charge of this schedule, and we need to get a move on it. Your adventure awaits.”
“And, oh captain, my captain, that adventure is what?” I drag my feet like a child, curious what he’s talking about but smiling nonetheless.
“Do you actually think I’m going to tell you?” He dazzles me with that smile I can’t resist. “Didn’t you know? Spontaneity is the best kind of adventure.”
Oh. Shit.

© K. Bromberg 

Kristine's Review:
Reviewed: November 2016.


Quite some time ago I stumbled upon a book almost by chance, with it's distinctive black cover and intriguing blurb about cocky race car driver and sweet counsellor, I was enamoured instantly, the author's writing drawing me in, jump starting my heart and declaring war on my emotions, it was in that moment that I became a life long fan of Bromberg's words. In the years that have followed and in the titles subsequently released I found myself falling in love with her prose over and over again. Through the Driven series and the stand alone titles that continued the Driven legacy I found new heroes and heroines to adore, I cheered them on in good times and shared their sorrows in bad, I felt every emotional response a writer tries to elicit with their words, I knew with absolute certainty that I  would bare the emotional scars on my heart, the elation that comes with pure, adulterated joy long after reading THE END, and more than that I would endure it willingly with each new book she released.

As an avid reader, I know that growth for an author comes when they step away from their tried and true formula to do something different, after the world wide success of Colton and Rylee and their friends and families stories I can only imagine the trepidation of publishing something entirely new, in truth despite wanting to see that growth unfold before my eyes, there's a healthy level of worry for a long time fan...would I love this story as much as her others? would I be swept away by new characters? I shouldn't of worried, from the opening page Saylor's voice undid me in the kind of way a reader dreams about, she was sweet and funny, sassy and feisty, strong and determined, instantly I saw Bromberg's words play out like a film in my mind.

"Trying to forget her is like trying to remember someone I've never met. It's impossible."
When Saylor Rodgers receives an invite to her ex fiancés wedding she's sure she's being punked, from the familiar cardstock, to the location, and the rumors that her ex's wife to be could be her twin, she's hovering between incredulity and downright shock, with a failing business and the growing belief that her one time soon to be pretentious in-laws are the reason for her dwindling customers she begins to see the merits in accepting the invitation.

When Ryder, his childhood bestfriend calls in a long time IOU to help his sister
When Hayes Whitley walked out of her life over a decade ago Saylor believed she'd never recover, her one time best friend and childhood sweetheart broke her in ways she longs to forget, when he waltzes back into her life and offers to help her not only save face in front of the man she ended her engaged to and his entire blue blooded family, but potentially save her business, she's willing to let the past stay where it is and move forward.


Hayes may have left Saylor behind in the quest to make his dreams of acting become a reality, but he never forgot the girl that was Saylor, Hayes knows without a doubt he'd move heaven and hell to make things right.

"There's only one love that matters more than your first love, your last love."
In Sweet Cheeks Bromberg pens a touching, witty and sexy tale about second chances, with the perfect balance of heat, humor and heart Saylor and Hayes journey from childhood sweethearts, to estranged friends, to something bigger and bolder than either of them imagined captivated and titillated the senses in equal measure. Bromberg reminds the reader that there's truth in the old adage that sometimes people need to fall apart so they can fall back together. My enjoyment of this story was clearly evident in the number of highlighted passages, the number of notes I made in the margin, the sheer volume of screenshots safely saved in my phones memory, the tenderness that exuded from the pages, as I felt every emotion barrel through me from anguish and heartache, to joy and happiness, from the warm blush that spread over my cheeks while devouring Bromberg's trademark sexy prose to the absolute utter heartbreak and angst only she can provide. Everything about Sweet Cheeks was scintillating and engrossing, I didn't want to set my kindle down, I wanted to stay lost in the world Bromberg created, I handed over my heart on the very first page, and now days later I still don't want it back. Sweet Cheeks easily cemented it's place on my Best of 2016 list, and reaffirmed the reason why she became a Must Read Author for me so long ago. Read it, let it carry you away, steal your heart and be the very best reminder of why we read in the first place.





About Kristy Bromberg:



New York Times Bestselling author K. Bromberg writes contemporary novels that contain a mixture of sweet, emotional, a whole lot of sexy, and a little bit of real. She likes to write strong heroines and damaged heroes who we love to hate and hate to love.

She’s a mixture of most of her female characters: sassy, intelligent, stubborn, reserved, outgoing, driven, emotional, strong, and wears her heart on her sleeve. All of which she displays daily with her husband and three children where they live in Southern California.

On a whim, K. decided to try her hand at this writing thing. Since then she has written The Driven Series (Driven, Fueled, Crashed, Raced, Aced), the standalone Driven Novels (Slow Burn, Sweet Ache, Hard Beat, and Down Shift), and a novella (UnRaveled). She is currently finishing up Sweet Cheeks a standalone novel out November 14th.

Her plans for 2017 include a sports romance duet (2 books: The Player, The Catch) and the Everyday Heroes series (3 books: Cuffed, Combust, and Cockpit). She’s also writing a novella for the 1,001 Dark Night series that will be out in February 2017.