Tag Archives: adult

Blog Tour + Early Review & Giveaway: Steal Me by Lauren Layne

Posted in 4 hearts, Blog Tours, Giveaways, Reviews by

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Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Steal Me by Lauren Layne!
Check out my review for this fantastic book below, as well as a giveaway!

Steal Me by Lauren Layne

Steal Me by Lauren Layne
Series: New York’s Finest #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: November 24th 2015
Publisher: Forever
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IN HOT PURSUIT

Being a cop might be in Anthony Moretti’s blood, but protecting and serving the city of New York has always been more than just the family business. If that means his love life stays locked up, well then that’s just another sacrifice made in the line of duty. That is, until he sets eyes on the gorgeous new waitress at The Darby Diner and suddenly Anthony’s morning coffee is leaving him a whole lot more hot and bothered than usual.

Though waitressing at The Darby isn’t exactly Maggie Walker’s dream job, it pays the bills and gives her time to work on her novel. Now if only she could stop fantasizing about gorgeous Anthony Moretti every time he sits down at her table, she’d really be in great shape. But when he needs her help identifying a criminal threatening The Darby—and Maggie recognizes her ex-husband—she fears her fresh start might be a pipe dream. Faster than a New York minute, Maggie and Anthony find themselves in one perilous pursuit that only gets hotter with each and every rule-breaking kiss.

Buy Links:
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • iTunes • Kobo • Google Play

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Is there any book Lauren Layne writes that I can’t love!? I honestly don’t think it’s possible. Every time I pick up a Lauren Layne book, I know I’m going to be entertained and satisfied. Her books are always so sweet and hilarious – and her New York’s Finest series is her funniest yet. I had high expectations after adoring the first book, Frisk Me, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Steal Me. And of course I ended up loving Steal Me just as much as, if not more than, Frisk Me. Steal Me had me laughing and swooning – if you love men in uniform (who doesn’t), this series is a must read.

He could be a cop…
…or a boyfriend.
Or was the operative word.
He couldn’t be both.

Captain Anthony Moretti’s job as a cop is his life. His family and the NYPD are his top priorities. He has no time for women, least of all Maggie Walker, a waitress who can’t do her job and annoys Anthony to no end. Anthony is usually an in-control kind of man – he’s quiet, authoritative, and a little moody… but around Maggie, he can’t stop himself from being a total jerk. He’s flustered and completely out of control around her, and he doesn’t like the way she makes him feel. The gorgeous waitress throws him off like no other.

Maggie Walker is an aspiring writer, and she’s made a fresh start in NY. She’s never truly known love in her abusive past, so she’s charmed by the Moretti family, who comes by every week to the diner she works at. Well, she’s charmed by all but Anthony, whose good looks fire her up and make her clumsy around him. But when she identifies a criminal as her ex-husband on a case Anthony is working on, the two of them are thrown together and the sparks between them fire up until eventually their chemistry can’t be ignored.

I had so much fun reading Maggie and Anthony’s story. It’s a little slow in the beginning, with Anthony reluctant to start anything with Maggie, but he can’t resist her. The two of them are so sweet together – she cracks his stubborn, uptight shell, and he supports her and her career like no one has before. Maggie shows Anthony that he’s capable of love and that he can have love in his life, but he just has to be willing to fight for it.

“You’re…”
She looked at him through hazy eyes. “Hmm.”
“Everything,” he said quietly.

Another thing I loved about Steal Me is the Moretti family. Everyone in this family is so freaking hilarious! The grandmother is probably my favorite of them all. She’s so inappropriate and blunt, I loved her. And it was great to see Ava and Luc again! The secondary characters add so much light-heartedness and giggles to the story.

Lauren Layne writes such wonderful contemporary romances. They are truly a joy to read – whenever I finish a book of hers, I’m left with a smile on my face. Each of the books in the New York’s Finest series is well-developed and you love the characters right from the start, no matter how much of a jerk they are (*cough* Anthony). If you liked the first book, you definitely need to read the second! I, for one, can’t WAIT to get my hands on Vincent and Jill’s story.

4 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: New York’s Finest series

Frisk Me by Lauren Layne Steal Me by Lauren Layne Cuff Me by Lauren Layne

#1 ~ Frisk Me: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Steal Me: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Cuff Me: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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Lauren LayneLauren Layne is the USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance.

Prior to becoming an author, Lauren worked in e-commerce and web-marketing. In 2011, she and her husband moved from Seattle to New York City, where Lauren decided to pursue a full-time writing career. It took six months to get her first book deal (despite ardent assurances to her husband that it would only take three). Since then, Lauren’s gone on to publish ten books, including the bestselling Stiletto series, with several more on the way in 2015.

Lauren currently lives in Chicago with her husband and spoiled Pomeranian. When not writing, you’ll find her at happy hour, running at a doggedly slow pace, or trying to straighten her naturally curly hair.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads

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Print Set of FRISK ME & STEAL ME
$5.00 Starbucks Gift Card and a Writers Gift Set

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Release Day Review: After Tonight by Annie Kelly

Posted in 3 hearts, Reviews by

After Tonight by Annie Kelly

After Tonight by Annie Kelly
Series: Flirting with Trouble #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: November 17th 2015
Links: Ebook • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

She may be the teacher…

All Hyacinth “Cyn” Hendricks ever wanted to do was make a difference in the world. But when she joins the faculty of a Baltimore reform school, she discovers that she’s bitten off more than she can chew. Because the last thing she expects when she meets her newest student is to see the guy she met—and made out with—at a bar last week.

But he’s the one giving her a lesson…

To Cyn, Smith Asher is an enigma. The 20-year old doesn’t look like a high schooler and he certainly didn’t act like one the other night. Despite the smoldering chemistry between them, she knows she has to squash this dangerous infatuation before it gets them both in serious trouble. But her desire for Smith—and his lust for her—quickly grows too hot to ignore. And Cyn soon learns that there is one thing worse than teaching someone you’ve seen nearly naked…

Teaching someone you want to see nearly naked again.

I looove forbidden romances, so when I read the blurb for After Tonight, I couldn’t wait to start it. A forbidden love story between a teacher and her 20-year-old student… who she actually met the other night and almost hooked up with? Um, yes please!!! I had high expectations for this book, but… it fell a little short of them. Don’t get me wrong, this was still fun and sexy as hell, but I wanted something more. I didn’t really connect with the characters, so I wasn’t as into this book as I wish I had been. It was a little dull at some parts, intense at others, but overall, After Tonight was a very okay book.

Apparently, I’m going to teach Hamlet tomorrow to a room full of teenagers who couldn’t care less.
Oh, and one man who’s seen me almost naked.
Fucking hell.
I wonder if it’s too late to call in sick.

On her first day of student teaching, the last person Hyacinth expects to see is Smith Asher, the man she had an intense connection with the other night at a fantasy club. They may not have technically done anything that night, but she still let loose and let him see her naked… so she’s mortified to realize that he’s actually going to be her student. Now, Cyn is determined to ignore their chemistry and pretend like nothing ever happened between them, but Smith won’t let her forget. Even though he’s twenty, he’s intense, sexy, and very much hard to ignore. He riles Cyn up easily, and the forbidden-ness of their relationship only makes the chemistry between them burn hotter than ever.

“Every day I want you more, and every day I can have you less,” he murmurs.

I didn’t really like Smith, to be honest. He was pushy at times, and very hot-and-cold. His behavior was basically all over the place, so I couldn’t see why Cyn liked him, other than their attraction for each other. I didn’t get or connect with their relationship at all – it was basically only ever sexual between them. I expected a little more from this. I love forbidden romances, especially teacher/student ones, but After Tonight was only… okay. A little boring sometimes, but still plenty sexy. I will say, though, that I didn’t see the plot twist coming at all! That was probably the best part of the book – the author certainly surprised me with a twist I didn’t see coming, but was completely believable.

If you’re a fan of forbidden romances, this might not be the best book, but if you’re looking for something quick and sexy, I’d say why not. The writing was good, but the story and characters weren’t as good as I’d hoped. Still, I’m intrigued enough by the sequel that I will most likely continue the series and give it a try.

3 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: Flirting with Trouble series

After Tonight by Annie Kelly 

#1 ~ After Tonight: Ebook • Goodreads
#2 ~ Until Tomorrow: Ebook • Goodreads (March 15, 2016)

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Release Day Review: Beauty and the Boss by Diane Alberts

Posted in 3 hearts, Reviews by

Beauty and the Boss by Diane Alberts
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: November 16th 2015
Links: Ebook • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Beauty is about to tame her beast…

Researcher Maggie Donovan has no luck with men, and it doesn’t help that she can’t keep her eyes off of her sexy boss – the one everyone else in the office calls The Beast. Relationships in the office are forbidden. So no one is more surprised than Maggie when she pretends to be his fiancée to save him during a difficult situation. Not only has she put her job on the line, but the future of the company.

Billionaire Benjamin Gale III doesn’t believe in love or romance, but the look on his mother’s face when Maggie tells her that she’s his fiancée is worth millions. Instead of firing her for her insubordination, he goes along with the ruse. In his arms–and in his bed–she’d be everything he could ever want…which is why he can’t have her.

But if he doesn’t let her go, they’ll lose everything…

I was first intrigued by Beauty and the Boss because of the fact that it’s a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast, my favorite fairy tale! Benjamin Gale III – the Beast – is a cold-hearted billionaire who doesn’t believe in love. Maggie Donovan – the Beauty – is one of Benjamin’s employees… but she thinks about her gorgeous boss a lot. The two of them couldn’t be more different, but when you bring them together, you get something sweet and sexy. I enjoyed Beauty and the Boss – I didn’t love it, but it was entertaining nonetheless. If you love your office romances, you should definitely give this a try.

When Maggie accidentally announces herself as Benjamin’s fiancée to save him from his manipulative mother, she has no idea what she’s gotten herself into. She and her boss may have some wicked chemistry together, but pretending to be in a relationship? And engaged? She doesn’t know how she can pull it off, but she won’t let Benjamin get thrown to the wolves. As long as she can keep her heart from getting involved, then she’ll have no problem pulling of the charade… right?

Never had he had something as sweet, or addictive, as Maggie Donovan. Pretending to love her would be a pleasure if it meant he got to kiss her. Hold her. Touch her.
Make her scream out his name.

Benjamin is a workaholic, with no time for relationships, and least of all, love. His company is his life, but when he and Maggie begin their charade, he starts to see that maybe there’s more to life than just work. Maggie is a sweetheart of a character, able to bring out the laughs and smiles out of Benjamin, which has rarely happened in the past few years. I really enjoyed the way their relationship progressed as they slowly fell for each other. It was sweet how they grew to trust each other and become friends, and the banter between them was fun to read.

“You make me… happy. I didn’t think I knew what that was, or if it was even a real thing, until you. But now I do, and I don’t want to let go of it. I don’t want to let go of you.”

Beauty and the Boss is fun and sweet, and a good way to pass the time. There isn’t anything particularly amazing that made me love this book, but it’s still a satisfying read with plenty of sexy times.

3 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

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Early Review: Chance of a Lifetime by Marissa Clarke

Posted in 5 hearts, Reviews by

Chance of a Lifetime by Marissa Clarke

Chance of a Lifetime by Marissa Clarke
Series: Anderson Brothers #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: November 16th 2015
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Sometimes the biggest risk is playing it safe.

Gen Richards is tired of living down to her family’s expectation of the helpless blind girl. Resurrecting her high-school bucket list that begins with “kiss a total stranger” seems just the thing until she finds herself in a panty-melting lip lock with her big brother’s best friend.

Chance Anderson thrives on adrenaline, but Genny’s the one risk he’s not willing to take. His recklessness a decade ago landed her in the hospital and ejected him from her life. He’s bad for her and everyone knows it—especially her big brother.

Chance reluctantly helps Gen complete her bucket list in order to keep her out of trouble. Running through a freezing fountain, playing spin the bottle while fending off a mad horde of stinging insects, and skinny dipping with homicidal attack swans don’t hold a candle to the real danger: falling for the one person he can never have.

“You’re my first. My first love. My only love.”

Oh god, I loved Chance of a Lifetime so, so much. When I started it, I thought it would easily be a 4 star read like the previous Anderson Brothers book was (my review here), but this… Chance and Gen’s story was so much more than I expected. It’s a gorgeous, emotional, heartwarming read I absolutely LOVED! It’s a mix of friends-to-lovers, second chance romance, and older brother’s best friend, which for sure are my top three tropes ever. So basically, this book was perfect for me.

Gen Richards is tired of her family thinking that her blindness makes her helpless and weak. She just wants to be treated like any other person – but the only person who ever treated her like normal was Chance, her old crush and her older brother’s best friend, and he abandoned her. But now, Gen is taking charge of her life, and she’s starting off by completing her high school bucket list. The first item? Kiss a stranger. And of all the people in the world, she accidentally chooses to kiss Chance… but then she realizes she’s found the perfect person to help her fulfill her bucket list.

He’d never been able to stay away. She was like a drug. He needed more. He always had. He was addicted, but had been able to control it and hide it… Until last night when she’d kissed him. He’d fallen off the wagon. Hell, the whole fucking wagon had fallen off a cliff with him on it. One taste of Genny and he was gone. The next week would be hell.

Chance has stayed out of Gen’s life for the past ten years, but he’s never forgotten her. He’s always regretted the way he left her life, but he’s here with her now to make amends and to prove to her that he’s there to say. He’s patient, supporting, loving… a swoon-worthy hero. I fell so hard for his character – he’s made his mistakes, but his number-one priority has always been Gen, and the love he’s had for her over the years comes so clearly off the pages.

“What do you see?”
“Nothing but you.”

Chance and Gen are absolutely perfect together! Gen is feisty, awesome, down-to-earth, and she never lets her blindness be a crutch for her. Chance is the only person who’s never seen her as disabled, who’s never held her back from doing what she wanted, and I loved that he admired her strength and found inspiration from it. Gen’s older brother is an obstacle in their relationship, one that both Gen and Chance need to overcome, but with the passion and love they have for each other, I had no doubt that these two would fight for their love.

“Most people would insist on leading me to him.”
“Nobody needs to lead you two to each other. You’d find each other from opposite sides of the planet.”

My heart grew so emotionally invested in Gen and Chance’s story. It was the perfect romance! And I loved that the author infused a bit of humor in this book – it wasn’t as funny as the previous one, but it was the perfect amount of humor for this story. I loved everything about this book! I read it in one sitting and I couldn’t get enough of it. I’m actually really glad that I haven’t read the first book in the series yet, because I seriously don’t want to let go of these characters!

5 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: Anderson Brothers series

Sleeping with the Boss by Marissa Clarke Neighbors with Benefits by Marissa Clarke Chance of a Lifetime by Marissa Clarke

#1 ~ Sleeping with the Boss: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Neighbors with Benefits: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Chance of a Lifetime: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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Release Day Review: How to Lose a Bachelor by Anna Banks

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by

How to Lose a Bachelor by Anna Banks

How to Lose a Bachelor by Anna Banks
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: November 9th 2015
Links: Ebook • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Revenge was never this much fun…

When Rochelle Ransom auditioned for the dating show Luring Love, she had big plans for winning the prize money to help her favorite charity-and if she won the hot bachelor’s heart, even better. But at the last minute she finds out the hot bachelor is her ex-boyfriend, Grant Drake. Desperate to keep her distance from him, she’ll do anything-and everything-to get voted off.

Years ago, Rochelle broke Grant’s heart, and he’s out for revenge. There’s no way he’ll vote her off.

After all, vengeance is a dish best served red-hot…and on live television.

When her hilarious antics to get kicked off the show escalate, Grant’s reminded why he fell in love with her the first time. Now he isn’t sure which might be more fun… Seeing how far Rochelle is willing to go to get away or how far he will to keep her forever.

How to Lose a Bachelor is a super cute, quick, and fun second chance romance with a The Bachelor twist to it! I really enjoyed it – I adore second chance romances, so this was right up my alley. It’s hilarious yet sweetly romantic, and I loved all the crazy shenanigans that the heroine came up with on the reality show. If you’re a fan of light-hearted romances, or even second chance romances, I highly recommend this one!

She was going to be on TV. But more importantly, nothing was going to stop her from winning the grand prize money for her charity.
Oh yeah, and the bachelor’s heart or whatever.

Rochelle Ransom auditions for a reality TV show in order to try to win a bachelor’s heart… and the grand prize money that will help with funding her woman’s shelter. The last person she ever expects the bachelor to be is her ex, the former love of her life, Grant Drake. As much as she’d like to quit the show and get away from the man who broke her heart, Rochelle needs the money for the shelter. So she strikes a deal with the producer – if she agrees to stay on the show to add drama, then she’ll get double the prize money, regardless of whether Grant kicks her off the show or not. And so ensues her hilarious ways of trying her best to get kicked off the show and pay Grant back for breaking her heart.

Grant also wants revenge on the woman who abandoned him and their relationship. But seeing Rochelle again, being with her and getting glimpses of the woman he fell in love with ten years ago, quickly has him changing his plan from getting revenge to winning her back.

Rochelle needed some gentle coaxing, some delicate care, a lot of nurturing–and to know that he was still the man she loved. He knew she’d loved him before. And somehow, he had to find a way to make her love him again.

How to Lose a Bachelor was so much fun to read. In between the hilarious antics Rochelle comes up with to embarrass herself and get Grant to kick her out and Grant’s own ridiculous paybacks, I was giggling so much. The second chance romance was sweet – I really adored seeing Grant and Rochelle warm up to each other again, fall in love again. The two of them are likable, funny characters, and they’re wonderful together – I was rooting for them to get back together from the start. This is a fast-paced, satisfying book I easily read in one sitting. I will definitely be looking forward to more contemporary romances from Anna Banks!

4 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

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