Quick Review: Rescue Me - Serena Bell

Getting stood up on Valentine’s Day has taken Molly Mack places she never would have dared to go…

After Molly Mack’s deadbeat boyfriend dumps her on the most romantic day of the year, Molly finds herself pushed to the edge—and in a tight spot. The only rescuer for miles around is her grumpy, laconic—and piping hot—neighbor, Dave Jenkins. Before long, Molly and Dave have struck enough sparks to bring the fire department running. Now the question is, Does Molly still want to be rescued? Or is she exactly where she wants to be?

Visit Serena Bell's website for more information.

Review:
Rescue Me is a short story that is currently available for free on Smashwords HERE. I'm not sure if this is a permanent freebie but I suspect it is discounted for a limited time considering you have to pay for it via the Kindle store. At around 35 pages this was a very quick read but it was one I enjoyed and I actually would have liked to spend more time with these characters.

Molly is having the Valentine's Day from hell, not only has she been dumped by her boyfriend but she now finds herself in a very embarrassing situation and having to rely on her hunky neighbour to rescue her. I don't want to say too much more because it would be far too easy to tell you the whole story so I'll just say that it was very amusing and left me with a smile on my face. It's a sweet story that can easily be fitted in when you only have a few minutes to spare and the only disappointment I had is that it wasn't longer.

Source: This is currently available as a free download on Smashwords (the price may change at any time though)

Other Reviews:
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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:
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Winner: Ticket Home - Serena Bell

With the help of Rafflecopter I am happy to announce the winner of an ebook copy of Ticket Home by Serena Bell is:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Congratulations Nicole! I have forwarded your email address to Serena Bell so that she can send you your ebook. I'd like to say a massive thanks to Serena for allowing me to host this giveaway for her.

Strangers on a Train Blog Tour: Guest post, Extract & Giveaway from Serena Bell

I'm thrilled to be taking part in the Strangers on a Train blog tour to celebrate the release of a series of 5 fabulous short stories by 5 fantastic authors: Serena Bell, Donna Cummings, Samantha Hunter, Ruthie Knox & Meg Maguire. I have really enjoyed reading each of these stories (my reviews have already been posted for 3 of them and the remaining 2 will be up on the blog tomorrow) and can't recommend this series highly enough. Anyway, I'm thrilled to welcome Serena Bell to the blog today to tell us a bit more about where the idea for the series came from. She is also going to be sharing an extract from her story Ticket Home and she is very generously offering an ebook copy of the story to one lucky winner. Before we get started I want to share the short blurbs and cover images for each of the stories in the series:

Strangers on a Train
April 2, 2013
Samhain Publishing

Romancing the rails…

Tight Quarters by Samantha Hunter
Visit Samantha Hunter's website
Reid isn’t happy about the mix-up that saddles him with a claustrophobic roommate on his New York train tour. Then his weekend with Brenna progresses to a weekend fling, and so much more.

Ticket Home by Serena Bell
Visit Serena Bell's website
Encountering her workaholic ex on her commuter train is the surprise of Amy’s life. Especially since Jeff seems hell-bent on winning her back.

Thank You for Riding by Meg Maguire
Visit Meg Maguire's website
At the end of Caitlin’s commute, her extended flirtation with a handsome stranger finds them facing a frigid winter night locked in an unheated subway station.

Back on Track by Donna Cummings
Visit Donna Cummings' website
A wine tour isn’t enough to take Matt’s mind off his baseball slump—until sexy, funny Allie plops into the adjacent seat and tells him three things about herself. One of them, she says, is a lie. Then Allie lets slip one truth too many…

Big Boy by Ruthie Knox
Visit Ruthie Knox's website
Mandy doesn’t want romance, but monthly role-playing dates with her stranger on a train—each to a different time period—become the erotic escape she desperately needs. And a soul connection she never expected.









Buy Links for the series:
Strangers on a Train at Amazon.co.uk
Strangers on a Train at Amazon.com
Strangers on a Train at Barnes & Noble
Strangers on a Train at Samhain

Now please give a very warm welcome to Serena Bell . . .

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Welcome to the Strangers on a Train blog tour, and to Feeling Fictional (Thank you for hosting me, Sarah!)! Strangers on a Train is a series of five stories—quick, hot, often funny—about romances that take place on trains. The authors are me, Donna Cummings, Samantha Hunter, Ruthie Knox, and Meg Maguire, and we had a ton of fun coming up with this concept.

The idea was born when Ruthie and Sam got intrigued by a Tumblr called “Hot Guys on the Train” featuring stealthily snatched photos of unsuspecting male commuters. From there, it was a short ride to the idea of five stories based off romantic and/or sexy encounters on trains (or in train stations or train museums, as is the case in two of our stories). We used the title “Strangers on a Train” from almost the very beginning, so all the stories riff off that idea.

My story, Ticket Home, is the only one in which the stranger in question isn’t the hero of the story. In Ticket Home, Amy flees across the country to escape Jeff’s workaholism, only to have him stalk her train commute, hell bent on riding with her until she agrees to come home with him. The “stranger” is a random guy on the train, “Brooklyn guy,” who becomes instrumental in helping Amy find her way.

Here’s an excerpt from the story, in which the heroine first encounters the stranger who becomes her guardian angel:

“Amy—” He swayed as he loomed over her, suspended from the metal rail above. His eyes were luminous and dark under those gorgeous lashes, filled with something big he wanted to say to her. Hope expanded like a brilliant bubble in her chest. “I’m so sorry, Ames. If I could go back and do it differently, if I could go back and hear you out, and not be such a stubborn son of a bitch, I’d do it. I don’t know why I reacted the way I did. I don’t know why—”

A head poked out from the seat in front of hers, and a thick Brooklyn accent said, “D’ya mind? You’re not the only ones on this train.”

Jeff made a sound that might have been a laugh. He leaned closer, close enough that she could see the day’s beard growth clinging to his jaw, and asked, “Can I sit with you?”

She hesitated. She was afraid, afraid of her own susceptibility to his physical presence. Afraid if she let him slide into the seat, if he sat that close and smelled like Jeff, she would fall back into her old ways, forgetting that she had ripped herself away from him, Band-Aid from skin, and crossed an entire country to escape exactly this weakness in herself.

People had stacked up behind him, waiting to get by, and she still hadn’t moved from the edge of the seat, so he sat diagonally in front of her. When the other passengers passed, he turned around in his seat and tried to catch her eye. “I was so surprised.” His voice was low but clearly audible over the train’s clack. “You never said anything about wanting a different job, let alone one in New York. And you never mentioned you were applying for anything.”

Guilty as charged. She had clobbered him over the head with the news that she’d gotten the job, but everything had happened so fast—she hadn’t had any choice. And that didn’t excuse—

“It’s not an excuse. I know you hate that.”

Ha, he remembered. She did. She hated an apology followed by an excuse.

He frowned. “I was harsh. I was dictatorial.”

“You were medieval.” Her voice surprised her. Louder than she’d meant it to be.

“Guys,” said the heavyset dark-haired guy in front of her. “I can watch all the reality TV I want at home. Can you save it?”

There were chuckles from some of the other passengers. Amy blushed.

Jeff leaned across the aisle toward the commentator. “Tell her she should let me sit with her. If I sit with her, you won’t have to listen to our conversation.”

“Don’t push your luck, dude,” the guy told him. “On the other hand—” He twisted around to address her. “Lady, can he sit with you? Please? For the good of the rest of us?”

She willed Brooklyn guy to vanish. Jeff too. Hell, she wanted the whole goddamned train full of laughing observers to disappear. “I’d rather he didn’t.”

But Jeff had risen from his seat and planted himself on the padded vinyl beside her, and she had to scoot away from his muscular thigh. She’d been chilly a moment earlier, and now she desperately wanted to sink into his heat. To press the side of her body to his, turn to him and draw every last ounce of his warmth into her skin. Her mouth.

Instead she slid herself as far into the corner as she could, against the cold molded plastic and metal trim. She brought her knees up to get more distance from him. Still, she could smell him over the ambient train smell of vinyl and disinfectant. He smelled like—like him. Like freshly dry-cleaned wool suit and dry-erase markers and Old Spice deodorant. Like power and success. Not, she told herself firmly, like home.

Not unless he’d changed.

Has a stranger ever changed your life, or even your day, your mood, or your perspective? A smile, a kind word (or a nasty one), a new way of looking at things from an unexpected person? Someone on an airplane, in a restaurant, at the library front desk, at a baseball game?

********************

Bio:
Serena Bell writes stories for Harlequin Blaze, Samhain, and Loveswept about how sex messes with your head, why smart people do stupid things sometimes, and how love can make it all better.

Serena wrote her first steamy romance before she was old enough to understand what all the words meant and has been perfecting the art of hiding pages and screens from curious eyes ever since—a skill that’s particularly useful now that she’s the mother of two school-aged children.

She recently survived a cross-country move and is still plucking dishtowels out of her lingerie drawer. When she’s not scribbling stories or getting her butt kicked at Scrabble by a seven-year-old, she’s practicing modern dance improv in the kitchen, swimming laps, needlepointing, hiking, or reading on one of her large collection of electronic devices.

Serena blogs regularly about writing and reading romance at www.serenabell.com and www.wonkomance.com. She also tweets like a madwoman as @serenabellbooks.

********************

Thanks for a fabulous guest post Serena, I hadn't come across the Hot Guys on the Train tumblr site before but I think it's a brilliant idea and I've really enjoyed browsing through some of the pictures! I'm not surprised it inspired you all to write stories & I've loved reading your different takes on the idea. I've been racking my brain trying to come up with a story where a stranger changed my life but at the moment I'm drawing a blank! I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with in the comments though :o)

Giveaway Details:

• One winner will receive a PDF copy of Ticket Home by Serena Bell.
• The winner's prize will be sent out directly by Serena so by entering the giveaway you are agreeing that I can give her your email address if you are the winner.
• To enter please use the rafflecopter widget below, there are optional extra entries for following or tweeting about the giveaway but these are not required to enter.
• Duplicate and invalid entries will be deleted and the winners will be chosen at random from all remaining entries.
• The giveaway will close at Midnight GMT on the 23rd of April 2013 and the winner will be contacted soon afterwards with their prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Ticket Home - Serena Bell

Is that a cell phone in his pocket…or is he just happy to see her?

A Strangers on a Train story

When Amy Moreland left Seattle, she never expected to see her workaholic ex-boyfriend again. Encountering him on her Connecticut-to-New-York-City commute is the surprise of her life. He seems hell-bent on winning her back, but every time his cell phone rings, it’s a painful reminder of how he failed to put her first.

Jeff Havers can’t help that his phone keeps interrupting his carefully composed apology speech, but having Amy sic the Metro North security team on him is a bit much. Once he talks his way out of handcuffs, he focuses on coaxing Amy to talk about the fears that drove her away.

As the train ride takes them through the landscape of their lost life together, sparks fly and remembered heat reignites. But if they’re not brave enough to overcome the still-fresh pain of old wounds, it could be too late to pursue what really matters—their ticket home.

Warning: This book contains steamy train-car action, sex on the stairs, and a hero determined to give his velvet-and-heels-clad woman exactly what she’s looking for.

Strangers on a Train Series:
Ticket Home - Serena Bell
Big Boy - Ruthie Knox
Thank You for Riding - Meg Maguire
Back on Track - Donna Cummings
Tight Quarters - Samantha Hunter

Visit Serena Bell's website for more information.

Review:
When Amy decided to walk away from her workaholic boyfriend she left her home in Seattle to start again in New York City. The last thing she expects is for Jeff to turn up on her morning commute six months later desperate to win her back. It was incredibly hard for Amy to walk away from Jeff, it wasn't that she'd stopped loving him she just wasn't prepared to always come second in his life and she was sick of him putting work first. Jeff built his company from the ground up and making it a success is incredibly important to him, he didn't understand how Amy was feeling so was shocked and hurt when she walked away from him. Jeff didn't realise what he had with Amy until she left but can he convince her that he really is prepared to change his ways and put her needs first for a change?

Ticket Home is one of the five stories in the Strangers on a Train series published by Samhain, each of the stories has been written by a different author (the authors involved in the collaboration are Ruthie Knox, Meg Maguire, Serena Bell, Donna Cummings & Samantha Hunter) and is currently available as an ebook but I believe there will be a print bind up containing the whole series published sometime next year. These stories can be read in any order, they are linked only by the common theme that each couple start out as strangers who meet each other on a train, so there is no cross over of characters or story lines.

Amy and Jeff are obviously so in love but neither of them has ever fully understood where the other was coming from, Amy never really took the time to tell Jeff how she was feeling and even when she did attempt to talk to him he was usually too distracted to listen properly. It isn't going to be easy for them to reach a compromise that keeps them both happy but as Jeff starts to realise what is really important in life he knows what he needs to do. That doesn't make it easy to convince Amy he's sincere though and she needs proof that he has changed his ways. I loved the fact that Amy was so independent and that she wasn't willing to settle for second best any more, she knew what she wanted and if she couldn't have it then she'd rather walk away and be on her own. Jeff took a little while to grow on me, he really didn't have a clue why Amy was so upset with him and in the beginning he didn't seem to feel that he needed to change to win her back. As you get to know him you start to see that he really does care about her and by the time he has his epiphany I was rooting for him to win Amy back.

This is another great instalment to the Strangers on a Train series, I've been enjoying all of these novellas and am looking forward to reading more from all of the authors involved in the future. These stories are all perfect for when you only have an hour to spare but want to read a full story that reaches a satisfying conclusion and I'd recommend them to all contemporary romance fans.

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.

Kindle: