Tag: #advancedreadercopy

•Release Tour& Review•. Sledge by Jesse Cooke

Title: Sledge: Westside Skulls Motorcycle Club
Series: Westside Skulls MC Romance Book 5
Author: Jessie Cooke
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: September 10, 2018

When you’re teased and tormented as a kid about everything you’re not able to change about yourself, you grow up tough on the outside, but shattered in a million pieces on the inside. Steve was a poor kid, thrust into a world where people had everything he thought he wanted, but couldn’t have. He was bullied for being “different” and made to believe he was “less than” everyone else.
Ten years later, Steve is now Sledge, an enforcer for the Westside Skulls. He found a place where he could put his tough skin to use, and people weren’t constantly judging him. He loves life in the MC. He works hard and he plays harder and he never lacks for female companionship. For once in his life he has everything he wants or needs. Well…almost everything.
Daria Ford had it all growing up. Money, looks, popularity…everything except what she really wanted, the one thing that would make her happy. Daria wanted Steve and since she was used to getting what she wanted, she was shocked when her plans went sideways, and she was left feeling embarrassed and rejected.
Ten years later Daria is still searching for fulfillment. She has a good life, but she’s not happy. She’s always felt like something was missing and when she started writing romance novels for a living, it seemed to fill the void, at least for a while. Funny thing was that all the heroes in her books looked and sounded a lot like Steve, her high school crush.
When Daria accidentally crashes head first back into Sledge’s life, will these two people come together and find what they’ve both been looking for all along? Or will Sledge’s insecurities rule his heart and Daria’s imagination fool hers?

* * *

Book 5 in the Westside Skulls MC Series.
This is a Standalone Romance Novel but characters from the previous stories in this series appear in this and future books in the series. 
HEA and No cliffhanger. 
Intended for Mature Readers.

* * *

The Westside Skulls MC Series is about members of the MC club, their friends and associates. 
Each story, while focused around one main character, is not necessarily about a Westside Skulls club member, but the story is related to Skulls members and the club.


New York City – 2007

“Baby, why aren’t you dressed? You’re going to be late.”

Steve sat on the edge of his bed, dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans with holes in the knees. It was his “uniform” at home, much more comfortable than the button-down white shirt, blue tie, and blue slacks he had to wear to school five days a week. It was Friday night…homecoming…and Steve had been voted homecoming king.

“I’m not going, Mom.”

“What? You have to go! You’re homecoming king!” She beamed with so much pride that Steve was surprised she didn’t actually light up the room. It was going to break his heart to tell her…but he couldn’t have her sitting in the bleachers and watching his humiliation from the sidelines. He’d put it off as long as he could.

“Mom…I’m pretty sure it’s a joke.”

She pulled her brows together. “A joke? I don’t understand.”

“Mom…they wouldn’t have voted me homecoming king on purpose, unless it was a joke. They’re going to do something to embarrass me, and I don’t want you there, watching. I don’t want to be there. I give them enough ammo at school every day.”

His mother looked crushed and it made his heart hurt. She sat down next to him on the bed and after a few silent moments she said, “Have you been getting bullied?” Steve had been bullied since the day he started middle school. He was from a whole different world than the rest of the students at the private school he attended. The neighborhood he lived in was an old one, the houses were run-down, the yards unkempt, and most people worked two jobs, or twelve-hour shifts, to support their families and still couldn’t make ends meet. The other students lived in high-rise penthouses in Manhattan, or old mansions in Chelsea. They were kids who had never known what it felt like to want anything. Steve had grown up wanting so many things…but mostly, just to be accepted.

He wasn’t completely alone any longer. He had two really good friends and he didn’t think he could have done any better than his mother for a parent…so things weren’t all that bad. But the rich kids found some kind of sick pleasure in constantly reminding him that he didn’t fit in…and he’d managed to keep that from his mother the whole time. That was the one advantage to having to take two buses to get across town to school every morning, and having a mother who usually couldn’t take off work to come to school events. She was so proud of him for his achievements, and he wanted to keep it that way. He never wanted her to know what an outcast he was…but if she was going to find out, it wasn’t going to be by watching her son get humiliated.

“No, Mom, they don’t bully me,” he lied. “Look at me, I’m huge. They’d be stupid to start anything with me.”

She put her hand on his big arm. He was huge. He was a senior in high school and already six-foot-three and over two hundred pounds of muscle. A lot of his time was spent working out with some old weights his brother’d left in the basement. It helped clear his head and it was how he got rid of the aggression that built up throughout the day. “But you’d never hurt anyone, and they can probably sense that. Steve, please talk to me.”

“I am talking to you, Mom. Things are okay. Mostly they leave me alone, but I’m different from them, you know that. I’m not even a little bit popular. I know this is a joke and I’d rather just stay home and skip the humiliation, okay?”

She nodded. “Of course. I’d never want to see you hurt like that. But please promise me you’ll let me know if there’s more going on, okay? I just get the feeling…”

“Nothing more is going on, Mom, really.” The phone began to ring, and he was relieved when his mom got up to answer it. They had a home phone and she had a cell phone, but Steve didn’t have one now. He had…he’d had a phone that his mother probably worked forty hours of overtime to buy for him. It had been tossed in the toilet at school by some of those kids who “didn’t” bully him. His best friend had kicked the guy’s ass and gotten suspended from school for three days because of it. Steve was called a coward by everyone else for not fighting for himself. He wasn’t a coward. He was afraid, though. He was afraid that if he threw that first punch, he wouldn’t be able to stop. He was afraid of killing someone.

His mother appeared in the doorway a few seconds later and said, “That was the school principal, Mr. Gamble.”

“What did he want?” Gamble was old money and he looked down on Steve as much as the other kids did. As part of his scholarship agreement, Steve had to work in the school office ten hours a week. Between that and the two-hour bus ride each way, he wasn’t even able to get a job after school and help his mother out. He couldn’t wait to get the fuck out of that school and out of New York, away from all the hateful, snobby people.

She sat down next to him again and she looked like she was going to cry. Laying her head over on his big shoulder she said, “You are so good. You know that? No matter what anyone tells you, you’re pure goodness, and if they treat you badly it’s because they’re jealous of your intelligence and your heart…”

“Mom, I love that you’re trying not to hurt me, but I’m a big boy. Just give it to me straight…what did he say?”

“The girl…the one who was supposed to be homecoming queen…she told the principal that you’ve made inappropriate advances toward her, and she wasn’t comfortable being queen to your kind.” Before Steve could say anything she quickly said, “I know it’s a lie. I told him, that’s not you. He said that without proof he couldn’t really punish you in any way…it’s a ‘he said, she said’ situation. But in light of what she did say, he had to disqualify you from being homecoming king.”

Steve’s chest burned with…hate, maybe? He wasn’t sure what the feeling was. For the longest time, he thought he was in love with one of his best friends, but when he figured out his two best friends were in love with each other, he promised himself he’d never do anything about that. Then, all of a sudden one of the prettiest, smartest girls at school started paying attention to him. He’d been suspicious at first, but she’d hung out with him and his friends more than once, and he had begun to believe she was serious about wanting to date him. Surprisingly, she invited him to her sister’s wedding. It was a huge affair that made him sick to his stomach, but at the same time he couldn’t remember ever being happier…because he was with Daria.

Also, surprisingly however, Daria drank at her sister’s wedding…a lot. No one seemed to notice the seventeen-year-old girl finishing off everyone’s wine, or champagne, or even their hard liquor except for Steve. He didn’t want to lecture her on their first date, however, so he kept his mouth shut too…until she took him up to her room on the floor that the entire family had rented in the hotel for the occasion. She started kissing him, and it was amazing. His teenage hormones were raging, and he wanted nothing more than to have sex with the beautiful girl. But she was drunk, and he knew that would be wrong. He’d never want to take advantage of her. When she started undressing and he told her to stop…she freaked out. She even threw things at him and told him he would be sorry. How dare a guy like him turn down a girl like her?

In the past, she had never been one of the group of kids who picked on him. But after that night, she was true to her word…and it was another reason why he was sure the homecoming king thing was a joke. They probably knew he wouldn’t show up. He was smarter than that…so this had been their back-up plan. She made him look like a predator when all he’d been trying to do was conserve her dignity. So yeah, maybe it was hate he was feeling…or maybe it was love, flowing out of his heart and turning into acid in his veins. Maybe love was going to be as elusive to him as it had always been for his poor mother. Maybe he was just that unlovable.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed reading Sledge and Daria’s story. Daria really liked Sledge in high school but when he didn’t take advantage of her while she was drunk she joined the rest of their classmates and tried to make his life horrible. I’m glad she owned up to her mistake and I thought she turned out to be such a sweetheart. Sledge was so blunt and to the point but I loved him! This was a good addition to the series and I can’t wait to read more!


Jessie Cooke writes hot romance novels about tough guys, bad boys, bikers, fighters and lovers and the women of strong character who tame them.

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Mess Me Up By Lani Lynn Vale •Release Blitz& Review•

Title: Mess Me Up
Series: Bear Bottom Guardians MC #1
Author: Lani Lynn Vale
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: September 6, 2018

When Rome Pierce moved to Bear Bottom, Texas, it was his intention to lay low. To not be seen. To find a way to heal his body and soul—as well as his son’s.

Nobody would know by looking at him that he used to play professional football. Not with the Bare Bottom MC cut covering his back, and definitely not with his friendly smile completely obliterated.

No longer is there charm in each smooth word that comes out of his mouth. What’s left is an angry, bitter, scared man that’s terrified one day he’s going to wake up and his entire world is going to be gone.

Nobody knows what drove him to leave the game he loved—nobody but her.

She’s the one person that has helped him make it through the dark days and even darker nights. She’s the bright and shining star in his pitch-black sky.

And he doesn’t even know her name.

He should be afraid that she knows things that not anyone—not even his best friend—knows.

Yet, with each encounter, he gives what little bit of his soul remains, and before he knows it only two people on this earth—one dying, and one too afraid to live—make his life worth living.

Until one day he has to choose—the love of his life, or the life he brought into this world.

Two impossible situations. One decision that would change him forever.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was another amazing book by Lani Lynn Vale! This book absolutely messed me up but I loved it. This book will make you cry….it’s an emotional roller coaster but it is definitely worth reading. I just loved Rome and Isadora! I can’t wait to read the next one!


I’m a married mother of three. My kids are all under 9, so I can assure you that they are a handful. I’ve been with my paramedic husband now for ten years, and we’ve produced three offspring that are nothing like us. I live in the greatest state in the world, Texas.

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Shadow by L. Wilder •Book Tour/Review•

Title: Shadow
Series: Satan’s Fury MC Memphis Chapter #2
Author: L. Wilder
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: August 14, 2018

“This couple may very well be one of my favorites by this author.” -Rose Reads


“I have read everything from L. Wilder and I can confidently say that her writing gets better and better.” -Donna Parrott


“Awesome storyline with phenomenal twist. This one is a definite must read.” -Julie Jackson/Goodreads Reviewer

Even as a kid, I knew the kind of hell the world could dish out. I grew to expect the worst and learned to face it head on. When I became Satan’s Fury’s new enforcer, I knew I could handle whatever came my way—until Alex Carpenter, the gorgeous book store owner who brought color into my world of gray.

The club was at war, fighting an unknown enemy, and she was a distraction I didn’t need nor want. My focus should’ve been on my brothers and our latest adversary, but I felt an unexplainable pull towards her. Her beauty and innocence captivated me, and just being near her made the shadows of my past seem less daunting. Without even realizing it, I let her in, but as we grew closer, I quickly realized that her walls were even more guarded than my own. 

Like me, Alex had a past filled with secrets. Could our broken souls find a way to mend together, or would we remain imprisoned by our past?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Alex and Shadow were so stinking cute! I enjoyed their story. Alex is running from her past and Shadow is the strong, silent type fighting his own demons! They had great chemistry! Satan’s Fury MC is so bada** I love it! They are a family and always look out for their own and don’t cross em or that’s your a**! This was a great book and I recommend reading Blaze first to better appreciate this one since you’d better understand the action!

I heard the loud rumble of several motorcycles approaching, and as they got closer, I noticed something familiar about one of the men. Even in the pitch black of night, I knew it was him—the hot biker from the bookstore. I stood frozen in place as he and his friend whipped past me.
A black SUV pulled in right behind them and they all parked near the front door of Newman’s. I watched in awe as he got off his motorcycle and removed his helmet. He turned to look in my direction, and as those penetrating blue eyes locked on mine, all my sense of reason seemed to just wash away. I couldn’t move. My pulse was racing, my palms were sweating, and my hormones were raging. He looked so damn good with his dark hair tousled, and it was impossible not to notice how his jeans clung to him in all the right places. I was a complete mess. No man had ever had such an effect on me. I didn’t like it. I wanted to get into my car and shake it off, but when I realized that he was leaving his two friends to walk in my direction, my mind and body just wouldn’t cooperate. I simply stood there like a total idiot.
After he finally made his way over to me, I was surprised by his furrowed brow and intense expression. He just stood there staring at me for several seconds, and having no idea what else to do, I mumbled, “It’s you.”
“Yeah. It’s me.”
“I’m sorry … I don’t actually know your name.”
“It’s Shadow.” Before I could respond, he took a quick glance around the parking lot and asked, “You out here alone?”
“Yeah … I was just about to head home.”
“You shouldn’t be out here by yourself. It’s not safe,” he growled.
Surprised by his fierce tone, I became even more nervous and started to ramble. “I’m okay. My friends are inside. We were watching the band. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of them … the Smoking Guns. They’re pretty good. Not exactly my thing. A little loud for my taste. Not the loudest one I’ve ever been to, but close. At least I had an excuse to leave early … I have a shipment coming in tomorrow morning, so I need to be at the store early. What about you? Are you here to see the band, too?”
“Not exactly.” Without giving further explanation, he asked, “Where’s your car?”
“Um … it’s right over there,” I answered as I pointed in its direction.
He leaned to the side as he looked around me and grimaced, clearly not impressed by the state of my vehicle. “That’s your car?”
“Yeah. I know it’s not much, but it gets me to where I’m going.”
Just when I thought the moment couldn’t get any more uncomfortable, Jason stepped out of the bar, and as he glared at the burly biker standing next to me, he shouted, “Hey, Alex? You okay?”
“Yeah. I’m good. I was just about to leave.” When he didn’t move, I said, “You’re going to miss the closer if you don’t go back inside.”
“You’re sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, Jason. I’m fine.”
“Okay. Don’t forget to text me when you get home.”
“I will. Don’t worry.”
Once he was gone, I turned my attention back to my biker. He studied me for a moment, his eyes lingering on my mouth for only a fleeting moment; then, without saying a word, he started walking towards my car. Having no idea what he was doing, I just stood there trying to wrap my head around exactly what was happening. He turned around and looked over at me then said, “I thought you were leaving.”
“I am.” He cocked his eyebrow as he motioned his hand towards the driver’s side door. Feeling like a complete idiot, I rushed over to him and quickly unlocked my door.
He watched me get inside and asked, “You okay to drive?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” He again stared at me for a moment like he was trying to decide if I really was okay. “Seriously. I had one beer two hours ago. I’m fine.”
“Good.”
I expected him to step back, but he just stood there looking down at me. I felt warm all over, my heart was pounding so loudly that I was certain he could hear it. I felt my face turning red, and not wanting him to see my body’s reaction to him, I said, “Your motorcycle is really something. I bet it’s awesome to ride on a night like this.”
“It is.”
“Okay, well … I guess I better get going.” With a bit of hesitation, I put my hand on the door handle and as I started to close it, I said, “Thanks for walking me to my car.”
His expression softened as he moved out of the way and said, “Be careful.”
“I will. Thanks.”
After I closed the door, I gave him a smile and a quick wave goodbye, then started my engine. As I pulled out of the parking lot, I glanced up at my rearview mirror, and a chill ran down my spine when I noticed he was still standing in the same spot, watching intently as I drove out onto the main road.

“Damn,” I muttered to myself.

Leslie Wilder grew up in a small town in West Tennessee. A country girl at heart, she’s always thought that life is too short, but she had no idea how short it really was until her brother passed away in 2014. She’s always been an avid reader, loving the escape only a great book can give, and wondered if she had what it took to write one of the wild romances she’d come to adore. With the support of her family and friends, she published Inferno: A Devil Chaser’s MC, one year after her brother’s death. With him in mind, she fulfilled her lifetime dream of writing. Since then, she’s completed the Devil Chaser’s Series and continued on with the Satan’s Fury MC Series. She has so many stories in her head, and can’t wait to share each and every one.
Leslie has been blown away by the support of her readers, appreciating every message, review, and encouraging word she’s received over the past year. She looks forward to continuing this journey with them for years to come.
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Calix by Esther E. Schmidt Review!

Synopsis

Calix is multifaceted. A detective. A Dom. A bartender. A member of Areion Fury MC. So many sides yet nothing defines him. He takes what he wants out of life and gives what he thinks should be freely given; he craves balance and yet he’s at a standstill in life. That is until a woman walks in and tips his balance out of control.

Tenley is desperate. A strong woman. A business woman. Born into the biker world she has fought her way to the top. And now, she finds herself following the President’s request to seek the help of the one individual who might be able to handle the betrayal and threat the club is facing. She’s thrown off balance when the one person who should be their savior, might turn into her downfall.

When betrayal from within taints the Areion Fury MC, Ohio Chapter with contempt and disintegration, the weight is on Calix to flush out the bad seed and try to save this Chapter. Even if it means leaving his own President to serve another. A fight for the gavel might be the end of Areion Fury MC, or a possibility for a new Chapter…in life.

My thoughts 💭

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Calix’s actions in Sico’s book made me very interested in him👀 Calix was a detective, bartender and a Dom but he’s become bored with everything until someone from his past asks for his help. The sparks fly when Tenley and Calix meet! I loved their chemistry! I immediately loved Ten she was so bada**! And Calix was so alpha and sweet with Ten I just loved it! I enjoyed reading this book and definitely recommend it!

Trapping Wasp by Harley Stone! *Release Blitz/Review*

Title: Trapping Wasp
Series: The Dead Presidents MC Series #3
Author: Harley Stone
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: August 13, 2018

18+ for language and sexual situations… 

 Andrew “Wasp” Marshall, VP of the Dead Presidents MC, rides life like it’s his bike, at full speed with no real destination. But when he sets his sights on an irresistible new bartender with a comical little kid, Wasp will have to decide if he’s willing to give up his carefree lifestyle and buckle down to become the man she needs. 

Carly Cooper is a survivor. When an old friend turns from protective to possessive she packs up her five-year-old son and flees to Seattle, leaving everything and everyone she knows behind. Carly has neither time nor energy for Wasp’s advances, despite his panty-dropping smile and made-for-sin body. 

As things between Wasp and Carly heat up, Carly’s past catches up to her and she must decide whether to trust Wasp and the Dead Presidents, or to pack up and run again.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I sooo enjoyed reading this book! Wasp and Carly were so adorable! Wasp was a ladies man and Carly a single mom hiding from her past. Carly was hesitant to give Wasp the time of day but when she did give him a minute he totally came through for Carly and her son Trent! Wasp wasn’t really looking for anything long term but the more time he spent with Carly and Trent the more it felt right.

My TBR list is getting longer cause I feel like I have to read the rest of the series since this one was so awesome! Lol

Harley Stone writes mafia romance and funny-as-shit romantic fiction. When she’s not writing, she’s busy living out her real adventure in southwest Washington with her husband and their five boys.  HOSTED BY:

•Release Tour/Review• Maverick by Lily Atlas!

Title: Maverick
Series: Hell’s Handlers MC
Author: Lilly Atlas
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: August 14, 2018
Stephanie Little firmly believes the world exists in two states: right and wrong, good and evil, unlawful and law-abiding. She chose her side the moment she joined the FBI and pledged to rid the world of as many criminals as possible.

Maverick is everything Stephanie isn’t: inked, pierced, flirty, masculine as sin, but most of all, an outlaw. When corruption in Stephanie’s crime-fighting world lands her in the clutches of a dangerous gangster, Maverick is there to keep her sane and battle for her protection. 
With Stephanie’s neat existence so turned around that she can no longer distinguish the good from the evil, she finds herself thrust into a world so gray she can’t see three feet in front of her face. To survive the confusion, she turns to the only person who keeps her grounded—the sexy outlaw who melts her heart and weakens her knees.
But law enforcement and criminals can never mix. Not in the way her body and heart are begging for. At some point, someone is going to learn her secret, and when that happens, her fierce protector could become her greatest enemy.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Omg I love this book! The drama, suspense and the steamy scenes! Maverick is a biker and Stephanie is a cop with a clear view of right and wrong. They both end up being kidnapped by the same group of jerks and try to talk each other through the situation. By the time they’re rescued Maverick is already staking a claim. It was too cute! Maverick and Stephanie were so hot! I just loved them. I enjoyed this book and definitely recommend if you enjoy a good M.C. romance!

The world existed in two states: right and wrong.
At least that’s how Stephanie Little had always seen it.
A clear, divisive line separating saints and sinners kept life manageable.
Good and evil.
Truth and lies.
Rule followers and rule breakers.
Criminals and law-abiding citizens.
All the murky gray areas and half-truths were just excuses and loopholes for people who weren’t willing to make the right choices.
After careful consideration, Stephanie always made the right choice or at least she tried to. And if she didn’t, she owned it and faced the consequences of her actions.
The split between right and wrong was what drew her to law enforcement straight out of high-school. Well, that and the fact that she grew up with the police chief for a father.
Born and raised in Pittsburg, she’d hardcore hero worshiped her father through her childhood. He’d received countless commendations for his life-saving work reducing the murder and crime rates in their city.
Stephanie had wanted that. Craved the opportunity to leave that kind of mark on the world. Rid the planet of some darkness and inject good back for those who deserved it. Those who followed the rules and lived in the light.
So, at twenty-one, with a shiny new criminal justice degree, she’d joined the police academy. Dreams of confiscating drugs, saving kidnapped children, and locking up murders powered her to the top of her class.
On the eve of graduation, her father showed up at the apartment she shared with another female cadet. In a matter of twenty minutes, he’d shattered Stephanie’s perfectly compartmentalized world.
“Steppy,” he’d said in the way her younger brother used to say her name. Jake had trouble with the F sound until he was four, but by then the name stuck and she’d been Steppy to her family from then on. “I know you’re excited to graduate and eager to dive into your first position with the PPD, but I need to tell you something important.”
She’d frowned and leaned her head on her father’s broad shoulder. “What’s that, Dad?”
“The world doesn’t always work the way you think it does, Step. You see black and you see white. Well, honey, in the real world, those colors don’t even exist. It’s all a grayscale. You need to know that, really know it, in order to survive the life you chose for yourself. There may be things you’re called on to do that don’t fit neatly into the boxes you’ve created.”
That conversation was the beginning of the end of her relationship with her father. She’d smiled, nodded, and told him what he wanted to hear, but rolled her eyes the moment he left. He was older, nearing retirement, out of touch with the way the world worked.
Such youthful arrogance and ignorance.
But Stephanie managed to hold on to her ideals through her first year on the force. Even when her father lost his position in a shameful bribery scandal that earned him fifteen years in prison, she hadn’t budged.
He’d done the crime, he deserved the time.
Then, somehow, she made it through two years working for the FBI before her perfectly divided world was smashed to bits. And it wasn’t smashed with a sledgehammer either. No, a damn wrecking ball in the form on an undercover assignment crashed through the glass house she lived in, launching millions of sharp shards at her delicate skin.
And it hurt.
God, did it hurt.
“One more chance, bitch. What the fuck are you doin’ here?” some dead-eyed brute asked her about five seconds after his fist connected with her face.
For the second time.
The second punch disoriented her for a second. Long enough to lose her sense of upright and meet the ground.
On all fours, with palms and knees throbbing from the bits of gravel and dirt embedded in the skin, Stephanie spit out blood that had pooled in her mouth from the split lip. “Hiking,” she said, the sound a bit muffled from her swollen lip. “Got lost.”
And…damn…who knew talking with a split lip would hurt so damn much. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she’d rather die than let one of those suckers slip free. She wasn’t the toughest of chicks out there…physically at least. A few arrests during her time as a beat cop had resulted in physical altercations with bumps and bruising. She’d always put on a tough mask in front of her fellow cops but bawled like a baby in the privacy of her own home.
Dead-eyes threw back his head and laughed before looking at his buddy, a guy so overweight, Stephanie was pretty sure she could outrun him even if they broke both her legs. “You believe this bitch, Top?” he asked the larger man.
Top grunted and shook his head, his many chins wobbling like Jello. “Fuck no. No reason for a bitch to be hiking out here, Shark. Ain’t even any fuckin’ trails.”
Like he would know?
Stephanie bit back the smart-assed remark on the tip of her tongue. Silence was her best bet. Plus, this little gangbanger pow-wow gave her a second to reorient and breath through the pain.
“What about you, King? You believe her?” The man called Shark asked the man on his right and Stephanie held her breath.
This was it. Her way out. Sure, there’d be hell to pay later for the rookie-level mistake of getting busted snooping in the woods outside their compound, but she’d take an ass chewing form her boos over being beat to shit or worse by pissed off gang members.
All her partner, Eric, or King to these pieces of shit had to say was that he believed her. Saw her tromping around like an idiot. Spotted her looking lost and stupid in the woods. He could volunteer to drop her somewhere and scare the piss out of her so she wouldn’t talk.
Shark and the Top dude were scary as fuck and she wanted gone in the worst way.
“No I don’t fuckin’ believe this, bitch,” King said, lifting his military grade rifle and stomping forward until the weapon was pressed dead center against her forehead. “I say we just waste her now. Bury her and get back to those bitches we left naked and needy.”
What. The. Fuck.
Stephanie had never worked so hard in her life as she did to keep the shock off her face and the vile words in her mouth.
Calm down.
King wasn’t serious. He couldn’t be. Her partner was a veteran FBI agent for crying out loud. There had to be a plan to get her out bouncing around in his head.
That knowledge helped her relax despite the fact one twitch of King’s finger would splatter her brains all over the Tennessee woods.
“Nah,” Shark said. “Where’s the fun in that? Let’s take her with us. A few hours hanging with the boys and she’ll be ready to talk.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
She stared hard into King’s eyes trying to send him a mental message. This was as bad for him as it was for her. They’d torture her for information and she’d crack.
Everyone cracked.
Especially if they had zilch training in enduring torture.
“Who gives a fuck why she’s here? Let me kill her and be fuckin done with it.”
Stephanie was in serious danger of puking all over the forest floor. As she stared at her partner of two years, the partner who taught her everything she knew about working for the FBI, the partner who teased her endlessly for her opinions on the black and white nature of the world, his lips quirked.
And she knew.
There were no fucking shades of gray.
She’d been right all along.
Only black. Only white.
And King had officially been swallowed by the darkness.
He’d always told her working undercover would change her view of the world. That undercover agents often had to live the life of a criminal and learn to deal with living in the shadows for the sake of doing good. But this wasn’t a case of doing what he had to maintain cover. This was a monster who wore human skin for a time and managed to fool even the most skeptical.
“What the fuck did I say, King?” Shark asked. “I want her at the compound. You can kill her eventually, but it’s been a shit week. The boys need some fun first.”
Stephanie swallowed. Boys? Fun?
There weren’t too many ways to interpret that.
The gun fell away from her head and she sat back on her heels.
Why? What was so appealing about this lifestyle that a decorated FBI agent would do a one-eighty and betray everything he once stood for.
Money?
Frustration with the system?
Sticking it to the man?
It seemed too dramatic to be making a point.
The ultimate hissy fit.
“Let’s roll,” Shark said, turning on his heel and strolling toward the building she could see through the trees in the distance.
The fat one leered at her for a second more before waddling after his master like an overfed but well-trained dog.
Somewhat alone with her partner, Stephanie rose to her feet. Whatever was about to happen, it would happen while she was on her knees in front of him. He’d have to look her full in the eye. For one second, she had the insane urge to call out to Shark. To yell as loud as she could and let the scumbag know his precious King was an undercover FBI agent.
It wouldn’t matter if he pledged his loyalty to Shark forever. He’d be killed. That’s how it worked with gangs.
Nothing less than he deserved at that moment.
But she didn’t give into that urge. Because it would be wrong.
And she always chose right.
“Why?” she whispered when Shark was out of earshot.
King grunted and shook his head. “So fucking naïve, Stephanie. You always have been. It’s all gray out here.”
No. She refused to believe it. This situation was clearly not on any gray spectrum. King was evil. Plain and simple.
“No, Eric, I’m not naïve. But you sure are a fucking traitor.”
“You’ll never get it. And you’ll never survive this world. Wake the fuck up,” King said as he thrust his right arm forward and rammed the butt of his rifle into her head.
His murderous expression was the last thing she saw before her vision blacked.
Lilly Atlas is a contemporary romance author, proud Navy wife, and mother of two spunky girls. By day she works as a physical therapist for a hospital in Virginia. Lilly is an avid romance reader, and expects her Kindle to beg for mercy every time she downloads a new eBook. Thankfully, it hasn’t happened yet, and she can often be found absorbed in a good book.
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•Blog Tour/Review• Cocky by J.C. Valentine!

COCKY

by J.C. Valentine
Spartan Riders MC, #5
Publication Date: July 30, 2018
Cover Credits: Sara Eirew
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, MC Romance, Biker, Standalone

AVAILABLE NOW!

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SYNOPSIS

USA Today and International and bestselling author J.C. Valentine is back with the latest in her captivating, enigmatic, and rousing world of the Spartan Riders MC…

They’ve been through hell and back and have the scars to prove it.

Kade “Moose” Hunter doesn’t tolerate drama. He’s cocky, unapologetic, and all about the quiet side of life.

That’s why Mouse fits him so well.

Angel “Mouse” Grace isn’t like the other women hanging around the club. She’s sweet and gentle, and when Moose gets her engines revving, her passion burns bright. She’s the yin to his yang, and Moose is almost certain she’s the one, but life is never that easy for a Spartan.

The catch? Their town is falling apart.

A cesspool of crime and addiction, the Spartans face yet another challenge: confront crime lord Manuel Contreras and risk war, or worse, death. When Angel’s kid sister rolls into town and takes a shine to the Spartan’s mortal enemy, Moose is torn between doing what’s best for his family…and what’s best for his love life.

Will he be able to strike a balance, or lose everyone he cares about in the process?

*NOTE* COCKY can be read as a STANDALONE! Although a part of the Spartan Riders series, COCKY features a brand new couple, therefore, can be read as a standalone!

My thoughts 💭

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book can be read as a stand-alone but I recommend reading the others first to better appreciate this one. I loved Moose and Angel. I really loved Moose lol. They had great chemistry. This was a good ending to the series! I definitely recommend it!

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DON’T MISS OUT ON THE OTHER BOOKS IN THE SPARTAN RIDERS SERIES!

ABOUT J.C. VALENTINE

J.C. Valentine is the USA Today and International bestselling author of the Night Calls and Wayward Fighters Series and the Forbidden Trilogy. Her vivid imagination and love of words and romance had her penning her own romance stories from an early age, which, despite being poorly edited and written longhand, she forced friends and family members to read. No, she isn’t sorry.

Living in the Northwest, she has three amazing children and far too many pets. Among the many hats she wears, J.C. is an entrepreneur. Having graduated with honors, she holds a Bachelor’s in English and when she isn’t writing, you can find her editing for fellow authors.

Sign up for J.C.’s newsletter and never miss a thing! http://bit.ly/1KxXWWB

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•Release Blitz/Review• Too Bad So Sad By Lani Lynn Vale!

Title: Too Bad So Sad
Series: The Simple Man
Author: Lani Lynn Vale
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date:
Tyler Cree has never been good at the whole look and don’t touch thing.

From the moment he was old enough to walk on his own two feet, he’s been looking for trouble.

Trouble comes in many forms…quite a few of those forms being the female persuasion.

Tyler knows what girls want—a bad boy. And he has the bad boy image down pat.

Ex-military—check.

Hot cop—double check.

A bike between his legs and a devil may care attitude—oh, yeah.

All the girls want him, yet none of them will have him—at least not all of him, anyway. A certain appendage they can have all they want. His heart, however, is not up for grabs. The useless organ inside his chest was broken and battered, mutilated by the one woman he thought would keep it safe.

Spoiler alert: she ripped it to shreds and set fire to the pieces.

To protect himself, Tyler keeps everyone at arm’s length, and never lets anyone get too close.

Then Reagan Rose Alvarez barrels into his life, and trespasses on not only his property, but straight into his abused heart. One glance is all it takes, and he’s suddenly thinking about things he hasn’t thought for quite some time—thoughts that a man like him should never have about a woman like her.

One moment of weakness is all it takes, and suddenly he has no other choice but to go on the offensive.

Keeping her is the only other option now.

Turns out, his heart isn’t as broken as he thought it was.
The only problem is, now the little she-devil holds it in the palm of her hands, and she has no clue just how much power she holds.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I didn’t know he was planning to breathe so loudly when I agreed to move in with him. -Reagan talking about Tyler” 😂😂😂

Another great addition to the simple man series! Reagan and Tyler are both crazy but I loved them so much! Tyler tried to fight his attraction to Reagan at first and she decided she was going to let him come to her…I just loved it! The chemistry between them is hot and their banter is hilarious!



I’m a married mother of three. My kids are all under 9, so I can assure you that they are a handful. I’ve been with my paramedic husband now for ten years, and we’ve produced three offspring that are nothing like us. I live in the greatest state in the world, Texas.



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•ARC Review• Midnight With The Devil by Emma Castle!

Release Date: August 13

Synopsis

He’s sexy as sin and hotter than hell and—oh wait. What would you do to save a loved one’s life? Make a pact with the Devil? In Diana Kingston’s defense, it was the middle of the night in the deserted hospital chapel… surely it was just a dream. She hadn’t really sold herself to a brooding stranger to save her father’s life, right? Then she wakes and her father is fully recovered and a mysterious letter arrives from the tall, dark, handsome—um, Devil? Yep, it was right there on the contract, Lucien Star, aka Lucifer Morningstar, that had been his name in the dream… Gulp. What would the Devil himself want with her? Sex. Three months of hot, sweaty, Friday night sex. Ooookay. Breaking a pact with the Devil doesn’t seem like a smart move. So she’ll do it—but she won’t like it. Not much anyway. But she starts liking it – a lot—and every night they spend together, she likes it and Lucien a little more. Being with him allows her naughty side to come out and play, but Diana starts to see more than just a sexy-as-sin, rock-hard … er…Anyway, he might be Satan, but even he was an angel once. Kind. Noble. And she sees glimpses of that man still inside him… But how in Heaven’s name do you save the Devil from himself?

My thoughts 💭

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

OMG! This book was absolutely amazing! Diana makes a deal with the devil(Lucien) to save her fathers life. They end up falling in love and it is just the sweetest thing ever! The ending had me in happy tears I’m so glad Lucien and Diana got their happy ever after! I definitely recommend this book!

•Release Tour/Review• Bruf: Out Of The Darkness by Jessie Cooke

Title: Bruf: Out of the Darkness
Series: Westside Skulls MC
Author: Jessie Cooke
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: July 31, 2018
Growing up wasn’t easy for Bruf. At ten years old he watched his parent’s be murdered. From there, he spent time in foster care…and then in the care of his much older brother. Being with family should have been preferable to foster care, but when your brother is the leader of the largest White Supremacist group in the state, life can get pretty confusing…and dangerous, especially for a teenager who falls in love with a mixed-race girl. His brother made that relationship impossible, so Bruf escaped as quickly as he could to the security of the United States Army. At home on leave, Bruf encounters the wrath of his anti-government brother and his crew and that leads him to a new discovery…The Westside Skulls. It’s been a decade since Bruf joined up with them and life has been good. But when circumstances dictate that Bruf reconnect with his brother, things begin to go sideways…and of course, falling in love with the club president’s sister Sabrina didn’t do him any favors either. 

Sabrina left California to travel to Haiti with a group of doctor’s who dedicate their time and skills to people in need. While believing in the cause, her motivation was more about putting distance between herself, and the man she was in love with. Sabrina wants Bruf, and she knows he wants her, but his loyalty to her brother is like a brick wall that she knows she can’t penetrate…so she has to move on.

When she returns to California over a year later, an almost married woman with an explosive secret, things heat up in more ways than one. Ride along with The Westside Skulls and see how this gruff, sexy, loyal, sergeant-at-arms fares in both love and war.


Book 3 in the Westside Skulls MC Series. 
This is a Standalone Romance Novel but characters from the previous novels, Wolf Prequel and Wolf 2, are in this story, and will appear in future books in the series. 
HEA and No cliffhanger. 
Intended for Mature Readers.

* * *

The Westside Skulls MC Series is about members of the MC club, their friends and associates. 
Each story, while focused around one main character, is not necessarily about a Westside Skulls club member, but the story is related to Skulls members and the club.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dang this book was good! I loved Sabrina instantly even though I felt like she was letting her best friend and “fiancé” get away with too much. Bruf won me over halfway through the book but he turned out to be a sweetheart and I loved it lol. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

“So, are we finally going to talk about this?”

Wolf was staring at Bruf in the intimidating way that he didn’t even realize he had about him. Bruf didn’t want to talk about it. He’d gone most of his life not talking about it, and he’d even made up some stupid-ass story about his father being in the service and the family being stationed in England when he was born. That story was what he told the kids at school when he finally started at the age of ten years old…barely able to read and write at a kindergarten level. The other kids accepted that he was behind because he was a foreigner, and he didn’t get the same kind of torture he might have if he were just “slow” or if they knew the real story. His brother never went to school, and had his parents lived, Bruf wouldn’t have either.

At times he was able to go days or even weeks without thinking about the past. As he got older, it hurt less, and the rage that consumed him when he thought about his parents had begun to lessen. But since Wolf was cleared of murder charges thanks to the efforts of his brother…the General, aka Commander in Chief of the Brotherhood of the White Owls…he supposed he wasn’t going to be able to get out of talking about it any longer. The last time he talked about it was with Coyote, when he was eighteen years old and wanted nothing more in his life than to become a prospect for the Westside Skulls.

Bruf sat in the chair across from Wolf’s desk in the clubhouse office and stretched his long legs out in front of him. He sat there silently for a few minutes and then drew up his legs, rested his elbows on his knees, and rubbed his face like he was trying to wake himself up. “What do you want to know?”

Wolf cocked an eyebrow at him, folded his arms and said, “How about you just start at the beginning…”

Bruf chuckled and said, “Okay, in 1990 a child was born…”

“Spare me the smartass.”

“Sorry, Boss.” He sighed. “I hate this shit. My parents were…different. They lived off the grid, paranoid about everything…the government, school, fucking everything. My brother was ten years old when I was born. He was the only child for a long time. He grew up in the fog of all the pot they were smoking and acid they were dropping. It sounds bad, and I guess it was, but the thing is, they really weren’t bad people. They weren’t mean, and they loved us. Some people just aren’t cut out to be parents, and there were no two people that were cut out for it less than mine. The thing was, they were just scared of life and confused about how to integrate into society. I’m sure all the drugs didn’t help, but that was how they coped. We lived up in the mountains around Squaw Valley and my brother spent most of his time just running free in the woods. He was wild, like he’d been raised by wolves. By the time I came along, our parents had aged, and calmed down some. They’d stopped using the hard drugs, but they still supported us by growing some good weed, and they were smoking plenty of it. It was ultimately what killed them.”

He stopped talking. That was the easy part of the story. He had to delve down deep to get the rest out. Before he started talking again Wolf said, “Weed killed them?”

“Sort of. My dad invented this solar panel watering system for their greenhouse. It was revolutionary, really…if he’d sold it, they would have been rich. The weed grew something like three times faster than normal, and Mom and me, and sometimes my brother when he was around, would harvest and package it when it was ready. Dad would take it down the hill and sell it. I never knew who he sold it to, but one day, they followed him home. And that night, the whole crew showed up with a van and started emptying out the greenhouse. Dad got up in time to catch them loading the last of the plants. My parents were hippies and even though they didn’t trust anyone, they were very nonviolent. They didn’t have a gun and to this day I don’t know what he was thinking. He confronted them, unarmed, and they shot him…in the face. Mom ran out screaming and they shot her too. They never saw me, or I’m sure they would have killed me as well.”

“Oh fuck, brother, I’m sorry.” Wolf had a deep crease between his brows and it was evident that his heart hurt for his sergeant at arms. That was exactly what Bruf didn’t want. He didn’t want sympathy. He didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for him. Despite the way he’d been raised and what he’d seen that night, he had managed to grow up, do a short stint in the army, and find a home with the Skulls. He was content with his life, for the most part.

“Thanks,” Bruf said. “It was a long time ago.”

“How old were you?”

“About nine. I sat there with their bodies until my brother showed back up three days later. I told him we should call somebody, but he was as paranoid, if not more so, as they were. We dug two holes…”

“Ah Jesus…fuck, man…I’m sorry I made you talk about this…”

Bruf waved him off. “It’s okay, I should have told you a long time ago. We buried them and then my brother sat me down and made me tell him everything I saw. It wasn’t much. There were five guys, they were all black, and they were wearing red bandannas underneath their ball caps, and red or white t-shirts…My brother took that, and his paranoia warped further into a racist hate. He gathered his friends, all a bunch of mountain people and of the same mind as he was, and they went looking for these guys. Back in the 90s the gangs in Fresno were bad. I heard there were something like thirty-two gangs at that time…well, you lived it; the MC was right in the middle of a lot of those turf wars.”

Wolf nodded. “Yeah, there were something like six to seven hundred gang members back in the 90s and that’s not counting us.”

Bruf winked and grinned. “That’s because we’re a club, not a gang.”

“Damn straight,” Wolf said with a smile.

Bruf’s smile fell then and he said:

“My brother lost it. He started killing black guys…any black guy he saw dressed in red, whether he was a gang-banger or not. His friends were like a little militia and they backed him up and did some killing of their own. Ediger…”

“Is that his first name?” Wolf interrupted. “I’m sorry, this whole time I thought it was his last name.”

“Yeah, he just goes by ‘Ediger’ now…thinks he’s too fucking famous for a last name. Anyways, Ediger and a few of the guys got arrested one night. They got picked up on a routine traffic stop with a lot of drugs on them and automatic weapons and shit. He did time and I ended up in the foster care system. By the time he got out, I was sixteen, and he had built one hell of a following. He took me out of the foster home and out of school. We moved up to this big-ass piece of land way up in the Sierras. Ediger said it was his, that he’d bought it. I had no idea where or how he came up with the money to buy a piece of real estate like that but he kind of scared me back then, so I didn’t ask. For a couple of years, I played the role of the general’s brother. They taught me how to shoot to kill, how to wire explosives, grow my own food…and a lot of other things you can only imagine. Ediger wasn’t happy when I joined the army…and that’s putting it mildly. I ran off and did it, without telling him, but the first time I came home on leave…well, let’s just say I was lucky to still be breathing when they got done with me.”

“Your brother let them beat you up?”

Bruf chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “Hell, Ediger never has anyone do anything he’s not willing to do himself. He got in some of the better shots. They dumped me behind the recruiting office in town and left me there, either for dead or to be found. I was found, spent about a month in the hospital, and got a medical discharge from the army. I was out about two days when I met Coyote and some of the guys at Spirits one night. Coyote and I played a few rounds of pool and I just remember thinking that maybe the MC life was my calling. They were anti-government involvement in their lives, but not so paranoid that they couldn’t function in society. They grouped together by race but weren’t so bigoted that they couldn’t tolerate another race. It was some of what I was taught, but much milder.

“That night I told Coyote my story and he invited me to the clubhouse. I think that next day was when I met you…and you know the rest of my story. As far as my brother and that mess up there goes, their goal is to become independent of the government and society…but Ediger hasn’t figured out quite how to cut the rest of the world off completely yet. Sometimes I think about Jim Jones and Guyana when I talk to my brother. That crazy preacher got those people to drink the Kool-Aid because he knew they’d never be able to escape completely any other way. My brother is smart, practically a genius…but his fuse is about a millimeter long and if it gets lit, look out, because there’s gonna be one hell of an explosion.”

“They ever get any of them for the gang murders? I was just a kid, but I seem to remember when all that was going on…the gang wars…Coyote had the club lying low during that time.”

“Nah, never could pin anything on any of them. They’ve had them on all the watch lists for years, but haven’t ever been able to get them on anything; it’s why that DA got so excited at the idea you might have been able to get something on them.”

“So why did your brother help? I mean, he has to know that…how bad she wants them, right?”

Bruf nodded. “He said he’d give me that information…and then I’d owe him something in return.”

“Fuck,” Wolf said, running his hand through his beard. “Brother or not, that’s not a guy I’d want to be indebted to.”

Bruf laughed softly again and said, “Me neither, and he’s my own blood.”

“You should have told me that before I accepted the deal.”

“Nah, because then you wouldn’t have accepted.”

“Damn right. I wasn’t lookin’ to make any trouble for you.”

“And you didn’t. I’ll weigh whatever favor Ediger ends up asking me for, before I agree to his terms, or make any kind of decision…and I’ll run it by you first, Boss. It could be years before he comes up with something.” Wolf looked worried, but he nodded and said:

“Did they ever get the right guys? The ones that killed your parents?”

“They got one of them, the one that shot our dad. The other one, the one that killed Mom…he’s still out there.”

“Can I ask how you know that for sure?”

“Because he had a tattoo of a bulldog on his neck. I saw it plain as day the night he killed her…and then I saw it again, just a few weeks ago.”

Wolf raised an eyebrow but waited for Bruf to go on. When he didn’t, Wolf finally asked him, “Did you tell your brother you saw him?”

Bruf shook his head, slowly and then with an intense look of his own he said, “No. That one’s mine.”


Jessie Cooke writes hot romance novels about tough guys, bad boys, bikers, fighters and lovers and the women of strong character who tame them.

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