{Book Review} SHADOW TOUCHED by Becky Moynihan

 

Shadow Touched

A Touch of Vampire Book 1

Becky Moynihan

YA/NA Paranormal Romance

305 Pages

Blurb:

Some truths are best kept in the shadows...

At nearly eighteen, I’m months away from escaping my aunt’s secrets and lies. Except, I’m harboring a big secret of my own.

A red-eyed man cloaked in shadow has been stalking me at night.

I wanted Rosewood, Maine to be my final destination before college. My chance at normalcy. But strange, unexplainable things are threatening to derail my plans.

The red-eyed man followed me here, and he’s not the only one. Two hot guys transfer to my new high school right after I do. They track my every move, especially the aloof and mysterious Lochlan D’angelo.

As I’m sucked into a dangerous world embroiled in secrets, I start to question everything I’ve ever known. Including who I am.

Fans of Twilight, Vampire Diaries, and modern Beauty & the Beast retellings, sink your teeth into a world of dark mystery and forbidden desire.

SHADOW TOUCHED is the thrilling first installment in a steamy upper YA/NA paranormal vampire romance series. If you like enemies-to-lovers and fated mates, heartrending twists, a tough heroine, and a sexy antihero, this book is for you.

My Review:

Let me start of by saying that Becky is a talented author. I've read and enjoyed her Elite Trials books and her cowritten series with Tyffany Hackett but Shadow Touched is my new favorite!

Vampires are coming back to popularity in books lately and this is the first one I've really enjoyed recently. This has all the elements to love - vampires, werewolves, witches, secrets, swoon-worthy boys, great friendships, and steamy chemistry between the main character and her love interest.

McKenna is a strong female lead. I liked her personality and her sense of style. After her Aunt Tess moves her (yet again, this time t0 ->) Rosewood, Maine she makes friends (possibly for the first time ever) with a feisty girl named Isla and her friends Peyton and Hailey. Isla was a great secondary character and I liked how fast and easy their friendship was. Then there are the boys - Reid, Kade, and *sighs* Lochlan. I was kind of iffy about Reid throughout the book and I'm still not sure if I liked him or not. Kade was hilarious and he lit up the page in every scene he appeared in. But Lochlan? *Fans self* Me likey the Loch! The chemistry between Lochlan and McKenna is off the charts, which considering they couldn't really touch and I'm still swooning over the steamy scenes is saying something. 

I can't wait to see where things are headed in book 2. I definitely recommend this books to anyone who loves enemies-to-lovers, broody boys, and a great cast of characters. There are some steamy scenes, which I am all in favor of!, but may not be suitable for younger readers. 

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

5 of 5 Stars!

Book Review: OFF LIMITS by Penny Dee

>>>Before we go any further: The following book is not a YA novel and is meant for readers 18 and older. (Unless your parents are cool about that sort of thing. I mean, I was reading Jackie Collins when I was 14 so...)<<<

🔥🔥 HOT NEW RELEASE 🔥🔥

Off Limits by Penny Dee is LIVE! #OneClick now!

Off Limits
Kings of Mayhem MC Book 5
Penny Dee
December 12, 2019
eBook, Paperback

BLURB
I'm about to break the biggest rule of all.

RUGER
I was sixteen when she was born.
The niece of my best friend.
An angel with bright blue eyes and hair the color of night.
Through the years I’ve seen her grow from an adorable dimpled cupid into a strong, independent beauty.
Into a goddess.
A temptress.
Fate has brought us together.
But she is off limits.
I’ve got no business wanting her.
No business at all.

CHASTITY
For years I’ve crushed on him.
An older man who makes me tremble.
A biker King whose arms I want to get lost in.
Whose body I can only dream about touching.
Whose lips I’m dying to taste.
I shouldn’t want him.
But I do.
I shouldn’t lust after him.
But tell that to my poor hopeless heart.
I should stay away.
But I won’t.

Off Limits is book five in the Kings of Mayhem MC series. It can be read as a standalone.

Buy Links:

Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Apple, B&N, Kobo

My Review:

I usually don't go for MC romance. I never got into Sons of Anarchy or anything like that. But I was drawn to this one because of the forbidden romance trope. 

This is a majorly sexy read. If you're looking for a sweet, clean romance this isn't right for you. But if you're like me and love tough, sexy, bad boy types I highly recommend this book.

I was hooked right off the start and if I hadn't had to get up early the next morning I would have read the whole thing in one sitting. Alas, I was up until 2 am and only had 40% to go. I loved Ruger and Chastity together, they had scorching hot chemistry.

Once finished, I wanted to go back and binge the first four books. 

The only thing that kept me from giving this book a full 5 stars were the grammatical errors I saw throughout the book... but these might have been corrected between my reading of the ARC and the final book being published so don't let that stop you from checking this one out.

Overall, for story, plot, characterization, and heat factor I highly recommend this book! I can't wait to check out more by this author.

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

4.5 of 5 Stars!

SALE ALERT

To celebrate Off Limits' release, Kings of Mayhem, book one in the series is FREE!!! #OneClick today!

US: https://amzn.to/2Ef4vm2

UK: https://amzn.to/2RMg3RI

CA: https://amzn.to/2Qsz92y

AU: https://amzn.to/2QnwUh7

Apple/ B&N/ Kobo:https://books2read.com/u/bP52Zd

About the Author:

Penny Dee writes contemporary romance about rock stars, bikers, hockey players and everyone in-between. Her stories bring the suspense, the feels and a whole lot of heat.

She found her happily ever after with an Australian hottie who she met on a blind date. 

AUTHOR LINKS

Penny’s Queens of Mayhem FB reader group: www.facebook.com/groups/604941899983066/

FB: www.facebook.com/pennydeebooks/

Instagram: @pennydeeromance

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Penny-Dee

Bookbub: www.bookbub.com/authors/penny-dee

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com

Website: www.pennydeebooks.com

Newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/x1v5i9

{Sale Blitz} CONVICT ME by J.L. Beck and C. Hallman

CONVICT ME by J. Beck & C. Hallman is on sale! Check it out and be sure to grab your copy today!

Title: CONVICT ME

Author: J.L. Beck & C. Hallman

Genre: Contemporary Romance

 

About CONVICT ME:

She was a shy little virgin, looking to rebel. I was a bad accident waiting to happen.

 I’m the bad boy your parents warn you about. I’ve been to prison, killed for someone I love and now I’m suffering through college.

 Then I see her…sweet, so naïve it hurts, and of, course beautiful. She’s scared of me the moment we lock eyes, but beneath that fear is curiosity.

 From that moment on I’m consumed with need to make her mine, to claim her…but when my past collides with my future will I risk the chance of going back to prison to protect yet another person I love?

 **This is book one in the series and can be read as a complete standalone. It contains NO CHEATING, NO CLIFFHANGERS and a HEA. It also contains dark material not suitable for some readers.**

 

Grab your Copy Today:

 AMAZON US |  AMAZON CA |  AMAZON UK | AMAZON AU

About J.L. Beck & C. Hallman:

J.L. Beck & C. Hallman are two ladies with a love for coffee, books, and the bad boys who live inside them. They’re a dynamic duo who love writing all genres of romance, from erotica, to suspense. To date they’ve written ten books together and don’t plan to stop any time soon. When they aren’t writing you can find them making jokes, discussing their next book, arguing over cover photos, and of course drinking more coffee. They’re humble, and truly blessed to have found such amazing readers.  

Connect with J.L. Beck:

Newsletter | Join Smut Queens | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Follow her on Amazon | Bookbub

Connect with C. Hallman:

Newsletter | Facebook Group | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Bookbub | Twitter

{Release Day Blitz} BETTING ON HIM by Kelly Collins

I am happy to be helping Kelly Collins and InkSlingerPR announce the release of BETTING ON HIM! BETTING ON HIM is the first Wilde Love novel, a series about the Las Vegas mob. If you love mafia romance, this is one you don't want to miss!

 

About BETTING ON HIM

He’s a gangster going straight. She’s a waitress going bankrupt. Will their gamble on a marriage of convenience pay off in true love?

Alex Wilde desperately wants to be free of the family’s mob business. But when his infamous father is murdered, the family attorney makes a suggestion he can’t ignore: find a bride before the funeral or they'll force a wedding with a nice Russian gangster girl. When he meets a feisty cocktail waitress, he thinks he’s found his way out.

Faye Tandy is desperately in debt and hard-pressed to find help. Alex’s offer of a phony marriage for a ton of cash couldn’t come at a better time and she’s happy to help him exit the criminal world. The fact that he’s tall, dark, and handsome is an attractive bonus. But when she discovers the Russians have a contract out on her head, she wonders if divorced and bankrupt would be a better choice than rich and dead...

As Faye’s fake feelings for Alex turn real, she’s terrified her trip to the altar might be her last. Will Alex and Faye’s throw of the dice succeed or will they lose the lawless game of love?

Add BETTING ON HIM to your Goodreads TBR!

Get your copy of BETTING ON HIM on Amazon today!

 

 

About KELLY COLLINS

International bestselling author of more than thirty novels, Kelly Collins writes with the intention of keeping the love alive. Always a romantic, she blends real-life events with her vivid imagination to create characters and stories that lovers of contemporary romance, new adult, and romantic suspense will return to again and again. Kelly lives in Colorado at the base of the Rocky Mountains with her husband of twenty-eight years, their two dogs, and a bird that hates her. She has three amazing children, whom she loves to pieces. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Newsletter | BookBub

{Book Review Blog Tour}: Rock King by Tara Leigh

Rock King (Nothing but Trouble #1) by Tara Leigh

Blurb:

Fans of Kristen Callihan and Kylie Scott will scream for this sizzling bad boy rock star romance!

I'm not who you think I am.

Shane Hawthorne has it all. At least, that's what the headlines say about me. I have millions of fans, awards, more money - and women - than I know what to do with. But what you don't see is the wreckage I've caused. The memories and pain I can't escape, even when I pour them into music and spin them into gold.

I tried to forget. To lose myself in booze and groupies. It didn't work. It hurt me and - worse - it hurt my band. That's the last thing I want to do, so I'm cleaning up my act... starting with Delaney Fraser.

Gorgeous, smart, drama-free, and even nice - Delaney is the perfect "girlfriend." When I'm with her I don't have to pretend. It's like she sees the real me. And I can see a future with her. But that's dangerous. Because the truth is, Shane Hawthorne doesn't actually exist. He's a shield to hide who I really am. Fraud. Runaway. Addict. Murderer.

And it's impossible to love a lie, right?

The Nothing but Trouble series: 

Rock King 

Rock Legend 

Rock Rebel

Grab Your Copy:

Kindle ➜ https://amzn.to/2FueGjJ

Universal ➜ https://myBook.to/RockKingTaraLeigh

iBooks ➜ http://apple.co/2jhjPDD

Nook ➜ http://bit.ly/2At4A3C

Kobo ➜ http://bit.ly/2jSuELG

Paperback ➜ http://amzn.to/2pgQKKq

Goodreads ➜ http://bit.ly/2ABa3n3

Preorder Rock Legend (Nothing But Trouble #3) - Coming July 17, 2018!

Kindle ➜ https://amzn.to/2rc9nA7

Universal ➜ https://myBook.to/RockLegendTaraLeigh

iBooks ➜ https://apple.co/2tPFgTH

Nook ➜ http://bit.ly/2DrJhNV

Kobo ➜ http://bit.ly/2HD1muV

Paperback ➜ https://amzn.to/2IqjSqw

Goodreads ➜ http://bit.ly/2pfUxsx

My Review:

To the outside world, Shane Hawthorne has a perfect life: successful rock star, rich playboy; he's the guy every woman wants and every guy wants to be. But it's all a carefully constructed facade to cover up Shane's troubled past. Underneath it all Shane is a mess, riddled by the guilt of an accident that killed his best friend more than ten years earlier. For too long he overindulged in drugs, alcohol, and women and nearly imploded his career. 

Enter Delaney Fraser - the latest in a long line of women paid to be Shane's companion - his "fake girlfriend." But while Shane's previous girlfriends have ranged from aspiring models to actresses, Delaney is just a normal girl with demons of her own - and the realness of her speaks to the darkness in Shane. For the first time in a long time, Shane wants more than a fake relationship with a woman. But how could anyone love someone with a past like Shane's?

I really, really loved this book! I can't believe I didn't read Rock King sooner as it's been on my Amazon wishlist for months now. Shane is the delicious type of broken male character that I swoon for and the similarities between Delaney and Shane's pasts was well-written and believable in the way they look at life, relationships, and themselves. 

I love a good rock star romance and this is a perfect read for fans of Kylie Scott's Stage Dive Series, Emily Snow's Devoured Series, and Jamie Shaw's Mayhem series. The only improvement I could have suggested was the relationship/interaction between Shane and the rest of his band. In other series of this subgenre you see rock stars being good friends with their bandmates, or having a lot of scenes where they were together but there wasn't a whole lot of that in this book. There was a little bit with Landon, but nothing that I can recall with Jett and I can't honestly remember if the fourth guy's name was Dex or Dax.

Overall, I couldn't get enough of this book. It was a quick, addictive read and I'm eager to learn more about Landon in Rock Legend. 

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

5 of 5 Stars!

About Tara Leigh:

Tara Leigh writes steamy contemporary romance featuring tortured heroes worth lusting after and the women they didn't know they needed. She attended Washington University in St. Louis and Columbia Business School in New York, and worked on Wall Street and Main Street before “retiring” to become a wife and mother. When the people in her head became just as real as the people in her life, she decided to put their stories on paper. Tara currently lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut with her husband, children and fur-baby, Pixie.

Connect With Tara Online:

Website: https://www.taraleighbooks.com/

Newsletter: https://www.taraleighbooks.com/newsletter-signup

Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TaraLeighsVIPs/

Amazon: https://amazon.com/author/taraleigh

Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/TaraLeighBooks

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TaraLeighAuthor/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tara-leigh

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16904020.Tara_Leigh

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taraleighbooks/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TaraLeighBooks

Book Review: Bad Boy Brody by Tijan

Bad Boy Brody by Tijan

Blurb:

One punch took him from Hollywood’s Golden Boy to Bad Boy Brody.

The media didn’t care he was grieving his brother’s death. They descended on him, but to change his reputation, his manager got him a deal.

Act in an indie film, one that already had Oscar buzz, and he’d get the movie roles he needed to secure his future.

He took the deal.

Yet he wasn’t prepared for the real-life people behind the script. He wasn’t prepared for the murder the movie was based on. And he really wasn’t prepared for her, the biggest secret of all.

She was wild. She was beautiful. She defied gravity.

But was she the leading role that would tame him?

My Review:

Brody Asher went from Hollywood Heartthrob to Hollywood Bad Boy in the seven months since he listened to his brother die in a car accident on his way to Brody’s latest movie premiere. He’s been on a downward spiral of drinking too much, sleeping around, and starting fights. 

To clean up his act, his latest movie is set in the Montana wilderness; a movie that’s already gaining Oscar buzz so he can’t screw it up. What he never expected was falling in love. On the drive up to the Kellerman mansion, where the woman the movie is centered on lived and where the movie will be filmed, a herd of wild mustangs races across the road in front of the car and for a split second he locks eyes with a girl riding on the back of one of the mustangs. But was she really? Or another ghost he’s seeing.

Morgan is wild and untamed. She’s preferred to among the wild mustangs ever since her mother was murdered. A part of her humanity died that day and she doesn’t know how to be around people anymore so she stays away, living with the herd that took her in like a second family. But when she sees the star actor playing her stepfather in the movie they’re making about her late mother everything begins to change. She is curious about him and the more time she spends with Brody the more she can’t stay away. But could she leave behind her life in the wilderness with the herd?

This is the second book I’ve read by Tijan and I loved it just as much, if not more than the first. The blurb was what initially drew me into the story - I’m drawn to characters like Brody but the plot was well written, the characters well developed, and the story kept me engaged. 

I liked Morgan as a character, her connection with the herd and her feelings about her past seemed well researched and plotted and at times I forgot that she’d had an education because she’d been with the horses so long. Matthew was a majorly creepy character and Peter was a true villain but fit well with the storyline. 

Overall, I liked everything about this book. Now having read more than one book by this author I can really say this is an author you need to check out! This book gave me all the feels and made me want to keep reading to see how things would play out.

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

5 of 5 Stars!

#BookTag Saturday: The Book Boyfriend For Every Month Tag

This #BookTag Saturday I'm tackling an interesting one I was tagged with by my friend @heretherebeareader on Instagram.... the Book Boyfriend For Every Month Book Tag!

JANUARY
John (Trust by Kylie Scott)

FEBRUARY
Clayton Danvers (Bitten by Kelley Armstrong)

MARCH
Mal Erickson (Stage Dive Series by Kylie Scott)

APRIL
Rhysand (from the ACOTAR Series by Sarah J. Maas)

MAY
Nash (from the Marked Men Series by Jay Crownover)

JUNE
Lucas Wolf (from Devoured by Emily Snow)

JULY
Thomas Cresswell (from Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco)

AUGUST
North Archer (from Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie)

SEPTEMBER
The Goblin King (Der Erlkonig, from Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones)

OCTOBER
Varen Nethers (from Nevermore by Kelly Creagh)

NOVEMBER
Daemon Black (from the Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout)

DECEMBER
Shane Collins (from the Morganville Vampires Series by Rachel Caine)

As you can probably see, I tend to go for the bad boy with the tortured past, except in a few cases. Who are some of your favorite book boyfriends?

My Favorite "Broken Men" in Literature

Bookish Confession:

I completely swoon for the dark, moody, damaged broken men I read about in books. From Varen Nethers in the Nevermore Trilogy to Reed Royal in the Royals Series, from Lucas Wolf from the Devoured Books to Sawyer Weston in D. Kelly's Illusions Series... I love them all. 

How could I possibly think a guy with mood swings, a bad temper, and a dark past is sexy you ask? 

Maybe it's the whole bad boy thing. Maybe I think the most damaged ones are the most deserving of love. Maybe I see a lot of someone I care deeply about reflected in those characters. Yeah... it's mostly that last part, but definitely the other two points as well.

I guess part of it is that I think the "perfect" male character, like in Nicholas Sparks books are a little too perfect... like they're hiding something. Nobody is that understanding all the time, nor does someone always say the right thing and do the right thing all. the. time. It's just not possible. It's unrealistic.

The flawed guys just seem more... human. More... real? And to me, that's what makes all the difference when reading a book. You want to immerse yourself in the story and forget that it's a work of fiction and that the characters aren't actually real. 

So in honor of my guilty pleasure, here are some of my favorite sexy bad boys and broken men in literature...

1. Lucas Wolf from Devoured by Emily Snow

2. Varen Nethers from Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

3. Thorn from RoseBlood

4. The Goblin King from Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

5. Sawyer Weston from Just An Illusion by D. Kelly

6. Reed Royal from the Royals by Erin Watt

7. Daniel Porter from Can't Hardly Breathe by Gena Showalter

8. Razor Turner from Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

9. John from Trust by Kylie Scott

10. Shane Collins from the Morganville Vampire Series by Rachel Caine