Review: Blood Kiss

BLOOD KISS
Black Dagger Legacy #1
J.R. Ward
Paranormal Romance
397 pages
Signet
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
The legacy of the Black Dagger Brotherhood continues in a spin-off series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author…

Paradise, blooded daughter of the king’s First Advisor, is ready to break free from the restrictive life of an aristocratic female. Her strategy? Join the Black Dagger Brotherhood’s training center program and learn to fight for herself, think for herself…be herself. It’s a good plan, until everything goes wrong. The schooling is unfathomably difficult, the other recruits feel more like enemies than allies, and it’s very clear that the Brother in charge, Butch O’Neal, a.k.a. the Dhestroyer, is having serious problems in his own life.

And that’s before she falls in love with a fellow classmate. Craeg, a common civilian, is nothing her father would ever want for her, but everything she could ask for in a male. As an act of violence threatens to tear apart the entire program, and the erotic pull between them grows irresistible, Paradise is tested in ways she never anticipated—and left wondering whether she’s strong enough to claim her own power…on the field, and off.

MY THOUGHTS
Blood Kiss sees a return to the style that made the early books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood so addicting, Ms. Ward limiting the number of characters we follow to a delightful four rather than subjecting us to the character merry-go-round that has dominated the BDB series of late. Our time is spent divided between new couple Craeg and Paradise as well as Butch and Marissa–a beloved pair who had their happily ever after in book four of the original series–and Ms. Ward manages to make both couples shine equally, neither fighting for our attention but both keeping us rapidly flipping the pages until we sadly find ourselves at the end.

Revisiting a couple who've already had their time in the spotlight can sometimes be problematic, the feeling that new issues have been created simply for the sake of drama causing us to be a bit wary in the beginning, but Ms. Ward gives Butch and Marissa a realistic set of relationship difficulties to overcome in this spinoff. The two of them are still immensely happy together, but as can be the case with established relationships, making time for one another and communicating effectively amidst incredibly busy lives can be a challenge, and it's almost comforting to see familiar struggles reflected in a fictional romance. Nothing between them feels manufactured, and the way they face their problems as a united front brings a smile to our faces throughout.

Craeg and Paradise hold their own against romantic heavy-hitters Butch and Marissa, the two of them piquing our interest quickly as they face the gauntlet thrown down by the Brotherhood's training program and fight to prove themselves worthy. Craeg is a classic J.R. Ward alpha male, physically intimidating and sexually potent, but it's Paradise who ends up being a pleasant surprise. Given her gentle upbringing among vampire high society we can't help but wonder if she's going to be passive in nature despite her desire to join the program, but what we find instead is a young woman unafraid to put Craeg in his place when necessary and stand up for herself both as a trainee and a woman.

The mystery element surrounding a young woman brutally beaten to death could have benefited from more substance and a deeper exploration of the motivations of the guilty party when their identity is revealed, but that is a very minor complaint in an otherwise hugely successful first installment. J.R. Ward fans like myself will love every glimpse of Vishous, Rhage, Lassiter and a few of the other Brothers, their crazy slang and general badassery making us feel as though we've gotten back on a track we veered from drastically in the past few Brotherhood books.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find J.R. Ward

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Review: Claimed

CLAIMED
Outlaws #1
Elle Kennedy
Adult Romance/Post-Apocalyptic
368 pages
Signet
Available October 6th
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
After a devastating war decimated most of the world, Hudson Lane has only known the oppressive life under her own father’s tyranny. She finally escapes, branding herself an outlaw and hunted by the Enforcers. Her best chance at survival is Connor Mackenzie, an aggressively sensual fugitive who opens her eyes to the wicked possibilities of a world without rules.

As the leader of a band of outlaw fighters, Connor can’t resist the beautiful stranger who asks for his protection. Despite his reservations, he agrees to introduce her to a whole new way of life. But when Connor discovers Hudson’s connection to the enemies of liberty, he wonders how far he can trust the woman who has abandoned all inhibitions to challenge every forbidden desire.

MY THOUGHTS
Claimed is a strong, sensual start to a new series by Ms. Kennedy, introducing us to a post-apocalyptic world we can only hope never comes to pass, as well as a group of men who have us wishing we could somehow grant Ms. Kennedy the ability to write at superhuman speed in order to have their stories as soon as possible. We're given just enough history as to how this war-ravaged world came to be so that we easily get our bearings in the first few chapters, settling in quickly and then gluing ourselves to the story until we reach the last page far before we're ready to temporarily part ways with Connor, Hudson and company.

Hudson is a little tricky in the beginning, instantly drawing us in with her need to find safety outside the walls of the compound she called home, but when that understandable need begins to bleed into the romance in the first third of the book, we can't help but want her to find the spine of steel that led her to flee her home in the first place. Because she instinctively knows that Connor and his team can provide safety, she tries hard to make herself useful without disrupting the routine they've established, and when things heat up with Connor physically, that desire for safety leads her to accept what feels like the crumbs from Connor's sexual table. That's not to say she's not an active and willing participant in anything and everything they do–she absolutely is–but she allows him to call the shots inside the bedroom and out of it in a way that has us wishing she'd make him work a little harder for it.

Before too long however, Hudson gains confidence sexually and otherwise, and when she does, she goes toe to toe with Connor in the best possible way. She pushes when he needs to be pushed and then allows him to take back control before pushing too far, becoming a woman who isn't afraid to ask for what she wants and demand that her voice be heard (in a non-irritating way). Those, like myself, who are typically uncomfortable with anything other than absolute monogamy in romances should know that Hudson and Connor play with one of Connor's men a number of times, but in the context of this world it works to intensify things between the two of them. There's no hint of a triangle–Rylan is sure to get his book at some point in the near future (yay!)–and the understanding from the beginning is that what's shared between them is physical only within the bounds of friendship.

Overall, Claimed is blistering hot with just enough grit to the world to have us delighting in the characters' rough edges, and we're left with the satisfied smile any romance-lover lusts for firmly in place by the time we reach the last page.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Elle:

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Review: Crosstown Crush

CROSSTOWN CRUSH
Sins in the City #1
Cara McKenna
Adult Contemporary Romance
336 pages
Signet
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
When he’s working, Mike Heyer is all business—every inch the alpha male, with the hard, capable body to back up his persona. But at home he can be a different man entirely, harboring appetites only his wife gets to glimpse…

When Samira first learned of her husband’s fantasies, she was reluctant, even alarmed. But after witnessing the way they set him on fire, she yielded, and happily indulged. As their games have intensified, so has the rush. And now so has the risk—they’re poised to take Mike’s indecent desires to the next level, by opening their bed to a sexy, brazen stranger. A man seeming custom-made to grant every last one of Mike and Samira’s sinful wishes.

Welcoming someone new into their lives was always a dangerous proposition, but the couple imagined if anything was at stake, it was their privacy…not their hearts.

MY THOUGHTS
Crosstown Crush is a tricky read in terms of subject matter, a cuckolding kink–wherein a husband desires the humiliation of having his wife cheat on him with a man perceived as bigger and stronger than he is–a tough sell in the world of romance and happily-ever-afters. Ms. McKenna pulls it off beautifully though, delving deeply into Mike’s kink and peeling back its layers to allow us to see how something that would normally be enormously off-putting in a romance can actually be sexy, even if we (and Samira and Bern for that matter) can’t fully relate to that particular desire.

The key to the success of this story (for me) is the communication between all three parties, each person upfront with the others in what they want and need from the cuckolding fantasy so that everyone’s feelings can be addressed as things heat up. The conversations between husband and wife are particularly vital to us as readers, as the idea of a partner sleeping with someone else for most elicits feelings of hurt and anger. Those feelings make it difficult to fully wrap our minds around the appeal of a situation that in the beginning is physical between Samira and Bern only, with Mike taking a decidedly passive spectator role. Bearing witness to Samira’s questions for Mike and his attempts to explain what about this fantasy works for him helps soothe any ruffled feathers we might have though, ensuring we don’t pity Mike, get angry at Samira or wish Bern out of the picture as we likely would otherwise.

Ms. McKenna doesn’t take the easier path with this romantic arrangement either, one in which Mike and Bern develop feelings for one another as well to turn their relationship into a triad in truth, instead leading everyone down a rockier road as fantasy bleeds into reality and becomes infinitely more complex. We’re left with a satisfying ending (even if some uber romantics like me might wish for a happily in love triad), things between the three of them stable but a little more open in terms of what might happen moving forward. Overall, Crosstown Crush explores a kink that could have easily crashed and burned and left readers distinctly uncomfortable, but Ms. McKenna forces us in the most exquisitely sensual way to try and see things through the eyes of Mike, Bern and Samira in turn, and it’s nearly impossible not to get swept away in their games.

Rating: 4/5

Find Cara:

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Review: The Bedding Proposal

THE BEDDING PROPOSAL
The Rakes of Cavendish Square #1
Tracy Anne Warren
Historical Romance
352 pages
Signet
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
From New York Times bestselling author Tracy Anne Warren, the first of a new trilogy about the most dashingly dangerous men in London. Pay a call to the most seductive address in London and meet the Rakes of Cavendish Square....

Lord Leo Byron is bored with the aristocratic company he keeps; he needs a distraction, preferably in the form of a beautiful new female companion. So when he sets eyes on fascinating and scandalous divorcée Lady Thalia Lennox, he’s determined to make her intimate acquaintance. But the spirited woman seems to have no intention of accepting his advances no matter how much he chases—or how hard he falls....

Once a darling of Society, Thalia Lennox now lives on its fringes. The cruel lies that gave her a notoriously wild reputation have also left her with a broken heart and led to a solemn vow to swear off men. Still, Leo Byron’s bold overtures are deliciously tempting, and, for the first time, she finds herself wondering whether it just might be worth the risk to let the attractive rake into her life—and her bed....

MY THOUGHTS
The Bedding Proposal is historical romance at its most delightful, a lead couple who excel at banter and good-natured antagonism paired with a very real and infuriating threat to their happily ever after to leave us satisfied on every level. The two of them lead one another on a merry dance in this tale, Leo’s initial desire to attain the surprisingly unattainable slowly shifting and changing into the much deeper desire to give Thalia the life that has been denied her in the most humiliating way possible. Thalia quickly shows Leo she is not the sort, regardless of salacious gossip that would suggest otherwise, to fall over in a dead faint at the first flex of his rapier wit and the flash of his charming smile. As a couple they are the perfect combination of sweet and sexy, ensuring we have trouble setting their story aside and returning to our real lives.

Thalia is an extraordinary woman, doing her best every day to let the cruel words of a notoriously judgmental society roll off her back, and dealing with those like Leo (initially at least) who seek her out simply to flirt with the danger she presents to their reputations or the challenge as a potential conquest. She doesn't stay silent in the face of their not-so subtle mockery nor does she absorb their blows as her due for the mistake she made in marrying the wrong man, instead she lets them feel the edge of her sharp tongue as she makes a classy exit. 

Leo, for his part, while amusingly dedicated to seducing Thalia despite her assurances that a romance between them will never come to pass, doesn't push her in a way that makes us want to come to her defense. He's patient (though single-minded for a good portion of the book), accepting quickly that he enjoys her as a person instead of simply a notch on his bedpost, and as things between them get more serious, he shows us time and again that he's more than worthy of her affection.

Sometimes with romances we're given a less-than valid reason as to why our hero and heroine can't be together long-term, typically a piece of emotional baggage on one or both of their parts that causes them to suddenly throw in the towel when they hit a bump in the road, but with The Bedding Proposal we find our couple stymied by a truly insurmountable obstacle. While a fortuitous event suddenly creates a door in the aforementioned obstacle that allows them safe passage through to their happily ever after, we can't help but appreciate the appalling nature of what blocked their way in the first place. Overall, The Bedding Proposal is a hugely successful first installment, and the next book featuring Leo's sister can't release soon enough.

Rating: 4/5

Find Tracy:

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Mini Reviews: Give It All & Quarterback Draw

GIVE IT ALL
Desert Dogs #2
Cara McKenna
Romantic Suspense
352 pages
Signet
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Keep your friends close—and your enemies closer....

Bar owner Raina Harper can’t say for sure what Duncan Welch is to her. With her small Nevada town under siege by a ruthless casino development and still reeling from a spate of murders, she knows that trusting the public face of the corporate invaders is risky to say the least. Though, damn, it’s one fine-looking face.…

Duncan may be a mercenary when it comes to getting the job done, but he’s no villain. In fact, the calculating fixer soon finds himself in the bad guys’ crosshairs, framed and facing professional ruin. To clear his name, he’ll need help from Raina and her roughneck motorcycle club, the Desert Dogs. Gaining their trust won’t be easy, and the molten sexual tension between Raina and Duncan only makes things more complicated—especially since Miah Church, Raina’s friend and ex-lover, would sooner strangle Duncan than shake his hand.

One thing’s certain, though: If they don’t deal with their incendiary attraction soon, the whole damn town might go up in flames.…

MY THOUGHTS
Give It All is a grittier installment than its predecessor in terms of the romance, Raina and Duncan's edges significantly more jagged than that of Kim and Vince's, thus making their journey to happiness a sometimes painful but ultimately beautiful one. Many times with romances featuring damaged characters we spend a lot of time learning exactly what caused all the injuries we can't see, but with both Duncan and Raina very little time is spent dwelling on the past and we're simply allowed to live with them in the present, watching as they learn the nuances of the person each is now. It's not a story of the two of them figuring out how to mend one another through sex, love and everything in between, rather it's one of acceptance, each wishing to let themselves be seen with the type of honesty few others have been gifted.

Duncan is arguably the one whose past has manifested itself in his present in a more life-altering way, his various compulsions dictating his day to day schedule to such a degree that he suffers full-on panic attacks should he not be able to complete certain tasks. What's so striking about his relationship with Raina though is that she never tries to avoid triggering his compulsions or change his life so that she can better address his needs, instead she simply accepts everything about him (and mocks his extreme Britishness at times, much to our delight) and simply stands by his side, there for him should he need her. Duncan is much the same way with Raina, pushing her to let him see all her dark corners, but respecting the woman she is and giving her the space and independence she fiercely craves at the same time. The two of them together are gorgeously messy, and their romance is one destined to be read over and over again.

Rating: 4/5

Find Cara:

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QUARTERBACK DRAW

Play By Play #9

Jaci Burton

Contemporary Romance

336 pages

Berkley Trade

Available Now

Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)

Grant Cassidy knows how to be a football star—flash that dazzling smile, throw the winning pass, get the girl. But while the hot quarterback loves the game and the lifestyle, no woman has come close to catching his heart. Then he matches wits with a smart, gorgeous model, and Grant finds himself wanting more than a fling.

Supermodel Katrina Koslova might live in a world of glitz and camera flashes, but she works hard to provide for the family that relies on her. She doesn’t have time for fun—much less a boyfriend—but Grant seems determined to be the exception to Katrina’s rule.

Their explosive chemistry is undeniable, but Katrina’s afraid to let go and rely on anyone but herself. Grant intends to ease her fears and prove he’s a man of style and substance.

MY THOUGHTS
Quarterback Draw, the latest installment of Ms. Burton’s oh-so sexy Play-by-Play series, gives us a very familiar (but still smoldering) hero in football star Grant Cassidy, but she changes things up a bit with heroine Katrina. Ms. Burton’s heroines are always strong, feisty and independent, but with Katrina we have, on paper, our least relatable heroine yet given her profession as a supermodel. While we might not be able to fully relate to being an image consultant, event planner, bar owner or any number of other careers the women in this series have, there’s something about the career of a supermodel that seems so much further outside the realm of our reality.

That being said though, Katrina is as easy to settle in with as the women who came before her, more than able to hold her own against the big personality that is Grant Cassidy as well as the teenage antics of her younger brother and sister. Family plays an enormous role in this story, Grant and Katrina's respective siblings ensuring they both, despite their high profile careers, feel as real and genuine as they come. The chemistry between them is nothing less than we’ve come to expect from this series, and we’re treated to the slow deepening of feelings with very little angst or unnecessary drama. Overall, Quarterback Draw is a fantastic addition to the Play-by-Play series, and I can’t wait to see what Grant’s brother Tucker has in store for us next.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Jaci:

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These books were sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Review: The Importance of Being Alice

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ALICE
Ainsley Brothers #1
Katie MacAlister
Adult Contemporary Romance
352 pages
Signet
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Nothing about Alice Wood’s life is normal right now. Her fiancé, Patrick, called off their wedding and relationship only days before their nonrefundable wedding trip. And though a luxurious European river cruise for one is just what she needs, it’s not what she gets...

Due to a horrible misunderstanding, Alice is now cramped in her “romantic” suite with one of Patrick’s friends. Instead of cruising along the Rhine, Main, and Danube rivers sipping champagne with the love of her life, she’s navigating the waters with a strange—yet mysteriously handsome—British aristocrat.

An author, Elliot is just looking for some alone time to write. But his stodgy, serious self is about to be sidetracked by a woman who seems to have jumped out of the pages of a fairy tale, one who is determined to shake up his life...and include him in her own happily ever after.

MY THOUGHTS
The Importance of Being Alice has an intriguing romantic premise, our lead pair forced together in a way that promises high levels of both tension and antagonism given they have no choice but to share space with a complete stranger. A cute cover and a lighthearted synopsis only pique our curiosity further, and we can't help but dive in with anticipatory glee, ready for something sweet and funny that will leave us with a giddy smile on our faces in the end. While this story is certainly lighthearted and does have the aforementioned happy ending, a number of Alice's personality quirks keep our emotional attachment to her story at bay.

Alice is on the rebound after being unceremoniously dumped by her almost-fiance shortly before their European vacation, earning her our female solidarity from the first chapter. Though we fully support her plan to enjoy her trip despite her ex-boyfriend's seemingly casual dismissal of their two years together, her personality throughout is one that, for lack of a better description, is likely to be more of an acquired taste. She's clearly meant to be endearingly awkward with her tendency to ramble when she's nervous and her habit of talking her way through every sexual moment with Elliott, but her turn of phrase is so juvenile at times as to be downright silly rather than charming or adorable. The aforementioned talking during sex, while again likely meant to keep things light and funny, serves to make us feel all the more like voyeurs given how much is spoken aloud between them, distancing us from the most vulnerable of moments rather than making us feel as though a genuine connection is being built.

Romance readers like myself who love the build-up of a relationship over the course of the book may take issue with the speed at which both a declaration of love as well as a marriage proposal take place, occurring less than a week after they first meet. While the speed with which they fall into bed seems entirely plausible, the hasty marriage and the series of events following their less-than-entirely-legal union is a touch more than we're prepared for, taking this story more into the realm of frustratingly over the top rather than sweetly far-fetched. Overall, The Importance of Being Alice is undoubtedly well-written and has more than a few moments that have us rooting for Alice and Elliott's happiness, but unfortunately a penchant for the oddly youthful turn of phrase on Alice's part keeps us from relating to her as much as we'd like to.

Rating: 3/5

Find Katie:

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Review: Fireborn

Today I'm thrilled to be wrapping up the tour for Fireborn, the first installment of the new Souls of Fire series by Keri Arthur. I thoroughly enjoyed this book (as you'll see in my review below) and can't wait to see what future books have in store for Emberly!

FIREBORN
Souls of Fire #1
Keri Arthur
Urban Fantasy
370 pages
Signet
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
From New York Times bestselling author Keri Arthur comes a brand new series featuring heroine Emberly Pearson—a phoenix capable of taking on human form, and cursed with the ability to foresee death…

Emberly has spent a good number of her many lives trying to save humans. So when her prophetic dreams reveal the death of Sam, a man she once loved, she does everything in her power to prevent that from happening. But in saving his life, she gets more than she bargained for.

Sam is working undercover for the Paranormal Investigations Team, and those who are trying to murder him are actually humans infected by a plague-like virus, the Crimson Death—a by-product of a failed government experiment that attempted to identify the enzymes that make vampires immortal. Now, all those infected must be eliminated.

But when Emberly’s boss is murdered and his irreplaceable research stolen, she needs to find the guilty party before she goes down in flames…

MY THOUGHTS
Fireborn is the first in a new urban fantasy series from Ms. Arthur, thrusting us into a paranormal world full of the more familiar supernatural creatures such as vamps and weres, but utterly delighting us with the introduction of an entity we’ve seen very rarely (if at all): Phoenixes. Emberly is a phoenix, immortal in the sense that she experiences rebirth again and again and in possession of two separate forms when she calls on her fire. Given the unusualness of her kind, we find ourselves helpless to do anything but glory in everything we learn about her history, her various abilities, and the mythology of phoenixes in general. In addition to a truly fascinating protagonist in Emberly, we’re also given a complex mystery surrounding the Crimson Death virus, one that is clearly going to carry through future books despite the nice stopping point we find at the end of this first installment.

Emberly, while grabbing our attention from the beginning simply due to the fact that she’s a phoenix, also reaches out and tugs on our heartstrings as well, a troubled history with former lover Sam making itself known through clipped conversations and a painful exchange of barbs in the opening chapters. Though Sam’s anger at how his relationship with Emberly dissolved years prior is more than understandable when we learn what happened between them, we have the benefit of being in Emberly’s head rather than Sam’s, so we’re better able to see the why's of her actions when Sam can’t allow himself to see past his hurt. Thus we have the setup for what will undoubtedly be an emotional journey for the two of them, one that shows no signs of finding any type of resolution in the near future.

As is the case with many urban fantasy stories, Emberly is surrounded by a bevy of interested men, including Sam (though he fights it has hard as he can), but thankfully Ms. Arthur manages to create a situation between Emberly, Rory, Jackson and Sam that’s not nearly as frustrating as we might expect upon hearing of such a romantic setup. Each man has a distinct role in her life, but Emberly is not a woman who gets herself into irritatingly complex emotional entanglements, instead we learn early on that her heart belongs fully to Sam–despite his cool treatment of her throughout–while the other two fulfill very different types of needs or wants. Rory and Jackson are not love interests in any real way, they are friends, partners and sometimes lovers to Emberly, there for her when her heart or body take a brutal beating.

Overall, Fireborn is an intriguing start to the Souls of Fire series, giving our imaginations something new to play with as Emberly and Rory’s phoenixes take center stage, and ensuring our hearts are as involved as our minds thanks to Sam's heartbreaking presence in Emberly's life. Emberly is strong, smart and fiercely loyal to those she cares about (even if certain other people might argue the last one), and she is certainly someone with whom I can't wait to spend more time in the next installment.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Keri:

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*I'm the last stop on this month long tour, below is the full list of participating blogs so you can go back and check out additional reviews, excerpts and more!

6/23 - SciFi Chick

6/24 - I Smell Sheep

6/25 - On Starships and Dragonwings

6/26 - Manga Maniac Cafe

6/27 - Fang-Tastic Books

6/30 - Tynga's Reviews

7/1 - Ramblings From This Chick

7/2 - Urban Fantasy Investigations

7/3 - A Book Obsession

7/4 - Rabid Reads

7/7 - Wicked 'Lil Pixie

7/8 - A Great Read

7/9 - My Bookish Ways

7/10 - Supernatural Snark

7/11 - Not Yet Read

7/14 - HEAs Are Us

7/15 - Live to Read

7/16 - The Book Pushers

7/17 - Paranormal Book Club

7/18 - Awesomesauce Book Club

7/21 - Nyx Book Reviews

7/22 - Literal Addiction

7/23 - Supernatural Snark

Mini Reviews: Full Throttle & Brandon's Bride

FULL THROTTLE
Fast Track #7
Erin McCarthy
Adult Contemporary Romance
304 pages
Berkley
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Easing into the turns…

As one of only two girls on the tween racing circuit, Shawn Hamby has always run with a fast crowd. But now at thirty-two, she doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone. And she definitely doesn’t need a man bossing her around off of the track…

Putting the pedal to the metal…

But after a silly girls’ night at a fetish club, Shawn can’t get Rhett Ford out of her mind. He’s younger than her, and he’s her best friend’s brother-in-law, which should be red flags. Rhett is looking for someone to lead in bed, but he can’t imagine that Shawn would ever submit to him. Boldly surrendering is more her style. And with Rhett behind the wheel, it’s going to be one wild ride…

MY THOUGHTS
Much like its title suggests, Full Throttle is a fast and romantically explosive read, giving us a leading pair who make us wonder if we’re in danger of singed fingertips should we hold the pages for longer than a second or two before flipping. While the intimate scenes are undeniably scorching, Ms. McCarthy deftly ensures that the emotional component of Shawn and Rhett’s relationship is given equal weight to their bedroom forays, providing a beautiful balance that ultimately more than satisfies both the hedonist and romantic in us all.

The highlight of the relationship between Shawn and Rhett is their communication, with Rhett the type of man who thrives on making sure all his cards are on the table and desires little more than a partner unafraid to lay hers down as well. Shawn does stumble a bit in the beginning when Rhett’s introduction to his leadership role in their sexual relationship throws the fiercely independent business owner in her off-kilter, but she never takes her confusion out on him, instead letting the maelstrom of emotions wash through her and dealing with them one at a time. Rhett is ever-patient with Shawn, forcing her to talk when she might otherwise hasten a strategic retreat, and she, blessedly, never seeks to assert control by refusing to be honest with him. They address their issues and misunderstandings when they happen, providing us with a sense of calm even when tensions run high because we know the two of them are just not the type to intentionally inflict pain and then let the wound fester.

Ms. McCarthy created a devoted fan in me with her new adult release True, and she has only cemented her status as a favorite author with this adult contemporary read.

Rating: 4/5

*Note: I have not read the first 6 books in this series, this is the first I've picked up and it easily works as a stand-alone.

  

Find Erin:

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BRANDON'S BRIDE
Family Secrets #3
Lisa Gardner/Alicia Scott
Romantic Suspense
320 pages
Signet
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Three siblings searching for the truth about their family are about to find more than they bargained for…

For years Brandon Ferringer has sought to untangle the mystery surrounding his father's disappearance. Now training as a hotshot—a seasonal wildland fire fighter—Brandon feels he’s on the verge of finally discovering the truth. In need of temporary lodging, Brandon rents a room at a local farm, and is surprised when his attraction to the ranch’s alluring owner threatens to distract him from his mission.

Single mother Victoria Meese struggles to find time for herself in between raising her son, Randy, and running the Lady Luck Ranch. When she meets Brandon, she suddenly finds something to believe in again. But Brandon’s search for answers is about to turn dangerous, threatening their growing connection—and their very lives.

MY THOUGHTS
Brandon’s Bride is a story a bit heavier on the mystery element than the romantic relationship, something that’s not a flaw at all save for the fact that it decreases the believability of the love between our hero and heroine in the end. Victoria is someone extremely easy to like from the beginning, a woman who is refreshingly upfront and honest in all things, especially her desire to provide emotional stability for her eight-year-old son. As the story progresses though, we become increasingly frustrated with her tendency to slip up with Brandon with flirting or passionate kisses only to immediately push him away citing her son as the reason. Make no mistake, wanting to protect her son from getting comfortable with having someone around who’s ultimately only going to be in town for six months is admirable and more than understandable, her back and forth just happens a few too many times.

Adding to the sense of frustration (and aiding in Victoria’s numerous retreats) is the fact that the two of them are continually interrupted by outside factors, the first couple times of course ratcheting up the tension and providing a delicious sense of anticipation, but after a while the interference of the mystery into the almost-intimate moments makes us want to give the book a slight shake. As a result their romance has a very staccato rhythm to it rather than a nice flowing build, and given all the stopping and starting it’s hard to fully embrace their declarations of love in the final chapters. That being said, both Victoria and Brandon do have their moments to shine in this story, particularly when Victoria finally makes a decision and refuses to let Brandon run from it, and our time with the two of them is certainly not time wasted.

Rating: 3.5/5
 

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These books were sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

 

Review: Taming a Wild Scot

TAMING A WILD SCOT
Claimed by the Highlander #1
Rowan Keats
Adult Historical Romance
368 pages
Signet/ Penguin
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
In the Highlands of Scotland, plays for power are fought without rules, treachery and intrigue hold court, and, in one woman’s heart, danger stirs as relentlessly as passion...

Wrongfully accused of murder and left to die in a hellish Highland dungeon, Ana Bisset has lost all hope of freedom. But the beautiful healer’s luck takes an unexpected turn when a hooded stranger appears as her rescuer. After a harrowing escape, Ana settles alone in a quiet village where no one knows her past or her reputation. The last thing she ever expects is to meet her mysterious savior again...

Niall MacCurran is no hero, but a warrior on a dangerous mission to expose a threat to the realm. After his decision to free Ana, he now realizes that it is he who needs her help—willing or no—to advance his quest. But his growing feelings for the delicate yet resilient beauty soon jeopardize their safety—and not even Ana’s healing gifts may be enough to protect their love, or their lives.

MY THOUGHTS
Taming a Wild Scot is a solid start to this new highlander series, delighting us with a heroine who can more than handle herself and surprising us by adding a paranormal touch to the historical setting. It's not difficult to guess the basic path this story is going to take when we pick it up–any lover of romance well knows the overall plot arc in advance–so what truly matters is the journey our couple takes in order to be together, and a few small niggles and flaws aside, Ana and Niall's path to happiness is an enjoyable one. The two of them together are a slow burn, any brief sparks that ignite quickly extinguished by an underlying antagonism to their relationship, making their courtship one full of thorns that poke and prod and keep us flipping the pages to see if the next chapter will bring them any closer together.

Ana is heroine who defies what's expected of women in her time, vehemently disagreeing with a fanatical friar and his views on women, wives, and witchcraft, and proving to us again and again that while Niall assisted her escape from the dungeon in the beginning, it's she who continues to save herself. She's a gifted and outspoken healer, wary of saying too much for fear she'll meet the same fate as her mother, but she's also not one to stay silent when doing so would cause others harm. She never cowers despite Niall's short temper and apparent indifference to her feelings, giving him a piece of her mind in private even as she acquiesces to his demands in public in order to maintain their ruse as husband and subservient wife. Ana is smart, brave and extraordinarily resourceful, shining so brightly as to dim Niall's own light at times, leaving him the far less interesting of the two.

There are many moments in this story when Niall is everything we love in a highlander hero: gruff, alpha, and seemingly unsuitable as husband material in the beginning only to soften as the story progresses thanks to charms of one fiery redhead. That being said however, he never seems as invested in the romance as Ana is–cutting her off at the ankles one minute only to wrap her up in his arms the next–so his declaration of love at the end lacks the believability of hers, causing us to wish for a few more chapters in which he could show us that his interest in Ana extends far beyond the physical. He clearly feels protective of her, but the emotional connection feels heavily one-sided, leaving us feeling a bit stuck in place even as things move forward, waiting a touch in vain for the moment when he realizes how much she means to him.

Though the romantic pair in this first book isn't entirely equal in terms of our attachment to them, Taming a Wild Scot is still a fun historical romance with an interesting cast of secondary characters who will no doubt step into the spotlight on their own as the series continues.

Rating: 3.5/5

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This book was sent to me by the publisher  free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Giveaway: Maggie's Man

Three siblings searching for the truth about their family are about to find more than they bargained for.

When shy and reserved Maggie Ferringer was called for jury duty, she never expected to be kidnapped by an escaped convict. But when Cain Cannon, disguised as a prison guard, pulls a gun, she has no choice but to be taken hostage. Cain claims that he’s innocent of killing his girlfriend six years ago and now he wants revenge on the people who put him behind bars.

Soon, Maggie becomes more than just a hostage to Cain. As they slowly begin to share the secrets of their respective pasts, Maggie discovers that she wants to fight for Cain’s freedom—because he just might be the kind of man she could love.

• • • • • • • • • •

Today, thanks to the fabulous team at Signet/Penguin I have 5 copies of Lisa Gardner's adult romantic suspense novel Maggie's Man to give away on the blog! From Signet:

About 15 years ago #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner began her writing career-under the name Alicia Scott.  She published thirteen novels of romantic suspense under this name including The Family Secrets Trilogy: Maggie's Man, McNamara's Woman and Brandon's Bride.

Signet is very excited to be putting The Family Secrets Trilogy back in print beginning this month with MAGGIE'S MAN! Complete with gorgeous new covers and an introduction from Lisa, it's a great opportunity for fans who know her later work to return to the beginning. And MCNAMARA'S WOMAN will follow in October and BRANDON'S BRIDE in December so there isn't too long to wait for the next installment.

Find Lisa:

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To enter the giveaway, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US residents only (no PO boxes), good luck!

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