Page 79 of 427

GIVEAWAY & RELEASE DAY: How to Cowboy (Creedence Horse Rescue #3) by Jennie Marts

December 28, 2021 / Jen / 6 Comments

I absolutely loved this story, it was an emotional, heartwarming tale that romance lovers will fall hard for! So definitely check out what this book is about and enter in a fabulous giveaway! And you can visit my 5 Star Review here. Enjoy ♥!

How to Cowboy
Jennie Marts
(Creedence Horse Rescue, #3)
Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication date: December 28th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

For fans of Carolyn Brown, Maisey Yates, and Jennifer Ryan, this steamy, emotional cowboy romance has all your favorites:

A hunky single dad showing his daughter the ropes

A heroine looking for a fresh start

Leaning on each other through hard times

Irresistible attraction

Rescue horses and ranch animals with lots of personality

How do you heal a broken heart?

After one injury too many, Cade Callahan gave up the rodeo for a simpler life working at his cousin’s horse rescue ranch. But his life turns upside down when his estranged daughter is placed in his custody after a tragic car accident. Wanting nothing to do with her father, thirteen-year-old Allie struggles to adjust to her new life.

Newly single and living out of her mother’s basement, physical therapist Nora Fisher doesn’t think twice about taking a job as a traveling therapist for Cade’s daughter. The trouble is, she doesn’t know anything about horses, or hunky cowboys. Now both in way over their heads, can Cade and Nora find a way to help Allie, and trust in the attraction building between them?

Praise for Jennie Marts:
“Full of hope, humor, and undeniable swoon.”—A.J. Pine, USA Today bestselling author
“Funny, complicated, and irresistible. Sometimes a cowboy isn’t perfect but you got to love him anyway.”—Jodi Thomas, New York Times bestselling author, for Caught Up in a Cowboy
“The perfect blend of humor, grit, and sexy cowboy spice. Delicious!”—Kari Lynn Dell, award-winning and bestselling author, for Wish Upon a Cowboy
“Deliciously steamy but still sweet, with a secret at its heart.”—Joanne Kennedy, award-winning and bestselling author, for Wish Upon a Cowboy

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

Excerpt:

Twenty minutes later, feeling refreshed and smelling like one of the jasmine-scented shampoos she’d found in the welcome basket, she stepped out of the bathroom. Her hair was wet but combed, and she’d wrapped a towel around her to cross the hall to the bedroom.

Halfway there, she froze at the sound of footsteps in her living room.

Holding her breath, she stood motionless in place as she listened for another step. Had Cade come back? Surely he wouldn’t have just let himself in. A soft scuffling sounded across the hardwood and what sounded like a grunt. Or maybe it was more like an oink.

An oink? What the heck?

She scanned the hallway for any kind of weapon. Seeing nothing, she reached back into the bathroom and grabbed the hairdryer from the sink then took a tentative step forward. She paused as she considered her options—she could either shrink back and hope whoever, or whatever it was left on their own, tiptoe forward, or charge loudly into the room in an effort to scare her assailant or thief away.

Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the hairdryer and silently counted to three. Emitting a primal yell, she charged into the room. “Get out of here!”

Her yell turned into a scream as she faced the intruders currently making themselves at home in her new bunkhouse apartment.

She blinked, not quite able to believe her eyes. A giant hog was lounged out across her sofa and a black and white Billy goat was standing on her coffee table calmly eating the peanut butter and jelly sandwich her mom had made her for supper. A corner of the torn paper sack was stuck to the side of his lip.

“Get out!” she yelled as she brandished the hair dryer like a pistol then took a quick step back as the goat finished the sandwich then climbed down from the table and advanced toward her.

“Get away goat,” she commanded as she backed toward the kitchen. The goat took another few steps toward her, blocking her path to the hallway and forcing her toward the front door.

She pushed back her shoulders, attempting to appear taller as she tried to hold her ground. She was bigger than him, but he had those scary looking horns. She swallowed as she watched his gaze drop. “Don’t even think about it,” she said. She wasn’t sure exactly what he was thinking, but she could see that goat’s wheels turning and knew he was contemplating something. And it couldn’t be good.

The goat licked his lips then leapt forward and grabbed the bottom corner of her towel. Gripping the cloth between his teeth, he drew back his head…and pulled.

“Ahh,” she yelled as she dropped the hair dryer and clasped the towel around her chest. She kicked her foot toward the animal. “Let go, you beast!”

The goat seemed adept at this game and nimbly evaded her kick.

“What’s all the yelling about?” a man’s voice asked, just as she yanked back and ran smack into a solid wall of muscle.

She shrieked before she realized she’d once again landed herself in the arms of Cade Callahan. “Help, this goat is attacking me.”

“It’s okay. He’s not attacking you. He just wants your towel,” he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Well, he can’t have it. I’m currently using it at the moment.”

“That’s Otis, and I have to admit his social graces are a bit lacking. Not like Tiny there,” he gestured to the pig lounging on the sofa. “She’s a real sweetheart. That was nice of you to turn on the television for her. She loves that show.”

“I didn’t turn it on for her. I just got out of the shower, and she was here. Along with this brute.” She leaned back again, pulling on the towel as it slipped further down her chest. “Now that we’re through with the introductions, could you please free my towel from that dang goat’s grip?”

Cade pressed his lips together in what looked like an effort to keep from laughing. “Sure. Since you said please and all.” He wrapped a hand around the goat’s mouth and tried to pry the towel from his teeth.

Otis set his feet and yanked back.

“Eep,” Nora squeaked as the towel inched even lower. “Cade, I know we just met, but we’re about to get to know each other a lot better if you don’t free my towel from that goat’s teeth.”

He chuckled. “Now you’re just teasing me.” His gaze did a quick slide over her bare shoulders and down to the top of her breasts, which were about to break free of the edge of the towel. His lips curved into a roguish grin. “Would you think poorly of me if I admitted I’m half-tempted to let the goat have it?”

Heat surged up her spine, and she could feel the warmth coloring her cheeks. Thankfully Cade turned back to Otis instead of waiting for her to respond. He pried the goat’s mouth open again and this time successfully wrested the fabric free.

He let the towel drop, and she quickly hiked it up, adjusting it as best she could to cover all her essential bits. “Oh my gosh. Thank you.”

“No problem.” He opened the door and shooed the goat outside. “You want the pig out too, or do you want to let her finish this episode?”

She laughed. She had too. This situation was just too hilarious. “I’d prefer to have her out too. At least until I’m dressed.”

“Come on, Tiny.” He held the door open as he called to the pig, who gave him a huff and an annoyed oink, but climbed down off the sofa. “She apparently thinks she’s a dog. She was raised by a teenager who treated her that way.”

“That explains it.”

“She’s a pretty sweet pig though, all things considered.”

Tiny shuffled toward the door, but stopped in front of Nora, tipping her head up and offering her what Nora swore looked like a smile, before trotting outside to lay down on the porch. “I think that pig might have just smiled at me.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me a bit.”

“Everything about this day, and this place, is surprising me.” Including the flirty comments from the cute cowboy. She clutch the towel to her chest. “My heart is still racing.”

“Your heart is racing? Darlin’, I’m the one who just missed out on seeing a naked woman having a tug-of-war with a goat.”

About Jennie Marts:

Jennie Marts is the USA TODAY Best-selling author of award-winning books filled with love, laughter, and always a happily ever after. Readers call her books “laugh out loud” funny and the “perfect mix of romance, humor, and steam.” Fic Central claimed one of her books was “the most fun I’ve had reading in years.”

She is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two dogs, and a parakeet that loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends.

Her books include the contemporary western romance Hearts of Montana series, the romantic comedy/ cozy mysteries of The Page Turners series, the hunky hockey-playing men in the Bannister family in the Bannister Brothers Books, and the small-town romantic comedies in the Lovestruck series of Cotton Creek Romances.

Jennie loves to hear from readers. Follow her on Facebook at Jennie Marts Books, or Twitter at @JennieMarts. Visit her at www.jenniemarts.com and sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest news and releases.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub / Pinterest / Newsletter

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by:

BOOK REVIEW: A Scoundrel of Her Own (Sinful Wallflowers #3) by Stacy Reid

December 27, 2021 / Jen / 4 Comments

A Scoundrel of Her Own (Sinful Wallflowers #3)
by Stacy Reid
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Lady Ophelia Darby exists in two worlds. In one, she is the impudent, willful daughter of a powerful marquess and darling of the ton. In the other, she moves through the underworld’s shadows as songstress Lady Starlight, protected only by the notoriously wealthy scoundrel Devlin Byrne. But when she stumbles upon her beloved father’s darkest secrets, the line between her two worlds quickly blurs. Now she needs the help of the one man a lady should never trust.

Devlin Byrne stands on the edge of London society, knowing he will never be accepted. No one else knows that his obscene wealth and ruthlessness aren’t without purpose. Or that his purpose has golden-brown eyes that shimmer with mischief, the palest of skin, and a lush mouth that beckons to be kissed, and deeply. But having Ophelia is only the beginning of Devlin’s plans.

It’s undeniable that Devlin Byrne is a dangerous temptation―but just as Ophelia begins to trust him, maybe even fall for him, she discovers she’s not the only one with secrets. And his would lead her down more than just the path of scandal…

Review:

A Scoundrel of Her Own swept me away and was impossible to put down. The prologue quickly captured my attention and from there I was lost in a beautiful story. One filled with hope, love, loss, friendship and risks. This story can easily be read as a standalone and I can’t recommend it enough!

Whether he was the devil in disguise luring her to ruin or an ordinary man, Devlin Byrne held her interest as no one ever had.

Ophelia learned her mother wasn’t who she thought she was. In her quest to discover her mother, and while moonlighting as Lady Starlight, it set her on a path towards Devlin Blyne. He was notoriously wealthy but was feared at the same time. And he offered her protection and safety as she traversed the underworld searching for clues of who her birth mother was. The more time they spent together, the more impossible it seemed they could ever be apart.

“Why did you learn?”
He wasn’t the typical gentleman about town who was invested in knowing the dance styles for when they ventured into wooing a lady on the marriage mart.
“For this moment.”

I loved Ophelia! She was headstrong, brave and had the hugest heart! There were expectations that she was to act in a certain manner, and be around others of her high standing. But Ophelia didn’t always go along with norms. Or the standards she should follow. I loved that she followed her heart instead. So when Devlin requested a meeting with her and she obliged, my heart beat faster. And then from there, oh goodness, their star-crossed tale completely enraptured my heart!

“Who would I be if I didn’t meet you, Fifi?” he murmured harshly. Yet the touch against her cheek was impossibly tender. “Who am I without you?”

Devlin was someone who was easy to become obsessed with. He was thoughtful and caring, but he was also dangerous and extremely protective. No matter how much of the darkness of his world surrounded him, he still felt deeply. So Devlin definitely didn’t fit into Ophelia’s world. Yes he was powerful and wealthy, but the ton didn’t respect him since he was a made man. So I loved how he didn’t follow society’s rules. But I loved most of all that he only had eyes for Ophelia.

He made her feel safe…cherished, and Ophelia inexplicably knew he would stand before any storm that came her way. His loyalty was unwavering, and she felt undeserving.
“Hold me tighter, Niall,” Ophelia whispered. And do not ever let me go.

What slowly started out as acquaintances, led to friendship and then so much more. Together they were sensually seductive. I loved their dance back and forth, you could feel the passion and longing between them. The what ifs. And as they toed and pushed the line that should be between them, because of who they each were in society, they turned scorching hot. But underneath all of that passion, was a deep and beautiful emotion for one another that was breathtaking.

He broke their embrace and brushed his lips over her nose, then turned and walked toward the exit. Ophelia stood there watching him, a smile on her face and something entirely unknown wreaking havoc within her heart.

A Scoundrel of Her Own is a must read for all romance lovers. This story of star-crossed lovers was passionate, emotional and impossible to put down. This book had the most wonderful HEA and was another huge hit and instant favorite by Stacy Reid!

Conan bounded over to them, surprisingly prowling by her side. His massive dog reached her waist, and without any showing of fear, she ruffled his head. Conan purred, and Devlin smiled.
I like her, too, boy. I like her, too.

PS I loved Devlin’s dog Conan!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

BOOK REVIEW: The Bachelor on the Shelf (Reindeer Falls #6) by Jana Aston

December 23, 2021 / Jen / 6 Comments

The Bachelor on the Shelf (Reindeer Falls #6)
by Jana Aston
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
My name is Carter Sheppard and I actually like Christmas and my Christmas-themed hometown of Reindeer Falls. In fact, when I learn I have to return home in order to collect an inheritance—my uncle’s dog—it puts life into perspective for me.

Sure, playing professional baseball is great. But it won’t last forever and every player needs a long-term game plan.

And I just found mine. Wrapped up in the feisty, bespectacled package of the town librarian.

Unfortunately, she thinks I’m a player in all aspects of the word, but I’ve got a plan to win her over. Starting with a fake engagement…

Warning: Christmas in Reindeer Falls is more naughty than nice. These stories are over-the-top festive with merrily-ever-afters guaranteed. Novella length for quick holiday binge reading. Enjoy!

Review:

The Bachelor on the Shelf was a sexy, heartwarming Christmas tale! This was my favorite book about the Sheppard brothers! With the fake dating trope and Christmas magic in the air, this novella was such a huge win!

It can’t be possible for him to be a good guy. He has groupies, for fuck’s sake. Shepphoes. He’s just trying to fix his ‘naked ass on the internet’ scandal.
Right?

Carter Sheppard was a professional baseball player and was back in town. One of his brothers’ inherited their late Uncle’s house, the other inherited his land, and then Carter inherited his dog Rudy lol. Rudy had been spending time at the next door neighbor’s house, Lexi. She had fallen in love with Rudy and didn’t want to give him back. So when Carter proposed a fake engagement, to help his public image, and in return Lexi got to keep the dog, she couldn’t say no!

All of his sexy smiles and his lustful glances looking me up and down are just his usual tools of the trade. I’m a librarian, he’s a ballplayer. I know this story, and it won’t end up well for me.

Lexi was best friends with Maggie and Sutton from the previous two books, and Lexi was my favorite by far! She was Reindeer Falls head librarian and loved books passionately. I loved that she was down to earth, sweet and had the biggest heart ever! This story was told from her point of view and I loved her thoughts. Some of them were quite hilarious and cracked me up at times. But when it came to Carter, she knew she had to be careful. Yes Carter was gorgeous, but the man had a player’s heart and would only break Lexi’s heart.

“You know, we are engaged,” he says, voice low. “So, if you wanted to kiss me hello, you’d be welcome to.”

Carter had lived the ultimate bachelor’s life. Fans flocked to him and he could have any pick of women. He was talented, seductive, beautiful and definitely sure of himself. But I loved how Carter was so much more than meets the eye. And as he slowly started to show all of his sides to Lexi, I fell for him ever harder. Carter was the ultimate book boyfriend!

His lips meet mine like the first snowflake fluttering down in a storm. Light, unexpected. And then like an unexpected blizzard, we go from zero to a hundred in a heartbeat.

Lexi and Carter together were a ton of fun and steamy too. With fake dates to help his image and to sell their fake engagement, each moment led to them touching. And those times spent together created feelings that shouldn’t exist. Right?! Because they were only playing a part. What Lexi felt for Carter surely couldn’t be real. For a novella, this pulled off the fake dating trope perfectly and I was completely hooked!

He’s looking at me the way people in the library look when they’ve found their favorite book. And as the horses tug us along the tree-lined path, Carter’s hand reaches for mine.
And I take it.
Which is definitely crazy.
Even crazier, I don’t think this date will be ending with just a kiss.

If you’re looking for a quick, Christmas fix, I can’t recommend The Bachelor on the Shelf enough! Technically you could easily read this as a standalone, but I am glad I had read the previous books in this series. Even if Lexi’s besties were over the top. And for those that love happily ever afters, there was an epilogue that was set a year later and I loved it! We got to see what Lexi and Carter, Sutton and Jake and also Maggie and Ryan were up to! I closed this book happy and smiling. I loved being back in Reindeer Falls!

BOOK REVIEW: One Night with a Nutcracker (Reindeer Falls #5) by Jana Aston

December 22, 2021 / Jen / 4 Comments

One Night with a Nutcracker (Reindeer Falls #5)
by Jana Aston
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
My name is Jake Sheppard and I’m ambivalent about Christmas and the Christmas-themed town I grew up in. But when I find out my late uncle left me an old barn and acres of land, the decision to return home to build my dream golf course is an easy one.

Imagine my surprise when I arrive and find out I have a squatter.

An incredibly sexy squatter, with wavy blonde hair, green eyes, a free spirit… and a herd of goats.

Sutton hates my guts. Apparently evicting a non-paying non-tenant and her goats weeks before Christmas is grounds for war.

Except Sutton’s version of war includes flinging her clothing at me and, as it turns out, I might be in way over my head with this girl…

Warning: Christmas in Reindeer Falls is more naughty than nice. These stories are over-the-top festive with merrily-ever-afters guaranteed. Novella length for quick holiday binge reading. Enjoy!

Review:

With eccentric characters, lovable goats and Christmas in the air, One Night with a Nutcracker was a little crazy and a lot festive! If you’re looking for a quick Christmas story that is sexy and also has some quirky characters, then you definitely need this book in your life!

Jake Sheppard might be my mortal enemy, but he’s also the hottest example of male perfection I’ve seen in Reindeer Falls in years. And right now, he’s naked in my shower.

Sutton was squatting on someone else’s land with a barn, that she deemed abandoned, and ran her goat business. Oh my Santa, now I get why Maggie from Elves with Benefits and Sutton were friends. They were both nutty as a fruitcake lol! But low and behold the now owner of the land stopped by, Jake Sheppard. And when he informed Sutton what his plans were for the property, and that she had a week to vacate, it set off their enemy to lovers romance with a bang!

How is it plausible or even legal for him to kiss like that?
It’s ridiculous.
Yet here I am. Living in a snow globe of sexy times with Jake freaking Sheppard.

Sutton definitely had a hippy vibe, loved her goats as though they were her children and was sometimes a spacey friend, even though she loved her friends deeply. I wasn’t the hugest fan of Sutton. But by the end of the book, it was like Sutton was sprinkled with Santa’s magic, because I ended up liking her. And then there was Jake, who I loved! Jake was sexy and easily captured my attention. He stood out in the best of ways. Jake was definitely my favorite in this book!

Is he just enjoying all the Christmas vacation sex? Or does he actually care?
It’s going to take a Christmas miracle for me to figure it out.

Jake and Sutton had the most wonderful chemistry with a strong enemy’s vibe. But the more time they spent around one another, it didn’t matter how much they didn’t want to like the other, they couldn’t not touch. Or kiss. Or do more. The passion between them was oh so hot and I ended their story ready to dive into the next book! One Night with a Nutcracker was an entertaining enemy to lovers Christmas story that was filled with craziness and a whole lot of fun!

And look, I don’t speak goat, but I’m pretty sure we’re about to live HAAAAAAppily ever after.
And maybe Christmas wasn’t my favorite holiday before.
But with the snow coming down around us and the bells on Sharon’s collar jingling, I have to admit, anything is possible.

Spoiler alert….book 6 is definitely my favorite out of the Sheppard brothers’ stories 4-6.

BOOK REVIEW: Elves with Benefits (Reindeer Falls #4) by Jana Aston

December 21, 2021 / Jen / 6 Comments

Elves with Benefits (Reindeer Falls #4)
by Jana Aston
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
My name is Ryan Sheppard and I don’t care about Christmas. I’m only returning to my over-the-top Christmas-themed hometown to sell the house I inherited from my late uncle so I can get back to the city and the promotion I’m chasing at work.

Unfortunately, there’s a flaw in my plan.

Because according to the town Christmas cop, there’s a moratorium on selling houses during December. She says it’s bad for the aesthetic. She’s also slapping an alarming number of tickets on my front door. For being in violation of holiday décor. And I swear on Rudolph himself, one is for ‘unsportsmanlike Christmassing.’

To top it all off, this Christmas cop looks like a red-headed elf.

A sexy red-headed elf…

Warning: Christmas in Reindeer Falls is more naughty than nice. These stories are over-the-top festive with merrily-ever-afters guaranteed. Novella length for quick holiday binge reading. Enjoy!

Review:

Elves with Benefits was over the top fun and had tons of holiday cheer! With lots of Christmasy vibes, friendship, sexy moments and scenes that were laugh out loud funny, this book was definitely binge worthy. I read this novella in one sitting!

He scans the ticket labeled ‘decoration violation.’ “This cannot be real. There’s a cartoon elf on these tickets.”
I grin, glad he noticed. I made the tickets myself.

The story was told in Maggie’s voice and oh my goodness was that women unique. Her job for starters was the town’s holiday enforcement officer. She actually wrote people tickets for not having their house or business decorated with all the Christmas cheer. And she took her job very seriously. Maggie was obsessed with reading Christmas books with her bestie’s all year long. And she loved Christmas with her whole heart and soul. She was a little crazy, a little intense but she somehow won me over by the end of this book.

He puts a hand into his pocket to fumble for his wallet. Unfortunately, this draws my attention to the sweatpants again. And I definitely don’t think that’s a candy cane I’m seeing.

The moment Ryan stepped on the pages, I fell for this story. And started laughing too. You see, Ryan inherited a house from his late uncle, and he just wanted to sell it and leave. His life was in the city, where he was up for a huge promotion. He didn’t have time for his childhood Christmas hometown. Yet Maggie refused to not let Ryan decorate his house. The more time she spent around Ryan, the more she felt that pull towards him. And it seemed like Ryan couldn’t ignore Maggie either, even if I didn’t always see what Ryan saw in Maggie lol.

I laugh, and it’s a real laugh. A hopeful laugh. Because the Scrooge of Reindeer Falls himself is inviting me into his house on Candy Cane Lane to make me hot cocoa and watch a Christmas movie.

Maggie was the ultimate Christmas cheer elf and Ryan was definitely the Grinch. They were polar opposites who had the most fabulous banter! It was a mix of sexy and hilarious and was sooo addictive! I loved the push and pull between them. And their steamy moments were *fans face*! While you don’t need to read any of the previous books in this series, the first and third book in this series are still my top favorites. Elves With Benefits was a quick, fun, quirky Christmasy read that was definitely entertaining!