Review – Falling with Style by CM Foss

Lawrence and Steph Brooks spent years fighting their love, and then they fought their way back to each other. After earning their happy, swoon-worthy ending, they were intent on keeping it.

But a few years, a fledgling business, and a couple of kids later, Steph and Lawrence learn that falling in love was the easy part and happily ever after isn’t for sissies. With life bearing down on them, they can’t always escape the fall, but they can do it with style.

*Falling with Style is a companion novella to Swoon, but may be read as a standalone.*

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BFF K’s Review of Falling with Style

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“The Happily Ever After is never the end, it’s just the beginning.” This is a quote from CM Foss about the premise behind Falling with Style, and I love this idea. The idea that the lives and loves of our favorite characters continue after we finish a books’ final chapter. This novella is really a continuation of Lawrence and Steph’s stories started in her previous books.

TRUE CONFESSION TIME…I haven’t read Swoon or Shiver – YET! I prove the theory that this book can be read as a stand-alone and it is perfectly enjoyable. BUT, now I am anxious to read Swoon and Shiver to get all of the back-stories that I know I’m missing.

I can relate to Lawrence and Steph. They’re busy. Full-time jobs and a full-time family, they’re trying to balance all of the important things in life and still find time for one another. There are a couple of instances of “interrupted romance” that had me laughing out loud. But, what spoke to me the most about this novella is the tenderness and commitment that Lawrence and Steph have for one another. With all of the distractions and frustrations, they love each other to the core. They’re committed to creating a joyful and fulfilling life together. That kind of love and devotion is truly a Happily Ever After.

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An advance copy was received in exchange for an honest review.

 

About the Author

CM Foss is a hopeless romantic with a love for the written word. When she was little, her mom would ration her books so she wouldn’t go through them too quickly. It didn’t matter, she would just re-read. She’s always been an avid equestrian, competing in the top levels of Three Day Eventing by age seventeen. CM now resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and kids where they own and operate their own equestrian business, as well as raising grass-fed, sustainable meats. She doesn’t have this thing people call “free time”, but she does spend a weird amount of time writing, reading, playing with her kids, milking goats, and drinking wine, while avoiding bananas at all costs. Other books by CM Foss include Shiver, Swoon, and City Beautiful.

Review – Claimed by Love by Melissa Foster

Family law attorney Gabriella Liakos has one true love, Elpitha Island, where she grew up and hopes someday to return. But Elpitha is in financial ruins, and Gabriella will do anything to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.

Duke Ryder is a savvy real estate investor set on making Elpitha into an exclusive resort. Unlike other investors, he’s not scared of purchasing a property where one family has roots so deep they practically reach the ocean floor…until he meets his beautiful, stubborn, and enticing tour host―the daughter of the owner of most of the island.

Gabriella sets out to dissuade Duke from purchasing Elpitha, but Duke has other ideas. He wants Gabriella and the island. Duke’s powerful seduction draws Gabriella in, but can a savvy investor who’s used to glamour and glitz, and a woman interested in preserving the culture she adores find a happily ever after together?

 

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Check out BFF K’s Review of Seized by Love – Ryders #1

BFF K’s Review of Claimed by Love

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You have to be ok with Insta-Love….Just a warning about this story line. When Duke and Gabriella meet one another there is an instant chemistry and attraction that overwhelms them both. Their trip from strangers to soul mates is so quick it will leave you spinning. If you’re ok with Insta-Love, this is a really wonderful, romantic, heart-felt story.

Gabriella grew up on the fictional island of Elpitha. Though she spends her days as a successful family attorney in NYC, her heart longs to be on the island surrounded by family and friends. Duke comes to the island to consider the possibility of investing in the property and turning it into a bright and shiny playground for people with time and money to spend. But, when he meets Gabriella, his thoughts are only about saving the island and preserving her visions of both what it is and what it can be.

There is tension in the story, a push and pull of Gabriella and Duke learning one another and learning how to trust one another. (Though that’s not really surprising considering the short time they’ve known each other.) There is no denying the spark that ignites between the two and their roller coaster relationship is steamy and sweet, just be sure to hold on for the quick and wild ride!

If you can accept and embrace an Insta-Love story with a sweet and determined heroine and a protective, caring, committed alpha hero, then this is definitely a one-click. Claimed by Love is a solid romance that takes the reader on a fun little ride.

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An advance copy was received in exchange for an honest review.

 

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the World Literary Café and Fostering Success. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.

Melissa hosts an Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.

Visit Melissa on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.

 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

Review – Finding Flynn by Alexandria Bishop

Ashtyn Moretti is ready for the best summer of her life. But her parents have other plans when they drop the bomb that her perfect summer will be spent… Away from home. Away from friends. Away from half her family. Armed with her Summer from Hell playlist and a Kindle full of book boyfriends, Ashtyn prepares to face what she is sure will be the worst summer of her life. Or will it be? Flynn James has one thing on his mind—the success of his band Marlowe. He’s focused and doesn’t have time for any distractions, and that includes facing his past. But then a petite brunette comes walking into the pub where he works. Neither Ashtyn or Flynn were looking for love but they can’t deny their obvious attraction. Ashtyn’s summer has been full of lies. The last thing she expects is for Flynn to be one of the liars too. Can she forgive his lies and turn her summer around? Can Flynn keep his secrets without losing everything? Or will this really be the Summer from Hell?

BFF K’s Review

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Let me start by saying I love this cover! It’s so freaking cute and I think it sets the tone for the whole book. This is an endearing book with a super-sexy, bad boy rocker as the hero. It is an enjoyable New Adult read.

Ashtyn is prepared to spend the “Summer from Hell” complete with a playlist to match. (See below.) After a fight with her mom, she storms out the door and stumbles right into hard body hottie, Flynn. The rest of the book is a back and forth between Ashtyn and Flynn as their relationship develops. I do have to say that I didn’t really think Flynn’s “Big Secret” was that big of a deal. There were a few times that I just wanted to shake them both and tell them to talk to each other. So many of the issues between the two could have been solved with a little communication! And, there were also a few times that I wanted to shake Ashtyn’s mom….I thought she was a little too lenient with a high school senior. (So in my head, I just pretended that Ashtyn was older!) 🙂

I enjoyed the supporting characters in this book. I loved Flynn’s band mates in Marlowe, and Ashtyn’s best friend, Chloe. I’m anxious for the next book to see where these characters go. All in all, it was a fun, quick read and an impressive debut for this brand new author!

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An ARC of this book was provided by the author in exchange for a fair review.

Link to Purchase on Amazon

Excerpt

Ashtyn

We’re strolling through a nearby empty park. Leaves are dancing in the light breeze, and a creek is babbling gently nearby. It’s quiet and peaceful but it isn’t doing anything to help calm my nerves. Although we came out here to talk, we haven’t said a word. I open my mouth and immediately close it. My mouth is dry like I just spent all day rocking out at Warped Tour, leaving my tongue like a sheet of sandpaper.

I lick my lips hoping to produce some saliva and ask, “Are there any drinking fountains nearby?”

Flynn gets a shit-eating grin and points to a giant statue with fountains on all sides. “Over there.”

I take a giant gulp that I immediately spit right back out. Unfortunately, Flynn is standing within shooting range and gets a mouthful of the nasty liquid, which tastes like coppery rotten eggs. I’m not sure which one of us is more shocked but I can’t hold in the laughter. The pain in my side is almost unbearable. I almost don’t hear Flynn say, “You think that’s funny, do you?”

Not understanding his tone, I look up to a blazing green fire. I don’t know whether to be scared or seriously turned on. I turn to run but he grabs me and flips me around. My body shakes with fear and desire as Flynn rubs his hands up and down my arms. I don’t speak, too terrified of what I would say but even more terrified of ruining whatever is happening. I nervously gnaw on my bottom lip and he zones right in on it and licks his own.

Leaning forward, I run my hands through his silky hair. He lightly presses his lips to mine, stopping everything around us. Not satisfied with the featherlight kiss, I greedily run my tongue along his bottom lip and use my teeth to gently tug on his lip ring. A guttural groan escapes him, causing my entire body to tingle, right down to my toes. Suddenly I understand what all those girls are feeling in the romance novels I devour. This single kiss will ruin all future kisses for me.

Letting go of his piercing, I push my tongue against his mouth and he grants me access. The moment our tongues tangle, the air around us thickens and everything shifts. Flynn’s hands trail my body. Everywhere he touches, my body is on fire. My back hits cold stone, and I wrap my leg around his waist. Flynn lifts me and both legs hook around him. His hardness hits my sweet spot and I let out a husky moan, causing him to rock against me. My eyes roll back into my head and I throw it back, unable to control myself any longer.

Playlists

Summer From Hell Playlist

Somewhere Other Than Hell Playlist

About the Author

Alexandria Bishop is an Oregon girl and lives there with her husband, young daughter and fur baby. She’s been a bookworm her entire life and always dreamed of becoming a writer but never thought it would be a reality.

Alexandria spends more time on social media than she would like to admit, come visit and say hi!

 

 

Website          Facebook          Twitter          Instagram

 

Review – Every Other Saturday by MJ Pullen

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BFF Book Blog is pleased to bring you our review for the upcoming release of Every Other Saturday by M.J. Pullen! This is an absolutely wonderful book that I can’t recommend enough!

 

 

From romantic comedy author M.J. Pullen comes a unique story about finding help when you need it most, and love where you expect it least.

Even though their daughters have been in the same Jewish preschool class for three years, struggling store owner Julia Mendel and sports blogger Dave “from the Man Cave” Bernstein have never gotten along. She sees him as a definitely arrogant, possibly misogynist symbol of everything that’s wrong with the men in her life. He sees her as the odd, short-tempered PTA president, out to make his life more difficult at every opportunity.

As part of his job, Dave accepts an on-air challenge: go out with a different woman from a Jewish dating site every Saturday for the next four months, and blog the results. He quickly secures his daughter’s favorite preschool teacher (and super-nanny) Ms. Elizabeth to make the experiment possible. Little does he know Julia is in desperate need of the same sitter for the same schedule, so that she can take a part-time job while pacifying her son, who has severe OCD.

A confrontation in the carpool lane leads to an uneasy compromise: they will pool their resources to share Ms. Elizabeth’s services every-other Saturday night. After a while, Dave finds himself sharing his dating stories with non-Jewish Julia across her kitchen table; while she reluctantly turns to him for the masculine perspective – especially for her son – she’s been missing since her divorce. As the Saturdays wear on, however, they may discover they have more in common than car seats and custody schedules.

BFF K’s Review

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I love that this is not an NA story, which seems weird to say, because I love the coming of age stories. But this is a book about already-adults. Real grown-ups dealing with intense and sometimes confusing emotional issues. But, they’re grow-ups and I can relate to them in a way that I can relate to very few other characters.

The characters are really well written and developed and I loved jumping into their lives and situations. Their circumstances are so real. Life is messy and complicated. The characters and story lines are full of self-confidence and insecurities, success and failures, love and loss, and friendship and rivalries. It mirrors the highs and lows that we experience in real life.

This story felt so familiar, not in a “this is my boring life” kind-of-way, but in a way that I could relate to and understand the settings and emotions. As a child with divorced parents and a wife and mom, I just felt a connection to these characters and a deep desire to see them reach gratifying conclusions.

The ending of this story didn’t disappoint. It is true to the storyline and the characters; it is real and raw and a little messy, but it also has an HEA (ending and epilogue) that is incredibly fulfilling. I believe that each of the characters I have come to care about achieve a realistic, but incredibly satisfying resolution!

If you’re looking for a break from angsty NA novels, but still want a delicious story with great characters discovering who they are and what they want and need in life, I encourage you to read Every Other Saturday. You’ll be so glad you did!

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An ARC of this book was received in exchange for an honest review.

Buy Links

Amazon

Links for more info and future availability

Giveaway

Be sure to visit M.J. Pullen’s website to enter a GREAT Rafflecopter Giveaway!

About the Author

MANDA (M.J.) PULLEN, former therapist and marketer, is the author of complex, funny contemporary romances. She was raised in the suburbs of Atlanta by a physicist and a flower child, who taught her that life is tragic and funny, and real love is anything but simple. She studied English Literature and Business at the University of Georgia, and Professional Counseling at Georgia State University.

Manda has a weakness for sappy movies, juicy gossip, craft beer and boys who talk baseball. After traveling around Europe and living in cities like Austin and Portland, she returned to Atlanta where she lives with her family.

 

 

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Review of New Release – Lure by Alyssa Rose Ivy

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LURE is the first novel in her New Adult Paranormal Romance series The Allure Chronicles! Make sure you grab the prequel novella, SEDUCTION’S KISS, while it is FREE for a limited time!!!

 

LURE

There’s danger in the beauty…

Two years, six months, and twenty-five days. That’s how long it had been since I’d seen my winged hero— not that I’d been counting. I’d suffered through years of counseling just to convince my friends and family that I wasn’t crazy and knew he didn’t exist.

But he did. And I was done waiting.

Days after college graduation I headed back down to New Orleans to retrace my steps and find Owen again only to find my life was about to get even crazier… thanks to the most beautiful and dangerous of all paranormal creatures, the Allures.

BFF K’s Review

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Alyssa Rose Ivy has created a fantastic new world! It was so much fun to read a great new paranormal romance series; and this one has a little bit of everything. Vampires, shifters, heroes with beautiful black wings and beings that prey on human emotions – I am loving all of these incredible paranormal creatures.

I feel like Seduction’s Kiss (which I read before I started Lure, and you should too) and Lure both set the foundation for the rest of the series while establishing a fantastic romance between Owen and Daisy. If you’re a fan of paranormal romance, you’ll definitely want to check out this terrific new series. The only problem – you’ll have to wait (get in line behind me) for the next book in this new series to be released. UGH – the wait!

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Excerpt

(This was BFF K’s favorite part in the book!)

We stood awkwardly for another moment before I had to break the silence. “It’s been a while.”

“Two and a half years.”

“I thought about you the past few Halloweens.”

“I thought about you more than that. It’s actually pretty humiliating now that I’m standing in the same room with you. I don’t know what I was thinking.” She looked away.

“I lied.”

“About?”

I walked toward her. I had to wipe that regret off her face. “I thought about you a lot more than just Halloween.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I stopped right in front of her. “You were very memorable.”

“So were you.” She licked her lips. Again with the lips.

“I probably should ask you a million questions right now, but would it be okay if we put those off and did something else?”

“I guess that depends on what else you want to do?” Her eyes widened slightly.

“I want to kiss you.”

“I’m okay with that.” Her eyes seemed to sparkle.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

I didn’t wait for her to change her mind. I brushed my lips against hers gently. I was going to keep it short, but I had to know if I was glorifying the last kiss.

She moved her lips against mine, and any thoughts of keeping it short disappeared. I wrapped my arms around her as I deepened the kiss, greedily pushing for access beyond those irresistible lips of hers. She opened up, welcoming me in with the same intoxicating taste as she had the last time.

She moaned, encouraging me to continue the kiss. I didn’t need the encouragement. I lifted her up and carried her over to the couch. I sat down, settling her on my lap. I needed her close, closer than standing would allow.

Her fingers tangled in my hair as she let me explore her mouth. My hands ached to explore more, but I didn’t want to rush it. I’d waited over two years to taste her lips again, and I was going to enjoy every second of it.

Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** GooglePlay ** iTunes ** Kobo

Don’t miss SEDUCTION’S KISS, the prequel novella to Lure (The Allure Chronicles #1)…

Seductions Kiss

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iTunes ** GooglePlay ** Kobo

 

Alyssa Rose Ivy- Author PhotoAbout Alyssa Rose Ivy:

Alyssa Rose Ivy is a New Adult and Young Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

 

 

 

 

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LURE Available now

Mini-Review – Take the Cake (and Run) by Daisy Prescott

Take the Cake (and Run) is a short story in the LOL #2 Anthology. All of the stories have something to do with cake and they’re LOL funny!

BFF K’s Mini-Review

(For A Short Story)

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I received a copy of of Take the Cake (and Run) from the FABULOUS Daisy Prescott. And it is everything I hoped for! If you’ve read any of Daisy’s Modern Love Stories series, you’ll know that her writing is sharp, engaging and super funny! This story is no exception, it’s terrific. The only thing wrong with it – it’s too short!

John and Diane are newly engaged. Diane takes John into a delicate, girly, bakery to taste wedding cakes.

“If you’re going to continue to act like a giant bearded toddler about being here…”

So, you can guess how well this starts out…the ending is super cute and a little steamy!

I don’t want to give any more away, but I want you to know that John says a prayer in his head while he’s sitting at the table during the tasting that had me literally LOL!

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In the interest of full disclosure, So far I’ve only read a couple of the stories in this anthology. I definitely want to read more soon, there are some great authors here. But, Take the Cake (and Run) is worth the $0.99 by itself!

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More About the Author:

Before writing bestselling contemporary adult romances, Daisy dreamed of being an author while doing a lot of other things. Antiques dealer, baker, blue ribbon pie-maker, fangirl, freelance writer, gardener, pet mom and wife are a few of the titles she’s acquired over the years.

Born and raised in San Diego, Daisy currently lives in a real life Stars Hollow in the Boston suburbs with her husband, their dog, Hubbell, and an imaginary house goat.

To learn more about this author and her writing visit: http://www.daisyprescott.com, chat with her on Twitter (@daisy_prescott), or find her on Facebook: /daisyprescottauthorpage