Wednesday 6 September 2017

New Release Spotlight & Review: The Real Thing by Melissa Foster

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The Real Thing
Sugar Lake #1
By: Melissa Foster
Releasing Sept 5, 2017
Montlake
The Real Thing

Sugar Lake series

This sassy, spirited baker is fine with heat—but is her fake fiancĂ© too hot to handle?
Bakery owner Willow Dalton’s friendship with Zane Walker has always been a bit complicated. Now a scrumptiously hot A-list actor, Zane’s always had a reputation as player. He’s arrogant, and he’s definitely not boyfriend material. Sure, he did Willow a favor by agreeing to take her virginity before college, but is that reason enough to go along with a fake engagement a decade later—even if it comes with a real diamond ring?
Zane should have known better. Nothing involving Willow has ever been easy. Still, he knows her better than anyone, and becoming America’s hottest new leading man means cleaning up his reputation. An “engagement” to curvy, sass-mouthed Willow is the perfect PR move . . . provided no one gets hurt.
Now Zane and Willow’s little white lie has turned into an irresistible recipe for sweet temptation. And soon no one will be able to tell the difference between their fake engagement or the real thing—including them.
**THE REAL THING is being published by Montlake (an Amazon imprint) and won’t be available on other ebook retailers, but you can download a FREE ereader app to read it HERE, order the paperback.

     AMAZON | PAPERBACK


 There is nothing like diving into a new novel. The Real Thing is the first book of a new series, especially when its one written by Melissa Foster!

Bad boy actor, Zane Walker needs to clean up his questionable reputation. A plan's hatched that should be the perfect material for the film studios PR reps to spin. Only he needs the co-operation of his friend Willow Dalton in his home town of Sweetwater to pull it off. He's confident she'll assist him, but forgets to inform her that his ulterior motive is far from temporary, as he sets his sights at a permanent future with the only woman he's ever loved.

Willow Dalton's bakery is thriving but ambition means she's looking to further build on her success. So when she's offered an opportunity to further expand her business, she jumps at it. Only the offer isn't what she expects and spins her life in an unexpected direction.

Devious, arrogant but with the best of intentions, Zane is a man on a mission as years of pent up feelings finally surface. Even though his actions are questionable, his objectives are well placed even though his approach is off. I love his strong determination to get the woman he wants and his admittance that rules Willow laid years earlier he adhered to because that's was she wanted...not him!

An independent, sassy woman, Willow will forever remember the man who changed her life forever. In the preceding years, she's built a thriving business but her heart has never forgotten Zane Walker. Now, he's back in Sweetwater with an agenda she never foresaw even in her wildest dreams.

Together, due to their complicated past, sparks fly instantly between the protagonists as deep buried feelings and desires surface. Their strong personalities clash in a positive way as they come to the realisation they belong together, although the path they follow is far from smooth. Melissa ensures the sexual tension is ever present and complimented with banter and entertaining conversations as the adorable pair fight their personal internal battles as well as their attraction for each other. To push, coerce and object to their inevitable coupling are an adorable assortment of family and friends who bring the small town setting of Sweetwater alive. Thus, creating a firm foundation for future novels in what promises to be a wonderful, romantic and sexy series.

***arc generously received courtesy of Montlake Romance via NetGalley***


 “You're sleeping on the couch,” Willow said for the fifth time in as many minutes as she and Zane left their suite. He was busy texting, and she wasn’t sure he was even listening anymore. He used to be such a great listener. When they were younger, he’d never acted like he was above her, despite the fact that he was the star quarterback, lead pitcher, and eventually the prom king, and she was two years behind and as awkward as a foal on new legs.
Are you listening to me?” she asked as they walked down the hall.
Yes. I just got confirmation. You’re catering breakfasts for the set. Cool?”
Yes, perfect. But did you hear what I said?”
She had almost backed out of their deal twice since she’d accepted. First when she’d seen the king-size bed, which really drove home their situation, and again when Zane had whipped off his shirt to change and her sex-starved body had buzzed to life. She was still a little nervous about the whole thing, mostly due to that second issue, but she felt a certain obligation to help him. Regardless of how arrogant he was, she’d never forget how tender he’d been with her when she’d given her almost-eighteen-year-old self over to him, and he was a true friend, even if they had a weird friendship. The truth was, even if he hadn’t done her that favor before college, she would have agreed to his plan. She liked him despite his insatiable appetite for women. He was everything she loved in a person and more. He was confident and funny, direct and thoughtful, and honest when it counted. Painfully honest. The exposure for Sweetie Pie Bakery was just the icing on the fake-fiancĂ©e cake. What a difference national exposure could make.
Zane shoved his phone in his pocket. “Yes. Sleeping on the couch. Got it. But you can’t blame a guy for trying.”
She laid her best damn-right-I-can stare on him and pushed the button for the elevator.
Fine. I’ll behave. Jesus, Wills, you’re never this uptight when I visit.”
You mean that five minutes twice a year?” Willow remembered how happy he’d been when he’d finally left town to pursue his dream of being an actor. He’d been bursting at the seams for a bigger life. But her “five minutes” comment wasn’t really fair. He never missed Ben’s birthday, and he almost always made it back for a few days over the holidays, even though his parents had moved to Florida right after he’d graduated from high school and left town. He’d been back a few other times when he was filming nearby. Even though she rarely saw him, their texts—and the fact that he was her first real love, even if he didn’t know it—had kept him in the forefront of her mind. Unfortunately, it also kept her heartbreak pretty close to the surface, no matter how deep she tried to bury it.

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance and new adult romance with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa’s emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented–perfect beach reads for contemporary romance lovers who enjoy reading about wealthy heroes and smart, sassy heroines.
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I can't wait for...In Pieces by Danielle Pearl




Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here, at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. If you're continuing with WOW, feel free to link those up as well! Find out more here.



I don't usually pick up YA/NA novels however the blurb for In Pieces intrigued me. I can't wait to dive in to find out what happened to Beth and how David comes to her rescue. 


IN PIECES 
by Danielle Pearl
 (October 10, 2017; Forever Trade Paperback; $14.99; Something More Series Book 2)


 
Three years ago she was left in pieces…

Most college freshmen love the newfound freedom of living on campus, but none of them craves it like Beth Caplan.  One ill-fated night when she was fifteen left her locked in a posh prison of private tutors.  It’s for the best, everyone said, and maybe it was.  But after years of hard work and healing, the one person who never thought of her as broken could be the one to break her all over again.  And Beth can’t seem to stay away now any more than she could all those years ago.

As soon as David March learned his best friend’s little sister was enrolling at his school, he promised to look after her, and promised himself he’d keep a safe distance.  But the sweet little girl he’d grown up with has transformed into a gorgeous young woman, and she’s attracting attention from people she shouldn’t—like the ex who nearly destroyed her and a strange new student with a disturbing habit of showing up wherever Beth goes.  But for David, the most troubling discovery is realizing that he doesn’t just want Beth to be safe.  He wants her to be his.


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Danielle Pearl is the bestselling author of the Something More series.  She lives in New Jersey with her three delicious children and ever-supportive husband, who—luckily—doesn’t mind sharing her with an array of fictional men.  She did a brief stint at Boston University and worked in marketing before publishing her debut novel, Normal.  She writes mature Young Adult and New Adult contemporary romance.  Danielle enjoys coffee, wine, and cupcakes, and not in moderation.


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