Blog Tour & Review: Mafia King by Rachel Van Dyken

Mafia King: A Mafia Royals Novella, an all new must read standalone novella from New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken and 1,001 Dark Nights, is available now!

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken comes a new story in her Mafia Royals series…

One of the first rules they give you when you're undercover—never fall for the enemy.
I didn't just fall for the enemy.
I became what I was supposed to hate.
What's worse: I fell in love with one.
I live a double life, and both sides know it's only a matter of time before I'm forced to choose.
Rebirth through mafia blood.
Or death at the hands of the very government I swore to protect.
I have one more job before my time's up.
I just wish it was anything but babysitting a mafia princess who's half my size but knows how to pack such a brutal punch I worry about my ability to have children.
Tin's small but terrifying.
And I'm her new bodyguard while we all go on a much-needed vacation.
I just have to stick to the plan.
And remember rule number one.
And stop kissing her.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

Start reading today!
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Excerpt

The door slammed. 

“Honey, I’m home...” I said to myself with a grin. 

I had a bottle of wine out on the living room table, my shoes on the glass as I leaned back and took a swig from my goblet—because why not get fancy at two in the afternoon? 

“It’s ten a.m,” came Tank’s annoyed voice. 

Or ten in the morning…whoops.

“I don’t own a watch.” I shrugged. 

“What’s that on your left wrist, then?”

“Oh, that?” I shrugged. “It’s an Apple watch used strictly for heart rate and exercise purposes.”

“Exercise to you is opening your mouth and closing it, Tiny.” He made it farther into the room, and I tried…I really did. I tried not to check him out. 

Not to stare at his golden skin. 

His bulging biceps beneath his plain black t-shirt. 

The new ink poking out from the V of that same shirt. 

Would he get the Abandonato crest like the rest of the Family? 

I shivered. 

He would look so hot with it across his chest. 

Our crest. 

Mine. 

I shifted my eyes away too slowly, and he caught them with his green-eyed gaze before he licked his full lips like he saw something else he wanted to lick. 

He always looked at me that way—with both annoyance and need. 

And I never knew how to take it. 

On one hand, I wanted to believe the need trumped any annoyance he felt for me, but I knew how he saw me. 

As a spoiled brat with a silver spoon stuck up her ass. 

And even worse now that I was older. 

Now that I was…different. 

“You added more blue.” He jutted his chin toward me and sat down on the chair across from the sofa I was lying on. 

“Yup.” I examined my black nail polish. “I felt like it wasn’t making a strong enough statement.”

He snorted out a laugh. “And what sort of statement were you going for? Gothic chic?”

“What?” I glared at him. “You don’t like it.”

“It’s not you.”

Disappointment threatened to choke me, and shame crawled up my neck by way of a harsh red flush. “You don’t know me.”

“I did.” He locked eyes with me. “Or I thought I did.”

My Review:
Mafia King by Rachel Van Dyken
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tank and Tiny have been tap dancing around each other as their connection grows. Tiny is struggling with where she fits within the family when she finds herself being made which haunts her. It’s been a year and she won’t let anyone in and the walls she has erected are strong. Tank is at a crossroads with the FBI and his mafia family, which path will he choose? But what he really wants is to break through to Tiny and know what changed, why is she so sad now. A trip to Cabo with the entire family becomes the turning point they both need. Will they end up on the other side together? I love Tank and Tiny with all their crazy banter and intense chemistry. This was a perfect journey for them both. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.

View all my reviews

About Rachel Van Dyken
Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

Connect with Rachel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelVanDyken
Website: http://rachelvandykenauthor.com
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Blog Tour & Review: Impulsive by K.E. Osborn

We're on Tour with Impulsive by K E Osborn

Get your copy of Impulsive now!

Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

About Impulsive

Oakley captured my attention.

From the very first second.

The moment she sassed me, even though I was wearing my club cut, I knew she had fire in her soul.

As the tech man for the Houston Defiance MC, it’s my job to know everything. To always be ahead of the game. To outwit, outmatch, and outmaneuver our enemies at every turn. They may be smart, but I’m smarter.

Finding out this firecracker has ties to a rival MC catches me off guard.

And my first instinct is to protect her.

Damn the consequences.

Taking her under my wing is impulsive, reckless, electrifying.

And I’m more than aware of the repercussions.

But what if she is not who she says she is?

Those close to me loathe the idea of us, and they’re becoming more of an issue.

But things are not always as they seem.

With new threats comes chaos and danger at every turn.

But perhaps the war lies closer to home than even we realize.

From International Bestselling Author K E Osborn comes the highly anticipated fourth book in the Houston Defiance MC Series.

My Review:

Impulsive by K.E. Osborn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The crew at Houston Defiance always keep me guessing. From the moment Neon bumped into Oakley, he knew there was something special about her. When he finds out that she is in trouble with a rival club, he doesn’t hesitate and immediately offers to help her. This could either be a brilliant decision or the club’s downfall. Oakley is passionate about drag racing and has done everything to be successful and fulfill the family legacy. When her father needed money to be able to race, she found a solution. But when that solution comes back to haunt her, she’s not sure how she will survive. When Neon offers to help, she finds herself living with the Houston Defiance and realizing that not all MC’s are harsh and hateful. Getting to know Neon as they work to solve her problem leads to a relationship neither expects. Of course, being together is full of hurdles from within the club and outside the club that forces them to face their own fears while learning to trust and believe in the love they’ve found. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.

About K E Osborn

With a flair for all things creative, International Bestselling Author K E Osborn, is drawn to the written word. Exciting worlds and characters flow through her veins, coming to life on the page as she laughs, cries, and becomes enveloped in the storyline right along with you. She's entirely at home when writing sassy heroines and alpha males that rise from the ashes of their pasts.

K E Osborn comforts herself with tea and Netflix, after all, who doesn't love a good binge?

Turn lust into love at www.keosbornauthor.com

Blog Tour & Excerpt: Highland Warrior by Heather McCollum

HIGHLAND WARRIOR

by Heather McCollum Sons of Sinclair, #2 Publication Date: April 27, 2021 Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Forbidden Love Genres: Adult, Entangled: Amara, Historical, Highlander, Romance

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3sRomxa iTunes: https://apple.co/3gCAOPd B&N: https://bit.ly/32LMnv5 Kobo: https://bit.ly/3vlWJxU Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2QWKPvE Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3dN3H9t Amazon AUS: https://amzn.to/3dPEqeC

SYNOPSIS

Joshua Sinclair was once the fiercest and most notorious warrior of the mighty Sinclair clan of Northern Scotland. But now there’s nothing and no one that can make him take up arms again. Except a beautiful woman, it seems.

When Kára Flett, daughter of a fallen Norse chief, finds herself unexpectedly sheltering the strongest, most brutal warrior in the land, she throws together a risky and outrageous plan to bring him to her side. Threats of violence bounce right off him. Offers of gold seem to entice him even less. Desperate enough to use the pleas of the village children to sway him, she’s shocked when he’s completely unmoved. There’s only one tactic left for her: seduction.

Her hasty proposition falls completely by the wayside, though, as she and the Highlander come together in a carnal inferno. But bringing him into her life also brings his enemies to her clan’s doorstep—the very clan Kára is trying to protect. And as their feelings deepen, Joshua will have to decide between duty and love once and for all.

EXCERPT

Joshua grabbed the blanket off the wool tick that he had slept on next to Fuil and folded it around his waist into a mockery of a pleated wrap. It looked ridiculous, the brightly stitched flowers against his large form. 

He had never been deceived by a woman before, or a man, for that matter. His brothers and he had played pranks on one another growing up, but he hadn’t anticipated a trick by the lass. He had not anticipated her asking him to lead her people to their deaths in a futile fight, either. Why the hell else would she have led you to her tupping den? Was it all a farce to get him to stay on Orkney?

Joshua’s fist hit a hanging pail, the metallic twang loud in the quiet barn. Cracked, it fell to the earth with the force. Was there no limit to Chief Kára Flett’s boldness?

He looked to Fuil who had tossed his head at the explosive sound. “And ye let her strip me naked.” The bay horse raised his hoof to scrape the stall door. “Damn woman,” he said from between clenched teeth.

He pushed through the barn door, and the icy wind of the desolate landscape stole his breath. Why the hell wasn’t he back at Girnigoe Castle right now? Because you let a bonny lass trick you, you arse. Stalking, completely naked under the blanket, his damn ballocks pulled up higher than when he had to swim in a frost-edged loch, Joshua strode across toward the hill. The bottoms of his feet burned with cold as he crunched through the thin layer of snow and frost, his fury the only thing heating him.

Aunt Merida would scold him for risking illness. He knew that God did not protect him more than other men. ’Twas a legend made by his da, but he would not die from something as piddling as cold, even if he seemed more sensitive to it. Besides, the fire of his anger beat away the attacking wind. 

Down the other side of the slope he saw a lad who looked like the one who had grazed him with the thrown dagger outside the tavern. The boy ran into the door of the underground cottage where he’d left Kára standing with her family last night. She better be in there. Along with his clothes and Sinclair sword. He jogged down the slope and stepped through the door. The heat from the central fire washed over him, but what stopped him from moving farther inside was the crowd, the very…short…crowd. All of them sitting across the floor, perfectly quiet and still, except for a few who wiggled in place. “Joshua Sinclair…” Kára’s voice shot toward him from the doorway of the bedchamber. “Meet the children of Hillside.”

Joshua swallowed down the curse on his tongue, glaring at Kára. She met his gaze unabashedly and then nodded to one little lass who stared back at her. The child looked to be about five years old. Curls framing her round face, the wee one came forward holding a jar. “Jam from my móðir, my mum,” she said, tilting her chin high. He stood still, unsure what to do. With a determined frown, the child shook the jar before him. Joshua forced his fist to relax enough to unfurl his fingers and take the jar. The little girl flashed him a smile and turned, sitting back down among the throng.

There must have been twenty children in there, perhaps more. A lad stood next, serious in face, with a wooden sword strapped to his side. “For your mighty horse,” he said, handing Joshua a turnip. “I heard he is fond of them.” Joshua nodded and then focused on balancing the vegetable on the top of the jar.

 Next stood an older lass with a knitted woolen scarf. She walked toward him, her arms extended. “I made it,” she said, giving him a shy smile.

One by one, they rose, each one of them handing something to him in some sort of tribute until a pile of wool, dried flowers, food, and painted stones balanced against his bare chest. He would have lowered them to the ground but was afraid they’d topple and the loosely tied blanket covering his loins would fall.

When the last child sat, Kára crossed her arms over her chest, her feet braced in a battle stance. “I thought you might want to meet the children who will be forced to work on Lord Robert’s new palace this spring. Without pay. Without food. Without the ability to say no.”

 He held all the little gifts in silence. Kára clapped her hands together once, and the children stood as if they’d rehearsed this attack on his conscience. They formed a line to leave, each one stopping before him to curtsy or bow.

 “Please stay,” the little girl who brought the jam said.

 “I can help you with your horse,” the turnip-gifting lad said.

 “I can knit you another plaid in wool,” the older girl said, giving a curtsy.

 “I think you are the strongest person alive,” said a little lass with wide eyes.

 “We need you on our side.”

 “Take us to victory,” said a boy who was just shy of being called a man. “I will fight with you.” The smattering of freckles over the bridge of his nose brought a hollow twisting to Joshua’s stomach. The boy had no idea of the ghosts he conjured within him. All the children plucked at Joshua’s resolve.

 He looked up at Kára, knowing it had been her plan. He frowned, his gaze rising to where she maintained her stance in the bedroom doorway. Her brother, Osk, peeked by her shoulder along with the younger lad who had been waiting outside, apparently on guard to alert them of his coming. Kára did not look smug nor victorious. She looked damned determined.

ABOUT HEATHER MCCOLLUM

Heather McCollum is an award winning, historical paranormal and YA romance writer. She earned her B.A. in Biology, much to her English professor’s dismay. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood of 2009 Golden Heart finalists. The ancient magic and lush beauty of Great Britain entrances Ms. McCollum’s heart and imagination every time she visits. The country’s history and landscape have been a backdrop for her writing ever since her first journey across the pond. When she is not creating vibrant characters & magical adventures on the page, she is roaring her own battle cry in the war against ovarian cancer. Ms. McCollum recently slayed the cancer beast and resides with her very own Highland hero, rescued golden retriever & 3 kids in the wilds of suburbia on the mid-Atlantic coast.

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Cover Reveal: The One I Want by S.L. Scott

Cover Designer: RBA Design

Photographer: Kyla Jeanette Photography

Models: Karlie Place & Colin Ringas

Narrators: Sebastian York & Summer Morton

 

She was everything he never knew he needed.

He was everything she avoided.

It's not the first time I've been called a stalker.

I can’t blame Andrew Christiansen for thinking that since we keep crossing paths, especially when I pop up in the most unexpected of places—his office.

We’re opposites in every way. Not the kind that attract.

I’ve been called a ray of sunshine. He’s been called a grumpy workaholic that needs an attitude adjustment. By me.

Somehow, we become friends, the teasing, flirting, and kissing kind. But this thing blooming between us threatens to turn this relationship from friends-to-lovers into a full-blown office romance. 

That's the least of my worries because one or two, little, okay big, secrets I've been keeping may turn him from the one I want into the one I can't have.

Add to your Goodreads TBR List!

Meet S.L. Scott

New York Times and USA Bestselling Author, S. L. Scott, was always interested in the arts. She grew up painting, writing poetry and short stories, and wiling her days away lost in a good book and the movies.

With a degree in Journalism, she continued her love of the written word by reading American authors like Salinger and Fitzgerald. 

She was intrigued by their flawed characters living in picture perfect worlds, but could still debate that the worlds those characters lived in were actually the flawed ones. 

This dynamic of leaving the reader invested in the words, inspired Scott to start writing with emotion while interjecting an underlying passion into her own stories.

Living in the capital of Texas with her family, Scott loves traveling and avocados, beaches, and cooking with her kids. She's obsessed with epic romances and loves a good plot twist. She dreams of seeing one of her own books made into a movie one day as well as returning to Europe. Her favorite color is blue, but she likens it more toward the sky than the emotion. Her home is filled with the welcoming symbol of the pineapple and finds surfing a challenge though she likes to think she's a pro.

Connect with S.L. Scott

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Cover Reveal: The Fling by M. Robinson

Release Date: May 27

From Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling Author M. Robinson comes a new stand-alone romantic comedy ... The Fling

What happens when you make a pact with your boys to stay single and never fall in love? 

Well, you get the Playboy Pact.

 

I was the playmaker. The one with the best moves, the best lines. I was the best at everything… 

And I mean, everything. 

There was no woman immune to my charm. To my looks. To my bed-hopping ways. 

 

It was supposed to be easy. A quick, fun, mind-blowing night where she screamed out my name in ecstasy. 

 

No feelings.

No past.

No strings attached.

 

I broke the rules.

I broke the pact.

 

I fell for her smile. 

Her laugh.

Our instant connection. 

Except, I never expected to fall in love. 

 

Especially with a single mom…

 

Of twins.

Pre-Order Your Copy of  The Fling Here:

Amazon | Apple | Nook | Kobo

Add to your Goodreads TBR List!

Meet M. Robinson

M. Robinson is the Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling Author crowned as the "Queen of Angst" by readers around the world. 

Dive into her visionary world that will take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and leave you wanting more. 

She writes everything from contemporary to suspense romance and is best known for her novel, El Diablo.

When M isn't in the cave writing her next epic love story, you will find her shopping and living on a boat in Florida with her real life pirate, her lobster, her husband Bossman. Sipping on Starbucks and hanging out with their two dogs, a German shepherd mix and a gordito Wheaten Terrier reading a good book. Or spending time with her family, who she is extremely close with.

Above all, M loves her readers more than anything and loves to connect with them! She is on all social media platforms but you will find her in her happy place the most. Her VIP Reader Group on Facebook or her second favorite happy place, Instagram.

Connect with M. Robinson
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New Release & Review: Salvation by Nicole Dykes

Release Date: April 22

Charity

I’m in trouble. Big trouble. Not that I should be surprised. My entire life has been one huge misfortune.

I have nothing and no one. 

But then . . . Finn comes along. Gorgeous, stubborn, and infuriating. 

And he can’t seem to leave me alone. 

 

Finn

Life hasn’t been a picnic. But finally, I had it all figured out. 

But then . . . Charity comes crashing into my life. Beautiful, unwavering, and aggravating.

And I can’t let her go. 

Grab Your Copy Here:

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU
Free in KU

My Review:

Salvation by Nicole Dykes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finding hope when you feel like the entire world is against you requires incredible strength. Charity has survived all the darkness that life continues to throw in her path, yet she pushes on. When she finds herself broken and alone, she reaches out to a friend she left behind years ago who sends someone to help. When Jase calls and asks Finn to drive 3 hours to pick up Charity, he doesn’t hesitate, he goes even though he has no idea what he is walking into. Finn is just what Charity needs at this point in her life, someone that is willing to help without any strings or ulterior motives. The challenge is can she trust that, no one has ever done that for her before. Charity blew me away with her courage and strength. And Finn is wonderful surprise as he provides a constant and unwavering support no matter how many walls or road blocks Charity tries to use. My heart hurt for everything Charity had endured over the years and I loved how Finn was so patient and just became a solid support for her. Truly a wonderful story that gave me all the emotion and drama to devour. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.

Meet Nicole Dykes

Nicole Dykes is a wife and professional assistant/mom to two gorgeous girls. 

Currently residing in Kansas, she’s a lover of coffee, Kansas City Chiefs, and all things romance. 

She currently has over 20 published books with her Monroe and Adamson series being the most popular. 

She enjoys cranking up the angst level, making her readers cry, and turning those tears into the coffee the fuels her writing.

Connect with Nicole Dykes

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