Friday, May 27, 2022

Wicked Flame by Ella Frank Blog Tour

Available Now. Wicked Flame. Ella Frank. USA Today Bestselling Author. Blog Tour. May 25th - 27th.

JAMESON

Life is hard. I learned that at an early age growing up on the South Side of Chicago. I accepted it, even came to expect it. With a sister who was a constant source of worry, and a track record of losing anyone even remotely close to me, trouble seemed to follow me no matter where I turned.

Some people were born lucky. I was just born.

That’s what I used to believe, anyway, until GQ. The gorgeous guy in the fancy clothes who for some reason decided to look twice at me. He gave me a place to call my own, a space to feel safe, and he made me believe in the impossible—that love was more than just a four-letter word.

RYAN

Life is unexpected. I learned that just recently when I walked into a bar on the South Side and found the love of my life—Jameson Clarke.

He’s everything I’ve always wanted, and yet somehow even better than I imagined. He’s brave, brash, protective of those he loves, and under all that bravado is a vulnerability that calls to my very soul.

Jameson’s a storm cloud, but he thinks I’m the sun. If that’s true, then I’m determined to break through the shadows of his past and steal his heart the way he’s stolen mine.

Wicked Flame is book two in Ryan Carrigan & Jameson Clarke's story and should be read after Wicked Heat.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Chicago Heat series!
For book one, Wicked Heat, click HERE.

 

Add to Goodreads.

 

Wicked Flame by Ella Frank

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

Reviews


Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team


Shannan☆☆☆☆☆
Wicked Flame is the second part of Ryan and Jameson’s duet in the Chicago Heat series. You cannot read this as a standalone. It must be read after Wicked Heat to get the full effect of the storyline. Wicked Flame picks up right where Wicked Heat left us.

Jameson is looking after his sister after finding her beaten and bruised and Ryan is right there beside him. Ryan knows he's in this for the long haul and is patient with Jameson to come to the same conclusion. When Jameson finds a reminder of the worst day of his life, Ryan is there to pick up the pieces when Jameson shatters, telling him the details of the fire that took his best friend and brother and finds a way to honor him.

I loved seeing Jameson realizing he is capable of loving and of being loved. The patience Ryan shows Jameson while he works it out is heartwarming. Their chemistry is as explosive as ever. And as always, I loved getting a peek at past characters sharing the same world, especially Alexander, Sean, Marcus, and Gabe. It honestly was the perfect conclusion for Ryan and Jameson!

I can't wait to see what's coming next!!


Ruthie☆☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in the series, and you most definitely need to read them in order. In fact, I would recommend that you start with Try and read the whole Chicago family of books, which are just the hottest, cutest, and most fun ever!

We left Jameson and Ryan (yes, that cliffhanger was not kind!) at an event, where Jameson felt very uncomfortable at the charity being supported, and then has to dash off to try and rescue his sister... again. It came at a pivotal moment, they finally can see a way forward – until Jameson really can't all over again.

Given Ella Frank's habit of ramping up the tension when it comes to reaching a happily ever after, there are plenty of events and incidents which make one's heart constrict in worry, but you can trust we will get there in the end.

I loved the catch-ups with Ryan's best buddy Gabe and his beau, Marcus, as well as Sean and Ryan's boss, Alexander. This interconnected group of men form such a supportive, honest band of friends; it is always fun being in their company – even when they are replaying quotes to the person having doubts! Add in Ryan's family and their ability to draw in the very much insular Jameson, and one cannot help but smile in happiness for them both

Absolutely delicious addition to the series, thank you. Ella Frank!


Angie☆☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in the duet and you must read the first book in order to follow along. Honestly, I recommend you read all of the author’s books – they are amazeballs.

This book picks right up where the first left off. This book was just a lovefest, and I was there for every moment. I love Jameson and Ryan; they got the happily ever after they deserved and I'm so glad. The next two books in the series are also duets and I can't wait!

 

 

“I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”     “Just love me. That’s all the payment I need.”

 

Author Bio



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.

Connect with Ella Frank

Facebook  ~  TikTok  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Brooke & Ella's Naughty Umbrella

 
 

Hosted by

Social Butterfly PR.


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Wicked Flame (Chicago Heat #2) by Ella Frank to read and review.

Thursday, May 26, 2022

See Me by Stacey Kennedy Blog Tour

Available Now. See Me. USA Today Bestselling Author. Stacey Kennedy. Blog Tour. May 25th – 27th.

In the Phoenix club, fantasies come to life, but he wants her for real, and he’ll do anything to prove it in this deliciously sexy romance from USA Today bestselling author Stacey Kennedy.

Lottie Harlow spends her days as a dog walker and her nights losing herself in wild fantasies at Phoenix, a members-only, voyeuristic sex club in New York City. Her anonymous existence is precisely planned. She must lay low, or risk facing the consequences of her family’s criminal past. She’s a ghost, and she likes it that way. But detective Hunt Walker is determined to uncover her secrets…

Hunt has always loved his nights at Phoenix, but they’re no longer enough. He wants more. He wants a relationship. He wants Lottie. He’s wanted her for years. The only problem? Lottie keeps him at a careful distance, never letting him get too close, ignoring the sizzling heat burning between them. He knows she’s intrigued by him, but she’s scared. He just can’t figure out why… But when enemies from her past come seeking revenge for her family’s deal gone wrong, Lottie’s secrets are revealed, and so is the explosive passion they’ve been fighting.

Soon, lust leads the way to love, but when Lottie’s brothers start threatening her, the line between right and wrong is blurred. Hunt becomes torn between his duty to his badge and his need to keep Lottie safe. But he’ll only get one chance to prove to Lottie that she’s worth fighting for… and that their love is worth the risk.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Phoenix series!
For book one, Watch Me, click HERE.
For book two, Keep Me, click HERE.
For book three, Save Me, click HERE.

 

Add to Goodreads.

 

See Me by Stacey Kennedy

Book 4
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Apple Books  ~  B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  Kobo
Paperback (US)

 

 

Excerpt



“Tell me who you think broke into your condo,” he said firmly.

She shook her head, forcing her shoulders back. “I don’t know.” She knew better than to totally write off her family, but she couldn’t think up a good enough reason why they’d break into her condo after all this time. Plus, she had paid a lot of money to ensure she was never found. For the first couple of years she’d been in New York City, she’d always looked over her shoulder, worried they’d catch up with her, demanding the money she’d stolen. But no one ever came. After the third year, she stopped looking, feeling safe in her new identity.

Hunt dipped his chin, bringing his eye level down to hers. “No idea at all who it could be?”

“Nope,” she said, striding off before he could look too deep and find answers that she couldn’t give him.

She felt his gaze following her, reading right through all the things she wasn’t telling him.

When he finally caught up with her on the way back to her condo, he blessedly shifted subjects. “Come stay with me until we catch the person responsible,” he offered.

Cars honked at each other as she shook her head adamantly. “Like hell they’re making me afraid of my own home.”

“Then I’ll take your couch. It’s not safe, Lottie.” When they stopped at the corner of the street and waited for the light to change, he arched an eyebrow. “I have a gun. You do not.”

“Good point,” she said. This spelled all kinds of dangerous, but Hunt would not relent, and she refused to leave her condo. “Okay, you’re right; it’s safer,” she conceded, knowing her limitations in protecting herself if someone broke in again. “I appreciate the offer.”

“Think nothing of it,” he said and began crossing the street. “We can grab my overnight bag before we go back to your place.”

All of this seemed unnecessary, but she realized as she inhaled the greasy aroma coming from the hot dog stand, that for the first time since she opened her condo’s door earlier, she could breathe a little easier.

When they arrived at the condo a half an hour later, the forensic unit was packing up. She sighed as she took in the state of the place. What a mess! Figuring she had to start somewhere, she moved to the living room, picked up the cushions off the floor, and placed them back on the couch.

After a short conversation, Hunt shut the front door behind the last cop and locked it. He moved to the liquor cabinet in the corner of her living room and poured them both a double shot of whiskey. He handed her the glass and watched her with a stern look, his well-crafted cop look. “Time’s up, Lottie.”

“I’m not sure what you mean.” She sipped her whiskey. A big, long sip.

His mouth twitched, but that was the only break in his intensity. “I rather enjoy when you make me work to know you. But I’m afraid, like I already said, time is up. Tell me what you’re hiding.”

She swallowed. Part of her wanted to tell him everything. Explain her entire past. But if Hunt knew about her past life as Marissa Ricci, and that she’d had her true identity buried, he’d have to tell Rhys. Then Archer would learn that she’d lied to them. She’d never be allowed back in Phoenix. She loved her new life, and that included her sensual life in Phoenix, and her friends who also belonged.

The air seemed too thin as Hunt took another step closer, erasing the distance between them. “I know there’s a reason you have refused, from day one, to not act on what’s between us. And I know that reason is tied to your break-in today.”

She looked to her glass, avoiding his penetrating stare. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

His fingers dragged against her jawline before he cupped her chin, forcing her to meet the strength in his gaze. “Let me help you.”

She needed to shut this down. Now. Hunt was too smart, too insightful, too damn trained. Her heart began to hammer, making the room feel smaller and smaller. He’d peel all her layers back and expose all her secrets. She couldn’t allow that.

“Lottie,” he said, a pillar of strength.

Suddenly it occurred to her she knew exactly how to distract him. Ignoring the consequences, she placed her glass on the table and grabbed his shirt, pulling him closer. Before she could second-guess herself, she sealed her lips on his. He stiffened, seemly momentarily surprised, until he softened, wrapping his arms around her, bringing her tight against him with a low groan.

Her lips opened, and his followed, but he never quite gave her the kiss she suddenly, desperately needed.

When he broke away a few minutes later, he chuckled against her lips. “Shutting me up, huh? All right, Lottie, I’ll go along with that.” His hands fell to her hips, and he gave her a push until her back hit the wall. She gasped. Need stormed through her as his eyes darkened with arousal. “For now.”

Frenzied thoughts filled her mind as his mouth met hers again, but when he took over the kiss, her thoughts simply faded into nothingness.

She parted her mouth, and his tongue invaded, sliding against hers. His kiss was skilled, determined, and left her dripping. She slid her hands over his strong, flexing arms, shoulders, up his thick neck to the back of his head, running her fingers across the shaved hair.

He groaned, breaking the kiss so his lips could travel along her neck. His hand threaded in her hair, and she rolled her hips, heat pooling low in her body. His tongue flicked her ear lobe, and she moaned, a tease of how that tongue would feel elsewhere. “Can I touch you?” His breath tickled across her ear.

The game was dangerous. And yet, and yet… she couldn’t stop from playing now that she felt him… tasted him. “Yes.”

 

 

Reviews


Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team


Avid Reader☆☆☆☆☆
M/F BDSM Romance

This is the fourth book in this series and you really should read the previous books to truly understand the personal relationships. While it’s not mandatory, because I feel like you could understand each book alone, it definitely adds to the whole picture of this family.

Lottie is as sexual as they come. She loves having an audience. Phoenix club has become her salvation and she knows that she’s very lucky to have found a family she chose rather than the one she comes from.

Hunt never truly believed in love at first sight, but seeing Lottie, he can’t seem to let her go, despite her turning him down at every turn.

When Lottie’s past comes barreling into her present, she turns to Hunt to comfort her. But when feelings and emotion add fuel to their fire, Lottie just tries not to burn Hunt or get burned herself.

This is a short, sexy, dangerous read that will keep you turning the pages and hoping with crossed fingers and toes that everything will be okay.

This family is one that you will cheer for. They fight, protect, and, above all, love just like you’d want your family to.

I can’t wait for Nessie’s book!


Ruthie☆☆☆☆☆
This is another great instalment in the Phoenix series. I would recommend that you read them in order, but it would be a fun story whatever.

Lottie has been a character who has caused confusion for the reader in previous books. Seemingly not connecting emotionally to anyone, she has seemed aloof and a bit of a mystery. Now we finally get her story, and her one true crush becomes so much more.

I love that both she and Hunt have had a thing for each other forever, but a very good reason has kept them apart. As that truth is revealed, we have the parallel of the romance with the trouble from her past catching up with her.

Delicious, sexy, and with a refreshing level of openness and honesty between them, which ensures they work as a team and a couple.


Mary☆☆☆☆☆
I have waited for Lottie and Hunt's story and I was not disappointed. It was filled with suspense and intrigue that kept me on the edge of my seat. I was not expecting Lottie's backstory and it was such a surprise. I knew that Hunt and the gang from Phoenix would be there to help her.

I love this series and I believe that Lottie and Hunt's story is my favorite so far. It is filled with a painful past, hurt, lust, sizzling heat, friendship, and love. So sit back and enjoy this series. I know I have and I cannot wait for more.

 

 

Author Bio

STACEY KENNEDY is a USA Today bestselling author who writes contemporary romances full of heat, heart, and happily ever afters. With over 50 titles published, her books have hit Amazon, B&N, and Apple Books bestseller lists.

Stacey lives with her husband and two children in southwestern Ontario—in a city that’s just as charming as any of the small towns she creates. Most days, you’ll find her enjoying the outdoors with her family or venturing into the forest with her horse, Priya. Stacey’s just as happy curled up indoors, where she writes surrounded by her lazy dogs. She believes that sexy books about hot cowboys or alpha heroes can fix any bad day. But wine and chocolate help too.

Connect with Stacey Kennedy

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Stacey Kennedy's Book Club

 

 

“When is enough, though, Hunt?”     “When she’s mine.”

 

Hosted by

Social Butterfly PR.


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of See Me (Phoenix #4) by Stacey Kennedy to read and review.

Unwanted by Marley Valentine

Now Available. Unwanted by Marley Valentine.

From USA Today bestselling author Marley Valentine comes a brand new emotional, second-chance, gay romance.

Two halves of a whole, Arlo Bishop and I were both unwanted kids brought together by the foster system. Dealing with the aftermath of neglect and abandonment, we grew up side by side and found solace in one another.

We wanted.
We needed.
We loved.
Desperately.

But somewhere along the way, Arlo wanted and needed and loved drugs more. So, I did the only thing I could and broke my own heart to save his.

Now, four years later, I’m back in L.A. and face-to-face with my past. Not only does the pain and hurt of our mistakes linger between us, but so do our feelings.

I didn’t plan on a second chance, fear of history repeating itself making it hard to forgive and even harder to forget. But with only one touch, one kiss, I was taken back to where it all started.

Two halves of a whole, Arlo Bishop and I were made for each other. But we were no longer the unwanted foster kids.

We were grown men.

And I wanted nothing more than him.

Unwanted is book one in a brand new, emotional LGBTQ+ series that follows a group of foster siblings, who are banded together by their pasts. Each book can be read as a COMPLETE standalone.

 

Add to Goodreads.

 

Unwanted by Marley Valentine

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

He just continues to stare at me, his hazel colored eyes full of longing. Full of yearning. Full of desire. For me.

 

Reviews


Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team


Shannan☆☆☆
3.5 stars

Unwanted is the first installment in The Unlucky Ones series. If you've read Ache, you know who Frankie is. You don't have to read it to read this book, but I highly recommend it because it was a fantastic read.

Frankie and Arlo grew up in foster care, being shuffled from one house to the next until they both got sent to a group home. They find a love in each other through that bond. When Arlo chooses drugs, Frankie did what was best for Arlo and put him into rehab. Frankie then had to do what was best for him and move away from his family and Arlo, with no contact. Four years later, Lennox, Frankie's brother, has an accident that lands him in the hospital. Frankie knows he needs to be there, but can he face Arlo and all that was left unsaid between them?

Arlo holds resentment against Frankie for not being there when he came out of rehab. He felt when he needed him the most, Frankie wasn't there. Arlo holds on to that anger after all these years and seeing Frankie again at the hospital, Arlo fears for his sobriety and falling back to the coping skills he used in the past.

I wanted to love this book. I tried so hard, but I just couldn't get there. The ease at which they fell back together with so much baggage between them, without so much as a real conversation. Frankie's voice wasn't ever really heard, which confused me seeing as this was supposed to be his book. I never got to feel the pain and sadness Frankie had over moving to another city and making a life. He loved Arlo but moved for both their sakes and I just never felt that anguish. The connection between Rhys, Samuel, and Lennox was immediate and confusing. I never felt that deep connection to any of the characters that I normally get with a Marley Valentine read. I'm sad and disappointed I didn't love this one as much as I wanted to.


Erica☆☆☆
I wasn't blinded as I marked off squares on the trauma bingo card: foster siblings, child abuse, abandonment, drug abuse, medical emergencies, deafness, recovery, and overdose. Some elements of the novel were flawlessly executed while others fell short. Many of these threads were left dangling, the impact lessened, the emotions surface level.

I wanted to love the novel. There were portions that were vividly realistic, drawing all the torturous emotions felt by someone in recovery, as well as the loved ones they left decimated around them. However, this was all overshadowed by a major issue that incited me every time Arlo was up to bat as narrator, or during every interaction between Frankie and Arlo. I fear I will be in the minority, seeing this in a different light as someone who has been there versus the romanticized view of those wishing to soothe injured feelings, completely dismissing Frankie's feelings, since Arlo's louder feelings were voiced on every page. Overshadowing.

Five foster siblings, two of which are biological brothers, the eldest and the youngest of the group respectively. Two past lovers.

Angst city.

Four years in the past, Frankie left Arlo at rehab and never looked back. What some believe to be selfish was self-preservation mixed in with knowing if he stayed, Arlo would never heal himself. Not that Frankie ever voiced his reasoning. Frankie needed to better his life as he needed to live, work, and function to help support his siblings, as well as mentally and emotionally heal. But that's just my take, since Frankie was mum even in his own thoughts.

When Frankie's baby brother is injured, he must return to his roots, while facing those he left in the past... Arlo.

Arlo is in recovery, working in a gym that focuses on helping those maintain sobriety. He's taking it one day at a time, his sobriety is his priority, while also feeling abandoned by Frankie. I respected Arlo's strength, tenacity, and drive, while equally frustrated by his self-deluded anger toward Frankie.

Many will side with Arlo on Frankie leaving him behind, as he actually voiced his issues during his point of view, but it doesn't make it any less selfish of a mindset. Arlo didn't have a self-aware bone in his body. It isn't until the end of the novel that Arlo gets a clue – a little too late to erase my frustration, nor was it written in a way to show any character growth. Frankie enabled Arlo to continue to not be self-aware by dismissing his need to make amends.

The past and present come face-to-face in what promised to be an angst journey. 

The author excelled at most facets of the recovery process, especially maintaining boundaries, avoiding triggers, and protecting sobriety at all costs. I applaud the injection of realism, with true-to-life emotions. The prologue could have been ripped from my own memories, it was so lifelike.

The rest fell flat for me. I mentioned the trauma bingo card, which was overshadowed by a rushed pacing, not enough pages to support the character development, miscommunication used as an angsty, dramatic plot device (no communication is more accurate), and insta-love since the reader wasn't privy to the past. With so much going on, it also felt as if nothing was actually progressing forward – the author just wrote it away without actually working the steps.

Even with the first-person narrative, being deep inside Frankie and Arlo's minds, they thought "around" things to draw out the angst, but it came off as manipulative on the author's behalf. I never truly got to understand either main character, and I was INSIDE their heads.

Unreliable Narrator Syndrome.

The romance was stalled due to a refusal to communicate. Few early scenes are shared by both main characters, but what scenes were shared, all the way to the ending, featured a bunch of mental and verbal gymnastics, where they thought and talked around important relationship roadblocks but never truly hashed it out. 

Out of nowhere, from one day to the next, nothing resolved, they were together.

While sobriety was executed flawlessly, the romance was rushed with little connection, with the relationship dynamics between all the characters just surface level emotions. The difference was jarring.

Readers close to the situation may feel as I do, while romance readers may fawn all over Frankie and Arlo due to their past. I just felt the connection and romance was shallow in juxtaposition to the depth of Arlo's recovery journey, minus the purposeful non-communication.

I respect how "Frankie Left Arlo" was a plot device meant to inspire angst, but all it inspired in me was rage – the silenced rage only someone in Frankie's shoes could understand.

For an expanded explanation of the rage and frustration I felt, and how it affected my enjoyment of the novel, please see the "Spoiler" section of my review on Goodreads. Click HERE to read Erica’s full review, including the spoiler section, on Goodreads.

 

 

Author Bio


Marley Valentine

Living in Sydney, Australia with her family, MARLEY VALENTINE is a USA Today bestselling author and a former social worker who uses her past experiences to write real life, emotional and heartfelt contemporary romance.

She enjoys mixing it up with both M/F and M/M Romance, incorporating all forms of life, lust, and love as her characters embark on their journey to their happily ever after.

When she's not busy writing her own stories, she spends most of her time immersed in the words of her favourite authors.


Connect with Marley Valentine

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Marley's MOFOs

 
 

ARC Provided by

Grey’s Promotions.


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Unwanted (The Unlucky Ones #1) by Marley Valentine to read and review.

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Lady and the Vamp by C.C. Wood Release Blitz

C.C. Wood. Lady and the Vamp.

Astra may be a Valkyrie, but on the battlefield of love, she can’t win.
Every man she dates is boring, intimidated by her, or treats her like one of the guys. She has nothing against beer and wings at a sports bar, but to be wined and dined once in a while isn’t too much to ask, right?
Between her mother's “suitable” Vikings and the supernatural dating service, Mystical Matchmakers, neither seem to be able to get it right.

Rune is a good-looking, successful vampire. The only people he kills are in the books he writes, yet every relationship he has seems to fizzle before he takes it to the next level.
Desperate for something deeper, he joins Mystical Matchmakers, and is immediately smitten by the tall, beautiful Valkyrie. Their first date is fantastic and Rune just knows that she’s perfect for him.

Until he hits an unexpected obstacle—her family.

Can their relationship survive a fight with the people Astra loves the most?

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Mystical Matchmakers series!
For book one, Rock and Troll, click HERE.

 

Add to Goodreads.

 

Lady and the Vamp by C.C. Wood

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Apple Books  ~  B&N  ~  Kobo
Paperback (US)

 

 

He looked at her as though she were the only person in the universe.

 

Reviews


Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team


Shelby☆☆☆☆☆
I really enjoyed this book. Lady and the Vamp is relatively light-hearted, has interesting side characters, and the main characters, Astra and Rune, have great chemistry!

The Mystical Matchmakers series has been a pleasant surprise, and I believe it's just getting better.

Astra has been looking for love, but is consistently disappointed with every match the agency has chosen. Being a Valkyrie, she's treated like 'one of the guys' and not the lady she truly is. That is until Rune finds her at the agency. While not a match, he forces a date and the sparks fly!

It seems they were made for one another, nothing can get between these two. Until it's time to meet her parents...

I loved Astra and Rune! I really liked how the author gave information on their races (Valkyrie and vampire) and touched on their characteristics and history. I am excited for the next book!

 

 

I’ll do whatever it takes to be with you.

 

Author Bio


C.C. Wood

Born and raised in Texas, C.C. WOOD writes saucy paranormal and contemporary romances featuring strong, sassy women and the men that love them. If you ever meet C.C. in person, keep in mind that many of her characters are based on people she knows, so anything you say or do is likely to end up in a book one day.

A self-professed hermit, C.C. loves to stay home, where she reads, writes, cooks, and watches TV. She can usually be found drinking coffee or wine as she spends time with her hubby, daughter, and two beagles.

Connect with C.C. Wood

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: CC's Sinners

 

 

Giveaway


 

 

She wanted the life that they would build together.

 

Hosted by

Enticing Journey Book Promotions.


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Lady and the Vamp (Mystical Matchmakers #2) by C.C. Wood to read and review.

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

The Royal and the Rebel by J. Santiago Release Blitz

The Royal and the Rebel. Now Available.

She owes him.

From the moment Princess Juliana Altamirano stole a kiss, Rowan Beckwith’s life went off the rails. The media storm, the destruction of his relationship, the demise of his career—he can trace it all back to that ill-fated press conference. All the apologies in the world can’t fix what happened. Now, sidelined by a horrific injury, Rowan finds himself at the mercy of his scheming parents, who are hell-bent on making him into the proper royal duke – a position he’s fought against his whole life. In his last-ditch effort to thwart his father, Rowan invents a wild hoax. This time, he can’t save himself, but he happens to know a princess who owes him a favor.

He needs her.

Princess Juliana has spent her life inventing diversions to pull attention away from her sister. Most of her stunts are harmless. But with one stolen kiss, she managed to upend Rowan Beckwith’s life. He might be football’s favorite skipper, but he’s also its biggest grouch. Still, Juliana would do almost anything to make up for her impetuous actions, even agree to his outrageous plan. She does owe him. But while she’s paying her debt, can she protect her heart?

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Royally Pitched series!
For book one, The Princess and the Player, click HERE.

 

Add to Goodreads.

 

The Royal and the Rebel by J. Santiago

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Apple Books  ~  B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  Kobo
Paperback (US)

 

 

When she looked at Rowan, a life was written for her, with verse and chapters, a book of love. And sex. Please, sex.

 

Reviews


Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team


Mary☆☆☆☆☆
This one started out with a bang, or should I say a camera flash. Princess Juliana grabs baller Rowan in a kiss to pull the press’s attention away from his sister. And what a kiss it was; what started out as a simple kiss turned into something that sizzled between them both. And made Rowan forget about his girlfriend for a moment, until he came back to his senses but by that time the damage was done and the princess was gone.

Now Rowan is laid up after a life-altering accident and his scheming parents are trying to marry him off so he will take his rightful place as a proper royal duke. Rowan wants nothing to do with his father or the heritage that is rightfully his. So he calls upon Juliana to help him with a little plan. But you know the old saying about best intentions?

I loved this story and cannot wait for more; I did not realize that this was the second book and will be reading book one as soon as I can. Juliana and Rowan are made for each other, they are both strong, independent people, but they need each other to survive the thing called royal life.

This story is filled with fun, flirty, intrigue, suspense, evil, scheming, and a love to survive it all. This is a first for me from this author and I recommend it.


Ruthie☆☆☆☆
This is the second in the series, and I would say that you would benefit from reading them in order. If you haven't, then it may take you a little while to understand the sibling dynamics which lead Juliana to be how she is in public, and the rumblings of the royal family issues.

Rowan has had his football career ended by an unlucky tackle. That would be bad enough, but his estranged father and mother have conspired to force him to recover in his father's palace. Having rejected them early in Rowan's life, the duke now wants to get the titles he should bestow upon Rowan sorted out – with a marriage. Suitable choices are being lined up and brought to meet him.

Everything Juliana does is to support her siblings – sometimes wild and crazy things to distract attention. One of those was a passionate kiss with an international footballer called Rowan. They both felt the unexpected sparks, but Rowan had a girlfriend at the time, so it really caused a scandal. In an attempt to appease her family, she is going on a marriage parade weekend at a local palace. Little does she expect to find the very same footballer is the illegitimate son of the duke...

As he calls in a favour, we know that they are going to rediscover that spark... it is just a matter of enjoying it all play out – and that is exactly what I did!

Looking forward to the next installment, as there are underlying royal plots afoot, as well as romance in these highly enjoyable novels.

 

 

Author Bio


J. Santiago. Author.

J. SANTIAGO is a graduate of Villanova University and the University of Pennsylvania. She gets her love of sports from her fifteen-year career in the field and a houseful of boys who love to play. A former English and history teacher, she understands and embraces the power of stories in our lives.

Connect with J. Santiago

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: J. Santiago Reader Group

 
 

Hosted by

Grey’s Promotions.


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Royal and the Rebel (Royally Pitched #2) by J. Santiago to read and review.

Monday, May 23, 2022

What Can't Be Seen by Brianna Labuskes

“Gretchen… What have you done?” What Can't Be Seen by Brianna Labuskes. Kindle Unlimited.

A brilliant psychologist faces the secrets and lies of her own dark past in a shocking novel of suspense by the Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestselling author of A Familiar Sight.

“Gretchen… What have you done?”

Psychologist and criminologist Dr. Gretchen White, top consultant for the Boston PD, has solved countless cases—but never her own. Since the age of eight, she has lived her life thinking she killed her aunt. After all, she was found standing over the body, clutching a bloody knife. Most people, including Detective Patrick Shaughnessy, believe the little sociopath got away with murder. Thirty years later, Detective Lauren Marconi wants to prove them wrong.

When plucking at the threads of the past unravels a decades-old case tied to the White family, both Lauren and Gretchen grapple with the question, What if Gretchen really is guilty? As old secrets come to light and Gretchen’s lifelong grip on her darkest impulses threatens to erode, Shaughnessy is there watching, waiting for her to lose control one more time.

Everyone thinks they know what happened that night. But the truth is beyond what anyone imagines—even Gretchen herself.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Dr. Gretchen White series!
For book one, A Familiar Sight, click HERE.

 

Add to Goodreads.


What Can't Be Seen by Brianna Labuskes.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Audiobook (US)  ~  Paperback (US)
~ Also Available with KindleUnlimited ~

 

 

Reviews


Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team


Avid Reader☆☆☆☆
M/F Mystery Thriller

This is the second book in the series and you have to read book one for book two to make sense.

This picks up pretty much where book one stops. Gretchen is spiraling and really, nothing can stop her except her. As Gretchen sees her behavior for what it is, the question really is, is there anything she would stop for?

In this book, you read present day and the past where Gretchen is accused of killing her aunt.

Marconi is back, and I really enjoyed her character and the way that she interacted with Gretchen. The two women were a force. Then you have Detective Shaughnessy. He is kind of an enigma in this story. You see two very different detectives between the two stories. In this book, he's a little more in the background and you are just given snippets from his point of view.

The twists and turns within this plot are as gnarled as Curly Willow bushes. And while it does seem slightly rushed for me at the end, overall, I was happy with how it ended. There's closure without it being predictable in the happily ever after manner.

You won't be disappointed to delve into this mind bender.

 

 

Author Bio

Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, BRIANNA LABUSKES graduated from Penn State University with a degree in journalism. For the past eight years, she has worked as an editor at both small-town papers and national media organizations such as Politico and Kaiser Health News, covering politics and policy. Her historical romance novel, One Step Behind, was released by Entangled Publishing. She lives in Washington, DC, and enjoys traveling, hiking, kayaking, and exploring the city’s best brunch options.

Connect with Brianna Labuskes

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

Thomas & Mercer.


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of What Can't Be Seen (Dr. Gretchen White #2) by Brianna Labuskes to read and review.