Category / Brooding Hero

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

Format: E-bookSimplyirresistible
Read  with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: A Lucky Harbor Novel, Book 1
Publisher: Forever
Hero: Jackson Cullen III (Jax Cullen)
Heroine: Madeline Annie Traeger (Maddie Moore)
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication:  October 1, 2010
Started On: January 26, 2011
Finished On: January 29, 2011

Ever since I read Shadow Hawk and didn’t like it as much as I expected to, I have been a little wary of picking up anything by Jill Shalvis and that’s the main reason why I have hesitated in getting a copy of her latest novel Simply Irresistible, the 1st book in the Lucky Harbor series. Now, I am so very glad that I let reviews from my friends on Goodreads who all loved this book to pieces convince me to give this title a go because I am slapping myself for being stupid enough to let such a yummylicious read go by for so long without an attempt to read it.

Simply Irresistible is a book that lives up to its title, yes, its simply irresistible and I found myself so engrossed in the world of Lucky Harbor, the small town life, the larger than life heroes, Jax Cullen who makes my knees go wobbly each and every time and the sisters who make this novel come vibrantly alive that I forgot to mark this book for quotes as I read along, something which I always do when I am reading a novel so that my review would be a complete one. That just goes to show how marvelous a tale Ms. Shalvis has spun with her new series and I can’t wait until the next one comes out in April of this year.

Jax Cullen is a hero who presents himself as a mass of contradictions and I so love myself a hero like him. At first he comes across as the bad boy hero who rides into the story on his bad-ass motorbike; but layer by layer his character unfolds to reveal the complex man he is behind the facade. Jax had grown up with his father when his parents marriage had failed and his father being a cutthroat lawyer by profession, their relationship had had no room for emotions. A grown up Jax had followed his father’s footsteps and had become a very expensive defense attorney for a huge law firm in Seattle, where winning cases at all costs had been the bottom line. His work there had earned him the name of Jackson Cullen III and it had taken Jax’s last case which had gone horribly wrong for him to quit his job and return to Lucky Harbor, the last place he remembers being happy. Now 5 years out of a profession that had sucked the very soul out of him, Jax is laid back, goes through life at his own pace and works doing what he loves; building and restoration. The mayor of Lucky Harbor for the second term Jax is not looking for a relationship after his fiance had walked out on him when he had walked out on his job; that is until beautiful and klutzy Maddie nearly runs him over in her car.

29 year old Maddie is broke and homeless when her late mother’s will brings her to Lucky Harbor. Maddie had been raised by her father who had been a movie-set designer ever since he had taken custody of her since Maddie had turned 5 years old. Having never had much contact with her flighty mother, Maddie is as surprised as her father and two half sisters Tara and Chloe to learn about her mother’s will which had bequeathed them Lucky Harbor Inn, in the hopes of bringing 3 of her children together even if she may not be around to see it. Maddie had earned the nickname of the Mouse from her mother and is a survivor of a physically and emotionally abusive relationship from her ex-boyfriend Alex, an angry, uptight and aggressive LA attorney who didn’t know how to control his temper. It had been Maddie’s retaliation towards Alex that had cost her her job and makes her swear off of men altogether until she runs into the very sexy and delectable Jax Cullen who makes her tingle in all the right places with his searing velvety gaze alone.

When their mother’s will brings them together, it is only Maddie who at first wants to make a go of things and work towards making the derelict Lucky Harbor Inn habitable once again. And that is how Jax Cullen and his tool belt comes into the scene, seducing Maddie of every good intention she has about swearing off of men until now. As Jax brings down the walls that surround Maddie’s heart, so develops a heartwarming relationship between 3 sisters who had not seen each other for the past 5 years. Amidst the small town life of Lucky Harbor, sexual awareness of the eyebrow singeing variety turns into a love so worth taking a chance on that I as a reader absolutely couldn’t have asked for more.

I liked:

  1. Jax Cullen. Every single time he walks in with his tool belt around him – needless to say I am a puddle of goo every time that happens and wouldn’t have it any other way. He has this way of seducing Maddie out of her noble intentions that left me breathless and wanting more of  where that came from. I loved him for his quiet intensity, his kindness, and the smoldering sensuality that leaps into the picture every time he walks in *fans self*. Jax can certainly master my ahem! baser emotions any day he chooses! ^_^
  2. Maddie. She is klutzy,  less than perfect and so down on herself when she comes to Lucky Harbor. But she has an inner strength that can definitely make her the Steel Magnolia, the title her mother has given to Tara the eldest of her 3 girls. Maddie’s determination to heal from the brutality of her relationship with Alex and how she is so irresistibly drawn towards Jax and his quiet determination and strength made me root for her big time!
  3. Loved the dialogues, each and every one of them whether it be between Jax and Maddie, or between Maddie, Tara and Chloe or Jax and his buddies. Several laugh-out moments in the conversations that makes this an excellent book to cure you from all your woes.
  4. Jax and his tool belt. There! Now I have said it. Can’t help but remember a guy on a show on Discovery Travel & Living who had a tool belt around him whilst he went about giving makeovers to people’s homes. Even then, my sole focus was on the tool belt. I guess that explains a bit on my fascination with the tool belt. ^_~
  5. I absolutely loved the relationship that develops between Maddie, Tara and Chloe. They are all so very different from one another but the affection and love they have towards each other is evident right from the very beginning. Though it is Tara’s story that will be coming out in April, I can’t help but want to read Chloe and Sawyer’s story. I have a mind that it’s going to be pretty darn explosive!! ^_^
  6. Loved the quotes from Phoebe Traeger at the beginning of each chapter. They were seriously thought provoking and at the same time gave me something to laugh out loud as I delved into each chapter.
  7. Jax’s lethal brand of seduction. I seriously, seriously could get used to it! *winks*

I disliked: None.

Favorite Quotes

Two, and even more unsettling, he smelled good – sexy and alluring. Closing her eyes, she felt her body tingle, brought to a hyper-awareness that felt almost foreign as something zinged through her.
Desire. Bone-melting desire.
When she opened her eyes again, he was even closer. His eyes weren’t the solid warm caramel she’d thought but had flecks of gold dancing in them, as well. She could have drowned in all that deliciousness.
Not a  bad way to go, she figured – death by lust.

Chloe stood there, a small smile on her lips as she peered past Maddie at the Jeep. “Who’s that?”
Maddie watched the brake lights of the Jeep as it vanished into the night. “Jax Cullen. And that’s all I know,” she said before Chloe could ask anything else.
Well, except that he had a voice that went down like smooth whiskey, a way of looking at her that tended to get her to say more than she should, and oh, yea, he kissed like heaven on earth.

With a sigh, she picked up her knitting instead of inhaling any more food and continued from where she’d left off last night. “In, wrap around,” she said to herself. “Pull out.”
“You know,” Chloe said licking some batter off her thumb. “The way you knit always sounds a little dirty. I bet if you knitted in earshot of a guy, you’d get laid for sure.”

The back door opened, and all three of them swiveled to look as Jax filled the doorway. He looked like sin on a stick in faded Levi’s, a long-sleeved graphic Henley, and – there went her pulse – that damn tool belt slung slow on his hips.

“Don’t take life too seriously. After all, none of us are getting out alive anyway.” – Phoebe Traeger

“Experience is something you get… after you need it.” – Phoebe Traeger

Recommended for anyone who loves a good contemporary romance that can play with all your emotions in a good way and leave you with a huge smile at the end should read this novel. A great beginning to a series which I am sure can only get better. A story that petted, stroked and fed each and every craving I have as a romance reader; I can’t recommend this novel highly enough!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Sinful by Charlotte Featherstone

Format: E-booksinful
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Harlequin Spice
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Matthew Wallingford
Heroine: Jane Rankin
Sensuality: 4.5
Date of Publication: May 1, 2010
Started On: January 22, 2011
Finished On: January 23, 2011

First of all, let me just take a few minutes of my reviewing time to just gaze at this wonderful cover and salivate over it to my heart’s content. This has got to be one of the most beautiful covers on a romance novel and yes of course it helps that Matthew is displayed in all his glory on the cover.

Sinful by Charlotte Featherstone is a book that seems to have got its fair share of mixed reviews from readers. Most have loved the book until the ending which left them totally stunned in disbelief because its rare for a romance novel to end as this one did, though I have come across one other book with an ending such as this one when I read A Stranger’s Wife by Maggie Osborne. I believe I belong in the latter group of those who actually LOVED the story as it was, maybe because I was prepared for the story’s ending to be a shocker which didn’t really shock me that much in the end. And it might also have something to do with the fact that I have had prior experience with this type of ending and whilst it may not be the ideal conclusion for a romance, it is certainly different which has its own charm as well.

Sinful stars one of the most cynical and jaded heroes I have come across in my reading life. The Earl of Wallingford, Matthew is cynical to the max and has no qualms about admitting to himself that he is an unconscionable rake with insatiable appetites who finds the facade of Victorian morality a mockery. Having had seen very little goodness in his life, Matthew is as tortured a hero as they come. A father who had never liked what Matthew had been even as a boy with a mother who had finally grown tired of her husband’s continued criticism because of her son, Matthew had watched his mother leave a forlorn and lonely boy behind to go with her lover only to a die a horrible death by accident. Stunningly masculine with a face that is exceedingly handsome which holds a beauty that’s dark and sensual, Matthew is an artist, a fact that his father continually mocks. Matthew expects every woman he comes across to have a price for being with him whether it be an emotional or physical one and is used to being the one who can always shock polite society with his untoward behavior. But beneath all this lies a soul so very tortured by what he went through since he turned 15 years old; the experience leaving him unable to bear anyone’s touch on himself even though depravity is Matthew’s middle name.

Enter the 27 year old spinsterish Jane Rankin with her curly red hair sporting spectacles that hides her deep green eyes and a top lip that had been scarred by the back of a man’s hand. A woman of suspect birth with an aristocrat for a father to whom Jane’s mother Lucy has been mistress to, at the age of 7, Jane’s father had kicked his mistress and illegitimate child out leaving them destitute and homeless. Jane at that tender age had resolved that she would never become any man’s mistress nor would she allow a man to dictate her life. And its a resolution that Jane has stuck by even when the going had got tough. Salvation had come in the form of Lady Blackwood who had saved her from the streets and given her a life. A lady’s companion by day and a nurse at the London College Hospital by night, Jane is firmly rooted in her resolve to remain independent though at odd times she yearns for a man’s touch and wants what true love could bring to her life.

These two souls that hide behind facades of their own making shaped up by their experiences when growing up meet by chance when Matthew is brought in as a patient to the hospital where Jane works. From the moment Matthew feels Jane’s fleeting touches and hears her angelic voice, its as if salvation has come calling for him to take him back to the shores of life. Though Matthew is unable to see his Jane’s face during his hospital stay, the white hot attraction that flares up between them is an all consuming one which left me totally breathless at times. Jane who has never had an untoward thought about any patient of hers finds herself yearning to touch the perfection that Matthew’s body is. Not knowing who he is apart from the fact that he could be royalty, a bond is forged between these two that each wants to fight but can’t help but give in to.

As Jane and Matthew’s relationship starts off on shaky grounds, so emerges a tale immersed in darkness with a few surprising twists towards the end. Matthew and Jane’s happily ever after certainly is not one served on a silver platter as Matthew’s dreaded father and stepmother contrive to keep these two apart and Jane with her avowal of becoming a respected member of the society certainly doesn’t give up the values that she has held close to her up until now. All this makes for a really good romance to sink into and the scorching passion between Matthew and Jane is so skillfully done that you can’t help but want more of where that came from.

I liked:

  1. THE COVER!! I just freaking love it! Kudos to the artist. Its such a beautiful cover art for a story that is beautiful and unique which the cover portrays so very well.
  2. Matthew Wallingford. Fans of tortured heroes are going to love him and I absolutely fell for him right from the very first chapter itself. At first when Matthew and Jane meets, I thought that all the hype about Matthew being a bad-ass was just all talk as Matthew seemed to swoon into this puddle of goo whenever Jane was around. But 28% into the story, I said hello to the Matthew I was looking for. The cynical and jaded Matthew who lashes out at the only woman who has been able to see through his facade into the loneliness carved and etched onto his soul; the only woman whose touch he craves more than life itself. The way he aches for Jane and her touch which seems to purify his soul and begins chipping away at the ice that shrouds his heart and his smoldering sensuality with his swoon-in-front-of-him good looks certainly makes Matthew one of the most delectable and unforgettable heroes ever.
  3. Jane Rankin. She starts out sounding prim, proper and spinsterish as well as plain. But around Matthew, Jane transforms into the sensual woman she is supposed to be, a woman who yearns to possess and be possessed by the man she loves. Under Matthew’s smoldering gaze, Jane transforms into a woman of immense beauty, her character and strength lending her a  beauty that glows right from the depth of her soul which makes her one of the most endearing heroines ever. I loved Jane for standing by her values, never letting them go until she had taken the time to decide what was right for her. And I loved Matthew for letting Jane go, so that she could come back on her own terms which made this book a winner for me.
  4. The sizzling sensuality of this story. It has the quality to leave the reader breathless, made me yearn for more and much more as the story moved along. I believe its a testament to Ms. Featherstone’s writing style that I loved each and every encounter that took place between Matthew and Jane.
  5. The epilogue which is available separately from the story. Though I didn’t find the ending available in the story itself lacking, the epilogue is a beautiful piece of work that is a fitting ending for a romance that holds readers enthralled all throughout the story. Loved knowing how things turned out for Matthew and Jane in the end.
  6. The reason I didn’t find the ending lacking in the story itself is because Ms. Featherstone certainly didn’t end up providing instant-formula solutions to the very huge obstacles that seemed to stand in the way of Jane and Matthew getting together. So in a way this story is more meaningful because of that and I think I loved this story just a little more just because of that!

I disliked: Can’t think of anything I would change within this story. Loved every single morsel of the story.

Favorite Quotes

She was too close, his brain warned, but his body overruled logical thought, and he wanted her closer, until her breasts were crushed against him, and his mouth was buried in her throat.
“Sir, release me.”
“Jane…” He released his hold and brought his hand up, connecting with what felt like a soft, plump cheek. She had ample time to retreat from him, but even with his blindness, he could see that she moved closer. “Jane,” he murmured again, not understanding this strange fascination with her name, or the sound of it coming from his mouth.

“Stay with me, Jane.” he mumbled hours later as he clasped her small hand to his chest.
“I cannot,” she replied quietly. “The dawn has arrived.”
“I despise the morning,” he murmured, tracing the satiny nails of her fingers with his fingertips. “I am a creature of darkness, whose element is night and shadows. I belong in the dark with the other sinful creatures.”
She caressed his cheek, and he did not flinch and shrink away in revulsion. Instead, he savored that gentle touch, eating it up like a starving man given a few scraps of bread.

Their fingertips touched and he felt as though he’d been punched in the middle. As their fingers entwined, he felt something that was at once welcoming yet terrifying. Looking down at their locked hands, he realized it was a sense of … completion. Instinct told him to block the feeling. But then she spoke, her voice causing a warmth to spread throughout his body.

“You thought I believed you insignificant, but the truth is, I find you fascinating. You think I suppose you’re not pretty, but Jane,” he said, looking up, “I find you stunning. Your eyes … your imperfect mouth. It’s beautiful, and I want to paint you how I see you, sensual and womanly, dying to break free of an ideal that imprisons you.”

Staring at the window of his study, Matthew watched as the door of the carriage shut behind Jane. Their gazes met, and despite the fact that Jane had asked that he not see her off, he had not been able to resist one last look at the woman who had changed him, who’d awakened not only the man, but the heart inside him.
Jane… Resting his flattened palm on the glass, he tried to connect with her, if only for a fleeting second, I need your touch …
Despite the silence, Jane heard him and his desperate plea. Her own small hand, devoid of a glove, rested against the carriage window, holding him palm to palm, despite glass, brick and mortar. The sun chose that moment to shine, illuminating the copper curls that had escaped her bonnet, and the glistening trails of tears that slid down her pale cheeks.
Pressing his forehead to the cool glass, he held her gaze, her palm, his eyes pleading with her. Don’t go. Don’t leave me.

Recommended for:

  1. Fans of Charlotte Featherstone.
  2. Fans of historical romances who like their romances with a little more spice in it than usual.
  3. Fans of romances who would like a story that ends just a tad differently from your usual ones.

And the funny thing is, just as I sat down to write the review with music blaring from the headphones, the song Sweetest Sin by Jessica Simpson came up on my playlist which struck a chord deep within me which I somehow found to be perfect for this story. So I leave my review with a couple of lines from the lyrics for you all to enjoy.

Can you imagine us,
Making love…
The way you would feel the first time that we touched,
Can you think of it…
The way I dream of it,
I want you to see like im seeing you…
It’s a picture of perfection,
The vision of you and me…

Your lips upon my lips,
Can you just picture this …
Your finger tips on my finger tips,
Your skin upon my skin …
Would be the sweetest sin …

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Reveal Me by Cari Quinn

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Unveiled, Book 1
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: Carter Nicholas
Heroine: Alana MacGregor
Sensuality: 4.5
Date of Publication: January 19, 2011
Started On: January 21, 2011
Finished On: January 21, 2011

I first discovered Cari Quinn when I read and reviewed her book Personal Research on September last year. With the release of that novel, Cari Quinn certainly made it to my auto-buy list because her books are seriously way over the hot, hot zone packaged with a ton of emotion that I as a romance reader absolutely revel in. This short erotic quickie released from Ellora’s Cave includes everything that makes an erotica worth your time.

Alana MacGregor has a bit of a wild side to her nature which hides the sensitive and vulnerable woman inside of her. Someone who is always a bit restless and has issues with commitment and settling down in one place, its a miracle in itself that Alana has lasted as the photographer for The Edge, Roanoke Virginia’s leading newspaper for 11 months now though Alana knows photographing dildos is not what she should be doing with her obvious talent for photography.

Alana is a regular visitor of Kink-Aly, Maryland’s hottest sex club and it is there she runs smack-dab into the now hunky and gorgeous Carter Nicholas from high school who Alana had used to make her then boyfriend jealous regardless of the fact that Alana was aware that nerdy Carter had feelings for her. Caught at a vulnerable moment Alana does what she always does best – brazenly offer herself up to Carter who manages to rouse in her feelings which Alana has thought impossible till now. Their journey towards happily ever after is a hot and wild one any erotica fan would absolutely love!

I liked:

  1. The cover!! I will buy this one for the cover alone. I can stare at that back for hours to come, imagining running my hands up and down those muscles, kissing those little curves. So before I get carried away once again, definitely heart the cover on this one! ^_^
  2. Carter Nicholas. I have identified with the fact that Cari Quinn writes the sexiest “nerdy” heroes possible and Carter certainly lived up to all my expectations and then some. He is sexy, dynamite in bed and out of it *winks* and the best quality about him is the fact that he sees Alana for who she is, wants her for who she is and obviously cares for her and cherishes her in a major way. Total hottie!
  3. Alana MacGregor. At first I couldn’t help but be a little taken aback by her less-than-kind nature. But as I read along I understood what was driving her to be what she was before and she fully redeemed herself towards the end which makes her strong in my opinion. And she is a definite match for the much laid back Carter. Alana is the right mix to add a little spice and wickedness to Carter’s life.
  4. Definitely made me notice Alana’s best friend Kelly. Provoke Me is the title where Kelly finds her happily ever after and am eagerly awaiting an announcement for its release date. I know I am going to love her story as much as I did Alana and Carter’s.

I disliked: None.

Recommended for:

1- Fans of erotic romances who love their stories hotter than wildfire.
2- Fans of Cari Quinn. You should definitely read this one!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo | Ellora’s Cave

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Into the Crossfire by Lisa Marie Rice

Format: E-bookintothecrossfire
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Protectors, Book 1
Publisher: Avon Red
Hero: Sam Reston
Heroine: Nicole Pearce
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: July 27, 2010
Started On: December 24, 2010
Finished On: December 25, 2010

Lisa Marie Rice’s books are all about larger than life heroes that literally makes the pages come alive with their sheer masculinity and uber-alpha protectiveness. And her heroines are always ultra-feminine with a mighty fierce protective nature of their own that can surprise the reader a time or two. And her books always deliver the most sensually well done love-scenes that you can’t help but want more of where that came from. Into The Crossfire is done in classic Lisa Marie Rice style and the 1st book in The Protectors series was definitely a huge hit with me.

Sam Reston, former SEAL and owner of Reston Security is the type of hero any woman would wish to be by her side. As a baby Sam had been abandoned at a dumpster by his drug addict mother like a piece of trash and she had returned back for him when Sam had been around 8 years old spouting nonsense on being a changed woman ready to take charge of her son’s life. Life had been a nightmare for Sam during the couple of years he had spent with  his mother who had used up all state aide on booze and drugs, with the men who had inhabited her life beating the shit out of Sam whenever they got the chance. That era of his life had ended when a teacher had taken notice of what was happening to Sam for him to be placed in a foster home that had been run by a brutal couple. It is there that Sam had met his blood brothers Harry Bolt and Mike Keillor where 3 of them had had each others backs and looked out for one another till they had gone their separate ways. A blown up eardrum had ended Sam’s career as a SEAL where Uncle Sam had taken what he was by nature, refined it and spent millions of dollars to make him into one fine killing machine. A fierce protector of the weaker sex, Sam and his blood brothers band up to protect abused women and give them a fresh start away from the memories of the abusive lives that they had been subjected to till then. Now his own boss, Sam works hard putting scum of the Earth behind bars, going deep undercover for missions at times.

28 year old Nicole Pearce has led a charmed life till now and had grown up in consulates and embassies all around the world with her father’s career embedded in the diplomatic circles. Her father Nicholas Pearce was the most honorable man she had ever known and her parents had been the perfect example of a loving couple until her mother had been taken away in a brutal accident a few years back. Nicole had been enjoying living the single and carefree life working as a translator at the UN in Geneva until she had received the news of her father’s illness. With multiple brain tumors of the inoperable kind, the only thing Nicole’s father had wanted was to move back home to die in peace, something which Nicole moves heaven and Earth to accomplish for the man who has her undying devotion and love. Her love life had practically ceased to exist with all her energy going into starting up her translating business Wordsmith and being there for her father.

It is during one of those deep undercover missions with Sam looking like the worst scum to walk the planet Earth that he encounters classy and beautiful Nicole who at first calls Sam “Lowlife” in her mind. Not knowing who Sam actually is, Nicole pins the prickling awareness that hits her unawares whenever Sam is around to her distaste in his disreputable looks. Nicole is the type of woman that Sam has always stayed away from till now. From the moment Sam sees Nicole it is as if all other women on planet Earth has ceased to exist for him and Sam takes up on an opportunity to coerce a dinner date out of Nicole to woo her into his arms in true Sam style which totally backfires on Sam in the most delicious ways possible. Nicole is in for the surprise of her life when Sam defies everything she lays down on the table and sweeps her into his arms to give her the  most unforgettable night of her life.

It is quite by chance that Nicole is thrust into danger when she holds within her hands a document that can thwart a terrorist attack to be carried out on American soil by a Muslim mastermind working in the Wallstreet. Crippling the American economy and making Manhattan a radioactive wasteland by July 4th is their aim and nothing would sway them in their path towards the ultimate destruction of America and the West. When a ruthless killer known as Outlaw is dispatched to destroy the information and eliminate Nicole the brutal race against time begins for Nicole and Sam in identifying what it is that had painted a target on Nicole’s head. Filled with villains of the creepy kind, a hero who makes your insides go numb from sensory overload and a heroine who you just can’t help but fall in love with, Into the Crossfire is one of the best romantic suspense novels of 2010 for me.

Likes:

1- Sam Reston. I don’t even know where to start with what he made me feel all throughout the book. Ms. Rice has done a splendid job in creating Sam as a fierce hero who wouldn’t hesitate to die for those whom he loves. His sheer masculinity just leaps at you from the pages making you want to rub your hands all over him.  His utter focus on Nicole and the way she calls to that elusive something deep inside of him and because Sam doesn’t hesitate to claim her as his and treat her right, Sam earns all the love reserved for romance heroes and then some deep within my heart. ^_^

2- I loved the sensations that coursed through me as I read through each and every encounter between Sam and Nicole. I don’t know how Ms. Rice does it but I practically forgot to breathe through Nicole and Sam’s first encounter of the against-the-wall variety as Sam blazed through and Nicole urged him to put to an end the sensory overload that had begun in earnest right from the very beginning of the novel. I think the name Sam has something to do with hot-as-sin against-the-wall-encounters. Brings back good memories of Sam and Jaine going at it in Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard. ^_~

3- Nicole Pearce. She is beautiful, classy and down-to-earth as they come. Her fierce love for her father and her undying loyalty towards him during his last couple of painful days left made her one of the most endearing heroines that I have read about. Totally loved her! And yes, she is perfect for the silent and strong Sam in every way!

4- Tthis story left me begging for Mike and Harry’s story to be told. Harry’s story “Hotter than Wildfire” is to come out next March and I literally am rubbing my hands together in glee at the mere thought of it!!

Dislikes: Sometimes the numerous references to Nicole’s dying father and the circumstances that had forced her to give up her wonderful life and come to her father’s aide gets to be a bit too much. Yes, we all know that Nicole’s father is sick, terminally ill and that she had given up everything to come take care of him. Repetitive explanations of the circumstances gets a tad tiring after a while.

Recommended for:

  1. Fans of Lisa Marie Rice.
  2. Fans of contemporary romantic suspense with a high dose of sensuality. I definitely loved this one!

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Command and Control by Shelli Stevens

Format: E-bookcommandandcontrol
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Holding Out for a Hero, Book 2
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd.
Hero: Trevor Wyatt
Heroine: Megan Asher
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: December 21, 2010
Started On: December 23, 2010
Finished On: December 23, 2010

My first book by Shelli Stevens was Dangerous Grounds, the first book in the Seattle Steam series which I read long before I started this review website of mine. But Dangerous Grounds has always lurked somewhere at the back of my mind as a book that I enjoyed immensely and I just might give in and revisit Gabe and Madison one of these days. So when I found out by following Ms. Stevens on Twitter that her latest release is all about a tortured hero who needs healing in all the ways possible, I didn’t hesitate to get myself a copy and indulge. And indulge is what I did as this short story delivered on all fronts and made all my senses come wonderfully alive with the raw sensuality between Trevor and Megan.

The story kicks off when Trevor walks into a coffee shop in his small hometown of Wyattsville to overhear the most notorious gossip in town declare that his ex-fiance Megan Asher was getting married. The streak of possessiveness that strikes through Trevor when he hears that someone else might claim his Megan is overwhelming to say the least. And it is with all this jealousy and possessiveness lurking close to the surface, almost ready to explode that Trevor confronts Megan to find out whether there was anything to the rumors floating around town.

Megan can’t believe it when without any warning Trevor walks in demanding to know whether the news that she was getting married that was circulating around town could be at all true. It is true that Megan had been the one to walk out on Trevor and their engagement but it had been Trevor who had really left their relationship after coming back injured from tour duty in Afghanistan, a man too haunted by memories that he had refused to let go or get professional help for him to heal. But leaving Trevor and trying to get over him certainly hadn’t worked at all when all Trevor had to do was just walk in for all her senses to come alive and slap her on her head for walking out on him.

With Trevor determined to win back what he rightfully considers as his, the heat is on as two people who have always shared a combustible passion between them fires up the pages in this delectable read. But compatibility in bed and out of it and a love that can last a lifetime certainly doesn’t seem to be enough when Trevor still ends up walking out on Megan afraid that by staying he would only end up hurting her. And it is Megan who remains undeterred in her conviction that she would help exorcise whatever ghosts that haunted Trevor and move them closer to the happily ever after that they both so much deserve making this book a lipsmackingly good read.

Likes:

  1. Trevor Wyatt of course! Was there any doubt in any of your minds about that? ^_^ Sexy, broody, tortured to the max and a possessive streak a mile wide when it comes to Megan, Trevor just makes my heart go thud, thud and my knees all wobbly with his mere presence. From the opening scene itself, everything feminine within me rejoiced in Trevor’s jealousy over the mere idea of anyone else claiming his Megan as their own. I definitely loved me some Trevor!
  2. Megan Asher. She definitely lives up to her character as in she is beautiful, smart, knows what she wants and doesn’t hesitate to work for what she wants no matter what happens which turned out to be her most endearing quality. Megan was wise enough to know what Trevor needs so that their relationship would have a standing chance  the second time round. Her plan to help Trevor certainly worked out well enough for her and for me as well. ^_^
  3. The hot, hot, hot sensuality between Trevor and Megan. I think my Kindle heated up a degree or two as Megan and Trevor, both with their take charge attitudes just simply combusted after a 1 year separation. Car smexing, shower smexing and smexing of the kinkier variety takes place, all very hot and all very well done!
  4. I loved the tidbits of Trevor and Megan’s shared past that made their forays into the story. Lent this story something extra of the wicked variety as well as in terms of character development.
  5. Command and Control certainly made me sit up and take notice of Kate and her crush on Todd Wyatt the youngest Wyatt of the 3 brothers. I have certainly added Flash Point, the 3rd book in the Holding Out for a Hero series which is to be published on March 2011 to my wishlist.

Dislikes: Though I know novellas are supposed to be pretty short, I just felt the ending was a bit too rushed. Of course things ended on a happy note but I would have loved it more if the ending had been just a tad longer.

Recommended for: Fans of contemporary erotica. This one is hot and sizzling good!

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Collateral Damage by J.L. Saint

Format: E-bookcollateraldamage
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Plus Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Silent Warrior, Book 1
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd.
Hero: Jack Hunter
Heroine: Lauren Collins
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: December 14, 2010
Started On: December 18, 2010
Finished On: December 23, 2010

Like any reader, I am a bit apprehensive when it comes to trying out new authors, though that doesn’t stop me from trying out books on authors that I have never heard of because just sometimes, delving into the unknown certainly pays off when you find a book such as this one where the pages literally turn themselves with the fast paced action, romance and adventure that this one delivers – in spades.

Sergeant First Class Jack Hunter with more than 20 years of military experience under his belt also known as DT i.e. Double Tap because of his accuracy with headshots, wakes up in the ICU at the Walter Reed Medical Centre when the last mission where he had led his team members Rico, Pecos and Neil into the terrorist ridden areas of Lebanon where a group had kidnapped and held hostage the daughters of the Israeli Prime Minister and the US Ambassador had gone totally wrong. With Rico and himself seriously injured and Neil dead in the strike that had taken place, Jack is a man torn apart by the nightmares about the mission gone wrong and pieces that don’t seem to fit together. The one thing that Jack who has a strained relationship with his 6 year old daughter Livy after the hellish nightmare of a 7 year marriage with her mother Jill had ended up in divorce knows is that there is more than what meets the eye in what went down in Lebanon. With all his senses screaming at him to make sense of the blond and blue eyed American he had shot dead whose body had not turned up makes Jack all twitchy on the insides and makes him push himself to the limits to get back to the field before the shit hits the fan.

Lauren Collins with her 6 year old twin sons Matt and Mitch is just a month away from finalizing her divorce from Bill Collins the one man she had thought had been her Prince Charming who had later turned out to be the stuff made from nightmares. Right after Bill had taken up a job at BioLogics, a company that deals with invention of green technology as their PR executive and turned all secretive, their marriage had hit the rocks only to plummet deeper into abysmal when Bill began a string of extramarital affairs that had finally decided the fate of their marriage. And when Lauren receives the dreaded phone call in the middle of the night informing her that her husband had been shot dead in what appeared to be a random act of violence right after which her home is invaded by a masked gunman hellbent on searching for something Lauren has no clue of whatsoever, she barely manages to escape with her and her sons lives intact.

When the rough and tough looking six foot Jack Hunter with his square jawed and chiseled looks turns up on her doorstep commanding all her bedraggled hormones to take notice and clamor for his attention, he turns out  to be her only savior from danger that lurks wherever she turns. Lauren has no choice but to trust Jack with her and her sons lives as they race against time and try to piece together the cutthroat world of murder and mayhem that Bill had thrust his family into. As red-hot passion burns strong and sure like wildfire between Jack and beautiful Lauren so does a mad man’s thirst for world dominance that knows no bounds as he would go to any lengths to thwart those who stand in his way to prevent him from executing the perfect plan which would give him total power served on a silver platter.

Likes:

  1. Jack Hunter. He is broody, tortured and hot as sin!! I always love myself a tortured hero who knows what to do with his God given talents in pleasing a woman! And that’s not the only thing that drew me to Jack. He is loyal and wants to do right by what is his though he has had a hard time of things for the last couple of years. And on top of all that, he is black ops military. *sigh* Jack is utterly swoon worthy ladies, I solemnly swear by this! *swoons*
  2. Lauren Collins. She is perfect heroine material for the rough and tough Jack Hunter. With her sons she is the fierce mother tigress protecting her cubs, with Jack she is vulnerable and strong at the same time and what makes her unique is she doesn’t stand down and let Jack take all the control but rather she is an equal partner where she and Jack are concerned. Loved Lauren to bits.
  3. This story opened up my eyes to a lot of things that can go wrong with the precariously balanced “peace” that we take for granted in this world. Just add to it bad guys who are unscrupulous enough and have the means to manipulate the West and  the Islamic world as that happened in this story and you would have a global catastrophe of major proportions on your hands. Being a Muslim myself, I was a bit apprehensive when I started out reading and encountered the scene where Muslims had kidnapped the daughter of the Israeli prime minister. And I thought to myself, please don’t let this story be something where Muslims are portrayed as less than human and I was really glad of the sensitivity with which Ms. Saint handled the issue. There is no overly judgmental stuff going on in the story which brings home the hard truth of a war that was started by the Bush administration which has already cost the common man a lot more just a pretty penny from his pocket. Kudos to Ms. Saint for pulling this off so well.
  4. I liked the secondary stories that were taking place as the story unfolded. I liked how Ms. Saint didn’t overly make the story about the secondary characters, which is sometimes what happens when an author tries to juggle too many characters and their stories in one novel. She has laid the foundation nicely for this new series the rest of the books which has already landed on my auto-buy list. I am really looking forward to reading the story of the Delta Team commander Lt. Col. Roger Weston and Mari, the Muslim widow of Neil who dies in the op that is the starting point of this series and story.
  5. The cover. Believe it or not, the cover was what drew me to the story in the first place. I make it a point to surf through Samhain Publishing at least once a month to find out titles that might interest me. And when I looked into the eyes of the guy on the cover, I was baited enough to read through the synopsis and I have since then been looking forward to its release date which was earlier this month. This one definitely ends up on the fabulous cover list!  ^_^
  6. The creepy villain and his ever more creepy chimpanzee. Gives me the shivers of the bad kind even thinking about his warped mind. But he was a villain who certainly delivered enough to label him as one of the creepiest villains ever and lends the story the edge that it so well receives from him on the danger and adventure front.

Dislikes: As always the lack of a proper epilogue does rankle but not overly much since I hope I would be getting to see a bit of Jack and Lauren in the next couple of books in the series. ^_^

Recommended for: Fans of romantic suspense who love books filled with non-stop adventure and red-hot passion!

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Heart of Fire by Linda Howard

Format: E-bookheartoffire
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Pocket
Hero: Ben Lewis
Heroine: Jillian Sherwood
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: October 1, 1997
Started On: December 18, 2010
Finished On: December 18, 2010

Jillian Sherwood, daughter of the archaeologist known as Cyrus “Crackpot” Sherwood grows up with the love for archaeology and lost civilizations instilled into her long back when she had been just a young child fascinated by the stories of long-lost civilizations she had learnt of whilst sitting in the warm security of her father’s arms. When her father had died when Jillian had been 14 years old in the Amazon jungle on the expedition which would have proved once and for all that Cyrus didn’t have his head up in the clouds as all his colleagues and the rest of the archaeological community believed him to be, Jillian follows in his footsteps to become an archaeologist herself, something which becomes twice as hard for her because her father’s reputation lingers even long after his death.

The final straw comes when Jillian is overlooked as a possible candidate for the Ouosalla dig in East Africa, the biggest new archaeological find in decades funded by her employer Frost Archaeological Foundation. Even though Jillian is more than qualified to attend, she is not even considered because of her father’s reputation, which brings forth the burning desire in Jillian to actually delve into her father’s fascination with the Anzar theory of the Amazon being named for a band of warrior women who had lived deep within the jungle, this fascination of his which had played the main role in Cyrus being labeled as a “misguided” fool.

When Jillian’s half brother Rick Sherwood learns of the probable treasure, the “Empress of the Heart”, a big fat red diamond that supposedly exists in the lost city of Anzar civilization, its not long before Rick teams up with the unsavory Steven Kates who agrees to fund their expedition to find the city of Anzar. Because only Jillian knows the secret of the coded message left in her father’s books, they have no choice but to take Jillian along. It is in Brazil that Jillian first comes across the six foot tall, potentially lethal Ben Lewis who is to be their guide in the rough trek through the Amazon jungle and its river for the next two months or so.

From the moment Jillian lays eyes on the rough around the edges Ben, she instinctively goes on the protective mode knowing that here was a man who would be lethal to her heart, body and soul if she were even to give in an inch. Ben is more than surprised and a little bit aggravated as well to find his unexplainable fascination with a woman who does not even remotely fit in with the usual type of women he carouses around with. And though Ben tries to tell his wayward libido otherwise, his body clamors to possess Jillian as his own and brand her his. His practiced seduction techniques certainly do not seem to work on the cool and collected Jillian, who makes it her self appointed mission to not give into Ben’s caresses which leaves her senses begging for more of where that came from.

I liked:

  1. Ben Lewis. Its tough not to like a man who oozes sexuality from just his mere presence in the story. *fans self*
  2. Jillian Sherwood. Linda Howard knows exactly what we want from her characters and she certainly doesn’t disappoint us with Jillian. Independent to a fault, vulnerable and loyal and a stubbornness that makes Ben grit his teeth every now and then, Jillian and her acrid sense of humor certainly makes for an enjoyable heroine.
  3. The witty banter between Jillian and Ben. My God, I laughed out loud several times during the story, especially the parts where things never seem to go as Ben plans them with Jillian. She constantly manages to surprise and infuriate him with the lack of interest she shows towards his advances, a fact that just continues to aggravate and arouse Ben more and more throughout the story.
  4. The explosive passion between Ben and Jillian. One reason why Ms. Howard’s books always rate a re-read is the fact that she delivers in spades in the romance, adventure as well as the sensuality department in her stories. The scene where Ben claims Jillian in the middle of a thunderstorm amidst the downpour in the jungle made my senses all go on red alert! *mmmm..*

Dislikes: Umm.. nothing much but I felt that I didn’t get to learn more about Ben and his past which I yearned for throughout the story. Though the lack of his past didn’t in anyway diminish the full force of his personality, I would have loved knowing more about him than just his hyperactive libido which makes its presence known right from the very beginning. *wink*

Recommended for: Fans of Linda Howard and fans of jungle trek themed romances.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Rhys’s Redemption by Anne McAllister

Format: Paperbackrhyssredemption
Read with: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Presents, #2126
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Rhys Wolfe
Heroine: Mariah Kelly
Sensuality: 2.9
Date of Publication: August 1, 2000
Started On: December 15, 2010
Finished On: December 16, 2010

I first discovered Anne McAllister years ago when I read her Harlequin novel Fletcher’s Baby. That was the time during which I had just discovered the amazing abundance of romance novels that Harlequin provides for voracious readers and Fletcher’s Baby was one of those reads that you remember even after a long time. The impact the story has on the senses (not because of any explicit or otherwise sexual content in the story) but rather because of the emotional wrangling content of the book, even my elder sister who has never been much of a fan of romances read and liked the story that unfolded. The dogeared copy of Fletcher’s Baby on our bookshelf is a testament to how well liked the story is. Even though this is a review of Rhys’s Redemption, my second book from Anne McAllister, if you haven’t already read Fletcher’s Baby, I highly advise you to do so. It is a great book for a good cry!

Rhys Wolfe is a man haunted by memories of the tragic death of his childhood love and wife Sarah and their unborn 4 month old baby. Born and raised in New York, Rhys had tried hard to please his family by going into the family business. Working long hours had kept him away from his pregnant wife and the fire that had  taken away his Sarah eight years back haunts him even to this day. Yes, Rhys has moved on to the best of his ability, quit his job at the firm which had pissed off his father, and taken a job in a specialized unit of firefighting that deals with oil well and rig fires. And it is an extremely commitment phobic Rhys that emerges from the tragedy of losing his beloved who has no intention whatsoever of getting married or having children ever again. His one steadfast rule, one he had made up as an act of self preservation was to sleep only with women who knew exactly what they were getting into – that is until he breaks his rule during the night he turns to comfort in the arms of Mariah, his friend and neighbor for the past 3 years.

31 year old Mariah Kelly comes from a large family from Kansas. She had been a small town girl with a determination to make it in the big city world in the field of journalism when she had first moved to New York 8 years back and was quite comfortable with her achievements. Mariah first meets Rhys during a cookout she holds on her terrace by inviting all her neighbors, and over time within Rhys Mariah finds all the qualities she had ever wanted to find in a man. And regardless of telling herself that falling for a man who has his heart locked away and the key thrown away into the dungeons, Mariah finds herself doing just exactly that – falling head over heels in love with the wrong man. When the one night of intense passion they share ends up in Mariah getting pregnant, Mariah hopes against hope that Rhys would come around and start to care for her and love her as much as she does for him.

When Rhys wakes up with a warm and sleeping Mariah in his arms, all his survival instincts kick in and he does the only thing he knows how to save his battered emotions. Two months without a word and Rhys returns home after an intense job planning all the while in his head how he and Mariah would move on and forget about the night that changed everything only to receive the bombshell that Mariah is pregnant with his child. Betrayal, pain and anger all course through Rhys when he first hears the news and the only thing Rhys is willing to offer Mariah is financial support and nothing more. Avoiding Mariah at all costs is what Rhys sets out  to do, but Mariah makes it damn hard for him to do just that when she refuses to condemn him for his actions, calmly accepting what Rhys is able to give and never asking for more. But staying away and just completely wiping away Mariah from his mind seems to be an impossible task for Rhys which eventually makes for a really heart wrenching read.

Likes:

  1. Mariah Kelly. I loved her for so many things as this story unfolded. Her unchanging love for a man who has immersed himself so deeply in his gut wrenching pain over the loss of the only woman he has ever loved, a love that doesn’t turn into resentment because Rhys is unwilling to give her his everything once he learns of her pregnancy. I loved her because she doesn’t turn bitter, nor does she hold it against Rhys that he is selfish enough to want to protect his heart from being broken to pieces all over again. Her courage, unwavering love and hope that Rhys would turn around makes her one of the most endearing heroines I have come across.
  2. The magic that this story weaves as it is told from both Rhys and Mariah’s viewpoints. There is so much emotion packed into it that the lump that applied for permanent residency in my throat refused to fade away even long after the story was through. Even though I cannot afford to pull an all-nighter reading a book these days, I couldn’t bring myself to part with the story and get my much needed sleep before work today. And thank God for the fact that this one is not a long novel or otherwise I would have found myself in a whole lot of trouble reporting to work all bleary-eyed today. ^_^
  3. How this book made me all teary-eyed – in a good way. Honestly, I am not one to cry and bawl over a story, well most of the time anyway. But last night, I found myself with tears in my eyes as I reached towards the end, tears of frustration at times on Rhys’s stubbornness in refusing to let go of Sarah, tears of sorrow for Mariah who loves Rhys quietly all along and in the end, tears of happiness for the happily ever after.
  4. This story definitely whetted my appetite to read Dominic’s story, the calm and controlled older brother of Rhys, and Sierra the younger sister of Mariah and her exact opposite in every way. That book is definitely going to end up in my wish list!

Dislikes: Though I loved this story to bits, I found myself at times a bit disappointed because Rhys and Mariah spends so much time apart from one another in the story. But in the end it all works out because this story ends up being different to your usual Harlequin pregnancy romances such that the hero doesn’t find himself just a changed man overnight, but rather takes the long road to find himself taking the second chance he has been offered at loving and being loved once again. But I would have loved a bit more interaction between Rhys and Mariah, just a tad more.

Favorite Quotes

Every night there were dreams. Dreams of Sarah. Collages of their life  together – happy childhood moments, the joy of their engagement, the bliss of their wedding day. There were a hundred moments – a thousand memories – all coming to wash over him the second he shut his eyes and gave in to slumber.
And they made him ache with longing. And he awoke sad and desperate – reaching for something – for someone – who slipped further and further away.
Those were bad. Worse, though, were his dreams of Mariah. In them he saw her laughing and smiling, joyful and tender. Her eyes watched him, her hands touched him. And in his dreams he responded. His body grew ready for hers. His heart grew hungry for hers. his arms lifted to reach out to her.
And then he would see Sarah again. Drifting just out of reach.
Then, always, he woke up. Alone.

Recommended for:

  1. Fans of Anne McAllister.
  2. Fans of Harlequin romances with enough emotion packed into it to knock your socks off. If you want a high dosage of sensuality in your romances, you are not going to find it here. But it can make you cry from deep within your heart.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Abe Books

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: No Place to Run by Maya Banks

Format: E-booknoplacetorun
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: The Kelly Group International, Book 2
Publisher: Berkley
Hero: Sam Kelly
Heroine: Sophie Lundgren
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: December 7, 2010
Started On: December 7, 2010
Finished On: December 7, 2010

I have been waiting for this book like forever (okay that was a tad wee bit dramatic), but it does feel like I have waited forever after reading and reviewing the 1st book in the Kelly Group International Series entitled The Darkest Hour, a story that just captivated me right from the very beginning and totally blew me away. So it would not be an exaggeration to say that I had very high expectations for the 2nd book in the series, each one of which was met with and some even exceeded by this delightful romantic suspense novel by Ms. Banks.

The Kelly Group International (KGI) is a family based business which takes care of situations such as hostage recovery missions, kidnap cases and the likes and also hire out their services to the numerous government agencies in the US for covert missions requiring highly skilled operatives in delicate situations. 36 year old Sam Kelly, the eldest of the 6 boys in the Kelly bunch acts as the leader and shares responsibility of running this covert group with his brothers Garrett (even saying his name makes me go just a tad bit weak in the knees ^_^), Donovan (Van) and Ethan who is yet to officially join the group. Each having specialized military background, Sam had served in the army before forming the KGI group with his brothers.

Sophie Lundgren on the other hand comes from a family right out of your worst nightmares. Alex Mouton,  her father is at the top of the most wanted lists in the US running his empire in everything illegal ranging from running prostitution rings to arms dealing. Sophie had witnessed the horrors of her father’s rigid control over his emotions and his ruthlessness at the tender age of 10 years, a man who always puts his business first and never tolerates any sign of weakness from those are close to him.

When a KGI mission takes Sam and his brothers to parts of Mexico on a mission to take down Alex Mouton, it is at a seedy bar in Mexico that Sam first encounters the blond, delicate and beautiful Sophie, making all his primal instincts come out to play right at the very first sight of her. Their affair though short, runs hot until his mission takes him away leaving Sophie behind, Sophie who calmly plans and executes a plot to murder her own father.

Five months on, a pregnant Sophie is at the very end of her wits trying to elude those hellbent on killing her to exact revenge for the murder of her father. Sophie holds the key to her father’s vast empire and its the only thing that’s keeping her alive and prevents her from being shot pointblank. Exhausted, with no place to run to except to the arms of the father of her child and the man who rocked her world for a brief period of time, it is a barely alive Sophie that Sam comes across, the woman who has haunted his dreams ever since he had walked out on her to complete KGI’s mission.

With more questions than answers running through Sam, trust is the hardest commodity to come by when Sam finds out just how truly deceived he had been by Sophie, the woman who now carried his child, who still manages to touch something deep inside of his heart, something no other woman had ever being able to do. Scared as Sophie is, the last thing she wants to do is to put the Kelly family in harms way, which is exactly what happens as things spiral out of control until at the very end when Sam has to decide whether he would be able to trade the life of the woman he loves more than anything for the life of his own mother, a decision no man should ever have to make.

My likes

  1. Boy, where do I start? This book packs everything and I don’t mean that lightly, EVERYTHING that I look for when I pick up a novel of the romantic suspense genre. Action packed, highly sensual and emotional with enough character development that keeps the pages turning, I resented the time I had to spend away from the story after I started reading. Yes, Maya Banks has done a splendid job with this one and I can’t literally wait for Garrett’s (*sigh* there goes the knee shaky thing again!) story to come out in March 2011.
  2. Sam Kelly. Oh boy! He is one yummy alpha hero, in fact I don’t know how Ms. Banks does it with the Kelly men, but the entire bunch just makes me salivate, sigh, drool and palpitate as the story unfolds. Even with the 1st chapter itself, Sam managed to knock my socks off, with his smoldering sensuality, the simmering need deep within him to claim the woman who is obviously meant for him which touched me in a deep, deep way. And as the story continues, I got to see so many sides of Sam, the responsible tough oldest sibling role he has to play, the gentle, kindhearted soul that comes out to play when he is around those who are weaker than him and the way he lays claim on his woman sealed the deal for me with this hero.
  3. Sophie! She is one hell of a heroine. Vulnerable, beautiful and fiercely protective as a mother lioness with her cubs when it comes to her baby and Sam, she totally won me over because she is exactly what Sam needs in his life to make it complete. I loved her because she doesn’t take crap from anyone, not Sam, not Garrett and not even her formidably frightening father and still managed to touch something deep inside of my heart with her need to belong, to be loved and cossetted by someone who would love her unconditionally.
  4. The family dynamics in the story. What pulled me in even from the very 1st book in the series is how well the whole Kelly family as well as other side roles within the series have been created, whetting the reader’s appetite for more from them. Apart from the obvious Kelly brothers whose stories every reader of this series must covet, I would love to read Rusty, Sean as well as P.J. and Steele’s story. It is a testament to how well the character development has been handled within the story that I as a reader have this deep, insatiable need to learn more about them, whom we just get to meet in a scene or two in the whole story. Kudos to Ms. Banks for a job well done!
  5. As much as I coveted the emotional, sensual and action-packed moments in the story, I loved the humor-laced parts of the story, though they were few and far in-between. The scene that stands out the most is where Sam has to find underthings for Sophie, and it is to his mom he has to turn to, and the conversation between Garrett, Sam and Donovan just had me laughing out loud – making my husband a firm believer of the fact that I am stark raving mad! ^_^
  6. And before I forget, I very much heart the man-titty cover! Would make a sensational addition to Pamela Clare’s MTM posts don’tcha think? ^_^

My Dislikes: Absolutely none! Just wish there was more of this stuff to read, is all!! ^_^

Favorite Quotes

He stopped, just a foot in front of her, so close that his heat reached out and circled her like the damp towel she wore so close to her breast.
The clothes were in his hand, but he didn’t move to give them to her and she didn’t reach for them.
His gaze was so intense. So penetrating. She felt naked. So itchy, and alive. She swallowed, but nothing she did ridded her of the knot in her throat. It ached like she ached.

Recommended for:

  1. Fans of Maya Banks.
  2. Fans of the KGI series.
  3. Fans of romantic suspense that love action packed stories filled with enough emotion and sensuality to knock your breath out! If you love them like I do, this one’s for you!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Ritual Sins by Anne Stuart

Format: E-bookritualsins
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Onyx
Hero: Luke Bardell
Heroine: Rachel Connery
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: October 1, 1997
Started On: December 4, 2010
Finished On: December 5, 2010

Ritual Sins was recommended to me on Goodreads by my good friend Ruby. As I read through this one, there is one thing that I can say with absolute certainty; none can blame Ms. Stuart for spinning your usual run-of-the-mill romantic suspense. Ms. Stuart always pushes the boundaries with her stories which either makes you want to hurl the book at the wall or put it at the top of your favorite keeper pile. For me, this book hit somewhere in between, though the story that unfolded pulled me in right from the very beginning.

Ritual Sins begins when 29 year old Rachel Connery decides to visit Santa Dolores, home base of the Foundation of Being in New Mexico, a compound devoted to meditation and enlightenment, combined with a hospice center to care for the dying. Rachel is a tortured heroine if there ever was one. Growing up with a mother who had never really cared about her and flitted from one man to another which had rendered her only child wary of the opposite sex, Stella Connery had cared for no one except her own self. Rachel had suffered sexual molestation at the hands of her third stepfather, the touching which had started when she had been 9 years old which had escalated into rape when she had been 12 had rendered Rachel frigid, unable to touch or be touched by any person, be it in kindness or anything else. Armed with her MBA from Havard, Rachel had worked hard in soul sucking jobs to earn enough money to just one day up and leave to Spain where for a period of 3 months she had found her solace, only to return back to the States to find out that her mother as the trustee to Rachel’s trust fund had drained her of every penny, 12.5 million dollars of which she leaves to Luke Ballard, founder of the Foundation of Being before finally succumbing to death after being diagnosed with breast cancer and leaving nothing behind for her only child but suffering, betrayal, anger and pain. Now the only thing that keeps Rachel going is her quest for revenge, the thirst to bring down Luke and his Foundation crumbling down which grows stronger everyday.

Ex-convict Luke Bardell grew up in a small town where his grandparents had tried to convince his mother to get an abortion, a father who had been an evangelist traveling from one town to the other who had never really wanted a child in the first place and had been killed for his wayward way with womenfolk by a jealous husband which had finally propelled his mother to marry Jackson Bardell, the worst mistake of her life for which she had paid in full by committing suicide when Luke had been around 8 years old, leaving him at the mercy of Jackson’s drunken fists until the day Luke had grown old enough to defend himself. When Luke had killed a man in a barroom brawl, Luke had been found guilty of manslaughter and had done time in jail for 3 years after which he had been released on parole during which time Luke had started the Foundation. With an uncanny charisma and charm, Luke has the ability to use his skills to draw people into his manipulative web of serenity and solace, and when Stella Connery dies at the Foundation, Luke knows deep down in his gut that Stella’s skinny, pale and sour faced daughter would prove to be the downfall of the Foundation, unless Luke can make her pay with the ultimate surrender of her heart, body and soul.

I liked:

  1. The unique story that unfolded as I swept through the pages. As I said at the beginning of my review, none can blame Ms. Stuart for spinning your average romantic suspense. This story is by not any means an easy read. Luke is a manipulator of the highest degree, who doesn’t feel any qualms about using people for his own needs regardless of the consequences. Learning about Luke and Rachel’s disturbing childhoods wasn’t easy, but it makes for a compelling read, one you can’t help but go on reading with a twisted kind of fascination. Even with all his faults, Luke still makes for a hero worthy of a sigh or two, even as he goes out of his way to charm and seduce Rachel to give up her heart, body and soul to him for nothing in return.
  2. Rachel Connery. She is a tortured heroine if there ever was one. She has so much pain, anguish and fear locked up inside of her that she is one simmering ball of misery waiting to explode. Ms. Stuart certainly paints a realistic picture of how someone who has been raped by her own stepfather countless times  can be frozen into state of abject misery throughout the years, not knowing how to reach out to anyone and never letting yourself become vulnerable enough to be hurt like that ever again. It was painful seeing Rachel being “forced” to give in, to embrace her sensual nature and when she did let go, it was a mighty fine feeling that overcame me as I rooted for her freedom from the very shackles of fear that keeps her in a prison of hell till that very moment.
  3. The complex multifaceted characters that liven up this read. There is not one character that I would have wished to do away with in this story. Each one of them lends something essential to the story making it one compelling story to sink into.

I did not like: Umm.. there’s nothing that I can say outright that I disliked in this novel. But Luke’s character was a bit tough to like during the first couple of chapters though the guy oozes charm like nothing else. But in the end, knowing where he came from, learning about the wealth of pain and suffering that had shaped him up made it all worth in the end. I still can’t say that I flat-out loved Luke, but I can definitely say that I wouldn’t shut the door in his face if he were to turn up at my house. *grin*

Favorite Quotes

She just looked at him. She really had extraordinary eyes, he thought, keeping his own face expressionless, slightly bored. It was those eyes of hers that were his downfall. He could resist her anger, he could resist her body and her sarcastic tongue. But those deep brown eyes, so full of pain and fury, need and defiance, did him in.

Recommended for: Fans of Anne Stuart.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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