It was a busy, busy release week, with some very good books that have (almost) busted my reading slump! I’ve been loving the opportunity to check out some new-to-me authors, as well as a few whose work I haven’t read in awhile. All four of my favorites this week are written by authors whose work I’m not all that familiar with – and that’s such a great thing (though not so great for my already overloaded TBR!).
If you read my Teaser Tuesday post (found here), you know that it’s another busy release day on the 21st with plenty of exciting new books. I’ll have lots of reviews going up throughout the week!
If you missed any of this week’s reviews, I’ve got the blurb and rating for each below. There’s also a link to my list of the 15 Best of the Year (So Far) and this week’s Deals and Steals list.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ LOVED this
When I envisioned Zara Logan dropping to her knees in front of me, this wasn’t what I had in mind…
I was expecting a lot less glaring and a lot more moaning.
Instead, she’s proposing an enticing deal that I can’t bear to walk away from.
To land one of the city’s biggest clients, she wants us to put our differences aside and play fake fiancés for the next thirty days.
So, I slip the diamond ring onto her finger and agree to play the perfect fiancé. How hard can this be?
A hell of a lot harder than I thought…
She’s infuriatingly stubborn and she thinks I’m a cocky jerk with an enormous ego. (She’s right, but I can definitely back it up…)
As our long days stretch into even later nights, it’s getting harder to remember we’re only playing pretend, which means one thing.
She won’t be faking it for long…
Read the review here
Kindle Edition: https://amzn.to/3h9AdS9
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ SO GOOD
RUSH, a hot new standalone from New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, Deborah Bladon.
I met Case Abbott when I was stepping out of the shower.
I had a towel wrapped around me.
He had his phone in his hand ready to call the police.
I snuck into my brother’s Manhattan apartment so I could surprise him.
Except, I was the one who was surprised. Not only was my brother out of town, but he didn’t own the apartment.
His best friend, Case, did and he had plans for the night that didn’t include me.
After I packed up my things so I could check into a hotel, Case had a change of heart.
He told me I could stay in his guest room until my brother came back.
I should have been hurrying back to my life in Seattle.
Case was needed in California, where he lived most of the time.
But our attraction was undeniable.
The rush I felt when I was with him was addictive.
My gorgeous temporary roommate proposed that we cross the line with the mutual understanding that when my brother returned to New York, we’d go our separate ways.
We both knew there was a risk that someone would get hurt.
Neither of us could have predicted who that would be.
Read the review here
Kindle Edition: https://amzn.to/3emjKb8
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2ZhDoAV
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Sexy and unexpected
Bestselling author Staci Hart brings you a new series where secret society parties and the thrill of the unknown tempt fate.
Stella Spencer has one enemy—her secrets.
The world’s obsession with the Bright Young Things is real. Every lavish party thrown by the most exclusive group in New York is a spectacle, stalked not only by the media, but by the police commissioner, who’s declared war. He’s out to ruin everyone’s good time, starting with uncovering the mysterious benefactor leading the group, thus answering the question on everyone’s lips.
Who is Cecelia Beaton?
And no one knows it’s Stella.
If society finds out the truth, her plans will unravel. And with one smoldering look from a stranger, her carefully ordered world catches fire.
Levi Hunt has one plan—get the story.
His future at Vagabond magazine depends on his ability to do the one thing no one can: infiltrate the Bright Young Things. If he can find out who Cecelia Beaton is, he’ll earn enough notoriety to permanently secure his career.
His dreams are at his fingertips, so long as he doesn’t blow his cover. But one night with the brightest, most brilliant young thing of all, and he knows he’ll have to make a choice.
The job he loves or the woman of his dreams.
Secrets and lies. Love and laughter. And two people with something to hide and everything to gain.
Welcome to the party.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/307yzcR
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Dark and addictive
He kidnapped me. That was how I met Atlas Hyde. A man known by many names and admired by all. But most didn’t know he was ruthless, conniving, and always got what he wanted. No matter the cost. I was a good girl.
Never in trouble with the law.
Never took drugs. Always did precisely what was expected of me. Even with his hand around my throat and words that cut sharper than knives, I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to this beautiful man to make him that way. That wonder disappeared when he threatened to kill my sister if I didn’t follow his dark demands. The good girl I once knew had now been buried alive beneath this game of hatred and lust. And I had a feeling Atlas Hyde never lost.
Read the review here
Kindle Edition: https://amzn.to/38Vp3gB
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Funny but flawed
My name is Calliope and “I bone for a living.” Kidding. I am studying to be a paleontologist though. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to be, and I have finally landed the perfect museum internship to make all of my dino-loving dreams come true.
Trouble is, everyone wants me to be a gentle, loving sort of creature, but I’m more of the T-Rex type by nature – the kind who is determined to stomp and tear her way through any obstacle in order to get what she wants.
But when a sexy, rumbly-voiced astronomer plummets into my orbit and threatens to break open my hard little heart, my career and my whole way of looking at the world is suddenly on the line.
The dinosaurs didn’t see their asteroid coming.
And I sure as hell wasn’t prepared for mine.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3evNB0S
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lust over love
Eleanor Murray is tired.
Tired of going on awkward dates. Tired of meeting men who just aren’t that into her. Tired of being set up on blind dates by her well-meaning friends.
She is a believer of true love, of finding that happily ever after, and she wants it. She deservesit. But at the rate she’s going, she’s pretty sure it’s never going to happen.
Until a friend creates a profile for Eleanor on a new dating app. At first, she’s reluctant. Dating apps aren’t the way to finding true love, are they? But then she makes a connection on Rate a Date, and this gorgeous, confident guy almost seems too good to be true…
Mitch Anderson has a secret.
He’s just moved to Las Vegas for his high profile job and after years of playing the field, he’s looking for a serious relationship. He wants to find a woman who likes him for who he is, not what he does. Meeting Eleanor on the dating app, he’s intrigued. Meeting her in real life while she’s in town for a bachelorette weekend, he completely falls for her. Now he’s in way over his head.
Their chemistry is combustible. They can’t keep their hands off each other. But will Eleanor forgive him when she finds out who he really is?
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3h0mFYZ
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Somber and sweet
A brave woman’s flight from the past leads her toward new love in a novel about courage, hope, and second chances by Catherine Bybee, New York Times bestselling author of My Way to You.
After Erin Fleming escapes from her controlling and abusive ex, she finds refuge in the heart of Santa Clarita, California. Eager to start over, she has a new name, a new look, and a new career. Settled into a private guesthouse, Erin can breathe free. Far from the shadows she’s outrun, Erin is finally learning to live for herself. Her new unexpected friendship with her landlord starts to crack open the armor Erin’s enclosed herself in. But it’s Matt who speeds up the pace of Erin’s heart and makes her wish for things she believes she can never have.
Matt Hudson, a firefighter in one of California’s wildfire epicenters, has a passion for danger. He lives for the adrenaline rush his profession awards him. But his protective instincts take over once Matt meets Erin. So does an attraction he can’t deny. Above all else, he’s determined to prove to Erin that she can trust him. As the sparks between them ignite, so does a real-world danger. Erin’s past is not letting go. It’s just in hiding.
Before Erin’s ex finds her, she and Matt have to find him. And finally put an end to everything that’s becoming a threat to their love, and to Erin’s life.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/38Se5bS
15 Best of the Year (So Far)
You know that feeling you get when you read a great book and there’s just a little bit of magic in the experience? Whether you’re pulled in right away or it slowly gets under your skin, an outstanding book will make you FEEL something. These are the fifteen 2020 releases that have given me that kind of reading experience; I have loved each and every one. They’re an eclectic bunch, ranging from emotional reads to romantic comedies and everything in between, but each one has truly captivated me in one way or another.
We’re officially halfway into the year, so it seemed like the perfect time to look back at my favorite reads of 2020 so far. I’ve read a ridiculous 221 books this year (rom coms are often short, okay), and these 15 books are at the very top of the pack for me. Check out the complete list here.
This Week’s Deals and Steals
New week, new deals!!! There continue to be a ton of great freebies and deals out there on Kindle books, so get clicking and load up your eReader! These low/no price books are the perfect way to try out new-to-you authors without breaking the bank.
They’re sorted into four lists – freebies, 99 cents, $1.99 and $2.99 or more. These deals change daily and it’s almost the end of the month, so grab them while you can! Fair warning: I add new deals as I see them, but only remove expired deals once a week and they sometimes go fast. Check out the complete list here.
Jeeves Reads Romance 
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