ARC Review- Kane (Slater Brothers #3) by L.A. Casey

Title:  Kane (Slater Brothers #3)

Author: L.A. Casey

Genre: Contemporary, Romance, New Adult, Romantic Comedy

Publication Date: June 2nd 2015

Plot:  Aideen Collins is a free spirit. She is outspoken and tough as nails, but she has to be after growing up in a house full of men. Family means everything to Aideen. Her family consists of her four brothers, her father, and her group of wild friends. Aideen is protective of her family, there is not a lot she wouldn’t do to keep them safe.

Kane Slater is a tortured soul. Literally. He is misunderstood by people, even feared by them thanks to the scars that mar his face and body. He relishes in their fear because people who fear you, won’t want to know you. He likes his circle limited to his brothers and their girlfriends, but a thorn from an Irish rose is dug deep into Kane’s side, and her name is Aideen Collins.

Aideen and Kane don’t get along… at all. Aideen is the only woman who stands up to Kane and throws his bullshit back at him without fear of hurting him. Kane is the only man who can see right through Aideen's tough exterior. He knows her deepest, and darkest secrets. They can’t stand each other, but they want each other. Badly. They hide their need behind arguments, and banter, but when Kane drops his guard for all to see, and succumbs to an illness within his body, it’s Aideen who steps up to the plate to take care of him.

An illness is the least of their worries when a devil from Kane’s past comes back to play with him. Everybody in Kane’s life is threatened, and with his body fighting against him, he doesn’t know if the luck of the Irish is enough to keep his family safe and his demons at bay.

Kane needs Aideen, and what Kane needs, Kane takes.

☆✮ My Review ✮☆

☆ I received an ARC via the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ☆

.:Kane needs Aideen, and what Kane needs, Kane takes:.

"I don't like people Aideen. Ever. I sometimes can't stand to be around my brothers, but I want to be around you all the time. Do you understand that? I want to be around you. I need you, babydoll. You keep me sane, by driving me insane."

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.  Kane Slater is epitome of that statement.

As “the enforcer” of the Slater boys, the tough as nails one with the marred face and body, Kane is the most feared and unpredictable one of them all. He's quiet, brooding, posseses a "don't f*#k with me or else you will feel my rath " type of attitude that both intimidates and sends people scattering in the opposite direction...

But!

Despite his gruff and rough secluded exterior, Kane is a misconstrued and lost individual looking for his purpose in life and solace from his own demons and personal hell.

He's given up hope in everything and does not feel that anyone can understand him or what he's been through, nonetheless, look beyond his damaged appearance.

That is, until, Aideen Collins enters the picture.

So Aideen. We’ve all met Aideen from the previous books and know that despite their love- hate bickering, that there is definitely something there and cooking between Kane and Aideen. Their chemistry is literally sizzling and combustible on all levels as one minute they’re arguing and then the next they’re all crazy for each other.

Aideen is the only one who can see the REAL Kane. The one that nobody even tries to see. And the one that he hides away from the world and yet yearns to be.

It was wonderful to see how much of a push and a pull these characters bring out of each other, good and bad, and the juxtapositions constantly evolving and changing of them coping with their own situations while also learning and growing how to be a couple.

Not to mention, what with Kane’s sordid past, old enemies resurfacing, the big baby bomb mystery and Kane’s newly revealed medical condition-- it was definitely a roller coaster of hot and cold of heated moments and then opening yourself to be vulnerable.

I ADORED this third Slater alpha piece of Adonis man specimen!

#Loved Kane although I’m still bias and IN LOVE with the BLONDE SLATER TWIN!!

#Aideen was a sassy lass packing a lot of attitude!

#Wished there was MORE Collins bros in the book! Would love to see of spin off series of them in the future!

My Rating:

♥♥♥♥

☆✮ The Slater Brothers Series ✮☆

☆✮ About the Author ✮☆

L.A. Casey was born, raised and currently resides in Dublin, Ireland. She is a twenty-three year old stay at home mother to an almost two year old German Shepherd named Storm and of course, her five year old - going on thirty - beautiful little hellion/angel depending on the hour of the day.

She is the author of Amazon Bestselling book series, Slater Brothers.

Author's Links:

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

☆✮ Pre-Order Buy Links ✮☆

Book Blast!- Vicious Cycle (Vicious Cycle, #1) by Katie Ashley

Title:  Vicious Cycle (Vicious Cycle, #1)

Author:  Katie Ashley

Genre: Motorcycle Club Romance

Publication Date: June 2, 2015 by Penguin Signet

 

Plot:  New York Times bestselling author Katie Ashley revs up the danger and sexual tension in her brand-new Vicious Cycle romance series.

Deacon Malloy’s life is dedicated to the Hells Raiders motorcycle club. Tough, hard, and fast with his fists, he serves the group as sergeant at arms. But his devil-may-care approach to life is thrown for a loop when the five-year-old daughter he never knew existed lands on the club steps.

Alexandra Evans is devoted to all her students—but there’s always been something about Willow Malloy that tugs at her heart. There’s an aura of sadness about her, a girl in need of all the love Alexandra can give. When Willow stops coming to school, Alexandra’s search leads to a clubhouse full of bikers…and a father hell-bent on keeping his daughter always within sight.

The moment Deacon sees Alexandra, he has to have her in his bed—and he’s never met a woman yet who couldn’t be persuaded. No matter how attracted she is to Deacon, Alexandra refuses to be just another conquest. But it’s Deacon himself who could be seduced—into a brighter future for himself, his daughter, and the woman he’s falling for against all odds.

☆✮ Excerpt ✮☆

As I entered the door, I took a deep breath to try and still my out-of-control nerves. Smoke hung heavy in the air, stinging my eyes and causing me to cough. Several men in leather biker cuts lounged on stools at the bar, nursing beers. Across from me, a heated pool game was taking place.

I took a few steps inside and then froze. “Are you lost, darlin’?” a big busted woman in a halter top asked.

“Uh…I’m looking for David Malloy,” I said.

Two men at the pool table whirled around. The shorter of the two, a tough but cute looking blond, cocked his head curiously at me. But then the moment my gaze locked on the other man, I knew he was Willow’s father. They had the same dark hair, soulful dark eyes, and heart-shaped face. David, however, had dark scruff covering his face. Although he was Rev’s brother, I didn’t see any resemblance between the two. Although he was shorter and slightly less built, David was just as good-looking as Rev. “Mr. Malloy?” I questioned, as I closed the distance between us.

He tossed the pool stick on the table. Taking a long drag on his cigarette, he then stubbed it out in an ashtray on the table. “What do you want?” he demanded.

Without even glancing around the room, I knew that every eye in the place was on us. “I really need to speak with you for a moment.”

His dark eyes narrowed as they raked over my body. Then the next thing I knew, he leapt at me, knocking me back into the wall. One of his hands came to grip my throat while his body pinned me in place. Fear like I had never known overwhelmed me, sending my heartbeat drumming wildly in my ears. It was so loud it felt like a cannon blast going off around me. “Please,” I murmured.

David glared at me as his thumb pressed harder into my throat. “They’re really falling down on their job at the academy.”

“E-Excuse m-me?” I stammered.

With a smirk, he replied, “Don’t they train you ATF bitches to hide your fear a little better? I mean, you’re practically pissing your pants right now, not to mention your heart is beating ninety to nothing.”

I shook my head slowly back and forth as I tried processing his words. “ATF? I don’t understand.”

He rolled his eyes. “A white-bred piece of ass comes waltzing into my clubhouse wanting to talk to me alone. It doesn’t take a fucking genius to realize you’re a Fed.”

A Fed? It took me a moment to process what he meant. Holy shit, he thought I worked for the government as an agent of some sort. Quickly, I replied, “No, I’m not.”

A voice came from him. “Deacon, man, you’re gonna get your ass jacked up even further for this.”

Glancing over his shoulder, Deacon said to the young, blond haired man, “Stay out of this, Bishop.”

Bishop held up his hands. “Fine. It’s your fucking funeral.”

David’s hand slid down my throat to the buttons on my dress. Glancing over his shoulder at the others, he questioned, “What do you bet she’s wired up under her tits?”

When his hands started to rip open my dress, I couldn’t hold back my scream. “No, stop! I’m not who you think I am. I swear!” I protested.

“Then just who the hell are you?” he demanded.

Before I could answer, a tiny voice came from behind us. “Miss Alex?”

The sound of Willow’s voice caused David to release his hold on my dress, but his body still kept me pinned to the wall. At that same moment, Rev entered the clubhouse. When he saw me, his eyes bulged, and he broke into a run to reach us. Grabbing David’s shoulders, he slung him away from me. “For fuck’s sake, Deacon, what the hell are you doing?”

“I’m giving this undercover ATF bitch what she deserves,” Deacon spat, taking a step back toward me.

“Christ, she’s not ATF,” Rev countered.

“Oh, then who the hell is she?”

“She’s my teacher…and my friend,” Willow answered in a small voice.

☆✮ About the Author ✮☆

Katie Ashley is the New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Best-Selling author of The Proposition Series, Runaway Train Series, as well as several New Adult and Young Adult titles. Her latest series, Vicious Cycle, has been picked up for publication by Penguin Books.

She lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her two very spoiled dogs. She has a slight obsession with Pinterest, The Golden Girls, Harry Potter, Shakespeare, Supernatural, Sons of Anarchy, Downton Abbey, Designing Women, and Scooby-Doo.  With a BA in English, a BS in Secondary English Education, and a Masters in English Education, she spent 11 1/2 years educating the Youth of America aka teaching MS and HS English until she left to write full time in December 2012. She is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel and Goderich Literary Management.

Author's Links:

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Website | Newsletter 

☆✮ Buy Links ✮☆

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway!- All of Me (Love Between the Bases, #1) by Jennifer Bernard

Title:  All of Me (Love Between the Bases, #1)
Author:  Jennifer Bernard
Publication Date: May 26th 2015 by Avon
 
Plot:   Jennifer Bernard, the USA Today bestselling author of the Bachelor Firemen series, scores another homerun with a brand-new series about sexy, single baseball players.

Playing for the Kilby Catfish is hotshot pitcher Caleb Hart's last chance to salvage his career after a major league meltdown. But the day of his opener with the minor league team, Caleb strikes out with the gorgeous woman who is delivering a petition to run the unruly Catfish out of town. Now, to stay in the lineup, Caleb will need to score big with the feisty brunette he can't keep out of his thoughts.

After the nasty lies Sadie Merritt's rich ex-boyfriend spread about her all over town, she's lucky to have a job at all. She can't afford to screw it up by falling for the player who is supposed to be helping her change the image of the fun-loving Catfish. But that's easier said than done when Caleb's voice alone is enough to make her pulse race. And when he surprises her with a mind-blowing kiss, she knows there's no turning back.

☆✮ My Review ✮☆

☆ I received an ARC via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!! ☆

All of Me was my second ever read from Jennifer Bernard. I’ve read one of her Firemen books, and liked it, but when I saw that she had ventured into the sports genre my heart literally skipped a beat!

Most individuals who know me, are well aware that I love my jock reads!

All of Me posed huge questions of proving yourself, rising against opposition, and being able to have faith in trust in someone.

Both Caleb and Sadie have a tandem to manifest to both themselves and the world and go through their conflicts and dissensions and find themselves as well as each other in the process.

They were a lovely pair as both come from relative equal footings and have their fair share of stikeouts, but ultimately were perfect counterparts for one another to help redeem themselves!

Loved this ‘homerun’ of a novel! Can’t wait for more!

My Rating:
♥♥♥♥

☆✮ Excerpt ✮☆

Caleb made her lose her head, plain and simple.

 Sadie rested her forehead against his chest, amazed all over again by the firmness of his toughened muscles. The heat of his body contrasted with the cool water in the most heavenly way. “Maybe I didn’t think this all the way through.”

“Are you telling me a dumb baseball player got the better of a brilliant future law student? Nah.” He bent his head so he could nuzzle her hair. “You smell nice. Like water lilies.”

She smelled hot man, mixed with lake water and sun-baked mesquite. Somehow they’d drifted away from the gravelly edge, so the stench of mud wasn’t as prominent. She felt so dreamy and secure, held tight in Caleb’s arms as they floated aimlessly in the lake. He grinned down at her, the light reflected off the lake water turning his eyes a soft, clear blue. Sun glinted in his hair, spangled with crystal drops of water. He really was a remarkably beautiful man. Everything seemed to still while she soaked in the details of his powerful physique, his rawboned handsomeness, the flash of vulnerability in his eyes.

She could really lose herself in him. Completely and utterly. Never before had she felt anything close to that.

“Dream on,” she told him, and flipped out of his arms. She dove under the surface, letting the slide of water through her hair and across her body wash away the effects of that alarming moment.

She’d always loved to swim, and it took only a few moments to put distance between herself and Caleb. But he wasn’t a professional athlete for nothing, and within moments he was splashing in her wake.

Shrieking with breathless laughter, she flung herself backward, as if onto a watery couch. He grabbed an ankle, and she flipped to her stomach, kicking hard. But it was no use; she felt herself being inexorably pulled toward him, his wonderfully big hands reeling her in.

And then there she was, snuggled against his chest again. It rose and fell with his rapid breaths. “There, that’s better,” he said with satisfaction, the words rumbling against her ear. “I kinda like this whole fishing thing.”

“No fair, I got distracted,” she protested, turning her body in the circle of his arms so she could see his face. Water streamed from his hair, down his neck to his wide shoulders. His eyelashes clung together, so his eyes looked bluer than ever. “I’d forgotten how much I love swimming in this lake.”

“It’s starting to grow on me too. Or at least something is.”

She giggled, and then, as a grin split his face, started laughing. As he watched her something shifted in his expression. His goofy smile vanished, replaced by an intent, hungry look. His head lowered, eyes glittering. The rest of the world receded, so only his face remained, coming closer and closer to hers, his mouth reaching for her …   

Oh wow. He was going to kiss her.

And then he was kissing her. His lips burned against hers, sending pure shock throughout her body. Kisses didn’t feel like that. They didn’t turn your lips to fire, they didn’t liquefy your lungs so you could barely breathe. They didn’t make you dizzy.

She pulled away with a gasp, still in his embrace, their faces close enough so she felt his quickened breathing. Caleb looked just as stunned as she felt, his eyes gone dark and gray as a hurricane. For a long moment the two of them just stared at each other, poised on the edge of the unknown. Water lapped against her hips, and a breath of air kissed her shoulder. Everywhere her body touched Caleb’s, heat seared.

And then they were on each other again. He seemed to consume her, exploring her mouth with long sweeps of his tongue that left sparkling trails of heat in their wake. He tasted so wonderful, like summer days, like fireflies and bicycling down dusty back roads, like every time she’d laid on her back in a meadow and dreamed about the future.

Little whimpers rose from her throat. She pulled her mouth from his, her cheek brushing across his stubbly chin, its roughness sending more shocks through her. His grip loosened and she slid down his body until she stood on the lake bottom, pressed against him from head to toe. The huge bulge in his briefs made her feel a little faint.

“Sweet Jesus,” he whispered as she nibbled on his jaw. She couldn’t help it; she wanted to eat him up. “You’re making me crazy. We can’t do this here.”

“Shh.” She didn’t want to talk. She wanted this all-consuming, crazy conflagration that she’d never even imagined before. Tugging at his shoulders, she rose on tiptoe, brushing her lips against his again. With a heartfelt groan, he gave in.

☆✮ Teasers ✮☆

☆✮ About the Author ✮☆

Jennifer Bernard is the USA Today bestselling author of the Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel series. A graduate of Harvard and a former news promo producer. The child of academics, she confounded her family by preferring romance novels to any other books. She left big city life for true love in Alaska, where she now lives with her husband and stepdaughters. She’s no stranger to book success, as she also writes erotic novellas under a naughty secret name not to be mentioned at family gatherings.

Besides reading, writing and living romance, another passion is Ashtanga yoga. She practices daily, and has traveled to Thailand, India and Hawaii to learn from the best teachers on the planet. Other than that, she love hiking, meditating, hazelnut chocolate, the children she is graced to have in her life.

Author's Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

☆✮ Giveaway! ✮☆

a Rafflecopter giveaway

☆✮ Buy Links ✮☆

 Link to Follow Tour:  http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/01/all-of-me-love-between-bases-1-by_31.html

Release Blitz & Giveaway!- The Other Man by R.K. Lilley

Title:  The Other Man
Author:  R.K. Lilley
Publication Date:  May 25, 2015

Plot:  Lourdes 

He was brazen as hell from the moment I laid eyes on him. He was aggressive, and dominant, with Mack truck arms, and a bar brawler voice. 

He was too good looking for his own good, with a hard jaw, and harder eyes. 

I’d always led a fairly peaceful life, but even I could tell at a glance that this man was dangerous. For so many reasons. 

Not the least of which being that rough, dirty, sheet-clawing sex fairly radiated off him. 

I’d thought I’d known how to handle every kind of man, but this one left me baffled. 

To say he wasn’t my type was putting it lightly. 

But you couldn’t tell that to my libido. 

Not even when I found out the truth. 

My lover had lied to me from the very start. 

Nothing about our meeting was a coincidence.

☆✮ Teaser ✮☆

Heath's jaw clenched, like he was bracing himself for something. “I don’t think I have time for lunch.” 

My breath stuttered out of my chest. “What do you have time for?” 

He didn’t even bother to answer, just took my hand and started pulling me.

And I let him. 

Dammit, once I again, I was going to make this way too easy for him. 

But one look at his agitated face had left me with an agitated body. The man could make me wet with one look. It wasn’t lost on me how twisted it was that that look was a scowl. 

Heath angry = Me turned on. 

I really hoped that wouldn’t turn into a thing for me.

☆✮ About the Author ✮☆

R.K. Lilley lives in Colorado with her husband and their two beautiful sons. She's had a lot of interesting jobs, from being a first class flight attendant, to being a stablehand, but swears she never knew what hard work was until she had children. She's been addicted to both reading and writing fiction since she can remember. She loves to travel, read, hike, paint, game, watch anime, and make the most of every single day. She is the author of the erotic romance novels In Flight, Mile High, Grounded, and the novella, Lana.

Author's Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

☆✮ Giveaway! ✮☆

a Rafflecopter giveaway

☆✮ Buy Links ✮☆