Category / Harlequin

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Secret Admirer by Susan Napier

Format: E-booksecretadmirer
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Presents, #1554
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Scott Gregory
Heroine: Grace Blair
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: April 1, 1993
Started On: January 22, 2012
Finished On: January 24, 2012

With my second book by the author, Susan Napier has landed in my list of favorite Harlequin romance authors. Even with the 2 books that I have read, I have come to identify with the fact that her books have those elements that continually surprises the reader, which is no mean feat when someone like myself who has read and loved 1000’s of romances can pick up a novel and be drawn into the story because of the opening chapter itself.

Secret Admirer kick starts with seven month widower Grace Blair being caught in an elevator with the man who turns her orderly and well controlled life around. Grace cannot help but be equal parts horrified and fascinated with the turn of events that takes place in the elevator, nor can she forget the heat that had blazed into life in the stranger’s eyes, who continues to haunt and taunt her in vivid dreams of the erotic variety.

When Scott Gregory walks into her life as a potential business partner, Grace cannot believe her eyes nor her luck in meeting the man who keeps popping into her thoughts and dreams at the most inopportune moments. But years of practice and teachings that had been ingrained into her from her childhood itself lets Grace handle the meeting in her usual icy and reserved manner, or so she thinks until she realizes the ease with which Scott invades her life, turning her whole world upside down and making her face the inevitable truth of her changing feelings towards him.

Scott Gregory, hands down, was the best thing about this story. His passion for anything and everything to do with Grace, his utter focus and zeal when seducing Grace and of course the way his senses clamor for Grace’s touch and the desire that he so evidently feels for Grace was such a beautiful part of the story. Scott has a few surprises in store for Grace, one that leaves her reeling, with feelings of possessiveness streaking through her very core. The fact that Scott gives her the one thing that he has been holding off from giving to any other woman should have convinced Grace of his much deeper feelings for her, but Grace continually thwarts Scott’s efforts until towards the very end which pissed me off for a bit when it came to Grace. But nevertheless, the passion, the chase and the ultimate surrender of Grace proved to make this a titillating read that held my undivided attention all throughout.

Highly recommended!

Favorite Quotes

She wasn’t aware of the rip he made in the back of her dress when his shaking hands wrenched the zip down, only of the molten sensuality of his gaze as he steered her into a shaft of light near the window and studied her breasts, nestled in their cups of pure white lace.
‘Sweet…pretty…did you wear this for me?’ he asked thickly, roughly tracing the outline of the lace across the curving swells. ‘Did you want me to take off your dress tonight, Grace? To admire you like this?’
‘I…’ His arousal was so flatteringly intense that she couldn’t deny him the truth. ‘Yes…’ She closed her eyes, gasping as she felt the stroke of his thumbs across the seams, finding the rigid tips that were evidence of her own desire.

Scott stood by the bedside, looking down at her. Then he spread his hands, revealing the fine tremors there.
‘Look what you do to me. You make me weak.’ Grace reached out a hand and touched his ridged stomach. ‘You’re the strongest man I know,’ she said softly, feeling the shift and clench of muscle under her fingers as she stroked them down to his belt. She tugged at it. ‘I want you.’

She felt shy, like a precious gift being gloatingly unwrapped, but she didn’t resent his moment of purely masculine triumph. The glory of the moment was also hers, this beautiful man hers. He was giving himself to her and asking nothing but what she was willing to give in return.

Her mouth trembled and parted and she began to gasp in light, shallow breaths that made her flushed breasts quiver deliciously, invitingly… He bent and touched a stiff pink nipple experimentally with his mouth, very gently. She jerked and cried out, exploding beneath him in a series of violent convulsions that almost unseated him. 

The taste of him exploded inside her mouth, filling her senses with an intoxicating warmth and aroma that had nothing to do with the amount of brandy he had consumed. He made sounds-rough, greedy, indistinct sounds that vibrated through her tissues, his lips and teeth and tongue consuming her with his passion. 

Finally, when she was shaking so much that he staggered with the violence of her pleasure, he drove her back against the wall and took her as she stood, careless of the clothes that bunched between them, oblivious to everything but the primitive, driving force that had conquered him far more devastatingly than he had conquered her.

‘Use me, Grace. If that’s what we’ve been doing so far, I love it. I want to be used. Now.’ He stretched, a long ripple of pure muscle as he invited her in a throaty purr that wrapped itself around her heart and drew her irresistibly towards him, the craving stronger than anger or fear. ‘You can insult me, hurt me, hate me… test me any way you like. I’m strong. I’m not going to run away just because things aren’t perfect between us…’

Purchase Links: Amazon | Abe Books

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Mistress of the Groom by Susan Napier

Format: E-bookmistressofthegroom
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Presents, #1918
Publisher:Harlequin
Hero: Ryan Blair
Heroine: Jane Sherwood
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: October 1, 1997
Started On: January 22, 2012
Finished On: January 22, 2012

Sometimes, there is nothing like a good old Harlequin romance to really get your juices flowing. Susan Napier is a Harlequin author I have never come across before. And boy, was I glad to make acquaintance with her delivery of this perfect and sizzling romance of the red-hot variety late into the night, enjoying and reveling in every single moment of the interactions and the scorching hot attraction between two people for whom the phrase “hate is the beginning of love” is pretty much applicable.

Ryan Blair, the successful 33 year old millionaire and 26 year old Jane Sherwood who loses everything to Ryan’s methodical and ruthless revenge on her, are needless to say enemies who loathe and hate the very sight of each other. Jane had intervened and ruined Ryan’s wedding day to Jane’s best friend Ava, succeeding in driving Ryan away and giving Ana what she had wanted and had been afraid to ask for all along. Ryan’s revenge is a well-planned one, one that has Jane reeling from the effect of losing the business that had been the focus of all the churning emotions deep inside of her.

But beneath all the hatred and hostility lies a smoldering fire that blazes out of control the minute Ryan is provoked into taking Jane in his arms; the passion that bursts forth as hot and scorching as the anger that has blazed between them for a long time. One very decadent night of pleasure later Jane flees, the crack in her impeccable shields all but crumbs of dust around her after being so thoroughly seduced. But Ryan is a man not to be deterred in his attempts to seduce and charm the woman he wants into his arms and life, a battle Jane knows she is bound to lose with the love that she has hidden from the one man who has always been the one and only for her.

Mistress of the Groom is a novel that combines ALL the elements that makes a Harlequin romance memorable. I fell in love with romances amidst the stories of intense passion and ruthless heroes that is so much a part the Harlequin series back in the 80’s and 90’s. And I still love re-visiting those stories, and finding a new gem of a story from the thousands of romances that makes up the Harlequin world of romance – let’s just say it makes me one very happy romance reader!

The reason why I loved Mistress of the Groom so much was the fact that the story kept surprising me at every turn. From the beginning which was exhilarating and surprised me to my very core, Susan Napier spun a story that kept me on my very toes and in anticipation of every single bit of emotion that was wrung from me as the story progressed.

Recommended to fans of ruthless, determined and yet endearing heroes who just makes your toes curl up, fans of Harlequin romances and fans of romances where enemies turn to lovers!

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

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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: 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: Witness Seduction by Elle Kennedy

Format: E-bookwitnessseduction
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Harlequin Blaze
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Caleb Ford
Heroine: Marley Kincaid
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: August 23, 2011
Started On: December 8, 2011
Finished On: December 8, 2011

Witness Seduction by Elle Kennedy is a sexy and sweet title from the Harlequin Blaze line that released on August of this year. Seeing a fantastically done review of this little number up on Goodreads certainly whetted my appetite for more and here I am finally, 2 months afterwards writing my review for a book that proved to be quick, entertaining and sexy read that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. And a point worthy of mentioning is the fact that it was with the review of an Elle Kennedy book that I started this blog, that being her novella Heat of the Storm.

31 year old Caleb Ford has been a DEA agent for the past 10 years. His current mission is one that is personal to him, spying on the ex-fiance of a man called Patrick who is the reason for Caleb’s best pal’s death. Though he would like nothing more than to be detached from the woman he is spying on like every other mission he has been involved in to-date, something about the woman calls to him on a much deeper level.

27 year old Marley Kincaid wants to forget. Forget the fact that she had been duped so well by a man she had lived with for five long months and being none the wiser, forget that she had such poor judgement when it came to falling in love and giving up her heart. So she hides behind her job as a nurse and for the rest of the time works on renovating her house, not altogether amused by her best friend Gwen’s attempts at making her jump back into the dating world.

When Caleb and Marley’s worlds collide, she can’t help but be drawn towards the altogether too sexy and beautiful for words man who just seems to ignite a fire that burns hot and deep inside of her. Though Caleb feels not altogether too comfortable about making personal contact with the witness, he has no choice in the matter and he tells himself that he goes back to Marley in the name of the mission.

Before long Marley and Caleb together generates a fire that burns out of control, both unable to step back and away when it comes the burning sexual fire that has been between them right from the start. However, Patrick lies in wait, closer than either of them ever thought, biding his time until he can claim the one woman he is insane about, the one woman whose betrayal would bring the cards tumbling down.

Though a short story, Elle Kennedy has got a way with creating characters that are endearing and generate a passion between them that is scorching hot that reader cannot get enough of. Caleb’s character is not the type to ooze charm, which one would expect of him considering his movie star good looks and body. But he is taciturn at best, one who doesn’t find it easy to open up to other people. He likes his woman the way he likes his cars, fast and forgettable and Marley is definitely not that.

Marley’s character is such a sweetly endearing one. She is beautiful, cares about other people and has a way of drawing the inner person that lurks inside of Caleb that makes her such a great heroine. Caleb does betray her by lying about who he really is, and that hurts Marley more than she is willing to admit. And even then, she is intuitive enough to know, understand and believe that not everything that had conspired between them is a lie and is woman enough to forgive and accept Caleb back in her life, a man that completes her in every way.

I know that the term sweetheart is one that is used by heroes in a lot of books, but when it comes out of Caleb there is just something innately sweet and endearing about the term. And I found myself melting each and every single time he lets the term slip. With a cute little epilogue tucked at the end, I loved Witness Seduction and am hankering to find out whether Ms. Kennedy has any plans to write stories for some of the other colorful characters that we meet along the way.

Recommended for fans of Harlequin Blaze titles, fans of Elle Kennedy and for those that love a lil bit of mystery and action tied with passion of the toe curling variety.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | BooksOnBoard | Kobo | Harlequin

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by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: When One Night Isn’t Enough by Wendy S. Marcus

Format: E-bookwhenonenightisntenough
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Medical Romance
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Dr. Jared Padget
Heroine: Allison Elizabeth Forshay
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: August 1, 2011
Started On: November 28, 2011
Finished On: November 30, 2011

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 100 A
The heroine 70 B
Story line 90 A
Emotional Intensity 100 A
Story’s ability to suck me in 100 A
Heat & Sensuality 100 A
Conflicts within the story 85 A
Writing Style 90 A
Quotable Factor 90 A
The ending 100 A
Overall Grade 92.5 A

Score Sheet Summary

I found this novel quite by chance up on Goodreads. Look beyond the totally bogus cover and you discover a story well worth delving into. Though medical romances aren’t my favorite type of romances to read, I make time for them occasionally and  this is one time I am very glad that I made the exception to read one. I loved When One Night Isn’t Enough, the story has two likable characters, granted I loved the hero more and sometimes wanted to hit the heroine on the head for her innate stubbornness.

Dr. Jared Padget is such a dreamy, charming and sexy hero. Those killer dimples together with his totally drool-inducing body clad in scrubs and more so out of it, and the way he is such a total sweetheart when it comes to Allison was the reason I loved him so wholeheartedly. Beneath the charming exterior that he presents to the rest of the world lies such a tortured mess that I felt like bawling my eyes out for him. No female who had entered his life had shown him a reason to trust them with his heart, but nevertheless with Allison the fact that he was willing to let go and try just made him an all around fantastic hero for me.

Though Allison proved to be a bit too stubborn a time or two during the story, she too served to be someone you can relate to. Her past is not an easy one to escape from either and that is why she has enough reasons to judge Jared as her past has taught her to. So in the end, because Allison came through for Jared I forgave her and came to love her a little as well.

I expected a light-hearted, fluffy read with a little bit of medical procedures tossed into the story when I picked this up, but in the end I was surprised and not unpleasantly I might add, because the story delivers so much more than that. It is light-hearted at moments but deep inside the story deals with a lot of emotional baggage, and a tissue or two might come in handy while you are at it!

Recommended for fans of category romances, ones where hunky doctors and cute nurses get down and dirty with a lot of emotional angst thrown into mix!

Favorite Quotes

He had no desire to talk, or move. So he sat, with her still straddling his lap, in no hurry to leave, enjoying the feel of her in his arms, which he tightened around her, slipping his hands under the bottom of her sweater to warm them. They fit together like two distinct halves purposely manufactured to become one seamless whole, a feeling he wouldn’t soon forget.

And there it was: the brilliant I-care-about-you smile he’d waited months to see directed at him.He knew in that instant that one would never be enough to last him a lifetime, as he’d originally thought. Because in that quiet moment, in her straight white teeth, her curving lips and sincere blue eyes, he’d found serenity.

“I love how you feel in my arms, how you respond to my touch and how your face takes on an expression of pure rapture when we make love. When we’re apart I ache to be with you. There is no doubt in my mind that what I feel for you is the truest, deepest form of love possible.”

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Gabriel Hawk’s Lady by Beverly Barton

Format: E-bookgabrielhawkslady
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Protectors, Book 9
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Gabriel Hawk
Heroine: Aurora Dean
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: December 1, 1997 
Started On: November 10, 2011
Finished On: November 11, 2011

In my quest to read a book featuring a dangerous and sexy alpha hero, I found myself veering towards this Harlequin intrigue that is also a jungle adventure romantic suspense. Though there were moments in the book I would have done away with, it still warranted as a great read for me because of the beautiful epilogue at the end of the story.

35 year old Gabriel Hawk wears danger around him like the clothes on his back. From the enormous tattoo on his left hand to the gold ring in his left ear, Hawk is a man who has never had time for sentiment in his life. Living for the rush that danger gives his life, Hawk walks away from the CIA job he has held as an undercover agent for the past 12 years when his last mission breaks something deep inside of him. Now 3 years on, Hawk works as a professional body guard, that fatal day during his last mission never too far away from his mind.

27 year old Aurora Dean is the daughter of a minister and the a Southern lady of innocence when it comes to carnal desires. Though she craves love and physical intimacy as she has seen throughout her parents marriage, Rorie is a woman not willing to give up her heart to just anybody. The last three years of her life had been spent earning enough money to support her mission of retrieving her nephew from the clutches of the civil war ridden Puerto Angelo.

Enlisting the help of Hawk turns out to be much more than Rorie bargained for when from the first moment Rorie is drawn towards the altogether too dangerous Hawk. Hawk is determined that he go alone on this mission; the mission that just might make him be able to forgive himself and Rorie is just as determined to do whatever it takes for her to be an equal partner in the mission that she has worked so hard for up till now.

So begins an adventure that is riddled with danger from warring factions and a period of time that tests the iron clad resolve of Hawk never to get involved with an innocent because he has nothing to offer a woman for long term. However, in Rorie Hawk finds a woman who is more than his match, a woman who for the first time in his lonely existence is willing to put her life, trust and heart on the line for him, a trust he might shatter to pieces if the truth were ever to come out.

I liked and enjoyed the overall story this one presents, the adventure and romance aspect both given equal importance as the story progressed. Two people who are the definite opposites of one another continue to find that in each other lies their future together, and the chemistry and attraction between Hawk and Rorie of the toe-curling variety serves to be the icing on this piece of cake.

The epilogue as I mentioned before was a beautiful one, and made me increase the book’s rating from a mere good read to a GREAT one; just goes to show what a well done epilogue could mean for the rating of a book.

Gabriel Hawk’s Lady is a mix of adventure and romance that blends well to give a story that entices you to keep turning the pages till the end.

Recommended for fans of jungle based adventure romances.

Favorite Quotes

The man towered over her five-foot-four-inch frame by a good ten inches. He was big, dark and deadly-looking, with piercing ebony eyes and long, silky black hair secured in a ponytail. Dressed all in black—leather jacket, cotton shirt and jeans—he blended into the night like a prince of darkness. Rorie shuddered at the thought. Whoever or whatever this man was, he was danger personified.

“Have you ever done any running or jogging?” Hawk asked.
[…]
“I walk,” she told him. “I’ve never had any desire to run or jog.”
“Why not? Don’t you like to sweat?”
“As a matter of fact, I don’t.” She smiled. “Besides, Southern ladies never sweat. We don’t even perspire.”
“Then what the hell do you do?”
“We glow.”

He had wanted. He had needed. He had desired. And he had taken. But he had never loved.

 

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Wanted by Her Lost Love by Maya Banks

Format: Paperbackwantedbyherlostlove
Read with: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Pregnancy & Passion, Book 2
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Ryan Beardsley
Heroine: Kelly Christian
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: November 1, 2011
Started On: November 8, 2011
Finished On: November 9, 2011

My first paperback read after AGES turned out to be a great one. Wanted by Her Lost Love by Maya Banks is a great romance to lose yourself in if you have got about 2 hours to spare. In the midst of the intense and lengthy reads that I have been indulging in, not to mention the stress of the last couple of days, Wanted by Her Lost Love delivered exactly what I wanted right from the very minute I turned the first page.

Ryan Beardsley is looking for Kelly Christian, his ex-fiance, whom he believes betrayed him in the worst possible way ever. But something about the way she left, and the fact that she had never cashed in the check that he threw her way upon their bitter break-up tugs at Ryan until he hires a private investigator to find her.

When Ryan does find Kelly, she is 7 months pregnant and working at a restaurant in Houston, looking almost done in with the stress and heavy work load. Though Ryan cannot be sure of the fact whether the child could be his, that doesn’t stop him from bulldozing his way into Kelly’s life and swooping in to take care of her.

When Kelly sights Ryan sitting in the cafe she works at, she seethes with anger and reels from the fresh sting of betrayal she feels at the sight of him. What his family and Ryan himself had subjected her to, she would never forgive and forget but what she doesn’t contemplate on is just how far Ryan is willing to go to prove to her just how much she means to him. But Kelly wonders all along; would the truth about what happened that fateful day drive them apart once again or would it cement the love between them for all eternity?

Maya Banks provides the reader with a story heavy on angst, with likeable characters and of course the baddies who just make your skin crawl with the vileness of their thoughts and deeds. I rooted for Kelly right from the very start, going as far as to actively cheer her on when she laid it out to Ryan. I wanted Ryan to really go through Hell for not believing in Kelly when she had needed his trust and love the most and I was not disappointed.

Ryan certainly redeems himself well and through before the story is done, those sweet little gifts that he leaves for Kelly that just tugged at my heartstrings as it must have for Kelly. And the way he takes care of Kelly, always putting her needs first, that was the ultimate winning point with Ryan’s character.

Let me not forget Cameron Hollingsworth who has got that reclusive brooding thing down to a fine art, whose story I am most definitely going to be on the lookout for.

With likeable characters and a story that plunges you into a sweet and satisfying romance, Wanted by Her Lost Love comes highly recommended from the sunny side of life! 

by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review + Interview & Giveaway: Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins

Format: E-bookuntiltherewasyou
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Liam Declan Murphy
Heroine: Cordelia Wilhelmina Osterhagen
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: October 25, 2011
Started On: October 17, 2011
Finished On: October 19, 2011

Though I am no writer and don’t think I ever will rise up to that standard, I too have had my share of English assignments during which painstaking hour after the other, I have tried to give life to my words so that those who read it would feel the same set of emotions that I was going through as I was writing it. And with Kristan Higgins I think that’s exactly what she achieves with her novels, the laughter that comes with such ease as do the tears of the happy and sad variety together with those sheer moments of perfection that just makes her stories so entertaining.

Until There Was You is my second novel by Kristan Higgins and I am mighty happy that this was in fact not written in the first person. According to the author’s note, this is a first for the author because she has written the story from the male lead’s point of view as well, for the very first time in a novel of hers.

Liam Declan Murphy, the first man Cordelia Wilhelmina Osterhagen (Posey) had fallen in love with, the first man to ever break her heart is back in town, now a widower with his teenage daughter Nicole in tow. The significant role which Liam had unknowingly played in Posey’s life the night of her prom which had changed something deep inside of her, Posey never thought that her girl parts would sing & rejoice at the sight of the sexy as sin Liam who still manages to take her breathe away by just strolling into a room.

Circumstances find both Liam and Posey in each other’s company, more than once until the one sided awareness and attraction that Posey has had since forever for Liam suddenly ceases to be on her side alone. With kisses of the knee weakening variety, Liam and Posey find themselves in a friends with benefits sort of relationship that reaches its conclusion when Liam is forced to face the consequences of his relationship with a woman who really sees him for who he is, and makes him believe in his self worth for the very first time in his life.

Until There Was You is just more than a simple love story. Yes, there is a hero who can fulfill any woman’s fantasies and there is a heroine who just clutches at your heartstrings with the turn of the very first page. But, with a Kristan Higgins you don’t get the instant attraction turning into lust and love story. Rather you get to experience the journey that the hero and heroine embark upon in their joint quest towards a happily ever after, one that seems a very unlikely possibility when the story first kicks off.

As I have said earlier, Liam is the sort of man that we all base our naughtiest fantasies on. With the bad boy persona down to a fine art, looks good enough to have women practically hurling themselves at him and the way he can focus his smoky green eyes in that special way that makes a woman go weak at the knees, needless to say my hormornes were doing their happy dance throughout the story. But Liam is not just a pretty face, neither is he just the bad boy who fell in love with the kindest and most popular girl in high school. There is a depth to his character that bit by bit when revealed you can’t help but fall that much harder for him because his character demands nothing less.

The fears that Liam battles after the death of his wife, the way he is completely and utterly devoted towards ensuring that his daughter would never want for anything is one of the many reasons why I fell so hard for his character.

Posey, the adopted daughter of German parents is no traffic stopping beauty. But there is an inner beauty that shines through her right from the very start, the way she lusts after and loves Liam with everything she has got which turned out to be such a refreshing aspect to the story. The way Posey seems to understand Liam, see him for who he is and know his worth even when everyone else expected the worst from him was one of the reasons why Posey’s character endeared to me so much. The relationships that she has with her adopted parents, her gay brother and her brother in law together and that with her co-workers, all lend the story that extra fodder that made this novel an instant page-turner for me.

I swear that this is the very first time that I have practically questioned my sanity by laughing out so loud and laughing so hard at the way that Kristan seems to hit all the right spots with the humorous aspect of the story. I was thanking my lucky stars for the fact that I was alone when I was reading what follows the scene in the elevator because I’m afraid that otherwise someone might have reported me to the looney authorities.

There were moments in the story that were seriously deep, moments that I cried sad and joyous tears, moments that pretty much made it the 5-star read that this turned out to be. The moments towards the end of the novel, where Liam finally gets the courage to stand up for himself in front of his in-laws, the ‘speech’ that he gave at that moment practically had me bawling my eyes out.

Though I felt that Liam fell a bit short on the love-o-metre when compared to Posey, since I didn’t get the “to-hell-with-everything-else-I-love-this-woman-with-everything-I-am” vibe that I was expecting, I still managed to brush aside my misgivings because Liam does make up for most of it with the sweetest gestures ever!

A story that tickles your funny bones, tugs at your heartstrings and delivers one of the most wickedly sinful heroes ever, Until There Was You is a novel that comes highly recommended from the sunny side of life!

Favorite Quotes

The simmering lust, the raging interest exploded into love. Who wouldn’t fall in love with a man who took the time to feed a homeless kitty? She held that image against her heart like a secret jewel. Only she knew about it, she was sure. Those girls Liam might’ve slept with, girls who left their panties in his locker or wrote things about him on the bathroom walls…they didn’t know what Posey knew—
Liam Declan Murphy was not just the hottest thing ever to grace Bellsford High…he was a softy, too.

That moment when she’d crouched behind the tree…it did something to her, something that made her grow up and toughen up. But one question throbbed in her brain for a long, long time. Why? Why would Liam say something so hateful? How could he—who had tamed a stray and starving cat—be so cruel to a girl who had only ever wanted to be his friend?

“OH!” KATE GRUNTED as she sat down behind her desk.
“My side is killing me. I’m ovulating, I think. That sucker must be huge.”
“Must we discuss?” Jon asked.
“Man up, weenie boy,” Kate said.
“You man up, Venus Williams,” Jon replied. “I’m a gay home-ec teacher. I never have to man up. I never will man up. As God is my witness, I’ll never man up again.”

“You want to go to the movies tomorrow night?” he asked, and Posey was so shocked she actually choked.
“What?” she managed.
“The movies? Tomorrow?”
“Um…I, uh…um…what movie?”
He narrowed his eyes just a little, and Posey’s nether parts gave a long, happy squeeze. Get his clothes off, those parts advised. We’re lonely.

There was a little smile on his mouth—the mouth that had been kissing hers. Otherwise, he was incommunicado.
“Liam?” she said again, more loudly this time.
Nada. He was out cold. Down for the count.
She straightened abruptly. Face was burning, joints buzzing with adrenaline, chest filled with helium.
Liam Murphy had kissed her.
And he’d fallen asleep in the middle of it. She didn’t know whether to burst into song or kick something.

Then she smiled, just a flash, and something moved in Liam’s chest. Something warm, and something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Kristan’s Interview on Until There Was You

So I managed to find just a bit more about this fabulous book from Kristan who was kind enough to answer a couple of questions about the characters and the writing process which makes this book such a perfect addition to your must-read pile.

MBR: Underneath all the humor and laugh out loud moments, you have created a story of healing, love and second chances. How did you come up with Until There Was You? Did the story end as you envisioned it at the beginning or did Liam and Posey stumble through their own paths towards happily ever after?

Kristan: Oh, thank you so much! I wanted to write what’s a classic theme in romance—the return of the bad boy. You’re right, the book is absolutely about second chances…for Liam, Posey and everyone else. I did have a plan for how the book would go, and generally, it did follow the path I’d envisioned, but you know how it is. The characters would occasionally veer off and do something I didn’t expect, and those are usually the best moments.

MBR: What would you say was the most difficult aspect of this story to write?

Kristan: You know, writing Posey was tricky. I am neither small nor skinny nor adopted, and it took me a while to get into her vibe. Once I did, I absolutely loved her.

MBR: There isn’t even one side character that I would do away with in the story. And though I am not one to enjoy gay romances I found myself totally charmed with Jon and Henry’s characters. How do you manage to so effortlessly weave all these characters and their traits together? As a writer do you find it challenging to juggle all the characters and their nuances together in a story?

Kristan: Thank you so much! Jon and Henry were among my faves, too, but there’s no effortlessly about it. I take a long hard look at all the secondary characters and make sure that in addition to providing color and richness, they actually serve a purpose in the story. I do find it a challenge, but it’s my favorite kind. I love writing secondary characters!

MBR: Would you ever consider writing a sequel to Until There Was You? Maybe a story featuring Kate, Posey’s best friend or maybe even Brianna and James?

Kristan: For now, no. I love where the story ended. Kate was so supremely happy with life, I don’t think she needs her own story. As for Brianna and James…I picture them happy already.

GIVEAWAY!! GIVEAWAY!!

There are two copies of Until There Was You up for grabs. A paperback copy open for US residents only & an e-copy open for everyone else!

All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment behind sharing with us your favorite Kristan Higgin’s romance. If you haven’t read any romances by her just share with us your favorite romance that made you laugh out loud and cry happy tears at the same time. Easy right?

And don’t forget to leave behind a valid e-mail address for a way to contact you.

The giveaway will end at 12:00 hours Maldivian time on the 27th of October 2011.

Winners will be randomly chosen and announced soon after.

Good luck & don’t forget to spread the good news either via Twitter or via Facebook by recommending this post.

by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: The Heart of a Killer by Jaci Burton

Format: E-booktheheartofakiller
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: The Killer, Book 1
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Hero: Dante Renaldi
Heroine: Anna Pallino
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: October 18, 2011
Started On: October 21, 2011
Finished On: October 22, 2011

Sixteen year old Anna Pallino is attacked  in a dark alley and a heart carved on her chest, an assault that haunts her by the sheer brutality and unexpectedness of it. It is only by the intervention of her then boyfriend Dante and his foster brothers Jeff, Roman and Gabe that she escapes with her life intact. But that dark dreary night changes Anna and the relationship she has with the guys she considers as her brothers apart from Dante. When Dante ups and leaves without looking back, Anna is left to lick her wounds in private, battle the fears that seems a part of her since the life altering moment in the alley.

Twelve years later, Dante returns back to his hometown only to bring in his wake the murder of his foster father, in a manner eerily similar to the night of the attack on Anna that had changed Dante’s life for better or worse. The version of Dante that returns is a more lethal and dangerous one, one who has honed the skill of killing down to a fine art. When Dante comes face to face with the newer and harder version of Anna who has been a cop for the past 7 years, Dante knows that his memories of the one woman who had remained in his heart doesn’t do justice to the impact she still has on his heart, body and soul.

With a killer who is willing to play hide and seek with Anna, taunting her with the murders of those dear and close to her, Dante is determined that he would stick by her side and be there for her, a chance he never had 12 years earlier. But what Dante and Anna never figure out is that  the killer is much closer to home than any of them dared to think of, and he is willing to do everything in his power to come out as the winner in this game of cat and mouse that just never seems to end.

The Heart of a Killer is my first Jaci Burton. I have always heard that she writes romances high in sensual content and that was what I expected to find together with suspense of the dark and edgy variety. Though there are moments of toe-curling passion in the book, Jaci Burton seems to have toned down with the sensual aspect of the book and brought out more of the crime-solving aspect. Nevertheless it is obvious that Jaci has got what it takes to deliver a healthy dose of sensuality in her romances and I loved how Dante was patient enough and understanding enough to give Anna exactly what she needs when it comes to physical intimacy.

Dante is a hero who is sweet and dangerous all at the same time. The way he is willing to forgo his wants and needs just because he wants what is best for Anna, and the way he is protective without being overly stifling about it makes him such an endearing character. And though I liked Anna’s character well enough, I just didn’t fall for her as I should have. Anna’s strength and the way she continually battles her fears made me admire her, but I just didn’t feel the “love” when it came to Anna.

The mystery and suspense potion of the story is well done. The person who turned out to be the killer at the end totally surprised me as I was betting everything I had on the wrong person all along. Even then, I felt that at times there was too much rehashing going on of the events that had taken place in the past which diminished my enjoyment factor with the novel as a whole.

Even with certain aspects of the story that didn’t quite wow me, I still managed to enjoy my first Jaci Burton and would rate this as a good read, recommended for fans of the author and fans of police procedural romantic suspense.

Favorite Quotes

She hated that he was here, messing up her life, making her want things she’d wanted for a long time, then pushed to the back of her mind, forcing herself to forget.
She inhaled the scent of him. Big mistake, because God help her, she wanted to put her hands on him, and in that moment she realized the feelings she had for him weren’t dead.

She threw her hands in the air. “Of course I was tense. You were kissing and touching me and I was turned on like crazy. Also, I haven’t had a decent orgasm in like six freaking months. Are you reading my lips here? Six. Months. You’d be tense, too, wouldn’t you?”
Dante gaped at her. Anna threw him a murderous glare.
“Are all men this dense or just you? Jesus, Dante, do I have to draw you a road map to my vagina, or are you grabbing a clue?”

There was no way she could rock against him, filled with him, and not be affected. This wasn’t a quick coupling in the dark—it was no-holds-barred, lights-on, open-eyed lovemaking with a man who wouldn’t accept anything less than her total surrender.