Release Boost - Playing with Fire by Ellie Isaacson

Title: Playing with Fire

Series: Playing with Hearts #1

Author: Ellie Isaacson

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: March 11, 2021

BLURB

It was just a one-night stand.

He was supposed to be my last hurrah. A handsome stranger to get lost in before I started working for the man who’d always controlled my life.

No feelings. No attachments. Nothing but a few drinks, a spin around the dance floor, and a couple hours of passion.

But a case of mistaken identity ruined all that. Now I couldn’t get rid of him, even if I wanted to, and that put his life on the line.

She was a game changer. One night with her, and everything I thought I wanted was turned on its head.

Convincing her to give me a chance was only the beginning. There were bigger things at play, some so dangerous it threatened our lives.

But I was determined to make it work. To have her in my life. The only problem was, someone else was dead set on cutting our time together short.

ADD TO GOODREADS

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY / EDEN BOOKS

PAPERBACK

EXCERPT

It was Frankie. 

She had her hood up over her head, like she was hiding from someone. But her beautiful hazel eyes were peeping out from under the sweatshirt. There was silence in their depths. I wanted them to be screaming, to tell me what she was doing at my apartment, because she wasn’t talking. 

I stepped back from the door and, after a beat, she brushed past me. She stopped in the foyer, her back to me, as she stood there looking around the bare space. My skin tingled with the need to touch her, but I was afraid. Afraid she’d run away again. Afraid she’d take my heart with her. 

She turned around and faced me when I stepped up close behind her. She looked broken but beautiful, her eyes sad, her skin dewy with sweat. The world around me disappeared. The only thing I could focus on was her. 

“I can't do it anymore.” Her voice was so quiet, so full of pain, it made my throat constrict.

“Do what?” I choked out.

“Deny myself what I want.” She looked up and searched my eyes, and my heart hammered in my chest. “I won’t let Marco control my happiness anymore.”

“Frankie.” Lifting a hand to her cheek, I placed the other on her hip. She slid her hands to my chest, then tipped her face up as I bent my head to hers. When our lips met, there was no sensual dance like we’d shared in the past. Just soft lips, moving together as one. I felt her everywhere. Her hands on my chest, her scent in my nose, the soft sounds escaping her throat as the kiss deepened, and the taste of her tongue on my own. 

It could have been hours, that kiss. It could have been days, and I would have been happy to do it for years. But she stopped abruptly, pulling away.

“What’s wrong?” 

“I’m scared.” Her voice trembled out on a quiet breath. “I’ve never done this before. I’ve never done relationships.” 

“Trust me.” I ran my thumb across her lips and planted a gentle kiss at the corner of her mouth. 

“I’ve never done trust.” 

“I won't let you fall, Frankie. I’ll take care of you. Just give me a chance.” 

AUTHOR BIO

Ellie Isaacson has been an avid reader her whole life, but a couple years ago she had a dream that she just couldn't forget. She cultivated that dream and began writing, which became a dream of a different sort. Ellie is thrilled to be able to share her passion with her readers. As an accountant and an author, she slings numbers by day and words by night. She's also a wife and a mother of two amazing boys and one crazy hellion pup.

AUTHOR LINKS

FACEBOOK

FACEBOOK GROUP

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

AMAZON

GOODREADS

BOOKBUB

WEBSITE

NEWSLETTER

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Blitz - Playing with Fire by Ellie Isaacson

Title: Playing with Fire

Series: Playing with Hearts #1

Author: Ellie Isaacson

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: March 11, 2021

BLURB

It was just a one-night stand.

He was supposed to be my last hurrah. A handsome stranger to get lost in before I started working for the man who’d always controlled my life.

No feelings. No attachments. Nothing but a few drinks, a spin around the dance floor, and a couple hours of passion.

But a case of mistaken identity ruined all that. Now I couldn’t get rid of him, even if I wanted to, and that put his life on the line.

She was a game changer. One night with her, and everything I thought I wanted was turned on its head.

Convincing her to give me a chance was only the beginning. There were bigger things at play, some so dangerous it threatened our lives.

But I was determined to make it work. To have her in my life. The only problem was, someone else was dead set on cutting our time together short.

ADD TO GOODREADS

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY / EDEN BOOKS

PAPERBACK

EXCERPT

It was Frankie. 

She had her hood up over her head, like she was hiding from someone. But her beautiful hazel eyes were peeping out from under the sweatshirt. There was silence in their depths. I wanted them to be screaming, to tell me what she was doing at my apartment, because she wasn’t talking. 

I stepped back from the door and, after a beat, she brushed past me. She stopped in the foyer, her back to me, as she stood there looking around the bare space. My skin tingled with the need to touch her, but I was afraid. Afraid she’d run away again. Afraid she’d take my heart with her. 

She turned around and faced me when I stepped up close behind her. She looked broken but beautiful, her eyes sad, her skin dewy with sweat. The world around me disappeared. The only thing I could focus on was her. 

“I can't do it anymore.” Her voice was so quiet, so full of pain, it made my throat constrict.

“Do what?” I choked out.

“Deny myself what I want.” She looked up and searched my eyes, and my heart hammered in my chest. “I won’t let Marco control my happiness anymore.”

“Frankie.” Lifting a hand to her cheek, I placed the other on her hip. She slid her hands to my chest, then tipped her face up as I bent my head to hers. When our lips met, there was no sensual dance like we’d shared in the past. Just soft lips, moving together as one. I felt her everywhere. Her hands on my chest, her scent in my nose, the soft sounds escaping her throat as the kiss deepened, and the taste of her tongue on my own. 

It could have been hours, that kiss. It could have been days, and I would have been happy to do it for years. But she stopped abruptly, pulling away.

“What’s wrong?” 

“I’m scared.” Her voice trembled out on a quiet breath. “I’ve never done this before. I’ve never done relationships.” 

“Trust me.” I ran my thumb across her lips and planted a gentle kiss at the corner of her mouth. 

“I’ve never done trust.” 

“I won't let you fall, Frankie. I’ll take care of you. Just give me a chance.” 

AUTHOR BIO

Ellie Isaacson has been an avid reader her whole life, but a couple years ago she had a dream that she just couldn't forget. She cultivated that dream and began writing, which became a dream of a different sort. Ellie is thrilled to be able to share her passion with her readers. As an accountant and an author, she slings numbers by day and words by night. She's also a wife and a mother of two amazing boys and one crazy hellion pup.

AUTHOR LINKS

FACEBOOK

FACEBOOK GROUP

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

AMAZON

GOODREADS

BOOKBUB

WEBSITE

NEWSLETTER

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal - Playing with Fire by Ellie Isaacson

Title: Playing with Fire

Series: Playing with Hearts #1

Author: Ellie Isaacson

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover Design: Kate Farlow, Y'all. That Graphic.

Release Date: March 11, 2021

BLURB

It was just a one-night stand.

He was supposed to be my last hurrah. A handsome stranger to get lost in before I started working for the man who’d always controlled my life.

No feelings. No attachments. Nothing but a few drinks, a spin around the dance floor, and a couple hours of passion.

But a case of mistaken identity ruined all that. Now I couldn’t get rid of him, even if I wanted to, and that put his life on the line.

She was a game changer. One night with her, and everything I thought I wanted was turned on its head.

Convincing her to give me a chance was only the beginning. There were bigger things at play, some so dangerous it threatened our lives.

But I was determined to make it work. To have her in my life. The only problem was, someone else was dead set on cutting our time together short.

ADD TO GOODREADS

PRE-ORDER LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY

EXCERPT

“Look,” she told me, facing her desk and shuffling through some papers there, “I made you no promises. There's a reason I didn't ask for your name. I never wanted anything but a night of fun.” She turned back to me, her eyes hard and her face a blank mask.

“We can still have some fun,” I offered. I stepped close, sliding one hand around to the small of her back and one behind her head. I pulled her close and pressed my lips tight against hers. There was no warmth, no passion, just a few brief seconds of contact.

Without warning, Frankie pulled back and slapped my face. I never expected a woman of her size to be able to pack such a punch. My face was on fire and stars flashed behind my eyelids. I held my hand to my cheek, letting the relative cool of my palm calm the burning in my skin.

When my vision cleared, I pulled my face back up to look at her. The blank mask of her face twitched once, right beneath her darkened eyes. As fast as she slapped me, she lunged at me. Her arms went around my neck, hands fisted in my hair, legs wrapped tight around my waist. And her lips, sweet lord her lips, were crushing down on mine.

It took me a second to react, and by then her tongue was in my mouth. I greeted her greedily and grasped her ass in my hands. She squeezed her thighs, lifting herself like she did in her hotel room as I’d fucked her against the wall, and I slid my hands up her back, untucking her shirt and touching her silky skin. I grabbed her nape and held her face to mine, keeping our lips locked, our tongues tangling together.

Frankie froze, the warmth draining out of her faster than water down a wide-open drain. She dropped her legs and slid out of my grasp. Pushing away from me, she turned to face her desk before spinning back to me.

“Get out of my office.” Her voice was ice in my veins, her face red like the rage emanating from her every pore.

“Frankie—”

“Out!” She pointed to the door, staring me down as I tried to understand, tried to wrap my head around the rapid shift in her attitude.

I adjusted my aching cock in my pants, then strode quickly to the door. With my hand on the handle, one foot in and one foot out, I stopped and glanced back at her. At Frankie. The angel. The goddess.

With the taste of her tongue on mine, I opened my mouth to speak. But there was nothing there, no words I could think to say to make her let me back in.

AUTHOR BIO

Ellie Isaacson has been an avid reader her whole life, but a couple years ago she had a dream that she just couldn't forget. She cultivated that dream and began writing, which became a dream of a different sort. Ellie is thrilled to be able to share her passion with her readers. As an accountant and an author, she slings numbers by day and words by night. She's also a wife and a mother of two amazing boys and one crazy hellion pup.

AUTHOR LINKS

FACEBOOK

FACEBOOK GROUP

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

AMAZON

GOODREADS

BOOKBUB

WEBSITE

NEWSLETTER

Release Blitz - Playing with Fire by Alix Nichols

Title: Playing with Fire

Series: Game Time #1

Author: Alix Nichols

Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance

Release Date: May 10, 2017

Blurb

He was supposed to look after her, not kiss her senseless…

Au pair Uma is all kinds of wrong for single dad Zach. Raised in a conservative Hindu family, Uma is his son’s nanny, a twenty-three-year-old virgin, and a guileless ingenue to boot. 

Zach knows all of that. 

Then why can’t he rein in his lust for her? 

If there is one man Uma should not be attracted to, it’s the father of the adorable five-year-old in her charge. Once burned twice shy, Zach is the captain of a pro water polo team and a wealthy entrepreneur who can have any woman he wants. No strings attached. 

Small wonder he goes all out to shun Uma!

But when, with the help of a bottle of fine wine, Zach confesses all the dirty things he’d like to do to her, Uma astounds him by saying she wants that, too. 

What’s a man to do but oblige?

Besides, it’s not like it’s the end of the world. They’re both sensible, level-headed adults. They’ll just have a bit of fun and then go back to normal, as if nothing happened. 

As if feelings weren’t already getting in the way.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Purchase Links

99c for a limited time

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited

Excerpt

After Sam has shut his eyes, I tiptoe out of his room and downstairs to the kitchen. We keep a box of delicious artisanal chocolates in one of the cabinets above the sink, and my intention is to treat myself to one as a consolation prize for not having laid eyes on Uma since this morning.

Making as little noise as I can and without turning the light on, I open the box. A lonely champagne truffle stares at me from the bottom.

The last one.

I’ll have to buy a new box tomorrow. Given how much both Uma and I love these chocolates, I’ve been buying a box every week since Uma discovered the shop on a quiet street behind the market square. We keep them hidden not to tempt Sam, and help ourselves to one or two every night after he’s gone to bed.

“My preeecious,” I whisper to the truffle in Gollum’s voice.

Uma giggles behind my back.

I didn’t hear her come in.

“So, what do we do now?” she asks, looking up at me. “Clearly, we’ve both sneaked in here with the same gluttonous intentions, but there’s only one truffle left.”

“I got here first,” I say.

“Only by a second!” She pouts. “I really need that chocolate at this particular juncture in my life.”

“Me, too.”

She puts her hands on her hips and jerks her chin up. “That’s not very chivalrous of you, Zach.”

“Just because you’re a woman doesn’t mean you always get your way.” I arch an eyebrow. “Besides, chivalry was made redundant in the sixties.”

“OK, forget chivalry—what about fairness? I’m a featherweight next to your… King Kong weight. As a pro athlete, it would be sporting of you to withdraw from the competition.”

I guffaw at her resourcefulness. “Nice try, Uma. But not a chance.”

She huffs in frustration.

“Well,” I say. “At least, now you’ve seen my true colors and how thin my veneer of gallantry is.”

“Yes. Whatever.” She pinches her chin. “Can we cut it in half?”

Tenacious little thing.

I almost give in, but sparring with her is too much fun to put an end to it by showing mercy.

“Hmm…” I tilt my head to the side and peer at the tiny cocoa-powdered confection as if I were considering her proposition. “Nah. It’s too small.”

“So, you’re really going to eat it now all by yourself?”

I nod. “Exactly. And you can console yourself with a Toblerone.”

She pulls a face. “How can you even compare industrial milk chocolate to this… fountain of flavor and well-being?”

“Fine,” I say, smiling. “Don’t eat a Tob—”

She snatches the chocolate from the box and darts out the door into the garden. I drop the box and run after her.

She shoves the chocolate in her mouth.

“Cheater!” I narrow my eyes in what I hope is an intimidating glare. “You’re going to pay for this.”

She bolts, trying to get back into the house.

I block her way, towering over her. Uma retreats, turns around, and runs to the other end of the garden. I follow, hot on her heels. She doesn’t shriek, no doubt, so she won’t wake up Sam, whose window is open above us.

For two or three minutes, I chase Uma around the garden in silence. I’m faster, but she’s nimbler. Besides, I’ve no clue how I’m going to make her “pay” for her theft, so I’m not really putting my heart and soul into the pursuit. On our third round, Uma ducks under my arm and hightails it into the house, across the kitchen, and toward the stairs.

She’s hoping to make it to her bedroom and lock herself in.

Not happening.

Accelerating, I close the distance between us. She scrambles up the steps. I grab her shoulders from behind, putting an end to her delusion that she can outrun me. Giggling, she tries to break free. I wrap my arms around her to hold her. She stops thrashing. I pull her into me, tightening my hold. She stops laughing.

For a few moments, neither of us moves or makes a sound, pressed against each other, panting.

Her chest heaves underneath my forearms.

I press them lightly against her little breasts, her nipples…

My heart throbs in my ears.

A caveman’s impulse to sling her over my shoulder and carry her somewhere private where I can have my way with her surges up somewhere in my gut, both shocking and tantalizing me. To resist it, I plant my feet firmly into the step and refuse to move a single muscle in my body.

With Uma one step higher on the staircase, her nape is perniciously close to my face, making my struggle harder than it already is. Her silky black hair is gathered into her usual bun that’s gotten messy from all the running.

I stare at her delicate neck.

Want to kiss it.

Dying to kiss it.

Can’t.

Because… reasons… good reasons… if I could just recall them.

There!

She’s Sam’s nanny.

That’s good, but not good enough…

She’s my friend’s almost fiancée. She’s inexperienced and clearly not thinking straight right now.

Very good. I relax my embrace enough for her to duck and slip away.

Only she doesn’t do it.

Instead, she leans back into me.

Coming Soon

#2 Playing for Keeps

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Author Bio

Alix Nichols is an unapologetic caffeine addict and a longtime fan of Mr. Darcy, especially in his Colin Firth incarnation. She is a Kindle Scout and Dante Rossetti Award winning author of critically acclaimed romantic comedies.

At the age of six, she released her first rom com. It featured highly creative spelling on a dozen pages stitched together and bound in velvet paper. Decades later, she still loves the romance genre. Her spelling has improved (somewhat), and her books have topped the Amazon charts around the world. She lives in France with her family and their almost-human dog.

Author Links

AMAZON

WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
PINTEREST

NEWSLETTER

BOOKBUB
GOODREADS
TWITTER


Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review - Playing with Fire by Kate Meader

Title: Playing with Fire

Series: Hot in Chicago #2

Author: Kate Meader

Release Date: September 29, 2015

From popular romance author Kate Meader comes the second novel in Hot in Chicago, a brand-new, sizzling series that follows a group of firefighting foster siblings and their blazing hot love interests!

As the only female firefighter at Engine Co. 6, Alexandra Dempsey gets it from all sides: the male coworkers who think she can’t do the job, the wives and girlfriends who see her as a threat to their firefighter men, and her overprotective foster brothers who want to shelter their baby sister at all costs. So when she single-handedly saves the life of Eli Cooper, Chicago’s devastatingly handsome mayor, she assumes the respect she’s longed for will finally come her way. But it seems Mr. Mayor has other ideas…

Eli Cooper’s mayoral ratings are plummeting, his chances at reelection dead in the water. When a sexy, curvaceous firefighter gives him the kiss of life, she does more than bring him back to the land of the living—she also breathes vitality into his campaign. Riding the wave of their feel-good story might prop up Eli’s flagging political fortunes, but the sizzling attraction between them can go nowhere; he’s her boss, and there are rules that must be obeyed. But you know what they say about rules: they’re made to be broken…

ADD TO GOODREADS

AMAZON US / AMAZON UK

I’m voting ONE for Mayor Eli Cooper. Holy smokes, I AM IN LOVE!! *Sigh* *Swoon* *Flail* *Falls down dead*

Alex Dempsey doesn’t much like Mayor Eli Cooper. The (handsome, charming, sexy) jackass has made it clear that, because she’s a woman, she shouldn’t be a firefighter—she’s a distraction, she’s not strong enough, she’s a girl. But when Alex saves his life, she’s convinced she’s finally proven herself…

Of course, it’s never that simple in the grey world of politics. The Mayor is fighting a losing battle to retain his position in the upcoming election, and Alex’s rescue might be just the thing he needs to rescue it. 

Only, Eli isn’t just fighting to hold on to his mayoralty. He’s also fighting his attraction to sassy, snarky, pain in the ass known as Alexandra Dempsey. And that fight might just prove to be the fight of his life… 

I FLOVED THIS BOOK. Shouty caps necessary. I sent crazy, giddy, over-the-top messages to my friend (and fellow reviewer), Missy while I was reading it, demanding she stop everything and read it RIGHT THE FUCK NOW. I needed someone to flail and fangirl with. I needed someone to understand my intense desire to find Eli and jump his bones. I needed someone to record my claim over Eli and Wyatt (who was so freaking awesome in this book, I can’t stop thinking about him, even now). I needed someone!! Damn it, Missy, you were that someone!!

Playing with Fire is just so…perfect. It’s a hate-to-love story and it is played out so well, I wouldn’t change a thing about it. Well, maybe I would. If I could replace Alex in Eli’s arms…that’d be grand. This book, though, was fun, funny, sexy as HELL, and actually a little bit heart-breaking. 

Eli and Alex have both lost so much—in different circumstances, to different degrees, but they are alike in their loss, and that base-level connection, as well as their sizzling, heat-off-the-charts attraction, makes them a pleasure to read about. I loved with them, I hurt with them, I raged at them… God, I wanted to shake Alex sometimes, I wanted to knock some sense into Eli others, but the entire time, I was committed to this story—to their story. 

As I am committed to this series. I cannot wait until the next book comes out—Wyatt’s book, which I have a burning (ha, firefighter pun!) need to read ASAP. Hopefully, by the time it comes out, I’ll have recovered from my crazy-assed flailing enough to start all over again… Get ready, Missy. We have a date with Firefighter Fox. 

~ Review by Beth

If I lived in Chicago, Mayor Eli Cooper would have my vote. Sweet, baby Jesus—the man is sex on a stick, a former Marine and, good God, his smile melts panties and explodes ovaries… Yet, unfortunately, Eli’s managed to piss off the female voters and some very powerful unions in his bid for re-election.

Alexandra “Alex” Dempsey has something to prove—that she’s not just a pretty face but tough, strong and worthy to wear the badge and fight the fires next to the rest of the men at Engine Co. 6—including her brothers. Number one nemesis: Mayor Eli Cooper. No matter how hot and sexy he is, he’s stated his opinion on Alex’s abilities time and time again, and it’s not pretty.

The day Alex literally breathes life into Eli is life changing. Eli’s campaign is in the toilet—will he ride the coattails of the feel good story of the week to increase his numbers, or will Eli finally give into his desires for the gorgeous Alex?

Holy hell, this book—this series is AMAZING. The “love to hate you” relationship between Alex and Eli is funny, snarky, sexy, smart, romantic… I’ve run out of adjectives. I loved Alex and her spunk from the first book, Flirting with Fire. Cracked up over her use of the “Jaws of Life” and how it keeps coming back to haunt her. And Eli—where do I start? He’s a true politician. How he gets Alex on board with his pro-publicity plan is a riot. Loved the conversations he had in his own head. 

And I can’t leave out Luke, Wyatt, Beck, and Gage, and Kinsey and Darcy. Alex’s brothers are ridiculously overprotective—the hospital and the benefit scenes made me laugh out loud. Kinsey and Darcy are the sisters Alex never had. They’re great for girl talk and helping Alex through the times when she really just needs a girlfriend, not an over-the-top, protective brother. I love their family dynamic.

I had to field numerous demands from Beth to stop whatever I was doing to start reading Playing with Fire so she had someone to talk to and swoon over Eli with. I should have paid attention—my five day delay meant Beth had the upper hand to claim Eli for her BBF. Damn it, now I’m going to have to beg for a share agreement. Though, I’d be willing to accept an advance claim for Wyatt in Sparking the Fire... (Beth’s note: NEVER going to happen! Wy’s already been claimed.) 

~ Review by Missy

Originally from Ireland, Kate Meader cut her romance reader teeth on Maeve Binchy and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Mills & Boon thrown in for variety. Give her tales about brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron or a fire hose, and she's there. Now based in Chicago, she writes sexy contemporary romance with alpha heroes and strong heroines who can match their men quip for quip. Visit her at KateMeader.com.

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

WEBSITE

PINTEREST

GOODREADS