Category / Scarred Hero

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh

Format: E-bookhostagetopleasure
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Psy-Changeling, #5
Publisher: Berkley Sensations
Hero: Dorian Christensen
Heroine: Ashaya Aleine
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: September 2, 2008
Started On: July 23, 2013
Finished On: July 25, 2013

“And the Psy do not allow the flawed to live.”

Dorian Christensen is one of the sentinels of the powerful DarkRiver leopard pack in San Francisco. Vengeance is something Dorian is all too familiar with, his hatred for anything and everything to do with Psy a visceral burn that never really leaves him. Born latent and unable to shift into his leopard form, Dorian is equipped with the classic good looks of a beach bum, both of which makes Dorian try that much harder to hone his fighting skills and abilities and come out at the top.

26 year old Ashaya Aleine is a 9.9 Gradient M-Psy with the ability to work in the science of genetics which makes her one of the most valuable commodities for the Psy with their plan on completely controlling the thought processes of the Psy population as per the Council’s desires. But Ashaya is a woman who has something to live for; to safeguard her son Keenan for whom she would lay down her very life without a second’s hesitation.

Dorian might not like the fact that his inner leopard seems to be all sorts of interested in Ashaya ever since that fateful night 2 months back when he had had her in the scope view of his sniper’s rifle. Vivid dreams of them turning to each other in need and heat torments him, the fact that he could feel all that for a Psy making him want to crawl out of his skin with the guilt he feels once the dreams subside. When Ashaya crosses his path again, this time around Dorian is willing to put on the charm to get Ashaya out of his system. But what neither Ashaya nor Dorian fail to comprehend is the connection and attraction that leaps to life between them and grows stronger as Ashaya tries to safeguard the sort of secrets that could in fact break the fragile bond & connection between them.

Hostage to Pleasure is the 5th book in the Psy-Changeling series and is told in 3rd person from mostly Ashaya and Dorian’s points of view.

Hostage to Pleasure is a beautiful and wondrous story, the fact that I couldn’t get enough of both Dorian and Ashaya one of the reasons that I loved the book. The fact that Dorian cannot shift is one of the most unique aspects of the story that unfolds, the constant pain he is subjected to because of the fact and especially with Ashaya tempting the inner leopard to come out and play which drives the pain to levels Dorian had previously learned to ignore. Through the haze of the need for vengeance and revenge on the Psy, Ashaya’s at times matter of fact and the other times the actions that reveal the vulnerable and emotional cracks beneath the deep conditioning on her mind as per the Psy mandate, Dorian learns to accept the fact that Ashaya is his mate and that is how it is going to be no matter how much his rational mind might want to reject that sort of deep emotional intimacy with a Psy.

Ashaya’s character was just beautiful. No two ways about it. I think since Sascha in the 1st book in the series, Ashaya is my second favorite heroine in the series! Her need to protect her son is one that knows no bounds, be it even faking her own death to escape the clutches of the Psy that holds her under lock and key to get what they want from her. To think of the amount of years Ashaya must have kept up the pretense that her Psy conditioning is perfect, well lets just say that kind of strength is what makes or breaks a person. Ashaya’s innocence when it comes to pleasures of the flesh and the refreshing way in which she reacts to both the playful and the raw and animal side of Dorian was what made me fall in love with her character.

Nalini Singh knows how to perfectly balance the suspense, romance, intrigue and the paranormal aspects of the story, all the while forging deep ahead into the fascinating world building she continues to do throughout every book in the series. It takes an author of immense talent to be able to write this many books and still have something fresh and exciting to offer with each new installment & truth be told I am just in utter awe of Nalini’s ability to spin tales that leaves me wanting to become an actual part of the Psy-Changeling world.

The intimacy that Nalini weaves into the story is what makes her stories stand out, the way she brings forth characters from previous novels and appeases the reader’s hunger to know more about them what makes these books unbeatable. Loved, loved, loved the epilogue and I couldn’t have asked for a more fitting end to the story.

Highly recommended for fans of romances! If you haven’t read the Psy-Changeling, you haven’t been reading romance that MUST be read!

Final Verdict: Laid siege on my heart & set it afire with pleasure from beginning to the end.

Favorite Quotes

His taste was inside her mouth, a dark and richly masculine thing at odds with the sheer beauty of him. Protected by the strange, twisting, chaotic shield that blocked Amara, she broke every rule and savored the experience. When his tongue swept against hers, she felt her throat lock. He did it again. Shuddering, she dared explore him in return. His growl poured into her mouth, making her nerve endings sizzle.

She tasted so good, he licked at her with quick catlike flicks that made her pulse turn to thunder. When she couldn’t seem to gasp in enough breath to ask him about the warning, he smiled. “I wasn’t kidding about having you in my bed. Get ready to dance with me.”

He bit her shoulder again, harder this time. She felt her body coat his with another layer of hot dampness even as lights started sparking behind her eyes. “Let go,” he said in a voice touched with a rough tenderness that undid her. “I’ll hold you safe.”
Yes, he would, she thought. So she rode the wave of pleasure, let him ride her through it, and when the next wave crested, she buried her face in his neck, licking at the salt of his skin.
Something very close to a purr rumbled through his chest. And at last, he began to move faster, the hard heat of him a pounding beat inside of her. She held on, was held safe . . . even as she held him safe.

Slipping into her bed, he cradled her against his chest. “You’re wrong. You would’ve pulled yourself together for Keenan, for Amara. That’s who you are.”
“He didn’t understand, she thought. “But I wouldn’t have survived.” She put her hand on his chest, wanting to feel the pulse of his life. “Pieces of my heart, Dorian. You’re in so many pieces of my heart.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

outstandingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Take Me Under by Rhyannon Byrd

Format: E-booktakemeunder.jpg
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Dangerous Tides, #1
Publisher: Berkley
Hero: Ben Hudson
Heroine: Reese Monroe
Sensuality: 4.9
Date of Publication: June 4, 2013
Started On: July 20, 2013
Finished On: July 22, 2013

34 year old Ben Hudson is the new sheriff of the idyllic holiday beach town of Moss Beach, Florida. Having given up his position as a homicide detective in Miami due to circumstances that had unfolded during his last investigation, Ben moves to town to take things at a more sedately pace. Ben has a reputation for working hard and playing that much harder and is never afraid of going after what he wants. The only thing that scares the bejeesus out of his is emotional entanglements of any sort.

Newly divorced 28 year old Reese Monroe moves to Moss Beach aiming to kickstart her life in a whole new direction. Her marriage to a cheating scoundrel has pretty much dented her ego and eroded her sense of self esteem and the need to escape from the mess her life had become motivates the move more than anything else.

Ben has hungered for Reese ever since the night he laid his eyes on Reese three years back. He has bided his time, always knowing deep inside that if and whenever Reese becomes free from the clutches of her good for nothing husband, he would definitely make his move and leave them both with the scorching imprint of how good things could be with them between the sheets.

Told from both Ben and Reese’s points of view in third person, Take Me Under takes place in its entirety in Moss Beach, Florida.

The connection between Ben and Reese sizzles right from the onset, a very much wary Reese who has no idea of how much of a starring role she has played in the sexy sheriff’s fantasies a little bit taken aback by the zeal with which Ben pursues her. And when it comes to light that Reese has a stalker who might have made his way to her new hometown on her heels, there is no stopping the protective instinct that surges forth in Ben and he becomes more of a force to be reckoned with which means for Reese there really is no turning back.

Rhyannon Byrd is very talented in the style with which she effortlessly blends the erotic and downright dirty sex into whatever genre of romance she works on. It has been while since she has published a contemporary romance and Take Me Under was a novel that I had been very much in anticipation for ever since she announced its release. Though it didn’t live up to all my expectations, Take Me Under proved to be a hot and panty-melting read with a dirty talking hero tossed into the mix.

Ben seemed to be a bit overwhelming to me; and I believe this just might be the first time I’m saying that about a hero, especially someone who looks like Christian Bale of all people. Forceful in his nature, Ben is a man from whom a woman can’t hide, either during the moments of passion or otherwise. And Ben is greedy enough to want everything Reese can give, although he might not be ready for the overwhelming riot of emotions that blindsides him as much as the passion between them does. The only thing that Ben is more afraid of than anything else is opening up the raw wounds that has festered for far too long inside of him.

Reese knows exactly what she is getting into when she says yes to getting down and dirty with Ben, and she goes onto show it in more ways than one, which actually seems to do a pretty good job of annoying Ben out of his stance on no messy emotional entanglements. It was quite amusing to see Ben in a role that he has never found himself in before as he reluctantly comes to the conclusion that without Reese by his side, he might just as well not exist.

I’m pretty much looking forward to Alex’s story, which seems to be in the works if the ending was anything to judge the next book in the series by. Alex certainly looks to be a hero who would be worth all the heartache he would put a reader through before embracing his own happily ever after.

Recommended for fans of Rhyannon Byrd and erotic contemporary romantic suspense.

Final Verdict: Raw & explicit, Take Me Under is a good debut for the Dangerous Tides series.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

goodread

by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: The Sword Dancer by Jeannie Lin

Format: E-bookthesworddancer
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Tang Dynasty, #4
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Zheng Hao Han
Heroine: Wen Li Feng/Hua Li Feng
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: June 1, 2013
Started On: July 6, 2013
Finished On: July 8, 2013

Zheng Hao Han is a thief catcher who is equivalent to the modern day bounty hunter. Han sees matters relating to justice being served in black and white with no room for any shades of grey as part of the picture. An honorable man, Han hardly sees it as so and sees himself as a failed scholar who does what he must rather than the revered man he is amongst society for his infamous arrests.

Wen Li Feng is an enigmatic sword dancer whose sole aim becomes finding the reality behind the elusive memories that she has of her parents, especially her mother. With little recollection of her parents and family, it is the vague memories that continue to haunt her that makes her come out into the real world and face life with no holds barred.

Li Feng’s path crosses with that of Han, the illustrious thief catcher when her journey to seek the truth takes a dangerous turn as a result of putting her trust in a group of bandits with their own agenda of vengeance to mete out. From the moment Han lays his eyes on the smooth and supple movements that is Li Feng when she is performing, something irrevocably shifts and changes deep inside of him. And as the game of cat and mouse between Han and Li Feng continues, confusion sets deep inside of Han as he struggles to come to terms with the woman who means everything to him and the beliefs that he has lived by his whole of up till that point.

The Sword Dancer as almost all of Jeannie Lin’s novels is set in China during the period of Tang Dynasty and is the fourth book in the series, told from both Han and Li Feng’s points of view.

China has always been a country that has fascinated me. And with the prejudiced view of China that I had in my mind, all thanks to the various propaganda machines coupled together with the contrastingly poetic and magical image of China that I have experienced time and yet again through Jeannie Lin’s books; all of that merged together in my recent visit to the country during which I certainly fell irrevocably in love with the country and its people.

It was my craving to read something by Jeannie Lin while in China that led me to the information on the release of this novel and the review opportunity which was open on Jeannie’s website. Though my review is more than a month late, coupled together with my own experiences in China and that of the world that Jeannie presents, this time around, the story, background and its characters seemed to make more sense to me, and the colors and hues of the story more vibrant than ever, if at all that is possible.

One cannot read a Jeannie Lin book and not be captivated. Her prose is one that never changes in its smoothness and beauty, one that always transports the reader to the era in China that she describes. Fraught with corruption of bureaucrats and danger from lawless bandits, Jeannie takes the reader on a journey that is unforgettable in The Sword Dancer.

Han is a hero that I would describe as one of the most beautiful heroes I have come across to date and I do not say this without reason. Han’s beauty lies in that integral sense of honour deep-seated inside of him that he fights with and at times struggles to live by. When Li Feng enters the picture and disrupts his whole world and all the things he has believed in, Han takes a gamble and pursues his developing feelings for a woman who continues to break whatever hold he has on her and disappear, until he finds her time and yet again, true to his promise to Li Feng.

Li Feng is the direct opposite of Han; she is the yin to his yang though that’s a fact that Li Feng would rather not face. Li Feng’s vulnerability lies in the fact that she too feels that undeniable connection between herself and Han which only grows stronger with time and each encounter between them. With a future that seems bleak at best for both of them and with the changes her life undergoes which continues to throw further obstacles in their way, it almost seems like an impossibility that Li Feng and Han would ever find their own happily ever after.

In the end the combination of the sensuous and beautiful love scenes together with the mystery and the aura of danger which continues to be a part of the story made for a compelling and hard to put down read. In my opinion, Han made this book and I am betting with everything that is inside of me that none can read The Sword Dancer without laying their heart out for Han to conquer.

If you read The Sword Dancer, the question of whether Li Feng’s brother getting his own story is one that begs to be asked, the answer to which only Jeannie Lin and time can only tell.

Recommended for fans of historical romances in exotic settings and fans of Jeannie Lin.

Final Verdict: From one of the masters of historical romance comes an earthy, beautiful and sensuous story of love, mystery and intrigue that is unputdownable.

Favorite Quotes

Her laughter rang free and child-like in the forest, intertwining with the driving rhythm of his pulse. His body still hadn’t recovered from the jump and Han was at once angry and elated and uncommonly aroused. He rolled himself over her and kissed her.
She sighed into his mouth. Her lips were warm, soft. Her body curved against him as he pressed her gently into the grass. She was a live and wild thing and he was mad with the taste of her. He broke the kiss to frame her face in his hands. He ran his thumbs over the shape of her cheekbones and kissed her again, claiming her in the only way he could.

He finally did kiss her. A passionate, insistent kiss that parted her lips. There was no more wash cloth, only his strong, sure hands rounding her breasts and stroking her stomach. She moaned around his invading tongue, sucking gently. He responded with a low, almost feral sound as his arousal pressed hard against her.

He repositioned his hand at the back of her neck, the possessiveness of it unmistakable, and thrust deep. The completeness, the fullness of accepting him overwhelmed her and her flesh convulsed around him as she was consumed with heat and a rush of elation. She squeezed her eyes shut as the climax drained her of all thought and resistance.

In the absence of sight, there was only the sensation of their joining and the heat of the day around her. She felt the roughened tip of his finger caress against her just above the juncture of their bodies, focusing her pleasure. She became his creature, straining towards his touch, her head thrown back and helpless as he stroked her.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said huskily.
Her eyelids fluttered open and her chest squeezed tight when she saw that he had been watching her the entire time. His mouth was tight, his face nearly expressionless except for the fire in his eyes.

“You love me.” His breath was hot against her ear. “But you don’t want to.”
Sensation crested within her, rising to a point where darkness beckoned. She had no will to protest.
His body sank deep, holding her captive as she shuddered around him. He held on tight through it. He may have spoken her name in a choked whisper but she could no longer hear. She was in her own world, alone.

His kiss was gentle, yet shockingly intimate out here with the great city around them. Such an act was a private thing meant for closed doors and drawn blinds. Yet when Han kissed her now, it was more than a precursor to lovemaking. It was language. His lips caressing softly to find her. She responded in kind, pressing close to him. It was longing and it was farewell.

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

amazingread

by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Officer Off Limits by Tessa Bailey

Format: E-bookofficerofflimits
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Line of Duty, #3
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Hero: Daniel Chase
Heroine: Story Brooks
Sensuality: 4.5
Date of Publication: June 10, 2013
Started On: June 16, 2013
Finished On: June 21, 2013

The Brazen line of romances by Entangled Publishing has quickly become a favorite of mine. The sizzling heat packed into these novels are unbeatable. For someone who loves a lot of heat of the tangible variety in her romances, the books that I have picked up to read from the Brazen line so far have proved that the titles do live up to their name and their super smexy, mouth watering cover images.

Officer-Off Limits is a book in the ‘Line of Duty’ series by Tessa Bailey. Mind you, though this is a series, this book reads perfectly as a standalone and not having read the other books in the series I do not have any idea on whether they are loosely or remotely tied to each other. But the one thing I do know is that if hotter than sin cops in the line of duty are your thing, then you’ve definitely come to the right place.

Story Brooks gets dumped by her fiance just a couple of weeks before they are supposed to tie the knot. A kindergarten teacher who has led a pretty much by the book life till now, Story takes the news that her father has been admitted in a hospital in New York as a godsend in the aspect that it provides her with a much needed excuse to get away and think things through and get her life and perspectives in order.

The one thing she doesn’t count on nor expects is to run into her father’s protege and partner Daniel Chase who turns her world upside down and throws her off-kilter on so many levels that Story doesn’t even know what hits her. Daniel is a skirt chaser if ever there was one and though Story knows she should stay away from all the temptation that he offers, her body has other ideas whenever Daniel is in the vicinity. The wealth of dark emotions that Daniel hides behind his facade of being a womanizer is one that tugs at the heartstrings. And when Daniel encounters the beautiful Story with that sad tinge about her, Daniel goes crazy with the need to possess her and mark her as his.

But what is Daniel to do when his mentor warns him away from his daughter and tells him to keep his grabby paws to himself when all Daniel in fact wants to do is get down and dirty with Story in every single manner possible? And what is Daniel supposed to do when all the emotions that blindsides him makes him crave Story on a level that is completely alien to him that he is completely muddled up with possessive streak that completely takes him by surprise.

The attraction between Story and Daniel is instantaneous, believable and oh-so-scorching hot that I found myself panting almost throughout every combustible scene in the book. There was not even one inch of Daniel that I didn’t love; I completely took him on board as my book boyfriend and wanted to chant his name to sleep. Yep, that’s how obsessed I was with his character and simply put, I just could not get enough of him. I love my heroes with a bit of a dark edge to them, a tinge of possessiveness and jealousy inside of them that makes certain scenes that arise from the predicament they find themselves in that much more delicious to read about. And Tessa Bailey provided me with just that!

Tessa Bailey is a completely new to me author. But her writing style is one that I felt completely at home with, the ease with which she drew me into the story one that is hard to find these days. There are so many books out there that I want to read but have such little time for; or maybe I have just grown a bit jaded with the usual story lines that seem to fill up the bookshelves. So to find a book amongst all of it which drew me in so effortlessly is one that is commendable at the highest level. One thing is for certain, Tessa Bailey has definitely earned herself a place in my auto-buy list.

The one thing that disappointed me was the lack of an epilogue which would have made the story complete in every sense. One thing I would like to mention is how much I loved Story and her best friend Hayden’s banter. Reminded me of the conversations that I have with my younger sister; outrageous, hilarious and of the laugh yourself to pain in your tummy muscles variety. I would love to read Hayden’s story, to find that man who would shake her world so thoroughly that she wouldn’t know how to be so prim, proper and obedient all the time. Oh well, I trust Tessa Bailey can do the magic and deliver one helluva of a read when the time comes.

If you love a dirty talking hero (and oh my lord, does he talk dirty) with enough action to back that all up, grab yourself a copy and indulge. Be warned, keep a glass of ice cubes, yes CUBES, at your side because trust me, the heat from the novel is of the searing and scorching kind and you wouldn’t ever feel the same afterwards.

Highly recommended.

Favorite Quotes

Story might as well have never been kissed before. All at once, she felt reckless. Wild. Free. Digging desperate hands into his hair, she pulled him closer, begging him to deepen the kiss further. Daniel obliged, sinking his tongue into her mouth with a growl.
As they parted for breath, his voice grated against her lips. “If you keep working that hot little tongue against mine, I’ll have no choice but to fuck you.”

“Say please, baby.”
“Please,” she moaned.
Then he tugged on the thong and her mind went blank, oblivious to everything but the pleasure coursing through her. She shook against him as her orgasm battered its way through her system, prolonged by the calculated tugging of material between her legs. His mouth latched onto hers, absorbing her cries, groaning at her wild response.

He bit her ear hard, pulling it with his teeth. It should have hurt, but instead it felt like an attack on every erogenous zone in her body. Her knees buckled underneath her, but his weight kept her upright.
Daniel laughed darkly, palming her roughly once before removing his hand from between her legs and yanking her dress back down. “Who am I kidding? When I finally get inside you, I’m going to fuck you until your voice is hoarse from screaming my name.”

Then he spoke directly against her ear. “Are you ready to scream, gorgeous?”
With a single thrust of his hips, he buried himself deep inside her. She screamed his name, her hoarse cry mingling with Daniel’s shouted expletive. He didn’t stop to savor the moment, however, his hips angling upward and pounding into her in a demanding rhythm, sliding against her exactly where she needed it.

Outside their car, three doors slammed, an engine started, and the van pulled away.
Story screamed his name as the orgasm rippled through her, light exploding behind her eyes. Half of what she said was drowned out by Daniel’s own hoarse cries of release as he plunged into her one final time and let himself go.

Daniel wore all black, from his dress shirt down to his buffed shoes. Somehow he managed to look fresh from the shower and a little dirty at the same time, a day’s worth of scruff covering his jaw. When he started toward her at the bar, he moved with such sensual purpose that Story saw a woman begin fanning herself at the bar. He looked hungry. He looked determined. And he was there for her.

Biting her lip to keep from screaming again, she used what limited movement she had to meet his advances with her hips.
“Daniel. Daniel, please.” She fought the delicious tingling as it built once more, even as she reached for it in desperation. With a throaty cry, she turned and sank her teeth into his bicep.
“Fuck yeah. Bite me, gorgeous. Mark up my whole body. I want everyone to know who I belong to. Who I get hard for. Just you, Story. Just you.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

fantasticread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Jackson Rule by Dinah McCall

Format: E-bookjacksonrule
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Harper Collins
Hero: Andrew Jackson Rule
Heroine: Rebecca Ruth Hill
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: October 13, 2009
Started On: April 1, 2013
Finished On: April 6, 2013

I’ve been meaning to read Jackson Rule by Dinah McCall for quite a while now; perhaps its being more than a year or so since it landed in my ever growing pile of books that I want to read and never find the time for. Finally, the urge to read a book that would captivate me, and also the fact that something kept nagging me to pick this up for my next read had me finally brushing away the e-dust and turning one page after the other until I was fully immersed in a book that contains a mix of some of my favorite tropes all in one.

Jackson Rule walks out of prison 15 years since he was convicted and sentenced for a crime deemed unforgivable by society at large. Now 31 years old and looking for a way to find a place for himself in the society, it is by a quirky sequence of events that Jackson finds himself at the doorstep of the shop owned by none other than Rebecca Ruth Hill in his attempt to find a job.

Rebecca hires Jackson against her better judgement and amidst the misgivings of her closest friend as well as her preacher father. But Rebecca who is willing to give Jackson the chance that no one is willing to offer somehow reaches into the tightly ensconced heart of Jackson, a heart that Jackson didn’t even know was up for grabs.

As the days go by, Rebecca finds in Jackson more and more reasons for her to abandon all caution aside and finally surrender to the wild desire that courses through her and is mirrored in Jackson’s eyes. But the past would have to be laid to rest if Jackson ever were to find happiness of the kind that he is more than deserving.

I loved Jackson Rule though there were bits that felt too drawn out at certain intervals. But overall I would say the story that unfolds is one that captivates and touches the heart at its very core. Jackson’s character reaches out to you, not because he is wickedly handsome, rides a Harley and has a body that would make a woman self-combust from all the heat that he generates just by walking into a room. Though that bit certainly helps things along, its got more to do with the fact that Jackson is a man who believes himself unworthy of a woman like Rebecca because of a childhood that had been more nightmarish than anything else.

If I were to talk about the reasons why Jackson is a character that invaded my heart right from the start, I’d most probably end up giving away spoilers which would ruin the story for someone who would love to read the book. All in all let me just say that both Rebecca and Jackson makes for two beautiful characters, who finds each other against all odds and finds in the other a love worth fighting every single obstacle that stands in their way from attaining ultimate happiness.

Recommended.

Favorite Quotes

As she took a step closer, her breasts brushed against his chest in a taunt he could not ignore.
“Be careful, lady.” His voice was harsh as his hands raked through her wet, tangled hair, bringing her face closer to his own.
“Of what?” She slid her arms around his waist, moving her body into perfect alignment with his.
Instinctively he braced himself and pulled her close, rocking gently against her in an age-old rhythm.
“Of this.” He cupped her hips with his hands and lifted her off of her feet. “Of that.” His groin had swelled in one huge ache and was pressing into her flesh. “Of me.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

greatread

by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: Craving Her Soldier’s Touch by Wendy S. Marcus

cravinghersoldierstouch.jpgFormat: Paperback
Read with: NA
Length: Novel
Genre: Medical Romance
Series: Beyond the Spotlight
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Ian Calvin Eddelton
Heroine: Jaci Piermont
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: January, 2013
Started On: December 22, 2012
Finished On: February 2, 2013

Being not much of a fan of medical romances doesn’t stop me from wanting to read Wendy S. Marcus’s romances set in the said genre when they come out. Its always a delight to encounter balance in a novel such as a medical romance; equal amounts of knowledge enhancing tidbits about the medical world and enough romance and heat to keep the blood pumping. And with Craving Her Soldier’s Touch, Wendy takes this a step further and includes an emotional depth to her characters that really touched my heart.

Craving Her Soldier’s Touch is about ex-army ranger Ian Eddelton who returns back home after surviving horrific injuries with a hoard of survivor’s guilt wrecking his mind and heart. The only thoughts that had kept him sane throughout had been that of the woman he had left behind in the rush and need to get away from the riot of all sorts of emotions of the deeper kind that she had been able to rouse in him. Though Ian is known as Ice amongst his army buddies, all his cool deserts him when the woman in question is around him.

Jaci Piermont might be a heiress with a fortune waiting to happen but she is one of the most down-to-earth and feisty characters that you would ever find. A community health nurse and Women’s Crisis Center advocate, Jaci is someone who is continuously on the move, always ready to help the neglected and the less fortunate sector of people in the society. Her heartwarming and caring nature together with her competency when it comes to everything she does is totally entwined with the story that unfolds; the story of how Jaci reunites with the man who leaves her in a wake of confusion when he left as he did.

I’d say that with every book that Wendy pens, her writing becomes more appealing and her characters show remarkable depth that makes the story hard to part with. Jaci’s character was one that really shone through in every aspect as her past and what she had gone through comes to light, painting a picture of a woman that has had more than her fair share of trouble in her life. The only thing I felt that slightly lacked in the story was the ‘healing’ aspect of Ian from his injuries as well as the psychological trauma he suffers from. Still, I would say Craving Her Soldier’s Touch made for a great read highly recommend it for fans of the author and fans of medical romances.

Oh and yes, lest I forget, I want to share the bit in the book where my beloved Maldives is mentioned, a lil prezzie that was left for me by the author. Thank you Wendy, for giving me that. ^_^

He twirled one of her curls around his freakishly long, thin, almost womanly index finger and held her in place. “Strolling the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Visiting the beaches of Bali. Shopping in Milan. Skiing in Switzerland. Yachting in the Maldives.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Harlequin

greatread

by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: Muscle For Hire by Lexxie Couper

Format: E-bookmuscleforhire
Read with: Adobe Reader for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd
Hero: Aslin Rhodes
Heroine: Rowan Hemsworth
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: January 29, 2013
Started On: January 4, 2013
Finished On: January 9, 2013

You’ve got to hand it Lexxie, she certainly knows how to make a girl sweat in all the right places when it comes to creating heroes of the panty-melting variety. Muscle for Hire is the story of the ultra-delicious bodyguard Aslin Rhodes whom readers of Nick Blackthorne’s story Love’s Rhythm must have already encountered. An ex-SAS commando, Aslin is British, and excels in the role of protection all too well, not surprising considering that being that is what he has done more than half of his life.

Rowan Hemsworth is a force to be reckoned with all on her own. Older sister of Chris Huntley, the star of hit sitcom Twice Too Many, Rowan considers it her duty to protect her younger brother from all sorts of ‘threats’ of the lethal kind and otherwise. Rowan has her own share of nightmares from the past, something she deals with by arming herself with the only weapon she knows to not let herself fall into a vulnerable position. Well versed in the art of self defense, Rowan is not at all pleased with Aslin and his presence in her brother’s life until danger comes calling to their very doorstep.

From the moment Aslin and Rowan meet, sparks fly and there is no denying the red hot attraction that leaps to life between them. Aslin who is at a loss as to how his life would map out in the future is shaken to his depths when the feisty Australian makes all of Aslin come to life. He does not have a clue as to how to make it work between him and Rowan apart from the fact that he wouldn’t be able to turn his back on what she makes him feel.

To say that Rowan has issues that she battles with on a daily basis would be an understatement. When Aslin with his off the chart sexy British accent and perfectly made body makes her body thrum and hum in desire of a scale that she has never yet encountered before, Rowan knows that she is in trouble of the deep shit variety. Aslin doesn’t factor into her life plan of looking after her brother and keeping him out of trouble of any sort that may brew, but then Aslin is not the type of man that one simply turns their back on and Rowan knows that even though backing out might give her a respite from the heat and some breathing space, there would always linger on the ache of unfulfilled desire and need that would haunt and taunt her in his absence.

Amidst the haze of wanton desire that surrounds these two, the danger that comes calling adds a bit of a tangible spice of a different variety to the story filled to the brim with scenes of the seat squirming variety when Aslin and Rowan go at each other. Their coming together is blistering hot, almost like the Australian weather is looking right now, a lot of wildness and heat; just perfect for two people like Aslin and Rowan, and of course, trademark Lexxie Couper!

I loved Aslin. After all, what woman in their right mind would turn away from the lethal weapon of seduction that he presents just by being himself? I am afraid I don’t come equipped with the kind of willpower that would allow me to remain unaffected and I wouldn’t have it any other way. And Rowan I must say is Aslin’s match in every single way. Its because she herself is a master in the art of self defense techniques that she understands Aslin on a level that is essential to Aslin’s makeup, to make things work on an emotional level between them. Likewise, it is Aslin’s past that enables him to look beyond Rowan’s hangups to be there for her in a way no one has in a long, long time.

For those who know what Lexxie can do with her erotic romances, I’m absolutely certain that you would not need any further urging on my part. But just in case, let me tell you, a British ex-SAS commando officer hot on the heels of a feisty Australian makes for all kinds of hot bouts of loving and that is reason enough to get yourself a copy. And I loved how the elements of suspense all came together and gave the book a well rounded edge to it that just made it all the more worthwhile a read. Recommended.

Favorite Quotes

Without a word, he rose to his feet and rounded the table to stand before her. Curling his fingers around her firmly toned upper arm, he hauled her off her feet with a single tug and captured her lips in a searing kiss.
He plundered her mouth straight away. He didn’t care they were in a public bar. He didn’t give a sodding rat’s arse. He wanted her. She wanted him. It was simple.

Their lips came together, hard and savage and brutal. The kiss was wild. He crushed her to his body and fucked her mouth with his tongue, her moans of rapture heating his lust. She clung to him, her fingernails scraping at the back of his neck as he drove her backward to the brick wall behind her.
She cried out, throwing her head back, wrapping her right leg around his thigh. He dragged his lips down the column of her throat, biting, sucking as he went. Her flesh was smooth and soft, velvet beneath his tongue, lips and teeth. He couldn’t get enough. He wanted to feel more of her. All of her.

She pressed her hips to his, rolled them, wanting to feel the solid steel of his erection trapped by his jeans grind against the curve of her sex. 
He growled into her mouth. That was the only word for it, a growl, animalistic and dominating. Her pussy turned to liquid need at the purely male sound. She raked her nails over his shoulder, knotted her fingers in the hair at his nape. He lashed his tongue against hers, his rigid cock pressing into her belly.
Her head swam. Her sex throbbed. She gave herself over to his control, the kiss igniting a need within her she could no longer ignore.

Before she could do anything – and with reflexes as fast as hers, she should have been able to do something – his hands came up to cup her face and he brushed his lips over hers.
She froze, the gentle beauty of the simple kiss stealing any ability in her to move.
When he straightened, her breath caught at the raw desire in his eyes. There was nothing arrogant, dominating, threatening or confusing about it. Just pure desire.

He deepened the kiss, taking possession of her mouth and pleasure. She couldn’t fight it, couldn’t fight him. She didn’t want to. Not anymore. Hell could rise up and damn them all, but Rowan wouldn’t care. As long as she was in Aslin’s strong arms, being kissed by him, worshipped by him.

He hissed in a breath, thrusting his hips forward.
Rowan’s pulse quickened. She slid her hands down his torso and her head swam at the sculpted shaped of his abs under her fingers. They were so hard, so defined. The man was the epitome of physical perfection. And she was going to fuck him.

A slight tug on her fly told her he’d done what she ached for him to do. As did the cool air flowing over her newly exposed p#ssy mound. He covered the curve of her mons with a rain of tiny kisses, workig her hotpants over her hips with his hands.
“M-my boots,” she whispered, shifting enough on the mattress to aide his removal of her shorts and thong.
“Can stay on,” he rumbled back, flicking his tongue over the sensitive area of flesh where her thigh became her groin. “They’re too fucking sexy to take off.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Samhain

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by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Skin Deep by Pamela Clare

Format: E-bookskindeep
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: I-Team After Hours, #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Nathaniel West
Heroine: Megan Hunter
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: May 15, 2012
Started On: May 17, 2012
Finished On: May 25, 2012

 

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 90 A
The heroine 90 A
Story line 90 A
Emotional Intensity 90 A
Suck me in Factor 85 A
Heat & Sensuality  85 A
Conflicts 80 A
Writing Style 100 A
Quotable Factor 80 A
Ending 95 A
Overall Grade 88.5 A

Score Sheet Summary

Skin Deep by Pamela Clare is a spin-off novel from her bestselling I-Team series which is an absolute favorite of mine. Being her first self-published book as well, Skin Deep tells the story of the sexy Marc Hunter’s younger sister Megan Hunter who finds love and redemption when she least expects to.

Megan’s childhood had been a painful one, one filled with abuse of every kind imaginable. Reading Marc’s story would paint a vivid picture of just how much Megan had suffered at the hands of people whom she should have been able to trust, people who misused and abused the position of authority they had over people in situations like the one Megan found herself in. 

Nathaniel West is ex-military, scarred on the inside and out, taking one day at a time in his attempt to move forward in his life. When he sees Megan from community shelter his family donates ground beef to, his interest is piqued enough for him to sit up and take notice. And when Megan and her adorable little daughter Emily’s life gets thrown into danger, it is then that the relationship between Megan and Nathan fosters and grows giving you a beautiful story of love amidst bits of action and humor that only Pamela Clare can deliver. Recommended for fans of I-Team novels.

Favorite Quotes

She didn’t wait for him this time, but rested her palms against the hard wall of his chest, rose up on one knee, and caressed his lips with hers, increasing the pressure.
More shivers.
His eyes drifted shut, his lashes long and dark. One big hand came to rest on her hip as he steadied her. He caught her lower lip between his, and gave it a soft tug.
Belly flutters.

He hungrily took what she offered. There had to be a thousand different ways to kiss a woman, a thousand different ways for lips and tongues to meet, caress, tease. He wanted to find every single one of them.

“Geezus!” His jaw was clenched, his brow furrowed as if he were in pain.
And she knew he was in pain, the same kind of pleasure-pain she felt—precious torment, sweet distress, torturous bliss.

She collapsed onto him, kissed his chest, the left side slick with sweat. He wrapped his arms around her, drew her close, one hand stroking her hair, his heart thrumming in his chest, both of them breathless.
And as sex cooled into sleep, he kissed her tears away.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Breaking The Rules by Barbara Samuel

Format: E-bookbreakingtherules1
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Silhouette Intimate Moments, #587
Publisher: Silhouette
Hero: Zeke Shephard
Heroine: Rhetta Madeline O’Neal
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: July 1, 1994
Started On: March 30, 2012
Finished On: April 2, 2012

Once in a while, you are lucky enough to come across a novel that calls to you, that feeds your senses and tantalizes you, that just makes you wish that the magic would continue. Breaking the Rules by Barbara Samuel was a novel I got off of Amazon for free from the bestselling lists for Kindle books. And boy, was I blown away with the story that unfolded, getting myself completely tangled up in the story that was just sheer magic to experience.

Rhetta Madeline O’Neal (Mattie) is on the run and finds herself in the nondescript town of Kismet in Arizona where she barely gets settled before the rough, tough and rugged Zeke Shepard strolls in and completely unhinges her and throws her emotions haywire. At a passing glance, Mattie might not be the type of woman that catches your eye but for Zeke right from the very beginning that he lays eyes on the drowning pools of her brown eyes, instinct tells him to turn his back and walk away and never look back.

Mattie knows that if she were to stay around much longer, she would risk blowing the cover that she has worked so hard to muster up and that Zeke could make all the bonds that holds her cards unravel and come crashing down. But fate plays a hand when the very men that Mattie is running from turns up in Kismet and it is Zeke who rides to her rescue on his big and mean Harley like a dark fallen angel who would do everything in his power to keep her safe from the woes of the killers that are after her.

Zeke might tell himself that he is hardened enough to turn his back on a woman in need but when push comes to shove, Zeke is just the type of softie that would make any woman’s heart melt. Zeke has numerous scars on his body that tells a story of a nightmarish childhood and the walls of steel around his heart remains impeccably strong until he gets tangled up in Mattie’s life. Zeke takes her away to the one place he considers as his home, his cabin up in the mountains that is surrounded by tranquility and peace if nothing else.

But peace and pure thoughts are the furthest thing from Zeke’s mind as he wages an internal war with himself, his desire for Mattie which continues to grow by the minute that unsettles him and shreds away at his control that has never failed him before. As the recipient of abuse at such a tender age, control is what Zeke thrives on, and being throttled by an overload of emotions is not what Zeke considers to be his forte.

But Mattie is a woman who has an abundance of patience, understanding and a soothing quality to her very touch that arouses, inflames and comforts all at the same time. Zeke might tell himself that he doesn’t want nor need any of what Mattie is offering but deep down inside Zeke knows that it is a losing battle that he fights with himself when the innocent hunger that blazes into life in Mattie’s eyes is one that he wouldn’t be able to turn away from.

I don’t think I can adequately describe what this novel did to me. I was taken away on a journey that was pure magic right from the very moment that Zeke takes Mattie away into the mountains, the way that Barbara brings to life the beauty of their surroundings one that charmed me in all the ways that matter. Zeke might tell himself and project that attitude that he is a mean son of a bitch, but the home he has built with his own hands from scratch and the sensual beauty of the place that he calls his home tells a story of its own.

Zeke is a man who sets the pages afire just by setting his foot in the scene. He is the larger-than-life type of hero that gets to me every single time, his intimidating size at odds with the way that he holds Mattie close to him and gives her shelter in his embrace. He is the type of man that as you read along you wish were yours to call your own, the type of man that can fuel your fire for quite some time to come. I can go on rehashing all those qualities that made me drool over and got drawn towards Zeke and I don’t think I would be able to do justice to his character even then.

Mattie was such a wonderful heroine. When a writer gets the heroine right in a story, that’s when I really admire the author’s talent. Mattie is the type of heroine who is comfortable in her skin, who doesn’t need to go out of her way to prove her mettle and worth to everyone she meets. She might not have been the world’s best judge of character when it had come to her ex-fiance but her instincts are spot on when it comes to Zeke and his lethal effect on her senses and heart that could prove more dangerous to her in the end.

The passion between Zeke and Mattie is scorching hot, brought vividly and so beautifully to life amidst the tranquility and beauty of the Colorado mountains where it seems as if Zeke and Mattie are the only souls who live on this Earth. That cocoon of well being is however intruded upon when reality comes crashing down and Zeke does what he does best; push away anyone that can lay siege on his heart and emotions. But Zeke underestimates the power of the love that courses through him, shaking the very foundation of his existence and giving him the explanation he has been seeking all the while for the way he has broken every single rule that has governed him for most of his adult life ever since he met Mattie.

There is nothing more you can ask from a romance when your whole self is immersed in the story, when all your emotions are engaged and I found myself in tears so many times throughout the novel that I think my ophthalmologist appointment today is not going to go down very well. There was this moment in the story when Zeke holds a baby in his arms and sways to the music, all the while whispering to him to calm him down. And then there was the moment when Zeke goes to visit his horse Orthello, the connection between man and horse an almost physical one that just makes you ache deep in your heart. And towards the end, I just cried from all the emotion overload that happened to me when Mattie once again turns up in Zeke’s life, giving him that opportunity to profess his feelings for her and make her stay a permanent one this time around.

The only thing that would have really made this book an outstanding one would have been a beautiful epilogue to wrap it all up, maybe 5 or 6 years after the last chapter takes place to show how Zeke and Mattie had faired as a married couple. I would have loved to see my Zeke all happy, without any of those shadows that haunts him surrounding him and only sunshine and happiness lurking in those beautiful green eyes of his.

Breaking the Rules is a novel that made me cry and one that made me smile deep within my heart because the sheer beauty of the storytelling and the emotions that it invoked demanded no less.

I cannot recommend this novel highly enough to anyone and everyone who loves a good dose of romance. 

I am definitely getting myself acquainted with each and every single title by Barbara Samuel. If the rest of her stories are half as good as this one, I would remain a very happy reader for the time to come.

Favorite Quotes

Yesterday in the restaurant, she’d seen his sex appeal and roughness. At her house, she’d seen his danger. This morning, at the river, she’d seen his beauty and teasing, and again that danger.
Of all of them, the tenderness she saw now was the most compelling. And terrifying.

His mouth. It touched hers lightly, just touched at first. And it seemed every nerve in her body suddenly rushed toward her mouth to join the explosion of sensation his lips brought. He moved his head and his mouth slid one way, then the other, and his fingers tightened around her neck, pulling her closer.

She wanted him. Not in the sweet way of poetry, though there was that music in the symmetry of his body, in the careful meshing of bone and sinew and flesh that made him.
Her want was raw. Physical. She felt it in the palms of her hands and the flesh of her lips and the heaviness of her breasts.
In her life, she’d been hungry, and thirsty. She’d needed sleep. She had never, in her life, needed to touch a man.

He kissed her before he knew he would do it. Cupped her small head against his hand and bent to touch her lips with his own, lightly tasting that sensuous mouth. He closed his eyes to feel it better—the moist plumpness of unseasoned lips, flavored with coffee and sugar and something that belonged only to her. And like an exhausted man sinking with gratitude into the down of a pillow, he sank into the softness, losing himself as he explored the edges and corners, the sensitive inner edge. He suckled gently and heard her sigh as she inclined her head to take him more fully.

He kissed her violently, wanting to somehow inhale her into himself, unable to stop the fury of his reaction, the trembling rocking hunger for her—so vast and all-encompassing, he couldn’t stand it.
Mattie, flowing all around him, met his savagery. He clasped her hips hard against him, found himself biting her neck, laving her breasts with his tongue. He felt such unblunted, furious desire he thought he might die of it.

The man was in his late thirties, with coarse black hair and a powerfully angled face. The horse with him made a sudden noise, a high whining sound, and its graceful head tossed, jerked. The man let the reins go, and the horse galloped to the fence where Zeke stood waiting.
Mattie glanced at him. He’d climbed onto the fence and leaned over the top, softly whistling a series of notes. On his face was an expression Mattie had never seen—equal parts joy and sorrow. 

His mouth was wet and hot and intensely demanding, so sharp and piercing with need that it broke through Mattie’s defenses the way nothing else could have. A burst of excruciating hunger made her almost frantic with wanting him. She shifted in his arms and met his kiss wide open, giving as furiously as she took.
“Oh, Mattie,” he said against her mouth. “I’ve never wanted a woman in my life like I want you. You’re driving me crazy.”

She came apart, and Zeke let go, driving into her without restraint, thrilling to the cry that escaped her throat. Her body convulsed around him, a roaring filled his ears.
He splintered into a billion pieces.
His heart, made of thinnest glass, shattered.

He looked up at the rain and closed his eyes, his hands still wrapped around her back. Mattie knew with an acute awareness that she would always remember this moment: both of them nude in the falling twilight of a mountain summer, sated and yet still hungry, Zeke’s strong face tipped to received the gift of rain, his broad hands warm on her. 

Mattie watched him cross the clearing with long-limbed ease, his movements loose and calm. His hair shone in the sunlight. Her heart caught. Strider.
Yes, she loved him. It wasn’t logical or sensible or anything of those other things. He was not the kind of man she’d daydreamed about all of her life, safe and stolid and dependable, but he was the one. The One.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Kobo 

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: The Nurse’s Not-So Secret Scandal by Wendy S. Marcus

Format: Paperbackthenursesnotsosecretscandal
Read with: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Medical Romance
Series: Madrin Memorial Hospital, #3
Publisher: Mills & Boon
Hero: Ryan ‘Fig’ Figelstein
Heroine: Roxie Morano
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: April 6, 2012
Started On: March 26, 2012
Finished On: March 27, 2012

The Nurse’s Not-So Secret Scandal is the 3rd and final book in Wendy. S. Marcus’ Madrin Memorial Hospital series. I am not one who reads much of medical romances but Wendy has a way of putting it out there that just makes her books compelling reads that I want more of. 

27 year old Ryan ‘Fig’ Figelstein comes to Madrin Falls in upstate New York to visit his best friend Kyle. When he meets the larger than life and certainly colorful character that is Roxie Morano, Fig is definitely more than intrigued enough to pursue the attraction that flares to life between them right from the onset.

But things aren’t as easy and lighthearted as they seem to be on the surface. Both Roxie and Fig have their own fair share of secrets and painful pasts that still persists in their lives at present making their struggle to achieve some form of normalcy almost impossible. But through it all, Roxie and Fig manage to wade their own way through the many ups and downs in their not-so-normal-relationship and in the end attain a happily ever after that was so well deserved that I was grinning from ear-to-ear when all was said and done.

You can’t read the 1st book in the series i.e. When One Night Isn’t Enough without getting intrigued enough to see through to the rest of the characters that make their way into the story. Wendy has a talent for creating heroines who have the odds stacked against them, who are hard working, loyal and have had a lot of bad happen to them in their pasts. But what makes her heroines special is that drive to be true to who they are, to do their best to make do with a bad situation that fate throws their way. And the plus point as always turns out to be the beautiful men, and yes I use beautiful because there is no other way to describe these guys who go out of their way to win over the women they love.

Roxie Morano is a character of contrasts if ever there was one. She is spunky, has an attitude that may seem off-putting at first and wears colors bold and vivacious just like her character; but underneath all that tough and brave facade is a woman who is torn between the need to do the right thing and making her own way in life, a woman who shoulders more than her fair share of responsibility in looking after a mother who is a disaster waiting to happen. Roxie takes her fun wherever she can find it, a release she needs so badly after working intense hours as a nurse and coming home to a depressing state of affairs that makes her want to howl at times. But even her closest friends at work have no clue as to just how much of a juggler she is in order to present a normal front to the rest of the world.

Fig comes from a totally different side of the equation. As a child Fig had been smothered by the attention he had received from his mother as a result of being a recurring patient of leukemia until he had hit his teens. His past is one that haunts him, his mother continuing to try to rule his life even when he has made it clear that he is more than capable of running his own life. Fig has hangups that you won’t believe a person may have and he knows it, but his attraction for the fireball of energy that Roxie is poses complications on his heart that he would never have thought possible.

Two equally damaged people with a whole lot of baggage meet and ignite the sparks of desire and want that paves the way towards something more meaningful as both Fig and Roxie strip themselves bare emotionally and physically to let each other in, a quest that is doubly dangerous for two people who have had their trust trampled upon by people closest to them. Roxie is all about living in the moment and rushing towards the ultimate explosion of pleasure while Fig is more laid back and has the patience to wait – as good things always comes to those who wait. So when these two meet in the bedroom it is more than fun, it is about exploring the extent to which each can push the other and both discovering sides to themselves that are uncharted waters as well.

Wendy has done a remarkable job with creating a character such as Roxie who is different, someone who grabbed my heart and invaded it with her usual style and flair from the very beginning. Fig like his laid back nature waited and hovered around a bit before plunging that stake into my heart to stake his claim and boy I could definitely understand the appeal of taking it slow and taking your time when it comes to a man like Fig.

The Nurse’s Not-So Secret Scandal is my favorite in the series. And I tell you, Roxie Morano is a character who rocks your boat – in more ways than one. And the best thing about this series? You can read all 3 books as a standalone and never flounder to find your way.

Recommended for fans of medical romances and those who love spunky heroines and yummy tattooed heroes who can show you that patience is a good thing; when it comes to a man like him!

Favorite Quotes

Fig leaned in close, his chest pressed to her back, his palm flat on her belly. “Time to muster up some moxie, Roxie,” he whispered. “Every woman in this bar is wishing she had a body as gorgeous as yours, and every man is wishing he had your long, beautiful legs clamped around his butt.”
Roxie relaxed. Smiled even. “Does that include you?” […]
“Nah.” […] “My wish involves them wrapped around my head.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | M&B

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