WHAT I’M READING
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LAST WEEK’S MINI RECAPS
Security by Gina Wohlsdorf
Twisted Palace by Erin Watt
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BOOKISH NEWS
NEW REVIEW
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NEW RELEASES
Touching Down by Nicole Williams (Available Now)
The whole world might be in love with him. But all he’s ever loved is her.
Grant Turner’s name is synonymous with football. The fans and media can’t get enough of the player known as The Invincible Man, a nickname he earned while growing up in one of the toughest neighborhoods in the country and the nickname he’s kept by being one of the best players in professional football today. No one can take him down. He’s unstoppable.
But even a suit of armor has its weak point, and Grant’s has always been Ryan Hale.
They were a couple of kids when they fell in love, and just when it looked like the happy ending neither expected was within reach, Ryan disappeared. No explanations. No good-byes.
Grant coped by throwing himself into the game for seven years, and he’s finally moved on. Or so he thinks.
When she walks back into his life, all of those feelings come crashing back, despite the warnings in his head that tell him she’ll leave him again. Grant can withstand the league’s toughest defensive line, but he’s always been weak where she’s concerned.
No man can take Grant Turner down.
But one woman certainly can.
One woman will.
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Searching for Disaster by Jennifer Probst (Available Now)
The next highly anticipated novella in the Searching For series, a romantic spin-off of the Marriage to a Billionaire series from New York Timesbestselling sensation Jennifer Probst.
When Isabella MacKenzie tries to move on from her disastrous past, Officer William Devine is determined to show her that love is the only way to heal. This sexy enovella, the final installment in Jennifer Probst’s heartwarming Searching For series, follows the high-powered women of the popular matchmaking agency Kinnections, located in the small, picturesque town of Verily, NY.
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The Player by Claire Contreras (Available Now)
I’m naturally gifted on the field and between the sheets. With flashy cars and enough media attention to put the Royal Family to shame, I’m the definition of Most Eligible Bachelor.
Every man wants to be me and every woman wants to tame me. Until Camila.
The moment I lay eyes on her, I know I have to have her.
She wants to keep me at arm’s length.
I want her naked in my bed.
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More Than Exist by Bethany Lopez (Available Now)
Love can exit your life as quickly as it enters it, shattering your heart in the process.
It’s been a year since my husband was taken from me in a tragic accident. I thought it would kill me. Now, I think I’m ready to start healing.
My mother says my idea of taking a solo cross-country road trip is crazy, but I see it as my road to recovery. Along the way, I’ll have to deal with the poor choices I’ve made since Ricky died. I’ll have to overcome the terror that his death has caused me. I’ll have to find my balance again.
And once I meet Luke and his young son, I’ll have to decide if I can take the risk to do more than exist and learn to love again.
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Pucked Under by Helena Hunting (Available Now)
Randy Ballistic and Lily LeBlanc are head-over-heels, bed-breakingly, screaming orgasmically in love. But even they have their challenges, mostly outside of the bedroom.
With the off-season coming to a close and the boys gearing up for training camp, one more weekend of fun is the perfect way to welcome the new season.
The entire crew piles into vehicles and drives to Alex and Violet’s Chicago cottage for a few days of relaxation―and hopefully a chance for Randy to shake the anxiety that’s been plaguing him.
Accidental wardrobe malfunctions, typical Violet inspired overshares, and a whole lot of private time round out the perfect weekend getaway.
But the moment they return to the city all of Randy’s angst resurfaces with the arrival of a surprise houseguest.
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Once She Dreamed by Abbi Glines (Available Now)
Everyone in the small country town, Sammy Jo Knox had been born and raised, never left. They made their life there. Got married, had kids, lived in the same houses that were always there along the streets that never changed. The whole white picket fence and tree swing might look good on greeting cards but in real life it was boring, at least to Sammy Jo.
When Sammy Jo was a little girl she began dreaming of something bigger. Brighter. Something that wasn’t her town. She wanted to see the world and experience it all. Just how she was going to do that she had no idea. Because if her momma had her way she’d marry one of the boys in town and be spitting out babies and going to church on Sunday with them all lined up in a row.
The day Hale Christopher Jude III walked into the bakery she worked at, she knew he was it. That part of life she was missing. He smelled of foreign places and exciting things. He represented all the bright lights she dreamed of and simply put she hoped he was her way out of this place.
What Sammy Jo didn’t realize was things that appear perfect… aren’t. And chasing her dreams could lead to something very different.
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Bound to Submit by Laura Kaye (Oct 11)
From the ruins of an abandoned church comes Baltimore’s hottest and most exclusive BDSM club. Twelve Masters. Infinite fantasies. Welcome to Blasphemy…
He thinks he caused her pain, but she knows he’s the only one who can heal her…
Kenna Sloane lost her career and her arm in the Marines, and now she feels like she’s losing herself. Submission is the only thing that ever freed her from pain and made her feel secure, and Kenna needs to serve again. Bad. The only problem is the Dom she wants once refused her submission and broke her heart, but, scarred on the inside and out, she’s not looking for love this time. She’s not even sure she’s capable.
Griffin Hudson is haunted by the mistakes that cost him the only woman he ever loved. Now she’s back at his BDSM club, Blasphemy, and more beautiful than ever, and she’s asking for his help with the pain he knows he caused. Even though he’s scared to hurt her again, he can’t refuse her, because he’d give anything to earn a second chance. And this time, he’ll hold on forever.
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The Other One by Jiffy Kate (Oct 11)
They are two strangers, struggling from day to day—one trying to overcome the past, while the other hides behind it.
Just when Tripp Alexander thinks he has everything figured out and nothing can stop him, a swift dose of reality plants his feet firmly on the ground. Maybe a little too close to six feet under.
Loren Jenson knows heartache. Circumstances from her past have tarnished her outlook on life, making her feel like her future has been pulled out from under her. That is, until a boy with deep green eyes and a shy smile falls into her life, bringing with him a connection she can’t deny.
Will they be able to trust enough to share their secrets and accept one another, despite what they’ve been through? Or will the truth about their pasts derail the chance fate has handed them?
How do you allow yourself to live out the life set before you when you are the other one?
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Midnight Untamed (1001 Dark Nights) by Lara Adrian (Oct 11)
The mission was supposed to be simple. Infiltrate an enemy’s stronghold outside Rome and eliminate its leader. For a Breed warrior as lethal as Ettore Selvaggio, AKA “Savage”, stealth assassinations are only one of his many cold-hearted specialties. But the last thing Savage expects to find behind enemy lines—in his target’s bed—is a woman he once adored.
It’s been years since Savage last saw beautiful Arabella Genova. Years he’s strived to banish to his past, along with the fierce desire he once felt toward Bella . . . and the irresistible calling of her blood that stirs in him even now, despite the fact that she belongs to another male.
But when fate throws Savage and Bella together again in a race for their lives, will his long-lost love prove to be the one woman he can’t live without, or the perfect weapon to destroy him?
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The Scent of Salt & Sand by Kristin Cast & P.C. Cast (Oct 11)
The co-authors of the bestselling House of Night series reunite with a haunting, romantic, suspense-filled, original novella in The Escaped series.
Eons ago, Sirens were exiled from the Mortal Realm, held captive in a cove at the edge of Tartarus. They are beautiful beyond imagination, but deadly beyond compare. And they have set their sights on breaking free.
They risk everything to sneak out of Tartarus and ascend to the forbidden Mortal Realm with one mission―mate with human men to dilute their cursed bloodline and form a new race of Sirens, free from their prison in the Underworld. But for a Siren to become pregnant, she must revert to her True Form, a horrifying sight that drives men to madness, and makes killing them a mercy. In modern San Francisco, the Sirens blend in; each woman has a singular goal, and each man she meets is her prey…
Melody Seirina has always been different. She doesn’t believe that she’ll be able to bring herself to take a human life, even when the fate of her people rests on her willingness to do so. She’s even more convinced when she meets Dean, a charming cop who sees a loving future with her. Their romance threatens two worlds, the one the Sirens fled from, and the one that will destroy them if they can’t complete their mission as soon as possible. Melody will have to make a decision―risk the future of her people or follow her heart.
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Midnight Star by Marie Lu (Oct 11)
Recommended Series
The thrilling finale to the New York Times bestselling Young Elites series from “hit factory” Marie Lu
There was once a time when darkness shrouded the world, and the darkness had a queen.
Adelina Amouteru is done suffering. She’s turned her back on those who have betrayed her and achieved the ultimate revenge: victory. Her reign as the White Wolf has been a triumphant one, but with each conquest her cruelty only grows. The darkness within her has begun to spiral out of control, threatening to destroy all she’s gained.
When a new danger appears, Adelina’s forced to revisit old wounds, putting not only herself at risk, but every Elite. In order to preserve her empire, Adelina and her Roses must join the Daggers on a perilous quest—though this uneasy alliance may prove to be the real danger.
Final book in a series.
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Spare and Found Parts by Sarah Maria Griffin (Oct 11)
Nell Crane has never held a boy’s hand.
In a city devastated by an epidemic, where survivors are all missing parts—an arm, a leg, an eye—Nell has always been an outsider. Her father is the famed scientist who created the biomechanical limbs that everyone now uses. But she’s the only one with her machinery on the inside: her heart. Since the childhood operation, she has ticked. Like a clock, like a bomb. And as her community rebuilds, everyone is expected to contribute to the society’s good . . . but how can Nell live up to her father’s revolutionary ideas when she has none of her own?
Then she finds a lost mannequin’s hand while salvaging on the beach, and inspiration strikes. Can Nell build her own companion in a world that fears advanced technology? The deeper she sinks into this plan, the more she learns about her city—and her father, who is hiding secret experiments of his own.
Sarah Maria Griffin’s haunting literary debut will entrance fans of Patrick Ness’s Chaos Walking series, Paolo Bacigalupi’s Ship Breaker, and Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven.
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What Light by Jay Asher (Oct 11)
Sierra’s family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon—it’s a bucolic setting for a girl to grow up in, except that every year, they pack up and move to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other.
Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life eclipses the other.
By reputation, Caleb is not your perfect guy: years ago, he made an enormous mistake and has been paying for it ever since. But Sierra sees beyond Caleb’s past and becomes determined to help him find forgiveness and, maybe, redemption. As disapproval, misconceptions, and suspicions swirl around them, Caleb and Sierra discover the one thing that transcends all else: true love.
What Light is a love story that’s moving and life-affirming and completely unforgettable.
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The Fix Up by Kendall Ryan (Oct 11)
My tempting and very alpha friend Sterling Quinn is someone I consider off-limits.
It’s not just that we’re friends, he’s also cocky, confident, and British, which means he’s a walking aphrodisiac.
But lately he’s been giving me the look. You know the one. When he thinks I’m not paying attention, and his gaze lingers for too long.
When we start working together, that’s when the sexual tension between us gets so thick, I want to hack through it with a machete. I want to make all these deep feelings I’ve harbored for him disappear, because there’s no way this can end well.
The lines between business and pleasure become irrevocably blurred, and I’m stuck between a rock and Sterling’s very, very hard place.
Rather than keep a level head about our growing attraction, Sterling wants to go all in, showing me just how explosive we can be together.
But I’ve been around long enough to know that this British bad boy is more than my heart can handle. I’m not about to be cast aside like yesterday’s underwear when he’s done having fun.
Sterling’s never been told no, and he’s not about to put his ego aside and play by my rules. But I never thought he’d fight so dirty.
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Sugar Free by Sawyer Bennett (Oct 11)
Sela and Beck’s deliciously sinful tale of sex, lies, and vengeance reaches its explosive conclusion in the final chapter of Sawyer Bennett’s Sugar Bowl trilogy, which began with the novels Sugar Daddy and Sugar Rush.
For years Sela Halstead dreamed of revenge, but the quest for payback has been anything but sweet. Now, once again, she finds herself at the mercy of Jonathon Townsend, his hands crushing the very breath from her body. And even though she escapes with her life, Sela fears she may never recover. In desperate need of shelter and comfort, she runs to the one man she can trust. Beckett North has stood by Sela since the beginning. But can he handle the brutal truth?
Beck will do anything to protect what is his—and make no mistake, Sela belongs to him, heart and soul. The passion between them runs hot, even as their world begins to unravel. With the legacy of his ruthless business partner hanging in the balance, Beck stands to lose everything: his fortune, his family, his freedom. But each touch of Sela’s mouth on his skin, her nails down his back, makes it harder to let her go—and it might not even be his choice to make.
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Tonic by Staci Hart (Oct 13)
Joel Anderson doesn’t take anything seriously.
Not his relationships, which have been few and far between since his brutal divorce. Not the drama of working in a tattoo parlor, which seems to be around every corner. When things get him down, he smiles and cracks a joke. But he’s not the kind of man you cross, or you’ll find yourself at the wrong end of his fists.
Annika Belousov takes everything seriously.
Like her job as a reality television producer, given that she typically has something to prove. Or her love life, which is defined by a series of requirements — affluent, ambitious, accomplished, to name a few. Definitely her family, who worked their whole lives to afford her every opportunity, a sacrifice she doesn’t take lightly. When she’s tapped to produce a reality show at Joel’s shop, she doesn’t think twice, just goes in for the kill, as if there were any other way.
The second Annika walks into Joel’s shop, he makes it his mission to crack her open, but she’s not having it. He’s all wrong — too crass, too hairy, too un-serious. But it doesn’t take her long to find out there’s more to him than smirks and tattoos. And what she finds could put her career and his heart on the line.
Not that Joel cares. Because for the first time in a long time, he’s found his tonic.
Standalone romantic comedy.
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A Love Letter to Whiskey by Kandi Steiner (Oct 13) – 99¢
It’s crazy how fast the buzz comes back after you’ve been sober for so long.
Whiskey stood there, on my doorstep, just like he had one year before. Except this time, there was no rain, no anger, no wedding invitation — it was just us.
It was just him — the old friend, the easy smile, the twisted solace wrapped in a glittering bottle.
It was just me — the alcoholic, pretending like I didn’t want to taste him, realizing too quickly that months of being clean didn’t make me crave him any less.
But we can’t start here.
No, to tell this story right, we need to go back.
Back to the beginning.
Back to the very first drop.
This is my love letter to Whiskey. I only hope he reads it.
Standalone novel.
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UPCOMING RELEASES
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