Hannah's Words: November 2016

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

ARC REVIEW Ink Exposed by Carrie Ann Ryan

*sigh* I knew I was going to love Alex. I was worried about it being so soon after he got out of rehab (a year) and him starting a relationship. Well so was Alex, he admitted he didn't think he was ready but when someone attacks Tabby there is no holding back. Tabby has always loved Alex she watched his marriage fall apart and then fall into a bottle and struggle to get out again and Tabby loves him even more than before. There is not a whole lot of angst between the two just mainly Alex trying to figure his life. He feels guilt for missing so much of his family's life and the issues he had with his wife are still burrowing under his skin. He knows he screwed up and he doesn't feel like he deserves a woman like Tabby but she proves him wrong.

Tabby and Alex are such a great couple. It is a nice erotic heart warming story about redemption and learning to accept love again. Once again Carrie Ann Ryan has managed to make me fall in love with another Montgomery.

LAUNCH DAY BLITZ Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt

DUKE OF PLEASURE by Elizabeth Hoyt

(November 29, 2016; Grand Central Publishing Mass Market; The Maiden Lane Series #11)

IN THE ARMS OF DANGER

Bold. Brave. Brutally handsome. Hugh Fitzroy, the Duke of Kyle, is the king's secret weapon. Sent to defeat the notorious Lords of Chaos, he is ambushed in a London alley-and rescued by an unlikely ally: a masked stranger with the unmistakable curves of a woman.

IN THE HEAT OF DESIRE

Cocky. Clever. Courageously independent. Alf has survived on the perilous streets of St. Giles by disguising her sex. By day she is a boy, dealing in information and secrets. By night she's the notorious Ghost of St. Giles, a masked vigilante. But as she saves Hugh from assassins, she finds herself succumbing to temptation . . .

ONE KISS WILL CHANGE THEIR LIVES FOREVER

When Hugh hires Alf to investigate the Lords of Chaos, her worlds collide. Once Hugh realizes that the boy and the Ghost are the same, will Alf find the courage to become the woman she needs to be-before the Lords of Chaos destroy them both?

Buy the Book!

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

B&N: http://bit.ly/2cFKiVG

iBooks: http://apple.co/2cQ1ZGO

Google: http://bit.ly/2cDc2eW

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IndieBound: http://bit.ly/2cPHXtb

I wholeheartedly agree with the above RT Book Review. I so enjoyed reading this book. Alf has to be one of my favorite heroines. She's quick witted, fearless, strong, and just all around amazing. Hugh, Duke of Kyle, is equally as impressive. He may think he wants one thing but because of a bad call when he was younger he has begun to doubt his own choices. As the acknowledged bastard of the King, Hugh was given the title of Duke of Kyle and has been given the job of tracking down and eliminating the Lords of Chaos. Shortly after making inquiries he was attacked by a bloodthirsty gang in St. Giles, outnumbered Kyle thought he was a goner until he was saved by the Ghost of St. Giles then kissed by the Ghost.

It was revealed earlier on in the series that Alf was really a woman who survived living in St. Giles by disguising herself as a boy. Kyle has hired Alf to find out who and why someone tried to kill him. But Alf comes back to his house badly beaten and Kyle feels responsible for the boy. Kyle continues to fantasize about the mysterious woman who is the Ghost of St. Giles. Kyle and Alf work together to reveal the mystery behind the Lords of Chaos. Alf is not afraid to face anything but when asked to do one thing she has never done to help figure out the men behind the Lords her love for Kyle is the one thing that has her face the only thing she has been scared of being a woman.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. Only reading the last two stories ( Duke of Sin and Once upon a Moonlit Night) it's okay to read as a standalone really the only one you should read before hand is Duke of Sin but it is not required. The romance between Kyle and Alf is wonderfully done and the two young boys in the story, Kyle's sons, are absolutely adorable.

About the Author:

Elizabeth Hoyt is the New York Times bestselling author of over seventeen lush historical romances including the Maiden Lane series. Publishers Weekly has called her writing "mesmerizing." She also pens deliciously fun contemporary romances under the name Julia Harper. Elizabeth lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with three untrained dogs, a garden in constant need of weeding, and the long-suffering Mr. Hoyt.

Social Media Links:

www.ElizabethHoyt.com

www.twitter.com/elizabethhoyt

www.facebook.com/ElizabethHoytBooks

Add Duke of Pleasure to your shelf on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2cPHOG4

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT*****

WICKED INTENTIONS is now FREE for a limited time!

The ebook edition of WICKED INTENTIONS, the first book in Elizabeth Hoyt’s bestselling Maiden Lane series will be FREE from November 28 through December 12! This is a great opportunity to introduce friends to the series! On December 13 the price returns to $5.99.

Buy the Book!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2fVKt1w

B&N: http://bit.ly/2gCTFw9

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Tuesday, November 15, 2016

LAUNCH DAY BLITZ For the Bear's Eyes Only by Kathy Lyons

FOR THE BEAR’S EYES ONLY by Kathy Lyons

November 15, 2016

Forever Yours eBook

$1.99

Grizzlies Gone Wild Book 3

The third book in a wild shifter series from USA TODAY bestselling author Kathy Lyons.

Life as Alan Carman knew it is over. After he was captured and tortured by a mysterious enemy, the lawyer’s latent grizzly-shifter DNA was triggered. The old Alan is gone, and in its place is a terrifying vicious beast that lives and breathes for revenge. He will track down the person who did this to him—and it’ll be the last thing he ever does.

Tonya Kappes refuses to let Alan run headlong to his death. A bear-shifting deputy—and the Gladwin Clan’s beta—Tonya faces Alan with one weapon: the love that’s lingered between them since they were kids. But the idealistic man she knew has changed…into something raw, primal, and unbelievably sexy, igniting every lustful cell in her body. And, if Alan can’t learn to love the beast inside himself, maybe he can love the animal in her.

OH MY GOSH this book. What I like about shifter books is they can beat the crap out of each other get up and it's all good, especially in this book and between Tonya and Alan. Yes they fight Alan hits her but being a shifter she gives as good as she gets. (I only bring it up because it might be a trigger for some) This was a great book and a great end to this particular story arc and I hope it's not over as a series because this is a fantastic series. I love all the characters I definitely want more.

Alan has always loved Tonya, but Tonya after a bad breakup set her mind on becoming Maxima. When Carl the Max meets and mates his true mate Carl makes Tonya his Beta usurping his brother Alan as Beta. Alan has always felt like the odd man out being one of the few that has the shifter gene in his chromosome dormant. But when the Evil Cat Lady kidnaps him and activates the dormant gene he becomes what he views as a monster.

Tonya believes she's the only one who can bring Alan back safely after he takes off to seek his revenge against the woman who did this to him. Tonya's bear has laid a claim on Alan and she needs to convince him that what he is going through is normal he just has to learn to accept that this is what he is now and that he's not a monster. But Alan is stubborn.

Buy the Book!

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Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2dr397H

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2dS0W8N

iBooks: http://apple.co/2e0wENB

Google: http://bit.ly/2dS0hny

About the Author:

Kathy Lyons is the wild, adventurous half of USA TODAY bestselling author Jade Lee. A lover of all things fantastical, Kathy spent much of her childhood in Narnia, Middle Earth, Amber, and Earthsea, just to name a few. There is nothing she adores more than turning an ordinary day into something magical, which is what happens all the time in her books. Winner of several industry awards including the Prism-Best of the Best, Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice, and Fresh Fiction's Steamiest Read, Kathy has published over fifty romance novels, and she's just getting started. Check out her latest news at KathyLyons.com.

Social Media Links:

www.kathylyons.com

www.twitter.com/JadeLeeAuthor

www.facebook.com/JadeLeeAuthor

Add For the Bear’s Eyes Only to your shelf on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2dE8MlW

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Thursday, November 10, 2016

ARC REVIEW How to Impress a Marquess by Susanna Ives

How to Impress a Marquess is book three in the Wicked Little Secrets series. It is just fine as a standalone I haven't read any of the previous books but was not lost at all. It was, in the end, a very cute and fun book. However Lilith I didn't really care for; for most of the book she was flaky, immature, whiny, and selfish. She does change she sees that not everything was as she perceived it to be and that it was not only her feelings and emotions being messed with as a child. I do like that she was a free spirit and artistically inclined and also that she knew how to act she just refused to conform to society's rules unless she has too. George of course is a brooding straightlaced Marquess. George doesn't even realize that he has been in love with Lilith the whole time and he has been doing everything to keep her in his life. Even Lilith doesn't see it she just sees him as the oppressive villain of her story. Which of course is what she does. Lilith is the author of a very popular story being printed by a London magazine she has loosely based the characters on George as the bad guy and herself as the heroine. George loves the story and wishes he can find a woman like the heroine of the story.

Lilith hates the side of her family her mother married into. She has felt unloved and unwanted since she was a teen, she has been ridiculed and made to feel like a lesser of a person just because her birth father was not of society breeding. George is the head of the family and was left in charge of Lilith's inheritance and every month she must beg for her money. Lilith has shown to be irresponsible and flighty when it comes to her money, and her cousins from her father's side have used her for it and after living together for several years they have abandoned her with a past due rent of seven months even though she has given her rent money to them every month. Homeless and betrayed only George is there to help her and she hates him for it. An old school acquaintance of George's has fallen for Lilith and manipulated George into bringing her to George's annual house party. The house party is where all the excitement happens including a spiteful and hateful mother, a forgotten half sister, and an attic of forgotten secrets and locked away artist talent.

Overall this was a fun and enjoyable read, I really liked it. And every time George said "My God, Lilith!" he did so in Frasier Crane's voice.

Saturday, November 5, 2016

ARC REVIEW A Sure Thing by Marie Harte

The Donnigans, yet another spin-off series of the fabulous McCauley Brothers series which also is running parallel with the other spin-off Body Shop Bad Boys. But don't let that deter you from the series each can be read standalone from each other. The Donnigans are cousins to the McCauley family and definitely see some familiar traits the the Donnigan side of the family. Landon and Ava are definitely a great couple. Landon always knew what he wanted to be, with his personality how could he be anything else but an officer for the Marine Corp. He achieved his dream but it was cut short when a bullet hit him and messed with his leg so bad he couldn't continue on as a career Marine. Fortunately he adjusted well out of the military and found the perfect job for himself where he gets to boss people around. Ava has a plan, the three things in her life that she needs to lead a happy and good life: a great job as a psychologist working with great people including her mentor, check; family support even though she lives across the country from her parents she has her crazy and flamboyant cousins and her aunt and uncle, check; a love life following her very specific list of qualities wants and needs, nope. All the dates she's been on recently are exactly what she wants but there has yet be be a spark. Then in steps the opposite of everything she ever wanted, Landon.

The Donnigan family has it's own set of problems, Landon gets his type A personality from his mother who is currently butting heads with the only girl in the family, Hope, who has been dating a bunch of losers lately. Hopes last loser got a little pushy and when Landon found out he knew had do something about it. Along with his other brother Gavin, who is suffering from PTSD and struggling, they start a self defence course at the gym where Gavis works as a personal trainer. The youngest of the family Theo is having issues with the patriarch of the family who is suppose to be the laid back peace loving former Navy Corpsman. Poor Theo has just graduated from high school and is currently bouncing from job to job aimlessly which is driving his father crazy.

The romance between Ava and Landon happens fairly quickly and very humorously. Between Ava fighting her attraction and trying to rewrite her list so she can logically accept Landon and Landon trying to prove that her list is silly, throw in a jealous ex-girlfriend and the prank war it definitely if an amusing read. The physical attraction is very naughty, they are both very dirty talkers and I know it's not for everyone but I loved it, and really fit in with both their personalities.

Overall, a really easy and enjoyable romance to read. As always Marie Harte writes a loveable family with realistic problems and humorous situations and a romance that always wins.

Thursday, November 3, 2016

ARC REVIEW Another Chance by Kathy Clark

Another Chance is book three in Kathy Clark's Austin Heroes series, it is sadly the conclusion to the series as well. The youngest Archer brother gets his second chance at love with his high school sweetheart and they are not the only ones who get another chance but a surprise reunion happens also. Luke Archer and Bella Shaw happened pretty quickly but it was like they picked up where they left off as soon as they realized what had happened all those years ago. There is no problem with their relationship only the fact that technically Luke lives in DC and Bella is a prominent lawyer and a Texas State Senator and that possibility that ISIS terrorist are coming over the Texas border and using Bella's ranch as an waypoint before getting into Austin. Said terrorists are planning an attack and Luke has come back home as part of the task force in charge of finding them and stopping them.

As with each of the books this can be read as a standalone, but the other books are so well done and together you get more of the family history and background and it really is more fun to know the story behind the dog who is addicted strawberries. The story has a great romance and a great plot, plenty of action, in the bedroom and out. Overall, this was a very exciting and romantic and I hate to see the end of this series but look forward to what may come.

ARC REVIEW IQ by Joe Ide

A modern day Sherlock Holmes, if he was born in the California Ghettos. IQ is the nickname they gave Isaiah Quintabe after he solved a very sensitive and exposing blackmailing scheme involving a rapper which he later published in a major magazine. Isaiah is a brilliant young man who at a young age tested above genius but due to circumstances out of his control it lead him on a path of destruction. You can see elements of Sherlock in the story his brother Marcus (Mycroft), his friend and I use the term loosely Dodson (Watson), and even Goliath (the Hound of Baskerville) along with Isaiah's deductive skills are that of Sherlock. This modern day almost realistic Sherlock is one of the best I've seen.

The story really starts off with a bang, it pulled you in and shows you how good Isaiah is at what he does. From then on it ping pongs back and forth between 2005-06 and 2013. It shows the progression of how Isaiah became what he is and most importantly why. The two timelines have nothing to do with each other but the past timeline does slowly reveal more about Isaiah and Dodson and their ambiguous friendship. In the modern timeline Dodson has come back to Isaiah with a high profile job. It's all hush hush but it promises a very nice paycheck. The rapper Calvin "Black the Knife" Wright has had a very curious assassination attempt, a very large dog almost killed him. Cal is determined to find out who tried to kill him, especailly if it's his ex-wife. Isaiah agreed to the job and no matter that everyone is trying to talk him out of it or stump him Isaiah isn't going to stop until he finds out the truth. Through the years Isaiah has made plenty of contact and through those contacts he is able to unravel the whole mystery.

The story is third person but does switch perspective throughout the list of characters even the assassin, but you don't find out the whodunit until the very end. Overall, I really truly enjoyed this one and I hope there are more stories about IQ to come.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

PRE-RELEASE BLITZ Someone Like You by Lauren Layne

A man who’s living a lie—until his dream woman takes away the pain.

SOMEONE LIKE YOU

Oxford #3

Lauren Layne

Releasing Dec 6th, 2016

Loveswept

Lauren Layne’s bestselling Oxford Series continues with the poignant, heartwarming story of New York’s most eligible bachelor, Lincoln Mathis, a man who’s living a lie—until his dream woman takes away the pain.

Lincoln Mathis doesn’t hide his reputation as Manhattan’s ultimate playboy. In fact, he cultivates it. But behind every flirtatious smile, each provocative quip, there’s a secret that Lincoln’s hiding from even his closest friends—a tragedy from his past that holds his heart quietly captive. Lincoln knows what he wants: someone like Daisy Sinclair, the sassy, off-limits bridesmaid he can’t take his eyes off at his best friend’s wedding. He also knows that she’s everything he can never have.

After a devastating divorce, Daisy doesn’t need anyone to warn her off the charming best man at her sister’s wedding. One look at the breathtakingly hot Lincoln Mathis and she knows that he’s exactly the type of man she should avoid. But when Daisy stumbles upon Lincoln’s secret, she realizes there’s more to the charming playboy than meets the eye. And suddenly Daisy and Lincoln find their lives helplessly entwined in a journey that will either heal their damaged souls . . . or destroy them forever.

Advance praise for Someone Like You

“Fun and flirty, sassy and steamy, with a deep emotional pull that will keep you turning the pages.”—Kelly Jamieson, author of Top Shelf

“An unsung hero with a story that touched my heart. Emotional and gripping. A top favorite of 2016 for me.”—New York Times bestselling author Melanie Moreland

Lauren Layne is the USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen romantic comedies. She lives in New York City with her husband (who was her high school sweetheart--cute, right?!) and plus-sized Pomeranian.

In 2011, she ditched her corporate career in Seattle to pursue a full-time writing career in Manhattan, and never looked back.

In her ideal world, every stiletto-wearing, Kate Spade wielding woman would carry a Kindle stocked with Lauren Layne books.

For a list of all her works, please be sure to check out her official website!

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Tuesday, November 1, 2016

ARC REVIEW A Night of Forever by Bronwen Evans

Boy did I jump into this series on the wrong book. Book six of Bronwen Evans' The Disgraced Lords series and the conclusion of the continuing story arc. It is not the last there are still two characters she wants (Needs) to give a HEA. Unfortunately I didn't like it enough to want to go back and read the other books. ( 2.5 stars at best) The main characters I could not connect to, Arend was way to whinny about how he's not good enough and his pride was way too much and Isobel was kind of annoying with how needy she seemed to be. It got annoying that only one person out of the entire twelve(ish) characters believed her. They were way too passive aggressive and there was no chemistry no romance just lust and mistrust. Not having read the previous five books it was a little confusing on what was going on and what happened and with whom. There was no mystery they know who did it they are just trying to get evidence to prove she was behind it all, and even that conclusion was disappointing. What I did like were the secondary characters; I could tell with them there was chemistry and love between them.

I don't even want to summarize the story I'm afraid I'll write in a spoiler, and I won't do that here is the blurb from Goodreads.com

Arend Aubury trusts no one besides his fellow Libertine Scholars. After his family escaped from France, penniless and persecuted, only the Scholars took him in. So when the stepdaughter of the villainess who has been plotting against them approaches Arend with allegations against their enemy, he suspects a double cross. Yet Isobel is a tantalizing prize, with lips as sweet as champagne and skin as creamy as Camembert. Is she a feast for the senses—or a bitter trap?

Lady Isobel Thompson dreams of marrying an honorable gentleman with a spotless reputation, a trait that Arend seems to lack completely. But Isobel believes that her stepmother is responsible for her father’s death, and only Arend has the skills to uncover the truth. As a cover, Arend suggests a fake betrothal—and soon Isobel finds herself forgetting that their courtship is a ploy. He’s so different from the man of her fantasies, and yet he’s so terribly handsome, so dangerously intoxicating—and all Isobel wants is more.

Overall, the whole story felt a little contrived. While I did like some aspects of the book it wasn't enough to enjoy the book. I liked Marissa's unwavering loyalty in her friend. I liked how Arend actually admitted he had a moment of doubt at the end but immediately realized he was being foolish. The active setting was good, I could easily picture the events and the characters surroundings.

REVIEW AND EXCERPT TOUR Tricked by Rebecca Zanetti

We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Review & Excerpt Tour for TRICKED by Rebecca Zanetti, a novella in her Dark Protectors Series brought to you by 1001 Dark Nights! Grab your copy of this sexy novella today!

About TRICKED:

He Might Save Her

Former police psychologist Ronni Alexander had it all before a poison attacked her heart and gave her a death sentence. Now, on her last leg, she has an opportunity to live if she mates a vampire. A real vampire. One night of sex and a good bite, and she’d live forever with no more weaknesses. Well, except for the vampire whose dominance is over the top, and who has no clue how to deal with a modern woman who can take care of herself.

She Might Kill Him

Jared Reese, who has no intention of ever mating for anything other than convenience, agrees to help out his new sister-in-law by saving her friend’s life with a quick tussle in bed. The plan seems so simple. They’d mate, and he move on with his life and take risks as a modern pirate should. Except after one night with Ronni, one moment of her sighing his name, and he wants more than a mating of convenience. Now all he has to do is convince Ronni she wants the same thing. Good thing he’s up for a good battle.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon Canada

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His muscles tightened as he held himself in check.

She stretched her neck, her body moving against him. “I feel so good.” Holding out her hand, she twisted her arm left and right. “Strong. Well, stronger than I just was.”

She rubbed her palm along his whiskers. “That’s not all.”

Yeah. He felt it, too. Attraction. So he turned her to straddle him, feeling her body warm several degrees. “Let me know if I go too fast.”

She leaned in and settled her lips on his. “The first time I saw you, I thought wow. A real wow.”

Her breath brushed his mouth, and he stiffened to remain in control. “Is that a fact?” he asked, waiting for her to make a move. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her, and he couldn’t tell how much stronger his blood had made her. If at all.

“Yes.” She nibbled at his bottom lip.

Magma boiled through his blood. “When I first saw you, I thought your eyes were the prettiest color I’d ever seen,” he said against her mouth. “Like a fine whiskey that has just caught the light.”

She kissed him, and he could feel her smile. “That’s sweet,” she whispered.Yeah. That was him. Sweet. Nobody in his entire life had called him that. “I don’t want to rush you,” he said.

She tunneled her hands through his hair and hummed. “But we’re on a bit of a deadline?”

“Yeah.” The slight tug of her fingers hazed red over his vision. “Don’t know how long your extra strength will last.” Probably not very long. And there could be repercussions to her damaged heart from his blood, so they had to mate and now. He stood, easily holding her to him. “Bedroom.”

She wrapped her legs around his waist. “Um. Okay.”

About Rebecca Zanetti: New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Rebecca Zanetti is the author of over twenty-five dark paranormals, romantic suspense, and contemporary romances. She lives in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with her own Alpha hero, two kids, a couple of dogs, a crazy cat…and a huge extended family. She believes strongly in luck, karma, and working her butt off…and she thinks one of the best things about being an author, unlike the lawyer she used to be, is that she can let the crazy out. Her current series are: The Dark Protectors, The Maverick Montana Cowboys, and the Sin Brothers series. Upcoming series are: The Realm Enforcers and The Scorpius Syndrome.