Unwrapping a Review of ONE SNOWY NIGHT, a Heartbreaker Bay novella by Jill Shalvis

I absolutely love, love, love the Heartbreaker Bay series by Jill Shalvis, so when she put out a novella between THE TROUBLE WITH MISTLETOE and her upcoming new release, ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE, I knew I had to read it. Well, actually I inhaled it. ONE SNOWY NIGHT was definitely a holiday treat and perfect for a cold winter’s night.

***purchased for my own personal reading but sharing my honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for ONE SNOWY NIGHT:

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Heartbreaker Bay with a fun and festive holiday novella!

It’s Christmas Eve and Rory Andrews is desperate to get home to the family she hasn’t seen in years. Problem is, her only ride to Lake Tahoe comes in the form of the annoyingly handsome Max Stranton, and his big, goofy, lovable dog Carl.

Hours stuck in a truck with the dead sexy Max sounds like a fate worse than death (not), but Rory’s out of options. She’s had a crush on Max since high school and she knows he’s attracted to her, too. But they have history… and Max is the only one who knows why it went south.

They’ve done a good job of ignoring their chemistry so far, but a long road trip in a massive blizzard might be just what they need to face their past… and one steamy, snowy night is all it takes to bring Max and Rory together at last.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rory Andrews is a wayward runaway that Willa Davis, owner of South Bark Mutt Shop and heroine of THE TROUBLE WITH MISTLETOE, has taken in under her wing. Is she playing matchmaker by asking Max Stranton to give Rory a ride home to Lake Tahoe on Christmas Eve? Yes. Does she have reason to believe there is a match worth making? Probably. Isn't it obvious?

After being convinced by her friend to go home for Christmas after too long an absence, Rory decides to do just that but needs a ride. When her only ride possibility is Max, the boy she’s crushed on since high school, she wonders if she’s gone mad at even considering the trip at all. After a couple of hours on the road in increasingly bad weather, Rory is convinced she’s made a grave mistake but soon discovers that Max’s cold demeanor isn’t just about their past. There’s heat in that truck and it’s not just from the heater or Carl, his dog, panting over her shoulder. There’s real sexual tension, and it’s about to get hotter.

I love how Jill Shalvis conjures such endearing characters but the best part is how like family they become. More than friends, they have each other’s backs in a way that only family should but don’t always. Max and Rory knew each other once upon a time. You could even say they have a past resulting in a slight animosity on the part of Max, but he’s attracted to her. Only he can’t quite get past what she did in high school either. Rory doesn’t know the effect of her actions in the past on Max’s future so when he tells her, she immediately accepts the blame and pushes him away. Their ride together on a stormy road to Lake Tahoe reveals secrets, regrets, and attraction that neither is able to deny, but also takes some time to accept.

I’m not kidding when I said I inhaled this story. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop, even though there were a couple of major errors that tried to stop me. I ignored them and kept reading, I had to know what came next. Jill writes her tales in such a way that we aren’t just reading it; we are experiencing it along with the characters. I highly recommend reading ONE SNOWY NIGHT by Jill Shalvis. Truly, one of the most delightful novellas I’ve read in a long while and it’s perfect for a cold winter day/night read. So grab hold of it, curl up by a fire or under your favorite blanket and escape into a long drive home on a Christmas Eve with Rory, Max, and Carl…you’ll love it.

Happy Reading Everyone!

ONE SNOWY NIGHT, a Heartbreaker Bay novella by Jill Shalvis, Avon Impulse, available in print, audio, and ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobobooks.

Tasty Virtual Book Tour for WHEN A MARQUESS LOVES A WOMAN by Vivienne Lorret with #excerpt & #giveaway

WHEN A MARQUESS LOVES A WOMAN
Season's Original #3

by Vivienne Lorret

Available now from Avon Impulse

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As a young, penniless gentleman, Maxwell Harwick knew he had little to offer Juliet White—the most beautiful debutante of the season—except his love, and one thoroughly scandalous kiss. But when they were discovered in a compromising position, a nearly ruined Juliet fled into the arms of a rich, older lord... taking Max’s heart with her.

Now a widow, Lady Juliet Granworth intends to use the fortune she inherited from her odious husband to build a new life in London. Five years have passed, but she’s never forgotten Max… or his soul-searing kiss. Yet it’s clear the newly-minted Marquess of Thayne has not forgiven her—after all, the infuriating man can barely stand the sight of her. But Juliet has endured far too much to give up without a fight and if it’s a battle of wills he wants, it’s a battle he’ll get.

He hates her for breaking his heart. She detests him for destroying her future. But beneath all the loathing, simmers an intoxicating passion that neither can ignore… and the harder they resist, the harder they will inevitably fall.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

EXCERPT from WHEN A MARQUESS LOVES A WOMAN:

 He spread his arms out in a shrug, cakes in one hand, walking stick in the other. “Now, as you can see, I am utterly helpless”—he paused at the sound of her scoff—“and unable to taste the cake that you offered to feed me.”

“I made no such offer.”

“Then I cannot think of what I heard moments ago unless...”—he lowered his voice—“you were flirting with me. But you, the ever-composed Lady Granworth, would never do such a thing.”

He wanted to see her color rise, her ire flash, anything. Damn it all, he needed to ruffle her feathers and crawl under her skin. It was the least she owed him.

“I would not even know how to flirt,” she boldly lied and without batting an eye.

Wasn’t every nuance of flirtation woven into her being? Every downward sweep of her lashes. Every subtle curl of her lips. Every slash of her tongue. Every single breath!

“Oh, I’m certain that is a false statement,” he said, keeping his tone smooth and even. “All you have to do is admit to flirting with me, and I’ll be on my way.”

“I. Admit. Nothing.”

He held out his hand. “Then feed me a cake.”

She stepped forward so suddenly she nearly startled him in the process. “Fine.”

The crisply enunciated word tolled a warning bell within him, advising caution. He had anticipated their continued banter and even her eventual retreat, but not her acquiescence. Instinct told him to be wary. And yet curiosity fixed him to the spot.

Lifting her hand, she slipped the serviette into her delicate palm, the edges draping over fingers. He stared, paying close attention to every movement, noting how her lace mitts left the entire length of her slender fingers exposed. No doubt, like her dress, they were designed for a purpose, bringing to mind thoughts of bared limbs.

Then, with a delicate pinch of her thumb and forefinger, she picked up the first cake.

Anticipation thundered in his chest, neck, and ears simultaneously. She could still balk. Still storm off in a flurry. He was prepared for such a response but no longer assured of it. Perhaps challenging her wasn’t the best idea after all.

His gaze shifted from the cake to her eyes, over and again. Her gaze, on the other hand, remained fixed to his as she slowly lifted the cake—

And popped it into her mouth. Then she closed her eyes, a smile curving her lips, while emitting a low murmur of sensual delight.

Max couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t move if someone were to set him on fire. The pulse that had pounded so hard an instant ago abruptly dropped to his trousers, banging like a drum as blood engorged his flesh.

The tip of her pert tongue slipped out to tease him further. The taunt transformed into torture when she licked the pink icing from her fingertip and then her thumb. When she finished, her eyes opened, the blue a brighter, deeper hue than the sky overhead. He found himself unable to look away.

“Delicious,” she purred. “So good in fact that I think I’ll have another.”

She pinched the second cake, her lips parted. But before she could lift it to her mouth—before he knew what he was doing—he seized her wrist.

He was half-tempted, half-wild with the need to kiss her, to lose himself in the silken texture of her lips once more. To haul her into his arms and feel the curves of her body with his hands.

It took every shred of control he possessed not to give in. At least, not completely.

Watching her all the while, he lowered his head and took the cake into his mouth.

He swallowed it without fanfare or appreciation. The dessert he really wanted was still waiting.

He slipped her finger into his mouth next, the dainty pad at the tip more silken and sweet than marzipan. In slow, searching swipes, he laved her flesh, mapping the route of every fine impression, wicking away every last bit of icing. He would have stopped if he was frightening her. Hell, he was startled by his own actions. But when he saw her pupils dilate, her gaze drifting down to his mouth, and then heard the quickening of her breath, he knew she was not afraid of him.

She was one of two things—either wholly, explosively angry or...wholly, explosively aroused. And since he’d been the recipient of her temper before, he wagered it was the latter.

A surge of triumph merged with the unleashed desire coursing through him. She could pretend she was cool-headed and aloof all she wanted, but he knew better. Five years ago, that same passion had slipped through the cracks in her composure.

He wanted more. Greedy, he curled his tongue around her, drawing her flesh deeper, and gently grazing the delicate furrows of her knuckle with his teeth.

“Max.”

His name shuddered out of her lungs and past her lips, sending a tremor through him. Yet the tinge of vulnerability in her passion-laden plea swiftly brought him to his senses.

With a quick tug, he pulled her closer. Still holding his walking stick, he touched the handle beneath her chin and tilted it up. “Perhaps you should reconsider flirting with your enemy in the future.”

Goodreads Book Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27776547-this-earl-is-on-fire

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/157217-season-s-original

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

USA Today bestselling author, VIVIENNE LORRET loves romance novels, her pink laptop, her husband, and her two sons (not necessarily in that order…but there are days). Transforming copious amounts of tea into words, she is an Avon Impulse author of works including:  TEMPTING MR. WEATHERSTONE, THE WALLFLOWER WEDDING Series, THE RAKES OF FALLOW HALL Series, THE DUKE’S CHRISTMAS WISH, and the SEASON’S ORIGINAL Series.

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TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY

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Spotlight on MIXING TEMPTATION, a Second Shot novel by Sara Jane Stone

MIXING TEMPTATION

A Second Shot Novel

by Sara Jane Stone

Available now from Avon Impulse at

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobobooks

After a year spent living in hiding—with no end in sight—Caroline Andrews wants to reclaim her life. But the lingering trauma from her days serving with the Marines leaves her afraid to trust the tempting logger who delivers friendship and the promise of something more.

Following an accident that nearly robbed him of his hopes for the future, Josh Summers believes life has given him a second chance. He wants to settle down with the woman who stole his attention and his heart. And he’s willing to wait until she’s ready to be more than “just friends.” When fear of discovery leaves Caroline pretending to be his date, Josh tempts her to try the real thing—a relationship built on trust, not lies.

But then the past threatens and Caroline must risk everything—including her freedom—to bury her demons before she can take a chance on happy-ever-after.

~*~                ~*~               ~*~

Big Buck’s Bar, the fictional setting for the Second Shot series, caters to Oregon loggers and college students. It’s known for its beer thanks to Josie, the heroine from SERVING TROUBLE (Second Shot #1). Then again, perhaps you’re not a beer drinker…after all the college and grad students who frequent the bar love a good Bloody Mary on Sundays, and Dominic, the hero of STIRRING ATTRACTION (Second Shot #2), enjoys a good martini. So if you’re thinking of ‘mixing it up’ while reading, here is Sara’s favorite cocktail recipe in honor of MIXING TEMPTATION. Enjoy!

Happy Reading Everyone!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

After several years on the other side of the publishing industry, Sara Jane Stone bid goodbye to her sales career to pursue her dream-writing romance novels.

Sara Jane currently resides in New York with her very supportive real-life hero, two lively young children and a lazy Burmese cat.

Join Sara Jane’s newsletter, if you’d like to receive new release information, contest news, giveaways, and much more!

To subscribe, visit Sara’s website and look for her newsletter entry form down along the right side panel.

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Spotlight for A GENTLEMAN NEVER TELLS, an Essex Sisters Novella by Eloisa James

A GENTLEMAN NEVER TELLS

An Essex Sisters Novella #4.5

by Eloisa James

Coming June 28, 2016 from Avon Impulse only 99¢

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobobooks

Eloisa James returns to the delicious world of the Essex sisters with her newest Regency romance novella: A GENTLEMAN NEVER TELLS.

A perfect amuse-bouche of a romance, A GENTLEMAN NEVER TELLS is a witty and sparking standalone novella from one of the brilliant diamonds of romance!

Eighteen months ago, Lizzie Troutt’s husband died in his mistress’s bed, leaving her determined to never marry again….and unfortunately virginal.

Eighteen years ago (give or take a few) the Honorable Oliver Berwick blackened his own soul, leaving him hardened and resolutely single.

When the chance for redemption in the form of a country house party invitation comes his way, Oliver is determined to prove himself a gentleman.

Until he breaks all the codes of gentlemanly behavior…once again.

Excerpt from A GENTLEMAN NEVER TELLS:

August 13, 1826
Telford Manor
Fontwell, Sussex

“I would prefer to take supper on a tray.” Lizzie didn’t look up from her book, because meeting her sister’s eyes would only encourage her.

She should have known Catrina wouldn’t back down. “Lizzie Troutt, your husband died over a year ago.”

“Really?” Lizzie murmured, turning a page. “How time flies.” In fact, Adrian had died eighteen months, two weeks, and four days ago.

In his mistress’s bed.

“Lizzie,” Cat said ominously, sounding more like an older sister—which she was—with every word, “if you don’t get out of that bed, I shall drag you out. By your hair!”

Lizzie felt a spark of real annoyance. “You already dragged me to your house for this visit. The least you could do is to allow me to read my book in peace.”

“Ever since you arrived yesterday, all you’ve done is read!” Cat retorted.

“I like reading. And forgive me if I point out that Tolbert is not precisely a hotbed of social activity.” Cat and her husband, Lord Windingham, lived deep in Suffolk, in a dilapidated manor house surrounded by fields of sheep.

“That is precisely why we gather friends for dinner. Lord Dunford-Dale is coming tonight, and I need you to even the numbers. That means getting up, Lizzie. Bathing. Doing your hair. Putting on a gown that hasn’t been dyed black would help, too. You look like a dispirited crow, if you want the truth.”

Lizzie didn’t want the truth. In fact, she felt such a stab of anger that she had to fold her lips tightly together or she would scream at Cat.

It wasn’t her sister’s fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault except her late husband’s, and he was definitely late—i.e., dead.

“I know you feel ashamed to be in company,” her sister continued, energetically digging her own grave, as far as Lizzie was concerned. “Unfortunately, most people are aware the circumstances of your marriage, not to mention the fact that Adrian was so imprudent as to die away from home.”

That was one way of putting it.

Imprudent.

“You make it sound as if he dropped a teacup,” Lizzie observed, unable to stop herself. “I would call the fact that Adrian died in the act of tupping Sadie Sprinkle inconsiderate in the extreme.”

“I refuse to allow you to wither away in bed simply because your husband was infatuated with Shady Sadie,” Cat said, using the term by which the gossip rags had referred to Adrian’s mistress. “You must put all that behind you. Sadie has another protector, and you are out of mourning. It’s time to stop hiding.”

“I am not hiding,” Lizzie said, stung. “I take fresh air and moderate exercise every day. I simply like reading in bed. Or in a chair.”

Or anywhere else, to tell the truth. Reading in a peaceful garden was an excellent way to take fresh air.

“Moderate exercise,” her sister said with palpable loathing. “You used to ride every day, for pleasure. We would practice archery on a fine day like this, or roam about the countryside, not sit inside reading.”

“Adrian’s stables were part of the entail, and went to his cousin,” Lizzie said, turning the page. She hadn’t read a word, but she was hoping that a show of indifference would drive her sister from the room.

“Not the mare that Papa gave you when you turned fourteen!” her sister gasped.

Showing masterly control, Lizzie didn’t roll her eyes. “A wife has no true possessions,” she said flatly. “Under the law, they belong to her husband, and Perdita was, therefore, transferred to the heir.”

“Oh, Lizzie,” Cat said, her voice woeful.

“It wasn’t so terrible,” Lizzie said, meaning it. “I went to the auction, and Perdita went to a family with a young girl. I’m certain that she is well cared for and happy.”

“Do you realize that by staying home and wearing black, you give the illusion that you are grieving for your husband?”

Lizzie’s hands tightened around her book. “Do you know what being a widow entails, Cat?”

“Wearing ugly black dresses for the rest of your natural life?”

“It means that I never again need put myself under the control of a man—any man. So, no, I have no interest in joining you at dinner. I know perfectly well that Lord Dimble-Dumble has been summoned to audition as my next husband. I don’t want him. I’d be more likely to come to dinner if you had invited the butcher.”

“I couldn’t do that,” Cat said, in a sudden digression. “Mr. Lyddle has developed a most unfortunate addiction to strong ale, and he’s regularly found lying about in the gutter singing, rather than butchering meat.”

“Who does the butchering now?” Lizzie asked, deciding to take a walk to the village and see this interesting musical event herself.

“His wife. My housekeeper says that she can get better cuts at a lower price these days. You’re trying to distract me with talk of singing drunkards,” Cat said, unfairly. “Let’s discuss your future.”

“Let’s not.”

“We might begin with the fact that you were never in love with Adrian.” Cat began walking around the bedchamber, waving her hands as she waxed eloquent about her late brother-in-law’s flaws.

She was preaching to the choir, so Lizzie stopped listening and just watched Cat pacing back and forth. How could it be that her older sister was positively frothing with life and energy and passion, while Lizzie felt like a tired, pale shadow?

Her hand crept toward her book. It wasn’t the most interesting novel in the world, but it had the inexpressible charm of being new.

Over the last eighteen months, Lizzie had read every novel she owned three times over. She would be quickly bankrupted if she bought more than two books a week, so one of the best things about visiting Telford Manor was access to her sister’s library.

Cat appeared to be hopeless at arranging a refurbishment of the manor—which desperately needed it—but she was very good at ordering novels. And clothing. If Lizzie looked like a black crow, Cat was a chic French peacock.

Lizzie raised her knees, surreptitiously propped her book against them, and slipped back in the story of Eveline, a sixteen-year-old girl being forced to marry an old man. She herself had been twenty when she walked down the aisle.

On the shelf.

Beggars can’t be choosers, her father had told her.

Her book suddenly vanished. “No reading!”

Cat was holding the novel above her head, for all the world as if they were children again. Lizzie used to hope that someday she’d grow up to be as commanding as her sister, but she had given up that idea long ago.

It wasn’t just a question of height. Her sister was the type of person who gathered everyone in a room around her, and Lizzie was the type of person whom they walked over on their way to be with Cat.

That sounded resentful, but Lizzie didn’t actually feel bitter. She would hate to be the center of attention. She wound her arms around her knees and propped her chin on them. “Cat, may I have my book back, please? It was a hard journey, and I’m tired.”

“What do you mean, a hard journey? It can’t have been more than a day and a half!”

“My coach is over twenty years old and the springs are worn out. It bounced so hard on the post road that I couldn’t keep my eyes on the page, and my tailbone still hurts.”

“If your jointure won’t extend to a new vehicle, Joshua or Papa would be happy to buy you a coach.”

Lizzie turned her head, putting her right cheek on her knees, and closed her eyes. “No.”

She heard her sister drop into the chair by the side of the bed. Then she heard a sigh. “Papa is getting old, Lizzie. He made a terrible mistake, and he knows it. He misses you. If you would just pay him a visit . . .”

“No.”

Why would she visit the father who had turned her away when she ran to him in desperation? The father who had known precisely what a disaster her marriage would be, but didn’t bother to warn her?

An hour or so after their wedding ceremony, Adrian had brought Lizzie, still wrapped in her bridal veil, to his mother’s faded, musty house, and informed her that he had no intention of living with her.

Not only that, but he was late to meet his lover for tea.

It had happened almost six years ago, but she could still remember her stupefaction. She’d been such a silly goose.

“But where do you live?” she had stammered.

“I bought Sadie a house, and we live there,” Adrian had said casually. When she frowned in confusion, he had added impatiently, “Sadie. Didn’t your father tell you her name?”

“Sadie? ”

For the first time—and in her experience, the last time—her husband had been a little defensive, even a trifle ashamed. “I never lied. He knows perfectly well that we will lead separate lives.”

“Perhaps you should explain to me,” Lizzie had said, “because my father unaccountably forgot to mention it. As did you, I might add.”

Adrian had unemotionally laid out the terms of her marriage. It seemed her father had paid a great deal of money to buy his daughter the title of Lady Troutt. For his part, Adrian had wed her for her dowry, and because he needed someone to care for his mother.

“The estate is entailed,” he had told her, glancing around the musty sitting room. “It goes to some distant cousin, along with the title, of course. I told your father that I wouldn’t be averse to trying for a child, once we’ve had time to get used to each other.”

Lizzie had just gaped at him.

“But we can’t bother with that now,” Adrian had told her briskly. “Sadie is upset about this mess, naturally enough. I promised her I’d be home by four. My mother takes her luncheon on a tray. There are a couple of maids, but it would be good if you could bring it in yourself. She complains of being lonely.”

After that, he left.

A few minutes later, Lizzie left as well. She went home.

Only to be sent back to her husband’s house.

There was no point in revisiting her father’s line of reasoning. Suffice it to say that no woman—even one who had abundant sensuality and beauty, which Lizzie did not— was capable of seducing a man who didn’t return to the house for a fortnight.

A man who doesn’t bother to consummate his marriage until he’s suffered a heart seizure and has, as the vulgar might put it, been given notice to quit.

A man who despises his lower-class wife, and never bothers to hide it.

About the Author:

New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James writes historical romances for HarperCollins Publishers. Her novels have been published to great acclaim. A reviewer from USA Today wrote of Eloisa's very first book that she "found herself devouring the book like a dieter with a Hershey bar"; later People Magazine raved that "romance writing does not get much better than this." Her novels have repeatedly received starred reviews from Publishers' Weekly and Library Journal and regularly appear on the best-seller lists. After being a finalist for a RITA—the top award in the genre of romance fiction awarded by the Romance Writers of America—over ten times, she won in 2013.

After graduating from Harvard University, Eloisa got an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale and eventually became a Shakespeare professor, publishing an academic book with Oxford University Press. Her "double life" is a source of fascination to the media and her readers. In her professorial guise, she's written a New York Times op-ed defending romance, as well as articles published everywhere from women's magazines such as More to writers' journals such as the Romance Writers' Report.

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Unwrapping a Review of ONCE AND FOR ALL, an American Valor novel by Cheryl Etchison

I love debut novels for the simple reason that it’s a fresh voice and that’s exactly what I found in ONCE AND FOR ALL, book one of the American Valor series by Cheryl Etchison. Thank you for allowing me the privilege of reading it.

***eCopy provided by author/publisher as a gift, but I’m sharing my honest and unscripted review

Blurb for ONCE AND FOR ALL:

The Rangers of the 1st/75th fight hard, train hard and play hard. They are physically strong and mentally tough, disciplined and courageous. But all their military training hasn't prepared them for falling in love.

Rule #1: Military and matrimony don’t mix.

But if there’s one person Staff Sergeant Danny MacGregor would break all his rules for, it’s Bree—his first friend, first love, first everything. Maybe he likes playing the hero. Maybe he’s trying to ease ten years of guilt. Either way, he’ll do whatever he can to help her.

Wish #1: A little bit of normal.

Bree Dunbar has battled cancer, twice. What she wants most is a fresh start in a place where she can find a new job, and where people aren’t constantly treating her like she’s sick. By some miracle her wish is granted, but it comes with one major string attached— the man who broke her heart ten years before.

The rules for this marriage of convenience are simple: when she’s ready to stand on her own two feet, she’ll walk away and he’ll let her go. Only, as they both know all too well, things don’t always go according to plan…

~*~              ~*~              ~*~             ~*~

Bree has battled and survived cancer twice but it has done a number on her life. No job, no hope of one as long as any perspective employer thinks it will increase the company’s insurance premiums, she has no choice but to live with her folks and not have a life of her own. Not only that, but she feels like everyone thinks of her as being sick rather than being a survivor. Her greatest wish is just to be able to live her life, get a job, get back to normal, and unencumbered by worried watchful eyes. She knows they all mean well but she’s a grown woman and wants to live her life, her way.

When Danny comes home on leave…the first in a very long time…he discovers the girl he left behind has had one rough time of it. When he thought she’d moved on, he did. He joined the Army and chose a new life, one that didn’t include Bree Dunbar but now he wants to help her. He wants to give her what she wants most…her life back. With an offer of marriage, he wants to help her get free of her life as it is, start over, and get back to living a normal life. When she’s ready, he will let her go, if she wants, free to live her life, even explore love with someone new if she wants. Only once they start spending time together, he knows he wants her only to spend her life with him.

Orders take Danny back into action and an email gives Bree the chance to get what she wanted, but then everything changes in a blink of the eye.

ONCE AND FOR ALL by Cheryl Etchison started out a bit awkward and I wasn’t sure I was going to like this story but then I saw the friendship that exists between Bree and Danny. I understand this story. I understand Bree’s feeling trapped in her life and understand her accepting Danny’s offer of rescue. I had to laugh when Bree says, “If it weren’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have any luck at all” because I say that same thing all the time, which is why I could connect with Bree. I’ve never had cancer, but I understand completely your life no longer being your own.

It is the life-long friendship growing into an adult love that made this story so wonderful. The characters are real and honest. Although, I was a bit put off that it took Bree so long to talk to Danny about her cancer but admittedly, in the beginning of their marriage, it wasn’t important. I appreciate his acceptance and caring for her, even after a decade apart. They may have split in their romantic relationship but their friendship was one that would last a lifetime, and all really good love matches are based in friendship first and foremost.

I truly recommend ONCE AND FOR ALL, book one in the American Valor series by Cheryl Etchison because it’s a real romance, even if it starts out a little wonky, and a little unrealistic, it’s real and it’s special. Cheryl has a wonderful voice and a talent that I think will take her storytelling to greater heights. I look forward to reading more from this debut author. Maybe brother Michael, will get his story too.

Happy Reading Everyone!

ONCE AND FOR ALL, an American Valor novel by Cheryl Etchison, Avon Impulse, available now in ebook formats, and later in print (June 28^th) at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobobooks.

Avon Books - Celebrating 75 Years of Romance and Avon Impulse - Celebrating 5 Years of Digital Imprint

AVON CELEBRATES LANDMARK ANNIVERSARIES:

AS ICONIC ROMANCE PUBLISHER AVON BOOKS TURNS 75,

ITS DIGITAL-FIRST IMPRINT, AVON IMPULSE,

MARKS FIVE YEARS OF UNPRECEDENTED ACHIEVEMENT IN CULTIVATING FUTURE STARS

New York, NY; April 28, 2016 – This is a momentous year for Avon, the iconic romance imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. The year marks not only the 75^th anniversary of Avon Books, widely acclaimed for popularizing the historical romance category, but also celebrates the fifth year for the Avon Impulse digital-first imprint. Today, Avon is an acclaimed (or illustrious?) publishing powerhouse, renowned for nurturing the careers of the best and brightest authors in the romance industry, in large part due to the success of the Impulse program. Avon Impulse is a thriving brand with a proven aptitude for cultivating future stars of the genre.

For its fifth anniversary, Avon Impulse has much to celebrate:

·         4 million e-books sold

·         12 New York Times bestsellers

·         32 USA Today bestsellers

·         16 award nominations, including the prestigious RWA “RITA” award

Editor Amanda Bergeron, who directs the Impulse line, remarks, “The success of the Impulse program runs deep: we’ve published hundreds of books, with millions of copies sold. Avon Impulse has served as the launch pad for many authors’ careers, developing loyal reader bases and growing author awareness through strategic promotions. And in many cases, Impulse has launched talented authors onto the Avon print list.”

Associate publisher Shawn Nicholls notes that one key component of Avon Impulse’s success is “personalized, direct-to-consumer marketing campaigns which increase awareness about Avon Impulse authors, showcase upcoming releases, support backlist, and highlight retail incentives.”

"Avon Impulse originated HarperCollins’ digital-first publishing platform, which we’ve since expanded with Witness Impulse (mysteries and thrillers) and Voyager Impulse (science fiction/fantasy),” says Senior Vice President and Publisher Liate Stehlik.  “Digital-first is a vital component in strategically growing new authors, and extending the visibility of our existing author base.” She continues, “Readers have also responded strongly to our Impulse offerings – and our authors are so happy with their results that they have become the strongest advocates for the Impulse brand."

“Publishing with Avon Impulse has been an amazing experience,” says Jennifer Ryan, who was the first Avon Impulse author to hit the New York Times list with her debut, Saved by the Rancher. “Between editorial, marketing and publicity, every detail is well thought out for each and every book, but it’s never about just one book. They think about the overall career of the author and what their readers want and expect.”

For more information about Avon Impulse, including submission guidelines: www.avonimpulse.com.

About HarperCollins Publishers:

HarperCollins Publishers is the second largest consumer book publisher in the world, with operations in 18 countries. With nearly two hundred years of history and more than 120 branded imprints around the world, HarperCollins publishes approximately 10,000 new books every year in 17 languages, and has a print and digital catalog of more than 200,000 titles. Writing across dozens of genres, HarperCollins authors include winners of the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Newbery and Caldecott Medals and the Man Booker Prize. HarperCollins, headquartered in New York, is a subsidiary of News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) and can be visited online at corporate.HC.com.

Review Stop on the Tasty Virtual Book Tour for BLACK LISTED by Shelly Bell with #excerpt & #giveaway

Welcome to my review stop on the Tasty Virtual Book Tour for BLACK LISTED by Shelly Bell, the newest Benediction novel and trust me, this one is explosively good. Stick around for an excerpt & fab giveaway too.

***eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest and unscripted review – I already bought my copy because this one is a definite re-read.

Blurb for BLACK LISTED:

She sacrificed everything to keep him safe…

Five years ago, con artist Lisa Smith broke the first rule of hustling when she fell in love with—and married—her mark, billionaire Sawyer Hayes. The erotic nights spent acting out her darkest fantasies with her husband and Master were the happiest of her life. But when her ruthless father demanded she kill him and take his money, she had no choice but to disappear without a trace…or lose him forever.

He’ll risk everything to have her again…

Now Sawyer has found her, and he has an indecent proposal: submit to him for seven nights and he’ll grant her the divorce she desires. Forced to pretend she no longer loves him, each night spent in his arms is exquisite torture as they reignite their intense passion through role play and ménage. But when a deranged killer out for revenge targets Lisa, she must finally trust Sawyer with the secrets of her past…or neither of them will live to see the future.

Warning: Scenes depicting BDSM, fisting, MMFMM, consensual non-consent, and references to abuse.

My Review:

Let me just say straight out…I love the Benediction series. I cannot get enough of it, and even though it is not a series for everyone, I think everyone should try it on for size just once. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I do either, but it is truly addicting.

We first met Lisa Smith in the White Collared books and frankly, I didn’t like her much. I thought her conniving and was always feeling as if Kate needed to watch her back with her. I guess there was a good reason for that…she’s a con artist. Not just someone who manipulates to get things her way but an all-out, criminally minded, con artist, who came from a family of con artists, and is now hiding out from them—and her husband, Sawyer Hayes.  

Lisa’s real name is Annaliese Hayes nee Hunt. She married Sawyer Hayes, the sexy billionaire computer genius who helped clear Rachel and Logan of murder in BLUE BLOODED. She married him because that’s what her father wanted her to do then divorce him for the money, only he changed his plans and decided she should kill him instead, and take it all. Only one problem with the old man’s plan…Lisa had fallen in love with Sawyer, so she took enough money to appease her hateful father, and left. She left the man she loved, the life she wanted with him, and took along with her a Black List that could put her entire family away for a very long time…her included. She warned her father that if anything happened to Sawyer, the list would go straight to the FBI. She gave up her life to save Sawyer’s. All was well until her picture appeared in the newspaper and Sawyer showed up at Cole and Danielle’s wedding.

Lisa asks him for a divorce. Sawyer says he’ll agree only if she agrees to spend one week as his submissive. Seeing that he was, and still is, her only Master, Lisa agrees because she still craves this man, still loves this man, and wants to protect him by making sure he goes away and stays away from her. The problem is…if Sawyer could find her…so could her father, her brothers and any one of the many marks, she’s defrauded over the years.

As I read each book in the Benediction series, I think Shelly Bell can’t possibly thrill or keep me enthralled as well as the one before but she can, and she does. Having just come off reading RED HANDED immediately before reading BLACK LISTED, I thought nothing could surprise me more, but it did.

BLACK LISTED, book three in the Benediction series by Shelly Bell is raw, rough, suspenseful, and not for the faint of heart when it comes to sex scenes but it’s also, beautiful, emotional, passionate, and overflowing with an intense love between two perfectly matched characters that are getting a second chance at love, marriage, truth, and the future. We are used to second chance romances where a couple who had unspoken feelings for each other come back together and reignite their love and relationship but this time, in BLACK LISTED, this is a married couple, a Master and Sub, two people who had already committed themselves and their hearts to a union torn apart by secrets and lies. It’s unique, it is heart wrenching, and we can’t help but be drawn into their world, their love, and feel the same sense of healing when the truths—all of them—finally come out.

Frankly, I hope Shelly never ends this series but I know it will happen eventually…happily, these are stories I will be revisiting many times in the future. I highly, highly recommend that if you love good suspense, characters rich in realism, a world of the sexually unusual—one that intrigues and makes you wish you were brave enough to venture into—and experiencing love that you wish could exist outside the realm of romance novels then please…read BLACK LISTED by Shelly Bell, and welcome the addiction.

Happy Reading Everyone! 

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Excerpt from BLACK LISTED:

Lisa turned and caught sight of Rachel walking toward her with two men by her side.

It took only a moment for it to register.

The long blond hair she loved to tug on during rough sex.

The stubble lining his jaw that used to scratch the skin of her inner thighs as he worked her over with his mouth.

The roguish and lighthearted appearance he maintained in public and the dark dominance that lurked beneath the surface.

It was him.

He was here.

Her Master.

He had found her.

She blinked a few times, trying to see if maybe she was imagining that the man she’d run from four  years ago was suddenly only feet away and talking with her friends as if he knew them. That was impossible, right?

Her heart galloped a wild beat, and the sounds of the crowd disappeared under the roar of her pulse.

She wanted to run from him.

She wanted to run to him.

All the sorrow and regret she’d buried deep down inside came rushing back with a force that nearly bowled her over. And when the ghost from her past stood right in front of her and looked at her like a stranger, the glass of red wine slipped from her shaking hand onto the green grass, the liquid pooling beneath her heels.

Seemingly oblivious to her shock, Rachel smiled, a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. “I’d like to introduce you to Logan’s friend, Sawyer Hayes. Sawyer, this is Lisa Smith.”

Logan’s friend? Sawyer was Logan’s friend? This was the man who had helped Rachel and Logan in Las Vegas when they were framed for murder and running from the FBI?

“Hello,” Sawyer said cordially, standing so close she could feel his body heat radiating off him and smell a scent that reminded her of the best days of her life. “It’s nice to see you again, Annaliese.”

Her mind was a jumbled mess.

Like she was prey caught in the sights of a hunter, she became entrapped in his eyes.

She couldn’t breathe.

Couldn’t speak.

Couldn’t move.

“You know each other?” Rachel said, her brows wrinkled in confusion.

“You could say that,” Sawyer said slowly, still holding Lisa captive with his eyes. “She’s my wife.”

“Lisa is the woman who conned you?” Logan asked incredulously.

Shame heated her cheeks, and she suppressed the threatening tears. Her friends would hate her when they discovered what she’d done. Not that she deserved any less.

And what did it matter? She was about to lose everything. She wouldn’t be surprised if she was arrested at any moment.

Rachel took her hand, but she still couldn’t look away from Sawyer. “I’m sure if she did, she had her reasons.”

Yes, she had her reasons. Dark, dangerous reasons that sometimes woke her out of her sleep in the form of violent nightmares.

And now with Sawyer’s appearance, her nightmares were one step closer to becoming true.

About the Author:

A sucker for a happy ending, Shelly Bell writes sensual romance often with a bit of kink and action-filled erotic thrillers with high-emotional stakes for her alpha heroes and kick-ass heroines.

She began writing upon the insistence of her husband who dragged her to the store and bought her a laptop. When she’s not working her day job, taking care of her family, or writing, you’ll find her reading the latest smutty romance.

Shelly Bell writes the Benediction series for Avon Red Impulse and the forthcoming Forbidden Lovers series for Grand Central Forever.

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