After a slight delay, Below the Line by April Canavan is NOW AVAILABLE! If you're anything like me, you have been eagerly anticipating this book because it means that we FINALLY find out the history between Teri and Logan. And friends, what a story it is.
Teri and Logan were once high school sweethearts. Logan had plans to marry her, to start a life with her, and to just have that happily ever after. Then came everything that happened with Lettie, and her death. Logan was grieving his sister big time, and he decided to join the military. To celebrate that, there was a family dinner scheduled. On the way there though, something major happened, and that right there changed Logan's path. He convinced himself that he could never be with Teri. He wasn't good enough, and everything that happened was his fault. Flash forward to current day. Logan is going on the annual camping trip with his family, and who shows up but Teri and her family. Logan is shocked to see her there, but he is also 100% happy she came. He's determined to talk to her and set things straight. Until things go south again. An emergency leads to an announcement, which leads to lives changing. Then there is the bombshell that the Chief drops onto Logan, and his life is spiraling out of control.
I am obsessed with the Birch Police Department series that April Canavan has created. Each book in this series has made me cry (at varying levels), and fall in love with our cast of characters. I want to befriend these fictional people. I want to go be their neighbor, be their friend, and just live in their community. Ever since reading Balls to the Wall (Remy & Parker's story), I have been intrigued by Logan and Teri. I knew that their story was going to be a bit intense. There had to be a reason why Logan was acting the way he was, and how he couldn't leave Teri alone. There is this connection between them that can only be described as soul mates. These two have a tether to the other that cannot be severed. No matter what has happened in their lives since that day in the alley, they always come back to each other. I love it. Do I understand why Logan would let himself into Teri's house every so often? Not really. I get that Teri brings him comfort, but dang if that isn't a little stalker-ish. (If you've read the story then you know what I'm talking about)
I posted on Instagram when I was about half way through chapter 6, and I was picking my jaw up off the ground. I could not get over what I had just read, and the scenes that had just played out. That brought on the tears a little bit. Then later in the book, when the suspense kicked in, I was on the edge of my seat wondering how all that was going to play out. How was it going to wrap up? What would it take for Teri and Logan to get their HEA? I don't know that these two could handle much more heartache, pain, and loss. Everything that happened was rough to read, BUT at the same time it got them to where they needed to be. All of this brought them to their HEA. I love this series, and I want more. I cannot wait to read the novel that was teased at the end. My curiosity has been sparked, and I will be anticipating that book when it releases. But considering that book isn't even on Goodreads yet, I'll be waiting a bit. So while I wait for that one, I at least have the Birch County Fire series to look forward to. Ground Zero releases next month, and I am so ready for it!
If you are all about police and/or military romances, then PLEASE go read the Birch Police Department series by April Canavan. I put it under both categories because our guys are all former military (or reserves in Dom's case), and are just simply amazing. They are alphas, they are overprotective, they love hard, and they wear their hearts on their sleeves. Their ladies are pretty darn incredible too. Oh, and reading this series may have you craving tacos and pizza. Both foods play a big part in the books. ๐คฃ
Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts on Below the Line, and the Birch Police Department series. I think you'll fall for these characters. If you're an emotional reader, have the tissue box close by. Some books will require more tissues than others.
Laura
Teri
Silence.
That’s all I had from him for years.
Broken promises.
Dreams of a life we should have had.
Except he left me behind.
And then he showed up, scarred and broken.
I can’t save him.
Hell, I can’t even save myself.
When he promises me the world, I know he’s full of shit.
But that doesn’t stop me from letting him in.
From hoping he’s not going to break me again.
Logan
I made promise after promise.
Broke every single one of them without looking back.
Okay, that’s a lie.
I looked back, and I made damned sure she never loved anyone else.
She’s always belonged to me.
I know I’m not a good man.
I may be dense, but I’m not a f*cking idiot.
When I get the chance to have her, I take it.
Her kiss.
Her smell.
The way she screams my name.
In the dark pit of my life, she’s the only salvation.
And I’ll destroy anything that tries to take her from me again.
I live on chaos and coffee, and you’ll find it running through every single one of my stories.
First of all, I absolutely abhor writing anything biographical. In any form. I’m terrible at it, and I have the very firm belief that no one wants to know who I am. You’re here for books, right? But that doesn’t mean I’m off the hook.
I grew up sneaking over to my great grandmother’s to read her Harlequin novels. Those were delivered once a month in a ginormous box, and from the age of ten, she let me devour them in their entirety. I fell in love with romance, even the clean kind. And that, undoubtedly, led to many days and nights with my face buried in a book and the discovery that I wasn’t happy unless my hair was up, and I had a story in my hand.
I never wanted to write. I wanted to read. ALL the words. Until someone pointed out to me that I’d been writing my entire life. I just needed to put the book in my hand down and pick up a pen.
Once I started, I found out that I couldn’t stop. Now, I’m always writing. Or reading. Or chasing my son through the house to get the elusive hug he thinks I don’t need.
Oh, and I’m a Leo… which is completely on-point if you know me at all. I love being the center of attention. On my terms. When I can stay at home in my pajamas. With lots and lots of coffee on hand. And maybe a few snacks.
Scoring Beauty by Alley Ciz is a sporty, sexy romcom featuring a hot-mess (at least in her eyes) single mom who’s about to knock this swoony motherpucking hockey player on his very fine behind. This interconnected stand-alone comes complete with your favorite can’t-mind-their-own-business Covenettes, a next generation trying their hands at the matchmaking shenanigans, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after. You are going to love Ryan and Amara!
Oh how to even recap Scoring Beauty?!? So we have Ryan, he is the captain of the Blizzards, and he is about to give up on dating. At least during the hockey season. That is until a gorgeous woman bumps into him in the locker room. Amara had been in there looking for Coach Watson, but instead ran into Ryan. Ryan, not knowing that Amara is connected to Coach Watson, is instantly attracted to this woman! He cannot get her off his mind. Amara is also taken by Ryan, but she has vowed to never get involved with a professional athlete again. From this point on, the ball just gets rolling until a major miscommunication/misunderstanding throws everything off course. Amara is worried because a breakup doesn't just affect her anymore. Now she has to worry about Maverick as well. Especially since her son has grown so attached to Ryan.
Friends, this was my first BTU Alumni book, and I need to go back and read the others. No, not because it is necessary to do before reading Scoring Beauty, but rather so that I can get to know these characters! They captured my attention, and I love their sense of humor, and the way they are involved in each others lives. The friendship is just fantastic. Now I will say that Maverick stole the show in this book. Yes it's about Ryan and Amara, but this little 9 year old swooped in there and took over. I have a feeling that when Alley writes the stories for the next generation, Maverick's is going to be amazing. Back to Ryan and Amara though. Loved their meet-cute. I'm always up for a good awkward moment. Then when Ryan meets her again at Coach's house? So good. I could also see Ryan trying to put the breaks on his interest in Amara. I love how their relationship evolved, and this slow burn was handled wonderfully. The relationship that Ryan had with Maverick melted my heart. Even after things with Amara became rocky, Ryan was still there for Maverick. He was a constant for that kid, and that just warmed my heart. That whole big moment where the relationship skidded off course? That was a bit rough to read. I can see why Alley Ciz chose to reveal that information the way she did, but it also made me question Amara a little bit. Knowing how she felt about Ryan, why would she assume that he knew this when she never told him? I mean I was even a bit shocked to read that revelation. Yes, we knew a tiny snippet of Amara's past, and that Maverick's father was a hockey player. But that's all we knew. There's nothing that can change that though, and it definitely caused some drama. Loved all the characters. Loved how Ryan's ex was trying to help him find his HEA. All of it was just so good. Also, those group text messages? Freaking loved it. I need a circle of friends like that. I was laughing so many times.
If you're read the previous BTU Alumni books, then you are definitely going to want to go read Ryan's story! If you have not read any of the BTU Alumni books, but you love hockey romances, single parent romances, and/or a good slow burn, then you'll want to read Scoring Beauty!
Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts on the book. I greatly appreciate it.
Laura
RYAN
I’m done with dating.
Happily-ever-after isn’t in the cards for me, so I’m officially taking myself off the market.
Hockey is my mecca.
The arena my temple.
The ice the altar I worship at.
Then…I met her.
Strip me naked and run me over with a Zamboni—she’s the textbook definition of a bad love match.
Amara Miller, beyond beautiful and effortlessly drawing me into her orbit and making it impossible to resist her.
AMARA
It should have been a simple cross-country move.
Instead, it sent me crashing—quite literally—into the captain of Coach’s new hockey team.
Did I mention he was half-naked when it happened?
It doesn’t matter that he’s sexy as sin and the swooniest motherpucker I’ve ever met.
I will not lust after hockey players.
Been there.
Done that.
Bought the maternity shirt.
And Ryan Donnelly? He’s pretty much Mr. Hockey.
The problem is, I’m not the only one enamored with him—my kid is too.
It’s turning into a problem, because this mama doesn’t have time to play games when it comes to our hearts.
If you're interested in purchasing a copy, click here!
GIVEAWAY
To celebrate the release of Scoring Beauty, Alley Ciz has a signed paperback up for grabs! Stop by her Facebook page to enter!
Meet Alley
Alley Ciz is an internationally bestselling indie author of sassy heroines and the alpha men that fall on their knees for them. She is a romance junkie whose love for books turned into her telling the stories of the crazies who live in her head…even if they don’t know how to stay in their lane.This Potterhead can typically be found in the wild wearing a funny T-shirt, connected to an IV drip of coffee, stuffing her face with pizza and tacos, chasing behind her 3 minis, all while her 95lb yellow lab—the best behaved child—watches on in amusement.
Calling all MC Romance fans! ONE EYE by KL Savage is coming October 15! This is the third book in their Ruthless Kings Atlantic City series, and you are not going to want to miss this one!
That’s what pain and fear does to someone; they make someone run.
And Alicia ran far...
Taking my heart with her.
We agreed we both had things to work on, but to be honest, I didn’t know how to improve.
She did.
She fought for us. She got stronger. She did what she said.
I lied.The truth is... I’m not the man she needs me to be.
And I don’t know how to be it.
I’m hideous. I’m a monster. My face is abnormal.
Who could love a man with one eye?
Who could love a man that’s... bad on the inside?
I’m a rotten soul.But she turns this rotten soul into something more.
She gives me hope.
Until she dares to move on from me.
And then all hell breaks loose.
Make no mistake, she’s mine.
And she’s about to learn what happens when someone pisses off a beast.
They become the monster they were born to be.But just as I have her, someone from her past comes looking for something that no longer exists.
Wedding bells ring in the distance.
And they aren’t mine.
No one marries her, but me
I, object.
Meet K L Savage
K.L. Savage writes about gritty, alpha males, sometimes their dark sides, and the women they love. If you have the same itch, their alpha males should fix that.
๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ซ, ๐๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ-๐ฐ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ง๐๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐. BROKEN PLAYBOY is the fourth book in the Windsor Academy world. While it may be read as a standalone, as it focuses on a new couple, your reading experience may be enhanced if you read the entire series in order.
Cover created by: Lori Jackson Designs Photographer: Scott Hoover Model: Adrian Conrad
Laura Lee is the USA Today bestselling author of steamy and sometimes ridiculously funny romance. Laura won her first writing contest at the ripe old age of nine, earning a trip to the state capital to showcase her manuscript. Thankfully for her, those early works will never see the light of day again! Laura lives in the Pacific Northwest with her wonderful husband, two beautiful children, and three of the most poorly behaved cats in existence. She likes her fruit smoothies filled with rum, her cupboards stocked with Cadbury's chocolate, and her music turned up loud. When she's not writing or watching HGTV, she's reading anything she can get her hands on. She's a sucker for spicy romances, especially those that make her laugh.
I'm back with yet another new hockey romance novel! Off-Season by Jami Davenport is the sixth book in her Scoring series, and it is now available! So let's take a trip to Seattle, where Andy is just finishing up his rookie season with the Seattle Sockeyes, and he's making plans for the off-season.
Andy and his team had an amazing season! No, they didn't win the Stanley Cup, but they made it pretty far. That last game was rough though, and afterwards, Andy was given some hard truths. Now here it is the off-season, and Andy just wants to escape to the woods for some alone time. How difficult can it be to go camping in an RV? Who cares that he has zero experience, he can figure it out! Except that is where it all starts to go south. After arriving to the campground, Andy is attempting to back in his trailer. Except he's never done this before, and that is showing based on the fact he is about to crash. Thankfully Kennedy is at the campsite right next door, and she is a very experienced camper. After all her job is to do PR for her family's RV brand. So she's done it all, and is very confident in her skills. She offers a helping hand, and gets Andy's RV all settled in. Even though he's a grump the entire time. Kennedy isn't letting that put a damper on her time though. Things keep going wrong for Andy, and each time he finds himself at Kennedy's door obtaining assistance. As time goes on, Kennedy and Andy are spending more time together. With that time, comes sharing of their lives, and Andy slowly beings to open up about his struggling relationship with his family. All is going great between Andy and Kennedy, a bond is being formed, and the attraction levels are quite high. That is until Andy's teammates track him down. That changes the entire dynamic, and the relationship between the two begins to shift.
I went into Off-Season with extremely high hopes. Hockey romance is the best thing ever, and it is my happy place. I lead with that because something was off with this book. Not only did it take me a lot longer to read than normal, but I didn't feel the connection between Andy and Kennedy. I really enjoyed Kennedy's character, and she is an amazing woman. She has traveled all over the world, often times on her own, and she is the brand ambassador for her family's RV company. She knows her stuff, and she is more than willing to teach others what she knows. She is a giving person. She is the sunshine in this grumpy/sunshine romance. Then there's Andy. He's obviously the grump in this trope. Andy comes across as someone who is better than you. He's above you. He can do it all on his own, he doesn't need any help or guidance. Which is why he received the hard truths that he did at the end of the season. He's really just an ass, and even knowing his history, that didn't change my thoughts towards him. He isn't a likable character. Or at least not from my perspective. There wasn't a redeeming moment with him that had me flipping my thoughts. The saving grace of this book, and the reason I gave it 3.5 stars on Goodreads, is the storyline between Andy and Gage. These two are teammates on the Seattle Sockeyes team, as well as half-brothers. But there is an issue between them, and they do not get along for a variety of reasons. THAT captured my attention. The romance with Kennedy was a nice distraction, but I really would have loved to have dove deeper into the relationship between these brothers.
So, did I like the book? Yes, kind of. I liked Kennedy. I liked the setting. I liked the tension between Gage and Andy, and everything that was unfolding there. Would I re-read it? No I wouldn't. But to be fair I rarely re-read books, so there's that. However there are books that I am open to re-reading in the future, and this one doesn't fit the bill.
Do I recommend Off-Season? Yes, yes I do. As I've said before, just because a book doesn't vibe well with me, doesn't mean that it won't for another person. That is why ratings are so subjective. How I feel about a book, or what I took away from a book, isn't going to be the same for you.
Should you choose to read Off-Season, please come back and fill me in on your thoughts. I'd love to chat about the book, the characters, and all that jazz. Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts. I appreciate you stopping by.
Laura
Andy
I just ended my rookie year with the Seattle Sockeyes in a win-or-go-home game, and we went home. I played a big part in that loss thanks in part to my lack of team play. It's time to lick my wounds, re-examine my role, and come to terms with demons I've been avoiding for too long. I buy an RV and take to the wilderness for a little solitude and lot of soul-searching. Just me, my dog Bones, and nature. There's one problem. My campsite neighbor is a too-cheerful, busy-body camp host. She brings out the worst in me, but I can't stop thinking about sharing a sleeping bag with her.
Kennedy
As a brand ambassador for a large RV manufacturer, it's my job to make sure everyone is enjoying their camping experience. Usually I'm quite good at fixing problems and assisting campers until I meet the hot, grumpy hockey player next door. He claims he wants to be left alone; but after one look at his lost expression, I'm certain that's the last thing he needs. To complicate things, we have chemistry, the kind which blazes past all misgivings and singes everyone in sight.
USA Today Bestselling Author Jami Davenport writes sexy contemporary and sports romances, including her two new indie endeavors: the Game On in Seattle Series and the Madrona Island Series. Jami’s new releases consistently rank in the top fifty on the sports romance and sports genre lists on Amazon, and she has hit the Amazon top hundred authors list in both contemporary romance and genre fiction multiple times. Jami ranked Number Seven on Kobo’s Top Ten Most Completed Authors, an honor bestowed on the year’s “most engaging” authors based on an average page completion rate by their readers.
Jami lives on a small farm near Puget Sound with her Green Beret-turned-plumber husband, a Newfoundland cross with a tennis ball fetish, a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat, and an opinionated Hanoverian mare.
Jami works in IT for her day job and is a former high school business teacher. She’s a lifetime Seahawks and Mariners fan and is waiting for the day professional hockey comes to Seattle. An avid boater, Jami has spent countless hours in the San Juan Islands, a common setting in her books. In her opinion, it’s the most beautiful place on earth.
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