Review: Austin Heat – The One Who Undid Me, by Amari Nylix

30 September 2024 by Melissa

About the Book, Austin Heat: The One Who Undid Me

Series: Austin Heat, book one
Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Comedy / Football
Publisher: Temair Media
Pages: 390
Publication Date: September 14, 2023
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Rumor has it that Texas just got a little hotter! Fans of Tessa Bailey and K. Bromberg will fall for this sexy story of mistaken identity, electric attraction, and irresistible romance in the first installment of the addictive new series, Austin Heat.

Jake is desperate to rewrite his past with women and leave behind the media storm surrounding his off-the-field antics that cloud his potential. He’s done with the stream of models, actresses, and NFL cheerleaders that have warmed his bed since he made a name for himself as starting quarterback for the University of Texas. He desperately wants to meet a normal girl in his hometown of Austin.

After moving to Austin to be the hired girlfriend of one of her long-term escort clients, Rakell finds herself wishing she could live a normal life with an average guy. Turned off by the billionaire clients she’s been serving for the last five years, she longs to get out of the business and build a life where she doesn’t live in the shadows of her escort persona.

Their worlds collide and the spice is off the charts. “Pretty boy” Jake Skyler has met his match with saucy-mouthed, Rakell McCarthy. Both think they’ve fallen for an average person. Both are wrong! What happens when their physical connection explodes, their hearts take charge and the secrets they are concealing are revealed?

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About the author, Amari Nylix

Amari Nylix (alter ego to author Tara Delaney) tells sordid stories revolving around tempestuous love affairs that are inspired by the secret liaisons of Old West villains, heroes, and the temptress women who lure those powerful men into their webs. Amari delights in sharing her torrid stories of heart-wrenching, epic love that begin with the desires of the flesh and evolve into affairs of the heart.

In the Austin Heat series, Amari works closely with bestselling author of both non-fiction and fiction, Tara Delaney 😉. Tara has been a pediatric occupational therapist for more than thirty years and has extensive professional experience in sensory processing and nervous system development, while also having studied how early trauma impacts our responses as adults. Tara is responsible for trimming back Amari’s numerous spicy scenes, allowing room for all the FEELS.

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My Thoughts

There’s something to be said for a slow burn romance – something we don’t feel enough of these ays, and author Amari Nylix has given us that in this book, which is the first of a series (the following three are also available.)

The word “heat” is part of the title, and aptly so. I mean, yes, this book is set in Austin, TX, and I appreciated the author’s attention to detail. I felt like I was on those streets, breathing the sultry southern air. At the same time, there was a more metaphoric heat, in the relationship between Jake and Rakell, and I thought the spicier scenes were well written. It’s more challenging than you think to ride the line between “insert tab (a) into slot (b)” and being too explicit. Nylix straddled it perfectly.

While I have to admit that I didn’t really relate to either character, I still enjoyed the story. I know real women who have worked as escorts, and the connections they sometimes form with clients are real and lasting,while still being business. I thought the author let us glimpse a bit of that life.

I also appreciated the peek at the world of both college and professional football. It’s not a sport I follow (I prefer hockey), but the details felt plausible.

Overall, this is a good introduction to a series, and an enjoyable, relatively fast-paced read with a healthy dose of steamy romance.

Goes well with smoked brisket and Shiner bock.

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Review: Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

17 September 2024 by Melissa

I’m so pleased to partner with WOW! Women on Writing as part of the blog tour for Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. This book is a perfect cozy mystery readers are excited to get into – and the best news is it’s the first book of a fabulous series!

About the Book, Murder by Milkshake

Genre: Cozy Mystery / Amateur Sleuth / Young Adult/New Adult
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 15, 2024
Print length ‏ : ‎ 220 pages

Life is sweet for high school senior and ice cream slinger Genevieve Winterland. Her father owns Sweet Dreams Ice Cream Parlour, the cutest confectionery shop in their little town of Pinewood, Arizona. Genevieve loves her job, but when her father hires a broody newcomer with a dark past to provide extra security on her closing shifts, Genevieve bristles. Is this part of her father’s plan to send her away to college, when all she wants is to stay in Pinewood and run the family business?

Meanwhile, everyone’s favorite new teacher at Pinewood High, Miss Love, is receiving death threats, and then she goes missing. Genevieve suspects the crabby substitute, Ms. Pierce, who seems murderous about being passed over for the position. Or is the culprit Mr. Garcia, the longtime instructor who Miss Love replaced after he was fired for assaulting a student? Just when Genevieve thinks she knows the answer, she stumbles across the dead body of another missing faculty member.

Can Genevieve find the killer terrorizing the teachers in her beloved hometown—before someone else gets iced?