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Friday, September 30, 2016

Review: Shopping for a Billionaire by Julia Kent

Shopping for a Billionaire by Julia Kent
Boxed Set #1-5
January 9, 2015
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Comedy
Contains:

Ever meet a hot billionaire while your hand's in a toilet in the men's room of one of his stores?

No? So it really is just me. Hmm.

When you're a mystery shopper, you get paid to humiliate yourself, all in the name of improving customer service. Romance isn't in my job description. But the day I met Declan McCormick it was love at first flush.
Until I nearly castrated him with my EpiPen.

How Hot Guy and Toilet Girl became an item involves my crazy mom, a trip to the ER, my homicidal cat, my fake wife, and true love.

Don't look at me like that. I'm just doing my job.

I'm shopping for a billionaire.

---

The Shopping for a Billionaire collection from New York Times bestselling author Julia Kent is a 600+ page, hilarious romantic comedy with heart, heat, and laughs.

This boxed set contains the previously published:
Shopping for a Billionaire 1
Shopping for a Billionaire 2
Shopping for a Billionaire 3
Shopping for a Billionaire 4
Christmas Shopping for a Billionaire

I am so glad that Julia Kent combined these five novellas into this one 'Shopping for a Billionaire' collection. Once I finished one part, I immediately jumped into the next. I stayed up until 3am at one point because I needed a certain situation to resolve and I didn't want to go to sleep until it did. So needless to say, this series hooked me.

If you don't like a lot of humor - and when I say humor, I mean slapstick, awkward, over-the-top comedy - then this might not be for you. But I loved it! The opening scene, where Shannon gets her hand stuck in a men's room toilet sets the series up perfectly. And it just gets crazier from there. Between Shannon's propensity for ending up in crazy situations, to her job as a mystery shopper setting her up for public humiliation, and her family - often times her mother - having limited personal boundaries, Shannon's romantic journey never stood a chance at being "normal." But it was definitely funny!

Then you throw in a sexy "billionaire" who is instantly intrigued by the quirky, "real", beautiful, size 16 Shannon, and this story hit the spot. I loved Shannon and Declan together. He's gorgeous and rich. She's funny and curvy. They have obstacles to overcome, and people blocking their path, but I loved their journey. I especially loved their banter and how great they got along. I loved the way they were in some ridiculous situations and handled it in awkwardly hilarious stride. And I loved their chemistry. It didn't feel forced. I felt their heat coming off the pages as well as their mutual respect and adoration. Declan and Shannon are fantastic. I'm so glad there are more books in this series. Can't wait to read them all!


Thursday, September 29, 2016

Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: Stolen Away by Jennie Marts


Stolen Away by Jennie Marts
(Hearts of Montana #3)
September 26, 2016
280 pages
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Contains: Sex and some language

Elusive charmer Cash Walker is a tough-as-nails cowboy, except when it comes to the shy woman who shows up with a pretty smile, a wounded spirit, and a goat riding shotgun in her passenger seat.

Recently divorced from an abusive husband, Emma Frank has come home to Broken Falls, Montana. Lost, alone, and unable to escape the bullying tactics of her ex-brothers-in-law, she finds solace and friendship at the Tucked Away farm and with the handsome cowboy who believes in her and who helps her find her own courage.

There's a darkness in Cash's past that's kept him from ever letting anyone get too close, but he can't seem to stay away from Emma, who seems to be the one to finally break through his tough exterior and steal this cowboy's heart.

'Stolen Away' was my first Jennie Marts book, and I am a new fan. Being a big city girl myself, I loved being swept away into this small town with country girl Emma, cowboy Cash, and their endearing friends. But what I especially liked was being swept away into Emma and Cash's sweet love story.

Emma, with her abusive past and harassing ex-family, clearly needs to catch a break and a gentle touch. Stumbling into Cash's life, and with that a new set of friends, was just the tender hope she needed. And Cash, with his own complicated past, was the perfect person to know what kind of friend she needed. What neither expected was that the simple extension of kindness and friendship would lead to so much more.

I enjoyed watching Emma's journey from timid victim to strong survivor. I loved the support she got from those around her, and how her confidence and hope grew. To have gone through what her ex did, yet still have a heart of kindness and hope, and then a willingness to put her heart and vulnerability on the line with her blossoming feelings for Cash, truly showed how strong she was. I loved her redemption.

Cash had his own journey to travel. With a past that continued to affect him, he had almost as much to overcome as Emma did. I loved his heart, though. He was the perfect match for Emma, and though he didn't recognize it in himself, he was such a gentleman, with overflowing gentleness, compassion, and love. He's quite the cowboy catch. Then to see Cash and Emma journey together, overcoming obstacles both internal and external, had me cheering for them from start to finish. I loved the final outcome!

'Stolen Away' was a beautiful journey of overcoming abuse with strength, friendship, hope, and love. It was a broken woman becoming a champion, a broken man becoming a hero, and a love story of two hearts healing each other.

He looked down at her, and his heart swelled with the love and compassion he saw shining in her eyes.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Thank you? What the hell are you thanking me for? For telling you that I’m an emotionally closed-off broken man?”

“For telling me your story.” She reached up and caressed his cheek. “And we’re all broken. We all have things in our past that form who we are now. I thought I was broken, thought my heart was so torn apart that it wouldn’t ever work again, that I wouldn’t ever be able to feel anything real again. And that I’d never be able to care for another man. But meeting you started my heart beating again. And even in the short time I’ve known you, my heart acts like it’s been waiting for you all along.”

Her words flowed through him, like a salve to his bruised and shaken soul. “I haven’t cared enough about anyone since then to want to take the chance on—to risk letting myself get caught up with—to hazard giving them my heart.”

“You can take a chance on me.”

He looked into her eyes, and he believed her. He’d been alone for so long, and she was the first person he’d wanted to try having a relationship with. The first person who made his heart stand up and take notice.

Hell, it wasn’t just his heart that took notice when she was around. Every part of him responded to the simple nearness of her.

Looking at her now, her eyes full of care and her lips slightly parted—rose-colored and full—and just waiting to be kissed.

“I already have.” Leaning down, he took her mouth, captured it in his, kissing her with all the passion and hunger that he felt for her. He’d bared his soul, and she hadn’t gone running.

In fact, she’d snuggled closer and held out her own heart.

And he didn’t want to hurt her. Ever.

If he took her heart, he vowed to protect it, to protect her, to never let her be hurt again.


CATCH UP WITH THE OTHER BOOKS IN THE HEARTS OF MONTANA SERIES!

tucked-away-1-cover
Synopsis: Sometimes you find what you need in the most unlikely places... Charlie Ryan's cheating fiancé left her with a broken heart and even broker bank account. She's hit rock bottom, but everything is about to change. Suddenly, she's inherited a Montana farm named Tucked Away from a grandmother she never knew existed. A fresh start is just what she needs - and no men in her future this time, even if the local vet is as hot as a Montana summer. Zack Cooper is content with his simple life. Running his veterinary practice and raising his daughter are enough to keep him busy, and he doesn't need a high-maintenance city girl like his ex who plans to sell her grandma's ranch and split faster than a setting sun. So why can't he stop thinking about Charlie and her hot-pink cowboy boots...and the way her eyes say she wants to stay while her lips tease him with plans of leaving? Just when both start to believe love might be worth the risk...one night will change everything.

hidden-away-2-cover
Synopsis: Secrets have a way of revealing themselves…. Right after a fire breaks out in her diner, a phone call changes Cherry Hill’s life. The tragic death of her cousin leaves Cherry sole guardian of her eight-year-old nephew. But the upper crust side of the Hill family deems her unfit and is determined to take Sam away from her. The only one on her side is the sexy sheriff, Taylor Johnson, the man who broke her heart nine years ago when he left town. Taylor Johnson has sworn to protect the citizens of Broken Falls, but should that extend to a fake engagement to the woman who captured his heart so long ago? It doesn’t take long for his pretend feelings to turn real for both Cherry and her adorable nephew, Sam. But Cherry’s been hiding a secret from Taylor that could rip this new family apart…


ABOUT JENNIE MARTS

Jennie Marts Jennie Marts loves to make readers laugh as she weaves stories filled with love, friendship and intrigue. She is a USA TODAY Best-selling author and writes for Entangled Publishing. Reviewers call her books “laugh out loud” funny and full of great characters that are “endearing and relatable.”
She is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two sons, two dogs and a parakeet that loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends.
Her books include the contemporary western romance Hearts of Montana series, the romantic comedy/ cozy mysteries of The Page Turners series, and her latest series about hot hockey players, the Bannister Brothers Books. Jennie loves to hear from readers. Follow her on Facebook at Jennie Marts Books , or Twitter at @JennieMarts. Visit her at www.jenniemarts.com and sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest news and releases.


ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

stolen-away-giveaway-graphic

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Fall TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
For more information and a list of past and future topics, go here.

Top Ten-ish Books On My Fall TBR List
(Listed in order of publication)


Thief of Hearts by LH Cosway
October 4th


Nemesis by Anna Banks
October 4th


The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia
October 4th


The Bachelor Auction by Rachel Van Dyken
October 4th


Beard Science by Penny Reid
October 18th


Honor by Jay Crownover
October 18th


Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
October 18th


The Sun Is Also a Star by Ncola Yon
November 1st


Heartless by Marissa Meyer
November 8th


The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer
November 15th


JC and the Bjoux Jolis by Katy Regnery
November 29th

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Sunday Post: Weekly Wrap-Up (9.25)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news, recap the past week on your blog, showcase books, share upcoming news, etc. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

What I Read Last Week:
  
Beowulf - Translated by Seamus Heaney
Sweet Dreams by Nina Lane
Shopping for a Billionaire (#1-3) by Julia Kent

My Reviews Last Week:
  
Not Quite Perfect by Catherine Bybee (my 3.75 star review)
Sweet Dreams by Nina Lane (my 4 star review)
With This Heart by R.S. Grey (my 5 star review)

What I'm Listening To:

Staked by Kevin Hearne

What I'm Reading Next:

Stolen Away by Jennie Marts

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Stacking The Shelves (178)

STSmall_thumb[2][2]Stacking The Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

For My Kindle:
  
  
Veiled by Karina Halle
Shopping for a Billionaire by Julia Kent
Shopping for a Billionaire's Fiancée by Julia Kent
Shopping for a CEO by Julia Kent
Shopping for a Billionaire's Wife by Julia Kent
Shopping for a CEO's Fiancée by Julia Kent

eARC Awesomeness:
 
Shopping for an Heir by Julia Kent
Our Options Have Changed by Julia Kent & Elisa Reed

Friday, September 23, 2016

Review: With This Heart by R.S. Grey

With This Heart by R.S. Grey
April 6, 2014
318 pages
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Contains: sex, language

If someone had told me a year ago that I was about to fall in love, go on an epic road trip, ride a Triceratops, sing on a bar, and lose my virginity, I would have assumed they were on drugs.

Well, that is, until I met Beckham.

Beck was mostly to blame for my recklessness. Gorgeous, clever, undeniably charming Beck barreled into my life as if it were his mission to make sure I never took living for granted. He showed me that there were no boundaries, rules were for the spineless, and a kiss was supposed to happen when I least expected.

Beck was the plot twist that took me by surprise. Two months before I met him, death was knocking at my door. I'd all but given up my last scrap of hope when suddenly, I was given a second chance at life. This time around, I wasn't going to let it slip through my fingers.

We set out on a road trip with nothing to lose and no guarantees of tomorrow.

Our road trip was about young, reckless love.

The kind of love that burns bright.

The kind of love that no road-map could bring me back from.

**Recommended for ages 17+ due to language and sexual situations.**

I loved Abby and Beck's love story! Abby and Beck should have never met. But fate had a funny way of intervening. Where they first meet sets the stage for the unique journey that their relationship takes. And when I say journey, that includes a road trip. So much fun! I loved their interactions and banter. I loved Beck's confidence and Abby's bluntness. Beck was a dream come true. Abby was a girl worth the risk. They were so fun and so sweet together. And sure enough, they were sexy together as well.

With the fun beginning of their journey, I knew the other shoe would drop eventually. And sure enough, it did. But I loved how the journey didn't end. The personal discoveries. The vulnerability. The heartbreak. The healing. The renewed outlook on life and love and future. I was so nervous this would be a gut-punching story. And while it definitely has tender moments and heartbreaking moments, this story was the sweetness I was hoping for. I only wish there was more, because I loved Abby and Beck so much.