Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Off the Bench by Alley Ciz {a review}

 

Calling all U of J fans! Today is the day you have been waiting for. Off the Bench by Alley Ciz is NOW AVAILABLE! Run to Amazon and grab this book. It was SO GOOD.

Quinn has had her eyes on CK for quite a while now, but he pays her no attention. It's frustrating. No matter how much she flirts with him, he doesn't seem to be interested. It's even worse now that they both living in the same place with their friends. They see each other constantly. CK is only interested in friendship. Or is he? CK struggles with thoughts of his past that keep popping up in his mind. Once a nerd always a nerd, and the athletes are beyond his level. They could never be friends with him. Athletes always want something from him. Except with this group who has adopted him. They seem genuine. Yet that nagging voice keeps popping up that he isn't worthy of a relationship with them. Especially not with Quinn. He's doing a great job of keeping his distance. That is until he mentions a dating app that he's on. Suddenly Quinn is taking him under her wing, and has agreed to be his dating coach. Can this work out? Can she coach him through his awkward dating skills? Can he manage a relationship with someone? What about Quinn, can she handle seeing CK date someone else? Will she ever confess her feelings?

This was my first UofJ book, but dang if I'm not going back to read Kay and Mason's trilogy! Those two seem intense. Plus I am really enjoying this cast of characters. Then there's the fact that Savvy and Carter both made appearances. Carter's little side story has me curious as to when that book will be written. That is going to be explosive. Back to CK and Quinn though. This book is opposites attract. It's forced proximity. CK is absolutely adorkable! I want to know more about this video game he's creating too! I loved these two. Quinn is a strong, outspoken woman, who isn't afraid to go after what she wants. Obviously CK is a bit of an exception for that, until it's not. Quinn isn't going to let her mother's thoughts hold her back. She's getting her education, and not the MRS degree her mother thinks she should get. Throughout this book I loved seeing CK bloom. He was finding himself, and some of that was with Quinn's pushing of his boundaries. When the big dramatic moment happened, my heart sank a bit. These two had just found their way to each other, and now it was up in flames. But it was because of this that CK really stepped up. He trusted his friends, and followed his heart. Loved it. Absolutely loved it.

From the characters, to the setting, to the storyline, this book had my complete attention. I didn't want to set it down, but being sick doesn't always allow me to push through. Thankfully that virus is just about gone, so that helps.

If you are a fan of college romances that feature the opposites attract, friends to lovers, and/or forced proximity tropes, then please go grab this one. This could also be considered a sports romance too as Quinn is a very skilled cheerleader.

I want more of this setting, and the characters! Alley Ciz has created a very strong group of friends, and oh how I wish I could meet them all.

Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts on Off the Bench. I hope you'll consider giving this new release a read. If you have KU it is included with your subscription!
Laura

@UofJ411: What’s happening here?
#TheyDoSayOppositesAttract #WhereAreAllThePost-its

On a scale of one to ten, Quinn Thompson is a fifteen.

Gorgeous. Fiery. A cheerleader so far out of my league it’s embarrassing that I even fantasize about her.

I need to find a way to shut down the dirty thoughts she inspires before it’s too late.

If I don’t, this whole new life of mine is at risk.

Easier said than done when temptation lives right down the hall.

For such a smart guy, CK can be surprisingly clueless.

Sweet. Shy. The star of all my naughty nerd fantasies, but utterly blind to my flirtations. 

Giving in to his plea to be his love coach may seem drastic, but I’m desperate for the chance to come off the bench.

Too bad the friend zone was a hell of a lot safer for my heart.


Add Quinn & CK's story to your Goodreads TBR!


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.

Where to find Alley

Facebook | Facebook Group | Goodreads | Newsletter | Instagram | Pinterest | Website | YouTube | Amazon | BookBub | TikTok


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Thank you to Alley Ciz, and Wildfire Marketing Solutions, for providing me with a review copy of Off the Bench.

Monday, December 20, 2021

Be back soon


 Happy Holidays all my fellow bookworms!

I'm going to be posting sporadically over the next two weeks. One it's winter break for my kids, and two, so far one kid has been hit with the virus. So obviously my attention will be focused there.

Enjoy your holiday season with family and friends. See you back here soon.

Laura


Notes on Love by Naaz Spencer {cover reveal}


Naaz Spencer has just revealed the cover for Notes on Love! This is the first book that Naaz has released, and it is sure to be a wonderful read. If not a bit emotional at times.  

This book contains topics that some may find triggering. These include discussion of  loss, grief, suicide, infertility, mature language and sexually explicit scenes.

Save the date for January 22 when you will get to meet Seth and Kiran!




Seth
 
Six months away, nursing heartbreak, and my father plucks a ray of sunshine from the sky and puts her in the office opposite mine.

Kiran Jafri is the one thing I hate - happy.

She’s an explosion of colour in one gorgeous package and I should stay away.

But Kiran’s warmth is all I’ve ever craved and avoiding her isn’t an option.

The more I learn about her, the more complicated it gets.

I’ll figure out a way to prove this is worth it.

Kiran
 
Moving to London is a fresh start.

New office. A personal assistant. And a stunning boss who is missing a heart in his chest.

Seth Sinclair is the office grump and fate seems to throw us together.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t stay away.

He’s something I want when I definitely shouldn’t.

It’s too complicated and I can’t trust myself not to mess up.

But Seth’s reminding me of one thing I thought I lost - hope.

Is it really possible for me to have it all?





Preorder Your Copy Here

Meet Naaz Spencer.

Naaz Spencer is the pen name of Zavi James.

Naaz Spencer spends most of her time rushing around a laboratory and trying to make people believe she has her life in order. After a near death experience, she decided to flex her fingers and take a stab at writing as that had always been her childhood dream. Now, she splits her time between experiments and fictional worlds and enjoys getting people to swoon and cry over her creations.

When she’s not writing and working, she can be found traveling across the world in a bid to find inspiration and unleashing her chaos on social media.

For more information about Naaz Spencer, visit:



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Sunday, December 19, 2021

Cocky Hotshot by Anne Marsh {a review}


Cocky Hotshot by Anne Marsh is the brand new addition to the Cocky Hero Club! The Cocky Hero Club is original works from various authors whose stories are inspired by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward's New York Times bestselling Cocky Bastard series.

Cocky Hotshot is a forced proximity, opposites attract, hate to love story. In the beginning we met Peony Bloom. She is a programmer who created a unique code that could calculate the probability of a couple staying together. From that code she started a business called The Odds of Us. She ran the business with her boyfriend Chris. They had planned a romantic getaway at a remote cabin in the Klamath moutains in California. As Peony was enroute, Chris called. He wasn't coming. He was ending their relationship. He had moved on. But the real kicker was that he was selling her company! In two days! Peony was on this mountain, and had to get back down. It is then that she notices smoke up the mountain. A fire. Shortly after that, while in a panic, she meets Bane Wilson. A hotshot firefighter who offers to guide her back down the mountain in exchange for her taking him to San Fransisco. The smoke is getting closer so they need to get a move on. These two are destined for a whirlwind romance, but can it survive when reality sets in?

When I read the description for Cocky Hotshot, I was immediately intrigued. A road trip and whirlwind romance with a hotshot firefighter who rescued you from the mountain? Um, yes please.While there was a romance and a road trip after being guided down the mountain, this just didn't feel like what I was being sold on based on the description.

What happened to Bane being a firefighter? Even if he was a firefighter, his crew would have known he was separated from the group. Yet it was no big deal that he just wandered off with this random woman. 
Since it took a few days for Peony and Bane to make it back down the mountain, how long was she hiking up to the remote cabin? How did she not realize she was so far away from her vehicle. She seems like a smart woman who would have researched the crap out of the location of this "romantic getaway". In regards to Peony's business, and former partner, um what? Can that even happen? My gut tells me no.

The steamy moments between Peony and Bane, were definitely steamy. That being said, I felt no connection, no spark, between them. Peony was high maintenance and annoying. Bane was at least a bit likable, and he definitely had the alpha-hole persona going. I did find myself curious about him though, especially since he was dodging questions regarding his job.

This hate to love, opposites attract, forced proximity story had so much potential. Yet at the end of the day, it was a miss for me. Were there parts that I enjoyed? Yeah, there were. I enjoyed their banter on the mountain. I enjoyed how Bane pushed her out of her comfort zones. On Goodreads I gave this book a rating of 2 stars.

Thank you for reading my thoughts on Cocky Hotshot.
Laura




What do you do when your cheating business partner/boyfriend (bad, bad idea) announces he’s selling your software company on Thursday to fund his new life with his other girlfriend?

You hurry back to stop him, of course. He’s not getting rich on my dime! Or that would be the plan, but I’m currently lost in the Klamath Mountains, access to my car cut off by a California wildfire, and there’s no way I make it back in time.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I come up with a backup plan: putting the six-plus feet of hot, sexy, mountain man who crash-lands at my feet to good use (no, no that).

Bane Wilson is a very cocky hotshot firefighter with a dirty attitude. He never shuts up and he always jumps in feet-first. We clash over life choices, the value of having a good plan, and who’s the boss of who, but it turns out we both sing loudly when no one’s listening, love junk food, and have really lousy exes.

We make a deal. He’ll be my guide down the trail, and I’ll be his chauffeur back to San Francisco. Traveling together disrupts all my carefully laid plans—and no matter how many times I tell myself I don’t even like this guy, the California wilderness isn’t the only thing on fire. Bane and I have serious chemistry. He’s not Mr. Forever. He’s just Mr. Fun. There’s no future for us and we’re supposed to part ways as soon as we reach San Francisco, exactly as I planned. We’ve both been scarred by our pasts and I don’t take chances. Turns out, I never should have let him into my car, let alone my life—or my heart



Cocky Hotshot is a road trip/forced proximity romantic comedy inspired by Cocky Bastard.



ADD TO GOODREADS


PURCHASE LINKS
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited


DECEMBER RELEASES

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Anne Marsh writes funny, sexy romantic comedies and paranormal romance.


AUTHOR LINKS



COCKY HERO CLUB



Thank you to Anne Marsh, and Give Me Books PR, for providing me with an advanced copy of Cocky Hotshot.

Friday, December 17, 2021

The Joker by Ashley Munoz {cover reveal}

🖤🖤 𝗛𝗢𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗔𝗟 🖤🖤

The Joker is the third, and final, book in the Rake Forge trilogy from Ashley Munoz!

You will not want to miss this friends to lovers to enemies romance.

Save the date for January 28!



Kyle James cashed in my V card and then disappeared like I was the finishing act in a magic show.

I vowed to hate my best friend, turn the longing and secret obsession with him into toxic hate and maybe a poorly chosen tattoo.

But as the years passed, I let go of any notions I'd ever see him again...until he sauntered on campus my senior year as a new transfer student.

All of Rake Forge was obsessed with his inked skin and that darkness that seemed to seep out of every methodical step he took.

I wasn't.

I knew the boy underneath, and while I wanted to know where he'd been...I would never ask.

Until my dad needed a favor.

His team required a way in with my ex-best friend and his contacts.

I knew Kyle would see through it...but I went anyway.

Suddenly, my world, made of black and white was bleeding color...and he was at the center, daring me to trust him.

My heart, blind and foolish chose to not only trust but to love him too.

I really should have known better.

I was merely a way in for my father, and for the man, I loved...I was just a way out.



Add to your Goodreads TBR!



Meet Ashley Munoz
Ashley was born in Nebraska, but raised in Oregon where she lives with her four children and husband. If she's not helping her husband with DIY projects around the house, she's writing or sneaking off to a corner to read.

Author Links