Forbidden Nights – Lauren Blakely

For my first proper review in months it really didn’t make sense to review a book by anyone else than my absolute favourite author in the whole world. Ladies and gentlemen (do men read this? I have no idea but we can’t leave them out, ya know?) I bring to you Forbidden Nights by the absolutely fantastic Lauren Blakely.

<h1><font color=#0029A3>What it’s all about</h1></font>

A smoldering and sensual standalone romance novel in the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Seductive Nights Series by Lauren Blakely…

Sinfully sexy hotel CEO Nate Harper knows exactly how to please a woman. He’s equally skilled in keeping his heart safe from the kind of hurt his ex inflicted on him years ago. But one thing he’s not so good at what-so-ever is getting his mind and all his dirty thoughts off the gorgeous, outgoing, and absolutely captivating Casey Sullivan, the new head of the Joy Delivered company.
They’ve been friends for years now, and Casey trusts Nate completely. So it makes perfect sense to her to ask him for hands-on guidance when she finds herself in need of some of his romantic expertise.
The trouble is, his heart may be signing up for more than it bargained for when he agrees to help her learn to abandon her need for control in the bedroom. Because as she experiences what it means to let go, he’ll start to experience what it means to feel again…

But what happens when all those forbidden nights turn into a deeper connection that’s much more than expected?

*FORBIDDEN NIGHTS is a standalone full-length novel in the bestselling SEDUCTIVE NIGHTS series following the love affair of Nate and Casey. You can read it on its own, but you would likely enjoy the other books too.*

<h1><font color=#0029A3>What I Thought</h1></font>

Ok, can I just start by saying – You see the bit above that you can read it on its own? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT. This is the most awesome series and full of the hottest alpha males you are going to come across anywhere. You can keep your Chritsian Grey’s – give me a Blakely boy any day of the week.

We had already met both Nate and Casey in previous books and already met them both. We got a hint at the end of Jack and Michelle’s book that there may be some mutual attraction brewing between these two. Well we weren’t wrong that’s for sure!!

I have read all Lauren’s books and read them in order. A good few books ago, somewhere around a private plane and a set of pearls I thought that she had hit her peak. She couldn’t get any better than that, could she? Of course she can. NEVER EVER doubt what this woman can do with words.

The very first line in this book hooked me. The second made me laugh, somewhere along the lines I also blushed. I laughed, got hot, and also felt like bitch slapping a character or two.

It makes me wonder if men and women really can be just friends, neither knew that the other was fueling their sexual fantasies (and ours 😉 ). Sure what else would they do only try to get each other out of their system. What happens though when it runs it course?

Now of course there is more to this that a sex God and his Goddess. There were also a lot of personal issues from both camps. They both have baggage and Casey even with all of her confidence and her sassy mouth has areas of her self esteem that she needs a little help with. We do a bit of globe trotting, more private jets and luxury resorts. OH YES and there is a Waterfall!

Read Read Read

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Goodreads

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Stars in Their Eyes – A review

What they say

A sexy and swoony new adult romance…

Celebrity photographer and college senior Jess Leighton desperately needs to crash the wedding of the year. Snapping just one pic of the A-list Hollywood couple tying the knot will pay her way through grad school. But with security tighter than the bride-to-be’s corset, she’ll need more than her camera and smarts, she’ll need help from her biggest rival–hot, British, motorcycle-riding William Harrigan, whose sexy accent can melt the panties off any woman. He’s the last person Jess should trust, but he’s her only ticket in.

William Harrigan wants one thing – to stay in L.A. past college graduation. With a student visa set to expire, the clock is ticking. When he lands a gig that pairs him with the beautiful blond spitfire Jess, he’s scored his best shot at living out the American dream. Winning her trust would be a whole lot easier, however, if he didn’t have ulterior motives…

But there’s no faking the intense attraction between them. Try as they might to resist each other, soon sparks are flying, as they devise a plan to sneak into the ceremony. But when Jess’ new celebrity client raises the stakes, she starts to smell blackmail, and soon she and Will are chasing down cheating directors, staking out clandestine trysts, and making fake IDs, all while sneaking scene-stealing kisses and hot nights together.

The audience loves a happy ending, but in a town where everyone’s acting and no one’s playing by the rules, can Jess and William find their own ever after in time?

**STARS IN THEIR EYES is a spin-off of the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling CAUGHT UP IN LOVE series. It is the start of the new adult series WRAPPED UP IN LOVE.

What I say

I am a very lucky lady as I had the pleasure of reading this book absolutely ages ago. Way back as far as May. Like I said, very lucky.

I’ve gotta say that this book was exactly what I needed at the time. We all get stuck in a reading funk every now and again. I love the books that are pure hot and steamy, lots of angst and loots of sex. Sometimes though you just want a change of pace and thats exactly what Lauren Blakley gave me. Now and again you want to sit down, snuggle up and get stuck into a good romance novel.

Now as I said this was a change of pace but don’t worry there is still an element of hotness in it. Matthew and Jess are so much fun. In saying that though they don’t come without their drama. I mean really, whats a good book without a bit of drama. The drama is Stars in Their Eyes will intrigue you, have you guessing and thinking up all sorts of scenarios. Young love, or maybe just lust? Either way, the flirting between Jess and the delectable Will Harrington will warm your heart and melt your insides.

Stars in Their Eyes is set in Hollywood so its full of glitz and glam. I had so much fun trying to work out who the celebrities in the book were modeled on in real life. Some are so obvious that I may or may not have spat out a mouthful of coffee while reading!

Watch out for lots of crossover in the Blakely Universe. I absolutely love this is Lauren’s books!

This is a book to read for the pure enjoyment of reading. Fun, flirty, hot, sexy and intriguing. What the hell more could you want?

Amazon US

Amazon UK

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Every Second WIth You – It’s LIVE

Yes that is right! That book that I have been going on about for the last three weeks is finally live and I cannot begin to tell you how good it is. Well no, thats not true, but you will have to wait until the 13th for my review. Patience is a virtue and all that. Needless to say – considering I am pimping it so much – its f*&%ing amazing!!

So what’s it all about then?

SEX

Na not really. BUT there is plenty of sex. Thank God

Every Second With You = Sex. Love. Addiction. Heartache. Pain. And Hope.

In the sequel to the bestselling new adult romance THE THRILL OF IT, Harley and Trey face new challenges that will make battling blackmail, sex addiction, and a virgin call girl past look easy…

I used to think love was a lie. Now I know it’s real, powerful, and I don’t want to lose it…But my future scares me, and there’s no way this can be happening, especially since I’ve finally broken free from all the people who wanted pieces of me. I don’t even know how to start over, but I have to find a way. So when I discover what my mother’s been keeping from me, it doesn’t make me hate her. It gives me hope for a new life, outside of New York. But the ties that bind me to this city are so strong, sometimes they are chains. If only I could leave with…

Trey…

I will do anything for her. She owns me, heart, mind and body. But when Harley tells me this, I am rocked to the core, and terrified of what happens next. Especially when now it’s not her past that chases me, it’s someone from my own. And that someone is messing with my head when I’m trying to be strong for Harley. But all I really want is to escape with the girl I love…For the rest of our lives.

How can you move forward when the past keeps chasing you?

Sounds pretty damn awesome, right?

So where can you get your hands on these

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Barnes and Noble:iTunes: Kobo:

A little teaser?

Your wish is my command 😉

How about a couple of competitions?

Firstly we have the scavenger hunt.

This is a scavenger hunt for EVERY SECOND WITH YOU by Lauren Blakely. To play – all you have to do is track to down blogs where Every Second With You is featured during release week, and you can be entered to win a Kindle Fire.

You can find the key to the treasure on Lauren’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LaurenBlakelyBooks and the key is a pinned post with a list of the blogs featuring the book.

Step 1: Visit those blogs and search for Every Second With You on them (you can go to the blog’s web site or the blog’s facebook page)

Step 2: Copy the link of each place you find EVERY SECOND WITH YOU featured on a blog and share it on your facebook page. Then, paste the links where you found the post and where your shared it in this form. (Keep a copy of the URL to this form so you can update it throughout the week.) Please number your entries. You get 1 entry for sharing the link where you found it and 1 entry for sharing it on your facebook page.

Step 3: Leave a message on the blog where you found Lauen’s book featured for an additional entry.

The person who submits the most verified links/entries by Monday, 2/17/14 at 9 am US Eastern time (which means that you went and you posted on that blog, and shared the links on your facebook page) will win a Kindle Fire HD (or for international participants…the egift card equivalent in US dollars).
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CU0NSCU

Easy peasy!

Winner will be announced on Monday, February 17, 2014 at 9 pm US Eastern time

Here is the entry form, and good luck!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QLzflxy6EYhs9SN67xyIk2hosb_Yw8LCFESbmGy0G_U/viewform

Reader Giveaway:

We will be giving away a $25 Gift Card, a signed copiy of EVERY SECOND WITH YOU and a limited edition bookmark for one winner. The embed code is below for you. PLEASED INCLUDE THIS GIVEAWAY IN YOUR POST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Lauren Blakely

Lauren Blakely writes sexy contemporary romance novels with heat, heart, and humor, and her books have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks bestseller lists. Like the heroine in FAR TOO TEMPTING, she thinks life should be filled with family, laughter, and the kind of love that love songs promise. Lauren lives in California with her husband, children, and dogs. Her novels include Caught Up In Us, Pretending He’s Mine, Playing With Her Heart, and Trophy Husband. She also writes for young adults under the name Daisy Whitney.

Website: Blog: Facebook: Twitter: EVERY SECOND WITH YOU Goodreads: Lauren Blakely Goodreads:

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And the countdown is on…

Ok you all know how much I adore Lauren Blakely, and her books of course. I am not some kind of freakish stalker person. Not this week anyway. I love her books.

Well the exciting news is that there is exactly three weeks until the release of her latest novel, Every Second With You. ESWY is the second book in the No Regrets series. The first being The Thrill of It.

So to kick us off on the countdown I have some wonderful pictures/teasers. You can find these daily on my Facebook Page

Enjoy the countdown folks and make sure to get that book. Cos let me tell you it’s Lauren’s best book yet!

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My favourites of 2013

Good morning to you all. Or afternoon / evening. You get my drift. Happy new year. I hope you were able to see out the old and bring in the new happily and peacefully. I went to my sister in laws with most of my in laws and had a great night. We weren’t going to go – we didn’t know if the kids would manage to stay awake. They are 3,4 & 6 and are usually in bed by 6.30 every night. At 23.50 we were gathering them all up to bring them in for the countdown when we realised one was missing. Poor Aidie (Aidan) had let himself into the ‘big sitting room’ and closed the door and curled up on the couch with his teddy and went to sleep. I of course went in at midnight and gave him a kiss anyway. Holly (3) and Jamie (6) welcomed in the new year but i’m not sure what they made of the flurry of hugs and kisses that came their way.

So yesterday I started a post of my Top books of 2013 but I am hopeless. I’m like a little puppy – just rub me under the chin and tickle my belly and I will be loyal forever. So instead of my brian setting off every nuclear reactor known to man due to overload with me trying to decide what to include, I am going to tell you a few of my favourites.

Tear jerker

Well this should go without saying really. I have read a few books this year that would bring a tear to a glass eye but there aren’t any that can hold a candle to my #1. Beyond Grace’s Rainbow

Granted I didn’t read it for the first time last year but I did read it again and it had a new chapter. Anyway this is my post and I make the rules 😉 I am only delighted with the success Carmel Harrington has achieved with BGR and I can only wait for things to get better and better for her.

Biggest book hangover

This, beyond a shadow of a doubt, belongs to Elizabeth Reyes and Breaking Brandon.

Ever since I read Forever Mine, I have been hooked on Elizabeth Reyes’ books. Every time I read one it becomes my new favourite. Though this one I think will hold that title for a long time to come. It took me two days to pick up another book after reading this – and it wasn’t for the want of trying. I just couldn’t get my head out of the story. I’d love a bit more….

A Little Teaser

The book that made me spit out my coffee..

Haha this could only belong to M. Leighton and Everything for Us

I can’t even begin to go in to what made me spit out my coffee. You will just have to read it and see 😉
This is a fantastic series of book from Michelle, you need to get on it!

The book that most surprised me

Is surprised the right word? Probably not. Maybe the book I wasn’t expecting? You see this is why I review and not write 😉 Anyway, whether or which this is Jane Lark‘s latest book I Found You

CLICK ON IMAGE TO READ FIRST CHAPTER **WARNING, BE READY TO ONE CLICK**

From the very first page in this book I was hooked. I couldn’t read it fast enough. I had read Illicit Love from Jane which is a historical. I didn’t know what to expect in this genre and I was quite simply blown away. I cannot wait for more in this series.

The book that had the biggest personal impact

The wonderful wonderful Lauren Blakely and her amazing book The Thrill of It

I adore Lauren and all of her books. When I started this blog almost a year ago she supported me 100% even though at the time she didn’t know me from Adam. She is absolutely fantastic with bloggers and just her fans in general. I am lucky enough to be part of Lauren’s street team now. Anyhooooo…

There was a part of The Thrill of It that struck home with me. It even had me in tears (no not the part about being a sex addict). Then it gave me an epiphany. Then I ended up with a tattoo. Still can’t quite believe that I did it. I am not a major fan, but it’s different when it means something, right?

I blame Lauren and this book though. Have you read it? If you haven’t then you really should. I am on pins waiting for the second one!

One of my favourites of the year, just because

Belle Aurora and her book Willing Captive

The title of this book led me to believe certain things about it. I was thinking in and around Fifty Shades. I was wrong. You see I rarely read a blurb. I like the element of surprise. I have recommended this book to many people since I have read and they have all come back saying it is amazing. Thats’s because it is. I just loved it and that’s why it is up there with my best books of the year.

Another of my favourites because….

…who doesn’t like a bit of misery, right? Erin Lawless and The Best Thing I Never Had.

** Click image to read an extract**

I absolutely loved this book from Erin Lawless. It’s about real life, coming of age, growing up and realising those people that you trust absolutely, think have your back and will always be there for you – maybe they won’t.

My #1 Best book of the year. AND EVER.

Well if you know me or read this blog at all this is a no brainer. Colleen Hoover just swept me off my feet with LOSING HOPE

It is just quite simply THE.BEST.BOOK.EVER

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The Thrill of It

A new adult story of Love. Sex. Addiction. Blackmail. And Power…

Some say love can be an addiction. Others say it’s the thing that makes life worth living. Let me tell you everything I know about love…Love isn’t patient, love isn’t kind. Love is a game, a chase. A thrill. Love is wild and war-like, and every man and woman must fight for themselves. At least that’s how it was for me. A high-priced virgin call girl by the time I started college, I was addicted to love and to sex. Even though I’ve never had either. I controlled love, played it, and held the world in the palm of my hands. Then I fell down from those highs, and I’m being blackmailed for all my mistakes, forced to keep secrets from everyone, except the only guy I don’t regret.

Trey…

With all the other women, I knew what they were. They were temporary. They were pills, they were bottles, they took away all the pain, and numbed the awful memories that wore down my ragged, wasted heart. Until I met Harley. She’s the only girl I ever missed when she walked away. But now she’s back in my life, every day, and there are no guarantees for us, especially since I don’t know how to tell her my secrets. What happened to my family. All I know is she’s the closest I’ve ever come to something real, and I want to feel every second of it.

How can you love with no regrets when regret is all you know?

What I thought
FINALLY I get to review this book!!

I am so privileged to be part of the Street Team for the amazingly talented Lauren Blakely. Therefor I am lucky enough to have been able to read this a few weeks ago. The unfortunate part is that I have had to sit on it for this long.

I was told before I read it that this book was different. This caused my stomach to drop a little. I mean if its not broken don’t fix it – right?

No, not always.

While The Thrill of It is most definitely different from Lauren’s other books. Its dark, even twisted in place. It has characters that you will no doubt fall in love with and then there are characters that you are going to down right hate. What I find amusing about this book is a particular debate within the street team about one particular character. Cam. You will learn all about him. Personally I hate him. Others adore him. This is why I love reading. It shows how people take different elements of a story and it resonates with them in a different way.

Thanks to Tori Shriver for this!

Harley herself being a high priced teenage call girl is intriguing, but to be a virgin while doing it is unreal. How the hell does she manage that? You want to read it now don’t you.

Then we have Trey. The tattoo artist. Addicted to sex. Attracted to Harely. The one girl he can’t have sex with.

They both have their secrets though and even if they want to throw caution to the wind its impossible while they can’t be honest to each other about who they really are.

I am not telling you any more about this book. You have to buy it an read it. I will tell you though that its amazing. It brought out so many emotions in me. It made me happy and it made me sad. And oh my good God did it frustrate me. It also shockingly made me go out and get a tattoo!

And also let me tell you this. This book is all Lauren Blakely, only with added elements! Hot added elements.

Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk

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Are you excited? I’m excited

It is less than 4 weeks until the release of Playing With Her Heart, you might remember I already took part in the cover reveal well I thought I would bring you something a little bit special, courtesy of The My fictional Boyfriend & Book Whore Facebook Page ( great name, could so be me!)

How cool is that!!

And sure what the hell, here is another one – just to keep you going 😉

If you want to read about other characters that will pop up in this book from the Caught Up In Us series ten Caught Up In You is currently on sale for .99c. Go Go Go what are you still doing here?

If you are still here and would like to read an interview Lauren kindly gave to me click HERE

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Playing With Her Heart – Cover Reveal

I am very excited that http://www.afterthefinalchapters.com has been afforded the opportunity to be involved in the cover release of Playing With Her Heart by the ever wonderful Lauren Blakely. I am really looking forward to reading this book and catching up with the characters from the previous books in the Caught Up In Us series as well as Chris and McKenzine from Trophy Husband. So without any more delay, here is the cover from the up coming Playing With Her Heart;

ABOUT PLAYING WITH HER HEART:

When you’re acting the role of a lifetime, how can you know if love is real—or all just a part of the show?

Twenty-three year old rising theatre star Jill McCormick has built a life out of pretending. Pretending she’s happy, pretending her long-distance crushes add up to something real, pretending she’s not haunted by the dark secret that shattered her world six years ago. Cast in her first Broadway show, she desperately needs to keep her façade intact, but that’s before she comes face to face with her devastating new boss…

Hot-shot director Davis Milo knows the first rule of directing: never fall for your leading lady. Captivated by Jill’s raw talent, he fights his feelings, but watching Jill on-stage with another man is more than his jealous streak can take. Keeping things professional isn’t an option. He wants all of her.

Soon the ingénue and her director are staying late in the empty theatre, their private rehearsals spiraling into new, forbidden territory. Caught up between fiction and reality, Jill struggles to find the truth in all their staged kisses. But how can she be sure that what she feels is real, and not a part of the play? And when two people spend their lives pretending, what happens after the final curtain falls?

EXCERPT:

He glances down at the black pumps. “Nice shoes.”
As I follow his eyes, I realize my hand is on his shirt, my fingers
fisted around the cloth, clutching it. I should let go. But I don’t.
Because I can’t help but notice he has that clean and freshly showered
smell that makes any woman want to lean in and lick a guy’s neck.
Close her eyes. Inhale, and trail a tongue all the way to his
earlobe, enjoying the sound of a low groan.
“Nice shirt,” I say softly, running my index finger across one smooth
button. Then I look up to find him staring down at me. His dark blue
eyes aren’t cold anymore. They’re not keeping me at bay. Instead,
they’re heated, searching mine.
It’s hypnotic the way he looks at me. Completely hypnotic, as the
room goes quiet, the air between us charged.
I press my teeth against my lips, and I think, but I’m not entirely
sure, because thought has vanished, that I nod briefly, almost as if
I’m giving him permission. Then he bends towards me, and my breath
catches. Before I even process rationally what’s happening, his lips
are on mine, and my pulse is racing. It’s a barely there kiss, just
him brushing his soft lips against mine, but I want more. So I pull
him closer and deepen the kiss. He groans, and then suddenly his hands
are in my hair, and he’s twining his fingers through my long, blond
strands, and tugging me close. I thought I was leading this kiss, but
I’m not anymore, because he’s claiming me, tracing his tongue across
my top lip, then nipping at the bottom lip, then kissing me so deeply
and with so much heat that I shudder. That only makes him kiss me
harder, and everything else falls away because this is a kiss I can
feel in every single cell in my body. Deep, and fevered and
possessive.
It makes me feel things I’m not supposed to want.
My heart pounds wildly as he presses closer, so dangerously near to
me that I want him to slam me against him. Let him touch me all over.
His lips own me, his hands want to know me, and I swear I might
combust from this kind of electric contact.
He breaks the kiss and I’m not honestly sure where I am anymore. Or
who I am. I look at him, at Davis, but everything is so hazy right
now, that I don’t know what to say. I don’t think he does either,
because he doesn’t speak for a moment. He shakes his head, and
swallows, collecting himself. As if he doesn’t know how that happened
either.
“I’m sorry,” he says, then steps back, pushing his hand roughly
through his hair. He looks away from me, staring at some distant point
on the wall. “That was a mistake,” he says quietly.

ABOUT LAUREN BLAKELY:

Lauren Blakely is an unabashed fan of clever jokes, toast, and good guys in novels. Like the heroine in CAUGHT UP IN US, she thinks life should be filled with movie kisses and coffee drinks. Lauren lives in California with her husband and children, and spends her days writing both true stories and make-believe ones.

For the chance to win a signed copy of Playing With Her Heart enter the competition at Rafflecopter. Good luck.

Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter

PLAYING WITH HER HEART Goodreads
Lauren Blakely Goodreads

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