Novellas #2 Reviews & Giveaway: Castle Hill: A Joss & Braden Novella & Wanderlust

As I've stated before, I’m especially fond of novellas. They can provide a romance and wrap it up in just a small amount of pages providing you with the quick fix you crave if you’re short on time. Today I'm sharing a review of two that recently captured my heart: Castle Hill: A Joss and Braden Novella by Samantha Young and Wanderlust by Kitty French, and I'm giving away an e-Copy of both to one lucky reader!

Castle Hill: A Joss and Braden Novella (On Dublin Street #2.5) by Samantha Young

Publication Date: December 3rd 2013 by NAL Intermix

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the book:

Braden Carmichael never imagined he’d fall as hard and as fast as he did for Jocelyn Butler. He also could not have anticipated how difficult it would be to convince her to give in to love. But now that he has her, he’s never letting go. He’s got it all planned—the passionate proposal, the dream wedding, the sexy Hawaiian honeymoon—even the perfect family they’ll start.
After trying to flee from her painful past, Joss is finally allowing herself to embrace the future. But when things start moving faster than she anticipated, she finds herself panicking over something Braden can’t understand. After everything they’ve been through, Joss is sure that their love can survive even her worst fears. But, this time, she may push Braden too far—and risk losing everything all over again…

My Thoughts:

Castle Hill was a perfect catch up with one of my favorite couples, Braden and Joss.  Getting to witness their most important moments filled me with joy.

On Dublin Street we were fast forwarded to Braden and Joss’ wedding and didn’t get to see the beautiful proposal or what happened after the wedding.  Seeing all of that in this novella brought back every reason why I loved this couple so much in the first place.  Their sizzling chemistry, intense passion and their desperate love that they share is addictive, and a sheer pleasure to witness.  As usual they can’t get enough of each other, but as with any normal couple, not everything is smooth sailing.  When you love someone so intensely they have the power to make you immensely happy, but also, hurt you deeply. 

Joss having lost all of her family makes her deathly afraid to lose anything precious in the future.  She’s been working through that fear and has come a long way as evidenced by letting Braden and Ellie in so thoroughly, but that doesn’t mean she’s all the way cured.  The idea of having children is something that sends her into a panic and this hurts Braden.  One misunderstanding leaves their hearts battered and bruised, but we know they’ll find a way to work things out!

With a little bit of angst to make their HEA all the more sweet, this novella was perfectly lovely! *sigh*

Favorite Quote:

“I love you, you love me, our family loves us and they’re right here beside us. Nothing else matters. So no fears for the future, no fear that you’ll f*ck it up beyond repair. Life isn’t perfect, we aren’t perfect, but I’m telling you now, Jocelyn, we’re indestructible. Stop shaking, and just marry me.”

4 Suns

Wanderlust A Holiday Story by Kitty French

Publication Date: November 5th 2013 by St. Martin's Press

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the book:

Ruby has been in love with Ford since their university days, but she hasn't seen her former best friend in years--not since the one unforgettable kiss they shared right before he went off globe-trotting and she stayed behind. When he returns to town unexpectedly for their friends' New Year's Eve wedding, the sparks between them ignite, but can her wanderer ever settle down? Ford has never forgotten Ruby, or the kiss that changed everything between them, despite the many women he has tried to erase her with. His return to England for the wedding means a second chance with Ruby--but will one passion-filled evening with her be enough, or has he finally found his home?

My Thoughts:
Wanderlust was a short but oh-so-fulfilling romance!

Ruby is organizing and hosting her college friends wedding at the hotel/inn she manages. She doesn’t expect, Ford, her college best friend and unrequited love to come as he RSVP’d no. She’s surprised to find out that his plans changed, and he is indeed coming and staying at her inn! Ruby hasn’t seen Ford in eight years and now her heart is in a flutter! Before he left off to travel the globe, Ford planted a kiss to overshadow all other kisses on Ruby leaving her breathless, and then heartbroken when he left. Oh, Ruby! *sniff*

Ford meant to stay in touch with Ruby over the years but couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was secretly in love with Ruby all through college and the kiss he shared with her confirmed she was everything he dreamed of and more. But, Ford had wanted to travel and Ruby didn’t/couldn’t ask him to stay. Coming back to see her after all this time makes him eager and nervous at the same time. Has she moved on? Is she married to someone who loves her like she definitely deserves? He selfishly hopes not.

He might have travelled the world, but he’d been just as lonely as she had, because the one person who mattered wasn’t at his side.

This was short on pages but still a romance full of longing and hot chemistry! Unrequited love or second chance romances always give my heart a little jolt of pain at what’s been missed. Fear not, Ruby and Ford make up for the past in a short amount of time:

She was a woman consumed with molten lust for the man whose kiss had dissolved all of the good intentions she’d had of keeping things platonic. The fact that it had taken eight years to get over just one of Ford’s kisses didn’t matter once his mouth touched hers for a second time.

The history Ruby and Ford had made me root for them all the way, and Ms. French does not disappoint! The ending will leave you with your heart full of happiness! This is the way a novella should be done!

4 Suns

I’m giving away an e-Copy of each of these novellas to one reader through US Amazon or US Barnes & Noble only. I’ll end the giveaway the day of Castle Hill’s release: December 3^rd.  Simply fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win.  Thanks for visiting Waves of Fiction, and good luck! 

Review: Knight & Play by Kitty French

 

Knight & Play by Kitty French

Publication Date: November 23rd 2012

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

About the book: There's only one thing in life Lucien Knight really hates, and that's husbands who cheat on their wives.

There's only one problem in Sophie Black's life. Her cheating husband...

From the moment Lucien & Sophie meet, the seal is set.

Romantic, emotional & intensely erotic, Knight and Play is the perfect read for lovers of international bestsellers Fifty Shades & Bared To You. Let yourself be swept away by Part One of the Knight series from Kitty French, a romance so hot it'll burn your fingers...

CEO of Knight Inc. Lucien Knight is catch-your-breath gorgeous and damaged by his troubled past in Norway. All grown up and relocated to London, he's built his empire of adult clubs from the ground up to become the gorgeous patron saint of the sex industry. No one knows the dark childhood secrets that have given Lucien a backbone of steel and a heart encased in ice. No one until Sophie Black, that is...

From the moment girl-next-door Sophie accepts the job as Lucien Knight's PA, she understands how Alice must have felt when she tumbled down the rabbit hole. Lucien takes her safe, vanilla life away and plunges her head first into a huge dish of fantasy flavours. Rich, spicy chocolate covered with dark, oozingly lickable sauce? Check. Tutti-frutti with indecently red, glistening cherries on the top? Yes please.

Lucien strips away all of Sophie's inhibitions, and when he instructs her to select three new toys, she soon realises he has more than a game of Monopoly on his mind...

He's opened the door to a whole new pleasure packed world without limits, and Sophie is utterly intoxicated. But how far is she willing to go? And what happens when she has to step back into reality again?

Lucien & Sophie's is a story of star crossed love and forbidden passion, a sexual odyssey that spans the globe and changes both of their lives forever. Let it change yours, too.

My Thoughts:

Knight and Play was and extremely sexy and sensual ride!  Smoking HOT does not cover it!

Sophie Black is stuck in a boring life, languishing in a lonely marriage.  Her husband is gone at all times for “business trips” which she is coming to realize are anything but.  It the back of her mind his disinterest and detachment spell something she hasn’t wanted to come to terms with: he’s having an affair. Her career is also in the stuck position and she’s ready for something new.  That something new is a position working for Lucien Knight, an adult entertainment business mogul.  Her heart stutters when she lays eyes on him:

Tall, dark and handsome was nowhere near the mark. He was tall, definitely, but with dirty blond hair and flint blue eyes that were now fixed on her with a predatory look of interest.

She has no idea how much her life is about to change.

Lucien Knight can see the sadness in Sophie’s eyes when she walks into his office and immediately wants to remedy it.  He hires her and quickly finds out her good-for-nothing husband is cheating on her, one of his biggest no-no’s in life.  He can’t understand why someone would neglect Sophie.  Just one look at her and he sees all kinds of sensual potential.  She’s got spunk, sass, innocence, and she’s gorgeous:

The girl was eighty percent kitten and twenty percent lioness, and he considered it his mission to make her roar.

This story is FIERY HOT and should require one of my trademark panty warnings:  May spontaneously combust while reading!  Now consider yourself warned, and know that this warning is for a great percentage of the book. 

Lucien shocks and pushes Sophie’s buttons at every turn lighting all kinds of fires she feels she shouldn’t consider.  She knows her husband is cheating but she’s still technically a married woman.  Normally I detest cheating in books, but when a mate is cheating all bets are off and I consider the injured party free to do what they will. This is my opinion, so the fact that Lucien and Sophie get involved when she is still married didn’t bother me.  Lucien held the same opinion, but Sophie still felt the burning guilt after all was said and done. 

This was a fast and addictive read and I was eagerly flipping through the pages (keeping my fan set on HIGH!) to find out how everything would play out.  Would she continue to work for Lucien?  Would she reconcile with her husband?  Would Lucien allow his feelings to move past just “the here and now” philosophy?  Be warned, this ends with everything up in the air so have book two, Knight & Stay, on hand and ready to go when you finish this one. I’ve already started on it and so far I have to say I like it even more than this one. 

 

4 Suns

 

 

 

Waves of Sunday #30 & Giveaway

 Welcome to our weekly edition of Waves of Sunday where each Sunday we spotlight a book that has been making waves in the book scene or has simply caught our attention causing a riptide on our TBR. Before we share our feature, Waves has some exciting news to share!!

We at Waves wanted to try a new feature out to engage our audience a little more, and have some fun!  We would like you lovelies to let us know in the comments below what book is making waves in your TBR - either one you’re dying to read or one that you’ve read and you just can’t stop thinking about!  Share a delicious quote or leave a comment and tell us why we should feature it on the next Waves of Sunday.  

Here’s the exciting part: If we feature your pick, you win an e-Book of your choice from either US Amazon or US Barnes & Noble!! We will choose a winner once a month so you have an opportunity every Sunday to leave a suggestion. So be sure to share your Waves pick for a chance to have us feature your selection and an opportunity to win an eBook!!

Today we are spotlighting:

Knight & Play by Kitty French

Published: November 23rd 2012

About the Book: There's only one thing in life Lucien Knight really hates, and that's husbands who cheat on their wives.

There's only one problem in Sophie Black's life. Her cheating husband...

From the moment Lucien & Sophie meet, the seal is set.

Romantic, emotional & intensely erotic, Knight and Play is the perfect read for lovers of international bestsellers Fifty Shades & Bared To You. Let yourself be swept away by Part One of the Knight series from Kitty French, a romance so hot it'll burn your fingers...

CEO of Knight Inc. Lucien Knight is catch-your-breath gorgeous and damaged by his troubled past in Norway. All grown up and relocated to London, he's built his empire of adult clubs from the ground up to become the gorgeous patron saint of the sex industry. No one knows the dark childhood secrets that have given Lucien a backbone of steel and a heart encased in ice. No one until Sophie Black, that is...

From the moment girl-next-door Sophie accepts the job as Lucien Knight's PA, she understands how Alice must have felt when she tumbled down the rabbit hole. Lucien takes her safe, vanilla life away and plunges her head first into a huge dish of fantasy flavours. Rich, spicy chocolate covered with dark, oozingly lickable sauce? Check. Tutti-frutti with indecently red, glistening cherries on the top? Yes please.

Lucien strips away all of Sophie's inhibitions, and when he instructs her to select three new toys, she soon realises he has more than a game of Monopoly on his mind...

He's opened the door to a whole new pleasure packed world without limits, and Sophie is utterly intoxicated. But how far is she willing to go? And what happens when she has to step back into reality again?

Lucien & Sophie's is a story of star crossed love and forbidden passion, a sexual odyssey that spans the globe and changes both of their lives forever. Let it change yours, too.

Rachel's Thoughts:
I recently saw this all over my update feed on Goodreads and it sounded intense! Plus, the second and concluding book was just released and I understand this one leaves you hanging, so SCORE!! We don't have to wait for book two!! I also like the fact that it's only 210 pages.  Lately I'm finding it hard to commit to a book over 350 pages.  I guess I'm sort of a wham-bam-thank-you-mam girl right now! Lol! 

Here's a  few quotes that might tempt you:

“Sex is natural.” He trailed one finger down the valley between her breasts to her navel, making her stomach muscles jitter in response. “And f&%king beautiful.” His clear blue eyes held hers. “Now, forget everything else,” he said, “And Get. On. That. Bed.”  

“Don’t lie to yourself because you feel guilty, Sophie. He’s cheating, and you deserve better. You deserve to be adored, and you deserve to be f&%ked until you can’t stand up.”

“The girl was eighty percent kitten and twenty percent lioness, and he considered it his mission to make her roar.”  

Crystal's Thoughts:
Rachel I am right there with you!  I am loving that most books that are coming out now are around 200 pages, this lets me read more books and that is always a good thing!  This one sounds to good!  It sounds very drama filled and just what I am in the mood for.  I love the quotes that you selected and even though I am 100% against cheating I have a feeling that Lucien will make an exception to that rule!  I have to buy this ASAP!