by Jasmyn | Nov 15, 2019 | Readers, Romance
Title: Tempting Heart (Tempt Me #1)
Author: Sara Whitney
Genre: Contemporary Romance
It’s cold outside, but it’s getting hot inside…
An unforgiving blizzard
Tom Castle ended up in the wrong apartment on the wrong day. Now a ferocious snowstorm has him trapped with his onetime crush and longtime regret, which is pretty much in line with his lifelong bad luck.
An unwelcome houseguest
Finn Carey has no choice. Although it’s tempting to let Tom take his chances on the streets of Chicago, she doesn’t want anyone to die in a snowbank– not even the man who hurt her so badly years ago.
An unexpected second chance
At first, Tom and Finn do their best to ignore each other in the close quarters. Then the power goes out, and things between them heat up as the secrets start to flow. Which will thaw first: the storm raging outside or the ice protecting their hearts?
Tempting Heat is the first book in Tempt Me, Sara Whitney’s sassy, steamy new contemporary romance series. It’s a standalone novella with no cliffhangers, so slip on your fuzzy socks and get reading!
Excerpt from Tempting Heat
© 2019 Sara Whitney
On day three of being snowed in with her old friend-turned-nemesis-turned… whatever Tom was at this point, Finn came to the breakfast table armed with plans.
“So I figure we’ve got two options,” Tom announced after his first sip of coffee.
“You do?” She choked back a laugh that roll-with-the-punches-Tom had beaten her to it.
“Yep,” he said. “One, I still have a mountain of editing, so like we’ve been doing, we can work until it’s time for bed. Or two: We declare today a lazy day and lounge.”
His spoon clinked against his mug as he waited for her response.
“Funny,” she said. “I came up with three options as I was falling asleep last night.” He didn’t need to know she’d written them down and numbered them in order of preference in the Bullet Journal she kept on her nightstand.
“Excellent. Hit me.”
“Well, there’s plan A: we keep plugging away on our projects. Plan B: we fire up Netflix. Or plan C: we spend all day in bed, reading and napping.”
He quirked a brow at her. “In bed? Sounds heavenly.”
The words scorched the air around her. She hadn’t meant to say it like that, but it slipped out and now the image throbbed in her brain. Tom, sprawled across her bed, curly head propped on his hand while the other held a book. Setting it aside when he noticed her eyes drifting shut and then wrapping them both in a blanket. Napping together and waking to find his hand sliding under her clothes, seeking–
Her cheeks heated, and she reached for her coffee to halt her wayward thoughts. That wasn’t part of the plan.
“Different beds and different bedrooms of course,” she clarified, inwardly wincing at her prissy tone.
His hot gaze burned into hers for a beat longer than was strictly necessary before his mask slipped back into place and Friend Tom was seated in front of her once more. But was that relief she felt, or disappointment?
About Sara Whitney
Sara Whitney writes sassy, sexy contemporary romance novels packed with wit, charm, and crackling dialogue. A 2019 Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® award finalist, Sara worked as a newspaper reporter and film critic before she earned her Ph.D. and landed in academia. She’s a great baker, a so-so karaoke singer, and an expert TV opinion-haver.
Sara and her divorce-attorney husband (yep, she sees the irony of their dueling professions) live in Illinois in a house full of books, cats, and pinball machines. Keep up with Sara by subscribing to her mailing list at http://www.sarawhitney.com/subscribe
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by Jasmyn | Nov 14, 2019 | Book Reviews, Readers, Romance
I love the holiday stories in the Silver Town Wolf series. The festive atmosphere, the way the town comes together to celebrate, and, of course, the romance. I really loved that this one had quite a touch more of the paranormal than just the wolves. We got to see ghosts through the eyes of Meghan MacTire and her sisters. As Meghan tries to help the spirits move on, she worries about telling the love of her life (and potential mate) about her unusual abilities and other secrets from her past.
As she navigates these tricky conversations with Sheriff Peter Jorgenson (who’s hiding his own secrets as well), her past comes back to haunt her – only not in ghostly form. Real-life flesh and blood crazy people show up – one so much more so than the other – and begin the worst of the two has her death all planned out.
But he may have bitten off more than he can chew – because our super evil bad guy has a secret history of his own that’s about to come out. And if the town hadn’t already rallied behind Meghan and her sisters, well, they want their own revenge for past wrongs now.
There was plenty of action in Home for the Holidays, but there were also long periods of inactivity. I feel like the story was just a tad drawn out. While I loved seeing Meghan and Peter become more comfortable around each other, there didn’t see to be a real flow to it. It jumped along in fits and bursts, that if smoothed out could have made the story have a better flow.
I will definitely be reading more of the Silver Town Wolf series. The way you get to re-visit past couples and get to know the whole town is amazing, and I love to go visit.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
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Title: Home for the Holidays (Silver Town Wolf #9)
Author: Terry Spear
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Christmas Romance
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Silver Town is howling with Christmas cheer
Gray wolves Meghan MacTire and Sheriff Peter Jorgenson plan to spend the rest of their lives together, and what better time to start forever than Christmas? But they are both harboring dark secrets that are about to surface and threaten their future together. With holiday magic in the air and all Silver Town ready to celebrate, Meghan and Peter have to conquer the past if they’re to have any hope of celebrating this Christmas together.
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by Jasmyn | Nov 13, 2019 | Book Reviews, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Readers
I was quite lost at the beginning of the story. While the book is part of the Texas Sized Mystery series, they are marketed as being able to read as stand-alones. I feel like I really needed to have known things from other books here. It jumped right into characters and places, and I had no idea who they were and there was no introduction to them.
Once I figured out who was who, and what was what, they story got a lot better. But I still had some problems with it. For one, our victim seems to be a collossal idiot, and his family really didn’t seem to care about him at all. I sort of understand why his wife wouldn’t, but the rest, while putting on displays of sorrow, it didn’t feel real to me. Perhaps because they weren’t allowed to really become more than part of the background scenery instead of real part of the story.
The whole time, the book points to one person as the murderer and paints them in a very unflattering light. I get putting out a false lead or two, but this seemed to derail the entire investigation, and I’m surprised they managed to figure out who really did it because the police didn’t seem to be really looking into anything. Perhaps it’s because this was a shorter story, and there wasn’t enough time to really dive deep into the mystery, but I really expected a bit more.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
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Title: Murder at the Dude Ranch (Texas-Sized Mysteries #4)
Author: Vickie Carroll
Genre: Romantic Suspense
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Abby knew opening the ranch wouldn’t be easy, but as one challenge after another comes up, she knows she’ll need help. And that help comes from an unlikely source, Bobby Johns, an old flame who is also back in town.
Abby is risking everything to reopen the family ranch, but she didn’t think she’d be risking her life! Read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Abby knew opening the ranch wouldn’t be easy, but as one challenge after another comes up, she knows she’ll need help. And that help comes from an unlikely source, Bobby Johns, an old flame who is also back in town.
The only way to actually keep the land and hang onto the ranch is to finally have the big opening. But soon after the first guests arrive, there’s a bit of a problem. She and her crew have worked hard and prepared for everything—but a murder.
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