Category / Brooding Hero

by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: Behind Closed Doors by Sherri Hayes

Format: E-bookbehindcloseddoors
Read with: Adobe Reader for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Daniel Brothers, Book 1
Publisher: The Writer’s Coffee Shop
Hero: Christopher Allen Daniels
Heroine: Elizabeth Marshall
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: February 9, 2012
Started On: February 3, 2012
Finished On: February 3, 2012

27 year old Elizabeth Marshall is finally free from the shackles that has bound her when she had been married to Jared, the man who had slowly and surely chipped away any self-confidence or feeling self-worth she might have had before she had married him. To start over afresh, Elizabeth makes her way towards Springfield, Ohio where she gets more than she bargained for when she meets the larger than life Christopher Allen Daniels.

32 year old Christoper is a cynic when it comes to women. The ultimate betrayal at the hands of his ex-wife Carol leaves Chris with a bad taste in his mouth when it comes to getting close to any woman, even though he is tempted to from time to time. But none has tested his resolve to stay away from the fairer sex as much as his new housemate Elizabeth, who from the very first encounter he desires with everything that is primal deep inside of him.

Though Chris is determined to ignore Elizabeth and the effect she has on his control and baser emotions, all his best laid plans somehow fly out the window when circumstances find both of them spending time with each other. Little by little Chris starts to see that Elizabeth is nothing like his ex-wife though his insecurities remain and Elizabeth starts to feel safe and secure in the fact that she is all woman and more than enough when it comes to Chris.

But somehow the fragile connection that is forged between these two is tested when someone starts threatening Elizabeth, somebody out to settle a score and out for Elizabeth’s blood. Chris is surprised at the ferocity of all the protective instincts that flare to life deep inside of him and from then on there is no turning back for either Chris or Elizabeth as their relationship grows and fosters and is tested against all the hurdles that they face along the way.

It would be an understatement to say that I loved the 1st installment of the Daniel Brothers series. Chris the hero was just ultra-yummy. Brooding, tortured and a hot mess of a man who just made me go weak at the knees with his carnal thoughts about a woman who brings forth too much emotion from him right from the start. Chris doesn’t want or need any complications in his life, and he certainly doesn’t want that off-kilter feeling that strikes him whenever Elizabeth is around. But, when push comes to shove, there is none like Chris, his protective nature which just set off all the right emotions deep inside of me and I couldn’t have asked for more from him, a hero I adored on all counts.

Elizabeth was just plain wonderful. I love heroines who are dainty, feminine and are not trying to prove every second of the day that they are as strong as or stronger than men. I especially loved how Sherri handled the abuse that Elizabeth had gone through and how Sherri portrayed the journey of self-discovery Elizabeth goes through and how she emerges that much stronger because of what she had been through. Her need for a man who is as crazy about her, maybe even more so, and the way Chris manages to chase away those shadows of self-doubt that continue to linger long after was one of the best parts of the story. I loved that it wasn’t just Chris who was the giver in their relationship. Rather Elizabeth too acts as the soothing balm that soothes the tattered and frayed edges of Chris’s heart and shatters down the walls of reserve that has held his emotion intact until Elizabeth turns up in his life.

Though the villain was easy to figure out more than half way into the story, the element of suspense in the novel proved to make this already well-rounded tale of romance that much more enticing. For me, the Daniel brothers and the whole family signifies a family as it should be. Relationships of the believable and heartwarming kind is what you find here and those bits certainly added towards making the story a well developed tale in all aspects. I am so looking forward to the story of each and every brother in the family, and up next is Gage’s story, the playboy and the pro-football player and I will continue to wonder what Sherri has got in store for him. Winter 2013 seems so far away right now and the wait seems like an endless one.

For fans of tortured heroes, abused heroines who together finds the beauty that is love as it heals all scars and wounds on the surface and on the inside; this one’s for you!

Purchase Links: Writer’s Coffee Shop

amazingread

by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Sex, Lies and Contracts by Jennifer Probst

Format: E-booksexliesandcontracts
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Red Sage Publishing
Hero: Jack Alexander Woodward
Heroine: Julianna Elizabeth Waters
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: February 2, 2012
Started On: February 2, 2012
Finished On: February 3, 2012

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 98 A
The heroine 98 A
Story line 90 A
Emotional Intensity 90 A
Story’s ability to suck me in 90 A
Heat & Sensuality  100 A
Conflicts within the story 80 A
Writing Style 95 A
Quotable Factor 80 A
The ending 90 A
Overall Grade 91.1 A 

Score Sheet Summary

32 year old Jack Alexander Woodward is the ultimate heir to his family’s shipping business and fortune; that is if he marries within the next couple of months as stipulated in the will by his father. Though Jack might be handsome as sin, sexy and charming enough to make any woman fall for him and rich enough to have any woman he wants, his heart yearns for love and the ultimate happily ever after that comes along only with love in the equation. So Jack sets off on his own, aiming to find the one woman who would love him for him, not because of his wealth and all that is at his disposal, but someone who would love him in spite of all those things.

Julianna Elizabeth Waters lives in New Port of Rhode Island. The promise that she made to her father on his deathbed is the only thing that prevents Julianna from leaving, the freedom which she had yearned for so long once again out of reach because she cannot turn back on duty which had defined her all her life. Julianna’s deeply sensual nature is hidden behind the ugly clothes that she wears and the intimidating expression that she puts on every day that keeps people at arm’s distance. Julianna’s plan is to find a man who is rich enough to save her family home, despite her misgivings and yearnings to do otherwise.

When Julianna and Jack’s paths cross, out comes Julianna’s needs and desires that have been lying dormant for so long, reveling in the heady sense of being woman enough to shake the sexy as sin Jack to his very toes. Jack’s rules are simple once he identifies Julianna to be another mercenary woman after a man’s riches. Julianna’s nights belong to him and him alone, until she is successful in her attempts to snatch a husband who would satisfy her materialistic needs. 

The Tantric Principle was my first Jennifer Probst and I expected a similar emotional read packed with sexual tension hot enough to singe through my e-reader. And let me tell you I wasn’t disappointed at all with how the story proceeded. The raw passion that seeped through the scene on the cliffs had me practically squirming on my seat, the scene being one of the most sexually charged and explosive scenes I have read of late. And oh when Jack talks dirty, quotes poetry that just sizzles along the nerve endings; let me just say, be warned that you would require a tall, cool glass of water afterwards.

The emotion that Jennifer weaves through all the very well done scenes of the erotic variety just sealed the deal for me for this to be rated as an amazing read, a novella I would highly recommend for those who love their erotic romances with that heady spice to heat up your insides. If you are looking for a hero who knows what he is capable of and has no qualms about going after what he wants with everything he has, if you are fan of heroes who talk dirty and can make even poetry sound like sex talk, seize this book and indulge!

Favorite Quotes

He obviously enjoyed her annoyance. He took his time and uncapped the bottle of water. Removed his ball cap. Dumped the water over his head.
Julianna’s breath caught. Her body slammed into overdrive at the raw sexual scene before her. Water dripped from his thick blond hair and ran down his face. Over a carved jaw. Slid down to dampen perfectly cut lips.
His t-shirt soaked up the liquid and clung to his chest like a Women’s Night gone wild. Hunger hit hard and deep as she followed the trail down to his belt buckle, where droplets slid under the denim and hid beyond.

Her gaze lifted.
And collided with a full-sized predator.
His eyes were the dark whiskey gold her father liked to pour in heavily cut crystal glasses. Liquid fire, potent and seething with heat. 

Then his mouth took hers.
Julianna didn’t have a chance. It was the Alamo all over again. Warm, capable lips molded perfectly to hers and with one push, his tongue slipped into her mouth. Like a marauding pirate, he conquered and enjoyed his territory, his hot tongue thrusting in and out in a teasing game before he dove deep and claimed his treasure. 

The night engulfed her with silence, and the horizon pulled her further into an alternate universe. Civilization left behind, she waited for him as the boat made its way deep into the ocean, then slowed. A million stars twinkled overhead.
She never heard his footsteps.
Like a wild stallion mounting his mare, he pressed his hard body against hers and dragged her legs apart. She gasped and held on tight as he yanked her up, spread her wide, and plunged deep inside.

Purchase Links: Red Sage

amazingread

by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Off Limits by Emma Jay

Format: E-bookofflimits.jpeg
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd
Hero: Zack Purser
Heroine: Paige Clark
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: February 7, 2012
Started On: February 1, 2012
Finished On: February 2, 2012

Zach Purser is the ultimate playboy. He has made it his life mission to never lay down his roots until he is darn well and ready to, the impact of a childhood spent struggling to achieve those goals that he had hungered for even back then. None other than Adam Clark,ounger sister Paige Clark remains the forbidden fruit to Zach, no matter how much he mi his best friend for the better half of his life knows his legendary conquests when it comes to bedding and leaving a wake of women behind and that is one reason why Adam’s yght hunger for her touch.

Paige had always crushed on Zach ever since she had reached the age where she had known what crushing and lusting was all about. She wants Zach and not even the towering fury that is her elder brother is going to stop her from trying to seduce his best friend. With no holds barred, Paige launches her mission of tempting Zach to take the plunge, to indulge just once in the sexual tension that always lingers between them whenever they cross paths.

Turning away Paige time and yet again is the hardest thing Zach has ever had to do. But a man can say no only so many times and Zach finally reaches the end of his rope and succumbs, only to find that walking away as he thought is much more difficult than he anticipated. Zach finds himself reaching out to Paige in a way that is foreign to his very existence, all the while trying to hide his emerging and very confusing feelings towards Paige from her brother and his best friend.

Emma Jay has a way of writing that always draws me in and leaves me with the need to find out more. And that was the case with this novella too. I love the way she portrays complex characters, the way she brings forth the emotion that kept me turning the pages even into the wee hours of the night, unable to let go of the hold Zach and Paige had on me and my emotions. Just one question remains on my mind as I write this review, will Emma Jay write a story for Adam and Paige’s house mate? I would love to see Adam fall, and fall hard. Yep, the evil cupid inside of me cannot resist voicing this thought.

Recommended for fans of Emma Jay & fans of erotic contemporary romances. Emma Jay gives you the emotion with the erotic, and that is one reason I will continue to come back for more!

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Samhain

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: Hidden Fire by Jess Dee

Format: E-book
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Fire, Book 2
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd
Hero: Garreth Halt
Heroine: Jenna Brooks
Sensuality: 4.5
Date of Publication: January 31, 2012
Started On: January 25, 2012
Finished On: January 25, 2012

The day that Jenna Brooks and her twin brother Jackson turns 30 is the day that Jenna finds out that her brother wants to break the pact that had protected both of them, especially Jenna for the past 12 years. At 17, the vicious lies spread by an ex-girlfriend of Jackson who had been one of Jenna’s closest friends had affected Jenna more so than Jackson. The news that Jackson wants out leaves Jenna with a sense of freedom and exhilaration she barely allows herself to acknowledge before she is making her way towards the one man who has invaded the calm facade behind which Jenna has hidden to protect herself for the past 12 years of her life.

Garreth Halt has given up hope that Jenna would ever embrace the fiery connection that has been between them since day one of their encounter 2 years back. Resigned to heading back home in a couple of days Garreth doesn’t expect the warm bundle of woman who hurtles herself into his arms and demands that he take possession of everything she has to give and more. But the secret that Garreth hides is one that drives Jenna away, allowing her to once again put up the shields of steel around her heart and emotions, all but reeling from the news that Garreth imparts during the one time Jenna had opened herself up to him.

Intervention comes in the form of Jackson and his girlfriend, which forces both Jenna and Garreth into each other’s company, to lay their emotions bare and to confront the love that they have for each other. The passion that has always simmered between the two of them bursts forth in waves, the scorching scenes of over the charts hot sex as always so very well done by an author whose erotic contemporary stories I have come to adore.

Hidden Fire, though it reads as a standalone, in my opinion should be read after Winter Fire which first introduces the characters that we come across in this novella. Maybe because I didn’t read Winter Fire before, I found myself in total disbelief at how Garreth justifies his reasons for having done what he did; to remove the obstacle that was preventing Jenna from acknowledging her feelings towards him. The one thing that did redeem Garreth was the fact that he had always been there for Jenna when she had needed it, no questions asked. Even with Garreth’s character turning out the way he did for me, the style and wit with which Jess presents a story is one never to be missed and that’s why I would recommend both the books in Fire series to fans of contemporary erotic romance lovers and fans of Jess Dee!

Favorite Quotes

She kissed him in the exact same way he wanted to fuck her. Hard, insistent, determined, as though burning him with her mouth. Branding her taste on his lips, marking him as her own.

[Jenna] “I’m still scared to be me though,” she told him. “And I’m still a little scared of you.”
For the first time he understood what she meant. “You know what? I scare myself. I’ve wanted to make love to you for so damn long. But getting this close, knowing you trust me? Christ, Jenn, I don’t just want to f#ck you. I want to possess you. Make you mine. Become a part of you. Make you a part of me.”

F#ck, she was perfect. Making love to her wasn’t just heaven. It was the single most amazing experience in his thirty years of life. She may have been made for him, but he was made for this moment. For the ultimate instant when he and Jenna merged into one.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | BooksOnBoard | Samhain

[xrr rating=4/5]

Caliber Seal: GREAT READ!

by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Sicilian’s Passion by Sharon Kendrick

Format: E-book
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Presents
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Giovanni Calverri
Heroine: Kate Connors
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: October 5, 2001
Started On: January 26, 2012
Finished On: January 27, 2012

Released originally in 2001 and later re-released in Kindle in August last year, The Sicilian’s Passion by Sharon Kendrick is one of my favorite Harlequin romances. I remember re-reading this romance more than 3 times in fact, and its being around 3 years since I last revisited Giovanni and Kate’s tempestuous affair born out of their mutual attraction towards one another.

27 year old Kate Connors is an interior designer who is pretty much happy with who she is. Her clients are mostly the rich and sometimes the famous and that is how she crosses paths with Giovanni Calverri, tall, dark and with looks good enough to make the average woman swoon at his feet. The 34 year old Giovanni is used to women reacting towards him the way Kate does from the onset of their introduction. But the difference this time around is Giovanni feels as helpless as Kate in disguising the need that flares to life deep inside of him to claim the red headed beauty who tempts him unlike any other.

Furious with himself more than anyone else about the desire he feels towards Kate, it is a triumphant Giovanni that races towards Kate’s apartment to do his godmother’s bidding, secure in the knowledge that Kate had engineered the meeting that was about to happen between them. Things however go totally in the opposite direction as soon as Giovanni steps into the apartment, the desire that they both inexplicably feel towards each other refusing to be denied when there was nothing holding them back. However with the initial bout of lust sated, the self loathing that Giovanni feels starts festering, the truth about his relationship status driving him away as a thief would slink away into the dark night.

Though Kate comes to know of Giovanni’s betrayal, she cannot help but yearn for everything she felt in his arms, nor can she forget the answering need that had kept them locked in each other’s arms all through the night. And when Giovanni turns up at Kate’s apartment, now a free man willing to indulge in an affair that would satisfy his lust for the English woman once and for all, Kate takes what he offers knowing that she doesn’t have it in her to say no to Giovanni in any form.

Thus begins a most passionate affair that spans different corners of the globe until the inevitable happens and forces both Giovanni and Kate to confront their feelings of the more tender nature towards each other. The journey that they take towards the happily ever after is one that is filled with angst and lots of passionate, off-the-charts sexy moments that just makes my senses hum, no matter how many times I re-read this number. I love stories where the author doesn’t beat around the bush but gets to the heart of the matter which is why this book remains as a favorite of mine even after such a long time.

Giovanni is a hero who has got everything going for him from his good looks to his passionate nature that left me breathless every single time. A man who has always lived by the rules that had governed his life, Giovanni is a bit lost himself when he has to give in to the possessive streak that courses through him even from his first encounter with Kate. Kate is a heroine who is well matched to our Giovanni in her independent nature that asserts itself and makes Giovanni confront just more than his need for Kate’s body throughout their unusual affair. I loved how well they seem to complement each other, in bed and out of it, and loved seeing how Giovanni changes throughout the story. The epilogue tucked in at the end serves to be one of the reasons I will continue to re-visit this story time and yet again, because lets face it; a beautiful happily ever after is one of the major reasons why we love romances as much as we do.

Highly recommended to fans of angst filled Harlequin romances with a hero who has enough passion sizzling through his body to knock your socks off!

Favorite Quotes

‘I don’t believe I’m hearing this!’ she declared. ‘You’d been positively insulting about the fact that I knew nothing about Sicily—and just because I wanted to fill in a few gaps in my knowledge you make it sound like I had some kind of master-plan to ensnare you!’
‘You didn’t need a master-plan, Kate,’ he told her starkly. ‘Your eyes ensnared me from the first moment I looked into them.’

She shook her head, but it was too late, and he was pulling her into his arms and bending his head to hers and she supposed that she could have stopped him. Should have stopped him. But no power in the world could have prevented her lips from parting in a sharp little gasp of remembered pleasure as he drove his mouth down like a man who had been starved of kisses.

The feeling which rocked him took him completely off-guard, and her own corresponding gasps of pleasure as she spasmed around him made him tip his head back in a disbelieving kind of wonder as he came and came and came, his seed spilling uselessly into the condom.
And then he rolled off her and gazed unseeingly at the ceiling.
He hadn’t known it could feel quite like that.

Her big green eyes drove all conventional greetings clean out of his mind. Oh, what the hell? he thought savagely, and bent his head to kiss her.
‘G-Giovanni!’ The suitcase fell uselessly from her hand and her fingertips went straight up to his shoulders, biting into the sensually scented leather with an abandon which gathered momentum with each thrust of his tongue as he kissed her with shameless abandon.

‘You look like my every fantasy come to life,’ he whispered, his voice deepening.
‘How?’ she whispered back.
‘Wicked. Abandoned. And…’
She heard his hesitation, was intrigued by it. ‘And what?’
‘Here,’ he admitted. ‘Now. On my bed after too long. Waiting for me to make love to you over and over again.’

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | BoB | Kobo | Harlequin

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Secret Admirer by Susan Napier

Format: E-booksecretadmirer
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Presents, #1554
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Scott Gregory
Heroine: Grace Blair
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: April 1, 1993
Started On: January 22, 2012
Finished On: January 24, 2012

With my second book by the author, Susan Napier has landed in my list of favorite Harlequin romance authors. Even with the 2 books that I have read, I have come to identify with the fact that her books have those elements that continually surprises the reader, which is no mean feat when someone like myself who has read and loved 1000’s of romances can pick up a novel and be drawn into the story because of the opening chapter itself.

Secret Admirer kick starts with seven month widower Grace Blair being caught in an elevator with the man who turns her orderly and well controlled life around. Grace cannot help but be equal parts horrified and fascinated with the turn of events that takes place in the elevator, nor can she forget the heat that had blazed into life in the stranger’s eyes, who continues to haunt and taunt her in vivid dreams of the erotic variety.

When Scott Gregory walks into her life as a potential business partner, Grace cannot believe her eyes nor her luck in meeting the man who keeps popping into her thoughts and dreams at the most inopportune moments. But years of practice and teachings that had been ingrained into her from her childhood itself lets Grace handle the meeting in her usual icy and reserved manner, or so she thinks until she realizes the ease with which Scott invades her life, turning her whole world upside down and making her face the inevitable truth of her changing feelings towards him.

Scott Gregory, hands down, was the best thing about this story. His passion for anything and everything to do with Grace, his utter focus and zeal when seducing Grace and of course the way his senses clamor for Grace’s touch and the desire that he so evidently feels for Grace was such a beautiful part of the story. Scott has a few surprises in store for Grace, one that leaves her reeling, with feelings of possessiveness streaking through her very core. The fact that Scott gives her the one thing that he has been holding off from giving to any other woman should have convinced Grace of his much deeper feelings for her, but Grace continually thwarts Scott’s efforts until towards the very end which pissed me off for a bit when it came to Grace. But nevertheless, the passion, the chase and the ultimate surrender of Grace proved to make this a titillating read that held my undivided attention all throughout.

Highly recommended!

Favorite Quotes

She wasn’t aware of the rip he made in the back of her dress when his shaking hands wrenched the zip down, only of the molten sensuality of his gaze as he steered her into a shaft of light near the window and studied her breasts, nestled in their cups of pure white lace.
‘Sweet…pretty…did you wear this for me?’ he asked thickly, roughly tracing the outline of the lace across the curving swells. ‘Did you want me to take off your dress tonight, Grace? To admire you like this?’
‘I…’ His arousal was so flatteringly intense that she couldn’t deny him the truth. ‘Yes…’ She closed her eyes, gasping as she felt the stroke of his thumbs across the seams, finding the rigid tips that were evidence of her own desire.

Scott stood by the bedside, looking down at her. Then he spread his hands, revealing the fine tremors there.
‘Look what you do to me. You make me weak.’ Grace reached out a hand and touched his ridged stomach. ‘You’re the strongest man I know,’ she said softly, feeling the shift and clench of muscle under her fingers as she stroked them down to his belt. She tugged at it. ‘I want you.’

She felt shy, like a precious gift being gloatingly unwrapped, but she didn’t resent his moment of purely masculine triumph. The glory of the moment was also hers, this beautiful man hers. He was giving himself to her and asking nothing but what she was willing to give in return.

Her mouth trembled and parted and she began to gasp in light, shallow breaths that made her flushed breasts quiver deliciously, invitingly… He bent and touched a stiff pink nipple experimentally with his mouth, very gently. She jerked and cried out, exploding beneath him in a series of violent convulsions that almost unseated him. 

The taste of him exploded inside her mouth, filling her senses with an intoxicating warmth and aroma that had nothing to do with the amount of brandy he had consumed. He made sounds-rough, greedy, indistinct sounds that vibrated through her tissues, his lips and teeth and tongue consuming her with his passion. 

Finally, when she was shaking so much that he staggered with the violence of her pleasure, he drove her back against the wall and took her as she stood, careless of the clothes that bunched between them, oblivious to everything but the primitive, driving force that had conquered him far more devastatingly than he had conquered her.

‘Use me, Grace. If that’s what we’ve been doing so far, I love it. I want to be used. Now.’ He stretched, a long ripple of pure muscle as he invited her in a throaty purr that wrapped itself around her heart and drew her irresistibly towards him, the craving stronger than anger or fear. ‘You can insult me, hurt me, hate me… test me any way you like. I’m strong. I’m not going to run away just because things aren’t perfect between us…’

Purchase Links: Amazon | Abe Books

amazingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Mistress of the Groom by Susan Napier

Format: E-bookmistressofthegroom
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Presents, #1918
Publisher:Harlequin
Hero: Ryan Blair
Heroine: Jane Sherwood
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: October 1, 1997
Started On: January 22, 2012
Finished On: January 22, 2012

Sometimes, there is nothing like a good old Harlequin romance to really get your juices flowing. Susan Napier is a Harlequin author I have never come across before. And boy, was I glad to make acquaintance with her delivery of this perfect and sizzling romance of the red-hot variety late into the night, enjoying and reveling in every single moment of the interactions and the scorching hot attraction between two people for whom the phrase “hate is the beginning of love” is pretty much applicable.

Ryan Blair, the successful 33 year old millionaire and 26 year old Jane Sherwood who loses everything to Ryan’s methodical and ruthless revenge on her, are needless to say enemies who loathe and hate the very sight of each other. Jane had intervened and ruined Ryan’s wedding day to Jane’s best friend Ava, succeeding in driving Ryan away and giving Ana what she had wanted and had been afraid to ask for all along. Ryan’s revenge is a well-planned one, one that has Jane reeling from the effect of losing the business that had been the focus of all the churning emotions deep inside of her.

But beneath all the hatred and hostility lies a smoldering fire that blazes out of control the minute Ryan is provoked into taking Jane in his arms; the passion that bursts forth as hot and scorching as the anger that has blazed between them for a long time. One very decadent night of pleasure later Jane flees, the crack in her impeccable shields all but crumbs of dust around her after being so thoroughly seduced. But Ryan is a man not to be deterred in his attempts to seduce and charm the woman he wants into his arms and life, a battle Jane knows she is bound to lose with the love that she has hidden from the one man who has always been the one and only for her.

Mistress of the Groom is a novel that combines ALL the elements that makes a Harlequin romance memorable. I fell in love with romances amidst the stories of intense passion and ruthless heroes that is so much a part the Harlequin series back in the 80’s and 90’s. And I still love re-visiting those stories, and finding a new gem of a story from the thousands of romances that makes up the Harlequin world of romance – let’s just say it makes me one very happy romance reader!

The reason why I loved Mistress of the Groom so much was the fact that the story kept surprising me at every turn. From the beginning which was exhilarating and surprised me to my very core, Susan Napier spun a story that kept me on my very toes and in anticipation of every single bit of emotion that was wrung from me as the story progressed.

Recommended to fans of ruthless, determined and yet endearing heroes who just makes your toes curl up, fans of Harlequin romances and fans of romances where enemies turn to lovers!

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

amazingread

by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: This Heart for Hire by Elysa Hendricks

Format: E-bookthisheartforhire
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher:Self-Published
Hero: Jacob Gallagher
Heroine: Christina Goodwin
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: October 12, 2011
Started On: December 11, 2011
Finished On: January 21, 2012

This Heart for Hire by Elysa Hendricks takes place in Texas in 1870 and brings together the tough gunslinger Jake Gallagher together with the innocent and convent reared Christina Goodwin amidst the violence and harsh beauty that was life in the wild west.

Christina is on the run for her life with her brother Christopher in tow when Christopher is killed at the hands of bandits who seemingly wants to have their way with her. Rescue comes in the form of Jake Gallagher who to Christina looks to be the lesser of the two evils. When Jake gets injured on the run and it is on Christina he depends on, it is on sheer guts alone that she survives the next couple of hours.

When Jake recovers from his injuries, he has no recollection of who he is or any memories of the past 2 years of his life. All that he knows for sure is that he would lay down his very life for his angel, the woman who draws him to her unlike any other. It is Christina’s gentle innocence and her natural curiosity when it comes to the desires of the flesh that keeps drawing Jake to her like a moth towards flame. And to Christina, Jake epitomizes everything that has been forbidden to her during her 12 years in the convent. And when love enters the equation, there is no stopping her from claiming Jake as hers, even with Jake doing all that he can to keep her at arm’s length.

This Heart for Hire is not a light fluffy read. Elysa Hendricks does a splendid job of bringing her characters to life and paints a vivid picture of the harsh realities of life in the wild west. But that doesn’t mean that this story is all filled with dark moments. Contrary to that, the story contains beautiful moments as well as moments taut with the sizzling sexual tension that flares up between Christina and Jake from the very beginning. And then comes the harrowing couple of last chapters where reality intrudes and Christina experiences the violent reality of bandits who towards the end have an agenda of their own when it comes to her.

Christina might be the gentle innocent in the story. But even then, she is a woman who has a depth of courage that we begin to see when push comes to shove, her determination to escape and take revenge on the men who so callously violates everything she has been taught till now the burning fire that keeps her going. Her need and love for Jake shines through when he is around, but the way he pushes her away, one time too many makes her stand up for herself.

Jake is tormented throughout the story by the lack of his memories which aren’t as forthcoming as he would like them to be. With a void in his past and the possibility that he might be a wanted man by the law makes him push Christina away time and yet again. Jake continues to deny his need and love for the woman who invaded his heart much earlier than he would care to remember until Christina is nearly snatched away from his life for good.

I loved how the story came together and brought along with it its fair share of surprises along the way. There were moments where I was like “Heck, I didn’t see that one coming”, which is always a good thing when you are reading any sort of book. And I loved how elements of both Jake and Christina’s pasts entwines them together, fating them to be the better halves of one another for the rest of their lives. The one thing that could have made this book that much better was the end to Christina’s attempts to reach her uncle which was unresolved even when the story ended. I would have loved a bit of a lengthier end to the story, maybe an epilogue at that, which could have shown the happily ever after that Jake and Christina fully deserves.

Recommended for fans of American Western historical romances. Elysa Hendricks spins a tale that is hard to put down.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Smashwords

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Color My Horse by Bev Pettersen

Format: E-bookcolormyhorse
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Westerhall
Hero: Mark Russell
Heroine: Jessica Boone
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: August 16, 2011
Started On: January 16, 2012
Finished On: January 19, 2012

I was a bit apprehensive diving into my second book by Bev Pettersen, not because she tells a bad story, hardly that. Jockeys and Jewels which was my first Bev Pettersen turned out to be a good read for me because there was a lot of horse jargon involved that detracted me a bit from enjoying the story that unfolded. But I was absolutely delighted to discover that true to Bev’s word, Color My Horse turned out to be one of those stories that was hard to put down because of the sheer number of emotions that coursed through me while I was reading the story.

Jessica Boone is the heiress to the Boone fortune. With a controlling grandfather who wants to map out her life the way he wants it, Jessica is a woman who is stuck in a hard place with no way out. With her skiing career a choice no longer available with a severe knee injury, Jessica grabs at the last straws to assert her independence. She bargains with her grandfather to allow her to give her the cash she needs to start her own dog kennel. But it does come with a price. Jessica has to work at the Belmont racetrack for a set period of time, living entirely on what she earns from her job, failing to do which she has to come work for her grandfather.

Enter 31 year old Mark Russel, who is a horse trainer, who runs a tight ship with his workers with his no nonsense attitude towards horse training as well as life in general. Mark has the fear that he might turn out to be just like his father; a man who thought with the wrong body part when it came to alluring females. And when Jessica’s grandfather coerces him into accepting Jessica on board, Mark doesn’t expect the rich heiress to last much longer than a day mucking stalls and scrubbing down horses which is a far removed life from that of a woman of the elite society.

However, Jessica surprises Mark and herself as well when her resolve to to regain her independence gives her the strength to persevere in spite of all odds being stacked against her. Jessica is a character who is so very full of life. She tends to spread vivid color everywhere she goes, spreads a kind of joy that intrudes and cracks the reserves around Mark’s emotions before he is even aware of it happening. Though Mark tells himself that it is only a heady sexual attraction and desire that he has towards his newest employee, feelings of the much deeper kind continues to develop as both of them indulge in an affair that leaves them both wanting more.

What makes Color My Horse such a fabulous book to read is the way Bev Pettersen brings the story to life. Her love for horses shines through marvelously and I couldn’t help but pout just a little bit because I live in a country where running into a horse is an impossibility. I loved how Bev paired off someone whose bright outlook on life lights up the life of a man for whom looking after the horses that he loves means everything. The thread of suspense that is woven throughout the story just served to be the icing on the cake and I loved every single minute of Jessica’s journey towards discovering all that she is capable of and in the process finding the love of her life.

With all the things that I loved about the story, there was just one teeny tiny thing that irked me for a bit. I couldn’t get over just how little Mark seemed to be affected by Jessica’s return towards the end of the book. I know that Mark is a man who is reserved in his display of emotions and the fact that he continues to carry on Jessica’s “traditions” when it comes to looking after horses does tell a lot about how he feels towards Jessica. But I would have loved the ending a bit more if Mark had been a bit more forthcoming about his feelings towards Jessica, and maybe while he was at it, if he had tried to reach out to Jessica a bit sooner. But in the end, I guess it all comes down to Mark’s character and the fact that he doesn’t stray far from how his character is portrayed throughout the story.

Recommended for those who love character driven romances, those who love stories where heroines who are full-of-life meets up with the reserved type of hero. And of course, for those who loves horses. You cannot find an author who practically grabs you with the way Bev brings the culture and life of horse training and racing to life like she does.

Favorite Quotes

Mark just stared as she spoke about plastic flowers in the winter, but he couldn’t focus on her words. He’d never realized he had such a possessive streak. Possessive with horses, sure, but not with women. Never with women. She was leaving in a week, was extremely high maintenance, not to mention Boone’s granddaughter. And he hated those gaudy purple braids.
But life would be so gray when she left. She didn’t just color his horse, she colored his world.
Unable to speak, he stepped forward, pulled her into his thumping chest and simply held her.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James

Format: E-bookfiftyshadesdarker
Read with: Adobe Reader for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Fifty Shades, Book 2
Publisher: The Writer’s Coffee Shop
Hero: Christian Grey
Heroine: Anastasia Rose Steele
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: September 15, 2011
Started On: January 14, 2012
Finished On: January 15, 2012

Fifty Shades Darker, book 2 in the Fifty Shades series begins right where book 1 ended. Fifty Shades of Grey ended on a bittersweet note, with Anastasia (Ana) walking out on Christian and their arrangement because she cannot accept the much darker needs that arises in Christian.

But the one thing that Ana doesn’t count on is just how much she misses Christian though their affair might have been a doomed one from the start. She doesn’t envisage that the calm, cool and always in control Christian might miss her on the same level, that her beautiful lover might be brought to his very knees because of her. And once again, Christian enters into her life, this time with an altogether different proposition, one that allows both Ana and Christian to find their way in the uncharted waters that is their relationship.

I absolutely loved the second installment of the Fifty Shades series. The first book found me a bit apprehensive about Christian’s character, but nevertheless I was drawn towards his tortured soul, one that is so tormented by his past that I was practically itching with my need to find more about him. And with the opening prologue itself, E.L. James delivered a glimpse into the darkness that had been Christian’s life as a child, a past that still continues to haunt him, a battle that he continues to fight in earnest to be someone worthy of Ana’s love.

Ana has her work cut out for her when it comes to Christian. With all her insecurities about not being enough for Christian, she has to take in stride the women from Christian’s past who makes their presence known and felt, some in more disturbing ways than others. But the one thing that rights true and constant throughout the story that unfolds is the love that grows exponentially between Ana and Christian, their need for one another a thing of beauty in my opinion.

Its sheer wonder to be part of the journey that Christian seems to be taking towards freedom; freedom from the shackles that seems to hold him back from embracing a life that is worthy of a man like him. He thinks so lowly of himself though Christian is the stuff heroes are made out of. Seen through Ana’s eyes, I cannot help but sigh and moon over him, the way he seduces and in turn gets seduced by the woman he loves something to savor through each and every well done encounter.

There were moments in the story when I thought that Christian and his lethal brand of seduction and the sexual tension that he creates merely by looking at Ana in a certain way would certainly be the death of me. But, oh dear God, how I loved each and every encounter that E.L. James creates and brings so vividly to life, nothing tacky or icky about any of the scenes; just pure sexual heat together with emotions of the more tender variety to make things that much more sigh worthy!

I am absolutely on tenterhooks now awaiting the arrival of the 19th of this month when the last and final book in the trilogy will be released, where my Fifty Shades would finally become free from the past that continues to haunt him. I am definitely rooting for a happily ever after that would rock me to my very soul when it comes to Ana and Christian.

Highly recommended for fans of the series and fans of tortured and tormented heroes.

Favorite Quotes

I gasp, and his mouth swoops down. He’s kissing me, violently. Briefly our teeth clash, then his tongue is in my mouth. 
Desire explodes like the Fourth of July throughout my body, and I’m kissing him back, matching his fervor, my hands knotting in his hair, pulling it, hard. He groans, a low sexy sound in the back of his throat that reverberates through me, and his hand moves down my body to the top of my thigh, his fingers digging into my flesh through the plum dress. 
I pour all the angst and heartbreak of the last few days into our kiss, binding him to me, and it hits me—in this moment of blinding passion—he’s doing the same, he feels the same.

“Cold?” Christian asks softly and bends to lick and suckle all the ice cream off me once more, his mouth hot compared to the cool of the ice. 
Oh my. It’s torture. As it starts to melt, the ice cream runs off me in rivulets on to the bed. His lips continue their slow torture, sucking hard, nuzzling, softly—Oh please!—I’m panting. 
“Want some?” And before I can confirm or deny his offer, his tongue is in my mouth, and it’s cold and skilled and tastes of Christian and vanilla. Delicious.

“This way,” he murmurs and abruptly is inside me once more, but he doesn’t start his usual punishing rhythm straight away. He leans over, releases my hands, and pulls me upright so I am practically sitting on him. His hands move up to my breasts, and he palms them both, tugging gently on my nipples. I groan, tossing my head back against his shoulder. He nuzzles my neck, biting down, as he flexes his hips, deliciously slowly, filling me again and again. 
“Do you know how much you mean to me?” he breathes against my ear. 
“No,” I gasp.
He smiles against my neck, and his fingers curl around my jaw and throat, holding me fast for a moment. “Yes, you do. I’m not going to let you go.” I groan as he picks up speed. “You are mine, Anastasia.” “Yes, yours,” I pant. “I take care of what’s mine,” he hisses and bites my ear.

“I want you, Anastasia,” he murmurs. “I love and I hate, and I love arguing with you. It’s very new. I need to know that we’re okay. It’s the only way I know how.” 
“My feelings for you haven’t changed,” I whisper. 
His proximity is overwhelming, exhilarating. The familiar pull is there, all my synapses goading me toward him, my inner goddess at her most libidinous. Staring at the patch of hair in the V of his shirt, I bite my lip, helpless, driven by desire—I want to taste him there. 
He’s so close, but he doesn’t touch me. His heat is warming my skin. 
“I’m not going to touch you until you say yes,” he says softly. “But right now, after a really shitty morning, I want to bury myself in you and just forget everything but us.”

“You love strapping me in, don’t you?” 
“In any form,” he says, a wicked grin playing on his lips. 
“You are a pervert.”
 “I know.” He raises his eyebrows and his grin broadens. 
“My pervert,” I whisper. 
“Yes, yours.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Writer’s Coffee Shop

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