Book Review: Against the Ropes by Jeanette Murray

Against the Ropes (First to Fight #2)

By Jeanette Murray 

Release Date: October 6, 2015

Source: Publisher
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

As a troubled teen, Gregory Higgs channeled his energy into boxing instead of breaking the law. The ring gave him purpose and something to strive for. So did the Marines. Combining the two seemed like a natural fit.

Another natural fit? Reagan Robilard, the sweet athlete liaison who keeps all the fighters out of trouble and manages their PR—a job that gets more challenging when someone digs up the truth about Greg’s not-so-shiny past after equipment is vandalized at the gym.

Even if it wasn’t her job, Reagan can’t let Greg take the fall. Because passion doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to matters of the heart…

It's no secret that I love sports romances. After seeing Creed over winter break, I knew that I was definitely in the mood for another fighter story, so I turned to Jeanette Murray's most recent release to quench my thirst. 

Reagan Robilard is just thankful she has a job when she's hired as the athlete liaison for the Marines boxing team. But when someone starts sabotaging the team, she finds her job becoming harder and harder. Gregory Higgs found a purpose with the Marines and, having fought his whole life, is a natural in the ring. Greg has his eyes on Reagan in her sexy heels and can-do attitude, but Reagan doesn't want to blow the job she worked so hard for. As Greg coerces her into spending more time together, they realize they have much more in common than they thought, along with a whole lot of chemistry that becomes harder to ignore…

I feel like the more sports romances I read, the less sports are actually in them. I loved that Greg was a boxer, but there was barely any actual fighting in the novel. When Greg was fighting, Reagan was too scared to see him get hurt so she left. So no fighting actually even happened! Where is the suspense and utter hotness of a male athlete in his element?? There was so much talk, but not enough action for me. 

While Greg and Reagan were cute, I didn't feel the normal pull towards their story. I was interested, but not intrigued. Greg was super sweet to Reagan and I liked how he tricked her into spending more time with them and how he was the one pursuing her. The story did have it's adorable side, but I was left wanting a little more from them. 

As far as sports romance goes, it was lacking on both the intensity of the sports and the passion of the romance. While it wasn't horrible, it wasn't fantastic. I might try out some more from Jeanette Murray, but if it's your first time reading her, I'd say start with something else.

Stacking the Shelves (178)

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where bloggers share what books they got throughout the week!

From Publisher

After a few weeks of slow mail, I got five packages come for me on Monday! I was shocked and definitely very excited to see what was sent to me. I got some great romances, including Elle Kennedy's newest novel in her Killer Instincts series. I also got a copy of Burning Midnight, which sounds absolutely fantastic, so I can't wait to get into that one. 

From Barnes and Noble

My Barnes and Noble order finally came and I have been waiting for my order since the day after Christmas. I finally emailed them asking about my order and it was sent not even two hours after my email was sent. I have no idea why it took so long to send, but I finally have my books and I could not be more excited! Just look at the beauties! 

That's it for me! What all did you add to your shelves this week? 

Book Review: Hard Beat by K Bromberg

Hard Beat (Driven #7)

By K Bromberg

Release Date: November 3, 2015

Source: Publisher

Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Foreign war correspondent Tanner Thomas is addicted to living on the edge. Needing the adrenaline rush of his job to help him cope with a personal loss, he throws himself back into the game, concentrating all his energy on getting the next big story. 

But when he meets his new photojournalist, Beaux Croslyn, he can’t help but feel like he’s losing his focus—and maybe risking more…

With secrets she won’t address, Beaux is far from your ordinary woman. Determined to keep her distance, she’s willing to pull Tanner in closer and hide behind the sparks flying between them. But as Beaux’s past begins to put their relationship—and their lives—at risk, Tanner’s determination to find the truth puts them both in jeopardy. 

He's ready to chase her to the ends of the earth to find out if what they had was real, or if the danger surrounding them was just an exquisite heat fated to burn out…

K Bromberg is such an amazing romance author and I've loved the previous two books in this series. In high school, I was on the newspaper and I took a few journalism courses in college, so I was excited when I learned that this one was about a foreign war correspondent and his new photojournalist. 

Tanner Thomas lives for the thrill he gets reporting on foreign wars, but when he loses his best friend and photojournalist, he finds himself searching for that thrill more and more. More than ready to get back into the game of reporting in order to forget his pain, Tanner throws himself into finding his next big story. What he doesn't expect, though, is for his new photojournalist to be gorgeous yet completely aggravating at the same time. Tanner feels himself feeling extremely protective of Beaux, but the more they bicker, the more Tanner finds himself warming up to her. Beaux, though, has too many secrets and those secrets could end up putting their lives in jeopardy… 

From the moment Tanner met Beaux, I knew that this would be a fun read. There's nothing better than two characters who have such intense chemistry who utterly cannot stand each other. Of course, their chemistry will eventually give way to their hatred and they'll end up actually liking each other. It was fun to see Tanner slowly warm up to Beaux, even though she was obviously hiding something. 

Wow, this book had some twists that I definitely wasn't expecting! I mean, we knew Beaux was hiding something, but I had no idea what exactly she was hiding. I really enjoyed when they would go out and cover the war. The waiting around parts got a little boring, but the novel was just reflecting what their lives were really like as they waited for the big story to break. That gave Tanner and Beaux plenty of time to give into their intense attraction to one another and see how they really felt about each other. 

Overall, this was another solid romance from K Bromberg. And this time, form the guy's point of view, which was definitely interesting. I loved the journalistic aspects and the love-hate attraction between our two main characters. K Bromberg sure knows how to build the chemistry and the chemistry in Hard Beat is one you don't want to miss.

Book Tour + Giveaway: Good at Games by Jill Mansel

Good at Games

By Jill Mansel

Release Date: January 5, 2016

Who will make the next move?

How does one become accidentally engaged? That's what Suzy Curtis thinks when she suddenly finds herself very publicly engaged to handsome Harry Fitzallan, local town hero. Harry wants famous rock star Jaz to be his best man-only he's Suzy's ex-husband and a recovering alcoholic. Suzy's half sister Lucille loves getting to know the family she'd never met, but she can't help her attraction to Jaz, nor can Suzy quash her entirely inappropriate feelings for Leo, Harry's engaged brother!

With all these wild players at the table, mayhem is bound to ensue. As each new piece comes into play, everyone has more to lose, and the only way to win is if you're good at the games of love…

Buy the Book

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1QUyFtT

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1QUyuPl

BAM: http://bit.ly/1TZVknR

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1NylWLa

Indie Bound: http://bit.ly/1Nym7G6

                Could there possibly be anything nicer in the world than a Curly Wurly?

                Alone in the office, Suzy lovingly peeled off the wrapper and admired the dappled chocolate covering. Then she bit into it, her teeth sinking through the toffee, her head twisting from side to side in order to bite off that first heavenly mouthful…oh, and they were sooo much better straight from the fridge…

                “Ahem.”

                Suzy’s eyes snapped open and she spun around guiltily. Damn, she’d been so carried away she hadn’t even heard the door open and close behind her.

                And, double damn, it had to be Leo Fitzallan.

                “Mmff…shorry…mmergh…”

                “Bitten off more than you can chew?” inquired Leo with a slight smile.

                Suzy’s mouth was full—OK, overfull—and the toffee was welding itself to her teeth like quick-setting cement. Waving her hand apologetically, praying the melted chocolate wasn’t about to spill out and dribble attractively down her chin, she chewed and swallowed, chewed and swallowed, threw the rest of the Curly Wurly onto her desk and chewed and swallowed again.

                Oh dear, not at all like the girl in the Cadbury’s Flake ad. In fact, more like Waynetta Slob guzzling a pizza.

                “Sorry,” said Leo. “I obviously interrupted a special private moment.”

                And swallowed again.

                Hooray, didn’t even dribble!

                “There.” Suzy executed a quick curtsy. “All gone. Now, how can I help you?”

                He was wearing Givenchy aftershave—none of your Tommy Hilfigers or Calvin Kleins for Leo Fitzallan, thank you very much—and an expensively cut dark suit. Suzy wondered if he had chosen the bottle-green shirt and blue and amber tie himself, or whether Gabriella had picked them out for him.

                Probably Gabriella. A man who drove a gray Volvo would never be that adventurous. And the dark blue in the tie exactly matched his eyes.

                Definitely Gabriella.

                “I thought maybe we should call a truce,” said Leo. “How does that sound to you?”

                Blimey, Suzy thought, like a miracle. Quick, give the man a bottle of water and see if he can turn it into Chardonnay.

                Aloud she said, “So what’s brought this on?”

                “My brother’s happy with you. By Christmas you and I’ll be related. The last thing I want is a family feud. Easier all around if we bury the hatchet now,” Leo said easily. “Put the bickering behind us. What d’you say?”

                He was even more attractive, Suzy realized, when he was in a good mood. During the last few days all he’d seemed to do was scowl, sneer, and generally radiate disapproval, which was sexy enough in its own way, of course, but it really was amazing the difference a few laughter lines could make.

                “I agree.” Her mouth curled up at the corners. “That’s it then. From now on we’re going to be completely lovely to each other. And I’ll just have to find someone else to bicker with.”

                “So long as it isn’t Harry,” said Leo.

                “Harry isn’t the bickering kind.” Suzy smiled sunnily at him and perched on the edge of her desk. “This feels quite weird, actually. I’m not sure what we’re supposed to do now. If this were Friends we’d be giving each other a group hug.”

                For a split second something indefinable flickered in Leo’s eyes. The next moment it had gone. He pushed his fingers through his ultra-straight dark hair, heaved a sigh and shrugged as if searching for inspiration.

About the Author

With over 10 million copies sold, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Mansell writes irresistible and funny, poignant and romantic tales for women in the tradition of Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella and Jojo Moyes. She lives with her partner and their children in Bristol, England.

Connect with Jill Mansell

Website: http://www.jillmansell.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialJillMansell/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JillMansell

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23625.Jill_Mansell

Giveaway

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Waiting On Wednesday (225)

This is a meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where every Wednesday bloggers highlight a book that they are eagerly anticipating the release of!

Love Me

By Gayle Forman 

Release Date: September 6, 2016

International bestselling author Gayle Forman's trademark humor and insight abound in this masterful adult debut, showing us that sometimes you have to leave home in order to find it again.

For every woman who has ever fantasized about driving past her exit on the highway instead of going home to make dinner, for every woman who has ever dreamed of boarding a train to a place where no one needs constant attention--meet Maribeth Klein. A harried working mother who's so busy taking care of her husband and twins, she doesn't even realize she's had a heart attack.

Afterward, surprised to discover that her recuperation seems to be an imposition on those who rely on her, Maribeth does the unthinkable: She packs a bag and leaves. But, as is so often the case, once we get to where we're going, we see our lives from a different perspective. Far from the demands of family and career and with the help of liberating new friendships, Maribeth is finally able to own up to secrets she has been keeping from those she loves and from herself.

With big-hearted characters who stumble and trip, grow and forgive, Leave Me is about facing our fears. Gayle Forman, a dazzling observer of human nature, has written an irresistible novel that confronts the ambivalence of modern motherhood head-on.

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I had no idea that Gayle Forman was writing an adult book, but I'm definitely intrigued! This one definitely sounds like it's more on the serious side and has a lot of character growth when it comes to the main character. I'm not sure how much I'll enjoy when Maribeth actually leaves her family (that's just not really cool), but I'm interested to see what she discovers about herself. Hopefully Gayle's adult novel can live up to the greatness of her YA novels! 

Giveaway: The Expatriates by Janice YK Lee

Today, I am very excited to offer a very unique novel that actually releases today! Check out the book below and enter for your chance to win!

The Expatriates 

By Janice YK Lee

Release Date: January 12, 2016

Goodreads

From the author of the New York Times bestseller The Piano Teacher, a beautiful, transporting novel about motherhood, marriage, and friendship

Janice Y. K. Lee’s blockbuster hit debut novel The Piano Teacherwas called “immensely satisfying” by People, “intensely readable” by O, The Oprah Magazine, and “a rare and exquisite story” by Elizabeth Gilbert. And now, in her long-awaited follow-up, Lee explores with devastating poignancy the emotions, identities, and relationships of three very different American women living in the same small expat community in Hong Kong.

Mercy is adrift. A recent Columbia graduate without a safety net, she can’t hold down a job—or a man. Hilary, a wealthy housewife, is haunted by her inability to conceive a child she believes could save her floundering marriage. Meanwhile, Margaret, ostensibly a happily married mother of three, questions her maternal identity in the wake of a shattering loss. As each woman struggles with her own demons, their lives crash into one another in ways that could have devastating consequences for them all. Moving, atmospheric, and utterly compelling, The Expatriates confirms Lee as an exceptional talent and one of our keenest observers of women’s inner lives.

Giveaway Details

One lucky follower of my blog will win a galley of The Expatriates in a beautiful magnetic-closed box. US ONLY. Giveaway ends 1/19

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Top Ten Tuesday: 2015 Releases I Meant to Get to but Didn't

This is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where each week bloggers share a list of books for the prompt given. So hopefully I'll have a new list to share with you all each week!

This Week's Topic: Top Ten 2015 Releases I Meant to Get to but Didn't

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

2. Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines

3. November 9 by Colleen Hoover

4. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

5. Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino 

6. Where Sea Meets Sky by Karina Halle 

7. See Me by Nicholas Sparks 

8. Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway 

9. The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

10. Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby