The Veiled Descendants (The Veiled Duchess #2) by Sophia Menesini

Review of The Matchmaker Club (Club Series #3) by Kayley Wood

If you're a fan of rom-coms, here's a new book for you to check out! If you follow the blog at all, you will have seen my reviews for the first two books in the series, The Virgin Club and The Karma Book Club. Today I have an excerpt to give you a sneak peek inside of this one, and then I am giving you my unbiased review. Please enjoy and then follow the tour for more people's thoughts. Be sure to let the author know what you think along the way. And of course, enter the great giveaway at the end!

The Matchmaker Club

How do you loosen up a rigid, brooding billionaire with a broken heart? Nothing a game of Spin the Bottle, a skinny dipping dare, and poison ivy couldn't fix!

This feel-good rom-com is quickly becoming another fan favorite in the hilarious and sweet Club Series.

"I couldn’t put the book down. The story was great." - Jillian – 5 Stars

"OH THE FEELS! A great read!" - littleboodamommy - 5 Stars

"If you like heartwarming romantic comedies then you’ll definitely enjoy this book!" - Amanda Beaumont - 5 Stars

"There are several moments that will leave you giggling, and even more that will leave you sighing in content. You cannot go wrong when you click a book in this series." -Des - 5 Stars

Hilarious. Sweet. Sassy.

It is an indisputable fact that Reed women are not marriage material.

The great-granddaughter of a famous burlesque dancer, the granddaughter of an ex-hippie, and the daughter of an eccentric artist, Taylor quickly learns the heartbreaking lesson of her family curse after her first love ends in rejection.

Apparently, Reed women are not girlfriend material either.

Nestled in a small town in Maine, Cedar Gardens is the worn-down estate which the Reed women call home. But there’s one catch: It doesn’t belong to them. Almost seventy years ago, Mortimer J. Freeman bought the place for his long-lost love, Marlena Reed. Now, his great-grandson—and heir to billions—Lucas Freeman is in town with an agenda: to quietly reclaim the estate and Mortimer’s old love letters to Marlena while avoiding a family scandal. But Taylor’s grandmother has another plan: to play matchmaker with Taylor and Lucas before all three Reed women are kicked out of the only home they have ever known.

The problem? Taylor can’t stand the brooding billionaire, who doesn’t understand the gravity of a triple dog dare or the fun of blowing bubbles in your milk. Responsibility, reliability, and routine are Lucas’s mantra. That is, until the fiery Taylor schemes up a hilarious to-do list to break him out of his habitual shell and, in the process, turns his world upside down.

But falling in love wasn’t part of any of their plans.

Does Cedar Gardens have enough magic to bring Taylor and Lucas together, or will the Reed family curse win out in the end?

THE MATCHMAKER CLUB is the heartwarming, yet hilarious third installment in the Club Series. A New Adult Romantic Comedy full of lol moments, lovable characters, strong female bonds, and gives all the feels!

Read an excerpt:

“If anyone’s out there, I got a gun and I ain’t afraid to use it!” my grandmother called out.

Lucas must’ve turned three shades of white under the moonlight, his eyes wide as saucers. I held both hands over my mouth to stifle a giggle. The only gun my grandmother had was a BB gun to scare away rodents… and Austin.

“I’m coming out now,” my grandmother warned.

Lucas gripped my arm and pulled me behind him. I almost died laughing right there and then. He was trying to protect me.

The shed light went on, and I grabbed Lucas and yanked him to the ground with me. There were a few clanking sounds, and Lucas pulled me into his arms. I felt myself snuggle closer against his chest. His heart was beating fast.

“It’s okay,” I whispered, and he held me a little tighter.

The last time I was this close to a man was my summer with Austin. I had forgotten how much I missed that warmth.

“What is it?” Lainey called from the house.

“Probably a raccoon trying to get to the birdseed,” my grandmother said before she flipped the shed light off.

When the porch light went out as well, his arms were still around me, and I didn’t want to move.

His mouth went to my ear, sending chills rippling across my skin. “Is it safe to go?”

“Yeah.”

His arms dropped to his sides, and I stood up. “This way.”

 Buy it on Amazon

**My thoughts**

OK, this one is my favorite one in the series. (At least thus far.) We've met Lucas a couple of times before. For some reason, I always picture him as a stuffy older man, but clearly he is not. We had a hint of his deeply buried impish side in the previous book when he meets Mia at the art gallery. But in this book, that fun side finally explodes out of him, thanks to Taylor.

I love Taylor. She has been raised by her grandmother and her aunt because her mother passed away from breast cancer when Taylor was only three years old. To this day, she still pines for her mother. I cannot imagine losing my mother at such a young age. I still getting used to losing my mother well into adulthood just over a year ago. It's beautiful how she is surrounded by her mother's memory in this house with her family. And I love that her mother left her letters with mix tapes so that she could give Taylor advice long after she had passed. The song selections are fantastic and made me nostalgic for making my own mix tapes out of my father's records and songs from the radio.

The two of them appear to be complete opposites on the surface. But inside, they truly are two like souls that are destined to fit together perfectly to complete each other. They have deep family issues and a desire for fun and crazy antics. I both laughed and cried my way through this one.

Oh, and the Matchmaker Club. These shunned women in this small town are actually the ones responsible for helping both men and women find true love. That whole part of the storyline in and of itself is beautiful to read. It shows how wonderful the Reed women are, in spite of the way they have been treated for generations. And really, they are helping themselves as they are helping others.

And lucky for me, there is even more to read in this series! I can't wait until I have time to get to them!

About Kayley Wood:

Kayley has three simple rules in life:

1. Surround yourself with some incredible, kick-ass women you call friends.

2. Don't worry about failure or mistakes. It's how you respond to them that makes all the difference.

3. An appletini is never complete without two cherries.

Links:

Website: www.kayleywood.com

FB: www.facebook.com/authorkayleywood

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18941724.Kayley_Wood

BB: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kayley-wood

Kayley Wood will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Read an excerpt from The Veiled Threat by Sophia Menesini

Review of Come a Little Closer by Chrissy Brown

Welcome to the book blast for Come a Little Closer by Chrissy Brown. This is the second book in her Georgia Boys series. I reviewed the first book, Can't Let Go, earlier this year here. Today I am sharing my thoughts on this book, as well as an excerpt. If you follow the tour, you will get to see more excerpts and reviews. Remember to leave Chrissy comments and questions along the way and get bonus chances to enter the giveaway.

Come a Little Closer

Sophie was the love of my life. Okay, we were twelve the last time I saw her but still. I've tried everything to move on—whiskey, women, weed. Nothing seemed to fill the void. Now, ten years later, she shows up out of the blue. The problem, I'm not the boy she used to know. I have a reputation that could ruin everything. Still, I have to try. Even if nothing happens between us, having Sophie in my life as a friend is better than not having her at all. Come A Little Closer is the second installment in the Georgia Boys Series. It can be read as a standalone novel.

Read an excerpt:

I blush and shake my head. “We should get started on the bedroom.”

Kevin follows behind me, fiddling with his phone. I refill the paint tray and set it on the bedroom floor. Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You” starts playing. Kevin comes up behind me, puts his hands on my hips and begins to move them to the music. He presses against my back. My hands fall to my sides, and I tilt my head against his chest.

“This is not helping my walls get painted,” I whine.

“Come on, dance with me.” he pleads.

I turn around and stare into his eyes. It would be so easy to get lost in them but I can’t. I won’t. My hips stop moving, but Kevin’s still dancing. I raise the paintbrush that’s in my hand and slap him in the face with it. Slap sounds violent. It was more like I grazed him with cream colored paint while my hand slowly moved in front of his face. Kevin stops dancing. His jaw hangs open.

“Game on babe.”

Available on Amazon 

**My thoughts**

When we met Kevin in the first book in this series, I had a feeling that there was some reason why he was such a man whore. In this book, we get a bit of insight into that. Basically, he had met his safe person, Sophie, when they were kids. After she moved away, he was having a hard time replacing her in his heart and basically just didn't know how to let his feelings for anyone show. He also had a rough time with losing his mother and in dealing with his dad and stepmother. So I get it. It doesn't mean I agree with his choices, but I get it.

Sophie reappears in his life when they are adults. Kevin is suddenly hit with a dose of reality that she is what he has been looking for all along. She realizes that she really did have a crush on him all those years ago and it has never quite gone away. Yet she is understandably wary of him, given his current reputation. 

The two of them dance around intimacy and crossing the friend line for a very long time. They have a great chemistry and attachment to each other and you would hope that they could eventually make it as a couple. I found myself torn between rooting for them to make it and hoping that Sophie would try to keep him more in the friend zone, because after all of these years of sticking it into anything that moves, Kevin isn't going to be able to change overnight. And I have been in this situation before.

I really like Sophie and completely understand her character. I do also somewhat like Kevin, and have known many guys like him. But he really has some horrible moments that make it hard to maintain a lot of affection for him. I don't know that I would be able to forgive him so easily in their situation. And yet I also kind of understand why.

This was a really quick read for me, as it is somewhat short. I wanted it to be a bit longer so that we could really see how a situation between Sophie and Kevin really developed, instead of it being such a quick thing at the end. There's such a jump between the ending of the story and the epilogue. Having that fleshed out more would have made me like this one a bit more.

There is also an allusion to a sort of cliffhanger that clues you into what is going to happen in the next book in the series, which I do hope to read at some point. It doesn't detract from this story at all, though I had a split second of "Why is this being dropped in here right now?"

This book is definitely a standalone book, so it isn't necessary to have read the first book. As always in these situations, you do end up with a greater appreciation for the story as a whole when you read all of the standalone components together. 

About Chrissy Brown

Chrissy Brown lives in Fort Myers, Fl with her hubby, two beautiful girls, one dog who loves to cuddle and another dog who pees on everything. She enjoys going to hockey games, reading romance novels and having “Netflix and Chill” nights.

She’s addicted to everything related to the amazing emotion of love, and has been referred to as a "hopeless romantic" which she took as a compliment. It may not have been and she’s okay with that.

Her Georgia Boys Series is New Adult romance that has three novels published in 2018. She has a young adult romance standalone in the works as well as an erotic New Adult standalone started. She’s a busy writer, but she loves it.


https://www.facebook.com/chrissybrownauthor

https://twitter.com/Thechrissybrown

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18213007.Chrissy_Brown

Chrissy Brown will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Review of The Game Changer by Jaqueline Snowe

In my world, if a Jaqueline Snowe book comes up for grabs, I'm going to be at the top of the list to check it out! And I invite you to do the same. Take a sneak peek inside with an excerpt and then check out my review. Follow the tour and leave comments and questions for her along the way. And be sure to enter the giveaway at the end!

The Game Changer

Pretending to date your best friend is always a good idea…right? Wrong.

Greta Aske has a lot on her mind, and a string of bad dates has her giving up on men, at least for the time being. Her life contains a little too much drama, meaning she needs a break and to save money and get good grades. The perfect solution presents itself—pretend to date the campus playboy. That’ll keep the guys away for sure.

Aaron Hill is desperate to save his baseball career because, with his dad fighting cancer, he damn well knows he can’t ask for a single penny from his parents. Baseball is his past, present and future, so when a scandal threatens his chance in the MLB, he turns to his best friend for help. A fake relationship will keep him out of trouble. It’s perfect, really. Greta’s taking a break from dating and Aaron needs to focus on training.

Nothing could go wrong…as long as neither falls for the other. But when lines are crossed, what’s real and fake blurs and the two are forced to face their fears. Could Greta be the game changer Aaron needs?

Read an excerpt:

“You look great.” I pulled her down the stairs and opened the passenger door for her. “You always look good, G.”

“Aw, thanks, pookie.”

“Pookie?” I paused, giving her an irritated glare. “Hell, no.”

“I’m trying out nicknames. I would have a nickname if you were my boyfriend.” She raised her eyebrows, making me feel like a dumbass.

“You already call me A-a-ron and Ronnie. Those are nicknames.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” She chuckled. “Friend nicknames. I wouldn’t be calling my sex toy Ronnie. It is the least sexy name alive.”

I frowned. It was unsexy. “Fair enough. But Pookie isn’t it.”

“Then back to the drawing board. Stop stalling. Mama needs some pancakes.” She patted her belly and pushed me out of the way. She then shut the door in my face. I laughed. God, it felt good.

I slid into the driver seat and saw her studying me with one lip sucked into her mouth. “What?” “Just being honest here, but it literally looks like you have a stick shoved up your ass. No one is going to believe this is real.” She pursed her lips and shook her head. “Nope. Major stick in the ass face going on.”

“That isn’t a thing.” I started the car, but she put her hand on my leg. I looked at it, taking my time turning toward her again. “Ronnie, you need some fun in your life. Do you trust me?” “Yes,” I said without question. “Why?”

“Let me drive. I have an idea.” She stuck out her lip, pouting. Those damn brown eyes didn’t help either. I was pretty much ruining her life for six months so, sure, I could let her do whatever the she wanted.

Book links:

Finch Books * Amazon *  B&N * Goodreads 

**My thoughts**

I am always happy to see a new Jaqueline Snowe book, but I was even more excited to see that there was a second book in the Cleat Chasers series. I loved the first book, Challenge Accepted. We met Aaron and Greta in that one. Both of them are fierce and bull-headed and have so much baggage. And yet they are best friends and absolutely perfect for each other.

I know that they are just fictional characters, but the heat and chemistry between the two of them just about melted my Kindle while I was reading. Their playful banter and dedication to each other flowed so naturally through the pages. That takes talent to write! And it completely sucks you in. In fact, I was late getting back to work because I was reading this on my break and totally lost track of time.

Nothing beats the roller coaster ride of a best friends to lovers story, especially one where it starts off as a fake romance. They definitely push each other in ways that no one else can. I loved watching their relationship evolve. I loved this book as much as the first one and cannot wait until the next installment comes out!

About Jaqueline Snowe

Jaqueline Snowe lives in Arizona where the "dry heat" really isn't that bad. She identifies as a full-blown Gryffindor and prefers drinking coffee all hours of the day. She is the mother to two fur-babies who don’t realize they aren’t humans. Her life revolves around balancing her day job in education and her incessant need to write and explore the world with her wonderful baseball-loving husband.


Blog: http://www.jaquelinesnowe.com/blog

Website: http://www.jaquelinesnowe.com/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jaquelinesnowe

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jaquelinesnowe

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jaquelinesnowe

Jaqueline Snowe will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Review of Can't Let Go by Chrissy Brown

Welcome to the book blast tour for Can't Let Go by Chrissy Brown! I have an excerpt for you, plus my own thoughts on the book. If you want to know what even more people think or check out a few more excerpts, you can follow the tour! Plus that gives you more chances to enter the great giveaway!

Can't Let Go

A sweet, yet steamy new adult romance about a girl who's not ready to fall in love and a boy who isn't ready to let her go.

Beau

She is beautiful, probably the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, but she's damaged.

Her a-hole exboyfriend broke her.

I still want her.

I can show her that all men aren't the same

That I'm different.

Mallory

He's everything I need to stay away from, and I try.

I really do, but he's relentless.

So, I give in and let him have me.

All of me.

I should have known better.

Read an excerpt:

Sitting up, I look around. The room’s the same as yesterday, although I don’t know why I expected it to be different. Tiptoeing to the door, I peek my head out and listen. Silence.

Did he ditch me?

Well, I reason, if I have to do the walk of shame I might as well be clean. If by chance he is in the house somewhere, I don’t want to be caught. I scurry to the bathroom, lock the door, and take a shower.

“Morning!” he shouts when I walk out of the bathroom.

In just a towel.

Busted.

His eyes widen, giving my body a once, no, a twice-over. In two long strides, he closes the gap between us. He sucks in a breath, holds it, then lets is out so slowly. It warms my neck, sending goosebumps down my spine. He cups my face, forcing me to look at him. My heart’s racing. His big brown eyes suck me into an abyss I’m not sure I’m ready for.

“I just can’t get over how pretty you are.”

“Uhh.” I look down my nose, only able to see his chest, he’s so close. But it’s better than his face. If I keep looking at that face, I might just let my towel slip. I can’t let him see me naked. For one, I need to wait, put off having sex a little while longer. Secondly, I’m not sure I could handle the rejection if he didn’t try to do something with my naked body. “Thanks.”

Available on Amazon

**My thoughts**

This is a story for people who love those hot and heavy quick romances with a lot of ups and downs. Beau is the smoking hot cowboy type who has been a playboy of sorts for a while, until he meets Mallory. Mallory is damaged goods thanks to her abusive ex-boyfriend. She has actually come up to Georgia to get away from the chaos that she left behind her. She also needs to heal.

The two of them meet and are quite drawn to each other with an incredible intensity. And then at the same time, they have a lot of difficulty communicating with each other. Beau has a short temper, though he is never physical with her. Mallory is so damaged from her ex that she easily misinterprets the smallest things. I give them credit for wanting to try to take things slow, because of their issues. Just perhaps the timing wasn't the greatest with her recent breakup? And there are a few other things that she doesn't reveal until much later in the story.

I appreciate the dual point-of-view in this story because it really helps to get into each of their heads and understand where they're coming from and how they're really feeling. That method of storytelling doesn't always work for me, but it did in this case. It's also interesting how the story dives in to present day before going back to the beginning. Let's just say that you have a completely different perspective of their argument when you come back to the present day again after going through the flashback.

It really is a roller coaster of a ride. I admit that this is the first time in a while that I have felt a little too old for the characters and had a harder time relating to them. I'm not as much of a fan of the games and mood swings. I wanted to try to step into the story in a sort of big sister role and try to help Mallory figure out what's going on in her head so that she can appropriately navigate this new kind of relationship. I want to do the same for Beau and help him figure out how to handle Mallory. I also want to smack the two of them upside the head for being so overly emotional. At the same time, I was rooting them to figure out their issues and make the right decisions for their respective situations.

Just because this wasn't necessarily my favorite story doesn't mean that others aren't going to completely swoon over it. That's the beauty of having so many stories available. I'm not opposed to reading more in the series. It will be interesting to see how Beau and Mallory continue to evolve as the stories in this world continue.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About Chrissy Brown

Chrissy Brown is a Contemporary Romance and New Adult Romance author. She lives in Central Florida with her husband, twin girls, two dogs, and the neighborhood cat. 

She enjoys the simple things in life, like cuddling on the couch watching movies with her family, reading, Netflix, and beach trips. She reads two to three books a week, but favors stories with strong women, true love, and steamy scenes.

When Chrissy is not sitting at her computer, fantasizing about gorgeous country boys, she is teaching third graders how amazing books are...and writing, and math. She has also been an amateur wedding photographer and a CNA (to which she gives kuddos but says never again.)

Links:

https://chrissybrownauthor.com

https://twitter.com/Thechrissybrown

https://www.facebook.com/chrissybrownauthor

https://www.instagram.com/chrissybrownauthor

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Release Day! Hotline to Hell by Emily Cyr

It's here! Emily Cyr's Hotline to Hell just released and now you can get it on your favorite reading platform. Check it out!

Title: Hotline to Hell

Author: Emily Cyr

Genre: New Adult Urban Fantasy

Cover Designer: Lori Grundy with Cover Reveal Designs

Editor: Kristina Circelli

Publisher: Cyr House Publishing

Publication Date: June 14, 2018

Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR

Hotline to Hell

Kayel Cleary is a phone sex operator. All she wants to do is get through law school, and if that means late-night phone calls with men who think she’s something she’s not, then so be it.

That is, until one of her long-time clients is murdered – and she hears it all.

Lathan only wants one thing: a seat on the vampire council. He’s worked his entire unnatural life for this moment, only to have it fall apart when his biggest supporter ends up dead. Now, Lathan has to find and work with the only witness. And she happens to be a phone sex operator.

Thrust into a world she never knew existed, Kayel must help Lathan find the murderer and stop the impending war, all while fighting her attraction for the undead man she loves to hate. If she can’t learn their ways and figure out who killed Marco, then she may lose more than just her life … She may spark a war that would spell disaster for vampires and humans alike.

Universal Buy Link:

 www.books2read.com/u/boZYev

Emily Cyr is a stay-at-home mom turned writer. She holds a degree in middle grades education with certification in English and social science. She has always had a love of all things paranormal and fantasy, but it wasn’t until Emily’s husband said the words, “Why not?” that she considered putting her thoughts and ideas into the book, The Lightning Prophecy. This trilogy was just the start for Emily. It seemed to open a creative door that had been locked.

Emily has always been an avid reader. Through reading came her love of writing. The more she read, the more she knew she wanted to create her own world. Many of her first works were fan fiction.

Emily and her family currently reside in San Antonio, Texas. She has an incredibly supportive husband, who is also an officer in the United States Air Force. They have three sons, ages 6, 5, and 2. Somehow, even with the demands of being a parent to three little boys, she finds time to escape to her fantasies and write them down.

Currently, Emily has two urban fantasy series out, but stay tuned via her web-site, www.EmilyCyr.com, for more!

Author Links:

Web: www.EmilyCyr.com

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2rqU9to

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmilyCyrAuthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmilyCyrAuthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9856471.Emily_Cyr

Street Team: https://www.facebook.com/groups/265551237255899/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/emily-cyr

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cQSt7P

Instagram: emilycyrauthor

Just One Summer by Lynn Stevens Release Day!

Happy release day to Lynn Stevens! Just One Summer is now available on all of your favorite platforms. Please celebrate with us by checking out the first chapter excerpt and then download your own copy. After all, it's time for all of those summer romances.

Title: Just One Summer

Author: Lynn Stevens

Genre: New Adult Romance

Cover Designer: Ampersand Book Covers

Publication Date: May 21^st, 2018

Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR

Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission to help support my websites, at no additional cost to you.

Just One Summer  

One summer, no regrets.

Carly Reynolds does not want to work at her father’s Branson theater over the summer, but she has no choice. After wrecking his prized Mercedes on Prom night, she’s got to pay him back somehow before she leaves for college. Now she’s stuck working as the personal assistant to twenty-year-old Gracin Ford, former member of one-hit-wonder boy band Accentuate.

Gracin is demanding, condescending, and an all-around jerk. Carly would rather eat glass than deal with a male diva who’s more famous for his stint in rehab than his music. Until she realizes that Gracin’s lonely. Once she welcomes him into her life, she starts to let him into her heart. Even though she knows it will end when she leaves for school, Carly doesn’t want to look back on her life and wonder what if. Even if it means a broken heart.

Buy Links:

Amazon * B&N * Kobo * iTunes 

CHAPTER ONE

Nobody sane should ever be up at eight on a Saturday morning. Especially not when said person stayed up until three a.m. for a horror movie marathon with her best friends Ivy and Nena. So totally worth it though. 

What a waste of a Saturday. I could be sleeping, or bungee jumping, or sleeping, or ziplining, or sleeping instead of starting a job I didn’t want in the first place.

I bit back a yawn as I smoothed the wrinkled turquoise polo, the required uniform for Mountain View Resort employees. Taking a deep breath to steady the waves in my stomach, I knocked on the door to room four-oh-two three times, as instructed, and squeezed my clipboard against my chest.

What had my father been thinking bringing this guy to Branson? For the last few years, I’d overheard Dad lamenting to my brother about how the shows didn’t make enough money and the profits from the resort disappeared into the theater. If Dad wanted to revive that dump, he’d need someone to sell out every performance. I had serious doubts about his choice. Another reason I was in the doghouse.

I lifted my fist to hammer the door a second time when it flew open.

A wet torso greeted me, and a hint of the hotel’s jasmine soap drifted from the room. My gaze followed water dripping down tanned pecs and over the only real six-pack I’d ever seen as it disappeared into the thick hotel towel wrapped around his waist. Wow. My face burned hotter than the coffee I’d slammed earlier, and I forced my head up to meet the gaze of The Gracin Ford, celebrity bad boy and former member of Accentuate, a one-hit wonder boy band.

Gracin’s manscaped eyebrows arched as bright blue eyes took a circuit over my body. My skin tingled all over in response to his gaze.

Sadly, he had to open his mouth. “Not my type, but thanks.”

Then he slammed the door in my face.

What? That… that… that son of a bitch! I punched the door three times, fully prepared to give this egotistical asshole a piece of my mind. Meanwhile, my father’s lecture from half an hour ago echoed between my ears: “If you want to go to U of N in the fall, you work for me this summer to pay me back for the damage to the Mercedes. Don’t, and you can go to Southern Community like your brother did.” I counted to thirty, trying and failing to calm myself while I waited for his highness.

The door swung in. At least this time, he’d had the decency to put on a pair of khaki shorts and a t-shirt. His gaze shifted over me once more, and I tried not to squirm, but blue eyes gave me the creeps. And brought back memories I’d rather pretend didn’t exist.

“What now?” he asked. If he was even slightly miffed, he didn’t show it. The cool nonchalance in his voice didn’t stop my temper from shooting toward the atmosphere.

I dug my nails into the back of the clipboard and smiled my best smile. “Hi, Mr. Ford. I’m Carly Reynolds, your … personal assistant. Your father provided us with a detailed itinerary of your day-to-day–”

“Let me see it,” he said, leaning his shoulder against the door jam.

I handed it over, keeping the tremor in my hands at bay. Personal assistant my ass, more like his errand bitch. If he hadn’t fired his previous P.A., I could be lounging by the pool as a lifeguard or cleaning rooms or checking guests at the front desk. Instead, I had to spend my summer following every whim of a twenty-year-old has-been. As he took the itinerary, his eyebrows furrowed at something else. Before my hand could drop back to my side, he snatched it and tugged at the tie holding the leather cuff covering my wrist.

His eyebrows lifted again and amusement danced across his full lips. “Nice tat. Why hide it?”

 “Who says I’m hiding it?” He let go of my hand, and I quickly retied the cuff over the small trinity knot tattoo on my wrist. It had only been two weeks since I’d gotten inked, but Mom and Dad hadn’t noticed. Yet.  I crossed my arms and bit the inside of my upper lip. As much as I didn’t want to be here, I also didn’t want to go to Southern Community. Keeping my mouth shut was kind of required if I wanted to go to Nashville in the fall.

Gracin nodded and refocused on the itinerary. He flipped the paper, shaking his head.  “According to this, you’re supposed to take me to breakfast every morning at eight so we can discuss the day’s schedule.” He handed the clipboard back to me. “I’m assuming that’s why you’re here now.”

“Yep.”

He sighed. “Let me get my shoes. No doubt the big kahuna will be expecting me.” He moved into the room and I reached out to hold the door open. “I’ll get a more realistic schedule to you.”

“Realistic?” I asked as he slipped on a pair of boat shoes and a Rolex that could pay for half a semester at U of N or the entire two years at Southern Community.

“Yeah, that’s clearly the schedule Dad wants me to keep. Not even close to reality.” Gracin stepped into the hallway, patting his pocket. He groaned and turned to stop the door from shutting completely, but it was too late. He fell forward, letting his forehead thunk against the thick wood. “You wouldn’t happen to have a key to my room, would you?”

“No, but we can get one from the front desk after breakfast. You’re moving into one of the cabins today anyway.” I shrugged because it wasn’t that big of a deal. “No worries.”

Gracin laughed, but there wasn’t any humor to it. “Do me a favor. Keep this key thing between us, okay? The last thing I need is to hear how irresponsible I am. Again.”

I held back the scoff and the sarcastic comment that would normally shoot from my mouth in record speed. Especially since I’d heard the same lecture more times than I could count.
“Yeah, okay. But we have to go now, or you’re going to have to hear how irresponsible I am.”

“Well, I won’t say anything about the tat in that case.” Gracin’s smile showed his Hollywood white teeth.

We were half way between his room and the elevator when his cell rang. I tried to ignore his half of the conversation, but when you’re alone with someone, it’s hard not to listen.

“Hey, babe.” Pause. “Yeah, I had a great time too.”

Another pause. Gracin laughed, clutching his hand against his chest.

“Probably best they didn’t catch us. Photographic evidence and all.”

Another pause when we got to the elevator. Gracin’s face turned from California tan to the shade of a bruised red pepper.

“You didn’t? Please tell me you didn’t.”

I wanted to lean closer to hear what the person on the other end had done. Celebrity drama and all. I didn’t seek it out, but that didn’t stop me from reading the headlines when they popped up on my computer.

After I pushed the button for the elevator, we stood side by side. Gracin’s fingers tightened around the phone. I could hear a female voice coming from his speaker but not what she said. Gracin slapped the mirrored doors.

Housekeeping’ll love that.

The doors dinged open as Gracin’s fist soared toward them, and he threw himself into the elevator. He managed not to fall, but it was so hard not to laugh.

“Next time you talk to that jackass, tell him you were just another one-night stand.”

Wow. I’d somehow managed to keep my expression neutral when he fell into the elevator, but my mortification couldn’t be hidden. 

He stared at me in the mirror. “There goes hiding my lack of responsibility today,” he said in a calm voice that didn’t match the fury from a moment ago.

I kept my mouth shut despite the thoughts running through my head and held his mirrored gaze. Both took supreme battles of will. I thought only one thing: U of N. Nothing was going to keep me from going to Nashville.

Gracin tilted his head. His eyebrows sagged as he opened his mouth. A beep sounded from his phone, distracting him from whatever he was about to say. He shook his head at the screen and then handed it to me. “Here. Fair warning before Hurricane Albert leashes his wrath on me.”

I wasn’t interested in getting caught up in his drama, but curiosity got the best of me and I glanced at the image on the screen. It wasn’t anything major. A beautiful girl with bright brown eyes and obviously dyed red hair kissed a smiling Gracin on the cheek. It was pretty clear they were in a bar when this was taken. Several empty beer bottles sat on the table in front of them.

“A hot chick took a photo of you guys in a bar?” I handed the phone back. “Big deal.”

 “The ‘deal’ is she sold it to a tabloid.” Gracin shoved the phone into his pocket. He didn’t spare me a glimpse, even in the mirror. “I can see the headlines already: ‘Gracin Ford Falls Off the Wagon.’ ” Finally, he faced me. “Except I didn’t. I’ve been sober for almost a year. None of those empties were mine. Not that anybody will believe me. Especially King Albert.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh.’”

I didn’t say anything, but the heat burning the tips of my ears was enough.

The elevator opened to the lobby. Gracin motioned me out first and followed me to the private dining room. Dad sat at the head of the table in the middle of the room. My mother sat to his right, and a gray-haired man with a stringy comb-over sat on his left. His extensive lack of hair didn’t stop Albert Ford from trying. My older brother, Luke, sat next to three empty seats for me, Gracin, and my little sister, Miranda. Quite the family affair.

“Carly, I’m glad you made it,” Dad said, adding a fake laugh at the end. To anyone else, it might’ve appeared teasing. I knew better. Dad was not happy we were a minute late. Of course, when it came to me, he wouldn’t have been happy had I been two minutes early either. My father was the consummate politician around here. He ruled more like a dictator, but was JFK when guests were around. “I thought you were going to be late.”

“That’s my fault, Mr. Reynolds,” Gracin said. He threw out a hundred-watt smile.

I fought to roll my eyes. At least he’s taking the hit for me.

“Carly rushed me out the door, then let it close before I remembered to grab my key.”

And under the bus I go. Thanks, asshat.

Dad stared through me with his laser pointer green eyes. “Well, Carly, I suggest you head to the front desk and get another. While you’re there, make sure housekeeping stays out of his room until this evening when the cabin is ready.”

“Yes, sir.” I let my head drop in good girl compliance, catching the laughing eyes of my brother. We both inherited Dad’s light brown hair, but Luke lucked out getting Dad’s eyes. Unfortunately, he used them to taunt me at every turn, which only served to remind me who was the chosen one in the Reynolds family. Hint, his name began with an L.

Gracin made his way toward the buffet spread. He piled fresh fruit on his plate, winking at me. I shuddered as I freed myself from the room. Guys who winked were just plain creepy.

My last summer before heading off to college was going to be the worst one of my life. All because of a little dent in a Mercedes. Smashing.

Lynn Stevens flunked out of college writing her first novel. Yes, she still has it and no, you can't read it. Surprisingly, she graduated with honors at her third school. A former farm girl turned city slicker turned suburbanite, Lynn lives in the Midwest where she drinks coffee and sips tea when she's out of coffee. She’s the author of Full Count and Game On..

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Book Info:
Title: Where I Am

Author: Michelle Dare

Genre: NA Romance

Editor: Barren Acres Editing

Cover Designer: Q Design

Photographer: Paul Henry Serres

Publication Date: Feb. 22^nd, 2018

Hosted by: Lady Amber's Reviews & PR

Where I Am

Astoria

He was the man of my dreams, or so I thought. I wasn't sure how I'd react when I saw him again. I planned on avoiding him, but our small hometown made that impossible. The years apart melted away when I saw him. Time hadn't changed my feelings, after all. Jealousy flared anew. My heart, which I thought had healed, was back to being in a million pieces.

Now I'm right where I don't want to be—in front of him with tears in my eyes.

Parker

Everything isn't always as it seems. One moment could cause a ripple effect with unexpected consequences that last for years. Not a day had gone by that I didn't think of her. When our paths crossed again, I knew I had to tell her the truth. Arguing was inevitable, but I'd rather fight for her than face another day without her. My heart always belonged to her.

Where I am is standing in front of her—asking for another chance.

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Michelle Dare is a romance author. Her stories range from sweet to sinful and from new adult to fantasy. There aren’t enough hours in the day for her to write all of the story ideas in her head. When not writing or reading, she’s a wife and mom living in eastern Pennsylvania. One day she hopes to be writing from a beach where she will never have to see snow or be cold again.

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