Consolation Prize by Linda Kage! Review + Giveaway!

What do you

think? Should I give him a try?

CONSOLATION PRIZE

Forbidden Men #9

Linda Kage

Released Nov 17th, 2016

Don't you just hate it when someone destroys all your carefully made plans?

I mean, I had goals: college to graduate in one semester, a future I was working hard to reach, and an image of myself I wanted the world to see. My life was stacked into these precisely placed blocks. But then Colton Gamble came along and knocked them all askew.

I hated how he messed everything up, how he could hog all my attention whenever he was around, how he made my pulse quicken--but only because he ticked me off...not because I was attracted to him. Oh! And I hated how he knew how attractive he was too, the shallow, full of himself, doesn't take no for an answer, too-flirty, too cocky, extremely irritating jerk.

The boy had all the qualities that turned me off. Or so I thought.

One night he wasn't quite the brainless, over-confident jerk I usually took him for.

One night, he took care of me when I was at my lowest. He opened up to me and made me open up to him.

Now I'm learning maybe he's not what I first thought he was. And maybe I'M not what I first thought I was. Maybe it’s okay to rearrange a couple of my perfectly set blocks. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll stop worrying about what I’m afraid everyone else will think and finally reach for something I really want. It’s possible some of my plans need to be destroyed, and Colton Gamble is exactly the kind of mess I need in my life.

What do you think? Should I give him a try?

Desperately seeking your advice,
Julianna Radcliffe

Christy's 4 star Review: 


 

Consolation Prize is the ninth and final (*cries*) book in Linda Kage’s Forbidden Men series. This series truly has some of my favorite reads in it. These characters are such a family and have such an amazing bond. I wish the books would never end, I love them this much! Anyway, back on track.

Consolation Prize is about the youngest Gamble brother, Colton. We first meet Colton when he is 8 years old. He’s now 18 and at his freshman year of college. Ten likes to refer to him as his prodigy and he is like Ten in a lot of ways. He’s funny, inappropriate at times, and so sweet and devoted. I loved everything about Colton Gamble. In the last book in this series, Priceless, we meet Julianna Radcliffe. Juli goes to out on half of a date with Brandt. She’s 21 and doesn’t look twice at his younger brother… at least, she doesn’t want to.

There is something about Colton Gamble that Juli can’t resist. He enamors her. And Colton has felt that spark with Juli since the moment they met. But Colton is off limits to her. Right? He’s much younger, she went on that date with his brother, and he’s a white guy- and she’s never seriously considered dating one. But Colton Gamble is the only guy who’s ever made her feel this way. The only guy to make her light up. To make her feel worthy.

When I first started this book, I don’t know if I was crazy about Julianna. I didn’t feel like she would treat Colton good enough. The more I got to know her, and the more she opened up, I loved her too. She has a hard shell, but she has a beautiful heart and she’s a fighter. Colton is amazing. He’s had a rough past, but he’s just a fantastic human being and so sweet and fun. I loved them together. Their chemistry was seriously off the charts. Colton was so great with Juli and understood her, understood her hesitations and talked her through things. By the end, I loved them so much as a couple.
 

He was worth it. He was worth the objections we’d probably receive from both our families and possibly even our friends. He was worth the heartbreak I was almost certain would come. He was worth it all.

If you’re looking for a NA series that is the perfect mix of emotion, fun and sexy, this is the series you want to read. These characters are perfection. Linda Kage did a truly amazing job with these books. I give this one 4 stars!

 

Linda Kage 

grew up on a dairy farm in the Midwest as the

youngest of eight children. Now she lives in Kansas with her husband, daughter,

and nine cuckoo clocks. Her life's been blessed with lots of people to learn

from and love. Writing's always been a major part of her world, and she is so happy

to finally share some of her stories with other romance lovers.

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HUGE GIVEAWAY! TONS OF CHANCES TO WIN!

SILENT SCARS

The Surviving Series #4

Ada Frost

Releasing Nov 28th, 2015

Self-Published

Her Man.

Their Hero.

His Pain.

What happens when you pray for death and you’re ignored?

You have to live.

You have to survive.

But what if the last thing you want is to take your next breath?

To the world, Ryan is a hero, an ex-marine, brother, son and protector. He has devoted his life to keeping others safe. He will do anything and everything to ensure his loved ones are protected, even if that means destroying his very own soul. After an explosion on the battlefield ends his career in the Marine’s, Ryan is sent home with an honorable discharge. But the war hasn’t ended for him.

He is home, he is free and he’s breathing, but he’s dead inside.

He wants nothing more than peace, but the nightmares in his mind will not grant him that. They taunt him, tease him and torture his waking moments. The darkness within him is slowly consuming him, blackness has seeped into his veins and is rotting his core. Ryan is a man on the edge of destruction. For once he is the one in need of saving. He needs a saviour.

He needs her.

Ryan is commissioned as a bodyguard to Aloura Cavendish. When he initially meets her, he believes her to be a spoiled rich brat, wasting his time. But the fire inside her astounds him. When he pushes, he never expects her to push back. When he runs, she chases. For the first time in his life, Ryan has a protector willing to fight his demons. The only problem – he is too afraid to release them.

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Hi! What to say about myself...I don't really have anything

interesting to offer other than I love to read, and create stories for others

to enjoy. I've always been told I have a vivid imagination, I just lacked the

confidence to pursue putting it onto the the written page. But finally I

embarked on making a single dream come true.

I love to read, and write. I only read romance, any genre really,

but it has to have a beautiful romance. I also demand a HEA, even if it takes

two or three books to get there. Reality is too broken and jaded without having

to live through the trauma and angst in a book for it to end unhappily.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

THE GIRL'S GOT SECRETS

Forbidden Men #7

Linda Kage

Releasing Nov 28th, 2015

Self-Published

Here’s

the same old “girl posing as a boy” story but with a rock-n-roll twist.

Remy Curran dreams of one day being

in a band, except the group she wants to join refuses to hire a girl drummer.

So, she auditions as a guy...and makes the cut.

Becoming “Sticks,” a member of

Non-Castrato, isn’t quite what she dreamed it would be, though. She spends most

of her time keeping up the subterfuge and learning how to walk, talk, act, and

drink like a man.

But what’s even harder to deal with

is acting oblivious when the band’s heartthrob lead singer, Asher Hart, treats

her like one of the guys and not a woman. She never imagined he’d be so much

more than a pretty face with a nice voice. But he’s better than perfect. He’s

perfect for her.

When love and lies combine, Remy

must keep up the act or lose everything. But who knew lying to reach one dream

could prevent you from attaining an even bigger dream?

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CHRISTY'S REVIEW: 

4 stars!


 

Asher Hart. I’ve been waiting for your book for the longest time (it feels like, anyway) and it’s finally here! YAY! I am a huge fan of Linda Kage’s Forbidden Men series. Each one of these books and heroes has something special about it/them that draws me in. Though they have mostly the same ‘formula’ there is something different about them all. All the men, all their stories are unique in some way.

Remy Curran has only wanted one thing for as long as she can remember. A chance to play with a band, a good band, as a drummer. She is an amazing musician, she just wants a chance. When she auditions for one of her favorite bands, Non-Castrato, she is sorely disappointed. Because they don’t even let her audition. Just because she’s a girl. Remy decides to have her friend make her over, dress up as a man, and auditions anyway. She blows them away and gets in the band. Awesome, right? Well, maybe it would be- if she didn’t start falling hard for the lead singer, Asher.

 

 

Putting on a little disguise to get my dream to come true should never have had the power to hurt anyone else. But I had a sinking feeling it just might upset the one person in this entire situation whom I didn’t want to hurt.

The chemistry Remy and Asher has is incredible. I know it sounds crazy, but some of my favorite parts where when Remy was her male persona ‘Sticks’. I loved the friendship she and Asher developed. Their banter was great, and she really got to know him on a deeper level as a friend this way.

If you’ve read the previous books, you know that Asher is hung up on his Incubus girl. Asher may be a lead singer of a band and good looking, but he’s not the player you would expect him to be. He wants something significant, something that means something like his friends have with their women. I loved that about him.

 

   

Her eyes were like brown pools of temptation and I was a drowning man. I tried to resist, I even pressed my forehead to hers, but I already knew it was too late. This woman owned me.

There was a lot I loved about this book- one of my favorite things, the plethora of scenes with my boy, PICK in them! I was so excited to see him in so much of the story. His relationship with Asher was perfect. I’m not gonna lie, when I saw the length of this book I was a little nervous. It’s much longer than her others, but it doesn’t feel long. In fact, it read very fast. So don’t let the length deter you from reading. This is a fantastic addition to the Forbidden Men series! And now, after reading this, I’m dying for Brandt’s story! I just know it will be epic!

 

Linda grew up on a dairy farm in the Midwest as the youngest of eight

children. Now she lives in Kansas with her husband, daughter, and nine cuckoo

clocks. Her life's been blessed with lots of people to learn from and love.

Writing's always been a major part of her world, and she is so happy to finally

share some of her stories with other romance lovers.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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5+ stars for A Perfect Ten by Linda Kage

Christy's Review:

A Perfect Ten by Linda Kage

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 ‘Lick you later’ stars!

 

Linda Kage has done it again. Created a story I completely adore with a near perfect hero and heroine. When I read Be My Hero and fell so hard for Pick and his story, I didn’t think it could be done again. I mean, the same series… who can make me feel like this twice? Linda Kage can. Pick is (and will probably always be) my favorite of hers. He’s in my top 5 book boys ever. But Ten… Ten was pretty perfect. He gave him a run for his money and that’s really saying something!

 

So this is my Pathetic Loser’s confession: I am Oren Tenning, and I have fallen. Hard.

 

Oren Tenning has been tempted by Caroline Gamble from the moment he first met her. But she is 100% off limits. She is his best friends little sister and has been warned away from her more times than he can count. But Ten can’t help how he feels about her. He does his best to steer clear for Noels sake, but he still has feelings for Caroline. 



These feelings are not one sided. Caroline has it bad for Ten. She has for a long time. So Caroline does what any sane and normal woman would do… she sneaks into Ten’s room in the dark and pretends to be someone else. I swear to you, this is not as creepy as it sounds. It’s actually pretty hot and comical at the same time. Ten trying to describe his night with this perfect stranger… hysterical!

 

“Let me get this straight. You argued with some girl and pulled her hair during sex? Wow. What are you? Five?”


“No,” I muttered, growing more irritated than ever. “I’m Ten.”

 

Caroline and Ten carry on these forbidden meetings for some time. No matter how much they know it’s wrong on some levels, they can’t seem to stop themselves. And these hidden hook ups quickly turn into something else. Something with more feeling. They have off the charts chemistry, but they also have real feelings for each other. They’re able to talk, to be there for one another. Ten has never had that with a  girl before.

Ten is not just the funny easy guy we’ve come to know and love. He’s a real person with real feelings and his past isn’t simple. I wasn’t sure if Ten would be able to settle down, to be serious. But he proved me way wrong.

 

“No one’s ever pleased me the way you please me. Every time with you is better than the last. I can’t even… God, Caroline. You own me.”

 

 

   

“Baby, there’s nothing he could say or do to keep me away from you.”

 

Forbidden love stories just happen to be a weakness of mine. Add in a sweet and snarky heroine, an over the top hilarious man-whore of a hero, and you have a perfect story. You know a book is wonderful when you get closer and closer to the end and you’re just like noooooooo I don't’ want it to be over! I didn’t want this one to end.

I loved the dual pov, all the laughs I got from Ten and Caroline. Their love story was all kinds of funny, sexy and sweet. I will never get tired of reading about this crew. Even though this could technically be read as a stand alone, you will get so much more out of it if you read the books in order and get to know the rest of the characters first. I love them all and can’t wait for Asher’s story!

 

Bella's Review: 5 STARS!!!

I was DYING to read Ten's book. DYING. The anticipation made me a bit scared that it wouldn't live up to my expectations. But Linda Kage is amazing!!!

I LOVE Ten. Like so hard. Almost all of my highlights are Ten.

"So this is my Pathetic Loser's confession: I am Oren Tenning, and I have fallen. Hard."

If you have read all of the Forbidden Men books up to this point, you know that Ten and Caroline are...attracted to each other. What's the problem? Caroline is Noel's little sister. And Noel is Ten's best friend. And Noel warns Ten to stay away from Caroline every chance he gets.

Hence, the forbidden aspect.

So Caroline takes an opportunity to be with Ten...anonymously. How does one do this, you ask? Well, you'll just have to read the book. But just one time is not enough....for either of them.

Things I loved about this book:

- Ten. He's hilarious, sexy, sweet, caring and is trying reeallly hard to be a loyal friend to Noel. But he falls hard for Caroline. He has been through some hard times in life and learning about his past made me love him even more.

- Caroline. She's an awesome match for Ten.

"I was Caroline. Hear me roar.

She, too, has been through some hard times in life. She's grateful to Noel for all he has done for her...but he has made it clear that he will never approve of her to be with Ten. And it is hard not to resent him for that.

- No insta love. They try to fight it.

But they FAIL! And I love that part too!

- The writing - it's so easy for me to read. I have a total author crush on Linda Kage!!

- Secondary characters - we get a ton of Quinn & Zoey in this book and the Gambles too. I love this entire group of characters so much!

Things I didn't like - Noel!!!! I never thought I would say this. But MAN! I wanted to knock him over the head with some of the things he said to Ten & Caroline. He was being so stubborn that he couldn't see the truth right in front of him. Sheesh.

And let me just say - there were some .... unexpected events at the end of the book - the last 10% almost killed me. But I knew Linda wouldn't give Ten & Caroline anything less than an awesome ending.

I was right.

Bottom line: read this book. If you haven't read the whole series, start at the beginning.

I LOVE Linda Kage's Forbidden Men!!!!!!!!!!!

A Perfect Ten

Forbidden Men # 5 

By: Linda Kage

Releasing March 30^th, 2015

Self-Published 

Blurb

Let your hair down, Caroline, they said. It'll be fun, they said.

I know I've closed myself off in a major way in the past year, ever since “the incident” where I messed up my life completely. It's past time I try to live again or just give up completely. But this is quite possibly the craziest thing I've ever done. In a last ditch effort to invigorate myself, I'm standing outside Oren Tenning's bedroom, I just peeled off the sexiest pair of underwear I own, and my hand is already raised to knock. My brother would disown me for doing anything with his best friend, and he'd probably kill Oren. But if I play my cards right, no one will ever know about this. Not even Ten.

Maybe after tonight, I’ll finally get over this stupid, irrational crush I hate having on the biggest jerk I’ve ever met. Or maybe I’ll just end up falling for him even harder. Maybe I’ll discover there’s so much more to my crude, carefree hunk than meets the eye.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23523867-a-perfect-ten

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/120350-forbidden-men 

Buy Links:  Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T85IUR8 

B&N:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-perfect-ten-linda-kage/1121488173 

iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-perfect-ten/id978053831 

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/a-perfect-ten

Author Info

Linda grew up on a dairy farm in the Midwest as the youngest of eight children. Now she lives in Kansas with her husband, daughter, and nine cuckoo clocks. Her life's been blessed with lots of people to learn from and love. Writing's always been a major part of her world, and she is so happy to finally share some of her stories with other romance lovers.

Author Links:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Rafflecopter Giveaway ($25 Amazon Gift card, 1 Print copy of A PERFECT TEN, or 5 digital copies of A PERFECT TEN)

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Blog tour: With Every Heartbeat by Linda Kage +$25 gift card giveaway!

Christy's review!

 

“Sometimes, it’s the little things we do that mean the most to others.”

I have been highly anticipating Quinn’s book since I met him in Pick’s story. I was not excited that Cora (the whore we love to hate) would be such a big part, but I loved Quinn so I was willing to go there. After reading this book, I still loved Quinn. I loved Zoey. I loved Ten the most (well, besides my Pick who will always and forever be the best character in this series). And I hated Cora. Hated her with a fiery passion. I thought she might do SOMETHING redeemable. Nope.

But back to Quinn- his book is the forth in Linda Kage’s Forbidden Men series. These books are fantastic. The characters are wonderful and lovable (with the exception of Cora) and the writing is great. This had a little more angst and stressful moments than some of the other books, but it was still a great read.

Zoey and Cora are best friends. In fact, Cora is Zoey’s only friend. So when Cora needs her, Zoey is there. Zoey grew up with a very strict father who was abusive. Because of her home life, she has a lot in common with her best friend’s boyfriend, Quinn. Quinn didn’t have the easiest childhood either. Besides having things in common, Quinn and Zoey are instantly attracted to one another. 


 

Zoey and Quinn are both loyal to a fault. So their attraction never leads to anything except both of them wanting what they know they can’t have. Watching them both fight their feelings for each other was difficult. You could tell they were just too perfect for each other, but neither could do much about it. It was sweet, their friendship.
 

Zoey might just know more about me than any other living person on the planet. She was my confidante and a friend.


They really developed a bond with one another. But Cora was still there. As selfish and evil as she could be, Quinn isn’t a cheater and Zoey still cared for her friend. I rooted for these two to be together. You knew they just belonged with one another.

 

Obviously something big happens that shows Cora’s true colors… but the events leading up to that. Ugh. I can’t even go there.  Some parts of this story I just feel so mixed about. I loved loved loved certain aspects… but let me tell you. There were a few parts I was so infuriated with decisions these characters made I almost threw my kindle across the room. I cried some angry tears and I shouty caps texted my bestie in the middle of the night. It was that kind of book. SO if you can’t handle the feels, the angst and the drama, this may not be for you. By the end, I can safely say that I AM happy I finished it. I’m glad I read it and I loved the way it turned out.

Even though my boy Quinn was one of the main culprits of my kindle throwing madness, I still really did love this boy. I loved how he always *tried* to do what he thought was right. His heart is in the right place and he’s a very sweet, good person. Zoey was a heroine who has a heart of gold. What she did at the end… I’m not sure if I could have done that. I applaud her being able to be that big of a person.

I loved the bond Quinn and Zoey shared. Watching them get to know one another, become friends and open up to each other. It was great. They really did have this pull towards one another that they couldn’t deny

 

As much as this book STRESSED ME OUT… I did enjoy it. It definitely held my attention and kept me intrigued. And as a reader who loves to feel when she reads, I felt. Not all of those feelings were good, but I boy did I feel them. Even though this book was heavy at times, it still had those lighter feel good moments. I love the characters, the friends that feel like family and the end made me so happy and left me with a huge smile on my face.

Maybe the best part of this book was the set up of Ten and Caroline’s story. Ten stole the show in this book. Every time he showed up with his fun, loud and crazy self I couldn’t help but to feel better about everything else going on. Bring on Ten’s book. I can’t wait!!!

 

 Exclusive Excerpt:

As I swept inside the front doors of the library, I started grinning. Even the possibility of getting to see him had my blood pounding with excitement. I didn’t have to search; I went straight to our spot. But as I turned down the aisle of books that led there, I slowed to a stop. He wasn’t there.

My shoulders slumped. But then a breath later, two arms slid around my waist, making me squeak in surprise. I was pulled back against a hard chest I’d recognize anywhere.

“You came.” His voice was filled with wonder before he spun me around.

His smile created a buzz that echoed through my entire body. I grinned back and touched his dimple; my lips hurt from stretching them so far. His own smile widened. And then he was pulling me up to his level and kissing me.

“God, Zoey. I can’t resist you in a pair of jeans or even shorts. But a skirt—” He shook his head even as his palms caught my bare thighs and smoothed their way up the outsides, right under my skirt. “You want to kill me, don’t you?”

About With Every Heartbeat:

*New Adult Romance*

**Explicit Scenes and Language**

I used to think everything was black and white, truth or lie, easy or hard, that if I could just escape my strict, overbearing, abusive father, my life would be perfect. But since I’ve found a reason to risk his wrath and leave, to help a friend in need, I’ve come to realize everything I thought I knew is wrong.

Friends have their own agenda, honesty comes with a dosage of lie, easy doesn’t even exist, keeping secrets sucks, and love...love is the most painful thing of all.

Maybe if Quinn Hamilton hadn’t asked me to skip classes for the day and help him pick out an engagement ring for my best friend, I wouldn’t have fallen for him so completely on that sunny Tuesday afternoon and I wouldn’t feel so conflicted. But I did, and I can’t take it back, no matter how hard I try. So I have to deal with the fact that even I’m not as good, or honest, or caring as I’d always thought I was, and no matter what I do next, someone’s going to get hurt. Probably me.

-Zoey Blakeland

*Don't worry! The hero and heroine are not cheaters.*

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About Linda Kage:

Linda grew up on a dairy farm in the Midwest as the youngest of eight children. Now she lives in Kansas with her husband, daughter, and nine cuckoo clocks. Her life's been blessed with lots of people to learn from and love. Writing's always been a major part her world, and she’s so happy to finally share some of her stories with other romance lovers.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Pinterest | Blog

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