Blitz ~ Review and Giveaway ~ FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME by Marina Adair






FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME 
Author: Marina Adair
Series: Destiny Bay, #2
On Sale: April 25, 2017
Publisher: Forever
Mass Market$7.99 USD
eBook$5.99 USD
In the tradition of New York Times bestselling authors Rachel Gibson, Kristan Higgins, and Jill Shalvis, comes the second book in a funny and charming new small-town contemporary romance series by Marina Adair.

What's wrong with a little white lie?

There are a lot of things Ali Marshal doesn't do: pink anything, a day without chocolate, and Hawk, her sister's ex-husband. Sure, he's a sexy former NHL star who can make her pulse pound with just a wink. But he belonged to Bridget first. And no matter how long she's had a crush on him, how great he's always been to her dad, or that her sister is engaged to someone else now and Ali needs a date to their engagement party, she can't give in to temptation. Can she?

It's been years since his disastrous marriage crashed and burned, and Bradley Hawk has finally moved on. So when Bridget blows back into town with her new fiancé, throwing the engagement party of the year, he could care less . . . until Ali tells one little lie that lands him smack dab in a fake relationship. After one promise to be Ali's date and two of the hottest kisses he's ever had, Hawk can't deny how much he wants her. But what happens when this fauxmance starts to feel very, very real?

Ali nodded because she needed him more than she needed her next breath.
The intensity of her feelings terrified her. They always had. Even at seventeen she knew what she felt went beyond the run-of-the-mill teenage crush. She’d been in love. Sure, it was a young, simple love, but it was love all the same.
Only he’d loved someone else.
So when he married her sister, she did her best to let him go. But no matter how painful it had been for her, and at times the ache was so acute it had been paralyzing, she was never able to set him completely free. Choosing the pain over the loss.
Now he was back, looking at her how she always looked at him, as if he’d never let go, and Ali gave in to the fantasy. Played out the what-ifs she carried with her for over a decade. He’d been hers for so long, she let herself believe that she was his, too.
He was asking for right here, right now—this she knew. Tomorrow, reality would creep in, and everything would go back to the way it was. But tonight, sitting on this beach, overlooking a world bigger than the two of them, Ali wanted to feel what it was like to be loved by the man who owned her heart.
“I want,” she said.
“What do you want, Aliana?” he whispered, the sound of her name on his lips doing crazy things to her. Crazy girly things that made her feel delicate and desirable.
“I want you.” She trailed her hands down his pecs to that flat stomach and lower, loving how his muscles rippled and curled under her touch. “I want you to pamper me so hard I won’t remember how to walk come morning.”
Hawk’s eyes darkened, and his mouth was on hers. Hard and demanding, and just how she’d imagined. There was no warm-up, no testing the waters. He was kissing her as if he knew what he wanted.
And he wanted Aliana.
Their mouths were fused together, her hands gripping his shoulders for purchase, but his fingers were gentle, languidly exploring her face, her neck, the curve of her shoulder, slowly moving down her arm and bringing the wide neckline of her shirt with him.
He never stopped kissing her, but she felt his lashes flutter open, realized that she’d never closed her own. Then his deep brown eyes locked on hers, watching her as they kissed, and it was erotic and unexpected. As she watched him back, she felt his lips curl into a smile. Could feel the dimples on both cheeks come alive under her touch.
“You like to watch,” Hawk growled, and she felt her cheeks flush.
Ali never considered herself a watcher. But Hawk was such a beautiful and commanding man, she’d never been able to look away. Not even now, when her body was begging for release. He was that good—a simple kiss and she was so turned on, she could feel her body shaking.
That smile turned cocky.
“It’s not like I stand there peering through your bedroom window at night,” she said, leaving out that night he was at the bar. His bedroom window during the morning, when he was walking around after a shower. She was more than guilty.
“I’ve peered through yours.”
And to prove he wasn’t the least bit ashamed, he lowered his head and placed an openmouthed kiss on her shoulder, those eyes of his never leaving hers. Not even when he moved lower toward her collarbone, his mouth working her with a softness that took her by surprise and a reverence that made her feel as if she was precious.
Ali wasn’t sure what to do. Hard, challenging, complicated—that was what she was used to. But this was light, simple—too easy to be real. It confused her as much as it terrified her.

Marina brings us back to the small town of Destiny Bay.  I loved the spark between Ally and Hawk, it was on a low sizzle for the longest time with cute, innocent banter along the way and then wham! the once kiss ignited into a steamy romantic storyline. Ok, so maybe he wasn't really her boyfriend, her family drama was too much to take. The good sport Hawk played along until things started to not feel like pretend anymore and their once "faux romance" was actually beginning to be real for both of them. I enjoyed reading this book, it dug deep into some hard issues but was light hearted, funny and full of steamy scenes.  I wasn't a big fan of Ally's sister and mom, both seemed to need everything centered around them and once you fulfilled your purpose they discarded you like yesterday's paper. And once they saw someone playing with their discarded men, they slithered their way back and wanted to take their "toy" back. Ally was strong in many ways but when she came in contact with "them" she withdrew into herself and made them take center stage. 
Marina continues to be my must read author. I find myself looking forward to her stories and the small town she creates; she has a way of bringing the characters to life and you feel that you fit right into the story line. 


Marina Adair is a #1 National bestselling author of romance novels and holds a Master of Fine arts in creative writing. Along with the Destiny Bay series, she is also the author of the Sugar, Georgia series, the St. Helena Vineyard series, and her new Heroes of St. Helena series. She currently lives with her husband, daughter, and two neurotic cats in Northern California.

As a writer, Marina is devoted to giving her readers contemporary romance where the towns are small, the personalities large, and the romance explosive.


FOLLOW FOREVER ONLINE



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour ~Review and Giveaway ~ A Charmed Little Lie Charmed by Sharla Lovelace






Go to Tasty Book Tours to follow the   Entire Tour



A Charmed Little Lie
Charmed in Texas #1
By: Sharla Lovelace
Releasing April 18, 2017
Lyrical Shine
Lanie Barrett didn’t mean to lie. Spinning a story of a joyous marriage to make a dying woman happy is forgivable, isn’t it? Lanie thinks so, especially since her beloved Aunt Ruby would have been heartbroken to know the truth of her niece’s sadly loveless, short-of-sparkling existence. Trouble is, according to the will, Ruby didn’t quite buy Lanie’s tale. And to inherit the only house Lanie ever really considered a home, she’ll have to bring her “husband” back to Charmed, Texas for three whole months—or watch Aunt Ruby’s cozy nest go to her weasel cousin, who will sell it to a condo developer.
Nick McKane is out of work, out of luck, and the spitting image of the man Lanie described. He needs money for his daughter’s art school tuition, and Lanie needs a convenient spouse. It’s a match made . . . well, not quite in heaven, but for a temporary arrangement, it couldn’t be better. Except the longer Lanie and Nick spend as husband and wife, the more the connection between them begins to seem real. Maybe this modern fairy tale really could come true . . .


The cake-eating contest was first, and I was playing for the bank. It was my favorite one of course.
“I’m a cook,” Nick teased, sitting next to me. “I’ve got this.”
“Just because you can make a cake doesn’t mean you can eat it,” I said, rolling my head on my shoulders and popping my knuckles. The four-layer cake in front of me was daunting. I formed a strategy, one slice at a time.
“Big words, Mrs. McKane,” he said.
Calling me that sent goosebumps trickling down my spine.
Why?
It wasn’t the first time. But something about sitting next to my husband in a goofy town festival cake-eating contest suddenly felt so domestic. So normal and real.
Focus, Lanie.

The bell rang, and we were off. We each had knives, but those of us with experience skipped that time consuming task. Hands worked just fine, and going for big bites with minimum chewing was optimal. The winner was Berty Carson from the barber shop, an elderly man who obviously had been practicing judging by the girth around his waist.
Still, I had three-fourths of my cake gone compared to Nick’s little over half.
“What was that, Mr. McKane?” I said, putting my cake-covered hand to my ear. “Was that the sound of losing?”
Nick grabbed my hand and stuck one of my fingers in his mouth, sucking the cake off with his tongue. Everything stopped for me for a moment, the world going on tilt, and he winked as he licked his lips.
“What was that, Mrs. McKane?” he said. “The sound of shock?”
Oh, what a dirty, dirty boy. He didn’t play fair. I would so remember that.

I stumbled upon Sharla Lovelace shortly after launching Forever Book Lover. I was fortunate to participate in an early review tour for Sharla's The Reason is You. So I didn't want to miss out reading Sharla's latest book, A Charmed Little Lie. 
I love reading small town romances, so it's no surprise that most of the books that I read are small towns.   This series is set in Texas, after a few pages you felt liked your either lived there or visited. Within the first few pages, you knew that this was going to be a fun, hilarious, sexy read. What's not to love, a little white lie turns out to cause a huge rippling effect. With the chance of inheriting her for beloved Aunt home, our heroine runs into a snag. In exchange for the keys she must bring along her husband, ok why that doesn't sound so difficult, unless of course, you never had a husband and need to quickly find one that can play the part.  That's where all the fun and laughter begins. If you are in the mood for a great read, then I highly recommend this book. Looking forward to return to Charmed, Texas and see what's in store for the rest of the town. 

Sharla Lovelace is the bestselling, award-winning author of sexy small-town love stories. Being a Texas girl through and through, she’s proud to say she lives in Southeast Texas with her retired husband, a tricked-out golf cart, and two crazy dogs.  She is the author of five stand-alone novels including the bestselling Don’t Let Go, the exciting Heart Of The Storm series, and the fun and sexy new Charmed in Texas series. 
For more about Sharla's books, visit www.sharlalovelace.com, and keep up with all her new book releases easily by subscribing to her newsletter.  She loves keeping up with her readers, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.


a Rafflecopter giveaway