Book review and Signed Paperback Giveaway for Fortuity by Jewel E Ann

FORTUITY

by JEWEL E ANN

Forty-something Gracelyn Glock is living the dream.

No husband.

No retirement plan.

And since her self-imposed man-ban—no need to shave above her knees.

After a tragic accident, Gracelyn inherits her ten-year-old nephew. She signs a lease on a San Diego beach house and learns their neighbors for the summer are a sexy anatomy professor and his young daughter.

Professor Nathaniel Hunt has spent the last decade being a single dad … and not having sex.

So when he discovers Gracelyn has a peculiar outdoor stripping ritual, a million inappropriate thoughts fill his responsible mind.

When kisses are stolen, man-bans are broken, and summer comes to an end, will hearts stay in one piece and hope stay alive? Or will saying goodbye destroy everything?

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REVIEW: 5 STARS

"Hope shouldn't shackle the heart, it should free it."

When the title of a book is absolute perfection in relation to the meaning of the story, one you know you can look back on after you've closed the book and pondered all the amazingness you just witnessed: you know it's going to be a book that sticks with you. I officially have a book hangover from this one and it will be added to my all time favorites list on the side bar of my blog. I loved this book. I loved Nate's HEA. I loved Jewel's words. Once again, she gives me the banter, the emotions, the reality....the truth behind a fated love. FATED because there is no other word for something that was written in the stars. Jewel E Ann's version of fate is my favorite one.

noun

for· tu· i· ty | \ fȯr-ˈtü-ə-tē , -ˈtyü-, fər- \

plural for tu i ties

1: the quality or state of being fortuitous

2: a chance event or occurrence

adjective

for· tu· itous | \ fȯr-ˈtü-ə-təs , -ˈtyü-, fər- \

1: occurring by chance

2a: FORTUNATE, LUCKY 

2b: coming or happening by a lucky chance

Understanding the meaning of Fortuity (I admit I had to look it up) enhanced my interpretation of this book. So, going in with this knowledge, I was seeking a higher truth....a higher meaning because I know Jewel's stories go deeper than just words. She incorporates feelings into her stories, ones that I couldn't have imagined myself feeling. She gave me allllll the stomach pangs. She gave me the heart palpitations. She gave me all the emotions and panic with this book. Those are what I've come to expect with her books. But the tears (what!!?) and the amount of giggles I got were two things I didn't see being combined in this book - and it made it all the more amazing. This story was literal perfection for me. It was down to earth, it was real, but at the crux of the story, it was conversational. The hidden meanings. The touches. The smiles. The hidden kisses....not being hidden. There was SO much to this story that above all made me smile. JEA nailed funny with a hint of serious - they were so relevant because the amount of truth to their situation, and their own worlds colliding like they did, it made them relatable. I felt so in tune with Nate and Gracelyn, to the point that I was looking in on and witnessing their relationship grow, first hand. I got to live it with them....vicariously through them. I had ALL the feels. This was SO good.

I hate admitting this, but going into this book, I was worried about how Nate's world was going to coincide with my mental picture of how it was going. HAHA! I know, I know....not right, but JEA built him up so well in her Transcend Duet that I already had this whole world set up for him. Not that I didn't trust her....but I didn't trust her. I will never NOT trust her ever again.

I love Nate's devotion to his daughter. Loved him before, but this just added more depth to his character. He loved Morgan so so much, and the way he was raising her just made the swoon factor incalculable. Looking at the way Morgan was,  it sure made for some giggle-worthy moments aside from the simmering love story of Nate's and Gracelyn's that was going on in her background. She had so much spunk and she was a character, all right. Gabe was her perfect counterpart - and their relationship was so funny to watch come to life. He was truly the 10 year old boy - and add in the world crushing circumstances he's living through. I think JEA nailed his personality so well. And for not being a mother, Gracelyn sure handled some serious parts extremely well, and I commend Jewel’s handling of that. Oh, I got tears when Gracelyn and Morgan had their first "talk." Heartfelt and pure. So innocent and mature. I got many a sentimental tear while going on this journey not just with Nate and Gracelyn, but Gracelyn and Morgan. It really was perfect and I loved that it was addressed and how it was addressed. Seriously, so good. No shock value, no stupid drama - it was just handled with composure and the hilarity the situation called for. 

"I'm not sure what brings me the most pleasure -- tasting her or watching her."

Their intimacy was delivered powerfully, yet with the perfect amount of restraint. I could've been reading a scene and laughing one minute, but finding myself getting the anxiety pangs to match the flirting they were doing the next. The capacity of Nate’s heart to love is tremendous. But to see him being able to give that emotional side of himself to Gracelyn was so special because it’s the Nate I remember meeting. The chin lifts and the lip rubs. The eyes that hold all his emotions and the touches that bring the chills. He gave me all the chills.

I love that she’s not a safe writer. I love that she gives me a story that’s emotional and unpredictable - and she makes me feel and live through it. She’s brilliant in that capacity. Absolutely brilliant.

You guys, to top it all off, the cover was perfection too!!! It matched perfectly with the first two books in the series - but it is the most fitting cover for this story. It fits Gracelyn and watching that cover actually play out in the book put a smile on my face. 

 

To sum it up, this was the: 

Perfect story of a father of a young woman growing up before his very eyes, despite his readiness to accept it.

Perfect story of a man finding love again after he never imagined he would.

Perfect story of an aunt and nephew navigating a whole new world that is now foreign to them.

Perfect story of a woman giving her heart another chance at beating.
Perfect story of love. 

This was truly the perfect story for me. A story of fate. A story of love. A story of growth. This is easily going on my Favorites List for 2020. I laughed, I cried, I fell harder in love with a man that had a heart that needed to be held. Unbeknownst to him and Gracelyn, she needed to hold that heart. Their story, their journey, wasn't without its hurdles, but those were what made it more.....fortuitous. 

Guardian angels and worthy opponents. Jewel will always make a believer out of me. 

"Letting go doesn't hurt as much as the fear of letting go."

~BEE

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~MEET JEWEL E ANN~

Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor.

With 10 years of flossing lectures under belt, she took early retirement from her dental hygiene career to stay home with her three awesome boys and manage the family business.

After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing.

When she’s not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree a a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of course . . .heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.

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Book Review and Giveaway for Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan

QUEEN MOVE
by KENNEDY RYAN

The boy who always felt like mine is now the man I can't have…

Dig a little and you'll find photos of me in the bathtub with Ezra Stern.
Get your mind out of the gutter. We were six months old.
Pry and one of us might confess we saved our first kiss for each other.
The most clumsy, wet, sloppy . . . spectacular thirty seconds of my adolescence.
Get into our business and you'll see two families, closer than blood, torn apart in an instant.
Twenty years later, my "awkward duckling" best friend from childhood,
the boy no one noticed, is a man no one can ignore.

Finer. Fiercer. Smarter.
Taken.

Tell me it's wrong.
Tell me the boy who always felt like mine is now the man I can’t have.
When we find each other again, everything stands in our way--secrets, lies, promises.
But we didn't come this far to give up now.
And I know just the move to make if I want to make him mine.

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REVIEW: 4 STARS
"I don't think it will be easy. I just know it will be worth it."

I read the All The Kings Men Duet earlier this year and really enjoyed it, so when Kennedy Ryan announced that she would be giving Kimba her own story, I about passed out from excitement! Kimba was a force to be reckoned with in that duet, so I just knew Ryan was going to give an emotional and empowered read that was going to leave me breathless. Ezra was THE BEST and Kimba shined. Together they had a love worth reading and I'm so glad she gave me their story! To note: this is a standalone spinoff, and there is nothing you will spoil by reading this before the duet. 

I do know that when I sit down with one of Kennedy's books, I am in for a lesson. She's going to educate me not on something trivial, but something that is plaguing a culture, a belief, a way of life. She brings light to a situation that doesn't get enough attention, and she works it into an amazing love story that I can settle into. She has an impassioned voice designed to effect change. It's full of knowledge and pride, an intensity required to deliver this type of story. I love settling into one of her books. And I mean settling in - as in, she has a lot of depth and truth to her words, and it always goes beyond the surface level with her. There is more to learn, to read between the lines, to delve into, and that's what I enjoy most about her books.

These characters though? The strength Kimba possessed was admirable - definitely a good mix of stubborn and street smarts added in there. It was at times championable, and at others, heartbreaking, but wise. I read this entire book with an eerie sense of confidence that she would do what was right for her, because I knew the minute that Ezra looked at me with those eyes, touched me with those hands, I'd have been a goner and given in. She's a lot stronger than I could ever be. I loved her tenacity!

But, shockingly enough - the same can be said about Ezra. His strength and responsibility shined through. Doing the right thing and standing up for yourself aren't always one in the same, and he showed his determination throughout, but it especially shined at the end. I cannot tell you how many times the "visual" of him was running through my mind while reading this story. He was delicious. Absolutely, hands down, sexy and swoony. Every bit of who he was and what he stood for worked in the big picture of his makeup.

"I see the armor you have to put on to make it in your world. I just want you to know here, with me, you can take the armor off."

There is something about being able to be true to who you are in the company of the one that possesses your soul. I love that Ezra was her safe space and she felt that security with him. Watching them navigate some pretty tough situations, ones that I know for a solid fact that I would not make it through in one piece, was tough - no lie. Some parts brought me to my knees, others made me feel like I was on top of the world, flying high.

When Ryan tells her stories in vivid detail, she makes me feel the emotion and the tug on my heartstrings. It's the intimacy in the way Ezra holds her face and rubs her lips with his thumbs. It's the way the goosebumps rise as he drags his finger down her arms or up her spine. You SEE it all happening while Kimba FEELS it all happening, and that is one of the most amazing things about her writing. SO good. So descriptive. It always works for me.

"Sometimes what we think is a fluke is really fate."

When I get down to the little nitpicky, nitty-gritty things I didn't like - it's all whatever. It's a basis for some great discussion and it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book - at all. The ex. The drama. The hypocrisy. It all lends more emotion to an already tense situation, but it heightens that discussion, which is my favorite part.

Kennedy Ryan is not only passionate in her storytelling, she's very giving with the emotions and the depth of her characters. Their development and the background of a love story I get to enjoy are huge highlights with her stories. I was deep in my feels with this one. It's not just the emotions of a second chance, it's the truth behind the pull your soul has with the one who speaks to it. The one that holds your heart’s fate in their hands. She just dances with her words, and I love the journey each and every time.

I am so glad she gave me Ezra and Kimba's love story.

"Now. Forever. Always. Never end."
~BEE

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~MEET KENNEDY RYAN~

I'm a wife, a mom, a writer, an advocate for families living with autism. That's me in a nutshell. Crack the nut, and you'll find a Southern girl gone Southern California who loves pizza and Diet Coke, and wishes she got to watch a lot more television. You can usually catch me up too late, on social media too much, or FINALLY putting a dent in my ever-growing To Be Read list!

Kennedy Ryan FB Group.

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Book Review and Giveaway for Reckless Memories by Catherine Cowles

RECKLESS MEMORIES

by CATHERINE COWLES

I loved him before I knew what the word meant.

From skinned knees to first dates and everything in between.

But he was never mine to love.

I settled for friendship, even though I always wanted more.

That was before.

Before he ripped my world apart and didn’t bother sticking around to help me pick up the pieces.

I knit every last shred back together all on my own.

And I’ve all but forgotten his name.

Now, he’s back, and everything is torn apart once more.

But he’s not the only one doing the tearing this time.

And there might be no stopping the person who has it out for us both.

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REVIEW: 4.5 STARS

"When the world made you feel dull, it was such a gift to have someone who thought you shined."

THIS book was so good! So so good!!! It was exactly what I needed to settle into after a long week. I just loved it! I have read every book by Catherine Cowles now, but I can honestly say, I think I've gone full circle with her now. I remember reading Further to Fall and specifically asking for Liam and Ford's books....and here we are. I loved Liam's book, so naturally the wait for Ford's book was a painful but necessary one. I am a happy Bee now that I've finally gotten Ford's story. {{sigh}}

Ford was ALL man. THE man. All grown and such a sweetheart. He had real emotion and drive, not driven by anger or broodiness, but he sure was protective of Bell - and it was the kind that made you smile while watching them navigate their new relationship. The guilt he felt was two fold, but that added a heightened level of desire and need coming from them both. I seriously loved it! It felt like it added an element of angst to their love story. I really liked Bell too. She was so strong with a side of stubborn, but she had a soft spot for Ford and watching them finally get in sync with each other was a huge sigh of relief!

If there is one thing I can consistently say, it's that Cowles puts so much heart into the words she uses to set the tone of the story, and I absolutely love the visual she provides. With this one, she gave me such a vivid and intimate look into loss and guilt and all the unnecessary parameters the outside world puts on love and our very own hearts. The perception of pain is a selfish mirror. The projection of pain is the anger coming out, but it's not always a bad thing. Sometimes it's a necessary evil. I love a story with some good give and take, and this one had quite a bit of it.

"Just because it's hard, doesn't mean it's not worth it."

Ford and Bell's past and the ease of their familiarity was both a balm and a source of pain. It was a very interesting dynamic and feeling the push and pull of their emotions was a real tension that was palpable. I could understand their hesitance.....their guilt that gave them pause. It was so hard to see them fighting it only to have their love simmering under all the hindering emotions without an outlet. I looooved watching them fight for their truth, though.

This was a true depiction of how much fun loving your best friend can be. But, Cowles writes romantic suspense with passion, and there is so much heat in her words - so with that romance and heat comes the relatability and connection that I love feeling with her characters. They're always down home, small town folks with their heart on their sleeves with some depth to their thinking. They have so much to hold onto, and her being able to put that into words so that I can better 'feel' her story says a lot. It wasn't any different with this one. She intrigued me with a necessary escape. I loved their dynamic. How they started, the unknown teenage love - just every bit of it worked for me.

I really am falling into a groove with Cowles' books. She's a very well manicured read and one of the easiest ones too. She infuses pain and emotion into her words and braids it seamlessly with the action going on. She really does a great job showing the love and pain that flows unmitigated between the characters, and it reads beautifully. I love her flow and her cadence. This was one of my favorite reads of hers. I think she nailed the unspoken pain that comes along with heartbreak and loss....and I honestly felt that in this story. So good....so sooo so good.

The next book, Perfect Wreckage, is up for PREORDER right now, and I am going to be first in line for this one!!! I am super excited for it!!! Seriously some of the best side characters - and I know their stories are going to EPIC!! I'm STOKED!! Yet another wonderful start to a new series...may be my favorite of hers yet! 

"Sometimes, the greater the difficulty, the sweeter the reward."

~BEE

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~MEET CATHERINE COWLES~

Writer of words. Drinker of Diet Cokes. Lover of all things cute and furry, especially her dog. Catherine has had her nose in a book since the time she could read and finally decided to write down some of her own stories. When she's not writing she can be found exploring her home state of Oregon, listening to true crime podcasts, or searching for her next book boyfriend.

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Book Review for A King So Cold by Ella Fields

A KING SO COLD
by ELLA FIELDS

Once upon a time, there lived a princess so cruel that even her husband tried to destroy her.
The results left her without a father, her husband without a memory, and herself as queen to a kingdom on the cusp of war.

Even so, after learning of her treasonous husband’s upcoming nuptials, she set out to find him and locked him in her dungeon. There, and only there, would she unveil a time when she once allowed herself to be vulnerable. A past detailing how her heart was coaxed to beat outside her chest, only to have it crushed by the cold hands of betrayal.

But true vengeance will need to wait. War is coming, and with it, decisions and danger masked in treacherous beauty.

All too soon, the young queen will learn that time could be the most dangerous foe of all.
For it is time that would reveal all the ways a dead heart can beat anew.

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REVIEW: 2 HEARTBROKEN STARS
"You are a beautiful fool, my queen."

VERY Unpopular opinion and apparently, not a smart one to have. It pains me to even write this review, but for a story that I should have loved, I just didn't. 

Let me preface this entire review with this disclaimer: Ella Fields is in my TOP 5 FAVORITE AUTHORS. I love her angst. Her world building. Her triangles. Her men. Her descriptions. Everything about the way she tells me a story and leads me on a path of discovery and a journey for an epic love is well within her wheelhouse. She works for me on all levels and I have never ever walked away from a book without a smile on my face and the excitement of screaming about the book and gifting out copies. Ella's writing is always so detailed and always inspires a mental image that I can grab ahold of and "see" the story as it plays out.

Well, that was until this one. I am heartbroken and completely upset at how this whole thing played out. I tried to DNF three times but I was promised it would get better. I was told I would stop being confused as I got farther in, that I would be able to settle in. That I would love the story. I heard it all. This had all the makings for an amazing read, but it just didn't turn out that way.

I feel like I was thrown into the middle of a movie without context, growth, commitment, or understanding. Literally, MID-SCENE into the story. Immediately upon opening the book, mind you - I was completely lost. There wasn't any background to hold onto so I felt like I was grasping for information from the get go to catch up with each scene that presented itself. No set up. No lead in. No info dump. Nothing but me being lost in the middle of nowhere without a map. It was so frustrating and didn't provide a good start or a good experience for me.

"Love is nothing but a drug that will trick your heart for access to your soul."

To set myself straight, I went to one of my best book friends who is always reading fantasy. My first question was to find out if perhaps I was mistaken. Maybe it was supposed to be a new world full of intrigue and mystique. Oh, it was? Great!! Because that is exactly what I assumed and I got that in spades. But then as I started to explain why I was so confused and couldn't get my feet under me, there was a better understanding of what was missing. There was a massive lack of any knowledge to hold onto. So much so that it didn't make sense for the first maybe 45% of the book. Again, I'm not claiming I'm the fantasy reading expert, because we all know I'm not - I have only read two, counting this one. But one thing I did know for certain was that there was supposed to be an introduction to this world. A background and a set up, an explanation and a bit of a word growth. I didn't get any of that. Now, that's not to say that I didn't catch on, because I did eventually catch on. But I shouldn't have had to "catch on" without context from the get-go, so I think the execution of this one didn't work for me.

On one hand, this was so long and so wordy, I kept tripping on the sentences. On the other, I needed to find out what was happening and how it was going to finish out. True testament to her abilities to suck me in to a story... but why did I struggle so much? That’s what has me baffled. I had to work to stay engaged, which is most definitely not the norm with her books for me. It was also not the quality I'm used to, and the style in which this was told was distracting in and of itself.

I had to stop and think and remind myself that this was her first fantasy book. I saw what she was trying to tell me. I got the story. I understood the story. It just lacked a foundation and a growth that I know for 100% fact that she can provide me with any story she gives me. Her detail is alway a point to scream out and share. She's one of the best with her descriptions and her character growth and word building, so when this story lacked all the necessary "Ella Fields" amazingness, I was for sure it was a me thing. I mean, there was no way this was a normal experience for me with her words. She's a favorite for a reason....so my heart hurt when I couldn't bring myself to get on board with all the kudos being passed around.

"Rumors are but false ribbons of truth braided into patterns to suit the weaver."

The title was one the biggest head shakes for me. I love figuring out what her titles mean and how they work their way into a story - again, she is brilliant with the use of her words. This wasn't HIS story, this was HER story and so I feel like the original title of A Queen So Cruel would have fit so much better. We didn't get to really see the "cold" side of Raiden, so the title made absolutely zero sense to me. Like, not one bit of sense. This was all her. All cold and bitter Queen Audra.

Needless to say, it might just be me. Ella's so good with her characterizations and she has this ability to masterfully create a world and existence and tell a story with such vivid words -  but for some reason, I struggled to even stay engaged and connected with this one. Granted, this is only my second fantasy book I’ve ever read, so I don’t have a lot to work with, but I struggled immensely with this one. Even with it being a different genre, the basic building blocks of a book's foundation shouldn't be that different. I will say this much though, she had some amazing quotable lines in this story.

I can’t say I wasn’t thoroughly confused with the word dancing she did, but I can’t say that I understood everything either. I read and reread passages because they made no sense. I think I enjoyed approximately 20% of this book. It would pick up, falter.... get confusing, give me a smile, and then back to ‘WTF’ moments. She led into things without context - only leading to more confusion. Confusion eventually gave way to a story unfurling - no doubt she’s a prowess with her words, obviously. I can't deny her mastery of words. This time, her writing just.....wasn't for me. Her word placement left me wondering more than discovering, but in the end I found myself putting the puzzle pieces together. I just didn't like being confused for that long in a story. I'm not an idiot. I'm not a surface reader. I am not dumb. I read heavy. I read deep. I soak in every story I read so I know everything that is going on. I think this is why I am so mad about this one....

This was a highly anticipated book for me; one of my most anticipated - nothing like one of your favorite authors writing a genre you want to get into. I feel very let down and ultimately confused. I'm sure I missed so many clues and so many references in this book because I was too busy trying to figure out context and the value of one clue versus what she gave me in other paragraphs. It shouldn’t have been that hard to understand and enjoy. This just didn’t work for me at all and I am heartbroken and baffled as to what happened. In the end, it was utterly ridiculous. I didn't even understand WHY Zadicus was treated the way he was. I am upset at how it all transpired, and I am upset that his position ended where it did. No thank you. Not only did the title not make any sense for this story - because it had nothing to do with the King, but the next book is basically the next chapter of this story and one I am not sure I will attempt to read. I will patiently await her next angsty romance.... one I know she will blow me away with. She’s brilliant at what she does and I look forward to more.

Zadicus was the BEST part of the book....until the end.

"Of all the lies I've ever heard, yours are by far the sweetest."
~BEE

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON - Kindle Unlimited

No giveaway since I purchased this book

~MEET ELLA FIELDS~

Ella Fields is a mother and wife who lives in the land Down Under. While her kids are in school, you might find her talking about her characters and books to her two cats. She's a notorious chocolate and notebook hoarder who enjoys creating hard-won happily ever afters.

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Book Review for The Guy in the Middle from Team Player 2 by Kate Stewart

THE GUY IN THE MIDDLE (FAIR CATCH)
by KATE STEWART

Lance

I was born to play and bred to win.

My priorities were instilled in me early on—family and football. Those ideals led me to TGU and a coach whose ironclad principles mirrored my own.

With one last college season to play, my goal was singular—get drafted. By realizing my NFL dream, I could save my family, our ranch, and the only home I’d ever known.

Two birds, one ball.

Playing hard was my only option, but there’s always a wild card.

For all of my planning and hard work, I never anticipated falling for the coach's daughter.

Harper was a fair catch, but who knew loving her could be the one play to throw my career before it started or that the weight of our secret would change the game.

ADD TO GOODREADS

KATE's contribution to the anthology is titled The Guy in the Middle (Fair Catch)—An Underdogs Series Novella-Lance’s Story from The Guy on the Right which will be publishing as a FULL length novel in January of 2020! Don’t miss out on the introduction of her moody boxer & the woman who dances her way into his heart!


REVIEW: 4.5 STARS
"It was pleasure and pain, worship and consummation."

Thisssss booook. I want to relive it. I want YOU to love it like I loved it. It definitely got me all caught up in a relationship I didn't know I wanted....just kidding. I've always wanted Lance's story - since the moment I met him in The Guy on the Right. Days later, I'm still thinking about this story and I can't seem to let them go. I love them. <sigh>

"I watch his struggle between vulnerability and anger."

I loved that not only did we get a vulnerable side to Harper, but we got one with Lance as well. What we "saw" of him from The Guy on the Right, he was pretty mysterious, so I loved getting a more in-depth look into who he was and what his circumstances were. Knowing this about Lance made me question the type of woman he 'needed' - not necessarily wanted. Two totally different worlds there. But upon taking that in, seeing Harper and who she was, her vulnerability was sexy as well. I loved the way Stewart wrote a strong woman that was completely relatable in that most of us try to put on the braver face, walk a little taller, not letting the world see us with our shoulders down. That is exactly who Harper was to me. Shoulders back, head held high, and she walked with conviction. I loved her!! She was such an amazing match for Lance, with all the spit and fire they had between them.

There is nothing better than reading and watching the evolution of a love develop so strongly right before your very eyes. Stewart nailed their vulnerability both together and separately. I couldn't get over the push and pull, the back -and- forth, that need and desire - the anger and the hurt. All of it mixes so well to provide an atmosphere that is electrically charged, and one I am so glad I got a glimpse of. There was a sort of intimacy with abandon with their story, and it just pulled at my heartstrings. I laughed, I swooned, I shook and I sighed. I want more of their story!!

"Why am I standing so close to the fire doused in kerosene?"

When I say that I felt this book, make no mistake about that. The ache of the reality between Harper and Lance's worlds colliding had ricochets far and wide, long beyond their cozy little world under the blankets. That depth, that reality I can't wait to explore MORE of....because there will be more of this story. There was way too much to tell in this little novella here, but what a great taste of turmoil she gave us at the end.

For being a novella, she gave me a full-bodied, rich story full of lust and desires, pain and anger - but most of all, she gave me a story that showcased what 'the one' can do for the heart and for that, I am most definitely looking forward to Lance's FULL story coming January 2020.

"Why can't I shake what I feel for her and chalk it up to curiosity?"
~BEE

PUBLISHED REVIEW LATE: THIS IS LIVE ON AMAZON - Kindle Unlimited

~MEET KATE STEWART~

Kate Stewart lives in Charleston, S.C. with her husband, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie. A native of Dallas, Kate moved to Charleston three weeks after her first visit, dropping her career of 8 years, and declaring it her creative muse. Kate pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense because it's what she loves as a reader. A lover of all things '80s and '90s, especially John Hughes films and rap, she dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity only and does a horrible job of playing the ukulele. Aside from running a mile without collapsing, traveling is the only other must on her bucket list. On occasion, she does very well at vodka.

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Book Review and Giveaway for May Contain Wine by Lani Lynn Vale

MAY CONTAIN WINE
by LANI LYNN VALE

This is for charity. This is for fun. You are a professional. You can do it.

Those are the words that Calloway Alvarez chants to herself as she watches all the large men gather into the small room where she’ll be doing the interviews for her employer—Hero Magazine.

Honestly, she’s convinced herself that she can’t accomplish the task at hand.

That is until she hears his voice, and her head turns to see him standing there.

Louis Spurlock. Greek god. SWAT officer. Keeper of her secrets. Ultimate fantasy. Man who will break her heart.

***

Louis Spurlock has been playing nice.

He’s been biding his time, giving Calloway the space she thinks she needs.

But then he sees her taking photos of his friends in all states of undress, talking to them all as if they’re best friends, and that little thread of control he’d been managing to hold onto unravels.

Let’s change it up, she says. And the moment the words are out of her mouth, he’s stripping to his skivvies, and throwing out a challenge while he’s at it.

Calloway won’t know what hit her when he’s through playing.

But he does know one thing for sure. When it ends, she’ll be his.

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REVIEW: 3.5 POSITIVE STARS

"He sure knew how to say things to make me feel things that I shouldn't be feeling."

Ooooh, Calloway is feisty!!! That was my first thought upon starting this book, and what an introduction to my first LLV book this was. I have been recommended this author many times over the years, but I was always too scared to jump in because it seemed as if every series was a spinoff of another, and each series had copious amounts of books. This was clearly a daunting pool to jump into!! But, I was assured that I can read any of her books and they do stand alone but have an underlying theme with them in the series.

While this was claimed as a standalone, she discussed a lot of other characters and their issues and subplots and I think that messed with my connection in the very beginning. I didn't want to ruin any of the other stories, so I originally thought I needed to walk away. Was I a little aggressive jumping into the 2.0 family version, 5th book of a run on series? Most would say probably, I would say definitely. However, the writing was really good. The storyline intrigued me, so I knew I was going to be able to settle into it. Aside from giving me more info on past characters - in turn potentially spoiling something for me from previous books, I really did enjoy the "family style" story she was giving me. Again, good flow to her writing, but I felt like she was telling me too much side story so it worried me just a bit.

With the story carrying a romantic suspense element to it, many of the actions were glossed over within that aspect - which was totally fine by me since I don't really enjoy a lot of drama in my books, but it also carried over in to some of the storyline (particularly with the progression of their love) being glossed over as well  However, she kept the SWAT action and busy side of the characters true to the long hours, and the grueling schedule they have to keep. It gave me a real sense of the adrenaline rush from their job and I liked reading that side of it. This did read as a series book for sure, so I had to keep that in mind while reading it because of the insinuated familiarity with the characters and their backgrounds. It didn't take away too much from the enjoyment, but it did give me pause and caused me to slow down a few times.

I liked these characters and found them easy to connect with. I was able to feel the many emotions that Calloway was mentally arguing with herself over in terms of Louis and letting him back in, and that's what made her story work for me - it made her very likable and relatable. The alpha in Louis was particularly wonderfully written. His cool calm demeanor made him that much more sexy, combined with that sexy smirk, of course. His level headed side mixed with his ability to not give an eff for the PC side of life sure made this one all the more interesting. There was an edge to this SWAT team and all the characters - I loved their mentality. LLV's alpha was written with an intensity, but genuinely flawed. There was an obvious protective side, but an understated vulnerable side as well. That is what made me fall for him. I really like the dynamic Vale gave these characters.

The truth of their love story was the ability to fall back into a normalcy they’ve always known - and it was really fun to see that happen. I smiled when they got caught in a predicament that they had to make the best of - and that jumpstarted their eventual fall back into each other's arms. I like how hard Calloway fought it. I won't lie. She seems like a fine, stubborn young lady.  HAHA!!

Overall, great book. Here's where I sit with this one. It was very easy to read. I feel like I settled into this book magnificently well, without many hiccups, once I got to about 20% in. I was able to really follow the characters and their story. I struggled with the constant mention of the other characters that were clearly pertinent to the overall storyline or were integral to the buildup to this one, but jumping into book 5 made me feel like I missed something. That is MY fault and doesn't reflect on her writing, but I needed to break into the LLV cycle of books somewhere!! I will definitely be following her but I need to catch up on the previous ones as well. I feel like if I were to start with the 2.0 book 1 in this series, I would be ok to understand these kids' grown up stories since I know they are kids of the first generation swat team.

This was a pretty short book, so I know not a lot will be squeezed in, but I would have liked some more depth and storyline with it. More focus on them, and their buildup and how it all came to pass. It did feel a little glossed over, again, but this was a 5th book in a 2.0 series - my fault. I will admit, originally I was lost with names thrown at me left and right. It also started to make my head spin when she tried to explain the other characters’ roles in the group of friends. Sometimes I felt she leaned a little too much into the extra side stories instead of focusing on Louis and Calloway, but I will definitely read her again.

I am baffled by one aspect: I have absolutely NO IDEA what the meaning of the title is - like, not one idea. Wine was never mentioned anywhere in the book.....so I am seriously confused. But I also think that has something to do with the author and her personality and one that I am missing out by not "knowing" her or her books previously. I will need to fix that, most definitely. I didn't really follow the author closely before this, so I'm glad I saw this book in a newsletter. I will also be changing that. I am very interested in checking out more of her books, but I do feel like I need to read the rest of these in order because I do feel like I missed out on a sort of "inside joke" with the buildup of these characters.

TAKEAWAY: I really need to read more by her...

~BEE

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~ MEET LANI LYNN VALE ~

Lani Lynn Vale is married to the love of her life that she met in high school. She fell in love with him because he was wearing baseball pants. Ten years later they have three perfectly crazy children and a cat named Demon who likes to wake her up at ungodly times in the night. They live in the greatest state in the world, Texas. She writes contemporary and romantic suspense, and has a love for all things romance. You can find Lani in front of her computer writing away in her fictional characters world...that is until her husband and kids demand sustenance in the form of food and drink.

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DNF Review for Like You Care by Kaydence Snow

LIKE YOU CARE

by KAYDENCE SNOW

I am nothing.

Nobody.

I'd rather be invisible than deal with what happens on the days my classmates decide to acknowledge my existence.
But then Turner Hall shows up - all cool confidence and witty banter - and all of a sudden I don't want to be invisible any more. I want to be seen.

I want him to see me.

I'm not who he thinks I am but I'm starting to suspect he's not all he says he is either.

Just my luck that he starts to make friends with my tormentors. How am I supposed to tell him who I really am? How am I supposed to show him my true face? What if the boy I'm falling in love with decides I'm nothing too?

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REVIEW: DNF AT 80% - skimmed to the end

I am so angry and so frustrated after reading this ridiculous story. I'm not going to beat around the bush and say something nice to offset the ridiculousness that this book offered me. First and foremost, this is nothing but a mean girl story with over the top exaggerated drama and actions by holier than thou teenaged girls, and a heroine that is literally TSTL. (I hate using that, but she fit the description perfectly) To top if off, I feel like I wasted an entire day away not only reading it, but being duped into thinking if I go back in, it will get better. I should have DNF'd it when I first tried to.

This story was originally a novella in the Bully Me Anthology and I had just finished reading Sam Mariano's addition - The Boy on the Bridge, so I was excited to read more in that genre. So seeing that this one was supposed to be turning into a full length book, I was excited to try a new to me author. This was in the bully anthology - therefore it was supposed to be a bully romance. I don't even understand how this book made it into a bully romance anthology in the first place. This was 200 pages full of mean girl antics, abuse, harassment and assault. I do NOT want to read about spoiled girls beating up and physically abusing another girl because of a birthmark on her face!!! I don't even in the littlest bit. It was as if the romance was a side-thought to the bullying and a second thought to the "other" twist in the book. Which was all ridiculous in hindsight.

Walking into this one, I was hoping for a new voice to follow - a new bully writer that made me root for the bad guy. Uhhhh, nope. Nuh uh. This was nothing of the sort. The voice was very young sounding with a very dramatic flair with her use of adjectives. I highlighted enough to roll my eyes at, and then I just stopped because I was highlighting more out of anger than places to remind me of the storyline.

I initially liked the setup enough to keep going. Mena was an embarrassed/shy girl with absolutely ZERO confidence because of a facial birthmark - but overwhelmingly so to the point of annoyance. She also hid her identity from Turner (the H) - but that's what started the whole intrigue for me. They had this amazing chemistry from the moment they met. The banter was fun and they talked and grew a sort of relationship organically, but secretly. It was quick, a little rushed and scripted, but it was growing. I was enjoying that little bit....until I wasn't. But Mena was a loner without any friends. Bullied incessantly and ridiculed into a corner. She watched enough YouTube to teach herself how to do makeup apparently quite well, enough to where she was doing her mother's when she went out a few times a week to "seminars".  If she's SO good at doing makeup, why didn't she wear makeup to work? Why doesn't she put it on for school? (The reasons given were amateur at best.) Why does she let these moronic asshole abusive bullies pick on her? She was a complete doormat until 78%. A complete idiot. Her martyrdom throughout the entire book made her absolutely ridiculous. The lessons being ruined from this book alone is shocking. Like, why even bring all the cousins to make a show....and nothing happens??? Seriously, nothing. So many plot holes and questions.

Add to it all, there were no repercussions for any of the assaults this poor girl went through - not ONE, and it was frustrating beyond all belief. I made it to 80% in the book, to Turner and Mena's first sex scene and I was out. The "bully" was the girls. The twist with the family was not shocking - just another addition of drama. And the most annoying thing ever was she neverrrr trusted Turner, even at the end until he became her knight in shining armor - right after he "saved" her, and right before sex, of course. She questioned him way too damn much. She questioned everything way too damn much.

So, to sum it up: this was NOT a bully romance. The characters were very shallow and didn't have a whole lot of growth (if any) in this story. The side plots and teenaged romance were completely overshadowed by the mean girls that would have killed her had they not been stopped. This was full of over the top, forced drama for absolutely no reason. By the time it was all said and done, this was not entertaining in the least. It was angering. It was frustrating. It was annoying.

~BEE

AVAILABLE on AMAZON - Kindle Unlimited

~ MEET KAYDENCE SNOW ~

Kaydence Snow has lived all over the world but ended up settled in Melbourne, Australia. She lives near the beach with her husband and a beagle that has about as much attitude as her human.

She draws inspiration from her own overthinking, sometimes frightening imagination, and everything that makes life interesting: complicated relationships, unexpected twists, new experiences and good food and coffee. Life is not worth living without good food and coffee!

She believes sarcasm is the highest form of wit and has the vocabulary of a highly educated, well-read sailor. When she's not writing, thinking about writing, planning when she can write next, or reading other people's writing, she loves to travel and learn new things.

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Book Review and Giveaway for Sea of Ruin by Pam Godwin

SEA OF RUIN

by PAM GODWIN

Bennett Sharp is on the run.

Wanted for piracy, she fears neither God nor death nor man.

Except Priest Farrell.

The unfaithful, stormy-eyed libertine hunts her with terrifying possessiveness. Nothing will stop him from coming for her. Not his unforgivable betrayal. Not when she’s captured by the ice-cold pirate hunter, Lord Ashley Cutler.

She must escape Ashley’s prison and Priest’s deceit. But can she walk away from their twisted desires?

Two gorgeous captains stand on opposite sides of the law. When they collide in a battle to protect her, the lines blur between enemies and lovers.

Passion heats, secrets unravel, and hearts entangle until they break.

Can love prevail in the sea of ruin?

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REVIEW: 4.5 STARS
"He wanted to entangle our future. I wanted to undo our past."

It’s a brutal world! A pirates life is not for me, but this entire story had me consumed. Sea of Ruin was going to be a huge leap into unchartered territory for me with not only it being dark, but it also being historical and pirate. That combination alone gave me pause, but I also remember what reading Pam Godwin's Trails of Sin series did for me. That was my introduction to her voice and I enjoyed that series, so I knew that she could make something so cold and so dark into a read that I could recommend - so naturally, I needed to read more of her. So when I saw this new standalone coming out, I knew I needed to jump on board and trust her and not shy away from what she could bring to my kindle. I am SO glad I decided to read this one. 

This synopsis was a huge win for me. The minute I read it, I knew I needed to check it out. That cover, it was so different and what a story it gave me but while reading the book, it made so much sense. This was so so good. Imagine being this strong and independent thinking woman back when that was most certainly not allowed, and then having two men with their own ideas about how they fit in your life. Gosh, it was SO good. I loved her tenacity and her grit - and the fact that she was confident and knew who she was. Watching her move through her world was amazing. She was really cool!! I think I gleaned more from her character in regards to the story direction than anything. She wasn't a damsel in distress and she stood for everything she believed in, so watching her make her way through this story with these men and their strength next to hers? The dynamic alone made me turn the pages. 

My initial thought was to read the King of Libertines first - seeing that it was the prequel, but then I figured I'd try it without to see how much sense it made because I know not everyone purchased the limited time anthology it was in. This should stand alone since it was billed that way - and now I can assure you that the novella wasn't necessary to read before jumping into this book. It provides some background, but I felt like I got to discover more while reading this story instead of having a background to work off of. So for ME, I'm personally glad I didn't read King of Libertines before I read this one. 

"He tasted like the ocean, deep and turbulent, liberating and comforting, familiar and sacred."

I struggle with the labeling of "dark" reads in general because I have run into enough "shock and awe" just for the sake of drama that it has turned me off from many books under this genre, but this one was told with a cold, dark truth that seeped deep within the words. It affected me on so many different levels and I could appreciate how this story was delivered. I feel like Godwin is very unapologetic in her delivery of a dark story, but not at all frivolous when it comes to those scenes. She tells it, and she sells it, because while she may have made me gasp and recoil, she didn't take the easy way out and I could truly appreciate that. She brought me deep into the core of this story by selling the reality behind actions with her depictions and how she interpreted the scenes with her words. It made for a chilling read, but one I couldn't walk away from because the paradoxical aspect was the love story that was so thoroughly entrenched within the pages. I fell in love with the characters, the locations, the imagery of the travels. It all worked so well for me.

A few spots made me cringe and seriously feel....ill. This is, in the truest sense, DARK and given the fact that it's historical and pirate, she stayed true to the sense of that world and genre. I will admit that some of it had me struggling because of the brutality of it, but since the life of a pirate wasn't exactly easy, it all fit and worked within the storyline. But make NO mistake that it is dark. You HAVE to keep that in mind because of the content. It was intense. At one point, my heart was broken repeatedly, page after page after page. It was a sad reminder of how women were treated back in the day, especially when they weren’t valued. My heart hurt for a long while after reading this, but I felt that it was a stimulating read as well. So, it was hard, but well worth it in the end.

The language alone was a trip. It was fun to read of a lost language/dialect that isn't commonly used anymore. I will admit, I had to look up a TON of words and phrases because I had no clue what they were or meant. I found it actually added to the story for me because I was completely intoxicated by everything happening and it was just a little extra fun. Usually looking up so many new phrases or words is pretty tiring for me because I hate to feel like I am reading a thesaurus of words - but these phrases were fitting for the style of book I was reading. It added to the appeal. The atmosphere. SO GOOD.

Talk about toeing the line between love and hate, desperation and strength. I don’t understand how one love could seemingly betray her, but he would do anything and everything for her and to her. He loved her within an inch of his life, and he proved it time and time again that he loved her ever so desperately. Add to it, another love that defies manners and station, but with a certain proper element to it. This book also explored a sexual proclivity I’m not at all comfortable with....but it was done with a strength and knowledge that gave me a sort of comfort as I read it. I honestly loved seeing the powerful use of emotions and mental stimulation that went along with the story because it gave a deeper insight into "him." Godwin nailed these characters and gave them all something individual to add to the story, and I didn't feel like I was reading the same two alphas.

"To hold me at arm's length and deny me your love...it's the worst torture."

I was pretty shocked (and excited) that I was able to figure out the twist so early on but it only pushed me to keep reading to find out if I was correct in my assumption. That was honestly half the fun!! I loved the lead up, the build up, and the "end" up. It all fit together and I couldn't have been happier. It's usually quite frustrating if I figure things out ahead of time, but this one made me giddy the entire time I was reading it to see if I was spot on. I am just so glad I gave this one a chance - I'm still smiling about it. It's important to me to try new authors, new genres, and new tropes. I want to hear/read different things because I like to not only challenge myself with something new, but I also want to have a better understanding of the many possibilities in reading. 

There was this underlying current of sexual energy that was flowing throughout the entire story, and the thing was I couldn’t pick between two different people. I liked that there was this this off page chemistry that yes, while I read it, I was actually able to feel it growing to combustion. This was an all encompassing, time stealing, reality altering read. I absolutely loved this one and I want more!! Bravo!

"His touch transformed me into a willing victim."
~BEE

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~MEET PAM GODWIN~

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Pam Godwin, lives in the Midwest with her husband, their two children, and a foulmouthed parrot. When she ran away, she traveled fourteen countries across five continents, attended three universities, and married the vocalist of her favorite rock band.

Java, tobacco, and dark romance novels are her favorite indulgences, and might be considered more unhealthy than her aversion to sleeping, eating meat, and dolls with blinking eyes.

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