COVER REVEAL: The Villain by LJ Shen

 "A love story with teeth and claws. I dare you not to fall in love with Cillian Fitzpatrick."
- Parker S. Huntington, USA Today Bestselling Author

Cover Designer: Letitia Hasser at RBA Designs

Model: George Alsford

The Villain, an all-new modern retelling of Hades and Persephone from USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling author, L.J. Shen is coming December 17th, and I have the drop-dead sexy cover!

Cruel. Cold Blooded. Hades in a Brioni suit.

Cillian Fitzpatrick has been dubbed every wicked thing on planet earth.

To the media, he is The Villain.

To me, he is the man who (reluctantly) saved my life.

Now I need him to do me another, small solid.

Bail me out of the mess my husband got me into.

What's a hundred grand to one of the wealthiest men in America, anyway?

Only Cillian doesn't hand out free favors.

The price for the money, it turns out, is my freedom.

Now I'm the eldest Fitzpatrick brother's little toy.

To play, to mold, to break.

Too bad Cillian forgot one, tiny detail.

Persephone wasn't only the goddess of spring; she was also the queen of the death.

He thinks I'll buckle under the weight of his mind games.

He is about to find out the most lethal poison is also the sweetest.

Add The Villain >>> on Goodreads

For more information >>> join LJ Shen's reader group

About LJ Shen

L.J. Shen is a USA Today, Washington Post, and Amazon #1 bestselling author of contemporary, New Adult, and YA romance. Her books have been sold to twenty different countries.

She lives in California with her husband, son, cat and eccentric fashion choices, and enjoys good win, bad reality TV shows, and catching sun rays with her lazy cat.

Connect with LJ Shen

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Mailing List | Website

BOOK RELEASE BLITZ & REVIEW: Playing with Fire by L.J. Shen

"Clear off a top spot on your Best of 2020 list.

Playing with Fire is coming in HOT!"

- Harloe Rae, USA Today Bestselling Author

Playing with Fire, an all-new intense and all-consuming small town standalone romance from USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen is available now!

A broken boy on the path to destruction.

A scarred girl without direction.

A love story carved in secrets, inked with pain and sealed with a lie.

Grace Shaw and West St. Claire are arctic opposites.

She is the strange girl from the food truck.

He is the mysterious underground fighter who stormed into her sleepy Texan college town on his motorcycle one day, and has been wreaking havoc since.

She is invisible to the world.

He is the town's beloved bad boy.

She is a reject.

He is trouble.

When West thrusts himself into Grace's quiet life, she scrambles to figure out if he is her happily-ever-after or tragic ending. 

But the harder she pushes him away, the more he pulls her out of her shell.

Grace doesn't know much about anything beyond her town's limits, but she does know this:

She is falling in love with the hottest guy in Sheridan U.

And when you play with fire--you ought to get burned.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/35scdah

Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/PWFLJShen

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3bDlzRh

Add PLAYING WITH FIRE to Goodreads - https://bit.ly/MDVljgr

MY THOUGHTS

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Point of View: Alternating First Person
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I am so obsessed with this book! It's full of angst and witty banter. It will piss you off, warm your heart, and make you feel ...all the things.  

Grace Shaw and West St. Claire are polar opposites.

Grace likes to hide in the background.
West captures the attention of everyone.
Grace refuses to step outside of her comfort zone.
West HAS no comfort zone.
Nothing flusters West.
Everything flusters Grace.

Despite their differences, Grace and West have two important things in common:

1. They have suffered an unimaginable tragedy. 

2. They are stuck in the past and allow it to dictate their future. 

Grace is surprised to find an unexpected ally in West after being forced to work with him. While West is best known for his hotheaded attitude and total domination in an underground fighting ring, he's different with Grace. He's quick to smile and shares parts of himself that he keeps hidden from everyone else. 

"In a lot of ways, the food truck felt like our bubble.
A snug confession booth.
The rules were different in the truck.
Like we shed our primary skin, of our stigma and reputation and social status.
Here we were simply... us."

PLAYING WITH FIRE is much more than a simple love story. It's also a story about life, loss, recovery, and rising up from the ruins. 

ABOUT L.J. SHEN

L.J. Shen is a USA Today, Washington Post, and Amazon #1 best-selling author of contemporary, New Adult, and YA romance. Her books have been sold to twenty different countries.

She lives in California with her husband, son, cat and eccentric fashion choices, and enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows and catching sun rays with her lazy cat.

Connect with L.J. Shen

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2OhSvp1

Twitter: http://bit.ly/36ELHZc

Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2oMbFsu

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2AlOiTo

Stay up to date with L.J. Shen by signing up for her mailing list: http://bit.ly/36MnmAQ

Website: http://www.authorljshen.com/

*A big thank you to the author and Social Butterfly PR for giving me the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own and have been written in own words. Life as Jane Doe does not accept monetary compensation for reviews, interviews, giveaways, and/or book tours and does not participate in affiliate programs. 

BLOG TOUR: The Hunter by L.J. Shen

THE HUNTER really surprised me. While Shen's writing is as clever as ever, it took me a while for me to warm up to Hunter. Initially, I was not a fan.

The story begins with Hunter knee deep in debauchery from the jump. And, it's shockingly gross debauchery at that. 

Hunter is completely different from the heroes I'm used to seeing from Shen.

He's a manwhore with a potty mouth and can turn anything into a sexual innuendo. He has zero shame and gives zero f*cks.

But... he has his moments. He can be funny and flirtatious, kind and charismatic. He can be completely charming when he wants to be. And, let's not forget that he is F-I-N-E, fine.

He's Sebastian from Cruel Intentions (minus the stoicism). He's Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl (minus the snobbery). He's Wade from Hart of Dixie (if you replace his southern accent with one from Boston). He' s John Tucker from John Tucker Must Die (but a hundred times filthier). 

Despite Hunter's arrogance and gross sexual habits, he grew on me and I had fun watching his character develop into something resembling a human being. 

There's a few brief cameos of Knight, Vaughn, and Luna, but don't expect to see much of them. Although Troy and Sparrow have a solid showing, and it was great to get some insight into the Brennan family dynamic.

THE HUNTER is a funny and delightful addition to the Boston Belles series, but there is very little romance and it wasn't my favorite.

MY RATING

OVERALL: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 👥👥👥👥

STORYLINE: 📚📚📚📚

STEAM FACTOR: 🔥🔥

*I highly recommend reading Sparrow and the previous books in the Boston Belles series before reading this one. 

RELEASE BLITZ: The Hunter by L.J. Shen

"This is L.J. Shen at her wittiest, steamiest, heart-aching best!"

- Kennedy Ryan, Wall Street Journal bestselling author

The Hunter, an all-new scorching hot contemporary romance from USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen is AVAILABLE NOW!

Boston's debauched elite is going up in flames, and it's the Fitzpatrick family that set it on fire.

HUNTER

I didn't mean to star in a sex tape, okay?

It was just one of those unexplainable things. Like Stonehenge, Police Academy 2, and morning glory clouds. 

It just happened.

Now my ball-busting father is sentencing me to six months of celibacy, sobriety, and morbid boredom under the roof of Boston's nerdiest girl alive, Sailor Brennan. 

The virginal archer is supposed to babysit my ass while I learn to take my place in Royal Pipelines, my family's oil company. 

Little does she know, that's not the only pipe I'll be laying...

SAILOR

I didn't want this gig, okay?

But the deal was too sweet to walk away from.

I needed the public endorsement; Hunter needed a nanny.

Besides, what's six months in the grand scheme of things?

It's not like I'm in danger of falling in love with the appallingly gorgeous, charismatic gazillionaire who happens to be one of Boston's most eligible bachelors.

No. I will remain immune to Hunter Fitzpatrick's charm.

Even at the cost of losing everything I have.

Even at the cost of burning down his kingdom.

Download your copy today or read FREE on Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KZt7S9

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/hunterlj

Add THE HUNTER to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2Qav11R

About L.J. Shen

L.J. Shen is a USA Today, Washington Post, and Amazon #1 bestselling author of contemporary, new adult, and YA romance. Her books have been sold to twenty different countries.

She lives in California with her husband, son, cat and eccentric fashion choices, and enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows, and catching sun rays with her lazy cat.

Connect with L.J. Shen

Facebook:        http://bit.ly/2OhSvp1
Goodreads:      http://bit.ly/2yhgPBx
Instagram:       http://bit.ly/2AIOiTo
Pinterest:         http://bit.ly/2oMbFsu


Stay up to date with L.J. Shen by signing up for her mailing list: http://bit.ly/36MnmAQ
Website: http://www.authorljshen.com/

COVER REVEAL: The Hunter by L.J. Shen

Boston's debauched elite is going up in flames, and it's the Fitzpatrick family that set it on fire. 

The Hunter, an all-new dazzling and delicious contemporary romance from USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen is coming May 11th and I have the stunning cover!

HUNTER

I didn't mean to star in a sex tape, okay? 

It was just one of those unexplainable things.

Like Stonehenge, Police Academy 2, and morning glory clouds. 

It just happened.

Now my ball-busting father is sentencing me to six months of celibacy, sobriety, and morbid boredom under the roof of Boston's nerdiest girl alive, Sailor Brennan.

The virginal archer is supposed to babysit my ass while I learn to take my place in Royal Pipelines, my family's oil company.

Little does she know, that's not the only pipe I'll be laying...

SAILOR

I didn't want this gig, okay?

But the deal was too sweet to walk away from.

I needed the public endorsement; Hunter needed a nanny.

Besides, what's six months in the grand scheme of things?

It's not like I'm in danger of falling in love with the appallingly gorgeous, charismatic gazillionaire who happens to be one of Boston's most eligible bachelors.

No. I will remain immune to Hunter Fitzpatrick's charm.

Even at the cost of losing everything I have.

Even at the cost of burning down his kingdom.

Add THE HUNTER to Goodreads >>> http://bit.ly/2Qav11R

Be notified FIRST when The Hunter is live >>> http://bit.ly/36MnmAQ

Cover Designer: Lori Jackson

Photographer: Michelle Lancaster

Cover Model: Chase Chase Mattson

About L.J. Shen

L.J. Shen is a USA Today, Washington Post, and Amazon #1 best-selling author of contemporary, New Adult, and YA romance. Her books have been sold in twenty different countries. She lives in California with her husband, son, cat and eccentric fashion choices, and enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows and catching sun rays with her lazy cat.

Connect with L.J. Shen >>> Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest

Stay up to date with L.J. Shen by signing up for her mailing list >>> http://bit.ly/36MnmAQ

Website >>> http://www.authorljshen.com/

BOOK REVIEW: Scandalous by L.J. Shen

1. CHAOS & POWER IN THE FORM OF TRENT REXROTH

"Let them think I was crazy. More power to me. No one liked to mess with crazy. Ruthless. Why not? Powerful. Sure? But crazy was unpredictable, the worst attribute in a human."

2. A THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE & HATE

"Whatever we were, we were toxic. A lullaby on a thoroughly scratched record that keeps hiccupping again and again on the line that you hate."

"We were at it again. The cat and mouse. But I wasn't just a mouse. He was Tom and I was Jerry. He might win our battle eventually, but I'd managed to bruise him. I purpled and greened him all the time, leaving battle scars. Marks I loved to look at, in the form of his pissed off face."

3. PASSION

"I liked her hot. I liked her messy. I liked her all over the place because that's how she made me feel. Deprived. There was some poetic justice in it."

"From the day I was born, I knew I had a salty soul. I knew I loved differently. More violently. Everything I'd ever loved. That's what got me into so much trouble in the first place. The sheer obsession I had with everything I cared about."

4. RETRIBUTION

"Party pooper." Val scowled.
"You have no idea. I'm about to sh*t all over your f*cking life, sweetheart."

5. GREAT WRITING 

"...life was not a game of chess. Life was f*cking Jenga. You tried winging through it, hoping it wouldn't fall down in spectacular fashion and bury you."


Total it all up and you get TRENT + EDIE = GOALS. ❤️

"His eyes are light, his soul is dark, and everything else about what he gives me is full of colors."

MY RATING

OVERALL: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 👩👩👩👩👩

STORYLINE: 📚📚📚📚📚

ANGST: 😒😒😒😒😒

BOOK REVIEW: Midnight Blue by L.J. Shen

SYNOPSIS

It should have been easy. I needed the money. He needed a babysitter to keep him from snorting himself to death. I was cherry-picked especially for him. 

Responsible.
Optimistic.
Warm.
Innocent.

The worst part is that I should have known better.

Alex Winslow.
British rockstar.
Serial heartbreaker.
Casanova with whiskey eyes.

"Don't get near the devil in a leather jacket. He'll chew you up and spit you out." Guess what? I didn't listen. I signed the contract.

World tour.
Three months.
Four Continents.
One hundred shows.

My name is Indigo Bellamy, and I sold my soul to a tattooed god. Problem was, my soul wasn't enough for Alex Winslow. He ended up taking my body, too. Then he took my heart. Then he took my all.

MY THOUGHTS

GENRE: Contemporary Romance; New Adult
POV: Alternating First Person
OVERALL STARS: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

WRITING STYLE: 🖊️🖊️🖊️🖊️🖊️

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 👩👩👩👩

STORY LINE: 📚📚📚📚

STEAM FACTOR: 🔥🔥🔥
ANGST: 😒😒😒😒😒

MIDNIGHT BLUE is a beautifully written story about fighting demons, taking control of your own destiny, and forging a new path. It is filled with love and devastation, sin and forgiveness, and everything that makes your heart beat loud and fast in between.

Honestly, it made every book I've read recently seem like trash in comparison. L.J. Shen never lets me down.

QUOTE WORTHY

"Everybody wants to be a rock star. It's the closest thing to being a god, but what people often forget is that God has a hectic job. God creates. God is worshiped. God is expected to answer, to deliver, to reassure. And when God is sent to earth to deal with humans? Well, God is bound to disappoint."

BOOKS READ IN 2018

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Addiction by Jessica Hawkins

Bared to You by Sylvia Day

Beard in Mind by Penny Reid

Beard Science by Penny Reid

Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren

Beautiful Stranger by Christina Lauren

The Bet by Rachel Van Dyken

Bet Me by Lila Monroe

Cheater's Regret by Rachel Van Dyken

Dating You Hating You by Christina Lauren

Dirty Headlines by L.J. Shen

The Doctor by Nikki Sloane

Domination by Jessica Hawkins

Friends with Benefits by Penny Reid

Get Lucky by Lila Monroe

Guilty As Sin by Meghan March

I Flipping Love You by Helena Hunting

In Flight by R. K. Lilley

It Takes Two by Nikki Sloane

Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Mister Moneybags by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

My Favorite Half Night Stand by Christina Lauren

Obsession by Jessica Hawkins

One More Rule by Nikki Sloane

Park Avenue Prince by Louise Bay

Possession by Jessica Hawkins

Provocation by Jessica Hawkins

Richer Than Sin by Meghan March

Roomies by Christina Lauren

Taming Him by Kennedy Fox

Three Blind Dates by Meghan Quinn

Three Little Mistakes by Nikki Sloane

Three Sweet Nothings by Nikki Sloane

Wicked Wedding by Sawyer Bennett

FICTION

The Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan

The Arrangement by Sarah Dunn

The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

Husbands and Other Sharp Objects by Marilyn Simon Rothstein

The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

Matchmaking for Beginners by Maddie Dawson

Motherhood by Sheila Heti

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall

Our House by Louise Candlish

The Power by Naomi Alderman

NEW ADULT

Bad Intentions by Charleigh Rose

Bane by L.J. Shen

Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas

The Chase by Elle Kennedy

Co-Ed by Rachel Van Dyken

Cracked Kingdom by Erin Watt

Dirty Doctor by Whitney G

Elect by Rachel Van Dyken

Elite by Rachel Van Dyken

The End Zone by L.J. Shen

Fall by Kristen Callihan

Gentleman Nine by Penelope Ward

The Goal by Elle Kennedy

How to Date a Douchebag: The Coaching Hours by Sara Ney

I Dare You by Ilsa Madden Mills

Jock Row by Sara Ney

Lake + Manning by Jessica Hawkins

Like Gravity by Julie Johnson

Love Sincerely Yours by Sara Ney & Meghan Quinn

Love Songs & Other Lies by Jessica Pennington

Midnight Blue by L.J. Shen

Misadventures of a College Girl by Lauren Rowe

Misadventures of the Night Shift by Lauren Rowe

Mister Tonight by Kendall Ryan

The Moment of Letting Go by J.A. Redmerski

Nash by Jay Crownover

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

P.S. I Love You by Winter Renshaw

Reasonable Doubt by Whitney G

Roman by Sawyer Bennett

Roommates with Benefits by Nicole Williams

Royally Endowed by Emma Chase

Royally Matched by Emma Chase

Summer Heat by Rachel Van Dyken

Summer Seduction by Rachel Van Dyken

Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren

Thirty Day Boyfriend by Whitney G

Two Weeks Notice by Whitney G

The Wright Brother by K.A. Linde

Wrong by Jane Aston

The Wrong Kind of Love by Lexi Ryan

NON-FICTION

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure by Amy Kaufman

How to Be a Bawse by Lilly Singh

I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D.

Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick

Super Better by Jane McGonigal

ROMANCE / SUSPENSE

Beneath These Lies by Meghan March

Blood to Dust by L.J. Shen

Monster in his Eyes by J.R. Darhower

Torture in his Eyes by J.R. Darhower

SUSPENSE / THRILLER

Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison

The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

YOUNG ADULT

The Book of Luke by Jenny O'Connell

Broken Beautiful Hearts by Kami Garcia

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

Chemistry Lessons by Meredith Goldstein

Everless by Sara Holland

Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills

The Hard Count by Ginger Scott

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

Listen to Your Heart by Kasie West

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

November 9 by Colleen Hoover

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

Relative Strangers by Paula Garner

Save the Date by Morgan Matson

Say You'll Remember Me by Katie McGarry

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Starlight by Stacey Kade

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

When Elephants Fly by Nancy Richardson Fischer

The Wrong Side of Right by Jen Marie Thorne

The XY by Virginia Bergin

*Bold = My Favorites

A few important things I need to mention:

Everything written by Nikki Sloane is high on the steam factor (graphic sex scenes), and most of her books involve some type of taboo. Every single one of her books is very good because she's an incredibly talented writer, but I felt the need to mention this because it's not for everyone.

The following is a list of others to avoid if you aren't a fan of dark romance:

Monster in His Eyes duet by J.A. Redmerski
How to Date A Douchebag series by Sara Ney (not dark but they are pretty vulgar and sexually explicit)
Reasonable Doubt by Whitney G (again, extremely graphic)
Obsession series by Jessica Hawkins
Blood to Dust by L.J. Shen

The following books I found especially interesting and/or unique:

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows
Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Relative Strangers by Paula Garner (love her!)
The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson (2012 Pulitzer Prize winner)
Our House by Louise Candlish
When Elephants Fly by Nancy Richardson Fischer
Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick

IDF (I did not finish) list or those I felt were a waste of time:

The XY by Virginia Bergin
Summer Heat series by Rachel Van Dyken
On Dublin Street by Samantha Young
P.S. I Love You by Winter Renshaw
Love Sincerely Yours by Sara Ney & Meghan Quinn
Wicked Wedding by Sawyer Bennett
Bared to You by Sylvia Day
In Flight by R. K. Lilley
The Power by Naomi Alderman
Wrong by Jane Aston
Taming Him by Kennedy Fox
The Arrangement by Sarah Dunn
Roommates with Benefits by Nicole Williams
The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll