Review – The Bride Wore Starlight by Lizbeth Selvig

Once comfortable on stage in front of thousands, Joely Crockett is now mortified at the thought of walking—or rolling—down the aisle at her sisters’ wedding. Scarred and wheelchair-bound, the former beauty queen has lost more than the ability to walk—she’s lost her fire. But when one handsome, arrogant guest accuses her of milking her injuries and ignites her ire, Joely finally starts to feel truly alive again, and soon it’s impossible for her to resist her heart’s desire.

Alec Morrissey knows a little something about loss. A famous rodeo cowboy before he was injured in Iraq, he’s managed to create something of a normal life, even if it’s not the one he always imagined. Encountering stunning but damaged Joely, he sees a kindred spirit who can learn from his mistakes.

As these two healing souls begin to fall in love under the Wyoming stars, they must discover if they are willing to give in to the tragedies of life or fight for a future together.

Purchase Links

Barnes & Noble / Amazon / iBooks / GooglePlay

BFF K’s Review

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The Bride Wore Starlight is so much more than it appears to be from the outside. I might have gone into this with a preconceived notion about what to expect. I was planning on a light, fluffy, quick-read romance. What I found instead was a deeply rich, character driven, tension-filled, emotional read that was intensely satisfying.

Joely and Alec are both physically damaged, rocked by massive bodily injuries in the prime of their lives. Alec has a head start on the physical and emotional healing. When he meets Joely, he sees in her a suffering, kindred spirit who needs a kick in the pants to get out of her own head. As Joely accepts the healing guidance of Alec, she recognizes that there are still issues he has to tackle as well. What unfolds is a powerful story of trans-formative love. The love Alec and Joely create heals them both physically and emotionally.

There’s a fantastic HEA with a delicious epilogue. I was timid about the country/cowboy angle of the story. I grew up (and still live) in Nebraska. Though I was a ‘city kid,’ I’ve had many rodeo and ranch experiences. I wasn’t sure what I would think of the cowboy genre. I was pleasantly surprised. This book is well done. If you have ever entertained thoughts of a rugged, sexy as sin, cocky cowboy – this book will bring that to life in spades! (I mentally cast Scott Eastwood in the role of Alec!)

Joely transforms from a damaged, self-pitying, lost girl. As Alec helps Joely to heal and rebuild, he breaks down his own walls and overcomes his own fears. There are inherent tensions as they each conquer their own demons and learn to trust each other. The journey is inspiring and fulfilling. The Bride Wore Starlight delivers a super sexy, heartwarming romance for two characters who desperately deserve a happily ever after.

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An advance copy was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Check out this post for an excerpt from The Bride Wore Starlight AND a special interview with Lizbeth Selvig.

About the Author

Lizbeth Selvig lives in Minnesota with her best friend (aka her husband), and a gray Arabian gelding. After working as a newspaper journalist and magazine editor, and raising an equine veterinarian daughter and a talented musician son, she won RWA’s prestigious Golden Heart® Contest in 2010 with her contemporary romance The Rancher and the Rock Star. In her spare time, she loves to hike, quilt, read, horseback ride, and spend time with her new granddaughter. She also has four-legged grandchildren—more than twenty—including a wallaby, two alpacas, a donkey, a pig, a sugar glider, and many dogs, cats, and horses (pics of all appear on her website www.lizbethselvig.com). She loves connecting with readers—contact her any time!

Review – Some Sort of Love by Melanie Harlow

This is one of BFF K’s favorite reads so far in 2016!

Title: Some Sort of Love

Series: Happy Crazy Love #3

Author: Melanie Harlow

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: February 9, 2016

On the surface, I have it all—a career I adore, a loving family, the Nixon metabolism but not the Nixon ears, and a salary that supports my lavish taste in designer shoes, fine wine, and lacy lingerie…but I have no one to share it with.

Until the day I run into him—my one night stand from college with the cocky smile, let’s-get-out-of-here eyes, and dirty, dirty mouth.

Levi Brooks is six feet four inches of hot bearded fantasy. A sexy single dad with broad shoulders, strong hands, and a fantastically big…heart. (I mean, it’s massive. And generous. And it pumps so hard… um. Sorry. Lost my place.)

But he lives for his son, and he’s keeping me at a distance because he thinks I deserve someone better—a man who can give me more time, more attention, more of himself. He doesn’t believe he could ever be enough.

But he’s wrong.

He’s everything.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Purchase Links

AMAZON US / UK

KOBO / iBOOKS

BFF K’s Review

Some Sort of Love is the continuation of this absolutely wonderful series by Melanie Harlow. And, one of my best reads for far in 2016. If you haven’t read the other books in the series, you’ll want to start now. Though each is a standalone, the characters are interconnected. I can’t imagine missing out on any of these great stories. The thought of missing these makes me feel sad. Seriously, not exaggerating, the thought of never having read these books makes me sad!

Some Sort of Love is the story of Jillian and Levi. A VERY brief college tryst is reignited when the two run into one another at a wedding. (I won’t say whose!) The attraction and chemistry is immediate and off-the-charts! But, life isn’t as simple as it was in undergrad. Both Jillian and Levi have demanding careers and Levi is the single father to a son with special needs. These are some rough waters to navigate and the couple must decide if their attraction and affections are a strong enough foundation to build a new life together.

Some Sort of Love brings back an incredible cast of characters – Jillian’s sisters, Skylar and Natalie and their men Sebastian and Miles. I love each of these books for so many reasons. I love each of these couples and their unique struggles and circumstances. I absolutely can’t pick a favorite!

And, let me just spend a minute worshiping all that is Melanie Harlow. I’m absolutely head over heels for her storytelling. Melanie Harlow creates characters that are a lovely combination of strong and vulnerable. There’s something so relate-able and insightful about her characters, it’s like you get a glimpse into yourself through the lens of her terrific players. The steamy scenes she dreams up are second to none. And, Harlow can describe a simple cocktail that makes my mouth water!

It was 2am when I finished Some Sort of Love and it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a long time! If you haven’t read the Happy, Crazy, Love series – start right now, PLEASE! This entire series is packed with wonderful, emotional, dreamy romance and the most incredibly human, deliciously flawed characters. I finished this book in less than a day and I will be recommending it for weeks!

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An advance copy was received in exchange for an honest review.

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Favorite Quotes

“Love isn’t a finite thing in the universe. It’s not like it gets used up by people who get there first.”

“Harry Potter fan, huh? So what are the chances I can Slytherin to your chamber of secrets tonight?”

“Ah, wine. Wine was my friend. Wine understood me. Wine knew it was entirely possible to be one hundred percent happy for your sisters and also ten percent jealous, because Wine does not care about mathematics. And Wine would never ask why I didn’t have a man by age thirty. Wine and I had spent enough alone time together that Wine knew it wasn’t that I didn’t want to find love-of course I did. But it was fucking hard.”

” ‘What are you doing?’

‘I’m thinking about kissing you.’

‘Stop thinking.’ ”

“Over sea bass and grilled tuna we shared firsts and favorites,”

“I’d rather be someone’s shot of whiskey than everyone’s cup of tea.”

Excerpt

“So.” I glanced out the windows to the patio. “You want to go back out there?”

“Not really,” she said.

“You want to get out of here?”

She grinned. “Yeah. I do.”

I watched her rush up the stairs to get her things, and as soon as she was out of sight, I adjusted myself in my pants. My dick had jumped to life the second she said yeah, I do, as if the question had been you want to get naked and fuck? rather than something much less suggestive. Not that I didn’t want to get naked and fuck—hopefully I’d last a little longer than I had in the broom closet eleven years ago—but I didn’t want to make her feel like that’s what I expected. She wasn’t a horny nineteen-year-old college student anymore; she was a doctor, for fuck’s sake. She was beautiful and smart and mature and sophisticated, and a woman like her did not want some Neanderthal who probably needed a haircut and a new pair of shoes to throw her up against a wall for a five-minute fuck.

A woman like that deserved attention all night long. She deserved someone who would undress her slowly and delight in each new inch of her skin as it was revealed. Someone who would run his hands all over her body and find out where she liked to be touched, how she liked to be touched, what she wanted to hear whispered to her in the dark. Someone who would wrap those gloriously long legs around his neck and use his tongue until she begged for his cock, then use his cock until she begged for mercy.

Fuck. I could be that guy.

Except I couldn’t be. Not tonight. Because I wasn’t a horny college student anymore either—I was just a horny single dad who didn’t have the luxury of taking a woman home and lavishing all my time and attention on her the way I wanted to.

As soon as I had the thought, I felt guilty. Scotty was the love of my life and always would be, and whenever I felt the slightest bit resentful about something I couldn’t do because of him, that resentment was immediately crushed by shame. He didn’t ask to be born wired differently, into a terrible relationship, to a mother who would decide she couldn’t handle being a parent, to a father who wasn’t prepared for any of it. He was completely innocent, and he needed me to be a better man.

Running a hand through my hair, I exhaled and wondered if I should ask Jillian for a raincheck on a night when Scotty’s usual sitter could be there. If he woke up again and I wasn’t home yet, he might never get back to sleep. We’d be up all night, tomorrow would be miserable, and the whole start to the week would be off.

But she was so beautiful. And I hadn’t been this attracted to someone in so long.

“Fuck,” I muttered, checking my watch. What was the right thing to do? If she were a different sort of woman, if her brother-in-law weren’t my friend and client, if we lived three states apart…if any number of circumstances were changed, I’d grab her hand, drag her out to my car, and spend the next thirty minutes fucking her brains out in the back seat. It would feel so good to take control that way, to lose control that way, to release some of this fucking tension. But was that fair to her?

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

“Hello?”

“He’s up again.” Monica’s voice was strained, and in the background I heard the familiar keening of a nighttime meltdown. My chest hurt, the way it always did when Scotty was upset.

“Shit. OK, I’m on my way. Twenty minutes, OK? Thirty at the most.”

“OK.”

“Tell him he can play on his iPad.”

“That’ll just rile him up more. He’s tired. He needs to go to sleep.”

I clenched my fist. “Just do it, OK? It will help calm him until I get there.”

As I ended the call, I heard footsteps above, and then Jillian appeared at the top of the stairs carrying a small suitcase. I watched her descend, the tightness in my chest growing. Also the tightness in my pants. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she said, her face concerned as she reached the ground and saw my expression. She set down the suitcase. “What’s up?”

Sighing, I put my phone back in my pocket. “I have to get home. Scotty woke up and he’s upset.”

“Oh.” She tried to hide it, but I saw the disappointment in her eyes.

“I’m really sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“That’s OK. I understand.”

“Can I call you?”

“Of course.” She smiled, and her lips looked so soft and inviting, I took a step closer.

If you kiss her, it will be that much harder to leave.

I knew it was the truth, but I couldn’t help myself. One kiss. Just one. And then I’ll go. I moved even closer and took her head in my hands.

The curve of her smile deepened. “What are you doing?”

“I’m thinking about kissing you.”

“Stop thinking.”

I lowered my lips to hers and let them rest there, fully intending the kiss to be short and sweet, just a goodnight.

But I couldn’t break it off. I wanted more—I wanted to taste her. Slanting my head, I changed the angle of the kiss, teasing her mouth open with mine, slipping my tongue between her lips. A little sigh escaped her, and my dick jumped to life again.

You have to go, you have to go, you have to go.

But her hands were moving up my chest and my fingers were sliding into her soft brown hair and I could smell something sweet and citrusy on her skin and it mingled with the taste of whiskey on my tongue and oh God, I wanted my tongue everywhere on her body. I wanted make her come with it just so I could hear that little sigh again and again and again. And I wanted to feel my hands in her hair just like this while she got on her knees and took my cock between her lips, looking up at me with those big blue eyes…

Groaning, I forced myself to take my lips off her before I completely lost my senses. “God, I wish I could stay,” I said, resting my forehead against hers. “I wish a lot of things.”

“I know.” She played with my tie again. “I wish I was taking this tie off you, not straightening it.”

“What a coincidence, that’s one of my wishes too.”

She laughed and kissed me quickly. “Another time, maybe. You better go.”

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AMAZON US / UK

About the Author

Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she’s not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like VEEP, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, and Homeland. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.

Melanie is the author of the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, set in the 1920s. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.

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Review – Running Wild by Sara Jane Stone

Don’t Miss this FREE Prequel Novella!

RUNNING WILD

A Second Shot NovellaSara Jane Stone

Releasing on February 2, 2016

Avon Impulse

Before they were Serving Trouble, they were Running Wild

She’s always been off limits…

Noah Tager has always played by the rules and proudly wears the label “Local Hero.” But before he leaves to become one of The Few, The Proud, The Marines, he wants to turn his fantasies into reality with the one woman who has always been off limits.

He’s always been a challenge…

When it comes to her less-than-stellar reputation, Josie Fairmore is ready and willing to cross over into nothing-left-to-lose territory, if it leads to an all-night ride with the man of her X-rated dreams.
With her big brother leaving in the morning to “Be All He Can Be” in the Army, Dominic will never find out about her fling with his best friend Noah.

But one wild ride together doesn’t change the fact that Noah’s leaving in the morning—and he’s taking Josie’s heart with him.

BUY NOW

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BFF K’s Mini Review

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This FREE (that’s right, friends, FREE) novella did exactly what it was intended to do. It has made me hungry for MORE!!! Running Wild sets up Serving Trouble, the first book in the new Second Shot Series by Sara Jane Stone.

Noah is the town hero who enlists in the Marines to help his father and Grandmother. Josie is struggling with a tarnished reputation that may or may not be deserved. She’s also the little sister of Noah’s best friend. Josie and Noah beyond attracted to one another and so off-limits to each other.

The last night before Noah leaves for the Marines brings them together for a wild ride. And it really is a steamy scene that shouldn’t be missed! Things happen, words are said and this is one of the best set-ups for a new series that I can imagine. The March 8 release of Serving Trouble has been added to the Upcoming Releases page and I’ll be anxiously waiting for the day! One-click this today so that you’ll be ready and waiting too!

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An Advance Copy was received in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author

After several years on the other side of the publishing industry, Sara Jane Stone bid goodbye to her sales career to pursue her dream-writing romance novels. Sara Jane currently resides in Brooklyn, New York with her very supportive real-life hero, two lively young children and a lazy Burmese cat. Join Sara Jane’s newsletter to receive new release information, news about contests, giveaways, and more! Visit www.sarajanestone.com and look for her newsletter entry form.

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Need more of Noah & Josie?

Pre-Order SERVING TROUBLE today!

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Review – The Consequence of Seduction by Rachel Van Dyken

The Consequence of Seduction by Rachel Van Dyken releases tomorrow! Pre-Order TODAY!

From New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken.

Reid Emory has never had reason to question his luck with the ladies. As the owner of a lethal set of aqua-blue eyes and a devastating grin, this Hollywood heartthrob always brings his A game…but lately his luck seems to have run out. The actor is in need of some help, and there’s only one person he can trust to take his love life—and his career—to an explosive new level.

Jordan Litwright’s newest client is trying her patience. As a publicist, she’s more than content to stay in the background and let others shine. But when a publicity stunt backfires, she suddenly finds herself thrust into the spotlight—as Reid’s new love interest. And while other men usually overlook her, Reid is focusing in with laserlike intensity. There’s no denying they have serious chemistry.

But once Reid breaks into the big time, can they turn their made-for-the-media romance into a forever love?

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BFF K’s Review

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With The Consequence of Seduction, Rachel Van Dyken has delivered another wonderfully silly, laugh out loud rom-com. This entire series is full of one misadventure after another and characters that are delightfully peculiar and completely unorthodox. I’ve recently read both The Consequence of Loving Colton and The Consequence of Revenge. Each book in this series is a stand-alone, but you’re going to want to get to know the whole gang. Reviews for the other books will be coming very soon! These books are not gut-wrenching, angst-filled, cry-fests. They are silly, slap stick, over-the-top funny books with crazy characters.

Reid is an up and coming actor getting ready to star in his first major motion picture. Jordan is a talented PR specialist who is used to blending in and never standing out. Enter Max, Reid’s crazy brother who is 1/3 – instigator, 1/3 – troublemaker, 1/3 – fairy Godfather. Unbelievable hijinks ensue as Reid overcomes his fear of Grandmothers and Jordan steps into the spotlight alongside Reid.

Mixed in with all of the off-the-wall happenings is a sweet love story. Reid and Jordan are a delightful couple and your heart will be happy as they find their way together. If you’re in the mood for complete frivolity with a dash of swoony romance, one-click this kooky little book today!

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A advance copy was received in exchange for an honest review.

dual point of view

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Excerpt

Jordan’s body responded to my every single touch and caress.

“Now I know why you’ve never had to ask a girl on a date.” She hooked her legs around me and wrapped her arms around my neck, her tongue intertwining with mine, sucking, so. Damn. Hard that I couldn’t help but keep moaning. The things that woman could do with her mouth.

I deepened the kiss, my hands reaching for the clasp of her bra. I flicked it off. Jordan immediately froze. Her hands quickly covered her breasts.

“What are you doing?” I tried prying her hands free.

“Too fast.” She nodded, her cheeks staining with color. “You know for our, uh, date night.”

“Move your hands.”

“No.”

“Jordan.”

“Reid.” She laughed nervously.

“Fine.” I nodded. “I didn’t want to have to do this.”

Jordan frowned.

I raised my hand.

She frowned harder.

I flipped her onto her stomach and slapped her ass. Hard.

“What are you doing?” she yelled.

“Why, sweetheart . . .” I kissed her ear. “I’m taming.”

“The hell you are!”

“You like it.” Another swat. “And I’m barely spanking you, but a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. Cover them up again and I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

“But—”

I flipped her back around. “But what?” I honestly wanted to know why a girl that gorgeous would cover up.

“It’s just that—” Jordan chewed her lower lip. “I’m the lights-off girl.”

“Lights off?”

“Yeah.” She shrugged a shoulder as more color stained her cheeks. “You know, the girl you don’t really notice right away until you’ve had one too many, then you take her home and have your way with her—in the dark.”

Horrified, I could only stare in shock. “Please tell me that hasn’t actually happened.”

“Reid.” She shoved me away and started to get to her feet. “Look, I’m not stupid, okay? And I’m not even that insecure anymore. I know how guys think, all right?”

“Oh, yeah?” I stood, pulled her flush against my very hard body. “What am I thinking about right now?”

“ESPN?”

“Damn.”

Her shoulders deflated. “See?”

I burst out laughing. “Honey, we have a pretty big problem if ESPN gets me this excited, don’t you think?”

“Hey, sometimes baseball just does it for people.” She gave me a sexy-as-hell smile. “It’s not your fault you like balls.”

“I can’t believe you just challenged my manhood when it’s saluting you like that. Damn, woman, I’m basically giving you the equivalent of a high five and a home run all in one and you’re making jokes?”

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About the Author

rachelborder Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

Want to be kept up to date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866!

You can connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/rachelvandyken or join her fan group Rachel’s New Rockin Readers. Her website is www.rachelvandykenauthor.com .

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Review – Always Room for Cupcakes by Bethany Lopez

One day I was be-bopping along jamming to the music in my head while wondering if my thighs could handle grabbing a cupcake on the way home. The next thing I knew, my entire world crashed and burned.

I used to wake up at night in a sweat, crying because I’d dreamt that my husband was cheating on me, or that he hated me, and resented my kids. He’d always hold me close and tell me it was all just a dream, that he loved me and our family and that he’d never let me go.

He was a f*cking liar.

Now I spend my days taking photos of scum just like him, trying to be a champion for other’s being taken advantage of by the losers in our town, and my nights being a single mom to my beautiful twins.

I’ve got great friends who have my back, and a sexy, mysterious motorcycle man who keeps showing up when I need him. Maybe things are starting to look up, and one thing’s for sure… There’s always room for cupcakes.

BFF A’s Review

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Mmmmm, who doesn’t always have room for cupcakes? This is a fun, quick read that has a little humor, romance, and even some suspense all rolled up into one.

Lila is a single mom, raising her twin children, working for a local private investigator, trying to forget that she caught her former husband cheating on her in the backseat of a car. She spends her days trying to catch other cheaters in the act as revenge to what she experienced. Lila’s best friend owns a cupcake shop and when things get hectic and crazy, treating herself to a cupcake is the greatest reward. While following a new client, she runs into gorgeous and mysterious man Cade. “Not everyone is lucky enough to have a random hot motorcycle man pick them up on the side of the road when they’re running from drug dealers.”

I had to laugh out loud at some of the situations Lila found her self in and how she responded to them. There’s a hint of suspense as Lila begins to follow drug dealers that have made their way into town. That’s when Cade appears. He is sweet and wants to show Lila that not all men are scum. Will Lila allow Cade to rescue her and give her a relationship she deserves? One-click to find out!

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An Advance Copy was received in exchange for an honest review.

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Special Release Week Price is $2.99

Purchase Links:

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About the Author

Award-Winning Author Bethany Lopez began self-publishing in June 2011. She’s a lover of all things romance: books, movies, music, and life, and she incorporates that into the books she writes. When she isn’t reading or writing, she loves spending time with her husband and children, traveling whenever possible. Some of her favorite things are: Kristen Ashley Books, coffee in the morning, and In N Out burgers.
Bethany Lopez is represented by Marisa Corvisiero of Corvisiero Literary Agency.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Review – I Wish You Were Mine by Lauren Layne

In Honor of Superbowl Winning Quarterback Jackson Burke,

Enter to Win a Ladies “TEAM” T-Shirt from

Lady Fanatics Sports Apparel Winners Choice

(up to $40.00 Value)

I WISH YOU WERE MINE

Oxford #2

Lauren Layne

Released on February 2, 2016

Loveswept

Perfect for fans of Alice Clayton and Emma Chase, Lauren Layne’s Oxford series heats up in this story of forbidden desire as a brooding jock hoping for a comeback falls for a woman who’s strictly off-limits.

A year ago, Jackson Burke was married to the love of his life and playing quarterback for the Texas Redhawks. Now he’s retired, courtesy of the car accident that ruined his career—and single, after a nasty scandal torpedoed his marriage. Just as he’s starting to get used to his new life as a health and fitness columnist for Oxford magazine, his unpredictable ex shows up on his doorstep in Manhattan. Jackson should be thrilled. But he can’t stop thinking about the one person who’s always been there for him, the one girl he could never have: her younger sister.

Mollie Carrington can’t say no to Madison. After all, her older sister practically raised her. So when Madison begs for help in winning her ex-husband back, Mollie’s just glad she got over her own crush on Jackson ages ago—or so she thought. Because as Mollie reconnects with Jackson, she quickly forgets all her reasons to stay loyal to her sister. Tempted by Jackson’s mellow drawl and cowboy good looks, Mollie is sick and tired of coming in second place. But she can’t win if she doesn’t play the game.

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BFF K’s Review

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Jackson Burke finds comfort in the one person who is so off-limits. For years, Mollie Carrington has carried a torch for Jackson Burke. Besides their mutual obsessions, Jackson and Mollie have another thing in common, Madison. She is Jackson’s ex-wife, Mollie’s older sister, and a completely evil and manipulative B%^&*!

Jackson and Mollie have a shared history through Madison, but they also have their own relationship. As Jackson’s marriage was falling apart, he found a friend in her younger sister. Jackson confided in Mollie his ambitions and day-to-day frustrations. Mollie relied on Jackson also as a confidant and supporter. When Jackson finds himself in New York, he realizes how much he has missed Mollie and her company. But, Madison is like a bad rash that just keeps coming back. Lauren Layne has created a fantastic villain. I despise Madison, and it is so much fun to hate a truly nasty villain!

I really liked Mollie and Jackson. I was rooting for them to find their happy ending. This book is angsty – way more than I was expecting! When they were struggling with their relationship and their own feelings, I could literally feel my heart hurting for them. My tummy filled with butterflies from all of the romance and steamy scenes. One of the best parts of I Wish You Were Mine, and this series, series is the Oxford-Stiletto gang. It was great to check-in with Penelope and Cole. I love how this group has formed friends/family bonds and how fiercely they care for one another. (I’m dying for Lincoln’s book! I can’t wait to uncover his back-story!)

I’m becoming a BIG fan of Lauren Layne! The Oxford Series books have everything I hope for in a romance novel. I Wish You Were Mine is well written, emotionally charged, character driven, passionate and delightfully sentimental. I’m anxious for the next book in this series and one of these days, I’m going to fit the Stiletto series into my TBR. If you love a really enjoyable, character-fueled romance, you should definitely one-click this today!

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An Advance Copy was received in exchange for an honest review.

Excerpt

Jackson took a sip. Perfection. Although what did it mean that Jackson’s life had turned into one where the highlight of his day was a well-made cocktail?

It wasn’t that Jackson needed the booze. He enjoyed it, certainly. Had relied on it more than he probably should have in those first few days when he’d gotten out of the hospital and come home to a whole lot of nothingness.

But these days he could take it or leave it.

Tonight, however, he was taking it. Sobriety had no place when you had to sit across from the most off-limits woman on the planet.

Knowing that didn’t stop the anticipation, however. He hadn’t seen her since she’d shown up in his hospital room to deliver a bag of Gatlin’s BBQ and . . .

His divorce papers.

That had been eight months ago.

He’d avoided her ever since, and he couldn’t even say why except that he’d avoided pretty much everyone. Jackson still spoke with his parents every Sunday, but everyone else—all the old teammates, the old neighbors—had eventually stopped calling.

Mollie hadn’t, though. Mollie had never given up on him. Until today, he hadn’t responded to a single text, a single email, and yet she hadn’t stopped sending them. That was Mollie for you. Fiercely loyal to both him and Madison, even when things had started to go to hell.

Mollie had been accepted to Columbia just about the time that he and Madison started coming apart at the seams. In hindsight, he was grateful that Mollie had been in New York when things started to go to hell in his marriage. That she hadn’t seen him at his worst.

At the time, however, he’d been hit with an unfair sense of abandonment. He hadn’t realized how much he’d come to rely on the much younger Mollie to mediate things between him and the volatile Madison until she was in a different time zone.

Even now, more than a decade since first meeting Mollie, he struggled to reconcile the fact that she and Madison had come from the same parents. Madison was perfectly coiffed, charming only when she was in the mood, and manipulative as all hell. Mollie, on the other hand, was adorably awkward—a brainy research assistant who cared a hell of a lot more about her scientific journals than her manicure.

But somewhere along the line, Mollie Carrington had ceased to be that awkward kid who talked about bugs at inopportune times. Somewhere along the line, she’d become his rock. The one person in the world, save for perhaps his parents, who always knew the exact right thing to say to make him feel like a human whenever he’d started to feel like a caricature of himself.

For years he’d tried to tell himself that it was just sibling affection—that he cared about her the way he would a sister. But then things had gotten worse with Madison—way worse. And Jackson had been hit upside the head with the truth: that maybe he’d married the wrong sister. That he didn’t want to spend the rest of his days married to the beautiful, brittle Madison.

He wanted someone who made him laugh. Who listened. Someone who cared more about people than she did about hair appointments.

Someone like Mollie.

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About the Author

Lauren Layne is the USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance.

Prior to becoming an author, Lauren worked in e-commerce and web-marketing. In 2011, she and her husband moved from Seattle to New York City, where Lauren decided to pursue a full-time writing career. It took six months to get her first book deal (despite ardent assurances to her husband that it would only take three). Since then, Lauren’s gone on to publish thirteen books, including the bestselling Stiletto series, with several more on the way in 2015.

Lauren currently lives in New York City with her husband and spoiled Pomeranian. When not writing, you’ll find her at happy hour, running at a doggedly slow pace, or trying to straighten her naturally curly
hair.

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Review – Happily Ever Ninja by Penny Reid

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Happily Ever Ninja
by Penny Reid
Publication Date:
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Humor

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

From the USA Today Best Selling Author of ‘Truth or Beard’

There are three things you need to know about Fiona Archer… I would tell you what they are, but then I’d have to kill you.

But I can tell you that Fiona’s husband—the always irrepressible and often cantankerous Greg Archer—is desperately in love with his wife. He aches for her when they are apart, and is insatiable when they are together. Yet as the years pass, Greg has begun to suspect that Fiona is a ninja. A ninja mom. A ninja wife. A ninja friend. After fourteen years of marriage, Greg is trying not to panic. Because Fiona’s talent for blending in is starting to resemble fading away.

However, when unexpected events mean Fiona must take center stage to keep her family safe, her response stuns everyone—Greg most of all. It seems like Greg’s wish has come true.

Except… not.

When all is said and done, can Greg handle this new version of his wife? Will his irrepressible cantankerousness push her away? Or can the couple find a way forward without either being forced to step back into the shadows?

This is a full length, 100k word novel, and is the 5th book in the Knitting in the City Series. All books in the series can be read as a standalone except book #1.5

BFF K’s Review

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Penny Reid warns readers that this is an “odd book” in fact, all of her books are a little weird and that’s really what makes them so wonderful. Happily Ever Ninja is unlike anything else that I have read. The story centers around a married couple, their life, love and marriage. The tension in the book does not stem from a death or an illness or an affair. Penny Reid says, this is a book, “about a married couple with none of the cheating, divorcing, or standard plot-lines/tropes.” So, I wondered what it could possibly be about….

Happily Ever Ninja is a stunning, heart-warming, introspection of marriage. While Fiona and Greg may not be like every other married couple; she’s former CIA, and he works away from home months at a time. There are many, many parts that seem like a snapshot of my marriage and countless others that I know. It feels as though this book is a tribute to marriage, a hymn of praise dedicated to the ups and downs of these complex and essential relationships. I believe it is impossible to read this book without turning the looking glass to your own life. Those in a marriage will see common struggles and successes. Those who are searching for a happy marriage will find a realistic and honest look at the kind of relationship worth striving toward. Happily Ever Ninja does an amazing job of reminding us why the conquest is worth the struggles.

“But, I’ve yet to meet a monogamous person who is an expert on sex, nor have I ever met a polygamist who is an expert on love. Each marriage is a living thing, just as complex as the two individuals within it.”

Fiona is a fantastic heroine. While I was frustrated with Greg’s propensity to “save” Fiona when she is clearly more than capable; he has some seriously swoon-worthy moments. His quick wit, overwhelming devotion and that bloody British accent are almost too much. I love being able to check in with all of the amazing women from the Knitting in the City series. It feels like meeting up with a group of girlfriends I haven’t seen in months. Every book in this series leaves me more anxious for the next.

Penny Reid is a master of writing relationship-driven romance novels that are smart, funny, unique and completely unexpected. Happily Ever Ninja is another book on my list of ‘must reads’ and I will continue telling everyone about this wonderful, witty, unorthodox look at romance, commitment, love and marriage.

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An Advance Copy was received in exchange for an honest review.

Excerpt

I tucked my fingers under her chin and lifted her face to mine, stealing a kiss; true distress clawed at my chest, traveled like a spike down my spine. I didn’t want to guess, or entertain any possibilities. Inevitably, my mind always jumped to the worst possible conclusion whenever I saw her inexplicably sad (i.e. brain tumor).

Even so, I attempted to keep my tone level and calm. “What could be too important for the greeting card aisle? It’s the perfect place to tell me anything and everything. There’s likely a card we can buy afterward for the occasion.”

She huffed a laugh, laughed a bit more, and then began crying again.

Her laughter was a good sign, so I went with it.

“Let’s see . . .” I shuffled us both to the rack and plucked a greeting card from it. “You tell me if this one describes your situation.” I cleared my throat and began to read, “Dear Brother, Many blessings on your fortieth birthday. May your girlfriend bring home that hot girl she works with and suggest a three-way.”

Fiona began laughing in earnest, burying her face against my chest.

I returned the original card, walked us a few steps farther down the aisle, and selected another card at random. “Here’s another. Dear Friend, Thank you for your thoughtfulness. I am so lucky to have you in my life, especially after that time I hit you with my car and salted the earth around your house.

I cracked a smile as I grabbed another card. She was laughing so hard she could barely breathe.

“Dear Co-worker, Get well soon. Sorry about the scorpions in your bed. And the leprosy. And the chlamydia.”

“Stop! I can’t- I can’t breathe.” Fiona gripped the front of my shirt as though she needed my solid frame to remain upright.

I took one more step and picked a new card. “Dear Dad, Happy Father’s Day. I know I’m not your favorite child, but I hope you will . . . you will . . .” I stopped reading because Fiona had stopped laughing.

In fact, she’d grown eerily still, though her fists remained anchored in my shirt. I don’t think she was even breathing.

“Fe?”

She released an audible exhale—as though bracing herself—and titled her head back. New tears shone in her eyes and she looked . . . emotional.

Not sad. Not worried or scared. Just emotional.

And I knew.

“I’m going to be a dad,” I said.

She nodded, her mouth wanting to smile but her eyes betraying the disordered chaos of her thoughts.

I had no idea what she was thinking.

I had no idea what I was thinking.

But I felt like I’d just been punched, slapped across the face. And it felt scary. And good.

I felt like I was the king of the universe, the luckiest man alive.

I felt panic, because I didn’t know how to be a dad, at least not the kind I wanted to be.

I felt a bizarre surge of pride, of accomplishment.

I felt a heady wave of possessiveness, for this woman I loved, for the child we’d made. I felt responsible.

But I did not feel burdened.

And I knew nothing would ever be the same.

About the Author

SEX! It all started with sex, between my parents. Personally I don’t like thinking about it, but whatever works for you is a-ok with me. No judgment. The sex happened in California and much of my life also occurred in that state until I moved from the land of nuts (almonds), wine, silicon… boobs, and heavy traffic to the southeast US. Like most writers I like to write, but let’s get back to sex. Eventually I married and gave birth to 2 small people-children (boy-6, girl-4 as of this writing).

By day I’m a biomedical researcher with focus on rare diseases. By night I’m a knitter, sewer, lino block carver, fabric printer, soap maker, and general crafter. By the wee hours of the morning or when I’m intoxicated I love to listen to the voices in my head and let them tell me stories. I hope you enjoy their stories.

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Review – Chasing Spring by R.S. Grey

Title: Chasing Spring

Author: R.S. Grey

Release Date: Feb 1, 2016

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I thought I’d left Blackwater, Texas behind for good. I didn’t belong in the small town, but my dad wouldn’t listen. He dragged me back home in his beat-up truck and dropped a bomb along the way: Chase Matthews was moving in with us. He was the golden boy of my high school, my former best friend, and the last person I wanted sleeping across the hall. His presence was too great a reminder of the ghosts I was trying to forget.

I didn’t ask for a hero. I don’t want to be saved.

To me, Lilah Calloway meant late nights sneakin’ out, moonlit hair, and sparklers in July. She was my best friend until the day she left and I’d assumed Blackwater had seen the last of her. Then, like a tempest, she rolled back into town for the final half of senior year. The chopped hair and dark devil-may-care attitude warned most people away, but I knew if I fought hard enough, I could find the lost girl.

I didn’t want to be her hero. Some girls don’t need to be saved.

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BFF K’s Review

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R.S. Grey is a master of the rom-com. I was a little anxious about cracking open something so different from her usual sweet spot. But, I soon realized there was nothing to fear. Grey is a serious talent. (Pun intended.) Chasing Spring is intense, suspenseful, heart-felt and emotional. It’s one that will definitely stick with me awhile.

Lilah and Chase have been tied together since before their birth. Their stories are complex and intricately interwoven. Lilah and Chase may only be teens, but their experiences have given them an intellect only possessed by those who have faced legitimate struggles and suffering. Lilah finds herself back in Blackwater, Texas, and suddenly roommates with her former best friend. He’s kind, caring, talented, humble, hard working and popular. Chase is the golden boy. This description is so fitting; I would sometimes picture him with a golden aura.

The burdens that Lilah and Chase are struggling to bear seem, at the same time, easier and more desperate when the two are in close proximity to one another. The uncovering of their shared pasts will have you rapidly turning the pages.

I have been an R.S. Grey fan because of her skillfully executed romantic comedies, but this book proves that she is adept in other styles as well. Her skill for crafting complex characters and enjoyable stories knows no boundaries. I am looking forward to many, many more of Grey’s books regardless of the genre.

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An Advance Copy was received in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author

I am a lover of books, chocolate, reality TV, black labs, and cold weather. Seriously, if I had it my way, I would be curled up on the couch with all of those things… everyday.

I live in Texas where I spend my free time writing and reading. My favorite authors include Mindy Kaling & Jonathan Safran Foer. I’m a comedy geek and love all things “funny”. Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are definitely the biggest inspirations for my writing, though I think my work tends to skew a bit smuttier than theirs.

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Review – Smart Girl by Rachel Hollis

Brilliant designer Miko Jin is a hopeless romantic. She’s spent most of her life falling in love over and over again…with the men she finds in the pages of her favorite novels.

When Miko meets Liam Ashton, it’s love at first sight. At least, for her. Sure, the two of them are polar opposites, and yes, he seems to be dating someone new each week. But Miko knows what true love is and that you can’t rush it—after all, what she lacks in real-world experience, she makes up for in book smarts. With novels as her guide, and her best friends by her side, she knows she can get Liam to love her back. But just like any good romance novel, fate has a few plot twists in store. Will Miko get her own happy ending? Will she find the strength to stand up for what she deserves even if it means breaking her own heart?

BFF K’s Review

I should start off with the following declaration: I think that Rachel Hollis is amazing! She’s smart, funny, sweet, genuine and wickedly talented. And, the characters in her books embody all of those qualities too.

Miko has shot toward the top of my Best Book Heroine’s list. Miko is bright and talented, self-confident and quirky. She loves clothes, romance novels, costumes, her career, her friends, her family, and Liam Ashton. Miko just has to convince Liam that relationships aren’t a death sentence, and that he loves her too! She digs deep into her favorite books to glean inspiration and make this happen.

I’m not going to give away what transpires because the alterations that Miko experiences are some of my favorite parts of the book. There is truly a journey of self-realization that comes from some tough knocks and hard truths. Flipping the pages as this unfolds is really fulfilling for the reader too.

I am totally in love with this book. It was perfect; sweet, funny, unexpected and super romantic! The rabid-reader references to popular literary series, characters and themes are so well done and so much fun to read. This is the perfect conclusion to The Girl’s Series. (Now I can’t wait for the audio of the series, coming soon!) If you want wonderful, heart-felt stories about a group of women who love fiercely, you must read this series. The loves in this series are profound – family love, friend love, romantic love and most importantly, self-love. You’ll fall in love with “The Girls” too!

An advance copy of this book was received through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Rachel has had a BIG week!

Check out the news about her new cookbook Upscale Downhome, coming in October!

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About the Author

I am Rachel Hollis. A wife, a mother, a Southern Girl, an LA Woman, and for all intents and purposes Party Planner Extraordinaire! I LOVE parties… I love everything about them. I love the food, the wine, having friends and family and people from all walks of life together in one well-decorated space! I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like a good party… and if there are people out there who don’t, maybe that’s just because you haven’t been to one of mine!

I grew up in a big loud Okie family. Daddy was a Pentecostal minister and Mama was the church pianist… and PS, I know the words to all the old-timey hymns in case you want to break into three-part harmony later. I moved to Los Angeles to go to college and promptly met a boy named David who was as handsome as he was funny. First I made that boy my best friend, and then I made him my husband. 10 years later we have three equally handsome/hilarious little boys named Jackson, Sawyer, and Ford. We live in LA where we spend our time doing super cool/sexy things like going to soccer practice and hitting up any restaurant where kids eat free with the purchase of an adult entrée.

Other fancy info about Rachel…
Rachel Hollis is the founder of Los Angeles-based event planning firm, Chic Events. In 2009, she was named by Inc. Magazine as one of the “Top 30 Entrepreneurs Under 30.” She has designed and produced fabulous parties for many of Hollywood’s elite, including Bradley Cooper, Al Gore, Rashida Jones, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ivanka Trump, Jaime King, and Cuba Gooding Jr. (just to name a few). Most recently, she planned the nuptials of actress Sara Rue’s wedding, which garnered national coverage in magazines such as People and US Weekly.

Rachel is the entertainment contributor for Traditional Home Magazine, and a regular contributor to The Huffington Post. In addition, she is a lifestyle expert for The Talk, EXTRA, The Nate Berkus Show, Steve Harvey, Home & Family, KTLA Morning News, Good Day LA, Fox 5, Better TV and a regular contributor on PopSugar TV and Celebrations.com. She has been featured in People, InStyle, OK!, Entertainment Weekly, Entrepreneur, Grace Ormand and the TV shows “Jilted”, “I Do, Over” on We Network, “The Traveler’s Guide to Life” on the Travel Channel and “Self Made.”

Review – Appealed by Emma Chase

The New York Times bestselling author of the Tangled books returns with the third romance in the Legal Briefs series, a collection of sexy novels about first crushes, second chances, and the final verdict of the heart.

When Brent Mason looks at Kennedy Randolph, he doesn’t see the awkward, sweet girl who grew up next door. He sees a self-assured, stunning woman…who wants to crush the most intimate—and prized—parts of his anatomy beneath the heels of her Louboutins.

When Kennedy looks at Brent, all she sees is the selfish, Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue–worthy teenager who humiliated her in high school in order to join the popular crowd. A crowd that made those years a living hell for her.

But she’s not a lovesick social outcast anymore—she’s a Washington, DC, prosecutor with a long winning streak. Brent is the opposing attorney in her next case, and Kennedy thinks it’s time to put him through a little hell of his own.

But things aren’t exactly working out the way she planned. Brent has his sights set on Kennedy, and every fiery exchange only makes him want her more—and makes her wonder if he’s as passionate in the bedroom as he is in the courtroom. In the end, they may just find themselves in love…or in contempt of court.

Amazon Purchase Links

US Amazon Kindle Link for Appealed – Releasing January 19th

US Amazon Kindle Link for Overruled

US Amazon Kindle Link for Sustained

Amazon Kindle Link for the Legal Briefs Series

BFF K’s Review

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Appealed is the 3rd and final book in Emma Chase’s Legal Briefs series and I have to say, I’m sad to see this series come to an end. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Stanton, Sofia, Jake, Chelsea, Brent and Kennedy. The entire Legal Briefs Series is delightful and full of fun and romance. Emma Chase is the master of smart and funny novels from the Male POV!

Brent is hilarious – a comic book and pop culture virtuoso. He’s all alpha; self-assured, confident but well-adjusted thanks to years of therapy. He cares deeply about his friends and family. When Kennedy comes back into his life, he immediately determines that he will never let her slip through his fingers again. He begins to right some of the wrongs from their earlier years. Brent also makes sure that Kennedy knows the torch he carried for her as a teen is burning hotter than ever before. And by hot, I mean STEAMING hot!

Kennedy is no longer the awkward tween, she’s transformed into a talented, lovely, independent woman. She’s prepared to show Brent all that he’s missed. What she isn’t prepared for is his repentance for past mistakes and tenacious efforts to bring them back together; this time for good.

Appealed is a great contemporary romance. It has a terrific plot, phenomenal characters, interesting storylines, fun settings and plenty of butterfly-inducing, steamy romance. I highly recommend this entire series! The Extended Epilogue is the perfect conclusion to these stories. (The Legal Briefs series are standalone novels with interconnected characters. My reviews of Overruled and Sustained will be coming very soon.)

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An Advance Copy was received in exchange for an honest review.

male point of view

About the Author

By day, Emma Chase is a devoted wife and mother who resides in a small, rural town in New Jersey. By night she toils away the hours bringing her colorful characters and their endless antics to life. She has a long standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.Emma is an avid reader. Before her children were born she was known to consume whole books in a single day. Writing has also always been a passion and with the 2013 release of her debut romantic comedy, Tangled, the ability to now call herself an author is nothing less than a dream come true.

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Some of Emma’s favorite quotes from Tangled -“You are making me crazy!”
“Crazy like you want to rip my shirt off again?”
“No – crazy like the itch of a yeast infection that won’t go away!””And I will be damned if Kate Brooks is going to walk her ass in here and take that away from me. No matter how fine of an ass it may be.””Words are cheap. Actions win wars. Actions heal wounds.””It makes me want to kiss her and strangle her at the same time. I’ve never been into S&M. But I’m beginning to see its benefits.”