RELEASE DAY BLITZ: Forever With You (Wait For You #5)

Happy release day to Jennifer L. Armentrout! FOREVER WITH YOU, the fifth book in her Wait For You series, is out today, and if you haven't already bought it, what are you waiting for?

Forever With You (Wait For You #5), by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publish Date: September 29, 2015
Publisher: Avon Books
Genre: new adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

(From Goodreads) Some things you just believe in, even if you've never experienced them. For Stephanie, that list includes love. It's out there. Somewhere. Eventually. Meanwhile she's got her job at the mixed martial arts training center and hot flings with gorgeous, temporary guys like Nick. Then a secret brings them closer, opening Steph's eyes to a future she never knew she wanted—until tragedy rips it away.

Nick's self-assured surface shields a past no one needs to know about. His mind-blowing connection with Steph changes all that. As fast as he's knocking down the walls that have kept him commitment-free, she's building them up again, determined to keep the hurt—and Nick—out. But he can't walk away. Not when she's the only one who's ever made him wish for forever . . .

I cradled my drink as Cam sauntered back to the pool tables. My mind wasn’t made up on the whole visiting them thing yet. Maybe I would. Maybe I wouldn’t.

“Want another rum and coke?”

My lips curled up at the sound of Nick’s rich, deep voice. We’d been chatting on and off since I plopped my butt down on the stool, and he had seemed happy that I was there.

Total bonus points lottery with this guy.

“I’m good, but thanks.” The last thing I wanted to be was drunk. I smiled at him, pleased when his heavily hooded gaze dipped again. “Are you guys usually this busy on the weekend?”

I could see that small talk was something Nick excelled at, which made sense, considering his occupation. He was an equal opportunity charmer. Women flocked to him at the bar. The other bartender, the girl with the pink glasses, seemed to take it all in stride.

“Not sure if you really call this busy, but Saturdays usually bring a larger crowd.” He glanced down the bar before continuing. “So you went to school with them?” he asked, jerking his chin in the direction Cam had roamed off to.

“Yeah.” Leaning forward, I placed my elbows on the bar. “I had no idea they had connections here. Total surprise.”

“Small world,” he said, echoing my earlier thought. “But you’re not very close with them.”

It was a statement, not a question. “What makes you think that?”

“Well, if you were, I guess you’d be over there with them. Or …”

Nick was observant. “Or what?”

One side of his lips curled up as he folded his arms across his chest. The movement drew my attention. I was such a visual creature. Not that anyone would blame me right now. The black shirt he wore stretched around well-defined biceps. “Or you’d rather spend the time with me.”

The twisty motion in my belly cranked up a notch. “Am I that transparent?”

“In the best possible way.” He picked up a bottle. “I’m glad you did stop by. Every time the door opened last night, I looked up and hoped it was you.”

“Is that so?”

“I speak the truth.” His smile was lazy. “Did you finish unpacking?”

“Yep.”

“Were there any more rat bastard combinations?”

I laughed. “There were a few more.”

“Kind of mad I missed out on them.”

“There’s always later.” I toyed with my glass as I met and held his stare. “So, Nick, do you have a last name?”

“Blanco,” he replied after a brief hesitation. “Do you?”

“Keith.” I grinned as he unfolded those arms. “I have another question for you.”

Moving in, he placed his hands on the bar. “Ask away.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?” My breath caught a little when he leaned in suddenly. Our mouths were close enough that we were breathing the same tiny patch of oxygen. “Or a boyfriend?”

Nick didn’t bat an eyelash. “Nope to both. How about you?”

Bonus points explosion!

“None,” I said, welcoming the tingle that swirled down my spine as his breath warmed my lips.

He tilted his head to the side, lining up his mouth with mine with just a fraction of an inch between us. I started to feel a little flushed. “You have plans tonight, Stephanie Keith?” he asked, voice deeper and rougher.

I shook my head as my pulse tripped all over itself in a happy little dance.

Nick’s grin spread into the kind of smile I knew left a trail of women in its wake. “You do now.”

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.

She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Links: Website ** Facebook ** Twitter ** Novel Goodreads ** Author Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

RELEASE DAY NEW ADULT MONDAYS REVIEW: A Shattered Heart (Fractured Lives #2)

The New Adult genre - their bad boys and big problems and epic loves make them engrossing tales that are so easy to lose yourself in. What's not to love about that? And, now, thanks to the cool chicks at Bewitched Bookworms, we can show these books the love they deserve in a weekly feature - New Adult Mondays.

A Shattered Heart (Fractured Lives #2), by Tiffany King
Publish Date: September 28, 2015
Publisher: A. T. Publishing, LLC
Format: paperback, provided by the author
Genre: new adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * iTunes

Rating: 4 STARS

(From Goodreads) A Shattered Heart is the story of Kathleen "Kat" Darby who discovers that although you can run away, you can never escape the ghosts from your past.

Physically, Kat Darby walked away relatively unscathed from the tragic car accident on the night of her high school graduation. Emotionally, her scars run much deeper from the loss of two of her best friends and her longtime boyfriend, Dan. Unable to face the constant reminders of the person she thought she would love forever, Kat leaves for twelve months to study art in France before returning home to start her life again.

Life in Florida proves more difficult than Kat anticipated with remnants of the accident still lingering. The only solace she can find is in her love for art until she runs into Brian, the younger brother of her deceased former boyfriend. Finding they can lean on each other, Kat and Brian find comfort in their emotional common bond. When an unexpected romance develops, Kat must decide if she is willing to face the ghosts from her past in order to love again.

A Shattered Heart picks up where book one in Tiffany King's Fractured Lives series, A Shattered Moment, left off - with Kat Darby standing on the doorstep of her former best friend's house for the first time in nearly two years. I knew after having read A Shattered Moment that A Shattered Heart would be even more heartbreaking, more tear-jerking, and more angst-ridden. I was totally right. Surprisingly, it was also way more frustrating. 

To catch you up, the Fractured Lives series starts in the past - with an incredibly tragic car accident involving six of the closest friends there ever were. The survivors of the accident are left with some serious physical and emotional scars, and all of them are finding it difficult to move on in the wake of something so devastating. 
  
On the surface, it seems like Kat is the one who lost the most. She lost her soul-mate Dan and her closest girlfriend Jessica. Unlike Mac and Zach, who both have serious physical limitations due to the accident, Kat's scars are all of the emotional variety. She had these big plans for her life, and every one of them involved Dan. Now, faced with a life without him, she's completely lost and floundering. She's not happy doing anything she used to enjoy. She shuns everyone who cares about her, because it hurts too much to let people in when you could just lose them later. She has no regard for her personal safety, because there are times when she thinks death would be a better alternative to the life she's living now. 

You know, it has to be monumentally hard to write a character like Kat - to allow her to be angry and guilt-ridden and sad (all justifiably so), without turning her into a total bitch. And, to allow the reader to empathize with her and hope for a better future. And, there were definitely moments that I did those things. I shed more than a couple tears at Kat's plight, because everything she went through sucks so much. I can't even imagine what it's like, and I can't believe that I would've handled things much better than she did. But, I also spent a lot of time being pissed off at her for how she treated nearly every person around her - especially Brian, the boy she spends much of the book trying not to fall in love with.

And, I get it. Brian reminds Kat so much of his older brother, which is exactly what Kat does NOT want, especially when she develops feelings for him. And, yet, there's this pull to him that can only be born out of a comforting sense of familiarity. This is someone who knew her before, and probably the only other person who could come close to understanding her loss. And, Brian was wonderful with Kat. He was patient and understanding and careful with her feelings. He also was one of the few people who didn't walk on eggshells around her and had the guts to call her on her crap. 

It's for that reason that I was so frustrated at Kat a lot of the time. She so obviously was having trouble getting over what happened. She was so angry at everyone - at Mac for actually moving on, at Brian for not allowing her to continue wallowing, at her therapist for making her face the things she wanted to keep buried. And, Kat responded to all these people with seething rage that caused her to lash out with hurtful words and uncalled for physical reactions. There was this one scene on Dan's and Brian's birthday that had me actually having to close the book for a bit and walk away because I was so angry at Kat's actions. 

As always, Tiffany King's writing is wonderful - goodness, I love it. Despite my issues with Kat, I did love Brian. He was a good balance to Kat, and much needed for the story. I'm so glad he wasn't a Dan clone. Although the brothers were only one year apart, they were very different in appearance and personality. I thought that was important to the story. 

I loved catching up with Mac and Bentley. And, I especially loved the growth in Zach's character. He still has a ways to go, and I'm hoping we get his story next. 

Be prepared for an emotional ride. Have a box of tissues at the ready, and when you reach those frustrating parts, just breath through them. I promise there's all good things on the other side.  

2015 Audiobook Challenge Quarter Three Update

I'm back with an update on how I'm doing with the 2015 Audiobook Challenge, hosted by The Book Nympho and Hot Listens. So, I'm thinking I seriously underestimated my ability to squeeze in audiobook listening whenever I can. I mean, I knew I was good, but I didn't know I was THAT good.

Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you?) - 20-30

Quarter One

1. One Week Girlfriend (One Week Girlfriend #1), by Monica Murphy
2. Second Change Boyfriend (One Week Girlfriend #1), by Monica Murphy
3. Rusty Nailed (Cocktail #2), by Alice Clayton
4. Off the Record (Record #1), by K.A. Linde
5. On the Record (Record #2), by K.A. Linde
6. For the Record (Record #3), by K.A. Linde
7. Dirty Little Secrets (J.J. Graves Mystery #1), by Liliana Hart
8. Savage Awakening (Alpha Pack #2), by J. D. Tyler
9. Conviction (Club Destiny #1), by Nicole Edwards

Quarter Two

10. A Dirty Shame (J.J. Graves Mystery #2), by Liliana Hart
11. Play With Me (With Me In Seattle #3), by Kristen Proby
12. No Limits (Ultimate #1), by Lori Foster
13. Dirty Rotten Scoundrel (J.J. Graves Mystery #3), by Liliana Hart
14. Ruined (Ethan Frost #1), by Tracy Wolff
15. Rock With Me (With Me In Seattle #4), by Kristen Proby
16. Curing Doctor Vincent (The Good Doctor Trilogy #1), by Renea Mason
17. Addicted (Ethan Frost #2), by Tracy Wolff
18. Dare to Love (Dare to Love #1), by Carly Phillips
19. Wild Card (Elite Ops #1), by Lora Leigh

Quarter Three

20. Release Me (The Stark Trilogy #1), by J. Kenner
21. Dare to Desire (Dare to Love #2), by Carly Phillips
22. Twisted (Tangled #2), by Emma Chase
23. Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling #1), by Nalini Singh
24. Visions of Heat (Psy-Changeling #2), by Nalini Singh
25. Wicked Ties (Wicked Lovers #1), by Shayla Black
26. The Sweetest Game (The Perfect Game #3), by J. Sterling
27. Own the Wind (Chaos #1), by Kristen Ashley
28. Easy Charm (Boudreaux #2), by Kristen Proby
29. Watch Me, by Shayla Black
30. Naughty Little Secret, by Shayla Black
31. Safe With Me (With Me In Seattle #5), by Kristen Proby
32. Overruled (The Legal Briefs #1), by Emma Chase
33. Fire Inside (Chaos #2), by Kristen Ashley (currently listening to)

I've never been a huge fan of male narrators, but in this quarter, I've made it a point to listen to a few books narrated by two of the guys I love the most - Sebastian York and Jason Carpenter. I've listened to books read by both these men before, and I've loved every single one of them.

Last quarter I said I wanted to listen to more PNR books. This quarter I started the Psy-Changeling series by Nalini Singh, and I absolutely loved the first two in the series! Angela Dawe does an amazing job narrating, and I'm looking forward to listening to more of her when I get the next book in the series.

So, what should I add to my must-listen list? 

Stacking the Shelves - 9/25

I love seeing everyone's book hauls for the week. It's exciting, and fun and it tells me what sales are still going on. :) And, thanks to Tynga's Reviews, we can do that with Stacking the Shelves! So, you show me mine, and you show me yours.

Paperback ARC Received For Review:

Digital ARCs Received For Review:

Audiobook Purchased:

Many thanks to the amazing people at HarperTeen for the ARC of The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins. I'm participating in the incredible Harper Winter 2016 Blog Tour in November, which this book is a part of. Look for your chance to win it on my stop on November 13!

REVIEW, EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: Hard As Steel (Hard Ink #4.5)

These Hard Ink novellas - they are some of the best ones I've ever read. Ever. The only thing wrong with them is that they are too short. Check out my review and an excerpt from HARD AS STEEL. Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Hard As Steel (Hard Ink #4.5), by Laura Kaye
Publish Date: September 22, 2015
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts
Format: e-ARC, provided by Inkslinger PR
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon 

Rating: 5 STARS

(From Goodreads) After identifying her employer's dangerous enemies, Jessica Jakes takes refuge at the compound of the Raven Riders Motorcycle Club. Fellow Hard Ink tattooist and Raven leader Ike Young promises to keep Jess safe for as long as it takes, which would be perfect if his close, personal, round-the-clock protection didn't make it so hard to hide just how much she wants him—and always has.

Ike Young loved and lost a woman in trouble once before. The last thing he needs is alone time with the sexiest and feistiest woman he's ever known, one he's purposely kept at a distance for years. Now, Ike's not sure he can keep his hands or his heart to himself—or that he even wants to anymore. And that means he has to do whatever it takes to hold on to Jess forever.

I remember in the Hard Ink novels when Ike whisked Jess away to hide her out after her house was ransacked. I remember knowing that there was something there between them, and being intrigued by that. Now we have their story. 

Ike is an intriguing guy. He's a tattoo artist at Hard Ink. He's an important member of a motorcycle club. He's an all around heroic bad ass biker guy. And, he's got baggage from his past that has prevented him from acting on his interest in his co-worker, Jess, for years. It should demonstrate how good of a guy he is that he's willing to fight against his attraction to her when she is in trouble and in need of his help. 

It's not a one-sided thing. Jess has wanted Ike for years as well, but she has her own reasons for not going after him. And, she is tired of them. Except, she can throw herself at him all she wants. Ike is made of steel and is determined to resist her. Infuriating man. 

You know, the Hard Ink novels have a lot of really awesome elements to them - an intriguing mystery, incredible suspense, sweet romance, and ridiculously hot sex. Imagine taking all that and packing it into 100 pages instead of 300 pages. It's like anything else that's concentrated. You still have all the ingredients, but they are all way more potent.

My favorite part about Hard As Steel was the chemistry between Ike and Jess. My goodness - it was crazy. Ike had his reasons for fighting it most of the time, but you just can't fight something like this forever. And when it is unleashed... wow. So. Hot. Like, seriously - INFERNO. 

It was interesting witnessing all the events at the end of the Hard Ink story from outside the fold. Remember that Ike's and Jess' story is happening at the same time as the last two novels. So, from time to time, Ike would call Dare to get an update, and Ike would relay the information to Jess. 

If you're a fan of the Hard Ink series, you have got to read this novella. It's like the best kind of icing on this delicious cake. 


I’m thrilled to be here celebrating the release of my 21st book, HARD AS STEEL! After a midnight break-in at her apartment, close friends and Hard Ink Tattoo co-workers Ike Young and Jessica Jakes are forced into hiding—and forced to confront the feelings they’ve always denied for one another. I have always adored friends-to-lovers and forced proximity stories, and HARD AS STEEL delivers that and more, including a taste of both my award-winning and best-selling Hard Ink and upcoming Raven Riders series! Check out this excerpt:

“Night,” she said, heading up the steps.

“Night,” he replied, watching her hips sway in a pair of silky black shorts. Combined with the form-fitting black tank top and those perfect-for-grabbing pigtails, she was going to make it damn hard for him to fall asleep tonight.

Damn hard, indeed.

He turned out the light and went horizontal, the soft couch so comfortable against his sore back even though it was a little too short to fit his whole body. He adjusted his erection, willing it to get with the no-sex-with-Jess program. Problem was, in the quiet darkness, Ike could hear her moving around in the loft. Soft footsteps on the wood floor. The shifting of covers. The squeaking of the box spring. And all that did was invite his imagination out to play. Easy since he had so much material to work with after sleeping with Jess wrapped around him the past two nights.

His shoulders and chest knew what the silk of her hair felt like when it skimmed over his skin. His hip knew the heat of her core when she slept with her knee across his thighs. His hands had memorized the curve of her lower back and the shape of her biceps and just how much of her luscious ass he could fit in his palms.

Ike knew what her mouth tasted like, how tight her legs could wrap around his waist, and how fucking beautiful the combination of ink and steel was on her skin.

Jesus, his cock was never going to let him go to sleep at this rate.

And was it fucking hot in here or what? He tossed the cover off, wishing he had a ceiling fan downstairs, too. Something for the to-do list around this place.

Ike sighed and flung his hand over his head. And wondered why the hell he was torturing himself this way.

He could just go up there and get in the bed—and take what he wanted, and what he knew Jess would be only too happy to give. Neither of them was immune to the mutual attraction that had always been there between them. And her reaction to his kiss the other day made it crystal fucking clear that she was waiting for him to make his move.

Jess had plenty of one-night stands and casual hook-ups. Ike knew she was perfectly capable of handling that kind of relationship.

Except.

Except Ike wasn’t a clueless idiot, and he wasn’t in the habit of doing things he knew damn right well would hurt someone he cared about. Jess wore her emotions like she wore her ink—out loud and unapologetically. He had a pretty good idea that she was rocking some more-than-friendly and more-than-physical feelings for him. Right now, she thought them unrequited, and that kept a kind of sexually tense equilibrium between them. But if he let himself off the leash—even just once—he’d very likely raise and dash her hopes, give her all kinds of mixed signals, and screw things up royally between them.

He shook his head and heaved a deep breath. If he wasn’t going to go the distance with her, he had no business taking the first step.

End of.

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.


Website | Facebook |Twitter | Newsletter SignUp

a Rafflecopter giveaway

RELEASE WEEK BLITZ & GIVEAWAY: Sinful Desire (Sinful Nights #2)

 

I am absolutely thrilled to bring you the Release Week Blitz for SINFUL DESIRE by Lauren Blakely, the second full-length, standalone novel from her bestselling Erotic Romance Series, Sinful Nights! This new series is a new erotic romance series written in the high-heat, high-stakes, high-glamour style of the Seductive Nights series that readers know and love, but heading in a new direction with a new family that’s full of drama, checkered pasts and dangerous life-and-death secrets.

Lauren Blakely is well known for writing sexy, heartfelt and humorous contemporary romance as well as deeply emotional new adult stories --one commonality in all her books is the scorching hot sexy times. And the Sinful Nights series is absolutely no different! First, there was SWEET SINFUL NIGHTS, and now Lauren brings you the passionate and suspenseful SINFUL DESIRE filled with sexy moments that will keep you up all night!

Lauren Blakely does it again and brings readers more smoldering, sexy nights in her new Sinful Nights Series with her newest novel, SINFUL DESIRE.

SINFUL DESIRE is a full-length, standalone erotic romance novel that follows the love affair of a new couple, Ryan and Sophie. It’s currently priced at $3.99 across all retailers for a limited time only.
  

Sinful Desire (Sinful Nights #2), by Lauren Blakely
Publish Date: September 22, 2015
Publisher: CreateSpace
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

(From Goodreads) Control.

It’s what Ryan Sloan values most. Control of his business, control of his secrets, control of his days and nights. With the way his life spiraled in the past, he needs to stay in charge of his present.

Giving up control.

It’s what Sophie Winston craves. After a wildly successful career, she’s stepped away from the business world and is now focused on her work as her city’s most noted philanthropist.

When she meets Ryan Sloan, the chemistry is scorching, and utterly undeniable. Their desire for each other runs red hot. He wants everything she’s willing to give him in bed, and she wants him to take her to new heights as only he can.

Soon, he has to have more. All of her — heart, mind and body.

The only trouble is, he hasn’t been honest about how he met her and the dangerous connection he has to her brother.

When the truth is revealed, he’ll have to give more of himself than he’s bargained for or risk losing the only woman he’s ever let into his heart.

 

TWO BOOKS FOR ONE PRICE!

Buy One Get One Free This Week Only!

This week ONLY when you buy SINFUL DESIRE (or if you preordered it!) you can get a FREE copy of Lauren’s USA Today Bestseller PLAYING WITH HER HEART. Every eBook of SINFUL DESIRE includes a link in the back of the book to redeem your free copy of PLAYING WITH HER HEART! All you have to do is simply click the link in the back of the book, follow the instructions, and you will be able to download a copy of PLAYING WITH HER HEART readable on any eReader. ONE-CLICK and get two books for one price! If you already read PLAYING WITH HER HEART, there is a paperback giveaway to enter. The link to redeem your free copy is in the back of every e-book of SINFUL DESIRE this week only...

And that’s not all!

Feeling the Desire to have a Sinful night of your own? Then you’ll want to take the Sinful Nights quiz and answer fun trivia questions about the Sinful Nights series! To celebrate the release of SINFUL DESIRE on September 22^nd, Lauren is giving away a $500 gift card for a stay at the Ritz Carlton nearest you!*

Everything you need to turn your fantasy into reality and enter the Sinful Nights contest during release week can be found in the back of the SINFUL DESIRE eBook, including the short quiz in the book that you have to complete to enter the contest. The SINFUL DESIRE eBook is the ONLY location with the link to the quiz.  

The release week contest runs through Saturday, September 26, ONLY, so you’ll have to make this read a quickie to enter to win this awesome prize! In addition to the grand prize, there are several other great prizes in the giveaway! So grab your copy of SINFUL DESIRE today! Get ready to ignite your passion and dive into SINFUL DESIRE on release day!  

*Please note: If you are the winner and there is no Ritz Carlton near you, you may opt to receive a $500 gift card to any Marriott property, or Marriott-owned hotel. ** If you purchase the paperback and would like to participate in the contest, please contact me at lauren@laurenblakely.com for instructions.      

And don’t miss the first title in the Sinful Nights Series,

SWEET SINFUL NIGHTS
  Amazon US * Amazon UK * Amazon Paperback * iBooks US * iBooks UK * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * GooglePlay

Add it to Goodreads here!

 

And be sure to watch for the next titles in the Sinful Nights series!

SINFUL LONGING - Jan 2016

Preorder SINFUL LONGING Here!

Add SINFUL LONGING on Goodreads!

SINFUL LOVE - March 2016

Preorder SINFUL LOVE Here!

Add SINFUL LOVE on Goodreads!

About Lauren Blakely: Lauren Blakely writes sexy contemporary romance novels with heat, heart, and humor, and she has had eight books on the New York Times Bestseller list and fourteen on the USA Today Bestseller list. Like the heroine in her novel, FAR TOO TEMPTING, she thinks life should be filled with family, laughter, and the kind of love that love songs promise. Lauren lives in California with her husband, children, and dogs. She loves hearing from readers! Her bestselling series include Sinful Nights, Seductive Nights, No Regrets, Caught Up in Love, and Fighting Fire. She recently released SWEET SINFUL NIGHTS, the first novel in her new sexy romance series Sinful Nights that became an instant New York Times Bestseller. Her new adult forbidden romance, 21 Stolen Kisses, hit e-readers in May and landed on the USA Today Bestseller list. In September, she'll release SINFUL DESIRE, her next title in the bestselling SINFUL NIGHTS series. She also writes for young adults under the name Daisy Whitney. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, text BLAKELY + your email address to 678-249-3375 (please use the actual + sign).  

Website | Facebook | Twitter | SINFUL DESIRE Goodreads | Lauren Blakely Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

REVIEW: Dark Wild Night (Wild Seasons #3)

Dark Wild Night (Wild Seasons #3), by Christina Lauren
Publish Date: September 15, 2015
Publisher: Gallery Books
Format: paperback, provided by the publisher
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4 STARS

(From Goodreads) Lola and Oliver like to congratulate themselves on having the good sense to not consummate their drunken Las Vegas wedding. If they’d doubled-down on that mistake, their Just Friends situation might not be half as great as it is now.

... Or so goes the official line.

In reality, Lola’s wanted Oliver since day one—and over time has only fallen harder for his sexy Aussie accent and easygoing ability to take her as she comes. More at home in her studio than in baring herself to people, Lola’s instinctive comfort around Oliver nearly seems too good to be true. So why ruin a good thing?

Even as geek girls fawn over him, Oliver can’t get his mind off what he didn’t do with Lola when he had the chance. He knows what he wants with her now ... and it’s far outside the friend zone. When Lola’s graphic novel starts getting national acclaim—and is then fast-tracked for a major motion picture—Oliver steps up to be there for her whenever she needs him. After all, she’s not the kind of girl who likes all that attention, but maybe she’s the kind who’ll eventually like him.

Sometimes seeing what’s right in front of us takes a great leap of faith. And sometimes a dark wild night in Vegas isn’t just the end of a day, but the beginning of a bright new life...

I knew I was going to love Oliver. I just knew it. While Ansel was being crazy and staying married to Mia who was a perfect stranger and Finn and Harlow were humping like bunnies, Oliver was the steady one. The one who didn't do crazy stuff. The one everyone could could on to make the smart decisions. 

Oliver has been running his comic book store while his BFFs fell in love. And Oliver has been in love with his other BFF the whole time, but she doesn't know it and doesn't feel the same way. It seems like Oliver was content just being close to Lola in whatever way he could be. And that made me sad. Oliver shouldn't have to struggle with his feelings for Lola. He's so sweet and smart and awesome. 

And then there's Lola. Honestly, she was my least favorite of the six. She's quirky and driven and very focused on her path forward, and her comic being turned into a major motion picture is the culmination of all her work. It's her ticket to greatness. But, she's very introverted and not comfortable putting herself out there in public situations. Doesn't make for a very good combination. But, hey - she has her good buddy Oliver to help her out, like always. 

It seemed like it took forever for Lola to realize that Oliver was the best thing that ever happened to her - not her comic or her movie. But, the really frustrating thing is, even after Lola realized that, it didn't stop her from making one bad decision after another when it came to him. Oliver loved her fiercely in the only ways he knew how. And Lola didn't know what to do with all that. 

In reality, these two were so perfect for each other. It's funny to me that you have these six people who meet randomly in Vegas, and they pair off with the exact perfect matches for each other, without even knowing it. That was no different here. Lola and Oliver are the hot nerds of the group. They think the same way. They love the same things. They have a fine appreciation for each others' work. And, they were both in love with the other, but had no idea how to speak it into being without ruining the incredible friendship they had cultivated. These two were a hot mess. 

The struggles I had with Dark Wild Night had more to do with Lola and her treatment of Oliver than anything else. Ollie was amazing. I loved the appearances of Finn, Harlow, Ansel and Mia. Not Joe sort of stole the show in this book - he and the relationship he has with Oliver cracked me up! I just had a really hard time relating to Lola. And I spent most of the book being pissed off at her for how casually she treated what she and Oliver had, and for how neurotic she was when it came to her relationship with him. IMO, Oliver is perfect and it made me mad that she couldn't see that as easily as I could. 

Everything else was perfect. The writing was awesome. The setting and the premise of the story was cool. The book was funny and sweet and poignant at times. And, of course, it was hot and sexy. Oliver and Lola may be the nerds of the group, but they definitely know how to burn up the sheets. And who knew Ollie was hiding such a sexy dirty talker behind those glasses??? 

Mia's ex Luke gets the next book in this series, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm betting his relationship with London is going to be a fun one to watch. They're the only ones who haven't already been married, so at least there's that, right? 

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This is one meme I can get on board with - I LOVE lists! I'll show you mine if you show me yours!

Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR

1. Appealed (The Legal Briefs #3), by Emma Chase

I just finished the first two books in this series, and both were 5 star reads for me. I absolutely ADORE Emma Chase's wit, humor and substance, and all those things are here in this series.  

2. Oblivion (Lux #1.5), by Jennifer L. Armentrout

We've gotten bits and pieces of Obsidian from Daemon's POV, but the entire book? Absolutely a no-brainer. I will read the crap out of this book. 

3. Blood Kiss (Black Dagger Legacy #1), by J.R. Ward

I've been eagerly anticipating this Black Dagger Brotherhood spin-off series ever since The Warden announced it was coming. I'm loving the idea of BDB-esque stories set in the same world as the Brothers, but not featuring them as stars of the show. 

4. Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4), by Marissa Meyer

It's all come down to this. The first three books in the Lunar Chronicles series are some of the best YA books I've ever read. And Winter is the culmination of everything that Cinder, Scarlet, Cress and their men have been fighting for. I can't wait to see what happens in the end.

5. The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1), by Rick Riordan

Rick Riordan is turning his attention to the Norse Gods in his new Magnus Chase series. The two Percy Jackson series are so amazing, and I'm such a huge fan of mythology - I just know I'm going to love this new series just as much.

6. One King's Way (On Dublin Street #6.5), by Samantha Young

I'm just not ready to say goodbye to this series - and thankfully, it seems that Samantha Young isn't either. Although our favorite ODS couples had a proper send-off in the epilogue of Moonlight on Nightingale Way, I'm glad we have one more novella yet to come. 

7. Easy Melody (Boudreaux #3), by Kristen ProbyI'm all caught up on Kristen Proby's new Boudreaux series, and am so looking forward to youngest brother Declan's story. My favorite part about this series is the relationship the six siblings have with each other, so the hot sex and the romance is just icing on the cake.

8. Nuts (Hudson Valley #1), by Alice Clayton

Seriously - with a title like Nuts, you have to admit it. You want to read it too, right? Alice Clayton's Wallbanger series is so sweet and hysterically funny. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

9. Surviving Ice (Burying Water #4), by K.A. Tucker

 The Burying Water series has been a darker one for K.A. Tucker, and I'm loving every minute of it. The twists and turns and danger are awesome. And, in every book, you can't imagine how the main characters can find a way out of their mess and be together. Until they do.

10. Reaper's Fall (Reaper's MC #5), by Joanna Wylde

I've read a lot of MC series, but the Reaper's MC series is the one that started it all. Every one in the series is so good, and I've been eagerly anticipating Painter and Melanie's story. It will finally arrive this fall, and I'm so excited!

NEW ADULT MONDAYS: Loving Dallas (Neon Dreams #2)

The New Adult genre - their bad boys and big problems and epic loves make them engrossing tales that are so easy to lose yourself in. What's not to love about that? And, now, thanks to the cool chicks at Bewitched Bookworms, we can show these books the love they deserve in a weekly feature - New Adult Mondays.
  

Loving Dallas (Neon Dreams #2), by Caisey Quinn
Publish Date: June 16, 2015
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Format: e-book, purchased
Genre: new adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating: 5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Dallas Lark is so close to achieving his dream of making it big in country music that he can taste it. Arriving in Nashville after signing with sexy, successful manager Mandy Lantram, his life goes from tragedy and turmoil to one lucky break after another—except it isn’t really luck because Dallas has sacrificed everything for his career, leaving behind his band, sister, best friend, and high school sweetheart, Robyn, in the pursuit of fame.

Robyn Breeland is a successful marketing coordinator and promotions specialist for a thriving liquor distributor out of Texas. She loves every aspect of her job: coming up with new ideas, traveling, hosting promotional parties and exclusive events—until it brings her face-to-face with the man who broke her heart, prompting her to erect a steel cage around it.

When their paths collide and they’re forced to work together, Dallas and Robyn realize that the old spark they thought they’d extinguished might still be a burning flame.

Loving Dallas was exactly what I needed in this rollercoaster of emotions that is the Neon Dreams series. The real angst and tears are with Gavin and Dixie, but Loving Dallas takes the focus off them and places it on Dixie's older brother Dallas as he goes off to seek fame and fortune alone.

After Leaving Amarillo's new manager convinces Dallas to go it alone, he becomes the opening act for one of the hottest country singers in the country on his new tour. Personally, I couldn't believe at first that Dallas was okay with leaving Dixie behind. And then, when Gavin reminds Dallas of why HE can't join him either, Dallas became a one-man act. Dallas was so caught up in the fact that he might actually achieve his dream of making it big that, for a time, he convinced himself that leaving his bandmates behind was a necessary evil. 

Handing over my boarding pass, I adjust the guitar on my back and take the first step toward a neon dream I've been chasing for as long as I can remember. 

Dallas' tour is being sponsored by a local liquor, and it just so happens that Dallas' old girlfriend Robyn works PR for them and is managing the tour. We met her in Leaving Amarillo, and we get the impression that she and Dallas were once very serious, but that he broke her heart for some reason. One thing is clear - it didn't end well between them. And, now they have to work together. 

Robyn tries really hard to keep Dallas at a distance. But, honestly, she stood no chance. The man is sex on a stick. And he can sing. As Dallas and Robyn get caught up in each other again, things get complicated... again. She shouldn't be fooling around with one of the tour participants. It's not professional behavior, and she could lose the job she loves. And, Robyn is not part of Dallas' Master Life Plan right now - being super famous and partaking in all the perks is. But there was a reason they were so good together in high school. And, that reason never went away. 

Robyn and Dallas were so good together, too. I loved their relationship and their chemistry. I love that Robyn remained friends with Dixie even after Dallas dumped her, and now Robyn uses Dixie as her sounding board. And, I love that even two people as close as Dallas and Robyn were still had secrets. I mean, the secrets weren't the part I loved - the spilling of them was. It cleared things up for both Dallas and Robyn as to why they broke up in the first place. And it helped clarify things in the present as well. 

As I mentioned - the focus during Loving Dallas was not on Gavin and Dixie. Dallas' and Robyn's story was a lot lighter, so it gave the reader a bit of a break from all the heartache. A much needed break. Especially if you decide to binge read the series like I did. At the end, the focus returns to Dixie and Gavin and whether there is a future for Leaving Amarillo, but the future of Dallas and Robyn is at least decided. 

Admittedly, I was so wrapped up in Dixie and Gavin that, when I realized they weren't going to be around much in Loving Dallas, I was pretty bummed out. But, I got over that very quickly as I got caught up in what was happening with Dallas and Robyn. It was easy to do. It's wonderfully written. It's a poignant, yet exciting, second chance love story, and I loved every minute of it. 

REVIEW TOUR: Forever With You (Wait For You #5)

I'm so excited to kick off the review tour for Jennifer Armentrout's latest addition to her Wait For You series, FOREVER WITH YOU. She continues to wow me with this series - I'm always anticipating the next awesome addition, and Forever With You did not disappoint.

Forever With You (Wait For You #5), by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publish Date: September 29, 2015
Publisher: Avon Books
Format: e-ARC, provided by the author
Genre: new adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Some things you just believe in, even if you've never experienced them. For Stephanie, that list includes love. It's out there. Somewhere. Eventually. Meanwhile she's got her job at the mixed martial arts training center and hot flings with gorgeous, temporary guys like Nick. Then a secret brings them closer, opening Steph's eyes to a future she never knew she wanted—until tragedy rips it away.

Nick's self-assured surface shields a past no one needs to know about. His mind-blowing connection with Steph changes all that. As fast as he's knocking down the walls that have kept him commitment-free, she's building them up again, determined to keep the hurt—and Nick—out. But he can't walk away. Not when she's the only one who's ever made him wish for forever . . .

I am impressed with Jennifer Armentrout's story-telling abilities. To be honest with you, in the first two books of this series, Stephanie was not my favorite character. She had set her sights on the men that were meant for other women that I loved (no matter that, at the time, those men didn't technically belong to those women yet), and therefore, to me, she was the enemy. I was skeptical that I would be able to like her enough to want to be with Nick, who I've had a fascination with. 

Stephanie has always set her sights on that Big Love - the one that changes absolutely everything. The one her parents shared. She's holding out for the right guy, and she passes the time waiting for him by engaging in casual hook-ups. It's a sort of cynical and yet slightly romantic way of looking at things. She sees Nick tending bar at Mona's thinks he's hot and decides he's the lucky guy that night. 

As luck would have it, Nick has a similar outlook on life, except, he doesn't think that his perfect match is out there. He's content to screw his way through his 20s, and as long as the girls don't ever come back to Mona's again, he's happy with things. And, he's VERY happy with his one night with Steph. They were very WOW together. And, truthfully, I thought that both of them had felt something a little more than they usually do with others that night. But, of course, both brushed it off as nothing, and went about business as usual. 

Until the night Steph wanders back into Mona's and Nick loses his crap, and his manners, and says some really stupid stuff to Steph. She's definitely a take-no-crap kind of girl, and I was internally cheering when she let him have it. It was really an epic moment. It kind of was for Nick too, as he decides that maybe he CAN be friends with a girl. 

Except soon after that, things get real. And these two have to actually start adulting. Together. After initially being really pissed at Steph for how she started off handling the situation, I started to really like her. And, while I always really liked Nick, I started liking him even more. As he opens up to Steph about his past and his present, we see that there is so much more going on with Nick than what he lets on about. And, there's a huge surprise in his past that I didn't see coming, but absolutely broke my heart for him. 

Although I was impressed with Steph and Nick and how they each handled the challenges that were thrown at them (for the most part - there were a few times there where I wanted to shake Steph), the one character I was blown away by in Forever With You was Katie. She's kind of been this running joke for a few books now - the bedazzled, psychic stripper. The best part about her is the unapologetic way she lives her life. She does what she wants to do and she says what she wants to say. I love that about her. And, when Steph needed someone to stop coddling her and tell her to suck it up, that person was Katie. That was my favorite scene in the whole book. 

This book had a lot of heart. It dealt with some really tough subjects, and it was done well. Despite my reservations about Steph, Jennifer made me love her. And I ended up really loving her relationship and chemistry with Nick. We saw plenty of Cam and Avery (and witnessed some big stuff between them too), Jase and Tessa, Jax and Calla, and even Ollie and Brit. I'm now waiting impatiently for Brock's and Jillian's book, so as long as Jennifer keeps writing books in this series, I will keep reading them. 

And don’t miss the previous titles in the Wait for You Series!

WAIT FOR YOU (Wait for You #1)
TRUST IN ME (Wait for You #1.5)
BE WITH ME (Wait for You #2)
STAY WITH ME (Wait for You #3)
FALL WITH ME (Wait for You #4)
DREAM OF YOU (Wait for You #4.5)

 

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.

She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Links:  Website ** Facebook ** Twitter ** Novel Goodreads ** Author Goodreads