Tuesday, July 20, 2021

The Varsity Dad Dilemma {a review}

The Varsity Dad Dilemma is a sexy, small town sports romance from Lex Martin! And this contemporary romance just released today, July 20, 2021. If you're go to's for romance books feature: college setting, single parent, surprise baby, small town, second chance, or slow burn -- well then go pick up The Varsity Dad.

Oh how to even begin to recap tidbits of this story! Rider is the quarterback, and captain, of his college football team. Gabby happens to live across the street, is the sister to one of Rider's teammates, and is the person who Rider unintentionally hurt during freshman year. Therefore Gabby isn't exactly thrilled that Rider lives across the street, and that she has to see him so often. It's more than that though. There's still this connection that the two share. One night the football team is having a party, and it is ridiculously loud. So late in the evening Gabby heads across the street to put an end to it all. Minutes later, Gabby hears a baby crying, opens to the door to Rider's (and the football team) house, and finds sweet little Poppy laying there. Abandoned. What happens next has a bunch of the guys taking a paternity test, signing NDAs, and setting up babysitting charts to help take care of this baby. After all none of them want her going into the foster care system. When the results come in, the dad is revealed. Now they just need to try and figure out who the mom is. And where the mom is. What happens next tells the story of Rider, Poppy, and Gabby, and how they make things work while attending college, playing football, holding down jobs, and raising a baby. Of course there has to be a big dramatic moment, and oh what a moment it was. Egads.

When I read the teaser for The Varsity Dad Dilemma, I wasn't sure what to think. But knowing it was a book by Lex Martin, I was all in. I have loved every book that I've read by her, so I had high expectations. My expectations were met too. I fully enjoyed The Varsity Dad Dilemma. Loved the sports romance part of the story. Loved the single parent slash surprise baby aspect. The second chance romance between Gabby and Rider was also fantastic. That big dramatic moment had me gasp, shake my head, and almost had me wanting to throw my kindle. I am confused about how things played out with Ramona, as I thought she and Gabby were better friends than that. I'm also confused about Sienna. Who was she dating on the football team? I can't lie, I was wondering if she was behind the news article that had come out. I mean she is from California, and she is now in Charming Texas, so it just seemed like a possibility since the article was posted on a California site. Also, Ben. I want more of his story. I feel like I need it. I need to know what happens next in his life. Oh, and then that little pop up in the book from some of our Texas Night characters? YES! LOVED THAT! I love that there was that connection.

I am choosing to give The Varsity Dad Dilemma 4 stars, and I highly recommend the book. The slow burn was perfection. The second chance romance drew me in. The found family is what had me staying. I am crossing my fingers that Lex Martin brings us back to Charming for another visit.

Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts,
Laura

BLURB

What’s worse than having Rider Kingston, the star quarterback, give you the big brush-off because he doesn’t want to get serious? You’d probably think living across the street from him where you get a firsthand view of his hookups, right?

That’s what I thought. Until someone drops off a baby with a note pinned to her blanket that says one of those jocks—either Rider or one of his roommates—is the father. The problem? Baby mama doesn’t mention which of these numbskulls is the sperm donor.

I wouldn’t care about their paternity problems—not the slightest bit—except my brother lives there too. Which means that adorable squawking bundle might be my niece, and there’s no way I’m leaving her unattended with those bumbling football players.

They need my help, even if they don’t know it yet. Once we solve this dilemma and figure out who’s the daddy, I’m out.

I’ll just ignore Rider and those soul-searing looks he gives me every time I reach for the baby. He broke my heart three years ago. He won’t get a second chance.

ADD TO GOODREADS

PURCHASE LINKS

$2.99 for a limited time!

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY

EXCERPT

As I walk Sienna to her car, she squeals. “Holy crap, is that Rider Kingston?”

Without my permission, my gaze slides across the street to the oversized man-child, who has the gall to be moving furniture shirtless while flexing his stupid abs. Judging by the other sweaty minions pouring out of the two story, Rider’s getting new roommates too.

My eye twitches again, and my focus snaps back to Sienna. “I thought you said you weren’t a fan of football.”

“Oh, I’m not. I can’t sit through an entire game. But I am a fan of football players.” Her gaze turns ravenous as she scans my neighbor’s front lawn. Or, likely, the glistening eight-pack Rider’s put on display. “All that testosterone. Those bulging muscles. That deep, masculine grunting. Oh yeah. Get me one of those!”

She cackles, and Rider hears it.

Of course he does.

Shockingly, he deigns to speak to me.

“Hey, Gabby,” he shouts. “How was your summer?”

I’m not sure when he decided to stop ignoring me, but that’s better than pretending we’re friends, which we’ll never be.

I close my eyes because I don’t need any reminders of his masculine beauty. And I definitely don’t need to see that sexy smirk, the one more powerful than his cannon that took the team to the playoffs last year.

No, I’m not interested in the star quarterback. Not anymore.

Turning on my heel, I wave my middle finger and march back to my house.

Laughter is all I hear as I slam the front door shut behind me.

AUTHOR BIO

Lex Martin is the USA Today bestselling author of the Texas Nights series (Reckless/Shameless) and the Dearest series. She writes contemporary romances, the sexy kind with lotsa angst, a whole lotta kissing, and the hot happily ever afters. A former high school English teacher and freelance journalist, she’s lived all over the country but currently resides in her hometown of San Antonio with her husband and twin daughters.

AUTHOR LINKS

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you to Lex Martin, and Give Me Books PR for providing me with an advanced copy of The Varsity Dad Dilemma.

Rise {a review}

Happy book birthday to Grahame Claire! Today is the day that Rise is available, and reader friends, I think you'll enjoy this one. Well that is if you enjoy billionaire romance, opposites attract, and/or the siblings best friend trope. I mean I enjoy all those things, so maybe you do too.

Rise is the first half of the Rise & Fall Duet, so know going in that this book ends with a cliffhanger! And you'll have to wait until August 24, 2021 for the conclusion. At the start of the book it appears as though Lincoln has gotten himself into a bit of trouble with the feds. So much so that they are trying to arrest him. In public and in front of his family. This cannot be happening. His siblings are trying to stop it, and Lexie and Eric step in to help so that enough time is created for someone else to arrive. Someone powerful enough to stop this. His father. It is at this place though where Lincoln takes notice of Lexie. He enjoys pushing her buttons. He enjoys talking with Eric (her brother). He's enjoying all of this. Lexie on the other hand is annoyed by Lincoln. He has this vibe about him that just screams "stay away". Yet she can't. Or rather Eric can't. Her brother happens to think Lincoln is the best person ever. What happens next is their journey towards their HEA. It's definitely not going to be easy. Both Lincoln and Lexie have major problems that need to be resolved, and it is seeming like both of these problems could be out of their hands.

Two quick things. When I started reading Rise, I wasn't completely sold on the book. I didn't understand what was happening, and honestly Lincoln was annoying me. Second, I am trying my best to overcome this reading slump/block/what-have-you, and so I'm worried that may cloud my judgement a little bit. I actually put Rise aside for a few days so that I could come back to it with fresh eyes, and maybe break through the fog that I am in. It helped a little. Back to the book. When I picked it back up Lincoln still annoyed me. He was still this pompous jerk who thought he was better than everyone. Now I don't mind our main character being a bit of an ass, but Lincoln was almost too much. Still I continued on. I found myself curious about what was happening with Lincoln in the fraud/theft situation, and then when the secondary issue arose, that definitely had me even more intrigued. Then there's Lexie. She and her brother Eric grabbed my attention from the beginning. These two are working hard to make their business work. They're working hard to have successful lives. They're working hard to stay together. Then when their backstory was told, my heart broke a bit. And I understood them a bit more. The relationship between Lexie and Lincoln is slow burn at its finest. The attraction is there. The intrigue is there. These two are complete opposites with the exception of their work ethic. It's really interesting to watch their relationship/friendship/acquaintance situation evolve.

If you know me, you know that the siblings best friend trope is one of my top 3 favorite tropes. I also happen to enjoy billionaire romances, slow burn romances, and when the main characters are from opposite sides of the tracks (so to speak). I say that to say, there was something about Rise that didn't quite meet my expectations. It didn't give me what I wanted. I have a feeling that had to do with the slow burn aspect. I was waiting for the love story to really kick in. I was waiting for the passion. I was waiting for the steam. And yet what I received was a few kisses. There wasn't really anything else in that regard when it came to the romance. Now the bromance between Lincoln and Eric? That was prevalent. I loved every single moment of that. I just wanted more between Lincoln and Lexie. I also wanted more of their stories. I wanted to find out what was happening with Lincoln's situation. Then when the cliffhanger happened, my jaw dropped. I couldn't believe the story was ending like that. So now I will wait for August 24 to read the conclusion. I can't not read it, as I have to know what happens next. Not just in their romance, but in the situations that were occurring for each of them.

Let's talk rating real quick. I'm choosing to give this 3.5 stars. Part of me feels that could be a bit low, but then I also know that the book wasn't up to par with what I wanting or with what I'm used to reading. 3.5 isn't a horrible rating. It's a decent book with a potentially interesting storyline.

Now, do I recommend the book? Maybe. If you're not looking for a book heavy on the romance, then yes read it. Or if slow burn is your jam, then absolutely give it a read. If you're like me, you'll be intrigued by Lexie and Eric. I think you'll also be curious about Lincoln's situation. But if you're looking for a "typical" romance novel, then I'd say skip it.

Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts,

Laura

I have it all.

As a titan of New York City real estate, there’s nothing out of my reach.

Money. Power. Success.

The rise to the top wasn’t easy, but I’ve overcome every obstacle in my way. Including the biggest one.

My father.

Then I met her.

She isn’t afraid to put me in my place. Doesn’t tip toe around me because of who I am.

And she’s there to witness the most humiliating moment of my life.

The thing about being on top is there’s a lot further to fall.

Someone wants to see me lose everything.

And they just may get their wish.

Because I can’t focus on anything except my sister’s best friend.

Grab your copy today!

Add Rise to your Goodreads TBR!

Reserve the second book in the duet Fall!

Add Fall to your Goodreads TBR!

Meet

Grahame Claire is a USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance.

A writer. A blogger. United by our love of stories and all things romance. There was definitely some insta-love. Hello? Books involved. A little courting. A lot of writing. The result...Grahame Claire.

Soulmates. Unashamed of our multiple book boyfriends. Especially the ones that rooted in our heads and wouldn’t leave us alone. Don’t worry. We’ll share.

Pleased to meet you.

Want to find out what we're up to?

Connect with Grahame

Thank you to Grahame Claire and Social Butterfly PR for providing me with an advanced copy of Rise.

Friday, July 16, 2021

Lisa Suzanne Just Announced...

Did you hear the news? Lisa Suzanne has pushed up the release date for Vegas Aces: The Quarterback! That’s right, Jack Dalton’s story is coming in September!

If you read the original 5 books in the Vegas Aces series, which focused on Luke and Ellie, then you’ll remember Jack. We met him in Hawaii, but he was mentioned a bit before then. You’ll recall all the drama that he brought, and you’ll know how everything wrapped up. Well at least how it all worked out for Luke and Ellie. Here in Vegas Aces: The Quarterback we find out everything about Jack. It will be interesting to see who the woman is that is going to go on the journey towards an HEA with him. I know who I’m hoping it isn’t, and based on the teaser, it isn't her. So yay for that. I wasn't ready for a potential redemption arc with that character. Nope, nope, nope. From what the teaser says, this is going to be a bit of workplace romance, and a little of a love triangle. Vegas Aces: The Quarterback is going to be good. I can just tell.

𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘋𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘝𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘴. 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺?

I know I am!

Traded

The first time I met pro football’s hottest quarterback, we ended up horizontal just before the most embarrassing moment of my life.

The second time, I unleashed all my pent-up anger on him.

The third time was when the owner of the Vegas Aces introduced him as the newly traded player I’d be coaching for the next year. No…I’m not a football coach. I’ve been hired as his full-time behavior coach.

Now I have to live with my one-night stand, his fiancée, and their newborn while I attempt to help him make better decisions. On my first day, I’m already having moral dilemmas as I watch him chug orange Gatorade in the kitchen wearing nothing more than a towel. If I truly guide him to better choices, I might just find myself out of a job.

And this is one job I can’t afford to lose.

Pre-order Traded on Amazon & add it to your Goodreads!

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The Edge of Serenity {cover reveal}

Look at this cover that Kristin Turnage just revealed for The Edge of Serenity!

If you've been following me for a while, then you know that I freaking LOVED The Edge of Happiness. It was one of my favorite books that I read at the beginning of the year, and I still think about Cassie and Ryan from time to time . And now, now we are getting closer to Joss and Mac getting their story told. I am so freaking excited.

Joss and Mac intrigued me in The Edge of Happiness, and I cannot wait to see what these two go through to get their HEA. Wondering what trope The Edge of Serenity will be focusing on? It is brother's best friend. AHHHHH! I literally just said the other day that this is one of my top 3 favorite tropes! BRING IT ON!

The Edge of Serenity will be releasing on August 6, and I am so ready to dive in. So ready.

Please scroll a bit further for the book teaser, and for links to connect with Kristin Turnage.

Faking It With #41 {cover reveal}

I am so excited for Faking it with #41 by Piper Rayne! I love their writing style, their characters, and the "worlds" they create. So I am highly anticipating the release of this next installment of the Hockey Hotties series. Is it September 21 yet?

Oh, and if you're wondering what trope Faking it with #41 involves, it's the single parent trope!

Fake.

Being the heir to Jacobs Enterprises, I’ve been around fake people my entire life. I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn’t change for anyone. Which is the only reason I’m a professional hockey player who lives on the beach and does as he pleases without answering to anyone—except my father.

And now, my daughter.

Being a single dad wasn’t in the plan but after a one-night stand who took off after the baby was born, this is my reality.

My dad’s been harping on me to quit hockey and join the company for years and now that I’m a father, he’s only intensified his efforts. Until he makes me a deal I can’t refuse.

Insert Lena Boyd, the Jacobs’ family PR rep. She’s beautiful and intelligent and not at all the woman for me—ask anyone.

My dad needs us to act happily engaged and sell the idea that we’re in love. If we’re successful I won’t have to join the family legacy—ever. Of course, I agree.

That’s when things get complicated. I thought I had her all figured out until I found out there was more underneath her judgmental sneers and eye rolls. It feels like everything is coming together for the future I really want—with Lena—until my past ruins everything.

Pre-Order Your Copy Here!

Add to your Goodreads TBR List!

Meet Piper Rayne

Piper Rayne is a USA Today Bestselling Author duo who write “heartwarming humor with a side of sizzle” about families, whether that be blood or found.

They both have e-readers full of one-clickable books, they're married to husbands who drive them to drink, and they're both chauffeurs to their kids.

Most of all, they love hot heroes and quirky heroines who make them laugh, and they hope you do, too!

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Thursday, July 15, 2021

Fallen {a review}

Fallen by Rebecca Barber is officially available! This firefighter romance is set in K Bromberg's Everyday Heroes world, and I really enjoyed it. If you're wondering about the tropes that Fallen falls into, I would say single parent, found family, and slow burn.

Zach is a firefighter who is relatively new to the crew. As he is finishing up one of his shifts, he and Grady hear an alarm sound. Neither are familiar with this alarm, and so it catches them off guard. That is until they realize it is the safe haven alarm sounding. Hoping that it is just kids playing around, the guys run to the box to check. When they arrive they find that someone had left a baby behind. Zach immediately reaches for the baby, and as soon as the baby is in his arms, he's smitten. After getting the baby checked out at the hospital, in walks Lily. She had been called to act as the foster parent. Lily is nervous about stepping into the role, but she's always wanted to be a mother, and this may be her only chance. Lily sees Zach holding the baby, and she cannot take her eyes off of him. And in that hospital room is where their story officially begins. From that point on we find Lily struggling with parenthood, especially with a baby who does nothing but scream. Well except when Ava is in Zach's arms. Then the little one is as quiet as can be. Add in the fact that Lily is overwhelmed with parenthood, she also has a business to run, and that is overwhelming her as well. Then there is Zach, and the attraction that she is fighting with him.

Firefighter romances are not something that I've read a lot of. Don't get me wrong, I would love to, but other than Samantha Christy's series, I haven't really delved into the profession. So if you have recommendations for me, let me know! There was something about Fallen though that had me falling. Maybe it was Zach, his profession, and the instant love he felt for the baby. Maybe it was Lily, her love for baby Ava, how she was handling parenting, the family relationships she was grieving, and her profession. Maybe is was Zach's mom playing matchmaker. Maybe it was the razzing that the guys at the station were giving Zach. Maybe it was the story itself. I'm not entirely certain. What I do know is that I enjoyed the story and the characters. I felt the feelings when Zach found Ava. I felt the slow burn between Zach and Lily. I felt the passion. I felt the heartache. I felt the joy after the big dramatic moment when our couple came back together. I felt the love between this found family. I did struggle occasionally with some of the wording that the author used, as it wasn't words or phrasing that I am familiar with. Well some of the words were, but they were used in a different way. An example would be "nursing the baby". Now in my mind, this means that a baby is being breastfed, but in the story it meant the baby was being cuddled, held, and/or comforted. It was that phrasing that caught me off guard, and had me pausing to think a bit more. Another example was "buzz box". This was a phrase I had never heard before, but with clues from the story I was able to determine that it is vehicle. Google tells me it is a small car with a noisy engine. I learned something new! Those wording differences didn't affect my enjoyment of the story. Not at all. Like I said above, these unique ways of phrasing just had me pausing to think, and using context clues.

If you enjoy the Everyday Heroes World that K Bromberg created, firefighter romances, or the tropes I mentioned at the beginning, then I think you should give Fallen a read. If you are a Kindle Unlimited (KU) subscriber, Fallen is available to read at no extra cost. So add it to your list!

Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts,
Laura

Fallen is a contemporary romance written in K. Bromberg’s Everyday Heroes World full of heart-wrenching and emotional moments, punctuated by sizzling chemistry.

When Zach Higgins rolled out of bed to go start his shift at the firehouse this morning, he never thought he’d end his day falling in love.

All it took was one flutter of her tiny eyelashes and Zach was wrapped around her chubby little finger.

The last thing Zach wanted to do was hand her over to a stranger. That was until the woman of his dreams turned up in her petticoat and pearls to take the baby home.

---

Lily Evans always wanted to be a mother. She’s dreamt of the day she got to hold her baby in her arms and sing lullabies as they drifted off to sleep.

But the world had other plans for Lily and her motherhood dreams.

When an opportunity to foster an abandoned baby arises, she jumps at the chance.

What Lily doesn't expect is to find her in the arms of a shirtless, sexy as sin, tattooed firefighter with an accent.

This Aussie firefighter sets her on fire in ways she’d rather not admit to. Lily was not prepared for Zach to turn her world upside down but was he everything she’d been waiting for?

ADD TO GOODREADS

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited

EXCERPT

Stepping inside the waiting room, I headed for the lady seated behind the counter. When she looked up over the top of her black-rimmed glasses, I didn’t miss the way her eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed. Not that I could blame her; I could barely believe it myself. I’m sure I looked like shit. I needed a shave, my shirt was tossed over my shoulder, my arms were covered in tattoos, and I had a tiny baby snuggled against me.

“C-c-can I help you?” she stuttered as she pulled her glasses off and set them down on her desk.

“I need someone to take a look at this little guy.”

“What seems to be wrong with him?”

Looking around at the waiting room, I wasn’t surprised to see people staring back at me. I didn’t give two shits what they thought about me. They weren’t important. But this little guy, he was. And he deserved more than being gawked at like he was an exhibit at the zoo.

AUTHOR BIO

Rebecca is a clumsy, introverted, bubble bath loving, chocoholic who'd rather read a book than go shopping. And don't even mention shoe shopping!

Rebecca is a lucky girl - one of four kids to school teacher parents. Wife to a football obsessed husband. Aunt to the most crazy/adorable little girls. And sister to two very determined sisters and one easy going brother.

Rebecca lives in Canberra Australia and spends way too many hours a day working the day job.

She is a book whore who can easily (and happily) read a book from start to finish in one sitting and spends her spare time writing.

AUTHOR LINKS

Thank you to Rebecca Barber and Give Me Books PR for providing me with an advanced copy of Fallen.

A New Carolina Reapers Book? Say WHAT?!?

Friends, when I opened up Facebook this morning I was surprised to see a post from Samantha Whiskey. In that post, Samantha announced that the next book in the Carolina Reapers series is coming. ON SUNDAY! CASPIAN’S STORY IS COMING!

And yes, I was having a Jessie Spano moment when I read the news. Yes, I am beyond excited because it feels like it’s been forever since Briggs was released. But I’m also “scared” because I know I’ll read the book so dang fast, and then I’ll be without a Samantha Whiskey book to read. Such a bookworm problem, I know.

I took a moment to squee like the fangirl I am, and then instantly went to Amazon to see if there was a pre-order link. Sadly there was not. Then I went to Goodreads to add it to my TBR, but it’s not there either. UGH. I just want to do my normal fangirl procedure. But since I cannot, I am sharing the news with all of you.

If you are someone who enjoys sports romance, more specifically hockey romance, and you enjoy the fake dating trope, then keep Caspian on your radar. You’re going to want to read it. Trust me. Also, if you haven’t read the Seattle Sharks series or the Carolina Reapers series, what are you waiting for? Go get them. If you have Kindle Unlimited, you can read them for free!

So what’s the story about? Well, I’m glad you asked. Here is the teaser that Samantha Whiskey posted in the announcement.

𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐀𝐍

She’s the girl next door, and for the next two weeks I’ll be her NHL star boyfriend.

When Ryleigh Dunham needs a date for my sister’s wedding—one confident and sexy enough to make her ex jealous—I’m more than happy to sign up for the job.

After all, Ryleigh isn’t the feisty teenager I used to know—now she’s all fiery passion, delectable curves, and a smart mouth I can’t get enough of.

Only problem is, I can’t stop the electricity crackling between us every time we’re “faking it.”

And the longer we play the game, the harder I’m falling.

Ryleigh feels it too, but she’s stuck in a past that refuses to let her go.

Now I’m playing for her future, and if we can’t see beyond our stubbornness, we may lose our shot at one hell of a happily ever.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go start a countdown on my phone. And set a reminder for Sunday. Not that I really need it, but allow me to fangirl.

If you've read any of Samantha Whiskey's books, then chances are you know how giddy I am over the news! Stay tuned for my review, because it will happen next week.

Thanks for reading my thoughts,