Category Archives: Contemp. Romance

#NewRelease #ReleaseDay #DualReview #SmallTown #OppositesAttract #contemporary- Meeting My Forever by Red Phoenix

In the smallest towns you find the biggest heartsWhen Avery visits the small town of Crested Butte, she only has a short time to decide if she will put roots here as their new librarian or return home. As charmed as she is by the mountain town and the kind people there, it’s a chance encounter with a kitten and a handsome fireman that really make an impression on her heart.The Macallan family is a pillar of the Crested Butte community, but they’ve got a reputation for being eternally single. Lance is no stranger to relationships. As the youngest Macallan and a fireman, he’s an extremely eligible bachelor in the small town. But no woman has ever made him want to settle down. When he meets a cute out-of-towner while rescuing an adorable kitten, the life he knows is about to be shaken to its core.

Goodreads

Amazon

Review by Twinsie Angie

I was given this book by the author for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Red’s books. I have read so many and all of the different genre’s she has written in, I was excited for the new contemporary series.  She promised we would love the brothers and she is 100% correct. She neglects to tell us we would love the boy’s dad, Leith, and I think everyone needs to be ready for this strong, lovable man who steals a few scenes.

I felt 100% connected to Avery in the first pages.  I am TERRIFIED of the roads in the Rockies. I have also cried a time or two so we became besties INSTANTLY!!  LOL  Avery is a bit of a city girl but due to the lay offs she has to take a opportunity at a small town library.

Lance is a local fireman and works at grandma’s lodge when Avery steps in.  The chemistry is off the charts from the beginning of the story.  Lance is one of “THOSE” single brothers who no one thinks will ever get married much to the single town ladies dismay.

The story of the two was sweet initially and then got some spicey if ya know what I mean reading a Red story.  I enjoyed seeing the couple grow and experience the insta love.  I also liked seeing them both try to heal their trauma’s from the past together.

The story was super enjoyable.  As much as I liked Lance, I am super stoked for Malcom.  He will be a good read between his love of numbers and the single mom baker with her adorable daughter.

Review by Twinsie Melinda

I received a copy of this book from the Author for an honest review.

I love Red’s stories and reading the adventures her characters go on. I was so ready for a new adventure and she did not disappoint. I have fallen in love with the Macallan Brothers and honestly cannot wait to read all their stories.  I cannot wait to see all these Brothers fall and fall hard.

This is Avery and Lance’s story the librarian and the HOT fire fighter. Avery lost her job as a librarian due to cutbacks and decides to leave her family to see what small town living is like. Avery has to face her fears in this small town of Crested Butte but meeting Lance helps this a little. Lance also has things in his past that he is trying to overcome. I loved watching these two mesh together and help on another to overcome their fears. This book is filled with the most wonderful love story. Really with fairs, games, flowers, kittens, flying, family and seeing if fears can be overcome you cannot go wrong with this book.

I not only fell in love with Avery and Lance but I adore his grandmother and his dad. The kitten even stole some of my heart and I am not a cat person.  I am so invested in this story that I need to know more about the Macallan family not just one of them but all of the brothers and even their dad and grandma. This was the best start to a new series and I cannot wait to see what wonderful adventures Red has in store for us with this story.

USA Today Bestselling Author

Red Phoenix is an award-winning romance author who gained popularity with her BDSM series, Brie’s Submission.
To join in the Brie experience begin with the 1st Boxed Set (Books 1-3) and start your journey into a sensual world…
Brie's Submission Books 1-3 by Red Phoenix
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#Review – The Fall of Us: A Grumpy Sunshine, Fake Dating, Age Gap Romance (Love in Isolation Book 5) by Kennedy Fox


What happens when you travel across the country for your dream job and end up sharing a bed with an older man who volunteers you to be his fake girlfriend? You hope you don’t fall in love when it’s time to say goodbye.

The Fall of Us is an age gap, fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity romance.

Goodreads

Amazon

Bookbub

Review by Twinsie Kelly

Wit and banter… check!

Super steamy scenes (wags eyebrows)… check!

Crazy exes… check!

All wrapped up in the most adorable happily ever after Hallmark movie… CHECK!!!

First, I have to say that when I picked this book up, I didn’t realize it was part of a series. Second, you don’t have to read the others in the series. This is a complete stand alone. There were some areas that I figured there was another backstory but in no way shape or form did it impact this story at all. This story has just about a little bit of everything.

Oakley and Finn are absolute opposites, including their age. Oakley has been commissioned to paint for Finn’s family celebration. Finn fights everything when it comes to Oakley, small talk, ogling each other, thinking about her, and the list goes on and on. Oakley tries to hate Finn for the way he is treating her. However, they these two end up crawling under each other’s skin and when Finn uses Oakley to try and get his ex off his back, Finn and Oakley are forced into positions that they can no longer fight.

I don’t usually care for a lot of books that are super sweet and sugary. In fact, when I first started reading this, it immediately felt Hallmark-esque. However, that did not last long at all. Finn and Oakley keep each other on their toes and became an incredible love story that I could NOT PUT DOWN! I am so in love with them that I am ready to go back and read the entire series.

Kennedy Fox is a new author for me but I am here to stay! You, my friend, have a new fan!

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Brooke Cumberland and Lyra Parish are a duo of romance authors under the USA Today pseudonym, Kennedy Fox. Their characters will make you blush and your heart melt. Cowboys in tight jeans are their kryptonite. They always guarantee a happily ever after! View our full reading order here: http://bit.ly/2qgCqTu

Instagram.com/kennedyfoxduo

Facebook.com/kennedyfoxbooks

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www.kennedyfoxbooks.com

kennedy@kennedyfoxbooks.com

#WOTR24 #Review SLOTH: Seven Deadly Sins Mafia Romance by J.M. Walker

He taught me everything I knew.
Drugs. Weapons. Money. More.
If it became known that we shared a history before he became the Arlo Rossi, it could cost us both of our lives.
Our destinies were quite different. Especially when I wasn’t part of the family.
After an unexpected meeting, I was reluctant to embrace everything I knew.
Everything he taught me.
When all was said and done, I realized that I may not have a choice.

Lust. Gluttony. Greed. Sloth. Wrath. Envy. Pride.
DARE TO BE SINFUL!
Seven amazing authors are bringing the sins to life! Indulge in guilty pleasure with a mafia world full of deceit, romance, betrayal, and more! All books are standalone!

Authors:
J.L. Leslie – Lust – January 2023
Crimson Syn – Gluttony – March 2023
Erin Trejo – Greed – May 2023
JM Walker – Sloth – July 2023
Delaney Foster – Wrath – September 2023
Kathy Coopmans – Envy – November 2023
Daphne Loveling – Pride – January 2024

Goodreads

Review by Twinsie Kelly

Knowing that the worst part of your night happened earlier and also knowing that it really wasn’t the worst part of the night yet can weigh extremely heavy on someone. Reader beware, this story flies! It is intense from the absolute beginning clear to the end. You literally cannot blink! Ginny and Arlo’s relationship is difficult because of the different people they are within the mafia. Arlo was her father’s best friend and is more than that to Ginny. However strained their relationship is, they both know they can count on each other. This entire story is wrapped up in one evening (with an epilogue) but is heavy and intense the entire way. This is a better version of Mr. & Mrs. Smith! Gritty, dirty, and exquisite!

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J.M. Walker, a Canadian author, is an Amazon bestseller who also hit USA Today with Wanted: An Outlaw Anthology. She loves all things books, pigs and lip gloss. She is happily married to the man who inspires all of her Heroes and continues to make her weak in the knees every single day.

“Above all, be the HEROINE of your own life…” ~ Nora Ephron

https://www.facebook.com/jm.walker.author/

https://linktr.ee/authorjmwalker

#WOTR24 #Review – Kickstart My Heart (Burgers and Brew Crue) Book 1 – By: Lacey Black


Walker

There’s nothing better than a packed house on a Saturday night, and co-owning the hottest restaurant and bar in town with my best friends, isn’t so bad either. We put everything into Burgers and Brew. My job is to keep the alcohol moving and the patrons coming back for more. I won’t let anyone break my focus.

That was until I saw her.

As much as I try, I can’t fight it. Mallory makes me crave a future I never wanted for my own.

Now, I want it all.

Mallory

When I started my new job at a local specialty burger restaurant, I wasn’t expecting to find a tall, dark, and devastatingly handsome distraction in the form of Walker Meyer. He’s one of the owners, which means hands off. Only problem, it’s a lot easier said than done.

Especially when he’s so good with my daughter.

I try to keep him at a distance, but he’s insistent, slowly breaking down every one of my walls. He’s fighting to convince me I can trust him with not only my heart, but my daughter’s too.

Goodreads

Review by Twinsie Melinda

Mallory is trying to start her and her daughter, Lizzie, life over with a new start in a new town.  Not having much she is trying to make ends meet as a single mom. Mallory lands her the day shift at the local burger restaurant, Burgers and Brew. She collides with, Walker one of the owners and sparks start to fly. But no way can she let another man into her or her daughter’s life.

Walker is happy with his life owning and working at the bar and being single.  He does not date and has one rule never date any of the people at his bar including staff.  He meets his ladies in the ice cream aisle of the grocery store.  That is until the new waitress, Mallory, begins working at Burgers and Brew. Mallory and her daughter, Lizzie, stole a piece of his heart and has him breaking his own rules.

I absolutely loved this story. Not only did Mallory, Lizzie, and Walker steal my heart but so did Walkers family and business partners.  I so want to know more about each of them.  Not only did Mallory and Lizzie make their way into Walker’s heart but they snuck into everyone of Walker’s family and friends’ heart too. Walker was so patient with Mallory and the way he doted over Lizzie was heartwarming. The way Walker gets jealous when other guys, including his partners, talk to Mallory is hilarious. I loved that by the end of the book everyone has a nickname, well ok a shortened version of their own name. After reading this and getting little glimpses of the guys I cannot wait to read more of this series.

A few of my favorite lines:

I’ve never had a man look at me the way Walker does, with such raw yearning and lust.  ~Mallory

I like the idea of having them at my house. It’s nothing special, but maybe that’s not what makes a house a home anyway. Maybe it’s not the walls or the numbers of bedrooms or the amount of living space.
Perhaps it’s the people you invite inside.  ~ Walker

No, I can’t say I’m in love with Mallory, but I’ll agree I’m intrigued and enjoying my time with her, and if that leads to something more, then so be it.
I’m not afraid of taking the next stop, whatever that is.
I’m afraid of the fall.  ~Walker

Avid reader, writer, mother, and wife! I love to read contemporary romance. Add in a little “spice” or hot guys in uniform pants, and I’m a happy woman. There’s just something about diving into a book and engrossing in the magic of your hero and heroine getting their happily ever after.

#BookPromo – The Vox Tenor Series by Leelah Renn

⚜️ The Vox Tenor series: contemporary Why Choose/Reverse Harem romantic thriller ⚜️

🔵 Older FMC (40s) Damsel in Distress who saves herself
🔵 Sweet and devoted harem (3 billionaire singers)
🔵 Nail-biting, dark, twisty ride to their HEA (trigger warnings)
🔵 Multiple POVs
🔵 Entire series travels through Morocco, Spain, and Mexico

BINGE THE SERIES NOW!

#BookPromo – Double Release by Bella Emy

MADDOX

There’s nothing that can tear my best friend and me apart.
We have a brotherly bond that no chick will ever be able to come between.

But everything changes the night I meet her—Adelyn Pierce.
She’s like a whirlwind, and I can’t stop thinking about her.

I have to make her mine.

The next day, I’m happy to hear from Rick that he’s met someone as well.
After all, what is better than both my best friend and I finding a new honey to crush on?

But when Rick and I talk about our encounters, there’s something that sounds oddly familiar about his new friend.
The moment Rick introduces me to his friend, I’m stunned to see Adelyn—she’s the same girl I’ve been into.

I don’t know what I’m going to do now.

ADELYN

The night of Tommy’s party, I met two wonderful guys…
One, Rick, is sweet, caring, and I can see a great friend in him.
The other, Maddox, is intense, and I want more with him.

But I’m torn.

When I discover that the guy I want as a friend is interested in taking our friendship to the next level, I don’t know what to do.

The situation becomes even more complicated when I realize that Rick’s best friend in the entire world is Maddox—the guy who’s been consuming my thoughts.
My heart feels torn between friendship and something deeper, and I have no idea how I’m going to get myself out of this one.

USA Today Bestselling Author, Bella Emy’s Freed is a short prequel to Imprisoned. It is a captivating journey of love, friendship, and the tangled emotions that arise when two hearts vie for the same affection. Follow the intertwined lives of Maddox and Adelyn as they grapple with the complexities of their feelings, and discover if love can break free from the shadows of friendship.

Freed should be read before Imprisoned, but both may be read as a standalone if desired.

I met her first.
I loved her first.
But my best friend swept her away, and since then, my heart’s been imprisoned.

I promised myself I would let my feelings for her go, let all of her go, and let them live their happily ever after.

But now he’s gone, and I’m left picking up the fractured pieces of her broken heart.
Suddenly, my life’s been derailed, thrown off course, off track.
I promised myself I wouldn’t let my feelings for her come surfacing back.

But seeing her again?

I don’t know if I can keep that promise.
She’s thrown me off the path I set forth for my imprisoned heart.
But now, am I forced to break that promise I made to myself so long ago?


Bella Emy’s Imprisoned is a steamy second chance contemporary romance written in the Imprisoned Hearts series.

#BookPromo – Beautifully Scarred by H.P. Davenport

With her past firmly behind her where it belongs, Juliette has made a career out of turning her scars into art. She uses her skills to help others cover the evidence of their pain, too.

But some scars are too deep, too painful for anyone to hide completely.

Juliette has everything she could ever need–great parents, her dream job, the best friend a girl could ask for, and a new body to warm her bed whenever she wants. With her focus firmly on the here and now, she never expects a kiss from a stranger to throw a bomb in the middle of her carefully constructed life.

Every wound leaves a scar.
Every scar tells a story.
Her story left her beautifully scarred.

*This book contains sensitive subject matters and a graphic scene, which may be distressing for some readers.

#Free #BookPromo – Anything For Love (The Bradens & Montgomerys: Pleasant Hill – Oak Falls Book 2) by Melissa Foster

Discover the magic of New York Times bestseller Melissa Foster’s writing, and see why millions of readers have fallen in love with the Bradens. All Love in Bloom novels are written to stand alone and may also be enjoyed as part of the larger series, so dive right into this fun, sexy romance.

In USA Today bestseller Anything for Love…
After Charlotte Sterling loses her last family member, she moves to Sterling House, her family’s Colorado mountain inn, to live a solitary life. As an erotic romance writer, her days and nights are filled with passion and intrigue—even if only fictional. She loves her busy, quiet lifestyle, and she learned early on that real men can’t live up to the fictional heroes she creates—until ruggedly handsome Beau Braden arrives to do some work at the inn and, for the first time in forever, she’s intrigued by a real man.

Beau lost his first love years ago, and he’s never let go of his guilt over her death. As he nears the anniversary of his loss, he is on the cusp of becoming the star of a home-renovation reality show. Escaping the painful memories of his past to work at the defunct old inn is just the promise of solitude he needs to clear his head before diving in to the all-too-public career. But he didn’t count on being attracted to the whimsical, adorably sexy innkeeper.

Neither Charlotte nor Beau is looking for an attachment or a fling. But the more they learn about each other, the closer they become. Romantic evenings lead to intimate conversations, and neither can deny their deep connection or the passion it sparks. They’ve never fully healed on their own, but together maybe anything is possible.

THE BRADENS & MONTGOMERYS (Pleasant Hill – Oak Falls)
Embracing Her Heart
Anything For Love
Trails of Love
Wild Crazy Hearts
Making You Mine
Searching for Love
Hot For Love
Sweet Sexy Hearts
Then Came Love
Rocked by Love
Our Wicked Hearts
Claiming Her Heart

“When it comes to contemporary romances with realistic characters, an emotional love story and smokin’ hot sex, author Melissa Foster always delivers!” The Romance Reviews

“You can always rely on Melissa Foster to deliver a story that’s fresh, emotional and entertaining. Make sure you have all night, because once you start you won’t want to stop reading. ” New York Times Bestselling Author Brenda Novak

“With her wonderful characters and resonating emotions, Melissa Foster is a must-read author!” NYT Bestseller J. Kenner

“Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!” NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely

“I highly recommend this book to fans of Nora Roberts (one of my personal faves) and fans of a sweet story filled with heat and heart.” – Tia Bach, author (on Sisters in Love)

“Melissa Foster is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Fated For Love was amazing. It kind of reminds me of Jill Shalvis’ books and they are my benchmark for contemporary romance awesomeness.” –Books Like Breathing

“I highly recommend the Snow Sisters all the Braden and Remington books….They remind me of the McCarthy of Gansett series and The Green Mountain series. I am a huge fan of Marie Force. And now Melissa Foster has joined her ranks….” – I Love NY, Reviewer

**
All Love in Bloom novels are written to stand alone without any unresolved issues or cliffhangers. Love in Bloom features alpha male heroes and sexy, empowered women. They’re flawed, funny, passionate, and relatable to readers who enjoy contemporary romance and women’s fiction. Characters from each sub-series appear in future books.

Love In Bloom Series
Snow Sisters
The Bradens at Weston
The Bradens at Trusty
The Bradens at Peaceful Harbor
The Bradens & The Montgomerys
The Remingtons
The Ryders
Seaside Summers
Bayside Summers
Wild Billionaires After Dark
Bad Billionaires After Dark
Harborside Nights
The Whiskeys & Tru Blue

#review #partofaseries Play Me (Player 2) by Katie McCoy

Play Me (Players Book 2) by [Katie McCoy]

Recipe For:
A Roll In The Hay Hot Crossed Buns Love

Ingredients:

1 Chef (equal parts sexy and carefree)
1 Pianist (equal parts uptight and endearing)
1/8 inch of drywall between their apartments
2 opinions on everything

Combine all ingredients, mix vigorously, and be prepared for an explosion of heat.

Pianist Ella Thomas is training for the competition of her life. Finally in an apartment of her own, she can practice from dawn till dusk. But she didn’t bet on the sexy and frustrating neighbor keeping her up all night – even if he does cook like a maestro and kiss like it’s his job.

Jake Matson is living his dream as Head Chef at one of the most popular restaurants in San Francisco. He’s easy going, flirtatious and not looking for love. He didn’t expect to be completely distracted by the girl next door, whose buttoned-up appearance hides the seductive firecracker underneath.

What happens when opposites attract? As their tension fires up, can they create a new kind of music together or will everything boil over?

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28227316-play-me

Amazon  https://amzn.to/3CSdjLW

Review by Twinsie Dee

When the new girl Ella moves into an apartment building that has thin walls and where everyone understands that the sexy neighbor that’s a chef who works late hour and sleeps late is normally quite in the mornings well Ella didn’t get that info when she moved in so when he shows up half asleep in her door way to inform her on it.

Katie McCoy is a self proclaimed sushi addict, Cardinals baseball fanatic, and lover of all things theatrical. A St.Louis native transplanted to Brooklyn, she acts, sings, and shakes her booty when she isn’t writing books about hot men and the girls who love them.

#Review – Mountain Haven (Mountain Mayhem Book 1) by Dawn Love

Mountain Haven (Mountain Mayhem Book 1) by [Dawn Love]

They say when life hands you lemons, make lemonade.

But for Lexi Lane, life didn’t hand her those lemons. Instead, they were hurled from a grenade launcher. It’s been almost five years since her world detonated around her, and she’s moved on from that sour time in her life – or so she thinks. Hiding out in the mountains of West Virginia has given her the solitude she’s needed to survive, but surviving is all she’s done. When a stranger crashes into her life, will she finally be able to open herself to feel again? To love again?

Michael “Blaze” Blaisure has devoted his life to righting some of the wrongs in the world. Part of a covert military unit, he has traveled from country to country and seen the pits of hell first-hand. After witnessing more death and despair than his heart and soul could take, he makes the decision to change directions and choose a new path. But will that path lead to acceptance and forgiveness for his part in tragedy and death?

All it takes is a mountain, a storm, and the hand of fate to open their eyes to new horizons. But when danger appears, will it separate them, or bring them closer than ever?

Content/Trigger Warnings: Mountain Haven is meant for adults and contains explicit and graphic sexual scenes and language; themes of grief, death, infant loss, loss of fertility; mental illness, PTSD, depression, agoraphobia; violence; stalking; attempted kidnapping; and disturbing imagery.

Goodreads

Review by Twinsie Kelly

Surviving! It doesn’t matter what each of us are going through, we all have our stories and each of us are just trying to survive. Lexi and Blaze come from two completely different backgrounds, both with their own struggles and their own ways of dealing with them. Both looking for a place to escape and somehow finding themselves by finding each other. A raging storm on a mountain brings these two together. Right from the beginning the chemistry is just there. I do believe in a sort of “love at first sight” because sometimes we see someone and just know that it works. These two, even though they are battling their own demons, end up finding each other and helping each other more than either of them knows.

This story is a slow burn. There is a lot that each of them have to dig through just to let loose with the other for even one night. However, there are some bad vibes going that ultimately present a crazy curve ball with the story. One, actually a couple, that I had no clue were coming. Just when I thought they loved and could move on, they lost. And then I thought things were cooling off, BAM! The crazy hits us! This was a slow burn, with the perfect amount of steaminess, and a very suspenseful plotline. Definitely a page turner. Sometimes one person can make you believe in love again and this story is a true testament to that!

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Dawn Love was born in Mayfield, Kentucky, and spent the first twenty-six years of her life there. Always a creative person and an avid reader, she began writing stories for her own entertainment as a teen, and her love of writing continued to grow into adulthood. Meeting the love of her life brought many changes, including moving 900 miles away from home and settling on the Delmarva Peninsula where she resides on her 50-acre farm. Now the mother of two teenagers, she spends her free time creating the characters and stories of her fantasies. She also writes an internationally read Blog where she gives her readers a glimpse into the craziness of her day-to-day life, her mind, and all that the world throws her way.