Category / Scarred Heroine

by mvbookreviewer

Review: No Romance Required by Cari Quinn

Format: E-bookNoRomanceRequired
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Love Required, #3
Publisher: Entangled Publishing: Brazen
Hero: Cory Santangelo
Heroine: Victoria Violet Townsend
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: August 12, 2013
Started On: August 31, 2013
Finished On: September 2, 2013

She was his, had always been his, and now they both knew it.

Ever since I read No Flowers Required, book 2 in the Love Required series by Cari Quinn, I’ve been sending “gentle” and “subtle” reminders Cari’s way to remind her that at least one fan of the series was in high anticipatory mode to read Cory’s story. It would be an impossibility to read No Flowers Required and encounter Cory Santangelo and Victoria Townsend (Vicky) and not “feel” the vibrancy of the chemistry and fire that is between them. Maybe because I had such high hopes for the book or maybe too much time has passed since I read book 2, I found myself a wee bit disappointed with how No Romance Required turned out.

Cory and Vicky have a shared history that goes way back into their childhoods. Cory is driven to the point of losing himself with a resolute absoluteness in his work that leaves little room for any time to loosen up and let go. Vicky on the other hand is a woman whose life is full of vibrancy, someone who refuses to let even a moment of her life pass by without enjoying it to the hilt. Though Cory might never understand why Vicky chooses to live as she does, the one thing that he cherishes and looks forward to is their weekly meet up to discuss Value Hardware’s lifestyle magazine which Vicky handles.

No Romance Required begins right where No Flowers Required ends and it is during that fateful evening that both Cory and Vicky are caught in a compromising position on camera which gives Cory the perfect “excuse” to get his parents off his back and enjoy his time playing fake boyfriend with Vicky to the hilt. Vicky might have a reputation of being a bad girl but when it comes to Cory, Vicky knows that none of her usual tricks would work for a man whose tastes run a bit darker and edgier than anyone she has been with. Vicky knows how ruthless Cory could be on her emotions if she lets him in and that is exactly what happens which gives the story its dose of angst together with the heat of the scorching variety that is always a part of Cari’s romances, which is one reason why I enjoy them so much.

I think the bit where this book didn’t work for me as I thought it would was perhaps because the banter between Vicky and Cory that was evident in No Flowers Required and what drew me towards Cory and Vicky failed to materialize much in their own story. I love a little bit of darkness with my heroes which I am betting is no surprise to anyone who reads my reviews. But I kind of missed on what it was exactly that turned Cory into who he was. Cory came out as a ruthless bastard in No Flowers Required and I thought that he would keep going along his track record some more before actually succumbing to his own happily ever after.

Vicky was a splendid heroine. Her zest for life hides behind the pain of abandonment, all the while harboring a secret from her siblings that could break the fragile bond she has with them. All Vicky longs for and has longed for for a long while is for Cory to notice her and make her his. Thus it comes as no surprise when Vicky grabs with both hands the one chance she has to play make believe with the man of her dreams even though she knows she might end up with a broken heart that would never heal.

From the way things were left as book 3 concluded, I am hoping that Vicky’s brother Bryan would get a story of his own because there seemed to be something of that sort in the works. I did miss out on an epilogue though I think the ending was pretty good with a little bit of groveling on Cory’s side to tie it all up.

Recommended for fans of the series and fans of Cari Quinn. But mind you, read No Flowers Required first because I think otherwise you might not get a feel for Vicky and Cory’s characters which I believe is a must if you are to enjoy the 3rd installment in the series.

Final Verdict: Great addition to the wonderfully erotic and humorous Love Required series.

Favorite Quotes

“Victoria.” His guttural use of her name caused her to still. “This will change everything.”
Then his mouth crushed down on hers.
Its weight was a brand, forever stamping her with the memory of this night. Of stars in an inky black sky. Of his heart racing against hers.
Of wanting him more than she cared about the consequences.

When she stood before him in just her bra and lacy thigh-high hose, she stepped back until her spine hit one of the support columns that extended to the exposed beams of the ceiling. She wrapped her fingers around the wood above her head, stretching herself up like his very own unwrapped gift. Then she spread her legs and invitingly rocked her hips.

Her lips parted though she made no sound. He exhaled as her snug, drenched sheath enveloped his dick again and again, the scrape of her nails against the wood a strangely exciting accompaniment. Her nails could’ve been on his shoulders, on his back, for all the effect that noise had on his body. He drove into her harder, faster, wanting to hear her torturing the wood, that unconscious tell more revealing than her glazed whiskey-colored eyes.
There, she still held some control. But with her hands, with the ripples of her sex around him, she restrained nothing.
That was what he wanted. Her, totally mindless. Unafraid. His.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Her Favorite Rival by Sarah Mayberry

Format: E-bookherfavoriterival
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Mathews Sisters
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Zachary Black
Heroine: Audrey Mathews
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: September 3, 2013
Started On: August 31, 2013
Finished On: August 31, 2013

Her Favorite Rival by Sarah Mayberry, though not up to par with the most recent releases from her still managed to be a romance that captivated me from start to finish. Some books require an effort to trudge through them, page after page, because its just difficult to give up when you have invested so much of your time in reading that book. But Mayberry’s books stand apart from this crowd as her books always manages to provide all those elements that makes a romance work on so many levels.

Her Favorite Rival is the story of work rivals Audrey Mathews and Zachary (Zach) Black. Audrey is the one who has made her way through the different levels through sheer grit and determination with a whole lot of experience at her back to support her. But Zach who joined just six months back seems to have what she doesn’t; the weight of college earned degrees that speaks volumes. Audrey knows that Zach is the only contender that she should be worried about regarding the upcoming promotion and she is ready to pull all stops into impressing the new management when an assignment pushes both Audrey and Zach together which forms the basis of their relationship.

Mayberry does quite an impressive job of bringing to the readers the pressures of trying to perform in an organization which really drives a hard bargain with its employees. Audrey and Zach are both ambitious and career-driven people, both for different reasons, but similar in the aspect that it is the demons of the past that drives them and has scarred them on levels that they are not even prepared to acknowledge when the relationship between them fosters into being.

Audrey makes the huge mistake of judging Zach based on his good looks and the charm he exudes, but she couldn’t have been more wrong even if she had tried. Mayberry brings to the table the “other side” of what its like to grow up with a drug addict as a parent, the pain of seeing the one person you love continue to go back and feed an addiction that never seems to cease. The shame that clings onto a person for not being able to stop loving that person no matter how destructive a force the person’s continued addiction becomes. Not an easy subject, but I think Mayberry did a splendid job in that aspect of the story.

Her Favorite Rival seemed to begin with a bang and waned a little towards the middle and then picked up again towards the latter part of the book. Even then, a Mayberry book is always worth the investment in time and money and if you love contemporary romances with deeper and in depth stories, this one’s definitely recommended!

Final Verdict: Mayberry delivers a great romance amidst the grit and realities that is life.

Favorite Quotes

“I tell you who won’t be going, though—Zach. Fifty bucks he gets a promotion out of all of this.”
Audrey reached for the fries. “He’s not that good.”
“Sorry, sweetie, but he is. He’s smart, he’s good at what he does and he could charm a snake out of its skin.”
Audrey rolled her eyes. “You’re only saying that because you have a soft spot for him.”
“Yeah, it’s called a vagina.”

He was already hard, his arousal a hot pressure against her belly. The ache between her thighs demanded that she rub against him, that she slide a hand around his waist and grip his backside and haul him closer still.
He muttered something urgent against her mouth, then his hands were on her breasts, cupping and squeezing them through the thin cotton of her shirt. She gave a small, inar- ticulate moan when his thumb grazed her nipple, and when he caught it between thumb and forefinger and squeezed she almost dissolved on the spot.

He was reaching for her before she could process his words. One second she stood on the doorstep of his house, the next she was inside, her back against the wall, his mouth and body against hers. He tasted of heat, his tongue stroking hers with demanding greed, his body large and powerful as it pressed into hers. Her hands found his bare shoulders, closing over warm, hard muscle, even as his thigh slid between hers, forcing the heart of her into intimate contact with his leg.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh

Format: E-bookblazeofmemory.jpg
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Psy-Changeling, #7
Publisher: Berkley
Hero: Devraj Santos
Heroine: Ekaterina Haas (Katya Haas)
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: November 3, 2009
Started On: August 5, 2013
Finished On: August 7, 2013

Nothing is stronger than the will of the human heart.

How anyone could have NOT LOVED the 7th book in the Psy-Changeling series is beyond me. I have seen well above 4 star average rating for almost every book or should I say all the books that I have read to date in this series on Goodreads. But Blaze of Memory has a 3.97 stars average rating which made me wonder whether Nalini had fallen short of the mark when she aimed to bring the story of Devraj Santos and Katya Haas to her fans. But in the end, it just went to show that relying completely on ratings to lead your way can sometimes backfire on you as I loved every single inch of this book and then some and wanted a little bit more being the greedy and voracious fan of the series that I am!

Devraj Santos (Dev) is the director of the Shine Foundation that seeks out the Forgotten, the generation of the first defectors from PsyNet when the protocol of Silence had first been put into place. The Shine Foundation seeks out kids who have “gifts” that they do not know how they ended up with, continually at danger if the Council were ever to find out their existence and move to eradicate them for the fear of loss of control as the most lethal race in the world. However recent events seem to have put cracks in the picture perfect world of the emotionless Psy as presented to the rest of the world and it is a continuing thread in all the books how the PsyNet seems to be slowly disintegrating and turning onto itself which makes for interesting reading in itself.

When Dev finds an utterly broken woman left on his doorstep for him to find, a female Psy who doesn’t remember who she is and how she got there though Dev knows that she might end up being the worst kind of threat to him and his foundation, he cannot help the protective instincts that surges forth with every single minute he spends in her company.

Katya Haas is a woman who has been violated in the worst manner possible and left to fulfill her destiny or die a slow and painful death which would strip her of even the little bit of tattered dignity that she has left. The one thing that Katya realizes from the onset is that the flawless Psy conditioning that should make her immune to the delicious appeal that Dev is on her senses has been effectively broken down and that she is no match for the chain of emotions that kickstarts deep inside of her when Dev is around.

Though trust is an element that is missing between Dev and Katya, the need that each rouses in the other is one that neither can turn their backs on. And as Katya tries to unravel the literally kicking time-bomb she is, Dev finds his heart, body and soul totally enamored by the enemy who could be his utter and complete destruction as the Psy Councilor playing puppet master to Katya wants.

Blaze of Memory proved to be nothing short of a fantastic read, the only thing I missed being the epilogue that Ms. Singh always tucks in at the end of each novel. But the Petrokov Family Archives which was presented throughout the story in the form of letters served to be an interesting facet into seeing how the Silence Protocol came about from someone who had witnessed it firsthand. And there was this bit towards the end of the story where Katya beseeches Dev to go visit his father which proved to be quite the emotion wrangling scene.

Dev might not be a shapeshifter, but he has his own set of skills that makes him just as lethal. Dev is just as finely honed as any sentinel in the DarkRiver or lieutenant in the SnowDancer pack of Changelings. His intensity and hardness both being features required of him with the job he had undertaken as the Director of a foundation that needs to make decisions that impacts the lives of so many people under his care. His salvation from letting the coldness totally rule over his emotions comes in the form of Katya, a woman he thinks to be broken in every fundamental way possible but surprises and amazes him with the strength she displays given the room to flourish.

Katya is the sort of heroine that any reader would fall in love with. Nalini has an innate talent in creating heroines who are tough, strong and yet with a core of femininity and vulnerability inside of them that makes them human and that much appealing. I felt for Katya with every single cell in my being, her immense strength in defying a master of mental combat one that had me enthralled and in awe by the time I was done.

The scenes of passion between Katya and Dev are scorching hot; Nalini certainly knows how to ratchet up the heat-o-meter when it comes to sizzling scenes of heated love making between her characters. The last couple of chapters are so intense that I felt like chewing my nails out in agitation and the tangle of hot emotions that coursed through me to see Dev and Katya nearly lose the precious and beautiful love that they had found with each other. If you are hesitating on picking up this wonderful wonderful book because of the slightly lower ratings when compared with the other books in the series, don’t. Blaze of Memory is just as spectacular and just as lethal on the senses.

Final Verdict: Like an inferno that rages out of control, Blaze of Memory is just as vivid and beautiful in its wildness. Definitely recommended!

Favorite Quotes

Heat.
Touch.
Life, electric in its fury…a kiss that demanded her participation.
Shuddering in surrender, she drowned in the scent of him. Wild and exotic. Dark and male.
A man who’d snarled at her, caged her… fed her.
“Dev.” Spoken against his lips, she was so loath to break contact.
His mouth took hers again before she could say anything more, his teeth sinking into her lower lip.

“I don’t understand,” she murmured, lifting her fingertips to touch kiss-swollen lips, “how my race could’ve ever given up such exquisite sensation.”
His cock pushed against the zipper of his pants, the metal threatening to turn him into a eunuch. “Katya.”
As a warning, it had no effect. Dropping her hand from her lips, she clenched it over her navel, as if soothing some inward ache. “I feel so … hungry, so hot, as if my skin is about to burst.”
He shuddered, voice lost.

Hands on her hips. Warm. A little rough. Perfect. She sucked in a breath, and when he lifted her, it was instinct to wrap her legs around his waist. He moved her until she—“Dev!” she screamed into his mouth as his still-covered cock pushed into her softness, parting her with possessive heat, the thin cotton of her panties no barrier.
His thumb smoothed over the crease of her thigh, inciting her to move impatiently . . . but that only rubbed her clitoris against him, further tightening the fist that was her body.

She couldn’t stop the strangely fluid movements of her body—part of her knew what to do, how to do it. “More,” she ordered, nipping at his ear.
“You’re too tight.”
“More.”
Groaning, he slid a second finger inside her and pumped once.
Twice. Pleasure and pain, a stretching ecstasy. Her arousal peaked, hovered there, waiting, waiting… His thumb brushed her clitoris.
Everything exploded.

“Katya,” he said against her ear, trying to draw breath, to not lose himself completely.
Her fingers thrust into his hair. “You feel so good.”
The simple statement, made in that erotically husky voice, stole what small fragments of control he’d had left. Putting one hand on her hip, he pinned her in place as he began to stroke in and out in a hard, steady rhythm that had her clawing at him.

He lifted her with a display of strength that stole her breath. “Legs around my waist.” It was a clipped order.
She obeyed immediately. He rewarded her by sliding into her in a single hard thrust. Her scream echoed off the walls as pleasure short-circuited her body. His hands gripped her bottom, holding her tightly in place as he moved in and out. She clawed at his shoulders, feeling herself hanging on the precipice.
“God damn it!” Dev’s body went taut against her and she knew he’d lost every bit of his steely control.
That was all it took.
Electricity rocked through her, as wild and as hot as the man who held her pinned to the wall in helpless surrender.

She tried to pull away, but only because it amplified the sensations. Dev knew. He used his body to hold her in place, even as his lips insisted she return every kiss, every little bite, every breath.
She gave him all she had.
And still he asked for more.
Melting, she ran the back of one foot over his calf, urging him closer. Her reward was the release of her hands, as his own slid down her back, pulling her up. Instinct had her putting her legs around him in a shockingly intimate embrace, the hottest part of her pressed to the hardest part of him.

“Katya, baby, stop.” It was a groan. “I can’t hold on if you do that.”
She raised her lips to his again, infusing her kiss with every ounce of passion in her. Shuddering, Dev gripped her hard on one hip. “I sure hope you’re ready, sweetheart.”
“Yes, yes!” Crying out as her body stretched around the hard thrust of his entry, she wrapped both legs around his waist. And then she let him lead.
He took her on a ride that eclipsed anything they’d ever before done. Wild, untamed, and vividly physical, they danced. The last thing Katya remembered was seeing Dev’s eyes shimmer gold.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks | Diesel

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Guilty as Sin by Jami Alden

Format: E-bookguiltyassin
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Forever
Hero: Tommy Ibarra
Heroine: Kate Beckett
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: July 30, 2013
Started On: August 1, 2013
Finished On: August 3, 2013

Jami Alden is one of my go-to authors for novels of the romantic suspense variety. She has a style of writing similar to that of authors like Cynthia Eden that makes a book hard to put down. Thus when I came across the publication date of Guilty as Sin which happened to be the 30th of last month, I didn’t hesitate to mark my calender and purchase myself a copy the very day it was released.

33 year old Tommy Ibarra is ex-military, specialized in the weapon of information retrieval amongst other things. 30 year old Kate Beckett is the daughter of a US Senator, working with families of child kidnappings, a calling she had paid heed to after the fateful night 14 years back when her younger brother Michael had been kidnapped and brutally killed. The guilt that Kate has harbored since then proves to be one of the reasons that the budding romance between Tommy, the son of a rancher and Kate had not accounted to much.

When a fresh kidnapping brings an altogether more poised, collected and a professional Kate to Tommy’s hometown once again, the feelings that he had pushed aside into a deep and dark corner of his heart clamors to be let out from its prison and embrace the only woman that Tommy had ever truly loved. However, with the dark shadows that linger between them, reconciliation of the feelings that are very much alive between them is easier said than done, especially when things aren’t what they seem to be and the case puts Kate’s life in danger in more ways than one.

Guilty as Sin is sort of a spin off from the trilogy that featured the books, Beg for Mercy, Hide from Evil and Run from Fear. I remember Tommy making an appearance in one of the books, don’t know which for certain. Tommy is a brooding hunk of a hero with an army tattoo to complete the package. His past run-in with Kate, an altogether younger, softer and a much less cynical version of him had been burnt badly and Tommy is of the mind that nothing would make him take that step towards Kate and claim her as his, no matter how much his body might want him to.

Kate knows she has a lot to apologize for where Tommy is concerned. And though being in close quarters with Tommy is the last thing she wants, Kate finds she has little choice where the matter is concerned, and if truth be told, Kate is as much enamored by the brooding and a much cynical version of the boy she had fallen head over heels in lust and love with all those years ago. But the ugly sword of guilt that she harbors inside of her heart rears its ugly head, especially when the new case brings too close to comfort the memories of a night that has tainted her life so much.

The villain though is twisted as they come is easy to figure out even from the very beginning of the story. Even though that’s the case, the outcome of the story is not affected because Jami certainly knows how to keep the pages turning and the momentum going. I loved Tommy and Kate and felt for both of them, especially Kate who struggles with a lot of dark memories. It is a wonder that she can stand as she does and work so closely with families who are going through something that she herself had gone through with much more terrible an outcome.

The heat between Tommy and Kate is classic Jami Alden, and I say classic because Jami is an author who definitely knows how to turn the heat up.

Recommended for fans of Jami Alden and fans of romantic suspense with heat and twisted villains.

Final Verdict: A villain who’s beyond twisted, a love that defies the most terrible a tragedy & heat of the scorching variety. Jami Alden’s signature shines through & through!

Favorite Quotes

Her memories of Tommy’s kiss, his touch, didn’t come close to what she was feeling now. It was like being thrust into a vortex full of heat and light, where nothing mattered but the taste of him, the soft rasp of his tongue against hers as he tasted every corner of her mouth. She opened her mouth wider, pressed her lips harder, sucked his tongue into her mouth like she was starving for the taste of him.

Then he was there, as deep as he could go, deeper than any other man had ever been.
Tommy Ibarra is inside of me.
That was all it took to send her careening over the edge. Her orgasm hit her with sudden, stunning force. He didn’t even have to move—just the feel of him, buried deep, so big and hard her body could barely contain him, was enough to make her shudder and clench around him as waves of pleasure like nothing she’d ever known poured through her.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

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by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Dark Waters by Toni Anderson

Format: E-bookdarkwaters
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Untitled Series, #2
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Hero: Brent Carver
Heroine: Anna Silver
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: August 6, 2013
Started On: July 29, 2013
Finished On: July 30, 2013

Nearly 40 years old, Brent Carver is an ex-con who is on parole after being served life sentence. Brent likes to keep to himself, living on a remote island that he knows like the back of his hand. Handsome as sin and tempting as they come, Brent is a man tormented by the dark shadows of his past, paying a penance that had seen half of his life spent behind bars.

26 year old Anna Silver is a teacher who likes her life calm and chaos free, something she strives hard to achieve be it even by locking down all her emotions. With a past that is shrouded in darkness that more than explains her ice cold character that is a front for every emotion that she keeps at bay, Anna is not at all prepared to receive the news of the death of her father and the fact that she has to run for her life and rely on the only man that her father trusts to keep her safe.

When Anna turns up on Brent’s doorstep, she unravels all the layers of protection that Brent uses to keep people at bay. The attraction that flares to life between him and his best friend’s daughter is not one that settles well with Brent who is hellbent on keeping her at arm’s distance which works well and fine until Anna discovers that she practically smolders in the presence of Brent and Brent alone and that she would rather burn than turn away from the way he makes her feel.

With merciless killers hunting her down, it is a race against time as Anna tries to figure out the truth behind her father’s message, something that is a tougher challenge given the fact that she has little trust for her father. With the viewpoints of multiple characters in the story told in the 3rd person, Dark Waters by Toni Anderson is a romantic suspense novel that would shake the readers to their very core and is definitely the kind that would make one lose their precious sleep over!

Brent Carver was just the right mix of hot, broody, intense and darkness to melt me from the inside out. And yes, I melted on the spot from the very first encounter with the heady specimen of male he is and never looked back. The sacrifices he made, perhaps through a misguided sense of responsibility for a life that had gone awry when he had been a mere teenager more than makes up for the “crime” that he has been serving more than half of his life for. The beauty and the unleashed passion deep inside of him comes when he lets go & puts paintbrush to paper. His connection to Anna is one that is forged long before Anna even knew of his existence and that is the thread that continues to pull at him and totally eviscerates the walls he has built around himself to keep those whom he cares about at bay.

Anna is a wonderful heroine who has just the right balance to complement a man like Brent. Her nightmares are still vivid and haunts her even though she refuses to acknowledge their existence. But Brent and the sharp shards of awareness that shoots through her with each passing day in his presence makes it near impossible for her to shut him out, and the protection and safety she finds in his arms becomes the soothing balm that seems to heal the old hurts that had never seen the light of day.

Honestly, Dark Waters by Toni Anderson is one of the best romantic suspense novels I have read this year. Toni Anderson completely blew me away with what she has brought to readers with her realistic characters, gritty emotions and the out of this world suspense with enough twists & turns in the story to keep the reader guessing that keeps the momentum going at full throttle. Only thing I missed was an epilogue to give a glimpse into how Brent and Anna fairs later on; its only right to give readers a beautiful epilogue to let the story really seep into the pores and cement the deal in my opinion. Regardless of that little trifling detail, Dark Waters by Toni Anderson comes highly recommended & doesn’t change the fact that it was a read that rocked my world. Fans of romantic suspense who loves the perfect balance in the romance, heat and suspense of the dark edged variety would love this one!

Final Verdict: Dark & gritty with excitement and danger at the turn of each page; Dark Waters is definitely recommended!

Favorite Quotes

A low growl rumbled through his chest and then he was kissing her hard and deep, his tongue tangling with hers in a searing dance. Hunger exploded along her nerves. Her heart hammered. Breath coming in gasps. Her fingers slipped beneath his shirt, sliding over taut hot skin. She felt him shiver even though he made no move to touch her. He was letting her take everything at her speed, giving her the sort of control she usually craved.

“I want you to touch me, Brent. I want you inside me.”
“I am touching you.” He was annihilating her. He let go of her wrists and shifted one hand to torture a beaded nipple. “And I am inside you.” His teeth grazed her neck. Two big fingers plunged deep, the heel of his hand pressing against her clitoris just hard enough to make her explode from the onslaught of sensations. Every nerve blasted like a firework, white light blinding her and she opened her mouth in a silent scream as it went on and on and on.

She held on tight to his shoulders, wanting to touch him, but knowing if she let go, she’d fall, and if she fell, he’d stop touching her.
She did not want him to stop.
One of his hands moved south and eased inside her panties. Her back arched up as he slid one finger inside her. “You’re so fucking hot.”
“For you,” she gasped, and let her head fall back as he moved his finger inside her, then added another, the fullness testing her. She dug her nails into his shoulders. “I want you, Brent.”

Then she started rising up and sliding down and he thought he was going to black out. He couldn’t stand it anymore and gripped her hips and drove deeper, deeper, harder. Grinding against her, wanting to get more inside her so she could swallow him whole. Then she cried out in those small gasps that curled around him and squeezed so tight he could no longer breathe. He let himself go, the hard release catapulting him to the moon as a nuclear explosion of white-hot ecstasy burned his mind, obliterating every thought in his head except this. Except her.

There was nothing gentle this time. No holding back as her body demanded more, fingers biting, ankles digging into his ass. This was therapy. A way of getting off and getting some sleep. It was raw sex on a deserted beach and they both needed it.
He drove her to another orgasm and followed her over the razor’s edge, resting his forehead in the curve of her shoulder as he shattered. Then he carried her into the water and they did it again.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: All on the Line by Emma Jay

Format: E-bookallontheline
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Blackwolf Hot Shots, #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Callaghan Sinclair
Heroine: Jaci Nichols
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: May 15, 2013
Started On: July 26, 2013
Finished On: July 26, 2013

He did something he never thought he’d do.
He kissed one of his crew.

28 year old Callaghan Sinclair (Cal) is the new crew chief of Blackwolf Hot Shots, one of the youngest to be handed over the responsibility of leading a team as such. Cal doesn’t want to screw anything up that might jeopardize his career as a firefighter and thus keeps his distance from the members of his group until the delectable Jaci Nichols walks into his life and changes the rules by which he lives.

All On The Line is a pretty short novella of just about 50+ pages on iBooks. However that doesn’t diminish the heat and at times emotion packed story that Emma Jay delivered. Jaci is a heroine who really surprised me. For one thing, there is no shyness about her when it comes to the carnal pleasures; rather she is not afraid to admit that she is good at certain things that tends to blow Cal’s mind and concentration to pieces.

Jaci has the ability to bring the big and brawny alpha to his very knees and though Cal might try to resist the lure that Jaci presents, it is a game that he has already lost when Jaci proves to be as enticing to him out of bed as she is in it.

Recommended for fans of firefighter heroes, fans of delicious erotica and fans of Emma Jay.

Final Verdict: Hot little number that singes! Emma Jay is an author erotic romance lovers must read!

Favorite Quotes

His cock throbbed, what little blood remained in his head roared past his ears, drowning out all good sense. Looping his arm around her waist, he lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He pushed against her, against her heat. She curved her hands against his face, her mouth hot and eager, her tongue sliding along his, her teeth nipping his lip.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: Trust In Me by Dee Tenorio

Format: E-booktrustinme
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Rancho Del Cielo, #5
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd
Hero: Havelocke Jackman
Heroine: Susie Packard
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: July 23, 2013
Started On: July 13, 2013
Finished On: July 14, 2013

Havelocke Jackman (Locke) is the man who gave up most of his youth and raised six siblings on his own. A man of few words, Locke is someone who is tied down to his hometown of Rancho Diel Cielo.

Lingerie designer and owner of Susie’s Suite Shoppe moves into Rancho Diel Cielo to finally stop running from the demons that haunt her. Putting down roots is something Susie doesn’t believe to be an option available to her. Neither is giving into the answering heat that flares to life in the depths of her soul whenever Locke is around.

From the moment Susie had breezed into town and opened shop right in front of his own, something inside Locke had clicked into place and there had been no going back for him. Now, to convince the stubborn & infuriating woman he had fallen in love with to give them a chance? Well, thats a totally different matter altogether.

With a contemporary setting and told in third person from both Locke and Susie’s points of view, Trust In Me is the 5th book in the Rancho Del Cielo series. It can be read as a standalone.

Trust In Me is a novel that lives up to its name. Its about Susie’s inability to trust – with good reason of course, in anyone being there for her without wanting anything in return. The man who takes up the task is someone who is equally stubborn, maybe even more so because Locke certainly has a way of pushing all her buttons, just by being in the same room as her.

Locke is the dreamiest sort of hero, the type of hero that would make any woman go weak at the knees. A bit growly, a lil bit broody and a whole lot of sexy, his bewilderment at certain times given the situation is as endearing as his patience when it comes to Susie. For Locke, its Susie or no woman at all; for him making her feel the same way about him becomes his life mission, even if it means breaking his own heart in the process.

One thing that continually draws me into Dee’s stories is the thread of acerbic humor that is always a part of her storytelling and Trust In Me is no exception. Don’t get me wrong in thinking that Trust In Me is all light and fluff; hardly that. There are dark bits in the story that stirred something deep inside of me. I flinched while reading some parts, the horrors of what Susie had gone through something no one should be subjected to but is far too common in society for one’s peace of mind.

I’d say Locke’s patience makes the story. If it hadn’t been for his unwavering love for Susie that is tried & tested too many times to count, well lets just say this happily ever after would have gone in a whole different direction then. Sometimes Susie had me wondering whether she would be worth all the hassle of going back and forth and treading lightly where she’s concerned. Well, you gotta read and find out for yourself. If you love intense, broody and over the top protective sort of heroes, Trust In Me is definitely recommended.

Final Verdict: Sass, toe-curling sex and love with a dash of big, broody & hot.

Favorite Quotes

“I love you so much, Locke.” Her eyes, where so many secrets hid, were clear and true, shining with proud tears that wrenched at the scars connecting his heart to his soul. “Only you. Only ever you.”
His mouth crashed down, finding hers through the blinding sensation of his body taking over. He pulled back, thrusting into her to the hilt. No finesse, no thought, just raw, driving instinct. She clung, crying out as her channel spasmed around his cock. He had no idea what he was doing now, lost in the feel of her, the hot, wet clench of their bodies continuing to strain… Whimpers turned to hoarse screams, her arms clamped around his head, her hold as unrelenting as his force.

She jerked in his hold, curving back so far her hair splashed into the water, his name echoing off the walls as she cried for him. Her sheath gripped him, shuddering strokes stealing the last of his restraint, throwing him over the edge with her. He pulsed with her, aware of nothing but the feel of her coming back down into his arms. Her breath, hot and panting against his neck. Soft kisses, soothing kisses. Her hands smoothed into his hair, cradling him as he finally laid his head on her shoulder. He held her too tightly, he knew, but he couldn’t let go.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Mine to Take by Cynthia Eden

Format: E-bookminetotake
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Trace Weston
Heroine: Skye Sullivan
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: June 17, 2013
Started On: June 29, 2013
Finished On: June 30, 2013

Hero: Meet Trace Weston, a man that oozes danger and sex appeal in lethal doses. When he walks into a room, everyone knows. Men are wary of that barely concealed wildness inside of him that has never been fully tamed. When he is on the hunt for the woman who has always been able to mess with his head and make him go uber possessive; then be on the look out. Because Trace is a man who will go down fighting for the woman he loves, the woman who had made all other women pale in comparison since he turned 17 and their worlds had collided that one fateful night.

Heroine: Skye Sullivan, the renowned prima ballerina who harbors a deep and undeniable longing for the man who taught her how destructive a force love and lust can be and left her broken in pieces. Skye has done her darnedest to forget and move on; but then some men are never forgotten are they?

Storyline: Skye is being watched and stalked and she fears that the next time HE finds her, she would never make it out alive. When everyone else refuses to listen to her fears and labels her as merely conjuring stuff out of thin air, Skye turns to the one man she thought she would never ask help from. The minute Skye walks into the plush offices of Weston Securities and sets eyes on an older and a more lethally appealing version of the man who broke her heart, all the feelings that had barely been kept under a leash pulsates back to life back in full force.

There is no turning away from the hunger nor the desire to possess and be possessed. And with the danger relentlessly closing in on her in all directions, Skye has to ask herself the question whether she has entrusted her life to the right man; a man who can still make her or break her if she lets him.

Time Period: Mine to Take has a contemporary setting and takes place in Chicago and New York and is told from both Trace and Skye’s points of view.

Likes: There are some authors who can induce instant lust with their male lead characters and Cynthia Eden is one of them. Trace Weston makes you sit up and take notice the second he enters the equation and there is no going back – ever. He is the uber-alpha type of hero that you envision would one day walk into your life and take you to heaven and beyond. He is the kind of hero that women would throw themselves at because of that intense vibe he exudes, because a woman just knows when a man who can turn her head around walks in.

The way Trace takes care of Skye and is besotted with her is one worth reveling in. I loved the little bits of the shared history between Trace and Skye tucked into the story that made the intense connection that is between them seem that much more real. With the kind of heat that singes and you can’t get enough of, Cynthia Eden has penned another winner with Mine to Take.

This is by no means a light and fluffy read and nor a predictable one. Figuring out who the stalker is takes some doing. There are elements of abuse and a bit of a dark edge to Trace and the whole story that unfolds. I loved the heat, the darkness and the love that is so raw and elemental that is between Trace and Skye. Perhaps a love like their might never materialize in real life but its always a wondrous thing to read about.

I loved the fact that this story captivated me enough to keep burning the midnight oil even when I had work the next day. You can measure a book’s worthiness by how much you are willing to forgo sleep when you know you will regret it the next day.

Dislikes: None.

Recommended for: Those who love dark heroes, hotter than sin sex and fast paced suspense. This is one book that you will not be able to put down.

Final Verdict: Dark & edgy with a passion that sears and a love that defies everything; Mine to Take is a must-read!

Favorite Quotes

His name was a husky murmur from her. Denial and need all tied together.
Her lips were too close. She smelled too good. Sweet vanilla. Good enough to damn well eat.
He took her mouth. Not gently. Not softly. Because he’d never been that kind of guy. Trace knew he wasn’t the tender lover type.
He’d fought for every single thing that he had. He’d keep fighting.

Her bra was tossed across the room.
The cool air hit her nipples, making them go even tighter.
Then his mouth was on her. His mouth wasn’t cool. It was hot. Seeming to singe her and the rasp of his tongue against her nipples felt so good.
She was wet.  She could feel the wetness on her panties, and Skye wanted them gone. She wanted Trace thrusting into her—
“I’ll let your hands go, but don’t move them. I get to touch. I get to taste.”  His hands eased away from hers. “I get to take.”

Release was near, so near—
“Tell me, Skye,” he demanded. A dark note had entered his voice. One that should have made her hesitate. Possessive… fierce… “Only me.”
She hovered on the brink of release.  “Trace, I need more—“
“I’ll give you every fucking thing.”
A zipper hissed down.  He lowered his body against hers.
He thrust into her.
Not easy. Not tentative.
He drove deep, filling her completely, and she stopped being on the brink.

He was hot and hard and strong in her hand.  Moisture gleamed on the head of his arousal, and she knew that just a few more—
“Not that way,” he snarled, the words dark and hard. “In you.”
Her panties ripped.  He lifted her hips.  Her skirt swirled around them. He lifted her—and thrust deep.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Seduction of Samantha Kincade by Maggie Osborne

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Favorite Quotes

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

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

 

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Duchess War by Courtney Milan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Absolutely recommended!

Favorite Quotes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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