Most days Rebecca Lindt feels like an imposter... The
world admires her as a survivor. But that impression would crumble if
people knew her secret. She didn't deserve to be the one who got away.
But nothing can change the past, so she's thrown herself into her work.
She can't dwell if she never slows down.
Wes Garrett is trying to
get back on his feet after losing his dream restaurant, his money, and
half his damn mind in a vicious divorce. But when he intervenes in a
mugging and saves Rebecca―the attorney who helped his ex ruin him―his
simple life gets complicated.
Their attraction is inconvenient
and neither wants more than a fling. But when Rebecca's secret is put at
risk, both discover they could lose everything, including what they
never realized they needed: each other
She laughed and kissed
him. This morning she'd melted down. But somehow this man had her
laughing and turned on only a few hours later. Everything inside her
felt buoyed.
She felt...light.
She'd forgotten what that felt like.
My Thoughts:
Rebecca Lindt is a successful divorce attorney and a survivor
of the Long Acre school shooting which has left her with a lot of baggage.Right after the shooting Rebecca was
determined to live her life to the fullest in honor of the ones that didn’t
make it, but things haven’t turned out exactly as planned. Her life takes a turn when she’s rescued and
cared for by Wes Garrett after a mugging-gone-wrong.
Wes Garrett’s dreams were derailed when his lying ex-wife swindled
him out of his restaurant by misrepresenting him in court, and with the help of
Rebecca skewering him in the divorce settlement. Even though Wes is a hero and comes
to the rescue, once they figure out each other’s identities things aren’t all
rainbows and sunshine…
Both Wes and Rebecca have emotional struggles, Wes has
feelings of inadequacy after almost pissing his life away over a bad
divorce.Rebecca grapples with being one
of the “lucky” ones who survived, and harbors guilt over a secret from the
shooting feeling like she doesn’t quite deserve to be happy. Their problems felt
real and relatable.After the initial
bumps Wes and Rebecca form a friendship and help each other see the big picture,
recognize their worth to the world and each other.They grow closer attraction building and
simmering along the way until they just about burn up the sheets as
lovers!I love the slow hot sexual
tension Roni Loren built between these two!
After not being blow away by The One Who Got Away I was pleasantly surprised by The One You Can’t Forget.Roni Loren’s talented writing brought Wes and
Rebecca to life, made me care about them, and I desperately wanted a happy
ending for these two together!Loved
their romantic journey!
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Artsy Reader where each week they post a new top ten list and ask fellow bookish folk to share their lists on that topic.
This weeks theme: My Summer TBR:
As you can see there's quite the variety here: Urban Fantasy, Romantic Suspense, Thriller/Mystery, Cowboy Romance, Rocker Romance, and last but not least a YA Fantasy. What is on your summer TBR? Let me know in the comments below! :)
Hope everyone is enjoying the (almost) start of summer! Our last giveaway just wrapped up so I'm here with another. Six romance books to sweep you off your feet!
These books are all signed by the author, to me, (Rachel ) except for All of You by Christina Lee. Click on title for Goodreads link. The giveaway is open to US Residents only. Fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win. Good luck!
The steamy Chicago
Rebels series returns with this racy and sassy tale of embittered
hearts, second chances, and going for the goal—on and off the ice.
Violet
Vasquez never met her biological father, so learning he left his
beloved hockey franchise—the Chicago Rebels—to her is, well, unexpected.
Flat broke and close to homeless, Violet is determined to make the most
of this sudden opportunity. Except dear old dad set conditions that
require she takes part in actually running the team with the
half-sisters she barely knows. Working with these two strangers and
overseeing a band of hockey-playing lugs is not on her agenda…until she
lays eyes on the Rebels captain and knows she has to have him.
Bren
St. James has been labeled a lot of things: the Puck Prince, Lord of
the Ice, Hell’s Highlander...but it’s the latest tag that’s making
headlines: washed-up alcoholic has-been. This season, getting his
life back on track and winning the Cup are his only goals. With no time
for relationships—except the fractured ones he needs to rebuild with
his beautiful daughters—he’s finding it increasingly hard to ignore
sexy, all-up-in-his-beard Violet Vasquez. And when he finds himself in
need of a nanny just as the playoffs are starting, he’s faced with a
temptation he could so easily get hooked on.
For two lost souls,
there’s more on the line than just making the best of a bad situation…
there might also be a shot at the biggest prize of all: love.
My Thoughts:
I’ve been enjoying Kate Meader’s Chicago Rebels series. These hockey skaters were so passionate on
and off the ice, and just plain hot!
Violet was a little different from the other two Chase
sisters in that she wasn’t outwardly acknowledged until after the death of
Clifford Chase, she wasn’t raised in a life of privilege, and she was not
involved with hockey until her father died and left a third of the team to her. Clifford really treated Violet the worst,
IMO, because he never tried to get to know her and didn’t officially claim her
as his daughter like he did with Harper and Isobel. Clifford Chase was an asshole to all his
daughters, but I think Violet really got the short end of the stick growing
up. Can’t say I was a big fan of her
mother either when I found out how Violet was conceived.
I did love the chemistry between Bren and Violet when they
got past Bren’s fear Violet’s wild side.
I did admire that Violet vowed to live the heck out of life after
surviving breast cancer, but I can’t say she was my favorite of the Chase
sisters (that award goes to Isobel!). She
didn’t let her sisters in completely at first, and she kept pushing Bren away, as
well. Not a fan of someone who keeps
their shields up and isn’t honest about their feelings. Also, I wasn’t a fan of
the predictable drama at the 85% mark, and I think Cade summed it up perfectly
when he said: “I reckon you’re both total idiots.”
Still despite some of the negatives, I did really enjoy this
romance. Bren and Violet snarky exchanges were fun before they gave into that irresistible
pull, and then they steamed of the pages with sexy encounters! Loved that Harper and Isobel were supportive
and determined to make Violet feel loved and part of the family until she
finally came around. The epilogue was
lovely and made me wish there were more books in the series.
A heartwarming and
refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there's not enough data in
the world to predict what will make your heart tick.
Stella
Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes
up with algorithms to predict customer purchases--a job that has given
her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience
in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.
It
doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her
of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she
needs lots of practice--with a professional. Which is why she hires
escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to
turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes
on her lesson plan--from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...
Before
long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all
the other things he's making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense
partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that
emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic...
My Thoughts:
Stella Lane is a whiz with numbers, but romantic relationships
are a confusing mystery to her. Especially when it comes to sex. Stella’s autism can make any relationship tricky
to navigate when she doesn’t always pick up on social subtleties. Feeling
pressure from her mother to date and marry, Stella figures a professional should
be able to help her enjoy intimacy and sex, and this is where Michael Phan comes
in.
Being an escort was never in Michael Phan’s life plan, but life
has handed him some rotten luck and a pile of bills.He dreads his Friday nights, the only nights
he takes on “clients”, but that all changes when he meets Stella.She’s beautiful, awkward, and honest; a
breath of fresh air, and Michael’s in serious trouble if he lets himself fall
for her.
I loved The Kiss
Quotient from page one! The story was refreshingly different and almost impossible
to put down! I adored Stella!She was so brilliant, focused and completely
unaware of her appeal.She really
thought love and sex would never be fulfilling for her or any man she paired
with, because of her condition, but when she gets together with Michael her world
shifts. Suddenly numbers aren’t Stella’s only obsession, and I couldn’t blame
her! Michael was dizzyingly hot, and
we’re not talking about looks here, he made Stella come alive sensually with his
touch and words! But more than that, Michael was so patient, understanding, and
sweet!
I savored Stella and Michael’s journey, bumps, struggles and
all! The Kiss Quotient is one of my favorite romance reads this year!
5 Suns
Excerpt:
“You’ve watched
Pretty Woman too many times. Kissing doesn’t mean anything, and it’s always
best if you’re not thinking too much in bed. Trust me,” he said.
Her mouth thinned
into a stubborn line. “This is too important for me not to think. I’d rather
not kiss anymore if you don’t mind.”
Michael’s
irritation redoubled, and he forced his hands to relax before he popped all his
blood vessels. How the hell had he gotten himself into this? Ah yes, he’d been
worried about his escort colleagues taking advantage of her. Stupid of him. His
life was complicated enough without worrying about his clients. This was
exactly why he had the one-session policy.
He would have
backed out—it was tempting—but he’d promised. He always carried through on his
promises. It was his way of balancing out the universe. His dad had broken
enough promises for the both of them.
“All right,” he
made himself say. “No kissing.”
“Do the other
plans look okay?” she asked.
He forced himself
to read them and found them pretty similar, only she’d moved from hand jobs to
blowjobs and changed the sexual positions.
Amused despite
himself, he said, “I’m surprised you used the terms ‘doggy style’ and ‘cow
girl.’”
Her cheeks went
bright red, and she adjusted her glasses. “I’m inexperienced, not clueless.”
“Your plans are
missing something important.” He held his hand out, and she placed the pen in
his palm with wary motions.
She tilted her
head to the side as she watched him write FOREPLAY at the top of all the plans
in capital letters. As an afterthought, he drew a box in front of each
iteration with hard stabs of the pen.
“But why? I was
under the impression men don’t need it.”
“You do,” he said
flatly.
She wrinkled her
nose and shook her head. “You don’t have to bother with me.”
He narrowed his
eyes. “It’s not a bother. Most men like foreplay. I do. Getting a woman hot is
satisfying as hell.” Besides, he was not having
sex with her if she wasn’t ready. No fucking way.
Swallowing, she
stared down at the menu. “So you’re saying I don’t have a chance to improve.”
“What? No.” His
mind scrambled to figure out why she might say that and came up with nothing.
“You saw how I
reacted. It was one button.”
“And then you
slept with me all night. You were basically naked, and you cling.”
“Are you two ready
to order?” the waitress interjected. Judging by the amused glimmer in her eyes,
she’d caught the last part of their conversation.
Stella perused the
dinner options, her nails picking at the fabric edging of the menu.
“We’ll have the
special,” Michael said.
“Wise choice. I’ll
leave you to it.” The waitress winked, gathered the menus, and disappeared.
“What’s the
special?” Stella asked.
“I have no idea.
Let’s hope it’s not woolly.”
A troubled frown
bracketed her mouth, and she leaned forward hesitantly, meeting his eyes for
the briefest second. “What exactly do you mean by ‘cling?’”
Michael grinned.
“It means you like to cuddle when you’re asleep.”
“Oh.”
She
looked so horrified Michael couldn’t help laughing. “I confess to liking it.”
Which was the truth, and unlike him. Cuddling was an obligatory thing he did
for his clients because he understood they needed it. He usually spent the time
counting the seconds until he could leave and go home to shower. Holding Stella
had been nothing like that. They hadn’t had sex, so there’d been nothing to
wash away, and the trusting way she’d curled into him had made him feel things
he didn’t want to think about.
About the author:
Helen Hoang is that shy
person who never talks. Until she does. And the worst things fly out of
her mouth. She read her first romance novel in eighth grade and has been
addicted ever since. In 2016, she was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum
Disorder in line with what was previously known as Asperger’s Syndrome.
Her journey inspired THE KISS QUOTIENT. She currently lives in San
Diego, California with her husband, two kids, and pet fish.
Publication Date: May 29th 2018 by Forever
Pages: 336
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
About the book:
With her sassy humor and sexy cowboys, USA Today bestseller Carolyn Brown launches her new Longhorn Canyon series.
One city girl, one die-hard rancher, and eight mischievous kids. What could go wrong?
Every
summer Cade Maguire looks forward to opening his Longhorn Canyon Ranch
to underprivileged city kids. But this year, he's having no luck finding
a counselor for the children--until Retta Palmer walks through his
door.
Flat broke after selling everything she owns to pay for
her father's medical bills, Retta is thrilled to hear of an opening for a
counselor position. She's not as thrilled about the ranching part, or
the sexy cowboy with beautiful blue eyes who's her new boss.
Retta takes a job at the Longhorn Canyon Ranch as girl’s
camp counselor just until she can get her old city bank job back. Retta is still reeling from the loss of her
father, and the family ranch, and has no idea how this “temporary” job will end
up affecting her. This is a five-week camp for underprivileged city boys and
girls to get away, learn responsibility, how to work on a team and have some
fun. Retta doesn’t plan on losing her heart
in the process, but a sexy cowboy, the ranch and the kids have her re-thinking
her long-term plans.
Cade McGuire, the owner of Longhorn Canyon Ranch is smitten
with Retta at first sight, but he’d like to protect his heart and keep things
professional. He’s had his heart broken
by one city girl before. But Retta’s
different. She may claim to want the
city life, but he can tell ranching is in her blood. The way she is with the camp kids melts his
heart, too, and soon the pull between them becomes too irresistible to fight.
Carolyn Brown once again charms with Retta and Cade’s
romance. Humor, sweet and sexy banter; it was a slow and steady progression to
HEA. These two just made sense together,
even if they didn’t realize it at first. The kids added a fun to the story as
well. Some of them were prickly with attitude to begin with, so it was touching
to see how ranching life and loving attention softened them up and got them to work
together as a team.
Hello readers! Hopefully you're enjoying some warmer weather and maybe thinking of a book to enjoy by the pool! I have 5 books I'm giving away that may tempt you!
