Blog Tour: Beautifully Broken Control by Catherine Cowles

A woman trying to rebuild her life. A man haunted by a past he can’t forget. But with pasts like theirs . . . you never know when darkness might descend.

Beautifully Broken Control, an all new unforgettable small-town romance in the Sutter Lake Series from Catherine Cowles, is out now!

A woman trying to rebuild her life.

Kennedy is doing all she can to escape, to prove that she’s not the monster her father was. A simple life of peace and service is all she needs.

A man haunted by a past he can’t forget.

Cain has buried his demons under layers of control and success. The only thing he needs is his company and his solitude. Certainly not a woman with captivating green eyes filled with ghosts so similar to his own.

He’s a reminder of the life she’s left behind. And she’s a threat to his tightly guarded control. As sparks fly between them, they discover that what they might need most is each other.

But with pasts like theirs . . . you never know when darkness might descend.

Download your copy today!

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My Review:

First off, this cover is everything! It’s so beautiful and what first made me take notice of this book. Beautifully Broken Control is book 4 in the Sutter Lake series by Catherine Cowles. I haven’t read the first three in the series, but I wasn’t lost. I feel that everything we would have needed for this plot was explained to us. I would love to go back and read them though since this one was so good!

I loved the two main characters, Kennedy and Cain. Both of them have been through a lot but they were so good with huge hearts. I loved these two together. I loved Kennedy’s independence and selfless spirit and Cain’s protectiveness was nothing sort of sweetness. They had an amazing connection. Their friends were great too!

The writing was really well done. I definitely did not see that ending coming, so I was pleasantly surprised!

Overall, this book was a fast read, which I enjoyed very much. I highly recommend!

Excerpt:

Faint rays of sunshine still lit the sky as I headed to my SUV, but the air had just a hint of a bite to it. That was spring in the mountains. I glanced at Walker. “Thanks for the warm welcome.”

He gave my back a slap. “Anytime, brother.” He paused with me at my vehicle, looking out to the fields and then back to me.

“What is it?” You didn’t know someone as long as I’d known Walker without recognizing their tells. The little ticks that told you they were worried or angry or, like now, had something they wanted to say but were holding back.

“Kennedy.”

My body began to stiffen, but I forced it to relax. I was the master of giving nothing away, and this situation should be no different. “What about her?”

Walker shifted on his feet. “She’s young.”

“Looks it.” I didn’t know how young, but I’d find out soon enough.

Walker’s jaw hardened. “Be careful.”

I bristled at that. But he wasn’t wrong to warn me off. She had an innocence that radiated from her in waves. And I had no plans to change that, but I was curious. That…something I couldn’t put my finger on kept niggling at me as though she were playing at something she wasn’t. I shook my head and gave Walker a grin. “I’ve got no plans to defile Jensen’s protégé. You can rest easy.”

The set of Walker’s shoulders eased. “Good. You want free and easy, there are plenty of women around here who are down for that, just like you are. But I get the sense that’s not Kenz.”

“Kenz?” The nickname curled around my tongue. It fit her.

“That’s what Jensen calls her, said Kennedy was too formal. Guess it’s catching on.”

I nodded. “I gotta get back to the resort, but let’s grab a drink tomorrow. Hopefully, we’ll be celebrating my closing on that property.”

Walker grinned. “I hope it works out. Shoot me a text tomorrow, and we’ll figure out a time.”

“Sounds good.” I beeped my locks and opened my door, but paused before I climbed in. “Walker?” He paused in his trek back to the ranch house, turning to face me. “I’m happy for you.” The words made a burn take flight in my chest.

The smile that spread across his face was one that could only belong to a man who was a total goner for his woman. “Thanks, Cain. You’ll—” He cut himself off before he could finish the sentence. He knew better than to tell me that I’d find that. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“I am, too.” I gave a jerk of my chin and climbed into my SUV. The drive back to the resort I was staying at a few miles outside of town was quiet. Only the sounds of gravel under my tires to keep me company.

Gravel turned to pavement as I pulled into the resort. I hopped out of my Rover, leaving the door open for the valet. I ignored any polite smiles from fellow guests and staff as I headed straight for my suite.

The familiar itch at the back of my brain was back. Something that said I needed to know more about the girl from dinner. I slipped my keycard into the lock, fingers drumming against my thigh as I waited for the light to turn green. I pushed open the door and headed straight for the safe. Keying in the code, I removed my laptop.

I strode to the desk, setting my computer down and settling into the chair. I opened the laptop, typing in my security codes. I launched a browser and got to work. An hour went by in record time. An hour, and almost nothing to show for it.

I stared at the image on my screen. Auburn hair, freckles dusting the tops of her cheeks and nose, creamy white complexion below, and startling green eyes. There was no denying she was beautiful. Beautiful in a way that would stop a man in his tracks and make him do a whole lot of stupid shit just to get her to turn that smile his way.

But there was also no denying that she was a ghost. The only photo I could find of her was the one on her driver’s license. Other than that one single piece of ID, the woman didn’t exist. No bank account. No credit cards. No lease. No car.

There was nothing else, good or bad, that I could find. Anywhere. While some would say that was a good thing, I knew the truth. It was nothing but bad. People didn’t erase a life unless they had something to hide.

One dinner and I knew my friends were taken by her. It was no surprise. Sarah and Jensen had the most tender hearts of anyone I knew. They were forever rescuing strays, both animal and human. Hell, that’s why I was there, wasn’t it?

But they often didn’t think about the risks involved. Walker used to be good about checking that stuff out, but it seemed Taylor had softened him, made him just a touch less cynical about the world. I was happy for my brother, but it just meant that I needed to look out for the friends in my life who were more like family.

And that’s just what I’d do.

About Catherine

Writer of words. Drinker of Diet Cokes. Lover of all things cute and furry, especially her dog. Catherine has had her nose in a book since the time she could read and finally decided to write down some of her own stories. When she's not writing she can be found exploring her home state of Oregon, listening to true crime podcasts, or searching for her next book boyfriend.

Connect with Catherine

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IEQXSw Facebook: http://bit.ly/2Lc4mU0 Twitter: https://twitter.com/catherinecowles Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2RFY7Jv Instagram: http://bit.ly/31TE3rJ Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2xdUZLn BookBub: http://bit.ly/2J3dWWF Website: https://www.catherinecowles.com/ Stay up to date with Catherine by joining her mail list: http://bit.ly/2JZE0DH

Teaser Post: A Game Changer by Nikky Kaye

Today we are celebrating the release of A GAME CHANGER by Nikky Kaye by participating in the blog tour. This is a sports romance, standalone novella. Join Nikky's reader group for more details about this title, and all of her upcoming releases.

Buy Now or Read it for FREE as part of Kindle Unlimited

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A GAME CHANGER by Nikky Kaye

Available Now | Standalone novella

Book Blurb:

Love the game, not the player.

It’s always a bad sign at an interview when your would-be employer orders you to strip—especially if the job is as the nanny to a grieving little girl. It’s even worse if you’re tempted to do it. Zach Pennington is a football star and now, suddenly, a single dad to a niece he barely knows. He’s also the most arrogant, clueless, vulnerable, sexy, stubborn, big-hearted man I’ve ever met, but Payton needs me, and I know what it feels like to be orphaned. I just have to remember Rule Number One. Zach might be a great player, on the field and off, but I know better than to fall for your boss. By the way, I’m proud to say that I didn’t strip for him—then.

Buy Now or Read it for FREE as part of Kindle Unlimited

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EXCERPT:

Zach

Winning was the best feeling in the world—whether it was on the football field or in bed. Right now, I was still basking in the glory of a truly epic win. And it was the off-season.

Someone stirred beside me and I groaned, reaching a hand to yank her back to bed. I heard the soft giggle as I snuggled closer to her, breathing in the scent of whoever this girl was. When I reached out to snake my arms around her waist, she squirmed under my touch.

“You’re so sexy, Zach,” she whispered, leaning closer to me.

It wasn’t exactly poetry, but I hadn’t brought her to my room for her huge… brain. She kissed me with such heated intensity that I couldn’t repress my grin.

“Was I good?” It was a rhetorical question, but I wasn’t above soliciting a little ego-stroking. Hell, I liked a lot of ego-stroking.

“The best,” she murmured, shifting herself to straddle me. I moaned when she arched against me, leaning in to kiss me again when my phone rang.

“Fuck. Ignore it, baby,” I muttered, reaching for her face and guiding it to mine.

But the stupid thing continued to ring and the more we tried to ignore it, the louder it seemed to get. With a growl of frustration, I grabbed the phone.

“Hello?”

“Zach, I’m sorry for, uh, waking you, but this is really important.” My assistant’s voice was polite, as it always was. But there was something in his tone that set the hair on my arms on end.

“Anderson, this better be good because I’ll fire you if it isn’t,” I growled into the phone. The laughter of the pretty blonde straddling me vibrated through my groin, and I threw her a smirk.

“Zach, I think you need to go to Denver. I’ve booked your flight. It leaves in an hour, so you’d better hurry.” Anderson said.

My eyebrows furrowed and I motioned for the girl to get off of me.

“What the hell is going on, Anderson?”

A long sigh came over the line. “Something happened to Dean and Margaret.”

My stomach dropped. My insides churned as I swung my legs around and planted my feet on the floor. I wedged the phone between my shoulder and ear as I grabbed my jeans from the floor and pulled them on.

I walked to the floor to ceiling window in my high-rise condo. When I looked out at the view of Tampa, I told myself that the weakness in my knees was due to the diligent work ethic of the blonde. I startled when I felt her arms wrapping around my waist.

“Give me a minute, Anderson,” I mumbled and then placed my hand to cover the phone before turning to the groupie. Her sexy pout was souring. “I had fun last night, but I have a busy day ahead of me.”

She frowned. “That’s it? You’re not even getting my number?”

I simply shrugged and returned my attention to the phone call. When she let out a dramatic huff, I glanced back to see her putting on her clothes. Fun time was over. It was going to end anyhow, though—what had she expected?

“What happened to Dean and Margaret?” I demanded.

Again, I heard Anderson sigh. “They got into an accident. Payton’s also in the hospital but she’s okay. Dean’s in critical condition and Maggie… Maggie’s gone.”

I leaned forward, my forehead hitting the cool glass of the window. “Shit.”

My eyes closing, my mind immediately flashed to an image of my beautiful and wonderful sister-in-law. I’d known her since she and Dean began to date in their junior year of high school. She became the mother figure I needed when our mother died of cancer and had been my shoulder to cry on when our father died a year after.

That was the worst time of my life. Until now.

“I’ll see you at the airport, Anderson. You’re coming with me. I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

I rinsed off, changed and then stuffed all my clothes in my duffel bag. It was only when I was in the cab heading to the airport that I realized I hadn’t stopped to let Coach or the manager know I was leaving.

“I took care of that,” Anderson assured me as we boarded the plane.

I gave him a curt nod, too distracted by my own fear to even say “thank you.” Hopefully he understood. I was practically vibrating with anxiety for the entire flight. Usually that was Anderson’s thing. When we finally arrived in Denver, we headed straight to the hospital, our bags slung over our shoulders.

The triage nurse in the Emergency Room wasn’t impressed by my celebrity, or the fact that I’d bypassed the line of sick and injured people. “Sir, you have to—”

Fuck waiting. “Dean Pennington, I’m here for Dean Pennington. They were in an accident.” My hand shook as I rubbed my forehead.

“Are you related to the patient, sir?”

“I’m his brother!” I almost shouted.

It took another ten minutes and the threat of a security guard intervention to locate Dean in the ICU. I didn’t even know where the fuck that was, but I ran up the stairs, doubling my speed and ignoring Anderson shouting at me to slow down. Eventually I had to wait for him, because he knew where to go and I didn’t.

At the fifth floor, I burst into the bubble of Intensive Care, and jogged past glass walls, searching for my brother’s smile. His hair. Anything. I couldn’t see shit, but something made me stop in front of a room with a lot of activity.

“What’s going on?” I asked someone rushing in.

But he only shook his head. “Check in at the desk.”

I tried to stop someone else. “Can you tell me where Dean Pennington is?”

But she didn’t even stop to answer me, she just plowed past me.

My assistant appeared at my side, breathless from running up the stairs. “Zach…”

I shook my head. “It’s not Dean. It can’t be Dean. He won’t leave Payton.”

Anderson patted my shoulder, and I let him steer me to a chair while he talked to someone at the desk at the heart of the unit. My stomach flipped as I noticed the clerk and Anderson both looking pointedly at the room six feet away, full of medical personnel.

An eternity later, a doctor and some nurses piled out of the room. I jumped up. “Doctor, Dean Pennington?”

He paused. “Are you a relative?”

“I’m his brother.”

The doctor sighed, his eyes red and tired-looking behind his thick glasses. “Let’s talk.”

He ushered me over to a tiny room off the hallway near the doors to the ICU. There was nothing hopeful about the look on his face, or the tiny fucking room with some flower paintings on the walls.

“Dean arrived here five hours ago with multiple injuries from an MVA.”

I stared at him blankly.

“Multiple vehicle accident,” he explained. “It was pretty serious. His wife died on impact.”

I nodded. “I know.” Jesus, I was going to have to call Maggie’s parents, wasn’t I? “Is Dean going to be okay?” I asked, my voice cracking.

Something in me already knew, but the extra pause the doctor took before answering was like the proverbial nail in the coffin. Shit, bad analogy.

With sorrowful eyes, he said, “I’m sorry. We did everything we could, but his injuries were just too severe.” He waited, maybe wondering if I had follow-up questions.

I didn’t.

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AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Nikky Kaye likes to read and write feverish, fearless books for your funny boner, such as A Model Fiancé and the Billionaire Book Club series. A former college professor, she has worked with movie stars and the United Nations—but prefers happy endings. She has young twin boys, loves living where there are four distinct seasons but loathes getting out of bed, has a terrible addiction to diet cola, and hates talking about herself in the third person.

AUTHOR LINKS:

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Review: The Year I Left by Christine Brae

I was really excited that I was able to receive a copy of this book for review. The synopsis sounded interesting and I loved the cover! I really enjoyed this story and will definitely be picking up more books from this author!

The story follows a women named Carin who seems to have it all. A loving husband, a great son, friends, family and an incredible job. But something is missing from her life and she can’t figure out what is it, but she knows she’s unhappy. When she meets a man names Matias everything changes. Just like the title says, Carin does in fact leave her life for a year. She becomes a completely different person!

While I am not a mother, I can’t imagine just picking up and leaving your entire life, especially if you have children. While this made me angry and made me want to drop a star in my rating, everything made sense in the end and I was very happy for it.

The writing is beautiful. You get a real sense for who Carin as a wife, mother, sister, daughter and person. I would recommend this book. You’ll feel like you are taking a break from your life for a few hours!

Review & Giveaway: Key to Hell by Alex Grayson

Title: Key to Hell

Series: Hell Night Series #4

Author: Alex Grayson

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: June 27, 2019

Death. Destruction. Pain. A soulless void. It’s his life. It’s his reality.

Emo doesn’t feel. Anything. His soul is dark and filled with hatred. People in the small town of Malus watch him with fear, with reverence. Exactly the way he prefers it.

Guilt surrounds him, caging him in an ominous past he refuses to let go. Can’t let go. His past is responsible for the shell of the man who now exists. He doesn’t know any other way to survive.

The woman who haunts his dreams is his only salvation. He’s hurt her over and over again. He didn’t have a choice.

The key he holds on to, the one he uses to carve into his flesh, is the key to his hell. It’s his reminder of the pain he’s suffered and inflicted.

Will there be retribution? Can Emo be saved? Or is he destined to live in this dark hell he’s surrounded himself in for the rest of his life?

My Review:

Key To Hell is book 4 in the Hell Night series. I have pretty much been obsessed with these books since the first one came out and I have been even more excited to finally read Emo’s book.

Emo has been the brother who always had it worse on Hell night because he was forced to hurt Rella. He also had it the worst because while the others had “loving parents” the other days of the month, Emo’s dad was always abusive. Due to his childhood and what he had to do to Rella, he always needed pain and he was emotionally unstable. I always knew there was more to his character, and I absolutely loved getting his point of view in this book. We were able to see a whole other side to Emo and his loving, caring, selfless side made me fall in love with him even more.

Emo and Rella together was a beautiful thing. Both have been through so much and it was absolutely wonderful seeing their love blossom. I’m still swooning over the care that Emo showed Rella.

This series is dark, but I can’t recommend it enough. The writing, the characters and the story will suck you in and you will never want to leave Malus, Texas!

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Review: Luca by Brenda Rothert

Today we are celebrating the release of LUCA by Brenda Rothert. This is a contemporary romance, standalone, and it is the second title in the Chicago Blaze hockey romance series. Purchase your copy now!

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Luca by Brenda Rothert

Now Available

Chicago Blaze, #2

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Book Blurb:

Abby

I only have one love now—the home furnishings business I’m building into an empire. Maybe money and success can’t love me back, but they keep what’s left of my heart safe. One-night stands are my way of scratching the occasional itch I get for something more. And no one’s better for that than a sexy as sin hockey player I’ll never see again after one very hot night together.

Luca

I used to love two things: hockey and women. But now my nieces and nephew are my top priority, because I’m raising them after tragedy stole their parents. Somehow I balance single parenthood and my career as a forward for the Chicago Blaze. There’s no time for women, until I get knocked on my ass by Abby Daniels. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted, but her devastating past may end us before we even get started.

My Review:

While reading Anton, the first book in the Chicago Blaze series, I was so intrigued by Luca! Luca is Anton’s teammate and friend, but we didn’t know much about Luca except that he was raising his two nieces and his nephew. I was so excited to read his story, and it definitely did not disappoint.

My favorite scenes from Luca was when he was interacting with his nieces and nephew. Luca is the strong, silent type (well he’s not really silent, but he is quiet compared to his teammates!) and I loved reading how he took his brother’s kids and is everything a parent should be. He loves them like they were his own. I loved when they were painting his nails, and when he called one of them peanut. It was so sweet and I honestly just melted into a puddle when he was around them.

I also loved the way he was there for Abby. Man, Abby has been through some stuff! She is a great person, but what she’s been through has changed her. Luca is exactly what she needed to start the process of healing and moving on.

Overall, this book had everything I had come to love from author Brenda Rothert!

 

Add the book to Goodreads

Excerpt:

“Hold still, Uncle Luca.”

My niece Emerson gives me her best glare, but she’s five and cute, so it makes me smile.

“I’m trying,” I tell her, checking out the dark purple polish she’s trying to brush onto my nails.

It’s not my inability to hold still that has more nail polish on my skin than my nails; it’s her technique. My “MANicure”, as my two nieces like to call it, started with my ten-year-old niece Cora and was then passed off to Emerson.

“I found yogurt!” Cora says as she breezes into my bathroom. “It’s got strawberries in the bottom, but that’s okay. This face mask will make you smell good, Uncle Luca.”

I try not to roll my eyes. It’ll be better than the last face mask they whipped up in the kitchen, which had butter in it and was a bitch to scrub off in the shower.

“I have to leave for practice in twenty-five minutes,” I remind the girls. “And I still need a shower. So you have ten more minutes to beautify me.”

“Will you paint my nails, too?” Cora asks me.

“Sure.”

I was shit at painting nails when I first became the legal guardian of my two nieces and one nephew a little over a year ago. With practice, though, I’ve gotten pretty damn good at it.

“How long ‘til Gram and Gramps will be here?” Emerson asks, still painting my thumb nail even though she’s looking at me.

“About four hours ‘til their flight lands, then maybe an hour for them to get to the house.”

Her toothless grin of excitement makes me ignore the nail polish I can feel on my knuckle.

“Emerson!” Cora yells. “You ruined it! That looks awful.”

Cora picks up the bottle of purple nail polish and Emerson’s happy expression drops away.

“Give it to me,” Cora huffs, holding out her hand for the handle to the polish. “I never should have let you do it.”

“Hey, now.” I give Cora a sharp look. “She was doing her best.”

Cora’s eyes flood with tears. Emerson edges closer to me, because she knows what happens when Cora gets upset.

“He won’t let us do spa days if you mess it up!” Cora cries, glaring at her younger sister. “You ruined everything!”

“You didn’t ruin anything,” I tell Emerson. “And Cora, I never said we wouldn’t do this again. We can do a big spa day after my road trip, okay?”

Cora wipes her eyes and nods, still crying. It kills me to see her like this. As the oldest, she carries more of the weight from the deaths of her parents than her siblings. We’ve been in counseling for more than a year now, transitioning through the death of their mother, my sister-in-law Danielle, to the kids’ new life with me as their guardian. The clinical terms for what Cora struggles with—anxiety and controlling tendencies—are easier for me to handle than her breakdowns.

The tension leaves the room and Emerson starts my massage, which is pretty much just her karate chopping my shoulders, while Cora slathers strawberry yogurt onto my face.

“Is your shoulder better?” Cora asks me.

“Yep, it’s all good.”

“Think my mashage helped?” Emerson asks from behind me.

She can’t pronounce some words, and I kinda hope that’ll last longer, because it gets me every time.

“It definitely helped,” I tell her.

I tweaked my shoulder at practice yesterday, and Cora noticed me wince when I was taking out the trash last night. She worries about every sinus cold and bruise I get. I can’t blame the kid. Her dad, my brother Matt, died serving in Iraq and her mom passed away from cancer a year later.

“Hey, let’s get your nails painted, Cora,” I say after glancing at my watch. “I’ve only got five minutes til I have to hit the shower.” I turn to Emerson. “Can you go get the nail polish remover, peanut?”

“Okay.” She races from the room, brown curls flying behind her.

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AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Brenda Rothert is an Illinois native who was a print journalist for nine years. She made the jump from fact to fiction in 2013 and never looked back. From new adult to steamy contemporary romance, Brenda creates fresh characters in every story she tells. She’s a lover of Diet Coke, chocolate, lazy weekends and happily ever afters.

AUTHOR LINKS:

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