book blog · books · reading

2017 Reading Goals

As always I was hoping to get this up a little sooner but there are just SO many books I want to read this year! And then of course there is the little voice inside my head saying, “Be reasonable, Rosanna, are you really going to have time to read ALL those books” which makes things a little difficult because obviously I have to be realistic as I am a grad student therefore homework will be involved .

BUT, I am on break from graduate school right now meaning I have a ton of time to read when I’m not working. I am taking full advantage and trying to read as many books as I can. Luckily, I am taking a teen’s collection class and we have to read one or two YA books a week so at least I will be able to have some fun doing my homework once my semester starts

*Oh before I forget, I should mention, that I am currently pursuing my master’s in Library and Information Science as it is my dream of being a children’s or teen’s librarian one day (haven’t decided on which yet) so that is why I am taking a teen’s collection class.

Ok, ramble over, now back to the main reason of this blog post:

MY 2017 READING GOALS!!!

So in order to not get TOO carried away, I have limited myself to seven reading goals for this year. Now some might say even that is too much but TRUST me when I tell you there were more… MUCH more, before I narrowed them down to these seven. I will say that a lot of my goals will be series themed because there are just SO many series I haven’t read yet and I want to remedied that. I have kind of unofficially dubbed this year as “The Year of Series”.

1. Read 90 books

Now, this is the goal that I have set for myself on Goodreads and as you can see I have already made progress and finished one book. Hopefully I will be able to reach this goal as it was my goal for last year and sadly I was not able to.

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2. Read at least 10 new series

Some series that are on my radar for this are the Stage Dive series by Kylie Scott, the Wild Aces series by Chanel Cleeton, the White House duet by Katy Evans, the VIP duet by Kristen Callihan, the Dirty Deeds series by J. Daniels, and many more.

3. Re-read/finish at least 10 series I have already started

The top two series that I most want to re-read/finish are the Chicagoland Vampire series by Chloe Neill and the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. Both of them are LONG overdue.

4. Read at least 25 series

5. Read 30 books on my bookshelf

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So I have this problem, well its not exactly a problem per say, more of a habit where I will read books that are NOT the ones on my bookshelf. It seems pretty crazy considering I have an ENTIRE bookcase full of books but I just love checking books out of the library or acquiring new ARCs through Netgalley and reading those instead. So this year I am showing my beautiful bookcase some love (see left).

6. Complete the Debut Author Challenge 2017

I stumbled across this challenge on a whim really and immediately fell in love with the idea because it gave me the chance to read more YA and discover some new authors. I mostly read romance but I still love my YA so I am hoping to re-discover that love by completing this challenge and reading 12 books. If you are interested in joining the challenge, it was created by Jana over @ That Artsy Reader Girl. I already own an ARC copy of one of the books on the list found on Goodreads, Gilded Cage by Vic James (featured above), so I know at least one of the books I am going to read.

7. Read more books on my NetGalley TBR

So, I am not even going to mention my feedback percentage on Netgalley because it is just embarrassing. I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity to read the ARCs that I have gotten through NetGalley but feel that I have been neglecting them severely. So my goal is to not only read more of the books on my NetGalley TBR but also at least double my feedback percentage.


I can’t wait to get started on these reading goals! I have a really good feeling about this year and I am excited to see what new books and authors I discover.

Also, what are your reading goals? Comment down below, I would love to hear about them or post a link if you have talked about it on your blog.

blog tour · book blog · books · promo

Promo: Dylan (Bad Boys After Dark)

I had the opportunity to review this deliciously steamy book right after Christmas. I may be a little biased since Melissa Foster is one of my new favorite authors but if you like books that have an alpha male who goes after what he wants but has a heart of gold, pick this book up!


Dylan
Melissa Foster
Bad Boys After Dark/Bad Billionaires After Dark
December 21, 2016

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The Bad Boys After Dark are a series of stand-alone romances that may also be enjoyed as part of the larger Love in Bloom series.
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“With her wonderful characters and resonating emotions, Melissa Foster is a must-read author!” -NYT Bestseller Julie Kenner

“Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!” -NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely
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Indulge your inner vixen…
You asked for naughtier lovers, with the same fierce loyalty as The Bradens – Meet the Bad Boys… Four sinfully sexy, uber alpha brothers, about to fall head over heels for their leading ladies.

Everything’s naughtier after dark…
Sinfully sexy bar owner Dylan Bad has a thing for needy women. He’s a savior, a knight in shining armor, and his mighty talented sword has no trouble bringing damsels in distress to their knees. Enter Tiffany Winters, a gorgeous cutthroat sports agent who looks like sex on legs, f**ks like she’s passion personified, and wouldn’t let a man help her if she were dangling from a ledge and he was her only hope. One night and too much tequila might change their lives forever. The question is, will either one survive?

Goodreads

Buy links:
Kindle US | Kobo | GPlay | iBooks | Smashwords | Paperback

***

BAD BOYS AFTER DARK
Mick
Dylan
Carson (coming soon)
Brett (coming soon)

More After Dark books:
WILD BOYS AFTER DARK (Available Now!)
Logan
Heath
Jackson
Cooper

The AFTER DARK series is part of the LOVE IN BLOOM big family romance collection. Each book may be read as a stand-alone novel, or as part of the series.
Read the complete LOVE IN BLOOM series:

SNOW SISTERS
THE BRADENS (at Weston, CO)
THE REMINGTONS
THE BRADENS (at Trusty, CO)
THE BRADENS (at Peaceful Harbor)
SEASIDE SUMMERS
WILD BOYS AFTER DARK

For a complete reading guide, family tree, checklists, and more, visit Melissa’s website.


Melissa
Melissa Foster is a New York Times USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown MagazineThe Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the  World Literary Café and Fostering Success. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on  Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.

Melissa hosts an Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.

Visit Melissa on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.

Website: http://www.MelissaFoster.com
Newsletter: http://www.melissafoster.com/newsletter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Melissa_Foster
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelissaFosterAuthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3023973.Melissa_Foster
Street Team: http://www.facebook.com/groups/melissafosterfans
Amazon: http://amzn.to/24wJyWm


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dylan-1

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blog tour · book blog · book review · books

Blog Tour: Dylan

Bad Boys After Dark: Dylan
Bad Billionaires After Dark #2
By: Melissa Foster
Releasing December 21, 2016
World Literary Press

dylan_final
Sinfully sexy bar owner Dylan Bad has a thing for needy women. He’s a savior, a knight in shining armor, and his mighty talented sword has no trouble bringing damsels in distress to their knees. Enter Tiffany Winters, a gorgeous cutthroat sports agent who looks like sex on legs, fucks like she’s passion personified, and wouldn’t let a man help her if she was hanging onto a ledge and he was her only hope. One night and too much tequila might change their lives forever. The question is, will either one survive?

Link to Follow Tour | Goodreads Link | Goodreads Series Link

Buy Links:
 Amazon | B & N | Google | iTunes | Kobo



Author Info

Melissa

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance, and women’s fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa’s emotional journeys are lovingly erotic, perfect beach reads, and always family oriented.

Author Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads


Rafflecopter Giveaway
(Two Digital Copies of MICK: BAD BOYS AFTER DARK Book One)

Click here to enter:
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Excerpt

With her phone pressed to her ear, Tiffany Winters ducked out of the rain and into the Kiss, an eclectic Manhattan bar, to return calls and take care of a mountain of text messages that had piled up during her dinner meeting. She listened to her client’s wife explain why she didn’t want her husband traveling too often to endorse a hotel chain Tiffany was planning on pitching to him next week. Her client had already nixed any mention of his family in the advertisements, and reducing his travel would make it an even harder sell.
“I hear your concern, Allison,” she said as she sat on a barstool. “If you and Matt decide this isn’t the right thing for your family, we’ll turn our efforts in another direction.” As a sports agent, dealing with significant others was part of the job, a part Tiffany enjoyed and other agents rued. Sure, some wives assumed their husband’s success granted them the power to be overly demanding. Ass kissing was part of the game. Sometimes she wished she could give the meeker wives lessons in how to be tough. Teach them to have balls as big as their husbands’ and come right out and say what they meant instead of beating around the bush with bullshit hypotheticals. She reminded herself often that not every woman grew up in a testosterone-laden house with two competitive older brothers and a father who won the Heisman in college and went on to play pro sports—a house where mincing words didn’t cut the mustard.
“You missed the wedding.”
The deep male voice drew Tiffany’s attention from her phone call to the fine specimen of a man standing behind the bar. He looked like he’d just stepped off a Hot Guys in Suits Pinterest page. His tie hung loosely around the collar of his white dress shirt, which was open three buttons deep, revealing a smattering of dark chest hair, a rarity nowadays, when so many men manscaped every inch of their bodies. Tiffany preferred a man to look like a man, which included hair in all the right places. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing heavily corded forearms, and his jacket hung casually from two fingers over his left shoulder. Her fingers itched to send the last few buttons—and that jacket—flying to the floor. The guy’s chiseled jaw and dark eyes were movie-star classic, and his dark hair was thick enough to hang on to. She’d had a long, hard day, and he looked like he could provide a long, hard, pleasure-filled night.
Perfect.
Holding his gaze, she spoke into the phone as he laid his jacket across the bar, giving her the impression he wasn’t the bartender, but rather a guest who’d happened to wander back there. “Allison, I’ll see what else I can come up with and get back to you. Right. Okay, hon. Thank you.” After ending the call, she responded to the stud behind the bar. “Wedding? Who gets married at a bar?”
“My brother, for one.” He nodded across the room to a group of men and women who were holding their glasses up in a toast.
She zeroed in on one she recognized as her tall, dark colleague. “Mick Bad is married?” The high-powered attorney was a workaholic like her, and he’d been unattached two months earlier, when they’d worked together on a deal for one of her clients. She’d never understand couples who claimed to fall in love practically overnight. Love was a crutch for weak people who needed someone else to lean on. Except Mick Bad had never needed anyone to lean on. She wondered if his new bride was pregnant.
“The one and only.” Hot guy’s eyes took a long, luxurious stroll down her body, lingered on her breasts, then roamed north, hovering around her mouth, before finally meeting her gaze. He flashed a wolfish grin full of sinful promises.
“Dylan Bad at your service.”
Pushing thoughts of her newly married colleague’s expedient nuptials aside, she focused on his very available brother. A definite player, which was fine with her. She had no time—or interest—in anything but a quick hookup, and the six-two or -three stud had already shot to the top of tonight’s fantasy list.
“What’s your pleasure?” he asked with more than a hint of innuendo.
You. Naked, with your head buried between my legs, to start.
“Surprise me.” She watched him turn to prepare her drink and checked out the way his dark slacks hugged his perfect ass. It had been a long time since she’d found a man this attractive. But Mick Bad’s brother? That spelled trouble.

tastytoursreview
Yet another Melissa Foster book that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I honestly don’t think there is a book of hers that I could not enjoy. I have read all about her Wild boys and I am so excited to be able to read about her Bad boys because, as I have come to learn, they truly are bad especially Dylan :).
Tiffany Winters’s life revolves around her business, setting up her own sports management agency in New York after having a successful one in California. Winters fits Tiffany perfectly as she is cutthroat, aggressive, and goes after what she wants. This, of course, results in a life that does to enable her to have that much down time or Tiffany time as Dylan says. This and her fear of getting her heart broken again after being burned in the past has left Tiffany determined to stay in control, which means romance wise she sticks to flings and not letting her get to close to anyone. Things were going according to plan until she meets Dylan Bad.
From the minute they meet sparks not only fly, they practically explode from the sexual tension. But as always, Tiffany does not let her control slip through her fingers making it perfectly clear to Dylan that this would only be a one time thing because she simply did not have the time. The only thing that Tiffany did not prepare for was just how persistent Dylan would be once he realized he wanted more from her than just one night. His determination holds true once he is able to see past the walls that Tiffany has built as they spend more and more time together.
Things definitely start out hot and heavy between Tiffany and Dylan as their initial meeting in Dylan’s bar quickly leading to them practically ripping at each other’s clothing in a cab. Their idea of a one night stand is paused but that does not stop the two of them from getting together and enjoying each other’s company. I will say that the beginning of the story where Tiffany and Dylan meet, banter ensues, and then they basically get down to business in the back of a cab seemed a little rushed to me. But what happens after that completely makes up for it as you see just how adorable and sexy Dylan is trying to win Tiffany over. I really enjoyed Tiffany because even though she was this workaholic her motives were justified. She was going after what she loved while also trying to protect her heart from getting hurt again. Unfortunately, there is no way in hell Tiffany stood a chance of keeping her heart guarded once she met Dylan because that man knows how to woo a woman. Dylan not only stole Tiffany’s heart in the end but he also stole a little bit of my heart too.

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blog tour · book blog · books · promo

Blog Tour: Seaside Whispers


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Seaside Whispers
Seaside Summers #8
By: Melissa Foster
Releasing November 30, 2016
World Literary Press

Having a mad crush on her boss’s son, Matt Lacroux—an intriguing mix of proper gentleman and flirtatious bad boy—is probably not the smartest idea for single mother Mira Savage. Especially when the company, and her job, is already on shaky ground. But as a Princeton professor, Matt’s life is hours away from Mira’s home on Cape Cod, keeping him safely in the fantasy-only zone. And as a single mother to six-year-old Hagen, with a floundering company to save, fantasies are all she has time for.

With hopes of becoming dean off the table, and too many months of longing for a woman who lived too far away to pursue, Matt’s publishing contract couldn’t have come at a better time. He heads home to Cape Cod on a brief sabbatical, intent on starting his book, and finally getting his arms around sweet, seductive Mira.

A surprise encounter leads to white-hot passions and midnight confessions. The more
time Matt and Mira spend together, the deeper their relationship grows, and the love and attention Matt showers on Hagen is more than she has ever dreamed of. But Matt’s sabbatical is only temporary, and Mira’s not saving his father’s company so she can leave it behind. Will their whispers of love be enough for one of
them to change their life forever?

ssw_teaser7

Link to Follow Tour:  http://tastybooktours.com/tours-master/2016/08/seaside-whispers-seaside-summers-8-byhtml 

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23655979-seaside-whispers

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/130906-seaside-summers 

Buy Links:
Amazon | B & N | Google | iTunes | Kobo



Melissa
Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance, and women’s fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa’s emotional journeys are lovingly erotic, perfect beach reads, and always family oriented.

Author Links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads


Rafflecopter Giveaway
(Two Digital ebook copies of SEASIDE HEARTS)

Click the link below to enter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Excerpt

Chapter One
MATT LACROUX NEEDED a shower, a vacation, and to figure out what the hell he was doing with his life—in that order. And sex. Sex would be good. It had been a long time since he’d had a warm, willing woman in his bed instead of a research project to work on, papers to grade, or notes to coordinate on the book he was writing. In fact, now that he was thinking about it, he might move sex up to the top of his list—if he didn’t have someone else’s blood on his hands.
He tugged off his torn shirt, tossed it in the hamper, and turned on the shower. He’d been back on Cape Cod for less than three hours and had already broken up a fight between drunken college kids over by the Bookstore Restaurant, where he’d eaten dinner and thought he would write for a while. Maybe he should have done what so many other professors did when they took a sabbatical and gone to a nice resort somewhere, or holed up in a mountain cabin. He could have stayed at his cottage on Nantucket, but he missed his family, and his father wasn’t getting any younger. Plus, his siblings’ joint wedding was only two months away. It was taking place on their mother’s birthday, to honor her memory. It was time to reconnect.
His mind drifted to the other person he’d like to reconnect with, Mira Savage, his father’s employee and the woman who had been occupying Matt’s thoughts since he met her last summer at his younger brother Grayson’s engagement party. They’d spent the entire day together with her adorable son, Hagen. He’d seen her half a dozen times since, during brief visits home. They’d taken Hagen to the park together and a few other places, although they’d never gone on an official date. They’d exchanged occasional texts over the weeks in between, but that was as far as it had gone. It being Matt’s attraction to a woman who lived too many hours away to get involved with. Mira wasn’t the type of woman whose life he could complicate with intermittent encounters. She was a selfless woman who put her son and others first. The type of woman who blushed when he got too close. The type of woman a man took the time to get to know—almost a year, that’s pretty damn long—to show her she could trust him, a woman who should be taken care of and protected but not smothered. And she was the only woman he’d like to undress slowly, loving every inch of her incredible body until she was trembling with need and slick as a baby seal. Keeping himself in check had been like dancing on hot coals, but he’d never stopped thinking about the sexy single mother and her inquisitive son.
He stripped off his slacks and stepped into the shower, turning the faucet to cold now that he was hot and bothered over Mira. He closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath. One thing at a time.
The water shifted from his head to his back, and Matt looked up at the faucet, which promptly fell, clipping his cheekbone.
“Ouch! What the—” He grabbed his cheek and pulled away from the water spraying in all directions from the broken spigot. Perfect. Just perfect. He washed the fresh blood from his fingers and quickly rinsed off.
He stepped from the shower and dried off, eyeing the offending fixture. The damn thing had a crack around the housing and rust on the inside. He’d rented his friends’ cottage in the Seaside community for the summer. The place was in great shape, but things like showerheads were easy to miss when renovating. It was after nine o’clock, and Amy and Tony had a little girl. Matt wasn’t about to bother them about a freaking bathroom fixture. He pulled on clean clothes and called his father, who owned Lacroux Hardware Store.
“Hey, Pop. Is the electronic code to your shop still Mom’s birthday?” His father had been talking about retiring lately. The hardware store was meant to be the family legacy, passed down to one of his five children, only none of them wanted to take it over. But right this very moment, Matt had never been so glad that his father was in the hardware business. The Cape wasn’t big on chain stores. The closest Home Depot or Target was a good forty minutes away.
“Yes. What’s wrong?”
“I need a showerhead for Tony’s place.”
“Want me to run one up to you?”
Neil Lacroux would do anything for his children—even though they were all grown up. Matt knew he’d been lonely since their mother passed away unexpectedly from an aneurysm a few years ago, which was another reason he’d chosen to come back home during his sabbatical. He made a mental note to stop by the store and visit with him.
“I’ve got it, Pop. Sorry to bother you.”
The drive to Orleans took only a few minutes. Even though Matt had grown up on the Cape, it always took him a day or two to adjust to being out of the city. Slacks and button-downs were replaced with shorts and tank tops, people moved at a more relaxed pace, and no matter how far from the beach he was, sand was ever-present. Sand in the grass, sand on the floors, sand on the seat of his car—and he hadn’t even been to the beach yet.
He punched in the code to the security keypad, and the minute he was inside the dark store, he heard it. Tap, tap, tap. He froze, every neuron on high alert, and listened. Tap, tap, tap, tap, pause, tap, tap, tap. It was coming from his father’s office. His arms instinctively flexed, preparing for a fight. He moved swiftly and silently to the office door and listened to the incessant tapping. Dad’s calculator?
He pushed the door open, and his body flooded with awareness at the sight of Mira sitting at the desk, her fingers flying over the calculator. Maybe this was his lucky night after all.
Her hand flew to her chest. “Matt…?” His name came out all breathy. “You scared me. I had no idea you were in town.”
Because I made a point of wanting to surprise you, although not exactly like this.
“Sorry about that, sunshine. I just got in a little while ago. I came to get a showerhead.” He walked into the small office, taking in the ledger on the desk, illuminated by his father’s ancient single-bulb lamp, and the family photos thumbtacked to the wall. He noticed a new photograph front and center, a picture of Hagen holding a fishing rod with a little sunfish dangling from the line. He knew how much Mira and Hagen meant to his father, but seeing Hagen’s photo among their family’s brought the full impact home. He shifted his gaze to Mira, and as the shock of his arrival wore off, a beautiful smile spread across her face. There it was, the brightness that had hooked him all those months ago. The sweet look of innocence and rebellious I-can-take-on-the-world confidence in her gorgeous eyes. She had no idea what she did to him.
“Sunshine,” she whispered, and shook her head.
“You can’t deny the way you light up everything around you.” He’d given her the nickname last summer because she had such a positive outlook on life.
“You should see me before I have coffee in the mornings.”
I’d like that more than you know.
“A showerhead? Let me show you where they are.” She pushed to her feet, nearly bumping into his chest in the close quarters. Her chestnut hair tumbled sexily over her shoulders as she stood before him, one hand perched over his chest, the other reaching up to touch his cheek. “What happened?”
Their attraction had been immediate and intense last summer and had only grown stronger with each subsequent visit—at least he knew it had for him. For months he’d buried any hope of exploring their connection beneath classes and research papers. Now, as she gazed into his eyes, all those heated memories came rushing back.
“I was assaulted by the old one.”
“Ouch.” She grimaced, and the spray of freckles on the bridge of her nose rose with the effort.
He hadn’t been able to get that cute mannerism out of his head when he’d gone back to Princeton, and damn, did he like seeing it again.
“You might need a stitch.” Her fingers lingered on his skin, warm and soft.
He covered her hand with his, pressing it to his cheek. “It’s nothing, really.”
She nibbled nervously on the corner of her mouth. “I’ll just…” She pointed out of the office, and her hand slid from beneath his. Her breasts brushed against his arm as she walked away, stirring more of that same dark attraction.
There was no shortage of women vying for Matt’s attention. From coeds to faculty, he could have his pick back in Princeton, and the choices were just as plentiful here at the Cape. But the only woman he saw when he closed his eyes at night was heading down aisle seven of his father’s hardware store.

Want to know what will happen next between Matt and Mira? Well then go check out the rest of Seaside Whispers!

Happy Reading!

book blog · books · promo

Promo: Dirty Sexy Sinner

Words cannot described how excited I am to promo this deliciously addicting book. For those who have not delved into this series, I highly highly recommend it especially if you like hot alpha males who are extremely loyal to the women they love and each other.



dirty-sexy-sinner

Carly Phillips & Erika Wilde
Dirty Sexy Sinner
Dirty Sexy Series Book Four
Release Date: November 8, 2016

DIRTY SEXY SINNER . . . The surprise fourth book in the DIRTY SEXY SERIES!
All books in the DIRTY SEXY Series are stand-alone novels!

New York Times bestselling authors Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde bring you a dirty, sexy, smoking hot SERIES featuring four bad boy heroes who are bonded by shocking secrets and their damaged past. Sinful, addicting, and unapologetically alpha, these men are every woman’s erotic daydream … And your ultimate dirty fantasy.

ALL BOOKS IN THE DIRTY SEXY SERIES can be read on its own, or as a companion to the other book in the series:
Dirty Sexy Saint (Clay)
Dirty Sexy Inked (Mason)
Dirty Sexy Cuffed (Levi)
Dirty Sexy Sinner (Jackson)

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30252512-dirty-sexy-sinner

Buy links:
Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2azYaSf
B&N Nook: http://bit.ly/2acYYv2
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2az8EUW
iBooks: http://apple.co/2aMhWt3
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2ajzzPX



About the Author:

erika-and-carly

***About Carly Phillips***

Carly Phillips is the N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of over 50 sexy contemporary romance novels featuring hot men, strong women and the emotionally compelling stories her readers have come to expect and love. Carly is happily married to her college sweetheart, the mother of two nearly adult daughters and three crazy dogs (two wheaten terriers and one mutant Havanese) who star on her Facebook Fan Page and website. Carly loves social media and is always around to interact with her readers. You can find out more about Carly at http://www.carlyphillips.com.

Website: http://www.carlyphillips.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10000.Carly_Phillips
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Carly-Phillips/e/B001I9W0MS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarlyPhillipsFanPage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carlyphillips

***About Erika Wilde***

Erika Wilde is the author of the sexy Marriage Diaries series and The Players Club series. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two daughters, and when she’s not writing you can find her exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest. For more information on her upcoming releases, please visit website at http://www.erikawilde.com.

Website: http://www.erikawilde.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5357264.Erika_Wilde
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Erika-Wilde/e/B00CVE4WSO
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErikaWildeAuthorFanPage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/erikawilde1

 

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book blog · book review · books

Review: Going Down Fast by Carly Phillips

I am so unbelievably excited to be able to review yet another Carly Phillips’s book because she is one of my all time favorite authors. Going Down Fast was such an entertaining read and a wonderful addition to this series.



going-down-fastGoing Down Fast
Billionaire Bad Boys #2
October 11, 2016

Billionaire Bad Boys: Rich, Powerful and sexy as hell.

Lucas Monroe dropped out of college only to become a multi-billionaire and tech world God. He can have any woman he desires in his bed, but the only woman he’s ever wanted is off limits and always has been. When Maxie Sullivan finds herself in dire straits, the only man she can turn to is the one she’s always secretly loved: her childhood best friend.  Can they trust their hearts and make a future, or will their complicated pasts stand in the way?

This bad boy is going down fast …

And going down fast has never felt so right.

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30297093-going-down-fast

Buy links:
Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2acSVXh
B&N Nook: http://bit.ly/2acUdSf
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2aiVlWT
iBooks: http://apple.co/2awzmvS
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2asyBmA

Previous/Other books in the Billionaire Bad Boys series

Going Down Easy
Billionaire Bad Boys #1

easy_amazonBillionaire Bad Boys: Rich, Powerful and sexy as hell.

Billionaire Kaden Barnes has a reputation for being difficult and always getting his way.

Enigmatic and exacting, he’s unable to keep an assistant for long. Enter his newest hire, Lexie Parker. She’s no-nonsense, efficient and all business… She’s also hot as sin and soon starring in Kaden’s dirtiest fantasies.

As their passion for each other reaches a boiling point, neither can control the explosive outcome when they finally give in to their desires. He may think he’s calling the shots, but for this bad boy, going down easy has never felt so good.

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30064124-going-down-easy

Buy links:
Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/29CXgH0
B&N Nook: http://bit.ly/29qYYaS
Kobo: http://bit.ly/29wlJL1
iBooks: http://apple.co/29lk0G4
Google Play: http://bit.ly/29qcKMj



Carly headshot smallAbout the Author:
After a successful fifteen-year career with various New York publishing houses, and over 40 sexy contemporary romance novels published, N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carly Phillips is now an Indie author who writes to her own expectations and that of her readers. She continues the tradition of hot men and strong women and plans to publish many more sizzling stories. Carly lives in Purchase, NY with her family, two nearly adult daughters and two crazy dogs who star on her Facebook Fan Page and website. She’s a writer, a knitter of sorts, a wife, and a mom. In addition, she’s a Twitter and Internet junkie and is always around to interact with her readers. You can find out more about Carly at http://www.carlyphillips.com.

Author Links:
Website: http://www.carlyphillips.com/
Newsletter: http://www.carlyphillips.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10000.Carly_Phillips
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Carly-Phillips/e/B001I9W0MS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarlyPhillipsFanPage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carlyphillips


Nothing is sexier than a tech guy who has worked hard to shed his old geek identity who also happens to be a multi-billionaire. After being introduced to Kaden in the first book, I was so excited to meet Lucas who is just as appealing if not more because of his determination to strip himself of who he was when he was younger. Goodbye geek who found solace in video games to forget the bullying from his older brother, hello gorgeous hunk who has made someone of himself and now wants to go after the one person he has always wanted: Maxie, his best friend.
It’s not exactly easy as Maxie was married to his older brother, the same brother who tormented him for most of his life, before he died in a car accident. This piece of the story just added to the dynamic in this book because it was not your usual in-love-with-my-best-friend-for-my-whole-life storyline because Maxie was someone else’s before they finally gave into their feelings for one another and that someone was Lucas’s brother.

I really enjoyed the lead up to Lucas and Maxie finally getting together because Lucas’s brother caused so much trouble both when he was alive and even after his death. It was sweet to see them decide that it was finally their time to be together and to move on even if Lucas’s parents at first disapproved given their connection to one another because of Maxie’s marriage to Lucas’s brother. Their relationship was very emotional charged as they have years of feelings built up as well as Maxie’s journey to overcoming the loss of her child whom she was pregnant with in the prologue of the story.

The only issues I had with this story was again like with the first book in this series is that it was just too short for me. I wanted more! I would have loved to see this story stretched out a little more because certain elements in this book seemed to happened too fast and I would have loved to have them spaced out a little more. Other than that it was another satisfying read by Carly Phillips.

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blog tour · book blog · book review · books · Uncategorized

Not Quite Perfect Blog Tour

It’s been a while since I have had a chance to post as grad school has my attention most of the time but I have taken some time out of my hectic schedule for a few blog tours and this is one of them.

I would just like to thank the author for reaching out and letting me be a part of this blog tour, I really appreciate it. Now to tell you about Not Quite Perfect, a romance spanning across the USA from coast to coast.



bybee-notquiteperfect-resize
NOT QUITE PERFECT
Not Quite Series, Book Five
Montlake Romance, Contemporary
September 20, 2016, First Edition
Paperback & Kindle

With true love, there’s no such thing as a safe distance.

Mary Kildare knows how to read people. It’s both why she makes a great therapist and why she refuses to trust the average bachelor. Staying fiercely independent has been her primary relationship strategy—until wealthy playboy pilot (and commitmentphobe) Glen Fairchild reappears in her life. After a yearlong teasing tug-of-war, Mary and Glen test the waters of attraction, only to find that their physical chemistry runs deeper than flirtation.

At first, a bicoastal romance suits them both—especially since Glen can swoop in and whisk Mary away on one of his company’s planes. But no matter how close they get, they’re still three thousand miles apart. And when Mary’s life is threatened, Glen realizes the one luxury he doesn’t have is time. Can he close the distance between them before it’s too late?

BUY LINKS:
Amazon | B&N | BAM | BOOK DEPOSITORY



Praise for the Not Quite Series

“Bybee’s magnetic fourth Not Quite contemporary proves that romance can happen in the most unlikely places…The love scenes are sizzling and the multidimensional characters make this a page-turner. Readers will look for earlier installments and eagerly anticipate new ones.” — Publishers Weekly on Not Quite Forever

” Not Quite Dating offers a sweet and satisfying Cinderella fantasy that will keep you smiling long after you’ve finished reading…” — USA Today, Happy Ever After

“Bybee’s gift for creating unforgettable romances cannot be ignored. [Not Quite Enough] will sweep readers away to a paradise, and they will be intrigued by the thrilling story that accompanies their literary vacation.” —RT Book Reviews, Top Pick


CATHERINE BYBEE
Copyright Julianne Gentry Photography
New York Times
& USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee was raised in Washington State, but after graduating high school, she moved to Southern California in hopes of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned the Weekday Brides Series and the Not Quite Series. Bybee lives with her two teenage sons in Southern California.


CONTACT LINKS:
http://www.catherinebybe.com
catherinebybee@yahoo.com
catherinebybee.blogspot.com
facebook.com/AuthorCatherineBybee
twitter.com/catherinebybee
pinterest.com/catherinebybee
instagram.com/catherinebybee


Tour Wide Giveaway

(1) Kindle Paperwhite
(1) $50 Amazon GC
(2) $25 Amazon GC

Want a chance to win one of these amazing prizes?
Click the link below to enter:
a Rafflecopter giveaway


While this is the fifth book in the Not Quite series by Catherine Bybee, it was the first book for me that I had read by her. Because it is the fifth in the series and there are obviously characters who have already had their own stories told in the series that return, it took me a little bit to understand how the connection between everyone came about. Once I was able to have a bit of grasp on that, I was able to enjoy the story so much more and even wonder how some of the couples mentioned got together. It is this large cast of characters and their tight knit connections to one another that was an added bonus of this book because it made you invested and wanting more.
Now before I get too carried away, let’s focus on back to the couple in this wonderful story, Mary and Glen, who obviously stole the spotlight. Now these two met about a year before the story presently takes place and it was not love at first sight more like bicker at first sight. Though there was obvious chemistry between the two, Mary and Glen continued to banter back and forth each time they would see each other but never fully acting on it until now. It only took Mary’s best friend Dakota’s “graceful” fall down the stairs and into labor to set the wheels of this coast to coast romance in motion.
I have to say that Mary and Glen’s banter back and forth really drew me into their story and maybe that’s just because I love when the two main characters don’t get along at first. But there were times where I was grinning like an idiot and holding back laughter from the things that were said between the two of them. The moment that really just hooked me in was the bikini scene because I had the feeling what happened was going to happen but when it did the reaction from both sides were equal parts hilarious and hot.
Besides the banter and obvious attraction between Mary and Glen, I really liked how this romance that happened from one coast to another felt entirely realistic. Long distance relationships are hard to navigate, and I guess it helps that Glen is the CFO of Fairchild Charters and therefore has access to planes and is a pilot himself that obviously makes it more plausible but I loved the timing of their relationship. They actually dated instead of getting caught up in the chemistry they have for one another from the very beginning and it just really added to the pacing of the story that I really appreciated.
There is so much more to say about this wonderfully romantic and at times hilarious while also being hot story that I would be here for a while. But I will say if you like characters who butt heads in the beginning, female characters who are strong willed and independent as heck, and a romance that is adorably cute, then pick up Not Quite Perfect by Catherine Bybee

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blog tour · book blog · book review · books

Blog Tour: Chased By Love

Chased by Love
Love In Bloom: The Ryders #3
By: Melissa Foster
Releasing August 17, 2016
World Literary Press

ChasedbyLove_FINAL
Actress Trish Ryder takes her job seriously and has no time for those who don’t. When she’s awarded a major role in a new movie featuring America’s hottest rock star, Boone Stryker, she’s beyond excited. The six-two, tattooed hunk of burning desire is known for his dedication to his craft—but when he ditches their first meeting, she begins to wonder if he’s just another rocker with a great PR team.

Sex, booze, women, and music pretty much sum up Boone Stryker’s private world. He’s coasted through life playing by his own rules with plenty of people willing to cover his tracks, and he’s not likely to change—until he meets a woman who refuses to give him the time of day, much less anything more.

Sparks fly from the first moment Trish and Boone meet—Tensions run hot and desire runs hotter when they’re trapped together on a remote location with no place to hide. Will sparks ignite, or will a hurricane douse the flames?

Link to Follow Tour:
http://www.tastybooktours.com/2016/06/chased-by-love-love-in-bloom-ryders-3.html 

Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23123778-chased-by-love

Goodreads Series Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/series/135715-love-in-bloom-the-ryders 

Buy Links:
Amazon | B & N | Google | iTunes | Kobo



Author Info
Melissa

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance, and women’s fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa’s emotional journeys are lovingly erotic, perfect beach reads, and always family oriented.

Author Links:

Website
 | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |Newsletter

Rafflecopter Giveaway
(Two Digital Copies of CLAIMED BY LOVE, Ryders Book 2)

Click the link below to enter:
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Review-Banner
Whoa, did this book take me by surprise. First of all you should know that Melissa Foster has become an auto-buy author for me because since the very first book I got the opportunity to review I fell in love with it and that has not stopped since then. I now own the first books of each of her four series that make up this gigantic Love in Bloom series and intend to read each of them and continue on in delving into this amazing world she has created in the near future.

Ok, now back to Chased by Love. Let’s start with the fact that the cover like most of Melissa’s covers is absolutely GORGEOUS. It is what drew me to this book in the first place. Then when I found out it is a romance involving a rockstar and an actress co-staring in a movie together I was sold. I mean who doesn’t want to read about a rockstar who lives off the highs of his success through the usual partying and womanizing of fans who is staring in a movie where his co-star is an extremely professional, takes-her-job-very seriously actress. Add in the fact that sparks fly between the two of them and they don’t exactly see eye to eye in the beginning and I was sure this book was going to have some serious heat.

Chased_Quote1_FINALYes, there was definitely some major heat between Boone Stryker, who was giving me a serious Adam Levine vibe, and Trish Ryder but what seriously surprised me was the amount of heart that was in this book. I assumed that because Boone was a super famous rockstar that his character would self-centered, arrogant, and have the ego the size of Texas. That is the opinion that Trish had formed of him because of his behavior on set but we quickly learn that that is NOT Boone at all. You learn early on that Boone has a lot more on his plate to deal with than the usual struggles of hot, in demand rockstar. You also learn that selfish is not a word in Boone’s vocabulary as he constantly puts the other people he loves in his life before himself. It is this complete 180 of Boone’s character, in a good way of course, that made me invest in his character and the things his was dealing with as well as his budding relationship with Trish.

Chased_Quote3_FINALTrish Ryder was the perfect person for Boone because of her pushiness and the fact that
she was not going to run the other way when things got tough. She even says a number of times that Ryders don’t run from the hard stuff and it is that mantra and a little bit of her stubbornness that allows Boone to finally see that he has someone on his side rooting for him when it has always been the other way around. I always enjoyed Trish’s character but I think it is when she finally meets Boone’s family that I really fell in love with her because of how well she got along with them and didn’t tone down her pushy personality in any way. It was reading those scenes and seeing the dynamics between her and his family especially when she set Lucky straight which was hilarious, that really allowed me to see the amazing person Boone sees and fall in love with.

So if you’re looking for a romance with a caring, selfless rockstar who truly has a heart of gold that also packs on the heat, then pick up Chased by Love by Melissa Foster.

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blog tour · book blog · book review · books · promo

Welcoming the Bad Boy Blog Tour


Welcoming the Bad Boy
Hero’s Welcome #3
By: Annie Rains

Releasing August 2, 2016
Loveswept 

Welcoming the BBFrom the bestselling author of Welcome to Forever (“Full of heart and emotion!”—Lori Wilde) comes a sweet, sexy novel about breaking all the rules. In Seaside, North Carolina, the boys on the base are heroes—but that doesn’t mean they’re always well-behaved.

As a preacher’s daughter, Valerie Hunt only dates the very respectable, very boring men who meet her father’s strict standards. In private, however, she leads a double life as a romance writer of steamy stories about the least respectable sorts of men. Valerie has always kept her hottest fantasies separate from her real life, but when she nearly runs a hot-blooded biker off the road, the lines begin to blur.

Even though Valerie almost killed him, Griffin Black can’t be angry after he learns the reason for her distracted driving: an unruly puppy belonging to her ailing friend. As a member of the military police K-9 unit, Griffin insists on training the dog himself. But he soon wonders how he’s ever going to stay disciplined around the most alluring, down-to-earth, and totally unattainable woman he’s ever met. Valerie is the ultimate good girl. And Griffin is going to need all his old tricks to unleash her wild side.

Link to Follow Tour:
http://www.tastybooktours.com/2016/06/welcoming-bad-boy-heros-welcome-3-by.html 

Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27774343-welcoming-the-bad-boy

Goodreads Series Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/series/154832-hero-s-welcome 

Buy Links:
Amazon | B & N | Google | iTunes | Kobo



441fb-author-banner
Annie
Annie Rains
 is a contemporary romance author who writes
small town love stories set in fictional towns on the coast of North Carolina. Raised in one of America’s largest military communities, Annie often features heroes who fight for their countries, while also fighting for a place to call home and a good woman to love. When Annie isn’t writing, she’s spending time with her husband and 3 children, or reading a book by one of her favorite authors.

Author Links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads


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Rafflecopter Giveaway
($20.00 Amazon or B&N eGift Card)

Click the link below to enter:
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Review-Banner

Boy, did my heart flutter numerous times while reading this book. I mean you have the quintessential “good girl” meets “bad boy”but Annie Rains definitely ups the cuteness factor by adding dogs into the mix as well as tons of emotion as you watch Griffin try and adapt to his mother and who she is after being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. On top of that, Val who is suppose to be our “good girl” as she is the daughter of a respectable preacher secretly writes romance novels under a pen name. As someone who has dreams of writing her own romance novel one day and who also has seen what Alzheimer’s can do to someone they love, this book was giving me all the feels.
This is my first Annie Rains’s book so I was not too familiar to the world she had created in this series. Despite the initial confusion on who the secondary characters were and how they fit within the story, I really enjoyed stepping into this world where there is a military community at its center. It has been a while since I have read a romance where the military is present so it was great to step back into it especially since it was in a more contemporary setting as opposed to the more suspenseful books I have read in the past.Our first look at this military community is through Griffin and his job as a military K-9 officer. I absolutely loved that Griffin worked alongside dogs and that he felt and cared so much for the dogs he worked with as well as his own dog Trooper who was with him when he himself was in the military. The dog element, both with Griffin and Val, just gave the book a heart-warming feel to it especially since it is because of a dog that they had their first interaction with one another. The cute aspect of their “meet-cute” moment goes to the dog that Val is looking after, Sweet Cheeks, but the moment is anything but given the fact that Val almost ran Griffin off the road. Griffin, in turn, decides to let his feelings of Val not taking the time to train the dog properly influence his impression of her. It is only until after Val confronts him for his behavior that Griffin  learns she is only looking after the dog for Alma, an elderly women recovering from hip surgery in the nursing home where Val volunteers and where Griffin’s mother now lives.
Though they have their differences, Val being the “good girl” as a preacher’s daughter who volunteers reading to the elderly women at the nursing home and Griffin being the “bad boy” who has tattoos and rides a motorcycle, they also have a few similarities that allow them to slowly get to know one another. A dog causes them to meet but it is the nursing home that also plays a role in the beginnings of their relationship especially since Griffin’s mother is part of the book club that Val runs. The fact that Val volunteers her time reading to these women because of the connection she has to reading seeing as it inspired her to become a writer was absolutely wonderful. Val’s beliefs on reading and her secret life as a romance writer is what truly connected me to her character. She brings such joy to these women’s lives even if Griffin whose mother seems to enjoy the bookclub knows this is not who his mother once was. Griffin’s issue with the bookclub and how it is changing the mother he once knew is just one example of his struggle dealing with the fact that his mother has Alzheimer’s. This once respected academic who wouldn’t be caught dead listening to a romance novel before her diagnosis is who he wants back more than anything in the world. Given the fact that my grandmother had Alzheimer’s and that I slowly watched her disappear in front of my eyes when I visited her, I know exactly how Griffin felt and understood his pain as well as the frustration he experienced. It is this aspect of the novel that really pulled on my heart strings.
There is so much that I connected to and felt when reading this novel which was surprising because it took me a few chapters for me to get into it initially. But despite that, it was the emotion and heart-warming moments that reeled me in getting me ready for the passion just below the surface. I really enjoyed this book and hope to read more of Annie Rains in the future.

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book blog · books

#AlreadyOwnItAugust 2016

So after my latest book haul of a whopping 29 books which is a lot for me to buy in one sitting, I came to the realization that I now own over 300 books.

Now I know what you are thinking if you are a fellow bookworm like me, owning over 300 books is NOT a bad thing. Except for the fact that after cataloging each of the books I own, and yes I catalogued every book that I own because I am also a future librarian lol, I also discovered that I have only read about 15% of the books that I own (thank you Google Sheets for that lovely tidbit). That number is not something I am particularly happy with. Add on the fact that my roommate reminds me numerous times just how many of the books I own I have not read yet and I knew I had to do something to remedy this. See, I also have a brand new bookcase to fill and I know for a fact that all 300+ books are not going to fit into it so I would also like to take this opportunity to unhaul any books that didn’t dazzle me. I should also mention I have over 250 ebooks on my Kindle app as well and I know for a fact I have only read a small percentage of them so ebooks are also included.

In order to read more of the books I own and not get distracted by the pretty new books at the library, the main reason I haven’t been reading the books I own, I have created…

#AlreadyOwnItAugust

Now I know that August for a lot of bookworms, book bloggers, and booktubers is ARC August where they have a chance to read all the ARC’s they have acquired. I would totally partake in that because a good percentage of my ebooks are eARC’s that I need to read but since I have a LOT of books both physical and ebook that need to be read I came up with this month long challenge instead. eARC’s are going to be included in the TBR that I can choose from, which is basically almost my entire book collection, because I do own them thanks to the lovely publishers via NetGalley that allowed me the opportunity have a copy.

The only rules for #AlreadyOwnItAugust is that the books have to be ones that I have not read. That means re-reads are out and I am not allowed to read any books from the library either or borrow any from work. I am also not allowed to buy any books unless they are free which applies to the free ebooks I find on Amazon sometimes.

I know this may seem like a strange month long challenge since it is kind of an assumption that the books most bookworms or book bloggers read are the ones that we own in our collection but recently I have found that I have been reading more books I have checked out of the library or borrowed from work. By coming up with #AlreadyOwnItAugust I am pushing myself to read more the books I own that I have probably wanted to read at some point as well as maybe weed out books that I want to unhaul at the end of this month.

If anyone is interested in participating, you can leave a message down below or look out for the #AlreadyOwnItAugust on Twitter as I will be updating my progress throughout the month on there.

As always, Happy Reading!!