{Book Review} TIE ME DOWN by Melanie Harlow

  

Tie Me Down

Bellamy Creek Series Book 4

Melanie Harlow

Contemporary Romance, Friends to Lovers Romance

Blurb:

Just friends.
That’s all Beckett Weaver and I have ever been.

Sure, he’s a hot cowboy who left Wall Street behind to take over his family’s ranch. Yes, I’ve had a secret crush on him since we were seventeen. And who wouldn’t appreciate those strong hands, that massive chest, and the way he fills out a pair of Levis?

He makes a girl sweat just looking at him . . . and I look. A lot.

But I’m a single mom trying to move on with my life, and he’s running that ranch single-handedly while taking care of his elderly father. We don’t even live in the same state. I only returned to my hometown of Bellamy Creek to sell my late mother’s house, and he just invited me and my son to stay with him because he’s got a big heart.

That’s not the only big thing he’s got--which I discover the night I finally sneak across the hall to his bedroom and shed my inhibitions right alongside my pajamas. And once we give into each other, we can’t stop.

The hayloft. The bed of his truck. The dock by the pond.

Nothing has ever felt so right, but his past has taught him not to believe in happily ever after, and every perfect night I spend in his arms brings us closer to goodbye.

Like any cowboy, he’s good with a rope and knows exactly how to tie me up.

But what if I want him to tie me down?

My Review:

Beckett has been in love with Maddie, the girl across the street, since high school. But he never allowed himself to cross the line and tell her how he felt. Except for that one kiss during their senior year. But she had a boyfriend. 

Now all grown up, Maddie is coming back to town to get her late mother's house ready to be sold. Freshly divorced and with a six-year-old son she isn't looking for a relationship, even though she's always liked Beckett.

Beckett has his own responsibilities - an aging father with developing Alzheimer's disease and a a ranch to run all on his own. He can't make a move on Maddie when he has nothing to offer her - but why does it feel so right? 

I like friends-to-lovers romance and this one is perfect. You can feel the build-up of years of friendship, even when they weren't in touch they were still able to pick up their friendship like no time had passed. I love how accepting Beckett was of Maddie's son and Maddie was so good with Beckett's dad. 

Beckett's stubbornness bugged me a little but I still enjoyed this book. It was a great read and a nice tie-up of the series. 

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

4.75 of 5 Stars!

{Book Review} THE BETROTHED by Kiera Cass

The Betrothed

The Betrothed, #1
by Kiera Cass

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: May 5, 2020

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance, Royalty

Blurb:

When King Jameson declares his love for Lady Hollis Brite, Hollis is shocked—and thrilled. After all, she’s grown up at Keresken Castle, vying for the king’s attention alongside other daughters of the nobility. Capturing his heart is a dream come true.

But Hollis soon realizes that falling in love with a king and being crowned queen may not be the happily ever after she thought it would be. And when she meets a commoner with the mysterious power to see right into her heart, she finds that the future she really wants is one that she never thought to imagine.

Review:
I picked up this book knowing the review was due soon but I was going to read another book first. I only meant to read a chapter or two then come back to it. One hour later I was over 100 pages in and finding it really hard to put down. 

The first 1/3 of the book brings you the schemes and court intrigue as Hollis woos the king. Then the Eastoffe family from the neighboring kingdom arrive at the palace looking for sanctuary and it's like the flip has been switched. Call it love - or lust - at first sight but suddenly it's move aside King Jameson, there's a new love interest in town. 

Right here I'll tell you I shipped Hollis and Silas Eastoffe from their first meeting. Scorching chemistry and longing between the two leap from the page showing a connection that is lacking between Hollis and Jameson. But I suppose some readers will ship Jameson because he's a king and he can shower Hollis with expensive things. 

The ending broke my heart and I can't wait for the second book. I have some theories for book two if anyone wants to discuss.

Overall, this book is well worth the hype and I liked this book much better than the Selection series.              

My Rating:
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
4.5 of 5 Stars!

{COVER REVEAL} You're the One by Layla Hagen

Hot. Flirty. Romantic.

It all started as pretend…

My best friend, and one of the most powerful men in New York, needed my help.

Our first kiss was unexpected—but it still made my skin sizzle, my knees go weak.

The next one was in front of his tight-knit family. We had to be convincing. But it was so wicked hot, it almost convinced me too.

On our first night together, he told me that I had to keep us both in check, because he didn’t know how to keep the lines from blurring…

He touched me like I was precious, and held me close… barely stopping his fingers from pushing down the straps of my dress…

On our second night, our banter turned to flirting. Hunter—my best friend was now Hunter—the man. Intense. Alluring. Sexy as hell.

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Meet Layla Hagen

Welcome! My name is Layla Hagen and I am a Contemporary Romance author.

I fell in love with books when I was nine years old, and my love affair with stories continues even now, many years later. I write romantic stories and can't wait to share them with the world. And I drink coffee. Lots of it :-D

I am represented by Louise Fury (The Bent Agency)

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Cover Reveal: JUST PRETEND by J.P. Nicholas

Today I'm helping InkSlingerPR and J.P. Nicholas  reveal the cover of his upcoming release, JUST PRETEND! Read on for the gorgeous cover and more info and be sure to grab your copy June 8th!

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Title: JUST PRETEND

Author: J.P. Nicholas 

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Release Date: June 8th

About JUST PRETEND:

When yet another publisher rejects Hannah’s most recent book due to poor love scenes, she concocts a fail-proof plan to increase her creativity… spine-tingling, no strings attached sex. 

How can she write about love and lust if she's never really felt it? As the only man in her life she truly trusts, Logan is the perfect one to help her find this new side of herself—and stand in as her pretend boyfriend at an upcoming reunion. 

For Logan, a Broadway actor by trade and passion, Hannah’s proposal is both outrageous and intriguing—especially since he's fought for nineteen years of friendship to avoid thinking of her in a physical way. 

Against all reason, Logan takes the bait and agrees… then ups the ante by turning their pretend relationship into a pretend engagement in front of her entire family. 

Now, they just have to navigate their new situation while playing house… and somehow remember this is all Just Pretend… 

Exclusive Excerpt:

I swipe the green circle to the right and bring the phone up to my ear. "God, I've never been so happy to hear that song." 

He sighs in disgust. "Don't tell me you still have The Golden Girls song set as my ringtone."

I smile just at the sound of his voice. "Yep. And I'm never gonna change it." 

He laughs. "You're a weird one." 

I hold my phone with my cheek and shoulder as I pull my hair up into a ponytail. 

"And you're stuck with me."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

It could just be me or my shitty cell connection, but Logan's voice sounds much deeper than usual. I reach under my bed and retrieve my basket of nail polishes. 

"What color?" He ponders my question for a minute before he answers. "Red. Wait. Toes, or fingers?" I laugh. He always knows just what to say to split my sides. 

"Toes."

"Toes? What's the special occasion?" The shock in his voice amuses me. 

"Why does it have to be a special occasion?" 

"Because I know you, Han. The last time you painted your toes was homecoming. And then the time before that it was your birthday."

I see his point. "Fine, you got me. I'm leaving for Daytona Beach in a couple of hours. The girls and I are having a beach day to kick off Spring Break."

He lets out a long oh before he speaks. 

"In that case, better make it blue." He peaks my interest, causing me to furrow my brow.

"How come?" 

"Blue is less noticeable. And since I'm not there to kick whichever sorry ass tries to hit on you, blue it is."

I contemplate whether or not to fight him on his protective stance. Oh, what the hell. It'll be fun. "So, purple it is." 

"Don't you fucking dare paint them purple," he growls, catching me off guard. 

The assertiveness in his tone causes my legs to tingle. 

I ignore it. "Too late. The first coat is on already." 

His voice remains stern as he reprimands me. "Don't make me fly my ass down there and rip every speck of purple off your nails." 

"You wouldn't," I tease, trying my best not to laugh at his overreaction. 

He clears his throat. "Don't test me."

 

About J.P. Nicolas:

J.P. Nicholas has the great misfortune to be A Male Romance Writer. Turns out, men are also hopeless romantics, given half the chance, and Nicholas’ fascination with love began long before he could write. His parents—high school sweethearts who are still mad for each other—left him enamored with the idea of true love, and its ability to transform and redeem even the most jaded soul. Nicholas lives to capture this magic, lust, and passion on the page; his characters known for their sizzling chemistry and chest-squeezing plot lines. When J.P. Nicholas isn’t tapping away at his laptop, he can be found in his home state of Florida, binge-watching This Is Us with his girlfriend, or devouring Italian food with his family. His latest novel, Just Pretend, is a friends-to-lovers drama and the first in his new Sandy Heights series, to be released in June.   

Connect with J.P.

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