Tough Love by Lori Foster ARC copy

Tough Love

by Lori Foster

Tough Love is part of the Ultimate series by Lori Foster.

This edition has the tale of MMA fighter Stack Hannigan
and model Vanity Baker.
I always think that women are smarter about love than men.
And here is a story that proves it. Well, kind of.
Vanity knows she wants Stack. He is the guy for her.
And that is that.

She has a plan. But as everyone knows, the road leading
to true love is never smooth. So, of course, the plan runs
 into one problem after another.
Luckily, the problems seem to keep putting Stack and
Vanity closer and closer together.
Stack, as with most men, is slower to catch onto the
karma that is bringing them together. He is paying
closer attention to anyone that even looks at Vanity.
And his mom. Plus his sister. Then there is f***ing Phil.
 Geesh, with all these things to pay attention to,
its no wonder he is slow to feel cupids arrow.

Vanity is enjoying Stacks family. She misses being
part of one. The more Vanity fits in, the closer Stack
is to falling head over heels. How long can he
tell himself that this is all just for fun with Vanity?

I usually enjoy Lori Foster's writing. They have a lot
of feeling. There is action. The people in them often
have interesting backgrounds. I like watching for
the skeletons. Everybody has one.
This series has a lot of talk about MMA fighters and
their lives. Its obvious that Lori has a great respect for
the MMA. For myself, I enjoy the love story more.

I won this ARC copy from Lori Foster.
Review by Lisa Hutson





Spotlight tour for Named of the Dragon by Susanna Kearsley

Title: Named of the Dragon

Author: Susanna Kearsley

ISBN: 9781402258640

Pubdate: October 6, 2015

Imprint: Sourcebooks Landmark

Summary

A haunting tale of intrigue from New York Times bestselling author Susanna
Kearsley.

SOMEWHERE IN THE HEART OF LEGEND

LIES THE KEY TO HER TERRIFYING DREAMS

The charm of spending the Christmas holidays in South Wales, with its crumbling castles and ancient myths, seems the perfect distraction from the nightmares that have plagued literary agent Lyn Ravenshaw since the loss of her baby five years ago.

Instead, she meets an emotionally fragile young widow who's convinced that Lyn's recurring dreams have drawn her to Castle Farm for an important purpose--and she’s running out of time.

With the help of a reclusive, brooding playwright, Lyn begins to untangle the mystery and is pulled into a world of Celtic legends, dangerous prophecies, and a child destined for greatness.

Author Bio

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and RITA award winner Susanna Kearsley is known for her meticulous research and exotic settings from Russia to Italy to Cornwall, which not only entertain her readers but give her a great reason to travel. Her lush writing has been compared to Mary Stewart, Daphne Du Maurier, and Diana Gabaldon. She won the coveted Romance Writers of America RITA Award for The Firebird, and hit the bestseller lists in the U.S. with The Winter Sea and The Rose Garden, both RITA finalists and winners of RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards. Other honors include finaling for the UK’s Romantic Novel of the Year Award, National Readers’ Choice Awards, and the prestigious Catherine Cookson Fiction Prize. Her popular and critically-acclaimed books are available in translation in more than 20 countries and as audio books. She lives in Canada, near the shores of Lake Ontario.

Social Networking Links

Website: http://susannakearsley.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SusannaKearsley

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/486812.Susanna_Kearsley

Buy Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Named-Dragon-Susanna-Kearsley/dp/140225864X

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/named-of-the-dragon-susanna-kearsley/1003614908

Indie Bound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781402258640

Excerpt

While the halls beside it crumbled from the strain of staying upright, Pembroke Castle’s keep had stood through eight long centuries of tumult, and looked capable of weathering another eight with ease. It had been poked at, over time. Bits of the parapet surrounding the domed roof had tumbled down, or been removed, and when we walked round to the north side I could see the black and jagged hole that marked the first-floor entrance, stripped of all its finer facing stones. But such small scars went virtually unnoticed on a building so imposing.

“I’m not sure you should be doing that,” said James, as I scampered up the flight of steps toward the gaping doorway. “Those steps might not be safe. And anyway, you can’t get in that way, you have to go through here.”

The steps didn’t feel dangerous, but I didn’t imagine that open defiance was something James craved in an agent, and I ought to be trying to show him how well I could listen. Reluctantly, I turned back and went through the proper entrance, a much smaller door set at ground level. It felt like walking through a tunnel—the walls of the keep must have been a good twenty feet thick—but at length it discharged us, like puny adventurers, into the cavernous space.

“You see?” James, who had seen it before, pointed up at a ragged-edged hole, streaming light. “It’s a doorway to nothing, the floors have all gone.”

I had tipped my head backward, struck dumb by the sight.

Originally, there would have been three or more levels here, comfortable rooms, wooden floors, warming fires that burned in the royal apartments, but all of that was lost now to the callous hand of time. What remained, though, was in some ways more impressive.

Stripped to its bare outer walls, it was like a cathedral, a great hollow soaring cathedral of stone, with a perfect domed ceiling and small arching windows that slanted pale light through the reverent gloom. From every ledge and opening long streaks of soft and mossy green dripped downward, passing shades of rust and gentle blues that stained the walls in places where the plaster had not fallen from the gray, unyielding stones.

I took a breath, inhaling dust, and fumbled for my guidebook. “Seventy-five feet,” I said, in awe. “This shaft is seventy-five feet tall.”

James looked at me. “You say that as though it’s a challenge.”

“It is.” I’d always liked climbing things. Turning, I spotted the newel stair, and happily squeezed up one tight winding flight to the first narrow landing. Resting my hands on the cold metal piping that served as a guardrail, I leaned through the open arched doorway to look down at James. “Coming up?”

“No, I’ve done it once, thank you.” He sauntered forward, moving through a shifting web of light and shadow, to see me better. By the time I reached the third and final landing, he was standing in the center of the floor. “Do warn me if you’re going to fall,” he said, “so I can step aside.”

“You wouldn’t catch me?”

“From that height? You must be mad.”

I took a firm grip on the guardrail and leaned out as far as I dared, to admire the view. The dome, from this height, was a marvel of masonry, hundreds of stones set with perfect precision to form an impossible half sphere that floated above me. Absorbed, I leaned further, and felt my hand slip in the instant before something clamped round my shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” said Gareth, behind me. “I’ll catch you.”

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His Texas Christmas Bride ~~ Nancy Robards Thompson

I love reading  Nancy Robards Thompson's holiday stories. His Texas Christmas Bride is a fast paced story which takes place in the small town of Celebration, Texas. The novel has multi - faceted characters, a unique storyline and a meaningful holiday message. 

Becca Flannigan is waiting in the Emergency Room at Celebration Memorial Hospital to see a doctor. She is three months pregnant and is suffering from food poisoning. Becca is surprised that the attending physician is Dr. Nick Ciotti whom she hasn't seen in about three months.  She remembers many details about the handsome doctor including his two unusual tattoos. Nick reads Becca's chart and quickly figures out that Becca's baby might be their baby.

"It's going  to be okay," he said. "Let's just take this one step at a time. I promise I will do everything in my power to make sure you don't have to worry about anything."

His words were soothing, and she stayed in his arms until she had regained her composure. She  pulled back a little to wipe her eyes, but first she looked up at him. His gaze snared hers, and then he was looking at her mouth , and she was leaning into him.

When he took her chin in his hand and drew her closer, she felt his warm, mint-scented breath so near that every feeling---every dream and desire she'd had since the first moment she'd set eyes on him that night at the hospital ---played out before her eyes. Since then, since learning she was pregnant , since finding him again, one of the things she tried not to think about was the way his arms would feel around her, protective and strong. This way his lips would taste.... That taste was so uniquely Nick.

Then his kissed her.

Love the chemistry between the hero and heroine in novel. Becca is warm, friendly, open and honest. She owns her own home and has a corgi. (Yes, a corgi!) Becca tells Nick that she won't force him to be a part of his childs life. This simple statement sets the tone for the novel. Nick is a workaholic and his commitment to his  job cost him his first marriage. Nick finds it difficult to talk about his feelings and is not close to his family. I liked that the couple were different and didn't agree on everything. Nick supported Becca when she told her family about the pregnancy. He was there for her. Becca encourages Nick to reconnect with his father. She believes talking with his father with help Nick let go of his past. 

The secondary characters complement the main characters and add to the story's authenticity. Loved Becca and Nick's date at Kate's house for the Sunday football game and the Flannigan family Thanksgiving dinner.The author did a fabulous job with the girlfriend chat while the men were watching the game. The overwhelming family dinner conversation was spot on down to the last detail with Becca's mother assuring everyone that Nick and Becca would be married very, very soon.

The author incorporates several fall and winter local traditions in the novel. Nick asks Becca to show him something which is typical of Celebration, Texas. Becca's choice of the Friday night football game surprises Nick. It's the perfect choice as it it allows him to experience first hand a small town at its best. He's able to watch the football game, eat hamburgers and french fries and meet Becca's family and friends on his own terms.  The author uses symbolism in the scenes where the couple attends the town's annual tree lighting ceremony and a wedding as a couple. 

 Nancy Robards Thompson weaves a heartwarming story which deals with forgiveness and acceptance on several levels. There  were several unexpected twists in the storyline and the novel held my interest. Loved the ending-- it was perfectly written for this couple.  Grab a cup of tea and spend an afternoon with His Texas Christmas Bride! It's the perfect novel to read during the holiday season.

Reviewed By: Susan Gorman

Book provided by Nancy Robards Thompson

Photo: Susan Gorman