Royal Ball by Sheralyn Pratt

Pimpernel: Royal Ball 

Author: Sheralyn Pratt

Publisher: self

Published: December 10, 2017

ASIN: B0786JMW6M

ebook: 215 pages

FTC FYI: I received a PDF from the author, all views and opinions expressed are my own. 

Goodreads Summary

Sequel to the award-winning novel, Pimpernel

One man, one night, one dance, and one question…none of which Claire Ramsey sees coming.

She thinks the night is a test—a call to rise above her insecurities and step more fully into her skills. It’s been a year since she learned about the Pimpernel and fell in love with the man of so many masks. Jack’s world is full of high stakes and big players, and Claire wants in.

To her frustration, Jack is dragging his feet on letting her all the way into both his heart and his work. The risk is too high, he says. But Claire is ready to prove him wrong. She’s ready to go all-in.

What Claire doesn’t know is that Jack is no lone wolf, and the world he is shielding her from is much bigger than she has ever imagined.

But one man, one night, one dance, and one question will change all of that in a way Claire never saw coming.

My Review

I could not wait to read another book with some of my all-time favorite characters.  I was especially anxious to find out more about Kali's fate.  This book did not disappoint!  I loved it.  As with all of this author's book, the characters are well developed and the plot is exciting, intense and nail bitingly wonderful.  I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.  If you haven't read Pimpernel, I would recommend reading that one first as Royal Ball is a sequel.  While you're at it, just read the whole Rhea Jensen series too. Jack is wonderfully Jack and I loved getting to see how Claire and Jack feel about each other, the chemistry between them is awesome.  Margot is also wonderful, as is Ren.  There are some intriguing new characters introduced, one especially that still has me guessing.

5 out of 5 stars.

Pick up your free copy of Pimpernel now on Amazon. 
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Author links

Website / Twitter / Goodreads

Purchase links

Amazon 

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12 Days of Clean Romance -- Sheralyn Pratt

Pimpernel: Royal Ball by Sheralyn Pratt

Sequel to the award-winning novel, Pimpernel

One man, one night, one dance, and one question…none of which Claire Ramsey sees coming.

She thinks the night is a test—a call to rise above her insecurities and step more fully into her skills. It’s been a year since she learned about the Pimpernel and fell in love with the man of so many masks. Jack’s world is full of high stakes and big players, and Claire wants in.

To her frustration, Jack is dragging his feet on letting her all the way into both his heart and his work. The risk is too high, he says. But Claire is ready to prove him wrong. She’s ready to go all-in.

What Claire doesn’t know is that Jack is no lone wolf, and the world he is shielding her from is much bigger than she has ever imagined.

But one man, one night, one dance, and one question will change all of that in a way Claire never saw coming.

Purchase  Royal Ball!

Pimpernel is free for a limited time!

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Excerpt

Claire was not alone.

There was a man in the room—a dark-haired man with unreal green eyes and a suit that looked ready for a fashion shoot. The intruder was fit and tall, with a trimmed beard that looked like it had been shaped with laser precision.

Do. Not. Scream. (Again.) Do not freak. Coherency is your only bargaining chip, and only one of you works here.

For the first time that day, Claire wasn’t arguing with her instincts.

“How did you get in here?” she accused.

“Someone left the door open.”

Oh. Yeah. That would be her. She opened the floor. And left it open.

Whoops.

But that still didn’t explain what this man was doing in Margot’s office wearing the most refined suit she’d ever seen. Part of Claire felt reassured that if this man was an assassin, it would be a tidy affair. He wouldn’t want to get blood on his clothes.

“Who are you?” she asked, trying to get a sense for exactly how much trouble she was in.

“I’m the boss’s son.”

That made no sense. “Margot is the boss.”

He seemed to weigh her answer. “Depends on how you look at it. If you’re talking about the business, yes. That’s Margot’s. But if we’re talking about what brought you here tonight, then Jack works for my father. His line has served ours faithfully for many years. We like Jack.”

Wait. What? Claire knew Ren’s family had served Margot’s for generations, but she’d always thought that more as a bodyguard thing. Jack wasn’t a bodyguard. He was a problem-solver for the elite. When people growing into their power started doing things that threatened the safety of civilians, Jack was brought in to—

Something clicked in Claire’s brain.

It wasn’t like her to be the last one to catch on to something, but everything Claire had seen in the past year fit very nicely into this man’s claim. When a job came in, Jack and Margot did it. They didn’t argue over its merit or vet the client. They solved the problem.

Because someone asked—allegedly, this guy’s father.

So either this man was an assassin sent to kill her, or the boss’s son had just caught her red-handed. Whatever the case, running away and pretending this never happened didn’t seem to be an option.
Stand your ground, instinct whispered.

“You need to make a choice before you speak again, Claire,” the green-eyed man said. “You must decide if you’ve just been caught where you ought not to be, or if you’re exactly where you want to be.”
Um, both felt like traps the way he said them.

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Walk of Infamy by Sheralyn Pratt

Walk of Infamy

Author: Sheralyn Pratt

Publisher: Self

Publish Date: October 21st, 2016

ASIN: B01M8P9V0W

ebook: 235 pages

FTC FYI: I received a complimentary ebook, all opinions are my own.

Goodreads Summary

Rhea Jensen has a date with destiny. A powerful, multi-national group calling itself The Fours considers her a threat. She doesn’t know why The Fours think this, only that they will destroy her life and the lives of everyone she loves if she doesn’t do as she’s asked.
Rhea knows where to be, when to be there, and that the odds are not in her favor for a happy ending. That’s it. What she’s about to learn is that the past seven years of her life were not what they seemed, and there is a 99.9% chance she will not live to see another day. Her date with destiny is rigged to become a date with infamy.
The question Rhea must ask herself is: Is she going to die on her terms, or on The Fours terms?
Her life, and the end thereof, has just become a game for the rich and powerful to watch play out live, and they’ve played this game many time before with other people more skilled than Rhea. The rules are designed so that the House wins every time. Rhea knows she can’t win—not without a miracle. But if she’s not going to get what she wants, well then, neither are The Fours. The clock is running, though, so whatever Rhea’s going to do, she needs to do it quick. 

My Review

Wow, just wow.  Rhea Jensen is one of my all-time favorite characters.  She is amazing, and so is the lady that writes her.  I mean, WOW!  I have been texting Sheralyn over the years, sometimes with just one word, "Rhea". In hopes of reading more of her adventures.  This book does not disappoint.  It a non-stop action ride.  So much so, when I was done, aside from tears, I had a headache, but I will take a Rhea Jensen headache any day.  There is also heart, and painful scenes of love and goodbye, and some shocking revelations.  I have loved this series from the beginning and it was hesitant to even start reading knowing it is the last book.   There is an amazing twist that I did not see coming, and I enjoyed seeing another favorite character of mine make a cameo.   Honestly, this book is very close to perfect and the ending, is just, WOW! 

5 out of 5 stars.

Author Links

Amazon Author Page / Website / Twitter / Goodreads

Purchase Link

Amazon

Pimpernel by Sheralyn Pratt -- Blog Tour/Giveaway

Pimpernel by Sheralyn Pratt

They seek him here; they seek him there. For centuries, the elite of the world have sought the Pimpernel everywhere. Some want to kill him, others want to hire him, but Jack Cavanaugh knows that the love/hate relationship comes with the job title.

At present, Jack is trying to dismantle an investment scheme centered in Las Vegas, but “trying” is the operative word. It’s been a month since he put the face of the scheme behind bars, yet the scam is still going strong. As Jack tries to uncover who has stepped in as the new head, what miniscule evidence there is all seems to point him back to Claire Ramsey, an introverted PhD student studying at UNLV.

If ever there as an unlikely head of a investment scheme, Claire’s it. She has a genius IQ, but from all Jack has seen, Claire’s intelligence is as much a blessing as a curse when paired up with her acute OCD. Claire can barely make conversation with the cute guy down the hall, which makes it hard to believe she could be the charismatic salesperson who is getting international businessmen to invest $5—50 million a pop.

So what is Jack missing? What is the real story behind Claire Ramsey? And once Jack learns it, will he be able to walk away?

My Review

Everything about this book is awesome.  The story, the pacing, the humor, the kissing (great ones in there), and especially the characters.  Oh the characters.  Jack, Jack, Jack.  I know I can't leave it at that, but I can't say much more about him without anything away, other than I have quite the book-crush on him.  He is amazing.  Claire was a great character too.  She was a bit of a puzzle, one that I enjoyed reading.  Each character was written meticulously and with care. The women are so strong and can take care of themselves. I also loved how there were back stories and information that we weren't given.  I thought it was brilliant of the author to do that.  Always leave them wanting more.  The ending was absolutely amazing.  I, again, can't say more without giving things away, but Claire surprised me, in the best way.   I had the hardest time putting this book down and when it ended I was wanting more.  I am crossing my fingers for this to become a series. Please, please Sheralyn!


5 out of 5 stars. Received an ecopy of the book in exchange for an honest review.   

Excerpt

The high-pitched scream from the other side of her apartment door shattered Claire’s thoughts.

“Daniel?” That shriek had been way too high to come out of a man.

“Help!” Daniel’s voice cried out from the other side of the door.

Claire unlocked the door and pushed it open, finding Daniel cowering on the couch in sailor-themed boxer briefs. Classical music played from his bedroom, indicating Daniel had been sewing before he ended up on the couch. On the ground between them lay the lounge robe Daniel had made in his fashion design class along with his house slippers. They looked like they’d been flung at random.

“Move!” he shrieked at her, stabbing his finger at the ground like a mad man. “Take the high ground and leave the door open. Maybe it will go back to the gates of hell, where it belongs!”

Claire followed the direction of his manic gesturing, freezing when her eyes locked on something the size of her fist with eight hairy legs. “Daniel? Please tell me that is a toy.”

“That. Is. NOT. A. Toy!”

The spider chose that moment to make its move—which happened to be sprinting her way.

Claire shrieked as Daniel motioned for her to join him on the couch. “High ground!”

Was he insane? She would have to leap over the tarantula to get to him. Why in the world would she do that when she could just run away and go to a hotel for the night?

“Voldemort?” a man’s voice said from behind her a split second before Claire backed into a male body blocking her retreat. Not only did Claire scream, but her body was suddenly possessed by an Olympic hurdler as she scampered across the living room and flung herself into Daniel’s arms on the couch.

“You found her!” a flagpole of a man from the doorway said as Claire latched onto Daniel, hiding her face against his shoulder. If she didn’t see the spider, maybe it would cease to exist.

“Found it?” Daniel scoffed. “That thing tried to duel me for my sandwich before I batted him off my kitchen table.”

Claire shuttered, only vaguely realizing that the shoulder she was hiding her face in was bare. I’ve never hugged a guy who was only wearing underwear before, she thought a moment before Daniel pulled her keys out of her hand and flung them at the ground to join his slippers and robe.

“Don’t chase it this way!” Daniel yelled at the other guy.

“Come on, Voldemort,” the spider guy cooed. “Let’s get you back into your habitat—Don’t run!”

Wait, it was running? Claire didn’t want to see that, yet something compelled her to turn and look anyway.

People always said that horrible things seemed to happen in slow motion, but Claire could have sworn the giant arachnid was coming at her in fast-forward mode. In a heartbeat, she had climbed up to ride piggyback on Daniel while he responded by flapping his hands in panic as if he could fan the thing away with a light breeze.

Not only did the spider keep running, it was sprinting like an arachnid with a plan—heading straight for the couch. When Daniel backed away, Claire felt her back thump into the wall. Before he could move again, she pushed off his back to stand on the back of the couch, dropping her purse when it threatened her balance. On the way down, it ended up in Daniel’s hands and he wasted no time finding items inside and tossing them at the spider while its owner moved in to act like a human shield.

“No!” the tall guy cried as he tried to corral the beast. “Don’t throw things at her. You might hurt her.”

Just then, Claire’s favorite lip gloss bounced off the hairy spider, stunning it.

That lip gloss was dead to her—not just the tube, the actual brand. She’d never be able to look at it the same again.

Author Sheralyn Pratt

Some describe Sheralyn as a girl who’s been around the block and worked at every shop. This isn’t far from the truth. Writing is what she loves most, however. There’s a magical power in stepping into new perspectives time and again, and seeing the world through different eyes. Few things increase empathy more than walking in another’s shoes for 100,000 words or so. At least that seems to be the trend so far.

Some random things to know about Sheralyn:
* She’s a wanderer (geographically)
* She can write a novel, but doesn’t have the attention span for one page in a journal
* She vehemently disagrees with Stephen King’s stance that authors should not watch TV
* She is pretty much incapable of sleeping before midnight

Website * Twitter * Facebook

Blog Tour Giveaway

Authorpalooza! Feb. 4. 2012

Me, Sheralyn Pratt, Sheila Staley

Sheila, me, Jenni James, Shannen Camp

Sheila, me, Heather Frost, Cindy Bennett

Sheila, me, Courtney King Walker, Sydney Salter

Me, Sheila, Lisa Mangum, Gale Sears

Author events are up there with Disneyland in my eyes. I love seeing my author friends, and meeting new authors. The best part of the day was introducing my daughter to authors.