Blog Tour - The Redhead Plays Her Hand (Redhead #3) by Alice Clayton

The third sexy novel in USA TODAY bestselling author Alice Clayton’s playful and erotic Redhead series continues the sizzling romance between actress Grace Sheridan and Hollywood’s hottest leading man Jack Hamilton. 

Grace has landed the lead in a new TV series—but when the director asks her to lose fifteen pounds, she goes public with her weight struggles and suddenly develops a huge fan club who support her right to have curves. But between that and the public’s continuing fascination with her “are they or aren’t they” relationship with Jack, Grace begins to wonder if anyone’s really interested in her because of her upcoming TV series, or if it’s all speculation about the size of her ass and her bedroom partner.

Meanwhile, Jack is voted the Sexiest Man Alive and becomes a little too enamored with the party-hard lifestyle. Grace vows to give him the space he needs to find himself, but then he begins to spiral down from lovable Brit to Hollywood brat. People are talking, but are Jack and Grace? Her career is on the rise, and his continues into the stratosphere, but will she be able to catch him if he falls? Will they ever be able to just be a couple who can hold hands when they walk down the street?

Four Stars

Schmaltz

I am such a HUGE fan of this series. LIKE. HUGE! I’ve read the first two books, like, a million times. You don’t know how much this couple means to me; how much this series means to me. Jack is my all-time favorite Brit Book Boyfriend. He was my first non Mr. Darcy, non-PNR and completely Adult contemporary Brit Boyfriend. Jack means the world to me. And as for Grace, well she’s just fucking fantastic. I love that she was older, curvier, whip-smart and flat out fun as hell.

This is so bittersweet for me. I can’t believe it’s finally over. OMG, I think I’m starting to freak out now. I mean, there will be no more George & Gracie.

No more Sweet Nuts & Nuts Girl.

No more sexy British accent.

No more hitting the J-spot.

No more happy trails or sparkling boobies.

No more Golden Girls.

No more scratching of Jack’s head.

No more super sexy Scientist Guy.

No more sexy lip biting.

No more schmaltz.

Sigh

No more Jack & Grace.

Yup, it’s official: I’m tearing up.

**Possible spoilers below**

Hamiltoned

For those looking for same funny moments similar to those in the previous books, you will be a little disappointed to know that this didn’t really contain a lot of those laugh out loud moments. This one had a little more drama and little more emotion to it.

It wasn’t perfect and I have to admit that I was a little nervous when I first started. I loved where book two ended, but a huge part of me craved for more. When I first read the synopsis to this, my first thought was, “oh, fuck! Nothing better happen my Jack and Grace.” I was so freaking nervous. But let me ease your minds a bit by saying it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Yes, Jack was a bit of a knob in this story, but rest assured, he does prevail.

Speaking of my favorite Brit, I felt so much emotion for Jack. He was spiraling out of control and as much as Grace wanted to help him, he just kept pushing her away. I didn’t like to see my perfect Brit behave this way. Plus it didn’t help that they couldn’t be together publicly. I had such a hard time believing the reasons why and as much as it frustrated me, I eventually, yet albeit reluctantly, understood. But still. I wanted everyone in the world to know that they were together. When that finally happened, I literally had a huge, goofy, stupid smile on my face. I must’ve read that part at least another three times because all I could think about was FINALLY! **Fist pump**

Grand gesture

Le Sigh…

I really don’t know what else to say, except to say once again that I will so miss this series. When I finished it, I was happy, yes, but it was so bittersweet. What are the chances Ms. Clayton will give us an extended epilogue or something? I would DIE of happiness for one more little snippet of my favorite couple. But alas, I can only hope. At least I will always have these books to turn to if I’m ever in a book funk. Jack and Grace have forever imprinted themselves in my heart and in my soul. I just love this couple to pieces. Thank you Ms. Clayton for giving us this series. Seriously. This series is one of my all-time favorites and I’m glad you gave us proper closure to this fantastic series. Just bloody brilliant.

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The Dark Light of Day by T.M. Frazier

Warning: This is not your typical romance. The story of Abby & Jake contains disturbing situations, graphic violence, sex, rape, strong language, drug use, and all types of abuse.

Abby has been through hell and has survived one of the most brutal childhoods imaginable…barely.

To the outside world she's just a loner with an attitude.

When her grandmother dies in a tragic explosion, Abby is left with questions-and nothing else.

Homeless, sleeping in a junkyard, and on the run from a system that has failed her over and over again, she meets Jake, a tattooed blue-eyed biker with secrets that will rival her own.

Two broken souls that can't be healed. They can't be saved.

Abby & Jake must reveal to one another their most guarded secrets and discover if they can embrace the darkness those secrets hold-and the darkness within themselves.

If they can accept one another for who they really are, they might be able to learn that love isn’t always found in the light.

*stand alone novel, HEA in a twisted kind of way, no cliffhangers, no sequel

Five Stars

**Warning: This is not your typical romance. The story of Abby & Jake contains disturbing situations, graphic violence, sex, rape, strong language, drug use, and all types of abuse.**

This completely sums up this story!! It is also the reason I loved this book! It wasn't pretty, it wasn't sweet, it was the story of two people that needed and understood each other finding one another!

Sick twisted Abby was in love, with sick twisted, beautiful Jake.

Abby and Jake have both live somewhat horrific lives and quite a bit of their story may not be what you'd call morally right, but it works. Sometimes revenge is needed and if your white knight wears a black hat instead and can get that revenge on your behalf than so be it!

I know we all want to say that we would be the bigger person and let fate or karma or the system punish those that hurt us or people we loved but I DON'T AGREE! That is where my love for this book comes in, neither Abby or Jake have any issues with doing what needs to be done!! The bad guys eventually get whats coming to them, and in doing so help out Hero and Heroine begin to heal and live their lives together.

“I fell asleep that night in the arms of a killer. I'd never slept better.”~Abby

This is not an easy story, it hurts to read some of the horrible this that our beloved characters go through, but if you can you will experience a wonderful story of love and triumph of two very lost and broken souls. We were just us, broken and bruised, fucked-up and messy, and together we were everything we never thought we could be.

 

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Very Bad Things (Briarcrest Academy #1) by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Born into a life of privilege and secrets, Nora Blakely has everything any nineteen-year-old girl could desire. She’s an accomplished pianist, a Texas beauty queen, and on her way to Princeton after high school. She’s perfect…

Leaving behind her million-dollar mansion and Jimmy Choos, she becomes a girl hell-bent on pushing the limits with alcohol, drugs, and meaningless sex. 

Then she meets her soulmate. But he doesn’t want her.

When it comes to girls, twenty-five-year-old Leo Tate has one rule: never fall in love. His gym and his brother are all he cares about...until he meets Nora. He resists the pull of their attraction, hung up on their six year age difference.

As they struggle to stay away from each other, secrets will be revealed, tempers will flare, and hearts will be broken.

Welcome to Briarcrest Academy…where sometimes, the best things in life are Very Bad Things

A Strong Four Stars

He stiffened. “Nora!” he yelled out as he came, throwing his head back, his blond hair falling into his eyes, his muscles body straining forward and undulating in a beautiful symphony of ecstasy.

I wanted to weep.

I wanted him to love me. 

Long moments passed and he recovered slowly, opening his eyes and blinking up at me. “What was that?” he ask weakly.

I picked up my purse and stood up on wobbly legs. “That was a lesson in clarity, Leo,” I said in a small voice. “I have a date tonight with a guy I’ve fucked before, a guy I once had real feelings for. Think about what just happened in here between us and how non-epic it was. Think about me doing that with someone else. Think how good we could have been.” 

**Smirks**

Excuse me, but I couldn’t help but lead off with one of my favorite scenes in the book. There was something about this scene, about this quote, that perfectly exemplifies how achingly frustrating this story was; frustrating, but hot. 

I simply needed to do the things on my list: get drunk, get high, and get laid. Get relief. End of story. 

On the outside Nora’s life seemed perfect. She’s smart, beautiful and rich. What people don’t see is that Nora’s life is anything but perfect. Her mother is a complete psycho control freak. Her father is pretty much absent from her life and her brother, well, that’s a whole other hot mess there. She’s tired of living this secluded, miserable life and she wants to break free. So what does supposedly little Ms. Perfect do? Sabotage her welcoming speech at school and decides to make a list of things to escape her perfect cage. 

Why did I want her so fucking much? Why couldn’t I push her away like I did everyone else? Why couldn’t I breathe when I saw her?

My heart new the answer, and I’d realized it at the movies. I…I think maybe if I let her in, she might get under my skin so deep that I’d never want her to leave. That terrified me. 

Aaaaaannnnnddddd…here we go. Everyone meet Leo. Leo is thefirst Hero that frustrated the fuck out of me. Normally the heroine is the one I want to bitch slap, but nope, not in the scenario and Leo is definitely the one I wanted to slap the fuck out of. If you can tell by the amount of obscenities I mean serious business. LOL. It’s no doubt that Leo wants Nora and wants herBAD. But does he make any moves? Nope. Why? Well, at first he convinced himself it was because she younger and too immature, but he more he gets to know her, the more he realizes its much more than her age. She might only be eighteen, but this chick has gone through a lot. But does that change matters? Of course not. He’s a stubborn, stupid man. 

Nora Blakely was everything I avoided when it came to girls. Her kind expected love and commitments, two things I’d run away from a long time ago.

But still I stared at her, now focused on her pouty, sexy mouth as it tilted up in a smile. Fuck. 

I have to give this book and the author credit for making this story memorable. It was angsty, frustrating and just plain ole infuriating; the masochist in me relished in its fuckedupness. I wanted to put it down, but I was too determined to get to the part where Leo finally got it. However, there were many other things that kept this story flowing. As much as Leo frustrated the fuck out of me, he was still one sexy Hero. As for Nora, I loved her. She was such a strong heroine and never wavered, no matter what an asshole Leo was. 

So yes, this book was super angsty and fucked up. But I did enjoy the ride and looking forward to the next book in the series. Speaking of which: Cuba, baby, I can’t wait to read your story (though a part of me was hoping for Sebastian’s story, but I’ll take Cuba.)

P.S. On December 2, 2013, the author released an extended epilogue. You can find it here:http://www.ilsamaddenmills.com/#!exce...

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Trouble by Samantha Towle

Mia Monroe is running. Running from a person she doesn’t ever want to find her. Running from a past she doesn’t ever want anyone to know. Desperate to find a future, that yesterday, she could only dream of having. 

Jordan Matthews likes easy. Easy women. Easy life. 

Then he meets Mia. 

She’s damaged, troubled and has more baggage than any person can carry. But the more Jordan gets to know Mia-for the first time in his life-he finds himself wanting to try hard for something … for someone … for her.

And then life isn’t so easy anymore. 

Jordan is everything Mia shouldn’t want. A whole bunch of dirty hotness, tattooed, cocky bad boy, who made his money at poker tables and picked his women up in bars. Yet, Mia finds herself falling for him. Then the past Mia was running from, quickly starts to catch up with her. Because that’s the problem with running … you have to stop sometime. 

And when you stop, you get caught.

Full length New Adult Contemporary Romance.

Recommended Reading Age 18+

4.5 Stars

It’s easy to be worthless to someone, but to matter to someone…well, I think would be harder. 

Wow. This was a nice surprise. I had this on my TBR, but was waiting to read it. However, after the urging of my one of most trusted book friends, I picked this up. I figured I was in for another angsty ride that involved a damaged heroine and an Alpha Hero. Nope. I was completely off. It wasn’t typical by any means and the story was much more than that. 

The story starts out pretty dark, but no worries, it doesn’t stay that way. When we first meet Mia, her physically and mentally abusive father just passed away. His passing brought her relief and freedom, but that freedom was short lived. She didn’t know it at the time, but when she started up a relationship with her first boyfriend, Forbes, she didn’t know what laid underneath his perfect exterior. Once his abuse started, she didn’t know how to escape. In fact, her fucked up brain convinced her that she was use to this behavior, so she endured it, until he crossed an even more unforgivable line. 

She had had enough and she fled. While on the road, she kept thinking about her life and especially about her mother. She recently found out she’s alive and wondered why she left her with her monster of a father. Her path lead her to the town she was last known to have lived. It’s in this town, and in it’s hotel, is where she met Jordan Matthews. 

She’s fucking amazing.

Everything I didn’t know I was looking for. 

I know I’m fucked. She has me now. If there were ever a chance of me going back after this one taste of her, it’s gone.

I’m gone for her. 

Mia instantly enamored Jordan. He didn’t know what to make of her, but what he knew is that he had never been struck like this before. Frightened it might be more, he initially thought it was just lust. Unfortunately, the more he got to know his little hotel guest, he realized it was much more. 

Everything about him screams male.

He looks like sin.

Like hot, dirty, incredible sex. 

Just what Mia needed: Another male in her life. She has every right to be leery about men, especially one that looks like Jordan. I mean, she’s been fooled before. But we both know there will be no denying their immediate chemistry. They keep trying to deny what they have, but how long can they keep up the charade? And what will happen when Mia’s past refuses to stay in the past?

I’d spent so long believing I was a bad person. And I couldn’t see beyond that, until her.

Sometimes that’s all it takes. Just one person to turn everything on its head. Remind you of the person you were.

Mia makes me want to be the person I was before all the shit. 

This was such an excellent read. Jordan reminded me a lot of my favorite book boyfriends with a touch of Alpha hotness. He wasn’t overpowering, but more along the lines of overwhelming sweet. Does that make sense? Also, how could I not love a man who loves to talk to his adorable dog Dozer? Some of my favorite scenes involved those Jordan and his dog. I just loved those two. 

Oh before I go, I have to mention a few more things:

One. Fans of Colleen Hoover’s Hopeless will absolutely love this. There was a bit of twist that I did NOT see coming plus Jordan reminded me a lot of Holder, which is NEVER a bad a thing. 

Two. Surprisingly the heroine did not annoy me at all. When I first read the synopsis, I was worried that the heroine would be stubborn or hard headed. Nope. I actually like her and was rooting for her happiness. 

Three. The beginning of the book is a bit dark, with snippets of abuse, but please don’t let that put you off. This is very much a worthwhile read. 

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Cover Reveal ~ Awaken (Spiral of Bliss #3) by Nina Lane

 

Title: Awaken (Spiral of Bliss #3)

Author: Nina Lane

Genre: Contemporary Romance 18+

Publication Date: January 7, 2014

Cover Design: Victoria Colotta of VMC Art & Design

Synopsis

“I love that you love me, professor.”

“I love loving you, beauty.”

Since their intense, passionate beginning, Professor Dean West and his wife Olivia have fought dark secrets and betrayal in order to save their marriage. Now reeling in the aftermath of a personal tragedy, Liv and Dean are driven further apart by a vindictive threat to Dean’s career.

Struggling to stand on her own for the first time in years, Liv is determined to defend her husband and prove herself. Then an unexpected letter dredges up old insecurities and endangers Liv’s newfound independence. As Dean fights for his professional life, he is forced to confront his worst fear when he discovers that he can’t protect his beloved wife from her own painful past.

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About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Nina Lane writes hot, sexy romances and spicy erotica. Originally from California, she loves traveling and thinks St. Petersburg, Russia is a city everyone should visit at least once. Nina also spent many years in graduate school studying art history and library sciences.

Although she would go back for another degree if she could because she's that much of a bookworm, she now lives the happy life of a full-time writer. Nina's novel The Erotic Dark hit #1 on Amazon's Erotica Bestseller list.

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