Month / February 2011

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Take a Chance on Me by Kate Davies

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd.
Hero: Tom Cameron
Heroine: Jessica Martin
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: February 22, 2011
Started On: February 26, 2011
Finished On: February 26, 2011

Take a Chance on Me is my first Kate Davies and it definitely is not going to be my last if Ms. Davies can spin a tale such as this one which contains all the right elements that makes a romance so worth your time. The setting in this romance is a unique one. I say this because I don’t remember reading an adult romance that takes place in a high school, unless it involves high school students. This title took me into unchartered waters and delivered a very well written romance that would stay with me for a long time even afterwards.

Tom Cameron is the head of security at Summit High and prefers his lone wolf lifestyle which serves him pretty well. Four years back Tom had served as a cop until a domestic violence call which had come in a few hours before the end of his shift one night had gone horribly wrong spiraling Tom’s life out of control. Combined with media frenzy and the blame game which had pointed fingers towards him, Tom had lost his job and his marriage had dissolved soon afterwards leaving behind a man who guards his heart in steel barricaded armor and keeps his emotions close to him.

Jessica Martin is the newest recruit at Summit High brought in as a substitute teacher for the remainder of the year. Being a teacher has always been what Jessica has wanted and dreamed about regardless of how much her parents had tried to sway her mind. And irrespective of the fact that her parents are extremely disappointed with Jessica for choosing to do what she loves, Jessica is thrilled at the prospect of being hired even as a substitute teacher and has high hopes and every intention of becoming a full time teacher at Summit High if she plays her cards right. Klutzy and a bit messy in an adorable way, Jessica is a the exact opposite of Tom who keeps his life ordered and without any sort of clutter in it, which is just the way he likes it – or so he thinks.

When Ms. Klutzy and adorable meets Mr. Remoteness himself, sparks fly even from the first encounter itself. Tom who has never had a problem before in brushing aside any of the attempts by fellow staff members to befriend him finds himself tempted something fierce when he locks eyes with the beautiful and green eyed Jessica who makes his heart tumble inside out. Both Jessica and Tom’s intentions to avoid each other at all costs go awry in the most delicious possible ways when both of them find themselves in each other’s arms, heating things up to unbearable levels – something I just loved about this story. It takes a while but these two work through the hurdles and problems in their path to find a love that is long lasting, leaving me grinning from ear to ear at the end.

One of the highlights of the story was both Jessica and Tom. I’m always very much intrigued with heroes who want to isolate themselves and go out of their way to create their lone wolf lifestyle. And when their match turns out to be the exact opposite of themselves, in this case the adorable Jessica who has so much heart and has the ability to draw the man trapped inside of Tom to come out and play, needless to say I love these kinds of stories. And Ms. Davies has done a fine job in creating both their characters and giving them both just the right touch to make me fall in love with both of them. And lord, Tom is a man who certainly knows the art of kissing making my toes curl inward each and every time he decides to kiss his woman into a helpless puddle.

All in all a very satisfying read which has definitely made me curious to seek out the books in her back list and give them a go. Recommended for those who love a good contemporary romance featuring a couple you would root for right from the very beginning.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo | Samhain

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Sweet as Sin By Inez Kelley

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Carina Press
Hero: John Flannigan Murphy
Heroine: Livvy Andrews
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: January 31, 2011
Started On: February 23, 2011
Finished On: February 25, 2011

My emotions still haven’t settled down from the overload that Sweet as Sin subjected them to. My first encounter with Inez Kelley’s writing came about when I picked up her erotic contemporary novella Lipstick on His Collar which instantly shot her right into the list of authors that I absolutely must look out for. Even then, somehow I missed out on the fact that this was out until I saw someone on Goodreads who has read this story and fell head over heels in lust and in love with the book. And that is exactly what happened to me when I opened this sinful goody and delved into the very wonderful and beautiful story Inez Kelley has brought to life, that touched something deep inside of me & still refuses to let go.

John Flannigan Murphy is the son of a hooker and never knew his father. When Reverend Alan Warner marries John’s mother and decides to “save” her from herself and the world of sin, John’s life takes a turn for the worse when his mother dies succumbing to breast cancer. From 11 years of age till he had turned 16, John had borne the brunt of his stepfather’s hatred towards him and the constant physical and emotional abuse which had known no bounds. Protecting his half-sister Gina at all costs had been their mother’s dying wish which John fulfills too well when he is sentenced to serve time for manslaughter. Now a young adult fiction author who goes by the name of J. B. Flannigan, John is a tormented soul who lives at the very edge of the destructive path he has chosen for himself until he meets his new neighbor who manages to worm her way into his heart and other emotions which has no place in his life; until there is no place to run or hide from how feels.

Sexy, beautiful and vibrant pastry chef Livvy Andrews, owner of Sugar Shack knows from the first moment she lays eyes on the ruggedly handsome John Murphy with his deep navy blue eyes; a man she knows is made for hard work, hard play and heartache right in that very order, Livvy’s instincts are dead on when the first thing she wants to do is bolt and stay as far away from her delectable new neighbor as possible. But Livvy’s fascination for a man who makes her feel things that she has never ever felt before by just merely fastening his blue-eyed gaze on her propels her towards John and his lethal brand of seduction like a moth to flame and before she knows it, Livvy is hopelessly ensnared and head over heels in love with John against her better judgement as well as that of others who are close to her.

John’s only intention when he meets Livvy is to have a hot and heavy affair with her until their explosive affair runs its due course. But his best laid plans go all awry when his 38 year old heart begins to hope for the very first time in his life for things that John has long since decided he is not worthy of, and to him Livvy signifies everything that he doesn’t deserve right from the cinnamon colored curls on the top of her head to her delectable toes and every inch in between that tempts him unlike anything else has in his life.

Piece by piece, with the help of Gina, Livvy begins to piece together the complexity of the man she has fallen for, and is determined to stay beside regardless of whatever John might throw her way to run from the depth of the feelings that develop and overwhelm both of them within such a short span of time. And it is a battle that Livvy almost succeeds in winning until John throws in her face the one thing from her past that would serve as the deal breaker, breaking her heart and very soul in the process.

Told from both Livvy and John’s points of views, the story that unfolds right along with the sizzling attraction between John and Livvy is of the kind that you wouldn’t want to put down even for a moment. Inez Kelley certainly pulls no punches with this one, whether it be the intense connection that springs up between John and Livvy from day one to details of John’s past that are horrifying and heartbreaking to even think of. The side characters are well developed lending a rich feel to the emotionally gut-wrenching story that takes place which left me reeling from the intensity of each and every emotion that coursed through me.

Protectiveness for a boy who learnt to fight his battles from day one and learnt to deal with the evil side of life with his talent for spinning a dark tale to keep the monsters away, surged deep within me and am sure every reader that has picked up this book would feel the same way. I hurt and bled for John as I read along, wanting to love him, to brush the lock of hair that tends to fall on his forehead aside and place a kiss right there and cherish him for everything he has been and everything he is and so much more. Livvy’s character is so very endearing and so beautiful inside and out, and exactly what John needs to face his demons and lay his past to rest, because he deserves nothing less.

There are no magical solutions to ANY of the problems discussed at length in the novel which makes it one of the utmost favorite erotic contemporary romances I have read to date. The characters from John’s stories lend something extra to the story giving it an edge that certainly makes one sit up and notice Inez Kelly’s ability to spin a tale worth re-reading from time to time. I think I can go all night long rehashing what made this story work for me and why I would recommend it to every single person I know, because yes, it is that good. And I couldn’t have asked for more in a hero, a heroine or the very well done love scenes of the wicked and tender variety that took place leaving me hungry for more of the same from the author. If this is what Inez Kelley can do with a full length novel, I say bring it on! I would be one of the first ones to queue up to buy the book – even if it were to be sold in the remotest corner of the world.

Favorite Quotes

“I loved it…I love you, Livvy.”
She frowned at him. “What?”
He brushed a soft kiss across her mouth. “I said I love you, Livvy.”
She pulled her mouth from his, staring to make sure she’d heard what she thought he’d said.
John fingered a long damp curl before looking at her. And then smiled. “I do, I love you.”
Tears formed before she willed them away. A sob blended with a laugh and she kissed him. She lost count of how many times she said it as she kissed him, but each time he repeated it, imprinting it on her heart.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo | Carina Press

outstandingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Night Huntress, Book 5
Publisher: Avon
Hero: Crispin Phillip Arthur Russel III (Bones)
Heroine: Catherine Kathleen Crawford (Cat)
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: February 22, 2011
Started On: February 22, 2011
Finished On: February 23, 2011

At long last, the much coveted 5th installment in the Night Huntress series by the amazingly talented Jeanine Frost is out and it is as good or maybe even way better than I envisioned it would turn out to be.

It is as usual Cat’s uniqueness when it comes to being a half-vampire or being a full vampire which she had embraced quite recently that stirs up trouble of all sorts in the undead world. It is when vampires start turning up dead all over the country that Bones and Cat decide to investigate, knowing deep inside that something seriously wrong was brewing up in the world of the undead.

What comes to light is a plan concocted by an old enemy of the 29 year old Cat and her 200+ year old husband Bones, a ghoul leader known as Apollyon whose weapon is creating a sense of distrust and alarm amongst his race against Cat and her abilities to temporarily absorb the power of whichever vampire that she feeds from. Though this fact is not common knowledge, Cat’s very public performances in slaying their enemies have definitely caught the eyes of the prominent members of the undead circle though Cat tries her damnedest to keep the fact that she is different from every other vampire even in full form.

Its kick ass action, witty dialogs that this series is famous for coupled with a lethal dosage of the scorching hot passion and sensuality that has always played a key role in all the Night Huntress novels that greets the reader even from page 1 itself. All our favorite characters who are so much a part of the Night Huntress world as Bones and Cat are come together to make this a delectable addition to an already kick-ass series.

What struck me the most about the 5th book is how much Cat has grown up and continues to grow through each book which makes her stronger and more lovable than ever. Willing to finally open up all of herself to Bones her husband who has her undying love and loyalty was one of the best parts about the story coupled with the sizzling hot usage of candle wax in making Bones lose control! I don’t think I would be eying candle wax ever again without thinking of Bones losing his legendary control whenever it comes to his beloved wife and partner for life and forever. And talk about a blast from the past when Mencheres and Kira’s characters made me want to re-read Eternal Kiss of Darkness all over again to feel the full force of Mencheres’ tamped down power and sensuality.

Needless to say, I loved revisiting the Night Huntress world, what one reviewer has called feels like coming home, which exactly sums up how I felt as I delved into Cat and Bones’ latest adventure. True to classical Jeaniene Frost style, the adventure in this one is non-stop, packed with lots of laugh-out-loud moments when Cat’s wry sense of humor comes into play and let me not forget the intense connection between our territorial vampire Bones and his beloved which seems to just grow stronger with time. It is the way that he loves and cossets Cat without being a total wimpy pussy about it that makes Bones the most appealing vampire hero for me. All in all very highly recommended for all Night Huntress book fans. I know that you would need no further urging from anyone for you to run out and pick this one up! If you are new to Jeaniene Frost, pick up book 1 and let Cat and Bones take you on the wildest ride of your life whilst curled up in your bed. I promise you, it would all be very well worth it.

Favorite Quotes

“You’re being eye-humped by about a dozen women as we speak, but I’m sure you already know that,” I said in a wry tone.
His mouth brushed my neck with the lightest kisses, making me shiver.
“I only bother about one woman’s desires,” he murmured, the breath from his words teasing my ear.

His long-sleeved top was made entirely of black mesh, his crystal skin exposed more than it was covered with the material. Leather pants hung low on his hips, tight enough to hint at his assets, but with enough give that they wouldn’t hinder his movements. The all-black ensemble combined with his dark hair only made his pale skin even more striking by comparison, drawing the eye to the muscled flesh those hundreds of tiny holes revealed.
He caught my lingering gaze where the peep show of his skin ended and the front of his pants began – and flashed me with a wicked grin.
“Hold that thought, luv. With luck, we’ll be back in our hotel room breaking in the Jacuzzi before dawn.”

I smelled smoke right before hearing the “pop,” like a firecracker had gone off. Splatters of something thick coated my back even as a thud reverberated behind me. I whirled around to gape at what was left of the ghoul. His body pitched forward on the driveway, nothing but a smoldering mess left where his head had been.
Much slower, I turned around to see Vlad examining his fingernails, as if his hands weren’t still ablaze in the flames that had blasted the ghoul’s head off moments before.
“What the hell was that?” I gasped.
“Premature inflamulation,” he replied. “Happens sometimes. Very embarrassing. I don’t like to talk about it.”
A snort of amusement came from my right. I swung in that direction to see Bones bestow the most approving look on Vlad he’d ever given him.

“You have to leave already?” I murmured, blinking at Bones through the bright slants of sunlight that peeked out from the gaps in the drapes. “But you barely slept.”
The grin Bones flashed me was quintessential cat-that-got-the-cream, though that expression was probably better suited for me at the moment.
“I know,” he said, the words drawn out with the warmth of remembrance.
I sat up, dragging the sheet with me. “I’m serious.”
“Kitten” — Bones paused from pulling on his shirt — “four hours of sleep while holding you is far more beneficial to me than eight hours of endless tossing and turning because you’re not there.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Out of Control by Suzanne Brockmann

Format: E-book
Opens with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Troubleshooters, 4
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Hero: Ken “Wild Card” Karmody
Heroine: Savannah Von Hopf
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: September 27, 2005
Started On: February 18, 2011
Finished On: February 21, 2011

I have always heard good things about Suzanne Brockmann. My first attempt at reading anything by hers was to read her novel Bodyguard which certainly didn’t make me turn away from her books though it didn’t leave much of a lasting impression on me either. However as everyone knows I tend to get a little crazy about jungle-trek themed romances and this one was recommended as such a read, I have now forgotten on which forum. Regardless of the fact that I have never attempted to read the Troubleshooters series before, I bought myself a copy and did manage to read a couple of pages then and never managed to make it past the prologue before I was distracted by some other title that I just HAD to read. And then last week my emotions decided to play the i-am-not-pleased-with-any-of-the-stuff-you-are-reading game & so I decided to pick this one up where I left off, hoping that the magic that had had earned this book rave reviews would work on me and my totally wayward emotions as well.

Book 4 in the Troubleshooter series stars Navy SEAL Ken Karmody, who gets nicknamed as “Wild Card” because of his ability to think out of the box and come out winning however difficult a problem might be. Ken had certainly not led a charming childhood with an emotionally and physically abusive father, which had in the end toughened him up and made Ken determined to do what he wanted in life. Ken is a genius when it comes to computers and whatnot and beneath his tough SEAL facade lies a heart that yearns to love and claim a woman as his forever. His ex-girlfriend Adele had certainly done a number on him with a continuous on and off relationship with Ken which had gone on for around 10 years until Ken had finally seen the light and refused to bend to her every whim which had pretty much ended things on the relationship front.

Savannah Van Hopf couldn’t be any more different from Ken even if she tried. A rich heiress who works as an appellate attorney, Savannah is the granddaughter of the famous Rose Van Hopf who worked as a double agent for the US and the Nazi during World War II. Savannah had always had a huge crush on Ken even though he hadn’t noticed her much, and it is through Adele that Savannah finds out Ken’s address and travels to San Diego to find him and ask his assistance in locating her uncle Alex who had disappeared in Indonesia without a trace.

From the moment Ken comes across the beautiful and utterly feminine Savannah, he is smitten something fierce and before Savannah can muster up the courage to bring up why she is actually in the neighborhood, these two light up the sheets with intense passion and red hot desire that practically leaps out of the very pages. To say that both fall completely in lust and a little bit in love with one another during that night would not be a lie. However with the morning, the truth comes out completely walloping Ken with intense feelings of betrayal which makes him pissed off at Savannah to no end. However, even with all the intense feelings of dislike churning within him for a woman who still has the ability to make him go a little bit weak at the knees, Ken is not willing to let Savannah travel all the way to Indonesia alone to find her uncle.

It is in Indonesia that the real adventure begins when Ken and Savannah are kidnapped by Russian goons at gun point right from the airport itself. Barely managing to escape them, Savannah and Ken are forced to survive in the jungle that grows densely throughout the Parwati island of Indonesia. To survive and outmaneuver everyone who is after them, Savannah and Ken are forced to endure each other’s company which in turn makes each of them discover why they had fallen for each other so hard in such a short span of time.

This book was so frigging good that I believe I have dug myself into a hole from which I won’t be able to escape anytime soon. Since I haven’t read books 1 – 3 in the Troubleshooter series and jumped straight into book 4, I was a bit overwhelmed to say the least when characters kept leaping right into the pages from left and right. However, a couple of chapters in, I was totally captivated by the ease with which Ms. Brockmann makes each and every character count, how she makes them come alive and how effectively she makes each and every one of their stories matter.

What I loved most about Out of Control was the rich banter between Ken and Savannah. Ken has the quirky character of coming out and saying whatever leaps to his mind without thinking much about it and Savannah’s responses to his remarks totally made my day. Ken is sexy, witty, a little bit of a nerd and has such a big heart that you can’t help but fall completely in love with him. The way he seriously asks his friends about women’s ability to have multiple orgasms had me cracking up so hard that I was laughing all throughout that conversation.

And Savannah is not an unforgettable character either. Though she has been brought up by a snotty mother who would rather see her married off to some royalty than see her happy, Savannah is tough beneath her picture perfect exterior and loyal to a fault. And I loved every single thing about her character from the way she interacts with Ken to her vulnerable nature which she strives so hard to hide.

And that takes me to my favorite couple from the series – yes, though I have not read the series in order, I have discovered that I have a strange fascination for Molly and John, whose characters complement each other perfectly. John is totally the kind of alpha male that slightly borders on being gamma, which makes him just the perfect kind of hero to base all my dreams upon. And his reluctant fascination with Molly which ends up being one of the best parts of the story is one worth savoring. Their happily ever after finally comes in book 9 of the series and this alone is the reason why I am determined to make my way through the rest of the books, because I am that much fascinated with their story.

And that brings me to Rose’s character. Her adventures in the form of a memoir which continue throughout the story makes for a fascinating read. Her work as a double agent and the story of how she meets up and falls in love with Mr. Van Hopf who is an Austrian prince adds something delightful to an already 5 star read.

Needless to say, highly recommended for romantic suspense fans because I just flat-out loved this one.

It was only after I sat down to write the review that I saw that this book has received around 7 AAR awards between 2002 and 2007. Definitely deserves them all!

Favorite Quotes

“What have you got in there?” he asked. “Maybe we should take a minute and do a quick inventory, see what we’ve got, see if we can somehow lighten our load.” He went through his pockets, pulling everything out and dumping it in a relatively dry spot in front of her. “Knife, keys, wallet, passport, a couple squashed power bars – that’s good, we;re bound to get hungry – and … oops.”
Condoms.
He was carrying around a half a dozen. He stuffed them back into his pocket, but not before she saw them.
He gave her a weak smile. “I just, you know, always carry ’em.”
That was a lie and she knew it.
“If we get bored, we can use them to make balloon animals,” he added.
She was not at all amused.

Rose watched Savannah and Ken slip into an elevator. They were in each other’s arms again before the doors had fully closed.
Her granddaughter was infinitely lucky. Rose knew this firsthand. She’d had a husband who had loved her an eleven, too.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Pursuit by Elizabeth Jennings

Format: E-book
Opens with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Forever
Hero: Matthew Sanders
Heroine: Charlotte Court
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: April 1, 2008
Started On: February 17, 2011
Finished On: February 18, 2011

Elizabeth Jennings is a pseudonym used by the very talented author Lisa Marie Rice who is one of my utmost favorites. I love her style of writing and definitely her heroes who are larger than life, who are besotted to the point of obsession with the heroines, who swoop in to save the day. But mind you, her heroines aren’t dimwits either. Though they won’t win any contests in the feminist department, what they are is feminine to the core with backbones of steel that guides them through the very rough and turbulent times the story takes them through. And I do love me a good Lisa Marie Rice novel anytime! So it was a delightful surprise to find out that Lisa Marie Rice has a couple of romantic suspense books published under the name of Elizabeth Jennings and this one has been sitting in my TBR pile for quite sometime until yesterday when I finally took the plunge to find out what LMR’s books are like under the pseudonym Elizabeth Jennings.

34 year old Lieutenant Commander Matthew Sanders (Matt) is an ex-navy SEAL who has served in the worst hell holes of the world to protect his country. A man who has led groups of special ops soldiers through the worst and stickiest of situations, Matt’s life in special ops is brought to a grounding halt when he is injured whilst on duty in Afghanistan. Matt takes his broken body up to Baja Sur Mexico to heal from injuries that had nearly taken his life and meets his guardian angel, the woman who changes everything in his life for good.

Heiress Charlotte Court is the uber beautiful and artist daughter of Phillip Court of the Court Industries. Charlotte had been away in art school in Italy when her father who is as down-to-earth and impractical as they come had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Leaving her carefree world behind to take care of her father, Charlotte is pursued by the ambitious and cunning CEO of Court Industries Robert Haine who believes that the vast wealth is wasted on the Courts who really do not appreciate money and the finer things in life that it brings along. Haine’s plan is a dangerous one, to seduce Charlotte into his life, marry her and in turn inherit the billions to her name once her father is dead and gone. But Charlotte who is just more than a pretty face ignores his attempts and finally drives Haine to take matters into his own hands to claim the ownership of  the Court Industries once and for all.

On the fateful night when Charlotte’s world is turned upside down, in a span of a few minutes, she witnesses the murder of her father and takes a bullet to her shoulder before survival instincts kick in and Charlotte runs for her life. With nowhere to go and no one to turn to, with the police on an all out manhunt for Charlotte in association with the murder of the most precious person in her life, Charlotte has no choice but to run – and run is what she does from upstate New York to the beaches of Mexico.

It is on her 3rd day in Mexico that she eyes Matt, struggling to put one foot in front of the other just by sheer force of will and this is how a fragile bond between two broken people are formed; two people who have already been to hell and back, forced to endure what would have brought down a normal person.

From the moment Matt eyes his beautiful and broken Guardian Angel, he is smitten to the extent that everything else that surrounds him ceases to exist. And when Matt gets his chance to get up close and personal with his Angel, the protective instincts that kick in full throttle takes him by surprise and Matt wouldn’t have it any other way. With Charlotte refusing to divulge why and who it is that she is running from, Matt does the next best thing – toughen his Angel up so that she would be able to protect herself if the need arises, though he has no intention of leaving her side even for a minute.

But Haine has a more cunning plan in effect as he deploys one of the most lethal weapons that the US government has trained to-date, to hunt and kill the lone woman who stands in his way of inheriting a company which he turned around from the brink of bankruptcy, a legacy worth billions of dollars which he figures rightfully belongs to him.

Similar to books by Lisa Marie Rice, what captured me the most even with this story is how she brings to life every single scene/moment in the story. From the larger than life hero Matt to the beautiful and fragile heroine Charlotte to the sizzling attraction between them, I couldn’t have asked for a more eloquent characterization nor description. And Matt proved to be just the kind of hero that anyone who is on the run for their life would want by their side. His strength which he tones down in spades for the woman he loves; and his firm stand on using whatever means by his side to protect her at all costs is something to be savored in any hero. And Charlotte’s art; I felt like I was in the room with her whilst she was lost in creating beautiful artifacts which would stand the tests of time, the detailed descriptions which I believe has got something to do with the fact that the author herself spent so much time in Italy amongst such talented people who were trying to make a name for themselves in the competitive world of artists.

Though the underlying story is quite the same where the heroine is beautiful, hero is besotted right from the  very beginning and in the end love triumphs all, I still loved this story which grabbed me right from the very start. There are subtle differences however to the stories that are authored under Lisa Marie Rice to this one. Books under LMR tends to be more about the intense connection between the hero and heroine such that the air practically vibrates with electricity whenever they both come into contact. However in this story even though the romance aspect is not placed on a back burner, the suspense aspect of the story is given as much attention and time in the story making it balanced in terms of romance and suspense.

Recommended for fans of Lisa Marie Rice who haven’t tried out books authored under Elizabeth Jennings, and those who love  their romantic suspense with a larger than life hero who would lay down his life to protect the woman he loves.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Creative License By Lynne Roberts

Format: E-book
Opens with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd.
Hero: Caleb Anderson
Heroine: Lily McPherson
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: February 15, 2011
Started On: February 17, 2011
Finished On: February 17, 2011

I came across this title when Cari Quinn did an author interview on her blog on its release day. Even as swamped as I was with books to read, the blurb of the book caught my interest and I was keeping it in mind to squeeze this read in somewhere to sample my first Lynne Roberts as Cari seems to have pretty much loved the story and of course the hero, Caleb. So it was a delightful surprise to wakeup yesterday to find that Ms. Lynne wanted me to review her latest release which turns out to be the book which I was hankering after as well! So onto the review without further ado.

Caleb Anderson is an artist hoping to make it big, barely making ends meet as he lives in San Fransisco following his dreams. The son of a father who was a teacher and a mother who had owned a day care, Caleb is as middle class as they come. With dimples in his cheeks, a body that can rival that of a Greek God’s and wicked green eyes and long dark blond hair, Caleb is every girl’s romance hero personified coupled with his fierce tenderness towards the woman he got married to, one drunken night in Vegas, 3 years back.

Lily McPherson is the blue blood daughter of an investment banker and a socialite who has had her life mapped out in front of her since she had turned 16 years old. Lily has a ten year plan which features law school, internship, marriage, children and then a home office, all in that order. In a relationship with Stewart, the son of her boss with both their families expecting their engagement soon, Lily though she feels as there is something missing in her life doesn’t let melancholy feelings get the best of her as she hides the passionate woman she is behind a facade that fools everyone around her.

Lily’s one indiscretion in her otherwise perfect and spotless life had come in the form of a hasty Vegas marriage to the wickedly sinful Caleb. The 12 hours and 22 minutes that they had been married had been the most fun and carefree moments of her life, but panic reined its ugly head as she had woken up in bed with her brand new husband and a big fake diamond ring on her finger. 3 years later, Caleb calls out of the blue bearing news that turns her world upside down – their annulment had not gone through due to a careless clerk who had not filed the proper papers. And it is Caleb’s request that she travel to San Fransisco to help him out in a matter which requires her presence that finds Lily travelling on a 6 hour flight to her one & only glorious mistake.

With 4 days of togetherness looming in front of them, even from the first moment Lily eyes her husband looking as delicious as ever, sparks fly and desire denied for so long burst forth refusing to be brushed aside any longer. And along with their explosive passion, so does rise feelings that both have refused to acknowledge till now. But once their precious time together comes to an end, it is up to Lily to decide whether she would turn her back on a life full of happiness and laughter with the man who sets her senses afire and heart aflutter by her side or head back to the bleak colorless life that awaits her in Boston, the “perfect” arrangement for someone like her.

Things that made this book rock my world:

  • Caleb Anderson. He is everything that induces drool to drip down the sides of your mouth and so much more. His wicked sensuality in bed and out of it is enough to make this girl smile for an eternity and couple together with the fact that he is such a great guy out of it makes him the best thing about this story – hands down!
  • The very hot and well done love scenes in the book. Especially the shower scene which just took my breath away!
  • Lily McPherson. She is such a mass of contradictions who wants to do right by what is expected of her in the high and mighty world which she has been brought up in. Her vulnerability when it comes to Caleb is what made me love her and root for her in the end knowing that this girl who might be all ice on the outside and has a heart of gold and a fiery spirit lurking on the inside wouldn’t let me down.
  • The very hot cover. Certainly has got MY creative juices flowing! *wink*

Things that could have made this book better?

I think Creative License is just perfect the way it is! Loved my first Lynne Roberts to bits which I managed to read in just under 2 hours, because yes, it is that good!

Favorite Quotes

“So, what does he look like?” (Sharon, Lily’s elder sister asks)
“Tall, a little over six foot, the greenest eyes you’ve ever seen and long dark blond hair.”
“Long hair? You married the cover of a romance novel?”

Lily paused behind a wall of people watching for the machine to eject their luggage. Something like gravity prickled her spine, and she turned to look behind her. Lily’s breath caught in her throat. Caleb walked toward her. She’d never forget that sexy stride. His blond hair was pulled back, emphasizing high cheekbones and bronzed skin. The shadow of stubble along his jaw only improved his rugged good looks. Her hand itched to stroke his face, to feel the rough texture against her skin. Lily’s stomach did a quick flip and she had to remind herself to breath. Splashes of color decorated the jeans encasing Caleb’s long legs. A white T-shirt stretched over his muscled chest but a long-sleeved flannel shirt hid his arms from view.

Recommended highly for those who love their erotica with a lot of emotion wrenching goodness in the mix. A story that is just not well done erotica, but so much more.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo | Samhain

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Skin Tight by Ava Gray

Format: E-book
Opens with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Skin, Book 2
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Hero: Søren Frost
Heroine: Mia Sauter
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: June 1, 2010
Started On: February 16, 2011
Finished On: February 16, 2011

Those who have read Skin Game, Book 1 in the Skin series would know what I mean when I say that the hooker scene featuring the enigmatic Addison Foster totally reeled me in on his character and made me impatient to find more about him and what tragedy it was that was driving him to seek the destruction of whoever it is that he is seeking. And it is during the aforementioned book 1 that Mia and Addision come in contact with each other which made me totally itchy from the need to read Skin Tight. And thank God for the fact that this title had already been released by the time I decided to indulge in the Skin series or I would have been in deep trouble if not! Though Skin Tight can be read as a standalone, I would advise you to read book 1 first because you really need to see Addison in his element in book 1 to really appreciate and feel for his character in his own story.

Søren Frost or Addison Foster is a man who has lived by so many personalities and names in the past few years that he has almost forgotten who he really is. Originally from Denmark, Søren’s parents had arrived in America as immigrants when Søren had been 3 years old. It is two years later that Søren gets vaccinated by “free” vaccines passed out by The Foundation whose main agenda had been experimenting on humans to create a superior race which would profit them with millions and billions of dollars in the times to come. Søren’s ability lies in making those who come in contact with him live or believe him to be what their fantasies want him to be. Unable to bear with the loneliness of being single all his life Søren had taken the plunge and got married to a woman who had never seen him for who he really is but called him James all throughout their marriage. Piece by piece, shard by shard, Søren had crumbled and fallen apart so much that he had turned into a shell of the man he had once been until his daughter Lexie had been born who had been his single most priced “possession” in his otherwise bleak world. When Lexie had been taken away from him in a horrible car accident, leaving just a brainless body behind who requires a life support machine, Søren’s fury knows no bounds as he vows vengeance on The Foundation who has turned him into what he is, nearly driving him to take his own life at one time. It is when Mia accidentally stumbles into his life that color begins to seep into his otherwise gray world, thawing the blocks of ice that has surrounded his heart and locked away his emotions for far too long.

Mia Sauter is the daughter of a feminist American mother and an Iranian father who had tried and failed to convince the woman he had fallen in love with to marry him so that they could become a proper family. Mia had never known any happiness during her childhood, either at home or school where she is ridiculed for being geeky and nerdy and not being interested in the usual things that kids her age are forever losing themselves in. Mia’s carefree photojournalist mother resented Mia’s existence which had reined in her constant need to roam and travel around the world and later had turned to the bottle to cure all her woes. Mia, a woman who has a way with numbers and computers becomes a forensic accountant specializing in corporate embezzlement and it had been her ingenuity in stealing from others that had made her so successful in finding out those who were stealing from the big corporations who were willing to pay huge sums of money to sniff out those leeching money from them. Like Søren, Mia too has no place she would call home and constantly travels from one place to another as her career demands from her though she yearns for someone to love her and ride into the sunset with her as Reyes had done for Kyra.

It is when Mia rushes in to save Kyra that she meets the enigmatic Søren, then known as Addison and the attraction that flares between them is hard to ignore for Mia though Søren makes a convincing job of showing that attraction is the furthest thing he feels for her. When Søren feeds her to the wolf and leaves her alone in captivity till Kyra and Reyes comes along to rescue her, Mia is more shattered than she should be about a man with eerie glacier blue eyes ringed with silver, who seems to affect her in ways no other man has ever had.

When Mia stumbles across Søren once again a year later when she takes up a job at Micor Technologies she doesn’t know whether to consider him friend or foe; but neither is she immune to the strong feelings of the baser nature that Søren still seems to be able to invoke in her – feelings that he seems to feel for her in spades this time around. With secrecy surrounding Søren’s every move, Mia is hopelessly ensnared in Søren’s plans of revenge against The Foundation without having a clue into the kind of world that she has stepped into.

As the body count begins to rise, so does Mia’s need for answers from the man who is such a bundle of contradictions, who steals her heart regardless of the continuous pep talks that she subjects herself to. And Søren is not much better off when Mia steals the key to his heart and unlocks the steel fortress that has surrounded it for so long and it is then Søren has to decide whether his love for Mia should triumph over his need for revenge or whether he should walk the Earth as a lonesome shell for the rest of his life.

Things that made this book rock my world:

  • Søren Frost. He is undeniably one of the most broken heroes that I have come across and that made me fall for him that much harder in the end. I felt his pain, anguish and sorrow at things he couldn’t change regardless of how much he wanted them to and when he is confronted with baring his soul once again, I understood what was driving him to deny his feelings even though it was clear for all the world to see how he really felt about Mia. Seen through Mia’s eyes, Søren is a character that any romance reader would feel for and fall head over heels in love with and I was in no way an exception to this rule.
  • Mia Sauter. I didn’t care much for Kyra in Skin Game and was prepared to not feel much for Mia as well. But Ava Gray has done a splendid job with her heroine in this one and I couldn’t help but admire and love her all the more because even with all the secrecy that shrouded Søren’s character, she accepted him for who he is and loved him for the man he is inside trying to break free from the emotional shackles that had bound him for such a long time. Loved Mia for seeing the man underneath all the ice and breaking it apart so that Søren could live and love once again.
  • The stimulating conversations between Mia and Søren. Though Søren is hardly the type for jovial conversations, Mia’s wry sense of humor is hard to ignore and it is those moments that she manages to steal a rusty smile from our hero that belong in the most unforgettable moments in the story. Loved the dialogs!
  • The insane Dr. Jasper Rowan who lends this story the heinous villain it needs. He is just what the doctor ordered to make this story of the spine tingling variety.
  • Trey and Gillian’s characters to whom we are introduced to in this story. I did some quick digging to find out that their story will come out in July of this year and let me tell you – the cover alone would make me buy the book, let alone the fact I am highly intrigued to find out more about both of them!

I can’t think of anything that could have made this book a more intriguing one than it already is. I would say, it is just damn near perfect the way it is!

Favorite Quotes

“I’ll share if you like.” He cut into his mushroom with surgical precision, using both knife and fork in the European fashion, reinforcing her belief that he hadn’t been born in the United States.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a vegetarian.” Mia lifted her glass and took a sip.
“Hm. Does that mean no oral sex?”
She nearly spat her wine.

“Are you suggesting a partnership?” she asked. “To what end?”
“You can get into the lab. I need to see what’s there.”
Her expression hardened. “Why?”
There was no help for it. He had to tell the truth. “I suspect Micor is conducting illegal experiments on human beings. I want to stop them.”
“What are you, Batman? You go around righting wrongs?”
Despite his tension, he smiled. “Something like that. But latex gives me a rash.”

Recommended very highly for fans of romantic suspense who love a tortured and broken hero and a feisty heroine who has the guts and what it takes to bring the said yummylicious hero back to the world of living. Ava Gray’s characters will certainly never leave you bored as they never behave in the way you expect them to.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Insatiable by Cari Quinn

Format: E-book
Opens with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Loose Id
Hero: Shawn Griffin
Heroine: Rachel Cooper
Sensuality: 4.5
Date of Publication: February 15, 2011
Started On: February 15, 2011
Finished On: February 15, 2011

I was so very psyched to wake up this morning to see Cari’s message on Twitter that she was sending over a copy of Insatiable, her debut novel on LooseID for review. Add to this the fact that this one is of my favorite theme/trope where friends turn into lovers coupled with the fact that today is a state holiday over here, I was in book heaven right from the very first moment I loaded this book onto my Kindle and entered Rachel and Shawn’s world where they both made me practically insatiable to learn everything about them and to reach their happily ever after.

30 year old Shawn Griffin is an esteemed architect and the only child of the Griffins who own an architecture firm known throughout the West Coast. Born and bred in Calvin Bay of California, Shawn is blessed with surfer good looks, feline green eyes and golden hair from his mother and a laser-like focus and intensity from his CEO father. Shawn’s only regret in life is the fact that he had turned down his best friend’s proposal that they become intimate when she had been 16 years old and curiosity had taken a hold of her that in turn had driven her into another man’s arms. Shawn is a man who is biding his time for the right moment to woo the love of his life into his arms forever, a man who has been infatuated with his childhood friend and best buddy since forever and been in love with her for at least half a dozen years.

28 year old Rachel Cooper is the youngest child of the Coopers who publish the magazine for tony fashionistas in the West Coast. A middle school music teacher, Rachel had met Shawn minutes after entering into this world, thanks to the lifelong friendship between their families. Shawn had become her best girlfriend, regardless of the fact he is a guy, long before she had even realized that being his best friend was what she wanted. Apart from the one time when she had been 16 years old and had found feelings of an alien kind inhabiting her body whenever she had been around Shawn, Rachel had never considered opening up her heart to Shawn in the forever kind of manner until the connection and attraction that has always simmered between them comes right up against her, with no holds-barred when Shawn decides to focus his laser-like intensity on winning her affections.

It is when Rachel decides to go on a no-holds-barred sex vacation to New York and rekindle the flames with her high school boyfriend that all hell breaks loose and Shawn unleashes all his pent up longing and desire to claim Rachel as his. Rachel is as skittish as commitment phobic heroines come and add to the equation her tendency to ALWAYS go against what her parents gently prod her and urge her to do, when Shawn and her getting married and having a couple of beautiful babies is what both their families have always hinted at all their life.

Shawn has his work cut out for him when he follows Rachel to New York and competing with the Harley riding ex-boyfriend of Rachel’s seems to require his undivided attention. With Rachel as skittish as a wild horse that needs taming when it comes to facing the intense nature of the feelings that sweep them both away on a  journey of sensual awakening that just lights up the reader’s world in a kaleidescope of colors, Shawn is in it to win and make Rachel face what she has always longed for ever since they had both grown up. When tragedy comes calling, it is then that both Rachel and Shawn needs to decide whether theirs is a love that can weather all storms and come out triumphant in the end.

There are so many, many good things about this delectable novel. First of all, I love the fact that this is by far the longest story by Cari Quinn I have had the fortune of reading and that fact alone is enough to make this girl happy. I love Cari’s style of writing, the sense of humor that she injects into her stories and the fact that her characters all come alive and she makes us feel for them in every way; and to go through all this in a longer novel by her was just in that fact alone awesome! I would say that Cari Quinn has outdone herself with this one and I hope she continues to wow me and take my breathe away with stories that are going to follow this one.

When I always pick up an erotic romance, rarely do I expect it to deliver much apart from good smut to send my heart racing and a big goofy grin on my face due to the happily ever after the romance delivers. However, when you pick up a novel by Cari, you definitely know that you will be getting much, much more than just that. Likewise, Shawn and Rachel are both just lovable characters that I fell in love with right away. Their relationship shown through many a conversation and good memories they have of each other shows that they are friends in the truest sense. And oh my ever loving Lord I tell you, the heat between these two is enough to light up the entire Maldives for centuries to come. I found myself holding in my breath, with my heart racing and thudding to keep up with the action between the sheets and many a wicked position these two found themselves in along the way. All in all, very well done, a story that definitely ends up as a favorite of mine in this theme/trope.

And don’t for the love of God get me started on Shawn Griffin or I wouldn’t be able to control myself. The guy just totally made my day, hell he made my whole month by practically lighting up the pages with his very presence and making me swoon damn near every time he comes up with one romantic plan or the other to woo the woman of his dreams into his life always and forever. Shawn definitely knows what good, hot loving is all about and also knows just how to cherish the woman he loves which makes me long for things better left unsaid. *grin*

There is not a single thing that I would change in this story and am so very ecstatic that Cari picked me as one of the reviewers to receive a copy of this beautiful, heartwarming and very sexy story. If you love a good friends to lovers story with plenty of red, hot loving that can leave you breathless and wanting for more with well developed characters and a story that delivers on all fronts, buy yourself a copy and indulge. I dare you not to want a Shawn Griffin of your own halfway through!

Favorite Quotes

Then Rachel walked into the room, her short geisha girl outfit revealing a mile and a half of leg, and his muscles locked as if he were a wolf that had just scented his mate.
She wasn’t the most beautiful woman in the crowd. Wasn’t the most alluring or even the most striking. But to him, she was the only.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Loose Id

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Skin Game by Ava Gray

Format: E-book
Opens with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Skin, Book 1
Publisher: Berkley
Hero: Porfirio Ten-Bears Reyes
Heroine: Kyra Marie Beckwith
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: November 3, 2009
Started On: February 12, 2011
Finished On: February 14, 2011

My first Ava Gray certainly has left me begging for more. My expectations for this book were at an all time high since reviewers who are pretty picky in giving high ratings for books have seemed to love the 1st book in the Skin series and thus I wanted this one to rock my world unlike any had done in a long time. Though I had a bit of tussle in getting into the story at the beginning, once Reyes showed up and things started getting interesting, I was hooked line and sinker and never looked back.

This story has got to be one where the hero and heroine have the weirdest names I have come across. Porfirio Ten-Bears Reyes or Reyes as he is known as is a professional assassin for hire. Its hard to say much about his past though there are glimpses into his less than ideal childhood every now and then. Reyes had picked up the skill of killing when he had served time for allegedly raping a white girl who had evidently liked her sex a bit rough, who had been too scared to own up to the fact when others had found out about it, thus convicting Reyes of raping her. Though Reyes kills for money he has one rule that he doesn’t mess up with ever. He kills only the worst scumbags that he comes across, the ones that he knows with conviction that deserve their life on Earth to be brought to an end.

Kyra Marie Beckwith or Kyra as she is known as grew up with a father who had conned people to make a living. Always travelling around nomad style, Kyra had never gone to school and is self taught with whatever skills she had been taught by her father. Having never had a home base of her own, Kyra is a restless soul as they come until she vows vengeance on the man who leaves her father to die after giving him a brutal beating. From that moment onwards it is Kyra’s mission to make Gerrard Serrano suffer, and that is exactly what she does when she cons him and humiliates him unlike anyone has done in a long time, earning her his wrath and vow to exact revenge of the worst kind on her. Kyra has a strange power which enables her to suck the abilities of the people she comes physically into contact with which makes it difficult for her to to touch and be touched because she never knows just what she might pick up along the way.

It is Serrano’s need to exact revenge from Kyra that sets Reyes on her path. Dispatched to kill her after being fed with a bunch of lies convincing Reyes that Kyra deserves what is coming for her, he is not at all prepared for the intense attraction that takes a hold of him when he comes in contact with her. From the first encounter itself, Reyes is intrigued to learn more about his contract and thus he cons his way into her life, earning her trust and deeper feelings along the way whilst the mutual attraction between them burns out of control every moment they spend together. When the truth does inevitably come out, Kyra feels more betrayed than she has ever felt and no matter what Reyes does to convince her otherwise, Kyra is too hurt to really take stock of Reyes’s actions and behavior the past couple of weeks to arrive at the conclusion that Reyes really does love her and wants only her happiness.

This is a pretty interesting debut of a series that combines romance, red-hot loving, suspense with a touch of paranormal to make it a very a good well-balanced read. For those who are icky with the paranormal stuff, it doesn’t play much of a role in the story apart from Kyra’s abilities that comes in pretty handy throughout.

Couple of things I loved about this one. First of all Reyes who is hot, lethal and definitely my kind of hero when he would practically lay down his life for the woman he falls for. He doesn’t apologize for who he is, but rather when Kyra does enter into his life Reyes realizes the darkness that is his constant companion and yearns for the peace that he finds in Kyra’s arms which I couldn’t just help but sigh all over the fact. The next thing about this story that I loved was the fact that at the end, Kyra’s need for vengeance and revenge over the man who threatens to destroy everyone who means something in her life doesn’t just end with the typical forgiveness-will-make-you-the-bigger-person crap. Rather, Serrano meets his very well deserved death at the hands of Kyra and that fact alone makes this a story well worth my time! And loved the intense chemistry between Reyes and Kyra that set the pages afire, each and every time that they come together.

Though I loved the story that unfolded, I had an intense dislike for the way Kyra makes Reyes feel when she discovers who he  truly is. I just found her holier-than-thou attitude a bit annoying though I did understand where she was coming from. Yes, I always tend to be a bit biased towards my heroes and maybe that’s why I couldn’t muster up much love for Kyra towards the end.

I’m hoping that I would be able to see Reyes and Kyra in the coming story which features the enigmatic Foster and Kyra’s best friend Mia whose journey towards happily-ever-after begins in this one.

Favorite Quotes

They listened to music on an old radio until the batteries gave out. They napped, talked, and made love with a gentleness that often left her weeping. He was so careful of her leg that she almost felt breakable in his arms, not because of his vast strength, but because of her great vulnerability to him.
Each time he touched her now, she rocked with a quiet little earthquake of the soul. Because he could. Out of the billions of people on the planet, all of who were prospective marks on her, targets from whom she could steal, he could wrap his arms around her and bury his face in her hair. She would have felt impossibly exposed, if she hadn’t sensed that he soaked in the contact as much as she.

Recommended for fans of contemporary romantic suspense with a dash of paranormal tossed into the story.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Breaking Daylight By M. J. Fredrick

Format: E-bookbreakingdaylight
Opens with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Hero: Alex Shepard
Heroine: Isabella Canales
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: January 5, 2010
Started On: February 11, 2011
Finished On: February 12, 2011

Breaking Daylight is a novel I picked up on a whim, because I always love myself a good romantic suspense that includes a trek through the wilderness of a jungle which creates an environment that throws the hero and heroine together, regardless of their distrust and animosity towards the other. This one has been sitting in my TBR pile since then and I finally decided to take the plunge and read my first M.J. Fredrick last night. Despite the one review I read on Amazon which didn’t encourage me overly much to read this, I loved the story that unfolded and would definitely look forward to more by Ms. Fredrick.

Master Sergeant Alex Shepard hates trekking through jungles with a passion. A member of a team of rangers, Alex is the adopted son of his parents from Texas and looks forward to the day that he can claim the innocent and pure Rebecca back home as his own. Alex had grown up with a drug addict mother who had whored her way through life and made her son sell drugs for her until it had all come to a halt the day she had been killed by cops in pursuit of her. Though Alex had adjusted well to family life and the warmth and love that his adoptive parents bestow on him, their lurks emotional scars of a deeper kind which makes him long for the whole white picket fence with a family of his own regardless of the fact that he feels unworthy of such goodness in his life.

24 year old Isabella Canales leaves home when she is 18 years old in pursuit of adventure and finds more than she bargained for when she trusts the rich and charming Santiago Saldana who in reality is the baddest of bad asses when it comes to drug kingpins. Isabella makes her way to Central America in order to pursue her studies in Spanish and Immersion and had payed her college fees by strip dancing until she had met Santiago who had practically imprisoned her and made her bend to his every will and whim for the past 6 years. Stunningly beautiful, Isabella finds the courage to escape when her son Hector is taken away from her by Santiago in order to further manipulate her for his use.

It is when one of the DEA agents who infiltrates the Santiago gang is unheard of for a couple of weeks that Alex and his team partner up with DEA agents to find out what has happened to him, surrounding Santiago’s property deep in the remote areas of the jungles. Though the very first sight of gorgeous Isabella pleasuring herself surrounded by bath bubbles gets to Alex in a way he refuses to admit, it is Alex that ends up protecting a woman he feels nothing but detest and anger towards, because she had lapped up each and every luxury at the hands of someone like Santiago which brings memories of his own childhood too close to the surface. Isabella knows that the silent soldier whose eyes flash loathing at her would never understand what drives her and the deep rooted terror inside of her that Santiago would get his hands on her before she can find out where he had sent her son off to.

Isabella is someone who has never had a man want her just for herself. And so when Alex turns to her in despair upon hearing that his Rebecca was going to marry someone else, Isabella is helpless to stop the tide of desire and red-blooded lust that takes a hold of both of them for an unforgettable night that brings her shields down and makes her hope and yearn for things better left unsaid.

With Isabella on her way back to the States, Alex thinks it to be the last time he would ever see her and instead finds himself tailing her once again to see whether she draws Santiago in for the DEA to swoop in and arrest the one man who has eluded their every attempt at arrest in the past couple of years. Longing, desire and feelings better left unnamed all attack Alex full force as he begins to learn who Isabella really is inside and out and as both of them give into the combustive passion between them, so rises the danger that surrounds them together with betrayal from a person Alex trusts more than anyone else in his life.

I loved a lot of things about my first novel by Ms. Fredrick. First of all its fabulous cover showing off Alex’s magnificent chest with the dog tags just makes me nearly swallow my tongue each and every time my gaze is riveted upon it – which seemed to happen pretty much often the whole of last night. The man himself once I got to know his character and of course the way he just practically vibrates with intense longing each and every time he and Isabella are together just made me fall for him – big time. I love myself a tortured hero as much as the next gal in the world of romanceldia and Alex fits the description to a tee which makes him the best kind of tortured alpha hero out there! And I definitely sighed over the way Alex can’t help but call Isabella Bella or Goddess depending on his mood. *sigh*

Isabella Canales is a rare type of heroine for a romance novel. She has made huge mistakes in her life, had danced at strip clubs to make ends meet, had been young, naive and shallow enough to fall for a man like Santiago for which she had paid with 6 years of her life which had certainly not been a life one could be proud about. In spite of all that and maybe because of that, Isabella is a strong woman who is not without her own insecurities when it comes to relationships and love but nevertheless doesn’t hide behind denial when she does fall for Alex, a man who is truly worthy of her love and affection. Her loyalty towards her son, the one guy who means the world to her and her relentless pursuit of him regardless of what she has to put herself through along the way earned her my admiration and approval because she is just the kind of strong woman that Alex needs by his side.

Although I loved so many things about this story, I couldn’t help but feel cheated at the ending because I was expecting a nice little epilogue where I could see my Alex all happy and free of the shadows that seem to be a part of him. Its just my opinion that an epilogue would have indeed made this story a 5 star read and made it one of the unforgettable kind.

Recommended for fans of romantic suspense.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Samhain | BooksOnBoard

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