Seth Loveless has been my weakness since I was sixteen years old.

Two years ago, I moved back to my hometown. I started a business, bought a house, took up yoga, and went on hiatus from dating. Life is good.
If I never had to see Seth, it would be perfect.
After all, my history with my ex-boyfriend is anything but simple. It’s taken us years, but we’ve finally learned to live in the same town without killing each other.
Is there an elaborate set of rules governing our every casual interaction?
Yes.
Do I still think dirty, off-limits thoughts every single time I see him buying apples at the grocery store?
Of course. I’m only human, and Seth and I are practically experts at the two F’s: fighting, and…
...sleeping together.
Still, we’re managing just fine.
And then?
He shows up at my sister’s wedding. The man looks like pure sex in a suit, handsome as the devil himself and twice as charming.
Worse, he claims he’s my date.
We flirt.
We dance.
We break every one of our carefully-crafted rules, and we… should stop.
Too bad I’m having the time of my life.
I know I should end it. After all the heartbreak, hurt, and anger we can’t be more than enemies.
But Seth asks me for one more night.
Just one night.
Then, we’re back to being virtual strangers to each other.
I know I should turn him down.
I know this ends with my heart shattered into a million pieces.
I know lunacy is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

But I’ve always been bad at resisting a weakness.

Title: One Last Time
Author: Roxie Noir
Series: Loveless Brothers (Book 5)
Pages: 528
Genre(s): Contemporary, US, Second Chance
Hot Buttons: n/a

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A story of perfectly imperfect love

5 stars

For those who have been reading their way through the Loveless Brothers’ series - this is the one we’ve had teased since the first book - and the one we’ve all been waiting for - Seth and Delilah’s story. For those who are new to the series - fear not - this story does stand alone although you’re going to want to snap up the rest of the series after you’re done with this one.

Seth and Delilah have a history. And it’s complicated. Although, going in, I knew none of the detail of their story before starting the book, from comments in other books, Delilah isn’t the best liked girl in Sprucevale - by the Loveless family at least. So I was delightfully surprised to find myself not just liking Delilah but loving her. She’s a bit of a hot mess in the best possible way. She’s quirky, funny and just as confused about life, love and everything as the rest of us. My heartstrings weren’t just tugged, they were wrenched, as Delilah and Seth battled their feelings and each other.

Seth is a Loveless brother so he’s already exactly the kind of hero I want to read about - even before we learn more about him. He’s the organised, analytical brother who, despite his tendency towards more casual relationships, has feelings so deep even he has trouble both understanding and controlling them.

The actual relationship between Seth and Delilah is combustible. It’s at times hard to read when you can clearly see how much they care for each other. But it’s also easy to see how they get into all their fights. Hurting each other as they themselves are hurting. It’s heartbreaking at times.

Of course, all the sex more than makes up for any poignant moments! As I said, the pair are combustible and in those scenes I was on fire just as much as they were. *Fans self* But even when the pair decide to date without sex, it’s still so steamy your kindle will melt.

And we also get a whole lot of humour. I laughed out loud on more than one occasion, cementing the fact that Roxie Noir writes hella funny stories better than most.

The banter is, as always with Ms Noir, completely on point. I could read about the Loveless brothers - and their significant others - just chatting away, ribbing each other and loving hard, all day. We also get some moments of Rusty - Seth’s 9 year old niece. I’m not normally one for kids in my romances but Rusty is the exception. She’s a hoot! And - thank the Lord - Silas makes a couple of appearances. I cannot wait for his story. And now I’m also looking for the story of Wyatt and Lainey - Delilah’s cousin and best friend who seemed to have some chemistry during their brief appearances in this story.

This is the best kind of story and the most satisfying to read. It’s got that deep, forever-love kind of feeling but with enough obstacles to make the final outcome so gratifying it’ll make you want to cry. And cry I did. Happy tears. Because it all worked out in the end and nobody deserved it more than Delilah and Seth. And us, of course! So highly recommended. Left me with a delightfully happy feeling. 5 stars. 

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AUTHOR BIO!

I love writing sexy, alpha men and the headstrong women they fall for.

My weaknesses include: beards, whiskey, nice abs with treasure trails, sarcasm, cats, prowess in the kitchen, prowess in the bedroom, forearm tattoos, and gummi bears.

I live in California with my very own sexy, bearded, whiskey-loving husband and two hell-raising cats.

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LOVELESS BROTHER'S SERIES! 

 

 

 

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Amalie Warner wants another shot to prove that she can be a successful writer. After hitting the bestseller’s list nine years ago, she’s lost her spark. Feeling pressure from her father to leave her writing behind and to work for her family’s lucrative hotel business, she’s desperate to find inspiration for her next big idea, something that challenges and excites her, something real.

Enter Julian Smoke, a failed tennis player making a dream run for the US Open. After a chance meeting at a bar, Amalie hates him instantly. He’s cocky and arrogant, but Amalie knows his story could be her big break. Could he be more?

Everyone knows that in tennis, love means zero, but these two are about to change that.

Title: Painting the Lines
Author: Ashley R. King
Series: Ace of Hearts (Book 1)
Pages: 272
Genre(s): Contemporary, Romcom, Sports Romance, Enemies to Lovers
Hot Buttons: n/a

Release Date: 17th August, 2020

Ohmigosh - so good

5 stars

What a treat this book was! It’s the first book from Ashley R. King that I’ve read but I loved her style, humour and storytelling, so it definitely won’t be the last.

I can’t say I’ve ever seen another sports romance book with tennis as the sport in question - although I’m not sure why not. I personally love tennis, but if you’re not a fan, you’ll be in good company because neither is our heroine, Amalie. We also never get bogged down in tennis detail and only the Big 4 are mentioned by name and very infrequently at that.

I LOVE an enemies to lovers story and this is what we get here as Amalie and Julian dislike each other almost from first sight. But it’s the best kind of enemies - bickering and snipping at each other while trying to ignore their growing attraction.

To say this is a slow burn is doing a massive disservice to the author’s ability to grow and build the sexual chemistry and tension between our couple until it’s almost a living, breathing character in itself. Believe me, everyone was frustrated but in the best possible way. It was so wonderful - they way their bickering turned playful and how they both dealt with their feelings. Oh, and how Paul cockblocked the couple at every turn!

When we finally get there, it’s deliciously sexy with equally delicious feels. Happy sighs.

The book really put me in mind of the film, The Cutting Edge. It had that same relationship dynamic, the same humour and the same excitement of the underdog. I laughed out loud on occasion during the story and was just as nervous for Julian as he returned to the tennis circuit. I was along for the ride and completely committed to our couple and their lives.

This is the kind of book I expect to stay with me for a long time. Once finished, I had that same excitement as if I’d just finished watching a wonderful tennis tournament or seeing a happy film. It’s very much a fairytale ending and I was here for it completely. And there was an epilogue which made me an even happier bunny.

If you’re looking for a well-written romance with characters you’ll fall for and feel for, laughs and love, leaving you within all round happy feeling - then this is the book for you. I loved it and the tennis was just the cherry on top. 5 stars.

 

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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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-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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