Category / Review

by mvbookreviewer

Review: What Not to Expect When You’re Expecting by M.J. Fredrick

Format: E-bookwhatnottoexpectwhenyouareexpecting.jpg
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Rick Cassidy
Heroine: Bailey Summers
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: February 1, 2013
Started On: February 25, 2013
Finished On: March 12, 2013

Hero: Rick Cassidy, middle school history teacher who hires on as the new bartender at Summers to help along his brother and his family to make ends meet.

Heroine: Bailey Summers, owner of the bar and going through a surrogate pregnancy for her brother Mitch and his partner Dean.

Storyline: When Bailey hires Rick as the new bartender for the duration of the summer, she has no idea the complication that her life would become in more ways than one. The timing could not have been worse for her to meet someone that she finds alluring enough to turn her back on all those steadfast rules that she clings on to because she is so very good at being alone and taking care of herself rather than leaning on someone else from time to time. For Rick, Bailey is a complication he would not do without and when these two get up close and personal with each other even with all the odds stacked against them, well, that’s the part of the story that packs an emotional punch that is hard to forget.

Time period: What Not to Expect when You’re Expecting is set in the present time and is told from both Summer and Rick’s points of views.

Awareness between Rick and Bailey: From the moment Bailey and Rick meet, even with all the complications that exists in each of their individual lives, there is this tangible connection and awareness of the sexual and emotional variety that springs forth between the two which paves the way to lend the story some very delicious moments.

Likes: I loved Rick. There is no escaping the fact that Rick is one of the most giving heroes I have ever come across. Its hard not to fall in love with a man who is hot, has a tribal tattoo on one of his biceps and is there for the woman he wants even when his life dictates otherwise. The patience that he exhibits is one I wish I had sometimes and needless to say you need to read the story to get the full effect of Rick into your system and I tell you once you’ve done that there is no turning back.

As always I loved the emotional impact that MJ always leaves behind with her stories. There is always so much heart in all of her stories, and she takes on some very interesting tropes to base her stories on. Acting as a surrogate mother for Bailey’s brother and his partner might be one of the most selfless and giving acts one can perform but that doesn’t mean that Bailey doesn’t have her fair share of doubts and agonizing moments throughout the pregnancy about whether she is doing the right thing for herself. And MJ explores these aspects in depth that lends this story that unputdownable quality.

Dislikes: I wouldn’t say that I disliked how Bailey turned out because there were moments when I could actually glimpse the wonderful and caring person that she is on the inside. But there were times I wished she would open up, just a little bit so that Rick would get a woman who is deserving of all that patience and love he has in abundance.

Recommended for: Those who love contemporary romances that feature slightly unusual tropes. This one’s really good! And for fans of MJ, I know you would know what you are getting yourself into when you indulge in one of her books.

Final Verdict: What Not to Expect When You’re Expecting is a novel that throws a lot of messy emotions into the mix and delivers a read that would keep you engrossed till the very end.

Favorite Quotes

She’d barely turned around when Rick pulled her close, peeling one strap down and kissing his way to her nipple. She gasped and held his head close as desire pinged off every nerve before centering between her legs. She trailed her fingertips down his chest and inside the waist of his trunks, finding him hard and hot, at odds with the rest of his water-cooled body. He groaned against her breast and stretched the leg of her suit to reach her. She bit her lower lip to keep from crying out as he stroked her, then pushed his fingers into her, filling her, thrusting deep, again and again.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

greatread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Lady Reluctant by Maggie Osborne

Format: Paperbackladyreluctant
Read with: NA
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: St Martins Press
Hero: Thomas Edward Montmorency
Heroine: Blusette Morgan
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: November 15, 1990
Started On: March 6, 2013
Finished On: March 9, 2013

18 year old Blusette Morgan is the one and only daughter of the notorious pirate Beau Billy. Having grown up in a pirate’s cove, the only life Blu has known is that of a world where the fittest of all survive. Well versed in the art of self defense, there is not a bit of ladylike mannerism instilled in Blu, something that her father regrets enough to come to the decision that Blu would be sent off to her mother in England so that she could become a lady in the truest sense and perhaps find the sort of life that he would never be able to provide for her on Morgan’s Mound.

When Blu sets her sights on the 29 year old Thomas who comes to Morgan’s Mound, the one and only thought that crosses her mind is that he would be the one upon whom she would bestow upon the honor of divesting her of her state of virginity. And when things go hardly according to the plan she sets and Blu finds herself on Thomas’ ship on the journey that would take her towards the woman who had abandoned her and never looked back, Blu more than butts heads with Thomas, whose appeal though never seems to fade away even when Blu would love nothing better than to turn her back on him and of course prove him wrong on all aspects.

It would seem that when Blu reaches her final destination that Thomas would become nothing but a mere memory of a man who had appealed to her on levels she would never admit. But fate has other plans when their lives cross each others and a love most forbidden blooms between the two of them, a love that seems most impossible against the insurmountable odds that stands in their way. Through a lot of moments of the laugh out loud variety – and I am not kidding on that aspect, and a lot of heart wrenching moments of agonized longing, Maggie Osborne once again proves that she is unbeatable in providing readers with stories that never gets old, especially in a genre where no stone is left unturned by the various authors who try their hand in creating stories that their readers would never forget.

The one aspect of Osborne novels that never changes is that she is always brutally honest in depicting the lives people would lead during the times which she bases her stories on. For instance, if it were any other author, I am almost 100% certain that even though Blu had grown up in a pirate’s cove, she would end up being the one innocent flower amongst all the thorns, refreshing in her ladylike manner for which Thomas would have certainly fallen in lust and love with once he sets sights on her. But Osborne doesn’t make it that easy on either Blu or Thomas. Rather she depicts Blu as a woman who grows up under the circumstances would end up being, femininity a totally foreign concept, something she abhors with everything she is.

When you pick up a Maggie Osborne novel, you always know that you would get your money’s worth as she fashions stories that are made to entertain in the truest sense. The only thing I wished was a bit more of Thomas and Blu, something I craved for especially during the last couple of chapters of the story. Final verdict? I cannot recommend Lady Reluctant highly enough.

Favorite Quotes

Brooding, she turned her dark eyes toward a cluster of sails, picking over the bones of a Spanish wreck just north of the reef. There were days when she was depressingly convinced she would go to her grave a virgin. Her stone would read: “Here lies a woman no one wanted.”
“And to think I wanted that rat dropping to be my first! How right were you, Monsieur! I was spared a disgrace of the first water.” Raging, she paced and turned, paced and turned, her sword banging against the cot, the trunk, and Monsieur’s dodging knees.
“I advise we shift this turn of events to advantage.” Monsieur lowered his head and examined her over the rim of his splintered goggles. “I suggest we employ the next weeks to our profit.”
“We bring the crew over to our side and seize the ship?” Blu inquired hopefully. “We instigate a mutiny?”

Then, as her knees were about to collapse, his arms were suddenly around her, his body tight and hard against her own.
Because she could not have done otherwise, because she had dreamed of and longed for this moment, she lifted her mouth and gave him her lips. A shock of lightning jolted through her flesh as his mouth claimed hers. Fire erupted in the pit of her belly and flamed through her limbs, scorching flesh and bone and igniting her mind. She wanted him. His tongue penetrated her secrets and she wanted him as a starving man wants food and drink.

Purchase Links: Abe Books

awesomeread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Seduction of Samantha Kincade by Maggie Osborne

Format: Paperbacktheseductionofsamanthakincade.jpg
Read with: NA
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Dangerous Men, #1
Publisher: Warner Books
Hero: Trace Harden
Heroine: Samantha Kincade
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: September 1, 1995
Started On: December 10, 2012
Finished On: March 6, 2013

It might have been ages since I have read a Maggie Osborne but I certainly have not forgotten the magic that she can weave with her stories; which is one reason why I keep purchasing her out of print titles at hideously expensive prices. But I believe its money well spent since each and every one of Maggie Osborne titles I’ve read so far always gives a story worth reading, a story that is so much more than just a romance, and The Seduction of Samantha Kincade is no exception to that rule.

23 year old Samantha (Sam) has pretended to be a boy half her life. A gunslinger and a bounty hunter who is famous for her kills, Sam is someone who hates the idea of being a woman, of being submissive and restricting herself to what society thinks she can and cannot do. More than half of her life has been focused on one goal; killing Hannibal Cotwell, the man who had taken away the center of her very existence. And nothing and no one is going to deter her from getting there.

Trace Harden is on the hunt for Hannibal himself when he is pursued by Sam as a means to the end that she is working for. Although Sam’s hatred for Hannibal and anything to do with him knows no bounds, Sam is forced to re-evaluate her strategy in getting to Hannibal when both Trace and Sam finds themselves on the run from the law with the same ultimate goal in mind. But what Sam doesn’t realize is that in her ambition to see to the promise she has made to herself 12 years ago, she would also find the woman she has lost in her a long time back and love in a place where she wouldn’t have ever expected to find.

With complex and multilayered characters, The Seduction of Samantha Kincade is a seduction unto itself. The slow awakening of Sam as a woman, the side of herself that she has hidden from herself and the rest of the world is one to be savored. Sam might be one of the best bounty hunters out there and adept at fooling the whole world when it comes to who she really is but with Trace she finds that from the first moment that that’s not the case. Trace gets under her skin, makes her want the impossible and awakens strange yearnings in her that Sam knows would lead towards one inevitable conclusion.

The fact that Trace who has seen it and done it all gets seduced in turn by the woman that Sam slowly turns into is one to revel in and I loved the bits where Trace is so darn frustrated from his attraction for a woman who exasperates, infuriates and challenges him at every turn but he can’t help but want her with every fiber of his being. For someone who prefers dainty and feminine women in his life, the fact that he is drawn towards the one woman who doesn’t know the lethal weapon she could become if she were to totally embrace her feminine side was an aspect of the story that I absolutely adored.

Trace has his own demons to fight on the journey he takes towards reaching Hannibal. To avenge the legacy left behind by his dead wife Trace knows he would do what he must, even if it means a vital part of himself would die along with it. Trace and his magnetic presence in the story fires things up, starts a slow burn that reaches its very explosive culmination by the time the reader is about to self combust. The slow build up, the ultimate conclusion to all that heady desire and attraction is one of the best bits about books by Maggie Osborne. Its one of the reasons I mourn the fact that she stopped writing a long time back.

The bit that struck me the most when I was reading The Seduction of Samantha Kincade was how I felt about the villain in the story. Hannibal is a hard to place character, something inside of me wanted redemption for him which I knew would never come. Nevertheless his character is one that made me think deeply, his childhood and what he had undergone something that would continue to haunt me for quite a while. I saw the good bits in him which doesn’t excuse all the heinous crimes he had committed most of his adult life, but that didn’t stop me from weeping for him and all that he could have been as the story reached its conclusion.

It takes tremendous talent for an author to create books of this caliber and each one of my reads has been top notch when it comes to Maggie Osborne. Cannot recommend this enough to readers who love American Western historical romances with unusual heroines and undoubtedly, sinfully alluring heroes in the mix.

Favorite Quotes

Trace watched with smoldering eyes. He could recall hundreds of times when he had become aroused while observing a woman remove her clothing. This was the first time he had become powerfully aroused while watching a woman put clothes on. He would have thought such a thing impossible.
Later, he would remember this unique experience and laugh. Right now, he watched her don a pair of pearl ear drops and practice a smile in the glass. He wanted to throw her on the bed and tear off the undergarments she had so carefully assembled. He wanted to touch her all over, and stroke her, and caress those small swelling perfect breasts, and tease his fingertips along the inside of her strong thighs until she gasped his name and begged him to take her as she burned to do.

His lips came down on hers, hard and hot and as possessive and demanding as the hands grabbing her waist. Sam fell against the haystack, her arms going around his neck, and she kissed him back, hard, her lips opening beneath the insistent pressure of his.

 

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

fantasticread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: How to Get Over Your Ex by Nikki Logan

Format: E-bookhowtogetoveryourex
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Valentines Day Survival Guide
Publisher: Harlequin KISS
Hero: Alekzander Rush (Zander)
Heroine: Georgia Stone
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: February 2013
Started On: February 05, 2013
Finished On: February  18, 2013

Never have I written a review while conflicted so much about the rating I would give to the story. On the one hand I enjoyed this story immensely. Nikki Logan has definitely earned her place in the list of authors whose books I would always continue to buy. Even then, I find myself a little bit more than disappointed in one aspect of the story I will highlight as I get on with the review.

28 year old Georgia Stone gets rejected on Valentine’s day by the man she has been dating for the past year. Public scrutiny is hardly what she needs or wants but then the contract that she signed with the radio station won’t let her get away that easily. The station manager Alekzander Rush (Zander) offers her a way out, a monthly segment on the radio which features bits and pieces of the one year journey that Georgia takes on an year of self discovery and realization i.e. “The Year of Georgia”.

With Zander “monitoring” her during all the activities that Georgia takes part in, the attraction and the sense of awareness that Georgia has had for Zander since their very first encounter starts to grow. Georgia might not be a woman who might be considered a ravishing beauty but her personality is one worth delving into. I fell in love with her for her easygoing nature, the way she tries her hardest not to let self-doubt and a sense of inadequacy get in her way of exploring new horizons. It takes courage for a woman who has been rejected in a very public way to find within herself to move past all that and take a chance at love and happiness once again and I applaud Georgia for that if not everything else about her.

Zander is one of those broody intense heroes that you are just going to love. I fell in love with him from the moment his intense eyes blazed with need for Georgia, a need he ruthlessly tamps down and brings under control every single time it tries to get the best of him. Zander is reserved, not surprising given his past and surprisingly empathetic when it comes to Georgia’s very public blunder on the Valentine’s day. But when you get to know what Zander himself goes through, the surprise factor turns into understanding of why Zander is the way he is. The more Zander tries to push Georgia and her thoughts away from his mind, the more tenacious they become until all he can think of is Georgia and the one inevitable conclusion of all the combustive passion that he is keeping a tight rein on.

And oh my dear lord, how I loved the subtle and yet intense layer of awareness and attraction that is such a huge part of Georgia and Zander’s relationship. And it made me want to weep and throw the e-reader at the wall when all that came to a realization and there was nothing for the reader to enjoy. Yes, the sense of awareness and desire between Zander and Georgia is mind-numbingly hot & intense and I wanted at least just one scene of passion between them to come to life in the  book. I don’t need explicit content. Just something other than a memory on the heroine’s part of the culmination of all that passion would have done it for me. And yes, true story, I whimpered in sheer agony because I never got to “witness” what an endurance runner might be like in bed.

What made the connection between Zander and Georgia that much more precious was the fact that both characters remain true to their self, and its a slow journey of discovery of a love that is that much more real because in the end its not the normal Harlequin variety of romance where the ultra rich workaholic hero takes one look at the damsel in distress and falls head over heels in lust and love with the heroine. The fact Zander resists the temptation Georgia offers and yet yearns for her with every cell in his being was what made the story work for me. And it would have made for a 5-star outstanding read if not for the fact the I felt so cheated out of seeing the passion between Zander and Georgia explode onto the pages.

Recommended for those who love reticent heroes and the heroines who make them fall in love.

Favorite Quotes

Her breath came heavy and fast and mingled with his. Then she turned inwards, drawn by the plaintive breath that was her name on his lips. Their mouths touched. Sensation sparked between them and birthed a flame, hot and raw. Zander pressed their lips more firmly together, leaned into her. Curled his fingers into the hair at her nape. Georgia pressed a hand to the damp, cool earth and used it to lever herself closer to him, to hold the connection fast. To explore and taste and experience. His breath became hers. Her breath sustained them both. She kissed him harder. Greedy for his taste.

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

greatread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Duchess War by Courtney Milan

Format: E-booktheduchesswar
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Brothers Sinister, #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Robert Alan Graydon Blaisdell
Heroine: Willhelmina Pursling
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: December 6, 2012
Started On: February 10, 2013
Finished On: February 13, 2013

What an utterly beautifully captivating story. I finished this book in the wee hours of the morning and I was so overwhelmed by the emotions that raced through me all throughout the read, sometimes taking me unawares, other times caressing me with a gentleness and bittersweetness that made me want to weep; needless to say my very first Courtney Milan definitely impressed me beyond any level of expectation that I had when I first started reading.

The Duchess War begins with a glimpse into the very interesting and contrasting character of Willhelmina Pursling (Minnie), whose very entrance into the novel begins with her encounter with the ninth Duke of Clermont Robert Alan Graydon Blaisdell. Dressed rather severely and buttoned up to the extent that nobody would give her a passing glance, Minnie would rather she never be the focus of attention of anyone for long. But her days of hiding behind her the fortress that she has built around herself and perfected over the years are over when Robert enters her life and makes her yearn for the impossible.

Robert’s one mission in his life has always been to stay off the path his father had walked on as much as possible. Going as far as to atone for the bundles his father has made along the way, Robert is unlike any duke you would meet in any book. Well, I certainly haven’t come across any duke like Robert and that’s saying something since I have read my fair share of historical romances back in the day. Now, it is authors like Sherry Thomas and Jeannie Lin that makes me come back for more of a genre which I usually shy away from reading and with The Duchess War, Courtney Milan certainly has earned herself a spot in my list of authors to look out for when pursuing historical romances.

The Duchess War is certainly by no means your usual run of the mill variety historical romance. Contrary to that its comprised of complex characters which I had a hard time placing whether they belonged in the “good guys” category or not. Needless to say, Courtney continuously kept surprising me with the depth to her characters as she unraveled the story, one layer at a time and gives the reader an experience or rather a journey that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

There were times when I thought that I would hate Minnie for the choices that she seemed on the brink of making. But then I should have known better than that and trusted Courtney to do what fans of her books always rave about – that she delivers and hits all the spots and then some. And that was exactly what happened with each of her characters and the story that kept spinning its magic on me until I turned the very last page and heaved a sigh of contentment that would definitely have been heard from all corners of the Earth; if not for my need to quietly contemplate on what the story had done to me and my emotions.

Robert’s character is so so wonderful that it just begs some gushing on my part before I end the review. There were times I wanted to weep for the boy that had been the object of the tug of war contest between his parents, a boy who had grown up thinking himself to be unworthy of love of the lasting kind. A parliamentarian at the young age of 28, Robert is a champion of the underdog, someone who detests what the peerage system means. And above that all he is a man who has contained his passionate side for far too long and when he does start on the journey of discovery, boy does he make up for lost time and then some. The love scenes were so tastefully done and made me burn like a furnace that would never run out of wood anytime soon. Trust me on that.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about a book that wooed me in all the ways that counts. As a true lover of romance I definitely could not have asked for more.

Absolutely recommended!

Favorite Quotes

“Look in a mirror sometime,” he suggested. “Look beyond this.” He touched his cheekbone, mirroring the spot on her face where her scar spread. “Look at yourself sometime the way you are now, all fire and anger, ready to do battle with me. If you’d ever once looked at yourself that way, you wouldn’t question whether I’d want a flirtation with you. You’d know I would.”

Her head remained stubbornly bowed before him. He wanted to grab her and shake her. He wanted to tilt her chin up and force her to gaze in his eyes. He wanted –
He wanted to do a great many things after that, none of which he was going to get from her by force.
“I’m not pretending to flirt with you,” he said instead. “There’s no pretense in it. I want you. God, I want you.”
She let out a little gasp and then – almost involuntarily – she looked up.
For just one moment, he saw something he thought was not pretense – a hopeless yearning in the way her face tilted toward his, a flutter in her ragged exhalation. Her lips parted, and she seemed suddenly, devastatingly beautiful.

“Indeed,” Violet said. Don’t mind us. We’re scarcely even here. And rest assured, if you’d like to talk of secrets, I’ll never repeat one. I’m known for my trustworthiness.”
“This is true,” Sebastian said. “The Countess of Cambury is like a deep, dark hole – secrets go in, but none of them ever come out.”
“Sebastian,” Violet replied calmly looping the yarn about one of her needles, “it is neither proper nor respectful to let a woman know that you think of her as nothing more than a hole.”

Her hips rose to his. Her hand continued its motion, an added stimulation at the base of his cock. He could feel her pleasure all around him, first ebbing, and then gathering again as he took her. And as if the dam had been broken to bits with her first orgasm, this time she came quickly – in scarcely a minute, her release a scalding hot wash of pure lust that had her clamping down on him.
He couldn’t have enough of her. He pounded into her again and again, each thrust better than the last, each one building, building to a crescendo that washed over him in fierce waves. It was almost painful, his second release. It was messy and slippery and wrong, and it felt so, so damned right.

“It’s a good thing you have hold of your urges,” she said, more quietly, “because I’m so wet now, and it would be dreadfully embarrassing if you were to – “
He lifted her against the wall, wrapped her legs around him, and slid inside her. She was wet, so wet, and hot. The pleasure of her body, clasped around him, was so intense that it almost hurt. The light rhythmic sway of the car rocked him into her.
He braced them against the wall, his muscles straining.
“That’s right, Robert.” Her arms cane around him. “That’s right. Just like that.”

She came around him, tightening in waves of pulsating heat around his cock. And he pounded into her, hard at first, and then even harder, until his own climax came. In the moment when he spilled his seed, he imagined them connected by far more than the scrape of his teeth against her jaw, the tangle of their hands, the clamp of her legs still wrapped around him. It was more than just the physical act of burying himself in her body.
In that moment, for the first time in his life, Robert believed that there was someone for him.

He stood. She couldn’t read his expression at all.
But then he put his hands on her shoulders, and, when she looked up at him, he kissed her. He kissed her with no finesse, no gentleness. He kissed her with all the emotion that he hadn’t shown since he’d walked in the door – fiercely, savagely, as if he’d returned from an absence of ten years and needed to remind her of everything that had happened. His arms came around her, wrapping her to him as tightly as chains. He was scorching heat against her.

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

outstandingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Paying the Piper by Simon Wood

Format: E-bookpayingthepiper
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Thriller
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Leisure Books
Hero: Scott Fleetwood
Heroine: NA
Sensuality: NA
Date of Publication: October 30, 2007
Started On: February 13, 2013
Finished On: February 15, 2013

Yep, I have gone and done it. In my need to read something other than a romance though I would always remain strictly a staunch supporter and fan of romances, I went scouring through the thousands of titles on Amazon and stumbled across Paying the Piper by Simon Wood. When I first started reading I was an avid reader of thrillers, mainly focusing on titles by Sidney Sheldon that I couldn’t get enough of. Somehow my fascination with reading thrillers came to a standstill because I couldn’t find an author who satisfied all the adrenaline pumping suspense that I crave from a good mystery/thriller. But then I may just have found what I was looking for in Simon Wood because Paying the Piper certainly was an edge-of-the-seat read for me.

The book opens into the harrowing scene where Scott Fleetwood, a reporter for San Francisco Independent races his way towards the school where his twin sons Sammy and Peter go to school, the premises from which Sammy had been kidnapped.  Little does Scott know that when he receives the call demanding ransom, it would be the notorious Piper on the line, a serial kidnapper who had gone underground eight years earlier when his last kidnapping had ended up in murder.

Scott suffers from his fair share of guilt on the last known kidnapping that Piper had executed. It had been his involvement and need for a hot story that had escalated the events to the level that had ended the life of an innocent young boy who otherwise would have been set free. From the FBI comes his nemesis since then, the lead detective assigned to the case Tom Sheils who has his own grudge and contempt for Scott for what had taken place in the past. But when it becomes evident that this is by far no ordinary “Piper” kidnapping and that the stakes are too high and way too different from his usual MO, it is the joint effort that leaves no stone unturned that finally takes the reader towards the end of this story. And I have to say I loved every single minute of it.

Simon Wood is certainly a master at what he does. Never did there come a moment of lull in the story where I wanted to start a new book because The Piper wasn’t doing it for me. Rather I snatched whatever reading time I could in between chores and raced through the book, most of the time my heart accelerated in its beating because the taut suspense that Simon carries throughout the book is that good.

For fans of suspense and thrillers, this is one book you wouldn’t want to miss. Recommended.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

fantasticread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Trading Favors by Tatiana March

Format: E-booktradingfavors
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Men at Work
Publisher: TM Romance
Hero: Robert Connell
Heroine: Madeline Livingstone
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: September 25, 2012
Started On: February 05, 2013
Finished On: February 05, 2013

Being a fan of Tatiana March and my restlessness to read something that would captivate me found myself visiting her website to find out whether any new books by Tatiana had come out. To my delightful surprise I found that she indeed has a couple of new books out which I am dying to read one by one. Trading Favors which is a novella caught my eye the most and from page one, I loved it so much that I read it in one sitting as soon as I went to bed that night.

Madeline Livingstone (Maddie) finds herself divorced by her husband Frank at the age of 32. On the night her divorce is finalized, upon the advice of her friend, Maddie gets drunk enough to get the courage to walk up to Robert (Rocco) and demand to know why he had cheated her out on the work she had hired him to do at her house. To her embarrassment, Maddie comes to the realization and hard truth that not only had her ex-husband dumped her and opted to go for a newer model, he had also duped her in so many other ways which brings to home just how naive her trust in him had being.

When Rocco turns up on her doorstep the next morning and makes a deal with her to finish the repairs on the house, the one glaring fact that comes to light is the red-hot attraction that simmers and flares to life between them. Maddie who has been told time and yet again that she is undesirable and that she would always remain so has a lot of self-esteem issues to recover from. Not to mention her childhood that had instilled in her the proper manners befitting a lady of her upbringing makes Maddie afraid to reach out and take what she wants when Rocco is more than willing to offer himself to her.

When Maddie does find the courage inside of herself to say yes to Rocco, he shows her a world of sensuous desire that Maddie never ever thought possible. A slave to the way he makes her feel, neither of them talks about the future and opts to live in the moment. With a little bit of tangible angst added to the mix and a hotter than sin hero who just made me melt in all the right ways, Trading Favors is an awesome read that lifted up my spirits and made me smile and hum in all the right places. One of the things I loved the most was the unique beginning to the story that certainly makes it worthwhile a mention. Highly recommended.

Beautiful and sensuous. I loved it.

Favorite Quotes

The water started coming down harder and a little colder. The stream cascaded over her head, rivulets running down her face. Rocco brought his mouth back to hers. Deep, consuming kisses. The heat from his mouth mixed with the cool drops that ran down her skin, creating the most erotic sensation she’d ever experienced.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea…” Her words trailed away.
“Maddie.” Rocco dropped his towel to the floor and walked up to her. He took the damp bundle from her and patted excess water from her hair, his movements clumsy. “I don’t know how to do this right.” He leaned down and spoke softly into her ear. “But trust me, when we get into bed, right is my middle name.”

Rocco lowered his head for a quick, rough kiss, and then he rose above her, his shoulders wide, his biceps rippling with force, his arms locked straight at the elbows. He pulled back and thrust back into her, hard and deep. She felt her body clenching around him. He withdrew again, only to surge back in. Once. Twice. Thrice. Her body spun out of control. Pleasure rolled over her, in crashing waves that swept her along.

“You won’t need any clothes tonight.”
He mounted her without any finesse, thrusting hard and deep, filling her. The first orgasm hit her almost at once, but he didn’t pause, didn’t even slow down. He seemed to go on forever, steady, insistent strokes that started the tension coiling inside her again almost as soon as rolling waves of the previous release had stopped buffeting her.
She couldn’t see in the darkness, couldn’t see his expression, but she could feel the frustration and ill temper that drove him, could feel the sweat that made their bodies slick. She could hear the harsh grunts that he made no effort to silence. Could almost taste the flavor of his anger, because she’d asked a question that implied she had no faith in him.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Smashwords | Diesel

awesomeread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Unforgivable by Joanna Chambers

Format: E-bookunforgivable
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Hero: Gilbert Truman, Viscount Waite
Heroine: Rose Davenport
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: January 15, 2013
Started On: January 23, 2013
Finished On: January 24, 2013

Unforgivable by Joanna Chambers is my first experience reading something by the author. Though I shy away from reading too many historical romances, there are certain themes that call out to the romantic hidden inside of me and one of them happens to be the marriage of convenience theme. Coupled together with a heroine who is not the type of beauty that men would happily go to war for (though I would never understand the concept behind the notion) I thought that this would be the perfect read to curl up with.

Unforgivable starts out with a sickly looking Rose Davenport who just survived a vicious bout of the chickenpox being offered to Viscount Waite for marriage. Rose has no clue as to how the arrangement to marry the very handsome and appealing Viscount Waite comes about. And since Rose is pleasantly taken aback with surprise because Viscount Waite makes her open up and feel alive for the brief moment in time they meet before their nuptials, she is more than bewildered to say when the man who turns up at the church to marry her remains cold and aloof at best.

Gilbert Truman’s intention to marry the beautiful Tilly who captured his heart flies out of the window when he is forced to marry a woman not of his choosing. Bitter about being cornered into a place he doesn’t want to be in, Gilbert does what he must in order to survive being married to Rose. He keeps her away at one of his country estates and ignores her completely.

Years pass on by and Rose grows up, loses the awkward edge about her and becomes determined that she would confront her husband and force him to acknowledge her existence one way or the other, and thus Rose makes her way to London and ends up getting embroiled in a scheme of deception that doesn’t end up all that well. Now Gilbert and Rose are at odds, both fighting their true emotions, each too proud to let go of the hurt and misunderstandings that grows and fosters between them to really see through all that and grab the chance at happiness that awaits them.

I didn’t end up enjoying Unforgivable as much as I thought I would. I didn’t overly like the hero much and believe me I am someone who practically likes every hero in a romance novel – even the ones that most feminist readers do not like. But somehow I didn’t relate that much to Gilbert and thus the enjoyable factor in the novel sizzled down a bit for me. And then there is the heroine Rose. I loved her at the beginning of the novel, rooted for her and ached to see her become all that she could be and more given half the chance. But then things went a bit downhill for me towards the latter part of the book. Nevertheless I’d still say that Unforgivable is a good read worth your time if you like a bit of angst in your romances.

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

goodread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Other Side of Us by Sarah Mayberry

Format: E-booktheothersideofus
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Oliver Garrett
Heroine: Mackenzie Williams
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: January 2, 2013
Started On: January 17, 2013
Finished On: January 18, 2013

Having a new Mayberry book come out is like receiving a surprise gift from a loved one. Having being away from the reading world for quite a while, I had almost forgotten about the Mayberry book that would be out early this year and discovering the fact that it was out already made my weekend! It has been so long since I have anticipated reading a book and got exactly what I bargained for when I made the purchase that in itself alone is enough to make me send a box load of smooches Mayberry’s way.

Oliver Garrett is on the verge of divorcing his wife Edie after 6 years of marriage. The way things had ended leaves Oliver reeling from the shock of betrayal and immense sense of loss, hurt and anger such that he doesn’t know how to overcome the constant voice of anger and frustration that is always at the back of his mind. It is to escape his tormented thoughts more than anything that he makes his way to the beach house of his late aunt with his dog Strudel in tow.

When Oliver introduces himself to his new neighbor Mackenzie Williams, his first impression of Mackenzie is hardly a favorable one, owing mostly to the standoffish manner in which Mackenzie treats his presence at her doorstep. Mackenzie is recovering from a horrific accident that had taken away from her everything that she had sacrificed her whole adult life for and getting back on her feet and re-entering the world that she had been forced to leave behind is what keeps her putting one foot in front of the other and pushing herself beyond her body’s limits.

Though Oliver and Mackenzie both want nothing to do with each other, Mackenzie’s dog Mr. Smith and Strudel both decide differently and it is through ‘misbehavior’ on their part that these two reluctant people are forced to interact with each other. And when disaster of a different kind comes calling, it is then that Oliver and Mackenzie discover that beneath their reluctance to be in each other’s company lies an attraction that is fiery, hot and undeniable coupled with many qualities that both of them find endearing in the other.

The Other Side of Us is by no means a light fluffy story of second chances and love that comes calling to make every single trouble fade away. Rather it is the story of two very real and relatable people who find each other at the lowest points of their lives, both of whom stumble upon a second chance at love; only if they are willing to trust each other and put in the effort to make it work, regardless of all the insurmountable twists and turns ahead of them.

I love how Mayberry brings her characters together, how she unravels the beauty of two people who are flawed, yet have all those redeeming qualities that makes you fall in love with them as you read along. Discovering each of Mayberry’s characters come to life is like unraveling a gift wrapped up in many layers, each layer giving away a hidden facet of its character that makes the gift that much more treasured. Likewise Oliver (be still my heart) is a hero that I fell in love with by the turn of the first page of the story. And yes, this is the unvarnished truth if you don’t believe me. Oliver is hard not to fall in love with. He has got the looks, the characteristics that makes a guy essentially alpha and endearing, both at the same time. And yes men of the world, you can be manly and alpha without becoming arseholes about the whole thing. And oh, how I loved his sense of humor, even his rambling thoughts at times giving me a reason to smile and grin in a way that just made his character that much more lovable!

Oliver hurts deep inside, though he might put up a facade of normalcy as much as he can for the benefit of the people around him. But when he is alone and when the thoughts of his marriage and the failure it had become starts haunting him, there is no escaping the emotions that blindsides him with a ferocity that continues to make him believe that he would never find a respite from it all. But slowly and surely, with Mackenzie entering into the realms of his thoughts, heart and life, Oliver starts to discover that there just might be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Mackenzie is the ambitious and driven sort of person who doesn’t let any obstacle stand in her way – not if she can help it. She had made huge sacrifices for her career along the way and being sidelined because she is not physically up for the challenge just makes her want to push herself that much harder and forgo the limits of endurance that her body is yet ready to handle. And then along comes Oliver, and with him arises the thoughts and possibilities of a future that is for a different version of Mackenzie, a Mackenzie that takes each day as it comes, a Mackenzie that starts to dream of a different path to walk upon, with Oliver right by her side.

It is beautiful the way Mayberry can put so much heart and emotion into a story that I sacrificed my weekend sleep hours for in order to reach the inevitable happily ever after for two people who deserve that and so much more. What I love about Mayberry is the fact that she continues to touch subjects that are difficult to explore, such as Mackenzie’s journey towards recovery, a very real nightmare that Mackenzie lives through each day. And at the very end, when Mackenzie pursues Oliver and turns up at his doorstep, that was when the waterworks began that had me reaching for the tissues at my bedside. If I had already not being head over feet in love with Mackenzie, I would have fallen for her like a ton of bricks then and there, because she understood Oliver and empathized with him on a level that is a crucial factor if any relationship is to survive.

If not for anything else, the fact that this is the one book that I have read in ages that had me coming back for more is reason enough to say this is an outstanding read. This is a story that reaffirms the reason why I love the romance genre so much! The Other Side of Us is a story of second chances, yes, but it also shows that love finds you, regardless of the circumstances one may be in, and that if you are to grab your chance of happiness; a little bit of faith, a whole lot of love and a bit of hard work would get you there eventually. Kudos to Mayberry, for you have done it yet again.

Highly recommended.

Favorite Quotes

Then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.
The world stood still. Her heart stuttered in her chest. She forgot to breathe. Then his mouth moved against hers and heat exploded in her belly and breasts and between her thighs. In that fraction of a second she knew how it would be between them – hot and wild and desperate.

He kissed her, his body shaking with barely controlled need. His hands covered her breasts, his fingers plucking at her nipples as he pressed his lips against hers. She’d never been so turned on in her life, every inch of her skin screaming to be in contact with his. Desire was an ache between her thighs, insatiable and demanding.

Mackenzie rode him with her eyes closed and her head tilted back. Her breasts rose and fell, rose and fell as her movements became increasingly urgent. Her watched her through half-closed eyes, his hands gliding over the warm silk of her skin, fighting the growing need to grab her hips and thrust into her soft, yielding warmth.
Finally it was too much for him and he gave in to instinct, driving himself into her, need an urgent tattoo in his blood. She gave a small, inarticulate cry, her head dropping forward, her hands clutching at his shoulders. He felt her pulse around him…and was gone.

“Once upon a time I used to think I was happy,” Oliver said after a moment of perfect silence.
She drew back a little so she could look into his eyes. “And now?”
“Now I know. Beyond the shadow of a doubt.”

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

outstandingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Shadow Woman by Linda Howard

Format: E-bookshadowwoman
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Hero: Xavier
Heroine: Lizette Henry
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: January 1, 2013
Started On: January 9, 2013
Finished On: January 15, 2013

I crave for a fix of Linda Howard like an addict craves for a fix of the drug that gives him a high. Dramatic? Yes. But its nothing but the truth. When I discovered books by Linda Howard, quite by chance I must say, I raced through them like a serial killer would race through a field of potential victims. Again, dramatic a description? But again, that is nothing but the truth. Linda Howard is an author I have an utmost admiration for, because she has written so many outstanding books and the recent decline in the popularity of her newer books has just made me sad enough to weep. What keeps the tears at bay is there is always the possibility of re-reading her entire collection when the mood hits, just so I can get my fix of Linda Howard once in a while, an author who has written romance as it should be, too many a time to count.

I decided to give Shadow Woman, Linda Howard’s latest novel a go because the reviews coming in had not been as bad as it had been for her previous two books which I skipped reading altogether. Yes, call me a coward, but I’d rather remember Linda Howard in all her glory than diminish what her stories have meant to me all through the years by reading books that would shed her talent in an unfavorable light. Nevertheless I did read Shadow Woman and I’d have to admit that disappointment did flow through me as the book made a steady decline in rating as I progressed into the story.

The premise of Shadow Woman is an exciting one. Lizette Henry wakes up one morning and discovers that the face in the mirror that is staring back at her is not hers. And the warning bells start ringing, throwing Lizzy into murky waters where she doesn’t know whether she can trust anyone to keep her safe from them whoever they may be. Unknown to Lizzy, or perhaps I should say unknown to Lizzy until that point in time, she has been under constant surveillance, a subject of massive interest to some very powerful people who hold the cards on whether she should continue to live or be terminated because the wealth of information if she were to remember could bring everything tumbling down.

As Lizzy awakens from the deep “slumber” she has been in for the past 3 years, remnants of her past come calling, in the form of flashbacks of memories and thought processes and behavior she’d never have thought herself to be capable of. And in her dreams comes a man she calls as X, the man who makes her hunger for what his touch does to her, for what they together create in those beautifully vivid dreams of the erotic variety.

When all hell breaks loose, it is Xavier who rides to Lizzy’s rescue, the man who has haunted her dreams since her memories started coming back, their past something shrouded in a mystery until Lizzy finds herself confronting that very past that makes her a loose end that needs to be dealt with.

Shadow Woman is a novel that has so much potential to it. What made it all the more heart wrenching to read was the fact that there were echoes of the old Linda Howard in bits and pieces of the story, mostly in the delicious dreams that Lizzy sees of herself and X, entwined in a lover’s embrace that could be called nothing but sensual and off the charts hot. In Xavier I found that Linda’s ability to create mouthwatering heroes that makes my heart beat faster still exists and yes, Xavier is a hero that was delicious in a lot of ways.

What did not work for me in Shadow Woman was the fact that the actual story got bogged down in too much descriptive detail that detracted from the pace and the suspense factor in the novel. I skipped large chunks of the story towards the latter part of the book, just because I wanted to find out the big secret and wanted to know how Xavier and Lizzy fair in the long run.

With enough bits and pieces of the old Linda Howard to entice, Shadow Woman turned out to be a favorable read for me which could have turned out to be an all out fantastic one if not for the details that kept getting in the way.

Recommended for die-hard fans of the author like myself. 

Favorite Quotes

Then she straightened, tossing her hair back, and turned to the mirror – and stared into the face of a stranger.

For a moment they just lay there on the big bed, chest to chest, legs intertwined, hearts pounding. They were eye to eye, and for a moment Lizette felt her breath catch. Good God, he was beautiful! Not pretty, there was nothing pretty about him, but seen with her heart he was … beautiful.

His touch firm, he dragged his fingertips through her cleft, found the soft, damp opening between her legs, and bit her in the curve between her neck and shoulder as at the same time he slid two big fingers deep into her. The heel of his rough palm pressed down hard on her clitoris, sending little lightning shocks all through her.
Her body bucked and shimmied under the triple onslaught. A breathless little cry slipped from her lips and she turned her face against the pillow, fighting to contain the sensation, and the sounds she was making.

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

favorableread