THE WICKED DEEP Blog Tour: Review + Guest Post from Shea Ernshaw

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THE WICKED DEEP by Shea Ernshaw

Source: Received an ARC to participate in the blog tour and give an honest review.
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: March 6th, 2018
Number of Pages: 320 (Hardcover)

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

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REVIEW

For as long as I can remember, I've been a ginormous super fan of witchy movies. I remember going to my grandma and papa's house and watching HOCUS POCUS every chance I got, and I remember watching PRACTICAL MAGIC and listening to the soundtrack with my mom. When I first heard about THE WICKED DEEP and saw the stunning cover, I immediately added it to my to-read list...and I jumped to get a chance to read it as soon as I could! Once I started reading, I didn't want to and couldn't put it down! :)

THE WICKED DEEP was packed full of witchy goodness, and it had that wonderful foreboding tone that all the greatest stories based on curses have. It really did remind me of HOCUS POCUS and PRACTICAL MAGIC with the premise and the way that the story unfolded. The Swan sisters also gave me serious Winifred/Mary/Sarah and Sally/Gillian vibes! I'm not sure what I was expecting going in, but I didn't really expect to see any parts of the story in the past, but I really loved that you did! The story filtered between the present and the past surrounding the Swan sisters. I really loved how the flashes into the past set up the tone of the underlying story, and how it helped the plot unfold...I thought it was wonderfully done and I loved every single moment of it!

Along with the love witchy atmosphere, I loved all of the characters! Penny and Bo were amazing! I loved Penny's best friend, Rose, and I also loved how all of the other secondary characters were introduced from Penny's mother to Rose's mother, to Penny's various classmates. I found the way that they were introduced to be really organic and it had a wonderful flow within the story. The same goes for both Penny and Bo's pasts. As the book description says, both Penny and Bo have secrets that they're keeping from one another...and I adored how these secrets were all revealed! It pulled me in and gave me ALL THE FEELS!

As for the story itself, I was hooked! I loved the idea of the curse, and I loved how more and more of the curse and the history of Sparrow were revealed as the story went on. I loved how we saw the way that the curse affected the town and how each part of the curse progressed during the Swan season. And I enjoyed seeing how Penny and Bo's relationship was affected by everything going on around them. THE WICKED DEEP completely sucked me in and it pulled me right under those deep, deep waters. I loved every single moment! I did find the ending to be a little bittersweet! It left me unsettled right after I'd finished reading, but I do think that it fits the story perfectly. I've also found that the longer I get away from it...the more I actually appreciate how this book ended, and I think if I reread it, I'll love it even more! Coincidentally, this is also how I feel every single time I rewatch HOCUS POCUS, so maybe it's the same kind of magic. ;)

Overall, I thought THE WICKED DEEP was fantastic! I loved the atmosphere and tone of THE WICKED DEEP were amazing, found the story to be extremely intriguing, and I thought that both the characters and the writing style were phenomenal! If you're a fan of witches, curses, and stories that take you on twists and turns, then I think you'll love this one just as much as I did! :D

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GUEST POST

If your book is turned into a TV show or Movie, who would be your ideal cast?

When writing THE WICKED DEEP I often visualized the setting and characters as if they were real, as if the town of Sparrow was truly nestled on a rocky coastline and my characters lived among the fog and salty sea air. But until now, I hadn’t actually imagined who might play my characters—what fun!

For Penny Talbot, my MC, I can imagine someone like Saoirse Ronan. She was in Atonement, The Lovely Bones, and recently in Brooklyn. She’s a bit older than my MC but she has such a strong, enigmatic look. I can see a lot of Penny Talbot in her.

Saoirse Ronan as Penny Talbot

Bo Carter is a tough one, there are a few actors who I think could play him wonderfully. Logan Lerman who was in Perks Of Being A Wallflower, has that captivating boy-next-door vibe, but Cole Sprouse who currently plays Jughead on Riverdale is that perfect bad boy who is totally after my own heart.

Logan Lerman (left) or Cole Sprouse (right) as Bo Carter

For Rose Alba, who is Penny’s BFF, I love Rowan Blanchard and for her boyfriend Finny, someone like Skylar Gisondo. They would be such a cute on-screen couple—my heart can’t handle it!

Rowan Blanchard as Rose Alba (left) and Skylar Gisondo as Finny (right)

Lastly, for Olivia Green, Isabelle Fuhrman would perfectly capture that fierce look and attitude. And for Gigi Kline, someone like Sasha Pieterse who plays Alison on Pretty Little Liars, would perfectly embody that detached coolness that Gigi exudes.

Isabelle Fuhrman as Olivia Green (left) and Sasha Pieterse as Gigi Kline (right)

This was so fun, imagining the characters coming to life! :D But would also love to hear readers suggestions and thoughts on who should play the characters in THE WICKED DEEP!?

ABOUT SHEA ERNSHAW

Shea Ernshaw is an Oregon native and YA author. She often writes late, late, late into the night, enjoys dark woods, scary stories and moonlight on lakes. She drinks loads of tea and believes sunrises are where unicorns hide.

She lives with her two cats, a dog, a husband, and a stack of books beside her bed she still needs to read.

Connect with Shea:

 Instagram | Twitter | Website | Pinterest | Facebook

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Are you a fan of witchy stories?

Do you want to read THE WICKED DEEP?

And what do you think of Shea Ernshaw's casting for her book?

If you've read it, do you think they fit?

And if you haven't, do her picks intrigue you?

Review: BREAK THE ICE (Bedroom Games #3) by Piper Rayne

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Break the Ice (Bedroom Games #3) 

Release Date: February 26th, 2018

Source: Received an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Winter Games are over, but the bedroom games are just beginning…

This is about the time I normally hang up my snowboard and chill for a while. Except this year. This year, I’m dealing with what fate dealt me at the Winter Games—nope, not gold. A broken arm.

Since I’m not close to my family, I head to my best friend, Skylar’s pad to recoup. Turns out having your gorgeous, single, sexy friend wait on you hand and foot can blur the lines between friendship and romance.

Which is exactly why I’ve decided to help her find a boyfriend.

Yeah, you heard me right. I’m going to help her comb through every dating app available until she finds the perfect man. What else could remind me of my place in her life more than watching her fall for someone else?

I can deal. I’m used to pushing through pain. I’m an Olympian after all.

**This book can be read as a standalone.**

R E A D   T O D A Y!

Amazon | Amazon Universal | iBooks | Kobo

Start the Series of Standalones Today!

Amazon | Amazon Universal | iBooks | Kobo

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ABOUT PIPER RAYNE

Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one. You might be wondering if you know us? Maybe you’ll read our books and figure it out. Maybe you won’t. Does it really matter?

We aren’t trying to stamp ourselves with a top-secret label. We wanted to write without apology. We wanted to not be pigeon-holed into a specific type of story. Everyone has their favorite authors, right? And when you pick up their books, you expect something from them. Whether it’s an alpha male, heavy angst, a happily ever after, there’s something you are absolutely certain the book will contain. Heck, we’re readers, too, we get it!

All that, AND we thought it'd be a helluva lot more fun if we did this writing thing together!

What can we tell you about ourselves? We both have kindles full of one-clickable books. We're both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We're both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes, quirky heroines that make us laugh, and lots of sexy times. Here's hoping you do, too!

Connect with Piper Rayne:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website

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REVIEW

 Ever since I heard that Piper and Rayne were going to be writing a series of three standalone Olympic sports romances I was completely on board and super excited to read them! I dove in and read the first book COLD AS ICE, and I loved it! Next I read ON THIN ICE and I loved it, too...and now I've finished the third and final book in the Bedroom Games series, BREAK THE ICE, and I absolutely loved it, too! 

I'm a sucker for sports romances, so I've definitely been enjoying that aspect of these stories, and I've loved how they've been fictionally taking place around the Winter Olympics. This final book, BREAK THE ICE, actually takes place once the games have concluded though and I definitely didn't mind that at all! 

While the sport aspects of these books have been a lot of fun, what I've loved most have been the relationships between the six main characters: Grady and Mia, Dax and Demi, and Beckett and Skylar. I've loved seeing them as couples, and I've really loved their group dynamics, too! Each of the books have had the romance develop in very different ways. BREAK THE ICE was a friends-to-lovers story that started playing out in the previous two books and finally hit its breaking point here...and oh boy did Beckett and Skylar ever break that ice. :P 

I loved seeing Beckett and Skylar's friendship, and I really loved seeing how they already fit into each other's lives. What I loved most was seeing how close they already were...and I loved seeing the characters realize the depths of their feelings! I'd been waiting for Skylar and Beckett's story since they first crossed the page in COLD AS ICE. I already loved their relationship and couldn't wait to see it move from friendship to more...and it was so worth the wait! :D

Overall, I loved BREAK THE ICE, and I loved the entire Bedroom Games series. They were cute, steamy reads that I didn't want to put down. I'd recommend BREAK THE ICE and the Bedroom Games series to anyone who loves rom-coms with a funny, sweet and sexy flair to them!

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What do you think?
Do you want to read BREAK THE ICE and the Bedroom Games series now?

Spotlight Tour: BAD BACHELOR (Bad Bachelor #1) by Stefanie London

I don't know about you all, but I have a real soft spot for romances where the leading man is a grade "A" douchebag. I love seeing him find love and grow into the man he's meant to be. He may end up still being a jerk by the end of the book, but even if he is, he's always just the guy that the leading lady needs...and I have to admit that it pulls at all of my heartstrings. ;) 

I'm always on the lookout for a great player or bad boy romance, so when I heard about Stefanie London's upcoming release BAD BACHELOR, I immediately added it to my TBR! It releases next Tuesday on March 6th, and I can't wait to read it! 

I've got all of the book details for you...and excerpt...and a giveaway, so keep scrolling! ;)

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Title: Bad Bachelor
Author: Stefanie London
Series: Bad Bachelors, #1
Pub Date: March 6, 2018

Everybody's talking about the hot new app reviewing New York's most eligible bachelors. But why focus on prince charming when you can read the latest dirt on the lowest-ranked "Bad Bachelors"—NYC's most notorious bad boys?

If one more person mentions Bad Bachelors to Reed McMahon, someone's gonna get hurt. A PR whiz, Reed is known as an 'image fixer' but his womanizing ways have caught up with him. What he needs is a PR miracle of his own.

When Reed strolls into Darcy Greer's workplace offering to help save the struggling library, she isn't buying it. The prickly Brooklynite knows Reed is exactly the kind of guy she should avoid. But the library does need his help. As she reluctantly works with Reed, she realizes there's more to a man than his reputation. Maybe, just maybe Bad Bachelor #1 is THE one for her.

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | IndieBound

A B O U T    T H E    A U T H O R

Stefanie London is the USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romances with humor, heat, and heart. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Stefanie now lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband. She loves to read, collect lipsticks, watch zombie movies and drink coffee. Her bestselling book, Pretend It's Love, was a 2016 Romantic Book of the Year finalist with the Romance Writers of Australia. You can visit her at www.stefanie-london.com

Find Stefanie Online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest

And, get the latest dirt on Bad Bachelor #1 at the site badbachelors.weebly.com!  

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  EXCERPT

     They stopped beside a black car with tinted windows. Out of nowhere, a driver appeared and opened the door for them. Darcy suddenly felt underdressed, which was stupid since they were only going for a ride.

     “So tell me: What’s so appealing about Five-Star Darren?” Reed asked as they slid into the back seat. A glass partition separated them from the driver.

     “None of your business.” Oh God, they were not having this conversation. Not while a billion dirty thoughts were driving her to distraction. Damn him, why did he have to mention sex?

     Her hormones hadn’t been this rowdy since high school. But the second he got close and his clean, warm scent invaded her nostrils, it was like the sexy bits of her body started doing tequila shots.

     “Oh come on, you can trust me. I might even be able to give you some advice.” His brown eyes twinkled. They were framed by full, thick lashes—the kind of lashes that had no business being on a man.

     God, they were far too close in the back seat of the car. Her bare leg was mere inches from his, and the scent of his aftershave invaded her nostrils. It was crisp, clean, with a hint of citrus.

     Damn delectable.

     “You were late today,” she blurted out, hoping the abrupt change in conversation might steer him away from delving into her nonexistent dating life—and perhaps jolt her brain into not focusing on how good he smelled.

     “Half an hour late and I was sitting there, waiting.”

     “My meeting ran over and my phone died. I could have gone back to the office to email you, but that would have meant being later than I already was.” He reached for a bottle of water that sat in a compartment in the door. When he offered her one, she shook her head. “I apologize for keeping you waiting.”

     “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

     “Now, back to your dating life—”

     “No. We’re not having this conversation.” She held up a hand. “Besides, why do you care?”

     “Because, after careful deliberation, I’ve decided that you are interesting.”

     “Gee, thanks.” Darcy snorted. “I’ll pass on that so-called compliment.”

     “So-called?”

     “You do know ‘interesting’ is usually a code word for ‘weird,’ right? It’s not much better than telling a girl she has a great personality.”

     “What’s that a code for?”

     “Ugly.”

     He brought the water bottle to his mouth and sipped. Full lips hinted at sinful activities and Darcy tried to quash the flutter low in her belly. He probably knew exactly what to do with his lips too. Stop it.

     “You are interesting…in the non–code word sense. Even if you do think I’m a jerk. And Five-Star
Darren would be a terrible match, for what it’s worth.”

     Curiosity tugged at her. She knew nothing about the dating world, and it was clear he was well experienced. Surely there wouldn’t be any harm in gleaning some information from him…for research purposes, of course.

     “Why’s that?” she asked.

     “All these women have rated him highly, yet they haven’t stayed with him. Why would that be?”

     “I don’t know.” She frowned. “Maybe it just wasn’t the right time.”

     “For all those women?”

     Okay, so that did sound a bit suspicious when he put it like that. “But the reviews—”

     “What do the reviews say?”

     She pulled up Darren’s profile on the app and scanned down the page. “‘Great guy but the timing wasn’t right.’” She shot him a smug look. “See? Told you.”

     “Keep reading.”

     “He’s a total gentleman, but they didn’t have many common interests. Uh, another one says their jobs made dating too hard but that he was a nice person. Apparently, he’s romantic, but there wasn’t enough spark.” Darcy kept scrolling. “He’s kind and funny, a great conversationalist. I can’t see any red flags here.”

     “He’s got a small dick.”

     Darcy almost choked. “Excuse me?”

     Reed shrugged. “Or he doesn’t know how to make a woman come.”

     “Stop,” she hissed, the heat flushing through her body in a way that was entirely too pleasurable. Totally, totally inappropriate. “You can’t say that.”

     “Why not? It’s just sex. And sometimes you have to look at what people aren’t saying to understand what they are.” He nodded. “Words can be unreliable like that.”

     Darcy shook her head and stuffed her phone into her bag. This conversation had shot out of her comfort zone. Like a whole solar system out of her comfort zone. Listening to Reed talk about sex was… God, she didn’t even know. Her imagination was serving up all kinds of dirty scenarios, but she tamped them down.

     Reed was off-limits.

     Not only because of the bad reviews, but also because it was clear he could run circles around her verbally. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he would do the same thing in the bedroom.

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GIVEAWAY

Enter to win a copy of Bad Bachelor by Stefanie London!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Who else loves romances that feature bad boys and players?

Does BAD BACHELOR sound like something you'd like to read?

Release Day Blitz: BREAK THE ICE (Bedroom Games #3) by Piper Rayne

BREAK THE ICE, the third and final book in bestselling authors
Piper Rayne's all-new romantic series of standalones is LIVE!

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Break the Ice (Bedroom Games #3)

Release Date: February 26th, 2018

The Winter Games are over, but the bedroom games are just beginning…

This is about the time I normally hang up my snowboard and chill for a while. Except this year. This year, I’m dealing with what fate dealt me at the Winter Games—nope, not gold. A broken arm.

Since I’m not close to my family, I head to my best friend, Skylar’s pad to recoup. Turns out having your gorgeous, single, sexy friend wait on you hand and foot can blur the lines between friendship and romance.

Which is exactly why I’ve decided to help her find a boyfriend.

Yeah, you heard me right. I’m going to help her comb through every dating app available until she finds the perfect man. What else could remind me of my place in her life more than watching her fall for someone else?

I can deal. I’m used to pushing through pain. I’m an Olympian after all.

**This book can be read as a standalone.**

R E A D   T O D A Y!

Amazon | Amazon Universal | iBooks | Nook | Kobo

Start the Series of Standalones Today!

Amazon | Amazon Universal | iBooks | Nook | Kobo

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ABOUT PIPER RAYNE

Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one. You might be wondering if you know us? Maybe you’ll read our books and figure it out. Maybe you won’t. Does it really matter?

We aren’t trying to stamp ourselves with a top-secret label. We wanted to write without apology. We wanted to not be pigeon-holed into a specific type of story. Everyone has their favorite authors, right? And when you pick up their books, you expect something from them. Whether it’s an alpha male, heavy angst, a happily ever after, there’s something you are absolutely certain the book will contain. Heck, we’re readers, too, we get it!

All that, AND we thought it'd be a helluva lot more fun if we did this writing thing together!

What can we tell you about ourselves? We both have kindles full of one-clickable books. We're both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We're both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes, quirky heroines that make us laugh, and lots of sexy times. Here's hoping you do, too!

Connect with Piper Rayne:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website

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Well, the Winter Olympics have drawn to a close (at least until the 2018 Winter Paralympics start up in March!), and as the Winter Games have come to their end, so has the wonderful Bedroom Games series from Piper Rayne!

The first book, COLD AS ICE, came out near the end of January, the second book, ON THIN ICE, came out two weeks ago, and the final book, BREAK THE ICE, featuring Beckett and Skylar comes out today!

If you haven't heard about this series yet, it's a trio of sports romances centring around Olympic snowboarders, and their lovely leading ladies who also happen to be Olympic athletes! It's infused with all of the fabulous things that make Piper Rayne's books so amazing! They're super sexy, sweet, and hilarious! This final book happens post-Olympics, so we'll get to see where all of our favourite new characters are at after the games! I know I can't wait...and I hope you can't either!

What do you think?
Do the Bedroom Games Series and Break the Ice sound like something you'd like?

Review: ON THIN ICE (Bedroom Games #2) by Piper Rayne

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On Thin Ice (Bedroom Games #2) 

Release Date: February 12th, 2018

Source: Received an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Winter Games have begun…

I’m the life of the party. A little loud and some buzz kills might say obnoxious, but if you’re around me I guarantee you’ll have a good time.

Unless your name is Demi Harrison.

If that’s the case, you’d act like I’m the devil incarnate and go out of your way to avoid me. Which makes zero sense because at the last Olympic Games I rocked her world.

Whatever though. I need to concentrate on winning gold anyway. I was at the top of the standings coming into the games, but since arriving in Korea I’ve lost my edge.

I was never one for superstitions, but I can’t deny that there’s only one difference between my previous medal winning games, and these ones—her.

I’ve pulled off amazing feats in the past, but getting Demi to agree to sleep with me throughout the games might require divine intervention.

 

R E A D   T O D A Y!

 Amazon | Amazon Universal | iBooks | Nook | Kobo

Start the Series of Standalones Today!

Amazon | Amazon Universal | iBooks | Nook | Kobo

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ABOUT PIPER RAYNE

Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one. You might be wondering if you know us? Maybe you’ll read our books and figure it out. Maybe you won’t. Does it really matter?

We aren’t trying to stamp ourselves with a top-secret label. We wanted to write without apology. We wanted to not be pigeon-holed into a specific type of story. Everyone has their favorite authors, right? And when you pick up their books, you expect something from them. Whether it’s an alpha male, heavy angst, a happily ever after, there’s something you are absolutely certain the book will contain. Heck, we’re readers, too, we get it!

All that, AND we thought it'd be a helluva lot more fun if we did this writing thing together!

What can we tell you about ourselves? We both have kindles full of one-clickable books. We're both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We're both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes, quirky heroines that make us laugh, and lots of sexy times. Here's hoping you do, too!

Connect with Piper Rayne:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website

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REVIEW

As soon as I heard that Piper Rayne, one of my favourite writing duos, were writing a new series of standalones centred around the Winter Olympics, I was ridiculously excited! I love Piper Rayne, sports romances, and the Winter Olympics...so what's not to love? Now that I've read the first and second books, I can tell you that it's exactly what I hoped it would be and I love it all! These books are fun, they're sexy, sweet, and I couldn't put them down!

After finishing (and LOVING) the first book in the Bedroom Games Series, COLD AS ICE, I couldn't wait to read Dax and Demi's story! Then once I started ON THIN ICE, I couldn't put it down!

Dax and Demi were fantastic! Their chemistry was off the charts, and the story was wonderful. I'm a sucker for stories with hate-to-love and second chance romances, so I loved the combination of tropes that Piper Rayne used in this story! Dax and Demi were intense, and I loved seeing their relationship shift and grow, and how well they complemented each other! I really enjoyed how snowboarding and skiing fit into the story, too!

Along with Dax and Demi, I loved getting to see what was happening with Mia and Grady (the main character's from the first book, COLD AS ICE), and I loved the peek at what Skylar and Beckett's relationship is like (their book is next!). I'm really enjoying the group dynamics in this series, and I really can't wait to see what happens in the next book in the Bedroom Games Series, BREAK THE ICE!

Overall, I thought that ON THIN ICE was amazing! It was exactly what I wanted from a sports romance set during the Olympics, and I loved the main characters, Dax and Demi! ON THIN ICE was a fast-paced romance that had me eager to read more, and I think that anyone who loves hate-to-love and second chance romances will enjoy it! If you're like me and you also love sports romances, I think you'll absolutely love it!

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I'm absolutely loving this series! It's fun, sexy, and hilarious! I seriously can't recommend it enough! :D

Who else loves reading Olympic-themed sports romance?

Do ON THIN ICE and the rest of the Bedroom Games Series sound like books you'd like?