Saturday, October 31, 2020

In the Deep by Loreth Anne White

I hope you don’t find him. And if you do, I hope he’s dead and that he suffered…

I hope you don’t find him. And if you do, I hope he’s dead and that he suffered…

Real-estate mogul Martin Cresswell-Smith is the best thing that has ever happened to Ellie. After her daughter’s devastating death, a divorce, and an emotional breakdown, he’s helped her move as far as possible from the grief, the rage, and the monsters of her past. Ellie imagines her new home with Martin in an Australian coastal town will be like living a fairy tale. But behind closed doors is another story—one that ends in Martin’s brutal murder. And Ellie seems almost relieved…

Naturally, everyone thinks Mrs. Cresswell-Smith is guilty.

Senior Constable Lozza Bianchi has reasonable doubt. She sees evidence of a twisted psychological battle and a couple who seemed to bring out the worst in each other—adultery, abuse, betrayal, and revenge. If anything Ellie says can be believed, that is. As the case takes twist after spiraling twist, Lozza can’t shake the gut instinct that she’s being manipulated. That Ellie is hiding something. That there are secrets yet to surface. Lozza has no idea.

 

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In the Deep by Loreth Anne White

Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~ Also Available with KindleUnlimited ~

 

 

Reviews


Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team


Sarah☆☆☆☆☆
This is a creepy and disturbing psychological thriller. Told in multiple voices, across two continents and at three points in time, readers must piece together the events leading up to the grisly murder of a wealthy international businessman. It’s a complicated, contradictory puzzle and I couldn’t put it down.

At the heart of the story is Ellie, a Canadian heiress with a troubled history who marries the victim and moves to Australia to be with him. Ellie’s voice is frustratingly inconsistent. Ellie can be vulnerable, she can be mean, and she can be calculating. But none of these things necessarily make her a murderer. With Ellie, readers have to grapple with a main character who may or may not be innocent but definitely isn’t a reliable or likeable narrator.

To complicate things further, readers know that the murder victim, Ellie’s husband Martin, isn’t what he seems from their very first encounters. If Ellie isn’t terribly likeable, it is far too easy for readers to start to hate Martin very quickly.

Interestingly, in this book, beyond Martin and one scene with Ellie’s father, this is a story about women. In Australia, the police detective Lozza, the bartender Rabz, and the neighbour Willow all become entangled in Ellie and Martin’s life. Lozza is as compromised a narrator as Ellie and readers are forced to untangle facts from bias, emotion, and personal interpretation as they start to piece together an understanding of the true nature of the relationships between the women in Jarrawarra.

It is always difficult to review psychological thrillers without spoilers. I will say that there were several times that I was properly surprised by plot twists and the suspense at the end is brilliant. The pacing is excellent and the skill with which the author weaves the layered narratives together is admirable. This is a beautifully crafted book and a thoroughly enjoyable read.


Avid Reader☆☆☆☆
M/F Mystery
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

This book didn’t grab me right away. While I normally need a mystery to really suck me in quickly, I let this one slowly draw me in.

Martin Cresswell-Smith is a handsome man who goes after what he wants. He is charismatic, wealthy, successful, and two-faced. You don’t truly see the other side of Martin until he reveals himself to Ellie.

Ellie has been looking for love her whole life. With an absentee father, a husband who wasn’t paying enough attention to her, and a life that has fallen in to shambles, Ellie self-medicates. Despite the tragedies in her life, Ellie wants to move forward, wants to be happy. When she meets Martin, she thinks that her life might just be turning around.

What follows is a back and forth of past and present. You get to see Martin and Ellie’s relationship from inside and outside, the new community they live in from different perspectives, and you get to try and puzzle out what Constable Lozza Bianchi is seeing.

Bianchi is a great character who brings another level of depth to the story. I really enjoyed watching her try and figure out the mystery. She was a strong personality, but she was also compassionate and very real.

This book gives you twists and turns throughout, and you’ll be wondering what’s going on until the end. I really enjoyed this once I got into the story. I admit that the back and forth was sometimes hard to follow, but the overall story was well developed.


Veronica☆☆☆
In the Deep is a psychological thriller and one where the story is told in both the present and the past. Importantly, it is always clear which time we are in and we know from the outset that the wife is on trial for the murder of her husband. Ultimately though, the majority of the story is told in the past.

Early on we spend a lot of time with our main character, Ellie. We learn about her life, her past, and how she meets her now dead husband, Martin. I have to say at this point in the story I was starting to lose interest. I didn’t find Ellie a particularly appealing character and Martin was clearly dodgy. But then, briefly, a new player entered the story and I knew things were far more complicated than they seemed, so I was curious enough to push on.

While I found the start of the story slow, when the couple moves to Australia things really take a dark turn. The tension builds and there is plenty of action that got my heart pumping, which I really enjoyed and it kept me turning the pages. There is a scene with Martin and Ellie out on his boat that is actually a bit scary and so well done.

Often reading stories in this genre you don’t know who to trust or who is telling the truth. In this story, however, I found it obvious at times who was deceiving who and who was likely involved, we just didn’t know all the details. When the big twist came, it was like a quick reveal and the story was hurriedly concluded. The ending was way too rushed and we were given an information dump at the end to wrap it up. It felt like we spent so much time in the beginning on boring parts of the story and at the end we were rushed right through some juicy bits.

In the Deep had some good parts and some not so good things, but overall I enjoyed it. Three stars from me.

 

 

Author Bio

LORETH ANNE WHITE is an Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestselling author of thrillers, mysteries, and suspense. With well over 2 million books sold around the world, she is a three-time RITA finalist, an overall Daphne du Maurier Award winner, Arthur Ellis finalist, and winner of multiple industry awards.

A recovering journalist who has worked in both South Africa and Canada, she now calls Canada home. She resides in the Pacific Northwest, dividing time between Victoria on Vancouver Island, the ski resort of Whistler in the Coast Mountains, and a rustic lakeside cabin in the Cariboo. When she’s not writing or dreaming up plots, you will find her on the lakes, in the ocean, or on the trails with her dog where she tries—unsuccessfully—to avoid bears.

Connect with Loreth

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

Montlake


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of In the Deep by Loreth Anne White to read and review.

Friday, October 30, 2020

Lost Boy by Ker Dukey Release Blitz

Lost Boy by Ker Dukey Out Now!

When Willis Langford, the infamous serial killer, dubbed the Hollywell Slayer, enters Lizzy West’s life, he leaves blood and pain in his wake—kidnapping his son, her best friend, Jack, and killing those who try to stop him.

After witnessing unimaginable evil, the echoes of that day haunt Lizzy into adulthood.

Fifteen years later, Willis is still at large. When new bodies start to pop up with the infamous Hollywell Slayer’s signature written all over them, Lizzy’s life turns upside down.

Death now stalking her at every turn, Lizzy isn’t prepared for a ruggedly handsome mystery man, Clark entering her life, making her question everything she thought she knew. The intensity between them is palpable, but there’s something that isn’t adding up, and one thing Lizzy knows all too well, monsters don’t lie in wait. They hunt you out.

Life is a game of survival.
But who is the hunter and who is the prey?

This is a psychological romantic suspense standalone title.

 

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Lost Boy by Ker Dukey

Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

Reviews


Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team


Angie☆☆☆☆☆
This isn't the kind of book I normally read, but the blurb caught my eye and I've read books by this author in the past and enjoyed them. Holy cow. This book takes you on one heck of a rollercoaster ride. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and I kept going back and forth on what I thought would happen next. Throw in a romance and you've got yourself one exciting book. Definitely glad I went for something different this time.


Shelby☆☆☆☆☆
What happens when you take two young children, best friends, and traumatically split them apart? What happens when one has to carry on through their life facing a harrowing situation every single day, alone? In this book, Lizzy pulls herself together every day, she faces insurmountable mental stress, and she longs for her long-lost best friend.

What happens when people are being murdered, and their only connection is that they have some kind of contact with you? This is when you start worrying!

Lizzy has been through hell and back, the Hollywood Killer seems to be on the loose again – almost a decade after his last victims were found. The only thing missing from this is her long-lost friend, Jack. Lizzy questions everything but fears nothing. She goes on with her life, with help from Stephan and Charlotte, her only friends.

This story was entirely too short (only because I read it too quickly), the story waxed and waned but was never boring. With each new situation, the stakes rise, and I think I know what's going on. I must say that I love Ker Dukey's book because they are NEVER predictable. The romance was enticing, the friendships were real, and the suspense was phenomenal.


Shannan☆☆☆☆
At eight years old, when Lizzy West’s best friend is kidnapped and her mother is killed, her world as she knew it was gone. As a college student she's doing the best she can, but the nightmares of that time and the memories keep her locked in that hell. She's never forgotten Jack, her best friend, her Lost Boy.

When a student she knows is murdered, everything she's been fighting to hold in that dark place in her mind all comes rushing back. Is it Willis? How did he find her? Is she next?

Ker Dukey is my go-to author when I need that dark in a read. She hit the nail on the head with this one, giving me dark and suspenseful with just a touch of romance.

I was intrigued by Lizzy but seriously wanted to throat punch her best friend! Dukey was all about writing a character I want to hate!!

 

 

Author Bio



KER DUKEY is an international bestselling author based in the United Kingdom.

Genres include: Dark Romance, Psychological Thriller, New Adult Romance, Romantic Suspense, and Erotic Romance. Ker is an international bestselling author, with over thirty titles published. Her titles have held multiple #1 bestseller banners and have had rights sold to numerous countries.

In addition to being an author, Ker is an annoying wife and a mother of three children + one dog (who thinks he's human). She has a passion for reading and binge-watching crime documentaries.


Connect with Ker

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Goodreads
Dukey's darKER souls Facebook Group

 

 

Giveaway


 

 

Knowing Jack, being his friend, became the catalyst of my entire life.

 

Hosted by

Enticing Journey Book Promotions


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Lost Boy by Ker Dukey to read and review for this tour.

Spells by Kristen Proby Blog Tour

Spells by Kristen Proby Now Available

From New York Times bestselling author, Kristen Proby, comes Spells, the next installment in her gripping Bayou Magic series…

As a powerful hedgewitch and psychic, there isn’t much I can’t work to my advantage and finesse with a spell. Love, fortune, and even the perfect cup of coffee are all possible with the snap of my fingers.

But some things are utterly beyond my control.

Like the powerful and broody warlock who’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember—and even the lifetimes I often can’t. Things almost as dangerous as Lucien Bergeron’s hold on me and the breathtaking smiles only I get to see.

Or the evil still stalking the streets of New Orleans that beckons to me to see. To feel. To die.

With everything riding on a razors-edge, and things that have been portended coming to fruition, threatening both me and those I love, I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to resist my fate. Or his charm.

If I work with Lucien, it could mean the end for both of us.

If I don’t, those I love most will pay.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Bayou Magic series!
For book one, Shadows, click HERE.

 

Add to Goodreads

 

Spells by Kristen Proby. A Bayou Magic Novel.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

 

 

“Bring the wind down. You’re making a mess, darlin’.”

 

Reviews


Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team


Avid Reader☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars
M/F Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Millie and her sisters are still recovering from what happened last year. With Lucien on her mind and her shop in full swing getting ready for Halloween, Millie will have enough on her plate without the taunting that Horace has planned for her.

Horace is not finished with the sisters and he wants to make Millie pay, most of all. Lucien knows what it is to lose to Horace again and again. He wants to prevent the loss again, but unless he can convince Millie to let him in, he'll be watching it happen again.

With mystery, murder, and witchcraft, this is the perfect story before Halloween. You'll want to stay up late to finish this story.

I can't wait to see what happens in the final installment. It can't come soon enough. These are fun, spooky, intriguing stories.


Ruthie☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars of paranormal frights and romance!

This is the second book in the series, and I would definitely suggest that they need reading in order, as this is an ongoing story involving three very interesting and talented sisters. In this story, Millie is the focus, but Brielle and Daphne are key to the whole plot, so they get plenty of attention too.

Before I say more, and I have no intention of revealing anything very much, I am a big baby when it comes to scary, but even knowing that Kristen Proby has (at least) another book to write in the series, so nothing truly, truly awful can happen, I found myself having to put it down and have a quick deep breath or two before diving straight back in... repeatedly! The tension is so effectively built up and Horace is truly evil, and yet we then get the MOST beautiful, off-the-scales romantic interludes with Millie and Lucien. Really just so totally lovely, and then the level of perfect is ramped up even further. Yum, yum, yum!

Perfect Halloween reading, but really any day this will give you a wonderful way to escape from the everyday; thank you, Kristen Proby, for another hit!

 

 

Author Bio



Kristen Proby has published more than forty titles, many of which have hit the USA Today, New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers lists. She continues to self publish, best known for her With Me In Seattle and Boudreaux series, and is also proud to work with William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins, with the Fusion and Romancing Manhattan Series.

Kristen and her husband, John, make their home in her hometown of Whitefish, Montana with their two cats.


Connect with Kristen

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Proby's Peeps Facebook Group

 

 

With the snap of his fingers, at least fifty candles come to life around the room, one at a time, in a domino effect.

 

Hosted by

VPR. Valentine PR & Literary Management.


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Spells (Bayou Magic #2) by Kristen Proby to read and review for this tour.

Stroke of Midnight by K. Webster Blog Tour

Money can buy anything. And anyone.

From USA Today bestselling author K. Webster comes a brand new forbidden romance that's going to leave you speechless.

Money can buy anything. And anyone.

As the head of the Constantine family, I’m used to people bowing to my will. Cruel, rigid, unyielding—I’m all those things. When I discover the one woman who doesn’t wither under my gaze, but instead smiles right back at me, I’m intrigued.

Ash Elliott needs cash, and I make her trade in crudeness and degradation for it. I crave her tears, her moans. I pay for each one. And every time, she comes back for more.

When she challenges me with an offer of her own, I have to decide if I’m willing to give her far more than cold hard cash.

But love can have deadly consequences when it comes from a Constantine. At the stroke of midnight, that choice may be lost for both of us.

 

Add to Goodreads

 

Stroke of Midnight by K. Webster

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

 

 

Excerpt



I don’t want to clean.

I want to sit behind a desk and crunch numbers. Talk shop. Plan expansions. My dad is an economic analyst, which is what I want to be too. I’d always imagined us going into business together and heading up our own firm.

Cleaning won’t get me there.

I suppose playing nice with Manda the Maneater is my only resort at this point.

For the next hour, I rush through all the offices that don’t need much more than the trash cans emptied, and then make it to the CEO’s office. One day, I’ll have an office like Winston Constantine, but I won’t be some old fuddy duddy. I’ll be a boss babe with style. My employees will love me, because I imagine I’ll be cool as hell. Rather than hire a boring interior designer like whatever robot chose the furniture and décor for Halcyon, I’ll do it all myself.

I’m once again daydreaming of my future that seems more and more murky these days as I fumble through my email on my phone to find the code to get into Big Man’s office. Of all the offices, this one is the coldest and most boring. As though whoever Winston Constantine is, he doesn’t do any sort of work, but instead gazes out the windows all day.

Finally, I locate the code and punch it in.

It’s like twelve numbers long, and I fail a few times before it grants me entry. With a sigh of frustration, I push the door open and drag my rolling cart in after me into the dark office. I hit the light switch with my elbow and leave my cart in front of the door to prop it open. I fidget with the dumb uniform skirt I have to wear and wonder if anyone would notice if I wore jeans instead.

I grab the duster and make a beeline over to the painting on the wall. It’s the best part of the office besides the cool desk that moves up and down and the windows overlooking the most picturesque parts of New York City. I touch the bottom of the frame to check for dust. As I imagined it to be, there’s not a speck.

I’m just moving to the bookshelves when I hear a creak.

“You’re supposed to clean it, not pretend,” a deep, furious voice growls, scaring the ever-loving shit out of me.

“What the fuck, man?” I snap, whirling around, dropping my duster in the process. “You can’t just sneak up…” I trail off as I drink in the man sitting in the desk chair.

Holy shit.

Was he here the whole time?

Fucking creepy!

But there’s nothing creepy about his looks. He’s not a fuddy duddy either, if this is Winston Constantine. He’s fine as hell.

Older. Dressed to the nines in a three-piece navy suit that looks custom-tailored and expensive. A handsome, villainous smirk on his face. His dark blond hair is shorter on the sides and longer on top, styled perfectly, making it look as though he came from a photoshoot at Gucci or something. Just enough scruff to give him an edge despite his otherwise clean-cut appearance. It’s his eyes that are mesmerizing.

Dark blue. Intense. Penetrating.

For some reason, it makes me think about my ex-boyfriend, Tate. The exact opposite of this man. Soft and sweet and gullible. Tate and I were a high school thing, but the moment we graduated a couple of weeks ago, we amicably broke it off knowing we were headed in different directions. This guy looks anything but soft, sweet, or gullible.

He looks scary.

Scary hot.

But still scary.

I clear my throat. “Sorry. I’ll just empty your trash and be out of your way.”

“No,” he rumbles, his voice dripping in a menacing tone. “I’ve been waiting for you. It’s time we chat, little girl.”

 

 

You’re not Prince Charming, for the record. No, I’m the villain in our story.

 

Reviews


Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team


Mary☆☆☆☆
What would you do for money? Would you degrade yourself or walk away? Ash Elliott has got to find a way to make money to cover her college or lose it altogether. Cleaning the luxury business offices of the Constantine family is not going to get her the money. But when Winston Constantine makes her an offer, even though it is a sick one, she can't refuse.

Winston Constantine usually gets what he wants, when he offers Ash money to do certain things, he thinks she will refuse, but she talks back to him and does them anyway. This makes him happy to pay her whatever price she asks for.

While Winston and Ash continue with this whatever you want to call it relationship, her triplet stepbrothers are a terror to her. They try to control her in every way. All Ash wants to do is get away from them and go to college. And with Winston's depraved help, she just might be able to.

This story is different, but nothing you shouldn't expect from author K. Webster. It is taboo, a little dark, with a Cinderella twist. I found that I liked Winston and Ash; yes, I dated an older guy before and saw nothing wrong with their relationship. I wasn't crazy about some of the things Winston wanted her to do, but that is just me. I really liked the story overall and cannot wait for the next one to see what happens. So if you like K. Webster and her dark, taboo stories then you will enjoy this one too.


Shannan☆☆☆☆
K. Webster hits another home run with the new series Cinderella. Stroke of Midnight is the first book in the series, a 2020 take on a classic tale.

Winston Constantine owns the city. His name alone demands respect. Money can buy you anything: your fantasies, your enemies, and your happiness. Winston demands order. When he finds his current office cleaner isn't doing the job to his expectations, he confronts her. Planning on embarrassing her and firing her and the company that employs her, his plans are derailed when he sees her face to face for the first time.

Ash Elliott thought her college tuition was going to be paid for until her father took most of that money to shower it onto his new wife. Now it's on her to pay for college and taking the cleaning job was her way to do it. Doing anything she can to get away from her evil stepmother and her awful triplet stepbrothers, who make her skin crawl. When Winston Constantine confronts her for slacking on her job, he demands things from her she isn't sure she's willing to do, but when he offers money for each thing she does to embarrass herself, she finds it turns her on as much as it disgusts her.

I was instantly invested into this story. I have to know how it plays out in the next installment.

 

 

“You want my fucking heart like it’s negotiable.” “I’m tenacious.” “Needy. The word is needy.” “You like it.”

 

Author Bio



K. WEBSTER is a USA Today bestselling author.  Her titles have claimed many bestseller tags in numerous categories, are translated in multiple languages, and have been adapted into audiobooks.  She lives in “Tornado Alley” with her husband, two children, and her baby dog named Blue. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and researching aliens.

Can't find a certain book? Maybe it's too hot for Amazon! Don't worry because titles like Bad Bad Bad, This is War, Baby, The Wild, and Hale can all be found for sale on K's website in both ebook and paperback format.

Connect with K

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Krazy for K Webster’s Books Facebook Group

 

 

I get to wreck her so I can fix her.

 

Hosted by

VPR. Valentine PR & Literary Management.


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Stroke of Midnight (Cinderella #1) by K. Webster to read and review for this tour.

Thursday, October 29, 2020

My Last Duchess by Eloisa James

My Last Duchess. The Wildes of Lindow Castle.

New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James returns to the Wildes series with a prequel about the Wilde children's parents, Hugo, Duke of Lindow, and Ophelia, Lady Astley.

Every Duke needs a Duchess...


Hugo Wilde, the Duke of Lindow, has a drafty castle, eight naughty children—and no wife. Ophelia, Lady Astley, has a fine house, one well-behaved daughter—and no husband.

Hugo takes one look at Ophelia and loses his heart, but she doesn’t want more children or a castle. She takes one look at him and heads for her carriage.

Desperate to find a duchess, Hugo identifies an appropriate lady to woo. Yet when he meets Ophelia again, the duke realizes that he will marry her, or no one.

Now he faces the greatest challenge of his life.

He must convince Ophelia that their blazing sensuality, his exquisite castle, and his eight charming children add up to a match made in heaven.

When duke finds his duchess, can he win her heart?

A Wildes series prequel about the Wilde children’s parents, Hugo, Duke of Lindow, and Ophelia, Lady Astley.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of The Wildes of Lindow Castle series!
For book one, Wilde in Love, click HERE.
For book two, Too Wilde to Wed, click HERE.
For book three, Born to Be Wilde, click HERE.
For book four, Say No to the Duke, click HERE.
For book five, Say Yes to the Duke, click HERE.

 

Add to Goodreads

 

My Last Duchess by Eloisa James. Includes bonus story, Storming the Castle.

Book 0.5
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Avon Romance (HarperCollins)

 

 

Reviews


Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team


Erica☆☆☆☆☆
My Last Duchess is the prequel installment in The Wildes of Lindow Castle series.

Can it be read as a standalone? Should it be read as a prequel prior to the other titles? Yes to both questions. However, the emotional impact will be greater if you start at the first novel in the series,
Wilde in Love. Why? The reader’s connection to the characters will be greater. It will also remove the sense of insta-love from this novel.

After reading about Hugo and Ophelia for an entire series, the ultimate parents and grandparents, the family-oriented duke and duchess, we finally see how their romance unfolded. We’ve witnessed the coupling of their numerous children, witnessed the joy of the birth of their grandchildren, and nearly swooned from the undying passion of their mature love… now we get to experience it from their beginning.

Many readers will think the journey too quick, too short, and the love too instantaneous. I’m one who advocates against insta-love at every turn. However, I think this truly worked for Hugo and Ophelia. We readers already know they’re happily married, the greatest support system for their ragtag grouping of children. We’ve seen it in the aftermath, now we had the pleasure of experiencing in the now.

The Wilde men are known for falling hard at first sight, so why should their patriarch be any different?

The duke’s sons notoriously wed women similar to their stepmother, so it was no surprise that Ophelia made Hugo work for it, made him sweat, made him nearly beg. She was a strong woman, independent but with a deep sense of longing to belong to something greater. Her maternal instinct was as big as her heart. Hugo was also surprisingly sentimental, lonely, and needing the deeper connection of a love match instead of a contractual marriage.

Read in one sitting,
My Last Duchess was a joy to read. The warmth and happiness between a widow and widower infectious. The pages flew by, and suddenly I was finished, and then the desire to begin anew settled over me, the intense need to reread their children’s stories.

Beyond recommend to fans of historical romance, especially to those who are fans of Eloisa James and the Wildes. I cannot wait to read whatever the author publishes next, always at the top of my recommend list for Historical Romance.

 

 

Author Bio



ELOISA JAMES is a New York Times best-selling author and professor of English literature who lives with her family in New York, but can sometimes be found in Paris or Italy. She is the mother of two and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian knight.

Connect with Eloisa

Facebook  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

Avon Books


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of My Last Duchess (The Wildes of Lindow Castle #0.5) by Eloisa James to read and review.

Liars by Lucy Lennox & May Archer Release Blitz

Release Blitz. Lucy Lennox & May Archer's Liars.

Parrish Partridge’s True Facts:

There’s nothing hotter than a tall, gruff, bewildered, tattooed mountain of a man cuddling a sweet, orphaned baby, so you can tell yourself that you’ll resist him...

But that’s a lie.

And when that man asks you to do him a favor and pretend to be his very temporary, very fake fiancé to help him get custody of that adorable baby, you can pretend you know better than to say yes…

But that’s a lie, too.

And when you actually get to know your kind, strong, pullet-loving prince of a fiancé, and all his crazy, lovable, meddling neighbors, you can tell yourself you’re not really falling for Diesel Church and the town of Licking Thicket…

But that might be the biggest lie of all..

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Licking Thicket series!
For book one, Fakers, click HERE.

 

Add to Goodreads

 

Liars by Lucy Lennox & May Archer

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

Excerpt



A bloodcurdling wail echoed through the little stairwell, and I froze for a second, then rushed headlong down the steps two at a time, skidding to a halt halfway down the staircase when I found the source of the sound—a wriggling baby in a fuzzy pink sweater who was literally crying herself purple, possibly because the giant, tattooed mountain of a man holding her was growling down at her with a ferocious scowl on his face.

I gripped my folder tightly and opened my mouth to protest even though the guy was twice my size, when the baby’s cries quieted for half a second and I caught that the man wasn’t growling. He was… singing?

“Something… sunshine. Only sunshine. You make me happy. Something gray? Christ.” He heaved a frustrated sigh. “Marigold, you’ve got to stop now. You’ve made your point. Be reasonable, baby girl.”

Oh. Oh, good gravy. That changed everything.

I caught my breath and stared. The man looked like he’d been torn off the stage at a rock concert, transported to Nowhere, Tennessee, and stuffed into the outfit I once wore to a middle school dance. There was no other explanation for a guy with overlong brown-blond hair, graceful black inked scrolls emerging from the collar of his wrinkled, blue button-down shirt, shiny Dockers that clung to his tree-trunk thighs, and black steel-toed boots to have appeared in this stairwell. I sure as heck hadn’t seen any other guys in this neck of the woods who were so unapologetically themselves.

And if that weren’t enough to pierce my heart, the kidlet in his arms was gorgeous, despite her tears and wiggling. She had a head full of dark curls, way more than should have been possible for a baby her age, which I’d peg at somewhere around nine months—somewhere past the shriveled-potato stage of early infancy but not nearly at the terrifying walking age.

The baby wailed again, and the giant looked genuinely panicked. He held her flat across his outstretched forearms, like he was carrying a box of pizza or helping her learn the backstroke, and he bent his knees in a kind of next-level Oompa Loompa jig in time to his stammered singing. A pink-and-white striped tote bag sat on the floor next to the wall.

“Work with me, Marigold, okay? You’re not hungry, ’cause you just drank ten gallons of formula. You’re not stinky…” He lifted the kid gingerly. “Not stinky,” he confirmed in a deep, raspy voice that did things to me. “Are you having an existential crisis? Is that a thing kids do? Do you need alone time? Are your lips chapped? Do you hate my cologne?”

The baby fussed harder, flailing her tiny feet. The man groaned, and I belatedly noticed one of those pacifier stuffed animal things lying on the floor by the giant’s boot.

I scurried down the stairs and picked it up. “I think she might be looking for this,” I said, holding it aloft. It was a gray-and-white polka-dotted chicken with a green sucker on the end.

The guy shut his eyes and shook his head. “Ah, shit.”

His eyes popped open in shock as he realized what he’d said, and he looked from me to the kid guiltily. “Fuck, forget I said that,” he muttered.

His eyes widened further. “Goddamn it all.”

I snickered. “Maybe quit while you’re ahead?”

 

 

It occurred to me that other guys might know how to kiss just fine, but Diesel Church knew how to kiss ME.

 
 
Reviews


Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team


Angie☆☆☆☆☆
Holy crap on a cracker! This book just gave me the feels!! Diesel and Parrish are in my top five favorite couples! The whole fake relationship plot can go so well or so bad. Nailed it in this book!! I laughed, cried, and yearned to be there in real life. Loved this couple and this book.

 

 

It was like I‘d looked at a moth and thought he was a butterfly… until the real thing came along, a hundred times rarer and more special.

 
 
Author Bio



After enjoying creative writing as a child, LUCY LENNOX didn’t write her first novel until she was over 40 years old. Her debut novel, Borrowing Blue, was published in the autumn of 2016. Lucy has an English Literature degree from Vanderbilt University, but that doesn’t hold a candle to the years and years of staying up all night reading tantalizing novels on her own. She has three children, plays tennis, and hates folding laundry. While her husband is no shmoopy romance hero, he is very good at math, cooks a mean lasagne, has gorgeous eyes, looks hot in his business clothes, and makes her laugh every single day.

Lucy hopes you enjoy sexy heroes as much as she does. Happy reading!


Connect with Lucy

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Lucy’s Lair Facebook Group

 



MAY ARCHER is an M/M author who lives in Boston. She spends her days raising three incredibly sarcastic children, finding inventive ways to drive her husband crazy, planning beach vacations, avoiding the gym, reading M/M romance, and occasionally writing it. She also writes MF romance as Maisy Archer.

Connect with May

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Club May Facebook Group

 

 

Giveaway


 

 

How had this lie of a relationship become the realest, truest thing in my life?

 

Hosted by

Gay Romance Reviews Tours & Promo


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Liars (Licking Thicket #2) by Lucy Lennox & May Archer to read and review for this tour.