Review Round Up ~ April 4

New Releases:

Cowboy for Hire by Victoria James

3.5 stars - Worth a Reader's Time

Review provided by publisher via Net Galley

This is a sweet story about two people coming into their own and discovering who they really are meant to be.

I liked both Sarah and Cade and enjoyed getting to know them. Both are interesting characters on their own, but together they seemed to bring out the best in each other. I think my favorite thing about Sarah was her willingness to put herself out there and stretch the muscles of independence. Both had some emotional growing to do and part of me wishes that Sarah had a few more opportunities to do so away from the ranch. There were times that she came across as much younger than her years, which while understandable made it slightly harder to relate to her.

Cowboy for Hire is the second book in a series and while it is very much a stand alone read, it also has a bit of what I think of as an “Oreo” feel to it. Cade and Sarah’s story is the cream filling, but his friends Tyler and Dean are the cookies on the outside. Both are key secondary characters here, but they are also the past and future leading men of books in the series. Ms James does a solid job of bringing enough of the other two guys to be interested in their stories, but not over powering the main story here. I definitely want to see what happens with Dean and Hope!

Amazon

TBR Reads:

Gypsy King by Devney Perry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend

Review copy purchased while book was Free

I went into Gypsy King not really knowing what to think. Devney Perry is a newish author time me and I’ve enjoyed the books of her’s that I’ve read, but I’m not a huge fan of MC books.

Because of the MC element, I had this book on my wish list, but hadn’t picked up yet. Then it showed up as free, so I had to grab it and I’m glad I did.

What I discovered is that Ms Perry’s trademark style of crafting dynamic characters shines through no matter what genre she is focusing on. Bryce and Dash were both interesting with chemistry off the charts. The story in Gypsy King is a great mix of budding relationship, family drama, and intrigue.

Not only did Ms Perry make me look at MC books in a new way, I will be one clicking on the 2nd book of this series because i need to know what happens next!

Amazon

View all my reviews

Fight for Me ~ Corinne Michaels ~ Cover Reveal

From New York Times Bestselling author Corinne Michaels comes a new emotional and riveting standalone second chance love story on May 19, 2020!

I fell in love with Sydney Hastings when I was ten years old.

At sixteen, we whispered promises of forever.

When I was twenty-two I broke them all. I left her and promised never to return.

After my father's death, I’m forced to go home to Sugarloaf for six months. She'll be everywhere, no longer just in my memories and regrets.

When we’re together, it’s as though time never stopped. She’s still the one I want, but I don’t deserve her. Instead of apologizing, I take that beautiful, broken woman in my arms. But after that, it’s her turn to leave me.

Now I have to fight. For her. For us. For the life we both want …

Pre-order your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2SHBKoW

Amazon Worldwide: mybook.to/FightForMeCM

Apple Books: https://apple.co/32b8YA0

Nook: http://bit.ly/3284ZEw

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2HC0Pvl

Google Play: http://bit.ly/3bR4YcI

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2uYc6Dn

Cover Designer: Sommer Stein from Perfect Pear

Photographer: Brian Kaminski

About Corinne:

Corinne Michaels is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller author. She’s an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun-loving mom of two beautiful children. Corinne is happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife.

After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness. She enjoys putting her characters through intense heartbreak and finding a way to heal them through their struggles. Her stories are chock full of emotion, humor, and unrelenting love.

Connect with Corinne:

Facebook: https://bit.ly/1iwLh6y

Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jcp29z

Instagram: https://bit.ly/2L1Vzo6

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2N1H2Gb

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1NVZmhv

Pinterest: https://bit.ly/2m7MkEL

Bookbub: https://bit.ly/2yc6rss

Stay up to date with Corinne and sign up for her mailing list:

To sign up for monthly text alerts: Text CMBOOKS TO 77948

*US only due to carrier restrictions*

Steals and Deals ~ April 1 - 5

Steals:

Breaking Away by Toni Aleo

Boarded by Love by Toni Aleo

Whiskey Prince by Toni Aleo

Gypsy King (Tin Gypsy Book 1) by Devney Perry

Free Books from Melissa Foster - Check her Site!

Rebel Heir: Book One (The Rush Series) by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

The Sawyer Brothers Series: Books 1 - 4 by C A Harms

Say You'll Stay (Return to Me Book 1) by Corinne Michaels

Holding Onto Forever (The Beaumont Series: Next Generation Book 1 by Heidi McLaughlin

List of Freebies from HJ Bellus

Lord of Chance: Regency Romance Novel (Rogues to Riches Book 1) by Erica Ridley

A Heart of Time by Shari J Ryan

The Start of Us (No Regrets Book 1) by Lauren Blakely

Jag (Diablo's Throne MMA Book 2) by HJ Bellus

Touch You Now (Hot Heroes Series Book 1) by Carly Phillips

Woo Me (The Outback Bachelor Ball Book 2) by Karina Bliss

Protecting the Heiress (The Heiress Duet Book 1) by Nana Malone

Lessons from a One-Night Stand (The Baileys Book 1) by Piper Rayne

Talk British to Me (Wherever You Go Book 1) by Robin Bielman

Heartthrob (American Royalty Book 1) by Robin Bielman

A Fire Sparkling by Julianne MacLean

You Were Meant For Me: A Small Town Southern Romance (Wishful Romance Book 10) by Kait Nolan

Lost to You (The Regret Series Book 1) by A L Jackson

Deals:

Three Sisters (Blackberry Island Book 2) by Susan Mallery $1.99

The Bet (The Bet Series Book 1) by Rachel Van Dyken $1.99

Crushing on Love: Shannon Braden (Love in Bloom: The Bradens at Peaceful Harbor Book 4) by Melissa Foster $.99

Bayside Romance (Bayside Summers Book 5) by Melissa Foster $.99

Wild, Crazy Hearts (The Bradens & Montgomerys: Pleasant Hill - Oak Falls Book 4) by Melissa Foster $1.99

HOOK SHOT (HOOPS Book 3) by Kennedy Ryan $2.99

Super Deals from Naima Simone

Healthy Scratch: Tampa Suns Hockey by Robyn M Ryan $.99

Tall, Dark, and Texan - 3 books $.99 each from Kate Meader

The Fall Up by Aly Martinez $.99

The Spiral Down Aly Martinez $.99

Love After All (Hope Book 4) by Jaci Burton $1.99

The Almost Wives Club Box Set: The Complete Series of romantic comedies, Books 1 to 5 by Nancy Warren $.99

How to Lose a Fiancé by Stefanie London $.99

Scoring with the Wrong Twin (WAGS Book 1) by Naima Simone $.99

Virgin River (A Virgin River Novel Book 1) by Robyn Carr $1.99

Save The Date (Dating Series Book 1) by Monica Murphy $.99

Three Blind Dates (Dating by Numbers Series Book 1) by Meghan Quinn $.99

Beginnings: Six Series Starters by Kathryn Shay $.99

When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton $1.99

Other Fun Stuff:

Kindle Unlimited

Kindle Monthly Deals

Kindle Reader Favorites

Join Books + Main

*Prices are accurate at the time of posting, please double check before one clicking. All links belong to E-Reading After Midnight and we may be compensated. 

LIFT 2020

LIFT 4 Autism Auction!

Browse items up for bid NOW!

charityauction.bid/Lift4Autism2020

Now more than ever, we as a global community are uniting, even as we stay apart to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The organizers of LIFT 4 Autism, authors Ginger Scott and Kennedy Ryan, along with Kulture City, this year’s charitable partner, wanted to respond to the real needs of autism families during this incredibly challenging time. 

Kulture City will direct proceeds from the 2020 auction to autism families struggling during COVID-19.

The online auction features signed paperbacks, hardcovers, full series sets, out-of-print covers, foreign editions, personal one-on-one Skype calls with some of your favorites . . . and MORE, all donated by authors, publishers, bloggers, readers. Just people who wanted to be a part of something to help autism families. You can browse items up for bid NOW here. The docket is open for bidding Monday, April 27 - Friday, May 1.

Since 2016, LIFT 4 Autism has raised approximately $140,000 to benefit ASD families. All proceeds go to non-profit organizations serving the autism community. This year’s charitable partner is Kulture City, whose programs serve the autism community with compassion and generosity.

★ Here’s some FAQ about the auction and the bidding process that may prove helpful★

http://lift4autism.com/auctionfaq/

Winning bidders will be emailed with payment instructions.

★And if you don’t win your bid, you can STILL be involved!

1. Make a tax-deductible “no amount is too big or too small” donation to our Kulture City Fund: http://bit.ly/LIFT202Give

2. Buy LIFT Gear like t-shirts, mugs, sweatshirts, mugs, etc… (Proceeds to Kulture City)

https://teespring.com/stores/lift4autism

3. Authors, publishers, agents, etc...we are still accepting items to put up for bid! If you have items you’d like to donate, you can do so here: http://bit.ly/2020LiftDonations

Kulture City, with its emphasis on acceptance, accessibility and inclusion, is innovating service to the autism community. In addition to partnering with the NBA and other organizations to make stadiums sensory-friendly, they provide much-needed safety resources through their lifeBOKS program and equip autists with tablets to bridge communication gaps and open new opportunities for learning through their tablet: KULTURE program. We are so very honored to stand with Kulture City in their compassion and ingenuity.

2020 Favorites - Part One

Here is my running list of 5 star (or close to it) reads for 2020. Most of them will be 2020 publications, but there may be a few older books that I have just discovered. Everything is listed in the order that I have read it - with newer releases at the top. 

Great and Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros
Goodreads ~ Amazon

Stone Cold Kiwi by Rosalind James
Goodreads ~ Amazon

Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills
Goodreads ~ Amazon

Come Back for Me by Corinne Michaels

Goodreads ~ Amazon

Tell Us Your Favorite Reads of the Year (so Far..... ) 2020 Reader Favorites

*All buy links belong to E-Reading After Midnight and per Amazon's policies, we may be compensated. 

Spiked by love by Toni Aleo ~ New Release and Review

Friends to lovers hockey romance! Spiked by Love by Toni Aleo is available now!

Amazon -- https://amzn.to/33JZkoQ 

Universal -- getbook.at/SpikedbyLoveTA 

Apple -- https://apple.co/2SYA1f6 

Nook -- http://bit.ly/38X3tb2 

Kobo -- http://bit.ly/390pZ2L

 

Allison Titov and Asher Brooks have been best friends their whole lives. Brought up together as part of the Assassins family, they might as well be related. But… Ally has never felt anything sisterly toward Asher.

In love with Asher since she was a teen, Ally has gone pro at keeping her feelings a secret. It’s been easy…as long as he’s stayed halfway across the country at college and she has a volleyball to slap her frustrations out on. But now, he’s home. And having his quick wit, heart-filling laugh, and adorkable smile so close is going to test her like never before. After being dumped by his fiancée, Asher is at a loss what to do next. He craves stability, but with an unexpected kiss, Ally might as well have spiked Asher in the face with a volleyball. Now he’s faced with the dilemma of his life. Does he keep Ally in the friend zone, or does he take the ultimate risk for love? If they’ve learned one thing growing up in the glow of hockey greatness, it’s that you can’t win it all if you don’t play the game. And by serving one hell of an ace into the middle of Asher’s safe little life, Ally is ready to claim victory. STANDALONE! Friends to LOVERS

Nashville Assassins: Next Generation folks at Bellevue Bullies

About the Author:

My name is Toni Aleo and I’m a total dork.
I am a wife, mother of two and a bulldog, and also a hopeless romantic.
I am the biggest Shea Weber fan ever, and can be found during hockey season with my nose pressed against the Bridgestone Arena’s glass, watching my Nashville Predators play!
When my nose isn’t pressed against the glass, I enjoy going to my husband and son’s hockey games, my daughter’s dance competition, hanging with my best friends, taking pictures, scrapbooking, and reading the latest romance novel.
I have a slight Disney and Harry Potter obsession, I love things that sparkle, I love the color pink, I might have been a Disney Princess in a past life… probably Belle.
… and did I mention I love hockey?

Connect with Toni!
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonialeo1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ToniAleo1
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/toni_aleo/
Intagram: https://instagram.com/tonialeo1/
Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2yGqqR6 

Elizabeth's Review

3.5 stars - Worth a Reader's Time

Review Copy Provided by Author

In Spiked By Love, Ms Aleo continues the stories of the 2nd generation of families founded in her Assassins series. This can be read as a stand alone, but due to the amount of character crossover, I would strongly suggest reading some of the authors more recent work first.

With that caution out of the way - let’s talk about Allison and Asher. These two were cute from the get go. I loved their friendship, I loved that they both valued that friendship too much to risk, I even thought their jealousy and frustration was cute. But, the whining from both of them got really old really fast. I needed them to make the jump to more than friends a little bit sooner than they did.

Once that did happen, I really wanted to shake Ally. In understand why she behaved the way she did, but I still wanted stop her and remind her that she’s a strong independent woman and it’s okay to take your time.

Over all, I enjoyed Spiked by Love. These were dynamic characters that are dramatic in a way that really only the young can be. Part of me would have liked to see a little less drama and a little more maturity, but then the characters might not have been true to themselves.

View all my reviews

Code Name Hacker ~ Sawyer Bennett ~ New Release and Review

Code Name: Hacker (Jameson Force Security, Book #4) Sawyer Bennett Release Date: March 31, 2020

Synopsis:
I’m not the same Bebe Grimshaw I was years ago. The woman I was spent years behind the bars of the highest security women’s prison in the nation, my punishment for hacking nuclear codes as part of a crime syndicate I’d gotten in way too deep with. The woman I am today doesn’t regret what I did, or the fact that I got caught, but I am remorseful for the years I lost with my son, Aaron. Released from my sentence early thanks to Kynan McGrath, I joined his team at Jameson Force Security and now put my skills to use helping people. I’m just trying to get back a piece of what I lost, focusing solely on raising Aaron and my work at Jameson. As long as I have my son and my career, I’m content. But life has a funny way of letting you know exactly what you need, and when a devastatingly handsome stranger named Griffin befriends Aaron at the park, I have to consider I might be missing something. A part of me that was locked away long ago reawakens, and I find myself looking at Griff in a way I’ve not looked at a man in more than a decade. Just when I think things are starting to look up, my world is turned upside down. Turns out that meeting wasn’t an accident, and things aren’t going my way at all. Griffin Moore is the man sent here to kill me.

Download Code Name: Hacker: Amazon | Nook | Apple | Google | Kobo Print | Audible (narrated by Aiden Snow and Savannah Peachwood)

Enter the new release giveaway!
One lucky winner will win a $50 Amazon gift card to celebrate the release of Code Name: Hacker! For your chance to WIN, go to ---> https://sawyerbennett.com/giveaways/code-name-hacker/
About the Author:
Since the release of her debut contemporary romance novel, Off Sides, in January 2013, Sawyer Bennett has released multiple books, many of which have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. A reformed trial lawyer from North Carolina, Sawyer uses real life experience to create relatable, sexy stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From new adult to erotic contemporary romance, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone. Sawyer likes her Bloody Marys strong, her martinis dirty, and her heroes a combination of the two. When not bringing fictional romance to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to a very active daughter, as well as full-time servant to her adorably naughty dogs. She believes in the good of others, and that a bad day can be cured with a great work-out, cake, or even better, both. Sawyer also writes general and women’s fiction under the pen name S. Bennett and sweet romance under the name Juliette Poe.

Connect with Sawyer: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Book + Main Bites | BookBub | Amazon | Newsletter | Master Blogger List

Elizabeth's Review

My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend

Review Copy Provided by Author

If you’ve followed the Jameson Force series, you’ve met Bebe Grimshaw and even gotten to know her a little bit, but not well. In Code Name: Hacker we get to see the woman behind the technical skills and teammate.

It was a lot of fun to see Bebe peel back some of her defenses and reveal her personality first to her family and teammates and then later to Griff in a budding romance. Griff was a character that was hard to get a read on at first, but... well, I don’t want to give anything away, so you’ll just have to meet him and find out.

Code Name: Hacker is not a long book and there is a lot packed into this well written story. There are several twists that keep things exciting. I was completely surprised by the first one, but I loved it! This is a story that could be read as a stand alone. Ms Bennett includes enough of the back story that it does work by itself. Having said that, I would strongly encourage new readers to the series start at the beginning. Things definitely work better when the books are read in order. There are also just enough hints that my excitement for the next book has been peaked.

I go into a Sawyer Bennett book expecting to enjoy it and Code Name: Hacker does not disappoint!

View all my reviews