Category / Charming Hero

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Shadows At Sunset by Anne Stuart

Format: E-bookshadowsatsunset
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: MIRA
Hero: Zachariah Redemption Coltrane
Heroine: Jilly Meyer
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: November 12, 2008
Started On: December 17, 2011
Finished On: December 18, 2011

There is one thing you can always count on when you pick up an Anne Stuart. The fact that she draws you in to a web of deceit, lies, desire, explosive passion and an ending that would shake you to the very core when you are done is the very reason I keep coming back for her books even with a ton of reading material to choose from. And Shadows at Sunset proved to be just that sort of read, a story that I completely lost myself in as Anne Stuart wove her brand of magic with Coltrane and Jilly and the rich cast of side characters that makes up this whole story.

Zachariah Redemption Coltrane is a man who is steadfast in his belief and his mission to exact revenge on the man who killed his mother. His sketchy memories about his mother and the only happiness he had ever known while growing up which had been with her is reason enough for him to bring the man responsible down to his knees, stripping him of the very things that he holds near and dear in life.

But Coltrane’s plans for vengeance starts to falter when he meets his enemy’s daughter Jilly Meyer, who lives in and guards the crumbling famous La Casa de Sombras – House of Shadows, one of the most interesting houses in Hollywood that is shrouded in scandal. Jilly is the only one who stands up to her father for the sake of her brother and adopted sister whom she loves with all her heart. Her one attempt at marriage had failed miserably, rendering her to be doubly wary of men who hides their true nature behind their good looks and veneer of charm.

When Coltrane pushes his way into her life, Jilly knows that in Coltrane lies a man who has his own agenda, a man who is ruthless enough to not care even if he leaves a wave of destruction behind him once his plan kicks into gear. But her fascination for all that is Coltrane and how he makes her feel, those tendrils of elemental desire that shocks her to her very core makes her distrust him more than anything else. But Coltrane is not a man to be denied, not when he has set his sights on claiming her, planning all the while to leave her behind, just a casualty of the war he plans to wage.

Shadows at Sunset is such an engrossing tale that is a mix of suspense, romance and  two ghostly beings whose love for one another even crosses on beyond their deaths, lingering on til eternity. The adopted daughter of the Meyer family who makes for such an endearing character on her own, the tender and heartwarming second chance at love that she finds was one of the best aspects of the story. Equally enticing was the game of cat and mouse that Coltrane and Jilly play with each other, their emotions and feelings towards each other as fierce as the need for vengeance and revenge that courses through Coltrane.

Highly intriguing and explosively good, Shadows at Sunset makes for an amazing read, highly recommended from the sunny side of life!

Favorite Quotes

He tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her toward him in the darkness. He knew exactly how she’d respond, her other hand coming up to push him away, her hand touching the bare, hot skin of his chest so that she drew back in surprise, long enough for him to wrap her tightly against his chest, trapping her hand between them. He knew she’d try to jerk her head away when he slid his hand into her hair and tilted her face back for his kiss. And he knew she’d open her mouth for him.
What he hadn’t guessed was what it would feel like. […]
He hadn’t known a mouth could feel like that. That a woman, an argumentative, reluctant woman could feel so hot in his arms, so incredibly right that his monumental self control could start to slip.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Book Depository

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Tangled Lies by Anne Stuart

Format: E-booktangledlies
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Intrigue, #5
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Ben O’Hanlon
Heroine: Rachel Chandler
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: March 15, 1994
Started On: December 11, 2011
Finished On: December 12, 2011

So my Anne Stuart reading binge continued, this time with a Harlequin Intrigue that was published in 1994. Tangled Lies though an earlier story by the author was nevertheless a great one that compelled me to keep on reading, to find out the truth behind the tangled web of lies and deceit that is spun throughout the story, something Anne Stuart is so very good at.

Rachel Chandler makes her way to a little island in Hawaii to meet her brother Emmett Chandler after being estranged from him for 15 long years. Emmette disappears in the late 1960’s when Rachel was just around 12 years old. The news that Emmette has surfaced again in the island propels Rachel to face her fear of flying to meet her brother, to ease that loneliness that has always been a part of her ever since he went missing.

When Rachel meets the man who is playing the role of the 40 year old Emmett Chandler, there is a spark of awareness that shoots right through her, though she quickly tamps it down as part of the joy of being with her brother once again. The Emmett that she discovers is unlike the gentle and kind brother that she knew, this man being an all around tougher and harder version that makes Rachel want to hug him close and ease and soothe his wounds.

Ben O’Hanlon has his own reasons for agreeing to the scheme of pretending to be Emmette Chandler, one he would never divulge to Rachel no matter how tempting she might be. From the first moment that Rachel invades his personal space, its a losing battle that Ben fights with his baser emotions and the possessiveness that takes a hold of him. Though he would like nothing better than to feel nothing towards the woman who shares the ramshackle cabin with him, there is no denying the fact that sparks fly whenever they are together and that the sexual tension could be cut through with a knife.

Rachel is torn apart at the very thought that she has “feelings” towards her older brother. She goes through so much emotional agony because of the fact and when the truth comes to light, all bets are off as Rachel is devastated with anger and the sting of betrayal that courses through her. But once again, the strength of her feelings towards Ben dictates that she give in, that they both give in to the heady desire that escalates out of control with each encounter.

I loved Tangled Lies though there was a bit of an icky factor with Rachel lusting after her “brother” even though the reader knows that he is not her brother in reality. The angst and the tension that is part of this novel was well done and I loved the explosive culmination of their desire for one another.

Ben is a man who is hellbent on vengeance not to be deterred by the pretty haunting eyes of Rachel who occupies every thought that races through his mind. That subtle jasmine scent that clings to the air whenever she is around practically drives him nuts, and even that bitter and cynical heart of his is no match when it comes to Rachel’s soothing touch that sets all his senses afire. Ben fights his feelings until the very last minute, once again Anne Stuart giving her readers a taste of the ruthless alpha heroes that she creates exceptionally well.

Rachel is a bit naive when the story starts, but she is in no means a pushover when it comes to those whom she loves. She is tenacious, loyal and stubborn when it comes to love, all required when you fall hopelessly in love with a man of Ben’s caliber.

Recommended for fans of Anne Stuart and fans of ruthless heroes!

Favorite Quotes

His head moved down, his mouth taking hers in a kiss that held the passion of a thousand years as his body molded against her trembling frame. His lips were hard and hungry as he fought against her resistance, and he pulled his head away for a moment, looking down into her desperate eyes with no pity at all. “Open your mouth, Rachel,” he said.
And closing her eyes, she did, sliding her helpless arms around his body, pulling him closer against her yearning form. Just once, she told herself. Just this once. And she gave herself up to the searching demand of his kiss.

Ben scooped her up in his arms, holding her high against his chest as he carried her back into the cottage, past the shrouded, familiar shapes of the furniture into the night-dark bedroom. They were alone now for the first time. There was no Emmett, no Harris, no lies or masquerade or motives or revenge. There was just Ben and Rachel, together in the darkness.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Abe Books

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Beneath the Surface by M.J. Fredrick

Format: E-bookbeneaththesurface
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd.
Hero: Adrian Reeves
Heroine: Mallory Reeves
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: September 1, 2009
Started On: December 15, 2011
Finished On: December 16, 2011

Beneath the Surface by M.J. Fredrick published in 2009 is trademark M.J. Fredrick. I say this because she presents the reader this time with the unique profession of underwater archaeology, pits a hero and heroine who have been married for 8 long years together once again, delivering that emotional whirlpool that I just flat-out love about her novels.

Mallory Reeves comes bearing her divorce papers to get her husband Dr. Adrian Reeves, an underwater archaeologist to sign them, freeing the way for her to get hitched to the man who is willing to give her everything that Adrian had been unable to. Driven by a restless need to prove his worth to the archaeological community and also to prove to his wife that his suspicions regarding the last expedition aren’t unfounded at all, needless to say Adrian is a man who is determined that this time he would not be thwarted in his efforts.

Seeing Mallory, the one woman who had always got him come bearing the papers that would officially separate them as husband and wife pains Adrian more than he is willing to show. But his love for the woman who had shared his life for 8 years, being his equal in everything that they had done together is one that wants her to be happy, even if its not a life that he is part of.

Mallory is not at all prepared for the rush of emotions that lays siege on her when she comes face to face with the one man who always makes her senses go haywire. Handsome and charming with his Scottish burr that always melts her on the inside, Mallory is more than surprised with the strong feelings of melancholy that hits her making her face just how much of her life she is willing to change to accommodate the lifestyle of the man that she is going to marry. Just one dive to see what Adrian is up to makes Mallory yearn to work beside her husband once again, and maybe just maybe, find a way to heal the wounds that have festered for 3 long years during their separation.

Filled with surprising twists and turns and an attraction hot enough to warm you up even at the deepest depths of the ocean, M.J. Fredrick cleverly weaves a story of second chances along with just enough bits and pieces about underwater archaeology and excavation with a creepy villain at the edge to really pump up one’s adrenaline.

Adrian and Mallory are both equally endearing characters, that just makes you fall for them as you discover their pasts entwined from the very beginning. The trials and tribulations they face together along the way just makes their love a that much stronger one, a love worth fighting for even when all odds are stacked against them. With a neat little epilogue tucked at the end, M.J. Fredrick continues to prove to her readers that when it comes to happily ever afters, she certainly is a master at delivering.

Favorite Quotes

She was as soft, as sexy as he remembered. Her taste hadn’t changed, her mouth moved beneath his the same way, as if those three years had never passed. He dipped his tongue into her mouth, and hers rose to meet him, glided along his, so right, so right.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Separation Anxiety by Cynthia Justlin

Format: E-bookseparationanxiety
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: The Remnants
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Jack Martello
Heroine: Rebecca Cooper
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: September 13, 2011
Started On: December 13, 2011
Finished On: December 14, 2011

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 90 A
The heroine 90 A
Story line 90 A
Emotional Intensity 90 A
Story’s ability to suck me in 90 A
Heat & Sensuality
 90 A
Conflicts within the story 90 A
Writing Style 100 A
Quotable Factor 50 C
The Ending 90 A
Overall Grade 87 A

Score Sheet Summary

Separation Anxiety was a novella that sucked me in right from the very beginning. Though I had to revisit my copy of Her Own Best Enemy to remember who Rebecca was, I was immediately drawn into the way Rebecca was struggling from her past to do even the most simple things like diving off into the swimming pool.

For a woman who suffers from agoraphobia, it is her worst nightmare come true when an escaped convict takes her hostage in her own home, the utter lack of control on how the next few hours or days might pan out being the worst thing someone like Rebecca has to confront. I loved how Cynthia portrays Rebecca’s fears, her struggles and her many attempts at overcoming them which I know wouldn’t be an easy one.

In comes burnt-out hostage negotiator Jack Martello whose shared past with Rebecca makes the mission he embarks upon a doubly risky one. But the woman he encounters with fear radiating from every pore is one that clutches at his heart, the attraction that he had always felt for the first woman he had fallen for a part of him even now.

Cynthia makes their relationship work amidst moments filled with terror and the unknown and makes the passion that bursts forth between them something that they both hold onto even when things go from bad to worse.

It shows an author’s remarkable talent when she can make a novella of this length work for a situation such as the one she explores in this book, a fact that would always keep me coming back for more of her books in the future!

For fans of Cynthia Justlin and for those who loved Her Own Best Enemy and thought that Becca deserves her own happily ever after; Cynthia created this story just for you!

Favorite Quotes

“See how good it can be, Becs. I do this to you and you,” he reached up, captured her hand and drew it down to his erection, “you do this to me.”
She gasped and yanked her hand away. He chuckled. Scooping her hand back into his, he kissed her palm and placed it over his thudding heart.
“You do that to me too.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Smashwords

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Know Thine Enemy by Rosalie Stanton

Format: E-bookknowthineenemy
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Noble Romance Publishing
Hero: Niles Arnold Ryker the Third
Heroine: Elizabeth Jane Bennett
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: November 3, 2011
Started On: December 12, 2011
Finished On: December 13, 2011

Rosalie Stanton is an author who definitely knows what she is doing when it comes to heroines of the kick-ass variety. And invigorating banter is always a part of her novels that makes them that much harder to put down. Whether it be vampires or just plain old human heroes and heroines that she writes about, Rosalie writes them with a passion that comes across when one reads her books.

Know Thine Enemy tells the story of a more than 100 year old vampire who finds the peace, solace and love that he has been searching for all his life when he meets the human demon hunter who entices him to get to know more of her even from their very first encounter.

Niles Arnold Ryker the Third (Ryker) knows a woman worth getting to know when he sees one. Tailing Elizabeth Jane Bennett (Izzie) and watching while she takes on vampires more than capable of sending her to a brutal death, the one thing that draws Ryker is the fact that Izzie is a hunter without a cause.

Izzie had embraced the world of hunting down vampires 6 years back when her life had taken a turn that would have killed her if it had been anyone other than Zack Wright she had tried to steal from. Driven by a need to exorcise the world from the undead that roams at night, Zack has made it his life’s mission and in turn trained and made it Izzie’s mission as well to hunt them. But even if Izzie is unwilling to say it out loud, somehow the empty existence of living from one hunt to the next makes for a lonely existence until Ryker steps into her life and makes her do things that she would never have done otherwise.

Before anything can happen between Ryker and Izzie, an enemy from Ryker’s past who is maniac enough to embrace becoming a creature of a race that he so despises just because it would bring him one step closer to getting the “justice” he feels that he rightfully deserves comes into Ryker’s life, putting both Izzie and Ryker in danger. The time spent in captivity is one that tests the endurance and strength of both Izzie and Ryker’s characters, both forced into submitting to the desire that is always a part of them when they are together.

Know Thine Enemy is a story that tells the tale of a vampire’s quest to find redemption, acceptance and love, things he had resigned himself that he would never ever have in his life. It also tells the story of a woman who is more than a little bit lost in life, following the footsteps of a man whose need for vengeance and revenge is no part of who Izzie is. Izzie has led a tougher life than most, growing up with a father who had slowly grown insane as the years sped by. Escaping from him with her life intact had just been the beginning of a hard life and it is only under Ryker’s soothing touch that Izzie finds the strength to let go and believe for the very first time in her life.

Ryker’s brand of seduction is a lethal one that got my heart racing more than a time or two. His intensity and focus when it comes to Izzie, to the point that the rest of the world just melts away and ceases to exist, the way he whispers those tender nothings during those moments when physical and emotional intimacy seems to mix and blur around the edges, needless to say I loved his character and his brand of seduction. His tenderness and understanding nature is just exactly what someone like Izzie needs in order to believe that something better has come to her life and is there to stay as long as she wants and needs it to.

With a fitting end to the villain, no hanky panky forgiveness stuff here which I just loved, Know Thine Enemy is a great read, recommended for fans of Rosalie Stanton and fans of vampire romances.

Favorite Quotes

Intimacy with Wright had seemed necessary; an essential human experience she didn’t think she’d get anywhere else, at least not on her terms. Ryker changed everything.
Ryker, she wanted. Hell, a part of her needed him, and the rest of her just craved.

“You’re not dirty, or bad, or wrong, or anything that ass of a father told you,” he whispered, kissing the swell of her breast. “I honestly don’t know what you are.”
“Ryker, please.”
“Except mine.”

 

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Noble Romance

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: 10 Ways To Steal Your Lover by Dee Tenorio

Format: E-book10waystostealyourlover
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Short Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Love By Numbers, Book 1
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Kane Wilkensen
Heroine: Delilah Anne McGavin
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: December 14, 2011
Started On: December 16, 2011
Finished On: December 17, 2011

I am a sucker for Dee Tenorio’s books. Her books are filled to the brim with scorching heat, humor and a love that just sears right through you before you are done. So I found myself taking a little detour from my reading schedule as soon as Dee announced the availability of this book up on Amazon. And let me tell you, with that explosive Chapter 1 that just right about fried up half of my grey matter, 10 Ways to Steal Your Lover drew me in and refused to let its hold on me go, even long after I was done.

Kane Wilkensen has been lusting after and been in love with his best friend Craig’s fiance Delilah Anne McGavin for the past 3 years. Though Kane tries to distance himself from the temptation that is Delilah, their upcoming nuptials brings him back to Delilah, and by a twisted turn of events wakes up with Delilah in his arms, with his ring on her finger.

Though neither Delilah nor Kane remembers all the events that led both of them to wake up with Kane buried to the hilt depp inside of Delilah, both of them know that for the first time in their lives they have found the missing piece that just makes everything else around them fade away to insignificance. With more questions than answers and Kane’s undying resolve to show the woman he loves to distraction that he is the right husband for her, Kane and Delilah embark upon a mission to find the missing pieces and in the process finds that for both of them, there would never be any other.

If you are a fan of scorching sensuality and haven’t ever read a book by Dee Tenorio, you are seriously missing out on one of the best the genre has to offer. As I said earlier, from the eye opening and senses awakening first chapter itself, Dee had me glued to the pages to find out how Delilah and Kane would fare towards the end. Kane is such a delicious and devastating hero on the senses. He is the type of hero that I love, a bit broody with a quiet intensity that practically leaves me breathless. And when all that intensity is focused on bringing undying pleasure to the woman he loves – ladies, just be warned that you are going to need a long cold shower afterwards.

Delilah was such a lovely heroine. She grows up never finding where she fits in with a father whose whole life had been focused on serving the military with a rigid discipline to him that makes it hard for Delilah to measure up to his expectations. And with her fiance, Delilah had tried hard to fit into the mould that is expected of her, ignoring the messages that her body sends her whenever Kane is around, tempting her to just let go and embrace the one man who gets her as she is. I loved the way she blossomed under Kane’s love for her, and in the way she makes Kane see that he is wrong in trying to make the most important decision in her life for her, just because he loves her that much.

One of the most colorful characters in the novel turned out to be Delilah’s grandmother Rainbow, a character as colorful as her name, who kept reminding me of Mulan’s grandmother in the Disney cartoon. Now I am eagerly awaiting the release of the next set of books in the series, Craig’s book which is to come out in 2012.

For fans of contemporary romances with heat levels that is guaranteed to spike up your internal thermometer, Dee Tenorio’s 10 Ways To Steal Your Lover would be a treat for the senses. With a beautiful epilogue tucked in at the end, I loved everything about this novel and cannot recommend this highly enough!

Favorite Quotes

Delilah cried out, lifting her head. The only truth that mattered right now was how much she needed him. Powerful thighs flexed against her own as he began to move. He reached for her, pulling her up, against his chest, his hands clasping her breasts, mouth open on the back of her neck. He drew hard, pumping up into her relentlessly, meeting her rocking motion back to him. Her head fell back on his shoulder, her own hands latching over his. Their fingers wove together, their bodies moving as if they’d been lovers for years.
As if they’d been made for each other.

Usually, when he came in these dreams he woke up still thrusting into ruined sheets, his face pressed into a pillow.
This time, he was most assuredly still balls deep inside Delilah McGavin, his face pressed into the mass of silken black hair now that they’d fallen to their sides on a bed far too nice to be his. Like him, she was gasping, trying to catch her breath. She was also bonelessly limp, her sweat slick body slathered over his, their legs tangled, their sexes still throbbing against each other, fitted together like a lock and a key.
He finally moved, walking those few feet between them. Without hesitation, his hands slid around her waist, pulling her flush against him. Her hand slid up his arm all by itself, grasping the hard muscles there. The warmth that seemed a natural part of him spread into her. Smoothly, his mouth found hers, gently grazing her lips before settling more firmly. She moaned as he tasted her, coaxing her to open for him. When she did, her eyelids fluttered shut and the whole world utterly disappeared.

He finally pulled away, not letting her get further than a few inches, their hips still pressed tight, her gaze held willing captive by his. “It’s me,” he murmured. “And I’m telling you right now, Delilah Anne McGavin, if I have my way, it’s going to stay me for the rest of our lives. You’re mine now and I’m going to do everything in my power to prove it to you.”

“I’ve known since the first moment I saw you and every day after has only made me surer. I see who you are, right down to your soul. I know you’re the kind of woman who gives of herself, completely. I know the promises you make mean more to you than the cost. I know that family is the most important thing to you in the entire world. But most of all, I know that you feel exactly the same thing I do—we belong together, Del. You’re the piece of me that’s been missing all my life and I can tell just looking that I’m the same for you.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Fall of Maggie Brown by Anne Stuart

Format: E-bookthefallofmaggiebrown
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Short Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Intrigue
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Ben Frazer
Heroine: Blanche Magnolia Brown
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: January 1, 2000
Started On: December 11, 2011
Finished On: December 11, 2011

I mourn the fact that there are no authors like Anne Stuart out there with a vengeance. I sometimes get restless after reading romances featuring overly sweet heroes, not that they aren’t enticing in their own way. Maybe I am sadistic, but I love a bit of ruthlessness in my heroes and I won’t mind if someone presents me with a mountain of books featuring the said variety of heroes. So my restlessness had me doing a Google search to seek out those authors that have a similar writing style. But I should have known better since from the very start I have identified the fact that Anne Stuart simply put, is one of a kind. So there I was searching through her back list to find a book that would catch my fancy and I ended up reading not one, but two Anne Stuart books in one day!

28 year old Maggie Brown has always been the sensible and responsible older twin whilst her younger twin Stella had always been as flaky and outrageous as their mother. Maggie and her father had always looked out for the two women and with him passing away two years back, the sole responsibility of cleaning up after their messes falls on Maggie’s shoulders. So it is her mother Delia’s sort of death-bed wish that Stella be present when she passes away that has Maggie taking a leave of absence from her job at the bank and flying to Las Cruces, San Pablo, a tiny country somewhere between Spain and France. And there she meets Ben Frazer, the man who drives her completely nuts, the man who ruffles her calm unlike any other and also the man who her senses clamor to possess and be possessed by.

Ben has an agenda of his own when it comes to the plain Maggie Brown who somehow gets under his skin right from the very start. Ben plans on leading Maggie around on a wild goose chase around the rough terrain of San Pablo just to prick and poke into that overly proper exterior of hers. The lively sword play of words that takes place between Ben and Maggie right from the start is overly amusing and serves as foreplay to the very hot and well done scene of explosive passion that Ms. Stuart provides towards the end.

Ben might want to brush away how much Maggie actually makes him feel and Maggie at first brushes away those twinges that come with sexual desire as hunger pangs. But both Maggie and Ben know that between them lies a load of sexual tension that is just waiting to ignite, that is just waiting to take them both to new heights in the culmination of their mutual desire and wanting for one another. There is something to be said for well done sexual tension that is headier on the senses than the most well done erotica and time and yet again, Ms. Stuart proves her capability and mastery at providing readers with just that.

With bits and pieces of a villain who stalks them both and has a personal score to settle with Ben, this short novel provided me with just what I needed and wanted in my attempts to read a book with a hero who isn’t an overly sweet one right from the beginning.

Recommended for fans of Anne Stuart and fans of her heroes, this one’s deliciously and mouth wateringly good!

Favorite Quotes

He hooted with laughter. “I should have known. Do you have a calculator for a brain and an adding machine for a heart?”
“I don’t think you need to worry about my heart, Mr. Frazer. It’s not going to have anything to do with you.”
His slow, lazy smile was quite possibly his most potent weapon. She wanted to slap it off his face, and yet at the same time it stirred odd, unexpected feelings in the pit of her stomach.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Abe Books

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Hot Shot by M.J. Fredrick

Format: E-bookhotshot
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd.
Hero: Gabe Cooper
Heroine: Peyton Michaels
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: April 1, 2008
Started On: December 8, 2011
Finished On: December 9, 2011

Hot Shot is one of the earliest novels by MJ Fredrick and nevertheless a great one that makes for a compelling read. There is a reason why I continue to read books from her entire backlist because I know that she won’t disappoint me when it comes to the action, the suspense, the romance and of course the happily ever after that she delivers in her stories. MJ Fredrick tends to write stories that not only deliver a good dose of romance between two likable characters but delivers stories that tend to be quite informative on the chosen subject matter and Hot Shot is no exception as this story deals with the dangerous and arduous task of forest fire fighting.

Gabe Cooper is the leader of the Bear Claws, the best Hot Shot crew in Montana. He is cynical and world weary, the only consolation he finds is in the dangerous and adrenaline pumping job of fire fighting. He is a legend amongst the fire fighting circles and considered the best in the field.

32 year old Peyton Michaels is a reporter from Up to the Minute magazine, who has done a series of successful articles called “In the Line of Duty” that focuses on those men and women who put their lives on the line everyday as part of their duty, just so that the rest of the world can stay safe. Peyton’s latest article brings her to Gabe’s group, as a rookie as well as a reporter, a combination that stirs up resentment on Gabe’s part right from the very first moment.

From the start, danger surrounds them and constantly pursues them at every turn. And in the midst of these life threatening fire fighting and rescue missions, Peyton and Gabe slowly start to find out that the attraction between them is one that won’t be denied, their connection to each other one forged in the midst of danger and at times at their lowest point of endurance.

With a few twists and surprises along the way, Gabe and Peyton hunt the person responsible for starting the fire in the first place, a fire that continues to claim lives even while they are on the hunt. And in the midst of everything, Peyton and Gabe are forced to confront their innermost feelings towards each other and open up about their deepest and darkest secrets so that their love turns out to be a that much sweeter one at the end.

The way Ms. Fredrick creates stories wherein lies complicated relationships, not necessarily between just the hero and heroine is one aspect of her novels that I just love. In Hot Shot, Gabe is the one who has to face his ex-wife Jen, who betrayed him after 4 years of marriage by falling in love with his best friend. To have to work with Jen 3 years after the betrayal when feelings for Jen still courses deep through Gabe creates a mother-load of tension and angst that Ms. Fredrick handles very well. And on top of that Gabe has to confront the way his feelings go into a tailspin for Peyton, bringing down the bitterness, heartache and loneliness that Gabe had hides well from the rest of the world.

Gabe is a legend, a hero, but the labels don’t mean anything to him as long as he can battle the dragon day in and day out and come out winning. Some might label him an adrenaline junkie but in my perspective Gabe had been waiting for something else in his life that would give him the same sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that fire fighting gives, and in Peyton for the very first time he finds a reason to change his life, a woman who accepts him just the way he is.

Peyton is a widow, whose husband’s death is still etched on to her mind as clearly as if it happened yesterday. Peyton’s grief is expressed through her articles, by trying to find out what makes those that put their lives in danger in the name of duty do what they do. And when she meets Gabe, the man who stirs her senses up and makes her come alive for the first time in two long years, she is more than dismayed at the thought that she is once again putting her heart on the line with a man who thrives when danger surrounds him. But as she discovers more about Gabe, the more Peyton comes to understand what drives him, what had driven her husband to constantly confront danger until that very last day, the acceptance and healing that both Gabe and Peyton find together being one of the best parts of the story.

The fire fighting scenes are so realistic that sometimes it felt like the scene was playing right in front of my eyes. And within those adventurous moments, Ms. Fredrick provides a whole lot of information and details about forest fire fighting that made me an instant admirer of the men and women who are courageous enough to battle the fires that rage every year.

Recommended for fans of romantic suspense that feature fire fighter heroes and fans of MJ Fredrick.

by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Intrusion by Cynthia Justlin

Format: E-bookintrusion
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: The Remnants, Book 2
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Cameron Scott
Heroine: Dr. Audra McCain
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: October 22, 2011
Started On: December 4, 2011
Finished On: December 8, 2011

With Intrusion author Cynthia Justlin cements her position into my list of favorite authors for the romantic suspense genre. Ever since I read Her Own Best Enemy I have had my eye out for Cameron Scott’s story and receiving a request for review by Cynthia Justlin for his story just made it that much sweeter.

With his bummed up knee and shattered self confidence, all 33 year old Cameron Scott (Cam) wants is to prove that he is on top of his game. A former Communications Sergeant in Special Forces, Cameron had never met a code he couldn’t break with a little patience and a good dose of ingenuity. When Cameron tries to take on an expedition to prove that the existing security at the Nanodyne Technologies is not an impenetrable one, he lands himself in more trouble than he ever foresees.

30 year old Dr. Audra McCain is the brains behind a top secret project at Nanodyne Technologies that entails the creation of a body armor suite that could mean the end to heavy casualties in war zones. But when the armor during its final stages gets stolen and by a quirky twist of fate both Cam and Audra tops the list if suspects, there is only one thing left for them to do while dodging the law and the one man whose entire being is focused on getting to the armor. That is to put their heads together and come up with who had stolen the armor in the first place.

Cynthia Justlin has a way with creating broken characters, let them make huge mistakes along the way to test their worthiness to each other and in the end the happily ever after that comes remains to be that much sweeter. For me, both Cameron and Audra proved to be such characters who needed a little bit of faith and a whole lot of love to light up their lives so that they could achieve their own sweet little happily ever after.

When it comes to Cameron, he is the guy who hides behind a veneer of charm and lazy humor behind which lies a tortured soul that blames himself for the way he let down his team back in Afghanistan. Having never forgiven himself for his impulsiveness that had brought all sorts of shit raining down on the team with his just getting away with a bummed knee doesn’t sit well with Cameron. Even then, he is a guy that hasn’t lost all hope or faith in humankind, and in Audra he sees the woman he is meant to be with for the rest of his life.

Audra is another story altogether. She suffers from abandonment issues, has emotional scars left over from being shuffled over from one foster home to the other when growing up. And she hides behind her work, keeping to herself and never letting herself get attached to anyone until Cameron shows up in her life making her feel the tingles of wanting through the fog of nothingness and emptiness that surrounds her heart.

When Cameron and Audra are pitted together, it is Cameron who hopes for a future with Audra, this switch of opposites unlike the norm a refreshing one. Though I had envisioned Cameron to be a more forceful hero, his brand of standing up for what he wants, that streak of impulsiveness that years in the military hadn’t curbed out him and the way he falls for Audra flaws and all was exactly what Audra needed in order to embrace the truth that Cameron means so much more to her than just a night of passion between two people.

I loved how Cynthia brings all elements of the story together, going as far as to create a villain for whom everything doesn’t go according to plan either. His plans are thwarted from the start making him that much more impulsive and dangerous to contend with. And since its always the norm for villains to have everything going for them, especially at the beginning of the story, this was such a refreshing change.

Cynthia ties up the fast paced action and adventure aspect of the story together with heat of the toe curling variety, one which she delivers upon very well. Cameron and Audra’s undeniable need for one another makes for heady reading and I loved every minute of the sensual haze within which they lose themselves in.

Recommended for fans of action based romantic suspense with a hero who just makes your heart go pitter patter and a heroine who definitely needs a dose of exactly that.

Favorite Quotes

He yanked her into him, and covered her lips with his before she could protest. Pain radiated around his kneecap and down his leg, but it was so damn worth it for one taste of her sweet mouth. His tongue stroked the delicate seam of her lips and she stiffened, her jaw tensing under his fingertips.
Don’t pull away. Not yet. He hadn’t tasted his fill.
He caressed her cheekbones, traced their delicate curve until she sagged against him. Her lips softened and he nipped at her mouth until it parted for him. Blood thrummed in his veins. He plunged his tongue inside her mouth and slid his hands into the damp, silky curls of her hair.

“Look at you.” His throat contracted in one long swallow. He ran a finger between her breasts, down her belly to the elastic waistband of her sweats where he dipped a teasing caress underneath it. “I could feast on you all day and never get enough.”

“Like what you see?”
He arched a self-assured brow, and she couldn’t stop a bubble of laughter from popping in her chest. “Yeah, I like what I see.”
“Good.” He eased on the bed next to her and she scooted back to give him more room. His fingers trailed up the flat of her belly to her breast, his thumb scraped across her nipple. “Because I love what I see.”
Except he wasn’t looking at her body, he was looking at her—into her—as if he could see all her fears and flaws and accepted them.

He hauled her completely on top of him.
His mouth ravaged hers, hot and hungry, his hands guiding her hips over him. He entered her, filled her and she cried out at the overwhelming pleasure that shook her body.

Her orgasm hit her with the force of a molecular explosion, tiny particles of energy bursting and swirling inside her. Before she could catch her breath, Cam was right there with her, shuddering his own climax, and drawing her into his fierce embrace.
He kissed her, his hot tongue sweeping inside her mouth. Another wave of shivers wracked her body and she clutched at his shoulders desperate to hold on to a shred of her common sense amidst the tide of emotions charging between them.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Smashwords

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: Edge of Survival by Toni Anderson

Format: E-bookedgeofsurvival
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Carina Press
Hero: Daniel Fox
Heroine: Dr. Cameran Young
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: November 21, 2011
Started On: November 23, 2011
Finished On: November 28, 2011

Edge of Survival By Toni Anderson released from Carina Press on the 21st of this month. Due to certain other commitments and stuff that kept cropping up, I took my own sweet time to finish this fantastic contemporary romantic suspense that features a hot British hero who made all my James Bond fantasies come to life.

34 year old Daniel Fox is a former SAS agent whose sole focus after his spotless military career goes haywire in a split moment’s decision becomes flying, drinking and seducing anything that moves. With his indigo blue eyes and charming physical attributes, not to mention that swoon worthy accent of his, women have no complaints whatsoever on being used by Daniel to forget the nightmares that continue to plague him.

Dr. Cameran Young is the lead biologist on the Environment Impact Assessment team for a large mining project in the Canadian bush. Being one who suffers from diabetes, Cameran’s life is not for the faint of heart with her battle for survival that is waged every single second of every day. When Cameran’s work takes her to the remote and at times hostile environment in the Canadian bush, the last thing she expects is to walk in on a murdered woman to kick-start her trip.

When Cameran and Daniel’s paths cross, there is no stopping the fireworks that begins right from the very start. Though Daniel does everything in his power to turn his back on the numerous feelings that bombards the shield of steel that guards his emotions and heart, Cameran’s effect on him is not as easy to ignore as he would like.

Cameran might try telling herself that Daniel is the type of man who would love and leave without even a backward glance and she is so not the type to get tangled up with someone like him. But her heart and baser emotions have a plan of their own; that is to get as up close and personal with Daniel and his uber swoon worthy body that tends to make Cameran feel as if she is on a sugar high all the time.

Though this is my first Toni Anderson I was pleasantly surprised by the ease with which she drew me into the story and had me all tied up in knots over each and every single one of her characters. She has a style of writing that has earned her a spot on my authors to look out for in the future. I loved the way she developed all the characters in the story, and I guess will continue to wonder whether she plans to write any more stories with some of the characters that were encountered during Daniel’s tortured journey towards happinesss with Cameran.

As I said before Daniel is the type of hero to bring each of your wickedest Bond fantasies to life. Even when he is making an ass out of himself by sleeping with every woman who crosses paths with him, he has a charm about him that makes it hard to harbor any ill feelings towards him. Needless to say, I loved how Daniel’s character was brought to life, how he grew throughout the story and how his feelings progressed. I loved his tortured soul that just made me want to hug him close and was practically jumping up and down with glee during those moments that he tried so hard to stay away from Cameran and could not!

Cameran’s character is the type of heroine that I love best. With no coyness to her, she is upfront and straightforward with what she wants and how she feels which is how I like my heroines. The way she slowly chips away at the resistance that is so much a part pf Daniel was both fun and heartwarming to read about. I loved those scenes of seduction between Daniel and Cameran which were pretty hot and at the same time loved how the seducer becomes the seduced in most of the scenes.

The villain and the moment where everything clicked together was one of the best aspects of the story which I say signals the fact that this romantic suspense is a well done one. Sensual, different; romance with a bit of angst, just how I like them; Edge of Survival is a romantic suspense not to be missed.

Favorite Quotes

A shimmer of something feral moved over his face—a father’s anguish, raw and defiant, but something else too, rage. “I know to you she’s just another dead prostitute, but she was my baby. Promise me you’ll find her killer so we can put our baby to rest. Promise me, because if you don’t find him, I will.”

He was fully aroused as he moved against her, and she opened her mouth on a shocked gasp. His tongue slipped inside her mouth and explored slowly, thoroughly. Nothing like she anticipated from the whirlwind of sensations that exploded through her body. He hinted at seduction and passion. Subdued. Contained. Controlled.
Perfect.
She sighed.

His grip hurt and he tasted dangerous; there was no other way to describe it. Like fire and sweat and savageness that scared her. He was so much bigger than she was, so much stronger. His kiss was hungry, ravenous.
A starving man…or an addict.

Cam smiled as she grabbed the hem of his jeans and pulled them until his feet hit the floor with a thud. He was naked. She was naked. And he wasn’t looking quite so detached anymore. In fact, he looked panicked. And annoyed. And hot. For her.

He flipped her on her back and she squeaked.
“I want to see you.” And he kissed her, tasting like darkest sin, like double chocolate without insulin, like pure malt whisky injected into her bloodstream.

He turned her in his arms and kissed her. His hands were full of woman as she wrapped herself around his body so tight they were melded together from shoulders to hip. But her kisses…they stole his breath with their hunger for him. 

He tried to stand perfectly still and relinquish control, so she could do whatever she wanted with him, and he just about cried.
She felt so amazing wrapped around him. Strange and yet familiar. Brilliant. Too vibrant and frightening to explore with anything other than his body.

He slid his hands up her back and lifted her until they were eye to eye. She held his gaze, those changeable eyes of hers blue now, reflecting the water and the sky. And finally she let go, unraveled, squeezing him tightly, wrapping herself around him in sensual pleasure. Her cries, amplified by the water and ancient stone, reached out and connected to something so fundamental inside him it felt like his soul. He closed his eyes and cried out as he followed her back into the void.

“I could kiss you until the world stopped turning and it still wouldn’t be long enough.”

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

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