Blog Tour Book Review: Nobody Does It Better by Lexi Blake

Author: Lexi Blake
Series: Masters and Mercenaries #15
Audience: +18
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance, BDSM
Publisher: DLZ Entertainment, LLC
Release Date: February 20th 2018
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):

A spy who specializes in seduction

Kayla Summers was an elite CIA double agent, working inside China’s deadly MSS. Now, she works for McKay-Taggart London, but the Agency isn’t quite done with her. Spy master Ezra Fain needs her help on a mission that would send her into Hollywood’s glamorous and dangerous party scene. Intrigued by the mission and the movie star hunk she will be shadowing, she eagerly agrees. When she finds herself in his bed, she realizes she’s not only risking her life, but her heart.

A leading man who doesn’t do romance

Joshua Hunt is a legend of the silver screen. As Hollywood’s highest paid actor, he’s the man everyone wants to be, or be with, but something is missing. After being betrayed more than once, the only romance Josh believes in anymore is on the pages of his scripts. He keeps his relationships transactional, and that’s how he likes it, until he meets his new bodyguard. She was supposed to keep him safe, and satisfied when necessary, but now he’s realizing he may never be able to get enough of her.

An ending neither could have expected

Protecting Joshua started off as a mission, until it suddenly felt like her calling. When the true reason the CIA wanted her for this assignment is revealed, Kayla will have to choose between serving her country or saving the love of her life.

A Masters and Mercenaries Novel by Lexi Blake

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As such, my review may contain references to mature content.

Tempests And Slaughter by Tamora Pierce Blog Tour: Review and Playlist

Author: Tamora Pierce
Series:The Numair Chronicles #1
Audience: YA
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 6th 2018
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Publisher
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Arram. Varice. Ozorne. In the first book in the Numair Chronicles, three student mages are bound by fate . . . fated for trouble.

Arram Draper is a boy on the path to becoming one of the realm’s most powerful mages. The youngest student in his class at the Imperial University of Carthak, he has a Gift with unlimited potential for greatness–and for attracting danger. At his side are his two best friends: Varice, a clever girl with an often-overlooked talent, and Ozorne, the “leftover prince” with secret ambitions. Together, these three friends forge a bond that will one day shape kingdoms. And as Ozorne gets closer to the throne and Varice gets closer to Arram’s heart, Arram begins to realize that one day soon he will have to decide where his loyalties truly lie.

In the Numair Chronicles, readers will be rewarded with the never-before-told story of how Numair Salmalín came to Tortall. Newcomers will discover an unforgettable fantasy adventure where a kingdom’s future rests on the shoulders of a talented young man with a knack for making vicious enemies.

*Disclaimer: I received an ARC from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

Release Day Launch: Smooth-Talking Cowboy by Maisey Yates

   

From New York Times best selling author Maisey Yates, comes SMOOTH-TALKING COWBOY—the first standalone novel in her Gold Valley Series!

SMOOTH-TALKING COWBOY is now available. Grab your copy today!

   

SMOOTH-TALKING COWBOY Synopsis:

Welcome to Gold Valley, Oregon, where a rough-and-tumble rancher and the girl next door are about to learn that opposites attract.

Olivia Logan has a plan: win back her ex by making him see what he’s missing. But first she needs to find a man who’s willing to play along. With his laid-back cowboy charm and knack for getting under her skin, Luke Hollister is an unlikely hero—but he wants her help convincing her father to sell him land, which means he needs her as much as she needs him.
Luke likes his life—and his women—uncomplicated. So why does good girl Olivia heat his blood like no one else? She’s always been off-limits, but the more time they spend as Gold Valley’s hottest new “couple,” the more real it’s starting to feel. Luke was supposed to help her win back another man…not keep her in his arms. But now that he has her there, he’s not sure he’ll ever let go.

 

 Grab your copy of SMOOTH-TALKING COWBOY today!

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Add it to your Goodreads Now!

    EXCERPT: 

Luke Hollister was kissing her.

He was only the second man to kiss her. The sec­ond man to ever put his mouth against hers. But at the moment, she couldn’t even compare the two experi­ences. She was frozen, and Luke was still, too, but he was… Him.

He tasted like Luke. Like sunshine and hard work. Like whiskey that lingered on his lips. And like a whole lot of trouble.

It was more than just taste, more than just the strange sensation of a mouth that was an unfamiliar shape pressed against hers. It transcended those physi­cal things.

And it went somewhere deeper.

She was on fire. Melting. Her legs were weak, her stomach trembling. It was as if she had never been kissed before at all. That’s how different it was.

His hand was so big, and it was pressed against her lower back, like he owned her. His other hand came up to cup her face—rough, callused—skimming over her cheekbone. He didn’t take the kiss deeper. Didn’t part her lips.

It was over in less than a second.

A chaste kiss. A simple kiss.

That left nothing chaste or simple remaining in her entire body.

There was a pulse pounding insistently between her legs, a slick wetness that had built up in defiance of ev­erything she knew about herself. Her heart was pound­ing, her breasts heavy, her nipples tightened into painful points.

It was over. Over long before she was able to move or think or react at all. Over long before she realized they were still standing in the middle of the Gold Val­ley saloon, rather than in some moment that existed outside of space and time.

Luke Hollister had just kissed her in front of ev­eryone.

Bennett was there. She remembered that too late. She remembered everything too late. Including why they were doing this. Of course. He was making a show, as he had promised he would do. And he was definitely trying to get a rise out of her, which she expected, be­cause he was Luke.

All of that made sense. Except none of it made sense. Not inside of her anyway.

“Throw the dart,” he said, his mouth so close to hers it would take nothing for her lips to touch his again. Nothing at all.

Then he withdrew, taking a step back and leaning against the table again, all cocky arrogance and that kind of masculine swagger she hated. She did. She hated it. And right now she was pretty sure she might hate him, too.

She turned away from him, drew her arm back and threw the dart. And it missed.

She hadn’t missed a bull’s-eye without meaning to in more than ten years.

Hot, angry tears pricked her eyes but she refused to let them fall. Because that was just stupid. This was a game. That was all. It was supposed to be a game where they made Bennett jealous. Where they made him think that he was in danger of losing her.

It was supposed to make Bennett feel wild and un­pleasant things; it was not supposed to make her feel wild and unpleasant things.

Too late she remembered to look over at Bennett. And when she did, she had to force herself. He was fac­ing away from them. For all she knew, he hadn’t even seen the kiss.

“He saw.”

She blinked, feeling numb. “What?”

Luke was looking at her, his expression grave. “Ben­nett saw the kiss,” he said.

And just like that, she felt about two feet tall. Be­cause not only had he read her mind just now, it confirmed to her that Bennett was all he had been thinking about during the kiss. She hadn’t thought of Bennett until after. Much, much after. But Luke had been aware the entire time. And then, when she had been standing there feeling vulnerable and reduced, desperately try­ing to remember the purpose behind this entire inter­action, he had read her. Unerringly.

Meanwhile, she couldn’t read him or Bennett or any­thing. She couldn’t even read herself.

“Good,” she said, as if it was all she cared about. As if there was nothing more conflicting inside of her than whether or not they had managed to affect Bennett.

To say nothing about how she had been affected.

  

      

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New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit. In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book. Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard. She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.

     

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads

       

Release Day Launch: Nobody Does It Better by Lexi Blake

     

A spy who specializes in seduction

Kayla Summers was an elite CIA double agent, working inside China’s deadly MSS. Now, she works for McKay-Taggart London, but the Agency isn’t quite done with her. Spy master Ezra Fain needs her help on a mission that would send her into Hollywood’s glamorous and dangerous party scene. Intrigued by the mission and the movie star hunk she will be shadowing, she eagerly agrees. When she finds herself in his bed, she realizes she’s not only risking her life, but her heart.

A leading man who doesn’t do romance

Joshua Hunt is a legend of the silver screen. As Hollywood’s highest paid actor, he’s the man everyone wants to be, or be with, but something is missing. After being betrayed more than once, the only romance Josh believes in anymore is on the pages of his scripts. He keeps his relationships transactional, and that’s how he likes it, until he meets his new bodyguard. She was supposed to keep him safe, and satisfied when necessary, but now he’s realizing he may never be able to get enough of her.

An ending neither could have expected

Protecting Joshua started off as a mission, until it suddenly felt like her calling. When the true reason the CIA wanted her for this assignment is revealed, Kayla will have to choose between serving her country or saving the love of her life.

ADD TO GOODREADS  

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“Kayla?”

Her eyes came up, a flash of recognition there. “Yes?”

“Are you going to sign the contract or do you have more questions?”

She picked up the pen sitting on top of the contracts that would bind the two of them together for the next six months. They would reevaluate the relationship at that point in time, but for the next six months, she was his. His bodyguard. His submissive.

Bought and properly paid for. He would take care of her and she would give him what he needed.

She signed with a flourish and sat back, a gleam of curiosity in her eyes.

He was curious, too, and there was zero reason to not satisfy their curiosity. Hard and soft limits had been gone over. They would find their communication style as they went along. But first she should understand that he was in control.

“Come sit on my lap.”

She didn’t hesitate. She stood and turned, shifting so she could maneuver her way onto his lap.

Her weight came down on him and he wrapped an arm around her waist. Damn but she made him feel big. He’d seen her take out a man twice her size, but sitting here in his lap she felt small and vulnerable, and fuck him but that did it for him.

He slid a hand along her knee, letting himself indulge in the silky smooth feel of her skin against his palm. “Did you do as I asked?”

He was well aware his voice had gone husky, deeper than normal.

“Yes, Joshua.” She squirmed the tiniest bit, as though trying to find a comfortable position. It might be difficult for her because she was sitting right on his cock, and it was harder and thicker than he could ever remember it being.

“How can I trust you?” This was all part of the game he loved so much. Here he could let go and play out the darker of his impulses—to control, to take, to possess. See. Want. Have.

“You’ll have to check,” she replied. “Though shouldn’t we go inside?”

He reached out and picked up his cell with his free hand, pushing one number and connecting to the security room. He put them on speaker. She needed to understand what she was up against in order for the game to be fair. “Landon?”

“This is Burke,” the deep voice replied. “Shane’s on patrol. What can I do for you?”

“Burke, I would like to fuck my submissive on the third-floor balcony. Is anyone watching us? Can you see any cameras pointed our way?”

A low, masculine chuckle came across the line. “No, Mr. Hunt. And given the angle relative to the beach, you should enjoy your evening without worry. The only peepers I would worry about would be your next door neighbor, and Jared is out for the night.”

“I wouldn’t care if he wasn’t. Keep up the good work.” He hung up and his hand tightened. “I would prefer when we’re playing that you don’t question me like that. I know where I want to fuck you. I know when I want to fuck you, and I’m in charge. If I want you in the middle of a crowded freeway, your only response is a yes or a no. Not to question me.”

She seemed to relax back against him, as though she was giving up the struggle and choosing to submit. “Yes, Joshua. Yes, I understand, and yes to the sex. Please.”

He liked the breathy little please and loved how she squirmed. Still, he wasn’t absolutely sure she’d obeyed him, and he was a man who required proof. He slid his hand up her thigh. “Spread your legs for me.”

       

      

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.

FACEBOOK / TWITTER / WEBSITE / AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Blog Tour Book Review: Eternal Mourning by Carrie Ann Ryan

Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Series: Talon Pack #7, Redwood Pack #14
Audience: +18
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 13th 2018
My Rating: 4.5 Cups
Source: Inklinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):

In the seventh book of the Talon Pack series from NYT Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan, a Healer is forced to come to grips with the idea that he can’t save everyone…including the woman he loves.

Walker Brentwood vowed to the moon goddess that he’d protect his Pack and Heal with every last ounce of his power. He’s watched his siblings and cousin battle the worst circumstances to find love and is now afraid that the one woman who could be his might not have much time left. The rules of mating have changed, and Walker will do what he has to in order to protect the bonds that have eluded him for so long.

Aimee Reagan knows there’s something wrong with her. She’s known since the first time she found out shifters were real and magic existed. When the Talon Pack’s enemy sets his sights on her, her battle to survive becomes even harder

Walker and Aimee must turn to each other when the powers around them change and the paths that had been laid before them are no longer clear. But when their passion threatens a curse far older than anyone dreamed, they’ll only have one chance to save something worth more than a mating bond. Their future.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.

Book Review: Lifeblood by Gena Showalter

Author: Gena Showalter
Series: Everlife #2
Audience: +16
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: February 28th 2017
My Rating: 4 Cup
Source: Own Copy
Blurb (from Goodreads):

My Firstlife is over, but my Everlife is only now beginning.

With her last living breath, Tenley "Ten" Lockwood made her choice and picked her realm in the Everlife. Now, as the war between Troika and Myriad rages, she must face the consequences.

Because Ten possesses a rare supernatural ability to absorb and share light, the Powers That Be have the highest expectations for her future—and the enemy wants her neutralized. Fighting to save her Secondlife, she must learn about her realm from the ground up while launching her first mission: convincing a select group of humans to join her side before they die. No pressure, right?

But Ten's competition is Killian, the boy she can't forget—the one who gave up everything for her happiness. He has only one shot at redemption: beating Ten at a game she's never even played. As their throw-downs heat up, so do their undeniable feelings, and soon, Ten will have to make another choice. Love…or victory.

*phew* This book was a roller-coaster, guys!

Lifeblood picks up where Firstlife ended, right after Ten dies and chooses Troika. What follows is a journey full of bumps, heartache, pain, and love. I love how the central themes of this book seem to be love, loyalty and forgiveness. I am curious to see how these themes will be used, if they will be used in the next book.

When we meet Ten in this book she’s still the same girl we know, the girl who wants to find her place without being forced into it, the girl who is in love with a boy she shouldn’t be, the girl trying to just fit in and be loved. Ten goes through a transformation process. Her love for Killian makes her do things that don’t endear her to her fellow Troikans. At the same time, while she’s trying to find Archer, she learns that love can heal someone’s soul. Not romantic love, but love through forgiveness. She learns some more about her family, and she meets important people to herself in this book, people she knew about, people she hasn’t yet met, as well as old friends. She makes some new friends too, and it’s interesting to see how each and every one of them plays a part in Ten’s journey. Throughout the book Ten discovers some interesting things about the two realms, things that somehow change the rules of the games in my opinion. They’re subtle, yet important things too.

Killian is, as usual, fantastic, and I wonder how his decision will affect the last book and the war itself. The brilliance of this story is that, while we see everything from Ten's POV, and we know that some people are loyal and honest, I have to wonder if, in the very end, Killian will prove to be who he says he is. There's a part of me, a tiny part of me, that kind of wants him to be bad.

There were a few characters in this book that I liked, some of them people we meet for the first time in Lifeblood. I'm curious to see the future of these characters, who lives, who dies. There are some old faces around as well, and I'm intrigued by them.

This book helped unveil a little bit of the hidden rules of Myriad and Troika, some details that people from these realms haven't yet thought about, or they relate to things the people have taken for granted. I can't wait to see if these rules will keep changing or if somehow they can be broken. We also learn a little bit more about the history of the two realms, as well as how exactly Troika functions. By default, we learn a little bit about Myriad as well.

The pace is pretty great, and the glimpses behind the scenes that we get through the messages between various parties from both realms make the story even more interesting. Ten's obsession with numbers continues, as well as her double poems. I like the double poems, as well as her numerology skills, her ability to find a numerical connection everywhere. I liked that there were things I couldn't anticipate. I also liked that just because you're a Troikan, doesn't mean you're 100% good, just like being a Myridian doesn't make that person fully bad. I like the grey areas and I'm curious to see if that will be discussed in Everlife or if it will somehow play a part in the final battle.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and I am biting my nails, waiting for Everlife.