Blog Tour + Early Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: The Matchmaker’s Playbook by Rachel Van Dyken

The Matchmaker's Playbook tour

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for The Matchmaker’s Playbook by Rachel Van Dyken!

The Matchmaker’s Playbook by Rachel Van Dyken
Series: Wingmen Inc. #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: April 5th 2016
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Wingman rule number one: don’t fall for a client.

After a career-ending accident, former NFL recruit Ian Hunter is back on campus—and he’s ready to get his new game on. As one of the masterminds behind Wingmen, Inc., a successful and secretive word-of-mouth dating service, he’s putting his extensive skills with women to work for the lovelorn. But when Blake Olson requests the services of Wingmen, Inc., Ian may have landed his most hopeless client yet.

From her frumpy athletic gear to her unfortunate choice of footwear, Blake is going to need a miracle if she wants to land her crush. At least with a professional matchmaker by her side she has a fighting chance. Ian knows that his advice and a makeover can turn Blake into another successful match. But as Blake begins the transformation from hot mess to smokin’ hot, Ian realizes he’s in danger of breaking his cardinal rule…

Buy Links:
Amazon USAmazon UK • Amazon CA • Amazon AU

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The Matchmaker’s Playbook is the perfect romantic comedy!!! It’s written entirely in the hero’s POV, and Ian’s narrative is absolutely HILARIOUS. Seriously, this book was so. much. fun!! If you’re up for something light-hearted that will have you giggling and cracking up, I highly recommend this book.

But when one can’t play . . . one teaches.
And I was more than just a football player.
I was the player.
Of sports.
And . . . of women.
The best of them all.
So who better to teach women how not to get played than an actual player?

Ian Hunter is a former football star turned matchmaker, co-owner of Wingmen, Inc., a service dedicated to helping out women, their love lives, and their dating skills. Ian is a total player – and what better way to win a player than with the help of one? The only rule Ian has as for his company is to never fall for one of his clients – but what happens when Blake Olsen bursts into his life and makes him unable to stop thinking about her?

For the first time in my life, I wanted a girl that wasn’t mine to have.
And it sucked.

When Blake requests the services of Wingmen, Inc., she seems like a nearly hopeless cause – she’s very tomboy-ish, always frumpy-looking, and definitely not at her full potential to win the heart of a childhood crush. But Ian has never failed a client before, and he’s not about to start now, not even when he gets to know her and wants to be in her company more and more. Soon enough, feelings start to be involved, but is Ian truly the right match for Blake, or is she meant for another?

I totally adored this book. Ian is totally sweet, sometimes an idiot, but overall so adorable and hilarious you can’t help but love him. Blake was perfect for him, never really falling for his typical lines for women, and making him work for her love and trust. And I loved the secondary characters of this book: Lex, the other co-owner and brainiac behind Wingmen, Inc., and Gabi, Ian’s childhood friend. After reading The Matchmaker’s Playbook, Lex and Gabi’s book has become a highly anticipated read – these two are enemies to the extreme, and I can’t wait to see them fall in love.

If you love to laugh, read this book. If you love romcoms, read this book. It’s such a fun, entertaining book – you won’t want to put it down!

4 hearts
lacey

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

Now here’s an excerpt from The Matchmaker’s Playbook! ❤

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Blake let out another pitiful groan. “I don’t think it fits.”

“They measured you. It fits. Just, tell me if it looks okay so we can go.” I checked my watch. “Gabi said dinner was at six, and it’s already a quarter till.”

“This is too much pressure.” Her voice was frantic. “I can’t do this. I mean, how do I know if it looks good? They’re boobs.”

I groaned. “Boobs always look good. Believe me.”

“Boobs are gross!”

Said no man ever. Even the gay ones.

One of the salesladies eyed me up and down. “Are you two okay?”

“Great,” I chirped. “Just having a very heated discussion about the beauty of breasts.” I dipped my chin to Blake’s chest. “What are you? A double D?”

Scowling, she marched off.

Thank God.

“Blake,” I hissed.

No answer.

I’d never had such a difficult client. If anything, they jumped when I told them to, asked how high, and then kept jumping until I was satisfied. Blake fought me at every turn.

“Open the door before I crawl underneath it. I’ll pick the bras, you can close your eyes if you want so you don’t have to watch me look at you, alright? My stomach literally just ate my liver. I need protein. Open. The. Door.”

The door slowly creaked open. Taking advantage of the small crack of air, I pushed it farther, then clicked it shut behind me and turned around.

Blake was facing me, hands on hips, face beet-red, body . . . freaking perfect. My tongue almost lolled out, like a dog.

Most girls starve themselves to have abs like that, which was disgusting. But her abs? They had muscle, actual muscle, but still appeared feminine.

She also had a nice tan, just enough to show that she spent time outside or maybe just had naturally darker skin.

My throat went completely dry as I continued to stare.

“Well?” Her voice was weak. “How awful do I look? On a scale of one to ten?”

I’d convinced her to buy some new workout clothes to replace her old ones. I knew I’d never get her to actually completely change her style. She liked workout clothes? Fine, at least buy the kind that fit and actually point to the correct gender. I tried to steer her away from the boyfriend sweats and sweatshirts, but she eventually wore me down, so I told her if she bought at least five new Pink outfits that had spandex in them, I’d let her get one pair of ugly slouchy sweats. You’d think I’d just given her a million dollars, from her reaction.

Currently, she was sporting a short pair of bright-blue yoga shorts.

And a black push-up sports bra that did wonders for her boobs.

And the world just in general.

Holy shit.

I gulped as I became more and more irritated with the fact that my body was reacting as if it had never seen a girl without her shirt on before. “Blake, it’s great.”

“You sound bored!”

I had to, damn it! What did she want me to do? Sound interested? Turned-on? Intrigued? Curious? I was all those things. I just tried to ignorethe insanity bouncing around in my head and blurted, “Your boobs look really good. Perky, happy, just . . . awesome.”

Did I just call her boobs “happy”?

“You think?” She stared down at her breasts, then grabbed them.

Holy shit, was she seriously feeling herself up? I braced my hand against the door and sucked in a breath.

“They still feel comfortable,” she said.

“Do they?” I managed to choke out while she continued bouncing them a bit in her hands. Dear Lord, did she know what she was doing? Waving a flag in front of a bull. My jeans suddenly tight in all the wrong areas, I tried to envision Lex naked, anything to get my dick to clue in to the word “client,” meaning I was in a no-play zone.

Another first.

It was because I was hungry.

And Marissa? Melissa? Hadn’t satisfied me. I’d gotten off, and made sure she did too, but the entire experience left me feeling empty, bored, and—if I was being completely honest? A bit depressed. Besides, her tits paled in comparison. I had to wonder what the hell I’d been doing all my life if this was the first time I was having such a strong reaction to boobs.

Something about Blake had me wondering if I’d been satisfied at all up until this point. And I had no idea what the hell was so confusing about her, and about the situation. I was unable to put my finger on it, and the more I thought about it the more my head hurt.

Hunger does weird things to guys.

“Yeah.” More bouncing, then turning and staring in the mirror. I wasn’t sure what was worse. Her staring at her own boobs or touching them. “I’m just no good at this stuff. I didn’t grow up with a mom, and I hit puberty really early. The girls made fun of me, and the boys pointed.” Her shoulders slumped inward again.

Could we please go back to the bouncing? I was a fan of that Blake. The one that rolled up like an awkward armadillo? Not so much.

Reading Order: Wingmen Inc. series

#1 ~ The Matchmaker’s Playbook: EbookPaperbackAudible • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Matchmaker’s Replacement: EbookPaperback • Goodreads (July 26, 2016)

about the author button

Rachel Van DykenRachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

Want to be kept up to date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866!

You can connect with her on Facebook or join her fan group Rachel’s New Rockin Readers.

Website • Newsletter • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon Page

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Everything you need to have the perfect book boyfriend without leaving home!
Compliments of Wingman Inc.
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Blog Tour + Excerpt & Giveaway: Nobody But You by Jill Shalvis

Nobody but You tour

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Nobody But You by Jill Shalvis!
We have an early look with an excerpt and a fantastic giveaway for you on the blog!

Nobody But You by Jill Shalvis
Series: Cedar Ridge #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: March 29th 2016
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SOMETIMES YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN . . .

When Jacob was injured in the war, it changed him for life. Now all he wants to do is come home to Cedar Ridge, settle in at his lakeside cabin and get some much-needed peace and quiet. But there’s no peace to be had when he finds a spitfire of a woman camping out on his property. Half the time he’s not sure whether he wants to spank her or kiss–or maybe both. He’s in a dark place and a dark mood, and here’s this wildly hot woman who is also funny and light and may be the balm be needs to soothe his aching soul.

Sophie Marren is pretty much penniless after leaving her abusive husband. She doesn’t have the money to pay rent or the slip fees for docking the boat where she’s been sleeping. She was getting along just perfectly until the good-looking, brooding, I’m-too-sexy-for-myself guy moves into the lake cabin that the slip belongs to. Sure he’s hot as the noon sun with those dark lens and even darker ‘tude, but god forbid she tie herself to another man who’s always telling her what to do. But the more she gets to know Jacob, the more she sees how willing he is to battle for her wounded heart…a battle she might just let him win.

Buy Links:
Amazon • B&N • IndieBound • iTunes • Google Play • Kobo

Now here’s an excerpt from Nobody But You! ❤

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She eyed the bench a long beat but did eventually sit, perching primly as far from him as she could get and yet still be close enough to grab the bottle.

Smart woman.

She took the Scotch and drank. Her eyes watered and she coughed as she handed it to him. With a sigh, she leaned back to study the night sky. Her bared throat was slim and creamy smooth. An unexpected temptation. Remembering the flash of pain and vulnerability she’d unwittingly revealed, and that for whatever reason he’d somehow added to it, he spoke. “I’m sorry.”

She glanced at him as if she’d never heard a man apologize before in her life. “For…breathing?” she asked. “Having a penis? What?”

“You were upset because you didn’t know I was a Kincaid.”

She sighed. “That was just me looking for a reason to be mad at you so I wouldn’t…”

She bit her lower lip, clearly not wanting to go on.

But now he had to know. “So you wouldn’t what?”

“Nothing,” she said. “It’s just that I’m trying to make better choices.”

“Of which I wouldn’t be one.”

“It’s not necessarily your fault,” she said. “It’s that you’re a man.”

“Guilty as charged.”

“And I’m off men right now.”

“And on…women?” he asked with admittedly more than a little fascination.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m on no one, but thank you for proving my point on men.”

“I get that,” he said. “But being off men doesn’t seem to be making you very happy, or sound like a whole lot of fun.”

“Maybe I don’t need fun.”

He understood that. He’d felt the same way since Brett died. “What do you need?” he asked, honestly wanting to know more about her.

Instead of answering, she reached for the bottle. He waited until she met his gaze before letting go.

“Nothing,” she said a little too quickly. “Everything’s…perfect.”

“And your glass is half full,” he said. “So you’ve said.”

But he didn’t believe her. “How about a game?”

“I don’t play games.”

Now, that wasn’t exactly true. Whether she knew it or not, she’d been playing with his head since he’d first laid eyes on her. “Three truths and a lie,” he said.

She stared at him. “As in you tell me three truths and a lie, and I pick out the lie?”

“Yes.”

She considered this. “What do I get if I win?”

“What do you want?”

For the briefest of beats, her gaze dropped to his mouth.

Oh, hell yeah, he thought. Want me…

“My first boyfriend taught me that game,” she said.

“What did the winner get?”

“A kiss.”

Definitely still playing with his head… “Is that what you want, Sophie? A kiss?”

Again she stared at his mouth before dropping eye contact and wrapping that eye-stopping pink robe tighter around her body. “Do you?” she asked.

“Hell yes.”

Her gaze flew to his.

“Problem is,” he said conversationally, “if I kissed you, I don’t think I’d be able to stop.”

Her mouth literally fell open. The pulse at the base of her throat jumped. And she seemed to lose her words.

He went on. “But you should know, I don’t lose. That means you’ll have to tell me three truths and a lie.” And he’d hopefully get to know more about her.

She closed her mouth to bite her lower lip in what could’ve been indecision or excitement. Obviously he was hoping for the latter. “But hey, if you’re not sure you can handle losing, we can just forget about it,” he said.

The challenge lifted her chin and put sparks in her eyes. That’s it, babe. Show me what you’ve got.

“Bring it,” she said.

Reading Order: Cedar Ridge series

  

#1 ~ Second Chance Summer: EbookPaperback • AudibleGoodreads
#2 ~ My Kind of Wonderful: EbookPaperback • Hardcover • AudibleGoodreads
#3 ~ Nobody But You: EbookPaperback • Audible • Goodreads (March 29, 2016)

about the author button

Jill ShalvisNew York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Pinterest • Instagram

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Five (5) winners will win the Cedar Ridge series by Jill Shalvis
Five (5) winners will win a copy of NOBODY BUT YOU by Jill Shalvis

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Blog Tour + ARC Review: A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole

A Thousand Boy Kisses tour

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole!

A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole
Series: Standalone
Release Date: March 15th 2015
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One kiss lasts a moment.
But a thousand kisses can last a lifetime.

One boy.
One girl.
A bond that is forged in an instant and cherished for a decade.
A bond that neither time nor distance can break.
A bond that will last forever.
Or so they believe.

When seventeen-year-old Rune Kristiansen returns from his native Norway to the sleepy town of Blossom Grove, Georgia, where he befriended Poppy Litchfield as a child, he has just one thing on his mind. Why did the girl who was one half of his soul, who promised to wait faithfully for his return, cut him off without a word of explanation?

Rune’s heart was broken two years ago when Poppy fell silent. When he discovers the truth, he finds that the greatest heartache is yet to come.

Standalone Young Adult Tearjerker Romance.
For ages 14 and up.

Buy Links:
Amazon US • Amazon UK • Amazon CA • iTunes • Kobo

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I don’t know how Tillie Cole does it, but she’s always able to write books that are so sad yet happy at the same time. They’re gut-wrenching and heart-melting, they hurt my heart and uplift it, and her latest release, A Thousand Boy Kisses, takes all of that to the max. This book is a lovely, lovely coming of age story, and I truly enjoyed reading about Poppy and Rune.

“Poppy and Rune. Two halves of the same whole.”

A Thousand Boy Kisses is definitely the kind of book that you want to go in blind. I do want to warn you that it’s not exactly the most light-hearted of books, despite what you might think of the adorable cover. There are times in this novel that my heart felt so heavy, my emotions were shot, and I was hurting for Poppy and Rune – but I promise, the journey and the end are totally worth all the emotional upheaval.

This is a young adult, coming of age story, and it’s also a mix of friends to lovers and a second chance romance. Poppy and Rune are high school students, so they’re not the usual sort of characters Tillie Cole has written in the past, but they’re very mature for their age. I adored these two together – their love is that once-in-a-lifetime love that anyone can only pray to find, and they find it at such a young age. Poppy and Rune love each other so deeply and tenderly, they made my heart swoon. Tillie Cole always writes the BEST love stories, and Poppy and Rune’s is one of her best yet.

Closing his eyes, Rune took my mouth in a kiss. And in this kiss I felt his outpouring of love. I felt a love, that at seventeen, I was blessed to have received.
A love that knew no boundaries.
The kind of love that inspired music that lasts through the ages.
A love that should be felt and meant and treasured.

It gets a little too sappy and cheesy at times, but for the most part, A Thousand Boy Kisses is poignant and heartfelt. I felt all of the emotions in this book deeply, both the good ones and the bad. It’s unique and gorgeously written, and I highly recommend it for those who love powerful love stories. I definitely won’t be forgetting Poppy and Rune’s romance anytime soon!

4 hearts
lacey

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

about the author button

Tillie ColeAmazon & USA Today Best Selling Author, Tillie Cole is a Northern girl through and through. She originates from a place called Teesside on that little but awesomely sunny (okay I exaggerate) Isle called Great Britain. She was brought up surrounded by her English rose mother — a farmer’s daughter, her crazy Scottish father, a savagely sarcastic sister and a multitude of rescue animals and horses.

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Blog Tour + ARC Review & Excerpt: Rough Rhythm by Tessa Bailey

Rough Rhythm Tour

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Rough Rhythm by Tessa Bailey!

Rough Rhythm by Tessa Bailey

Rough Rhythm by Tessa Bailey
Series: Made in Jersey #1.5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: March 8th 2016
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God help the woman I take home tonight.

Band manager James Brandon never expected to find the elusive satisfaction he’d been chasing, let alone stumble upon it in some sleezy Hollywood meat market. Yet the girl’s quiet pride spoke to him from across the bar, louder than a shout. Troubled, hungry and homeless, she’d placed her trust in him. But after losing the grip on his dark desires that one fateful night, James has spent the last four years atoning for letting her down.

This time I’ll finally crack him.

Rock band drummer Lita Regina has had enough of James’s guilt. She wants the explosive man she met that night in Hollywood. The man who held nothing back and took no prisoners—save Lita. And she’ll stop at nothing to revive him. Even if it means throwing herself into peril at every turn, just to get a reaction from her stoic manager. But when Lita takes her quest one step too far, James disappears from her life, thinking his absence will keep her safe.

Now it’s up to Lita to bring James back…and ignite an inferno of passion in the process.

Reader Advisory: ROUGH RHYTHM contains fantasies of nonconsensual sex, acted upon by consenting characters. Readers with sensitivity to portrayals of nonconsensual sex should be advised.

Buy Links:
Amazon Ebook • Amazon Paperback

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Holy WOW. Tessa Bailey sure knows how to pack a punch in a novella. I’d been dying to read Lita and James’ story after meeting them in Crashed Out, and boy did they not disappoint. This novella is hot, hot, hot! In typical Tessa Bailey fashion, Rough Rhythm is a dirty, passionate, exhilarating read. It’s got characters that are raw, gritty, and a little rough around the edges, but you love them anyway. I honestly wish this could have been longer, because I never wanted to stop reading about Lita and James. If you’re looking for a fast-paced, sexy AF read, Rough Rhythm is definitely for you.

“All this time, you’ve treated me like a protector.” He pushed her thighs open. “But I was the one you should have been afraid of.”

For the past four years, rock band drummer Lita has been trying to release the passion and control her band manager James has been holding within him and unleash the the dark side of him that gave her the best night of her life the night they met. But even though Lita wants him to do all the filthy things he did to her during that one night stand, James can’t help but regret the way he lost control over her. He would never want to taint Lita with his darkness, but that doesn’t stop him wanting her more and more each day that passes. Their hearts linked because of that night, and you can feel the longing and love they have between them, they way they belong to and with each other. Can James accept Lita in his bed again when she already resides in his heart? Or will he forever be on the sidelines, always looking but not touching?

How could he feel such protectiveness for Lita and want to dominate her in such a way? It was a though his two urges went hand in hand. Protect and punish. Cherish and… imprison. Keep her still and make her take.

Emotionally-charged, tension-filled, angsty, and downright dirty, Rough Rhythm is another winner from one of my all-time favorite authors. Tessa Bailey is the queen of dirty talk – somehow she manages never to make her heroes repetitive and their dirty talk is new and erotic as ever with every new read. Rough Rhythm is a little darker than your typical Tessa book but it totally WORKS, and I was fanning myself more than I usually need to when I read her books. I utterly adored James and Lita, and I loved the way their romance played out. I was hooked onto this novella from beginning to end, and I can’t recommend it enough for those who love their sexy reads!

“I live for you. You’re not just in my thoughts, you are my thoughts. Every single one. And somehow, I lived for you all wrong. I should have been living with you. Not only for.”

5 hearts
lacey

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

Now here’s an excerpt from Rough Rhythm! ❤

excerpt button

“You came along at an unfortunate time, Lita.” His head gave a tight jerk, jaw clenching. “I haven’t been feeling like myself.”

“Really.” She set the donut down, her stomach executing a series of flips. Nervous ones, but not the type that made her want to run. Not the type she’d experienced before. These were hotter, fuller, curious. “How do you feel…instead?”

“I have hunger.” His dark gaze swung up, gluing her to the plush, leather seat. “I don’t know if it can be fed like yours.”

What was going on here? Lita felt almost hypnotized, lured in by his rasping, cultured voice. She recognized interest and arousal in men, had it directed at her often, but this? This was utter famishment. He reminded her of a vampire who’d been in hiding from the sun, unable to hunt. And now a deer lay before him, vital and tempting, life flowing through its veins. She was the deer.

Man. How crazy were her thoughts right now? The lack of food must have gone to her head. After the trouble she’d just escaped, she shouldn’t care what went on under another man’s surface. Shouldn’t allow this odd, instantaneous attachment to take hold.

The fuller her stomach became, though, the more her thoughts cleared. The more of James she saw. His interest in her, as he watched her mouth chew, was almost as thick as the leash around his neck, keeping him in place. If the lights in the room weren’t so dim, she could probably make it out. Strain bracketed his masculine mouth and he appeared to be swallowing golf balls down the column of his powerful throat. One…after…another.

“How did you get so hungry?” James asked, his tone suggesting he was reclining back onto a bed of nails.

Lita rejected the outside ugliness from entering the room. “I could ask you the same thing.” Her legs were steady as she stood and rounded the table, compelled by some force she couldn’t deny. Maybe it was his clear attempt to restrain himself, to fight the attraction so obvious between them. She stopped beside James, but he stayed still as stone. “I’m full. What happens now?”

His eyelids drooped, fist mashing against his forehead. “Go.”

That single, tortured word caught her in the chest. God, he was holding back so much. What would happen when it roared out?

Why was she trembling with the need to find out?

There was danger lurking beneath this man’s surface. Also known as the last thing a homeless girl wanting to turn her luck around needed.

Too bad danger was the only thing that had ever made her feel alive.

Lita walked past James to the lamp and flipped off the gentle light, before returning to his tense figure, sliding between his outstretched legs…and opening the robe. “Feed yourself.”

The air crackled as James stood slowly, so slowly, rising to his full height. When Lita glimpsed his changed expression, she realized that—at her invitation—a change had snapped through him like a cracking whip, despite the way he rose without hurry. The vampire’s dirt nap had officially ended and the invisible leash was no more. Power rippled over his beautiful body as it pressed close, a hand finding her hip inside the robe, squeezing, his mouth sliding against her ear.

His breath went choppy after issuing a single unexpected command.

“Crawl.”

Reading Order: Made in Jersey series

Crashed Out by Tessa Bailey Rough Rhythm by Tessa Bailey Thrown Down by Tessa Bailey 

#1 ~ Crashed Out: My Review • Ebook • PaperbackGoodreads
#1.5 ~ Rough Rhythm: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Thrown Down: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Worked Up: My Review • Ebook • PaperbackGoodreads
#4 ~ Wound Tight: Goodreads (Dec. 5, 2016)

about the author button

Tessa BaileyTessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans and laptop, driving cross-country to New York City in under four days. Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention. She now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband of eight years and four-year-old daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads


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Blog Tour + Early Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: The Earl Next Door by Charis Michaels

The Earl Next Door tour
Click the banner to follow the tour.

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for The Earl Next Door by Charis Michaels!

The Earl Next Door by Charis Michaels
Series: The Bachelor Lords of London #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: March 1st 2016
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Charis Michaels makes her Avon Impulse debut with the first book in her new historical romance series, The Bachelor Lords of London…featuring a brooding earl and the American heiress who charms him.

American heiress Piety Grey is on the run. Suddenly in London and facing the renovation of a crumbling townhouse, she’s determined to make a new life for herself—anything is better than returning to New York City where a cruel mother and horrid betrothal await her. The last thing she needs is a dark, tempting earl inciting her at every turn…

Trevor Rheese, the Earl of Falcondale, isn’t interested in being a good neighbor. After fifteen years of familial obligation, he’s finally free. But when the disarmingly beautiful Piety bursts through his wall—and into his life—his newfound freedom is threatened…even as his curiosity is piqued.

Once Piety’s family arrives in London, Falcondale suddenly finds himself in the midst of a mock courtship to protect the seductive woman who’s turned his world upside down. It’s all for show—or at least it should be. But if Falcondale isn’t careful, he may find a very real happily ever after with the woman of his dreams…

Buy Links:
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I love reading historical romances every once in a while in between the contemporaries I usually read, and when I saw the blurb for The Earl Next Door, it called to me. I was surprised by how charming this book was – the characters, especially the heroine, were an absolute delight to read. The slow pacing of the story though, made it a little difficult to get through the book, but I enjoyed this overall. There’s humor, a slow-burn romance, and adorably quirky characters – I’m glad I didn’t give up on this book when I wanted to early on!

Piety Grey has just moved to London to save her fortune as an American heiress from her forceful mother and step-brothers. She’s moved into a home in need of repair, and next door to Trevor Rheese, the Earl of Falcondale. Whereas Piety is bubbly and light and so full of goodness, Trevor is a recluse and a sarcastic, moody man. All he wants is peace and solitude, but all his hopes for a quiet life are dashed the second Piety moves in next door. Not only does she invade his home through their connecting passage, but the desire she awakens in him can’t be ignored.

“I don’t want anyone but you,” he said, kissing her. “You are the beginning and the end for me. More than enough. You are far better than I deserve. No one could ever exceed you, ever, and I will take these memories with me to my grave.”

Piety is absolutely my favorite part of The Earl Next Door. I don’t think I’ve ever read a more adorable heroine! She’s sweet, cute, sassy, independent, and can definitely hold her own against Mr. Go-Away-I-Want-To-Be-Alone. She’s not the type of girl to give up taking down the walls around Trevor’s heart, and I loved her for it. I also enjoyed the secondary characters Jocelyn, Joseph, and Lady Frinfrock, who brought so much humor and light-heartedness to the story. The romance, despite its slow pace, is also wonderful. Even when I wanted things to hurry up, I appreciated how sweet everything turned out between Piety and Trevor. Trevor falling for Piety against his wishes is swoon-worthy and seriously so sweet to read.

“She has become . . . She has become life itself to me, and without her—ill, fine, injured, whole—I hardly care to live at all.”

Despite all I loved about this book, it was a bit of a struggle to get through the whole thing, because of its length and slow pace. I skimmed a bit at the parts that didn’t involved the romance, which was actual a lot more than I expected. There’s a lot going on in The Earl Next Door, but if you focus on the romance, it’s much more enjoyable. I’d definitely recommend this book if you’re a fan of historical romances, like your stories slow, and you have a lot of patience.

3.5 hearts
lacey

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

Now here’s an excerpt from The Earl Next Door! ❤

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“Such traffic in the street today,” mumbled Miss Breedlowe.

“Nonsense,” said Lady Frinfrock, her eyes pinned on the carriage. “There is no traffic in Henrietta Place. Not on this day or any day. Such recklessness? A conveyance of this size? It’s wholly irregular!”

“Indeed. Perhaps a neighbor is expecting out-of-town guests?”

“No relation to the occupants of this street could afford a vehicle so grand,” she said. “Except, of course, for me. And I have no relatives.”

“Not even the new earl, Lord Falcondale?”

The marchioness harrumphed. “He cannot even afford a gardener.”

The carriage door sprang open, and Lady Frinfrock leaned in.

“Oh, look,” said Miss Breedlowe, cheerful interest in her voice. “It’s a young woman. How beautiful she is. And her gown. And hat,” she marveled. “Oh, she’s brought someone with her. A companion. Hmm. Perhaps a servant?” Her voice went a little off, and she crooked her head to the side, studying the two women collecting in the street.

“Is that an African?” Lady Frinfrock nearly shouted, planting both gloved palms on the spotless glass of the window.

“I do believe her companion is an…aboriginal woman of some sort,” croaked Miss Breedlowe, herself moving closer to the glass.

“But whatever business could they have in Henrietta Place?”

Miss Breedlowe reached out a hand to steady her. “Do take care, my lady. Perhaps we should return to the comfort of the chairs.”

“I shall not be comfortable in chairs,” said the marchioness, swatting her away. “But has the young woman come alone?” She tapped a bony finger on the glass. “Where is her family? Her husband or parents?”

“Perhaps the men who have accompanied her are her—”

“Servants, clearly,” interrupted the marchioness. “Look, Miss Breedlowe. Trunk after trunk. Crates and baskets. Oh, God.” Her breath fogged the glass. “They are conveying it to the former front door of Cecil Panhearst’s old house. It’s been sealed like a tomb for the better part of a decade.”

“So they are. Perhaps you’re to have a second new neighbor.”

“A lone young woman and an African?” She moved closer to the window.

“Highly likely, I’d say. It would appear they are…? Yes, they are unpacking.

“Well, that cannot be,” Lady Frinfrock declared, shaking her head at the street. “I won’t stand for it. Not without knowing who she may be, or where she came from. And why she is accompanied by an African.”

“Oh, do not worry,” chuckled Miss Breedlowe, “the servants will learn her story soon enough. If she has any staff at all, they will talk with the other servants on the street.”

For the first time since the carriage arrived, the marchioness lifted her eyes from the window and turned to stare at the nurse.

“Why, what an excellent idea, Miss Breedlowe.” She raised her cane and jabbed it in the direction of the startled younger woman. “How resourceful you are. The servants will talk.” She raised one eyebrow. “They will learn her story soon enough.”

As Miss Breedlowe stared in disbelief, the marchioness scrunched her face and then swung the tip of her cane in the direction of door.

“Oh, no, my lady,” said Miss Breedlowe, backing away. “You cannot mean me.”

“Oh, yes, ‘tis exactly what I mean. Finally, a suitable application for your indeterminate hovering and resigned sighs. We shall devise a reason for you to approach her, and you will discover her business in my street. It is our duty as mindful, responsible residents to know.”

“But I was speaking of the maids, my lady. The kitchen boys. I…”

“The maids are unreliable. The kitchen boys are inarticulate. You, however, are ideal for this sort of thing. Steel yourself, Miss Breedlowe. We cannot know what manner of objectionable thing she may say or do. Better fetch your gloves. And your hat.”

Reading Order: The Bachelor Lords of London series

 

#1 ~ The Earl Next Door: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Viscount and the Virgin: Ebook • Goodreads (July 5, 2016)
#3 ~ Untitled: Ebook • PaperbackGoodreads (Sept. 15, 2016)

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CHARIS MICHAELS is thrilled to be making her debut with Avon Impulse. Prior to writing romance, she studied Journalism at Texas A&M and managed PR for a trade association. She has also worked as a tour guide at Disney World, harvested peaches on her family’s farm, and entertained children as the “Story Godmother” at birthday parties. She has lived in Texas, Florida, and London, England. She now makes her home in the Washington, D.C.-metro area.

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