Cover Love -- and Cover Reveal!

WHEN YOU ARE MINE (June 17, 2014) introduces the story of Kerris Moreton, a foster child who has thrived despite her circumstances and is ready to open her own business and accept a marriage proposal. Unfortunately, the only thing missing in her would-be-fiancé Cam is the passionate connection he believes is overrated but Kerris craves. Lucky for her, she meets a man who lights her up like the Fourth of July.

Walsh Bennett is one of the East Coast’s most eligible bachelors, and Cam’s best friend. He’s used to plenty of female attention, but lately he’s been distracted by the one woman he can’t have. Kerris is the soulmate Walsh never thought he would fine, but too bad his best friend found her first.

Amazon     |     B&N     |     Goodreads

LOVING YOU ALWAYS (October 17, 2014) is book two in The Bennetts Series. We don’t want to spoil anything, so you’ll just have to wait to see what happens with Kerris, Walsh and Cam in WHEN YOU ARE MINE first!

Amazon     |     B&N     |     Goodreads

Aren't these covers great?  Thanks to Ms. Ryan and Forever Romance for allowing me to be a part of the cover reveals for When You Are Mine and Loving You Always!   

Author Kennedy Ryan has had several signs that she would be a writer, and finally circled back after years of gainful employment. She is a mom to a wonderful son living with autism. This is her debut novel and a percentage of her royalties are donated to families living with autism through her personal foundation as well as through TACA, Talk About Curing Autism. You can learn more about Kennedy Ryan at her Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Review: Once in a Lifetime by Jill Shalvis

SOMETIMES WRONG IS OH-SO-RIGHT

After a wrenching loss, Ben McDaniels tried to escape his grief by working in dangerous, war-torn places like Africa and the Middle East. Now he’s back in his hometown and face-to-face with Aubrey Wellington, the hot-as-hell woman who is trouble with a capital T. Family and friends insist she’s not the one to ease his pain, but Aubrey sparks an intense desire that gives Ben hope for the future.

Determined to right the wrongs of her past, Aubrey is working hard to make amends. But by far, the toughest challenge to her plan is sexy, brooding Ben …even though he has absolutely no idea what she’s done…

Can this unlikely couple defy the odds and win over the little town of Lucky Harbor?

Ben McDaniels is a little broody; Aubrey Wellington is a little bitchy.  Their clashing personalities help to fuel the fire of their attraction, so you know they are going to get it on like whoa.  

Ben doesn't set out to fix things.  He just does.  When he reconnects with Aubrey, who's going around Lucky Harbor hoping to make amends for her immature childhood and teenage behavior, he doesn't imagine that he would be on her list too.  

Once in a Lifetime has all the typical Jill Shalvis moments.  And while I love Lucky Harbor and Ms. Shalvis's writing, this series is becoming a little repetitive for me.  I'm glad Ben and Aubrey get their happily ever after (despite the Big Misunderstanding), so I'm happy to move away from Lucky Harbor knowing all the couples we've been introduced to throughout this series is doing a-okay.   

(A very special thank you to Forever Romance, Hachette Book Group, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Once in a Lifetime.)

Review: When the Duke Was Wicked by Lorraine Heath

They are England's most eligible bachelors, with the most scandalous reputations. But for the right woman, even an unrepentant rogue may mend his ways . . .

Lady Grace Mabry's ample inheritance has made it impossible for her to tell whether a suitor is in love with her— or enamored of her riches. Who better to distinguish beau from blackguard than her notorious childhood friend, the Duke of Lovingdon?

With no interest in marriage, Lovingdon has long lived only for pleasure. He sees little harm in helping Grace find a proper match. He simply has to teach the lovely innocent all the ploys a scoundrel uses to gain a woman's favor— by demonstrating his wicked ways. But as lessons lead to torrid passion and Grace becomes ensnared in another man's marriage plot, Lovingdon must wage a desperate gamble: Open his heart fully—or risk losing the woman he adores. . .

When the Duke was Wicked is a spinoff of Ms. Heath's Scoundrels of St. James series.  I didn't know that going in, but I'm not certain having read the previous series is a prerequisite.  

Grace Mabry is a woman with a large inheritance.  As such, she's besieged with marriage requests from every sort of man.  She decides that she needs help in determining which man is right for her, so she turns to the Duke of Lovingdon.  

The blurb leads me to believe Lovingdon and Grace are of a similar age, but the book says the opposite (or I at least read the opposite).  Lovingdon is also grieving the deaths of his wife and their daughter.  He tells Grace over and over that he will never love any woman as much as he loved his wife.  

So how can Grace compete with that, especially after she discovers she's falling in love with him?  

I'm not sure that she can.  We're reminded throughout the majority of the book that Grace is nothing like Lovingdon's deceased wife, Juliette.  The ease in which Lovingdon decides that yes, he does love Grace almost made my head spin.  

I've loved Ms. Heath's previous books, so I was disappointed that When the Duke was Wicked didn't work for me.   

(A very special thank you to Avon Romance, Harper Collins, and Edelweiss for providing me with an ARC of When the Duke was Wicked.)

Review: The Curl Up and Dye by Sharon Sala

Those were the best days of her life...

"Poor LilyAnn," the local ladies lament. "She sure is stuck in the past."

Eleven years ago, LilyAnn Bronte was the Peachy-Keen Queen of Blessings, Georgia—the prettiest, smartest, and most popular girl in town, going steady with the star quarterback, a high school career on the fast track to success. Then Randy Joe was killed in Iraq, and somehow LilyAnn just let herself go to seed.

Ruby, Mabel Jean, Vera, and Vesta of the Curl Up and Dye have been itching to give LilyAnn a makeover, but she knows it would make more than a new hairstyle for her to get her life back.

Until one fateful day, when a handsome stranger roars into town, and LilyAnn has a revelation.

When I began the lighthearted The Curl Up and Dye, I didn't expect for a minor character to have such a negative impact.  It was a little distracting to see this person snap and watch things spiral out of control quickly. 

That being said, Blessings, Georgia is a quirky little town, and Ruby, owner of the Curl Up and Dye, has her foot in every piece of gossip floating around.  Ruby decides to help LilyAnn and Mike realize that they love each other after side by side their entire lives.  Thankfully, she's successful, though it does take that minor character to push finally LilyAnn and Mike together. 

(A very special thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Curl Up and Dye.)

Eagerly Anticipating -- February 2014