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Review: The Billionaire's Deal: Complete

8/13/2016

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The Billionaire's Deal: Complete
by Crystal Kaswell

Synopsis

She's broke and out of options. He's willing to dig her out of debt... if she submits to his terms.


Kat Wilder is totally screwed. At only twenty-one, she's resigned to one seriously bleak future. Waiting tables barely supports her only family, her sister, and she's got no luck finding a better job. With no money or time for school, she has no chance at a better life.

Then she meets Blake. The billionaire tech CEO is a lifeline. An arrogant, controlling, impossible to read lifeline. He wants something from Kat and he'll do whatever it takes to get it.

He offers Kat a deal-- a few months of her life for a few hundred thousand dollars. All she has to do is play his girlfriend and convince everyone that she's madly in love with him.

It's Blake's way, Blake's terms, Blake utterly in control.

She tells herself it's only business. But the part between them that matters-- the two of them alone, her giving in to everything he wants-- that part is strictly personal.


The Billionaire's Deal is a new adult romance featuring an inexperienced yet feisty heroine and a protective alpha billionaire hero. The Billionaire's Deal is a full-length, standalone novel. It was previously published as a four part serial.


Review

Okay - I'm gonna gush because I really loved reading this. I read it in a day. I feel that I need to prepare you for when I do that because I tend to go on tangents. Also - spoilers.

If you're a frequent visitor to this blog, you may have caught my previous review for Crystal Kaswell's other book, The Billionaire's Intern. Now, if you read that review, you would know that I did not like it, and could not bother to finish it. Well, I am happy to say that this book was a whole different experience for me. 

Kat is a hard working 21 year old woman who lost her parents in a car accident when she was a teenager. She has been taking care of her younger sister Lizzy since that horrific day. That day was also the end of Kat's dreams of going on to college and living her life. Now, her goals are to pay the mortgage, and send her sister to the university she wants. Unfortunately, without a college education, she's stuck finding quick waitressing jobs to make ends meet.

Until the day she, literally, bumps into Blake - self made billionaire. A spark between strangers turns into something more when Blake makes Kat a deal she finds hard to pass up: pretend to be Blake's girlfriend for at least 6 months in exchange for Blake paying her full mortgage and Lizzy's tuition. 

Okay - so there was quite a bit that I loved about this story. Before I get started with the gushing, I do want to say that I think billionaire love stories get a bad rep. I'm not saying they're ALL good because they aren't. I, personally, enjoy the billionaire story when told the "right way" (i.e. the way I like it). 

I truly enjoyed Blake's character in this story. Yes, he's a billionaire, but I hesitate calling him a bad boy. His previous partners aren't really spoken about, and if anything what's talked about is that he often ignored women in college in order to focus on programming (he's a tech mogul). He cares a lot about his mother (be still, my heart), and he doesn't push Kat to agree with anything. All she needs to say is their safe word and he will stop. This goes for anything - during sex or not. He takes his time taking care of Kat, and constantly stops her deprecating herself and her achievements. 

Then there's Kat. I liked Kat. She never forgets how insane the deal with the billionaire is, but after years of struggling and doing it alone for her sister have her bend her thoughts for some help. Kat holds onto who she is throughout the story - and even has the freedom to remember the bits of her that were long forgotten after her parent's accident. I admire that. She also doesn't shy away from what she wants - Blake. 

I don't want to give away so much information, but know that this story had a strong plot and characters to see it through. There were times where I was afraid we were going into 50 Shades territory, but then I'd be welcomed with a sensible Kat comeback. There is some very VERY light S&M in this story - but it's consensual and not too heavy for the relationship at all. I didn't like that  Kat was a virgin, what I'm used to the woman being a virgin in some of these stories. I also saw that some phrases were repeated quite a bit. Now, this story was originally published in parts, so maybe that's why it wasn't noticed. Also, some sentences could have used some editing. The plot and characters though - I cared about all of them. It was quite detailed. The only thing that would have made it even better for me would have been if we were given some POV chapters from Blake. I wanted to know what that guy was thinking! I knew Kat was making him happy, and there were little telltale behaviors in what Kat saw, but as you probably know by now, I am a sucker for a hero's POV. 

All in all - this story has me looking forward to Kaswell's work in the future. It is also up there in top favorite billionaire stories. 

​Do you like billionaire love stories? Why or why not? Leave me your recommendations if you do!
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Review: Her Fantasy Husband

8/11/2016

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​Her Fantasy Husband
Things To Do Before You Die novel
by Nina Croft

Synopsis

Security Company CEO Josh Slater put his life on hold when he said “I do” to protect a stranger. While his marriage was never meant to be real—he hasn’t even seen his wife in five years—Josh can’t shake the idea that he’d be cheating if he moves on. Now he’s a man with a mission: chase down his “wife,” get an annulment, and finally indulge in a little no-strings sex.

Heiress Alexia Slater entered into a marriage of convenience straight out of high school to gain control of her inheritance before her not-so loving family squandered the whole thing. She doesn’t want the marriage to be real—she’s fought hard for her independence—but that hasn’t stopped her from spending the last five years fantasizing about her gorgeous husband.

Then he shows up.

Josh wants an annulment. Lexi needs to stay married. When the chemistry explodes between them, there’s no stopping the battle of wills only one of them can win…

Review

I had forgotten about this little gem in my NetGalley account (Yes, I have a lot that I've requested...). I thought this book was well-written, and I ended up enjoying both the heroine and hero. 

​Lexi and Josh have been married now for 5 years - except they're mostly complete strangers to each other. Theirs is a marriage of convenience because Lexi needed to get married quick to someone that wouldn't try cheating her out of anything due to her family wanting to get their hands on her inheritance and squander it. Enter Josh, a man with no interest in being in any relationship who is focused on creating his own company/business. The agreements works for both of them until Josh experiences an almost-close-to-death-experience and realizes he needs to stop being married so he can have some sexy times without any strings. And yeah, that isn't gong to work for Lexi because it opens up the opportunity for her grandmother to hound in and squander Lexi's inheritance. So - how to convince stubborn Josh to think twice about staying married?

This wasn't exactly an enemies to lovers story (my fave!), but it was a strangers to lovers stories with a marriage of convenience which is just as good some times. Lexi is a billionaire with a heart of gold, using most of her money to help people and animals. Josh is the strong, silent type who starts feeling protective of Lexi. Together, they form an agreement within an agreement *SPOILER* and decide they can add sex to their marriage as long as they stay married for 6 more months - and then they can get a divorce and each move forward in their lives.

Nothing wrong can come of that, right?

Ha! Yeah right. Feelings and sex are just the mix for everything to go wrong - especially in a romance read. 

The characters are just well-rounded enough for me to care about them and want them to work things out. There are instances of them both feeling hurt (am I sadistic because I like it when the romance leads get hurt/jealous/possessive?), and enjoying each other. OH! and my other favorite thing - we get the story from both POVs. I love reading the guy's thoughts heh.

I think romance readers that are in for a quick read will enjoy this story. Unless you have a thing against marriage of convenience stories...
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Review: Best Friends with Benefits

3/18/2016

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Best Friends with Benefits
a Most Likely To novel
by Candy Sloane

Synopsis

Seven minutes in heaven never felt so good…
​

Valerie Barkin and Alec Rogers survived bullies, awful parents, and seriously shitty social standing the only way best friends can—together. But with the unexpected sexual tension suddenly flaring between them, surviving their ten-year high school reunion might be a different story…
​

Val hasn’t changed. She still feels like the stringy-haired band geek the popular kids teased, but Alec has definitely changed. He’s now the front man for the Grammy-winning rock band Chronic Disharmony, with the sexual reputation to match. And he’s more than willing to help Val rock the reunion.

And then it happens—a drunken game of Seven Minutes in Heaven—and their fourteen-years-long foreplay comes crashing to the forefront…changing everything.

Seven minutes turns into a weekend of mind-blowing, no-strings-attached sex. But these best friends won't be able to leave their hearts out of it forever, not when the most meaningful benefit could change their relationship for good.

Review

My heart is a flutter with this story because it is basically every non-requited crush dream come to life. *dreamy sigh* But I digress - beware of spoilers!

I am usually not a fan of the best friends turned lovers story - I don't know why exactly. This story, however, was different in that the best friends have been apart for many years and when they first see each other - they don't expect the attraction to be as present. Val is coming off of a break up from a guy who didn't ever want to marry her and Alec is the quintessential bad boy rocker. There is definitely a sweetness when they are together and that tender side eventually gives in to their growing attraction as they attend their high school reunion. 

I definitely liked how our two protagonists were once geeks and are now pretty cool, each in their own right. I also appreciated how being back in their hometown brought back insecurities - you never can escape everything about high school, right? With each other's support, however, they're able to move past the bullies and annoyances of their youth. I enjoyed how even though Alec is a big time star, he still has affection for his best friend and is not a cocky jerk. He's pretty goofy and funny - with a twist of sexiness. 

There were a few things I didn't enjoy, but I was able to ignore in order to enjoy the story. One was Val's fixation on getting married. I can take it that rejection is horrible - and the concept of rejection is a big part of the story - but I didn't like that not being proposed to equaled "there's something wrong with me". I wish Val could have shown how much she's grown as a person from the get-go instead of when Alec enters the picture.  The other thing I didn't like was how Val's encounter with one of her bullies, the school's "mean girl", happened. Alec stands up for Val and Val gets back at her bully - but in a "under the radar way." I would have loved seeing Val square off with her bully, face to face, and finally standing up for herself. 

The end was pretty good and it does end in a proposal - but not in the usual way! I really was grateful for that because it did not hinder my liking the story. Since the story is told from a dual perspective, we know that Alec is going to propose, he's got the ring in his pocket and everything. What's different is that we don't read about him actually doing it or read about Val saying yes - the reader knows she's going to say "yes." That, worked out perfect for me. See? I'm not totally against proposals at the end of books!

Overall, I enjoyed this book so much I read it in a day :) I recommend it to my romance lovers out there!

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Review: Playing Defense

3/15/2016

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Playing Defense

a Corrigan Falls novel
by Cate Cameron

Synopsis


Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains adult language, swoon-worthy kisses, and sexy hockey players. It may cause you to watch a hockey game...or ten.
​

Sixteen-year-old Claudia Waring has never kissed a boy. Never been popular. Never been to a hockey game. All that’s about to change. Assigned to tutor Chris Winslow, a prank-loving, gorgeous hockey player, Claudia’s perfectly planned life immediately veers off course. And she kind of likes it. But as fun as Chris is, she knows she'll never fit in his world.

After his latest prank lands him in hot water, Chris has to get serious about school or lose hockey. Not an easy thing for someone as carefree as the defenseman. The biggest problem, though, is how much he wants to help his cute, buttoned-up tutor loosen up a little. But while confidence has never been a problem for him, around Claudia, Chris is all nerves. Why would a girl as smart as her ever fall for a jock like him

Review

There are gonna be spoilers all over this review. I'm sorry - but it's that good. 


Playing Defense impressed me. I don't know if I can describe it any other way. On one side, it is a cute, popular guy-geeky girl romance. A little insta-lovey, but not really because Claudia and Chris both grow into their feelings. The attraction, however, insta-there. There is some talk about sex which is handled very well. Bravo. 

But then there's the other stuff. And the other stuff is what really makes this young adult book so different than others. The other stuff is the part that every young adult book is essentially about, but this one is so wonderfully blatant about it. Claudia is terrified of growing up - and never realized it until she met Chris. Chris signifies what she's been missing since she's so focused on her academic life. Friends, attraction, dating, caring about someone - these are things that Claudia has yet to experience even though she's nearing the end of her high school career. Chris isn't totally unaffected either - Claudia makes him realize that there is more to him than someone who is good at hockey. He learns that it's worth trying even if you think you're going to fail because, as Claudia so perfectly puts it, "Failure is temporary."

Together, Chris and Claudia learn that growing up can mean a different things for different people, but it's worth changing and growing because, even though you get to experience horrible things (you'll understand when you read the book), you get to experience really wonderful ones too.

This book made me think about how I challenge myself - and how I keep myself dormant. It's something I'm going to keep thinking about, and I probably wouldn't have done so at this time, had it not been for this book. I am no longer a young adult - but that doesn't mean I've stopped growing. I recommend this book to people of all ages - it may have teenagers in love, but there are real lessons being taught that are well worth our time. 

Plus it's funny lol
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Review: Romancing the Ranger

3/14/2016

2 Comments

 
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Romancing the Ranger
A Cotton Creek Romance
by Jennie Marts

OUT TODAY!

Synopsis

Reese Hudson meant to destroy mementos from her last failed relationship, not burn down an outhouse and incur the wrath of a sexy park ranger. When the judge rejects her offer to pay for the structure and sentences her to rebuild it—with the hot ranger supervising—she embraces the challenge to take control of her life. 

Park ranger Wade Baker wants nothing to do with the rich city girl, no matter how tempting he finds her lush curves. She’s too much like his ex-fiancée, and if he’s learned anything, it’s that women like Reese don’t fit into his world. And he sure as hell wants no part of her big city life. 

Reese may not know a hammer from a screwdriver, but she’s working hard to prove she’s not just some pampered princess to be toyed with. And damn it if Wade doesn’t admire her tenacious spirit. If only they got along half as well outside the bedroom as they do in it, there might be a chance for them after all…


Review

This is just what I needed to read this weekend - something sweet and sexy! Reese is a city girl who is tired of having the men in her life dictate what she does and how she does it. Wade Baker is a park ranger who has had his heart broken by a city girl who decided he wasn't enough for her. That is...after leaving him in a mountain of debt. Through something like fate - Reese ends up in Wade's town - only to cause an, ahem, small fire that Wade ultimately puts out. He's convinced that someone like Reese doesn't belong in his world, but for the next two weeks, he's stuck with Reese until she builds a new outhouse for the park. 

This story had some of my favorite elements: forced proximity (what judge is going to order someone to stay in town for two weeks to build an OUTHOUSE??), enemies to lovers (just a little bit - they, ahem, got along much quicker than I usually like), a funny+cute+strong female protagonist, and a grumpy leading man (though, I've read grumpier). They were quite likable and I enjoyed seeing their story unfold. Anyone who loves romance stories or romantic comedies will love this book!
​

Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Romancing-Ranger-Jennie-Marts-ebook/dp/B01B1NC1OW 
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/romancing-the-ranger-jennie-marts/1123308686 
iTunes: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/romancing-the-ranger/id1078221551?uo=8&at=11ltS7 
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/romancing-the-ranger 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28944643-romancing-the-ranger 
Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Goodreads


About the Author

USA TODAY Best-selling author Jennie Marts loves to make readers laugh as she weaves stories filled with love, friendship, and intrigue. She writes for Entangled Publishing, and reviewers call her books “laugh out loud” funny and full of great characters that are “endearing and relatable.” 

She is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two sons, two dogs and a parakeet that loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends. 

Her books include the contemporary western romance Hearts of Montana series, the romantic comedy/ cozy mysteries of The Page Turners series, the hunky men in the Bannister family in the Bannister Brothers Books, and the small town romantic comedies in the Lovestruck series of Cotton Creek Romances. 
Jennie loves to hear from readers. Follow her on Facebook at Jennie Marts Books , or Twitter at @JennieMarts. Visit her at www.jenniemarts.com and sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest news and releases. 

Author Website: http://www.jenniemarts.com/ 
Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/JennieMarts 
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JennieMartsBooks/ 


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Excerpt:
“So what were you so intent on destroying yesterday that you almost burned my park down?” 
A faint blush crept up her neck. “Some stupid mementos from my ex-boyfriend.” 
“When did you break up?” 
She consulted her watch. “About twenty-four hours ago.” 
“Ah. You seemed more angry than broken-hearted. Did he choose someone else?” 
“Yeah, himself.” She let out a sigh. “Brock cared more about himself than he did me. His needs always came first, and then he told me what I needed. It took me a long time to see that I have my own wants. My own needs. And he wasn’t one of them. Neither he nor my father are very happy about my decision.” 
Wade’s gut twisted as she spoke the words wants and needs. He’d known her such a short time, but he knew he wanted her already. 
But needing her was a different story. He definitely did not need the complication of a woman on the rebound. A woman who lived a lifestyle that he couldn’t even comprehend. 
A spray of water shot from the falls, and Reese laughed and stepped back into him. His arms came up to steady her and then she was twisting, tipping her head up, her emerald- colored eyes shining with an invitation to take her. 
And it was too much. 
He pulled her to him, crushing her lips and filling his hands with her sweet, lush body. 
She pressed against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and matching his desire with hers. She tasted like mint and smelled like summer. 
And she felt so damn good. 
Desire engulfed him, and he yearned to lay her in the grass and get her beneath him. To explore and touch her exquisite body. He ran his hands down her back, pulling her closer as he feasted on her mouth, giving way to the brazen thoughts that had consumed him all day. 
He slid one hand up the back of her shirt. She moaned against his mouth, arching her back and pressing her breasts up. Her skin was soft, and he wanted to rip her shirt from her body and feel her bare flesh against his. 
The scuffs of hiking boots in the dirt interrupted his thoughts, and he broke away from Reese as a couple of middle-aged women rounded the corner to the overlook. 
Breathing hard, he nodded at the hikers, then turned toward the falls to hide his obvious arousal. 
The women passed, and one gave him a knowing smile. She leaned into her companion as they walked by. “That’s the kind of ranger I’d like to teach me about some birds and some bees.” 
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