Review: His Right Hand

Should the cover have given me a clue as to what this story is really about or should I have depended on the blurb for that? I can’t really decide so --- you tell me, here’s the blurb:

“Mike Jasper might be one hell of a catch on paper, but he’s still lacking in a few crucial areas. Just ask his impressive list of disgruntled, dissatisfied exes. Who knew good looks, a hard body and plenty of money weren’t enough, especially between the sheets? When it comes to sex, he reluctantly admits he needs help. And who better to ask than his longtime assistant? Ellen is his right hand, completely devoted. She already sees to his business needs. Surely she can offer a few pointers in pleasure?

After a humiliating demonstration of his limited skills, Jasper’s relieved when Ellen agrees, apparently recognizing a cry for help when she sees one. And the first thing he learns? His intelligent, austere assistant has been hiding an insanely hot and horny vixen under those business suits! Before long, Jasper’s office is a flesh-filled pleasure den, Ellen’s sexual satisfaction crucial to finding his own. He’s learning more than he’d ever dreamed possible under Ellen’s titillating tutelage…included some unexpected lessons in love.”

Once I started reading this story, I kept thinking that surely this is a not a story just about sex – there has to be a plot some where along the line. I’m still waiting for the plot. What I did get was a story about Mike Jasper whose last girlfriend broke up with him because he does not make her happy, in or out of bed. To help himself when he moves on to the next woman, Mike decides to ask his assistant of ten years to help him with pleasing a woman. Ellen says yes and for the balance of the story Mike and Ellen have sex at the office, at the opera, any place that Ellen could think of. There was so much sex that I skipped pages, perish the thought, but even I have my limit.

I probably could have let that slide if I understood Ellen’s why but this story is told from Mike’s point of view and only about one paragraph on one page do we hear Ellen’s motivation for anything. I wasn’t satisfied with what I got, I just didn’t buy it -- not one bit. Even more, it turns out that in the ten years that Ellen’s worked for Mike, he has no idea who she is outside of work. Why would I like a character who has no regards for those around him? Yes, he’s rich (the dreaded billionaire) but does that mean he has to be a complete and total asshat?

Happy Reading folks!

Rating: C-/D+

*Book provided by author for review

His Right Hand

by Silence O'Shea

Original Release Date: March 24, 2013

Review: Just What She Wants

Reviewed by Shelly

This is a short story (about 42 pages including cover in ePub format). I’ve read Elsong before but it’s been a long while, long enough to not remember her writing style. This is the story of Indiana Jones, Marc Cantrell, and Kyle Landon. Indiana has flown from London, England to FL, for what she thought would be a chillaxing vacation. Yeah, surely a place called Heden wouldn’t be suggestive but let me not get ahead of myself here. Indiana’s already a little nervous because her best friend, Lisa, bailed on her at the last minute – something about a broken leg. Argh, the bad luck of it. Things start looking up when Indiana meets the two hotties who run the resort - Marc and Kyle. It just so happens that Marc and Kyle are a couple of guys in a somewhat committed relationship and have been looking for a third for their relationship – both of the guys are in agreement with this so there was no angst about that. I did have a passing thought that Marc is a bit of slut as he can’t stop sleeping with the guest but whatever floats his boat.

Now I had to put certain things, like my need for things to make sense, aside because this is part of the 1Night Stand line of stories so falling in love within a few hours of meeting could happen. With that premise and knowing that Indiana is only going to be in the resort for a set time, things happened really quickly, I mean really quickly. To Elsong’s credit, Indiana’s character is well developed. She’s funny, smart and believable when she’s dealing with Marc and Kyle. She doesn’t immediately fall for the crap that’s coming out of Marc’s mouth. The only complaint I have, other than the story is too short is that Indiana’s got a thing about Christmas that I thought was ridiculous but as it’s a short story, it can’t be too complex (I guess).

Marc and Kyle had their own drama. Kyle’s physical and emotional pain comes from a place where most of us might have trouble dealing also. I found myself being sympathetic to him and his reasons for the way that he treated Marc. It’s hard to love those around you when you don’t love yourself. There wasn’t a lot to Marc’s character other than he’s the funny guy.

Overall, this was a fun read with a couple of pretty hot sexy scenes.

Happy Reading folks!

Rating: B-

Click to purchase: Amazon

Just What She Wants

by Barbara Elsborg

Original Release Date: December 7, 2012

Publisher: Decadent Publishing

Review: Special Occasion

Reviewed by Shelly

I don’t even know why I bought this book. I think I was…I don’t know, but I wasn’t thinking.

Regina Marshall is a devoted wife to her husband. They live in an affluent neighborhood, I don’t know the source of their wealth but they’re well off by the description of the lavish gifts, cars and home. It’s Regina’s birthday and her husband Clayton wants to make her secret sexual fantasy come true. So he hunts down a friend who happens to be a pimp, he runs an escort service but that’s just a dressed up name for what he calls his ‘whores’. Believe it when I tell you that’s not even the part that set off my warning bells.

Stay with me here, Regina and Clayton are both African American and the fantasy that Clayton is fulfilling for his wife is for her to have sex with a white man. Not an attractive man who happens to be white but a blond, blue eyed, pale white man. You’ve got to be shitting me, right. The plethora of references to Regina’s dark hand against his pale white skin is absolutely staggering and I literally couldn’t believe how many times Clayton referred to this grown man as ‘white boy’. There’re very few times when I can stay that I felt furious after reading a story but yep, this one definitely made me shake my head in anger. Special occasion my petunia.

Happy reading folks!

Rating: F

Click to purchase: Amazon

Special Occasion

by Thirteen

Original Release Date: May 28, 2011

Publisher: Beautiful Trouble Publishing

Review: Donor

Reviewed by Shelly

This was a solid first story in the Dresdan Coven series and I’m a little mad at myself it was in my TBR so long. As a former member of District 5, Elaina’s role as a tracker of the Dresdan led her to Vicq. As a vamp creation of the master vampire Russo, Vicq is not your ordinary Dresdan. He has some special skills that he uses to woo and protect Elaina. After he was exiled from Russo’s coven for his affiliation with Elaina, Vicq has left Elaina alone long enough. He’s finally ready to make her his – permanently. Can this human and vampire find their own HEA? I hope so.

I was completely shocked and impressed that I liked this short story as much as I did. Kirk did a very good job of building the world where these characters live, because it’s certainly not like any I’ve read before. I admit that I love vampire stories and their paranormal world as much as the next person, but it wasn’t the vamps that really got my attention, it was District 5. What are those people doing? I can’t wait to find out what the real story is. Elaina thinks she knows what it is but I’m hoping it’s not as elementary as she seems to think. Kirk, please bring on the tomfoolery and shenanigans because it makes for an interesting read when it’s not the obvious.

Back to Elaina, she’s a very likable character and no whimpering female when it comes to holding her own. This chick can kick a vamp's butt then go out for a meal. How cool is that? I’m hoping there’s going to more about her history once the series continues, because I’m looking for the underlying reason she fell in love with Vicq. Yes, he has the ability to ‘glamour’ – that might be a True Blood term, but I don’t know else to call it –which he did when they initially met, but I’m hoping that’s there’s something more to their love.

Vicq --- oh my my, that’s one hot specimen of vampiliciousness. He’s got a thing for Elaina and nothing will get in his way, not even his creator. And the chemistry between the two was hot and heavy. Like Elaina’s motivation and background, I hope there’s more about him in the future installments.

The other members of Vicq’s newly formed coven are very loyal to their leader and have their own interesting quirks that made for good story telling. Other than the epilogue and a few spelling errors that made me reread a few sentences, this was a good story.

Happy Reading Folks!

Rating: B-

*Book provided by author for review

Click to purchase: Amazon

Donor

by Ambrielle Kirk

Original Release Date: February 24, 2011

Re-Release Date: April 28, 2013

Review: Secret Maneuvers

Reviewed by Shelly

Lane pleasantly surprised me with this story. I had no clue when I started reading what I thought would be a typical Special Ops story would actually turn out to be a not so typical story. Talk about a roller coaster ride.

Have you ever wanted…craved…a second chance? Be it with your family or a lost love? This is Bobby Baker’s story of his second chance. It’s the story of how a single action changed the course of his life and what he had to do to earn that second chance. Bobby’s story will make you sad, reflective, humbled and joyful; it touches on not being too prideful about getting on your knees and begging forgiveness for the wrong that you've done. Because all Bobby hoped for was fulfillment of his youthful dreams and promises - forever with his one true love.

Fifteen years after receiving a ‘Dear John’ letter from Bobby Baker – the small town boy who promised her a happy ever after - Annabelle Smith is on assignment with her unit of the ATF. Her very first day on her new assignment, she unsuspectingly walks into a meeting room where Bobby is waiting with his off-the-grid, special ops team. Bobby feels like he’s taken a punch to the gut and is completely floored by this especially considering that Annabelle doesn’t even acknowledge his presence. But that’s okay. He’s determined that she’s not getting away again because after looking for the past fifteen years, Bobby has finally found his Belle.

Folks, I don’t even know where to begin because I read this story two days ago and I’m still in awe of the smart writing. Bobby’s love for his Belle is truly an inspiring thing. But, there’s always a but… I was very skeptical about the passage of time and how that would play out but then I remembered that time flies, it waits for no man – so for me it’s plausible that fifteen years could pass while each of these characters went on with their lives. Bobby moved on from the Army that he joined at 18 and Belle moved on from the small town to become something better than her beginnings and the legacy left by her abusive, alcoholic father.

Both Bobby and Belle were very likable characters; their dialogue was witty, sarcastic and fast. Bobby’s alpha male persona was absolutely no match for Belle’s personality because, let’s face it, she’s been working around his type for a long time and it’s not a problem for her to hold her own. I really enjoyed that she was strong and maintained her conviction and thoughts when she was dealing with Bobby. That’s right Belle, don’t let him push you around.

The secondary characters are off the chain. Belle’s BFF, Teagan, is absolutely cold hearted and the most perfect BFF any girl could want. Her interaction with Bobby is some kinda special, I think there were a couple moments when Bobby actually quaked in his boots. Part of Bobby’s team, the Sullivan brothers, are a little different from the rest (if you know what I mean.) I’m hoping that they each get their stories because I think have something quite splendid to tell.

This one is a re-read for me and I highly recommend that you go out and get a copy. And yes, the sexing is smoking HOT!

Happy reading folks!

Rating: A-

*ARC provided by author for review

Click to purchase: Amazon

Secret Maneuvers

by Jessie Lane

Release Date: June 14, 2013

Review: Don't Bite the Bridesmaid

Reviewed by Shelly

Allee’s tale didn’t take any time at all for me to get into. To say that I was surprised when I turned the last page is an understatement. This story just kept getting better and better the more I read. Allee’s take on day walking vampires and their interactions in the everyday  human world is something that I’ve not read before and it was a good thing.

Cute, 20-something Alice Shepard is in desperate need of a date for her sister’s wedding and the weeklong cruise that leads up to it. Her neighbor, Noah Thorpe, agrees to be her plus-one even with Alice’s stipulation of no funny business. Noah is in need of a quick getaway and his next door neighbor offers it just in the nick of time. Are these two really as opposite as they think or will they come together before the council makes a decision to call Noah home?

There are a lot of interesting angles and side roads in this story. As the first in the series, it’s definitely piqued my curiosity and opened a lot of questions - especially around Alice’s ex and Noah’s past. There seems to be more there than meets the eye. So, as I wait for the second one in the series I’ll tell you why I liked this first story so much.

There’s no car chases or good guys or bad guys (but I suspect that Alice’s cheater ex is hiding something.) Instead, it’s a story the ups and downs of family and relationships - Alice and her family, Noah and his family and then Noah and Alice as a couple. I liked Alice quite a lot. She was a little schizo with the yes, no, maybe mindset but I understood that considering the guest list on the wedding cruise. Her relationship with Noah was well written, nice pacing, a little angsty from both of them which was nice to see from a man’s perspective. The sex between them was good and not too soon – what saved it for me was that I considered their relationship outside of the cruise.

This couple had their highs and lows but I was on their side the entire time. The way that Noah treated Alice was refreshing in that he didn’t play the alpha male vampire thing and she wasn’t the simpering heroine who’s just so happy that a vampire has taken notice of her. There’s a whole subplot about Alice’s knowledge of vampires but I’ll leave that to you to read ;-).

In the end, I look forward to more from this writer and this series.

Happy Reading folks!

Rating: B

*ARC Provided by Entangled

Click to purchase: Amazon

Don't Bite the Bridesmaid

by Tiffany Allee

Release Date: May 27, 2013

Publisher: Entangled

Review: The Bucket List

Reviewed by Shelly

This is a new to me author, so as with anything new, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I’ve read other full length stories through this publisher that I’ve really liked, but for me this story was bleh.

28 year old Grace is an accountant by trade and one of her clients is pro-wrestler Brett ‘The Wolf’ McAllister. Over the last three years, Grace and Brett have developed a friendship, during which Brett developed a pretty heavy crush on Grace. Grace has always liked Brett but he’s a bit of a player and her past two relationships have made her cautious of Brett’s type. In a moment of spontaneity, Grace makes a bucket list and at the top of the list is Mardi Gras. As her best friend Tia isn’t able to make the trip, Brett volunteers to take Grace and maybe check a few of those things off the list.

I really thought the premise of this story was good. I’m a big sucker for pro-wrestling and who better than show-man Brett to drive the shyness out of conservative Grace. Sadly, I could not get into either of these characters – they weren’t bad or not nice people. I just found myself not invested in them or their happiness. Grace’s personality was flat and immature. The amount of times I read about how her breasts are big was way too much. But what really put it over the top for me…when my interest gradually deteriorated - there’s a scene that happens pretty early in the story (no spoiler here) when Brett and Grace have stopped for gas while on their road trip. Grace sees an attractive woman hitting on Brett, when Brett comes back to the car Grace gives him an attitude and he tells her this priceless statement ‘…stop hating on white women with asses.’ Oh, that’s the game we’re going to play? That’s when I gave up.

Everything after that went downhill but I was determined to read the entire novella.

Happy reading folks!

Rating: D+/C-

Click to purchase: Amazon

The Bucket List

by Gynger Fyer

Release Date: October 19, 2012

Publisher: Beautiful Trouble Publishing

Review: The Things I Do For You

Reviewed by Shelly

When I started reading this I was having trouble with the characters because I felt like I should already know who they were – I didn’t see a warning that this story would be more enjoyable after reading the first two books (0.5 and 1) in the series. Suffice it to say, I didn’t read those two.

25 year-old model Raina Winters wants a baby and she wants one right now, as she’s already been advised by her doctor that she’s running out of time. (This seems to be related to an earlier diagnosis of endometriosis.) Nicholas Alexander is Raina’s soon to be brother-in-law who’s been in love with Raina since first sight. Raina wants a baby, Nicholas wants Raina so he’ll give her a baby in exchange for what he wants – Raina. And if marriage is what it takes, then that’s what’s going to have to happen. It’s a familiar premise that I thought was handled well.

I got the feeling that these two had a tumultuous relationship in the prior stories (I’m not sure of that) but in this story there’s more angst and stubbornness than anything else. Nicholas is a wonderful guy. Yes, he’s known as a playboy, but he’s not interested in chasing skirts unless it’s Raina’s, of course, especially after getting his palate wet after their one night stand. His love and respect for his family was one of my favorite things about him. It’s hard to not like people who love and appreciate those around them. There’s a very touching moment when he’s visiting his parents’ home and he realizes that they’re not going to be around forever – the way he handled that was very sweet.

I’m not sure of Raina’s history and her obstinate disbelief in love. It actually took away from her character for me because there has to be a time in your life where you choose – either let others control your decisions or move past that and start living a life worth living. I thought Raina was stuck on the first. There’s a sub-story with her father that, if explored, could have done wonders for not just the story, but could have made me like Raina more than I did. Outside of Nicholas and Raina’s bedroom high jinx, there was a nice blend of them growing as a couple and (when Raina wasn’t stuck on stupid) the dialogue was well done.

Nicholas’s other brothers were well presented - Trent and Jackson have already been featured in their stories. Overall the story was a fun, short read.

Happy reading folks!

Rating: B-

*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley

Click to purchase: Amazon

The Things I Do For You

by M. Malone

Release Date: March 12, 2013

Publisher: Crushstar Romance

Review: Hope Breaks

Reviewed by Shelly

This is the first in a series about Hope Jones. Hope’s job as a photographer doing romance novel covers could be construed as the lush life, but Hope will beg to differ because she can’t seem to produce a cover that the publisher’s star author seems to like. She’ll be lucky if she can keep her job. I wasn’t expecting such a banger (no pun intended) of an introduction. I thought Bello would ease us into Hope and her life, but no, she brings it straight to the heart of the matter. I gotta say that I like it, I like it a lot.

Hope is what I like to call a hot mess. She’s not really sure what she’s doing and the inner monologue makes her that much more likable – she’s witty and sarcastic. Waking up one day to the trial of finding a male model so she can take some scintillating pictures, Hope goes to the local Wal-Mart looking for painkillers to fend off that headache she’s working on. While she’s isle hopping, she meets Drew. Bingo! Perfect Wal-Mart experience: you walk in for one thing and walk out with something a little extra. Now all Hope has to do is make sure that Drew shows up for the photo shoot.

In the parking lot her trusty steed, okay it’s really a Ford Taurus, has decided that Hope needs to find another way home. Once she gets her car over to the Tire and Lube Express area, she meets hunkalicious #2, Jake Troy. Turns out that Jake remembers Hope from high school and from what happens later, that’s not a bad thing. The chemistry between these two was really good. Jake is a flirt and he knows it, but I’m not convinced (yet) that he’s a player, just a guy who knows what he wants. There’s a vibe that there are things that Jake is not giving away this early in the game and I can’t wait to find out what they are in the next story.

I had couple of time related issues – I’m not sure of Hope’s age, it’s either 37 or 26. I’m hoping it’s 26 because that would make sense and but some of the (Def Leppard/Van Halen) concerts mentioned wouldn’t. Maybe it’s the version I received?

Suffice it to say, that didn’t take away from the story enough that I didn’t enjoy it because I did and will be reading the others in the series. Be warned, this does not have an HEA or HFN.

Happy reading folks!

Rating: B-

*ARC Provided by author for review

Click to purchase: Amazon

Hope Breaks

by Alice Belo

Release Date: June 14, 2013

Review: A Brother's Honor

Reviewed by Shelly

My favorite Brenda Jackson story is Delaney’s Desert Sheikh from The Westmoreland Series. Yes, I’m dating myself, but I remember reading that story and thought the story line was great and fresh and I fell a lot in-like with the author’s writing. Over the last five – seven years, I’ve noticed that the majority of the stories that I’ve read from her have the same theme – the hero (usually a millionaire or billionaire) comes from a privileged background and the heroine is involved in the family’s business and some other predictable things that if you’ve read her you’ll know what I’m talking about here – and unfortunately this story is no different. I can’t tell you the predictable things because I will not do a spoiler. Anywho, after a lengthy absence, the Granger brothers have returned to Virginia at the request of their dying grandfather. Coming home means they’ll have a lot on their hands - a failing family business and their imprisoned father.

The first in the series is Jace Granger’s story. Jace works as an attorney for his local California government with a scheming and devious ex-wife to boot. She provides her own entertainment but that wasn’t too surprising. You know what would have pleasantly surprised me – if she was nice. Moving on, even though he’s the oldest of the brothers, Jace seems to take a very laid back approach as the head of the family, considering their father is in jail for killing his wife (their mother) and their grandfather is dead. After taking over the family business, Jace decides to hire Shana’s consulting firm to help his brothers and him find out why the business is failing.

A majority of this story is about Jace and his family; the heroine Shana doesn’t even get an introduction until about twenty percent in, which for me is too long. Shana is a nice enough character, not too soft and not too rough, but I can’t say that I rooted for her because I just couldn’t click with her --or Jace for that matter. I don’t know what was missing, but I didn’t feel the chemistry between these two – just a convenience of storyline. I was hoping for something more once the plot picked up and things started happening, but then the predictable stuff started coming at me left and right.

To a certain degree, the multiple storylines in the story for me was distracting, mainly because I wanted to know about Jace and Shana, not everyone else. There’s a subplot with Dalton the youngest and playboy extraordinaire of the brothers. After Dalton was denied his trust fund at 25 like his brothers, he decided to spite everyone and through a series of calculated investments became a self-made billionaire. Seems to me, he wouldn’t have worked (if investments are considered work) at all if his money was handed to him. But aside from that, Dalton is a complete brat whose ‘my daddy didn’t love me' complex has driven every decision and choice he’s made, including the type of women he associates himself with. I really didn’t like him at all. Maybe I’ll come around when his story is told more. Caden, the middle brother is a musician and came off more of a jerk than anything else to me. His past relationship with his ex-best friend who happens to be a girl seems to be his motivation.

Of the Grangers, Sheppard, the father of these three, has the more interesting story. He’s in prison for murdering his wife and there’s a whole back story there that’s full of secrets and intrigue. I think that’s going to be a good one once it’s panned out. Shana’s father, a retired cop, had his own story line. His new love interest sounds like she’s not going to fall easily and it sounds like the way he’s going to have to woo her might make an interesting read. It would be nice to read a romance where the hero doesn’t have six-pack abs.

Overall, this is a good story. If you like Jackson’s previous work I’m sure you’ll like this one also.

Happy reading folks!

Rating: C-

*ARC Provided by Harlequin MIRA

Click to purchase: Amazon

A Brother's Honor

by Brenda Jackson

Release Date: May 28, 2013

Publisher: MIRA

Review: Gavin's Submissives

Reviewed by Shelly

I’m a fan of this publisher, but the author is someone that I’ve not read in the past. Considering there are quite a few of her books through this publisher I decided to take a chance on this story; it doesn’t hurt that I’m a fan of the category and it’s a relatively quick read. This is the first in the Creek Valley series where ménage and the like are not uncommon.

Fresh out of a marriage with an abusive husband, Heidi is finally free to pursue some measure of happiness. Deciding to move back to her hometown of Creek Valley where she felt comfortable and safe Heidi temporarily moves in with her childhood friend Landon and his lover/Dom, Gavin. Although Heidi has been away for ten years, Landon has been a faithful friend and kept in touch with her over time... and he’s always had a thing for her. Can these three make a go of things or will past actions, hurtful words and Heidi’s ex put a stop to their happiness?

Heidi is a full figured woman who --despite the ending result of her previous marriage-- is an admitted submissive. Regardless of the non-excusable verbal and physical abuse she suffered in her marriage, she  enjoyed the dominance of her husband – the telling her what to do, what to wear kind of thing. So it wasn’t a shock that she didn’t blink an eye when Landon confessed to the D/s lifestyle that he prefers with Gavin. She did have problems dealing with the budding relationship between the three of them, but they were more self-directed about what she could offer the guys. I did have a problem with was the timing of everything and a couple other things – but before I get ahead of myself, I’ll tell you some of the good stuff

Landon is a relatively nice guy. He’s always always had a thing for Heidi and during his time with Gavin he’s let it be known that he still loves her and if he ever gets the chance with her he’ll take it. I thought that was an honest approach and I appreciated that the author didn’t have Heidi and Landon re-meet and then have the miraculous, can’t live without each other falling in love. There were moments that I wanted to bash Landon’s head in, but in the end he prevailed and my likability of him was restored.

Gavin, the Dom in the relationship, came across a little…I don’t know…spoiled and temperamental is all I can think of. There’s a sensitive moment between him and Landon where I couldn’t believe his reaction as a grown ass man and a Dom no less. But that’s okay because I don’t have to like them all the time, right?

Here’s what I wasn’t so keen on – Gavin’s quick concession to a relationship with Heidi. He’d met her less that one day when that happened. And even though he grew up in the same town he didn’t remember Heidi, so why so soon – because of Landon? No way – I’m gonna need more convincing than that. Another bother for me was a sex scene when Heidi noticed that Gavin’s not wearing a condom and ‘she scared to ask him why and what it actually meant’. COME on, seriously she’s that big of a doormat she’s not concern with the High V, STDs or pregnancy? That’s just dumb.

Don’t take my small rant to mean I didn’t like it, because I liked it enough to want to read the next story in the series as I thought this was a nice introduction. If you’re a fan of Oaks Bliss series this might tickle your fancy.

Happy reading folks!

Rating: B-

Click to purchase: Amazon

Gavin's Submissives

by Sam Crescent

Release Date: June 12, 2013

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

Review: The Awakening: Aidan

Reviewed by Shelly

I started this one completely based on a recommendation. I’m happy to say that I’m going to be taking those recommendations from now on because this is a really good story, so much so that I’m hoping there’s a series coming because the premise is a good one (shameless plea #1).

Niles has built an entire world around shifters and their mates that resembles nothing (in a good way) that I’ve read in the past. This is story of meeting the one that’s your eternal love, not just in this life, but in the afterlife too.

Aidan is in a pickle because his fellow shifter and friend, Liam, is in serious trouble and the only one who can help is Jaylin Avgar. Half shifter Jaylin is one of the few psychiatrists who not only knows what ails Liam, she also knows what needs to be done - this calls for a house call. Once she arrives at the cabin to see about Liam she meets Aidan O’Connell and the sparks fly. Oh boy, do they ever! Aidan knows of the stories that tell what will happen once he meets his mate, but he’s not prepared for the roadblocks that Jaylin puts up about why she doesn’t want him. The fun’s about to start, so buckle up.

Aidan is the shiznit – plain and simple. He was cool, calm and collected and let me put this out there – he played nice with the imaginary retinas, which is all good. His likability was high considering he’s a guy with a not so great past, but he’s worked hard to make a change, and I appreciated him that much more for it. The relationships that he had with his fellow shifters spoke highly of the person that he is but it was the relationship that he wanted to have with Jaylin that made me just heads over heels for him. Aidan knew what he wanted and his willingness to go the extra mile to make her want the same thing was admirable, because there were a couple times when smacking Jaylin on the back of the head seemed appropriate.

Jaylin’s character was well written; she had a complexity and vulnerability that I could empathize with… up to a point. She’s stubborn as heck and is convinced that she knows what’s best, and although that’s admirable (kinda sorta) her unwillingness to allow Aidan to make his own choices got to me a little bit. Thank goodness that Aidan had the patience of Job to try and try and try some more with her.

Once this story takes off, it doesn’t take long before I realize that is not about this short life that we live but about whom you’re going to spend your eternity with. Because the world that Niles builds is focused more on the eternity that a bonded couple will share and the negative effects that can occur if the human female chooses not to bond. I’m completely fascinated to find out what happens to Liam – that’s a shameless plea (#2) for a sequel.

If you enjoy a different way of looking at forever love and wouldn’t mind a little smut with the tale – then I’d recommend that you pick up Aidan’s story.

Happy reading folks!

Rating: B+

Click to purchase: Amazon

The Awakened: Aidan

by Abby Niles

Release Date: April 21, 2013 

Publisher: Entangled

Review: Falling for the Lawyer

Reviewed by Shelly

Working as an assistant Personal Assistant in a big law firm, Alex Farrer is sure that she’ll be out of a job as soon as the new boss shows up. Little does she know that the nice stranger who helped her that rainy morning is her new boss. JP McKenzie is the new partner at Alex’s law firm, he’s also Alex’s boss and after meeting the mud-drenched Alex, JP’s first day on the job grows into something that’s a little bit different than he’s used to.

This was a pleasant, quick, fun, and angst filled story - just like I like ‘em. Even though this is a ‘clean’ romance, no sex – zero zip nada – I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Clifton had me on the edge about what Alex would do about her staid, predictable and unhappy life. Would she fall back on what’s comfortable or make the change for something different? Suffice it to say, if I could life a (drama free) angst filled life I would, but since I can’t, I live that vicariously through these kinds of characters.

Alex’s character went through her share of change and growth. From an insecure and malleable character, Alex’s metamorphosis into a woman of strength and substance was a welcome transformation. That she was able to stand up to those around her, including JP, was handled really well without any melodrama and tantrums. Instead I saw Alex grow some and manned up to get down to the business of living the one life she’s got.

I must admit that I didn’t like JP at first.  Actually about the first half of the story I though he was a jerk because he came across as brash and loud and wouldn’t stop yelling at Alex. I thought he was just going to bully this girl and she would take it – oh nay nay! I warmed up to him eventually though and I could see that he cared about Alex as a person and didn’t want to see her wasting her potential because of fear. It’s always nice to have someone believe in you, even when you don’t believe in yourself.

There were some secondary characters that helped to move the story along and were quite enjoyable to read about. If you’d like a clean, good story about a discovering yourself and finding happiness, then I would definitely suggest that you give this one a go.

Happy reading folks!

Rating: B

*Book provided by Harlequin Enterprises Australia via NetGalley

Click to purchase: Amazon  

Falling for the Lawyer

by Anna Clifton

Release Date: March 1, 2013

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

Review: Polished

Reviewed by Shelly
 

As an m/m/f fan, it’s rare to find category story that is fundamentally strong. I mean that to say if you took out all the sex scenes, the story would still make sense, not fall to stereotypes and you’d still root for the threesome. That’s the way I felt the majority of the time about this story by Turner. But hey, I’m no prude; the sex scenes were rocking. However I actually am going to admit – I thought there was too much sex. I know what you’re thinking -- there’s no such thing. I would have really liked to see more of these three getting to know each other outside the bedroom. Between that and the small ‘why’ details that intermittently nagged me, this was an interesting read and left my thoughts provoked hours after turning the last page.

Rory Campbell and Spencer Hartley have been a couple for the last three years. They’re living together on the outskirts of New York where Rory is a NYU grad student majoring in psychology and Spencer is a construction worker. Although they’re happy together and Spencer loves Rory, he’s also attracted to men. This is something that he’s not told Rory. Jack Rothman is Spencer’s boss at the job but when an accident occurs and together they’re trapped in a tunnel, doors will open for both Jack and Spencer.

I thought the relationship between Rory and Spencer was strong and loving. The emotion that Turner was able to show (not just tell me) between these two was quite lovely. I found myself liking them both pretty early. Interestingly enough though, Spencer and Rory’s relationship wasn’t as strong as I would have thought, in spite of the way Spencer insisted of his love and trust to Rory. I didn’t see the rationale for Spencer not telling Rory of his sexuality. He kept bragging about how smart she is and that she’s doing grad work in psychology to help people with sexual identity, but he didn’t want to tell her about his own. Hmmm.

Jack was just a hot mess. He’s restless, rude, unlovable and constantly having to prove his worth to his father (textbook case of my Daddy didn’t love me). After a work accident that caused he and Spencer to be stuck in the tunnels he realizes that there’s a mutual attraction between them. From their rescue on, Jack’s is determined to see where it can lead.

Here is where I sometimes have trouble understanding when there’s three people involved – I thought that after Spencer discovered his satisfaction with Jack and their relationship, the focus of the love story moved to them. I find it hard to empathize with the three characters when one couple’s relationship diminishes to satisfy another. The more I read the more I thought that Rory’s interaction seemed secondary and superfluous. I couldn’t figure out why Rory and Spencer never spoke about his homosexual desires; in fact one day Rory’s reading a Kinsey textbook and it’s like a light bulb goes off in her head that Spencer likes boys, especially Jack. I had a problem with that. If I’m in a relationship with a guy for as long as theirs is and all of a sudden I see that his intensity for the relationship has changed, I’m pretty sure that nothing about Kinsey’s sexuality scale is going to keep me from asking questions – a lot of questions. It was a bit too convenient the way she just accepted it, no questions asked. Also I didn’t have a clue of Rory’s need for a Dominant, it seemed to have kinda dropped out of nowhere to satisfy Rory having any need for Jack.

Jack was undoubtedly my favorite character because he matured the most. His relationship with his father was a significant part of that growth. Their scenes were really tense and made for great reading.

There are a couple of other things that I thought were a bit too convenient, but they didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. The relationship between the three was passionate, interesting and yeah there’s a lot of sex, just in case you didn’t catch that earlier. In the end it was good story that I just didn’t enjoy as much as I wanted to. If you’re an m/m/f fan – do pick it up and give it a try. I’ll look forward to more from this writer.

Happy reading folks!

Rating: C+/B-

*Book provided by author for review

Click to purchase: Amazon

Polished

by Alyssa Turner

Release Date: May 23 2013

Publisher: Etopia Press

Review: Toxic

Reviewed by Shelly
 

I’ve read McBride’s ‘Imperative Series’ and I very much liked the first two stories in the series. I didn’t really understand the motivation of one of the main characters in the third and last story, but I’m sticking with the theory that two out of three isn’t bad. So when I saw this new series coming out I was intrigued enough to read. Small disclaimer before going on - there’s a message on the book blurb with a couple of things: 1) This is a revision of a short story "Sex and Chocolate: Toxic" (publisher not mentioned). 2) This series follows Educating Evangeline (Doms of Dark Haven 1) and precedes Hunting Holly (Doms of Dark Haven: Western Night). I’ve not read any of those so I can’t tell you how these characters are related.

Briony Theale is the town veterinarian. Her unusual connection and empathy with animals has led to both her profession and the Wildlife Rescue center. Other than the animals, Briony has a thing for chocolate and Wildlife Rescue ranger Rico. Rico has his own thing for chocolate and it includes Briony with her sweet chocolate scent. After a very casual dinner, Rico and Briony share a kiss. They then realize and admit that they share mutual feelings of attraction. After returning to her clinic, Briony reassess her chocolate addiction and its contribution to the extra pounds on her hips (and everywhere else) and decides that going cold turkey is the way to go. She decides to throw away everything including that secret stash.

I had a very hard time writing this review. I have what I consider a very simple theory – make it make sense to me. I don’t care the genre, contents, location, anything – just make sense. Maybe what’s missing for me was I didn’t read any of the other stories and maybe those would have explained more about this story. For me, this book started out with promise --especially about the person who ends up raising Briony -- so exciting! It had me going to the point that I was pretty sure Briony would take on some of those skills, but that didn’t happened. To be honest, I wasn’t disappointed in that at all because I liked where the story went... until the end where I think I was supposed to have had a lobotomy; more on that later. I thought that Briony held her own just fine. She’s smart, funny with a kind heart. Her attraction for Rico came off as real and sincere and I wanted her to get her man and I wanted him to get his woman.

The problems that Rico has with eating the chocolate is the same problem that dogs have with theobromine, but even though he hated being compared to dogs, like a dog he’ll eat things that are bad for him. I didn’t have a problem with that either, because it was good drama. What I wasn’t so sure about was Rico who said that he had control – why wasn’t he able to control his wolf?  I didn’t realize that chocolate could make the Rico’s wolf harm himself.

There’s a lot of mystery around an organization name Abraxas – maybe that’s something that’s mentioned in the Doms of Dark Haven series, not sure there. But this organization has the ability to manipulate something in people to produce a certain behavior. I had a lot of questions as to how, what, when and where but maybe that’ll be explained in future installments of the series or maybe it already touched in DoDH. But my butt really got chapped in the ending on this book. I would have definitely liked it more if the ending was more about Briony and Rico, but to me it wasn’t. And somewhere along the line I must have missed the basic biology/science topic - how can a transgender male to female be an alpha female? Did the surgery change XY to XX? That just didn’t make sense to me and totally took me out of the story’s enjoyed. I’d already suspended my belief as far as it would go.

Happy Reading folks!

Rating: C+

*Book provided by Loose Id via NetGalley

Click to purchase: Amazon

Toxic

by Belinda McBride

Release Date: April 23, 2013

Publisher: Loose ID

Review: Rebound

Reviewed by Shelly
 

This was a fun, short by new-to-me author Sabrina York. When I initially read the blurb I was intrigued because I’m a sucker for unrequited lust/ like/ love, then *poof* like magic everyone is in-love. This story is a good telling of that. Having just found her boyfriend sexing up her employee (while at work) Kristi Cross’s week can’t get any worse -- or can it? Getting out of town and away from her problems for the weekend, Kristi heads down to the house that she and her friends share.

Of all people to be at the house, her college crush Cameron Jackson is there for his weekend getaway. There’s not going to be a lot of stress though because Kristi knows that she’s not Cam’s type... until he suggests a game of Hearts and the prize is a kiss! Umm, seriously who can resist that? Kristi already knows she can’t resist Cam’s suggestion.

Other than Kristi jumping from one man’s bed right into another, she was very likable; her sarcastic humor was something that I completely enjoyed. Yes, she’s curvy but she wasn’t too self-conscious of that, at least not any more than any other girl would be when they know the type of woman the guy they’re interested normally goes out with. But what I liked the best was Cam’s POV; it’s rare that I’ll read more of the guy’s angle than the girl’s -- refreshing and sexy, yeah those words totally describe what Cam was feeling and thinking. I adored these two as a couple and the lusting was pleasantly lush. For such a short story, York did a lot in conveying strong emotions not just sex sex sex. It was definitely enough for me to look forward to the next story.

There are some secondary characters that I would love to know more about especially ‘doesn’t have a job playboy’ Lane and his ex-wife who’s also Kristi’s business partner.

Happy Reading folks!

Rating: B

*ARC provided by author for review

Click to purchase: Amazon

Rebound

by Sabrina York

Release Date: March 29, 2013

Review: Extreme Love

Reviewed by Shelly
 

I didn’t know Abby Niles work, but after reading Extreme Love, I want more! If you’ve ever felt a little left of center, you’ll have some affinity with Caitlyn’s story.  I know I did. Caitlyn Moore is not used to anyone like MMA fighter Dante ‘Inferno’ Jones being attracted --to much less interested in-- her. Having had some of life’s ups and downs, most if not all of it has been attributed to Caitlyn’s self-consciousness about being overweight. So, why would someone as physically fit and used to a certain type of woman find her all that interesting? Dante’s not sure either, but Caitlyn makes him want to call her his own. The only problem is that he’s come to town to train for an upcoming title fight; he’s on a mission to be his division champion and Caitlyn is a distraction that might cost him more than he’s willing to pay.

I rooted for these two like you wouldn’t believe. I was thrilled that Caitlyn didn’t just fall into what Dante wanted. He actually had to fight for it and that was one of the more enjoyable things for me. I can’t tell you all he did, but he’s not quitter, and it was just what a girl needs to make her feel special. Caitlyn’s personality was very likable to me. She’s a fighter in her own right, doing things that others might find brazen or goodness forbid, not for a girl her size. I was happy to see her tell people to suck it (metaphorically of course.) She had her weaknesses, but I could understand every single one of them as I’ve had my own struggles (not necessarily with weight but with other things... where the mind tells you that you’re just not good enough. Been there done that.)

Dante absolutely stole the show and I’m now crushing on him big time. There’s a bedroom scene that literally took my breath away – good Lord man, why can’t you be flesh and blood? The friendships he had said a lot about his heart; yes, he’s a fighter but that certainly didn’t mean that he was cold, heartless and only focused on winning. I can’t tell you enough how much I’m digging on him.

Interesting enough, the cast of secondary characters was good and I liked the majority of them – Amy who is Caitlyn’s best friend and roommate... I would like to see her story flushed out into its own novel. Dante’s fellow MMA fighter Tommy and his best friend – interesting start in that little scenario. Some of the characters I didn’t like at all – Paul, Caitlyn’s ‘other’ best friend, I could have done completely without because I don’t like men who are mitches (*drops mic*). But other than that single thing this book is a winner which I am highly recommending. I can’t wait for the next one. I checked GoodReads and found that Book 2 will be published in 2013, not sure of the month.

Happy Reading folks!

Rating: B+

*ARC Provided by Entangled

Click to purchase: Amazon

Extreme Love

by Abby Niles

Release Date: April 30, 2013

Publisher: Entangled

Review: Scarlet

Reviewed by Shelly
 

A short but sweet read that's just the beginning of the Alpha Marked series as the Sisters Wickham find their mates. Of the triplets, this is story of Scarlet and her Alpha mates. To the minute on her thirtieth birthday Scarlet gets an invitation to the yearly Gathering where it's expected that she'll meet her two mates.

This is a delightful and fun introduction to the series. There was enough humor, tension, passion and alphaness to get and keep my attention. Scarlet is a bit of a troubled soul in that she’s convinced that having two alpha mates is not going to be the best choice for her considering alphas are so, well… alpha. The Ruling Alpha pair Keller and Madden bonded (not mated) when they were much younger and know that they must share a mate and have spent their lives preparing for this; they know each other well enough to know how to share and share properly. I was content with the way the bonding was explained and even more impressed with the way that they took care of Scarlet. And the bonus for me was that they were not overbearing with the – me Tarzan, you Jane.

Last thing before I finish, even after meeting her mates there was still some hesitation and tension between the three to keep me interested. There are few things that turn me off as fast as when the heroine just gives up all of herself immediately after meeting her hero – thanks for not letting that happen Kyle. Nice!

I’m totally looking forward to the next book in the series.

Happy Reading folks!

Rating: B

*ARC provided by author for review

Click to purchase: Amazon

Scarlet

by Celia Kyle

Release Date: April 3, 2013

Publisher: Summerhouse Publishing

Review: Araya's Addiction

Reviewed by Shelly
 

If you like your demon cocky and a little bit bad, then Kean is who you want. Araya’s mother has finally done what Araya has been dreading all her life – she’s taken an Incubus as a prisoner for the insatiable lust that he presents to Sempires. Although Kean is only part Incubus, he’s a got enough of the demon gene in him that he makes it hard for a girl to resist him.

Kean screwed the pooch when he met Talith, Araya’s mother, in a local nightclub. After waking naked and locked in a cell, he discovers that Talith’s motives for taking him as a prisoner are for the love of her daughter. Yes, it’s a little manipulative but they’re demons and demons only fear what’s bigger and badder than them and Kean definitely isn’t that. So he’s stuck until he can do what’s required of him and then he can leave and go on his merry way. That is, until he meets Araya and gets to know her in the short time that he’s allotted.

Araya is really a gentle soul who doesn’t want what Kean is offering. Kean is not such a gentle soul who’s only in it for himself, but we soon come to find another side of him that’s really quite charming and even likable. Once these two get together and the sexing commences, and it does get hot!

In her debut novella, Dex does a credible job of making this story interesting. I’m totally looking forward to more from this author.

Happy Reading folks!

Rating: B

*ARC provided by publisher for review

Click to purchase: Amazon

Araya's Addiction

by Jocelyn Dex

Release Date: January 11, 2013

Publisher: Ellora's Cave

Review: At Last

Reviewed by Shelly
 

The cover doesn’t do this story justice because Stone’s debut novel is so much more than just a day at the beach. I was completely impressed with the way the writing got me going from happy to sad to shedding a tear. After being unceremoniously dumped at the church on her wedding day, both of Susan’s best friends recognize that the only way to make her feel better is get away and go on the planned honeymoon. Kevin has been in love with Susan since the first day he met her in college, and the last thing he wants is to be alone with her on her honeymoon trip in the beautiful tropical Cancun. Can Susan overcome her past to enjoy a future with Kevin?

While in college, Susan and Kevin (along with Liz) became fast friends and have pretty much stayed that way except that Liz doesn’t like Kevin (not even a little bit). Back in the college days, Kevin let his feelings toward Susan show by asking her out, but she promptly dismissed him and even went so far as to make fun of non-jock-like body. She did concede to friendship and for that Kevin was grateful and happy. After college, Kevin’s moved away. He now lives on the other side of the country, but still corresponds with Susan enough that he considers her his best friend.

This is a hard review for me, because I didn’t like the heroine -- nope, not even a little bit -- but I liked the hero enough that he made the story completely worth it. I thought Susan was shallow, completely self-centered and just plain ole not nice. There wasn’t a lot said about the ex-fiancé, but I couldn’t really blame him for dumping Susan, just the way he did it. Here’s some of my rant on Susan’s callousness towards others: Kevin escorts her down to Cancun and never once did she think to tell him thanks for doing that; she allows Liz to verbally degrade Kevin even after Susan and Kevin share some intimate moments, Kevin didn’t man up either but that’s another story; Susan doesn’t know that her assistant Jill is married with a daughter – how do you miss the photos on the desk and the wedding ring on Jill’s finger? How am I supposed to feel sympathy and empathy for someone who clearly doesn’t care about anyone but herself?

Don’t worry - I’ve not let Kevin off the hook. But I sure did like him a lot more that I liked Susan. He’s the guy next door -- smart with the big heart. You know great things will happen to him, but he has to grow into his hotness. I couldn’t figure out why he loved Susan because her actions towards him were not lovable. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the way he developed from being a doormat (to both Susan’s insensitivity and Liz’s diatribe about his sexuality) into the man that Susan felt was deserving of her affections.

What I liked about the overall story was that it captured my attention and kept it – took me about a day to read. Never once did I think to put this book down and not find out what happens. The storyline was smart and the dialogue was on point. I found myself turning the page to see what’s going to happen to whom, because I just didn’t see it turning out well. But don’t worry HEA fans, Stone has you covered. The sex scenes were well done and I kept hoping for more of Kevin’s shirtless goodness.

If there’s a follow up, I really hope it’s for Liz and she gets knocked on her butt something good.  Something with Lance sounds good because I’m hoping she misjudged him because of his chosen career.

Happy Reading Folks!

Rating: B-/C+

*Book provided by author for review

Click to purchase: Amazon

At Last

by Ella Stone

Release Date: April 6, 2013