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Book Review: One Sexy Mistake (excerpt and giveaway below!)

11/30/2016

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One Sexy Mistake
Chase Brothers #5 (novella)
by Sarah Ballance

Synopsis

Olivia Patton’s life just imploded. One night with sexy hacker Grady Donovan seems like the perfect, ego-soothing plan—until an epic snowstorm shuts down the city and thwarts her morning-after escape. Now the only walk-of-shame she'll be taking is right back to Grady's door. 

Forced to actually talk, Grady and Olivia realize they can't stand each other. Forget another round in the bedroom—if it wasn't his apartment, she'd shove Grady outside to freeze. But with all the blistering sexual tension flying around, a second night with the hacker might be exactly what she needs...if they don't kill each other first.
Each book in the Chase Brothers series is a standalone, full-length story that can be enjoyed out of order.

Series Order:
Book #1 Five Things I Love About You
Book #2 For Seven Nights Only
Book #3 The Three Week Arrangement
Book #4 The 48 Hour Hook Up
Book #5 One Sexy Mistake

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Review

There is something so enticing about about reading a romance with two computer geek leads. I don't know what it is exactly: is it because they are on level ground? Because a female computer geek is portrayed as just a geek? Because there is some intelligence showing? I don't know. But I like it. 

So, Olivia is looking for some sexy times since she hasn't had any prospects since her ex-boyfriend dumped her (horribly, I might add), and Grady is looking for a good time with a woman who doesn't want to stick around. Using a Tinder-ish type app, they decide to meet for a one night stand. What they weren't expecting was the winter storm that blows through, keeping them both stranded. 

Olivia and Grady are both computer experts in their fields (let's call them what they are - they're hackers). Both are going into this situation looking for for something easy, and without attachments. But thanks to one of my favorite tropes/catnip, forced proximity, their situation gets a lot more complicated.

Truly enjoyed this novella. I wish there was more of it to read, honestly. It had both main character's points of view, forced proximity, and genuine feelings. It took me a few hours to read, and I really wish I could read more about Olivia and Grady. 
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About the Author

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Sarah and her husband of what he calls “many long, long years” live on the mid-Atlantic coast with their six young children, all of whom are perfectly adorable when they’re asleep. She never dreamed of becoming an author, but as a homeschooling mom, she often jokes she writes fiction because if she wants anyone to listen to her, she has to make them up. As it turns out, her characters aren’t much better than the kids, but nevertheless, you’ll find her writing sexy contemporary romance for Entangled Publishing until they throw her out. To learn more, visit http://sarahballance.com.
Author Links
Website: http://www.sarahballance.com/ 
Blog: http://sarahballance.wordpress.com/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahBallance 
Facebook: http://facebook.com/sarah.ballance.author.news 
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4103362.Sarah_Ballance 
Link to the Tour Schedule:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZSxEjy7QLqY1XK7OVSA_eSQNmzw_re6dv1XCi1qpdnM/edit?usp=sharing
​

Rafflecopter Giveaway ($15.00 Amazon eGift Card) a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read an excerpt!

Chapter One
Grady Donovan sucked at this hookup thing. 
It was 11:00 p.m., he was bored and horny, and most of his previous...assignations with women—whether a friend with benefits or an actual attempt at a relationship—had ended in way too much drama for his taste. After years of careful analysis, he’d come to the conclusion that he wasn’t built for relationships. But a one-nighter? That he could do. With bells on. If she was into that. 
The trick was finding a woman who was on the same page emotionally. Tinder had a reputation as a “hookup app.” So Tinder it was.
Tinder PC, because he was not having a one-night stand with someone without viewing a photo bigger than a postage stamp. 
After hours of agonizing over how to best describe himself on his bio, adding and deleting gems like please leave before breakfast and conversation not included, he’d finally nailed it: Frighteningly intelligent single male. Computer geek. No interest in romance but great in the sack. No relationships, please.
Accurate? Definitely. Odds of snagging interest? Nil, in his experience. But, he figured, don’t ask and ye shall not receive. Needless to say, he hadn’t expected a response.
Especially not the one that came through ten minutes later, prompting the mother of all double takes. Olivia’s profile picture was too good to be true.
So was the rest of her. Especially her bio. Hacker girl with a broken heart looking for a boy toy to make it all better. One night, no strings. I get to leave first. Two-minute wonders need not apply.
The irony was strong. As long as she followed through and actually left without asking for his hand in marriage, she was everything he could possibly want in a woman. Scratch that. She was all he could want from a night.
One night.    
A beautiful woman who wanted to leave first.
He watched the screen, expecting her to disappear. He was no hardship to look at, but he’d said no romance or relationship, which left him floored that anyone would respond.
Let alone an anyone who was on the same, admittedly unconventional, page. Unless it was a trick.
Suspicion probably shouldn’t have been his first reaction to seeing the incredibly sexy photo pop up on the screen, but with a prank-happy extended family like his—all courtesy of his four brothers-in-law—being trolled was a distinct possibility.
Even via a random hookup app.
A muscle in his jaw jumped, and he realized he was doing this wrong. People were supposed to be all over these connections. Swipe right, get laid, problem solved.
Still there? she typed. Because if that two-minute thing is a deal-breaker, I need to know. At which point I may mock you. Mercilessly. 
Grady stared at the newly arrived message, thinking the threat of mockery was the best excuse he’d ever have to bail.
But this was also probably his best chance to score.
Looking at Olivia’s picture, he really didn’t want to give up on the chance. He couldn’t believe his luck. Rich, wavy brown hair tumbled past her shoulders. Eyes sparkled in the same hue. She glowed. 
She was definitely too good to be true.
I can guarantee at least three minutes, he wrote, then sat back. There was no good reason a woman like her would need an app, unless it was because she was tired of being hit on for being gorgeous. 
Which, frankly, he’d believe.
For the first time in pretty much ever, he wished for more personal communication. 
A new message popped up. So what do you have against relationships? 
He hesitated over a response. I don’t care for the drama, he typed. Or the rituals. Or the expectations.
Ah, she replied. A girl gets three minutes one night and wants four the next.
Something like that. Actually, it was a lot like that. At one time, he hadn’t hated the idea of a relationship. In fact, all he’d ever wanted was for someone to accept him for who he was, which sounded like a schmaltzy spiel of bullshit, but it was true. He enjoyed going out every now and then, and he’d hold a woman’s purse at the mall if he had to. But having to out-do every other couple on Facebook or Instagram or whatever social media platform was the rage at the moment burned him out.
Permanently.
If being in his own goddamned relationship meant he had to compete with everyone else’s, then he’d be just fine alone.
Except for one teeny caveat.
Sex.
What about you? he asked. Not buying that you can’t get a date.
I don’t want a date. I want sex.
Well, okay then. You could get that from anyone, he responded. Why me?
You’re a mile away. It’s snowing. 
You keep impossible standards, he typed back.
And you’re hot, and straightforward. And you did promise great sex.
Anyone can promise that, he noted.
Actually, she replied, I’m pretty sure no self-professed computer geek has ever promised great sex.
He rolled his eyes. And here I was thinking the self-professed hacker would appreciate my skills.
I plan to, she said. For the entire three minutes.
Well, hell. This was the part where he should promise her a few hours, but if she looked anything like her picture, he’d be better off promising her a few rounds. And he could only pray the first one lasted three minutes.
He pulled up her profile again, still suspicious. There wasn’t much there, so the repeated glances were futile. 
 You don’t seem worried about hooking up with someone you’ve never met, he typed. Are you crazy or just adventurous?
Her answer was immediate. Do you want to find out?
Did he? That was why he was online, though he certainly never expected he’d find anyone like her. She was too perfect—not just physically attractive but also in a field of work closely tied to his own, if there was any truth to the “hacker girl” statement in her bio. While he didn’t need to have anything in common with Olivia, if they actually had a conversation—versus creepily not speaking at all—there was something to be said for shared interests.
He’d had plenty of dates with women who lectured him about how boring computers were, that he should get out and live a little. These were, of course, the same women who couldn’t peel their eyes from their smartphones, but that point was seldom appreciated when he voiced it. 
But it probably didn’t matter. People didn’t use hookup sites in search of sparkling conversation.
Especially not him. He caught himself looking over his shoulder, half-expecting to catch one of his brothers-in-law doubled over in laughter on the fire escape.
Instead, he got an eyeful of the neighbor’s yellow-eyed, helter-skelter-faced, crooked-fanged mini-wildebeest the old woman called a cat. And yes, he jumped.
Then he swore.
That thing should be in a zoo. Or a freak show. 
Behind the questionably feline façade, snow fell. Grady had no idea why that woman let the cat out in this kind of weather, but he wasn’t inclined to let the thing freeze. Even if it was the ugliest, creepiest excuse for a cat he’d ever seen. 
Unfortunately, Mrs. Harmon had a habit of smacking him with her purse when her precious Mortimer found his way into Grady’s apartment, which made him wary of rescuing the cat, at least immediately.
He glanced back at his computer. The cursor blinked, and he realized there might very well be an actual woman on the other end, waiting.
If there was any chance she was legit, he was in.
Way in.
He typed his next message and hit send before he could second guess the insanity of meeting a stranger for sex. Your place or mine?

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Review: The Trouble with Mistletoe

11/26/2016

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The Trouble with Mistletoe
by Jill Shalvis

Synopsis

If she has her way . . .

Willa Davis is wrangling puppies when Keane Winters stalks into her pet shop with frustration in his chocolate-brown eyes and a pink bedazzled cat carrier in his hand. He needs a kitty sitter, stat. But the last thing Willa needs is to rescue a guy who doesn’t even remember her . . .

He’ll get nothing but coal in his stocking.

Saddled with his great-aunt’s Feline from Hell, Keane is desperate to leave her in someone else’s capable hands. But in spite of the fact that he’s sure he’s never seen the drop-dead-gorgeous pet shop owner before, she seems to be mad at him . . .

Unless he tempers “naughty” with a special kind of nice . . .
​

Willa can’t deny that Keane’s changed since high school: he’s less arrogant, for one thing—but can she trust him not to break her heart again? It’s time to throw a coin in the fountain, make a Christmas wish—and let the mistletoe do its work . . .

Review

Goodness me, how I love holiday romance novels. This was my first read by Jill Shalvis; I was encouraged to try one of her books when I listened to an interview of her by Smart Bitches Trashy Books's Sarah Wendell (if you are a fan of romance reads, you need to check out this website and podcast). Shalvis sounded down to earth, and her books sounded like the sweet contemporaries that I enjoy. So, when I saw that she had a holiday romance out, I could not resist. 

The Trouble with Mistletoe is a contemporary story about Willa and Keane. Willa knew Keane back when she was a new student at their high school. With a leap of faith, Willa invited Keane to the Sadie Hawkins dance back then, only to be stood up by the popular jock. Fast forward to the present, and Willa is the owner of the town's popular pet supply shop, and Keane is the local house flipper. Their paths cross when Keane is looking for a cat sitter for the day - except Keane does not recognize Willa. He does, however, notice the prettiness of her green eyes, and the strawberry blonde hair. 

                                            ***some spoilers ahead***
Aside from this story revolving around Christmas time, what I thought was novel about it was that Willa, as loving, and caring as she is, is the one that has difficulties with commitment. Not because she doesn't believe in it, or would rather "play the field," but because she's been disappointed before - by family, and men she's dated. Willa is cautious, and she panics about having "feelings." It was refreshing to read about real emotions that included anxiety. 

Keane also broke the mold that I'm used to when it comes to romance leading men. He starts off as the "usual" guy in these books with not wanting commitment, but as the story progresses, he realizes that the idea of commitment doesn't sound so scary when it's with someone special. But we also see Keane slowly adjust to commitment in other areas in his life, like his home, and with Petunia (a cat). I really enjoyed the development of both of these characters.

Due to this being a holiday read, it does move rather quickly (a few weeks?), but I'm willing to overlook that because it's a romance story, and....CHRISTMAS!

Plus - no outrageousness :D I'll let you fill in the blanks with that one. 

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Review: The Billionaire's Christmas Proposal

11/25/2016

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The Billionaire's Christmas Proposal
by Victoria James

Synopsis

​S​he’s everything he wants for Christmas…

Social worker Allison Barrington’s home went up in smoke, literally, a month before Christmas. Now the guardian of her teenage sister and a crazy pup, she shows up on the doorstep of the only man in the city she can trust.

Resisting Ethan Dane had never been easy, but luckily, Allie isn’t into cutthroat playboy businessmen. And Ethan is as driven as they come.

Ethan Dane has wanted Allie since the moment he laid eyes on her at their best friends’ wedding. Having her in his home is the perfect chance to prove to her that their chemistry can’t be denied, but when he finds out that the biggest business coup of his career means destroying the youth center where Allie works, Ethan is forced to decide what kind of man he wants to be…

Review

We all know by now that I am a sucker for a good romance read - what many may not know is what started this love of mine. There are actually two things I can accredit my love of romance reads to: one, is Jennifer Crusie's Bet Me (which, oddly enough, I have not reviewed on this site!), and two, are romances that take place during Christmas. There is something extra cozy and lovely about a romance that takes place against a snowy, and fire-place type of backdrop. 

The Billionaire's Christmas Proposal was appealing to me because (1) billionaire, and (2) Christmas, but turned me off because of (3) proposal. Anyone who has read my blog before understands that I have this slight bias against proposals in stories. A few times, it's worked in my opinion, and most of the time - I just find it a little more of a last ditch effort. With that said, however, I decided that I'd give the book a shot. And I am glad that I did. 

Reading about Allie and Ethan made me want to go back and read the first book where they apparently first meet. I haven't done so yet (it has more to do with the cover of the book than the actual book - I'll get over it and read it soon). They are two extremely likable characters. Allie is forever an optimist working as a social worker for the greater good of homeless teens. She enjoys her job - which is the best part, while realizing she cannot hurry anyone into feeling better. She takes care of her teenage sister Dani because their mother is pretty much not available to them. After a fire at their apartment, Allie pushes past her pride and asks Ethan for help. Apparently Ethan has been after her since they first met (in the first book), and he's more than willing to help her. I loved how there is no question about whether Ethan cares for Allie -  his character shows how much he cares about her. There is no second guessing for him - it's more like, how much should he let himself care about her. 

Both characters have some skeletons in their closets, and they are deep without being melodramatic. There is some honest character development on both their parts, and, well, what can I say? I really enjoy character development. It shows that the author cares about her characters.

Honestly, I could read about this couple for a very long time - but I am glad that I was introduced to them during a Christmas story. 
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Review: Willing Target

11/24/2016

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Willing Target
by Kathleen Mix

Synopsis

The last thing covert operative Mitch Weaver wants is to be partnered with a gorgeous, reckless newbie. Still reeling from the death of his former partner, Mitch doesn't need the responsibility of keeping anyone else alive, especially when they volunteer to be a killer's target. Not to mention, his attraction to the too-perky blonde is the kind of distraction that could get them both killed in their line of work. 

Andrea Carnegie's first assignment isn't going quite as she planned. Her partner might be sexy but he's completely frustrating with his determination to keep her out of danger. Masquerading as a billionaire's sister to bait a possible killer is her chance to shine. But if she wants to catch the person threatening their client, she’ll have to find a way to work together with Mitch while still keeping her distance. Even as the air between them sizzles, Andrea knows the worst possible thing she could do is fall for her partner.


Review

I don't read much romantic suspense (romance suspense? suspense romance? What is this called???), but I found myself intrigued by this story. Andrea wants to be taken seriously in her job, and agreeing to play a billionaire's sister in order to bait a killer is going to help her climb up that career ladder. Mitch is a veteran of the force, but finds himself drawn to Andrea - a very dangerous mix. 

I am a fan of mystery-thrillers by themselves, so reading this story brought together two of my favorite genres. I appreciated that the romance did not overwhelm the plot - it didn't make us forget what was going on. If you're like me and don't know much about this genre, but enjoy a good mystery - definitely try it out!

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Book Spotlight: The DIY Musician's Radio Handbook

11/19/2016

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The DIY Musician's Radio Handbook: How To Grow Hack Your Fan Base Using Indie Radio Airplay
by D. Grant Smith

​Synopsis

Musicians are constantly looking for opportunities to reach new audience. Radio airplay continues to be one of the best outlets to grow your audience and reach new fans. Yet getting your music on the radio is complicated and difficult for many artists. How can you get your music heard on radio so that you can build a stronger and larger audience? 
The DIY Musician's Radio Handbook illustrates a practical and thorough step-by-step process for gaining radio airplay AND building solid connections with the people who make radio happen. Jump into the mind of a radio programmer to discover what works and why to gain radio, media, and music industry success with your music. 
Author D Grant Smith is not just a music marketing pro. He's the creator and host of the internationally syndicated program The Appetizer Radio Show, and a former radio station manager. In the book, you'll see why radio programmers make their picks on what music gets picked up, and how you can get your music on their radar. Discover the proven process that has helped countless musicians go from unknown and undiscovered to known and celebrated through indie radio airplay. For creative entrepreneurs outside of music, this book is also helpful in seeing how creating human connections and valuing others is the means to create growth that provides long-term benefits. Bloggers, authors, and media creators can gain insights here too.


About the Author

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D Grant Smith is the host & creator of The Appetizer Radio Show, a syndicated variety music program that began in 2003. Over the past decade+, Smith has helped musicians get discovered & grow through indie radio airplay like Lindsay Katt, The Rocketboys, William Fitzsimmons, Kelley McRae, Birds Over Arkansas and many more. His experience with The Appetizer Radio Show's growth through syndication taught him what works in marketing media to media, which has helped to fuel his work as "the audience Growth Farmer." Using principles from Dale Carnegie, Zig Ziglar and community building, Smith helps musicians and creative entrepreneurs build supportive communities of superfans through relationship building. His work includes private mentoring, workshops, and speaking engagements where storytelling and empowerment are used to create vibrant and powerful transformations.

https://www.facebook.com/thedgrantsmith

https://wwww.twitter.com/Appetizerradio

http://dgrantsmith.com/books 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2eDJ6pn

Kindle: http://amzn.to/2fS9m1e




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