Category / Review

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Black Ice by Anne Stuart

Format: E-bookBlack Ice
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Ice, Book 1
Publisher: MIRA
Hero: Bastien Toussaint
Heroine: Chloe Underwood
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: May 1, 2005
Started On: November 8, 2010
Finished On: November 8, 2o10

Anyone who reads romances as much as I do would have come across their fair share of heroes who are rakes, bad boys and those wickedly irredeemable men that draws a collective sigh from us female readers and makes us want to be the one who would tame the big bad boy he is grown into. Anne Stuart takes her heroes just a tad further and create heroes who have something extra that gives them an edge compared to heroes created by other authors. Her heroes are a bit darker, a bit more ruthless and they stay true to their form without coming off as a wimp at the first sight of the heroine in the story. Sometimes I tend to feel cheated out of the hype that the author tends to create with alpha heroes, painting a picture of them leading lives that have no place for a woman beside them, and suddenly at the first scent of their life partner they become the complete antithesis of their true form overnight. Thus reading about a hero such as Bastien completely made my day and has certainly whetted my appetite for more of the heroes of the “gamma” type that Ms. Stuart creates so well.

The Hero: Bastien Toussaint, 32 years of age is a man who walks a fine line between life and death in his work for an organization named The Committee, who believes that the end justifies the means no matter who or what is sacrificed in the end. Bastien has been truly honed and trained to be a ruthless and efficient killing machine since he was recruited for the organization when he was in his early twenties. Bastien had been born to a mother who had never wanted him in the first place, who had been forced to carry him to term because one of her more possessive lovers had thought the child to be his until he had known otherwise and walked out, which by the time it had been too late to get rid of Bastien. Life had hardly being idyllic for Bastien and he had followed around after his globe-trotting mother until at the age of 15 he had left home with a woman twice his age and never looked back. His current mission has been 2 years in the making and Bastien is deep undercover with a group of ruthless killers who are into arms dealing which The Committee wants an eye kept on.

The Heroine: Chloe Underwood, 23 years old is the youngest of the Underwood siblings and had grown up in the North Carolina mountainous area and has a love for languages and cooking. Fluent in French, Italian, Spanish, German with a healthy smattering of Russian and German and few bits of Arabic and Japanese, Chloe has withstood the constant pressure from her family to bow down to family tradition and enroll in medical school something which Chloe who is squeamish at the sight of blood has vowed to resist with every fiber of her being. Chloe had arrived in Paris two years back on a student visa finds work translating children’s books, a job which her vivacious friend Sylvia had found for her. Chloe yearns for a  bit of excitement in her otherwise completely dull life and gets more than she has bargained for when she meets Bastien Toussaint.

Storyline: When Sylvia pleads Chloe to take a translation job for a bunch of boring businessmen to earn a couple of hundred of Euros, Chloe though at first reluctant is no match to her friend’s persuasive nature. What Chloe thinks would be a relaxed laid back weekend at a countryside chateau turns into the most frightening experience of Chloe’s life and delivers her life with the “excitement” she has been craving for when she finds herself on the run for her life with the enigmatic Bastien acting as her savior, a man she finds more dangerous to her heart and desires than the ruthless killers who are determined that she would not live to see another day.

The First Encounter: It is when Chloe arrives at the chateau and introductions are made to the group of businessmen to whom she would be acting as a translator that Chloe lays eyes on the enigmatic and dangerous Bastien Toussaint. The attraction she feels is immediate and takes her unawares with the first glance from the fathomless dark eyes of Bastien.

Time period: This story has a contemporary setting and takes place in France and later in North Carolina, USA.

Narrated in: This story is told in both the hero and heroine’s point of view.

Awareness between the hero and heroine: From the first minute that Chloe lays her eyes on the vital and sinfully handsome Bastien, a relentless attraction takes a hold of her regardless of the fact that Bastien seems to be interested in Chloe as much as he would be for a block of wood. At first, for Bastien who has always had a ruthless command on his emotions and never lets himself feel anything except be on the lookout for his own hide, Chloe is just part of his job, a sore thumb that sticks out from the ruthless negotiations taking place in the chateau. Even then, it is Bastien’s fascination with Chloe that makes him put his cover and life on the line to save her, just in the nick of time. Even on the run, Bastien keeps his emotions and need to touch and feel Chloe reined in, because he knows that if he gives in, he would never be able to stop with just one taste.

The turning point: Chloe challenges everything that Bastien has believed of himself until now when he becomes her savior from the throes of a ruthless killer hellbent on enjoying taunting Chloe with her imminent death. On the run, it is just Chloe and Bastien as the hunger between them surges out of control making this book one of the best of its kind.

Ending: Till towards the very last pages of the story, Bastien manages to keep the readers guessing on his exact feelings towards Chloe though it is evident from his actions that she is the most important person to her in the whole world. Though the ending was a bit abrupt for my taste, it still delivered the happily ever after which Bastien and Chloe deserve at the very end.

Likes:

  1. Bastien Toussaint. I just totally loved his character which didn’t just change overnight into this wimpy puddle of everlasting love at the mere sight of Chloe. Bastien is ruthless to the point where certain readers might find him offensive, but I found his ruthlessness further enhanced his attraction. The way he saves Chloe even though he is unsure of what it is exactly that Chloe manages to invoke in his cynical and ice cold heart just made my heart go Aww!! every single time! And the scenes where he sleeps with Chloe in his arms… Sigh!!
  2. Some reviewers have found Chloe to be a more doormat sort of heroine but I found her to be just the right match for a man like Bastien. Chloe is no doormat mind you, but a woman who is helplessly ensnared by the heady attraction she has for a man ruthless enough to kill anyone who comes after her regardless of the fact he or she is friend or foe. How Chloe manages to chip away at the ice cold armor around his heart is what made Chloe an endearing heroine for me.

Dislikes: I was really disappointed with the fact that the ending seemed kind of abrupt. I wish that Ms. Stuart had provided us with a good epilogue that would have made saying goodbye to Bastien just a trifle bit easier for me.

Favorite Quotes

It was the kiss of a man in love, and for a moment she simply floated, lost in the perfect beauty of his mouth on hers.

Sigh! I just can’t help listen to Truly, Madly, Deeply by Savage Garden and sigh and moon over Bastien.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

outstandingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: In Name Only by Janet Bieber

Format: Paperbackinnameonly
Read with: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Ivy Books
Hero: Ian Patterson
Heroine: Valeriana Grace MacPherson
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: July 5, 2000
Started On: November 7, 2010
Finished On: November 8, 2010

This is one of those titles that I just had to end up buying because storylines such as the one this story has promises to deliver a good read. I have never read any previous titles by Janet Bieber and hence this book proved to be a delightful surprise as it delivered a good romance worth sinking your teeth into.

The Hero: Born and raised in Ireland, Ian Patterson spent most of his childhood after 8 years of age with his paternal grandparents who had instilled in him his love for sailing. Knowing that there is nothing left for him in Ireland when his grandparents die within a couple of months of each other, Ian sets sail for America, the land of freedom. A man of ruddy complexion, tall and brawny in frame with rugged features, Ian is a handsome one at that and is the owner of his own shipping company, Patterson Shipping Line. When Reverend John MacPherson arrives in Cleveland with his four daughters in tow and introduces Ian to his second daughter Lileas Chastity MacPherson a woman of immense beauty, Ian is a goner from that very moment. Nine years on, he has four beautiful children whom he would never regret though his marriage has been less than perfect with a wife who was more fickle and selfish than anybody had ever realized.

The Heroine: Valeriana Grace MacPherson, now 28 years old is the eldest and spinsterish daughter of John MacPherson. Plain where her younger sister is a beauty, Valeriana or Ana as everyone calls her is the intelligent one in the family. Growing up with a father who has his own radical views on what is important in life, what is forbidden and allowed, Ana is a woman torn between using her own intelligence to deduce what is right and wrong and obeying her father’s preaching, the father who had taught her everything he knows. Labeled as prudish, prim and prissy by the town folk, Ana has never been courted and is resigned to a fate of spending all her life serving her father’s church by his side.

Storyline: The shocking and sudden death of Lily and her stillborn baby propels Ana to move into Ian’s home to look after her sister’s babies and save them from the “unholy” influence of Ian who has never proclaimed to be anything but human. But Ana was never ever prepared for the kind, generous and loving man that Ian actually is, a man who would protect what is rightfully his at any cost.

The First Encounter: When Reverend John MacPherson arrives in Cleveland, the opportunistic man he is drags the successful young shipper to the inn where his family is residing in, planning on snaring Ian for his beautiful Lily, a plan which goes without a hitch when Ian marries the beautiful Lily in a matter of weeks. But it had been Ana who had first caught Ian’s eyes, with the intelligence that was shining from her eyes before Lily had stood up and stolen his very breath by her beauty.

Time period: This story takes place in Cleveland, Ohio in 1834.

Awareness between the hero and heroine: Ana had always been prickly whenever Ian had been around. With a prejudice that had been taught and hammered into her since childhood, Ana tries to label what she feels for Ian as despise for his behavior, but in reality it is her awareness of Ian as a man that makes her tongue-tied and makes her yearn for things impossible with her ex-brother-in-law. Ian is horrified when the prissy and prim Ana moves into his home to take care of his children but once he sees the magic she so effortlessly weaves on his children with her love and affection, Ian is forced to look deeper into the complex woman that Ana is and find that for the second time round he is hopelessly ensnared with a MacPherson, something he had sworn not to do when Lily had died.

The turning point: Both Ana and Ian are forced to take a deeper look into the other and reevaluate their opinions of one another once Ana moves in to take care of his children. The close proximity of caring for Ian’s children brings forth feelings that neither Ian nor Ana thought possible. And when Reverend MacPherson who goes a little mad in his head when the apple of his eye dies, tries to harm Ana, it is Ian who comes up with the most daring proposal of all – make Ana his wife and claim her as his own.

Ending: Before the story is through, Ana has to come face to face with the real version of her younger sister who had never really abided by the vows that she had promised to uphold when she had become the lawfully wedded wife of Ian and face a man who had gone mad upon the death of his sister, mad enough to harm the very foundation of Ian’s world.

Likes:

  1. Ian Patterson. He just makes my heart go pitter-patter with his patience, deep abiding love for his children and his smoldering sensuality. Perfect hero material. Sigh!!
  2. Ana for being woman enough to take the high road and change into someone worth admiring, letting go of the shackles of prejudice that had been hammered into her from childhood to embrace a man who is so worth everything else she leaves behind.

Dislikes: None.

Recommended for: Fans of historical romances and fans of stories of the theme marriages of convenience.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Abe Books

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Raising Kane by Lorelei James

Format: E-bookraisingkane
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Rough Riders, Book 9
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd.
Hero: Kane “Buck” McKay
Heroine: Ginger Paulson
Sensuality: 4.5
Date of Publication: June 29, 2010
Started On: November 6, 2010
Finished On: November 7, 2010

Raising Kane is my second book by Lorelei James and as it turns out, the second book that I tried out from her famous Rough Riders series. Since I am not much of a fan of menages and such and tend to stick to plain old m/f romances, I haven’t read most of the books in the Rough Riders series. The one book that I read though, All Jacked Up definitely whetted my appetite for more of Ms. James writing and I am pretty much looking forward to her November release Cowgirls Don’t Cry which is to feature Brandt and Jessie McKay’s story since the foundation of the story was laid out in this book which definitely has piqued my interest. So onto my review of Raising Kane I go.

The Hero: Kane McKay, identical twins to Kade McKay has had his fair share of running on the wild side. But gone are the days that he let his wildness define him and Kane is a man who is ready for the domestic scene regardless of the fact whether he is ready to admit the fact to himself or not. Kane has a chip the size of Mount Everest on his shoulder because he barely managed to graduate from high school and has always managed to measure himself on the short side when it comes to comparing himself with others intellectually. Kane’s description is a tantalizing one, depicted as having a body to die for, an angular jawline with a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee and kissable lips with dark blue eyes. Oh my! Nobody had thought that Kane would stick to the Big Buddies/Little Buddies program he joins to mentor little kids growing up without the influence of a male presence in their lives. And it is here that Kane gets paired up with Hayden whose mother makes Kane forget every sensible thought ever to reside in his brain.

The Heroine: Ginger Paulson is a single mom, a lawyer and caretaker of her wheelchair bound father Dane and Ginger wouldn’t have it any other way. 37 years old, Ginger has a streak of independence within her a mile wide which prevents her from asking for help even when she is desperately in need of it. Having been burned badly in the torrid affair that had taken place between her and Hayden’s father, Ginger keeps to herself and hasn’t dated since she moved from Southern California to take over her dad’s law practice in Wyoming. Ginger is not one of those dainty women who most of the time take the leading role in romance novels but rather she is six foot of curves in all the right places with red hair and hazel eyes that just drives Kane nuts – all in a good way. *wink*

Storyline: When Ginger falls down the stairs of her office building and ends up hurting herself badly, it is Kane who rides to her rescue upon Hayden’s request. Though Ginger is the star of every wicked and wanton fantasy that Kane has had for the past two years, she is strictly off limits because he is Hayden’s mentor in the Big Buddies/Little Buddies program. But that doesn’t stop him from wanting to kiss and claim every luscious inch of stubborn independent woman that Ginger is. Ginger is no more immune to Kane and his wonderfully wicked sensuality than she is to her body’s wanton desires to claim Kane as her own. The vulnerable position Ginger ends up in begins the ride of her life with the wonderful Kane by her side which opens up both their eyes to the possibility that what they have found in each other could be so much more, if given half the chance.

The First Encounter: Though there is not much detail into how Ginger and Kane had first met, the description of a memory that Kane still has of the time they had met makes  me draw the conclusion that Kane and Ginger had first got acquainted when Ginger had taken her son Hayden for his first meeting with his mentor from the Big Buddies/Little Buddies program which had turned out to be Kane McKay.

Time period: This story has a contemporary setting and takes place in Wyoming.

Awareness between the hero and heroine: With the first kiss that takes place between Kane and Ginger (which is long before this novel), the attraction between them is white hot and always at a simmer, ready to explode given the chance. Though its hard for Kane and Ginger to get together with Ginger living with her son and father with a full-time job as well and Kane busy with his ranch work, both of them have to get really creative to appease their undeniable hunger for one another which blazes out of control from the first heady experience with one another. Ms. James surely lights up all the fires with her characters and leaves no avenue unexplored with at times raunchy and wall-banging encounters and at other times scenes filled with tenderness and much love that just makes this a perfect read.

The turning point: Falling down the stairs proves to be the best thing that happens to Ginger in a long, long time as it opens up the avenue for her to see firsthand just how wonderful a person Kane is, not just when he lights up her bed with fireworks, but in the tender way that he takes care of her needs in bed and out of it. The love that slowly blossoms in Ginger’s heart whilst Kane’s heart is already at the point of no return is something beautiful in this otherwise hard and fast story.

Ending: A happily ever after with Kane getting everything he wanted and so much more from the woman he loves more than life itself.

Likes:

  1. The wonderful cover. I have got to say that the one thing that always draws me to Ms. James’s books are the wonderful covers that always beg to be stroked, petted and opened up to unearth the wonderful delights that the story has in store for the reader.
  2. ♥Kane McKay♥!! I was halfway in love with him before the first couple of pages and the way he totally cares for Ginger when she is in need of it just clinched the deal for me. His wonderful wickedness and sensuality and bad boy tricks in the bedroom totally goes with the tender and giving side of him out of it which just makes him the yummiest kind of hero ever!
  3. Ginger for understanding the complexity of the man behind Kane’s wild reputation and loving him enough to accept him as who he is, giving him all the love she has and more makes Ginger the type of heroine who I can connect with. And I always love that in a story!
  4. And oh those raunchy hot lovin’! Makes a girl sweat and want some of that lovin’ for her own! *wicked grin*

Dislikes: None

Recommended for: Fans of the Rough Riders series, fans of cowboy romances that feature raw and hot loving in the mix.

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

outstandingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Taking Care of Business by Kathy Lyons

Format: E-booktakingcareofbusiness
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Forbidden Fantasies #24
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: James Samuel Finn (Sam)
Heroine: Julie Thomson
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: November 1, 2010
Started On: November 6, 2010
Finished On: November 6, 2010

I found this title from an email I received from Books On Board. The first thing I noticed of course was the hot cover which depicts the hero and heroine in a clandestine position in an elevator of all places – yummy! After that it didn’t take much to convince me that this is just the kind of story that I would like and before I knew it I had the book loaded onto my Kindle ready for the indulgence to begin.

The Hero: James Samuel Finn or Sam is the CEO and the brains behind the multimillion dollar company Robotics for Everyone. Sam is not your typical multimillionaire such that he doesn’t want the fact that he is rich to define who he is. All his past relationships had all come to a halt because all those women had been in love with the multimillionaire Sam rather than the Sam who is most at home in his lab, tinkering away on new products in his overalls with a smudge of grease on  him to complete the picture.

The Heroine: Julie Thomson or Jules as Sam calls her is originally from Nebraska who comes to Chicago to fulfill her dreams of making it big in the city, a dream which had come about when she had just been twelve years old. Julie is the owner of Web Wit and Wonder, her very own advertising firm that she had started with her best friend and graphic artist Karen Wilson using the money that her parents had loaned to start up the business. Two years on, the company is about to go under and Julie knows in her heart that there is no place to go back, but home as a failure.

Storyline: The office space of Web Wit and Wonder is situated in the high rise building that Sam owns and it is by chance that one day Sam sees the beautiful Julie looking like a ray of sunshine in the midst of all the corporate stiffs, making their way towards the elevators. The next thing he knows, the woman who had fired up all his imagination from a distance is pressed to him from head to foot in a crowded elevator and to his surprise and utter delight Julie gives him a taste of what it would be like with her given half the chance. Julie is more than surprised by her own wanton behavior in a crowded elevator with a total stranger though the encounter fires up all her forbidden fantasies. Within a space of seven weeks, more encounters between the two take place all in crowded elevators signaling the beginning of a hot and heavy affair which both Julie and Sam promise would be just a sexual one with no pressure on both sides as Julie plans to close down her business and leave Chicago in the next 3 weeks. Not wanting Julie to know that he is actually the multimillionaire who owns the building, Sam uses the persona that he is most comfortable with, leading Julie to think that she is having her hot and heavy affair with a maintenance personnel in the building rather than its owner.

The First Encounter: The first encounter between Julie and Sam takes place inside a crowded elevator when Julie is pressed up against the delectable Elevator Man as she calls Sam at the beginning, to find out that Sam was having a very much involuntary reaction to her nearness which Julie takes advantage of before the elevator ride is up.

Time period: This story has a contemporary setting and takes place in Chicago.

Awareness between the hero and heroine: Kathy Lyons keeps the heat between Sam and Julie always at a simmer in true Blaze style which definitely makes this read one worth getting your hands on. From the very first encounter till the very last page, the constant hum of awareness and sexual zing between the two never ceases which makes this a great addition to the Harlequin Blaze line.

The turning point: Though both Sam and Julie vow before the start of their affair to keep things simple, they both connect on levels that has got nothing to do with the red hot attraction between them. As they join their bodies experiencing the best sex of their lives, so do other feelings come in to play making them both fall hopelessly in love in the process.

Ending: Though Sam tries to come clean about the part of him that is a multimillionaire, there just never seems to be a right time for the conversation and it is a betrayed Julie that walks out on Sam when she puts the pieces together to arrive at the ultimate conclusion. Of course this doesn’t mean that Julie and Sam do not get their happily ever after, but rather both of them face a small period of misery before giving into a relationship that was meant to be, right from the very beginning.

Likes:

  1. Absolutely adore the cover. Fuels some forbidden fantasies of my own when I look at the cover. *wicked grin*
  2. I just simply fell in love with Sam right from the very beginning. His whole character from the way he takes care of those who are more vulnerable than himself to the way he just simply loves and wants what is best for Julie makes him a very special and endearing sort of hero.
  3. Loved Julie and her naughty nature. It just fully complements the solitary nature of the reclusive genius that Sam is.
  4. And of course the elevator smexing!! There is so much of it that I don’t think I would look at an elevator the same way I did before I read this book! ^_^

Dislikes: None

Recommended for: Those who love Harlequin Blaze titles.

Favorite Quotes

Lifting her gaze a little higher, she saw his chiseled jaw, slightly darkened by five o’clock shadow. His eyes were at half mast as his nostrils flared. He was inhaling, his chest expanding as he clearly took in the scent of her. She’d started dabbing heavy amounts of sandalwood on her wrists ever since she’d noticed he took a deep breath whenever he was near her.
She didn’t speak. She couldn’t speak. He was lounging against the back panel watching her with a predatory expression. As if he’d been waiting for her. As if he’d known she was getting on the elevator right then and was daring her to step into his lair.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Edge of Sight by Roxanne St. Claire

Format: E-bookedgeofsight
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Guardian Angelinos, Book 1
Publisher: Forever
Hero: Zaccaria Angelino (Zach)
Heroine: Samantha Fairchild (Sam)
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: November 1, 2010
Started On: November 1, 2010
Finished On: November 5, 2010

I can’t exactly pinpoint the reason why, but I struggled to get through my second book by Roxanne St. Claire. Having read the 1st book in the Bullet Catchers series Kill Me Twice sometime in November last year, I haven’t tried much to read through any other stories by Ms. St. Claire until I found out about the release of Edge of Sight on Twitter. As I read through the book blurbs and various raving reviews that were posted long before the release date I found myself thinking that this would be a book worth a shot. But somehow whatever that I expected from the story never seemed to materialize though in the end it wasn’t a bad story. So onto my review!

The Hero: When I first encountered Zaccaria Angelino (Zach) in the story, I found myself saying “Well, hello there Zaccaria”. Zach an ex-army ranger who enlisted soon after the 2001 attacks on US soil comes back home injured and half the man he had been before. Losing one eye and with a hideous scar running down his cheek, Zach has a tormented soul that I guess many readers would sympathize with. Zach and his twin sister Vivi Angelino are orphaned at a very tender age and had been moved to America to live with their American cousins. Zach had never tried to fit in, always angry at the fates for taking his beloved mother away who had doted on him in a way that only mothers can. The only place he had felt at home apart from when he had been serving the army had been in Sammi’s arms, the woman who Zach hurts so deeply whom he had left behind in the cold with no contact whatsoever for the past 3 years.

The Heroine: Samantha Fairchild (Sam) or Sammi as Zach calls her is 30 years old and on her way to Harvard Law School to attain her degree. Sam had just been 16 years old when she had witnessed some guy kill a clerk and it had been her testimony that had put the wrong man in jail until the actual killer had been caught in some unrelated crime and confessed. Sam had been a pretty much carefree career woman when her conscience had taken a deep hit by the error of her testimony which had deeply dented her self-confidence. Sam had dropped everything she was doing and had worked hard with a pro bono attorney to undo what she had caused and in turn opened up a case of negligence at the police department which had lost 2 cops their jobs. Sam’s deep friendship with Vivi Angelino takes a hit when her hot and heavy affair with Vivi’s twin brother ends up with Zach walking away from her and never looking back.

Storyline: Sam witnesses a murder in the wine cellar of the restaurant which she works at, ending up once again as the only one who saw a killer who so ruthlessly murders a man Sam has come to know as more than just a passing acquaintance. The one thing that does put her in the spotlight is the camera which captures her shock and horror as she witnessed the killing, the fact which puts a bunch of ruthless killers after her, all wanting to end her life. Not knowing where or whom to turn to as the police doesn’t really count her being a witness a highlight in their case, Sam contacts the only person who would be able to help her and runs smack-dab into Zach, the one person she has tried to forget unsuccessfully for the past 3 years of her life, who appears to be unaffected by the terror in her eyes, but inevitably ends up being her bodyguard albeit a bit reluctantly at first.

The First Encounter: Reading about Zach and Sam’s first encounter with one another brought a smile to my face. Sam had at that time being sharing an apartment with Vivi and Vivi had thrown a party to welcome her big bad ass army ranger brother. From the first moment, sparks had flown between the two and the heated kiss they share in the bathroom which ultimately leads to the hottest sex of both their lives for 3 short weeks through which the affair lasted was one of the best parts about the story.

Time period: This story has a contemporary setting and takes place in Boston, New York.

Awareness between the hero and heroine: Even when Zach tries to ignore his body’s wants and desires and though Sam knows better than to put herself in a position vulnerable enough to let Zach break her heart the second time around, the attraction and awareness between them is always a constant that refuses to just leave them no matter how much they both try to ignore the feelings and unresolved issues between them.

The turning point: When Sam runs into Zach whilst looking for Vivi at her apartment with sheer terror lurking in the depth of her indigo eyes, Zach tries to ignore the protective instincts that come into play. Furthermore, when Vivi comes up with her harebrained scheme of starting up a security firm of their own named The Guardian Angelinos, with Sam as their first customer and Zach acting as her bodyguard, Zach is reluctant to take the job as he doesn’t trust his abilities to keep anyone safe, much less the woman who is the center of his universe. But then the heart always wants what it wants, regardless of what you might try telling yourself otherwise, and the constant proximity between Zach and Sam proves to be Zach’s undoing in front of the woman he loves.

Ending: I have got to say that Ms. Claire took me totally unawares with her villain in the end. Before the end is through, the story unfolds revealing just how Sam had been manipulated to become an “unreliable” witness to a murder for a bunch of people who are ruthless enough to kill anyone who stands in their way of attaining what they want.

Likes: There were a few things that I liked about this book as the story unfolded. I liked Sam, which is sort of a first for me since I always come out saying I loved the hero in the story. I loved Sam because of her unwavering courage, how much she tries to put to right what she had wronged and her wonderful loving personality. I liked Vivi (oh boy, something surely has to be wrong since I am talking about all the female leads in the story). Her personality is quite the polar opposite to what I envisioned an investigative journalist like her would be. Vivi has a strong personality which draws a reader in and gets her own story in the 3rd book of the series, Face of Danger which is to come out on May 2011 which I am slightly interested in reading. I just had an inkling that she would be paired off with the FBI agent that was introduced into the story towards the end and I bet if Ms. Claire gets it right, Vivi’s story could be quite entertaining and explosive.

Dislikes: Umm.. let’s see, I guess the reason I didn’t take to this story as much as I hoped I would was because of the way Zach treats Sam at the beginning of the story. I can understand refusing to come out and say how you feel about the woman who scares the bejesus out of your most guarded emotions but walking out on her, never contacting her for 3 whole years and telling himself to keep away and only when he is damn ready to take her in his arms does Zach do it. I can understand a tortured hero but I also want the hero to be unable to keep his hands off the heroine in question regardless of all the crappy advice he might give himself or regardless of how honorable his intentions maybe. I guess what turned me off was the fact that the first detailed encounter between Zach and Sam in the story was sort of a solo act on Sam’s part which just didn’t sit that well with me. And for a man who left her hanging 3 years back without a word, Zach sure does expect a lot from Sam when he asks her to stop doubting him and second guessing him. Duh! As if Zach has given Sam any reason to really instill any sort of trust in him. All in all, I failed to connect with the version of tortured bad boy hero in this story which was what surprised me most in the end. One  more thing that disappointed me was the hints throughout the books to the hot and heavy affair that had taken place 3 years back, which never materialized for me from the 2 or 3 encounters between Sam and Zach in the book. Sigh!! I just don’t like disliking so many things about a book -_-‘.

Recommended for: Those who love books by Roxanne St. Claire.

Favorite Quotes

He counted the beats, listened to her breath, and waited until her body relaxed into sleep. When he was sure, he unlatched their hands and reached up to slide off his protective patch.
Finally, the moment of pure heaven. He laid his face against her hair and let the softness soothe his burning scar, the ecstasy of it almost making him want to cry out. It felt so good. So, so sweet and comforting and good.

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

favorableread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Doing Logan by Rhian Cahill

Format: E-bookdoinglogan
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Ellora’s Cave Quickies
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: Logan Foster
Heroine: Meredith Wainright
Sensuality: 4.5
Date of Publication: November 4, 2010
Started On: November 4, 2010
Finished On: November 4, 2010

Ever since I read Singapore Fling by Rhian Cahill I have been a fan of her searingly hot short contemporaries. Since I follow Ms. Cahill on Twitter I found to my delight a couple of months back that she was just about finished with another novella, this time on my favorite theme where best of friends turn into lovers. And from the moment I read one of the sneak peeks she posted that had me practically drooling I was a goner for Logan. Believe me, today has been one of the most trying days of my life as a reader. As I told Ms. Cahill, never before have I *stalked* a book more than I did for this one. But I had loads of fun doing that so it was all very much worth it in the end. So onto a very quick review I go!

Logan Foster has always been a man of action, that is unless he comes into contact with his lifelong best friend and the woman who has owned his heart for the past 20 years or so, Meredith Wainright. Meredith’s mere presence is enough to spin Logan’s world out of control and Logan has always regretted the fact that he had been the one to introduce Meredith to her dick of an ex-husband Dirk Wainright who had spent whatever time they had been married together betraying her in all the ways possible. And when Dirk and his new wife Barbie (that was just sheer brilliance with the name there) insinuate that Meredith is still not over Dirk, Logan knows its time to let his feelings out in the open where Meredith is concerned and pursue her just like he does everything else he has ever wanted in his life.

Meredith has never been oblivious to the sheer magnetism that Logan exudes in spades. And from the moment Meredith’s life had gone haywire, her body had upped the stakes and started taking notice of Logan in ways she had never dreamed possible. Though what Meredith decides is to have a sexual fling with Logan to experience all those things she had never felt before, she doesn’t bargain on having the full force of Logan’s charm, sexual magnetism and most of all his love directed at her. And of course Meredith is no match to what Logan offers her in all those delicious ways which is the greatest thing about this short story.

There is no word other than explosive and or sheer dynamite to describe what happens when Logan and Meredith come together. They are so in tune with each others needs that it just takes only one look, a heated touch or a searing glance from the other to spin things out of control which I as  the reader just reveled in. I love it when an Erotica novel gives what it promises in spades, sensuality that is hot enough to make all your senses come alive and kudos to Ms. Cahill for delivering us readers with just that!

This book comes very highly recommended for fans of Erotica romances and those who always love a romance between best friends which results in the most heady and senses awakening love stories of all!

Be severely warned of the following before proceeding with the story though *wink wink*:

  1. The need to drink lots of water as things certainly heat up to unbearable (but oh-so bearable) levels.
  2. The continuous need to fan yourself with whatever you have at hand. Yes, I solemnly swear by this!
  3. And yes, the need for a cold shower as soon as you are done! Yes, Doing Logan kinda wreaks havoc on your senses – ALL in a good way!!

I don’t think my heart would return to its normal rhythm anytime soon! Damn you Logan!! Sigh!!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo | Ellora’s Cave | Diesel E-books

outstandingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Best Laid Plans by Sarah Mayberry

Format: E-bookthebestlaidplans
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Super Romance
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Ethan Stone
Heroine: Alexander Knight
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: November 9, 2010
Started On: November 2, 2010
Finished On: November 3, 2010

Yes, Sarah Mayberry has done it yet once again, stringing all my emotions taut enough to form a permanent lump in my throat which refused to melt away until I read the beautifully done epilogue which was just sheer perfection. Reminds me why even though this title’s release date was said to be the 11th of this month, when I found out that the Kindle version was already available, I basically put everything else on hold and grabbed myself a copy – knowing that I would be safe in Ms. Mayberry’s hands. Sigh! And I can’t wait for her next book though I am still reeling from the remnants of emotions left over from this one.

The Hero: Ethan Stone or Pretty Boy as his brother Derek calls him is a man so scarred by the immense betrayal that his ex-wife Cassie had left him reeling in after she had walked out on 12 years of being together, 8 of which they had been married that Ethan has lost his faith in the concept of marriage and happily ever afters with anyone else. At the age of 42, Ethan is one of the youngest partners of Wallingsworth & Kent and a family lawyer that makes him a witness to the ugly side of people who have sworn to love till death do them apart, which makes him further wary of trying to start anything serious with a woman. Ethan’s younger brother Derek and his wife Kay together with their children Tim and Jamie is the closest to the family life that Ethan so badly craves even now during unguarded moments. Described as being tall, dark and handsome with a fallen angel’s face and dark blue eyes, Ethan sets many a female heart aflutter wherever he goes. His one vice is his love for good food and wine which is a constant source of amusement with his family, Ethan is a man who cooks to relieve stress – and oh boy, can he cook! Now why can’t we ever land someone like him! Sigh!!

The Heroine: Alexander Knight (Alex) or slow poke as Ethan calls her is also one of the youngest partners at Wallingsworth & Kent and one of the best corporate lawyers around. Being calm, cool and efficient with whatever Alex chooses to do has been her motto in all the hardships that her life had dealt her. Growing up never knowing her father, Alex had just been 12 years old when her mother Rachel Knight had had an accident fracturing her skull which had left her needing constant care and attention which had turned the tables around on the lone parent and child. But a determined Alex had seen it through and cared for her mother until her imminent death and then put herself through law school to land a partnership at one of the most prestigious law firms in Melbourne a mere seven years after graduation. With jaw length dark hair, wide mouth and eyes too large to be conventional Alex too has had her fair share of betrayal from Jacob, the man she had lived 7 years of her life with, hoping that his initial dislike at the matter of having kids together would fade away with time until the topic had come to be a matter of discontentment and anger between them until Jacob had left her life 18 months ago.

Storyline: It is when Alex runs into Jacob with a baby in his arms, the Jacob who had even refused to discuss the possibility of having a child with her that stuns Alex into thinking about the best years of her life wasted with a man who hadn’t really loved her enough to want to share everything with her. And when it hits too close to home that the family and children that she has so badly craved for all her life might not happen with her eggs dying up on her in a couple of years, Alex is driven to do what she always does – take charge of her life and turn it around and work for what she wants. When in a moment of weakness Alex confesses all of this to her partner and racquetball buddy and the star of her crush Ethan, everything starts to change. Knowing that meeting someone, dating them and finally being able to broach the subject of children and the possibility of having kids together would take more time from her than she has, Alex does the only thing left to do – contact a sperm bank and decides to become a single mother, a fact Ethan learns about which propels him to offer himself up as the sperm donor.

The First Encounter: There is no part in the story that mentions how and what happened when Ethan and Alex had first met, but rather describes the moment that Alex had first seen Ethan walking towards her with the senior partners at her law firm after being lured into working for Wallingsworth & Kent. Something deep inside her had fluttered at the mere sight of him and in her heart had called out “Hello heartbreaker”.

Time period: This story has a contemporary setting and takes place in Melbourne, Australia.

Awareness between hero and heroine: Though both Ethan and Alex acknowledge the fact that they both find the other attractive, neither Ethan nor Alex feels inclined enough to mess up the friendship between them by making things complicated by wanting more from the other. Ethan had instinctively known that Alex deserves much more than he is willing to offer and works hard to keep things on a platonic level between the two. And though Alex knows that Ethan is the most handsome and compelling man she has ever met, Alex is a woman who is far too practical to throw herself at a man who she feels she is better off being friends with.

The turning point: When Alex breaks down in front of Ethan and Ethan is witness to the deep yearning in her voice as Alex talks about the babies and the family that she so wants, something inside Ethan refuses to let him forget but rather taps into his long locked away desires for a family of his own. But marriage and relationships are not for Ethan and he proposes the next best thing, he would provide the sperm for his and Alex’s baby and take an active role in his child’s life and plans it in such a way that only two lawyers can. But the best laid plans as always have a way of backfiring on them in the best possible way in the end.

Ending: It wasn’t by any means a smooth road to happily ever after for these two. Though Alex acknowledges the fact that she has fallen completely in love with Ethan and Ethan confesses to falling for Alex as well, there are still obstacles between them, namely the deep emotional scars within Ethan that has to heal before he is able to make a full commitment to the one woman who means everything to him. I just loved the ending of this story. *sniffles*

Likes: One of the first things that drew this book to me (apart from it being a story by one of my favorite Harlequin authors of course) was the beautiful cover of this novel. The cover just touches something deep inside of me, which depicts a scene from the novel before things get complicated between Alex and Ethan. I just love the way Ethan is bending towards Alex as if to whisper sweet nothings in her ear (a gal can hope always *wink*). The next thing that drew me in was the depth of character development in this story. Ms. Mayberry always does a splendid job with her characters that draws you in right from the very beginning of the story. And she has once again proved to me why I just adore her books. I also loved the fact that the obstacles that both Ethan and Alex faced in attaining their happily ever after wasn’t solved with a quick rip of the band-aid off the wound that has been festering inside Ethan for years. Just loved Ethan from his head to foot and ahem all that in between. I just wanted to hug him and face his ex-wife with a sword of my own whilst I was at it! Yes, fiercely protective I am of my Ethan!

Dislikes: I was a bit disappointed with the lack of steam between Alex and Ethan in the 1st half of the book though it totally goes with their characters and the story that unfolded. But I just had a craving to see Ethan lose all control for Alex and just give me something to sigh and moon over in between!

Recommended for: Those who love Harlequin romances, Ms. Mayberry would never steer you wrong though if you are looking for hot and frequent lovin’ you aren’t going to find it in this one. Just enough emotion to punch you in the gut!

Favorite Quotes

Ethan found him in the kitchen, pouring himself a more conservative Scotch. He met his brother’s eyes and took a deep breath.
“I appreciate the concern but I’m fine,” he said.
Something warm and wet fell onto his hand. He looked down at it. It took him a moment to understand that he was crying. He put down his glass.
“Jesus,” Derek said, and then his brother’s arms were closing around him and he was being held tightly and couldn’t keep the rest of the tears from falling.
He fought them every step of the way until Derek gave him a shake.
“Cry you big dickhead. It won’t kill you.”

When is the next title from Ms. Mayberry going to be out? I so want it, like now?

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

outstandingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Now You See Her by Linda Howard

Format: E-booknowyouseeher
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Pocket Books
Hero: Richard Worth
Heroine: Paris Samille Sweeney (Sweeney)
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: July 29, 2003
Started On: October 30, 2010
Finished On: October 31, 2010

I needed a book to maintain the high I was riding after finishing up the last book I reviewed which happens to be Naked Edge, the 4th book in the delectable I-Team series. And I am so very glad that I picked this one up knowing that Linda Howard never fails to deliver. This is one book that I seem to have missed when I first started on my Linda Howard fest when I discovered her as an author after reading the emotionally gut wrenching story Sarah’s Child by the author. As always, the hero is to die for, his character described in such a manner that it is impossible not to give a part of yourself to him before the story is through. The heroine is not the type to stand back and just let the hero tread all over her, but rather she gives as good as she gets which made this book the winner it is for me.

The Hero: Richard Worth is a self-made millionaire who is described as a Wall Street whiz which made him the rich man he is. Growing up dirt poor in a farm in West Virginia, Richard’s father had died when he had been 3 years old. Now 39 years old, Richard had grown up with his grandfather and mother, both of whom had worked every day of their lives to provide for themselves. From a very young age Richard’s grandfather had instilled in him the need to work and earn your keep which makes Richard the man he is. Joining the army because he had been unable to afford a college education had made him discover that he had a knack for military life. And when Richard had found that he had knack for the stock market which was more lucrative and since money was all he had wanted to make Richard had never looked back. Its been 15 years since Richard has left the army and life had seemed to be going well when he had married Candra his wife of 10 years. Discovering his wife’s infidelity had broken the luster from his marriage and the final straw had come 9 years into their marriage, an act of ultimate betrayal by Candra which pushes Richard to end their farce of a marriage and apply for a divorce. Richard is a man who draws women to him effortlessly but remains faithful to his wife because Richard has always been the sort of man one can truly depend and rely upon.

The Heroine: Paris Samille Sweeney (Sweeney) or sweetie as Richard calls her is a woman who is so immersed in her work as an artist that she rarely takes notice of the opposite sex. Born in Italy, Sweeney comes from parents who found no time for their children but rather pursued their careers, her mother as an artist and her father as a filmmaker. Sweeney shies away from the opposite sex because her experiences with her promiscuous mother whilst growing up had made her wary of turning out to be exactly like her. Now 31 years old, Sweeney is described to have a trim figure, almost medium in height with blue eyes and curly brown hair which she keeps below shoulder length in an effort to control its unruliness. Sweeney had been living in the small town of Clayton in New York when that fateful day in August she had seen the ghost of 10 year old Samuel Beresford who had died of leukemia a month back. Afraid that people would assume that she has lost it, Sweeney wants to move somewhere that is warmer when Candra Worth, owner of the gallery where Sweeney sells her work convinces her to move to New York. The story continues a year after that fateful day when everything changes for Sweeney, someone who equals sameness and normalness to security.

Storyline: Sweeney’s entire world changes the day she starts seeing ghosts. The experiences leave her with a bone deep cold that refuses to leave her. Her work as an artist also changes from the trademark delicacy of her landscapes and still studies to paintings more boisterous and colorful in nature which leaves Sweeney with a feeling of hopelessness as she tries to prevent the changes from overtaking her life completely. Never one to take bullshit from anyone, the final straw comes when Sweeney is invited to Candra’s gallery to do a portrait for an important client of hers, a client who is a strong political figure that grates on Sweeney’s nerves right from the first moment. And when Sweeney’s body decides to take notice of Richard Worth all of a sudden, Sweeney is decidedly at a loss on how to control the sudden and swift change within her towards a man who was in a bitter contest of finalizing his divorce from Sweeney’s friend and mentor for the past year. Sweeney’s actual capabilities come to light when she sleep paints the murder of a person whom she is overtly fond of, the truth which she finds out only a little bit too late. When Sweeney finds herself face to face with another sleep painting attempt of hers, Sweeney is determined that she would finish the painting before its too late to warn whoever it is of her impending death.

First Encounter: There are references to Sweeney and Richard meeting one another on several occasions, most of which Sweeney doesn’t even remember because she has a tendency to desexualize herself and immerse herself in the wonderful world of vibrant colors that her life is. But the day that Sweeney’s body decides to take notice of and wants to claim Richard Worth as her own is the moment that Richard has been waiting for since he has always found Sweeney attractive.

Time period: This story has a contemporary setting and takes place in New York.

Awareness between the hero and heroine: With the first heady kiss between the two there is no turning back though Sweeney refuses to sleep with Richard till his divorce is final which propels him to use his ruthless determination in obtaining his freedom from the woman who he has come to hate, an action which sets in motion a set of events that leads to Candra’s murder. The bone deep cold that takes hold of Sweeney whenever she sleep paints only seems to go away in Richard’s fiery embrace which definitely makes this one heady read!

The turning point: From the moment Sweeney’s hormones become aware of Richard as a man there is no turning back for either of them. Richard is captivated by Sweeney who is the total opposite of Candra and for the first time Richard finds a woman with whom he can be himself with which is an attraction in itself. Sweeney though she tries her damnedest to return her life back to the dull and lonely version it was before finds herself no match to Richard’s quiet determination to win Sweeney over. With each kiss and embrace between the two the inevitable conclusion of which is a combustive joining of their hearts and souls is exactly what Linda Howard delivers – in spades.

Ending: Though the killer is not really a mystery as the story proceeds, nevertheless its an interesting one which brings to light the tangled web Candra decides to weave in order to dig herself out of the hole she has landed herself in. The ending is a fitting one which brings out the killer once and for all, nervous at the thought of Sweeney completing her portrait to point the homicide detectives in the right direction.

Likes: As always Linda Howard creates the best alpha heroes in her stories. Richard has a quiet unassuming strength about him that  totally captivated me and made me wish all his attention were focused on me. Silly I know, but I tend to get silly and all swoony around heroes like Richard. I also loved Sweeney and how she overcomes the fear of the change that takes place in her, how she finally accepts the fact that she has changed for better or worse and tries to make the best use of her talents to help others. Her less than perfect character perfectly complemented Richard in every way which made this book a winner for me.

Dislikes: I found myself a little bit put off by the fact that the Epilogue was just a couple of lines which sheds some light on why Sweeney is the way she is. I wanted a longer epilogue detailing the changes that had come about in both Richard and Sweeney’s lives a year on and glimpses of the perfectness of the world they had created together.*pouts a little*

Recommended for: Those who like romantic suspense with a tangy bit of paranormal in it.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard

outstandingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Naked Edge by Pamela Clare

Format: E-booknakededge
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: I-Team, Book 4
Publisher: Berkley
Hero: Gabriel Rossiter (Gabe)
Heroine: Katherine James (Kat)
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: March 2, 2010
Started On: October 28, 2010
Finished On: October 30, 2010

The moment that I have been dreading since I started on the explosive I-Team series has arrived. Yes, I have reached the end of the backlist of the series and now have to wait patiently for the release of the next title in the series, Breaking Point which is to be released on July 2011. There are so many good books that are coming out next year that I am looking forward to, but this would top everything else on my must-have list when it comes out. Naked Edge introduces us to the people of Navajo who also call themselves Diné, meaning “the people”, of the Southwestern United States who are the second largest Native American tribe of North America to which our heroine Katherine James belongs to.

The Hero: Gabriel Rossiter or Gabe as he is known as is a man who thrives on adrenaline rush. Well versed in rock climbing, skiing and what not, Gabe has always been a man of the outdoors ever since he can remember. Described as being rugged and tall with thick dark hair and deep blue eyes with a body to die for, toned by the years of extreme rock climbing sessions Gabe forces his body to endure, Gabe is a man who is running away from his past even though he doesn’t want to admit it. Gabe had pursued a degree in Biology thinking that he wanted to become a wildlife vet, but in the end when the time had come for him to choose a career, all Gabe had wanted to do was be outdoors. So Gabe had gone through the police academy and trained as a paramedic before landing his well earned position as one of the best mountain rangers in the area. A man who doesn’t do long-term relationships nor thinks of himself capable of being any woman’s knight in shining armor, Gabe is a man who likes his sex straight up, with no complications and with women who knows the score.

The Heroine: Katherine James (Kat) or Kimimila meaning Butterfly as her Grandpa Red Crow calls her had grown up in a two room hogan with 7 half brothers and 3 half sisters who jokingly called her as half-ajo because Kat had been the result of her mother’s indiscretion with a white man who had left her once he had known that she was pregnant with his child. Kat’s mother had always deeply resented Kat’s presence and had never felt happier unless she wasn’t around. Described as having dark brown hair, hazel green eyes and caramel skin, Kat is a woman who has sworn that she wouldn’t put herself in a position vulnerable enough to end up like her mother. Shying away from promiscuous behavior, Kat is a woman who is saving herself for her other half and believes in the happily ever afters that her friends on the I-Team had found with their respective partners. Armed with her degree in journalism from the University of New Mexico, Kat had returned home to work at the Navajo Times. But as always, her mother had refused to see the good that Kat was doing and finally her mother’s resentment with her siblings’ indifference had led her to take the best and toughest decision of her life 3 years back when she had decided to leave her home and pursue her dreams elsewhere. Now working as the I-Team’s environmental reporter, Kat has grown to love her fellow team members and the life she has made for herself. Though she may live and work in the city, at heart she is a Navajo whose heart and spirit belongs to the land on which she was born and raised.

Storyline: Kat is participating in an inipi, a sacred Indian ceremony that was being held by her Grandpa Red Crow as a healing ritual for one of their sisters who was suffering from cancer when the police come out of nowhere and breaks up the ceremony, brutal and deadly in the force that they use. And when a few days later, Grandpa Red Crow ends up dead, his death looking suspiciously like a homicide, Kat knows deep in her heart that there is much more at stake than just stopping a religious ceremony held by the Navajo when countless other such ceremonies had been held with the knowledge of the Mountain Parks Rangers. As Kat continues to dig deeper amidst threats on her life which escalates as she draws nearer to the truth, Kat finds that at the heart of all the havoc wreaked on her family lies greed which even drives the best of people to acts of mayhem &  murder.

First Encounter: Though Kat believes she has found her place within the I-Team doing work that means something and loving the life that she has made for herself, at times she feels the hectic life of the city closing in on her which drives her to go on hiking sessions to the surrounding mountains. It is when a rock slide hits and Kat falls down breaking a leg in the process that  Gabe comes to her rescue, Gabe who is surprised and a little taken aback by the admiration that courses through him at Kat’s bravery.

Time period: This story has a contemporary setting and takes place in the state of Colorado.

Awareness between the hero and heroine: Kat and Gabe cannot be more different from one another even if they tried. Kat, an innocent in every way that matters who believes in waiting for the right man who would love her forever and who wants a family and babies of her own is the opposite of Gabe who lives in the moment, who likes his sex without any complications with women who know what they are getting into. When Gabe finds himself asking Kat out on their second encounter, no one is more surprised than Gabe himself because he hasn’t felt the inclination to woo a woman in 3 long years ever since his fiance Jill Chandler had died leaving a man broken by betrayal in her wake. Even when Gabe knows in his heart that Kat is not the type of woman he can love and then leave behind, his body has other ideas with its fascination for Kat. With each tentative kiss between them that burns hotter and fiercer, Kat is as much a slave to her body’s needs, a first for her in her 26 years of life.

The turning point: With Gabe being the Ranger on call on the night that the praying ceremony was so brutally brought to a halt by the police, Gabe is also a witness to the extreme and unnecessary force used by the authorities in question. When Gabe’s helpless fascination with Kat makes him a witness to Grandpa Red Crow’s dead body which from the first glance itself Gabe deduces to be a homicide, needless to say Gabe is as much drawn to the web of danger that surrounds Kat in her quest for the truth and justice for her people. And when Gabe takes up the task of being a full time bodyguard for Kat, a task which his body relishes in at the mere thought of being in constant proximity to the lure that Kat’s body is for Gabe proves to be the ultimate turning point in their relationship. With Gabe constantly trying to push Kat away, danger and threats on both their lives which they barely escape from forces both Kat and Gabe to search deeper into their feelings and face the ultimate truth that they are definitely two halves that make a complete one.

Ending: The events that take place prior to the ending is one of the hardest parts to get through in the story – not because it was boring or anything but because of the ultimate sacrifice that Gabe makes to spare the life of the woman he loves proving that he is a knight in shining armor – for the right woman. The villain at the end was a total surprise for me, and yes I love being surprised and going into a little bit of shock when I read a novel of the RS genre. And of course, the epilogue as always left me sighing away into the night, satisfied in the knowledge that Gabe and Kat had truly found their happily every after together.

Likes: There are several points that made this story a winner for me. I liked the fact that I got to learn about a tribe of people that otherwise I would have never even heard of if it weren’t for this wonderful story. I was fascinated with their customs, beliefs and superstitious nature which serves them well in their lives and Ms. Clare’s efforts to balance out Kat’s character was well received on my end. As always I loved reading about the hero’s reluctant fascination when it comes to the heroine, something that Ms. Clare delivers in spades in this story. Gabe who is reluctant to put his heart and emotions on the line once again nevertheless finds himself doing just that when it comes to sweet and beautiful Kat who works her underlying charm like a soothing balm to heal Gabe’s wounded warrior heart. As always beautifully done which made the fact that I wanted to savor this last novel a bit longer fly out the window every time I picked up my Kindle to read. And oh yes, the elevator smexing, definitely one of the highlights! *wink*

Dislikes: None.

Recommended for: Those who love reading romances and novels of the romantic suspense genre. You are definitely in for a treat with the I-Team series, the best Romantic Suspense series that I have had the fortune of reading to date.

So off I go to find a book that can lift my spirits from the slums it has decided to visit after the very much dreaded conclusion of a most wonderful series – for now.

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

outstandingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Unlawful Contact by Pamela Clare

Format: E-bookunlawfulcontact
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: I-Team, Book 3
Publisher: Berkley
Hero: Marc Hunter
Heroine: Sophie Alton
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: April 1, 2008
Started On: October 27, 2010
Finished On: October 28, 2010

I don’t know how she does it but Ms. Clare rocks my world every time with her delectable characters and engrossing storyline. I’ve never experienced a dull moment nor encountered a scene which I had wished would have gone differently since I started on the I-Team series. Its a testament to Ms. Clare’s creativity and talent that each of these stories have wormed their way into my heart, never to be forgotten, to be revisited sometime in the near future. With only one more book from the I-Team series left for me to read, it’s going to be an unbearable wait till July next year when Breaking Point featuring the mouthwatering Jed Hill on its cover comes out.

The Hero: Marc Hunter or Hunt as he is called by Sophie is a convicted killer serving out his life sentence without eligibility for parole in the Colorado State Penitentiary. Broad shouldered with thick brown hair and deep green eyes, Marc comes from a broken home with a mother who had been a drug addict which had led him to growing up within one foster home or the other. The social service workers had come to take him and his younger half sister Megan away when Marc had just been 10 years old. And to this day, the image of little Megan crying and reluctant to leave her home drives home the guilt that he should have been a better protector for Megan. Marc had managed to clean up his act enough to get a place in the army where he had spent six years of his life becoming a decorated Special Operations sniper and served 18 months in Afghanistan before coming back to Colorado. Seeing that Megan had turned into a drug addict just like their mother cuts Marc up deeper than anything else and he tries to do the right thing by helping her overcome her addiction. With a job at the DEA doing what he can to rid the streets of the drugs that had ruined his family, the life he had created for himself comes crashing down on the afternoon of August 12, 2001. When the walls of the prison closes around him, life becomes undoubtedly that much harder for Marc as the guards hate his guts because he had killed a federal officer whilst the inmates are out for his blood especially those he had helped put behind bars during his time at the DEA. The only thing that keeps him going through the six years in prison is reliving the sweet memory of Sophie or his fairy sprite, the girl who had offered him her virginity on the night he was to leave for the army giving him the most precious and happiest hours of his life.

The Heroine: Sophie Alton had just been 16 years old with a massive crush on Hunt when all her dreams had come true on the night June 9, 1996. Sophie and her brother David had had to move down to Grand Junction, Colorado to live with their maternal grandmother when Sophie’s loving parents had been killed by a drunk driver whilst crossing a road in Denver. With strawberry blond hair, creamy skin and deep blue eyes, Sophie has big dreams of making it as a journalist when Hunt gives her the most unforgettable night of her life beneath the open sky. Though Sophie had dated sparsely throughout the years, every other man pales in comparison to Hunt. 12 years on, Sophie does the prison beat for the Denver Independent’s elite I-team. With her brother David studying to be a horse vet, Sophie saves every penny she can so that she can help David along to achieve his dreams.

Storyline: Sophie had been covering Megan Rawlings, an inmates journey through pregnancy and motherhood for the past couple of months ever since she had covered a piece on the stillbirth of an inmate’s baby which had in turn spurred her on to look more closely into the plight of female prison inmates. Megan had spent 18 hours in labor pains to deliver beautiful baby girl Emily only to give her up to the Social Services. On the day that Megan had earned a 2 hour visit with Emily which Sophie was covering, Megan disappears with Emily in tow leaving a large amount of drugs in her room, a testament to the fact that Megan had once again succumbed back to her addiction which Sophie had been so happy to see that Megan had been overcoming slowly. Since Sophie had grown pretty close to Megan during the months she had spent with her, when Sophie receives an invitation from Megan’s brother in jail, Sophie is more than eager to meet up with him to find out whether he has any information that could lead her to Megan. When Marc walks into the interview room Sophie has no idea of who he is though the very sight of his beautiful Sophie all grown up hits Marc nearly stunning him momentarily. Before Sophie knows it, she is held at gunpoint by Megan’s brother as he flees the four walls of the prison that had been his home for the past 6 years. It is only later on that Megan realizes that Marc Hunter is none other than her Hunt and that Marc had broken out of prison because he feared for Megan and little Emily’s life. It is then Sophie learns of the horrors that Megan had undergone at the Denver Juvenile Detention Centre at the hands of the guards who are sworn to protect the lives of those under them violating the lives of so many women. As Sophie and Marc race against time to find Megan and Emily before the determined and corrupt government officials get their hands on Megan and silence her forever, so does the white hot attraction and feelings between Marc and Sophie escalate which left me breathless -almost all the time! Sigh!

First Encounter: Sophie had been a sophomore when her friend Candy had convinced her into going to the graduation party where she sees Hunt, the hottest guy in senior class and the school bad boy who fuels all of Sophie’s dreams. Marc who has always admired Sophie’s beauty and intelligence from afar becomes her ultimate rescuer and the man to whom Sophie offers her virginity giving them both a night neither of them can forget.

Time period: This story has a contemporary setting and starts from the year 1996 and continues 12 years later.

Awareness between the hero and heroine: The memory of their encounter is a one often revisited by both Marc and Sophie, more so by Marc who dreams about Sophie continuously, the memories being the only thing that keeps him sane throughout his imprisonment. Marc knows that as a convicted killer he has nothing to offer for a woman like Sophie who has her whole life ahead of her. But that doesn’t stop him from wanting her for himself, wanting just one more taste, to touch her just once more, the needs that Sophie arouses in him so feral that it is all he can do to keep his hands to himself. Sophie, though she knows in her heart that Marc will only bring her heartache and nothing else cannot explain why she is so reluctant to help the authorities find him. Memories of scorching kisses and a night of passion fuels the dreams and fantasies of an all grown up Sophie, especially when all Sophie wants to do is just kiss every perfect inch of the man in question. The constant hum of awareness between Sophie and Marc is one the best things about this story.

The turning point: Sophie’s investigations into finding out whether Marc’s insinuations are true opens up a whole lot of troubles which lands her in jail with charges of intent to sell and distribute controlled substances. Out on bail, Marc is the only one who understands the emotions that well up within Sophie and the only one who can keep her safe from those intent on silencing her forever. This proves to be the event that turns things around when Marc keeps Sophie holed up with him in his hidey-hole which bursts forth the torrent of feelings and passion that has been simmering between the two since the night Marc takes Sophie hostage.

Ending: With surprising twists at the end of the story, this story ended in the phenomenal I-Team series style with an epilogue that just had me beaming smiles all around. The tangled web of family loyalties and misuse of authority by those in power kept me at the very edge of my seat towards the end, thinking that it was indeed too late for Marc and Sophie. Lovely ending as always.

Likes: There is nothing like a hot hero to keep the pages turning and Marc is just the epitome of perfect hero material. With his scars and sexy tattoos and his oh so perfect body its a wonder I made it through the story without continuously drooling from the sides of my mouth. Yes, he is that hot. The thing that always astonishes me with every story I read from Ms. Clare is the fact that her heroines are equally appealing. Most of the time heroines tend to get on my nerves one way or the other but I guess Ms. Clare knows just the right ingredients to make her heroines as appealing as the heroes. I loved the combustive passion between Marc and Sophie which were of the eyebrow singeing type. Ms. Clare delivers on all fronts especially with a much needed against the wall scene and an against the car scene which just made my day! And as always loved revisiting the characters from the previous stories which always makes the next book a plus point in my opinion.

Dislikes: None at all.

Recommended for: All romance novel lovers and those who love a good romantic suspense.

So onto book 4 I go!

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