Category: 5 Star

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Jennifer’s review of Loving Lady Marcia by Kieran Kramer

TITLE: Loving Lady Marcia
AUTHOR: Kieran Kramer
PUBLICATION DATE:   8/28/12
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: MARCIA GETS SCHOOLED…  Of the three Brady sisters, Lady Marcia has always seemed the girl most likely to lead a perfectly charmed life.  But after a handsome cad breaks her heart, she swears off love and devotes her life to teaching girls at a private school.  In spite of her family’s wish for a London debut, Marcia is happy where she is–until terrible news sends her back to the Brady clan…and into the arms of an unexpected suitor.

ON THE SUBJECT OF LOVE… A dark and dashing earl who knows Marcia’s past, Duncan Lattimore is surprised by what a fascinating and independent woman she’s become.  Marcia, too, is surprised–by the fiery attraction she feels for Duncan.  But why–why–must he be the brother of the scoundrel who broke her heart? Why must Marcia’s rival at school forbid her from seeing him?  How can this lady possibly resist this fellow–when they know that it’s much more than a hunch…?

REVIEW:
This book was a real treat for me and I loved every minute of Lady Marcia’s story. Lady Marcia started this novel as a bright-eyed, sweet, innocent girl that had developed into an intelligent, yet reserved, young woman who wouldn’t let anyone near her heart, five short years later.  She had resigned herself to be the headmistress of a prestigious school and wouldn’t participate in London’s notorious Season because she felt she wasn’t worthy enough to be married to any man.  When she meets Lord Chadwick again in London, he becomes so smitten with her, even though he was initially unaware that his brother had broken Lady Marcia’s heart as a teenager.

Duncan Lattimore was the perfect romantic hero for me.  He was loving, caring, responsible to everyone in his charge and he did everything in his power to remedy Finn’s indiscretions, even if it meant damaging his own reputation among society in the process.  His own love for Lady Marcia was so strong that he was willing to help her with her job and he wanted to marry her regardless of the secrets that she was protecting from everyone else.  He would have done anything in his power to win her heart and I wish there were more men like Duncan in the world because he was just a great guy to have in your life.

Finn Lattimore, Duncan’s younger brother, was the epitome of bad boy.  Charming and good-looking, the perfect toxic boyfriend that would leave broken hearts behind him without a second thought to the consequences.  There were times during this novel that I wanted to reach in and hit him for his actions but if it wasn’t for him, Duncan and Lady Marcia wouldn’t have had that special connection with one another.

This is my first Kieran Kramer novel and I’m happy to say that it won’t be my last.  She has created a humorous, well-written, beautifully romantic tale about second chances after initial first impressions.  I loved the Brady Bunch references throughout the novel that made this amazing story even more delightful.  Loving Lady Marcia is a wonderfully romantic novel and I’m looking forward to more from the House of Brady in “The Earl is Mine.”

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

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Kelly’s review of The Passage by Justin Cornin

TITLE: The Passage
AUTHOR: Justin Cornin
PUBLICATION DATE: 06/08/10
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
“It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born.”

First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.

As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. He is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors. But for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey—spanning miles and decades—towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.

REVIEW:
HOLY SHITE!!!!!!

This book was intense. I do have to say I really love my HEA books… But this was a great book. Very well written. As I said before very intense. Depressing, Doom & Gloom the whole way through.

And WOWZA what a way to end a book…

If you have not read this book I would suggest putting it on your list to read. Yes it is a super long book 800 pages strong or if you do as I did and listen to on audio 36+ hours.

But it was worth every tear and heartbreak I suffered along the way. I am looking forward to book 2 The Twelve and very much looking forward to book 3 The City of Mirrors.

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

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Kimberly’s review of Fifty Shades Freed by EL James

TITLE: Fifty Shades Freed
AUTHOR: EL James
PUBLICATION DATE:   09/24/12
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
When unworldly student Ana Steele first encountered the driven, damaged young entrepreneur Christian Grey, it sparked a sensual affair that changed both their lives irrevocably. Shocked, intrigued, and ultimately repelled by Christian’s singular sexual tastes, Ana demanded a deeper commitment; determined to keep her, Christian agreed. Now, together, they have more-love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of infinite possibilities. But Ana always knew that loving her Fifty Shades would not be easy and being together poses challenges neither of them ever anticipated. Ana must somehow learn to share Christian’s opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own integrity, identity, or independence; Christian must somehow overcome his compulsion to control and lay to rest the horrors that blighted his past and haunt his present. Just when it seems that together their love can conquer any obstacle, tragedy, malice and fate combine to make Ana’s worst nightmares come true.

REVIEW:
This is the last in the Fifty Shades trilogy. I can wrap up all the books in three words… 1) Lover 2) Loving 3) Loved.

The first book was about finding a lover, becoming a lover and about lovers of the past. The second was about loving. Realizing that loving was something that the characters could do and the third  (this book) is about realizing you are and have been loved. Christian learned to love in book two but is never really sure that he is lovable and could be loved. He doesn’t realized that he has loved in the past whether it be his previous subs, his family or even his biological mother.

Again I will say what I have about the other two books. While I can understand why it falls under erotica genre I do not believe it. Yes there are some intense sex scenes but this book/trilogy is about love and not sex. Actually it is about moving beyond sex. That being said I also understand why these books would either be loved or hated. I am not sure these books can be “only liked”. There are no shades of grey when it comes to these books (pun intended).

Christian is a haunting character who in this book lets go of some of the ghosts. He is obsessive and protective over Ana but the reader understands why. Ana really comes into her own in the book. She is strong and independent and willing to stand up for herself more in the book.

I loved this book as I did with the trilogy. There are so many misconceptions about these stories and it really is a shame. If you enjoy the romance genre this is such a wonderful set of books. I look forward to the time when I can pick up these books again and see what I might have missed with the first read.

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

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Jennifer’s review of Tangled Web by Crista McHugh

TITLE: Tangled Web
AUTHOR: Crista McHugh
PUBLICATION DATE:   10/16/12
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: Azurha, a beautiful former slave turned deadliest assassin in the empire, has just been offered the ultimate challenge–seduce, then murder the new emperor.  But Titus is not the tyrant his forefathers were, and his radical ideas might be the glimmer of hope the empire needs.

Titus Sergius Flavus has yet to master the powerful magic of his ancestors–magic he must wield if he’s to protect his people–but his father’s death has left him no choice.  Rule the Delzian Empire and attempt to right his ancestor’s wrongs, or watch her fall to his greedy kin.

More than just Titus’s ideas hold Azurha captive.  Night after night, he awakens desires she thought lost and uncovers the magic of her hidden lineage.  As her deadline approaches, Azurha is forced to make an impossible decision–complete her job and kill the man she loves, or fail and forfeit both their lives.

REVIEW: This book is the first in a new series by author Crista McHugh and seemed to have everything for me. Tangled Web was an action-packed adventure with a beautiful female assassin and a romantic love story that brought me to tears by its conclusion. Azurha was a very strong character that had been born as a slave and abused by her previous master before she was able to gain her freedom through violence.  After this, she had been trained as a deadly assassin known only as “The Rabbit”, who struck fear into the hearts of her potential victims.

I felt so sorry for Azurha because she had been through so much before meeting Titus and she never wanted to be in a position where she was vulnerable and couldn’t protect herself.  She loved Titus with every ounce of her being and would give up her own life to protect him instead of being the one to kill him, which was very touching.  She couldn’t believe that Titus would give up his entire empire to be with her because no one had ever cared for her or tried to protect her in that way before. Their love had changed Azurha from a cold-hearted assassin to a strong, caring woman and it was nice to watch the transformation of this character throughout the book.  I understood her reasons for not telling Titus the truth about her identity because she was afraid that he wouldn’t love her anymore and she just wanted to hold onto that relationship for as long as she could.  In the end, Titus didn’t care about her past because he knew how she felt about him just by looking in her eyes and watching her actions around him.

Tangled Web is a great read and I have a feeling that this book will stay with me for some time.  I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the series which is Claudia’s story, a character that made a brief appearance in Tangled Web.

DISCLAIMER: The following review is my opinion and not a paid review. I received this book free as part of the blog tour.

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Kimberly’s review of Call Me Wild by Robin Kaye

TITLE: Call Me Wild
AUTHOR: Robin Kaye
PUBLICATION DATE:   08/07/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Unemployed New York Times sports reporter, Jessica James gives up her big city life and moves into a borrowed house in Boise, Idaho. She’s determined to become a great romance writer, and she only has one obstacle: she doesn’t believe in love. Writing quickly becomes a challenge, so Jessica decides to go out and find some inspiration. She soon meets sexy, outdoorsy doctor Fisher Kincaid, who’s more than happy to teach her all about love.

REVIEW:
I just loved this book. I just found everything about this book to be perfect. I have never read a Robin Kaye book before but you can bet I am going to backtrack and pick some up (especially the first in this series “Wild Thing”).

Kaye has written the perfect man in Fisher. He is a smart, sexy, strong, sympathetic, understanding man (and he cooks and cleans). I found myself falling for his character almost immediately. He feels a little out of sorts since his twin brother got married and no longer has the connection they had. I loved the back stories of the siblings, not only the twin brother but the older brother and baby sister. And Gramps just steals the scenes he is in.

Jessie is a complex character and so different than so many female characters in the genre which was refreshing. Most women want to fall in love in these stories and have to convince/trick the man into realizing he loves her but not Jessie. She does not believe in love, at least not romantic love. She loves her family, her best friend and her job but not men. She was brought up a tomboy and her body fits the mold being tall and fit so she doesn’t understand how any man could find her anything but one of the guys. She believes couples go from lust to complacency and she does not want that. However what she does want is to write a romance novel. How do you do that without knowing romance? Which is where Fisher comes in.

If you enjoy the contemporary romance genre then this book is a can’t miss. Honestly, I am shocked how much I enjoyed this book. I usually ended up thinking I would have changed something in the story here or there when I read a book but not this one. I wouldn’t change a word of it. And I can’t wait to read the story of Fisher’s twin, Hunter from book one, and hopefully the stories of Trapper and Karma (their siblings). Do I see a Karma/Andrew story coming? Hint Hint!!

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

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Kimberly’s review of Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James

TITLE: Fifty Shades Darker
AUTHOR: E.L. James
PUBLICATION DATE:   09/15/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Daunted by the singular tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house.

But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades.

While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.

REVIEW:
This is the second in the Fifty Shades trilogy. And as with the first book I loved it. If the first book was about lust than this book is about love. Something changes in this book and while it is still erotic it is more about romance.

This book picks up where the first book let off. Christian and Ana have broken up and been miserable and now we learn what both of them are willing to give up to be with the other. Can Christian tame his Dom to be with Ana? Can Ana be more submissive to Christian?

I have heard that this trilogy is a love story more than anything else and having read this book I can see why that is being said. The love that the characters have is palpable. There is something about this story that makes a person believe in love and the fact that a real love means being willing to compromise.

As with the first book I do think this is a love or hate story for the reader. Christian is a haunting character that stays with the reader. There is something about him that appeals to the woman who needs to fix her man. And there is something about Ana that women can relate to as well. Every woman wants to feel loved, treasured, protected and needed.

There is just something that draws me to this trilogy (and millions of others as well). This is the modern day fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast. And I am all for the “Happily Ever After”.

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

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Kimberly’s review of The Accidental Bride by Christina Skye

TITLE: The Accidental Bride
AUTHOR: Christina Skye
PUBLICATION DATE:   09/18/12
ORDER LINKS: Amazon   | B&N
BOOK SYNOPSIS:
When her friends order her to take a vacation, successful chef Jilly O’Hara is less than enthused. She may be overworked, but a trip to the mountains is not her idea of fun. Especially when she’s roped into an outrageous scheme to pose as a happy bride—all to fulfill the kindly resort owner’s dreams of once again hosting a lavish wedding. But the ruggedly handsome make-believe groom may just make it tolerable….

Walker Hale has kept to himself since his return from active duty—but the next thing he knows, he’s also playing along with the wedding charade. Even this jaded loner isn’t immune to Jilly’s quirky charm…or her beauty. But vacations have to end sometime, and they’ll soon have to decide if the feelings between them were more than pretend.

REVIEW:
I LOVED THIS BOOK!  I have always been a fan of Christina Skye but this book was one of her best. And that is saying something!

I loved that Jilly is so strong and independent yet so vulnerable with her heart condition. She is written so wonderfully and connects easily with the reader. Walker is just too scrumptious for words. He is so protective and generous with his caring that he is hard to not fall in love with. And do not even get me started on Winslow!  I think I was in love with him for the first time he was introduced.

Skye always writes wonderful books that make you not want to put them down until you are at the last page and only then because you have no choice. I think this is Skye’s best book in a long time and since I love everything she writes that means that I would give this over 5 stars if I could. Make sure when you start this book you have time to read it cover to cover because you will not want to stop.

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

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Kelly’s review of Rogue Rider by Larissa Ione

Kelly’s ARC review of Rogue Rider

Lords of Deliverance #4
AUTHOR: Larissa Ione
PUBLICATION DATE: 11/20/12
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
They’re here.

They ride.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Born of a match between good and evil, four siblings stand between hell’s minions and everything they want to destroy. They are the Lords of Deliverance, and they have the power to ward off Doomsday . . . or let it ride . . .

Jillian Cardiff came to this remote mountain town to forget the demon attack that almost killed her. Instead, she rescues-and falls for-a gorgeous stranger who has no memory of anything other than his name. Handsome, charming, and protective, Reseph seems like the kind of man whom Jillian can trust. But with hints of a troubling history of his own, he’s also the kind of man who can be very dangerous . . .

Reseph may not know why he mysteriously appeared in Jillian’s life, but he knows he wants to stay. Yet when Jillian’s neighbors are killed, and demon hunters arrive on the scene, Reseph fears that he’s putting Jillian in danger. And once it’s revealed that Reseph is also Pestilence, the Horseman responsible for ravaging the world, he and Jillian must face the greatest challenge of all: Can they forget the horrors of a chilling past to save the future they both desire?

REVIEW:
OMG!!! LOVED!!!
Okay I have to start by saying Larissa, you are the BOMB!! I love your books.  Can you do any wrong?  In my eyes that is a big NO!!!
2nd I am so excited that I got a chance to read Reseph’s book early.  The waiting has been killing me.  I have been in love with Reseph since Sin’s book (so long ago).   I just love the heck out this him.  Even when he was that bastard Pestilence I still has mad love for his crazy butt.  But boy howdy Reseph has a lot to make up for.  Some of which he may never be forgiven for by his friends and family.  That being said I am not sure how to tell you how much I enjoyed this book without giving away too much or spoilers .

So I will say this:
Reseph’s love interest is someone from his past.
These two are perfect for each other and the only thing that will save them both is each other.
We get to see each of the horseman and how they deal with Reseph being alive and not all of them are happy about it.
We get to see a lot of Reaver (think Fall 2013)

Someone Dies

Secrets are revealed

Mysteries are solved

And not everyone is who you think they are.

How is that for a review?  Yes, I know mean..  But if you are a Demonica/Horseman fan you will LOVE Rouge Rider.  I think that you will be surprised too by a few things in this book.

I am super excited to see where Larissa takes us in Reavers’ story.  It is going to be EPIC *No pressure Larissa*

If you have not read Larissa Ione’s books I would highly recommend you start at the beginning with the
Demonica Series:
#1 Pleasure Unbound
#2 Desire Unchained
#3 Passion Unleashed
#4 Ecstasy Unveiled
#5 Sin Undone

Then move on to the Lords of Deliverance series:
#1 Eternal Rider
#2 Immortal Rider
#3 Lethal Rider
#4 Rouge Rider

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

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Kimberly’s review of Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

TITLE: Fifty Shades of Grey
AUTHOR: E.L. James
PUBLICATION DATE: 05/26/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
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?

REVIEW:
I can understand why readers would either love or hate this book and I have to say I fall into the love. I was not sure what to expect exactly from this book (except a bunch of kinky sex) but this book is not only about sex and considering how much I heard about it there was not as much sex as I originally thought. I am going to break this book down into a few sections for my review.

First the erotic sex: As I said there was not as much as I expected. All the hoopla made it sound like every other page had a erotic scene written but that is far from the truth. Yes there are erotic scenes but that is not what this book is about. This is about the underlying emotions of the characters and how they feel about changing to accommodate the person they are with and the person they are within. If you have read any erotica this book will not have anything that you have not already read. Yes there was BDSM, spankings, and control issues but it is not overwhelming in the story. I doubt there is anything in this first book the will surprise the reader unless you have been living under a rock. Even if you do not live the life I am sure you have heard of it.

Ana: She is such an interesting character. She seems to be living in the shadow of everyone around her (her roommate, mother, etc) yet Christian is attracted to her and she can not understand why. She is inexperienced when it comes to sex and when she is thrown into the world of Christian her mind, heart and body all have a different idea of what she wants and needs. While so many women, if given the real opportunity, who live a life with a rich man would take everything he gave her and expect more Ana does not want anything. She wants to be the woman she knows she can be and yet wants to make Christian happy. She so desperately wants to run and stay at the same time and her heart is torn at every turn. I found myself thinking so much of the woman Ana is and how complicated her heart must be. The one problem with Ana is she sees her inner self as different characters (a goddess, her subconscious, etc) all have a different face (no she is not schizophrenic) and that gets a little old.

Christian: Wow what a wounded soul this character has. You hurt for him and yet he makes you smile, laugh and want to cry. He really shows his lighter side in the emails he sends to Ana and they are a delight to read. But at the same time he has such a dark side that he is the one that claims to have the “fifty shades of f*ucked up” that gives the book its name. Christian not only wants to be in control but he needs it. We do not learn enough of his background yet in this book to understand why he has become this way but we know something has happened and it leaves the reader wanting to know not only more but everything about this man. If you love reading about a strong, generous yet possessive man than Christian is the one to read about.

Honestly, I can not recommend this book to you or not because this is a book that can be one you want to throw away or one you want to keep forever. If you are not into reading the romance genre do not jump on the bandwagon and pick up this book because this is a book of romance and sex and you will not enjoy it. If you enjoy reading romance then you will probably enjoy this book unless you are not comfortable with sexuality than, again, you will have a hard time with this book. If you are comfortable with the romance genre and your own sexuality then you will be able to get into the depth of this book and what is behind the words. This book is addictive and makes you want to finish one and pick up the next one before you even close the cover of this one (even if it is 3:30 in the morning).

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Jennifer’s review of Tangled Web by Crista McHugh

Tangled Web
AUTHOR: Crista McHugh
PUBLICATION DATE:   10/16/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: Azurha, a beautiful former slave turned deadliest assassin in the empire, has just been offered the ultimate challenge–seduce, then murder the new emperor.  But Titus is not the tyrant his forefathers were, and his radical ideas might be the glimmer of hope the empire needs.

Titus Sergius Flavus has yet to master the powerful magic of his ancestors–magic he must wield if he’s to protect his people–but his father’s death has left him no choice.  Rule the Delzian Empire and attempt to right his ancestor’s wrongs, or watch her fall to his greedy kin.

More than just Titus’s ideas hold Azurha captive.  Night after night, he awakens desires she thought lost and uncovers the magic of her hidden lineage.  As her deadline approaches, Azurha is forced to make an impossible decision–complete her job and kill the man she loves, or fail and forfeit both their lives.

REVIEW PROVIDED BY: Jennifer             NUMBER OF STARS: Five Stars

REVIEW: This book is the first in a new series by author Crista McHugh and seemed to have everything for me. Tangled Web was an action-packed adventure with a beautiful female assassin and a romantic love story that brought me to tears by its conclusion. Azurha was a very strong character that had been born as a slave and abused by her previous master before she was able to gain her freedom through violence.  After this, she had been trained as a deadly assassin known only as “The Rabbit”, who struck fear into the hearts of her potential victims.

I felt so sorry for Azurha because she had been through so much before meeting Titus and she never wanted to be in a position where she was vulnerable and couldn’t protect herself.  She loved Titus with every ounce of her being and would give up her own life to protect him instead of being the one to kill him, which was very touching.  She couldn’t believe that Titus would give up his entire empire to be with her because no one had ever cared for her or tried to protect her in that way before. Their love had changed Azurha from a cold-hearted assassin to a strong, caring woman and it was nice to watch the transformation of this character throughout the book.  I understood her reasons for not telling Titus the truth about her identity because she was afraid that he wouldn’t love her anymore and she just wanted to hold onto that relationship for as long as she could.  In the end, Titus didn’t care about her past because he knew how she felt about him just by looking in her eyes and watching her actions around him.

Tangled Web is a great read and I have a feeling that this book will stay with me for some time.  I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the series which is Claudia’s story, a character that made a brief appearance in Tangled Web.

The following review is my opinion and not a paid review. I received this book free as part of the blog tour.

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Kimberly’s review of Forever And A Day by Jill Shalvis

TITLE: Forever And A Day
AUTHOR: Jill Shalvis
PUBLICATION DATE:   07/31/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
LOVE CAN HAPPEN IN A HEARTBEAT
Grace never thought she’d be starting her life over from scratch. Losing everything has landed her in Lucky Harbor, working as a dog walker for overwhelmed ER doctor Josh Scott. But the day his nanny fails to show up, Grace goes from caring for Josh’s lovable mutt to caring for his rambunctious son. Soon Grace is playing house with the sexy single dad . . .
With so many people depending on him, Josh has no time for anything outside of his clinic and family-until Grace arrives in town. Now this brainy blonde is turning his life inside out and giving a whole new meaning to the phrase “good bedside manner.” Josh and Grace don’t know if what they have can last. But in a town like Lucky Harbor, a lifetime of love starts with just one day . . .

REVIEW:
This is the sixth in the Lucky Harbor series. Having read “At Last” (#5) the characters of Grace and Josh were familiar and I looked forward to reading their story but I had no idea how much I would enjoy it. And I really did enjoy this story immensely. The characters are a contradiction to the way the reader expects them to be from the beginning of the book. Josh seems so put together. He is a doctor with his own practice plus ER duties, he takes care of his paraplegic sister and is a father to a 5 year old boy (who steals your heart). While tired he is always taking care of everyone except himself. Grace seems almost like a flake, she is looking for CPA work but makes a living as a dog walker/art model/flower delivery, etc. Any thing to pay her bills but when Josh needs her she is right there.

It is so hard not to fall in love with Josh!  He is written so strong and yet vulnerable at the same time. I might actually have to say he is my favorite male character I have read in a long time (at least until the next book, right?) but I just could not put this book down. I do wish we had a bit more of the Chocoholics like in the last book and more scenes with Josh and his best friends (from the two previous books) but really I think this book was perfect. The only bad part? It ended way to soon!

This book is part of the series but can certainly stand alone. And I recommend picking it up but I also recommend starting it early in the day or you will be up all night reading (like me) because you just can not put it down.

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

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Kimberly’s review of All Summer Long by Susan Mallery

TITLE: All Summer Long
AUTHOR: Susan Mallery
PUBLICATION DATE:   07/31/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Can a summer fling turn into love that lasts a lifetime? Former underwear model turned entrepreneur Clay Stryker has loved, tragically lost and vowed that he’ll never risk his heart again. After making his fortune, the youngest of the rugged Stryker brothers returns to Fool’s Gold, California, to put down roots on a ranch of his own. But he’s frustrated to discover that even in his hometown, people see him only for his world-famous…assets.

Firefighter Chantal (Charlie) Dixon grew up an ugly duckling beside her delicately beautiful mother, a feeling reinforced long ago by a man who left soul-deep scars. Now she has good friends, a solid job and the itch to start a family-yet she can’t move toward the future while she’s haunted by painful memories.

Clay finds an unexpected ally, and unexpected temptation, in tomboyish Charlie, the only person who sees beyond his dazzling good looks to the real man beneath. But when Charlie comes to him with an indecent proposal, will they be able to overcome their pasts and find a love that lasts beyond one incredible summer?

REVIEW:
This is the ninth in the Fool’s Gold series. And the last of the Stryker Brother trilogy. And I think Mallery saved the best brother for last. This is the story of Clay and Charlie. We met Charlie a few books back. She is a Fool’s Gold firefighter and Clay is a NYC underwear model.

I will be honest, I could not imagine these two together. I imagined Charlie something like Kristen Johnston from “3rd Rock from the Sun” tv show. And Clay something like Matthew McConaughey. Just not a couple that would look good together but something about them just meshes really well once you start reading. Not only does Charlie believe she is far from feminine she was raped years ago and has never gotten beyond the trauma of the incident and trusting in a man. When she befriends Clay she feels he might be the one to help her get beyond her past. Clay just wants to move past his reputation of being a model and being dumb, spoiled and stand-offish. The interesting thing is both of them just want to be “normal”.

Any woman who has had trauma in her life, even if it was not a rape, can relate to Charlie. She is written so strong physically and will do anything for her friends but when it comes to men there is a vulnerability that any woman can relate to. Then Clay comes into her life. I loved the way he was written. He is so sensitive to her mind, body and heart. He is willing to take it slow with Charlie even when she doesn’t think that is what she wants. Every woman who has been through a trauma should have a man like Clay.

While I would suggest reading the entire series, this book really can stand alone. But I would strongly recommend the entire series. Mallery has a way of bringing you right into her world of Fool’s Gold and you never want to leave.

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