✯REVIEW:✯ From Geek to Greek Billionaire by Gloria Silk

From Geek to Greek Billionaire 
by Gloria Silk
Release Date: December 1st 2017 by Creative Hummingbird Results
Pages: 173
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Author's Links: Goodreads, Website, Twitter, Facebook

Olivia Moore has landed her dream job—to renovate a very special beach house for her best friend, Maria. The last thing Olivia needs is to bump into her teen crush, the geeky yet sexy Alexander Anderson. The young man she fell deeply in love with is now her best friend’s brother-in-law. 

When the shy, enigmatic bachelor asks for Olivia’s help with a special makeover and an infusion of confidence to woo a particular woman (unaware that she’s the one he’s after) she wants nothing to do with him. After all despite her generous nature to help everyone, she cannot risk getting closer to him. What if she falls in love with him again and then if he discovers her secret past, which she is still coming to terms with, it may tear them apart forever?
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

    

My Review:

From Geek to Greek Billionaire is a story about second chances at life and love. Although the story deals with sensitive topics, it still manages to capture a truly heartwarming love story. 

At the beginning we get to meet Olivia, an interior designer who gets a great opportunity to get her name out there by decorating the beach house of one of her friends. That was her only task, but after stumbling upon Alexander, an old flame who she had met nine years ago, Olivia doesn’t know what to do. She has always loved Alexander, but after he ends up living her to go back to Greece, she doesn’t hear from him again. As time went by so did the obstacles that she had to go through, those made Olivia stronger and now that she is working again she wants to be able to do her best. Meeting Alexander at the beach brought back memories of their time together, but when she mades her a proposition one that she can’t seem to refuse it’ll be up to her whether or not to give their relationship a second chance or not. 

Alexander never expected to see Olivia again, but when he crosses paths with her on his morning run at the beach he knows that he has to act fast before it’s too late. He has always loved Olivia, but a misunderstanding made him leave everything behind and that’s how he found his way back to Greece. After working hard, Alexander became a successful billionaire and he is now ready to settle down. But not just with anyone, he wants Olivia his first love to be the one, and he is not going to stop until he gets her to agree to give their relationship another chance. It’s after they start to spend time together that secrets get exposed, ones that could potentially hurt what they’ve built together. Now it’ll be up to them to let go of the past in order to start fresh again.

I really lived the overall idea of the story, not so much the execution of it. What I liked about the story was how the author introduces the characters’ back stories and the ending was very sweet. I do wish we could have gotten more from the characters, it all seemed a bit rushed to me. Although I couldn’t connect with the characters at times, we do get a happy and satisfying ending. I would still recommend it to those that are looking for a quick read. :D

***ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.***

My Rating:

Thanks for stopping by! :)

🌟 Freebie Tuesday (Edition #212) 🌟

Happy Tuesday!

Thanks for stopping by! As always I will be tweeting random freebies that I can find on any given day so if you're looking for more free books make sure to follow me on twitter @JackieBookWorld. :)

***Note that there will be some books that will be free for limited time only, so make sure to download them as soon as you can. Also if there is any specific genre that you guys want me to find books of, let me know in the comment section below. (:  Enjoy! 

More Than a Feeling
by Erika Kelly
Release Date: April 4th 2017 by EK Publishing, LLC
Series: Rock Star Romance #4
Pages: 347
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Author's Links: Goodreads, Website, Twitter, Facebook

From the award-winning author of TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT comes the final story in her red-hot Rock Star Romance series, about a loner rocker finding his perfect duet.

When Cooper Hood left Snowberry, Montana ten years ago, he swore he’d never go back to the town that painted him with the same brush as his addict mother. But right in the middle of his band’s national tour he gets a call to come home: his mom’s got a whopper of a secret to reveal.

Daisy Charbonneau’s in trouble. The talent she hired for her resort’s annual Huckleberry Festival’s just bailed on her, and she’s desperate to find a replacement act. Luck turns her way when she discovers her high school crush is back in town—and he happens to be a rock star. 

As they work together, a crush deepens into so much more—but who falls in love in two weeks?

Especially when Cooper’s never coming back to town, and Daisy’s never going to leave it.
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

       

Faery Born 

by Donna Joy Usher

Release Date: September 11, 2014

Series: War Faery #1

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Author's Links: Goodreads, Website, Twitter, Facebook

It’s been thirteen years since the Dark Years ended. Thirteen years since the mad War Faery responsible was imprisoned in stone. Now, with goblin attacks on the rise it seems Galanta, the Goblin Queen, is intent on returning the land to chaos and terror.

Isadora Scrumpleton is trying not to think about the Dark Years. She’s just been chosen by her ‘familiar’, found out she’s half faery, and discovered she’s dating the second-in-line to the Faery Throne. That’s enough for one teenage witch to handle. But when goblins attack her village, Izzy is forced into action, ultimately joining the elite Border Guard and attracting the attention of the Goblin Queen. 

As Galanta weaves a web of deceit, Izzy struggles to control her powers. Will she be able to stop the Goblin Queen in time, or will the world be plunged into a dark new reality?

(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

    

Happy Reading! :)

✯BOOK BLITZ:✯ Accidental Tryst by Natasha Boyd {EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY!}

Accidental Tryst by Natasha Boyd

Release Date: March 6th 2018 by Natasha Boyd, LLC

Genres: Adult, Comedy, Romance

A new standalone seriously (steamy) romantic comedy! Meet Trystan Montgomery. Suit monkey, commitment-phobic serial dater. No more than three dates, unless he hasn't ... you know. 

Emmy:

What a disaster! I only just made my flight to New York to help my uncle, and the phone I’m holding is not mine! It seems to belong to some commitment-phobic serial dater who’s never made it past four dates (according to the constant notifications he's getting from his fake dating profile...) And worse? I have a sinking feeling it’s that hot suit-monkey with the arctic grey eyes I just had a run-in with at the airport. Somehow I have to persuade him not to get a new phone until I get back. My whole life is on that phone. It’s only a few days. Surely we can handle it.

Trystan:

This is a joke, right? My life could not get more f*cked up. I’m in the middle of selling my company and on my way to a funeral and that hot mess hippie-chick stole my freaking phone. I’m not sure how she convinced me not to immediately walk into a smart phone store and get a new one, but now she’s going to have to play stand in and distract me while I deal with my long-avoided and estranged family. I don’t have my dating apps after all, and frankly she’s pretty funny. And sexy. And why can’t I stop texting her? And now we’re talking. And … look, I’ll admit that I usually run for the hills the morning after, but the morning after phone sex? That’s not really real, right? 

Purchase: Amazon, Kobo, iBooks

{EXCERPT}

EMMY:

This was an emergency. I dialed again. Straight to voicemail. I dialed again.

And again.

And again.

"What?" Trystan's voice barked.

"Oh, hi. This is—"

"Emmy, I know."

"Oh." I swallowed quickly while I gathered my scattered thoughts and recovered from his abrupt tone. "Um."

"What do you want?" he snapped.

Oh my God. Was this guy for real? "For you not to act like an asshole for a start."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I phoned you bec—"

"Seven times. You called seven times."

"And you ignored it seven times!"

"Because I'm in the middle of something."

"And I'm in the middle of nowhere with a suitcase and no information about where I'm staying tonight. You know why?" I ploughed on. "Because some asshole took my phone." He hissed but I talked right over it. "And now said asshole won't even answer it to help me figure out where I am supposed to sleep for the night. This ... is ... an ... emergency," I enunciated. My heart beat in my ears, my hands shook, and my face throbbed. All the tears I'd only recently been able to stuff back inside me came back rising like a tide, and I was mortified to realize my voice had begun wobbling on the last word.

There was silence and a muffled expletive on the other end and then nothing.

I frowned and pulled the phone from my ear. Did he ...?

"Ugh!" I squealed loudly, almost throwing his phone to the sidewalk in despair and swiping the tears off my cheeks. He'd hung up on me. I couldn't believe this day.

Did you seriously just hang up on me? 

Suit Monkey: Keep your bloody knickers on. Information headed your way in a bit. 

I blew out a breath. Thank you, I guess. 

How long is this going to take you? I texted again. I'm standing on a street corner with my suitcase. Someone's going to think I'm a hooker looking for a commitment. 

Suit Monkey: Just give me a fucking minute to locate it amongst all your junk mail from Cats R Us and Sewing Monthly. Jesus, you have a lot of shit in your inbox. How do you find anything? 

I use the search bar, Genius. 

Suit Monkey: But, whyyyyyyy do you subscribe to these things? 

I rolled my eyes, and a grin tugged at my mouth even though I was irritated with him. 

Suit Monkey: Never mind. Don't tell me. 

Suit Monkey: Are you aware you have over 10,000 unread emails. You are a mess. HOW DO YOU LIVE?

I clean them out periodically. 

Suit Monkey: Are we talking periods like Ice Age to Information Age? 

Suit Monkey: Is there anything else you need because I had a shitty day that won't be over for some time, and I can't be at your beck and call. And for the record, everything about you screams commitment. 

My grin evaporated. Letting out a squeak of frustration, I gritted my teeth and hammered my message out with angry fingertips. 

Yes, actually. I NEED you to stop being so mean. I've also had a pretty shitty day. And your phone is literally the only thing I have to try and navigate my life right now. So please give me a tiny break. Forward the info to your inbox please. 

Suit Monkey: Fine. Try not to read the rest of my email. It's confidential. 

Don't worry. I'm not interested in your self-importance. What did he do for a living that made him feel like he was king of the universe, anyway? 

Suit Monkey: And just text me if you need something. Don't psycho-call me seven times straight. 

At least my first instincts about him at the airport had been correct. What a tool. 

Then you should answer your texts, and I won't have to. 

AUTHOR BIO:

Natasha Boyd is an internationally bestselling and award-winning author of historical fiction and contemporary romantic Southern fiction. She has a background in marketing and public relations and her debut novel Eversea was a finalist in the 2013 Winter Rose Contest for Contemporary Romance and won the 2014 Digital Book Award for Adult Fiction. Her book "Deep Blue Eternity" won a "best book" Chatelaine Award for Romantic Fiction. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Georgia Romance Writers, Novelists Inc., and Island Writer's Network in coastal South Carolina. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and lives with her husband, two sons and the cast of characters in her head. Her books have been translated into Italian, German, French, Turkish and Indonesian.

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✯BOOK BLITZ:✯ The History of Hilary Hambrushina by Marnie Lamb {EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY!}

The History of Hilary Hambrushina by Marnie Lamb

Release Date: May 31st 2017 by Iguana Books

Pages: 206

Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

Hilary has one goal for her first year in junior high: to become popular. But her plans are turned upside down when her best friend leaves for the summer and a quirky girl named Kallie moves in next door. Kallie paints constellations on her ceiling, sleeps in a hammock, and enacts fantastical plays in front of cute boys on the beach. Yet despite Kallie’s lack of interest in being “cool,” Hilary and Kallie find themselves becoming friends. That summer friendship, however, is put to the test when school begins, reigniting Hilary's obsession with climbing the social ladder. As Hilary discovers the dark side to popularity, she must decide who she wants to be before she loses everything. 

Purchase: Amazon, B&N, Kobo, iBooks

{EXCERPT}

I put on a sweatband and sneakers and brought down a water bottle. My plan was to pedal non-stop for an hour. I figured I could do it, since I was used to riding my own bike, and how different could this bike be? I should lose at least one pound that way, I told myself. So if I use the bike every day, in fifteen days I’ll have lost the weight I want to lose.

I stepped over boxes and piles of books to reach the bike, which sat in a dark corner. This corner had a musty smell, like an old church that hadn’t been dusted since Queen Victoria was my age. A fake raccoon-fur hat someone had given my dad as a joke hung on the wall nearby.

The bike seat was too high for me, but I couldn’t move it because it was screwed in place. Gripping the handlebars for support, I tried to heave my leg over the seat several times without success. I was becoming angry and sweaty, so I started breathing deeply, like I was having a baby, to calm myself down. “Hoo hoo hoo.”

“Hilary!” shouted my mom. “Why are you making monkey noises?”

I froze. I knew that if I said, “It’s nothing,” she’d come down, and I didn’t want her to think I needed help getting on a stationary bicycle. So I called, “I’m just playing a game.”

I managed to lift myself on to the bike. I had to stretch to reach the pedals, but I finally did and started pumping. It was O.K. at first, but soon, my muscles felt like some psycho was using them as rubber bands. And some people actually do this for fun! What’s wrong with them, I thought. I reached for the water bottle and tried to squirt some water in my mouth. Nothing but air came out. I’d forgotten to fill the bottle! I threw it away and continued to pump furiously. Objects on the wall began rattling, and I was making so many strange noises my mother must have thought a whole pack of monkeys was performing a conga line in the basement. I began to have visions of monkeys in spangly pink bikinis

kicking up their heels (did monkeys have heels, I wondered) on stage at the Princess of Wales Theatre.

Suddenly my sweatband fell over my eyes. I didn’t stop to fix it, though. You’re going to pump for the full hour, not for fifty-nine minutes, I ordered myself. Instead, I tried nodding vigorously to get the sweatband to fall under my chin. It fell over my nose and I couldn’t breathe. Then something dark and furry leapt on my head, covering my eyes and tickling my face like a bunch of feathers. I screamed, batting at the thing with one hand and pumping frantically, as if I could escape that way. I soon realized it was only my dad’s hat, but I still couldn’t get it off. Finally I stumbled off the bike and yanked the hat’s tail away from my eyes.

I had no energy left to remove the hat, so I left it on and trudged upstairs. I passed my mom, who took one look at me and started to snicker. Ignoring her, I went into the kitchen to check the clock. I’d been on the bike five minutes.

So that was the end of my experiment with exercising.

AUTHOR BIO:

A Journey Prize nominee, Marnie Lamb earned a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Windsor. Her short stories have appeared in various Canadian literary journals. Her first novel, a YA book named The History of Hilary Hambrushina, is forthcoming from Iguana Books. When she is not writing fiction or running her freelance editing business, she can be found cooking recipes with eggplant or scouting out colourful fashions at the One of a Kind Show.

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✯BOOK BLITZ:✯ Happy Endings Book Club by Kylie Gilmore {EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY!}

Happy Endings Book Club by Kylie Gilmore

Release Date: January 10th 2018 by Extra Fancy Books

Series: Happy Endings Book Club #1-3

Pages: 700

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Join the club and get your Happy Ending!

The Happy Endings Book Club Boxed Set includes three full-length novels: Hidden Hollywood, Inviting Trouble, and So Revealing.

Book 1: Hidden Hollywood

She’s on top…

When superstar actress Claire Jordan researched her role for the Fierce Trilogy movies, she never expected the bond she feels with the author and her romance book club aka The Happy Endings Book Club. Soon Claire finds herself confessing her secret longing for a regular guy—no more egocentric wealthy players—and the book club is all too ready to help. In disguise as a regular girl, she’s all set for a date with book-club-approved Josh Campbell.

He’s on top…

Billionaire tech CEO Jake Campbell is weary of gold-digging women, especially the glamorous superficial types. So when his identical twin, Josh, calls in a favor, asking Jake to step in as him on a date, Jake figures one of Josh’s cute girl-next-door types might be just what he needs. One night of passion with the sweet girl next door leaves Jake wanting more, except she seems to have vanished.
Sometimes a Happy Ending is just the beginning.

Book 2: Inviting Trouble

Madison Campbell has worshipped her older brother’s best friend, Parker Shaw, for as long as she can remember. So the night before he leaves for the Air Force, she decides he’s leaving town with her virginity. All she has to do is transform her tomboy self into a sexy woman with a bit of borrowed makeup and some creative fashion choices. The results? One drunken kiss that Park doesn’t even remember.

Ten years later, no man has ever gotten close to her heart the way Park did. And now that he’s back, the very unfeminine Madison refuses to blow her second chance. But when her bold attempts to snag his attention (“Oops! Dropped my towel.”) fail miserably, she does something completely insane—she caves to a makeover from the meddling matchmaker in charge of The Happy Endings Book Club. Hey, Park, you want some of this? Madison is about to find out.

Book 3: So Revealing

The last thing Charlotte Vega needs is a cocky HOT stuntman like Ty Campbell in her life. But when he pulls the ultimate stunt—a sexy romantic gesture that ends with a charming invitation to a sunset dinner cruise—she finds him impossible to resist. Cue disaster. 

Their rocky first date goes from bad to worse when his yacht (okay, it’s actually borrowed) gets stranded in deep mud. Turns out there’s nothing Ty can do but wait hours and hours for high tide with no power, no way to cook dinner, and a hangry sexy-as-hell woman. 

But Ty is determined to salvage the date so he starts a game to pass the time. Only what Ty learns makes him realize he may have just botched a date with the perfect woman. How will he ever win her now?

Purchase: Amazon, B&N, iBook, Google Play, Kobo

{EXCERPT}

Claire bit her lower lip. “Dammit. This is why I can’t have real relationships. I can’t trust anyone.”

“You can trust me.”

She sighed. “I don’t even know you.”

“Get to know me.”

“Jake…” She looked away.

“One date, the real deal. Jake and Claire.”

She was tempted. He could tell. She didn’t give him a no right away and now she was searching his face, looking for the truth. He leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers, coaxing. He pulled back and met her eyes, fully prepared to do this all night if he had to. Coaxing, charming, easing his way in. He’d thought coaxing would be too difficult with the way he wanted her, but having her pull away was much harder.

She spoke quietly. “You don’t want that kind of spotlight on you. It’s not pretty.”

It wasn’t a no.

“I want you, and whatever comes with it, I don’t care.” He cradled her face with both hands. “I want Claire.”

She closed her eyes, and he dropped his hands to her shoulders, sliding them down the satiny smooth skin of her arms to her hands. He took her hands from behind her and pulled them forward, just holding them. She didn’t pull away. He sensed she was leaning toward letting him in.

Finally she spoke, the words filling him with elation. “We’d have to keep it quiet.”

Not that he wanted to keep it quiet. He just wanted to be with her so much he was willing to play the game her way. For now. He kissed her softly and spoke against her lips. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes.” She shoved him away. “Now stop kissing me. One date. Jake and Claire.”

“Why do I have to stop kissing you?”

“Because you want to get to know me, remember?”

“I can get to know your body first. Get reacquainted.”

She laughed. “Yeah. I’ve heard that one before.”

He figured she probably did. Everyone wanted the sexiest woman alive. He’d seen the magazine giving her that honor and her bikini body splashed everywhere. He knew that kind of attention didn’t always bring out the best in people, and he realized he had to stand out from the pack.

He stepped back and helped her off the table.

“Such a gentleman,” she teased.

“It’s all an illusion,” he replied, not bothering to hide the edge of unsatisfied lust in his voice.

“Story of my life,” she said breezily. “I’ll text Hailey to let you know when I’m free.”

“At least give me your number now that we’ve established how much you lust for me.” She laughed, and he grinned. “I’d like to stop going through other people.” He pulled his cell from his pocket, punched in the code, and handed it over.

She typed her number in while saying, “I never give this number to anyone. Only a handful of people have it on a need-to-know basis. Can you handle that kind of responsibility?”

“What do you think?” It was an honor and, hell, he’d earned it with all his restraint.

She met his eyes, fire back in hers. “I hope so. I swear I will hunt you down—”

He cut her off with a kiss. Not a gentle one. The kind that said he’d be taking what he wanted and she’d damn well like it. She sagged against him.

When he was good and ready, he broke the kiss and snagged his cell from her limp hand. “Later, Claire Jordan.”

She fought back a smile and then beamed a big one at him, stunningly beautiful in her well-kissed, hot-for-him state. “Later, Jake Campbell.”

He grinned and headed out the door. Now that was more like it.

AUTHOR BIO:

Kylie Gilmore is the USA Today bestselling author of the Clover Park series, the Clover Park STUDS series, and the brand new Happy Endings Book Club series. She writes humorous romance that makes you laugh, cry, and reach for a cold glass of water.

Kylie lives in New York with her family, two cats, and a nutso dog. When she's not writing, wrangling kids, or dutifully taking notes at writing conferences, you can find her flexing her muscles all the way to the high cabinet for her secret chocolate stash.

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✯EXCERPT REVEAL:✯ Hot Daddy by Lila Monroe

Hot Daddy by Lila Monroe

Release Date: April 2nd 2018 by Lila Monroe Books

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

Welcome to the Billionaire Bachelors series, where the sexiest men in the city are about to meet their match… 

Playboy CEO, Cal McAdams, lives life in the fast lane: hot women, hotter deals, and… a fake fiancee? I signed on to help reform his reckless image and win custody of his god-children, but I wasn’t expecting to come face-to-face (and mouth-to-mouth) with my wild Vegas hook-up from three years ago. 

AKA, 6”3 of tanned muscle, sharp suits, and ‘undress me’ eyes. 
AAKA, the best thigh-clenching, bed-shaking sex of my life. 
AAAKA, the man who couldn’t be more off-limits if he had a uranium belt wrapped around his, um, assets. 

I’ve never been one to break the rules, but Cal has me wanting to rip them up - and roll around naked on the scrap paper. But with just three weeks to turn this bachelor into a DILF, can we keep our crazy chemistry from derailing his plans? Or will gold-digging relatives, rambunctious pre-teens, and a little thing called love leave us both crashed out of the race? 

Find out in the new sexy, hilarious romantic comedy from Lila Monroe! 

Purchase: Amazon, Amazon UK, Amazon AU, iBooks, Kobo

{EXCERPT}

I’ve been stranded at the hotel bar in Vegas alone for exactly twenty seconds before a guy sidles in beside me. “Buy you a drink?”

I glance up. He’s at least twenty years my senior, with pleated khakis and an obvious comb-over. I shake my head and smile tightly. “Got one, thanks.”

“Aw, come on now,” he says, plunking himself down in the empty seat beside me. “You in town for the conference?” Then, in spite of the fact that I haven’t asked: “Medical devices.”

His name is Greg, he continues; he sells surgical equipment and has a hundred dollar per diem he hasn’t blown through yet today, if I want to rethink that drink offer. “I’ll spring for nachos too,” he says magnanimously. “I’m a generous guy.”

I’m sweeping the room for the closest exit, contemplating an escape worthy of Danny Ocean himself, when a hand lands on the back of my barstool. “Hey babe,” a deep voice says casually. “Making friends?”

I whip around. This guy would look right at home with Clooney and Pitt. He’s tall and dark-haired, wearing a shirt rolled halfway to his elbows and an expression that clearly says, just go with it. “I got my ass beat at roulette,” he continues with a sheepish grin. “There goes private school for the kids, right?” He sticks his hand out to medical device guy. “Cal. The husband.”

I almost choke on my paloma. Still, something about the sheer ballsiness of this particular play--and, okay, how hot this guy is--has me playing along. “Hey hon,” I say, laying a hand on his pleasantly solid bicep. “Greg here was just telling me all about the free swag at the medical device conference in town.”

Greg’s gaze darts from me to Cal, then back again. “I guess I’ll leave y’all to it, then.”

“Good to meet you,” I lie, smiling my cheeriest smile.

Once he’s gone I turn to Cal. “So, on a scale of like, one to Disney Princess, how badly did I look like I needed rescuing?”

Cal tilts his head to the side, considering. “I mean, your undisguised expression of misery kind of gave it away.”

“Maybe that’s just how my face is!” I protest, laughing in spite of myself. “Resting miserable face.”

“Eh. Maybe.” Cal shrugs, all confidence as he settles himself onto Greg’s recently vacated barstool. “You don’t look so miserable now.”

Right away I feel my cheeks flush. It’s been a long time since I flirted—or, more accurately, since I was competently flirted with. “So how many kids do we have, exactly?”

“Not too many,” he reassures me, nodding at the bartender for another beer. “Like six or seven, max.”

“Six or seven!” I snort. “And here you are just gambling their lunch money away like some kind of degenerate.”

Cal nods gravely. “I’m a real scoundrel,” he agrees.

“Clearly.” I stick my hand out. “Jules Robinson.”

“Nice to meet you, Jules Robinson.” He gives good handshake, firm but not bone-crushing, all long fingers and the faintest scrape of callus on his palm. His eyes are a deep, friendly brown. “So what brings you to Vegas?” he asks.

“I’m with a girlfriend,” I explain. “Or I was, anyway. At the moment she’s out on an... exploratory mission.”

Cal grins. “Sounds exhilarating.”

“Oh, I’m sure it is,” I assure him. “What about you? What are you doing in town?”

“Auditioning for Thunder from Down Under,” he says immediately. Then, off my laugh: ”Callback, actually. I aced the first round, they couldn’t get enough of me.”

“Right, no, obviously.” The ads for the all-male revue were plastered all over the strip when we got here this afternoon: beefy, longhaired guys in bow ties, cummerbunds, and not much else. “So what’s your character?” I ask, rattling the ice in my mostly-empty glass. “Sexy fireman, sexy cop…?”

“Sexy medical device salesman,” he deadpans. “See, you’re laughing, but I have a whole bit I do with the x-ray machine. It’s a real crowd pleaser.”

Casino bars don’t ever really empty out, but this one is taking on a distinct after-hours vibe, low light and quiet conversations; the Bud-guzzling bachelor party bros are long gone. When I finally check my phone to see if Kelly’s texted—she has, she’s safe, and she’s having a truly epic time with her mountain man—I realize it’s after one. “Holy shit,” I blurt. “How’d it get to be so late?”

Cal raises his eyebrows. “Keeping you up?”

“What? No!” I blurt, immediately embarrassed by how eager I sound. “We just had an early flight out this morning, that’s all. I’ve been up for like twenty hours.”

“I’m teasing you, princess.” He smiles at me then, slow and easy. It’s the most intimate smile of my entire life. It’s a smile like sitting in front of a campfire in October and reading the paper in bed on Sunday morning; it’s a smile, frankly, like getting good and fucked by a man who knows you down to your most essential particles. “You wanna get out of here?” he asks.

I knew it was coming but still there’s something bracingly scandalous about the idea, being propositioned by a total stranger. I’m imagining it now, I can’t help it: that broad chest pressed against mine and his capable-looking mouth on my neck, long fingers reaching down between my legs and—

“Tempting,” I tell him truthfully, laying a palm against my flaming face. “But I probably shouldn’t.”

To his credit Cal keeps smiling, a little rueful; he doesn’t try to convince me, either, just touches my arm and catches the bartender’s eye to settle up. “Fair enough,” he tells me, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. “Well, it was really nice to be married to you for five minutes, Jules Robinson.”

“Yeah,” I agree, feeling my whole body get warm. “It was nice to be married to you for five minutes, too.”

I’m surprised by the sharp pang of longing behind my ribs as I watch him go a moment later, the strange sense that I’ve somehow given up more than just a roll in starchy white hotel sheets. Still, it’s not like I’m about to just get up and follow him out of here. He probably does this every night, sure. But I’ve never had a one night stand in my entire life.

I’ve never had a one-night stand in my entire life.

The thought stops me—after all, I’m a grown-ass woman with a newly minted law degree, aren’t I? I’ve got nobody to answer to but myself. And this is Vegas. What happens here, et cetera. I swallow down the rest of my tequila, set the glass back down on the bar. “Hey Cal!” I call, slinging my purse over my shoulder and hopping down off my barstool as quickly as my tiny dress allows. “Wait up.”

Thanks for stopping by! :)

🌟 Freebie Tuesday (Edition #211) 🌟

📚 Happy Tuesday! 📚

Thanks for stopping by! As always I will be tweeting random freebies that I can find on any given day so if you're looking for more free books make sure to follow me on twitter @JackieBookWorld. :)

***Note that there will be some books that will be free for limited time only, so make sure to download them as soon as you can. Also if there is any specific genre that you guys want me to find books of, let me know in the comment section below. (:  Enjoy! 

Not You It’s Me 
by Julie Johnson
Release Date: July 7th 2015
Series: Boston Love #1
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Author's Links: Goodreads, Website, Twitter, Facebook

Gemma Summers is unlucky in love.

She’s known it since third grade, when her first crush blew a spitball into her hair, and a decade-long string of bad dates, boring sex, and abysmal morning-afters has done nothing to improve her prospects. 

But when a random radio call-in contest lands her courtside tickets to the hottest playoff game of the season, Gemma’s luck may finally be on the upswing — even if it doesn’t exactly seemlike it when the dreaded jumbotron kiss-cam lands on her and her date, who’s too busy ignoring her to notice…

Chase Croft doesn’t date.

Despite ample opportunity as Boston’s most eligible bachelor, the reformed bad-boy would rather put his energy into taking over the family business than weed through a world of gold-diggers to find an honest woman. 

But when the beautiful girl in the seat next to him becomes a courtside spectacle at the hands of her loser boyfriend, he can’t help but step in and save the day.

One kiss. Two strangers. No strings attached.

The only problem is, Chase is used to getting whatever he wants. And after kissing Gemma once, he knows one thing…

He wants more.

NOT YOU IT’S ME is a full-length, standalone contemporary romance about a girl who doesn’t believe in love… and the man who changes her mind. Due to sexy-times and strong language, it is intended for readers 17 and up. 
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

       

Breaking Good 

by Madeline Ash

Release Date: September 1st 2016 by The Tule Publishing Group, LLC

Series: Rags to Riches #4

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

Author's Links: Goodreads, Website, Twitter, Facebook

He wasn’t good for her. He never would be.

At eighteen, Stevie Case finally surrendered to her attraction to bad boy Ethan Rafters, sharing one night with him before she graduated and he skipped town on a one-way road to destruction. Years later, Stevie has hit back life’s curveballs and is no stranger to hard work, but when she finds herself working for Ethan, who’s turned his life around, her world shatters not only because their chemistry is still fierce and undeniable but because fate separated them before she could tell him he has a son.

Ethan desperately wants to be a good father and a partner yet he believes he’ll never be normal. The chaos that defines his life has destroyed his relationships, yet Stevie’s acceptance of his flaws tempts him with a life he thought impossible.

Dare he risk Stevie’s life of hard-fought stability for his own chance at happiness?

(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

       

Happy Reading! :)