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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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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