Saturday, December 31, 2016

TOP TEN BOOKS OF 2016

As 2016 is coming to an end, it's that time to pick my top 10 reads for 2016.

It isn't an easy choice because I had so many books that I liked this year.  So, after searching through the books I have read, here are my top 10!

(In no particular order and doesn't include books I have beta read or proofread)



The Scars Keeper

by Scarlet Wolfe

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Blurb

Avery 

My scars are mine alone. They’re the validation of my pain. 
The anxiety, anger and sadness I bleed. 
My dark secret. A grim, ugly truth. 
Most of all, they’re the one thing in my life I control. 
It’s inevitable that one day I’ll have to reveal them to someone. What I wasn’t expecting was to share them now with him … with Hayden. 

Hayden 

Girls like Avery are all the same. They’re spoiled, superficial blondes who don’t appreciate mommy and daddy’s wealth. 
Plastic shells that are empty on the inside. 
Or so I thought … but I was wrong. 
Avery’s heart is an abyss of emotions. She feels like no one I’ve ever met, wallowing in her insecurities and anguish yet savoring every exciting moment within her reach. I was blindsided by the immense love she was willing to give once she trusted me, and I was left with no choice but to trust her, too, exposing my own pain and scars. 
I hate myself for caving in … for loving her. How do you let go of the one person you let in? How do you say goodbye to the girl who trusted you with her body and soul? 
I have to leave Avery, and where I’m going, I can’t take her with me. She’s going to believe I built her up only to tear her down, but what she doesn’t realize is unlike her, I can’t change my destiny. I was born into the Knights Union MC, and it’s where I’ll go to die.





Written in the Scars
by Adriana Locke

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Blurb

Falling in love is easy.

Falling out of love is the hardest thing in the world.

And Elin and Ty Whitt are terrible at it.

The first time the local basketball star smiled at Elin, she was a goner. It was just so damn easy to fall for the dark-haired hometown hero with his charming smile and strong, athletic build.

Thousands of sleepy smiles, aimless drives down country roads, and squeaks of the backdoor after a swing shift later, reality hits. And it hits hard. Falling in love was definitely the easy part. Watching it break apart was impossible.

Through the tears, the second-guesses, the memories of a life built together, the world keeps spinning. With each turn comes clarity and hope—sometimes in the form of a pair of muddy boots by the back door or from the words of a wise friend.

When Ty shows back up with a new found determination to put his family back together, Elin's torn between the fights of the past and the possibility of a new start. This is the man that holds her heart, the man she loves beyond anything else. But this is also the one person in the world that can cause her the most pain.

Life’s not always easy. Love’s not for the faint of heart. But with life comes lessons and Ty and Elin have the scars to prove it. But it's their love written in those scars that will hold them together … or break them apart.
 






Say You'll Stay
by Corinne Michaels

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Blurb

One word. 
Stay. 

It was all he had to do. Instead, he got on that bus and took my heart with him. 

That was seventeen years ago. 

I moved on. Marriage. Kids. White picket fence. Everything I ever wanted, but my husband betrayed me and I was left once again. 

Alone, penniless, and with two boys, I had no choice but to return to Tennessee. He wasn’t supposed to be there. I should’ve been safe. However, fate has a way of stepping in.

This time around, the tables are turned. It’s my decision. Second chances do exist, but I don’t know if we can repair what’s already been broken . . .





Ginger's Heart
by Katy Regnery

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Blurb

Once upon a time there were two cousins: 
one golden like the sun, 
one dark like midnight, 
one a protector, 
one a predator, 
one a Woodsman 
and 
one a Wolf… 
both owning equal, 
but different, 
parts of a little girl’s heart. 

In this contemporary love story, loosely inspired by "Little Red Riding Hood," the woodsman and the wolf are cousins, and Little Red is the girl with whom they both fall in love. 

Beautiful Ginger McHuid, daughter of Kentucky's premiere horse breeder, grows up on her family farm, best friends with Cain Wolfram, the son of her father's Stallion Manager, and Cain's cousin, Josiah Woodman, son of a local banker. Throughout their happy childhood, the three are inseparable friends, but as they mature into adults, complicated feelings threaten to destroy their long history of friendship and love. 





Deep Redemption
by Tillie Cole

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Blurb

ONLY THROUGH BLOOD CAN THE DEEPEST REDEMPTION BE FOUND…

He was born to ascend.
He was destined to lead.
He was never meant to fail.


Prophet Cain lies broken and defeated on the floor of his cell. A cell he has been thrown into by the one person who was supposed to stand by his side until the end. His flesh and blood, his only companion. His beloved twin brother.

Cain has sacrificed everything for his people. He left the safety and security of his life of study to infiltrate the infamous Hades Hangmen. He lived with them, rode with them, and then betrayed them. All in the name of a faith he can now feel slipping away from him. Like everything else he once held dear…

But then his isolation is broken. Another prisoner is brought to the cell next to his. A woman fighting her own demons and fears. A woman who Cain understands needs him, as he needs her.

As the connection between them grows, so does Cain’s resolve. He will right the wrongs he has done. He will atone for the evil acts carried out in his name. He will save the one he loves…

… Even if the battle takes him to the gates of hell itself.





Torn
by Carian Cole

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Blurb

He’s loved me since the day I was born. 
He’s taken care of me. 
He’s awakened me. 

Tor. My father’s best friend. 
Fifteen years older than me, he’s always been my protector. 
The one I should never, ever want. 
But I was born to be his. 

She’s always loved me. 
She’s shattered me. 
She’s healed me.

Kenzi. My best friend’s daughter. 
I held her the day she was born, and I never let go. 
She’s forbidden to me. But she’s the only one that really gets me. 
We’re slowly being torn apart by everything we love. 
Everything we want. 
Everything we desire. 

And now I want the one thing I can’t have... I want her.





Dark Sexy Knight
by Katy Regnery

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Blurb

Loosely inspired by the legend of Camelot, Dark Sexy Knight tells the story of dinner theater knight Colt Lane, who meets down-on-her-luck Verity Gwynn on the worst day of her life. Evicted from their home, Verity and her special-needs brother, Ryan, must find jobs or risk being separated. Colt, who is the furthest-possible thing from a white knight in real life, comes to their unlikely rescue, quickly cementing his place in Verity’s heart.

Colt has dark, deeply buried secrets that keep his smile hidden and his eyes down, which has kept people away . . . until he meets Verity, who seems immune to his gruff manners and taciturn ways. The more time Colt spends with her, the more he longs for her sweetness in his life and yearns to be the knight in shining armor she so desperately needs. Certain he will lose her if she learns the truth about his past, he must decide if he can trust her with his yesterday in order to build a beautiful tomorrow.





Blood and Rust
by Cat Porter

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Blurb

The bad boy.
The fuck up.
The thief.
 
That was me.
Once a king,
Now a wanderer.
 
I’d thrown the best parts of me away, over and over again.
I was reckless.
Still am.
I’d been exiled.
Twice.
I did my time.
I’ve cleaned up.
Well, sort of.
I got plans.
Yeah, good ones.
 
Then I ran into her.
 
A bolt of lightning
Startling
Unsettling
Breathtaking
Out of reach.
 
The woman I once scorned years ago
is now the woman I can’t live without.
I need what I didn’t think I’d ever need again.
I want and want and want.
 
Torture.

She’s the epicenter of the war I’ve triggered,
of the battle in my rusted heart.
I may be as reckless as I ever was,
but I’m determined as fuck.

To hell with it.
 
I want it all.





A Thousand Boy Kisses
by Tillie Cole

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Blurb

One kiss lasts a moment. But a thousand kisses can last a lifetime.One boy. One girl. A bond that is forged in an instant and cherished for a decade. A bond that neither time nor distance can break. A bond that will last forever. Or so they believe.When seventeen-year-old Rune Kristiansen returns from his native Norway to the sleepy town of Blossom Grove, Georgia, where he befriended Poppy Litchfield as a child, he has just one thing on his mind. Why did the girl who was one half of his soul, who promised to wait faithfully for his return, cut him off without a word of explanation?Rune's heart was broken two years ago when Poppy fell silent. When he discovers the truth, he finds that the greatest heartache is yet to come.A stand-alone young adult tearjerker romance, recommended for ages fourteen and up. 





The Baller
by Vi Keeland

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Blurb

The first time I met Brody Easton was in the men’s locker room. 
It was my first interview as a professional sportscaster.
The famed quarterback decided to bare all. 
And by all, I don’t mean he told me any of his secrets. 
No. The arrogant ass decided to drop his towel, just as I asked the first question. On camera. 
The Super Bowl MVP quickly adopted a new hobby—screwing with me.
When I pushed back, he shifted from wanting to screw with me, to wanting to screw me.
But I don’t date players. 
And it’s not because I’m one of the few women working in the world of professional football. 
I’d date an athlete. 
It’s the other kind of player I don’t date. 
You know the type. Good looking, strong, cocky, always looking to get laid.

Brody Easton was the ultimate player.
Every woman wanted to be the one to change him.
But the truth was, all he needed was a girl worth changing for.
Turned out, I was that girl.
Simple right?
Let’s face it. It never is.
There’s a story between once upon a time and happily ever after… 
And this one is ours.















Friday, December 30, 2016

Cover Reveal - FEAR THE BEARD by Lani Lynn Vale


Title: Fear the Beard
Series: The Dixie Wardens Rejects MC Series #2
Author: Lani Lynn Vale
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: March 30, 2017
Model: Jacob Wilson
Photographer: FuriousFotog


Tally is a twenty-year-old single mother struggling to finish nursing school. Has she made mistakes in life? Sure, but her daughter isn’t one of them. She works hard, she studies even harder, and she’s only a few weeks away from graduating. She’s living her life the best she knows how when she witnesses a near miss motorcycle accident between a car and a biker. A biker that happens to be the most talked about teacher at her college. The moment she meets those startling blue, narrowly-escaped-death eyes, she realizes quickly that life as she knows it has changed. No longer will she be content to let life pass her by, even if it puts everything she’s worked so hard for in jeopardy. *** Tommy is a highly skilled doctor. A teacher. A veteran. A fully-patched member of The Dixie Wardens MC. He’s lonely, but also set in his ways. What will it take for this man to accept that he needs to make some changes in his life? Apparently, it’ll take a guy in a truck, who’s preoccupied with his phone rather than focused on the road, nearly plowing into him on his bike at seventy miles per hour. Oh, and a twenty-something year old nursing student witnessing the entire thing from only a few feet away. It only takes a second, a single heartbeat in time, as he looks into her worry-filled eyes to realize that he’d give anything for a single night with her. He may lose his job in the process, but after that one incredible night turns into an amazing weekend, he knows it’s worth the risk for the promise of her forever.






“As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, your first clinical in the ER might be somewhat overwhelming. That’s to be expected. However, over time you will learn the ropes, find your stride, and realize that it isn’t some big scary place that will swallow you alive.” Dr. Tommy—I refused to call him Dr. Bones anymore—continued.
I started doodling on my paper, drawing curls and swirls around mine and Tallulah’s names.
I’d just made a fourth star when a large tanned hand came and snatched the pen out of my hand.
“I can see now why your pen ran out of ink.” Dr. Tommy stared down at me with barely restrained impatience.
My face flushed.
If it were possible to sink into the floor in completely embarrassment, I would’ve done it. Right then and there.
Jesus Christ.
“I think you should see me after class.” He murmured.
My brows furrowed.
I hadn’t done anything wrong.
Looking over to Hadley, she returned a sympathetic smile before turning her head down to her own work.
“Okay.” I finally said. “I’ll see you after class.”
He nodded once, but kept his pen.
Irrational anger followed me throughout the rest of class, and by the time that it ended, I was beside myself.
“Do you want me to wait?” Hadley asked.
I shook my head.
“No.” I snapped. “I have to go to work after this anyway. I just hope he doesn’t make me late.”
Hadley packed her book into her bag, gave me a worried look, and then left without another word.
I stayed in my seat once my bag was packed, waiting to see what Dr. McAsshole had to say.
Once the last person escaped, he stopped erasing the board, (and yes, I was admiring his ass if you were wondering) he turned and crossed his thick, muscular arms over his chest.
“The other teachers give you glowing recommendations.” He started saying.
I licked my lips.
“Uh, thank you?”
I didn’t know what to say, nor where he was going with this.
“I wanted you to understand that I won’t tolerate this kind of behavior when I have you in my ER.”
I blinked.
Then blinked again.
“Uhhhh,” I started to say, but he interrupted me.
“You’ll be starting on your nurse internship next week. You’ll be there two days out of the week, twelve hour shifts, and always under me or Dr. Wild.”
I blinked some more.
“I…I got it?” I finally was able to get out.
He nodded his head.
“Though I expect that has more to do with who your mother is than whether you are actually qualified or skilled enough to be there.”
My mouth dropped open in affront.
“Oh, I assure you that I am skilled and qualified enough to be there.” My back straightened. “Is that all?”
I could’ve sworn I saw his lips twitch at my show of anger, but no other signs were apparent.
“Yes, that’ll be all.”
I nodded and stood, throwing my bag on my shoulder and practically stomping toward the door.
He stopped me, though, the moment I was about to exit fully.
“Thank you.”
I froze, and turned.
“For what?” I asked stiffly.
“For not running over me this morning. Thank you for paying attention.”
I didn’t bother to answer him.
Otherwise I might’ve said that I now wished that I hadn’t been paying attention.
Mother fucker.
Who did he think he was?
My mother wouldn’t stoop so low as to get her daughter a job…would she?




Title: Beard Mode
Series: The Dixie Wardens Rejects MC Series #1
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: February 23, 2017
Cover Model: David Byers
Photographer: Michael Stokes







Aaron don’t ever call me Fatbaby’ Sims is lucky to be alive. Or at least that is what everyone keeps telling him. He doesn’t feel lucky, though.
He’s scarred, has more than a little bit of a bad attitude, and there isn’t a single day that goes by that he doesn’t wish his wife would’ve just finished off the job.
After being denied his old position at the fire department, he leaves, and doesn’t look back. He heads straight to Alabama and into the semi-welcoming arms of The Dixie Wardens MC. There he becomes a part of a brotherhood that forces him to get back in the land of the living.
---
Imogen is a smart girl. A girl who doesn’t always make the best decisions.
Her heart is in the right place when she walks into that prison, but it doesn’t take long for her to realize that her heart shouldn’t have had any say so in the matter. Especially when one wrong move lands her in the arms of a scarred man that looks frightening enough to scare any sane woman away.
Immediately enthralled by the angry man, she tries to get closer to him. But the harder she tries to get to know him, the further he pushes her away.
---
The only thing Aaron wanted to do after his now ex-wife was sent to jail was escape. Escape the awful memories. The pity-filled eyes. The curious glances.
He does a damn fine job at ensuring he draws as little as attention as possible, but then that annoying woman with her startling blue eyes starts hammering away at his resolve. Makes him feel when he doesn’t want to feel.
Imogen comes into his life and carves out a place for herself, obliterating his defenses one heated kiss at a time.
It doesn’t take long, and he realizes he’s in deep. Too deep to ever want to come out.
Imogen will know what it’s like to be loved by a reject.



I’m a married mother of three. My kids are all under 5, so I can assure you that they are a handful. I’ve been with my paramedic husband now for ten years, and we’ve produced three offspring that are nothing like us. I live in the greatest state in the world, Texas.





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