Altercation by Mignon Mykel

Altercation is an amazing story! I rooted for Porter from the beginning and absolutely died when things went his way. He's such a great character and Asher is an enigma at times... I loved that he never gives up and that Asher actually tries to trust.  They've a beautiful love story and I cannot wait to read the next in the series. ♡♡

It really shows you how you never know how your life might change from a seemingly insignificant moment in time. Asher went through A LOT while growing up,  but Porter is trying to make up for it as much as he can..

RELEASE BLITZ: Cole by Karla Sorensen

Title: Cole
Series: Bachelors of the Ridge #3
Author: Karla Sorensen
Release Date: March 22, 2017

Ever since I read book 1 of this series, I'd wondered what happened to Cole + Julia because you can tell that they loved each other very much...I'm so happy to finally know! Their story is majorly heartbreaking, but a definite wonderful read. I love Cole so much. Karla is such a talented author. I always find myself drawn into the stories she writes right off the bat.... These bachelors are so enticing and interesting. Their connection is amazing and definitely something everyone needs in their lives. <3 I will absolutely be reading the next stories. Cannot wait!

 

Cole Mallinson has never been able to move on.

It’s been two thousand, three hundred and sixty-two days since he’s seen his ex-wife, Julia. He’s never stopped loving her, never stopped wishing she’d come back. Everyone thinks he’s lost his mind for never moving on, but they couldn’t understand. It was never a choice.

Seven years ago, Julia Mallinson left Denver, and even though it’s the last place she wants to be, she’s back. The years of infertility that she and Cole endured during their marriage wore her down past the point of breaking. And when she left, she didn’t look back, couldn’t look back, for the sake of her sanity, her heart.

Between an accidental run-in at the grocery store and a meddling pregnant sister, Julia is forced to face the man she walked away from. The man who still, after all these years, has never moved on. Though neither has she.

And in the end, she’s left wondering if the past is ever left in the past.

  

My small basket was packed full and I paused before going down the next row, trying to decide if I needed a cart. I could add more wine that way.

In the second I paused to think about it, my eyes lifted up to the end of the aisle, blinking at the tall, broad-shouldered man that stood at the opposite side.

And my heart exploded in my chest, a messy, visceral explosion, when I saw his profile.

Cole.

I yanked back behind the end cap and peeked over a row of pasta sauce jars to make sure I hadn't lost my damn mind. That I wasn't imagining him standing there because of how my day had played out.

Nope. No. Oh holy shit, no, he was not a specter sent to haunt me.

His dark hair was shorter than the last time I'd seen him, his frame larger. My stomach turned in on itself at the insane moment. The tears I'd pushed down in Brooke's bathroom spilled over my cheeks while I stared at him. His arm reached out to pluck a box of pasta from the shelf, and the way his forehead furrowed while he read the label made me back up a step so I couldn't see him for a beat. Like I was capable of not looking again. Ha.

The universe hated me.

A hysterical giggle lodged in my throat when I considered that the entire freaking cosmos was playing a joke on me, that I might have been living so close to Cole that we shared a grocery store for the last month. And no matter how much I wanted that wine, my feet had already angled toward the exit. When he started to turn in my direction, I didn't think, didn't question.

I shoved my basket onto an empty bottom shelf and turned to leave, plowing into the chest of a store employee carrying an armful of canned vegetables, which hit the ground with awkward, loud bounces.

Go! I screamed in my head. But my head lifted instead.

His eyes locked on mine, widening in the next heartbeat.

"Julia," he called out, the hoarse crack in his deep voice opening a chasm in between my ribs.

And I was gone, fleeing the store without a backwards glance.

Well, let’s see ... I’m a wife and a mother. If the things that I write bring a smile to someone's face, then I've done my job. I am obsessed with Outlander (both the books and the show). I’m almost exclusively a romance reader, which means some people will never consider me a literary snob. If I could meet one historical figure, it would be Jane Austen. I received my Bachelors in Public Relations and worked in health care marketing before I had my babies. I hate Twitter. I do it, but I hate it. Also, if you want to get on my good side, bring me wine and I'll love you forever.

  

RELEASE BLITZ: Beast: A Hate Story by Mary Catherine Gebhard

Title: Beast: A Hate Story, The Beginning
Author: Mary Catherine Gebhard
Release Date: March 14, 2017
Add to TBR

So this book was slightly difficult to read at times. If you have any triggers at all, I'd recommend not reading this due to the content. However, I still really enjoyed MCG's writing style and look forward to book 2! This seemed to be a very twisted take on Beauty + the Beast in  mafia setting. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about Beast. At times, he seems beyond redemption, but then a different side of him shows and it made me wonder....when is someone truly past the point of no return? Does it depend on the point of view of whoever is deciding or is there a black and white answer? I don't think there is a black and white answer, to be honest. I think it depends on the situation and who is involved because everyone has a different answer. I really loved Frankie. I pitied her at times, but still loved her. I know it's a work of fiction, but it's not so far fetched. People don't believe that in modern America people could be enslaved or trapped, but it's more than possible...                                                I actually feel sorry for Beast, as well throughout the story. If you read it, you'll know why. He's just so.....tortured! Cannot wait to see what happens with Frankie and the crew in the next book....

Once upon a time, I thought love was a fairytale.

I thought selling myself to a mafia boss was noble. So what if they called him the Beast? I grew up in rags, and he would lift me to riches. All I had to do was give him my soul.

He was punishing. Insatiable. Captivating. Nothing like I expected him to be. Each day my reality blurred, leaving me wondering if I was slave or princess.

The longer I stayed, the more I lost myself to him. Even after every cruelty the Beast visited upon me, I longed for his touch. Even after every savage word he spoke, I begged for his lips. I thought the worst thing he could take was my body. I was too naïve to guard my heart.

Once upon a time, I thought love was a fairytale.

Now I know better than to speak of happily-ever-afters.

Beast is the first book in the Hate Story duet. About what it means to fall in love with the person who has absolutely destroyed you, it contains disturbing and graphic situations that may be a trigger for some.

Mary Catherine Gebhard bites off more than she can chew. She’s lived in Salt Lake City, Utah her entire life but occasionally goes on vacation from reality. Don’t worry, she sends postcards.

  

BLOG TOUR: The Sex Bucket List by Prescott Lane

Oh my hot damn and steamy pages....I LOVED this book! Prescott Lane is a genius and Emerson is so relatable - I love her! Shouldn't we all have a bucket list for things we'd like to try? So why not have a sex bucket list? Even in a committed relationship, it can really help you find out more of what you're into and what you won't ever do again! The idea behind this book - a 40 year old mom who's lost her spark after the recent divorce and wants to find herself again - is amazing and I'm sure will speak to many ladies. 40 is not dead, so if you're feeling a little down after an unplanned swerve in your life plan, make a list and do some new things!

Also, Mateo is phenomenal. His personality and protectiveness of Emerson is beautiful. You all need to find your Mateo! ♡♡ Don't settle for anything less than what you want!

Thank you, Preston! This book is one I'll be recommending to friends.

*****/5
Blurb below:

I’m Emerson, and my “to do” list is longer than I’d like. You might wonder what kind of woman comes up with a sex bucket list? Answer — the kind who’s been in a sex drought, has two crazy girlfriends encouraging her, and one too many bottles of wine. 

This kind of list requires special skill. And I have just the man in mind to help me. He’s younger. So that checks one thing off my list. And he’s the kind of man every woman should sleep with at least once in her life. The kind of man who knows his way around a woman’s body. And God, I’d like him to know mine.

Armed with new lingerie and a fancy high-tech vibrator, I’m taking charge. Of love, of life, and my libido. How hard can that be? Well, judging by the rate of pole dancing injuries, I might be in trouble.

But how much trouble can one woman get in? Giving your panties to a stranger isn’t illegal in Georgia, is it?

Grab a pen and make your own Sex Bucket List.

BLOG TOUR: A Thousand Letters by Staci Hart

This book....destroyed me. It was one of those stories I had to devour as fast as I could and then sit and process all the magic and pain it brought me when it ended. Wade and Elliot will live in my imagination forever. I loved, and hated, their story. So sad. So perfect! I couldn't even handle all the emotions when I finished it. I'm pretty sure I cried several times. It made me so emotional I had to isolate myself to feel all the feelings..sort through them..put them in order and accept it. Waaahhhh, Staci Hart is a brilliant author and all around wonderful person. This is my favourite story of hers to date and ranks up there right alongside A Love Letter to Whiskey by Kandi Steiner on the list of 'utterly destroy me.' ♡♡♡

☆☆☆

"Lyrical, heartbreaking, and emotionally intense, A THOUSAND LETTERS is a beautiful portrait of an undying love that deserves a second chance." 

— Melanie Harlow, USA Today Bestselling Author

A Thousand Letters, an all-new emotional standalone by Staci Hart is LIVE!!! 

Sometimes your life is split by a single decision. 

I’ve spent every day of the last seven years regretting mine: he left, and I didn’t follow. A thousand letters went unanswered, my words like petals in the wind, spinning away into nothing, taking me with them. 

But now he’s back.

I barely recognize the man he’s become, but I can still see a glimmer of the boy who asked me to be his forever, the boy I walked away from when I was young and afraid. 

Maybe if he’d come home under better circumstances, he could speak to me without anger in his voice. Maybe if I’d said yes all those years ago, he’d look at me without the weight of rejection in his eyes. Maybe if things were different, we would have had a chance. 

One regretted decision sent him away. One painful journey bought him back to me. I only wish I could keep him.

*A contemporary romance inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion*

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About the Author

Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life -- a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife, though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey. 

From roots in Houston to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.

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☆☆☆

BLOG TOUR: Forged in Desire by Brenda Jackson

Forged in Desire, an all-new sexy standalone from Brenda Jackson is live!!!

Forged in Desire by Brenda Jackson Publisher: HQN Books Genre: Contemporary Romance

Strong enough to protect her. Bold enough to love her.

When good girl Margo Connelly becomes Lamar "Striker" Jennings's latest assignment, she knows she's in trouble. And not just because he's been hired to protect her from an underworld criminal. The reformed bad boy's appeal is breaching all her defenses, and as the threats against her increase, Margo isn't sure which is more dangerous: the gangster targeting her, or the far too alluring protector tempting her to let loose.

Though Striker's now living on the right side of the law, he's convinced his troubled past keeps Margo out of his league. But physical chemistry explodes into full-blown passion when they go on the run together. Surrendering to desire could be a deadly distraction—or finally prove that he's the only man qualified to keep her safe, and win her love.

Excerpt:

Margo Connelly stared up at her uncle. “A body­guard? Do you really think that’s necessary, Uncle Frazier? I understand extra policemen are patrolling the streets.” “That’s not good enough. Why should I trust a bunch of police officers?” “Why shouldn’t you?” she countered, not for the first time wondering what her uncle had against cops. On more than one occasion he’d made that quite ob­vious. “I have my reasons, but this isn’t about me—this is about you and your safety. I refuse to have you placed in any danger. What’s the big deal? You’ve had a body­guard before.” Yes, she’d had one before. Right after her parents’ deaths, when her uncle had become her guardian. He had shipped her off to London for three years. She’d reckoned he’d been trying to figure out what he, a de­vout bachelor, was to do with a ten-year-old. When she returned to the United States, Apollo remained her bodyguard. When she turned fourteen, she fought hard for a little personal freedom. But she’d always known the chauffeurs Uncle Frazier hired could do more than drive her to and from school. More than once she’d seen the guns they carried. “Yes, but that was then and this is now, Uncle Frazier. I can look after myself.” “Haven’t you been keeping up with the news?” he snapped. “Three people are dead. All three were in that courtroom with you. Erickson is making sure his threat is carried out.” “And more than likely whoever is committing these murders will be caught before there can be another shooting. I understand the three were killed while they were away from home. I have enough paperwork to catch up on here for a while. I didn’t even leave my house today.” “You don’t think a paid assassin will find you here? Alone? You either get on board with having a body­guard or you move back home. It’s well secured there.” Margo drew in a deep breath. Back home was the Connelly estate. Yes, it was secure, with its state-of-the-art surveillance system. While growing up, she’d thought of the ten-acre property, surrounded by a tall wrought-iron fence and cameras watching her every move, as a prison. Now she couldn’t stand the thought of staying there for any long period of time…especially if Liz was still in residence. Her forty-five-year-old uncle had never married and claimed he had his reasons for never wanting to. But that didn’t keep him from occasionally having a live-in mistress under his roof. His most recent was Liz Till­man and, as far as Margo was concerned, the woman was a real work of art with the words gold digger writ­ten all over her. Margo knew her uncle was a smart man and would eventually figure that fact out for him­self. But right now it seemed he was quite taken with Liz’s looks and body. “It’s final. A bodyguard will be here around the clock to protect you until this madness is over.” Margo didn’t say anything. She wondered if at any time it had crossed her uncle’s mind that they were at her house, not his, and she was no longer a child but a twenty-six-year-old woman. In a way, she knew she should appreciate his concern, but she refused to let anyone order her around.

Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/uYihxn

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About the Author

Brenda Jackson, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of over 100 novels and novellas, was born in Jacksonville, Florida. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Jacksonville University. She married her high school sweetheart, Gerald, and they have two sons, Gerald Jr. and Brandon, ages thirty-six and thirty-four, respectively. She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Her professional writing career began in 1995 with the release of her first book, Tonight and Forever. Since then she has written over 100 titles, which includes a made-for-television movie by BET, One Special Moment as well as the movie, Truly Everlasting. She was a 2012 NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literary Fiction for her book, A Silken Thread; and was named Romance Writers of America’s Nora Robert’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for 2012.

If you would like to know more about Brenda Jackson, follow her here:

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The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict

Right, so keep in mind this is a work of fiction technically. Based loosely on real events that Marie Benedict found through the lives of the Einstein's. The characters were amazing and the relationships so dynamic. I'm actually so disappointed in Einstein as a person if any of that is actually rooted in truth. The writing definitely had me enraptured when I got into it.

I LOVED Mitza. So much. I felt everything she felt throughout the story with her. Einstein is one of the greatest scientific heroes recorded in our recent history, but through this story we find his many flaws and see the discrepancies between men and women of science during that time. It's so interesting how, because Mitza didn't finish her degree, she lost out on a lot of fame and recognition. 

One of my favorite lines in the story is "we may be Ein Stein, but it has become clear that we are of two hearts." Mitza says this to her husband after it becomes clear he has let his recent fame go to his head. The amount of heartbreak Mitza went through in her life is nearly unbearable. I hate the way he treated her like she was second class or some type of possession after he was the one who essentially ruined her life. He could have been so different. Mitza's life could have been so different.. It makes me wonder if she would have been more famous and discovered more theories than her husband had they never pursued their connection. Why did things change for him? Is this a warning that we should let our mind guide our big decisions rather than our hearts?

Description

A vivid and mesmerizing novel about the extraordinary woman who married and worked with one of the greatest scientists in history.

What secrets may have lurked in the shadows of Albert Einstein’s fame? His first wife, Mileva “Mitza” Marić, was more than the devoted mother of their three children—she was also a brilliant physicist in her own right, and her contributions to the special theory of relativity have been hotly debated for more than a century.

In 1896, the extraordinarily gifted Mileva is the only woman studying physics at an elite school in Zürich. There, she falls for charismatic fellow student Albert Einstein, who promises to treat her as an equal in both love and science. But as Albert’s fame grows, so too does Mileva’s worry that her light will be lost in her husband’s shadow forever.

A literary historical in the tradition of The Paris Wife and Mrs. Poe, The Other Einstein reveals a complicated partnership that is as fascinating as it is troubling.