Showing posts with label New Zealand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Zealand. Show all posts

Friday, September 15, 2023

What I'm Currently Reading - Just Say Hell No

 


 
Next on my TBR is Just Say Hell No by Rosalind James.

 

Even a hard man needs a soft side.

Marko Sendoa isn’t a beach man. He’s not an Auckland man. He’s a hard man. Born Basque tough, raised in the heart of New Zealand’s Southern Alps, and bred on hard work, discipline, and getting the job done. It’s not easy for a rugby flanker who’s played 13 bruising seasons to make it to age 32 at the top of his game, but he’s done it. Next year is the Rugby World Cup, and he’ll do whatever it takes to be on the field in the black jersey when the anthems are sung.

He doesn't need a kitten. He doesn't need a pregnant cousin. He definitely doesn't need a too-short, distractingly curvy, totally unimpressed Maori barista and part-time pet portraitist who fills his house and his life with too much color, too much chaos, and too many secrets. He’s getting them anyway.

 

Amazon 


 








Friday, April 2, 2021

My Review of Out Of Bounds by Kris Pearson

 

I downloaded this book because I've read several of this author's books before. All her books are set in New Zealand and I have a soft spot for Kiwi authors.

 

The cover of this book had me intrigued. It's not exactly your typical contemporary romance cover. But as it turned out, that's because it's not your typical contemporary romance book.

 

The heroine in Out of Bounds by Kris Pearson reminded me of Brianna from my Finding Anna series. She's been through a horrible trauma and is fearful of men and sex. Jetta's emotions and reactions could change on a dime, just like Brianna's.

 

I loved the interaction between Jetta and Anton. He was tender while pushing her boundaries.

 

There were a lot of differences between Jetta and Brianna, of course. Jetta's trauma occurred when she was little and she'd been trying to work through it for years, whereas at the start of Slave Brianna's is fresh. She's had no time to find her footing after what she'd been through.

 

The first sex scene between Jetta and Anton had a lot of similarities to Brianna and Stephan's first time as well. And considering I loved Brianna and Stephan's first time together, I couldn't get enough of the interaction between Jetta and Anton.

 

Needless to say, if you haven't already figured it out, I loved this book. It started off a little slow, but it more than made up for it once it got going. Hmm. Another similarity to my Finding Anna series. 

 

If you've read Out of Bounds, I'd love to hear what you thought of it in the comments.

 

Amazon


Friday, February 19, 2021

What I'm Currently Reading - #FridayReads

 What are you currently reading?

 

This weekend, I'm reading the third book in Serenity Woods' Billionaire Kings series. We met Albie and Remy in the previous two books. Albie is in charge of the IT department at The Ark animal sanctuary and Remy is in New Zealand on a work visa. There's been a hint of something between these two since the first book in the series: My Best Friend, the Billionaire. I can't wait to see how their story unfolds!

 

Never fall in love with your roommate…

 
I am not going to fall in love with Albie King.
That was the first thought that passed through my mind when I met my new landlord.
For four months, I’ve managed to keep my distance.
Lord knows, I don’t need another rich playboy to break my heart.
One was enough for any girl.
But Fate, it seems, has other ideas.
First, I find out what Albie does at the weekends, and I lose one quarter of my heart.
Then, I discover what happened to the dogs he loved, and the quarter becomes a half.
Next, I watch him be a hero when the storm hits the Ark, and the half turns into three quarters.
And finally, I see how much he loves his family when disaster strikes.
I’m only in New Zealand for another three weeks. After that I’m going home to France. There’s no point in starting anything. But now he’s captured the whole of my heart, and he doesn’t seem keen on giving it back.
So I kiss him. Then he kisses me.
You can guess what happens next.
Mon Dieu. I’m really in trouble.

Buy your copy on Amazon.

Saturday, February 13, 2021

What I'm Currently Reading - My Boss, The Billionaire

 

Serenity Woods is one of my favorite authors. Her stories always pull me in and have me rooting for the couple to get together. 

 

This is the second book in her Billionaire Kings series, which is about three cousins who run an animal sanctuary called The Ark. This is a sexy office romance and I can't wait to dive in!

 

Never fall in love with your boss…

I’ve worked for Leon for two years now.
Which means I’ve been in love with Leon for about, oh, 730 days, give or take.
He’s tall, gorgeous, hardworking, and strict. Most of the staff at Noah’s Ark are scared of him. But I can handle the Lion King, as I like to call him.
I’m his PA. I book his dental appointments, pick up his dry cleaning, keep his diary, walk his dogs, and organize his accounts.
I know him as well as a wife would, although unfortunately without the added benefits that role would bring.
I’d tell him how I feel, but he’s made it quite clear he’s against relationships at work, so I know it’s never going to happen unless I leave the Ark, and I love my job.
Then, on the day the Prime Minister’s supposed to arrive at the Ark, his crazy dog knocks me over and gives me a concussion.
And, as if I’m Snow White needing to be awoken from her slumber, Leon kisses me.
Crap. Now we’re in trouble.
How on earth do you un-forget being kissed by your handsome prince?

 

If you'd like to read Leon and Nix's story, click on the click below to get your copy. This book is in Kindle Unlimited.

Amazon

Saturday, December 16, 2017

Mend Your Heart Giveaway by Tracey Alvarez #Romance #NewZealand



One of my favorite authors, Tracey Alvarez, is giving away a signed copy of her newest Bounty Bay release, Mend Your Heart.


An idiot’s guide to falling for your best friend’s widow…


Former rugby star Isaac Ngata was New Zealand’s golden boy until five years ago when a tragic accident took the life of his friend and team mate. Now he’s a pariah with a screwed up knee and a burden of guilt toward his friend’s wife and daughter. Best thing for him to do is sink into the anonymous safety of his hometown. An even better thing to do would be to stop picturing Natalie in his arms.

For someone who doesn’t know a dummy pass from a drop kick, Natalie Fisher just wants to keep her late husband’s passion for sport in the past. But their teenage daughter’s rugby team is in desperate need of a coach and the man she can’t stand to be around has volunteered. A long buried attraction flares to life between Natalie and Isaac, one they can’t run far or fast enough to avoid. Soon rugby fever isn’t the only thing heating up Bounty Bay. Crossing the line never had such high stakes…


To Enter go to her Facebook page and leave a comment.



This is the 4th book in her Bounty Bay series. If you haven't read the first Bounty Bay book, you can download a #FREE copy here: http://amzn.to/2i21KvU

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

#NewRelease #Romance Teach Your Heart by Tracey Alvarez



Title: Teach Your Heart (Far North Book 3)
Author: Tracey Alvarez
Release Date: November 30, 2016



Some lessons are harder to learn than others…

Doctor O-for-Awesome Owen Bennett is all about fixing broken things. Then the arrival of his orphaned nieces and nephew for twelve weeks causes his workaholic life to plummet into chaos. Hiring the beautiful but unpredictable Gracie Cooper as a live-in nanny might just get him out of a tight spot…or it could seduce them both into a reckless affair. 



Excerpt

Gracie squinted into the dim interior and took a few steps inside. She hadn’t noticed the workbench, covered with rags and odd tools and some grease-slicked motor parts, last night. Beside the bench, a weed trimmer was in at least a half-dozen pieces. For a man who looked like dirt or motor oil wouldn’t dare cling to his Teflon-slick surface, he sure had one hell of a man cave.
“You’re going to fix the mower?”
“Nobody else around to do it.” He picked up a metal toolbox and dumped it on the opposite side of the mower to where she stood. “Call it a leftover childhood hobby.”
“Fixing lawn mowers?”
“Fixing anything. Often stuff I’d already fiddled with and screwed up.”
“You taught yourself to repair things?”
He shook his head. “My dad taught me, mostly. He used to work as a mechanic before he met my mum. Think I got my love of figuring out how things work from him.”
“You didn’t want to become a mechanic like your dad?”
A cloud passed over Owen’s face then disappeared. “Not after I decided fixing people was way more interesting than fixing a motor.”
“I guess there’s a different kind of job satisfaction in that. Your family must be proud.”
“Yeah.”
His tone was so carefully neutral, Gracie couldn’t work out if there was an undercurrent of sarcasm beneath the word.
“So your parents still live in a house bus? The same one you lived in as a kid?”
A beat of silence followed while Owen stared into his open toolbox. After a moment, he selected a spanner and replied, “The very same.”
“And your siblings? You all grew up in the house bus?”
“Yup.” He crouched beside the lawn mower, slitting his eyes at it as if the thing had defied a direct order. “Think the spark plug is dirty.”
With two older brothers, Gracie was familiar with the male I don’t want to discuss this vibe. Rationally, she should back off and leave him alone. Emotionally, he’d piqued her curiosity, and she couldn’t resist jabbing the sleeping bear a bit more.
“So…no other awesome doctors in the family?”
He angled his chin, a grimace pulling down his mouth. “I don’t encourage that nickname in adult company; it makes me sound like an arrogant dick.”
Yep, she, too, had been guilty of an uncomplimentary first impression. But after meeting Owen, the nickname was actually kinda adorable. “Who started it?”
“One of my fellow interns, during training in Auckland. They called me ‘O’, and after one of our most grueling double shifts, one tagged me as ‘Doctor O-for-Overworked.’ My mate Simon deemed ‘O-for-Awesome’ funnier, and somehow it bloody stuck. It’s since followed me to Bounty Bay, and I suspect Simon contacted one of the triage nurses on the sly.”
He shot her a grin that caused a low flutter in her belly.
“The nurses introduce me to kids as Doctor O-for-Awesome—sometimes it distracts them for a moment; sometimes it makes them smile. It’s worth an embarrassing nickname then,” he added.
“I’m sure the patients you save think it’s very apt.” She gave her watch a pointed glance. “I’d better get myself and the girls ready.”
She backed out of the garage and hurried into the guest room to shower and change. If she woke in an emergency cubicle to see Owen’s face above her, she’d smile, too. Hey, a hottie doctor was easy on the eyes, but not a threat to her equilibrium.
But the guy tinkering with a mower, grease on his hands and scruff along his jaw…
The guy exposing a sliver of his vulnerable self he was probably unaware of…
That guy popped her bubble of safe distance he probably hadn’t even noticed her hiding behind. 



Release Day Giveaway
(Open Internationally)

1st Prize (over $50 value) includes:
~ Know Your Heart (Far North Book #2) signed paperback
~ Beautiful NZ themed scarf
~ New Zealand Wild Ferns Lanolin Pure & Delicate soap
~ New Zealand Wild Ferns Lanolin lip balm with Shea Butter
~ Pascall Jet Planes lollies - for those of us with a sweet tooth and who like to fly away to exotic places like Gracie. Classic NZ candy.
~ Cute New Zealand bird (Fantail) hanging decoration (Christmas tree?)
~ New Zealand made Whittaker's dark chocolate bar Kaitaia Fire Chili Pepper Spice. Kaitaia Fire hot-sauce was created in the Far North, where Teach Your Heart is set.
~ Author magnet (not pictured)
~ Author bookmark (not pictured)

Runner up prize:
2 runner up winners will get a New Zealand fire fighters 2017 calendar as pictured.


***To qualify for the bonus 5 entries, you'll need to purchase Teach Your Heart and answer this question in the space provided in the rafflecopter. The question is: What is the first 5-word sentence at the beginning of Chapter 17?



* Prizes are not exchangeable for cash or anything else.
* All due care will be made in ensuring the prize arrives at the winner’s address, but I am unable to refund prize value in any way should it not arrive due to postal disaster.
* Entries close on December 7th and winner will receive a direct e-mail from me shortly after – so please ensure my e-mail address is added to your safe/contacts list. If I haven’t had a reply from the winner in 48 hours, I will redraw a new winner.


Author Bio


Tracey Alvarez is a USA Today Bestselling Author living in the Coolest Little Capital in the World (a.k.a Wellington, New Zealand). Married to a wonderfully supportive IT guy, she has two teens who would love to be surgically linked to their electronic devices.
Fuelled by copious amounts of coffee, she’s the author of contemporary romantic fiction set predominantly in New Zealand. Small-towns, close communities, and families are a big part of the heart-warming stories she writes. Oh, and hot, down-to-earth heroes—Kiwi men, in other words.
When she’s not writing, thinking about writing, or procrastinating about writing, Tracey can be found with her nose in her e-reader, nibbling on smuggled chocolate bars, or bribing her kids to take over the housework.

Follow Tracey on Twitter as @TraceyAlvrezNZ or Facebook as http://www.facebook.com/TraceyAlvarezAuthor 

Her website is http://www.traceyalvarez.com and don't forget to sign up to her newsletter here: http://bit.ly/JR3Asu

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/traceyalvarez/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+TraceyAlvarez/posts

Amazon Author page: amazon.com/author/traceyalvarez


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traceyalvareznz/