Category: 3 Star

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Kimberly reviews Wild Child by Shelley Munro

TITLE: Wild Child
CHARACTERS: Zoe & Matt
AUTHOR: Shelley Munro
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/14/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Zoe Underwood is one sexy disruption.

From the moment her father married Matt’s mother, Zoe has tempted Matt Cantrell with her seductive curves and driven him crazy with her flirting and provocative manner. The thing is they have no future because Zoe is his stepsister. Determined to dodge trouble, Matt leaves Auckland to live and work in the Gold Coast of Australia. A sea between them should do the trick and let him move forward without the “Zoe” distraction in his life.

Matt Cantrell is one stubborn dude.

No one presses Zoe’s buttons like the tall, dark and gorgeous Matt. In fact, every other man pales in comparison. One last play. Zoe decides to invade Matt’s territory and make her move before some other clever woman snaps him up. She’ll bust through emotional walls and push boundaries. By the time she’s finished, Matt won’t know what hit him. Yes. Good or bad, she’ll stir things up and take a chance on love.

Note – this book was previously published by All Romance ebooks as part of the 28 Days of Heart series in 2010.

REVIEW:
This is a very short story so it will be a very short review. The subject matter is a little odd. Yes there is no blood between the characters and I do know that there are a number of these stories all over the internet but it was still a little off. The story is good and the writing is good. I just am not sure that most people would enjoy reading this type of relationship.

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

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Kelly reviews Fever by Maya Banks

TITLE: Fever
SERIES: Breathless #2
CHARACTERS: Jace & Bethany
AUTHOR: Maya Banks
PUBLICATION DATE: April 2, 2013
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Jace, Ash, and Gabe: three of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. They’re accustomed to getting anything they want. Anything at all. For Jace, it’s a woman whose allure takes him completely by surprise…

Jace Crestwell, Ash McIntyre, and Gabe Hamilton have been best friends and successful business partners for years. They’re powerful, they’re imposing, they’re irresistibly sexy, and Jace and Ash share everything—including their women.

When they meet Bethany, Jace begins to feel things he’s never experienced before: jealousy, and a powerful obsession that threatens him, overwhelms him—and excites him beyond control.

Jace isn’t sharing Bethany—with anyone. He’s determined to be the only man in her life, and it’s jeopardizing a lifelong friendship with Ash. Bethany will be his and his alone. Even if it means turning his back on his best friend.

REVIEW:
I am so on the fence about this book. I really liked Jace in book one. But in FEVER Jace is very controlling asshat. While he might mean well he does a very poor job showing it. So many times in this book I really wanted Bethany to tell Jace to go to hell and walk away. But that was not going to happen. I really would have liked Bethany to be a bit stronger too. I think Jace needed a woman that would challenge him.

But overall it was an okay story for me. I do plan on finishing this series with Ashes’ book and I hope that book 3 is better than book 2

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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Kelly reviews Rising Darkness by Thea Harrison

TITLE: Rising Darkness
SERIES: Games of Shadows #1
CHARACTERS: Mary & Michael
AUTHOR: Thea Harrison
PUBLICATION DATE: April 2, 2013
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
USA Today bestselling author Thea Harrison begins an all-new, darkly romantic paranormal saga, in which the fate of existence itself lies in the balance—and the key to victory may rest in the hands of two eternal lovers…

In the hospital ER where she works, Mary is used to chaos. But lately, every aspect of her life seems adrift. She’s feeling disconnected from herself. Voices appear in her head. And the vivid, disturbing dreams she’s had all her life are becoming more intense. Then she meets Michael. He’s handsome, enigmatic and knows more than he can say. In his company, she slowly remembers the truth about herself…

Thousands of years ago, there were eight of them. The one called the Deceiver came to destroy the world, and the other seven followed to stop him. Reincarnated over and over, they carry on—and Mary finds herself drawn into the battle once again. And the more she learns, the more she realizes that Michael will go to any lengths to destroy the Deceiver.

Then she remembers who killed her during her last life, nine hundred years ago…Michael.

REVIEW:
I have come to the the conclusion that Urban Fantasy is really not my cup of tea. I am not 100% sure why. But it just doesn’t grab me. Maybe I am going through a phase right now.

That being said Rising Darkness was just okay for me. The storyline was interesting enough. That characters are interesting. But there was something off for me. Again I can’t say way or what it was.

I will be putting this book on my need to re-read again in the future shelf. Maybe the second time around I will be in the right mood.

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’s review of Send Me No Flowers by Trish Jensen

TITLE: Send Me No Flowers
CHARACTERS: Jenny & Rob
AUTHOR: Trish Jensen
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/04/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
When she was known as an overweight kid from a “loony” family, he often rescued her from bullies. Now she’s come back home all grownup and gorgeous, and he’s the one who will need rescuing. Sheriff Rob Townsend of Daredevil, South Carolina remembers Jenny Creighton as the girl mean kids called “Jumbo Jenny.” He was compelled to protect her on more than one occasion, a brand of heroic kindness Jenny never forgot. Jenny’s returned to the small town to claim an inheritance and open a flower shop. On the inside, however, she’s still the chubby girl who doesn’t want anyone to remember her humiliating past. Rob has turned into a hunk with a painful history of his own-one that makes him the biggest heartbreaker south of the Mason-Dixon line. When he becomes her best customer-buying flowers as goodbye gifts for a growing line-up of ex-girlfriends-the women in Daredevil begin to run from Jenny and her kiss-goodbye bouquets. How can she build a business when all the single gals in town are scared to see her on their doorsteps? And what are the secrets behind her childhood hero’s love-’em-and-leave-’em lifestyle?

REVIEW:
3.5 Stars This is a re-release from I believe 1999. This is a very cute book. As with all of the earlier books from Jensen as much as I enjoyed it I enjoy her current works better but this was a great story.
It was set in small town America so it seemed I was watching something out of Mayberry. Everyone speaks with a hick accent and says “yes ma’am” and calls everyone “Miz ___” but once I got used to that it was a enjoyable read.

Jenny is written very well. I liked how she was written as a normal woman. She wasn’t perfect but was an everyday woman who dealt with life. I enjoyed Rob as well. While he does play that small town playboy personality we really didn’t see a lot of that because the story starts off with Rob and Jenny having met 6 months ago (this time around). It is not a long book but it is worth the read.

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

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Kimberly’s review of Wolf With Benefits by Shelly Laurenston

TITLE: Wolf With Benefits
SERIES #: Pride #8
CHARACTERS: Ricky & Toni
AUTHOR: Shelly Laurenston
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/26/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Ricky Lee has no plans of getting serious about anyone, but he will protect Toni Jean-Louis Parker. Not just because he’s been hired to do so, but because it’s the right thing to do. And if that means traveling around the country with one complicated She-jackal, dealing with chocolate-eating wild dogs, instigating trouble between his brothers, and having the most amazing sex he’s ever had…well, who said his job didn’t have perks?

Toni doesn’t know how she keeps getting herself into these situations. But even she has to admit there’s something about Ricky Lee Reed that she finds kind of interesting…and downright sexy. Now they just have to survive long enough to figure out if what they have is worth fighting for…

REVIEW:
This is the 8th is the Pride series and I would definitely say if you have not read the other books this is not the one to start with. While I enjoyed the story of Ricky and Toni (her’s family was fine too) but the rest was just too much. The story is over 400 pages and that to me was 100 or more too many.

Again, having not read the previous books in the Pride series I will say in the beginning I was a little lost on who everyone was and what they did and why they were in the storyline. There were just way too many characters/breeds mentioned (and the hybrids were just overkill). It was really confusing. There is a background story that seems to have continued throughout the series that was again confusing because it did not explain the storyline much in this book to understand why the characters were searching for this person.

Now that being said. I take full responsibility for picking this book from NetGalley without even realizing that it was part of a series because if I had I would not have picked it up especially with it being so far into the series. I can completely understand why someone who has followed the series from book one would enjoy it. I enjoyed it enough to know that with the right information before beginning this book I would have enjoyed it too.

So I leave this review with how I started it. If you have not read the series I wouldn’t start it with this book but if you have read the others in the series you will really enjoy this book.

Disclaimer:

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

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Kimberly’s review of With This Kiss: Part Three by Eloisa James

TITLE: With The Kiss
SERIES #: Part 3
CHARACTERS: Grace & Colin
AUTHOR: Eloise James
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/26/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Lieutenant Colin Barry returns from the wars injured in body and spirit, knowing that he has no right to steal Grace from the arms of her fiancé. Yet the same warrior’s spirit that won so many battles at sea is prompting him to throw proprietary to the winds, imitate his pirate father, and simply take what he most desires!

Author’s Note: Don’t forget to read Parts One and Two! Reading this installment first would be like eating the icing before you even get it onto a cupcake.

REVIEW:
This is the third part in the three part series. This is a nice historic short story. Having not read the main books that these original characters came from I am sure that I did not enjoy it as much as someone who has read these stories have.

I am not sure why this was written into parts instead of one book but since the whole story is just over 100 pages it is fine to have it in the three parts. I think anyone who like historical romance will enjoy this story of a lifetime of love.

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

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Kimberly’s review of Asher’s Dilemma by Coleen Kwan

TITLE: Asher’s Dilemma
AUTHOR: Coleen Kwan
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/07/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Ever since he awoke one day on the floor of his workshop with a brain-splitting headache, Asher Quigley has been haunted by fleeting visions of a beautiful woman everywhere he looks—a woman he’s sure he knows, but can’t recall. In spite of this he has finished his most wondrous invention yet, one that will literally make history: a time machine. But before he can complete his exacting calculations a bizarre accident causes the device to be activated, with him inside! He awakes to find himself in his lab, eight months in the past, and suddenly he remembers her…

Asher knows that something in the near future causes Minerva Lambkin, the woman who turned down his marriage proposal, to be erased from existence. And he’s sure it has something to do with his device. Alone in a familiar world where he doesn’t belong, he’ll have to find a way to destroy the time machine to save the woman he loves from extinction. Even if that means erasing his own future.

REVIEW PROVIDED BY: Kimberly NUMBER OF STARS: 3 Stars

REVIEW:
Ok I had a couple of problems.. 1) I never read the first of this series “Asher’s Invention” so I was a little lost on the characters and their history and 2) I didn’t realize this was a Steampunk which I have never really enjoyed. Now with that being said I requested the book so I read it and if I take out the above problems (which are mine not the books) then it is a interesting read.

I was saddened by the end too. So… If you enjoy Steampunk give this book a shot!

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

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Kelly’s review of Amazon Heat by Melinda Leigh & Rayna Vause

TITLE: Amazon Heat
CHARACTERS: Elizabeth DeMarco & Logan Spencer
AUTHOR: Melinda Leigh & Rayna Vause
PUBLICATION DATE: Jan 9, 2012
e-novella 65 pages
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N
BOOK SYNOPSIS:

Deep in Brazil, the Amazons are more than a whispered legend.

Two years ago, ethnobotanist Dr. Elizabeth DeMarco, driven by grief to find a cure for cancer, left her lover mid-proposal to accept a position on a research expedition to the Amazon Rainforest. Kidnapped by guerrillas, she was saved by warriors from the secret all-female civilization of the ancient Amazons. She has been kept prisoner since in the Amazon’s supernaturally hidden valley.

Despite Elizabeth’s rejection, anthropologist Logan Spencer never stopped searching for her. While consulting on a mass grave uncovered in the remote Brazilian interior near the place Elizabeth was kidnapped, Logan falls from a cliff. On the brink of death, he is collected by the Amazons and magically healed. When Logan wakes, the first person he sees is his beloved Elizabeth. Unfortunately, their reunion is less than joyful. The mystical medicine is changing Logan. But there’s no time to study the side-effects. The Amazons plan to steal Logan’s DNA, then kill him. Logan and Elizabeth must escape before dawn or Logan is doomed. Getting him out of the hidden valley won’t be easy. The Amazon’s supernatural powers make the task all but impossible.

REVIEW PROVIDED BY: Kelly NUMBER OF STARS: 3

REVIEW:
This was a very short story so I will keep my review short. I liked this story it was pretty good. Very different from Melinda’s other books. But still good. My only complain would be that because it was so short I felt like there were some things missing. Some questions left unanswered. But Melinda did leave the story open to continue in this world.

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’s review of A Dark Desire by Natalie Hancock

TITLE: A Dark Desire
SERIES #: World Of Darkness #1
CHARACTERS: Nikalye & Belia
AUTHOR: Natalie Hancock
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/01/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N (no link)

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Can the love of a human restore the memories stolen from him before their connected lives kill them both?

When Nikalye wakes in the middle of nowhere, unable to remember even his own name, he has no choice but to trust the only person who remembers him—a human woman—to help him find his way back to the only thing he remembers—a beautiful and deadly warrior—Layla. Despite being attacked by vampires in the past, Belia Garcia Sanchez tries to help Nikalye, feeling as though she owes him after he saved her life. She knows that in order for him to remember what he forgot she needs to help him get back home but doesn’t know how. She lives in the middle of the South Pole and trusts no one to help her. Belia is attacked by vampires again, and after saving her, Nikalye knows he has to get to Layla in order to save Belia and everyone he loves from the danger he can’t see before it’s too late. When he’s reunited with Layla and his memories are restored, a man he thought to be dead makes his appearance. When he threatens Belia and Layla’s life, Nikalye must choose between the two women he loves.
Who will he choose?

REVIEW:
Honestly I am just confused. This is a very short read of about 40 pages and it just was not enough for the reader to understand everything the author was trying to convey. There is too much information thrown in and it just gets confusing. I believe if given another 20 pages to explain some things properly this would have been a good short story. As it is it is just ok.

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

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Kimberly’s review of With This Kiss: Part Two by Eloisa James

TITLE: With This Kiss
SERIES #: Part 2
CHARACTERS: Grace & Colin
AUTHOR: Eloise James
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/19/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Lady Grace Ryburn has accepted another man’s proposal after the love of her life, Lieutenant Colin Barry, asked for her own sister’s hand in marriage.

But when Colin returns home from the wars, injured in body and spirit, will she be able to turn her back and marry another? Or will she throw away every rule her mother taught her and try to seduce a man who has shown no interest in her kisses?

Author’s Note: Be sure to read Part One first! You need to know the story of how Grace fell in love with Colin . .

REVIEW:
This is the second in a three part story. It, like the first, is a short story of about 50 pages. You must read the first to understand the second. I do not think reading the second without the first will have any meaning. And of course there is a final third part that will hopefully wrap the story up nicely.

This is an almost sad love story. This is sort of the ships that pass in the night story and I really can’t wait to read the last part so I know how it ends.

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

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Kelly’s review of Blurred Expectations by Carrie Ann Ryan

TITLE: Blurred Expectations
SERIES: Redwood Pack Novella #4.5
AUTHOR: Carrie Ann Ryan
PUBLICATION DATE: 1.8.13
Characters: Hanna, Josh & Reed
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Hannah Jamenson has babies on the brain. It seems that her sisters-in-law are expanding their family in the blink of an eye, but Hannah feels left behind. Every time that little test reads negative a little part of her dies and she feels like her Healing powers are failing her. Her mates, Josh and Reed, are doing everything they can to help her deal with their trials and losses, but they too feel like there is nothing they can do.

Just when the lines of what they mean to each other go out of focus, an enemy from Josh’s past is back to prove the things that go bump in the night are real and everything they had held dear is now in jeopardy. In order to fight back and find their way, they’ll need to put everything on the line before they lose it all.

Author’s Note: This is a novella set between books 4 and 5 to give you a taste of Reed, Josh, and Hannah. It is best that you have already immersed yourselves in the Redwood Pack world, however even new readers will enjoy a glimpse of the Redwood’s favorite triad.

REVIEW:
3.5 Stars Being a novella I will keep this really short.

I really enjoyed this novella. I have not been really feeling the menage story line in a really like time. But I really enjoyed this story by Carrie Ann.

If you are a fan of the Redwood Pack series then you will love Hannah, Josh & Reed’s story

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’s review of Covert Seduction by Callie Croix

TITLE: Covert Seduction
CHARACTERS: Reid & Becca
AUTHOR: Callie Croix
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/14/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Navy SEAL Reid Galvin is back from hell and eager to find comfort in Becca Anderson’s arms. He knows he hurt her when he cut contact during his deployment, so when his call interrupts her date with another man, he has only himself to blame. But he can’t forget what she means to him—or the sexy email she sent him—and he won’t miss this chance to claim her as his own.

It’s been weeks since Becca heard from the man she thought she was involved with. So when Reid wants to take up where they left off as if nothing happened, she refuses. Then he rescues her from a first date gone very wrong, and she realizes she’s not quite ready to let him go.

Reid and Becca have a lot to talk about, but since she’s not listening, he’s going to have to regain her trust another way—by bringing her most erotic fantasies to life. Making her surrender to pleasure just might be his most important mission.

REVIEW:
3.5 Stars This is an enjoyable short story. Reid is a SEAL (aren’t they all?) who was in a relationship with Becca until he was sent on a mission. She did not hear from him for 6 weeks and while they both missed the other there was no communication which caused a problem for Becca. Reid comes home and wants to rekindle the fire. Becca had sent him a erotic love letter and Reid wants to fulfill her desires if Becca will give him the chance.

There is a bit of a romantic suspense in this story but not much. A little bit more would have been nice. I did not consider this erotica. Yes there was some sex scenes showing Reid in control but this is not D/s sex scenes.

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