Monday 11 April 2016

Release Day & Review: Calling It by Jennifer Doyle



Calling It
By: Jennifer Doyle
Releasing April 11, 2016
Carina Press



Baseball player Nathan Hawkins needs to get away from Chicago. After a near career-ending car accident and with paparazzi surrounding his penthouse, Nate can only think of one place to go: home. But when he finds his old apartment occupied by a half-naked woman wielding a baseball bat, he's not sure what to think...except that maybe his luck has finally changed for the better.

Librarian Dorie Donelli never thought she'd get to meet her fantasy man in person—much less while she’s wearing her bathrobe. To her surprise, her nearly naked run-in with Nate leads to more unclothed encounters. But Dorie is sure their fling is only temporary. As long as she remembers he’ll be gone once his life gets back on track, she won’t get hurt. In the meantime, she throws herself into enjoying their three weeks together before he has to report for spring training and go back to his old life.

For Nate, being with Dorie is the only time in months that he finds himself smiling. Laughing. And he has no intention of letting that go. He might even be falling in love…if only Dorie will let him say the words. What they have isn’t just a dream, but the start of a dream come true.



Link to Follow Tour: HERE




You don't need to be a sports fan to enjoy this impressive debut novel by Jen Doyle.

Suffocated by her overprotective older brothers, Dorie (Lucinda/Luce) Donelli applies and gets her dream job as a library manager in Inspiration, Iowa. She's moved into a nice apartment and is content that she finally has her own space to do whatever she wants. Only, she didn't expect the man of her many fantasies to appear in her kitchen and eat her food!

Despite what the critics say, at thirty-three years of age Nate Hawkins sports playing career isn't over...yet! Both his private and public lives are chaotic after a recent car crash and he's struggling to get his life back on track. Now six weeks later he heads back to his hometown, to spend time with his long-neglected family and friends only to find a link that has been missing from his life.

Both protagonists are likeable and supported by an equally entertaining bunch of characters. The attraction between Dorie and Nate is instantaneous and the steamy scenes between them are proof of that! The pace of the plot was both slow and fast paced depending where you are within the storyline which was a bit jarring. However, it didn't stop me wanting to keep reading. Dorie really frustrated me because of her repeatedly failed attempts to put distance between herself and Nate. He was too persistent sometimes with his never-ending schemes to force their tentative relationship to a more stable level.

Calling It is a well written with humorous dialogue and I'll be interested to read future books from this author. 

***arc generously received courtesy of Carina Press via NetGalley***


It wasn’t until Nate looked down to turn off the phone that he remembered where he was—that the woman who lived here was down the hall. Hell, she’d probably barricaded herself in the bathroom in order to keep a locked door between her and the stranger who’d barged in on her in the middle of the night.
And ate her dinner, he thought with a quiet laugh.
He’d give her back her phone and let her know he was leaving. Nowhere to stay, but he had a very expensive tiny car he could sleep in.
He found her in the bedroom, changing the sheets, which he would have told her she didn’t have to do if his heart hadn’t just lodged itself directly into his throat, cutting off any possibility of speech. Her pajama pants and T-shirt weren’t nearly as revealing as the robe had been, but her bending over the bed and straightening out the corner stirred up something deep inside of him. And now the only thing running through his mind was how soft her hair would be when he wrapped it around his hand; how warm and wet she’d be when he buried himself inside her.
Christ, woman,” he groaned. He grabbed the doorjamb above his head and he clutched it so hard he practically splintered the wood.
She gasped as she straightened up and spun around, her hand flying to her chest. “I was… I was just…”
She bit her lip and sank down until she was sitting on the edge of the bed. Her eyes met his, and he had to tell himself he couldn’t take her right here. He needed to focus on climbing out of this hole—he didn’t have the time to fall further in, no matter how enjoyable that might be.
But he couldn’t look away.
Her eyes were a deep dark brown, the same color as the hair piled on top of her head. He wanted to trace the golden skin along her collarbone to the hollow of her throat, wanted his tongue on every part of her. And the glasses she now wore almost undid him.
If she’d been wearing those with the robe? When she’d hiked that bat up over her shoulder?
Holy. Shit. Turned out he liked a woman who would take him on without even blinking an eye. Who knew?
He especially liked it when her interested gaze traveled down his chest, past his waist… He liked it too much, actually. Only the quickly summoned thought of David Ortiz slamming into him at home plate stopped him from embarrassing himself in a way he hadn’t since he was practically a kid.
Even that almost wasn’t enough when she said, “I, um, changed the sheets. So you can take the bed.”
All control vanished as the words just came pouring out of his mouth. “The only way I take the bed is if I take you in it with me.”
His heart nearly raced its way out of his chest in the seconds before she replied, “I bet you say that to all the girls.” Laughter danced in her eyes and a wicked grin came over her face when her eyes again dropped to his cock and then quickly came back up. She bit her bottom lip before whispering, “Hungry?”
Miguel Cabrera. Adrian Beltre. Derek fucking Jeter.
He gripped the doorjamb tighter.
I could eat,” he answered as evenly as he could manage.
For a moment they just stayed where they were, staring.
When she stood and walked toward him, he almost blinked. This was a dream. It had to be. Or some elaborate setup that Pete had come up with in order to get Nate’s mind off everything else. Put this fantasy of a woman in front of him—feisty and looking so innocent and cute while she offered up anything he wanted to take—until he was so goddamn spent he could finally get over himself and start living his life again.
Except then she brushed past him as she walked out of the room, pausing only to whisper into his ear, “I think you need another minute.”


A big believer in happily ever afters, Jen Doyle decided it was high time she started creating some. Jen is a member of the Romance Writers of America, as well as a member of the New England, New Jersey Romance Writers and Music City Romance Writer chapters of RWA. She is represented by Sarah E. Younger of the Nancy Yost Literary Agency. She has an M.S. in Library and Information Science and, in addition to her work as a librarian, has worked as a conference and events planner as well as a Communications and Enrollment administrator in both preschool and higher education environments (although some might say that there is very little difference between the two; Jen has no comment regarding whether she is one of the “some”).
CALLING IT is her first book, the first of two which will be published by Carina Press in 2016. It was the winner of The Beacon, the Finish the Damn Book, and the Melody of Love 2014 contests in the Contemporary Romance category, and was also the Contemporary Romance winner as well as the Grand Prize Winner of the 2014 Gateway to the Best contest.



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Releasing Tomorrow: Getting Wound Up by Jennifer Bernard and Erin Nicholas



Getting Wound Up
A Sapphire Falls/Love Between the Bases Crossover Novel
By: Jennifer Bernard and Erin Nicholas
Releasing April 12, 2016
EN Fiction, Inc.


 

Caitlyn Murray has never let on that she's had fantasies about her brother's friend Eli Anderson for years. She'd do anything for the sexy baseball player who walked away from stardom to stay in Sapphire Falls and take care of his family. But she and Eli are friends. Just friends.

So when her brother hatches a plan to get Eli to the pro baseball try-out for the Kilby Catfish and another chance at his dream, Caitlyn is all in. After all, what's a little kidnapping among friends?
A spot on the pitcher's mound for the Catfish isn't the only tempting thing about the spontaneous road trip. Eli already knows that Caitlyn is as sweet as the candies she makes for the Sapphire Falls bakery, but alone with her overnight in the tiny motel room in Kansas, it's impossible to resist the urge to take a little taste.

But when that taste leads to falling for the girl next door just as his front door is moving hundreds of miles away, can Eli really have it all? Or do they have too many strikes against them?


Link to Follow Tour: Here


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Caitlyn felt her stool being swiveled. She came face-to-face with Eli.
Eli, what—”
He cupped the back of her head and covered her mouth with his.
It didn’t last long. At least, it didn’t last long enough, in her opinion. But it was … amazing. Yes, that was definitely the word for the day.
Did you really memorize each of my tryout pitches?” he asked, resting his forehead against hers.
She nodded, unable to speak. Because she’d also memorized the feel of his lips against hers. And she wanted to keep reliving it.
Thank you,” he said quietly.
For memorizing them?” she managed to ask.
For caring.”
She melted a little at that. “I can’t help it.”
She immediately bit her lip. Crap. She had to stop with the slips. On this one she could blame her kiss-muddled brain, but …
Hey, he’d kissed her.
You kissed me,” she said softly, pulling back just enough to look up at him.
I did.”
She couldn’t help but let her gaze drop to his mouth.
And I want to do it again.”
Her eyes flew back to his.
There is really something sexy about you knowing all about pitching and every detail of my tryout and believing in me so adamantly.”
Oh boy, she really wanted to kiss him again. Or have him kiss her. However, whatever, it took to get his mouth on hers.
Then I overheard you talking to Bryan. You really do think I’m amazing. You aren’t just saying that to me.”
I’ve always thought you were amazing,” she said.
He pulled her close and lowered his head. “Yeah, the wanting to kiss you isn’t new either.”
And then he was.
It was so much more than the spontaneous good-luck kiss. It was even more than the one just a minute ago. This one was much more … intentional.
His lips moved over hers slowly, deliberately, as if he was savoring her. After only a few seconds she was clinging to him, his shirt fisted in her hands, her back arching as she tried to get closer.
Caitlyn felt his hand move to the back of her neck, holding her in place as he tasted her, his tongue sliding along her lower lip and then in against her tongue when she sighed.
When he finally lifted his head, she swore that she could still feel his tongue on hers. And in a few other places it hadn’t actually been.
Whoa,” she breathed out.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
We should … ”
Stop.”
Do that again.”
They spoke at the same time and stopped at the same time.
He let go of her and stepped back.
You think we should stop,” she said, trying not to show just how disappointed she was.
You think we should keep going?” He looked a little stunned at that.
I think I need another shot.” She raised her hand and signaled the waitress.
She was definitely going to need another, because she’d just made a life-altering decision. Do or die. All or nothing. Play hard or go home.
Gulp

Jennifer Bernard is a graduate of Harvard and a former news promo producer. The child of academics, she confounded her family by preferring romance novels to … well, any other books. She left big city life for true love in Alaska, where she now lives with her husband and stepdaughters. She’s no stranger to book success, as she also writes erotic novellas under a naughty secret name not to be mentioned at family gatherings.



Erin Nicholas is the author of sexy contemporary romances. Her stories have been described as toe-curling, enchanting, steamy and fun. She loves to write about reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines and happily ever afters. She lives in the Midwest with her husband who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books, her kids who will never read the sex scenes in her books, and family and friends who say they’re shocked by the sex scenes in her books (yeah, right!).





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Coming soon!: Dirtiest Secret by J. Kenner


Dirtiest Secret will be here on April 19th! 

It was wrong for us to be together, but it was even harder to be apart.
 
The memory of Dallas Sykes burns inside of me.

Everyone knows him as a notorious playboy, a man for whom women and money are no object. But to me, he’s still the one man I desperately crave—yet the one I can never have.

Dallas knows me better than anyone else. We bear the same scars, the same darkness in our past. I thought I could move on by staying away, but now that we’re drawn together once more, I can’t fight the force of our attraction or the temptation to make him mine.

We’ve tried to maintain control, not letting ourselves give in to desire. And for so long we’ve told ourselves no—but now it’s finally time to say yes.

Dirtiest Secret is intended for mature audiences.

PRAISE FOR DIRTIEST SECRET:

Dirtiest Secret is dark, dangerous, thrilling, and absolutely dirty in the most wicked ways. I love that J.Kenner is a talented author who is not opposed to taking risks. You never know what you're going to get. ~
Audrey Carlan, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

A phenomenal trip down the rabbit hole of secrets and lies. Dirtiest Secrets is sheer perfection!! - 
Heather - Give Me Books 

Intense, mysterious, intriguing and hot!  I never thought anything taboo could feel so right. - 
My Boyfriend Lives In Books 


Amazon US      Amazon US Print      Audible         iBooks      B&N/Nook 






J. Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and #1 International bestselling author of over seventy novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.
Though known primarily for her award-winning and internationally bestselling erotic romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list and #1 internationally, JK has been writing full time for over a decade in a variety of genres including paranormal and contemporary romance, "chicklit" suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal mommy lit. 
JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a "flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations" and by RT Bookclub for having "cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swopn for him." A four time finalist for Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy awarded in the category of erotic romance in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy).