Tag: Mandy

  • Elements of Chemistry Review- Heat by Penny Reid

    HeatTour

     

    I’m going to admit that there was a fair amount of whimpering when I read the last page of this book.  Yes, it ends in a cliffhanger and once again, I’m okay with that.

    In Heat, we really get some HEAT.  Holy moly, Martin and Kaitlyn really light up the pages with their chemistry and sexytimes!!! But do not assume that all this one is about is the physical aspect of their relationship.  One could assume that Martin is nothing but a smart rich guy but Heat fills in the holes where his background is concerned.  His family is nothing to brag about and are nothing if not extremely callous and horrible people.  Martin does everything he can to keep his life separate from his messed up family.

    Kaitlyn experiences a new part of herself during the week she spends with Martin.  She certainly discovers herself sexually, I mean, who wouldn’t with a guy like Martin?  Good googly moogly.  I think a woman could lose her virginity just standing in the same room with him, much less removing clothing.  I digress.  Kaitlyn begins to explore the possibility of doing more with her life than going into science.  Going into the sciences is what she feels like to expected of her, not necessarily what she really wants to do or is passionate about. During her week with Martin, she realizes that music is her true passion but how can she actually pursue her true passion without disappointing her family and their expectations.

    I truly enjoyed the time that Kaitlyn and Martin spent together.  They have an easy going connection with each and their banter is hilarious and entertaining.  I loved book 2 in this series and I cannot wait to see how Ms. Reid winds up the “saga” of Kaitlyn and Martin.

     

    “What are you doing?”

    I lifted my eyes at the sound of Martin’s voice, but not immediately. I finished the paragraph I was reading, then I looked up, holding my place in the book with my thumb.

    He was dressed in swim trunks and he was wet, with beads of water dripping down his chest. As such, he looked super hot. However, only the right side of his body was visible as the door blocked the other side. His hand was still on the doorknob and he leaned a tad to one side, into the room.

    My eyes wandered over his form and I allowed myself to appreciate the beauty of Martin Sandeke like I might admire the beauty of a cold, soulless statue. Physically, he was a magnificent male specimen: corded muscle, long limbs, and rigid angles. Even his temples were drool worthy, especially since I knew his head housed a giant—albeit mismanaged—brain. Truly, he was one of our finest. His ancestors should really give themselves a big pat on the back.

    A little pool of water had gathered at his feet, which made me wonder how long he’d been standing in the doorway. My eyes traveled upward again and I noticed he wore an angry expression. He looked livid.

    I started a little at the heated annoyance in his stare. Then I glanced around the laundry room, searching for the source of his anger. I found that I was still alone. Therefore, I surmised his fury must be directed at me.

    But, just to be sure, I said, “Who? Me?”

    “Yes. You,” he growled, then stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. “What are you doing in here?”

    I raised the book and tipped my head toward it. “I’m reading.”

    Martin exhaled loudly, another growl. “I can see that, Parker. But why the fuck are you in here reading?”

    I frowned at his use of profanity, my shoulders bunching with tension. I realized I’d gotten used to it, how often he cussed; I’d accepted it as part of him. But that was before he’d left me standing at the entrance to a party I didn’t want to attend, and that was before I’d seen him kissing a random girl.

    “It’s the first sequel to The Three Musketeers. I’ve been meaning to read it. I found it on the shelf in the library—or living room, or whatever room. There are too many rooms in this house, so I don’t know what half of them are called.”

    Martin gritted his teeth, and I got the distinct impression he wanted to strangle me. “Parker. This is a party. And you’re in the laundry room? Reading?”

    I paused a beat to make sure this wasn’t a trick question. When I could find nothing amiss with his interrogation, I nodded slowly. “Yes. This is a party. I am in the laundry room reading.”

    “Why? What is wrong with you?”

    My mouth opened and closed but no words arrived, because his questions continued to confuse me. Finally, I admitted, “Martin, I don’t know what you want me to say or why you appear to be upset. I found the book when I was in one of the several rooms with lots of books. I’ve been meaning to read it. So I picked it up and found a quiet place. Why are you so angry?”

    He charged at me and I ineffectually scrambled backward on the washing machine. In less than two seconds he’d pulled the book from my hands, slapped it on the counter at my left, and braced his arms on either side of my legs, leaning forward.

    I realized he’d made me lose my page in the book. I decided to ignore my urge to vocalize this complaint, because his eyes were beyond heated.

    They were incensed blue flames. I braced myself, my gaze wide and watchful, and flinched when he lifted a hand. I relaxed a smidge when he used it to push my hair off my shoulder.

    When he spoke, his voice was low, strained, like he was trying very hard to control his temper. “I brought you here as my date. That was our agreement.”

    I nodded once. “Yes. I know.”

    “And, instead of talking to people or having fun, you’re in here reading a book.”

    I kept my voice even and calm, tried to sound soothing. “I am having fun. I’m reading a book.”

     

     

    addtoGR

     

    Purchase:

    Mandy 200

     

     
    a Rafflecopter giveaway

  • Review: The Mistake by Elle Kennedy

    For some reason, The Deal (Book #1) just didn’t blow my skirt up like it did everyone else’s. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed Garrett and Hannah, but for some reason, not to the extent everyone else did.  I had to wonder if I read the same book as everyone else. I began to think that maybe I had a weird reading brain day when I read it. *shrugs*

    Enter a lovely little surprise review copy of The Mistake. Now, let me be clear, I LOVE Elle Kennedy. So, I figured I needed to give John Logan a chance. I really liked him in The Deal and I wanted to learn more about him. Boy, am I glad I did! I really enjoyed Logan and Grace’s story. Logan really had to work for Grace’s time and affection and I enjoyed the courting process that John (Logan) endured.

    Logan and Grace meet completely by mistake and thus begins the relationship (of sorts) between them.  Logan does not have much experience hanging out with girls on a friend level and he is also fighting his attraction to his best friend’s girl. (So he has a lot on his mind.) Logan and Grace are immediately attracted to each other and they give into it off and on as they spend time together. Logan finally screws up royally where Grace is concerned and he spends the whole summer thinking about it and how he can get back into her life.

    I appreciated this part of the book for several reasons.  First, we get to see what his life is like away from school and hockey and he does not have an easy life.  If anything, school and hockey is his escape from what is waiting for him after graduation.  Heavy duty family responsibility awaits him.  Dealing with his father and the fact that he will not be able to play hockey professionally.  Grace spends some much needed time with her mother and she comes back from the summer with a better idea of who she is and what she wants.

    Once they get back to school, Logan is determined to get Grace back and to her credit, Grace really makes Logan work for another chance with her and I LOVED the wooing he has to do to get another chance.  Grace was a great character and I think she is the reason why I enjoyed this book more than the first book.

    His mouth captures mine in a blistering kiss.  Belonging.  It’s the only way to describe the exquisite rush of sensation that washes over me.  Hsi lips belong on mine.  Heat floods my core as his large hands cup my cheeks, thumbs stroking my jaw as he kisses me with a shocking contrast of tenderness and hunger.  His tongue slicks over mine, one sweet stroke, then another, before his eases his mouth away.

    “You called me Johnny,” he says, his breath tickling my lips.

    “Is that not allowed?” I tease.

    His thumb softly grazes my bottom lip. “My friends call me John sometimes, but only my family calls me Johnny.” His gaze burns with intensity.

    “I liked it.”

    The Mistake was hilarious, sweet and sexy as all get out. (HELLO, JOHN LOGAN!!)

     

     

    addtoGR

     

     

    Purchase:

    Mandy 200

     

     

     

     

     

  • Review: Sincerely, Carter by Whitney G

     

    SincerelyCarter4

     

    So, I received this book Sunday night and I read over 60% of it that night.  I finally had to force myself to put the Kindle down, turn off the light and go to sleep.  It was like 12:30-1amish and I had to be somewhat mentally present on Monday.  I finished it Monday night needless to say.

    The reason I couldn’t put it down was that I just had to know how Ms. Williams was going to take Ari and Carter from best friends to lovers without torching the friendship.  That’s the main fear in the friends to lovers trope, if they get involved, the friendship will suffer.

    Ari and Carter find themselves single at the same time and having odd feelings for each other.  The “hey, she is really beautiful and I want to get her naked” kind of feelings.  The funny thing is, once they give in to the new feelings, they are both in denial over what happened.  They refuse to talk about it.  Many times, once that line is crossed, the tired trope of “well, it’s a one-time thing” gets dragged out.  Not so with Sincerely, Carter.  Ms. Williams lets her characters feel the natural pull towards each other and lets them act on that pull whenever they feel like it.

    Interspersed through the present day happenings are letters that Ari and Carter have written to each other since they were kids.  I loved them, they really added a history and depth to their friendship and developing relationship. Be aware that Carter is not Andrew Hamilton.  While he is dominating and a bit rough in the bedroom, he is allll Carter.

    Sincerely, Carter is the ultimate friends to lovers tale with lots of hot sexy times thrown in and I enjoyed Ms. William’s (Whitney G.) foray into the genre.

     

    addtoGR

    Purchase:

     

    Mandy 200

     

     

    [wysija_form id=”1″]

  • Review: Overruled by Emma Chase

    Emma Chase has a new series! I feel like shouting it from the rooftops, like Maria singing in the Alps.

    sound-of-music-gif

    First, she gave us Drew Evans, who I love with the fire of a thousand suns and now we have Stanton Shaw.  Lawyer and good ole southern man.  Lord have mercy.  He’s intelligent and so ridiculously charming and the drawl?  Um yes, please.

    I’ll admit that this one sat on my Kindle for awhile merely because I didn’t want to read it and be done with it.  I always want to savor an Emma Chase novel.  If you’re a Drew Evans fan, you’ll be satisfied by a few cameo appearances of the man himself.  Drew and Stanton are college buddies and business associates (of sorts).

    My mother told me once, “Honey, he’s just a man, he can’t help it.”  Stanton Shaw needs a t-shirt made with this saying because as much as I loved him, I wanted to punch him or shake him or something.  See, Stanton has a lovely high school girlfriend, Jenny who is also the mother of his child.  Stanton believes they are MFEO (made for each other) even though he continues to work and live in DC while his daughter and baby mama live in Mississippi.  They’ve lived separate lives by design and everyone seems to be okay with that.  Stanton Skypes with his daughter and maintains a great relationship with her.  Stanton indulges in relationships with other women, most notably Sofia Santos, his lawyer buddy with benefits.  The sexy kind of benefits, not the dental plan and 401k.  The chemistry and attraction between the two of them is palpable and undeniable.

    Sofia is kind of a badass.  She’s smart and funny and she can totally hold her own.  She’s not a female character that you want to scream at due to convoluted self-esteem issues.  Her self-esteem is completely and securely intact and she really deals with a lot where Stanton is concerned.

    Jenny gets engaged and Stanton completely loses his mind.  Did I mention that I wanted to shake him?  Repeatedly? He had it in his brain that he and Jenny belonged together when he and Sofia clearly had a more intense connection. Jenny was his past and she would always be a part of his life, but I really wanted Stanton to wake the eff up and look at what was right in front of him. Drew Evans did some stupid stuff, but even he may have smacked Stanton around a bit.

    Ms. Chase goes all the way back to Jenny and Stanton as teenagers and when Jenny got pregnant and we get to witness Stanton as a daddy and my ovaries were screaming and giving him a standing ovation when he held that baby.

    Overruled was chock full of Ms. Chase’s perfect mix of humor and romance.  I simply cannot wait for the next books in this series, as we were introduced to Jake Becker and Brent Mason in this book.  I’m already dreading starting and finishing those books.  😉

    addtoGR

     

    Purchase:

     

     

     

     

  • Review: Attraction by Penny Reid

    AttractionTour

     

    This year, several of my favorite authors have thrown their hat in the New Adult genre ring.  Upon hearing this, I always get nervous. Then I have to remind myself that I trust those authors and that I’ll be a big girl and try it out anyway.  It’s not that I dislike the genre, in fact, I’ve read some really great NA books.  But some of the worst and most annoying ones I’ve read have come from that genre.  Over the top angst seems to be the dominating factor in many NA books and frankly, I tire of that easily.

    Luckily, Attraction is not annoying in any way.  In fact, it’s interesting, sexy and highly entertaining.  Kaitlyn is highly intelligent, funny and honest.  Martin is also highly intelligent and ridiculously wealthy, popular and he is ROWER.  Hello!  Their banter is hilarious and I thoroughly enjoyed their back and forth.  Attraction is the KEY word because Martin and Kaitlyn are very much attracted to each other!! OMG, the sparks fly!!!

    As much as I love Martin, Kaitlyn is a pretty amazing character.  She is completely guileless and doesn’t play games.  In fact, she does not want to be in the spotlight at all.  She doesn’t realize how beautiful she is or if she does, she doesn’t draw attention to herself in that way.  She finds it hard to believe that someone like Martin would be interested in her and she puts him through the wringer.  She doesn’t trust him at all.

    There is a cliffhanger. But don’t get your panties in a twist because Ms. Reid gives you part of the next book immediately. Personally, I’m ok with cliffhangers as long as I don’t have to wait too long.

    I adore Penny Reid and her brand of humor and passion and I’m really looking forward to seeing how Kaitlyn and Martin’s relationship progresses.

     

    Parties?” I may have curled my lip in a miniature sneer.

    “Yeah, on the island, at some of the other houses, friends of mine. You know, the usual college scene stuff.”

    Usual college scene… just a bunch of billionaires’ kids and their friends. It sounded delightful.

    “Yeah, no thanks.” I pulled my eyes from his, inspected the rocks. “I don’t like parties. But don’t let that stop you from going.”

    “Parker.”

    I sighed, then met his gaze.

    “I want you to come.”

    “No thank you.”

    He ground his teeth. “Kaitlyn, you promised you were going to give this a try.”

    “I will…”

    Once again he was giving me the severe stare down, likely because my weakly delivered I will didn’t even sound convincing to me.

    Managing to swallow around the sudden thickness in my throat, I squared my shoulders so that I was facing him. “Here’s the thing, Sandeke. I am. I am going to give this a try. Despite my worries-”

    “What worries?” He sounded exasperated.

    I ignored his question, “Despite my worries and reservations, I’m going to give this the good college try. But I don’t even know how to dance. I can tango like a pro, but I don’t do the body wiggle weird thing. And isn’t that what the kids do these days at parties? Dance?”

    He lifted an eyebrow at my excuse—obviously unimpressed—and with two fluid strokes moved to join me.

    I stiffened, my eyes wide, and backed up a step at his advance. “What- what are you doing?”

    “I’m going to teach you how to dance,” he said simply, already on me, reaching for my body.

    I stiffened further, feeling unaccountably breathless as his big hands slipped around my waist and settled on my hips and lower back.

    “But there- but we- but-”

    “Shhh…” he said, pulling me closer. “Relax.”

    “Create cold fusion,” I murmured in response, unable to relax and placing my hands nowhere, because placing them anywhere on Martin felt perilous to my wellbeing.

    He glanced down at me, his eyebrows in a perplexed V. “What does cold fusion have to do with anything.”

    “You tell me to relax, which is impossible. I tell you to create cold fusion, which is impossible.”

    His answering smile was crooked. “You can’t relax?”

    “No.”

    “Why not.”

    “You know why not.”

    “Well, it might help if you touched me.”

    “That will not help.”

    “It might.”

    “It won’t.”

    “Touch me.”

    I scowled at his chest, my hands still in the air at my sides. Stupid perfect chest.

    “Parker, if we’re going to dance you have to touch me.” He sounded amused and his fingers flexed on my bare skin. I felt the roughened calluses of his palms just before he released my body to grab my hands. He brought them to his shoulders, pressed them there, then returned his own to my hips. I didn’t miss the fact that his hand-placement was now a bit more daring than it had been a moment ago, lower, closer to my bottom.

    I swallowed thickly, glaring at my fingers where they touched his perfectly sculpted shoulder.

    “Don’t you want to touch me?” he asked, his inflection daring, teasing, but also something else. Something hesitant and uncertain.

    I lifted my eyes to his; they were guarded, his smile looked bracing, almost like a grimace, like he was preparing himself for bad news.

    I sighed and I knew I sounded resigned and a little pitiful, “Yes…”

    His gaze thawed as it dropped to my lips. “Then you should… because I want you to.”

     

    Elements of Chemistry: ATTRACTION is the first part in a three-part series; it is 45k words, and it ends with a cliffhanger.
    Part 1 (ATTRACTION) released April 9, 2015
    Part 2 (HEAT) will be released April 30, 2015.
    Part 3 (CAPTURE) will be released May 16, 2015.

     

    addtoGR

     

    Purchase:

     

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

     

     

    Indiesagebutton

  • Review: Still the One by Jill Shalvis

    Still the One - Blog Tour Banner

     

    I’m a Jill Shalvis fan.  I had been in a bit of a retirement of sorts where Ms. Shalvis is concerned, after reading/inhaling the first 7 Lucky Harbor and the first 4 of the Animal Magnetism books, I took a break.  (I still have to finish up the Lucky Harbor series.)  The Animal Magnetism series draws me in because I’m an animal person and I worked in veterinary offices in college.  My mother also worked in several offices as a child, so the fact that I am not a veterinarian is kind of odd.  Whatever, I digress.

    Still the One was on my TBR for a while and honestly, I had not planned to read and review it for the post.  Luckily, I found the time to read book 5, Then Came You and I was able to read Still The One in time to come up with a review.

    While I enjoyed Then Came You, I enjoyed Still The One more. I knew that Darcy was a bit of a basket case after meeting her in book 5 and that AJ would have his hands full.  Luckily, being her former physical therapist, he  knows exactly what he is getting into with her.  I mean, they totally drive each other crazy in almost every way possible and it’s a lot of fun to read.  Darcy has an immense amount of emotional baggage from her childhood and it directly impacts her self-esteem and her relationships.  She basically feels like she is expendable and that she is not worthy of permanent relationships.  Enter AJ who understands why she is the way she is and knows when to push her buttons and when to back off.

    AJ and Darcy are extremely well matched, something that Ms. Shalvis excels at.  I especially liked AJ, again something that Ms. Shalvis excels at, she writes incredible male characters that I always go a little gooey over.

    Ms. Shalvis’s books always manage to make me laugh sigh and swoon and Then Came You was no exception. 🙂

     

    Sunshine was too damn small, Darcy thought. Not only did everyone know everyone, but no one had ever learned to mind their own business. Darcy started to move back to her computer but AJ stepped in her way, ducking down a little to look into her eyes.

    “Ice the leg,” he said, and without waiting for a response, headed toward Ronan.

    Damn, the man had a way of moving, his body shifting with barely sheathed loose-limbed power and grace, and both Darcy and Zoe watched him go.

    “He’s got such an edible butt,” Zoe whispered. “Do you think he knows it?”

    “I don’t think he cares.” Besides, his being hot didn’t change the fact that he was a bigger problem for her than Johnny could even think about being. Johnny was just an asshole. AJ was . . . well, she wasn’t sure what. Dangerous as hell to her well-being, for starters.

    “So why do you do it?” Zoe asked her.

    Darcy tore her gaze away from AJ’s ass. “Do what?”

    Zoe took her big sister status very seriously. But then again, in spite of the fact that there was only a few years between them, Zoe had always been more maternal toward Darcy than their actual mom ever had.

    “Bait him,” Zoe said. “He’s great guy. He’s smart, hardworking, self-made . . .”

    “Maybe you should date him.”

    Zoe laughed. “We’re not suited.”

    “Because?” Darcy asked.

    “Well . . . he’s a bit alpha.”

    Yeah. Just a bit.

    “We’d butt heads,” Zoe said. “But I’ve always thought that maybe you two might . . .”

    “A minute ago you were worried he might kill me.”

    “Well, sleeping with him might go a long way toward making sure he wouldn’t.”

    Darcy snorted. “Go away, Z.”

    “In a minute. He did so much for you after your accident.”

    This was absolutely true. Darcy had had five surgeries, and once she’d been okayed for physical therapy, AJ had taken over her care. He’d been a drill sergeant but he’d also saved her life. She knew it. He knew it.

    And wasn’t that just the problem. She hated knowing that she hadn’t been able to save herself, that she’d needed help. “You’re right,” she agreed softly. “He’s done a lot for me.”

    “I mean look at you, Darce. You’re walking.”

    A miracle. Darcy got that. She was grateful for that, so very grateful he’d gotten her out of a wheelchair and onto her own feet again. Sure, she’d never win a track meet and she was always going to be somewhat unstable on her own two legs—especially the right one which still enjoyed buckling on her at the worst of times—but yeah. AJ would forever be a hero for what he’d done for her.

    Which wasn’t to say she liked him.

    In fact, during her PT she’d actually hated him. She’d dreamed nightly about strangling him, drowning him . . .

    Very satisfying dreams, too.

    And if there’d been a few others, some that had involved a different kind of altercation altogether between them, of the naked and sweaty variety, well, those were her little secret.

    Across the large room, past all the exercise equipment to the mirrored wall, Ronan lay flat on his back now, working with a large rubber band around his ankles, doing strengthening exercises.

    On his knees at his side, AJ guided him, and wrong as it might be, the sight of the two built guys working so hard together made her pulse race just a little bit.

    During a quick beat of rest for Ronan, AJ glanced over the carved muscles of his shoulder to meet Darcy’s gaze.

    She stopped breathing.

    At her side, so did Zoe. “I just don’t get why you’re so hard on him,” her sister said.

    “Actually, I think you’ve got that backward.” He was hard on her.

    Very hard.

    And she resented that. It was almost as if he expected her to soften her edges, to be something she wasn’t—like maybe one of those soft, sweet, bendy yoga instructors he was fond of dating. But though Darcy was working on herself, she was never going to be soft and sweet.

    Or, thanks to her accident, bendy.

    “Maybe you could just try a little bit harder to be more . . . friendly,” Zoe suggested.

    Darcy didn’t have words for what she felt for AJ, but she was pretty sure “friendly” wasn’t going to make the list. And yet if AJ had been there for Darcy in a huge way, so had Zoe. Always. So Darcy blew out a breath and managed a smile for her sister. “Sure,” she said. “I’ll try.”

     

     

    a"addtoGR"

     

    Purchase:

     

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

  • Review: Silver Bastard by Joanna Wylde

    silver bastard book tour

     

    Joanna Wylde is one of the most consistently well-written authors in the romance genre and I never have to worry about the quality of the book she writes.  I trust her and I’ve been looking forward to the new Silver Valley series.  While I enjoyed this book and I’m glad that I read it, it’s not my favorite book by Ms. Wylde.

    Maybe it suffered a bit from worldbuilding?  First book in a series-itis?   I failed to connect to Puck and Becca and I’m really not sure why.  Puck is not a touchy-feely guy, he isn’t going to go all gooey and soft because he is not built that way.  He and Becca are thrown into each other’s lives quite savagely and their lives are never the same.  To his credit, Puck gets Becca out of a terrible home life and if it weren’t for him, she would have probably ended up like her mother. (Which is not a good thing)  After getting her out of there, Puck maintains his distance from Becca for years, although he is never far away and keeps an eye on her, making sure she is safe.  The connection between Puck and Becca, despite how they met, is undeniable no matter how hard they fight it.

    Silver Bastard is well written and I enjoyed getting to know the Silver Valley world.  While I wasn’t crazy about Puck and Becca, I’m looking forward to more from this series.

     

    Ignoring him, I settled back on my stool and surveyed the room. We sat in Becca’s section, and what I saw wasn’t making me happy. I knew she was a good waitress, but she’d just started here and it showed. Not only had she fucked up several orders, she didn’t quite seem to get the rhythm of the bar. That wasn’t my problem, though.

    My problem was that despite these fuckups, nobody seemed to mind. I had a nasty suspicion this was due to her perky tits, friendly smile, and tight little ass that seriously just needed a bite taken right out of it.

    She really, really needed to get a new job—every man in the place wanted her. Including me. Especially me. I hated them. All of them. I shifted uncomfortably, because just like every time I shared a room with her, my pants had gotten tight.

    Torture. Becca was just so fucking fine on every level, and not just her looks. There was something about the way she carried herself . . . I couldn’t put my finger on it. Like she was dancing through life to some song nobody else could hear. Never met another woman like her—she wasn’t just sexy, she was a survivor and I admired that.

    She’d grown up so much since the first time I’d met her. Bigger boobs, a nice fullness to her ass that was nowhere close to fat but would be perfect to hold tight while I fucked her. Her lips had plumped, too, and over the years she’d gained a sparkle in her eyes that turned her from pretty to 100 percent spectacular.

    Not to mention how she’d tasted.

    Nearly blew in my pants when I’d taken that mouth. Just the memory got me hard. Make that harder. Fucking basket case.

    When I’d pulled up to find her sitting outside with Collins, a thousand murder scenarios ran through my mind. And yeah, I know I covered that already, but if anything ever deserved empha- sis, this was it. Collins needed to die. I didn’t care how nice he was. After that I’d throw Becca on the back of my bike and make a run for the hills . . .

    Okay, so there were a few problems with the plan, the top one being she hated me. Or she should—I’d certainly given her cause. Boonie nudged me.

    “Did I mention you’re pathetic? You want her, take her. Other- wise let it go because you’re an embarrassment to all men in general and to the Silver Bastards in particular.”

     

    Rating- 3.75 stars

    addtoGR

     

    Purchase:

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

  • Review: Salvation of Vengeance Review by Nancy Haviland

    The Salvation of Vengeance Tour Banner

     

     

    Nancy Haviland is a new author to me and I’m really glad that I gave this series a chance.  When I signed up to read this book, I knew it was book 2 and I already had book 1 on my TBR.  Luckily, I had time to read book 1 and I enjoyed it.  I have to say that I enjoyed this book more than the first and only because I think there was a lot of world building going on in that one and there was a lot going on.  Still- a very good book!  (You do not have to have read book 1 to read book 2… I’m just picky about that kind of thing and I had the time to read both books.)

    I really, really enjoyed Vengeance.  Ms. Haviland does not skimp on the details and she fleshes out characters  very well. She also fills you in on the main characters in book one, Eva and Gabriel and I always appreciate when an author continues to develop previous characters arcs.

    Vincente is one big bad dude. He is an enforcer, an assassin and all around badass.  For real. Nika is his one weakness and he really tries hard to resist her for as long as possible. When he met Nika she was married to a guy that is real piece of crap.  Nika are Vincente are completely drawn to each other and V has a very hard time getting over his attraction for her.  Their chemistry is immediate and completely undeniable.  V tries to maintain his distance due to her being married even though he thinks Caleb is a giant asshole and little does he now how big of an asshole Caleb truly is.

    As fabulous as Vincente is,  Nika is my favorite character in this book.  She has been through so very much and has endured more than anyone should have to and she truly deserves someone that can provide her protection and tenderness.  Her “husband” is such a huge, gigantic piece of crap that it’s not even funny.

    While she is drawn to Vincente in times of need, she is no shrinking violet and she is not afraid to do kind of stupid and ill-advised things for those that she cares about.  She is an extremely courageous woman and I really liked her character.

    I’m really looking forward to the rest of this series.  I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of mafia romance but this one totally has my attention and devotion.

     

    She pulled away from Vincente and did a ta-da motion with her arms that had all three of them—fucking Alesio looked a little too closely—peering down at the black tights and silky black shirt she wore, the neckline of which was so wide that it had slipped off one shoulder.

    Her arms fell to her sides, and she seemed to lose her small burst of energy. “S’not as fun as I thought’d it’d be, though,” she grumped as she came to his side again. “Can’t do much. Not even play with someone like Vincente here, ’cause he doesn’t like me.”

    He ground his molars to dust, while ignoring Alesio and Vito’s interested looks. He slipped his arm around her waist. “Come on, Red. Let’s get you home.”

    She continued like he hadn’t spoken. “What’s your name?” she asked Vito.

    “I’m Vito.”

    She laughed, the sound musical and lovely. “Of course you are. And you?” she turned to G’s cousin. Vincente glared at him, the thread that was his control stretching.

    “Alesio.”

    Nika gasped, her widening eyes making her look like a guileless porn fantasy come to life. “You’re Gabriel’s Alesio? Oh, my God!” She launched herself at the handsome little shit, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek—more like the corner of his very shocked mouth. “You helped save Eva! Thank you! You’re officially my new hero. Maybe we can get together one day and you can tell me what went down in that cabin. Eva won’t talk to me about it ’cause she’s afraid the bad stuff will tip me over this edge they seem to think I’m on . . .”

    As she continued, babbling about how silly and adorable Eva’s protective instincts were, Vincente stared. At her. In another man’s arms. Her fingers absently playing with the hair at Alesio’s nape. Her body pressed against his. Her beautiful lips—which had now tasted Gabriel’s cousin!—mere inches from possibly doing so again. Her undivided attention on the handsome face that belonged to a guy closer to her own age than Vincente was.

    This would eventually be his reality. Seeing her like this with someone else.

    Alesio’s hands were up and out, in a pose of total surrender. His head jerkily shaking back and forth as though saying, “Wasn’t me. I didn’t do nothin’.”

    The weakened thread holding Vincente’s control snapped with a dangerous twang, and without being conscious of it, his body took over. He reached out and clamped his fingers around Nika’s upper arm to pull her off the enemy—who was so lucky they were standing in the middle of a crowded club. He spun her around to face him, pulling her in until their noses were brushing against each other.

    “Do not. Ever. Throw yourself into another man’s arms in front of me again. Do you understand me?” His voice sounded as if it had been dredged from the very pits of hell, his expression feeling like one he’d stolen from Lucifer himself.

    And Nika, oblivious to the ominous cloud hanging like a pall around them, patted his cheek with her soft palm and smiled up at him. “Sure. Sure.” She turned back to the boys, or as much as she could because Vincente didn’t let her go. “It was nice to meet you guys. I guess I’ll see you again when I visit Eva. Ready?” she asked him.

    Striving for calm, he slid his hand down to her hip and tucked her closer to his side. She came as easily as if they’d been doing this for years.

    Yeah. Years—if he were to give in and take her as he was so tempted to do—that would wear on her. Steal her independence by nailing her to his side, giving her nothing but a front-row-center to an endless string of possibly violent, dangerous days she didn’t need or deserve. Maybe even get her killed in a wrong-time-wrong-place thing like the car bomb that had taken his mother’s life. All the while she would be shackled to a man with no heart or soul left to speak of.

    That wasn’t what he wanted for Nika.

    He curled his free hand into a tight fist and punched it into Vito’s thick chest and then flipped Alesio off, not wanting him to feel left out.

    “Later, boys.”

     

    addtoGR

    Purchase:

     

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

     

     

     

    Indiesagebutton

  • ★ The Slayer by Kele Moon- 5 Star Review ★

    Tour Banner - The Slayer

     

    I’m going to make this easy for you.  This was probably the best book I’ve read so far in 2015.  There- I said it. This book completely ate my brain!  I’ve been a Kele Moon fan for what seems like forever and I LOVE the Battered Hearts series so much- it’s not even funny.

    I remember reading the first book (Defying the Odds) in that series and someone on GR said (in a nutshell) “Oh you just wait, it gets better with the next book”.  AND IT DID!  To this day, Starcrossed is one of my all-time favorite books.  I have a signed copy of it on my bookshelf that I stare at lovingly. 😉

    So- about The Slayer.  The main thing I loved about this book was that Ms. Moon completely took her time to tell Chuito and Alaine’s story.  No corners were cut in telling their story and I was totally enveloped into their world and their story.  I’ve always used Starcrossed as the bar for which all I measured all of Ms. Moon’s books.  At some point in this one, I freaked out because it was THAT GOOD.  You know that feeling you get when you realize that you’re reading a book that just blows you away and that you just cannot put it down?  Yeah, that was me and this book.

    Ms. Moon goes all the way back to the beginning of Chuito’s Alaine’s relationship/friendship and I really appreciated the dense history she provides for them.  Chu and Alaine’s relationship is somewhat complicated by Chu- more than anything.  Chu is punishing himself by being in Garnet and Alaine represents everything he feels he does not deserve.  It’s obvious that Chu and Alaine love each other very much but Chu holds himself at arms length from Alaine.  Until they cannot deny it anymore and then you have to wonder how in the world they will make it all work.  How will they combine their two worlds?  Chu, a former gangbanger/MMA fighter and Alaine a preacher’s daughter…

    Alaine is a GREAT female MC.  She broke away from her family and is living her life by her own rules.  I loved her fortitude and her unrelenting belief in the goodness of Chuito.  She is drawn to him immediately, she sees him as a man who needs care and and is worthy of love.   They create a world of their own in their apartments and they grow from friends to so much more. As they bonded over eating together and hanging out.  Not to mention THE DANCING. OMG, the dancing is as sexy as the sexytimes and let’s face it, Ms. Moon can set the page on fire.

    Can we just talk about TINO and NOVA?!!! ( We meet Tino and Nova in Starcrossed)

    Holy shit.  I love these guys.  LOVE.  We get a massively huge bromance with Chu and Tino and I loved their relationship.  We are also treated to learning a lot about Tino, his motivation, his role in the Moretti family etc.

    Due the book going back a few years, we get appearances from the whole Garnet crew and we get some behind the scenes stuff from previous books that I enjoyed.

    NOVA.  While I’m on pins and needles about Tino’s book (coming next) I don’t think I can adequately express how bad I want Nova’s book.  I can’t even quantify it.  In fact, I don’t want to think about how long I have to wait for it.

    OH!!! DO NOT MISS THE DICTIONARIES!!! These are narrated by Chu and Tino and are not to be missed.

    So yeah.  I loved it.

     

    “It’s a new dance. I don’t know the steps.”

     “No steps. You always need rules,” Chuito complained. “Just listen to the music. Close your eyes.”

     “They’re closed. I’m listening.”

     “Listen to the drums. That’s the part you listen to. Feel it.”

     “I’m feeling it.”

     “No. Feel it like a heartbeat. Like life. You want it to be a love song, hear the sex in it. Hold me like I hold you.” He jerked her tighter against him as he said it, forcing her breasts to crush against his chest and her dress to ride higher up on her thighs. “Like you need me.”

     Alaine sucked in a hard breath and ran her hand up from his shoulder to his neck. The lust made her languid against her will, and when he moved this time, she followed because she didn’t have a choice.

     “You’re not supposed to think when you dance. Supposed to just feel. To move the way I tell you to move.” He ran his hand up her back, pushing at the center of it until she arched into him, allowing her head to fall back and forcing her hips tightly against his. “Yeah, like that.

     Better. I step hard. You step—”

     “Soft,” she finished for him.

     “That’s right. Follow my hand. Hard, soft, together we fit.” He loosened his hold on her waist, and she stepped back to the beat and then allowed him to pull her into his arms again. They did it a few times, the push and pull, stepping away from the heat and moving back together like they needed each other to keep breathing. Then he pulled her to the right and stepped to the left at the same time. When he used his hold on her waist to force her back, she stepped so that her feet were between his. He fit the two of them back together like a puzzle piece again, with his leg pressed so intimately between her thighs it was making her ache. She arched her hips on instinct, and he hummed in approval. “Bueno, asi mismo. Move them like

    God made you to move them. That’s good, mami.”

     Before now, they’d been dancing salsa, not this hybrid, more sensual form of moving that felt like a guilty pleasure. The beat was the same, the steps were sometimes the same, but this was so much more intimate. A tease. A candy-coated sin that wasn’t a sin because it was labeled dancing instead.

     Alaine loved it.

     She let herself be completely soft in his arms, moving where he wanted her to move, because it felt so damn good to let go of everything else and just be with Chuito. All she had to do was feel the drums throbbing and listen to the erotic, lulling sound of a man singing in Spanish about dancing with his woman.

     All night.

     They danced until the sun came up.

    addtoGR

    Purchase:

     

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

  • Review: Holding Strong by Lori Foster

    I’ve been trying to figure out how I was going to write this review since I finished this book.  Lori Foster is a favorite author of mine and I’ve enjoyed the Ultimate series so far.

    It’s not that I didn’t enjoy this book, I totally did.  I think I just derived more enjoyment from the secondary plot and everybody’s else’s stuff going on around them.  Stack and Vanity are circling each other and so are Armie and Rissy.  Frankly, I, like many others, are just DYING for Armie and Rissy and the wait is almost torturous.

    Back to Cherry and Denver.  Cherry is a flirt who kind of has the hots for Denver and he has been watching and wanting her for awhile. He has avoided her because of her flirtatious nature.  Finally, the tension between them can no longer be denied and they totally go for it.  Enter some not so nice people from Cherry’s past and Denver is forced to step up to help protect her.  Cherry isn’t so good at taking help.  But Denver and his alpha man ways force her to finally accept some help.

    I appreciated how the whole group of friends rallied around Cherry, offering her support and protection.  It certainly took her some time to get used to that kind of friendship and to her relationship with Denver.  That guy, is one INTENSE dude and he does not mess around at all. Holy moly.

    Overall, I enjoyed Cherry and Denver’s book. I don’t think it will be my favorite in this series but I certainly enjoyed the ensemble story/aspect of this one. 🙂  I’m definitely looking forward to more in this series!

    My rating on this one is somewhere between 3.75 to 4ish stars.

     

    addtoGR

     

    Purchase: