Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Oasis Length: Novella Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance POV: Third Person, Dual Series: Standalone Publisher: Elloras Cave Hero: Mark Logan Heroine: EMelanie Green Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Published On: January 01, 2006 Started On: September 07, 2024 Finished On: September 08, 2024
A Little Less Conversation by Rhyannon Byrd is an erotic novella set in the small seaside town of Foggy Bottom Beach, delivering exactly what its title promises; a sizzling push-and-pull between two people who have been eyeing each other from across the street for months.
Travel agent Melanie Green has always been the “good friend” type to men, someone to confide in, not someone to burn the sheets with. But when it comes to local bar owner Mark Logan, she wants far more than casual conversation. She wants the full force of the man every woman in town seems to lust after.
Mark is thirty-six, brooding, sexy, and unapologetically direct about his desires. He is not the commitment type, preferring mutually satisfying encounters with no strings attached. But Melanie is not like the women he usually dates. Her shy smile, warm eyes, and quiet determination stirs something deeper in him, even if he tries to keep his distance. For six months he has been fighting the pull, until one day he crosses the street into her office and changes everything.
What starts as mutual flirting quickly becomes a dangerous game of assumptions and misinterpretations. Mark believes Melanie wants nothing more than to test his notorious reputation in bed, while she fears she will forever be relegated to his “friendly companion” category. Their chemistry is undeniable, but their inability to communicate what they really want leads to explosive clashes that are just as intense as their physical encounters.
This is erotica, and Byrd does not hold back on the steam. Mark is a dirty-talking hero through and through, and the sex scenes are explicit, raw, and frequent. That said, the story side is lighter; while there is emotional conflict and character backstory, it takes a backseat to the erotic tension driving the novella.
For readers like myself who wants deep emotional development or a balance of the eroticism and story development, you might not find what you seek. Still, the sexual chemistry between Mark and Melanie is scorching, and Byrd’s talent for writing heat is undeniable.
What I liked most was the sheer intensity of their attraction and the unapologetic way Byrd leans into erotic fantasy. Mark’s possessiveness, the edge of roughness to his passion, and Melanie’s determination to step out of her comfort zone make for combustible scenes. On the downside, the conflict resolution feels rushed, and I personally would have enjoyed more layers to the relationship beyond the bedroom.
Recommended for: readers who want hot small-town romance with a confident, dirty-talking hero and plenty of eroticism to scorch the pages.
Final Verdict: Steamy, intense, and pure escapism. Short on story depth, but scorching in all the right places.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Oasis Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: Third Person, Dual Series: The Barons, #3 Publisher: Harlequin Hero: Slade Baron Heroine: Lara Stevens Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: January 01, 1999 Started On: July 26, 2024 Finished On: July 28, 2024
Slade Baron’s Bride by Sandra Marton is one of those stories that starts with a spark so sudden that it is impossible not to get caught up in the heady rush of passion that follows. Slade and Lara meet by chance during an unexpected flight delay, and what begins as a fleeting attraction turns into a night that leaves them both changed forever. Eighteen months later, the repercussions of that single weekend catch up with them, pulling them back into each other’s orbit in ways neither could have predicted.
Slade is the quintessential Marton hero—possessive, confident, and more than a little baffled when it comes to the way the heroine gets under his skin. Lara, on the other hand, is portrayed as older, independent, and carrying a determination that sometimes borders on prideful stubbornness. Their dynamic is complicated further by secrets she chooses to keep and his instinctive need to control and protect, creating a push-pull tension that simmers throughout.
What really drives this romance is the clash of their vulnerabilities and insecurities. Both have childhood scars that shape their adult choices, and though the book hints at the depth of those wounds, I felt as though the connection between their pasts and how they might bridge that emotional gap could have been explored more fully. Instead, their relationship relies heavily on mistrust, jealousy, and pride, emotions that fuel the drama but do not always leave enough space for deeper growth.
That being said, Marton’s trademark ability to write a hero undone by his own emotions shines through in Slade’s frustration and his bewildered response to Lara. Those moments when his composure cracks are some of the most rewarding in the book. On the flip side, Lara’s characterization often grated on me; her jealousy, her secrecy, and her tendency to make choices that seemed more about maintaining distance than about finding resolution were not very winsome. She teetered close to “annoying heroine” territory for me, and it made connecting with her more difficult.
Still, there is plenty to enjoy in this fiery romance; the sizzling attraction between them, the undeniable chemistry, and the way Marton plays with misunderstandings and emotional upheaval to keep the tension high. The ending, though not perfect, does deliver the promise of love prevailing against the odds.
Recommended for: readers who enjoy intense, angsty Harlequin romances with possessive heroes, stubborn heroines, and the kind of combustible chemistry that never lets up.
Final Verdict: A romance brimming with passion and tension, Slade Baron’s Bride delivers the emotional highs and lows Marton fans crave, even if the heroine’s choices make the ride a bumpier one than expected.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Oasis Length: Novella Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance POV: Third Person, Single Series: Standalone Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Owen Heroine: Amy Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: May 01, 2014 Started On: July 09, 2024 Finished On: July 10, 2024
Claire Kent’s Seven is a short, sizzling novella built on the premise of a no-strings-attached arrangement that inevitably turns into something more complicated. The story revolves around Amy and Owen, two people who had set out with the firm intention of keeping things strictly physical, only to find themselves tangled in emotions neither expected. What begins as a daring wager between them soon unravels layers of possessiveness and longing that belie their casual arrangement.
Owen is the quintessential Claire Kent hero; gentle and understated in everyday life but all alpha behind closed doors. A British transplant with charm tucked under his quiet exterior, he is the sort of hero who sneaks up on you with his intensity. Amy, by contrast, is ambitious, a woman determined to keep her emotions in check and not lose herself to something she insists should remain temporary. Yet, despite her best efforts, she struggles with the growing pull Owen has on her.
Their dynamic is built on friction. Amy’s determination to keep things light clashes with Owen’s increasing inability to pretend he doesn’t care more deeply. The push-and-pull between them is where the tension lies, and while the novella is heavy on erotic encounters, it also highlights how easily a relationship meant to be uncomplicated can grow roots.
The sex scenes are exactly what one expects from Kent; creative, scorching, and layered with emotion that sneaks in when least expected. That said, Amy as a heroine was a harder sell for me. Her stubbornness sometimes crossed into annoyance, making her difficult to empathize with. In contrast, Owen’s blend of control, humor, and unexpected tenderness made him the clear standout.
What worked best was Kent’s trademark way of blending intimacy with vulnerability. Even in a story this short, she manages to showcase the risk of opening yourself up to love when you have convinced yourself that you are not looking for it. Still, I could not shake the feeling that Amy’s characterization needed more balance to match the depth Owen brought to the table.
Recommended for: Readers who enjoy erotic romance novellas, British heroes who ooze charm, and the tension of a friends-with-benefits arrangement evolving into more.
Final Verdict: A friends with benefits novella with Kent’s signature eroticism that stands out for inventiveness in the bedroom!
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Oasis Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: First Person, Dual Series: Sophisticated Seductions Publisher: L. L. Ash Media Hero: Ashton Joseph Kane Heroine: Freya Gun Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: April 12, 2024 Started On: April 17, 2024 Finished On: April 22, 2024
Sir, Yes Sir by L. L. Ash sets up a tempting premise: a gruff, battle-worn Marine recovering from devastating injuries who finds himself under the same roof as his best friend’s now-grown up daughter. Having read similar May-December trope romances from Ms. Ash before, I was so psyched to see this little number get published, the expectations of which fell flat as I read on.
37 year old Ashton Kane has lost everything that once defined him—his career, his brothers-in-arms, and his sense of purpose. The only thing he has left is the discipline that has been drilled into him, and even that falters when faced with temptation in the form of 21 year old Freya Gun, his best friend’s daughter. Freya remembers Ashton as the intimidating family friend from her childhood, but the man who moves into her home for recuperation and recovery is more than the formidable man that she remembers. He is human, scarred, vulnerable, and dangerously irresistible.
Ashton is used to being a protector, not someone in need of shelter and definitely not ready to face the fact that his career in the military is effectively over. Suffering from PTSD, his pride clashes constantly with the reality of his situation, and that inner struggle makes it tremendously challenging and enticing for him to rely on Freya, which he resists with every fiber of his existence. Freya, who is at that stage of life where she is stepping into her independence but still deeply tied to family, is curious, kind-hearted, and willing to see the man behind the Marine, something Ashton does not make easy.
While Freya is daughter of his best friend, the man who invited Ashton to his home and gave him everything he needed to rest and recover, this is THE line that Ashton swears he will never cross. However, the undeniable attraction simmering between the two makes it extremely difficult, as such feelings grow and intensify given their close living arrangements.
And yet, despite the promising foundation of the book and my love for previous novels penned by Ms. Ash, I struggled with this book. It had all the makings of a passionate, angsty forbidden romance, but the execution felt bogged down. There were long stretches of unnecessary detail, mundane filler that made the pacing drag. Instead of sharp, sizzling sexual tension, the chemistry sometimes got lost in the mundane. Even the sex scenes—plentiful as they were—eventually dulled under the weight of repetition and overly drawn-out narration.
What I did appreciate was Ashton’s portrayal as more than a brooding alpha. His vulnerabilities, illness, and PTSD episodes added to his appeal, and Freya’s willingness and ability to take him as he is added depth to her character, a maturity that may not necessarily exist in most 21 year olds. It helped to show that their bond was not just about lust; it was about recognition, comfort, and finding something worth holding onto after loss. My only wish is for it to have been delivered with tighter writing and more focus on emotional build-up rather than tedious detail.
Recommended for: Readers who enjoy age-gap, best friend’s daughter romances with military heroes, and slow-burn setups.
Final Verdict: A promising forbidden romance weighed down by excess detail—Sir, Yes Sir has heat and heart, but loses momentum before it can truly ignite.
Favorite Quotes
“Ash?” I said instead. He finally met my eyes, fingers gripping my hand tighter as he did. “I know it feels so weird and unsure, but I wanted to make sure that I said it again. I love you. Not because you’re hot and I’ve always had a little crush on you, but because you’re a good man, and you’re strong, and you love so fiercely the people that you’re loyal to. I want to be one of those people. One of the ones you wear tattooed on your heart.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Oasis Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: Third Person, Dual Series: Standalone Publisher: Harlequin Hero: Acheron Dimitrakos Heroine: Tabitha Glover Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: December 17, 2013 Started On: December 02, 2023 Finished On: December 04, 2023
Originally published on December 17, 2013, The Dimitrakos Proposition by Lynne Graham is a marriage of convenience themed romance, featuring Acheron Dimitrakos (Ash), a man who is skeptical of relationships and a commitment-phobe to boot, who meets his match in Tabitha (Tabby) Glover, an independent woman with a difficult past. When Tabby becomes co-guardian to Amber, a six-month old orphaned child, the last thing that Tabby expects is an outrageous marriage proposal from Ash which sets the tone of the story.
Ash is the epitome of a Lynne Graham alpha hero—Greek, devastatingly handsome, and emotionally scarred. As the founder of DT Industries, Ash is a self-made billionaire who clawed his way to success despite a traumatic childhood spent in foster care. Cynical and emotionally detached, Ash believes love and family are myths—until a legal quirk in his father’s will forces him to marry or lose half of his company.
Tabby too spent her formative years in foster care, which makes her extra protective of Amber when she faces the same fate. When Ash proposes marriage to fulfill the conditions of his father’s will, it leaves Tabby in an untenable position given her desperation to retain custody of Amber. Thus marks the conflict between the two, which creates both sexual and emotional tension, giving readers some of the classic Ms. Graham feels to the story.
What neither expects is for their mutual antagonism to grow into sexual heat, and for that to stoke the fires of an emotional connection that neither can seem to deny. As is signature Graham, Tabby is a virgin with little to zero experience with the likes of men such as Ash, who is a serial womanizer, reaping the benefit of fast and loose women to satiate his hunger for physical intimacy.
Amber’s role as the heart of the story is beautifully portrayed. Her presence forces Ash to confront the pain of his childhood and re-imagine what family could mean. The custody battle adds a layer of emotional urgency, making the stakes feel real.
While I liked the overall premise of the story, I found myself questioning where Tabby was coming from. I must admit that what takes place between Ash and Tabby often had me bursting into laughter, but at the same time, I found myself piqued by how stubborn Tabby was under certain circumstances. While some readers may enjoy her spirited nature, I find that quality to be a bit tiresome when it does not add any value to the story.
The Dimitrakos Proposition, while it had all the right elements, I am sad to say, did not invoke the right emotions in me. Nevertheless, I would recommend it for those who love the fiery at heart stories from Lynne Graham.
Final Verdict: A marriage of convenience turning into a lifetime of love and commitment; delivers on the drama that we all look for in Ms. Graham’s novels!
Favorite Quotes
Acheron stared her up and down, his beautiful face curiously intent. Heat blossomed in her cheeks as he studied her with smouldering dark eyes, his tension palpable. Desire flickered low in her pelvis like kindling yearning for a spark, and she felt that craving shoot through every fibre of her body, from the dryness of her mouth to the swelling sensitivity of her nipples and the honeyed heat between her thighs. It made her feel light-headed and oddly intoxicated, and she blinked rapidly, severely disconcerted by the feelings. ‘That will do,’ he pronounced thickly.
Acheron closed a hand around her wrist and tugged her into the corridor, shutting the door behind him. ‘I like what I see,’ he informed her softly. Tabby stared up at him with fulminating force, noting the dark shadow of stubble outlining his stubborn jaw line and how that overnight growth enhanced his sheer masculinity. ‘But I’m not offering myself.’ ‘No?’ Acheron dipped his handsome head and nibbled at the corner of her inviting mouth, invading with his tongue as soon as she parted her succulent lips. Without further ado, he hauled her up against him, hands weaving across her slender back and then sliding up to glance over the taut peaks of her breasts in a caress that made her shiver.
He was very, very sexy, she acknowledged dimly, as if it was an excuse, and as he hoisted her higher to get a better grip on her slight body he let go of her hands and, instead of using them to get free of his hold, she balanced one on a broad shoulder and delved the fingers of the other into the springy, luxuriant depths of his black hair. With a guttural sound low in his throat he brought her down on something soft and yielding and then sealed her fast to the hard, driving length of his powerful frame.
‘You’re so tight,’ he rasped, shifting with an athletic lift of his lean hips to surge into her again, deeper, further, harder in a technique that met every physical craving she hadn’t known she had. ‘I’m incredibly turned on.’ The flood of sensation returned as he withdrew and plunged back into her again, ensuring that she felt every inch of his penetration. The intensity of sensation shocked her and the powerful contracting bands in her pelvis turned her into a fizzing firework of wild excitement. He moved faster and she clung, riding out the electrifying storm of passion with a heart that seemed to be thumping in her eardrums. The explosion of raw pleasure that followed stunned her as the inner convulsions of her body clenched her every muscle tight as a fist. He vented a shuddering groan of completion while the waves of delight went on and on and on, coursing through her thoroughly fulfilled body.
‘Hot, tight, ready,’ Acheron growled hungrily in her ear as she arched back into his lean, hard body, instinctively seeking the fulfilment that only he could give while he angled away from her to don a condom. ‘I’ve been fantasising about this for days.’ ‘Days?’ she parroted in surprise as he lifted her undamaged leg to spread her open for him. ‘Every night since that first night, every day I saw you in that teeny tiny bikini, glyka mou,’ Acheron confided, tilting her forward, long fingers tightening their hold on her slender thigh as he entered her with a groan of intense masculine satisfaction. A muffled scream of pleasure was torn from Tabby’s throat as her body was forced to adjust to his size, her inner channel stretching to the brink of insane pleasure.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Oasis Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: First Person, Dual Series: Same Time Next Year, #1 Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Sumner Wade Mayfield Heroine: Britta Lark Mayfield Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: December 01, 2023 Started On: November 13, 2023 Finished On: November 14, 2023
Britta Lark Mayfield is an ambitious 26-year-old waitress at Sluggers—a favorite hangout for the local hockey team, the Bridgeport Bandits. Sumner Wade Mayfield is a 27-year-old defenseman who is on the edge of NHL success, but faces deportation unless he finds a way to stay in the U.S. Britta, who has got a no-dating rule when it comes to hockey players, is still irresistibly drawn to Sumner, even though her commitment fears keep her from acting on it.
While Sumner has always crushed on Britta big time, Britta has never given into it, no matter how ever much she might be tempted. However, when push comes to shove and Sumner’s teammates urge Britta to be the person who saves Sumner’s career as a hockey player, she finds herself moved enough to take the plunge. Thus begins a “marriage of convenience” in a very modern set-up, while Britta fights the losing battle of staying away from her delectable husband.
While there were elements to the story that worked, Same Time Next Year turned out to be too sweet and saccharine for my tastes. While Sumner’s patience with Britta was endearing, his devotion felt a bit too much at times—if there could be anything as such. This is a slow burn in comparison to some of Ms. Bailey’s novels I have enjoyed—she is the queen of dirty talk for a valid reason; but I found myself not feeling all that moved through the scenes of passion in this little number.
Recommended for readers who love a hero willing to wait as long as it takes and enjoys a romance that is overly sweet.
Final Verdict: Same Time Next Year is a romance that is easy to enjoy if you are in the mood for an overly sweet, slow-burn love story.
Favorite Quotes
“You’re gorgeous,” she blurts, sitting up slightly, curling a fist in my waistband and tugging me down on top of her, which takes very little encouragement. “You’re so, so gorgeous, Sumner,” she murmurs, those words ending on a moan when I settle my weight fully on top of her, and we start to kiss, my hips rolling forward between her thighs, her fingers tracing the slopes of my shoulders, the hockey-sore muscles of my back.
“Sumner, you’re going to do these things with me . . .” She wets her lips, her words releasing in a harsh exhale. “Because if you do them to someone else, I will have to murder them with my bare hands.” At first, I’m not sure I heard her correctly. But . . . did I? I did. My wife is possessive. Part of me wants to laugh out loud because the very idea that I could even consider another woman is so far outside the realm of possibility, she has no idea. What women? Where? I’m blind to every last one of them. There’s only Britta.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: Third Person, Dual Series: Brides for the Taking, #3 Publisher: Harlequin Hero: Jax Antonakos Heroine: Lucy Dixon Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: May 23, 2017 Started On: February 27, 2023 Finished On: March 01, 2023
Sold for the Greek’s Heir by Lynne Graham is the third installment in the Brides for the Taking series, published under Harlequin in 2017. Ms. Graham brings to readers the story of Greek billionaire Antonakos and single mother Lucy Dixon, with the tale unfolding from the perspectives of both protagonists.
Jax is the proverbial man-whore and bachelor and likes his life that way, even as his father wishes and pushes him in the hopes that Jax would marry the woman of his choosing. Jax makes no commitments and has no intention of giving into his father’s demands. He is marriage and children averse, the bitter divorce that resulted in the split of his parents having left its mark on him. Living with his mother was not a walk in the park either, with a father who pretty much ignored his existence up till he did not have a choice but to.
Lucy arrives in Greece to finally unite with her long lost father. The fact that he accepted that Lucy was mother to a fifteen month old baby girl seals the deal for her, up until she comes face to face with the father of the baby, i.e., Jax, who pulled the disappearing act on her.
Lucy was a naive nineteen year old virgin when Jax swept her off her feet. Devastation hit when Jax abandoned her, and made it all but impossible for her to reach him with the news that she was pregnant with his child. Lucy is therefore determined that she would not give Jax the time of the day, that is until machinations by her father which she has no knowledge of, forces the hand of Jax into offering her marriage.
When Jax comes face to face with the one woman who had shaken his very existence, the shock of discovering that he is father to a toddler pushes him into taking action to ensure the best for his daughter. It certainly does not help matters when Jax is driven by the nightmarish revelations that forced him to cut ties with Lucy in the first place, and that proves to be the ultimate conflict around which the story revolves.
While I did enjoy some of the aspects of the story, I felt that the prose of the novel was all wrong for Lynne Graham, or at least the Graham novels that I always enjoy and revel in. Lucy was definitely a welcomed change from some of the doormat variety of heroines you come across in category romances especially. But at the same time, Jax failed to invoke all those heady emotions in me which I look forward to when it is especially a Lynne Graham novel. All the attributes that should make him so were there, and he should have been appealing in every sense, but somehow the elements did not come together in the way that I expected perhaps.
I guess this has a more modern streak going through the story, which perhaps is not a bad thing in itself. However, I believe I jive better with older Graham novels.
Recommended for fans of Lynne Graham and those who love category romances featuring the forced marriage trope!
Final Verdict: Sold for the Greek’s Heir is a hit and miss sort of novel; there were aspects that worked and those that did not.
Favorite Quotes
Just one kiss, she bargained with herself, just one, but the man who had once seduced her with kisses had no intention of breaking his perfect track record. He always knew what she wanted and he gave it to her, all the seething passion he had taught her to crave. He kissed her and she went up in flames. Her body flared into shocking awareness and suddenly burned back to almost painful life with every plunging thrust of his tongue.
‘I can’t get enough of you,’ Jax growled between the urgent biting kisses that bruised her lips and the devastating plunge of his tongue that made her slight body jackknife in reaction beneath his. ‘We’ve got all night,’ she whispered through rosy swollen lips, eyes glazed with passion. ‘I’ve got a hunger that one night won’t come anywhere near satisfying,’ Jax told her rawly, fisting a hand in her tumbling curls as he snaked a string of kisses down over her collarbone and found a plump, pointed nipple to torment with attention.
‘Thee mou, I want you so much,’ Jax ground out as he slid over her, his hands strong on her hips to angle her back. He entered her slowly, urging her tender flesh to open for him and stretch, and the sensation made her dizzy with yearning and wildly impatient for more. He eased back and then pushed in hard and deep and her body convulsed and tightened round him, intense sensation ravishing her. A string of tiny sounds was wrenched from her parted lips as he ground into her and picked up the pace, raw excitement flooding her as she tilted up to meet him, hot, damp and abandoned as the wild roller coaster of sensation raged on and on.
That fast she wanted him intolerably and with every probing plunge of his tongue she wanted him more. Evocative little noises were wrenched from low in her throat as skilled fingers teased and played to prepare her for his entrance. And then he tilted her back and thrust into her with vigour while she clung to his shoulders, her ankles wrapped round him. He grunted with raw male satisfaction, his hand supporting her hips as he pounded her yielding body with delicious force. Excitement writhed through Lucy in an unstoppable surge and she reached her peak with an involuntary cry, convulsive waves of exquisite pleasure rippling through her lower body as an orgasmic flush spread over her sun-dappled skin.
Format: E-Book Read with: iBooks for iPhone Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: First Person, Dual Series: For You, #1 Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Caden Brooks Heroine: Finlay Grace Thatcher Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: January 30, 2017 Started On: December 09, 2022 Finished On: December 11, 2022
For Finlay by J. Nathan is the first book in the For You series. A new-to-me author once again, Ms. Nathan takes readers through the story of Alabama’s star quarterback, 21 year old Caden Brooks as the hero and 20 year old Finlay Grace Thatcher who enrolls in the same college and takes up the opportunity to work for Alabama’s football coach in order to live the dream of her deceased twin.
Finlay is a guilt-ridden soul, with her brother Cole having died of an undiagnosed heart condition. Their relationship had been fractious at best, the major reason behind her self-condemnation and the penance she tries to pay. Caden is her number one enemy from the start, the memory of Caden at Cole’s funeral having lit the flame of “hatred” towards him. It also does not help that Caden seems to have it all; looks, fame, and all the women he could possibly ever want.
Finlay had always walked in the shadow of her overly famous twin brother, which she had resented. Life had been difficult for her because of the fact, with people trying to get close to her or being nice to her just to get to her brother. Starting fresh, away from her small town, where no one really knows her is supposed to be her fresh start. However, with Caden everywhere she turns, it becomes harder to hate and easier to give in to the intrigue that he rouses.
For Caden, his life is all about football. He does not understand why Finlay is so cold towards him at first, going so far as to ignore his very existence, when Caden finds it hard to reciprocate the attitude towards Finlay.
When these two finally end up together, it seems like a natural progression of their relationship, from being enemies, at least from Finlay’s perspective, to being two people who cannot get enough of each other. Trust is the hardest commodity to come by, especially for Caden who is marked by the scars from his childhood, and that proves to be the test that Caden and Finlay needs to pass in order to truly embrace a future together.
I would not say that I loved this story, but rather liked it for the most part, the bits and pieces that kept it going. I did understand Finlay’s perspective of things, especially when viewed through the lens of self-recrimination that is part and parcel of who she is since the death of her twin. Sometimes there is no logic nor rhyme to how we feel about a person, and I guess that was true to some point when it came to Finlay’s reaction towards Caden.
I guess the reason I did not end up falling in love with the characters nor the story as it developed was that there was some crucial element that was missing, which I cannot really put my finger on. Perhaps somewhere down the line, I will pick up another story from the author to give it a go.
Recommended for fans of new adult contemporary romances that are sports themed.
Final Verdict: For Finlay by J. Nathan is the story of Finlay’s survivor’s guilt preventing her from embracing and living her life to the fullest and how her arch-nemesis changes all of that.
Favorite Quotes
“I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, Finlay. I just know I broke up with Leslie because I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” Finlay shuddered as my thumb traced her jaw. “I have no idea how I didn’t kiss you in the pool when I wanted to. So. Damn. Bad.” I rolled her onto her back, pinning her body to the bed beneath mine.
Title: Nightwolf by Karina Halle Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Paranormal Romance POV: First Person, Dual Series: Spinoff, The Dark Eyes Duet Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Wolf Eriksen Heroine: Amethyst DeMille Sensuality: 3.5 Published On: November 22, 2021 Started On: December 30, 2021 Finished On: January 02, 2022
She tastes like eternity. Like life among the stars. Like something that could sustain me forever, like her blood has always belonged with mine.
Night Wolf by Karina Halle is a spinoff from her The Dark Eyes Duet. Having never read the duet, and being a sucker for romances in the friends-to-lovers theme which are hard to find these days (especially well written ones with all the feels), I decided to give this one a go as I like Ms. Halle’s style of writing.
Almost 30 year of age, Amethyst DeMille is in love with Wolf Eriksen and has been for a long time. Having become friends with Wolf since she met him in her early twenties, Amethyst knows that a future between the two is futile in many ways, even if her heart tells her to take that leap of faith and her body hums its own tune every single time that Wolf is in her vicinity.
All of that stocked up sexual tension between the two comes to head when Amethyst requires Wolf’s protection from an evil force that seems to be targeting her, the “forced proximity” proving to be the accelerant that puts fuel to the low simmering fire that has burned between them for months. Ultimately, no matter how much Wolf might try to resist the lure that is Amethyst, the overwhelming nature of their desire overtakes them both leaving them with little choice but to confront the tenuous nature of their shared future.
While I liked the overall premise of the story, somehow it came off as disjointed. Wolf’s past which was laid out at the beginning of the story in which one could see that he was affected strongly by the untimely demise of his father, had no correlation to what takes place in the present world. I expected some sort of coherence to the story-line in that arc which failed to materialize.
Additionally, I felt that there was too much focus on an aspect of Amethyst’s life that detracted from the main theme – something I understood after reading the author’s note at the end of the story. Grief over losing two very important people in Ms. Halle’s life was a huge part of how this story came together and I guess that explains to a large extent the direction of the book plot when all was said and done.
I also thought that Wolf had more potential to his character than was explored. It is almost as if he was a half fleshed out character – perhaps because I read this as a standalone without pursuing the duet first, I am thinking I might have missed out on more of him. Either way, I thought Wolf deserved more than he got out of the story.
Recommended for fans of Ms. Halle’s books!
Final Verdict: A disjointed plot and characters that failed to live up to their expected potential rendered this a disappointing read.
Favorite Quotes
You could feed on me.” He swallows hard, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t. I would never.” “You mean you’ve never thought about it?” I ask, my tone both playful and serious. “About biting me, feeding on me.” Fucking me… He stares at me, his look growing more intense by the second. He may have not heard that thought, but he felt it. He adjusts himself, as if uncomfortable. “I’m a vampire, Amethyst. Of course, I’ve thought about it.” He closes his eyes, breathing in deep through his nose. “But it would be violent.” “Maybe I like the violence of it.”
“As I said before,” he says in a gruff voice, his hands skimming down the sides of my waist, his eyes glued to my parted lips. “You’re a tease.” Oh baby. I give him a wicked smile in response, straddling him deeper until I can feel the long hard length of him pressing up against me, only thin wet fabric between us. My god. I can feel him. I can’t believe this is happening. “Did you ever think that you’ve been the tease in this situation?” I manage to say. He tilts his head, appraising me, gaze flicking up to meet mine. “In this situation at the moment?” His voice is even lower now, making my nerves dance. His eyes sharpen with intensity. “I’m definitely not teasing.” And at that, he brings his hand over my stomach, sliding his lengthy, strong fingers down beneath the band of my underwear, and fucking hell am I glad I got a bikini wax a few weeks ago because his finger slides over my clit and I immediately gasp. Holy jeez.
I bite down on my tongue, gripping his shoulders, trying to meet his eyes. Fuck, he’s so beautiful. And he’s staring at me like I’m some goddess from above. “That’s it, baby, look at me when you come,” he says in a deep, gruff voice, and then I’m letting go, into the freefall. I come hard on his hand, rocking my hips into him, his fingers diving deeper, leaving no inch unexplored. I cry out, a string of expletives that ring out across the night, and it feels like my soul is being torn in a million little beautiful pieces, softly floating down from those stars. Holy shit. I mean, holy shit.
His tongue lashes me, mouth moving hard and fast, ravenous, and even though he’s not feeding, he’s feasting on me all the same. The hot, thick pressure in my core is molten, spreading throughout me, and my nerves feel like they’ve been stretched like a tightrope, moments from snapping, and, and… “Oh, fuck!” The cry rips out of my throat, something deep and dark and primal, and I’m writhing on Wolf’s face, the water splashing over the tub as I thrust my hips up, helping his tongue fuck me deeper until I lose all control. I come so hard, I’m slipping down in the water, gasping for ragged breath, trying to hold myself up, yet succumbing to oblivion as my limbs jerk and shake, as if my mind has been pried open and the contents won’t stop spilling out. The water goes above my head. Then everything goes black.
I throw my head back and bellow, the sound being torn out of my chest while I stiffen, nearly falling over. I thrust hard, once, twice, into her bruised, plump lips, then still, my heart beating so fast it might burst through my veins. For a moment all I hear is the blood in my head, the ragged gasp of my breath, the flutter of birds in the branches that I must have startled when I started roaring like a beast. Then I look down through heavy eyes to see Amethyst smiling up at me, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, and swallowing me down with pleasure. That’s going to be burned in my brain forever.
He’s kissing me. Wolf is actually kissing me. Never mind the fact that I’ve had his cock in my mouth, and he’s had his tongue inside me. A kiss is still something to be anticipated and revered and worshipped. A kiss still has the power to bring you to your knees, to give you butterflies, to change your life, and I think this kiss is doing just that. It’s changing my life, for better or for worse, there’s no coming back from this. It’s just too easy, it’s just too good. All that chemistry between us that we’ve been stockpiling for years is finally spilling out in the way that it always should have.
“Please,” I whisper. He leans in, just enough to brush his lips over mine. “Please what?” he asks roughly. “Kiss me,” I say, my eyes closing, taking in his scent, the cool feel of his fingers, my pulse skipping against my skin. “Fuck me.” I pause, my eyes opening to meet his. “Claim me.” Fire ignites in his pupils and he moves so fast that the world becomes a blur. His mouth covers mine and he’s pushing me backward and I’m stumbling as I go. Then I’m pressed up against a tree, my hair tangling in the ragged bark, and his hands are roaming over my body, leaving fire and ice in their wake.
“I’m going to fuck you long and hard and rough,” he murmurs in a deliciously raw voice. “But not until you’re dripping down your legs. Got it?” My heart beats like mad at the base of my throat and I find myself nodding. Holy moly, that sounds like a challenge. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to take you,” I find myself saying, and I’m too turned on to be the slightest bit bashful about it. He gives me a small, wicked grin. “I’ll make it work.”
“I think you’re a greedy fucking girl, that’s what I think.” His grin is carnal, like the predator he is. “That’s what I know.” Suddenly he plunges his fingers in deeper, moving them in such a way that they drag across every swollen nerve inside me and I’m set off like a bomb, the orgasm tearing through me again like fireworks. This time I haven’t even caught my breath or gathered my thoughts before Wolf is picking me up by the waist and lifting me up against the tree. I have just enough time to wrap my legs around him before he shoves his massive cock inside me. FUCK! I holler like an animal, still throbbing, still fucking coming, and he’s already squeezed inside me to the hilt, pushing all the air out of my lungs, making me feel like he’s impaled me to the tree.
“Focus, baby,” Wolf says in this deep voice that makes me want to do everything he says. “Just think about how good I feel. Fuck it, tell me how good I feel.” “You feel so fucking good,” I tell him, reaching out and pressing my hand against the hard planes of his back, marveling at his strength while I pull him in deeper, my nails digging through his shirt. “Fucking me so good. I can barely handle you, you’re wedged in so tight.” His nostrils flare like primordial lust runs through him and he lets out a tense growl. He leans in quickly, kissing me hard, lips tender but the movement rough, like he’s fucking my mouth as much as he is my cunt, and I’m completely lost to him.
Then reaches around me, the length of his thick arm going up over my spine, a barrier between me and the tree, and starts fucking me again. Harder than before. Just a burst of animalistic power that can only belong to a vampire, feral and wild and dangerous, and I am at his mercy. I completely submit to him.
I brace myself with my hands against the wall and lean forward so that my breasts are in his face. He immediately responds, his tongue lapping up the swell of my breast in strong, broad strokes. I groan, my eyes closing, succumbing to the sensations of his mouth on my skin, but then he’s wrapping his lips around my nipple and sucking in hard and it creates lightning that shoots out along my nerves, straight to my core, like I’m plugged into a star system.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance Series: Standalone Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Matthew Connelly Heroine: Jeannie MacPherson Sensuality: 3 Date of Publication: November 1985 Started On: November 14, 2021 Finished On: November 20, 2021
Rocky Road by Anne Stuart is a novel that was first published in 1985 from Harlequin. Republished recently on major e-book platforms, from the queen of romance who can seldom do wrong, comes the story of 40 year old Matthew Connelly, head of the detective squad of the Chicago police force and 33 year old Jeannie MacPherson, who is running from her own demons of a totally different variety.
When Jeannie tries the neighborly tactic of trying to welcome Matthew to Muscatoon Island where she has been residing in for the past two years, Jeannie is met with resistance of the kind that speaks of a man wanting to be left alone. Posing as a painter, but recovering from both physical and emotional wounds from the last case that Matthew was working on, he is determined that he would keep to himself through his recovery, even if Jeannie tempts him otherwise.
How these two tangle is quite invigorating at times, but ultimately, the story turned out to be a frustrating one for me. I always felt as if Jeannie was the one who was doing all the chasing and wooing when it comes to Matthew. Matthew is one of the most reluctant heroes I have come across of late and he made me grit my teeth from frustration because of his obstinate nature and with his emotions under control at every turn.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love a controlled hero – to a point. A controlled hero is no fun unless the heroine has the effect of unraveling him and smashing through that iron clad will. But Matthew seems to be made of sterner stuff than most, and while I am all for heroines who choose to assert themselves and go after what they want, I found her ploys to get noticed by Matthew, while hilarious, to be a tad desperate at times.
Perhaps I would have been more appeased, had she cut her losses and removed herself from the situation that she found herself in and let Matthew come to her, when all was said and done. If he felt so deeply about her, that is something he could do as well in my opinion. Even the last scene does not really give the reader any sense of happiness if you ask me, because even towards the very end, the push and pull factor is controlled by none other than Matthew. In my opinion, Jeannie just settled for what Matthew was willing throw her way, because she was lost from the minute he limped into her life.
I would also have loved to learn more about Matthew’s past – the last case he worked on seemed to have done a number on him in every sense. I always felt as if Ms. Stuart had a purpose behind including tantalizing bits and pieces of the case, which perhaps could have been part of the larger plot, giving the story an edgier ending.
Recommended for fans of Anne Stuart who are looking to read her older books as refurbished titles.
Final Verdict: Rocky is the road that Jeannie travels when it comes to winning the affections of Matthew; there is no stone that she would leave unturned to win over her beloved!
Favorite Quotes
He moved then, swiftly, gracefully, so fast that she couldn’t avoid him. “You forgot to kiss me good-bye,” he said, and pulled her into his arms, his mouth coming down on hers before she had a chance to duck. One of his strong hands held the nape of her neck in a viselike grip, the other arm slid around her waist and pulled her up against him as he kissed her, a long, slow, erotic insult of a kiss. She’d opened her mouth to protest and he’d taken possession of it, with a deliberate, sexual kiss that brought her blood racing to her loins and flames of fury racing to her brain.
For a moment she forgot everything, forgot her doubts, her better judgment, her sense of self-preservation, and she twined her arms around his neck to kiss him back. She was lost in the wonder of his mouth. In the dimness of the rocking cabin there was only the scent of his skin, the feel of his mouth, and the warm, wet, seeking pleasure of the mouth on hers. She wanted to get closer, closer to him; she wanted to climb inside his skin and kiss him from the inside out; she wanted to rip off her clothes and climb on top of him, to blot out the storm and her fears and her doubts and her loneliness that she never admitted existed. She wanted nothing but Matthew Connelly, and the demanding mouth on hers, the strong hands that were threading underneath her sweater to slide up her hot skin told her that he wanted her, too.
“Should I let you go?” His words came out on the breath of a sigh, and he was warm and strong and so very near. “Yes,” she whispered, and raised her mouth to his, no longer able to fight it. He wrapped her in his arms, pulling her into the haven of his body, and she went gladly, mindlessly, sinking against him with a sigh of pure delight. There was no question that this was dangerous and very wrong, no question that she was a fool. And no question that it no longer mattered. She kissed him, reaching up to him, and it was long and slow and deep, and finished the last shreds of common sense left to her. His tongue was hot and rough and wet in her mouth, bold and demanding, allowing her no pretensions. She couldn’t be kissed like that, return a kiss like that, and still pretend they weren’t headed directly for bed.
He was with her, the force of his thrusts pounding her into the bed, and the ancient springs creaked in protest, a protest they both ignored as she reached for him, with her arms, her hips, her heart and soul, dissolving against him in a damp tangle of arms and limbs and love.
“You aren’t going to get warm standing there glaring at me,” he observed. Jeannie counted to ten mentally, then managed a smile as chilly as her icy flesh. “What do you suggest I do about it?” she demanded. “You could come over here and get warm.” She stared at him in amazement. “You think you could warm me Up?” “Oh, I think between the two of us we could manage quite a conflagration,” he said, and the rough silk of his voice began to melt the ice around her heart. “Come here, Jeannie.” Pride and common sense would have kept her rooted to her spot in the sand, but pride and common sense were at the bottom of the ocean.
She clung to him like a piece of rockweed clinging to a rocky shore, wrapping her arms and her body around him like tendril of kelp. Slowly the heat began to penetrate through her wet clothes, her salty skin, into her very bones, and then she was shivering with something other than cold, and he was shivering, too. “I feel as if I’m kissing a mermaid,” he whispered against her ear. She laughed against the solid warmth of his chest, a rusty, shaken sound. “You have been. Actually, I’m a siren, here to drown unsuspecting sailors.”
“But what if you can?” she said in a desperate whisper. “What if you can simply put it all behind you, forget about it?” “That’s what I’ve been trying to do all summer, and so far I haven’t had much success.” “But what if you could?” she persisted. He looked down at her, lying against the pillows, her russet-colored hair black in the moonlight. “Then I’ll find you,” he said softly. “And I’m expected to settle for that? A vague possibility?” Her voice wasn’t angry, only resigned and very, very sad. “It’s all I can offer.”
She arched against him, the warmth in her turning into a fire. Her hands reached up to cradle his face, and she kissed him, long and deep, telling him without words how much she’d missed him, how much she loved him, how much she hated herself for hurting him. He answered her, his tongue a strong, driving force within the receptive warmth of her mouth, telling her he would never leave her again. Slowly, carefully she let her hands slide down his arms, past his ribs, down the hard flatness of his stomach to touch him, hold him. His answering groan was reward enough, as he pressed himself into her willing hands, and she gentled and stroked him. His response was to delve deeper into her mysteries, the warm dampness of her telling him how much she needed him.
A Maldivian's Passion for Romance 