 Synopsis: A brand new Christmas cowboy novel from New York Times bestseller Donna Grant! Emmy is witness to a crime in Denver and under police protection after she’s threatened. When the criminals discover her whereabouts, the detective in charge decides to take her somewhere no one will think to look for her – Montana. Dwight owes his buddy a favor, but he never expects his friend to bring a woman to his ranch to protect. What should be a walk in the park turns into something else entirely as he and Emmy grow closer, making his Christmas the best he’s ever had. The only problem is that those after her are closing in.  My thoughts: A gripping romantic suspense with strong, independent, caring characters and great pace. Donna Grant’s newest page-turner begins with Emmy’s heart-racing escape from Denver where she is supposed to testify against one of the most powerful mobsters and where, despite being placed into a witness program, she was held at gunpoint. Her handler Dalton Silva needs to find who in the Marshals office is leeking the information, but first and foremost he needs to hide Emmy and he even knows the best place- his old friend Dwight’s ranch. Dwight has a lot of military and Homeland Security experience and would anything to protect an innocent like Emmy. There is no safer place for Emmy, who is suffering from PTSD. Donna Grant is a master of creating fast-paced stories with loyal, protective men and strong, independent women, and love born out of danger. If you enjoy the forced proximity trope, you’re going to love the way Emmy and Dwight develop feelings for each other. They feel safe and comfortable in each other’s company, understand each other without words, have the same values- perhaps these extreme circumstances brought together two soulmates who would have never met otherwise. Add one of the most beautiful settings- Montana mountains around Thanksgiving-Christmas period of time and you have my heart melting. Well, there’s also a lot of heat in this perfect blend of romance and suspense, but, if you are a fan of Donna Grant’s, you probably expect some passionate scenes. A quick and enjoyable read for any reader who loves a good romantic suspense story. Can’t wait to read Donna’s next book! Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Donna Grant has penned over a hundred novels, novelettes, novellas, and short stories spanning multiple genres of romance including the exhilarating Dark King and Reaper paranormal series, the romantic suspense Sons of Texas series, the historical paranormal Kindred series, and the contemporary Heart of Texas series. She lives in Texas.
Three Coins
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo -- EXCERPT: The corners of Headmistress Green’s lips tilted upwards, but her stern grey eyes remained unconvinced. “I’m pleased to hear that. Too often, divorce can lead to decreased involvement by one of the parents. But in these cases, it’s our experience that two parents working in partnership can turn a situation like this around.” She stood, signaling the end of the meeting. Emma scrambled to her feet. “I hope to hand Chiara her diploma on graduation day. Don’t hesitate to call me if you or Doctor Rinaldi have any concerns you wish to discuss.” Just shake hands with the woman and make it to the door without crying. She followed Mrs. Green to the door, her Prada heels clicking with each uncertain step. She blinked rapidly, a desperate attempt to stave off the tears. She offered a weak smile to Mrs. Green at the door, and another to the receptionist, before exiting the office and walking out of the building. The fresh air calmed her. It was a glorious autumn day, unseasonably sunny and warm for mid-October. The tourists were still wandering around the city’s historical center in shorts and tank-tops, wondering at the tropical temperatures compared to Stockholm, or London, or Hamburg. Usually, Emma was pleased to visit this campus, with its lush green yard and rolling hills, always finding it hard to believe this peaceful countryside was still, technically, a part of Rome. But today being on campus afforded her no pleasure. She hurried down the hill to the entrance gate as fast as her fashionable but impractical heels would carry her. Please don’t let me bump into Chiara or the twins. She kept her head low, as if that could mask her identity should her children cross her path on campus, on their way to lunch or gym class. “Emma! Why, it’s been ages!” A voice rang out when she’d nearly reached the school gate. Emma turned on her heel to see a woman she knew had been one of Dario’s patients on more than one occasion. Her nose had been redone, her lips plumped, and cheek implants strained against artificially tight flesh. “Margherita! What a pleasant surprise.” Emma stepped forward and kissed the woman on each silicone cheek. “It’s been ages. My fault. I need to contact you to see when I can help out with PTO activities. Isn’t the international luncheon coming up?” Margherita waved her hand, attempting a smile on skin that was no longer elastic. “Oh, that. We all do what we can. I know how hard it’s been for you, what with …” she lowered her voice. “The divorce.” The horrified expression accompanying her words would have been equally suitable for “your drug conviction” or “the mafia killings you ordered.” Divorce was surprisingly rare at the Fairmont School, as Emma was quickly learning. “Oh, it’s fine. I forget about it half the time.” Dragon Lady didn’t need to know the truth. Margherita sighed. “But still, so tragic. I always thought you were such a perfect couple. Although, I must admit,” she chuckled. “I never would have pegged you for a plastic surgeon’s wife. Although that was always part of Dario’s charm. He’s known for creating perfection on his patients, but never demanding it from his own wife.” A steady throbbing began behind Emma’s right temple. “I’m over it, really. Thank you for your concern.” “I’m sure you are, my dear. Especially if Dario could … sweeten the pot, shall we say, with his departure. It’s important we hold them to their financial obligations, eh?” She winked. “But still, it’s a shame for Chiara. Lucrezia tells me how upset she is, how she always complains the divorce ruined her life.” She shook her head. “You know how dramatic teenagers can be.” Margherita stood, expectantly, her head tilted. Emma silently counted to five. “Thanks for your concern. It was tough for Chiara at first, but I think she’s starting to accept it.” Margherita’s lips formed a dainty little ‘o’. “That’s not what I heard. But I’m always behind on these things. How nice that everything is going swimmingly, and I’ve been misinformed.” There was a hard glint in her eyes. “Let’s be in touch for the international luncheon. Bye, Emma dear.” With quick kisses on the cheek, she turned on her heels and made her way up the slope to the school. Emma watched the receding figure, her head still spinning. A double whammy of Mrs. Green and Margherita. Surely, things couldn’t get any worse. 
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Baby, It’s Hot Outside: A Christmas Down Under
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo -- SNEAK PEEK: The Week Before Christmas – All authors in the box set…. Ryan had been a vet for a while now. He’d thought he’d seen it all when it came to the mayhem animals could create. It turned out these puppies, even at eight weeks old, were advanced players in the game of chaos. Oscar’s spaceship themed bean bag had met its match with puppy teeth, and the filling was now scattered all over the wooden dining room floor. Shelby’s row of pot plants along the hearth of the disused fireplace in the lounge had also definitely come off second best after their puppy encounter, with dirt tipped all over the carpet. Shelby extracted one puppy from behind the television where it had been happily chewing on cable. Holding the squirming bundle close to her chest, she walked back to the laundry. He was scanning the room to locate the other offenders when one trotted in from the hallway carrying something in its mouth. “What have you got there, little buddy?” He caught the puppy and gently pried the plastic object out of its mouth. His brow furrowed. What was it? One of Oscar’s toys? It was the shape of a dolphin but appeared to be battery operated. He pressed the button and the tip of the dolphin’s snout suddenly vibrated. Oh shit. He suddenly realized exactly what the object was. He raised his gaze to Shelby, who’d just come back into the room and was staring at the object in his hand. He couldn’t help letting a chuckle escape at her expression. It was an exact mirror of her face when he and Paul had convinced her to watch Nightmare on Elm Street when they were teenagers. She closed the distance between them and all but snatched it out of his hand. “It was a gag gift from Amanda,” she said. His chuckles had simmered down to a smirk, but there was no way he could wipe that off his face right now. “Sure it was.” God, she was beautiful even when she was embarrassed. Cheeks flushed, the blush spreading down her neck, turning her creamy skin a light pink. “They must have got into the storage boxes in my wardrobe,” she said as she retreated down the hallway. “I’d disinfect that if I were you,” he called after her, still not able to disguise the amusement in his voice. So, that had been mildly hilarious. Was it really a gag gift that she’d held on to? Or something she used to enjoy herself on a lonely night? Okay, he wasn’t going to let his imagination drift too far down this line. It wouldn’t be good for his sanity. Or the tightness of his pants. Shelby, coming back into the room with a cloth, trod on some of the tiny balls—now coated with oil—from Oscar’s bean bag, and started to slip. And then he was on his feet, catching Shelby just as she stumbled, his arms bracing her shoulders as her hands flew to his waist to help her regain her balance. For a few seconds, they both breathed hard, still clinging to each other. She glanced up at him, making no attempt to retreat from his arms. “Thank you.” “No problem.” He couldn’t tear his eyes away from hers. Their gazes remained locked tight. Kiss her. Kiss her. Kiss her. A voice rose in his mind. He couldn’t tell from what part of him the voice was loudest. What part of him wanted Shelby the most? The part that wanted to take care of her, love her, be a dad to Oscar, protect her from anything bad that could ever happen…
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Kisser of Death
-- EXCERPT: My hell. Not everyone has the same definition of hell. Mine is different. My hell exists every day. It’s things I desperately want but can never have. Harvey’s smile. His attention, his love, his body. And this. Bikes. The wind. The sun. The freedom. The speed. The power. The thought of being so close to death. There’s nothing more thrilling than being so close to death. It’s exhilarating. “Gemma?” I gulp when he traces his fingers over my throat. I can’t tell him to stop because I don’t want him to. This morning he was ignoring me. And now he brought me to hell. But I like it here. It’s hell because I’ll get a dose of fun, of high, of happiness. And I won’t ever have the chance to do it again. Because I promised. And even I can’t break a promise more than once.
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I’m Not Your Enemy
-- EXCERPT: It was still weird for me to be part of a family dinner where no one said grace. It’d been the rule for as long as I’d lived. If dinner was among family and you sat at a table, someone said grace. Fuckin’ heathens up here. I removed my ball cap and left it on my lap. “Momma, can we live in an RV?” Teddy asked. “You think we have too much space at home?” Soph smirked. Teddy grinned sheepishly. “No, but we could go anywhere!” I chuckled and grabbed myself a Coke. “Where would all your toys go?” Dylan asked. Teddy hadn’t considered that. “Maybe in my room at Bastian’s house?” Sebastian shot him a little grin but didn’t say anything. He was usually so vocal. Now, because I was here, shit was weird. He hadn’t looked my way once. Not a glance as far as I knew. Isabella was getting fussy in Dylan’s arms, and Soph said she couldn’t put off feeding her any longer. She excused herself to head inside and nurse the little one. “Don’t step on Oppy and Percy, please,” I said. “Oh! I wanna see them, Uncle Blake!” Teddy pleaded and almost knocked back his chair when he stood up. As if I could deny him. “Momma, I go with you.” He grabbed a new pizza slice and tumbled toward Soph. Dylan turned a perturbed look Soph’s way. “You’re leaving me with those two?” He just didn’t know how to whisper. Soph thought that was hilarious and just giggled in response. Then she disappeared into the trailer with the kids, and the tension automatically turned awkward and agitated. The latter came from Sebastian, because without Teddy around, he didn’t have to pretend. “Are you gonna fucking eat or what?” Sebastian asked irritably. I glanced at Dylan, who was in the middle of finishing a slice, and it dawned on me that the question was for me. “Huh?” I managed. Wow, he was talking to me. Sebastian flicked me an impatient look. “You’ve lost weight, and you’re not eating. Are you sick or just dumber than you look?” “This is nice,” Dylan said. “We should do this more often.” I furrowed my brow and wondered what the hell Sebastian’s problem was. Okay, I could venture a guess, but if he wanted to avoid me, avoid talking to me, he didn’t have to worry about what I ate. “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about—I haven’t lost any weight.” “Dumber than you look, then. Because yeah, you have.” He tossed a crust into one of the boxes and leaned back, his posture and expression saying he was letting it go. He didn’t wanna talk anymore. “So how are the Pugs doing, Blake?” Dylan interjected. “Or was it Bulldogs?” I slid my stare to Dylan instead and let some humor seep in. Bless him. “You don’t have to run interference, buddy. When Sebastian’s ready to hash things out like a real man, these passive-aggressive little bitch fits will be history.” “Boy, there’s nothing passive about my aggression,” Sebastian laughed. “Unlike that snide remark you just offered.” “What was that, baby? Yeah, I’ll be right there.” Dylan abruptly left his seat and fled inside. Christ. We knew how to clear a room. Or a patio. “We might as well get this out of the way so we can move on,” Sebastian told me, and I lifted a brow, admittedly curious. “Soph told me you were building them a house, and it goes without saying that I will be here to help out whenever I can. But as far as I’m concerned, there’s no reason you and I gotta talk. We’ll act civil around Teddy, and then—” He shrugged. “I’ll just wait until you run back into your closet in Georgia again.” Nice speech. He had it all figured out, huh? “All right.” I nodded with a dip of my chin. “I take it you’re not interested in an apology for leaving the way I did.” He smiled faintly, a humorless twist of his lips that left me a few degrees colder. “No, you can save your excuses for someone who gives a rat’s ass.” “Got it,” I replied tightly.
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Uncomfortable
Only 99¢ for a limited time! -- EXCERPT: Jace I don’t volunteer for round three of inflatable Twister. I’m voluntold—by Abby. Apparently, she doesn’t want RJ playing for my team because she thinks he will purposely try to distract her into losing. It isn’t until I’m standing next to the game board that Krystal steps up to my left for the other team. Inwardly, I groan. I was really hoping to avoid having her gorgeous ass in my face for the next twenty minutes. But I plaster on a smile and say, “Just couldn’t stay away from me, huh?” Her cheeks pinken, and she looks away, but not before grumbling, “You wish.” The first few minutes of the game are easy enough. I end up with each of my hands on neighboring colors, yellow and blue, and my feet still on the living room floor. Four moves later, though, I’m struggling to find a green circle to put my right hand on. They’re all taken, and my only choice to stay in the game is to wrap my body around Krystal’s, lean down over her, and share her green circle, placing my hand on hers. She sucks in a breath, but doesn’t say anything, and I do my best to hold my body away from hers. I try not to focus on the coconut smell of her shampoo, or the warmth radiating off her. On the next move, Abby falls out. I don’t get any reprieve from my weird, and entirely too intimate, position over Krystal. The only move we make is to shift slightly over to place a foot on yellow. I move first and find a place that I hope will allow me some distance. But as Krystal makes her move, I realize there was a fatal flaw in my plan. She has to back up a bit to get her knee under her. The second her leggings-covered ass touches the front of my sweats, my dick springs to life. The material between us is entirely too thin for me to not have felt the brush of our bodies, and suddenly, I’m sporting full wood. Hell is a game of drunk inflatable twister with a hot girl you can’t have sex with pressed against your body and not being able to hide your erection from your friends. Maybe I will get lucky, and no one will notice. I am bent over, after all. Maybe it looks like a fold in my pants, not a tent I’m pitching. I don’t dare to draw attention to it by looking. And Krystal is still shifting around in front of me, trying to get her footing. Finally, she has her foot centered under her, but all that’s managed to do is thrust her ass in the air in some quasi-yoga pose. Downward doggie style. I inwardly curse and shake the thought away. I do not need to be picturing myself thrusting into Krystal from behind right now. I need to think about baseball, statistics class, a lecture given by my World Lit professor with the monotone voice. But my dick is pointing right at her, and if she moves even a few inches in my direction, I will poke her with it. I resolve to accidentally on purpose fall on the next move, but Camden beats me to it. He topples off the board and rolls across the floor before righting himself and climbing to his feet. He goes for a shot and takes two. “Since I don’t need to play anymore,” he says as he raises his second shot into the air. Then he downs it and goes to claim the empty stool next to Jules, wraps his arm around her shoulders. Krystal and I shift into new positions, which are only slightly better than before. I’m still folded over her awkwardly—and my lower back is starting to hurt from the effort— but she’s no longer straight under me with her ass dangerously close to my erection. Now, we make more of an X shape. And my errant dick is finally starting to behave. I no longer rock hard… just… almost rock hard. 
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A Christmas at Gingerbread Falls
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My thoughts:
I don’t know about you, but I’m already looking forward to my Christmas marathon of Hallmark movies with their festive spirit and all the warm and fuzzy feels. When my initial confusion over the first scene in this book cleared and I realised we were on a movie set and ‘the protagonist’ Noelle was a movie character, I was delighted. A Christmas at Gingerbread Falls is a story in a story and both of them are romances. No one is as surprised as Carrie Murray when she gets an invitation to audition for a role next to famous (or should we say notorious?) Braxton Timothy. She has no idea why this celebrity chose to make and co-star in this sweet, feel good romance. For Carrie, this is the genre she feels most comfortable with, but will they have enough onscreen chemistry to create something special and make the audience believe in love magic? And when it becomes clear that there’s the proverbial spark between the two lead actors, should they leave their past experiences behind and let their feelings grow? To be honest, I found the onscreen romance between Noelle, a homeloving cafe owner in a small town, and Carson, a new doctor who has just moved to the town, unbelievably cheesy, but the ‘real life’ plot was well-balanced with uplifting moments (and some steam!) and sad, tragic backstories. Overall, this was a quick and entertaining Christmas read and I would love to read more from Katie Mettner in future. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Giselle from Xpresso Book Tours for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.  Book Information:
Title: Tillbridge Series Genre: Contemporary Romance Synopsis: Now’s the time to catch up on the Tillbridge Stables Series AND pre-order A CHEF’S KISS, the next standalone title in the Tillbridge world! THE COWBOY’S CLAIM (Booksellers’ Best Award Winner) – He’s discovered his leading lady. HER SWEET TEMPTATION – A tempting stranger challenges everything. THE COWGIRL’S SURPRISE MATCH - A sweet charade takes an unexpected turn! Buy Links: Amazon: https://bit.ly/TillbridgeSeries ALL Retailers: https://bit.ly/TillbridgeSeriesUniversal Amazon: https://bit.ly/AChefsKiss ALL Retailers: https://bit.ly/AChefsKissUniversal Author Information: Author Name: Nina Crespo Author Bio: Nina Crespo lives in Florida where she indulges in her favorite passions — the beach, a good glass of wine, date night with her own real-life hero and dancing. Her lifelong addiction to romance began in her teens while on a “borrowing spree” in her older sister’s bedroom where she discovered her first romance novel. Let Nina’s sensual contemporary stories and steamy paranormal tales feed your own addiction for love, romance, and happily ever after. Stay connected with Nina on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or through her newsletter. Author Links: Instagram | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Bookbub Author Giveaway: https://bit.ly/NinaGiveaway  Christmas Wishes At The Chocolate Shop Sometimes you just need a little Christmas magic to make your wishes come true... When master chocolatier, Charlee, takes the leap to move to the picturesque seaside town of Whitsborough Bay, she is determined to follow in her grandfather's footsteps and set up a chocolate shop. Luckily, she finds the perfect location for Charlee's Chocolates on beautiful Castle Street... Now she just has to refurbish it in time for Christmas! With a useless boyfriend and countless DIY disasters, Charlee doesn't know if she'll make it in time. With no 'traditional' family to support her, she feels lost in her new surroundings and the secrets of the past are weighing her down. But the warmth and festive spirit of the Whitsborough Bay community will surprise her, and when plumber, Matt, comes to the rescue, it might be that all of Charlee's dreams could come true this Christmas, and she could learn what family really means... Escape to Castle Street for the perfect uplifting, festive read from top 10 bestseller Jessica Redland. Christmas Wishes at the Chocolate Shop was originally released as Charlee and the Chocolate Shop. Now re-released with a new title and new cover, this version has been freshly edited and features several new chapters. Purchase Link  My thoughts: It's always a pleasure to pick up one of Jessica Redland's lovely, magical, full of emotion and drama stories! Especially when it is set in Whitsborough Bay, a small seaside town with a great community. Let's just admire this gorgeous cover for a moment...It really doesn't get more festive and romantic than this! My heart went straightaway to Charlee, a master chocolatier (what a fabulous jobit is- making people happy with your creations, a bit like writing Christmas stories ), who has just relocated to Whitsborough Bay with her boyfriend. There's a lot of pressure on her and Ricky couldn't have been more useless, even if he tried! Luckily, Charlee is about to find out what a wonderfully caring community her new town is. Sometimes you really need a bit of help and friendly support to make you see the big picture and change the way you feel about some pretty important things in life. As usual, the characters are well-developed and have their own challenges to overcome. Charlee becomes stronger and more determined throughout the story and it's impossible not to wish her love and happiness she deserves. Thank you to NetGalley, BoldwoodBooks, Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources and Jessica Redland for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.  Author Bio – Jessica Redland writes uplifting stories of love, friendship, family and community set in Yorkshire where she lives. Her Whitsborough Bay books transport readers to the stunning North Yorkshire Coast and her Hedgehog Hollow series takes them into beautiful countryside of the Yorkshire Wolds. Social Media Links – Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JessicaRedlandAuthor Twitter https://twitter.com/JessicaRedland Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jessicaredlandauthor/ Newsletter Sign Up Link http://bit.ly/JessicaRedlandNewsletter Bookbub profile https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jessica-redland  
Fury
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo -- EXCERPT: “What now, boss?” Shadow asked. “You gonna make sure she’s all right?” “Can’t. We gotta prep for this fight.” “I got this,” he said. “That girl’s in pain. You can see it on her face.” “Ain’t my problem right now, Shadow. You are. You get hurt, and Cain’ll have my hide.” The big man chuckled. “That’s true. But Cain knows I can take care of myself in this kind of situation. I was built for fighting.” My gaze snapped to him. “This ain’t no game, Shadow. Those men would as soon kill you before you got in the ring as not.” “Fully aware,” he said, not fazed in the least. “Come on,” I said. “Ain’t got time to fuck with her. She came into this on her own, she can go out on her own. Either way, after tonight, I’m done with her.” “Uh huh.” Shadow chuckled as he walked back to our pit. “Let me know how that goes.” I stayed for a while, watching as Noelle took off her gloves. She left her wraps on and used a towel to wipe her face off. Then she calmly reapplied the Vaseline to her face and readied for the next fight. Thankfully, I didn’t see any cuts to her face or obvious bruising except to her right shoulder. With any luck, that could work to her advantage. Then I realized what I was thinking. The longer she kept this up, the more likely she was to get hurt. My gut clenched, and I wasn’t sure why. I’d already decided I was cutting her loose after tonight. As I continued to watch her, she glanced up, then did a double take. Yeah, she noticed me. I refused to drop my gaze first, needing her to know how angry I was at her. Her lips parted, then her face flushed. She closed her eyes and winced hard before opening them again and meeting my gaze. She nodded once, knowing she was gone from my gym in that moment. Then she went back to work, readying herself for her next match. Which, I realized, was Shadow. “Motherfuck,” I muttered. “Just Goddamned motherfuck!” I stomped over to her, leaning in close to inspect her face. As her trainer, it was an automatic reaction. “You hurt?” She shook her head, her gaze darting around. “What are you doing here? You can’t be here!” “I could say the exact fuckin’ thing to you, Brawler.” I let my anger show. She might as well know how much fucking trouble she was in. “Look, you need to go away. Leave me alone.” “Why? I’m your trainer. Right?” “Not tonight.” “Not after tonight either.” She winced and looked away, but nodded. “I hear you.” “Why, Noelle? Why would you throw away your future for a quick buck?” Her head snapped back in my direction. “Because none of your fuckin’ business, that’s why.”
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