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Ten books that have stayed with me in some way…

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Okay my turn! I was tagged by Sally for the FB Book game, and it was just way too cool, so I thought I’d bring it here for all of us to play, too. Most of you already know my favorites, but I think you’ll be surprised at a few of my “other” favorites from my reading past.

It goes like this:

“In your status, list 10 books that have stayed with you in some way. Don’t take more than a few minutes and do not think too hard. They do not have to be the “right” books or great works of literature, just ones that have affected you in some way. Tag 10 friends including me so I can see your list…”

That is… if you’re on Facebook and want to carry on there. Or just post them here in the comments!

Here are mine (I’m cheating a little with some series) they are in no particular order EXCEPT the first book which affected me GREATLY!

1.) Beautiful Disaster: A Novel by Jamie McGuire <— my favorite book, because… Travis. That’s why. He is still my #1 “human” guy, and pretty much my number one book-guy of all time. Other than Zsadist, that is. 😉 All I know is that when I re-read Beautiful Disaster, I get the exact same reaction each time! It never fails. Travis puts me in a week-long love-fog. My Book Review.

2.) Twilight (The Twilight Saga Book 1) by Stephenie Meyer <— because it set me on this non-stop reading path that makes me happier than anything ever! Once I read this one, I couldn’t get enough books. I was DYING to find that feeling all over again, and boy have I ever!! My Book Review.

3.) Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume <— Because it’s the book I read over and over again as a kid. I rarely re-read books (even back then) but this one never got boring for me. I LOVED it.

4.) Fifty Shades of Grey (#1 & #2) by E.L. James <— Because OMG, Christian Grey, that’s why.  Seriously. I had never read anything like that before and I was blown away. Especially during a certain part in book #2. I book-died! My Book Review (#1) and Book Review (#2)

5.) Comfort Food by @Kitty Thomas <— because I had never read anything like THAT before and I squirreled it away in my “dark-closet” ’cause I couldn’t believe I could connect to something that dark. I was terrified. Of him. And my connection to that story. eek WHOA is all I could feel from start to finish. My first personal case of Stockholm syndrome. That stuff is powerful! My Book Review.

6.) Born in Ice: The Born In Trilogy #2 by Nora Roberts <— Back before I was a regular romance reader, this was the first book I ever read where I actually fell in love with the hero. I mean swoooooning, love fog, haze and months worth of loving *him*. I had read romances before, but this one GOT me good. I never knew we could actually “fall” for a fictional character before. HE was my very first.

7.) Lover Awakened (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 3): A Novel Of The Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward <— my first “forever book-boyfriend”. Zsadist will always be my number one #1. I couldn’t believe my emotional LUCK reading that book. He knocked Edward right out of the ballpark, and I was hooked onto the more hardcore vampires for good! Mind you, Eric from the Sookie Stackhouse, and Bones from the Night Huntress series pretty much lead me to harder-core vampires (that I fell in love with), but Z? He ruled my reading world! Knocked ’em ALL out of the ball park, for me. My Book Review.

8.) Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens <— closest I ever came to falling in love as hard as I fell for Travis. Kellan and Travis were my #1’s for the longest time. Still are. This was THAT book that took me on the same level of angst and emotional connection that Beautiful Disaster took me on. I was on SUCH a search for another that gave me that same “Beautiful Disaster” rush, and when I read this one, I started my review with ” I FOUND IT!!! I fouuuuuuuunnnndd it!!!!” I was ecstatic! My Book Review.

9.) The Host: A Novel by Stephanie Meyer <— hardest I ever cried during a book. To the point my husband had to take it away from me and force me to watch a funny movie. It worked! But the minute I picked the book back up, I immediately started sobbing again. I was an absolute wreck, and usually I sob in secret, but there was NO way I could control that enough for my husband not to notice. 😉 In fact, he was in ANOTHER room altogether, but yeah… he had to come out to see what all that noise was. It was me. neutral My Book Review.

10.) Rock Me (Ross Siblings Book 2) by Cherrie Lynn <— This is the book that officially switched me from strictly paranormal into this new “indie/new adult/tattooed bad boy world”. I read this one even BEFORE Beautiful Disaster and for awhile, I couldn’t even choose between Brian and Travis. And y’all KNOW how much I love Travis… so Brian must have been SOMETHING BIG for me. Just sayin’ 😛 In fact, I felt like apologizing to Brian when I finally chose Travis. *sigh* Brian is just THAT awesome. That book is just that romantically (emotionally) intense. My Book Review.

And a few honorable mentions:

11.) Stephen King’s “The Long Walk” <— what a nightmare!!! I mean, they had to *poop* while walking… just to stay alive!!! Or they’d get shot!!! GAH!

12.) The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx <— I used to be a strictly horror/autobiography kind of girl (before I discovered romance) and this one was ABSOLUTELY fascinating!!! Wow… Nikki kind of scared me once upon a time, but after this book, *whooooo*. He was my #1 bad boy book-hero of all time, but he was real. But that was before I discovered “fictional bad boys”. LOL!

13.) The Long Hard Road Out of Hell by Marilyn Manson <—- Eeeeeep!! He used to scare me big time, too (I mean… come on, right!??) LOL! But I couldn’t help but be fascinated… and I LOVED his story. And his music.

Now you go! 😀

            

Vi Keeland – MMA Fighter Series Reading Order

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MMA FIGHTER ROMANCE SERIES ALERT!! I can’t get enough of these “fighter” alpha-male heartbreakers, and now here’s a whole new series for us to indulge in. I read #1 and enjoyed it (my review), and I’m seeing that #2 made Andrea freak out. LOL! PLUS! Book #3 was just released today!

And what makes it even more fun? Each one can be read as a standalone!

Deija: Worth the Fight by Vi Keeland!!!! It’s fantastic. A little angst. A lot of lust and…..*clears throat*…..ummm….yeah…. And here’s a twist….They’re (the heroin and the De-lish-OUS MMA fighter) both are “tormented”……so…..yeah..…I’m going to cool off now….or maybe read it again…..BYE

Melinda: I absolutely so loved this book. Read it once then read it again. I so didnt expect the whole story. Nico is sooooo Hot. A really nice romance story.

Linda: Just finished Worth the Fight. AMAZING. I need to start a journal just to keep up with all my fantasy boyfriends. Nico;)))))) MMA fighter and soooo yuuuummy. Loved all the characters in this read and that doesn’t happen often. Xoxo

Andrea: Everyone needs to put down what they are reading NOW…and meet Vince Stone!!!  Worth the Chance is SOOOOO worth the read!! Vi Keeland has literally hit this one out of the ballpark! Liv and Vince are electric and Vi does such a great job at tying in their past to their present. It was sweet but edgy…Vince was hot and alpha. Yet there was a softer side to Vince also. I love Vinceand Liv’s tie to one another and their chemistry just pulled me in from the very start. If you are looking for steam between the characters…OH YA…it’s in there.  Conflict is there too.  The only spoiler I will tell is….you may want to have a couple tissues on hand …I did shed several tears…some happy tears and some hurting tears.

About book #1:

It didn’t matter that the ref called it a clean hit. Nico Hunter would never be the same.

Elle has a good life. A job she loves, a great apartment, and the guy she’s been dating for more than two years is a catch and a half. But it’s boring…and she strives to keep it that way. Too many emotions are dangerous. Her own past is living proof of what can happen when you lose control.

Then Nico walks into Elle’s office and everything changes…for both of them. But what can the tattooed, hard-bodied MMA fighter and the beautiful and always steady attorney have in common? A lot more than they bargained for.

  

An exclusive “Behind the Book” look with Claire Wallis: “Five Things I Learned While Writing PUSH”

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<— Remember that darkish book that I loved SO much a couple of months ago? Push (check out my 4.5 star, spoiler-free book review of Push and you’ll see). It was the one that kept all of us that read it on the edge of our seat FREAKING OUT over what we were reading. To give you an idea… here’s a bit from the blurb.

David is cool and collected, and he makes Emma feel safe for the first time ever. But David has his own chilling past—his six previous girlfriends have all disappeared without a trace. Emma’s walking a dangerous line, but David’s pull is intoxicating. And impossible to resist…

This author is deviously clever!

BUT!! If you haven’t read Push yet, <—first, here’s my review and I just read the author’s “Five Things I Learned” (below) and EVERYONE can read it! No spoilers. She was VERY good at keeping it “clean” and still you’ll go in nice and blind. I want you to read the book in all of it’s crazy, exciting, scary, swoon-worthy glory. So, for those that haven’t read Push yet, scroll past my mini-panic-attack below, until you see this —> Five Things I Learned While Writing PUSH, and then start reading again. But either way. If you occasionally like your romance reads dark and scary and mysterious… read this book!

But for those of us that have read it, you can continue reading my mind-ramblings, below:

‘Cause, she had us all so nervous right?? Just knowing… something… *eeeeeeeep!!!* and yet… connecting so HARD to both of the characters. Even the er… implied “bad guy”. It’s not just implied. I think. I mean, no. He’s bad. Yep. Unless there’s more to the story and I’m missing something? Maybe. But… there’s no way for redemption. Right? There’s just… no. I think. No. Nooooo. I know. Yes. Er… GAH!!!

I don’t understand (I mean it’s kind of obvious ’cause of the “look-backs” as the story progressed) but OMG how can I be so connected to him?! I mean considering what we now know… But no! Nope. There’s just no way to redeem that, right?

I’m dying to know more, and I’m hoping the author’s “tidbits” below have a sneaky “read between the lines” message that will give me relief, but with an awesome crazy story like that, and THAT kind of cliffhanger? Yeah… I don’t think the author is going to give it up that easy. 😉

But let’s see what we can glean from her creative, deviously scheming mind, shall we?

Five Things I Learned While Writing PUSH

Hi. My name is Claire Wallis, and I’m the author of PUSH – a crazy, little love story about two very lost souls named David and Emma. I learned some interesting things while writing the book, and Maryse and I thought it might be fun for me to share some of them with you.

1. Fiction writing is not a good career for people who crave constant feedback.

Fiction writing is a solo activity. Yes, you can have critique partners or be part of a writing group, but the actual act of writing is really kind of lonely. That might not bother some people, but it bothered the hell outta me. Social activity is my crack. I crave interaction with other human beings. I WANT to be around people. Lots and lots of people. Writing is lonely stuff, and I suspect that’s why social media is incredibly important to so many writers. It lets us connect with real, live human beings on a regular basis. And they respond! They give us the feedback we so desire. Social media is the only way I “get out” some days. It’s key to my sanity.

Tweet me….please….for the love of God, tweet me.

2. It’s entirely possible to fall in love with a person that doesn’t actually exist.

David. MY David….sigh…..I love him. I know I shouldn’t. But I do. I can’t help it. Even less-than-perfect people are worth loving. Even people with faults as enormous as David’s can be deserving of our empathy, our sympathy, our understanding. I hope that his story adds emotional complexity to PUSH and creates conflict within the reader. As you learn more about David – or any other fictitious “bad boy” for that matter – you might begin to understand what shaped him, what drives him. And maybe knowing all that might allow you to fall for him the same way Emma did. The same way I did. Or maybe it will drive you in the opposite direction. I don’t know. But, I wanted the small pieces of David’s story scattered throughout the book to give you just enough insight into his life to make you consider that maybe he’s somehow worth understanding, if not loving. Even just a little bit.

But I love him much more than just a little bit, because I know ALL of his story. And someday you will too…. (wink, wink!)

3. Writing sex scenes without using the “Dirty Cs” is really, really hard.

You know what I mean by the “Dirty Cs”, don’t you? Those C-words that jump off the page almost every time you read a sex scene that uses graphic language? How many “Dirty Cs” can you name? Think about it…..I’ll wait….still waiting….got them all yet? I’m uncomfortable even typing them here, so I’m not going to. I’ll just assume you know the words I’m talking about. I’m far from a prude (if you already read PUSH, I bet you figured as much), but those words just don’t do it for me. In fact, they downright bother me. Graphic language is a big turn-off for me as a reader, so I tried my damndest to create smokin’ sex scenes without it. It was so much more difficult than I thought it would be.

4. My brain is weird.

If you ask my husband or any of my friends, they’ll say that this is not breaking news. But until I wrote PUSH, I believed that everyone thought the same way I do. I thought that little fragments of stories were rolling around in everyone’s head, every waking second of every day, just like they roll around in mine. Turns out I was wrong about that. Some people can actually shut that sh#t down! They can switch off their brain and stop the ideas from bouncing around in there. Not me. Sometimes I’ll hear someone on the street telling a story, and I’ll pull one sentence out of it and I’ll dwell on that one sentence for the rest of the day, thinking about those words and what kind of story they would make. Try it sometime. Eavesdrop on the bus or at lunch or in line at the zoo. Take a single sentence out of that conversation and mentally build a story on it. It’s pretty fun. Or maybe I just feel that way because my brain is weird.

Which brings me to number five…

5. A single sentence is all it takes.

Up until I typed PUSH’s first sentence, I never set out to be a fiction writer, even though I always have bits of stories floating around in my head. I am a science writer by trade, but I knew I had a story to tell the moment this particular string of words came out of my brain: “I am standing on the bridge, and in a rush of brutal and beautiful clarity, I know.” I had the basic idea for this book scribbled down on a piece of paper and shoved into a drawer for years, but typing that one sentence on my computer changed everything. It created David and Emma. It created an opportunity for me to share their story in a voice I didn’t even know I had. Eight months later, PUSH was finished and I was ready to throw it out into the world.

Every story starts with a single sentence. The trick is to keep going. Keep telling the story you want to tell, and ignore anyone who tries to tell you it isn’t worth it.

AND, for those of you who may be wondering, PUSH #2 is written. It needs some editorial love before it can hit-the-streets, but it won’t be long until the rest of the story is told. Give me a few more months. The wait will be worth it. I promise.

Callie Hart – Blood & Roses Series Reading Order

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<— DARK READ ALERT!! And when I saw this part of the blurb, I got a jolt! “She wants me to be her hero, But I’m not a good man. I am her damnation.” <—- Ohhhhhhh!!!

Kate: Just read Deviant by Callie Hart. Holy Jesus crap. Down the rabbit hole and I want more! Had the book tinglies for the first time in foreeeeeeeeeeeever. The thinking about it all day fog. Now I’m in the sad “I’m never gonna start another book cause they’re just not gonna be as good” sadness.

Julie: I really like Deviant.  Starts out pretty amazing!

Tanya:  Read the first one and loved it need to catch up now!! Love zeth and sloane

Nadine: This is my favorite in the series  So much more emotions and untold feelings.

Nessa: It is an EXCELLENT series Maryse! Move over Christian Grey – there is a new kinky tortured hero in town!  One of my fave reads of 2014!

Sandra: I’ve read the first two books and they are addictive.

Susan: Oh Yes!! I am addicted.

Hang: I love this series! They get better with each book and Zeth is HAWT in a “I can’t believe I like that he did that” way. 🙂

Sally: Maryse and ladies I am binge reading The Blood & Roses series by Callie Hart. You all know I only start screaming from the roof tops when I am hooked. I. Can’t. Stop. Reading!! Loving these HARD ladies if you haven’t read them yet GET ON IT! I’m on book 3 and Zeth is easily becoming my new book boyfriend. It’s sexy and with an interesting storyline love the flow. Yep I’m hooked!

About book #1:

Sloane 

I’m not proud of the things I’ve done. The things I’ve had to do. The things I’ve given away. But I’d give it all over again to find her. Even if i die trying, I have to find Alexis.

Zeth

She wants me to help her, But I won’t. She wants me to save her sister, But I can’t. She wants me to be her hero, But I’m not a good man. I am her damnation.

      

Latest Paranormal & Contemporary Romance Book Releases – August 19th 2014

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<— BREAKING NEWS UPDATE!! Brand new release JUST WENT LIVE!! —> The Viper (Untamed Hearts Book 1) by Kele Moon is now on Amazon!  This is a book from one of my fave MMA fighter series. It’s actually a spinoff from the “Battered Heart Series” ’cause these are the mob guys involved in that whole thing…  YAY ME!!!!

The author states:

Kele Moon: “I wrote the new series so it could stand alone, but for fans of the Battered Hearts books all their fav characters are in it…”

Sally: Wait, wait…WHAT?!? Did you say MOB GUYS!!! LOL

Kristi: I’m reading now and enjoying the hell out of it!! Sally, it has gang members in it and some bad boy fighters!!!

Christine: I loved battered hearts!!!! Can’t wait to read this! 🙂

And here are my reviews of the first 3 in case y’all are curious:

Wow… we have quite a few unique (or at least… exciting-sounding) premises today! A virgin that sells it to the highest bidder, another one about a family debt that she must repay (by becoming his, on his 29th birthday), a lead-prisoner that runs the show, and takes the warden’s daughter while she’s visiting the prison (eeeep!!), a stripper paying her way through college, until… “there’s one other person who knows both the quiet, antisocial Hannah and the sensual, shameless Alicia.” <— eek HER TEACHER! Oh! And one about a girl getting over her cheating ex, accidentally uncovers something that puts her on a mob hit-list and the only cop who’ll help her is… her cheating ex! eek <— YIKES!

Plus! A bunch of dark reads, rock star reads, biker reads… and some super-angsty sounding, trouble-making love triangles. You know. Right up our book-alley. 😉

P.S. —> I’m still adding to this list as we speak. There’ve been LOTS of new releases over the last few days that look awesome! (I noted a bunch of ’em below + SO many releasing on sale).

P.S. Let me know if I’m missing any or if you loved any (from this list or elsewhere).

P.P.S. Don’t have a Kindle? No problem! Amazon offers various free Kindle apps and a free Kindle Cloud reader for any and ALL of us to use. You can either use the free Kindle App for your smartphone, tablet, AND your desktop computer (just like you’re using a Kindle, but right through your web browser <— No need to download anything! :D )

BARGAINS (NOTE: bargain priced when I added them, but prices can change on Amazon, so make sure to check before you finalize your order).

  • Bo & Ember (November Blue Book 5) by Andrea Randall <— Stephanie found us this deal today, saying: “This is the fifth, and final, book in the November Blue series. Bo & Ember (November Blue Book 5) by Andrea Randall On SALE for limited time.” Here is the November Blue Series Reading Order
  • Stay by Emily Goodwin <— DARK READ ALERT!!! Stephanie found it! “…all that changes in an instant when she is witness to something terrible, something she wasn’t supposed to see. Beaten, drugged, kidnapped. Adeline Miller is ripped from her innocent and carefree life and thrust into darkness, into a world full of pain and horror…“
  • Mr. X by Clarissa Wild <— Stephanie found us this one, too! “Described as Dark and Disturbing with Lust, Rage, Revenge, Violence, and more…★ Mr. X by Clarissa Wild ★! No Cliffhanger. Stand Alone.“
  • Dominic (Slater Brothers, #1) by L.A. Casey <— Stephanie found us this sale, too! “Dominic wants Bronagh and the only way he can get to her, is by dragging her from the boxed off corner she has herself trapped in, the only way he knows how…by force. On SALE” <— PLUS!! Two more books were just released in the series (see ’em below in the contemporary releases).
  • Strapped (Strapped Series Book 1) by Nina G. Jones <— Stephanie found us this one, too! “In celebration of the upcoming release of unStrapped, the final installment of the trilogy (available for pre-order), A dark story of passion, manipulation, obsession, and family secrets.”
  • Strapped Down (Strapped Series Book 2) by Nina G. Jones <— and here is #2!
     

PARANORMAL

     

CONTEMPORARY

  • Twisted (Blood & Roses Book 5) by Callie Hart <— JUST RELEASED!!!
  • Dear Jon (Choisie Book 3) by Lori Otto <— JUST RELEASED!!
  • Hard to Hold On To: A Hard Ink Novella by Laura Kaye <— “He may have just met her, but Jenna’s the first person to make him feel alive since that devastating day in the desert more than a year ago.”
  • Bronagh (Slater Brothers, #1.5) by L.A. Casey (see book #1 on sale, in the bargain above!)
  • Alec (Slater Brothers, #2) by L.A. Casey
  • Breaking Bad (Bad Boys of the Bay Book 1) by Karin Tabke <— BAD-ASS COP ALERT! They had a one-night and… “Now he’s back, the baddest cop in the whole damn town, distracting her from the most important case of her career—capturing the Cain killer.”
  • A Whole New Crowd by Tijan <— “Taryn grew up in a different world. Her boyfriend was a criminal. His older brother was part of a gang. They weren’t great people, but they were her family. Then everything changes when she’s adopted by a family in the neighboring town. New family. New friends. A new world. She’s elated. This is her chance for a new beginning, but secrets start being revealed and Taryn learns her new life has ties to her old one…“
  • Debt Inheritance (Indebted Book 1) by Pepper Winters <— “Jethro Hawk receives Nila as an inheritance present on his twenty-ninth birthday. Her life is his until she’s paid off a debt that’s centuries old. He can do what he likes with her—nothing is out of bounds—she has to obey. ” <— Eeeeeep!
  • Without You (Love Wanted in Texas Book 1) by Kelly Elliott <— “Getting caught prematurely causes them to admit their love for each other to their parents. One decision made by Alex’s father changes her entire world, shattering her plans for the future. Alex always thought Will was the very air she breathed, but life has a way of causing doubts for the one thing she thought was absolute…their love.“
  • Seducing Lauren (Love Under the Big Sky Book 2) by Kristin Proby <— Lawyer begins to fall for his recently divorced client…
  • Convicted (Entangled Ignite) by Dee Tenorio <— COP ALERT!! NEW RELEASE “…sultry biker has criminal written all over her. So why can’t he see her like any other convict?“
  • Afterburn by Kathleen Lawless <— COPE ALERT again!
  • Broken Heart Trail by Marijo Smith
  • Small Town Girl (The Small Town Girl series) by Linda Cunningham
  • Sprinkles on Top (A Sugar Springs Novel) by Kim Law
  • Beast Part 1: An Erotic Fairy Tale by Ella James <— VIOLENT PRISONER ALERT!! (And her dad is a Warden at that prison) Looks like a serial series (and sounds good – except it’s short so, if it’s good it’ll make me antsy for more!) “Annabelle pays a surprise visit to La Rosa, hoping to use her new counseling license at a place she thinks she could make a difference. When Beast sees her, he releases the warden and grabs the nameless girl who played a starring role in the worst night of his life. The price for the warden’s error is not death. It’s his precious Belle.“
  • Filthy Beautiful Lies by Kendall Ryan <— She auctions off her virginity!!! “Sophie Evans has been backed into a corner. With her sister’s life hanging in the balance, the only choice is to claw her way out, even if that means selling her virginity to the highest bidder at an exclusive erotic club. When Colton Drake takes her home, she quickly learns nothing is as it seems with this beautifully troubled man.“
  • The Biker Who Rode Me: Motorcycle Club Erotic Romance by Claire Westwood <— Hehe. I think that title says it all.
  • Sweeps (One Way or Another Book 4) by Jade Cain <— M/M romance!
  • Takeover by Anna Zabo <— M/M romance!
  • Transient Hearts (A Western Escape) Zee Monodee
  • Trust in Advertising by Victoria Michaels <— I remember how popular this one was on Fictionpress (at least I think it was Fictionpress) and how often it was recommended when we all discovered the awesome indie books! Now it’s available on Amazon!
  • A View to a Thrill (Masters and Mercenaries Book 7) by Lexi Blake <– BAD-ASS MILITARY DOMS! 😉
  • Watching Fireflies (Love Bug Series Book 1) by Jaycee Ford <— “She flees her home in Charlotte, North Carolina to take a new job in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and make a new start where her ex-fiancé can’t find her. Jordan is just beginning to adjust to her new life in the middle of nowhere when a small town cowboy walks in and disrupts it all.“
  • The Real Thing by Cassie Mae <— “When she starts receiving supersweet messages from a stranger who thinks she’s someone else, Mia begins to believe that real love is possible outside her virtual world.“
  • Red Dirt Duchess by Reynolds Louise
  • Risky Business (A Bomb Squad Novel) by Melissa Cutler <— HOCKEY PLAYER ALERT!! “Allison Whitely’s ex left her with a mountain of debt and Cloud Nine, a struggling boat rental business. With zero job skills, her only hope of getting back in the black lies in a brooding ex-soldier who has her seeing red…”
  • Shameless by Nina Lemay <— Oh this sounds like fun! Stripper paying her way through college… “But the inevitable happens and my two lives collide. And now there’s one other person who knows both the quiet, antisocial Hannah and the sensual, shameless Alicia. One person who keeps my secret.” <— and the kicker??!! He’s one of her college teachers. GAH!!!!!!
  • The Warning Sign by Mia Marlowe <— Trying to move past her cheating ex, and starting over after college but things get crazy when she meets someone new and”…she figures out an accidental drowning wasn’t so accidental and ends up on a mob hitman’s “to do” list. And the only cop who’ll believe her is her cheating ex..“
  • Let Me Be the One by Lily Foster <— “Darcy’s confidence is shattered after her “perfect” boyfriend becomes increasingly possessive and hostile. A year abroad is her escape—a chance to put some distance between them and also a chance to leave behind the shaken, insecure girl she has become. Tom Farrell has been waiting in the wings, watching as his friend screws up a relationship with the one girl Tom considers out of his reach…“
  • Hopelessly Yours by Ellery Rhodes <— BAD BOY/RICH GIRL ALERT! “Jace Murrow is used to fending for himself. His mother dumped him on his grandmother and ex-con uncle when he was still in diapers. Crime is in his blood. When he sees the rich girl he used to daydream about at a party, he knows he should steer clear…“
  • One Little Lie: A New Adult Romance by Willow Monroe <— Mysterious new stranger “bad boy” has her blowing off her college plans… “But when catastrophe strikes – twice – can she defend her beautiful man against the people who want him gone?“
  • November’s Beach by N.C. East
  • Love at First Sigh by Elodie Parkes
  • Sinfully Decadent by Aurora Rose Lynn
  • Stalemate by Ginger Sharp <— Single moody father and his new neighbor (that is becoming disillusioned with love): “When these two lost neighbors meet, sparks fly, tempers flare, and both learn to deal with the baggage in their mutual lives. Stalemate is a modern day story about how opposites attract regardless of their rocky pasts and present situations.“
  • Starstruck – Book Four (The Starstruck Series) by Gemma Brooks <— conclusion to the series!
  • Unabridged by Melinda De Ross
  • Playing With Dynamite by Monica Alexander
  • Bound to Accept by Nenia Campbell
  • The Kitchen When It Sizzles by Chrissie Peria
  • Fate’s Mistake (Los Rancheros) by Brandace Morrow <— Oh wow… “He was the perfect gentleman, and my parents adored him. In time, I learned to adore him too. I married him. He was my forever. Until the day he hit me. Five years went by with the speed of a ticking clock, counting down my life one painful second at a time. Until Danny. Danny saw me. Danny was my hero. Danny was the one I was supposed to be with…“
  • The Last Thing by Briana Gaitan <— FAMOUS ACTOR ALERT!
  • Dream Date by Ivan Kendrick <— LOVE TRIANGLE ALERT (and it’s one guy in love with two different girls…) “Their attraction was so strong that Kayla decided to enroll at his school. Now the two have become inseparable…but only one thing can end their relationship.
    What Nathan least expects is to be reunited with the gorgeous 19-year-old Amanda Tilley. Upon seeing her again, Nathan realizes that there was no way he could desire another woman after all. Unfortunately, Amanda is still as unreachable as ever. Nathan’s never met a woman he desired more, making him torn between his loyalty to Kayla and the true love he can no longer ignore.”
  • Your Little Secret by Bethan Cooper and Kirsty-Anne Still <— LOVE TRIANGLE ALERT: Part 1 in the series “Between her boyfriend, Connor, and her best friend, Ethan, she thought she had the perfect life and the perfect future only a heartbeat away. That is until abandonment and need begin to overwhelm her. When Connor takes a job in London, Amber finds herself slipping at his lack of contact and the uneasy feeling that he’s hiding more from her than he says. With the help of Ethan she not only finds herself, but finds the flame she has always held for her best friend coming to life…“
  • Forever Kinda Love by Clara Stone <— BEST FRIENDS (and more?) ALERT!
  • Guarded Hearts by L.A. CORVILL
  • Blood Secrets: Fallen Motorcycle Club by Lorelei Woods <— BIKER ALERT! “When Emily is held hostage in the desert, she’s sure her life is done. Finished. After years of battling her demons, she’s never going to get the chance to be free. Then she hears the rumble of a Harley cutting through the dunes and sees a glimmer of hope in the leather-clad biker who insists that her kidnapper hand her over…“
  • Sleepless Nights (Wrath MC Book 1) by Amanda Heath <— BIKER ALERT “Victor I’ve known all my life. When his parents died he even came to live with my family and I. I was so in love with him. It wasn’t until years into our relationship I started to see the faults in him. Then he went off to Iraq. Damien was the bad boy biker at our high school. Even while I was with Victor, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him. Then I got on the back of his bike and I thought I finally found my home. Then Victor came back wounded…“
  • Rock Heart (The Vegas Aces Series Book 2) by K Webster <— ROCK STAR ALERT! (and what I think is a love triangle): “Chaz Montgomery has it all—fame, fortune, the best band mates a guy could ask for, as well as Neve. He loves his fiancée of three years, but something’s missing. It isn’t until he witnesses firsthand the epic, whirlwind romance that his best friend Bobby shares with his girl June that he realizes what he and Neve have is broken.“
  • Wild Temptation (Wild, #1) by Emma Hart <— Ohhh romantically-angsty sounding! “The moment he, Tyler Stone, walked into my best friend’s apartment, I knew that curveball was heading straight for my gut… He’s a sex addict. I’m a love addict.”
  • Shark Fin Soup by Susan Klaus
  • Last Resort (Desire Resort Book 1) by Kate Roth
  • Lifestyles of the Rich and (In)Famous by Tierney Fowler
  • Long Way Home (A Hanover Brothers Novel) by HelenKay Dimon
  • Meadow Taylor Two-Book Bundle (plus bonus short story): The Billionaire’s Secrets, Falling for Rain, and Christmas in Venice: A Short Story by Meadow Taylor
  • Mercy’s Fight (Set Apart series) by T. L. Gray <— He’s had a hard life, and she’s been raised in luxury…
  • Midnight in Venice by Meadow Taylor
  • Never Been Kissed (Second Chances) by Mari Carr
  • Nina’s Dom (Dommissimma Book 4) by Raven McAllan <— DOM ALERT!! “When the two meet at her friend’s hen party at Dommissimma, sparks fly. Their attraction is immediate and explosive, but how can Nina ever allow herself to enter into a relationship with a Dom?“
  • The Debutante Divorcee by Plum Sykes <— Oh oh. That B!t@h!!! eek “Newly married Sylvie Mortimer has found bliss with her Divine New Husband, Hunter. But her perfect Town & Country life is about to be rocked by a divine and dangerous predator—her new friend, the very rich, very young, very thin, very pretty, and very divorced Lauren Blount…“
  • Enlisting Her Heart (Breaking Protocol Book 4) by Willow Brooke
  • Exchange of Fire (An SBG Novel) by P. A. DePaul <— She’s a sniper/assassin for hire and he’s a former Marine…
  • Fatal Hearts by Norah Wilson
  • Home to Chicory Lane: A Chicory Inn Novel | Book 1 by Deborah Raney
  • 42 Hours (Time for Love Book 3) by Bethany Lopez <— “Gaby is in a good place in her life. She loves her job, has the best friends and family a girl could ask for, and is dating a sweet and sexy guy, but she’s never stopped thinking about that night with Scott…”
  • Adultery: A novel by Paulo Coelho <— “A woman in her thirties begins to question the routine and predictability of her days. In everybody’s eyes, she has a perfect life: happy marriage, children, and a career. Yet what she feels is an enormous apathy. All that changes when she encounters a successful politician who had, years earlier, been her high school boyfriend…“
  • The Art of Appreciation by Autumn Markus <— BIKER RACER ALERT!
  • Caught! (The Shamwell Tales) by JL Merrow
  • The Cocktail Club: A Novel by Pat Tucker <— “When cocktails once a week isn’t enough, three friends form the Cocktail Club—but what begins as social drinking quickly morphs into something far more sinister…” WHOA! This one sounds crazy… three different lives of friends who are drinking too much. For example, this one: “A stay-at-home mom, Darby Jaxon is fed up with her life. She starts secretly drinking to get through each day and to hide her dirty little secret: the fact that she can’t stop thinking about the drunk driver who killed her sister—mainly because she’s drawn to him like a moth to a flame…“
  • Beat to Their Heart (Surviving the Dream Book 1) by Whiskey Starr <— ROCK STAR ALERT!! “Skylar Morgan is an ER nurse with responsibilities. However, one night out to see a local band places Sky on the radar of a bad boy and she isn’t sure if she can handle him. Several months go by with no contact, and she is comfortably back to her everyday routine, until the ER doors open and in walks a man that has starred in her dreams for months, turning her life upside down.“
  • Corporate Affair (The Small Town Girl series) by Linda Cunningham
  • Thin Love by Eden Butler <— thank you Lori, for this heads-up!! Sounds AngstY!! “…sixteen years later, Keira returns home to bury the mother who betrayed her, just as Kona tries to hold onto what remains of his NFL career with the New Orleans Steamers. Across the crowded bustle of a busy French Market, their paths collide, conjuring forgotten memories of a consuming touch, skin on skin, and the still smoldering fire that begs to be rekindled…“

                                                                      

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