Category / Carina Press

by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: The Game of Love by Jeanette Murray

Format: E-bookthegameoflove.jpg
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Carina Press
Hero: Brett Wallace
Heroine: Christina St. James
Date of Publication: August 29, 2011
Started On: August 29, 2011
Finished On: August 31, 2011

As most of you all already know, I am someone who loves a good contemporary romance. In fact, contemporary is my preferred genre and I would be one happy chick if authors continue to pen just straight old contemporary romances without the mystery, suspense or paranormal aspects in the mix. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading a mix of all these genres from time to time, but still at heart I am a big fan of plain old contemporary romances when it comes down to it.

34 year old Brett Wallace is a retired pro-football player and now the highschool football coach back in his hometown. Divorced from his ex-wife Lilith which could have turned real ugly if not for the prenup he had signed up before marrying her, needless to say Brett is leery of taking a step towards anything that remotely resembles a relationship with the opposite sex.

28 year old Christina St. James is an ex-pro tennis player who retires from a world from which she wants no part of and moves to Northeastern high school to teach Mathematics and lands the job of coaching their tennis team. Having being burnt badly in a relationship with a pro-athlete whose sole purpose of hanging onto Chris had been to boost his ego and image in front of supporters and the media, Chris has no intention of getting involved with the opposite sex anytime soon, much less Brett Wallace who oozes testosterone just by entering a room.

From the start both Brett and Chris who brings forth a lot of baggage from their previous relationships form misconceived opinions about the other which just delays the inevitability of them getting together. Chris is wary than most and is prickly as a hedgehog when she first encounters Brett and labels him to be just another Dax who would never be content with letting her be herself.

But time and time again, Brett proves that he is just the polar opposite of every misconceived perception that Chris has thought up of and before she knows it, Brett somehow worms his way into her life and into her heart making her yearn for things that she seems incapable of voicing. With a past that continually tries to invade into the present, Chris nearly loses Brett and what he offers until towards the very satisfying end to the story.

Jeanette Murray might be a new author for me, but I felt right at home with her voice that rings with the unbeatable combination of humor, passion and those sweet romantic moments that I just felt right at home with. I loved the way the story flowed, the way she developed both Chris and Brett and inevitably got them together.

Being not much of a fan of sports romances, I tend to stay away from them most of the time. But The Game of Love seemed to call my name when I came across its very well done and drool inducing cover and I am glad I did pay heed to the calling since this is a romance that indeed balances things out in every aspect. Jeanette surely knows her subject matter when it comes to sports and it definitely comes across during the whole story.

Brett Wallace is the dreamiest and sexiest sports jock hero I have come across to date. He is sexy, kind, funny, charming, endearing and knows his way around the erogenous zones of the female anatomy quite well I would say. His past that has left some emotional scars behind makes him cautious and at times tends to let him make a fool out of himself. But the way he is the ultimate good guy all around and nevertheless give the total alpha-male-in-control vibe without going overboard just makes him into my list of yummy heroes.

I just flat out loved the way Brett worms his way into Chris’s life, catching her unawares which in the end gives them both the best thing to happen to both of them in a long while. The thing that endeared Brett most to me was how he always seems to know Chris and her needs even when her overly cautious nature refuses to confide in Brett of her painful past. The way he comforts her when she seems in dire need of it – I could definitely use someone like Brett in my life.

Chris on the other hand had the whole prickly female thing going on for her when the story started, a trait which I am not much of a fan of. But once I got deeper into her character, the way she had grown up with a set of parents who lost sight of the happiness of their little girl a long time back and the way her past relationship had shaped out to be, hell I would have been prickly myself after going through all that.

In the end, Chris’s character develops along nicely, Brett’s understanding and loving nature working its magic over her battered emotions and soul until she is ready to face the concept of being in love and making herself vulnerable to another once again. Once Chris gives into the heady passion between herself and Brett, the heat factor is on and I just couldn’t get enough of the light amusement that always seems a part of their heady lovemaking sessions. And the way Brett continually spaces out into fantasy land featuring Chris in various get-ups just makes him totally and irrevocably male in my opinion!

I have got to say that I just adored Katie’s character who is Chris’s best friend and a hugley pregnant one at that, who just made me howl out in laughter with her quirky thoughts and laugh-out-loud variety interactions with both Chris and Brett.

The Game of Love by Jeanette Murray is a romance that delivers exceptionally well on all counts, a contemporary not to be missed if you are a fan of light hearted romance with the bite of toe-curling passion in the mix!

Favorite Quotes

(Chris) “Katie, seriously. He’s a jock with entitlement issues. What about that could I possibly like?”
“Well…” Her friend trailed off and Chris could hear Katie’s fingers drumming a pattern on the table. “You guys have a lot in common.”
Chris snorted and started mixing the salad with two large forks. “What, we both convert oxygen into carbon dioxide?”

He (Brett) handed her the drink over her shoulder. She looked up and smiled, saying thanks. The table was covered with notepads and pens. And when he sat down across from her, she reached in her bag and brought out a pair of glasses.
His body froze, hand clutched around his drink. Naughty librarian daydream come to life.
Oh, good Christ.

(Brett) “Making friends?”
She jerked, then her spine straightened into posture nuns would be proud of and she turned her head. “He’s hard to resist, really.” Another belly rub. “You’re late.”
He crouched down to sit on his heels, and his knees spanned to either side of her arms. Reaching around, he scratched Beans behind the ears. Brett was positive the dog actually sighed with happiness. “I’ve been here, just didn’t think to look for you on the floor.”

His smile was slow to spread over his face. As it grew, something warm slid through her belly, warming her from the inside like a pumpkin spice latte on a cool fall night.
Red alert. That’s a ten-forty-two. Charming jock in progress, proceed with caution.
He took her hand in his, shook it once, then let go. Very proper, very simple. And it would have stayed that way had she not looked him in the eye and seen it.
Hunger, as clear as if he were a starving man looking at a T-bone.
And that was the T-bone’s cue to make for the hills.

Following their line of vision, he found the distraction. The damn tennis team, running the perimeter of the football field in some half-assed formation, following their fearless leader. They weren’t looking at the field, weren’t yelling or causing a scene. Just concentrating on keeping up with Chris.
Having been a teenage boy himself, the draw was obvious. Teenage girls. Short shorts. No brainer. At thirty-four, he was past that.
Except his eyes didn’t seem to get the “I’m Too Old For This” memo. They were tracking Chris like a hawk tracks a field mouse.

She’d been given gifts before. Earrings, necklaces, bracelets. Weekend trips to the Bahamas or a day at the spa. Expensive—but meaningless—trinkets that showed Dax didn’t have a clue what to give her, that he didn’t listen to her. Things that could be meant for any woman. Nothing that said she was special, that what she thought and wanted mattered.
A set of aluminum bleachers full of teenage boys meant more than any of those things combined.

His tongue swept in, gentle and sweet, but also intense. She tasted spearmint, like he’d been chewing gum. He smelled like grass from the field.
One hand smoothed a path up her back under her sweatshirt but over her tank. His palm made lazy circles on her back that mimicked the rhythm of their kiss. It was a light, almost reverent touch, and she finally knew what Katie meant when she had once said she loved kissing so much she could do it for hours alone. If this was how it was supposed to be done, sign her up for a marathon event.

(Brett) “Never been to a football game either?” His voice lowered to a gravelly hush. “Well, like I said. We’ll make up for lost time.” He bent down and kissed her. “See you Friday?”
Dazed, all she could contribute was, “Yeah, Friday…” before he turned and went back to his car.
She walked inside, shut the door, leaned her back against it and concentrated on the rise and fall of her chest. It felt like he’d stolen her breath. And her heart. She was pretty sure he had taken a small piece of it with him.

As she relaxed against his chest, he pulled her in closer. Turning her face into his shirt, she breathed in the calming scent that was him. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled into the fabric.
One big hand stroked over her head, down her long ponytail to rub her back in soothing circles. “No, I’m sorry. You’ve told me before it made you uncomfortable and I pushed. That was an asshole move. You’re entitled to your feelings and I shouldn’t fight against them. I’m sorry.” He dropped a kiss on her temple.
And with that little apology, she stepped off the cliff of denial and fell headfirst into love with Brett Wallace.

Purchase Links: Carina Press | Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Under Fire by Rita Henuber

Format: E-bookunderfire
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Carina Press
Series: Standalone
Hero: Declan O’Conner
Heroine: Olivia Carver
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: August 22, 2011
Started On: August 19, 2011
Finished On: August 24, 2011

I am a little bit late with my review of Under Fire by Rita Henuber. Work has been a bit crazy and with other obligations taking up my precious reading time, I have been a bit swamped so to speak. But I am a girl who always believes in the “better late than never” adage and though my review is a trifle bit late in coming, it comes with all good tidings and recommendations for fans of the genre to give this one a try!

Rico Cortes is a DEA agent who has been working deep undercover in the midst of Miami’s drug world. With a past that has put him on a course to do his bit to rid his country of drugs, Rico is at the verge of wondering who the real Rico is as his job pulls him deeper into a world filled with treachery and deceit.

Coast Guard Lt. Commander Olivia Carver is one determined woman, whose twin brother Danny was murdered whilst working undercover in the Miami drug scene. Her vow to avenge the death of her twin is one that constantly rings through her very soul and the only thing that stops her from quitting her job to embark on a full fledged search for the killer is the fact that her position brings her intel that she otherwise would not have access to.

When Olivia and Rico’s worlds collide, a meeting machinated by Rico in order to throw Olivia off the course of Rico’s investigation, the one thing neither counts on is the volatile sexual need that practically wipes every other thought from their minds. A one night stand that leaves both wanting more takes a darker turn when Rico is forced to make use of Olivia in their joint quest to bring their mutual enemy to justice – or wipe him off the face of the Earth once and for all!

Under Fire is an appropriate title for a book which is filled with action of the heart pounding variety that never lets up. The constant kick-ass action that is always a part of this story held my undivided attention as I sped through the pages. With a thrilling chase that kickstarts the story sets the tone for the whole novel as Olivia and Rico pulls out all the stops to lure one of the worst drug lords in their country to his ultimate demise. I loved the fact that Rita Henuber doesn’t pull any punches and delivered that realistic edge to the action, not doing a complete 360 degree turnabout at the end where forgiveness and doing the right thing takes precedence over the goal that had been set at the beginning.

The passion that ignites between Olivia and Rico is one to be savored in the story. Though the scenes aren’t explicitly detailed each and every single time, Rita does know how to keep the adrenaline pumping with the constant arcs of awareness that leaps forth between Olivia and Rico. I loved the heat and sultriness of the first encounter between them and I’ve just got one word for Rico – HOT!

For me, though Olivia tended to be the centrepoint of the story as it unfolded, Rico’s character turned out to be the most endearing one. His painful past when it comes to light made me want to wrap my arms around him and never let go. As the shades of his undercover persona is left behind bit by bit, there emerges a man that wants above all to do the right thing and to find that one person in the world who would love him completely, his darkness and all.

Olivia makes for one kick-ass chick, whose sheer determination to find her twin brother’s killer obliterates everything else in her life – even her burgoening feelings towards Rico. I think it was because of that reason that I couldn’t completely warm up to Olivia’s character towards the end though she makes you want to learn one of those few dangerous manueuvers of your own to dish out every now and then.

The humor that is so intrinsically woven together in a story that practically vibrates with adrenaline overload turned out to be one of the reasons I kept coming back for more of Olivia and Rico. I kept going LOL even during those tense moments fraught with either danger or sexual tension that just somehow seemed to fit right in making this romantic suspense a well balanced one.

One of my peeves with the book turned out to be how things ended in the story. I was clamoring so bad for an epilogue that would depict Olivia and Rico as a couple, maybe a couple of years in the future, both settled in and adjusting to life at a different pace than the ones they have led up till and throughout the story. The way how things ended is the only reason that prevented me from giving this one a whopping 5-stars though Under Fire still makes for an awesome read!

Recommended for those who love their heroines to be of the kick-ass variety, their heroes to be ultra sexy and for the story to practically burst at the seams from the continuous stream of non-stop action!

Favorite Quotes

(Rico) “What’s it going to take to get you to dance with me?”
She crooked her index finger and motioned him to come close. “A million in your bank account and seven inches in your pants.”
Without missing a beat he replied, “The million I have, but even for a woman as beautiful as you, I won’t cut off three inches.”
Olivia’s eyes went wide and she burst out laughing.

(Rico) “Can’t wait.”
“Neither can I.” She prepared herself for another go-on-forever kiss. It didn’t come. Between gentle darting kisses, Rico nibbled her lips while his hands explored her body. Olivia moaned. She couldn’t help it.
The sound seemed to trigger something in Rico. Now the kissing was hard, wild and insatiable. Strong arms circled her, big hands covered her buttocks and yanked her against him. Without stopping the kisses or separating their bodies, Rico maneuvered them to the passenger side of her Jeep.

She closed tight around him, pulsing. Rico’s fingers dug into her hips. His movements quickened and he found his rhythm. She wrapped her legs around his hips as his body arched, tensed and shuddered with his own release.
Someone growled. Him, her, she didn’t know. Her blood pounded so hard and loud in her head she couldn’t be sure.

(Olivia) “I’m stopping at the next exit for gas. I’ll get rid of the scrubs. You get out and walk around or by the time we get to Miami you’ll be too stiff to move.”
“Don’t worry, when I get stiff I move very well,” he muttered as he turned to face away.
“I heard that.”

He (Rico) moved to look at the speedometer.
“Come on, Olivia. The speed limit is 70. You’re doing 95, and this car is ticket bait. I don’t want to risk getting stopped.”
“I’m traveling with the flow. This is I-95. If I go the speed limit I’ll stand out.”
He scowled.
“Okay.” She slowed the Corvette.
“Thanks,” he muttered. “You always drive like this?”
“Yep, I grew up in Texas. Speed limits there are only a suggestion.”

(Olivia) “What is all of this, your James Bond room?”
“You could say that. It’s my backup.” He opened cabinets, took out a pill bottle and downed a Percocet. “In here I have weapons, computers, transportation, medical supplies, money and anything else I might need for my survival. Things we’ll need to complete this job.”
Olivia ran her fingers across several of the weapons on the counter and shelf. “Where’s your toothbrush radio and exploding briefcase?”

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

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by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Breathe Again by Bonnie R. Paulson

Format: E-bookbreatheagain
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Carina Press
Series: Standalone
Hero: Brodan Steele
Heroine: Maggie Lachlan
Sensuality: 2.9
Date of Publication: August 22, 2011
Started On: August 16, 2011
Finished On: August 16, 2011

Breathe Again by Bonnie R. Paulson is a contemporary romance set to release on the 22nd of this month from Carina Press. This is a story that deals with a lot of grief, a widow who hasn’t allowed herself time to properly grieve for a loss that has her questioning each and every relationship in her life, making her reject overtures made by her friends and loved ones because pity is intolerable in the face of what she has experienced. Told in the first person from Maggie’s point of view, Breathe Again describes how Maggie finds friendship and ultimately the strength to move on from her past and embrace a love that blossoms in the the most unlikely circumstances.

Maggie has been struggling with the death of her husband Dean for the past ten months. A radiologist who immerses herself in her work to keep the dark memories at bay, Maggie suddenly finds herself taking a forced vacation of two weeks from work making her wonder whether she would be able to handle all that time alone by herself. Rescue comes from an unlikely friendship that is forged between Maggie and the charming, fun and easygoing Ryan Stewart and his taciturn older brother Brodan Steele who seems to rub her emotions in a wrong way.

This unlikely threesome somehow cross all the hurdles and form a close knitted group even with Brodan trying to keep Maggie at arm’s length, trying his damndest to ignore the spark that continues to dance between them.It is this relationship that acts as a starting point for healing that begins the torturous process of letting go of Maggie’s painful past amidst facing the truth about Ryan and the toll his waning health takes on his older brother who refuses to step away from his side. 

For me, there are a couple of things worthy of being mentioned about the story. I found the grieving aspect of the story to be a unique one which held my undivided attention as Maggie undergoes a lot of pain and feelings of insecurity as to why her husband had opted to leave her the way he had. It certainly would not be easy for anyone to get over a death like Dean’s, especially given the fact that Maggie never allows herself to grieve properly for a loss that continues to haunt and taunt her even ten months on.

Ryan’s attitude towards life, even when his life was filled with so much uncertainty was an aspect of the story that  made me think about all the things in life that one ought to be thankful for. Its a fact that we humans rarely take the time to do that, much less appreciate each given day as it comes. 

Now for the things that didn’t work for me in the story. The sexual tension that was built up right from the very start between Brodan and Maggie never fully materialized even towards the end of the story. I felt as if I had been cheated out of a vital aspect of their relationship and that a door had been slammed shut in my face even before I fully knew what it was that I wanted when it came to their reluctant relationship. I could definitely understand Brodan’s reasoning when it came to avoiding any sort of realtionship with Maggie apart from being friends because of Ryan. But to be able to say no to what Brodan and Maggie both obviously wanted from each other just didn’t sit that well with me.

Because the story was told only from Maggie’s point of view, I felt cheated out of ever getting to experience how it is Brodan feels throughout the story. The sexual tension aspect of a novel works brilliantly if and when the hero’s tortured thoughts are also included as part of the developing relationship between the hero and heroine which this one lacked. Though overall I did like Maggie’s thoughts and at times her self depreciating humor, I would have loved it if Brodan’s thoughts and feelings and his point of view had been included in the story.

Towards the end, I just felt that there was too much grief and very little happiness in this story. For someone who likes happy endings, the somber mood of the story throughout with very little lightness somehow detracted a bit from my enjoyment factor. Though there is a happily ever after in the making for Brodan and Maggie, I just never felt that glow that comes from being satisfied when the hero and heroine finally seal their life together towards the end.

by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: Deceiving the Protector by Dee Tenorio

Format: E-bookdeceivingtheprotector
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Carina Press
Series: Resurrection, Book 2
Hero: Jensen Tate
Heroine: Lia Crawford
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: August 15, 2011
Started On: August 1, 2011
Finished On: August 1, 2011

You know that uber satisfied feeling that you get when you have read a book that has managed to hit all those spots that crave to be petted and stroked when you immerse yourself in a good book? Well, at the moment I am like the cat who got her full bowl of cream and then some as the 2nd book in the Resurrection series managed to completely woo me and left me spellbound once again with Dee Tenorio’s ability to blow me away with her stories.

Jensen Tate, brother to Alpha and one of the generals of the pack is tasked with the job of finding a female “stray” and bringing her to safety. A job that stirs up feelings that Tate has thought long since buried when he comes into contact with the half-starved, gritty, determined and surly Lia Crawford who seems to call out to the inner wolf inside of him to come out and stake its claim on the woman whose bewitching green eyes show remanents of a hidden fear so deep that it just about tears up Tate on the insides.

Lia knows that there is no turning back for her on the path she has chosen to walk and that neither is Tate supposed to be with her if what he and his brothers have worked so hard to bring about is to remain on course without the vicious hunters on her trail getting to them through her. For the safety of her sister Laurel, Lia is willing to do anything, even put up with the constant darkness that never seems to leave her life, always one step ahead, forcing her to accept the fact that she would never ever be a free woman of her own will.

Tate knows that Lia hides more than she is willing to let on and it drives him nuts trying to protect a woman whose sheer stubbornness alone makes him want to lay her down somewhere and make her forget the dead weight that she seems to carry on her shoulders. As Tate “forces” her to go along with his plans, Lia finds herself charmed by a man beneath whose gruff exterior lies a wolf begging to be petted and stroked and a man whose rough tenderness just about breaks every wall and shield she has erected to safeguard her emotions & heart.

As their trek towards the next safe house continues, Tate comes face to face with the danger that stalks and preys on the absolute fear that it demands from Lia as he finally starts accepting the fact that Lia is his mate for life, if she can just trust him enough to protect her and save her from the evil that refuses to let go.

Deceiving the Protector is fantastic in all the ways that counts. The way Dee builds up her paranormal world, subtly bringing in the details in the midst of the character development is what drew me in. The constant whirl of my thinking cap trying to figure out what would happen next was what I loved most about this paranormal romantic suspense and the reality and horrors behind what Lia underwent at the hands of mad men willing to rid the world of shifters anyway they can just left me with a bad taste in my mouth and shivers of the bad kind running up and down my spine.

Jensen Tate is a hero that practically invaded my heart as layer by layer his character unfolds, revealing a man of immense strength and beauty, though being called beautiful might piss Tate off and make him growl a bit before settling down, but nevertheless that is how I find him to be. A man so worthy of tender touches and healing kisses, whose protective nature refuses to step back and let his mate be the protector instead, no matter how chauvinistic that might seem to be. The reason why I fell so deeply for Tate is how he manages to gently draw out the hidden woman inside of Lia who has been cowering inside, afraid to show herself and refuses to let her return back to the shell of a woman she was before. His charming manner of telling a good story of course had me sighing all over the place and of course nekkid Tate is a sight to savored on its own.

Lia is a heroine who finds the strength to go on against all odds, a woman who has been on her own for so long that she finds the concept of accepting help a foreign one. Nevertheless, her fascination with Tate that continues to grow as they spend time together is one that refuses to be denied, and the need and desire that unfurls deep within her to claim his wolf as hers is one that continues taunt and tease her until she is ready to serve herself to Tate on silver platter. It is Lia’s immense courage and strength that awed me, and the way she perfectly complements Tate and knows how to soothe & appease the inner wolf inside of him and at the same time be a mate worthy enough to stand by his side that won me over.

It is a testament to Dee’s ability that she managed to make a slight part of me feel for the villain who continued to terrorize Lia until his demise, and I couldn’t help a tiny part of myself from thinking that it is the monsters who had carved him into what he turned out to be that should be rotting in hell. I know that the as the Resurrection series continues that everyone would get what they deserve, in fact I’m counting on that to happen so that I can revel in it big  time when their asses get kicked to Hell never to return!

How Dee does it I would never know, but let me tell you I loved every single minute of it! One minute I am practically drooling and panting over the explosive passion between Tate and Lia, the next I am immersed in tender emotions so deep that I just feel like curling into a ball and sighing in contentment and the next thing I know I am laughing out loud at the witty banter between Tate and Lia that never fails to amuse! Kudos to Dee who manages it so effortlessly and made this book one entertaining fest that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon!

Highly recommended for fans of the series, fans of Dee Tenorio and fans of paranormal romantic suspense.

Final Verdict: Delivering a kick-ass paranormal world with a heady mix of suspense and romance that one cannot resist,  Deceiving the Protector is a SHOULD NOT MISS!

Favorite Quotes

Then he stepped into an orchard, on a rise of packed dirt between tree groves, and proceeded not to give a rat’s ass what she might be trying to do.
The scent was finally clear.
And it went straight to his head.
Female. Apples. Cool water. Rich earth. Rain. Sunshine.

Sometimes, she wasn’t sure when she was seeing him, except for those few moments when their eyes met and she couldn’t look away to save her own life. She could see the protector in him then, sense the hunter. Raw strength emanated from him in those moments, his intensity surrounding her, suffusing her. She could almost feel his arms around her, trying to pull her under his protection. She’d be safe with him. Not cosseted, maybe, but…she’d be able to breathe. To know the next breath was coming, sure as the sunrise.

(Tate) “Sure, she can. She also makes a staff out of light that can cut people and the cars they’re driving in half. Five-feet-five-inches of pure power. Even at her best, it’s like having a nuclear bomb for a sister-in-law.”
“Boy.” Lia laughed, and by the look on his face he knew it was at his expense. “She must love you.”
“We have a complicated relationship,” he agreed with a self-depreciating nod. “Sort of a cross between suspicion and fuck you.”

His hands gripped her hips, slowing her descent. She could feel him savoring her, quaking at the feel of her claw tips sinking into his shoulders. His eyes flickered, the gray color she loved having shifted to the glowing yellow of his Wolf. She smiled, bucking against his hold.
“This time, I take you.” She pushed down, filling herself with him. He growled, drowning out her sigh. He squeezed tight, but she refused to be held back. She lifted up, rocking forward before sliding back down, savoring his groan against the beaded tips of her breasts. “I’m claiming you, Jensen Tate.”
Because you’re mine.

by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Deadly Obsession by Katie Reus

Format: E-bookdeadlyobsession
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Carina Press
Series: Standalone
Hero: Braden Donnelly
Heroine: Lilly Carmichael
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: August 15, 2011
Started On: August 11, 2011
Finished On: August 12, 2011

Deadly Obsession by Katie Reus is my first taste of her work and I think I am going to end up becoming an instant fan if what she can deliver with the rest of her stories is as good as this one turned out to be. Deadly Obsession is a romantic suspense that is a trifle bit dark with some vivid images of violence that makes this book exceptional in terms of the realistic edge the story delivers.

Deadly Obsession is set in the small town of Hudson Bay where a vicious and sadistic serial killer has been targeting victims too close to comfort to the town’s sheriff Braden Donnelly. Braden’s entire family apart from his grandmother had all been killed in a plane crash three years back the time around which he had quit the Marines and returned home, tired of seeing the face of death each and every day. Braden has a feeling that the killer is trying to send a message across to him though he has no idea who in his town would hold that much of a grudge against him.

Lilly Carmichael left her hometown ten years back and never looked back. An undercover agent for NSA, Lilly suffers from PTSD after a horrific incident in Africa that still plagues her with vivid nightmares. Lilly had left behind her Aunt Debra and her first boyfriend Braden who had been her first everything when she had left town. Though relations between her and her aunt who had brought her up since she was five years old had remained solid, Braden and Lilly had parted on bad terms and Lilly knows that Braden had been as much heartbroken as she had been when she left him behind. Guarding the secret of the actual reason why she had fled town seems to be the only way she can keep the now much more mature and lethal version of Braden whose intense stare still betrays the need he feels for her.

Braden feels suckerpunched by the intense want that courses through him as he sees Lilly for the first time in ten years. All his relationships since then had never even come close to making him feel even half as much of what he feels for Lilly though Braden would rather die than admit the fact to the woman who has continued to haunt his dreams even from afar.

It is Aunt Debra’s death that brings Lilly back home, a death that was staged by the killer who has every intention of wreaking havoc on Lilly and Braden’s emotions and lives, a fact he drives home by the sheer number of murders that he commits within such a short span of time. With the clock ticking towards an end that Braden would not have Lilly end up as the victim, both Lilly and Braden remain unaware until towards the very end just how personal and how close to home the threat against them emerges from.

Deadly Obsession turned out to be a fantastic read that held my undivided attention from page 1. There was never a dull moment nor a minute when I wished the story would continue on a different track and speed than with the one it was proceeding. Braden is such a sexy, compelling and intense hero that one cannot help but be drawn towards him even from the very first encounter. Hiding in his heart a wealth of pain because of all the loved ones he had lost, Braden is not at all ready to make himself vulnerable yet again to the only woman who still manages to make his heart beat faster by her mere presence. Its his protective nature without needless coddling and his take-charge attitude when it comes to the matters of the heart that lodged him permanently in my heart as I practically devoured this book.

Lilly was a heroine I reserved my judgement on until the very last minute, until the story brought to light exactly why she had left the way she did ten years back. Even before that, I couldn’t help but admire her courage and need to dig deeper to find out who was targeting innocent women in her hometown in the killer’s quest to make Lilly and Braden squirm in utter helplessness as the body count continues to grow.

All the side characters in the novel brought that something extra into the story that always makes a book that much more pleasing to lose oneself in and worthy of a mention is the quirky character of Hailey Banks, the county coroner. If Katie Reus were ever to continue this as a series, I would dearly love to see her story come out.

Final Verdict: Dark and edgy with the bite of red hot passion sizzling through the pages, Deadly Obsession is a romantic suspense that delivers on all counts.

Favorite Quotes

His masculine scent and strong embrace definitely hadn’t changed. He murmured soothing words against her hair and she let herself relax. When his familiar male scent washed over her with startling intensity, she cursed her traitorous body. Her nipples tightened against her bra when he stroked a soft hand down her spine. With one gentle touch her dormant libido flared to life.

When he dipped his head toward her breasts, she arched her back, giving him better access. In measured movements, he licked and laved one breast while palming the other. His calloused palm over her sensitive skin sent erotic vibrations to all her nerve endings.
This was a side to him she’d never seen. His whole body shook with need and the dark look in his eyes was startling. Not that she was afraid he’d hurt her. He just looked…hungry.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Boomerang Bride by Fiona Lowe

Format: E-bookboomerangbride
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Carina Press
Series: Standalone
Hero: Marc Olsen
Heroine: Matilda Geoffrey
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: August 8, 2011
Started On: August 5, 2011
Finished On: August 6, 2011

Boomerang Bride which is set to release on the 8th of this month is my first Fiona Lowe and it definitely is not going to be my last. I wholeheartedly agree with the fact that Carina Press releases some of the best romances all year round as each and every story apart from a very select few have always been immensely satisfying for me and Boomerang Bride is no exception to that rule.

Boomerang Bride kicks off when 34 year old Marc Olsen comes home to Hobin, Wisconsin for his annual Thanksgiving visit and finds himself intrigued enough to investigate the pitiful & homely looking bride toting a huge cake wandering around looking for the groom. Discovering that the Australian bride who has flown all the way from home to surprise her fiancé Barry who seems to have wiped himself off the face of the Earth has got a lot of spunk in her surprises him and entertains him unlike anything else has for the past couple of months during which a restlessness has taken a hold of him.

A brilliant architect based in New York, Marc is fiercely possessive of his independence and has no plans of giving even an inch of it up anytime soon. Tall, blond and blue-eyed with immense good looks, Marc has never had to actively work to win the affections of a woman and nor has he any intention of doing so until the turquoise eyed Australian with her auburn curls tempt him beyond reason to break every rule in his book of “How-to-avoid-needy-women-and-commitment”.

Setting out on her grand adventure, 30 year old Matilda Geoffrey never thought that she would be scammed so thoroughly and be left destitute with no way to return home. Calling on the reserves of her pride and her optimism that something would come through, Matilda grudgingly accepts the much needed help that the disturbing Marc with his Viking good looks offers her. Before Matilda knows it, she is elbow deep in the family issues that Marc so valiantly tries to avoid, taking care of a post-op Lori Marc’s younger sister and her son Kyle who is in his surly teenage phase all the while fighting the immense attraction that she feels for Marc along the way.

Marc doesn’t make it any easier for Matilda  to forget that her knees start to give in every single time he turns on his charm and gives her his intense bedroom stare that just makes her want to lay down and give herself up to his mercy. But the Australian is made of sterner stuff than that, or so she thinks and inevitably succumbs to the fire that courses through her veins whenever Marc takes her in his arms and proceeds to show her that Matilda indeed has a thing for her Viking though no promises are made by either regarding the future of their “relationship”.

In the end, Matilda turns out to be a godsend to Marc and her sister both as her Australian charm and spunk goes a long way in healing hurts that even Marc doesn’t realize exists deep inside of him and makes them all take a second look at the blessings they are left with, even when life has dealt them all with severe blows along the way. But even Matilda’s love is not enough to keep Marc from leaving and making the biggest mistake of his life until he realizes it with just enough time to spare to woo the woman whom he loves more than anything to agree to share her life with him, now and forever.

For me, Boomerang Bride was just sheer magic to lose myself in. From page one Matilda and Marc’s witty banter reeled me in and the slumbering sexual tension that slowly awakens between the two was magic in itself as I reveled in each kiss and touch exchanged between the two until its very explosive conclusion. Marc is a hero who got his priorities mixed up along the way, having had to grow up and take on responsibilities as the man of the house when he had been just a child himself. It is how he slowly finds his way back and realizes the importance of family, love and just how much he has been shunning himself from all that his family offers that was one of the best parts of the story.

Matilda is a heroine I can definitely get on board with. Even when her grand adventure and her dreams of getting married and having the home she never had with her wanderlust parents falls flat on her, that doesn’t stop her from taking one day at a time, of fighting her way back to regain what she has lost – and the best thing about her is how she doesn’t let her dreams and hopes shatter along the way and her optimism was certainly a healing balm that worked its magic over both Marc and Lori.

I found myself enchanted with the secondary romance that took place as much as I was charmed with Matilda and her Viking’s romance. Brian who relentlessly pursues Lori and has waited patiently for a long, long time to claim her as his own unleashes his bad-boy persona to get what he wants and to show Lori that she is all the woman that he needs in the world and that there is no going back for either of them except sharing their lives together till death does them apart. I loved, loved, loved how Brian woos Lori and Oh-God, his gentleness just undid me and made me want to cry buckets of happy tears.

Fiona Lowe can certainly deliver a mean epilogue and I loved how she shows everyones’ lives together a couple of years on. And the fact that his wife’s Australian accent still turns Marc on was one of the highlights of an epilogue that was beautiful and delivered the closure that I needed to let this romance go, though the characters and its sheer charm would remain for a long time in my heart.

Final Verdict: Charming, beautiful and heartwarming, Boomerang Bride is a romance for everyone!

Favorite Quotes

(Matilda) “Don’t drop it.”
The comment reminded him of growing up in a houseful of organizing women. “Are the English always this bossy?”
Surprisingly well-shaped eyebrows shot skyward. “The English are far too polite for their own good. Australians, on the other hand, call a spade a spade.”

(Marc) “Don’t tell me you’ve flown all the way from Australia in a wedding dress?”
She rolled her sea-green eyes and shot him a look that severely questioned his intelligence. “No, Blondie, I haven’t. I put it on at the service station in the last town to surprise Barry.”
Blondie? No one had given him a nickname since high school. He matched her eye roll with one raised brow. “Surprise him or scare him?”
“Hah hah, and I’d been told the Yanks didn’t have a sense of humor.”

Wordlessly, he brought his mouth down gently onto the edge of her mouth, stage one of a planned assault to assuage his desire and reclaim much-needed order back into his life. She tasted of cold and ice—a flavorless combination that numbed his lips and cooled his blood. He instantly relaxed, cocooned in a bubble of knowledge that he’d been right all along about Matilda. She didn’t do it for him.
He brushed his lips across hers well on his way to ending the perfunctory caress, while his mind toyed with a quip about snow to keep things light. Suddenly the ice cracked. Chocolate and chili collided in a rich heady rush, spilling over his lips in a sweet, tangy promise. Fire lit through him and his tongue flicked against pillow softness, desperate to taste more.

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Sunrise Over Texas by M. J. Fredrick

Format: E-booksunriseovertexas
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Carina Press
Series: Standalone
Hero: George Trace Watson
Heroine: Katherine Barclay
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: September 6, 2010
Started On: August 2, 2011
Finished On: August 2, 2011

This week’s Tuesday started like any other day except for the fact that I had this sudden urge or should I say craving?, to read Sunrise Over Texas by MJ Fredrick. I don’t know how or why, and I am not even going to question the urge to do so because Sunrise Over Texas turned out to be wonderful in all the ways that counts.

Taking place in the Texas frontier in 1826, Sunrise Over Texas tells the story of the remarkable Katherine Barclay (Kit) who fights for survival every minute of the day as the only one left behind along with her mother-in-law Agnes and sister-in-law Mary at the garrison standing guard between the Karankawa tribe and Stephen Austin’s colony of San Felipe. With the food supply depleting with each meal, Kit struggles to keep things going, no mean feat when her in-laws have always lived in the lap of luxury and are not much of a help when it comes to practicalities. Mourning for the death of her husband followed by that of her young son Daniel, the last thing Kit wants is for a stranger to ride up to their “safe” haven and for her to take on the responsibility of nursing him back to health.

George Trace Watson left home to get away from the memories of his dead wife and his stillborn child. When he finds himself raging with fever and nursed back to health by Kit, the first thing he notices about her is her sheer determination to go on against all odds. Though Trace doesn’t want to get involved, much less be responsible for the safety of three women, the honorable man inside of him refuses to turn his back on them, especially when Kit herself stirs up longings that he thought he had buried with his wife.

Though guilt-ridden by the fact that he feels things for Kit he should not, even that doesn’t stop him from embracing the desire that unfurls between them right from the very start. Kit whose take-charge attitude in life also extends to the bedroom makes for very interesting and provocative scenes of passion with a much laid-back Trace who fits her quirks in the bedroom and out of it in every way.

Towards the end of the book, I had a knot the size of Texas in my throat from all the emotions that coursed through me as Kit faced one hurdle after the other and came out winning and stronger than ever only to nearly be turned away by the man who owns her heart because of the fear that rules over his emotions of ever being too vulnerable again.

For me, Kit is the best thing about this western romance. Although I loved Trace to bits, his gentle and giving nature making it hard not to, it is Kit whose inner strength that drew me like a moth to flame, because her character demands nothing less. Its not easy for an author to write a heroine who manages to outshine the hero when majority of readers like us swoon over the hero just because he merely breathes and I can’t help but send high praise MJ Fredrick’s way for being able to do just that without making me feel cheated out on any aspect of the story.

Its hard to believe that this is her first historical because the story flows smoothly and the characters just tug at your heartstrings, making Sunrise Over Texas a wonderful western romance to sink into.

Highly recommended for fans of the genre and fans of MJ Fredrick.

As soon as I post this, I am scurrying off to acquire every available e-book by MJ Fredrick because I find myself with no will left to resist the lure of her books at this moment.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Carina Press

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by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Turn It Up by Inez Kelley

Format: E-bookturnitup
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Carina Press
Series: Standalone
Hero: Dr. Sabastian William Talbot
Heroine: Charlie Ann Pierce
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: August 1, 2011
Started On: July 19, 2011
Finished On: July 20, 2011

Turn It Up by Inez Kelley set to release on the 1st of August 2011 is a contemporary romance that teases the senses, that had me up till the wee hours of the morning on a work night, unable to wrench myself away from a story that held my undivided attention as self-professed sex expert Charlie Ann Pierce finally finds in Dr. Sabastian William Talbot, her best friend, a man worth giving the key that unlocks the iron armored suit that has guarded her heart all her life.

Having being best of friends for the past 6 years hasn’t diminished the fact that there is a tangible zing of sexual chemistry between the hosts of Let’s Talk about Sex with Dr. Hot (Sabastian) and the Honeypot (Charlie), one of the fastest growing talk shows in the tristate area. Sabastian is a man who has forever in his mind, who wants the white picket fence and the 2.5 kids that he is unable to have, the reason that his fairytale marriage had ended after almost 11 years together.

Charlie is the complete opposite, the one who uses sex as a weapon and as a shield against stronger and deeper emotions, the one who can’t even think of a future together with another person because forever is a word that has never existed in her vocabulary. Though Charlie cannot say that she hasn’t lusted after Bastian on more than one occasion, she is never going to jeopardize the one relationship in her life that she counts on – or so she thinks until Bastian reveals the secret he has been hiding for the past 14 months which turns her life completely upside down.

Suddenly, all Charlie can think about is how good and completely at home she feels in Bastian’s arms, a fact that scares her and compels her to want to explore the fire that has always been between them which rages completely out of control as Charlie lets her emotions run free for the very first time. But the one problem standing in her way of getting what she lusts after is Bastian himself who refuses to make love to the woman he adores until she agrees to put his ring on her finger, for now and forever.

So starts the race for Wed or Bed with their fans listening on, trying to see who would come out on top as both Bastian and Charlie pulls out all the stops to make the other give in. Filled with moments that made me groan with sheer frustration from the number of times that Bastian pulls back before he completely loses his control and at the same time made me wish I could show both of them just how right they were for each other, Turn It Up is a story that definitely lives up to its name.

Bastian is a hero that I flat-out adored right from the very start when he tosses the question “Did you just have an orgasm?” at Charlie which had me LOL-ing before I knew it. I loved Bastian for his unwavering love for a woman who so needs it, for  being strong enough to endure and give Charlie something that she has never had the opportunity to experience up until Bastian starts his campaign to woo her into his life one mind-numbing kiss at a time.

Though I completely never warmed up to Charlie because for me her love for Bastian doesn’t even compare to the way he completely adores her, I still enjoyed her character as Honeypot and the definite sizzle and fun that she brings into the story with her snazzy nature. The vulnerable woman that resides deep inside of Charlie is someone I would have loved to see more of before the story was through.

Definitely much lighter than Sweet as Sin, Turn It Up is a must-read for fans of contemporary romances and fans of Inez Kelley. I am definitely queuing up to read Caz’s story which according to Inez would be available on her website on the day of release of this delightful read.

Favorite Quotes

No one knew him better and he couldn’t imagine his life without her.
He loved her to distraction.
He wanted her with an obsession.
He treasured her like Fort Knox.
He was in hard-on hell.

His name was a sigh as his lips sank to her throat. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, bowing up into his body. Orange and clove essence filled her nose and she burned, a fiery flame starving for fuel only he could provide. The want licked along her bones as his mouth warmed the curve of her breast. Her seduction had been turned and now she was being seduced.

by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Soul Survivor by Misty Evans

Format: E-booksoulsurvivor
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Lost Worlds, Book 1
Publisher: Carina Press
Hero: Rife St. Cloud
Heroine: Keva Moon Water
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: June 20, 2011
Started On: July 30, 2011
Finished On: July 30, 2011

FBI Special Agent Rife St. Cloud is on vacation back in Wolf River, Oregon his hometown when a ritualistic killer leaves behind 6 dead women, all Native American with matching tattoos carved right above their left breast. Someone who has extensive knowledge in native languages and religion and having worked as a profiler for the past 5 years, the symbols carved into the dead women stirs unease deep in his gut until one of the women stirs back into life leaving him with more questions than answers.

Keva Moon Water is an immortal, someone who has walked the Earth for thousand years, waiting for the soul of the love of her life who had died from her hands to be reincarnated. Kai is the warrior who was sent to kill her if she didn’t marry Kai’s half-brother and had fallen in love with her instead. But Keva underestimates their mutual enemy’s dark obsession with her, someone whose willing to travel across time to finally claim what he has always considered his to do with as he pleases.

Though Keva longs to embrace the man who stands in front of her, her beloved Kai whom she has been waiting to see for a thousand years, the doubt that clouds Rife’s eyes whenever the subject comes up has Keva reeling back in pain. But even Rife who lets his life be led by logic and evidence cannot deny the flood of need that Keva opens up deep inside of him and neither can he deny the memories that keep taunting him to take a step beyond the realms of reality as he knows it and believe in the impossible for once in his life.

Soul Survivor is a story that spans a time period of thousand years and takes the reader on a journey of love that has withstood the test of time, heartache, loneliness and pain. It tells of a man’s obsession with possessing ultimate power in his hands for his own purposes and how ultimately good wins over evil, not without a few sacrifices along the way.

Rife McCloud is a strong and determined hero, definitely the type warriors are made out of, and Rife in the form of Kai, the warrior that lays claim on Keva the High Chieftess of the Salt Coast Clan just about took my breathe away. In Keva Rife finds a woman whose strength rivals and matches his, whose determination and courage to do what’s right leaves him in awe. The passion and need for each other that is so much a part of both of them is never too far, always prodding them along to reach new heights, to embrace a love that has traveled so far in its need to be embraced by two people who so very much need it.

A story that cleverly combines and weaves together the past and present, with two people courageous enough to face the impossible, Soul Survivor is a novel highly recommended for fans of time-travel romances with a twist.

Favorite Quotes

She drew a finger through her blood and then through his, mixing them. “Our souls are bound forever, warrior.”
Primal power raced through him and he ripped the bonds around his wrists free from the spruce. His muscled arms encircled her, forcing her to the ground underneath him. As she opened her legs to him, he drove inside her. She cried out, but it was with pleasure and passion.

by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: IOU Sex by Calista Fox

Format: E-bookiousex
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Carina Press
Series: Standalone
Hero: Michael Houston
Heroine: Fiona Leslie Carlisle
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: August 1, 2011
Started On: July 30, 2011
Finished On: July 30, 2011

What was I expecting when I delved into the first pages of IOU Sex by Calista Fox? Certainly not a story written in the first person though amazingly the author made it work for me, delivering a novella that is worth a read if you love contemporary romances with tinge of erotic sexual content included in the package.

27 year old Fiona Leslie Carlisle hails from a prestigious family, her own mother a Judge, the whole family caring more about keeping up appearances than caring about what being a family actually means. Fiona dreads facing her family and her sister who snatched away her fiance’ Seth Corbett III, and knows that the only way to save face would be to show up in the hot little red dress she ordered especially for the occasion, completing the package with the ultra gorgeous and sexy as sin Michael Houston on her arm.

A year ago, when Fiona had her heart broken and her pride in tatters after walking in on her sister going down and dirty with Seth, it had been Michael her good friend who had understood what she was going through and offered her with rebound sex of the mind numbing and body tingling variety. However, the fact that Michael means to her more than just a convenient lay now and then made Fiona run from her burgeoning feelings towards Michael then, a fact that Michael is determined to turn around with the bargain he strikes with Fiona in return for attending the engagement party with her.

IOU Sex definitely surprised me, all in a good way of course, with the character development that Calista Fox managed to deliver with such a limited number of pages and somehow managed to give a satisfying well-rounded romance and happily ever after in the end. Though the story being told in first person meant that I didn’t get to learn more about Michael’s thoughts and musings which I definitely would have loved to know more about, even then the author manages to bring forth the fact that when it came to Fiona and Michael being romantically involved, Michael was well on-board with the plan.

Both Michael and Fiona are well developed characters who sizzle the pages with the scorching intensity of their passion for one another. But IOU Sex is more than just two people getting it on in the bedroom; it is the story of how two friends find within each other a craving that only the other can satisfy and how a woman finds the confidence and courage to let go of the past to grab onto the future with the man who is made for her right by her side. Loved how everything turned out in the end, leaving me a satisfied reader all around.

With a bite of erotic content, IOU Sex is a novella that delivers well and good on both character development and emotions making this a well deserving addition to your TBR pile!