Author: Kimberly

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Winter Romance Wednesday! Kimberly reviews Christmas in Snowflake Canyon by RaeAnne Thayne

Christmas in Snowflake CanyonTITLE: Christmas in Snowflake Canyon
SERIES #: Hope’s Crossing #6
CHARACTERS: Genevieve & Dylan
AUTHOR: RaeAnne Thayne
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/29/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
No one has ever felt sorry for Genevieve Beaumont. After all, she has everything money can buy. That is, until she discovers her fiancé has been two-timing her and she’s left with two choices: marry the philanderer to please her controlling father or be disinherited and find a means to support herself.

Genevieve’s salvation appears in the most unlikely of prospects: Dylan Caine, a sexy, wounded war vet whose life is as messy as hers. Dylan’s struggling to adjust after his time in Afghanistan, and the last thing he needs is a spoiled socialite learning about the real world for the first time. True, she may have unexpected depths and beauty to match. But he knows he could never be the man she needs…and she knows he could never be the man she thinks she wants. So why are they each hoping that a Christmas miracle willl prove them both wrong?

REVIEW:
4.25 Hearts What a delightful holiday romance. This story has all the good feelings of the holiday season as well as a romance that will melt any heart. I loved watching the character of Gen morph into the woman that the reader knows she will be by the end of the book. While she iz used to the finer things in life it is her heart that is made of gold.

Dylan is sweet and charming this is not his story. It is Gen’s. The reader wants them together but not because she has fallen for Dylan but she wants Gen to triumph. Ok yes maybe there are others out there that won’t agree but it is my review after all.

Looking for a holiday romance to curl up in front of the fire with? This one is it.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Hearts
4 Hearts
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Kimberly reviews Holding Out For A Hero by Amy Andrews

holding out for a heroTITLE: Holding Out For A Hero
CHARACTERS: Ella & Jake
AUTHOR: Amy Andrews
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/15/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Holding Out For A Hero
When sensible schoolteacher Ella Lucas rides into her home town on a Harley and seduces the resident football hero, Jake Prince, she figures she can be forgiven and move on. After all, she’s just buried her mother.

Two years later, back in the city, their paths cross again but this time Jake is in the process of destroying her favourite dive bar. With her home facing a wrecker’s ball, her school being closed down and her 15-year-old brother hell bent on self-destruction, it’s the last straw. Throw in a dominatrix best friend who is dating a blue ribbon guy so straight he still lives at home with his mother, it’s no wonder the sanest person in Ella’s life is a dog.

With all this to contend with, the last thing Ella needs is Jake back in her life. But, as fate would have it, Jake is the only chance she has to save her school.

As the school football season heats up, old secrets threaten to surface and Ella takes on greedy developers, school boards and national tabloids. But can she save not just her home, her school and her brother, but also the reputation of the man she’s never been able to forget? And, more importantly, does she want to?

Holding Out for a Hero is a quirky, heartwarming tale of unlikely romance, friendship and family.

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts I enjoyed this story. It was a bit of a different storyline than usual. It was a bit wordy with the same things over and over and I am not sure there was much chemistry between the characters but somehow the story worked.

Ella has just about everything coming at her that you can imagine and there is a bit of background between Ella and Jake so it makes sense they connect again but it was odd how at some points the author wrote that the characters had a connection even in youth and then other times that they barely talked to each other growing up.

But it is a heart touching story that turns out to have a HEA.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

3hearts-68-77

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Kimberly reviews Captive by A.D. Robertson

captiveTITLE: Captive: The Forbidden Side Of Nightshade
CHARACTERS: Sarah & Tristan
AUTHOR: A.D. Robertson
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/22/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The first adult novel set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Nightshade series, Captive delivers a steamy, forbidden romance between sworn enemies drawn together by an irrepressible desire.

Twenty-five-year-old Tristan Doran enjoys a life of incredible power and privilege. As a direct descendant of the Keepers—witches who have embraced dark magic—he defers to no one but his overlord, Lord Bosque Mar. For most of his life, Tristan has been kept out of the centuries-old Witches War, his bloodline too valuable to risk in battle.

But when a beautiful, young human Searcher named Sarah is captured and made a prisoner in his Irish castle, Tristan’s infatuation with her flings him headlong into the fray. Captive and captor, unable to contain their longing, embark on a passionate, forbidden romance together—only to learn that their love is at the heart of a prophecy predicting the downfall of the Keepers’ ages-old reign.

Captive explores the darker side of the richly imagined Nightshade universe, a fantasy world of powerful dark witches, shape-shifting wolf warriors, and fascinating history. The first of three erotic novels, Captive delves deeply into the fiery, illicit romance of two young lovers whose very desires invite their doom.

REVIEW:
2.5 Hearts Ok so here is the deal. I have no idea what Nightshade is and what it is all about. I’ve never heard of it so even though it has Nightshade in it’s title I didn’t realize it was referring to a series by someone else. So when I started this book I was lost. Totally completely lost. I have no idea who the characters are or what they do. There are a bunch of titles like Guardian, Arrow, Keepers, etc and it was just too much to try and comprehend.

I also could not get excited about Tristan. Honestly he seems like a wuss. Sarah is the one who wears the pants in this relationship and that just doesn’t work for me. And while I can see where the sex scenes are plenty I really am not sure I would say this is erotica. Based on the information that Nightshade is a YA series I can understand it being classified as Adult and not for YA readers but erotica? Nope.

Based on all that I tried to enjoy it. I just couldn’t.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

2hearts

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Kimberly reviews Cinderella Screwed Me Over by Cindi Madsen

Cinderella Screwed me overTITLE: Cinderella Screwed Me Over
CHARACTERS: Darby & Jake
AUTHOR: Cindi Madsen
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/22/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Darby Quinn has a bone to pick with Cinderella. Burned one too many times by ex-boyfriends, Darby has lost all belief in the happily-ever-after that the fairy-tale princess promised her. She’s sworn off love, Prince Charmings, and happy endings and she’s happy about it. Really. Or at least she was…until she met Jake, her gorgeous neighbor and the manager of her favorite restaurant. But Darby has rules about dating, ones she’s culled from her years spent with so-called “princes,” and starting something with Jake would break all of them.

Charming, fun, and unwilling to give up on her, Jake doesn’t fit any of the profiles Darby has created from her case studies of ex-princes-gone-bad. Finally presented with her own Prince Charming, can Darby take a chance on a happily-ever-after?

Full of wit and sarcastic humor, Cinderella Screwed Me Over proves that sometimes the perfect love, like a perfect pair of shoes, is just within your grasp.

REVIEW:
I enjoyed this story. I will be honest and say it was not exactly what I expected but I found myself wanting to read every word. Ironically enough while reading the story a friend posted a comment about Disney princesses not being a bad role model for little girls and I found myself commenting back that while the girls were strong the stories gave an unrealistic view of relationships. Once I realized what I was writing I realized that this is what makes a good book. One that makes you think and yet you still enjoy it.

Now there were somethings that I had a hard time with. First there was just too much “I can’t break my rules for him. He makes me want to break my rules. etc”. Darby is a bit too cynical if you ask me. Honestly the relationships she describes are not all that horrible and are something that most women have been through at some point (or know of a friend who has been through it) and yet Darby feels these are reasons to stop trying. I actually thought there would be a moral. Something like learning from the past means you find what you don’t want so it is worth it, blah, blah but it never came. Also based on the title I expected more humor. I thought there would be some silliness but there is not. There is snide humor and almost a sad humor sometimes but not a fun humor.

Ok now do not get me wrong. Yes there are some flaws but the story is good and if you enjoy the Disney Princesses then you will enjoy the connection and actually wonder what “prince” catagory your ex-boyfriends fall into.

PS: I wonder if the author purposely used the name Darby which is a character in the new Winnie The Pooh and Friends show…. Was she trying to subconsciously tell the reader the best guy to love is a teddy bear? hmmm… or is that just me being cynical?

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Hearts
4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews Red Hot Dragon by Lolita Lopez

Red Hot DragonTITLE: Red Hot Dragon
SERIES #: Dragon Heat #2
CHARACTERS: Avani & Griffin
AUTHOR: Lolita Lopez
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/01/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Griffin Cadogan is shocked to see Avani Monroe, sworn enemy of his dragon family, walk into his gym. With his mating phase soon approaching, Griffin is curious as to why she has to come enemy territory knowing the risks. Not only does she surprise Griffin and his cousin, Mad, by coming to enemy territory, but what she wants is borderline insane-Griffin must help her have a baby.

After her mother’s line was annihilated by the Knights, Avani accepted her duty to ensure the continuation of their unique dragon breed. She’s searched the dragon registries and Griffin is the most likely candidate for her crazy plan. Working up the courage to approach a man who considers her an enemy wasn’t easy but she manages to calmly lay out her carefully orchestrated plan.

But Griffin isn’t about to agree to her harsh terms. If she wants him to father her child, he intends to play an active role in his offspring’s life, not simply walk away as she requires. Shocked by her instant attraction to him, she agrees to his terms. Once together, they realize their connection is about more than creating a child, but that happiness is short-lived when Mad suddenly disappears. Knowing the dragon slayers are behind it, Griffin must risk it all to save the ones he loves.

REVIEW:
This is a very short story of about only 80 pages but somehow the author gets the full story into these pages. The characters connect immediately and while there is a bit of drama most of it is romance. I enjoy the dragon shape-shifters. Until the first in the series I had not read a dragon shape-shifter but it is different and enjoyable.

This is a great short paranormal romance to have ready to read between books and while second in the series it can be read as a stand alone.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Hearts
4 Hearts

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Winter Romance Wednesday! Kimberly reviews Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas by Sugar Jamison

have yourself a curvy christmasTITLE: Have Yourself A Curvy Little Christmas
SERIES #: A Perfect Fit #1.5
CHARACTERS: Dina & Ben
AUTHOR: Sugar Jamison
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/01/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A Special Holiday Novella!

On the first day of Christmas, Dina Gregory, former wild child and prodigal daughter returns home to New York on a mission. Finding her young son’s father and making him take responsibility for the child he created is the only thing on her wish list. But instead of finding the man she was looking for she runs into his stuffy older brother Ben.

Ben has never liked Dina, but being trapped together on the holidays allows him to see a different side of her. She brings back his Christmas spirit and in the process reminds him what it feels like to love. Dina’s past makes her wary of falling in love, but Ben is determined to make her stay as his permanent Christmas gift.

REVIEW:
I love the way that Sugar Jamison writes. Having read Dangerous Curves Ahead I couldn’t wait to read this story even before I knew what/who it was about and I was not disappointed. The story is sweet and has the true holiday spirit in every page.

I also enjoyed the bit of karma in the pages. We met Dina in the first book and she was skinny spoiled woman and here she comes back after having a baby and has gained more weight than she wanted to. So it was nice to see her kind of see the other side of the weight issue.

Thank you Sugar Jamison for giving us such great characters to enjoy!

Disclaimer:
The following review is my opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts
4 Hearts

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Kelly reviews First Exposure by Elisabeth Naughton

first exposureTITLE: First Exposure
SERIES #: Aegis Security 0.5
CHARACTERS: Cade Blackwell & Avery Scott
AUTHOR: Elisabeth Naughton
PUBLICATION DATE: Oct 1, 2013
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A film that could make her career…

America’s sweetheart, Avery Scott, is up for the biggest role of her life, one with Oscar potential. When her girl-next-door fame prevents Avery from doing the in-depth research for the sensual role herself, her assistant insists on traveling to an exclusive couples resort to handle the job. But when her friend goes missing, Avery’s focus shifts from landing the role of a lifetime to finding out what happened on the sultry Caribbean island.

A weekend that will change her life…

Avery contacts Aegis Securities and hires one of their elite operatives to accompany her to the resort. She just doesn’t expect to get former undercover FBI agent Cade Blackwell—the man who ripped out her teenage heart twelve years before. Avery’s a good actress. With a little work and a convincing disguise, she’s confident she can fool the staff at the resort. The question is…can she fool Cade? Because one weekend at the sexiest resort in the world with the only man she’s ever loved will expose her to more than just a kinky new lifestyle. It’ll expose her to numerous wicked firsts that will test every ounce of her self-control. And if she’s not careful, she could lose her heart—and her life—in the process.

Author note: First Exposure is part of the Wicked Firsts anthology. It can be purchased as part of the multi-author box set or individually.

REVIEW:
This was a fun yet gut wrenching story. But that being said this is a novella so my review will be short and sweet and that I am looking forward to the first full length in the Aegis Security series.
Avery & Cade have a past. It might not have been glamorous. But the secrets that each are keeping from each other maybe too much to handle. But they will both have to learn to work together in order to make it off the island alive. Will they be able to put the past behind them long enough?
You will have to pick up a copy of First Exposure to find out.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts
4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews Gabriel’s Outlaw by Sandra Chastain

Gabriels OutlawTITLE: Gabriel’s Outlaw
CHARACTERS: Jessie & Gabriel
AUTHOR: Sandra Chastain
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/14/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Jessie James gets more than she bargained for when she agrees to participate in her hometown’s Gold Rush Days celebration. She’s supposed to lead a historical reenactment of a wagon train delivering gold to the capitol building in Atlanta. But after an anonymous phone call tips off a planned robbery, the governor sends someone to protect the payload—the man who broke Jessie’s heart. And when he strides into her bar, looking tempting in his cowboy boots and jeans, Jessie is consumed by righteous fury . . . and overwhelming desire.

Haunted by old memories of the sexy, enigmatic Jessie, Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Gabriel St. Clair isn’t too keen on returning home. His goal is to complete his assignment and skip town as soon as possible. But there’s no way Gabriel will be able to make a clean getaway once he feels the pull of the fierce daredevil he loved and lost.

REVIEW:
2.5 Hearts Well I really didn’t enjoy this story. While I usually enjoy these re-releases, even though some sections are dated, this one just didn’t have the same appeal.

The characters didn’t have any chemistry. The story was different but it didn’t flow very well. There are some dated sections but not many. The problem wasn’t the time period but the story itself I am sad to say.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

2hearts

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Kelly reviews First Rapture by Alexandra Ivy

first raptureTITLE: First Rapture
SERIES #: Rapture #1
CHARACTERS: Luc Angeli & Madison Philips
AUTHOR: Alexandra Ivy
PUBLICATION DATE: Sept 28, 2013
ORDER LINKS: Amazon| B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
FROM NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER the first book in a new erotic series.

Madison Philips has only one reason to return to Las Vegas: Luc Angeli. The tall, dark bad boy took her virginity on her eighteenth birthday and then walked away, now she’s back, and ready for revenge. Luc Angeli spent his youth trying to earn the approval of his philandering father. Now he’s his own man, but there’s still something missing from his life. He doesn’t know what it is until he catches sight of Madison across a balcony. Suddenly he knows this woman is what he’s been searching for, and this time he’s not walking away.
Approximately: 20,000 words
Author note: First Surrender is part of the Wicked Firsts anthology. It can be purchased as part of the multi-author box set or individually.

REVIEW:
Who doesn’t love a chance at second love? But what do you do when you want revenge more?
This was a great story. I don’t want to give too much away since this was novella. But I did love Luc & Madison’s story. I loved the strength of both characters. I do wish the story was a little longer, I would love to learn more about Luc’s past. And I would love to see what the future holds for these two. I hope that Ms. Ivy revisits them soon.
If you are looking for a quick, steamy read filled with love, torment and forgiveness you need to pick up a copy of First Rapture.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts
4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews First Bite by Danie Harper

First BiteTITLE: First Bite
SERIES #: Dark Wolf #1
CHARACTERS: Neva & Travis
AUTHOR: Dani Harper
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/15/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Geneva “Neva” Ross doesn’t want to die. But now that she’s been turned into a werewolf against her will, she’ll do anything to protect her family and friends…even if that means taking her own life.

After witnessing Neva’s leap from a high ledge, Travis Williamson—a Changeling with a dark past—uses his powers to save her life. He feels a connection to the strong-willed woman whose eyes flash that familiar Changeling green. While Neva is hospitalized, Travis risks everything to kidnap her, knowing the approaching full moon will put everyone in jeopardy.

Bickering constantly to hide their growing attraction, Travis and Neva run from the authorities…and from Neva’s sinister sire, Meredith de la Ronde. Meredith delights in creating new shape-shifters and compelling them to do her dark bidding; now Neva must join Meredith’s murderous wolf pack…or die.

Intensely suspenseful with deliciously sexy twists, this paranormal romance—the first in (the title of series)—intertwines sensual passion with an epic, thrilling battle between good and evil.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts This is an interesting story of werewolves/Changlings (you will understand that when you read the book). It is different in not only is there shapeshifters but also a bit of magic. What I really appreciated was that Neva became a shapeshifter but had a hard time with it. Her character references what she has seen on movies and tv and is scared. So many of these books the person is turned and 2 pages later they are fine with it. But really wouldn’t you be freaked with a bunch of questions?

I liked Travis too but he is not the alpha wolf so many of these books are known for. He is the lone wolf. They bicker a lot and I am not sure the chemistry is there as much as the need for each other is. But I liked them.

I am guessing this is not the end of the story since this is the first in the series so it will be interesting to see where the author takes the next one.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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