Review: Necessary Evil by Jamie K. Schmidt

(from Goodreads)

In this steamy series opener from bestselling author Jamie K. Schmidt—whose writing has been called “hot and sexy, with just the right amount of emotional punch,” by Lauren Layne—a vigilante biker takes the power of love into his own hands.
 
Lucy Simmons comes from a rough family, but she’s a damn good public defender. Even though she hates to see criminals walk due to sloppy police work, the law’s there to make sure everyone gets a fair trial, and Lucy certainly doesn’t believe in the kind of justice meted out by the leather-clad ex-cop they call “Evil.” He’s stubborn, cynical, and out of control—but he plays her body like no man ever has. For once, both Lucy’s boss and her brother agree: The biker is trouble.
 
Evan Villiers took a sacred vow to let no killer, rapist, or pedophile go unpunished. When scumbags fall through the system, his motorcycle club cleans up the garbage. Although the Sons of Babylon and their methods may not be to Lucy’s liking, the beautiful lawyer has become Evan’s light in the dark. But his next hit is Lucy’s own brother—a murderer who got off on a technicality. Now, with his loyalties split, Evan must turn his back on his brothers . . . or lose the woman who has claimed his reckless heart.
 
Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

AMAZON US

 This is my first novel by this author and Necessary Evil is a great start for what promises to be a fabulous series.

Even Villiers is ex-cop who runs a bar after taking early retirement on a full pension. He is a member of The sentinels Of Babylon MC but that's a convenient cover for their rumoured vigilante activities. Their methods for seeking justice on behalf of victims are questionable however their targets 'leads' are only passed to them when traditional justice hasn't worked.

Defence Attorney Lucy Simmons is passionate about her work believing everyone is entitled to a fair trial but is disillusioned when guilty suspects walk free because of incompetent police work. She's heard that former cop Evil and is associates take the law into their own hands but that not enough to say away from the dangerous man.

I love Evil and Lucy together as they finally come together after skirting around each other for a couple of years. I like the twist in this novel because it throws the protagonists into an unprecedented situation, making Evil question what he does apart from tend a bar. There is an interesting batch of secondary characters which I'm presuming will form the basis for the remainder of the series.

To sum up, this is fast paced romance, which a little different from other MC books I have read but that makes it even more appealing. The author is new to me and I looking forward reading more of her contemporary romance novels

*** generously received courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley

New Release Blast: Blue Satin Sashes by Millenia Black

Blue Satin Sashes
Favorite Things Trilogy #2

By: Millenia Black

Releasing November 28, 2016
Self-Published

Blue Satin Sashes

Favorite Things Trilogy

From the #1 bestselling author of The Great Pretender comes the highly anticipated second book in the captivating Favorite Things Trilogy—Blue Satin Sashes is a searing story of passion, desperation and vengeance…

What happens when you fall in love with someone else?

Paris, France. Corporate brand designer Michael Frost knows he’s found a once in a lifetime love in professional illustrator Priscilla Bauer, the granddaughter of a legendary Hollywood icon—but Michael must now cross an ocean of regrets to repair damage inflicted by his heartbroken high school sweetheart Amber Holland, whose increasingly extreme attempts at sabotage may know no bounds…

How will she win? How will she lose?

Brave the razor-sharp edges of an intensely hot love triangle as Michael and Priscilla discover the depths of Amber’s passion ultimately rivals their own.

Link to Follow Tour: HERE

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Didot43 9 minutes ago

Fuck your ex. You can’t cheat on somebody that DUMPED you. You’re an idiot and you probably didn’t give the guy tonight a fair chance. So what if he’s not the cleanest? Are you?

RueHermann 3 hours ago

I feel your pain. I’ve been with the same guy for a long time too. Can’t imagine being with anyone else!

Model_Dolly 3 hours ago

OMG!!! You have me in tears, my heart goes out to you. Don’t give up hope-your boyfriend will regret letting you go!!

DpLane 6 hours ago

Why are you putting your business out there like this? Pretty sure neither of these dudes would appreciate it.

Horsee12 7 hours ago

At least you’re trying to move on now. Your other vids made me think you belonged in a padded room...

“Well, you can all just fuck right off,” said Amber, deleting every single one of the negative comments left on the video she’d uploaded about her date with David Riley.

It was shocking how quickly her Forever Amber YouTube channel was growing—over a thousand subscribers in less than a week and nearly a hundred thousand views of her videos—not to mention how cathartic talking to strangers had proven to be! Most people were judgmental idiots who clearly had never had a Michael Frost in their lives, so their mean and insensitive opinions meant less than shit to her. Let them spew! They were watching—and the more views she got, the more ad revenue, another much-needed income stream to say the least.

Leaning forward, Amber read Model_Dolly’s comment again. And again. And then again. By the sixth time, she had the boost of validation she needed to stay strong. Hitting reply, she told her so. It felt good to thank her for the support. Going out with David had proven everything she already knew in her heart. Why force herself to move on if moving on was so painful? Why force herself to be unhappy when she knew who she belonged with?

With a resolute upper lip, Amber sent off the assignment she’d gotten up super early to complete, then shut down the laptop and hit the shower. She had to get ready for the drive to Mayfair.

No one does family and relationship drama quite like bestselling author Millenia Black! Heralded as a double life and relationship expert, she's been a featured guest on radio shows across the country, discussing the 7 Smoke Signals Your Man is Living a Double Life. 

Millenia lives in Florida where she's currently unmarried and has never dated anyone living a double life...

She thinks.

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Release Day Blast: Consolation Prize by Linda Kage

Consolation Prize
Forbidden Men #9

By: Linda Kage

Released November 17th, 2016
Self-Published

Consolation Prize

Forbidden Men Series

Don't you just hate it when someone destroys all your carefully made plans?

I mean, I had goals: college to graduate in one semester, a future I was working hard to reach, and an image of myself I wanted the world to see. My life was stacked into these precisely placed blocks. But then Colton Gamble came along and knocked them all askew.

I hated how he messed everything up, how he could hog all my attention whenever he was around, how he made my pulse quicken--but only because he ticked me off...not because I was attracted to him. Oh! And I hated how he knew how attractive he was too, the shallow, full of himself, doesn't take no for an answer, too-flirty, too cocky, extremely irritating jerk.

The boy had all the qualities that turned me off. Or so I thought.

One night he wasn't quite the brainless, over-confident jerk I usually took him for.

One night, he took care of me when I was at my lowest. He opened up to me and made me open up to him.

Now I'm learning maybe he's not what I first thought he was. And maybe I'M not what I first thought I was. Maybe it’s okay to rearrange a couple of my perfectly set blocks. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll stop worrying about what I’m afraid everyone else will think and finally reach for something I really want. It’s possible some of my plans need to be destroyed, and Colton Gamble is exactly the kind of mess I need in my life.

What do you think? Should I give him a try?

Desperately seeking your advice,
Julianna Radcliffe

Link to Follow Blast:HERE

“Juli can’t stop staring at you tonight.”

“Juli?” That name perked me to immediate attention. “Julianna’s here?”

I followed Asher’s gaze to a dimly-lit table in the back corner that bordered the dance floor. It was empty save for one individual, one of the loveliest individuals to grace the planet.

I have no clue how she did it, but Julianna Radcliffe always managed to look equal parts disdainfully untouchable and wet-dream sexy.

Tonight, her dress was pure sin. She wore a long, strapless light gray number that had a front slit, exposing a perfectly toned leg most the way up her thigh and a bustier top that hugged proud, ample breasts. The paleness of her dress made the tone of her skin appear even darker than usual, which made my stomach knot with tension because I yearned to investigate all that dark-dark skin, see how it felt under my hands, how it tasted against my tongue, how it trembled when I stroked it.

Yet I knew without a shadow of a doubt there was no way that would ever happen, because that lady right here was a ball breaker. You could tell it by the straight-backed, poised way she held herself, as if she might as well be behind a boardroom table, doling out punishments to her inferior insubordinates, and by the way she had no tolerance for stupidity or players. I swear, her stare alone could shrivel a guy’s family jewels to impotent nothingness. I usually had the itching urge to cover my junk whenever I talked to her.

And yet she was an irresistible challenge to idiots like me. Not just because she was model-worthy stunning, which she was. Nothing on her was ever out of place; it always struck me with the urge to mess her up…in the best ways possible. But because I felt the need to be the exception to the rule, the one who got past her defenses and scaled that impossible mountain.

Brandt groaned.

I glanced at him, forcing my brain back to the problem at hand, that being Julianna and her inability to take her eyes off my newly married brother. “Hasn’t it been months since you and she were over?” I asked, confused.

He sent me a sharp glance. “Over? We never started. There’s nothing to be over. Juli and I didn’t even finish the one date we went on.”

Asher sniffed. “Well, it looks as if she’s still willing to finish it.”

“Dammit.” Brandt glanced toward his wife. “I hope Sarah doesn’t see her watching me. I don’t want anything upsetting her on our wedding day.”

Asher shook his head. “So, why’d you even invite Juli?”

“I work with her.” Brandt moodily tugged at the collar of his tux.

It seemed odd to me that someone so classically beautiful worked in a nightclub as a bartender. To me, Julianna clearly belonged on a runway, displaying the latest fashion, or—

“It would’ve been strange to invite everyone else and leave her out. Besides, we’re still friends. She’s probably my favorite coworker.”

“Hey,” Asher muttered, offended since he occasionally bartended at Forbidden with Brandt too.

Brandt rolled his eyes. “You don’t count.”

But that only seemed to confuse Asher more. “Why don’t I count?”

Ignoring him, Brandt brought his hand up to his mouth so he could chew on his thumbnail. “We need to distract her somehow. Someone needs to...” Trailing off, he turned slowly toward me, and the intent in his gaze was pretty damn clear.

I paused mid-sip. “Wait, what? You can’t possibly want me to distract her?”

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Linda Kage grew up on a dairy farm in the Midwest as the youngest of eight children. Now she lives in Kansas with her husband, daughter, and nine cuckoo clocks. Her life's been blessed with lots of people to learn from and love. Writing's always been a major part of her world, and she is so happy to finally share some of her stories with other romance lovers.

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Sales Blitz: I Wish You Were Mine by Lauren Layne

I Wish You Were Mine
Oxford #2

By: Lauren Layne

Released February 2, 2016
Loveswept

I Wish You Were Mine

Oxford Series

Perfect for fans of Alice Clayton and Emma Chase, Lauren Layne’s Oxford series heats up in this story of forbidden desire as a brooding jock hoping for a comeback falls for a woman who’s strictly off-limits.

A year ago, Jackson Burke was married to the love of his life and playing quarterback for the Texas Redhawks. Now he’s retired, courtesy of the car accident that ruined his career—and single, after a nasty scandal torpedoed his marriage. Just as he’s starting to get used to his new life as a health and fitness columnist for Oxford magazine, his unpredictable ex shows up on his doorstep in Manhattan. Jackson should be thrilled. But he can’t stop thinking about the one person who’s always been there for him, the one girl he could never have: her younger sister.

Mollie Carrington can’t say no to Madison. After all, her older sister practically raised her. So when Madison begs for help in winning her ex-husband back, Mollie’s just glad she got over her own crush on Jackson ages ago—or so she thought. Because as Mollie reconnects with Jackson, she quickly forgets all her reasons to stay loyal to her sister. Tempted by Jackson’s mellow drawl and cowboy good looks, Mollie is sick and tired of coming in second place. But she can’t win if she doesn’t play the game.

Jackson took a sip. Perfection. Although what did it mean that Jackson’s life had turned into one where the highlight of his day was a well-made cocktail?

It wasn’t that Jackson needed the booze. He enjoyed it, certainly. Had relied on it more than he probably should have in those first few days when he’d gotten out of the hospital and come home to a whole lot of nothingness.

But these days he could take it or leave it.

Tonight, however, he was taking it. Sobriety had no place when you had to sit across from the most off-limits woman on the planet.

Knowing that didn’t stop the anticipation, however. He hadn’t seen her since she’d shown up in his hospital room to deliver a bag of Gatlin’s BBQ and . . .

His divorce papers.

That had been eight months ago.

He’d avoided her ever since, and he couldn’t even say why except that he’d avoided pretty much everyone. Jackson still spoke with his parents every Sunday, but everyone else—all the old teammates, the old neighbors—had eventually stopped calling.

Mollie hadn’t, though. Mollie had never given up on him. Until today, he hadn’t responded to a single text, a single email, and yet she hadn’t stopped sending them. That was Mollie for you. Fiercely loyal to both him and Madison, even when things had started to go to hell.

Mollie had been accepted to Columbia just about the time that he and Madison started coming apart at the seams. In hindsight, he was grateful that Mollie had been in New York when things started to go to hell in his marriage. That she hadn’t seen him at his worst.

At the time, however, he’d been hit with an unfair sense of abandonment. He hadn’t realized how much he’d come to rely on the much younger Mollie to mediate things between him and the volatile Madison until she was in a different time zone.

Even now, more than a decade since first meeting Mollie, he struggled to reconcile the fact that she and Madison had come from the same parents. Madison was perfectly coiffed, charming only when she was in the mood, and manipulative as all hell. Mollie, on the other hand, was adorably awkward—a brainy research assistant who cared a hell of a lot more about her scientific journals than her manicure.

But somewhere along the line, Mollie Carrington had ceased to be that awkward kid who talked about bugs at inopportune times. Somewhere along the line, she’d become his rock. The one person in the world, save for perhaps his parents, who always knew the exact right thing to say to make him feel like a human whenever he’d started to feel like a caricature of himself.

For years he’d tried to tell himself that it was just sibling affection—that he cared about her the way he would a sister. But then things had gotten worse with Madison—way worse. And Jackson had been hit upside the head with the truth: that maybe he’d married the wrong sister. That he didn’t want to spend the rest of his days married to the beautiful, brittle Madison.

He wanted someone who made him laugh. Who listened. Someone who cared more about people than she did about hair appointments.

Someone like Mollie.

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Lauren Layne is the USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen romantic comedies. She lives in New York City with her husband (who was her high school sweetheart--cute, right?!) and plus-sized Pomeranian.

In 2011, she ditched her corporate career in Seattle to pursue a full-time writing career in Manhattan, and never looked back.

In her ideal world, every stiletto-wearing, Kate Spade wielding woman would carry a Kindle stocked with Lauren Layne books.

For a list of all her works, please be sure to check out her official website!

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New Release Spotlight: Heartthrob by Belinda Williams

Heartthrob
Hollywood Hearts #1

By: Belinda Williams

Releasing November 10, 2016  
Self-Published

CAN AN AVERAGE GIRL SURVIVE HOLLYWOOD?

Ally Valenti doesn’t belong in Hollywood. Not like her friend and actress, Lena Lyons. Lena’s convinced Ally to pursue her dreams of fashion design, starting with some gowns for the awards season.

Which Ally will get around to creating as soon as she can stop looking at Jacob Swan, Lena’s latest co-star. Not that she’s staring. Ally’s skeptical of anything celebrity and it’s not like she’d be pathetic enough to fall for a Hollywood heartthrob.

Then Ally learns there’s more to Jacob than his good guy, all-American persona. She finds herself torn between the desire to get to know him better and her determination to stay out of the limelight.

Of course the media has other ideas—and someone doesn’t like all the attention Ally’s getting. When threats aimed at destroying her fashion career go too far, Ally’s convinced she’s living in crazy town.

The sensible thing would be to retreat home before it all ends in spectacular fashion. But will Ally be leaving more than her dreams behind if she says goodbye to Hollywood?

This glamorous, fast-paced contemporary romance that will make you smile, is perfect for fans of Rachel Gibson, Victoria Dahl, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and Liliana Hart.

Link to Follow Tour: HERE

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We wove our way through the crowd, lots of people waving to Jake as we went. Was this what it would have been like to be popular at school?

Outside, there appeared to be a designated area where cars were picking up the actors and actresses. Jake made a brief call on his phone as we walked, then spoke to a valet. Or was he a bodyguard? The entire area was swarming with them, which was understandable given the amount of famous people milling around.

“Oh my God,” I whispered. Stupid me. I was so worried about spending time with Jake I hadn’t considered what the public would make of the two of us getting into a car together. In my world, accepting a ride home didn’t warrant media attention.

My heart racing in my chest, I took a step backward so my view of the street was obscured by one of the many bodyguards. At least the media weren’t allowed too close. After the red carpet, they’d been relegated to the street with the rest of the fans.

The sound of some women squealing from across the sidewalk cut through the steady hum of other partygoers waiting for their ride.

“Jake! Jake!”

I winced and edged a little closer to the bodyguard’s back, praying he wouldn’t notice.

Jake noticed the movement and frowned, stepping closer to me. “Ally? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“It doesn’t look like nothing. You’re really pale.”

“It’s just the light,” I lied.

“Then why are you going all Bambi on me?”

I jolted as he put a hand on my shoulder. “You’re shivering. Here.” With that, he tucked me into his side.

I fought hard not to whimper. For a tantalizing moment I imagined what it would be like to rest my head against his sturdy chest, but somehow, with a strength of will I didn’t know I had, I stepped away.

“The photographers, Jake,” I said through clenched teeth.

Another well-timed and rather needy ‘Jake’ drifted to us from across the street.

He blinked at me and then swore under his breath. “I’m so sorry, Ally. I didn’t think. I guess I’m just used to it and I understand why you don’t want to be seen with me—”

A bubble of hysterical laughter escaped my lips.

“What?” he asked, his forehead crinkling in a most attractive way.

 “Yeah,” I blurted. “I mean, as if I’d want to be seen with you, Jake. Just think of what you’ll do to my reputation.”

Belinda Willliams is a marketing communications specialist and copywriter who allowed an addiction to romance and chick-lit to get the better of her. She was named a top ten finalist in the Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Award in both 2013 and 2014.

Her other addictions include music and cars. Belinda’s eclectic music taste forms the foundation of many of her writing ideas and her healthy appreciation for fast cars means she would not so secretly love a Lamborghini. For now she’ll have to settle with her son’s Hot Wheels collection and writing hot male leads with sports cars.

Belinda lives in Sydney and blogs regularly about writing and reading at www.belindawilliamsbooks.com

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