Review Post: Transfer (The Retrieval Duet #2) by Aly Martinez

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by mkcooke

ONE STORY. TWO COUPLES.

The Retrieval Duet by Aly Martinez is a two part series.

TRANSFER (Part 2) is NOW AVAILABLE!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2b3AJ6S

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2aW0WAf

iBooks: http://apple.co/2beFszd

Nook: http://bit.ly/2c6BYR9

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2aW1So5

Blurb

One story. Two couples.

I fell in love with a man who didn’t exist.

What started out as romance ended in hell.

His words turned to razor blades.

His kisses converted to fists.

His embrace became my cage.

His body transformed into a weapon, stealing parts of me until ultimately….

I broke.

I hated him.

My sole job in life became to protect our daughter.

I wasn’t sure I’d ever escape the prison he’d skillfully crafted from my fears.

Until the day our savior arrived.

This is the story of how I escaped the man who thought he owned me.

The transfer of my life and my family.

5 Unforgettably Emotional Stars

Let me start this review by saying that if you reading this and you haven’t read Retrieval, the first book in this breathtakingly emotional and unforgettably intense duet, then you should not be reading this review. Like at all…So do not pass go, do not collect your two hundred dollars, and do not read this review until you have read and felt and lived and breathed every single word of Retrieval.

Okay? Okay.

I’m glad we go that out of the way. And really, you just can’t not read Retrieval. That book is everything, and how it leads into Transfer will give you chills, will steal the breath from your body, and will have you feeling every single emotion possible as you prepare to experience the consuming and unforgettable story that is Transfer.

Now let me tell you, to say that I needed this book like I needed my next breath, is putting it way too mildly. After the ending of Retrieval literally had me begging for more, I was beyond ready to see get back into this world with both of these couples. I needed to know what this next chapter would bring them, I needed to know what intense twist and emotional turn that next page would bring, and I needed to know how Aly Martinez would bring this unforgettable duet to a close.

I went into this book knowing that I would feel every word of it. I went into it all heart first knowing that Clare’s story and her emotional journey of escape would make me feel it all, that it would consume me within her struggles, and that it would pull at every ounce of emotion I had as she attempted to escape the hell that was her life. I went into this book knowing it would probably hurt my heart, and expecting it to send those feelings rushing through me like Niagara Falls because this is a book by Aly Martinez, and you just don’t read a book by this phenomenal author.

You feel it. You breathe it. You live it. You take it in and you let it consume you with all that it has. And you let it eviscerate you in a way because you know that that’s necessary to be with these characters, to understand them and their stories, and you know that you have to feel it all in order to get those characters where you so desperately need them to be.

I don’t know if any of that has ever been more true than what I felt reading Transfer. What I felt for Clare as she attempted to escape from Walter Noir’s evil hand, what I felt for Heath as he struggled with his own feelings, with his own duties, and with his own sense of right and wrong and where that line fell, and what I felt for the two of them as they were thrust together into an unimaginable situation that broke them, that made them, and that showed each other so much about themselves….well what I felt getting all of that is nothing short of everything.

That everything was raw. It was real. It was full of vulnerability, openness, and a journey of healing that was hard fought, unforgettably meaningful, and visceral to the nth degree. That everything tore open my heart for both Clare and Heath as they fought for what they both wanted, as they tried to determine what they could and couldn’t have, and as they realized that what they’d always wanted, what they so desperately craved, and what they needed to come full circle was standing there right in front of them.

From the very first page of Transfer, Aly Martinez threw me right into the thick of it with these two. She let me experience what it was like for them to realize what was really going on, what they were starting to feel, and what it was like for them to try to handle all of that. She let me feel what it was like for those two to share what they did, what it was like for them to realize that they wanted something more, and what it was like for them to get so damn close to having it all. She let me take in what the events of this book did to them, how it pushed them both, how it brought them both into their own, and how it took them through the ringer a bit, yet at the same time pushed them even closer to where they so desperately wanted and needed to be.

Through every single page of this all-consuming story, Aly Martinez put me with them as they fought and simultaneously fell as hard as they both could, and that, well that was nothing short of spectacular.

From the moment I met Clare’s character in Retrieval, I knew I needed more of her. I felt a connection and a deeply felt love for her character from that very first moment I met her, and that love became fiercer through every page of that story, and it just caught on fire and exploded once I got her story in Transfer. My love, adoration, and belief in that woman truly knows no bounds. What I felt for her, how much I believed in her, and how I felt so deeply connected to her is all a testament to what Aly Martinez so authentically created with her character. She bonded me to Clare.

She allowed me to get her, her journey, her struggles along the way. She allowed me to see a mother who would do anything for her child, for her love, for her old self that was ready to be awakened once again. She allowed me to understand Clare on the deepest and truest of levels, and she allowed me to know with every ounce of my being that even in the darkest of hours and even in the most dismal of situations, a true fighting flame can never be extinguished.

Along with Clare this book gave me Heath, and boy did it give me that man something fierce. It gave me his stubborn, stoic self, and it let me be there with him as one woman and her little girl slowly but surely infiltrated his heart with all that they had. Heath is a character my heart just belonged to from the instant I met him. Sure there were moments when I wanted to shake some sense into him and show him what he could have if he just reached out and took it, but through it all I loved that man with all I had. I loved what he felt, I loved how far he was willing to go when it really mattered, and at the end of the day I loved how everything he shared with Clare, and Tessa for that matter, brought him closer to being the man that I knew he could be.

Transfer is a story about so many things. It’s a story about how you build yourself back up after you feel as if every part of you has been taken. It’s a story about the level of fight that can consume you, heal you, and make you if you let yourself really feel it and take ahold of it. It’s a story about what happens when you meet that one person who changes everything, and sometimes that everything is a living hell, and sometimes it’s better than any paradise you can think of. It’s a story of what happens when two people end up on a path to one another, and how that path breaks them, strips them down of everything they think they know and feel, yet at the same time how that thrusts them both onto the exact path they needed to be on all along.

This book is the story of what happens when a woman who’s experienced more pain and heartache than anyone deserves, meets a man who fights himself as much as he does those around him, and the transfer of feelings and emotions and healing that takes place as they forget that new path together. This book exemplifies that while that new path might be scary, while it might take everything in you to keep yourself on that path and believing in where it could take you, and while it might strip you down to your very core, that path is worth it. So damn worth it.

Every page of Transfer emphasizes that notion, and every word of this book that is so breathtakingly emotional and thoughtfully crafted hits home the power, the meaning, and the journey of these characters and this story. Aly Martinez blew me away through every single page of this story. She took my heart, my mind, and my very soul, and she put it right in this story, just like she had with Retrieval. She continued my love for these characters, she solidified it and deepened it with every moment I got with them, and she put me with them all in the most authentic of ways as they all fought for that ending they all wanted to have.

Whether I was being mesmerized by this story, its exceptional crafting, and where it took these characters… Whether I was being consumed by every ounce of visceral spark, and heat, and unadulterated connection that seared these characters together… Whether I was being encapsulated within the intensity of this story, and the emotional twists and turns that every new page brought… Whether I was feeling it or experiencing it or living it all with these characters…

I felt this story. I loved this story. I got it all with this story and there are literally not enough words on the planet to accurately capture what it’s like reading Transfer and getting what you do within its unforgettable pages.

This book gave me it all. It was the perfect conclusion to this duet. It was the perfect follow up to the heartfelt love that grew and grew through every single page of Retrieval. It was the perfect, most intense, most all-feeling and breathtaking way to say goodbye to these characters that I will never forget, and I could not have asked for more.

There isn’t anything more than this book, than this duet, or than the dynamic and soul touching characters you find within their pages.

This book, this duet, this story…is everything. And then some. And that is just part of what makes them some of the best books I have ever read.

If you’re looking for a book you’ll feel, if you’re looking for a book that will move you, break you, and along the way try to put you back together again, and if you’re looking for a book that gives you all of the above and a little something extra that’ll make you blush and smile and fall harder than a brick over a ledge, then seriously, run yourself to this book and this duet this very second.

Do it. You will not regret it. And in fact, I think you’ll find it’s one of the best decisions you make today, or this week, or this month, or this year.

Transfer is that good. Retrieval is that good. This duet is that damn good…and I am telling you, you will never forget what this continuous, emotional, and completely memorable story will give you within its amazing pages.

RETRIEVAL is available and brings readers the first part of this emotional second chance romance.

Retrieval (Part One):

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2aMnW74

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2aW07Yb

iBooks: http://apple.co/2aH2bFb

Nook: http://bit.ly/2cOYcsK

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

Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.

After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.

STALK HER: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

$50 Amazon Gift Card

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27Sep2016

Blog Tour: Chandler by Laurelin Paige

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts by mkcooke

Chandler by Laurelin Paige

A Fixed Trilogy Spinoff
Release Date: September 20^th, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance

CHANDLER FINAL .jpg

Synopsis:

I’m good in a boardroom, but I’m better in the bedroom. Much better. I can charm the skirt off any woman in one encounter. I’ll even give her an orgasm before I put her in a cab. Or three. No more or she’ll start making plans for the future and I’m not into that.

Or I wasn’t until Genevive Fasbender. She’s the first woman in five years that I want to spend the whole night with. And she’s the first woman who’s told me I’m not what she wants in a lover, even after multiple O’s. She’s brash and bold and stubborn as hell, and she doesn’t believe it’s possible to satisfy her.

But I’m up for the challenge.

And after an incident in my brother’s office closet―a downright dirty incident―I think I’m just the guy to deliver.

Genevive Fasbender will never know what’s coming.

Add to Goodreads

Excerpt:

Five minutes later, the valet pulls up with my car. Genevieve raises an eyebrow. “A Bugatti?”

I’m so impressed she can name the model that I practically jizz in my pants. “It’s the best.”

She shakes her head, and I swear I hear her mutter something about rich men and their toys, but I don’t respond, too occupied with inspecting my car and then passing the attendant the cash I promised him earlier for returning my vehicle in perfect condition.

I slide into the driver’s seat, and when I look over at Genevieve as she buckles her seatbelt, a wave of pure, unadulterated lust rolls through me. I’m very aware that I’ve trapped her, that she’s now defenseless to my whims. Not that I’d take advantage, but goddamn, to think that I could…

I nearly shiver at my own vile thoughts.

Glad she can’t know what I’m thinking, I flash her a smile. “So. Where am I taking you?”

“I’m staying at the Park Hyatt on 57^th Street.”

“Fancy.” The Park Hyatt is one of the nicest luxury hotels in New York. That means this girl has money, which isn’t a bad thing. Just, the swell of my wallet in my back pocket is usually one of my better attributes. If wealth doesn’t attract her, I hope I’m not shit out of luck when it comes to getting an invitation up to her room.

Apparently, I’m transparent because she asks, “Not impressed?”

“Quite the opposite. I’m worried you won’t have a reason to be impressed with me.” Now I’m the one who can’t believe how honest I’m being.

“It’s a valid worry,” she says after a beat, and I can’t tell if she’s teasing or being blunt. Can’t tell if I should prepare for gut-wrenching disappointment or dive into another round of sexy banter.

I concentrate on my driving instead, speeding up before slipping expertly into a tight opening in the adjacent lane.

I’ll admit I’m showing off.

“Smashing,” she says with a tone that vibrates through my body like I’m a tuning fork.

Then, abruptly, she laughs, and I turn my head toward her, alarmed at the source of her amusement.

“I still can’t believe you drive a Bugatti in the city. I can’t decide if that makes you brilliant or as mad as a bag of ferrets.”

“Brilliant, of course.” Though, with her so close, I feel more like I’m going crazy. “What can I say? I like things that are fast.”

“Of course you do.”

“You don’t?” I raise a questioning brow. “Maybe you don’t understand how awesome fast can be.” I put my foot on the gas and race down the next block to prove my point.

The traffic light turns red as I approach the intersection, and I ease the brakes. “See? Fast is fun.”

“The problem with fast is it’s over too quickly.”

Is that innuendo? Her gaze pierces into me, and the air around us feels tight and charged, and I’m suddenly certain that I will die if I don’t get to taste her tonight.

Even if she didn’t mean anything more when she made her statement, I certainly do when I say, “Don’t worry. I know when to take my time.”

She exhales, slowly, and I swear I can feel it. As though she’s already in my arms and her breath is grazing every inch of my bare skin. No matter what happens after this, I know she at least feels this…this attraction. Or whatever it is.

Her voice is low and sultry when she replies. “You’re not talking about cars anymore. But do you really take your time? I’d guess you bolt the minute you’re finished.” She’s so blunt, so direct, and I don’t know if it’s a her thing or an English thing, but I like it.

I also like this conversation we’re having. Because we’re drawing the lines, and that means the potential for tonight is high. So I answer with a nod, making sure she understands that she’s correct in thinking I’ll bolt. Because I will.

Buy Links:
Amazon / iBooks / Nook

About the Author:

Laurelin Paige is the NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Fixed Trilogy. She’s a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters.

Facebook / Twitter / Amazon / Goodreads / Instagram / Website

Don’t miss a release. Sign up for Laurelin’s Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/Q0glD

26Sep2016

Releasing Now: Depths of Salvation by Molly E. Lee

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts by mkcooke

Release Date: September 26, 2016

Photo & Cover Design: Regina Wamba / MaeIDesign and Photography

Models: Ty Sundeen & Lindsey Jo Angelo

Synopsis

Sadie Jenkins’ most recent site of preservation is a sunken WWII cargo ship off the coast of the Bahamas. When a giant corporation threatens to blow it up to make way for an underwater gas pipeline, Sadie is forced to prove to the Head of Government the importance and value of her site. And when assistance comes from a bad-boy welder who works for the corporation, she ends up battling not only the people trying to demolish her site, but her heart as well—because its latched on to the one man who can save her ship or destroy it.

Connell Murphey is the best underwater welder this side of the Atlantic and thrives when the stakes are highest. When Slade Industries offers him a dangerous gig with a big pay off, he can’t wait to sign on. When a local marine preservationist gives Slade trouble—her site’s protection would cost him millions to go around it instead of through it—Slade offers Connell the deal of a lifetime: twelve million has his name on it if he gets close to Sadie and testifies to the Head of Government that her site isn’t worth saving. Should be easy money.

That is, until he meets Sadie. She’s a force to be reckoned with and the only woman who has ever been able to not only keep pace with him on a dive but completely surpass him on every level. She’s smart, sexy, and their chemistry is off the charts. The more he gets to know her, the harder he falls but he’s already in too deep with the deal he made with Slade.

When the time comes, will he be able to turn down the money and choose the girl of his dreams, or will too many lies kill his only chance at forever?

Goodreads

Amazon US ~ http://amzn.to/2dsdlNV

Amazon UK ~ http://amzn.to/2cwYipb

Amazon CA ~ http://amzn.to/2cv4Kb7

Amazon AU ~ http://amzn.to/2cv3NQ0

Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card

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About the Author

Molly E. Lee is an author and editor best known for her debut novel EDGE OF CHAOS, and as a fourth year mentor at Pitch Wars – a program which connects promising writers to established authors in the community. Molly writes New Adult Contemporary and Young Adult Urban Fantasy featuring strong female heroines who are unafraid to challenge their male counterparts, yet still vulnerable enough to have love sneak up on them. In addition to being a military spouse and mother of two + one stubborn English Bulldog, Molly loves watching storms from her back porch at her Midwest home, and digging for treasures in antique stores.

Connect with Molly

Newsletter Signup Link: http://bit.ly/2cmswZF

Facebook Author Page: http://bit.ly/2cw1iQ7

Facebook Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2cKYIFb

Goodreads Author Page: http://bit.ly/2cqGg6Q

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2c3vWAN

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2c3wxCJ

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2cjbDA3

22Sep2016

Blog Tour: Behind Closed Doors by J.L. Berg

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts by mkcooke

About BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

My name is Roman Cavenaugh and I’m kind of an asshole.

Running a company isn’t easy, especially when everyone expects you to fail, so being a jerk? It comes with the territory.

I don’t have time to mess around, and I sure as hell didn’t see her coming.

Cara Hamilton—she was supposed to be off limits…a temporary employee brought in during my assistant’s maternity leave.

But, in the blink of an eye, she became so much more.
An obsession I couldn’t shake.

So yeah, I may be an asshole, but now, I finally had a purpose, and soon, she would be mine.
All’s fair in love and war…

Add BEHIND CLOSED DOORS to Goodreads here!

Get your hands on BEHIND CLOSED DOORS now:

Amazon | iBooks | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Paperback

“How does one break their ankle while bowling?”

She snorted, her dark brown eyes meeting mine once more.

“I think there was a lot of beer involved. Plus, those shoes are slippery. Haven’t you ever noticed?”

“I’ve never played,” I admitted.

I watched her expression turn from playful to downright astonished.

“Never?”

“Nope.”

“Not even once?” she asked, her eyes still wide with disbelief.

“I believe that’s the definition of never.” I laughed.

“That’s ridiculous,” she said, her head shaking back and forth in complete shock, as if I’d just told her I’d never used modern plumbing or had a haircut. “We’re going to rectify this. Before we leave,” she announced with conviction.

“If you say so, but it’s really not that weird.”

“It’s weird, Roman,” she retorted, instantly realizing her slip.

It was the first time she’d ever used my first name. Usually, she didn’t address me at all, which I’d always found unusual, considering her immaculate manners. But seeing her reaction now? The instant flush, dodging my gaze… it was obvious she was conflicted.

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean to—”

“Don’t apologize. I’m Roman, Cara. To you… I’ve always just been Roman.”

Her breath caught for a moment, and time seemed to stand still. The sound of the tires against the pavement, the cars around us… everything stopped. For just one moment

And then it was gone.

“Sir, we’re here,” the driver announced as we came to a stop.

She looked at me for the briefest of time and then blinked, and it was as if the world reset itself. She gave me a polite smile, grabbed the formal tweed jacket she’d been carrying around with her all day, reached for the handle of the car, and was gone.

And the world suddenly seemed louder because of it.

Enter to Win

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About J.L. Berg

J.L. Berg is the USA Today bestselling author of the Ready Series, The Walls Duet, and the Lost & Found Duet. She is a California native living in the beautiful state of historic Virginia. Married to her high school sweetheart, they have two beautiful girls that drive them batty on a daily basis. When she’s not writing, you will find her with her nose stuck in a romance novel, in a yoga studio or devouring anything chocolate. J.L. Berg is represented by Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, LLC.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Newsletter

20Sep2016

Releasing Now: Chandler by Laurelin Paige

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts by mkcooke

Chandler by Laurelin Paige

A Fixed Trilogy Spinoff
Release Date: September 20^th, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance

chandler-final

Synopsis:

But I’m up for the challenge.

And after an incident in my brother’s office closet―a downright dirty incident―I think I’m just the guy to deliver.

Genevive Fasbender will never know what’s coming.

Add to Goodreads

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Buy Links:
Amazon / iBooks / Nook

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About the Author:

Connect with Laurelin:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurelinPaige/?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurelinPaige
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Wqt6nD
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1QHdV59
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereallaurelinpaige/
Website: http://laurelinpaige.com/

Don’t miss a release. Sign up for Laurelin’s Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/Q0glD

Check out the musical inspiration for this novel on Spotify.

19Sep2016

Releasing Now: Wilder (The Renegades #1) by Rebecca Yarros

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts by mkcooke

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Wilder

Rebecca Yarros

September 19, 2016

He’s Paxton Wilder.

Twenty-two-year-old, tattooed, smoking-hot leader of the Renegades.

Five time X Games medalist.

The world is his playground—especially this year—and for the next nine months I’m stuck as his tutor on the Study at Sea program.

He’s too busy staging worldwide stunts for his documentary to get to class.

But if I can’t get him to take academics seriously, I’ll lose my scholarship…if I don’t lose my heart first.

Six unlikely friends on a nine-month cruise with the Study at Sea program will learn that chemistry is more than a subject and the best lessons aren’t taught in the classroom…but in the heart.

Goodreads

wilder-teaser-6

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2d8eDgN

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2daVmhB

Nook: http://bit.ly/2cu1kIw

iBooks:

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/1Y5zmlV

Website: http://www.rebeccaelizabethyarros.com/

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaElizabethYarros

Facebook Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/327562767450842/

Goodreads Author Page: http://bit.ly/23mt0Qh

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RebeccaYarros

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

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/1Uw8NXZ

13Sep2016

Releasing Now: Behind Closed Doors by J.L. Berg

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts by mkcooke

Are you ready to meet Roman Cavenaugh? He’s kind of an asshole, but you do not want to miss out on meeting him! Get your hands on USA Today bestselling author J.L. Berg’s BEHIND CLOSED DOORS today!

About BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

My name is Roman Cavenaugh and I’m kind of an asshole.

Running a company isn’t easy, especially when everyone expects you to fail, so being a jerk? It comes with the territory.

I don’t have time to mess around, and I sure as hell didn’t see her coming.

Cara Hamilton—she was supposed to be off limits…a temporary employee brought in during my assistant’s maternity leave.

But, in the blink of an eye, she became so much more.
An obsession I couldn’t shake.

So yeah, I may be an asshole, but now, I finally had a purpose, and soon, she would be mine.
All’s fair in love and war…

Add BEHIND CLOSED DOORS to Goodreads here!

Get your hands on BEHIND CLOSED DOORS now:

Amazon | iBooks | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Paperback

Read a sneak peek of BEHIND CLOSED DOORS:

“Can I ask you something?” she said, drawing my attention away from the monotony on my computer screen. I looked up to find her eyes dead set on mine. It was unnerving.

She usually tried to avoid direct eye contact with me. Maybe I intimidated her. Perhaps she found me attractive and the idea of lusting after her boss bothered her.

Believe me, it bothered me too.

In a very physical way.

“Go ahead,” I answered, unwilling to break the intimate connection she’d started.

“When you saw me… at the club that night,” she said, her eyes wavering just slightly. “What was it you saw in me? I mean, was it just the clothes?”

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Even though I’d said we’d never speak of what happened that drunken night two weeks ago, I saw something in her eyes that needed an answer.

That needed something more.

“Why are you asking?”

“It’s nothing, sorry. I’m being stupid,” she backpedaled, as she began fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

Looking back at our few interactions, I suddenly noticed the difference in how she’d acted today. Her normal never-ending stream of word vomit was there, but behind it, there was an internal struggle going on. The hemline wasn’t the first thing she’d fidgeted with. I’d watched as she’d pulled at the collar of her shirt and then, as if she’d realized what she had done was wrong, quickly lay it flat again.

“Does this have something to do with the way you’re dressed today?”

Pink tinged her cheeks once again.

“You noticed?”

I simply nodded, not trusting myself with words in that moment.

Because I’d more than noticed. It’d been damn hard not to think about anything but.

“A gift from my boyfriend,” she replied. “He said my old clothes didn’t fit in with our new life style. It was a very generous gift,” she added, never forgetting that politeness she’d no doubt been taught since birth.

“But?” I questioned, waiting for her to continue.

“But… I don’t feel like me anymore,” she finally admitted.

“And I’m guessing the night in the club was another gift of his as well?”

It was her turn to nod.

I could see the indecision and worry gnawing at her. Someone like her, sweet, honest and good… she was meant for better things than a life with a man who didn’t appreciate her.

Leaning forward, I made sure she saw the sincerity burning in my eyes as I spoke. “That night in the club, I’ll admit, I noticed the dress first.”

She opened her lips to speak but I held up my hand to stop her, wanting to make my point.

“And today, when you walked in, I couldn’t help but give a second… or third glance at the way that new skirt hugged your ass.”

Her eyes widened at my blatant honesty.

“So yes, the clothes may grab my attention for a moment or two, but the fact that I’m still interested, two weeks later? That’s you, Cara. That’s all you.”

And just like that, I’d crossed the line.

I’d hit on an employee.

And there was no going back from that.

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7Sep2016

Blog Tour: Wide Open Spaces by Aurora Rose Reynolds

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts by mkcooke

“Zach Watters has made a lot of mistakes in his life. But when he sees Shelby Calder looking more beautiful than ever standing outside her childhood home, he promises himself that letting her go won’t be a mistake he ever makes again.”

Wide Open Spaces by Aurora Rose Reynolds is LIVE!

NOW AVAILABLE!

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That moment your life changes.

That moment that changes your life.

That moment you love someone more than you love yourself.

That was the moment we gave our son up for adoption and the moment I was left bare. A wide-open space that would forever be empty.

There are moments that define you as a person, moments that prove just how strong you are, moments you push yourself to keep going forward when all you really want to do is give up. It was in one of those moments when I reached out and found him waiting for me.

When Shelby Calder left home fifteen years ago, she never planned on returning to the Alaskan town she left behind. But after the death of her grandfather and a bitter divorce, she hopes going home will be a fresh start for her and her ten-year-old son.

Zach Watters has made a lot of mistakes in his life. But when he sees Shelby Calder, looking more beautiful than ever, standing outside her childhood home, he promises himself that letting her go won’t be a mistake he ever makes again.

Some things never change and love is one of them.

“Then why did you marry her?” I ask, wondering if I’m really ready to go there with him, but it’s too late to change my mind. The question is out, and as much as I don’t want to know the answer, I need to know the answer.

“I wanted my kids to have what I didn’t. I believed that, with time, we could find a way to be happy.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this,” I say, changing my mind as nausea and jealousy turn my stomach.

“You loved your ex, baby. I know you did. I didn’t have that. I wanted it but never had it with her or anyone else since you.”

“Please stop.” Feeling tears burn the back of my eyes for him, I close them tight. Max and I were happy and in love in the beginning, and I hate knowing Zach never had that… the kids didn’t see or feel that.

“I wish my past didn’t hurt you so much. I’m sorry for hurting you the way I have. If I could take your pain away, I would.” He gathers me against him and tucks my head under his chin.

“As sad as it makes me, I wish you would have had that with her or someone else,” I say, and his arms tighten so much that my lungs compress.

“I don’t,” he growls.

“What?” I wheeze, and he loosens his grip just enough for me to take a breath.

“I don’t want to think about what would have happened if I had been with her or someone else when you came back. I don’t want to face that demon inside of me that knows what I would have done.”

“Zach—”

“I’ve been in love with you for almost eighteen years. I carried your missing pieces around inside me for that long, Shelby. I know it would have made me an asshole, but there is only one you. You’re the only place I’ve ever called home.” His voice is thick with emotion, and that wound inside of me fills up a little bit more. I hate his words, but a part of me is relieved he feels that way, that he feels so deeply for me.

“There’s been a wide open space inside me since we placed Samuel and I left you behind. But, from the moment I came back, it’s slowly been filling up.”

He goes quiet at my words. Several moments pass before he speaks again. “One day, that space will be full. I swear, with everything I have in me, I will make sure it’s overflowing and that you never feel empty again.”

Aurora Rose Reynolds is a navy brat who’s husband served in the United States Navy. She has lived all over the country but now resides in New York City with her Husband and pet fish. She’s married to an alpha male that loves her as much as the men in her books love their women. He gives her over the top inspiration everyday. In her free time she reads, writes and enjoys going to the movies with her husband and cookie. She also enjoys taking mini weekend vacations to nowhere, or spends time at home with friends and family. Last but not least she appreciates everyday and admires it’s beauty.

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6Sep2016

Releasing Now: The Protector by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by mkcooke

THE PROTECTOR by Jodi Ellen Malpas (September 6, 2016; Forever Trade Paperback and Forever eBook; stand alone novel)

THE NEW NOVEL FROM THE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE THIS MAN TRILOGY AND ONE NIGHT TRILOGY!

People think they have Camille Logan nailed: daddy’s girl; beautiful, spoiled young woman with her father’s bank balance to fund her lifestyle. But Camille is determined to have a life free from his strings. Out on her own, she’s made mistakes, including one that found her clawing her way back after a stint in rehab and plenty of bad press. Now, after fighting so hard to be independent and happy, she finds her life threatened as a result of her father’s ruthless business dealings. Caught between resentment and fear, Camille prepares herself for the measures her father will take to protect her. But nothing could prepare her for the ex-SAS sniper who crashes into her life.

Jake Sharp resides in his own personal hell. He was distracted from duty once before, and the consequences were devastating–both personally and professionally. He vowed never to let that happen again. Accepting the job of bodyguard to Camille Logan isn’t the kind of distraction from his demons he should take. Women and Jake don’t mix well, yet protecting the heiress seems the lesser of two evils. But Jake soon discovers that she isn’t the woman she’s perceived to be. She’s warm, compassionate, her presence settling, and his duty to protect her soon goes deeper than a well-paid job, no matter how hard he fights it. He needs absolution. He comes to need Camille. But he knows he can’t have both.

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4.5 Emotional and All-Feeling Protector Stars!

It is no secret that I am a lover of all things Jodi Ellen Malpas, so when I found out she was publishing a new standalone book, my grabby hands came out something fierce. To say that I have loved each and every one of this phenomenal author’s books is not doing her words the immense amount of justice they each deserve. All six of her previous books, have given me completely consuming reading experiences, wrought with thought out emotion and dynamic characters that steal my heart again and again. Her books represent some of my all-time favorites, and the characters and stories she’s given me over the years will stay with me forever in some way, shape, or form.

I went into The Protector knowing that this book would be a tad different than her others because it was a standalone rather than a series, but I knew that Jodi Ellen Malpas would weave together something I would feel every ounce of, something I would love unconditionally, and something I wouldn’t soon forget.

After reading and experiencing every word of this book, all I can say is that my predictions for this book were completely on point because what she gave me within the pages of this book is why I LOVE romances, why I LOVE her book so fiercely, and why and I can’t get enough of what she creates through her all-feeling writing. The Protector was a story that completely took ahold of me from the very first pages, and had me encapsulated in it all with Jake and Camille and their romantic, emotional, and suspenseful story.

While I went into this book not necessarily knowing what to expect, I found myself once again completely taken within a memorable story with wonderfully distinctive characters that found themselves seared to my heart in no time flat. Woven together with Jodi Ellen Malpas’s outstanding and thoughtfully crafted writing, The Protector came to be a story I lived, loved, and felt every word of. This is a story of past and pain, and more hurt than you can shake a stick at, but how when you finally see that light and hope for the first time in your life, it can bring you it all, as long as you let yourself grab onto it. From beginning to end, The Protector had me within its pages experiencing everything it had to offer, and I truly can’t say enough how much I enjoyed it.

What I loved about The Protector:

Jake Sharp and his overcoming of the past. Jake Sharp is a force to be reckoned with. That man is fierce, strong, and he knows what he wants and what he doesn’t need. The beginning of this story finds him doing whatever he can to halt the feelings and attractions he’s feeling towards Camille, but soon that man must face what he feels towards her, and the past that keeps him from going for it all. Jodi Ellen Malpas completely creates his backstory and pain filled past, and that will send your heart to him through every turn of the page. She puts you with him as he attempts to come to terms with what he feels, how his past still affects him, and what he needs to do if he ever hopes to find closure and move on. Every moment of this book with him made me love and feel for him more, and the strong, protective presence that emanates from him will melt you again and again. Trust me on that one.
Camille Logan and her fiery self. Camille Logan is no wilting flower. She also isn’t some privileged brat who expects the world to come to her. She is a fiercely independent young woman, hell bent on showing the world who she is and what she can be, and the on the thing she knows is that she doesn’t need a bodyguard looking after her. From the moment she meets Jake she pushes against him and his presence in her life, but the more time they spend together, the more she starts feeling this undeniable pull to the one man she tells herself she doesn’t want. Getting to be with Camille and experiencing her fire come out over the course of this story was nothing short of spectacular, and it revealed so much about her character. Her tenacity, her own strength that shines through every page of the story, and how that leads her to opening her determined heart towards a man who is still reeling from a painful past, had me loving every bit of her even more and realizing again and again why she is such a dynamic and wonderful character.
The connection that can’t be beat. Jodi Ellen Malpas sure knows how to create a connection between two characters, and how to make is so palpable that you feel it in your bones while reading. The connection between Jake and Camille gets off to an interesting start, and as much as these two feel it, they fight against it just as much too because they’re not ready to give into it. Yet through everything that comes their way in this story that connection strengthens and becomes more and more tangible. It soon consumes the two of them something fierce to the point where neither of them can deny it. What that leads them to share is full of heat, all-feeling connection, and more emotion than your heart can take. What you get with Jake and Camille as they try to figure out what they’re sharing, where it will lead them, and what it could bring them if they actually open themselves up to it is everything and more, and you will love every word of it.
Romantic suspense for the win! Romantic suspense stories are some of my favorites. There is just something about how a love story is combined with that mystery and suspense that really has me loving how in the story I become and what I get with the story’s characters along the way. After reading The Protector, I have to say that Jodi Ellen Malpas definitely has a knack for romantic suspense, and the way she weaves that mystery into the story makes this story all the more consuming and all the more unputdownable. She not only connects you into everything that Camille and Jake share, she puts you in it with them as they face the threats they do, and as that puts their hearts and their very lives at stake. I loved every moment of suspense and mystery I got within this story, and it added a well thought out and adrenaline pumping level to everything I was experiencing with them. It invested me even more in what I was reading and getting with Jake and Camille, and had me even more in what I was reading with them as they tried to see what they could share together.
Writing you feel every ounce of. Jodi Ellen Malpas never fails to craft a story with words that are powerful, meaningful, and beautifully laced with authentic and all-feeling emotion. The Protector was no different. The level of emotion, the level of romance, and the level of meaningful moments she gave me with these character knew no bounds. Her words completely captured and created everything that Camille and Jake shared. Those words took me through it all with them from start to finish, and along the way she allowed me to fall so damn hard for them and everything they shared. She made their feelings and connection beyond real, she made their characters ones that I loved with my whole heart, and through it all, she gave me them at their most honest, real, and vulnerable as they saw what they might be able to share together…and it truly doesn’t get better than that.

There really is nothing like a book by Jodi Ellen Malpas. The talent of her words truly know no bounds, and every time I read one of her books, I become completely entranced by everything she gives me with her characters. She makes every word, every emotion and feeling, and every moment of her books beyond real, beyond consuming, and beyond authentic, and that sets her books in a league of their own. She is one of my all-time favorite author’s, and reading this book reinforced that notion again and again.

The Protector was a story of romance, suspense, and heart, and what happens when two people from two very different walks of life, find themselves of the same path feeling a world of spark and connection towards each other. It follows them through every gripping and emotional up and down and twist and turn as they try to figure it all out, and as they see what the light might bring them and their hearts, if they only reach out and take it with all that they have. Their story isn’t easy and it isn’t always roses and sunshine, but through it all, what Jake and Camille share will pull at your heart and all your feelings as they try to make it all work and as they give into what they could be together.

This book was good. So damn good. It is a testament to Jodi Ellen Malpas’s talented writing and storytelling. It was a story that consumed me from beginning to end, and I really can’t say enough good things about it. What I got with Jake and Camille through their heart melting and pounding story was everything and more, and I loved every moment I got with them as they gave it all a go. You will too. Trust me on that.

Jodi was born and raised in the Midlands town of Northampton, England, where she lives with her two boys and a beagle. She is a self-professed daydreamer, a Converse & mojito addict, and has a terrible weak spot for Alpha Males.

Writing powerful love stories and creating addictive characters has become her passion – a passion she now shares with her devoted readers.

She’s now a proud #1 New York Times bestselling author – all six of her published novels having hit the New York Times bestsellers list – as well as a Sunday Times bestseller and international bestseller. Her work is published in over 20 languages across the world.

Social Media Links:

www.JodiEllenMalpas.co.uk

www.twitter.com/jodiellenmalpas

www.Facebook.com/JodiEllenMalpas

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29Aug2016

Releasing Now: Wide Open Spaces by Aurora Rose Reynolds

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts by mkcooke

Wide Open Spaces by Aurora Rose Reynolds is LIVE!

NOW AVAILABLE on Amazon.

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2bB0Ejm

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2bB0Ejm

**Additional Retailers to follow**

That moment your life changes.

That moment that changes your life.

That moment you love someone more than you love yourself.

That was the moment we gave our son up for adoption and the moment I was left bare. A wide-open space that would forever be empty.

Some things never change and love is one of them.

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*****5 Unforgettably Emotional Stars*****

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Chandler by Laurelin Paige

A Fixed Trilogy Spinoff Release Date: September 20th, 2016 Genre: Contemporary Romance

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Chandler by Laurelin Paige

A Fixed Trilogy Spinoff Release Date: September 20th, 2016 Genre: Contemporary Romance

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Wilder

Rebecca Yarros

September 19, 2016

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Are you ready to meet Roman Cavenaugh? He’s kind of an asshole, but you do not want to miss out on meeting him! Get your hands on USA Today bestselling author J.L. Berg’s BEHIND CLOSED DOORS today!

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**** 4.5 Emotional and All-Feeling Protector Stars!****

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Wide Open Spaces by Aurora Rose Reynolds is LIVE!

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5 Unforgettably Emotional Stars

A Fixed Trilogy Spinoff
Release Date: September 20^th, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance

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A Fixed Trilogy Spinoff
Release Date: September 20^th, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Buy Links:
Amazon / iBooks / Nook

4.5 Emotional and All-Feeling Protector Stars!