Rebel Heart by Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland

REVIEWED BY

Monique Cashmere

Rebel Heart by Penelope Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After that cliff hanger...... we jump straight back into where we left off. And it all boils down to whether Rush can deal with Gia’s dilemma, because let’s face it, not many could.

There is not much I can say about this second book of the duet without giving away too much. If you have read the first, you definitely need to read the second half. I was desperate to know how their story was going to reach a HEA, and I’m happy with the result. I felt it did drag out a bit there for a while, but I fully appreciated that problems like these two had needed to be completely thought through so once a decision is made, Rush could stick by it.

I envy anyone who is starting out to read this duet now, as you get the privilege of jumping straight into this second book without a huge book hangover the rest of us had. You will still gasp at the ending of book one, but can ease your pain by picking up book two at once. Highly recommend you read this series.

* I am grateful for the copy provided by the author for my honest opinion.
** Reviewed by Monique for JoandIsaLoveBooksBlog.

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Speakeasy by Sarina Bowen

REVIEWED BY 

Melinda Lazar 

Speakeasy by Sarina Bowen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Speakeasy by Sarina Bowen

I love returning to True North and the Shipley family and I loved Alec and May’s story. While I needed a quick refresher on who Alec was, I was well-acquainted with May and her habits.

After a humiliating breakup, May returns home to the suffocating bosom of her family - having struck up an odd friendship with her rescuer, Alec along the way. May is a recovering alcoholic who is always wishing for that one drink so perhaps striking up a friendship with the owner of the Gin Mill - a pub in town - is a little unorthodox, but they somehow make it work.

Alec is used to working hard and playing harder. He likes a good joke and he’s a fun-loving guy. He’s always thought May was more than a little attractive but never acted on it given that a: he hates her brother and b: her last partner was of the female variety.

This series of Bowen’s always makes me feel all the damn feelings in the whole world! I’m happy and smiling one minute, then the next I have tears and feel like I could toss out some violence. Speakeasy was no different in that regard. I wondered how Bowen would handle May’s bisexuality: would she denounce all feelings towards women? Would she immediately jump into something with Alec? And what about her alcoholism? Would it be prettified for the reader? Silly, naive Mel. Bowen handled all of these issues and questions with her usual aplomb and treated them with the respect they deserve. For that alone, I take my hat off to her.

I loved this book and honestly couldn’t find fault with it. This whole series is a must-read in my opinion. It’s not always pretty, there aren’t always rainbows and sunshine. But these books and the characters are raw and real and I cannot get enough of them.

*arc received in exchange for honest review.

**Reviewed by Melinda for Joandisalovebooks Blog.

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Exhale and Move On by K.L. Shandwick

REVIEWED BY 

Ann Meemken

Exhale and Move On by K.L. Shandwick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rick is such a unique and incredible character. I loved him in the Everything series. I couldn't wait to read his story. Rick is a rock icon and loved by many. He enjoys his life style. Lately feels that there is something missing in his life. He is in search of the missing piece or pieces.

I love Rick's story. I enjoyed everything about this book. In this story you see so many different sides of Rick. In the Everything series he is portrayed as a bad boy rocker that could charm the pants off of you. In this story he is so much more. He is charming, passionate, and caring. There was a few instances where he was vulnerable. I loved watching a softer side of him come out. The connection that Rick, Lennon and Coral share is truly beautiful. The icing on the cake was the rock concert with all of my favorite book rock stars all in one place.

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Making Up by Lucy Parker

REVIEWED BY

Micky Barnard

Making Up by Lucy Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m feeling the warm and fuzzies right now because this read was such a delight in terms of characterisation and dialogue. Lucy Parker has delivered on her reputation of the previous two books, maintaining quality of plot, writing and excelling at dialogue. I added a new virtual shelf thanks to this book ‘dialogue dream’.

Trix the pink-haired, petite acrobat is a prickly chip-on-the-shoulder character at first glance. I wondered if that was how it was going to play out throughout but actually you just need to scratch under the surface with Trix. I loved how getting to know her, revealed a deeper person, complex but more open. Her inner monologue was hilarious.

“We do not squee over anything to do with this man, ovaries. Rein in the hormones immediately.”

The hate is strong when Leo, her nemesis of ten years appears but how I revelled in their exchanges. Such fun, such sniggering whilst reading and I felt utterly entertained.

“Their usual style was to cross paths, cross swords, and then cross their fingers that it was a long time before they saw each other again. Spending time under the same roof never did much for their respective blood pressure.”

These two had blistering chemistry and I liked everything about their togetherness. I also really appreciated how the plot progressed without unnecessary drama, that said it’s still quite an eventful story.

I did feel a sense of slowness midway-ish for some reason, this could have been my mood or not but that explains my rating. However, when these two were on, they dragged me seamlessly sentence to sentence with no sense of passing time.

I was super excited when this third book in the London Celebrities series emerged as coming and I feel excited now after reading it. I want all my friends that are fellow Lucy Parker fans to read it.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

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Melt For You by J.T. Geissinger

REVIEWED BY

Micky Barnard 

Melt for You by J.T. Geissinger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It’s been ages since a contemporary romance has completely swept me up and along page to page like MELT FOR YOU did. I wanted to exist in this book, particularly the first 50% of it. I literally laughed our loud for significant portions of my reading time, highlighting the banter like a ninja; I literally have too many amazing quotes to choose from.

His voice is warm with teasing laughter, and he’s lucky he’s not standing in front of me, because I’ve got a brand-new pair of scissors in my top drawer that would look lovely protruding from his eye socket.

“It’s too bad you got stuck in puberty, McGregor-you might have made a productive member of society one day.”

The heroine, Joellen is a shy but competent woman in her late 30s, she lets everyone in her office walk over her. The unrequited longing she has for the CEO in her company, Michael was exciting in the beginning and toe-curlingly not later on. Cam, her noisy neighbour-rugby star visitor became her trainer and transformer and everything between these two was laden with buckets of tension, the good kind. The dialogue was fantastic and it was the key reason for my enjoyment of the book as a whole.

The slow burn style of writing totally floats my boat and JTG knocked this one out of the park in terms of the wait and the reward. I felt like the book had two phases, the first half where it was quippy, sexy and fun dialogue and then the second half where things got real and Cam showed a whole different side to himself. Cam seemed initially superficial but was well read, deep and sculpted (sorry, but he was!). Did I also mention that’s he's Scottish?

“Eyes up top, darlin’.”

“Starin’ at my baby maker again, lass,” says the Mountain with a low chuckle. “It’s becomin’ a bad habit of yours, innit?”

So far, this series that’s started off super-strong is getting even better, so you know what you need to do...

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

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Geekerella by Ashley Poston

REVIEWED BY

Micky Barnard 

Geekerella by Ashley Poston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

This book was cuteness-incarnate with a slice of grit, a retake on Cinderella with a geeky fandom context that worked in a way that was fun and easy to connect. I found myself sucked into this story of Elle and Darien. Darien is something of a beta-male character and I’m always here for that.

As you might imagine, Elle lives with her stepmother and step sisters, things are pretty grim and abusive at home and that made for difficult reading at certain moments. Darien is playing the lead role in a film depicting a fandom Elle has been immersed in since childhood thanks to her late dad’s love of it.

The serendipitous connection through text between these two was a lovely, sweet slow build but the masking of their identities was bound to lead to complications. The events in the storyline were occasionally fresh outside of the fairytale but mostly predictable too, especially when it came to the meeting of these two. There were some very clever aspects like the pumpkin, the cosplaying elements were enjoyable and the side characters were superb. Sage was a highlight from a side character perspective. The character diversity was oozing from the pages in an unforced and natural way. I appreciated how this was conceptualised. .

This was enjoyable, easy YA reading with a delightful geek-fandom. I think this book would appeal to many.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

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The Controversial Princess by Jodi Ellen Malpas

REVIEWED BY

Joanne Swinney 

The Controversial Princess by Jodi Ellen Malpas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Controversial is definitely an appropriate title for this Princess. She is very beautiful, witty, smart, sassy, sounds like me no wonder I loved her, (inserted wink here). Adeline, sorry, Princess Adeline is as far from royalty etiquette as you can get. If there is something you shouldn’t do then she most definitely does it.

Just because a person, okay royalty has money, power, and pretty much everything, he or she desires, it doesn’t always equate to that. You can still have all those things and more, but loneliness can be crippling. The need to have a love that excites you, that one person that knows you is quite different than living the life Princess Adeline has lend so far.

Joandisalovebooks heartthrob, Josh Jameson is enough excitement for any Royal Heir to cope with, yes cope and not contend. He’s a force to be reckoned with, but oh! The orgasms, that’s what’s counts, right? How can any woman refuse a man that has magical powers that sends us up in space? Never been there myself, but hey I’m not dead yet. (good job my husband doesn’t read my reviews, I’d be divorced in a week)

Most romance books that have a happily ever after are predictable in the sense we know no matter what happens we are going to love the ending. What’s different about this romance? It’s a new and fresh plot, for me anyways. I love reading storylines that are so far from anything I have read. This Author AKA known as JEM to her fans, has talent for bringing her stories to life. You may not like everything she has ever written, but you can’t ever say she isn’t a writer worthy of some pretty awesome acknowledgements.

I know I am like hundreds probably thousands of women out there that just can’t wait for the next book. Thank you for another great adventure, Jodi.


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Carry and Drag by Michelle Frost

REVIEWED BY

Joanne Swinney

Carry and Drag by Michelle Frost
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The sexual tension is off the charts. This story had me gripped from the very beginning. I have had the pleasure of reading something completely new, I’ve never read anything about tattooist’s or powerlifting in a story until now. It was very uplifting (HA! I just made a pun) I could have quite easily said that I meant that. Anyways moving on, doesn’t take much for me to get side tracked, but once I started this book I couldn’t put it down. I was dreading reading ‘THE END’

Dagen Rourke, just one of the Rourke’s brother’s, God I can’t wait to hear about this family, is fighting fit ready to enter his next competition, this man is built like a brick house. Solid in more ways than one.

Dagen’s character was like a magnet to me, I fell in love instantly. He’s super sweet yet so strong, what’s not to like? Sadly he is gay so my chances of a hook up are nil pois, try to forget he’s just a magnificent fictional man, I did, still do apparently. Well, no one can say I’m not passionate when I fall in love I fall hard. Fictional or not.

Ollie is a man in need of some serious TLC. He is so nice, and deserves happiness in his life. He certainly didn’t expect to end up where he did, but it’s a good move. He might have only been working at, Open Wounds for a short time, but everyone there looks out for each other. I sense tension between a couple of characters, and I am eager to know more.

Ollie and Dagen might not follow any typical dating rules, but who cares? Love is love wherever it is found, and no matter how quick. Dagen should know by now only the strongest survive.

Michelle Frost a thousand thank you’s for introducing me to a whole new world. I’ll be following this series like my life depended on it.


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The Wild Heir by Karina Halle

REVIEWED BY

Melinda Lazar 

The Wild Heir by Karina Halle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Wild Heir by Karina Halle

This is another fantastic read from Halle and a highly enjoyable one. This book suited Magnus to a tee - it was a lot of fun and very flirty however, as with all things, there was most definitely a serious side to it all.

Magnus is the unwilling heir to the Nordic throne and due to some... let’s say unwise choices, he needs to find a willing wife to save the face of the whole family. He essentially chooses one from a stack of options and hopes it’ll work out for him. The person he chooses is the neglected and oft forgotten Princess Isabella of Liechtenstein who is currently studying in Edinburg. While Ella doesn’t immediately agree to wed the ill-reputed Prince, she does concede to spending two weeks getting to know each other.

I really loved this story. In fact, I was so disappointed when I got to the end, not because the story was incomplete but because I could have happily continued on with Magnus and Ella’s happy ever after. Their story brought me so much joy and I read it with a constant smile on my face despite the serious moments. Magnus needed someone who would keep him in line and dig beneath the adrenaline-seeking, playboy title and he found that in Ella. Ella on the other hand really needed to be seen and loved and valued and Magnus gave her that in spades.

I really love the way Halle delivered this story in all aspects and that she tied everything off in a way that doesn’t leave me wondering. The glimpses we’re getting of King Aksel of Denmark are basically killing me slowly and I can’t tell you how much I’m dying for his story!

*arc received in exchange for honest review.

**Reviewed by Melinda for Joandisalovebooks Blog.

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Tycoon by Katy Evans

REVIEWED BY

Melinda Lazar 

Tycoon by Katy Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tycoon by Katy Evans

Ahh! I kind of hate myself for having waited so long to read this! As always, Evans delivers a good solid read packed with romance and passion and in this case, second chances. Aaric is the perfect rich alpha male who lacks the attitude and assholery. I really don’t think anyone can write an alpha male quite like Evans! Brynn is an awesome character; strong and determined. She needs a backer to help finance her business venture and finagles an appointment with her old friend Aaric who she hasn’t seen for fourteen years!

I enjoyed the progression of their relationship and also that Aaric didn’t just give Brynn what she wanted straightaway. I enjoyed the reconnecting of old friends and I loved experiencing all the things Evans made me feel.

The book started a little slow for me, which is why I’m giving four stars but once we got to a certain point, I was all in.

*Reviewed by Melinda for Joandisalovebooks Blog.

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Making Up by Lucy Parker

REVIEWED BY

Melinda Lazar 

Making Up by Lucy Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Making Up by Lucy Parker
3.5/5*

I went in fully prepared to love this as I loved the previous books in Parker’s London Celebrities series but as much as I enjoyed Making Up, I don’t know if I can say that I loved it.

The blurb had me at enemies-to-lovers and Making Up delivered on that. Leo and Trix have been in hate with each other for years due to a huge misunderstanding. Given their friendship groups and the industry in which they work, they get thrown together here and there and never fail to deliver some well-placed barbs. Trix is an aerialist who has lost her confidence along the way and Leo is a makeup artist specializing is SFX (this fascinates me btw) who had an incident which has left him undesirable as an artist in the eyes of the industry.

One thing I freaking loved about this book was that once the misunderstanding between Trix and Leo was discussed and sorted out, it was done. No dragging it out, no sniping about it down the track. Love that. I actually really enjoyed their relationship and how they moved on from their past - both their past with each other and the difficulties they faced individually. I didn’t care for Leo’s sister, Cat and while I understand she has issues of her own, her attitude and demeanor took away from the pleasure of Leo and Trix.

I’m not sure if there’ll be another story to this series but I certainly hope there will be. As much as she annoyed me, I’d like Cat to find her HEA with someone who’ll put up with her!

*arc received from NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

**Reviewed by Melinda for Joandisalovebooks Blog.

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Worth the Risk by K. Bromberg

REVIEWED BY 

Melinda Lazar 

Worth the Risk by K. Bromberg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Worth the Risk by K Bromberg

I think I’ve said with every book featuring the Malone brothers that it’s my favorite book by this author so I’m going to make a blanket statement and say this entire family and their stories are my favorite of Bromberg's entire works.

Single (delectable) dad Grayson has been badly burned by his sons mother. She abandoned him and her son without a second look back and left Grayson to pick up the pieces. He did so amazingly and without complaint, being the best dad he could. Aside from the obvious, this also left him wary of women with money, who suit and expect a certain lifestyle. When Sidney, his ex’s former friend comes back to town, he has no time or interest in entertaining either her or the Hot Dad competition she’s developed to get a chance at her dream job which will take her far, far away from this sweet town and it’s people.

This book packed such a punch for me. I was utterly consumed by every word on every page and I just did not want to stop reading while at the same time willing myself to slow down. Gray and Sid got off to a bit of a rocky start but when they went all in, they did not hold back. I loved their relationship and fell hard for them individually and as a couple. They grew together and learn the subtle arts of give and take, forgiveness, and letting people in. As I said, I fell hard for this couple and was rooting for them the entire time but you know who stole my heart? Grayson’s son, Luke. I absolutely adored him and if I’d ever had a son, I would have wanted him to be just as sweet and cheeky and funny! I personally think Bromberg should write a book for him down the track...

Back to Worth the Risk. This book is just a wonderful celebration of family, of love, of taking chances... or risks, if you will. It is perfection and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. The books featuring the other Malone brothers - Grant in Cuffed and Grady in Combust - are also must-reads but every single of these stories can and do standalone.

*arc received in exchange for honest review.

**Reviewed by Melinda for Joandisalovebooks Blog.

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Good Girl by Jana Aston

REVIEWED BY

Melinda Lazar 

Good Girl by Jana Aston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Good Girl by Jana Aston

I don’t know what to say after this. I just don’t. I loved the crap out of this book: the writing, these characters, Aston’s perverted sense of humor all combined for a five star read. So damn good.

Rhys is your typical (as much as Aston can give us typical ANYthing) millionaire playboy - he has no time or inclination to have a relationship with anyone however, that’s not to say he goes with getting any action. I mean, he’s hot, ffs! Who wouldn’t want a piece?! Rhys, bless his poor deluded heart, prefers to *pay* for the sexy times. And, as so eloquently pointed out in the book, he’s not paying for the sex. He’s paying for the flavor of the night to leave. With no expectations or feelings.

Lydia is hands-down my favorite of all of Aston’s heroines. She was fun, she was sweet, she was NERDY (love that!), she was naive but not in a way that’ll make you roll your eyes. Aaaaand she was a virgin but she’s quite convinced she has untapped slut potential. Naturally, she wants our (well, *my*) Rhys to devirginate her and what better way to accomplish that than to set up a virgin auction?! None, apparently. Good times were had by all because honestly, I don’t think anyone is capable of writing a devirginating-scene quite like Aston.

There is absolutely not one single thing I would have changed or did not enjoy about Good Girl. I adored Aston’s humor and her delivery of the whole story. I adored the main characters. I even adored the secondary characters! I loved every. single. thing. Now I just need Aston to be a good girl and write Good Time because after that complete wtf moment, I need the next book stat!

*arc received in exchange for honest review.

**Reviewed by Melinda for Joandisalovebooks Blog.


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HEADMASTER by Jaimie Roberts

REVIEWED BY

Joanne Swinney 

HEADMASTER by Jaimie Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Romantic Suspense you won’t want to put down. What a thrill I have experienced while reading this story. It’s not what I expected at all, don’t get me wrong I definitely thought it was going to be saucy, and I got that in spades, but the rest just blew me away. I was on the edge of my seat while reading most of this book. At one point I swear I stopped breathing. So, so, so good.

Ray the most sweetest girl you could ever meet. She is beautiful, smart, as strong as an ox and has a heart of gold. She has had to deal with seriously difficult situations while growing up. Some things no child or young adult should ever have to go through, but she did, and she survived everything that was thrown at her.

Life can be cruel, and also a blessing. It always feels like the world is either against you or God loves you. When Ray is dealt her next dilemma she does so like an adult. Everytime I think she’s definitely going to flip now, she just takes it all in her stride. The woman deserves a medal.

Mr Lockhart the Headmaster, the delicious Headmaster, the I want to chomp on his… Headmaster. All I’m saying is he could give me detention any day of the week, and I’d gladly do it with bells on. He is such a sweet man with a body to die for, I’m sure you got that by now. Mr Lockhart known as Easton see’s Ray as much more than a student, and the same could be said for Ray, she knows Easton is the Headmaster, but it has no effect on how she feels about him.

Easton and Ray have to stay away from each other easier said than done that’s for sure. It’s like the old saying, all good things they must come to an end, especially if it is forbidden. There will always be consequences when breaking the rules.

This story had me up and down, I was on a rollercoaster of emotions. The twists were so unexpected, I could hear myself gasp. I had tears streaming down my face at one point. It was such a powerful read that I connected with everything that was written. The characters were beautiful, well not all, but each one that played a role and played it well.

There is a definite possibility that we could hear more from this story, a series maybe? Other characters were itching to be heard I just know it, and I would say that this story could go further. There is no cliffhanger it’s just that well you’ll understand where I’m coming from once you read.

I would one hundred percent recommend this book to all lovers of Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense. It was an epically fabulous read.


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The Black Key Journal by Ann Lister

REVIEWED BY

Joanne Swinney 

The Black Key Journal by Ann Lister
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One word automatically springs to mind about this book, DIRTY! It’s a delicious dirty, but yeah dirty. Sex isn’t just about love when Tessler was in his younger years, it was experimenting with different partners, multiple partners, in every which way you can think of. So when I say dirty I mean dirty ladies and gentlemen.

Tessler could be like many men out there, even woman. Some people aren’t afraid to test the limits of their sexuality and find what they like and don’t like. Not all of us write such explicit things down, but it was Tessler’s way. That man knew how to have a good time that was for sure. He had choices and he chose to explore. I’m not sure anyone can honestly say they wouldn’t have done the same if were put in the same situation.

Tessler’s journal was definitely not meant for anyone else’s eyes. Reading his most inner darkest secrets, and the sex that often took place was like WOW! This is in no way meant for young readers.

I would take note of of the blurb and read Guarding The Gods Book Three first as it will give you a much better understanding about this journal. If you aren’t bothered about the story, and just want to read about all things sex then go for it. Plenty to be read in this baby that’s for sure.

I knew what to expect when reading this instalment of Guarding The Gods, and Ann Lister did not disappoint me. She hasn’t failed me yet, I doubt she ever will. I am looking forward to the next book in this series. It’s always a pleasure reading about hot bodyguards and of course getting sneak peaks from The Rock Gods.

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Skinny Pants by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

REVIEWED BY 

Tina Shobe 

Skinny Pants by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff


Skinny Pants is Book 3 in in The Happy Pants Cafe Series but I think it's easily a stand alone. I haven't read the previous books in the series and had no problems connecting with this story.

First of all I want to say that being a larger size woman I really related to Macie. The only difference is that I don't even attempt to be healthy and she's healthy just still a larger size woman. I totally understand the feeling of people looking right threw her or overlooking her due to her size.

After a brutal day of her self esteemed being knocked she gets a little inebriated and signs up on a dating site completely lying about herself.

Imagine her surprise when she walks into an appointment and the doctor is none other than the sexy Doctor J-Love that she has been chatting with.

Dr Jack Reed immediately actually 'saw' Macie. I think Jack is drawn to Macie's realness and her sass (love that girl!). They become friends first and it builds from there. These two are both closed off from personal relationships for entirely different reasons. Marcie is an amazing young lady that has the best caring type demeanor a nurse can possibily have but due to her self esteem being knocked too many times in the past is not receptive to closer relationships than her own friends. Jack's ex-wife really did a number on him that makes him distrustful and a little bitter.

I love how the author slowly builds their relationship. I think the friends to lovers is the best type of relationship to have.

My absolute favorite part is when Jack's stands up for Marcie after another Doctor is very condescending to her about her size. Seriously, I swooned.

Their underlying distrust of others has them being torn apart before they even have a chance.

Now we have to see if Jack can overlook being catfished and if he can if Macie can forgive him for being so callous to her.

This is a wonderful written story that caught drew me in from the very beginning and kept me intrigued until the very end.

**Reviewed by Tina for JoandIsaLoveBooksBlog


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Doppelbanger by Heather M. Orgeron

REVIEWED BY

Tina Shobe

Doppelbanger by Heather M. Orgeron


You know a book is great when it makes you 'feel'. I was very uncomfortable and feeling a little prudish about how promiscuous Gina was at the start of the book. I don't think we see that very often in a book about a woman. We read all the time about guys being players and this is quite a reversal on that role.

Gina makes no apology about liking sex with men with certain characteristics. The one absolute rule she has is one night only so no chance of feeling being developed. The more I read along the more I got it. I'm not too certain I wouldn't have gone through life the same way if I had been given the same circumstance.

She's bold, a bit bold (ok a lot bold!), brassy and funny. She's the type of girl your parents would be uncomfortable with you hanging out with. But if she loves you and considers you family you won't get a better friend or family member. She's there for you through thick and thin. Though sometimes she might be a bad influence on your kids. My twin sister is the same way. She taught all my kids their first curse words and the saying 'bite me'.

While Spencer, her best friend recovers from having a baby Gina takes her kids on a family oriented cruise of the Caribbean. While on the cruise she meets Jeffrey (Jeff) a widowed single dad. These two are so opposite from the beginning that you just now they are going to be great together!

I think Jeff is an admirable man. Not only is he successful business man he is raising his daughters in the best way he can to honor his wife.

There is a lot of humor in this book and a lot of kids saying the right things at inappropriate times. I laughed out loud so many times that I had tears rolling down my face. I also had tears rolling down my face because of how cruel Jeff was to Gina when he was consumed by guilt. I felt devastated for her. Though I was really glad she didn't fall back into her old ways.

Jeff has to realize that it's ok to find love twice in his lifetime.

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BANE by L.J. Shen

REVIEWED BY 

Jess 

Bane by L.J. Shen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

***I’m surprised I made it through this book. Some themes in here may be triggers for some people, so please be aware before reading.***

I knew what I was getting into as soon as I finished reading the prologue. Already angsty and filled with the unthinkable. BANE is not for the faint of heart or the thin skinned. You don’t read a L.J Shen novel and think you’re going to be reading about rainbows and butterflies. No. You get debauchery, and cruel intentions. You feel everything so vividly and you vicariously embark on an emotional roller coaster ride full of terror, sinister relationships and the lowest of the low.

I cried and raged for Jesse, but also cheered for her and loved her tenacity and drive. She was the epitome of a solid, bad-ass woman and fantastic main character.

Cold and raw describes Bane to a T. There is always something so gritty about Shen’s male leads. Bane is no exclusion. Shen made me seethe at times but also perfectly captured his essence.

The emotional connectivity between Jesse and Bane was so on point. Sizzling hot at times, but also deep and intricate as well. There was a perfect balance for me. Intrigue, action, heinous acts and sinister thoughts-I devoured this read thinking I’d need a break but couldn’t for the life of me put it down.

I’m invested in this series. I’ve read all the previous instalments with eagerness and impatience. Bane was on par with the its predecessors and I’ll pretty much read anything Shen writes.

A story worthy of a serious book hangover! Im amazed at how Shen consistently pulls at my heart strings and convinces me to continue reading her darker themed books. Her ability to always drive home a winner, and keep me enthralled is always a bonus and a welcome surprise!

ARC generously received in exchange for my honest review.

Reviewed by Jess for JoAndIsaLoveBooks Blog ❤️

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A Dirty Wedding Night by Jaine Diamond

REVIEWED BY 

Becky Cox 

A Dirty Wedding Night by Jaine Diamond
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Dirty Wedding Night is a short story consisting of 4 novellas telling what happened to everyone after Jesse's wedding. At the end of the last book, they were sitting around a fire pit. Dirty Wedding Night picks up from there telling everyone's dirty deeds for the night.

It is naughty and erotic. Sad at times and made me laugh at times. This is a unique group of people that all have a little baggage, or a lot, and what they do with the sexual tension.

I see plenty of stories in the future playing out what happened post wedding. We shall see what the future holds for this interesting group.

You need to read this series in order to understand all the back stories and I know you will love them all. Jaine has a great sense of humor and a dirty dirty mind. ;-)

Thanks for another great read!

I was gifted a copy for an honest review.

Reviewed by Becky for JoandIsaLoveBooks


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Arrogant Devil by R.S. Grey

REVIEWED BY

Monique Cashmere

Arrogant Devil by R.S. Grey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There is nothing better than a rom-com done good, real good! This book had the perfect mix of banter and wit that didn’t go over the top. There were moments that I was snorting at the comebacks, one after the other. There were other bits that my nose was stinging and my eyes were brimming with tears. I loved the humor, I cherished the angst but mostly I adored this couple.

Meredith escapes the West Coast and heads to Texas for some solace. Except it is the furthest thing she receives on her arrival. Needing a job, she hangs in there and does all that is require to keep her room and board. Yeah Jack is an arrogant devil, buts he’s a bloody sexy one! You hear him say these horrible things and it aches the more because you know deep down he cares. No one can love a dog like he does Alfred, and not have a heart. Meredith was his perfect match and what I loved about her the most was her tenacity. She had been beaten down for the last few years, but when she uncovers her confidence again, and when push comes to shove, she finds her backbone and it comes tumbling out with full force. I also treasured the epilogue, it finished this book off superbly. This maybe my favourite R.S. Grey book to date, and I will be doing a re read with audio as soon as I can.

*I am grateful for the copy provided by the author for my honest opinion.
**Reviewed by Monique for JoandIsaLoveBooksBlog.

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The Ruthless Gentleman by Louise Bay

REVIEWED BY

Jess

The Ruthless Gentleman by Louise Bay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have never read anything by Louise Bay, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be now!

THE RUTHLESS GENTLEMAN was brilliant. I loved every single page. I was sucked in immediately and I had a very hard time putting this book down. I wish I could have crushed this awesome book in one sitting, but as you all know, life has a funny way of preventing that from happening.

Avery Walker is a saint, but she is drowning in guilt that left her brother unable to walk. Her mother walked out on her and her family after her brother Matthew's accident 7 years prior and instead of wallowing in misery, Avery takes a stand to help out her father, and instead of going to University like she always dreamed, she sets off on a long adventure of Yachting to make as much money as possible for her brother's medical bills.

Hayden Wolf makes a life out of buying and selling companies. As of late, a rival company has bested him for the last time and he wants to do everything in his power to prevent Cannon from stealing his next merger right out from under him. He has decided to go rouge, and Yacht for 8 weeks where there is no wifi, no cell service, and somewhere no one can find him, or any details about the "deal" he is working on.

Hayden never expected to have and INSTANT attraction to Avery. He wasn't on the yacht to make friends or to sleep with anyone-he was there for business and business alone. But best laid plans are always going to fail and what he did find was scorching chemistry and instant trust with Avery, something he has never felt before, ever. As for Avery, the attraction is there is well. But it's against all her morals to be involved with someone who she is working for. There are rules when you are yachting, and her being the Main Stewardess on the Athena makes any client/boss shenanigans or relations nearly illegal.

What are rules for? Breaking of course! Despite her high morals, and her need to help out her brother with his medical bills, Avery cannot stop the trajectory that she and Hayden are on. The pull is too strong and the need to finally do something for her and her alone is too hard to resist. He is enigmatic, clever and smart-she is beautiful, honest and lovely. The need to be captivated by the other is irresistible-it's as if these two were destined from the start.

Bay clearly has a knack for creating wonderful, vibrant characters. She has honed her craft quite well if you ask me. I want to dig right back in and read this again, but I think I need to venture into another one of her well reviewed books.

There were so many layers built into this story. A detailed background of all of the subs characters had as many particulars as her mains. Who knew corporate espionage and a sexy love story would roll so well together?! I didn't!

I would throw my hand in a hat for another ARC from Louise Bay if given the opportunity. Her writing style flowed flawlessly and it was just so intense and perfect. I loved how she made me want to punch and hug Hayden simultaneously without me wanting to chuck the book right in the bin. The dynamics, "logistics", and overall story line were so engaging, I could have kept reading and reading about Avery and Hayden for days.

A smashing hit from cover to cover!

*ARC Received generously in exchange for my honest review*

***Reviewing by Jess for JoAndIsaLoveBooks Blog***

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Zero Warning: An Asher Radman Mystery by John Charles

REVIEWED BY

Joanne Swinney 

Zero Warning: An Asher Radman Mystery by John Charles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

WOW! That was quite a journey I just took. I have to say I didn’t select this book myself. A friend thought it would be something I liked, and just goes to show how well she knows me because I loved it.

Mateo was a complete surprise to me. Here I thought I was reading about a school teacher, well technically he is, but he is so much more. This man has lived with danger most of his life. Sometimes willingly placed himself in the most dangerous situations trying to protect others around him.

What Mateo once was is supposedly no longer, he has a new life now. He will always be on his guard, and this makes me sad. He definitely deserves to live a life free from looking over his shoulder, or taking extra precautions just to do simple things which many of us do on a regular basis like eating out.

Mateo was missing the one thing he believes he wasn’t able to have in his life, love. That was until he met the handsome, Isaac. Mateo and Isaac are electric together it only cements my feelings for Mateo to have a happily ever after.

Isaac is unaware of the situation Mateo has found himself in. He does however know when something is up, and don’t think he’s quite ready to live and breath the life Mateo has to lead. Things, Life becomes increasingly more complicated.

This story had me hooked, it was intense and scary at times, but it was also very dare I say romantic? I found myself smiling at the growing relationship between Mateo and Isaac. Don’t get me wrong this story was no fairytale more action thriller with sexy times to boot.


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The Ruthless Gentleman by Louise Bay

REVIEWED BY 

Joanne Swinney 

The Ruthless Gentleman by Louise Bay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What can I say that hasn’t already been said? It’s basically your must read of 2018. Louise Bay never fails to draw readers into her stories of love, power and sexy encounters that thrill the knickers off of us.

The Ruthless Gentleman AKA Hayden Wolf. Jesus, I wanted to board that man, I mean Yacht and spend my days seeing to all his needs. I know, I know never going to happen, but a girl can dream.

Hayden had to get away it was at the insistence of his ex-military brother. Hayden’s brother was very clear on what instructions had to be carried out. At first I thought WOW! This guy is a little over the top, but he didn’t make up the rule, well not in this case. Every other time Hayden is a man in control. He speaks, he gets it’s that simply. But with a spy in his corporation he’s willing to do what it takes to flush him or her out.

Avery is a very motivated young woman, she lives, breaths and works extremely hard to help out back home. Both her brother and Father who would not wish for his daughter to work herself into the ground, rely on Avery. She wants her brother to able to live a better life, and for her father to get the help he needs. Don’t even bother asking me about the Mother. She doesn’t even deserve that title.

Avery has always remained professional while working. She expects the highest quality of care given to each of her guests. To say she is passionate is an understatement. Maybe it’s not hat she wanted for her life, but she’s doing it and doing it right.

Hayden is obviously attracted to Avery, but with so much going on it’s hard for him to commit to anything. Plus he strangely doesn’t want to get Avery into trouble. Yep, Hayden is falling for the pretty, smart and hard working Stewardess.

Avery is finding each day harder to not think about Hayden. He is after all a sexy Gentleman with fire in his belly. It’s not titled The Ruthless Gentleman for nothing.

What will happen to Avery’s brother? Will Hayden’s brother uncover the spy?
Will Hayden and Avery end up together? Many questions you will most definitely want the answers to.

Happy Reading!


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The Dating Experiment by Emma Hart

REVIEWED BY

Monique Cashmere

The Dating Experiment by Emma Hart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 🌟’s

After reading the synopsis of this book, I was eager to get started. I love a friends to romance story, and throw in it is the best friends brother, bonus!
On the whole, the story was good. She had been infatuated with him since she was a pre-teen. She hadn’t acted on it because she didn’t want to ruin what they have now and she is also in business with him. So to get over these feelings, she will let him set her up on a date from their business Stupid Cupid. If only it was that easy to stop loving someone.

This is a standalone novel, told in dual POV, but I believe you will get a more rounded ambiance if you read Peyton/Elliot and Mellie/Jack’s books before hand. What I would have liked to of seen more from the first few chapters in this book were some warm-hearted moments with these two. Most of it was constant bickering back and forth, I started to get whip lash. If we got an occasional tender bit, I would have connected better with them and believed or understood whole heartedly why they were a match. I’m all for banter and opposites attract themes, but it went a little too far for me. It was hard to reconcile the back and forth emotions Chloe was having. Some I was on board with and some I thought she was acting like a teenage drama queen, and somewhat immature. I did enjoy them finally reaching their HEA, and Dom was super sweet with his affections and I loved his jealousy side.


*I received a copy for my honest opinion.
**Reviewed by Monique for JoandIsaLoveBooksBlog

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Bad Boy Brody by Tijan

REVIEWED BY

Monique Cashmere 

Bad Boy Brody by Tijan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am a fan of Tijan, and always look forward to a new release. Unfortunately, this is not a favourite of mine, and I have come away slightly disappointed. Even though there are the basic Tijan elements in this book they we love - lots of drama - some of the storyline was just so unrealistic.

The synopsis of the book is that a Hollywood golden boy star falls from grace when his brother passes in a car accident and is now considered Bad Boy Brody. To fix his image, he agrees to do a low budget film about a murdered woman. Once he gets to the farm where filming will take place, he meets in a very abrupt way, Morgan the daughter of the movie's subject. Sounds great right? And on the whole, the story is good but so much was added to try and give it something extra, it just fell flat.

I liked Brody, and Morgan for that matter but there are moments I had to keep asking, how old are they? I also felt there were some inconsistencies, which are hard to explain without giving away most of the book. This is not a quick read, there are over 50 chapters to get through and most are told in Brody and Morgan's POV. There is also a suspenseful element that I did work out to a point, I felt early on that a certain person was involved in the murder in some capacity. Not that that mattered, as there were plenty of twists to go along with it.

*I received a copy for an honest review.
**Reviewed by Monique for JoandIsaLoveBooksBlog.

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