BLOG TOUR REVIEW: Reckless Temptations by Janine Infante Bosco

RECKLESS TEMPTATIONS

by: Janine InfanteBosco

Tempted #4

Publication Date: March 8, 2016

Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance

Purchase: Amazon (#FREE with #KindleUnlimited)

Synopsis: RIGGS
Heart.
It’s what keeps you from being reckless. It’s what keeps you breathing.
Money, power and respect… they were my god given right, not the reason I joined the Satan’s Knights. I tied myself to my club and nothing else. Give me my bike, the open road and a different woman every night and I was happy.
My life was great.
Until the chaos exploded.
One night.
One reckless temptation and I finally found my reason for breathing.
I never saw her coming. The girl that would turn my world upside down and give me my heart.
Only it was too late.
One mistake can take it all away.
I’m about to lose my heart.
The thing that keeps me breathing.
The thing that keeps me from being reckless.

LAUREN BIANCI
Drop out of nursing school? Check. Have no idea what you’re going to do with your life? Check.
Disappoint your family? Double check.
Meet a biker and have crazy sex against a wall? Check. Check. Check.
Get knocked up by said biker? Check.
I was always the good girl, the prodigal child, the girl who said and did all the right things.
Things like this didn’t happen to me.
Until him.
Until he smiled.
Until he tempted me to find out what made me happy.
Too bad it’s him.
We’ll never work, but, I can pretend can’t I?
Just for a little while.
Just until it’s over.

EXCERPT

PATCH PARTY
Lauren rolled her eyes and turned to leave. I wasn’t going to let her go anywhere. I reached for her and caught her wrist, stopping her from leaving.
“Going somewhere?”
“Yeah, home,” she sneered, tugging her arm free. I’d never seen her like this, so angry, so fucking hot. She turned toward Blackie, took his drink from his hand and threw the whiskey in my face before handing the empty glass back to him.“Congratulations, you’re a dick with a patch,” she said, before turning and walking toward the door.
I sputtered whiskey from my mouth, lifting the hem of my t-shirt to dry my face, trying to ignore the surrounding chuckles.
“You better marry her because if you don’t I will,” Bones said, as he came up beside me and handed me a stack of napkins.
“Fuck off,” I shouted, throwing the napkins up in the air like confetti before I took off after her. “Lauren,” I shouted as I stepped outside. Scanning the grounds, I found her stalking through the parking lot.
I ran after her but Kitten had speed even in those heels she had on that threatened to take her down.
“Lauren, baby…Kitten,” I called.
She froze in her tracks and turned around.
Hallelujah!
Oh, shit!
She bent down, removing one of her high heels and swung it like a Cy-Young pitcher, aiming straight for my head.
“Are you fucking crazy?” I shouted, dodging death by a high heel.
“Oh, you think I’m crazy?” She asked incredulously, looking every bit crazy. No question about it. “Maybe I am crazy! I mean, I must be because I’m here, right? Standing here in my little black dress, against my better judgement, because well, tonight was a big night for you and I…” she let her words trail off. “…I am crazy,” she confirmed, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Kitten,” I started, reaching for her.
She flicked my forehead with her fingers.
“Ouch! What the hell did you do that for?” I shouted, rubbing my forehead.
“There is plenty more where that came from, buddy!” She threatened, as she poked my chest with her finger. I had had enough of this shit. I grabbed her hips, hauling her up against me and maneuvered her legs to wrap around my waist. She didn’t like that at all and yelped as I held her in place.
“Riggs, put me down,” she yelled.
“You don’t really want me to put you down,” I ground out. My patience was gone, my nerves frayed. She kicked my back and I pinched her leg as I turned and slammed her up against the wall of the Dog Pound.
“Came here for a reason, Kitten, now it’s time to tell me what that reason is,” I whispered against her ear.
“It doesn’t matter,” she squealed, as I ran my hands up her thighs.
“I disagree,” I argued, glancing down at her legs locked around my waist. “I like your dress,” I said, sliding my hands underneath it.
“You should,” she sneered, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I wore it for you,” she rasped.
Sweetest fucking words I ever heard.

ARE YOU READY TO #BETEMPTED? #PREORDER YOUR COPY OF LETHAL TEMPTATIONS, BOOK #5 IN THE TEMPTED SERIES!

LETHAL TEMPTATIONS
by Janine Infante Bosco
Tempted #5
Publication Date: May 24, 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Preorder: Amazon (Only $1.99!)

SYNOPSIS:
Leather.
Lace.
Me.
Her. A temptation so lethal, neither of us would survive.

(Full Blurb Coming Soon)

#GetTempted with the #Tempted series! #FREE with #KindleUnlimited!

UNCONTROLLABLE TEMPTATIONS

by Janine Infante Bosco

Tempted #3

Publication Date: February 9, 2016

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Purchase: Amazon (#FREE with #KindleUnlimited)

SYNOPSIS:

Jack “Bulldog” Parrish

Crazy: Mentally deranged, especially as manifested in a wild or aggressive way.
I was thirteen when I discovered the definition of the word I’d forever be labeled.Some used it as a figure of speech but for me it was a scar I’d carry through life.
Or so I believed until I was diagnosed a manic depressive.
I’m the president of the Satan’s Knights Motorcycle Club, a man of power and control.   A man with enemies near and far.
But the truth, my truth, is my biggest enemy— my mind and I live most of my life with no control whatsoever.
I’m just a man who battles his demons, a man destined to live a life full of darkness.Until her.
She’s the light beckoning me, calling me home, away from the torment.
In a world as dark as the one I live in, sometimes I can’t help but crave Sunshine.

Reina DeCarlo

I was lost, broken and a prisoner of my scars.
A shell of the woman I used to be, who didn’t know the difference between living and merely existing.
Until a stranger found me, fixed and freed me. He breathed life into my soul, reminding me I was a survivor and still had life to live.
My savior is a biker.
A man tortured by his own scars. A man broken like me, maybe even a little lost too.
I want to be his remedy.
I want to heal him.
I want to return the favor and be his savior.
This is our story, a story neither of us knew how to write until we found each other.

 

#GETTEMPTED

FORBIDDEN TEMPTATIONS

by Janine Infante Bosco

Tempted #2

Publication Date: November 10, 2015

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

PURCHASE: Amazon (#FREE with #KindleUnlimited)

SYNOPSIS: Anthony Bianci

Since I was a kid all I ever wanted to be was a gangster. I wanted to be feared, to be respected, and for everyone to know my name.

And then she came into my life.

I never planned on falling in love with the mob boss’ daughter. She was forbidden but somehow she became mine. She made me crave things I didn’t even know existed and made me forget about the things I thought I wanted. My quest for power faded away and was replaced by my undying love for her.

Until reality bit me in the ass and I was sent to prison for three years, doing time for a crime I didn’t commit.

Now I’m out and she is creating a life for herself, just like I always wanted for her. Only I’m not a part of that life. I won’t ruin her any more than I already have with my poisonous lifestyle.

No matter how tempted I am.

Adrianna Pastore
I wanted him from the very first time I laid eyes on him.
He was everything to me, my first love and probably my last.
Then my father ruined our perfect little life, and he walked away from me.
I tried to fight for him, for our love, but he pushed me away.
When the love you crave is beautiful, yet forbidden, you can’t help being tempted.
So I’ll fight for him. For us. Even if I’m the only one fighting.

#AMERICASNEXTMOBSTER

ILLICIT TEMPTATIONS

by Janine Infante Bosco

Tempted #1

Publication Date: July 28, 2015

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

PURCHASE: Amazon (#FREE with #KindleUnlimited)

SYNOPSIS: Michael Valente...
My father was the Underboss of an organized crime family. He was murdered when I was a teenager leaving me broken. My mother died in a tragic accident, her death annihilated me. My life was in shambles until Victor Pastore, one of New York’s most notorious gangsters and my late father’s best friend, recruited me to work for him. 
Everyone expected me to walk in my father’s shadow, to be the prodigal son, the next big thing to hit the mob. I was torn between filling those expectations and walking the straight line my mother wished I had. Nothing made sense and I felt as if I was just passing through life.
The only beacon of light in my otherwise dark world was the one girl that was off limits to me. The one girl who could bring me to my knees consuming my mind, body and soul.
She’s the sweetest temptation I’ve ever known and the most illicit.

Nikki Pastore....
My father’s a gangster. My boyfriend’s is the king of New York’s nightclubs. I am often labeled as Vic’s daughter or Rico’s girl, never just Nikki. I struggle for people to acknowledge me for the woman I am and not for the men in my life. I’m fighting a losing battle.
There is only one person who sees me for me, my Mikey.
He’s wild.
He’s reckless.
He’s hot as hell.
He’s completely unattainable, but oh so tempting.

ABOUT JANINE INFANTE BOSCO

Janine Infante Bosco lives in New York City, she has always loved reading and writing. When she was thirteen, she began to write her own stories and her passion for writing took off as the years went on. At eighteen, she even wrote a full screenplay with dreams of one day becoming a member of the Screen Actors Guild. Janine writes emotionally charged novels with an emphasis on family bonds, strong willed female characters, and alpha male men who will do anything for the women they love. She loves to interact with fans and fellow avid romance readers like herself. She is proud of her success as an author and the friendships she's made in the book community but her greatest accomplishment to date would be her two sons Joseph and Paul.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Pinterest • Goodreads • Newsletter

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sonja's Review

Janine Infante Bosco's Tempted series has fast become one of my favorites, I fall more in love with each book, and Reckless Temptations was no exception! It was another hit out of the park for me. It was fabulous and I looooooved it! 

OH - EM - GEE! Lauren is a total bada*s and I think she might just be my favorite heroine of the series! Lauren is a strong, fierce, passionate fighter. She might look and be the girl next door as Riggs is always saying, but that doesn't mean that she can't handle and take care of herself. Lauren is the kind of heroine to make you proud and I absolutely LOVED her!! 

Okay, if Riggs' smile looks anything like the guy's on the cover, I would be a total goner as soon as he turned that smile on me just like Lauren was! Yes, he has his annoying "Are you serious?" moments where you want to smack him upside the head or shake some sense into his head, but he's so sexy, playful, funny, and just a good guy that I couldn't stay mad at him and I couldn't help but love him. And when he got his possessive, protective, sweet side on? Riggs completely stole my heart and I know he'll steal yours too! 

Reckless Temptations is definitely the lightest book in the Tempted series that I have read. It was steamy, funny, entertaining and it made me laugh, grin, and melt. It was an easy read for the most part, but it still broke my heart, punched me in the gut, and made me cry. It's a beautiful read that will get your blood pumping and make your heart pound, race, and ache. It was amazing, I completely loved it, and I'm both excited and nervous for Blackie's story next! 

Reckless Temptations is a standalone, it's told from Riggs and Lauren's POV, and they do get their HEA!!

~ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

BLOG TOUR REVIEW: A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole

synopsis

One kiss lasts a moment.

But a thousand kisses can last a lifetime.

One boy.

One girl.

A bond that is forged in an instant and cherished for a decade.

A bond that neither time nor distance can break.

A bond that will last forever.

Or so they believe.

When seventeen-year-old Rune Kristiansen returns from his native Norway to the sleepy town of Blossom Grove, Georgia, where he befriended Poppy Litchfield as a child, he has just one thing on his mind. Why did the girl who was one half of his soul, who promised to wait faithfully for his return, cut him off without a word of explanation?

Rune’s heart was broken two years ago when Poppy fell silent. When he discovers the truth, he finds that the greatest heartache is yet to come.

Standalone Young Adult Tearjerker Romance.

For ages 14 and up.

buy links

Amazon US ~ http://amzn.com/B01CXYSEB2

Amazon UK ~ http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01CXYSEB2

Amazon CA ~ http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01CXYSEB2

Amazon AU ~ http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01CXYSEB2

iBooks ~ https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-thousand-boy-kisses/id1093044048?mt=11

Kobo ~ https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/a-thousand-boy-kisses

about tillie

Tillie Cole hails from a small town in the North-East of England. She grew up on a farm with her English mother, Scottish father and older sister and a multitude of rescue animals. As soon as she could, Tillie left her rural roots for the bright lights of the big city.

After graduating from Newcastle University with a BA Hons in Religious Studies, Tillie followed her Professional Rugby player husband around the world for a decade, becoming a teacher in between and thoroughly enjoyed teaching High School students Social Studies before putting pen to paper, and finishing her first novel.

Tillie has now settled in Austin, Texas, where she is finally able to sit down and write, throwing herself into fantasy worlds and the fabulous minds of her characters.

Tillie is both an independent and traditionally published author, and writes many genres including: Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance, Young Adult and New Adult novels.

When she is not writing, Tillie enjoys nothing more than curling up on her couch watching movies, drinking far too much coffee, while convincing herself that she really doesn’t need that extra square of chocolate.

follow tillie

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

blog tour organized by

Lia's Review: 

I'll say this first, YA is so not my thing. But when an author you love decides to foray into a new genre, you follow them. I've read Tillie's bada*s bikers, her Alpha fighter, and her drool worthy jocks. I was totally unprepared for her Norwegian bad boy.

While this book is centered around teenagers in high school, it's also an almost poetic love story about a boy and a girl wise beyond her years. I did find some of the dialogue to be a bit mature for the ages of these characters, but it didn't detract from the message Tillie was trying to convey.

You will swoon, you'll be angry, and you'll be shedding massive ugly tears. Chest heaving sobs. It's as beautiful as it is tragic. A boy and a girl and the story of their one thousand kisses. Sigh.

~ 4.5 Stars

RELEASE DAY BLITZ: Hawke by Sawyer Bennett

Hawke (Cold Fury, Book #5)

Sawyer Bennett

Release Date: March 15, 2016

Synopsis:

The New York Times bestselling hockey series featuring the Carolina Cold Fury continues as the team’s most notorious party animal gets blindsided by the one that got away. 

Off the ice, elite defenseman Hawke Therrien enjoys his fair share of booze and good times. And why shouldn’t he? He’s worked his way up from the minor leagues and made himself a star. The only thing Hawke misses from that life is the pierced, tattooed free spirit who broke his heart without so much as an explanation. She’s almost unrecognizable when she walks back into his life seven years later—except for the look in her eyes that feels like a punch to the gut.

Vale Campbell isn’t the same girl she was at twenty. As crazy as she was about Hawke, her reckless behavior and out-of-control drinking were starting to scare her. She had to clean up her act, and that would never happen with Hawke around. Cutting him loose was the hardest thing Vale ever had to do—until now. Because she’s still crazy about Hawke. And if he could ever learn to forgive her, they just might have a future together.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25775928-hawkelpp

Purchase Hawke:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1p4Wkh5

B&N: http://bit.ly/1UYMtI1

iBooks: http://apple.co/1W5qCvu 

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1KsZdQe 

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1UcudZn

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Sawyer Bennett is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. Her husband works for a Fortune 100 company which lets him fly all over the world while she stays at home with their daughter and two big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn't have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.

Connect with Sawyer:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bennettbooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BennettBooks

Instagram: https://instagram.com/sawyerbennett123/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Sawyer_Bennett

Sign up for Sawyer’s newsletter: http://sawyerbennett.com/signup/

BLOG TOUR REVIEW: Porn Star by Laurelin Paige and Sierra Simone

Synopsis:

You know me.

Come on, you know you do.

Maybe you pretend you don’t. Maybe you clear your browser history religiously. Maybe you pretend to be aghast whenever someone even mentions the word porn in your presence.

But the truth is that you do know me.

Everybody knows Logan O’Toole, world famous porn star.

Except then Devi Dare pops into my world, and pretty soon I’m doing things that aren’t like me—like texting her with flirty banter and creating an entire web porn series just so I can get to star in her bed. Again. And again.

With Devi, my entire universe shifts, and the more time I spend with her, the more I realize that Logan O’Toole isn’t the guy I thought he was.

So maybe I'm not the guy you thought I was either.

Buy Links

Amazon / iBooks B&N / Kobo

Add to your TBR on Goodreads.

Catch up with Logan O'Toole HERE: http://laurelinpaige.com/loganotoole/

Enjoy a sneak peek of Porn Star’s Logan O’Toole now on iBooks: http://apple.co/1Vlrew9

About the Authors:

NY Times & USA Today Bestselling author Laurelin Paige is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Game of Thrones and the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender.

Facebook / Twitter / Amazon / Goodreads / Instagram / Website

Sierra Simone is a USA Today Bestselling former librarian (who spent too much time reading romance novels at the information desk.) She lives with her husband and family in Kansas City

Facebook / Twitter / Amazon / Goodreads / Instagram / Website

Sonja's Review

As soon as I saw that Sierra Simone and Laurelin Paige were working on Porn Star, I immediately wanted to read it! I was so excited, I just couldn't wait for it, and I was a little, okay, A LOT obsessed with getting it. And even though I knew it would be good, I had no idea how truly amazing it was going to be. Ms. Simone and Ms. Paige completely blew my expectations out of the water and Porn Star is definitely the best book of the year I have read so far! 

Devi Dare - isn't that name just so awesome?! And if you think her name is awesome, then wait until you actually meet her! I loved Devi - she's smart, sweet, kind, and sassy. She's confident, strong, and brave. Devi isn't really the impulsive type, she like to think things through but she also tries to follow her heart and do what's best for her even if it's scary and even if it might get her hurt. Devi might not be that old and she might not be as experienced about some things, but she knows what she feels and she has trust and faith in that and in herself. She is an incredible heroine with a great heart and I absolutely loved her! 

Logan O'Toole - despite what one of the things his name might suggest - he is not actually a toolish a**hole. In fact, he really isn't anything like what I thought he might be like. Yeah, of course he has the whole c*cky, confident, sexy thing down, but Logan is soooo much more than just that. He's unbelievably sweet, thoughtful, and poetic. He's funny and romantic and adorkably nerdy if you can believe it. I was a total goner for him from the very beginning and I can't tell you how much I loved him! Of course, Logan isn't perfect, he certainly has his issues but he's one hundred percent worth it when he does work out all of his issues. Be prepared, because Logan O'Toole is going to steal your heart, make you melt and make you swoon!

Porn Star was one of those books that I fell in love with. I never wanted to stop reading it and unless I could help it, I didn't stop reading. I read it on my phone, while I made food, while I walked and even while I ate and I hardly ever do that! There were times where I absolutely, positively could not tear myself away and I couldn't have stopped myself from being fully invested if I had tried. I was so caught up in the story that I felt every emotion from the good to the bad and even though I knew we'd get our HEA, I still felt doubt like Logan and Devi did at times.

Porn Star was just phenomenal - it was beautiful, magical, heart wrenching, and breathtaking. It's sexy and dirty and HOT, but it's also funny and deep and heart-melting. My love for it is so big and I can't and won't forget it! 

Porn Star is a standalone, it's told from Logan and Devi's POV, and they do get their happil-ever-after!

~ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

RELEASE DAY BLITZ: Remembering Phoenix by Randa Lynn

 Title: Remembering Phoenix

Author: Randa Lynn

Release Date: March 14, 2016

Find on Goodreads

Life gives, and life takes away.
Charlie McGee knows all too well just how much truth that statement holds.
She was drowning, wasting away from guilt and sadness.
But when she meets Slayter Beck, he becomes the only calm in her ever-present storm.

He's her light in the darkness. An angel in the midst of her demons.
All she wants to do is remember, and when the weight of that burden becomes too much, she tries giving up. But he won't let her.
He vows to help her remember.
Remember Phoenix.

Amazon

CHAPTER 1

CHARLIE

OCTOBER 15, 2013

I don’t know why people say life is funny. It’s not.

Life is cancer. Just when you think it’s all smooth sailing, it ruins you.

I strum my fingers along to the beat of the music as I take the last gulp of my beer. It’s a song full of color, and cheer, and happy. And I hate it.

I was happy once, with a life I’d do anything to keep… I think.

I imagine I used to wake up in the mornings and make chocolate chip pancakes and pour a glass of orange juice without the pulp. I hate pulp in my orange juice with its thick, chunky texture. It makes me gag. I bet Phoenix hated it, too. But what do I know?

Nothing.

I know nothing because that is all I remember—nothing.

Annoyed, I stop strumming my fingers. I hate everyone dancing to the happy song with their smiling faces and laugh lines around their eyes.

I hate the beams of light shooting from wall to wall, all bright and colorful like it’s Christmas time.

I hate everything today.

Everything.

Two years ago today was the day everything changed for me.

The day everything was taken from me.

I wave to the bartender, needing alcohol to help blur my heartache. “What can I get you?” he asks. I look up at his extremely tall, extremely skinny, frame. His rectangular glasses sit atop his overly large nose.

I know a nose never stops growing. I know eyes always remain the same size throughout life. I could tell you what the square root of a number is without a second thought, but I couldn’t tell you what I did for my twenty-third birthday, or any birthday before that, for that matter. I couldn’t tell you my worst fear growing up, or what it felt like when I fell in love for the first time.

I couldn’t tell you anything, because I don’t know the answers to any of that. Life took those simple pleasures from me.

I jump as a hand brushes my arm, startling me from my reverie. “Ma’am? What can I get you?” the big-nosed bartender repeats.

“Oh. I’m sorry. I’ll have two shots of whatever is good and strong. Lay it on me,” I answer as he walks down to grab some shot glasses.

Within seconds he’s back at my side. “Tab, or you tapping out for the night?”

I grab the cash out of my clutch and count it. Shit. I’m twenty shorter than I thought.  I sigh. “I’ll tap out. I don’t have my—“

A hand reaches across me, halting me mid-sentence, and grabs both of my shots. Dumbfounded, my eyes follow, watching as a guy downs them one after the other. “Excuse me?” I bark, shoving his arm.

He tosses a hundred dollar bill at me before looking at the bartender. “Get her whatever that was I just downed, plus me two more. I’ll pay for all of them.”

Rolling my eyes at his audacity, I grab the money and hand it to Big-Nose. “He’ll also pay my tab off.” I turn to the rude, arrogant prick who jacked my alcohol. “Thanks, asshole.”

A smug, pained grin hints on his face as he sits down on the barstool next to me. He shrugs his jacket off and hangs it on the hook underneath the lip of the bar. He runs his fingers through his golden brown hair, disheveling it more than it already was, before rubbing the slight stubble peppering his jawline. If I wasn’t pissed off at everything, including him, I would find him attractive.

If being the operative word here.

The shots magically appear in front of me. Making sure my drinks don’t get stolen again, I quickly grab them both, downing them one after the other. The burn of the alcohol makes its way down my throat. It numbs me, but only for a second. God knows it won’t numb me forever. I’ve tried.

“That good?” the guy beside me asks smugly.

I cut my eyes in his direction and flip him off. He grins. He grins, and laugh lines appear at the corners of his eyes. I automatically hate him.

Laugh lines mean happiness.

My mouth snaps in a straight line. Bitterness boils inside of me because he has laugh lines, meaning he has reasons to smile in this world. Or maybe I’m bitter because there is nobody in my world to make me smile. At least no one I can remember.

“Sorry I stole your shots. I really needed them. Bad day,” he confesses, before throwing a shot back. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “I’m Slayter, by the way.”

I scoff. “Bad day, Slayter?” I spit his name out of my mouth like it’s vinegar on my tongue. “I’m sure it’s just been awful. Your girlfriend having her monthly visit so you can’t get any for a few days?”

His stone gray eyes delve into me, like they’re trying to read me, trying to know me. Oh, the irony of it all.

“I wish,” he clips. “My fiancée left a month ago, taking my daughter with her. Only for me to find out today via paternity test, she wasn’t my daughter at all. So now I’m without a fiancée, which I can handle, and I’m without the little girl I raised for nine months, which I can’t.” He shakes his head, lost in thought. I feel bad for the guy, almost enough to not hate him.

I don’t have any clue what to tell him. “Yep. Sucks a little worse than what I was imagining,” I spit out, sounding every bit as sincere as I feel, which is not at all.

His eyebrows scrunch together as he looks at me, tapping his fingers on his chin. “Yeah.” He sighs. “Only being able to live with her memory, and not her, for the rest of my life, is going to fucking kill me.”

I roll my eyes, unable to stand his pity-party of one any longer. “Yeah,” I sneer. “I’d also imagine living with no memory at all for the rest of your life sucks, too. But you wouldn’t know, would you?”

I slam my hands on the bar as I get up from the stool, kicking it back with all my might. The metal legs screech along the dirty, concrete floor before it topples over. I knew coming to this place was a bad idea. It’s been two years today, and my emotions are everywhere. Every little thing is pissing me off.

I went to bed last night with his picture clung to my chest, praying, hoping, wishing today would be the day I would wake up and remember. Remember everything, good and bad. At this point, I don’t care what it is I remember, as long as I have something to grasp on to. I just want something to be able to tell me, “Charlie, this is who you were when you were you. This is what your life consisted of.” But no, I woke up this morning with a memory as blank as the day I woke up from my coma.

With tears in my eyes, I storm out of the bar. The cool October breeze nips at my face, chilling me. Leaning against the black brick wall, I grab the photo out of my jacket pocket. It’s worn, torn on the edges from constantly being carried around. Even though it breaks my heart, I can’t help but to look at it every single time I feel like the weight of the world is suffocating me.

I rub the pad of my thumb over the photo, closing my eyes, hoping this will be the last day I have to live with this black hole of pain in my chest. A tear trickles down my cheek as the pain completely consumes me. The pain of loss, of emptiness. The pain of not remembering the absolute largest part of who I am.

Or who I was.

“Phoenix,” I whisper, “please help me remember.”

Randa Lynn is an avid reader and lover of all things romance. She has sketched stories since she could write, and decided to finally pursue her dream in crafting real words from fictional lives.

She lives in Louisiana with her husband, five children, two dogs, and obese cat. In her spare time, she loves watching her favorite movies, find recipes—that she’ll never cook—on Pinterest, and find GIF’s that fit any occasion.

Her favorite things in life are her children and husband, spending weekends at the baseball/softball diamonds, and reading, of course.

Facebook | Email | Goodreads

Lia's Review

Sigh, Remembering Phoenix, wow. What a beautiful, heartfelt story. I related so much to the heroine in this book, Charlie. The struggle of depression, not letting the dark envelop you. At some point we've all had days where our outlook is abysmal.

Depression can be very tough subject matter to write about, and even read about. I applaud Randa Lynn for writing this book. Not only was this book extremely emotional, it was sexy and beautiful. I'm trying not to give too in depth of a review as to avoid spoilers, but this is one of those stories that will stay with me for a long while.

Warning; you will cry, you will swoon, and you'll absolutely melt into a pile of goo because of Slayter, the hero. Loved it.

~ 4.5 "I got you" Stars