The last two years have gone by so fast. I have thankfully still been reading but my reviewing has fallen off due to my non-blogger life being way to busy.
Above were my favorites in 2021. I had a few new to me authors, like Lilly atlas and Lucy Score as well as Lucy Lennox. Plus some of my all time favorites, Helen Hoang, Tijan, Lydia Michaels and Kristen Ashley. Even though KA didn't make my best of list, all her books released this year were still near and dear to my heart.
I vow for this year to be different and to be about the things I love and cherish. Which is reading, my husband and my naked cats.
I vow to be more present on goodreads and my reviews as well as get caught up on old reviews from the past.
For those whom still come to visit my blog. Thank you!! and I hope for more content this year!!
Dream Keeper, the all new white hot and action packed contemporary romance from New York Times bestselling author Kristen Ashley, is available now!
Spinning off from the bestselling Dream Man and Rock Chick series, this is the emotional and steamy contemporary romance fans of the Dream Team series have been waiting for!
He’s perfect—but he can’t be hers.
Pepper Hannigan is determined to keep any romance off the table—and out of her bedroom—while her daughter Juno is still young. Sure, a certain handsome commando is thoughtful, funny, and undeniably hot, but Pepper’s had her heart broken before, and she won’t let it happen again. Not to her or her little girl, even if this hero could melt any woman’s resolve.
Augustus “Auggie” Hero can’t deny his attraction to beautiful, warm-hearted Pepper or how much he wants to make a home with her and her little girl, but Pepper’s mixed signals have kept him away. That is, until Juno decides to play matchmaker. Her efforts finally bring Pepper into his arms, but they expose the danger Pepper is in. To protect Pepper and Juno, Auggie will have to live up to his last name and prove happy endings aren’t just for fairy tales.
Read Now Amazon: https://amzn.to/3w5xEHH Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/DreamKeeper Apple Books: https://apple.co/3qvIKEC Kobo: https://bit.ly/3x6txfL Nook: https://bit.ly/3AaghbN Google Play: https://bit.ly/2TegiuI Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3y4yExe Barnes & Noble Paperback: https://bit.ly/3y299wn
Read a Sneak Peek Now!
Prologue
Auggie stood at the front of the church and watched her walk down the aisle. The bridesmaids’ dresses Lottie chose were very Lottie. Sleek. Sexy. Baring.
All the women looked great in them, but none of them looked better than Pepper.
And he thought that even before Pepper, as she strutted down the aisle, caught sight of her daughter, Juno, and shot her girl a huge smile.
Pepper Hannigan was gorgeous.
Anytime she was with her daughter?
Knockout.
They were the next in the line of Lottie’s matches. Auggie and Pepper.
Mo and Lottie were the obvious firsts (Mo was one of Aug’s four best buds), and Lottie earning the love of Mo had been all Lottie’s idea.
Mo never thought he’d find anyone as fantastic as Lots, would never go for it, until Lottie talked him around.
Now Mo was standing at the front of their line, waiting to make her his wife.
Once Lottie got her happy ending, she set about giving the same thing to Mo’s friends...fixing them up with her own crew.
And so far, she’d done a bang-up job.
Mag and Evie, the second couple, were living together and getting married.
Boone and Ryn, the third, were tight, and further, they were in business together.
Axl and Hattie, the fourth, were as good as living together, and practically inseparable. It was him and Pepper who were the holdouts.
This was not for lack of trying on Auggie’s part.
Once he’d met her, Auggie saw no reason not to go for it.
She was gorgeous. She was funny. She spoke her mind. She was laid back. Together. She didn’t seem to have any hang-ups.
But Pepper saw reason not to give it a shot because she had a kid.
He got it. She was being careful. Whatever had torn her and Juno’s dad apart had made her skittish.
So yeah.
He got it.
That didn’t mean it wasn’t torture.
Like right now, when her eyes caught his, the smile that she gave her kid still in them,
and Auggie felt that. He felt it.
Damn.
It wasn’t even aimed at him in any real way, and that residual love she’d targeted at her daughter was so big, it took forever to fade away.
He’d never felt that kind of love.
Not once in his life.
And he wanted it so bad, the backs of his teeth hurt with the need to taste it.
He lost her attention when she shifted to take her place at the front of the church and
Auggie tore his gaze away from her to watch the next woman, Hattie, march down the aisle. On its way, his gaze snagged on Juno.
Dark hair to her mom’s blonde, she was all dressed up, her hair curled —her mom was a bridesmaid in a big wedding with all the prep that entailed, but it was clear Juno had not been forgotten.
She was staring at her mother, beaming with pride.
Seeing that beam made Auggie want even more of what he’d never had. From the both of them.
Beaming with pride.
About Kristen Ashley Kristen Ashley is the New York Times bestselling author of over sixty romance novels including the Rock Chick, Colorado Mountain, Dream Man, Chaos, Unfinished Hero, The ’Burg, Magdalene, Fantasyland, The Three, Ghost and Reincarnation, Moonlight and Motor Oil and Honey series along with several standalone novels. She’s a hybrid author, publishing titles both independently and traditionally, her books have been translated in fourteen languages and she’s sold over three million books. Kristen’s novel, Law Man, won the RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award for best Romantic Suspense. Her independently published title Hold On was nominated for RT Book Reviews best Independent Contemporary Romance and her traditionally published title Breathe was nominated for best Contemporary Romance. Kristen’s titles Motorcycle Man, The Will, Ride Steady (which won the Reader’s Choice award from Romance Reviews) and The Hookup all made the final rounds for Goodreads Choice Awards in the Romance category.
Connect with Kristen Amazon: https://amzn.to/2FyJg18 Facebook: https://bit.ly/3hl0A7e Instagram: https://bit.ly/33o8nfv Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2ZtoKGz BookBub: https://bit.ly/3bYcTFl Twitter: https://bit.ly/35Kg6rh Pinterest: https://bit.ly/3mftcCt Website: https://www.kristenashley.net Stay up to date by subscribing to her mailing list: https://bit.ly/3mjJiLd
Source: eARC for Honest Review Courtesy of Social Butterfly PR
Genre: Adult Romance
Part 4 of a spin off series
My Dream Keeper Review . . .
It
has felt like forever waiting for Pepper and Auggie's story. When I
sign up to be part of blitz or tour it is not always guaranteed that you
will get chosen. For this one I was bummed I didn't get chosen that I
had get my KA fix so I re-read the whole Colorado Mountain Man Series,
then when I was on Bounty I got the email that I was part of this blitz
and I was super excited. As I love all things KA. Literally everything
she writes I am all in.
In
Dream Spinner we get a bit of Pepper and Auggie from the other couples
wanting to fix them up. We also got a preview into Dream Keeper which
is the first chapter where Pepper pushes Auggie away and I was not sure
how this was going to play out.
Now
reading Dream Keeper, KA again did a great job of keeping me reeled in
and loving this couple as well as Juno and Mr. Cisco. I also assumed
that this one was the last book in the series and I wasn't sure how we
were going to wrap up the dirty cop story line. Then I got really
confused for a bit because that story line was on the back burner and
barely spoken about for a majority of the book and I was all like
"what???", THEN we got the alluding that there will be more dream team
books, YEAH!!!!!! We were also left with a bit of a cliff hanger on the
police story line hooking us into more to see how that all plays out.
Juno
was a great kid and I loved her character. I also loved her friendship
with Brett (Mr. Cisco). With how Pepper treated Auggie at the
beginning I wasn't sure if I was going to love her as much as the
others, PLUS she was a giggler. And I am NEVER a fan of gigglers in
stories. Thankfully the giggling was short lived and Pepper was super
zen like which made me love her.
Auggie
was loveable from beginning to end. When Auggie had to deal with his
family I was a bit shocked Pepper didn't throw in like the others but
then I realized that would go against her zen like character. And she
threw in when she needed to and at the right moments.
Auggie's
parents were a piece of work and I was so happy for him that he got to
see what a healthy loving family can be like. I loved how he was with
Juno. I also loved that Juno loved Auggie for her mother more than her
father. Which helped cement to show how awesome Auggie is.
I
loved the premise of this series being a spin off. I loved the whole
large story arc and how it ties in almost all of the other series. I
loved all the characters in this series. I am so ecstatic to carry on
with this series. Can't wait for more from this series and this author
Dream Keeper, the all new addictive and steamy contemporary romance from New York Times bestselling author Kristen Ashley, is available now!
Spinning off from the bestselling Dream Man and Rock Chick series, this is the emotional and steamy contemporary romance fans of the Dream Team series have been waiting for!
He’s perfect—but he can’t be hers.
Pepper Hannigan is determined to keep any romance off the table—and out of her bedroom—while her daughter Juno is still young. Sure, a certain handsome commando is thoughtful, funny, and undeniably hot, but Pepper’s had her heart broken before, and she won’t let it happen again. Not to her or her little girl, even if this hero could melt any woman’s resolve.
Augustus “Auggie” Hero can’t deny his attraction to beautiful, warm-hearted Pepper or how much he wants to make a home with her and her little girl, but Pepper’s mixed signals have kept him away. That is, until Juno decides to play matchmaker. Her efforts finally bring Pepper into his arms, but they expose the danger Pepper is in. To protect Pepper and Juno, Auggie will have to live up to his last name and prove happy endings aren’t just for fairy tales.
Meet Pepper and Auggie today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3w5xEHH Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/DreamKeeper Apple Books: https://apple.co/3qvIKEC Kobo: https://bit.ly/3x6txfL Nook: https://bit.ly/3AaghbN Google Play: https://bit.ly/2TegiuI Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3y4yExe Barnes & Noble Paperback: https://bit.ly/3y299wn
Start to the Dream Team series today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ic6Pyp Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/DreamMaker Apple Books: https://apple.co/3vKO1dl Nook: https://bit.ly/2S14b3I Kobo: https://bit.ly/2SNvFcW Google Play: https://bit.ly/3wRzigG
About Kristen Ashley Kristen Ashley is the New York Times bestselling author of over sixty romance novels including the Rock Chick, Colorado Mountain, Dream Man, Chaos, Unfinished Hero, The ’Burg, Magdalene, Fantasyland, The Three, Ghost and Reincarnation, Moonlight and Motor Oil and Honey series along with several standalone novels. She’s a hybrid author, publishing titles both independently and traditionally, her books have been translated in fourteen languages and she’s sold over three million books. Kristen’s novel, Law Man, won the RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award for best Romantic Suspense. Her independently published title Hold On was nominated for RT Book Reviews best Independent Contemporary Romance and her traditionally published title Breathe was nominated for best Contemporary Romance. Kristen’s titles Motorcycle Man, The Will, Ride Steady (which won the Reader’s Choice award from Romance Reviews) and The Hookup all made the final rounds for Goodreads Choice Awards in the Romance category.
Connect with Kristen Amazon: https://amzn.to/2FyJg18 Facebook: https://bit.ly/3hl0A7e Instagram: https://bit.ly/33o8nfv Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2ZtoKGz BookBub: https://bit.ly/3bYcTFl Twitter: https://bit.ly/35Kg6rh Pinterest: https://bit.ly/3mftcCt Website: https://www.kristenashley.net Stay up to date by subscribing to her mailing list: https://bit.ly/3mjJiLd
Source: eARC for Honest Review Courtesy of Social Butterfly PR
Genre: Adult Romance
Part 4 of a spin off series
My Dream Keeper Review . . .
It has felt like forever waiting for Pepper and Auggie's story. When I sign up to be part of blitz or tour it is not always guaranteed that you will get chosen. For this one I was bummed I didn't get chosen that I had get my KA fix so I re-read the whole Colorado Mountain Man Series, then when I was on Bounty I got the email that I was part of this blitz and I was super excited. As I love all things KA. Literally everything she writes I am all in.
In Dream Spinner we get a bit of Pepper and Auggie from the other couples wanting to fix them up. We also got a preview into Dream Keeper which is the first chapter where Pepper pushes Auggie away and I was not sure how this was going to play out.
Now reading Dream Keeper, KA again did a great job of keeping me reeled in and loving this couple as well as Juno and Mr. Cisco. I also assumed that this one was the last book in the series and I wasn't sure how we were going to wrap up the dirty cop story line. Then I got really confused for a bit because that story line was on the back burner and barely spoken about for a majority of the book and I was all like "what???", THEN we got the alluding that there will be more dream team books, YEAH!!!!!! We were also left with a bit of a cliff hanger on the police story line hooking us into more to see how that all plays out.
Juno was a great kid and I loved her character. I also loved her friendship with Brett (Mr. Cisco). With how Pepper treated Auggie at the beginning I wasn't sure if I was going to love her as much as the others, PLUS she was a giggler. And I am NEVER a fan of gigglers in stories. Thankfully the giggling was short lived and Pepper was super zen like which made me love her.
Auggie was loveable from beginning to end. When Auggie had to deal with his family I was a bit shocked Pepper didn't throw in like the others but then I realized that would go against her zen like character. And she threw in when she needed to and at the right moments.
Auggie's parents were a piece of work and I was so happy for him that he got to see what a healthy loving family can be like. I loved how he was with Juno. I also loved that Juno loved Auggie for her mother more than her father. Which helped cement to show how awesome Auggie is.
I loved the premise of this series being a spin off. I loved the whole large story arc and how it ties in almost all of the other series. I loved all the characters in this series. I am so ecstatic to carry on with this series. Can't wait for more from this series and this author
Canary, an all-new not-to-be-missed, enemies-to-lovers standalone mafia romance from New York Times bestselling author Tijan is available now!
We were on the front lines in that world, the mafia world. There was nothing soft or glamorous about it. Who you were before no longer mattered. Names didn’t exist.
I joined anyway. I had no other choice because they took my sister. Join. Find her. Try and make it out alive.
Then he won me in a poker game. I hated him instantly, thinking he was like my other bosses before him. He wasn’t. He was worse.
He wasn’t just cold. He was dead inside. It didn’t matter that he was gorgeous. He was the most lethal thing I’d ever met.
He was also the only person who could keep me alive, if he didn’t kill me himself.
A/N This is a 102k mafia/cartel standalone. This is the most violent book Tijan has ever written. Trigger warning: references to sexual violence
“Canaries sing to save lives. I sing and people die.”
Be captivated today! FREE in Kindle Unlimited Amazon: https://amzn.to/3lwKyNn Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/canary
Add Canary to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3Cknqr7
Excerpt
“I…” I didn’t even know. I couldn’t explain what I didn’t know. “Ask me about Jake in a different way.” “There is no other way.” “You know there is! Ask it in a different way.” I shoved up to my feet. This was the fight here. I was sick of the killing. I could not handle one more body, especially not someone I knew. My chest heaved. “Ask it in a different way.” I liked Jake. I was hurt by what he said, but he wasn’t on my list anymore. I frowned. “What happened with Cavers?” “None of your business!” he erupted, his hands flying in the air, but he was moving farther away from me. His back hit the wall, and he let me see him, how haunted he was, how stricken. He let it all out for me to see and read, though I wasn’t sure he knew it. “I don’t run my decisions through some pussy I like plowing.” Okay, now I was mad. “Take that back,” I said quietly. He swore, low and long. Then he moved, flipping a chair into the wall. It impaled there, and the wall held it. It looked like an abstract piece of art. “Take it back!” I clipped out, folding my arms over my chest. He looked away. I didn’t know what was going on here, but fuck him if he didn’t take back calling me pussy he liked to plow. I screamed, “Take it back!” “No!” He was across the room and in my face in the next second. I braced myself, but he didn’t touch me. He stopped just short of it, his breath in my cheek, his eyes taking me in, scanning my face. He was panicking. I saw it now, lurking there. Good! That filled me with satisfaction. My chest started pounding. No, that was my heart. It was thumping in my chest, getting stronger, faster—a steady and powerful beat now. I could feel it all the way to my toes—in my fingers, my neck. His eyes lingered on my lips. He couldn’t look away. Stark hunger flashed in his eyes, and he raised a hand, holding it in the air. It curved gently, as if he wanted to touch my neck, or the side of my face. But he didn’t move. He just held it there, a few inches from my skin. His eyes lifted to mine. “You bitch.” My heart still pounded, trying to reach him. “You’re a murdering asshole,” I whispered back, seething. “What?”he sneered. “You want to fuck now? Forget you put a fucking gun to your head?” “Don’t kill Jake.” He pressed into me, his eyes wild, on the edge of control. “Why?” His breath was hot on me. He bent down, his eyes glittering now. Then he found his control. He rested one hand against the wall, next to my head. The other found my hip and slid up, moving under my shirt, raising it. God. I almost moaned. Wetness flooded me, and I started to throb. I wanted him. So fucking bad. He bent and his lips grazed over mine, my cheeks, my chin. Tingles raced through me. Jesus. I wanted him deep inside of me. I shifted, pressing against him, and both of us groaned from the contact. I began moving, a slow grind, and he was quiet, grinding back. This was different from the other times. The terms had flipped. Roles were changing. Everything was being upended between us.
About Tijan Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new series from north Minnesota where she lives with an English Cocker she adores.
Source: eARC for Honest Review Courtesy of Author and Social Butterfly PR
Genre: Mafia Romance
Standalone
My Canary Review . . .
I absolutely adore Tijan and her ability to weave a story with so
many levels. In Canary, I knew it was a mafia book but I truly wasn't
sure what it was about. I loved the Q&A that was on her social
media but it still gave me no clue what this book was about.
As
I started to read it I was HOOKED. I loved the way we saw everything
through her eyes and were reeled into thinking the story was more about
Raize and all that he does with the mafia and then as layers were added
we started to see glimpses about her. As each glimpse came to the
surface I was more and more entranced with the story.
Raize
and her chemistry sizzled through out, giving that electric feeling the
whole time. There was so much depth to Raize and her that it was so
easy to fall in love with them. I loved how she also softens the
hardened Raize along the way and they ended up collecting men on their
side which become a pseudo family.
I also love that we get
to have an appearance of Blade and Carol within in this story and also
hint of the Bennett's. Though I have to admit I would love to see
Carter Reed make an appearance any time with in these standalone Mafia
stories.
Such a great story with so many layers that grabs you
from the first moment till the last. Loved it!! Can't wait for more
from Tijan
