VIRTUAL TOUR: STRANDED WITH MY STEPBROTHER - MADISON COLLINS + EXCERPT + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!!

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STRANDED WITH MY STEPBROTHER

STRANDED WITH MY STEPBROTHER

Madison Collins

Self Published

A standalone taboo romance. No cliffhanger. 18+

On the way to our parents wedding in the mountains, the mother of all snow storms attacks, leaving me stranded in a remote cabin with my new stepbrother.

My hot as hell, I-need-to-change-my-panties because-they’re-soaked, cocky asshole of a stepbrother, Bentley McAllister.

The kicker of it all?

The only items he's packed are liquor and condoms, and he’s looking at me like he wants to put both to good use.

My name is Sierra, and my libido can only take so much.

Send help!

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“Listen, princess.” I lift her chin toward mine, meeting this gorgeous big blue eyes.  “I’m not sure if you noticed, but we’re stranded together in the middle of fucking nowhere, with only each other to count on.  You can fight me all you want, but there’s one thing you need to understand.  I’m going to protect you.  I’m going to take care of you.  And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m six-foot-four, and probably have a hundred pounds on you.  My body is going to produce a lot more heat than yours.  Now calm the fuck down, and let me get you warm.  Got it, sweetheart?”  Her fighting stops immediately.

She nods, coyly, blinking those baby blues at me, all of her fight disappearing.  “Got it.” Her voice is small, and I suddenly feel like a dick.

“Good. Glad we’re on the same page.” I tug her body closer so we’re pressed tightly together, and I hold her to my chest, wrapping her in my arms. A contented little sigh escapes her lips. The top of her head doesn’t even reach my chin. She packs a lot of sass for such a small thing.  I inhale, and breathe in the scent of her shampoo. The smell of vanilla and lavender fill my nose.  Damn, who knew that combination could be so perfect?  It’s intoxicating and I can feel my body slowly start to react to the smell and the images my mind starts to produce.  The way her slight curves mold to my body serves to warm me up pretty damn quick. 

***Disclaimer: I received this book via Tasty Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Any thoughts and opinions are my own.***

Stranded with My Stepbrother is a quick novella about Sierra and her soon-to-be stepbrother, Bentley. This subject is a little on the taboo side but not too much since they weren't raised as brother and sister and aren't even related by marriage yet at the beginning of the story. 

I liked both of the characters, and they were well-written, but I feel like there were some things missing to their story. Sierra has a lot of anger towards Bentley at the beginning of the story but it is very unclear as to why she is so angry with him. I feel like there maybe should have been a little bit more of a backstory. 

The chemistry between the two of them is palpable and sexy. The actual sex scenes were steamy and I loved their first time being written from the male POV. It gave things a different perspective and is not something that is very common in stories like this. 

I give this book a solid 3 stars. I would like to give more but I think Ms. Collins needs to have the book read through again by her editor, there were quite a few typos which can sometimes make it hard to read. I also would have liked to have seen a little bit more of a backstory or some kind of other character development in order to connect with the characters a little better. Overall though, it was enjoyable and incredibly sexy! 

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Madison Collins is the author of romantic short stories such as Caged, Stranded with My Stepbrother and the upcoming Monster Prick. She enjoys the occasional stiff cocktail, and watching romantic comedies. Most days you can find her curled up with a good book. She currently resides in New Jersey.

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GIVEAWAY TIME!!! YOU COULD BE HOME BY NOW - TRACY MANASTER + EXCERPT

In honor of the paperback release of Tracy Manaster's amazing book You Could Be Home By Now, the wonderful people at F+W Media have allowed me to give away TWO copies of this book! 

You can read my review of You Could Be Home By Now here!

Excerpt: 

Excerpted from You Could Be Home By Now Copyright © by Tracy Manaster and published by F+W Media, Inc. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

Down below, the runner veered off the path and ran through the sprinkler. She stopped, resecured her ponytail, then made for a prickly clump of succulents. She’d probably appreciate the Fixit. Everyone did (well, everyone minus one). They were funny, yeah, but they were meant to help. Look better, feel better, be better. It was as simple as that. Like Sierra said: the most noble and magnanimous Headmistress Brecken should have given her community service credit instead of summoning her parents. But no one would listen that day in la Brecken’s office. Lily wasn’t picking on anyone. She didn’t go around looking for Fixits. Girls sent in their own pictures. And she was careful. She’d listened to the bajillion assemblies on Internet predators. The policy was right there on her blog. She’d only consider photos with the heads cropped off.

Another Visiting Grandchild, a little-kid version, had appeared in the hot tub courtyard. They should exchange cards. He walked robot style, knees locked. Between the goosesteps and his bowl cut he kind of looked like a mini Hitler. He found a stick and brandished it at his reflection in the sliding glass door. He poked it at something on the ground. He tapped it against the hot tub.

Lily reached for her bag. She still had one airport magazine left. Down in his courtyard, Der Führer stood on a picnic bench and jumped.

Lily flipped through a couple of pages then tossed the stupid thing. It skidded across the roof. Mom had given her a fat stack of magazines when they’d said goodbye at airport security, like what was eating Lily alive was a dearth of articles on how to perfect your cat-eye liner. The beauty tips weren’t the point. Her blog could be about the mating cycles of fruit bats. The point was, Lily had friends. Saintblonde lived all the way in Tampa and wanted Lily’s opinion on what haircut to get. Fizzimiss was from somewhere in Arizona and if Lily didn’t ping her to let her know that she was nearby and eminently visit-worthy then she really would be as snotty and shallow as all of a sudden everyone was convinced she was.

Dad had said they weren’t real people. He’d joked about outgrowing imaginary friends.

No. The person who wasn’t a real person was her mystery classmate, Anonymous Crybaby VonFragilekins.

This time, Der Führer climbed onto the table to jump. He stuck the landing.

Lily hadn’t even had the chance to face her accuser.

Headmistress Brecken identified her as a classmate-whose-image-you-appropriated-without-her -knowledge-or-consent.

A classmate-who-you-then-held-up-for-public-ridicule. As I’m sure you’re aware, Miss Birnam, we expect better of our student citizens.

Lily hadn’t even known the girl went to Day.

She hadn’t been wearing her uniform or anything, and the image arrived in her inbox pre-cropped.

Der Führer was back on the picnic table. He made a running start.

Lily shifted, chin in her hands.

Three stupid paragraphs and boom. Goodbye, two years of work. Auf wiedersehen, au revoir, and sayonara, international following. Not to mention two weeks’ grounding and total technological confiscation.

She wasn’t mean. Ever. She had a rule. Only criticize what a girl can actually change.

And there’d been compliments in the Fixit in question.

First things first, chickie-dee: can the lace collar and the cutesy little cap sleeves. You’re not ten. Obviously. We can all see the Boob Fairy thought you were a very good girl. If you weren’t wearing a blouse like a first grader in the Thanksgiving pageant, everyone here would be dead of envy.

Second, the Boob Fairy was generous but she forgot to leave an instruction manual. Your bra strap is showing. Bonus points for purple though. Is that satin? I wish more readers had your guts.

Third, I’m worried about your necklace. Points for taking on that whole charm and bauble boho thing, but between you and me and the Internet it looks a little bit Etsy.

Lily frowned and watched Der Führer jump again, his thin arms flapping. He landed on the hot tub cover, but only barely. He toppled off, stood, wiped his palms on his shorts, and climbed right back up to try again. Talk about easily amused.

She took another swig of water.

Sierra said she was lucky. Anyone else would be suspended for sure, but nothing’s going to stick to you for long. Nothing scares the trustees like the prospect of a big fat lesbian lawsuit. Be all angel food cake and they’ll let you up again in no time. That sounded a bit optimistic to Lily, but she didn’t say so. Sierra probably felt guilty.

The Boob Fairy had been her invention. Lily’d balked about posting it but Sierra said no, it was hilarious. She even drew a cartoon Boob Fairy for Lily’s locker.

Down in the courtyard, Der Führer missed the hot tub. He landed square on his butt. A shocked, solid breath escaped.

Lily stood and checked the back of her legs for color, pressing a finger to the flesh of her calf. The white mark flared then faded. It was a hundred and eighty degrees today and, in the absence of her iPhone, terminally boring to lie out. She’d stay for ten more little Hitler jumps and then head in. The kid positioned himself and ran. He cleared the space between table and hot tub, landed, and let out a small cheer.

The ponytailed runner circled by once more.

Der Führer made another headlong start. Another perfect landing, maybe half a foot beyond the lip of the hot tub cover. She should start holding up cards, awarding points out of ten.

Or not, bearing in mind what happened the last time she made any kind of critique.

Der Führer scrambled back into position. His feet pounded down the length of the table and he hurled himself into the air. His landing was a bit off. He wobbled backward and then overcorrected.

He staggered toward the tub’s center.

Then he was gone.

The hot tub cover collapsed in a brutal V.

Every hair on Lily’s body stood straight. “Hey, kid,” she called down. Her hand went by instinct to her hip, but she didn’t have pants and didn’t have a pocket and she didn’t have a goddamn phone. The day went wonky. All the colors crisped. She’d taken the Red Cross babysitting class. A little card in her wallet said she knew CPR, but all she could recall was the dummy’s plastic lips, their red worn away in patches.

“Kid!” she called again.

She saw a small sneakered foot and pulsed with bright relief.

Then the foot twitched and she worked out the physics. If it was above water then the rest of him was under.

Her bones went hollow. She made it off the roof, and then into her grandmother’s kitchen. There was no phone anywhere. She checked the living room. The bedroom. The weird little desk alcove where she spied one beneath a sheaf of papers. That kid. That poor kid. The time she had cost him. She should have had her cell. The landline buttons sank in when she pushed them, nine then one then one. The phone was blue, with a blue tangle of cord. There was an impossible amount of wire involved in getting the signal out.

All you have to do in order to win is leave a comment below telling me why YOU should be the winner! I'll choose two people at random and announce the winner next Friday! 
**Must live in US or Canada in order to win**

VIRTUAL TOUR: SHATTER - COURTNEY HOUSTON + EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY!

Shatter

by Courtney Houston

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE:  Paranormal Romance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

I am going to do something that has never been done before.

My name is Telor Conway, and I am going to destroy Death. Bring her to her knees in front of me.

I don’t know how and I don’t know when.

The only thing I know for certain, is that nothing will come between me and my soul mate ever again.

I’ve been given a second chance at life, a life with Catalina. I’ve been given something worth fighting for.

I will fight for it, for her… for us. Even if it is the last thing I do.

I have thrown the gauntlet.

On your marks.

Get set.

Go.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

Telor took my hand and lead me to the couch, sitting down next to me. With two gentle fingers, he titled my chin up so my eyes met his.

“He may look like your brother, he may sound like him and smell like him, but he is not your brother.” He said softly. “I told you once to remember that your brother loved you, but that he was gone now.”

Angry at his indifference, I knocked his hand away and stood in front of him with my hands on my hips, to keep them from shaking.

“He is my brother.” I said through my teeth. “And he needs my help. I can’t leave him with her. I’ll do it with or without your help.”

“If there was anything worth saving, I would help you, there is not.” He stood, the space between us was nonexistent as his hard chest push against mine. “There is nothing Tori could do to force him to act this way, he is doing it on his own free will.”

“You’re wrong.” I said, lowering my eyes to his chest.

“Do you love me?” He asked suddenly. “If you do, please trust me on this. If there was any way to bring your brother back to you, I would do it in a heartbeat because I know it would make you happy.”

  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Courtney lives in Kentucky with her husband (Mr. Houston), her two boys (Emmett and Ellis), her two cats (Polly and Jed) and her 3 chickens. Legal Assistant by day and writer by night, Courtney enjoys pancakes, coffee, wine and the number 26. She's a Leo, at least that's what the tattoo on her back says.

www.facebook.com/authorcourtneyhouston

Twitter @courtneyhouson

Buy link-http://amzn.to/1K4SHPI

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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VIRTUAL TOUR: Breaking A Legend - Sarah Robinson + Excerpt + Giveaway!

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BREAKING A LEGEND

Kavanagh Legends #1

Sarah Robinson

Released Sept 29th, 2015

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Perfect for fans of Katy Evans and Monica Murphy, Sarah Robinson’s blistering-hot series debut introduces the Kavanagh brothers—mixed martial arts fighters who work hard, play hard, and love with all their hearts.

As one of the big names at his family’s gym, Legends, MMA star Rory Kavanagh is used to being in the spotlight—until a gruesome leg injury knocks him out of the cage. Rory is left feeling sidelined in more ways than one, battling the inner demons that come with losing the one shot at his dreams. Then Clare walks into his life and gives him a new dream: winning her heart. There aren’t many new faces in Woodlawn these days, but this tough, beautiful stranger makes Rory want to get his life back into fighting shape.

Clare Ivers doesn’t think she’ll be able to tell anyone what really brought her to the close-knit Bronx neighborhood where she just started bartending. But her life’s on pause and her past is catching up fast, try as she might to move on—with new friends, steady work, and a chiseled alpha male trying to get her attention. Even though Rory’s more than a little intense, she can’t deny that her heart beats faster when he looks at her with those soulful silver eyes. Clare thought she was done with love, but Rory might just be man enough to show her she thought wrong.

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Excerpt: 

Well, if it isn’t our long-lost brother,” a familiar voice said a few minutes later, as he meandered into the neighborhood bar that everyone he knew frequented. A hand clasped his shoulder. “Shit, Rory, where the hell have you been?”

Rory inwardly groaned as he turned to face his younger brother, Quinn Kavanagh. Rory wanted to wipe Quinn’s smug smirk off with his fist. He had been sporting that same cocky attitude since the moment he popped into this world, a trait that Rory found uniquely irritating.

Now I remember why I’ve been avoiding this bar, Rory thought as he forced a smile at his brother.

“Just stopping in for a quick drink, Quinn,” Rory said, attempting to make clear that he wasn’t interested in socializing.

He headed over to the long wooden bar that wrapped around two sides of the small pub and stood before walls of liquor bottles and televisions. Several bartenders moved around swiftly, filling drink orders and talking with the full crowd that O’Leary’s always attracted on weekend nights. Rory found an empty stool down at one end, far away from the door, and quickly staked his claim.

He saw Cian, who had worked at O’Leary’s for as long as he could remember, and nodded his head to him. Cian nodded back and put up his hand, indicating he would be over in a minute, as he finished serving the group of college-aged kids at that end of the bar. The door to the kitchen swung open and a short, petite blonde ambled through carrying a large bucket of ice that seemed much too heavy for her small frame to manage.

Rory smiled slightly as he lifted one eyebrow, watching her with interest while she carefully poured the ice over the liquor bottles that sat in a metal bin below the bar’s surface. She huffed and her face was slightly red at the task, but she still managed to completely empty the bucket’s contents evenly around each of the glass bottles.

He took advantage of her being distracted by her task to stare at her shapely legs, which disappeared under a short skirt barely longer than her small apron. Her skin was delicately pale and smooth, and he wondered what it would feel like to slide his fingers up the length of those legs. His eyes traveled up her body, disappointed that the thick, blond ringlets dangling halfway down her back were also hiding most of her face as she leaned over the bar. He wanted to see her perfectly sloped nose, catch her eyes with his, and see what her small pink lips would look like when they smiled.

Something about this woman was intriguing him, although he couldn’t pinpoint what.

Her work completed, she exhaled loudly and plopped the empty bucket at her feet, taking a breather. Rory chuckled lightly, finally grabbing her attention.

“You laughing at me?” She put her hands on her hips, daring him to make fun of her.

Her eyes narrowed as she spoke, but he was still able to catch a glimpse of the dazzling emerald color that contrasted against her light skin and golden hair so perfectly.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, mhuirnín.” A smile spread across his face as he watched her saunter over to him, her full, pink lips tightly pressed together in irritation.

“What’s that mean?” she asked when she reached him, standing across the bar with her arms folded across her chest and one hip tilted higher than the other. Her tone was defiant and he loved the feisty spirit she exuded.

“Mhuirnín? You’re all questions today. I’ll answer your question, if you answer mine.” Rory concentrated on keeping his speech normal and not slurring his words. He might have had a bit more to drink tonight than he had intended.

She turned away from him, looking back down the length of the bar and drumming her fingers on its surface.

Rory could sense her nervousness. He already missed her green gaze and silently begged her to turn back to him. There was something about her that stirred a protective instinct in him, a feeling entirely foreign toward anyone who wasn’t family. She was smiling, but there was an undercurrent of pain breaking through her friendliness.

He didn’t like it.

“I guess that’s fair,” she relented, turning back to him and leaning against the wall.

“I haven’t seen you here before. What’s your name?” His question was simple, but the desire in his eyes was not as he licked his bottom lip and admired how perfectly her uniform hugged her curves, even on her small figure.

“Clare Ivers. I’m new in town. Needed a job.” She shrugged, not divulging much, but he felt a sliver of hope when he saw that the smile on her face had yet to disappear.

He knew that she could feel his attraction toward her when he saw the blush creep up her cheeks. The smile she couldn’t push away told him she was enjoying their banter as much as he was.

Despite her clear interest, there was a hint of disapproval as he watched her eyes roam over his torso. It was a look he was way too familiar with from the last year. Rory worried he might be slurring his words or sounding more drunk than he felt.

Wouldn’t be the first time, he thought.

“Your turn.” She pointed at him, biting the corner of her lip in an attempt to hide her smile.

“Mhuirnín means sweetheart. If you’re going to work in Woodlawn, Clare, you gotta learn some Irish.”

“Is that right? I guess I’ll have to find a good tutor then,” she taunted, before turning on her heels and sauntering off.

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Sarah Robinson is the bestselling author of The Photographer Trilogy and the Sand & Clay rock star series. A native of Washington, D.C., Robinson has both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal psychology. She is married to a local police officer who is just as much of an animal rescue enthusiast as she is. Together, they own a zoo of rescue and foster animals.

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VIRTUAL TOUR: THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT - KATIE ROSE + REVIEW + EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY!!

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THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT

The Boys of Summer #3

Katie Rose

Releasing Sept 22nd, 2015

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The Boys of Summer are back! In Katie Rose’s sweet, sparkling novel, the newest New Jersey Sonic falls for the woman who’s trying desperately to save his career.

Physical therapist Jessica Hart has learned her lesson: Never date professional athletes. She’s been down that road, and barely recovered after the relationship crashed and burned. Then Jessica meets Gavin King. An All-Star slugger with chiseled good looks, Gavin was traded to the Sonics because he hurt his knee sliding into second, and now his future is in her hands. Gavin’s no bad boy—but he’s tempting enough to make Jessica think twice about all her rules.

Gavin is trying to find a comfortable routine. If he wants his old life back, he must take it easy, stay out of the limelight, and keep his distance from gorgeous redheaded physical therapists. The thing is, Gavin isn’t the kind of guy to sit on his ass and let other people pull his weight. And when he sees something he wants, he can’t help but fight for it, even if it means risking everything, even if it only lasts a single moment: like one kiss from Jessica.

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Review: 

There are two things in this world that I love very much: baseball and a good romance. Combine those two and I'm in heaven! Seriously, I love sports romances so I was really excited about this story. And I can say that I was not disappointed! 

Jessica has sworn off heart-breaking ball players. Gavin is trying to start over in a new place with a new team. Once he meets his new physical therapist, Jessica, his mission becomes wooing her and changing her mind about ball players. But Jessica tries as hard as she can to resist this sexy hunk of man in front of her. 

I really liked Jessica's tenacity and her tomboyish-ness. As a girl in the sports world, you have to  be able to be "one of the guys" when the situation calls for it and Jessica is very good at finding that balance between being "one of the guys" and being a girl. Her determination to resist Gavin just made me want them to get together even more because you can see how hard it is for her to resist him. And, come on, Jessica, the man is HOT, HOT, HOT!! :)

I liked Gavin's character and how he pursues Jessica but not to the point of being annoying or creepy. He even bought her flowers. Even if they did turn out to be a disaster. I also liked the vulnerability of his character. He went from being a star baller to the new guy on a different ball team in a different place without his arm-candy girlfriend. He's trying to crawl himself out of rock bottom and sometimes his fears of not getting back on top really shines through. 

This was a really quick read for me because once I started it, I could not put it down. The chemistry between these two was on fire and I loved every second I got to spend getting to know these characters! 

Excerpt: 

Pete walked into the PT room a moment later, popping his gum with a grin.

“I want you to meet our new player, Gavin King. Gavin, this is Jessica Hart. She is the best sports therapist in the business, and a hell of a trainer. Jess, Gavin just joined the team, but he’s on the DL.”

Jessica turned to the coach, saw the ballplayer beside him, and her heart stopped.

He was exactly her type. Or her former type. As she took in his magnificent physique, black eyes, and Colgate smile, she felt an instant attraction.

Gavin was the kind of guy she used to dream about, drool over, and date. She’d met enough of them growing up, friends of her brothers who started out as decent guys but got caught up in the hype and eventually stomped all over some poor girl silly enough to give up her heart. Unfortunately, she’d had to walk that path herself. She’d made the fatal mistake of falling for an outfielder who played for Cleveland, and eventually played her. Zach had the same dark hair, heart-stopping smile, and killer body.

He’d taught her what the word devastation meant.

“Good to meet you.” She extended her hand, reminding herself to think of him in clinical terms: he was a pro baseball player, a young athlete, and he was hurt. “So what seems to be the problem?”

“I had surgery for a meniscus tear,” he said, lifting his left pant leg and indicating a bandage. “It’s pretty much healed, but the surgeon wants me in physical therapy for a few months to build back up. I think they sent my test results, the MRI, and a script.”

She nodded, squatting before him and removing the bandage to examine the pink half-inch line on his knee. “I’ll take a look at the films. Red zone?” she asked, referring to the location of his tear.

“Yeah, I think so. But they said it spread into the white zone.”

Her eyes shot to Pete’s, and he gave a slight negative shake of his head. This news wasn’t good, and neither one of them wanted to share their misgivings. A tear that went into the white zone could mean big trouble for a ballplayer, or it could heal well and the limb would fully recover. It would take weeks before they’d know, and she understood now how the Sonics had acquired this magnificent specimen of a man:

His previous team didn’t want the risk.

So New Jersey had rolled the dice, gambling on his recovery. She could only hope they’d beat the odds.

“Okay, let’s get started. Have you done any therapeutic exercise up until now?”

“Yes, for a couple of weeks,” he said, flexing the knee to demonstrate. “They had me doing leg raises until they took the brace off.”

“That makes sense. We won’t do much today; we’ll do an evaluation, take a look at your records, and then we will put together a program.”

“How long?”

Her eyes met his and she saw the pain and frustration there. No player ever wanted to be on the disabled list, especially for any period of time. She didn’t want to raise false hopes, but she also didn’t want to discourage him. She took a deep breath, carefully choosing her words.

“It’s different with everyone. Some people recover much more quickly than others. A lot depends on how well you heal, how much you can tolerate, and if you’re willing to do the exercises at home. That will give us the quickest turnaround.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” he said fervently. “I just want to get back in the game.”

Jessica nodded as she wrapped the limb with the heating pad. No way in hell would she tell him the truth:

He might never be back.

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Award-winning historical author Katie Rose makes her contemporary debut with the Boys of Summer novels, Bring on the Heat and Too Hot to Handle, which combine Katie’s true loves: baseball and romance! When not watching baseball, Katie is at her lake house in New Jersey, hard at work on her next book.

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