Imagine being in love with your best friend's brother.
Then.. keeping it a secret for years.
Ridiculously charming, a total player and a hockey super star... Reed Davidson has been the boy next door who's had my heart for as long as I can remember.
He was the ultimate bad boy, and I was just his sister’s shy best friend.
But when Reed's world is suddenly flipped upside down and he gets custody of his nephew, I'm the only one who can help.
I shouldn’t have offered to come on the road with them, but Reed wasn’t cut out to be a single dad and I knew he needed help. I tried to hide my feelings for him, but the two of us, the cutest kid on the planet, and a long hockey season were a recipe for disaster.
Reed was used to getting everything he ever wanted, and this time... He wanted me.
Only now, the stakes are higher and my heart is the one on the line.
Samantha Lind is a contemporary romance author. Having spent the first 27 years of her life in Alaska, she now calls Iowa home where she lives with her husband and two sons.
She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, watching hockey (Go Knights Go!), and listening to country music.
Bought is a steamy long novella by USA Today Bestselling Author, Colleen Charles, about a sexy CEO who will stop at nothing to stop his geeky best friend from auctioning off her virginity. It's the fourth Naughty Little Book and is a standalone with all the steam and feels you're looking for, along with an emotional HEA.
I love a good friends to lovers story, and so as I read the teaser for Bought I had high hopes. I can't lie, the fact that Colleen Charles has this book based in Minnesota was also a major draw for me. I had read one other book by her a couple years ago, and I had been wanting to read more. Anytime a book mentions Caribou over Starbucks, I have to smile, and of course read the book! I'm a sucker for books set in Minnesota, and for when Minnesota based businesses are mentioned within said stories.
Anyway...Bought introduces us to Emmie and Rush. These two have been friends for a couple of decades now. Rush has always had feelings for Emmie, but has kept that information to himself. One day, after Emmie lands a new job, the two are talking, and Emmie explains how this new job will help her to pay off all her student loan debt a lot faster. Rush still isn't sold on her new job, but is supporting his friend no matter what. Flash forward a few days, and Emmie tells Rush of a plan she has. She found a website where she can auction off her virginity, and the price these "investors" are willing to pay would wipe out her debt. She's going for it. But Rush can't let this happen. He has to intervene. Not only for Emmie, but for himself. He knows that he and Emmie are meant to be. So what does he do? Naturally he signs up on the website to join the auction.
I have mixed feelings on this book. On one hand I love the friends to lovers storyline. I love how these two have such history together, and that there is an attraction there. On the other hand there's the whole auctioning off Emmie's virginity. That doesn't sit well with me. At all. I feel like, in my mind, the majority of the story should have been different. It should have focused around Emmie's job, and the trying out of the adult toys that the company produces. It could have been an uncomfortable discussion with her best friend, turned into a night of exploration. Or something along those lines. The entire auction situation just feels gross, and I can't see Emmie doing this. She is this intelligent woman who knows what she wants. She also seems like the type of woman who would research the hell out of this idea, and then quickly forget about it. Again, I could see her talking to Rush about all this, and them working out an "agreement" or something.
My gut says to give Bought 3 stars. Yes, I liked the characters. Yes, I LOVED that this book was set in Minnesota. Yes, friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes. BUT it all comes back to the auctioning off of her virginity. I just can't with that. This book had such potential, I just wish it had gone a different route. (and I know I am in the minority on my thinking, as most reviews I've peeked at are raving about this novella.)
If you're looking for a friends to lovers romance that is a quick/short read filled with steamy moments, and is set in Minnesota, then download the book. Personally, I probably shouldn't have downloaded it since I knew going in that this auction situation was the main premise, but I had hoped that something else would have transpired. Sigh.
This little novella is not going to distract me from reading another Colleen Charles book though. It will remind me though to take the book at face value. If the teaser says _____ is going to happen, believe that, and decide if it is something I truly want to read.
Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts on the book Bought. My hopes were high, but they were slightly crushed. It happens. Not every book will be a favorite. Happy Reading my friends.
Laura
A leader is the one who never gives up.
I built my company from the ground up and now I sit on a throne of iron.
But I've sworn off love because I only want one woman.
The one I can't have.
We met back in grade school. Chasing each other around the playground. Spilling our secrets in the dead of night.
I crushed hard and those feelings I caught haven't even begun to fade.
So when my sweet, innocent Emmie wants to erase her six-figure student loan debt by auctioning her perfect body off to the highest bidder?
I see red.
If my naughty little engineer thinks she can gift her purity to another man...
I have been waiting for Ford's story ever since reading Countdown to a Kiss. The moment we met Ford in that novella, I was hooked and had to know his story. Well, it's time! Faking it with #41 is officially available, and I really enjoyed Ford's story.
As the title indicates, the fake dating trope is the set up for the book. Ford is suddenly a single dad, and quite honestly he's rocking it. He has made his daughter his priority, and his life has shifted because of it. Meanwhile back in New York, Ford's dad is still trying to get him to take over the company. Ford wants nothing to do with this, and is very vocal about it. Therefore his dad has decided to sell the company. BUT the person who is buying the company is very traditional, and may have a problem with the fact that Ford is a single parent. (Why? Who knows.) Enter the family PR person, Lena Boyd. Ford and Lena have to become engaged, and eventually marry for a short period of time. Just until the sale goes through. Neither Ford nor Lena wants to do this, but if Ford doesn't his dad fully expects him to quit hockey and take over the company. So he's stuck.
I thoroughly enjoyed Faking it with #41. Quite honestly it was my favorite of the series. Everything just felt right with the characters, and the story flowed nicely. I will say everything that happened at Christmas shattered me. That was definitely an emotional moment, and everything that happened after that was the build up to Lena and Ford's HEA. I loved the forced proximity, the fake dating, the hate to love, all of it. I loved that Ford was an amazing father, and really stepped into the role easily even though it was all so brand new. His daughter definitely changed him, and for the better. The only thing I didn't care for in the story was the whole sale of the company aspect. I just don't understand why that had to be the reason why Ford and Lena had to enter into this fake relationship. Yes, I know, Ford loves playing in the NHL and does not want to give that up. So that entire situation just didn't sit well with me. There could have easily been a different reason for the fake relationship. But whatever. I enjoyed the book, so it's not really that important.
If you are a hockey romance lover, or you enjoy the tropes I mentioned, give Faking it with #41 a read. I think you'll find yourself liking Ford and Lena.
Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts regarding this new release from Piper Rayne. I always enjoy their writing and the stories they tell. So go check out their books!
Laura
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.
Ellie Masters has done it again. She has written a story that captivated me from the beginning. I did not want to put Saving Cate down, as I was fully invested in Cate and Caleb's story. Rescuing Cate is a steamy, second chance, contemporary romantic suspense, about love at first sight. It features a protective hero and the smart, feisty heroine who steals his heart. If you believe in true love and soulmates, this story will give you the happily ever after you seek.
If you read Saving Brie, then you may recall meeting Cate at the end of that story. It was a nice segue into the next book. Cate is a wilderness tour guide. She knows the land quite well, and is extremely confident in her skills and knowledge. After all her Dad taught her so much, and then there was all the exploring she did as a child/teen with Caleb. When the news trickles in that there are two missing people, Cate quickly gets the information and basically TELLS the men that she is joining in the search. They cannot talk her out of it, which is a good thing since she knows the land. Not long after she and the others are out searching, Caleb arrives back in town. He's been gone for years, and currently has a break from all the missions he has been on with the military. After visiting the local diner, he learns of the missing hikers. Caleb immediately knows that Cate is involved in the search, and he knows that she will find them. BUT Caleb also knows that he can't sit this one out. With his skills, he can help. And it is up in that mountain where Cate and Caleb see each other for the first time in years. The heartache is still strong, the desire is still intense, but Cate cannot focus on that. She needs to focus on bringing these two women to safety. Anything having to do with Caleb will have to wait. But will Caleb stick around, or will he leave town again? Will he leave her again. Cate may be a strong independent woman, but her heart is still broken from years ago.
There is SO MUCH that happens in Saving Cate. Not only do we have that search and rescue going on, but we have the drama between Cate and Caleb. Plus there is the towns interest in the outcome of their relationship. The town has witnessed these two grow up, fall in love, have their hearts broken, and have been there to help pick up the pieces. This second chance romance drew me in and held me hostage until the very last page. Caleb always wanted to get out of this small town, and well Cate, she had her reasons for never wanting to leave. Her reasons were deep, emotional, and filled with heartache. Once you understand all that she has been through, it's easy to agree with her. But there is also that part that everyone else is trying to get through to her, but until something major happens, Cate isn't going to listen. Saving Cate had our characters working overtime for their HEA. That HEA definitely did not come easy, but in the end, all that they had to go through made their HEA that much sweeter. You may recall that in the first two books of The One I Want series that there was some suspense surrounding our characters. Ariel was trying to get people off an oil rig during a hurricane, and Brie was working on finding a sunken treasure while modern day pirates about to take over. That was a lot. It was intense. It made me love the stories that much more. In Saving Cate, there wasn't that same level of suspense. Yes there was the missing hikers, but that was more so a way for our characters to reconnect. So this book was missing that suspense element that I had come to expect. Don't get me wrong, I still fully enjoyed Cate and Caleb, and there was that situation that Caleb had to deal with, but it wasn't something that our couple had to work together on to perservere. Ya know? Does it really matter? No, no it doesn't. No matter what Cate and Caleb's second chance romance was a wonderful story.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go double check Goodreads to see when the next book in the series will be releasing!
Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts on Saving Cate. It is my hope that by sharing the books that I do, that you will find a new romance to read and enjoy. Happy Reading.
Laura
BLURB
True love isn’t about falling in love. Sometimes it’s about letting go…
Caleb broke what should never have been broken. He made a mistake and walked away from his soulmate to join the Marines and become the man she deserves. Now grief has stolen Cate's smiles. He did that. He destroyed her happiness.
When he returns as a Delta Force Operative, the elite of the elite, he’s not prepared for the woman she’s become, or how her feelings for him have changed. She’s smart, feisty, fiercely independent, and hates his guts.
A blizzard, a mountain rescue, and an overly affectionate dog will unite them. They’ll have to work together to survive, but she doesn't want him to stay.
If she won’t accept they’re meant to be together, she’s in for a fight because he’s never giving up.
Will Caleb and Cate rekindle their lost love? Or is this the end?
“You’re not running from this.” The muscles of his jaw bunch, and he gives a slow shake of his head.
“Caleb …”
“You’re more beautiful than freshly fallen snow.”
I hold out a hand, trying to stave him off, and take another step back.
He steps toward me. “You’re mesmerizing like a spring rain and more vibrant than the flowers poking up through the snow. You’re wild like fall leaves blowing with wintery gusts. You’re my eternal summer, my endless fall, the warm embrace of winter, with all the hopes of spring to carry me through. You can’t run from this. You can’t run from us.”
I stare at him, defiant and afraid. He isn’t letting this go.
Our gazes lock in a silent battle while he advances and I retreat. A war rages between us until tears rise in my eyes when I can no longer deny the truth.
“Why did you have to come back? Why couldn’t you stay away?” Tears roll down my cheeks as he heaves a deep sigh.
We stand for a moment, simply feeling each other’s presence.
For what seems an eternity, I feel the beating of my heart. It wants to run to him, but I hold it back.
Not exactly sure when he moves, or how he crosses the remaining space between us, I gasp as he grabs my arm. My heart skips a beat, and I try to yank free.
He cups my chin and backs me against the heavy front door. There’s nowhere to run, not that I would.
He forces me to look at him, to breathe him in, and absorb every detail, every nuance of his expression. In him, I see the boy who grew into a powerful man. His determined stare, blue eyes blown out by the dark depths of his lust, and the hitch in his breath, tells me everything I need to know.
Ellie writes the kind of heart-stopping, pulse-pounding, can't-stop-reading romance filled with all your sexy, swoon-worthy, alpha men. They have to be, because the heroines Ellie writes are strong women with take charge attitudes.
International, bestselling, multi-genre author, Ellie writes the stories she loves to read. Dark romance lover? Sweet contemporary romance? How about a romantic suspense to whet your appetite? Ellie writes it all. Don't wait any longer, your next book boyfriend is waiting for you.
Born in the South, raised under the Hawaiian sun, Ellie has traveled the globe while in service to her country. The love of her life, her amazing husband, is her number one fan and biggest supporter. And yes! He's read every word she's written.
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