Call Me Crazy by Melanie Harlow

It was the perfect plan. I needed a wife--temporarily--in order to inherit the family business. And she needed a favor--the kind that takes nine months to deliver.

Call Me Crazy, an all-new steamy and heartfelt small-town romance from USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow is available now!

Blurb

We had it all worked out, from the no-touching policy on our wedding night (her rule) to the no-falling-in-love decree (mine). She’d marry me, I’d give her the means to have the baby she’d always wanted, and one year later we’d amicably part ways with no hassle, no demands, and certainly no regrets.

After all, Bianca DeRossi and I are experts at infuriating one another--we’ve been doing it since we were kids. Trouble is, she grew up gorgeous and feisty, and she still knows exactly how to get under my skin.

And that wedding night? Well, it doesn’t exactly go down hands-free.

Then she moves in with me, and I really start to lose my mind. From her sexy little pout to her wicked sense of humor to those meatball sandwiches she makes just because she knows they’re my favorite... I find myself wanting to break every rule we put in place.

Our story was never supposed to end with happily ever after.
But call me crazy, I just might be in love with my wife.

My review

These are two stubborn people. Now don't get me wrong, I love an enemies to lovers trope, but the fake marriage one not so much. I've been interested in Enzo and Bianca's relationship since we see them argue in the 2nd Bellamy Creek book, Make Me Yours. Enzo wants a wife so he can take over the family business and he's getting pressure to settle down. Bianca really wants a baby but has fertility issues and no current boyfriend. Their solution? Get married!

I don't want to get spoilery here, but things don't go as planned, they have trouble sharing, and they have to figure out how to be together. These people needed to learn how to maneuver a relationship and found the past they had was built on misunderstandings and hurt feelings. It was nice to see them grow and realize they actually liked and cared for each other. Cute ending and I can't wait for the next book in the series! While reading it you get an idea of who the next couple will be.

*Possible trigger warning* Bianca's being emotionally distraught after not getting pregnant right away. Fertility issues are involved in the book.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3tuhE1P
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/CallMeCrazy
Amazon Print: https://amzn.to/3k6tH1d
Amazon Audible: https://amzn.to/2ZzmVHO

Read Chapter One: http://bit.ly/3seA4lF

About Melanie

USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she's not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like Schitt’s Creek, Homeland, and Fleabag. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.

Melanie is the author of the CLOVERLEIGH FARMS series, the ONE & ONLY series, AFTER WE FALL series, the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, set in the 1920s. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.

Connect with Melanie

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2RPwr51
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1NPkYKs
Bookbub: http://bit.ly/36kL7yB
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2NW3UtA
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2sVOz55
Facebook Reader Group: https://bit.ly/3mYzBBo
Stay up to date, sign up for Melanie’s mailing list: http://bit.ly/2P7MATT
Website: www.melanieharlow.com

Like You Love Me by Adriana Locke

   

Like You Love Me, an all-new marriage of convenience standalone romance and first book in the Honey Creek series from USA Today bestselling author Adriana Locke is available now!

Two childhood friends are playing house—and maybe playing for keeps—in USA Today bestselling author Adriana Locke’s

funny, sexy, and unpredictable marriage-of-convenience romance.

To save her Tennessee bed-and-breakfast, Sophie Bates needs a fast-cash miracle. Holden McKenzie, her childhood best

friend, needs to prove to a prospective employer that he’s a committed man. Their fortunes on the line,

Holden proposes…a solution.

He’ll take care of Sophie’s bills if she agrees to a temporary marriage of convenience. And why not? They’re comfortable

together, they have fun, and they trust each other. It’s as simple as saying “I do.” But the off-the-cuff wedding has all of

Honey Creek talking—and Sophie and Holden realizing that their perfect arrangement is working too well. If they’re not

careful, this marriage could turn into a love story.

My review:

I got an ARC of this book in exchange for a review. I wasn't sure what to expect because I'd never read anything by her before and I'm not really a fan of the friends-to-lovers OR fake marriage tropes and this had both. Also, I tend to get frustrated by characters that have walls up, and BOY DOES SHE. I get that Sophie has been hurt before and wants to protect herself, so watching her keep those walls up around Holden was rough for me. She also knows that he isn't planning on staying so it is justified.

That said, this story was cute! Sophie and Holden have a good relationship and the choices they make aren't selfish. Nobody is out to purposefully hurt the other person to create distance (I hate when that happens), which makes the HEA more believable. Worth the read!

Download your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3oWWqXM

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/LikeYouLoveMe

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3qw68Rd

About Adriana

USA Today, Washington Post, and Amazon Charts Bestselling author Adriana Locke lives and breathes books.

After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her

own.

She resides in the Midwest with her husband, four sons, and two dogs. She spends a large amount of time playing with her

kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. You can find her outside if the weather's nice and there's always a piece of candy in her

pocket. 

Connect with Adriana

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Nf4JjE

Instagram: https://bit.ly/36Xb76f

Facebook: http://bit.ly/3d4UXeP

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3jCwPBo

BookBub: http://bit.ly/3d4Vai7

Website: https://adrianalocke.com

Stay up to date by subscribing to Adriana’s Newsletter: http://bit.ly/NewsletterAddy

2020 Reading Challenge Results

What a year 2020 was! I'm going for my masters degree, so my plan WAS to cut down on reading. Hence the 40 book goal. That is... not what happened. Turns out I will procrastinate doing class work just to read more. Why do I do this to myself?

As you can see, I have zero self control. Actually, as I'm writing this I'm supposed to be finalizing a paper that is due today. But first I made jello shots because Super Bowl. See? No control. I think I have a new motto:

Never late. But always procrastinate.

I need that on a shirt. It is so true in my life. But hey, I get it done in the end even if there is a ton of panic!

So to sum up my reading in 2020, pretty much all were Kindle Unlimited romance novels. Plus side, I'm getting my moneys worth! I ended the year binge reading a lot of books by Jessica Gadziala. I've found that I love a little suspense and action with my romance. If a book is too angsty though I have a tendency to skip through parts. I just can't take the so much of the feels and characters that can't make a decision and stick with it.

One of my favorite books last year was Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door by Lucy Score. It was funny and had mystery, chase scenes, a heroine I love, and a swoony hero. I read it a couple times I loved it so much.

Do you have any favorites that you read last year? Any books you're looking forward to in 2021?

Make Me Yours by Melanie Harlow

He’s my brother’s best friend.

The hot single dad next door.

And one accidental sext later, my massive crush on him is no longer a secret.

 

Make Me Yours, an all-new rom com that is all too sexy from USA Today

bestselling author Melanie Harlow is available now!

It’s my own damn fault. I’m thirty years old, for heaven’s sake. I’m a kindergarten teacher and a (reasonably) responsible

adult. I should know better than to get tipsy and draft a fake text listing all the dirty things I wish Officer Cole Mitchell would

do to me.

I wasn’t supposed to hit send.  

He wasn’t supposed to see it. 

And he definitely wasn’t supposed to text back telling me to go on . . . 

Because after that, things escalate quickly.

Cole is everything I’ve ever wanted. He’s sexy and protective. A devoted father to his little girl. A dedicated cop the whole town adores. The kind of guy you can trust to keep his hands to himself, even when you’re desperately hoping he won’t. 

I’m not the girl he thought he’d end up with, but after all this time, I might finally get the chance to say the words I’ve always dreamed of . . . make me yours.

Review

This is one of those books you continue to think about for days after you read it. What hit me most is how our fears can sometimes keep us from the things we want and the things that are good for us. That is what both characters struggle with. Cheyenne has been in love with Cole, her brother's best friend, for years. She spends time with his daughter regularly. But Cole has kept his guard up, mostly to protect himself. When he finally decides what he wants, though... wow. Definite sparks. Both of them have struggles but what I love most about these kinds of books is that despite that, they come together for a HEA and I love how they get there. Cole's daughter is adorable and smart and I love how much she and Cheyenne care for each other. I also appreciated the underlying lesson that it is not only OK, but it is good to talk to someone about how you are doing so you can get help, and that love can make you stronger. I will be reading this book again. Note: I received an ARC in exchange for a review.

If you want to read an excerpt from the book check that out below!

Download your copy today or read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/363yARV

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/Makemeyours

Audible: https://bit.ly/3m140PO

Add Make Me Yours to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2JFkKOh

Excerpt

Darlene spoke up. “My mother passed them down to me, and I want to make sure they’re

in good condition so I can leave them to Cheyenne when she gets married.” Then she crossed herself

and closed her eyes, her lips moving in a quick, silent prayer. Cheyenne ignored her mother and

addressed Mariah again. “My brother and I always had to wash and dry the wedding china on holidays

before we went to bed. It took forever.”

“I’d stay and help you, sis, but I have to get Blair home. Sorry.” Griffin gave her a grin that said he wasn’t

the least bit sorry, and Cheyenne stuck her tongue out at him. 

“Cole, why don’t you stay and give Cheyenne a hand?” My mother suggested, wrapping her scarf around her

neck. 

“That’s a great idea,” Darlene said brightly. Then she sort of bent over and rubbed one hip, her expression

agonized. “I’d help her myself but I’ve been on my feet a lot today and the doctor said that isn’t good for my joints.”

“You should just get to bed, Darlene,”my mother said, shepherding Mariah toward the front door. “Cole will be

more than happy to stay and help Cheyenne.”

“Oh, that’s okay.” Cheyenne smiled at me and shook her head. “I can handle them.”

But Darlene beamed at me, reaching over and snatching my coat out of my hands. “That’s so nice of you, Cole.

I’ll just hang this in the front closet.” Before she left the room, she and my mother exchanged a look that had me

wondering if the whole helping-with-the-dishes thing had been a set-up. 

Either way, ten minutes later Cheyenne and I were pushing up our sleeves in the kitchen, the house dark and silent

except for the running faucet and the hum of the dishwasher. 

“I’ll wash, you dry?” she asked, adding dish soap to the side of the sink she’d plugged and lined with a towel. 

“Sure.”

She took a plate from the stack to her left and placed it in the warm soapy water. “Oh! I almost forgot.” Slipping her rings

and bracelets off, she set them on the windowsill above the sink. “So I don’t scratch anything,” she explained. 

“Oh.” I glanced down at my wedding ring. “It’s okay,” she said quickly. “You don’t have to take it off.”

“It’s fine,” I said, working it off my finger and placing it on the sill next to her jewelry. For some reason, I felt compelled to

explain why I still wore it all the time. “Mariah once told me she likes when I wear it, so  .  .  .”

“I think it’s nice, ”she said. “I like a guy who wears his ring. It says something about him, you know?”

I nodded, my attraction to her growing even stronger. “Still, we’d better be careful with these dishes.”

“Damn right, we’d better,” she deadpanned. “This is my fucking wedding china, Cole. If we even look at it wrong, I might

end up a spinster.” She laughed as she gently scrubbed the plate with a cloth. “My God. Is she not totally ridiculous?”

“She’s pretty bad,” I agreed, taking the plate from her and carefully drying it with the soft clean towel she’d given me.

“But mine wasn’t much better tonight. Did you have the feeling something was up between them as we were saying goodnight?”

“Yes,” she said. “And it’s probably my fault because I made the mistake of telling my mom you bought me dinner last night. In

her mind, I believe we are now betrothed.”

I laughed. “That’s all it takes, huh?”

“Apparently. Tomorrow I’ll be pregnant because we washed dishes together after dark.”

“Wow. Guess I should have worn the rubber gloves.”

Connect with Melanie

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2RPwr51

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1NPkYKs

Bookbub: http://bit.ly/36kL7yB

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2NW3UtA

Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2sVOz55

Facebook Reader Group: https://bit.ly/3mYzBBo

Stay up to date, sign up for Melanie’s mailing list: http://bit.ly/2P7MATT
Website: www.melanieharlow.com 

Real Fake Love by Pippa Grant

 NEW RELEASE!

Make sure you stick around for the end of the post where you'll see an excerpt from the book and a giveaway for Pippa swag!

Blurb

If people have polar opposites, Luca Rossi is mine.
His butt is in the baseball hall of fame. Mine’s comfortably seated in the hall of lame.
When he’s not snagging fly balls out in center field, he’s modeling in shampoo commercials. I once jammed my own finger while stirring cookie dough, and sometimes I forget shampoo is a thing.
He’s a total cynic when it comes to love.
I make a living writing love stories.
But after my latest broken engagement (no, I don’t want to talk about how many times that’s happened), it’s clear he’s exactly the man I need.
If anyone can teach me to be the opposite of me, it’s him.
The first thing I want him to teach me?
How to not fall in love.
And as luck would have it, he’s in desperate need of a fake girlfriend to get a meddling grandmother off his back.
We couldn’t be more perfect together, because the last thing Luca Rossi will ever be is the next man to leave me at the altar.
Or will he?
 
Real Fake Love is a line drive straight to the heart featuring a grumpy athlete, a jilted bride, a fake relationship, and the world’s laziest cat. It stands alone and comes complete with sibling rivalry, the world’s most awkward shower scene, and a sweetly satisfying happily ever after.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book and I can't even tell you how much I loved Henri. I should probably just quit doubting Pippa's books when I read the blurbs but COME ON! Her name is Henrietta BACON and she's trying to not fall in love after being left at the altar AGAIN, her cat is dressed in costumes, and she's in a fake relationship with a baseball player to help teach her not to fall in love while he tries to keep his mom and grandmother out of his love life. It sounds crazy... and it is. In the best way.

This is a standalone within the Copper Valley Fireballs series, the first was Jock Blocked (link below). I can't wait for Cooper Rock's book (please write it, Pippa) and the there were multiple parts where I laughed out loud. I didn't know that I would, but I really like Henri. She's so happy despite what she's gone through. Anyone could have been bitter about love after that many fails, but she just keeps trying. Meanwhile grumpy hot baseball player has himself closed off. Luca is a bit of a jerk, but once you learn his backstory you understand why. Also, poor Henri is allergic to alcohol which seems extra painful that she can't even have a drink after another wedding fail.

This is definitely a book I will read more than once. Also, if you were a fan of Jamie Farrell (Pippa's other pen name) and the Misfit Brides books, you get a nice tip of the hat to Bliss with it's giant wedding cake monument. Not gonna lie, I was probably overly excited to see the reference but it happened... what can ya do? Also, I thought that the stuff Henri wrote about was like a Kimmie dream, so I enjoyed that was well.  Overall, a must read if you love a rom com and sports romance!

GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52714963-real-fake-love
 
 
PURCHASE LINKS
 
US: https://amzn.to/34IbeSI
UK: https://amzn.to/2YI3pbM
CA: https://amzn.to/2QLF3tH
AU: https://amzn.to/3gC9FZ4
 
Free in Kindle Unlimited
 

Below is an excerpt from the book. Enjoy (and then check it out)!

EXCERPT
 
Henri, in the middle of Chapter Four...
 
It's probably weird to be sitting on the doorstep of the man I cyberstalked after his whole love sucks speech after my failed wedding. But I won’t apologize for waiting for Luca here at what I think is his house, because you don’t get what you need in life if you don’t go for it.
 
Still, maybe Dogzilla and I should be waiting in my car instead? At least that way, I could turn on the radio while we wait. And the air conditioning.
 
I’m about to move to the car when a clunker chugs around the corner, one headlight out, and turns into the driveway.
 
This is definitely the wrong house.
 
I’m sitting on the porch of a stranger’s house, hoping that’s a woman driving, because if it’s a woman, at least I know I won’t be in danger.
Of falling in love with her at first sight, I mean.
 
The engine shuts off, and while I don’t often trespass at midnight, I have this feeling that jumping up with Dogzilla and making a run for it right now is exactly the wrong move. A well-timed, "Oh, sorry, I thought you were someone else," will give us all a laugh, I’ll take my cat and leave, and then two complete strangers will have a weird story to tell their friends over margaritas—or an iced tea, in my case—and huh.
 
This would make an excellent meet-cute for my friend Dorothea’s next steamy romance novel. I’ll have to drop her a note too.
 
The occupant of the car is still sitting in it, and the figure illuminated by the street light looks too big to be a woman.
 
Dang it.
 
He also seems to be—
 
Is he hitting his head against the steering wheel?
 
Uh-oh.
 
If I picked the house of a nutjob, all bets are off.
 
"Be ready to run, Dogzilla," I whisper.
 
My lazy cat doesn’t move, and instead snores in my lap.
 
Easier this way anyway, since it’s not like I can count on her to follow alone when I take off running at full-steam.
 
Which doesn’t happen all that often, if we’re being honest here. I’m a writer, not a runner.
 
But—wait.
 
The way his hair is moving—
 
That is Luca Rossi.
 
I rise, cradling Dogzilla, and when Luca looks my way, I give him a finger wave and a smile.
 
The light isn’t bright enough for me to see what he’s saying, but his lips are definitely moving, and if I’m not mistaken, he’s wearing the same long-suffering expression my father usually has when I tell him I’m engaged.
 
Again.
 
It might also be remarkably similar to the expression Luca was wearing when he recognized me at Duggan Field earlier today too.
 
Not my intention to ambush him at work, I swear. I was curious about the ballpark—I’m curious about a lot of things—so when I caught wind on social media of a writer organization that was touring the park, it was easy enough to get here in time today to join the group.
 
And it was fascinating to see where the players work out, to smell the chairs the announcers sit in, what it feels like to stand in the dugout, and hear how many light bulbs have to be replaced every day.
 
There’s a pop and a creak as the car door swings open, and I suddenly desperately need to know why Luca Rossi, millionaire sports star, lives on a grocery store clerk’s salary.
 
For research.
 
I swear.
 
I like to do research.
 
It’s one of the things my ex-fiancé Kyle liked about me.
 
"Henri," Luca says.
 
My brain hears what the hell are you doing here, and why are you between me and my bed, and I’m not asking out loud because I don’t honestly want to know.
 
I either have a lot of experience understanding people because I write good characters, or I have a lot of experience with frustrating men after five failed engagements.
 
Plus my lifelong relationship with my father.
 
"Hi, Luca! Great game tonight. That catch you made in center field was like—"
 
"The one where I didn’t move, the one where I stepped three feet to my left, or the one where I had to take two steps back?"
 
Okay, yeah, he had an easy game. "How did you know where the ball was going to be? That’s like—it’s like you’re psychic."
 
"It’s called being a professional." He squeezes his eyes shut briefly, opens them, eyeballs Dogzilla in my arms, and then sighs again. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company tonight?"
 
Wow. He’s cranky.
 
Not gonna lie.
 
I know it’s probably me.
 
But that’s no excuse for not forging ahead. I didn’t come all this way to chicken out. "You remember the last time we saw each other?"
 
"This afternoon in the clubhouse?"
 
"I liked your hat, but I meant the time…before that."
 
He closes the distance between us with three casual steps. "Nope."
 
And I go momentarily speechless as a waft of something delicious teases my nose.
 
But only momentarily. A quick recovery is a gift. Or possibly a defense mechanism. "The time we were together…in that town…with that big monument…and the event thing…"
 
No answer.
 
"The event thing that didn’t—"
 
"I’m trying to block it from my memory."
 
"Oh. Oh! Thank you. That’s very kind of you. Sorry. I didn’t realize—"
 
"That I wouldn’t want to remember your ruined wedding, that you like to redecorate people with dessert, and that your ex-fiancé is the first man that my mother’s dated in three years and I might have to start calling him Stepdad?"
 
I wince.
 
My heart also weeps because yeah, still not over seeing Jerry lock lips with a woman who could’ve been my mother, and hearing that it might actually be going somewhere is salt in the wound.
 
"So, no, Henri, I don’t remember the last time we were together. At least, I won’t, once I get inside and pour myself a large enough vodka tonic. Care for one?"
 
Once again, I’m momentarily speechless. "Um, I’m kinda allergic—"
 
I cut myself off when one of his brows rises infinitesimally, and then I gasp. Of course he knows I’m allergic. We had an entire conversation about it. "Are you trying to send me to the hospital?"
 
"No, but I am trying to get into my house. Alone. Preferably without the sad panda thoughts I’d finally managed to shake before you showed up today."
 
"Oh. That was a hint."
 
"It was."
 
"I’m bad with the subtle."
 
He swipes a hand over his mouth and looks up at the sky, and I’m certain he’s not stifling a smile.
 
Probably the exact opposite.
 
Time to forge ahead. "I’m here because I need your help."
 
"And now I pay the price for my sins," he mutters.
 
I’d ask what his sins are, but my google searches were very thorough.
Normally, he really would be the last person on earth I’d turn to for help.
 
"I don’t want money or anything like that. And I’d rather no one know I’m here, so I’m not after your fame either, though I wouldn’t mind some tips on how to get my hair as good as yours always is. I’ve tried Kangapoo before, and—wait. Sorry. Off-topic. I need you to teach me how to not fall in love."
 
 
ALSO AVAILABLE
 
#1 Jock Blocked
 
US: https://amzn.to/2Z14j4b
UK: https://amzn.to/2T1R2o7
CA: https://amzn.to/2LsahmP
AU: https://amzn.to/2yYsu8N
 
Free in Kindle Unlimited

AUTHOR LINKS
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pippagrantromance
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThePipsquad
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ReadPippa
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/pippagrant
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/pippa-grant
Website: http://www.pippagrant.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/pippa.grant  
 

 

GIVEAWAY

 
There is a giveaway for a custom backpack filled with Pippaverse gear (1 winner, open internationally). Click here to enter!