Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Release Blitz: A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

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“My newest obsession!” —Laura Thalassa, author of The Four Horsemen

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, the second book in the thrilling and captivating A Blood and Ash Series by New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout, is available now.

KingdomofFleshandFire ebook

Is Love Stronger Than Vengeance?

A Betrayal…

Everything Poppy has ever believed in is a lie, including the man she was falling in love with. Thrust among those who see her as a symbol of a monstrous kingdom, she barely knows who she is without the veil of the Maiden. But what she does know is that nothing is as dangerous to her as him. The Dark One. The Prince of Atlantia. He wants her to fight him, and that’s one order she’s more than happy to obey. He may have taken her, but he will never have her.

A Choice….

Casteel Da’Neer is known by many names and many faces. His lies are as seductive as his touch. His truths as sensual as his bite. Poppy knows better than to trust him. He needs her alive, healthy, and whole to achieve his goals. But he’s the only way for her to get what she wants—to find her brother Ian and see for herself if he has become a soulless Ascended. Working with Casteel instead of against him presents its own risks. He still tempts her with every breath, offering up all she’s ever wanted. Casteel has plans for her. Ones that could expose her to unimaginable pleasure and unfathomable pain. Plans that will force her to look beyond everything she thought she knew about herself—about him. Plans that could bind their lives together in unexpected ways that neither kingdom is prepared for. And she’s far too reckless, too hungry, to resist the temptation.

A Secret…

But unrest has grown in Atlantia as they await the return of their Prince. Whispers of war have become stronger, and Poppy is at the very heart of it all. The King wants to use her to send a message. The Descenters want her dead. The wolven are growing more unpredictable. And as her abilities to feel pain and emotion begin to grow and strengthen, the Atlantians start to fear her. Dark secrets are at play, ones steeped in the blood-drenched sins of two kingdoms that would do anything to keep the truth hidden. But when the earth begins to shake, and the skies start to bleed, it may already be too late.

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Download your copy now! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3eKOns2 Apple Books: https://apple.co/3eRB9to Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/fleshandfire Nook: https://bit.ly/3ijciko Kobo: https://bit.ly/2D067Sd Google Play: https://bit.ly/2YOXYbB

Start the series with FROM BLOOD AND ASH! Amazon: https://amzn.to/39nro2I Apple Books: https://apple.co/3byVPo7 Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/bloodash Nook: https://bit.ly/2US0v1o Kobo: https://bit.ly/2Us5gji Google Play: https://bit.ly/39yLW8h Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2UuUUiF

About Jennifer L. Armentrout #1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was an Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins. She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.

Connect with Jennifer L. Armentrout Facebook: http://bit.ly/2xSL7u5 Instagram: @jennifer_l_armentrout http://bit.ly/33GWn8R Twitter: @JLArmentroutnews http://bit.ly/2QvDYpT Amazon: https://amzn.to/3dnOSIi Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2U5Jemy BookBub: http://bit.ly/2U2Fe63 Stay up to date with Jennifer by joining her mailing list: https://bit.ly/2qBce5m Website: https://jenniferlarmentrout.com

For More information about 1,001 Dark Nights Visit Facebook: https://bit.ly/37fl0uT Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Y7uBQp Website: https://bit.ly/2AIIr3A Stay up to date on all 1001 Dark Nights releases, join their mailing list today! https://bit.ly/2zgxaHu

Sunday, August 30, 2020

Review: Where Dreams Descend Janella Angeles

Where Dreams Descend Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.  

This is a solid debut novel and I very much enjoyed it.  Angeles' writing is beautiful, and the premise is really intriguing.  Our main character Kallia is a magician who is fairly powerful, and she performs with the grace and mystery of a Moulin Rouge dancer.  She lives and trains with Jack, another powerful magician, who is secretive and mysterious, and happens to be the proprietor of the Hellfire House where Kallia performs.   Anytime Kallia questions what lies beyond Hellfire House in the nearby city of Glorian, Jack quickly shuts her down which only makes her more curious.  Kallia hears of a magical competition in Glorian, and she is determined to win and see more of the world for herself.  When she gets to Glorian, she is not met with the welcome she expects for a magician such as herself.  There is in fact a magicians competition, but suspicious things keeps happening and as the only female magician fingers are always pointing at Kallia.  The longer the competition goes on, more strange and sinister things happen.  Unfortunately we don't get much of an explanation as to what was happening in an around the strange town of Glorian.

I would have liked a better explanation of the magic system.  Some magician are born with magic and some have obtained magic, but that never really is explained.  Mirrors play a significant role in the magic of the world, but how they work and why is not explained.  I really would have liked a clear explanation of how the magic system works and why certain characters and events were important.  I believe the ending has set us up to explain more in the next book, but I really don't like it when you are left with more questions than answers in a single book in a series.  This book is fairly long, but leaves us with far too many questions unanswered.  

I'm looking forward to finding out what happens in the next book and more about the characters, the magic, and hopefully more will be revealed.

View all my reviews

Friday, August 28, 2020

Review: Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

Girl, Serpent, Thorn Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was provided an copy of the audiobook via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love mythology and fairy tales especially when they come from a culture I don't know much about.  I'm glad I listened to the author's note at the very end of the audiobook because I learned quite a bit about where she took her inspiration from and the origin of the stories she was retelling.  At one point I thought this had a Rumplestiltskin feel to it and that was confirmed during her notes that one of the stories is similar to that fairy tale.  I really love that she took aspects of her culture and background and wove them into this story.  

I liked the premise of the book but the pacing felt a bit slow.  There isn't a ton of action to move the plot along, it is mostly character interaction or Soraya's internal monologue.  The plot itself is fairly convenient and predictable, but I've come to expect that in YA fantasy.  This has some really interesting characters that are drawn from the mythology, but I would have liked to see them developed a little more.  The main character Soraya is really the only character that show's much development.

To give a quick recap, this book is about Soraya who was cursed with a poisonous touch a birth.  She is the twin of the Shah (aka the king), but she has to stay hidden away and her family basically ignores her.  As her brother's wedding grows near, she seeks out the knowledge to rid herself of her curse only to upend her entire life in a way she never imagined.  Soraya must determine if she wants to embrace the side of good or evil.  She has to decide between betraying the family and kingdom that never really showed her love and kindness and join the demons or save them all and be the decent human being she has always been despite everything she's been through.  

Overall this was an entertaining listen, but it didn't live up to my expectations.


View all my reviews

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Sneak Peek: A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer Armentrout

 

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A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, an all-new sexy fantasy novel in the A Blood and Ash Series by New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is coming September 1st and we have an exciting sneak peek!

KingdomofFleshandFire ebook

“We go home to marry, my Princess.” As in get married? To him? Suddenly, I thought of all those girlish fantasies I’d had before I learned who I was and what was expected of me—daydreams given life because of the love my parents had for one another. Never once did those little-girl dreams include a proposal that wasn’t remotely an actual proposal. Nor did they incorporate it being announced at a table full of strangers, half of which wanted me dead. And those dreams surely hadn’t involved what had to be the kingdom’s worst—and possibly most insane—non-proposal of marriage to a man currently holding me captive. Perhaps I had some sort of ailment of the brain. Maybe I was experiencing hallucinations brought on by stress. After all, there had been so much painful death to process. His betrayal to deal with. And I’d just learned I was descended from Atlantia, a kingdom I’d been raised to believe was the source of all the evil and tragedy in the land. Stress-induced hallucinations seemed a far more believable reason than what was actually happening. All I could do was stare at the larger hand holding my much smaller one. His skin was slightly darker than mine as if kissed by the sun. Years of wielding a sword with deadly, graceful precision had left his palms callused. He lifted my hand to an indecently well-formed and full mouth. To lips that were somehow soft yet unrelentingly firm. Lips that had spun beautiful words into the air and whispered heated, wicked promises against my bare skin. Lips that had paid homage to the many scars that riddled my body and face. Lips that had also spoken blood-soaked lies. Now, that mouth was pressed against the top of my hand in a gesture that I would’ve cherished for an eternity and thought exquisitely tender just days or weeks ago. Simple things like hand-holding or chaste kisses had been forbidden to me. As were being wanted or feeling desire. I had long since accepted that I would never experience those things. Until him. I lifted my gaze from our joined hands, from that mouth that was already curving up on one side, hinting at a dimple in the right cheek, and from the slowly parting lips that revealed just a hint of fatally sharp fangs. His hair brushed the nape of his neck and toppled over his forehead, and the thick strands were such a deep shade of black, it often shone blue in the sunlight. With high and angular cheekbones, a straight nose, and a proud, carved jaw, he often reminded me of the large, graceful cave cat I had seen once in Queen Ileana’s palace as a child. Beautiful, but in the way all wild, dangerous predators were. My heart stammered as my eyes locked onto his, orbs a shade of stunning, cool amber. I knew I was staring at Hawke— WANT MORE: Download the entire chapter here>> https://BookHip.com/RNZCCJ

KFF- SP-4

Pre-order your copy today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3eKOns2 Apple Books: https://apple.co/3eRB9to Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/fleshandfire Nook: https://bit.ly/3ijciko Kobo: https://bit.ly/2D067Sd Google Play: https://bit.ly/2YOXYbB

Synopsis

Is Love Stronger Than Vengeance?

A Betrayal…

Everything Poppy has ever believed in is a lie, including the man she was falling in love with. Thrust among those who see her as a symbol of a monstrous kingdom, she barely knows who she is without the veil of the Maiden. But what she does know is that nothing is as dangerous to her as him. The Dark One. The Prince of Atlantia. He wants her to fight him, and that’s one order she’s more than happy to obey. He may have taken her, but he will never have her.

A Choice….

Casteel Da’Neer is known by many names and many faces. His lies are as seductive as his touch. His truths as sensual as his bite. Poppy knows better than to trust him. He needs her alive, healthy, and whole to achieve his goals. But he’s the only way for her to get what she wants—to find her brother Ian and see for herself if he has become a soulless Ascended. Working with Casteel instead of against him presents its own risks. He still tempts her with every breath, offering up all she’s ever wanted. Casteel has plans for her. Ones that could expose her to unimaginable pleasure and unfathomable pain. Plans that will force her to look beyond everything she thought she knew about herself—about him. Plans that could bind their lives together in unexpected ways that neither kingdom is prepared for. And she’s far too reckless, too hungry, to resist the temptation.

A Secret…

But unrest has grown in Atlantia as they await the return of their Prince. Whispers of war have become stronger, and Poppy is at the very heart of it all. The King wants to use her to send a message. The Descenters want her dead. The wolven are growing more unpredictable. And as her abilities to feel pain and emotion begin to grow and strengthen, the Atlantians start to fear her. Dark secrets are at play, ones steeped in the blood-drenched sins of two kingdoms that would do anything to keep the truth hidden. But when the earth begins to shake, and the skies start to bleed, it may already be too late.

About Jennifer L. Armentrout #1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was an Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins. She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.

Connect with Jennifer L. Armentrout Facebook: http://bit.ly/2xSL7u5 Instagram: @jennifer_l_armentrout http://bit.ly/33GWn8R Twitter: @JLArmentroutnews http://bit.ly/2QvDYpT Amazon: https://amzn.to/3dnOSIi Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2U5Jemy BookBub: http://bit.ly/2U2Fe63 Stay up to date with Jennifer by joining her mailing list: https://bit.ly/2qBce5m Website: https://jenniferlarmentrout.com

Blog Tour: Always Crew by Tijan

 

Always Crew - BT banner

Everything was going well… Until it wasn’t. Again.

Always Crew, the beautiful and epic conclusion of the Crew series by New York Times bestselling author Tijan is available now!

always crew cover

For the longest time, I was Bren Monroe. I lived in Roussou, California. I had no parents, no brother, but I had a crew.

Then things started to change. I never planned for any of it. I didn’t think I’d fall in love. I didn’t think I’d have a relationship with my brother again. I didn’t think that he’d come back.

Now I’m in Cain. My crew is in college. They’re growing, going through their own things. And here I am, figuring out my life.

There’s always hurdles and obstacles to overcome. That was never my hardship. That was my regular. But living? Being content? Being happy? Those were my challenges now.

Everything was going well… Until it wasn’t. Again.

A/N: Always Crew is the conclusion of the Crew Series, and a 106k novel.

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Download your copy today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3if3T1q Apple Books: https://apple.co/2BN6H5h Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/alwayscrew Nook: https://bit.ly/2ZAggNd Kobo: https://bit.ly/2YKEC7K Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2BOv7Lx

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Enter to win a Mega Swag Pack Giveaway: https://bit.ly/32dYEYC

Excerpt

“Please, Bren,” Jordan whispered.

I sagged, hearing his plea. If I didn’t stop, he’d start. I had to stop. I had to stop for him. “We have to go. It’s done.” That was Cross, but he was the leader speaking now. “Get her in the truck.” Jordan carried me over. Zellman hopped up and Jordan lifted me to him. I could’ve climbed up myself, but there was something about my crew doing this for me. Handling me. They needed to do this, and a part of me needed to let them. I glanced back as Jordan was climbing up, coming behind us. Cross was bent over the guy. He was talking to him. A second later, he pulled his phone out, punching some numbers. Then the phone was back in his pocket, and he was coming for the truck. His eyes held mine for a brief moment before he got behind the wheel. Cross drove us back as Zellman and Jordan huddled on both sides of me. My hands were still bleeding, but no one moved to cover them. That felt fitting, for some reason. Just let me bleed.

About Tijan Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new YA series along with so many more from north Minnesota where she lives with a man she couldn’t be without and an English Cocker she adores.

Connect with Tijan Amazon: https://amzn.to/30oxe0f Facebook:http://bit.ly/2vreAub Facebook Reader Page: https://bit.ly/32hsdsq Twitter: http://bit.ly/2Vx4DpD Instagram: http://bit.ly/2PyLhwy Reader Group: http://bit.ly/38bz8nQ Audiomen Group: https://bit.ly/3bFFKgB Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2EcGBqB

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Review: Black Wings Beating by Alex London

Black Wings Beating Black Wings Beating by Alex London
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked this up on a whim from Netgalley when it was offered as a Read Now book. I did opt to listen to the audiobook because I was really intrigued by the synopsis and wanted to get to it faster. This is told in dual perspectives and I appreciated that the alternating chapters were narrated by different people. I find it easier to distinguish between the characters in an audiobook if there is a male and female narrator for the two main characters. This was narrated very well, I thought both narrators did a great job with the main and side characters as well as with telling the story and expressing emotion.

I really liked this. It had a unique story, and I appreciated that the focus was on the brother sister dynamic, not a love triangle or focused heavily on romance. There is some romance but it is not the focus of the story as we so often see in YA Fantasy. Kylee and Brysen are twins and the product of an emotion and physically abusive father and a devoutly religious mother. Brysen takes the brunt of the abuse as he can never seem to please his father. Kylee has shown promise as a falconer but has no desire to follow in her father's footsteps. After their father's death, Kylee and Brysen try to make ends meet carrying on the family business and raising and training birds of prey. Unfortunately, Brysen makes a deal to save the boy he loves and the twins head off on a dangerous quest to capture a dangerous bird. Brysen hopes that he will finally earn some respect as a falconer, and Kylee hopes they can pay off their debts and she can escape the falconer life. Things don't go exactly as planned, Kylee has always had a way with the birds and upon meeting the Owl Mothers she learns more about her connection to the birds and why she can so easily control them. The twins and their companions learn that there is a war brewing and a much bigger plot that they are to play a role in. Hearts are broken, betrayal is uncovered, potential new relationships are forged, and most importantly the bond between a brother and sister is strengthened.

I would have liked a little more world building. I hope to see the Sky Castle and the locations described a little more in the next two books. I'm also still not totally clear on the political climate between the 3 factions and the war that is coming and why. THe way this book ended I think we'll get more of that in the next book as Kylee learns more about her "powers" and continue on their adventures. The character development was a little tropey, we've seen characters like Brysen and Kylee before. She is the female savior who takes care of everything while he's the annoying brother who keeps making bad decisions. They don't ever talk to each other about their resentment of one another, but they love each other and won't be separated. Despite the fact that I've seen characters like this before, I liked them anyway! Book two is already out and book three comes out soon, and these have just moved to the top of my TBR. I can't wait to find out what happens next.

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Blog Tour: Not My Romeo by Ilsa Madden-Mills

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Is Jack my real Romeo…or will this gorgeous football player only break my heart?

Not My Romeo, the all-new swoon-worthy contemporary sports romance with heart and heat from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is available now!

My review is posted here

Madden-Mills - Not My Romeo - 29324 -CV-FT-V

We start off with a lie on Valentine’s Day.

My blind date isn’t the studious guy I expected: he’s a drop-dead gorgeous player with sinful amber eyes. Somehow we end up at his penthouse. I blame the gin and tonic.

The next day I learn he’s Jack Hawke—bad-boy professional quarterback with a murky past. The NDA he has me sign should be a warning that he isn’t a regular person. Please. I sign it Juliet Capulet, so goodbye, famous football player with abs of steel, and good luck tracking down this small-town librarian.

But Jack keeps showing up in places I least expect him. Just when I’m sure he’s gone, he waltzes into my community theater and wins the part of Romeo to my Juliet. How’s a plain, mostly innocent girl like me supposed to resist a man like him?

Is Jack my real Romeo…or will this gorgeous football player only break my heart?

NMR - AN

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Excerpt:

I pull my white cat-eye glasses out of my purse and slide them on for a better look. My heart flip-flops as butterflies take flight in my stomach. Oh heck no. That can’t be him. He’s . . . he’s . . . freaking gorgeous, and I don’t mean regular handsome but like a movie star: dark hair swept off his face, the strands wavy and unruly with copper highlights, soft and silky brushing against his cheeks, and too long for a newscaster, in my opinion—but what do I know? I don’t own a television.

He lifts his arm to shove his hair back, and my eyes pop at the tightly roped muscles of his forearm and biceps straining through the fabric, the impossibly broad shoulders.

Well, would you look at that.

And this has to be him, right?

I’m in the right restaurant. He’s alone. He’s wearing a blue shirt. He has dark hair. Odds point to yes. Usually the most simple explanation is exactly what it appears. Therefore, he must be my date.

The man in question turns to look out the window, tapping his fingers on the table impatiently, and I take in his profile. Long straight nose, full dark arching eyebrows, and a sharp, bladed jawline. Sensuous lips, the lower one decadently full. Almost wicked. He’s the kind of hot that draws your eyes over and over just to make sure it’s not a mirage. I knew guys like him at NYU—sexy, athletic gym types who played a sport. And those types never gave me a second look. I’d watch them work out while I fumbled my way around one of those god-awful butterfly machines, while beautiful, tall, svelte girls who weren’t sweating fawned over them, bringing them towels, water bottles, and sexy promises.

He takes a sip of an amber liquid, long tanned fingers grasping the fragile container as his eyes rove across the room. They prowl around the restaurant, as if he’s assessing every person in sight, and I feel the sizzle of him even from twenty feet away. Prickles of awareness skate down my spine. I’m the alpha, his body language yells. Come and challenge me.

His gaze drifts right over me without stopping.

Not surprised.

I duck back into the shadows.

Dang it. My hands clench. I wanted nice and nerdy, not this . . . sexy beast!

And judging by the scowl on his face, he’s grumpy. Life’s too short to be dour, Mister. And what is he annoyed about? I am here!

And he did see a picture of me. Topher said so.

Yeah, maybe he doesn’t really want to meet you.

Maybe he’s hoping you won’t show up.

I tap my foot. I should leave. Really.

The smells of Milano’s waft around me, spicy and tantalizing, and my stomach lets out an angry howl. I move from one foot to the next. Every place to eat between here and Daisy is going to be packed. I could always hit a drive-through on the way back home—but how pathetic is a Big Mac and fries on Valentine’s Day? Plus, I’ll have my entire nosy family to answer to tomorrow. They’ve built up this blind date so much: Oooooh, Elena has a date with a weatherman. Ask him if that’s a barometer in his pocket or if he’s just glad to see you.

I give myself a mental pep talk.

Grow some balls, Elena.

Sometimes you have to go out and take what you want.

So what if he’s hot enough to suck the dew off a rose.

You are hungry. Do it for the pasta.

He is your date. Go get ’em, girl.

I gather my resolve, point my little black pumps in his direction, and start marching.

About Ilsa Madden-Mills IlsaMadden-Mills

Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies.

Eight of her eleven novels have placed in the Amazon Top 10 Best-seller List: Dirty English #1; Fake Fiancée and I Dare You #2; I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things #6; Boyfriend Bargain #8; The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, #4.

A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She's addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females. Feel free to stalk her online.

Connect with Ilsa

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2nY2pxT Instagram: http://bit.ly/35xfNfo Stay up to day with Ilsa by joining her mailing list: http://bit.ly/2ZWaTYh Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2EESfM9 Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2GaR6cn Book+Main: http://bit.ly/2s4j9ci Website: https://www.ilsamaddenmills.com Join her Unicorn Girls Group on FB, the best way to keep up: http://bit.ly/37B6Nay Sign up for phone alert for book releases (max of 4) Text ROMANCE to 21000