Fortune (Not Like The Movies #2) by Lauren K. McKellar

Blurb:

Grace Storey can’t wait to escape her small-town chaos and head for the big city for three main reasons: Work. Better cell-phone service. And the prospect of meeting her very own Prince Charming. After all, when the guy you crushed on since high school turns out to be a psychopath, and the only viable alternative is Creepy Keith, you need to take drastic measures to ensure life as a crazy cat lady is not in your future.
What she doesn't need is a bad-boy musician with a penchant for getting under her skin. Sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll are the last things on her mind.

Darcy Fortune has three things on his mind: Sex. Drugs. And rock ’n’ roll (in that order). It’s how it has to be to keep the pain from his past at bay. After all, when you’ve hurt someone you love, it’s easier to numb the pain to keep on surviving. Easier to turn off your feelings than face the cold, harsh truth.
What he doesn’t expect is the sassy reporter with so much soul in her eyes. Could this woman be the one who breaks him?

Staying in control has never been as dangerous as this.

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Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2hOzRHv

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2hQMDVJ

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2zXi8nF

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2AWQm8j

Kristine's Review:

Reviewed: November 2017.

Down and out country girl Grace Storey meets famous rock star Darcy Fortune... fake relationships ... can you hear the angels singing in the background, I totally did, the normal girl meets super famous dude was one of my first beloved tropes so it's always fun to revisit. 

Grace has left the comfort and safety of home for the big city, her trek from her country town has been long and trying, the last thing she wants or needs is to run into a sexy stranger in a compromising position when she just wants a hot shower and warm bed. Darcy is charismatic in a way she isn't used to, utterly dangerous to a girl just trying to get her life sorted out.

Darcy knows all about enjoying the perks of being a rock star, seeing the world thanks to his record company, and having no shortage of women just waiting for their chance for one night with him, as with anything though, all perks have their downsides - people only seem to want something when you're at the top and no one cares about anything that can't bring them into the spotlight by association.

This might just be my favourite work by this author to date, it's pacing - spot on, the angst - real and most importantly believable, the relationship that grows and develops between Darcy and Grace felt organic - I like a good dash of reality in my fiction, and McKellar nailed it for me here. This story was fun and light and had all the hallmarks of everything I look for in my romantic comedies, a breath of fresh air, Fortune left me smiling from ear to ear.

 

About Lauren K. McKellar:

Lauren K. McKellar is a writer of contemporary romance reads that make you feel. This hybrid-published USA Today best-selling author loves writing books with stunning local settings, heart-throb heroes, and leading ladies who overcome great hardships in their lives.
In addition to writing, Lauren loves to read, and you can often find her up at all hours of the night with a glass of wine, some chocolate, and a good book. She lives by the beach in New South Wales, Australia, with her husband, infant son, and their two dogs. Most of the time, all four of them are well behaved.

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One Shot (Chances #1) by BJ Harvey

Blurb:

Boy meets girl, boy wins girl, boy nails girl -- boy’s gone by morning.

I think for sure it must've been a dream because there’s no way a guy could look like that, touch me like that and be so in tune with me on every known level, and disappear, leaving me with nothing but a good story to tell my friends.

When he walks into my bar three months later, everything I thought I knew and what we’d had disappears in the blink of an eye and the blinding light of the three-carat diamond on his fiancée's hand.

It seems what I thought was a dream is now my most complicated reality, and I've got absolutely no idea how to fix it - or if I even want to.

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Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2z83IOA

Amazon PB: http://amzn.to/2znYli8

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2jKqXLN

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2AjPyxZ
iBooks - http://apple.co/2AALHZn
B&N - http://bit.ly/2mlYzAf
Kobo - http://bit.ly/2yx2Qmc
Google - http://bit.ly/2ht6oip

Kristine's Review:
Reviewed: November 2017.

Harvey has long been an author I enjoy, her books filled to the brim with soon worthy heroes, wise cracking strong heroines and equal amounts of laugh out loud funny mixed with fan your face steam, One Shot had that in equal measure but what truly stood out for me was the angst, and holy moly was this one angst filled story.

Prologues are a tricky mistress for me, when done well they leave me hungry for the story, they fuel my desire for the words and leave me desperate and insatiable, it's more than a want to continue reading, it's an urge, primal, a NEED to set aside any plans and dive into the world the author has created. 

“You completely and utterly intoxicate me. You just have to breathe and I’m reeled back in.”

Millen seems like the total package, charismatic, sexy, confident without being cocky, his dedication to proving to Kenzie that he wasn't just another guy after a quick romp truly endearing, I wanted to believe in him, in his lustful gaze and earnest words, I knew there had to be more to the story then what it seemed because I genuinely wanted to care for the suave and sexy Millen. 

“When we’re apart I’m broken. When we’re together I’m whole.”

Kenzie is the kind of heroine I expect from Harvey, string, independent, funny as f*ck, the no nonsense, grab the world by the balls kindle of woman most days I aspire to be. Kenzie could seemingly take on the world and still be standing at the end of it, and yet unlike other men, Millen make his home in her heart almost immediately. 

One Shot as the title suggests is a story about those moments in life that have the ability to shape and change us irrevocably, Harvey kept me on the edge of my seat as my emotions waged a war inside me, this story was irreverent and funny at times, and yet absolutely heartbreaking at other, showing the author's ability to change gears, I wanted to LOVE LOVE LOVE One Shot, while I enjoyed the authors departure from her usual style including the angsty overall feel of the story, the ending felt rushed for me, I wanted more from those final chapters after such a build up. For lovers of angst ridden romance this will no doubt be a hit, as always I enjoyed the authors ability to create a world I wanted to lose myself in for a few hours, unfortunately it wasn't my favourite of hers. 

About BJ Harvey:

BJ Harvey is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Bliss Series. She also regards herself as a smut peddler, suspense conjurer and a funny romance thinker upper.

An avid music fan, you will always find her singing some hit song badly but loving every minute of it. She’s a wife, a mom to two beautiful girls, and hails from what she considers as the best country in the world—New Zealand.

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The Fortunate Ones by R.S. Grey

Blurb:

At Twin Oaks Country Club, there are the fortunate ones, and then there are the rest of us: the waiters, the caddies, the valets, and in my case, the cabana girls. Most days, I’m poolside in a pleated skirt, dishing out margaritas to tycoons and titans. It’s not exactly my dream job, but it does come with one perk…

James Ashwood.

He’s my silver lining in a custom black suit.

Besides being a legacy member at the club, he’s a tech mogul and Austin’s most eligible bachelor. Oh, and those dimples? Yeah, they make my stomach dip too.

On good days, I catch his sleek Porsche winding down the tree-lined drive. On better days, I steal a glimpse of his handsome profile as we pass in the hall. And on the absolute best day, I find him alone at the bar, looking for company.

“Come have a seat.”

Those four little words set me down a path I never could have imagined. Private planes, penthouse suites, and temptations around every corner make it impossible to keep my distance. His world feels decadent and wild—but overindulgence comes with a cost. Every kiss comes with strings. Every erotic encounter is a promise I’m not ready to keep.

When I pump the brakes, he hits the gas. James doesn’t want to go slow—he wants a commitment.

And the thing about the fortunate ones?

They’re used to getting what they want.

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Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2z1g2kp

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2xF88f6

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2hpzrUB

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2zTF44d

Kristine's Review:

Reviewed: October 2017.

Oh gosh... I've just endured a .... well let's just say an unpleasant day at work, it was long and tedious and headache inducing and yet I still have a smile on my face, I'm physically drained but my heart is still soaring, and I have R.S. Grey to thank for that. 

In true Grey style The Fortunate Ones was sassy and sexy and laugh out loud funny, but even more than that there was a synchronicity to her words that made this story absolutely impossible to put down, in fact I don't remember the last time I stayed up all night reading, that feeling of complete and utter FOMO if I dare putting my kindle down for long enough to rest my eyes, and yet last night as the clock struck one (don't judge me I get up early and can't read all night like I used to) I was still lying on my side devouring Grey's exquisite prose as they wrapped themselves around my heart like a warm embrace, as I turned the last page, my soul filled with joy and smile on my face I slept a soft dreamless sleep, still thinking of James and Brooke.

"Some people carve their initials so deeply into your heart, they’ll always be a part of you."

Brooke Davenport had big plans at school and college, and for a few years those dreams came to a bright, beautiful fruition, living and travelling abroad while working as an Au pair life seemed almost perfect, but when her perfect job came to an abrupt end Brooke found herself back in Austin, and virgin daiquiris to precocious preteens. This is certainly isn't the job or life she had planned for herself, but it pays the bills and contributes to her savings account that will one day take her around the world again when she lands her next Au pairing role.

James Ashwood is the talk of Austin, he's a tech genius, devastatingly handsome and a legacy member of Twin Oaks, from afar he could be the cool and aloof billionaire some say he is, or just maybe he's a man in his thirties who's looking for something real and genuine away from the world of hangers on and followers.

Before you think this is a tale of poor little cabana girl who gets saved by the big bad James Ashcroft, you're way off.... like wayyyyy off. Forget all the regular tropes because The Fortunate Ones was so much more than a coming on age for a twenty something young woman, or a billionaire hero or anything else you've ever read, this was fresh and fun and full of chemistry that leapt off the page.

"That's great. I want those things for you too, but I want to be honest about what I want. I'm sick of serial dating, sick of living out of an empty house I don't want to come home to at the end of the day."

Gahhhh I'm trying to relay every moment I loved without giving away too much,  I could wax lyrical about every moment that had me laughing out loud, swooing or clutching my heart. I could shout praise at Grey for absolutely captivating me from the first page until the very last line, I have been a long time fan of her work, several of her titles have earned their places of my favourites lists, The Fortunate Ones is certainly no different, in fact it's easily earned its place alongside my very favourite books of 2017 and my Top Reads of all time.

About R.S. Grey:

Rachel is a lover of books, chocolate, reality TV, metaphors and similes, black labs, and cold weather.

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