Category / Penguin Group

by mvbookreviewer

Pick of the Month Reads – September 2011 & Giveaway!

So, like the previous two months, I found myself picking two books that made fantastic reads for me, which I undoubtedly highly recommend to each and everyone who loves romances! While I managed to get the Q&A session with these posts ready for Pick #1, getting the answers from the author of Pick #2 didn’t prove to be doable.

Pick #1: The Dragon & The Pearl by Jeannie Linthedragonandthepearl

Author Jeannie Lin is one of a kind. I say this because for one thing she writes romances that are based in China during the Tang Dynasty. The prose she sets for her novels is an excellent one, one that the reader is helplessly drawn into, unable to let go until you have read every last morsel of the  story.

The Dragon & the Pearl was released by Harlequin on the 21st of September 2011. I was lucky enough to grab an ARC, having waited on tenterhooks for the release of Li Tao’s story. Li Tao’s character first appears in the novel Butterfly Swords which was released on October of last year. I managed to get Ms. Lin to answer a couple of questions regarding her latest release, which quickly made its way towards my favorite reads for the year 2011 and in turn became one my picks for the month for September 2011!

MBR: I have been hooked onto your books ever since I stumbled upon The Taming of Mei Lin. What made you venture into the unique setting of China to base your romances on? And the Tang Dynasty in particular?

JL: I grew up watching huge epic series based on the novels of Jin Yong (Louis Cha) and they just captured my imagination. These stories were the one thing that we shared across generations in my family: My grandmother, my parents, and me, my brother, my sister and all the cousins knew these tales. I always tried to explain what they were to my non-Asian friends, even trying to show them the episodes while I translated, but it was so hard to share with them what I loved so much. When I started trying to write my first novel, I think at the heart of it I wanted to be able to share this childhood love of the martial arts epics with people who hadn’t seen them yet.

The choice of the Tang Dynasty came from another historical series that revolved around the life and reign of Empress Wu and then the sequel about her daughter, Princess Taiping. I loved everything about that series: the costumes, the high drama, the intrigue. Most of all, it was the many empowered women of the Tang Dynasty that inspired me. As I researched Chinese imperial history, the more I learned about the Tang Dynasty, the more I felt it was the perfect place for adventure and romance.

MBR: At first when I picked up The Dragon & The Pearl, I thought to myself that Li Tao’s dangerousness would be mellowed to suite the requirements of the average romance reader. But, I was pleasantly surprised and later wowed by the fact that Li Tao remained true to his persona whom we come to know of in Butterfly Swords.
How did he emerge as a character into Butterfly Swords at first? Is he based on any real life person you might know of? And what made you decide not to let him be cast as just a villain but paint him in shades of grey so that he could have his own happily ever after in the end?

JL: His character development in Butterfly Swords is an interesting one. I very loosely plot my books and the last part of Butterfly Swords indicated that Ai Li and Ryam would be captured by the villain and there would be a showdown. That was it. So as I wrote the first half of the book, I wondered to myself who was this guy? My heroine had never met him, but she hates him because she’s learned he’s a traitor. I wondered would I make him cowardly? Would he be scheming and self-centered? Would he be old and fat and gross? It’s so easy to make a villain especially nasty so everyone knows he’s supposed to lose. In romance, the villains are often greedy, vengeful and shallow. They may leer and try to force themselves on the heroine. None of that was working for me.

The hero of Butterfly Swords, Ryam, was struggling with issues of worthiness and Ai Li was struggling with issues of duty and honor. In order to give them a worthy opponent, I decided I had to make him in many ways better than they were, though still a villain. Some of my favorite wuxia characters were villains or morally complex characters so following in that tradition, I created Li Tao with actually a deep sense of honor — only it was his own. It’s so easy to see what way the heroine should go when her family is forcing her into marriage with someone’s who is truly nasty, but what if Ai Li’s adversaries were well-meaning parents and a man who was by all rights, a bigger and more magnificent figure than the one she had chosen with her heart? That would truly be a test of love and conviction.

He’s not based on any real person I know, but a lot of his stubbornness and sense of conviction reminds me of my husband. (Shh….he doesn’t know). I think all characters should be gray as that’s more realistic. I didn’t intend for Li Tao to be a hero in a sequel to near the end of the writing of Butterfly Swords. In order to truly create this villain as a compelling character in so short a time, I experimented by plotting the last part of Butterfly like the beginning of a romance–only it was the heroine meeting the villain instead of the hero. If you track the events of the end game, you’ll actually see very familiar elements: Ai Li and Li Tao meet, they fight, the sparks fly. She accuses him of being a traitor, he accuses her of being impetuous and reckless.  If she hadn’t already had her adventures and fallen in love, this could have been the beginning of a hot romance! My sister recognized it immediately and told me that  Li Tao had to be my next hero.

MBR: You have a talent for creating heroines of the most unusual calibre, who nevertheless have that inner courage and fire deep inside that makes them very worthy as heroines.


JL: Ling Suyin actually is the only character that appears in all three of the manuscripts I’d written prior to publication. (Butterfly Swords was #2, BTW). She was inspired by the historical character of Yang Yuhuan who was better known as Yang Guifei (Precious Consort Yang) and one of the Four Beauties of China. I had thought about her character a lot in the other books where she was just a secondary, and though she didn’t get as much time front and center, I had in my head that she was a lot more complex that she appeared. I do a lot of daydreaming to figure out characters before I try to fit them into a story and all the little twist and turns that her life had taken kind of emerged as I tried to form why she was the way she was. All the surprises felt right–like an “Ah, that explains it” moment.

MBR: Looking forward to many more such great reads from you.

Author Jeannie Lin has very graciously agreed to giveaway a copy of The Dragon & The Pearl, whether it be an e-copy or the print version which is up for the winner to decide.

And so that brings me to my pick #2 for the month of September 2011

Pick #2: Lethal by Sandra Brownlethal.jpg

As most of you all already know, I am a HUGE fan of Sandra Brown. I still remember reading my first Sandra Brown back in the 90’s which turned out to be French Silk. From then onwards, I always made it a point to seek out her books whenever I could.

Though her later books have been disappointing in the fact that the story is more focused on the suspense aspect than the development of romance between the hero and heroine, with Lethal, Sandra Brown proves that she hasn’t forgotten nor has strayed far from knowing how to deliver a good dose of romance with the suspense aspect of the novel.

If you are fan of Sandra Brown like myself, this one’s a must-read!

GIVEAWAY!!! GIVEAWAY!!!

This post’s giveaway includes a copy of Jeannie Lin’s The Dragon & the Pearl and a Kindle copy of Lethal by Sandra Brown.

Giveaway rules are simple!

  1. Open a page of the current book that you are reading. (If you are not reading a book at the moment, open a page of the book that’s nearest to you.) And give me 3 sentences from the page you open up. Please mention the book title and author as well.
  2. Mention which book you would like to win. If you don’t mention the book you are entering for, you would not be entered for the giveaway.
  3. Leave a valid e-mail address for a way to contact you in case you are the winner!
  4. Help spread the word about the giveaway! Tweet and earn 5 extra entries, recommend this post on Facebook & earn 5 extra entries. And don’t forget to mention in your comment whether you have tweeted or recommended the post on Facebook.
  5. Like my page on Facebook to gain 5 extra more entries. If you are already a member of my page, just state so and you would gain your 5 extra entries.
  6. Giveaway will end at 00:00 hours Maldivian time on the 7th of October 2011. Winners will be contacted soon after and announced.
Thank you all so much for being a part of MBR’s Pick of the Month posts! And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
by mvbookreviewer

Review: Heaven Can’t Wait by Pamela Clare

Format: E-bookheavencantwait
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: I-Team, Book 1.5
Publisher: Penguin Group
Hero: William Fraser
Heroine: Melisande Charteris
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: March 2, 2010
Started On: January 15, 2011
Finished On: January 15, 2011

I first came across this title whilst searching through the list of published novels by Ms. Clare after I finished racing through the novels in the I-Team series at breakneck speed. Though by the time I had finished Naked Edge on October last year this title had already been released in Kindle format as a standalone from the Catch of the Day anthology this title was previously released in, I didn’t find out the fact until December last year. Thank God for the fact that someone thought of releasing this as a standalone because otherwise I would have forgone reading this delectable and delicious and entertaining novella by Ms. Clare.

Heaven Can’t Wait is a story that takes place between the 1st book in the I-Team series Extreme Exposure and the 2nd book in the series. For the world of me I can’t remember running into Lissy and Will in Extreme Exposure maybe because Reece Sheridan seemed to steal every vital thinking cell in my brain with his forceful personality in the story. Regardless of whether you have read the I-Team series or not, you can still pick this novella and read it as a standalone.

32 year old William Fraser (Will) is the sports columnist at Denver Independent and a football commentator as well. Raised by a single mother, Will had never known his father. At school Will had excelled at both academics and sports which had earned him a full scholarship to the University of Colorado. Will had been on his way to building a lucrative professional career in football when his knee had been shattered ending his dreams of making it big in the world of football. Graduating with a degree in history only to find out that his mother was dying of lung cancer, Will had been left alone when he had had to say goodbye to his mother a year after he had said goodbye to professional football. Devastatingly handsome with gorgeous blue eyes, Will has had his fair share of women and had almost given up hope of finding someone meaningful to share his life with when things hit it off with Lissy.

Melisande Charteris (Lissy) is the only daughter of wealthy attorney and his trophy wife John and Christa Charteris. Their cold and loveless marriage had worked its charm over Lissy who has a strained relationship with her mother who tries to impose her bitterness about men, marriage and love on her daughter. The fashion editor at Denver Independent, Lissy had at first taken an instant dislike towards Will when they had first been introduced when Will had joined the staff of the paper as the new celebrity sports columnist. Thinking Will to be just another brainless jock with ridiculous good looks, Lissy had turned her nose at him only to have her whole perspective of Will do a 180 degree turnabout when Will helps her after she injures herself whilst out running.

This story kicks off right in the middle of one very hot lovemaking session between Will and Lissy who are to tie the knot in 2 weeks time. The scorching hot chemistry between Will and Lissy burns right through the pages even from the first encounter itself and it is because of Lissy’s mother Christa’s meddling that Lissy starts doubting what she has with Will. As a result, Lissy proposes a bet between them that they go through the next two weeks without sex in the pretense of making their wedding night more meaningful and romantic. Not one to turn down from a challenge, Will accepts the bet and all bets are off when these two engage in a battle of sexual wills to seduce one another and see who is the first to break and admit defeat which makes this novella a highly enjoyable one.

I liked:

  1. Will Fraser. Simply put, I wouldn’t mind having him convince me that going without sex with him is just plain wrong. Sinfully delicious is what he is. ^_^
  2. Lissy. She is the type of heroine you root for right from the very beginning. With her insecurities that come into play during the story which she overcomes with determination towards the end, I loved her teasing nature, the way she loves Will and is willing to admit when she has wronged him. She is the best kind of heroine.
  3. The incredibly sexy Scrabble game that took place! I will never look at a Scrabble board the same way ever again! ^_^
  4. I loved how Ms. Clare put so much into such a short novel that made this one as meaningful as her longer novels. That takes a lot of talent which Ms. Clare has definitely got in spades.
  5. Loved revisiting the I-Team once again! Always a plus point.
  6. Enjoyed the conversations that took place between Will and his buddies. Several laugh-out-loud moments there.

I disliked: None

Favorite Quotes

Her breath came in shudders. Her lips were parted, her eyes closed, her hands clenched into fists in her lap. When her head fell back onto his shoulder, he did what he’d wanted to do all night. He kissed her full on the mouth – and she kissed him back.
It seemed like forever since they’d kissed like this with lips and tongues and teeth, and he found after the first kiss that he wanted more. With a groan, he took her beneath him, pressed her back onto the cushions, kissed her harder, deeper.
She arched against him, wrapped her legs around him, moaned into his mouth, a sweet feminine sound that made every muscle in his body tense and sent his mind reeling with urgent, throbbing lust.

Recommended for: Fans of Pamela Clare and fans of short and hot contemporary romances.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

outstandingread

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Fragile by Shiloh Walker

Format: E-book
Read with: Kindle For PC & Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Fragile, Book 1
Publisher: Penguin Group
Hero: Luke Rafferty
Heroine: Devon Manning
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: February 3, 2009
Started On: June 24, 2010
Finished On: June 24, 2010

I read Fragile in early 2009 when the title was first released. Reading the second book Broken of the series focusing on Luke’s twin brother Quinn Rafferty earlier  this year when it was released in March had me wanting to re-read and re-visit the characters of Fragile, a story that had always left a deep impression on me since it is that good a story.

Fragile is the type of story that defines why Shiloh Walker is a favorite author of mine who definitely rates at the highest on my auto-buy list. My friends kept teasing me because I was in such agony when Broken was first advertised to be released and I guess anybody who has read Fragile would understand my fascination with Quinn Rafferty and I have no doubt many of those who have read Broken would agree with me that he is one sigh worthy hero.

This does not mean that Luke Rafferty on his own is not sigh worthy himself. For me, I think I enjoyed Luke’s quiet intensity a bit more than Quinn who is a bit more darker and edgier than Luke, which is quite understandable based on the fact that whilst Luke and Quinn are twins, they were separated at birth when their mother who is a drug addict fled with Quinn just so she could punish their father. Their mother had gone underground not to be found no matter how much Luke’s father had tried to find them, and in the end, it was the inevitable death of their mother by drug overdose that brought Quinn back into Luke’s life. Luke had never known till then that he even had a twin and the first few pages of the book bleed raw emotion when these two first meet, a belligerent and abused Quinn with Luke who had got the better end of the deal when he ended up with his father.

Years later, Luke and Quinn are both serving in the army in Afghanistan when a round of bullets rip through Luke’s leg ending his stint in the army. By then Luke had already tired of the continuous stream of violence that never seemed to end. So trading in his combat gear for hospital scrubs seems to fit Luke like a glove and it is there that he encounters Devon, a social worker who doesn’t come to the hospital with the best of patients.

From the get go, Luke is fascinated with Devon and although she doesn’t seem like she knows that Luke even exists, Luke can’t help looking out for her while on duty. Devon though she doesn’t let it be known is warily interested in Luke. Sexually abused when she was young and being lost in a dark place for a long time until a social worker had pulled her out of it and helped her, Devon has her own hang ups surrounding her.

To Luke Devon is as fragile as a piece of well spun glass and wants to protect her from all evil elements but Devon on her own is a force to be admired. Though Devon knows Luke is a complication that she best avoid, the intense awareness and attraction between the two doesn’t rest until they end up together. The best part of the story for me was the fact that Luke seems  to take so much care with Devon and it just touches the right places in my heart to read through such a wonderful character.

Though Devon and Luke’s relationship progresses and ultimately fall in love with one another, there are forces around them that create havoc on their relationship. Stalked and nearly bludgeoned to death doesn’t seem to be the end of the upheavals in store for Devon and Luke. Someone more sinister than the likes anyone could imagine continue stalking Devon until it eventually drives Luke and Devon apart. The pieces only fall in place at the very end and its a long and tough road for Luke and Devon until they find peace and happiness with one another.

This story ends off begging for Quinn’s story to be told. And it is a testament to Ms. Walker’s ability that these two stories are so wonderful that it begs to be read from start to finish in one sitting.

If you haven’t already read these two books, buy them, find yourself some quiet uninterrupted time and lose yourself in the two Rafferty’s that would individually charm and seduce you with the turn of each page.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Heiress For Hire by Eric McCarthy

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle & Microsoft Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Cutterville, Ohio, Book 2
Publisher: Penguin Group
Hero: Danny Tucker
Heroine: Amanda Delmar
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: January 3, 2006
Started On: March 30, 2010
Finished On: April 1, 2010

Heiress for hire is the perfect chic lit read. A wealthy heiress who is forced to find where she fits in when her multi-millionaire father cuts her off and leaves her to fend for herself in the small town of Cutterville. Amanda has never worked for anything in her life. Born and bred to lead the life of the rich socialite she never thought that there would come a day when she would have to work for anything. But Amanda is not your usual rich socialite. She would rather die than beg people for anything and though she knows next to nothing about working she rushes headlong into working at the only saloon in town.

Things don’t work out exactly as she planned and before long she is fired from her job. A source of income comes quite unexpectedly from Danny Tucker, a farmer in Cutterville who has always gone out of his way to avoid her. Danny is shocked out of everything he has to find out that one night of lusty fumbling when he lost his virginity had resulted in a child who is now 8 years old. Danny would do anything to give Piper a good, stable home and the love that has so evidently been lacking in her life for the past 8 years. And the only person Piper seems to have taken a liking to is Amanda and though Danny would rather crawl into a hole than let Amanda know how much he is affected by her, Danny would do right by his child no matter what.

Danny comes to realize with time that Amanda is not the rich spoiled girl that she protrudes to be, but rather a woman who has been as lonely as he has been or for far longer if her pathetic childhood is anything to compare with his. These two polar opposites come together, though not with a bang and makes for quite a good read all round. An author worth giving a try!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: All Jacked Up by Penny McCall

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle & Microsoft Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Penguin Group
Hero:  Jack Mitchel
Heroine: Aubrey Sullivan
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: April 3, 2007
Started On: March 13, 2010
Finished On: March 17, 2010

Its being a busy couple of days since I started work after a stretch of staying at home and hence the delay in finishing up this book. This is also a first read for me by the author and I as a reader would have to say that there is nothing more a gal could ask for in a romance once  you have read this one.

There is a hotter than sin hero in Jack and a feisty as they come heroine in Aubrey Sullivan who just has a mind of her own which lands both of them in the most darning of situations. This book is packed full of  humor and you can’t help but smile at the impatience in Jack when Aubrey keeps talking a mile a minute and land them both in a hefty load of trouble when they are barely out of the latest stint of trouble Aubrey has landed them both in. And yeah, I have noticed that I seem to be the one who seem to be “All Jacked Up” these days since all my heroes are ending up with the name Jack these days.

Aubrey works in the state congressman’s library in Washington D.C. With an eidetic memory, Aubrey has always been sort of a loner and thus her preference to be with books which do not tend to have minds of their own. She is just having another one of those quiet days at the library when Jack literally crashes into her life, holds her at gunpoint until all hell breaks loose and Aubrey is running for her life with bullets chasing her and one very suspicious looking character as her rescuer.

With her eidetic memory and tons of books in her memory, Aubrey is hardly the typical demure librarian that Jack expected. Rather her incessant chatter about next to nothing grates on his nerves and without Jack even realizing it, he is lusting after the not-so perfect curves of Aubrey. Danger tends to bring these two into close proximity, though both of them try to deny the simmering attraction between them.

Meanwhile a bounty hunter, all cops across the state and a team of two very mismatched thugs are after these two and they are on the ride and adventure of their life trying to dodge all parties after them and get to the bottom of what it is exactly that Aubrey knows that has landed her in this shit load of trouble. Ms MacCall has done a tremendous job in creating two characters who are so different in nature, but in the end complement one another perfectly. The sex is steamy, the adventure is action packed and fun and you would never have a boring moment when reading through this book.

Great read, recommended for those who love romantic comedies, thrillers and hell just anyone who loves a good bout of romance.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Sensuality: 2.9
Publisher: Penguin Group
Hero:  J. D. Jameson
Heroine: Payton Kendall
Date of Publication: March 3, 2009
Started On: March 9, 2010
Finished On: March 10, 2010

Finishing this book means that I have read through the list of available books by Ms. James and I would have to say that she is one helluva of a writer, one that I would definitely be on the look out for in the future. It’s too bad that she has published just only 3 novels. Now if there were like 15 more so titles to go through, I would indeed be a very happy bookworm for a couple of weeks.

Anyhow, I have identified that Ms. James likes to write romances that feature lawyers, that factor into the story their busy lives, how they juggle their careers, how stressful their lives actually are trying to become a partner of their firm and of course scenes of the courtroom drama makes it all a more worthwhile read. This book is in no way an exception to this rule.

Payton and Jameson have been working for the same law firm for the past 8 years, during which they have both worked their asses off foregoing everything just so that they would be able to make partner after the 8 year term is up. Never having a cordial relationship between them has boded well for them since they have never had to work together on anything as their branch of law took them in different directions most of the time.

However, fate works towards bringing these two together when a 20 million dollar legal case jumps into their firm’s lap and Payton and Jameson are both assigned to woo this client into hiring their firm for the job. Once this becomes a done deal, however Payton and Jameson both realize that somewhere along the way, the rules of making partner in their firm has been changed and that only one of them would come out as the winner.

All the bets are off when slight misconceptions of actions by both Payton and Jameson to one another brings out moments filled with hilarity that I couldn’t stop myself from laughing out loud several moments during the novel. Especially the part where Payton has her naked butt in the air in front of everyone at the court house and the hilarity that ensued is something any romantic comedy lover would definitely love to read.

As much antagonistic and distrustful these two are of one another, they both slowly come to realize that the facade of anger and animosity that they have put up around one another is just a defense mechanism against letting themselves recognize what they actually feel for one another.

Its a journey fraught with misunderstandings, hilarity, passion and sweet moments that definitely makes this book a worthwhile read.

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

goodread

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James

Format: E-book
Read with: Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Sensuality: 2.9
Publisher: Penguin Group
Hero:  Jason Andrews
Heroine: Taylor Donovan
Date of Publication: October 7,  2008
Started On: March 8, 2010
Finished On: March 9, 2010

After reading the latest novel by Ms. James, I decided to give her other two novels a try cos I liked her writing style and character development a lot. Although the romance factor in this novel is pretty much less compared to her latest novel, the game that springs up between Jason and Taylor right from the start is exhilarating enough to keep the reader avidly interested till the very end.

Taylor moves to a branch of her law firm in Los Angeles from Chicago for the case that’s going to make her career. Someone who has always been career oriented, Taylor has no time for fun and games, especially after what she found her fiance doing with his secretary at his work desk, just months prior to their marriage. One thing that Taylor had learnt early in her age, being the only girl in a household of rambunctious  boys was that no matter what happened, Donovan’s never admitted defeat and never did cry. So holding her head high, although she is hurt, Taylor throws herself into the invigorating case of sexual harassment as the defender knowing full well she is going to win the case no matter what.

Quite unexpectedly Taylor gets dumped with the job of teaching Jason the ropes of courtroom drama for his new movie in production. Jason is everything Taylor is not. Standing her up for the two appointments that were supposed to start off their little project, Taylor is ready to brush off her hands off Jason, though he just might be the sexiest man alive on whom Taylor had laid her eyes on.

Jason is not accustomed to having things go any other way than his. He finds himself intrigued when Taylor doesn’t really care about how famous he is and how he is coveted by the rest of the female population surrounding him. And when Taylor gives as good as she gets during their verbal sparring matches, Jason is hopelessly hooked line and sinker though he refuses to admit his feelings to himself, but rather tries to make Taylor jealous by using other means which eventually in the end backfires on him.

Interesting plot with two likable characters. As I said before though there is not much of a romance till the very end of the novel, it is highly entertaining and one can never go wrong in picking this novel up for a bunch of laughs.

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

greatread

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Something About You by Julie James

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Sensuality: 3
Publisher: Penguin Group
Hero:  Special Agent Jack Pallas
Heroine: Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde
Date of Publication: March 2, 2010
Started On: March 7, 2010
Finished On: March 8, 2010

Its been ages since a book has been good enough to warrant that I stay up all night to finish it. Yes, this book was that good. Since I haven’t ever read a book by Ms. James I would have to say she has hooked me onto her writing style which is a mix of suspense, murder, mayhem, red hot passion that sizzles between the two lead characters with a bit of humor thrown into the mix to make a helluva of a story.

FBI Special Agent Jack Pallas and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde had a falling out three years ago. Jack blames Cameron for ruining his career and thinks that she is the one who made the Justice Department send him off to Nebraska after Jack badmouthed Cameron all over the national media.

Now, three years later, Jack is back and Cameron finds herself as the only potential witness in a high stakes murder of a call girl involving a senator. Whilst Cameron only saw the back of the killer, he is not taking any chances to lead all this back to him and he pulls all the stops to eliminate Cameron and wipe her away from the almost perfect crime that he committed.

Though at the beginning Jack is all but pulsating with anger at Cameron, he slowly starts to find out that there might be more than what meets the eye in what took place three years back. And there was that simmering sexual tension between him and Cameron that no matter how hard Jack tries to ignore, seems to blaze hotter and hotter with every encounter.

This is one delicious book for fans of romantic thrillers can never go wrong with. I absolutely loved every fricking minute of it!

Till next time!

P.S. I guess this is one of those rare times when the cover of a book actually depicts something described in the book. The cover filled my head with all these hot images during one  of  the most delicious mouthwatering scenes in the book. *wink* *wink*

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

outstandingread

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Broken by Shiloh Walker

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Rafferty, Book 2
Sensuality: 4
Publisher: Penguin Group
Hero:  Quinn Rafferty
Heroine: Sarah McElyea
Date of Publication: March 2, 2010
Started On: March 4, 2010
Finished On: March 5, 2010

This is one book that I have been waiting like forever to get my hands on. Forever as in when the author announced that this book would be released on March 2010 sometime last year. And looking at the yummy cover which makes my heart flutter just a tad each time, who wouldn’t want to read this book?

I read Fragile the first book in the series, the story of Luke Rafferty, Quinn’s twin brother sometime back and enjoyed every minute of that book as well. Though I was thinking of taking a shot at re-reading Fragile because there was a glitch at Amazon in the Kindle version of Broken that was sold, I had to wait for an agonizing period of time until I could figure out how to strip the DRM from mobipocket books so that I could read the book on my Kindle. I have given up on the idea of re-reading Fragile for now cos a summary of Fragile is related at the beginning of this novel. Maybe sometime later I will give it a shot once again!

As I always say, Shiloh Walker is one author that you can never go wrong with. At first, this story seems like your average abused wife running away from the abusive husband story. But I was in for a pleasant surprise when there was a twist at the end unlike anything I could ever have imagined.

Quinn and Luke although twins were separated at birth. Quinn got to live with his alcoholic abusive mother who never made him forget the fact that Quinn wasn’t wanted in this world. Quinn never even realized that he had a twin until at last during one of her drunken sessions, Quinn’s mother overdosed and left him alone with no one to turn to. Though Quinn wanted nothing further from being placed in a state home, he was in for a surprise when Quinn’s birth father came to collect him and though Quinn refused to give an inch and trust another human being to be kind towards him, finally coming to realize that his father wouldn’t abuse him physically and emotionally like his mother had done gave him at least a semblance of normalcy when growing up.

Now Quinn is a bounty hunter, chasing after those who skip bail and bringing them to justice. And then comes Sara with her wide brown eyes and sexy curves that has Quinn drooling all over right from the start. Sara is woman whose on the run, moving from one place to the other always with an eye out for trouble and never taking the time to get acquainted with people whom she meets.

However from the moment she meets Quinn, nothing on earth could have stopped these two from propelling towards one another. Hot intense need has these two scorching up the sheets in no time. Though neither knows anything about the either, love, the emotion each of them had been afraid of creeps into their hearts and catches them unawares.

Nonetheless, duty comes calling when Sara finds that its time for her to move again. With a hastily scribbled note to Quinn, she takes off, only for Quinn to find her. This Quinn is a mass of seething anger and resentment at being lied to and made a fool of and two people who are as wary of trusting people as these two suddenly find themselves at a loss as to how to handle the situation.

Emotionally gripping and sexually charged, this novel bears all the classic signatures of what makes Shiloh Walker’s stories mouth watering. Although Guilty Needs would always remain my favorite novel and Colby my most favorite hero by Shiloh Walker, Quinn himself makes for a deliciously heart warming hero and Sara a heroine who complements and completes Quinn in every way. Great ending to a great story which has me grinning from ear to ear after ending the story.

Keep em’ coming Ms. Walker.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Hunter’s Need by Shiloh Walker

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Hunters, Book 12
Sensuality: 4
Publisher: Penguin Group
Hero: Duke
Heroine:  Analise Morell
Date of Publication: October 28, 2009
Started On: February 14, 2010
Finished On: February 20, 2010

You can never go wrong in picking up a novel by this author. Though I have not read the whole Hunters series and am not that much of a fan of romance of paranormal genre, any book by Shiloh Walker is well worth the try. This book is trademark Shiloh Walker, mystery and suspense in spades together with a hero and heroine that you can relate to, whose love and need for one another is just out of this world.

Duke is a shape-shifter who was betrayed by Ana 5 years back when Ana and Duke had first met. Duke is a hunter, a part of an elite group who all have special powers. Some of them are vampires, others werewolves with a couple of witches thrown into the mix with shape-shifters as well. Ana is a psychic who had to use her ability to save her younger brother from the clutches of a sadistic vampire by luring Duke in. Duke had never forgiven or forgotten the fact that Ana had almost cost him his life. Going out of his way to avoid Ana is the hardest thing Duke has ever had to do since he still wants her like crazy.

Ana can’t help but want Duke as well. But knowing that Duke despises the very ground she walks on finally takes its toll on Ana and she leaves the Hunter’s school and moves to Alaska to settle down. A year on, Ana has a job and a place to call home, together with a nagging feeling that there is something horribly wrong or evil lurking around the mountains that surround the city. This feeling intensifies when Ana finds out that girls have been going missing, some of them turning up dead, others never to be found. And all the girls bare a strong resemblance to the first girl Marie that went missing, whose murder was at first blamed on her fiance’ Paul, who now lurks on the streets mumbling and muttering to himself.

Ana knowing that she wouldn’t be able to handle whatever evil that lurked around, calls in the Hunters for help. Duke who had been growing ever so restless since Ana left, is the one to pick up the call and eventually the one to head to Alaska to figure out whats got Ana so riled up. From the moment these two see each other, its all sparks and high powered jolts of lust between the two.

As these two team up to find out the source of evil who has killed dozens of young girls, the ghosts of these young women tend to haunt the two and eventually end up helping Ana to identify the killer who turns out to be much  too close to comfort to the first victim.

All in all, great romance, a pine tingling mystery and a yummy shape-shifter with whom a gal can never go wrong!

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

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