Category / Endearing Hero

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Captivated by Tessa Bailey & Eve Dangerfield

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Paperwhite
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
POV: Third Person, Dual
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Blake Munroe
Heroine: Autumn Martha Reynolds
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Published On: June 11, 2018
Started On: February 11, 2023
Finished On: February 21, 2023

When Autumn was nine, her cousin Jessica had brought home a Brazilian boyfriend. Josef spoke almost no English and Jessica spoke almost no Portuguese but they soon got engaged and moved in together. Autumn’s family had found the situation utterly bizarre.
“How can you love someone if you don’t understand a bloody word they’re saying?” her mother moaned into the landline. “It’ll never work.”
Autumn, too young to be tactful, had gone up to Jessica that Christmas and asked her how she could have a boyfriend if she didn’t know what he was saying. She’d never forget the look on Jessica’s face, the mysterious smile, the warmth in her eyes. “Everyone’s gossiping about me, aren’t they?”
Autumn had nodded.
“Well you can go tell them all I don’t care. Love isn’t just saying words. What we feel is real.”

Captivated by Tessa Bailey and Eve Dangerfield was first published in June of 2018. Both Ms. Bailey and Ms. Dangerfield are similar in the skill that they wield when it comes to writing emotional stories filled with hot and messy sex of the good kind, with a healthy dose of dirty talking in the mix. After all, Ms. Bailey holds the title of Queen of Dirty Talk for a very good reason. So needless to say, when these two queens get together to write a story, I would say all bets are off.

Told in the third person from the perspectives of Blake Munroe, the hero, and Autumn Martha Reynolds, the heroine, this is the story of how Autumn, who moves to New York from Australia with her boyfriend, finds herself minus the boyfriend, wallowing in self-pity, and stuck in a limbo, unable either make herself take that needed step to renew her visa or tell her family back home how her boyfriend of six years that she had doted on and followed across continents, whom she had basically supported for months, had cheated on her with a bunch of improv groupies.

Employed as a veterinarian, with a penchant for rescuing and nursing animals even at her apartment which would most likely be frowned upon by The Landlord, aka Blake, Autumn does not know how Blake ends up featured in her comic-book-style pornography as the lead male, who acts out her fantasies. When that piece of comic ends up with Blake by coincidence, Autumn is mortified and then turned on beyond reason when she realizes that Blake has a penchant for taking control and dominance in the bedroom, the perfect answer to her own needs.

Autumn and Blake are opposites in every sense. She is petite where he is large and formidable and she is outgoing while he is an introvert, who would rather spend his time at home doing what brings him peace. However, none of that seems to matter when the fireworks between them are so bright and vivid, answering a need each of them has been denying for far too long.

Autumn and Blake both have issues, Blake more so than Autumn with a past that remains a sore point for him, one that he has not made peace with. Blake has always felt the like he is the odd one out, even amidst his large circle of friends way back. His tendency to listen better than everyone else in a conversation means that his observations are insightful and honest, which most people do not seem to like.

Having gone through a betrayal of the kind that he cannot forgive nor forget, Blake isolates himself in the building that he has been leasing out to tenants for the past seven years. His first impression of Autumn when she moves is, is one that makes him wary, for she notices his limp and goes out of her way to be considerate of the fact while most people never do. Knowing that lusting after another man’s girlfriend was a big no no, Blake had stayed away until fate throws him that lifeline, and he recognizes the loneliness that is mirrored in Autumn’s eyes as his own.

While the sex between Autumn and Blake burns hotter and brighter, and Autumn manages to get Blake bit by bit out of his shadowed existence, Blake too wants only the best for Autumn, for her to be able to follow her dreams without the fear of failure. But when reality bites, and Blake takes things a bit too far for Autumn’s comfort, it is up to Blake to fight for Autumn, the one woman who he cannot live without, the sunshine to his darkness, and the light of his life.

I really enjoyed Captivated and while this reminded me a lot in some ways of Eve Dangerfield’s novel Degrees of Control, most of the elements in the story were uniquely Autumn and Blake. I loved Autumn and Blake in equal degrees; Autumn for her beautiful kindness and Blake for being the intuitive man that he is, able to discern what his woman needs and wants without having to ask.

Captivated was in many ways a stimulating (and I don’t mean it in the sexual sense) and thought provoking read. I did find myself questioning how certain aspects of Blake’s past were reconciled with so easily (even with the understanding that seven odd years had passed since). But since when has real life offered that chance to the majority of the people who go through life harrowing and challenging circumstances that pulls them to their lowest? I am glad for people who do get the chance to reconcile with their pasts, but I for one have yet to meet anyone who has been able to actually do that in real life. The best we can do is make peace with the past for our sake and move forward.

I also did not understand why Blake was in the wrong for cutting off his so called friends, who had all known what was going on behind his back. Your true friends would tell you the truth, no matter how hard it is for them to face the consequences that may arise from saying it as it is. I was #TeamBlake all the way, and even had he chose not to go down the road that he did, I would still have loved him. For who would not love a gentle giant who broods and is able to melt the panties off any heterosexual female?

Recommended for romance readers who love their heroes on the strong and silent side and their heroines with just the right touch of stubborn filled with a whole lot of love!

Final Verdict: Captivated is a story that left me pondering on betrayals in life and how much of what life throws our way can we truly reconcile with and forgive.

Favorite Quotes

Being held by him was like being held in a cage, a gentle, living cage. With another man it might have felt oppressive, but as Blake kissed her deeply, all she felt was warm and safe and turned the fuck on. Within seconds she was rubbing against him, moaning into his mouth. Her landlord couldn’t talk worth a damn but god he could kiss. He kissed like it was his mother language, like he could tell whole stories with his lips and tongue.

He removed his hand from her mouth and kissed her. This time the kiss was deep and hot and animalistic. He was claiming her, exerting his will over her weaker feminine frame. Autumn strained against his hands and found she couldn’t move an inch. Her arousal ratcheted up another degree and when he pulled away, she had to stop herself from moaning his name.

“What are you doing?” she said, sounding exactly as turned on as she was.
He didn’t reply. Instead he bent down and inhaled along her neck. All the hairs on Autumn’s arms lifted and her knees shook so violently she thought she might fall. Looking down the dark hallway, she could see customers milling around, hear the indie folk playing on the speakers. No one knew she was alone with Blake, no one knew he was not quite touching her. He kissed her neck, raising goosebumps on her skin. His breathing was deep and harsh now, and she knew if she reached out and touched him, he would be rock hard beneath his jeans.

Blake’s tongue lapped her neck, tasting her sweat. “That’s it. Come for your owner, baby. Make him proud.”
She did, bucking so wild and hard against her restraints that if Blake was any other man, she’d have worried about hurting him, but seeing as he was huge and hard, she decided not to be worried. Instead, she focused on the bright trickles of pleasure threading through her body like veins. She was flying.

“People always act like women are another species. Like they’re cats or planets or whatever the fuck else. It’s not hard to see what people want if you actually look and listen.”
“That’s not really an answer.”
Blake bent down so that their faces were close, their bodies contained in a private bubble of this noisy, trendy bar. “You’re a busy woman,” he said. “You feel obliged to give all of yourself all the time, to those dirty pigeons, to the gym instructor, to the other tenants. Now I found out your parents leaned on you pretty hard and that doesn’t surprise me at all. The day you moved in, you were the one making everything happen while your ex was on his phone. You…”
He broke off.
“What?” Autumn urged.
“You cleared that path for me to walk through,” Blake muttered. “You saw my leg and you knew…that’s just not something a lot of people would have done, but you did. You care, Fun-Size, you notice things. You run the show and you do it well so people assume that’s what you want.”
“And isn’t it?” she whispered.
Blake shook his head. “Nope. You want me to order your drinks, pick where we eat and choose how we fuck. You don’t care if I pick a pink drink, or a blue one. If I screw you standing up, or on your back. You care about not having to decide. You want someone else to be dependable for once. To make you feel like if you fall, someone else can catch you. That’s why being tied up makes you feel free. It puts the burden of responsibility on me, that way you can relax and enjoy yourself without feeling guilty. That’s what you want, Fun-Size. To feel like you matter enough for someone else to try.”

Blake slipped the book into his inner coat pocket, switched off the lamp and tucked his apartment keys into his pants. He intended to pick Autumn up at her door, but when he opened his, there she was, her hand poised to knock.
“Hello,” he said, surprised. “I was just coming to get you.”
She dipped her chin. “Thought I would pick you up for a change, landlord. Men deserve to be courted, too.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Finding Home by Lauren Baker and Bonnie Dee

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Paperwhite
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
POV: Third Person, Single
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Sean
Heroine: Megan
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: January 02, 2006
Started On: February 10, 2023
Finished On: February 11, 2023

“How did you reach the point of,” she searched for a polite way to phrase the question, “considering prostitution as a source of income?”
“Some of the kids I knew were whoring, but I wouldn’t at first. I was sure I could find a job. But the days went on and I had no money. This kid, Donnie, convinced me sucking c#ck was a pretty simple way to make fifty bucks. So one night I did it.”
Megan swallowed. “How did you feel about it?”
“I didn’t feel anything. He was right. It wasn’t such a big deal and I had enough money to eat for a few days.” His voice was perfectly steady and emotionless.

Finding Home, written by Lauren Baker and Bonnie Dee, published in January of 2006, is a story that is beautifully crafted. It is a story about finding love in places that you least expect, of how society often seems to fixate on the wrong issues instead of righting the grave injustices inherent, and how love of the truest kind will always persevere.

Written in the third person, told solely from the heroine’s perspective, Finding Home brings to readers the story of 23 year old Megan who works as a copy editor at a weekly LA paper, with dreams of becoming a reporter. To speed things up on making that transition, Megan decides that a freelance expose was in order, and sets out to tackle the issue of male prostitution.

When Megan meets 17 year old Sean (known as Mouth on the streets), she is fascinated by how self possessed he appears and how nothing seems to faze him. Quickly befriending him, Megan finds out that the story that she started out to write in an attempt to advance her career is not for the faint of heart, and that she cannot detach herself from the lived realities of the young adults who are forced into prostitution for one reason or the other.

As Megan finds herself in over her head when it comes to Sean, and a sequence of events culminates in Sean requiring time to heal from injuries inflicted, Megan offers him room and board at her place, at least until he is better able to take care of himself. Megan’s offer comes without any expectations on her end, and it is heartbreaking to come to the understanding that for a young adult like Sean, his life which has been an endless series of being taken advantage of by other people, trust is the hardest commodity to come by.

As proximity gives room for the awareness that has always existed between the two of them to grow in leaps and bounds, Megan finds herself in the unenviable position of having to deny her heart when it comes to Sean, as the feelings that she harbors for him increases by the day. Things come to a head and when Megan finally gives in, it is not without self-recrimination, doubts, and being self-conscious about society’s perception on the relationship which buds to life between them.

Sean’s story is not a unique one, but nevertheless a heartbreaking one. A deadbeat mother who was more concerned about where her next fix would come from, Sean had abandoned ship as soon as he was able to, with the knowledge that he could take better care of himself than his mom ever could. Being homeless and bunking with other kids who were of the same fate, Sean had found himself bartering away his body for cash to make ends meet.

The lifeline that comes in the form of Megan is one that Sean doesn’t realize that he needed. Megan, with her soft heart and bleeding emotions for the boy she gets to know and the man she comes to love, rescues him from a life of continued destitution and poverty, and gives him that needed chance to be independent, find himself, and find his way back to her. His home.

That was in essence what was so moving about the story. This was why it was such an emotionally gripping tale that turned out to be a riveting read in many ways. Even though Megan is older of the two in terms of age, it is Sean who seems to be emotionally more mature, perhaps as a consequence of having shielded himself for so long from the realities of childhood trauma.

The chemistry between Megan and Sean from the onset, sexual and otherwise, was an intriguing aspect of the story. Megan’s warmth towards Sean is evident from the start, and even when their relationship crosses all those lines it rightfully should not, somehow it makes sense because Megan and Sean fits in a way that is indescribable.

Megan truly does try to resist giving in, and I believe if the positions were reversed, even I, as the reader would not have felt the need to explain how much she tried to resist. It is the norm to read about and hear about older men succumbing to much younger women, or getting into a relationship with a woman in a vulnerable position. But because it is the woman who holds the long end of the stick in this dynamic, I guess we needed “more assurance” than we usually would under the circumstances. Which is telling in itself about the inherent bias that we harbor.

Society perhaps, will always reserve judgement about cases such as Sean and Megan, and it is with good reason, I admit. But there are also those rare happenstances when two people just fit, and age becomes just a number. Fact that it was Sean who took the needed time to start on a path that would allow him to start healing, to face the demons of his past, showed the kind of maturity that I would expect from an older character. His declaration of love for Megan was all the more meaningful because he comes to that conclusion on his own terms, and that, was just beautiful.

The fact that the story was written solely from Megan’s perspective was another reason why this story made such a huge impression on me. I am a sucker for stories where it is hard to read what the hero is feeling except through the heroine’s often biased perception. And that, is a treat to my senses!

Definitely recommend this gem of a romance to readers who can set aside their preconceived notions and give Sean and Megan the chance they truly deserve!

Final Verdict: Finding Home is the kind of novel that invades your heart with stealthy determination, until absorb all of it, one must. Therein lies the true beauty of this story!

Favorite Quotes

She wondered what, or who, he was thinking of to make him so hard, and hoped it was her.
Megan felt caught in a trap, unable to move, her senses on overload, and while every brain cell screamed at her to get out, step back into the corridor and ignore what she’d just seen, her animal instincts wanted her to move closer. Her body betrayed her. She felt hot and wet and melting to the core of her being, her sex aching for his touch.

He started slow, holding back and building the pressure with light, controlled strokes, driving Megan into a frenzy until she grabbed his ass with both hands, pulling him deeper inside her.
Her gesture seemed to shatter his self-control and he started really fucking her, hard and fast. His mouth slipped down from hers to her neck, biting her, until she reached her peak again, and much to her surprise, because Megan wasn’t usually a screamer, she swore and cried out, overwhelmed by the strength of the climax which ripped through her.

Megan turned her mouth into her shoulder to stifle her moans. She gripped the edges of the sink as she was carried on a wave of pleasure that seemed to crest ever higher, triggering spasm after spasm in her. This was so hot, so wild, and so not her. She wanted to scream or sob.
Sean leaned forward and his hand snaked over her hip and onto her clit, rubbing and circling. He continued to slam into her hard and rough. Their harsh breaths and the slap of flesh on flesh were the only sounds in the room.
Megan whimpered as her whole body contracted and released in an amazingly powerful orgasm.

A faint trail of hair led toward his chest. She examined the hard planes of his chest, his peaked nipples, the sharp lines of his collarbones and his broad, muscled shoulders. The curve of his neck led to his face.
Sean looked down at her, lips slightly parted, his wet hair messy on his forehead, his blue eyes caught between arousal and amusement. As their eyes locked, he ran his tongue across his lips.
Megan sighed. “Jesus, Sean,” she breathed. “You’re beautiful.”

Purchase Links: Amazon

by mvbookreviewer

Review: June First by Jennifer Hartmann

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Paperwhite
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
POV: First Person, Dual
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Brant Elliott
Heroine: June Adeline Bailey
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Published On: May 17, 2022
Started On: January 20, 2023
Finished On: January 28, 2023

“There is no sense in love,” I counter, swiping away more tears. “It’s a senseless thing.”
Mom pauses, pinching the bridge of her nose, chin tucked to her chest.
I forge ahead. “And I didn’t pursue him. He didn’t pursue me. It just… happened. Because that’s what love does. It happens. It sneaks up on you, and then it burrows. It festers in your blood. And once it’s in your blood, you can’t just flush it out. It’s a part of you now. Trying to get rid of it would be like cutting off a limb, or carving your heart right out of your chest.”

June First by Jennifer Hartman is a transformative reading experience. No two ways bout it. This story truly digs into your psyche making you ache in the best way possible, a true testament to the romance genre and why I stick to reading romance even when good books are so hard to come by now. Told in the first person, published in May of 2022, this phenomenal story brings to readers two characters who stake their claim on your heart from the get-go.

The story begins when the hero Brant Elliott, is six years old, and his parents die in a murder-suicide, instigated by his father leaving him without family. His savior comes in the form of his neighbors, the Baileys, of whom Theo is of the same age as he is, and his best friend. When the Bailey’s takes him in, it is also with a new addition to their family unit, a baby girl that they name as June Adeline Bailey, June because she was born on the first day of the month, on that fateful night that Brant’s life was marked forever.

It is June that saves Brant’s life unknowingly when memories of “The Bad Night” as he calls it, haunts him too much. The Bailey’s adopt him and call him their own, giving Brant the kind of love and security that would never have been possible if otherwise. From the start, the bond between June and Brant is one that is indescribable. As Ms. Hartman takes readers through the formative years of both their lives and beyond, readers get glimpses into how their relationship metamorphoses and shifts to accommodate the ever growing and changing love between them.

It is not easy journey for Brant and June, even if June at first does not recognize the feelings burgeoning inside of her as she comes of age. For Brant who is six years older, it is a different matter altogether, being old and wise enough to understand the strength of his attraction towards June. The conflicting emotions that runs amok through Brant renders him the perfect definition of a tortured hero, which of course gave this story a ton of angst which I absolutely adored.

For Brant who promised June that he would always protect her, the hardest thing to face is him being the person that she needs protection from. But no matter how hard Brant may try to keep his distance and hurting June in the process, there is no stopping the tide when it comes to the strength of the magnetic draw between two halves of one soul.

The night that Brant succumbs to the temptation that is June, tragedy strikes, splintering the fragility of what took place, the guilt factor multiplying exponentially. As someone who was transfixed by the variety of emotions that coursed through me as I waded deeper into the story, I found that the longing that drips from the pages to be unparalleled, the angst and slow burn unlike anything I have ever come across.

The delivery on that build-up was out of this world, and I could not have asked for more. The writing is deeply evocative, the prose perfect, the build-up of the tension, not just in terms of the attraction between June and Brant but the entire story – all blends exquisitely to deliver a tale that makes you bleed your emotions all over. Every single aspect of this novel just drives home the fact that Brant and June are the true definition of two halves, one soul.

Evocative writing and exemplary characterization makes this book stand out from similarly themed taboo romances, and I cannot recommend this gem of a book enough to all romance readers!

Final Verdict: With June First, Jennifer Hartmann pulls off the kind of story that few authors can. The sheer magnitude of the undertaking is visible from the start, making this perfect in every sense!

Favorite Quotes

“June.” I take her wrist in my hand and lower her arm, catching the flash of worry in her eyes. “Junebug, you should get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning.”
I don’t let her question it, or convince me to stay.
I just go. I walk out.
I can’t be in here right now. She’s too soft, too vulnerable. I’m still surging with adrenaline. I’m still suffocating on the awful awareness that the child I watched grow up, the angel I swore to protect, the little girl I craved in a million beautiful, innocent ways—is now becoming the girl I crave in the only way I shouldn’t.
And it’s not fair.
It’s not fucking fair.
If my father hadn’t murdered my mother, I would still just be the neighbor boy, and she would be the girl next door. Instead, he branded us with a label; forced me into something twisted. He turned the only girl I’ve ever wanted into the only girl I can never have.

Brant lets the door swing shut behind him, his brow furrowed with confusion. “Why are we over here?” He senses something off about me and moves in closer, his hand extending to my forearm. “You’re scaring me a little.”
It’s so quiet on this side of the doors, and I fear he can hear my heart screaming in terror. I lick my lips. “I’m not trying to. I just… I have to do this.”
He shakes his head, a baffled laugh slipping out. “You’re not making any sense. Do what?”
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Just get it over with, June.
“This.”
I don’t think. My hands lift, reaching up and pulling his face down to mine. His stunned breath is the last thing I hear before our lips crash together, and I’m inching up on my tiptoes, my palms clasped around his jaw, my mouth parting on instinct.
I didn’t intend to part my lips, but I do.
We just hover there for a moment, our breaths heavy and unsteady, turning into pants the longer we linger, while our mouths connect in a way they never should.
And then something happens.
I don’t know what happens, but something happens.
I feel his hand cinch around my waist, while the other drags up to my hair, tangling in the mound of loose curls. My pelvis jerks forward without warning.
Then he kisses me.
Truly kisses me.

Pulling away from his touch, I sweep around him and march my way to the front door. I don’t grab my bags, but I’ll come back for them. It’s fine.
I just need to go.
When I reach the door, I twist the brass knob and tug it open, prepared to dart into the hallway and escape this mess of confusion.
Only, I’m stopped short when a hand plants against the door right above my head, slamming it shut. I draw in a sharp breath. He’s right behind me, his chest whispering along my back as he cages me in. Swallowing hard, I squeak out, “Brant…”
Electricity hisses all around us.

“It’s not fair that your face is so perfect; a piece of art on display that I’m not allowed to touch. I should only adore it from afar, even though its beauty calls to me. Even though I’m convinced it was created just for me.” Her eyelashes flutter as she sways, as if she’s drunk on more than rum or whiskey—as if she’s drunk on her very own words. “It’s not fair that it holds two eyes that look at me the way they do, like they were made for seeing only me. It’s not fair that it has lips that I’ve memorized, that I can’t forget, and a tongue I’ve dreamed about tasting me over and over again.”

“You always smell like springtime and lemon drops,” I say gently, kissing the top of her head. My eyes close with contentment as I breathe her in.
She sighs, her breath warming me through the cashmere of my shirt. “You always smell like spearmint and Ivory soap.”
Songbirds serenade us as we stand in the center of the patio, enmeshed in a potent embrace, breathing in perfect time, and swaying lightly, as if nature is singing just for us.
Then we say it at the same time: “Like home.”

June whimpers as her shaky hands make their way to my hair, fingers sifting. Nails grazing my scalp. Her pelvis jerks up, just slightly, like it’s instinct, like she’s silently begging me to sample her.
Her legs spread farther apart.
And I lose it.
I fucking lose it.
I trail my fingers underneath the hem of her panties, yanking them down past her knees.
Then I bend over and bury my face between her thighs.
June cries out.
She lets out a sharp, primal moan as her hips thrust up against my mouth and her nails carve into my scalp.
I feast on her.
Untamed. Untethered.
Hungry.

“Are you happy?” I ask softly. There’s a catch in my voice, sounding louder than my words. Worry claims her pretty features, and she reaches up to hold my wrists. “Of course, I’m happy. I’m so happy.” “Even though you’re not dancing? Even though you’re not in New York?” She falters. It’s only for a second, only for the briefest, tiniest moment, but I see it. I see it

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

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Haven by Claire Kent

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Paperwhite
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
POV: First Person, Single
Series: Kindled, #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Jackson
Heroine: Faith
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: August 26, 2021
Started On: January 03, 2023
Finished On: January 03, 2023

Maybe Jackson would be different if he were in love. If he were in a relationship. Or if the world outside this room hadn’t fallen into violent chaos, hadn’t become a constant war we have no choice but to fight. Maybe he would take his time. Be softer. Gentler. Maybe he would smile or even laugh. Maybe I would be different too.

Haven by Claire Kent is a book that had me psyched for a very good reason. I had just found out that Ms. Kent previously wrote as Zannie Adams, an author who suddenly disappeared after publication of a handful books of which Complicated ended up being a favorite of mine, which as a result is an author I have been trying to find for the past thirteen years! It has been a long wait to re-discover Ms. Adams writing as Claire Kent, and I was so excited to pick this up and indulge to my heart’s content.

First published in August 2021 and told in the first person from the heroine’s point of view, this is a post apocalyptic romance featuring 25 year old Jackson and 21 year old Faith, both survivors of an event known as the Impact. The Impact is an event which took place five years prior to the story, during which an asteroid hit Europe, wiping out the whole continent, wreaking havoc on the environment, and destroying economies and governments across the globe. It was estimated that more than half of the global population had died off since the Impact and its aftermath which continues five years on.

Faith is the daughter of the couple who set up the New Haven Farm years before the Impact, the place where the story mainly takes place. Her parents, wanting to live off the grid, built a farm with all the necessities required for self-sustenance, the main reason behind the survival of those at the farm when the rest of the world had pretty much collapsed.

Faith has known Jackson since she was twelve years old, Jackson having come to live on the farm as an angry and surly teenager having spent his most formative years in foster care. Even though Faith had more or less being fascinated by Jackson since then, which she never would admit to, neither of them show much inclination of having deeper feelings for each other, that is until you peel back the layers which reveals a whole other story.

As the story delves deeper into the lives of Faith and Jackson, readers get to see what simmers underneath; the red hot attraction between the two that blazes to life, consuming both of them. What starts out as an occasional night during which Faith goes to Jackson and they have the kind of sex that most talk about and few ever actually get to experience in their lifetimes, turns into a craving that just a few nights a month won’t satisfy.

What is most interesting is how Faith’s inner turmoil and restlessness with life becomes key to bridging the gap between the physical and emotional connection between the two. Jackson I would say, was a delight in every sense. Sexy, silent, broody, and the kind of man who takes charge in the bedroom, leaving you breathless and wanting more!

As the story is written solely from Faith’s point of view, the reader must understand Jackson through her eyes, and I would say it was delightful, going on that journey of discovery right alongside with Faith. The true depth of Jackson’s feelings for Faith starts becoming more evident as the story moves towards its climax and I loved Jackson for being the man who gives Faith a safe space to just let go and be vulnerable, which was sexiest aspect of the story if you ask me. There is nothing sexier than a man who knows how to treat his woman right, who knows when to nudge, take charge, and offer the comfort of a warm embrace when in need. Such is Jackson, and I loved him to bits for that very fact. The pace at which Faith and Jackson’s relationship develops and progresses was realistic. And the sex scenes outrightly naughty and smutty in the best way possible!

Recommended for readers who like romances in post-apocalyptic settings, with a commanding hero who makes you swoon just by stepping into the pages.

Final Verdict: Rediscovering Zannie Adams as Claire Kent was definitely the best find in recent times. Loved the adventure, the buildup, hot sex, and tenderer emotions explored in this post apocalyptic romance!

Favorite Quotes

It’s dark in his room. He’s already in bed. A board squeaks on my third step, the same board that always squeaks.
I hear his covers rustle. He’s moving now. He knows I’m here. I set the candle down on the table. When I reach the bed, he grabs for me and pulls me onto the mattress, stretching me out as he rolls on top of me.
Without a word, he kisses me, deep and hard and hungry.

His eyes crawl up and down my body. From my face to the place his cock moves in and out of me. My eyes have adjusted more so I can see more details. His messy hair keeps falling into his eyes, and he’ll give his head a quick jerk occasionally to move it out of the way. His bare chest has a scattering of dark, coarse hair, and the impressive definition of his arms—the strong, corded muscles there—flex and tense.
I have a brief impulse to stroke them. Feel the shape of them. To trace his familiar features with my fingertips. To push his thick waves back from his forehead.
I don’t do any of that.

Then he rasps out one word. “Kitten.” Right before he pushes me up against the wall and kisses me hard.
I should be annoyed by the mocking nickname, but I’m not. Irrationally, it gets me really hot. I grab for his neck and open to the kiss, and before I know it, I’m wrapping one leg high around his thighs and grinding my aching pussy against his leg.

He makes a guttural sound and jerks his head slightly, his nostrils flaring. “Tell me you want me.”
I make a sobbing sound as the words trigger something deep. I scratch lines into the skin of his arms. “I want you.”
He speeds up, pounding into me so hard the bed bangs loudly against the wall. “Tell me who you want.”
“You. Jackson. I want you. Jackson. You. Only you!” The last words come out as a hoarse cry because I come hard on the heels of them.

Purchase Links: Amazon

by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Truth About Love and Dukes by Laura Lee Guhrke

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Paperwhite
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
POV: Third Person, Dual
Series: Dear Lady Truelove, #1
Publisher: AVON
Hero: Henry Cavanaugh
Heroine: Irene Deverill
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: March 28, 2017
Started On: December 07, 2022
Finished On: December 24, 2022

“I should like you to consider what impact your decisions may have on the lives of other people. If my mother suffers ridicule and condemnation because of you and your publication, what responsibility do you bear? If her life is ruined, what consequences should there be for yours? Given the part you will have played in her downfall, what punishment will you deserve?”
She inhaled sharply. “Is that a threat?” she asked, her chin tilting up in defiance. “There is nothing you can do to me, sir.”
“You think not?” He gave her a pitying smile. “Oh, my dear Miss Deverill.”

The Truth About Love and Dukes by Laura Lee Guhrke is the debut book in the four book series entitled Dear Lady Truelove. This also brings me to the review of my last read from 2022! Told in the third person from the perspectives of both the hero, Henry Cavanaugh and the heroine, Irene Deverill, this historical romance features an unconventional heroine who runs a gossip tabloid/newspaper to make ends meet.

Henry, the Duke of Torquil is at his wits end because of his fifty year old mother and her letter to the Dear Lady Truelove column, verifying to the ton that his mother was indeed in love with a younger man who happens to be an Italian artist. What has Henry livid is the fact that without thought or concern to what it would mean to the reputation of the family and his two unwed sisters, the response from the columnist has put gasoline to fire by advising his mother to follow the path where passion leads her.

As a consequence, Irene who owns and runs Society Snippets and is the author of the column finds herself faced with the infuriating Duke. Henry seems to be capable of invoking emotions from Irene that she has never experienced before, and for the first time she understands that she is capable of great anger and greater passion as well, all for a man who does not mince words when it comes to what he thinks of the work she undertakes.

Irene is a woman forced into the situation by familial circumstances. While her grandfather had owned the lucrative Deverill Publishing and her father had inherited the business when he had passed on five years earlier, her father managed to bring the entire business to ruin within just an year. To put food on the table and make ends meet, Irene takes on the challenge of bringing her own tabloid paper to life and enjoys doing so, hoping to turn the paper into something more serious and meaningful in time.

Things come to a head when Henry bargains or rather threatens Irene to do the impossible, i.e., make his mother change her mind, and gives her an ultimatum of two weeks while throwing her into situations in which she has to spend more time with the exasperating man himself which brings them both closer to the edge than either of them bargains on. Passion is easier to conquer than the heart, and it is this lesson that both Irene and Henry must learn before a life of shared togetherness and everlasting love is possible for them.

The overall premise of the story had such great promise. I mean how can you go wrong with a widowed hero who keeps his highly sensual and passionate side of him under a tight leash and a woman who is unlike anyone else he has ever come across, who stirs him from the inside out? And this being a Laura Lee Gurhke novel, I had such high hopes for it, which alas did not materialize fully.

Things that worked for me includes the Duke, whose character I loved along with his stuffiness. His character makes sense given how he was brought up by a rigid father who was uncompromising in many aspects, and demanded that Henry follow in his footsteps and stifle the side of him that is passionate. His one indiscretion when he was nineteen years old and the repercussions of it is not something he has forgotten and is paying penance for eight years on.

To be saddled with familial responsibilities that includes two unwed sisters, a penniless younger brother, and a lazy brother-in-law, along with a mother who had suddenly fallen passionately in love inviting societal gossip and ruin to the family name is enough to make even the sternest of men break their stride. Henry attempts to resolve the problem in the only way he knows how, and in the process learns that one cannot control what is beyond one’s own will.

Now Irene on the other hand, did not really win me over even though I really wanted to fall for her character. While I understood the state of affairs which resulted in her having to find an occupation to save her family from ruin, I found her tiresome for the most part. I am all for strong heroines who stand up to their male counterparts, but I just felt that she could have done a better job persuading Henry without all the tongue lashing that she gives him at times.

The story was also a huge disappointment in terms of the red hot passion I was expecting – Ms. Gurhke delivers phenomenally on that score in most of her books, and I was quite ready for the delivery on that score, especially with a tightly buttoned up hero such as Henry. But alas, it fell a bit flat in that regard if you ask me with the story focused on how clever the heroine is for the most part which ruined things if you ask me. I would have loved to see more romance unfold than arguments and recriminations to show how her intelligence and how much she fought for the rights of all mankind.

I feel like that romance writers today try too hard to walk away from what works for their readers, what they are good at writing, trying to conform their stories to the demands of the ever changing society. From skimming most of the reviews on the rest of the books in the series, this seems to have disappointed long term fans of Ms. Gurhke for one reason or the other. Perhaps I might be tempted to pick one of them up somewhere along the way, as I am not someone who entirely depend on other reviews to pick books to read.

Recommended for fans of historical romances who love a heroine that has a modern outlook in life. The one thing you have got to love is the gorgeous cover this one totes!

Final Verdict: A tightly buttoned up Duke and a heroine that I could not really muster up enough enthusiasm for rendered this to be a less enjoyable read to what I was expecting!

Favorite Quotes

He’d swept into her office and into her life two days ago like an arctic storm, seeming the most frigid man she’d ever met, but despite that, strange heat began spreading through her, making her skin prickle and her toes curl in her slippers. He was close enough to her that when she drew in her breath, she could smell the scents of castile soap and bay rum that clung to his skin. She could almost hear his breathing. Time seemed to hang suspended as he filled her senses with a new and different awareness. The awareness of him as a man.

He could be so infuriating, so damnably rigid. And yet, she could not deny his love for his family. It was, she now knew, absolute and all-encompassing—the center of his world. Until now, she hadn’t really appreciated how deeply ingrained in him that quality was, or how attractive it could be. In truth, she hadn’t known such men as that existed at all.

She closed her eyes, and the moment she did, he overwhelmed her senses. There was nothing else in the world but him. His scent—castile soap, bay rum, and something deeper. His taste—port and fruit. His arm like a steel band around her waist. His clothes, soft velvet and crisp linen against her palm, and beneath them, his heart, thudding hard in his chest.

“And do you want to know the most aggravating thing about you?” she demanded, punctuating each word with another tug on his lapels. “It’s that every time I start to think what an amazingly attractive man you are, you open your mouth and ruin it!”
Henry blinked, startled, certain he hadn’t heard correctly. “You think I’m attract—”
“Henry?” She eased between his legs before he could think to stop her, and pulled him closer. “Just shut up,” she said and kissed him.

Irene stared at him, shocked and dismayed. “All this time,” she murmured, “through these nights we have been together, I have been so happy. But you . . .” She stopped, finding it hard to say the words out loud. “But you have not.”
“I have.” His voice was fierce, harsh. His gray eyes were dark and turbulent, but in his face, there was pain, pain that hurt her, too, that made her feel as if her heart was being ripped out of her very chest. “Here in this room, when it is just us and there is nothing else, this time has been the happiest of my life, Irene. But life cannot just be this room. And out there, I am in agony.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | eBooks | Apple

by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Italian’s Wife by Lynne Graham

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Paperwhite
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
POV: Third Person, Dual
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Saverio Lombardi
Heroine: Holly Sansom
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: November 01, 2001
Started On: December 11, 2022
Finished On: December 12, 2022

Rio was pacing the waiting area, talking in staccato Italian on his cell phone, the cynosure of interest for every female in the vicinity. He lowered his phone, tawny eyes welding to her with gleaming intensity, a faint and wicked smile curling at the corners of his beautiful mouth. ‘Bella, Fiammetta…’ he drawled with lazy amusement.
And in that same moment, Holly knew beyond all doubt that she had fallen passionately in love.

The Italian’s Wife by Lynne Graham is another one of her stellar reads, published in 2001. The story begins when 29 year old Saverio Lombardi (Rio), billionaire head of Lombardi Industries, one of the biggest, most successful companies in the world, walks in on his fiancée of almost two years cheating on him, most shockingly with another woman. Reeling from the rude awakening, it is as Rio is on his way home that fate puts 20 year old single mother Holly Sansom on his path, forever changing the trajectory of his life once and for all.

Holly, with her eight month old son in tow is at her wits end when Rio “rescues” her and places her at his home. Holly has had nothing but bad luck ever since she had come to London, in all her naivety hoping that the father of her son was waiting for her as eagerly as she was to be reunited with him. Holly had been an impressionable eighteen year old, an only child who had been taken in and dazzled by the seemingly charming man who had swept her off her feet.

The same man who had been livid that Holly had chosen to have the baby and tossed her out, leaving Holly to fend for herself in a city where only the rich and affluent survive. Holly takes the lifeline that Rio throws her, because she has hit rock bottom and there is nowhere else for her to go.

Four weeks into the move, Rio finds himself faced with the unexpected; an attack of such powerful lust towards the woman who lives in his home which really shakes him up. Rio is still seething on the inside from the humiliation of calling off the huge wedding that was to take place while keeping the truth a secret, which takes its toll on him and before long, recognizing the answering need in Holly’s untutored eyes, there is no holding back on what happens next.

As circumstances would have it, Rio proposes marriage to Holly to save her from losing her son, or so he tells himself. All the while, Rio keeps the truth of his disastrous relationship with his ex-fiance to himself, which gives the story the angst factor that I always revel in when it comes to Ms. Graham’s stories, and I certainly was not disappointed.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Italian’s Wife for many reasons. I loved Rio – he was more sensitive than Ms. Graham’s heroes in her older titles, but at the same time, retained just enough of the elements that makes readers like myself salivate over her heroes. Walking in on his cheating fiancée leaves his confidence shaken, making him question every single aspect of the relationship he had with her. It is for this reason that Rio remains tight-lipped about what took place, not wanting to come off as anything but a sexy and capable man who can keep his woman satisfied in bed and out of it.

Holly’s character was just as wonderful. Having grown up in a small town, Holly is not equipped with the sort of sophistication that is second nature to a person like Rio. Holly’s lack of trust in men was understandable given how she suffered at the hands of the only man she had let into her life, the way he had taken the easy way out and left her in the lurch. The guilt of having disappointed her parents also makes her stubborn enough to weather the worst until Rio comes into her life, giving her everything that she never ever hoped to find.

I especially loved the ending, where Rio goes in pursuit of the woman he loves beyond anything else in the world, finally able to win her over with nothing but the truth. The epilogue was a lovely touch, which I always appreciate when we get a sneak into the lives of characters that we suffered and loved through to the end. And guess where Rio takes his wife on honeymoon? Yep, Maldives!

Recommend this to fans of Harlequin romances, fans of Lynne Graham, and those who love a hero who can sweep you off your feet!

Final Verdict: Rio does not know what hits him when Holly stumbles into his life. Their thorny journey towards a happily ever after was nothing short of riveting and I enjoyed every second of it!

Favorite Quotes

Her drowning blue eyes gazed up into glittering gold and Jeff went out of her mind so fast he might never have existed. She tried and failed to swallow. Rio was so close that breathing was no longer an option. Lashes lowered, she focused on that wide, sensual mouth of his and the tip of her tongue snaked out to moisten her dry lower lip. Never in all her life had she been so desperate, so shamelessly eager to feel a man’s mouth on hers. The craving was almost unbearably strong.

As she parted her lips to snatch in much needed oxygen to sustain her, Rio bent his head lower and let his tongue delve in a subtle flicker into the moist interior of her mouth. It lasted only a second, but in that second she was electrified by the instantaneous, stormy response of her own body, the surge of enervating heat that inflamed her every sense. Indeed, so great was the erotic hit of that sudden sexual foray she jerked, and if he hadn’t shot a steadying arm round her she would have fallen off the stool.

Rio made a husky sound low and deep in his throat. He just reached for her, hauling her up to him, his lean hands curving round her hips to crush her feminine mound into connection with the full, hard force of his arousal as he lifted her up against him.
‘I hope you’re in the mood to satisfy one very hungry guy, bella mia,’ Rio growled before he brought his mouth crashing down on hers with devouring heat.
It was their first true kiss and it blew Holly away. Crushed to the hard male strength of his big, powerful physique, she was conscious of his virility with every fibre of her being.

Never had she ever imagined that level of sensation, so it was like one glorious shock piled onto another, so that she lurched mindless and wordless from one splintering wave of excitement into the next, and all the time the tormenting hunger was notching up higher inside her. She moaned, she sobbed and she jerked in a wild response beyond any denial, and when she was within what felt like touching distance of the satisfaction she craved with every sense he settled himself between her thighs and surged into her with measured force and cool.
And suddenly she was snatched up into the eye of the storm. The feel of his hot, hard fullness stretching the slick, wet centre of her inner heat just exploded through her in a cascade of multicoloured, blinding sensation and she hit a peak of ecstasy that burned through her in an explosive flood of pleasure.

‘You’re so incredibly sensual…’ Rio breathed in a roughened growl of male satisfaction. ‘I’ll have to drag myself away from you tomorrow. You’re turning me into a sex addict, cara.’
Certainly it wasn’t very long before he tumbled her back on the bed with a groan of raw impatience and sank into her hard and fast and without ceremony, sending her excitement racing to such a peak that a strangled cry of joy was wrenched from her. And then there was nothing for her but the relentless rhythm of his lean, hard body over and inside hers and the intense pleasure that sent her rocketing to an ecstatic height with his name on her lips.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Kobo | HQ | Apple

by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Wrong Bride by Catharina Maura

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Paperwhite
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
POV: First Person, Dual
Series: The Windsors, #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Ares Windsor
Heroine: Raven Du Pont
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: October 15, 2022
Started On: November 25, 2022
Finished On: November 26, 2022

“Does no part of you want me even a little?” Her voice is soft, pleading, and her eyes are filled with an emotion I can’t quite describe.
“No,” I lie to her. “The friction from you moving on top of me made me hard, yeah, but I don’t want you, Raven. I’ll never want you. I’m not sure what you’re thinking, but you need to stop. Do you know how much your actions tonight would hurt your sister? Fuck, it’s hurting me, Rave.”

The Wrong Bride by Catharina Maura is the debut book in The Windsors series, first published in October of last year. Catharina Maura is a new-to-me author, having come across some of her books on Amazon from time to time. The Wrong Bride’s blurb promised the kind of story that I always hanker for, a marriage of convenience between the main protagonists of whom the heroine has been in love with the hero since forever.

Told in the first person from both the hero and heroine’s point of view, The Wrong Bride tells the story of 31 year old Ares Windsor as the hero and 21 year old Raven Du Pont as the heroine. When the story begins, Ares is engaged to be married to Raven’s older sister Hannah who is an actress in whose shadow Raven has always remained. Raven is a model herself, working hard to establish her own business. Raven is the neglected child in the Du Pont family, the one who always has to give in to Hannah’s needs and wants that takes precedence in the lives of her parents. Raven is more than willing to watch her sister get married to the man that she loves beyond anything else in this world, as Ares who considers her as a valuable friend and nothing more.

Ares is one of the six siblings of the Windsor family ruled by the matriarch that is their grandmother. The merger between the Du Pont and Windsor’s family sealed the deal when it comes to the arranged marriage between Hannah and Ares, with the wedding having been postponed multiple times because of Hannah’s busy filming schedule.

However, when Hannah calls off the wedding for the last time, citing her career to be more important to give into the demands of the terms of the arranged marriage, circumstances dictate that Raven take her place instead, something Raven fights till the last minute. While Raven makes it clear that she wants a real marriage and not half-hearted attempts at one, Ares proposes a marriage of convenience for the sake of fooling his grandmother, and promises Hannah that he would wait for her during a moment of weakness that overtakes his faculties.

Thus begins the rocky journey on which Ares and Raven embark upon as husband and wife. Hannah of course, makes things complicated by accusing Raven of trying to take her place, of trying to steal the man who rightfully belongs to her. For the marriage to be given a real chance, Ares would have to fight not only the demons that hound him but also that of Raven’s and convince her once and for all that for Ares, there is no one like Raven and there never would be.

As mentioned earlier, The Wrong Bride is a story that had a lot going for it, elements that would make it a stellar read. I found myself agonized on behalf of Raven for all the heartache and pain that she goes through, which is all well worth it in the end. There were points when the constant advance and retreat on the part of Ares and Raven gave me a whiplash and then there were those moments that I reveled in because Ares was adorable in his absolute cluelessness when it came to his possessiveness and jealousy regarding his wife.

I abhorred Hannah for the despicable way in which she treats both Raven and Ares, but in a way I understood that her sense of entitlement stemmed from parents who had danced to every single one of her tunes and never really fulfilled their responsibility of instilling values and discipline in Hannah. Raven in the shadow of Hannah, grew up to be the graceful one, the one with a backbone of steel and ambitions that made her choose a path that diverged from her family’s and gave her much needed independence.

There were moments that I felt truly frustrated with Raven for how she believes whatever that Hannah tell her to destroy the fragility of what was developing between Raven and Ares, but at the same time I understood that the emotional scars from such sheer neglect that had made Raven believe that she was never going to be good enough played a critical role in the way she reacts every single time.

Ares I believe, is the character that changes all of that, even when I wanted to slap him silly when his actions hurt Raven in a way that was unbearable. But then again, I recognized where Ares was coming from as well, having believed himself to be in love with Hannah for so long, never acknowledging his true feelings for Raven because he never let his heart move in that direction.

Ares is a man of honor in every sense, staying true to the course even when he could have taken undue advantage of the situations that arose at times. He would also have been well justified to do so, given the revelations towards the latter half of the novel. I loved Ares for his patience in dealing with Raven, in understanding the depth of her insecurities and working to make her understand and believe in him and their love. He deserves a medal for his forbearance even when it came to dealing with Hannah, the least deserving of such consideration in my opinion.

The coup de grace of the story was when Raven finally stood up for herself and cut off ties with the toxicity that was her family. I rooted for her big time and brought out the pom-poms at that point! The spice and heat between Raven and Ares was icing on the cake in the tale as it unfolded, and went a long way towards bridging the emotional gap between the two and giving Raven the needed confidence boost to believe in their love. The only thing I could have asked for was more angst – which I believe required Ares to be a bit colder than he actually was. Alas, one cannot have everything I suppose!

Recommended for the true romantics who love a good marriage of convenience story. This one is for you!

Final Verdict: The Wrong Bride by Catharina Maura is a truly remarkable tale that delivers the perfect balance of spice and romance with just the right touch of heartache to make it memorable!

Favorite Quotes

I pull her against me and thread one hand in her hair before tipping her head back to expose her neck. She gasps when I lower my lips to her ear, my teeth grazing over her earlobe. “This is how you posed with Tom Foster, wasn’t it? Tell me, my love, was he as hard as I am when he held you like this?”
I kiss her neck, my teeth grazing over her skin for a moment before I suck down, leaving a small mark. Raven’s breath hitches, and the way she pushes her chest against mine makes me fucking feral. Her hands thread through my hair, her grip tight.

“Do you truly want me? If we weren’t married, would you want me?”
He smiles and walks toward me, his stride confident and impatient. His arm wraps around my waist, and he pulls me into him, his lips finding mine with the same urgency he portrayed earlier. Ares groans as he kisses me, his hands moving over my body impatiently. I’m pushed against the wall, and his hand curls around my thigh as he hooks it around his hip.
I’m panting as he pulls his lips off mine to kiss my jaw, before placing them just below my ear, pressing a soft kiss to my neck that makes me shiver. “Is that enough of an answer, Raven? I want you so fucking badly that it hurts.”

I lower my lips to her neck, my teeth grazing over her skin before I suck down on it, marking her as mine. “I’m fucking obsessed with you,” I admit. “Every little thing you do, every smile, every sigh that leaves your lips. All of it.”
My hand delves underneath her dress, and I smirk when I realize she isn’t wearing underwear. “This,” I groan against her lips. “I love this about you. You always want me just as badly as I want you.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Morgan’s Hunter by Cate Beauman

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Paperwhite
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
POV: Third Person, Dual
Series: The Bodyguards of L.A. County, #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Hunter Phillips
Heroine: Morgan Elizabeth Taylor
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: October 09, 2012
Started On: November 19, 2022
Finished On: November 21, 2022

“Let go of me,” she said weakly as her heart pounded—but it wasn’t fear that made it race.
“Not yet,” he murmured, pulling her bottom lip between his teeth, nibbling gently, his gaze burning into hers. “I’m the only person around here who’ll be taking a bite out of you, Morgan. You remember that.”

I don’t quite recall how I came across Morgan’s Hunter by Cate Beauman, a new-to-me author that I wanted to try out. The first book in The Bodyguards of L.A. County, which has about eleven books published to-date, this is the story of 28 year old Hunter Phillips who becomes bodyguard to 26 year old Morgan Elizabeth Taylor, a story of opposites attract with a reluctant hero to boot!

Morgan is a wildlife biologist and socialite, whose idyllic existence is shattered when she receives a phone call that changes her life forever; that her research team had been found slaughtered. With no clues coming forth and the case growing colder by the day, Morgan is determined that she would get to the bottom of it, even if she has to go down to the location herself and find out what happened.

Knowing that Morgan is resolute about going, she is assigned a bodyguard from one of the best security firms in the country. Morgan gives in, more so to appease her father than anyone else, and finds herself saddled with a man who takes her breathe away and at the same time makes her grit her teeth from the need to say something that would bring him down a peg or two.

Hunter has no qualms about labeling Morgan as he sees her (through his prejudiced eyes), the altogether too beautiful but spoiled bitch (his words, not mine), whom he judges at first sight to his own detriment. Hunter has scars that has never truly healed from losing his best friend in Afghanistan, and he is dead set on remaining emotionally impervious to everyone he comes across, lest he has to put himself in a position of vulnerability all over again.

As a result, Hunter bristles at the sexual heat that ignites between him and Morgan from the start, an attraction that is so fierce that neither he nor Morgan is able to deny the strength of it which draws them together. Even as Hunter pulls back just as much as the orbit around Morgan reels him in, the more time he is forced to spend with Morgan, the more he realizes that in Morgan lies a woman of strength, beauty, brains, and the right touch of emotional vulnerability that he could definitely get on board with.

As the danger closes in on them and the story reaches its ultimate climax, revealing the villain to be someone too close to home for comfort, it is up to Hunter to decide whether he wants to fight to keep Morgan by his side as much as he fights to keep both of them alive during the mission, or walk away from the best thing that has ever happened to him in his lifetime.

I liked this story mostly because Hunter did not turn into an overly needy, clingy, and endearment pushing hero overnight. I so dislike romances where the hero is sold as someone who has emotional baggage, a reluctant hero, and resists getting close to anyone, and voila, by chapter two, he is totally into the heroine and calling her everything beautiful under the sun!

Hunter is a different breed, and he stays true to his convictions at the beginning, which begins to erode away bit by bit as he gets to know Morgan better, which is more realistic in my opinion. I liked Morgan too; she was feisty in a way that did not break the story but rather complemented what was unfolding and was exactly what Hunter needed. She knows when to push, when to give in, and when to walk away from something that is detrimental for her own good.

I must admit that some of the writing did feel a bit choppy and I did not appreciate the repetitive style by which it was reiterated over and over how sexy Morgan was, which I believe the readers got the memo of after the first two chapters. However, I am willing to overlook those bits because the story that unfolded was great in every other aspect. Just wish that the epilogue (which is published separately) was part of the book, which would have amped up the enjoyment factor that much more.

Recommend this for those who love romantic suspense novels set in the wilderness, with forced proximity playing its critical role in bringing two opposites together!

Final Verdict: The debut book in The Bodyguards of L.A. County starts out with a bang, bringing to readers two characters who seal the deal with the sizzle between them that scorches the pages through!

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

by mvbookreviewer

Review: It Takes a Thief by Anne Stuart

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Paperwhite
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
POV: Third Person, Multiple
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Impeccably Demure Press
Hero: Ben Crawford (Nick the Butcher)
Heroine: Emma Louise Manchester
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: June 28, 2022
Started On: August 27, 2022
Finished On: November 06, 2022

“You aren’t going anywhere.”
She looked up at him. She knew tears were swimming in her eyes—he’d always been the only one who could make her cry. “Why not?”
“Because…” he said in a harassed voice. “Because…” He took a step toward her. “Because…” He caught her arms in a tight grip, pulling her against his hard body so suddenly that she let out a gasp. “Because of this.”

It Takes a Thief by Anne Stuart was one of the most highly anticipated novels for me in 2022 from an author who remains on my top shelf of go-to authors due to her exceptional flair for writing dark heroes that most romance readers don’t find affinity with.

I know that there are many authors of today who label themselves as writers of dark romance because their stories feature heroes from backgrounds such as the mafia. However, those authors don’t really live up to the hype and buzz that their books create amongst a wider audience. Heroes who are truly dark are written by authors like Ms. Stuart who captures in most of her books, the essence of what it means to be a villainous hero in its finest sense.

Published in June of 2022, told in the third person from the perspective of four characters, two main and two secondary, It Takes a Thief is a novel in a historical setting, featuring the story of how 23 year Emma Louise Manchester wins over the heart of her long lost step-brother Ben Crawford, aka Nick the Butcher.

It is unfortunate circumstances that reveals to Emma that her partner in crime up till she was eleven years old when Ben had been kicked out of the family home and seemingly lost to her forever, is in fact alive and thriving, albeit in a criminal setting. It is common knowledge that Ben is the leader of the Beggar’s Ken, of which the name itself signifies what the “organization” does.

Betrothed to a man not of her choosing as compensation for the gambling debts incurred by her brother, Emma was willing to bury her yearning for adventure and her belief in true love and happily ever after to become the dutiful wife of her betrothed. However, that single glimpse of Ben changes everything and Emma finds herself pursuing him with a newfound enthusiasm and fervor that makes a mockery of everything she is supposed to do.

Emma’s spirit for adventure and zest for everything to do with Ben, even when he tries (and fails spectacularly) to dissuade her, is the reason that Emma finally manages to pierce through the armor that Ben protects his heart and soul with. Ben believes that he is undeserving of a woman like Emma, even when he knows that her betrothed would destroy Emma’s spirit and heart if he were ever to truly claim her.

I must admit that for the very first time in a novel by Ms. Stuart, I was more enamored by the love that blooms between the secondary characters in the story, Molly O’Hanlon, better known as Red Molly who looks after the young ones at Beggars’ Ken and Thomas Alexander Campion, the man who pursues her, who wears her down bit by bit, and brings down the walls that she puts up with renewed strength every single day. Her back story was fascinating, and it was truly heartwarming when she found love in its truest form when she has always believed that she was of the undeserving.

I found that throughout the story, I was in a state of anticipation for that special something to happen between Emma and Ben which would give the novel the Anne Stuart factor, but alas. Nevertheless, because Ms. Stuart is such a stellar weaver of magical tales of love where one would least expects to find it, I enjoyed this little number and will continue to look forward to her announced publications in the future.

Recommended for fans of Anne Stuart and those who love romances in historical settings.

Final Verdict: It takes a thief like Emma’s undaunted spirit to win over the hardened heart and cynical soul of such as Ben’s. Ms. Stuart always delivers a rousing tale!

Favorite Quotes

The autumn sun was setting low, turning the chilly air even colder, when suddenly Campion took her arm and drew her into the shadows. She didn’t resist.
“Listen to me,” he said in a low, vibrant voice. “I can’t keep doing this to you. I’m driving you mad and I know it, and I’ve refused to listen to what you’ve told me over and over again. But I’ll listen now. You don’t want me; you don’t want anything to do with me. So be it. We’ll find Skittle, bring him back to the ken, and then I’ll leave you alone from now on.”
“Will you?” she said, her voice tremulous, and his eyes narrowed in the twilight. Before she realized what he was doing, he’d lifted his hands to cup her face, and his eyes were searching, questioning, as his thumbs stroked her cheeks.
“Molly?” he whispered. “Why are you crying?”
She couldn’t be. She’d shed all her tears for a lifetime, and she wasn’t ever going to cry over some damned man…
Whom she loved. “I don’t want you to leave me alone,” she said in a hoarse voice.
“Then tell me what you want from me. Because I have no earthly idea what it is.”
He was right, she was crying—she could feel the wetness on her cheeks, the sting of the cold wind against them. “Love,” she said. “I want your love.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Melissa and The Vicar by S.M. LaViolette

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Paperwhite
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Erotic Romance
POV: Third Person, Single
Series: The Seducers, #1
Publisher: Crooked Sixpence Press
Hero: Magnus Stynwyck
Heroine: Melissa Griffin
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: October 01, 2021
Started On: October 01, 2022
Finished On: October 02, 2022

She was glad nobody else could hear the noise she made.
To say he looked like a water god out of mythology was trite, but, oh, it was so very, very true.
He strode from the waves like some male version of The Birth of Venus. Or The Birth of Adonis or Zeus or one of those randy Greeks or Romans who was always getting his kit off at the drop of a hat.
Melissa realized she was sliding off the rock because she’d leaned forward so much and pushed herself back into her crack, briefly disgusted by her own avidity but quickly suppressing it.
He bent at the waist and slicked water from his legs with both hands.
She swallowed.

Believe it or not, it was the Grantchester series, starring a vicar (James Norton) who also moonlights as a detective in solving murder mysteries that made me read Melissa and The Vicar by S.M. LaViolette. It is an intriguing premise after all, the hero being a curate (an assistant to the vicar) whose fate is intertwined with that of a heroine who owns one of London’s most exclusive brothels.

First published in 2021 as the debut book in The Seducers series, Ms. LaViolette brings to readers the story of 24 year old Magnus Stynwyck and 29 year old Melissa Griffin, whose age difference might not have mattered all that much if not for the fact that Melissa’s lived reality makes her well beyond her years, unacceptable by society’s standards to lead a life that is considered respectable.

Melissa’s first encounter with Magnus comes as she moves to the village of New Bickford for a brief spell to recuperate and regain her zest for the business, as her rescuer from the vicious rooster in the village. For someone who has seen it and done it all, Melissa is awestruck by the beauty that is Magnus, who makes her feel shy and fidgety for the first time she can recall, something she had long forgotten along with the innocence of her youth.

Magnus has always known that he wanted to join the clergy when he grew up, the youngest of six brothers. His family had never understood why he wanted to take up the vocation, and he had long given up trying to convince them that this was his calling.

While Melissa finds herself enjoying the solitude and the sedate pace of life in the village, she is at the same time taken aback by how strongly she finds herself attracted to Magnus, which she knows in her heart is futile in every sense. For someone as well schooled in the art of seduction, Melissa finds her heart racing, her mind distracted, and her body reacting to the mere presence of Magnus and the charm that he wields on her heart without even trying.

Melissa’s plans to prevent her heart from breaking results in her fleeing after tasting the exquisiteness of what it means to surrender to what is between her Magnus. However, she never factors in the stubbornness that courses through Magnus which his doting mother claims to be her youngest son’s only sin. The steely determination behind the gentleness that is Magnus proves to be Melissa’s undoing, and give in she does, even with all her misgivings about them and what it would mean for Magnus, until she realizes that her past is very much part of her present, which could end up destroying not just what she has with Magnus, but her very existence in the process.

I thoroughly enjoyed and loved the heady experience of reading this novel. One thing that is always true for books by Ms. Spencer aka Ms. LaViolette is that every single story that she has written to-date has a solid tale to tell. The steam factor which she does so well only enhances the underlying story and gives it the edge and angst the stories deserve, and this is true for Melissa and the Vicar in every sense.

The great characterization of the story is what beguiled me the most, the different facets to both Melissa and Magnus which continues to surprise the reader at every turn. Melissa’s was by far the most intriguing, all the horror that she had lived through at the tender age of thirteen just being unreal. Her indomitable strength to persevere, to rise above, even when she continues to be at war with her own conscience about being the owner of the very brothel at which she had served, is a study of contrasts that really got to me. Melissa is a survivalist at heart, and I don’t think I can even begin to comprehend what it would do to anyone’s psychology to have survived the kind of trauma that she lived through.

Of Melissa and Magnus, the latter is the dreamer, the one who believes that everything would turn out alright and perhaps in his naivety, assumes that everyone would see Melissa as he does, and accept her into the fold with open arms. The most shocking truth about Melissa’s past as it unfolded is the reason this story stands out in such a remarkable way, and how Magnus seemed to shift and show us the different facets to his character which proved to be my undoing.

I loved Magnus for his gentleness, his stubbornness, his love for Melissa that was pure in every sense, his need for the woman who rocks his very existence out of its orbit, and the way he stands true to his convictions, even if it pains him to do so. There was no way on earth that Melissa could have resisted the force that was Magnus as unleashed, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

The ending was realistic, especially given Melissa’s profession and the stain it carries in society. The epilogue was lovely, and made me smile with joy from inside out. Definitely recommended!

Final Verdict: As Melissa puts it, Oh, Mr. Stanwyck, what a wonderful surprise you turned out to be! Top notch characterization makes this an instant page-turner!

Favorite Quotes

“This is wrong, Melissa.” He’d meant to sound firm, commanding—but it came out more of a question.
She gave a throaty chuckle, working her way down his jaw to his neck. “How can something so wonderful—between two people who love each other—be wrong?” Her lips pushed into his cravat and her mouth settled over his Adam’s apple. And then she bit him.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N