Knight & Play by Kitty French

Knight & Play by Kitty French
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There's only one thing in life Lucien Knight really hates, and that's husbands who cheat on their wives.

There's only one problem in Sophie Black's life. Her cheating husband...

From the moment Lucien & Sophie meet, the seal is set.

Romantic, emotional & intensely erotic, Knight and Play is the perfect read for lovers of international bestsellers Fifty Shades & Bared To You. Let yourself be swept away by Part One of the Knight series from Kitty French, a romance so hot it'll burn your fingers...

CEO of Knight Inc. Lucien Knight is catch-your-breath gorgeous and damaged by his troubled past in Norway. All grown up and relocated to London, he's built his empire of adult clubs from the ground up to become the gorgeous patron saint of the sex industry. No one knows the dark childhood secrets that have given Lucien a backbone of steel and a heart encased in ice. No one until Sophie Black, that is...

From the moment girl-next-door Sophie accepts the job as Lucien Knight's PA, she understands how Alice must have felt when she tumbled down the rabbit hole. Lucien takes her safe, vanilla life away and plunges her head first into a huge dish of fantasy flavours. Rich, spicy chocolate covered with dark, oozingly lickable sauce? Check. Tutti-frutti with indecently red, glistening cherries on the top? Yes please.

Lucien strips away all of Sophie's inhibitions, and when he instructs her to select three new toys, she soon realises he has more than a game of Monopoly on his mind...

He's opened the door to a whole new pleasure packed world without limits, and Sophie is utterly intoxicated. But how far is she willing to go? And what happens when she has to step back into reality again?

Lucien & Sophie's is a story of star crossed love and forbidden passion, a sexual odyssey that spans the globe and changes both of their lives forever. Let it change yours, too.




Juls Review
Does two wrongs make a right? Nope it doesn’t. And that’s exactly what happens when Sophie decides to cross the line after finding out about her husband’s deceit. She even takes it a step further. She decides to ruffle the sheets with her new boss.

Lucien Knight has no shame. He got to where he is because he’s not afraid to seek what can benefit him and Sophie is his next target. He’s got the means to keep her around for as long as he wants but he didn’t anticipate a hurdle like her husband. With a little investigating he realizes her husband isn’t even in the same race.

Sophie may be a shy and quiet type but from the moment she accepts her new job she has acted nothing like the woman that everyone else knows.
Now after the betrayal from the love of her life is she willing to make some changes or will she stay with what's comfortable and bland?

I have to say I wasn’t too impressed with this one. It think the author tried to make it sound okay that Sophie cheated on her husband because he was cheating on her. And then Lucien sweeping in and throwing his evidence at her was beyond dirty! He’s a broodingly sexy man, he didn’t need to taint his reputation by showing those pics to her. I think it would have shown he was more man than her husband is/was if he would have just kept that to himself or maybe throwing it at her husband and telling him to leave Sophie or something to that affect. It was very tacky the way he went about it.
If you are looking for something naughty and forbidden this is it.


View all my reviews

Keeper of My Heart by Darcy Flynn

Keeper of My Heart by Darcy Flynn

Katie McCullough doesn’t know it, but Max Sawyer, the over confident, irritatingly handsome hotel developer who outbid her for the lighthouse property, is none other, than her mystery lighthouse sailor. The one man who captured her heart five years earlier, the one man who has since been the plumb line for every other unsuspecting male who has crossed her path. Unfortunately for Max, he doesn’t measure up either. 

Still reeling from losing the property she’d planned to call home, sparks fly when Katie assumes Max is turning her beloved lighthouse compound into one of his ‘Serenity Spa Resorts.” Outraged, Katie sets out on a mission to dismantle the property…and his plans. 

Except Max’s plans have absolutely nothing to do with hotels and everything to do with winning Katie’s heart

EXCERPT:  Bits of oyster shell spewed out from under the tires of Katie’s Jeep as it screeched to a halt. Without knocking, she stomped into the keeper’s house to find Max working on an open windowsill on the bottom floor.      “So you’re in the hotel business.” Katie threw the sheaf of papers down on the table near where he was working.      “Yes and good afternoon to you, too.” Max stopped for a brief moment then continued to sand the windowsill. “I see you’ve been doing some research.” His firm lips twitched.      “If you think you are going to turn this,” she said, waving her arms through the air, “into one of your…Serenity Spa Inns, then you are dreaming Mister.”      “Is that so?” Max straightened and his eyes locked with hers.      “You bet. I’ll never let that happen.”      His tawny eyes gave her a once over. “And you think you’re big enough to stop me?”      “Yes,” she spat out, “Don’t think I can’t. I’ll rally the entire town if I have to. This is not what the council agreed to when they accepted your bid.”      Max’s brown eyes turned glacial. “Careful Angel. That sounds like a threat. If it is, you’ll come off the worse for it.”      Katie inhaled sharply. “You may have been master of all you commanded but you won’t master me.”      Max stopped working and turned toward her. Even in her anger, Katie noticed his shirt, unbuttoned and clinging to his muscular form with the sweat of his labor, his forearms glistening with perspiration mingled with tiny particles of wood shavings.        “Maybe we should put that to the test?” he drawled.      “There’s no maybe about it.” Inhaling sharply, Katie gathered up her papers and stormed out of the house.

Darcy Flynn Darcy Flynn’s life is a gumbo world. Take a little New Orleans heritage, some art, music, dance and add a lot of love and time to simmer and all you have is spice, flavor, and a memory of something so fine you can't wait for another helping. Her fiction is a few B&Bs, a couple lighthouses, a bit of moon magic and a lot of problems mixed with a healthy portion of sweet romance. Add a dash of sizzle and a lot of sass and all that's left is magic. Darcy’s debut novel, Keeper of My Heart, is available on Amazon, B&N and Soul Mate Publishing. Visit Darcy at www.darcyflynnromances.com. Follow Darcy on: Facebook  &  Twitter

Jen's Review
Cute story -

Katie has had things rough in her life, but one thing she always was able to fall back on, was her love for her sailor. Even though it has been years, she still held on to that phantom of a guy she fell in love with.

When Max met with Katie at first, he didn't recognize the beautiful woman she had become. And that mouth! Since when did she get so sassy!?!

Katie lost a lot in her life, and she tried hard to hold onto the things that mattered the most to her. After her parents died, she and her brother Davy went to live with Pop - Pop is getting old now and needs her help. She had planned on buying the Light Station and having him move in with her. She spent years keeping the Light Station in tip top shape, so she was beyond shocked with Max waltzed into town and bid over her for the Light Station!

Katie was so shocked she didn't know what to do! And when she and her BFF Jill found out he was rich because he bought up old historical buildings and turned them into 5 star hotels, She was freaked out! There was no way she'd let him turn her special place into a hotel. She had too much at stake!

Trying to sabotage his plans she decided to take things into her hands.

But that only lead to backfiring on Katie. Because Max knew right from the start it was her doing, and then he actually had the gull to have her arrested!

Luckily for Katie, Max dropped the charges, but not without his own conditions. Conditions that Katie had no other option but to agree with.

These two had a special relationship. only Max knew who Katie was, but Katie had no idea that Max was her Sailor.
Max is learning more about Katie, And the more he learns about her, the more he's seeing someone different than the girl he knew years ago....

Way cute story - I really enjoyed the light house effects - the small town and the cute little moments these two stole when they thought no one was looking :)



Happy Reading
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Fish Out of Water by Ciar Cullen

Fish Out of Water by Ciar Cullen

"Love another swing and a miss? Not this time. "

At thirty-five, baseball star Eric Fisher is washed up. He thought a vacation to his private island getaway would clear his head, help him accept the simple fact that his career is flagging. He was wrong.

In the middle of a solitary afternoon on the beach with a bucket of beer, a woman emerges from the ocean. She s pretty, with a body built for the bikini she s almost wearing. She smells like the giant fish she s dragging through the sand. And she s crying.

Caren McCabe is livid. Fish species are disappearing fast, no thanks to rich Hollywood types who buy up rare island habitats like St. Andres. Worse, her boat has just capsized, taking with it the bulk of her research and any hope of getting tenure.

It takes a hurricane to bring them to speaking terms. As the winds howl, they have a meeting of minds and hearts neither of them anticipated. Just as things heat up, though, the full moon forces Caren to answer the sea s siren call and assume her true form. A form that no mortal man must ever see much less be allowed to love.

Warning: Contains two wary, wounded hearts with an ocean-sized obstacle to forever love. Who knew love could overcome it by sprouting fins and a tail? Readers are asked to refrain from feeding the sharks.

EXCERPT: Copyright © 2012 Ciar Cullen All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication  Baltimore. The word rolled around in his stomach like a bad meal. He’d freaking signed a contract with Baltimore, pretty much the worst team in the league. “Hey, Mr. Fisher!” Eric sat up and turned toward the skinny adolescent who’d latched onto him from the first day he’d set foot on St. Andres, four years earlier. One of a few hundred teenagers, one of only a thousand islanders. And his biggest fan. “George, my man. Told you not to call me that.” Eric chastised himself at George’s broad grin. The kid never understood why he wanted to lay low, why he rarely went to the east side of the island and into town, why he always begged off when George pleaded with him to help his pathetic baseball team. No, George thought he walked on water, and nothing Eric said or did seemed to shake his faith. “Okay, Fish, no problem. You see the crazy lady on your beach? Papá spotted her from the house and told me to come get you. All covered in guts and stinking like three-day-old fish.” “Guts? What the hell are you talking about?” “Look, there she is!” “Why’s she on my beach?” Eric squinted against the setting sun and put on his shades. “Shit. She’s a paparazzi, I know it.” “A papawhatsi? She’s crazy, I know that. And I don’t see no camera if that’s what you mean, unless she stuck it in the belly of the mero.” She looked crazy as she struggled to drag a grouper nearly as big as she was up the beach. Eric rose to his feet and watched her in awe as she seemed totally unaware of her appearance, even her surroundings. She fixated on the fish, and for some inexplicable reason, on dragging it down the beach even if it was going to kill her. To top things off, she was cursing up a blue streak, and if Eric’s eyes weren’t deceiving him, crying. “What the…? Yep, she’s nuts. George, get your dad and tell him to call the police.” “Big Joey is off today, Fish. It’s Sunday, no police.” “Just get your dad, then.” Eric slowly made his way toward the young woman, wondering if she could possibly have a camera tucked into her blood-stained bikini. She filled it in a spectacular way, with no room to spare. Just in case, he did the quick full-body scan of himself that he’d learned a little too late back home. Hair, not too much of a mess. Shorts adjusted, nothing embarrassing poking out. Dark glasses covering any hint of emotion in his eyes. He threw his towel over the half-dozen empties, because that would make the perfect tabloid shot. When she was a few feet away and in Eric’s shadow, she looked up, dropped the fish, and put her hands on her hips in challenge. “Well, Hollywood, how about a little help?” “Hollywood?” He hadn’t thought her a local, but he hadn’t expected an accent—British? “Aren’t you a movie star? I heard a star bought the big house. That would be you, Hollywood. I guess you weren’t taught manners in La-La Land.” Irish, but very Americanized. She’d been in the States a while, he thought. “I’m from Alabama. What the hell are you doing with that fish?” “Epinephelus striatus.” “My Latin’s rusty. I repeat, what are you doing on my private beach with my fish?” “Your fish. Typical. You buy a piece of paradise and put up a parking lot. Your fish is part of my research. Your fish is disappearing from these waters because of people like you who don’t give a damn about anything but money.” Her sunburned, tear-streaked face took on a decidedly stubborn look as she waved her hands around in anger. “Did you just flip me the bird? What the hell? Put the fish down and back away. It’s dead, by the way.” “It’s a Nassau Grouper and it has my tag on it. I need to know why it died.” “Maybe you scared it to death.” But she wasn’t particularly frightening, despite her sharp tongue and frown. She was young, and pretty, and built. And Eric thought that somewhere underneath her tangled mass of brown wavy hair and glaring brown eyes she was on the verge of a meltdown. “My fish had a hook big enough for a whale in its gill.” She scanned Eric’s blanket and chair and stared him down. “You weren’t fishing earlier, were you? Epinephelus striatus is endangered.” “That one is. Did you gut it before taking the hook out or after? I think the cause of death is fairly obvious.” “I’ll turn you in for killing an endangered specimen if you don’t help me get him to the lab.” “Turn me in? To Big Joey? He’s off today. What lab are you talking about?” Eric watched droplets of water roll down her neck and trace a lazy path between her breasts. He struggled to reconcile her behavior with the pull she had on his hormones, fish guts and all. He’d dated some crazy chicks, but just average crazy, not certifiable crazy, like this one. She flopped unceremoniously to the sand and covered her face with her hands. “I’m so damned exhausted. My assistant had to fly home this morning to bury his grandmother. I capsized the goddamned boat trying to pull this one in, lost all my gear, my notes, and…” She shook her head and waved away tears. “And I’m so thirsty. Can I have a beer?” “You did flip me the bird, didn’t you? Now you want a beer?” “Yes, please.” She nodded as if everything she had said and done made perfect sense. He handed her the beer he’d abandoned and pulled the fish into the shade of a palm. “Where were you when the boat went down? I can get someone out there to see if your stuff washed up.” “Tide’s back out. I was on Banana Beach.” “You swam around the point with that grouper under your arm? I don’t believe it.” She nodded, downed the beer without drawing a breath and lay back onto the sand. Eric took the opportunity to scan her head to toe, reminding himself that life was simpler without complications. And this chick was complicated. “Did you consider the blood trail might attract a shark, or twenty?” “It didn’t. Besides, the sharks know me.” She eyed him in return as if she really saw him for the first time. “You’re really beautiful, aren’t you? Have I seen any of your movies? I don’t think I have. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen a movie in so long…” “When I’m on vacation, I try to forget about work. No offense.” Where the hell had she been for the last fifteen years? Four golden gloves, two league MVPs, four World Series and a slew of recently broken longstanding records. Eric was—no, he corrected himself—had been the second highest paid baseball player in the world, had his own clothing line, a string of restaurants and a long list of ex-girlfriends, some of whom he’d never actually met. Wait, had she actually said that the sharksknew her? “Right. You’re hiding out from adoring fans or whatever. Must be tough to be you.” “Look, I’m sorry you had a bad day, but I don’t know why you’re taking it out on me. Why don’t we just get you and your pet home and forget this ever happened?” “Forget it ever happened…” She stared out at the turquoise bay and sniffed before bursting into little choking sobs that sounded a bit contrived to Eric. He groaned, and she turned her gaze back on him. This chick couldn’t have thought he was going to offer to put her up in his estate, or make a date for dinner? “Oh hell, come on. That’s not going to work on me. Is this a set-up? Do you work for TMZ?” “I probably don’t work for anyone now! Don’t you get it? My research, two years of work, down the drain. I won’t get the paper done, I won’t get tenure, and the groupies…the groupies…” She brushed at her tears. “Groupies?” She pointed to the fish. “I know someone like you can’t imagine it, but I actually care about them.” “Sorry. Sorry about your research. Come on, let’s get you home so you can wash up and rest.” He held his hand out to help her up, but she ignored him and stood on her own power. “So what’s your name, Hollywood?” “Ironically, my friends call me Fish.” She sniffed out a laugh, but put her hand to her forehead. Eric watched the color drain from her face. “Never heard of you.” “You okay? You don’t look good.” He barely reached her in time to catch her. Javier and George rushed from the manicured path that connected Fish’s compound to the beach. “Yo, Fish, what’s wrong with her?” “Grab her grouper.” “I’d rather carry her, if it’s all the same to you. That fish stinks.” “Trust me, she smells just like it.” “But she’s a hell of a lot better looking.” “Yeah, I noticed.”

Author - Ciar Cullen Author - Ciar Cullen Ciar Cullen grew up in Baltimore, Maryland—Charm City—and has lived a charmed life. She worked for a decade as an archaeologist, summering on digs in Greece. Ciar has a strong interest in history of all periods. She worked for years in academic nonfiction publishing and is currently a bureaucrat at a prominent college. Ciar took up writing in 2004 to scratch an itch brought on by years of reading fantasy and romance fiction. She submitted her first book on a whim, and hasn’t turned back. Her favorite authors are Terry Pratchett, Mark Twain, and Roger Zelazny. Ciar lives in New Jersey with her wonderful husband and magical cat. You can learn more about her at www.ciarcullen.com. Don't forget to follow her onFacebook and Twitter as well!

Jen's Review Cute quick story - I was hoping for a longer one, but this was fun I don't think I've read many books about mermaids - and this one was different all on it's own. Caren isn't always a mermaid, just for about 20 mins during the full moon. But if she doesn't go for a swim in the saltwater during those 20 mins, she could die. it's her secret. Who would believe her even if she did tell anyone. But she knew she couldn't. It was against everything she was taught. She knew she was destined to be alone, since ever full moon she had to take off. Eric (with-a-c) is a washed up ball player. He is use to being the big guy, the star of the team, but he's 35 years old. He's been injured too many times, and he's not at his best anymore. Taking a break before the next season starts, Eric is at his beach house. He loves it there. The peace, the quiet. But when he see's the girl in a bikini dragging a big fish behind her, he doesn't know what to think. As he approaches her, he's certain she's either a paparazzi or a loony woman trying to get his fame or fortune. But something about her is off - she's not like the normal girls he meets. But he can't really explain what's different about her. Caren is freaking out, she needs to get back to her job, but with the hurricane coming, and the full moon coming at the same time, she's stuck! When Eric brings her to his home to keep her safe from the storm, she starts to panic. She needs to get out in the water, but he has the whole place boarded up. Can she get out and back in before Eric checks on her?? and How is she supposed to explain where she went in the middle of the night in the middle of a hurricane? Cute story - I enjoyed reading it :) Wish it was longer, but it was still cute :)

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton

Caroline Reynolds has a fantastic new apartment in San Francisco, a KitchenAid mixer, and no O (and we’re not talking Oprah here, folks). She has a flourishing design career, an office overlooking the bay, a killer zucchini bread recipe, and no O. She has Clive (the best cat ever), great friends, a great rack, and no O.

Adding insult to O-less, since her move, she has an oversexed neighbor with the loudest late-night wallbanging she’s ever heard. Each moan, spank, and–was that a meow?–punctuates the fact that not only is she losing sleep, she still has, yep, you guessed it, no O.

Enter Simon Parker. (No, really, Simon, please enter.) When the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. Their late-night hallway encounter has, well, mixed results. Ahem. With walls this thin, the tension’s gonna be thick…

In her third novel, Alice Clayton returns to dish her trademark mix of silly and steamy. Banter, barbs, and strutting pussycats, plus the sexiest apple pie ever made, are dunked in a hot tub and set against the gorgeous San Francisco skyline in this hot and hilarious tale of exasperation at first sight.

Jen's Review 

OMG! I can't believe this! I was expecting some serious erotic type book but this was nothing at all like that! 

The banter! The chemistry! The flirting! The texts!!!! The nooking! The wooing! … This book was great!

Caroline is awesome - she’s strong, smart, sarcastic and sassy, but she lost her "O" . The big "O" - you know... "O" It wasn't her fault though.

Everything was going great until Cory the Machine gun f-er came along, now her "O" Is gone and Caroline is miserable without her long lost friend.

When she subleases her boss's apartment, she didn't realize she'd have such a friendly neighbor!

Simon - Cocky, charming, sexy as all hell, confident… and once we got to know him better, sweep-you-off-your-feet swoony.

Sure he has sex - and it's kind of loud, but the walls are so thin, it's really not his fault Caroline can't sleep through it.

He can make a woman MEOW!!

But when Caroline was just about to reclaim her good friend "O" she gets interrupted ..

“OH, GOD.”

Thump.

“Oh, God.”

Thump thump.

What the…

“Oh, God, that’s so good!”

Yeah now Caroline's friend "O" takes off running, so Caroline decides to give him a piece of her mind

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
But when she saw that sexy beast with her own eyes, suddenly she was dreaming about him every night. If she can hear HIM though the walls, i wonder what He hears from HER side of the wall :D

Brought together through mutual friends, these two go through the whole rounds from cockblocker/wallbanger to truce status to friends to lovers.

Never a dull moment. The sexual tension between the two is really thick. The flirting is fun and easy, and after they stop fighting each other, they find out how comfortable they feel around each other.

Great story! I really laughed and had fun reading this :)

 

“Do you have any idea how much fun we’re going to have?” he asked, slipping his hands inside my apron, warm and a little rough on my tummy. “What are you up to?” “An O has been lost, and I’m a sucker for a challenge.” 

The sex here is beyond amazing ! I love messy sex ..er scenes , messy sex scenes and this book delivers it all ! Dough , honey , marmalade , sugar , flour ... soap ! LOVED IT! 

Juls Review

Rave all you want but I didn’t think this was the funniest book out there. it was more of a sappy love story, not that I minded cuz I liked the sappiness. Caroline and Simon had a very cute relationship that starts off nice and slow. First as friends and then into something that you know will be a forever type of relationship. I loved the banter between the two and the side characters were very likeable. I loved that Caroline’s friends found their other halves in Simon’s friends. Now they can all be together and all live happily ever after. 

Now the end, I have to give the author some major props. Never have I wanted to add food as much as I did when reading the food induced sexescapade that ensued when Caroline and Simon got back from Spain. Mmm makes me…….hungry ;)

Very fun and witty read. 

  We didn't leave our CLive!!!

Vidal's Honor by Sherry Gloag

Vidal's Honor

 by Sherry Gloag

Which will Honor lose first? Her head or her heart?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blurb:
When plunged into a world of spies, agents and espionage during the Peninsula wars, Honor, Lady Beaumont, flees for her life when the French capture her husband at Salamanca, and relies on his batman to arrange her safe passage back to England.
Viscount Charles Vidal is ordered by Robert Dumas, the First Lord of the Admiralty, to travel to Spain and escort the only woman he’s ever loved, Lord Devlin Beaumont’s widow back home before the French discover her whereabouts.
Their journey is fraught by danger, least of all knowing whether they are surrounded by friends or foe. Will they survive long enough to explore the possibility of a future together or will whispers of treason be enough to see Honor dispatched to Tyburn first?

Excerpt:

While Vidal joked with his cousin, the viscount scanned the room. The smell of fine wine, whiskey and cigar smoke blended into a rich aroma that was as much a part of Whites as the card games, the background chatter, and outbreaks of lewd laughter from the younger members of the club. 

One member in particular interested Vidal tonight, and he watched Robert Dundas, second Viscount Melville, and First Lord of the Admiralty, take leave of his friends and head in his direction. 

He wondered why the man spent the best part of the night watching his every move, and paused in the act of fobbing his snuff box while he waited for the viscount to join him. 

“Take a walk with me?” Although couched as a question, Vidal noted the quiet steel of command in the other man’s voice. Dundas laid a hand on his arm; a companionable gesture for anyone interested enough to observe the two men leaving the club together. “I believe I live not far beyond your own house. I’d appreciate your company, and this is not the place for such a discussion. ” 

With an indolent twist of the wrist Vidal returned the modish lacquered box, unopened, to his pocket and nodded agreement. A man’s club was no setting for private conversation, and it was plain the man wanted to talk about something away from flapping ears. 

Together they strolled across the room stopping to take leave of several mutual friends.

The Redhead Series by Alice Clayton

The Unidentified Redhead by Alice Clayton

When Grace Sheridan returns to Los Angeles to become a working actor, it's a second shot at a life-long dream. With some help from her best friend and agent, that dream could become a reality, but at thirty-three, has Grace missed her chance at the big time? Will an unexpected sizzling romance with the entertainment industry's newest 'it' boy shine an uncomfortable spotlight on her life? Alice Clayton spins a playful and erotic May to December romance in this, her debut novel. Clayton's funny, borderline neurotic heroine is perfect in her imperfections, and the off the charts sexual chemistry between her and her charming, yet blissfully unaware leading man are the true heart of The Unidentified Redhead. With laugh out loud dialogue and a super steamy romance that will get your heart racing, sneaking around in L.A. and dodging the Paparazzi has never been so fun.

The Unidentified Redhead by Alice Clayton

Copyright ©2010 Alice Clayton All rights reserved - An Omnific Publishing publication

 Excerpt

 The party was in full swing, and everyone was having a great time. Because Holly only took on talent she truly wanted to invest herself in, they became her close friends as well. They were always at the house, and her circle had become my circle.

"Grace, you can't be serious. Feldman is way hotter than Haim."

I was deep in a discussion with Nick, a screenwriter that Holly had known for years. He had become one of my new friends since I'd moved back and could always be counted on as a good wingman at a party. Tonight we'd been knee deep in the dirty martinis. Extra dirty. He was waiting for an actor to arrive that Holly had recently begun to represent, an actor who apparently was poised to be the next big thing. I had yet to meet him, although Nick had admitted he was, and I quote, "yummy, scrumptious … a bit scruffy, but in a totally hot kind of way." Also, his British accent was "lovely," "to die for," and "knock-me-down-and-fuck-me."

Yeah, Nick was "gay"...

"FINE," I started. "I will admit that Corey Feldman was genius in Goonies and even semi-cute inStand By Me, but no one holds a candle to my Lucas," I protested, determined to win this round. We had recently gotten into a similar discussion about Steve Carell versus Ricky Gervais, and it didn't end well. Someone got scratched.

I heard a snicker behind me and someone said in a "lovely" British accent, "I think you gotta give the edge to Haim, if only for getting to kiss Heather Graham."

I turned to acknowledge the obvious genius of the newcomer who knew License to Drive when I actually saw who it was.

"Hey, you're Super Sexy Scientist Guy!" I cried out in spite of myself, clapping my hands over my mouth as soon as I'd said it. I could feel my face redden instantly. Holly had a picture of this guy on her computer and had been referring to him for the last month as Super Sexy Scientist Guy. This was her new client—the next big thing. He had the lead in a movie slated for a fall release that was already generating big buzz in town. I didn't know much about the movie, but I knew that Holly was very excited to be representing this new actor.

Super Sexy Scientist Guy smiled a confused and somewhat sheepish grin. Did he know how hot that grin was?

Oh yeah, he totally knew.

He extended a hand to me and in the Queen's English he said, "Actually, I'm Super Sexy Jack Hamilton."

Jen's Review 

Great story! Or at least the start of a story!

It was fun getting to know Grace and Jack.

Grace has been about drama her whole life. She's not shy and she really fun and easy to get along with.

While staying with her BFF Holly until her new home is ready to move into, Grace is on cloud 9.

Hanging out with Nick at Holly's work party, they start talking about Holly's newest client. Super Sexy Scientist Guy.

And that's how Jack met Grace.

Jack is a sweetheart of a guy! He is new to the media attention but loves it just the same. Jack isn't a player. He pretty much wears his heart on his sleeve.

Getting to know Grace-Crazy - Nut Girl- and Jack-Bite Down Johnny-George-Sweet Nuts (and the names go on and on :) ) was a lot of fun. their sarcasm and sense of humor is awesome and even when they're trying to be serious they always end up with laughter.

Funny book. I can see how the next book is going to be played. I just hope my heart doesn't break over these two that are now thousands of miles apart :)

 

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The Redhead Revealed by Alice Clayton

(Book 2)

As their careers catch fire, Grace and Jack -- everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed, funny, and feisty couple -- find themselves on opposite coasts. Grace has landed in New York City, where she loves being onstage again, particularly because she’s playing a fabulous character in a musical written by her old college flame, Michael. Their rekindled friendship makes exploring the city that much more fun. 

Wait, it’s just friendship, right?

Meanwhile, in L.A., Jack can scarcely keep up with the swirling throngs of women who track him everywhere he goes, the endless press appearances, and the ridiculous rules his manager, Holly, keeps concocting for him -- all part of the buildup to the release of Time, his steamy new film.

Thank goodness for phone sex.

But even when their schedules allow them to connect, Grace and Jack must keep their relationship off the radar and away from paparazzi cameras. Sure, the sex is sensational, but can this duo survive swirling rumors, the demands of their chosen professions, Grace’s raging internal battles, and a whopping nine-year age difference? 

Tick-tock, the clock is ticking. Isn’t it?

Alice Clayton brings the second installment of a tale told with her magical mix of humor and heat, so cuddle up under the sheets and flip on the Golden Girls. Grace and Jack are at it again.

Copyright ©2010 Alice Clayton All rights reserved - An Omnific Publishing publication

 Excerpt

In rehearsal later that morning I saw Jack come in the back of the theater. He walked down to the front, listening to me sing. I saw his face change as he saw me in my element. I also saw his eyes dart toward Michael, who was watching and taking notes from the front row, looking at me in a way that was becoming more and more familiar.

I finished the song, my voice ringing out clear and strong to the back of the house. “Hi, Sweet Nuts!” I yelled as the other actors began to leave the stage. He smiled sheepishly and raised a hand in greeting. The others gawked. Calling a grown man Sweet Nuts tended to make people look twice.

Leslie grinned fiendishly at me, and I raised an eyebrow at her. She’d grilled me relentlessly all morning, making me tell her every detail about how Jack and I met and how long we’d been dating. I told her everything, except of course the details I preferred to keep to myself. I did tell her we were keeping our relationship out of the public eye — not only for his sake, but for mine. I explained that our friends knew, and that was fine, and we were not hiding in a cave somewhere, but if asked in an official way, Jack was single.

She agreed, and as the rest of the cast found out, they also agreed to keep our little secret. Most of them had never even heard of Jack, and only a few were aware of the buzz his film was generating. I knew that would change in the next few weeks, and I was glad they could get to know him now — before he was on every talk show in America.

I jumped off the stage and started for him. “Hey.” I smiled, closing the distance between us quickly.

“Hey yourself,” he answered, smiling back at me with that sexy grin.

I kissed him swiftly, and Leslie swooned behind me. “Wow, wow, wow, wow … ” I heard her chant.

“Shut it, Leslie.” I laughed, kissing on my Brit again.

Jack laughed through my kiss, and we finally broke apart.

“Ahem,” I heard Michael cough and turned to look. He looked at me, then at Jack. “Jack, good to see you again. You having fun in New York?” he asked.

“So far, so good. Of course, we’ve barely left the hotel, but we’re definitely having fun,” Jack said, his hands drifting down to linger on my ass. I rolled my eyes, knowing I was in for another round of verbal dick measurement.

Leslie continued her wow chant behind me.

“Good, good. Grace, remember I need you Monday,” Michael said pointedly, staring at Jack’s hand, then at me.

“You need her Monday, do you?” Jack asked. I poked him in the side.

“We’re working on one last round of rewrites, and I need her input,” Michael said.

“Michael, we discussed this. With Jack here, I really don’t think I’ll have the time. Does it have to be Monday? Can’t it wait until after he leaves?” I pouted, loathing the idea of not spending as much time with Jack as I could while he was here.

“When are you leaving, Jack?” Michael asked. “I mean, so I know when Grace is available.”

“I’m leaving Tuesday night. As for whether Grace is available, you’ll have to ask her,” he said, his voice taking a distinctive tone.

These two …

Jen's Review 

Great series! I am totally loving this chick!

Grace is awesome! Her dream is coming true. She's the star of an off-Broadway musical and things just couldn't get any better - well except she was missing her Brit something fierce.

Weeks after weeks after weeks go by with only phone calls and phone sex to keep them together.

His interviews and photo shoots are taking up all his time. Her rehearsals and re-writes are taking up all her time. How is a 33 year old supposed to keep her 24 year old boyfriend happy from 3000 miles away??

When Jack finally gets a couple of days off and flies to New York, they make the most of their time together, making up for lost time :)

But now that the premier of Time is coming up, Grace's Musical will be opening soon, plus the holidays, they know the worse of their trials are behind them.

When Grace heads back to LA, she hears from Holly about how things will be played out for the premier. They still can't confirm they're together. Jack doesn't care, he wants to world to know. But Grace knows it wouldn't be good for him or her, or the movie if they were caught. so they played things the way they were supposed to.

Grace went to the premier with Nick, and Jack went with the rest of the cast. When Grace sees him with Marcia, her mind starts to real back. She knows they're friends, but she knows they look better together than he does with her.

At this time, Grace is starting to feel her age, and all the pressure with the press. Her mind is telling her that working things out with a 24 year old can only lead to a broken heart. She knows they love each other deeply, but is that really enough??

This book is pretty predictable, especially if you've read Love Unscripted, and know how stressful those movie premiers can be to the girlfriend who's not supposed to be in the spotlight with the one she loves.

but I still read it because I love a good heart break and HEA - and I'm sucker for Jack. He's such a sweetheart!

I truly enjoyed this series a lot so far. I can't wait to find out more about the third book

I have a couple of ideas where the next book will be going - something tells me a baby is involved.. not sure who's though .... Can't wait to read it though :)

It's been 2 years and still no word on book 3 ?? Going to have to do some digging around ...

 

AH HA!! See dig around a little and you can find anything -
Book #3 still doesn't have a title or a release date, but I did find an excerpt of it over on The Book Vixen's website  .... Enjoy!

Copyright ©2010 Alice Clayton All rights reserved - An Omnific Publishing publication

 Excerpt to book #3

I went into the kitchen, poured myself a glass of red, and headed out to the patio to wait for Jack. Curling up on the loveseat, I let myself relax into the night. I had barely started to worry about what was taking him so long when I heard a car pull into the driveway. Moments later I saw him walking through the house through the big windows that lined the living room, as he made a weavy sort of path towards the patio. He knew where I’d be.

“C’mere,” he said, his voice quiet but his eyes beginning to darken.

“So…I take it everything went ok?” I asked, pulling the towel off my head and shaking my hair out a bit. “I was getting a bit worried, but I figured you stayed for bit so you could-“

“Grace?” he interrupted.

“Yeah?”

“C’mere,” he repeated, beckoning me forward with two fingers. I let myself be beckoned. As soon as I was close enough he pulled me down onto his lap, pressing the entire length of his body to mine. Whiskey heat poured from his skin, dark and the tiniest bit dangerous.

“I don’t want to talk about tonight,” he whispered into my skin, his jaw sandpapering my neck in a very good way.

“Don’t you think we should? I mean, what happens if-“

“No more talking tonight,” he muttered, his mouth crashing down onto mine.

His lips were sure and insistent, his tongue exploring my mouth with a need that was answered quickly by my own.

His hands pushed up my shift, searching, needing, finding my skin. I shivered at his touch, not just from the chilliness of the nighttime but because his hands on me always had the same effect. I needed him, always.

“I need, Christ, I just need,” he stammered, in between rough kisses on my lips, my cheeks, just under my ear.

“What love, what do you need?” I asked, arching into him, holding him to me.

“Fuck Grace, I need this,” he groaned, his hands strong and not at all gentle. I didn’t always need gentle. And he needed me.

Awe! Sweet Nuts :) I love these two! 

And I'm going to keep digging :) 

Playing the Part by Darcy Daniel

Playing the Part by Darcy Daniel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Anthea Cane is a successful actress—well, action star. Her films are mostly about how hot she looks silhouetted by fiery explosions. But Anthea is determined to prove she's more than just a body. With the role of a lifetime up for grabs—a serious adaptation of her favorite novel—Anthea sets off to her small hometown in the name of research.

Cole Daniel is a blind farmer with no patience for divas, especially one who mercilessly teased him as a young boy. When Anthea shows up using a fake name and pestering him into letting her stay, he can't pass up the opportunity to torment her just a little.

But Anthea won't let the stubborn farmer deter her from her goal, even if he is hotter than any man she's ever met. Cole finds his form of payback less than satisfying when Anthea keeps turning the tables on him, proving her mettle and gaining his respect. Will Anthea's research land her a man, as well as the part?(

Excerpt

Visit Darcy Daniel's Website 

...

"And how's my beautiful star holding up?"

Anthea Cane froze as Marshall Brand jostled in beside her at the crowded bar, his strong aftershave engulfing her in an invisible cloud of eye-watering fumes. Blinking, she fought the urge to shy away when he placed a hand on her lower back. As the producer of the three movies she'd starred in, Anthea refused to let Marshall's sleaziness get in the way of their professional relationship. Tonight, she wanted to bask in the glow of success, not deal with his oily come-ons.

Avoiding eye contact, she glanced around the crowded cinema foyer. Ten minutes earlier, the VIP guests had watched her star as Alex Stark in the Australian premiere of A Kick to the Heart. A Kick to the Head, the first film in the action-parody franchise, had done great box-office business, as had the sequel, A Kick to the Guts. How successful this third and final installment would prove to be was anyone's guess.

Thinking about all three ridiculous titles brought an embarrassed flush to her cheeks. Although grateful to the Kick movies for shooting her to instant fame, what she wanted more than anything was a serious, meaty role. Something more than Alex Stark's cold assassin could offer. Something with meaning.

Marshall Brand's clammy fingers drifted down her back. Eager to escape the unwanted attention, she leaned in close to be heard over the crowd. "Would you excuse me?"

"Don't tell me you're leaving already?" he said, moving in even closer.

"I just need to use the little girls' room."

Marshall's eyes brightened, no doubt believing she wanted to freshen up for him. Right.

"By all means," he said, and gave her a wink that made her skin crawl.

Was it any wonder she no longer dated? After the success of the first Kick movie, she soon discovered men only wanted one thing: To bed her screen persona, Alex Stark. No one seemed interested in getting to know Anthea Cane. And so had begun the habit of accompanying her brother Ethan, who also acted as her manager, to these events with the hope of warding off any unwanted advances.

She squeezed through the throng of producers, studio executives and agents, and scanned the crowd for Ethan. As usual, he'd managed to disappear when she needed him most. Though how could she blame him? Being seen with his little sister probably didn't do much for him in the dating department.

Safely ensconced in a ladies' stall, Anthea fished her cell phone from her purse. With the intention of asking Ethan's help in escaping Marshall Brand, she navigated to the contacts screen. Just as she was about to press the dial button, two sets of stilettos clicked across the bathroom tiles.

A high-pitched woman's voice said, "That was even more absurd than the second one."

Anthea frowned as their stall doors banged shut.

A deeper female voice responded, "Marshall intends to screw her tonight. If you ask me, she'd better leap at the chance. After the dismal performance we just witnessed, no one in their right mind would ever hire her again."

Anthea's mouth dropped open. Not because of Marshall Brand's intentions--which came as no surprise--but because of the brutal critique of her performance.

"I agree," said the high-pitched voice. "But really, Marshall shouldn't waste his time with an absolute D-grader like her." Both women chuckled as their toilets flushed.

Anthea's grip tightened on her cell phone. She'd starred in three movies, for heaven's sake. Okay, they were parodies, but the box-office takings didn't lie.

 

Jen's Review 

Wow! Just WOW! Truly loved this story more than I thought I would -

Just having Cole's POV in there was worth it -

Anthea has had her fame - 3 box office hit movies, and a childhood of chemicals, But she knows something is missing in her life. The 3 times she tried to give her heart away, it just forced her to put up another layer of bricks shielding her away even more.

When the oppertunity to star in a movie based on her mother's favorite book, she knew she had to do anything to get the part. And when the opportunity to go back to her home town arises, she jumps in her car and takes off without a word to anyone.

On her way to town, she gets lost - with nothing miles away , she spots a farm house. And a Farmer in the field. Wow!
Approaching him for directions, she starts to get a little agitated. When the hail starts, and they're trapped in the tin shed, she starts getting frustrated.
But she's not the only one. Cole's shipment was late, he was behind on planting the saplings, and now this hailstorm was going to destroy his crops. On top of this bizarre, rude, and inconsiderate woman who won’t leave ......

After the storm lets up enough, Anthea makes herself at home and freshens up, then heads back to town.
Stopping at her best friend's house, she gets a splash of reality - It's been 20 years since Anthea has been in her home town, and even though Karin recognizes her, she has no idea who she is other than the smut the tabloids print about her. True or not, Anthea see's that she's going to have to figure out another way to get her research for the movie.

Anthea gets an idea that Karin plants in her head. Cole would be perfect to help her learn how to be a farmer's wife.
But as Karin politely pointed out. Cole is the very same guy Anthea teased so much in elementary school. Why would Cole help her now?

But if he didn't KNOW that she was Anthea, maybe she could pull this off...

You can see where this is going ...
Cole can't stand this rude woman who is trying to worm her way into his house. But when she goes inside to use the bathroom, he hears the buzzing of her cell phone that she left behind. Curious, he picked it up and listened.

And THAT'S when he know exactly who this woman was. And a plan started forming in his head..

YEAH!!!

So what happens when you stick two people so desperate for love together? Based on a lie neither of them wanted to confess - Yeah, instant CHAOS -

Really cute story ! I loved the whole Blind man and movie star thing.