Review: Shaken, Not Stirred

Welcome to Last Call...a bar where the drinks 

are cold and the nights are
scorching hot.

Title: Shaken, Not Stirred

Series: Last Call Series, #5

Author: Sawyer Bennett

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Release Date: March 17, 2015

Casey Markham is a man-eater in a rut. Swearing off relationships may keep her heart safe, but she's beginning to question if her casual flings will ever leave her satisfied. She's wondering if it's finally time to let go of the past and stop letting history control her future.

Bad boy biker, Tenn Jennings can't get Casey off his mind. A chance encounter with the beautiful blond has left its mark, and now he's determined to prove her wrong about everything she thought she knew about men.

It’s safe to say… Casey Markham has met her match.

Globug's Review

I was anxious to read Casey Markham's story.  She's the last of her group of friends to find love. The problem is she's not looking for love. She's content to sex'em and leave'em. She's in control and takes what she wants from shallow rich guys. Now we get to discover WHY she avoids love and relationships.

When you read about Casey's first love and about how he took advantage of her you'll want to throttle the guy. A broken heart and serious self-worth issues lead to years of using guys that are just like her ex-boyfriend. Not even her best friends know why she won't commit. A regular Joe is what her BFF thinks she needs to find.

Tenn Jennings is anything but a regular Joe. But Casey doesn't know that. She can tell right away that he would be dangerous to her plans of avoiding love. When he comes rolling up on his motorcycle looking like a dream, Casey's just about ready to throw her plans out the window. Then she figures, what the hell?! He's just passing through town. A one-night stand is the perfect answer.

It's almost like Tenn has a special decoding power. He figures out Casey's game pretty quick and starts tearing down her walls. I love that his method of demolishing those walls to get information about her is by giving her all the information about himself. He's a biker, a marine, a cowboy and a father. Yes! A father. He has a fourteen year old daughter named Zoey and it's one of my favorite things about him. He's a great dad.

One of my favorite parts of the story is when Casey and her best friends get together for one of their weekly breakfast gatherings. As Casey describes how Tenn makes her feel, she's the only one that doesn't recognize that she's in love. Her friends best advice is to "Make love your bitch." Now that is something Casey thinks she can do. Then life swoops and things aren't so simple. But relationships can grow stronger through hard times. (Sex while riding a horse seems to really help too). And the author does an amazing job delivering a epic happy ending.  Shaken, Not Stirred can be read as a stand-alone but I have loved all of the books in the series and highly recommend that you read them.

Favorite Quotes

"Yeah... it feels like the lifting of dark clouds on a rainy day... that moment when the sun peeks out and a rainbow magically appears." Loc 3132

"For the first time ever, I have the love of a woman that is more precious to me than the oxygen that sustains me. More important than my dreams to open a custom motorcycle shop. More essential to my way of living than anything else." Loc 3864

"Unfortunately, exhaustion got the better of me and after I heated Casey's ass up, I fucked myself into a coma, promptly falling asleep after I had the mother lode of all orgasms." Loc 4097

Author Bio & Links

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Sawyer Bennett is a snarky southern
woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the
stories that were floating in her head. Her husband works for a Fortune 100 company
which lets him fly all over the world while she stays at home with their daughter and
three big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn’t have many
weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.
Sawyer is the author of several contemporary romances including the popular Off Series,
Cold Fury Series, the Legal Affairs Series and the Last Call Series.

Website | Facebook| Twitter

Author GoodReadsAmazon

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Sugar On The Edge reviewed by Globug

Title: Sugar On The Edge (Last Call Series #3)

Author: Sawyer Bennett

Genre: New Adult Romance

Arc provide by NetGalley

Release Date: July 28, 2014

He’s utterly alone…

Tortured and existing in a dark spiral of despair, bestselling British author, Gavin Cooke, has come to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to escape the seedy lifestyle he had been living in London and in a desperate attempt to regain his writing focus. He’s twisted, bitter and angry at the world. He’s a loner… needing not a single thing other than his Scotch and a laptop upon which he can bang out his next erotic, dark thriller.

She’s running in place and getting nowhere…

Savannah Shepherd’s life is falling apart. Her dream of being a wildlife photographer seems a distant memory and she’s barely able to make ends meet. Driving herself forward with no clear goals apparent, she’s about ready to pack up her bags and head home with her tail between her legs.

Two unlikely lovers…

He’s raw, forceful and a dirty talker. She’s a flowers and romance type of girl. Yet within each other, they find a mutual craving that can only be satisfied by giving in to their desires for one another.
Lust turns into something more… something they were not looking for but tentatively accept. Will it be enough to push them past the obstacles of Gavin’s bitter past?

*SUGAR ON THE EDGE can be read as a stand-alone*

Globug's Review

On The Rocks, Make It a Double and now Sugar On The Edge, all titles relating to drinks. I love how that ties together all the books in the Last Call series. I've been a fan of the first two books and I'm happy to say I loved this one as well. I was also pleased to see the characters return from the first two books.

Gavin is an asshole right out of the gate. He's gorgeous and British but not kind at all. You quickly learn that he has a son and an ex-wife. He has moved to the states to escape his past. He's spent months drowning himself in alcohol, using drugs, and participating in all sorts of sexual distractions to numb himself from the hurt of not being with his son. There's a bigger story there that he's not sharing with anyone. Now it's time for him to get serious about writing the next book in his paranormal erotica series.

First impressions of Savannah do not work in her favor. She'd be the first to admit she's a little introverted and quiet. She has unassuming beauty and a kind heart. She has a fire in her though and a healthy stubborn streak that comes in handy when pushed past her limits. Gavin totally underestimates her when they first meet. He hires her to be his house keeper. It doesn't take long for his douche baggery to make an appearance and it draws out Savannah's strong side. That has him instantly intrigued with her.

The more he pushes her the more he wants to know about her and the more Savannah wants to step out her shell and experience the things Gavin could share with her. Gavin's a huge flirt and gifted in talking dirty and often does so just to make Savannah blush in discomfort. He's taken to calling her Sweet as a nick name and he quickly earns the nick name Filthy. He's mind has become so consumed by Savannah he has added a character in his current book to represent her. I loved that he named the character Honey because,"yeah... honey is sweet." I loved it when Gavin realizes that Savannah could represent the possibility of him coming out of his darkness and finding a future with hope in it.

Savannah is more of an open book. She has a past not many know about but not because it's a secret. Her openness and trusting nature lead to Gavin sharing his biggest heart break with her. It's no wonder the man has been hiding from his memories. I was heart broken for him. Savannah is exactly what he needed but wasn't looking for. He becomes so sweet and giving with her, bringing out the best in her as she makes him return to being the better part of himself. Their "sweet and filthy" moments are full of passion and a growing love.

When the unexpected happens it's the catalyst that makes Gavin run from life again leaving without a word to Savannah. Now she's alone and heart broken with huge changes on the way. Thank heavens for her supportive friends. It's her conversation with Brody from the first two books that makes her decide to fight for her relationship with Gavin. He tells her that she's the type of person who will always be the bigger person because she has a forgiving heart. God I fell in love with him all over again after that conversation. Her realization of why Gavin would leave and that even after months apart she still loves him spurs her into action.

When they finally face each other again I was in tears for Gavin as he discovers what he had been missing for three months. He gives a most epic of apologies that had me a snotty mess. Bennett closes the story with a perfect epilogue that sets up a bright future for Gavin and Savannah. Sugar On The Edge was sweet and had passion and fun banter between all of the characters. I can't wait for the next book in this series titled Shaken Not Stirred.

Author Bio & Links

USA Today Best-Selling Author, Sawyer Bennett is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. She is married to a mobster (well, a market researcher) and they have two big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn't have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.  

Website | Facebook| Twitter

Author GoodReads
Amazon  

Hootie's Review: Make It A Double (Last Call #2) by Sawyer Bennett

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Group: New Adult

Publication Date: April 19th 2014

Publisher: Big Dog Books

Series: Last Call #2

Pages: 398

Format: Kindle

Source: Purchased from Amazon

Brody Markham has endured a nightmare, spending the last five years in prison and losing everything that was dear to him. Now he’s back home, trying to survive in a world he doesn’t recognize anymore. While his family and friends desperately try to reach through to him, he shelters himself further and further away from their love. 

Alyssa Myers has worked her entire life to distance herself from the luxurious and privileged lifestyle in which she was raised. Running her non-profit agency, The Haven, she is content to spend her days helping abused animals find sanctuary, which fulfills her in a way that money just can’t buy.

Maybe it’s that she recognizes in Brody some of the same characteristics she sees in her homeless wards, but Alyssa is powerless to stop her personal quest to make Brody whole again.

While Brody struggles to surface from the darkness, Alyssa tries to protect her heart in case he’s not willing to accept the light that she offers him.

Hootie's Review: On The Rocks (Last Call #1) by Sawyer Bennett

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Group: New Adult

Publication Date: February 17th 2014

Publisher: Big Dog Books

Series: Last Call #1

Pages: 260

Format: eARC

Source: Provided by author for review

He left to travel the world for fame and glory, but only after spurning Gabby Ward and crushing her young heart. Now Hunter Markham has come back home to the sand and salty breeze of the North Carolina Outer Banks so he can open up Last Call, a beach bar nestled among the dunes of the Atlantic. Gabby Ward is not happy that Hunter has returned. Bitter over his rebuff years before, she’s content to stay far away from him and his dangerously charming ways. Gabby’s well-schemed plans to ignore Hunter go up in flames when he presents an offer to her that she simply can’t refuse, throwing them together in a common quest to each reach their goals. Working together day in and day out proves to be problematic for Gabby, who soon realizes that the feelings she had for him are still very much alive. Hunter struggles to reach through to Gabby’s cold heart, all while starting a new career away from his life as a top ranked, professional surfer. What starts out as a mutual business arrangement soon turns into a passion that neither of them can continue to deny. Hard choices lay ahead for both of them when Hunter is offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to return to the pro surfing tour. Choices that could destroy what they have built or take them further than they ever had dared to hope.

Teaser Tuesday: Make It A Double (Last Call #2) by Sawyer Bennett

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading Anyone can play along! 

Here are the Rules:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Brody Markham has endured a nightmare, spending the last five years in prison and losing everything that was dear to him. Now he’s back home, trying to survive in a world he doesn’t recognize anymore. While his family and friends desperately try to reach through to him, he shelters himself further and further away from their love. Alyssa Myers has worked her entire life to distance herself from the luxurious and privileged lifestyle in which she was raised. Running her non-profit agency, The Haven, she is content to spend her days helping abused animals find sanctuary, which fulfills her in a way that money just can’t buy. Maybe it’s that she recognizes in Brody some of the same characteristics she sees in her homeless wards, but Alyssa is powerless to stop her personal quest to make Brody whole again. While Brody struggles to surface from the darkness, Alyssa tries to protect her heart in case he’s not willing to accept the light that she offers him.