E-Reading After Midnight

My best friend was in a pinch, and she’s the only person in the world I would do anything for. Helping her by pretending to be in love with a stranger for a few weeks would net me good karma, a few bucks, and a bit of exposure—all of which I need desperately right now—to help secure my dream job.

Pretty straightforward, right?

What could go wrong?

Ripley. He’s what always goes wrong.

I’m surprised the producers hired Ripley and me for the reality show after we realized we would be working together and not with strangers, and we almost came to blows in the conference room. But they did. Now I’m stuck pretending to be in love with the biggest, cockiest, most gorgeous billionaire playboy in all of Tennessee.

I’m even more shocked at Ripley’s acting skills.

As we settle into our new roles, it becomes increasingly difficult to separate the real Ripley from the character he’s portraying. His strong hand nestled in the small of my back blurs the line between reality and fiction. His dazzling green eyes and decadent smirk distract me from the man I loathe. I could almost believe his small acts of kindness—bringing me soup when I was sick and threatening to dismantle an overbearing ex—were because he was falling for me.

And that I’m falling for him, too.

This season of The Invitation began as an enemies-to-lovers (pretend) romance. Can we possibly finish it with a real-life happy ending?

From USA Today and Amazon Charts Bestselling author Adriana Locke comes a “sweet and spicy!” new romance between two people who are forbidden from falling in love but must share one bed.

Pre-order your copy today!

https://geni.us/5AM9s

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3YyU7yK

Meet Adriana

USA Today and Amazon Charts Bestselling author, Adriana Locke, writes contemporary romances about the two things she knows best—big families and small towns. Her stories are about ordinary people finding extraordinary love with the perfect combination of heart, heat, and humor.

She loves connecting with readers, fall weather, football, reading alpha heroes, everything pumpkin, and pretending to garden.

Hailing from a tiny town in the Midwest, Adriana spends her free time with her high school sweetheart (who she married over twenty years ago) and their four sons (who truly are her best work). Her kitchen may be a perpetual disaster, and if all else fails, there is always pizza.

Connect with Adriana

Website: www.adrianalocke.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8379774.Adriana_Locke

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Adriana-Locke/author/B00NPBY8FE/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoradrianalocke

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/booksbyadrianalocke

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Verve: https://ververomance.com/app/adrianalocke

Friday, August 23, 2024

Review Round Up ~ August 23

New Releases

How to Fall for a Scoundrel (Her Majesty’s Rebels #2)

How to Fall for a Scoundrel by Kate Bateman

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

Review Copy Provided by Publisher via Net Galley

This is the second installment following the ladies of King & Co, this time focusing on Ellie.
She meets her match in Harry, the reformed thief.

This is a fun, fairly light-hearted adventure where the ladies (and Harry) solve several cases - the most important being who Harry really is!

The characters here are engaging and likable. There is an excellent mix of intrigue and romance that made the story move quickly. The supporting cast is excellent, but not overwhelming in anyway.

While this is the second in a series, it is a complete stand-alone breadcrumbs. Ellie’s story is independent of Tess’, but there are bread crumbs to encourage readers who missed the first book to go back. I am looking forward to seeing how Daisy’s story plays out.

Amazon

View all my reviews

TBR Reads

Eight Years Gone by Cate Beauman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars - Average Read

Review Copy Provided

This story had so much potential, the original premise was interesting, but that was squandered by having too much going on.

We meet Grace and Jagger when they are 20 on what could easily be the worse night of anyone’s life. Tragedy and an overbearing father push the high school sweethearts apart. We see them again at 28 when Jagger leaves the military/private contracting and comes looking for Grace.

The author could have had a solid story by diving into who these characters are, how they’ve changed, and having them resolve the issues that drove them apart. Instead, we get a very surface character development and fairly quick romantic reconciliation followed by multiple traumatic events.

As much as I liked both Jagger and Grace, I found myself bored with the book. Even though they are near 30, they still handle relationship conflict as if they are still in high school. Add in the lack of character development and repetitive nature of the events, I struggled a little to stay invested.

Why I Love You: -A Spooky Little Love Story by Robin Christophersen

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Review Copy Provided

I’m so confused. I went into this book fairly blind and came out so confused.
There are 4 main characters, several key secondary characters. 3 distinct romantic relationships, possibly two more. There are elements of grief, love after loss, the afterlife, past lives, and paranormal encounters.
This book had potential to be interesting, but it was presented in a confounding manner that made it had to follow. The POV jumped for one character to the next frequently leaving events unexplained. Bread crumbs were dropped along the way to the grand reveal at the end. This helped explain so of the issues, but not everything. There were numerous loose strings at the end of the story. Add in some editing issues and I can’t even call this one average.

Lone Tree Claim (On the Dakota Frontier, #2)

Lone Tree Claim by CK Van Dam

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Review Copy Provided

Another book with lots of potential in terms of story that fell flat for me.
I found Katie Rose and her journey interesting, but I felt like reading out her was like reading a bullet point list.
-this bad thing happens
- she is upset
-something turns it around
-she’s happy
Rinse and repeat.
There are other characters and we potentially see events from their POV and it adds to the story, but they are equally flat.
Add in some things that just aren’t believable and it made for a hard book to be invested in.

Wild Shift: by Sadie Drake

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Free Read

This is a book? That’s a serious question, I’m not even sure this is novella length. Maybe a short story.
I picked this up for free and would honestly feel a little ripped off if I had paid for it.

There are hints of plot and hints of character development but just hints. I would have loved to have gotten to know Lia and Aarick better.

View all my reviews

*Buy links belong to E-Reading After Midnight and we may be compensated if you choose to make a purchase.

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Cash ~ Jessica Petterson ~ New Release

Cash by Jessica Peterson is now live!

Butting heads leads to knocking boots in this wildly sexy enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine, small town cowboy romance by Jessica Peterson.

My dad and I have been estranged for years. But as his only living relative, it’s no surprise I inherit his massive cattle ranch when he dies. Something that is a surprise? The stipulation in his will, which requires me to live on the ranch and actively manage it for a year before I can access my inheritance money.

I haven’t stepped foot in Hartsville, Texas, population one thousand, since my parents split when I was six. Now a city girl through and through, I never imagined having to move back to cowboy country. But I need the money to invest in my company, and a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

There’s just one giant roadblock to my plan: the ranch’s foreman, grumpy cowboy Cash Rivers. I don’t care how good he looks in his Wranglers and chaps. He’s rude, he’s growly, and he wants me gone. I’d fire him in a heartbeat, but I need this cowboy to teach me the ropes of running a ranch.

We’re enemies from the get-go. But turns out, Cash is really good at this ranch thing. He’s got strong hands, an intelligent mind, and let’s just say everything really is bigger in Texas. Working alongside him leads to conversations beneath the stars. Throw in some cheek-to-cheek dancing at the local dive bar, and it all feels so right that I start to fall in love with life on the ranch. And maybe with him, too.

But my stay in Hartsville is only temporary. And you know what they say about cowboys: they may break horses, but they also break hearts. If only Cash hadn’t already lassoed mine…

CASH is the first standalone book in the brand new steamy, interconnected Lucky River Ranch Series!

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ycEbqW

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/CashJP

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3wuACfa

Meet Jessica

Jessica Peterson writes romance with heat, humor, and heart. Heroes with hot accents are her specialty. When she’s not writing, she can be found bellying up to a bar in the south’s best restaurants with her husband Ben, reading books with her adorable daughter Gracie, or snuggling up with her 70-pound lap dog, Martha.

A Carolina girl at heart, she fantasizes about splitting her time between Charleston and Asheville, but currently lives in Charlotte, NC.

Connect with Jessica

Website: https://www.jessicapeterson.com/

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/JessicaPetersonGR

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KoS0sb

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessicapetersonauthor/

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PetersonsPupils/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JessicaPAuthor

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jessica-peterson

Verve: https://ververomance.com/app/JessicaPeterson

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

From Here to Eternity ~ A L Jackson ~ Cover Reveal

A.L. Jackson has revealed the gorgeous covers for From Here to Eternity!

Releasing: October 15, 2024

Cover Design: Qamber Designs

Photographer: Michelle Lancaster

I should have known everything was going to change when she walked into my tattoo shop...

Timid as hell and gorgeous to the extreme. I knew better than even thinking about touching a woman like that.

My life is dangerous.

My calling wicked.

Willing to cross any line to protect the innocent.

I thought I’d never see her again until my little boy tumbled and busted his lip, and I found her working at the doctor’s office.

The woman who’d taken possession of my thoughts.

When it becomes clear she’s in trouble, I offer up a deal.

Twenty questions to earn her trust.

Too bad trusting me is the last thing she should do.

With one kiss, I’m addicted. With one night, we’re falling into a passion greater than either of us has ever known.

The voices in my head warn I can never keep her. She can’t know the secret life I lead.

Only she’s keeping a secret, too.

And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe, even if it means losing everything…

Pre-order your copy today!

https://geni.us/FHTEAmznOP

Audio pre-order coming soon!

Signed Collector's Boxes, Hardbacks, and Paperbacks: https://geni.us/FHTESignedCopies

Cover Reveal Giveaway: https://geni.us/FHTECvrRvlGvwy

Enter to win a signed Redemption Hills paperback set!

Add to Goodreads: https://geni.us/FHTEGoodreads

Meet A.L. Jackson

A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.

If she's not writing, you can find her hanging out by the pool with her family, sipping cocktails with her friends, or of course with her nose buried in a book.

Connect with A.L. Jackson

Website: www.aljacksonauthor.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5784542.A_L_Jackson

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/A-L-Jackson/e/B007RK7ZOU/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/aljacksonauthor

Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/aljacksonreaderhangout

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X/Twitter: www.twitter.com/aljacksonauthor

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Verve: https://ververomance.com/app/aljackson