Hockey, a Boxed Set, & More

Aug 12, 2019 11:30 am | Amanda

His Scandalous Kiss

His Scandalous Kiss by Sophie Barnes is $1.99! Readers loved the masquerade ball and Phantom of the Opera elements, but found that the external conflict slowed down the romance. This is the third book in the Secrets at Thorncliff Manor series, though it can be read as a standalone.

Thorncliff Manor is the perfect setting for a masquerade ball… where the heart’s secret desires are about to be uncovered in this scintillating Regency romance from Sophie Barnes…

Richard Heartly has exiled himself from society since the war, plotting his revenge for a terrible betrayal. A masked ball at Thorncliff Manor is intended to be a brief diversion. Instead, he encounters a fascinating young woman as entranced by the music as he is. He can’t reveal his identity to Lady Mary. But her siren song keeps drawing him back, and their clandestine meetings could be hazardous to his plan—and to her virtue.

Avoiding an unwanted marriage was easy when Lady Mary was ignored by the ton. Thanks to her dazzling appearance at the masquerade, she’s a wallflower no longer. Eligible suitors abound, yet the only man she wants is the brooding, seductive companion who keeps his face hidden. A man who tempts her to disclose her own shocking secret, one that could divide them forever.

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You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Anton

Anton by Brenda Rothert is 99c! This book has been making the rounds in the comments section because of the cover and I feel like it’s my duty to make sure everyone else is aware. Readers say this hockey romance has a very slow, slow burn. Have you read this one?

He’s known as Father Anton to his teammates—the brooding, sexy captain of the NHL’s Chicago Blaze has a reputation for…not having a reputation. Just like his diet and sleep routines, celibacy is part of Anton Petrov’s on-ice mojo. Or so they say. Anton stays mum on the subject. If the world thinks he chooses to abstain from sex, so be it. Better that than the truth getting out: there is a woman he burns for, but he can never have her. She’s his teammate’s wife, after all.

Mia Marceau is finally on her own. Now that she and her husband are living apart, she’s finding the peace she was desperate for. She spends her days in classes and late nights bartending, making her own way in the world at last. After what she’s been through, as long as her husband leaves her alone, she doesn’t plan to rock the boat. He still has the power to hurt those dearest to her, and she can’t demand a divorce with such a high cost.

A chance encounter with Mia has Anton hoping for a shot he never thought he’d get. And while she’s drawn to the intense, serious hockey center, Mia’s leery about playing with fire. That’s all Anton has ever known for Mia, though—a living, burning desire that won’t be denied—no matter the cost.

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You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

My Fair Lily

My Fair Lily by Meara Platt is 99c! Yes, that is an Old English Sheepdog (or as I like to call them The Little Mermaid dog) on the cover. If you like that breed, definitely check out Rocco Roni on Instagram. Some thought the character development needed some work, but others loved the science-loving, scholarly heroine. It has a 3.9-star rating on Goodreads and other books in the series are on sale.

Ewan Cameron, estranged grandson of the Duke of Lotheil, is in London because of a deathbed promise made to his father and has no intention of staying beyond his three month obligation. Nothing can tempt him to remain, not even Lily, the beautiful bluestocking determined not only to restore relations between him and his grandfather, but to turn Ewan into a proper gentleman. Ewan, proud of his Scottish heritage, refuses to admit that Lily, a blue-eyed, English girl, has claimed his heart. It doesn’t matter that his big lump of a sheepdog is madly in love with her. Nor is it significant that Ewan can always tell Lily apart from her identical twin sister. Always.

Lily Farthingale, the scholarly twin, dreams of becoming the first female member of the Royal Society. She grabs at the chance when the elderly Duke of Lotheil approaches her with a proposition – he’ll admit her into the Royal Society, if she helps him to establish a relation with his estranged grandson, Ewan Cameron, a very rough-around-the-edges Scotsman who hates everything English. Between shootings, explosions, and Lily’s abduction, Ewan ends up falling in love with Lily in this Pygmalion-inspired story.

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It’s Only Temporary: Complete Collection

It’s Only Temporary by Megan Bryce is 99c at Amazon! This collection contains the entire Temporary Engagement series: 4 full-length contemporary romances. They books can be read in any order of your choosing.

Four stories of men who will do whatever it takes- endless chocolate, a closet full of shoes, unfortunate tattoos- to make it anything but temporary.

Some Like It Charming

Mackenzie Wyatt believes in two things: herself and her plan. And her plan is to keep her head down and to work hard until she can retire. Never mind that she doesn’t know what she’ll do once she retires– at least she won’t be working for the man anymore. Because even though he’s a gorgeous man, he’s still her boss and he likes to push her buttons.

Ethan Howell O’Connor’s charmed life comes to a screeching halt after his latest ex-girlfriend starts a fashionable trend in talking to the tabloids. Now all of Ethan’s old girlfriends are talking to the press, ruining his reputation, and wiping that charming smile right off his face. The only person who can brighten his black mood is the same person who can annoy him to kingdom come. He and Mackenzie have feuded since the day she was hired but now Ethan’s starting to realize: maybe those sparks were hiding a blazing fire.

Mackenzie’s about to find out that sometimes a gorgeous man can come up with a plan all his own, and it’s a given that it’ll mess hers up.

Some Like It Ruthless

A woman as cold as Texas is hot; a man who has never belonged. Two hard people who will never bend, never yield…but they just might be able to make a deal.

Margaret Caldwell knows what it means to beg. She’s been there, done that, won’t wear the t-shirt. And, in fact, won’t beg again- no matter how desperately her family business needs help. Because she knows what it means to be betrayed. Knows how it feels to have her still-beating heart ripped out of her chest, leaving only an empty hole behind.

The son of a ruthless upstart, Cole Montgomery trampled on everyone and everything on his way to the top. Including his one and only friend. He knows Maggie will never forgive him but he’ll help her anyway. Because it might be a few years too late but Cole has finally figured out what’s important. Now if only he can figure out how to start over…

Some Like It Perfect

A woman who has nothing, Delia Woodson is desperate. That’s why she agrees to it. Because she’s a painter, no one is buying her paintings, and she’s desperate. She has bills to pay, food to buy. Someday she might actually want to live in her own apartment instead of on her friend’s couch. And all she has to do is paint baby-faced angels on an indecently rich, corporate shill’s ceiling. Because, he just can’t think of any other way to spend his money? And she just can’t think of any other way to make it.

A man who wants for nothing, Jack Cabot doesn’t want the mural his mother has commissioned for his office ceiling. He doesn’t want the distraction, he doesn’t want the silliness. He doesn’t want the artist now spending her days ten feet above his head. The artist with paint in her hair, distracting him. Bickering with him. Amusing him, until…Jack discovers he does want something after all.

Some Like It Hopeless

In love with her gay best friend since forever, Cassandra Spencer has accepted that not everyone can have the fairy tale. Not everyone can have marriage and children and the same last name. But she has Shane, and she loves him and he loves her…until he falls in love with someone else. Someone nothing like Cassandra; someone she can never accept.

Brady Roberts destroyed his whole world and there will be no forgiveness. No end to his guilt and pain. He exists day to day until he tangles with a woman who just won’t let him. A woman who believes that life is meant to be lived, no matter how hard it is. No matter how much it hurts. No matter how hopeless. Because sometimes, hopeless doesn’t have to mean alone. And sometimes, hopeless isn’t the end.

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Playing House by Ruby Lang

Aug 12, 2019 04:00 am | Aarya

The events of the last couple weeks have underscored how crucial and life-saving the romance genre is to me. It’s an escape, a safe haven in the storm, and a place where happily-ever-afters are always guaranteed. Romance has literally (and I don’t use that word lightly) saved my life while I clung to a spark of happiness amidst the terror of recent events. Playing House isn’t a perfect novella, but it came into my life at the exact right moment. For a few hours, I was able to escape into a world of urban planner nerdery, fake dating, real estate pr0n, imperfect but relatable protagonists, and joy. Because that’s what I felt the entire time I was reading Playing House: joy.

Recently divorced Fay Liu is touring a historic home and trying to get rid of an annoying man who can’t take no for an answer (don’t worry, he vanishes after the first three pages and we can pretend that something nefarious befell him). Caught in a desperate situation, she spots fellow urban planner Oliver Huang and lays a big one on him. Sweet, darling Oliver is confused but happily plays along until Annoying Man finally takes the hint and leaves. Our love interests flirt adorably, geek out about urban planning adorably, and part ways adorably. And keep meeting up again and again in different house tours, pretending to be in a relationship so that they can examine expensive real estate and scope out different NYC neighborhoods (it’s easier to get an appointment if the realtor thinks you’re legitimately looking to buy). It’s perhaps not entirely ethical, but I can’t be mad when it’s something that I would totally do if given the opportunity.

Problem #1: the fake-dating is getting less and less fake as time goes on.

Problem #2: Oliver applied for a job at Fay’s firm and is hesitant to bring it up while they waltz around NYC (in his defense, he thinks that Fay might already know about his application and Fay told him that she doesn’t want to talk about work).

You can see where this is going, can’t you? It’s a bit predictable while hugely enjoyable, and I finished this novella with a big smile on my face.

I am the perfect audience for Playing House: I’ve seen every single episode of House Hunters (and House Hunters International. And Tiny House Hunters. And Island Hunters. You get the idea). I waste money on cable just so I can watch HGTV and nothing else. While I enjoy cackling at Americans’ insistence on granite countertops in small tropical countries or broke travelers’ shock at bathroom sizes in Paris, I have a guilty secret: I don’t watch just for the real estate pr0n. I watch for the ridiculously scripted, definitely fake, and melodramatic couples who seem as though they should be filing for divorce instead of applying for a mortgage.  I don’t know what this says about me, but my heart grows three sizes larger whenever Spouse #1 wants a rustic cabin in the countryside while Spouse #2 is set on new construction in the heart of the bustling city.

Well, it turns out that I’m not a total grinch: I can root for adorable house-hunting couples who have similar preferences in architecture and don’t actively hate each other. Fay and Oliver are technically not 1) house-hunting or 2) a couple (yet!), but do the details really matter? What matters is that Fay tours a bedroom that is mostly bed and immediately fantasizes about pulling Oliver into that bed. Their mutual lusting in third-floor bathrooms, coupled simultaneously with their admiration for walk-in closets and tall windows, meets at the perfect intersection of my interests. And now I think I’m a bit ruined for House Hunters because I’ll want every couple to bone in the prospective houses before making their final decision (HGTV, if you’re reading this, I will accept 2% of the profits. Call my agent).

For readers who are genuinely interested in architecture (I imagine there may be a large overlap between SBTB readership and crown molding enthusiasts), this novella was written for you. As soon as I read “curlicues ringed the ceiling,” I sighed and retreated to my happy place. I don’t pretend to be an expert on urban planning or NYC real estate issues, but nothing makes me happier than competent, smart people displaying expertise in their field. This expertise may come in the form of gorgeous restoration descriptions or insular jokes, but it’s something I deeply appreciate. A protagonist’s career shouldn’t be regulated to the background, and urban planning is 100% at the forefront of Playing House.

Even more than the real estate pr0n, I loved how real the protagonists felt. Oliver is unemployed and thirty-six; he feels insecure that he’s living with his younger brother and doesn’t initially believe that he’s worthy of someone like Fay. A hero like Oliver isn’t that common in the Romance genre. So many protagonists — especially heroes — are at the peak of their careers and income-earning status. They’re driven by ambition and rarely lost in their mid-thirties. While the majority of the novella is filled with cute banter and house tours, Oliver’s desperation and insecurity seeps into every aspect of his character — his self-worth, his own perceived “deservedness” to be with Fay, and his relationship with his critical mother and overachieving siblings.

Fay isn’t all giggles and sunshine either. She’s recovering from a divorce that took an emotional toll on her. She’s deeply protective of her career, especially because her ex-husband exhibited unreasonable jealousy over Fay’s dedication to work. She’s not opposed to exploring a new relationship, but she’s not reckless either.

“If I don’t protect myself, no one else will do it for me. I’m not some newly divorced woman wanting a giggle and a cuddle. I don’t need a fling. I already did that—sort of. I’m going to be honest with you: I want something serious with someone serious.”

Another way in which the protagonists felt incredibly real is their awareness of the city in which they work and live as urban planners. While negotiating tricky emotions and interactions, they also acknowledge how the real estate surrounding them has meaning and value beyond sale prices:

It was easier to concentrate on other matters: to pause to look up the history of the neighborhood on their phones, to hold up before and after pictures of houses that had been burned-out shells, to hope that more houses had stayed in the hands of Black residents, to pause to argue lightly about the Whole Foods that had sprung up on 125th Street.

Both Fay and Oliver have so much emotional baggage and yet embark on the cutest rom-com premise imaginable. I can’t think of a couple that deserves it more. They’re perfectly imperfect; reaching a happy ending doesn’t magically get rid of that baggage, but it’s proof that everyone deserves a movie-perfect meet-cute and a swoonworthy happy-ever-after.

Even though I loved the protagonists and the premise, I did struggle with the aftermath of the Black Moment. My main issue with novellas is that they’re often not long enough to settle conflicts because they rush through the aftermath of the climax, and that’s exactly the case here. The actual Black Moment is satisfactory, both parties self-reflect, and they make up after communicating like real adults (shocking, I know). There’s nothing wrong with any of this on paper, but it just felt…abrupt. Most of the post-Black Moment emotional realizations come when they’re away from each other (one of my favorite scenes is when Oliver talks with his mother toward the end). But when they finally reunite, the ensuing conversation feels short and unfinished. Boom! Happily-ever-after! I know novellas are bound by length constraints, but I wish Oliver and Fay spent more time together after the Black Moment.

Despite my quibbles about the rushed ending, I enjoyed Playing House and look forward to reading future installments set in the NYC real estate community. It’s a must-read for the summer if you’re looking for an adorable, empathetic, and joyful romance. And if like me, you’re having trouble coping with the never-ending stress and misery of real life, I encourage you to pick up Playing House to transport you into another world for a few hours. It might be the escape you desperately need; it certainly was for me.

Cover Snark: Dr. Nips, Private Practice

Aug 12, 2019 03:00 am | Amanda

Cover Snark is here for all your Monday needs!

Amanda: Is his neck the horse part?

Elyse: Yikes. He has too much neck and she has none at all.

Sarah: He looks so uninterested in any kind of redemption – presuming that he is the centaur. It could be her. That would be interesting.

I’ve only read one book with a female centaur now that I think about it.

Carrie: He’s just not into you.

Sarah: He looks so annoyed to be standing in that forest. Like, “Gawd, trees AGAIN?”

Sneezy: Be GRATEFUL you still HAVE a forest, you BRAT! I hope the girl’s the centaur and stomps some goddamn SENSE into him! “WE. NEED. THE. FUCKING. TREES!”

Actually I just hope she stomps him.

Ellen: The man looks like a wax figure of Aaron Eckhart. Also his nipple is like…cradled by the E in “centaur.”

From Antipoedean Shenanigans: I kept seeing this Photoshop disaster in my Goodreads feed and finally decided to send it in for Cover Snark.

Maybe this is what the Brawny paper towel guy’s arms look like without his flannel.

Sarah: I physically recoiled when the image loaded. I get that it’s just the angle, but –

Amanda: His arm looks like one of those bit mutton legs you get at a renaissance fair.

Sarah: I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY THAT. Turkey leg at Six Flags!

Carrie: I’m not sensing enthusiastic consent from her.

Elyse: The more you look at this one the weirder that arm gets.

Sneezy: Shawarma arm.

Ellen: The arm looks like a leg-of-mutton sleeve but its…its just his arm.

Lara: I am dazzled by that eyebrow-smirk combo, but not in a happy way. In a where-is-the-exit-I-must-leave kind of way.

Tara: Jesus fuck, no. My brain is rebuking the arm (and me for looking at it).

From Ashley: This appeared in my Amazon recommended list (likely as some sort of karmic punishment for unknown sins) and I had to suggest it for cover snark. Because I can’t even bear to look at it, let alone figure out what is happening.

Sarah: What do you think the stock image search terms were? ‘Screaming angry muscles flexing with rope and a hoodie?’

Also from Jen, same cover: Wolves, a noose, a masquerade mask, a pregnant belly, and rage-filled or possibly orgasmic men. It’s all there! I don’t even know where to start.

Elyse: That’s a lot of bronzer…

Carrie: Is it a cannibal romance? An as-yet unexplored niche?

Sarah: Oh, gosh I hope not. That’ll give me even more nightmares.

Amanda: It reminds me of the people blob from the movie Slither.

Sneezy: Carrie, NO, Amazon will HEAR you! *jams tin foil hat on head* At least that woman will make out okay. While she floats off to wherever, all the dudes will continue screaming, flexing, or star gazing.

Ellen: Of the many upsetting things on this cover, I think I’m most upset by the casual noose.

Tara: Are the dudes supposed to be roaring? The guy in the front looks like he’s singing, which now makes me think the others might be singing too.

Maya: …why the wolf, tho? And why is the moon radioactive?

Amanda: Is his nipple the delivery?

Elyse: Dr .Nips has been juicing.

Amanda: I wonder if all the Dr. Nips have their own practice.

Sarah: I’m surprised by his nipple. It’s looking at me.

Carrie: Another case of confusing romance with horror. I saw this X-Files episode. It was not romantic.

Sneezy: Is that a cord jammed between his pec and his abs? Is he about to pull an Akira? I’m concerned.

Ellen: New baby who dis.

Lara: Removing a mask + showing a nipple + looking pensive = not a combo that I have ever considered could this be a kink that I was unaware of?