KCBR Blog

“Kennedy Ryan’s writing continues to amaze and inspire. She is a genius wordsmith and a prose poet. And in Banner Morales, she has created the perfect heroine for this day and age. Don’t miss this read. It’s everything.” — Emma Scott, Bestselling Author 

Block Shot, Kennedy Ryan’s enemies-to-lovers, second-chance standalone romance is LIVE and FREE in Kindle Unlimited! 

JARED

If I had a dollar for every time Banner Morales made my heart skip a beat...

The heart everyone assumes is frozen over.

Her anger is...arousing.

Every glare from those fire-spitting eyes, every time she grits her teeth, 

gets me...well, you know.

If I had a dollar for every time she's put me in my place, I'd be an even richer man.

I'm a successful sports agent because I assume "no" means you'll think about it.

I'm sure what you meant to say is "Coming right up.”

They say even rich men don't always get what they want, 

but those men don't know how to play the game. The trick is to keep them guessing.

Take Banner. She assumes she's winning, but this game? 

She doesn't even know how to play.

BANNER

If I had a dollar for every time Jared Foster broke my heart, I’d have exactly one dollar.

One night. One epic fail. One dollar...and I'm out.

I've moved on.

I’ve found success in a field ruled by men. 

Anything they can do, I have done better.

They can keep the field while I call the shots, blocking them when I have to.

And Jared has the nerve to think he gets a second chance?

Boy, please. Go sit down. Have several seats.

I'll just be over here ignoring the man carved from my fantasies with a lust-tipped chisel.

Oh, I didn't say the struggle wasn't real.

But I've got that one dollar, and Jared won't have me.

Coming soon: Fight or Flight on Oct 9th!

Sighing, Braden shrugged his shoulders back and looked up at the sky, squinting against the sunlight. Decked out in a three-piece suit on a hot day like this didn’t ease his growing frustration with his plan to sell La Cour. No one knew he was thinking of selling La Cour except Thomas Prendergast, a fellow restaurateur. A successful one. If any of his business associates knew Braden was selling La Cour they’d think he was nuts. The restaurant had a world-class chef and a stellar reputation. And it made money. 

In truth, Braden was just stretched too thin and not interested in La Cour. All his concentration and focus was going into making his nightclub Fire a success, developing properties that turned profits, and of course he still had his father’s estate agency to keep up with, as well as a successful Scottish seasonal restaurant he co-owned with the chef, Frazier Allie, down on the Shore. 

La Cour as it stood was a nuisance, a nuisance Braden felt obligated to attend to since his father worked so hard to make it the success it was. But his father had always told him that when business became a nuisance rather than a challenge, and was no longer satisfying, it was time to move on to greener pastures. 

Thomas was dragging his feet with an answer. 

He glanced back at the restaurant. Come on, Thomas, make up your mind, man.

Braden’s phone beeped in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the digital reminder informing him he had a meeting in twenty minutes with one of his managers at Douglas Carmichael & Co, the estate agency his grandfather built up from the ground up to become one of the primary agencies in the Lothians. 

Shit. He’d spent longer with Thomas Prendergast than he’d meant to. Scowling, Braden walked toward Bruntsfield Church, his pale blue eyes trained on the road ahead, willing a cab to make an appearance. Only seconds later one turned around the corner and he stepped out onto the curb with his arm raised. To his relief the taxi pulled up to him. He’d make his meeting.

Reaching for the handle on the passenger side, a clean, fruity smell drifted towards him seconds before a warm, small and very feminine hand collided with his.

Braden dipped his head and looked down into the face of a woman, her skin bright from the sunlight, her eyes narrowed to slits as she squinted against the sun behind his head. There was a surprised disgruntlement in her expression. Clearly she assumed this was her black cab. Braden prepared to disabuse her of the notion but stopped. His father taught him that reading people, and by that he meant all the things they didn’t say with their mouths but did with their bodies and eyes, was the key to success in business. Braden read stubbornness in her features he could make out and in the obstinate tension she held in her shoulders. He was in no mood for stubbornness or fighting over a bloody cab after his meeting with Thomas had come to no satisfactory conclusion.

For the sake of expedience Braden asked, “Which way are you headed?”

He heard the words ‘Dublin Street’ and did what he always did: maneuvered things to his liking. “Good.” He pulled the cab door open. “I’m heading in that direction, and since I’m already running late, might I suggest we share the taxi instead of wasting ten minutes deciding who needs it more.” He placed a hand on the small of her back and nudged her into the cab. 

Relieved she didn’t stall them, Braden got in after her and immediately gave the cab driver their first destination. His sister, Ellie, lived on Dublin Street in a flat he’d renovated and then gifted to her. Ellie was his half-sister—they shared the same father. She’d never had it particularly easy from their dad. That was putting it politely. Douglas Carmichael was a negligent bastard and despite the fact that he and Braden had finally become friends of a sort before he died, Braden had never forgiven him for his treatment of Ellie. The guilt Douglas should have felt transferred to Braden, and he’d done everything he could to make sure her life was easier, and that she knew he cared. Giving her the flat meant she could concentrate on that PhD she was studying for. Braden might think the PhD impractical, but it made her happy, and in the end that was all that mattered. He also liked having her close to the estate agency which was on Dundas Street. Anytime he was in the area, which was more often than not, he could drop by to see Els. Braden was lucky to call Ellie not only his sister, but one of his closest friends, and it was nice to escape the stress of his business life at least for ten minutes when he stopped by for a coffee with her.

Braden decided he’d get the cab driver to stop at the top of Dublin Street, burl around and come back toward Dundas Street. It would be easier to drop him off first but it was ingrained in him to never let a woman pay for anything, so he’d drop off the unexpected passenger so he could pay the fare.

“Thanks I guess,” the woman answered from his left, the words sardonic. It wasn’t the tone that drew his attention. It was the husky, sexy voice and the American accent.

Dirty Headlines, an all-new sexy, enemies-to-lovers romance from bestselling author L.J. Shen is LIVE! Check out my spoiler-free review. This book is FREE in Kindle Unlimited.

"Dirty Headlines is a fantastic enemies to lovers office romance with a perfect filthy asshole hero that I wish I'd written myself." - Laurelin Paige, New York Times bestselling author 

Célian Laurent.

Manhattan royalty.

Notorious playboy.

Heir to a media empire.

…And my new boss.

I could have impressed him, if not for last month’s unforgettable one-night stand.

I left it with more than orgasms and a pleasant memory—namely, his wallet.

Now he’s staring me down like I’m the dirt under his Italian loafers, and I’m supposed to take it.

But the thing about being Judith “Jude” Humphry is I have nothing to lose.

Brooklyn girl.

Infamously quirky.

Heir to a stack of medical bills and a tattered couch.

When he looks at me from across the room, I see the glint in his eyes, and that makes us rivals.

He knows it.

So do I. 

Every day in the newsroom is a battle.

Every night in his bed, war.

But it’s my heart at stake, and I fear I’ll be raising the white flag.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited! 

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2NTwsSE

Paperback: https://amzn.to/2NNRtht

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/DirtyHeadlines 

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2GuCKIB

Review of Dirty Headlines

 Dirty Headlines by L.J. Shen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OMG LOVED THIS BOOK!
“All I’m saying is he’s like a half-priced facelift in an unregistered clinic in Eastern Europe. I would still do it, even knowing it’s deadly.”

Dirty Laundry by L.J. Shen is easily one of my top reads of 2018.  This enemies-to-lovers romance managed to tug at my heart, fog up my Kindle screen and make me laugh more than a few times. I’m obsessed with this addictive new release. I couldn’t get enough of dirty talking Célian and his razor-sharp wit. Good lord, he was such a character. Célian was the epitome of the sexy and smart alpha beast.  Much like Jude, I hated and loved Célian.

Jude had no intention of falling for her one-night-stand turned nasty boss.  Jude thought she was going to be lonely forever. She never expected to fall for such an uber sexy prick like Célian.

“She said a lonely heart—such as my lonely heart—would never fall in love, and so far, she wasn’t wrong. Maybe that’s why tonight happened. Maybe that’s why I’d stopped trying.”

When Célian’s virtual fangs came out along with his venomous comments, he would either cut you in half, or devour your mind, body, and soul.

“I wanted to marry Lily slightly less than I wanted to fuck a cactus on live television.”

Célian had his eye on the prize.  He was going to take the helm of his family's media company at any cost.  He trusted no one, especially with his heart.   He had a heart.  Right? Buried underneath all of Célian's savage snark he had a heart of gold.  Is he is he worthy of Jude's love?

"Every relationship you touch wilts. Every connection you make perishes. I don’t want to burn. I want to flourish. I deserve to bloom.”

Will a few too many dirty little secrets and lies keep Jude and Célian from a headline-worthy relationship?  I’ll never tell.   You need to one-click this book on 9/7.

About LJ Shen:

L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.

Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets people's’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.

She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.

Connect with L.J. Shen: 

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lj_shen

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorljshen/

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

Stay up to date with L.J. Shen by signing up for her mailing list:

http://bit.ly/2umcYPg

Website: http://www.authorljshen.com/

Dirty Headlines, an all-new sexy, enemies-to-lovers romance from USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen is coming September 7th and we have the first sneak peek! 

Synopsis:

Célian Laurent.

Manhattan royalty.

Notorious playboy.

Heir to a media empire.

…And my new boss.

I could have impressed him, if not for last month’s unforgettable one-night stand.

I left it with more than orgasms and a pleasant memory—namely, his wallet.

Now he’s staring me down like I’m the dirt under his Italian loafers, and I’m supposed to take it.

But the thing about being Judith “Jude” Humphry is I have nothing to lose.

Brooklyn girl.

Infamously quirky.

Heir to a stack of medical bills and a tattered couch.

When he looks at me from across the room, I see the glint in his eyes, and that makes us rivals.

He knows it.

So do I. 

Every day in the newsroom is a battle.

Every night in his bed, war.

But it’s my heart at stake, and I fear I’ll be raising the white flag.

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2GuCKIB

Excerpt: 

He had an American accent. Not French. American.Smooth. Familiar. Ordinary. He fired out sentences at the speed of light. I heard him, but I couldn’t listen. Shock gripped my body as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. My dirty one-night stand was my boss. My lying, American boss. And now I had to deal with that—hopefully for a very long time, because I desperately needed this job.

Someone snapped their fingers, and my gaze shot from Célian’s face to Grayson. 

His forehead had crumpled into a frown. “You look like you’re trying hard not to cry or having a really intense orgasm. I’m hoping for you that it’s the latter and some kind of a weird-slash-awesome condition. You okay?”

I nodded, scraping up a smile. “Sorry. Zero orgasms happening under this dress. I just zoned out for a second.”Lies. I was about to orgasm just remembering how good Célianhad felt parting my thighs with his big, callused hands and dipping his tongue into my slit.

Then words stopped streaming down on everyone’s heads like a scalding shower, and I realized that indeed there was something worse than hearing Célianspeak in his perfect American English. And that was not hearing him speak at all. Because now the icicles were pointed at me like a cocked gun.

I glanced up to meet his gaze. He stared at me for exactly one second before his focus snapped to Grayson. “Am I understood, Gregory?” he asked.

Gregory?

“Crystal clear, sir,” Grayson bowed, his voice trembling at the edges.

Célian jerked his chin toward me. “Your cover girl material is going downhill.”

God. Damn. Bastard.

He recognized me, and I knew it. His eyes had kindled, melting the ice and growing darker the minute our gazes mingled. He remembered, and maybe it killed him that I was here in the same way it buried me.

I want my iPod back, my gaze told him. I had over three thousand songs on that thing, and they were all too good to be wasted on that jerk.

“Jude Humphry. Junior reporter. It’s her first day,” Grayson highlighted, almost pleadingly. He shifted in my direction, as if he might need to physically protect me from the sharp-tongued, suited monster.

I suppressed a smile when I realized I’d told Célianmy last name was Spears. Well, he certainly wasn’t a Timberlake. He was a Laurent. An American monarch through and through. A billionaire, a powerful force, and judging by our one and only encounter—a raging playboy. 

This man was inside you, I internally shrieked. And not just once. His cock was buried so deep in you, you screamed. You can still taste the salty, earthy flavor of his cum.You know he has a freckle on his lower back. You know what sound he makes when he empties inside a woman.

I internally thanked my mind for ruining my panties in public, and nodded. “Pleasure to meet you, sir.” I offered him my hand, my face flushing with embarrassment at my choice of words.

Everyone was looking at us, and there were at least fifty people in the room. Célian—if that was even his name—ignored my outreached hand. Instead, he turned his face to the man beside him. “Mathias, any other words of wisdom?”

Mathias? Wasn’t that his father? Just how cold was the man with the icy blue eyes?

“I think you touched everything,” said the big boss—and he did have a heavy French accent, so at least the lie had a seed. Mathias stared at me placidly, like he could read the secret his son and I shared on my face. 

Célian spun toward me, uncuffing his cufflinks and rolling his sleeves up his veiny forearms. “Accounting can go back to their unfortunate line of work. Couture is excused from this meeting—though not forgiven for their horrid blog. Miss Humphry?” He snapped his fingers impatiently. 

He was already waltzing down the narrow hallway, knowing I’d chase him like a puppy, and no doubt taking pleasure in that fact. 

“I have a bone to pick with you.” 

Bone, boner—same difference, right?

I shot Grayson a please-save-my-butt look. His eyes said, I would but I still have a life to live. 

I followed Célian down the hall, my Chucks slapping the floor in a hurry. He sliced through the throng of accountants, then stopped at a corner office, opened the door, barked “Out!” to the man inside, and tilted his head for me to go in. I did. He closed the door, and it was just the two of us. 

Two feet of empty space between us. 

About LJ Shen:

L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.

Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets people's’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.

She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.

Connect with L.J. Shen: 

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lj_shen

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorljshen/

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

Stay up to date with L.J. Shen by signing up for her mailing list:

http://bit.ly/2umcYPg

Website: http://www.authorljshen.com/

Check out my spoiler-free review and enter for a chance to win a signed paperback copy of Every Breath You Take by Faith Andrews.

BLURB

London Monroe is forced to accept an unwanted new reality. Her marriage is over. Her best friend is a million miles away. Her mother’s health is failing. And no matter how hard she tries, she can’t seem to make ends meet.

They say the way to mend a broken soul is to find someone to make it whole again. But she never imagined it would be him, or that love could be so . . .intense.

Discovering the unexpected will surprise her. Life will get harder before it gets easier. And the man meant to see her through it all will take her by storm.

Immersed in a whirlwind of emotion, London soon learns that there’s a delicate line between love and . . . obsession.


GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39711013-every-breath-you-take


PURCHASE LINKS - $2.99 for a limited time

US: https://amzn.to/2PCHNHI

UK: http://1click.bz/EBYTAMZNUK
CA: http://1click.bz/EBYTAMZNCA
AU: http://1click.bz/EBYTAMZNAU

Will only be available at the following retailers for a VERY limited time.

B&N: http://bit.ly/2MD6fu3
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2PDeiFJ
iBooks: https://apple.co/2NzljXo
 

Review of Every Breath You Take

Every Breath You Take by Faith  Andrews

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This suspenseful and sexy best friends-to-lovers/love triangle is a page turner!   Will secrets, lies and lies and crazy psychotic ex-or two get in the way of Sam and London’s happiness? 

Look I’m dying here! I’m holding MY BREATH. I can’t wait to read the conclusion, Take My Breath Away on October 1st.  I have faith that Faith Andrews is going to deliver an epic ending filled with more twists and turns.

COMING SOON

#2 Take My Breath Away – Releasing October 1, 2018

EXCLUSIVE PRE-ORDER - $2.99 for a limited time

iBooks: https://apple.co/2lZCDYM


AUTHOR BIO

Faith Andrews is living out her dream right outside the greatest city in the world, New York City. Happily married to her high school sweetheart, she is the mother of two beautiful and wild daughters, and a furry Yorkie son named Rocco Giovanni. When she’s not tapping her toes to a Mumford & Sons tune or busy being a dance mom, her nose is stuck in a book or she’s sitting behind the laptop, creating her next colorful daydream. Coffee addict, lover of wine and cheese, and sucker for concerts and Netflix, Faith believes in love at first sight and happily ever after.


AUTHOR LINKS

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorfaithandrews
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jessicafaith919
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jessicafaith919
Website: http://www.authorfaithandrews.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AuthorFaithAndrews
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/www.gottahavefaith
Book+Main: http://www.bookandmainbites.com/faithandrews
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Andrews/e/B00FER153A
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/faith-andrews
 

GIVEAWAY 

There is a giveaway for a signed paperback of Every Breath You Take (1 winner, US only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Love Online is on a limited-time release sale for $3.99! (Changing SOON to $4.99. This will be the ONLY sale ever.) A fun, sexy, refreshing STANDALONE romance!

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new, sexy STANDALONE novel.

We met in the least likely of places. It started out innocently enough. I was “ScreenGod” and she was “Montana,” but of course, those weren’t our actual names, just the virtual cloaks we hid behind.

Logging in at night and talking to her was my escape—my sanctuary.

Her real name was Eden, I’d soon come to find out.

From the first time we connected online, I found myself transfixed.

She was an addiction.

At first, we knew nothing about each other’s real identities…and she was adamant that we keep things that way. Anonymity had no effect on our unstoppable chemistry, though. If anything, it allowed us to open up even more in ways we may not have otherwise.

Eden was funny, intelligent, gorgeous—everything I’d ever wanted in a woman.

But I couldn’t really have her.

I had accepted things would have to stay the way they were—until the day I found a clue that led me straight to her.

So I took a chance.

BUY LINKS:
Kindle: https://amzn.to/2PzxO62
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2OkuxGs 
Amazon Audio: https://amzn.to/2PEBO5k