I'd never, not ever, thought I would have a thing for a felon.
But there I was, lusting after the man.

Doin' A Dime by Lani Lynn Vale

Standalone - Souls Chapel Revenants MC #4
Release - May 18, 2021
Genre - Contemporary Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 4 out of 5/several descriptive scenes
Format/Source - eARC provided by the author
Length - 215 pages
Publisher - Indie

Live-in property & pet caretaker needed. Six-year minimum. Background check required. Generous compensation. Marriage of convenience required.

The moment that Wyett Villin read the ad on her local community’s page, she knew that it would be perfect. It didn’t matter how big the house was, what kinds of animals she had to take care of, or what the compensation was. She didn’t give a flip as long as it got her out of her childhood home and away from the person that she despised the most.

Only, she had no clue that by accepting the position, she would be agreeing to watch over the mini-mansion and two large dogs of Hunt McJimpsey, computer hacker extraordinaire, sexy nerd, and convicted felon of Souls Chapel, Texas.

She’d meant to make her life easier, not complicate it more.

***

Hunt McJimpsey was careful. He knew exactly what he was doing and practically planned every single step that he took to make sure that he always had his tracks covered.

But one single mistake costs him five years of his life, and if he’s going to go down for the crime, he might as well make it spectacular.

Three years into his prison sentence, he’s a changed man, and definitely not for the better.

He’s harder, angrier, and even more brilliant and conniving than before he went in.

He thinks that by keeping up with his dogs’ babysitter, his property caretaker, and reluctant wife, that he’s only doing his due diligence as a responsible person. Only, what starts out as curiosity for his property turns into genuine like for the woman that is caring for what means the most to him.

When an opportunity to get out of the hellhole known as prison arises and the only thing he has to do is join a motorcycle club and sign some of his free time away to help those less fortunate, he jumps at the chance.

Not only because he’s ready to get the hell out of prison, but because he’s ready to meet the woman that he’s been falling for, one visit a week, for the last three years.

Find your copy of Doin' A Dime here:
Amazon * iBooks * Nook * Kobo

I can't pick just one thing that really worked for me when it came to Doin' a Dime, but I know that I ended up feeling that this story was utter perfection!

Hunt McJimpsey was the perfect combination of alpha, sexy, nerdy, compassionate man. Wyett Villin was his soulmate in every sense. She had a huge heart. She was a survivor. She was sweet and beautiful. And their chemistry was intense.

Hunt may have been a felon, but in my opinion, at least when it comes to fictional males (can't be saying this and be a representative of the criminal justice system), he went to prison for all of the right reasons. A hacker extraordinaire, he was one of the good guys. Now that he works for Lynn, he's even more so.

Again, I fell in love with LLV's words and without giving away the plot, I hope I've convinced you to fall in love with these characters too. If you love love, romance and all the feels, this story is definitely the one for you!

★ I need a job that isn't too 'jobby.' Where I can do work that's not too 'worky.' - Wyett to Six

★ "I plan to take and retake all of your firsts. Everything. I'm gonna give you your first baby. I'm going to give you your first I love you. I'm going to give you your first house. Your first really big fight. Your first make-up. I'm going to retake any time I want, too. Because you're mine and I want to make sure you know it."

Lani Lynn Vale is married to the love of her life that she met in high school. She fell in love with him because he was wearing baseball pants. Ten years later they have three perfectly crazy children and a cat named Demon who likes to wake her up at ungodly times in the night. They live in the greatest state in the world, Texas. She writes contemporary and romantic suspense, and has a love for all things romance. You can find Lani in front of her computer writing away in her fictional characters world...that is until her husband and kids demand sustenance in the form of food and drink.

She knew he would have taken the bullet for her, with or without a vest. It both filled her heart with love and with colossal fear.

Material Witness by Lisa Mondello

Standalone - Heroes of Providence #1
Release - January 1, 2012
Genre - Romantic Suspense
Primarily Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 3 out of 5/a couple of barely descriptive scenes
Format/Source - Amazon Kindle purchase
Length - 237 pages
Publisher - Indie

Bestselling crime novelist, Cassie Alvarez, aka Cassie Lang, had murder on her mind when she walked into Rory's Bar under dressed and under cover to research her latest crime novel. Researching the cool, blue-eyed and dashingly handsome man at the end of the bar stirred her senses more than she wanted to admit. But was this man of leather armor all he appeared to be?

Playing White Knight to an innocent wasn't how Detective Jake Santos planned to spend his time under cover. But there was no way "CJ" was what she claimed to be and that nagging tightness in Jake's chest told him he'd better take her home to safety and leave it at that. Then the barroom exploded with gunfire, leaving a trail of dead that includes a notorious Providence crime boss and an undercover FBI agent. When Cassie's name is leaked to the media as the only witness to the grisly murders, Cassie insists she only trusts Jake to protect her.

The FBI wants their star witness happy and will do anything to make sure Cassie testifies. But it is clear to Jake that the shooter isn't the only person who wants Cassie dead. Not knowing who to trust, he vows to protect Cassie at all cost despite the fact that guarding the beautiful novelist is a serious distraction.

I was attracted to the blurb for Material Witness and I have no regrets! I love me some romantic suspense, and while I did find this story to be a bit ridiculous, inaccurate, and predictable, I enjoyed the heck out of this read.

Cassie was a woman who wrote crime fiction for a living and she was pretty good at it... if you chose to neglect the fact that it wasn't wholly accurate or that she naively put herself in dangerous situations in order to research whatever she was writing about. I found her to be a bit deluded when it came to real life as opposed to the fiction she wrote. Who goes into a mob-run bar to conduct research for a fiction novel? Seriously? At least Detective Jake Santos had a reason to be there, seeing as he was undercover. Anyway, her being there ties her whole life up in knots because she's a witness and someone doesn't want to leave her alive.

It was pretty obvious who some of the bad guys were, but I was still caught off guard. I enjoyed the way the story developed and the way the suspense brought the characters closer together. If someone recommended another book from this author for me to read, I'd definitely give it a go!
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR, Lisa Mondello, has held many jobs in her life but being a published author is the last job she'll ever have. She's not retiring! She blames the creation of the personal computer for her leap into writing novels. Otherwise, she'd still be penning stories with paper and pen.

Stop delaying in tackling things that terrify you.
Because you never know.
The spoils might be sweet.

Dream Spinner by Kristen Ashley

Standalone - Dream Team #3
Release - May 25, 2021
Genre - Contemporary Romance
Dual POV - Hattie/1st person & Axl/3rd person
Heat Level - 3.5 out of 5/a few scenes
Format/Source - eARC provided by the publisher
Length - 393 pages
Publisher - Forever

Hattie Yates has finally met the man of her dreams. Yet years of abuse from her demanding father have left her petrified of disappointment. She’s already failed to reach her goal of becoming a professional ballerina—she can’t handle the terrible consequences of another dream becoming a nightmare. But when a stalker sets their sights on Hattie, there’s only one man she dares to hope can help . . .

Axl Pantera knows Hattie is the only woman for him. Yet despite the attraction burning between them, Hattie refuses to let him in. The former soldier is determined to woo her into letting down her walls. And when danger comes calling, he’s up against more than her wary and bruised heart. Axl will do anything to prove to Hattie that they’re meant to be, but first, he’ll need to keep her safe.

Find your copy of Dream Spinner here:
Amazon * Nook * iBooks * Kobo

Can you tell me what is so addictive about KA's books? No? Yeah, neither can I. All I know is that I'm hooked!

There's Hattie, who has suffered many years of abuse from her father, who has built up walls that allow her to deny herself her greatest wish, walls that do their best to keep Axl out. Then there's Axl, a man who has been through a lot. He has his own demons, he has a huge heart, he's compassionate and patient, he's bloody awesome!

I wasn't Hattie's biggest fan in the beginning, but I grew to like her as the story developed. Now Axl, I loved him from the start. Again, this is something I find with many of the KA books I've read. Love the hero, like the heroine, ecstatic over the journey to get to the end.

Dream Spinner gave me tons of feels, oodles of laughs, and a story I could really sink my teeth into. Whether you're an old hat like me or new to this author, this is definitely a book to fall in love with.

He stared down at me, unmoving.

I stared up at him, the same.

The air around us grew heavy.

And he was so gorgeous, saying such incredible things, not to mention right there, and I was touching him, I couldn't stop my lips from saying, "Shut up, shut up."

The words that came after that lingered in the air unsaid, but they were there.

Kiss me like you mean it.

And he heard them.

I knew he did when his arm sliced around me and my hand on his chest was forced up into his spiky hair because my body was plastered to his.

And his mouth was on mine.

He kissed me.

Axl kissed me.

And he did it like he meant it.

His other arm swept around me, and I came up on my toes, his head angling, mine tipping the other way. He held tight and I pressed deep and I tasted, and I took, and I gave, and I drank, and he plundered, and he sucked, and his tongue danced with mine and yes...

Yes.

He kissed me like he meant it.

And I kissed him back the same way.

Kristen Ashley is the New York Times bestselling author of over sixty romance novels including the Rock Chick, Colorado Mountain, Dream Man, Chaos, Unfinished Hero, The ’Burg, Magdalene, Fantasyland, The Three, Ghost and Reincarnation, Moonlight and Motor Oil and Honey series along with several standalone novels. She’s a hybrid author, publishing titles both independently and traditionally, her books have been translated in fourteen languages and she’s sold over three million books.

Kristen, born in Gary and raised in Brownsburg, Indiana, was a fourth-generation graduate of Purdue University. Since, she has lived in Denver, the West Country of England, and now she resides in Phoenix. She worked as a charity executive for eighteen years prior to beginning her independent publishing career. She currently writes full-time.

You can begin again anywhere you want to in life, but you can't recreate your past or the way it shaped you.

The Brave Line by Kate Stewart

Standalone
Release - March 31, 2017
Genre - Contemporary Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 4 out of 5
Format/Source - Amazon Kindle purchase
Length - 290 pages
Publisher - KLS Press

She is a five foot seven long list of things he can’t have.

He is a determined cop, desperate to keep his heart sealed behind his badge.

Michelle is a survivor. With a fresh perspective on life, she trades her tragic past in California for the coastal waters of Charleston. Fueled by a new career as a dispatcher, she’s determined not to let her scars weigh her down. She apologizes for nothing, especially her insatiable need for a certain police officer.

Rowdy is a newly minted sergeant dedicated to his job, but the life of a Charleston police officer has never been more dangerous. With his need to take order of a city spiraling out of control, the last thing he wants is an entanglement with a mouthy dispatcher. But, there’s just one problem. He can’t get enough of her.

As the heat rises between the unlikely pair, so does the tension.

Three months of summer was all it took to shake their foundations, rattle their walls, and bring them crashing down.

It was lust.

It was love.

It was real.

And it would have been perfect . . . if it wasn't already over.

You can find your copy of The Brave Line on Amazon
It's FREE to read with Kindle Unlimited

For me, this story was not just about facing one's fears, but embracing them. Becoming fearless. Michelle seemed to have that down pat (kinda sorta) and Rowdy spent this entire book playing catch up. I enjoyed the angst, the push and pull, the combustion that existed when these two came together. Slow build + slow burn = I slowly loved it.

While Rowdy's fears weirdly aggravated me, I understood them. He had lost someone close to him. He was still dealing with that loss and didn't want to put anyone through the pain he was going through. It was an honorable motive. It was also dumb. He was hurting himself and Michelle more than anything else. It took him a long while to finally see how wrong he was, but when he did... Damn! The author did a beautiful job of busting this man's heart wide open!!
USA Today bestselling author and Texas native, Kate Stewart, lives in North Carolina with her husband, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie. She pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance, as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense. Kate's title Drive was named one of the best romances of 2017 by The New York Daily News and Huffington Post. Drive was also a finalist in the Goodread's Choice awards for best contemporary romance for 2017. Her works have also been featured in USA TODAY and BuzzFeed, and translated into five languages.

Kate is a lover of all things '80s and '90s, especially John Hughes films and rap. She dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity, and on occasion, does very well at whiskey.