Kelly reviews Screen by Michele Renae

TITLE: Screen
SERIES #: Paris Secrets #2
AUTHOR: Michele Renae
PUBLICATION DATE: February 11, 2014
ORDER LINKS: Links not up yet

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
She fell willingly, seduced by the erotic foreignness of all that he was.

Words can be more powerful than touch. Stimulate and engage the senses, then watch what happens…

They began a daring affair a few weeks ago, baring skin, sensual secrets—their very souls—before their bedroom windows, situated across the street from one another. Now they’ve taken it to the next level. The laptop screen has added sound to their intimate liaisons, and his voice, that delicious French accent, is oh, so sexy. His laughter teases good shivers across her skin, and his sensual commands seduce her deeper into a world of erotic play. Fantasies lure them into a new intimacy and a surprising trust that the two strangers who have never touched welcome.

Yet frustrations grow as she pines for his touch. They must meet. Soon. But a secret is revealed that will challenge their desires and the trust both have earned.

Return to the heroine’s Parisian apartment as she continues her relationship with Monsieur Sexy, and they explore the delicious intricacies of cyber-sex.

Book #2 in the Paris Secrets trilogy begins with a bang.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts Screen is book 2 in Michele Renae’s Paris Secret’s series. If you have not read Window I would suggest starting there. I don’t think that this book would stand alone very good, way to much happens in book one that sets up for book 2.

Like Window, I enjoyed Screen and got to learn more about the characters and what drive them. But one of them has a secret that could destroy what they have been trying to build. It will be interesting to see how Michele solves some of the problems that our heroine and hero have. I am looking forward to Skin book 3 in the Paris Secrets series.

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

April 9, 2014March 29, 2014

Kimberly reviews Down On Her Knees by Christine Bell

TITLE: Down On Her Knees
SERIES #: Dare Me #3
CHARACTERS: Courtney & Rafe
AUTHOR: Christine Bell
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/24/14
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Four lessons, no strings…

Detective Rafe Davenport has always made Courtney DeLollis uneasy. While her instincts whisper, Touch him, her mind says, Run. But since she learned that he’s dominant in the bedroom, she hasn’t been able to forget about it. She should be appalled—she knows all too well what happens when a man has too much control—but a deeper, darker part of her is fascinated…

And so is Rafe. The sexual tension between them is thick enough to touch, and damn, does he want to touch. So he suggests something that will benefit them both. Four scenes—because anything more is a relationship, and Rafe won’t go there ever again. Each scenario is designed to tease and torment. To show Courtney that with every submission comes the reward of scintillating pleasure. But once he has Courtney down on her knees, Rafe realizes that she might be the one woman capable of bringing him to his…

REVIEW:
This was just ok for me. The story was cute and the characters had chemistry. I had a problem with Rafe being labeled a Dom. First he might fall under the controlling label but not Dom. Courtney was a good character. Together they seemed good.

The problem was the sex was unimaginative and the terminology was wrong. They kept saying they had 4 scenes. What was actually happening was a roleplaying date. And other than one scene there was no BDSM that the Dom claimed he was into. It seemed as if the author was jumping on the BDSM bandwagon with no clear understanding of what it is.

Now that being said the story is cute as I said and the characters are good together. The story just might have been better as a contemporary because picking it up as erotica will disappoint.

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

April 9, 2014April 6, 2014

Kimberly reviews The Righteous & The Wicked by April Emerson

TITLE: The Righteous and The Wicked
CHARACTERS: Emma & Eric
AUTHOR: April Emerson
PUBLICATION DATE: 04/10/14
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Small moments can seem insignificant until they change the course of a life forever. The sound of a bulldozer. A chance meeting at a gas station. A gust of wind through a chime. Benign events become something more when viewed through the lens of fate.

Emma Santori is a prisoner of tragic memories. Locked in a spiral of depression, she leads a desolate and empty life, trapped in her decrepit home. Rooted in routine, she’s numb and vacant. As a lonely Catholic school teacher, her only joy comes from her young students. One Saturday morning, her isolation is infiltrated by a mysterious architect building a home beside hers.

That man is Eric Wilder and he’s keeping a secret—a secret that’s destroying his life. Filled with guilt and self-loathing, he’s forced to move often. He chooses the small northeastern town of Pine Lake as his latest refuge, and hopes to make a successful attempt at starting his life over. As always, he’s unable to make that happen.

That all changes when he meets Emma. She finds herself drawn to Eric when she accidentally bumps into him, but Eric’s unfazed by their first meeting. When a gust of wind brings these two people together once again, Emma discovers Eric’s secret. She’s forced to battle between her Catholic faith and her desire for this stranger.

Their attraction is intense and they soon discover they’re each lonely and longing for what the other has to offer. As their friendship blossoms, Emma realizes her passion and lust for Eric are the remedy to her depression. Eric discovers his feelings for Emma are the only antidote to his secret burden.

They begin an erotic journey, which leads these beautifully broken people to discover that love can be both righteous and wicked.

REVIEW:
I had the hardest time reading this story. First the writing is just different. Something is off about it and it made it hard to enjoy the story for me. Second Both Emma and Eric are such lost characters that I didn’t understand how they could be attracted to each other. I mean really can one lost soul really find and heal another? Eric sleeps with everything that walks and I really do not enjoy when one of the character sleeps around. And Emma has her own secret that disappointed me when I found out.

This is a very dark and not a carefree love story and while I can appreciate the story for what it is and appreciate it this was just not the story for me.

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

April 8, 2014April 6, 2014

Kimberly reviews Breathe Into Me by Sara Fawkes

TITLE: Breathe Into Me
CHARACTERS: Lacey & Everett
AUTHOR: Sara Fawkes
PUBLICATION DATE: 04/08/14
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
How did my life get so broken? It’s a question Lacey St. James asks herself every day. Stuck raising her little brother in a trailer park while she works a dead end job at a grocery store, she has a stalker ex-boyfriend, a bad reputation, and no way out.

And then, she meets Everett, who changes her entire existence.

Everett is an outsider who’s housesitting his family’s mansion off the coast, and for reasons Lacey can’t understand, he’s completely transfixed by her. He seems determined to show her that life can offer more than she’d ever hoped for, if only she believes in herself. She desperately yearns to trust him, but what happens when she finds out that everything he’s told her is a lie?

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts This book is so sad. Pulled from recent headlines it hits home to bullying. I am not sure Lacey could have anything else go wrong in her life. She is such a sad case and yet someone you want to see pull herself together and show the world she can make it. Everett is so not the alpha male, unless he needs to be, but there is still something about him.

I enjoyed this book. There is just so much that goes on in it that it is hard to not want to keep reading it. The characters, including background characters, are very interesting and their feelings palpable. Well written. And I loved the cover art.

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

April 7, 2014April 6, 2014

Kimberly reviews Aflame by Krissy Daniels

TITLE: Aflame
SERIES #: Apotheosis, #1
CHARACTERS: Grayce & Zander
AUTHOR: Krissy Daniels
PUBLICATION DATE: 04/07/14
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
To save her soul, he’ll let her burn.

Grayce has been on the run for years. Having escaped an abusive relationship with a violent psychopath, she is trying to rebuild her life one small step at a time. Things are going well until Zander crosses her path, badass and sexy as hell. His presence awakens heated desires she long ago buried. Last thing Grayce wants is a man, and the way her body reacts to Zander scares her more than the threat of being found.

Tyr will do anything to get his little dove back. She is a Beacon, and her raw, burning energy gives him power and strength. More than the evil that already compels him. But a blond giant of a man hovers protectively around her. No matter. He’ll play with him too.

When Zander rescues Grayce from Tyr’s first attempt to reclaim her, he reveals his superhuman abilities. Power that Grayce also has, but has yet to understand. As predestined soul mates, Zander must help Grace control her rage before her fire threatens to destroy everyone and everything in her path. But his true challenge is more than that—to show her it’s possible to trust and love again.

CONTENT WARNING: Hot sex with a foul-mouthed firecracker.

REVIEW:
What a weird and yet intriguing story. So different than anything I have read before. The characters were interesting and had so much background that I felt like I knew them. The life Grayce has led was so sad and scary that I felt so bad for her. I loved Zander (but then I am a fan of the big alpha possessive kinda guy) and found myself happy and sad for him.

There were a few things that I would have changed. I mean even having the warning of a foul mouthed woman was not enough to describe the language in this book. And I missed the fact that we didn’t get an answer to Grayce’s legal issues… I mean come on she is wanted for murder. Even so I really enjoyed this story.

Looking for something a bit different to read? Love a bit of magic (for lack of a better word) in a story? Like a guy who loves with his whole heart and a woman who is willing to overcome her past? Then this is the book for you.

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

April 5, 2014March 30, 2014

Kait Ballenger’s Execution Underground Series

After Dark: The Darkest Angel/Shadow Hunter

Lords of the Underworld #4.5/ Excution Undergroun #0.5

by Gena Showalter (Goodreads Author), Kait Ballenger (Goodreads Author)

A timeless seduction A unique temptation And a whole world of dark desires…

From New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter

The Darkest Angel

Winged warrior Lysander has been alive for centuries, and yet he’s never known desire-until he meets Bianka. Spawned from the bloodline of his enemy, the beautiful but deadly Harpy is determined to lead the untouched Lysander into temptation. He may try to evade her attempts, but even the most iron-willed demon assassin can resist for only so long….

And from debut author Kait Ballenger

Shadow Hunter

Vampire hunter Damon Brock’s first assignment with the Execution Underground is Rochester, New York, a city crawling with the undead. But he isn’t the only hunter in town gunning for vamp blood. Tiffany Solow is fierce and ruthless when it comes to slaying the monsters that destroyed her family-and she works solo. But being alone is no longer so desirable when she meets the mysterious hunter who wants more than just her turf. As they work to massacre the local covens, the line between good and evil blurs when they are forced to decide between their lifelong beliefs… and their newfound hearts.

*****

Twilight Hunter

Execution Underground #1

Hunters of the supernatural, the Execution Underground are an elite group tasked with protecting humanity…but what happens when danger collides with desire?

Jace McCannon has one loyalty: the Execution Underground. Despite his mixed blood, his hatred for the werewolves he hunts is legendary. But in his search for a sadistic killer, Jace finds himself face to face with a stunningly seductive packmaster…and longing for a night with his mortal enemy.

Nothing can stop Frankie Amato from defending her kind—or catching the rogue responsible for killing women in her territory. For that, this alpha female needs Jace’s skills more than she wants to admit. But as their investigation exposes evil truths, need burns into a passion that dare not be fulfilled. For to do so will have deadly consequences for them both

*****

Immortal Hunter

Execution Underground #2

Hunters of the supernatural, the Execution Underground are an elite group tasked with protecting humanity…but at what price?

As an exorcist, David Aronowitz grew up the target of demonic assassins. Now he’s a member of the Execution Underground and hellspawn everywhere fear his name. But when a demon slips into the seductive body of the only woman he’s ever loved, David must confront the heartbreak of their past to save her.

The piece of her heart Allsún O’Hare gave to David so long ago left her trapped between two worlds: the Fae and the human. And when David comes to her rescue, fate reunites her with her greatest temptation—and her biggest mistake.

Now, as they’re swept together into a wicked game with the demon who controls her, David must decide if saving Allsún’s life is worth sacrificing his own—and the future of humanity itself.

April 4, 2014March 29, 2014

Kelly reviews Turned by Virna DePaul

TITLE: Turned
SERIES #: The Belladonna Agency #1
CHARACTERS: Ty Duncan & Ana Martin
AUTHOR: Virna DePaul
PUBLICATION DATE: April 1, 2014
ORDER LINKS: Amazon| B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Welcome to a mesmerizing world where vampires hide among humans. This centuries-old species has its own rules, code of conduct, and taboos. Only the FBI knows that vampires exist—and although the Bureau agrees to keep their secret, it also plots to give humans the upper hand.
Turning mortals into vampires is forbidden.
But there are creatures who refuse to play by the rules.

Ever since he was turned, FBI special agent Ty Duncan has had one mission: bring rogue vampires to justice. As a recruiter for Belladonna, a shadow agency formed to keep vampires in check, Ty must tap Ana Martin, a troubled ex–gang member and one of the few mortals who can infiltrate places that his kind and the law cannot. From their first encounter, Ty fights a hunger to make Ana his own.

When Ty claims to have information about Ana’s missing sister, Ana has no choice but to trust this captivating stranger who awakens her deepest desires. But as she and Ty climb the heights of pleasure and passion, an enemy is conspiring to destroy them both.

Can Ana help Ty find his humanity in a love that could heal them both, or will their passion lead them into a darkness impossible to escape?

REVIEW:
2.5 HEARTS Really on the fence about this book. I liked the world, liked the idea behind the story liked the beginning. But I just never really connected with the main two characters. I really can’t explain why. I just didn’t feel the love that I would have liked to.

Even with that it was a good story and I am going to give the next book in this series a shot.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group – Bantam Dell in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

April 3, 2014April 3, 2014

Kimberly reviews Enchanting The Beast by Kathryne Kennedy

TITLE: Enchanting The Beast
SERIES #: Relics of Merlin #3
CHARACTERS: Philomena & Nicodemus
AUTHOR: Kathryne Kennedy
PUBLICATION DATE: 04/01/14
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Grimspell Castle. With its dark, imposing stone walls, it certainly looked haunted. As a ghost-hunter, Lady Philomena was accustomed to restless spirits. But she found the dark, imposing nature of the castle’s owner far more haunting than any specter. London Society might not approve of shape-shifters such as Sir Nicodemus Wulfson, but firmly-on-the-shelf Philomena rather enjoyed the young baronet’s sudden interest in sniffing around her skirts. She’d even consider giving in to him altogether if not for a murderer on the loose—a beast that might just be Nico himself.

REVIEW:
Take a bit of Mary Poppins + Harry Potter + Beauty and the Beast and you have this story. Magical creatures and ghost and witches and shape-shifters. There is everything you need to make a story a paranormal and it works out perfectly. I did not know this was the third in the series and it never felt like I was missing something. It does however make me want to go back and read the first two books.

The characters are delightful. Phil is a bit of a cougar (to use todays terms and I do not mean a shifter). And Nico is a great alpha with the possiveness and fierceness but also the sweetness that we romance lovers adore reading about.

I didn’t want to miss one word of this story and can’t wait to read any more that come from the series. If you love the paranormal romance genre then you have to pick up this delightful story.

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

April 3, 2014March 29, 2014

Kelly reviews He Can Fall by Melinda Leigh

TITLE: He Can Fall
SERIES #: A She Can Novella
CHARACTERS: Sean & Amanda Wilson
AUTHOR: Melinda Leigh
PUBLICATION DATE: March 26, 2014
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N (coming soon)

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
When security expert Sean Wilson takes his wife, Amanda, along on a business trip to an isolated bed and breakfast, he’s hoping to combine work and pleasure. But when four armed men storm the inn and take the staff and his wife hostage, the romantic getaway is over. A former army Ranger, Sean will do anything to save his wife, and when he finds the seven-year-old granddaughter of the innkeeper in the snowy woods, the situation becomes more dire. Sean must get the child to safety, but as the armed men become increasingly hostile and violent, Amanda’s life is also on the line. Cut off from help and spurred by desperation, Sean and Amanda must make hard choices that could get them all killed.

Thriller Award nominee and bestselling romantic suspense author Melinda Leigh delivers a page-turning story of love, fear, and desperate choices.

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts GREAT novella!!!
I am always amazed how much you can put into a short story. Again this was a great short story and like any review I do for novella my review will be short too. I don’t like giving away too much. I will say that even though this was a short story I didn’t feel like anything was missing. I felt that Melinda was able to tell a great story without leaving me with that “I want more” that can come with a novella.
If you have read Melinda’s She Can… Series you will LOVE this novella. If you are new to the She Can…Series He Can Fall is easily read alone and does not affect the order of the series at all. I would highly suggest picking up a copy of the novella.

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

April 2, 2014March 29, 2014

Kelly reviews Burn For Me by Shiloh Walker

TITLE: Burn for Me
SERIES #: Secrets & Shadows #0.5
CHARACTERS: Tate Bell & Ali Holmes
AUTHOR: Shiloh Walker
PUBLICATION DATE:
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Scarred long ago by the disappearance of his mother, Nichole, Tate Bell aches to spend his days and nights with Ali Holmes, a woman he’s loved for years. But while Ali’s heart pines to be with Tate, her head has reservations… Ali knows that Tate has never forgiven his father for the fight he had with Nichole right before she left the house—and was never heard from again. Ali thinks that Tate’s unresolved anger is a force to be reckoned with…even though the heat that blazes between them is undeniable. Now both Tate and Ali are left to wonder: Can love really conquer all?

REVIEW:
Burn for Me it the first novella in Shiloh Walker’s new Secrets & Shadows series. In Burn for Me we get to meet Tate Bell. A man afraid to truly love or let anyone get too close. Yet knows that the one thing that matters most to him is about ready to walk away. Ali might love Tate, but she can’t wait for him any more. Walking away is going to be the hardest thing she has ever done.

This was an amazing start to Shiloh’s new romance suspense series. Let me tell you chapter one starts of with a major bang. While there is a love story the mystery that surrounds the Bell family has me dying for the next novella in this series.

If you love romance suspense you need to add Burn for Me to your read list.

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

April 2, 2014March 30, 2014

Kelly reviews Sweetest Surrender by Katie Reus

TITLE: Sweetest Surrender
SERIES #: The Serafina: Sin City #3
CHARACTERS: Vadim & Angel
AUTHOR: Katie Reus
PUBLICATION DATE: March 30, 2014
ORDER LINKS: Amazon| B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A woman on the run…

Angel has been on her own for two years, moving from place to place to outrun her past. With no family and few friends to lean on, she’s managed to keep her secrets and stay safe. But when her past suddenly catches up to her, she has a choice to make. Run or stay and claim her life once more.

He’ll stop at nothing to protect her…

Vadim has never let anyone close to him—until Angel. From the first time he met her, everything changed. As a private consultant for Wyatt Christiansen, he’s good with computers and he’s got connections to unearth people’s deepest, darkest secrets. When Angel’s life is threatened Vadim steps in and uses all his resources to end the threat once and for all. As the danger closes in, he lies to her in an effort to protect her, not realizing that even once the threat is eliminated, he might lose her anyway.

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts

This was a quick read about 150 pages. There may have not been a ton of suspense in this story it was a good story. I really loved Vadim. I mean really who doesn’t love man who one is hot, two has an accent and three scares the living bejesus out of everyone but you. Well that pretty much sums up Vadim. He is a total badass but yet so sweet and gentle when needed. And that is everything Angel needs.
Angel is a sweet girl who was dealt some very bad cards. To many deaths in her short life and trusting the wrong person at the wrong time has made the last two years a living nightmare for her. But with Vadim by her side she might be able to face the demons from the past.

Over all I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to what is next in The Serafina: Sin City series.

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

April 1, 2014March 31, 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Pretty Reckless by Jodi Linton

Welcome to Pistol Rock, Texas where secrets last about as long as the sporadic west Texas rain showers.

Laney Briggs has long been considered reckless, but she’s turned herself around—she’s respectably engaged and she’s become a Pistol Rock deputy sheriff. Everything’s fine until a dead body turns up and her ex, Texas Ranger Gunner Wilson, decides to stick his boots into the town’s first murder case.

Laney will be damned if she lets Gunner trample all over her turf and her chance at a quiet, contented life. His seemingly endless ability to undermine her resolve and her libido is only outdone by her constant urge to butt heads with him. But when the bodies start to pile up, Laney has to ask the lethal bad boy for a hand—and a truce in exchange for his help.

Having an ex-boyfriend as an ally might not be the best idea, but Laney has always been pretty reckless…

Amazon/B&N/Goodreads

About the Author:
Jodi Linton grew up across the street from a cow pasture, where she was more likely to be seen selling Kool-Aid in a Dixie cup at ten cents a pop, or inviting neighbors over to watch one of her plays staged on her father’s Bass boat.

In 2001, she traded in the rednecks, cowboys, and mesquite trees of her hometown to chase destiny out west. After a few years of mucking it around with the roughnecks, dust storms, and droughts, she decided to dust off her boots and head home. With a History degree in one hand and a marriage license in the other, she followed her husband in 2006 to central Texas the heartland, fabulous Austin.

After settling into the Texas Hill Country with her husband and two kids, she joined the Austin Romance Writers of America, and signed with The Belcastro Agency. Today she can be found cozied up to the computer escaping into a quirky world of tall tales, sexy, tight jean wearing cowboys, and a protagonist with a sharp-tongue quick enough to hang any man out to dry.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

Jennifer’s Review of Pretty Reckless

Review (4 Stars): What a wild ride! I liked Laney a lot in this book because of her personality and the fact that she finds herself in the middle of a love triangle with two handsome men. Laney Briggs is a deputy for the town of Pistol Rock and is caught in the middle of a murder case that puts her working with her ex-boyfriend, Gunnar Wilson. Gunnar cheated on Laney many years ago and is back as a Texas Ranger to help solve the case and try to win back Laney. The problem is that Laney is engaged to be married to Nathan, the town’s veterinarian, and doesn’t need Gunnar coming back into her life and stirring up old feelings. She cares for Nathan but being around Gunnar stirs up feelings that she thought she was over and she doesn’t want to repeat her past mistakes with him. The murder case they are involved in is full of twists and turns and involves a hilarious cast of characters which makes Pretty Reckless an entertaining read. I was surprised at how fast I went through this book and I know you will too. I like Ms. Linton’s style of writing and looking forward to reading more about Laney in future books.

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