Vero Ticker

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Every review has been imported there, but it’s still a mess. Will fix that along the way.

You can buy the book on Amazon.

Summary (from Amazon)

The first time I met Chase Parker, I didn't exactly make a good impression.

I was hiding in the bathroom hallway of a restaurant, leaving a message for my best friend to save me from my awful date.

He overheard and told me I was a bitch, then proceeded to offer me some dating advice.

So I told him to mind his own damn business―his own tall, gorgeous, full-of-himself damn business―and went back to my miserable date.

When he walked by my table, he smirked, and I watched his arrogant, sexy ass walk back to his date.

I couldn't help but sneak hidden glances at the condescending jerk on the other side of the room. Of course, he caught me on more than one occasion, and winked.

When the gorgeous stranger and his equally hot date suddenly appeared at our table, I thought he was going to rat me out.

But instead, he pretended we knew each other and joined us―telling elaborate, embarrassing stories about our fake childhood.

My date suddenly went from boring to bizarrely exciting.

When it was over and we parted ways, I thought about him more than I would ever admit, even though I knew I'd never see him again.

I mean, what were the chances I'd run into him again in a city with eight million people?Then again...

What were the chances a month later he'd wind up being my new sexy boss?

Blurb

“What a waste of smooth, shaven legs.

“Jules? It’s Reese. Where the hell are you? Ineedyou. This is theworstdate I’ve ever been on. I’m literally falling asleep. I’ve considered smashing my head on the table a few times to keep awake. Unless you want me bloodied and bruised, I need you to call with a fake emergency. Call me back.Please.” Pressing end call, I blew out a frustrated breath as I stood outside the ladies’ room in the dark hallway at the back of the restaurant.

A deep voice from behind me caught me off guard. “Unless he’s also an idiot—in addition to being boring—he’s going to know.”

“Excuse me?” I turned to find a man leaning against the wall, his eyes pointed down as he texted away on his phone. He continued without looking up.

“It’s the oldest trick in the book…the emergency phone call. The least you can do is put in a little more effort. It takes two months to get a reservation at this place, and it’s not cheap, sweetheart.”

“Maybeheshould be the one to put in more effort. His sports jacket has a giant hole under the arm, and he’s done nothing but talk about his mother all night.”

“Ever consider that your snobby attitude makes him nervous?”

My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. “You want to talk about snobby? You eavesdrop on my call and give me yourunwelcomeopinions, all while staring down at your phone. You haven’t even made eye contact with me while you’re speaking.”

The jerk’s fingers froze mid text. Then I watched as his head rose, eyes following a leisurely path starting at my ankles, up over my bare legs, and lingering at the hemline of my skirt before continuing to trace their way over my hips, coming to rest briefly on my breasts before finally settling on my face.

“Yes, that’s right. Up here. These are my eyes.”

He pushed off the wall and stood tall, catching the lone ray that had been lighting the hallway. The streak illuminated his face, and I could see him clearly for the first time.

Really?Not what I was expecting.With that deep, raspy voice and attitude, I assumed I’d find someone older, probably dressed in a stuffy suit. But this guy was gorgeous.Young and gorgeous. Dressed entirely in black—simple and sleek, yet there was an edge to the way he looked. Golden brown hair tousled in that sexyI don’t give a shitway, but still looked perfect. Strong, masculine features—a square, rugged jaw coated with day-old stubble on sunkissed skin, a straight, prominent nose, and big, sexy, sleepy eyes the color of chocolate. Those were now staring intently at me.

Without dropping my gaze, he lifted his arms from his sides, holding them up over his head. “You want to check me for rips before you decide if I’m worthy of speaking to?”

He was gorgeous all right, but definitely an asshole. “That’s not necessary. Your attitude has already decided that for me, and you’re not.”

Lowering his arms, he chuckled. “Suit yourself. Try to enjoy the rest of your evening, sweetheart.”

I huffed, but stole one last fleeting look at the beautiful jerk before I walked back to my date.

Martin was sitting with his hands folded when I returned to my seat at the table.

“Sorry,” I told him. “There was a line.”

“That reminds me of a funny story. This one time, I was at a restaurant with my mother, and when she went to use the ladies’ room…”

His voice faded away while I stared at my phone, willing it to ring.Damn you, Jules. Where are you when I really need you? Around the middle of the story—at least I think it was the middle—I noticed the jerk from the bathroom walking past our table. He smirked at me after taking a look at my rambling date and my disinterested face. Curious, I followed his path to get a look at who he was here with.”

(review under the cut)

You can buy the book on Amazon.

Summary (from Amazon)

Yasmine

Pause, take a breath, and glisten...

That's the better way to phrase Yasmine Brown sweating to death on her first hike, which is, obviously her punishment for being too cheap or too stubborn to buy the outdoor-loving woman she calls her best friend a stupid gift.

Most people are willing to accept her famous baked desserts as the perfect present. After all, she is an internationally renowned pastry chef.

Unfortunately, that trick doesn't work when your best friend is also your employee.

One little trek to make the birthday brat happy won't kill her, right?

Sutton

Halt, take a sip, oh no, she's slippin'...

One minute Sutton Thisleton is having a drink, and the next he's helping the most gorgeous woman he's ever crossed paths with out of the small hole she fell into.

Most people wouldn't see this as the right opportunity to grab a date. They also wouldn't wander from city to city because the wind seemed to shift them another direction one random afternoon.

Good thing he's never been most people.

One assisted hop back to the vixen's vehicle won't completely change his life, right?

What will happen when these two opposite worlds continuously collide?

Will they find a way to create a sweet, long lasting treat together, or will it end with one of them being told to take a permanent hike?

Blurb

“I’m melting.

I’m literally fucking melting.

I’m literally fucking melting like an ice cream cake some dumbass left unattended on the picnic table on the hottest day of the year, in the hottest place on this whole goddamn planet.

With the puddle my dark chocolate skin seems to be creating at the tips of my red tennis shoes, I can easily say: that wicked witch bitch has nothing on me.

Another sweat droplet cascades down the side of my face causing me to sneer.

This shit is unacceptable outside of the kitchen, except for, I guess, sex, but I haven’t had the latter in far too long to recall if sweating is an accolade to your impressive stamina or negative assessment to your out of shape nature.

My head hangs forward as I try to appease my burning lungs with air.

Okay, so I’m not the most fit person on the planet, obviously, but I wouldn’t call myself out of shape. Hustling around a commercial kitchen is hard work, especially when you own and operate the business. No, it’s not like jogging a stupid marathon or going cross country for charity, but it’s still vigorous. I’m still on my feet every day sweating my tits off. I still do more than the ten thousand steps or whatever it is the smart watch I got as a gift from my youngest sister tells me I should be doing for my size. And I damn sure am moving twice, if not three, times as much as the skinny Minnie birthday girl who talked me into doing this bullshit to celebrate her “special day”.

Why couldn’t we have gone out for a nice steak dinner and glass of wine?

Or a cheap steak dinner and shots?

Maybe even a tacky nightclub and wine coolers?

Where’s the alcohol that should always accompany birthday accommodations?

“You comin’?” Eddie Shaw, Sienna’s husband, asks from the bottom of the path I hadn’t realized they had already made it down.

I force my face his direction.

That fe-fi-foxy giant of a man is just as at home as she is in this wilderness. 6’5 and built like the lumberjack who is not afraid to chop down any tree in the forest. From the stories his wife tells, tree trunks aren’t the only hardwood he’s capable of swinging.

While I want that, dear God do I want that, I’m on the verge of thirty-five and willing to simply settle for a…thick stick being thrown my general direction.

Desperation has a fun way of dropping a woman’s standards.

Not that I need a man in my life.

It’d just be nice to have someone to share experiences with.

Call to vent to when my best friends, who are also my employees, are frustrating the shit out of me.

Have crawl between my legs at night instead of the neon red BOB I upgraded myself to for Christmas.

Perhaps this year, I’ll get one of those models that comes with an earpiece so you can listen to a sexy male — who sounds like Idris Elba — talk dirty to you.

Swear on my favorite oven that if those exist, I will get one.

“I don’t think she heard me,” Eddie innocently states to his wife.

“She heard you.” Her swift correction is followed by her brushing a long strand of her brown hair away from her face. “She’s just not done mentally cursing me out for making her do this.”

I point her direction before promptly tapping the tip of my nose.

His deep laugh freely echoes across the lush foliage, and the love of his life can’t help but grin.

Ignoring the second pang of jealousy is hard.

It’s not like their marriage is perfect.

It’s not like neither have flaws.

Hell, on this hike alone, they’ve gotten into at least three arguments…only one of which I am convinced was in good spirits.

But they still have…each other.

They’ve still managed to find someone who compliments their souls…who they want involved in all aspects of their lives…whose bullshit they willingly tolerate…

It’s a beautiful relationship to have.

Unfortunately, for me, as the years tick on by, it’s becoming more and more apparent I’m the only person in my little world who has an open position no one is interested in filling. We’re not just talking about unwilling to grab an application. No. We’re talking cross to the other side of the street to avoid even making eye contact with the store.

Sometimes I get the feeling I’m gonna be married to my macaroons forever.”

(review under the cut)

You can buy the book on Amazon.

Summary (from Claire Kingsley’s website)

This roommate thing is not going to work.

Kendra is a messy-haired, pajama-pants-wearing little ball of sass. The first thing she does is try to make friends with my random from the night before—giving her all sorts of bad ideas.

I don’t date. I don’t use words like girlfriend, or I’ll text you later. F*ck that. Relationships aren’t for me. I’ll give a woman a night she won’t forget, but once it’s over, I’m out.

I keep people at a distance, and I have my reasons. But Kendra starts getting under my skin. And when my life crashes and burns—literally—Kendra is the only person I can count on.

I’m not built for relationships, and Kendra is not a one night stand. But living with this girl sleeping one room away might just be the thing that kills me.

Blurb

“The early morning sun glints off the hood of my car and I adjust my sunglasses. It’s a gorgeous day for a drive, which is good because I have a long one. It’s been a great weekend away, although technically it was a splurge I can’t afford. But I couldn’t afford not to go. Not when I’m just striking out on my own.

My phone dings with a text and I swipe the screen. It’s from my brother Alex’s fiancée, Mia.

Mia: K-Law! Are you home yet?

I giggle at her nickname for me. My last name is Lawson, and Mia cracked herself up for five solid minutes when she first thought of it. I picture her laughing as she typed it just now. Since she started dating my brother, Mia has become one of my best friends. She’s a little awkward, but once you get to know her, she’s hilarious and super sweet. Alex did good.

I tap the screen to call her back. She hates phone calls, but I’m not going to text and drive. Plus, I’m bored and I still have another hour on the road. She better answer.

It rings once. Twice. Come on, Mia. It’s a phone, it isn’t going to bite you. Three times.

“Kendra, why are you calling me? You know I don’t use my phone for that.”

I laugh. “Mi, I’m driving. I can’t text you back.”

She groans. “Fine. How was your weekend?”

“It was good,” I say. “I made some really good contacts.”

“That’s great,” she says. “Pick up any new clients?”

“No firm commitments,” I say. “But I got a lot of names and contact information. It helps that I can say I’m Lexi Logan’s editor.”

“Yeah, I bet.”

Alex secretly writes romance novels under the pseudonym Lexi Logan. I helped him get his books off the ground, and I’ve always been his editor. For a while, I was the only one who knew about it. Now, Team Lexi consists of me, Mia, and our brother, Caleb. Most people think Alex is a consultant who works from home.

I’ve worked as an editor since I graduated college with an English degree. My last job had me working primarily on non-fiction for a small press. I decided I couldn’t stand the thought of editing yet another self-help book. So I quit.

It wasn’t a decision I took lightly, and it was a long time coming. My boss was a jerk and honestly, who has time for that? I’m not getting any younger, and I decided it was time to take control of my life.

My brothers both gave me an earful when I told them. Alex wanted to know how much money I had in savings (not much). Caleb wanted to know if I had a business plan (not really). All I know is that I love editing fiction, and it’s time to take a chance and do what I love.

Hence my weekend away. I went to a writer’s conference in Portland, about four hours from home. It wasn’t cheap, especially because I had to pay for three nights in a hotel. But it gave me the chance to meet tons of authors and get my name out there. I really need more clients—fast. My clout as Lexi’s editor helps, but a reputation doesn’t pay the bills.

“What’s up with the roommate situation?” Mia asks. “What happened to that one girl who answered your Craigslist ad?”

Getting a roommate is on my list of things to do to make this work.”

(review under the cut)

You can buy the book on Amazon.

Summary (from Willow Winter’s website)

Some love stories are a slow burn. Others are quick to ignite, scorching and branding your very soul before you’ve taken that first breath. You’re never given a chance to run from it. That’s how I’d describe what happened to us.

Everything around me blurred and all that existed were his lips, his touch… The chase and the heat between us became addictive. Our nights together were a distraction, one we craved to the point of letting the world crumble around us. We should have paid more attention; we should have known that it would come to this. We both knew it couldn’t last, but that didn’t change what we desired most. All we wanted was each other…

This is part one of an epic tale of both betrayal and all-consuming love.

Blurb

“His gaze is sharp; he has the most piercing blue eyes I’ve ever seen. As I freeze where I’m standing in the middle of the aisle, the faint noise of dull music mixed with the sound of carts rolling by fades into the background. It all blurs together in aisle four of the grocery store as my grip on the loaf of bread I’m holding turns so clammy that the plastic slips.

The pitter-patter of my racing heart and my blood rushing in my ears is all I can hear.

Nothing else matters. I can feel his eyes on me. Every time I blink, I see them, surrounded by shadows.

I take my time, placing the items from my cart back on the shelves with trembling fingers. There are only four things seeing as how I just got here, a bag of rice being the first item to go back on the bottom shelf before I slowly and meticulously roll my cart to the end of the only aisle I’ve been down.

It’s chilling, the fear that rolls down my spine knowing he’s watching me. Feeling him again. Is it fear, though? My heart beats wildly in response to the question, fighting and railing against the decision to act calm. I can’t let anyone know. I just need to get out of here... So we can be alone.

My heart isn’t afraid, not like my logical side is. When the shadow is just barely seen, tall and foreboding, my stomach drops and my heart flips with recognition. It’s an undeniable feeling when you miss someone you know you shouldn’t. I try to focus on the sound of wheels squeaking against the linoleum floor and the noisy clang of metal from carts being lined up in order to help ground me.

“Do you need any help?” The question comes from a young man in a red vest that barely hides the nondescript black logo on his white shirt beneath it. I recognize him; I’ve seen him a number of times in this grocery store. I’m certain he’s rung me up a handful of times since I returned here a month ago.

How did I think I could move back, even if the house is on the outskirts in the middle of nowhere, and he wouldn’t find me? How could I be so foolish to think he wouldn’t come for me?

A sinking feeling in my chest moves my hand there, and the paper list in my hand crinkles as I do. I’d forgotten all about it and as I gaze down at the blurred pen lines and wrinkled paper, I do my best to school my expression.

“Oh, no,” I say and my throat is too tight as I speak. I close my eyes, forcing a simple smile to my lips and clear my throat. “I just realized something,” I answer, finally looking the young man in his deep brown eyes. “I have a call in ten minutes and I’m going to take it in my car then come back,” I lie, that smile staying in place although everything in my body wants me to run. Run from here, get far away from other people.”

(review under the cut)

Reviewing Amy Daws’s latest audiobook was a one time thing, but I’m still part of Mira Lyn Kelly’s review team--her next book will be coming in September, I’ll keep you updated on that.

A very special review this time, because this anthology is an audiobook exclusive, and isn’t available everywhere.

From some of the best romance authors, narrated by some of the best romance narrators, a very interesting anthology of short stories. They’re all prequels or sequels or spin-offs or bonus scenes of other books from the authors, but since they are quickies about quickies, it doesn’t matter. You get enough of the characters and their story to enjoy their little romp in the wild.

I haven’t read or listened to most of the books, but I was quite happy to listen to Joe Arden in a bonus scene from Working stiff by Blair Babylon, where he details a little fantasy about Rox and the three males in the story: Cash (who isn’t yet her significant other) and his two friends, Arthur (from Stiff drink and Hard liquor) and Maxence (I haven’t read his story yet).

As my fave narrators, Teddy Hamilton and Tim Paige deliver both sexy short stories that make me want to read the book they come from.

You can buy the book on Amazon.

Summary (from Krista Sandor’s website)

Denver’s Runaway Heir Found a Reason to Come Home

An anonymous chat forum. 

Two lonely people. 

And the summer everything changed.

Camden Bergen is Colorado royalty. An heir to the Bergen Mountain Sports empire, he could have the world at his fingertips. Instead, he’s shouldering the pain of his past, across the ocean, hidden away from everyone but his anonymous online friend known to him only as Mountain Daisy. 

But that’s about to change.

Cadence Lowry doesn’t have time for distractions. Between teaching full time, raising her young son, and renovating two historic homes, her only escape is corresponding with her chat forum friend, Mountain Mac. 

Love isn’t on her radar until Camden mysteriously returns to Denver after a decade long absence and moves in next door. 

It’s only for the summer, but things don’t stay neighborly for long. 

Surrendering to an attraction they can’t deny, they agree to a no strings attached steamy summer fling. 

But when their hidden identities are revealed, will it be too late to salvage a love always meant to be?

Blurb

“Mountain Sports Chat Forum

11:34 p.m. Mountain Standard Time

Mountain Daisy:Do you think you know it when you find what makes you truly happy?

Mountain Mac:Like when you’ve found everything you never knew you needed?

Mountain Daisy:Yes.

Mountain Mac:Yeah, I think you know.

Mountain Daisy: How?

Mountain Mac:It just clicks.

Mountain Daisy: I get pretty deep after eleven.😊

Mountain Mac:Or sleepy. It’s late for you, Daisy.

Mountain Daisy:Want to chat tomorrow?

Mountain Mac: Always.

Mountain Daisy: Sweetest dreams, Mountain Mac.

Mountain Mac:Sweetest dreams, Mountain Daisy.

End chat…”

(review under the cut)

You can buy the book on Amazon.

Summary (from Krista Sandor’s website)

Denver’s hottest CEO is about to meet his match

Billionaire workaholic Jasper Bergen calls the shots—and that’s just the way he likes it. Period.

As CEO of Bergen Enterprises, he’s dedicated his life to keeping his family’s mountain sports empire profitable. But sales have plateaued, and the company needs a jumpstart.

Enter Elle Reynolds.

She’s a bestselling travel writer whose celebrity adventurer status makes her the perfect choice to boost the company’s public image.

The perfect choice to everyone but Jasper.

Hired by the company’s founders, he has no choice but to work with the free-spirited author.

And while they clash at every turn, Elle can’t quit. Her accountant has swindled her out of millions, and she needs this job to get back on her feet.

But Jasper and Elle may have more in common than they think.

Thanks to their busy schedules, neither’s dated in ages.

Each is experiencing a sexual famine that can only be remedied by a feast—a Man Feast.

When they agree to a no-strings night of passion, their sexual chemistry is off the charts.

And these two opposites soon realize there’s a fine line between love and hate.

Blurb

““Eleanor Jayne Reynolds. That’s you, right?”

“Yes.”

“You’re twenty-nine years old.”

“That’s right.”

“That’s weird.”

“What’s weird about being twenty-nine?”

“No, not your age. Your name. Jayne is spelled with a Y. J, A, Y, N, E.”

Eleanor, Elle Reynolds—nobody called her Eleanor aside from her parents—cradled her head in her hands. “I don’t want to seem rude, but I think the spelling of my middle name is the least of my problems.”

“It’s kind of strange, though, don’t you think?”

Sweet. Baby. Jesus.

For eight hundred dollars an hour, Allen Parker, the man dubbed as Denver’s top civil litigation attorney, specializing in financial fraud, was not inspiring much confidence. He did look the part. Salt-and-pepper colored hair. Check. Tortoiseshell glasses. Check. A seasoned, questioning crinkle to his brow. Check.

Elle lifted her head and attempted to smile. After what had happened, however, she really wasn’t in a position to judge anyone’s credibility.

She straightened in her chair. “Would you mind if we skipped over the oddities of my middle name and dove into my case?”

Allen glanced down at the stack of papers on his desk. “That’s easy. You’re pretty much broke.”

Elle’s jaw dropped. “That can’t be right!”

The man folded his hands on the desk, the crease in his brow deepening. “Did the FBI investigators explain the pump and dump scheme to you?”

“The what?”

“Pump and dump. It’s a common type of fraud perpetrated on wealthy individuals like yourself. Well, like you used to be.”

This couldn’t be happening. She was a successful writer. She’d penned over a dozen travel guides, three novels, and several hundred articles, and Oprah had recommended her book. A studio had purchased the rights to her last book and made it into a movie.

Last she checked, her bank statement was seven figures.”

(review under the cut)

You can buy the book on Amazon.

Summary (from Krista Sandor’s website)

Denver’s biggest playboy is about to get schooled

Brennen 

Rich, powerful, and a former pro skier—nothing and no woman is off-limits to Brennen Bergen. Part of the billion-dollar Bergen mountain sports family, he’s reigned supreme over the Denver social scene with his playboy antics. 

But that’s about to change when he meets Abby Quinn and gets schooled on the MAN FAST.

Abby 

After a disastrous breakup, Abby Quinn has sworn off men.

No dating. No boyfriends. 

A complete Man Fast.

She’s starting over in Denver and landed a teaching position at a prestigious elementary school. It’s a temporary post, but if she does a good job, the position could be permanent.

Too bad Brennen Bergen has just thrown a wrench into her plans.

Forced to shape up or be cut out of his family’s fortune, Brennen must prove he’s a contributing member of the community by volunteering at his former elementary school—Abby’s new school—and the place where he can’t hide behind his bad boy ways to numb the pain he’s carried for over a decade.

Will an attraction between them spell trouble for Abby or will Brennen finally have met his match?

Blurb

““Abigail Rose Quinn, are you going to show me the letter or not?”

Abby startled and nearly dropped her wine glass as the door to the apartment slammed shut, and her cousin shrugged out of her jacket.

Abby set her glass on the table and stood. “You just walked in the door, Elle. Don’t you want to unpack before you start the interrogation?”

Elle left her roller bag next to the door and sauntered into the kitchen. “No, I’m in desperate need of alcohol. I can unpack later,” she said, taking a glass from the cabinet and helping herself to the wine.

“Let me look at you,” Elle said, then enveloped her in a warm embrace.

It had been a few years since Abby had seen her busy cousin, but not even time could dampen their bond.

Elle stepped back and gave her the once over. “I was expecting worse,” she said with a teasing grin.

Abby sighed and sunk back into the chair. Her reprieve had ended. Her time holed up in Elle’s apartment in Denver’s swanky building, dubbed The Dalton, was over. In a matter of hours, she’d have to act like a real person again. A functioning, showered, non-fuzzy-sock wearing twenty-six-year-old woman. She’d had nine days of solitude. Nine days since she packed up her old Volvo wagon and left the life and the love she thought was going to last a lifetime.”

(review under the cut)

You can buy the book on Amazon.

Summary (from Ava Manello’s Goodreads page)

Strip Back brings you back to how the Naked Night's began. This is Eric's story. Back when life was a little less polished, and a whole lot harder.

Before there was Strip Teaser, there was Eric; manager and founder of the Naked Night’s male stripper troupe.

You wouldn’t think you’d be past it at 34, but that’s the position Eric found himself in, as well as newly single after finding his girlfriend in a compromising position.

Setting up the Naked Night’s wasn’t easy, it wasn’t fun, and it wasn’t without sleaze, but somehow he did it.

Blurb

“I stand in the bathroom doorway, watching Christy. I love watching her. She's oblivious to my presence. Her head is thrown back, a look of absolute bliss on her face as the water falls on her long, dark tresses before cascading down her back.

Stealthily I move closer, not wanting to draw attention to my presence. I’m enjoying the view far too much to end it just yet. I move closer, staying silent so as not to disturb her.

Through the glass of the shower screen I can see her naked outline. I know she hates it when I stare; she's too conscious of her lumps and bumps as she calls them. I don't see them; instead I see pure perfection. I am mesmerized by the rise and fall of her voluptuous breasts. I watch a trail of water caress her breast, skirting around her nipple, then trailing down over the swell of her stomach, and down. It stays on its path, moving down the curve of her hip, and down her thigh. I love those long legs of hers, whether they're clad in stockings or simply wrapped around me in bed. I watch as the water makes it’s final journey and reaches her knee. Fuck. I’ve made my mind up. I want her. I need her now. My cock is hard as a rock, needing to feel her body against mine.

I step out of my boxers, making my way closer to the shower. The cold air from the door opening startles Christy, but when she sees it's me she relaxes again. The smile that I love spreads over her lips, lighting up her face as she beckons me in with an outstretched finger. I don’t hesitate, needing to be with her.

She draws me in until we're both under the blast of hot water. Fuck! How the hell can she stand it this hot? She's a self-confessed shower tart. She’d be happy to spend all day under the warm stream if I'd let her.

Christy moves for the shower gel, turning me around to lather my back. The slow, sensual stroke of her hands feels so good. The tension starts to leave my shoulders and body.”

(review under the cut)

You can find the book free on Amazon.

Summary (from Keira Andrews’s website)

On Australia’s hottest beach, a lifeguard and surfer sizzle.

Barking Beach lifeguard Damian “Damo” Williams has never been with a guy. But he’s…wondered. Imagined. Fantasized.

While rescuing a terrified swimmer who threatens to overpower him, he gets unexpected backup from surfer Blake.

Then Blake asks him out.

Well, not in so many words, and since Damo’s always identified as straight, it’s not like it’s a date. Right? But here’s his opportunity to see what it would be like with a bloke. A muscular bloke who wears guyliner and sexy skintight clubwear when he’s not riding waves. A bloke with the confidence to give Damo exactly what he’s secretly been craving and leave him begging for more…

Blurb

“As the pale arms went up in the turquoise water, waving madly, Damo groaned. The radio had been running hot all day with rescue after rescue, and he’d just paddled in with a tourist who’d ignored the warnings not to swim at the north end of Barking Beach. Now here were two more— young men wrestling with their useless boogie boards they’d probably bought for ten bucks at Target.

Damo grabbed his radio from the buggy parked on the sand and tossed down the red-framed sunnies he’d only just put back on. “Come in, Central. I’m getting wet again. Croc’s got two blokes.” He shielded his eyes from the glare, keeping track of them.

“Yep, copy that— we see them. I’ll send Cody down to help, but it’ll take him a few minutes to get through the crowd.”

Grabbing the long rescue board by its rope handle, Damo ran back into the surf. The tide was going out, and the rip current the lifeguards called the Croc was dragging out the boogie boarders at three meters per second. On his knees, Damo paddled hard with both hands. He punched over a swell in the impact zone, shaking saltwater and his long, wavy blond hair out of his face.

He used the power of the current to get him out to the two flailing men. Both were full-on panicking. One had the arm rope from the boogie board around his ankle as if it was a surfboard leash, and Damo choked down frustration. They had no bloody business swimming outside the safe, flagged area. Even then, they should probably stay waist-deep, and those cheap pieces of Styrofoam wouldn’t do shit.

He kept his eyes locked on them as he neared, assessing which patient to grab first. Normally, the lifeguards went for the person farthest out, but the nearer man’s red hair was plastered over his eyes, and he bobbed under, disappearing for long seconds. His boogie board had disappeared, finally torn away. He looked to have about two gasps left in him, and then he wouldn’t come up.

Paddling hard, Damo watched him go under again in the three-foot swells rolling by. Heart in his throat, he willed the man back up above the surface. The bloke remained hidden, swallowed by the Indian Ocean, his mate beyond him shouting, trying to fight the Croc head-on instead of swimming sideways out of the rip.

Ten meters away from the ginger man now. Fuck, fuck, fuck! Five. Two.

Plunging an arm in and reaching for the dark blur under the clear water, Damo snatched him up by the hair, just able to grasp him and haul him over the rescue board. The man was deathly pale, his ginger freckles stark, but he was gasping and muttering.

Damo couldn’t even be relieved— he still had to get the other patient. He glanced back to see if Cody was in the water yet. No sign. He knew Cody was coming as fast as he could, but for the moment, Damo was alone with two lives in his hands.”

(review under the cut)

You can buy the book on Amazon.

Summary (from Piquette Fontaine’s Goodreads page)

They always say that men are from Mars and women are from Venus, and that this basic difference in the sexes makes it impossible for members from either one to ever truly see eye to eye about things.

But when the two planets align and young couple Mark and Vera end up miraculously switching bodies, they're each about to experience things from a very, very different perspective...

Blurb

“They say that men are from Mars and women are from Venus.

Men are violent, brutish, warlike. They love women, but only for the purpose of shattering them. Cleaving them apart down the middle, screwing their lights out, and tearing them to bits like savage beasts. They're made from snips and snails and puppydog tails, and testosterone. And penises...

Women, meanwhile, are supposedly more genteel in nature. Goddesses of beauty, peaceful, keepers of everything lovely and perfect in life. They're made of sugar and spice and everything nice, as well as breasts and vaginas.

Understandably, being of very different persuasions as they often are can cause a considerable level of strife between the two sexes, for whom it is impossible to see eye to eye on most fundamental issues about anything.

Perhaps the issue is overstated a bit. It's not as though men and women everywhere somehow see completely past one another. There is generally some overlap, and on occasion it's so substantial that the roles are reversed. The idea of gender is as fluid as any, and the poles can be reversed so that the female in a coupling is the dominant of the two, and the male more passive and submissive. There are endless possibilities, and this just in male-female partners alone.

Take Mark and Vera, for instance. They'd just gotten done with a romantic evening- Vera in her little black dress, looking especially cute, and Mark in a suit and tie, looking particularly dashing, but with lust in his eyes as he watched his vixen of a girlfriend walk from behind, staring at her just-barely-concealed ass as it teased him from beneath the dress. They'd went to dinner and an art gallery that night, and while Vera had largely appreciated the aesthetic value of so many nude statues, photographs of vulvas, paintings of vulvas, and photographs of flowers that largely resembled vulvas, Mark in his horny manliness couldn't help but become just the slightest bit aroused.

For Vera's part, she kept hoping that a date like this might harken the relationship back to a simpler time between the two of them. A time when they'd both been much happier, and when they simply enjoyed one another's company for what it was. There was no necessary expectation of a sexual reward for a night's good behavior, nor was a “good night out together” always and exclusively punctuated by sexual activity.”

(review under the cut)

You can buy the book on Amazon.

Summary (from Krystyna Allyn’s website)

Danger! Men with big umm ... egos can be hazardous to your health.

Have you ever had a moment of pure insanity, landing you up against an elevator wall with a total stranger?

Just me then, huh?

Well, he wasn’t exactly unknown, but that’s besides the point.

The second I met Jared Carrington, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to throat punch him or kiss him. Choosing the latter was a mistake of epic proportions, and after two of the best months of my life he broke my heart.

Big surprise.

If you’re on the fence about hooking up with a guy like him, use my story as a cautionary tale. Stay away from arrogant jerks with skillful hands and a tongue that …

You get the point.

Blurb

“Empty pussy.

Cooper told me about this phenomenon once and I didn’t believe him until today. In fact, I’m staring at one passed out in my bed. I have a lot of respect for women who know what they want sexually and go after it; I actually prefer fucking those types. As of this moment my priorities have shifted and it only took a night of extreme sex with his woman, Beth, and Cooper as a third. That shit was intense, life altering, and damn mind-blowing.

Let me be clear. This isn’t a team Cooper or team Jared situation, meaning I’m not upset she didn’t choose me. Rather I’d like to find a woman to worship as much as Cooper does Beth. I’m a determined motherfucker and being as such, I make a promise to myself. As the clock ticks down to midnight, I smile, knowing for damn sure I’ll make it come true.”

(review under the cut)

You can buy the book on Amazon.

Summary (from Amy Daws’s website)

That awkward moment when an ER doctor has to inform you that you’re pregnant…with his baby.

Three things Lynsey Jones knows about the hot doctor: he’s grouchy, an arrogant jerk, and strangely obsessed with pie.

Three things Dr. Dick knows: he doesn’t talk about his past, he doesn’t do relationships, and the crazy girl in the hospital cafeteria who ate a fistful of French silk pie…is annoyingly irresistible.

After a chance meetup at a bar and a heated cab ride together, things come to a head and now instead of hating each other, they’re horizontal in a bed.

Three months later, the weird cafeteria stalker who crept out of Dr. Dick’s house like a thief in the night, winds up as his patient in the ER after her Tinder date from hell.

Dr. Dick is prepared to keep it cool and professional. That is until her bloodwork reveals that she’s pregnant.

What really throws him for a loop…is the surprise baby…is his.

Blurb

““Holy dip on a carrot, I did it!” I squeal softly to myself as I finish the edits on the last line of my thesis and click save nineteen times. After nearly three months of killing myself and creeping into this hospital cafeteria to work because I couldn’t seem to write this godforsaken paper anywhere else, I have finally completed my master’s thesis.

Dip on allll the carrots!

Intense, sweet relief shoots through my veins. I could stand on my chair and blast light from my fingertips. Instead, like the mature graduate I’m on my way to becoming, I sit back and bask in my achievement while observing my fellow cafeteria diners. These people have unknowingly kept me company as I’ve suffered through this paper. And I never would have had the guts to come here to work if it weren’t for Kate.

With a grin, I pull my phone out of my laptop bag and type out a quick text.

Me: I did it. I finished.

Kate: Aww, see? I told you if you used the bigger attachment on your vibrator, you’d climax quicker.

Me: I’m not talking about masturbation, you perv.

Kate: Perv? You say that like it’s a bad thing! Don’t you realize that being called a perv is basically a compliment to an erotic romance novelist? Actually, you’ve just inspired me to get it embossed on my business cards.

Me: I’m talking about my thesis. I finally finished!

Kate: Holy shitballs…congratulations! That’s better than an orgasm!

Me: I know, right?

Kate: And let me guess, you’re at the hospital cafeteria again?

Me: I’m embarrassed to admit it, but yes.

Kate: I told you not to feel bad about writing where the words flow. My smutty words flow at a tire shop waiting room, and yours flow at a hospital cafeteria. We’re productive millennials, Lyns! Which is more than I can say for the rest of our generation. You totally owe me a fruity beverage, by the way.

Me: That’s exactly what I was thinking! Hang at my tiki bar tonight?

Kate: Can’t tonight. Miles put a roast in the crockpot, and he’s embarrassingly proud of himself about it.

Me: That sounds so domestic and boring. How is cohabitating with your lover going, by the way? It’s only been a week since you moved out & I already miss my best friend. My tiki bar is sad too!

Kate: I miss you too! But I’m getting sex on the reg now, so I have to admit, I don’t miss you that much.

Me: You’re disgusting. I hate your happiness.

Kate: That’s because you need sex! Call Dean and make him be your wingman tonight. Get out of your house and away from the tiki bar to celebrate this achievement. It’s about time you were wooed by something other than a fruity beverage and the Womanizer Pro40.

Me: You’re the worst.

Kate: Later, whore

Me: Later, perv”

(review under the cut)

And done! It was an awesome ride, full of fun and steam and feelings. A little bit of angst, a whole lot of love, a perfect romcom. Plus, the narrators are exceptionally good.

So either you buy the ebook, or you try the audiobook, I encourage you to read One moment please by Amy Daws!