Jess—aka Reviews by Jess—is a sassy, top-ranked Goodreads reviewer who reads a little of everything. From steamy romance to dark fantasy, plus stories featuring mental health, hidden disabilities, and LGBTQ+ rep, she brings bold, unfiltered reviews readers can trust. Expect sass, sparkle, and a TBR that’s about to explode.

Reviews by Jess- Unfiltered. Unapologetic. Unforgettable Reviews.

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Stupid Cupid Cover Reveal



Stupid Cupid by J. Haney and S.I. Hayes is releasing June 22nd!

Pre-Order today! https://amzn.to/3f1RJXc 

Add it to your TBR: https://bit.ly/StupidCupidTBR

Cover Designer: S.I. Hayes with Haney Hayes Promotions


Life comes at you when you least expect it…

Katie Belle Wilson is a single mom. At twenty-six, she's busting her hump to get her master's in Early Childhood Education. Her pet project, Cupid Is Calling was supposed to help her study people and how letter writing could connect them. Little did she know she was to become a participant and perhaps find the one thing she's always craved but never gained... Love.

What if a driven single mom lets a sweet and caring widower into her world?

Rest assured it's nothing short of Bee-u-tiful.



Be sure to join the release party on June 22nd:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/LGSheapr/



Connect with the authors!

The Girl in the Love Song Release

At Santa Cruz Central High School, they called them the misfits, the outcasts, the weirdos. But most of us knew them as the Lost Boys…

The Girl in the Love Song, book one in the Lost Boys, an interconnected coming-of-age series of standalones, from USA Today bestselling author Emma Scott, is live!

Miller Stratton is a survivor. After a harrowing childhood of poverty, he will do anything it takes to find security for himself and his mom. He’s putting all his hopes and dreams in the fragile frame of his guitar and the beauty he creates with its strings and his soulful voice. 

Until Violet. 

No one expects to meet the love of their life at age thirteen. But the spunky rich girl steals Miller’s heart and refuses to give it back. 

Violet McNamara’s life hasn’t been as simple as it looks. Her picture-perfect family is not so perfect after all. Her best friend Miller is her one constant and she is determined not to ruin their friendship with romantic complications. 

But the heart wants what it wants. As Miller’s star begins to rise to stratospheric heights, what will it take for Violet to realize that she’s the girl in all of his love songs?

The Girl in the Love Song features two original songs written by Emma herself.

Download today or read for free in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3h9bjml

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2MLnYhU

About Emma:


Emma Scott is an internationally bestselling author whose books have been featured in Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, New York Daily News and USA Today's Happy Ever After. She writes emotional, character-driven romances in which art and love intertwine to heal, and in which love always wins. If you enjoy emotionally-charged stories that rip your heart out and put it back together again, with diverse characters and heroes with a heart of gold, you will enjoy her novels.

Connect with Emma:
Amazon author link: https://amzn.to/2yUnFKJ

Webpage: emmascottwrites.com

Facebook: http://bit.ly/EmmaScottFB

Reader group: http://bit.ly/EmmaScottEntourage

Bookbub: http://bit.ly/EmmaScottBB

Instagram: http://bit.ly/EmmaScottIG

Twitter: http://bit.ly/EmmaScottTW

Stay up to date with Emma by joining her mailing list: http://bit.ly/2nTGLf6

Monday, June 8, 2020

Review: Outmatched



Now a USA Today Bestseller.

What happens when a boxer finds chemistry with a geek?

Parker Brown can't believe she needs to hire a fake boyfriend. When she landed her dream job in renewable energy, she thought she'd be entering a world at the forefront of progressive thinking. But the head boss prefers to promote employees who are "settled." Thankfully, she's found the perfect candidate, a fellow intellectual looking for some quick cash. What Parker gets is his protective big brother--Rhys Morgan. The tall, muscled ex-boxer with a foul mouth shows up just as her boss does, and now she's stuck with the manipulative jerk. 

Responsibility weighs heavily on Rhys. Now permanently out of the ring, he's trying to hold together his late father's gym and keep his younger brother, Dean, on the straight and narrow. To save Dean from himself, Rhys takes his place, ready to give this society girl a piece of his mind. Instead, he finds an opportunity. Even though they can hardly stand each other, posing as Parker's boyfriend is a win-win deal. She gets to keep her job, and he'll charm her star-struck boss into sponsoring his gym.

Problem is, they can barely keep their hands off each other. And what started as an easy deal isn't so easy anymore. Because what future can a rough ex-boxer, afraid to open his heart, and a polished society geek, who has sworn off real relationships, possibly have?

They say opposites attract. These opposites are about to combust on impact.


My Review 

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What happens when a boxer finds chemistry with a geek? It's a TKO for Young and Callihan as they Knocked this one out of the park!
 I'm a first-timer for both Samantha Young and Kristen Callihan. I'm beyond excited to add them to my ever-growing list of authors that I love reading or listening to, which would be the case for some.
 Outmatched is a Sports and Fake Boyfriend Romance. Two tropes that I absolutely love. Add in that they are polar opposites, and you are for a ride. Prepare for Parker Brown, who may be wealthy, but she's also a smart and nerdy woman. Now we'll enter with Rhys Morgan (Just his name makes me want to try him on for size.) He's a retired boxer, swoon, and hot as sin. These two together were freaking perfect. I just loved it.
 This entire story was great and will go into the listen or read again pile as the narrators were okay but a little distracting at times.

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Rewritten Release




Title: Rewritten
Series: Unscripted #2
Author: J.R. Gray
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 4, 2020


Blurb

Movie star 102: The headlines are never what they seem. 

Quellcrist wasn’t new to fame or the effect it had on a relationship. He’d been married in the spotlight for as long as he’d been famous. But that was before Hale. He knew it was going to test him but even he hadn’t known the toll that months apart would take on his fledgling relationship.

Long days of shooting, different time zones, calls every day dwindled to days without calls, and rumors were all over the rags. Through it all Quell had to battle his own worst enemy but he didn’t know how to win against something inside him. Depression ate him whole and pain took over. 

There was so much more at stake than losing his boyfriend, he was losing his best friend. His lifeline, the love of his life. Was there any way to come back from the damage done? 

Can they rewrite their ending?






Purchase Links

AMAZON

Free in Kindle Unlimited





Excerpt

Hale

I woke up wrapped in Quells arms. We were home. Wed been here for weeks and I still wasn’t used to it. The light streamed across the foot of our bed in a fractal pattern. I could smell the ocean or maybe it was my imagination. How easy this was. We had a ticking clock, but it had been a small taste of how our time off would be. How waking up with Quell would be when we didn’t have to be on set eighteen hours a day. Our life was slow and I loved him more every day we spent here. Our demeanor had changed with the pace of our life.
He was lovely lying there still asleep. Id never seen a more beautiful human in my life and he was my partner. It was hard to believe we had a week left of this.
And then uncertainty. 
I didn’t like going into a drastic change in our relationship without building up to it, but we didn’t have much choice. I guess it was going to be trial by fire. Because for as many times as Id tried to talk to Quell about it he hadn’t seemed to want to. So Id left it. We loved each other. Wed find a way to make the time apart work.
I had nothing booked for the next nine months, and Quell had two movies.
I was about to detangle myself to go make coffee when Quells phone started to ring. I reached for my phone to check what time it was. After seven. I was shocked hed slept so long. More often than not, since being home, he was off wandering the house before I was even awake. Id gotten so used to it—it was strange to wake up in bed with him. Maybe he was settling into our life here.
I pressed into him and kissed along the back of his neck. Maybe I would stay awhile. Quell was better than coffee any day.
Is that my phone?” Quell mumbled, sleep evident in his tone.
I think so.”
He groaned and rolled towards me. Who would be calling me so early?”
No clue.”
What time is it?”
Just after seven. Im shocked youre still in bed.” I pushed my fingers through his hair.
He turned and kissed my palm. I am too. I slept hard.”
You needed it.” More than I even think he realized.
Im sure I did. Maybe it will be a trend.”
I hope so.” At least until he left.
The phone quieted and he kissed me. I lost track of time in Quells lips and soft touches. It was an entirely new way to wake up. One wed not even had filming Pirate Night. Then we were eating, rushing off to call or Quell had been up on days off. Lots of training sessions. I liked that hed moved them to a different time.
I stroked my fingers down his sides and over his back. He grabbed me in a hug so tight I could feel his heart beating against mine. We laughed and kissed and I was happy.
Happy felt good. Not that Id been particularly not happy before meeting Quell, but this was a whole new level of the experience. Now if only my career was less uncertain Id feel a whole lot better, but I guess that was the nature of the job. Quell would get a contract for another season of Pirate Night before he left. I had faith.
The vibrating started back up.
Who is calling me this early?” Quell said through a yawn rolling half out of my arms to grab his phone. He squinted at it then answered.
No idea. Who is it?” I asked before realizing it might not be the best to expose the fact we were in bed together, although anyone calling his cell would probably know.
He put his hand over the speaker, as if that did anything, and said, It’s our publicist.”
Wed shared one now since hed left his other because of the conflict of interest with Rachael. Mark was good at his job and more on top of things than Quell’s last one had been.
Yes, Hale is with me,” Quell said with a chuckle and I was sure I knew what was running through his mind. Naked wrapped up with me.’ “I’m going to put you on speaker.”
Quell clicked the button and held the phone between us.
Hey, Mark.”
Hello, Hale. Since I have you both—” He wasn’t one to beat around the bush, so he dove right into it. There are some pictures from last night I woke up to questions about. They are already being widely run… so the concern is more: do we have a comment?”






Also Available



Free in Kindle Unlimited






Author Bio


Gray is a cynical Chicago native, who drinks coffee all day, barely sleeps, and is a little too fashion obsessed. He writes realistic and damaged characters because everyone deserves a happily ever after. 


Author Links




Passport 2 Love Collection Release & Giveaway

Passport 2 Love has you covered this summer!

Runaway and get lost with us as we kick off vacation reads. Join us and go all over the world between the sheets. Sexy and sweet reads that will have you falling in love without having to stamp your passport!

Enter the Giveaway -- https://bit.ly/P2LGiveaway


Participating Authors:

Fly Girl by Aria Cole & Mila Crawford - https://amzn.to/3ct2Erd

London's Calling by KL Donn - https://amzn.to/3gQ8XbZ

Dirty Prince by L. Nicole - https://amzn.to/36XfWez

First Touch by Loni Ree - https://amzn.to/2U6Bikp

The Do-Over by Mayra Statham - https://amzn.to/3eHR8d6

Resort to Love by Ja'Nese Dixon - https://amzn.to/2MnKpsJ

Whoa! I Married the Pitcher by Megan Wade - https://amzn.to/2XrG6CR

Paging Dr. Hook Up by Mika Jolie - https://amzn.to/2U28NEE

Rocking Vegas by Regina Frame - https://amzn.to/2XV1e3t

Stay Right Here by Terra Kelly - https://amzn.to/3gUQ1ZJ

Never Letting Go by Tory Baker - https://amzn.to/2XZjPvz

Irish Whiskey by Tracie Douglas - https://amzn.to/2XYkYmL


\

Zaan Preorder Blitz


First love gets a second chance...
Zaan (Sidewinders: Generations) by Kat Mizera releases on June 9th! 

 Amazon -- https://amzn.to/304tt2u 
Apple -- https://apple.co/3clcNGO 
Nook -- https://bit.ly/34Qfo9d 
Kobo -- https://bit.ly/34J7XRb



First love gets a second chance... Norwegian-born professional hockey player Zaan Hagen has only ever loved two things: Hockey and Lexi. He never imagined he’d have to choose, until he was forced to let her go. After beating breast cancer at sixteen, Lexi Rousseau vowed to live her life with no regrets. When her singing career took off with one of the hottest pop groups in the world, her dream came true— but it cost her the only man she ever loved. When an unexpected turn of events brings them back together, Zaan and Lexi will have to learn to balance their demanding careers and irrefutable desires before history starts repeating itself. Have they finally figured out how to play the game without losing everything? Photographer: Wander Aguiar Model: Wayne Skivington

About the Author:

USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Kat Mizera is a South Florida native. Born in Miami Beach with a healthy dose of wanderlust, she's called Los Angeles, Long Island, upstate New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Atlanta home. She's never been able to pick which locale is her favorite, but if pressed, she'd probably choose the west coast.

A typical PTA mom with a wonderful and supportive husband (Kevin) and two amazing boys (Nick and Max), Kat can usually be found scrapbooking or indulging in her second love (after writing) - traveling. Greece is one of her favorite places in the world. She loves that Athens is a big city with a small-town feel. The food, beaches and culture keep her going back as often as possible.

Kat's been a working freelance writer for nearly 30 years. She sold her first article--a review of a rock concert--for $10 in 1985. Since then she's been an entertainment journalist, waitress, bartender, legal assistant, food critic, magazine editor, substitute teacher, and sports writer. She also spent some time working at A & M Records in Los Angeles.

As you can guess from her Las Vegas Sidewinders series, Kat loves hockey and occasionally writes articles about her favorite team, the Florida Panthers. The rest of the time, she writes novels: sexy, romantic fiction that she hopes makes you as happy as it makes her. There's something enticing about hockey players and romance...

Connect with Kat: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkatmizera/ 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3gNDGX1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorKatMiz 

Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2li6zRe 

Website: http://www.katmizera.com

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Mr. H.O.A. Cover Reveal & Giveaway




Title: Mr. H.O.A.
Series: Fake It #1
Author: Carina Taylor
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Release Date: June 30, 2020



Blurb

Bane Fox knows exactly what he wants in life: financial stability.

He does not want to be homeless.
He does not want to be the president of an HOA.

It’s rather unfortunate he is both of those things. 

Oh, and did I forget to mention he has a fake wife?
Yeah, that’s me







Pre-order Links

$2.99 for a limited time!







Author Bio

Carina Taylor writes zany romantic comedies that make you ugly laugh.
When she's not writing, you can find her chasing after three little boys, ignoring her laundry pile, pretending to work out, drinking large amounts of coffee, and consuming as many cinnamon rolls as possible.


Author Links

Monday, June 1, 2020

Something Twisted




Title: Something Twisted
A Twisted World Series Standalone
Author: Ace Gray
Genre: Dark Romance
Release Date: May 28, 2020



Blurb

I’d spent my life as a plaything. A toy to be used by powerful and deadly men in whatever way they pleased. So I was just as surprised as anyone else that I had feelings left. Feelings that lead me to fight for true love while damning myself.

And that’s just where this story begins.

Desperate and alone I turned back to my childhood home. The first wicked place I’d known with the darkest villain among them. My stepfather. But I could weather his storm in exchange for safety. I had to.

What I didn’t expect to find was Niall McDonough. The only man I’d ever really loved had reappeared only to become one of them. Someone ruthless and cruel. He wants to ruin me. As my stepfather’s savage soldier he might just do it.

But then again, twelve years ago a fortune teller predicted I’d need just such a soldier to save both my heart and soul.

****This book contains graphic sex, violence, uncomfortable sexual encounters, and dub con. It's intended for mature audiences, over 18 only****







Purchase Links

AMAZON

Free in Kindle Unlimited





Excerpt

“My, my, this is interesting. Perhaps Deirdre is an appropriate name after all.”
“What the shit is going on here?” My mind was clearing. Sort of.
“I’m reading your future, darling. Your dismal and sorrowful future.”
I felt like I’d been hit. Hard. And I knew what it was like to be punched, slapped, kicked… I tried to shake off the list. 
“What does it say?” My words were shaky, no matter how I tried to steady them. 
“You will cause much unrest in this little corner of the world.”
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. No, was on the tip of my tongue. My mom had gotten me out of a life of mobsters and murderers. I wasn’t an Ulster anymore. I wouldn’t be. I was just another teenaged girl wondering about her future. 
“Rivers of blood. Chaos and pain. Betrayal all at your hand,” she mused in partial phrases. “You will need a soldier at your side if you wish to be free of it all.”
“A soldier?” I swallowed, sorrow swelling in my heart. 
“Someone to wage war. Someone ruthless and brutal and savage.” She arched her eyebrow. “If you don’t find him, you both end up dead. Just like the legend.”
I rolled my eyes with a wild grunt and shoved up from the table. “Convenient legend,” I snarked under my breath.
“Heed my words or don’t, it makes no matter to me. It’s your fate and your fate alone that you have to face.” She shrugged before unwinding to stand. Incense swirled around her again as she walked toward the back corner of the room. 
I shoved up from the stupid pillows on the stupid floor of the stupid Irish gypsy and started to stomp off.
“Today, lightning will strike, Deirdre of the sorrows.” Her voice seemed far away, too far away. “Take that as a sign of what’s been set in motion.”






Also Available


FREE for a very limited time!


Always free in Kindle Unlimited



                                                            



Author Bio


Ace Gray is a best selling author, self-proclaimed troublemaker and connoisseur of both the good life and fairy tales. After a life-long love affair with both  books, she undertook writing the novel she wanted to read. Ten books later, she's gotten to live in the world of billionaires, twisted murders, and sweet small towns. She's made her heart race both with suspense and serious swoon and wouldn't trade one minute, one word of it. 

When she's not writing, she owns a taco truck in a ski town in Colorado even though she can't cook a lick (that's all her husband). She loves paddle boarding, snowboarding, camping, basically anything outside... and hosting dinner parties (though she's only in it for the drinks). Oh, and of course, writing more words.

Ace is the author of Strictly Business, Bad For Business, Family Business, Twisted Fate, Twisted Death, A Twisted Love Story, Twisted Secrets, Of Smoke & Cinnamon: A Christmas Story, Pretty Young Things, All The Letters I'll Never Send You and All The Letters I've Ever Read. These titles are available on Amazon. 


Author Links

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Review: Back in the Saddle



Not everyone gets a second chance.

Parker Brooks was a legendary bull rider. He had become a household name until he suffered a career-ending knee injury. Now he's back home working his family's ranch alongside his brothers.

A night out for a celebration flipped his world upside down. A certain young woman who had walked away from him without a word, or an explanation, was working the bar.

Maddison King was the only woman he'd been ready to give his heart to. She'd been his everything, and then she'd up and vanished.

 He'd thought he'd gotten over her, but one look at her luscious curves and killer smile had him realizing otherwise. She's older, more mature, and too damn sexy for her own good.

There was no denying the attraction between them. It was just like old times.

He deserved to know why she’d packed up and left. She couldn’t run from him forever.

When secrets are revealed, Parker and Maddison's worlds explode. Will they be able to survive the past to build a future?


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What do you get from a retired bull rider, buckle bunnies, and booze? Back in the Saddle is the first book in Banks’ new series Blazing Eagle Ranch. I thought the characters Maddy and Parker had great chemistry. Banks did a great job with world-building. There have been a lot fo ranch books recently, but this one was a refreshing start. Add in the fact it’s a Second Chance Romance, and that’s even better, in my opinion. I can’t wait to read the next one.


Friday, May 15, 2020

Review: See No Evil




They thought they could get away with it, but they are sorely mistaken.

 They have been judged. They have been sentenced. All that remains is their execution.

 No one goes unpunished. We’ll make sure of it.

 We are The Society and all who dare cross us will find their miserable end by our hand.

 Don’t be fooled. This is not their story.

 It’s ours.

 Finn

 As long as I can remember, I’ve played by the rules.

 On and off the football field, I’ve done everything that has been expected of me.

 Until that fatal night.

 Now my life and the lives of my best friends hang in the balance, hung there by a sadistic sinister shadow forcing us to do their will.

 And it’s just my damn luck that I’m the first to be put on their butcher’s block.

I must prove my worth by eradicating a certain pebble in their shoe.

 The order is simple.

 To save ourselves, I must ruin another—a life for a life.

 Meaning Stone Bennett’s life is about to be forfeited in exchange for my own.

 The poor girl never stood a chance.

 Stone

 He’s all American perfection.

 I’m the poster child for this country’s rejects.

 He’s old Asheville money and privilege.

 I’m the Southie eyesore people stay clear from.

 He’s caviar dreams and champagne wishes.

I’m the trailer trash his momma probably warned him about.

I doubt it can get any further away from the elitist’s social spectrum than the two of us.

So why the hell is Finn Walker, Richfield’s football god, suddenly all in my face wanting my attention?

Nothing good can come from this.

I can feel it.

*The Society is an Enemies to Lovers, New Adult College Romance.

*Each book can be read as a standalone. However all four books in this series have an entwined subplot, that will only be resolved in the final book.

*Recommended 18+ due to mature language and situations.


My Review 

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This may be my first story by Ivy Fox, but I can tell without a doubt that this won’t be my last. See No Evil is the start of The Society series, and it started with a bang. Fox is going to have to keep it come with Hear No Evil. This book is beyond steaming. Pretty sure I needed a cold shower after reading this one. I may have even blushed a time or two when the kid would talk to me. Fox has done an amazing job at building this world and the characters. Trust me, if you haven’t grabbed your copy of See No Evil, you need to do it now and be ready for the ride you’re about to take with Finn and Stone.