Almost Just Friends (Wildstone #4) by Jill Shalvis Blog Tour/Giveaway/Excerpt

Coming to a bookstore near you January 21, 2020:

Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis

Piper Manning’s about as tough as they come, she’s had to be. She raised her siblings and they’ve thankfully flown the coop. All she has to do is finish fixing up the lake house her grandparents left her, sell it, and then she’s free.

When a massive storm hits, she runs into a tall, dark and brooding stranger, Camden Reid. There’s a spark there, one that shocks her. Surprising her further, her sister and brother return, each of them holding their own secrets. The smart move would be for Piper to ignore them all but Cam unleashes emotions deep inside of her that she can’t deny, making her yearn for something she doesn’t understand. And her siblings…well, they need each other.

Only when the secrets come out, it changes everything Piper thinks she knows about her family, herself…and Cam. Can she find a way to outrun the demons? The answer is closer than she thinks—just as the new life she craves may have already begun.

The last time a woman had ordered Cam to strip had been a very different scene altogether, and it’d been a while. Generally speaking, he liked to be behind the wheel in most situations, but he’d never had any complaints about a woman driving in his bed. “Interesting bedside manner.”

“Okay,” she said. “How about strip, please.”

He laughed, and he realized that until tonight, it’d been a damn long time for that too. “Well, since you asked so nicely . . .” But still he hesitated.

“Trust me, I’ve seen it all before.”

He pulled off his shirt, wincing when the cotton stuck to the deepest slice across his chest.

Piper blinked, and for the first time all night, appeared short of words.

It was pretty damn cute, especially with the mud on her nose. “Thought you’ve seen it all before.” She bit her lower lip, eyes suddenly hooded, and he couldn’t resist teasing her. “So, how do I stack up?”

That got her, and she rolled her eyes. “Like you don’t know. Sit.”

The couch seemed too . . . personal, so he sat on her coffee table. She dropped to her knees at his side and doctored up first the cut on his left palm from where he’d nicked himself in his dad’s kitchen, and then the two slices on his left biceps, and then the biggest one across his chest, during which time he did his best to ignore the feel of her soft breath on his skin and failed.

When she’d finished, she looked down at his cargoes and saw the blood seeping through from his thigh. Rising to her feet, she stepped back, gesturing for him to lose the pants too.

“Seriously,” he said. “Doesn’t even have to be dinner. An appetizer would work.”

“If you’re real good, I’ll give you a sticker.”

“How about letting me look at your secret secret bucket list instead?”

Her eyes narrowed. “How about we stop talking now?”

“Wait.” He cocked his head. “Does this mean you also have a secret bucket list? And possibly a not-so- secret bucket list?”

She had hands on hips; a fresh, clean gauze in one hand, antibiotic ointment in the other, her expression dialed to Not Feeling Playful.

With a rough laugh, he stood and took the gauze and ointment from her. “I got this one, Doc.” And then he gestured for her to turn around.

She did with a smirk, and then spoke over her shoulder. “Didn’t peg you for the shy type.”

“Oh, I’m not shy.” He shoved his icy, muddy, wet cargoes to his thighs, and yeah, the cat had come within two inches of de-manning him. “Just didn’t want to have to fight you off.”

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I always get verbal consent first. And I bet you didn’t want me to see your tighty-whities.”

He gritted his teeth as he cleaned out the cut. Son of a bitch, that cat had gone deep. “They’re not tight and they’re not white.”

“Batman undies?”

“Commando,” he said, and that shut her up. When he’d finished and pulled his pants back up, he lifted his head and found her facing him. His brows went up. “See anything you like?”

Instead of answering, she blushed. And he grinned because, yeah. She’d definitely seen something she liked.

From Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis, published by William Morrow. Copyright © 2020 by Jill Shalvis. Reprinted courtesy of HarperCollinsPublishers https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062897800/almost-just-friends/

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Website: http://jillshalvis.com/

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New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website, www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Title: Almost Just Friends: A Novel
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Paperback; 384 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (January 21, 2020)
ISBN-10: 0062897802
ISBN-13: 978-0062897800
Author's Website: https://www.jillshalvis.com/
Notes:  I received an eARC loan from the publisher for review purposes. This in no way affected by review or rating.



"You're the one always fixing everyone's life, everyone's but your own, of course. But even the Fixer needs help sometimes."

Piper Manning has just turned thirty and she isn't anywhere near where she wanted to be at this time of her life. She's had to put everything on hold--her hopes and dreams--to keep her family together. Her parents followed by her grandparents had passed away, and it was left up to her to keep what was left of her family together. Now, with both her siblings out of the house, she plans to make her dream of becoming a physician's assistant a reality. She just needs to sell the family lake house to make it happen. When her siblings come home unexpectedly, however, she'll find things may be more complicated than she imagined...

It's been three months since Camden 'Cam' Reid lost his brother, Rowan, in a car accident. He is suffering from a bad case of survivor's guilt. His plan was to come to Wildstone to check up on his father and then get back to his work on the East coast, but when he arrives he finds his father isn't in the best of conditions. He starts to wonder if an extended stay may be necessary...

As both Piper and Camden know, life doesn't always go as planned, and as they shall soon find out plans are sometimes meant to be broken. Sometimes for the better, and sometimes someone who could almost just be a friend can turn out to be something more...

This is the fourth book of the Wildstone series and it was written to be a standalone book. Each book in the series is a separate entity from the others with only an occasional character or two loosely overlapping in the stories. The town of Wildstone is the glue that binds of this series together. It's the place where each novel in the series takes place. If you haven't read one of these novels you're in for real a treat. The novels tackle some serious issues with heart, love, and compassion. The books leave you with the feeling that love, family, and good friends can conquer all or at least lighten the sting life can have.

At thirty, Piper is the family Matriarch. She has always appeared strong and tough on the outside because she's had to, but even she has her soft spots. For years she's put her own needs on hold. She's an EMT who is quick thinking and used to being the first to take charge of a bad situation. She's a little anal about keeping lists because they'd saved her neck more than once. One of the things on her list of 'Life Rules' is to 'never, ever, EVER, under any circumstances fall in love.' She's loved and she's lost a lot in her short life and that admission reveals a lot about her.

Cam is DEA agent and is on the reserve list for the Coast Guard. His relationship with his dad isn't what he'd like it to be, but he was raised by his mother after his parents divorced while his brother had been raised by his father. Cam lived with his mother on the East coast while Rowan and his dad had lived on the West. The two brothers had only recently established a close bond when Rowan had died.

Cam hasn't been in many romantic relationships over the years because most women can't handle his not being able to talk specifics about his job. It's literally his job, at times, to keep certain things secret. As he gets to know Piper he realizes she's not like other women. Being that she's an EMT she understands and gets what his job requires. In her he starts to see something he's never let himself see before--a future.

If I had to sum this story up in one sentence it would be the following: This is a story about two perfectly imperfect families who come together to form one perfectly perfect family. The quote which I feel exemplifies the story is:

"It's okay to be broken. Broken can be fixed."

I couldn't help but give this one 5 out of 5 roses. The story was engaging from the very first page. The heat between Cam and Piper was sizzling hot from the moment they met. I adored seeing these two people who thought they would never find love find it with each other. I also loved that the vibe 'we're family and family sticks together and supports each other no matter what' permeated the story even though it wasn't ever stated. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed.This is a story I HIGHLY recommend. I loved it.

Order of the Wildstone series:

Novella associated with the series:
(Should be read after 'Lost and Found Sisters' but before 'Rainy Day Friends')

Enter for a chance to win a print copy of  'Almost Just Friends' by Jill Shalvis

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When the Marquess Was Mine (The Wagers of Sin #3) by Caroline Linden Blog Tour

When the was Mine by Caroline Linden

Available now at a bookstore near you!

In the game of love…

Georgiana Lucas despises the arrogant and cruel Marquess of Westmorland even before learning that he’s won the deed to her friend Kitty’s home in a card game. Still, Georgiana assures Kitty the marquess wouldn’t possibly come all the way to Derbyshire to throw them out—until he shows up, bloody and unconscious. Fearing that Kitty would rather see him die, Georgiana blurts out that he’s her fiancé. She’ll nurse the hateful man back to health and make him vow to leave and never return. The man who wakes up, though, is nothing like the heartless rogue Georgiana thought she knew…

You have to risk it all

He wakes up with no memory of being assaulted—or of who he is. The bewitching beauty tending him so devotedly calls him Rob and claims she’s his fiancée even as she avoids his touch. Though he can’t remember how he won her hand, he’s now determined to win her heart. But as his memory returns and the truth is revealed, Rob must decide if the game is up—or if he’ll take a chance on a love that defies all odds.

Chapter One
1819

It was to be a bacchanal for the ages.

As Heathercote remarked, a man only turned twenty-nine once. Marlow pointed out that a man also only turned twenty-eight, or thirty, once as well, but they were well used to ignoring Marlow’s odd points of reason, and this one was promptly forgotten.

Heathercote planned the entire affair, inviting the most dashing, daring rogues and scoundrels in London. He declared it to be the invitation of the month, and that he’d turned away several fellows for lacking wit, style, or both. “You mean they aren’t up to your standard of mayhem,” said Westmorland, whose birthday it was, to which Heathercote mimed tipping his hat in acknowledgment.

After a raucous dinner at White’s, they decamped for the theater. The production was well under way when they invaded the pit in search of amusement. By the time the show ended, they had drunk a great deal of brandy, thrown oranges at the stage, and lost Clifton to the company of a prostitute.

Everyone’s memories ran a bit ragged after that, with vague recollections of singing in the streets and Marlow casting up his accounts somewhere in Westminster, but eventually they settled at the Vega Club. It was so late, the manager tried to dissuade them from play. Mr. Forbes knew every one of them could wager for hours, and the Vega Club closed its doors at dawn.

But Heathercote persuaded him to let them in and to give them the whist salon all to themselves. “We’ll leave by noon,” he promised, patting Forbes on the chest as he slid a handful of notes into the man’s hand. His words were remarkably steady for a man who’d been drinking for eight hours. Grim-faced, Forbes let them in, where they commandeered the main table and called for yet more wine.

A few intrepid souls followed them from the club proper. Forbes tried to stop them at the door, but Forester recognized one and waved them in. “We don’t mind winning their money,” he said with a hiccup.

They played whist, then switched to loo. One loser was dared to drink off the contents of his full flask in one go, which he did. The room filled with cigar smoke and ribald language, and the wagers grew extravagant. Marlow won a prize colt off Forester. Heathercote wagered his new phaeton and ended up with someone’s barouche. Sackville won the largest pot of the night, and everyone pelted him with markers.

And then one of the hangers-on spoiled it. He had the look of a country fellow new to London, with an arrogant bluster that was initially amusing but eventually turned annoying. He’d played well enough, winning a bit and losing with colorful curses that made the rest of them roar with laughter. But it became abruptly clear that Sir Charles Winston was in over his head when he wagered his house.

Marlow laughed. Heathercote picked up the scribbled note Winston had put forth and read it with one brow arched. “Can’t wager property, Winslow.”

The man was already ruddy from drink, and now he turned scarlet. “Can so! Your fellow wagered a horse.”

“Horses are portable,” said Forester, his Liverpool accent bleeding through. “Houses are not.”

“Houses are worth more!”

“Aye, too much more.” Heathercote flicked the note back across the table. “Markers.”

“I haven’t got any more markers,” muttered the younger man. For a moment everyone focused in surprised silence on the empty space in front of him. None of them had run out.

“Then fold your hand,” Forester told him. “You’re out!”

Winston’s chin set stubbornly. His mate tried to slide some markers toward him, but he angrily shoved them back. “Give me a chance to win it back.”

“All the more reason to walk away, if you’ve lost ‘em all.” Marlow waved one hand, nearly toppling out of his seat. Mr. Forbes, watching grimly from the corner, came forward. “Forbes, Windermere is done.”

“Sir Charles,” murmured the manager. “Perhaps it’s time to go.”

“Not yet!” Winston scowled at them all, shaking off his friend’s quiet attempts to get him to fold.
“Not now, Farley! They got a chance to turn their luck. Why shouldn’t I?”

“Luck is like the wind,” said a new voice. Nicholas Dashwood, the owner of the Vega Club, stepped out of the shadows. “It rarely turns propitiously.”

Winston stubbornly sank lower in his seat. “I deserve ‘nother chance.”

Heathercote slung his arms over the back of his chair. “Well, West? What say you? Shall we let him stay and wager away everything he’s got?”

Lounging in his seat, the Marquess of Westmorland looked up in irritation. “Really ought to go, Winsmore.”

“Wins-less, more like,” snickered Marlow.

Winston sat up straighter in his seat. “Please, my lord.”

“Oh, let him ruin himself,” muttered Forester, shuffling his cards restlessly.

The marquess lifted one shoulder. “Damned if I care.”

“Sir Charles,” said Dashwood evenly, “do not wager what you cannot afford to lose.”

Winston scooped up the scribbled paper and added a line, signing his name with a flourish. “I won’t, sir.”

But he did. Within four hands, he’d won a bit and then lost it all—including the deed. Suddenly he did not look so belligerent or so stubborn. He looked young and quite literally green, staring at the winning hand, lying on the table.

“Should have listened,” said the unsympathetic Heathercote. “Should have left.”

Winston puffed up furiously. “Should have known better than to play with the likes of you!”

“Di’n’t y’know that before you sa’ down?” Marlow’s words slurred together. “Stupid bloody fool!”

“That’s my home!”

“And you risked it at loo!” Heath made a derisive noise. “Idiot.”

Winston was the color of beets. “Don’t call me that.”

Sackville raised one brow. “No? ’S not your home anymore.” He reached out and plucked the scrawled paper from the pile of markers and examined it, although his eyes never quite managed to focus on it. “It ‘pears to be West’s.”

His friends howled with laughter. “He doesn’t need it,” cried Winston. He made a convulsive grab for the paper before his lone remaining friend caught his arm. “He’s got a dozen houses!”

“Set it up as a brothel, West,” suggested Forester. “And give all your mates discounted fees.”

“Free!” yelped Marlow with a wheezing laugh.

Winston drew a furious breath, but instead of continuing the fight he turned and rushed from the room, rather unsteadily; he wrestled with the door, and then almost tripped on his way out, causing more howls of laughter from the table. His friend helped him back onto his feet before the door closed on them both.

“Who invited him?” asked Heathercote in disdain.

“Marlow.”

“Ballocks,” mumbled Marlow, putting his head down on the table. “Never did. Was Forester.”

Forester made a rude gesture. “I vouched for the other man, Farley.”

“Your friends are all bad ton,” said Sackville.

Forester’s face tightened. He rose and swung his wineglass into the air in a toast, spilling some. “Thank you all for a most exciting evening, gentlemen.” Pointedly he bowed only to Viscount Heathercote and Lord Westmorland. Sackville repaid him with a rude gesture at Forester’s back.

Heathercote protested, but Forester waved him off and left. With Marlow asleep on the table and Sackville still giggling drunkenly to himself, Westmorland placed his hands on the table, hesitated as if gathering strength, then heaved himself to his feet. “The carriages, Dashwood.”

Stone-faced, the owner left. Westmorland surveyed the table. “Did I win the last?”

“Aye,” said Heathercote with a wide yawn.

“Credit it all, Forbes,” said the marquess. “God above, I’m tired.”

As expressionless as his employer, the manager stepped forward. With an air of distaste, he picked up the deed promise and held it out. “I cannot credit this, my lord.”

West stared at it. “Damn. Right.” He stuffed it into the pocket of his jacket and staggered out into the morning sunlight with Heathercote, never guessing the trouble that wagered deed was about to cause him.

Caroline Linden

How to connect with Caroline:

Visit her website: http://www.carolinelinden.com/index.html

Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Caro_Linden

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Caroline Linden was born a reader, not a writer. She earned a math degree from Harvard University and wrote computer code before discovering that writing fiction was far more fun. Since then, the Boston Red Sox have won the World Series three FOUR times, which is not related but still worth mentioning. Her books have been translated into seventeen languages, and have won the NEC-RWA Reader's Choice Award, the Daphne du Maurier Award, the NJRW Golden Leaf Award, and RWA's RITA Award. She lives in New England.

Title: When the Marquess Was Mine: The Wagers of Sin
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: The Wagers of Sin
Format: Paperback; 400 pages
Publisher: Avon (September 24, 2019)
ISBN-10: 006291359X
ISBN-13: 978-0062913593
Author's Website: http://www.carolinelinden.com/index.html
Notes: I received an eARC of the book from the publisher for review purposes. This in no way affected my review or rating. As an ARC is not a final version of the book, any quotes I have used are subject to change and will need to be verified against the final copy.


A night of drunken revelry, a wager of a house, an attack by highwaymen, and a little white lie could all lead to Georgiana Lucas' ruin or, perhaps, to her friend Kitty's salvation...

The Marquess of Westmorland is not a saint nor the nicest person in the ton, but he's also not the monster many believe him to be. When he wakes up after a night of celebratory fun, he finds he's won the deed to a house, although he remembers nothing about it. The last thing he needs is another piece of property or another lecture from his mother about it, but when he hears the rumors the fool of a man who he won the house from is spreading, he decides a lesson needs to be learned. So he sets off with the deed to the man's ancestral home with a plan that's just forming...

Georgiana believes there are no redeeming qualities to the Malicious Marquees, as she likes to refer to the Marquess of Westmorland. She met the scapegrace, who would one day become a duke, years ago and if she never saw him again, it would be too soon. But when she finds the louse bloody, beaten, and at death's door she finds she can't leave him to his fate. Osborne House is the obvious choice to take the man to, but Georgiana is unsure how Kitty, the Lady of the house, will receive him if she knows who he truly is. The Marquess won the deed to Kitty's house during a game of cards against Kitty's husband, Charles. Charles believes the Marquess is on his way to kick the occupants of said house out. So in an effort to save the man's life, Georgiana makes the split second decision to say he is someone else. The first name that enters her head is that of her fiance, Lord Sterling. Before she can stop herself,  or think better of it, his name pops out. She figures she'll suffer the consequences of her actions later, but when he awakes things get even more complicated...

"Sterling," he said. At the door, his hand on the latch, the doctor paused. "Why do you keep saying that?"

For the first time, the doctor's smile faded. "Do you not know who that is?" The subtle change to his voice was deeply alarming.

Instead of replying he looked to the woman, who had been tugging the blankets into place but now stopped and raised her head to stare. Her perfect pink mouth formed a circle. Shocked.

"No," he said slowly.

The doctor adjusted his spectacles and came a step nearer. "No?" (...)

"Do you not recognize your fiancee, Lady Georgiana?"

He looked up at her, at her beautiful, fearful green eyes. "No," he said tensely.

"And do you not know your own name?"

"Of course I do," he said. "It's..." (...)

He didn't know his own name. There had been nothing on his lips...

This is the third book in the Wagers of Sin series, and it was an utter pleasure to read. It can be read as a standalone, but be forewarned, you're going to want to read all the books in the series. I somehow missed reading the second book, and now I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of it. I loved this book so much, where do I begin?

First, I loved the amnesia scenario the author set up. At the beginning I feared it might be a historical rewrite of  the movie 'Overboard' because the Marquess was said to be such a despicable character, but thankfully it was not. Our heroine is a sweet, kind, and caring individual who finds herself in the awkward position of having to lie to one of her best friends for an honorable reason--to save the Marquess of  Westmorland's life. What seems like a little white lie quickly escalates, as lies often do, into a web that Georgiana finds difficult to extract herself from. As you can imagine, the lie leads to a whole lot of trouble and a number of awkward and funny situations.

Rob, the Marquess of Westmorland is handsome, smart, and a notorious rogue who tends to look down his nose at people and mock them. He's the heir of the Duke of Rowland, one of the oldest and richest titles in all of England, and he is considered to be one of the most eligible bachelors of the ton. He also happens to be ill-mannered and mean-spirited. Georgiana has witnessed his cruelty first hand and will not soon forget it. When Rob wakes up three days after he is attacked with amnesia, his personality is notably different. Rob appears to not be all she believed him to be, but is that just because of his amnesia, or is she now seeing a truer version of the man? If his memory returns will he go back to being the man she despises? Georgiana finds she likes the new and improved version of the Marquess and finds herself yearning for things she should not.

Normally I don't like it when a character ends up leaving her betrothed for another man, but in this instance, Georgiana's fiance, Lord Sterling, seemed to not have time for her. The two have been engaged for 2 years and her brother and fiance still hadn't come to terms over her marriage settlements even though her father had set aside specific funds for her dowry. Additionally, he never seemed to want to be with her. He was always gallivanting around with his friends instead of staying with her at various events and functions put on by the ton. When Rob believes himself to be Georgiana's betrothed, the attention he lavishes on her is in stark contrast to that of Sterling. It makes her question her relationship with her fiance, and that's when things get both complicated and interesting.

I couldn't help but give this one 5 out of 5 roses. I absolutely loved it. It alternated between being serious, funny, endearing, sweet, and sexy. It also had a touch of drama mixed in towards the end which added whole other level to the story. The chemistry between Georgiana and Rob was so strong it practically scorched my fingers with ever turn of the page. It took some doing for Rob to win me over after finding out what had happened between him and Georgiana, but eventually, he did. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed. I HIGHLY recommend this one!

Notes to keep you in the Know:
You may wonder whether or not a person's personality can change for the better after severe head trauma, and the answer is 'yes'. Check out the article entitled 'When personality changes from bad to good" written by Christian Jarrett via the following link:
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20180108-when-personality-changes-from-bad-to-good

Order of The Wagers of Sin series:

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Book Depository

Books-a-Million

IndieBound

Giveaway/Sneak Peek/Review of Brazen and the Beast (The Bareknuckle Bastards, #2) by Sarah MacLean

 Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean

New York Times Bestselling Author Sarah MacLean returns with the next book in the Bareknuckle Bastards series about three brothers bound by a secret that they cannot escape—and the women who bring them to their knees.

The Lady’s Plan

When Lady Henrietta Sedley declares her twenty-ninth year her own, she has plans to inherit her father’s business, to make her own fortune, and to live her own life. But first, she intends to experience a taste of the pleasure she’ll forgo as a confirmed spinster. Everything is going perfectly…until she discovers the most beautiful man she’s ever seen tied up in her carriage and threatening to ruin the Year of Hattie before it’s even begun.

The Bastard’s Proposal

When he wakes in a carriage at Hattie’s feet, Whit, a king of Covent Garden known to all the world as Beast, can’t help but wonder about the strange woman who frees him—especially when he discovers she’s headed for a night of pleasure . . . on his turf. He is more than happy to offer Hattie all she desires…for a price.

An Unexpected Passion

Soon, Hattie and Whit find themselves rivals in business and pleasure. She won’t give up her plans; he won’t give up his power . . . and neither of them sees that if they’re not careful, they’ll have no choice but to give up everything . . . including their hearts.

Chapter One

September 1837

Mayfair

In twenty-eight years and three hundred sixty-four days, Lady Henrietta Sedley liked to think that she’d learned a few things.

She’d learned, for example, that if a lady could not get away with wearing trousers (an unfortunate reality for the daughter of an earl, even one who had begun life without title or fortune), then she should absolutely ensure that her skirts included pockets. A woman never knew when she might require a bit of rope, or a knife to cut it, after all.

She’d also learned that any decent escape from her Mayfair home required the cover of darkness and a carriage driven by an ally. Coachmen tended to talk a fine game when it came to keeping secrets, but were ultimately beholden to those who paid their salaries. An important addendum to that particular lesson was this: The best of allies was often the best of friends.

And perhaps first on the list of things she had learned in her lifetime was how to tie a Bosun knot. She’d been able to do that for as long as she could remember.

With such an obscure and uncommon collection of knowledge, one might imagine that Henrietta Sedley would have known precisely what to do in the likelihood she discovered a human male bound and unconscious in her carriage.

One would be incorrect.

In point of fact, Henrietta Sedley would never have described such a scenario as a likelihood. After all, she might have been more comfortable on London’s docks than in its ballrooms, but Hattie’s impressive collection of life experience lacked anything close to a criminal element.

And yet, here she was, pockets full, dearest friend at her side, standing in the pitch dark on the night before her twenty-ninth birthday, about to steal away from Mayfair for a night of best-laid plans, and…

Lady Eleanora Madewell whistled, low and unladylike at Hattie’s ear. Daughter of a duke and the Irish actress he loved so much he’d made her a duchess, Nora had the kind of brashness that was allowed in those with impervious titles and scads of money. “There’s a bloke in the gig, Hattie.”

Hattie did not look away from the bloke in question. “Yes, I see that.”

“There wasn’t a bloke in the gig when we hitched the horses.”

“No, there wasn’t.” They’d left the hitched—and most definitely empty—carriage in the dark rear drive of Sedley House not three-quarters of an hour earlier, before hiking upstairs to exchange carriage-hitching dresses for attire more appropriate for their evening plans.

At some point between corset and kohl, someone had left her an extraordinarily unwelcome package.

“Seems we would’ve noticed a bloke in the gig,”

“I should think we would have,” came Hattie’s distracted reply. “This is really just awful timing.”

Nora cut her a look. “Is there a good time for a man to be bound in one’s carriage?”

Hattie imagined there wasn’t, but, “He could have selected a different evening. What a terrible birthday gift.” She squinted into the dark interior of the carriage. “Do you think he’s dead?”

Please, don’t let him be dead.

Silence. Then, a thoughtful, “Does one store dead men in carriages?” Nora reached forward, her coachman’s coat pulling tight over her shoulders, and poked the dead man in question. He did not move. “He’s not moving,” she added. “Could be dead.”

Hattie sighed, removing a glove and leaning into the carriage to place two fingers to the man’s neck. “I’m sure he’s not dead.”

“What are you doing?” Nora whispered, urgently. “If he’s not dead, you’ll wake him!”

“That wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world,” Hattie pointed out. “Then we could ask him to kindly exit our conveyance and we could be on our way.”

“Oh, yes. This brute seems like precisely the kind of man who would immediately do just that and not immediately take his revenge. He’d no doubt doff his cap and wish us a fine good evening.”

“He’s not wearing a cap,” Hattie pointed out, unable to refute any of the rest of the assessment of the mysterious, possibly dead man. He was very broad, and very solid, and even in the darkness she could tell that this wasn’t a man with whom one took a turn about a ballroom.

This was the kind of man who ransacked a ballroom.

“What do you feel?” Nora pressed.

“No pulse.” Though she wasn’t precisely certain of the location one would find a pulse. “But he’s—”

Warm.

Dead men were not warm, and this man was very warm. Like a fire in winter. The kind of warm that made someone realize how cold she might be.

Ignoring the silly thought, Hattie moved her fingers down the column of his neck, to the place where it disappeared beneath the collar of his shirt, where the curve of his shoulder and the slope of…the rest of him… met in a fascinating indentation.

“Anything now?”

“Quiet.” Hattie held her breath. Nothing. She shook her head.

“Christ.” It wasn’t a prayer.

Hattie couldn’t have agreed more. But then…

There. A small flutter. She pressed a touch more firmly. The flutter became firm. Slow. Even. “I feel it. She said. “He’s alive.” She repeated herself. “He’s alive.” She exhaled, long and relieved. “He’s not dead.”

“Excellent. But it doesn’t change the fact that he’s unconscious in the carriage, and you have somewhere to be.” She paused. “We should leave him and take the curricle.”

Hattie had been planning for this particular excursion on this particular night for a full three months. This was the night that would begin her twenty-ninth year. The year her life would become her own. The year she would become her own. And she had a very specific plan for a very specific location at a very specific hour, for which she had donned a very specific frock. And yet, as she stared at the man in her carriage, specifics seemed not at all important.

What seemed important was seeing his face.

Clinging to the handle at the edge of the door, Hattie collected the lantern from the upper rear corner of the carriage before swinging back out to face Nora, whose gaze flickered immediately to the unlit container.

Nora tilted her head. “Hattie. Leave him. Let’s take the curricle.”

“Just a peek,” Hattie replied.

The tilt became a shake. “If you peek, you’ll regret it.”

“I have to peek,” Hattie insisted, casting about for a decent reason—ignoring the odd fact that she was unable to tell her friend the truth. “I have to untie him.”

“Not necessarily,” Nora pointed out. “Someone thought he was best left tied up, and who are we to disagree?” Hattie was already reaching into the pocket of the carriage door for a flint. “What of your plans?”

There was plenty of time for her plans. “Just a peek,” she repeated, the oil in the lantern catching fire. She closed the door and turned to face the carriage, lifting the light high, casting a lovely golden glow over—

“Oh, my,” she said.

Nora choked back a laugh. “Not such a bad gift after all, perhaps.”

The man had the most beautiful face Hattie had ever seen. The most beautiful face anyone had ever seen, she imagined. She leaned closer, taking in his warm, bronze skin, the high cheekbones, the long, straight nose, the dark slashes of his brows and the impossibly long lashes that lay like feathers against his cheeks.

“What kind of man…” she trailed off. Shook her head.

What kind of man looked like this?

What kind of man looked like this and somehow landed in the carriage of Hattie 

Sarah MacLean

A life-long romance reader, Sarah MacLean wrote her first romance novel on a dare, and never looked back. She is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical romances and a columnist for The Washington Post, where she writes about the romance genre. She lives in New York City. Visit her at www.sarahmaclean.net.

Title: Brazen and the Beast: The Bareknuckle Bastards Book II

Classification: Adult Fiction

Genre: Historical Romance

Series: The Bareknuckle Bastards (Book 2)

Format: Paperback; 560 pages

Publisher: HarperLuxe; Larger Print edition (July 30, 2019)

ISBN-10: 0062911503

ISBN-13: 978-0062911506

Author's Website: http://www.sarahmaclean.net/

Notes: I received an eARC loan from the publisher for review purposes. This in no way affected my review. 

She is determined to get what she has always dreamt of...

Lady Henrietta 'Hattie' Sedley is firmly on the shelf, and that is okay with her for she has a plan. A four-point plan to captain her own fate... Business. Home. Fortune. Future. It is the eve of her twenty-ninth birthday and at this point anyone who wishes to marry her will be after her dowry, and she does't want to be married to someone who only wants her for her dowry. After years of going to ball after ball, suffering through one Season after another, she's decided it is time to take fate into her own hands. She is convinced if she can prove herself, her father will let her manage and takeover the family business. She believes there is only one obstacle in her way, that once removed will clear the way for what she desires, and that is to do away with the one thing that is prized about her, her innocence. That brings us to the fifth point on her list--Body. She is determined this will be her year. The Year of Hattie!

He is determined to find the person who'd been stealing from him...

Beast, one of the brothers known as the Bareknuckle Bastards, has had four shipments stolen on route to his customers. The latest being taken from underneath his very nose. While riding with his crew, they are set upon by thieves, and minutes later he awakes in a carriage to a woman's voice. When she dispatches him from her moving carriage, he quickly rights himself and sets about finding her. Something easily accomplished when one has spies all over the city. She is his only lead. 

    "They call me Beast."

     She shook her head. "That's"--she searched for the word--"ludicrous."

     "Why?" 

     "Because...you're the most beautiful man I've ever seen."(...)"I imagine it's meant to be ironic?" 

     "It's Not," he said, lowering his hand. 

     She blinked. I don't understand." 

     "You will."

     The promise sent a thread of unease through her. "I will?"

     He reached for her again, cupping her cheek in her palm, making her want to turn into the heat of him. "Those who steal from me. Who threaten what is mine. They see the truth of it." 

This is the second book in The Bareknuckle Bastards series and, oh my goodness, if there's one romance you have to read this year, this is it. The book is devilishly delicious, or dare I say, Bewitchingly Beastly? Either way, this one turned up the heat, and whoever dared Ms. MacLean to write her first novel has my sincere thanks.  

This series centers around three brothers and a sister. The brothers were all born on the same day, in the same hour, at the same minute to different women, but to the same father. The sister was born on the same day, in the same hour, at the same minute, but to a Duchess of whom the Duke was not the father. The daughter, ironically, was the only one considered legitimate of the lot. The boys would have been forgotten if the Duke could have sired more heirs or his daughter, who wasn't really his, had been born a boy. The Duke, however, needed an heir so he replaced the daughter with one of the brothers who then became the Duke's heir while the "sister" and other two brothers, then fourteen, fled to the streets to get out from under the thumb of the cruel man they dared not call father. There they made their own way, on their own terms. They are the base for the series, and Beast is one of the siblings who fled. 

Saviour Whittington, aka Beast, is a man of few words. He, his brother, Devil, and their sister, Grace, grew up on the darkest streets of London doing what they needed to survive. They clawed their way up, bringing those around them with them, and are recognized and revered in the Rookery of Covent Garden which they claimed as their own. Known as the Bareknuckle Bastards, they are said to be the most powerful men in East London. They are not the types one messes with. They are smugglers by trade, but also own several above board businesses, and have secured the loyalty of all who dwell in Coven Garden through money, might, and, most importantly, the way they do business. 

Hattie is the daughter of an Earl, however, she grew up on the docks. Her father wasn't born into the aristocracy, he earned his title from the King for nobility at sea. He owns one of the biggest shipping companies in London, and Hattie knows the workings of it inside and out. She's smart, keen, and clever, but unfortunately was born female in a man's world. She feels she doesn't fit in anywhere and is determined to prove to her father she should inherit the company, and not her brother who undoubtedly would ruin it. When she finds an unconscious man in her carriage she immediately knows who to blame--her brother--and wonders what he's gotten himself into. She soon finds out.

When Hattie and Beast meet, sparks fly. They are well matched in many ways even though they seem to be complete opposites, and most would think them to be an unlikely pair. They both feel a bit like misfits who don't quite fit in anywhere. As they get to know one another, however, she appears to be the yin to his yang and vice versa. Though they come from different worlds, the biggest hurdle they have to overcome is Hattie's brother's ill planned scheme to steal from the Bareknuckle Bastards. An action which could get him killed.

I couldn't help but give this one 5 out of 5 roses. Ms. MacLean never disappoints, and this book is another example of why she is one of my favorite romance writers. It was a fun and sexy romance that was enjoyable in the extreme. This is my favorite story of the year thus far. The chemistry between these two was so thick you could practically cut it with a knife. The way Hattie seems to fascinate Beast, against his better judgement, made me smile. The first couple of chapters had me grinning from ear to ear while ensnaring me hook, line, and sinker. I was a total goner, and couldn't put the book down until I finished. For the record, I've read this one twice--something I rarely do especially in quick succession! On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a  SHOWER rating--a cold shower is necessary (need I say more?). Some books should come with a warning - make sure your significant other is handy or your shower is in working order. lol I HIGHLY recommend this one!

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Giveaway, Excerpt, & Review of Devil's Daughter (The Ravenels #5) by Lisa Kleypas

Devil's Daughter

by Lisa Kleypas

Although beautiful young widow Phoebe, Lady Clare, has never met West Ravenel, she knows one thing for certain: he’s a mean, rotten bully. Back in boarding school, he made her late husband’s life a misery, and she’ll never forgive him for it. But when Phoebe attends a family wedding, she encounters a dashing and impossibly charming stranger who sends a fire-and-ice jolt of attraction through her. And then he introduces himself...as none other than West Ravenel.

West is a man with a tarnished past. No apologies, no excuses. However, from the moment he meets Phoebe, West is consumed by irresistible desire...not to mention the bitter awareness that a woman like her is far out of his reach. What West doesn’t bargain on is that Phoebe is no straitlaced aristocratic lady. She’s the daughter of a strong-willed wallflower who long ago eloped with Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent—the most devilishly wicked rake in England.

Before long, Phoebe sets out to seduce the man who has awakened her fiery nature and shown her unimaginable pleasure. Will their overwhelming passion be enough to overcome the obstacles of the past? Only the devil’s daughter knows…

“If you have any misguided thoughts about taking me into your bed, you would find it a vastly mediocre experience. I’d be on you like a crazed rabbit, and half a minute later the whole thing would be over. I used to be a proficient lover, but now I’m a burnt-out libertine whose only remaining pleasure is breakfast food. Speaking of which—”

Phoebe reached for him, brought herself up hard against him, and interrupted him with her mouth. West flinched as if scalded and held very still in the manner of a man trying to withstand torture. Undeterred, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him as passionately as she could, touching her tongue to his stiff lips. The feel and taste of him was exhilarating. Suddenly he responded with a primitive grunt and his mouth clamped on hers, wringing sensation from her with demanding pressure. Forcing her lips apart, he searched her with his tongue the way she remembered, and it felt so good, she thought she might faint. A whimper rose from her throat, and he licked and bit gently at the sound and sealed their mouths together in a deep, insatiable kiss that involved his lips, breath, hands, body, soul.

Whatever it might be like to go to bed with this man . . . it would be anything but mediocre.

Connect with Lisa Kleypas

Website: https://lisakleypas.com/

Facebook: @LisaKleypas

Twitter: @LisaKleypas

Instagram: @LisaKleypas

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleypas graduated from Wellesley College with a political science degree. She’s a RITA award-winning author of both historical romance and contemporary women’s fiction. She lives in Washington State with her husband Gregory and their two children.

Title: Devil's Daughter: The Ravenels meet The Wallflowers 
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Ravenels
Format: Paperback; 384 pages
Publisher: Avon (February 19, 2019)
ISBN-10: 0062371932
ISBN-13: 978-0062371935
Author's Website: https://lisakleypas.com/
Notes: I received an eARC loan from the publisher for review purposes. I must also admit I  am a HUGE Lisa Kleypas fan.


Lady Clare, Pheobe to friends and family, is just coming out of mourning and back into society two years after her husband's death. The marriage had been a love match, and while she's open to the possibility of love, she has no delusions as to how rare a second chance at it would be. When she meets the man who tormented her husband in his youth, she instantly dislikes him, but as she gets to know him things get...complicated. He's not at all what she pictured. He is handsome and charming with a devilishly wicked sense of humor. He draws her out from under the rain cloud that's been hovering over her since her husband's death. Would falling for the man who bullied her husband all those years ago be a betrayal???

West Ravenel parents died when he was you and was sent off to boarding school when none of his relatives could be bothered to raise him or his older brother. Truth be told, he had been a holy terror. Later he gained a reputation for being a rake. Somewhere along the way, however, he grew up and became a man to be admired, but he still feels as thought he's someone who just doesn't quite fit in. When he meets Lady Clare he is instantly enamored by the beautiful, warm young widow, but being as she is a Duke's daughter, he believes she's way too good for him and well above his reach . But is she...

"It's an unfair fact of life that the worst men end up with the best women."  

This is the fifth book in the Ravenels series and I think I just died and went to heaven. Lisa Kleypas is one of my favorite authors and I adore her stories. She tends to expertly entwine love, passion, family, and friendship into her novels, and this one was no exception. How did I love this book?  Let me count the ways...

First, I love that Ms. Kleypas included characters from one of her previous series. While you can read this book as a standalone I truly recommend that you don't. There are some scenes in this book between Sebastian, the Duke of Kingston, and his lady wife Evie (who were the prevalent characters in the Wallflower series) that you cannot possibly fully appreciate unless you've read the "Devil in Winter" first. I absolutely loved those scenes, and knowing Sebastian still loves his wife as much as he did when we were first introduced to the couple just brought a smile to my face and warmth to my heart. Plus, there are some parallels that Sebastian, Pheobe's father, sees between himself and West Ravenel that you won't pick up on unless you've read "Devil in Winter". So definitely read it, if not the whole Wallflower series, before this one. You'll be glad you did.

Second, I loved seeing Sebastian play matchmaker. I adored watching as he oh, so subtly pelts West with questions aimed at determining the man's character. I think I fell in love all over again with Sebastian as he watched out for his daughter, and had only her best interest at heart. It was so fun to see what kind of father he turned out to be. 

Third, I loved how West was with Pheobe's children. The scenes where the kids and West interacted were just so precious. You could just feel any doubts you may have had about the man just melt away as he displayed both patience and care when he played with the children and diligently answered their questions. It was utterly charming.

Fourth, and probably the most important. I loved how Pheobe and West were together. The chemistry between them was phenomenal, but it was more than that. You could just tell these two would fall madly and deeply for each other. It felt like the reader was watching two soul mates finally find their other halves. It was simply swoonworthy.    

Fifth, I love it when an author uses parallelisms to convey a certain thought, message, moral lesson, or idea to the reader. It's sort of like a verbal underlining used to emphasize something going on in the story by pairing it with another similar yet less obvious situation. It highlights what the author wants the reader to grasp on to and/or see. In this story Ms. Kleypas uses a cat to create the parallelism. See if you can figure out what it is the author is emphasizing. (Yes, I'm being very vague because I'm trying not to give too much of the story away.)   

I could go on and on about this one, but lets just say I equate reading this book to eating warm ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies that just hit the spot without all the calories. It's like indulging in a guilty pleasure without any of the guilt. Basically, it's like partaking of comfort food for the soul that warms your heart all while making you believe in the magic of love and the power of forgiveness. 

If you haven't figured it out, I gave this one 5 out 5 roses. I absolutely loved it. The characters were engaging and extremely three-dimensional. The romance was sweet, charming, and sexy as all get out. Additionally, there was a nice dose of humor mixed in with an interesting look at life during an era in the midst of change. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed. I HIGHLY recommend this one. It's Kleypas at her best. Who could ask for anything more? Um, well, er, except for another book and another and....  Well, you get the picture. *SMILE* 

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