HERE ON FRIDAY 7PM PST: ANNIE RAINS AUTHOR OF: WELCOME TO FOREVER

Welcome
Author of: 

About Welcome to Forever: A Hero’s Welcome novel

In Seaside, North Carolina, there are two kinds of people: Marines, and kids of Marines. Then there’s Kat Chandler. Recently hired as the principal of Seaside Elementary, Kat makes it her mission to turn the school into a place of peace and calm. That’s not going to be easy with hard-liner parents like Micah Peterson storming in, telling her how to do her job—and then kissing her with those gorgeous lips of his and turning her brain into mush.

As a Marine Sergeant and a single dad, Micah Peterson has just two priorities: doing his job better than anyone else, and getting the absolute best for his son, Ben. But when he meets Ben’s beautiful new principal, a different yearning shifts into focus. He wants her, sure, but he’s also moved by the connection Kat forges with her students. So after learning that she refuses to date Marines, Micah sets two more objectives: convincing Kat to give him a chance . . . and then holding on to her forever.
Annie Rains





It takes a cowboy to rescue the town’s newest resident
​from heartache
.



Then Welcoming the Bad Boy (Book 3 in the series) comes out on August 2. It follows Val and Bad Boy Marine, Griffin Black. 

With its thriving military base, Seaside, North Carolina, is teeming with heroes of all stripes. But, as the Hero’s Welcome series from Annie Rains continues, it takes a cowboy to rescue the town’s newest resident from heartache.

After a bad breakup leaves Julie Chandler completely devastated, she comes to Seaside seeking a fresh start. A talented, compassionate yoga teacher, she has developed a program to help alleviate the effects of PTSD, but getting a bunch of bullheaded Marines into downward facing dog might be impossible. So Julie’s shocked when one of her first students dives in headfirst—and almost tempts her to take down her walls with his easy smile and electrifying touch.

Ever since Texas cowboy turned Marine pilot Lawson Phillips lost a crew member in a helicopter accident, he hasn’t been able to fly. When a psychologist orders him to attend, of all things, a yoga class, Lawson’s outraged—until he finds out Julie is the instructor. She’s beautiful, graceful, and completely guarded when it comes to his advances, but he’s determined to find out what makes her tick. Because underneath Julie’s hard shell is a woman Lawson knows he could fall for—and he’s not ready for the ride to end.

PLAYING WITH SEDUCTION (THE PLAYERS CLUB #3)

PLAYING WITH SEDUCTION #3           ERIKA WILDE

Playing with Seduction (The Players Club, #3)SEDUCTION HAS NEVER BEEN SO SCANDALOUS . . . 

Kendall Shaw loves her job as a boudoir photographer. When she enlists hot, gorgeous, 100% alpha male, Jase Burns for a custom photo shoot for a romance novel cover, she quickly discovers that he only took the job to get close to her. But her painful divorce has made her wary of men, and especially one who is eight years younger than she is. 

The moment Jase sets his sights on beautiful, sexy Kendall, he wants her. Despite their mutual attraction, she's rejected his every advance. But Jase loves a good challenge, and one steamy, seductive night at The Players Club changes everything between them. 

Kendall has never experienced such overwhelming passion, or been pursued so tenaciously. Jase is addicting, in every way, and she soon finds herself falling for a man who doesn't fit into her ideal future. 

Can Jase convince Kendall to let go of her past and take a risk on a second chance at love—with him? 

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
Kendall Shaw is a boudoir photographer and she has been hired to shot a romance novel cover, so she hires Jase Burns. He is 100% alpha and during the shot she is wishing that she was the female model with him. But he is not interested in the female model at all. He was, and is interested in Kendall and he must now find a way to make her see that he is serious and that she is a very attractive and sexy women. She is attracted to him but the eight years age difference and her not believing that a younger man can be attracted to her because of the way her ex-husband treated now has made it more of a challenge for Jase, and will Kendall be able to resist his charms, affections, a sexy smile, just to name a few. Read the book and find out. a good story. I got this book from netgalley.   I give this 4 stars.  

THE TWISTED ROAD TO YOU

THE TWISTED ROAD TO YOU                            BARBARA LONGLEY

Struggling with both PTSD and the trauma of his ex-wife’s infidelity, retired Marine Wesley Holt seeks a simple civilian life. His favorite waitress at the Perfect Diner secretly stirs his heart. Yet Wes—scarred by betrayal and racked by guilt over his fallen comrades in Afghanistan—stays quiet, convinced he can never love again…or be loved.

Waitress and single mother Carlie Stewart hides fear behind her smile. Her ex-husband has escaped from prison and wants their son—and revenge. When the fugitive arrives to wreak havoc, Wes insists Carlie and her son stay with him for protection. Finally daring to let her guard down, Carlie divulges her dark past to Wes, and to her surprise, Wes appreciates her strengths and longs to trust her with his tattered heart. The safer they feel with each other, the more trust and passion grow. But can they overcome the demons in their pasts—and the heartbreak they’ve carried into the present—to build a lasting future together?

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
Wesley Holt is a retired marine struggling with PTSD and he works at a company with other vets and they are able to help one another. He also works nights because of his problems of sleeping. The one thing he does look forward to is seeing Carlie Stewart, a waitress at a local diner. This was his morning ritual and he was looking forward to it this one morning, so when she was not their at work he began to worry. He ends up going out to where she lived to find out that ex-husband had her and her son held at gun point he realized he had to do something. He crashed in and got them out but the ex-got away. From there the story takes place in town between the three of them and the members of the town trying to keep them safe from the ex who is still around trying to get to her and his son. Wesley and Carlie realize that they have feelings for one another but they must come clean with each other about their pasts if there is any hope of a future. This is a very emotional book dealing with many different things but a very good book. The characters are very in depth and makes you feel like she is telling about real people. A good book. I got this book from netgalley.  I give this 5 stars.  Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

BLOODLINE: A NOVEL

BLOODLINE: A NOVEL                         WARREN MURPHY

Bloodline: A NovelA gritty historical novel about the Mafia in 1920s New York, from Edgar Award—winning author Warren Murphy

The Falcones are an immigrant family living in New York City in 1920. Their patriarch, Tony, is a respected policeman. His sons, Tommy and Mario, both served in the Great War and are now upstanding citizens—a cop and a priest. But their cousin Nilo has a dark past, and he fled to America after causing several deaths in a fight in Italy.

Nilo soon falls in with Don Maranzano, a Mafia boss who comes from his hometown in Italy. Maranzano grooms Nilo as a “real estate broker,” but after a few months, Nilo is offered the chance to do some serious work. He becomes a useful still-wrecker, assassin, and skilled criminal. The papers give him the name “Kid Trouble.” Tommy and Mario try to turn a blind eye, but it’s hard to hide his underworld affiliations.

As conflicts in the city begin to erupt into a violent war involving gangsters from all parts of the country, Tommy and Mario struggle to stay out of the dark world into which Nilo has dragged the family. But when things take a turn for the worse, the Mafia may be the only place for them to go.
 

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This is a good mafia story that starts at the beginning of WW1, with the Falcones, whose father is a police detective and one son goes to war and the other becomes a priest, and they have a daughter who is a singer. Their cousin Nilo comes over from Sicily after he was in trouble and needed to get away. What they did not know is that Nilo would be the destruction of everything that they thought was good. He takes away their family with the passion and hatred that is born in him. He also becomes a started solider and captain of a crime family but since he cannot control his hatred he destroys that part as well. A very well written book with good characters and a good history of the Mafia and its growth from the 20’s and how it not only affected a city but also the people who were trying to take down the Mafia as well. It also reminds me a little of a story no one talks about, and that is a police detective named Petrosino, who was in charge of the Italian squad because of his ability in solving crimes and also being able to speak the different dialects of the Italian language. In 1909 he made a trip to Sicily, Palermo and was looking for criminals who were from their and had taken residence in the United States. He was shot while waiting for an informant, and the day after his shooting the New York detectives branch received a letter stating that the Black Hand was behind the killing. It was said that Giuseppe Morello was behind the killing along with some others but nothing was proven. This was in 1909 and though this story starts during WW1 you must know that the Black Hand came to New York before that and that there was a group of Italian detectives who believed if they were not stopped they would take over the city and the country. This is exactly what happened especially when prohibition started and because they were able by then to corrupt some of the officials. You get some of this in this book. Overall a good book and good characters. I got this book from netgalley. I give this 4 stars.  Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com 

HEARTSONG COTTAGE

HEARTSONG COTTAGE                        EMILY MARCH

Heartsong Cottage (Eternity Springs, #10)Daniel Garrett is no stranger to heartache or tragedy. Once a successful detective, his world fell apart with his son's murder and his wife's suicide. Leaving the police force, Daniel devotes his life to finding missing children, but when a case goes sour on the anniversary of his personal tragedy, he returns to Eternity Springs hoping for some of the town's fabled healing.

Shannon O'Toole isn't looking for romance. After her fiancé's death, she closed off her heart. But she can't deny the spark between her and a sexy stranger at a friend's wedding. Shannon has her own secrets and has no place in her life for a private detective, even one who moves her as much as Daniel. But when the pair are thrown together on a case, the magic of Eternity Springs just might give them a second chance.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
Daniel Garrett was a police officer and then one eventful day his world was turned upside down with the kidnapping of his son and then later the suicide of his wife. He has gone into a private practice of looking for children who have gone missing. Most of the time he is not successful. He does have an occasional victory. That is what is why he is in Eternity Springs, and for a friend’s wedding. Once there he meets Shannon O Toole she has been living there for a short time and is also not looking for love. She is still dealing with the death of her fiancé and though they have loss in common they are also attracted to one another. Each of them have issues though that must overcome if they want to any kind of relationship. Their friends try to help them but this is really up to both of them to work it out, and they do get into agreements, misunderstandings, and other situations that put a strain on them. But he continues to go back to the town to be with her. Can they make it work? You have to read the book. I got this book from netgalley.  I give this 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

TAKING IT OFF

TAKING IT OFF                                    CLAIRE KENT

Taking It OffCan't get enough Magic Mike? Let bestselling author Claire Kent introduce you to Matt Stokes, the sexy-as-sin male stripper and club owner who knows what it really means to bare everything.

Preschool teacher Elizabeth Marks isn't exactly thrilled to be attending a college friend's bachelorette party at a male strip joint. The sights—screaming women, half-naked hunks—are just as sleazy as she expected, with one exception: the man standing at the back, radiating sensual heat despite being fully clothed. When Elizabeth takes refuge outside, he chases her down and dares her to stay. It turns out that her mystery man is the owner—and, as tonight's headliner, the one guy Elizabeth wouldn't mind seeing naked.

Matt Stokes lives his life one day, one dance at a time. But as he challenges Elizabeth to get in touch with the passionate, impulsive woman behind her prim façade, she brings out another side of him as well. This girl isn't just another pretty face—or paying customer—and Matt can't help wanting more. Onstage, he's used to exposing his body. Now Matt will have to expose his heart. Because when it comes to real love, that's the one striptease that matters.
 

HUBBY'S REVIEW;
Elizabeth Marks is a preschool teacher and she loves her job. She is now with a group of her friends at a male strip club, for her friend’s bridal shower, and she is not having a good time at all. Her friends know she is not having a good time, so as she tries to sneak out to leave she runs into Matt Stokes. He ends up talking her into staying. He also ends up dancing for the first time in quite a while and she is totally attracted to him and not only just the way he danced but also his personality. He then challenged her to keep coming by herself twice a week for so many weeks. She does not say yes or no but she ends up being there and their bantering continues and so does the flirting. He is attracted to her but does not know if she is to him. She continues to show up and their relationship turns into just that a relationship, but neither one talks about the feelings they have for one another. Then out of the blue she does something out of character for that ruins her father’s run for governor and also loses her job teaching. What she was surprised about was how Matt who she thought carried for her is acting like he does not. He did not know that she was the daughter of the person who was running for governor and now he needed to fix his life and that started with putting his mother into a drug treatment facility, and taking care of getting out of the businesses that he really does not want to run. He also needs to open up to her and trust her with what his plans are. Will she be with him? Will he tell her what he wants to do? A good story and the end of the book is very good. I got this book from netgalley.  I give this 4 stars.  Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

ROPED IN (ARMED & DANGEROUS #2)

ROPED IN (ARMED & DANGEROUS #2)       L.P. DOVER

Roped In (Armed & Dangerous, #2)**STANDALONE NOVEL**

Who says a wild heart can’t be tamed?

For years, I lived for the job and let it control me. Violence was all I knew. I protected, killed, and served. My name is Blake Evans, one of the best undercover cops in the country. I thought I was about to live a quiet life on my ranch in Wyoming until an old friend showed up and changed everything. He brought me her, Hadley Rivers, country music sensation and the one woman I couldn't have. I didn't want her but she had me completely roped in.

My job is to protect her, to keep her away from some psycho who wants her for himself. However, there's more to her story than I was led to believe. I promised to keep her safe and I won't back down . . . even if I have to die trying. I can't let him have her.
 

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
Blake Evans is a undercover cop and one of the best. He lives out on his ranch so he won’t be bothered but of course that ends with a phone call from a friend who wants a favor. He brings to his ranch country singer Hadley Rivers, he really does not want to watch her because he is not a body guard but he agrees to it. The beginning of her stay with him he is a jerk, for a nice word. He thinks that she is a spoiled country music star use to special treatment and being waited on. He of course does not do that and when he opens a can of beans and puts them on the table for her to eat she does. Straight out of the can. This goes on for a few days and finally she gets pissed and cooks breakfast for herself one morning and by the time he come in she has eaten the last piece of bacon. That finally starts to open his eyes and along with her helping him around the ranch they start to become friends. They start to find out more about each other and it is only naturally that after a bit they would become attracted to one another, even as much as they try not to. He still must find her psycho fan that wants her and still do his job also. She is also finding it comfortable there and is writing new songs. So you must read the book to find out if they stay together or walk away when everything is done and can they face their fears of each other? A good book. I got this book from netgalley.   I give this 4 stars.  Follow us at, www.1rad-readerreviews.com 

SAFE IN HIS ARMS

SAFE IN HIS ARMS                                MELODY ANNE                

Can a California transplant survive Montana’s deep snows? New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Melody Anne breaks the ice between a sexy fireman and a brand-new teacher in this steamy holiday tale—originally published in the sizzling anthology Baby, It’s Cold Outside—which launched her popular Unexpected Heroes series.

Natalie Duncan is thrilled to get her first teaching job, but southern California didn’t prepare her for winter in Montana—or for gorgeous fire chief Hawk Winchester. For a man dedicated to putting out fires, Hawk really knows how to add heat to Natalie’s life, especially when he’s rescuing her from compromising situations. A man this strong and capable should know exactly what to do when a lady is trapped under the mistletoe. Suddenly Natalie’s blue Christmas is glowing red-hot...
 

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
Natalie Duncan is 23 and got her first teaching job, but it is in Montana and she is a So. Calif. Girl, not checking the weather or anything else she arrives in Montana in a pencil skirt, 4 inch heels. What she really needed was gloves, a parka, boots, and other clothing rated for cold and snow. Now that she is back to reality she must find were she is living, and she has never driven in the snow before either. The that they gave her has no snow tires, or chains, so after spending the night in a freezing house she decides to go find a store. She then literally runs into her landlord Hawk Winchester, who also is the fire chief of the town. After they meet by introduction of her car hitting his truck, she then slips and he catches her, but at the same time something goes through the both of them and really she has caught him, he just hasn’t figured it out yet. The story is fun and you get to meet the ladies of the school board who actually hired her and with the intention of match making. This makes for a more interesting story. This is a fun and a very good story at the same time. A very good book. I got this book from netgalley.  I give this 4 stars.  Follow us at: www.1rad-readerreviews.com

LUCKY FOR YOU

LUCKY FOR YOU                                  JAYNE DENKER

It’s where everyone remembers your name—and your mistakes. But the quaint Catskills town of Marsden has a way of inspiring the unlikeliest reunions, flipping the script on the best laid plans, and opening even the most stubborn hearts… 
 
Jordan Leigh’s always had a reputation for being bad news. So she figured it was only a matter of time before she got into serious trouble. But serving house arrest in her hometown of Marsden is truly cruel and unusual punishment. Plus she's under police officer Will Nash's up-close-and-all-too-personal supervision…which could make things worse—or more fun.
 
To make amends, Jordan throws herself into making nice with her neighbors, taking in stray animals, and helping teenage girls get back on track. But what she really wants is to get on the right track with Will. To do that, she’ll have to show him she's grown up. And if that means making him break his own rules and face down his own fears, she's up for the challenge …

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This is a story of a women coming back to a town that everyone knows everything you have done since childhood and like to throw though mishaps back into your face every chance they get. Jordan Leigh, is back also because they don’t take kindly to people riding horses through casino’s, and riding a horse that does not belong to you, but that was all she remembered from that night. Now she is on probation and must do hours of community service. Also she has to check in with the local police. When Will Nash comes into work he is normally the first person there in the morning, but this morning he notices that the chiefs door is open and is surprised that she is in so early. He is more surprised to find Jordan sitting in the chief’s chair and then she goes into her ramble on how someone left the outside door unlocked. She also calls him by a different name starting with “W” every time she sees him just to bug him. Once the chief arrives Jordan is upset that she put Will in charge of supervising her because he took advantage of a beanie animal trade in kindergarten. Will likes Jordan, and though she likes him she has many issues that need to be worked out. She is the only person who can do this. Will wants to help and tries to smooth things over between her and the community but when she up and leaves this does not bode well for any chance. Then she gets a job working with at risk teen girls something she can relate to and she is good at when after an incident she takes off again this time for months, and again with no call, text, or anything to Will who pissed, hurt, angry, frustrated, and worried about her. When he finally has gotten over he thinks four months have gone by. Look who comes back into town Jordan. This time she is different, but she knows she has made a mess of things with Will, she loves him and she must come up with ways to show him that and that she won’t take off again. This an outstanding story with funny moments and very emotional moments at times. You get to see the struggle of what people go through when everyone thinks they always are doing badly. You also get caught up in the struggle between them as a wood be couple. A very good book.  Author copy provided for fair & honest review.  I give this 5 stars.

A TASTE OF SUGAR

A TASTE OF SUGAR                             MARINA ADAIR

A Taste of Sugar (Sugar, Georgia, #3)A blast from her past...

Charlotte Holden, Sugar's favorite pediatrician, knows better than anyone that love only leads to heartbreak. Instead, she's focused on creating the Grow Clinic, an outpatient center for children. All she has to do now is to host the best Founder's Day Parade in the history of Sugar, Georgia, to win over a big-city donor. Easy as peach pie. Then sexy Jace McGraw blows back into town and utters those three words every woman dreads: we're still married. 

...leads to tantalizing trouble

Jace McGraw was making an offer on his dream business in Atlanta when he was told that his wife had some credit issues. Wait, his wife? The annulment went through years ago—or so he thought. He'd walked away only to keep his troublemaker reputation from ruining her dreams. But now that they have a second chance, Jace offers Charlotte a deal: he'll grant a discreet divorce in exchange for 30 days and nights of marriage. Because this time he isn't going to let her go without a fight. 

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

In this book Charlotte Holden has everything going for her and she likes it that way. Her grow clinic now is near the final step and she is looking to get someone in the health field to help the clinic and it will be all set. That is until Jace McGraw comes not only back into town but back into her life. Telling her what she wants to hear that they are still married, not. She is so frustrated thinking that he did this on purpose that she cannot think start with him, the founders parade, her father that runs the clinic giving her a rough time. She does not have time for him. He on the other hand has decided that he likes being married to her and though he has not seen her in years he is still attracted to her and decides to make a plan of her falling in love in with him and them staying married. The fun and hi jinks of this book and all of the characters make this a fast pace book to read and a very funny story and with some touching moments as well as both must overcome their fears in order for anything to work out between them. a very good book. I got this book from netgalley.  I give this 4 stars.

FALLING HARD

FALLING HARD                                       TINA WAINSCOTT           

 There’s no one Pax Sullivan wants to run into less than Gemma Thornton. Back in high school, she revved his heart more than street racing. But she picked his clean-cut brother over him—only to accuse Blake of an unforgivable crime. Eventually the charges were dropped and Gemma left town, but the hard feelings lingered . . . along with Pax’s gnawing “what-ifs.” Seven years later, just as he quits the police force to open a racetrack, Gemma’s back—and their chemistry is more combustible than ever.

If it were up to her, Gemma would never lay eyes on another Sullivan. She hates them, and they hate her—even Pax, who just so happens to be fixing up her father’s B&B. But the more time she spends with the lean, hard-bodied ex-cop at the inn and on the track, the more Gemma sees that Pax is nothing like his brother. Despite their anguished history, she’s tempted to take their relationship into high gear . . . if she can face the past and risk her heart. 

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
     Pax Sullivan has left the police force and has moved on with his life. That is until he comes along someone who is stranded on the side of the road and having problems with her car, flat tire. He decides to stop and help and this turns out to change both of their lives more than they could have imagined. The person is Gemma Thornton who when they were in high school she was attracted to him but instead went out with his older brother and then at the end of the year accused him of rape. She being the new girl in town and him being the star quarterback for the high school no one believed her and she ended up leaving going back home to New York to be with her mother. People in school always said that Pax was the one that got in trouble and that was not the way she remembered him. He just went by his own way and no one else’s. Now back in Florida because of an accident to her father she does not realizes how much people in the town remember. She of course thought maybe somehow they would have forgotten. Now Pax is a good friend with her father and they are partners in starting up a race track. She is surprised at just how much he has been around her father and has distanced himself from his family except for his sister that she did not know about while she was dating his bother. More and more secrets keep coming out and the two of them seem to deal with past so they decide if they can be together or is his family going to put an end to them? The ending to this story is really a shock and this is a fantastic story, full of emotion, not your typical love story by any means. A very good book. I got this book from netgalley. I give this 5 stars.         

                                                                      Back to You #1 Hard Crush HARD CRUSH                                  ...