Ten Most Anticipated Contemporary Romances for the Second Half of 2016

The Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge is hosted by Gone with the Words and Love at First Page. As part of the challenge they are setting a different topic every month that participants can choose to join in with which I think is a brilliant idea so you can expect a post like this to appear at random most months throughout the year.

The July Prompt is:

Ten Most Anticipated Contemporary Romances for the Second Half of 2016

(Links below will take you to the book's Goodreads Page)

1. Bound to Submit - Laura Kaye
2. Rock Wedding - Nalini Singh
3. Sweet Little Lies - Jill Shalvis
4. It Ends With Us - Colleen Hoover
5. The One Real Thing - Samantha Young
6. Don't Tempt Me - Lori Foster
7. The Sapphire Affair - Lauren Blakely
8. Hard Rules - Lisa Renee Jones
9. The Protector - Jodi Ellen Malpas
10. Bedmates - Nichole Chase

Are any of these books on your list? Which other contemporary romances should I be adding to my wish lists?

Review: Heating up the Holidays - Anthology

As leftover turkey and stuffing give way to stockings and little black dresses, this tantalizingly sexy eBook bundle offers up holiday-themed novellas from a trio of beloved romance authors. Lisa Renee Jones gives a dedicated reporter and a powerful businessman a chance to count their Thanksgiving blessings in Play with Me; Mary Ann Rivers presents Snowfall, the story of a woman who confronts a life-changing event—hopefully with a special man by her side—just in time for Christmas; and in Serena Bell’s After Midnight, an explosive New Year’s kiss leaves two strangers wondering whether they’ll ever see each other again.

PLAY WITH ME by Lisa Renee Jones

Kali Miller has spent three years reporting fluff stories, waiting for the article that will launch her career to new heights. When she suddenly finds herself forced to take a job as an executive secretary at a Vegas casino, Kali meets the subject of what will surely be a shocking exposé: her boss, Damion Ward, the arrogant and undeniably sexy CEO. But after Damion invites her to help him plan a Thanksgiving charity event, Kali begins to see another side of the man. And when she surrenders to the exhilarating tension simmering between them, Kali hopes her story will have a happy ending.

SNOWFALL by Mary Ann Rivers

Jenny Wright can’t get enough of her erotic conversations with someone she knows only as “C.” Flirting online helps Jenny temporarily escape confronting the changes to her life as she slowly loses her vision. Jenny’s occupational therapist, Evan Carlisle-Ford, is helping her prepare for the challenges ahead, but the forthright, trustworthy man can no longer ignore his growing attraction to his fiercely intelligent client. Now Jenny must choose between the safe, anonymous “C”—or the flesh-and-blood Evan, whose heated kisses can melt snow faster than it can fall.

AFTER MIDNIGHT by Serena Bell

The clock is ticking down to midnight on New Year’s Eve, and all Nora Hart and Miles Shephard can think about is kissing each other—even though they met just minutes before. Then, as fast as Miles enters Nora’s life, he’s gone . . . and she never even gets the name of the man she thinks might just be “the one.” One year later, Nora and Miles are reunited. The chemistry between them is just as strong as they remember. But Miles broke her heart once before—and this time around, Nora’s not sure whether she can give love a second chance.

For more information about any of these authors you can visit their websites by clicking the links below:
Lisa Renee Jones
Mary Ann Rivers
Serena Bell

Review:
I've been devouring Christmas anthologies in the run up to the holidays so I was really looking forward to starting this one. Heating up the Holidays includes three stories all set around Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years Eve which makes it perfect for this time of year. These novellas are all quite steamy so if you're looking for a naughty Christmas treat then I'm sure you'll enjoy this one.

Play With Me by Lisa Renee Jones

Kali has spent years following her dream to become a reporter, now she has moved across the country to take the next step in her career but the job she was supposed to start never materialises. She finds herself forced to take on the role of secretary to casino CEO Damion to make ends meet. It may not be the job she wanted but she is determined to do it to the best of her ability, she just needs to avoid acting on her attraction to her new boss.

Play With Me was my least favourite story in the anthology but even saying that it was still an enjoyable read. I think I would have preferred it if had been longer so Kali and Damion had been able to spend more time getting to know each other before jumping into bed together though. They have fantastic chemistry but I found it completely unbelievable that Kali would act on her attraction so quickly after the way Damion had treated her over one particular incident. Things did slow down a little between them after that though which made me enjoy the story more. My other disappointment was the lack of a holiday feel to the story, Thanksgiving is mentioned in passing but other than that this could have been set at any time of the year.

Snowfall by Mary Ann Rivers

Jenny is going through a tough time, she moved away from home to start her dream job but she misses her family and friends, especially now that she has been diagnosed with a condition that means she is slowly losing her sight. Her deteriorating vision makes her nervous about going out and meeting new people but she has been chatting online with a guy called C who could possibly be becoming more than just a friend. The only person she can let her guard down around and share her fears and anger over her problems is her occupational therapist Evan. It is his job to help her finding ways of coping as her eyesight fades away but there is an intense connection between them that she is scared to pursue further. Jenny must make a choice between the two men in her life but which one should she pick?

Snowfall was the first story I've read by Mary Ann Rivers but if all of her books are as intense and hard hitting as this one then it won't be the last. I tend to expect Christmas stories to be fairly light and fluffy so I was surprised at how emotional this one was but I don't mean that as a negative. The author does a fantastic job of capturing how Jenny is feeling, she is scared, angry and hurting and she takes those negative emotions out on Evan because she doesn't want to worry her friends and family who live so far away. For a woman who is used to being independent she finds it really hard to think about what her loss of vision could take away from her but Evan works hard to prove that although things may change she can still live a happy and fulfilling life. This could have turned into quite a depressing story but it wasn't at all, yes there were darker moments but there was also plenty of humour to lighten things up. We are treated to some great cybersex scenes between Jenny & C but you also have the fabulous chemistry between her and Evan to look forward to. I think Jenny and Evan's first kiss was one of the best I've ever read about!

After Midnight by Serena Bell

When Nora and Miles meet at a New Years Eve party the last thing either of them is looking for is a relationship but they can't deny the chemistry between them and share an incredible kiss to celebrate the arrival of the new year. They don't keep in contact, in fact they never even found out each others names, but neither of them is able to forget their encounter. Nearly a year later they find each other again and the connection they feel is just as intense. Issues from both of their pasts make it hard for them to trust but sometimes love is worth taking a risk for.

After Midnight was without a doubt my favourite story in the anthology, it has all the feel good holiday magic I want at this time of year and I loved both of the main characters. Nora is so open and honest, she sees the good in people and in spite of the way her ex treated her she isn't afraid to go after what she wants. Miles used to be a happy go lucky kind of guy but with a huge problem hanging over his head he has become insular and closed off from those around him. He finds it much harder to put his past behind him but it was great to see him working through his issues. Things move quite quickly between the couple but because of the way the story is written it never felt like things were happening too fast. I didn't have any problems believing the way they were feeling and I loved the intensity of their interactions. It doesn't hurt that the story contains some of the hottest phone sex you'll ever come across and things get even better when they're finally in the same room together! I'm very much looking forward to reading more from Serena Bell in the future and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she is going to write a spin off story about Miles's friend Owen.

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley 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.

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Review: If I Were You - Lisa Renee Jones

When Sara McMillan finds a stack of journals in a storage unit, she’s shocked and enthralled by the erotic life the writer led. Unable to stop reading, she vicariously lives out dark fantasies through Rebecca, the writer—until the terrifying final entry.

Certain something sinister has happened, Sara sets out to discover the facts, immersing herself in Rebecca’s life. Soon she’s working at the art gallery Rebecca worked at and meeting Rebecca’s friends. Finding herself drawn to two dangerously sexy men, the manager of the gallery and a famed artist, Sara realizes she’s going down the same path Rebecca took. But with the promise of her dark needs being met by a man with confident good looks and a desire for control, she’s not sure anything else matters. Just the burn for more.

Inside Out Series:
Behind Closed Doors (Free Short Story being published in instalments on the author's website)
If I Were You
The Seduction (Short Story, Volume 1 of Rebecca's Lost Journals)
The Contract (Short Story, Volume 2 of Rebecca's Lost Journals)
His Submissive (Short Story, Volume 3 of Rebecca's Lost Journals)
My Master (Short Story, Volume 4 of Rebecca's Lost Journals)
Being Me
Master Undone (Short Story)
Revealing Us

Visit Lisa Renee Jones website for more information

Review:
When Sara is given the key to a storage unit and asked to sell the contents she feels guilty about making money by selling items that don't really belong to her. After reading the journals that she finds inside she is convinced that something must have happened to their owner Rebecca for her to leave her most precious possessions unclaimed so she decides to track Rebecca down and return them her. Unfortunately Sara only has a limited number of clues to work from, starting with the art gallery that Rebecca works in. When she finds out that Rebecca is on an extended holiday but that nobody knows her exact whereabouts she becomes concerned for Rebecca's safety and even more determined to find out what happened to her. Who is the mysterious "Master" that Rebecca talks about in her journals and did he do something worse than help fulfil Rebecca's deepest, darkest fantasies?

I've reached the point where I don't want to start any new romance trilogies until all of the books are available, the long wait between books has just been killing me and I much prefer to be able to devour a series I'm enjoying in one long reading binge. I'd heard so many good things about the Inside Out books and the synopsis was very intriguing so now that Revealing Us is available it was finally time for me to start reading the series. I have to confess that now I've finished If I Were You I'm left with mixed feelings though and I'm still not quite sure what to make of it all. There were some things I really didn't like about the story but at the same time I'm really curious to see how everything plays out - especially after that killer cliffhanger ending (it's a good job I don't have to wait for the second book to be released because I would be screaming in frustration!).

If I Were You is definitely an interesting start to the series, I absolutely love the idea of coming across someone's old journals inside a storage unit and then deciding to uncover what happened to the person who wrote them. It sounds like so much fun digging into a real life mystery! However, I did find myself a little disturbed by the way Sara goes about it. She pretty much turns into a creepy stalker who manages to take over the life that Rebecca has left behind, even to the point of getting hired to do Rebecca's job until she comes back from her extended leave of absence. What I didn't like was the way that as soon as she turns herself into Rebecca mark 2 she seems to forget all about that fact that a woman is missing under suspicious circumstances. Sara is too busy ogling the hot men she is now surrounded by to remember that she could be in danger and I wanted to shake her and remind her! Sometimes Sara puts herself into such stupid situations that you're just sitting there waiting for someone to chop her head off and throw her body to the sharks.

Then you have the men who were in Rebecca's life and now subsequently are in Sara's. First there is gallery owner Mark who just happens to be Sara's new boss and who is one of the most controlling, arrogant, alpha assholes I've ever had the displeasure to come across. There really was nothing likeable about his character and the fact that he was sexy was not enough to redeem him in my eyes. Everything about him screams "serial killer" but since we still don't know what has happened to Rebecca I'm assuming that is far too obvious and he'll end up being the one to protect Sara (I'll tell you right now that I will NOT be happy if she ends up with him though!).

Then you have the incredibly sexy artist Chris who displays his work at the gallery. Now I actually really liked his character in the beginning, I found myself quite drawn to his dominant personality and he was super hot when he took over in the bedroom. My problem was that I felt Sara trusted him far too quickly considering he was someone that Rebecca would have been in regular contact with and therefore he should have been a potential suspect. I also really didn't like some of his actions - the point where he deliberately got them caught on camera together to send a message to her boss just pissed me off and made me want to slap him. Chris ended up pushing a little too far on the dominant side and became quite controlling outside of the bedroom and that just didn't sit well with me. I'm still on the fence as far as Chris goes though, I think he has the potential to redeem himself but I'm not convinced that he'll actually do it. When you put Chris and Mark in the same room together I was reminded of two dogs fighting over a juicy bone and I kept expecting one of them to pee on Sara to mark their territory!

I guess my whole problem with If I Were You is that I'm on the fence about it, I didn't particularly dislike it but I didn't really love it either. I'm curious about what happened to Rebecca and I'm kind of interested to see how things develop between Sara and Chris but even though it's been 3 weeks since I finished reading it I've had no inclination to pick up the next instalment. I'm sure I'll get to it eventually but unfortunately it's not become an addiction that left me desperate for my next fix.

Source: Received from publisher via NetGalley 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: