Still reeling from her broken engagement with Aaron Farsee, Grace Meredes is content to live quietly and hide from the paparazzi. She’s abruptly yanked back into her father’s world when she receives a text from a blackmailer. Her family could be ruined unless she meets the blackmailer in Willowdale. The media reported that Grace dumped her fiancé because she didn’t want to deal with his war wounds and PTSD, so no one will believe that he was the one who cancelled the wedding. Unwilling to expose her private life again, Grace contrives a cover story for her visit to Willowdale, along with a fake name, to keep her dad’s nosy senatorial staff at bay.

When Aaron sees Grace standing at the counter of his auto shop, he dreads the drama that will surely follow. She claims she’s in town to help with the winter festival, but he has trouble believing her. Despite his skepticism he agrees to help her, since the proceeds benefit the veterans hospital. But he is determined not to do anything that might help her father.

When someone leaves a threatening message along with a knife in Grace’s cabin, Aaron’s protective instincts kick in. But he can’t save her from a danger she won’t admit is real. The double threat of the blackmailer and her father’s buried secrets soon leave Grace without anyone to trust but the man who broke her heart.

Title: Storm of Ambition
Author: Lily Black
Series: Willowdale (Book 2)
Pages: 250
Genre(s): Contemporary, US, second chance, romantic suspense,
Hot Buttons: blackmail, minor peril, death of minor character, attempted murder of minor character, stalking <-- highlight to reveal (may contain spoilers)

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Enjoyable but…

3 stars

When I first started this book, I actually had to go back just to make sure I wasn't reading the second part of a dreaded duet. She’s in love with him - he’s in love with her and they’re engaged. That’s the end, right? Wrong! This is a complete standalone (although the second in the Willowdale series) and things are about to go wrong for our couple before they (hopefully) go right. Excellent! Can’t have the characters having it too easy, after all!

We’re into the story and I’m trying to put things together in my head with the blackmailer, Grace’s reasoning for coming to find Aaron, for hiding out. My head started to hurt as I tried to understand what was going on. Then I decided that I didn’t really need to know what was going on to enjoy the book, so I just didn’t think too hard about the blackmailer’s motives - just content in the fact that Grace was being blackmailed. So that was all fine.

That was, however, a little bit of a theme with this book. Lots and lots of detail. I can’t fault the author for trying to really build the world of the town Willowdale and all the colourful characters that lived there. But with the blackmailer, Grace and Aaron’s past, the cast of characters, Grace’s dreams of being a dancer, Aaron’s PTSD and injury and the winter festival… it was a lot.

I was still enjoying myself. The writing carried me forward, I was rooting for our characters to get together again - I do love a second-chance love story - and in terms of the the blackmail plot, see above. And then, at 26%, it all came to a screeching halt when a guy from Grace’s past turns up. Oh, that’s right, he just happens to be the man that had “persuaded” her to cheat on Aaron when she and Aaron were a couple. Yuck. Yuck, yuck yuck. What kind of heroine is this?  Why do I want her to get her happily ever after? At that point, I was so uninterested in continuing the book AND my face was tripping me whenever I thought about it.

When I finally started the next chapter we get a caveat. “It’s okay - they weren’t exclusive at that point and Aaron had slept around a bit, too.” Okay then. So it was a cheap plot trick that nearly backfired! But still, I want my characters to love each other so much that they don’t even look at another person. Or at the very least, have some loyalty and integrity. Sadly, this was indicative of Grace and Aaron’s relationship as a whole. They didn’t have the spark that I wanted them to have - and I felt that both of them, but especially Aaron’s, reasoning for not being with the other, were flimsy and easily surmountable if you really wanted to be with someone. Fear not, though - this is still a happily ever after. Phew!

This is a romantic suspense story so we obviously have the blackmailer and the ‘suspense’ element of our story along with the romance. It worked because it was a little convoluted, and there was a wide range of characters who could be the blackmailer - so it’s a while before you finally get ‘the clue’ that makes you realise who it is. But kudos to Ms Black for then turning things so I doubted myself! There’s suspense, true, but there’s not a lot of peril or fear. I wasn’t scared or anxious and I’m the easiest person in the world to scare!

There were a few niggles that irritated me throughout the book. “Off of” - please just don’t! “Till” instead of “until” or “ ’til” is a personal irritant of mine. But the worst is continuity errors - the most glaring of which was that Grace’s father gave her the nickname “kitten” which she hated. This ended up being slightly pertinent point in the story, yet the next thing we know, the nickname is “Princess”. Just annoying.

There was a lot of instances of characters doing shift changes in relation to how they felt about other characters. I suppose it’s possible, but it didn’t help with how I felt about how these characters came across. For example, before Grace came to town, Aaron had gone on a few dates with/was seeing someone. At the end of the book he’s suddenly saying he always knew she was selfish, childish, and they didn’t have much in common. Similarly, Grace was suspicious of a character being her blackmailer right up to the end. Then, she’s suddenly saying he’s become like a father to her. Dizzying 180s!

For those interested, I don’t recall much (if any) swearing/ foul language, and the sex was limited to a one-liner description.

I had a lot to say about this book and feel I can really only award it 3 stars. However, I read it to the end and genuinely wanted to know what was going to happen - both with the blackmailer and with Grace and Aaron. The writing was engaging and, as I mentioned previously, Ms Black has a talent for building detailed worlds and characters that really come to life. I enjoyed my time living in the world of this book and wouldn’t be averse to reaching for another Lily Black romantic suspense novel again in the future.

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WILLOWDALE SERIES

    

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Anne Cooper lives her life by the playbook…

…until a wildcard football star tempts her to break the rules.

At thirty-two, Anne feels the clock ticking on her dream family. She needs a man who checks the boxes on her ideal husband list. The hot football hero doesn’t match a single one.

She’s not looking for a player. But spending time with Mr. Wrong feels so right.

Wyatt Pearson knows all about hard work—on the field. In the dating world, his celebrity status has paved his way.

But he’s blindsided when he meets the smart, down-to-earth woman who would rather grade papers than watch the Superbowl.

For a chance with Anne, he has to up his game and approach from the heart.

But as Anne and Wyatt fumble through their feelings, someone else is watching from the sidelines, plotting to win her affections. And if this rival can’t have her…no one will.

Title: Love on the Line
Author: Diane Holiday
Series: Love Beyond Danger Book 3
Pages: 389
Genre(s): Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, US
Hot Buttons: /

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I sometimes like to go on a romantic suspense sidetrack which is why this book seemed perfect - a great combination of a love story and something a little edgy.

Both aspects of the story kick off almost right from the start and it’s easy to identify all our players. While there is the suspense element - it’s more in the way of what our “baddy” is going to do rather than who the baddy is, as his identity is revealed almost immediately.

Wyatt is such a cutie pie that I almost immediately fell in love with him. He feels an instant connection to Anne - and Anne to him - but Anne has a plan and it doesn’t include some hotshot playboy. I always like to read about a man doing the chasing - especially when he’s probably not needed to previously - but after the third or fourth attempt to get her to date him, I did get a bit of a funny feeling. While we know that our couple are destined to be together, in real life he should have given up once she’d said no 2 or 3 times.

After their slow start, our couple start to date. Slowly. It seemed that every minute detail of their burgeoning relationship was there for us to read. It really pulled the speed of the story down for me. And with little happening on a physical level, colour me surprised when Wyatt and Anne did have sex and it was descriptive and sexy as hell. I wasn’t expecting that. But I liked it!

Nearly the end of the story, I felt that things suddenly turned, with Wyatt suddenly realising what he really wanted out of life. At the same time the ‘l-word’ declaration also gets made. It felt unrealistic to me and I didn’t buy it, sadly.

I did really enjoy the suspense element of the story, even if the two stories almost ran alongside each other before finally colliding at the end. With that type of story, I did feel that the suspense element took away from the love story instead of adding to it.

This may sound like a bit of a negative review but I did enjoy reading the book. The writing was excellent and really pulled me into the story and the detail - I just felt there was a little too much detail in the early days of Wyatt and Anne’s relationship.

This is the first book I’ve read by Diane Holiday and with her writing, and the suspense element, this won’t be my last. This one didn’t really hit all the spots for me but all the elements are there and others seemed to have very much enjoyed it - so perhaps it’s just the headspace I was in while reading. Just 3 stars from me but don’t let that put you off what is a likeable read.

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* I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

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When a stalker gets too close to plus-size model Mae Cooper, it’s time to hire some muscle.

Closer, an all-new standalone novella in the fan favorite Stage Dive Series from New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott and 1001 Dark Nights, is available now!

Enter former military man turned executive protection officer Ziggy Thayer. Having spent years guarding billionaires, royalty, and rock n roll greats, he’s seen it all. From lavish parties through to every kind of excess.

There’s no reason some Instagram stylista should throw him off his game. Even if she does have the most dangerous curves he’s ever seen...

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

Title: Closer
Author: Kylie Scott
Series: 1001 Dark Nights
Pages: 107
Genre(s): Contemporary, US, Romantic Suspense
Hot Buttons: n/a


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I very much enjoyed the last (which also happened to be the first) Kylie Scott book that I read (Lies, if you’re interested!) and have previously enjoyed the 1001 Dark Nights series so this book sounded like a good bet. And it definitely was.

Despite having read previous 1001 Dark Nights books, this was the first one where I’ve read (or even noticed) the prologue explaining the Arabian Nights theme and the tale of Scheherazade as she desperately attempts to entertain her husband, the King of Persia, with nightly stories so that he will postpone her execution. I admit to being a little confused by this. It bore no relation to the story and there seemed to be little point to including it. But confusion over - onto the story!

This was a short, novella book and it’s great for a couple of nights’ bedtime reading. While it’s part of Ms Scott’s Stage Dive series (which focuses on a super famous and successful rock band), it stands completely alone. I haven’t read any of these novels previously and never found myself lost. For those who have read the series, I can imagine you’ll delight in seeing the couples again and finding out small snippets of where their lives have come.

I enjoyed Mae - our plus-sized model. Even more than that, I loved that ‘plus-size’ was simply a description of what type of model she was. It didn’t define her. In fact, other than referring to her gorgeous curves, Ms Scott never went down the expected (by me, I’ll admit) route of having her hung-up about her body, have her be slightly self-conscious or anxious about her sexuality. Major plus points. She did waffle on in her slightly ditzy internal dialogue every now and then which did make my head spin - but all in all, I liked her.

Ziggy was the hot, silent bodyguard who couldn’t quite mask his reaction to Mae. I loved seeing him lose his cool and how hot he was for Mae. But Ziggy? Ziggy? Urgh what a name. I finally got the rock reference (when it was explained to me about halfway through the book!) but by then I had the weedy, annoying guy from Big Brother UK in my head and little could be done to get rid of that mental image, sadly. Just not a name that conjured sexy man vibes for me.

There was just enough suspense to make for an interesting storyline along with the romance. It’s just enough for a self-proclaimed scaredy cat like me. And we get a satisfying conclusion to all elements of the story so another plus point.

We had the expected sexy shenanigans and I’ll admit I was a little disappointed that they had an enlightened chat before getting on down. Yeah, yeah - talking is good in real life - but in my novels I sometimes just want ‘shove each other up against a wall’ type of stuff. But the fact that there were sexy times of any sort is another plus for this book.

All in all, I enjoyed this tale immensely. Ms Scott has a fun and readable way of writing a story that I very much enjoy. A quick and satisfying tale. 4 stars.

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AUTHOR BIO!

 

Kylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013, 2014 & 2018, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films.

Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet.

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AUTHOR LINKS!

                                 

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EXCERPT! 

“Your keys and security alarm code please, miss?” he asked, hand held out waiting.

It might have just been me, but we seemed to be standing awfully close together. It almost seemed weirdly intimate. Almost. No, my bad. Ziggy wore his usual professional façade with nary a hint of emotion on display. His gaze was shuttered, his bearing military rigid. It was definitely just me and my overactive imagination. Being vaguely attracted to your bodyguard was kind of a pain in the ass. Not that I couldn’t use the distraction right now.

Ziggy continued to stand there patiently waiting.

“Keys. Right.” I rummaged inside my Balenciaga City bag. Designer goodies were not only a weakness of mine, but a happy perk of being in the industry and achieving some small fame. “Ah, just a minute. They’re in here somewhere.”

I pushed aside my purse, a cashmere shawl, tampons, a candy bar, some loose change, my small Chanel cosmetics case, a power bank, hair ties, pepper spray, a copy of the latest Sarah MacLean book, mints, a spare charging cable for my cell phone, the cell phone itself, Chapstick, Prada sunglasses case, my grandma’s rosary, dental floss, deodorant, a couple of pens, Kleenex, ear buds, water bottle, a USB stick, reusable straw, condoms, nail file, some old receipts, a travel size umbrella, hand sanitizer, lotion, a pair of pearl earrings, tweezers, Advil, a hair band, and some bobby pins.

“Sorry about this,” I murmured. “I know I put them in here when we left.”

He said nothing. A whole lot of nothing.

“Huh.” With a great sense of victory, I held up a bottle of nail polish. “I thought I’d lost this.”

One of his dark brows crept upwards.

“I’ll have you know this color was limited edition. Little Death at Midnight by Oxley. You can’t buy it anymore.”

His lips did not move, but that damn eyebrow arched even higher as he leaned forward a little and took in the contents of my bag. I swear his eyes widened.

“Don’t you judge me. All of these things are necessary for my ongoing existence.”

“Of course they are, miss.” The man was so judging me. Bastard. “You carry a koozie around with you, I see.”

“It pays to be ready to party, Mr. Thayer.”

 

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Betty Dawsey knows that breaking things off with Thom Lange is for the best. He’s nice, but boring, and their relationship has lost its spark. But steady and predictable Thom, suddenly doesn’t seem so steady and predictable when their condo explodes and she’s kidnapped by a couple of crazies claiming that Thom isn’t who he says he is.

Thom is having a hellish week. Not only is he hunting a double agent, but his fiancé dumped him, and thanks to his undercover life, she’s been kidnapped.

Turns out Thom is Operative Thom and he’s got more than a few secrets to share with Betty if he’s going to keep her alive. With both their lives on the line, their lackluster connection is suddenly replaced by an intense one. But in his line of work, feelings aren’t wanted or desired. Because feelings can be a lethal distraction.

Title: Lies
Author: Kylie Scott
Series: /
Pages: 242
Genre(s): Contemporary, US, Romantic Suspense
Hot Buttons: death of minor characters <-- highlight to reveal (may contain spoilers)

Release Date: 21st July, 2019


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I rarely delve into the world of romantic suspense and it’s this kind of book that makes me wonder why I don’t read them more often. We get a bit of everything - action, romance and a touch of humour. All the good stuff. The whole storyline of them being together and then kind-of not, also gave this a second-chance vibe that I totally got behind.

This particular book features Betty and her dull, soon to be ex, fiancé, Thom. It’s written in first person present tense and it’s 100% in Betty’s POV. By writing it this way, we’re just as in the dark about Thom’s true character and motives as Betty. It’s infuriating and very, very clever. We’re all in with Betty in this book and that’s no bad thing as she’s a great character. A curvy florist thrown into a very bizarre and dangerous set of circumstances while dealing with the equally bizarre ‘transformation’ of her formerly dull, maybe ex, fiancé. She’s real and likeable - and at times, hella funny. We also get very few ‘Bettys’ in romance so it was refreshing - and really fit with her character who had a very 50s style vibe.

Then we have Thom. And why oh why does having that extra ‘h’ in his name make him all the hotter? He’s a bit of an enigma but I immediately liked the way he was dedicated to Betty and really wanted to convince her to give their romance a try. He was obviously smitten even if Betty herself couldn’t see it. Of course, the kick-ass, super spy thing was just icing on the cake!

I was a wee bit confused why Thom felt he needed to temper his feelings for Betty while they were in their relationship before the events in the book. There was some excuse of ‘I have to maintain my cover’ by having sub-standard sex with you which baffled me no end. I was kind of under the impression that people who are not super-spies are also capable of hot sex but maybe I’ve been wrong all this time! Betty also had problems about her feelings for Thom as the book went on. Understandable - but she told him she loved him for the first time during the events of the book. She agreed to marry a man she didn't love? Weird. But hey - the book was fast paced, interesting and I was really enjoying the excitement so these were just tiny things that confused me.

Up until about 80% this was a solid 5-star read for me. And then something happened in the conclusion of the book that knocked it down a star for me, unfortunately. I’m not going to spoil anything for anyone… but the whole way that Betty resolved her issues with Them towards the end of the novel was just too ridiculous and far-fetched for me. And that’s after all the kidnappings, gunfights, deaths etc etc etc. I also simply didn’t like what she did. But please don’t worry - this book still concludes satisfactorily and it’s a happy ending. Phew!

This is the first book by Kylie Scott that I’ve read and I enjoyed it a lot. It was interesting, compelling and with a storyline that was easy-to-follow yet very engrossing. I’m not sure if this is the start of a new series but I’d love to read Bear, Crow and even Fox’s stories and will look out for other books by Ms Scott in the future. A very high 4 star read.

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AUTHOR BIO!

 

Kylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013, 2014 & 2018, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films.

Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet.

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Click to see other books by Kylie Scott