SUNNY: ARC BOOK REVIEW "Searching for Perfect" by Jennifer Probst

BLURB:
The up-and-coming matchmaking agency Kinnections is the hottest thing to hit Verily, New York—just like Kennedy Ashe, social director for the service she owns with her two best girlfriends. A coach, consultant, and cheerleader rolled into one super-sizzling package, Kennedy creates dream dates, encourages singles to shine, and never refuses a challenge—not even Nate Ellison Raymond Dunkle, rocket scientist, nerd extraordinaire, and Kennedy’s newest client.

Kennedy vows to work her magic and transform this hot mess in a lab coat with a disastrous relationship track record into the most wanted man on the Verily dating scene. If only she could turn the wand on herself . . . 

Though she radiates confidence and sex appeal, Kennedy harbors deep-seated insecurities from a tormented past and lifelong struggle with weight issues. When she realizes she and Nate are cut from the same cloth and might be perfect together, can Kennedy learn to let her heart lead the way? Or will her fears sentence her to the sidelines as Nate finds love—with someone else?

REVIEW:
Searching for Perfect is Book 2 in the Searching For series.  I loved this book! 

Having read some of the author's other books, I expected a charming, romantic story.  I thoroughly enjoyed book one, Searching for Someday.  So I came to this edition with the anticipation of spending a few hours savoring something sweet.  And I did, but what I did not expect was to fall in love with the main character, Nathan Ellison Raymond Dunkle, Aerospace Engineer and book boyfriend extraordinaire. I normally don't do book boyfriends.  I enjoy characters and there are a few that have left indelible marks, but mostly I remember then in the context of the story and there they stay.  

Nate Dunkle appeals to me because Jennifer Probst has written my fantasy of a perfect guy - great intelligence, sense of humor, alpha possessiveness, physically attractive under the guise of geek, and undiscovered.  Hasn't everyone imagined making over a hunky geek? Or is it just me? Nate's sweet character and social awkwardness is so appealing, I smiled throughout this whole book. 

Kennedy is his perfect mate.  By looking at her (the perfectly polished and beautiful professional), one would not suspect her trouble she bears underneath the surface.  Nate and Kennedy share that same struggle and it is fun watching the drama unfold.  

I could say that Ms. Probst writes likable characters, but there is more than that.  They are likable and normal in the same way that Jimmy Stewart characters are appealing - grounded and honorable. 

IN A NUTSHELL:
Although I read this book in e-format, I may go out and get myself a paperback copy just so I can have Nate on my self. 

Thank you to author, publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. 

SUNNY: RELEASE DAY "Truth or Dare" by Sloan Johnson

✪ Truth or Dare ✪

by

Sloan Johnson

BLURB:Lea Baker fell in love with Colby Davis four years ago. The problem? He sees her as one of the guys.

After the party from hell, both of them will be forced to face their true feelings for one another. Once the truth comes out, everything changes.

 

Purchase TRUTH OR DARE On: Amazon 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Sloan Johnson is a big city girl trapped in a country girl’s body. While she longs for the hustle and bustle of New York City or Las Vegas, she hasn’t yet figured out how to sit on the deck with her morning coffee, watching the deer and wild turkeys in the fields while surrounded by concrete and glass. When she was three, her parents received their first call from the principal asking them to pick her up from school. Apparently, if you aren’t enrolled, you can’t attend classes, even in Kindergarten. The next week, she was in preschool and started plotting her first story soon after. Later in life, her parents needed to do something to help their socially awkward, uncoordinated child come out of her shell and figured there was no better place than a bar on Wednesday nights. It’s a good thing they did because this is where she found her love of reading and writing. Who needs socialization when you can sit alone in your bedroom with a good book?

Now, Sloan is a tattooed, purple haired mom of two kids, one of which was a thank you present to her husband for letting her get a Staffordshire Terrier with more anxiety issues than Sloan has, which is saying something. She’s been kicked out of the PTA in two school districts and is no longer asked to help with fundraisers because she’s been known to lose herself in a good book and forget that she has somewhere to be.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Isthmus Alliance FB Group

---

Hosted by:

SUNNY: BOOK RELEASE BLAST "Fire Inside" by Kristen Ashley

FIRE INSIDE 
by Kristen Ashley 
March 25, 2014
Forever Mass Market

Welcome to Release Week for Kristen Ashley's Fire Inside, book two in the Chaos Series.  Join us for a review, excerpt, and giveaway! 

BLURB:

Lanie Heron isn't looking for love-no surprise, considering her last serious relationship nearly got her killed. So when Lanie propositions Hop Kincaid, all she wants is one wild night with the hot-as-hell biker who patrols with the Chaos Motorcycle Club . . . 

For Hop, Lanie has always been untouchable. She's too polished and too classy for his taste. But when she gives Hop the once-over with her bedroom eyes and offers him a night in paradise, he can't say no. And he doesn't regret it when he finds that Lanie is the best thing that's ever happened to him-in or out of bed. Now the trick will be to convince her of that.

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes

Excerpt

Hop came out of the bathroom to see Lanie on her feet on the other side of the bed, panties on, hands twisted behind her back putting her bra on. Again.

He didn’t say a word. He prowled to her, reached out an arm the second he was close, yanked her to him and fell to his back in the bed, taking her down with him.

“Hop—” she started, pushing her weight against his arms, but he slid her off him then wasted no time rolling over her and pinning her to his bed.

“Sleep,” he ordered when he caught her eyes in the weak dawn. “After rest, I’ll get coffee, we’ll juice up, then round four.”

She blinked and breathed, “Four?”

“Got lots more I want to do to you,” he informed her and watched her eyes go soft, sexier, then her teeth came out to graze her lush lower lip, also fucking sexy, and her arms slid around him.

But she asked, “What about Tack and Ty-Ty?”

“I’ll make sure the coast is clear,” he told her.

“But they’ll see my car,” she told him.

“I’ll move it,” he offered.

Her hand slid up his back, around his shoulder, and then to his neck where her thumb moved to stroke him.

Her touch was light but, fuck, it felt good. He’d never had a woman touch him in an unconscious way like that, just a touch, a stroke, giving something that meant nothing at the same time doing it without thinking about it meant everything.

Shit.

Complicated.

“This is just supposed to be one night,” she reminded him quietly, but he saw it in her eyes. She didn’t even try to hide it. She’d bitten off more than she could chew.

He had too and he was nowhere near done eating.

She was cute. She was sweet. She was hot. She was better than he expected and he’d expected her to be pretty fucking good. All that wrapped in a package that gorgeous?

Yeah.

He was nowhere near done eating.

“Change of plans. A night and a morning and, maybe, an afternoon and, possibly, another night,” he amended, and her eyes got softer as her hand slid up to cup his jaw.

“I have to work,” she told him.

“Call off,” he told her.

“I can’t. I own the joint.” She explained something he knew, that she ran her own advertising agency. “And things are a bit crazy.”

Things were always crazy for Lanie. The woman lived crazy. She thrived on it. If there wasn’t crazy, she stirred it up because she couldn’t breathe without it.

“Babe,” he pressed his body into hers, “told you, got more I want to do to you.”

REVIEW (Original review posted on 6.7.13, Kindle version)

This is what I want from Kristen Ashley.  I am a huge fan of the author and have enjoyed every book I've read written by her.  Of course, I have my favorites - Sweet Dreams,  At Peace, With Everything I Am, Rock Chick, Rock Chick Renegade, Motorcycle Man, Games of the Heart - and now Fire Inside. 

This book reads a little like Games of the Heart, the majority of the story is dedicated to the developing relationship between Lanie and Hop.  It is a little wild and a lotta beautiful.  I love that both Lanie and Hop are more mature characters and bring a wealth of "experience" (aka hurt, pain, baggage) with them. We know from Motorcycle Man what happens to Lanie, now we learn why.  Their stories break my heart.  And even though they come from different socio-economic backgrounds, they share the common human experience of betrayal and disappointment.  And when they heal each other, tt feels like two hearts coming together. 

Fire Inside takes place around the same timeframe as Chaos Inside.  It is interesting to see the familiar story from a different perspective.  I'm also intrigued as to how Kristen Ashley will develop the pending war between Chaos and Benito Valenzuela's gang.  The possibilities are endless to bring together the Dream Man series alphas with the Chaos bikers.  Yikes!  

One thing I really enjoy about Kristen Ashley's books is the authenticity of emotions. The way that Lanie interacts with her girlfriends, Tyra, Gwen and Elvira, feels real.  I enjoy the way in which they love and care for each other.  If you aren't chatting with your girls like Lanie and the girls, you want to be.

IN A NUTSHELL:

This is quintessential Kristen Ashley - loving, caring and at times, heart dropping. It's a page turner.  Don't. Miss. It.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Kristen Ashley grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana, and has lived in Denver, Colorado, and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multigenerational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland, and Kristen grew up listening to the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon, and Whitesnake. Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music and love was a good way to grow up.  And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting b0etter.

Find Kristen Ashley at: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SUNNY: RELEASE DAY EVENT, GIVEAWAY "Passion and Ponies" by Tara Sivec

Welcome to the Release Day Party for Tara Sivec's Passion and Ponies.  Join us for some fun, frolicking, and Facebook Party.  See details below.  Don't forget to sign up for the GIVEAWAY!

Passion and Ponies (Chocoholics #2)

by Tara Sivec

Release Day: March 25, 2014

Amazon paperback link: http://amzn.to/PIVFAL

Blurb:

Ava Gilmore has the perfect life. She’s surrounded by people who love her, she’s having sex on a regular basis and her Coach bag collection just grew by three. The problem? She’s expected to follow in her family’s footsteps at Seduction and Snacks, working with sex toys and baked goods. 

Ava loves vibrators and cupcakes as much as the next person, she’d just rather play with them than sell them. With her shopping addiction reaching an all time high and her credit card bills piling up, Ava decides to put her obsession to good use and start a fashion blog. But she has one other problem - the guy she’s having sex with has a My Little Pony addiction.

While dealing with her family’s disappointment and confusion over her choices, she finds support in the unlikeliest of places – Tyler Branson. Tyler has slowly wormed his way into her bed, her a$$ and her heart and he refuses to leave. Tyler has his own family problems to deal with and for the first time ever, Ava finds herself feeling bad for the annoying, immature guy and chanting “Friendship is magic!” during the sex she’d swore to stop having with him.

Ava needs to get her life in order once and for all before she finds herself doing something she never wanted to do – fall in love with a Brony.

Amazon paperback link: http://amzn.to/PIVFAL

About the Author: 

Tara Sivec is a USA Today best-selling author, wife, mother, chauffeur, maid, short-order

cook, baby-sitter, and sarcasm expert. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two children and looks forward to the day when they all three of them become adults and move out.

After working in the brokerage business for fourteen years, Tara decided to pick up a pen and write instead of shoving it in her eye out of boredom. She is the author of the Playing with Fire series and the Chocolate Lovers series. Her novel Seduction and Snacks won first place in the Indie Romance Convention Reader’s Choice Awards 2013 for Best Indie First Book.

In her spare time, Tara loves to dream about all of the baking she’ll do and naps she’ll take when she ever gets spare time.

Tara also writes under the pen name T.E. Sivec.  Check out the page for T.E. Sivec for more information.

Find Tara on Social Media:

         

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please join us on release day, March 25th for a day long Facebook Party. Tara will have special guest and giveaways going on all day!

https://www.facebook.com/events/528591413920253/530801773699217/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity

SUNNY: COVER REVEAL - "Make It A Double" by Sawyer Bennett

MAKE IT A DOUBLE

BY Sawyer Bennett

Last Call, #2

Releasing April 21, 2014

Cover designed by Vitalink

Blurb:
Brody Markham has endured a nightmare, spending the last five years in prison and losing everything that was dear to him. Now he’s back home, trying to survive in a world he doesn’t recognize anymore. While his family and friends desperately try to reach through to him, he shelters himself further and further away from their love.

Alyssa Myers has worked her entire life to distance herself from the luxurious and privileged lifestyle in which she was raised. Running her non-profit agency, The Haven, she is content to spend her days helping abused animals find sanctuary, which fulfills her in a way that money just can’t buy.

Maybe it’s that she recognizes in Brody some of the same characteristics she sees in her homeless wards, but Alyssa is powerless to stop her personal quest to make Brody whole again.

While Brody struggles to surface from the darkness, Alyssa tries to protect her heart in case he’s not willing to accept the light that she offers him.

*MAKE IT A DOUBLE can be read as a stand-alone*

About the Author: 

USA Today Best-Selling author, Sawyer Bennett, is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. She is married to a mobster (well, a market researcher) and they have two big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn’t have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

SUNNY: RELEASE DAY BLITZ "Six Months" by Dannika Dark

Be still my heart.  FINALLY!  The next installment of the Seven Series and this one is about RENO!  Enjoy the Excerpt!

Six Months

(Seven Series, bk #2)

By Dannika Dark

Blurb:

April Frost is a compassionate young woman with a steady job and ambitious goals. But the harder she runs away from her past, the more it threatens to destroy her. When three strangers enter her life, April is forced to face her demons and it’s a battle she may not win.

Private investigators in the Breed world are men who take risks, and Reno Cole is no exception. As a Shifter, he’s expected to control his inner animal. But lately his wolf has been venturing dangerously close to the city, and he’s about to discover why. When Reno is reintroduced to a family friend, the attraction is immediate. April captivates him with her secretive eyes and resilient spirit. She’s also in trouble, and despite the fact she’s a human, Reno can’t turn his back on her.

April is caught between two worlds: One that threatens to bury her dreams and another that could fulfill them. Can she trust the wolf at her door and find the courage to overcome her demons?

Available for purchase at

      

Excerpt

The second I saw the man Trevor was salivating over step onto the curb and adjust his mirrored shades, it triggered a memory. As did his spectacular body beneath his tight, long-sleeved shirt—nary an inch of skin showing. Not to mention his chiseled face that had a light dusting of whiskers around the chin—a face I’d thought I’d never see again. Only now, fully dressed, he gave off more of a paramilitary vibe. Maybe I’d forgotten the scary aspects about him, but his looks still lingered in my mind all these months later.

“I think I know him,” I said under my breath.

Four months ago, I gave Lexi a ride home. Reno Cole, Austin’s brother, was outside throwing horseshoes in the yard without a shirt on. A thin sheen of sweat covered his broad torso, which was the only thing I noticed since he was wearing sunglasses and a baseball hat. I had a “stupid” attack and almost tripped in front of him. I’d never felt more intimidated by a man’s presence in my life. I felt cowardly and my mouth refused to work, and when it finally did, I mentioned something about the heat like I was a walking weathergirl. Reno’s fit body spanned just over six feet, but his expression was tight and menacing. I shamelessly fled the scene, but the tire on my car wedged into a pothole. He stalked over as if he might rip my car door off and pummel me for messing up their driveway.

But he didn't. He pushed the car free and I never saw him again.

Fingers snapped in front of my face and Trevor gave me a killer smile. “Nice to see you still have a pulse. I was beginning to think your libido took a permanent vacation."

About the Author

This is the segment where you learn a little more about who I am, so here's what I can tell you:  I drink copious amounts of vitamin water placed precariously close to my laptop while writing. These are two healthy habits I have no intention of breaking. I'm a transplant living in the south, but I was born in the 70's to a military dad who moved us around the world.

When I'm not writing (which is all the time), I'm hunting down Indie music, watching movies, reading, eating Tex-Mex, discovering new ways to humiliate myself bowling, and burning up my laptop battery on the Internet. I have a relaxed, easy-going personality and don't like drama. I live with a cat who thinks she is a dog, or a goat (she eats plastic, so I'm not sure which).

Throughout my life, I've had insomnia. Counting sheep never worked and eventually I would imagine those sheep were the sole source of food after an apocalyptic battle where only thousands survived. I made up stories in a futile attempt to bore myself to sleep. The problem was, I got so wrapped up in my "head stories" that I would continue them through the following nights, changing it up each time to make it more exciting. Eventually, I started writing my ideas down - creating short stories, and then I discovered my love for poetry.

It's almost embarrassing how many spiral notebooks and stacks of paper I have of poetry and lyrics.

Another passion: digital art. I design all my book covers, marketing, and series art. I'm a very visual person and pursued photography as an avid hobby for many years.

I am not a YA author (I feel like I have to state this only because I've had a few people ask), but I think it's wonderful there are so many books available to teens in Urban Fantasy and Paranormal.

I am finally doing what I have always wanted to do: giving my characters a pulse through writing full time. I focus on adult urban fantasy romance, but I don't like labels and I enjoy blending genres to break out of the confines of predictability.

But it's what I love to do.

Danni

Connect with Dannika here: 

            

Presented by

SUNNY: ARC REVIEW "Better Than Perfect" by Kristina Mathews

BLURB:
The woman he left behind and the son he never knew are tougher opponents than any he’s met on the field.

Pitcher Johnny “The Monk” Scottsdale has won awards, been named an All-star and has a perfect game to his credit. Known for his legendary control both on and off the field, his pristine public image makes him the ideal person to work with youth players in a preseason minicamp. Except the camp is run by the one woman he can’t forget…the woman who made him a “monk.”

Alice Harrison’s three strikes include an unexpected pregnancy, a marriage of convenience and young widowhood. She once traded her dreams so Johnny could have a chance at making it to the Majors. Johnny comes back into her life just as she’s ready to resign as foundation director and pursue her own dreams of finally earning her teaching credential. Her plans may go on hold, though, depending on the reaction when she confesses she may have kept a major league secret from Johnny and her son.

With the minutes ticking by until Johnny will leave for spring training, they’ll need to let go of the past and work together in order to win the game of love.

REVIEW:

I'm a huge fan of romance featuring sports so I was exciting about this book.  I thought it had a lot of promise.  We have a stable, centered, super-star baseball pitcher and a strong-willed, self-sufficient single mom.  A second chance story, Johnny and Alice were college sweethearts.  But when he got his chance to go to the Majors, Alice didn't want to hold him back. They meet up years later when Johnny signs on with the hometown baseball team.  

Unfortunately, the conflict in the story is not enough to sustain the length of the book.  The writing tends to get repetitive.  For me, the main conflict between the two characters did not evolve.  If this were a color wheel, we get the same primary colors at each interaction with no shades or tints.  The same tension is repeated over and over again with almost the same context using almost the same words and phrases.  

There are two other strange writing choices.  First, it feels odd to include a third voice of a thirteen year old in the story. In the midst of being in the mind of a 30+ year old adult male and female, it switches to the point of view of a teenager.  It feels a bit jarring.  Perhaps this explains the other problem I have with the writing. There are times when the author slips into a Young Adult voice for her adult characters:  "Johnny had asked her to go with him to the Golden Gate Gala.  An real date. With a limo and everything."  I could be wrong, but that voice sounds curiously juvenile. 

IN A NUTSHELL:
Though a story with good potential, it falls far short of a home run.  

SUNNY: ARC BOOK REVIEW "Withholding Evidence" by Rachel Grant

BLURB:
Some secrets are worth dying for…

Military historian Trina Sorensen has a nearly impossible task before her: get recalcitrant but tempting former Navy SEAL Keith Hatcher to reveal what happened during a top secret Somalia op five years ago. Recent history isn’t usually her forte, but the navy wants an historian’s perspective and has given her the high security clearance to get the job done.

Keith isn't just refusing to tell Trina about the op, he's protecting a national secret that could destroy the lives of those he cares about the most. But not wanting to talk about a covert mission doesn’t mean he isn’t interested in spending time with the sexy historian, and the first time they kiss it’s explosive. 

When the past comes pounding on Keith’s door, he’ll do anything to keep Trina safe… Anything, that is, except tell her the secret that could get them both killed.

REVIEW:

I love the topics Rachel Grant writes about. As a history student, I love her references to history (yes, even military history) and archeology.  She does a wonderful job making the study of history relevant.  

Trina Sorensen is a military historian looking to analyze the activities of several special forces missions. Keith Hatcher is a retired Chief Petty Officer and sniper.  He was involved in a super secret operation that resulted in a action that could still lead to an international crisis. He is not spilling any secrets no matter how he is tempted by this researcher.  

Rachel Grant has a knack for writing intelligent and sassy female characters.  They may not be kick-ass, but they are whip-smart and assertive.  Pit them against hunky alpha males and watch the sparks fly.  For example, in their very first encounter, Trina shows up at Keith's house to conduct an interview with the reluctant officer.  Keith wants to shock Trina away: 

"Doll-face, it's Sunday morning.  The only thing I must do today is jack off." She crossed her arms. "Fine.  I can wait.  It'll be what, one, maybe two minutes?"    

The story is complex and believable - a nod to the author's storytelling.  It doesn't read much like a novella.  It develops nicely.  There is plenty of action in and out of the bedroom.  I enjoyed the cultural references to anti-government websites and terrorists threats.  I might have requested a tad more character development, but that is a personal preference. 

IN A NUTSHELL:
I would read anything that Rachel Grant writes.  Her writing is smart, sassy, sexy, and oh, so addictive.  Withholding Evidence is a how a romantic suspense is suppose to be written. 

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.