She's his for the holidays...and he's unwrapping her every night!

Dark and brooding hotel magnate Will Walker is exactly what Laura Edwards wants for Christmas. Too bad he can't forgive her for disappearing from their unhappy existence in foster care without a word. But when a snowstorm leaves her sharing Will's penthouse over Christmas, the passion between them burns brighter than Times Square. This time, can Will trust Laura to stay?

Title: Sinfully Yours
Author: Margot Radcliffe
Series: n/a
Pages: 148
Genre(s): Harlequin / Mills & Boon Dare, Second Chance, Christmas
Hot Buttons: Difficult childhoods

Release Date: 29th October, 2020

Sexy, festive and enjoyable

4 stars

I was a huge fan of the Mills & Boon / Harlequin Blaze line and I’ve never felt the subsequent Dare line has ever lived up to Blaze’s standards. This book, however, is the first Dare book I’ve read that reminded me of the Blaze line with its strong heroine, deliciously broody male, and an interesting story that was both romantic and sexy.

Will and Laura bump into each other 15 years after their traumatic time as neglected foster kids. Back then, the pair were inseparable - protectors, best friends and each other’s safe space. Until Laura is fostered out and away from Will. Their past - and Laura’s leaving - has caused massive emotional issues in both our characters in the story.

Laura was a great character. For the most part, she’d put her difficult past behind her and had become a successful, strong and happy person. She was fairly chill, except when it came to her guilt regarding Will. Her inner thoughts show us how conflicted she is - and she knows herself well enough to know that she won’t ever be able to keep Will at arm’s length. Yet she also respects herself enough to know that she can’t accept half measures - she wants all of Will or none at all. I admired and liked her.

While Will was probably a typical grumpy, alpha billionaire - he, more than most, had reason to be a little bit wary and standoffish. He had issues regarding his past and yet he was still playful, kind and a good guy. He was my favourite kind of hero - the kind that just needs a big ol’ hug from a good woman.

I loved the connection between Will and Laura. From their first (re)meeting, they fall back into an easy friendship - this time with more adult vibes. And those adult vibes led to some very adult situations which were deliciously hot - exactly what I’m looking for from this kind of book.

We get to a very satisfying conclusion and HEA with this story…but I’m going to admit that when I turned the last page, I screamed in frustration. If there was ever a story that was crying out for an epilogue, it was this one. I can even picture it - Will and Laura celebrating Christmas perhaps 5 years later. Kiddos, dogs, fireplaces, love - I wanted it all. I’m still bitter. Give me epilogues, dammit!

And speaking of Christmas - this book had a nice festive vibe to it. New York in the snow. Family. Presents. Cookies. Christmas movies. Fireplaces. Flannel jammies with reindeer motifs. It was happiness.

Overall, this book was a fun read and while the characters were overcoming difficult childhoods, it never got too angsty or overly emotional. The writing was fresh and readable - drawing you into the story and making you want to keep reading. Sexy with emotions - I really enjoyed this book and Will and Laura’s story. Margot Radcliffe’s writing style reminded me of the Blaze of old and I will be looking out for more from her in the future. A very high 4-star read and recommended.

 

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What’s the actual last thing you’d ever want your executive assistant to see you doing the morning after you had hot, drunk, angry sex with her in a terrible hotel room? Dancing around your terrible hotel room to “Come and Get Your Love” like Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy—naked? Yeah. Me too.

And yet, here we are.

This isn’t even the most unprofessional thing that’s happened between us in the past couple of weeks.

The first was when I agreed to let her have Christmas Day off, but only if she goes with me to three family gatherings as my fake girlfriend.
The second was when she caught me belting out a Christmas song on stage in the awful hotel bar.
The third was the hot, drunk, angry sex that followed, but I do not regret it.

And she hasn’t even found out the real reason I need her by my side this holiday season.

I need to pull it together before I do the dumbest, most unprofessional thing of all—fall head over heels in love with the only assistant who’s lasted more than a month at the job and claims to hate me and my moods more than she hates eggnog.

And I’ve seen how much she hates eggnog.

Title: A Very Bossy Christmas
Author: Kayley Loring
Series: tbc
Pages: 255
Genre(s): Contemporary, US, Enemies to Lovers, Office Romance
Hot Buttons: n/a

Release Date: 26th October, 2020

Sexy, festive and so much fun

5 stars

When I imagine a book about a sexy, grumpy boss falling in love with his long-suffering assistant, I immediately assume that the hero will be a quiet and broody while the heroine is quiet, somewhat submissive and hiding her light under a bushel.

This is so not that story.

From the first page, you realise the relationship between Declan and Maddie is full of bickering, sarcasm, eye-rolling and taking little digs at each other. This is clearly foreplay which is obvious to everyone except Declan and Maddie. That’s not to say that Declan isn’t a little bit of an asshole to Maddie. She’s strong enough to dish it right back to him but he does deserve a slap every now and then.

For the first wee while, like I said, Declan was an asshole. But he tempered it with joking, teasing and bantering with Maddie. Yet as the story progresses, we begin to see something deeper with Declan. It’s so subtle, but little things he thinks and says, little looks he gives and his actions begin to show his vulnerabilities. My heart started to hurt for him and I began to really root for him. And want to give him a big hug, obviously!

I liked Maddie from the start. She was no nonsense and while she gave as good as she got with Declan, she was still infuriated by, and attracted to him. It was hilarious to watch her battle with herself about what she should do and how she should play things. And like Declan, with each chapter, we learn a little more about Maddie and she becomes more human and more open with her thoughts and feelings. And how she and Declan interact. My hurting heart began to swell.

The foreplay/banter is on point with this story which leads to an unbelievably hot sex session when things get to a head. Wow! Merry Christmas to all of us! There was more sex in the book after that and while nothing compared to that first time, it was all still hot, sexy and still fun.

This story gave me lots of Christmas feels. It’s not festive in a ‘snow falling, sitting by the fireplace sipping hot chocolate’ kind of way. It’s just got heart to it - especially in the family scenes. And we get lots of references and puns with Christmas songs and carols. Good grief - who knew that so many Christmas songs could be made to sound so dirty? *Slow clap*

It took me a couple of chapters to get fully into the story (don’t worry, the chapters are short) but once I did, I devoured this story. I liked the change up of traditional storytelling, text message conversations and, once or twice, hilarious diary entries from Piper - Maddie’s niece. All these elements worked so well and were just what I needed. This was definitely an ‘ach- I’ll just read one more chapter’ kind of book.

This is my first Kayley Loring book but it certainly won’t be my last. Her writing is fast, sassy, fun and filthy. It’s packed with fun references, tons of sweary words and moments of absolute hilarity.  And the banter - oh the banter! You could practically hear the character voices coming through the pages, they felt so real.

While this book stands alone with its own HEA, I did make a note to myself to demand a book for Eddie, Declan’s brother (hopefully with nerdy Birdie) in the future. Imagine my delight to hear it’s already in the works and coming in April 2021. Yay - a new series to indulge in.

This book was an absolute delight. Characters that grow with the story, a believable relationship and sass, sex, shenanigans and Christmas - what more could you ask for? Highly recommended - definitely a 5 star read.

 

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It only took one night with her to make me reconsider everything I thought I wanted.

Marriage and relationships aren’t for me.

I have no desire to revisit my failures. Now I work hard and play hard--period.

Until suddenly there she is. Sexy. Unexpected. Sweet. Unforgettable.

One unprecedented night with her only whets my appetite for more.

She’s been burned before, which makes her suspicious of me. Doesn’t think she’s good enough, that I’d prefer someone more… society.

If only she knew how uninterested I am in other women since I first laid eyes on her.

And I hope she never knows the things I think about when I look at her now.

Fairy tales endings are meant for children’s books. I know that.

But I write my own stories...

Title: The Billionaire's Cinderella
Author: Ava Ryan
Series: Fairy Tale Billionaire Series (Book 3)
Pages: 206
Genre(s): Contemporary, US, Billionaire Romance, Fairy Tale Romance
Hot Buttons: n/a

Release Date: 22nd October, 2020

A great end to the series

4 stars

This is the third (and presumably last) book in the Fairy Tale Billionaires series, three standalone books about three billionaire brothers and the women they fall for. However, I would like to add my name to the list requesting that we get Ella’s brother, Liam’s story in the future!

Ryker is by far the mellowest of the three Black brothers - but he’s definitely still got the same traits as his brothers. He’s still alpha, arrogant, cocky, gorgeous and once he sets his sights on his woman - he’s a goner! Ryker is also sweet, kind and so attentive to Ella, not wanting to push her more than she’s ready for.

And Ella definitely has some issues from her past that make her more than a little wary about relationships in general, and relationships with rich men even more than that. I could understand her reluctance, and her trust issues, but she sometimes crossed the line into irritating on occasion. She gave Ryker such a hard time based on her hang-ups when the poor man hadn’t done anything wrong. At times I felt a wee bit sorry for the poor guy - especially when he adored Elle so much.

Other than the times they were at odds, I enjoyed Ryker and Ella’s relationship. Their banter was cute and the sex was smoking hot. I whizzed through the book, too. The story and Ms Ryan’s writing, as always, keeping me entertained and engrossed from the first page to the last. I wasn’t all that happy about the jump in time to 1 year later - but I lived with it by pretending it wasn’t such a long time frame!

It was also nice to get some cameos from people from earlier in the series - mostly Bellamy and Griffin, although Carly and Damon also pop up towards the end. I love the brothers’ banter with each other and seeing them all mellow and in love!

As all three books in this series take place at the same time - each brother meets his significant other on the same night - we do get some crossover with the last book. It was fun to see a scene from The Billionaire’s Beauty from a different perspective. But fear not, you don’t have to read any of the other books in the series to understand and enjoy this one. But you should - because they’re all great!

Ava Ryan has been a great find and this book really lived up to her previous books and my estimations. Whether you’re following the series or not, I would give this book 4 stars and recommend it.

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR!

 

Ava Ryan is an author of sexy contemporary romance. Her favorite things, in no special order, are animals, her family, cookies, people with great senses of humor and love stories. Currently in her writer’s cave (ostensibly working hard on her next book while also checking Netflix every few hours to make sure she hasn’t missed a new true crime documentary show), she loves hearing from readers via her website or social media. If you love billionaire alpha males, the feisty women who snag their hearts and books that end with a happily ever after, you’ve come to the right place. Please make sure to subscribe to Ava’s newsletter to stay in the loop about her latest releases and upcoming books!

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-Gabriel-
When I’m forced to make a deal with my father to marry the woman of his choosing for a business deal, I never expected to find someone I connect with. Someone who doesn’t fawn all over me because I’m the heir to a billion dollar fortune. Someone who sees the real me. And someone I can’t get enough of in turn.
There’s only one problem - I can’t have her. She’s the wedding planner.

-Mackenzie-
It’s the chance of a lifetime - plan the wedding of a billionaire’s son that’ll put my event planning business on the map and get me out of debt. A no brainer, right?
Except the bride wants nothing to do with this arranged marriage. And as the groom and I get closer, the professional lines between us blur until there’s something there neither of us can deny. With my business on the line and our chemistry off the charts, I’m torn whether I should keep resisting the one person I never expected to fall for.

Title: Resisting the Billionaire
Author: Allie Winters
Series: Bishop Brothers (Book 1)
Pages: 308
Genre(s): Contemporary, US, Billionaire Romance,
Hot Buttons: n/a


Release Date: 22nd October, 2020


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Superb romance

5 stars

Oh - but this is a good book! Allie Winters is a new-to-me author and I’m so glad that she’s now on my radar. This book hooked me from beginning to end and I was so invested in the characters and the storyline that I never wanted it to end. I’m so pleased that this is the first in a new series as that means I’ll get more time with Gabriel, Mackenzie and the other Bishop brothers in the future.

As I mentioned, this is the first book in a new series around the Bishop Brothers - standalone tales of a trio of billionaire brothers of New York. This first tale focuses on middle brother, Gabriel.

At first, I thought Gabriel was an odd choice as the first brother to get his own story - after all, he’s the playboy wastrel of the brothers. I probably thought that for about a page and a half before I started to fall in love with the charm and hidden depths of Gabriel. He was one of those heroes who act jovial and devil-may-care but is actually quite complex and has a hard time with his place in life - as the seemingly care-free son of a billionaire mogul. He was also sweet and caring - especially to Mackenzie. He was just adorable.

I had no such reservations about Mackenzie as I loved her straight away. She’s determined, proud, slightly neurotic and trying her best to do the right thing. I understood every single thought and dilemma she faced and I can’t say I’d have done anything differently than she herself did. Okay, maybe I might have thrown myself at Gabriel despite the barriers!

And there are definitely barriers to our pair being together. Yep - his impending marriage! Okay, so some little kissing and the like happens while Gabriel is engaged (some might consider this cheating - I personally do not) but for the most part, the pair are strictly ‘friends’ which is great for building sexual tension which, when it explodes, it bangs gooooood! I enjoyed myself as much as the couple, I think!

So we’ve got great characters, a great build-up of sexual tension and a very real issue of what can possibly be done to make sure our couple end up together. But, for me, it was the building of a friendship between Gabriel and Mackenzie that gave this book a great edge. They just fit together. They made each other better in every way and I felt that. And I loved it. I loved everything about them as a couple - even the angst!

Even towards the culmination of the story, I still wasn’t sure what would happen to set everything straight. So when everything went down, I read the paragraph, moved on, then had to go back to say ‘whaaaaaaat?’ I wasn’t expecting that but my God, I’m here for it! Genius move on the author’s part.

So, all’s well that ends well. We get our HEA and a cute epilogue. Even better, if you sign up for Ms Winter’s e-newsletter, you get a free second epilogue and it’s so freaking cute. I was so happy. I love an epilogue and I love Gabriel and Mackenzie.

Two teeny tiny points to mention. Firstly, the hero’s mean father is called Harold Bishop. Anyone who grew up in the UK or Oz will definitely have a hard time picturing old Harold as a mean man. Every time he’s mentioned, I giggled a little!

And in what’s fast moving to the top of my hate list - till. It was used an inordinate amount of time in this book and my ass twitched every time. Until or ’til - pretty please?!

Anyway, this book left me with a smile on my face and an extreme yearning for the next book in the series - Archer’s story. As I mentioned, Allie Winter’s was a new-to-me author, but I’m now away to see what else she’s written as her writing style was fresh, fun and definitely struck a chord with me. 5 stars for this one and highly recommended.

 

 

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I may be a shy, lowly letter carrier, but when my beloved apartment building is threatened by a mysterious and reclusive billionaire, I’m willing to push the envelope. I’m going to march right up to Malcolm Blackberg’s fortress of fierceness and deliver a cease-and-desist notice he can’t refuse.

Except as soon as I get inside his gilded doors, things go sideways—I’m mistaken for Malcolm’s court-ordered emotional IQ coach, as if I’m acting out a wacky postal carrier cosplay.

They drag me in, a sacrificial lamb for the big bad. Make that big, smolderingly sexy bad.

So I make up a lesson involving a story about our building. He doesn’t seem happy. Can he tell that I have no idea what I'm doing?

Before I know it I’m flying around the country, up close and personality testing the most devilishly exasperating man I’ve ever met.

He’s scary for sure…but the way he sometimes looks at me turns my knees to jelly, and has me writing love letters to his gorgeous eyes, his mouthwatering smile, his impressive…package.

Our coaching sessions are getting hot-hot-hot, but I can’t let my guard down. If he ever finds out I’m a first-class fake, I’ll lose everything I’ve ever loved in this world!

Title: Return Billionaire to Sender
Author: Annika Martin
Series: Billionaires of Manhattan (Book 5)
Pages: 346
Genre(s): Contemporary, US, Billionaire Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romcom
Hot Buttons: n/a


Release Date: 20th October, 2020


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Absolutely adored it

5 stars

Oh. My. God. This book. Wow!

But let’s get the basics out the way before I start waxing lyrical about this amazing book! This is the 5th book in the Billionaires of Manhattan series. The books are connected as they all revolve around a group of friends from an apartment complex in NYC, but each book stands alone and has its own HEA.

Noelle is on a mission to save her building - due to be torn down by evil developer, Malcolm Blackberg. But Malcolm is ridiculously hard to get a meeting with - not that anyone would dare to meet the man face-to-face. So when a fortuitous set of circumstances grant Noelle an audience with Sir Grumps-a-lot, it seems like fate. Until Noelle realises Malcolm’s not who he pretends to be - all while she’s pretending she’s someone she’s not!

Noelle probably isn’t how you’d initially imagine a romance heroine - she’s shy, slightly dorky, rule-following mail carrier. But let me tell you she’s absolute perfection. It’s not just her loyalty, and determination to see the best in people, but the fact that she regularly pushes herself to do what needs to be done. Her internal pep-talks are all of us. But a lot of my love for her is in how Malcolm sees her. From the first, he sees something in Noelle that other people don’t - maybe even Noelle herself. It’s everything.

Malcolm himself is, well, the most gorgeous pain in the ass. He’s grumpy, he’s rude and he’s all business. Which makes it even more delicious that he’s so completely befuddled by Noelle and can’t understand what’s happening to him. There were times in the book where I was sure that Malcolm was FINALLY beginning to get some empathy only for him to prove me wrong. The change in him is so subtle as his relationship with Noelle progresses, that you barely even realise it’s happening. Ultimately, gruff, grumpy Malcolm just needs a big ol’ hug from the woman of his dreams.

The physical relationship between Malcolm and Noelle doesn’t happen immediately but it’s teased almost from the get-go. It’s back to Malcolm’s instant fascination with Noelle - and her little butterfly bow tie thingies. He’s obsessed and it’s hilarious! And the tension only gets stronger the more time our couple spend together. And with each different butterfly tie Noelle wears. So when it’s time - *happy sighs*.

It’s really towards the end of the book when everything really started to impact me. Those feels. Goddammit those feels. We’re waiting for that inevitable shoe to drop, just when Malcolm and Noelle are realising that they are ridiculously perfect for each other and have a connection neither can deny. I wanted to keep reading almost as much as I didn’t want to - because I knew what was coming and I wanted Noelle and Malcolm to stay in their happy bubble.

In the end, everything works out wonderfully - I mean of course it does. But on the way there, I found myself ugly crying, sniffling with delight and busting out a laugh every now and then. I had so much fun on this book journey.

Simply, I adored this book. One of the best books of 2020 - it lifted my spirits and made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Annika Martin has just been added to my auto-buy list and I cannot recommend this book enough. If you love the ‘grumpy one falls for the sunshine one’ trope with hijinks, shenanigans, sexiness and laughter thrown in - you will love this book as much as I did. 5 huge stars.

 

 

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AUTHOR BIO!

Annika Martin loves fun, dirty stories, hot heroes, and wild, dramatic everything. She enjoys hanging out in Minneapolis coffee shops with her writer husband, and also likes birdwatching at her bird feeder alongside her two stunningly photogenic cats, especially when she should be writing. She’s heavy into running, music, saving the planet, taking long baths, and consuming chocolate suckers. 

She’s worked a surprisingly large number of waitressing jobs, and has also worked in a plastics factory and the advertising trenches; her garden is total bee-friendly madness and her most unfavorite word is nosh or possibly fob. A NYT bestselling author, she has also written as RITA award-winning author Carolyn Crane.

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