#Review: Wild Hearts by Sharon Sala - 4 Wine Glasses

Title: Wild Hearts
Series: Secrets and Lies #1
Author: Sharon Sala
Format: eBook/Paperback, 400 pages
Publication: March 31st 2015 by Mira
ISBN: 0778318168
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Crystal
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Past Sins Cast a Long Shadow 

Dallas Phillips refuses to believe her father committed suicide, even though things were tough on his farm and he was deeply in debt. When she hears he'd told a neighbor about an upcoming windfall, she grows suspicious, and her suspicion only deepens when she realizes someone is lurking in the nearby mountains after dark.

For help, she turns to Trey Jakes, local police chief—and her former lover. As they begin to investigate, another mystery comes to light. Trey's mother is beginning to remember events from thirty years ago, something shadowy that happened in the mountains, and Dallas's father was there, too. Is what happened that night connected to his "suicide"? As they search for the truth, Trey and Dallas struggle to fight their attraction, but they may not be able to fend off another force—a killer who's more than willing to kill again to make sure old secrets stay buried.

Crystal's Thoughts:
Wild Hearts, the first book in Sharon Sala's new Secrets and Lies series, is a thrilling romantic suspense packed with emotion!

Thirty years ago four friends were enjoying a night out celebrating when tragedy struck, one friend ended up loosing their life. Now those friends are grown and enjoying their prime...but when one ends up taking his life memories from the past begin to emerge. Memories that one person will do anything to keep buried. 
Dallas Phillips left her small town life for a big city job. When she receives a phone call that her father is dead though, Dallas not only has to face the possibility of his suicide, but the man she left behind as well. While Trey Jakes, local police chief, helps Dallas prove that her father's apparent suicide was a murder, he also sets out to prove that this small town has everything that Dallas needs. And he isn't letting her leave it, or him, again. 
But as Dallas and Trey dig deeper into the mystery of her father's murder, more questions rise and another threat looms in the towering mountains behind them. 

Sharon Sala is an author filled with talent and heart, and that comes through in her writing every time! Wild Hearts is an exciting, gripping, and passionate page turner with the perfect balance of romance and suspense. Trey and Dallas make for a wonderful pair of main characters and a lovely second chance romance. Dallas is a very independent woman who is determined to prove that her father's death was a murder, and not the suicide everyone believes. But when Trey comes back into her life, Dallas realizes that even though she can get along well on her own doesn't mean that she wants to do it without Trey anymore. Trey, I loved to pieces. He was such a straight shooter and I adored how he told Dallas how it was going to be! These two were sizzling, sexy and sweet together. 

As the suspense side of the story played out I quickly came to realize that the blurb was a bit misleading. There is a mystery throughout the story-line that includes Trey's mother and Dallas' father, we even get glimpses of the past through Trey's mother's dreams. But it is part of a continuing plot arc in the trilogy so while there is a happily-ever-after in the end for Dallas and Trey, the mystery of the chilling killer and his or her reasonings is left up in the air for the future installments. Despite that though, Sharon Sala delivered a pulse-pounding romance that kept me on the edge of my seat and I am looking forward to the next book in the Secrets and Lies series!

ARC #Review: The Virgin’s Night Out by Shiloh Walker - 3 Wine Glasses

Title: The Virgin’s Night Out
Author: Shiloh Walker
Format: eBook, 264 pages
Published: April 6th 2015 by Shiloh Walker, Inc.
ASIN: B00SZ1XRSI
Links: Goodreads | Amazon
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Kimberly
Rating: 3 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Sloane Redding is the shy one, the timid one. The morning of her wedding, she's dumped by the man she'd thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. Humiliated, she turns tail and runs, leaving Nowhere, Alabama for a job in the city. Sloane sets out to remake herself. She succeeds...on the outside. On the inside? Different story. She still the shy Redding. Still quiet, still more interested in standing on the standlines. But all of that is about to change.

The night before her brother's wedding, she strolls in the lone bar in Nowhere wearing wicked red and she's got one goal in mind: to show her ex-fiance just what he lost.

The night before his best friend's wedding, D.B. "Boone" Cassidy walks into the lone bar in Nowhere, Alabama with one goal in mind. Get wasted. Former military, he's spent the past few years as a security specialist and all around troubleshooter. It should have been easy to spot the trouble that night...a sexy woman in wicked red. It should have been easy. Yeah, right.

One thing leads to another and his plans to get wasted turn into a night with the sexy woman in red . Boone gets the shock of his life the next day when he shows up at his friend's wedding to find out he'd just spent the night wrapped around his best friend's little sister...and that isn't the only surprise.

Includes a bonus story, Tempt Me.

Kimberly’s Thoughts:

Happy Book Birthday to The Closer You Come by Gena Showalter!

It's no secret that I LOVE Gena Showalter's work and I can't wait to read her new contemporary romance, out today, THE CLOSER YOU COME! 

The Closer You Come 
(The Original Heartbreakers #1)
by Gena Showalter 
Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages
Published March 31st 2015 by HQN Books
original titleThe Closer You Come
ISBN 0373779623 

New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter introduces the Original Heartbreakers, where three not-quite-reformed bad boys are about to meet the women who will bring them to their knees.

Just released from prison, Jase Hollister has a dark and twisted past. And now, he has only one goal: stay out of trouble. Strawberry Valley, Oklahoma, sounds like the perfect place for him and his two brothers-by-circumstance to settle down and live a nice, simple life. But model citizen isn’t exactly this rugged bachelor’s default setting—especially when it comes to a certain hot-blooded Southern beauty…

Brook Lynn Dillon has always been responsible. Not that it’s done her much good. The down-on-her-luck waitress is broke, single and fun-deprived. Until Jase comes along. He is dangerous, stunningly protective, breathtakingly sexy and as tempting as sin, and the passion sizzling between them is undeniable. But can it melt her resistance? After all, the right kind of trouble might be just what they both need.

AMAZON | B&N

Happy Release Day to Holding Strong by Lori Foster!

The second book in Lori Foster's ULTIMATE series is finally here! Pick up Denver's story in HOLDING STRONG today! 

Holding Strong 
(Ultimate #2)
by Lori Foster 
Paperback, 480 pages
Published March 31st 2015 by HQN Books
ISBN 0373779615
SEE OUR REVIEW

An up-and-coming MMA fighter wants more than just one night from a woman fleeing her past in New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster's irresistible new novel

Heavyweight fighter Denver Lewis plays real nice, but he doesn't share. That's why he's been avoiding top-notch flirt Cherry Peyton. But a man can only resist those lush curves for so long. Their encounter surpasses all his fantasies, bringing out protective urges that Cherry's about to need more than she knows…

Denver's combination of pure muscle and unexpected tenderness has been driving Cherry wild. Yet no sooner does she get what she's been craving than old troubles show up on her doorstep. And this time, Cherry can't hide behind a carefree facade. Because the man by her side is one who'll fight like hell to keep her safe…if only she'll trust him enough to let him…

AMAZON | B&N

ARC #Review: It Started With a Scandal by Julie Anne Long - 3.5 Wine Glasses

Title: It Started With a Scandal
Series: Pennyroyal Green #10
Author: Julie Anne Long
Format: Paperback & eBook, 384 pages
Published: March 31, 2015 by Avon
ASIN: B00LEYEZQ6
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: Edelweiss
Reviewer: Kimberly
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Lord Philippe Lavay once took to the high seas armed with charm as lethal as his sword and a stone-cold conviction: he'll restore his family's fortune and honor, no matter the cost. Victory is at last within reach--when a brutal attack snatches it from his grasp and lands him in Pennyroyal Green.

An afternoon of bliss brings a cascade of consequences for Elise Fountain. Shunned by her family and ousted from a job she loves, survival means a plummet down the social ladder to a position no woman has yet been able to keep: housekeeper to a frighteningly formidable prince.

The bold and gentle Elise sees past his battered body into Philippe's barricaded heart...and her innate sensuality ignites his blood. Now a man who thought he could never love and a woman who thought she would never again trust must fight an incendiary passion that could be the ruin of them both. 

Kimberly’s Thoughts:

Top 5 Ingredients for Keeping a Series Fresh with Jessica Scott of IT'S ALWAYS BEEN YOU (#Giveaway)

I'm a huge fan of Jessica Scott. and her Coming Home series was my first introduction to her work. I can't believe we've already reached the fifth and final book in the series, and I can't wait to read It's Always Been You! 

Top 5 Ingredients for Keeping a Series Fresh
It is so hard to keep a series going. I look at long running series that have remained solid book after book and I always wonder what it is the author is doing that keeps me from getting bored and coming back for more.

1. I think the first thing you have to do is keep the story arc moving along. You can't get stuck telling the same story over and over again, which is a really easy rut to get into.

#CoverReveal: Killer by Clarissa Wild (#Giveaway)

Have a look at this killer cover from Clarissa Wild!

Killer

by Clarissa Wild 

Expected publication: May 24th 2015

#Interview with J.D. Brown of Dark Becoming (#Giveaway)

Are you holding your breath? Not yet? Then you might be as you read Dark Becoming. If you don’t know what that is, let’s ask our guest today, the author: J.D. Brown!

Lexi: Welcome back J.D.! In your last guest post you shared your love of coffee and a cute ‘what kind of coffee drinker’ are you quiz. I love a latte but that comes second to wine! What won’t come second to anything are sci-fi fantasy books. Dark Becoming is the third book in your Ema Marx series and has truly caused more than one reader to read with baited breath. Do you get a little giddy before a release just knowing what you are going to put us readers through?

JD: I admit it, I enjoy torturing my characters and writing cliff hangers. It's as fun to write as it is to read. But before a release, I'm always nervous/anxious. You just never know if a funny scene or an emotional scene will come across to the readers the way you intended. So I'm kind of relieved when I scan the reviews and see that people 'got it'. LOL. Then, of course, reading their angst and longing for the next book is tons of fun. *evil laugh*

#Review: Now You See Him by Anne Stuart - 4 Wine Glasses

Title: Now You See Him
Author: Anne Stuart
Format: Paperback & eBook, 202 pages
Published: April 1, 1992 by Silhouette Books
ReIssued: February 11, 2015 by Bell Bridge Books
ASIN: B00TQZOR86
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Kimberly
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Francey Neeley's life has been torn to pieces. Her handsome and charming Irish boyfriend turned out to be a terrorist who was only after her fortune and planned to kill her once he got it. His "sister" forced Francey to help her attempt a rescue when his cover was blown during a mission to assassinate a world leader. Francey barely escaped with her life in the shoot-out.

Now Francey's secluded herself amidst the beautiful, healing atmosphere of Belle Reste, her cousin's resort on a Jamaican island. She's emotionally shattered and remains under a cloud of suspicion even after being interrogated by every major law enforcement agency.

Warning bells go off from the moment British school teacher Michael Dowd arrives to recuperate from a car accident. Though he's obviously recovering from serious injuries, she sees glimpses of a coldly efficient predator that make her wary of her intense attraction to him. She made one horrible mistake already . . .

Michael Dowd is there to find out the truth about her involvement; he'll seduce her if that's what it takes. And if he learns she was one of the terrorists, he'll kill her.

But someone on the island is trying to kill them both. How will Francey know who to trust when Michael disappears and reappears as a perfect stranger? Who is the villain, and who is the savior? The wrong answer means death. 

Kimberly’s Thoughts:

#Review: Escape from Witchwood Hollow by Jordan Elizabeth - 3 Wine Glasses

Title: Escape from Witchwood Hollow
Author: Jordan Elizabeth
Format: eBook/Paperback, 178 pages
Published: October 29th 2014 by Curiosity Quills Press
ISBN:139781620076712
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 3 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Everyone in Arnn - a small farming town with more legends than residents - knows the story of Witchwood Hollow: if you venture into the whispering forest, the witch will trap your soul among the shadowed trees.

After losing her parents in a horrific terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, fifteen-year-old Honoria and her older brother escape New York City to Arnn. In the lure of that perpetual darkness, Honoria finds hope, when she should be afraid.

Perhaps the witch can reunite her with her lost parents. Awakening the witch, however, brings more than salvation from mourning, for Honoria discovers a past of missing children and broken promises.

To save the citizens of Arnn from becoming the witch’s next victims, she must find the truth behind the woman’s madness.

How deep into Witchwood Hollow does Honoria dare venture? 

Linda's Thoughts:
She eased across the creaking floorboards to the nearest window.
The view encompassed the woods, with dark shapes smeared into one entity, like in her sketchbook.
What lay amongst the trees?

Guest Post & #Excerpt with Michele Hauf of The Unforgiven: Athos (#Giveaway)

Hi! Or should I say bon jour! I’m very excited for readers to discover my version of the sexy musketeer Athos as he seeks to leave the musketeers behind and pursue a quieter, less adventurous life. Of course, life never goes the way a man plans it to. And even though he’s sworn to never again be brought down by a wicked woman, that type of woman is his greatest weakness. I expect his wish for less adventure will go unfulfilled. All the more fun, I say. And I can’t resist adding: All for one, and one for all!

Excerpt from THE UNFORGIVEN: ATHOS

Promotional Post: Sex on the Beach Series (#Giveaway)

Just in time for the warmer weather! SEX ON THE BEACH is a New Adult Contemporary series from authors; Jen McLaughlin, Jennifer Probst, and Jenna Bennett!

Losing Us 
(Sex on the Beach)
by Jen McLaughlin/ Diane Alberts 

When it all comes crashing down...

Everything I thought I had with Austin Murphy—safety, stability, the normalcy I crave but my celebrity lifestyle rarely allows—was ripped away in one night. I wanted to surprise him, but the joke was on me. Now I don't know if I ever really knew him at all.

Someone has to pick up the pieces...

Mackenzie Forbes was everything I ever wanted and the one person I didn't deserve. When a past mistake costs me the girl I love, I'll do everything I can to get her back. We both have demanding careers and family secrets darkening our pasts, but I need Mackenzie in my future.

Sometimes everything you have to give just isn't enough... 

AMAZON | B&N

#Review: Manwhore by Katy Evans - 4 Wine Glasses

Title: Manwhore 
Series: Manwhore #1
Author: Katy Evans
Format: eBook/Paperback, 368 pages
Publication: March 24th 2015 by Gallery Books
ISBN: 1501101536
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Crystal
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Is it possible to expose Chicago’s hottest player—without getting played?
This is the story I've been waiting for all my life, and its name is Malcolm Kyle Preston Logan Saint. Don’t be fooled by that last name though. There’s nothing holy about the man except the hell his parties raise. The hottest entrepreneur Chicago has ever known, he’s a man’s man with too much money to spend and too many women vying for his attention.
Mysterious. Privileged. Legendary. His entire life he’s been surrounded by the press as they dig for tidbits to see if his fairytale life is for real or all mirrors and social media lies. Since he hit the scene, his secrets have been his and his alone to keep. And that’s where I come in.
Assigned to investigate Saint and reveal his elusive personality, I’m determined to make him the story that will change my career.
But I never imagined he would change my life. Bit by bit, I start to wonder if I'm the one discovering him...or if he's uncovering me.
What happens when the man they call Saint, makes you want to sin?

Crystal's Thoughts:
Manwhore is a downright hot romance that will keep you up all night turning the pages! 

ARC #Review: What a Lady Requires by Ashlyn Macnamara - 3 Wine Glasses

Title: What a Lady Requires 
Series: The Eton Boys Trilogy #3
Author: Ashlyn Macnamara
Format:  eBook, 231 pages
Published: March 31, 2015 by Loveswept
ASIN: B00N6PD6YI
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Kimberly
Rating: 3 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Perfect for fans of Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Sabrina Jeffries, Ashlyn Macnamara’s blazing hot novel tells the story of mismatched newlyweds who discover a simmering connection.

Unlike every other proper young lady, Miss Emma Jennings views marrying well as little more than a means to an end. Such a merger would provide her industrious father with social credibility, and Emma with a chunk of her vast inheritance. Emma’s practical views are shattered, however, when her father ties her to the fabulously handsome ne’er-do-well Rowan Battencliffe, a man she loathes on sight—from the smile that promises all manner of wickedness to the way he ogles her with those striking blue eyes.

Deep in debt, especially to his wine merchant, Rowan figures the sooner he gets his finances in order, the sooner he can go back to doing what he does best: burning through ridiculous sums of cash. Which is why Rowan agrees to marry the merchant’s daughter, a prim and proper woman with delightful curves and an ample dowry. But Emma seems to think it’s her business to reform him! Their marriage is a tinderbox—and it’s just too tempting to resist playing with fire.

Kimberly’s Thoughts:

#Review: The Trouble with Texas Cowboys by Carolyn Brown - 4 Wine Glasses

Title: The Trouble with Texas Cowboys 
Series: Burnt Boot, Texas #2
Author: Carolyn Brown
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages
Published: January 6th 2015 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 1402296088
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses

When Sawyer O'Donnell takes a ranch job on a whim, he lands smack dab in the middle of a Texas-sized feud! The Gallaghers and the Brennans are at each other's throats to woo the red-headed spitfire, Jill Cleary, and stake a claim for the Fiddle Creek Ranch. 

Jill makes Sawyer's blood boil. They argue, they banter, but Sawyer soon goes from being driven crazy to crazy in love. Damned if he knows how that happened. But now that it has, how does he compete with two men that can give this cowgirl a lifestyle beyond her wildest dreams?

Linda's Thoughts:
"Jill is mine and Polly's only living relative and she has come to Burnt Boot to work for us. And this bunkhouse is big enough for the two of you."
Sawyer wasn't too sure about that last statement. The bunkhouse had looked huge when he moved in, but a woman living in it would damn sure make it smaller in a hurry. Travis Tritt's old song "TROUBLE" played through his mind.