Lexi's Picks for Best of 2018 + #Giveaway!

We've popped the champagne and are ready to go through our best reads of 2018! So pull up a chair and grab some bubbly, it's time to look back over this past year's read pile.

Lexi: 2018 was a hot streak for me and it's hard to pick a top one in some of the genres. Just a little more champagne and I'll start with...

Historical Romance: Dangerous by Minerva Spencer

A perfect example of why I read historical romance. Strong heroines, danger, fierce loyalty, and secrets. This was the beginning of Spencers series and both are perfect!

5 Wine Glass #ARC #Review of The Au Pair by Emma Rous

Title: The Au Pair

Author: Emma Rous

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Format: ebook 379 pages

Published: January 8th, 2019 by Berkley 

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Source: Edelweiss

Reviewer: Lexi

Rating: 5 out of  5 Wine Glasses

A grand estate, terrible secrets, and a young woman who bears witness to it all. If V. C. Andrews and Kate Morton had a literary love child, Emma Rous’ The Au Pair would be it.

Seraphine Mayes and her twin brother Danny were born in the middle of summer at their family’s estate on the Norfolk coast. Within hours of their birth, their mother threw herself from the cliffs, the au pair fled, and the village thrilled with whispers of dark cloaks, changelings, and the aloof couple who drew a young nanny into their inner circle.

Now an adult, Seraphine mourns the recent death of her father. While going through his belongings, she uncovers a family photograph that raises dangerous questions. It was taken on the day the twins were born, and in the photo, their mother, surrounded by her husband and her young son, is beautifully dressed, smiling serenely, and holding just one baby.

Who is the child and what really happened that day?

One person knows the truth, if only Seraphine can find her.

Lexi’s Review:

The Au Pair’s twists and turns will leave your mind reeling and the pages turning until you reach the end because only then will you be able to put it down. But that doesn’t mean you’ll stop thinking about it. This book is one of those that you’ll wake up the next morning still contemplating. 

#Spotlight on The One You Fight For by Roni Loren + #Giveaway

The One You Fight For
(The Ones Who Got Away #3)
by Roni Loren
Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages
Expected publication: January 1st 2019 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN 149265146X

How hard would you fight for the one you love?

Taryn Landry was there that awful night fourteen years ago when Long Acre changed from the name of a town to the title of a national tragedy. Everyone knows she lost her younger sister. No one knows it was her fault. Since then, psychology professor Taryn has dedicated her life's work to preventing something like that from ever happening again. Falling in love was never part of the plan...

Shaw Miller has spent more than a decade dealing with the fallout of his brother's horrific actions. After losing everything―his chance at Olympic gold, his family, almost his sanity―he's changed his name, his look, and he's finally starting a new life. As long as he keeps a low profile and his identity secret, everything will be okay, right?

When the world and everyone you know defines you by one catastrophic tragedy...

How do you find your happy ending?

AMAZON | B&N

2.5 Wine Glass #Review of Not the Duke’s Darling by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title:  Not the Duke's Darling
Series: The Greycourt #1
Author:  Elizabeth Hoyt
Format: eBook/Paperback, 496 pages
Expected publication: December 18th 2018 by Forever
ASIN:  B07BVNZ8PP
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Kimberly
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Hoyt brings us the first book in her sexy and sensual Greycourt Series!

Freya de Moray is many things: a member of the secret order of Wise Women, the daughter of disgraced nobility, and a chaperone living under an assumed name. What she is not is forgiving. So when the Duke of Harlowe--the man who destroyed her brother and led to the downfall of her family--appears at the country house party she's attending, she does what any Wise Woman would do: she starts planning her revenge.

Christopher Renshaw, the Duke of Harlowe, is being blackmailed. Intent on keeping his secrets safe, he agrees to attend a house party where he will put an end to this coercion once and for all. Until he recognizes Freya, masquerading amongst the party revelers, and realizes his troubles have just begun. Freya knows all about his sins. Sins he'd much rather forget. But she's also fiery, bold, and sensuous-a temptation he can't resist. When it becomes clear Freya is in grave danger, he'll risk everything to keep her safe. But first, Harlowe will have to earn Freya's trust-by whatever means necessary.

Features a bonus novella from New York Times bestselling author Grace Burrowes!

Kimberly's Thoughts:
First in the new Greycourt series, Hoyt starts us off with a spot of danger as our heroine, Freya, is on the run from some men and finds herself face to face with her childhood crush, Christopher, but who she also blames for her brother's downfall. There's some background foundation to the hows and whys of where are characters are at in life. The main thread is Freya's brother, Ran, tried to elope with Julian Greycourt's sister, she ended up dying (we aren't given specifics), and Christopher just stood by while Ran was beaten bad enough he ended up losing his right hand. Ran, Julian, and Christopher were bestfriends but this fractured their bond and they all separated, the other members of the family cut ties all with each other also.

#Giveaway of You Always Change the Love of Your Life by Amalia Andrade

You Always Change the Love of Your Life 
(for Another Love or Another Life)
by Amalia Andrade
Kindle Edition, 208 pages
Expected publication: January 29th 2019 by Penguin Books
ASINB07CWFYV7N

A delightful interactive roadmap for getting over a broken heart, with quirky illustrations, song lyrics that totally get it, recipes for eating your feelings, the unique comfort of making lists, and much more

A broken heart can feel like the end of the world, but bestselling author and illustrator Amalia Andrade knows this simply isn’t true. Change is not a defeat or a surrender, but rather a promise. Because if the “love of your life” doesn’t work out, there is always a chance for something new—a new love, or a new life.

When Amalia was faced with her own heartbreak, she knew she couldn’t let herself get lost in despair. With her sunshiny outlook, electrifying energy, and unique sense of humor, she constructed the ultimate first aid kit: an interactive guide to getting over someone through reflections, recipes, and lots of ingenious ideas for transforming a negative experience into a liberating one.

In these pages, you’ll find the secret code for interpreting text-message read receipts, loving odes to Beyoncé, the ideal playlist for crying in the shower, and much, much more. You Always Change the Love of Your Life reveals the secret to mending your heart and maybe even opening it up again: in love and in lovelessness, we are never alone. 

AMAZON | B&N 

Read an #Excerpt from Yours After Dark by Marie Force

Yours After Dark
(Gansett Island #17)
by Marie Force
Kindle Edition
Published December 25th 2018 by HTJB, Inc.
ASINB07JMTBXNH

He didn’t believe in love at first sight… Until it happened to him.

Finn McCarthy, the youngest of the McCarthy cousins, is at a crossroads. As the lease on his Gansett Island rental comes to an end, he's making plans to return to his “real” life on the mainland. He’s enjoyed the nearly two years on Gansett with his boisterous fun-loving family, but it’s time to get back to the life he put on hold when he came to the island for his cousin’s wedding—and never left. With renovations to the Wayfarer, the family’s latest business endeavor, all but completed and the grand opening slated for Memorial Day weekend, the time is right to make a move. That is until he stops by the local salon for a quick trim that turns his life plan upside down...

Chloe Dennis, owner of the Curl Up and Dye Salon, is about to close the shop after another ordinary day when Finn McCarthy walks in and turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. Holy hotness! How has she never met the youngest of the McCarthys, and now that she has met him, why is it that she runs into him everywhere she goes?

Despite the undeniable sizzle of attraction between Finn and Chloe, she is dealing with life-changing news that makes her reluctant to get involved with anyone, let alone a man who plans to leave the island for good in two short weeks. Finn can’t understand why he reacts to Chloe the way he does or why she won’t give him a chance to see what they could be. When she makes it clear that it’s not going to happen between them, what else can he do but go forward with his plan to pack up and leave at the end of the month? Unless the push-pull of undeniable desire makes them forget the many reasons why this could be a bad idea...

Return to Gansett Island for another visit with all the series regulars and to find out if Finn and Chloe can overcome the obstacles that stand between them and the possibility of true love. Catch up with Mac, Maddie, Adam, Abby, Riley, Nikki, Blaine and Tiffany, attend Shane and Katie's wedding, and find out what happens when Blaine’s brother troubled Deacon comes to the island. Get ready for another hot, sexy summer on Gansett Island! 

AMAZON | B&N

Merry Christmas & Giveaway!

We'd like to take a moment to wish all of our readers and authors a... 

Very, Merry Christmas!

We hope that you receive everything that you wished for this holiday season, and get to spend it with those you love most. We'll be back with more reviews, book releases, and posts after the holiday. 

3.5 Wine Glass #Review of Siren's Storm by Asa Maria Bradley

 

Title: Siren’s Storm
Series: The Sea King’s Daughters #6
Author: Asa Maria Bradley
Format: Kindle Edition, 67 pages
Published:  November 27th 2018 by Kaering LLC
ISBN: ASIN B07KXTQ1GL
Links: Goodreads | Amazon
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 Wine Glasses

A wolf shifter bent on exposing her secrets, an ex-lover who betrayed her, and a sister asking for an impossible favor, are just some of the things threatening mermaid Theia Ayer’s new covert life.

The Sea King sent her and her sisters to earth to prepare for the return of the merfolk. They must do so without other paranormal creatures finding out who they really are, or they will once again be hunted for their ability to create portals between the realms. Theia is doing a pretty good job of staying under the radar, until a wolf shifter comes sniffing around at her human workplace. He won’t rest until he ferrets out who and what she really is.

As if that wasn't enough, an old lover arrives wanting to rekindle his and Theia's relationship. Her heart wants to believe he's sincere but her mind remembers how he once betrayed her. And his timing couldn't be worse, because she can’t deal with him or the wolf shifter while also helping one of her sisters hide a powerful magical weapon.

As strange accidents occur at suspiciously frequent intervals, Theia doesn't know whom she can trust. Especially not when there may be several assailants hunting for the weapon and at least one of them is willing to kill her to get to it. Now, Theia is in the fight of her life as she races to stop the powerful weapon from ending up in the hands of the wrong people. Her failure could mean the end of not just her people, but the start of a massive war that would threaten all creatures that make earth their home.

Linda's Thoughts:
“Maybe we’re dealing with an immaculate hatching,” Clara said. “If that’s the case, we have a ton of messiah fish to deal with.”

4 Wine Glass #Review of Snowed in for Christmas by Noelle Adams, Zoe York, Samantha Chase

Title: Snowed in for Christmas
Series: Holiday Acres #2, Silver Bell Falls #4, Pine Harbour #8
Author: Noelle Adams, Samantha Chase, Zoe York
Format: Kindle Edition, 304 pages
Published: October 23rd 2018
ISBN: ASIN B07HFDZ3B3
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Three all-new holiday novellas about couples finding love while trapped together in the snow.

Stranded in the Snow (Holiday Acres, Book 2) by Noelle Adams
Olivia Holiday doesn't expect to spend the weekend stranded in a romantic cottage during a snowstorm with the one man she dislikes the most. Scott is a player and holds a grudge against her family, and she's determined not to give in to the deep feelings for him she's been hiding.

A Christmas Rescue (Silver Bell Falls, Book 4) by Samantha Chase
Saving a litter of puppies right before Christmas was incredibly rewarding for Bailey Walsh. But getting snowed in with her sexy-yet-grinchy veterinarian boss turns out to be rewarding in a whole other way.

Love on the Edge of Reason (Pine Harbour, Book 8) by Zoe York
Tom Minelli doesn't know why Chloe Davis has fled Pine Harbour, but she's pregnant with his baby and he wants her back. But a winter storm rolls in just as he finds her, trapping them together in a cabin on the lake.

Linda's Thoughts:
Snowed in for Christmas is a lovely collection of three brand new contemporary holiday romances. Each story takes place while a couple is snowed in and I can see each as a perfect Hallmark movie. These tales work fabulously as stand alone reads if that is your preference.

Read an #Excerpt from Room Mate by Katie Ashley

Room Mate

by Katie Ashley

Expected publication: December 17th 2018

From the time I was a kid, I knew I wanted a job helping people. After serving in the Rifles regiment of the British Army, I focused my civilian career on becoming a bodyguard to the rich and famous. For a Cockney Brit, I never imagined a twist of fate landing me a position in the United States Secret Service and protecting the President’s son. But then my boss made an unexpected request: leave my current placement to move in with his only daughter to give an added layer of protection against the threats she had been receiving. I’d never lived with a woman who was off-limits to me. It wasn’t just that Caroline had a boyfriend. She was my best friend’s sister, and my boss’s daughter. But the longer we’re in such close quarters together, the greater the temptation grows, but I know I'll lose everything if I pursue her.

Growing up as the only girl and with two overbearing older brothers, I’m no stranger to being overprotected. Just as I finished up college and prepared to truly dip my toes into the adult world, my father was elected President of the United States, which added a whole new level of protection with the Secret Service team attached to me. Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly be more smothered, I began receiving threats, and my family decided it wasn’t enough to just have an agent living down the hall from me. Nope, I was to have one move in with me, and not just any agent, but Ty Frasier—my brother, Barrett’s best friend, and my brother, Ty’s, head agent. While most women would enjoy living with a sexy, buff Brit, having a roommate threw a wrench into all my plans. Especially when I began noticing Ty was so much more than a hot guy. 

AMAZON | B&N 

#Interview with author Jennifer Ryan of Dirty Little Secret

Lexi: Cozy on up with some mulled wine, we’ve got a DIRTY LITTLE SECRET! And we also have its fabulous author, welcome Jennifer Ryan!

Jennifer: Thanks for inviting. So excited to be here.


Lexi: You started a new series! Cheers!! DIRTY LITTLE SECRET is book one in your Wild Rose Ranch series and wow do we like the sound of your hero, Noah. This cowboy has just inherited his Montana ranch. Beautiful countryside. Dream come true. Picture perfect, right?

4 Wine Glass #Review of A Very Dragon Christmas by Katie Reus

Title: A Very Dragon Christmas
Series: Darkness #8.5
Author: Katie Reus
Format: Kindle Edition, 76 pages
Published: November 6th 2018 by KR Press, LLC
ISBN: ASIN B07GH716Y1
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Author
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses

It will take a miracle to survive Christmas…

Victoria is about to have a baby. But not just any baby, a wolf-dragon hybrid, and her overprotective mother-in-law isn’t giving her any peace. She means well, but by the time Victoria finds herself climbing out a bathroom window to escape her overly-vigilant family, she realizes something’s got to give. And if they don’t back off, more than just the holiday will be ruined.

Join the crazy, fun Petronilla dragon clan for A Very Dragon Christmas and find out if their holiday season—and their unique family bond—can be saved!

Linda's Thoughts:
"Are we going to have a Christmas baby after all..?"

3.5 Wine Glass #Review of My One and Only Duke by Grace Burrowes

Title: My One and Only Duke
Series: Rogues to Riches #1
Author: Grace Burrowes
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 442 pages
Published: November 6th 2018 by Forever
ISBN: 1538728958
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Kimberly
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

New York Times bestselling author Grace Burrowes introduces us to the unconventional Wentworth family in this charming Regency romance with a Cinderella twist.

A funny thing happened on the way to the gallows...
One minute, London banker Quinn Wentworth is facing execution. The next, he's declared the long-lost heir to a dukedom. Quinn has fought his way up from the vilest slums, and now he's ready to use every dirty trick he knows to find the enemy who schemed against him.

There was just one tiny problem...
Jane Winston, the widowed, pregnant daughter of a meddlesome prison preacher, crosses paths with Quinn in jail. Believing his days are numbered, Quinn offers Jane marriage as a way to guarantee her independence and provide for her child. Neither thinks they'll actually have a future together.

They were wrong.
He's a wealthy gutter rat out for vengeance. She's a minister's daughter who must turn a marriage of desperation into a proper ducal union. Are they doomed from the start or destined for a happily-ever-after?

Kimberly's Thoughts:
If the eyes were windows to the soul, Mr. Wentworth's soul was a bleak, silent moor under a gray December sky.