Review: Behind Closed Doors by J.L. Berg

****3.5 Stars****

This is a book, that as far as I'm aware, can be read as a stand alone. However it was whilst reading this book that I got a strong sense that some of the characters in this book feature in JL Berg's, Walls Duet series. I felt like I was missing something for having not read these books.

Roman initially was your stereotypical CEO. Totally unapproachable, that is until Cara comes along. I definitely felt a sense of their chemistry, maybe not as much as I'd have liked, but it was there all the same.

I'm not really sure I totally got two other characters, Lauren and Tyler. They played a huge part in the story, but I just didn't get to know them enough to form any feeling towards them, which is a shame because I feel had they been more prominent then this book could have been so much more for me.

Overall I did enjoy this story, but major events were detailed by either Cara or Roman recalling the details rather than them being told in the present tense. This, for me, affected greatly, the emotion of such scenes, but still not a bad read at all.

Reviewed by Louise Dale

My name is Roman Cavenaugh and I’m kind of an asshole.
Running a company isn't easy, especially when everyone expects you to fail, so being a jerk? It comes with the territory.
I don't have time to mess around, and I sure as hell didn’t see her coming.
Cara Hamilton—she was supposed to be off limits…a temporary employee brought in during my assistant’s maternity leave.
But, in the blink of an eye, she became so much more.
An obsession I couldn’t shake.

So yeah, I may be an asshole, but now, I finally had a purpose, and soon, she would be mine.
All’s fair in love and war…

Amazon UK - http://amzn.to/2cACuIl
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Review: The Talented Mr. Rivers (End of the Line #2) by HelenKay Dimon

****4 Stars****

This book picks up where book one ended and as such I think it would be wise to read Mr & Mr Smith first in order to fully enjoy this book and understand the characters and plot. ...

Hunter and Will are characters we met in the first book though we saw more of Hunter who is working as a bodyguard to Will whilst also working undercover for a German government agency. When Will comes up missing following the explosive end in book one Hunter sets out to find him with the help of Zach and Fischer from the previous book.

As with the first book I found the middle sags a little and was a little repetitive as we watch the team once again decide on the best plan of action to take against the organization they are tasked with bringing down. However, as Hunter and Will are on opposite sides in this matter that involves working through a lot more than their attraction to find the right outcome.

The ending made up for the sag in the middle of this story for me and I look forward to seeing if there is more to come from this series.

Reviewed by Vikki Ryan

HelenKay Dimon’s suspenseful, provocative series of double agents and dark desire continues with a novel featuring two men bound by a dangerous job—and by the cravings they feel for each other.

As the son of an international crime lord, Will Rivers only inherited one thing after his father died: trouble. The Pentasus organization deals in kidnapping and murder, and Will wants no part of the power grab that’s tearing leadership apart. But the only way he’ll be able to escape is with some help from his former bodyguard, Hunter Cain, whose sculpted body and brooding looks keep Will awake at night. Somehow, Hunter has resisted the tension between them . . . until, suddenly, he gives in.

As a German intelligence officer working deep undercover, Hunter has a very good reason to keep Will in the dark about his identity and his intentions. Although the sex is hot, Hunter’s true feelings are a growing liability. Now the only way to save Will from his old life is to push him deeper into danger. But when two strong men are each determined to protect the other, the heat isn’t just combustible—it’s a firestorm. 

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2cfXQrL

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2cc8LSR

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Review: Hard to Hold (Hard to Play #1) by Katie Rose

***3 Stars***

This is one of those books that had me intrigued from the synopsis. Here we have Logan, a hot soccer player who finds himself in the role of a single dad and hires Isabella to be the child's Nanny. Not only did I think it was going to be somewhat steamy, but more importantly I anticipated lots of emotion and an instant love for Logan. Unfortunately I didn't really sense much of either of these things and sadly for me there was just no Wow factor and the sex scenes were far too brief, sometimes the act itself condensed to a single paragraph, which gave me very little sense of passion.

I found it quite tough to connect with the characters, especially Isabella, who initially comes across as the modern day Mary Poppins, minus the spoonful of sugar. Although she did grow on me more as the book progressed and she lost that stick from her backside. I struggled really to find, besides her looks, what Logan was attracted to, because she came across as far too opinionated. The fact that Logan found himself in a particular situation with the baby, I would have expected Isabella to be a little more understanding and not have made such an issue. I also felt she overstepped a lot of boundaries as far as her profession goes and that for me made this book lose its believability. There were, however, little snippets of vulnerability from her and it was during these times that I felt she redeemed herself somewhat.

As for Logan, I got a sense of him being incredibly gorgeous and definitely a man who has no shortage of female adoration, but he was still a little two dimensional for me.

Now I have to say I really mean no offence to anyone who has a child with the name that is given to the baby in this book. I believe that if you want to call your child that, then that is entirely your perogotive, however for me it was a name that I just couldn't take seriously in this book and that meant for me, the usual 'awwwww's' I get when children are featured in works of fiction just wasn't there.

That being said, the writing itself isn't bad at all and the epilogue was my favourite part of the book and it was in fact where Logan finally became the man I hoped he'd be. I'm pretty sure this book will be a good read for many, but I myself tend to lean towards books that have something that makes me feel some kind of emotion and more feeling towards the characters.

Reviewed by Louise Dale

New Jersey Hurricanes striker Logan Hart lives for the grind of training, the adrenaline of competition, and all the perks of the road—until his ex hands him a baby and tells Logan to raise her on his own. He’s eager to pass this bundle of joy into more capable hands and get back to his hard-playing, hard-partying ways. But when a beautiful, blond drill sergeant of a nanny turns Logan’s life upside down, he sets a new goal: winning her heart.

Isabella Bennett takes pride in teaching the rich and famous how to become loving families. Her no-nonsense style is just what Logan and his crying, copper-haired cutie need. So why can’t she get the image of Logan’s tanned, muscular body out of her head? Isabella’s here to whip a new father into shape, not fall for a sexy ladies’ man. But their chemistry is too tantalizing to ignore, much like the temptation to trust someone with her deepest secrets—and embrace a loving family all her own.

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Review: The Playbook by Kelly Elliott

*****5 Stars*****

This is a new to me author and I absolutely loved this book! When I first started reading it I thought it was going to be an insta love kind of romance which I'm not a huge fan of but it turned out to be so much more than that!

Brett Owens is the head football coach for the University of Austin. He is the ultimate playboy and his life revolves around football and women and sometimes not even in that order. When ESPN college sideline reporter Aubrey Cain is forced to follow him around for the next month, his world gets turned upside down. From the moment he meets her he can't keep his eyes or his dirty talking mouth and hands off her. He never imagined that in all his playboy dirty talking ways that she could be his game changer.

Aubrey Cain has always dreamed about being a sideline reporter in the NFL. She figures this piece on Brett would be the one to change her bosses mind and move her up to the NFL. She never imagined that his dirty talking mouth and sexy blue eyes would awaken a desire in her that she never knew existed and haunt her every waking moment. He was only supposed to be her assignment, not the man who threatened both her heart and career.

Will the playboy change his ways? Can these two make a relationship work even though their careers will ultimately lead them in two different directions? Will they get the happy ending they so definitely deserve? You will have to one-click to find out!

I loved Aubrey and Brett and was rooting for them the entire time to get their happy ending! The author evokes such emotions for these two and makes you fall so hard and fast for them! This book was so much more than your typical love story. Brett and Aubrey have so many obstacles between them and the relationship they desire and it is definitely an emotional roller coaster of a ride for them on their journey to being happy. One click and fall in love with these two like I did! I cannot wait to read more from this author!

Reviewed by Ashley Ziegler

My life revolved around two things. Football and my cock. And not necessarily in that order.

Being the head football coach for a top university in Texas had its ups and its downs.

The ups? Endless women to f*ck.

The downs? The politics that came with the job.

From the moment Aubrey Cain walked into my office, she turned my world upside down. Being forced to have her follow me around for a month was going to be a pain in the ass. Especially since I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her.

The best I’d hoped to come out of this was a few nights with her in my bed. I never imagined she’d be the game changer.

Brett Owens was my assignment.

Head football coach for a top college, bad boy reputation, short temper, and handsome good looks should have scared me off. But I was tougher than that.

From the first words out of his obnoxious, dirty-talking mouth, I knew it was going to be a long month. It wasn’t five minutes after meeting him, he hit on me. If only I had known his blue eyes would haunt my dreams and awaken a desire inside of me I never knew existed.

This was business. There was no way I would be tempted by him no matter how good looking he was or how many things he whispered in my ear.

He was only supposed to be my assignment. Not the man who threatened to destroy both my heart and my career. I would follow along with his playbook for now. But who would end up winning was anyone’s guess.

The Playbook is a stand-alone novel.

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Review: Retrieval (The Retrieval Duet #1) by Aly Martinez

*****5 Stars*****

Just like Elisabeth felt about Roman, I had a feeling of Insta-love towards this book. I was hooked from the very first word. I would go so far as to say that this is probably the best book I have read for quite some time and certainly my favourite so far from Aly Martinez.

My first thoughts when I think of this book is 'Woah that was some serious chemistry between Elisabeth and Roman', but it was so much more than that. Tackling some sensitive subjects, one of which was focused on another character, Clare and her volatile relationship.

Roman, Roman, Roman! What can I say about him? Other than the fact that he is insanely sexy, very much the alpha and so so attentive to Elisabeth that I'm really not surprised they fell in love so quickly.

Elisabeth was so so likeable and really was a heroine I could relate to, despite never having encountered and endured the things she has.

I cannot express how good this book was. It had it all. Amazingly well written, hot sex scenes, an incredibly likeable couple, tonnes of emotion and some major surprises that has really only made me want to sell my left kidney for book 2.

Reviewed by Louise Dale

One story. Two couples.

I proposed on our first date.
She laughed and told me I was insane. Less than a day later, she said yes.
It was a whirlwind, but we were happy…
Until we got greedy and wanted a family.

It was a life I couldn’t give her, not for lack of trying. Fertility just wasn’t on our side. We sought out doctors and treatments. Spent money we didn’t have. Lied to our families. Smiled for our friends. Put on a brave face for a world that didn’t understand.
Finally, we were successful…
Until we were forced to bury our son.

We were left broken, battered, and destroyed.
They say love is in the details, but it was the details that ruined us.

This is the story of how I took back what had always been mine.The retrieval of my wife and our family.

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