The Knockout Rule by Kelly Siskind Blog Tour

Siskind’s latest slow-burn romance is stay-up-all-night addictive and proves love hits when you least expect it…

Growing up with an adoring father for a boxing legend isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It looks more like hospital visits, bloody noses, and cracked ribs.

Isla Slade now works as a physiotherapist, helping athletes heal their bodies. Except for boxers. She has no interest in reliving the stress of her teen years. Dating someone in the boxing world? She’d rather snort wasabi powder.

Until she meets Preston Church.

Preston manages heavyweight boxing darling Brick Kramarov. A brute who’s built tougher than his name, with a cocky attitude to boot. She wants nothing to do with either man, but her father begs her to help them prepare for a huge Vegas fight.

She doesn’t expect Preston to recite romantic poems and slowly break her resolve. His fascinating mind gets under her skin, even if his star athlete reminds her how much she hates boxing.

Too bad it’s Brick coaching Preston how to woo Isla, falling for her from the sidelines. Once she finds out, she’ll have to decide if she can risk loving another man who puts it all on the line for the knockout.

Each book in the Showmen series is STANDALONE.

 

 

Book 4
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“Don’t let the resistance pull your arms forward at the top,” Isla told him. “Keep your hands in line with your ears.”

He repeated the movement, noting her suggestions, sweat gathering along his neck. “Like this?”

“Exactly. Take it slow.”

She crouched next to him, the closest they’d been all session, and his stomach swooped. Fucking swooped, like he was a love-struck teen. The sensation divided his focus, part of it staying on the rope in his hands, a fraction diverting to her proximity, another locked on his reacting body. She shifted positions slightly, seemed to hesitate, then she placed her hand on his back.

Forget divided. All his attention zeroed in on that one spot. Isla. Hand. Hot. So much heat concentrating where she touched. He leaned back a bit, couldn’t control his body’s urge to ask for more. More contact, more Isla.

Her fingers spread wider. “Don’t overarch your back,” she said, her voice lower, breathy. “Sit straighter.”

He paused with the triceps rope at his chin, fixed his posture and turned his head, bringing them almost nose to nose. “Like this?”

Her gaze dropped to his lips. His thighs flexed.

“Yeah,” she murmured. “Like that.”

The moment lingered, sexual tension vibrating between them so thoroughly he was surprised the walls didn’t shake. And he was pissed. Angry at their circumstances. Upset for Isla and all she’d dealt with in her life. Mad that the easy friendship they’d developed had devolved in a matter of hours to broken sentences and awkward glances. None of it was okay.

Determined to salvage something from this mess, he worked through his next rep with slow precision, keeping his back straighter, his arms at the correct angle. At the end of the rep, he said, “What do you call spending the afternoon with a cranky rabbit?”

Isla made a startled sound, a muffled kind-of-laugh. From the corner of his eye, he caught the hint of a smile. “I don’t know,” she said.

“A bad hare day.”

Her tentative smile grew. “Have I told you your humor hovers at a grade-one level?”

“Have I told you that you have no sense of humor?”

“I wouldn’t know. I usually tune you out.”

He chuckled at that, turned his head toward her, bringing their lips dangerously close again. Her hand was still on his back, maintaining his posture. Her thumb moved, a small stroke he felt everywhere. They breathed deeply at the same time, their chests expanding like their hearts were reaching toward each other.

Then they got back to work. Less awkward this time. They talked more easily. Joked occasionally. Everything out of Isla’s mouth sounded like foreplay to him: move slower, hold that position, yeah like that. But he somehow found his focus, stayed attuned to his body’s needs and pains, assessing when muscle fatigue meant a break was due. Neither of them crossed the invisible line they’d drawn. They were once again patient and physiotherapist, no different than during their early sessions. But everything was different.

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the fourth book in the series, but I must admit the first I have read. I will be going back and catching up, as I really enjoyed this story.

Much like Isla, I am not a great fan of boxing, but this book does a really good job of avoiding any violent action, and dealing instead with the training, the world around it, and the impact it has on the boxers and their families.

The idea of a super clever man taking on the role of breadwinner for his family by boxing, when he would prefer to spend his time studying and reading poetry, is intriguing. Eric is clearly a gorgeous man too, and Isla finds it almost impossible to resist the chemistry. Watching them deal with their romantic feelings, alongside the problem of his unpopular career choice, is a lesson in patience – and reminds us how worthwhile a delay can be at times...

It could so easily have had a very different outcome, but I felt this was far more powerful. I would have loved more time in the couple's presence as they went forward in their work and relationship, because I enjoyed the poetry, the passion, and the pup!

I most definitely recommend this as a really good read. It takes an unusual route to a perfect ending.

 

 

A small-town girl at heart, KELLY SISKIND moved from the city to enjoy the charm of northern Ontario. When she’s not out hiking with her husband or home devouring books, you can find her, notepad in hand, scribbling down one of the many plot bunnies bouncing around in her head.

Her novels have been published internationally.

Connect with Kelly

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Facebook Group: Kelly's Gang

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Knockout Rule (Showmen #4) by Kelly Siskind to read and review for this tour.

Waiting for a Scot Like You by Eva Leigh

Eva Leigh concludes her Breakfast Club and 80s movie-inspired Regency series with a merry widow and a stoic major on a bumpy road to love...

Adjusting to life in peacetime isn’t easy for Major Duncan McCameron. Escorting a lady on her journey north seems like the perfect chance to give him some much-needed purpose. That is, until he learns the woman in question is the beautiful, bold, reckless Lady Farris. She makes his head spin and being alone together will surely end in disaster.

Beatrice, the Dowager Countess of Farris, is finally free of a stifling marriage and she has no plans to shackle herself to any other man. Ready to live life to the fullest, she’s headed to a week-long bacchanal and the journey should be half the fun. Except she’s confined to a carriage with a young, rule-abiding, irritatingly handsome Scottish soldier who wouldn’t know a good time if it landed in his lap. But maybe a madcap escapade will loosen him up...

Between carriage crashes, secret barn dances, robbers, and an inn with only one bed, their initial tension dissolves into a passion that neither expected. But is there a future for an adventure-loving lady and a duty-bound soldier, or will their differences tear them apart?

 

 

Book 3
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Avon (HarperCollins)

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆
Waiting for a Scot Like You is the third installment of the Union of Rakes series. As I had not read the previous titles, I can attest to the fact that the novel can easily be read as a standalone, with little to no confusion. However, I do wish to go back and read those two books at a later date.

Now a widower, Beatrice is a mature woman, married for twenty years of her life, with older children. Not only is Beatrice a mature woman, she is mature emotionally and intellectually, which is a pleasant change of pace from the genre norm of silly and vapid, young misses going to balls and galas to catch a husband. Not only is Beatrice a mature woman, she gains the attention of a younger man, something also out of the norm of the genre. I appreciated this dynamic, emotionally connecting to Beatrice.

Suddenly free to live life on her terms, Beatrice sheds the chains of social norms, determined to find joy and pleasure and excitement, wishing a lively existence after escaping an oppressive marriage. Widows have more rights than an ordinary woman, affording Beatrice the opportunity to do as she pleases.

A stubborn Scot, Duncan is struggling to find his footing when not fighting a war. Personalities polar opposites now, Beatrice encourages Duncan to shed his version of chains tying him down from truly experiencing all life has to offer. It's a balance between the budding romantic pair, but also a balance of who they used to be and who they wish to become.

A road trip, with mishaps along the way, forcing Beatrice and Duncan into close quarters. Sometimes silly, sometimes emotional, sometimes romantic. Themes referencing iconic 1980s comedies, from Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Footloose to add comedic value.

Waiting for a Scot Like You was a fun escape, especially if not taken too seriously, while also hammering home the point that just because you're in your midlife doesn't mean life has ended, doesn't mean you can't find love and joy in all life has to offer. Doesn't mean all happily ever afters end with marriage and a baby between a girl of twenty and a grown man in his thirties or forties. Sometimes it's a woman in her late forties, just as deserving of a happily ever after a second time around.

 

 

EVA LEIGH is a romance author who has always loved the Regency era. She writes novels chock-full of determined women and sexy men. She enjoys baking, spending too much time on the Internet, and listening to music from the ’80s. Eva and her husband, author Nico Rosso, live in Central California.

Connect with Eva

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Waiting for a Scot Like You (Union of the Rakes #3) by Eva Leigh to read and review.

Keeping Casey by Amy Aislin Release Blitz

Casey Preston is the guy with the plan. The list-maker. The one who micromanages his own life.

Spontaneously offering to be his best friend’s fake boyfriend to get Ethan’s annoying team captain off his back?

That’s not thinking things through. It’s not even smart given Casey’s been fighting his feelings for Ethan for years.

Ethan Rain just wants to play hockey and get his college degree. Adding a fake boyfriend to the mix? He doesn’t need that complication.

If Casey were his real boyfriend, though? If he got to keep Casey forever? Now we’re talking.

But what if Casey doesn’t want to be kept?

 

 

Book 1
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Ethan must’ve made a sound. Casey’s head swung in his direction, gaze examining him head to toe in what had become standard for Casey ever since his dad died—checking Ethan over for injuries after practice.

Apparently satisfied, he smiled wide, making Ethan’s stomach tumble, and said, “Hey. I have things for you.”

“So you said.” Dropping his gear bag and backpack next to the door, Ethan moved Casey’s backpack off his desk chair and sat, discreetly rubbing a wrist while Casey wasn’t looking. Wrapping them for practices and games helped, but they were always sensitive afterward, no matter what. He rubbed the other wrist while Casey’s back was turned.

A rustle drew his attention to Casey. There was a pile of... stuff on Casey’s bed. Brochures, flyers, buttons, business cards, even a GH pennant. Two piles, actually. He picked up the second, smaller one and handed it to Ethan. “Thought you might be interested in these.”

Ethan dropped them on the desk and sorted through them. “I don’t really have time for clu— Oh, hey! Cross-Stitch Fun-Stitch?”

“Closest I could find to needle felting.”

“Speaking of.” Digging into the outer pocket of his bag, Ethan came out with a squat, felt owl only a couple of inches tall and as round as a bowling ball. He tossed the white-and-gray bundle to Casey. “Forgot to give this to you earlier.”

“Another hootie for my collection?” Casey placed it on the windowsill where a dozen other little felt owls sat in a row. Ethan had been making them for Casey since he’d started needle felting in high school, and he knew there were probably three dozen more in Casey’s bedroom back home. “I’ve got something else for you too.” From the other pile on the bed, Casey fished out a button and leaned over Ethan to affix it to his T-shirt, over his heart.

Ethan stilled, worried he’d pull Casey onto his lap to nuzzle his neck if he so much as twitched a finger. At the end of the day like this, Casey didn’t smell like anything excerpt something uniquely him and, very faintly, of shampoo. This close, the olive green in Casey’s hazel eyes was more pronounced and Ethan had to resist the pull to poke at the tiny beauty mark on his chin.

“There.” Casey stood back with a grin.

Ethan read the button upside down. I dig you. “Let me guess,” he said with a chuckle. “You joined the Archeology Club.”

“And the Hiking Club. Signed you up for it too.”

“Case—”

“I know you don’t have a lot of free time, but I figured there might be a few outings you could attend. Like, the first event is on a Sunday afternoon a couple of weeks from now. You can come then, right?”

Sundays were free of hockey practice and games, so unless Ethan was traveling back from an away game with his team, he had Sundays off. “Yeah, probably.”

“Cool. I’ll RSVP us.”

Ethan played with his button, the metal making a click-click sound as Casey moved the rest of his stuff off the bed and onto the coffee table. I dig you. It was simply one friend giving it to another. Ethan shouldn’t read anything further into it, even if he desperately wished Casey meant something else.

There were other buttons that Casey had gotten for him too and Ethan parsed through them on the desk.

Keep your ion the prize. He chuckled. Casey must’ve stopped by the chemistry club to pick these up for him.

There was also Make like a proton and stay positive, Chemists in a lab are in their element, I like to hear chemistry puns, periodically, and Forget hydrogen, you’re my number one element.

The last one he pinned to Casey’s backpack.

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the first book in a new series, but any Aislin fan will find some old friends popping up from the Stick Side series, and there is even mention of Lighthouse Bay... I really enjoy such references, it makes me feel like I'm at a family event and catching up on latest happenings!

Casey and Ethan have been best friends forever, and have a common bond as each lost a parent in a construction site accident. I found that rather weird, but whilst it has to some extent shaped their views, particularly Casey, who does not want to love anyone in case they leave him. We see almost immediately that his love for Ethan knows no limits, and yet he hasn't acknowledged the issue. The way that they do finally come to terms with how they both really feel is beautifully written. It is gentle, loving, and passionate.

As well as navigating college as older (but still under 21) new students, these two men give us two very different experiences, and yet are almost always together. Ethan is playing hockey, but silently suffering with a chronic illness. He stands up to the homophobic captain, and yet cannot face telling anyone that he is sick. It is an interesting facet to Ethan's character. As a lecturer who is no fan of group work assignments, I loved that element of Casey's story, and I could predict exactly where that was going!

There are lots of fun elements to this book. and I am really looking forward to the next one!

 

 

 

AMY AISLIN has lived with her head in the clouds since she first picked up a book as a child, and being fluent in two languages means she's read a lot of books! She first picked up a pen on a rainy day in fourth grade when her class had to stay inside for recess. Tales of treasure hunts with her classmates eventually morphed into love stories between men, and she's been writing ever since. She writes evenings and weekends—or whenever she isn't at her full-time day job saving the planet at Canada's largest environmental non-profit.

An unapologetic introvert, Amy reads too much and socializes too little, with no regrets. She loves connecting with readers. Join her Facebook Group to stay up-to-date on upcoming releases and for access to early teasers, find her on Instagram and Twitter, or sign up for her infrequent newsletter HERE.

Connect with Amy

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Facebook Group: Amy Aislin’s Readers

 

 

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Keeping Casey (Keeping Him #1) by Amy Aislin to read and review for this tour.

The Naughty Pine by Sibylla Matilde Blog Tour

On the fourteenth anniversary of my first divorce, I went to a kink club.

Thirty-three and no clue who I was. What I wanted out of life. I only knew it was passing me by and I was tired.

Tired of surviving the day-to-day.

Tired of trying to forgive myself for two failed marriages.

Tired of being a single mother with no semblance of a social life, of bending over backwards to be a fitting role model for my teenage daughter.

That was, until I stepped foot in The Naughty Pine.

I didn’t plan to participate. I only went to appease the dark corners of my curiosity. To see something wild and taboo and full of life. Something sinful to shock the loneliness clean out of my system.

Don’t know what I expected, but it sure wasn’t him…

*** Mature Content; Strong Language; Sexual Content and BDSM ***

 

 

Buy Links

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Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars
M/F Second-Chance Romance
Triggers: BDSM

Darah and her daughter, Madison, are just trying to get through the teen years. Darah is a numbers gal and always has been. But co-parenting with her ex, Jace, is proving more and more difficult. When a co-worker, and kind of her only friend, asks Darah to come to a club with her, Darah thinks to herself, “What could it hurt?” What Darah doesn’t expect is to see her ex, Jace, there too.

Jace knows that he screwed up royally years ago, when Madison was a baby. Leaving was his biggest regret. But how do you go back on something that has defined your relationship?

As Darah and Jace learn whether or not they can trust each other, you get to learn more about their history and you truly start to root for their future. Relationships are complex and these two have more baggage than most. Throw in a teenage daughter and figuring out their roles within their new dynamic, and you get a whole lot of chemistry and love.

This was a fun read and while there were times you wanted to shake both main characters, you’ll learn to love them.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars

There are parts of this book which I did really enjoy, and yet I was frustrated at times with too many issues being mentioned repeatedly but not delved into more deeply. Whilst I get that much is obvious to us, and yet not to Darah, I really couldn't accept that in 14 years she had never thought beyond her very limited view. She has a good friend in Lissa, is intelligent enough to have a decent job, and had a second failed marriage where she clearly compared the poor guy unfavourably to Jace all along.

Why does she live in a rented house that is described more or less like a hovel? Jace has always paid his way for their daughter and she is working? I get that it made the difference between their two houses more impressive, but what dad wants his daughter to live like that most of the time? These and other little things bothered me, and stopped me being able to fully engage in the story.

I thought the Naughty Pine evenings were done really well, and the fact that she gained in confidence even though she felt insecure about her figure etc, I think was carefully written. Her fear, her courage, her need to have faith was matched by his patience and his pushing. It felt cruel that he wasn't more open about how different it was with her compared to others as inevitably she would think about it – but it made some of the scenes more intense because of it.

A good read which showed that it is not just the beautiful and wealthy that enjoy getting dressed up on a Saturday evening and being kinky!


Angie – ☆☆☆
This book was just meh for me. I don't read a lot of M/F lately. The blurb interested me, but I couldn't really get into the storyline or the characters. I found myself skimming the book to get to the Naughty Pine nights because those parts held my interest, other than that, this book wasn't my cup of tea.

 

 

SIBYLLA MATILDE grew up on the back of a horse exploring in the mountain valleys of Southwest Montana. She attended a two-room schoolhouse 1st through 6th grade where she had same teacher the whole time. At the age of 12, Siby discovered historical romance, devouring the work of Jude Devereaux, Lisa Kleypas, and Karen Robards. She began writing in 2013 with her debut novel, Little Conversations, and self-published ten works over the next three years. She took a few years off to deal with life (it proved very difficult to move on from her Bangin’ Mofos… they were a blast to write), but is back at the keyboard with new steamy stories brewing in her naughty little brain.

Music is her emotional trigger. Growing up with a Wagnarian-opera-loving mother, Sibylla loves music that digs deep into her soul and covers her with goosebumps. The soundtrack to her life includes different genres and generations, but her favorites include Thirty Seconds to Mars (she’s a bit obsessive about Jared Leto, actually), Kings of Leon, The Killers, My Chemical Romance, and many other artists and bands. Her inspiration playlists on Spotify truly drive her writing, and she loves to share her eclectic taste with anyone who will listen.

Siby strives to write books that make the reader bask in the sweet glow of new love, burn hot with a passionate intensity, and day drink from gut-wrenching heartache. Her characters are not world-famous rock stars or billionaires, rather every-day small-town people experiencing their own extraordinary romantic adventures in the Rocky Mountains she calls home. Siby loves to hear from fans.

Connect with Sibylla

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Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Naughty Pine by Sibylla Matilde to read and review for this tour.

Evoking Mira by Erica Chilson

With a single glance in the mirror, the reflection gazing back evokes Mira’s sense of self.

Struggling to rearrange the broken fragments of her psyche, Mira attempts to piece her memories together into a survivable landscape.

Once, twice, a dozen cycles, Mira is forced to experience memories plucked from time, over and over again until they finally take root, as if they’re happening in the now.

One misstep.

A chemical-induced amnesia resets the cycle, where she is destined to repeat her own history.

Instead of naturally spreading the events over a lifetime, Mira must face the traumatic demons of her past in agonizing bursts.

The pain.
The joy.
The sorrow.

Will it be one time too many?

That last traumatic nudge propelling Mira over the edge of the abyss into lucidity, or will she be stuck in an endless rotation where her memories lock her away from reality?

~ A standalone novel. ~

 

 

Buy Links

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Paperback (US)
~ Also Available with KindleUnlimited ~

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
I am a huge fan of Erica Chilson's gritty, sexy, complicated storylines. I think here she took me right to the edge of where I would want to go in the terms of dark gothic horror... and yet at the same time, it is so utterly plausible, that as soon as I finished it, I wanted to go back and read it again with the fresh perspective I had just gained.

It is a rollercoaster of crazy, of painful, of love, and of how the concept of a protocol can be abused in the name of love.

I really refuse to say more, it needs experiencing first hand! I can assure you that it is a fabulous read, and unusually for Chilson, it is not overly long, so I can easily say, find yourself a quiet space, ideally well lit, and with a few snacks and a cold drink. A hot one will be long cold before you actually stop reading long enough to drink it. Be ready to be transported somewhere else entirely and if you have a Fitbit or Apple watch heart monitor, I am guessing you will find it is a pretty good cardiac workout too!

Highly recommended!


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
Be warned. This story is dark and graphically violent.

When we meet Mira, she is missing much of her memory, and right from the start I wanted to know who she was, how she ended up where she found herself, and who had harmed her. Who were the people in her life? What led her to this point? I wanted to know everything about her.

I was intrigued. I loved the way the story unfolded, giving us different parts of her life where memories surface, as well as events from the present. I had ideas in my head as to where this tale was going, and opinions formed about the characters. Any ideas I had were wrong as the story went places I didn’t expect. I love that after years of reading, I can still be surprised by a story. It was thrilling.

Mira is a strong woman, and her story is one that touches on love, loyalty, family, and revenge, among other things. It is also a story that contains pretty horrific violence, but it never felt out of place in Mira’s world. I felt the horrors and events made the good times that much sweeter and more cherished.

Evoking Mira is a story that left me smiling and content. I loved that even with the evils experienced and the grotesque violence, this book left me happy in the end. It also left me wanting more. While I believe this has been written as a standalone, to me it felt like the beginning of an epic saga and I hope the author considers writing more books in this universe. If you are looking for a dark and twisty read, I’d highly recommend Evoking Mira.

 

 

ERICA CHILSON does not write in the 3rd person, wanting her readers to be her characters. Therefore, writing a bio about herself, is uncomfortable in the extreme.

Born, raised, and here to stay, the Wicked Writer is a stump-jumper, a ridge-runner. Hailing from North Central Pennsylvania, directly on the New York State border; she loves the changes in seasons, the humid air, all the mountainous forest, and the gloomy atmosphere.

Introverted, but not socially awkward, Erica prides herself on thinking first and filtering her speech. There are days she doesn’t speak at all. If it wasn’t for the fact that she lives with her parents, giving her a sense of reality, she would be a hermit, where the delivery man finds her months after expiration.

Reading was an escape, a way to leave a not-so pleasant reality behind. Reading lent Erica the courage she gathered from the characters between the pages to long for a different life. Writing was an instrument of change, evolving Erica into the woman she is today- a better, more mature, more at peace thinker.

Erica has a wicked mind, one she pours out into her creations. Her filter doesn’t allow all of it to erupt, much to her relief. Sarcastic, with a very dark, perverse sense of humor, Erica puts a bit of herself into every character she writes.

Connect with Erica

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Facebook Group: M&M of Restraint

 

 

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Evoking Mira by Erica Chilson to read and review.

Quiet in Her Bones by Nalini Singh

In this gripping thriller set in New Zealand, New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes you into the twisted world of an exclusive cul-de-sac located on the edge of a sprawling forest.

My mother vanished ten years ago.
So did a quarter of a million dollars in cash.
Thief. Bitch. Criminal.
Now, she's back.
Her bones clothed in scarlet silk.

When socialite Nina Rai disappeared without a trace, everyone wrote it off as another trophy wife tired of her wealthy husband. But now her bones have turned up in the shadowed green of the forest that surrounds her elite neighborhood, a haven of privilege and secrets that’s housed the same influential families for decades.

The rich live here, along with those whose job it is to make their lives easier. And somebody knows what happened to Nina one rainy night ten years ago. Her son Aarav heard a chilling scream that night, and he’s determined to uncover the ugly truth that lives beneath the moneyed elegance… but no one is ready for the murderous secrets about to crawl out of the dark.

Even the dead aren’t allowed to break the rules in this cul-de-sac.

 

 

Buy Links

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B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Audiobook (US)  ~  Hardcover (US)
Berkley (PRH)

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
I have just spent the whole day reading this book, because once I had started there really was no point at which I could put it down. Thank goodness it is a Saturday, and I could forego all normal obligations.

It is a very clever book, which is tense, but never oppressively so. It has you trying to decide what is memory, what is assumption, who can you believe, and what twist will come next? There are hints, but there is also a definite suggestion that there is a lot more to any one person's truth.

The writing is so precise, flowing so easily through the narrative, keeping us attuned to Aarav's thinking and his viewpoint. Creating the doubt, as he is clearly troubled, but filling in blanks using his family and neighbours. I loved the side-line in crazy rich neighbours and their antics, which all feed into his rational and irrational thoughts on what happened to his beloved mother.

Perfect escapism, thank you so much, Nalini Singh.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars

This psychological thriller brings readers a completely new side of one of my favourite urban fantasy writers. Instead of fantasy, this book serves gritty suburban realism as it probes the complicated relationships between a group of wealthy neighbours. The story’s narrator is Aarav Rai, a successful crime writer who has returned to his childhood home while recovering from an injury. When his mother’s body is found, Aarav attempts to piece together the events leading up to her death several years ago.

This is a completely new genre for Nalini Singh. I enjoyed elements of this book. Aarav is a fabulous unreliable narrator and I love the way readers are forced to confront the inconsistencies in his story while he investigates his neighbours. I like the affluent suburban setting and I even enjoyed the juicy gossip and dark secrets that slowly come to light.

Perhaps my expectations are too high. I’m used to consistently excellent writing from Nalini Singh. The author is urban fantasy royalty for a reason. This story lacks some of the polish I expect from Singh. The plot wanders and the pace lags at times. There are too many characters, suspects, and details for readers to follow easily. None of the characters are particularly likeable or relatable. My attention wandered at times. In attempting to write a clever book in a more mainstream genre, the author has lost some of the warmth, the humanity, and the storytelling that usually makes Singh’s stories so satisfying.

 

 

New York Times bestselling author NALINI SINGH is passionate about writing. Though she’s traveled as far afield as the deserts of China, the Highlands of Scotland, and the frozen landscapes of Antarctica, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her most. She’s beyond delighted to be able to follow her dream as a writer. Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand. You can contact her directly through her website. While visiting the site, Nalini invites you to join her newsletter for up-to-date news about both the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series, as well as fun exclusive extras, including free short stories set in her worlds.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Quiet in Her Bones by Nalini Singh to read and review.

Pure Seduction by Ella Frank Blog Tour

From USA Today bestselling author Ella Frank comes a small town, second chance romance.

Small towns are definitely not for me. Probably because I was born in one, raised in one, and eventually run out of one. The understanding was that I would one day return to Chamberlin California. After all, it is my namesake. What my father didn’t count on however, was that once he sent me away, I would never come back—at least not until he was gone.

Which brings me to now, his wake, at the family winery that was supposed to be mine. It also brings me to her. The sweet girl I left behind. The girl who has since grown into the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on—Laurel Anderson.

She’s looking at me as though she wishes I was the one she watched get buried this morning. But she’s out of luck. I’m alive and kicking. I’m also stuck in this town with nothing to do but wait until the will is read.

Well, nothing to do but see if I can seduce the pure and passionate Laurel, and change that anger I see in her eyes to something just as fiery… desire.

***

The last time I saw Noah Chamberlin, I was a doe-eyed innocent and he was the boy of my dreams. My future was all planned out down to the wedding dress, until one morning I woke up and he was gone.

You’d think after all these years, I’d feel the same blind indignation and rage that has haunted me since that day. Instead, the second I set eyes on him again, I felt something altogether unwanted and unexpected—lust.

If the rumors are true, he’s only going to be in Chamberlin for a few days. I can handle that, as long as he stops looking at me as though he’s thinking about the last time we were together.

But when Noah’s forced to stay and run the family business, it puts us in dangerously close proximity. And in a town this small, that can only mean one thing—trouble.

 

 

Book 1
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Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

“Laurel Anderson.”

My heart all but stopped at the sound of my name in that smooth, seductive timbre, and my fingers tightened on the handle.

“Hi.” Brilliant. After all these years, that was what came out of my mouth.

A smile slowly curved Noah’s lips, as though he knew I was tongue-tied, and I wanted to kick myself—or him—for it.

“Hi yourself.”

I swallowed and tried to remember that somewhere inside my head I possessed a brain. Now if I could just locate it, that would be fantastic. “I, uh, I didn’t know you were coming today.”

“No? Everyone else in town seemed to.”

“Well, you know how it goes. You can’t rely on everything you hear.”

“Ah. So you heard—you just didn’t believe it.”

“I didn’t really think about it either way.” Liar. “I’m sorry for your loss, though. Harry was—”

“An A-grade bastard?”

My eyes widened at the cool edge to Noah’s voice. It was a tone I’d never heard from him before. But then again, I didn’t know this man, so I had no point of reference.

“That seems harsh, huh?”

“It seems…” Noah’s eyes locked on me with an intensity I felt all the way to my bones. “Honest.”

He shifted the wine bottle from one hand to the other, then he held it up by the neck and asked, “A good year?”

I focused on the label, a 2012 Pinot Noir. “It was a great year.”

Noah nodded and turned the bottle around so he could look at it again. “And you should know, or so I’m told. You manage this place now.”

I wondered who had told him. His mother? Or one of his siblings? I’d never imagined a career in the wine business, and I certainly hadn’t imagined one here at his family’s winery. But circumstances had left me little choice, and now I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

“I do. I’m also the head sommelier.”

Noah let out a sound of disbelief that made my spine stiffen. I was good at my job—damn good at it.

“I hope that won’t be a problem for you.”

“A problem?” Noah shook his head. “No. I was just thinking how my family hasn’t changed at all. They still like their secrets.”

The temperature in the room dropped back to arctic, and as I was about to hightail it out of there, Noah took a step forward. I plastered my back to the door and, cursing myself for showing my hand—and my nerves—counted back from ten before daring to look him in the eye.

That was a mistake. I recognized those eyes and the thick lashes that curtained them. I also recognized the look in them right now. It was one of curiosity and interest.

“I wasn’t so sure about coming back here when I showed up earlier.”

His gaze roved over my face, as though he were searching for the girl he once knew, and I wondered if he saw parts of her in there.

“But suddenly I find myself even happier that that asshole up and died. Otherwise I’d never have known you were here.”

I wasn’t surprised in the slightest that my working here had been kept quiet. Harry had worked really hard to remove me from Noah’s life. He wasn’t about to tell him I was still around.

“Well, um, I don’t want to hold you up anymore, and I need to get back to your mother’s guests.” I turned to open the door, but when I felt his hand on my shoulder, my feet froze.

“Looking to make a quick escape again, Bonnie?”

I closed my eyes and for a second allowed myself to remember the first time he’d ever called me that. Then I quickly shoved it aside, not willing to allow in the emotions and vulnerabilities those kind of memories would bring.

“Do you blame me?”

There was a pause, and the tension simmering in the air made it even more imperative that I get out of there right now.

“No. I guess I don’t. But before you go?”

“Yes?” As his hand fell away, I let out a silent sigh of relief.

“I was wondering if you could tell me the best place to stay in town?”

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the first m/f book I've read by Ella Frank; I'm a huge fan of her m/m books, so I took a chance and read this one. It's a small-town, second-chance romance. I don't want to give away anything. The blurb grabs you and gives you a tiny glimpse into the story. You get all the feels in this book – angst, secrets, lies, second chances, and explosive chemistry. I was hooked from the beginning and can't wait for the next book.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the first book in a new series, and I am really interested in seeing how the story will develop. I love the world that we are plunged into – with a good dose of intrigue and plenty of family drama. Based around the Chamberlin family winery, it is told from the point of view of Laurel and the recently returned for his father's funeral, Noah. They were everything to each other in high school, and then Noah disappeared, not to return until now.

I love that we get the big secret early on and then watch as it all unfolds. Both characters are very likeable, and it is a good thing that Noah's father is dead, as he is undoubtedly the villain of the book. All the family are introduced to us through their work and interaction with the leads – and I can't wait till we rejoin them all and see how the rest of them find romance and peace with their lives.

An excellent start to a new series from the very talented Ella Frank – I have this (not so) secret wish that Julien will come and buy wines for his restaurants in at least one of the future books!!

 

 

ELLA FRANK is the USA Today bestselling author of the Temptation series, including Try, Take, and Trust and is the co-author of the fan-favorite erotic serial, Sex Addict. Her Exquisite series has been praised as “scorching hot!” and “enticingly sexy!”

A life-long fan of the romance genre, Ella writes contemporary and erotic fiction.

Some of her favorite authors include Tiffany Reisz, Kresley Cole, Riley Hart, J.R. Ward, Erika Wilde, Gena Showalter, and Carly Philips.

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Facebook Group: Brooke & Ella's Naughty Umbrella

 

 

 

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Pure Seduction (Chamberlin Brothers #1) by Ella Frank to read and review for this tour.