Mini Reviews: Upside Down by Lia Riley; Price of a Kiss by Linda Kage; & Last Will and Testament by Dahlia Adler

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Title: Upside Down
Author: Lia Riley
Published: August 5th 2014
Source: Won from Giveaway
Genre: New Adult Romance
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Caution: May contain spoilers

If You Never Get Lost, You’ll Never Be Found

Twenty-one-year-old Natalia Stolfi is saying good-bye to the past-and turning her life upside down with a trip to the land down under. For the next six months, she'll act like a carefree exchange student, not a girl sinking under the weight of painful memories. Everything is going according to plan until she meets a brooding surfer with hypnotic green eyes and the troubling ability to see straight through her act.

Bran Lockhart is having the worst year on record. After the girl of his dreams turned into a nightmare, he moved back home to Melbourne to piece his life together. Yet no amount of disappointment could blind him to the pretty California girl who gets past all his defenses. He's never wanted anyone the way he wants Talia. But when Bran gets a stark reminder of why he stopped believing in love, he and Talia must decide if what they have is once in a lifetime . . . or if they were meant to live a world apart.

My Thoughts:

Wow. I'm at a loss for words. I had heard how amazing this book (actually the whole series) is, but nothing prepared me for what I was given. Talia and Bran were spectacular. The way they fit together, understood each other, and cared was beyond expectation. I found myself tearing up near the end, not to mention a few heartwrenching moments not long before that. Talia's OCD was very well represented, I could feel her struggle as though it were my own. I just, wow. Great start to the series and I'm looking forward to reading more of these gorgeous words by Lia Riley.

My Rating:

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Title: Price of a Kiss
Author: Linda Kage
Published: August 15th 2013
Source: Purchased
Genre: New Adult Romance
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Caution: May contain spoilers

I don’t care what my cousin says; I am not the queen of impossible relationships. I mean, just because my last boyfriend tried to kill me and left a bit of a scar on my neck, then forced me to move across the country and legally change my name to Reese Randall to escape him, does not mean—

Oh, who am I kidding? For a freshman in college, I have to have the worst dating track record ever.

It’s no wonder love is the last thing on my mind when Mason Lowe enters my life. But the chemistry between us is like bam! Our connection defies logic. And he’s just so freaking hot. Being around him makes me feel more alive than I’ve ever felt before. I even like bickering with him. He could be my soul mate...except for one teeny tiny glitch.

He's a gigolo.

Boy, do I know how to pick them.

My Thoughts:

I signed up to read another book in Linda Kage's Forbidden Men series, With Every Heartbeat, and thought it was great. One night when I was scrolling through my ereader, I found this one that I'd downloaded awhile back. I started reading a few pages...and ended up reading the whole thing, keeping me up until nearly 4AM! I was so captivated by Reese and Mason's story, the way their lives were, how they intersected. They're two people who are meant to be, yet they can't just be. Not without losing everything else important in their lives. I loved how it all wove together, and even though some aspects may cause some to get upset, I completely understood the importance of them in telling the story. Price of a Kiss is a shining example of the new adult category!

My Rating:

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Title: Last Will and Testament
Author: Dahlia Adler
Published: December 9th 2014
Source: Purchased
Genre: New Adult Romance
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Caution: May contain spoilers

Lizzie Brandt was valedictorian of her high school class, but at Radleigh University, all she's acing are partying and hooking up with the wrong guys. But all that changes when her parents are killed in a tragic accident, making her guardian to her two younger brothers. To keep them out of foster care, she'll have to fix up her image, her life, and her GPA—fast. Too bad the only person on campus she can go to for help is her humorless, pedantic Byzantine History TA, Connor Lawson, who isn't exactly Lizzie's biggest fan.

But Connor surprises her. Not only is he a great tutor, but he’s also a pretty great babysitter. And chauffeur. And listener. And he understands exactly what it’s like to be on your own before you're ready. Before long, Lizzie realizes having a responsible-adult type around has its perks... and that she'd like to do some rather irresponsible (but considerably adult) things with him as well. Good thing he's not the kind of guy who'd ever reciprocate.

Until he does.

Until they turn into far more than teacher and student.

Until the relationship that helped put their lives back together threatens everything they both have left.

My Thoughts:

This story starts off very strong, hitting you right in the feels and giving you insight into Lizzie's personality immediately. As the story progresses, her struggles to take care of her brothers after their parents died become known, and their daily life isn't easy peasy by a long shot. The friendship into more that Lizzie develops with her TA, Connor, is swoonworthy for sure. When I reached the end of the story, I found myself torn between how I felt about it. On the one hand, it felt authentic, and on the other hand, it felt unrealistic. I think the whole forbidden teacher student romance can go two ways. The romance is great, but sometimes it feels like the happily ever after doesn't always come with a price and that throws me off. I thought that the writing itself was fantastic and Dahlia Adler delivers her stories quite well. Last Will and Testament a pretty good start to the Radleigh University series.

My Rating:

Review: If the Hat Fits by Eliza Boyd

Title: If the Hat Fits
Author: Eliza Boyd
Published: September 28th 2016
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Amazon | Goodreads
Caution: May contain spoilers

The hats tell the story...
And I wear them all.
The widow hat.
The single-mother hat.
The overworked-woman hat.

I spend my days trying to adjust and fit them all.
Without ever dropping one.
Or worse:
Losing one.

And then he comes along.
Offering another hat.
One I haven't seen in a long time.

Love.

And, sure, it's tempting and intriguing.
Because he's tempting and intriguing.
Yet he's forbidden and off-limits.

Jake.

He's everything and more.
But nothing I should have.
And all I want.

Can I wear just one more hat?

My Thoughts:

I'd been hearing the buzz about this story from several of the early readers, everyone kept going off about Jake. And I was like I MUST KNOW what it is about Jake! When I started reading, I was surprised with something I never even anticipated. But let me start from the beginning...

Diana is widowed with a daughter named Carissa. She's stretched thin with life--dealing with the grief of losing her husband, the questions from her daughter about her father, working hard on an important project at work. She has no time for anything else. And then she meets Jake. Diana is attracted to him, but he looks too young for her. She's 28, and she soon discovers that Jake is 18... and still finishing the last few months of high school. On the surface the age difference might feel a bit staggering, but Jake is different.

Pretty soon Jake is in Diana's life as her babysitter. Yet the two of them have a pull like nothing else. An emotional connection, a romantic connection. There are so many factors to take into consideration if she wants him as something more. Is she ready? Is he ready?

If the Hat Fits was a beautifully honest story that tugged at my heart throughout. I couldn't stop reading for longer than a couple minutes sometimes, it was that deeply embedded. Diana and Jake were magical, their story inspiring. I teared up more than once because the emotions were so strong. I could feel Diana's struggles as if they were my own. Another powerful, amazing story from the wonderful Eliza Boyd.

My Rating:

Review: Adulthood is a Myth by Sarah Andersen

Title: Adulthood is a Myth
Author: Sarah Andersen
Published: March 8th 2016
Source: Purchased
Genre: Comics/Humor
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Caution: May contain spoilers

Are you a special snowflake?

Do you enjoy networking to advance your career?

Is adulthood an exciting new challenge for which you feel fully prepared?

Ugh. Please go away.

This book is for the rest of us. These comic document the wasting of entire beautiful weekends on the internet, the unbearable agony of holding hands on the street with a gorgeous guy, dreaming all day of getting home and back into pajamas, and wondering when, exactly, this adulthood thing begins. In other words, the horrors and awkwardnesses of young modern life.

My Thoughts:

I can't remember when I started seeing the comics from Sarah's Scribbles, but I did a Google search for words in the comic to find the origin of this brilliance. When I learned Sarah Andersen was publishing the comics in a book, I nearly tripped over myself to get a copy in my hands. Luckily at the time I had literally just enough on a gift card to buy it.

You know those books that you want to savor because they're so good, but since they're so good you can't stop reading? That's what Adulthood is a Myth was for me. I could relate to sooo many things in the comics, I even took a picture of one to send to a friend because we had just talked about it. I couldn't stop chuckling and thinking "It's me!" throughout the whole thing. The only complaint? IT'S TOO SHORT AND I WANTED MORE. Hahaha! But, how can you blame me when you read comics like this:

^ That was the first one I saw of her comics and it will forever be the truest thing for me.

So if you like hilarious comics for your wonderful twenty-something (or early thirty-something in my case) self, take a gander at this gem. I know that from now on, I will be consistently tripping over myself to get the next book by Sarah Andersen. That's the truth. In fact, she has a new one coming out in March that I'll probably be pre-ordering at some point very soon called Big Mushy Happy Lump. Happy reading!

My Rating:

Review: Wanderlust by Roni Loren

Title: Wanderlust
Author: Roni Loren
Published: July 19th 2016
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Buy: Amazon ~*~ B&N
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Caution: May contain spoilers

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Loving on the Edge series and Off the Clock, a story of sex, love, rock & roll, and a reporter who’s about to learn a new meaning for staying on top of her assignment...

Restaurant critic Aubrey Bordelon is never at a loss for words to describe her meals in the fancy restaurants of New Orleans. But after her magazine’s high-profile music reporter falls ill, she finds herself out of her element and in a sea of screaming fans awaiting Wanderlust’s lead singer, Lex Logan. The sound of his voice gives her goosebumps, and the stage presence of the hard-bodied rock star takes her breath away. So when he pulls her onstage for a sexy stunt, she knows she’s in real trouble.
 
Lex doesn’t want to pretend that the sparks on stage between him and Aubrey never happened, but it certainly makes the fact that she’s writing a story on his band all the more dangerous. The last thing he needs is some nosy reporter revealing their problems to the world. But the sexy Southern belle doesn’t give up easily, and soon he’s wondering if the best way to chase her off the story is to coax her into his bed…

My Thoughts:

Since I've been on a little bit of a blogging hiatus, I was reluctant to take on any more ARCs for fear of not being able to fulfill the commitment of them. I like to be able to post reviews on release day or at least during release week. When Roni Loren tweeted that Wanderlust was available as a Read Now option on NetGalley, I kinda jumped at the opportunity and signed myself up for this book. I started reading and as soon as the sexy stunt mentioned in the synopsis happened, I was hooked AND reeled in.


Aubrey is a journalist and it's up to her to score an interview with Lex Logan of the band Wanderlust. He's not too keen on having her along, or having to answer any of her questions, so he tries to throw her off her game and get her to drop the story. It's not as easy as he thought... but seducing her is definitely fun.


While the chemistry and the heat between Aubrey and Lex were, ahem, freaking spectacular, there was way more to the story than only romance and sexy moments. Aubrey faced a tragedy in her teenage years (losing her sister in a car accident caused by her), and because she doesn't want to upset her family, she chose to do the safer things in life. But the choices she made to appease them weren't the ones she wanted, and being around Lex is causing her to realize what else there could be, what else she could be.

All in all, Wanderlust had me flipping pages almost faster than I was reading. And even though I guessed a little twist early on in the story, I was still immersed in Aubrey and Lex and their world and loving every minute of it. The sexytimes were hella sexy, my heartstrings were tugged at a few times, and I spent the entire epilogue in swoon-mode. There's no way I wouldn't recommend this to everyone I know who loves stories about sexy rock stars and characters finding their way.

My Rating:

Review: Chance of a Lifetime by Marissa Clarke

Title: Chance of a Lifetime
Author: Marissa Clarke
Published: November 16th 2015
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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Caution: May contain spoilers

Sometimes the biggest risk is playing it safe…

Gen Richards is tired of living down to her family’s expectation of the helpless blind girl. Resurrecting her high-school bucket list that begins with “kiss a total stranger” seems just the thing until she finds herself in a panty-melting lip lock with her big brother’s best friend.

Chance Anderson thrives on adrenaline, but Genny’s the one risk he’s not willing to take. His recklessness a decade ago landed her in the hospital and ejected him from her life. He’s bad for her and everyone knows it—especially her big brother.

Chance reluctantly helps Gen complete her bucket list in order to keep her out of trouble. Running through a freezing fountain, playing Spin the Bottle while fending off a mad horde of stinging insects, and skinny dipping with homicidal attack swans don’t hold a candle to the real danger: falling for the one person he can never have.

My Thoughts:

The first two books in the Anderson Brothers series were great. Book one, Sleeping With The Boss, was my first Marissa Clarke book, and one of my very first Entangled Lovestruck books. I'll never forget how exciting it was to read. And now that I've read the third book, I'm pleased to announce I have a new favorite in the series!

Genny isn't your usual heroine--she's blind and has been for awhile. She's decided to complete some items on a bucket list, including kissing a total stranger. When she accidentally kisses Chance, a childhood friend who abandoned and hurt her years ago, old feelings resurface, along with an opportunity. He promises to help Genny mark off everything on the bucket list, despite the fact that his helping her could get him into trouble. Chance promised her brother he would stay away from her...but things are different now. Is there a chance that they can move beyond their past and step into a beautiful future?

Chance of a Lifetime was a spectacular story. Not only was it unique, but it was so full of heart, there were times I couldn't stop clutching mine and wanting to tear up. Chance lived his life with Genny in mind--he never forgot her--and it showed in every single thing he's ever done. I loved to see them both get a second chance together, to find out the truth about the past, and to experience life in a whole new way. Bravo, Marissa Clarke, for creating such a beautiful story.

My Rating:

Review: Something In The Air by Marie Landry

Title: Something In The Air
Author: Marie Landry
Published: November 10th 2015
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: New Adult Romance
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Caution: May contain spoilers

Her life hasn't gone as planned, but she's about to realize that sometimes the best things happen when you stop expecting life to be a certain way...

When Rose Morgan put off her college plans to help her mother through a difficult time, she thought it would just be a bump in the road of her journey. She got a job to help pay the bills and started picking up the slack at home. But three years later, her bumpy ride hasn’t smoothed out yet, and Rose feels stuck. She’s working at a job she hates and living with a manipulative mother. She’s tired of feeling like her life has stalled, tired of the resentment and anger building inside her with each passing day.

Then Declan Connelly appears in her life, and even though the hot Irishman is seriously tempting, Rose is determined not to let him in. She’s afraid to suck anyone into her bizarre life, especially someone who seems too charming for his own good. She soon learns there’s more to Declan than his sexy accent and charismatic personality, though. He’s a good man, and he wants Rose in his life, baggage and all. He’s got his own, and he isn’t scared away like she originally feared he would be.

Everything in Rose’s life is changing quickly. It’s finally her time--time to figure out what she wants and what her future holds. Time to get swept off her feet and not fight it. But when her plans might take her away from all the amazing new things in her life, including Declan, Rose has to make a choice. Is she willing to chase her dreams, even if it means letting go of love?

My Thoughts:

I have had the wonderful opportunity to not only become friends with Marie Landry, but also her critique partner. I got to see the first part of this story early on and I've been in love with it since the beginning.

Rose is a character you can easily relate to because everyone has something in their life that has caused them to feel out of control. She starts taking a step outside her comfort zone with the help of her best friend, Dante. That's when she meets Declan. She's immediately drawn to him, but she's not ready to bring him into the mess that is her life. He's relentless, though, and he wants to have her in his life, if she'll let him.

This story isn't all romance, which is probably what makes it even better. There are secondary characters--from the diner she works at, her father and his new wife, Declan's family, and, of course, Dante--all of which add to Rose's journey in one way or another. As Rose opens herself up to the possibility of love, she has to decide what else she wants from life. When she gets the chance to do something amazing, she has to make some tough decisions. It's now her chance to choose where her life leads her to next.

Something in the Air is a shining example of what new adult is all about. I was enveloped in Rose's world, watching her change from a caterpillar to a butterfly. And the romance with Declan? Beyond swoonworthy and extraordinarily sweet. By far, this is my favorite book by Marie Landry!

My Rating:

Review: Friction by Sawyer Bennett

Title: Friction
Author: Sawyer Bennett
Published: October 27th 2015
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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Caution: May contain spoilers

At the powerhouse law firm of Knight & Payne, winning comes first and ethics a distant second. Leary Michaels uses her female charms to daze opponents, and it’s always worked well—until now. On her most personal case yet, she finds herself going up against a defense attorney just as skilled, shameless, and seductive as she is.

Reeve Holloway has never met a woman as sure of her own sexuality, or as ruthless in wielding it, as Leary is. But he won’t be toyed with. What Leary starts, he’ll finish—in the courtroom, the bedroom, or any-damn-place he wants. The sex is uninhibited, electrifying, and absolutely against the rules. Reeve’s job is to ruin Leary’s case…even if it destroys her in the process and costs him the woman he’s come to love.

My Thoughts:

It's no secret that I adore every single Sawyer Bennett novel I pick up, but there are some times when you pick up a new one and it completely takes you by surprise. You're drawn into the world, swept up in the romance, and extraordinarily pleased when you reach the end.

This was one of those times.

Leary is representing someone she knows on a case that means everything to her. She'll stop at nothing to win, including throwing Reeve off his game. In her attempt to distract him, she finds herself distracted. They fall into an enemies-with-benefits sort of relationship (HOLY HOTNESS), one that neither of them wants to end. But there's still the fact that they're on opposite sides of an important case. Feelings develop while emotions are high. Leary and Reeve have everything to gain and everything to lose. And in this trial, there will be only one winner.

Friction was perfection--sultry, seductive, and sweet. My favorite aspect of the story was that their passion fueled secret relationship turns into something more real. Usually you don't see that happen until the end of a story, so it was nice to see Leary and Reeve admit it to each other instead of hiding it. If you're on the lookout for an extremely sexy book with a romance that will warm you to the core, this story is what you need.

My Rating:

Review: Gambling on the Bodyguard by Sarah Ballance

Title: Gambling on the Bodyguard
Author: Sarah Ballance
Published: October 12th 2015
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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Caution: May contain spoilers

He’ll guard her body all night long…

Ski instructor Ellie Montgomery hits Vegas during a romance convention to meet the man of her dreams…only, the man of her dreams isn’t the cover model she’s there to see. He’s the hot-as-sin bodyguard who catches her sneaking in the back door of a meet-and-greet, and he seems more than ready to do what it takes to prove he’s twice the man her pretty boy crush could ever be.

Jax Mathis couldn’t resist snagging a date with Ellie, but he didn’t count on the attraction being more than physical. They connect on a level he didn’t think possible—and he can’t run fast enough. She makes him want things he thought he’d never have, and maybe, just maybe, they’re within reach. But to have it, he’ll have to face the one mountain he swore he’d never climb...and with no guarantee she’ll be waiting on the other side.

My Thoughts:

These What Happens in Vegas stories are the best! I picked this one up after enjoying Sarah Ballance's Five Things I Love About You and expected another cute story. What I got was so much more!

Ellie went to Vegas with one man in mind, book cover model Willie Focker, and ends up finding Jax, Willie's bodyguard, instead. There's something so enchanting about Jax and Ellie. Neither one of them was expecting the other, and yet, there they were in the right place at the right time. Ellie and Jax get to know each other over the course of her trip, falling into a lust and bacon filled haze that can only happen in Vegas. Just when it seems like they might be on the same page, Jax falters. You know deep down how he must truly feel, but something is holding him back.

Gambling on the Bodyguard is no gamble--it's a win! Sarah Ballance brought us a sweet story with a lot more depth than I anticipated. This book grabbed my attention from the very start. I mean, it's funny, sexy, romantic... it was already a recommendation in my book before I was halfway through it.

My Rating:

Review: This Book Will Change Your Life by Amanda Weaver

Title: This Book Will Change Your Life
Author: Amanda Weaver
Published: September 28th 2015
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: New Adult Romance
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Caution: May contain spoilers

Take a chance and change your life…

College was supposed to be where Hannah’s hard work paid off, but the major in honors chemistry she’s been working towards since childhood is slipping away. Worse, she’s not sure she wants it anymore. Salvation comes from an unlikely place—a used bookstore and Ben, the passionate college senior who works there.

Ben’s trapped in a life mapped out for him. Trapped in a future career as a lawyer to make his father happy. Trapped pursuing a girl he doesn't even like because she fits into a world he doesn’t want, but can’t escape. But then he meets Hannah. And for the first time, he knows what it means to truly want something.

So he gives in to being her friend. Then to wanting her. Then to kissing her. And within the freedom of his impulsivity, both of their carefully planned lives begin to fall apart...

My Thoughts:

Oh my freaking goodness.

The second I started reading this book, I was in love. I seriously was. Usually it takes a little longer before I am fully invested in a book, but the first chapter captivated me so much, I was overwhelmed and wished I didn't have to go to bed!

Hannah finds herself caught out in the rain, so she walks into a used bookstore for shelter until it lets up a bit. She ends up talking to Ben, and convinces him to pick out a book for her. He picks one, she buys it and reads it, and thus begins their beautiful friendship. This, I believe, was what made the book amazing--their friendship. You can sense it moving into "something more" territory, but it never feels forced, ever. Your heart is right there with them as they explore the beginning of adulthood--deciding what they want from life and falling for each other.

This Book Will Change Your Life was by far one of the best books I've read in my life. Hannah and Ben's relationship was beautiful, like seriously beautiful. I loved watching them learn and grow and love. There was something about this book that made me feel like I was actually in the book, experiencing their experiences myself. I can't wait for more books by Amanda Weaver!

My Rating:

Review: The Finn Factor by Rachel Bailey

Title: The Finn Factor
Author: Rachel Bailey
Published: September 28th 2015
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: New Adult Romance
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Caution: May contain spoilers

Sometimes all a girl needs is a little practice...

It's been twelve months, three days, and eleven hours since accounting student Scarlett Logan made it past a second date. A pitcher of mojitos in hand, she employs her supreme graphing skills to narrow things down to one horrifying explanation. Kissing. Clearly someone needs to teach her how to kiss properly. Like, say, her best friend and roomie, Finn Mackenzie. He's safe, he's convenient, and yeah, maybe just a little gorgeous.

Finn knows exactly why Scarlett's boyfriends are disappearing quickly. Him. Not a single guy she's brought home is nearly good enough. And he'll be damned if he lets some loser give her "kissing lessons." No. He'll do the honors, thank you very much. The moment their lips touch, though, everything turns upside down. But Scarlett deserves the one thing Finn can't give her. And if he doesn't put an end to the sexy little shenanigans, he'll teach Scarlett the hardest lesson of all...heartbreak.

My Thoughts:

THIS BOOK.

Okay, so I picked this book up thinking it would be a cute story, complete with sweet and steamy kisses that lead to something more. Little did I know how much I would grow to ADORE the heck out of this story. Scarlett and Finn captured my attention with their friendship. Boy and girl best friends are simply the best. When Scarlett decides she needs kissing lessons and asks Finn, let's just say it's one of those lines that make it difficult to go back. There's initial reluctance, but when she says she'll ask someone else, he refuses to allow that. Once they share their first kiss (HOLY FIRST KISS), it escalates from there, leading them to a new place they never anticipated possible. One with all sorts of beautiful things... but only if they're willing to let it happen.

The Finn Factor was a spectacular new adult romance! There is a dire need for the true NA books, and this one definitely filled that need. It had ALL THE KISSING and ALL THE BUILD-UP and ALL THE SWEET SEXY EVERYTHING. I will absolutely, positively be checking out more books by Rachel Bailey if they're half as good as this one. And I recommend that you put this book on your TBR!

My Rating:

Tasty Virtual Book Tour: Ryker: Cold Fury Hockey # 4 by Sawyer Bennett

Ryker Cold Fury Hockey # 4  

By: Sawyer Bennett  

Releasing September 8, 2015   

Loveswept 

Link to Follow Tour:  http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/06/ryker-cold-fury-hockey-4-by-sawyer.html 

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Title: Ryker
Author: Sawyer Bennett
Published: September 8th 2015
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
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Caution: May contain spoilers

The rugged men of the Carolina Cold Fury hockey team are winning hearts once again in another scorching novel from New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett.

The stakes have never been higher for Carolina Cold Fury goalie Ryker Evans. With his contract running out, he’s got a year left to prove he’s still at the top of his game. And since his wife left him, Ryker has been balancing life as a pro-hockey star and a single parent to two daughters. Management is waiting for him to screw up. The fans are ready to pounce. Everybody’s taking dirty shots—except for the fiery redhead whose faith in Ryker gives him a fresh start.

As the league’s only female general manager, Gray Brannon has learned not to mix business with pleasure. And yet even this tough, talented career woman can’t help breaking her own rules as she gives Ryker everything she’s got. She hopes their hot streak will last forever, but with Ryker’s conniving ex plotting to reclaim her man, the pressure’s on Gray to step up and save a tender new love before it’s too late.

My Thoughts:

The first three books in the Cold Fury Hockey series were great. No, better than great. They were amazing squared to the tenth power. (Yeah, that'll do.) So, as soon as I was able to snag a copy of Ryker, you'll bet I was on that like bunnies to carrots. Did the fourth book live up to the series?

Short answer: YES.

Slightly longer answer: OH, HECK YES.

In this story we have Ryker, single parent of two girls and goalie. He's determined to do his best for his family, and to prove himself as worth keeping in hockey. Enter Gray Brannon. She has a determination of her own--to show she can handle being a GM for Cold Fury. Some of the men don't want to get on board her being there or the ideas she has for the team, but Ryker can see where she's coming from and he respects her bold decision making. Even though it would be highly inappropriate for anything to happen between Ryker and Gray, the sexual tension is out of control and they cave. Holy sweet sexy hotness Batman! The romance between them is beyond impressive, especially since they have to keep the relationship hidden for now. But will they ever be able to go public with it?

Ryker is, by far, my favorite of the series. I loved the build-up of Ryker and Gray--their friendship to the hot and steamy. I thought it was perfection how everything played out with the way some of the teammates reacted to Gray and how they all handled it. The ending made me all giddy and excited. Not to mention I was swooning all over the place. Sawyer Bennett never ceases to impress. I'm so ridiculously happy to hear that there will be two more stories in the series and can't wait to get my hands on them!

My Rating:

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Other Books in the Cole Fury Series 

ALEX: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo 

GARRETT: Amazon | Barnes | iTunes | Kobo 

ZACK: Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo

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Author Info 

USA Today and New York Times Best-Selling Author, Sawyer Bennett is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. Her husband works for a Fortune 100 company which lets him fly all over the world while she stays at home with their daughter and three big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn’t have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.

Sawyer is the author of several contemporary romances including the popular Off Series, the Legal Affairs Series and the Last Call Series. She will be releasing her third book in the Cold Fury Hockey Series with Random House Loveswept, June 2015. 

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Excerpt

“D-a-a-a-d,” Ruby shrieks from upstairs. 

It’s a sound that once used to cause all the hair to stand up on my arms and on more than one occasion caused me to go tearing after the call of my youngest daughter thinking she was being murdered by an intruder. I’ve since come to recognize that particular shrill cry as one of excitement and wonder, and I can’t help but grin over what Ruby is possibly into now. At almost five years old, she refuses to accept the concept of a well-mannered, indoor voice and goes balls to the wall in everything she does. 

“Is the house on fire, Rubes?” I call out. 

Her little voice shouts back to me in a squawk. “No.” 

“Have aliens landed?” I keep my voice just loud enough to carry up the stairs but still 

decibels below her own. 

“No,” she yells, and there . . . right there . . . that’s a little giggle from her. 

“Did Timmy fall down the well?” 

“No, Dad . . . but you have to come here,” she yells, and, to give her credit, it’s toned down just a bit. When I don’t answer her right away, she calls down in a sweet voice that makes my heart pitter-patter. “Please, Dad.” 

Brilliant, little brat. Throwing in some manners to throw me off my game. 

“I’ll be right there,” I tell her as I finish the last of Violet’s braid and manage to efficiently bind it with a hair elastic. Leaning over, I place a kiss on her head. “All done, dreamy dwarf.” 

Violet leans her head back and gives me an upside-down grin. I love the sprinkle of freckles on her nose and it compels me to kiss her again. 

“Do me a favor,” I tell her as I turn toward the living room. “Get the cereal and milk out for me while I go see what your sister needs?” 

I don’t bother waiting to see what she does, because Violet has become my metaphorical right hand over the last few months. While she still loves for me to braid her hair and help with her homework, she’s also relished taking on a bit of a caretaker role since the girls moved in with me permanently this past summer. 

They’ve been here almost six months and I actually feel like I know what the hell I’m doing now. It wasn’t always like that, and thank God for Kate’s help or I would have gone insane in those first few months of becoming a single parent of two little girls. Kate patiently helped me establish a routine and taught me how to braid hair, distinguish excited shrieks from cries of pain, and most important . . . how to conduct the perfect princess tea party. 

I skirt my way through the living room, bending over to pick up one of Ruby’s dolls from the floor, and bound up the stairs taking two at a time. I find Ruby in the bathroom that she and Violet share, bent over the toilet and peering at something. 

She shares the same dark hair and gray eyes as Violet, except her locks spring out everywhere in a mass of tiny curls. I have no idea where that came from, but assume it’s a rogue strand of ancestral DNA from either me or my soon-to-be ex-wife, Hensley. Both of us, as well as Violet, have fairly straight hair, so Ruby is definitely dipping into the family gene pool with her wild curls, but damn . . . they totally fit with her personality. 

“What’s up?” I ask as I walk over to the toilet. 

She straightens up, shoots me a grin, and points. “Look . . . a spider.” 

I cautiously take a step forward and lean over, grimacing as I look into the bowl. 

And holy shit . . . a spider the size of a T rex is floating on the surface, all eight legs spread out, bent and poised to look as if it’s ready to leap out and attach itself to my face. I suppress a full spinal shudder and reach a tentative hand toward the handle to flush it. 

Two things happen almost simultaneously that take at least three years off my life. 

The spider somehow manages to skitter across the water, the beast so large it actually creates waves, and Ruby shrieks at me, “No! Don’t kill it, Dad!” 

It is with a major blow to my pride—as a man, as a dad, as a six-foot, six-inch professional hockey player nicknamed the Brick because I’m as big and tough as a brick wall—that I jump backward at least two feet from the monster-infested toilet and banshee-crying sprite, causing my hip to slam into the corner of the sink. 

“Shit,” I curse loudly, and Ruby’s eyes go round, followed by her lips. 

“Oh, Dad . . . that’s a bad word.” 

No shit. 

I smile at her as I rub my hip. That’s definitely going to leave a bruise. “Sorry, Rubes. I’ll put a dollar in the swear jar.” 

She merely nods her acceptance of my apology and turns worried eyes back to the toilet.  

“You have to save it,” she implores. 

Yeah . . . that’s not going to happen. Not now. Not ever. 

“Sure, baby,” I tell her as I take her by the shoulder and turn her toward the bathroom door. I swear the spider glares at me with a million red, evil eyes. “Go on down and get breakfast. Violet’s fixing your cereal. I’ll get the spider out.” 

“Okay,” Ruby says as she pulls away from me, but continues to give me instructions. “But let it out the front door and I’ll bring it some food later.” 

“Sounds like a plan,” I assure her as she disappears down the stairs. When I hear her feet hit the bottom landing, I turn toward the toilet, intent on a quick flush to put me out of my misery. 

Except when I look in the bowl, the fucking thing is gone. 

I’ll just go ahead and admit it. Spiders scare the living hell out of me. I have no clue why, and while I would battle the biggest, baddest monster to the death for my daughters, I’d much rather flush a little spider down the toilet. 

I immediately scramble backward out of the bathroom, grabbing the doorknob and shutting it quickly behind me. My heart is racing a million miles an hour, the thought of that furry hell beast now loose in my house. 

Just one more thing on the list of things I still need to do today.  

Get the girls dressed and ready for school. 

Take the girls to school. 

Clean up the spilled laundry detergent. 

Finish the laundry. 

Arm myself with a can of hairspray and a lighter to torch the rogue spider in the bathroom.  

Pick up my dry cleaning. 

Work out. 

Team practice. 

Pick up the girls from Kate and Zack’s house. 

Dinner. 

Baths. 

Story time and cuddling. 

Go to bed because I’ll be exhausted. 

Easy as fucking pie, and I’ll get up and do it all over again the next day with a smile on my face. I’m finding life as a single parent isn’t as daunting as I thought it would be and I’ve finally found my groove. 

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