Category: Review Sunday

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Kimberly reviews Blue By You by Rachel Gibson

Blue By You TITLE: Blue By You
CHARACTERS: Blue & Kasper
AUTHOR: Rachel Gibson
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/03/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
They say you never forget your first time, but there’s nothing Blue Butler and Kasper Pennington would rather forget than their brief but fiery teenage love affair. Yeah, it was hot while it lasted, but then he went off to join the Marines, leaving Blue in New Orleans. She’s tried to block him from her mind for good, but nothing can really erase the feeling she had when she was with him.

And now he’s got the nerve to return—leaner, meaner, and strong enough to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. Blue’s a successful businesswoman now, with no time to figure out what went wrong all those years ago. But Kasper knows she’s the one woman for him … and now he’s got to prove it to her all over again.

REVIEW:
What an adorable short romance. With it being only 50 reading pages I was disappointed that it was not a full length novel or at least a full size novella. I loved the characters and the background of the characters. I would have loved to have seen more scenes played out in their southern mansions. I would have liked more of Kasper’s Grandmother too (I think she would have been a hoot of a character). But even with all of that not there I enjoyed this story. Made for a great quick read between books.

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

4 Hearts
4 Hearts

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Jennifer reviews Asylum by Madeleine Roux

AsylumTITLE: Asylum
CHARACTERS: Dan Crawford, Abby and Jordan
AUTHOR: Madeleine Roux
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/20/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: Once you get in, there’s no getting out….For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, a summer program for gifted students is the chance of a lifetime. No one else at his high school gets his weird fascinations with history and science, but at the New Hampshire College Prep program, such quirks are all but required.

Dan arrives to find that the usual summer housing has been closed forcing students to stay in the crumbling Brookline dorm–formerly a psychiatric hospital. As Dan and his new friends, Abby and Jordan, start exploring Brookline’s twisty halls and hidden basement, they uncover disturbing secrets about what really went on here…..secrets that link Dan and his friends to the asylum’s dark past. Because it turns out Brookline was no ordinary psych ward. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

REVIEW: I had heard wonderful things about this book and I was very impressed with Asylum from the very beginning. It is a dark, creepy and dramatic book about a young man who lives in a renovated mental hospital and finds that after mysterious circumstances that his dorm has developed a life of its own. Dan Crawford is a typical teenager who spends too much time involved in his studies of science and history but jumps at the opportunity to experience college life at the prestigious New Hampshire College prep program for the summer. He finds that the school was just what he was looking for and immediately starts to make friends with fellow students, Abby and Jordan. One night, they decide to investigate the abandoned basement of their dorm that used to be Brookline’s main office and holds case files of the asylum’s infamous residents. After their midnight excursion, strange things start to happen with no logical explanation and Dan finds that some secrets should have stayed locked away in Brookline’s abandoned rooms.

Madeleine Roux’s Asylum is a haunting novel that provides a thrilling mystery and creepy locales that will keep you up at night. The pictures that are laced throughout the novel are a perfect addition to the story and will make the reader feel as though they are there with Dan and had me jumping at every noise that I heard. Asylum is a well-written novel that I know people will enjoy and is now one of my top books for 2013. I’m looking forward to reading more from Ms. Roux but it will be awhile before I sleep without the light on.

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

4 Hearts
4 Hearts

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Kelly review First Temptation by Joan Swan

First Temptation

TITLE: First Temptation
SERIES #: Covert Affair #1.5
CHARACTERS: Taft Walker & Zoe Brooks
AUTHOR: Joan Swan
PUBLICATION DATE: August 19, 2013
ORDER LINKS:

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Counterterrorist agent Taft Walker knows the Mexican cartel smuggling game. But posing as part owner of an adult store to ferret out the newest tunnel into the US is a first. So is Zoe Brooks, his partner, new to undercover and a sex-toy virgin. Taft’s up for the sexy challenge. At least until he sees the real Zoe beneath her tough façade and realizes, for the first time in his life, he’ll have to risk his heart to win.

After the death of a teammate, Border Patrol Agent Zoe Brooks is ready to get off the front lines. She’s willing to tolerate a swaggering partner like Taft for a chance to work investigations with ICE. But she’s not prepared for the way he understands her deepest, sexiest desires. Or the fact that she’ll have to break her own rules to grab hold of the passion she’s always wanted.

REVIEW:
4.5 Stars First Temptation is part of the Wicked First Anthology package, which features 6 amazing stories by 6 amazing authors. But this is my review of Joan Swan’s First Temptation.

First Temptation is a novella in Joan’s Covert Affair series. In FT we get to see what makes Taft Walker tick. And BOY HOWDY does Taft have some tricks up his sleeve *wink, wink* What tricks you may ask? Well what would you say if I told you that Taft has to go undercover with Zoe. This will be Zoe’s first undercover operation. And what do they have to pose as? Why a couple that owns a sex shop…. 🙂 Yep!! Taft & Zoe get to own a sex shop. Needless to say these two have fun.

And that is all you are getting from me.

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 Burn by Maya Banks

Burn

TITLE: Burn
SERIES #: Breathless Trilogy #3
CHARACTERS: Ash McIntyre & Josie
AUTHOR: Maya Banks
PUBLICATION DATE: Aug. 6, 2013
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Ash, Jace, and Gabe: three of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. They’re accustomed to getting anything they want. Anything at all. For Ash, it’s the woman who changes everything he’s ever known about dominance and desire…

When it comes to sex, Ash McIntyre has always explored his wilder side—extreme and uncompromising. He demands control. And he prefers women who want it like that. Even the women he’s shared with his best friend, Jace.

But Jace is involved with a woman he has no intention of sharing. And now even Gabe has settled into a relationship with a woman who gives him everything he needs, leaving Ash feeling restless and unfulfilled.

Then Ash meets Josie, who seems immune to his charms and his wealth. Intrigued, he begins a relentless pursuit, determined she won’t be the one who got away. He never imagined the one woman to tell him no would be the only woman who’d ever drive him to the edge of desire.

REVIEW:
Burn is Maya Banks final book in her “Breathless Series” And I do have to say that this was my favorite book in the trilogy.

Ash is not as laid back as we thought in book 1 & 2. Ash is very a intense, demanding, protective and very sweet man. And Josie is the perfect mix of submissive yet witty and fiery enough to keep Ash on his toes.

Burn is a really good book. It is kinda sad to know that this is the end of the trilogy. But then again all three of these guys have their Happily Ever After and are blissfully happy and that would make a pretty boring book. But maybe, just maybe, Maya will throw us a boone in the future with a revisit to the Breathless Series. Got to have updates on how Gabe, Jace & Ash fair as daddy’s right?

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 The Hero by Robyn Carr

The Hero

TITLE: The Hero
SERIES #: Thunder Point #3
CHARACTERS: Devon & Spencer
AUTHOR: Robyn Carr
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/27/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
In a moment of desperation, Devon McAllister takes her daughter and flees a place where they should have been safe and secure. She has no idea what is around the next bend, but she is pretty certain it can’t be worse than what they’ve left behind. Her plan is to escape to somewhere she can be invisible. Instead, an unexpected offer of assistance leads her to Thunder Point, a tiny Oregon town with a willingness to help someone in need.

As the widowed father of a vulnerable young boy, Spencer Lawson knows something about needing friendship. But he’s not looking for anything else. Instead, he’s thrown his energy into his new role as Thunder Point’s high school football coach. Tough and demanding to his team, off the field he’s gentle and kind…just the kind of man who could heal Devon’s wounded heart.

Devon thought she wanted to hide from the world. But in Thunder Point, you find bravery where you least expect it…and sometimes, you find a hero.

REVIEW:
3.5 Stars So here is the thing. The story in the book is really good. The problem is the romance is almost non-existent. Devon’s story is very interesting. The struggles she has been through sucks you in and you want to know more. And I enjoyed catching up with the people from the other books.

The problem is that Spencer did not have much of a storyline at all. Almost like he was thrown into the romance. I actually felt that Devon and the Doctor had more chemistry. I am not sure why these characters were put together. When they are together they are sweet but not what I would call a true romance.

There was a lot of story about the past characters as well. As if the author wanted to tell their continued story and decided “oh what the heck I will add a new couple”. Now that being said it is still a really good story. Devon is a wonderful character and I loved reading about her situation. And if you have read the other two in the series you will most certainly want to read this one so you know what happened to the previous couples.

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

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Kimberly review The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgans

The Next Big Thing

TITLE: The Next Best Thing
CHARACTERS: Lucy & Ethan
AUTHOR: Kristan Higgins
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/27/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Lucy Lang isn’t looking for fireworks.

She’s looking for a nice, decent man. Someone who’ll mow the lawn, flip chicken on the barbecue, teach their future children to play soccer. But most important: someone who won’t inspire the slightest stirring in her heart or anywhere else. A young widow, Lucy can’t risk that kind of loss again. But sharing her life with a cat named Fat Mikey and the Black Widows at the family bakery isn’t enough either. So it’s goodbye to Ethan, her hot but entirely inappropriate friend with privileges and hello to a man she can marry.

Too bad Ethan Mirabelli isn’t going anywhere. As far as he’s concerned, what she needs might be right under her nose. But can he convince her that the next best thing can really be forever?

REVIEW:
First let me say that I am a big fan of Higgins so I was surprised how much I did not enjoy this book. It was originally released in 2010 but it still did not seem like her MO of writing. First it is written in the first person which I can deal with but I am not sure why the author felt this book should be written that way. Second I am not a fan of someone who is pining away for a lost love the whole book somehow changing and falling in love again in a snap. I guess I should have realized from the title but I had no idea that Ethan really would stay “The Next Best Thing”.

I am really glad this was not my first Higgins book because honestly I am not sure if I would have picked up another one but thankfully I have read others so I will stay a fan and look forward to reading more of her books.

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

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Kelly reviews Hunted by Kevin Hearne

Hunted

TITLE: Hunted
SERIES #: Iron Druid Chronicles #6
CHARACTERS: Atticus O’Sullivan, Granuaile, & Oberon
AUTHOR: Kevin Hearne
PUBLICATION DATE: June 25, 2013
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
For a two-thousand-year-old Druid, Atticus O’Sullivan is a pretty fast runner. Good thing, because he’s being chased by not one but two goddesses of the hunt—Artemis and Diana—for messing with one of their own. Dodging their slings and arrows, Atticus, Granuaile, and his wolfhound Oberon are making a mad dash across modern-day Europe to seek help from a friend of the Tuatha Dé Danann. His usual magical option of shifting planes is blocked, so instead of playing hide-and-seek, the game plan is . . . run like hell.

Crashing the pantheon marathon is the Norse god Loki. Killing Atticus is the only loose end he needs to tie up before unleashing Ragnarok—AKA the Apocalypse. Atticus and Granuaile have to outfox the Olympians and contain the god of mischief if they want to go on living—and still have a world to live in.

REVIEW:
4.5 Stars Another epic journey with Atticus, Granuaile & Oberon. I really don’t even know where to start. I just love this series dearly!! If you have not read books 1-5 stop here. This is a series that you really really really have to read in order. There is so much that goes on in one book that leads into the next. So if you have not read yet. Stop go back and pick up Hounded (bk1) and start there.
*
*
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Atticus, Granuaile & Oberon find themselves still on the run. But this time getting away is going to be difficult. All of Atticus’ normal escape routes have been cut off. Ever the resourceful Druids, Atticus & Granuaile will find a way.
I don’t want to go to much into this review, because I am sure I would give away to much stuff. So let’s just say: It is an epic race that will test all of Atticus and Granuaile’s skills, their relationship and their faith in the Gods.
I seriously am in love with this series. Everything about Kevin’s books I find utterly amazing. These are stories that I have to keep turning the page, lay away thinking about the next chapter, or find myself reading at work when I should be you know working. Just love them!! If you have not started this series yet I would highly recommend that you put them on your list. But as I said before they really need to be read in order So start with book one Hounded!

If you want a closer look at the whole series here is the link to the SINsational Saturday post that features the whole series. https://books-n-kisses.com/2013/06/kevin-hearnes-iron-druid-chronicles/

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 Just This Once by Trish Jensen

Just This Once

TITLE: Just This Once
CHARACTERS: Shannon & Rick
AUTHOR: Trish Jensen
PUBLICATION DATE: 07/01/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Will she say Yes, just this once?
As a minister’s daughter, Shannon Walsh was raised to say No to a lot of temptations with men at the top of that list. She’s an adult now, making her own choices, but until Mr. Right comes along, she plans to keep resisting the call of the wild.
Then Rick Hardison moves in next door. The handsome rascal doesn’t appear to have spent many hours inside a church, and he doesn’t waste any time drawing Shannon inside his wickedly sexy arms. What’s a good girl to do when the man of her dreams is a very bad boy? She decides to take a chance. But just this once.

REVIEW:
This is a very cute short read. Apparently it is a reprint from 1998 and honesty it has aged pretty well. Maybe a thing or two here or there that didn’t age (a answering machine, no cell, etc) but mostly it stands the test of time. Shannon and Rick are adorable and Bert is one for the books. Goodness he is adorable. The book had me holding in a laugh by page 10.

This is the perfect beach book as they call it. Just sit back relax and enjoy the story.

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

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Jennifer reviews Blurred by Tara Fuller

Blurred

TITLE: Blurred
SERIES #: Kissed By Death #2
CHARACTERS: Cash, Anaya
AUTHOR: Tara Fuller
PUBLICATION DATE: 07/02/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: Cash is haunted by things. Hungry, hollow things. They only leave him alone when Heaven’s beautiful reaper, Anaya, is around. Cash has always been good with girls, but Anaya isn’t like the others. She’s dead. And with his deteriorating health, Cash might soon be as well.

Anaya never breaks the rules, but the night of the fire, she recognized part of Cash’s soul–and doomed him to something worse than death. Cash’s soul now resides in an expired body, making him a shadow walker, a rare, coveted being that can walk between worlds. A being creatures of the underworld would do anything to get their hands on.

The lines between life and death are blurring, and Anaya and Cash find themselves falling helplessly over the edge. Trapped in a world where the living don’t belong, can Cash make it out alive?

REVIEW: I’m sad to admit that I haven’t read Inbetween, the first novel in this series but that didn’t stop me from picking up Blurred. I instantly liked Cash from the very beginning and understood his frustration about his current situation. He was chosen to stay in his current body because he is “special” to the higher powers that be and Anaya was meant to watch over him until his time was truly up. He was meant to serve a higher purpose but darker forces wanted to get their hands on him first and Cash didn’t really know who he could trust. I adored Cash and Anaya together as a couple because they just seemed to fit together. They had this intense connection that neither of them could understand or deny. Whenever she was around Cash, he just instantly felt at ease, even when his life felt like it was falling apart around him. She also started having feelings for Cash and was afraid to act on those feelings because she felt that she was betraying someone that she loved in the past. Their love story was heartbreaking because they knew they could never be together but couldn’t fight their strong feelings for one another.

The ending of this book just about killed me because it showed what two people would do for love even if it meant sacrificing everything that they’ve worked for. I thought that this was a haunting love story with just the right amount of mystery about Cash’s true identity and tender romance that had me crying at the end. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series from the talented Tara Fuller.

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

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Jennifer reviews All Out Of Love by Lori Wilde

All Out Of Love

TITLE: All Out of Love
SERIES #: A Cupid, Texas Novel #2
CHARACTERS: Lace Bettingfield and Pierce Hollister
AUTHOR: Lori Wilde
PUBLICATION DATE: 06/25/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Millie Greenway and her friends have tried for years to keep the Cupid legend alive in their hometown, but she’s not getting much help from her granddaughters. Lace Bettingfield knows the legend is bogus. As a teen, she left a letter at the Cupid statue and got nothing in return but humiliation. But now the guy she dreamed of is back in town, Lace begins to wonder if the tale might just prove to be true.

REVIEW:
This was the first book that I’ve read in the Cupid, Texas series and I enjoyed this book immensely. Lace Bettingfield was humiliated as a teenager because she left a letter at the Cupid Statue about Pierce Hollister, which was then broadcasted to her entire high school. Several years later, Lace has returned to Cupid after finishing her PhD and is working for the Cupid Botanical Gardens with the intent of putting her past behind her. At the same time, Pierce has returned home to recuperate after a football injury and help his ailing father. The two accidentally meet at the hospital and Pierce can’t believe that Lace is now this beautiful woman that used to follow him around as a teenager. Lace is determined to prove that she has gotten Pierce out of her system but every time he touches her, those old feelings come back, stronger than before. Pierce wants to prove to Lace that he has changed and that Lace is the only woman for him. But, Lace is afraid that she will be the laughing stock of Cupid all over again and her heart wants to believe that her and Pierce were meant to be together all along.

I absolutely loved Lace’s character in this book because I completely understood what she was going through. She took a chance by sending that letter out to Cupid and it backfired, but it made her a stronger person because of it. She was smart, sassy and I loved that she had curves compared to the other heroines that I’ve read. She wanted to prove that Pierce couldn’t get to her after all these years and he tried very hard to get her attention and make up for his past mistakes. I also liked the interactions between Lace and Pierce, because she had such a wicked sense of humor and she wouldn’t let Pierce be taken advantage of by others either. They were a very cute couple together and I’m glad to see that Pierce got his act together to prove that Lace was meant to be with him.

All Out of Love is a tender-hearted romance about second chances at love and I was impressed with the residents of Cupid, Texas. Lori Wilde has created a wonderful series that will pull at your heart-strings and will make you want to visit Cupid over and over again. I can’t read the next book in the series, Somebody to Love.

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

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Kelly reviews A Spy to Die For by Kris DeLake

A Spy to Die For

TITLE: A Spy to Die For
SERIES #: Assassins Guild #2
CHARACTERS: Jake Hunter & Skye Jones
AUTHOR: Kris DeLake
PUBLICATION DATE: July 2, 2013
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Jack Hunter is a double agent. Skye Jones is a pirate…or is that just a cover? One thing is for sure—neither of them are competent assasins. Thrown together on the Krell space station during an important Assassins Guild meeting, each is determined to get to the truth and prevent catastrophe. But when Jack and Skye are matched against two master killers, they find themselves caught in the crosshairs between their willingness to trust each other and the undeniable attraction coursing through them. Both knows that a long-term relationship is tough in their profession, but the chemistry they’ve got is too good to deny. Now all they have to do is stay alive.

REVIEW:
I enjoyed this book. This was my first book by Kris Delake, yet it is book 2 in the series, which I didn’t know when I started reading. But I never really felt lost with the storyline. Will I did enjoy the book I didn’t connect completely with the 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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Kelly reviews The Five Deaths of Roxanne Love by Erin Quinn & Giveaway!!

The Five Deaths of Roxanne Love

TITLE: The Five Deaths of Roxanne Love
CHARACTERS: Santo Castillo & Roxanne Love
AUTHOR: Erin Quinn
PUBLICATION DATE: Aug 27, 2013
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Love and death make dangerous bed partners.

She cheated death….

All Roxanne Love has ever wanted is to be normal—marriage, kids, the life of June Cleaver. She tries to fit in but can’t conceal her ability to defy death–not from the world, not from the darkest creatures of the Beyond and not from the Reaper determined to destroy her. Now Roxanne is on the run, her only ally a compelling, dangerous detective with secrets of his own. Against her will, she’s drawn to his quiet strength and heated touch. But can she trust him with the truth?

….until she felt death’s kiss.

Incognito as guilt-ridden cop, Santo Castillo, the Reaper’s plan is simple: get close to Roxanne, uncover the secret of her immortality and cut it at the source. Yet with this borrowed body come emotions the Reaper hadn’t expected. Now nothing is clear but his conflicted desire to protect the woman he came to kill. As destiny forces them to face an enemy hell-bent on using Roxanne to wipe out all of mankind, she and Santo must choose between love….and salvation.

REVIEW:
4.5 Stars Roxanne Love has died 4 times now. She is not afraid to die because he has always been waiting for her. But when she died this last time he was not there. Roxanne doesn’t have time to worry about that right now she has bigger problem. Hellhound size problems. Roxanne’s only chance of survival is to trust the sexy, dark stranger that has not left her side since she was shot at her restaurant. But is he really what he says he is?

Santo Castillo is not who he seems to be. He is something much more dangerous and his sights are set on Roxanne Love. Only problem is that he was not prepared for the very human reaction he has when he sees her. Santo has figure out if he is going to be able to finish his mission or has something changed in him forever.

I really, really enjoyed this book. I love Roxanne and Santo. Roxanne is a sweet girl that when push comes to shove will fight till the end to protect what she loves. Santo is fun to read about. He knows what he is, but fights the changes that are taking place. I could go on, but then I would give you spoilers. So I will say you need to put this book on your to be read list for sure.

And I can’t wait to see what happens next to the Love family.

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.

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Hi Res Mists

 

Erin and I would love to give you a chance to win a digital copy of one of Erin’s Mists of Ireland books

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