Audiobook Review: Easy Charm by Kristen Proby

Posted in 3.5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Easy Charm by Kristen Proby
Series: Boudreaux #2 (full reading order below)
Audiobook Publication Date: July 8th 2015
Length: 7 hours and 31 minutes
Narrated by: Sebastian York & Rachel Fulginiti
Links: Audible • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an audiobook in exchange for an honest review

Gabrielle Boudreaux, the youngest of the Boudreaux clan, is a single mother of her young son, Sam. Running a Bed and Breakfast at the family plantation house at the edge of the Mississippi River, Gabby loves her inn, her boy and her family. She meets new people every day, and takes pride in the house and land that has been in her family for more than five generations. Blessed beyond measure, she’s also lonely, although she would never admit that to anyone. Until Rhys O’Shaughnessy walks through her door, brooding and wounded and the sexiest thing she’s ever laid eyes on.

Rhys has been at the top of his game as a major league pitcher for the Chicago Cubs for more than ten years. Baseball is in his blood. But when he tears his rotator cuff and has to sit a season out, he retreats to Inn Boudreaux at the recommendation of his cousin, Kate, to heal and work toward building his shoulder back to perfect shape with only one goal in mind: to return to the game he loves. But he didn’t plan on being utterly charmed by a devastatingly beautiful woman and her baseball-loving son.

When Rhys’ shoulder has healed and he’s given the chance to return to his team, will he leave the family he’s come to love behind, or will he stay with Gabby and Sam?

I’ve never read a book from Kristen Proby before, but now I’m thinking I should, because I was taken away by how sweet Easy Charm was. And, of course, Sebastian York is one of the narrators, so how could I not enjoy this audiobook? I may not have completely loved this book, as I didn’t connect with the story as much as I wanted to, but the sweetness of the romance and fantastic narrators made up for it and I ended up enjoying listening to Easy Charm very much.

As each book in the Boudreaux series can be read as a standalone, I didn’t need to read Easy Love before getting into Easy Charm. This second book features Gabrielle Boudreaux, the youngest of the Boudreaux siblings. She’s the darling daughter of the family, so she’s very much loved and protected. So when she finds herself pregnant, and the father not wanting anything to do with her and their child, she has the support of her family. Now, she’s a fierce woman, a protective mother, and the owner of a successful inn. I didn’t really connect well with her character, but it didn’t stop me from liking her as a person. I really admired Gabby as a mother, and I adored her son Sam. He’s so sweet, and Gabby is the perfect loving mother to him.

Rhys O’Shaughnessy is a famous baseball player who’s been injured, so he needs to take a break to heal his wound. His cousin recommends he stay at Gabby’s inn, and when he shows up, he’s immediately taken by her. There’s an intense chemistry between them, and Rhys is sweet and determined in his seduction of Gabby. He intends to win her and her heart, but what he doesn’t expect is to fall for her son, too. Rhys is such a good guy. He’s charming, protective, and utterly smitten with Gabby and Sam. He was a bit too flawless for my taste, but I could still see how perfect he was for Gabby.

Easy Charm is an easy, angst-free, fairly predictable book, but the narrators certainly made it enjoyable. I loved listening to Sebastian York’s voice, and Rachel Fulginiti did a great southern accent. They were both just really easy and nice to listen to. I’d listen to anything Sebastian York narrates, of course, but Rachel Fulginiti really took the spotlight in the book for me.

I’m rating 3 hearts for the story, and 4 for the narration, so 3.5 hearts for Easy Charm!

Reading Order: Boudreaux series

#1 ~ Easy Love: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Easy Charm: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Easy Melody: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Easy Kisses: Goodreads (June 21, 2016)
#4.5 ~ Easy for Keeps: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (May 24, 2016)

Here’s an audio excerpt from Easy Love, also narrated by Sebastian York & Rachel Fulginiti!

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23Jul2015

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

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

Click the banner to follow the tour.

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Frisk Me by Lauren Layne!

Frisk Me by Lauren Layne
Series: New York’s Finest #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 28th 2015
Publisher: Forever

After a photograph of Luc Moretti saving a tourist hits social media, he instantly becomes New York’s most famous and beloved cop. When a major network decides to run a special on the “American Hero,” Luc’s boss gives him no choice but to cooperate in the name of good exposure for the department. Luc doesn’t mind the celebrity status-what he does mind is the gorgeous brunette journalist who’s been assigned to follow his every move. Especially since she also happens to be the same knockout that rejected him rather publicly the week before.

Ava Sims is a woman who gets what she wants. And what she wants is to be CBC’s lead anchor-but to get there, she’ll need to nail the fluff piece on the playboy cop. Luc Moretti is everything Ava knows to stay away from: a stubborn charmer with a hero-complex. But the more Ava gets to know Luc and his oddball family, the more she realizes that beneath the swagger and the blue uniform is a complex man who makes her heart beat too fast. Soon, Ava’s doing the unthinkable, and falling for the best of New York’s finest …

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

It’s been a while since I’ve read a good man-in-uniform book, but Frisk Me, starring officer Luc Moretti, was an absolute delight to read. I was a big fan of Lauren Layne’s when I read one of her Redemption books, but Frisk Me only solidified to me how great of an author she is. This was a great first book in a new series (about some sexy men-in-uniform!) that I’m already looking forward to reading more of.

Luc has become a famous hero when he’s recorded doing something he feels any other compassionate person would do. The video becomes viral, and Luc is thrust into celebrity very unwillingly. All he wants is the media attention to go away, but he’s instead forced to let a TV reporter follow him around and write up a story about his life.

He was all over the place with her. Amiable one minute, prissy the next.
Kissing her one day.
Yelling at her the next.
A match made in heaven, they were not.

Luc’s moody brooding about his newfound celebrity was just… adorable. He’s normally a fun, charming guy, but Ava Sims, the reporter, gets under his skin. He’s annoyed with her, no matter how gorgeous she looks or how hot the chemistry between them is. Ava also doesn’t want to follow around the cop who gave her a ticket three years ago, but this ‘hero story’ will be the launch of her career. I loved that Frisk Me was a bit of an enemies-to-lovers romance – the banter between Ava and Luc is hilarious and I could definitely feel the hot chemistry between them!

Slowly, Ava and Luc start to warm up to each other as they get to know one another. Frisk Me was a heartfelt book, and though it was slow in the beginning, I was soon rooting for Luc and Ava’s HEA. They just meshed so well together, and it was easy to see that they were perfect for each other.

“I’d give up being everybody else’s hero, if you’ll just let me be yours.”

I also have to mention that the Moretti family is absolutely hilarious! I was laughing out loud at so many ridiculous things that Luc’s family says. Luc’s grandmother, Nonna, is a hoot. She has no shame in what she does, wears, or says. I loved her! I was also SUPER intrigued by Luc’s two older brothers, who will also be getting their books. I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy Anthony and Vincent’s books even more than I did Luc’s.

Frisk Me was overall just a great read. There was just enough drama and intensity to balance out the lighter, fun moments to make this a well-rounded book. I had so much fun reading Frisk Me and cannot WAIT for the second book!

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

Reading Order: New York’s Finest series

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

Lauren 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

$50.00 Amazon eGift Card
Signed Copies of FRISK ME, ONLY WITH YOU and MADE FOR YOU
(Print US/Ebook INTL)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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21Jul2015

Release Day Review: The Taming of the Billionaire by Jessica Clare

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

The Taming of the Billionaire by Jessica Clare
Series: Billionaires and Bridesmaids #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 21st 2015
Links: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The New York Times bestselling author of The Billionaire and the Virgin returns with a tale of Shakespearean-style seduction…

Edie’s an overbearing cat behaviorist who’s not big on people. Magnus is a newly-rich game developer who likes to be in control. When the two of them meet at Gretchen and Hunter’s masquerade engagement party, the loathing is mutual. Unfortunately for them—and everyone else—they’re in the wedding party together and must deal with each other for the next few months.

But when Magnus’s younger brother falls for Edie’s sister, he begs for his brother’s help in concocting a plan to win her over. If Magnus can keep the prickly Edie occupied, his brother will have time to woo Edie’s sister. Of course, Magnus isn’t interested in the slightest, but Edie is…intriguing. And stubborn. And smart. And sexy. And they might have more in common than they thought.

Before long, it becomes a challenge between the two of them to see who will be tamed first. But how’s Edie going to react when she finds out that Magnus is using her? And how’s Magnus going to handle the fact that he’s fallen for a cat lady?

Jessica Clare’s Billionaire books are a total guilty pleasure of mine – I inhale them like candy because they’re just so good. They’re easy to enjoy and well-written with hilarious, endearing characters. The Taming of the Billionaire, the second book in the Billionaire and Bridesmaids series, is another win from Jessica Clare – I adored this warm-hearted, enchanting story of the cat lady and the billionaire!

“I thought I was going to tame the cat lady, and it seems that she’s tamed me.”

Edie is a cat behaviorist, otherwise known as a cat lady. She’s not the most friendly person, but hand her a cat and she’s the sweetest person you know. She has a leg injury that causes a limp, and she’s dependent on her sister Bianca, who’s pretty but manipulative. Edie a bridesmaid at her friend Gretchen’s wedding, and at the engagement party she meets Magnus, one of the groomsman – and they dislike each other at first sight. She thinks he’s a dick and he thinks she’s a bitch, which makes for some hilarious banter between them.

Magnus is a billionaire who got rich by developing video games and his latest project requires the help of his brother Levi. But Levi won’t work unless he can be with Edie’s gorgeous sister Bianca, so they make a deal: Magnus will spend time with Edie to distract her from Bianca so Levi can have Bianca to himself, and Levi will work on their gamer project. While Magnus expects to hate his time with Edie, he’s surprised by the sassy yet warm-hearted woman underneath her cat lady exterior. Before long, Magnus wants to spend time with Edie – and he wants her pretty bad, too.

Jessica Clare writes some fantastic chemistry between Magnus and Edie – they’re such unique characters and make an unexpected couple, but I loved them together. Not only is the sex between them HOT, the two are also hilarious together! I was giggling my way through this book with the banter and with how ridiculous they were. Edie and Magnus make the cutest couple ever and I adored them!

“I’m going to lick your pussy so hard you’re not going to be able to walk straight.”
“That’s not much of a threat for a girl like me, Magnus,” she teased. Her hand moved down the front of his chest, then landed at his waist.
“Then I’ll lick your pussy so hard that I won’t be able to walk straight,” he told her.

The Taming of the Billionaire is a hilariously fun, light-hearted read with just the right amount of angst to keep my heart invested. I looooved seeing Magnus fall so hard for his cat lady – he definitely makes a huge 180 in regards to his feelings towards Edie AND he becomes a total cat person himself. Edie was a great heroine too – she’s funny, relatable, and I connected with her from the start. I also loved seeing the characters from the Billionaire Boys Club series (I still have the BIGGEST girl crush on Gretchen)! This book is definitely a must-read for fans of the author – it’s a fun-filled, delightful read and I highly recommend it!

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

Reading Order: Billionaires and Bridesmaids series

#1 ~ The Billionaire and the Virgin: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Taming of the Billionaire: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Billionaire Takes a Bride: My Review • Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ The Billionaire’s Favorite Mistake: My Review • Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Billionaire on the Loose: Ebook • Goodreads (Sept. 20, 2016)

The Billionaires and Bridesmaids series is a spinoff series of the Billionaire Boys Club. Though it’s not necessary to read it prior to Billionaires and Bridesmaids, some recurring characters from the older series appear in the new series.

Reading Order: Billionaire Boys Club series

#1 ~ Stranded with a Billionaire: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Beauty and the Billionaire: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Wrong Billionaire’s Bed: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Once Upon a Billionaire: Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Romancing the Billionaire: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#6 ~ One Night with a Billionaire: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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21Jul2015

Release Day Review: Bind Me Before You Go by Harper Kincaid

Posted in 3 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Bind Me Before You Go by Joya Ryan
Series: Serve #8 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 21st 2015
Links: Ebook • Gooodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

His heart is bound tighter than the bondage he craves…

Determined to put her past behind her, Cassidy Peyton moves to the Big Apple. But New York has a few dark secrets of its own, including Serve, an exclusive BDSM club. It’s a place she isn’t sure she’s ready for, until she sees him watching her. Hot. Intent. Knowing. With eyes that leave her stomach tied in knots, because the loneliness he’s trying to hide matches her own.

Security expert David Cavill has more secrets than any man should. Secrets that forever shut down any possibility of love, marriage, or family. Yet Cassidy draws him in, an intoxicating combination of strength, candor, and sensuality that David can’t resist. But as their bond deepens, Cassidy must decide if she can love a man whose heart is bound tighter than the form of bondage he craves…

Bind Me Before You Go is the latest addition to the Serve series, which I’m a big fan of. Though it’s a fairly good, enjoyable read, I wouldn’t say it’s my new favorite of the series. It was too short for my liking, but the characters were likable and the writing was solid. Harper Kincaid is a new author for me, but I would definitely read more from her if she wrote something a little longer.

Cassidy Peyton moves to New York looking for a fresh start. She feels like she’s missing something in life, so she agrees to go to Serve, a BDSM club, with her roommate. There, she meets David Cavill, an expert in the art of Shibari, Japanese rope bondage. They instantly feel a connection to one another, and they agree to have a two week affair where they learn to trust and explore each other with their bodies. Harper Kincaid can certainly write some hot, steamy scenes, and I was really intrigued by David’s rope kink.

The romance felt a bit lacking. It’s not exactly instalove, but the book is so short that they fall in love too quickly and unbelievably. Both have demons haunting their pasts, which I would’ve liked to be more developed, but again, the book was too short for the story development to be solid enough. Still, Cassidy and David really made a sweet couple, and I enjoyed their book for the most part. If you’re in the mood for a short, quick, steamy read, I’d recommend Bind Me Before You Go. The good writing and hot kink made this a worthwhile read.

Reading Order: Serve series

#1 ~ Owned by Fate (Tessa Bailey): Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Exposed by Fate (Tessa Bailey): Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Mistaken by Fate (Katee Robert): Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Betting on Fate (Katee Robert): Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#5 ~ Driven by Fate (Tessa Bailey): Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#6 ~ Protecting Fate (Katee Robert): Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#7 ~ Rules of Seduction (Joya Ryan): My Review • Ebook • Goodreads
#8 ~ Bind Me Before You Go (Harper Kincaid): Ebook • Gooodreads

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21Jul2015

Release Day Review: Playing with Trouble by Chanel Cleeton

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Playing with Trouble by Chanel Cleeton
Series: Capital Confessions #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 21st 2015
Links: Ebook • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The author of Flirting with Scandal presents her second book in a sexy contemporary romance series about three sisters in a powerful political family, the scandals that threaten to destroy them, and the passion that drives them…

The daughter of one of the Senate’s most powerful figures, Blair Reynolds was ready to become the ultimate political wife—until she caught her fiancé cheating on her wedding day. Law school is a fresh start, her shot at putting the pieces of her life back together. That’s the plan, at least. Until trouble comes in the form of her Torts professor, the man whose arrogance infuriates her in class but haunts her private fantasies.

Graydon Canter had a fortune and a place on all the hottest “Thirty under Thirty” lists, until a series of personal missteps nearly destroyed his career. A year teaching at a D.C. law school is just the break he needs to get his life back in order, as long as nothing—and no one—trips him up.

When Blair and Gray are forced to work together, their explosive attraction becomes impossible to resist. But Gray’s demons have drawn him dangerously close to the edge, and Blair has spent her life playing by the rules. Will she break them for a shot at love?

This is the first book I’ve read from Chanel Cleeton and it certainly won’t be the last! I enjoyed Playing with Trouble SO much – it’s a deliciously sexy, forbidden romance between a law professor and his student. There’s TONS of hot chemistry between Blair and Gray, which I thought the author handled so well. This is definitely a must-read for fans of forbidden romances!

It was the cruelest irony that the man I despised, the man who tortured me from the front of the classroom three days a week, was the hottest fucking thing I’d ever seen.

After the mess her life became after catching her fiancé cheating on her with the best man, Blair Reynolds enrolls in law school to get her life back on track and to please her Senator father. Unfortunately, law school is kicking her ass, and it doesn’t help that her Torts professor, Graydon Canter, is serious sex-on-a-stick.

Gray notices Blair on the first day of class, but obviously, he can’t act on his growing lust for his student, even if she is only seven years younger than him. Gray is a deeply flawed man who’s haunted by the mistakes he made that ended up ruining his law career, but he’s on his way to straightening out his life. He hates teaching, but the one good thing to come out of it is Blair. When they’re unexpectedly thrust together for a project, tensions run high and it isn’t long before they can’t resist each other’s pull.

I really liked the dual POV between Blair and Gray, although sometimes it switched around too many times for my taste. I could feel the chemistry that Gray and Blair were both feeling – there’s a serious case of insta-lust, but I actually loved it in this book because the characters can’t DO anything about it, at least not for a while. As Gray and Blair continue meeting up for the project, the chemistry between them only grows hotter. But they also start getting to know one another on a deeper, personal level, and I loved the way their feelings grew naturally and believably. Gray and Blair grew up in different worlds, but the two of them just clicked together. I’m just really impressed with the way the author handled their forbidden romance.

“You tempt me. So fucking much. I want to think I can be better for you. That I can change. But what if I can’t? It’s one thing to hurt myself, what if I hurt you, too? What if I let you down? I break things. I don’t want to break you.”

There’s a lot of depth to Blair and Gray’s characters and lots to overcome before they can even think of reaching a HEA, but these were two characters I couldn’t help but root for. There are some frustrations, with Gray’s back-and-forth feelings, but it was nothing too annoying. I loved the sexy times, but I also really enjoyed the deeper, meaningful parts to Blair and Gray’s relationship. The forbidden aspect was expertly handled, I really enjoyed the writing, and overall, Playing with Trouble was worthwhile read. I’m thinking I should definitely read the first book, which I skipped, since I enjoyed this second book so much!

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

Reading Order: Capital Confessions series

#1 ~ Flirting with Scandal: Ebook • Goodreads
#2 ~ Playing with Trouble: Ebook • Goodreads
#3 ~ Falling for Danger: My Review • Ebook • Goodreads

Originally a Florida girl, CHANEL CLEETON moved to London where she received a bachelor’s degree from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Chanel fell in love with London and planned to stay there forever, until fate intervened on a Caribbean cruise and a fighter pilot with smooth dance moves swept her off her feet. Now, a happily ever after later, Chanel is living her next adventure.

Law school made Chanel realize she’d rather spend her days writing sexy stories than in a courtroom, and she hasn’t looked back since. An avid reader and hopeless romantic, she’s happiest curled up with a book. She has a weakness for handbags, her three pups, and her husband.

Chanel writes contemporary romances. She is published by Harlequin HQN, Penguin/InterMix, and Penguin/Berkley and is the author of the International School, Capital Confessions, and Wild Aces series.

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