Wednesday 4 November 2015

Book Blitz: Frisk Me by Lauren Layne



FRISK ME
New York's Finest #1
Lauren Layne
Released July 28th,2015
Forever Romance



After a photograph of Luc Moretti saving a tourist hits social media, he instantly becomes New York's most famous and beloved cop. When a major network decides to run a special on the "American Hero," Luc's boss gives him no choice but to cooperate in the name of good exposure for the department. Luc doesn't mind the celebrity status-what he does mind is the gorgeous brunette journalist who's been assigned to follow his every move. Especially since she also happens to be the same knockout that rejected him rather publicly the week before.

Ava Sims is a woman who gets what she wants. And what she wants is to be CBC's lead anchor-but to get there, she'll need to nail the fluff piece on the playboy cop. Luc Moretti is everything Ava knows to stay away from: a stubborn charmer with a hero-complex. But the more Ava gets to know Luc and his oddball family, the more she realizes that beneath the swagger and the blue uniform is a complex man who makes her heart beat too fast. Soon, Ava's doing the unthinkable, and falling for the best of New York's finest ...



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A woman stood in the back corner of the room, helping herself to coffee from the fancy coffee machine Brinker kept for his own personal use.
Her body was mostly hidden by one of the horrible potted plants that Brinker’s wife insisted gave his office “homey character.”
And then she stepped into plain view.
He couldn’t help it; he checked her out. Everything about the woman demanded a second look, the legs in particular.
Luc had never really considered himself a legs-man, being more of an “equal opportunity” guy when it came to female body parts. (Although, if his mother ever asked, he’d swear up and down that he only ever noticed personality. Maybe the eyes.)
But the legs on this one were damn near perfect. For that matter, the high breasts and slim waist also earned high marks.
Her subdued black skirt and white blouse should have been boring, but they’d obviously been perfectly tailored to fit her trim frame perfectly.
The black high heels were icing on the already perfect cake.
Then he looked at her face, and for a second, Luc felt just a little bit dazed.
If anything, her features were even more perfect than the body. Her eyes were maybe just slightly too large for her otherwise petite features, but there was no doubt about it, the woman was stunning.
And yet, there was something else there too, just beyond the jolt of sexual awareness.
Recognition.
Luc might not have his brother Vincent’s photographic memory, but he was pretty damn good with faces. And he was pretty sure he knew this one. His brain scrambled to place her, but he kept coming up empty.
Her eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly on Luc, and his narrowed right back. He definitely knew her from somewhere.
She gave him a slow, knowing smile. “Fifth and Fortieth, three years ago.”
He shook his head to indicate he didn’t follow.
You’re trying to figure out how you know me. Three years ago, you gave my news van a parking ticket, and we exchanged…words. That’s where you know me from. I’m Ava Sims.”



Lauren Layne is the USA Today Bestselling author of more than a dozen contemporary romance novels.

Prior to becoming an author, Lauren worked in e-commerce and web-marketing. A year after moving from Seattle to Manhattan to pursue a writing career, she had a fabulous agent and multiple New York publishing deals.

Lauren currently lives in Chicago with her husband and plus-sized Pomeranian. When not writing, you'll likely find her running (rarely), reading (sometimes), or at happy hour (often).



Don't Miss the Moretti's


Releasing Nov 24th, 2015


Releasing March 29th, 2015


New Release Spotlight: Hard Beat by K. Bromberg


Meet Tanner & Beaux in HARD BEAT - the newest stand alone in the
Driven Series by K. Bromberg!




From the New York Times bestselling author of Sweet Ache comes a blistering new novel filled with danger, secrecy, and a desire that can’t be sated…
Foreign war correspondent Tanner Thomas is addicted to living on the edge. Needing the adrenaline rush of his job to help him cope with a personal loss, he throws himself back into the game, concentrating all his energy on getting the next big story. But when he meets his new photojournalist, Beaux Croslyn, he can’t help but feel like he’s losing his focus—and maybe risking more…
With secrets she won’t address, Beaux is far from your ordinary woman. Determined to keep her distance, she’s willing to pull Tanner in closer and hide behind the sparks flying between them. But as Beaux’s past begins to put their relationship—and their lives—at risk, Tanner’s determination to find the truth puts them both in jeopardy.
He's ready to chase her to the ends of the earth to find out if what they had was real, or if the danger surrounding them was just an exquisite heat fated to burn out….
Beaux!” Even when I say her name, I’m cursing myself for it. “Beaux!” She just keeps walking, causing my better judgment to win out over my obstinacy.
I said stay away . . . and it’s BJ to you.” She stops and turns around, but a passerby on the sidewalk bumps harshly against her shoulder. Her small frame sways from the contact, and I’m beside her in two strides.
You can’t go that way unless you’re looking for trouble.” I decide to ignore her comment.
She just shakes her head and starts walking away from me, but at least she’s moving in the direction of the hotel. I swear I hear her mutter something about always looking for trouble, but I miss the rest of it when a car passes in between us, the sound drowning out her voice.
My feet kick up the dirt on the street as I try to catch up to her. I lie to myself that I want to talk to her to establish some kind of ground rules about how we’ll work together, try to restore a professional level, but I know I’m just making sure she gets back into the confines of the hotel safely.
The barely chilled air-conditioned lobby of the hotel meets us as we enter, but it feels like heaven in contrast to the stifling heat outside. If she knows I’m beside her, she doesn’t acknowledge it, and that’s fine with me. I just want to make sure she’s nice and tucked away in her room where I don’t have to worry about her for a bit while I try to drum up some leads.
The elevator car opens on cue as we approach. I step in right behind her, lean against the rear wall, and fold my arms across my chest to mimic her posture. The door closes, but neither of us moves in a game of chicken. Just when the doors start to open up again without the car ascending, Beaux steps forward and presses the button for the twelfth floor. She looks over to me and raises her eyebrows in question.
My room, please. You remember where that is, right?” I angle my head, stare at her, and enjoy watching her cheeks flush with anger.
I wait for the snide comment to come, but she just turns and faces the doors of the elevator without pushing the button for the eighth floor. Tension is so thick in the car, you can all but see it.
I don’t trust you,” I say evenly, but it cuts through the silence.
Good,” she says matter-of-factly as the car alerts our arrival on the twelfth floor. “Be careful whom you trust—the devil was once an angel, you know.”
And with that she walks off the elevator without another word, her comment already replaying in my mind.



New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author K. Bromberg writes contemporary novels that contain a mixture of sweet, emotional, a whole lot of sexy and a little bit of real. She likes to write strong heroines and damaged heroes who we love to hate and hate to love.
She’s a mixture of most of her female characters: sassy, intelligent, stubborn, reserved, outgoing, driven, emotional, strong, and wears her heart on her sleeve. All of which she displays daily with her husband and three children where they live in Southern California.
On a whim, K. Bromberg decided to try her hand at this writing thing. Since then she has written The Driven Series (Driven, Fueled, Crashed, Raced, Aced (releasing 1/11/16)), the standalone Driven Novels (Slow Burn, Sweet Ache, Hard Beat (releasing 11/3/15), and a short story titled UnRaveled. She is currently working on new projects and a few surprises for her readers.
She loves to hear from her readers so make sure you check her out on social media.




GIVEAWAY
Mystery Box (3 Winners)
This box will be filled with goodies from K. Bromberg!


Review: Marigny Street By Annie Rose Welch




Do you believe in the power of dreams?

Way down south on Marigny Street in the heart of New Orleans, the land of Catholic intercessions, purgatory, and supernatural superstitions, young Evangeline Chenier dreams of a radiant boy who saves her from a storm. She takes the dream seriously – in her family, dreams are sometimes more than dreams. Sometimes they foretell the future. Sometimes they create it.

Years later, Eva is no longer the same wistful girl but a hardened woman who no longer believes in dreams. Losing faith in her gift, she becomes lost in a nightmare of emotion, mourning her son, separating from her husband, and stewing in a dead-end job. And then fate brings her an unlikely surprise: one of the most famous movie stars in the world, Gabriel Roberts.

Caught by something in his eyes, Eva agrees to show him the real Big Easy on his last night in New Orleans—an evening that turns into four dreamy days spent recapturing lost faith and discovering a love neither expected. Realizing Gabriel is the boy from her childhood dream, Eva must leave everything behind—her husband, her family, her history, and the beautiful city she calls home—and gamble it all for the dream that has saved her on MARIGNY STREET.


Where to start and what to say? Marigny Street was so unexpected in the best possible way.

Evangeline Chenier is barely functioning on a day to day basis as she's burdened with her past. Grieving the death of her son and feeling suffocated, rather than gaining comfort from her closest loved ones, she escapes through her dreams and a boy she sees within her subconscious. Believing that one day she will meet her angel.

Gabriel Roberts has Hollywood eating out of his hands but the young Irish actor is far from content within the vacuous world he works in; yearning for a simpler life where creating and playing music would be his focus.

The connection, magnetism and chemistry between Eva and Gabriel is palpable. Against the backdrop of New Orleans, Eva comes alive again. Seizing the chance to show this young Irishman her personal view of the city she can't believe her luck that he shares her passion for jazz. In turn, Gabriel relishes his hard fought freedom and soaks up Eva's carefree enthusiasm as he discovers a life he'd rather live with a woman like no other he's ever known. Soul mates. Their time together is short and the ending unexpected, but somehow leaves you with a feeling of hope and serenity.

This is the first book I've read by this author and completely blown away by this beautiful narrative. Normally, I shy away from anything vaguely relating to angels, but here I am completely charmed. Ms White really “sold” New Orleans to me as she described this enchanting southern city where dreams and superstitions are embedded in its culture making it a perfect backdrop for this wonderful, uplifting and thought provoking story.

5 stars

***arc generously received in exchange for an honest review***