Riot (Mayhem #2) by Jamie Shaw:
Release Date: March 17th, 2015
Source: Finished copy purchased
My rating: 4 stars
I do love a good rock star romance, and this is definitely one of those! I loved that Dee was just the way she is. I also definitely identified with how she felt what happened to her was her own fault, even though it wasn't really. But I also got mad at the fact that she kept letting things go the way she did, and kept pushing Joel away. I know, I know, it's done for the drama. Anyway, a great second book in this series, nice and steamy like I enjoy, and soon I need to read book three!
Also, must share my picture with the author from Apollycon 2017
Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
When Dee Dawson meets sexy mohawked guitarist Joel Gibbon, she knows it won’t be long before she has him wrapped around her finger. No guy has ever been able to resist her… but Dee’s met her match in a player like Joel.
Dee’s not the relationship type—not after seeing the pain “love” has caused her friends and family—yet she’s desperate to make Joel want her more than anyone else. He quickly becomes an obsession, and when a reckless attempt to make him jealous ends in disaster, Dee turns into the damsel in distress she never wanted to be. With her carefree world crashing down around her, the last thing she needs is Joel’s pity.
But Joel is suddenly determined to prove he cares, and no matter how hard Dee tries to push him away, he refuses to let her shut him out. Now the girl who swore she’d never say those three little words must choose between guarding her heart and losing Joel forever… or falling head-over-heels for the tattooed rock star of her dreams.
Misadventures of a City Girl (Misadventures #1) by Meredith Wild and Chelle Bliss:
Release Date: September 12th, 2017
Source: Digital audiobook borrowed from library
My rating: 4 stars
I listened to this book on my drive to Branson during my spring break. It was an okay story. I had some issues with it, but overall the steaminess was really good. I wasn't quite sure why he behaved the way he did in the small town, or why those small town people behaved quite the way they did either. It was my first book by either of these authors though, so I will probably read more by them in the future.
I will get the chance to meet one of the authors at Book Bonanza in August, the other is no longer attending.
Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Fresh off a divorce from a Hollywood hotshot, Madison Atwood needs an escape. With the paparazzi fresh on her heels and her love life splashed on every tabloid, she runs away to a swanky retreat in Northern California. Avalon Springs is the mountainside haven she needs to find herself again. Luke Dawson lives off the grid, preferring solitude to society. When he finds a beautiful woman soaking in the hot springs on his property, he can't stop himself from watching her. She captures his attention, but she's just a city girl--a beautiful distraction disturbing the peace he's settled here to find. When Madison discovers Luke's secluded cabin, he can't turn her away again. They make no promises. Madison needs to feel wanted again, and Luke misses the touch of a woman. But when mother nature has other plans, they're forced to spend more than a night of passion together. Can Luke say goodbye to the only woman who's made him feeling anything in years, and can Madison leave behind the man who brought her back to life?
*****
Misadventures is a romantic series of spicy standalone novels, each written or co-written by some of the best names in romance. The stories are scandalous, refreshing, and, of course, incredibly sexy. They’re the perfect bedside read, a ‘quick blush’ for the reader who loves a page-turning romance.
Drunk Dial by Penelope Ward:
Release Date: August 21st, 2017
Source: Purchased Audible Audiobook
My rating: 5 stars
My third book by this author and once again I really enjoyed it! At first, I was a little unsure. I figured that the main character must have some kind of scar or something, but the reason that she didn't want to show her face to Landon was a total surprise to me. Although I was unable to understand exactly how she felt in the one comment she made, so much of the story was really good besides that. Landon was a dream guy, and I don't quite get why she got upset over his big reveal, because really, how was that any worse than a guy who had just been a straight out manwhore? But then there was the whole big part of the story that had to do with her secret, as well as her "little sis", and that had me in tears, and I couldn't stop listening. A great story!
Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
It seemed like a good idea at the time. Look up Landon Roderick, that boy from childhood whom I’d never been able to forget—even though he so easily forgot about me—and call him.
Then again, anything sounds like a good idea when you’ve had a little too much wine before bed, right? It was supposed to be just a quick, meaningless, prank call. Instead, I went off on him—unloading thirteen years of pent-up emotions.
I didn’t think he’d call me back.
I certainly could never have anticipated the weeks of sexually tense phone conversations that followed as I got to know the man he’d become.
Turned out, Landon had never really forgotten me, either. That special connection we had was still there. I opened up to him, but there were also things about me he didn’t know. And he had his own secrets.
Over the countless hours we talked on the phone, I wondered what would happen if we actually saw each other. One night, I did something impulsive again. Only this time, I went to the airport and booked a ticket to California. We were about to find out if one phone call could bring two lost souls together or if my drunk dial really was all just a big mistake.
Forever Mine (Roommate Duet Prequel) by Kennedy Fox:
Release Date: April 5th, 2019
Source: Free newsletter serial from author, although I then downloaded free Kindle book
My rating: 4 stars
Every once in a while a newsletter serial will catch me in the emails. This was one of those. They ended almost every single chapter every week with such a cliffhanger that I was on the edge of my seat just waiting for the next week's newsletter and chapter. This novella had someone to hate, a secret that people in the story knew, but the author kept us guessing, and lots of steamy scenes. Also, a happy ending. I now need to read the series that this is a prequel to.
Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
It’s been ten years.
He hasn’t stopped loving her for one second.
Seeing the woman who broke my heart a decade ago is something I’m not prepared for. Though I’ve forgiven Savannah, I’ve never forgotten what she did.
Now it’s time to confront the secret she’s kept from me. Though it won’t be easy, I’m determined to make things right between us.
One night together is all it takes for our feelings to come rushing back. As memories of us flood in, truths are finally revealed. When the present collides with our past, I’ll do anything to win her back, even when Savannah tries to run again.
This time, I’ll stop at nothing for a second chance.
**Forever Mine is a 35k word novella that introduces you to the Roommate Duet Series. It's suggested to read before Baby Mine, but can be read anytime throughout the series.**
#Poser (Hashtag Series #5) by Cambria Hebert:
Release Date: August 8th, 2015
Source: Purchased Audible audiobook
My rating: 5 stars
Another 5 star story from one of my favorite series by one of my favorite authors. I love Braedon so much. But he's got a lot going on in this one, and I think he makes a mistake when he doesn't tell Ivy what he found out about her night with Zach. However I also was very mad that Ivy didn't tell anyone about the little weird things that had been happening to her. There were a lot of things that happened that really just added to the drama, but so much of this story made me laugh or cry that I was won over. We got a few chapters from Zach's point of view, which okay, but I didn't like having so many of them in a row, and skipping over so much time for the rest of the characters. There was one quote I really liked, "Little secrets become big lies." That is so true. It was good to meet Ivy's brother, although how he treated Braeden ticked me off. And while I see some people unhappy with how Braeden dealt with Zach in the final scene, I actually was okay with it. Sometimes, those types of people, they just aren't going to stop, and when they almost get other people killed, well, that's how I feel about that. Oh yeah, and someone needs to take Missy down, I have no good feelings about her.
Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Posers gonna pose
I am a man who had nothing, but found everything.I'll never go back to nothing ever again.
I vowed to protect her, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do.
The pictures I stumbled upon haunt me still, the secret I shoulder is heavy.
They say secrets put distance between two people, but the truth is far more destructive than keeping it will ever be.
I won't ever tell. She can't ever know.
When I look in the mirror my reflection is of who I'm afraid I'll become and not the man I am.
It makes me feel like a poser, no better than all the others pretending to be exactly who they aren't.
How does a man keep it together when everything is unraveling right here in his hands?
I didn't start any of this.
I never asked for it.
But it came knocking at my door.
When secrets and threats knock, I don't hide.
I open the door.
Because the best way to take down a poser is to be one.
