Thursday, August 31, 2017

Book Review: The Great Escape  (Dilbury Village #2) by Charlotte Fallowfield



Release Blitz:
The Great Escape (Dilbury Village #2)
by

Charlotte Fallowfield 
Aug 31st



 




A tropical beach paradise in Mexico was the last place Georgie Basset expected her decimated heart to be jump-started again, not after she’d been jilted the year before by her fiancĂ©, leading to said breakage. But when she spotted Weston Argent jogging along the beach, all bronzed with ripped muscles like some Greek God out of a modern-day Baywatch scene, she nearly choked on her cocktail. She knew immediately she was in trouble, she’d never reacted so strongly to a man on first glance.

However, after a disastrous first date with him, she headed back home to Dilbury, resigned to never seeing him again. That is, until Weston turned up unexpectedly at her dog grooming parlour with Bertie the French bulldog, a species she had a real weakness for. She couldn’t help but wonder if fate was playing a helping hand. But each time she saw him, their encounters never went smoothly, resulting in some mortifying and hilarious escapades. Despite their undeniable attraction, there was something about Weston that she couldn’t quite put her finger on, something that concerned her.

When the truth finally came to light, Georgie was convinced that all men were dogs, except she knew that was an insult to dogkind. Ever the meddler, her best friend, Abbie, intervened, knowing in her heart that despite what had happened, Weston was full of good intentions, and was undoubtedly Georgie’s Prince Charming.

The question remained, could he convince Georgie of that, or would he forever remain in the dog house?

While The Great Escape is a standalone story, it's the second in the Dilbury Village series of romantic comedy novels. All of them will be set in the quaint fictitious English hamlet in the Shropshire countryside, but feature a different village couples' story.

Warning, if you are of a sensitive disposition when it comes to toilet humour, then the Dilbury Village series may not be for you! 





My Rating:





Favorite Quotes:



‘Ok, but in the spirit of honesty, if you keel over, I’m not giving you mouth to mouth. You skipped the last girlie pamper night at Charlie’s and those whiskers on your top lip will give me worse stubble rash than if I’d been kissing Weston vigorously with his five o’clock shadow,’ I teased.



… how I feel about you, is burning me from the inside out.



Greg, I find you, as a human being, so utterly repulsive that the only way I’d be interested in seeing your body is on an autopsy table.



My Review:



My perusal of The Great Escape took twice as long as it should have, only because I kept interrupting myself with giggle-snorts, jovial tears of glee, and outright barking fits of laughter.  I strongly advise caution to avoid or limit snacking and libation while reading this delightfully crafted tale, due to a high risk for asphyxiation during sudden fits of mirth.  I adored this highly amusing and cleverly written story from beginning to end and would love to visit the cozy little village of Dilbury and spend time with each of these endearingly quirky characters.  Weston enticed and intrigued me and I was dying to know what his secret was, although I was also holding my breath for fear of it being totally devastating.  Georgie was an adorable hot mess with her tendency to be socially and physically awkward around men she found attractive, she became so flustered with Weston that she rambled on with increasingly random nonsense and her legs and feet lost their purpose.  Her near panic attack while riding in the Jeep when she convinced herself that her date was a serial killer who was driving her to her ultimate death had me howling and wiping my eyes.  And as an added bonus was the immeasurable enjoyment of the continuing friendships, antics, and encounters with Abbie, Charlie, Daphne, and even the snooty Ms. K, for a side-splitting sequel to turdgate.  I will be anxiously awaiting book number three.  I fervently wish the supremely talented scribe known as Charlotte Fallowfield could clone herself so she could write twice as fast. 

Empress DJ





Amazon US UK / AU / CA




 





Never The Bride (Dilbury Village #1)



 




Abbie Carter felt doomed as she clutched her bouquet and started walking up the aisle. Again. She felt like she was stuck in some kind of Groundhog Day wedding nightmare. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Eight dresses, most of them hideous, were already stuffed in her attic space. She had more bridesmaid dresses than relationships. Was she really that unlucky in love? She despaired of ever finding her soul mate and was convinced that if she packed away dress thirteen in her attic, she’d never get to wear the coveted white one and have her happy ever after.

That was until she locked eyes with one of the handsome ushers, whose wink turned her elegant and well-practiced glide up the aisle into a flailing Bambi-on-ice spectacle. Miller Davis was the first man in forever to make her heart skip a beat, as well as her legs turn to jelly. And, for once, her interest in a man didn’t seem to be one-sided. It was just a shame that the Atlantic Ocean separated them. Abbie couldn’t even make a relationship with her elderly fat pooch, Sumo, work, so what chance did she have with a permanent New Yorker? Her best friend, Georgie, told her to ignore the miles that separated her from Miller and to go for it, saying that true love knew no bounds.

Was Abbie fated to always be the bridesmaid, or would her wish for the perfect day with the man of her dreams ever come true?

While Never The Bride will be a standalone story, it's the first in the Dilbury Village series of romantic comedy novels. All of them will be set in the quaint fictitious English hamlet in the Shropshire countryside, but feature a different village couples' story.








 










Charlotte Fallowfield writes contemporary romantic comedy novels. She comes from the United Kingdom and is half French. She lives in the wonderful countryside of Wales, surrounded by rolling hills, trees and fields full of sheep and cows. Her writing aids include chocolate, Ben & Jerry’s and copious amounts of coffee. Reading was her main pastime, until she discovered the joy of writing, but she still tries to set aside time to indulge her appetite for funny, or steamy, reads by other authors too. She is yet to meet her Prince Charming, but lives with her extremely pampered fur baby, Pumpkin, kitten of mass destruction.

Her alter ego, C.J. Fallowfield, is an Amazon #1 bestselling author of contemporary humorous erotic romance novels. She started writing in October 2013 and released her first novel, New Leaves, No Strings (The Austin Series #1) in January 2014.



      

   




For C.J. Fallowfield, you can also visit her at:

      

  






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Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Book Review: Legacy of Freedom by Deanndra Hall






Legacy of Freedom

by Deanndra Hall






School’s over, and Hunter McCoy has a request of his newly-found dad. He wants to work for Citadel Security for the summer. With Jack Crismon as a grandfather, he’s decided he might want to look at criminal justice instead of a law degree, and getting a little hands-on experience is the only way he’ll know what he should do.




But the benign job Steve gives him as a bodyguard for an old business contact, Burton Calvert, turns out to be a horrible mistake when it’s discovered that the guy is in cahoots with the infamous criminal Crismon. Worse yet, Calvert keeps a stable of barely-legal young men captive for use by his business associates. He couldn’t have known that Hunter was gay. No one did. And to Hunter’s horror, one of the slaves the criminal offers to his accomplices is the young McCoy’s dream come true. They fall helplessly and hopelessly in love, only to find that things are much worse than they first appeared and everyone’s lives are in danger.

It only takes one massacre for Hunter to know he has to do something drastic. But what? As things deteriorate, danger gets ever closer until one fateful night when everything is on the line. It could all go up in smoke with one big bang, and the only ally Hunter can rely on is an enemy. It’s time to trust someone. All Hunter can do is hope that when he makes the choice between the devil and the deep blue sea, he chooses wisely.

Otherwise, everyone will die.

The second book in the Legacy series and the tenth in the Love Under Construction saga, A Legacy of Freedom is Hunter’s story, a story of imprisonment, sometimes at our own hands, and the courage it takes to break free. Sometimes, the worst prison we can inhabit is the one we make for ourselves.

My Rating:




Favorite Quotes:



“Do I type? Like the wind! I could type circles around most anyone! And my handwriting is very pretty too,” Jeffrey said with a proud smile. “Plus I can file very well, as long as I can hum the alphabet song. A lot of people have to do that,” he threw in.


I love you more than all the shoes in Ru Paul’s closet.




My Review:



Legacy of Freedom was an intriguing and engaging story that crossed several genres.  Although it was listed as gay and M/M romance, that element was not the primary focus as the main story revolved around a provoking and suspense filled mystery involving a brutal crime ring, various levels of stolen merchandise, forced sex trade, and murder.  In addition to the suspense, toss in amusing humor, the sweet and touching blossoming M/M romance, and a large and boisterous family full of their own unusual and unique dramas.  The criminal thread was well devised, complicated, and multifaceted with far reaching tentacles and cringe-worthy characters and scenarios.  

Empress DJ


About The Author


International Bestselling Author Deanndra Hall lives in far western Kentucky with her partner of 30+ years and three crazy little dogs. She spent years writing advertising copy, marketing materials, educational texts, and business correspondence, and designing business forms and doing graphics design. After reading a very popular erotic romance book, her partner said, “You can write better than this!” She decided to try her hand at a novel. In the process, she fell in love with her funny, smart, loving, sexy characters and the things they got into, and the novel became the Love Under Construction series.

Deanndra enjoys all kinds of music, kayaking, working out at the local gym, reading, and spending time with friends and family. And chocolate’s always high on her list of favorite things!



Website | Facebook | Amazon Author Page | Twitter | Newsletter



Monday, August 21, 2017

Book Review, Giveaway: Beard In Mind by Penny Reid

BEARD IN MIND BT BANNER.jpg

Beard in Mind, an all new standalone in the bestselling, romantic comedy Winston Brothers Series by Penny Reid, is available NOW!


BIM-cover (2)

All is fair in love and auto maintenance.

Beau Winston is the nicest, most accommodating guy in the world. Usually.

Handsome as the devil and twice as charismatic, Beau lives a charmed life as everyone’s favorite Winston Brother. But since his twin decided to leave town, and his other brother hired a stunning human-porcupine hybrid as a replacement mechanic for their auto shop, Beau Winston’s charmed life has gone to hell in a handbasket.

Shelly Sullivan is not nice and is never accommodating. Ever.

She mumbles to herself, but won’t respond when asked a question. She glares at everyone, especially babies. She won’t shake hands with or touch another person, but has no problems cuddling with a dog. And her damn parrot speaks only in curse words.

Beau wants her gone. He wants her out of his auto shop, out of Tennessee, and out of his life.

The only problem is, learning why this porcupine wears her coat of spikes opens a Pandora’s box of complexity—exquisite, tempting, heartbreaking complexity—and Beau Winston soon discovers being nice and accommodating might mean losing what matters most.



My Rating:





Favorite Quotes:



She said something about me being as sharp as a bowling ball.


It was like being stuck in all that morose poetry I’d been reading over the weekend. Lord Tennyson was a moron. It wasn’t better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. I didn’t know what he’d been smokin’, but it must’ve been strong.



“I’m here to listen and hold your tools.” I hoped that last bit was an innuendo. “Not that tool.” Damn.



I want you to love me always… How can I make sure that happens?


You’re bright as a black hole and twice as dense.


I especially liked it when you told Devron Stokes he needed to save his breath, ’cause he was going to need it to blow up his date.



My Review:



I adore Penny Reid’s unique, clever, and humorous writing style as well as her sharply honed wit.  Her storylines are fresh, crisp, and cunningly crafted.  Five-stars aren’t enough to reflect how much I enjoyed this skillfully executed and well-plotted tale, so I'm giving it ten!  Penny Reid struck comedy gold yet again with the indelible Winston brothers along with the addition of a profane parrot, a pithy OCD heroine, and a well-kept and shocking family secret.  Ms. Reid’s enticing characters always raise the bar on endearingly quirky as well as alluringly cracked.  Beau was an absolute treasure and Cletus is always a delectable treat, but it is Ms. Reid’s captivating and insightful writing that keeps me haunting her listings.  Her work on this series has been so delightfully detailed, I felt as if I had programmed and engaged the Star Trek Holodeck for Green Valley, Tennessee as I was right there with them, and feeling the double skip of Beau’s tender heart.  Penny Reid has mad skills and I am her die-hard fangirl for life, even if she started writing about dreadful zombies.    



Empress DJ


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Read Today!

(Free in Kindle Unlimited)
Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/hsTLLC

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Enter the Giveaway!


Meet Penny Reid:

PennyReid  Penny Reid is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. When she’s not immersed in penning smart romances, Penny works in the biotech industry as a researcher. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja. 


Connect with Penny:

Twitter: @ReidRomance

Spotlight: Inked Hearts by Lindsay Detwiler

Inked Hearts

by Lindsay Detwiler 

Publication Date: October 21, 2017 
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance




Preorder:



“Six years, a complex about my freckles, a love for pastrami, and a fear of failure. 
That’s what he gave me before slaughtering my heart and my faith in men.” 

Suffering from the sting of betrayal, twenty-eight-year-old Avery Johannas quits her job and moves hundreds of miles away to Ocean City, the beach town of her dreams. With the help of her zany roommate, Jodie, Avery finds a new career, home, and freedom. Throughout her self-exploration, she makes only one rule: She won’t give her heart to a man again. She’s living for herself this time. 

But then she meets Jesse. 

A tattoo shop owner, the green-eyed Jesse Pearce is wild with a touch of mystery. As Jesse and Avery explore Ocean City and their friendship, they’ll have a hard time drawing a line in the sand between their hearts. 

When summer nights get a little more heated than either expected, they’ll have to ask themselves: Can they let go of their notions of love, or will their hearts be permanently inked by past pain?






 About Lindsay Detwiler

An English teacher, an author, and a fan of anything pink and/or glittery, Lindsay’s the English teacher clichĂ©; she loves cats, reading, Shakespeare, and Poe. 

She currently lives in her hometown with her husband, Chad (her junior high sweetheart); their cats, Arya, Amelia, Alice, Marjorie, and Bob; and their Mastiff, Henry. 

Lindsay’s goal with her writing is to show the power of love and the beauty of life while also instilling a true sense of realism in her work. Some reviewers have noted that her books are not the “typical romance.” With her novels coming from a place of honesty, Lindsay examines the difficult questions, looks at the tough emotions, and paints the pictures that are sometimes difficult to look at. She wants her fiction to resonate with readers as realistic, poetic, and powerful. Lindsay wants women readers to be able to say, “I see myself in that novel.” She wants to speak to the modern woman’s experience while also bringing a twist of something new and exciting. Her aim is for readers to say, “That could happen,” or “I feel like the characters are real.” That’s how she knows she’s done her job. 

Lindsay’s hope is that by becoming a published author, she can inspire some of her students and other aspiring writers to pursue their own passions. She wants them to see that any dream can be attained and publishing a novel isn’t out of the realm of possibility.


Book Review, Giveaway: READY TO RUN - I Do, I Don't #1 by Lauren Layne



Named Best Book of the Month by Amazon and iBooks



READY TO RUN
I Do, I Don't #1
by Lauren Layne

Releasing Aug 22, 2017

Loveswept




The Bachelor meets The Runaway Bride in this addictive romance novel about a reality TV producer falling for her would-be star: a Montana heartthrob who wants nothing to do with the show.

Jordan Carpenter thinks she’s finally found the perfect candidate for Jilted, a new dating show about runaway grooms: Luke Elliott, a playboy firefighter who’s left not one but three brides at the altar. The only problem? Luke refuses to answer Jordan’s emails or return her calls. Which is how she ends up on a flight to Montana to recruit him in person. It’s not Manhattan but at least the locals in Lucky Hollow seem friendly . . . except for Luke, who’s more intense—and way hotter—than the slick womanizer Jordan expected.

Eager to put the past behind him, Luke has zero intention of following this gorgeous, fast-talking city girl back to New York. But before he can send her packing, Jordan’s everywhere: at his favorite bar, the county fair, even his exes’ book club. Annoyingly, everyone in Lucky Hollow seems to like her—and deep down, she’s starting to grow on him too. But the more he fights her constant pestering, the more Luke finds himself wishing that Jordan would kick off her high heels and make herself comfortable in his arms.










My Rating:




Favorite Quotes:



“That is one hot firefighter… Every last one of them belongs on a naughty calendar.”  She gave him a look with a raised eyebrow. “If you don’t get ahold of yourself, they’re going to have to turn the hose on you.”


He’d spoken with his mother just yesterday, and she’d launched into a fifteen-minute description of an article she’d read about how men’s reproductive systems age just like women’s and if he was going to give her grandchildren, he’d better get on it. He’d claimed a fire emergency before she could describe what or whom exactly he was supposed to get on. 


Call me a girl, and I’ll do just about anything you want. The men in your town have been ma’am-ing me, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.


Small population means limited number of eligible men and women. Anytime there’s fresh blood, the sharks circle.


My Review:



Jordan was intrigued with uncovering Luke’s story and signing him as a star of her new reality television show.  Luke was dead-set on keeping his history under wraps.  They were in a dual to out-stubborn each other while his small meddlesome community is uncommonly tight-lipped.  Jordan grows even more determined with the thought that there must be something more to his story if no one is willing to spill the beans.  She wouldn’t give up and he wouldn’t give it up.  I enjoyed the premise of Ready To Run and surprisingly nuanced and complex story behind the story.  Ms. Lane has a definite knack for creating complicated and endearing characters who are flawed yet ever so enticing, and I just adored Luke.  I also appreciated the storyline being well-balanced between the heart squeezes and humor. 

Empress DJ










NOW AVAILABLE!










Lauren Layne is the New York Times bestselling author of romantic comedies. She lives in New York City with her husband.


A former e-commerce and web marketing manager from Seattle, Lauren relocated to New York City in 2011 to pursue a full-time writing career. She signed with her agent in 2012, and her first book was published in summer of 2013. Since then, she's written over two dozen books, hitting the USA TODAY, New York Times, iBooks, and Amazon bestseller lists.