Teasing Trent by M. Malone

Synopsis
One girl. One guy. One unforgettable night.

Trent's supposed to keep his best friend's sister company on her birthday. He just has to remember the promise he made to himself in college to keep his hands off her. He's not worried until he finds out she wants to stay in. Just the two of them.

Ever since Mara walked into her brother's dorm room freshman year and came face to face with a shirtless Trent, she's known he was The One. She finally has a plan to get him exactly where she wants him. In her bed.

If Mara has her way, she'll get a lot more for her birthday than a Hallmark card…

Impressions

A novella. 

As I like long story, it's never my cup of tea but the story is well written. Mara is a little bossy and Trent has a lot of selfs-control.

If the story is fast and easy to read, Mara's brother picked my curiosity. Even if he has a very small role in the plot.

As a prequel, it can be a good read but I don't really think I will start The Alexanders series. 

Unfiltered & Unlawful by Payge Galvin and Ronnie Douglas

Synopsis
After a night-shift shooting of a drug dealer in The Coffee Cave, twelve strangers each walk out with more than $100,000 in dirty money, a pact never to meet again, and the chance to start over…

Until that night, Sasha "Sugar" Kovac spent her days selling coffee to the co-eds at ASU Rio Verde and her nights trying not to run back to her ex… or join the throngs of girls lusting after her friend, Adam.

But why should Sugar give in to the Harley-riding tattoo artist when his longest relationships haven't lasted more than a weekend?

Sugar's life takes a turn for the dangerous when someone comes looking for the people connected to the Cave shooting and the cash they split. To protect herself and those she cares about, Sugar has to get out of town–and fast. When Adam insists on coming with her, Sugar finds herself holed up in a tiny house with a hot man, a stash of cash, and a lot of secrets.

Can Sugar protect both her life and her heart when temptation is so close? Or is the past she's fled going to catch up with her?

Impressions
Sigh… Drugs, money, abuse, self-esteem female character…
It's correctly written and I don't have anything to say about the style. 
But come on… Women already have a lot of insecurities. Even if you want to create a plot in the mafia or to show the drug field, can you not make them addict and with low moral? 
I read to entertain myself not to get depressed or exercise my eyes with too much rolling.
Definitively, not a good story for me. :-(

Love in the Stars by Brad Kronen

Find Your Perfect Match with Astrology  

Synopsis
Are you curious about whether your crush or current flame is a match made in the stars?
Whether you’re looking for love, already dating, or just curious about your compatibility with other signs, find everything you want to know about your astrological love matches in this book.

Impressions
If you want to know more about your sign, it's the perfect book. Lot of humor in the description and the compatibilities with the different association.
But nothing really new under the sun, it's the same as a lot of books about astrological signs.

So after reading about your crush, your husband… you will not read all the other signs.
But it can be a good one to keep and to open every time you change partner…
A good positive point for the humor and positive attitude.

Source
*Arc provided by Netgalley
I received this book in exchange of a fair and honest review.

The Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev

Synopsis
Ria Parkar is Bollywood's favorite Ice Princess--beautiful, poised, and scandal-proof--until one impulsive act threatens to expose her destructive past. Traveling home to Chicago for her cousin's wedding offers a chance to diffuse the coming media storm and find solace in family, food, and outsized celebrations that are like one of her vibrant movies come to life. But it also means confronting Vikram Jathar.


Ria and Vikram spent childhood summers together, a world away from Ria's exclusive boarding school in Mumbai. Their friendship grew seamlessly into love--until Ria made a shattering decision. As far as Vikram is concerned, Ria sold her soul for stardom and it's taken him years to rebuild his life. But beneath his pent-up anger, their bond remains unchanged.

And now, among those who know her best, Ria may find the courage to face the secrets she's been guarding for everyone else's benefit--and a chance to stop acting and start living.

Rich with details of modern Indian-American life, here is a warm, sexy, and witty story of love, family, and the difficult choices that arise in the name of both.

Impressions
I've discovered this author in her latest book "The Bollywood Affair" and was very surprised. Love her writing style and the way she is telling a story.
There is a lot of modernity, respect for the Indian traditions and her female characters are always whole and full of strength.

So I was very excited to put my hands on her new release. A very good one !
Darker with sometimes heavy emotions, Sonali Dev is leading the reader to a great romantic story. There is something really fresh about her plot. 
Of course, it's a romantic love story but not an easy one. Nothing predictable. 
She really was able to get my attention the whole time. :-) Not so easy lately!

Love the different themes she has decided to approach. Dementia, fame, memories, the weight of a promise, living an empty life, true feelings…

A real cool love story and a talented author I will continue to follow!
Very good read!

Source
*Arc provided by Netgalley
I received this book in exchange of a fair and honest review.

Seduced in Secret by Shiloh Walker

Synopsis
Best laid plans…are meant to be broken.

Life laid out, Tessa had everything set. Engaged to marry the perfect man, a rich, great-looking doctor, she was content with her life, or so she thought. Then the gift arrived. Delivered to her office on Valentine’s Day, it was filled with handcuffs, sexy little toys and a suggestive little card.

It wasn’t from her fiancé, either.

When the emails and the phone started coming, she should have been able to brush them off, except the man said something that left her uneasy…and not because he scared her, but because he was right. Your fiancé will never make you happy, Tessa.

Confused, she starts looking at her fiancé, her life…and other things…in a whole new light. One of the things she finds herself considering is her best friend and neighbor, Caleb. He’s always been there. Even when he spent years in the Navy, Caleb was the one she could count on and now isn’t any different. He’s there to listen when she needs an ear and he’s got nice, strong shoulders when she needs one to lean on.

It doesn’t her long to realize that one thing is certain—her fiancé can’t make her happy. But now she doesn’t know whether she wants to take a chance on her sexy secret admirer…or Caleb, the man who’s been there waiting for her all along.

It includes a short bonus story called Don't Walk Away.

Impressions
Sweet and easy.

I was looking for an easy read. I was not disappointed. It's a cute romance.
The perfect story to take with you on a beach or to enjoy on a rainy sunday. 
The characters are nice, especially Caleb. 
Predictable, the plot was not really the point of the book... So honestly, I didn't mind at all. 
I've spent some relaxing time and that's great.

Source
*Arc provided by Netgalley
I received this book in exchange of a fair and honest review.

Candidate by Tracy Ewens

Synopsis 
If only life were as simple as choosing between Toaster Strudel and Fruit Loops.

Katherine Galloway is two years divorced and still living out of boxes. Between her brothers (cops that work with her ex) and her mother’s constant reminders that her clock is ticking, Kate is trying to hold it all together. But the truth is, she’s eating Toaster Strudel for dinner, and living and breathing her PR career. When it comes to public relations, there’s nothing she can’t handle . . . or at least that’s what she thinks.

Grady Malendar, the only son of United States Senator Patrick Malendar, has a reputation as a playboy who likes to have a little too much fun. The senator is running for re-election and needs Grady’s help with the youth vote. But what they want is a new and improved, headline-free Grady, so they hire a PR firm. Grady is willing to participate in the dog and pony show to help his father win, but there are some things about Grady’s life he wants to keep hidden. Especially from his snoopy new PR “babysitter,” Kate Galloway.

Somewhere between campaign stops and fundraisers, Kate and Grady discover that neither of them are what they appear to be on the surface. Tensions between them grow until there is no denying they are falling in love behind the scenes of a façade they both need to keep in place. Will scandal, old wounds, and secrets tear them apart, or will Kate and Grady realize, despite appearances, they are both candidates for love?

Reactions
Easy, funny and not at all cheesy ! It has been a long time since I haven't spent such a great time with a romance story.
Of course, even if the plot is predictable, the author has done a really cool job with her characters.

Katherine is locked inside her perfect suit, more like an armor, after a bad divorce. The only person she is not supposed to open up and learn to live again will force his way through her heart in a really lovely way.

Grady is not the normal guy. He is rich and is playing a persona to hide a part of himself that he really cherishes. Meeting Katherine will be the time for big changes. Full of humour and great with repartees, he is touching.

Was hooked from the start even if I thought it will be another rolling eyes kind of romance. Have to say, I was wrong. :-p
The writing is dynamic, there is a lot of funny touching moments. You don't see the time flying when reading.

Perfect for a relaxing evening!

I really recommended this story !


Source
*Arc provided by Netgalley
I received this book in exchange of a fair and honest review.

Trust No One by Paul Cleave

Summary
In the exciting new psychological thriller by the Edgar-nominated author of Joe Victim, a famous crime writer struggles to differentiate between his own reality and the frightening plot lines he's created for the page.

Jerry Grey is known to most of the world by his crime writing pseudonym, Henry Cutter-a name that has been keeping readers at the edge of their seats for more than a decade. Recently diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's at the age of forty-nine, Jerry's crime writing days are coming to an end. His twelve books tell stories of brutal murders committed by bad men, of a world out of balance, of victims finding the darkest forms of justice.
As his dementia begins to break down the wall between his life and the lives of the characters he has created, Jerry confesses his worst secret: The stories are real. He knows this because he committed the crimes. Those close to him, including the nurses at the care home where he now lives, insist that it is all in his head, that his memory is being toyed with and manipulated by his unfortunate disease. But if that were true, then why are so many bad things happening? Why are people dying?

Hailed by critics as a "masterful" (Publishers Weekly) writer who consistently offers "ferocious storytelling that makes you think and feel" (The Listener) and whose fiction evokes "Breaking Bad reworked by the Coen Brothers"(Kirkus Reviews), Paul Cleave takes us down a cleverly twisted path to determine the fine line between an author and his characters, between fact and fiction.

Reactions
The plot of a crime writer who is diagnosed with Alzheimer picked my interest immediately. Thought it will be a great scenario for a psychological suspense thriller. And it has worked for a few chapters. I was turning the pages eagerly.
Then all the coming back and forth between the past and the present, the countless time when the author remind us that Jerry has dementia has started to get cold and not really thrilling.
I was lacking the suspense factor and started to read diagonally.

Because I really wanted to know the answers for some Jerry's questions about the reality of his murders, I've kept reading. The ending was creepy, confusing and not at all the way to close this story.

I've seen great review about this book so you may really enjoy yourself. Personally, I just feel like a great potential for a thriller has been missed.



Source
*Arc provided by Edelweiss
I received this book in exchange of a fair and honest review.