[Release Day Blitz + Review] DARE TO RESIST by Carly Phillips

He’s about to find a baby on his doorstep … and his assistant in his bed. 

Austin Prescott is a lot of things. Ex football player. Sports agent. And as of this morning? Father. Finding a baby on his doorstep should have been a joke but the pink sticky note and baby carrier she came in is deadly serious.

What’s an out of his depth bachelor to do? Call his tempting and beyond gorgeous executive assistant and beg her to move in. 

Quinnlyn Stone agrees to help Austin until he can straighten out his messy life. It’s just another item on her very long To-Do list. It’s absolutely not because she’s attracted to her very single and extremely handsome boss. 

Close quarters. A baby. Undeniable chemistry. What could possibly go wrong? 

Grab Your Copy Here:
Kindle | Apple | Nook | Kobo | Google Play | Paperback

My Review:

When I saw the opportunity to read Dare to Resist by Carly Phillips I jumped without even reading the blurb.

Carly Phillips was one of the first romance authors I started reading in high school and I binged many of her books over the years. I lost track of her new releases after Dare to Love came out but coming back to her books with Dare to Resist was like revisiting an old friend. 

Dare to Resist has all the sexy, sizzling romance long time readers have come to expect and new readers will find impossible to put down. 

DtR is a complete standalone within a series so you won’t have to worry about cliffhangers... but Austin and Quinnlyn will probably pop up in the background of the rest of the series. 

Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

4.5 of 5 Stars!

Meet Carly Phillips

NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestseller, Carly Phillips gives her readers Alphalicious heroes to swoon for and romance to set your heart on fire. 

She married her college sweetheart and lives in Purchase, NY along with her three crazy dogs: two wheaten terriers and a mutant Havanese, who are featured on her Facebook and Instagram. 

The author of 50 romance novels, she has raised two incredible daughters who put up with having a mom as a full time writer. 

Carly’s book, The Bachelor, was chosen by Kelly Ripa as a romance club pick and was the first romance on a nationally televised bookclub. 

Carly loves social media and interacting with her readers. 

Want to keep up with Carly? Sign up for her newsletter (below) and receive TWO FREE books at www.carlyphillips.com.

Connect with Carly Phillips

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BookBub  

Amazon Author Page | Goodreads 

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{Cover Reveal} LOUDMOUTH by Avery Flynn

Today I’m helping Wildfire Marketing Solutions and Avery Flynn reveal the adorable cover of Avery’s forthcoming book, LOUDMOUTH! Check it out below and preorder today! 

LOUDMOUTH

By Avery Flynn

Release Day – Feb 17th

About the Book

I never meant to say a word. 

But I did.

And now everyone knows that Ice Knights hockey star Ian Petrov’s best friend and fellow player is actually his secret half brother that he never knew about.

What could make it worse? The two of us trapped in a cabin after a blizzard. Just us, his resentment, and some very inconvenient sexual tension.

I’ve got to get out of here before I do something even dumber than I’ve already done—like kiss him. Again.

AMAZON - https://amzn.to/2QYpSNh

AMAZON UK - https://amzn.to/36xB9uu

AMAZON AU – https://amzn.to/307BIbZ

AMAZON CA - https://amzn.to/2QYaKPX

APPLE - https://apple.co/2QAj3T1

B&N - http://bit.ly/36FrIco

KOBO - http://bit.ly/35GX01y

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling romance author Avery Flynn has three slightly-wild children, loves a hockey-addicted husband and is desperately hoping someone invents the coffee IV drip. Avery was a reader before she was a writer and hopes to always be both. She loves to write about smartass alpha heroes who are great with a quip and relatable heroines who are feisty, fierce and fantastic. 

WEBSITE: https://averyflynn.com/

NEWSLETTER: https://averyflynn.com/newsletter/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/AveryFlynnAuthor

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/averyflynn/

Book Review: UNTIL FRIDAY NIGHT by Abbi Glines

Until Friday Night (Field Party, #1) by Abbi Glines

Blurb:

To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go…

My Review:

After three years I finally tracked this book down and read it. I love Abbi Glines's books and I've read books 2 and 3 in this series and loved them but I hadn't gotten to this one yet. 

Reading the next books in the series, I knew ultimately how this one would end up but it was a good beginning to this series and an introduction to the main core of male characters that will appear in the books to come. 

This book made me smile, it made me cry, it made my heart race with happiness and plunge with despair for Maggie and West. They're both characters that have been touched by tragedy and those tragedies bring them together initially as Maggie helps West cope. 

Overall, I'm glad I went back and caught up on this book and now I'm even more excited to read the 4th book in the series. The series overall is more YA friendly than the author's other books but it still has some steaminess that might be more appropriate for older teens but either way, it's a great read!

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

5 of 5 Stars!

(Audio)Book Review: Second Chance Boyfriend by Monica Murphy

Second Chance Boyfriend (One Week Girlfriend #2) by Monica Murphy

Blurb:

"Lost. Everything in my life can be summed up by that one sickening word. My football coach blames me for our season-ending losses. So does the rest of the team. I wasted two whole months drowning in my own despair, like a complete loser. And I lost my girlfriend - Fable Maguire, the only girl who ever mattered - because I was afraid that being with me would only hurt her.

"But now I realize that I'm the one who's truly lost without her. And even though she acts like she's moved on and everything's fine, I know she still thinks about me just as much as I think about her. I know her too well. She's so damn vulnerable, all I want to do is be there to help her . . . to hold her . . . to love her.

"I just need her to give me one more chance. We may be lost without each other, but together, we're destined to find a love that lasts forever."

My Review:

It's been two months since Drew walked out of Fable's apartment leaving behind a note telling her he loved her. Two months since Fable found out Drew's deepest, darkest secret and stood by him anyway. He hasn't returned any of her calls or texts. But whatever, Fable is moving on. She lands a new job that pays better at a new bar and restaurant called The District and her boss believes she has potential to move forward. Then on the night of a private party at The District Drew Callahan walks back into Fable's life...

It's been two months since Drew left the woman he loves more than anything else in the world. Two months since his conniving pervert stepmother Adele made his world implode by dropping a bomb of a secret on him. He's miserable and he misses Fable so much. His therapist tells him he needs to get out more and experience life so he reluctantly accepts an invitation to one of his teammates' twenty-first birthday parties at a new bar. It'll be the best decision of his life...

Will Fable take Drew back? Will they realize they're stronger together and face their demons as a couple? Will Drew ever tell his father the truth about Adele? Will Adele ever leave Drew alone? 

This book quickly grabbed me and I was as addicted to it as I was with the first book. Drew goes through significant character growth in Second Chance Boyfriend as he works on dealing with his past and accepting that it wasn't his fault. Fable is a strong, independent character that is dedicated to her brother and seems to have the world on her shoulders and I loved her inner struggle to allow herself to lean on Drew.

Adele is a truly devious character and I loved to hate her. She's the type of character who's ending I cheer for. 

Overall, I loved this book, maybe even more so that the first book. As far as the audiobook goes, I liked the narrators, they really made me feel like I was experiencing the story. 

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

4.75 of 5 Stars!

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #112

This week I'm in the middle of preparing to move, but even so I'm listening to an audiobook and reading an eARC of a book that's due out in early May. This "WIR"-Wednesday I'm reading and listening to...

eARC:

Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope

Blurb:

A treacherous, thrilling, epic fantasy about an outcast drawn into a war between two powerful rulers. 

Orphaned and alone, Jasminda lives in a land where cold whispers of invasion and war linger on the wind. Jasminda herself is an outcast in her homeland of Elsira, where her gift of Earthsong is feared. When ruthless soldiers seek refuge in her isolated cabin, they bring with them a captive--an injured spy who threatens to steal her heart. 

Jack's mission behind enemy lines to prove that the Mantle between Elsira and Lagamiri is about to fall nearly cost him his life, but he is saved by the healing Song of a mysterious young woman. Now he must do whatever it takes to save Elsira and it's people from the True Father and he needs Jasminda's Earthsong to do it. They escape their ruthless captors and together they embark on a perilous journey to save Elsira and to uncover the secrets of The Queen Who Sleeps. 

Thrust into a hostile society, Jasminda and Jack must rely on one another even as secrets jeopardize their bond. As an ancient evil gains power, Jasminda races to unlock a mystery that promises salvation. 

The fates of two nations hang in the balance as Jasminda and Jack must choose between love and duty to fulfill their destinies and end the war.

Why I Requested This Book | What I Think So Far:

I was sent an e-copy of Song of Blood and Stone from St. Martin's Press and I've put off reading it for a while so I could get through some of the other books on my TBR list but now I'm down to my last eARC so it's time. The blurb didn't really appeal to me but I gave it a try and the beginning initially didn't appeal to me. I kept reading and now I'm intrigued and I'm just hoping to stay that way. I've read that Song of Blood and Stone was previously self-published before St. Martin's Press picked it up so they must have seen something in it.

Audiobook:

Second Chance Boyfriend by Monica Murphy

Blurb:

Lost. Everything in my life can be summed up by that one sickening word. My football coach blames me for our season-ending losses. So does the rest of the team. I wasted two whole months drowning in my own despair, like a complete loser. And I lost my girlfriend—Fable Maguire, the only girl who ever mattered—because I was afraid that being with me would only hurt her.

But now I realize that I’m the one who’s truly lost without her. And even though she acts like she’s moved on and everything’s fine, I know she still thinks about me just as much as I think about her. I know her too well. She’s so damn vulnerable, all I want to do is be there to help her . . . to hold her . . . to love her.

I just need her to give me one more chance. We may be lost without each other, but together, we’re destined to find a love that lasts forever.

Why I Chose This Book | What I Think So Far:

I loved reading One Week Girlfriend earlier this month and I decided to use my audible credit for the sequel to Fable and Drew's story. I was able to dive right back into their story in Second Chance Boyfriend and I'm just as addicted to the sequel as I was to the first book and I'm so eager to see how their story will end. One thing I didn't realize was that there were more books in this series after Second Chance Boyfriend. I thought it was a duology but I see on Goodreads there are a few more books after this. 

Book Review: One Week Girlfriend by Monica Murphy

One Week Girlfriend (One Week Girlfriend #1) by Monica Murphy

Blurb:

Breakout sensation Monica Murphy takes the New Adult genre by storm with the deeply emotional, completely addicting story of Drew and Fable.

Temporary. That’s the word I’d use to describe my life right now. I’m temporarily working double shifts—at least until I can break free. I’m temporarily raising my little brother—since apparently our actual mother doesn’t give a crap about either of us. And I always end up as nothing but the temporary girlfriend—the flavor of the week for every guy who’s heard the rumor that I give it up so easily.

At least Drew Callahan, college football legend and local golden boy, is upfront about it. He needs someone to play the part of his girlfriend for one week. In exchange for cash. As if that’s not weird enough, ever since he brought me into his world, nothing really makes sense. Everyone hates me. Everyone wants something from him. And yet the only thing Drew seems to want is . . . me.

I don’t know what to believe anymore. Drew is sweet, sexy, and hiding way more secrets than I am. All I know is, I want to be there for him—permanently.

My Review:

Twenty-year-old Fable Maguire is working two jobs to support herself, her mother, and her thirteen-year-old brother, Owen. Rumor has it she gets around. When twenty-one-year-old Drew Callahan needs a pretend girlfriend to take home as a buffer between himself and the demons of his past back home for Thanksgiving break he approaches Fable and offers her the one thing she can't refuse. Money. Enough money to make things easier for her family for a few months. She has no choice but to agree.

But Drew is not at all what Fable expected of the college football star and his life back home is anything but picture perfect. Fable isn't what Drew was expecting either. They have to survive seven days together pretending to be in love, but when their fake relationship starts to become so much more real will Fable be able to help Drew fight off his past so they can have a future? Or will a manipulative person from Drew's past and a buried secret torpedo their burgeoning relationship?

I bought this book about a year ago through a discount bookseller but it sat in my living room collecting dust since I got it. It wasn't until I hit a rut in the sports romance I'm writing and I thought it would put me in the mindset I need to be in for my writing that I finally picked it up. 

Wow. I have no idea why I waited so long! This book is fast-paced, addicting, and so sexy! A lot of authors turn the football star into having a bad home life and boy was this secret a doozy. I loved Fable and I liked that the author chose to not have her as a fellow student.

Drew and Fable's chemistry and relationship was perfectly plotted, they both question whether they're good enough for the other person and their both have an air of being not as everyone else portrays them. I absolutely hated Adele, which was kind of the point and I really wish Drew's father would have caught onto her.

When I finished this book I was dying to find out what's going to happen in the sequel. Overall, I loved reading One Week Girlfriend and if you're new to this author and already a fan of authors like Abbi Glines, Cora Carmack, and Erin Watt I think you'll love this book.

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

5 of 5 Stars!

Book Review: Breaking the Ice by Julie Cross

Breaking the Ice (Juniper Falls #2) by Julie Cross

Blurb:

The second book in the Juniper Falls series from NY Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Julie Cross, perfect for fans of Miranda Kenneally and Abbi Glines.

Haley Stevenson seems like she’s got it all together: cheer captain, “Princess” of Juniper Falls, and voted Most Likely to Get Things Done. But below the surface, she’s struggling with a less-than-stellar GPA and still reeling from the loss of her first love. Repeating her Civics class during summer school is her chance to Get Things Done, not angst over boys. In fact, she’s sworn them off completely until college.

Fletcher Scott is happy to keep a low profile around Juniper Falls. He’s always been the invisible guy, warming the bench on the hockey team and moonlighting at a job that would make his grandma blush. Suddenly, though, he’s finding he wants more: more time on the ice, and more time with his infuriatingly perfect summer-school study partner. 

But leave it to a girl who requires perfection to shake up a boy who’s ready to break all the rules.

My Review:

Breaking the Ice is the second book in the Juniper Falls series and it revolves around Haley Stevenson (Tate's ex-girlfriend from Off the Ice) and Fletcher Scott. 

After her break up from Tate, Haley has sworn off relationships until at least college and she's trying to focus on bringing her grades up during summer school and getting a tuition waiver to go to her dream college, UCF. If only Haley could focus on what she needs to get done.

When her Civics teacher assigns a partner project, Haley seeks out the help of the guy sitting behind her, a guy who seems annoyed with her already. Insert Fletcher Scott who prefers to stick to his loner tendencies after being the victim of bullying and whose family has been the topic of cruel town gossip in the past. The last thing he wants or needs is to get closer to the town "it girl" because getting close to anyone means the chance that someone might figure out his secrets. Secrets he can't afford to have getting out.

As the two spend more and more time together Haley gets under Fletch's skin and teaches him that letting people in isn't always a bad thing and Haley in turn learns the importance of caring about someone other than herself.

I was eager to read Breaking the Ice after reading and loving Off the Ice earlier this year and this book definitely didn't disappoint. If possible, I think I loved Haley and Fletch's story even more than I loved Tate and Claire's story. I thought Fletch's allergies were plotted well and very well researched as well as the undercurrents of Fletch's OCD and Haley's possible ADHD diagnosis, although I would have liked for that to have had a definitive answer. I mean I'm sure Haley had ADHD but it seemed like something that was just going to be looked into. 

I loved getting to see a different side of Haley and the other characters that returned from book one. I especially liked Jamie and kind of hope we either see more of him in a future book or even his own book. Another character I hope to see more of is Fletch's cousin Cole. Maybe give him a year or two to get a little older and I think he'll be a heartbreaker. 

There were a couple things I wish would have been wrapped up more. I would have maybe liked to have seen Mike and Fletch have a conversation about the past, even though I do like how the author plotted it I just would have liked to see them be able to put that incident in the past together. I also kind of feel like we were left hanging at the end with Fletch's hockey offer and I wonder if it will be elaborated on in a future book or if we're to just assume that he said yes (which I think he probably would). 

Overall I loved this book so much. It made me laugh and it's one of those feel good books that will leave you with a smile on your face. This author is definitely one that's books I want to return to over and over again.

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

4.75 of 5 Stars!

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #102

After finishing the amazing Shadowsong by S. Jae-Jones last night I'm moving on to the next eARC on my TBR list today. It's the second book in a contemporary YA sports romance series I started and fell in love with earlier this year. This "WIR"-Wednesday I'm reading...

Breaking the Ice (Juniper Falls #2) by Julie Cross

Blurb:

The second book in the Juniper Falls series from NY Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Julie Cross, perfect for fans of Miranda Kennealy and Abbi Glines.

Haley Stevenson seems like she’s got it all together: cheer captain, “Princess” of Juniper Falls, and voted Most Likely to Get Things Done. But below the surface, she’s struggling with a less-than-stellar GPA and still reeling from the loss of her first love. Repeating her Civics class during summer school is her chance to Get Things Done, not angst over boys. In fact, she’s sworn them off completely until college.

Fletcher Scott is happy to keep a low profile around Juniper Falls. He’s always been the invisible guy, warming the bench on the hockey team and moonlighting at a job that would make his grandma blush. Suddenly, though, he’s finding he wants more: more time on the ice, and more time with his infuriatingly perfect summer-school study partner. 

But leave it to a girl who requires perfection to shake up a boy who’s ready to break all the rules.

Why I Requested This Book:

I really loved the first book in this series, Off the Ice. It was one of my favorite books of the earlier part of this year so when I was offered the chance to read and review this book I jumped on it. I mean this book had me at the 'job that would make his grandma blush'. I need to know now and I'm eager to dive into this book first thing this morning.