Chelsea & Jessica Get Brazen! His Risk to Take by Tessa Bailey

Hey guys! So happy it's time to get Brazen again! This week we read His Risk To Take by Tessa Bailey! Hello steamy goodness!

The greater the risk, the hotter the reward…

Homicide cop Troy Bennett had a reputation on the Chicago PD for being fearless and in control—until the night his daredevil partner is killed during a raid. From that moment on, he swears he’ll never again be responsible for the loss of a loved one. To escape his demons, Troy transfers to the NYPD, bringing him up close and personal with Ruby Elliott, a beautiful, street-savvy pool hustler.

Reckless and stubbornly independent, Ruby embodies everything Troy’s avoiding, but when she walks into O’Hanlon’s Pub and blows his carefully laid plans to hell, Troy knows he has to have her—risks be damned. But there’s a connection between Ruby’s shadowed past and a case Troy’s working involving a notorious Brooklyn felon, throwing her safety into jeopardy. Confronted with his biggest fear, will Troy push Ruby away to keep her safe or fight to keep her in his arms where she belongs?

**************************************

Hot damn! Tessa Bailey knows how to write one dirty-talking alpha! What did you think of Troy?

Jessica: She sure does! There were some parts my mouth was literally hanging out in shock because of the things that came out of Troy Bennett's sexy mouth!

Chelsea: Umm... Holy hotness! Troy was probably one of the more dirty mouth men I've met in these Brazens and I loved it!

How would you describe Ruby in 5 words or less?

Chelsea: Stubborn. Brave. Cautious. Smart.

Jessica: Feisty. Fierce. Determined. Sweet.


We met Derek in the previous Line of Duty book and now Troy in this one. Which do you prefer?

Jessica: As much as I liked Troy, I think my heart belongs to Derek. 

Chelsea: I am going to have to agree with Jess. While I certainly liked Troy, Derek is a little more my speed.

Ruby specialized at hustling in pool. What would you specialize in to earn some fast cash?

Chelsea: Haha! Well I don't have many "hustling" talents but I think I could make some fast cash at Trivia. I have an excellent memory and I always blow people out of water with the insane things I remember.

Jessica: Hmm. If this were 10 years ago, I'd say basketball. No one ever expected me to be as good as I was because I was so short. Since it was harder for me to get inside, I used to shoot three pointers and everyone would be like WTF?! LOL.

Who do you see as Troy Bennett?

Jessica: Sandra from Goodreads posted a picture of this guy and I definitely agree.

Chelsea: I definitely picture Tyler Hoechlin as Troy. He has this sexy broodiness that I imagine Troy would have.

Here are two things I know about Tessa Baily. She loves dominant men and she has one dirty mind. And I think it’s awesome! She definitely brings the steam in His Risk to Take and even I blushed a few times more than usual.

Troy Bennett is a New York detective who just transferred from Chicago after losing his partner in a raid. He meets Ruby in a bar one night, where she’s there hustling at pool. He is instantly attracted to her and he isn’t shy about letting her know what he wants to do to her. She’s got a bit of a past and doesn’t normally trust cops but there’s something about Troy that draws her in. She is inadvertently put in danger when a case that Troy is working on overlaps with her past. Troy doesn’t want to lose another person he cares about and tries to protect Ruby. However, she has been protecting herself for a long time and she won’t sit back quietly while Troy is in danger.

God damn Troy is hot and while I don’t like to be told what to do, I may just let him boss me around. When he sets him mind to something or someone, he goes after it and doesn’t back down. He is loyal, fierce and determined and I liked how instantly protective he was of Ruby. She has trust issues and he was able to break down those walls and open her up. I liked how headstrong Ruby was. She didn’t want to sit back and be protected. She wanted to take control of the situation and do her part to help. However, she was a bit reckless and she could have gotten herself killed. She and Troy are so perfect for one another because he is very dominant and Ruby pushes back. This makes for some very hot and steamy sex.

I enjoyed His Risk to Take and found it to be a quick and fun read. It doesn’t have a lot of plot depth but I really liked the characters and I am a fan of Tessa Bailey’s writing. If a Brazen makes me blush, that means it’s doing its job.

His Risk to Take was another steamy addition to Tessa's Line of Duty series. While it felt shorter than the first, I still enjoyed it. I did feel this one wasn't as in depth plot wise, but no worries- the steam factor more than made up for it! Mmm! This is one of those reads you pick up when you just need a sexy escape from the real world. 

Ruby is a really fun female lead. She has confidence and I love how take charge she is. She has had to grow up fast and her no-nonsense attitude shows immediately. When Ruby enters the bar Troy is drinking at, all bets are off. Ruby may come across as demure and innocent, but the girl knows how to play the game! Having concealed her pool cue in a yoga mat, Ruby comes across as knowing less than she does. Girl is a straight up hustler! She knows what she's doing and that is one of the things that attracts Troy from the get-go.

Tessa has created another dirty-talking alpha male in Troy Bennett and the things he says to Ruby is enough to make any girl blush! The two of them are incredibly stubborn and butt heads quite often, but that is one of the things that makes their relationship so hot! Ruby isn't a submissive who is just going to do what Troy says. Troy is new to New York, having escaped some demons that haunt him from his past, and he is turn very protective of Ruby. I felt bad for Troy, because while he feels like what happened in Chicago is his fault, when it really wasn't. He carries that guilt with him to New York and has to make amends with the past before he can move forward with his life.

While Derek still holds my heart, I really did enjoy meeting Troy and I loved seeing him and Ruby together!

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Join us next week when we discuss Private Practice by Samanthe Beck

Blog Tour Review + Top Ten + Giveaway: Waiting for Prince Harry by Aven Ellis

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Waiting for Prince Harry by Aven Ellis and I am excited to share a review plus Aven's top ten outfits and a giveaway. Check it out!

Waiting for Prince Harry

Author: Aven Ellis

Publication Date: April 1, 2014

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Source: eARC via author

~Synopsis~

Twenty-four-year-old Kylie Reed has always been a rule follower. Organized and cautious to a fault, her dreams for life are often filed away for future use—when she has a house, when she meets her future husband, when she has been at her visual display job at a chic Dallas boutique longer...Kylie always has a reason for living her life in the future, not in the present, and not living her life to the fullest and reaching her dream of becoming a fashion designer. 

The only exception to rules, of course, would be running away with Prince Harry—Kylie’s ideal man. A hot, fun ginger boy would be worth breaking all the rules for, of course. And Kylie is sure Harry just needs the right, centering woman to settle him down. But living in Dallas and not knowing Prince Harry make this a non-option.

Or does it?

Because when Kylie accidentally falls into the lap of a gorgeous ginger boy—yes, even more gorgeous than the real Prince Harry—all bets are off. Could this stranger be the one to show Kylie how to take a chance, to face her fears, and live in the present? And could this stranger be the Prince Harry she has been waiting for? Kylie’s life takes some unexpected twists and turns thanks to this chance encounter, and she knows her life will never be the same because of it...

~Review~

I absolutely adore Aven. Not only is a she a great writer but she is also a fantastic person too. One of the things I love about her books and her writing is that her personality totally shines through her characters. When I’m reading her books, I see every little piece of Aven in there. Waiting for Prince Harry was such a cute contemporary romance and I really enjoyed getting to know Kylie and Harrison.

Kylie is awesome! I definitely see a lot of myself in Kylie and I loved how much I connected with her. She is a bit shy and more of an introvert. She wants to meet that one man that will see her and love her for who she really is. She definitely sees something special in Harrison from the beginning and I loved that they made such a strong connection. She has no idea who he is so she really gets to see the “real” Harrison and he recognizes that too. He is a sexy “Hockey God” but Kylie sees way beyond that. He is intelligent, funny, kind and an all-around good guy.

I think Kylie and Harrison both have insecurities and they definitely get in the way a little bit here and there. Kylie sees herself as average and ordinary and worries that Harrison will want a woman more like a model. This definitely gets in her head a bit. Harrison is all about hockey and his parents are not supportive. He lets this get in his head and he worries that Kylie will just see him as a dumb jock. On top of the insecurities, they also have to overcome Harrison’s celebrity and being in the spotlight. That is something Kylie isn’t used to and it can definitely be a stressor in someone’s life and a relationship. I liked the way that Kylie and Harrison worked through the issues together. He can be a little hot headed but I loved that he recognized when he over-reacted and he always made up for it.

Kylie and Harrison definitely fell hard and fast for each other. Sometimes this can definitely cause some strife because these feelings are so fresh and new and very strong. I liked the way Kylie and Harrison navigated the waters together. They really spent time getting to know each other and helping one another grow. Kylie’s growth was definitely noticeable. I liked the way Harrison encouraged her to stand up for herself at work and he supported and encouraged her design dreams. He saw her potential and he help her find her confidence and believe that she could make all her dreams come true now and not someday in the future. I also liked the way Kylie encouraged Harrison to see himself as more than just a hockey player and she helped build his self-confidence too.

Overall, I adored this book and the plot was really fun. I loved the way Aven added “pop quizzes” in the beginning of each chapter. It was really fun and different. I also really loved that this book shows every girl can find her own prince and someday we all will. 

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON

~Top Ten Outfits--Waiting For Prince Harry~

Fashion played a big part in this book-from Kylie being an aspiring designer, to Harrison being a stylish professional athlete-fashion was a supporting character in the story. So I thought it might be fun to see what I envisioned when creating the outfits to help not only tell the story, but to give you a good feel for personality that is reflected in clothing choices. And I love fashion so maybe that is kind of sorta the other part, ha ha.

   1. Kylie’s Bridesmaid Dress. This is exactly how I wanted the dress to be--tight in the hips and a train...A train that would end up leading her to her Prince Harry in Chapter One.

2.  Harrison lives for his bridge T-shirt...

 

3. Kylie loves her yoga clothes after work...and being comfortable in her home.

4.      Harrison looked rather hot in his crisp white dress shirts...

  

 5. Kylie wore this for a work event. While women around her were in gowns, Harrison only had eyes for Kylie in her tank top...

 

6.      Harrison loves his D&G suits and wears them for fashion shoots and when traveling.

  

  

7.      Kylie’s clothes were very feminine and soft and often had a retro vibe, like this dress.

 8.  Green is a color that Harrison wears brilliantly with his ginger hair and green eyes and he goes to it quite frequently in his closet.

9. And because Texas is so hot in the summer, Kylie is a big fan of sundresses. Again, soft and feminine.

10.   And when Harrison is going casual he loves designer jeans. Fits his rugged side well.

So there you have it, some outfits straight from Kylie and Harrison’s closets.  I actually do all my characters closets on Pinterest--and you can get a sneak peek into future books and characters by looking in those boards, too. So follow me http://www.pinterest.com/avenellis/ if you want to see some more!

About Aven Ellis:

Aven Ellis has been writing fiction since she was sixteen. She studied communications at a large Midwestern university, and after graduation, Aven worked as a reporter for a community newspaper, followed by a stint at a public relations agency. But writing about city council meetings and restaurant franchises was not as much fun as writing for young women trying to figure out their careers and potential boyfriends. So Aven got herself a job in television that allowed her to write at night. Connectivity is Aven’s debut novel; Waiting For Prince Harry and Chronicles of a Lincoln Park Fashionista (New Adult romantic comedy) will be published next year. Aven lives in Dallas with her family. When she is not writing, Aven enjoys shopping, cooking, connecting with friends on social media, and watching any show that features Gordon Ramsay.

 Website  Facebook  Twitter  Pinterest

Blog Tour Excerpt & Giveaway: Guns by J.A. Huss

~Synopsis~

THIS IS NOT A STANDALONE BOOK - IT IS HIGHLY SUGGESTED THAT YOU READ ALL THE PREVIOUS NOVELS AND NOVELLAS BEFORE STARTING THIS BOOK

Spencer Shrike is a man with a plan. Get in. Get out. Move on. He loves Ron the Bomb, and her safety is the only thing on his mind these days. But life is a tricky bastard, and conning criminals for the better part of ten years brings its own set of problems. Sure, Rook lied her way out of a sticky situation, covering for crimes Ronin, Ford, and Spencer committed, and getting them all off scot-free in the process.

But not everyone is buying Rook’s story, and Spencer is desperate to figure out who’s in town setting them up for a fall.

Veronica the Bombshell Vaughn has put up with Spencer Shrike’s shit for years and where has it gotten her? A big fat nowhere. No ring, no house, no kids, and no promises. In fact, Spencer is worse than ever—completely distant and moody. She’s done sitting at home, pining over a man she can’t have.

But she’s not opposed to fighting for him.

Ron the Bomb fights hard and she fights dirty, so she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get Spencer’s attention.

But now there’s another man in town with his eye on her. He’s got secrets too, but unlike Spencer, Bobby Mansi is more than willing to let Veronica in on them.

The entire Rook and Ronin series comes full circle. Every con, every lie, and every skeleton in the closet is back for one final shot at vengeance and the only way to set it right…  is to get out the guns.

~Excerpt~

VERONICA

Spencer leans into my neck once the moan subsides. “Do I make you hot?

I try to regain some semblance of control, but I totally fail. So my words betray every

empty thought in my head when I whisper, “I’m an insatiable inferno.”

His large hands stroke my calf, then he grabs my foot and pushes it until my knee bends.

He does the same thing to my other foot, and then grabs my panties and says, “Lift, please.”

I swallow and lift.

His fingertips drag down my outer thighs this time, then tickle that little dent behind my knees as he hooks the panties over my kneecaps and lets them drop to the ground on top of my feet.

I wait for him to finish what he started and remove the panties from my ankles, but he doesn’t. He leaves them there, a reminder that he just stripped them off me. God, that makes me wet for some reason. His hands reach around to my bra clasp, and then before I can even formulate how I might feel about being stripped of my last bit of clothing, my breasts fall free and he licks his lips. He pulls the lacy pink bra down my arms and I slip my hands out before he makes me keep

it on. I’m still thinking about the panties around my ankles. Something about that is just so… so… sexual.

I wait. He waits.

“Now what?” I ask.

“What do you want to do now?” he counters.

I reach down and slip the panties over my feet and then set them on top of the small pile of clothes.

“And now you’re ready,” he whispers.

“What am I ready for?”

He gets up from the grass, grabs my clothes, places them in the office, then drags his airbrush equipment over to the spot where I’m sitting on the grass. “Now, I fuck you with paint.”

Holy shit. He just said that. I’m so turned on, I’m starting to throb. He walks back over to the cart, tests the flow of paint on a piece of cardboard, and then turns to me. “You will never forget this day, Veronica Vaughn. For the rest of your life, whenever someone asks you what the best day of your life was, this will be in your top three.”

“What about the other two?” I ask.

“We haven’t made those memories yet, Bomb. But we will.”

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON:  http://amzn.to/1h8sRXH
B&N: http://bit.ly/1mkv3R3

JA Huss is the author of the Amazon bestselling Rook and Ronin series, the epic science fiction I Am Just Junco series, and hundreds of kid-friendly science books in subjects such as biology, physics, anatomy and physiology, astronomy, and forensics. She has an undergraduate degree in equine science and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology. She has never taken a creative writing class and she hopes she never will.

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES

(99 CENTS) ROOK AND RONIN OMNIBUS: TRAGIC - MANIC - PANIC

AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1oufHcj

B&N: http://bit.ly/1gWoHGI

FORD NOVELLA: SLACK: A Day in the Life of Ford Aston

AMAZON: http://amzn.to/J3neRC

B&N: http://bit.ly/1eYQdSN

FORD NOVEL: TAUT: The Ford book

AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1dNTjse

B&N: http://bit.ly/1eb1yhl

BOMB NOVELLA: A Day in the Life of Spencer Shrike

AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1gRv6AH

B&N: http://bit.ly/1bWf59t

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Excerpt Reveal: All Lined Up by Cora Carmack

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack follows up her trio of hits—Losing It, Faking It, and Finding It—with this thrilling first novel in an explosive series bursting with the Texas flavor, edge, and steamy romance of Friday Night Lights.

In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both.

Dallas Cole loathes football. That's what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past.

But life doesn't always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again.

Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It's obliterated.

Dallas doesn't know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn't know that Dallas is his new coach's daughter.

And neither of them know how to walk away from the attraction they feel.

Excerpt Reveal: All Lined Up by Cora Carmack by WilliamMorrowBooks

Pre-Order Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Cora Carmack Bio:

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Links:

Website: http://coracarmack.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CoraCarmack

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

Author Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6535659.Cora_Carmack

Sneak Peek: Lost In Me by Lexi Ryan

SNEAK PEEK

Lost in Me is the first book in the Here and Now series, a spin-off of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling New Hope series. This sexy amnesia love triangle is intended for mature readers.

Releasing April 7, 2014

If you pre-order on iBooks or purchase the first week of release, you receive a fan appreciation price of only .99 cents!

The last thing I remember is having drinks at Brady’s and trying to avoid eye-contact with my life-long crush—the gorgeous, unattainable Maximilian Hallowell. They tell me that was a year ago, but I have no memories of anything since then. What I do have is this ring on my finger that Max says he gave me, and this much-thinner body I’ve dreamed of most of my life. Aside from a case of retrograde amnesia, everything seems almost...perfect.

But the deeper I immerse myself into this new world of mine—planning a wedding to a man I don't remember dating, attempting to run a business I don't remember starting—the clearer it becomes that nothing is as it seems. Do I have the life I’ve always wanted or is it a facade propped up by secrets I don't even know I have?

I need answers before I marry Max, and the only person who seems to have them is the angry, tatted, sexy-as-sin rocker Nate Crane. And Nate wants me for himself.

Lost in Me is not a standalone novel, as the story continues in Here and Now book two, FALL TO YOU, releasing in June.

Excerpt from LOST IN ME

“You don’t understand what this is like. Not remembering? I’m planning a wedding to this man I’ve wanted most of my life. Don’t I owe it to him—don’t I owe it to myself—to have the truth out there before we promise until death do us part?”

Even in the moonlight, I can see the pain in his eyes.

“I just need answers.” I lift my chin and move toward the back wall of the house, toward him. Immediately, I regret the decision because his lips curve into a wicked smile and he closes what distance is left between us. “I need the truth,” I whisper weakly.

“The truth? Is that what you really want, angel?” His deep voice dances over my skin like a caress. A little tender. A lot wicked.

I can’t reply. I’m too busy holding my breath. Too deep of an inhale might brush my breasts against his chest, and I’m afraid to touch him. Afraid of what it might make me feel.

As if he can read my mind, he takes another step closer, and when I step to the side to turn away, I’m against the wall and his body is against mine, his hot breath at my ear.

“Do you want to know what it was like between us?” he whispers.

“Yes.”

I realize my mistake when a groan rumbles from his chest. “Should I start with how wet you were every time I touched you? Or maybe how you begged me that first night?”

“I didn’t.”

“Have you been telling yourself some wicked rocker seduced you? That I tricked you into my bed? Sorry. You asked for the truth. You begged. Right there outside the club, you begged me until I ripped your panties off and you were too busy biting my neck to talk anymore. Is that what you’re hoping to remember? How you wanted me so badly you let me finger you out in the open, against that building where anyone could have seen?”

My breathing is uneven, my cheeks hot. When I press into his chest to put some distance between us, my traitorous hands curl into his shirt instead.

He makes a low growling sound at the back of his throat. His teeth nip at my earlobe. Lightning cracks in the sky behind him. “You might have forgotten me, but you still like dirty talk, don’t you? And maybe if I made you come now, you’d still scream my name. Because you always screamed my name, Hanna. Never his.”

I gasp. “You are horrible.”

“What are you really upset about? That you wanted me? Or that even as you stand here wearing his ring, you’re secretly hoping I’ll tell you about it. Secretly wishing you could remember all the details.”

LOST IN ME © Lexi Ryan, 2014

About the Author

Once a college English professor, I now write full time. I live in rural Indiana, where, when I'm not writing, I get to hang out with my husband and two kids--a six-year-old boy and a two-year-old hellion, er, girl. Not surprisingly, reading and writing remain my favorite activities, though both come in bits and pieces these days, not the big hunks of time I enjoyed before I had children. When I'm feeling virtuous, I like to go running (I use that word liberally. I'm really, really slow) or do yoga. Don't worry, I'm always careful to balance out such activities with a hearty serving of ice cream or a chocolate martini.

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