Seaside Lovers by Melissa Foster Exclusive Excerpt!

Today we have SEASIDE LOVERS by Melissa Foster!! Check out this fantastic new contemporary romance and the exclusive excerpt Melissa is sharing, and be sure to grab your copy today! 

Seaside Summers is a series of stand-alone romances that may also be enjoyed as part of the larger Love in Bloom series. "You can always rely on Melissa Foster to deliver a story that's fresh, emotional and entertaining. Make sure you have all night, because once you start you won't want to stop reading. Every book's a winner!" New York Times Bestselling Author Brenda Novak
"Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!" New York Times Bestseller Lauren Blakely In SEASIDE LOVERS...

 After months of long-distance communication, actress Parker Collins and artist Grayson Lacroux finally plan to reconnect in the seaside town of Wellfleet, Massachusetts. But Parker never shows, and weeks pass without a word, leaving Grayson to believe he's misinterpreted their budding relationship. Parker has been running on autopilot ever since she lost her friend, mentor, and the only family she's ever known, Bert Stein. Armed with junk food, tequila, and her big, lovable dog, she's prepared to hole up and mourn--and determined to mend a fence Bert had never been able to with his estranged and bitter brother. But Parker didn't count on the sinfully hot artist she's been fantasizing about for nearly a year walking in on her grief-induced drunken night. When Grayson stumbles across Parker, he has no idea what to make of the gorgeous blonde who blew him off despite the heat sizzling between them. But that doesn't stop him from feeling protective of the woman who's consumed his thoughts for months, and when he learns of Parker's plans to confront an angry old man, he refuses to leave her side. As Parker's past unfolds, they're led on an unexpected journey of discovery. Their connection deepens, and late-night fantasies become passionate realities, until good intentions spark painful secrets, threatening the love they've found. 

ARC Review: The Empty Jar by M. Leighton

The Empty Jar
M. Leighton
414 pages, M.Leighton Books
***** Stars
Amazon | Goodreads 
This book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review

Three months touring Europe. 
Romantic. Dazzling. Unforgettable. 
The trip of a lifetime.

But some lifetimes are shorter...

We couldn’t have known it would work out this way.
No one could. No one could’ve guessed that something so beautiful could be so tragic.

But it is tragic.
Yet so, so beautiful.

That’s what sacrifice is—beauty and tragedy.
It’s pain and suffering for something or someone you love.
And this is the ultimate sacrifice. 
One stunning act of true love.

This is our story.
Our true love story. 

There comes a time in a readers life when you come across a book that completely and utterly breaks you into millions of pieces and then puts you back together by the time the last word is read.  The Empty Jar by M. Leighton was that book for me.

From the first page I knew this book would kill me.  From past to present it begins and we slowly become enveloped into a love story so heartbreakingly beautiful.  At times it was hard to watch, or read rather, but I couldn't stop myself.  The love Nate & Lena have for each other felt so real, like I could reach into the book and grab it with my hands.  Palpable. And unbreakable.  Not even fate or circumstance could break it. It's the kind of love we all want and work hard to keep if we have it. Which is why this book killed me!

"My heart," I murmur, rubbing the tip of my nose back and forth over hers, wishing I could make things right, make things better. Change them.
But knowing I cant.
"For Yours," she replies, as she has since the night I proposed to her just over sixteen years ago.

Review: Ink & Lies by S.L.Jennings

Ink & Lies

S.L. Jennings

249 pages

***** Stars

Goodreads

Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

From International Best Selling Romance Novelist, Hope Hughes, comes a gripping, heartfelt tale of two lovers, fighting for the freedom to...

No. Scratch that. Too cheesy.

...two people, torn apart by the tumultuous tides of life, only to discover refuge in...

WTF? What does that even mean? DELETE.

...two people, confused as shit as to where they should be and who they should love and none of this means a damn thing because it's all lies!

Lies.

I'm not Hope Hughes. I'm not some fierce woman romance machine. Hell, I'm not even a woman.

I'm a liar.

And while I refuse to believe my own BS, deceit masked in heartfelt phrases of love and devotion, I want to make her believe them. Because maybe--just maybe--if she can find the soul within my words, she'll also be able to find the truth scribbled on my heart.

You see, I once lived for the perfect plot twist.

I just never expected to actually live it.

This is my story. Well, maybe her story. I just wish I could make it our story.

The one I'm still writing.

There are very few times when I read a book and have to stop and just take a breath at the end of it.   There are very few books that can make me experience every single emotion known to man in the span of 250 pages.   But that's exactly what Ink & Lies did.  I laughed, I got angry, I yearned, I had the heart clenches and I loved.  I loved this story!  There's no in-depth, twisted, mind-fu$&ing going on here.  It's an average story about your average boy & girl and there seemingly average friendship. What makes it extraordinary  is the glaringly obvious fact that this boy loves this girl and he doesn't even realize it.  What drew me into this story, into these characters lives is being able to see their love and live it while simultaneously getting a narration of their evolving relationship.  I'm not sure if I'm doing the book or author justice when I say that so I guess I'll just say that it was good, reeallll good!

Review & Teaser: I'll Be Home For Christmas by Lori Wilde

I'll Be Home For Christmas
A Twilight, Texas Novel
Lori Wilde
October 27,2015
416 pages
Publisher: Avon Romance
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Nothing says Christmas like New York Times bestselling author Lori Wilde and Twilight, TX, and now Lori returns to Twilight for a brand new heartwarming holiday tale. The matchmaking members of the Cookie Club are up to their old tricks again!

Christmas in Twilight, Texas, is all merriment and mistletoe. The Cookie Club is whipping up their most festive sweets, the townspeople are scrambling to get their holiday shopping done, and Joe-a hometown guy with a restless heart-is dreaming about the woman he wants to kiss most…

…And who happens to be staying at his sister’s place over the holidays, while Joe’s sister is away. But Joe isn’t quite sure he wants to be a living Christmas present to runaway law student Gabi Preston.

Joe thinks the sassy sweetheart he nicknames “Trouble” won’t inconvenience anything but his healthy sex drive. But when he discovers the reasons Gabi escaped from her life, he aches to give her everything she’s never had. As the magic of the season draws them together, the gift of love is the only one worth giving…

If Twilight Texas is real, I'm immediately packing my bags and going there now! Lori Wilde's small town holiday romance is perfect to snuggle up with next to your fireplace with a warm glass of hot chocolate. Or wine. Or dog, cat...whatever. It's the perfect snuggle up book for the holiday season! Inspired by the movie The Vacation, Gabi decides to take a break from her life. Still grieving the loss of her brother, she's inspired by a snow globe to find that perfect town that's all about Christmas. She definitely finds it and more in Twilight! In a coincidental twist of fate the woman whom Gabi swapped homes with happens to have a brother. Who's hot. And looks good in a pair of wranglers. And who also happens to be her neighbor.

What I liked about this book is the predictability. I knew going in that Gabi was going to find a love interest, and I knew it was going to be Joe. What I enjoyed most about the book was the...unfolding of circumstances that allowed Gabi and Joe to become real for me. So often in romance novels the main love interests have situations that seem far-fetched so I appreciated the realistic qualities of the characters. Having that realistic quality also gave the characters depth. And who likes reading about flat, two dimensional characters anyways right? It's undeniable that Gabi and Joe are attracted to each other and it was entertaining to watch these two do the push-n-pull dance.

I'll be Home for Christmas was fun to read. It got me out of my reading slump and in turn I discovered a new genre I enjoy. I'm classifying this new genre as my guilty pleasure reading. If you enjoy reading small town romances I highly recommend Lori Wilde's Twilight Texas series. I'll definitely be picking up the rest of the books in this series!

EXCERPT

Gabi got out of the car and her designer heels sank into the damp earth. Not the proper footwear for navigating a pasture’s bumpy terrain. Maybe she should buy a pair of cowboy boots. Better yet, maybe she should get a motel room. What had she been thinking? In truth? She hadn’t fully thought this through. That’s what she got for not asking for details. An adventure was what she’d wanted and that’s what she’d gotten. Purposefully, she readjusted her chin, her spine, and her attitude. Okay. Bring it. She was on board with whatever circumstances threw her way. This was part of her journey. Had to embrace the new in order to strip away the old, right? The domed tent sat atop a plain wooden deck. Off to one side was a large chicken coop, and a black and white cow grazed contentedly in the field. Animals? Was she supposed to be taking care of animals? Katie hadn’t said a word about animals. Her heart, which had been nesting in her stomach, glided right on down to her shoes. Gabi had never had a house pet, much less been around farm animals. She hiccupped. Her lungs tightened and her head buzzed dizzily. Calm down. It was okay. She could handle this. Momentarily, she closed her eyes, let the fear wash over her and away, then brusquely dusted her palms. Move forward. The sun was sinking toward the horizon, bumping through gray clouds, sending cool fingers of winter to silver the long grass ruffling in the breeze. The scent of the lake and Christmas tree pine tinged the air, smelling both earthy and sur-real. She paused on the deck of the tent house, in-haled deeply, and listened to the silence. The chirp of a bird. The whisper of the wind. The gentle sound of her own breathing. Ah, peace. Nice. Very nice. She could get used to this. The ping of a metal axe against wood cut the quiet. Gabi lifted her head and glanced around. Less than fifty yards separated her from the Christmas tree farm, and through the branches of the trees she spied a man chopping at a fir that he felled in three easy whacks. He wore a blue flannel shirt that rippled in the back every time he swung the axe. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to the elbows, exposing forearms corded with muscles and giving her a show of strength, agility, and timing as he picked up the downed tree and tossed it effortlessly onto a flatbed trailer parked down the row of trees. Her gaze dropped to his masculine backside hugged by a pair of faded Levi’s. Uh- oh, she knew that butt. It was the same scrumptious ass she’d seen less than half an hour earlier at the coffee shop. It was He- Man.

Review: Summer Sins by Jennifer Probst

Summer Sins by Jennifer Probst
Published: August 4
Genre: New Adult, Romance
Source: eARC
*** Stars
Goodreads
Amazon • B&N • Kobo

Summer fun before my wedding...

I have one goal this summer. Hang with my besties for some much needed sun, sand, and relaxation while I put the final touches on my idyllic wedding. I didn't count on meeting a smart-mouthed, bad boy biker whose gaze burns hotter than a beach bonfire. I never planned to lose myself, body and soul, and question my entire future. Now, I have to make a choice that’s tearing me apart, and could shatter the lives of the two men I love...

Turns into summer sins...

I have one goal this summer. CHILL. Do nothing. Nada. I need simple before I have to head into Manhattan to take on a high powered position on Wall Street. I didn't count on a dark haired, inky- eyed spitfire who'd spin my world upside down, or make me burn for things I never thought I wanted. I vowed to make her my summer fling, but had no idea she was claimed by another. And now that she possessed not only my body but my soul, the stakes are too high for me to lose her...

Love burns hotter in the Hamptons. Come play.

My Review

Summer Sins is a novella in the Hot in the Hamptons anthology.  This particular short story is centered around a young girl who has denied herself the chance to truly live for herself.   That is until she meets her match in the opposite sex who makes her...feel.  And soon she begins to question everything.

For being a novella, this story was packed with tons of story.  Jennifer Probst expertly wrote a story about second chances and all the emotions that entails within a certain amount of words.  And it was good! Summer Sins was my first time reading anything by Ms. Probst but it certainly won't be my last.   I was able to get a clear picture of the characters right away.  The doubt Storme was feeling about her future and Holden's bad boy-ness.   Can I just say, I am sooo glad is wasn't insta-love! Definitely insta-attraction but the love evolved with the growing relationship, in turn making it believable.   And holy hotness Holden! That boy's gotta mouth on him!

I don't want to give too much away with this review, it is a novella after all, because I want you guys to pick it up and read it! I assure you, you will not be disappointed.   It's got all the elements I love in a romance.  Strong female lead, strong (and sexy) male lead, believable emotions and scorching hot scenes!  This would be a good book to read while at the beach or to take you out of a book slump.