Read an #Excerpt from Best Men by Sidney Karger

BEST MEN is an irresistible gay love story set in New York City following what happens when “boy meets girl’s fiancé’s brother”—think Bridesmaids meets Bros.

About the Book

Best Men
by Sidney Karger
Format: 368 pages, Paperback
Published: May 2, 2023 by Berkley
ISBN: 9780593439487 (ISBN10: 0593439481)

When two best men in a wedding party fall for each other, they realize love isn't a piece of cake in this hilarious and heartfelt romantic comedy debut by screenwriter Sidney Karger.

Max Moody thought he had everything figured out. He's trying to live his best life in New York City and has the best friend a gay guy could ask for: Paige. She and Max grew up next door to each other in the suburbs of Chicago. She can light up any party. She finishes his sentences. She's always a reliable splunch (they don't like to use the word brunch) partner. But then Max's whole world is turned upside down when Paige suddenly announces some huge news: she's engaged and wants Max to be her man of honor. Max was always the romantic one who imagined he would get married before the unpredictable Paige and is shocked to hear she's ready to settle down. But it turns out there's not just one new man in Paige's life--there are two.

There's the groom, Austin, who's a perfectly nice guy. Then there's his charming, fun and ridiculously handsome gay younger brother, Chasten, who is Austin's best man. As Paige's wedding draws closer, Max, the introverted Midwesterner, and Chasten, the social butterfly East Coaster, realize they're like oil and water. Yet they still have to figure out how to coexist in Paige's life while not making her wedding festivities all about them. But can the tiny romantic spark between these two very different guys transform their best man supporting roles into the leading best men in each other's lives?

AMAZON | B&N 

Read an #Excerpt from Best Served Hot by Amanda Elliot

Amanda Elliot returns this spring with a captivating rivals-to-lovers romantic comedy featuring a steamy work-place romance that foodie readers will devour. BEST SERVED HOT follows two opposing restaurant critics who are forced to partner up to help their budding careers. Grab your copy today!

About the Book

Best Served Hot
by Amanda Elliot
Format: 352 pages, Paperback
Published: February 21, 2023 by Berkley
ISBN: 9780593335734 

By day, Julie Zimmerman works as an executive assistant. After hours, she’s @JulieZeeEatsNYC, a social media restaurant reviewer with over fifty thousand followers. As much as she loves her self-employed side gig, what Julie really wants is to be a critic at a major newspaper, like the New York Scroll. The only thing worse than the Scroll’s rejection of her application is the fact that smarmy, social-media-averse society boy Bennett Richard Macalester Wright snagged her dream job.

While at the Central Park Food Festival, Julie confronts the annoyingly handsome Bennett about his outdated opinions on social media and posts the resulting video footage. Julie's follower count soars—and so does the Scroll’s. Julie and Bennett grudgingly agree to partner up for a few reviews to further their buzz. Online buzz, obviously.

Over tapas, burgers, and more, Julie and Bennett connect over their shared love of food. But when the competitive fire between them turns extra spicy, they'll have to decide how much heat their relationship can take.

AMAZON | B&N 

#Spotlight on Cowboy Fire by Kim Redford + #Giveaway

 

About the Book

Cowboy Fire
Smokin’ Hot Cowboys #8
by Kim Redford
Publication Date: May 25, 2021 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

ISBN: 9781728216393

This cowboy is more than just a perfect face...

Violet Ashwood arrives in Wildcat Bluff County with one agenda: convince the hunky Mr. July from the Wildcat Bluff Fire Rescue’s annual benefit calendar to be the face—and body—of her new lonely hearts online dating service. She didn’t count on his firm refusal, nor did she count on seeing him again. Until she discovers he’s her new landlord.

Kemp Lander, aka Mr. July, wants nothing to do with Violet’s schemes to make him a model for her Cowboy Chat Corral, particularly once he finds out she fudged the truth on her rental contract by claiming she was a cowgirl. He’s got enough problems trying to keep trespassers off his ranch and doesn’t need the distraction of his sexy renter. 

All Violet and Kemp want is to save their livelihoods and have their lifelong dreams realized. But it’ll take joining forces and discovering they’re better together to finally meet their goals.

AMAZON | B&N 

Read an #Excerpt from Starter Wife by Bethany Lopez

About the Book

Starter Wife
The Jilted Wives Club #1
by Bethany Lopez
Format: Paperback
Published: April 26, 2021
ISBN: 9781954655034

USA Today Bestselling Author Bethany Lopez brings you an all-new trilogy about getting a second chance at love. Follow Whitney, Summer, and Margo as they experience the good, bad, and ugly of dating again in your thirties and forties. Join them in The Jilted Wives Club.

When life gives you lemons, make a Lemontini...

Divorced and jobless at forty-something, Whitney never thought she’d be starting over. But here she is. Single and (not so) ready to mingle - with anyone except him.

Luca leads a charmed life. He's got the perfect job, the support of a big Italian family, and a bevy of women eager to grant his mother’s wish for grandchildren… except the woman he really wants.
Now that Whitney’s Starter Wife days are over, Luca is determined to convince her to give him a shot.

Too bad the only shot Whitney’s sure of right now is the Lemontini.

AMAZON | B&N 

#CoverReveal of Starter Wife by Bethany Lopez

About the Book

Starter Wife

(The Jilted Wives Club #1)

by Bethany Lopez 

Paperback

Expected publication: April 26th 2021

ISBN139781954655034

🍷🍷🍷🍷 #Review of What I'm Looking For by Karen Grey

Title: What I’m Looking For
Series: Boston Classics Book 1
Author: Karen Grey
Format: Kindle Edition, 262 pages
Published: June 23rd 2020 by Home Cooked Books
ISBN: ASIN B0876HQBKG
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Author
Rating: 🍷🍷🍷🍷 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Recipe for a Boston Classic Cocktail: one part finance geek, one part starving actor, two shots of stubborn and a healthy squeeze of passion. Shake well and serve in a vintage glass.
 

When Kate Bishop walks into Boston’s famous Bull and Finch pub, all she’s looking for is one guy from her investment firm that she can trust to have her back—a tall order. With a salesman at her side, maybe stage fright won’t paralyze her completely when she presents her meticulously prepared research to clients. And maybe she can save her job.

 
Romance is the last thing on her to-do list, but a meet-cute with a Shakespeare-quoting bartender has her speculating on the value of diversifying her life portfolio.

 
Will Talbot is not a fan of the slick financiers who cram into his bar after each day’s closing bell. With their calls for Harvey Wallbangers and their Hermès ties, they’re all the same.
 

Except for a certain beautiful, buttoned-up brunette with fire in her eyes and a storm in her heart. They’re totally wrong for each other. He should be focusing on his upcoming audition, not coaching Kate on how to act like she's a bona fide member of the Gordon Gekko club.

 
Problem is, they can’t seem to stay away from each other.
 

The course of true love never did run smooth, but in this 1980's sweet-and-sexy rom-com, returns on love can’t be measured on the S&P 500.

Linda's Thoughts:

“’This is very midsummer madness,’” he says.

Happy #BookBirthday to The Last Rule of Makeups by Nina Crespo + #Giveaway

 

The Last Rule of Makeups 
(Breakup Bash Book 3)
by Nina Crespo 
Kindle Edition
Published October 12th 2020
ASINB08GZZ62S9

Cori Ross is thanking her lucky stars. Sure, her long-time boyfriend just dumped her, but that’s a good thing. In her rush to find Mr. Right, she realizes she almost settled for Mr. Just Okay. And that’s definitely not okay. So, tonight, she’s out with her friends at the Breakup Bash—a private party for women celebrating their break-ups—and she’s actually celebrating. Still, it was too close a call. So she makes a deal with herself—no guys for six months.

Unfortunately, just as she’s leaving the club, she runs into her old boyfriend, Grey Latham—the guy she’d always wanted to be Mr. Right. Great. What a time to swear off guys. Maybe she needs to change the deal—no relationships for six months. There’s no reason why she can’t have a fling, right? Because Grey still holds the title of the best sex she’s ever had.

There’s no way this could go wrong. Grey is on his way to international DJ fame—he’s only in town for a short time, and then he’ll be gone again. No harm in burning up the sheets while it lasts.
Too bad neither expected what happened next...

AMAZON | B&N

🍷🍷 #Review of Dream Maker by Kristen Ashley

 

Title:  Dream Maker
Series:  Dream Team #1
Author: Kristen Ashley
Format: Paperback/eBook, 497 pages
Publication: May 26th 2020 by Forever
ASIN:    B07TD41ZGW 
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Kimberly
Rating: 2 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Evie is a bonafide nerd and a hyper-intelligent chick who has worked her whole life to get what she wants. Growing up, she had no support from her family and has only ever been able to rely on herself. So when Evie decides she wants to earn her engineering degree, she realizes she needs to take an alternative path to get there. She takes a job dancing at Smithie's club thinking this would be a quick side gig, where she can make the money she needs. But with her lack of dancing skills and an alpha bad boy who becomes overly protective, Evie realizes this might not be as easy as she thought.

Daniel "Mag" Magnusson knows a thing or two about pain, but the mask he wears is excellent. No one can tell that this good-looking, quick-witted, and roguish guy has deep-seated issues. Mag puts on a funny-guy routine so he can hide his broken heart and PTSD. But when Evie dances her way into Mag's life, he realizes that he needs to come face-to-face with the demons of his past if he wants a future with her.

Kimberly's Thoughts:
Dream Maker is the start of a new series but characters from the author's previous series, Dream Man and Rock Chick (some Chaos) heavily feature in it. I've read books in Dream Man but none in Rock Chick, I was able to hang in there in regards to who was who and connections but barely. If you're completely new to Kristen Ashley, this probably isn't where you should start.

#Spotlight on What I'm Looking For by Karen Grey

What I'm Looking For
by Karen Grey 
Kindle Edition, 262 pages
Expected publication: June 23rd 2020 by Home Cooked Books
ASINB0876HQBKG

Recipe for a Boston Classic Cocktail: one part finance geek, one part starving actor, two shots of stubborn and a healthy squeeze of passion. Shake well and serve in a vintage glass.

When Kate Bishop walks into Boston’s famous Bull and Finch pub, all she’s looking for is one guy from her investment firm that she can trust to have her back—a tall order. With a salesman at her side, maybe stage fright won’t paralyze her completely when she presents her meticulously prepared research to clients. And maybe she can save her job.

Romance is the last thing on her to-do list, but a meet-cute with a Shakespeare-quoting bartender has her speculating on the value of diversifying her life portfolio.

Will Talbot is not a fan of the slick financiers who cram into his bar after each day’s closing bell. With their calls for Harvey Wallbangers and their Hermès ties, they’re all the same.

Except for a certain beautiful, buttoned-up brunette with fire in her eyes and a storm in her heart. They’re totally wrong for each other. He should be focusing on his upcoming audition, not coaching Kate on how to act like she's a bona fide member of the Gordon Gekko club.

Problem is, they can’t seem to stay away from each other.

The course of true love never did run smooth, but in this 1980's sweet-and-sexy rom-com, returns on love can’t be measured on the S&P 500. 

AMAZON | B&N 

#Interview with Lorraine Heath of The Earl Takes a Fancy

The Trewlove family are no strangers here! And today we get to talk about the youngest daughter…Fancy. Not only do we get to talk about her, we get to talk to the woman who created her! Please join me in welcoming, Lorraine Heath!

Lexi: It’s almost as if you’ve been saving the best heroine for book five. Almost, because we’ve had Gillie, Selena, Aslyn, so many amazing women. But now, we finally get Fancy’s story! And the cherry on top that makes her extra perfect: she runs a bookshop. Yes, dear readers, you read that right. Fancy runs a bookshop. Lorraine, what was your favorite thing about writing a heroine in this career?

Lorraine: Lexi, thank you so much for having me at Reading Between the Wines Book Club. Wine is one of my passions and I like nothing better than curling up with a glass and a good book. Also, I’m glad you’re enjoying the Trewlove. I rather fancy them myself. ☺

My favorite thing about writing a story involving a bookshop proprietor was Fancy’s absolute passion for all books—all genres, all types—and her dedication to sharing that passion with others. She recognizes the importance of reading, not only for its joy but for the worlds it opens. 

🍷🍷🍷.5 #Review of Unforgiven by Jay Crownover

Title:  Unforgiven
Series:  Loveless, Texas #2
Author: Jay Crownover
Format: Paperback/eBook, 433 pages
Publication: Feb. 25, 2020 by Forever
ASIN:    B07SKV8L6T   
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: Publisher
Reviewer: Kimberly
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Marked Men series comes an irresistible and suspenseful romance between a tough Texas Ranger and his first love--a woman in danger who insists she doesn't need his protection.

Hill Gamble is a model lawman: cool and collected, with a confident swagger to boot. Too bad all that Texas charm hasn't gotten him anywhere in his personal life, especially since the only girl he ever loved has always been off-limits. But then Hill is assigned to investigate her father's mysterious death, and he's forced back to the town--and the woman--he left behind.

When Hill left Loveless, he broke Kody Lawton's already battered heart. And now that he's working on her father's case, avoiding him is impossible. She can handle Hill and her unwanted feelings--until he puts his life on the line to protect her. Suddenly, Kody realizes that Hill could be taken away from her...for good.

Kimberly's Thoughts:
Kody and Hill have history, the kind where Kody was engaged to Hill's brother and Hill harbored a secret love for her. Kody resented Hill for taking a step back from her and his brother and after his brother killed himself, Kody barely wanted to speak to Hill.
Now that they're older and Hill is assisting in the investigation into Kody's father's murder, there is no escaping each other.
They've had a painful past but maybe there's love in their future.

🍷🍷 #Review of My Fake Rake by Eva Leigh

 

Title:  My Fake Rake
Series:  Union of Rakes #1
Author: Eva Leigh
Format: Paperback/eBook, 384 pages
Publication: Nov. 26, 2019 by Avon
ASIN:    B07P2WLV63 
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: Edelweiss
Reviewer: Kimberly
Rating: 2 out of 5 Wine Glasses

In the first book in Eva Leigh's new Union of the Rakes series, a bluestocking hires a faux suitor to help her land an ideal husband only to be blindsided by real desire…
Lady Grace Wyatt is content as a wallflower, focusing on scientific pursuits rather than the complications of society matches. But when a handsome, celebrated naturalist returns from abroad, Grace wishes, for once, to be noticed. Her solution: to "build" the perfect man, who will court her publicly and help her catch his eye. Grace's colleague, anthropologist Sebastian Holloway, is just the blank slate she requires.

In exchange for funding his passage on an expedition leaving London in a few months, Sebastian allows Grace to transform him from a bespectacled, bookish academic into a dashing—albeit fake—rake. Between secret lessons on how to be a rogue and exaggerated public flirtations, Grace's feelings for Sebastian grow from friendship into undeniable, inconvenient, real attraction. If only she hadn't hired him to help her marry someone else...

Sebastian is in love with brilliant, beautiful Grace, but their bargain is complete, and she desires another. Yet when he's faced with losing her forever, Sebastian will do whatever it takes to tell her the truth, even if it means risking his own future—and his heart.

Kimberly's Thoughts:
“There’s no should when it comes to what we feel. There aren’t scientific laws when it comes to the human heart.”

Read an #Excerpt from When the Marquess Was Mine by Caroline Linden

When the Marquess Was Mine
(The Wagers of Sin #3)
by Caroline Linden
ebook, 400 pages
Expected publication: September 24th 2019 by Avon
ISBN0062913603

In the game of love…

Georgiana Lucas despises the arrogant and cruel Marquess of Westmorland even before learning that he's won the deed to her friend Kitty's home in a card game. Still, Georgiana assures Kitty the marquess wouldn't possibly come all the way to Derbyshire to throw them out—until he shows up, bloody and unconscious. Fearing that Kitty would rather see him die, Georgiana blurts out that he's her fiancé. She'll nurse the hateful man back to health and make him vow to leave and never return. The man who wakes up, though, is nothing like the heartless rogue Georgiana thought she knew…

You have to risk it all

He wakes up with no memory of being assaulted—or of who he is. The bewitching beauty tending him so devotedly calls him Rob and claims she's his fiancée even as she avoids his touch. Though he can't remember how he won her hand, he's now determined to win her heart. But as his memory returns and the truth is revealed, Rob must decide if the game is up—or if he'll take a chance on a love that defies all odds. 

AMAZON  | B&N

Read an #Excerpt from Too Dangerous by Bethany Lopez

Too Dangerous
(The Lewis Cousins #5)
by Bethany Lopez 
Kindle Edition, 196 pages
Published April 29th 2019
ASINB07NWW2TVB

Jasmine Lewis has tried, and failed, to ignore local Australian bartender, Shane, who's in Cherry Springs while working on his master’s.

She’s kept him at arm’s length, fearing the passion he ignites when nearby, but he does his best to remind her of what she’s missing.

Now school’s out and he’ll have to leave. Will a marriage of convenience give them what they both want?

Too Dangerous is the fifth and final book in the Lewis Cousins series by Bethany Lopez. Grab this sexy standalone romance today. 

AMAZON | B&N 

Saturday Sangria: MARGARITA SANGRIA (#Wine #Sangria #Recipe)

Welcome to Saturday Sangria, where ever Saturday you will find a delicious sangria recipe to go with your weekend reading! Have a recipe of your own? Join the fun and leave us a comment or a link to your own post!  

It's Cinco de Mayo weekend and I have the best recipe to share with you! 🍷🤠

MARGARITA SANGRIA

yield: 8-10 | prep time:5 MINS | total time:5 MINS

Dual #Review of Anything But a Duke by Christy Carlyle

 

Title:  Anything But a Duke
Series:  Duke's Den #2
Author: Christy Carlyle
Format: Paperback/eBook, 368 pages
Expected publication: April 30th 2019 by Avon
ASIN:  B07D2CS65P
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: Edelweiss
Reviewers: Crystal & Kimberly

Self-made man Aidan Iverson has seen more closed doors in his thirty years than he’s ever cared to count. As a member of the elite Duke’s Den, he has all the money he could possibly need, but the one thing he can’t purchase is true power. If roguish Aidan can’t buy his way into society’s hallowed halls, he’ll resort to a more extreme measure: marriage.

Brought up to be a proper lady, the only thing Diana Ashby desires is to be left alone to the creation of her own devices. But when her dreams are crushed, she must find another way to secure the future of her invention. Knowing his desire to enter her world, Diana strikes a deal to arrange Aidan’s marriage to the perfect lady—as long as that lady isn’t her. She doesn’t need any distractions from her work, particularly of the sinfully handsome variety.

As Diana and Aidan set out to find him an aristocratic match, neither are prepared for the passion that ignites between them or the love they can’t ignore.

In the Duke’s Den, can happiness ever be a winning prospect?

Crystal's Thoughts:

Christy Carlyle brings to life a riveting cast of characters in the Duke's Den, and with Anything But a Duke, lowborn Aidan Iverson believes marriage to an aristocratic lady will open all of the doors he's been denied. But Aidan soon learns that the key to love's door cares little for one's station in life...

Today's New Book Releases!

Tuesday April 16, 2019

The Mister

by E.L. James 

Kindle Edition, 512 pages

Published April 16th 2019 by Vintage

ASINB07MYLYBHP

The passionate new romance from E L James, author of the phenomenal #1 bestselling Fifty Shades Trilogy

London, 2019. Life has been easy for Maxim Trevelyan. With his good looks, aristocratic connections, and money, he’s never had to work and he’s rarely slept alone. But all that changes when tragedy strikes and Maxim inherits his family’s noble title, wealth, and estates, and all the responsibility that entails. It’s a role he’s not prepared for and one that he struggles to face.

But his biggest challenge is fighting his desire for an unexpected, enigmatic young woman who’s recently arrived in England, possessing little more than a dangerous and troublesome past.  Reticent, beautiful, and musically gifted, she’s an alluring mystery, and Maxim’s longing for her deepens into a passion that he’s never experienced and dares not name. Just who is Alessia Demachi? Can Maxim protect her from the malevolence that threatens her? And what will she do when she learns that he’s been hiding secrets of his own?

From the heart of London through wild, rural Cornwall to the bleak, forbidding beauty of the Balkans, The Mister is a roller-coaster ride of danger and desire that leaves the reader breathless to the very last page. 

AMAZON

Wine Club #Review of Seasons of Sorcery: A Fantasy Anthology by Jennifer Estep, Amanda Bouchet, Jeffe Kennedy, Grace Draven

Title: Seasons of Sorcery Anthology

Authors: Jennifer Estep, Amanda Bouchet, Jeffe Kennedy, Grace Draven

Genre: Fantasy, Anthologies

Format: ebook 370 pages

Published: November 13th, 2018 by Brightlynx Publishing

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Source: Author Assistant 
Reviewers: Lexi, Crystal, Linda

WINTER'S WEB BY JENNIFER ESTEP
An assassin at a renaissance faire. What could possibly go wrong? Everything, if you’re Gin Blanco. This Spider is trapped in someone else’s icy web—and it seems like they don’t want her to leave the faire alive . . .

A CURSE FOR SPRING BY AMANDA BOUCHET
A malevolent spell strangles the kingdom of Leathen in catastrophic drought. Prince Daric must break the curse before his people starve. A once-mighty goddess trapped in a human body might be the key—but saving his kingdom could mean losing all that he loves.

THE DRAGONS OF SUMMER BY JEFFE KENNEDY
As unofficial consort to the High Queen, former mercenary Harlan Konyngrr faces a challenge worse than looming war and fearsome dragons. His long-held secrets threaten what he loves most—and he must make a choice between vows to two women.

A WILDERNESS OF GLASS BY GRACE DRAVEN

The stretch of sea known as The Gray rules the lives of those in the village of Ancilar, including widow Brida Gazi. In the aftermath of an autumn storm, Brida discovers one of the sea's secrets cast onto the shore—a discovery that will change her world, mend her soul, and put her in the greatest danger she's ever faced.