Happily Ever After - Reads

Review - Taking a Shot by Jaci Burton

2012-03-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

If you want to score, you have to get in the game...

The last thing Jenna Riley needs is more sports in her life. While her brothers are off being athletic superstars, she's stuck running the family's sports bar, whether she likes it or not. Then in walks pro hockey stud Tyler Anderson. As much as Jenna would like to go to the boards with him, she's vowed to never fall for a jock-even one as hot as Ty.

Ty, intrigued by the beautiful bar owner, becomes a regular. He senses that Jenna wants to do something more with her life. And as he gains her trust, the passion between them grows, as does Ty's insistence that Jenna should start living for herself. With his encouragement, Jenna starts to believe it, too...

But first, Jenna has to figure out what she wants, what she needs, who she loves, and if she has the passion and pride to take a shot at having it all-including Ty...

Jenna Riley is running her family’s sports bar now that her dad is home resting after a health scare. She’s been surrounded by sports her whole life. She enjoyed playing sports, following her brother’s success in their professional sports careers and now she’s running a sports bar. The last thing she wants is to date a guy whose life revolves around sports. Or so she thinks. It’s hockey season and the Ice are in a playoff run, led by Tyler Anderson, who keeps showing up in her bar after games trying to get Jenna to talk to him, go out with him, even just pay attention to him. Even though Jenna is wildly attracted to Ty, she knows she’ll never want anything long term, but what can one night with him hurt?

Ty is the ultimate hero – I loved everything about this guy. Athlete, check. All around nice guy, check. Drop dead gorgeous, goes with saying, doesn’t it?! He’s the type of hero that any heroine needs to grab hold of and never let go. His sights are set on Jenna and when she flat out tells him that she wants nothing to do with him and his sports centered life, he wants to prove her wrong. He, unbeknownst to Jenna, starts sending men her way, just to prove that while they may be guys that she “thinks” she wants, the chemistry won’t be there. Of course, it isn’t. She eventually gives in and stops denying their attraction, but it takes her a long time to think of Ty as just a man and not let his career be the main focus in her eyes.

Jenna’s been living a life that she sort of fell into. She has an incredible singing talent, but her fear of rejection and failure has held her back. Ty pushes her, in a good way, to take a chance, to be honest with her family about her desires and wants and she doesn’t take kindly to that. She’s pretty mean to Ty, says some nasty things to him and even though she would instantly regret it, it takes her quite a bit of time to overcome her fears, all with Ty’s help. He doesn’t let her push him away and stands up to her when she needs that push. He’s really her perfect match and while Ty sees it early on, it takes Jenna a bit to get with it and see what her life could be both personally and professional if she stopped being scared.

“Sex.” He shook his head. “Yeah, that’s a problem.” He brushed his shoulder against hers. He understood the chemistry thing. Just being near her made his dick spring to life.

She turned in the chair to face him. “It is. What should we do about that?”

“I don’t think sex is a problem for me, Jenna. You already know how I feel. The question is, what do you want to do about it?”

She slid her fingers down the lapel of his jacket, the look she gave him burning him from the inside out.

Yeah, definite chemistry. He was surprised flames weren’t sparking between them. His breathing quickened and if she didn’t make a decision soon he was going to have to make a quick exit, because this woman was driving him crazy.

“I think you should come home with me tonight and we can talk about it,” she said.

“Ready when you are.”

Jaci Burton gives us another Play by Play series relationship that is completely, scorching hot. Jenna may think that she and Ty won’t have a future beyond the bedroom, but those bedroom scenes are sexy, naughty and sweet all rolled into one. While I found myself a little frustrated with how Jenna kept giving Ty the brush off early on, and not really giving him a fair chance, I did really enjoy seeing their relationship progress. Aside from the sexy times they have, I loved the little “date” moments, it brought out the sweeter side in both of them. Whether it was watching movies at home, holding hands, or meeting the parents, those moments sold me on their relationship and made their connection deepen as the story went on.

“…You know how I feel about jocks. There will never be more than just the sex.”

“Hmmm.” Liz gave Jenna a sidelong look, then dug into her salad.

“What does that ‘hmmm’ mean?”

“Just that you’re protesting an awful lot. If you didn’t care, you’d just laugh it off and enjoy him until the new wore off, then you’d dump him. I think he gets to you.”

“What he gets is into my panties, which is exactly where I want him.”

Liz wiggled. “Oh, the mental visuals swirling around in my head right now.”

“Stop that. You do not get to visualize Ty and me having sex.”

“Why not? Just because you’re icked out at the thought of your brother and me getting down and dirty doesn’t mean I can’t imagine Ty naked.”

“He’s your client, Elizabeth.”

“So?”

“You are evil.”

Liz grinned and lifted her wineglass in toast. “Thanks for the compliment…”

One thing that I wasn’t expecting was Liz and her blunt, laugh out loud lines throughout the book. She had me cracking up whenever she came on page and I loved the friendship that Jenna has with her and Tara. We get plenty of Riley family scenes and it’s always nice to catch up with the Riley’s and see what’s going on in everyone’s lives. Mick and Tara’s wedding also takes place during the book and while it doesn’t take up much of the story and overshadow Jenna and Ty, it was nice to have it included for them.

I have a big love of sports themed series and series that are centered around family’s and siblings – this combines the best of both worlds. Ty is a sweet, loving guy who won’t let Jenna settle for a life that she never signed up for. He puts up with her attitude early on and Jenna grew on me as the book went. They’re a great couple, fun and sexy, and as I was reading, I looked so forward to them getting their HEA. This can be read as a stand-alone, but I like the extra layers you get with the supporting characters coming back into the story after leading their own books. This is a really enjoyable read, with a hero I fell for completely.

Release date: March 6, 2012
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Jaci Burton: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | TBD | B&N
*Book provided by publisher for review*

Review - Dire Needs by Stephanie Tyler

2012-03-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

The full moon is their mistress. They are predators of pleasure and pain. Feared by humans, envied by werewolves, the Dire Wolves are immortal shifters, obeying no laws but their own bestial natures. Once they were many, but now only six remain, a dangerous wolfpack forever on the hunt…

Rifter leads the pack, embracing the lifestyle and ethics of an outlaw biker even as he battles an ancient enemy who has become a new, powerful force. But with his Brother Wolf raging inside him, howling to be unleashed, he needs to satisfy his hungers. And when he meets a drop-dead gorgeous blonde drinking alone in a bar that caters to both human and inhuman, Rifter’s primal instinct is to claim her.

Gwen has her own desires, long unfulfilled. She hopes a passionate night with the leather-clad, Harley-riding biker will ease her suffering. The seizures that have wracked her body her entire life are incurable—and they’re killing her.

But none of that will matter if Rifter can’t stop the growing threat to them all–trappers who are determined to enslave humankind and use the Dire wolves as part of their nefarious plan.

Rifter moved toward the group bare chested, jeans half undone and looking like some kind of primal god on the hunt. She could almost see the swagger of the wolf as man and beast melded to work as one.

Gwen and Rifter meet very early on in a bar where Gwen is trying to forget that her life is ending and Rifter is just simply drawn to her. He takes her home only to witness one of the seizures that will ultimately claim Gwen’s life. Just in the book’s opening alone, Gwen is facing death as her seizures keep getting worse, she loses her job due to her illness and has nobody. Her family was killed, she’s never known who her father was and she’s just counting down her days. Until Rifter comes along and draws her into a world that she can’t wrap her scientific mind around.

Rifter is a Dire wolf and the leader of a small group of the six remaining Dires in the world. They had once been a powerful group, a large clan that was killed in a mass extinction many years ago. The few remaining Dires all have certain talents, including immortality which they all look at as a curse. In addition, Rifter can dream walk, which is again something useful and dangerous. But he was able to use it to his advantage a few months ago after he and a member of pack, Rogue, were captured after being set up by another Dire, Harm. Rogue is now unconscious due to a spell set by one of Rifter’s ex-friend turned enemy, a witch named Seb. As if bringing a human in Gwen into their world wasn’t bad enough, they’re dealing with humans known as were-trappers who want to capture the Dires for experimentation and rid the world of were’s and Dires completely.

Ok, whew. There is a LOT of information packed into this book that introduces us to the new world Stephanie Tyler has created. Before starting this book, I had no idea what a Dire wolf was and how exactly it differed from a werewolf, or were shifter. And halfway through this book, I still wasn’t sure. The details are slow in coming, and it was a little hard to really get into the story during the first 50%. This is complex world, with different characters that all have different abilities and it was hard to follow at first.

It helped when Gwen really got into the heart of the story and we could see the Dire’s world through her eyes. She’s so much more than just human and it takes Rifter to help bring that out of her. Their relationship fell into the “mate” category – they were able to sense that they were destined to be together. Problem is, with Gwen being human and now knowing that Dires exist, she should be killed. Their existence, along with all supernatural creatures, is a secret from the humans. Gwen and Rifter’s relationship is intense, a little animalistic, and once Rifter understands that she’s HIS, no one is taking her away from him.

His mate was beautiful and strong. Smart. She made him laugh.

In the short time they’d been together, she’d made him care. She mattered to him in a way he hadn’t been able to let anyone matter. Not since his brothers, but that had been a different kind of bond.

This was beyond fate – he felt like the luckiest man in the world.

While the larger series storyline was just getting established in DIRE NEEDS, there was a book storyline that found a young shifter Liam, who’s next in line to lead his Were pack, being betrayed by his mate in the worst way possible and Rifter turning himself over to the enemy in return for Gwen and his own packs safety. Gwen won’t allow this and jumps right into the middle of their fight, literally. I found the action surrounding this book’s specific storyline a little weak, as it felt like the book served more as a build up for the series as a whole. In that sense, it was great series start, getting all the basics and the world laid out in detail, but there was so much happening, so many details that the plot got lost and I had a hard time really connecting to Rifter and Gwen story. They do have intense chemistry, but I just wanted more of it for them.

One thing I was really interested about by books end was the set up for future books and all the vastly different characters we’re introduced to. Rifter and his brothers aren’t in a strong place when we first meet them. They’re cursed with immortality and believe that there are no more of their kind in the world. They’re meant to mate, to have families and this drives not only their human, but their wolf side as well. Each of Rifter’s brothers have something that they’re dealing with on a personal level, be it strong emotions (as Vice has to live with) or a specific talent (Harm and his hypnotic voice, or Jinx and Rogue and how they deal with ghosts and spirits) – they’re all so different and it will be interesting to see more from them.

Overall, it's a good start to this new series and while it did have slow start, I got more into the story around the midpoint mark when we start to experience this world through Gwen's eyes. So many things get set up for this new Eternal Wolf Clan series, and while this book might not have completely captured me, I do wonder who the next hero will be and find myself wanting to know more about the pack.

Release date: March 6, 2012
Publisher: Signet
Stephanie Tyler: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N
*ARC provided by publisher for review*

FAIR GAME - Giveaway Winner!

2012-03-06T06:05:00.001-08:00

Congrats to TIFFANY for winning a copy of FAIR GAME by Patricia Briggs! An email has been sent to the winner - thanks everyone for commenting!

Author Q&A: Talking sports and books with Jaci Burton

2012-03-05T00:00:00.001-08:00

HEA-Reads is excited to welcome Jaci Burton to the blog today to talk a little bit about her love of sports, her Play-By-Play series and her newest release, TAKING A SHOT, out on March 6th. We hope you enjoy the Q&A with Jaci as we talk sports and books – one of my favorite combos!

What was the most exciting sporting event you’ve attended?

When I lived in northern California, I was very lucky to attend a few San Francisco 49ers football games. There’s nothing like being in the stadium and watching the game unfold in person. But having grown up in St Louis and being born and bred a die hard St Louis Cardinals baseball fan, I’d have to say the most exciting thing is being in Busch Stadium to watch a Cardinals baseball game. I haven’t been back there for many years since I don’t live in St Louis anymore, but it’s something I’ll always remember.

Although—have you ever been to a hockey game? Watching it on television is one thing, but being there in person? There’s nothing like it. One of THE most exciting sports to watch live. I’m exhausted after being at a hockey game.

If you could only attend or watch ONE sporting event in a calendar year, what would it be and why?

Oklahoma Sooners football. We’re big college football fans at our house and we never miss a game.

You’re in charge of the Superbowl entertainment – who’s singing the National Anthem? And who is your halftime entertainment?

Oh, that is a tough question. I’d like Carrie Underwood to sing the national anthem, and Eminem to do the halftime entertainment—if for no other reason than to drive the censors crazy. ;-)

Who are a couple of your favorite athletes, any sport, that you currently love watching?

I’m a big fan of Adrian Peterson, running back for the Minnesota Vikings, as well as Sam Bradford, quarterback for the St. Louis Rams. I also love DeMarco Murray of the Dallas Cowboys. Now the fact that all 3 of these guys are former Oklahoma Sooners has no bearing on my love for them. ;-)

Play By Play Series:
Cast the Riley siblings for us – are there any people you picture when writing Mick, Gavin and Jenna?

You know, I never picture actors or models or anyone like that when I write a character. I visualize them in my head, but never go searching for someone who looks like them, because to me, they’re unique in appearance. Does that make sense?

What drew you into writing a series centered around sports and athletes?

I give 100% of the credit for the suggestion of this series to my awesome friend, author Maya Banks. We were talking one day and I told her I was brainstorming a new story idea. She told me I needed to write a sports series. The concept just clicked and I ran with it. So it was totally her idea and I will forever love her for it.

Two part question: How much studying or research did you have to do to prep for this series? Of the three sports so far covered in the series, which of the sports has been the hardest to write about?

I know a little about a lot of sports, so some research was required on all of them. Watching football, baseball and hockey is one thing. Writing about each game is a different thing. You have to know positions and terminology of the game play, and that takes some research to do it correctly. The hardest was probably hockey, because I’m not as immersed in that sport as I am the other two, the action is more fast paced and you have to pay very close attention to how it’s done to make sure what you say is authentic.

As a reader, I find myself drawn quickly into series that are centered around siblings – have you found this dynamic easy to write about or is anything about getting the siblings relationship down on paper a challenge?

I love family-centric stories, so writing about them is such a joy. I have a brother and a sister, so the bickering and good natured teasing comes naturally to me. No one exists in a vacuum and everyone has a family. How my characters relate to their families, how the dynamic of their families has shaped them has always been of interest to me. Sometimes that family history occurs off page, but sometimes I get to center the characters within the structure of the family network, and that’s when it’s really fun. Of course, the key is making sure the family doesn’t take over the book. They like to take charge, you know. ;-)

First we got football, then baseball, now hockey…what’s next? Judging by the insanely hot cover you just released for book 4, we’ll have another football hero coming up – are these the only sports you’ll be writing about, or might you branch out in the sports world for future heroes and heroines?

Yes, football is next with Playing to Win, Book 4 of the series. And thank you! I think it’s an awesome cover, too. I’m actually working on Book 5 right now. Thrown By A Curve will take us back to the baseball world. As far as other books and other sports, I don’t know yet. I’d like to maybe dabble into other sports, but I’ll have to think on it. It would have to be a sport I’d consider fun, because I have to write about something I enjoy. And it’s a given it would have to be something sexy, right? Anyone have suggestions? ;-)

Taking A Shot:
Can you give us a short introduction to both Jenna and Tyler?

Jenna Riley is Mick and Gavin’s sister, and runs the Riley sports bar. She’s been inundated with sports her entire life, and the last thing she wants in her love life is anyone connected to sports. When pro hockey player Tyler Anderson puts the moves on her, she wants nothing to do with him. But the chemistry between them is undeniable. When Ty becomes aware of Jenna’s secret dreams, which have nothing to do with managing the bar, he’s determined to show her she can have it all, including him.

Was there anything that really surprised you about either Jenna or Tyler as their story was unfolding?

My stories are always very hero-centric, but this one unfolded as very much Jenna’s story in many ways. My characters always tell the story as it progresses. I just get out of their way and let it happen.

I’m excited to get to know more about Tyler, was there a moment or scene with him as you were writing the book when you thought ‘that, right there is why I love him?’ Can you give us a hint – if it’s not too much of a spoiler?

He does play matchmaker for Jenna at one point. After all, she claims to want nothing to do with him, so he sets out to find dates for her. She just doesn’t know about it. ;-)

With Jenna being the last Riley sibling, what can we expect next coming up in book 4 and beyond? Will future books feature a new member of the extended Riley family?

There are Riley cousins coming up in the next two books! You’ll meet Cole Riley in Book 4, Playing to Win (actually, you’ll meet Cole in Taking A Shot), and his sister Alicia in Book 5, Thrown By A Curve.

If you want to score, you have to get in the game...

The last thing Jenna Riley needs is more sports in her life. While her brothers are off being athletic superstars, she's stuck running the family's sports bar, whether she likes it or not. Then in walks pro hockey stud Tyler Anderson. As much as Jenna would like to go to the boards with him, she's vowed to never fall for a jock—even one as hot as Ty.

Ty, intrigued by the beautiful bar owner, becomes a regular. He senses that Jenna wants to do something more with her life. And as he gains her trust, the passion between them grows, as does Ty's insistence that Jenna should start living for herself. With his encouragement, Jenna starts to believe it, too...

But first, Jenna has to figure out what she wants, what she needs, who she loves, and if she has the passion and pride to take a shot at having it all—including Ty...

Check out an excerpt here
Buy here: Amazon.com | TBD | B&N

Jaci's Bio: After spending too many years to count in the high stress business world, New York Times and USA Today Bestelling Author Jaci Burton is happy to be living her dream of writing passionate romance. She has written over forty-five novels and is contracted to write ten more. Jaci has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business that she is thrilled not to be using in the corporate environment anymore. She grew up in Missouri but migrated to California, where she lived for thirteen years, but now makes her home in Oklahoma with her husband and five dogs. She enjoys being outdoors in the summer and she and her husband are avid Harley riders.

Jaci writes in multiple genres, from erotic romance to romantic suspense to contemporary romance. She has won the RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award, and has been nominated for the award four times. She has been a finalist in the Bookseller’s Best and National Reader’s Choice Awards, and has won The Romance Studio’s CAPA Award four times.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Book 1: The Perfect Play

Book 2: Changing the Game

Thanks to Jaci for stopping by and giving a little peek into her newest release. So let us know - anyone been to a hockey game before? I've only watched them on TV, but I really, really want to go see a game in person now! Are there any other sports out there you'd love to see become a part of Jaci's Play by Play series?

Make sure to pick up TAKING A SHOT on March 6th, Ty might just be this reviewer’s favorite hero of the series so far, you’ll want to be sure and check him out! Follow the links for more book/series information and check back later this week for HEA-Reads review of TAKING A SHOT.

Review - Oracle's Moon by Thea Harrison

2012-03-02T00:00:00.002-08:00

As a second daughter, Grace Andreas never had to worry about the intrigues of the Elder Races. But when her sister, Petra, and Petra’s husband are both killed, Grace inherits the Power and responsibilities of the Oracle of Louisville, as well as her sister’s two young children – neither of which she is prepared for.

Yet, she is not alone. Khalil, Demonkind and Djinn prince of House Marid – driven by his genuine caring for the children – has decided to make himself a part of the household both as their guardian and as an exasperating counterpoint to Grace’s impudence toward the Elder Races.

But when an attempt is made on Grace’s life, she realizes that Khalil is the only one who can protect her – and offer her more than any mortal man…

Grace has more responsibilities and struggles than any 23 year old should have to deal with. Her sister, Petra, and brother-in-law were killed in a car crash. She was also in the car and suffered extensive damage to her knee that is painful on a daily basis. She also became the guardian to her young niece and nephew. As if that wasn’t enough, the Power of the Oracle transferred from Petra to Grace and now she’s learning how to control that Power and trying to make sense of it before she starts to be petitioned for consultations. And let’s not forget the piles of bills and debt she’s dealing with. Oracle’s aren’t able to request money for their services, the belief is they’ll lose their powers if they do this, however it was known in the past that if you petition the Oracle, you pay. People don’t always (never) remember this, and Grace is struggling to not only pays bills, but just getting food on the table is a stretch some months.

When Rune and Carling petitioned the Oracle (Serpent’s Kiss) Khalil was also present for the battle that went to down to close their book. He took one look at the kids and felt the overwhelming need to protect and be a guardian for them. He promised his protection to Grace, which for a Djinn is a huge favor, and he now has a tie to the house and family. Khalil’s energy is a thread that Grace can always feel, and she also discovered her ability to “pull” on that thread making Khalil aware of her need of him. It’s an ability she shouldn’t have, but that coupled with her new Powers as Oracle make for interesting changes within Grace.

While this story doesn’t have the political threads that the previous books do, or even much in the way of the Wyr world, it’s really driven by Grace and Khalil’s relationship and her new abilities as the Oracle. In the past, the Power of the Oracle traveled to a female within the same family upon the current Oracle’s death. Grace doesn’t want her niece Chloe to ever have to deal with the stress and danger of it, and she does a lot of testing with this power, trying to find a way to change the future course for her and her family. Along with this, she discovers a new ability that she just stumbles on, one that directly impacts Khalil and in the end, will have a big impact all the Djinn. Grace is also dealing with a radical group that targets her as part of a bigger purpose for them. It puts her and the kids in direct danger and helps to further cement Khalil’s place in their lives when he helps her get past this threat.

What made the story for me was Khalil. I was laughing so much when he tried to understand the human ways of certain things; like dating, for example. He’s very literal, and has no issues or internal filter with saying exactly what he’s thinking. He takes his job as protector of Grace and the kids very seriously. He bonds with the children instantly, and becomes their bedtime story reader, a task he is very committed to. His own daughter plays a part in this story and it’s a source of horrible sadness and angst for him. There’s more that develops for Khalil’s daughter as the book goes on, and that’s the one thing I would have loved to have gotten more about. We see her towards the end, a different person than she had been when Grace meets her at the start, and I want to know more about her. Maybe she’ll pop up in a later book, hopefully!

“…I want to know what it is like to make love to you the way humans do. I have never made love to anyone like that before.”

Never?

She whimpered. “Make love?”

He ran his hot mouth over her cheek and down her neck. “Make love,” he said against the tender skin at the base of her throat. “I want you to teach me everything you know. I want us to teach each other. I want you to show me how good it can feel, to be skin to skin. But right now, Gracie…” He lifted his head and looked down at her gravely. “Let me show you how I can make love to you.”

Khalil went from being an arrogant, self-serving, favor-grabbing being, to…well still being most of those things, but Grace’s influence really softened the edges of his personality. He has a lot of firsts with Grace, mainly because he’s never had the desire to experience the things he wants to experience with her. As he’s normally a being in energy form, he wants to experience being with Grace in human form, so the first touch of holding hands, kissing – it’s all new to him and his senses fly off the charts. As I mentioned above, Rune and Carling do make an appearance. We find out that Rune and Dragos are still on bad terms and Khalil visits them to give Carling the ‘what-for’ when she forgot to honor the payment to the Oracle after requesting her services. Not only is Khalil able to help take some of the burden away from Grace, which she badly needs, but he gets a little dating advice from Rune on what to wear during his first ever date:

When the silence had stretched between the two males for too long, Khalil finally said, “Speak.”

“Jeans. T-shirt. Either boots or sneakers,” Rune said. “Pay for everything, and open doors for her. Dating’s simple. Listen to what she says, tell her she’s beautiful and make her happy.”

Dating did not sound simple, except perhaps for one thing. Khalil looked at the Wyr quizzically. He said, “Grace is beautiful.”

That caused the other male to pause. For the first time in their spiky acquaintance, Rune gave him a crooked, yet real smile. “Dude, let her know that with the same kind of sincerity. You will make her happy, and it doesn’t matter what you do. You can go to a movie, take a walk in a park, hold hands, go to a restaurant for a meal, or to a bar for a drink, sit on a beach and watch the sun rise at dawn or stand on your head – it’s all just variations on the same theme.”

Khalil has never been called “dude” before. He was fairly sure he didn’t like it.

We don’t get much in the build-up to the next book, which brings us back to Dragos and Pia. Grace does have a very strong vision that Dragos learns of. It doesn’t make much sense now, but he does show back up at the end requesting another consultation with the Oracle for both him and Pia. I can’t wait to find out what’s been going on in their lives, and especially how Dragos is dealing with losing two of his top sentinels, including his close friendship with Rune.

I missed a little bit of the play of dynamics in the Wyr/Elder World that we’ve come to know during the first few books in the series, but I fully enjoyed getting to know Grace, her family and seeing her and Khalil fall in love. Khalil is strong being, but softens around the children and Grace and it was easy to fall into their story. There’s not a lot in the way of angst, or suspense in this one, but the strong romance and an especially strong heroine and hero really made this story for me. I love this world that Thea Harrison has created and each book has a very different, distinct tone which brings the individual characters to life all that much more. This is another great addition to the series and I’m again, left wanting and waiting for the next installment.

Release date: March 6, 2012
Publisher: Berkley
Thea Harrison: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N
*Book received from publisher for review*

Review & Giveaway - Fair Game by Patricia Briggs

2012-03-01T00:00:00.001-08:00

Patricia Briggs, the #1 "New York Times" bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson novels, "always enchants her readers." (Lynn Viehl, "New York Times" bestselling author) Now her Alpha and Omega series-set in a world of shifting shapes, loyalty, and passion- brings werewolves out of the darkness and into a society where fear and prejudice could make the hunters prey...

They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.

Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can't afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father's dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.

Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack's help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer's sights...

Werewolves have come out to the world and Bran is allowing for no mistakes among anyone. Alphas aren’t handing down the punishments that Bran is demanding, so he’s been turning to Charles to “take care” of the wolves that bring too much press and too much notice to themselves. It feels like Bran is taking the, kill first, question things second, attitude and there’s never a doubt that the wolves who find their lives over at the hand of Charles aren’t deserving of that, they may have committed an act that before would have gotten them a warning, but no more. Charles is suffering, as he becomes haunted by the ghosts of the wolves he’s killed. Is he doing the wolves as a whole justice? Has he just become a killing machine and is slowly losing himself in the process? He’s in a very dark place when FAIR GAME starts and even Anna can’t help. He’s withdrawn from her completely, not touching her at all for a month and never taking her with on his trips anymore. Anna goes to Bran and Asil trying anything to get Charles away from being surrounded by death. It takes a phone call between Bran and one of my favorite alphas, Adam, and a new case to give Charles something else to think about for a bit and it gives him some distance from the downward spiral he’s on.

There are murders in Boston that the local law enforcement wants the werewolves opinion on. Bran sends Anna as his representative and Charles as her bodyguard. There are members of the FBI, Homeland Security and CNTRP (Combined Nonhuman and Transhuman Relations Provisors) which is a newly formed agency. The murders they’re meeting about cover many years and many victims within each year. The most recent missing woman is the daughter of a Fae and Anna, Charles and crew, which includes the alpha of the local Boston pack, follow clues to not only find the missing woman, but to take care of the killer(s) before they hit again.

As a huge fan of Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series, I’m ashamed to say that I only recently found the Alpha & Omega series. One thing that stands out in a great way for me is the different point of views we get in this series. I love switching between all the players and finding out not only through their eyes what’s going on, but what they’re each thinking and how it relates or doesn’t to their actions. There’s a lot of emotion in this series, especially from Anna and not only in how she’s continually dealing with her past, which will be a struggle for the rest of her life, but in her position in the pack as the Omega. FAIR GAME is no different in that deep emotion drives the wolves, and we see Charles in an almost vulnerable position. He’s being haunted by ghosts that are threatening to destroy the people he loves most and they succeed in disrupting his mate bond with Anna. I loved seeing Anna, at first unsure, but slowly stand up and support her man fully. We know she loves him completely, but they really felt like they had a true partnership going on in this book, Charles was down and struggling, she stood by him, like he has for her in the past. They have a strong, solid relationship and with them, you know we’re not going to be forced to see them together, then break up, and on and on. It just feels deeper with these two characters and no matter what gets thrown at them, they and their wolves will face it united.

…He kissed her again, his mouth demanding her response, his body hot against hers.

Charles smelled like home, warm and right. She knew she should pull back, knew that this was more distraction they couldn’t afford, but she was so hungry for him – not just for sex, but for the simple touches, the absolute certainty of knowing she was welcome to pet and tease and laugh. Anna sank into him and gave as good as she got.

They were both breathless when he pulled back.

“When we get back tonight, we will talk,” he told her. “I just learned something.”

“That my wolf is shameless,” she muttered, though she couldn’t pull away.

He laughed, damn him.

Anna grows so much in this story. She still deals with the terror of the memories that were her first years as a shifter, but you can see the progress she’s making with each new story. The things the murderer is doing in the story hits so close to home for her, she can’t escape her past when trying to stop them. She’s stronger and even when she finds herself in a horrible situation and without the mate bond, she does what she can to stay alive. It’s so easy to love a character like Anna, sweet and strong and the heart of the pack.

I liked taking the story outside of pack territory and moving it into a new city in Boston for the murder investigation. Much to Charles’s dismay, it gave Anna a reason to make them play tourists while they were there. On the flip side, I did miss the pack interactions with the characters we’ve gotten to know in the first two books. I’m of the belief that we can never have too much Bran in a story *grin*, and his presence wasn’t as strong as it’s been in past books. That’s my one little issue with an otherwise wonderful story.

Our team tracks the bad guys, which ends in a bloody fight that extends beyond the big showdown and into one final, jaw dropping chapter. The Fae I mentioned earlier is out for his own justice, with good reason and he brings about a change in the world that the humans and wolves live in. I finished the chapter and book hating the humans, cheering the Fae and wondering what in the world is going to happen next.

Release date: March 6, 2012
Publisher: Ace
Patricia Briggs: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N
*Book provided by publisher for review*

I have one hardback copy of FAIR GAME to give away to a commenter below. Leave a comment about anything, or let me know what shifter series is your favorite (if you have one!) Details are:

Contest is open to US/Canada only
PLEASE leave your email in your comment
RT for one extra entry, include the link in your comment
Contest runs through March 5th, winner picked using random.org
GOOD LUCK!

Review - Against the Night by Kat Martin

2012-02-29T00:00:00.001-08:00

She's got the face of an angel and the body of well, isn't that what he'd expect from an exotic dancer? But there's something about this girl that Johnnie Riggs can't shake. The former army ranger is hot on the trail of an elusive drug lord—and suddenly very hot under the collar, as well.

Amy's got her own agenda to pursue: her sister is missing and Amy seems to be the only one who cares. She'll enlist Johnnie's help and do her best to ignore her growing attraction to finally get some answers. But when the two trails begin to converge and reveal something even more sinister than they imagined, their mutual desire is the least of their problems. They'll bring the truth to light or die trying.

I’ve always liked a hero/heroine combination that puts a strong, alpha male who likes to be in charge, falling for a quiet, sort of shy and in this case, a nice kindergarten teacher, who turns out to be much tougher than she seems. Amy has come to L.A. to try to figure out what happened to her missing sister, Rachael. She starts asking questions to the wrong people and needs Johnnie’s help. On the case, they track a lot of different leads, we’re introduced to many people, many potential enemies and Johnnie calls in some help in the form of old friends and new to try and find Rachael.

The story felt well balanced between the relationship for Johnnie and Amy and the suspense plot of finding Rachael and figuring out what she was in the middle of, which turns out to be a lot more involved than anyone originally thought. Johnnie and Amy had instant attraction at first sight. Amy had been working as an exotic dancer, the same place that Rachael had been working at when she disappeared. Amy, hoping to ask the right questions to the right people to get information, runs into Johnnie at the club and their relationship takes off. She makes a couple decisions where I couldn’t decide if she was really dumb or really smart, but I will say, she doesn’t hold back or hide behind Johnnie, much to his dismay. It’s a sweet relationship between them, but one where Johnnie knows that nothing more can come of it. He’s not the marrying kind, not looking at ever having a family, she lives in another state, etc. etc. etc. This got a little old as they both believed that even though they loved each other, this wasn’t a long term relationship. That said, I did enjoy their scenes together, the scenes in the bedroom…living room…on the beach – all crazy hot and I liked them as a couple.

He took a sip of his beer. “You intrigue me. I want to take you out. I’m hoping once you realize how harmless I am, you’ll agree.”

He didn’t look harmless. He looked like a big, lazy cat ready to pounce at any moment…”

The suspense and figuring out what exactly happened to Rachael had me flipping the pages at a quick pace. It’s been awhile since the suspense portion of a book really grabbed my attention above all other story lines, but I was fully into Rachael’s story. The resolution to finding Rachael doesn’t come at the very end of the book, there’s more to figure out, and I liked that it ended up not just being about getting Rachael back, but going beyond and putting the clues together that ends up with a few fingers being pointed at guilty parties.

I did love/hate one aspect of Rachael's story - it is a bit of a spoiler, so it's hidden in inviso-text.
*Spoiler*
For fear of giving away the Rachael plot, I do want to add that a side story between Rachael and Rick Vega was so intriguing to me that I really, really wanted more. I was frustrated getting just a taste of what’s happening between these two people and not having a lot of it take place on page. I was really taken with these two characters, and would have loved more. Maybe a short story for them? Kat? Please?!
*Spoiler End*

A cheat sheet would have been handy going in because there are a lot of different players in this story. It’s a little hard to keep track of who’s considered good, who’s a suspect, who knows Rachael and when – there are many people being mentioned and showing up on page and I was rereading parts to keep them all straight. One portion of the suspense plot that bugged me was a loose end with another missing woman. She’s referenced in one scene and I kept waiting to hear what happened to her, but there was never any mention of her again. I think it’s safe to assume what happened to her, but I was distracted when it felt like she was just forgotten about which bothers me because of the scene and condition she was found in.

AGAINST THE NIGHT is book 5 in The Raines of Wind Canyon series and can absolutely be read as a standalone. The main romance between Johnnie and Amy was a nice match; Johnnie is especially swoon worthy in many scenes when he’s trying his hardest to protect Amy. I was really drawn to Rachael and it packs a solid punch as an interesting side story. An overall nice read, and even though there are a lot of characters packed into the story, that at times felt distracting, the relationship with Johnnie and Amy was well done and enjoyable.

Release date: February 28, 2012
Publisher: Mira
Kat Martin: Webpage | Facebook |
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N
*Book received from publisher via Netgalley for review*

Review - A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean

2012-02-28T00:00:00.001-08:00

What a scoundrel wants, a scoundrel gets . . .

A decade ago, the Marquess of Bourne was cast from society with nothing but his title. Now a partner in London’s most exclusive gaming hell, the cold, ruthless Bourne will do whatever it takes to regain his inheritance—including marrying perfect, proper Lady Penelope Marbury.

A broken engagement and years of disappointing courtships have left Penelope with little interest in a quiet, comfortable marriage, and a longing for something more. How lucky that her new husband has access to such unexplored pleasures.

Bourne may be a prince of London’s underworld, but he vows to keep Penelope untouched by its wickedness—a challenge indeed as the lady discovers her own desires, and her willingness to wager anything for them . . . even her heart.

I love a tortured hero. I also love a hero who may be just this side of harsh, not mean, but he’s gruff and growly and then we get to see him change when love comes. Bourne is tortured by a past where one foolish gambling play left him with nothing. He leaves his friends, his home and spends the next decade plotting his revenge against the man who won everything from him. So yes he’s tortured, but he’s well over the line of harshness and is flat out mean. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will get in his way and he’ll use whoever he needs to, to get the revenge that’s been driving him for years. Poor Penelope is right in his way and he doesn’t stop when the land he lost comes into Pen’s father’s hand and he in turn makes it part of her dowry. Bourne sets out to ruin her, whether she likes it or not, and forces her into marriage so he can finally get back the land he lost.

Penelope had me in her corner from the start. She has already lived through being ruined once and it not only cast a shadow on her but on her younger sisters as well. Now here she is, becoming a spinster, and holding out hope that she won’t just have to marry for convenience, but for actual love. Her childhood friend Michael, comes barging back into her life and in an effort to save her unmarried sisters from ruin by association, she agrees to Michael’s (who is now wanting to called Bourne) demands. Marry him, and they’ll tell a tale that they’re in love and keep the real truth to themselves in the hopes that her sisters can find good matches for marriage and not have to live with another scandal hanging over their family.

For as much as I loved Penelope, I absolutely couldn’t stand Bourne for the first half of the book. He’s so calculated and cold and here he is married to his childhood friend and he has no problem cutting her down at every step, as long as it benefits him in his need for revenge. Like I said above, I like a gruff, grumpy hero, but never a mean one – and Bourne is mean. Even this attitude can work for a hero, but I found him to be simply cruel to his heroine early on and that makes it hard for me to connect with the hero. But Penelope hangs on to the hope that the boy she once knew is still there, somewhere and he does slowly start to change. It comes very late in the book though, and while the Michael she knew does come back to her in bits and pieces, I wish we’d have gotten more hints of this man throughout the whole book, instead of just at the end.

Bourne runs a gambling hall with his partners (who will all have their own books coming up, yay!) and he’s able to give Penelope something she’s always desired: an adventure. She wants so much to just be desired and loved and she wants it from Michael, and when he finally starts to open up with her, they have some very sweet scenes.

“Michael. More”

“More what, beautiful?” The tips of his fingers slid against the place she wanted him, a tease more than a touch. “More here?”

She gasped at the sensation and he moved away before she repeated his name, hearing the pleading in her tone. “Or perhaps more here?” One long finger slid deep, and she moaned at the sensation.

“Everywhere.”

“What a greedy, greedy woman I’ve married.” He teased, kissing her, licking deep, holding her still as he explored her mouth, all the time, his fingers moving in wicked little circles, just barely touching her. He raised a brow, and a second finger joined the first on a slow, long slide of pleasure. “Here?”

“Yes,” she gasped; he was close.

“Here?” He moved.

Closer. She bit her lip. Closed her eyes. “Yes.”

I’m interested in getting the other men's stories and up next is the accountant of the group, Cross, and Penelope’s sister, Phillipa. We’re left with Phillipa correcting one of Cross’s accounting ledgers and asking him to help her in ruination, since she’s heard he’s an expert at it. I like her already!

The Bourne we’re first introduced to is a far cry from the man we’re left with at book's end. He had a lot of ground to make up for with everything he did and how poorly he treated Penelope early on. When he finally starts to warm up to Penelope, she doubts his intentions, with good reason, even as she’s hoping so hard that he’ll come around. In the end we’re left with Michael who still keeps Bourne’s edge but Penelope’s love brings him around and there’s no doubt about how he feels for Pen. Even though the first part of the book was hard for me to enjoy, a mean hero doesn’t do it for me, the second half of the story was engaging and I like imaging them having fun adventures together even after the book ended.

Release date: February 28, 2012
Publisher: Avon
Sarah MacLean: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N | TBD
*ARC provided by publisher for review*

Review - Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas

2012-02-27T00:01:00.003-08:00

Lucy Marinn is a glass artist living in mystical, beautiful, Friday Harbor, Washington. She is stunned and blindsided by the most bitter kind of betrayal: her fiancé Kevin has left her. His new lover is Lucy’s own sister. Lucy's bitterness over being dumped is multiplied by the fact that she has constantly made the wrong choices in her romantic life.

Facing the severe disapproval of Lucy's parents, Kevin asks his friend Sam Nolan, a local vineyard owner on San Juan Island, to "romance" Lucy and hopefully loosen her up and get her over her anger. Complications ensue when Sam and Lucy begin to fall in love, Kevin has second thoughts, and Lucy discovers that the new relationship in her life began under false pretenses. Questions about love, loyalty, old patterns, mistakes, and new beginnings are explored as Lucy learns that some things in life—even after being broken—can be made into something new and beautiful.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of RAINSHADOW ROAD in December thanks to Jess and I being part of Lisa Kleypas' "Lisa's Diva's" group. When I first started reading RAINSHADOW ROAD, it took me a few chapters to remember some of the Nolan family details from Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor (Friday Harbor #1), because it had been well over a year since I’d read it. But thankfully, the story does a nice job of reiterating important Nolan family details so you can remember them. However, you could certainly read RAINSHADOW ROAD as a stand-alone and follow along easily (although I highly recommend picking up Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor first, just because!). But, If you haven’t read Friday Harbor #1, you’ll still meet its hero, eldest of the Nolan brother’s, Mark Nolan, and the brothers’ young niece Holly, who Mark became the guardian of after their sister Victoria was killed in a car accident.

In RAINSHADOW ROAD, Mark has grown into his role as uncle/dad in the year or so since he became Holly’s guardian, and the interaction between he and little Holly, with her precociously innocent personality, makes for some sweet moments that will no doubt leave readers teary eyed. Holly also had me laughing a few times as well.

“Can I talk to Lucy?”

“Later, gingersnap. Lucy’s exhausted.”

“Hi, Holly.” Lucy managed to say over his shoulder.

The child beamed at her. “Uncle Sam never invites anyone here for a sleepover. You’re his first one!”

“Thanks, Holly.” Sam said under his breath as he carried Holly up the sweeping mahogany staircase.

We also get to know the youngest Nolan brother, Alex, a little better. Alex is by far the most affected by being brought up in a family where both parents were alcoholics who died fairly young. On the heels of a divorce finalization where his ex took him for all he was worth, Alex is in a downward spiral of bitterness and booze, and desperately in need of a hug. Or an intervention. Or both. From a little research (ie; google) I was able to find out that Alex will be the hero in the next book. I’m extremely eager to see him get an HEA, and expect his story to be filled with angst.

But this book really starts out focusing on the relationship between a new character, heroine Lucy Marinn, and the tumultuous relationship she has with her younger sister, Alice. The story begins during Lucy and Alice’s childhood, when Alice gets sick with meningitis. For months and months, constant attention is doted on Alice during her illness, and it seems the special treatment, which was warranted while she was ill, never really stopped—not even into adulthood—which, not surprisingly, caused more than a small amount of resentment on Lucy’s part.

Alice, having been raised from a very young age to basically do whatever she wanted after her illness, even at the expense of others, seems to carry a sense of entitlement in her adult life that leads her to betray Lucy in a brutal way, causing the majority of angst and drama in RAINSHADOW ROAD.

When RAINSHADOW ROAD Hero Sam Nolan first meets Lucy, it’s literally moments after she’s just gotten the bitter news that her boyfriend has been having an affair with Alice, and the two plan to move in together, just as soon as Lucy can pack her own bags and move out. Having lost her sister, her boyfriend, and the home she shared with him all in one day, Lucy soon finds herself contemplating it all on the beach wandering aimlessly until she realizes a mysterious stranger is walking close behind her. Scaring herself into believing she’s being followed by the man, Lucy ends up tripping and hurting herself. Of course the stranger, Sam, helps Lucy out with a first aid kit from his truck, and their story begins.

I loved Sam and Lucy together. Sam, being the type of man who loves women, but claims he will never “love” a woman, makes it clear from the start that he’ll never be more than friends with benefits when it comes to Lucy, or any woman.

“Sam likes women,” Lucy replied wryly. “And yes, he’s a great guy.” She paused before adding diffidently. “You should go out with him.”

“Me?” Zoe shook her head and gave her a quizzical glance. “There’s something going on with you two.”

“There’s not. There won’t be. Sam’s very honest, Zoe, and he’s made it clear that he will never make a permanent commitment to a woman. And although it’s tempting to just let go and have fun with him…” Lucy hesitated and lowered her voice to a whisper. “He’s the worst kind of heartbreaker, Zoe. The kind that’s so appealing you try to convince yourself you can change him. And after everything I’ve been through…I’m not strong enough to be hurt again quite so soon.”

Circumstances eventually put Sam and Lucy in a too-close-proximity situation, and the two can’t resist tackling their growing attraction head on and leaving Sam to admit that love might not be as out of the question as he led himself to believe his whole life.

Between hoping for a scene where Lucy puts Alice in her place once and for all and the building relationship and sexual tension between Lucy and Sam, I couldn’t put this book down.

RAINSHADOW ROAD’s mixture of a touching love story with a hint of magic, hits all the right notes, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the books in the Friday Harbor series have in store for us.

Release date: February 28, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Lisa Kleypas: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N

Review - By A Thread by Jennifer Estep

2012-02-24T00:00:00.002-08:00

When killing people is your job, there’s no such thing as a vacation.

Then again, how often does an assassin live long enough to enjoy her retirement? In this line of work, you either get lucky or you get dead. And since I destroyed my nemesis Mab Monroe a few weeks ago, all of Ashland’s lowlifes are gunning to make a name for themselves by taking out the lethal Spider—me, Gin Blanco. So I’m leaving behind my beloved barbecue joint and heading south with my baby sister, Bria, to cool my heels in a swanky beach town. Call it a weekend of fun in the sun. But when a powerful vampire with deadly elemental magic threatens an old friend of Bria’s, it looks like I’ll have to dig my silverstone knives out of my suitcase after all. Complicating matters further is the reappearance of Detective Donovan Caine, my old lover. But Donovan is the least of my problems. Because this time, the danger is hot on my trail, and not even my elemental Ice and Stone magic may be enough to save me from getting buried in the sand—permanently.

*Spoilers for previous books in the series*

With all the prior books centered around Gin’s need to kill Mab Monroe and help find some peace for her family that was murdered, I wondered what Gin would be doing after she successfully removed Mab for good. According to Finn, she needs a vacation. Gin and Bria head to a small resort town a day ahead of their men to attempt to relax and get away from the uneasiness in Ashland that has jumped up in intensity since Mab’s death. Everyone wants to be the one to kill the Spider, so the body count Gin’s been racking up over the past few weeks is on the rise. She agrees to get away and sees it as a chance to try to connect with her sister, Bria, who as Gin worries, doesn’t have a big reason to stay in Ashland anymore with the threat of Mab gone. Gin recognizes that if Bria left her, a piece of her heart would crack and never be repaired.

They head to Blue Marsh, a beach town where Bria had once lived and where her best friend growing up still lives. Callie runs a restaurant and when Gin sees the love Bria has for her friend, hurt and jealously takes over, until two men come in threatening Callie and her business. Gin steps in, as only Gin can do, and learns that a vampire in town, Randall Dekes, wants the land her restaurant is on and will stop at nothing to get it.

Owen and Finn get to the beach town and the group tries to figure out a plan to “strongly dissuade” Dekes from continuing to threaten Callie. That plan goes horribly wrong and Gin finds out just how strong Dekes is and what he’s doing to utilize all four elemental powers. The plan to simply dissuade Dekes turns in to a plan to not only kill him, but rescue people he’s holding at his home. And this is supposed to be Gin on vacation!

There are a few things that really stood out to me in this 6th book in the Elemental Assassin series. As much as I enjoyed the build-up and the long arc of the Mab storyline, it was refreshing to have a change of pace and a story that took place almost entirely outside of Ashland. For as horrible as Mab was, Dekes is no slouch in the bad guy department and in fact, does to Gin something that will take her awhile to truly get over. He steals from her in the worst way possible and she has to figure out a way to end him, even when he’s so much more powerful then she is. Taking the story to a new location, introducing a few new characters and bringing in a crazy, bad guy all help give the story and series a fresh take on Gin’s life and how she’s still trying to settle in to her life as being a pro-bono assassin.

Gin’s insecurities with Bria come out and are addressed throughout the entire book. Bria still isn’t truly accepting of Gin and what she does, and who can really blame her at this point. She’s a detective, she’s by the book, and it’s a struggle for her to see her sister and know that she kills people, even if those people are ones who need killing. All the emotion that Gin has regarding Bria and her worry that she’ll up and leave her comes out in one of the best scenes (my favorite scene) in the book.

“You’re mine,” Owen said in a fierce whisper, the heat in his eyes as bright as the scorching sun. “Not his. Mine. Only mine. Always mine.”

“I’m yours,” I agreed, then pushed him over onto his back. “But don’t you forget that you’re mine too. Only mine. Always mine.”

Owen growled and pulled my head down for another hard, almost brutal kiss. He wound his fingers through my hair, holding me just where he wanted to. I let him take control, let him lose himself in the emotions that were urging him on, urging both of us on.

Now - on to the men in Gin’s life. Owen is the perfect man for Gin. I love how he loves her – all of her, just as she is. He has from the start and he would rather fight by her side and accept her than be without her. And then there’s Donovan who shows back up. He’s now the detective in Blue Marsh and gets brought in on a personal level as well to the fight Gin and her friends have with Dekes. I’ve never been a fan of Donovan, and after this book I’m still not. I think anyone who loves Gin just can’t love him for how he treated her. While I wasn’t thrilled that he popped back up, he needed to. Gin has some things to set straight with him and there were a lot of things that needed to be said between the two of them. Through it all, when any other boyfriend might be jealous that an ex is back in their significant others life, Owen is solid. I could gush and love on Owen for an entire review, but I’ll restrain myself and just say that with the Donovan-Gin-Owen storyline, I came away so proud of Gin for how she handled everything and loving Owen even more for how much he loves Gin.

“…Finn, did you bring the information that I asked you to? Finn?”

He was too busy bending Bria over backward and planting a loud, smacking kiss on her to answer. It took them even longer to come up for air than it had Owen and me, and by the time Finn set Bria back up on her feet, most of the people in the restaurant were staring at them. A few of the wives were even poking their husbands in the chests, muttering about how they never got kissed like that anymore.

Finn grinned, gave an elaborate flourish with his hand, and dipped into a low bow, before straightening up and addressing the entire restaurant. “And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how it’s done.”

This was a book that I ended up reading in one sitting; I simply couldn’t put it down. The story was fast paced and full of the humor we’re used to, especially from Finn, and a few sexy moments between Owen and Gin were there too. I like the feel of this story, taking us completely away from the city we’ve been in for the past five books and giving us Gin, still being her badass self, but this time in a quaint little beach town. She remains one of my favorite characters for many reasons, but the biggest being, she does what she needs to do to help people. And with each story, she gets more and more people on her side, I love that for her. A great addition to the series, and I’m hoping that one Jonah McAllister is going to get his…real soon!

Release date: February 28, 2012
Publisher: Pocket Books
Jennifer Estep: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N

Review - Tempted by Blood by Laurie London

2012-02-22T00:00:00.001-08:00

Deep within the forests of the Pacific Northwest, the battle for supremacy rages on between two Vampire coalitions:

Guardian enforcers sworn to protect humanity, and Darkbloods, rogues who kill like their ancient ancestors….

He might be known for his effortless charm, but Guardian Jackson Foss is hiding a terrible secret. For months, he has battled the emergence of his dark nature—deadly urges that threaten to consume him. And those cravings only intensify when he meets Arianna Wells, the human he's been assigned to protect. Smart and perceptive, Arianna doesn't seem like a dangerous temptress. Yet she awakens in Jackson an unstoppable need that, if left unchecked, will brand him a traitor…a crime punishable by death.

But soon their bond may be Arianna's only hope. For stalking her in the shadows is a merciless enemy—one who will stop at nothing to claim her completely….

Jackson is on the verge of reverting. He’s on the downward spiral of blood lust and needs high amounts of energy from humans to survive and he needs all this frequently. Being a Guardian and reverting means very simply - execution. Jackson is estranged from his parents and he blames himself for his little sister’s death. As a result, he lives like he has nothing to lose. He’s a risk taker and takes chances with his work by throwing himself into the middle of it all, knowing that his days are numbered.

Arianna works for a gaming software company and runs a paranormal blog on the side. She watched her mom die when she was a little girl, watching as the dark shadows take her mom away. No one believed her, so her heart is into running Paranormalish, her blog dedicated to the weird and unexplained things that humans can’t understand. She’s watching out for her younger cousin, Krystal, but can’t stop the shadows when they come for her one night. Krystal is a Sweetblood, a blood type that’s irresistible to vampires and the Darkbloods want to gather all the sweets and move back to how vampires used to live; taking blood freely from humans, with no concern for their lives. Krystal was in a group of sweets that were captured in the previous book, Embraced By Blood, that were to be sold to the highest bidder. One of the master minds behind that idea is back and she wants the sweets that got away.

Jackson is in the right place at the right time as he helps Krystal and Arianna get away from the Darkbloods and takes them to Alfonso and Lily’s home to regroup and get a plan of attack together. We get to see plenty of the Guardians, including Kip who’s still struggling to get back into his life and work. I loved seeing a little more of Alfonso in the role of Dad, it was something that I wanted more of in his own book.

She tensed. Was this the part where he was going to bite her? She was so completely and utterly enthralled by him that she hasn’t thought about it ahead of time, but the man was a vampire. At least she could’ve mentally prepared herself. Would it hurt? Would he -

“Shh, little minx. I will not hurt you.”

“You…you won’t”

He stroked a finger along her throat. Her pulse quickened in response as if encouraging him to drink from her.

“As much as I want this from you, I will not take anything that you don’t freely give to me.” He hesitated and it felt as if he was going to say something more. She held her breath, but he stayed silent.

He wouldn’t bite her unless she told him he could. Slowly, she relaxed.

“There we go,” he murmured. “That’s it.”

The romance between Jackson and Arianna was sweet, but a little slow in building. I do like how Laurie London has created a connection between the vampire/human couples in that when they meet their “one”, the human’s blood unlocks a dormant power in the vampire. It’s a nice connection for the couples to have and in the case of Jackson it causes a bit more angst since his new talent is often a side effect of reverting. I kept waiting and waiting for their romance to heat up, and while it took until around the midway point for them to get together, the first part of the book had a nice build up. It set the story up for Krystal, being the sought after Sweetblood and Arianna and Jackson trying to figure out ways to protect her. I liked following this trio as they run from the Darkbloods and connect with Lily and Alfonso. Jackson feels especially protective of Krystal as she reminds him so much of his sister.

The suspense plot is driven by the Sweetbloods and the Guardians trying to find ways to help keep them safe, it builds to a fight at the end with a group of Darkbloods behind the latest plot to take them. I wasn’t so attracted to this plot line as I was the little moments that came out of it for our hero and heroine – like Arianna’s blog coming in handy and giving clues to the Guardian’s when it came to missing people and Jackson struggling to believe in himself when he’s so convinced that he’s going to fall on the wrong side of the line he’s trying to straddle between being a Guardian and becoming too addicted to blood and energy. It was the little things that came out along the way to final fight that I was more interested in than the actual fight itself, which was resolved fairly quickly.

This was an overall nice story for Jackson and Arianna and I always enjoy the addition of the side characters both from past books and characters that we need to know more about before they take center stage in their own books.

Release date: February 21, 2012 (MMP); March 1, 2012 (ebook)
Publisher: HQN Books
Laurie London: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N
*ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley*

Review - Time Out by Jill Shalvis

2012-02-21T00:00:00.001-08:00

Sign up for recreational adult programs now!

Class: How to Drive Him Crazy

Instructional program for women unexpectedly facing the totally dishy guy from their past. Everyone Welcome!

NHL coach Mark Diego’s plan to spend his off-season volunteering in his hometown goes awry when he learns that not only is he coaching teenage girls, but that the program is coordinated by energetic (and five feet two inches of trouble) coordinator Rainey Saunders, his childhood friend–and the woman he could never stand to see dating any other guy…

When their tempers flare, Mark and Rainey discover their fireworks don’t just burn angry–they burn very, very, hot! But that’ll just sweeten the victory. Because Mark always plays to win. And with Rainey, he’s planning on playing very dirty too…

Having to teach two of his NHL hockey players a lesson, Mark forces them into community service to make amends for getting into a fight. It’s either community service or suspension and the players don’t want that. They head back to Mark’s hometown to help rebuild homes that were lost in recent fires as well as all three men are volunteering as coaches at the local rec center. A center that’s run by Rainey – Mark’s childhood friend who had a huge crush on Mark; a crush that Mark couldn’t act on thinking their age difference at the time to be too much. The difference isn’t an issue now and Rainey signs Mark up to coach the girls softball team, much to his non-delight.

TIME OUT is a very fun, sweet romantic contemporary that packs a punch in not a lot of pages. I loved the storyline of Mark coaching the girls. He’s so out of his element with them, but quickly goes into “Coach” mode and has them appropriately suited up with practice clothes, running drills and practicing hard. Seeing him as Coach Mark, it’s a role he’s perfect for. But when Mark finds himself in the middle of teenage girl talk, he’s so uncomfortable and tries to give out the best advice he can, “boys are like drugs, just say no.”

The main focus of the story is the relationship between Mark and Rainey. She had a teenage crush on the older Mark for much of her childhood and when she turned sixteen she thought she’d try to make Mark understand how she felt and went to his college apartment, dressed in next to nothing only to find him already…occupied – she turned and ran. Their paths had crossed a few times since then over the years, but this is the first time they’ll be around each other for an extended period of time. Mark is instantly taken with Rainey but it takes her a little bit of time to be ok with taking a chance on Mark. He broke her heart once and she doesn’t want to experience that again.

He grinned. “Aw, Rainey. You like me. You like me a whole hell of a lot.”

“We really need to work on your self-confidence.”

But she blew out a breath and relaxed into him a little. “You’ve read your press, right? You know they call you a hard-ass.” She lifted her hand and touched his face. “But they’re wrong.” She pressed her face to his throat and inhaled him in, like maybe he was her air and she needed more. And when her hands slid around his waist, beneath his shirt, and up his back, he knew he was a goner.

I also enjoy a great storyline between best friends, and Rainey has that with her best friend Lena, who’s also dating Mark’s brother Rick. No one tells it like it is, quite like a friend and Lena says the things that Rainey needs to hear and also says things that have Rainey blushing, especially when Lena’s drooling over Mark:

“I’ve never gotten to see the glory that would be the Diego brothers in stereo.” Lena hadn’t grown up in Santa Rey. “Mark hasn’t come home since I’ve been with Rick. Being the youngest, baddest, sexiest head coach in all the NHL must be time-consuming.”

“Trust me, he’s not your type.”

“Because he’s rich and famous? Because he’s tough as hell and cool as ice?”

“Because he’s missing a vital organ.”

Lena gasped in horror. “He doesn’t have a d-”

“A heart! He’s missing a heart! Jeez, get your mind out of the gutter.”

The tension in the book comes from one of the young teens at the rec center, Sharee, and her abusive father. Rainey tries desperately to get Sharee to come to her when she finds herself home alone with her dad, but Sharee ends up coming to the rec center with new bruises. Rainey warns Sharee’s dad that she’s going to report him and call the cops, which doesn’t go over well. This is just one of the many ways that Rainey is trying to make a difference in the lives of the kids who come to the rec center because they have nowhere else to go during the day. Mark is impressed with what she’s doing and amazed at the reach she has with helping people in the community and he slowly starts to give back as well. He had never thought that coming back home was something he’d want to do, but watching Rainey and visiting with his brother and father, gives him a different outlook and has him helping out in different ways as well.

This was a very fast, nice read by Jill Shalvis. The banter is always witty and charming, like a Shalvis book always delivers on. Like I mentioned earlier, there’s a lot packed into about 200 pages: a hot romance, a nice overall story (including two gorgeous hockey players, that I think may need their own stories someday!) and characters that I really, really enjoyed. They’re all so likable and that doesn’t happen very often; from the leads to the supporting characters, it all worked.

Release date: February 21, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin
Jill Shalvis: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N
*Book received from publisher via Netgalley for review*

Review - Nightfire by Lisa Marie Rice

2012-02-20T00:00:00.001-08:00

Chloe Mason's childhood memories consist of seemingly endless hospital stays. Now all grown up and healthy, her determination to fill the gaping holes in her past leads her to her long-lost brother, Harry . . . which brings Harry's friend and business partner, Mike Keillor, crashing into her life and her heart.

Former Marine Force Recon sniper and SWAT officer--a martial arts expert and owner of a successful security company--Mike can deal coolly and efficiently with any threat . . . until he's blindsided by something he never expected: fierce, fiery passion . . . and love.

But when Chloe inadvertently crosses the Russian mob, Mike realizes that evil is darkening his world once again. He has already lost his family; he will not lose the woman who enflames him, who makes him whole. Failure is not an option.

Mike pulled me into this book right from the first page. He’s in a bad place emotionally and on the night we start his story he’s drunk and having sex with a woman he doesn’t know. He gets with it enough to realize that not only is she demanding he hurt her to along with the sex, but she’s a drug addict and he’s in the middle of a rundown, trashy apartment. He leaves before they finish and things get any worse but it’s a moment that feels rock bottom for him and one that as readers, we just know it’s going to come back and bite him in the ass. He depends on his best friends Sam and Harry and their wives and daughters as his main focus in life. They’re his family and the only people who’ve kept him from losing himself completely in the tragedy of his past. All the men have tragic pasts and Mike’s best friend and really his brother by choice, Harry, has a visitor from his past in the form of Chloe.

Chloe is terrified when she walks into her brother’s office, meeting him for the first time in years. He believes she’s dead, she never remembered he even existed and I could not WAIT for their reunion scene. These are the book moments that I go crazy for and this one didn’t disappoint. Chloe not only meets her brother, but Mike as well and the calm he feels around her is shocking and welcome and he knows right then that he needs to be around her; she fills up the empty spaces in his life that have been there since his close family was murdered when he was a young boy.

There’s a time jump in the book, 6 months after Chloe meets her family and Mike, we’re reconnected with them and find out that in those 6 months after Harry warned Mike to not touch Chloe because of his drunk, sex crazed ways, he hasn’t touched her. But he has been around her, helping her with strength training she badly needs from all the surgeries and injuries she’s had to deal with over the years. He’s just there for her, and for the first time in his life, he’s with a woman and not just in her bed. I didn’t mind the time jump. It was a little odd coming about a third of the way through the book, but I like time passage in romances – it adds a bit more depth to the relationship for me. I always have a hard time having the hero and heroine declare their love for one another after they’ve known each other for 5 days. While we don’t see Chloe and Mike become friends during these 6 months, we get a complete sense of what he’s done for her and how he’s helped her in every way possible. It just added a great layer to their relationship and I loved thinking of them going from friends to lovers over the course of 6+ months.

Mike was barely paying attention to them, to Sam and Harry. He moved closer. He couldn’t help it. Chloe was light itself and he was helplessly drawn to it, to her. There was some kind of aura there, something he’d never seen in anyone else before, something that drew him in without any volition on his part. His legs moved without him willing it, his entire body moving toward the light, moving toward something it had never seen before and instantly recognized as something it craved.

The suspense plot revolves around a men’s club that’s really a high end brothel (saying that a brothel is high end seems so wrong) but the women are all there and for a high price they’re rented out for the night. The American running the club has joined forces with a Russian group and their new venture is bringing in really young girls who will get them an even higher price. Chloe is unknowingly tossed into the middle of this mess when a current prostitute at the club seeks counsel and help at a shelter that Chloe volunteers at. The Russians hear about Chloe and a couple men are sent to “warn” her away. With Chloe now in danger, Mike takes over and they all try to figure out who the Russians are and try to stop them from bringing the young girls in to be sold.

I really got into the suspense plot and the lead Russian boss, Nikitin was horrible. It wasn’t hard to hate him and in fact some of his unemotional, torture scenes were a bit too much for me. That’s the only thing that knocked my rating down just a little, one waterboard torture scene was hard to read and I ended up reading through it really quickly and peeked through my fingers as I did so. Ok, not really with the peeking, but it was disturbing and I was glad to move past that scene and get on with things. That aside, the story was fast paced and well balanced between getting the bad guys POV and the main characters. There’s quite a bit of Sam, Harry and their families, but I loved seeing them in the story for Chloe. She’d been alone and unloved her whole live and I liked seeing her surrounded by her new family.

Those fuckers had hurt her physically but Mike, man, he was a real champ because he wasn’t hurting her body, which would heal, he was hurting her heart, which wouldn’t. At the very moment she needed him, he was turning his back on her.

And even realizing this, even knowing Chloe was heading back to his bedroom to deal with her fear and trauma on her own, as she always had, he hesitated, frozen like a statue. Unable to move forward, unable to move at all.

Because this was a huge moment for him and his life was going to divide into two, right here, right now.

She was disappearing into his room, and in a second it would be too late. He’d stay forever on this side of the divide, alone and hurting.

“Chloe,” he said quietly. “Stop.”

She stopped, back to him, head low.

And then Mike said three words he had never said to any human being before. Three words he never thought he could say, three words he’d worked his whole life not to have to say.

“Chloe.” His voice was hoarse, the words painful to get out. “I need you.”

Now Mike. Oh my, how I love an alpha hero that’s so vulnerable and dealing with an incredibly tragic past. He’s a true protector and will do anything to keep Chloe safe, but she protects him too. For the first time, he’s able to fully open up to someone about what he went through the day his family died and it’s a great, emotional scene and I just love how Mike was written. He’s tough on the outside, but a total softy when it came to Chloe. And of course their insanely hot sex scenes just added that much more. They’re a couple whose relationship was easy to believe in and they felt well matched. A scene between them would end and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen with them next.

This is book three in Lisa Marie Rice’s Protectors series and I will be going back and reading the first two books. This was actually the first full length book of LMR’s I’ve read (I know, for shame!) and if going by this book is any indication, she writes the type of hero that I always fall in love with so easily. A great, gripping read and one I highly recommend.

Release date: February 7, 2012
Publisher: Avon Red
Lisa Marie Rice: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N
*Book provided by publisher for review*

Review - Hidden Fire by Jess Dee

2012-02-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

A Red Hot Weekend story.

Well, this is an unexpected twist. Jenna Brooks is all set to spend the weekend wallowing in misery, repairing the cracks in the façade she’s maintained for twelve years. Instead she’s…tied to a chair. Kidnapped by her own twin brother and her so-called best friend.

It’s for her own good, they say. She’ll thank them later, they say. But when they reveal her partner in captivity, she shores up her emotional barriers. It’s Garreth Halt. The one man for whom she let her guard down. What a fool she was.

For one electrifying moment, Garreth had Jenna naked in his arms, on the edge of losing her legendary control. Could have kept her there forever, too, if he hadn’t felt honor-bound to tell her the truth. Before she’d heard the whole truth, though, she’d retreated behind the fortress around her heart.

Now they’re knee to knee, with no escape. While he’s irritated he let his alleged best friend get the drop on him, a small part of him is thrilled. With one final chance to show her his love is real, Garreth methodically, wickedly, sets out to dismantle her defenses.

One dirty word at a time.

Jenna and Garreth have been in love with each other for two years, but never acted on it due to a promise that Jenna and her twin brother had. After horrible lies were told about the twins when they were high school by Jenna’s then best friend, Jenna and Jackson made a vow to never date each others friends. For years they held to this until Jackson fell for Rachel, Jenna’s best friend, while Jenna fell for Garreth, who is friends with Jackson.

The first novella in the series, Winter Fire, was Jackson refusing to be with Rachel to honor the promise. Garreth is there, sees what’s happening and what Rachel and Jackson are trying to avoid, and he, uh…puts himself in the middle. He sleeps with Rachel, Jackson sees red and finally stops hiding his feelings for Rachel. We’re left with a very happy couple in Jackson and Rachel, but then there’s Garreth, who’s completely in love with Jenna and is tired of not having a chance with her.

Hidden Fire opens with Jenna and Jackson talking about their promise to not date each other friends and Jackson coming clean about being with Rachel. With the promise forgotten, Jenna runs to Garreth only to have reality slammed in her face when she learns that he slept with her best friend that same weekend. I’m not really into a guy sleeping with the friend of the woman he loves the same weekend he’s finally declaring his love for said woman. For as much as I enjoyed Winter Fire, I had to put that storyline aside and just concentrate on Garreth and Jenna and their time together.

Before he could step out of the doorway, something barreled into him, crashing into his chest, slamming the breath form his body, winding him.

That something threw her arms around his shoulders, grabbed his neck and held tight. So tight she crushed his chest. Stopped his heart. Prevented his blood from flowing through his brain. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.

But then that’s how he reacted every time Jenna Brooks came near.

Jenna has some issues in her past that have caused her to put up emotional walls and Garreth just starts breaking them down. She’s been afraid to be her real self and she can’t be anything but real with Garreth. He forces it out of her and they spend a highly emotional, very sexy night together that was two years in the making. I ended up not caring much for the plot outside the bedroom, frankly the ease with which Jenna was able to accept that Garreth slept with her friend Rachel was really out there and I didn’t believe it, but the part of the story that kept my attention was when it was all about Garreth and Jenna and two years of attraction and love that they’re finally able to experience.

While this novella can be read as a stand-alone, reading both Winter Fire & Hidden Fire together would be the way to go. The bulk of both stories take place over about a week’s time and they would read well back-to-back. There’s only so much that can be packed into a novella, and this one falls very heavily on the sex between Jenna and Garreth and doesn’t go deep into their relationship outside what we’re told – they’ve been in love for years. When I picked up this novella I was looking for a quick, sexy read and got it, but the story outside the bedroom falls a little short.

Release date: January 31, 2012
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Jess Dee: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N

Review - It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas

2012-02-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

Four young ladies enter London society with one necessary goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So they band together, and a daring husband-hunting scheme is born.

It happened at the ball...

Where beautiful but bold Lillian Bowman quickly learned that her independent American ways weren't entirely "the thing." And the most disapproving of all was insufferable, snobbish, and impossible Marcus, Lord Westcliff, London's most eligible aristocrat.

It happened in the garden...

When Marcus shockingly—and dangerously—swept her into his arms. Lillian was overcome with a consuming passion for a man she didn't even like. Time stood still; it was as if no one else existed...thank goodness they weren't caught very nearly in the act!

It happened one autumn...

Marcus was a man in charge of his own emotions, a bedrock of stability. But with Lillian, every touch was exquisite torture, every kiss an enticement for more. Yet how could he consider taking a woman so blatantly unsuitable...as his bride?

One of the elements about a connected series that I enjoy so much is having the characters be built up prior to their own book. We know going in that Lillian and Marcus can’t stand each other. But all I could think of was how little boys pull the pigtails of little girls that they really like and that’s what their relationship early on reminded me of. They have huge dislike for each other on the surface, but strong feelings are there for both of them.

Lillian is a strong, opinionated young American whose mother brought her and her younger sister Daisy over to England to find titled husbands. They don’t know the “proper” way of things in London society and found themselves along the wall and part of the wallflower group, four best friends trying to help each other find husbands. Lillian is happiest finding fun and mischief with her sister, and playing rounders, a version of baseball, that of, course is best played not wearing a heavy dress. Lord Westcliff came upon a game of rounders the girls were playing in the first wallflower book and I’m pretty sure the image of the girls playing baseball in their knickers was burned into his head. He took huge offensive to this and he and Lillian have been butting heads ever since.

Marcus grew up with a father that expected perfection and never thought his son reached it. Try as he might, Marcus could never live up to his horrible father’s standards and was often punished for whatever small missteps he might have made. He grew up into a hard man, but never lost the need and ability to love. It’s difficult for him, expressing his feelings, but something about Lillian makes it easier for him to let go of all the pressures of society, running his family and his title, and he can just be with her. We get a real sense of who he is as a man when he’s outside “playing”, riding, and letting himself not worry so much. Lillian’s free spirit gets to him and they slowly go from a love-to-hate relationship to one full of passion and love.

I completely loved these two lead characters. Lillian is so much fun, and stays true to who she is and doesn’t give in to what society deems acceptable. She brings out the real Marcus, who is so sweet and needs love and laughter in his life, which Lillian brings to him 100x over.

“You know,” she said dreamily, passing over his question, “you’re not nearly as handsome as Lord St. Vincent.”

“There’s a surprise,” he said dryly.

“But for some reason,” she continued, “I never want to kiss him the way I do you.” It was a good thing that she had closed her eyes, for if she had seen his expression, she might not have continued. “There is something about you that makes me feel terribly wicked. You make me want to do shocking things. Maybe it’s because you’re so proper. Your necktie is never crooked, and your shoes are always shiny. And your shirts are so starchy. Sometimes when I look at you, I want to tear off all your buttons. Or set your trousers on fire.” She giggled helplessly. “I’ve so often wondered – are you ticklish, my lord?”

“No,” Marcus rasped, his heart pounding beneath his starched shirt.

There’s a bit of suspense at the end when Marcus’s mother, who wants nothing more than to see Lillian sent away and her American blood kept far away from her son and her family, delivers her into the arms of Sebastian St. Vincent, a man I had a really hard time liking, especially knowing that he’s the lead for poor Evie in book #3. He’s ruthless, he’s facing financial ruin and needs to marry into money quickly. Even knowing that his best friend was committed to Lillian, Sebastian has no problem stealing her away to force her into marriage. I had a hard time understanding why a man like Marcus would be friends with a man like Sebastian. But…I’m sure there’s more to Sebastian than meets the eye and I’m curious how Lisa Kleypas will redeem him in the next book because he left a bad taste as far as his character goes by books end for me.

This is another charming story in the wallflower series. I love how Lisa Kleypas writes all her characters, especially the friendship between the four wallflowers as that continues to drive the story lines forward. I already have a soft spot for the shy Evie and I hope Sebastian proves himself to be a worthy hero for her in the next book, in this series that’s quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Publisher: Avon
Lisa Kleypas: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N

Review - The Bro-Magnet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

2012-02-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

Women have been known to lament, "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride." For Johnny Smith, the problem is, "Always a Best Man, never a groom." At age 33, housepainter Johnny has been Best Man eight times. The ultimate man's man, Johnny loves the Mets, the Jets, his weekly poker game, and the hula girl lamp that hangs over his basement pool table. Johnny has the instant affection of nearly every man he meets, but one thing he doesn't have is a woman to share his life with, and he wants that desperately.

When Johnny meets District Attorney Helen Troy, he decides to renounce his bro-magnet ways in order to impress her. With the aid and advice of his friends and family, soon he's transforming his wardrobe, buying throw pillows, ditching the hula girl lamp, getting a cat and even changing his name to the more mature-sounding John. And through it all, he's pretending to have no interest in sports, which Helen claims to abhor. As things heat up with Helen, the questions arise: Will Johnny finally get the girl? And, if he's successful in that pursuit, who will he be now that he's no longer really himself? THE BRO-MAGNET is a rollicking comedic novel about what one man is willing to give up for the sake of love.

Hell, I think all women in all their various colors and shapes and sizes are cute or pretty or gorgeous or handsome or attractive. Women: they’re a beautiful thing. But scary too. Very scary.

The one word that kept coming to mind as I was reading about Johnny and his life was likable. He’s such a nice, likable guy that I completely understood why guys would be drawn to him and want to be friends with him. Women, on the other hand, never moved beyond what Johnny was showing them on the outside, for the most part. He’s a guy that loves his baseball cap backwards, loves sports, can’t cook, and even though he could be a professional in a business suit world, he enjoys his job as a painter. As he watches all of his single guy friends get married, Johnny wishes that for himself one day. He starts realizing, with a little help from his friends, that he might need to change a few things in his life to be more appealing and he starts reinventing himself, as only Johnny can.

Johnny starts changing things up when he meets Helen, a woman he desperately wants to impress and find some common ground with. And so starts the advice that gets thrown at him from many different people. His best friend, Sam, is a lesbian who has her own difficulties in the love department, tosses in her two cents, which end up being zero help to Johnny when he wears a tux at her suggestion to an opera - that ends up being held in a barn. The advice and comments keep coming at Johnny throughout the whole book, and he listens and tries his hardest to make himself into someone that Helen would want to be with. While I don’t like the idea of changing who you are for someone else, Johnny never fully did that. He might have started dressing better, bought a few throw pillows and tried not to watch sports around Helen, but he was still that guy deep down and that’s what worked for me. I never got the feeling that the Johnny we meet in chapter 1 was completely different by book’s end. But the laughs and some nice moments he gives us along his way to figuring things out with Helen were very charming and he’s an incredibly likable character throughout the story.

I’m getting ready to pay when I see something behind the counter that grabs my attention. “Can I get one of those too, please?” I ask the guy behind the counter.

“Which one you want?”

“Doesn’t matter, just so long as it’s sturdy.”

The guy brings down the item and places it on the counter next to the rest of my stuff.

“So you’re getting a cat and a dog?” he says.

“No, just the cat.”

“Then what do you want a leash for?”

“The cat. So I can take it for walks.”

“People don’t usually – ”

“Don’t even bother,” Sam cuts him off. “He’s probably got this whole thing pictured in his head: him walking down the street, his cool new sleek black cat on the leash strutting by his side, maybe the two of them popping into the neighborhood bar for an ice cold beer for him and a saucer of milk for his furry little friend.”

Really? Am I that transparent?

The story is told in first person and I got a lot of laughs reading about the thoughts that would zoom through Johnny’s head during the book. He takes everyone’s advice to heart and he was a fish out of water in so many scenes, but being the guy that he is, things always had a way of working out in his favor. The ending was a very fitting, full circle moment and I like the match that he ends up finding with Helen. I would have loved to have a little more between these two at end, just being themselves, but there’s no doubt left at the end that they really are a great match.

I really enjoyed getting to know Johnny and the best thing I can say about him is that I started the book liking who he was and ended it feeling the exact same way. He’s a nice guy, trying to find that one person that fits him and watching him bumble along through all the advice and tips he gets is endearing, funny, and completely enjoyable.

A fun read and one I recommend for anyone wanting a little different take on dating and romance.

Release date: December 11, 2011
Lauren Baratz-Logsted: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N

Review - Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas

2012-02-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

Four young ladies enter London society with one common goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So a daring husband-hunting scheme is born.

Annabelle Peyton, determined to save her family from disaster, decides to use her beauty and wit to tempt a suitable nobleman into making an offer of marriage. But Annabelle's most intriguing—and persistent—admirer, wealthy, powerful Simon Hunt, has made it clear that while he will introduce her to irresistible pleasure he will not offer marriage. Annabelle is determined to resist his unthinkable proposition . . . but it is impossible in the face of such skillful seduction.

Her friends, looking to help, conspire to entice a more suitable gentleman to offer for Annabelle, for only then will she be safe from Simon—and her own longings. But on one summer night, Annabelle succumbs to Simon's passionate embrace and tempting kisses . . . and she discovers that love is the most dangerous game of all.

Annabelle moistened her dry lips. “You…you mustn’t stare at me like that.”

Soft as the murmur was, he caught it. “With you here, nothing else is worth looking at.”

Why, why, why did I wait so long to start this series? I love Lisa Kleypas and rarely do any of her books, historical or contemporary, miss for me so I was excited to start the Wallflower series knowing that it would probably pull me right in. Of course, it absolutely did. We’re introduced to four wallflowers, all getting their wallflower status due to something unacceptable that London society has deemed they have. Annabelle is without a dowry, Lillian and her youngest sister Daisy are American’s who don’t know the “rules” and while they want to fit in to find husbands, they’re not about to change who they are to do it. And finally Evie, who is painfully shy, has a slight stutter and from what little we learn in this book, a horrible family that does nothing but kill any shred of confidence she manages to grab on to. The girls form a tight friendship and vow to help each other get married. They go by age and since Annabelle is staring at being a spinster, she’s up first.

Annabelle met Simon two years ago at a panorama and they kissed instead of watching the show. It’s a kiss that shocked them both, but Annabelle wants nothing to do with Simon, convinced that he’s only attracted to her because he wants her as his mistress and she wants to marry a peer. Simon is a self-made man, filthy rich, but holds no title. Annabelle needs to help her family get out of debt, but when the man she sets her sights on fails to give her any sparks of attraction, she finally gives in to Simon and their amazing chemistry.

Simon has only wanted Annabelle in the two years since their first and only kiss, but he’s not the marrying kind. He wants her as his mistress and would take care of her and her family, but after suffering an adder bite that puts a very sick Annabelle in bed for days, Simon starts to reevaluate exactly what he wants in life, and being married to Annabelle isn’t sounding so bad anymore. Especially when being married to her makes him able to say that she is his and no one else's.

“I’ve done nothing wrong,” Annabelle said shortly, wondering why Hunt’s opinion mattered in the least.
…“And I have no regrets.”

“That’s a pity,” Hunt said easily. “Having regrets is the only sign that you’ve done anything interesting with your life.”

“What are your regrets, then?”

“Oh, I don’t have regrets, either.” A wicked glint appeared in his dark eyes. “Not for the lack of trying, of course. I keep doing unspeakable thing in the hopes that I’ll be sorry for them later. But so far…nothing.”

Even though I get a little annoyed with Annabelle and her constant attraction to Simon, and then sudden retreats early on – I absolutely loved when they finally agreed to marry. It seems to be somewhat of the norm in books that the characters marry around the midway point and have an obstacle or something that drives them apart only to come back together for their happily ever after. We get Annabelle and Simon who marry and then the rest of the story is watching them actually fall in love. There’s no huge fight, or major angst for them to overcome. They have a few bumps along the way, but it was so nice following them in the marriage as they discovered who the other person was and watching them fall a little more in love with each other after every page.

The story felt well balanced between the Wallflowers and Simon’s POV. We get to know each girl well and get a sense of what their personalities are and I can’t wait to get to each of their books! Simon is often described as a pirate and to that I say RAWR. I loved him completely. He’s a little bit of a scoundrel, but he’s a strong man who challenges Annabelle in a good way, and will do anything to protect and take care of her. Seeing him fall head over heels, even when Annabelle continually shoots him down early on, made me fall head over heels for him.

I can already tell this will be a series that I won’t put down until I’ve read everything there is to read about these wallflowers. I can’t wait to get Lillian and Lord Westcliff’s story, especially since they can’t stand each other right now and I have a feeling that Evie’s story might prove to be the most emotional. There’s something about a painfully shy and incredibly sweet character that’s so easy to care about them immediately and Evie hit that emotion for me. This is a definite must read book and hopefully not too many people are out there in the romance reading world who are like me and has let this series sit in their TBR pile for WAY too long.

Publisher: Avon
Lisa Kleypas: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N

Review - Fifty Shades of Grey

2012-02-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

When literature student Anastasia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating. Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind - until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store where she works part-time.

The unworldly, innocent Ana is shocked to realize she wants this man, and when he warns her to keep her distance it only makes her more desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her - but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey's singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success – his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving adoptive family – Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a passionate, physical and daring affair, Ana learns more about her own dark desires, as well as the Christian Grey hidden away from public scrutiny.

Can their relationship transcend physical passion? Will Ana find it in herself to submit to the self-indulgent Master? And if she does, will she still love what she finds?

The only man I’ve ever been attracted to, and he comes with a
bloody contract, a flogger and a whole world of issues.

That quote just about sums up the problems that heroine Anastasia Steele is up against in FIFTY SHADES OF GREY. Ana is a sexually innocent 21-year-old on the verge of college graduation when she meets drop-dead sexy, 27-year-old multimillionaire business tycoon, Christian Grey. Christian becomes immediately fascinated by Ana, and begins to pursue her, even though he continuously warns that he's all wrong for her. As Ana succumbs to the powerhouse that is Christian Grey, it doesn’t take her long to realize that no man, no matter how unbelievably hot he is, is perfect—and Christian is far from it.

While Christian is a dominant in the business world, he’s actually a “Dom” in the bedroom, and proposes a contract based D/s relationship with Ana. Although Christian has had a string of these relationships (15 to be exact) before meeting Ana, he begins to make it clear to her through many avenues that she affects him in a new and different way than any other woman he has ever been involved with. Over the course of Fifty Shades of Grey, Ana begins to chip away at the hard, complicated outer shell of Christian, forcing him to admit things he’s never told anyone, and causing him to break many of his own rules in the process.

Having had an incredibly disturbing and traumatizing start to life before he was adopted at the age of four, a subject he only barely broaches with Ana, Christian carries an unbelievable amount of emotional baggage that affects how he is in his intimate relationships.

“Why don’t you like to be touched?” I whisper, staring up into soft gray eyes.

“Because I’m fifty shades of fucked up, Anastasia.”

Although Christian has many issues stemming from emotional trauma as a child, and doesn’t really know how to have a “normal” or what he calls a “vanilla” relationship,

While Christian does some questionable things, is extremely controlling, and has a raging temper he doesn’t seem to know how to contain at times, I was constantly left with the feeling that under all of his baggage, he’s a truly decent man in so many ways. He and Ana butt heads throughout the story as he lavishes her with expensive gifts that she has an incredibly hard time accepting. In fact, his generosity is probably one of the biggest thorns in their relationship with her not wanting to take advantage of his wealth, and him not understanding why she can’t accept what he can so obviously afford to buy her. He tends to be overprotective, and jealous, but even the way he comes across in those situations seem to stem from an honest place of deep caring. Being that "caring" is a word not previously in Christian's vocabulary, he spends a good amount of the story coming to terms with feelings he's never had for any other woman when it comes to Ana.

Over the course of the book, the two exchange many emails. While the idea of two characters exchanging emails or texts throughout a story seems like an easy way to just fill page space, it was one of the things that made this story really enjoyable for me. Ana and Christian use email to open up to one another, something both have trouble doing early on; especially Ana. And the emails in this situation seem to force them to be honest to each other in their face to face conversations as well.

“You have no problem being honest with me in print. Your emails always tell me exactly how you feel. Why can’t you do that in conversation? Do I intimidate you that much?”

I pick at an imaginary spot on my mother’s blue cream quilt.

“You beguile me Christian. Completely overwhelm me. I feel like Icaris flying too close to the Sun,” I whisper.

He gasps.

“Well I think you’ve got that the wrong way around,” he whispers.

“What?”

“Oh, Anastasia. You’ve bewitched me. Isn’t it obvious?”

The emails were also a way to see another side of Christian, a playful, flirty side that you don’t always get to see on page when he’s with Ana in person.

Although this book starts out making you think it will be heavy on the D/s, as Christian is an intense Dom, looking to start a D/s relationship with Ana, it is actually very mild in that aspect, and really not what the focus of the story ends up being about.

There are a couple minor issues I feel I should address. One is that Christian has such a dominant voice and presence in the story, that he seems far older than his given age of 27, not that a 27-year-old man can’t be that dominant and sexy, it just took more effort for me to picture it. And there are a handful of over used phrases that became a bit overdone and a few British terms and phrases that just didn’t fit with the “American” setting (the author is British).

I've read many differing reviews about this book and it seems people either love it or hate it because of the way it's written or the fact that the author originally published it as a Fan Fiction story, etc. But any issues I had were overlooked easily enough thanks to a plot that, whether realistic to some or not, kept my interest from page to page so much that I literally couldn’t put my Kindle down or stop thinking about the story when I wasn’t reading, and I think I credit that to the character of Christian. He’s such an intense presence in every single scene, that I fell head over heels with him and all of his baggage. I wanted to slap him at times and hug him at others…a feeling Ana is constantly faced with throughout the story.

The end of this story was so intense and angsty (a major PLUS for me because I LOVE angst) that I was in tears by the end. Just a warning, however, I would have been extremely angry at the ridiculous cliffhanger if I didn’t have the second book already waiting for me to read. So I suggest having book 2, FIFTY SHADES DARKER already in your possession before finishing book this book.

Even though I say this story ends up being less about D/s than I had originally thought it would be, FIFTY SHADES OF GREY does contain a few scenes that the lighthearted might not enjoy, but overall, if you’re a fan of say, Maya Banks’ Sweet series, you should have no problem with this story. I could easily see myself reading it again or at least browsing through my many pages of bookmarks!

Release date: May 25, 2011
Publisher: The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House
E.L. James: Webpage
Buy Here: Amazon.com

Review - Leather, Lace and Rock-N- Roll by Mia Dymond

2012-02-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

Brains before Beauty, that's Rachel Newberry's motto, especially when her quiet, orderly life is interrupted by international rock star, Jaydon Hawke. And true to her word, brains take center stage when she discovers Hawke has a lot more on his mind than beautiful music. Targeted by a madman, Rachel puts her trust in Hawke, a move that may cost both their lives.

What’s the best cover for a group of four SEAL’s to be able to travel around pretty much anywhere, with reason, and not stand out? Have one member be a world famous rock star. He stands out, just not in a bad, cover blown, kind of way and it’s his rock star status that helps Jaydon Hawke cross paths with Rachel. She’s on Jaydon’s radar as being potentially involved with a known terrorist that he and his team are tracking and getting close to Rachel is part of the mission.

Rachel is sweet, smart and a self-proclaimed non-risk taker but she lets her best friend and business partner Cameron, talk her into trying to get backstage at Hawke’s concert. They do, using the oldest female trick in the book (flash the girls!) and Rachel meets Hawke, up close and personal. He and his team keep their true identities a secret from Rachel and Cameron, as Hawke keeps getting closer to Rachel and working his way into her life, both professionally and personally.

What worked for me in this story was the way the relationships were written. Not only were Rachel and Hawke a fun couple to get to know, but Cameron and her verbal sparring partner, Max (Hawke’s team Captain and his bodyguard as a cover) get a great build up to their story, which follows this book. The dialogue is fun and everyone has nice banter back and forth. The sexual tension between Rachel and Hawke builds for much of the story. Rachel’s not one to really let herself go, but Hawke brings eventually it out of her and their romance veered more to the sweet side – which I enjoyed.

“You didn’t say whether you enjoyed the concert.”

Rachel lifted her glass again and swallowed the remaining contents before she spoke. “Actually, I learned a few things.”

“Really?” His interest piqued. “This is the first time I’ve ever been told my show was educational.”

“I found out several things.” Her sparkling eyes flashed in the candlelight. “I discovered that your security guard is a breast man, and that most women are not there to hear the music. But most importantly, I learned that it’s perfectly acceptable to go to a rock concert bare-bottomed with my panties in my pocket.”

Hawke choked on his wine, coughing as the liquid fire burned the back of this throat and the vision of Rachel without panties knocked him on his ass.

The suspense aspect was a little weak, but since I found myself so focused all the relationships and various friendships going on, that didn’t bother me much at all. One thing that did bug me was the ending. It seemed a little disjoined in places and it felt like the story moved from point A to C, and B was entirely missing. It was a little confusing, and I had to reread parts just to make sure I didn’t miss how we ended up with Rachel questioning her relationship with Hawke when the page before had her and Hawke acting very happy together. It skipped around a bit, but this was something I only really noticed at the very end. The rest of the book flowed well and kept a good pace.

If you’re looking for a different take on an undercover SEAL team that has good humor and very enjoyable characters, give this one a try. The book is currently free on Smashwords, so you really have nothing to lose. Like I mentioned above, I’m already in girl-love with Cameron. She’s sassy, stands up to everyone and drives Max completely insane. Their story should be a fun one to watch play out.

Release Date: September 8, 2011
Mia Dymond: Webpage | Facebook | Blog
Buy Here: Free at Smashwords

Review - Something About Witches by Joey W. Hill

2012-02-06T00:00:00.000-08:00

Ruby Night Divine is a witch who runs a gun shop. Magic can fail – she knows that first hand, having experienced it with full-blown tragic consequences, far beyond what Dr. Phil can fix. Smith & Wesson is a whole hell of a lot more reliable, and nothing’s as cathartic as the ability to put a few holes in the things that piss you off. Like Derek Stormwind.

A powerful sorcerer, Derek is determined to get to the bottom of why she pushed him away and ran three years before. He also wants her help. A coven needs training to face a demon and his army of minions. Oh sure. It’s amazing what sweet things a guy will offer to get back into a woman’s heart, and into her bed.

Only in this case, she knows he never left her heart, and in her bed is exactly where she wants him to be. Unfortunately, her bed’s already made, and she’s close to losing her soul. And not even Smith & Wesson or Derek Stormwind can fix that.

A witch, who owns a gun shop, has pushed away the man she loves and hasn’t seen him in three years. Not a bad way to start a new series, especially when in the first paragraph he’s walking back into her life, right at her and poor Ruby can’t believe her eyes when she sees the man she still loves. She was the one who forced their separation three years earlier, putting a spell on him that drove him out of her life without putting up a fight. Now he’s back and needs her help. There’s an energy fault line that’s weakening and he needs her to teach the local coven to help fight against the demons that may be trying to get through the weakened point from the Underworld. Ruby is a strong witch who hasn’t ever really tapped into her full power potential. She agrees to help the witches, the main focus being to direct Light power to help defend against the Darkness that wants to come through. Ruby’s been trying to keep a secret though: she’s not the full Light witch she once was and is battling a piece of Dark magic that’s made its way into her soul. A tragedy in her past drove her to practice with both Light and Dark sides and now she’s starting to pay the price. Derek won’t have it, and he’s back for good to help Ruby and find out why she sent him away.

As is usually the case with any book 1 in a new series, it took me a fair number of pages to really “get” the characters, understand their abilities and the world they’re living in. Fans of Joey W. Hill’s Vampire Queen (VQ) series will recognize a few mentions of characters in that series that Derek has had contact with. So the world Joey writes in is the same, but SOMETHING ABOUT WITCHES has a very different feel to it from the VQ series. Not present, the strong dominant/slave theme that runs throughout all the VQ books. But, make no mistake, the incredibly hot sex scenes that Joey writes so well are still here. Ruby and Derek have a very real and deep connection and it comes out in the way they’re drawn together and in their sex scenes.
There’s high emotion throughout the whole book, both in the bedroom and out.

For as much as Derek is an alpha, rugged, gun-slinging hero, Ruby stole the show for me. She’s just so troubled and fighting a darkness in her that can only be somewhat soothed by pain; pain that’s both sexual and emotional. She finds that release with another man when Derek’s gone for the past three years and when Derek finds out…it doesn’t go over well. A tragedy from her past, that impacts Derek, has her tapping into Dark power, but her grief at the time overruled everything and now she’s paying the price. For much of the story, she’s balancing on that fine line of going completely into the Darkness and losing her soul forever and trying to stay her true self. One of my favorite, most intense scenes is when Ruby comes clean to Derek about everything she’s been keeping to herself. What happened all those years ago when she up and forced him away, why she’s fighting for her soul and how it involves him. Even reading this long scene between them was emotionally draining and a long time coming for Ruby. She was always the girl who growing up, had a mother that was emotionally abusive, and she had no one that worried about her, or cared about her – except for Derek.

In short, he did the oblivious-Derek thing, which made a woman fall for him like a toddler hitting a trip wire, the detonation just as fast. In the space of time it took him to put a fistful of candy bars on the counter and reach for his wallet, Ruby had seen grocery clerks decide they’d give up indoor plumbing and chocolate for him. And he never noticed his appeal, always infallibly courteous and warmly attentive.

It was enough to make a woman want to shoot him. Or keep him chained and naked on a cot in her basement so she could ride him like a carnival ride with the “on” lever stuck in a permanent up position.

Ok, wow. She really shouldn’t have gone there.

Derek, as an immortal, has known Ruby since she was a baby. He knew earlier on that he and Ruby were connected and he watched out for her as a little girl, never doing anything more than care about her until she was in her early twenties. Only then did he start to “woo” her and they fell in love. His job, the best way to describe it is as an enforcer, or a cop, for the Light, takes him to many realms where time can pass differently. He would be out of Ruby’s life for months at a time and one horrible night when she needed him most he had been gone for nearly a year. Watching them reconnect now from basically page 1 was very satisfying and I enjoyed their relationship – the high emotion, the hot sex, the connection they have together; it all worked. Derek is everything Ruby needs him to be, tender with her one minute and butting heads the next. He even makes getting dressed after sex just as sexy, if not more, then getting naked:

“Derek, I can dress myself.”

“But you’re not going to.” He put his hand on her leg, found the pocket of the duster with the other one, withdrew a cloth. As she held her breath, he pressed it between her legs, cleaned and dried her. Then he re-pocketed the cloth and picked up the panties where he’s left them folded over his thigh.

“Step in.”

He dressed her from head to toe. Panties, jeans, socks and shoes. Threading her arms back into her bra straps, he hooked it and adjusted the cups, his large palms fitted around the breasts to shift their weight to their proper placement, as deftly as she did it herself. Then the shirt, a quick brush of his thumbs over her nipples again, evident through the thin cloth. Pulling her hair out of the collar for her, he reclaimed his coat, turned and moved back toward the stump.

One thing that sometimes bothers me in paranormal books is when an immortal falls in love with a human, and by books end something happens that has them both living forever, happily of course. Sometimes that works, sometimes not. Even though Ruby is a witch, she’s very much human and that issue is talked about and dealt with at the end that worked for me. There’s no easy fix, no magic can work around the human/immortality issue, but as a reader, I’m glad it was addressed and I like how it was handled.

This is a great start to Joey W. Hill’s new Arcane Shot series. We get a small introduction to the leads of book 2, and…whew, can’t wait for that one! Talk about two strong personalities that are going to clash. Ruby and Derek have a great connection and love story, the world we’re taken into is filled with magic, both scary and beautiful and I was left feeling satisfied with Ruby and Derek’s story, and excited to see where Joey W. Hill takes us next.

Release date: February 7, 2012
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Joey W. Hill: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N
*Book received from publisher for review*

Review - The Night Is Mine by M.L. Buchman

2012-02-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

First in a thrilling military romantic suspense series based on the real-life elite helicopter pilots who transport Navy SEALs and Delta Force teams in and out of combat and covert missions. (SOAR are the heroes of Black Hawk Down.)

Buchman’s heroine flys the most dangerous military ops and tries to find the one man who can be a hero in her own life. Ace-pilot Captain Emily Beale goes undercover as bodyguard to the First Lady, with her rugged commander, Major Mark Henderson, who is determined to cover her back. Can she learn to keep her desire at bay before her covert mission implodes?

…when Captain Emily Beale flew ten tons of armored attack helicopter into battle, it was absolutely the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.

This story has a great, fast paced beginning. We’re taken right to Emily’s current home and family, with her team heading out on missions. We get proof early on about what a top pilot she is when she risks it all trying to get a Delta Force team member out of an impossible location. She thrives under pressure and gets the results every, single time. She’s respected, works hard and wants to do nothing else; flying is her life and she loves it.

Sparks fly early when she around her commander, Mark Henderson, but a relationship of any kind or even an acknowledgement of feelings is a big no-no. Their different ranks prevent any relationship from ever happening, but Mark knows his pilot is very special. When she’s suddenly reassigned to a top secret mission that Mark’s not informed of, he makes it his mission to find out where she is and what’s going on.

The first section of the story really grabbed my attention, we get to see Emily in her element and I loved getting the action told through her. Her reassignment seemed a bit farfetched. She’s brought back to the US to be a bodyguard to the First Lady, who’s had a couple attempts on her life, working undercover as her chef. The order was ultimately given by the President, who Emily was childhood friends with, and obviously you don’t say no when the President makes this type of order, but I still had a hard time getting past this during the bulk of the story that takes place in Washington DC. Here’s this hot shot pilot, the best in her field, the woman you want flying a helicopter into and out of dangerous situations because you know she’ll get the job done and bring her men back safe. But you pull her away from her important work to be a bodyguard and chef? It was a hard change of pace for me to grasp, after that great opening and the story slowed down quite a bit when we moved with Emily to the White House.

Mark works his way into this secret mission posing as Emily’s boyfriend as they work with her father to try and figure out where the threats to the First Lady are coming from and why all the clues and paths are leading them in a bad direction. The action picks back up at the end and thankfully we get to see Emily in her prime again, piloting a copter that ends up being the scene of the final fight with the story’s enemy.

The romance between Mark and Emily, and even the hints of a potential romance we get between Emily and her childhood friend Peter, now the President, take a long time to build up. The subplot between Emily and Peter never went beyond the teenage crush she had on him growing up and the real chemistry throughout the book was between Mark and Emily. They have the threat of breaking every rule they’ve ever been forced to follow regarding no relationships allowed, over their heads, but Mark is there for her, during some hard times. Those moments were great build ups to the point when they finally give in and be together. One scene that stood out and showed us the depth of Mark’s feelings for Emily, was after she’s blinded by a flashbang while flying the First Lady. The thought of never being able to see again, or even having less than perfect vision which would ground her for good, was too much to handle and Mark was there to simply hold her and let her cry in safe arms. They were sweet, tender scenes and drove home how much these two cared about each other and how easy it would be for them to fall in love if they were able to.

The hand pulled her. Pulled her until she curled in its owner’s lap.

She wept against his shoulder.

She wept while the sobs wracked her body, until the only thing keeping her from flying apart were the strong arms around her. Wept until she was wrung dry. Wept until the fear left her. Wept until she remembered that Night Stalkers Don’t Quit.

Emily simply curled against the man who held her, her head tucked safe beneath his chin.

Then he cupped her cheek with one of those wonderful hands and held her head ever so gently against his chest.

She knew that hand. Now that she could think, she’d known it from the first instant it had taken hers.

Major Mark Henderson. She’d wept on his shoulder like a scared little girl, not a woman playing tough in a man’s world. And she’d never felt so safe in her life.

THE NIGHT IS MINE is book 1 in the new Night Stalkers series by M.L. Buchman, and I really enjoyed seeing this woman be at the top in a field dominated by men. We get a hint of the women who might be getting books in the future, and I love the idea of a series centered around these strong women and watching them go through the ins and outs of this dangerous line of work they’ve chosen. This was a really nice set up to get an idea of what these women will face – and Emily will be a tough act to follow. She kicks ass, literally. She’s smart and a fighter and it just takes one guy who thinks he can take her before he and everyone else is quickly proven wrong. I love that in a heroine. Emily in action was my absolute favorite part of her book. Being with her in the pilot’s seat was a great view and I look forward to seeing who’s up next. And of course, finding out about the men who fall for and “try” to keep up with these women.

Release date: February 1, 2012
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
M.L. Buchman: Webpage
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N
*Book received from publisher via Netgalley for review*

Review - She Tempts the Duke by Lorraine Heath

2012-02-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Three young heirs, imprisoned by an unscrupulous uncle, escaped—to the sea, to the streets, to faraway battle—awaiting the day when they would return to reclaim their birthright.

Sebastian Easton always vowed he would avenge his stolen youth and title. Now back in London, the rightful Duke of Keswick—returning from battle a wounded, hardened, changed man—cannot forget the brave girl who once rescued him and his brothers from certain death.

Lady Mary Wynne-Jones paid dearly for helping the imprisoned young Lords of Pembrook, and she remembers well the promise she made to Sebastian all those years ago: to meet him once more in the abbey ruins where they shared a bold, forbidden kiss. While Mary is betrothed now to another, a friendship forged with dark secrets cannot be ignored. Unexpected passion soon burns dangerously between them, tempting Sebastian to abandon his quest for retribution to fight for a love that could once again set him free.

They had become the stuff of legends – the lost lords of Pembrook.

Three brothers are all being held prisoner by their Uncle following their father’s mysterious death. The fourteen year old twins, Sebastian and Tristan, and ten year old Rafe are scared, hungry, cold and Sebastian is convinced that they’ll be killed if they don’t find a way to escape. When they hear a key in the door, he and Tristan are ready to attack, but Sebastian’s closest friend, young Mary, has come to help the boys escape. She overheard their Uncle talk of killing the boys and found a way to get them out. Sebastian makes the hard to decision to split everyone up, the boys taking off for parts unknown and Mary going back to her father, but makes a vow that everyone reunite in exactly ten years so they can reclaim what their Uncle has taken from them. Their father’s title, the land and most of all - they want vengeance.

Twelve years later, the young Lords of Pembrook have returned and Sebastian is ready to take the title of Duke of Keswick back, ensuring his Uncle gets nothing. They make a grand entrance back into London society, to say the least, by crashing a ball and Mary sees her friends for the first time in years. While all three brothers have lived rough lives, her closest friend Sebastian, has changed the most physically. He lost an eye in the war, has scarring on his face and body and gets many gasps and grimaces from people when they see him, but not from Mary. Once she moves past the hurt of not seeing her friend for years, she never pities Sebastian, but rather sees past the scars and eye patch that he hates and just sees him. As much as they both might want to reconnect after so many years apart, Mary is engaged to another man and being around Sebastian, even in the most innocent sense (which isn’t much considering it’s wicked Sebastian we’re talking about!) isn’t something her reputation or her future husband would take kindly to.

The story follows Sebastian trying to reconnect with the brothers he had to split with years ago, and living with the guilt of his decision to send a then ten year old Rafe to a workhouse and sell Tristan to a ship’s captain all in desperate attempt to save their lives. He still suffers nightmares, hearing Rafe cry for him as he left him an orphan, and hearing Tristan’s silence when he sold him. My heart went out to this guy who not only suffered having to make horrible choices as a young boy himself, but then suffered so much pain fighting in a war. The brothers are still dealing with threats on their lives from their Uncle, and won’t be completely safe until he’s dealt with.

Mary has also struggled in the years since the brothers left. She told her father the truth of what happened and in fearing for her life should word ever get out about what she heard from the boy’s Uncle, she’s sent away to a nunnery and left there. Her Aunt finally gets her out years later and gives her a Season where she promptly meets Lord Fitzwilliam, who proposes. It’s no secret that he wants a large dowry, which will come with marrying Mary, and their match is not one of love, but her father wants to see her settled as he has no other heirs to take care of her once he’s gone. She’s content with Fitzwilliam, but one look at Sebastian and she’s drawn back to her friend and has a need to talk to him, be with him and ease some of the pain she sees in him.

I loved Mary from the start. She was a little tomboy and she and Sebastian were always off together on adventures when they were growing up. They told each other everything and she’s desperate to get her friend back in her life. While it never came across that they loved each other as young kids, not even puppy love, there’s a definite chemistry between them as adults and Mary gets closer to Sebastian and refuses to let him hide himself from her, scars and all.

“You’re going to douse the light, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“I wish you wouldn’t.”

Sadness touched his features. “For tonight. A woman’s first time…ugliness should not be a part of it.”

Tears clogged her throat, tears she refused to allow to rise to the surface. She could argue that he was not ugly, that she found everything about him beautiful, but she knew he was not of a mind to listen. It would build a strain between them, would dampen the joy they should find at this moment.

Lifting her hand, she cupped his unmarred side. “I’ll leave tonight to your superior experience, but rest assured I’m a fast learner and some night you will have to leave it to mine.”

Their relationship was so well written, the darkness in Sebastian slowly lifted the more he let himself get drawn into Mary’s life and she became, again, the person Sebastian could be most open with. It takes a lot of time, and Mary’s not even certain he’ll be able to love her. His sole focus is on getting his father’s land back and she thinks she may always come second to him. Of course love comes into play, it just takes them both a lot of time to get there and it makes it all the sweeter, once they both realize what they’re feeling. And when they’re together, Sebastian is so wicked in the best sense, and Mary is able to express exactly how she feels and starts to work her way around all the walls Sebastian has built up around his heart. Their scenes ranged from sweet and tender, to hot and naughty – my favorite combos!

“I might have to teach you a lesson about spying on me and withhold my favors.”

“I won’t allow it.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “And how, Your Grace, do you expect to carry out that threat?”

“I will kiss every inch of your skin until you are as close to falling to your knees with aching need as I am now.”

She grinned wickedly, and he thought he might burst. “I can see your aching need even with your trousers on. Hand me the towel that I might dry off and see to that need.”

“I want to dry you and then I intend to make you wet again.”

She gasped. “Such bawdy talk!”

“Bedchamber poetry.”

For fans of tortured heroes, this is starting out to be the series for you. All three brothers lived through tragic, hard times when they split up. We get details about what Sebastian went through and we know what Tristan and Rafe are currently up to, but we don’t know what they’ve endured. I, for one, can’t wait to get to know them better, understand what they lived through and how they ended up becoming the men they are today.

This was my first time reading Lorraine Heath and I’m kicking myself for not trying her books sooner. The characters she created in this story and set up for the series are so full of emotion and it was simply easy to connect in some way with each of the brothers and Mary. I completely enjoyed this story and will be eagerly waiting for book 2.

Release date: January 31, 2012
Publisher: Avon
Lorraine Heath: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N
*Book received from publisher for review*

Review - Last Man Standing by Cindy Gerard

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

A deadly mission.
A thirst for revenge.
One headstrong alpha hero and one daring woman will settle the score.

Special operative Joe Green has gone vigilante. His mission: avenge his Black Ops, Inc., brother’s death during a bloody ambush years ago in Sierra Leone. He refuses to drag the BOI team or his lover, Stephanie Tompkins, into the hunt for the man responsible, so when he finds himself beaten, starving, and alone after being falsely imprisoned for the murder of a Freetown priest, he knows he’s as good as dead.

Joe meant to protect Stephanie when he walked out on their relationship, but he can’t stop her now from executing his escape. Breaking him out of prison is the easy part. After Joe’s explosive theory pans out and his cunning enemy emerges as the front runner for a high-level presidential appointment, he and Stephanie must race to derail the traitor’s conspiracy if they are to save their loved ones, the nation, and each other.

In the last book in the Black Ops, Inc. series, Joe takes center stage, in a big way. He pulls away from his teammates, the woman he loves, from anyone who means anything to him as he tracks down the killer of his former teammate and Stephanie’s brother. He knows he’s looking into something that could and probably would ultimately end him, but the guilt of Bryan’s death eats at him and he wants justice for his close friend and man he thought of as a brother.

Stephanie and Joe’s relationship started back in FEEL THE HEAT and for me, it was one of the highlights of the book. Taking nothing away from the main storyline and leads of that book, I just fell for “Mean” Joe Green, all muscle and little talk, but he turns into a protective, sweet man around Stephanie. Steph knows that her brother’s death weighs heavily on Joe and she’s not happy when his obsession with finding out the truth continues as everyone believes that it was an accident; there’s no proof that it could have been anything else. Joe breaks up with Stephanie and while on leave from his team, he heads to Sierra Leone to get the facts. Once there, he’s accused of murder and tossed into prison. For one month, he’s beaten, starved and literally half the man he used to be in size and strength and he’s losing the battle to stay alive.

Stephanie gets intel that gives her Joe’s location and with the Black Ops team on a deep cover mission, there’s no way to communicate with them and Rafe, her only contact on the team, is recovering from an illness himself and is home with a very pregnant wife. Steph has no idea what to do, but her plan is this: get to the prison and see Joe. Beyond that…she doesn’t know what to do to get Joe home.

With a little help from a young man, Suah, who befriended Joe, even though he’d never admit it, Steph gets Joe out and into hiding so he can recover. From here, they race to get out of Sierra Leone and get all their information lined up to make the guilty party pay for their part in Bryan’s death. Mike “Primetime” Brown shows up with his brother Ty, to fly them back home. It’s not easy going, as people want them dead so secrets can stay buried, but Mike’s a dare devil and can literally fly in any situation, and for Mike, the crazier the better (his book starts off the next series, right?!)

Joe and Steph start uncovering all the facts surrounding Bryan’s death and before it’s all said and done, their lives and Steph’s parents will all be in danger. The series, and especially in the case of Joe, has been building to the truth of what really happened on the mission that killed Bryan Tompkins. He was a best friend and brother to all the BOI teammates and his death hit Joe especially hard, reminding him of another painful death in his past. Joe struggles to let himself go with anyone, but can’t keep it all in from Stephanie for long. She risks her life for him, after he broke her heart and she knows the kind of man Joe is, even if he isn’t able to see it yet. For not being trained in the field or having ever gone on any kind of mission, Steph maybe did a little too well in rescuing Joe, but she had a lot of help from Suah and his friends and they’re the real reason Joe gets out of prison.

“No more sedation,” he restated in a hard tone, and immediately regretted the bruised look he’d put in her eyes. “It’s okay, you did what you thought was best. But I can’t be sedated, Stephanie.” Not and get back on his game.

“Fine. No more,” she said, looking wounded.

He looked away, overcome by emotions that ran the gamut from guilt to humility to gratitude to absolute astonishment, before ending with a frustrated sense of failure. He was the protector. He was the caretaker. Right now he couldn’t take care of a paperclip.

Joe is a guy who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and his only soft place in the world is with Steph. He’s just too stubborn to believe it can actually last and Stephanie doesn’t let him get away with that kind of thinking for long. She changed a lot during the short time it took to rescue Joe. She seemed to realize that she was a lot tougher than either she or Joe gave her credit for and she takes care of Joe when he needs her most, much to his alpha-brain horror of not being able to help himself during his recovery. They’re a great couple to follow, they had instant chemistry when they first got together in FEEL THE HEAT and seeing them grow and become stronger together made this story.

His hands covered hers. “Steph –”

“Shh.” She brushed his hands away, and with gentle care slid the shorts off his legs. “I promise I won’t hurt you.”

She loved the strangled sound he made. The almost laugh. The inevitable smile of surrender. She leaned down and, careful of his poor split lip, kissed him. Nothing but soft, supple mouths remembering how love tasted, how love felt, how simple love could be when only the moment mattered.

Fans of the series may be a little disappointed that the other men and women of the BOI team don’t come on page until the epilogue. This really fits with Joe though. He’s the quiet strength of the group, and having the story told fully around him and Steph with very little interaction from the BOI team, fits Joe’s character perfectly. The overall action in this one was on the milder side, but this is strictly Joe and Steph’s show and with the exception of a few phone calls from Rafe, everyone else is MIA until the wonderful epilogue that ends every book. I look forward to each epilogue and this one had a little extra kick to it, being the series ender. But even without our past favorite heroes and heroines showing up during the story, we get plenty of Mike Brown and his smart ass ways – which I loved. I’m excited for Cindy’s new series, and especially getting to know Mike better and maybe even his brother Ty.

This is a very satisfying end to one of my favorite series. I’m glad we got to have Joe’s story told and I’m going to miss all our BOI heroes (especially you, Johnny Reed). But Mike Brown made me laugh out loud more than once and while I’m sad to see this series end, I’m looking forward to seeing where Cindy Gerard takes us next and who the next batch of heroes are that we’ll all no doubt fall in love with.

Release date: January 31, 2012
Publisher: Pocket Star
Cindy Gerard: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N
*ARC received from publisher for review*

Joey W. Hill - Giveaway Winner!

2012-01-30T00:00:00.001-08:00

First, I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to Joey for stopping by and giving us, not only, a great peek into her upcoming release SOMETHING ABOUT WITCHES, but also taking the time to answer everyone's questions. I have to say, you all came up with some fantastic questions and I loved reading them and Joey's answers, so thanks everyone!

The winner of any book of their choice from Joey's backlist is:

Ericka

Ericka - an email has been sent out and congrats! I hope you all check out SOMETHING ABOUT WITCHES on 2/7 - it's a story that kept me reading and unable to put the book down until I hit The End. Check back soon for my review, and hopefully we can talk Joey into coming back here again for another guest post!

Shameless Giveaway Hop - Winners!

2012-01-28T07:01:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who commented on the Lorelei James giveaway. We had so much fun reading what you all think of when you think "cowboy" and have decided that the majority of you have dirty, naughty minds. We approve!

The winners of either a Rough Riders or Blacktop Cowboys book are:

Savannah M.

Congrats! Emails have gone out to winners. We hope everyone had fun on this hop!

Review - Third Grave Dead Ahead by Darynda Jones

2012-01-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

Paranormal private eye. Grim reaper extraordinaire. Whatever. Charley Davidson is back! And she’s drinking copious amounts of caffeine to stay awake because, every time she closes her eyes, she sees him: Reyes Farrow, the part human, part-supermodel son of Satan. Yes, she did imprison him for all eternity, but come on. How is she supposed to solve a missing persons case, deal with an ego-driven doctor, calm her curmudgeonly dad, and take on a motorcycle gang hellbent on murder when the devil’s son just won’t give up?

“How many cups of coffee have you had today?”

I counted on my fingers before remembering they should remain on the steering wheel at all times when driving. “Seven,” I said, swerving to narrowly miss a horrified pedestrian.

“Just seven?”

“And twelve-halves.”

Charley running on days of no sleep. Oh yes…take a moment and imagine that, if you will. That’s what she’s in the middle of as THIRD GRAVE DEAD AHEAD opens, because every time she nods off, even for just a minute, she’s visited by an unwanted inmate, Reyes. He’s still pissed beyond belief that Charley bound him to his human body at the end of SECOND GRAVE ON THE LEFT and whenever Charley lets herself fall asleep she’s visited by Reyes in a dreamlike state where they can’t keep their hands off each other. Whether she’s calling to him or he’s invading her dreams, she’s not sure at this point. They have crazy hot…HOT, angry sex, and neither one really wants this happening. So Charley is keeping herself awake, has been for days and days and coffee is her new best friend. Fans of Charley can just picture what she’s like on crazy amounts of caffeine.

Charley gets a job tracking down a missing woman. Her husband comes to Charley first asking for her help, but Charley’s 100% convinced that he’s the guilty party. She follows leads throughout the story trying to put the clues together and figure out where his wife, Teresa, is and after a visit to Rocket, she knows she’s still alive but time is running out.

Charley’s got her trusty sidekicks helping her out, one more than willing to jump right in the middle of the action – Cookie is the best friend we all want and Charley needs her for her information/detective skills and just to have that friend she doesn’t need to keep any secrets from. It’s not every day you find a friend that you can admit to being the grim reaper to after all, and they still call you a friend. Her other, not so willing sidekick, is Garrett. Her Uncle Bob, or Ubie as she lovingly and sarcastically refers to him, put Garrett and his men tailing her, to try and keep her from getting killed. Try being the key word. Garrett’s none too pleased about this, but he does it and annoys Charley to no end giving her his top five things to never say to the grim reaper throughout the story.

In addition to the missing wife storyline, Charley is dealing with a completely human and completely pissy Reyes. He has a mission he needs to finish, but won’t give out any details about it. He breaks out of prison, involving Charley in part of his escape and is in and out of her life, demanding she release him from his body. But Charley’s tried and has no idea how to do this. More on Reyes later *yes, tease.*

As if this wasn’t enough, Charley is dealing with a biker gang that moved into the asylum where she goes to visit Rocket. After her sneaking in attempt gets her caught, by an overly-friendly Rottweiler, she ends up helping the gang out on a small case of figuring out who’s poisoning their guard dogs. And oh yeah, locking lips with their leader Donovan. Charley is a very busy girl in this third adventure.

“Gemma Davidson,” she answered, her voice as groggy as I felt.

“Where are you?” I asked.

“Who is this?”

“Elvis.”

“What time is it?”

“Hammer time?”

“Charley.”

(…)

“Are you punking me?” I heard her fumbling with the phone.

“Gem, if I was going to punk you, I wouldn’t simply turn off your phone. I would pour honey in your hair while you slept. Or, you know, something like that.”

“That was you?” she asked, appalled.

What continually gets me about these books is I’ll find myself laughing non-stop from the get go but there’s always that one scene or two, normally toward the end, where Charley has me tearing up. It’s usually something involving her family, who she has a hard time truly connecting with. In this case her Dad really turns on Charley and I ended up feeling so horrible for her and the decision he made that basically has him turning his back on her. I do love that she’s getting closer with her sister as Charley needs all the friends she can get.

Now, Reyes. I swear this guy, I don’t know what to think about him. One minute I love him, the next I can’t stand him. He was out playing his own game in this book and using anyone necessary to accomplish his mission, Charley included. He put her in danger, didn’t share any information and really ended the book on Charley’s bad side. Mine too. But there’s still just something about him that’s hard to resist. There’s obviously more to him then what we’ve seen, but with the way he used Charley he’ll need to redeem himself big time in the future.

Reyes hit me! He’d actually hit me! It didn’t matter that hitting me wasn’t really like hitting a regular girl and I’d be completely healed in a matter of hours. I was still a freaking girl, and he damned well knew it. I’d just have to hit him back. With a lead pipe. Or an eighteen wheeler.

“Are you okay?” SWAT guy asked me, studying my eyes.

Damn, I loved it when men in uniform studied my eyes. Or my ass. Either way.

There’s a lot of talk about Charley needing to figure out what she’s truly capable of, mostly coming from Reyes. She of course has no idea, no time, and initially no desire to figure it out, but we get a small sense of what he means when her emotions get so high, some interesting side effects happen. It feels like just the tip of iceberg with the power Charley has that she hasn’t voluntarily tried to tap into yet.

Without a doubt, my absolute favorite part of this series is how Darynda writes Charley – the complete randomness of some of the things she says and does have me laughing out loud and usually in public. But the balance between Charley’s sarcastic, witty personality comes through the people in her life being able to keep up with her and more times than not, dish it right back. Charley runs this show, but the supporting characters give a great balance between keeping the storyline moving and being equally quick with the comebacks that compliment the character that Charley is.

THIRD GRAVE DEAD AHEAD is full of laughs, continues to build on the overall series storyline that’s getting us closer to finding out just what Charley is capable of and has a lot of heart. I highly recommend giving this series a try, if you haven’t already. I can’t wait for Charley’s next case and to see if Reyes can redeem himself to Charley, and to me.

Want a preview of THIRD GRAVE DEAD AHEAD? Check out an audio book clip below, provided by MacMillan Audio!

Release date: January 31, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Darynda Jones: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N
*ARC received from publisher for review*

Guest Post & Giveaway - Joey W. Hill

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

The Twists and Turns of Researching a Witch’s Profession by Joey W. Hill

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. The Macbeth quote fit to a fucking T as Ruby stared through the ten-power Nightforce scope of the McMillan 50-caliber military-grade sniper rifle and saw 100 percent trouble coming her way. Complete with battered cowboy hat, his own Chris Cagle “Chicks Dig It” theme song and honest-to-Goddess dragonskin boots. How the hell had Derek Stormwind found her?

When it comes to opening hook lines, I’m the first to admit they’re not my forte. I’ve managed to improve enough to avoid “It was a dark and stormy night”, but on the whole, my specialty is in character development and emotional intensity. Which means I’m puffed-up proud of this pretty darn cool opening line to my upcoming February release, Something About Witches (lol).

It didn’t come out this perfectly, however. It took some tweaking, and it came close to being the source of snickers from anyone familiar with this kind of weaponry. For one thing, I’d originally put it as a four-power scope. That’s incredibly low for long range targeting – sort of like us middle-aged folks trying to read this blog post without our reading glasses.

Ruby, my heroine in Something About Witches, is a witch who runs a gun shop and firing range. While I am familiar with handguns, I didn’t have the scope of knowledge to present her as a gun shop owner believably, so to do her justice, I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing one. He was an absolutely awesome guy. Due to some family issues, I called him forty-eight hours before the book submission deadline and asked if I could interrupt his day, run the relevant parts of the book past him and get a crash course in everything you want to know about operating a gun shop. He was a gruff, male-to-the-core sort of guy, yet his response to this stranger who claimed to write romance, of all things, was: “Sure, no problem. Come on in.” A writer’s dream for a research source: “Please be available on my schedule, at the very second I need you, and spend as much time with me as I require, no matter the other demands on your time.” He was a prince!

Anyhow, what can wake me in the dead of night aren’t the things I know I need to research, but the things I overlook. Like that four-power thing? It’s a good thing I’d tagged every line in the book that referenced guns, because it never occurred to me that I had that wrong. My gun shop owner was able to save me from snagging a reader with incorrect information. And before you shake your head in disbelief, yes, at least one of you will be an expert in sniper rifles, I guarantee it. Readers are a very talented and diverse group (grin).

However, getting the facts right, while incredibly important, isn’t the most vital part of research. As every reader will tell us clueless authors (when we deign to listen), the point of research is not to overwhelm them with our incredible data gathering skills. It’s to help them step into a not-so-familiar world, and truly believe that’s what it would be like. That means more than just the dry facts. The four-power thing is critical, but I also need to get a sense of how someone who knows the subject carries that knowledge, how they integrate it into their personality. Those impressions in turn are integrated into a character, to make their expertise and comfort even more credible.

Rick described guns as little machines whose workings had interested him from a young age, such that he also does a little informal gunsmithing on the side. He’d helped design an improved scope for a soldier in Iraq. The scope improved his siting so much the soldier left it with his unit when his tour was up, to help the others do their job, which means they could do it even more effectively and safely. My discussions with Rick also helped me determine how—believably--Ruby had gone from working in a New Age Wiccan supply store in California to running a gun shop near a military base on the Carolina coast.

Of course the real reason she left was because she was trying to avoid Derek Stormwind. Something pretty awful happened that she doesn’t want him to find out about, and now danger is gathering around her in waves. Of course Derek tracks her there, determined to find out why the woman he’s loved for so long left him with no warning. It’s that scene that opens the book, as you could probably work out from that opening line. I promise she doesn’t shoot him, even though she’s sorely tempted, because she knows how dangerous he is to her senses--and her heart--when he gets too close. She’s also going to need his help fighting a demon army, even if she’s not yet ready to admit it.

I hope you’ll enjoy stepping into the book and joining Derek and Ruby on their journey. You can read a free Chapter One excerpt here and get book blurb info here. If you’d like to leave a comment or question, you’ll be entered into a free book-of-your-choice giveaway (domestic or international), which of course includes this title. Thanks again to HEA for letting me join you here today – I love to be anywhere they believe in happily-ever-afters!

Joey W. Hill writes about vampires, mermaids, boardroom executives, cops, witches, angels, simple housemaids... If there’s an erotic love story to be told, she’ll take the plunge. As a result, she's proud and humbled to have four series and almost thirty award-winning and highly acclaimed titles, as well as the support and enthusiasm of a wonderful and widely diverse readership. In 2009, she was nominated for a Career Achievement award in Erotica by Romantic Times.

For Joey's full bio check out her webpage here or find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks so much to Joey W. Hill for stopping by today, giving us a little insight into the opening for her upcoming release and the process of putting it together! Also a big thanks to Joey for this great giveaway and a chance for one lucky winner to pick any book from Joey's backlist, including SOMETHING ABOUT WITCHES!

To be entered just leave a question for Joey below or let us know what the opening line (or passage) is of the book you're currently reading. See below for details:

Contest is open to all (International) and will run through 1/29/12, 11:59 pm PST
PLEASE leave your email address with your comment so we can contact you
RT this post and leave the link in your comment for 1 extra entry
Winner will be chosen by random.org
Good Luck!

Review - Darker After Midnight by Lara Adrian

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

The climactic novel in Lara Adrian’s New York Times bestselling Midnight Breed series--and her hardcover debut--Darker After Midnight invites readers to enter a thrillingly sensual world where danger meets desire.

In the dark of night, a blood war escalates within the hidden world of the Breed. After existing in secret for many long centuries, maintaining a fragile peace with the humans who walk beside them unaware, a single act of retaliation has put the entire vampire nation at risk of discovery. It falls to the Order--a cadre of Breed warriors pledged to protect their own and humankind alike--to stop Dragos, the power-mad vampire at the center of the conflict, before his push for domination can explode into catastrophe.

At the center of the Order’s quest is Sterling Chase, once a morally rigid enforcer of Breed law, now a warrior fallen from grace, whose biggest battle is the one he wages against his own savage nature. With addiction beckoning him toward eternal darkness, Chase’s path to redemption has never seemed more out of reach--until he finds himself drawn to a beautiful young woman who may be something much more than she seems . . .

Sterling Chase’s story has been building up for many books now and to say his journey has been bumpy and full of angst would be the understatement of the year. He’s seen his brother die, he’s loved his brother’s wife and watched her mate to another member of the Order. He’s killed his nephew when he was overtaken by bloodlust brought on by overdosing on drugs and all of this has slowly eaten away at Chase until he too is on the verge of losing it all to bloodlust. When we last left off, Chase gave himself up to help save his brothers and their mates in the Order, even though he’s been cast out of the Order and is dealing with everything on his own. He’s taken into custody, but doesn’t stay there long and crosses paths with Tavia – a female who is anything but the human she believes herself to be.

There won't be any spoilers about who Tavia is, so the review will be as detailed as possible without giving anything away. Dragos, and his evil ways, hits close to home for Tavia and everything that she thought she was and the people she loved most in her life were nothing but lies. With Chase’s help, she’s able to finally learn the truth about who the Breeds are and starts to uncover the details about who she is.

While Chase’s story may have been a long time coming, Dragos’ rise in power and the final fight between him, his army and the Breeds has been building from the start. Dragos pulls no punches and unleashes mass destruction and killers throughout the world, which causes death and destruction at a pace that the Order just can’t keep up with. I was counting down until the moment when Dragos got what was coming to him, but it comes at a great cost to Tavia and Chase and changes the world the Breeds and humans live in forever.

Tavia is such a strong female, and she needs to be to be able to match up well with Chase. He still has so much self-hatred in him and he’s constantly fighting against the bloodlust thats right there in front of him. Tavia becomes his lifeline, the person that he can hold on to and someone who helps him through the worst of times. I love a hero who’s been through so much pain and heartache and watch him slowly come out of it and start living again, and Tavia gives him all the reasons in the world to start to turn his life around. Before we get to the sweet and tender moments between them, there is crazy hot attraction that’s not denied and they become linked in ways that Tavia doesn’t really understand at first. Chase sure does, but since he refuses to feed from her, afraid that he won’t be able to stop, their blood bond is one sided for much of the book. Tavia is able to feel what Chase is going through as he fights his hunger and it’s that tie between them that starts to ground him and help him move forward.

All the past characters, heroes, heroines and children, get page time as everyone gears up for the fight with Dragos. There are developments with the history of the Breedmates and there are still stories to be told with the younger set, Mira, Kellan and now Nathan. Lucan steps fully into his role as leader, leading not only his men, but taking the Breeds in a new direction at the end of the story.

The final fight takes place over quite a few chapters at the end and after all is said and done, my one little issue is that Chase and Tavia’s story ended a bit abruptly. We get a great epilogue at the end that takes us 1 year into the future, but it almost felt like a chapter was missing between where the story ends now and the epilogue starts. I needed just a little bit more closure for Chase and Tavia.

DARKER AFTER MIDNIGHT ends on a positive note, but there are still so many loose ends that will take us easily into the next portion of this series and really, a new world, with the direction that things go at the end of this story. I’m hoping that our old friends will still show up and we can stay caught up with their lives while being introduced to new characters that are out there in the Breed world that we need to get to know.

Release date: January 24, 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Lara Adrian: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N
*ARC received from publisher for review*

Giveaway Winner - Virna DePaul Blog Tour

2012-01-21T07:59:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Booklover0226 (Tracey D) for winning a copy of any backlist book from Virna! Winner will be contacted shortly by email. Thanks to everyone for participating in our stop on the tour!

Shameless Giveaway Hop: Who wants a Cowboy?

2012-01-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our stop on the tour! First, a big thanks to Jen at Red Hot Books, Brie at Romance Around the Corner & Michelle at Michelle's Book Blog for putting this hop together! For our stop, HEA – Reads is doing winners choice – Lorelei James style.

Do you love sexy cowboys? Naughty cowboys? Sweet cowboys? If you answered yes to one of those questions…what’s wrong with you? All three get a big YES! For our stop, one winner picked from the comments below will win their choice of any one of Lorelei James’ books in either her Rough Riders or Blacktop Cowboys series. The format is up to the winner: print, Nook, Kindle – whatever the winner wants.

Contest details are below – good luck!

Rough Riders

*Cowgirls Don't Cry, Chasin' Eight & Cowboy Casanova are currently only available in ebook format*

Blacktop Cowboys

*UPDATED: 1/21/12* I’ve (this is Jess) had a really exciting past couple of days (I’m a first time Auntie!!) and feel like celebrating. Since we’ve had such a nice response and some awesome Cowboy related comments *g* we’re going to pick TWO winners – same rules below apply, just adding an extra winner. Comment away!!

Winner gets their choice of ONE book in either the Rough Riders or Blacktop Cowboys series by Lorelei James – feel free to comment about anything or we can play a fun little game of word association – post the first thing that comes to mind when you think “COWBOY” - and since this is the Shameless Blog Hop…anything goes!

Mmmmm

CONTEST RULES:

Please leave your email address in your comment so we can contact the winner

Open to US/CAN only

Contest ends 1/27/12, 11:59pm PST and winner will be chosen by random.org

That’s it!

Make sure to keep hopping!

Series Read: The Bridgerton's - It's In His Kiss

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

The

Bridgerton’s

by Julia Quinn

IF IT'S IN HIS HEART ... IT'S IN HIS KISS MEET OUR HERO ...

Gareth St. Clair is in a bind. His father, who detests him, is determined to beggar the St. Clair estates and ruin his inheritance. Gareth's sole bequest is an old family diary, which may or may not contain the secrets of his past ... and the key to his future. The problem is --- it's written in Italian, of which Gareth speaks not a word.

MEET OUR HEROINE ...

All the ton agreed: there was no one quite like Hyacinth Bridgerton. She's fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken, and according to Gareth, probably best in small doses. But there's something about her --- something charming and vexing --- that grabs him and won't quite let go ...

MEET POOR MR. MOZART ...

Or don't. But rest assured, he's spinning in his grave when Gareth and Hyacinth cross paths at the annual --- and annually discordant --- Smythe-Smith musicale. To Hyacinth, Gareth's every word seems a dare, and she offers to translate his diary, even though her Italian is slightly less than perfect. But as they delve into the mysterious text, they discover that the answers they seek lie not in the diary, but in each other ... and that there is nothing as simple --- or as complicated --- as a single, perfect kiss.

Lady Danbury’s grandson was none other than the notorious Gareth St. Clair. Although it probably wasn’t entirely his fault that he had gained such a wicked reputation, Hyacinth reflected. There were plenty of other men who behaved with equal lack of propriety, and more than a few who were as handsome as sin, but Gareth St. Clair was the only one who managed to combine the two to such success.

But his reputation was abominable.

Charming is the best way to describe Hyacinth. I’ve laughed and enjoyed her scenes in all the previous books in the Bridgerton series. She says exactly what she means, doesn’t conform to the usual mold when it comes to young ladies in London. She attends each season, she does want to be married and have a family but no one suitable has proposed. Hyacinth must always know what she’s doing and talking about. She doesn’t come off as a know it all, but she doesn’t like to find herself in strange, unfamiliar situations. So when men who might challenge her and match wits with her express any interest, she pushes them away and finds any reason at all why they wouldn’t suit.

Gareth grew up with a father who didn’t love him, because he wasn’t his father, but kept up the appearance of being so. He called Gareth stupid, never encouraged him and made it his goal to leave Gareth in complete debt once he took over his title. When a diary from his Grandmother comes into his possession, he needs help translating it from Italian and with a little help from his match making other Grandmother, Hyacinth takes on the task with relish. She loves have a project or mystery to solve and nothing is more exciting to her than having an adventure. The diary translation turns into a hunt for hidden jewels and her adventures increase over the coming days as she takes Gareth along for the ride.

“Your maid is discreet?” Gareth asked, just as soon as he and Hyacinth were standing on the pavement outside of Number Five.

“Oh, don’t worry about Frances,” Hyacinth said, adjusting her gloves. “She and I have an understanding.”

He lifted his brows in an expression of lazy humor. “Why do those words, coming from your lips, strike terror in my soul?”

Gareth initially lets his not-father influence his decisions and finds himself taken right back to being a young man in his presence, never able to stand up to him as an adult. After his father makes mention that he could never land a woman like Hyacinth, he sets out to prove him wrong, but quickly realizes that he’s with Hyacinth for many, many more reasons than just to prove his mean father wrong. The diary also finally gives Gareth the closure he needed when it details out just who his real father is.

Hyacinth was the star in this one. I love her personality and how she doesn’t change or hold back anything about herself. What you see is what you get, and it takes a man like Gareth to keep pace with her and stun her into silence a time or two. She’s very lovable and one scene with her mother stood out above all others. It was a touching scene when her mother explained just what Hyacinth meant to her and how she saved her after her husband died suddenly. It was so sweet and filled with emotion and was a moment that Hyacinth needed to know and hear.

Gareth keeps a few things from Hyacinth that hurt her deeply when they come out. But Hyacinth doesn’t let it get her down. She might lose her way a little bit but she picks right back up, and acts like she normally would, without caution. She calls on Gareth and gets things settled once and for all.

This is another 4 ½ star read for me in this wonderful series. Hyacinth had me laughing out loud on many occasions, as did Lady Danbury, Gareth’s Grandmother. The humor and heart in this series keeps me turning the pages faster and faster and while I’m looking forward to reading the last Bridgerton’s story, it’s bittersweet knowing that it’s the last one. But…that’s what rereads are for!

Publisher: Avon
Julia Quinn: Webpage | Facebook
It's In His Kiss: Amazon.com | B&N

Bridgerton Reading Progress:
The Duke and I – Read!
The Viscount Who Loved Me – Read!
An Offer from a Gentleman – Read!
Romancing Mister Bridgerton – Read!
To Sir Phillip, With Love – Read!
When He Was Wicked – Read!
It’s In His Kiss – Read!
On the Way to the Wedding

Guest Post & Giveaway with Virna DePaul

2012-01-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to stop #9 in my blog tour For Chosen By Sin (Para-Ops #3).

Thank you to Happily Ever After Reads for having me here today! This tour focuses on my writing and my paranormal series, but also my Twelve Resolutions for 2012, as well as the resolutions of my hero in Chosen By Sin, werebeast Dex Hunt. Those of you who know Dex know he's a bit...difficult, so I'm curious to see what he comes up with. (Psst: Dex doesn't actually know it, but his “resolutions” are more like a Twelve-Step Program designed by me to get him to his HEA).

I'll be giving away a prize to one commenter from this blog stop, but I'm also giving away one grand prize to one blog tour follower. See the giveaway details below! :)

The Para-Ops Series: Five years after the Second Civil War ends, humans and Otherborn—humanlike creatures with superhuman DNA—still struggle for peace. To ensure the continued rights of both, the FBI forms a Para-Ops team with a unique set of skills. (Chosen By Blood (Book 1), Chosen By Fate (Book 2))

So what's Resolution #9 for me? Give Away My Boxes Of Swag

I have boxes and boxes of swag. Things I got for a great price that I thought readers might like. Little boxes to fill. Tote bags. Magnets. Problem is, mailing is expensive and even more importantly, I avoid the post office at all costs. This year, I'm going to several conferences and I'm going to give lots of swag away!
Now, speaking of swag...or swagger...

And what's Resolution #9 for Dex Hunt?

Here's a hint from Chosen By Sin.

Dex wasn’t sure what he was expecting of Cy’s village, but this wasn’t it.

He supposed that since Jes’s home was a castle, he wouldn’t have been surprised to find a village of cramped dingy huts and a bunch of morose dragon-shifters bemoaning their short life spans. Instead, Montpeyroux Village was both modern and quaint, bustling with life despite the fact it only had about 189 residents. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear the village was inhabited by regular old humans. No wraiths, vamps, or weres in sight....

….Cy stopped outside a creperie. “You like ice cream?” Cy asked.

Was the guy joking? “Not particularly.”

Cy shrugged, went inside and ordered a double-scoop of Rocky Road and vanilla.

Dex watched the entire transaction, then fell back in step beside him. Cy was one surprise after another. He was huge, looked like a linebacker, yet had no problem ordering and licking a double scoop ice cream while they walked.

Cy finished off the cone, tossed the wrapper in a garbage can, then grinned before turning to Dex, catching him staring at him. “I’m freaking you out, aren’t I?”

Dex coughed. “A little.”

“I told you.” Cy gave one of his common shrugs. “I have to enjoy my life while I can. If I feel like having an ice cream cone—and unlike you I have quite a fondness for ice cream—I’m not going to stop myself from having one because someone else is gonna see it as unmanly, you know? Isn’t there anything that you’ve wanted, that you knew would make you happy, and you just took it, damn the consequences?”

Cyrus Mead tries to enjoy his life because he's a Draci, a dragon-shifter with an average life span of only thirty years. Dex's resolution is to sometimes forget pride and simply allow himself to have fun.

Want to see a trailer I made depicting the Para-Ops characters as I see them? Dex is particularly yummy! Here's the link: http://on.fb.me/z6Z8nI

Bio: Virna DePaul is a former prosecutor and now national bestselling author of the Para-Ops Novels. She also writes contemporary romantic suspense for Harlequin Romantic Suspense (It Started That Night, May 2012) and HQN (Shades Of Desire, June 2012).

Blurb for Chosen By Sin:
The longest life isn’t always the happiest one…

For now, werebeast Dex Hunt serves on the Para-Ops team, but his true purpose is to kill the werewolf leader he blames for his mother’s death. Biding his time, Dex keeps his emotional distance from his team members and anyone else he might care for, including a mysterious vampire he met in L.A.

As a doctor, vampire Jesmina Martin has dedicated her immortal life to healing others. As a scientific researcher, she’s trying to prolong life spans, in particular those of her adoptive dragon-shifter family and the werewolf who saved her as a child. Her greatest hope lies with Dex, a werebeast she believes can gift immortality to others.

Only Dex knows nothing about his gift or the fact Jesmina wants to harness it. After a passionate night together neither expects to see the other again. Weeks later, they are reunited in France and forced to acknowledge a fragile miracle—a new life struggling to survive. At the same time, they must stop a group of rebel shape-shifters hoping to unleash every demon in hell. But before Dex and Jesmina can save their child or the world, they must relinquish their secrets, face their fears, and open themselves to love.

Purchase:
E-version ($4.99)
Amazon: http://t.co/SE2EAgR
Barnes and Noble: http://t.co/UW5P73o
Paperback ($7.99)
Amazon: http://fb.me/19XPRKYX3

Daily Blog Tour Giveaway: Today, Virna is gifting one book from her backlist (prize winner's choice, see backlist here) to one randomly selected commenter who either leaves a comment on the blog, or a question for Virna to answer. HEA-Reads normal contest rules apply:

Comment on this post to be entered with a question for Virna OR let us know what your New Year's Resolution is...or was if it's already broken!
Please include your email address
RT this post for 1 extra entry, include the link in your comment
Contest is open internationally and runs through 1/20/12, 11:59pm PST
Winner will be chosen using random.org

GRAND PRIZE TOUR GIVEAWAY: What was Dex's "resolution" that Virna talked about today? Do you know the answer? Fantastic!! Because...

Virna is also gifting a $100 Amazon gift card to one randomly selected reader who leaves the answer to this question during the blog tour. Go to: http://chosenbysin.com/virtual-tour-grand-prize You can be entered to win the grand prize once each day by simply following the tour from January 9 - 20, and leaving your answer with each day's different resolution!!

Virna is also offering autographed copies of CHOSEN BY SIN for purchase during this blog tour. To purchase an autographed copy, please visit http://chosenbysin.com.

Review - Stripped by Tori St. Claire

2012-01-16T00:00:00.001-08:00

In Tori St. Claire's dangerously naughty debut novel, a body of secrets is entwined with a body of lies...and deception is part of the game.

As a member of the CIA's elite Black Opals, Natalya Trubachev must live a lie, working undercover as the lover of Dmitri, a Russian mob boss. His business is trafficking vulnerable Las Vegas strippers overseas for twisted sex games. Natalya's business is to blow the ring wide open and bring down Dmitri and his American contacts. But the stakes are raised when she learns that the next target is her own sister Kate, a dancer in the famed club Fantasia. Only now does Natalya realize how personal her mission has become, and how far she's willing to go to complete it.

The manager of Fantasia is Brandon Moretti, an undercover detective who keeps a close eye on his girls, and an even closer one on his sinfully sensual newest hire. For Natalya, working the club could be the break she's been waiting for. But for Moretti, Natalya is a possible link to a killer. Only he never counted on her being so lethally seductive or so dangerous to get close to. As every forbidden pleasure between them is stripped away, his own secrets threaten their security, but it's Natalya's secrets that could destroy them both.

STRIPPED brings together two people, each with their own deadly secrets and makes them an unlikely duo in an undercover investigation where neither of them know just exactly who they can trust.

Natalya has been undercover for three years posing as the fiancé to a Russian mob boss, Dimtri, involved in human trafficking. She works for the Black Opals, an off-the-books group in the CIA that handles dangerous, elite missions. Natalya’s time table for getting the proof she needs against Dmitri has become critical when his next target turns out to be a stripper in Vegas, Kate – Natalya’s twin sister. She’s sent to Vegas on behalf of Dimtri and his organization to secure Kate’s capture but she and her CIA partner, Sergei, have only days to lock down the information they need to not only bring down Dmitri but to save Kate’s life.

Brandon is also working undercover, managing a strip club and trying to track down a killer who’s targeting the girls. The killer’s pattern has led them to Fantasia as the next club that’s due to be hit and the person who fits the profile is Kate – she’s a wanted woman by everyone. When Natalya comes to town and gets her own job at the club as the housemom, using Kate as her connection, it brings her one step closer to identifying the players in the human trafficking ring, only in Brandon’s eyes, she could be linked to the killer he’s searching for and no one is certain about who they can trust.

One thing about erotic stories that I sometimes find hard to really get into is the lack of plot. The hot, sexy scenes are always there, but I enjoy having a nice balance between that and in this case, an equally strong suspense plot. And that’s where STRIPPED stood out. Natalya and Brandon have chemistry that burns up the pages, and I loved their scenes together. From a naughty lap dance that started their relationship off, to the sweet moments when they both let themselves just act human and let go of all their lies and covers that they have to hang on to in order to survive. Those moments really drove home their relationship and made it solid.

This is an erotic romance that doesn’t include BDSM, or anything that really pushes those limits. It's about two people who have instant attraction and a lot of lust, that ends up turning into something with much deeper feelings for both of them.

Brandon pulled on her hair, tipping her head back and terminating the kiss. His breath rasped in harmony with hers. He nudged her mouth with his, caught her lips again, then turned his head and rubbed his cheek against hers. “I want you to forget I said this,” he whispered as he increased the pressure on the back of her scalp and urged her forehead to his shoulder. “I don’t even know what I mean by it.”

His mouth dusted over the crown of her head. “But I think I need you, Natalya.”

Her breath caught, the sudden overflow of emotion bringing unbidden moisture to her eyes. He’d reached right in and pulled the words out of her very soul. If anyone needed the other, she needed him. Needed the way he made it impossible to hide.

As I mentioned earlier, a really nice balance to the lead relationship is the detailed suspense plot. There’s Natalya working her case against Dmitri at the strip club and doing whatever it takes, including getting up on stage, to try and figure out the players involved. Also Brandon, who is working undercover with his partner at the club, trying to find a killer and also trying to advance his career so he’s in a better position to get vengeance against his father, who killed his mother and siblings. We learn early on that Brandon’s younger brother actually survived an explosion that Brandon thought took his entire family and he’s working with Natalya on this case. It’s one of my favorite storylines, siblings that have been apart by circumstance – and I find myself flipping the pages even faster to find out if and (hopefully) when they’re reunited.

Even though this was one of the few stories where I actually guessed who the bad guy was that Natalya was searching for, it didn’t at all diminish my need to find out exactly how everything goes down. The supporting characters and small, short POV changes kept the pacing fast and the action coming.

With as well balanced as the romance vs. suspense was with the story, I was drawn more to Brandon and Natalya and their relationship, probably because there was much more depth to the overall plot. When we first meet Natalya she’s really hardened herself over the years to be able to work undercover like she does. Brandon is one of the few people who is able to see through her, distinguish between her lies and the truth and he doesn’t just accept what she tells him. He starts breaking down all those imaginary walls she’s put up and Natalya lets herself start to think and dream about a future where she can have a family and children and not lead a life that she thought would end in her death sooner rather than later.

For fans of romantic suspense, this is a must read. Natalya and Brandon will have you fanning yourself during some of their scenes together, but those scenes are at first full of desire that lead into a lot of emotion for the couple. This is book 1 in Tori St. Claire’s new series surrounding the Black Opal team and I’m excited to see what’s coming up next.

Release date: January 3, 2012
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Tori St. Claire: Webpage | Facebook | Twitter
Buy Here: Amazon.com | B&N

Series Read: The Bridgerton's - When He Was Wicked

2012-01-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

The

Bridgerton’s

by Julia Quinn

In every life there is a turning point.

A moment so tremendous, so sharp and breathtaking, that one knows one's life will never be the same. For Michael Stirling, London's most infamous rake, that moment came the first time he laid eyes on Francesca Bridgerton.

After a lifetime of chasing women, of smiling slyly as they chased him, of allowing himself to be caught but never permitting his heart to become engaged, he took one look at Francesca Bridgerton and fell so fast and hard into love it was a wonder he managed to remain standing.

Unfortunately for Michael, however, Francesca's surname was to remain Bridgerton for only a mere thirty-six hours longer — the occasion of their meeting was, lamentably, a supper celebrating her imminent wedding to his cousin.

But that was then . . . Now Michael is the earl and Francesca is free, but still she thinks of him as nothing other than her dear friend and confidant. Michael dares not speak to her of his love . . . until one dangerous night, when she steps innocently into his arms, and passion proves stronger than even the most wicked of secrets . . .

“Tell me something wicked…”

Francesca, or Frannie, is happily married to John Stirling. They have a loving marriage and this couple is really a group of three as John’s cousin, Michael, completes their family. He’s Frannie’s close friend and like a brother to John. He’s also madly in love with Francesca. He loves her from a distance because he would never, ever do anything to interfere with his cousin’s happiness. So he suffers silently, loving a woman who will never love him back like he wants and needs. Tragedy comes when John dies suddenly from a brain aneurysm. Frannie and Michael are both devastated and when Frannie needs Michael most, he distances himself. Now, he’s inherited the title of Earl from his cousin, taking over his life and as much as he loves Frannie, he just can’t go there. He can’t be around her, loving her, and be able to offer support. He ends up leaving and travels to India, staying away for four years.

Francesca takes over running the homes and is basically the acting Earl of Kilmartin in Michael’s absence. She mourns her husband for a year, stays in partial mourning for 3 more and decides that finally she’s ready to marry. She wants a child desperately and even though she knows without a doubt that she’ll never find someone to love as much as she loved John, she wants a child. And marriage must come first. She heads to London early before the next season starts and Michael has the same idea, coming home after being gone for so long.

Michael is one interesting guy. He starts out the book with the label of the Merry Rake – a happy-go-lucky, wicked man who’s quick with a smile and known for his rake-ishness. After John’s death, when John’s life pretty much fell into Michael’s lap, he went hard. He’s very dark, harsh at times, and struggles to find his way in making John’s life and responsibilities his own. Francesca misses her friend, but her objective now is finding a husband and Michael is forced once again to imagine what it will be like to see Francesca married to another man, no longer be a Stirling and he faces a future with her not in it at all.

And then they kiss. For Michael it was years coming, for Francesca, it scares her. She fights what she’s feeling for Michael for much of the second part of the book, and if I had one small issue it was with how back and forth she was with him. But through it all the emotion was so high with this story. But what made their relationship stand out and move past John’s ghost was the passion.

His hands settled on her hips. “Or we could just proceed right to the main course,” he said commandingly, exerting a gentle but steady pressure on her, guiding her down toward the evidence of his desire. “You could ride me. Have you ever done that?”

She shook her head.

“Do you want to?”

She nodded.

One of his hands left her hips and found the back of her head, pulling her down until they were nose to nose. “I’m not a gentle pony,” he said softly. “I promise you, you will have to work to keep your seat.”

Holy…, Michael really is wicked and naughty! They were so hot together and it was something new for Francesca, new feelings that she only had with Michael, and this was the ultimate turning point for her and finally coming to terms with her feelings, and love, of Michael.

As a side story for Michael, he’s fighting malaria. His attacks are getting farther and farther apart which is good, but it’s another catalyst for Frannie to realize that he still is sick and nothing in life is certain.

I love the whole Bridgerton family and they aren’t present in this story, but for a few pages with Eloise and Hyacinth. While I did miss the sibling interaction, it was nice to have Frannie and Michael front and center, with very little interruptions as they were trying to figure out their relationship and what they meant to each other.

I’m a big sucker for a tortured hero in love with a woman who takes a long time to love him back. The payoff was sweet for Michael and I so wanted him to find his own happiness and not the happiness that he felt he was taking from John. If you love a lot of angst, heartbreak, emotional characters and a little wickedness in the bedroom (or a library…or a sitting room) you will love Michael and Francesca. It was nice to finally get to know the “forgotten” Bridgerton and to fall in love with a Stirling.

A moment with the youngest Bridgerton, Hyacinth:

“…the earl - ,” Hyacinth cut herself off, turning to her mother. “May I call him Michael?”

“You’ll have to ask him,” Violet replied, taking a bite of eggs.

Hyacinth turned back to Francesca. “He’s been back in London an entire week, and I haven’t even seen him. My friends have been asking me about him, and I don’t have anything to say.”

“It’s not polite to gossip, Hyacinth,” Violet said.

“It isn’t gossip,” Hyacinth retorted. “It’s the honest dissemination of information.”

Francesca actually felt her chin drop, “Mother,” she said, shaking her head, “you really should have stopped at seven.”

“Children, you mean?” Violet asked, sipping at her tea. “Sometimes I do wonder.”

“Mother!” Hyacinth exclaimed

(…)

”It took her eight tries to get it right,” Hyacinth announced…

Publisher: Avon
Julia Quinn: Webpage | Facebook
When He Was Wicked: Amazon.com | B&N

Review - Spirit Bound by Christine Feehan

2012-01-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

Lethal undercover agent Stefan Prakenskii knew a thousand ways to kills a man—and twice as many ways to pleasure a woman. That’s what made him look forward to his new mission: arrive in the coastal town of Sea Haven and insinuate himself in the life of an elusive beauty who had mysterious ties to his past, and a link to a dangerously seductive, and equally elusive master criminal who wanted only one thing: to possess her.

Judith Henderson was an artist on the rise—an ethereal, and haunted woman whose own picture-perfect beauty stirred the souls of two men who have made her their obsession. For years she has been waiting for someone to come and unlock the passion and fire within her—waiting for the right man to surrender it to. But only one man can survive her secrets, and the shadow she has cast over both their lives.

The Drake Sisters series remains one of my favorites by Christine Feehan (Jonas and Hannah’s story is my most reread by far…ah Jonas!). The idea behind this series is each book follows one of 7 sisters, each with their own special talent. The youngest of seven sisters will in turn have 7 daughters, and the legacy continues. One of the Drake sisters married Ilya Prakenskii, the youngest of 7 brothers – brothers who were scattered and separated at young ages when their parents were murdered. SPIRIT BOUND is book 2 in the spin off series, Sisters of the Heart, which follows a group of 6 women, all with special talents, most surrounding the manipulation of elements, who will all end up crossing paths in the small town of Sea Haven with the other 6 Prakenskii brothers.

Book 1, WATER BOUND, introduced us to Lev Prakenskii and Rikki, an autistic woman, who had a hard time letting Lev into her life, when order and routine is her main source of comfort. I enjoyed their story and was eager to get to know the next Prakenskii in SPIRIT BOUND. Stefan is drawn to Sea Haven for a couple reasons. One of his “targets” is a man suspected of having a microchip with information on it, information that Stefan’s older brother almost died trying to protect. This man is evil x1000 and is obsessed with Judith, a woman he met, became obsessed with and ended up torturing and killing her brother. Judith fled to the U.S., met the other women who all also survived horrible tragedies and they relocated to Sea Haven, to run a working farm and be a strong support system for their family. Stefan suspects that Judith may have the chip but he doesn’t know if she’s innocent or as guilty as his primary suspect. He’s also given additional orders that an assassin is in Sea Haven looking to draw Lev out. Stefan suspects he’s being used to be the one that actually draws out Lev, or Levi as he’s going by now, but he there anyway to warn his brother and find the chip.

Judith’s emotions not only impact her strongly, but also those around her, often influencing people and their own emotions, making them act out in ways they normally wouldn’t. She tries to keep a tight leash on her emotions, only feeling them fully when she paints and creates kaleidoscopes. Stefan sees her paintings and is hit with all her emotions and can pick up scenes from her past that the emotions came from. It’s a way for them to connect, and recognize each other as their other half.

Where this story really lacked for me was the pacing. There’s a lot of inner dialogue with Stefan and Judith. They think over everything and it really dragged the story down. I had a hard time staying in the scene with the characters during these moments, and wanted to hurry and get through them to get back to actual dialogue and action.

Stefan was also a hard hero for me enjoy. He says many times that he’s never had a real relationship before, and that I fully understood. He grew up in training camps where beatings were common place and also looking over your shoulder was second nature, even expecting friends to stab you in the back if the occasion called for it. He used his body as a weapon, in all regards, sleeping with women to get the information he needed. So when Judith comes along and the real Stefan starts to come out and experience feelings for the first time in his life, he’s not quite sure what to do. But he does a few things that really put me off towards him. He lies to Judith, even when Lev tells him repeatedly that to build a relationship you have to tell the truth. And Lev (I liked him more and more in this one) he tells Rikki the truth, about everything. He has no desire to keep anything from her, and advises Stefan to do the same. But, when Stefan started drugging Judith at night so he could sneak out and hunt the assassin with Lev (who TOLD Rikki what he was doing every night) that was pretty much it. I didn’t try to keep an open mind with Stefan from that point on. I’m all for flawed heroes, it makes their story all the better when they can struggle beyond whatever is in their lives to find happiness, but Stefan just wasn’t that hero for me in this one. I’m not sure if I’m more annoyed that he drugged Judith, or that she very easily forgave the lying and in the end everything else that Stefan struggled with during their whirlwind romance.

I was completely satisfied that at least two of the Prakenskii brothers reconnected in this book. In book 1, I kept waiting and waiting for Lev and Ilya to cross paths, but it never happened. Ilya is in fact, MIA in this book as well, but I did enjoy the scenes when Stefan and Lev got to know each other again. It wasn’t all happiness and sunshine when they saw each other for the first time, each not sure if they could trust the other person, but they slowly let their guards down, and it does make me interested to see all the other Prakenskii’s eventually show up, and hopefully by the last book, they’ll all be settled in Sea Haven.

Overall, this book just didn’t grab me at all. There were a few moments when I felt really into the story, and I did like the scenes with Judith and her sisters, and of course Lev and Stefan. But the main romance didn’t pull me in at all. I would recommend reading book 1 in this series, WATER BOUND, but this one could be skipped. I’m sticking with this series for now, my interest in the sisters is still high – I want to know the remaining backstories and what they’ve each gone through and I am curious about who the next Prakenskii brother will be that shows up in Sea Haven.

Release date: December 27, 2011
Publisher: Jove
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