Blog Tour + ARC Review & Giveaway: Searching for Mine by Jennifer Probst

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

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Searching for Mine by Jennifer Probst!

Searching for Mine by Jennifer Probst
Series: Searching For #4.5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: February 9th 2016

The Ultimate Anti-Hero Meets His Match…

Connor Dunkle knows what he wants in a woman, and it’s the three B’s. Beauty. Body. Boobs. Other women need not apply. With his good looks and easygoing charm, he’s used to getting what he wants—and who. Until he comes face to face with the one woman who’s slowly making his life hell…and enjoying every moment…

Ella Blake is a single mom and a professor at the local Verily college who’s climbed up the ranks the hard way. Her ten-year-old son is a constant challenge, and her students are driving her crazy—namely Connor Dunkle, who’s failing her class and trying to charm his way into a better grade. Fuming at his chauvinistic tendencies, Ella teaches him the ultimate lesson by giving him a special project to help his grade. When sparks fly, neither of them are ready to face their true feelings, but will love teach them the ultimate lesson of all?

Buy Links:
Amazon Ebook • Amazon Paperback

The Searching For series is a series that I adore, and when I heard that Nate’s brother Connor would be getting his own story, I couldn’t wait to read it! Searching for Mine is the perfect blend of sexy and sweet. Even though it’s a novella, it’s a fully satisfying story that will have you smiling throughout it. I love when former manwhores get smacked by love and fall head over heels for their women, and Connor does exactly that. If you’re a fan of the series, this latest installment doesn’t disappoint!

In Nate’s book, we saw Connor as that womanizer who never took relationships or women seriously, but he’s made a big change in his novella. At 38, he’s no longer satisfied with his usual hook-ups. He’s enrolled in college, taking his career seriously… except there’s only one thing getting in the way of his degree, and that’s Professor Ella Blake’s class.

Ella is a recently-divorced mom whose main focus is her young son and her job at the local Verity College. She has no patience for students who don’t do their assigned reading and try to charm their way in class, so when Connor tries to butter her up for a better grade, she shoots him down, no matter that he’s as sexy and good-looking as he is.

It turns out that the two of them are new next door neighbors, and when Connor helps Ella’s son out with some bullies, he finds himself wanting to help Ella and Luke out more and more. And becoming more attracted to the gorgeous single mother. As the three of them spend more quality time together, Ella finds herself seeing Connor in a new light. He’s a man who’s hard-working, dedicated, and sacrificed his younger years to support his younger brother. The two of them discover each other in new ways, but is it possible for a relationship to work between them when Connor has been anti-relationship for so long?

“You’re an incredible woman,” he said softly. “You deserve… everything.”

Searching for Mine is another sweet, charming addition to a series a love. It’s a quick read, but it packs a punch with the wonderful writing and characters. Jennifer Probst writes the best contemporary romances – I can’t wait to read more from her!

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

Reading Order: Searching For series

#1 ~ Searching for Someday: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Searching for Perfect: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Searching for You: Ebook • Goodreads
#3 ~ Searching for Beautiful: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Searching for Always: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4.5 ~ Searching for Mine: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4.6 ~ Searching for Disaster: Ebook • Goodreads (Oct. 10, 2016)

Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She took a short hiatus to get married, get pregnant, buy a house, get pregnant again, pursue a master’s in English Literature, and rescue two shelter dogs. Now she is writing again.

She makes her home in Upstate New York with the whole crew. Her sons keep her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean.

She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, was ranked #6 on Amazon’s Best Books for 2012. She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases and her street team at www.jenniferprobst.com.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads

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8Feb2016

Early Review: To the Stars by Molly McAdams

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

To the Stars by Molly McAdams
Series: Thatch #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: February 9th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

In the second standalone book in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Molly McAdams’ Thatch series, Knox Alexander must convince his long-time love Harlow Evans that they’re meant to be together.

He promised to wait for her.
She told him he was wasting his time.
Not waiting for him ended up being the biggest mistake of her life.

When they were younger, Knox Alexander swore to Harlow Evans that he would wait for her to turn eighteen so they could be together. But that was two and a half years away, and Harlow couldn’t ask him to give up all the fun and thrills of going away to college for her. As the years passed, Knox remained a constant in her life but when her eighteenth birthday came around, Harlow’s heart belonged to someone else.

Every day for the last four years, Harlow has been haunted by that fateful choice. And though he may appear unaffected by what happened in their past, Knox has always tried to fill the void Harlow left. But when he comes stumbling back into her life and refuses to leave, will Harlow finally let him into her heart…?

“One day, Harlow Evans, you will be mine. I will wait for you.”

What a heart-wrenching, emotionally-charged story. I honestly did not expect to read what I did in To the Stars, but it definitely took me on an emotional journey. I started reading this one morning and finished in a few hours, that’s how glued to the pages I was. If you’re expecting this book to be light-hearted and fluffy, which you might think from the cover… well, it’s not. To the Stars is an intense, at times painful read that will have you holding your breath and biting your nails. It’s about domestic abuse – about how one woman experiences it, survives it, and eventually overcomes it.

To the Stars is the standalone sequel to Letting Go, so you don’t need to read the previous book to read this one. To the Stars is Harlow and Knox’s story – these two met and fell in love seven years ago, but Harlow was underage at the time, so Knox promised to wait to be with her until she turned eighteen. But when Harlow became of age, she chose to be with another man, a man she had no idea would bring such pain, fear, and sorrow into her life. She is now married to a man who abuses her, who threatens her and her family if she ever tries to leave him. It seems like there’s no hope for her at all, until she’s reunited with Knox, her one and only love, who has never stopped loving her back and wants to help her.

“How much do you love me?”
That perfect, crooked smile flashed at me before he dropped his forehead to mine and whispered, “To the stars, Harlow. Always to the stars.”

My heart absolutely broke for Harlow and her situation. It hurt to read the abuse she goes through, and Molly McAdams certainly doesn’t hold back with the violence. Add in the devastation of Harlow and Knox’s lost relationship, I just wanted to shrivel up within the pages. But as much pain as there is in the book, there’s also so much hope that Knox and his love give to Harlow. Their love for each other is a once-in-a-lifetime thing – I could really feel the intense connection between them that has never weakened after so many years. Knox is the absolute SWOONIEST with Harlow – he’s not perfect, but he’s sweet, loving, supporting, patient, and just a GOOD man. Molly McAdams writes the BEST heroes who are just so romantic and head-over-heels in love with their women.

“No matter what happens in our lives, I will love you with everything that I am for the rest of mine, and I will make sure you know every day what it’s like to be loved to the stars.”

To the Stars is a beautiful love story, but in a broader sense, it’s also eye-opening to an issue many women face. Reading this book is like going through an emotional journey, and though I didn’t particularly connect with Knox or Harlow, but I enjoyed their story nonetheless, all the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is not an easy read, but the author handles the portrayal of abuse perfectly, all the while weaving a heart-melting romance around it. I highly recommend it!

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

Reading Order: Thatch series

#1 ~ Letting Go: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ To the Stars: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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5Feb2016

Blog Tour + Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: Happily Ever Ninja by Penny Reid

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

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Penny Reid’s Happily Ever Ninja!

Happily Ever Ninja by Penny Reid
Series: Knitting in the City #5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: January 19th 2016

There are three things you need to know about Fiona Archer… I would tell you what they are, but then I’d have to kill you.

But I can tell you that Fiona’s husband—the always irrepressible and often cantankerous Greg Archer—is desperately in love with his wife. He aches for her when they are apart, and is insatiable when they are together. Yet as the years pass, Greg has begun to suspect that Fiona is a ninja. A ninja mom. A ninja wife. A ninja friend. After fourteen years of marriage, Greg is trying not to panic. Because Fiona’s talent for blending in is starting to resemble fading away.

However, when unexpected events mean Fiona must take center stage to keep her family safe, her response stuns everyone—Greg most of all. It seems like Greg’s wish has come true.

Except… not.

When all is said and done, can Greg handle this new version of his wife? Will his irrepressible cantankerousness push her away? Or can the couple find a way forward without either being forced to step back into the shadows?

This is a full length, 100k word novel, and is the 5th book in the Knitting in the City Series. All books in the series can be read as a standalone except book #1.5

Buy Links:
Amazon • Amazon UK • Barnes & Noble • iTunes • Kobo

Each marriage is a living thing, just as complex as the two individuals within it.

I became of huge fan of Penny Reid’s ever since reading her Elements of Chemistry series last year, and honestly, I just can’t believe I hadn’t read her books sooner. I’m obsessed with her writing and her brilliant, intelligent characters. In Happily Ever Ninja, Greg and Fiona Archer are just… wonderful. They’re not perfect, and their marriage certainly isn’t, but this is a couple who will do anything and everything for each other and their children. The respect and love they have for each other is beyond anything I’ve ever read, and Fiona and Greg will forever be a couple I look up to.

If you’ve read Ninja at First sight, then you know how Fiona and Greg met and fell in love. Well, Happily Ever Ninja takes place a marriage, two kids, and 18 years later. Fiona is currently a stay-at-home mom, and Greg’s work takes him around the world for long periods of time. Fiona has been raising Jack and Grace nearly alone, but she keeps her burdens hidden so they won’t strain her marriage. She’s not about to complain about Greg leaving to do what he loves and support his family, but the stress and fatigue of being a mom, wife, friend, and practically a ninja have taken their toll on her.

“You shouldn’t let people walk all over everything you believe, take advantage, or discount your feelings. If you don’t prioritize your feelings, no one else will.”

Greg and Fiona’s marriage is put to the ultimate test when Greg is kidnapped while working in Nigeria, and Fiona has to use the skills she honed at her previous job (I’m so not spoiling that for you) and unleash her inner badass to save her husband and love of her life. And holy hell, is Fiona one badass chick. I LOVED Fiona. I was #TeamGreg in Ninja at First Sight, but I was completely #TeamFiona in Happily Ever Ninja. Who knew this badass mom had even more badassery inside her!?

A lot of things took my by surprise in this book, and while I wouldn’t say it was bad, some of the things were just unexpected. I was expecting Happily Ever Ninja to be straight-up contemporary romance, about a married couple working through their marriage troubles, but it ended up being a lot more romantic suspense. There was sometimes too much action that took me out of the story, because all I really wanted to read about was Fiona and Greg and their marriage. Still, even though the story went in a completely different direction than I expected, I was still able to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate the way Penny Reid portrayed Fiona and Greg’s marriage.

“I love you wildly, madly, completely, Fiona Archer,” he growled, then groaned on a broken breath. “I love you always.”

I am not married and I don’t have kids. Yet Penny Reid and her magical ways were able to make me completely connect with Fiona and her frustrations. There aren’t a lot of books that feature a married couple, so I loved this introspective look on marriage – and what I learned is, bottom line, marriage is hard. Greg and Fiona experience stress, hardships, sacrifice, and plenty of other strains, but they never once give up on each other or their marriage. Even through the ups and downs, at the end of the day, these two could make each other smile.

“My heart keeps discovering new ways to love you,” he whispered, like it was a secret. A magnificent, beautiful, perfect secret.

Greg is my dream husband. Yes, he makes mistakes like any other person, and I got frustrated with him along with Fiona, but when it boils down to it, this man is utterly and completely devoted to his wife and family. So yeah, I loved Greg. I loved Fiona. I loved the way that even after 14 years of marriage, their relationship is ever changing and developing.

This book really had it all. Humor, excellent writing, unique characters, action, a romance to root for. I’m definitely going to go back and catch up on the series because I just can’t get enough of Penny’s books!

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

Now here’s an excerpt from Happily Ever Ninja! ❤

“What are you doing?”

“What do you think I’m doing?” He unbuttoned his pants and unzipped them.

Perhaps it didn’t make any sense, but I didn’t want Greg to see me naked. Not when I was still furious with him. Not when he was angry with me. Even though we’d been together for eighteen years, married for fourteen, and made two children together, when we were arguing I didn’t like the vulnerability of bare skin.

“Oh, no. No, no, no.” I sat forward in the tub, hiding my nakedness. “We haven’t talked through everything yet. I’m angry with you, and I know you’re still upset with me.”

He shrugged. “Then we’ll have angry intercourse.”

“We’re not having intercourse.”

“Then I’ll give you angry cunnilingus.”

Damn him, but that made me laugh.

Greg’s eyebrows bounced once on his forehead and he grinned, his pants falling to the ground.

“I don’t want any of your angry oral sex, thank you very much.” I crossed my arms over my chest, endeavoring to keep my expression stern . . . and failing.

“Of course you do. Angry oral sex is the best kind of oral sex. And we are so rarely angry with each other. We should take advantage of this opportunity.” His thumbs hooked into his boxers with the intent of pulling them down.

“Do not take off your boxers.”

Greg didn’t remove his boxers, but he didn’t withdraw the threat of his thumbs either. “You know, I’ve heard it’s a good idea to fight while naked. I think I read that in a very important medical text book written by Albert Einstein’s cousin, Dr. Olga Einstein.”

Reading Order: Knitting in the City series

#1 ~ Neanderthal Seeks Human: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Neanderthal Marries Human: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Friends Without Benefits: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Love Hacked: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Beauty and the Mustache: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4.5 ~ Ninja at First Sight: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Happily Ever Ninja: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

SEX! It all started with sex, between my parents. Personally I don’t like thinking about it, but whatever works for you is a-ok with me. No judgment. The sex happened in California and much of my life also occurred in that state until I moved from the land of nuts (almonds), wine, silicon… boobs, and heavy traffic to the southeast US. Like most writers I like to write, but let’s get back to sex. Eventually I married and gave birth to 2 small people-children (boy-6, girl-4 as of this writing).

By day I’m a biomedical researcher with focus on rare diseases. By night I’m a knitter, sewer, lino block carver, fabric printer, soap maker, and general crafter. By the wee hours of the morning or when I’m intoxicated I love to listen to the voices in my head and let them tell me stories. I hope you enjoy their stories.

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Six SIGNED Books

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3Feb2016

ARC Review: The Fable of Us by Nicole Williams

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

The Fable of Us by Nicole Williams
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: February 2nd 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

Her heart can’t be destroyed by the same person twice. At least that’s what Clara Abbot finds herself hoping when she runs into Boone Cavanaugh less than an hour after returning to Charleston.

As kids, Clara and Boone had been each other’s firsts, and no one or nothing could stand in the way of their forever. But all kids have to grow up sometime. The troubled son of the town drunk winding up with the firstborn daughter of the local royalty was a happy ending even the most imaginative of fairy tales couldn’t make believable.

Their fable came to an end as most do: tragically. Boone might have done the leaving, but it was Clara who got away and made a new life for herself in California. But after seven years of dodging her hometown, she’s only back in Charleston for seven days to celebrate her sister’s wedding. She won’t let her overbearing family or her run-in with Boone rattle her—though rattling her is obviously Boone’s primary objective.

Boone is her past and her past is behind her, a mere speck in the rearview. So why does she feel it coming back every time she looks at him? Why does she see it every time he looks back?

Just when Clara’s life can’t possibly get more complicated, the ground shifts, and she discovers just how far her family was willing to go to keep the wrong boy out of her life. Was it really Boone who left her? Or was it Clara who left him?

The truth will be hard to face. Especially when she discovers most of her life has been built on lies.

Second chance romances are one of my top favorite tropes to read, and the fact that Nicole Williams wrote one in The Fable of Us? I was in total book heaven while reading it! I’ve loved this author since I first read Crash, and with every book she writes, she proves to me why she will always be a favorite author of mine. This newest book of hers only reaffirms my love for her wonderful storytelling. I fell hard for Clara and Boone’s second chance romance – Nicole Williams has written two incredible characters with so much heart and depth, I was rooting for them from the very first page!

Clara Abbot is back in the town she hates to be a part of her sister’s wedding… to Clara’s ex-boyfriend. But a pit stop along the way has Clara bumping into the one and only love of her life, Boone Cavanaugh, who left and hurt her all these years ago. There’s a great deal of resentment between Clara and Boone, but she’s desperate enough to pay him to be her plus-one at the wedding to keep the vultures, AKA her family, away. It’s just one week with the boy she used to love who hates her now, so what could possibly go wrong?

“It doesn’t seem to matter how far away I go or how many years go by. I’m starting to accept that there will always be some part of me that is going to hold on to some part of you.”

In addition to a second chance romance, The Fable of Us is definitely a love/hate story. We don’t know the exact ins and outs of what happened during their fallout, but Clara and Boone definitely don’t like each other when they reunite. Still, underneath the glares and the angry quips lies a spark, a connection that never truly went away. You can tell that, despite everything that happened between them, all the good and the bad, Clara and Boone are absolutely meant to be. The build-up of their romance, the reconnection, and unraveled truths all lead up to one powerful love story that completely captured my heart.

“You’ve always been the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, Clara.” The backs of his fingers ran down the length of my cheek. “That still hasn’t changed.”

Clara and most especially Boone were the highlight of this novel. These two independent, strong, stubborn individuals were perfect together back then, and they’re certainly perfect together now. Their romance is sweet, slow, and tender – it’s the kind of love story that makes you clutch at your heart… I loved it!

I may have loved Clara and Boone, but oh man, did I hate Clara’s family. Clara’s sister, the one who’s marrying Clara’s ex, is a total nightmare. She’s jealous and petty, and the rest of the family is almost as bad. They’re a superficial, and at times cruel, group of people who prize wealth and status above anything else. So it’s no wonder Clara dreaded coming back to this place of elitism and snobbery.

Though I wished at times all the wedding drama would turn down a notch, it didn’t detract much from my enjoyment of Clara and Boone’s romance. All their moments together made up for my frustration with the Abbot family. If you’re a fan of second chance romances, you definitely need to pick up The Fable of Us! It’s a gorgeous, romantic read with wonderful writing that I recommend!

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

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2Feb2016

Release Day Review: The Shadow by Sylvain Reynard

Posted in 3.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

The Shadow by Sylvain Reynard
Series: The Florentine #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: February 2nd 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Gabriel trilogy comes the hotly anticipated follow-up to The Raven, a sensual novel set in Florence featuring the dangerously intoxicating coupling of Raven and William…

Raven Wood’s vampyre prince has returned, pledging his love and promising justice for every wrong done to her. In the wake of their reunion, Raven is faced with a terrible decision—allow the Prince to wreak vengeance against the demons of her past, or persuade him to stay his hand. But there is far more at stake than Raven’s heart…

A shadow has fallen over the city of Florence. Ispettor Batelli will not rest until he uncovers Raven’s connection to the theft of the priceless art from the Uffizi Gallery. And while the Prince hunts a traitor who sabotages him at every turn, he finds himself the target of the vampyres’ mortal enemy.

As he wages a war on two fronts, he will need to keep his love for Raven secret, or risk exposing his greatest weakness…

I highly enjoyed the first book in The Florentine series, so I couldn’t wait to jump into my early copy of the sequel. The Shadow picks up right where The Raven left off, continuing with Raven and William’s passionate love story and the dark underworld they live in. Sylvain Reynard’s writing is as lyrical and lush as ever, and though I didn’t love this book as much as I loved The Raven, it’s still a great installment to the series.

“You’re a dream.” She sighed. “A dream of love I never thought I’d have.”

William has now accepted that his heart belongs to Raven, and he’ll do anything and everything to protect her. There are dark forces that threaten his reign over Florence, and the best way to hurt him is to hurt Raven. The Shadow focuses a lot more on William and Raven’s beautiful romance, which is certainly the highlight of the book. We also get to know William so much better and he’s no longer such a mystery. Their relationship has now developed into something deeper, more intense and passionate. The depth of love these two have for one another is above and beyond, and I really loved seeing how they interact together.

He touched her cheek. “You are the light that shines in my darkness.”

I really liked this book. That being said, the first half of the book felt too slow and there wasn’t much going on besides Raven and William reaffirming their love. However, once the plot involving the underworld developed more, the suspense and action went up a notch. This is when I became fully immersed in the story and couldn’t stop flipping the pages. The action and intensity near the end of the book reminded me of why I fell so in love with the paranormal romance genre years ago, and continue to love it to this day.

The Shadow is a must-read for fans of the series. The romance is captivating and sexy, the writing is detailed and sensual – everything about this book is so very SR, even though it’s PNR and not contemporary. I’m already eager to get my hands on the next book in the series – I can’t wait to see what SR has in store for William and Raven, because I really need them to get their HEA!

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

Reading Order: The Florentine series

#0.5 ~ The Prince: My Review • Ebook • Goodreads
#1 ~ The Raven: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Shadow: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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