Monday, November 29, 2021

Blog Tour: Beard in Hiding by Penny Reid

Beard in Hiding, the USA Today bestselling companion novel to the Winston Brothers and Solving for Pies series is LIVE! Penny Reid delivers a heartfelt romantic comedy about two lost souls who find love in the most unexpected way.

Propositioning the Iron Wraiths’ money man seemed like a good idea at the time…

Diane Donner—recently divorced pillar of polite society—is craving danger. She’s tired of playing it safe and she knows just the sexy criminal motorcycle man to proposition for a good time. Problem is, she doesn’t actually know his name.

Jason “Repo” Doe never takes risks. So when the queen of local commerce walks into his club, looking to get risky and frisky, Jason knows the smartest thing to do is save himself a headache while saving the new divorcee from her worst impulses.

But then one thing leads to another, and the memory of just-one-night doesn’t feel like enough.

Theirs is a story with no future, because how can a dangerous criminal win (and keep) a queen?

‘Beard In Hiding’ is book #4.5 in the Winston Brothers series, is a full length contemporary romantic comedy about two lost souls in their 40s, and is a companion novel to the Winston Brothers and Solving for Pie series.

If you want to get the full immersive Green Valley world experience, I recommend reading ‘Truth or Beard,’ ‘Beard Science,’ ‘Engagement and Espionage,’ and ‘Marriage and Murder’ beforehand. ‘Beard In Hiding’ contains spoilers for these four books (in specific).

Grab your copy TODAY!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3snwR4z

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2VU86B5

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3j1f1jJ

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2TDE7fI

Amazon Print: https://amzn.to/3cJW2rb

AppleBooks: https://apple.co/3i6y4tI

Nook: https://bit.ly/3781FMQ

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3l6JQ9q

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2URVrOW

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3xa6Ma2

“Fine.” She lifted her chin. “I want someone to court me.”

And there it was. I continued staring at her, counting the seconds as they ticked by. Why she couldn’t just say, I don’t want you, you’re not good enough for me, I had no idea. Did she think I needed to be let down gently?

Well, now. That would be a first.

“I want dinners and flowers,” she went on. “And picnics and romantic gestures. I don’t want to constantly be making excuses for someone, for their lack of ability or skill or generosity.”

I deadened the needlingly ache behind my ribcage, suffocated thoughts and desires long abandoned. “Diane. You don’t need to say anything else.”

“I don’t?” Her features brightened and she approached the arm of the couch. “You understand what I mean?”

“Yes. You mean you don’t want me.” And that was fine, and it made sense, and I wasn’t going to dwell on it, and now I needed to go.

“What?” she snapped, her head tilting to the side like she needed to inspect me from a different angle. “No! No, you irritating man. Did I say that? That’s not at all what I’m saying.”

“Then what do you mean?” I glanced over her head toward the room’s exit, impatient to leave. I didn’t belong here, and I’d rather be stranded outside in a snowstorm than accept any more of her charity.

“I mean, I want you.”

My eyes cut back to hers and as I waited for the but—because there was always a but—I ignored the tightness seizing my lungs, the hope.

When she kept on looking at me, as though expecting a reaction, I prompted, “But?”

“But nothing.” She placed her hands on her hips, her tone salty, impatient.

What? “There’s always a ‘but.’”

“Fine. Yes. Okay. There is a ‘but.’” Her eyes moved like she might roll them, but stopped when they reached the ceiling. “I want you. But . . . only if you want me the same way.”

I stared at her and that’s all I could do because I was so damn confused.

Meanwhile, she peaked at me, nibbling her bottom lip, looking so goddamn gorgeous in her little nighty.

“Do you . . . want me?” The uncertainty in her voice, the vulnerability, hit low in my stomach.

“Pardon?” I choked out because, was hers a real question? How could she not know how much I wanted her? Hadn’t I just kissed the hell out of her? Hadn’t her breast just filled my palm? Hadn’t I just literally said the words, I want you?

Her tongue flicked out to lick her lips and she stepped fully around the couch, her eyes huge. “I’ve been in a lonely, one-sided romance before. I don’t want that. I want something deep, something meaningful for both people involved. I’m not saying we have to get married. Lord knows, I’ve had enough of marriage to last a lifetime. I don’t think I’ll ever get married again. What I’m talking about is something real, authentic, passionate, but also—above all else—loving. Because what I’ve never had, what I’ve never known, is that.”

“I . . . don’t understand.”

Diane took a deep breath and then said loudly, “I want a relationship,” like the words were a painful confession and the only way she could speak it out loud was by shouting them.

I stared at her for a moment longer before finally asking, “With who?”

Her lips twitched. “With you.”

What? “With me.”

“Yes. But a real one, not just—and I can’t believe I’m saying this—not just sex.”

I barely heard a word she’d said, instead repeating, “With me,” again because the idea was absurd. A relationship with me? Is she crazy?

“Yes. With you. As I’ve said.”

“But . . . Why?”

“What do you mean why?” She frowned. It was severe. “Have you met you?”

My review: 5 stars

I did not think I needed a Diane Donner book. Not one bit. After meeting her in Beard Science I had a genuine dislike for her, which I think was well warranted. But she was redeemed somewhat in Engagement & Espionage and Marriage & Murder, so I somewhat hesitantly dove in to see if author Penny Reid could work her magic and completely change my opinion of Diane. Check the box- it's done! I adored her journey with Mr. Repo (and I love that she called him that!) and I LOVED them together. What perfection. It's always fun when books in a series happen simultaneously, and readers are able to learn what happened off-page in other books. I imagine Reid with a giant white board with lots of notes and arrows and exclamation points. Bring on Isaac!

About Penny Reid

Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she writes kissing books. Penny is an obsessive knitter and manages the #OwnVoices-focused mentorship incubator / publishing imprint, Smartypants Romance. She lives in Seattle Washington with her husband, three kids, and dog named Hazel.

Find Penny online

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Saturday, November 27, 2021

FREE Christmas Holiday book!

It’s the season for gift giving!

Five FREE standalone holiday short stories!

COVER CREDIT:

Cover designer: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative

Grab your free copy today, before it goes away!

Available for only a limited time!

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/y20g69cp6x

Hot Item by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

Getting into a fight with a s exy stranger over the last hot toy on the shelf was not the way I intended to spend Christmas Eve. And I certainly didn’t plan on spending hours more trying to win a contest to decide who would get to buy it. But when our time is up, would the toy be the only hot item I wanted to take home?

One Night Only by Lucy Score

After a Christmas Eve concert mishap, divorced Brooke finds herself snowed in with the silver fo x retiring rocker she’s been trying to interview. Will it take a Christmas miracle to get him to open up to her or does the tattooed bad boy of punk rock have other ideas on how to pass the time?

A Kellan Holiday by Tijan

Humans are so simple with their holiday traditions.

They are ignorant of the powerful and majestic creatures among them, like me.

I am the most powerful demon above the surface.

Nothing can stop me...except, w ell, some stupid prophecy.

Holiday Swing by Kennedy Ryan

For our five - year wedding anniversary, my husband decides he wants another woman.

The traditional gift is wood, but okay.

After trying everything with little improvement, our marriage counselor suggests we experiment to reignite our sex life. A swing party is my husband’s adventure of choice.

Once inside, I can’t go through with it. Seeing him walk off with someone else, I realize we want very different things. Our marriage is over, and I have no intention of having a random hook up with a stranger.

But then away from the noise and revelry, I find him.

It’s one illici t encounter. A night with no names and no inhibitions.

I don’t hold back, knowing I’ll never see him again.

And I don’t…until my parents’ Christmas party…

Nochebuena by Marie Force

Nochebuena is the Cuban community’s Christmas Eve celebration, and in this short story, the cast of Marie Force’s Miami Nights Series comes together to mark the holiday after a year of change that's tou ched nearly every member of the family. Catch up with the characters from How Much I Feel, How Much I Care and How Much I Love and get a sneak peek at the couple that will headline book 4, How Mu ch I Want. If you haven’t read the books yet, you’ll still enjoy this short story set in the Miami Nights world!

Monday, November 22, 2021

Cover Reveal: Resolution by Adriana Locke

Title: Resolution

Author: Adriana Locke

Cover Designer: Kari March

Release Date: December 10th

Preorder: https://amzn.to/3kKR8OZ

Synopsis:

From USA Today Bestselling author Adriana Locke comes a workplace romance between a grumpy, alpha architect and his new client—who just so happens to have the blueprint to bring him to his knees.

Romance is not in Wade Mason’s portfolio.

This is tragic. It’s unfair that a man so maddeningly gorgeous—an architect with a deliciously squarish jaw, adorably dimpled chin, and the hottest black glasses that straddle the line between professional and provocative—rebukes all things love.

I knew this well before I walked into his office.

The man is a conundrum—a complicated, steel-wall of a puzzle. On one hand, he brushes against me in the conference room with a broodiness that sets me on fire. He demands in-person meetings nearly every day about the house we’re working on together. I catch him watching me out of the corner of his eye with a look that’s anything but platonic. But any talk of hook-ups, love, or relationships—even in general? Completely off the table.

I’m determined to peel back his layers until I get to the bottom of the mysterious businessman. But my plan is foiled by a surprise that leaves both of us reeling. Neither of us see it coming but it changes everything … forever.

New Release Review: Ignite by Melanie Harlow

Ignite

by Melanie Harlow

Release Date: November 22, 2021

My new neighbor is a firefighter--and a scorching hot single dad--but I swear I didn’t set off that smoke alarm on purpose.

(And I was beyond mortified when he rushed in and saw me naked.)

Nothing happened, of course--because I, Winnie MacAllister, romance junkie and owner of a constantly broken heart, have sworn off men for one solid year.

Even protective men with chiseled jaws, bulging biceps, and deep brown eyes that make my breath come faster. Even former SEALs with broad chests and strong hands that make my skin sizzle. Even gorgeous, grumpy guys who have their hands full raising two adorable little girls and claim they don’t believe in love.

Until Dex kisses me one night, and I drop all my defenses.

(Also my underwear.)

He says he’s not gentle, and he’s right. He says I should take the dream job I’m offered in another state, and he’s right. He says he’s too old for me and could never be the man I deserve.

He’s wrong.

Dex and I might be twelve years apart, but the fire between us is the kind that will never burn out.

How can I convince him to give happily-ever-after with me a chance?

My review: 5 stars

Ignite was PERFECTION. I'm always here for the grumpy/sunshine trope and oh did Dex and Winnie fill those shoes well! It must be said, however, that Dex was absolutely a fantastic dad and that just made me swoon. I'm not typically an age gap fan, but in this case it was a smaller age gap so I wasn't bothered at all. I loved how quickly Dex's daughters took to Winnie and since I'm a nail polish fanatic, I thought it was so cute they bonded over pedis. It is such a treat that author Harlow is giving us the next generation of Cloverleigh Farms romance, but this would also be a great place to start even if you haven't read books 1-5. What a fantastic HEA for the ogre and the princess!

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

New Release: Beard in Hiding by Penny Reid

Beard in Hiding, an all-new companion novel to the bestselling Winston Brothers and Solving for Pies series, is LIVE!