Dog-Eared Daydreams

Note: This ARC was provided by Victory Editing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Perfectly Equipped is a prequel novella for the upcoming full-length novel entitled Perfectly Damaged by author Lacey Silks. Readers are introduced to April, a widowed mother of a young son vacationing with her well-meaning best friend at, of all places, a nudist resort in Hawaii. There she meets Sean, a good looking man around the same age as her and who totally contradicts the saying "Big things come in small packages." The attraction is mutual and instantaneous but there's also a sizzling connection between the these two people, one that leads to a night that neither Sean nor April are bound to forget any time soon. This is a very quick read but one that certainly makes you want to learn more about what happens to April and Sean, especially with the kind of ending that it had. The humor mixed in with the steaminess of the story is quintessential Lacey Silks, since

Note: This ARC was provided by St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. The Tuckers and the Sawyers have been sworn enemies from the time former best friends and business partners Archibald Tucker and Elijah G. Sawyer went their separate ways. The famous moonshine they created together, known as Texas Thunder, was legendary, but after the friendship and partnership ended, the recipe for the moonshine was split in half. Though many attempts have been made to replicate Texas Thunder, no one has succeeded. But now, with mounting payables after the death of her grandfather, Callie Tucker needs to strike a deal with the guy who broke her heart ten years ago, Brett Sawyer, in order to bring both parts of the recipe together and get paid with money they both really need. Will re-creating the moonshine that ripped their families apart be able to bring these two back together? Texas Thunder is the first novel in the new Western contemporary romance from author Kimbe

Running with Scissors by L.A. Witt Release Date: August 31, 2015 Riptide Publishing About Running with Scissors Eighteen months ago, drummer Jude Colburn made the biggest mistake of his life when he walked away from his band just as they were on the brink of success. Now, he’s got a second chance. The band’s bassist just quit, and Jude plays bass almost as well as he plays drums. The other band members aren’t thrilled, but they are desperate. Running with Scissors needs him, but there’s one condition: no hooking up with bandmates. That’s what ruined things eighteen months ago, after all. Jude’s on board, but no one warned him about the drummer who replaced him. A.J. Palmer is shy and unassuming . . . until he hits the stage. He gets Jude’s attention from the first beat, and suddenly that “no hookups” rule isn’t so easy to follow. Keeping secrets on a tour bus isn’t easy either, and it’s only a matter of time before the band catches on. When everything hits the fan,

  Note: This ARC was provided by Riptide Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Running with Scissors is the latest M/M contemporary romance from one of my favorite authors, the multi-pen-named L.A. Witt, and is about Jude Colburn, co-founder and former drummer for the rock band Running with Scissors, and A.J. Palmer, the drummer who takes Jude's place after his sudden departure. They both find themselves trying to fit in with the band but for completely different reasons. They're like two pieces that fit perfectly to form a whole, but will they risk being a band that appears to be destined for stardom and success for a relationship of sorts that's quickly meaning more to each of them? When Jude receives a call from the band's manager, he finds himself with an opportunity to return to the band he loves and to go back to being what he was meant to be--a musician. Unfortunately, the band isn't too thrilled about the instant reunion because of what Jude

Delayed Penalty Pilots Hockey # 1 by Sophia Henry Release Date:  September 1, 2015   Loveswept  About Delayed Penalty She closed her heart long ago. He just wants to open her mind. For fans of Toni Aleo and Sawyer Bennett, the debut of Sophia Henry’s red-hot Detroit Pilots series introduces a hockey team full of complicated men who fight for love. Auden Berezin is used to losing people: her father, her mother, her first love. Now, just when she believes those childhood wounds are finally healing, she loses something else: the soccer scholarship that was her ticket to college. Scrambling to earn tuition money, she’s relieved to find a gig translating for a Russian minor-league hockey player—until she realizes that he’s the same dangerously sexy jerk who propositioned her at the bar the night before. Equal parts muscle and scar tissue, Aleksandr Varenkov knows about trauma. Maybe that’s what draws him to Auden. He also lost his family too young, and he channeled the

Note: This ARC was provided by Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept in exchange for an honest review. Auden Berezin has lost her soccer scholarship and needs to have the money to pay for her college education. During her winter break, she's employed as a translator for an up and coming Russian hockey player with the minor league Detroit Pilots. Her initial impression of Aleksandr Varenkov isn't stellar and he can be rather exasperating but there's no denying that she's attracted to him. Pretty soon, she realizes that he's not quite the puck bunny collector she assumed he was and her feelings grow. But the last thing she needs is someone who is guaranteed to do the very same thing others before him have done: leave her. Delayed Penalty is the first book in the  Pilots Hockey new adult (NA) series from Sophia Henry and I've been trying to gather my thoughts to write this review because as much as I didn't hate the book, I can't really say

Note: This ARC was provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. And that was all he needed to hear. All he needed to k now . Even though he still wasn't sure what was between them, whether it was nothing more than an intense physical attraction that would burn bright and extinguish itself quickly once they gave themselves over to it, or if it was something more, something previous and rare and lasting , he was sure that whatever it was, he wanted to see it through to the end. Too Hard to Handle is the eighth and latest novel in the bestselling romantic suspense series Black Knights Inc. by author Julie Ann Walker and this story is one that I've been waiting for ever since the events in the series starter, Hell on Wheels , which saw Patti Currington becoming a casualty when the Black Knights Inc.'s headquarters on Goose Island in Chicago was infiltrated. Her death was a terrible blow to the BKI crew, but nothing compares to

Full Throttle is the seventh book in the always exciting Black Knights Inc. series penned by none other than Julie Ann Walker and takes places in Malaysia before it shifts back to the United States much later in the story. Carlos "Steady" Soto and Abigail Thompson have known each other since he was twenty-four and she was eighteen. The death of Steady's twin sister Rosa during a bombing on campus led him to quit medical school in order to join the military and he and Abby went their separate ways only to find themselves thrown together eight years later. Abby is now the daughter of the President of the United States and Steady, as a member of Black Knights Inc., works for him. When Abby is kidnapped by militants in Malaysia, Steady does whatever's necessary to rescue the woman who's owned his heart for eight years. Carlos Soto and Abby Thompson have had feelings for each other from the time they first met through Carlos's sister Rosa. But with the six

Hell for Leather is the sixth novel in the romantic suspense series Black Knights Inc. from bestselling author Julie Ann Walker and deals with Black Knights Inc.'s Bryan "Mac" McMillan and owner slash bartender of Red Delilah's Biker Bar Delilah Fairchild. Delilah's had a thing for Mac since she first saw him enter her bar four years ago but he's made it abundantly clear that he isn't interested and tends to brush off any kind of flirtation and call for attention. But when Delilah's beloved uncle goes missing, Mac and other members of BKI readily agree to help. What starts off as a seemingly simple case of an elderly man disappearing becomes something far more complicated and is connected with national security. Delilah's life is put in danger when her uncle's abductors intend to use her for leverage and Mac vows to protect her. Delilah Fairchild's bar is a favorite haunt for the operatives of Black Knights Inc. and she's always

Born Wild is the fifth book in the Black Knights Inc. series by bestselling author Julie Ann Walker and finally turns the spotlight on what's been brewing between William "Wild Bill" Reichert, Black Knights Inc.'s resident explosives specialist, and Evelyn "Eve" Edens, heiress and doctorate student since they crossed paths in the second book, In Rides Trouble . The last time Bill and Eve last saw one another was eleven years ago, making promises to be faithful to one another while he went off to continue his Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training. But after Eve decides to give in to the pressure from her father and agrees to go on a date with someone deemed "perfect" for her, their relationship ends. Bill's never gotten over what Eve did but with her life now in danger, he needs to set his animosity aside to help. He was twenty-one and she was only eighteen, but Bill Reichert and Eve Edens were each other's first love. U

Thrill Ride is the fourth book in the addictive and always thrilling Black Knights Inc. series masterminded by bestselling author Julie Ann Walker. With the connection between them established in the third book, Rev It Up , former Navy SEAL and resident interrogator of Black Knights Inc. Richard "Rock" Babineaux and BKI communications specialist Vanessa Cordova find themselves on the run from CIA operatives trying to locate and bring in Rock after he's burned and accused of assassinating several US citizens. Desperate to keep him safe from those after him and wanting him dead or alive and to clear his name, Black Knights Inc. goes all out to save one of their own even as Rock insists they leave him be and allow no other lives be put in jeopardy because of his past actions. The question is: Is Rock innocent or is he guilty? Goodness, this book certainly lives up to its title, never letting up on the throttle in terms of thrills and chills, packing every nook and cran

Rev It Up is the third book in the romantic suspense series entitled Black Knights Inc. from author Julie Ann Walker and shifts a bit, with the focus on two people close to Black Knights Inc. leader Frank "Boss" Knight but neither being an actual team member--Jake "the Snake" Sommers (who I assume is about Frank's age) one of Frank's best friends and former SEAL teammates, and Michelle Knight Carter, a thirty-four-year-old single mother and Frank's younger sister. Shell is the widow of Steven "Preacher" Knight, another member of Frank's SEAL team, but she and Jake used to be in somewhat of a relationship, one that was never consummated though they came close to it one night. Jake's return signals his intention to pursue a relationship with Shell, the only woman he's ever loved, in hopes that she's willing to reciprocate. The events here take place the day after the end of the second book, In Rides Trouble , which had Ja

In Rides Trouble is the second book in the Julie Ann Walker-penned Black Knights Inc. series and continues following the members of an elite spec ops known only by a select few while they masquerade as motorcycle mechanics in Chicago, Illinois. The team is led by Frank "Boss" Knight but the heart of this mish-mash of clandestine operatives is Rebecca "Rebel" Reichert, owner and head designer and fabricator of the motorcycle shop that stands as the front for Black Knights Inc. headquarters. Frank and Becky's back and forth was introduced to readers in the first book, Hell on Wheels , and it was clear to almost everyone except themselves that what they had going on was a lot of verbal foreplay. Here, we get their intense love story with all the sexual tension and bickering to be expected, resulting in one heck of a ride. Frank Knight and Becky Reichert have had the kind of relationship that resorted a great deal on Becky pushing Frank's buttons while

Hell on Wheels is the first book in the Black Knights Inc. romantic suspense series from author Julia Ann Walker and introduces readers to a special operations unit known only to the President of the United States and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They work out of a motorcycle shop but it's what they do behind the scenes that has brought the notoriety and respect of those who know of their existence. Led by Frank "Boss" Knight, this elite group of men are experts in their respective fields, but they know that each assignment may require them to lay their lives on the line, such as the case in this first book, that finds BKI dealing with the loss of one of their own, Grigg Morgan, and how his best friend, Nathan "Ghost" Weller, and his younger sister, Alisa, control their long-held feelings while learning the truth about Grigg's death. Months after his best friend's death, Nate Weller is handling the loss the only way he knows how--by not saying any

Note: This ARC was provided by Avon Books via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Everything appears to be going according to plan in Dr. Amelia Crockett's life...until an expected promotion is given to someone else, leaving the thirty-two-year-old surgeon shocked and confused. She makes her way back home to Wyoming to be with her mother and sisters and finds herself thawing toward the man who always seems to rile her up--patient advocate and former lieutenant Gabriel Harrison. With Mia and Gabe calling a truce, their unexpected camaraderie leads to something more. They work together to help out a group of young war veterans that Gabe has taken under his wing. But with her job waiting for her in New York and the arrival of a ten-year-old boy and his cat into her life, Mia will have to decide if she's going to stick to her long-held plans or if it may finally be time to come up with a new one with Gabe.  The Bride Wore Red Boots is the second novel in the Se

Note: This ARC was provided by St. Martins' Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Sixteen-year-old Alma Garcia has lived most of her life in Gilberton, Georgia but has big dreams for herself. When she meets seventeen-year-old high school senior Evan Roland, she finds herself finally distracted by something other than her familial and academic responsibilities. In spite of their differences, they fall in love and it's the kind of love that makes them feel as if they can conquer anything that comes their way. Until they're faced with the very real problems concerning the status of Alma's family in the country and Evan's own woes concerning his parents, leaving them wondering if their love will be enough. Dream Things True by Marie Marquardt is a thought-provoking young adult (YA) romance between an undocumented Mexican immigrant sixteen-year-old named Alma Garcia and a privileged all-American seventeen-year-old named Evan Roland. Alma'

Note: This ARC was provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Ian and Alexis Montgomery were supposed to be the kind of couple that would remain together for the rest of their lives. But six months ago, after countless attempts of having a child of their own and falining miserably, Ian walked away from the woman he loved and sent her divorce papers soon after. Now, the death of a beloved uncle brings them together, and amid the awkwardness and hurt, they try to be polite and accommodating, especially when Ian brings his girlfriend with him. When they're informed that the cabin that holds a lot of special memories was bequeathed to them, it becomes a turning point in their lives and soon, they'll have to decide if it's finally time to let go and move forward or to hold on and fight. When Least Expected is the first book in a brand new series from Allison B. Hanson entitled Blue Ridge Romance . The book begins with the death of I

Note: This ARC was provided by St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Alex Sanchez is one of Chicago's finest--both in terms of being a police detective and a vampire. When an insistent Keira Turner confronts him about the rash of thefts involving harvested blood, he's stunned when she tells him that she knows he's a vampire. The last thing he needs is her hounding him but when her safety is threatened by a rival group of vampires, Alex provides sanctuary for the granddaughter of the most legendary vampire hunter ever known. Unfortunately, Keira's presence in Vamptown creates complications and threatens security, Alex may have to choose between his oath as a vampire to the other members of the town that he considers home or his feelings for a woman who could very well be The One. Tall, Dark and Immortal is the fourth full-length novel in the Cat Devon-penned paranormal romance series Entity . This book is being posthumously released after

Well-known author and unknown ghost whisperer Sierra Brennan is looking to inherit the house her great-uncle left her, but it appears she's got someone making a claim on the house as well--a vampire named Ronan McCoy. Ronan's family owned the home before he was turned and the one thing that he was focused on while he was indentured to his sire was his sister Adele. Unfortunately, Adele's soul is being held hostage by his sire and if Ronan fails to retrieve a key his sire wants, Ronan will be forced to be indentured for eternity. Add to that Sierra trying to get rid of a gangster poltergeist and both she and Ronan, who end up forming a vampire bond, need to face the challenges together before time runs out. Love Your Entity is the third novel and fourth release in the Entity series from author Cat Devon and brings a fresh flavor to the series with a ghost whispering paranormal romance novelist named Sierra Brennan and a formerly indentured (but could be again) vampi