Blog Tour Stop: Villain by Samantha Young

VILLAIN

by Samantha Young
Series: Hero #1.5

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Samantha Young

Publication Date: December 5th 2017

Source: ARC received for review

Rating: ★★★

The sexy and emotional companion novella to the New York Times bestselling romance HERO.

Nadia Ray is not just a broadcast meteorologist. She’s Boston’s morning television It Girl. Successful and independent, she’s put a past she’s ashamed of behind her and is forging a future she can be proud of. However, when her new boss discovers her secret he blackmails her, intent on using Nadia’s popularity to make them the number one morning show in Massachusetts. He wants her to be part of uncovering the city’s biggest scandal – a secret billionaire Caine Carraway is hiding.

Soon Nadia is thrown into the path of Caine’s best friend: sexy, wealthy bachelor Henry Lexington. But she doesn’t encounter the dashing high society gentleman Henry is purported to be. Instead she’s faced with an insulting and defensive villain who misjudges her at every turn.

When Henry finally realizes the truth, and decides to make amends, Nadia wants nothing to do with him. But she underestimates his determination and charm and soon they find themselves embroiled in an intense, passionate affair.

An affair Nadia knows must come to an end before their feelings grow any deeper and he discovers her secrets.

After all, Henry Lexington isn’t the only one who played the part of a villain once...

I'm a huge fan of Samantha Young's On Dublin Street series. I always reread them every now and then. While Hero isn't my favourite, Henry made an impression on me and I was excited when I found out that Samantha's releasing a novella with him and Nadia as the main characters.

Villain is set in Hero's timeline, but you don't need to read Hero to enjoy Villain. The story is told solely from Nadia's POV. I admire Nadia's character a lot for her strength and determination to prove that she's more than just her looks. The first couple of chapters were hard to read considering Nadia was being harassed and blackmailed by her good-for-nothing boss (trigger warning for attempted sexual assault). I was as frustrated as Nadia was with the treatment she received from her male superiors, but luckily it didn't last very long.

Henry and Nadia didn't get off on the right foot the first time they met each other, since Nadia was supposed to write an exposé on Caine Carraway's sordid past, and Henry as Caine's best friend would do everything in his power to not let that happen. I enjoy seeing the overtly smooth Henry failing to charm the cynical Nadia, but kept trying anyway. There were some issues they need to overcome to be together--mainly Nadia's insecurities and Henry's flirtatious nature. I would have liked Villain to be full-length so that Henry and Nadia's relationship can be fleshed out a little more, but overall it was an entertaining read. I recommend it especially if you're a fan of Samantha's Hero; Lexie and Caine had quite a few scenes in Villain too.

Out December 5th in digital edition.

Preorder Links:

AMAZON US - http://amzn.to/2giFLfF 

AMAZON UK - http://amzn.to/2yxhpZz

KOBO US - http://bit.ly/2i1siJr

KOBO UK - http://bit.ly/2yQpdGp

iBOOKS UK & US, & GOOGLE PLAY Links Coming Soon!

About the Author

Samantha Young is the New York Times,  USA Today  and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series and Hero, as well as the New Adult duology Into the Deep and Out of the Shallows.  Every Little Thing, the second book in her new Hart’s Boardwalk series, will be published by Berkley in March 2017. Before turning to contemporary fiction, she wrote several young adult paranormal and fantasy series, including the amazon bestselling Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy. Samantha’s debut YA contemporary novel The Impossible Vastness of Us was published by Harlequin TEEN in ebook & hardback June 2017. Play On is an adult contemporary romance and the first in a brand new series set in Scotland. Villain is a companion novella to the New York Times bestselling romance HERO.

Samantha has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for On Dublin Street, Best Romance 2014 for Before Jamaica Lane, and Best Romance 2015 for Hero. On Dublin Street, a #1 bestseller in Germany, was the Bronze Award Winner in the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2013, Before Jamaica Lane the Gold Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2014 and Echoes of Scotland Street the Bronze Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2015.

Samantha is currently published in 30 countries and is a #1 international bestselling author.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Blog Tour Stop: Undercover Attraction by Katee Robert

UNDERCOVER ATTRACTION

by Katee Robert

Series: The O'Malleys #5

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Grand Central/Forever

Publication Date: November 28th 2017

Source: ARC received for review

Rating: ★★★★

Scandal. Wealth. Power. Seduction. Welcome to the world of the O'Malleys.

Ex-cop Charlotte Finch used to think there was a clear line between right and wrong. Then her fellow officers betrayed her, and the world is no longer so black and white. Especially when it's Aiden O'Malley, one of the most dangerous men in Boston, who offers her a chance for justice. The only catch: she'll have to pretend to be his fiancée for his plan to work.

Aiden can't afford to let anyone see the man behind the mask. To run the O'Malley empire, he has to be cool and controlled at all times. But the moment he meets Charlie, they're playing with fire. Her slightest touch is enough to send him over the edge. At first their "engagement" was a way to eliminate his enemies. Now he'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe-- even if he has to destroy his own family to do it.

me: nothing can top my love for James Halloran

me: *reads Undercover Attraction*

me: well ok I stand corrected

I can't believe I actually love Aiden O'Malley more than James Halloran, who am I-

*breathes*

I've been consistently rereading Undercover Attraction ever since I finished it the first time. I might have reread it more than I did The Wedding Pact (sorry James but I still love you). Aiden has always been described as cold, ruthless, and the exact replica of his father Seamus. Despite this, I can't help but be intrigued about him, and I'm glad that we get to see things from his POV. He made a lot of difficult decisions as the head of the O'Malley family, and it's a bit sad to see him carrying the burden alone because he didn't have anyone else to trust. 

I've never pictured how Aiden's other half would look and act like, but Charlotte Finch is just perfect for him. Charlie is smart and tough, and she takes no shit from Aiden, which I love. I adore seeing her with Keira; Charlie's a great influence on her. I also love how Charlie helped Aiden heal the breach between him and his siblings, especially with Carrigan. 

Aiden and Charlie together are super hot. They have a lot of chemistry with each other; they didn't have to do much to convince other people that they're in love and planning to marry. I also love how their "fake" relationship lasted like 5 minutes because they couldn't keep their hands off each other. They're also so in tune with each other it's like they've known each other for ages. Aiden and Charlie fit together, and I can't imagine them with anyone else.

Overall, Undercover Attraction exceeded my expectations and more. I can't wait for February to be here so that I can read Dmitri and Keira's book; I'm so ready for Dmitri to fall on his knees.

Keep reading to get an EXCLUSIVE first look at UNDERCOVER ATTRACTION and to enter the giveaway for a $50 Amazon gift card or an O'Malley heroes candle set! 

Of a single dad and hot-stuff federal agents

Hi, guys! How are you all doing? 

Can you believe that it's almost the end of November? I feel swamped with a thousand things at once because the semester is ending and deadlines, deadlines, deadlines... 

Boring stuff aside, I'm in the middle of bingeing Kaylea Cross' Hostage Rescue Team series. I love a good romantic suspense series, and I reviewed the first two books in this post. I also finished a contemporary romance featuring a recently widowed father of two and his late wife's best friend. Sounds cliche and a bit tacky too? at first but the author did a great job building their relationship and navigating issues like grief and guilt. 

Now, onwards!

Blog Tour Stop: You Out Of Nowhere by Jay E. Tria

Hi, everyone! How are you doing?

Last week was terrible for me; I had high fever on and off for the whole week and I did zero reading. Thankfully I recovered just in time for my midterm exam yesterday, and now I'm free! I feel like I haven't finished a book in ages. *checks Goodreads* Yep, the last book I finished was over a week ago. 

So today, I have an excerpt of Jay E. Tria's newest release, You Out of Nowhere to share with you. My friend and fellow romance buff, Chachic, has been one of the loudest advocates for this book; she convinced me to read it just by pitching the age gap romance. Did I mention that Kris, the heroine in this book, is older than the hero, Ringo? I'm only a couple of chapters in and I'm so utterly charmed with Ringo and Kris and their meet-cute. It's only $1.99 on Amazon!

Check out the synopsis and the excerpt under the cut!

Unique Settings, Slut-Shaming & Cheese-Fests

Hi everyone!

How are you all doing? I had to take a mini break from posting last week as I was swamped with school work. I haven't been reading as much sadly. I did get to read some romance reads, as always, but nothing that has really blown my mind since I last posted here. I'll be reviewing A Daring Arrangement and Wish You Were Mine in this post!

A DARING ARRANGEMENT by Joanna Shupe [★★★1/2] 

A Daring Arrangement wasn't entirely on my radar until I started to see some heavy buzz come in around release week from favorite book bloggers. They all made it seem amazing, so I knew I had to get to this myself, especially as I was feeling in a historical romance mood. 

This book was my first historical romance set in the Gilded Age, and I was fascinated by the time period all throughout the book. I love reading about the culture and lifestyle of folks back in the day, and this one definitely explored that here. I mean this book starts off with a raging party that involves horses. Aren't you intrigued? I totally was! 

I really liked the characters in A Daring Arrangement. After her father discovers her affair with an artist back in England, Nora's father ships her off to America in the hopes that she finds a rich and respectable husband there. Nora is determined to return to her love, so she decides to get involved with a man she knows her father won't approve of. This is when she meets the hero of the book, Julius, a man with a reputation of being wild despite his growing wealth. I enjoyed getting to know both characters, particularly Julius. He has had to make many sacrifices in order to become the man he is, but society still doesn't fully embrace him despite his wealth and status. I also liked Nora, since she was smart, and went after what she wanted, but I'll admit that there were times when she was quite naive.

The romance between the two only slowly develops. I love the trope of a fake-relationship, and it was done fairly well in A Daring Arrangement. I did think in general the couple didn't have as much chemistry as I would have liked. There was sexual tension, sure, but something was missing for me to fully become absorbed in these two. I also think Nora's love for her struggling artist in England loomed over their relationship quite a bit. I felt like the transition from her falling out of love with Robert to her falling in love with Julius wasn't as smooth, and to me, it veered very very close to cheating when the two give in to their passion. 

Despite my issues, I liked the book enough and I'm curious about who the next couple will be, so I'll most definitely be picking up the rest of the series.

WISH YOU WERE MINE by Tara Sivec [★★] 

The pretty cover of Wish You Were Mine immediately reeled me in. Unfortunately, this just wasn't the book for me. I found the story to be incredibly cheesy, but what was worse was the amount of slut-shaming in the story that completely ruined the book for me.

Wish You Were Mine opened up with an emotional letter written by Aiden to his friend, Everett, after his passing. It was devastating, and broke my heart, but it also built up my hopes that this book would be profound and amazing. While there certainly were moments of those throughout the book, especially through some of the flashback scenes of the three characters as children, the occasional slut-shaming in the book and the story veering into Nicholas Spark cheese tainted my experience. I can't exactly say that I cared for either of the main characters. They were difficult in my opinion, a little immature, and needed to learn to communicate. Everett and Cameron were melodramatic characters, in my opinion, and made mountains out of molehills. Their emotions and angst came across as incredibly forced to me, and I felt like their relationship with each other totally defined them as characters. I wanted to see more of their personalities beyond the surface level that was explored here.

The romance between the two had the potential to be an amazing second chance romance, but again the forced angst, and the cheesy moments peppered here and there. Everett and Cameron needed to communicate with each other, but that was entirely missing from the story until the very end. There were some scenes that I liked between the two, especially the ones that involved the camp owned by Cameron's parents, but beyond that, the two of them just weren't as memorable for me. And like I said, I hated how Cameron viewed every girl who was interested in either Aiden or Everett as a "skank". It was demeaning, and uncalled for! It's ridiculous that slut-shaming is still prevalent in romance novels.

Simply put, Wish You Were Mine had too many tropes that I didn't care for. If the summary seems like a story that might be for you, go for it!

UP NEXT FOR ME

These are some books I'm planning on reading next. Can't wait!

  

RECENTLY ADDED TO THE TBR

 

Read any books featured in this post? Tell me all about your latest romance reads in the comments below!

Blog Tour Stop: Eternal by Cecy Robson

ETERNAL

by Cecy Robson

Series: Carolina Beach #2

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Cecy Robson, LLC

Publication Date: October 24th 2017

Source: ARC received for review

Rating: ★★★1/2

After months of bad luck and even worse men, Luciana Diaz just wants to crawl under the covers and forget the year ever happened. Her friend has other plans, convincing Luci to attend a New Year’s Eve party on the affluent shores of Kiawah Island.

Luci never expected to have fun. She also never expected to wake up next to a man she just met, or for this man to be the new attorney at her firm.

Landon Summers is done with drama. After an ugly separation and even worse divorce, he has no desire to jump into another relationship.

When his sister Trinity drags him to a New Year’s Eve party, he doesn’t plan to stay long. One drink, a few hellos, and he’s out. Until he meets Luci, the first person in months to draw his smile and incite his passion.

Neither Luci nor Landon planned on each other, and they definitely didn’t plan on love. But the New Year means a fresh start, and eternal possibilities neither could deny...

It was a case of love at first sight with me and Eternal. The book cover drew my eye; I absolutely adored the colour scheme and title font, and the cover guy wasn’t too hard on the eye, either. I shamelessly admit I have a thing for guys with beards, haha. I was pleased to find myself immediately hooked to the story of Luci and Landon.

The story was super sweet, and Luci and Landon together made me go aww. I didn’t feel much for Luci at first because at first impression she seemed like a complete pushover, but I grew to love her as the story progressed. The situation with her mother was completely messed up, and I felt for her a lot. Landon is the star of the show for me. He was so easy to love, and he loved easily too. I was so sad to learn how his marriage ended, and at the same time I admired his courage to take a chance on love again with Luci. They were so good together. I love their strong chemistry and how easy their relationship was. 

If I had to describe Eternal in one word, it’d be romantic. “Well, duh, Lisa! It’s a romance book, of course it’s going to be romantic!” Well, that too…but also, not really? The whole time I was reading it, it was like watching your favourite V-day movie. Eternal gave me the feels and a whole lot of butterfly flutters, and I love it. 

Overall, Eternal is my first Cecy Robson book and it won’t be my last. Super excited to check out Trinity and Callahan’s book next! I’m also hoping that Becca and Hale will get their own book, I totally ship them together.

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2yuKS6h

Buy Now: 

Amazon → http://amzn.to/2vgcxVc

iBooks → http://tinyurl.com/yas2ec58

B&N →  http://tinyurl.com/y8sbaxh5

Kobo → http://tinyurl.com/yaeoaupu

About Cecy Robson

CECY ROBSON is an author of contemporary romance, young adult adventure, and award-winning urban fantasy. A double RITA® 2016 finalist for Once Pure and Once Kissed, and a published author of more than eighteen titles, you can typically find her on her laptop writing her stories or stumbling blindly in search of caffeine.

Follow Cecy:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter 

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