#BookReview: A Not So Meet Cute (Cane Brothers #1) by @AuthorMegQuinn @Read_Bloom

Synopsis: "How did you two meet?" It's the quintessential question asked to every couple, and the answer is usually some bubbly, lovey-dovey tale of being struck in the bum by Cupid's arrow. But Lottie Gardner's meet-cute was a little different. She was trolling a wealthy neighborhood in Beverly Hills, searching for someone to take her as his bride―you know, to make the arch nemesis who just fired her jealous. And billionaire Huxley Cane was conveniently stomping around the block like some sort of gorgeous ogre, mumbling about a business deal gone wrong. That's when they bump into each other. No sparks. No fireworks. Not even the first seed of blossoming love. But the next thing Lottie knows, she's scarfing down chips and guac, listening to Huxley lay out his problems, and then he tells He lied to a crucial client, and he needs a huge favor. A fake fiancée. He's talking living in his mansion together, going on intimate double-dates, and pretending they're head-over-heels in love…and engaged. It's ridiculous, but people do ridiculous things when they're desperate. And Lottie and Huxley both reek of desperation. So, she strikes up the deal. Except her one mistake might be accidentally falling for the incomparable, insufferable Huxley Cane.

#BookBlitz: Queen of Ruin by @PDombrowiak @XpressoTours #Giveaway $25 gift card

Queen of Ruin
Paula Dombrowiak
(Kingmaker Series, #2)
Publication date: June 11th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Our marriage is fake. But our feelings are dangerously real…

Marrying playboy billionaire Darren Walker was only ever supposed to be a business deal.

If only it were that easy.

I’m finding it far too comfortable living in Darren’s world, and I never predicted I’d find real meaning in the charity I’m involved with while I pretend to be the perfect wife.

The worst thing is, I’m scared Darren’s feelings for me are becoming real, too.

But a woman with a past like mine doesn’t belong in a world like his. Especially because I thought my heart belonged to someone else before we were married. Someone much too close to him.

When Darren decides to leave his playboy ways behind and follow in his father’s footsteps, I must face reality. A marriage like ours won’t last forever.

Not when my former life has the power to come back to haunt me. There’s no way Darren’s reputation will survive the scandal of being married to a former escort.

And if I let myself get any deeper, neither will my heart…

Queen of Ruin is the second book in The Kingmaker trilogy, a steamy marriage of convenience romance full of political scandal. The books must be read in order for the best reader experience. This book does end in a cliffhanger.

#BookReview: Queen Bee and the Turk: Take 1 by Daphne MacLeod @lexilikestoread

Synopsis: Beatrice Fredricks, a spirited former Texas teacher, swaps textbooks for scripts in a complete career overhaul.

Seeking an escape from the shadows of unrequited love and a dangerous work environment, Beatrice dives in headfirst where laughter, friendship and a mischievous Great Dane named Zeki await in glitzy L.A. When she’s asked to be the maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding back home, her boss, Ihsan, accepts the challenge to help her transform into the confident, leading lady of her own love story. But working closely with the handsome actor stirs feelings she’s not ready for. Desperate to avoid repeating past mistakes, Beatrice convinces herself it’s just another case of falling for the wrong person.

Ihsan Zorlu, already an international Turkish film star, sets his sights on Hollywood to secure his family’s future and heal from a tumultuous divorce. In an unconventional move, Ihsan hires Beatrice as his personal assistant to aid him in his American debut. The line between personal and professional might as well be written in invisible ink as they learn to work and live in the same house. Beatrice believes love is for the flawless, which Ihsan knows from painful experience isn’t true. Does he have what it takes to make it big in Hollywood? And can he convince his assistant that she’s perfect and beautiful the way she is? Will Zeki ever understand personal space?

#CoverReveal: Dangerous Allure: A Dark Romance Anthology @XpressoTours

Dangerous Allure: A Dark Romance Anthology
Cole Denton, Dani René, Eden Bradley, Sara Fields
Published by: GTB Publishing LLC
Publication date: September 10th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Two’s company. Three’s a dangerously good time.

This deliciously dark collection of stories is flying all the red flags – these men will hunt, stalk, and conquer their prey

And leave them begging for more.

Whether working together to claim their prize, or fighting to be the last man standing, it’s only when you find yourself trapped between them that you realize: there’s no way out.

And maybe…that’s exactly the way you like it.

#BookReview: Corrupt (Devil's Night #1) by @PenDouglas @BerkleyPub

Synopsis: Dreams might be a heart’s desire, but nightmares are its obsession in the first novel of a dark romance series from New York Times bestselling author Penelope Douglas.
 
Erika Fane’s boyfriend's older brother is handsome, strong, and completely terrifying. The star of his college's basketball team gone pro, he's more concerned with the dirt on his shoe than he is with her. But she saw him. She heard him. The things that he did, and the deeds that he hid...
 
For years, Erika bit her nails, unable to look away. Now, she’s in college, but she hasn’t stopped watching him. He’s bad and the things she’s seen aren’t content to stay in her head anymore.
 
Because he's finally noticed her.
 
But Michael Crist knows the hold he has on Rika, how much she fears him. She looks down when he enters the room and stills when he’s close. He knows she thinks only of him. When Michael’s brother leaves for the military, leaving Rika alone and unprotected, he knows the opportunity is too good to be true. 

Three years ago she put Michael’s friends in prison, and now they’re free.  

Every last one of her nightmares is about to come true.

#CoverReveal for King of Nothing by Aurora Rose Reynolds @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: King of Nothing

Author: Aurora Rose Reynolds

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Hurt/Comfort, Redemption, Secret

Billionaire, Emotional Scars, Road Trip

Cover Design: RBA Designs

Photographer: Wander Aguiar

Release Date: July 29, 2024

BLURB

I met him when my ship was sinking, and I clung to him through the storm. Little did I know he needed me as much as I needed him.

The first time I saw Roman Dante King, he stuck out like an odd puzzle piece that got mixed up in the wrong box. It wasn’t his blue eyes in the dim light of the bar, the tattoos that covered his arms and hands, or even his arrogant personality. It was something else—something I couldn’t see—that told me he didn’t belong in our small beach town on the Oregon coast.

Elora Mazie Barlow reminded me of a hummingbird zipping from one flower to another, never stopping, never allowing anyone more than a glimpse before she was gone. Never letting anyone in… until me. Then she gave me her smiles that were more valuable than anything I ever owned and wrapped me in her peace without asking for anything in return.

Her tragic story sounded achingly familiar to my own.

Our connection is knotted up in loss. The journey we’re on together will eventually come to an end. But will we be able to untangle the mess of strings that have tied us together?

Will we even want to?

#BookTour: The Mark of the Salamander by Justin Newland @RABTBookTours @JustinNewland53

 

The Island of Angels Series, Book 1

Historical Fiction

Date Published: 09-28-2024

Publisher: The Book Guild

 

 

1575.

Nelan Michaels is a young Flemish man fleeing religious persecution in the Spanish Netherlands. Settling in Mortlake outside London, he studies under Queen Elizabeth’s court astrologer, conjuring a bright future – until he’s wrongly accused of murder.

Forced into the life of a fugitive, Nelan hides in London, before he is dramatically pressed into the crew of the Golden Hind.

Thrust into a strange new world on board Francis Drake’s vessel, Nelan sails the seas on a voyage to discover discovery itself. Encountering mutiny, ancient tribes and hordes of treasure, Nelan must explore and master his own mystical powers – including the Mark of the Salamander, the mysterious spirit of fire.

THE MARK OF THE SALAMANDER is the first in The Island of Angels series: a two-book saga that tells the epic story and secret history of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era.