Thursday 2 March 2017

New Release Spotlight & Review: The Bastard Billionaire by Jessica Lemmon



Title: THE BASTARD BILLIONAIRE
Author: Jessica Lemmon
Series: Billionaire Bad Boys, #3
On Sale: February 28, 2017
Publisher: Forever
Mass Market: $7.99 USD
eBook: $6.99 USD



Beauty and the Beastly Billionaire . . .

Eli Crane is one tough bastard. After an explosion left him injured and honorably discharged from the Marines, all he wants is to be left alone. Yet his brothers insist he take a greater role in the family business. They've hired him ten personal assistants—and Eli sent each one packing as fast as possible. But when beautiful number eleven walks through the door, Eli will do anything to make her stay.

Isabella Sawyer's employment agency can't afford to lose Eli Crane's business. Her plan: to personally take on the role of his PA, and secure her reputation with the wealthy elite in Chicago. But this beauty and her hot billionaire bad boy soon find themselves mixing business with pleasure in the most delicious ways. And passionate, stubborn Isabella won't rest until she tames this wicked beast . . .



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Standing, she smoothed her hands down her pants and flipped her hair. She had planned to quietly finish her work and leave without seeing him again. No such luck. And no hiding that she was heading his way when her heels clicked along the concrete floor.
Well.
The kiss had happened. The button incident had happened. There was no taking it back. Regardless of how either of them felt about it, she was going to continue working here. So. She would deal with the here and now.
Since the sun was shining, Eli’s lair was welcome instead of foreboding. No fire cracked in the hearth today. Also unlike his usual, he wasn’t at his desk. He was at the printer.
This yours?” He offered a sheet of paper.
Yes.” She couldn’t keep from explaining. “Pressed the Print button by accident.”
Mi printer es su printer.”
Isa accepted the document and Eli sank his hands into his jeans pockets, his forearms flexing with the movement.
I wasn’t—”
I shouldn’t—” they said at the same time.
He pursed his lips and she looked at her shoes. “Go ahead.” She was going to say, I wasn’t offended when you kissed me, but now that she’d had a millisecond to think it through, maybe she should pretend the kiss hadn’t happened. Which was . . . impossible. Standing this close to him, it’s all she could think about.
I shouldn’t have ruined your shirt,” he said.
I dared you to.”
Why?” His eyebrows compressed along with his lips.
Because you have accepted the role of beast, but I don’t believe that’s who you are.” She let her gaze linger on his face before tracking down his body. “And because I like a challenge.”
Do you?” He took a wide step toward her.
She matched his move and took one step closer to him. “Yes. I don’t wilt easily.”
He threaded her hair between his fingers, a look of longing and hurt mingling in his eyes. “I was about to lie and say I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
Shivers climbed her spine as she remembered how firm his lips felt against hers. “Maybe . . . you shouldn’t have stopped.”



The third novel in the Billionaire Bad Boys series focuses on the middle son, Eli who's determined to do things his way. For those who read Tag Crane's story, you'll have already met his grumpy older brother.

Eli Coolidge Crane wishes his family would leave him alone. When older brother Reece arranges for a personal assistant to ease him into the unwanted role of COO for Crane Hotels, he manages to intimidate and scare off ten within a short period. Only the subsequent assistant makes it her business to let him know she won't be following her predecessors anytime soon. Something, he surprisingly respects and realises he doesn't want either.

With the reputation of her employment agency at stake, Isabelle Sawyer takes matters into her own hands when she takes over the contract with Crane Hotels and becomes Eli Crane's temporary personal assistant. With a positive attitude and determination, she relishes the challenge to smooth out the rough start to their working relationship. In doing so, she uncovers the reason for Eli's reluctance to commit to the role within his family's business and understands his need to prioritise issues from his past before he can move forward with his life.

When I first began reading Eli's story, I thought I understood his issue with Crane Hotels. Hell, I'd be irked if pressured into accepting a position I didn't want. With constant nagging, I'd put up barriers too. However, situations are not always black and white as we begin to understand what motivates the middle Crane son. When his tough protective shell chips away he reveals a secret and a desire, the latter an unexpected bonus caused by his new assistant. Eli didn't stand a chance when Isabelle catapulted herself into his life; A woman on a mission to preserve the reputation of her business with a clear view that an anti-social, rude client won't destroy what she's worked so hard to achieve. Where her predecessors had failed, Isabelle earned a respect from her new client who appreciated her forthright attitude and her ability to call him out on his appalling behaviour.

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading all the Billionaire Bad Boys novels. Each brother is distinct but all are inflicted with the same problem...a broken heart caused by grief. Each shutting off their emotions to prevent their fragile hearts breaking again. Each had their own coping mechanism and becoming a Marine was Eli's escape. Only now back home, he's more broken; not only emotionally but physically too. I love the dynamics of Eli and Isabelle's relationship. She gives him space to breathe and doesn't pity him. She's a strong, ambitious and independent woman creating a life for herself against the wishes of her parents. He's loyal and compassionate with a heart of gold.

Overall another fabulous novel by Jessica Lemmon; devoured and enjoyed. The hero and heroine are adorable. There's humour, sadness, heart-warming positivity and button popping sexiness!! What's not to like?

***arc received courtesy of the publisher Forever Romance***

TOP 5 FAVORITE LINES FROM TBB

#5~ Isabella Sawyer’s smart-aleck remark when Eli fires her for the umpteenth time:
Apologies, Eli, but I’m not changing my shoes.” She came into his office, her hips swaying with each sure step she took toward him.
Fine. Then you’re fired.”
Oh, no, not again.”

#4~ Merina, the heroine from The Bastard Billionaire shows up as yet another feisty woman who refuses to bow to Eli’s gruffness.

I can go out into public, you know,” he grumbled, setting the beer bottle next to his plate—on the table, no coaster, thank you very much. “You guys don’t have to come in here and serve me.”
He was skilled at his new role of miserable bastard, and since everyone expected it now, he was determined to excel.
Oh but we do, Lord Crane.” Merina smiled demurely as she leaned over and handed him a glass.

#3~ I loved this line after Eli and Isa had sex—his honesty cracked me up!

I like this.” She touched the corner of his mouth. “I’ve been trying to get you to smile since I started working here.”
Well now you know how to do it.”


#2~ Bold Isabella knows how to ask for what she wants!

Is kissing you in my marching orders for tomorrow night?” he asked, his eyes picking up a trace of heat.
She wasn’t going to pass up this opportunity. No way. No how.
Yes,” she answered. “Need to practice?”


#1~ Eli’s worry that he didn’t have what it took is my favorite line in the book.

He’d done what he needed to be a good soldier.
Now that he wasn’t a soldier, he wasn’t sure what it took to be a good man.



THE BILLIONAIRE BAD BOYS SERIES
The Billionaire Bachelor, #1
The Billionaire Next Door, #2
The Bastard Billionaire, #3




A former job-hopper, Jessica Lemmon resides in Ohio with her husband and rescue dog. She holds a degree in graphic design currently gathering dust in an impressive frame. When she's not writing super-sexy heroes, she can be found cooking, drawing, drinking coffee (okay, wine), and eating potato chips. She firmly believes God gifts us with talents for a purpose, and with His help, you can create the life you want.


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New Release Spotlight: Jordan Reclaimed by Scarlett Cole



Title: Jordan Reclaimed
Author: Scarlett Cole
Series: Preload #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pub. Date: February 28, 2017



Jordan Steele’s life began when he was ten. When he was taken from his parents and a house that was never a home. When he met his brothers, the other lost and abandoned boys in his group home. When he learned what friendship and family and love looked like.

Now he’s made good, touring the world with the band he and his brothers formed in that crowded group home. No one but his found family really knows the man under the fame and fortune, the scars he hides behind the rockstar lifestyle. Until he sees her through the windows of the National Ballet, dancing, and suddenly the world doesn’t seem so dark.

Aleksandra Artemov ticks all the ballet boxes. Father a legendary Kirov dancer. Check. Prepping since birth for classical ballet. Check. Compulsive control over the food she eats. Check. Principal dancer at The National Ballet of Canada. Check. But what she craves is freedom.
She craves Jordan.
Everything about him should terrify her. His size, his tattoos, his edge. But he doesn’t. He stirs her very soul. Jordan has nothing but himself to offer her, and he's never been good enough for anyone. Can he figure out how to face his own demons before he loses his light for good?





from JORDAN RECLAIMED:

Copyright © 2017 by Scarlett Cole

He got it.
He finally got it.
He got why John Lennon left the Beatles for Yoko.
He got why Dred wrote a love song for Pixie.
From the moment Jordan’s lips touched Lexi’s, he couldn’t imagine anything else feeling and tasting quite so perfect for the rest of his life.
He ran his tongue along the seam of her lips and she groaned, opening for him. He thrust his hands further into her hair as their tongues touched. She tasted of wine and sweetness, and he couldn’t get enough.
While her eyes were closed, his were open, unwilling to miss a single moment of what was happening between them. He angled her head, and she rose up on her toes to meet him. He thought he was going to faint as the blood rushed from his brain to his cock, which ached for contact.
Lexi’s arms wound their way around his waist, her hands finding the way under his leather jacket and sweater to rest upon his back. Skin on skin. How he wanted them to be. Naked. Exposed. Nothing between them as he made love to her in a huge bed that they could stay in for days.
Except he didn’t have a huge bed. And he didn’t have the kind of room she deserved to stay in. He had an attic. And a box under his bed that held his most treasured possessions that nobody else would understand. A secondhand copy of Scales, Chords & Arpeggios, and the first birthday card he ever received from Maisey and Ellen. Random shit nobody else would care about.
Jordan pulled away slowly and looked carefully at Lexi. Her lips were pink and plump, her cheeks flushed, her eyes wide.
Jordan,” she whispered.
I gotta go. Bye, Lexi,” he said. He needed to get home and then drink enough to forget about her. Banish the stupid idea swirling around in his mind that they could have any kind of relationship. He should never have kissed her. It was hard enough to walk away before, but now that he had a clearer idea of what it was he was actually walking away from, it hurt all the more.
Wait,” Lexi said as she grabbed his arm.
The small voice in his brain told him to keep walking, but he couldn’t. Instead, he turned to see what she wanted.
Lexi grabbed a pen from her purse, the one she had given him to sign the napkin in the restaurant. She reached for his hand and turned it over so his palm was facing up and quickly scribbled something on it. When she was done, she stood on her tiptoes again and kissed his cheek.
Weakness was a new sensation, but he felt it down to his boots as, against his better judgment, he leaned his cheek ever so slightly toward her lips.
Good night, Jordan,” she said and bounced up the porch, grabbing her hat from the chair where Jordan had tossed it.
She paused in the doorway to wave good-bye and then closed the door silently shut.
Only when he was certain that she was definitely gone did he allow himself the luxury of seeing what she had written on his hand. It was a phone number. Despite himself, he felt a murmur of excitement that she found him worthy of a second date.
Jordan turned toward home. As snow began to fall again, he hurriedly made the short hike across the Don Valley river and ravine to his neighborhood, trying to halt the avalanche of emotions because of ten hand-scribed digits.



Scarlett Cole is a writer of contemporary romance and a two-time RITA finalist. Her debut, THE STRONGEST STEEL, has already become an Amazon best seller in romantic suspense, was a Best Debut Goodreads Author Finalist 2015, and Authors On The Air Global Radio Network Contemporary Romance Pick of 2015.

When Scarlett isn't writing, she spends her time reading, hoarding mason jars, and working out to off-set an epic sour candy habit. She likes hot men, cold beer, and expensive shoes.

Having travelled the world for work and fun, Scarlett is a citizen of both Britain and Canada. A true city-dweller, she considers Toronto and Manchester home and likes to set her books in vibrant locations such as Miami and Toronto.
Rep'd by Beth Phelan at The Bent Agency, and published by St. Martin's Press.
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