I’m banished to Vermont for a scandal that wasn’t my fault, and broke because my famous father cut me off. And did I mention my roommate stole my boyfriend? Yeah, I’m loving my Moo U experience.
Now I need a job, because this gel manicure won’t upkeep itself. The only available option is the last one I’d ever want–a job as the hockey team’s equipment manager. My plan is to do the bare minimum, get paid, and find my way back into my father’s good graces.
I will not get involved with a hockey player, no matter how hot. They’re cocky. And obnoxious. I know their type, and I’m not willing to risk getting hurt again. Until Lex Vonne glides into my life looking like sin on a stick.
He thinks I’m a spoiled brat. I think he’s using me to get ahead. But the fire I feel when we’re together is like a slapshot to my heart…
Review
I was so excited to hear that there was a new hockey series coming out…Moo U. If you have not already guessed, I love hockey! Combine that with a good romance novel and this girl is one happy camper!!! 🙂 I absolutely loved Slapshot by Rebecca Jenshak! Rebecca has a similar writing style to Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy, two of my favorite authors. I loved the characters in this story. Lex and Kaitlyn were amazing characters! I loved the determination of both characters in their own lives. The determination to be who they were going to be regardless of what other people thought. I also loved the determination of each of the characters in their love lives. Both Lex and Kaitlyn knew what they wanted and then went for it! This is the first book that I have read by Rebecca Jenshak and I must say it made a great first impression. Rebecca wrote a story that was not only believable but also one that kept you turning the pages and wanting more after the story was done. I can’t wait to read more in the Moo U series and I can’t wait to read more by Rebecca Jenshak!
Rebecca Jenshak is a new adult romance author. A Midwest native transplanted to the desert, she likes being outdoors (drinking on patios) and singing (in the shower) when she isn’t writing books about hot guys and the girls who love them.
What if Romeo wore hockey skates, and Juliet was raised on a farm next door? As a life-long Vermonter, there are three beliefs I’ve always held true: 1. Our family farm is everything 2. Hockey is a close second 3. The Todds next door are our sworn enemies But this season will test everything I stand for.
I have an illicit side job that could cost me my hockey scholarship. And now Maggie Todd knows my secret. She’s waiting for the right moment to use it against me. But every time I face off against her, I learn things I shouldn’t want to know. Like how deeply her competitive streak runs, and how sexy that is. And how easy it is to make her blush… everywhere.
An Adler and a Todd cannot be lovers. Breaking that rule is like pulling a pin on a grenade–everything in my life could blow up. Can we surrender to these feelings… or will our families’ feud make us its next casualty?
Review
I was so excited to hear that there was a new hockey series coming out…Moo U. If you have not already guessed, I love hockey! Combine that with a good romance novel and this girl is one happy camper!!! 🙂 I absolutely loved Blindsided by Victoria Denault. Victoria has a similar writing style to Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy, two of my favorite authors. The characters were well developed and the storyline was believable. I absolutely loved Maggie and Tate and their antics. I loved all the fights they got into and I loved the twists and turns that Victoria Denault put in the story with the “Romeo and Juliet-esk” family feud. The one thing that shocked me, but also made the story that much more amazing, was when what the family was feuding about was revealed…this was a curveball that I did not see coming! I won’t tell you what it is, but I will tell you, it was not what I predicted and this twist was not even on my radar. As a first-time reader of a Victoria Denault book, this one certainly made a great…no fantastic first impression. I absolutely loved Blindsided by Victoria Denault and will be picking up more books in the Moo U series as well as more books by Victoria Denault.
Victoria’s love of books began at 12 when she picked up her first Sweet Valley High and grew from there. Her favorite childhood gift remains the 1930s typewriter her parents found at a garage sale which actually wasn’t a gift for her. It was meant to be a display piece in their front hall but Victoria snuck it into her bedroom and it was on that typewriter she first began pounding out her own stories.
When not writing books Victoria can usually be found on a beach somewhere. Her favorite beaches are La Concha in San Sebastian, Spain, Zuma Beach in Malibu California and Ocean Park, Maine.
Thank you to Leesa Bow for the gifted copy of Cocky Notes. All opinions expressed here are my own.
Synopsis
Who thought writing ‘LOSERS’ on a menu could lead to an affair of love notes?
It didn’t start out as love. How could it when I vowed never to fall in love…
Reef Burton, the sexy blue-eyed football player, and his mates are definitely not ‘Losers’ yet writing it on a menu gave me reason to smile. Only it didn’t make it to the trash.
He returns to the restaurant where I work wearing his killer smile. I wasn’t to know those squiggly lines and arrows meant something. An offensive play his football team learned at an earlier training session. Coming here discussing the team plays over coffee helps… so he says.
He’ll see what I wrote. Apart from it being awkward the next time I serve him he could also report me to my boss.
I can’t lose my job when in hindsight I need two to pay all the bills rolling in, and to care for my invalid father.
I’m thankful he kept it as our secret.
Until he left me a note.
Responding will only lead to more trouble.
So when Mr Blue Eyes-Blond Surfy-Hair gives me one of his spine tingling looks, how can I resist?
Review
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED this book! I have never read anything of Leesa Bow’s before, but I am so glad that I got a chance to read this book. It was AMAZING!!! From the wonderful characters to the fantastic story line, this book was absolutely the best! What I thought might be a straight forward novel, was one full of twists and turns that I did not expect…and I loved each an every one of them. I think they all make the story what it is! I cannot rave enough about how much I liked this book!! I really enjoyed that the book was set in Australia and that Leesa Bow provided a list of terms at the beginning of the book to help the reader understand the lingo. It was exciting for me to have the novel set in a place that I have always wanted to visit. While there was not too much about Australia, it made me want to travel there even more! 🙂 I am sad that I just discovered Leesa Bow, however, I am super happy that there are many more books of hers that I can enjoy! Make sure to puck up this book…you won’t regret it!!
PS: At this time, this is my FAVORITE book in all of the Cocky Hero Club books that I have read!!
Rating
This is for sure a 5+++++ star book for me!!!!!
Meet the Author
Leesa Bow is a best selling author who began her writing journey years ago when her daughter fell ill. Falling into writing for therapy Leesa now can’t imagine doing anything else. Thankful to be following her passion for romance, she is living out her own happy ever after with her husband in Brisbane, Australia.
In her spare time Leesa enjoys watching sport, having beach days with the family, catching up for coffee with girlfriends, and taking long walks.
Leesa is a member of Romance Writer’s of Australia (RWA).
Thank you Elle Kennedy for the gifted copy of The Dare. All options expressed here are my own.
Synopsis
Meet Taylor Marsh. College was supposed to be her chance to get over her ugly-duckling complex and spread her wings. Instead she wound up in a sorority full of mean girls. Taylor already has a hard time fitting in with the girls of her sorority, so when her Kappa Chi sisters issue her a challenge, really a dare, she can’t say no,
THE DARE: Seduce the hottest new hockey player in the junior class!!
Meet Conor Edwards. Coner is a regular at the Greek Row parties…and truth be told the Greek Row sorority beds! Coner is the kind of guy that ones falls for before you learn that guys like Coner do not give girls like Taylor a second glance. However, throwing Taylor for a loop, he actually lets her take him upstairs and pretend they are getting busy.
To Taylor’s surprise, Coner love games, and actually wants to keep pretending that they are together, as he thinks it is fun to pull the wool of the eye’s of Taylor’s frenemies. However, resisting Coner’s charm and surfer-boy hotness is pretty much impossible. And that is when Taylor realizes there is much more to Conor’s story that those in his fan club see.
The longer the silly ruse goes on, the more Taylor worries it will all blow up in her face!
**This is Book 4 in the Briar U series
Review
I have loved Elle Kennedy’s writing since the first time I read one of her books, and this book did not disappoint!!! Elle Kennedy has a way of writing that “plops” you right into the story (this is a good thing, trust me!!) and doesn’t let you out until you have reached the very end…and I loved every minute of it!!! While this was Book 4 in the series, it did not matter that I had not read the other 3. Elle writes with plenty of detail, so you don’t feel like you have missed a thing! I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was to have Taylor as a main character…someone with curves instead of the beautiful, stick thin characters that are in many other romance books that I have read. It was refreshing to read of a character who had an issue with their body (not that I wish anyone to have an issues with their body) and bring a real-life issue into a romance story, that many romance books do not touch on. I feel like there are so many people that can relate to this story line, and I was pleasantly surprised (in a good way) that body image was included in this book. Elle Kennedy is a FANTASTIC writer and I can’t wait to pick up another one of her books!! These are books that I defiantly get lost in and do not “surface” until I have read the entire book in one sitting! I hope you enjoy Elle’s writing as much as I do!!
Rating
Excerpt
“Thank you,” she breathes the moment we’re alone.
“No problem. Mind if I make myself comfortable?”
“Um, yeah. I mean, no. I don’t mind. Sit if you want. Or—wow, okay, you’re lying down.”
I grin at her visible nervousness. It’s cute. While I stretch out my six-foot-two frame amid the stuffed animals and decorative pillows on the bed, she remains the startled rabbit plastered against the door and breathing heavily.
“Gotta be honest,” I tell her, entwining my hands behind my head, “I’ve never seen a girl so unhappy to be locked in a bedroom with me.”
This has the desired effect of loosening her shoulders and even eliciting a shy smile. “I have no doubt.”
“I’mConor, by the way.”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, I know.”
“What’s the eyeroll for?” I ask, playing wounded.
“No, sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. Just, I know who you are. You’re, like, campus famous.”
The more I watch her, hands braced at her sides against the door, one knee bent, dirty-blonde hair a little messy and draped over one shoulder, I can’t help picturing myself holding her arms above her head while I explore her body with my mouth. She’s got very kissable skin.
“Taylor Marsh,” she blurts out, and I realize I don’t know how long we were silent until then.
I scoot to the far side of the bed and put a pillow beside me as a divider. “Come on. If we’re going to be in here awhile, let’s at least make friends.”
Taylor laughs out a breath and with it she releases a bit more tension. She’s got a nice smile. Bright, warm. It takes a bit more coaxing, however, to get her on the bed.
“This isn’t like a move,” she tells me, lining up stuffed animal guards to patrol the pillow wall between us. “I’m not some sort of weirdo who tricks men into getting in bed with her and then mauls them.”
“Sure.” I nod with mock seriousness. “But a little mauling would be okay.”
A New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.
Elle writes romantic suspense and erotic contemporary romance for various publishers. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!
In April I participated in a Buddy Read with the We Be Book’N Book Club. Late last year I discovered Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy, and I absolutely love their books. When this came up as a buddy read, I couldn’t join the read fast enough!!!
Synopsis
Warning: Contains rabid hockey fans, misunderstood dick pics, hockey players at the opera and exploding ovaries.
Meet Hailey Taylor Emery. She owns a business, Fetch – an anonymous virtual assistant service, with her ex-husband and has a hunch that her favorite client is actually hockey star Matt Eriksson. While it is against company rules to check is file (remember anonymous), she believes in her gut that she spends 95% of her day texting with her lifelong crush and catering to his every need.
Meet Matt Eriksson. Hockey player and still not over the destruction of his marriage. As he tries to move on, Matt believes that hockey and long-term relationships are a toxic mix. Matt’s ex-wife drives him insane and he hardly every gets to see his kids. The only person who understands is someone Matt has never seen the face of.
Enter a pair of hockey tickets. Hailey can’t resist hockey tickets and Matt can’t resist Hailey. But, will hockey and the sting of previous relationships get in the way of a relationship before it even gets started?
Last year I stumbled on author Elle Kennedy due to another buddy read with We Be Book’N. I read the first couple pages of the book in the buddy read and I was hooked. More recently I discovered Sarina Bowen, and just like with Elle, I was hooked!!!
I loved the story of Hailey and Matt. While Elle and Sarina write romance novels, there are so much more to their books than romance. Elle and Sarina are both geniuses when it comes to character development and ever character they write about make the story what it is. Sarina and Elle touch on all parts of relationships…the good, the bad, the heartbreaks, the makeups, and everything in between. They make you wish you were in a relationship with the characters in the book (especially the hockey players…I mean who can resist a hockey player). I can’t tell you enough how good at writing these authors are, other than to say I generally start a book and am so hooked that I finish the book the day I started it! There will be many more books by Sarina and Elle in my future and there should be books by these two in your future too!!!
Rating
About the Authors:
Sarina Bowen is the award-winning author of more than thirty contemporary novels. She has hit the USA Today bestseller’s list thirteen times and counting. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina holds a BA in economics from Yale University.
Sarina is a New Englander whose Vermont ancestors cut timber and farmed the north country since the 1760s. Sarina is grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing and wi-fi during the intervening 250 years. On a few wooded acres, she lives with her husband, two boys, and an ungodly amount of ski and hockey gear.
Sarina’s books are published in a dozen languages on four continents.
A New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.
Elle writes romantic suspense and erotic contemporary romance for various publishers. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!
This month, I was again a part of a book review tour hosted by Goddess Fish Promotions. They had a number of books this month to choose from to review, and Cross Crease by Elizabeth Hartey sounded great – I mean who doesn’t love a book about hockey that also has a good love story in it. So, I signed up right away and couldn’t wait to dive into this book!!!
Synopsis
Meet Heaven – since the age of 14 she has been in love with hockey goalie Damon Wolfe.
Meet Damon Wolfe – the biggest-off-the-ice player in the NHL and Heaven’s best friend.
But, Heaven has a problem. At the age of 21, all she wants to do is loose her virginity to Damon Wolfe. It seems like the perfect plan to her, only there is one problem…Damon Wolfe doesn’t want to ruin the friendship that he and Heaven have built over the years. All Heaven wants is for Wolfe take her virginity and teach her about sex.
Wolfe, also has a problem. The first time he met Heaven and saw her turquoise eyes, he fell in love with her (when she was 14 and had a mouth full of braces). However, at the time, Heaven was way too young for him and Wolfe was more damaged than he cared to admit to anyone. Now that Heaven is 21, not only is she his best friend, but also Wolfe feels that he needs to protect her…from him!!!
Will Heaven gets what she wants from Wolfe? Will Wolfe give in and allow their friend ship to be ruined? Check out Cross Crease to catch all the action!!!
Review
I love a good romance novel. However, the way this book started out was a bit shocking to me! In the first 3 pages there was talk of Wolfe receiving a blow job in the middle of the living room while Dak (Wolfe’s roommate and Heaven’s older brother) and Heaven were having a conversation on the computer. I defiantly was not expecting this book to be this descriptive in the first 3 pages!!!! Once I got over the shock of how quickly the book incorporated a sexual act, without having much plot line to read and to get to know the characters with, I really began to enjoy the book. Elizabeth Hartey wrote a wonderfully descriptive book of the struggles people can get into with relationships. Throughout the book, you could imagine and feel the anguish that each of the characters were feeling. You felt their sorrow and their joy. And for those wanting to know, yes, there was quite a bit of sexual scenes in the book, however, not so much that it look away from the story line in the book. In fact, the amount that were included, actually mostly added to the story line of the book and the emotions that the character’s were feeling. Overall, this was a good read. I had not read anything by Elizabeth Hartey in the past, and I was glad to have discovered her. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy a good romantic story and those that love hockey.
Rating
Excerpt from Cross Crease…
But with Pippa (aka Heaven), everything’s changed. I want to breathe her in, get to know everything about her. I don’t know how to explain it. She brings something to my life I’ve never had, a luminescence wiping away my dark past.
Believe me, I know how this sounds. A few months ago, if I had heard any other guy spewing this schmaltz, I would’ve hurled my most recent meal and called him a little bitch. Hell, I did call my teammate, Dalt, a vagina back when he was getting all moony-eyed about Nik, and she didn’t want anything to do with him.
Now? Let’s just say I understand his predicament. I want Pippa like I’ve never wanted anything or anybody. Problem is, although Pip claims she’s only looking for a quick deflowering, I know she’s girlfriend material with a capital G.
I. Am. Not. Interested in having a girlfriend, in case you misunderstood my previous confession. Never had one. Never want one. By now, you must see where this is going.
But to be clear, let me reiterate. Pip is a girl and she’s a friend but with a big slash between the two words. She is, in fact, the only girl/friend I’ve ever had. I enjoy hanging out with her like I would any guy friend. Except, in Pip’s case, a small problem has developed. Or should I say, a rather big, hard problem? I don’t drool over any guy friends when they’re walking down the beach. I don’t get hard every time I think about one of them, or dream about pounding balls deep into them. Eww. There’s a thought I’ll never be able to erase from my mind. See my dilemma here? To say the friendship lines have been blurred when it comes to Pip is the understatement to end all understatements.
Giveaway!!!
Click HERE to be entered into a drawing to win a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Nobel gift card from author Elizabeth Hartey!!!
Lost in a Book after a Day of Social Work 