COVER REVEAL: Fake Fiancee

Ilsa Madden Mills is releasing a new book in February, and as a big fan of the fake fiancee trope, I can say that this description sounds completely AWESOME. The cover, though... Just take a look at FAKE FIANCEE for yourself.

Fake Fiancee, by Ilsa Madden-Mills
Publish Date: February 6, 2017
Publisher: self-published
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

(Synopsis) They say nothing compares to your first kiss,
But our first kiss was orchestrated for an audience.
Our second kiss…that one was REAL.
He cradled my face like he was terrified he’d f*ck it up.
He stared into my eyes until the air buzzed.
Soft and slow, full of sighs and little laughs,
He inhaled me like I was the finest Belgian chocolate,
And he'd never get another piece.
A nip of his teeth, his hand at my waist...
And I was lost.
I forgot he was paying me to be his fake fiancée.
I forgot we weren’t REAL.
Our kiss was pure magic, and before you laugh and say those kinds of kisses don’t exist…
Then you’ve never touched lips with Max Kent, the hottest quarterback in college history.

Wall Street Journal best selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills writes about strong heroines and sexy alpha males that sometimes you just want to slap.

She's addicted to all things fantasy, including unicorns and sword-wielding females. Other fascinations include frothy coffee beverages, dark chocolate, Ian Somerhalder, astronomy (she's a Gemini), and tattoos. She has a degree in English and a Master's in Education. When she's not pecking away on her computer, she shops for cool magnets and fuzzy pajamas.

She loves to hear from readers and fellow authors. Email her at ilsamaddenmills@gmail.com.

Learn more about Ilsa --> Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Instagram

EARLY REVIEW: Dirty Money (Roughneck Billionaires #1)

Dirty Money (Roughneck Billionaires #1), by Jessica Clare
Publish Date: January 17, 2017
Publisher: Intermix
Format: e-ARC, provided by the publisher
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4 STARS

(Synopsis) Boone Price and his brothers know oil; at least, the dirty, backbreaking side of working an oil rig. But when their scrubby, worthless hunting land turns out to be sitting on top of one of the biggest oil wells in North America, they go from the rig to the boardroom and end up billionaires practically overnight.

Now with enough money to do whatever he wants, Boone is developing a taste for fine things. And the finest thing he's ever seen is Ivy Smithfield, local realtor. Boone's determined to buy her affection and show the world that he's more than just a dirty fool with a bit of money. Ivy's classy and beautiful - she'll make the perfect trophy wife. The fact that she's sexy and funny is just a bonus.

There's one tiny problem - Ivy's as dirt poor as Boone is. Her carefully crafted veneer of luxury? All an act to promote her business. What's Boone going to do when he finds out the woman he's falling for is, well, in his league?

You know all those billionaire romance stories out there where the schmaltzy rich dude falls for the plain Jane and woos her with fancy dinners, expensive gifts, sweet words, and prowess in the bedroom?

Well... one of those definitely applies to Dirty Money. Otherwise, all bets are off. 

Boone Price is a Texas oil rig redneck through and through. An oil strike on his private land that made him a billionaire almost overnight hasn't changed him one bit. I think that's one of the reasons why I loved Dirty Billionaire so much. Boone is who he is. He certainly doesn't apologize for that, and he's not looking to change anything. However, he does realize that he might need to refine himself just a wee bit in order to gain respect from others - and that respect is something he wants very badly. 

In Boone's mind, the best way to convince the "suits" that he's legit is to move out of his trailer and into a big house. He also wants a classy woman by his side. If he can kill two birds with one stone - even better. So, he enlists the help of hapless realtor Ivy Smithfield to find him a house and be his woman. Convincing her to sell him a house - easy. She needs to money badly. The other part - notsomuch. 

Dirty Money is all about the instalove. But, whereas in most books it's super annoying, in Dirty Money it works. Because it's BOONE. This guy is balls-to-the-wall, take no prisoners, takes what he wants alpha male. He saw a picture of Ivy, and just knew that she was who he needed. And, after spending some time with her, he was absolutely convinced. She never treated him differently because of how he talked or what he wore or where he lived. She didn't even treat him differently when she knew he was worth billions. And that made her the perfect woman for him. 

Except, Ivy is just as much a redneck as Boone is, but she has about fifty bucks to her name and a younger sister to put through college. She is not the classy, sophisticated lady that Boone thinks she is, and by the time she realizes that his bull-in-a-china-shop way of pushing into her life has worked, she's afraid that if he knows the truth, he won't want her anymore. 

This book is told in dual POV, and the push and pull between Boone and Ivy is only interrupted by some seriously sexy scenes. Boone might be seriously rough around the edges, but when it comes to taking care of his woman, both in and out of the bedroom, he more than excels. 

Dirty Money is a great start to this new series about a group of brothers who struck it rich, but didn't let the money change who they are. Boone is the oldest, but we get to meet his younger brothers, and I can only hope that future books will feature them. There's so much personality in this family - I'm sure their books will be just as entertaining. 

EARLY REVIEW: Finding Kyle

Finding Kyle, by Sawyer Bennett
Publish Date: January 16, 2017
Publisher: self-published
Format: ARC, provided by the author
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 5 STARS

(Synopsis) When you’ve lived your life as a criminal… When you’ve done unspeakable things … When your soul has become dark and stained… The path to redemption begins where you least expect it.

Kyle Sommerville is in hiding and doesn’t want to be found by anyone. Certainly not by his quirky, free-spirited neighbor who’s managed to push her way past the walls he’s built around him. But Jane Cresson’s indomitable will and insatiable curiosity about her reclusive neighbor makes it impossible for Kyle to stay immersed in his dark world.

Little by little, she claws through his shell. Day by day, she gets him to smile a little more. Night by night, they both find pleasure they never knew existed.

When Kyle’s terrible past is exposed, Jane begins to think she’s in over her head. Can her love for this broken man finally clear his path to redemption, or will Kyle’s darkness finally extinguish every bit of hope she’s put into him?

I swear, I never thought I'd hear from Kyle again. We caught glimpses of him in two other Sawyer Bennett series (Last Call and Wicked Horse), but when Bridger pretty much put the nail in Kyle's coffin at the end of Wicked Bond (Wicked Horse #5), I seriously thought that was it. I am SO happy to be wrong. 

If you've read Wicked Bond, then you know what an uphill battle Kyle has to climb. He's been undercover for the past three years, with the sole mission of taking down the Mayhem's Mission motorcycle club. As an undercover agent, he's had to blend in with the club members. Which means he had to do unspeakable things that went against his principles and his moral fiber. Doing things like that can permanently stain a person's soul. And, without a doubt, Kyle is feeling that stain. 

I look at Jane Cresson and realize I've been missing out on the reality of life. I've been completely without the little things that make life worth living. Good friends and family, a sense of belonging, and a joy-filled life. My life so far has been nothing but subsistence, and not a very fulfilling one at that. 

So, while hiding out in the middle of small town, Maine, and waiting for the final trial that will put an end to this dark time in his life, Kyle meets Jane, a local artist and school teacher. And even though he's drawn to her light and her goodness, he absolutely does not want his stain to spread to her. 

I have never wanted to befriend a character more than Kyle Sommerville. This poor man needs a real friend in the worst way. He needs someone to tell him that what he did in those moments of his life did not define him. That he's still lovable. That he can still love others the right way. In fact, he may be even better equipped to love others now that he's seen all the wrong ways it can be done. Kyle needs pure, unconditional, no-strings attached love and tenderness. And truly, Jane Cresson is the perfect person to give it to him. 

I LOVED Jane. She was introverted and quiet and sweet. But, she also knows when someone needs her. And she was able to see through Kyle's extremely hot exterior (although, that admittedly was hard. Because, holy hot bad boy...) and his angry, aloof disposition to the hurting man underneath. And so, she dogged him in the best ways. This girl was absolutely relentless, offering him meals and help with his projects and doing nice things for him. She made it impossible for Kyle to keep turning her away. 

But, Kyle is so damaged by his time with the MC, he's afraid he can't be a normal man anymore. That he wouldn't have been able to do those things with the club if he didn't have a little bit of darkness in him anyway. And now that he's killed people, beaten people, screwed countless whores, done drugs and committed countless other crimes, Kyle's afraid that no amount of love and acceptance will bring him back from that. 

I can't blame him. I can't imagine how messed up his head is after acting a part for three years. Wouldn't your reality get confused? How would you recognize the "real you" after living like that for so long? I get it - I get why Kyle is angry and moody. I understand why he pushed Jane away again and again. But I also understand why he began to pull her close after a time as well. 

Finding Kyle was really sad at times. It's impossible not to feel a huge amount of compassion for this man who is a hero, but is now really lost. And it's impossible to not be cheering for he and Jane from the very beginning. She's so perfect for him because she's so different from everything he has known. That, and, she may be a small-town school teacher, but Jane loves being the one getting schooled by Kyle in the bedroom.

Finding Kyle was a great conclusion to both the Wicked Horse and the Last Call series. It brought several characters' stories to a completely satisfying conclusion, and although I'm sorry to say goodbye to all these characters - and especially Kyle and Jane - the ending was just so perfect, I can't complain even a little bit.