Series: Heartbreaker Bay

Review: Playing for Keeps by Jill Shalvis

Posted January 22, 2019 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Playing for Keeps by Jill ShalvisReviewer: Rowena
Playing for Keeps (Heartbreaker Bay, #7) by Jill Shalvis
Series: Heartbreaker Bay #7
Also in this series: Sweet Little Lies (Heartbreaker Bay #1), The Trouble with Mistletoe, The Trouble with Mistletoe, One Snowy Night, Accidentally on Purpose, Chasing Christmas Eve (Heartbreaker Bay, #4), Chasing Christmas Eve, Holiday Wishes (Heartbreaker Bay, #4.5), Holiday Wishes, About That Kiss (Heartbreaker Bay, #5), About That Kiss, Hot Winter Nights (Heartbreaker Bay, #6)
Publisher: Harper Collins, Avon
Publication Date: January 22, 2019
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
Series Rating: four-stars

If you’re planning on falling in love…

When it comes to the confident, charismatic Caleb Parker, Sadie Lane feels the spark—the kind that comes from rubbing each other the wrong way. She’s a tattoo artist, he’s a straight-laced mogul. But after they accidentally co-rescue an abandoned dog from a storm, Sadie sees a vulnerable side to the seemingly invincible hottie.

you’d better be sure…

Caleb doesn’t do emotions. Growing up the underdog, he’s learned the hard way to build up an impenetrable wall. Perfect for business. Disastrous for relationships. He’s never worried about it before—not until he finally gets behind Sadie’s armor and begins to fall.

… someone is there to catch you.

Both guarded and vulnerable, Sadie and Caleb are complete opposites. Or are they? Shocked at their undeniable connection, can they ever admit to wanting more? That all depends on what they’re each willing to risk.

Playing for Keeps is the seventh book in Jill Shalvis’ Heartbreaker Bay series and it follows Caleb Parker and Sadie Lane. Caleb is Spence from Chasing Christmas Eve’s business partner and Sadie is a tattoo artist that works in the same building as everyone else. Caleb and Sadie have both been feeling the sizzling tug of awareness every time they’re around each other. The thing is Sadie is keeping her distance because she doesn’t have time for men right now and she doesn’t think that she has anything in common with someone who regularly wears fancy business suits. Caleb feels the sizzle around Sadie but with her obvious reluctance to go there, he keeps his distance…until they both end up co-parenting a cute little puppy named Lollipop.

Jill Shalvis does her thing with this one. I really enjoyed getting to know both Caleb and Sadie. They were always in the background of the other books so seeing them get their time to shine, front and center was a lot of fun for me. Sure there were times when I wanted to wring both of their necks, wring Caleb’s sister’s necks but for the most part, I enjoyed seeing these two come together in love. They both had past hurts that they struggled with and they both had such sturdy walls up to protect themselves from present and future hurts but I thought Shalvis handled their issues well.

This was a cute romance with a lot of heart and it’s always nice to see the gang back together again in each of these books. Caleb and Sadie were interesting characters who really shined in this book and I was super happy with the way their story came together. Jill Shalvis continues to shine with this series and I’m already looking forward to the next one.

Grade: 4 out of 5

Heartbreaker Bay

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Sunday Spotlight: Playing for Keeps by Jill Shalvis

Posted January 20, 2019 by Rowena in Features, Giveaways | 5 Comments

Sunday Spotlight is a feature we began in 2016. This year we’re spotlighting our favorite books, old and new. We’ll be raving about the books we love and being total fangirls. You’ve been warned. 🙂

Jill Shalvis continues to shine with each and every single book she releases from her Heartbreaker series and Playing for Keeps is no exception. Caleb and Sadie are wonderful characters and their chemistry sizzles. I’m super thrilled to be featuring their book on this week’s Sunday Spotlight.

Sunday Spotlight: Playing for Keeps by Jill ShalvisPlaying for Keeps (Heartbreaker Bay, #7) by Jill Shalvis
Series: Heartbreaker Bay #7
Also in this series: Sweet Little Lies (Heartbreaker Bay #1), The Trouble with Mistletoe, The Trouble with Mistletoe, One Snowy Night, Accidentally on Purpose, Chasing Christmas Eve (Heartbreaker Bay, #4), Chasing Christmas Eve, Holiday Wishes (Heartbreaker Bay, #4.5), Holiday Wishes, About That Kiss (Heartbreaker Bay, #5), About That Kiss, Hot Winter Nights (Heartbreaker Bay, #6), Playing for Keeps (Heartbreaker Bay, #7)
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: January 22, 2019
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
Series Rating: four-stars

If you’re planning on falling in love…

When it comes to the confident, charismatic Caleb Parker, Sadie Lane feels the spark—the kind that comes from rubbing each other the wrong way. She’s a tattoo artist, he’s a straight-laced mogul. But after they accidentally co-rescue an abandoned dog from a storm, Sadie sees a vulnerable side to the seemingly invincible hottie.

you’d better be sure…

Caleb doesn’t do emotions. Growing up the underdog, he’s learned the hard way to build up an impenetrable wall. Perfect for business. Disastrous for relationships. He’s never worried about it before—not until he finally gets behind Sadie’s armor and begins to fall.

… someone is there to catch you.

Both guarded and vulnerable, Sadie and Caleb are complete opposites. Or are they? Shocked at their undeniable connection, can they ever admit to wanting more? That all depends on what they’re each willing to risk.

Order the Book:

AMAZON || BARNES AND NOBLE || GOOGLE

Excerpt

“Sadie.”

She shook her head.

“Look at me. Please?”

It was the damn please that had her opening her eyes. He’d closed the gap so that if she so much as took a breath, they’d be touching.

So she did just that. She took a deep breath, and then their bodies were up against each other, his warm and hard. Everywhere. “What’s happening?” she whispered.

“I believe you’re deciding between kicking me in the nuts and kissing me.” One side of his mouth curved very slightly as he lifted their still joined hands above her head, against the wall.

“But that last part might just be in my dreams.”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Yes, it’s just in my dreams?”

She meant to say yes again, she really did.

She even opened her mouth to say it, because this was insane, this incredible . . . craving she had for him. It made no sense. Less than no sense, and yet . . .

She went up on tiptoe and touched her mouth to his.

Heartbreaker Bay

Giveaway Alert

We’re giving one lucky winner their choice of one of our Sunday Spotlight books. Use the widget below to enter for one of this month’s features.

Sunday Spotlight: January 2019

Are you as excited for this release as we are? Let us know how excited you are and what other books you’re looking forward to this year!

About Jill Shalvis

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras with her family and far too many assorted quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental.

Look for Jill's latest, LOST AND FOUND SISTERS on shelves and e-readers now, and get all her bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold.

Visit Jill's website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumblr

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Review: Hot Winter Nights by Jill Shalvis

Posted October 3, 2018 by Rowena in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Hot Winter Nights by Jill ShalvisReviewer: Rowena
Hot Winter Nights (Heartbreaker Bay, #6) by Jill Shalvis
Series: Heartbreaker Bay #6
Also in this series: Sweet Little Lies (Heartbreaker Bay #1), The Trouble with Mistletoe, The Trouble with Mistletoe, One Snowy Night, Accidentally on Purpose, Chasing Christmas Eve (Heartbreaker Bay, #4), Chasing Christmas Eve, Holiday Wishes (Heartbreaker Bay, #4.5), Holiday Wishes, About That Kiss (Heartbreaker Bay, #5), About That Kiss, Playing for Keeps (Heartbreaker Bay, #7)
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: September 25, 2018
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
three-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Who needs mistletoe?

Most people wouldn't think of a bad Santa case as the perfect Christmas gift. Then again, Molly Malone, office manager at Hunt Investigations, isn't most people, and she could really use a distraction from the fantasies she's been having since spending the night with her very secret crush, Lucas Knight. Nothing happened, not that Lucas knows that — but Molly just wants to enjoy being a little naughty for once...

Whiskey and pain meds for almost-healed bullet wounds don't mix. Lucas needs to remember that next time he's shot on the job, which may be sooner rather than later if Molly's brother, Joe, finds out about them. Lucas can't believe he's drawing a blank on his (supposedly) passionate tryst with Molly, who's the hottest, smartest, strongest woman he's ever known. Strong enough to kick his butt if she discovers he's been assigned to babysit her on her first case. And hot enough to melt his cold heart this Christmas.

Hot Winter Nights is the sixth book in Jill Shalvis’ Heartbreaker Bay series and it features Lucas and Molly. Molly is sister to the hero in the previous book and Lucas is Molly’s brother’s partner and friend. They work together and Lucas has been warned off of Molly because he’s a player and nobody trusts him not to hurt Molly? I don’t know.

So this book starts off with Lucas waking up from a one night stand that he has no memory of. He’s recovering from being shot on the job so after a night of mixing alcohol and meds, Lucas is completely out of it and Molly is there to help him get home safely. When he wakes up and has no memory of them sleeping together, he’s freaked out. Molly gets her feelings hurt and instead of being upfront with him about them not doing anything but sleep, she lets him stew in his confusion.

I’m not quite sure where to start with this review because while I did enjoy it, a lot of little things bugged me. I wasn’t cool with a lot of things that Molly did to Lucas. The way that she let him think something happened between them for far longer than she should have because her feelings were hurt, the way that she would march right into danger because she was mad at the way Lucas bossed her around while on the job, and then there were Joe and Archer’s attitude toward Lucas hooking up with Molly but also the way that they refused to let Molly in on any field work because they wanted to protect her. Molly is a grown ass woman and can make those decisions for herself. They took that decision away from her because she’s a little ol’ woman and that pissed me off.

What I did like was Lucas’ family. I liked how much they worried over him and how supportive they were of him and how determined they were to keep including him in family events. Lucas was dealing with a lot of guilt over not being around for both his fiance and his brother before they died and he didn’t handle things well but I really liked seeing his family not giving up on him. He wasn’t the most perfect of characters but I still enjoyed how honest he was with himself about everything, especially his feelings for Molly. I liked that he wasn’t in denial for half the book. He knew what he felt and he was all in, too bad it took him a lot longer to actually tell Molly about everything.

Overall, this book was a pretty quick read and while it had its moments, it’s not my favorite book in the series. I spent too much time pissed off at different people and I don’t know, it was missing some the charm that I’ve come to expect from a Jill Shalvis read. My favorite part of this book was Lucas. I loved when Lucas went to meet Molly’s Dad for the first time and I really liked when these two finally stopped being dumb and got together so all in all, it was still a pretty solid read.

Grade: 3.75 out of 5

Heartbreaker Bay

three-stars

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Sunday Spotlight: Hot Winter Nights by Jill Shalvis

Posted September 16, 2018 by Rowena in Features, Giveaways | 7 Comments

Sunday Spotlight is a feature we began in 2016. This year we’re spotlighting our favorite books, old and new. We’ll be raving about the books we love and being total fangirls. You’ve been warned. 🙂

Sunday Spotlight

Jill Shalvis is really cranking up the heat with these Heartbreaker Bay books and Molly and Lucas are up next. Hot Winter Nights is the sixth book in the series and it picks up right where the last book left off…with Lucas waking up not remembering a thing about the night before and how his partner’s sister ended up in his bed.

Sunday Spotlight: Hot Winter Nights by Jill ShalvisHot Winter Nights (Heartbreaker Bay, #6) by Jill Shalvis
Series: Heartbreaker Bay #6
Also in this series: Sweet Little Lies (Heartbreaker Bay #1), The Trouble with Mistletoe, The Trouble with Mistletoe, One Snowy Night, Accidentally on Purpose, Chasing Christmas Eve (Heartbreaker Bay, #4), Chasing Christmas Eve, Holiday Wishes (Heartbreaker Bay, #4.5), Holiday Wishes, About That Kiss (Heartbreaker Bay, #5), About That Kiss, Hot Winter Nights (Heartbreaker Bay, #6), Playing for Keeps (Heartbreaker Bay, #7)
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: September 25, 2018
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
Series Rating: four-stars

Who needs mistletoe?

Most people wouldn't think of a bad Santa case as the perfect Christmas gift. Then again, Molly Malone, office manager at Hunt Investigations, isn't most people, and she could really use a distraction from the fantasies she's been having since spending the night with her very secret crush, Lucas Knight. Nothing happened, not that Lucas knows that — but Molly just wants to enjoy being a little naughty for once...

Whiskey and pain meds for almost-healed bullet wounds don't mix. Lucas needs to remember that next time he's shot on the job, which may be sooner rather than later if Molly's brother, Joe, finds out about them. Lucas can't believe he's drawing a blank on his (supposedly) passionate tryst with Molly, who's the hottest, smartest, strongest woman he's ever known. Strong enough to kick his butt if she discovers he's been assigned to babysit her on her first case. And hot enough to melt his cold heart this Christmas.

Lucas and Molly have been circling each other and you can tell that there was more there then met the eye so if you’ve been excited to read their book, you don’t have a long wait. This book comes out on September 25, 2018 so mark your calendars and don’t miss out!

Order the Book:

AMAZON || BARNES AND NOBLE || GOOGLE BOOKS || KOBO

Excerpt

“Tell me about your night. You know you want to.”

“Actually, it was over so fast, I can’t really remember.”

He gave a low, rather triumphant laugh and turned her to face him. “You haven’t yet once managed to look me in the eyes and tell me how bad I was. Here’s your chance, Molly. Give it to me.”

See, that was the thing. She did want to give it to him, quite badly. Naked . . . Gah.

She really hadn’t seen this coming, but she deserved fun like anyone else, right? She looked at his mouth, desperately wanting it on hers.

And then her body somehow mistook the fantasy for reality because she went up on tiptoes and . . . kissed him. Just a soft brush of her lips across his, gently and a little hesitant, but it was most definitely a kiss.

Heartbreaker Bay


Giveaway Alert

We’re giving one lucky winner their choice of one of our Sunday Spotlight books. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter for one of this month’s features.

Sunday Spotlight: September 2018

Are you as excited for this release as we are? Let us know how excited you are and what other books you’re looking forward to this year!

About the Author

Jill Shalvis

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | TUMBLR | GOODREADS

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras with her family and far too many assorted quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental.

Look for Jill’s latest, LOST AND FOUND SISTERS on shelves and e-readers now, and get all her bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold.

Visit Jill’s website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

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What Are You Reading? (+ Contemporary Giveaway)

Posted January 26, 2018 by Casee in Features, Giveaways | 9 Comments

WAYR-New

Casee: Life may be busy for me these days, but I am making time to read. Yes, I have put myself on a reading schedule. I have to admit that I’ve never done this before, but it is actually working. I’m currently reading Judgement Road by Christine Feehan and I’m really enjoying it. I’ve heard that it gets very dark, but I haven’t quite gotten there yet. I’m not necessarily against darker romances so I am curious to see if it will bother me. I hope this reading schedule continues to work out for me because I have so many good books to read!

Holly: Amazon’s audio add-on feature has really changed my life. I’m doing a lot more audiobooks now that I don’t have to subscribe ($14.99/mo was always too much for me for the number of audiobooks I actually listen to). Now that I’m commuting to work, I love being able to listen in the car and at my desk. This week I listened to Honor’s Spelendour, The Secret and The Wedding by Julie Garwood, as well as Good Boy by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy and Pretty Girls Dancing by Kylie Brant. I picked up most of the audio add-ons when they were only $1.99.

Aside from those, I read Happiness for Humans by P.Z. Reizin, which was a strange rom-com featuring an AI named Aiden who played matchmaker. I started Pretty Girls Dancing by Kylie Brant in audio and ended reading it to the end because I was impatient to find out what happened. Binti and Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor were sci-fi novellas recommended to me by Ames. I enjoyed both and immediately started the third.

I also re-read The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan and The Year We Hid Away by Sarina Bowen.

I’m currently reading Binti: The Night Masquerade.

Rowena: My reading week started off strong. I read The Trouble with True Love by Laura Lee Guhrke and really enjoyed that one so I thought I’d jump into Man Hands by Sarina Bowen & Tanya Eby and…it’s been 4 days and I’m still reading this book. I don’t think it’s for me. It’s not that I’m bored with it, it’s more that the humor is immature and not making me laugh and the characters…I’m having a hard time connecting with them. All of them. The main couple and the people in their lives. It’s all just…ugh. If I can’t finish it tonight then I’m going to toss in the towel and read either Brooklynaire because of NATE AND BECCA!!! Or I’m going to jump into Shot on Gold by Jaci Burton. Wish me luck!!

Giveaway Alert

We are very fortunate here at Book Binge. We have loads and loads of books to read and we want to share the wealth so each week, we’ll be tacking on a Freebie Friday giveaway to our What Are You Reading posts. This week, we’re giving away…

What Are You Reading? (+ Contemporary Giveaway)About That Kiss (Heartbreaker Bay, #5) by Jill Shalvis
Publisher: Harper Collins, Avon
Publication Date: January 23rd 2018
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 349
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books

When love drives you crazy . . .

When sexy Joe Malone never calls after their explosive kiss, Kylie shoves him out of her mind. Until she needs a favor, and it’s a doozy. Something precious to her has been stolen and there’s only one person with unique finder-and-fixer skills that can help—Joe. It means swallowing her pride and somehow trying to avoid the temptation to throttle him—or seduce him.

the best thing to do . . .

No, Joe didn’t call after the kiss. He’s the fun time guy, not the forever guy. And Kylie, after all she’s been through, deserves a good man who will stay. But everything about Kylie makes it damned hard to focus, and though his brain knows what he has to do, his heart isn’t getting the memo.

… is enjoy the ride.

As Kylie and Joe go on the scavenger hunt of their lives, they discover surprising things about each other. Now, the best way for them to get over “that kiss” might just be to replace it with a hundred more.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What are you reading this week? Any new favorites or books that drove you crazy? Share!

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