Cover Reveal: Memphis by Ginger Scott

Check out the amazing cover of Memphis by Ginger Scott! We are so excited about this release!

Memphis by Ginger Scott

A Contemporary New Adult Romance
Release day: February 23

Goodreads

Blurb:

My mom always said it was just something about the way he moved.

The same swagger Archie Valentine wore in the ring when he took his opponents down followed him like a halo everywhere he went. But make no mistake about it—he was no angel. He was like a drug. My mother was his addict.

I never understood it…how love could make you blind and convince you to drink the poison. Not until I met Memphis Delaney.

At first, it was the familiar form. He’s a fighter, built like a god from the past, the kind of man the universe doesn’t make anymore. His eyes hide a story, and every time I’m in his presence I want to keep reading him until I get to the end. And then…there’s the way he moves. His boxing is violent but beautiful, and his body is a seductive weapon. When he’s in the ring, he wears the stare of a man committed to the battle until his very last breath.

He could end me; turn me into her. Too much of him will leave me as a shadow, and I’ve lost so much of myself already.

But I have discipline. It came the hard way. Lessons learned, scars left behind, and trust stripped away from life.

I will breathe his air, but I won’t fall for a man like him. The only boxer who’s ever going to break my heart is the one who gave me my name.

About the Author:

Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling and Goodreads Choice Award-nominated author of several young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, The Girl I Was Before, Wild Reckless, Wicked Restless, In Your Dreams, The Hard Count, Hold My Breath, and A Boy Like You.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

Social Media Links:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GingerScottAuthor
Twitter: @TheGingerScott
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/thegingerscott/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GingerScottAuthor
Google: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+GingerScottAuthor/posts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/GingerScott
Website: http://www.littlemisswrite.com

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Cover Reveal: Cross My Heart by L.H. Cosway

Title: Cross My Heart, A Hearts Novella (#5.75)

Author: L.H. Cosway

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: January 31

***Special pre-order price of just 99c!***

Get the first four books in L.H. Cosway’s Hearts series, plus the BRAND NEW bonus novella, Cross My Heart.

The Hearts Boxset Bundle includes:
Six of Hearts (book #1)
Hearts of Fire (book #2)
King of Hearts (book #3)
Hearts of Blue (book #4)
Cross My Heart (bonus novella #5.75)


Iris Garrigan has nothing.

Well, that’s not entirely true. She has her trusty Doc Martin boots. She has her Bowie obsession. And she has the stray cat that sneaks into her bed and keeps her company at night – it’s a quid pro quo relationship. The cat gets a warm body and she gets something alive beside her when she would otherwise be alone.
She also has a job. Sure, washing dishes hardly has her rolling in dough, but with no permanent abode it’s the best she can do. She knows her new boss only lets her work in his restaurant out of pity, but she isn’t above cashing in on a little human compassion if it means she can survive to live another day.

Everything is going fine until Liam Cross starts to take notice of her, poking his newly minted police badge where it doesn’t belong. And if he doesn’t quit soon her not so legal living situation could find her in hot waters. Little does she know, Liam isn’t just being nosy, he’s trying to help. Iris has no idea that he’s been watching her for months, and that he’s completely enamoured with her strange and peculiar ways.

When Liam discovers her secret Iris has two options: stay and face the music or run for the hills.

***Cross My Heart is a contemporary romance novella and tells the story of the youngest Cross brother, Liam Cross.***



Pre-Order Links:

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-hearts-series-lh-cosway/1125333723?ean=2940153912332

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-hearts-series

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/689620

Cross My heart will be published separately on iBooks on January 31st

** There will be no pre-order for Amazon **

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Review: Furious Rush by S.C. Stephens

Title: Furious Rush

Author: S.C. Stephens

Release Date: August 23

Cliffhanger: No

Rating: 2.5 stars

Synopsis:

Mackenzie Cox has a lot to prove. Daughter of a racing legend, she is eager to show the world that she has inherited her father's talent in the male-dominated sport of professional motorcycle racing. The last thing Kenzie needs is to be antagonized by her rival team's newest rider, Hayden Hayes. Plucked from the world of illegal street racing, Hayden immediately gets under Kenzie's skin. His insinuations that Kenzie is a spoiled princess who was handed her career fuels her desire to win, and much to her surprise, Kenzie soon learns she performs better when she's racing against Hayden.

As Kenzie and Hayden push each other on the track, the electric energy between them off the track shifts into an intense--and strictly forbidden--attraction. The only rule between their two ultra-competitive teams is zero contact. Kenzie always does her best to play by the rules, but when her team slips into a financial crisis, she has no choice but to turn to Hayden for help. The tension simmers during their secret, late-night rendezvous, but Kenzie has too much to lose to give in to her desires. Especially when she begins to doubt that Hayden has completely left his street life behind...

When I saw that there was a book coming out set in the racing world, I was immediately drawn in and excited to check it out. I feel like this is a setting with untapped potential, you just don't see that many quality books about racers. The synopsis intrigued me-daughter of a racing legend goes head to head with a street racer on the track. Rivalry and competitiveness flare, then to top it off we have a forbidden romance thrown in to boot? There's plenty of hope there for a riveting read.

Unfortunately for me, I didn't end up feeling as enthusiastic for the story when my expectations met with reality. I wanted to love this one and tried really hard to overlook things. But there were just too many issues that cropped up that detracted from my enjoyment. There were some pieces of the story that I really appreciated, mostly the racing scenes between Kenzie and Hayden. I actually really loved seeing them face off on the track and see their energy feed off of each other.

For some reason that I didn't fully understand, Hayden was my center. I needed him to maintain my balance, and without him, I was lost.

Our heroine Kenzie is one tough woman. On paper, she has all the characteristics in a heroine that I favor. She's strong, independent, works in a male-dominated field and isn't a pushover. I loved her strength of character and her strong loyalty to her family. However, from the very first interactions between her and Hayden, she rubbed me the wrong way. And honestly, I can't say I warmed up much to her throughout the book at all.

When she meets Hayden at an illegal street race, she immediately snubs him and sneers at his participation in such a dangerous sport. I can't argue that what he's doing is reckless, but her judgement and disrespect of him for trying to work his way to what she had handed to her put me off. She's the daughter of a racing legend and her father paved the way for her to follow her dreams. She had opportunities that he never had, and her continued attitude toward him was confrontational and bitchy even when he was trying to reach out and help her.

Lifting my jaw as I refocused my resolve, I told him, "I'm a grown woman, a daughter of a legend, and I don't need your help. Now give me back my phone."

It got to be too much how she constantly treated him, it came off as so bratty and immature. I did understand what she was up against, and it was considerable. Living in her father's shadow has her desperate to break the mold and prove to everyone she has what it takes. And it doesn't help that her father's lack of acceptance causes her confidence to take a major hit.

How the hell was I supposed to stand a chance at succeeding when the bar was already set on the top rung?

When Hayden suddenly enters the professional racing circuit, and more specifically their rival team, she grows an even deeper dislike of him. The Cox and Bennetti teams share the same practice track, but a long standing feud keeps the tension always on the verge of snapping. This hatred her father held for Hayden's team makes her resistance to him even stronger. Despite her immediate attraction, there were too many factors that made even a friendship with him impossible. Her career, her family's financial problems, and finally earning her father's respect all hinged on her keeping her focus on one thing: winning.

Hayden was the complete opposite of Kenzie. He was the rebel, the rule breaker, and I really loved that edge he had.

"I never said rules were stupid, sweetheart. If there were no rules...well, then, it would be impossible for me to break them, wouldn't it?"

He's willing to break any law or push through any obstacle to reach his end goal. He has hidden motivations throughout the book, always keeping you guessing whether or not he was completely trustworthy. The seeds of doubt are constantly being planted when accidents and bad luck plague the drivers. It adds a little layer of mystery to the story, which I liked.

There was a lot of push and pull between the h/H, that caused the tension and angst to build to soaring levels. They had some incredible chemistry arcing off of each other. With every step forward they took, Kenzie took two steps back. The fear of discovery and ruin kept her from admitting her true feelings, even to herself. Just when you think she's going to own up to what was between them, she was reminded of everything she had to lose. It was a dance that kept me spinning in circles with them. At some point, she needed to prove to him that he mattered to her, and I wanted it to happen earlier than it did.

Just a warning, the ending is very abrupt. There is no series listed for this book, but the way things are left off, it's pretty clear there's more of the story to be told. It's not what I'd call a cliffhanger, but there are things that need to be resolved. Overall, I enjoyed the idea of the story, it had great potential. I liked the forbidden element and the racing scenes, but I needed more from the heroine to feel fully connected to their romance. Her abrasive attitude put me off quite a bit. I still think fans of S.C. Stephens will enjoy Furious Rush, it was a unique story with two complex main characters. You may feel completely different than this as me and not be bothered at all by my own personal issues.

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Christie's review: Never Stop Falling by Ashley Drew

Title: Never Stop Falling

Series: Standalone

Author: Ashley Drew

Release Date: March 1, 2016

Rating:3.5 stars

Cliffhanger: No

She didn't expect to fall for her best friend. He was always waiting to catch her.

Corinne Bennett lives in the moment. Whether she's skydiving out of an airplane, or setting off on the road to anywhere, she's ready to dive into the next adventure. That is, if best friend and always-by-the-book Nicholas Kelley doesn't put his foot down on her wild stunts first.

When Corinne gives in to her growing feelings for Nicholas the summer before their freshman year of college, she takes the ultimate risk, making this one adventure he has longed to explore with her.

But the moment they take that irrevocable leap, a shocking revelation blindsides Corinne, exposing her vulnerabilities, baring her fears, and shattering her beliefs about love. With their future—and more importantly, their friendship—now clouded in doubt, she must decide if love is really worth the risk.

Because when it comes to love, you never stop falling.

[ No (hide spoiler)]

In Ashley Drew's debut novel, Never Stop Falling, she manages to address many different themes in the romance genre. Fans of friends to lovers, coming of age, forbidden love and tempestuous second chance love stories will find something to relish here. It's a story of a boy and girl-best friends. They journey through an awakening of passionate young love, facing trials and hardships that their fragile bond can't withstand. Life moves on, and people change, but their feelings for one another are deep-seated and unwilling to dim. No matter the impossibility of their circumstances when they meet again.

"Yesterday makes me weak and vulnerable, and I can't let that get to me. I'm Corinne Bennett-confident, fearless, and certainly not vulnerable. Or at least, that's what I keep telling myself."

As an eighteen-year-old, Corinne is a young woman who's headstrong and daring. She's impulsive and adventurous. And she's also blind to the fact the boy she's shared countless memories with growing up has deeper and more mature feelings for her. You experience the first rush of stepping past that line of friendship when they start to explore their feelings. They were young and naive and sure that the risk was worth the reward.

If this is how addiction starts, then I'm fucking screwed because I want to keep drinking her until I can't see straight.

Until Corinne's whole foundation is devastated, and everything she ever believed in didn't make sense anymore. She makes a shocking discovery, something that she can never come back from. It alters the course of their lives and sets them on separate paths. It isn't until six years later, that she returns home and faces her hometown that she ran from those years ago. It's painful and uncomfortable, even more so when she walks into Nick's bar and faces the man who she could never forget.



This is where the forbidden love part comes in.
(view spoiler)[They are both engaged to other people when they reconnect. And if you're worried about possible cheating, it falls in a murky area. For me personally, I did feel there was some emotional cheating as well as physical to a small degree. Because they did cross lines with each other they never should have. It didn't go all the way, but I would have been happier if they had cut all ties with their fiancés before they let it get that far. Some people won't have as much of a problem with it, though. (hide spoiler)]

I did appreciate Corinne's evolution. She went from that stubborn girl who made rash choices, to a woman who was able to seek the true longing of her heart. Her forgiveness that she resisted for so long allowed her to find true happiness. At times, her choices frustrated me, but then again, they were consistent with her character and something that made her all the more real and human. I found the characters to be believable and well developed, especially for a newbie author. I was really impressed with Ashley Drew's ability to create a story that drew forth so many emotions from me.

So why not a higher rating? A 3.5 is a perfectly respectful rating, falling somewhere between liked it/really liked it. However, I found it hard to stay completely invested in the characters as much as I would have liked. While I did enjoy them, there wasn't anything that I could completely identify with and it made it more difficult for me to wholeheartedly love the story.

As a debut story, I'm really impressed with this author's natural ability and I will most definitely be watching out for future offerings from her.



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Christie's review: The Rules by Elizabeth Brown

Title:The Rules

Series: Off-Limits #2

Author: Elizabeth Brown

Release Date: February 2, 2016

Rating:4 stars

Cliffhanger: No

An older-brother's-best-friend romance

When you're a guy, the rules are simple. Live by the Bro Code:
Rule #1: Always have his back.
Rule #2: Don’t ever leave him stranded.
Rule #3: Never, ever, touch his sister.

Aw, hell. Two out of three ain't bad.
----------
Warning: This story contains mature humor, a lot of cursing, and of course, sexual situations. It’s intended for adult
readers who enjoy that kind of thing.
----------
Lambo and Ainsley's story.
Dual POV with no cliffhanger.
Book 2 in The Off-Limits series. Standalone- but you'll enjoy it more if you read Book 1.

[ No (hide spoiler)]

The Rules is a lighthearted, fast and easy adventure through a manwhore's loss of his hit it and quit it lifestyle. It's told in alternating POV, so not only do we get the funny inner thoughts of the ultimate ladies man, we also get Ainsley's side of the story which I feel gave the book a better balance had it just been the male POV.

If you're a fan of the brother's best friend trope, or the shameless manwhore brought down by an unlikely love, you'll find a lot to enjoy here. I picked this book up as I was recovering from the flu, and I'm so glad I did. It was infused with plenty of sexy times and humor to keep me entertained when I really needed it. This book not only gave me unlimited smiles, but when I wasn't wanting to smack Lambo for his over sexed thoughts, I was being charmed against my will. He is most definitely the best kind of redeemable man ho. I dare you to not full out love him by the end. He's conceited, selfish, and self-centered. Yet, his audacity is nothing short of laugh-worthy.

I kept my briefs on, because as you may remember, I looked fucking good in them. Have I mentioned that sometimes, when chicks think I'm sleeping, I catch them taking selfies with my ass in nothing but these babies?

Just when I thought he couldn't surprise me, he'd come out with a one-liner that would have me laughing out loud. The man had confidence in spades, I'll give him that.

"Oh my God, you are such a stalker."
"I think I'd prefer the term pussy-whisperer, sweetheart."

Even though he's completely full of himself, he never once treats her with disrespect or acts like an asshole. I really liked that underneath all that bluster, he was just a good guy who discovered that his feelings for his best friend's sister went deeper than he ever thought.

After a disastrous fumble one night when she was underage, they both steered clear of one another...until Vegas happened. Suddenly, truths come out and nothing is as it seemed before. The attraction that was stifled years ago suddenly is brought right back to the surface. But is Lambo willing to break his best friend's trust and pursue his feelings her Ainsley?

There's a lot more to this story than simply the brother's best friend storyline. Ainsley has sexual issues that stem from childhood abuse that Lambo is more than happy to work out with her. Even though the condition was a real and serious matter, it was quite an unusual one and the way it was addressed felt lighthearted rather than dark or depressing. I do think her bipolar depression was skimmed over and could have been more developed, but I'm probably more picky than others when it comes to that. Depression has affected my family for the majority of my life, so I know how debilitating it can be. But again, not everyone is going to be as critical as me on the subject.

What I loved was seeing Lambo's slow descent into love. It didn't feel rushed or unnatural. They evolved from a sexual relationship with no labels, to exclusive in secret, to more. It felt like a reasonable progression in their feelings, and there was definitely no insta-love. He had a soft heart underneath that sexy outer package and I loved seeing how accepting he was of her, and how he supported her even when she wasn't feeling capable of holding everything all together. He loved her, just as she was.

"You keep saying you're fucked up, but what you aren't hearing is that I don't care. All I want is you. All of you. Only you."
He rested his forehead against mine.
"I love you, Ainsley Andrews."

If you're looking for something that will make you smile and keep you turning the pages in delight, look no further. Lambo was sweet, sexy, and devilish all rolled into one irresistible package. Ainsley was a somewhat inexperienced librarian who learns to let her hair down, and isn't afraid to keep this man in line who's used to always getting his way. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light and enchanting read to make them laugh. I think Elizabeth Brown has a new follower in me, I'm looking forward to seeing what she gives us next.

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Christie's review: Starting Over by Barbie Bohrman

Title:Starting Over

Series: Standalone

Author: Barbie Bohrman

Release Date: January 19, 2016

Rating:3 stars

Cliffhanger: No

Single mom Vanessa Holt has a daughter she loves, a supportive family, and her art. Having given up on finding true love—if that even exists, which she doubts—she’s content to put romance on the back burner. But not everyone agrees. Those nearest and dearest are ready to see Vanessa let down her long blonde hair and have some fun.

To put their grumbling to rest, Vanessa agrees to go on a date with the next man who asks. Luckily for her, that man is Cameron Thomas, her daughter’s extremely handsome science teacher. She’d felt a spark of chemistry the first time she’d laid eyes on him. Now she’s ready to lay a whole lot more on the sexy bachelor.

But just as things get hot, they also get heavy. When the man who broke Vanessa’s heart reappears, her old doubts and fears about love rush to the surface. Will her fresh start with Cameron be over before it’s barely begun?

[ No (hide spoiler)]

I became a fan of Barbie Bohrman after reading Playing It Safe. It was one of those new-to-me author experiments that worked out even better than I could have imagined. Sexy, sweet, surprisingly addictive rolled into one, I was ready to sign up for any future releases she had to offer. I'm going to be honest and tell you that I didn't even read the synopsis before I requested this book. I was just that happy with my first experience. While I didn't quite love this as much as I was expecting, there was still enough to offer to make it a pleasant read. This was the type of book that was light on the drama and heavy on the sweetness.

Cutting it down to basics, here's what you get with Starting Over:

Sexy, nerdy science teacher meets single mother and sparks fly, awkward dating ensues, and a relationship with two people grows. I have a weakness for stories with nerds so that was one big selling point for me. It's a very simple plot but while reading it, I could identify with the heroine quite a bit. While I'm not a single mother, I have a daughter around the same age and a lot of the things she experienced and discussed with her felt like it was coming right from my own home. In that way it felt very naturalistic and enabled me to understand the heroine very well.

Vanessa was abandoned by her boyfriend in college when she became pregnant, but instead of taking the easy way out like he did, she resolved to make the best life for her child. Her dreams of pursuing her love of art became a hobby rather than a career and she devoted her life to providing a stable and happy life for her daughter. After 13 years, she hasn't had a dating life to speak of. But now that her daughter is getting a little older and becoming more independent, she's starting to wonder if maybe she should start thinking of being more selfish. To give herself permission to do things for herself and not feel guilty about it. The first step in that direction was setting eyes on her daughter's new science teacher. He had sexy geek written all over him and for the first time in years, she was flustered and attracted to a man.

Like Professor Indiana Jones himself came to life and stepped off the movie screen and is now standing right in front of me in all his adorably dorky, aloof hotness, packaged perfectly in the guise of a random science teacher in Anytown, USA.

Really there only a couple of conflicts in the book, but they were just minor blips on the scale, they weren't all that significant. We had Vanessa's ex suddenly reappearing and looking to finally step up and become a part of his daughter's life. This scaring the living daylights out of her, and making her fear him pursuing custody of their child. First of all, her fear level didn't seem plausible to me simply because the man abandoned them and not only did not financially support his child in 13 years, but he never met her or spoke with her. How does she feel like he has a chance of taking her daughter away from her? She's raised a happy, healthy, and well adjusted child and she thinks he's going to have more rights than her? Not only that, but I lost a little respect for her when she questioned whether or not to accept child support from him. Because she "feels like it makes her look like that's all she cares about." Really? The man helped father the child, decided he wanted no part of them for that many years, and she wants to continue to let him have it easy? Hell no.

The conflict toward the end caused by Vanessa's fears came out of nowhere for me and didn't seem naturalistic IMO. Her reasoning why she did what she did wasn't sufficient for me to believe in her reacting that way. She knew all the dangers and risks going into things with Cameron from the beginning and was willing to take her chances in order to find happiness for herself, to start over. My other reasoning for my rating was the lack of heat in the book. After being pleasantly surprised with Playing it Safe, I was expecting a considerable amount of steam, but in this case it never passed the simmering stage.

If you're looking for a book that's high on the angst, drama, or steam, this probably won't be the book for you. But if you're in the mood for a fast, light read with plenty of sweetness this could be what you're looking for. Barbie Bohrman is a talented author I will continue to follow. I may not have loved this one as much as I had hoped, but it was still entertaining, engaging, and that geeky Star Wars loving hero made everything worth my while.

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