Friday, May 24, 2019

#FREE ~ Bedazzled by Madison Michael ~ @madisonmichael_


Bedazzled
The Beguiling Bachelors, Book 1
By Madison Michael


♥♥♥ ~ Free This Weekend Only ~ ♥♥♥

About Bedazzled:

She's fiercely independent. He's thwarted by tradition - Can a brush of her hand be their brush with fate?

A woman with everything to gain.
Keeli Larsen craves success on her own terms. She has no support and less money, but she has talent and big dreams. Determined not to return to the family farm, this is Keeli's last chance to make it. It's also her final opportunity to connect with the out-of-her-league, gorgeous man in the penthouse office - her very own Prince Charming. Although they have never spoken, a crowded elevator, a chance encounter, and a misplaced hand are about to change everything.

A man with everything to lose.
Billionaire and sexy hunk, Wyatt Lyons Howe IV is on track to inherit a family empire he doesn't want. With dreams of his own, Wyatt is suffocating under generations of family expectations and traditions until a brief moment and a brush of a hand set Wyatt on a crash course with love. Can Wyatt turn his back on his heritage to pursue his goals following the lead of this fiery redhead. Can he forfeit his wealth for freedom? Fearing Keeli is a down-on-her-luck artist looking for a bankroll, Wyatt doubts her motives. He's been burned in the past but can't resist the temptation. He is bedazzled.

A challenge accepted.
Wyatt is seduced by Keeli’s spirit and the sizzling chemistry between them. Used to getting what he wants, Wyatt determines to make Keeli his own. But first he must outsmart a scheming fiancĂ©, oppose his family and friends, overcome his doubts, and walk away from his wealth and power. And, of course, he must win her heart.

If you love sassy women and strong sexy men overcoming all odds on their road to romance, buy this steamy page turner, and meet the first of the Beguiling Bachelors.


***Bedazzled has been freshly edited and revised ***

Bedazzled Buy Link:




An Excerpt from Bedazzled:

The chatter in the elevator lightened her mood immediately, reminding Keeli of all the people who had started with only a few dollars and a dream. In many cases, they had made it without knowing the language or customs of their adopted country. By comparison, she had many advantages and instantly felt better about her choice, more confident about moving forward on her own. Mr. Weinberg let her take many of her pieces with her when she left his employ. There had been no severance check, of course, but the ready inventory was a gift. Keeli let the renewed confidence surge through her body, standing straight and looking ahead. Watching her step, careful not to bump anyone with her parcel, Keeli stepped into the divide and moved toward the back.

That was the moment she saw HIM. He was the best thing – by far – about working in this building. She was standing face to face with the virile, gorgeous, sexy man she saw in the elevator regularly. Well, almost face-to-face since he was at least 4 or 5 inches taller than her statuesque 5’10”.

He was what she would miss most about this job – these random opportunities to ride the elevator and watch him, getting to stand close, allowing her imagination to run wild with fantasies – all starring him, of course.

Most of the time, he hid mysteriously behind a pair of Wayfarers, but the rain today afforded Keeli a chance to admire the intelligence and concentration in his azure eyes. He stood with his shoulders back, head towering over everyone’s Looking up, Keeli locked eyes with his, his mouth lifting in a half smile. Keeli shyly dropped her head as a blush rose to her cheeks and her heart sped up. She knew the smile was just politeness. She wanted so much more. She wanted him to notice her the way she noticed him, feel about her as she did about him.
If only he had the same visceral reaction that Keeli had to him, perhaps he would have spoken to her by now. She could not overcome her shyness to initiate a conversation, but if he longed for her as she did him…obviously, he was not interested. Now she would never see him again. Her disappointment was way out of proportion; he was a stranger. But he had this pull on her. Instead of thinking of him as a stranger, she thought of him as hers.
Hers. What a laugh. Wake up Keeli!

Everyone noticed him - man and woman alike. She saw it on elevator rides and when he traversed the lobby. Yes, he was particularly tall, a few inches over six feet. However, it was more than his height that drew the eye. He was compelling, confident, and assured. He was beyond handsome with his chiseled features, thick wavy hair and well-muscled body clad in custom suits. Keeli was drawn to him like a bee to honey. She had seen other women catch his eye, seen them smile and flirt easily. She was overwhelmingly shy when near him, preventing her from ever making him ‘hers’.

They crossed paths at the coffee kiosk or in the elevator at least once a week. She knew she was projecting her own desires, but sometimes it seemed to her that he was seeking her out. Even so, Keeli never exchanged more than a polite “hello” and he was always polite, but aloof. Although she longed for some reason to speak more than pleasantries, she was unable to move past that invisible barrier she felt between them.

Why, oh why is facing forward considered appropriate elevator etiquette? I just want to stare at him one last time. Today needs to be the day to think of something to say, some witty conversation opener. You are running out of time.

Her brain searched now for a reason to speak, knowing it was her last chance. Instead, she reluctantly turned to face the doors. He was standing so close, lazily leaning his shoulders against the back wall. She felt the warmth of his breath on the back of her neck, goosebumps traveling up her arms in response to the moist heat. She was rocked by her immediate, erotic reaction.

Reigning in her body’s response, Keeli reminded herself that the warm breath was a result of proximity, not desire. She was a non-entity to him and had been for the16 months she had worked there. His polished appearance, custom suits and elegant leather briefcase contrasted with her wild red hair, shabby jacket, scuffed boots and faded Old Navy dress. He epitomized class and privilege; she embodied shabby chic. Maybe not even chic - just shabby. She could never bridge the gulf.



About the Author:

Madison Michael is an indie publisher, blogger and the author of the Beguiling Bachelor Series as well as the novella Desire & Dessert, from her sizzling B&B Billionaire Bachelor series.

A Chicago native and hopeless romantic, Maddy was raised on Chicago culture, fairy tales, great literature and swashbuckling movies. Maddy employs that history, writing steamy contemporary romance novels set against the sumptuous backdrop of Chicago’s elite society.

After receiving a BA in Journalism from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago, Madison abandoned her writing to find her way in the corporate business world. Daughter of a librarian, it was inevitable that she would return to the world of books.

Maddy writes from high above Chicago where she can stare at its gorgeous skyline or the shores of Lake Michigan surrounded by feline assistants. When she is not writing,, Maddy can be found lost in a book, fighting for the rights of the mentally iil or dining on Chicago’s famous cuisine. Hot dogs and pizza, anyone?

Social Links:



Wednesday, May 22, 2019

#Review ~ Only Ever Her by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen ~ @marybethwhalen @SarahBurningham

My Review:

Only Ever Her by [Whalen, Marybeth Mayhew]Only Ever Her is the first book I have read by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen. I have to say I was hooked from the first few chapters. There is so much going on in this story and each person has so much to deal with. I just had to keep reading to see what was going to happen next.

From the outside, Annie Taft has everything going for her now after her rough childhood. Annie lost her mother when she was very young. Annie was with her mother when she was killed. The emotions and trauma are still affecting Annie all these years later. On the outside, Annie is a happy young woman with her whole life ahead of her. She's about to marry the man that everyone expects her to marry. She's the happy bride that is anxious to get one with her life.

Now on the inside, Annie is completely devastated from losing her mother. She has been raised by her aunt who along with her cousin moved to Annie's hometown so she would not have to experience any more drama after losing her mother. Annie has a habit of disappearing when life gets rough for her so when she disappears just days before her wedding everyone is hoping that she will return and wonder why everyone is so worried.

Only Ever Her is told from many different points of view. There is Kenny the best friend that not many know about, Scott the fiance that is the "perfect" man for Annie, Clary the cousin that has grown up more like a sister to Annie, Aunt Faye that has been the mother figure for Annie, and Laurel the reporter that Annie is supposed to meet with to talk about her high profile upcoming wedding. Every one of these people has had a huge influence on Annie's life and Annie has been a huge influence on their lives. There is a lot going on and many secrets are revealed as they search for Annie.

This is much more of a Women's literature story than romance which is usually my go-to genre. I like to step out of my comfort zone every now and then and I am glad that I did with this book. If you enjoy a good emotional story then I think you will enjoy this one, I know I did.

I was given the opportunity to read this incredible story and it has been my great pleasure to share my thoughts with you. 

Amazon Buy Link - https://amzn.to/2whKHsU

About Only Ever Her:

Annie Taft’s wedding is four days away, and it will be one of the grandest anyone can remember in her small South Carolina town. Preparations are in order. Friends and family are gathering in anticipation. Everything is going according to plan. Except that Annie herself has vanished. Did she have second thoughts? Or has something much worse happened to the bride-to-be?

While her loved ones frantically try to track her down, they’re forced to grapple with their own secrets—secrets with the power to reframe entire relationships, leaving each to wonder how well they really knew Annie and how well they know themselves.

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

#Review ~ To Tame a Wild Cowboy Cupid, Texas Series by Lori Wilde ~


My Review:
I LOVE Lori Wilde's books. This lady can tell a cowboy romance story that holds me spellbound all the way to the end and then I want MORE! Her books are just a "little" addictive and I love every one of them.

Rhett Lockhart easily fits the description of a wild playboy that loves the buckle bunnies. He's had his fair share of one night stands but this time there is a tiny little baby that has been left behind. Under that bad boy wild child persona is the heart of a good cowboy that loves his family and is taken to his daughter the moment he sees her. 

Tara Alzate has suffered some incredible losses recently. When a sweet little baby girl was abandoned by her mother she quickly steps in. She loves children and she bonds with this sweet little girl, Julie right away. Julie needs care and Tara is a neonatal nurse that is more than happy to give Julie the medical care she needs along with a mother's love. When Julie is released from the hospital she goes home with Tara has her foster mother. 


Rhett and Tara put a plan together after a lot of thinking, planning, and working together. What they didn't count on was the incredible attraction they feel for each other or the feelings that start to grow the more time they spend together as a couple and as a family.


I loved watching Tara form a new opinion of Rhett as she sees how much his daughter means to him and that maybe Rhett isn't that playboy, love'em and leave'em type everyone thinks he can't possibly outgrow


I love that both Tara and Rhett have family that are a big part of the storyline. It's great to see the siblings the parents, and the other kids in the family play a huge part in Tara, Rhett, and Julie's lives. I think it adds so much to the story when you can see how the family interacts. 


This is part of the Cupid, Texas series. So if you have had the pleasure of reading the other books in this series then you are in a for a treat. You are going to get a chance to catch up with old friends. I know I sure did enjoy seeing how things were going with the Alzate and Lockhart family. 


No worries if you haven't had a chance to read the other books in this series. Lori Wilde does a great job of writing the book so that you can truly enjoy this as the first book you have read in the series and not feel like you are missing large pieces of info. You may want to grab a few more books in this series though when you grab this one. They are all SO Good that I know you'll want to grab a few more to devour. 


Overall this is an incredible cowboy story with lots of family involvement, a romance that starts out a little rough that turns into an incredibly sweet yet so hot romance, the love that parents have for a child whether it is a blood child or a child of their heart, and of course there is plenty of drama. There are a few spots that I had to break out the Kleenex. I don't want to tell you too much but there are a few times I was really swiping at those tears.


I have enjoyed all the books in the Cupid, Texas series and I can not wait to see what Ms. Wilde will come up with next. I know I am always excited to hear she has a new book out. She is at the top of my MUST read list. 


I was given the opportunity to read this incredible story and it has been my great pleasure to share my thoughts with you.





~♥~♥~♥~♥~
About To Tame a Wild Cowboy:
What would it take to tame a wild cowboy?

One minute, Rhett Lockhart is a love ‘em and leave ‘em bull rider with a slow, sexy smile, a swagger, and not a care in the world. The next, he learns his free-wheeling days are over: a baby has been abandoned in the hospital, and there’s no question: he’s the father. But from the first moment he gazes into his daughter’s eyes, he knows the moment has come to say ‘no’ to no-strings. It’s time to grow up.

Standing in his way is the baby’s foster mother, Tara Alzate, who doesn’t quite believe Rhett is ready to change his ways. Still, she’s not not immune to his considerable charms. So when he proposes a marriage of convenience and shared custody, against her better judgement, she says “I do.” Can Tara tame this wild cowboy and make her own, long-buried dreams come true?

A Cupid, Texas novel

~♥~♥~♥~♥~
Excerpt: 

He took another step, then another. They were as close as a PB&J on bread. He was the peanut butter, all smooth and creamy. She was the jelly—messy, sticky, shaky.
Her breath lodged in her throat. Her lips—the
disloyal things—pursed of their own accord. She was both hot and cold. Her pulse sped through her veins, heated her insides. Goose bumps chilled her outsides.
Yep, she was a gooey, feeble mess. And yet she did not walk away.
Why not?
Rhett’s eyes drilled into her, dark and sultry. His mouth crooked up in the sexiest of smiles. Energy and eagerness radiated off his body as if he were back in the rodeo arena, cocked and ready for a thrill ride.
As if she were something special.
You’re not special, she scolded herself, not to him. To Rhett Lockhart, women were nothing more than a pleasant way to kill time. That was the old Rhett, something loony inside her whispered. He’s grown up.
But had he? Had he really?
“Tara,” he whispered, his deep voice mesmerizing her like a hypnotist’s watch.
“Rhett,” she said, intending for it to come out crisp and no-nonsense. But good gosh if she didn’t sound like Scarlett O’Hara, flirtatious and sassy.
He rested his arm on the door frame above her head. The door solid against her back. He leaned down, his eyes pinning her to the spot. His mouth widened, and his eyes softened. He touched the tip of his tongue to his upper lip.
A quick, hungry gesture.
She was trembling. Waiting for the kiss she prayed was coming.
He dropped his arm from the door frame, slipped it around her waist, pulled her flush up against him as if they were about to dance the tango.
Tara sucked in her breath, an audible gasp in the quiet room. She wanted this. Wanted him. The longing inside her was acute. She hadn’t wanted anything so overtly sexual since high school when she’d done Cole Nielson’s math homework in hopes he’d ask her to the prom. He had not. He’d gotten a B on the paper and told her that wasn’t prom-worthy work.
But this wasn’t high school, and the man in front of her was not Cole Nielson. This was Rhett Lock- hart. His hair fell rakishly over his forehead and his breath smelled of Juicy Fruit and Corona.
Tingles raced up and down her spine.
It bothered her that she was so easily losing her head. She was known for her ability to stay calm when those around her were losing their shit. Rhett’s older brother Remington had once told her that she’d missed her calling. That with her single- minded focus, attention to detail, and ability to know her place in the grand scheme of things, she should have been a soldier. She’d pointed out those qualities fit nurses just as well.
Rhett reached out and traced her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb.
Brazenly, she snagged his thumb between her teeth, and gently bit down.
A low, rough groan tumbled from his lips.
Spooked, she gulped. Was this happening? Their first kiss? She didn’t raise a hand to resist. Why not? Snap out of it!
“Rhett,” she whispered again, in what she thought was protest, but it sounded far more like entreaty.
His lips hovered above hers. He held her by her shoulders, his warm fingers sinking into her skin. The room was darkened, lit only by the light from the Vent-A-Hood and his phone, which was now playing. The sun had set while they’d been in the kitchen.
Her knees wobbled, buoyant and bouncy. She felt as if she were a tumbleweed, blown willy-nilly across the desert floor, flowing with the wind, unable to control her own destiny. It was concerning . . . and oddly freeing.
Here she was, at the whim of fate. Trembling on the verge of something monumental, if she but dared. Great no-strings-attached sex.
Audaciousness was not her strong suit. Well- thought-out, calculated risk was more her thing. Weighed. Studied. Researched to the nth degree.
Sleeping with him would be the worst move ev- er. She knew it in her heart, blood, soul. But her body, oh, her stupid body, had other ideas. Her toes tingled, nipples tightened, womb warmed.
She would not be one of his casual conquests, no, no, no.
The curtain blew in the breeze, the night air coming inside through the open window, carrying with it the scent of sand and hummingbird mint. Her mouth watered—from the aroma, his nearness, her anticipation, she couldn’t rightly say. Maybe all three.
Julie whimpered from the living room.
Grateful, oh so grateful, for the interruption, she ducked underneath his arm. Grabbed for the for- mula they’d prepared for the baby and thrust the bottle into his hand. Said breathlessly, “Chow time. You’re up, Daddy.”