Author: Kimberly

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Kelly reviews How Beauty Met the Beast by Jax Garren

TITLE: How Beauty Met the Beast
SERIES: Tales of the Underlight #1
AUTHOR: Jax Garren
PUBLICATION DATE: 11.19.12
Characters: Wesley “Hauk” Haukon & Jolie Beniot
ORDER LINKS:Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The Beast

Scarred. Damaged. Living with a terrible secret. Agent of the Underlight Wesley “Hauk” Haukon has nothing left but the fight for liberty against the oppressive Order of Ananke. He’s starting to lose hope…and then he sees her.

The Beauty

Despite her night job as a burlesque dancer, grad student Jolie Benoit has always played the mostly good girl. That all changes following a scorching sexual encounter with a stranger whose face she doesn’t see. After she’s kidnapped by thugs and rescued by a man with a very familiar voice, Jolie becomes a pawn in a struggle she never knew existed.

Hauk knows he cannot have her, and resolves to protect his heart and his secrets. But as they work together and grow closer, he finds new reason to keep fighting. Dare he risk hope in a new life, one where Jolie can see past his ravaged face and where their friendship can grow into something more?

38,000 words

REVIEW:
3.5 Stars ~ I really liked this novella and since it is a novella I will keep my review short.

After a most unexpected encounter Hauk & Jolie find themselves thrown together in unknown ways. They must learn to trust each other in order to survive.

Jolie is beautiful and trustworthy.

Hauk is scarred and damaged.

But they form a relationship that slowly breaks down all barriers between what you see and what you feel.

Jax does a great job of getting us 100% invested in these two and then leaves us hanging with the friendship card swinging between them. Can’t wait to see what book 2 has in store for our Beauty and Beast.

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.

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Kimberly reviews Flirting Under A Full Moon by Ahlyn Chase

TITLE: Flirting Under A Full Moon
SERIES #: Flirting With Fangs Trilogy #1
CHARACTERS: Brandee & Nick
AUTHOR: Ahlyn Chase
PUBLICATION DATE: 04/02/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
If Brandee Hanson ever wants to go from waitress to photographer, she’ll have to take some once-in-a-lifetime shots. But when she catches the gorgeous private investigator, Nick Wolfensen, on camera— transforming into a werewolf—she is thrown into a world of vampires, shapeshifters, and other paranormal misfits.

In order to keep his secret and stay clear of the supernatural council, Nick will have to convince Brandee not to release the photo. Fortunately, he was looking for an excuse to spend more time with the beautiful waitress anyway.

REVIEW:
Well I didn’t love this book but I didn’t hate it either. The synopsis really doesn’t explain what the book is about clearly. There is an interesting story that is told but nothing ever seemed to click.

The book was written in almost a YA style even though it is not. The characters never seemed to really connect. The characters in the background weren’t over the top interesting and it also seemed to have a feel that we missed a book somewhere when it talks about Nick’s twin brother and his wife but this is the first in the series so obviously we didn’t. However it is not the first book for the author so maybe their story was told in another book or series.

I want to say I liked the book. I read it in a day even though it was over 300 pages so it had me interested I am just not sure it would ever be a book I recommend.

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

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Kimberly reviews Dream Seeker by Storm Savage

TITLE: Dream Seeker
AUTHOR: Storm Savage
PUBLICATION DATE: 11/01/12
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
These men don’t drink female blood to survive—they need it to regain virility and for the sexual high!

Gorgeous rock stars sweep into major cities and seduce women of their choosing. Commoners call them vampires, but they see themselves as cursed men, not vampires. They don’t need blood to survive. They drink female blood to reverse a spell cast upon them by a scorned lover who took her own life decades ago. While deep-sea diving in Spain, they were attacked by a vicious creature and rendered impotent by her bite. Women’s blood is a sexual enhancement aid to them.

Blackmailed into a marriage of convenience at eighteen, Angel deems herself the world’s oldest virgin living outside a convent. Her thirty-year fantasy involving a special rock star leads her into unexpected territory. Savaant is everything she dreamt of and more. His sweet and sexy ways are irresistible and she surrenders to his powerful seduction. Can she accept what he is when the truth unfolds about his curse? Will she be able to hold her own in his precarious world and travel with him to his tropical island home?

REVIEW:
3.5 Stars ~ The first thing I want to say is that this book does not end. It is part 1 of 2 (I believe) so the end of the book is more like a intermission. I am not sure why I liked this book but I did for some reason. The characters have chemistry and it made me want to keep reading even though the writing is not all that great. I have to say the story is a little weird really but there is something about it. I just wish I knew what it was so I could explain it.

The story is only about 100 pages so it is a short read that really catches the attention. It is really not a vampire story even though it has the same characteristics. Savaant is written in such a way it is hard not to enjoy him.

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

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Kimberly reviews Let The Dead Sleep by Heather Graham

TITLE: Let The Dead Sleep
CHARACTERS: Michael & Danni
AUTHOR: Heather Graham
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/26/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
It was stolen from a New Orleans grave – the centuries-old bust of an evil man, a demonic man. It’s an object desired by collectors – and by those with wickedness in their hearts.

One day, its current owner shows up at Danni Cafferty’s antiques shop on Royal Street, the shop she inherited from her father. But before Danni can buy the statue, it disappears, the owner is found dead…and Danni discovers that she’s inherited much more than she realized. In the store is a book filled with secret writing: instructions for defeating evil entities. She’d dismissed it as a curiosity…until the arrival of this statue, with its long history of evil and even longer trail of death.

Michael Quinn, former cop and now private investigator, is a man with an unusual past. He believes that doing the right thing isn’t a job – it’s a way of life. And the right thing to do is find and destroy this object weighted with malevolent powers. He and Danni are drawn together in their search for the missing statue, following it through sultry New Orleans nights to hidden places in the French Quarter and secret ceremonies on abandoned plantations.

Cafferty and Quinn already know that trust in others can be misplaced, that love can be temporary. And yet their connection is primal. Mesmerizing. They also know that their story won’t end when this case is closed and the dead rest in peace once again.

REVIEW:
As with most of Grahams books the history that she researches is above and beyond. The history that she finds out makes the reader want to head out on vacation to one of her locations. However, while I am usually a big fan of Grahams this book just did nothing for me. The characters never seemed to click at all. The story really never clicked either. Yes it has an interesting storyline something is just off about it.

Usually when I read a book by Graham I can not figure out the who-dun-it but I had pretty much everything figured out which was a disappointment. I am not sure if this is part of a series but the ending was not what I wanted either. The best part of the story is Wolf, Michael’s dog, who steals every scene he is in.

As with all of Grahams books the writing is done well and the basic story is good unfortunately it is just lacking this go round.

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

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Kimberly reviews For All Of Her Life by Heather Graham

TITLE: For All Of Her Life
CHARACTERS: Kathy & Jordan
AUTHOR: Heather Graham
PUBLICATION DATE: 11/20/12
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Sometimes our exes are exactly how we remember them. Sometimes they’re better . . .

Kathy and Jordan Treveryan used to have everything. They fronted the enormously successful rock band Blue Heron, they had two beautiful daughters, and they had a passionate marriage. But life as they knew it came to an abrupt end when their bandmate, Keith, was killed in an apparently accidental fire. Soon after, the band and their marriage fell apart.

In this tale of unstoppable love, Jordan pursues Kathy as he tries to reunite the band and lay to rest the mysterious circumstances of Keith’s death. And while Kathy finds herself torn between her current boyfriend and her lingering feelings for her ex-husband, romance reignites—and the exes may even unravel the truth behind what made them separate so long ago.

REVIEW:
This is a re-release from 1995. I enjoy Heather Graham very much but apparently not her old stuff. The characters never seemed to connect. The ex-husband was just rude. I can’t imagine that any female reader would fall for this guy and want him to win the girl. Kathy on the other hand is pathetic. She has a chance at a life but for some reason only wants to be with her ex and why she would want that is beyond me.

Seeing as this was written 2 decades ago maybe that made the difference but I think I will stick with the current reads from Graham from now on.

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

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Kimberly reviews Rules Of Entanglement by Gina L. Maxwell

TITLE: Rules Of Entanglement
SERIES #: Fighting For Love #2
CHARACTERS: Vanessa & Jax
AUTHOR: Gina L. Maxwell
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/31/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Seven days. And seven rules to break…

District Attorney Vanessa McGregor firmly believes that structure and order are the stuff that dreams are made of. Happiness can be planned – and it starts with seven rules she’s laid out for her future. But as she’s organizing her best friend’s wedding in Hawaii, all of Vanessa’s best-laid plans are about to meet their match in a wickedly hot MMA fighter…

Jackson “Jax” Maris is focused on surfing, training and fighting. That is, until he opens up his big mouth, and finds himself having to pretend he’s engaged to his little sister’s best friend, Vanessa. When they’re forced to share a romantic bungalow, however, their little charade suddenly takes a turn for the seriously sexy. And while Jax is definitely not part of Vanessa’s long-term plan, he has seven days – and seven naughty nights – to turn her seven-rule plan upside down

REVIEW:
I didn’t want to miss a word of this story. I thought with it being such a long story there might be a lot of repeating itself but there really wasn’t. I enjoyed the connected between Jax and Vanessa. V is such an interesting character and I loved her snideness. She is written very well. Jax is just a great guy. Man I wish there were more guys like him in the world. He has a romantic sweet side but will also fight for his woman and will even not fight for her (you will understand that when you read the book).

I think anyone who enjoys a true love romance then this is the book for you. It has a bit of everything but the best part is Jax. There is something about that man… Yum. The book is a bit long but as I said before I really didn’t want to miss a word of it. A true fan of romance will enjoy this story.

I did not read the first in the series but will go back and read it now because Lucie and Reid sound like they had a great story too. But you do not need to read that one to read this book.

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

4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews No Foolin’ by Lisa Scott

TITLE: No Foolin’
SERIES #: Willowdale Romance #1
CHARACTERS: Kate & Teague
AUTHOR: Lisa Scott
PUBLICATION DATE: 12/04/12
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Welcome to Willowdale, North Carolina, a small town where the folks are friendly, the romances are as sweet as the tea, and the biddies at the diner gobble up gossip like it’s peach cobbler. This may be their biggest scoop ever.

When sexy Hollywood bad-boy Teague “T-Rex” Reynolds comes to this quiet Southern town, he needs a fake girlfriend to hide the secret that brought him there. School nurse Kate Riley takes the job, but she won’t fall for a movie star, no ma’am. That’s fine with Teague. He hung a closed sign on his heart years ago.

Convincing the press they’re in love is one thing. Fooling each other they’re not is getting harder each day. Despite scandal, heartache, and misunderstandings galore, they might just find the sweet thrill of true love. Book one of The Willowdale Romances.

REVIEW:
3.5 Stars ~ This is a cute story. I enjoyed Teague and Kate a lot. The relationship they have it very sweet. I am not sure that I think this book is “upbeat” though for most of it. Kate (and her sister) have a very low self-esteem which you can understand given their history but it is a bit of a downer after a while. I actually started to feel sad for them both. I wanted Kate to have a least some confidence in herself but other than the fact that she knows she can “always make things work out one way to another” she has very little confidence in herself.

However, she also almost has a childlike quality when she learns new things. She is really a interesting character in some ways good and some ways bad but still interesting. Teague is sweet and loving but he also has a youthfulness about him that should not be there for his age. He knows he is not what the papers say he is but he is not sure he can be what he wants to be. I am not sure how he supposedly got all the money he has since he is not a big time actor yet but, hey, I don’t know how Hollywood works. But, anyway, I liked him.

I really didn’t care about the background story of Kate’s pregnant sister. She was so needy and scared of life that, again, it was a bit of a downer but I understand it needed to be there to enhance Kate’s story.

Do not get me wrong. I liked the book. I truly enjoyed the day reading it and think anyone who enjoys the romance genre will enjoy it too.

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

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Kimberly reviews The Love Shack by Christie Ridgway

TITLE: The Love Shack
SERIES #: Beach House No.9 #3
CHARACTERS: Skye & Gage
AUTHOR: Christie Ridgway
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/26/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Globe-trotting photojournalist Gage Lowell spent carefree childhood summers in Crescent Cove. Now that he desperately needs some R & R, he books a vacation at Beach House No. 9—ready to soak up some sun and surprise old friend and property manager Skye Alexander. Their long-distance letters got him through a dangerous time he can’t otherwise talk about. But when

he arrives, the tightly wound beauty isn’t exactly happy to see him.

Skye knows any red-blooded woman would be thrilled to spend time with gorgeous, sexy Gage. But she harbors secrets of her own, including that she might just be a little bit in love with him. And she’s convinced the restless wanderer won’t stay long enough for her to dare share her past—or dream of a future together. Luckily for them both, summer at Crescent Cove has a way of making the impossible happen…

REVIEW:
This is the last in the Beach House No. 9 trilogy and I think it might have been the best of the three. Beach House No. 9 is magical or so the summer visitors say and with this last book in the series they might be right.

Gage returns back for a harrowing experience overseas to the woman he believes to be a friend and pen-pal but there is something more. Something that each of them is dealing with internally and while they tell each other almost everything in their letters both don’t want to share the experiences even though doing so would help them both heal and that is where the beach and the house come in.

I have always enjoyed Ridgway’s book and this was no exception. There is something about Gage and Skye that pulls you in. Maybe it is because we have been a part of their correspondence every since book one in the series or maybe it is just that Ridgway writes a couple that are meant to be together.

While you can read this on its own I would suggest starting with book one. There is a number of things in this book that wrap up the stories from the first and second in the series and I think you will miss the feeling of completion without reading all of them. And trust me it is no burden to read Ridgway’s books.

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

4 Hearts

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Jennifer reviews Timber Creek by Veronica Wolff

TITLE: Timber Creek
AUTHOR: Veronica Wolff
PUBLICATION DATE: 12/31/12
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
For Laura Bailey it wasn’t easy weathering her teen years at her quaint family lodge in a boondock town at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Fleeing for San Francisco the minute she graduated high school seemed like a good idea-until she lost her job and her fiance. The blow to her pride sent her back to Sierra Falls to figure out her life. But her hometown is undergoing a bit of renovation.

A new Sierra Falls resort is posing a threat to the Bailey family business. Even worse, the construction company developing the property is run by Eddie Jessup, Laura’s cocky high school nemesis who delighted in locking horns with the little spitfire. Some things never change. But their battle isn’t the only thing heating up between Laura and Eddie, and before long they realize that getting to know each other all over again has its rewards. But fate isn’t through with them. Nor are the games men and women play in the name of love.

REVIEW:
This is the second book in the Sierra Falls series and I loved this book so much better than the first one, Sierra Falls. Laura was a young woman who had lost her prestigious job and boyfriend forcing her to come back home to the place she desperately wanted to get away from as a teenager. She didn’t seem very nice in the beginning of this story because she was constantly yelling at everyone and was impatient with most of the staff at her family’s lodge. But I connected with this character because I could see that she put up this barrier to try to prove to people that she had it all together when inside she felt like a failure. She never really felt as though she was good enough growing up and when Eddie started working for her family’s competition, she did everything in her power to stop the construction. The family business was the only thing that she had left to focus her energy on and she couldn’t let that be destroyed.

I loved Eddie because he was sweet, funny and just a great guy that any girl would want for a boyfriend. He had been trying so hard to get Laura to see him in a romantic light and even though he was working on the construction for the new spa, he was never upset with Laura even though she brought up several issues about his work permit at every turn. They were the perfect match for each other even though it took longer for Laura to realize that she had everything she needed to be happy in Sierra Falls right in front of her.

I love small town romances and Veronica Wolff does a wonderful job creating characters that you can fall in love with. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the Sierra Falls series and I have a feeling that I know who the lucky characters are that will find their true happiness next.

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

4 Hearts
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Kelly reviews Midnight Sacrifice by Melinda Leigh

TITLE: Midnight Sacrifice
SERIES: Midnight #2
CHARACTERS: Danny Sullivan & Mandy Brown
AUTHOR: Melinda Leigh
PUBLICATION DATE: April 16, 2013
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
One by one, people are mysteriously disappearing from a small Maine town. Four months ago, a ruthless murderer killed two people and kidnapped three more, including Danny Sullivan’s sister, who barely escaped. Unfortunately so did the killer, vanishing without a trace into the vast wilderness. When the police fail to find his sister’s captor, Danny returns to Maine to hunt him down. He begins his search with another survivor, bed and breakfast owner Mandy Brown, but her refusal to cooperate raises Danny’s suspicions. What is the beautiful innkeeper hiding? Mandy Brown has a secret. But sexy Danny Sullivan, his relentless questions, and the desire that simmers between them threaten to expose the truth. A revelation that puts her family in danger. As more people disappear, it becomes clear the killer is planning another ritual?and that he’s circling in on Mandy.

REVIEW:

***WARNING***
4.5 Stars
If you have not read Midnight Exposure you should stop here. While I try really hard to not give away spoilers the start of my review will give away the ending to Midnight Exposure.

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Midnight Sacrifice picks up 4 months after Nathan has escaped capture but not before trying to kill Jed and kidnapping Mandy. Now the small towns of Huntsville is trying to deal with the fallout that one of their own is a murder.

But not everyone in town is a sweet and innocent as they seem to be. People are keeping secrete. People are sneaking around and bad things are right around the corner.

Melinda’s followup to Midnight Exposure leaves you gripping your book just a little too tight. Wishing you could help them. Wishing you could stop the bad guy. Just plain wishing. If you loved Midnight Exposure you will really enjoy Midnight Sacrifice. I will say you HAVE to read these books in order.

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

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Jennifer reviews Sweet Madness by Heather Snow

TITLE: Sweet Madness
SERIES #: Veiled Seduction Series #3
CHARACTERS: Penelope Bridgeman & Gabriel Devereaux
AUTHOR: Heather Snow
PUBLICATION DATE: 04/02/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: Ever since her husband’s sudden and tragic death, Lady Penelope Bridgeman has committed herself to studying the maladies of the mind, particularly the trauma of soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars. It is this experience that brings the Marquess of Bromwich’s family to her door.

Gabriel Devereaux’s unexpected and unpredictable episodes are unlike any Penelope has studied. The once proud soldier has been left shaken and withdrawn, but Penelope manages to build a fragile trust between them. Strangely, Gabriel seems completely lucid when not in the grips of his mania, and during the calm bouts between, she is surprised by how much she is drawn to him.

Despite his own growing feelings, Gabriel knows that he is fit for no one and is determined to keep Penelope away from his descent into madness. But even though she knows firsthand the folly of loving a broken man, Penelope cannot stop herself from trying to save him, no matter the cost.

REVIEW: Heather Snow continues to impress me more with every book that she writes and I am amazed at how intricate her characters and storyline are with her new release, Sweet Madness. Lady Penelope Bridgeman is a young socialite that is determined to help others suffering with mental illness even though health professionals dismiss her techniques as being foolish. Penelope seemed to be very happy in the beginning with her life as a young wife, until tragedy strikes and she is drawn into assisting others with similar maladies. I liked her because even though she would have been happy in a ballroom she felt that she needed to help others and I saw this as her way for atoning for what she considered as her past mistakes. I thought she was very courageous to walk into the situations that she did with her head held high and the determination that she would make a difference in these people’s lives. There was nothing that she could have to done to help the people in her past because I believe she was meant to have a purpose and those events would eventually put her on her journey into the psychiatric field.

Gabriel Devereaux was also a very interesting character for me because he had fallen so far from his station in society. He was being currently housed in a mental institution after being a decorated war hero and his family was determined to deem him mentally incompetent to be head of his own estate. Penelope was his last hope in helping to cure him and she was also the shining light in his current sea of mental darkness. The two of them together were magical because they just fit so well together and her very presence calmed him during the worst of his episodes. Even though the subject matter for this novel was very serious, Ms. Snow handles the material with the upmost of care and it hit very close to home for this reader.

This is the third and final book in the Veiled Seduction series and I have loved each of these wonderful, intelligent and resourceful heroines immensely. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Snow has planned for the future but I’m sure that her next endeavour will be just as well-written and thought-provoking as Sweet Madness.

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