May 4, 2021 – Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Title: His Under Contract

Author: Fiona Murphy

Genre: Enemies to Lovers Romance

Release Date: May 17, 2016

BLURB

I never thought I would end up a housekeeper scrubbing floors. It doesn’t matter if the floors are in a million-plus dollar condo, in one of Chicago’s most exclusive addresses. I’m still on my hands and knees for the most obnoxious a$$hole I’ve ever met. The jerk believes his own press as one of the biggest rainmakers in Chicago. Ethan Bishop is sought after in the boardroom and the bedroom. While even his sister thinks he’s best taken in small doses, she offers me a job I can’t refuse, not if I don’t want to go back to my parents with my tail between my legs. I need this job, and it’s not like it’s forever, just until I’m not on the edge of poverty. Let him be the unrepentant manwhore who didn’t do repeats. It’s better for him not to be at home, so close that my stupid body goes nuts when I even think of him. It’s better this way, because he could never want me. I’m a plus size not a size two model he’s used to having. I’m safe, it doesn’t matter how badly I want him, he doesn’t want me.

Does he?

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AUTHOR BIO

Due to commitment issues I have lived in many different cities and my favorite is Chicago but I have managed to settle into Austin and perhaps my commitment issues are behind me.

I have enjoyed reading from a very young age and it wasn’t long before the children books bored me and I read the books my mother enjoyed Stephen King and Dean Koontz and I didn’t sleep without the light on until I was about ten.

I came across my first Harlequin by accident and it was love at first read, no one died and happy endings? It was a whole new world and I loved it.

I wrote my first story at eight and everyone died, of course. Since then I would like to think I’ve gotten better and now I’m writing the happily ever afters I first fell in love with, with some hot sex thrown in along the way.

As a plus size woman myself, I have started writing the stories I always wanted to see myself in but never did. And now I’m ecstatic to give BBWs the happily ever afters with hot Alphas I want to read.

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The Babysitter Blunder by Lolita Thorne

May 4, 2021May 4, 2021 Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Title: The Babysitter Blunder

Series: Hibiscus Bay

Author: Lolita Thorne

Genre: Second-Chance/Small Town/RomCom

Release Date: May 4, 2021

**Roman**

A few days ago, social services gifted me a daughter. Six-year-old Ivy has my eyes, is cute as a button, and couldn’t have landed in less capable hands than mine.

I have zero parenting skills, my bedside manner is non-existent, and my job doesn’t take kindly to Bring Your Daughter to Work Day. All in all, I’m heading straight for a Worst Father of the Decade award.

Lucky for me, I manage to find a babysitter in a town renowned for their scarcity.

There’s just a slight problem. I’m supposed to be evicting Quinn Foster, not paying her to look after my daughter.

Then there’s the fact that Quinn is my ex-girlfriend. Our relationship was on fire back in college, before it promptly burned out.

But Quinn is doing such an excellent job of looking after my daughter, that I force myself to forget our past and focus on the present.

So why can’t I stop dreaming about the future…one that includes my adorable daughter and my high school sweetheart?

*The Babysitter Blunder is a spicy standalone second-chance romantic comedy set in the charming vacation town of Hibiscus Bay.*

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“You know what?” I tell Ivy as I tap the buttons on my steering wheel. “I have a plan.”

I use my hands-free system to phone my brother.

The real estate market in Hibiscus Bay is highly competitive. There’s hardly any time for sleeping and eating, never mind making friends.

My brother Benjamin will have to do.

“Hey, bro,” Benjamin barks into my ear. “How’s it hanging? Let me guess, you want me to book out the squash court so I can kick your–”

“No time,” I snap. “I need you to look after Ivy.”

“Ivy…who?”

I cringe, glancing at the reflection of the little girl in my rearview mirror. Her dark curls bounce as I go over a speed bump a little too fast.

“My daughter,” I mutter into the phone. “Who is with me in the car while I have you on speaker, by the way.”

“Oh, Ivy!” Benjamin laughs. “I forgot about her.”

“Would you quit acting like this is news?”

“Can you blame me for forgetting you suddenly have a kid? Most people get a few month’s notice, at least.”

I stifle a frustrated groan. “Can you help me or not?”

“No can do, bro. I already got three of my own to take care of, and Cindy’s out the whole day with her gal pals.”

“One more isn’t going to—”

“Just get a sitter.”

I’m starting to grind off the enamel on my teeth. “I don’t know any sitters.”

“Oh right.” Ben laughs again. “Hang on. I’m gonna conference in Cindy. She’ll know. We used them a bunch of times. Got a few hot ones, too, if—”

“Ben, I don’t have time for—”

But the line is dead.

Ben never was any good with technology.

If Ivy hadn’t been in the car, the air would have been blue with swear words. But she is in the car, and that’s the whole problem.

Thankfully, my phone rings a minute later as I turn down Poppy Road, the street leading toward the harbor. Despite my Audi’s closed windows and the air conditioning on full blast, a hint of three-day-old fish guts starts permeating the air.

“Ew,” Ivy complains from the backseat.

“Really?” I say, glaring at her reflection in the rearview mirror. “How is this any worse than that fart you let out earlier?”

Ivy looks away, lifting her chin and pushing out her bottom lip like I offended her.

But I mean, come on. My mouth was open and everything.

Thorne writes spicy small-town romantic comedy romances set in the sunny vacay spot of Hibiscus Bay.

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Big Girls Bite Back by Lissa Lynn Thomas

May 4, 2021May 4, 2021 Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Title: Big Girls Bite Back

Series: Big Girls #1

Author: Lissa Lynn Thomas

Genre: PNR, BBW Reverse Harem

Release Date: May 18, 2021

A vampire, a werewolf, and a demon all walk into a bar…

Sounds like the start of a bad joke. Want another? Alright, how’s this?

They bring with them a greater demon and the most powerful vampire in all of NYC. One wants my help, the other wants me dead.

Hysterical. Too bad it’s not a joke—just a typical Saturday night for me.

I guess the upside is having sex with me hasn’t sent any of these smexy troublemakers to the hospital… yet… If only my dad would stop trying to scare them off with his unwelcome deliveries of baby clothes.

Frackin’ fudge fluffers…

Lissa Lynn Thomas writes flawed individuals living in stories that mix humor with the darker side of life and love. With Helena Novak, she’s one half of A.L. Shea.

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Release Blitz

The Control by Elena Monroe

May 4, 2021May 4, 2021 Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Title: The Control
Series: The 4Horsemen #4
Author: Elena Monroe
Genre: Dark Forbidden Love Romance

Release Date: May 4, 2021

BLURB

My demons will ruin whatever is left of her halo.

BOWEN

I was living on borrowed everything: time, feelings, motives, even these stale breaths.

I was expired in every way.

No saving me.

He should have lived instead.

He deserved to squeeze every drop out of life and rub it in my face the way he always did.

I was stuck here as half of a person and Eve expected me to be whole enough to fix her.

We were too shattered to ever be put back together again.

I was her demon.

EVE

I was wasting every second of every day trying to make time move faster.

I was ready to throw away this life as the Princess of Denmark and go back home where Bowen would be waiting for me. There was no stopping me.

I had been promised to Bowen since our births.

I was determined to save myself for him and only him – my life line.

I may be bruised and broken but that only dirtied up my angel wings.

Nothing he couldn’t handle.

I would always be his angel.

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EXCERPT

I should have given him the truth. Anything but the silence lurking inside my mouth making me mute.

Just as I pulled the band away from his body his grip crushed my small hands so hard I felt myself wince. “We aren’t doing that here… I don’t need your pity,” his words might as well have been venom.

It was well-deserved, my body screamed: use me to bury the pain and my eyes were glazed over in sympathy.

“Bowen…” I was trying to slice through the immediate anger cocooning him when his grip didn’t let up, holding my hands still too tightly.

He looked down on me like I personally insulted him in less redeemable ways. “It doesn’t matter how damaged you are when you look at me like that. It would have been easier to just sit pretty and be the wife I don’t want. No demons except me. Now there is nothing holding me back from making sure that fake halo is replaced with horns.”

Standing up right instead of looking down at me like a silly girl who couldn’t handle his demons, his fists clenched making the wraps get even more taunt around his hands.

My mouth was still gaping open but no syllables or sounds came out. Not one word while I watched him square up to the bag hanging in its place. “You always wanted to match.”

My eyes stung with tears and I felt myself suck in my bottom lip like it was the key to holding back tears.

Hitting a small remote in his pocket music flooded his home gym, too loud to think or talk anymore.

Bowen’s fist drove into the bag over and over making me flinch every time. I pushed him to be someone to me and didn’t take into account how askewed how my expectations were.

My expectations were soul crushing.

My expectations were selfish.

My expectations disregarded trauma altogether.

I mumbled a quick sorry around my trembling bottom lip hoping that would suffice.

Few steps forward and ten back seemed to be the dance with the devil. He promised to fuck my halo into horns and now I felt overwhelmed by the need to be just as broken as him.

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Free in Kindle Unlimited

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AUTHOR BIO

Elena Monroe grew up in Florida scribbling down stories from a very young age. These stories were really just wavy lines filling the paper, but she knew each word, each emotion, each character’s name, and there was no tricking her into forgetting what each line signified. Just like her unconventional way of writing as a toddler Elena is setting her own rules and just telling stories.

Much like her debut novel, The Best Years, life certainly imitated art. Transplanting from the South to the East Coast, Elena currently lives in Connecticut with husband, reformed bad boy.

Find her on her social media through Twitter at @elenamonroe, Instagram at @elenamonroewrites, Facebook at @elenamonroewrites, and more

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Tuesday Teaser

Edge of Darkness

May 4, 2021May 4, 2021 Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Rhiannon’s Law Book Four

Urban Fantasy

Date Published: May 14, 2021

Ride the road until death sets you free.

Rhiannon Murphy fled New York following the horrific events that ended the lives of those she loved. In the months that have passed, she and her vampire lover, Gabriel Trevellian, have pooled their talents to kill half-demons that have ruled the vampire world for centuries. On the brink of regaining control, they learn things are not so simple.

Marigold Vesta is no longer content in Hell. Due to the terms of an agreed-upon bargain, the fallen angel is preparing Rhiannon’s body for early possession. If that’s not bad enough, Lucifer is aware of the trade and wants Rhiannon’s soul.

The only option is to turn to Bane, an arms dealer who offered Gabriel an alliance to recapture the city. The man isn’t human and has a personal connection to Rhiannon. When she learns why the deadly being entered her life, she must decide to ride the edge of darkness or bask in the glory of the light.

With the clock ticking, every choice counts.

Excerpt

A familiar flutter entered my head, stroking my skull like butterfly wings.

But it wasn’t Disco.

Oh no. Not now.

I hadn’t had an attack in four months. I thought they were over.

I managed to shoot three more vampires, made it through the door into the office and slammed it closed. I felt my physical body slipping away. I couldn’t lift my hands, and I dropped to the ground as my legs gave out.

Darkness engulfed me before a dim light flickered, like a newly lit wick, and I could see clearly. A figure appeared—dark hair, black eyes that had a red light within them, his body tall, lean, and terrifying—and came toward me. I felt my flight or flight instincts kick in. I didn’t want to be close to him. He was toxic and his presence spread over me like cancer. One touch took days to remove. I hated the smug grin on his face, the way he felt superior to me. Marigold refused to speak his name, but I knew who he was.

Lucifer.

“You and your silly games,” he said softly, a sadistic glint in his eyes.

I tried to respond but, as I’d learned not so long ago, no sounds accompanied my voice. I’d entered a moment in time that had already transpired. I couldn’t hear what Marigold said in return. I never could. I could only see her wrists and ankles were tethered to a four post bed. I had become stuck in a first person reality I didn’t want to be in. He climbed onto the mattress like a cat—sly, effortless, and silent. He straddled her waist and leaned forward. His hands cupped her face and the room spun on its axis.

I worried I might throw up.

“Gabriel, it’s happening again.” I wasn’t sure if he would hear.

When we were together he would take control of my mind and stop everything. But we weren’t in a protected haven where he held that strength, ensuring the memories couldn’t pull me into Marigold’s past and keep me trapped for hours. He couldn’t protect me in a place his power didn’t work.

I wanted to focus on the present but couldn’t.

The memory slithered around me like a snake. As soon as Lucifer’s lips touched hers—touched mine—time was up. That moment swallowed me whole, making me part of it. Darkness and filth rotted my core like a bad apple. I could feel it in my heart and soul.

I could only endure and watch, a voyeur of the mind even though I could feel every single thing Lucifer did to Marigold. I could also feel her emotions and physical reactions to him. Both made me sick. During the attacks I merged with her. We became one and the same.

I knew my physical form would be unconscious in the office at the skating ring and would soon be discovered. I wondered if I’d be killed immediately and, if so, if death would be such a bad thing. I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to leave Disco behind. He’d already lost so much. Truth be told, I was being selfish.

Death would make things easier for me.

Especially now.

As the memory continued, a part of me ached for death.

Heaven would always been preferable to Hell.

About the Author

J.A. Saare is a multi-published author and has written stories featured in horror magazines, zombie romance anthologies, and flash fiction contests. Her work has a notable dark undertone, which she credits to her love of eighties horror films, tastes in music, and choices in reading, and has been described as “full of sensual promise,” “gritty and sexy,” and “a breath of fresh air.”

Currently, she is penning numerous projects within the urban fantasy, erotic and contemporary, and of course, paranormal romance categories. Her website is www.jasaare.com. Those interested in her “naughtier” side can visit her alias, Aline Hunter, at www.alinehunter.com.

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Mr. July by Jax Hart

May 4, 2021May 4, 2021 Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Title: Mr. July

Author: Jax Hart

Genre: Enemies to Lovers/ RomCom

Release Date: May 4, 2021

Charm. Old money. A six-pack. Loves dogs. He’d be the perfect guy–if I wasn’t suing him.

He has no idea I’m the girl he swore to have his day in court with. I lied. Gave him a fake name. I couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when we’d meet again in small claims. But the kiss we shared under the stars was explosive. Fueled by months of pent up anger. Maybe he had figured out who I was afterall, the girl who fell for Mr. July.

Authors Note: This is a full length 60k plus word standalone novel. HEA no Cheating.

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Release Blitz

Return to Palm Court

May 4, 2021May 4, 2021 Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Book 2 in the Isle of Palms Suspense series

Romantic Suspense

Date Published:05-04-2021

Brittany Nelson returns to the South Carolina Lowcountry to help her sister, Blake, run the family bed and breakfast and care for her three-year-old niece. Soon after, strange occurrences begin taking place. Brittany can’t shake the feeling that the ghosts of her family’s past haven’t been laid to rest, after all.

As she works to unravel how this is possible, she finds herself in the center of unfathomable events. But if the Nelson sisters know anything, life at Isle of Palms isn’t always a day at the beach.

About the Author

Stephanie Edwards has been writing professionally since she landed her first newspaper column at the age of 13. Her love for the Lowcountry, the Atlantic Ocean and a good ghost story inspired her to write her first book, The Haunting on Palm Court: An Isle of Palms Suspense. A stay at a beach cottage with a spooky backyard, filled with old oak trees, inspired the novel.

Stephanie lives in Tennessee with her husband, Ron, and their adorable dog, Shadow. Be sure to keep up with Stephanie’s publishing news at stephedwardswrites.com.

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Release Boost

Jack by Mckenna James

May 4, 2021May 4, 2021 Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Meet the Vegas Kings!
Jack by Mckenna James is LIVE!

https://geni.us/JackMJ
Buy Now On All Platforms!

Jack Stapleton and his friends rule Las Vegas. They’ve got more money than they know what to do with, and Jack can have any woman he wants—except Ellie.

JACK

Rejection. That’s what I get for trying to save a girl who obviously doesn’t want saving.

Paying off her father’s debt so she can stop taking off her clothes for other people? That was a no brainer. Obviously, I hoped she’d fall victim to my irresistible charm. My selflessness.

But no.

I’ve offended her independent spirit, and instead of falling for me, she’s doing everything she can to avoid me. I should forget all about Ellie Masters, but I’m a sucker for her sassy smile and that fiery, luscious mouth.

I’m more than willing to take a gamble on this girl, but she’s made it clear I’m going to need more than luck to win her heart.

ELLIE

My momma raised me to believe that I don’t need a man. Except, apparently, I do.

And now that I owe a debt to a billionaire, I feel sick to my stomach.

It’s not like I’ll ever be able to pay him back.

The man is richer than God, and hotter than the Devil. When he’s next to me, I just about melt.

The last thing I want is to fall for a man like that.

The problem is, I think I already have…

EXCERPT:

“Wait, please!” a feminine voice calls out as the doors begin to close.

I put my hand out, triggering the sensor, and they burst open to reveal a woman standing there. She isn’t just any woman, though. With long dark hair that hangs loosely around her shoulders and impossibly long legs that spill out from beneath the short white jacket she’s wearing, she’s quite possibly the most stunning woman I’ve ever seen. Her icy blue eyes flicker up and meet mine as she steps into the elevator.

“Thanks,” she murmurs, giving me a tight smile.

“What floor?” I ask.

“Top,” she replies, avoiding any further eye contact.

Amused, I press the button for the top floor again. That can only mean one thing—Ace ignored Asher’s request about the strippers. No doubt he’ll try to pin it on me.

“Fuck. I can’t do this.”

I glance at the woman in surprise. I’m no expert when it comes to female emotions and shit, but she looks like she’s about to either burst into tears or start punching the elevator wall. Either way, something is obviously bothering her.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

Her head snaps up, and she looks at me like she forgot I was there. A faint glow of pink spreads across her cheeks as she quickly nods, then shakes her head.

“This is so not me,” she mutters, releasing a harsh laugh. “I tried, but I can’t do it.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” I offer. “I can be a pretty good listener.”

That part is a lie. Piper’s always telling me I can’t listen for shit, but honestly, I’m not sure what else to say to this girl.

“What the hell is talking going to do?” she snaps. “I’m sorry, I just…” She sighs. “No. There’s no way I’ll be able to go through with this.”

“Then don’t.”

If she is part of the entertainment that Ace hired—though she really doesn’t strike me as the type—I’m worried someone is making her do something she doesn’t want to do.

“It’s not that simple.” She mumbles so softly that I’m pretty sure she didn’t mean for me to hear it. “I need the money.”

“There are other ways to make money.”

“Only a rich person would say that with such ignorance,” she replies, her lips twitching.

Burn.

But at least I got her to almost smile.

About the Author:
Mckenna James is the pen name for a collaborative writing duo who share an addiction to sweet tea and a love for wealthy, attractive men.

Since they don’t know enough devastatingly handsome men with boatloads of cash to spare, they decided to create some. They specialize in fairytales for today’s world featuring modern princes and heroines who speak their minds and carve out happily ever afters on their own terms.

Connect with McKenna James!

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/MckennaJamesbks
Amazon — https://amzn.to/3e68RME
Instagram — www.instagram.com/mckennajamesbks
Bookbub — https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mckenna-james

Trailer Reveal

Steal the Moon by Venessa Kimball

May 4, 2021May 5, 2021 Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

#STMTR-2

♦ ♦ ♦

What would you risk for love?

Would you Cross the Stars?

Steal the Moon?

Steal the Moon is the conclusion to the suspense-filled contemporary romance Crossing Stars Duet series that began with Cross the Stars.

Raj and Ella crossed the ill-fated stars for a forbidden love, jeopardizing everything for one another. But what if the dangers ahead are too great, the tragedies too painful, the threats too deadly to save true love? Would you steal the moon and sacrifice everything, even yourself, to rescue the love of your life?

The cruel fate that divided Raj and Ella has come for them with a vengeance, destiny wrought with cruel twists and brutal turns intent on keeping them apart. Devastating deceptions, unimaginable betrayal, and inconceivable secrets are the relentless framework of their fight against fate. With so much against them, will they have enough strength to see the destiny they’ve created by crossing the stars, or will Raj and Ella’s turbulent relationship and love succumb to a tragic end?

Reminiscent of the timeless stories of love against all odds,, Raj and Ella’s story is one of rebellion and sacrifice – giving all of yourself to claim the love and destiny you desire, no matter the cost.

♦ ♦ ♦

Watch the Trailer HERE!

♦ ♦ ♦

Having always been passionate about the written word, Venessa Kimball embarked on her writing journey with her Young Adult urban fantasy thriller series, The Copula Chronicles. Venessa has also written a compelling Young Adult contemporary novel, Dismantling Evan. Her most recent series, the Crossing Stars Duet series – Cross the Stars Book 1 and Steal the Moon Book 2 – is her first Adult contemporary romance, but not her last. Venessa enjoys experimenting with genres. Expect to read the blending of genres in her novels.