GRAND PRIZE: 1 winner will receive a Kindle Fire loaded with an ebook from each above-mentioned author, beach bag swag, and a signed copy of Grey and Darker by E.L. James
1 winner will receive a signed copy of Real Good Love and Real Good Man by Meghan March
1 winner will receive a signed copy of Tempt the Playboy by Natasha Madison
Work in Progress, an all-new romantic comedy from Staci Hart, is available now!
I never thought my first kiss would be on my wedding day.
But here I stand, clutching a bouquet of pale pink roses behind the doors of a Las Vegas chapel, and at the end of the aisle is the absolute last man I imagined would be waiting for me.
Thomas Bane.
Bestselling author. Notorious bad boy. Savagely handsome, dark as sin, chiseled as stone. And somehow, my soon-to-be husband.
Marry him, and I’ll land my dream job. Save him, and I’ll walk away with everything I’ve ever wanted. All I have to do is remember it’s all for show. None of it is real, no matter how real it feels.
But first, I have to survive the kiss.
And with lips like his, my heart doesn’t stand a chance.
My review:
Amelia – tiny, fair, painfully shy book reviewer whose blog posts ripping the popular author Thomas Bane to shreds have gone viral.
Tommy – tall, dark, charming playboy author who is frequently in the public eye for his bad boy ways. He has read Amelia’s reviews skewering his books and actually agrees with her arguments.
After meeting at a book signing, Tommy asks Amelia to work with him on his next book, editing and critiquing as he goes. He needs someone not afraid to tell him his ideas suck. Amelia agrees, recognizing that a reference from Thomas Bane would open all kinds of career doors for her in the future.
After yet another bout of negative media exposure, however, Tommy is facing losing everything. He pleads for one more chance to clean up his image and finish the book. To do this, he makes a deal with Amelia: one year of fake marriage, friendship, and amazing career opportunities for her at the end. He will also help Amelia with her fear and diffidence by extreme exposure therapy.
The trouble is, how do they know what is real and what is fake? Can they both walk away after a year?
I loved this couple. This is totally a case of opposites attracting, both physical and personality opposites. Amelia is almost mute around people outside her circle, resulting from childhood cruelty regarding her speech impediment she’s since corrected. Tommy has carefully cultivated a bad boy/playboy reputation, initially to gain fame and attention and now to keep the press distracted from his family and his background. These two work so well together, though. They are adorable together. Other things I liked: Sarah, Tommy and Theo’s mother. Amelia’s supportive friends. Gus and Claudius.
What didn’t I like? It ended and the next book isn’t out yet! This one is definitely a standalone, I didn’t even realize it was part of a series, but the epilogue hints at the next story and with what is revealed about another character, I can’t wait to read it and see what happens. And I hope we get more Tommy and Melia in that one, too.
Overall: Such a good read! This is the sweetest, most charming couple. Read it!
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life — a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can’t forget that. She’s also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She’s been a wife, though she’s certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She’s also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she’s been drinking whiskey.
From roots in Houston to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.
Picture Perfect Summer, the highly anticipated second chance romance From New York Times bestselling author Marquita Valentine.
It all started with a dare…
He was supposed to be a summer fling, but Duke King made me fall in love with him and I spent the most perfect summer by his side.
Then I met his wife—his pregnant wife.
And I had no other choice but to leave Castle Beach for good.
Ten years later, I’m back to sell my parents’ house and leave behind the memories of that perfect summer, once and for all.
But my plans for a quick visit are hindered by a sexy single dad.
I’m older and wiser, but so is he… and this time, he says he’s not going to let me go without a fight.
My review:
True meets Duke at the beach when she is home in NC visiting her parents for the summer between college graduation and starting her teaching career back in Arizona. She thinks they’ll have a summer fling, but real feelings develop. She is resisting her parents’ arguments about staying in the area, but Duke could be the one to convince her. Then she finds out that Duke is married – although separated and waiting for the divorce to be finalized – and they both learn that he is about to become a father. True doesn’t want to be the one to split up a family, so she takes the job in Arizona and never talks to Duke again.
Ten years later, True is back to get her old family home ready to sell when Duke appears again. Her feelings haven’t changed, but how can they make things work when his life and family are in North Carolina and hers is in Arizona?
What I liked: True and Duke are so very good together. He is brooding and quiet, she is sunshine and chatter. They complement each other well. True’s parents and their relationship with their daughter were so heartwarming. And then the second half of the book, now ten years later, was so good. Reading how life progressed for all the characters, how they all grew up, was fun. And seeing how Grown Up True and Duke deal with each other. But I think my favorite was River. She is the glue that holds them all together. Also, I liked that even though this book is the third in a series, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything.
What I didn’t like: It’s so frustrating that True would let Laken have such an influence on her, even knowing how Laken lied!
Overall: So worth reading! I admit I was skeptical about this book from the description – it sounds like Duke is cheating on his wife with True and that just isn’t cool. But thankfully that isn’t the situation at all. I’m glad I gave it a chance.
Duke jogs up the stairs, looking so fine that I want to take a picture and post it on Instagram for the entire world to see. “ “You look pretty.”
My cheeks heat and I all but twist my foot around in awkward celebration. “Thanks. So do you. I mean, not pretty. Good. You look good.”
A smile pushes at the corners of his mouth, transforming his sexy good looks into positively sinful. I get so hot that I start fanning my face. “It’s a little hot this evening, isn’t it?”
“No more than usual.” He offers me his arm and I have the presence of mind to take it before we walk to his truck parked on the driveway below the porch. “It’s a lot cooler in my truck, so you shouldn’t melt on the way to Ten Blue.”
“That’s very considerate of you. I’m really excited about dinner.” I moan happily. “All the seafood.”
He doesn’t reply right away, or at all until he opens the passenger side door. Maybe the happy moan was too much? I don’t know, but I make the same noise when I eat food I like, or at least Sunny accuses me of moaning like a ghost in church. Not really sure about that analogy. Sunny’s from SoCal, so who knows really.
“I’m sure you’ll have plenty to choose from and if you don’t, we can ask.” He pauses as I climb inside and I take the opportunity to spend a great deal of time getting situated.
“Fair warning. I like to eat. I really like to eat my favorite food, so if the happy moaning bothered you, I’ll try to keep it to a three.”
His brow quirks. “Out of three?”
I snort. “Five. Duh.”
“You really are an odd duck,” he says, but it sounds more like a compliment than an insult, so that warm feeling he’s inspired in me grows. “Anything else you need to warn me about before we go?”
I shake my head. “Not that I can think of.”
“Damn. I was kinda hoping you did.” He winks at me and shuts the door on my shocked face.
About Marquita:
Marquita Valentine is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Holland Springs and Boys of the South series.
Since first taking the plunge in July of 2012 to self publish, Marquita Valentine has appeared on the Top 100 Bestselling Ebooks Lists on iBooks, Amazon Kindle, and Barnes&Noble. She’s been called “one of the best new voices in romance” (Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews) and her books have been accused of being “a sexy, fun, and slightly addicting contemporary read” (The Book Queen).
When she’s not writing sexy heroes who adore their sassy heroines, she enjoys shopping, reading, and spending time with her family and friends. Married to her high school sweetheart, Marquita lives in a seriously small town in the south with her husband, two kids, and a dog.
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