ARC Review: The Defender by Donna Grant (Sons of Texas #4)

Their love knows no borders.

A loner who exudes danger, Lev Ivanski has spent his life in service to one man, someone he loves and respects. But things are changing. Rapidly. Lev and his boss have allies and friends and a new mission more important their than business, all because of the Saints. This clandestine organization needs to be taken down, and Lev has the skills to help. What he doesn’t expect is to be at the mercy of a woman who makes him crave more than he ever thought possible.

Determined and dedicated, Reyna Harris is used to danger and living on the edge. An ex-CIA operative, she’s been embedded with the Saints for years, trying to take them down from the inside. When her cover is blown, she is forced to trust a man she just met, fighting their way out of one battle after another. But there’s something about Lev that Reyna knows she can trust. And love. She needs Lev – and not just to take a swipe at the Saints. Together they’re an unstoppable force. And with their friends, they just might succeed in their mission.
 

The Defender is the fourth installment in Donna Grant’s Sons of Texas series. This series has followed the Loughman brothers as they fight an evil, secret ex-miliary group call The Saints. 

This story features the sexy mob captain we met in the previous stories, Lev Ivanski. He's gone undercover to prevent a Russian politician from assassination. He gets captured by double agent Reyna Harris as she has been undercover with the Saints for five years. 

Things go awry as they tend to do and we are taken on a fast paced, action packed chase across countries so they can reach safety in the US. 

The romance is seductive and heartfelt. There's nothing like a romance that happens while your running for your life. 

Donna Grant has succeeded yet again. I can't wait to find out more about Anatole, Maks and watch as they take down this rogue operation The Saints.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Donna Grant has been praised for her "totally addictive" and "unique and sensual" stories. Her latest acclaimed series, Dark Kings, features a thrilling combination of dragons, Fae, and immortal Highlanders who are dark, dangerous, and irresistible. She lives with her two children and an assortment of animals in Texas. 

Connect with her:Website / Facebook / Instagram / Goodreads  

 

 

                        

Tell me have you read the others in the series? Have you read Donna Grant's other series? Do you like mafia or covert romances?

Cover Reveal and Excerpt - Superfan by Sarina Bowen

If you've followed the Brooklyn Bruisers at all you'll know Sylas has gotten a LOT of ribbing for being a fan of Delilah's music! Fans have been highly anticipating their story! And all will be revealed on June 25th!!! But today we have the cover Reveal!!!

Sometimes lady luck shakes your hand, and sometimes she smacks your face. Sometimes she does both on the same day.

Three years ago I met the most amazing woman. We were both down on our luck. Then I got that call—the one that tells you to get your buns on a plane to go meet your destiny. But the girl was left behind. I didn’t have her phone number, and she didn’t know my real name.

While I became a professional hockey player, she became a superstar, with platinum records and legions of fans. And a slick, music producer boyfriend who treated her badly. But fate wasn’t done with us yet. When Delilah turns up at a hockey game, I can’t resist making contact. The internet swoons when I ask her out on a date.

She might not remember me. But her jerkface ex does. He’ll do anything to keep us apart.  Good thing athletes never give up.

This time I’m playing for keeps.

Excerpt

“Would you like a beer?” the cute bartender asks me.
I glance at the pile of mint leaves on his cutting board and hesitate. “Sure,” I say. But the mint looks so fresh and pretty.
“I could make you something different.”
“Beer is great. A cold…”
“—lager,” he finishes. “No glass, no opener.”
When I look up to flash him a smile, my heart does a little somersault. Those kind eyes are smiling at me, too. “Thank you,” I whisper.
“It’s really no problem.” He turns toward the beer cooler. “You’re an easy customer, trust me.”
But I really meant—thank you for remembering. As he leans down to grab a bottle for me, I find myself admiring the strong muscles in his back. Stop it, I admonish myself. It only gets worse when he turns around and places the bottle in front of me. I’ve never seen hands like his. I didn’t even know wrists could look muscular.
Even so. Ogling him is not why I came here. I pull out my keychain opener and remove the cap from my beer.
He discards it, gives me another pleasant smile and then picks up his paring knife again.
I take a sip, wondering when he’s going to mention my show at the Coconut Club. He was there. I saw him.
He separates some mint leaves from their stems and says nothing.
I last about seventeen seconds. “Well?”
“Well?” He looks up. “Sorry?”
“Jesus lord.” I close my eyes and then open them again. This is not going how I’d hoped it would. “What did you think?”
“Of…?” His amazing eyes are studying me.
“Forget I asked.” I take a swig of beer.
“Think about what?” He pushes the cutting board aside, and his smile turns knowing.
“My set at the Coconut Club! I saw you holding up that wall in the back. Don’t lie.”
He tips his head back and lets out a sudden laugh. “I’m so busted. I loved your show, but I didn’t expect you to spot me.”
“You loved it so much you weren’t going to say anything?” The sentence sounds crazy to my own ears. I put down the beer. “You know what? Never mind. I’m just being psycho right now. This town is getting into my head.”
“Listen, girly.” He braces both (muscular!) hands on the bar and looks me right in the eye. “I loved it so much that I don’t even know what to say about it. From that moment at the beginning—when you shut that asshole’s maw? To the part where you made a lady cry.” He shakes his head. “I couldn’t look away. And I never wanted it to end.”
I give him a slow blink, just trying to take that in. It’s so much more than I was even hoping to hear.
“Shit, Delilah. If that set doesn’t win you whatever contract you’re looking for, they don’t even deserve you.”
Something warm and unfamiliar settles into the center of my belly. “That might be the nicest thing anyone ever said to me. Which only means you’re still trying to get my phone number.”
He laughs immediately. “Can’t both things be true? Both my musical assessment and my interest in your evening plans?”
“Because you know so much about music.” I flip my hair and take another sip of beer.
“Look. I don’t know shit about music. But I know plenty about talent.” He leans down on a set of forearms I shouldn’t be noticing. “I know that talent sometimes takes a nap at just the wrong moment, but it never stays asleep for long. I also know that luck matters, too. If they don’t give you what you want, it won’t be your fucking fault.”
“Thank you,” I say quietly.
But he’s not done. “I saw something else valuable the other night. You’re good in the clinch. And that counts for double, I swear to God.”
“The clinch?”
“Yeah. You’re not just good at practice.” He pauses, wrinkling up his interesting nose. “What word would a musician use? Okay—you’re not a rehearsal musician. That stage was like your home. Either that or you fake it really well. That’s going to pay your rent someday, I promise.”
“Wow.” It’s like he looked right into my terrified little soul and found the very thing I needed to hear. Those beautiful eyes of his are practically burning me right now, so I have to look away. “Thank you. Really. I really needed that pep talk.”
I make the mistake of looking up at him again, and, for a split second, I see pure yearning. It’s like our souls vibrate at exactly the same frequency. And I have no idea what to do with that

Author

Sarina Bowen is the RITA® Award winning author of over thirty contemporary novels. She most recently hit the USA Today bestseller's list in January, with Overnight Sensation. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina holds a BA in economics from Yale University.

Sarina Bowen is a New Englander whose Vermont ancestors cut timber and farmed the north country since the 1760s. Sarina is grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing and wi-fi during the intervening 250 years. On a few wooded acres, she lives with her husband, two boys, and an ungodly amount of ski and hockey gear.

Sarina's books are published in a dozen languages on four continents. In 2016, The Romance Writers of America honored HIM by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy with a RITA award for Best Contemporary Romance, Mid-Length.

Find Sarina @

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GIVEAWAY

Be the first to read! Three winners (US or Canada) will win early signed paperback copies of Superfan! 

Enter here: https://geni.us/SuperfanGiveaway

3 Star Review Earl Interrupted by Amanda Forrester

Earl Interrupted (The Daring Marriages #2)
by Amanda Forester
My rating: 3 stars 

Captain Robert Ashton, Earl of Darington, knows finding a bride in London will not be easy—not since he has been notoriously dubbed as the "Pirate Earl". What he didn't expect was to get abducted—and to have his escape go horribly awry when an innocent lady gets caught in the crossfire.

Amateur physician Emma St. James is on her way to meet her betrothed when she is rescued by an injured gentleman. Despite her shock after discovering he is the Pirate Earl, Emma feels drawn to the man who saved her life. Duty forces them apart, but when they meet again on the high seas, Darington will risk all—his fortune, his name, and even his life to keep her safe.       

There was lots of intrigue and adventure in this Pirate story. It was full of action but had a few slow places that dragged a little. If you are looking for steaminess this might not be the book for you. It does have a few bits of sexytimes but it had religious overtones , they quote scripture and pray. It fit the heroine's personality, it brought a bit more to the story.  There were some pretty hilarious scenes between Robert and Emma. They had good chemistry. Over all it was an enjoyable read.

You should check out Kathyn's story, Roberts Twin. The storylines run the same timeline but can be read in either order.

I picked it up last year purely because of the gorgeous cover! And it's currently FREE on Amazon!

 

Tour: Guest Post/Review: Put up Your Duke by Megan Frampton

Hey Ya'll, Nelle here! We have the pleasure today to have Megan Frampton on the blog! Isn't that exciting?! She's talking about her new book, Put Up Your Duke!

One of the best things about being a writer is being able to don another person’s character, to figure out what makes them tick, what makes them happy, or fearful, or what makes them fall in love with another person.

In Put Up Your Duke, I have two points of view—Nicholas and Isabella, the hero and heroine. Now it’s probably understood I have never been a man, so getting inside of Nicholas’s head was a change for me. But just as improbable, and I’m not being disingenuous on this, is that I have never been a spectacularly beautiful woman. So writing about a heroine who is so beautiful people gasp when they see her was very fun, and different.

What must it be like to be looked at all the time? To be seen but not known? That is what I dealt with when I wrote from Isabella’s viewpoint. She thought that all anyone thought she had to offer was what was on the outside, and she was sad that no-one except for her sister knew what she was like on the inside. She thinks Nicholas will be the same, and he does admire her looks—he’d be a blind idiot not to—but he comes to realize that what is on the inside is just as beautiful, but much less perfect. Isabella ends up reveling in her imperfection because she gets to be that way with Nicholas, whom she is coming to love.

As I wrote her, I imagined Isabella looking like Angelina Jolie—that same ‘are you kidding me?’ quality that I have when I see pictures of a younger Jolie. I would never want to be that beautiful, honestly, because of all the attention I’d get, but I did like visiting inside the head of someone so lovely for a while.

 

My Rockin' Review

Surprise! Due to a fluke, you're a Duke! Oh, by the way, you inherited a fiancé! Isn't that nice?!

This was definitely a twist on the normal marriage of convenience plots, I've enjoyed in the past! Nicholas, is shocked to discover he is being forced to marry Isabella, who was the former Dukes fiancé. No love lost there! Isabella really doesn't want to marry either "Duke" but she has been groomed to be the "perfect duchess" and is forced to marry by her beastly, stuffy, pompous parents. The "duke that was" was more interested in his dukedom than her, although that plot wasn't as developed as it could have been. I just adore a dastardly villain. Don't you?

Nicolas and Isabella are a well balanced couple. Nicholas is great at sex, being the former profligate rake, but very lacking in knowledge on how to go about as a Duke! Isabella, on the other hand, excels at the pressures of being a duchess and of course, is an innocent virginal lady. The two have a ton of inner dialogue, a slow connection, and very little heat.  This was a sweet romance that carried the whole plot. Nicholas pursued Isabella, courted and wooed her, all after their marriage. He realizes she's frightened and takes it slow, real slow. My favorite aspect of the story is that Nicholas, realizing just how controlled and strict, Isabella's life was before her marriage, encourages her to enjoy a freedom she needed and craved.

There is a plot twist at the end that is rather surprising. Margaret, Isabella's best friend and sister has secrets. And secrets always have a habit of making themselves known. All in all, I enjoyed the book. It was an quick, delightful read with a sweet, adorably cute romance.

Follow the rest of the Tour here!

 

Rafflecopter Giveaway (Three Signed Copies of PUT UP YOUR DUKE)
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[about-author name="megan-frampton"]

A Touch of Passion by Bronwen Evans #Giveaway

A Touch of Passion
The Disgraced Lords # 3 
By: Bronwen Evans 
Released March 24th, 2015 
Loveswept 

In the latest Disgraced Lords novel from USA Today bestselling author Bronwen Evans, a vivacious thrill seeker clashes with her dutiful defender—causing irresistible sparks to fly.

Independent and high-spirited, Lady Portia Flagstaff has never been afraid to take a risk, especially if it involves excitement and danger. But this time, being kidnapped and sold into an Arab harem is the outcome of one risk too many. Now, in order to regain her freedom, she has to rely on the deliciously packaged Grayson Devlin, Viscount Blackwood, a man who despises her reckless ways—and stirs in her a thirst for passion.

After losing his mother and two siblings in a carriage accident years ago, Grayson Devlin promised Portia’s dying brother that he’d always watch over his wayward sister. But having to travel to Egypt to rescue the foolhardy girl has made his blood boil. Grayson already has his hands full trying to clear his best friend and fellow Libertine Scholar of a crime he didn’t commit. Worse still, his dashing rescue has unleashed an unforeseen and undesired consequence: marriage. Now it’s more than Portia he has to protect . . . it’s his battered heart.

Be sure to follow the tour here. http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/01/a-touch-of-passion-disgraced-lords-3-by.html   Sign up for the $25 gift card and swag giveaway below! Oh and check back later for my review of the entire series so far!

USA Today bestselling author Bronwen Evans grew up loving books. She has always indulged her love of storytelling and is constantly gobbling up movies, books, and theater. Is it any wonder she’s a proud romance writer? Evans is a two-time winner of the RomCon Readers’ Crown and has been nominated for an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award. She lives in Wellington, New Zealand..

Find Bronwen@

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Win a $25.00 eGift Card to Choice Book Seller, Loveswept Mug and Nail Polish!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Sex tapes, hidden identities, thieving moms, road trip in a winter storm! Hilariousness ensues!"

Four Nights with the Duke
Desperate Duchesses # 8
By: Eloisa James
Releasing March 31st, 2015
Avon

My Rockin' Review:

I got this gem of a read from Netgalley.  I'm new to Tracy Brogan and this one made a fan of me! The third in the Bell Harbor series,it can be read completely stand alone.   

Delaney is hiding out in the wilds of Michigan because her rat of an ex-boyfriend post a sex tape that he secretly took of them. *DOUCHE*. As her family is part of a reality show, she wanted to escape the media attention. 

*I get it, I do! But to run and hide is NOT my thing! He'd have been sued the second that tape came out!* 

She meets up with Grant Connelly, a reality cinematographer, who just got dumped for his boss. Unfortunately, Grant's mom takes Delaney's bag full of hideout cash and makes a run for the casino.

Grant and Delaney are forced into a road trip and along the way all the mishaps lead them on an adventure and eventually to love. But you know, the whole hidden identity part catches up to Delaney and they have issues to work out. The Paradise Brothers ROCK!! LOVED Them!! I want to see Reggie's story! That man deserves one! 

This story had obvious slapstick  tones to it but with the full-fledged characters made it sweet and funny. I'd definitely read another Tracy Brogan story! If you're looking for a humorous read, this is the one for you!

Bestselling, award-winning author Tracy Brogan writes fun, funny stories about ordinary people finding extraordinary love, and lush historical romance full of damsels causing distress - and the occasional man in a kilt.

Brogan is a 2013 Romance Writers of America® RITA Best First Book Finalist for CRAZY LITTLE THING, a two-time Golden Quill winner in both contemporary and historical romance, a Booksellers Best award winner for HIGHLAND SURRENDER, and she has also received the coveted Diamond Award from Amazon Publishing for sales exceeding one million copies. CRAZY LITTLE THING ranked #33 overall in Kindle sales in 2013, and THE BEST MEDICINE made that same list in 2014. Her third Bell Harbor novel, LOVE ME SWEET, released in January, 2015.

Find Tracy@

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Contemporary Romance Review: Love Me Sweet by Tracy Brogan

"Sex tapes, hidden identities, thieving moms, road trip in a winter storm! Hilariousness ensues!"

Love Me Sweet by Tracy Brogan

Third in the Bell Harbor series

Montlake Romance

Jan 20, 1015

Contemporary Romance

My Rating: 4 Stars

Source: NetGalley 

My Rockin' Review:

I got this gem of a read from Netgalley.  I'm new to Tracy Brogan and this one made a fan of me! The third in the Bell Harbor series,it can be read completely stand alone.   

Delaney is hiding out in the wilds of Michigan because her rat of an ex-boyfriend post a sex tape that he secretly took of them. *DOUCHE*. As her family is part of a reality show, she wanted to escape the media attention. 

*I get it, I do! But to run and hide is NOT my thing! He'd have been sued the second that tape came out!* 

She meets up with Grant Connelly, a reality cinematographer, who just got dumped for his boss. Unfortunately, Grant's mom takes Delaney's bag full of hideout cash and makes a run for the casino.

Grant and Delaney are forced into a road trip and along the way all the mishaps lead them on an adventure and eventually to love. But you know, the whole hidden identity part catches up to Delaney and they have issues to work out. The Paradise Brothers ROCK!! LOVED Them!! I want to see Reggie's story! That man deserves one! 

This story had obvious slapstick  tones to it but with the full-fledged characters made it sweet and funny. I'd definitely read another Tracy Brogan story! If you're looking for a humorous read, this is the one for you!

Bestselling, award-winning author Tracy Brogan writes fun, funny stories about ordinary people finding extraordinary love, and lush historical romance full of damsels causing distress - and the occasional man in a kilt.

Brogan is a 2013 Romance Writers of America® RITA Best First Book Finalist for CRAZY LITTLE THING, a two-time Golden Quill winner in both contemporary and historical romance, a Booksellers Best award winner for HIGHLAND SURRENDER, and she has also received the coveted Diamond Award from Amazon Publishing for sales exceeding one million copies. CRAZY LITTLE THING ranked #33 overall in Kindle sales in 2013, and THE BEST MEDICINE made that same list in 2014. Her third Bell Harbor novel, LOVE ME SWEET, released in January, 2015.

Find Tracy@

Website|Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads|Amazon