Category / Charming Hero

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Wild Encounter by Nikki Logan

Format: E-bookwildencounter
Read with: Kindle for iPhone
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Hero: Simon deVries
Heroine: Dr. Clare Delaney
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: September 9, 2012
Started On: September 19, 2012
Finished On: October 16, 2012

My pace of reading has become so slow that it ain’t even funny anymore. That being said, Wild Encounter by Nikki Logan turned out to be exactly my kind of read, the kind of romantic suspense that I love to read. Intense with enough nail biting tension of the good and bad kind, with a hero that practically melted me on the spot with that intense grey eyes of his that just begs a woman to do all kind of things to him – and I mean it all in a very good way.

Dr. Clare Delaney is part of the team of WildLyfers on a mission in Africa when their convoy gets attacked and she abducted right along with it. That is when she meets with the devastating Simon deVries who challenges and provokes her in ways Clare never thought possible. The way Simon makes Clare feel is one she is instinctively wary of, but the passion he rouses in her is one that Clare can’t deny. And even with all the obstacles in front of them, Clare still succumbs to Simon’s rousing touch and tumbles headlong into something that Clare never thought would be possible ever since the disaster her previous relationship turned out to be.

Wild Encounter is a tale that lives up to its name. Set in the wild and beautiful terrain of Africa, Nikki Logan brings to life a story that brought me out of the reading stump and gave me something to look forward to every night when I hopped into bed. Both Simon and Clare turned out to be characters that I fell in love with. Clare being headstrong and independent doesn’t mean that she is stupid and takes unnecessary risks. But rather she is someone who bides her time, weighs her options and acts when the time calls for it. I loved her feisty courage and also the fact that she is intensely vulnerable when it comes to Simon.

Simon, oh God Simon, I can’t even think of the name without going into a minute long sighing session – he turned out to be such a devastating hero in so many ways. There is his good looks of course and the fact that beneath all the tough exterior lies a heart that yearns for the type of love that he has never even dared to dream of. With Clare in the picture, what Simon has accepted to be his life for all eternity suddenly becomes an obstruction towards his desire to have her for himself for always. And Simon and Clare together makes for an explosive and combustive combination that I certainly couldn’t get enough of.

The book seeps with emotion. One of the things I loved about Nikki Logan’s writing was the fact that she didn’t cut any corners with the story. Some of the scenes of violence were brutal to the extent that I could actually picture Clare being beaten up and tossed about. But I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. The edge of violence and the bite of red hot passion makes this story an unbeatable one in the current line of books of the romantic suspense variety. For me, there is nothing better than an author who isn’t afraid to be true to her style of storytelling and I think that’s exactly what Nikki Logan has given us readers with.

The writing is absolutely beautiful at times, so many quote-worthy material in the book that I had to prevent myself from quoting too much from the book. All in all, I would say a fantastic read that I would recommend for readers who love their romantic suspense spicy both in the action and the romance aspect. Raw, edgy and hot, Wild Encounter certainly doesn’t disappoint.

Favorite Quotes

Her knees deserted her along with her courage, her skin roaring to fierce heat, but his body crushing hers to the wall kept her upright. She shook her head, dislodging a nervous tear that fell to where their mouths nearly met. With a low growl he closed the gap, tasted the tiny droplet where it slid to a halt on her upper lip, his mouth lingering there a moment. She could feel the barely leashed strength of his grip on her.
It was a half-kiss designed to send a message. Angry and mean and intended to scare her.
Her heart thundered.

She stopped fighting and his hold on her softened. He let one arm drop so she could push away … if she wanted.
She didn’t want. She leaned into him instead, kissing him back, a half-moan wanting its voice. It was stupid and crazy and weak – and she’d never needed anything so badly in her life. Kissing him, having the control, was as heady as any narcotic.

“Clare…” He groaned into her mouth and her breath came thick and fast, causing a foggy light-headedness. He held her while she ran her hands over parts of him she didn’t know she’d been dying to feel. His chest. The swell of his biceps, the muscles of his back. How could one man feel so good? Such a wrong man.

His laugh was half a groan as he pressed her into the mattress and settled between her legs. “Last chance, Clare…”
She lifted her hips for answer.
He slid strongly into her. His eyes fluttered shut a breath before hers did. He paused inside her, and the two of them lay there – feeling, not moving – for a long, exquisite moment.
For as long as she lived, she would remember this feeling.
Complete. Safe.

He pulled back a fraction, and then lowered his mouth again. Tasted her. Explored her. Teased her.
She moaned and let her tongue tangle with his. His hand left her hair to pal, the hard peak of her breast. Big, sensual, confident circles. Muscles she hadn’t used in six months coiled and tensed deep inside.
Her hand slid along his thigh, aching to touch him.
“You taste just the same,” he whispered, biting at her lower lip. “You feel just the same.”

His scent enveloped her, his body heat reached for her. Her eyes drifted shut in anticipation of the feel of his lips on hers. At the very last second, he leaned in more, so his kiss landed father back, below her jaw. Where he’d once marked her. Back where Boot’s filthy mouth and hands and violence had not just gone.
Firm lips molded to her jawline and pressed lightly against her pulse point, which pounded with things left unsaid. His mouth brushed briefly over her throat, spilling shivers down her whole body. The mere seconds it must have really taken felt like forever.

Then his mouth was on hers, crushing her to him, trying to fuse their bodies permanently together. His muscles barely had to work to keep her tight within the circle of his arms. She melted into his python hold, opening her mouth wider to let him fully in. His tongue stole past her teeth, tangling with her own, invading and retreating, desperate to taste her. She tugged on his lips with her own, clinging as though her life depended on it.

It wasn’t romantic, there were no sweet nothings. It was fast and dirty, and exactly, perfectly, wonderfully right.

He crushed her to him, and thrust hard into her, muting his strangled cry against her throat. She fell with him over the edge, into the blinding light of orgasm, and the rhythmic pulse of his muscles, his essence, flooded into her, made all the more powerful, and all the more holy, by her own utterly silent scream.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: Afternoon Rhapsody by Jess Dee

Format: E-bookafternoonrhapsody
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Bandicoot Cove: The Wedding, #1
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd.
Hero: Broderick Evans
Heroine: Bianca Rogers
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: September 4, 2012
Started On: September 4, 2012
Finished On: September 13, 2012

Afternoon Rhapsody by Jess Dee is a spin off from the Bandicoot series of which I have read and immensely enjoyed a book or two. True to Jess’s style, even though Afternoon Rhapsody is a novella, she manages to take the reader through a lot of emotional  potholes and at the same time delivers erotica as it is meant to be; scorching hot enough to melt your panties off!

Bianca Rogers is attending the wedding of Aidan and Mack and is trying to forget the fact that she has been separated for more than year from the man she had been married to since she was sixteen. For just the duration of her time away from everything strenuous, Bianca would like nothing better than to tumble the sheets with the tall and hot as sin man she stumbles into, a man who basically stuns her with with the immediacy of her physical reaction to him. At the same time Broderick Evans invokes in her, memories of her husband Rick whom she can’t help but remember as events that unfold brings along with it the good and the bad bits of a marriage that is still very much a part of who she is.

Afternoon Rhapsody is a novella with which Jess managed to surprise me, all in a good way of course. Since it would spoil things for those who haven’t read the story, I’d rather keep a lid on exactly what it was that surprised me, but the fact that the story managed to do that makes me remember it at odd moments.

Afternoon Rhapsody is a story that deals with the difficult topic of two people who are on the verge of a divorce, just days away from signing the papers that would signify the end of a relationship that had defined them for such a long time. Ten years of marriage down the tubes, what had worked and what hadn’t worked and what in the end had managed to drive them apart made for an engrossing read for me and echoed with something deep inside of me. I’ve said this always and I’d say this again – marriage is tough business. One just doesn’t sail through the stormy and the not so stormy weather it brings along as the years pass on by. It needs commitment, acceptance, compromise and a whole lot of other ‘sacrifices’ that two people may not be able to make, both at the same time. And somehow Jess manages to drive home the point of what is important, those little and subtle things that at first don’t seem to matter, but then over time fester onto become problems of epic proportions which just doesn’t bode well when it comes to so many years spent together and when the love that they both feel for each other is such a huge part of both of them.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that the story deals with all depressing aspects of a relationship. Rather, Jess delivers a scorching hot read that practically had me reaching for my tall iced glass of water, time and yet again to quench the parched throat of mine which seemed to be a never ending one as both Broderick and Bianca practically set my iPad on fire with the heat that they generate together, which could most probably generate enough power to light up a small village. There were moments where I nearly gulped my own tongue inside, moments where my tummy was tied up in knots and then there were those moments that I was amazed at the way Jess handled everything from those emotional minefields to sensuous moments that were all memorable in their own right.

If you are a fan of Jess Dee’s remarkable novels, this is a must read! For those who are new to her talent at melting practically all your clothes off, you need to read this. Broderick would have you panting in no time at all!

Favorite Quotes

Brody’s soft growl changed to a ragged groan when the barrier of his wet boardies proved too annoying, and she slipped her hand beneath the sodden material, taking his hot, pulsing cock in her palm.
Then it wasn’t just Brody groaning. Bianca let out a soft moan, the feel of his hard flesh enough to set fire to her loins.
Satin-covered steel.

Pearls of moisture beaded on the tip of his erection. She stopped breathing. Ran her thumb over the wetness. Moaned.
He tore his lips from hers. “Bee…”
Her name was both a salutation and a plea. His eyes blazed with passion.

With every thrust of those fingers, he touched something inside her, something deep, a knot of nerves that increased her pleasure exponentially. But that wasn’t all he touched. With every plunge, every lick, he touched her soul. Reached a part of her she’d repressed for so long.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Samhain | Reader Store

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Bluestone Song by M.J. Fredrick

Format: E-bookbluestonesong
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Welcome to Bluestone, #2
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Maddox Bradley
Heroine: Beth Lapointe
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: February 18, 2012
Started On: July 23, 2012
Finished On: August 7, 2012

Contrary to what I believed when I first started with the Welcome to Bluestone series, Bluestone Song ended up being my favorite from the trilogy. There is always something about the way that M. J. writes that explores the heart of conflicts ingrained deep inside of familial ties that just earns my wholehearted approval. And Bluestone Song is no exception to that rule.

Country singer and sensation Maddox Bradley returns to Bluestone, the one place that had always felt home to him after fourteen years of being away. He has been to the brink of disaster and back and returns amidst rumors of him turning to the bottle again for solace and comfort. Bluestone holds a lot of memories for Maddox, the primary source of those memories being none other than Beth Lapointe.

Beth has learned a long time back to give up on her dreams and the things that she yearns to do. Beth has had to sacrifice a lot for the sake of her family when her mother had died and alcoholic father had left, leaving her the sole responsible parent of three younger siblings. And fourteen years on, that ingrained sense of responsibility has not faded away as Beth continues to work towards providing a better future for her younger sister and her baby.

Seeing Maddox enter the bar where she works at is the last thing Beth needs with all sorts of trouble brewing at the home front. But there is no escaping the fact that the older and mature version of Maddox is no less lethal on her heart and emotions and she has a tough time trying to control herself around him, to not do anything rash that might end her up with a broken heart all over again.

There is a certain charm to Maddox’s character. His laid-back, easy and open manner and of course those lean good looks of his certainly helps things along. But it is that subtle charm of his, that special way of his in which he seduces Beth and gets seduced by her and just how right it is when he is with her that makes for the best part of the story.

Beth is a tougher nut to crack, no surprise given that she has had to fend for herself for far too long, never having anyone to rely on to share the burden and responsibility with. But the unassuming nature behind Maddox’s character in turn soothes and sets afire something deep inside of Beth that has laid dormant for far too long and it is not long before she says yes to everything Maddox has to offer.

Amidst all that’s happening between Maddox and Beth, M. J. takes readers through the rest of the developments that takes place in the sleepy town of Bluestone, how it comes alive bit by bit, how the efforts made by citizens to revive the town and its economy bears fruit and gives Bluestone that extra edge among other ailing small towns. 

Bluestone Song is the best installment in the series and I couldn’t get enough of Maddox and Beth.

Recommended for those who love contemporary romances in a small town setting. M. J. Fredrick is one author who would never steer you wrong.

Favorite Quotes

He tasted so good, hot and male, just a touch of sweetness from the pop he’d nursed while he waited for her. He pressed his body against hers and she sank into it, just for a minute, savoring the firmness of his chest against hers, his arms around her, the heat of his tongue dipping into her mouth. Every female nerve in her body sparked, and she wanted to drag him with her into the house, pull him over her on the bed, feel all the things his kiss promised, all the things her body remembered.

He felt so good, so hard, so male. His stubble rasped her cheek, and his breath blew hot against her skin as he devoured her, like he couldn’t get enough. Arousal shot through her, at once alien and familiar. He was the only one to ever make her lose her head like this.

“I love that you still sound the same when I’m inside you,” – Maddox

When she rose over him again to slam her body against his, he added his touch to the equation, feeling her swell and slicken against his thumb before—oh, man. Nothing could be as beautiful as Beth coming, her whole body going tight, then loose as shudders of pleasure ran through her.
And that was all he was able to register before he finally let go and followed her, his orgasm coming from every atom of his body, and pouring into her heat.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas

Format: E-bookravishingtheheiress.jpg
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Fitzhugh Trilogy, #2
Publisher: Berkley
Hero: George Edward Arthur Granville Fitzhugh (Fitz)
Heroine: Millicent Graves
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: July 3, 2012
Started On: July 20, 2012
Finished On: July 22, 2012

I have been meaning to get this review written for quite sometime now. Well, ever since I finished the book a couple of days back. I wanted to write the review when the essence of the story was fresh on my mind, when the feelings that coursed through me as I read through every single page of the book still lingered deep inside of me so that I could do the book the justice that it so deserves. But alas, life and its various blunders happened and here I am penning the review a few days later and yet, the remnants of a story that made me cry god honest real tears still lingers on and I wonder whether I would be able to read a story that even remotely compares to this one anytime soon.

I should have actually being prepared when I took on this book on a recommendation from Brie at Romance Around the Corner. That girl has an uncanny ability of recommending books that speaks to this twisted needy heart of mine and Ravishing the Heiress certainly did that and more. And I say I should have been prepared because my one encounter with Sherry Thomas and the way she writes came right after when I first started reviewing and stumbled across her book Not Quite a Husband. And man, was that a story that had my gut churning and my insides doing cartwheels all around. 

Ravishing the Heiress is the second book in the Fitzhugh Trilogy of which the first book I have not read. But I am definitely looking forward to the 3rd and final book in the series which is to come out on October this year. Sherry certainly leaves us with tantalizing glimpses into the story of Helena and Viscount Hastings not to feel otherwise and I for one cannot wait!

Its the year 1888 and Millicent Graves (Millie) is getting ready for the final phase of Operation Marry Well for which she has been preparing for all her life. Discipline, control and self-denial has always been part of her upbringing, love never a part of the equation for which she has been practicing for up till now. Millie has always been the obedient sort, the one who never makes any untoward waves, does as expected and retreats when need it be. And when at the tender age of 16 years she encounters the new Earl of Fitzhugh, her heart takes that undeniable leap and tumbles headlong into that unknown abyss called love which we all clamor for.

Earl Fitzhugh is 19 when he becomes an earl which hadn’t seemed that terrible at all at first. But when he knows of the situation which would require him to marry well in order to put the state of the affairs of his estate and financial woes of the family to rest, attaining earldom suddenly doesn’t seem like the best thing to happen, especially when it means giving up on the woman he has vowed that he would love for the rest of his life. Though Fitz knows its by no fault of Millie that she has to marry him, he can’t help but feel the deep throes of despair overtake him even at the mere thought of marrying her and living with a woman he doesn’t love for the rest of his life. But Millie offers him a way out, a reprieve that would give him a period of 8 years until the marriage would be consummated and that’s the only thought that gives him the slightest room to breathe as he prepares himself for an ordeal that seems like it would never ever end.

What Sherry Thomas takes us on is a journey filled with so many beautiful and poignant moments that I couldn’t help but have this huge huge lump in my throat at all times. There was a time or two when I thought that I was going to end up with a serious medical condition if it didn’t let up; but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. There is a beauty in the way Sherry writes her stories and brings her characters to life, a dreamlike quality to the love and emotions that she invokes in her readers and I for one was glad to be a part of it as I let myself be catapulted right along with Millie and Fitz in their journey towards happily ever after.

First comes along the friendship, borne out of the need to have a semblance of normalcy in their marriage. A bond forged out of Millie’s need to see the man she love shake the grief that weighs down on him from day one of their marriage. Their quest to put their estate to rights, to move ahead in their business affairs and day to day mundane activities brings them closer, Fitz coming to rely more on Millie than he would have ever envisioned. And then the 8 year milestone comes up and along with it comes the woman who has never been far from Fitz’s mind, the woman he has made a promise to himself and her that he would love for all eternity.

What Fitz takes on as completing his end of the deal or the bargain that they shook on 8 years back turns out to be the most anticipated event of his life, the feelings that course through him when he thinks of leaving Millie and what they have together giving him that odd ache in his heart which he doesn’t know how to identify as. It would take a whole box of tissues to get through the scene during which the final act takes place, all that pent up longing on Millie’s part acting as a sheer aphrodisiac for the reader, that iron-clad control of hers completely breaking apart under the tender assault of Fitz’s brand of seduction. As the scene progresses, the seducer in turn becomes the seduced and I would have to say that that would be one scene that would forever be permanently etched on my mind.

One would think that Fitz being the total clueless fool he is when it comes to Millie and the fact that he is forced to marry a woman he doesn’t love would make him an ogre, a man that would earn the disapproving frowns from the feminists all around. But nothing could be further from the truth as Fitz is a man who demands nothing lesser than the complete and utter love of the reader even though I would have loved to paint an arrow in bold red color and point it towards Millie a time or two. But his utter clueless nature when it comes to his wife whose heart remains a mystery to him is what makes the story so, so good, the angst so well delivered that I couldn’t have asked for more.

The only thing I found disappointing as the other readers is the fact that the ending seemed a trifle bit too rushed, the resolving of the main issue that had been holding back Fritz just a tad too ‘easy’ for my tastes. I wanted the best and only the best for both Fitz and Millie and especially Millie who earned my undying love throughout the story for her patience, perseverance and unselfish nature  though she is no doormat heroine.

If you are a fan of historical romances, if you want a story that would take you away on a breathtaking journey, if you want to be swept away by the sheer magic of words alone, pick this up and never look back. I guarantee you an amazing read that would make you cry buckets before you are through! Kudos to Sherry Thomas for another story that amazes and awes in equal doses. Some authors create magic – and Sherry is one of them.

Favorite Quotes

“Was unhappiness really so invisible? Or did people simply prefer to turn away, as if from lepers?”

“Rain came down in sheets. It had been a miserable spring. Already he despaired of ever again walking under an unclouded sky.”

“Perhaps unrequited love was like a specter in the house, a presence that brushed at the edge of senses, a heat in the dark, a shadow under the sun.”

He was summertime itself, young, luminous, lit from within by rekindled hopes and reawakened dreams. And every beggar along his path—herself included—could expect redoubled generosity and kindness.

It was the beginning of the end.
Or perhaps, it was only the end of something that was never meant to begin.

Even now her body yearned to be closer to him. She wanted to press her nose into his skin and inhale hungrily—he always smelled as if he’d just taken a walk across a sunny meadow. She wanted to rub her palm against his jaw to feel the beginning of stubbles. She wanted to slide her hands underneath his shirt and learn every single shape and texture, with the fierce dedication she’d once put into mastering the Grandes Études.

Some hopes were weeds, easy to eradicate with a yank and a pull. Some, however, were vines, fast growing, tenacious, and impossible to clear. As she played the music box again, alone in the drawing room, she began to realize that hers were of the latter kind.
She would never stop hoping.

But tonight, after the carriages left, there would be Millie, her scent like a breeze from their lavender field at the height of summer, her skin as smooth as the finest velvet.
Their eyes met. She flushed. Desire tumbled through him.

He kissed her on her ear, a kiss with the barest hint of moisture to it. She could not breath for the electricity of it, a violent spark of pleasure that shook and scarred. His fingers caressed her shoulders. His lips pressed into her exposed nape. Dark, hot sensations spiked into her.

Make no sounds. Do not, under any circumstances, make any sounds.
She faltered. A whimper of unutterable pleasure escaped her tightly clenched teeth.
Deep inside her, a dam that had been ceaselessly reinforced crumbled. Years upon years of pent-up desires flooded her. Suddenly she couldn’t care less that she must remain quiet and pliant.
She wanted. She wanted. She wanted.
She gripped him by the lapel and yanked him to her.

His climax began gathering again, rising toward a point of no return. He didn’t know if he could restrain himself this time: He was too close, too near to being overwhelmed.
She cried out, trembling exclamations.
He lost all control, his release hot, violent, and endless.

Then he made love to her not only as if he had never experienced lovemaking before, but no one had.

And in the depth of her eyes were all these years—seasons they’d known, paths they’d trod.
Slowly he entered her again. Everything reflected in her gaze: shyness, yearning, ripples of pleasure.
The pleasure turned fierce, then ferocious. He labored to draw breath. In the wash of her climax, she closed her eyes. He closed his own eyes and yielded to the moment.

Love without friendship is like a kite, aloft only when the winds are favorable. Friendship is what gives love its wings.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Still Lake by Anne Stuart

Format: E-bookstillake
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Harlequin Books
Hero: Thomas Ingram Griffin
Heroine: Sophie Marlborough Davis
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: August 1, 2002
Started On: June 22, 2012
Finished On: June 31, 2012

Its the summer of 1982 in Colby, Vermont and Thomas Ingram Griffin is arrested for the murders of three young women, all killed quite brutally. Years later, Griffin returns to Colby and poses as a John Smith to finally put his past to rest, to find out whether in fact it had really been him who had gone on a murdering spree that fateful night when his life had gone so horribly wrong.

30 year old Sophie moves to Colby, Vermont to live the life she has always wanted to and dreamed about. A homemaker and someone who loves the quiet serenity that the countryside provides, Sophie looks after her now forgetful mother Grace and half sister Marty who has an attitude of her own a mile wide. In the midst of Sophie’s hard work to restore Stonegate Farm to its former prestige and glory  to run her bed and breakfast, what Sophie doesn’t need is the enigmatic and mysterious man who claims to be John Smith to turn up next door and send her life spinning out of control.

I just loved, loved, loved Still Lake. I loved the 30 year old virgin Sophie who has her mind set about how she wants to live her life. Sophie is the type of heroine that I just adore. She is not the size six heroine who has everything going for her. Rather she seems real, she has a figure that practically drives Griffin out of his ever loving mind and I just loved how the sparks flew whenever Griffin and Sophie are together.

The banter between Griffin and Sophie is one of the most wonderful aspects of the story. It completely serves as foreplay for some of the scenes and gives the reader a laugh or two while Sophie tries to convince herself that she doesn’t need a man like John Smith to ruin her and send her emotions into a tailspin. And I loved how Griffin tries to convince himself that a woman like Sophie would be the most inappropriate addition to the life of a man like him. Griffin is so over the top hot that I found myself completely enraptured by his character, ready to lay myself down and plead him to carry me away. Oh well!

Grace and Marty certainly do add to the story with their rich characters and the little side romance that takes place warmed my heart. And the creepy stalkerific killer who is much closer to all of them than anyone of them ever realized makes Still Lake a definite page-turner!

I so loved the ending in Still Lake to bits. Left me with a huge-ass smile on my face for a long, long while!

If you are a fan of Anne Stuart and her uber hot-flash inducing heroes, Still Lake is a must read! Highly recommended!

Favorite Quotes

And she didn’t want to escape. She wanted to be kissed in the sunlight by a gorgeous man. She just wanted some other man, not this complicated creature who had more secrets than she could even begin to imagine.
But it didn’t matter what her brain wanted. Her body, her mouth, her soul wanted him, and she heard a quiet little sound of desire and knew that it had come from her.

At least it was dark. His eyes drifted down over her body, the ripe curves in the moonlight, and a dreamy expression crossed his face, just before he leaned forward and put his mouth against the side of her neck, tasting her hammering pulse.

He slid his hands under her butt and she could feel him pressing against her, hot and hard and sleek. And then he thrust inside, deep, fast, burying himself inside her, breaking past whatever trace of innocence she still had remaining.

It started slow and hit her with the force of a sledgehammer, a cataclysm of such power she could only hold on to him and let it happen. He went rigid against her, rock hard in her arms, and he probably muttered “oh, shit” again, but she was beyond hearing, lost in some mind-scattered cloud of inexpressible pleasure. She fell back, limp, awash in shimmering sensation, and she knew an odd, faint trace of regret that he’d used a condom. She’d wanted all of him inside her, a total giving, and he’d withheld something.

He half expected another argument. A struggle of some sort. Again, a surprise. She made that soft, hungry sound that had already emblazoned itself in his senses, she put her hands on his shoulders, and she kissed him back, her tongue sliding against his.

He touched her, and she came again at his touch, her mouth pulling at him.
He was beyond gentleness. He shoved her back against the blanket of clothes and moved between her legs.
He went in hard, fast, deep, only barely able to control himself. She wrapped her legs around his, and he reached down and pulled them higher, up around his hips, so that he was deeper still, and she was tight, clasping, milking him with the power of her climax, which was almost sweetly painful.

[…] “I want to wake up with you in the morning, I want to fight with you in the afternoon, and I want to make love on any and every available surface in this place. And then I want to do it all over again. Come upstairs with me, Sophie. I’ll keep you warm. I’ll keep the darkness away.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Tempting the Best Man by J. Lynn

Format: E-booktemptingthebestman
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Gamble Brothers, #1
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Hero: Chase Gamble
Heroine: Madison Daniels
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: April 23, 2012
Started On: June 9, 2012
Finished On: June 18, 2012

Tempting the Best Man by J. Lynn is the type of story that I love to indulge myself in. It was fast paced with enough heat to melt me in the right places and I loved the heady feelings that coursed through me as I read along.

Madison Daniels is the youngest and the only girl in the Daniels family. 28 year old Chase Gamble is the best friend of her only brother Mitch and the love of her life. Though Chase has always kept his distance from Madison except for that one time when he slipped a bit, Madison knows she has to accept the fact that Chase may never reciprocate her feelings towards him.

It is her Mitch’s wedding that brings the whole family together with the 3 Gamble brothers in attendance. When by a quirky twist of fate Chase and Madison are thrown together under the most ‘trying’ circumstances, that legendary control of Chase by which he abides by when it comes to Madison crumbles away, leaving him vulnerable to all those feelings he harbors for Madison which he continues to deny.

The passion that bursts forth between Madison and Chase is of the red-hot variety and of the toe-curling kind and I couldn’t get enough of how Chase goes from assuming that nonchalant facade of his to being almost brought down to his knees in a matter of seconds. There is nothing sexier than a man who is all growly and uber-possessive when it comes to the woman he desires above everything else and Chase was certainly ALL that and more!

Madison’s character was such an appealing one too! She is the type of heroine that you love right from the very start and root for and cheer on, on her quest towards her ultimate happily ever after. Madison’s understanding of Chase’s character and how he views himself doesn’t stop her from staying true to what she believes in. And that was one reason why I loved Madison’s character so much!

Though the ending felt a bit rushed to me, Tempting the Best Man is the kind of story I would recommend for anyone looking for a quick, hot and fun read to curl up with when you really want to indulge and keep the real world at bay for a couple of hours.

Favorite Quotes

Those lips had curved into a knowing half smile that did funny things to her insides. And like a match tossed to gasoline, her body sparked alive and flames licked every inch of her.

His lips hovered over hers.
“No,” he snarled.
Madison wasn’t sure to whom he was talking, but then his mouth was crushing hers, and her world became him—the touch and feel of his lips pressing down, forcing hers to respond. It wasn’t a gentle kiss or a sweet exploration. It was angry and raw, breathtaking and soul burning. Right now, she didn’t want gentle. She wanted hard and fast, him and her, on the floor, even the bear rug, both of them naked and sweating.

She tried to swallow, to take a breath, but her eyes met his, and there was nothing but aching intensity in his gaze. And she was drawn in, swept away.

He dipped his head, placing his mouth to the space below her ear. He nipped her there, just a tiny bite that sent a wave of heat through her veins. And then his lips moved lower, leaving a hot trail behind. “You drive me insane, absolutely freaking insane. Do you know that? I bet you do.”

“Don’t stop,” she whispered. “I want to feel you inside me.”
“I couldn’t stop now, even if I wanted.” He kissed her, marking her with all the passion and yearning she had felt for so long. “I need this. Damn it, I need you.”
And then he plunged into her with one deep stroke.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Skin Deep by Pamela Clare

Format: E-bookskindeep
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: I-Team After Hours, #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Nathaniel West
Heroine: Megan Hunter
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: May 15, 2012
Started On: May 17, 2012
Finished On: May 25, 2012

 

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 90 A
The heroine 90 A
Story line 90 A
Emotional Intensity 90 A
Suck me in Factor 85 A
Heat & Sensuality  85 A
Conflicts 80 A
Writing Style 100 A
Quotable Factor 80 A
Ending 95 A
Overall Grade 88.5 A

Score Sheet Summary

Skin Deep by Pamela Clare is a spin-off novel from her bestselling I-Team series which is an absolute favorite of mine. Being her first self-published book as well, Skin Deep tells the story of the sexy Marc Hunter’s younger sister Megan Hunter who finds love and redemption when she least expects to.

Megan’s childhood had been a painful one, one filled with abuse of every kind imaginable. Reading Marc’s story would paint a vivid picture of just how much Megan had suffered at the hands of people whom she should have been able to trust, people who misused and abused the position of authority they had over people in situations like the one Megan found herself in. 

Nathaniel West is ex-military, scarred on the inside and out, taking one day at a time in his attempt to move forward in his life. When he sees Megan from community shelter his family donates ground beef to, his interest is piqued enough for him to sit up and take notice. And when Megan and her adorable little daughter Emily’s life gets thrown into danger, it is then that the relationship between Megan and Nathan fosters and grows giving you a beautiful story of love amidst bits of action and humor that only Pamela Clare can deliver. Recommended for fans of I-Team novels.

Favorite Quotes

She didn’t wait for him this time, but rested her palms against the hard wall of his chest, rose up on one knee, and caressed his lips with hers, increasing the pressure.
More shivers.
His eyes drifted shut, his lashes long and dark. One big hand came to rest on her hip as he steadied her. He caught her lower lip between his, and gave it a soft tug.
Belly flutters.

He hungrily took what she offered. There had to be a thousand different ways to kiss a woman, a thousand different ways for lips and tongues to meet, caress, tease. He wanted to find every single one of them.

“Geezus!” His jaw was clenched, his brow furrowed as if he were in pain.
And she knew he was in pain, the same kind of pleasure-pain she felt—precious torment, sweet distress, torturous bliss.

She collapsed onto him, kissed his chest, the left side slick with sweat. He wrapped his arms around her, drew her close, one hand stroking her hair, his heart thrumming in his chest, both of them breathless.
And as sex cooled into sleep, he kissed her tears away.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Unbound by April Vine

Format: E-bookunbound.jpg
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Ellora’s Cave Twilight
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: Sebastian Gray
Heroine: Michelle Stein
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: April 20, 2012
Started On: May 14, 2012
Finished On: May 16, 2012

When April Vine approached me with a review request, I was no longer accepting books for review due to the sheer number of books I have yet to read and review. But somehow, the blurb enticed me enough to accept Unbound for review and from the first chapter itself I was drawn into the story that unfolded and I couldn’t have asked for a more fun read than what Unbound provided.

Michelle Stein is in a whole lot of trouble when her adorable and slightly crazy-in-a-good-way aunts who are witches casts a sex spell on her that renders her senseless enough to want to have sex with anything that moves. And during this moment of intense need, in comes Sebastian Gray, the man who walked away from her 10 years ago, breaking her heart in the process.

Sebastian has always wanted Michelle. The fact that whenever he thinks of home he always thinks of Michelle is one reason why Sebastian comes back to his hometown to find whether Michelle is as sweet as he remembers her to be. The Michelle that he encounters is far more enticing and alluring than he imagined and stirs his blood unlike any other woman.

The fact that Michelle Stein is the strait laced type of heroine who always follows the rules who somehow finds herself in a position that makes her do things that are totally unlike her was one aspect of the novel I enjoyed very much. And Sebastian turned out to be just the type of guy that Michelle needs in order to come out of her comfort zone and embrace who she is in reality.

Through a lot of moments that involuntarily made me howl out in laughter mixed up with scorching hot sex that was raw and unadulterated together with tender and loving, I enjoyed Unbound by April Vine and would recommend it to readers who would love a fun as well as scorching hot read that melts you in ALL the right places!

Favorite Quotes

His back bowed. His cock sank into her. All of him. She bit her lip to stop from screaming out. Used all her willpower to relax her body, to accept him inside her, to do whatever he wanted her to do. She held him as he f#cked her, oblivious to the pain until only pure, unadulterated bliss reigned.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | EC

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by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Heart of Steel by Jennifer Probst

Format: E-bookheartofsteel
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: BookHub
Hero: Logan Grant
Heroine: Chandler Santell
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: October 14, 2011
Started On: May 3, 2012
Finished On: May 14, 2012

 

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 80 A
The heroine 80 A
Story line 80 A
Emotional Intensity 75 B
Suck me in Factor 75 B
Heat & Sensuality  80 A
Conflicts 80 A
Writing Style 85 A
Quotable Factor 70 B
Ending 75 B
Overall Grade 78 B

Score Sheet Summary

Logan Grant is the owner of L&G Brokerage, one of the most successful companies in the city. Chandler Santell is the owner of Yoga and Arts Center which she needs to take drastic measures in order to save and that includes going to Logan and risking it all on a deal that could go either way for her.

Chandler is a woman who has been burnt and burnt badly by those she should have been able to trust most. And understandably she is skittish when it comes to passion and feeling too much. But that is exactly what she cannot shy away from when it comes to Logan and his devastating sexuality together with that connection that is forged between these two people who are quite different from one another.

Logan finds his fascination with Chandler an enigma, the burning fire inside his soul an indication that his heart is not made of steel as most people would like to think. In Chandler, Logan finds that elusive feeling called completeness with her by his side. But any wrong move on his part could send Chandler fleeing and it is through a lot of trial and tribulations that these two eventually find their happily ever after.

I loved reading Heart of Steel. Logan and his utter focus on Chandler and the way he pursues her with that single minded intensity of his was such a huge turn on!

Jennifer Probst delivers a good bout of searing sensuality together with a story that sizzles in all the right ways. Recommended!

Favorite Quotes

Chandler prepared for a sensual, teasing game like the night before. What she hadn’t expected was the powerful, drugging need that touched fire to her body when his tongue penetrated the seam of her lips to thrust into her mouth, hungrily plundering the dark, silken depths over and over again. 

“I want you. I’ll drag out every damn secret you have. I’ll stalk every hiding place, haunt your dreams at night, and make your body burn for mine. When you finally surrender, I’ll make you feel more pleasure than you’ve ever known.”

She pressed her body against his, luxuriating in the feel of his hips cradling hers, the lean strength of his thighs, the bold evidence of his arousal. He pulled back, heard her strangled cry of protest, and re-slanted his mouth to kiss her more deeply. He used his lips and teeth and tongue to push her to the limits of control, until she became helpless beneath the onslaught and surrendered completely.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: Love’s Rhythm by Lexxie Couper

Format: E-booklovesrhythm
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Bandicoot Cove Anthology
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd
Hero: Nick Blackthorne
Heroine: Lauren Robbins
Sensuality: 4.5
Date of Publication: April 17, 2012
Started On: April 10, 2012
Finished On: April 13, 2012

Love’s Rhythm by Lexxie Couper is loosely tied to the story Tropical Sin Lexxie Couper that was published as part of The Bandicoot Cove anthology. Since I am not someone who enjoys menage stories, I refrained from reading Tropical Sin and I believe that Love’s Rhythm stands perfectly well as a standalone though Nick’s character might make a deeper impact on you (if at all that’s possible) if you read Tropical Sin first.

Nick Blackthorne is the stuff dreams and I mean erotic as well as sappy love dreams are made out of. Almost 37 years old, Nick is the ultimate rockstar who has had more than his fair share of fame and fortune. Sinfully good looking with a rich voice to die for and the lyrics of his songs which practically speaks to the soul of his fans, Nick is a man who seems to have everything going for him.

34 year old Lauren Robbins is a small town school teacher and the mother of 15 year old Josh who is the centre of her very existence. Lauren might keep her secrets closely guarded but at night she dreams of the man whose haunting music to which falls asleep to every night, the man who tore apart her world when he chose fame and fortune instead of giving them both the chance they deserved.

Nick’s restless musing and the memories invoked by the lyrics of the very first song of his that had broken records has Nick turning up in his hometown of Murriundah, wanting nothing more than to apologize to the one woman whom he should have done right by. From the first kiss itself that scorches and turns turns the tables around shoving all of Nick’s noble and good intentions aside, Nick becomes a man determined to show the love of his life that they both deserve a second chance and that this time he is committed to staying.

Love’s Rhythm was such a perfectly fantastic read that the first night I picked up the story I couldn’t put the book down. It was only the thoughts of falling asleep while at work the next day that made me reluctantly put the book down and sleep. Even through the rest of the busy work week that followed, I found myself thinking about Nick and those kisses of his that just reaches deep inside of you and tugs at your baser emotions. There wasn’t a single part of me that didn’t crave for Nick’s kisses and I could have seriously gone on reading about his kisses alone, because yes, they were that good.

Lexxie Couper is an author whose snarky humor always gets to me. I love and revel in a story that can make me smile, and an author who can write scenes of passion that can rock the very foundations of my existence is an author who earns my utmost respect. And with just having read two of her books, I can safely say that Lexxie is an author who has got what it takes and her Australian heroes just about makes me want to hop on the next plane and make my way to the land down under.

Nick makes for purr-fect hero material. His intensity, the way his focus never wavers from the goal in sight and the way he could just make me melt on the very spot won me over from the very start. I loved that Nick feels emotions deep into his very soul, that he lets his emotions play a huge role in the music that comes from the depths of his very being. And when he realizes that Lauren is the spark that ignites his very soul, there is no stopping him from laying it all out for the rest of the world to see and that in my eyes makes him one of the greatest heroes ever!

Lauren is scared, and rightfully so when she had been shattered the last time Nick had walked out on their life together. It had broken her apart and had taken her a long time to feel a semblance of normalcy in her life and when Nick turns up again and stirs everything up includng her voracious appetite for the man in question, needless to say Lauren is scared out of her wits in fear that all her secrets are about to come out in the open and that there would be no stopping them. Deep in her heart, Nick is the man Lauren yearns for and she knows that there would be none other who can complete her in the way Nick does. And I loved Lauren for being wise enough to accept that fact.

If a scorching hot read enough to melt your panties off with enough emotion to suckerpunch you when you need it and that unique dose of humor that can make you chuckle out loud is what the doctor ordered for the day; grab yourself a copy of Lexxie’s latest and indulge. You definitely cannot go wrong.

Like the lyrics of a beautiful song that resonates through you, Love’s Rhythm is a story that would blow you away because with Nick Blackthorne smoldering up the pages, Lexxie Couper demands no less!

Favorite Quotes

Lauren returned her phone to her ear. “Jenny!” she snapped, “I don’t have time right now. I need your help. I can’t move Nick by myself and I can’t leave him on the ground. He’ll catch a cold—”
“A cold?” Jennifer interrupted. “You can’t leave him on the ground because he’ll catch a cold? How ’bout you can’t leave him on the ground because he’s Nick Blackthorne?”

“Lauren,” he murmured.
She looked up into his face, into his glazed eyes. Her lips parted to say something cutting, pithy, witty—God, anything would be better than nothing—when he leant toward her, those angry-sky eyes of his growing intense with clarity, and then his mouth was on hers.
Lord, he still kisses…
His tongue dipped past her lips, seeking and finding hers with little resistance. He tasted as good as he had fifteen years ago—toothpaste and coffee and him. He tasted as good. He smelt as good. He felt as good.

Her tongue touched his, hesitant, almost shy. It was enough. Enough to bring their past, their passion, their desire, rushing back to him. He groaned, low and unabashed, and plunged his tongue deeper into her mouth, his hands snaking around her waist to snare her shirt in two tight fistfuls. She whimpered in reply, the sound pushing him over the edge.
With another groan—this one far more aggressive—he yanked her to his body, taking utter possession of her mouth as his hands roamed her back. She fit to his frame with perfection, firm and soft and lush. Nothing had changed. Her body against his ignited a primitive need in him he’d never been able to vocalize, not in song or word, no matter how many times he’d tried. It sparked a want beyond the physical.

She’d always loved beautiful underwear—lacey bras and knickers, usually white or the deepest burgundy. What colour was she wearing today?
His heart slammed faster at the thought and, unable to stop himself, he shifted his arm, bunching up her shirt to reveal that which his hand so desperately wanted to possess.
“Oh, babe,” he groaned, his stare falling on a cherry-red bra perfectly cupping her breast. Her nipple strained at the delicate lace, drawing his attention and making his breath quicken. “You are as beautiful as I remember.”

The kiss was deep and thorough and utterly possessive. It claimed her lips and rendered her knees weak. His hands cupped her face, his fingertips coming to rest on her temples, his thumbs stroking her cheekbones. His tongue delved into her mouth, seeking hers. Finding it, mating with it. She wanted to stop him, she knew she should—it was insane to let him kiss her like this—but the second the notion of pulling away entered her mind it was washed away by the waves of desire and need Nick’s kiss sent surging through her.

“I bet Josh doesn’t kiss you like that, Lauren,” he said, his voice as strained as her own. He pulled a ragged breath, his eyes half-lidded, his pupils dilated. “Tell me he does and I’ll walk away right now, but I’ll know if you’re lying. I always did. I don’t want to compete for you, babe, but I will. I will show you what this Josh can’t give you, I will reawaken the pleasure I gave you all those years ago until you can’t think of anyone else but me. Until you forget all about Josh and let me make you mine again.”

She wanted his swollen length in her hand, in her mouth, in her c#nt. She writhed against him, bare feet slapping on the floor as he spun around and propelled her backward.
Her arse hit the door first. His hips ground against her second. He fucked her mouth with his tongue, plundering, taking, possessing. And all the while his hands raked her body. Under her shirt, over her ribs, capturing her breast. She moaned, the sound turning to a cry when he pulled her pyjama top over her head and tossed it aside.

[…] And before she knew it the word was on her lips, lips being bitten and nibbled by his. “Pill,” she burst out on a breath. “I’m on the—”
He was inside her before she could finish the sentence. Inside her, stretching her. Pumping into her, one hand yanking her leg up around his hip, squeezing her arse, the other cupping and kneading her breast, pinching her nipple.

She came and then he was coming with her, his c#ck pumping inside her, his rhythm wild and frantic. His hands held her, gripped her. His moans became something else, something primitive and primal. The sound of utter release and absolute pleasure. The very sounds falling from her lips in shallow, moaning cries of surrender.

She swallowed thick spurts of release with fierce hunger, her own moans rising to his ears, vibrating through his shaft. He bucked into her, thrust into her, pumped into her mouth until rhythm ceased to exist to him and his body was no longer his, but hers. Until his seed was drained of him, and her tongue washed him clean.
Until he was lost to her. Christ, he was lost to her.

He entered the room, noticing three things at once. There was a fire beginning to build in the small brick fireplace on the wall to his left, the room smelt like its owner, clean and delicate and flowery, and Lauren lay stretched on the bed. Naked.
His heart slammed harder against his chest and his c#ck twitched again. At this rate, it wouldn’t take long at all before he would be sliding into her. Jesus, just looking at her turned him on. Turned him on and left him at her mercy. No, that wasn’t right. Left him…absolute. Without her in his life, he’d been insubstantial.

“Goddess,” he rasped, running his hands over her hips, up her legs.
“Lover,” she whispered back, threading the fingers of her right hand through the fingers of his left and moving his hand to her breast. It was heavy and swollen and ripe with desire. He scraped his thumb over her nipple, loving the way she closed her eyes and hummed in appreciation. He loved that she was in charge. He loved how she took pleasure from his body with such confident leisure. He loved how she squeezed her innermost muscles in pulse after deliberate, exquisite pulse as she rode his length. He loved how he was just that to her, her lover, not Nick Blackthorne rock star, but just the man she gave her body, her heart, her soul to. He loved her. Everything about her.

He slid inside her, his body moving over hers as she lay stretched out on her sofa, his kiss worshipping her mouth, his length embedded deep in her heat. He slid inside her, moved inside her, and there were no words. There were no words, no music, nothing but the rhythm of their hearts beating, the moans of their pleasure, the sound of their lovemaking. It was the most haunting, beautiful song Lauren had ever heard.
And it was enough. It was all she needed. For now, it was all she needed.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Samhain

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