Top Picks 7th June 2020 : New Romance book releases from Farrah Rochen, Sara Desai, Kiki Clark & Darynda Jones

Posted June 7, 2020 by Nix in Top Picks / 2 Comments

New Romance Releases

Top Picks is a weekly meme that we do here at Scorching Book Reviews. In this post, I highlight the Romance books that I want to read that are released this week. I have been lazy of late with not going past Tuesday – that has changed.

They are all books on my TR pile and only books I am interested in spending money on. I do not ask people to recommend books or highlight releases for author promo.

I feel I have to point out that books in a series are only going to be featured on here if I have started the series. I can’t recommend a series at book 14 when I haven’t read the others.

I don’t read NA.

I also don’t recommend books from authors who have engaged in awful behaviour or have bigotted views – I chose not to give them my money so you won’t find them on here. If I make a mistake and feature an author who is an awful person, tell me in the comments and the book will be removed.

I have made the decision to add amazon links and links to twitter profiles on this post however they are not affiliant links as I CBA with amazon.

The Boyfriend Project: Smart, funny and sexy - a modern rom-com of love, friendship and chasing your dreams! by [Farrah Rochon]

Status on the TR list : Pre-ordered at £1.99. I have heard fab things.

Amazon link – here

Author Twitter   – here

Three friends. One pact. And a temptation to break the rules

Samiah Brooks never thought she would be ‘that’ girl. But a live tweet of a horrific date reveals the painful truth: she’s been catfished by her three-timing jerk of a boyfriend.

Suddenly Samiah – along with the two other ‘girlfriends’, London and Taylor – have gone viral. Now the three new besties are making a six-month pact: no men, no dating, just time to focus on themselves.

This means Samiah can finally focus on her exciting career in app development – so having the deliciously sexy and distracting Daniel Collins walk into her office definitely isn’t part of her plan…

But is Daniel really boyfriend material – or is he simply too good to be true?

‘A multilayered story about friendship, love, and following your dreams – all of it told with heart and emotion’ Nalini Singh

‘Funny, fresh, sexy, and heartfelt. This is my new favorite romance series’ Suzanne Brockmann

 

The Marriage Game by [Sara Desai]

Status on the TR list : Waiting for reviews. It is the top end if my pre-order budget so I need to see some reviews.

Amazon link : here

Author Social Media : here

One of Oprah Magazine’s Most Anticipted Romances of 2020

A high stakes wager pits an aspiring entrepreneur against a ruthless CEO in this sexy romantic comedy.

After her life falls apart, recruitment consultant Layla Patel returns home to her family in San Francisco. But in the eyes of her father, who runs a Michelin starred restaurant, she can do no wrong. He would do anything to see her smile again. With the best intentions in mind, he offers her the office upstairs to start her new business and creates a profile on an online dating site to find her a man. She doesn’t know he’s arranged a series of blind dates until the first one comes knocking on her door…

As CEO of a corporate downsizing company Sam Mehta is more used to conflict than calm. In search of a quiet new office, he finds the perfect space above a cozy Indian restaurant that smells like home. But when communication goes awry, he’s forced to share his space with the owner’s beautiful yet infuriating daughter Layla, her crazy family, and a parade of hopeful suitors, all of whom threaten to disrupt his carefully ordered life.

As they face off in close quarters, the sarcasm and sparks fly. But when the battle for the office becomes a battle of the heart, Sam and Layla have to decide if this is love or just a game.

If The Cake Don't Rise (Construct Cakery) by [Lissa Matthews]

Status on the TR List : I have Pre-ordered this.

Amazon Link : Here

Author Social Media : Twitter

Buttoned up businessman Bryce Campbell had never met anyone like the pink haired, tattooed woman behind the glass counter at Construct Cakery.

He’d never wanted any woman quite the way he wanted her, either.

Only, he had no idea what he’d do with a woman like her or what she’d want with a man like him. He was the friend guy, the quiet often forgotten one. He wasn’t the lover kind or side guy or even the marrying guy. Just ask his ex-fiancée about that last one.

Shelley, though, for all her looks gave men one impression, the truth was she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the sharp-dressed man.

She wasn’t shy.

She wasn’t the kind of woman to sit back if she wanted something…or someone.

And what she wants this time? Bryce.

 

Status on the TR list : I have just downloaded the first book on my KU account.

The Second and His Bonded (Kincaid Pack Book 2) by [Kiki Clark]Amazon link : here

Author social media : Twitter

As the son of an enemy, Kieran never expected to find a family with the Kincaid Pack… or a true mate’s bond.

After barely escaping his abusive family, wolf shifter Kieran McAllister struggles to find his place in the Kincaid Pack. Especially with the pushy but gorgeous second-in-command showing up every time Kieran turns around… and making him want things he shouldn’t.

The traumatized wolf who continuously refuses Bennett Young’s help has begun to haunt his dreams. But if there’s one thing he knows, it’s that tiger shifters don’t have mates. So why can’t Bennett get Kieran’s sad eyes out of his head?

Despite their differences, Kieran and Bennet find something they never expected in each other. Just as their bond begins to grow though, Kieran’s past threatens to destroy the very pack they both have been fighting to protect.

The Second and His Bonded is the second book in the Kincaid Pack series and features an overprotective tiger, a touch-starved wolf, lots of purring, an excessive amount of sunbathing, and a happily ever after.

 

Sin & Surrender (Demigods of San Francisco Book 6) by [K.F. Breene]Status on the TR list : Pre-Ordered on KU. I can’t wait for this.

Amazon link : here

Author Social Media : Twitter

The sixth and final book in the #1 internationally bestselling Demigods of San Francisco series!

It’s the moment Kieran and Lexi have been preparing for. The Magical Summit.

Ready or not, they will take their assembled team into the belly of the beast. The stakes couldn’t be higher. If the powers that be don’t approve of Kieran, he will not earn the official title of the Demigod of San Francisco.

The real danger concerns Lexi, however. With Kieran away in meetings, she must brave the treacherous halls of the Summit with just her crew and her wards, fighting for social placement and status, open to attack from all angles.

She could’ve never expected what comes at her. No one could’ve.

Prepare yourself for this epic conclusion to the Demigods of San Francisco series!

The Graveyard Shift: A Charley Davidson Novella by [Darynda Jones]

Status on the TR list : Pre-ordered!! It is SWOPES!

Amazon link : here
Author Social Media : Twitter
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Darynda Jones comes a new story in her Charley Davidson series…

Guarding a precocious five-year-old who is half-human, half-god, and 100% destined to save the world is no easy feat.

Garrett Swopes was the ultimate skeptic until he met a certain hellion and her husband. They vanished after stopping a catastrophic event and left him, a mere mortal, in charge of protecting their gift to mankind. But when she disappears as well, he needs the help of another breed of hellion. One who can see past the veil of space and time. One who betrayed him.

She will get a truce in the deal, but she will never earn his forgiveness.

Marika Dubois’s son—a warrior in the coming war between heaven and hell—was foreseen long before his birth. But to create a child strong enough to endure the trials that lay ahead, she needed a descendant of powerful magics. She found that in Garrett Swopes and tricked him into fathering her son. A ploy he has never forgiven her for. But when he knocks on her door asking for her help, she sees the fierce attraction he tries to deny rise within him.

And Marika has to decide if she dares risk her heart a second time to help the only man she’s ever loved.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

A Reunion Of Rivals (Mills & Boon Desire) (The Bourbon Brothers, Book 4) by [Reese Ryan]Status on the TR list : I have bought book one and intend to read this one if I like it. I think this is released later for US readers.

Amazon link : here

Author Social Media : Twitter

Sparks in the boardroom

and the bedroom…

She can’t let anything derail her passion project,

Not even a second chance with the sexiest man alive…

The deal that could bring Quinn Bazemore’s career back from the brink has one catch: she must partner up with her ex-lover Max Abbott. Quinn can’t forget the pleasure-filled summer they shared. But now she’s butting heads over business strategy with the mouthwatering marketing VP, even as their reawakened desire threatens to expose her deepest secrets…

 

Claim the Dragon: A Dragon Shifter Romance (The Legion) by [A.C. Arthur]

Status on the TR List : I have an ARC which I haven’t read yet. Dragons!

Amazon link : here

Author Social Media : Twitter

To save her, he’ll sacrifice everything.

Born a dream reaper, Steele Ezo, a powerful half dragon, half human, is struggling to find his place in the Drakon hierarchy. He is ready to accept his fate until he realizes the next victim on the Reaper’s hit list is the sexy thief who’s caught his eye.

She’s supposed to die.

He’s forbidden to stop it.

But their inexplicable connection makes it impossible to step aside.

Abandoned by her family and abused by local enforcers, Ravyn Walsh lives life on her own terms. She’s created an underground sanctuary for the oppressed citizens of Burgess, and she needs funds to keep it running. When a lucrative job—stealing an ancient dagger—lands in her lap, she doesn’t hesitate, not even when a smoldering tattooed stranger attempts to stop her.

A dagger that can raise the dead is a powerful tool—one that could change the course of history. As they fight to keep the dagger out of the wrong hands, Ravyn will be forced to embrace the truth of her heritage, while Steele will find himself torn between saving a life that isn’t meant to be saved and denouncing the power he was born to wield.

This book is approximately 72,000 words

Dragon Unleashed (The Fallen Empire Book 2) by [Grace Draven]

Status on the TR list : I have book one on my Kindle but I’ve not read it …. I will move it up!

Amazon link : here

Social Media Link : Twitter

A dragon shapeshifter and a healer with power over the earth fight a corrupt empire in this thrilling and deeply emotional romantic fantasy from the USA Today bestselling author of Radiance.

Magic is outlawed in the Krael Empire and punishable by death. Born with the gift of earth magic, the free trader Halani keeps her dangerous secret closely guarded. When her uncle buys a mysterious artifact, a piece of bone belonging to a long-dead draga, Halani knows it’s far more than what it seems.

Dragas haven’t been seen for more than a century, and most believe them extinct. They’re wrong. Dragas still walk among the denizens of the Empire, disguised as humans. Malachus is a draga living on borrowed time. The magic that has protected him will soon turn on him–unless he finds a key part of his heritage. He has tracked it to a group of free traders, among them a grave-robbing earth witch who fascinates him as much as she frustrates him with her many secrets.

Unbeknownst to both, the Empire’s twisted empress searches for a draga of her own, to capture and kill as a trophy. As Malachus the hunter becomes the hunted, Halani must risk herself and all she loves to save him from the Empire’s machinations and his own lethal birthright.

 

Beyond the Sea: A Modern Gothic Romance by [L.H. Cosway]Status on the TR list : I have marked this as TR and am looking for some reviews

Amazon buy links : here

Author Social Media Link : Twitter

On a lonely cliff beside the vast blue sea there is a house.

In the house there lives a girl, and in the girl there lives a dream.

Soon she’ll be as free as the fishes that swim beneath the water. But until then she bides her time and lives quietly, her every move ruled over by an uncaring, heartless stepmother.

The hope for freedom is all she has to hold onto. So close she can almost taste it. But when her stepmother’s estranged younger brother comes to stay, he presents a mystery that lures her in.

The girl doesn’t understand that beneath the allure of the unknown sometimes all we find are horrors. And in searching for the truth, her heart is in danger of falling like a rock to the bottom of the deep dark sea.

Beyond the Sea is a standalone Gothic Romance set in modern times.

 

Insatiable Hunger (Mills & Boon Desire) (Dynasties: Seven Sins, Book 3) by [Yahrah St. John]

Status on the TR list : Marked as TR and I’ve bought the first one.

Amazon link : here

Author Social Media Links : Twitter

She’s just a friend…

But he craves so much more…

Ryan Hathaway isn’t about to let his friend Jessie Acosta marry the wrong guy—not when the right guy is him. But interfering could destroy his plans to become Black Crescent’s CEO.  He can’t afford to give in to temptation. But with another man looming in Jessie’s life, Ryan can’t afford not to…

 

Game Changer: A Wynn Hockey Novel by [Kelly Jamieson]

Status on the TR list : I have read so many Kelly Jamieson books and I’ve loved so many. This is on the list.

Amazon links : here

Author Social Media Link : Twitter

I don’t want anything to do with my crazy family’s drama, which I’ve been watching unfold from a distance over the last year, but now my grandfather has Alzheimer’s and I feel I need to at least make a quick visit to see him. My hockey season’s over, all I have to do is get through my teammate Steve’s wedding, and then I’m on a plane to Los Angeles to do my family duty. After that, I’ll head home to Manitoba for some summer R&R at the family lake cottage.

Molly Flynn
Nobody’s expecting what happens at my wedding, which becomes pandemonium. I need to get out of there. Fast. Who do I turn to? Jackson Wynn, one my fiancé’s teammates. He’s been a friend to me since I met Steve. For one night, we hide out in his condo, but he’s leaving in the morning for California. I want to go with him.

Jackson
I can’t take Steve’s fiancée with me to California. He’s going to flip shit over this. But the lying cheating bastard kind of deserves it, and I’ve always had a soft spot for Molly. Or maybe not so soft…because she’s not only sweet and kind, she’s hot as hell. This is a bad idea for so many reasons, and I sure as hell don’t need more drama in my life, but I can’t say no to her.

On this nutso trip, neither of us expect Molly to bond with my bonkers family…especially my poor, confused grandpa. And neither of us expect to bond with each other…

Lucky in Love: A Fur-ever Veterinary Romance by [Cara Malone]Status on the TR list : On my KU queue – this sounds so cute

Amazon links : here

Author Social Media  : Twitter

Sometimes luck means landing exactly where you need to be.

Jules Wakefield’s family has rescued rabbits for decades, but with her parents gone and her veterinary practice demanding all her time, Jules desperately needs a successor. She decides to run an essay contest – the winner must love bunnies.

Parker Rose is exactly who Jules is looking for – warm, smart, not afraid to get her hands dirty, and a gorgeous country girl to boot. She’s the answer to Jules’ prayers… and a few unspoken fantasies, too.

Summer days at the rescue turn into autumn nights of passion, but when Jules finds out that Parker’s been keeping a secret, her problems start multiplying again like rabbits.

One little lie has the power to tear everything apart, but what if it leads her home, to a fur-ever kind of love?

The Benefactor (See No Evil Trilogy Book 2) by [Nana Malone]Status on the TR list : I love Nana Malone’s work – this is on the list.

Amazon link : here

Author Social Media link : Twitter

I am many things. billionaire, rogue, rebel. But I never figured myself for a thief.

My money can buy power, control, access. Even oaths of loyalty.

The one thing it can’t buy is her…or her safety.

I vowed to protect her…
I failed…

I can’t, under any circumstances, fail again. In order to save her, I’ll have to give up the one thing that I value most—control.

The Canary Jewel is the key.

Tonight I am no longer a billionaire.
Tonight I keep new secrets.

My name is Ben Covington and tonight, I am a thief.

*This isn’t the end of the story. It takes time to become a master thief. Join me and the London Lords in the epic conclusion. Revenge comes in the form of a single jewel. And you’ll find out who’s still standing in For Her Benefit.

 

 

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