Friday 30 October 2020

Blog Tour: Happily Ever After in Bliss - Lexi Blake


Happily Ever After In Bliss, the brand new installment in the sexy, must-read Nights in Bliss series by New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake writing as Sophie Oak is available now!


A man hiding from his nature

Henry Flanders never dreamed his past would catch up to him. After all, the man he used to be is dead and buried. He made a clean break with life in the CIA. He moved to Bliss under a new name. For years he has been living a dream, married to his lovely Nell. Now a miracle has happened, and they have a baby on the way. Life is perfect, or rather it was until a violent cartel showed up in Bliss ready to reap their bloody vengeance on the man he used to be.

A woman shaken to her foundation

Nell Flanders has never met a problem she couldn’t handle, but discovering her husband isn’t the man she thought was more than she was prepared for. How can she trust Henry, when John Bishop—the ruthless man he used to be—keeps bringing deadly problems to their door? She has a beautiful life growing inside her, and now she isn’t sure her marriage can survive long enough to welcome their child into the world.

A reckoning that will shake Bliss to its core

Henry isn’t willing to give up on his life with Nell, but it’s going to take some Bliss magic to overcome the forces pulling them apart. When the full weight of Henry’s past comes to bear on the town and the bullets start flying, it might just be Bishop, and some old friends, who can save the day and win back her heart.


Download your copy today!

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/32b3Ttd

Excerpt

“I know you? I thought this whole conversation was about how I don’t know you.” She could feel her panic starting to rise. She’d had these moments lately. They’d come from worry about her pregnancy, about being a mom in the first place. When it felt like she couldn’t breathe, Henry would hold her and kiss her. He would touch her until she cried out and all the worry seemed to fade away.

She wanted him to touch her now, to tell her this was all some ridiculous joke.

“You know all the important parts of me.”

A sudden thought hit her. How deep did her ignorance go? “Do I know your name?”

He went still. “My name is Henry Flanders.”

It was obvious she was going to have to be specific. “Is Henry Flanders the name you were born with?”

“It doesn’t matter what name I was born with. I am who I choose to be.”

She wasn’t about to let him off the hook. “I want to know your name.”

His jaw tightened. “Which one? The one my mother gave me because my father wasn’t around? She named me after the bastard in case he ever came back. She thought it might soften his heart toward me. He never did. Should I give you the name I used as a CIA operative? There were many of those, but Bishop is the one people remember. John Bishop. I’ve gone as Mr. Black. Mr. White. Really whatever color suited me that day. Mostly I should have used red because that was the color of my world then.”

She’d never seen him so on edge. He’d been quietly getting into her space, moving closer and closer with every word.

She was angry with him. Volcanically angry, and yet there was something about this man that called to her. Every time. It was precisely why she’d put up with his moody crap the first time around. She turned her chin up. He towered over her, but she wasn’t about to back down. “How many?”

“Names? I told you.”

She shook her head. “No. How many people have you killed?”

He put a hand on the wall behind her, caging her in. “Myself or on my orders?”

He was pushing her, and the atmosphere of the room was turning into something…dangerous. “How about you give me a nice round number.”

“Hundreds before I met you. Probably thirty or so myself. Many more on my orders, and I can’t tell you that every one of them deserved it. I gave my bosses intel that led to bombings of entire cities.” He stared down at her. “So here I am, Nell. I am everything you write about. I’m the beast who got tamed by a slip of a woman, who changed his whole being because he fell in love. Are you really going to toss me out?”

She shook her head. “You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to challenge me like that. I’m not the one who lied. I have never lied to you.”

“You never did anything you weren’t proud of,” he said, challenge plain in his voice. “You never had to completely reinvent yourself.”

“Are you serious? You act like I never went through anything bad in my life.” There was a tension that charged what little air there was between them. She had to put her hands back against the wall, palms flat against the curve of the logs that formed the cabin. Her breath came out ragged.

He stared down at her and there was more than sorrow in his eyes now. “I’m not saying that.”

“But you are. You had it so rough? You think foster care was a breeze?”

“I know it wasn’t. I spent my time there, too. My mom died when I was young, and there was no one else to take me in. I moved from home to home. I was that kid who kept his shit in a garbage bag because I didn’t have a suitcase.”

“You didn’t lie about that?”

“I only lied about the things I was ashamed of,” he admitted. “This changes nothing between us. Nothing.”

How could he possibly say that? “It changes everything.”

“I am still the man you love.”

She didn’t understand how that could be true. “The man I love would never lie to me. Not about something this important.”

His hand came up and cupped her breast. “I’m still the man who can make you melt.”

God, he was. She knew she should push him away, but it felt too good.

And it might be the last time he ever touched her.

About Lexi Blake


New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem.

Connect with Lexi

Stay up to date with Lexi by joining her mailing list:

Tuesday 27 October 2020

Release Blitz: Happily Ever After in Bliss - Lexi Blake


A man hiding from his nature
A woman shaken to her foundation
A reckoning that will shake Bliss to its core

Happily Ever After In Bliss, the brand new installment in the white hot Nights in Bliss series by New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake writing as Sophie Oak is available now!


A man hiding from his nature

Henry Flanders never dreamed his past would catch up to him. After all, the man he used to be is dead and buried. He made a clean break with life in the CIA. He moved to Bliss under a new name. For years he has been living a dream, married to his lovely Nell. Now a miracle has happened, and they have a baby on the way. Life is perfect, or rather it was until a violent cartel showed up in Bliss ready to reap their bloody vengeance on the man he used to be.

A woman shaken to her foundation

Nell Flanders has never met a problem she couldn’t handle, but discovering her husband isn’t the man she thought was more than she was prepared for. How can she trust Henry, when John Bishop—the ruthless man he used to be—keeps bringing deadly problems to their door? She has a beautiful life growing inside her, and now she isn’t sure her marriage can survive long enough to welcome their child into the world.

A reckoning that will shake Bliss to its core

Henry isn’t willing to give up on his life with Nell, but it’s going to take some Bliss magic to overcome the forces pulling them apart. When the full weight of Henry’s past comes to bear on the town and the bullets start flying, it might just be Bishop, and some old friends, who can save the day and win back her heart.


Download your copy today!

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/32b3Ttd

About Lexi Blake


New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem.

Connect with Lexi

Stay up to date with Lexi by joining her mailing list:

Sunday 4 October 2020

Review: Queen of Volts - Amanda Foody

Return to the City of Sin, where the final game is about to begin… and winning will demand the ultimate sacrifice.

Only days after a corrupt election and brutal street war, one last bloodthirsty game has begun. The players? The twenty-two most powerful, notorious people in New Reynes.

After realizing they have no choice but to play, Enne Scordata and Levi Glaisyer are desperate to forge new alliances and bargain for their safety. But while Levi offers false smiles and an even falser peace to the city’s politicians, Enne must face a world where her true Mizer identity has been revealed… and any misstep could turn deadly.

Meanwhile, a far more dangerous opponent has appeared on the board, one plucked right from the most gruesome legends of New Reynes. As the game takes its final, vicious turn, Levi and Enne must decide once and for all whether to be partners or enemies.

Because in a game for survival, there are only losers…

And monsters.

The Shadow Game Series:
Ace of Shades
King of Fools
Queen of Volts

Visit Amanda Foody's website for more information

Review:
Queen of Volts is the action packed conclusion to Amanda Foody's Shadow Game series. It pics Enne and Levi's story not long after the end of the previous book and they're both struggling to deal with the emotional fallout of everything they've been through. Their relationship is more strained than ever and the trust between them has been completely broken so rather than working together they're now each choosing their own paths. You'll have to read the book for yourself to find out if they manage to work things out or not but there were definitely moments where I wanted to bang both their heads together.

Although the initial game has ended a new, and even more deadly, one has started with all of our favourite characters being forced into taking part. The stakes have never been higher and it's very unlikely they'll all come out of this alive, especially if they can't find a way to work together against a common enemy.

I'm keeping this review deliberately vague because I'd hate to spoil the story for anyone but there was so much action the story kept me on the edge of my seat. While I didn't always agree with the choices some of the characters made it was always easy to understand why they did what they did. We get a few extra points of view in this book which meant we were able to see things from even more angles and that also helped unravel a few secrets and tie some of the ongoing plot threads together.

This was a great conclusion to the series and I'll definitely be waiting eagerly for whatever Amanda Foody publishes next.

Source: Received from HQ in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Paperback / Kindle:


Friday 2 October 2020

Review: No Love Lost - Lexi Blake

When Ezra Fain joined the ranks of the CIA, the last thing on his mind was romance. After meeting Kim Soloman, it was difficult to think of anything else. A tragic mistake drove them apart, leaving him shattered and unable to forgive the woman he loved. But when his greatest enemy threatens her life, Ezra leaps into action, prepared to do anything to try to save her.

Solo accepted long ago that she won’t get over Ezra. She’s worked for years to get back into his life, looking for any way to reignite the love they once shared. Unfortunately, nothing seems to penetrate the wall he has built between them. When she’s arrested for a crime she didn’t commit, she believes she’s on her own.

Racing across the globe, Ezra and Solo find themselves together again, caught in the crosshairs of the agency they sacrificed so much to serve. Days on the run soon turn to steamy nights, but Levi Green isn’t about to let them find their happily ever after. And when the smoke clears, the men and women of McKay-Taggart will never be the same again.

Masters and Mercenaries Series:
The Dom Who Loved Me
The Men with the Golden Cuffs
A Dom is Forever
On Her Master's Secret Service
Sanctum (Novella)
Love and Let Die
Unconditional (Novella)
Dungeon Royal
Dungeon Games (Novella)
A View to a Thrill
Cherished (Novella)
You Only Love Twice
Sweet Child O' Mine (Short Story)
Luscious (Novella) (Topped book 1)
Adored (Novella)
Master No
Just One Taste (Novella) (Topped book 2)
From Sanctum With Love
Devoted (Novella)
Dominance Never Dies
Submission is Not Enough
Master Bits & Mercenary Bites: The Secret Recipes of Topped (Short Story Collection & Recipe Book) (Topped book 2.5)
Perfectly Paired (Novella) (Topped book 3)
For His Eyes Only
Arranged (Novella)
Love Another Day
Master Bits and Mercenary Bites: Girls Night (Short Story Collection & Recipe Book) (Topped book 3.5)
At Your Service (Novella) (Topped book 4)
Nobody Does it Better
Close Cover (Part of the Masters and Mercenaries Crossover Collection)
Protected (Novella)
Lost Hearts (Memento Mori) (Originally published as Memento Mori) (Masters & Mercenaries: The Forgotten Series book 1)
Lost and Found (Masters & Mercenaries: The Forgotten Series book 2)
Enchanted (Novella)
Lost in You (Masters & Mercenaries: The Forgotten Series book 3)
Long Lost (Masters & Mercenaries: The Forgotten Series book 4)
No Love lost (Masters & Mercenaries: The Forgotten Series book 5)

Masters and Mercenaries Crossover Collection:
Close Cover - Lexi Blake
Justify Me - J. Kenner
Say You Won't Let Go - Corinne Michaels
His to Protect - Carly Phillips
Rescuing Sadie - Susan Stoker
Her Guardian Angel - Larissa Ione

Visit Lexi Blake's website for more information

Review:
We have been building up to Ezra Fain and Kim Soloman's book since the beginning of the Masters and Mercenaries: The Forgotten series. We've seen first hand that they're both crazy about each other but at the same time there is a lot of resentment between them for things that happened in the past. Ezra blames Kim for the things that happened between them but at the same time he just threw away their relationship without even trying to see her side of things.

Like a lot of fans I've been really looking forward to their book, I wanted to dig deeper into where things went wrong and I knew their chemistry would be explosive when they finally gave in to it. Lexi Blake never disappoints on that front, especially when she can throw in a lot of danger and push her characters over the edge as they fight for their lives. I'm not going to lie, there were moments when I really wanted to shake some sense into Ezra. The way he kept punishing Kim constantly and always immediately jumped to the worst conclusions about her got really irritating after a while but by the end of the book we do see a huge turn around in his character and he works hard to become a better man for her. I always knew Kim had secrets but I could never have even begun to guess all of them so there were some really brilliant revelations throughout the story too.

I loved seeing all of the Lost Boys come together for one last mission with the help of some of the McKay-Taggart crew, one of the things I've enjoyed most about this series is the ongoing camaraderie between the group and they way they always look out for each other and that hasn't changed here. While I really enjoyed the romance and was happy with the way things turned out for Ezra and Kim I was slightly disappointed that they spent so much time apart, really they were only together for such a short time before their relationship imploded and then they were apart for so long that it was a bit hard to understand why they were still so madly in love with each other. I totally got the sparks flying when they were back in each others vicinity but they'd both spent years longing for each other from a distance. 

That's only a slight niggle in the grand scheme of things though and overall this was a fast paced story full of action and intrigue. It ties together a lot of threads that have been ongoing for at least 5 books now and it definitely leaves the whole Masters & Mercenaries crew in a very different place to where they started. I can't wait to see where Lexi takes this world next because I have a strong feeling we're nothing to be saying goodbye to it any time soon!

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Thursday 1 October 2020

Blog Tour: No Love Lost - Lexi Blake


"Lexi Blake is a master!" 
-- "Jennifer Probst, New York Times bestselling author"

No Love Lost, an all-new sexy and suspenseful, standalone in the Master and Mercenaries: The Forgotten series by New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake is available now!


When Ezra Fain joined the ranks of the CIA, the last thing on his mind was romance. After meeting Kim Soloman, it was difficult to think of anything else. A tragic mistake drove them apart, leaving him shattered and unable to forgive the woman he loved. But when his greatest enemy threatens her life, Ezra leaps into action, prepared to do anything to try to save her.

Solo accepted long ago that she won’t get over Ezra. She’s worked for years to get back into his life, looking for any way to reignite the love they once shared. Unfortunately, nothing seems to penetrate the wall he has built between them. When she’s arrested for a crime she didn’t commit, she believes she’s on her own.

Racing across the globe, Ezra and Solo find themselves together again, caught in the crosshairs of the agency they sacrificed so much to serve. Days on the run soon turn to steamy nights, but Levi Green isn’t about to let them find their happily ever after. And when the smoke clears, the men and women of McKay-Taggart will never be the same again.


Download your copy today!
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/NoLoveLost 
Google Play: http://bit.ly/38eU79Q 
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3agoiiH

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2G2hS8J

Excerpt:

“Kim, stop.” Beck sighed, an exhausted sound. “Please.” 

It was the please that did it. He was so rarely polite to her. She took a deep breath and turned to him. They needed to ratchet down the emotion. It was what always tripped them up. “I don’t think we can work together.” 

“We certainly can’t if I continue to be a massive asshole.” He moved toward her, putting his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry. You’re still a touchy subject for me.” 

She nodded, unable to say a word for fear of unleashing a tidal wave. Not seconds before she’d told herself to tamp down the emotion, but here it was, threatening to overwhelm her and all he’d had to do was touch her. 

“How about we agree that Levi Green is a problem for both of us and we work together to solve it,” he offered. “Kim, we’ve been going in circles for years. Maybe it’s time we find a way to move on. I know I’m tired of hating you.” 

She stepped back. She couldn’t have his hands on her when he used that word. It was wrong when all she’d ever done was love him. “Ariel pointed out that it would be easier on both of us if I stopped showing up in your life.” 

His gaze softened. “Would it? I didn’t see you for a couple of years and it didn’t feel any easier.” 

She let a moment pass. How was it she felt even more vulnerable than she had when she was with Levi? “I know. I’ve tried to move on. I don’t seem to be able to.” 

His hands moved as if he wanted to touch her, but he seemed to rethink the idea. “So maybe we should go about this another way. Maybe we should take this time and do what we didn’t do before. Talk. Try to find a way to get through this. I’m sorry I said what I did about you and Levi. It still hurts and I’m lashing out. All I know is when I thought you were in danger, I knew I couldn’t sit on my hands and let it happen. I can’t do it now either. Let me come with you. Let me help fix this.” 

No. It was the only word she should say to him, and then she should turn and walk out and never look back. If she let him in, he would hurt her no matter how good his intentions were. Beck had always had a well of rage inside him that he wouldn’t deal with, wouldn’t acknowledge even existed. He hadn’t changed. 

“Okay.” She hadn’t changed either. She was still helpless when it came to this man. She was still in love with him and likely always would be. 

He let go of a heavy breath. “Good.” He was silent for a moment, looking her over. “Did he hurt you? Are your wrists okay?” 

She’d managed to get what was left of the zip ties off in the car. She had some red marks on her wrists. 

“They’re sore, but all right. He didn’t slap me around this time.” 

She watched as Beck’s hands formed fists and wished she hadn’t said that. His rage was always simmering under the surface when she was around. 

He seemed to let it go. “All right. We should get on the road. Can you grab some water and protein bars? I don’t know what we’ll find when we get to Paris.” 

She kind of thought she did know. She’d done a lot of homework on Big Tag, and if Rene was who she thought he was, then Beck would feel right at home. 

Still, she grabbed the water bottles and bars and stuffed them in the duffel Steph had provided for her. There were a couple of T-shirts and a pair of sweatpants that would likely be too short, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. 

This was all she had in the world. It was odd. She would have said possessions were meaningless, but now that she had no access to any of the things that brought her comfort, she missed them with all her heart. She had one thing. She reached up and found some peace knowing her ring was still there. All these years and she still had her wedding ring. It hung low around her neck, and she always hid it under her shirt when Beck was around. 

It was all she had left of her marriage. 

“You ready?” Beck fitted a cap to his head and passed her another. “You might want to put your hair up. I know if I was looking for you, all that hair would be the first thing to catch my eye.” 

How many nights had he tangled his fingers in her hair and gently tugged, had he told her how beautiful it was and that he never wanted her to cut it? “Yeah. I’m ready.” 

He stepped in front of her and placed the cap on her head, his gorgeous eyes staring down at her. “I really am sorry I said what I did. Can you forgive me?” 

Her whole soul threatened to melt. She nodded. 

“Can I hug you? I want to. I want to reassure myself that you’re really okay.” 

She nodded again and then she was in his arms for the first time in years. 

“Promise me he didn’t get a chance to hurt you,” Beck whispered. 

He sounded like he actually cared. His arms around her made her feel safer than she had in forever. “He threatened me with a bunch of stuff, but I don’t want to talk about it. I will, but not now.” 

“Okay.” 

They stood there for the longest time, the sound of his heartbeat the only thing she could hear.

About Lexi Blake


New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem.

Connect with Lexi

Stay up to date with Lexi by joining her mailing list:

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