Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Stuck In Books Featured Releases & Giveaway





Flame is the next Dark Kings book in New York Times bestselling author Donna Grant's series.
If she believed in destiny, she would believe they were meant for each other.
But that fire was put out long ago. . .


Living among the Dragon Kings, Cain has spent lifetimes learning to distrust both mortals and Fae. He is a warrior born—and every instinct demands that he fight to keep his own kind safe. But when a fringe member of the Dark Fae contacts the Kings with an urgent warning, Cain is torn for the first time. How can he trust this beautiful creature when resisting his primal attraction to her is battle enough?

Noreen is horrified by what her kind and the malevolent Others are planning for the Dragon Kings. Dark Fae or not, there are lines she will not cross—even if it means risking her life. But she never imagined that she would risk her heart until she meets Cain. She wants him with a soul-deep desire that frightens her…and endangers them both. Is saying goodbye to everything Noreen has ever known worth a love that will span time and realms?


Now Available from St. Martin's Press





INT as long as you can accept an Amazon Gift Card



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Teaser Tuesday ~ 6/30/20

This is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.



To participate you:
* Grab your current read
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!






Flame is the next Dark Kings book in New York Times bestselling author Donna Grant's series.
If she believed in destiny, she would believe they were meant for each other.
But that fire was put out long ago. . .


Living among the Dragon Kings, Cain has spent lifetimes learning to distrust both mortals and Fae. He is a warrior born—and every instinct demands that he fight to keep his own kind safe. But when a fringe member of the Dark Fae contacts the Kings with an urgent warning, Cain is torn for the first time. How can he trust this beautiful creature when resisting his primal attraction to her is battle enough?

Noreen is horrified by what her kind and the malevolent Others are planning for the Dragon Kings. Dark Fae or not, there are lines she will not cross—even if it means risking her life. But she never imagined that she would risk her heart until she meets Cain. She wants him with a soul-deep desire that frightens her…and endangers them both. Is saying goodbye to everything Noreen has ever known worth a love that will span time and realms?



Available Today from St. Martin's Press

Teaser...

It didn't matter how many he read, he was always shocked at the manner in which humans felt they could say such horrid things, simply because it was through an email.  Face-to-face, those same people wouldn't speak in such a way, but a screen had a way of making people more daring than usual.  (Kindle location 230)
I couldn't agree more with Cain.  This is the moment right before he reads Noreen's email and is plunged into the mystery that is Noreen.  Really enjoyed this book. 


Have a teaser for us?  Leave us a comment. 



Monday, June 29, 2020

The Summer King Bundle by Jennifer L. Armentrout ~ Giveaway


A bundle of 3 stories by Jennifer L. Armentrout



The Queen is available July 14th from 1001 Dark Nights making this bundle complete!


Val is giving away a bundle to one lucky winner.

The Book Depository is not currently listing this book.  If that changes between now and the end of the giveaway, I'm happy to award this giveaway to anyone that the Book Depository delivers to.  However, if it is not available, I will only award the giveaway to a US winner.  





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Flame by Donna Grant ~ Review




Flame is the next Dark Kings book in New York Times bestselling author Donna Grant's series.
If she believed in destiny, she would believe they were meant for each other.
But that fire was put out long ago. . .


Living among the Dragon Kings, Cain has spent lifetimes learning to distrust both mortals and Fae. He is a warrior born—and every instinct demands that he fight to keep his own kind safe. But when a fringe member of the Dark Fae contacts the Kings with an urgent warning, Cain is torn for the first time. How can he trust this beautiful creature when resisting his primal attraction to her is battle enough?

Noreen is horrified by what her kind and the malevolent Others are planning for the Dragon Kings. Dark Fae or not, there are lines she will not cross—even if it means risking her life. But she never imagined that she would risk her heart until she meets Cain. She wants him with a soul-deep desire that frightens her…and endangers them both. Is saying goodbye to everything Noreen has ever known worth a love that will span time and realms?


Available 6/30/20 from St. Martin's Press



I fell in love with the Dark Kings series and have devoured every one of them.  Then I went back and read the series that came before it and all the other spin-offs.  Of course, I devoured this one.  I so enjoyed Cain and Noreen's story.

I admit to be unhappy about this being the next to the last in the series.  I do hope more spin-offs happen in the world.  I enjoy it too much to leave it.  At least there is rereading that can take me back here.

This book has the same great writing as you'd expect from Donna Grant.  I enjoy her little twists and turns.  This one had a few more than normal.  Lots of little details coming out about things I have wondered and guessed at for quite a while.  One I guessed correctly, one I was stunned at and some that I hadn't considered.  The really incredible thing about this author is how she can turn the series on a dime and make you rethink things that have happened in previous books.  This is one of those books.  I enjoy that about this series.

As for Cain and Noreen, they are an unusual pairing.  I won't give a thing away, but I will say that Noreen is dark fae.  Yeah, don't expect that knowing that tells you one thing about Noreen because it doesn't.  Every time I think I had her figured out, a twist changed my perspective.  It definitely makes you realize that you shouldn't judge anyone.  Besides not knowing where they came from, you have know idea what they've been through.  I like that.

I read this several months before release and when I finished I just paced.  I wanted the next one even though that's the ending.  I need more.  I also want another reaper story.  There is one in particular that I want.  If I could make a request, I would but I have a feeling it's going to happen.  That's all I'll say about that.

Of course you will want to read this if you've a Dark Kings fan.  I wouldn't jump into this book if you haven't read the main books in the series.  But it's a good excuse to start this series.  I read it before any of the other spin offs and fell in love.  Romance, magic, dragons, fae, and more - who could ask for more.  Not this reader.



                                 


Black Dagger Brotherhood #1 - #5 by J.R. Ward ~ Review

The only purebred vampire left on the planet and the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who killed his parents centuries ago. But when his most trusted fighter is killed—orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate—Wrath must put down his dagger and usher the beautiful female into another world.
Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn’t there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of the Brotherhood and blood frighten her. Yet his touch ignites a dawning new hunger—one that threatens to consume them both…









In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war raging between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Possessed by a deadly beast, Rhage is the most dangerous of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He's the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover-for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Owned by this dark side, Rhage fears the time when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhage's protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. She lost her faith in miracles years ago. But when Rhage's intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves... 






In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Of these, Zsadist is the most terrifying member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering and humiliation. Renowned for his unquenchable fury and sinister deeds, he is a savage feared by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion—until he rescues a beautiful aristocrat from the evil Lessening Society.

Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses. But even as their desire for one another begins to overtake them both, Zsadist’s thirst for vengeance against Bella’s tormentors drives him to the brink of madness. Now, Bella must help her lover overcome the wounds of his tortured past, and find a future with her…






Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard-living ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world—to engage in the turf war with the lessers. He's got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. If he can't have Marissa, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers...

Fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, he's found by a miracle, and the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back. But even her love may not be enough to save him...




The ruthless and brilliant brother Vishous possesses a destructive curse and a frightening ability to see the future. As a member of the Brotherhood, he has no interest in love or emotion, only the battle with the Lessening Society. But when a mortal injury puts him in the care of a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb compels him to reveal his inner pain and taste true pleasure for the first time-until a destiny he didn't choose takes him into a future that does not include her...












I know I'm late to the party but I finally started reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood.  I've read the first 5 books in the series and I think I'm done.  I may change my mind later and return to this series but as of right now, I'm done.

Overall, the books are good paranormal books.  It's a different take on vampires with a dark world tucked inside our own world.  There are civilian vampires and warrior vampires.  The brotherhood is the later.  Vampires only drink from other vampires of the opposite sex.  The civilian world has a old world snobbery where bloodlines are more important than individuals.  Add in the lessening society, who are headed by the Omega.  Yeah, he's the badest baddy you can think of.  Some of humans mythology is there.  Heaven and hell.  But there is also the scribe virgin who is the creator of the vampire world.  

In the first book, we have Wrath (the blind king) and Beth's (half-blood) story.  This book does a good job of setting up the world while still driving the story along.  I loved Wrath.  But I wanted something to happen that didn't and it really made me angry.  I thought his scribe virgin was uppity and not as willing to support the vampire society as she should be.

The second book is Rhage (warrior) and Mary (human).  This one touches on some of the weirdness that these books deal with.  Rhage can't feed from a human.  I was never completely happy about how it was resolved or the lifespan issue.

Book three is Zsadist (former blood slave and warrior) and Bella's (civilian) story.  Poor Zsadist.  His past is beyond brutal.  I felt for him so much but it was hard to care for him.  He was so hard and at times cruel.  And the whole thing with Phury was just awkward.  

Book four is Butch (former human cop) and Marissa's (Wrath's former shellen) story.  So humans can't become vampires, or so we have been told.  But there is some convenient clause that fixes things for Butch.  Yeah, he's a warrior now.  A lot of rules just get overlooked for the good of the war with the lessening society.  I really don't like it when everything is "no that can't be" and then someone just changes it because it's convenient.  I will admit to liking Butch and I'm glad he got Marissa.  They are a well mated pair.  It just too convenient for my liking.

Book five is Vishous (warrior with interesting mother issues) and Jane's (human doctor) story.  I think that while I liked this story the best, it was the one that caused me to decide to stop reading this series.  At this point, I can't stand the scribe virgin no matter her "sacrifice".  What she allowed to happen to Vishous went over a line for me.  It's one of those trust issues that can't be fixed for me.

While I liked the series, I grew tired of the slang, true?  Yeah, that came up a lot.  I get that this series is older and these books were releases in the early 2000's but it got old after a while.  I just couldn't take one more "feel me?".  The vampires were stuck in the 90's watching old (even then) reruns and talking like the million dollar man.  

And those breaking of trust issues I had?  I learn to trust certain authors not to do things that I can't get past.  While it may be more like real life, it isn't what I want from my books.  Things like guys having sex with another girl while crushing on someone else.  Yeah, it was in the book before their story, but I couldn't let it go.  And impossible situations.  I get that this is fiction and an author can write whatever they want but some things go too far.  The example of this is a spoiler so I won't say it but it really deflated me to the point I didn't want to read.  Not good.

Also, it was just too easy to see things coming in these books.  I really wasn't surprised, even with what should have been major events.  I like hints and they are necessary but these were too obvious.  

I guess the last think has to do with how much the stories are tied together.  You learn so much about other heroes well before their story.  While that's usually a good thing, it started to bug me.  I wanted the story focused on this couple.  These books are not so much companion as they are slices of a vampire soap opera.  I guess I bore easily and this one had me yawning.  

If you are a vampire book person, I would guess this series would still interest you.  The writing is strong and the sex is always hot.  I'm not sure the romance is strong, it wasn't for me.  But a lot of people love these books.  I kept hoping I'd love them more.  It just didn't happen.



                     



Sunday, June 28, 2020

Stacking Our Shelves ~ 6/28/20


Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  Make sure to checkout her post with links to all the other participates.

Click covers for Goodreads links



For Review...


Thanks goes to...

Jennifer L. Armentrout

Bought...




That's what's new on our shelves this week.  What about you?  Leave us a comment.






Saturday, June 27, 2020

Get A Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters #1) by Talia Hibbert ~ Review

Source: Apollycon swag bag.

Get A Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters #1) by Talia Hibbert


Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family’s mansion. The next items?

• Enjoy a drunken night out.
• Ride a motorcycle.
• Go camping.
• Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
• Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
• And... do something bad.

But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…




I've had a copy of Get A Life, Chloe Brown for a couple of months now, but only just picked it up because 1) I was finally in the mood for it & 2) I've been seeing teasers for book 2 (Take A Hint, Dani Brown) and am beyond excited to read it. So I figured a good way to bide my time until I had the book in my hands was to read book 1. And I am so very glad I did because just thinking about this book still makes me smile.

I LOVED these characters. Loved. Them. Chloe is strong and stubborn and sassy and funny. She also has chronic pain. I appreciated how she was such a well rounded character--her health was a focus, but it wasn't everything about her. Red is kind and sweet and healing from his past relationship. Both Red and Chloe offered tender topics into the story, and they were handled by the author with such care. 

That care speaks to Talia Hibbert's talent because this book was so delightful. The romance was constructed to easily fall in love with the couple while at the same time juggling topics that could have been heavier but were instead integrated in the story in a way that didn't make it feel weighty. And man, do I love this romance. There's banter. There's maturity. I live for couples that grow together and handle building relationships maturely. Not perfectly, because obviously everyone makes mistakes, but learning from those mistakes and making the effort to act better? Beautiful.

Speaking of growth! Along with their relationship, these individual characters had lovely growth. Chloe stepping out of her comfort zone. Red going for his dreams again. Both of them taking a chance on being together. I loved them.

Overall, Get A Life, Chloe Brown was a delightful romance that made me so happy. I adored the characters and their relationship, and I'll be thinking about this book and smiling for a long while. Now I can't wait to read about Dani Brown!


5 stars - If you enjoy romance and haven't read this one yet, you absolutely must!


Friday, June 26, 2020

Betting On Sin by Maria Ann Green ~ Excerpt & Giveaway


Betting on Sin
Maria Ann Green
Publication date: June 26th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Greta has been here before. Like, literally. She was just in this Las Vegas penthouse a couple months ago. Back then she was meeting Finn, the handsome bachelor looking for love, on The Lock—the most popular reality dating TV show around. But when she was here last time she was dumped, and went home alone instead of engaged. Life sucks sometimes.
But, other times, that same life has a beautiful way of showing you why it sucked so hard before – so you can appreciate what comes next even more. Because now Greta is the next lucky bachelorette to have thirty or so men worshiping her while she breaks up with them one at a time. It’s weird to be recognized in public, and even weirder to have so many dudes fighting over her. Actually after just a couple days it’s kind of exhausting, especially when she’d rather send all but a couple of them home. Be careful what you wish for, right?
Throughout the whirlwind Greta spends more time with her personal cameraman, Oliver, than she does on Trysts with the guys she’s supposed to be falling in love with. And the more time she spends with Oliver the less she wants to spend with anyone else. Anyone. Even the guys here for her. It gets worse too. The fact that he’s behind the scenes instead of on the big screen…it’s not the only problem. He also has a girlfriend. And that’s a line Greta won’t cross. But she can’t stop wishing she’d met him before all of this craziness.
Will Greta get her head together long enough to focus on following the rules of the show, or will she screw up this second shot at love too?
*Content Warning: sex, alcohol use, and language*
If you like reality dating TV shows, romances with steam and heart, female leads with no time for conflict or bullshit, and redheads, then Betting On Sin might be your next favorite book. It has plenty of awkward moments, friends to lovers, and promises the most dramatic season finale yet. It’ll keep you up way too late, reading just one more chapter all night.


EXCERPT:

I watch as his eyes widen, and he bites his bottom lip for a moment. And I watch as he sits still. I watch him…not backing away, not stopping me from what we both know I’m doing.
I close my eyes, too scared of the rejection I know is coming.
Call me a coward, I don’t care anymore.
I close my eyes and hover in front of his face, waiting. I want to go the rest of the way; I want to so badly, I can feel the need of it prickling all over. But I don’t. I cant.
Not yet.
Instead, I wait for him to show me somehow, tell me, that this is what he wants too.
His hands find mine then, his fingers moving to intertwine with mine, and he leans forward. It’s just an inch. It’s not the rest of the way to me, doesn’t close the whole distance.
But it’s enough.
It’s enough to show me that we’re in this together. That I haven’t made everything up in my mind. That he wants me too.
So I go for it. I close the last bit of space between us until my lips crash into his. And it’s like…I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.
Even though it’s only a kiss, nothing else.
But it feels like home.
Like what I’ve been waiting for my whole life.
Like nothing in the universe has been this right.




Author Bio:
Maria lives in Minnesota despite the frozen winters. Actually, she prefers snow drifts and icicles over summer and all that sweat running everywhere. She lives with her husband and little family, which includes a couple lazy cats who make great lap warmers. You can usually find her whishing that she lived in a secret cabin in the woods where she could be a hermit reading and writing all of the time. Instead she lives the suburban life where she pretends to her neighbors and the other moms around that she doesn't swear like a sailor, have hidden tattoos, and love a good glass bottle of wine. She absolutely believes in unicorns and ghosts and hopes vampires and monsters are real too. She's a coffee-in-the-morning and wine-in-the-evening kind of person, preferably with a nap in between. Maria prefers cats over dogs, books over people, and late nights over early mornings. She probably shouldn't talk to anyone until she's had her first cup of coffee. And if you ever want to hang out with her, you'll have to be game for a horror movie or just a quick run to target for two (hundred) little things. Also, you couldn't pay her to be in her twenties again; Thirties is where it's at. She's a creative, mouthy, introverted, proud bisexual, highly-sensitive INFJ, Slytherpuff, dork with a sweet-tooth.
Maria devours books, reading mostly in bed or listening to audio books in the car. Writing has been one of her passions for pretty much her whole life. So creativity is a necessity for her, always. After working in the mental health field for almost a decade, she's now living her dream as a stay-at-home writer, kiddo wrangler, professional snuggler, and constantly-tired-person. When it comes to her writing, she specializes in dark and twisted thrillers or gritty, angsty contemporary romances. But no matter the genre, she always prefers writing deeply flawed characters with dysfunctional relationships. She's pretty sure the whole "unlikable character" thing is a conspiracy because every character she loves have been labeled this way. Ridiculous. And because of this, she's pretty much found it impossible to write anything without at least a little mayhem.
Maria was once told she painted with her words, and that phrase stuck with her - because writing really is an art, and good stories are true masterpieces. She's always trying to grow and improve in her craft, shooting for a masterpiece of her own someday. And she plans to write forever because writing gives Maria the ability to disappear into new worlds and create people within twisting plots, all from the comfort of her couch. She will always believe that though not every story is for her, and her stories aren't for everyone, every story has a reader.


GIVEAWAY!


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A Stuck In Books Giveaway ~ Hot by Angel Payne



They could run from everything…except each other.

Grounded by fog, Zoe Chestain is stuck in an airport bar with the choice of spending the night with her two drunk roommates or one dark and delicious stranger. The Vegas show dancer decides to live dangerously and succumbs to a night of the stranger’s dominant passion. But her cloud of sensual bliss is blown apart when she and her friends are taken hostage during the next morning’s plane hijacking. Zoe’s horror deepens when her kidnapper reveals himself as her partner from the night before.

Shay Bommer is one of the army’s best. A Special Forces soldier following the footsteps of his brother, he’s aware of the risks of infiltration with the enemy. But going deep undercover on this mission with one of the CIA’s most sought-after criminals has cost him dearly. He’s lost the trust of the most breathtaking submissive he’s ever had in his arms, the camaraderie of his unit, and the esteem of his brother. But he’s on a quest to rescue a priceless treasure—his mother.


Zoe’s danced to some crazy songs in her time, but no amount of wild choreography has prepared her for the adventure with Shay—or the return to his bed that means surrendering more than just her body. As they run from the bad guys, the good guys, and everyone in between, she learns about the man behind the masks, and the Dominant for whom she’s always longed. But staying with him means dying with him. The heat is on. Can Shay and Zoe’s love survive the flames?



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Thursday, June 25, 2020

Kismet by April Canavan ~ Excerpt & Giveaway


Kismet
April Canavan
(Birch County Blue #1)
Publication date: August 11th 2017
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
Never look back.
In the dark of the night, 911 dispatcher Maya Daniels becomes the one thing she fears the most, a victim. Faced with new limitations, both physically and emotionally are what prove the hardest for Maya to handle. That and one very stubborn deputy who refuses to take no for an answer.
Brian will never forgive himself for the pain Maya went through when he couldn’t protect her. When he’s given one more chance to make things right, he swears that he’ll do anything to keep her safe. Even if it means he could lose his job as a Deputy Sheriff.
Nobody believes that Maya is safe, especially when her stalker returns with a vengeance. Maya finds herself fighting for her life once more, but this time she’s not alone.
Fans of Mary Burton and Susan Stoker will fall into the world of Birch County and never want to come back.


EXCERPT:

“Hey,” she called to him from the stairs. He looked good, but then she always thought that he looked good.
“Hey yourself, pipsqueak. Figured this might be easier than texting.” He moved from where he was next to his cruiser and stood at the bottom of the stairs.
From his position, Maya was only an inch or two higher than he was. She looked into his eyes, and smiled at the familiarity that was in their depths.
“I guess.” She breathed in deeply, and was pleasantly surprised when she was hit with his earthy scent. “So how was the shift?” The deputies could normally go home at one in the morning, but were on call until the shift ended at four.
“Good, too many tourists doing stupid crap though. It’s the season, I suppose.” Pointing a glance at her cast he said, “How come everyone else has gotten to sign it but me?”
“It’s coming off in like a week. There’s no point now.” She put both her hands behind her back, even if it was awkward with the cast on her arm.
He joined her at the top of the stairs, and she looked up into his eyes. “You really are short.”
“I know. Perks of being me, I guess. I’ll be the last to die when the zombies attack since I can fit into smaller places.” She knew it was derisive, but since she was making fun of herself it didn’t matter.
He started laughing, a comforting sound coming from deep in his chest. After he was finished, he just stood there and looked at her. She got caught up in the moment and when he pulled her into a hug, she let him. The warmth of his body enclosed her, and she felt safe. After she stayed in his arms for a minute, reality struck.
“I need to go. I’m getting tired.” She yawned for effect and looked at his cruiser pointedly.
He didn’t take the hint. “I know you are. Can I take Jonathan now?”
“No,” she was offended by his question, and it stung a lot more than she’d ever tell him. “You can’t have him. I promised that I would make him breakfast in the morning, you can have him after.” She crossed her arms, which would look a lot more imposing if she was able to do it without the cast. Instead, she shot him her most stern look. “You should go home now.”
“Okay, no problem. You know, you’re kind of cute when you’re telling me what to do.” He smiled. But it was more of a smirk, mirth reaching his eyes.
“Brian.” She really did need to go back inside, but before she could say it again, he cut her off.
“Kiss me.” He looked at her mouth, and seemed to be fascinated by it.
“Why?” Her throat was dry, the words coming out as more of a croak than a question.
“Because if you don’t I’m going to lose my mind.” He pulled her back into his arms, and she pushed against him until he released her.
When she was out of his arms, she took a deep breath and said, “I’m done with these games, Brian.”
“I can’t live my life without knowing what you’re going to feel like in my arms. You don’t understand. I need you.” The look on his face said that he was lost, and that she was the key to him finding his way home.
“There was a time when all I wanted was to be needed in your life, Brian. But that’s not what I want, not anymore. I need something other than hidden glances, innuendo, and being made to feel like I’m not good enough to be someone’s first choice.” Instead of feeling happy at the thought of being told exactly what she wanted to hear from him for so long, it just made her angrier that she didn’t have happiness like that in her life already and probably couldn’t in the future.
“But you are my first choice. Don’t you see that? I would turn the world upside down if it would make you happy.” Without waiting for her response, he grasped her by the shoulders and brought his face down to hers. “No more games, not between us.” And he kissed her. The entire world imploded in a barrage of light and sound. The kiss couldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds, but in that moment it felt like everything was right in the universe.
Pulling away from her just slightly he continued, “I should have told you how I really feel a long time ago, Maya. Then we wouldn’t have all of this wasted time. I want you in my life. Just give this a chance.”
“I’m a different person; all of the love I had was left behind that night. I can’t give you anything.” Eyes still stinging from the explosion of lights she saw during their kiss, she leaned away from him.



Author Bio:
USA Today Bestselling author by day and superhero by night, April spends her time split between real and fantasy worlds. While she writes across genres, her heart lives with Contemporary Romance that will tear her readers apart.
She lives on the rocky coast of Maine, in the perfect place to visit the ocean but still live surrounded by the woods. Her son inspires her to write, demanding stories that he's not allowed to read.
As long as she has coffee, April can conquer the world... but she hates talking about herself in third person.
You can join my newsletter for exclusive content and giveaways at www.aprilcanavan.com


GIVEAWAY!

This is not a Stuck In Books giveaway.  Stuck In Books is not responsible for selecting the winner or delivering the prize.


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Swoon Thursday ~ 6/25/20


Who doesn't LOVE a good swoon?!  We love them for sure!  Check out our swoon below and then add to the fun.

Post anything that made you swoon, past or present read.  Include the cover, blurb and links.  Please no spoilers.




Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters, #1)

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family’s mansion. The next items?

• Enjoy a drunken night out.
• Ride a motorcycle.
• Go camping.
• Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
• Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
• And... do something bad.

But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…



Swoon...

He pulled back slightly, just enough to breathe, "Slow down, Chlo." 
She stopped completely, let go, and stepped away, her gaze awkwardly avoiding his. In an instant, she was still and self-conscious. Not what he'd wanted. It was so not what he'd wanted that he had to resist the urge to whine like a dog. Instead, he caught her hand and dragged her back into his arms. "Don't do that," he said against her hair. "This is your spot now. Okay?"


These two are so sweet together! (Also, we still have a giveaway going on for a copy of this one! It's right here! :) )



That's our swoon this week! What about you? Leave us a comment & a link.