Synopsis
Ryan Flynn’s life and career with the Ice Dragons hockey team is defined by a code: friendship, loyalty, respect, leadership, and protection. A call from his best friend’s sister ends up with him taking her home, and it’s all he can do to remember that she’s off limits. It doesn’t matter that she’s too much of a temptation for a man on the edge, he’s promised her brother he wouldn’t let any guy in professional sports anywhere near her, and that includes him.

Kat has been in lust with hockey player Ryan Flynn since she first laid eyes on him. The problem? Ryan is her brother’s best friend, bound by a complicated code of chivalry both on and off the ice. When he rescues her and then takes her home, she just needs a single kiss—and he is more than happy to help her out. When the kiss is just the start of something they need to hide from her brother, abruptly things are out of control.

Could Ryan, the hard man of the Dragons, see her as anything more than his best friend’s sister? And will Kat be able to catch and keep this Dragon who is the other half of her?

Opinion
I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thought this was going to be a book about Dragon shifter hockey players. The name of the hockey team is Ice Dragons. The first few chapters had me confused.

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I wondered when they going to begin shifting. Was Kat a dragon too? The fact that I thought this was a shifter romance is my fault because I did not read the blurb. As soon as I saw dragons in the blurb, I decided this was a book I wanted to read (I have been reading a lot dragon shifter romances lately). It did not help that on the cover there’s a picture of a dragon. Sometimes it is best not to judge a book by its cover.

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Once I realize they were all 100% human, I started to get into the story. I had to reread some of the chapters because I was so focused on trying to figure out when they were going to turn into dragons that I wasn’t paying as much attention to the plot details.

Hockey politics play heavily in this book. There is a lot of detail regarding the ins and outs of being on a hockey team and their hard work to make it to the playoffs. That helped strengthen the plot line and provide understanding of the character dynamics.

Now but me talk about the characters:
I did not know what to make of Kat. She is fiercely independent and does not want any help because she think she can take care of herself. I guess it is because all the men in her life try to take over and tell her what to do and where to work. I felt like she should at least realize that what they say has some merit instead of completely discounting anything because she was determined to do her own thing.

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I did agree with her decision to keep her relationship with Ryan a secret from her brother until they determined that they were actually going to be serious with each other.

This book got many hearts as it did because of Ryan. He was rough and tough on the outside, but tender and sweet on the inside. He had been in love with Kat for years but never thought he was good enough. I like that he decided to bite the bullet and go after what he wanted. He let her set the pace and didn’t pressure her to commit until she was ready.

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TOW Final Word: Buy, Borrow, Pass?
BUY. Despite my initial confusion, I did enjoy this book. If you like sport romances and the friends to lovers trope, you will love this book.

Book details
Heat Level: Steamy 🔥 🔥 🔥
Series: Ice Dragons
Print Length: 156 pages
Publisher: Love Lane Books Ltd; 1st edition (October 24, 2016)
Publication Date: October 24, 2016

BLOG TOUR: Dirty Like Me @JaineDiamondXO #romanticcomedy #rockstar

Nov2

Congratulations author Jaine Diamond on your book Dirty Like Me!

In a warm welcome fashion, I wanted to interview Janie Diamond so all TOW readers can get to know her a little better.

What is your favorite positive saying?

Love conquers all! That’s pretty much the underlying theme of all of my books… and romance books in general, I suppose.

What is your favorite film and why?

Oh, man. I’d have to say my favorite film of all time is Heat, with Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino and Val Kilmer. I guess I secretly love badass guys with guns (in fiction), which is why I’m feeling really tempted to write a motorcycle club romance or some other type of outlaw romance sometime soon-ish.

If you could be an animal, which would you be and why?

Does a unicorn count? I would totally be a unicorn. Because everyone loves unicorns, right?

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Hmm… I don’t know how interesting it is, but I can’t seem to get on board with the whole idea of just writing and then editing later. I can’t stop editing while I write. It drives me crazy if things aren’t all neat and tidy all along the way. I’m kind of obsessive about it; especially the first scene or chapter… I’ll rewrite and tweak it dozens of times to make sure I’m getting the story off on the right foot.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I spend a lot of time with my man and our little girl; she’s a year and a half and starting to talk, so she’s pretty entertaining. I read, a lot. And I spend a LOT of time daydreaming up ideas for my forthcoming books! Which is a really good way to spend time, since my books involve a lot of sexy stuff.

Dirty Like Me will be on sale for 99 cents Nov 7-11.

Book Blurb:

A gorgeous rock star.
An indecent proposal.
How can a girl resist?

Struggling barista Katie Bloom doesn’t even know who Jesse Mayes is until she inadvertently wins the coveted role of sex kitten in his hot new music video. But by the time she’s in bed with him, she knows his reputation.

Love maker. Heartbreaker.

Making out with a stranger in front of a camera crew isn’t how Katie imagined herself getting over a broken heart, but when Jesse touches her, sparks fly. The sex is fake but the chemistry is real, and soon the steamy video is blazing up the charts.

Then Jesse makes Katie an irresistible offer: act as his girlfriend for six weeks while he promotes his new album. The only catch? Their sizzling make-out sessions will be for the cameras only.

Which is fine with Katie, since she’s not about to trust her heart to rock’s most legendary lover. Her body? Maybe…

Photo Blogging #Challenge (October 2016): #Water #photoblog #fun

Oct31

october-results

October’s theme for the photo blogging challenge hosted by http://hoohaa.com/?p=11777 was Water. I knew this would be an easy theme for me because I was going on vacation to Costa Rica (Guanacaste region). In the middle of the rainforest and on the beach, I had plenty of chances for pictures with water.

Picture 1
Everyday it was a little cloudy and it rained. We were in the rainy season. We did not mind though and still went to the beach. It was hot and the slightly overcast sky meant the sun was not a brutal.

cloudy day at the beach

Picture 2
Near the resort, we saw locals fishing. He looked so relaxed in the water, that I wanted to capture that moment.

fishing at dusk

Picture 3
We took an excursion to one of the many waterfalls in the Gaunacaste region. Hubs is in this picture to give you some scale as to how large the waterfall was. I liked this one because of the contrast with the water, greenery, and black rock.

waterfall Guanacaste region

Picture 4
We went to a volcano crater and walked inside of it. The volcano was dormant at the time, but still very hot. The spring water that escaped from the earth was bubbling hot. It was mesmerizing. I knew it was boiling hot but at the same time, I wanted to touch it. I resisted and prevented getting 3rd burns.

Volcano water

Picture 5
On the last day, I had this cucumber, pineapple, spinach juice. In Spanish, these drinks are called “Aguas” which literally means “water”. I included it because by the last day, I was drinking healthy veggie and fruit waters to detox from all the alcohol I had been drinking during our vacation 😀

Agua de pina espinaca pepino

Picture 6 ****Bonus Photo ****
I love looking at the lush greenery made possible by the abundance of water in the form of rainfall.

Resort view

As you can see, I had a great month and cannot wait to see what the theme will be in November 🙂

Check out other bloggers photo challenge submission links

Blog Tour: Los Santos Series @MJane_Author #RomanticSuspense

Oct29

Series: Los Santos Cartel

Never Trust a Saint (Los Santos Cartel #1) – On Sale Now

The Perfect Stranger (Los Santos Cartel #2) – Available Now

Author: Melissa Jane

Genre: Romantic Suspense (Cartel)

A SAINT.
A protector from evil. One who without fear will lead you safely through darkness.
LOS SANTOS.
Cold and ruthless. A CARTEL who cares only for revenge and glory.
My name is Nina Cross, and I’m the Los Santos’s newest prey. Determined to prove my partners innocence and avenge his violent death, I stumbled naively into the spider’s web. Tangled with lies and hunted for truth I was shadowed with each step I took. That was until one man, relentless in his touch and his desire threatened to bring me to my knees in ways I both craved and feared.

Jair Ruiz. Powerful, brooding and confident and not at all who he seems. He has me in his sights and has every intention of toying with his newest target while fighting to keep us both alive.

When the FBI turns it back on you and Los Santos cartel have already dug your grave, who is there left to trust?
Only one man. A saviour.
But if I look my saint in the eye and all I see is the devil…do I run?

“I’m not entirely good. I’m not entirely bad. But I’m enough of a little of each to ruin you.”

“WOW what a drama filled, fast paced , action packed steamy hot read! This book is a big page turner.” – The British Book Addict

“I Would Like to give this Book 5+ STARS for the Amazing Character execution and Brilliant Author Writing.” – Amazon Customer

“Never Trust A Saint is by far the BEST book I have read this year!” – Amazon Customer

The Devil is like a shadow.

It follows.

It waits.

Gabriel Nicholas Santos. Born with a name belonging to saints, yet evil to the core. When he smiled, people would die. When he lost control, hell would open up its fiery gates. He was nothing more than a malevolent puppet to his elusive uncle.

Together they were LOS SANTOS cartel, rulers of South America’s most feared and powerful drug empire. The price on their heads was high. The price of becoming one of them? Even higher.

Both were my targets who knew the game well. While one kept me close, the other became a myth. But I would wait. I would watch. I would become just like them in order to finish them both.

But it was never going to be that easy. Not now. Not with… her.

Gabriel had his sights fixed on FBI Agent Nina Cross. Strong. Beautiful. And none-the-wiser of those who shadowed her every move. She held the answers he had killed so many for. She was the one thing stopping LOS SANTOS from taking full control.

And I had one job. To both save and destroy Nina Cross. But that was only the beginning.

Only when you cover your enemies with dirt are they truly gone.

“Dam babe another Dam good read. I love this.” – Amazon Customer

Lover of dark, fast-paced stories with a dash of romance, Melissa Jane’s books are a ruthless combination of dangerous cartel Kingpins and beautiful strong heroines. No one is safe within the pages she writes and the underdog is always favored to win… most times.

When not writing, Melissa loves relaxing with her family and a good glass of wine.

CLICK HERE

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY OVER ON

MELISSA JANE’S FACEBOOK PAGE

HOSTED BY:

Blog Tour: Dragons Need Love, Too @LaniLynnVale #amreading

Oct28

Title: Dragons Need Love, Too

Series: I Like Big Dragons Series #2

Author: Lani Lynn Vale

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Published: October 19, 2016

Nikolai Vassago has a plan.

His day starts out fairly normal. Get up, kick some ass, fondle his beard, take some names.

One second he’s participating in a normal every day mission, and the next he’s saving the one woman that fate has promised him for the rest of his life from the grips of a criminal mastermind.

Nikolai can’t say he’s altogether displeased with what he’s given, though. Not with that gorgeous brunette that would soon be warming his bed.

The same can’t be said for Brooklyn.

Living in a commune most of her life meant she wasn’t exposed to all of life’s craziness. The moment she turned eighteen, she was off and running, experiencing all of what life had to give.

That means she sometimes jumps in feet first, not thinking about consequences until the deed is already done.

Nikolai rescues her from a fate worse than hell, throwing her on the back of his dragon and flying off into the night.

He’s a go-with-the-flow kind of man. Brooklyn, however, is not.

Having been caged for the first eighteen years of her life, she wants nothing more than to be free to do what she pleases, consequences be damned.

Nikolai, however, has different ideas, and he’s not above using his masculine will to prove to her that she’s exactly where she needs to be.

“This is an all action paranormal romance with lots of dangerous family drama. One family is over protective the other is full of dangerous killers. Add in dragon magic and hot sex , you get a book you can’t put down.” ~Warrior Woman Winmill

“…this series is just so different. It’s a breath of fresh air, and it draws the reader in right from the start. I can’t recommend this book and this new series from Ms. Vale highly enough.” ~Red Cheeks Reads

“This book was witty, entertaining, serious, and funny all at the same time.” ~Swoon Worthy Books

I don’t know why I never expected Nikolai to be able to fight.

He had the muscles.

He worked out.

He was aware.

But he never struck me as fierce.

I wasn’t thinking that anymore, though, as I watched him beat the ever loving shit out of his opponent.

He never used a single one of his powers to accomplish it, either.

He did it all with sheer strength, force of will, and knowledge.

He was divine.

All we were supposed to be doing was buying some supplies for the house.

It’d been over two months since I’d woken from my coma, six weeks since he’d told me I was his mate and even longer since the housekeeper had stocked the kitchens.

I’d never been so happy to leave the confines of a house.

I would’ve been happy with going in a plain old car; but, today, Nikolai had taken me on a motorcycle, of all things.

I’d always wanted to ride on one but had never had the courage to ask for a ride.

Today, though, I’d practically begged Nikolai for us to take it.

He’d argued that a truck would hold more groceries, but I’d been adamant.

I didn’t even know why, either.

Just the thought of being in the open air, outside the confines of the sanctuary, turned me into a giggling mass of excitement.

And I was sure that nothing would ruin this day…but I’d been wrong.

Since I was now watching my man get ganged up on by five men.

My uncle’s cronies could ruin my day, as evidenced by the stupid goon trying to slash Nikolai’s face off with a f****n’ saber sword.

I’d at first tried to help Nikolai, but his insistence that I back up and stay the hell out of it had been loud and clear, even when he hadn’t actually said any of those words out loud.

But he’d been awesome at screaming them inside my head like I was a disobeying three-year-old, rather than a twenty-six-year-old grown ass adult who knew how to wipe her own butt.

I watched with the brick wall of a convenience store at my back.

Nikolai’s bike was on its side where he’d dumped it.

My arm was scratched, and a strange throbbing sensation was going on with my ribs.

Funny enough, I hadn’t remembered ever hitting my ribs. Nikolai had been extremely careful about laying his bike down as we slid.

He’d also made me wear protective clothing, such as a brand new pair of motorcycle boots. A leather jacket with padding in the elbows and back, as well as a pair of pants that were supposedly flame proof.

I was glad he’d forced me to wear them now; but a scant hour before, as I’d been getting dressed, I’d been reluctant.

“Duck!” Nikolai screamed.

Then, I was seeing nothing but black. Everything around me was black.

“Nikolai!” I whispered frantically. “I can’t see!”

Strong arms, the arms that I was coming to care for in the short few days that we’d officially started to ‘date,’ wrapped around me.

“Shh,” he breathed, so low that I couldn’t be sure that he said anything at all.

Grab the bike, he whispered through my brain.

I moved my arms forward and grabbed on to the bike, feeling him shift as he got on. Then he pulled me on behind him and a loud roar sounded as he turned over the engine.

“Hold on,” he rushed.

I held on.

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I’m a married mother of three. My kids are all under 5, 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.