January 19, 2013September 25, 2017 by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: Muscle For Hire by Lexxie Couper

Format: E-book muscleforhire
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

April 4, 2012September 25, 2017 by mvbookreviewer

Review: Breaking The Rules by Barbara Samuel

Format: E-book breakingtherules1
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

March 26, 2012September 26, 2017 by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Uncross Your Heart by Taryn Elliott

Format: E-book uncrossyourheart
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Plus-Novel
Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance
Series: Untitled Series, Book 1
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: Nathan Patrick Cross
Heroine: Miranda Jayne Lyons
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: March 23, 2012
Started On: March 24, 2012
Finished On: March 25, 2012

Yep. That’s right people. If you haven’t already heard, I have officially updated my version of the English dictionary to equate the meaning of the word “Temptation” to “Nathan Cross”. And I tell you, I am not kidding!

Nathan Patrick Cross is a tinkerer whose one invention keeps him afloat enough to pursue his day job as a FedEx delivery guy while he tries to come up with a new innovative gadget whose design keeps eluding his best attempts. The one woman he meets along his delivery route, who manages to get under his collar and leaves him all hot and bothered doesn’t even realize he exists. Every single day that had taken him her way on delivery routes leaves him wanting her to look at him and see HIM just once and Nathan is about to become cross-eyed with wanting and frustration on how to go about winning himself the woman he desires.

Miranda Jayne Lyons is a woman on a mission. She wants to bury her past deeper than anyone can dig it up and throw it in her face and she does it with a ruthless efficiency that leaves her little time to mingle with other people, to socialize and put her face out there. Through the not so gentle nudging of her co-worker and friend Max, Miranda decides to step into a club even if its the last place she wants to involuntarily go to.

The man that catches Miranda’s eye turns out to be none other than Nathan and Miranda is more than surprised and a bit appalled to say the least when the man whose touch she craves just after one indecent dance turns out to be her FedEx delivery guy. There is no stopping Nathan from the path he weaves towards Miranda and for Miranda, Nathan poses the biggest risk on her heart and emotions as he slowly wields that magic of his around her and brings those walls of steel around her heart tumbling down until she is left reeling from it all.

But the secrets that Miranda hides are far too many, and her hesitancy in sharing them with the man who quickly turns out to mean everything to her breaks the fragile connection and the burgeoning feelings between them until this time it is Miranda who must face her fears and pursue Nathan to show him that with him she becomes the Miranda that she wants to be and loves.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that Taryn Elliot won’t woo you with Uncross Your Heart just because it is her debut novel. Far from that. I was pulled into the story from page one, heck, lets just say from the minute I met Taryn and learned that she is the critic partner of many other great authors out there, I knew instinctively that she would be someone to keep an eye out on. And I was proved right when Uncross Your Heart turned out to be a novel that delivered on every aspect of what I look for when I read a contemporary romance.

Nathan Cross. I can’t even say his name without going into an endless sighing session. He is the best thing about this story and believe me, there were so many good things about this whole novel. The way Taryn brought him to life, adding those little nuances to his character, his charming and easy-going manner, that bottomless gray eyes of his that I won’t mind staring into for a couple of centuries or so – needless to say Nathan charmed my socks off right from the very minute he entered into the story. His utter focus when it comes to Miranda and above all his patience – someone out there should give out Nobel Prizes for patience and I am sure he would come out a winner and with flying colors too! There is not a single thing I would change about the man, maybe except wish for him to turn up as my birthday present tonight at 00:00 hours sharp? Sigh! Well, a girl can always hope.

There were so many fascinating characters that brings life to the story as it unfolds. Miranda’s colleagues and Nathan’s whole family and believe me, if you read Uncross Your Heart, you would want to read all their stories. I am especially keeping my eye on Noah and his broody character – he seems like a guy who would give this old heart of mine a jolt or two if he ever were to get his own story. And yes, I am looking right at you Taryn. You can’t leave a gal hanging after creating so much havoc with my emotions and all.

Miranda is one complex character and she is the driving force behind the story, the secrets that she keeps close to her heart the cause of the rift between herself and the man who as she puts it is her worst nightmare and fondest wish all wrapped up in one. From the minute she is forced to open her eyes and look, and I mean really look at Nathan, she is a goner. And for someone like Miranda whose past makes her susceptible to all sorts of wild behavior, or so she thinks, needless to say Miranda would rather bury her head in the sand and forget that Nathan Cross exists.

But her desire for a man who kisses her senseless, a man who holds himself back because he wants just more than mindless fucking from a woman with whom he would like to base his future on is a temptation that is too hard for even Miranda to resist. The passion that burns between them is of the scorching variety and my God, can Taryn turn on the heat? I couldn’t get enough of the many a variety of scenes, all with that emotional pull that just makes you go all gooey on the insides and warm in places that one would rather not mention. And I loved it all!

What drew me in the most and held my attention was how real both Nathan and Miranda were as they tried to forge a path together towards their ultimate happily ever after. There is no easy road for someone like Miranda to take when she tries to flee from her past, to forget that she ever was that person she is so ashamed of rather than accepting that her past would always be a part of herself and the person she has shaped up to be. Through a lot of soul searching and a painful period of separation from Nathan she does eventually get there and I believe that Nathan and Miranda’s love for each other to be that much stronger because of the fact.

A FANTASTIC debut novel from an author who shows remarkable talent – I simply could not get enough!

Give Uncross Your Heart a shot if you love emotionally gripping and sensual contemporary romances. This is a book that definitely caters to every whim and then some. And if you are like me, you would not be disappointed!

Favorite Quotes

He stilled at her laughter. It was rich and sexy, dark and playful. Something he’d never heard out of her mouth. His vision blurred for a second when she dragged his shirt up enough for their skin to touch. Then she gave up on getting the shirt off and latched on to his mouth again. He groaned as the heat of her skin blazed against his.

A long, low moan reverberated through her chest and into him. He sucked harder, flicking his tongue around the tiny pink tip. She was in the shadows cast by the late-day sun, leaving him little choice but to learn her by touch. He found the water-soft curve of her breast, running his tongue along the heaviest part of her until she filled his mouth. “More,” he murmured, shifting her higher until his teeth scraped along her ribs.

She shut her eyes, digging her fingers into his shoulders as she slid herself down his length. He couldn’t quite stop the quick shout of pleasure as her knees clamped his hips, crowding around him with her warmth. He wanted to hold her there, to drown in her, but she was already moving. She lifted herself higher and he took the clue and sucked her elegant neck, drawing in her scent as she took him inside her again.

She twisted her hips in time to his rhythm, riding his hand. He couldn’t stop himself from dipping inside her heat, groaning when she coated his fingers, his palm—just, God, he wanted all that around him again.

He cupped her cheek, the muscles of his forearm burning with the slow thrusts inside her. “You’re beautiful.” Unable to have even a few inches between them, he caught her mouth, swallowing her moans. Cheek to cheek, he dragged in her scent. Murmuring her name, he held her as she broke.

She turned into his mouth again and her taste bloomed on his tongue. His stroking gentled until he pulled his hand free, cradling her close. No ghosts, no false starts, just them.

He was her worst nightmare and fondest wish all wrapped up in a damn Boy Scout.

His hair was especially mussed. So much so that her fingertips tingled with the need to grab and plunder the curls and let her mouth work the wicked quirk of his lips that verged on a smile. But it was his eyes that hit her the hardest. A settled gray that would forever be stamped Happy Place in her mind.

Instead of relying on technique she looked for cues that were individual to the man—her man—the quickening of his breath, a sighing moan and the grip of his fingertips on her hip. Her body listened to his and learned what was right instead of what her experience said should work. And in its place they became a dreamy roll of fluid exploration.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Ellora’s Cave

March 19, 2012September 26, 2017 by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Best Man by Maggie Osborne

Format: Hardcover thebestman
Read with: Hardcover
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Hero: Dal Frisco
Heroine: Fredrick Roark
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: January 1, 1998
Started On: March 17, 2012
Finished On: March 18, 2012

The Best Man is a novel that is going to be hard to review, not because it wasn’t a splendid read in all the ways that counts. It is going to be difficult to put into words just how much the story affected me, how the characters that were brought to life in front of my eyes continued to worm their way into my heart and later on etched themselves onto my very soul to stay there for the time to come. As I have said before and I will continue to say this, Maggie Osborne is an author who is one of a kind. She delivers romances that takes you to place you rarely get to go and she gives you a story that you can sink your teeth into and cannot let go!

Joe Roark, owner of the King’s Walk Ranch dies leaving behind 3 daughters and his fourth wife a widow. Each of them grapples with the astounding will that Joe leaves which dictates that his daughters prove their mettle before they are to receive their due inheritance. If that fails to be the case, all the sweat and hard work that Joe had put into building his ranch would be in vain and would be handed over to a wife that he detested more than he did his daughters.

A man who only wanted sons and got saddled with daughters, Joe refused to let his daughters forget their place in the world. Alexander Roark Mills (Alex), Fredrick Roark (Freddy) and Lester Roark (Les); the 3 daughters whom he had pampered in his way and each of whom had disappointed him in one way or the other suddenly finds themselves tasked with driving a herd of longhorns to the market in Abilene, Kansas.

Dal Frisco is a man who is looking for a second chance, a chance to turn his life around and achieve his dream of owning his own spread in Montana. To do that, he needs cold hard cash and the news of the infamous will Joe left to his daughters pave the way for him to do exactly just that. What he doesn’t bargain for is to find daughters who look like the high strung type who carry smelling salts in their fringed wrist purses who look and behave as if they have never engaged in an honest day of work in their whole lives. But even then, Freddy with her dark hair and green eyes catch him unawares with the bolt of desire that strikes him upon the very first time their eyes meet.

For Dal, the success of the mission ahead hinges on his ability to prepare the 3 women to face and cope with the challenges of being on the road, to actively take part in delivering the herd in the exact number their father has stipulated in the will. But the number of foes who want nothing more than to see them fail work from within to bring chaos and mayhem to their venture. And through it all, the 3 sisters continue to discover the hard truths about themselves, become better women and go on to form a bond with each other that would remain unshaken till death does them apart.

Labeling The Best Man as the story in which Freddy and Dal discover each other and fall in love would not do justice to a story that is so very much more. The Best Man brings to life the characters of 3 sisters who had grown up trying to compete and outdo each other during their childhood, each resenting the other for one thing or the other. And later when adolescence had hit, the 3 of them had found themselves going their separate ways, never forging a connection befitting that of sisters. Alex elopes while Freddy sets off to embrace her dream of performing in a theater which drives a further wedge between the sisters. Les, the youngest is the one who stays behind, who feels betrayed when her father brings home a wife that disrespects everything they stand for.

For 3 people who have never tried working as a team or have never worked hard a day in their life, the training and the pace that Dal sets serves to be sheer torture. But Dal is the man who forces them to force out their inner strength, to straighten that backbone of steel that each sister has in spades, to embrace the true hidden characteristics within each of them that makes them such appealing characters. Each of them has their own fair share of faults, fears and dreams. And learning about each of them was a journey in itself and I loved every minute of it.

The men who enter into their lives are nor less appealing. Dal plays the most prominent role and he is the stuff that pure alpha men are made out of. He is strong, stubborn, has that inner qualities that makes him a good leader. But he is not without his fair share of faults either. A recovering alcoholic, Dal battles his inner demons day in and day out and the focus shifts from his desire for the drink to his need for a woman that sets his senses afire by merely just existing. Freddy drives him crazy in more ways than one and though Dal might try to tell himself otherwise, Freddy invades his heart and his soul before he is even aware of it happening.

Alex was one of the most complex characters in the story. With a past that portrays her as the most tortured soul in the story, Alex is a character that rouses equal amounts of sympathy and admiration in the reader. At first she comes across as a snob who later transforms into a woman who is able and willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that she and her sisters get what is entitled to them. How Alex discovers love, forgiveness and the courage to move on in one of the most unlikely heroes to crop up put a huge lump in my throat and made me ache in ways I cannot explain. If it is only to discover Alex and the magical transformation she undergoes in this story, it is worth getting yourself a copy of The Best Man.

Les is the sister who has problems with asserting herself. The one who enters into a relationship with an abusive fiance and believes it to be her due. The sister who has the hardest time in putting one foot in front of the other and taking the next step. The one who continually faces the dilemma of doing the right thing and choosing the easy way out. And hers was a story that I read all the while wanting to infuse her with the strength to move on, to be able to stand up and give as good as she gets. And she does get there eventually, surprising herself more than anyone else by just how far she has come by the time the story ends.

Freddy is the dreamer, the one who envisions life as a stage set for acting and she plays the lead role. One hard bump after the other and the tough lessons day in and day out teaches her to face reality, forces her to come crashing down into the world of living rather than continue to walk the Earth with her head up in the clouds. Her desire for Dal is one that catches her by surprise, her innocence the factor that lures her towards a man who shakes her up and tosses her into a maelstrom of desire that she cant shake lose from.

With Maggie Osborne, you never get a simple straightforward story. She takes you on a journey filled with twists and turns, ups and downs, traversing through roads that brings joy as much as peril comes seeking you out and later on at the end you emerge victorious from all the hard labor you have toiled in, which in the end transforms your reading experience into something wondrous that you won’t forget anytime soon.

Recommended for fans of Maggie Osborne. If you have never read a Maggie Osborne, you are definitely missing out!

Favorite Quotes

His mouth came down on hers hard and hot and deliberate. His kiss was so unexpected that Freddy went limp in his arms with shock. She didn’t fight or protest, couldn’t move or breathe. No one had ever kissed her like this, selfishly, unemotionally, taking with no thought of giving. This kiss was hungry, domineering, something that seared and scorched physically and left her mind reeling.

He kissed her then, not gently, not tenderly. He didn’t kiss her to comfort her. He took her mouth hungrily, almost savagely, wanting to punish her for having a body that tormented him, for telling him that his last kiss had meant nothing, needed to punish her for letting scum like Jack Caldwell call her honey, and for ever thinking about a man who wasn’t him.

He found her breasts with his hands and dropped his lips to her arching throat, tasting dust and woman sweat and a trace of something that reminded him of apples. She tore his shirt at the throat, ripping it downward, and slipped her hands inside, her fingers like brands of fire across his skin. One minute she was straddling him, the next minute he’d fallen on top of her. It was like a dam had burst within them both, releasing a flood tide of desire and urgency. And God help him, he would have taken her right there on the ground with a stampede winding down a hundred yards behind him.

For a long moment they gazed at each other, and Freddy felt her mouth go dry and her heartbeat accelerate. If the evening ended right now, she would still remember this moment for all her days. The music, the perfume of the flower baskets, and the hard look of desire in Dal’s eyes.

“Dal … Dal …” Mindlessly, she whispered his name as his kisses deepened and became possessive and deliberate. But slow. Exploring. Teasing. Never quite enough. Kisses that drank desire from her mouth and left her frantic with wanting, wanting, wanting.

Winding her arms close around his neck, she closed her eyes. To be embraced, safe in a man’s arms when she had never expected it to happen again, this would be enough.
Time sheltered their embrace, enfolding them within a summer scented capsule that felt endless and theirs alone. The fragrance of grass and sunlight and nearby water sweetened each breath. Theirs was the music of birds ans the lazy buzz of insects and the beating of two hearts. Yes, she thought, she didn’t need more. This would be enough.

This time his kiss was full and provocative, summoning sensations she had believed, had hop, were submerged too deeply to be awakened. But his fingers on her face, his mouth, his lips, stirred slumbering emotions and coaxed them to life. His hands moved to cup her head, to spread across her spine, and he crushed her against him as their kisses deepened.

He molded her body to his and another gasp tore at her throat. She had never expected to be held in a man’s arms again. Hadn’t dared to hope that she would ever stand chest to chest, hip to hip with a man who desired her. She had truly believed lovemaking was a pleasure she would never again experience in her lifetime. That was her choice and destiny.
His hands moved from her waist to her face, and he kissed the tears shining on her cheeks and eyelids. “I love you,” he whispered. “I have loved you from the moment I saw you.”

“You are so beautiful,” he breathed. Standing over her, rampant in the moonlight, he gazed down at her body. “You are as lovely and as perfect as I imagined you would be.”
Afraid to believe, afraid to trust, she dared a look at him and felt her heart wrench when she read his expression and understood that she truly was whole and beautiful in his eyes. She was a magnificent to him as he was to her.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Abe Books

March 14, 2012September 26, 2017 by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: Tactical Deception by J.L. Saint + Giveaway!

Format: E-book tacticaldeception
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Silent Warrior #2
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd.
Hero: Lt. Col. Roger Weston
Heroine: Maryam Dalton
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: March 13, 2012
Started On: March 12, 2012
Finished On: March 13, 2012

It feels like I have spent ages pining for the release of this much awaited second book in the Silent Warrior series by J.L. Saint. Book 1 in the series Collateral Damage was an eye opening novel filled with drool inducing yummy military heroes and depicts the constant battle that they and the world at large fight in combating terrorism and its ill effects on the whole world. J.L. Saint is one of those authors who gets the details right, someone who doesn’t ‘judge’ in the way she presents a story that is bound to be gone over with a fine-tooth comb by those that would have a hard time believing that any author would be able to paint ‘terrorists’ in a way that doesn’t offend someone who is a Muslim. Having read book 1 in the series, I trusted J.L. Saint to handle the story of Lt. Col. Roger Weston and the beautiful Maryam Dalton (Mari) with the same grace and poise as she did for Collateral Damage and she did just that, leaving me wanting more of the same as I read through the last pages.

39 year old Roger Weston is still paying the price for the hit his team had taken in Lebanon, the guilt of what had gone down and rendered 24 year old Maryam Dalton (Mari) a pregnant widower something that Roger can’t shake himself loose from. Making the situation doubly dangerous is the fact that he desires Mari above and beyond any reason, something that he berates himself for over and over again knowing deep in his heart that if Mari were ever to find the truth behind her husband’s death, she would never look at him in the same way again.

Mari might be pregnant and devout in her faith that had been her way of life even long after she had escaped the land where she had grown up in driven to escape the injustice of being blamed for something she had no power over, but the fact that she desires a man she has no right over is one that continues to taunt her. Mari would like nothing better than to bury her head in the sand and forget that Roger Weston exists, but it seems easier said than done as Roger and his piercing blue eyes continue to haunt her in dreams of the vivid and erotic variety, and it doesn’t make things any easier when Roger sticks by her side to protect her from an enemy who is relentless in his need to see Mari take her last breathe in this world.

When shit hits the fan in more ways than one, Roger and his team are scrambling left and right trying to make sense of a series of sniper attacks which occur simultaneously at different locations in the US, leaving an abject terror gnawing deep inside of everyone. Amidst all the attacks and confusion, Mari’s estranged family makes an appearance, throwing both Roger and Mari into a situation that is fraught with danger from all sides, and it is through sheer luck, God’s will and a whole lot of prowess on Roger’s side that these two find themselves free from their captives, ready to surrender to the desire that is always such a visceral part of their relationship.

Tactical Deception is a complex novel comprised of multiple layers and characters that lend a richness to the story that just begs you to keep on reading. There are few authors in my eyes who can juggle so many characters effectively without the book sounding like a narrative of each and every single attribute of the multi-faceted characters that are introduced and play a vital role in the story. And I believe J.L. Saint to be one who is able to deliver on all accounts and I couldn’t get enough of each and every character that I came across and learned to love as I was pulled deeper into a story that was filled with action, angst and red hot loving till the very last page.

Tactical Deception is not just the story of how Roger and Mari, two very different people in their upbringing as well as their beliefs and culture find that special someone in each other to spend the rest of their lives with. It is a story that shows the true meaning of the word “terrorism”, the terror that one can instill in your heart if you plan that carefully, if you let hate encroach and encompass the whole of your heart until it is just sheer madness that controls all your actions and emotions. It is a realistic portrait of the condition that J.L. Saint creates so vividly that I always found myself holding my breathe in, unable to believe what was happening, but at the same time knowing deep inside of me that this could indeed turn out to be the reality of tomorrow.

I would say this now and I would say this tomorrow, but I do appreciate how well J.L. Saint paints the picture of a devout Muslim who is torn between her beliefs towards Allah and her desires for a man that goes completely against the teachings of a religion that preaches modesty of the self above everything else. But reality in life is that even the most devout when tempted beyond anything they have ever faced before succumbs, and there was a beauty in the way that Mari gives herself over to Roger, a man who above everything else respects the woman he would lay down his very life for.

Roger is a hero that would be hard NOT to fall in love with. He is a warrior with a deep sense of always doing the right thing ingrained in him that it is with a heavy heart that he faces his unrelenting desire for the very last woman he should be lusting after. Even when Mari and the way she covers her beauty from him drives him crazy, I fell irrevocably in love with him the moment Roger showed just how much he respected the woman he loves above anything else in this world. Roger recognizes the woman who hides herself in the shrouds of her abaya, her wants, needs and the desire that burns deep inside of her to embrace freedom, to give her unborn babies all that she had been deprived of when she had been growing up.

Woven into the story of such complex emotions is plenty of action to pump up one’s adrenaline levels and J.L. Saint pulls no punches in delivering scenes that practically explode all over the page, that drives you to the edge of your seat time and yet again and I loved and reveled in every single minute of the experience.

As much as I loved Roger and Mari’s story, I absolutely adored the secondary romance that took place between Angie and Rico that burned up a few pixels on my iPad and a few of my brain cells while they were at it. Their explosive chemistry, the way Rico could not think straight whenever Angie was around, and the bittersweet ending that Angie and Rico faced at the end of this novel just made me want to cry and howl at the injustice of it all. I don’t think I can adequately put into words just how much I want their story next, and yes this goes out as a plea to you Ms. Saint to hurry along and give readers their story before we all get into a tizzy from all the anticipation and waiting around.

As I said earlier, so many fascinating characters that I have a feeling would make for unbelievable stories of their own and I can’t wait to see the journey that Ms. Saint would take us on in a series which I hope and pray would continue to have a lot more books than just these two. With non-stop action, red hot scorching passion that revs up your engines unlike anything else, there is nothing more you can ask from a novel such as this one.

Tactical Deception is a story that goes straight to your blood. Its chills, curdles, pumps and revs it up in equal doses and you just wont get enough!

Favorite Quotes

… war fucks everybody without discretion …

She [Angie] looked at the plate he’d set down. “You’re not hungry?”
“I’m starving. Hungrier than I’ve ever been in my entire life.” He’d waited for weeks for the right time and even though it was the worst timing possible, he couldn’t wait a second more.
Her jaw dropped as he took her plate from her wobbly grip.
“I, uh, am in desperate need of a shower.”
“Me too,” he whispered, then leaned in and pressed his mouth to her lush lips. She opened immediately for him, inviting his tongue and more as she sighed and sank closer against him. He thrust deep into her mouth, tasting the spicy sauce, tasting her, and plundered for more as pleasure washed over him like a benediction from heaven.

Looking down she arched her back, giving him more. His tanned complexion against her milky, slightly freckled skin was visually stark and sexually exciting. She watched as his mouth claimed her other nipple, stroking it with his tongue, and her vision blurred as he rhythmically rocked his erection against her sex.
Hot, damp, desperate, she braced herself with her hands on his knees behind her and met him thrust for thrust, pushing hard. Breathing as heavy as he was, she trembled with the flash fire of passion overtaking them both.

The waistbands of her jeans and panties only made it to her knees before Rico spread open her sex and planted a tongue lashing right on the swollen nub of her core. Wave after wave of fiery pleasure burned through her in an explosive rush to an orgasm that rocked her world because it was so good, but it wasn’t enough. She didn’t have Rico inside her. She didn’t have his arms around her. She couldn’t look into the drowning depths of his eyes. She pulled on his good arm, feeling his body trembling with his desire. “I need you now. More than ever before I need you inside me now. Please.”

Her sheath clamped his erection like a burning fist as her body demanded he follow her over the edge. Physically that was already happening. Big time. He was buried all the way in with his balls kissing her sweet ass as the biggest orgasm of his life blew his mind. He literally saw stars. But it didn’t end there. Emotionally and spiritually she was sucking him into her and he was driving harder and harder to get there himself as his gaze locked with hers. She grabbed his heavy necklace and pulled his mouth to hers, demanding and claiming, giving no quarter. They rode out the pleasure, wave after wave, milking every drop of it together with moans, touches, tiny thrusts, and sealing it all with an endless kiss that left him breathless—soulless—everything-less. She stole it all.

[Roger] “Do you know how amazingly beautiful you are to me?”
“As beautiful as you are to me.” She slid her gaze down then back up with one of those secret smiles that played havoc with a man’s mind.
He shook his head. “Nah, I couldn’t be, because you’d be insane with your need to just watch me. You’d ache every moment to just touch me. Your nights would be consumed with dreams of me and you’d live every moment just to love me.”

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

GIVEAWAY!! GIVEAWAY!!

Author J.L. Saint is giving away an e-copy of Tactical Deception to one lucky commenter on this post. All you have to do to enter is to tell us who your most favorite fictional military hero is. So easy right?

Please state a valid e-mail address as a way to contact you if you are the winner. And remember, this is open INTERNATIONALLY, so don’t be shy ;-)

If you can help spread the word, you do earn extra points. Tweet about it and earn 5 extra entries, recommend this review and giveaway on Facebook and earn another 5 extra entries. And if you do either, don’t forget to leave the link of your tweet or recommendation on Facebook for me to verify.

Giveaway will open at 00:00 hours on March 14, 2012 Maldivian time and ends at 00:00 hours on March 16, 2012 Maldivian time. Maldivian timezone is GMT+5!

If you love action packed romantic suspense with larger than life military heroes, I dare you to enter. This is one book that won’t disappoint.

March 12, 2012September 26, 2017 by mvbookreviewer

Review: If You See Her by Shiloh Walker

Format: E-book ifyouseeher
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: The Ash Trilogy #2
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Hero: Remington Jennings
Heroine: Hope Carson
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: January 31, 2012
Started On: March 9, 2012
Finished On: March 10, 2012

If You See Her by Shiloh Walker is book 2 in her Ash Trilogy, book 1 of which entitled If You Hear Her crept the bejesus out of me and introduced a whole lot of characters that certainly piqued my interest on more levels than one.

The small town of Ash, Kentucky with a population of 8,312 is rocked by the series of vicious murders happening in their own backyard. The whole town is shocked to say the least and the last round of violence in which Hope Carson is suspected to have beaten up her best friend Law Reilly and then nearly gone on to kill herself which shocks the District Attorney Remington Jennings (Remy) more than he lets on.

From the moment Remy had laid eyes on Hope and her beautiful eyes filled with a fear and pain that pains him and makes every protective instinct within him want to embrace her and keep her safe, Remy knows that he wouldn’t have an easy time out of prosecuting the one woman who rouses the very primal instincts deep inside of him.

Hope is a woman who has been on the run for the past 2 years from her ex-husband. Scared and jittery as she might be, the one thing Hope vows is to never return to her ex-husband because living in the darkness that had been their marriage with no way out of it is not an experience that Hope wants to repeat. Hope doesn’t want or need a man in her life, and the merest thought of even getting close to someone of the opposite sex leaves her with a bad taste in her mouth. But Remy, the man who nearly arrests her for a crime she is innocent of is the one man to whom she has a difficulty showing her indifferent side to.

If You See Her is an installment in the series that contains very little of the elements of suspense that made book 1 such a hit towards the end. I missed the presence of the creepy killer and craved to know more about him because Shiloh has certainly done a swell job of creating his character, leaving the readers practically tied up in knots trying to guess as to who the killer could be. So needless to say, when the killer didn’t make much of an appearance in the story I felt cheated out just a bit.

Rather than focusing on the suspense element, the novel delves deeper into the growing relationship between Hope and Remy and continues to reveal the different facets of the multitude of characters that bring this trilogy to life. There are family problems, there are problems between friends, and then there is the budding romance between Remy and Hope where Remy forces himself to tread very carefully in order to win a woman who has seen more than her fair share of violence and depravity.

The moment I fell in love with Remy was a bizarre one. It was the moment that Remy let Hope take the lead role in emerging as an independent woman, a person who is more than capable of starting out on her own even if fear continues to walk right along with her on her quest to assert herself. It was how Remy went against his instincts and let Hope do her thing, let her be herself and let her come out of the shell she had hidden herself in to emerge as a woman who is breathtaking as she revels in the freedom that being with Remy brings her that I knew Remy was definitely the man for Hope.

It is always a must to appreciate how Shiloh brings the passion between her characters to life, and I reveled in every minute of how Remy and Hope finds that special someone in each other and forges that deep connection with each other that made me just a teeny bit envious even as I rejoiced in their love.

If the suspense element had been more, if the pace of the story had been just a tad faster, I would have definitely enjoyed this a lot lot more. But having said that, If You See Her is still a decent addition to a trilogy of which the last book I have already started on in my quest to get acquainted with the killer and finally find out who Shiloh has so masterfully created and hidden in plain sight so very well.

Recommended for fans of the series and fans of Shiloh Walker.

Favorite Quotes

This was the absolute last woman on earth he should want—she was trouble, in so many ways. She was troubled, and that was just one of the reasons he didn’t need this.
This was the absolute last woman on earth he wanted to want—she just plain and simple was trouble—he could feel that in his bones.
And yet, as he stared into those big, green eyes, he did want.
Hell, did he want.

One kiss, he told himself.
Just one easy, quick kiss.
He had plenty of control.
He could control his temper, his hunger, his …
Her mouth opened under his and she met his kiss with shy, sweet hesitation.
Remy felt like the very ground had crumbled under his feet.
Oh, hell.

He pushed up onto his heels and then pulled her up against him, one hand cradling the nape of her neck, the other splayed wide over her back. His mouth came down on hers and right before he kissed her, he muttered, “Fuck, you’re going to drive me insane, I know it.”
Then his mouth crushed down onto hers. His taste was different—darker.
Her, she realized. He tasted of her.

Man, she loved the way Remy smelled. Male … warm. Expensive. Idly, she noticed the same scent was on her, now. It was the soap he used. She’d discovered that in the shower when she lathered up with it. The smell was borderline intoxicating on him, not so much on her. Absently, she stroked her hands up and down his sides.
“Hope, you’re making it very hard for me to have a conversation here.”
“Hmmm?” Tipping her head back, she glanced at him through her lashes, saw that he had a look on his face that was rapidly growing familiar.
That lovely blue was heated, his lashes low over his eyes. And she found herself wanting to push up on her toes and tug his head down close enough to kiss him.

Then he kissed her again. When he licked her through the silk, she moaned. Catching the fabric, he tugged it aside and licked her again. “Hot … fuck, yeah, you’re hot.”
Hope shuddered and fisted her hands in his hair again. But this time, she tugged him closer, gasping out his name.
He smiled against her and then proceeded to do to her what she’d been doing to him from the first time he’d laid eyes on her—driving him out of his fucking mind.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | BoB | Book Depository

February 29, 2012September 26, 2017 by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Run from Fear by Jami Alden

Format: E-book runfromfear
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Trilogy, Book 3
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Hero: Jack Brooks
Heroine: Talia Vega
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: March 1, 2012
Started On: February 25, 2012
Finished On: February 28, 2012

Run from Fear by Jami Alden is the much coveted 3rd book in the untitled trilogy that showcases Jami’s remarkable ability in delivering romantic suspense the way we readers crave them. Anyone who has read the 1st book in the series entitled Beg for Mercy would have encountered the larger than life Jack Brooks and definitely craved to learn more about the man behind the intimidating figure. I belong in the said group and when I saw this title up for grabs at Netgalley, I quickly seized my chance get my hands on a copy. Though I was disappointed in the book when compared to the previous 2 books in the series, Jami Alden still manages to deliver a decent romantic suspense that makes for a none too shabby a read.

Talia Vega is slowly making a life for herself in an affluent corner of California, having survived one of the most horrific incidents a woman can ever go through. Two years of her life spent in hiding with her younger sister Rosario in tow means that Talia appreciates the freedom that life has offered her with the death of the man who had made her a slave of his in every way. Talia’s regrets in life are many, and the way she looks at herself and comes up lacking is one of the many scars left behind with many more, some of them even physical in nature. Talia’s only aim is to give her sister everything she has got to give and though she feels those tendrils of unease coursing through her every now and then, she lets them slide through never knowing that her days of enjoying peace, serenity and order in her life are quite numbered.

Jack Brooks is ex-military and works in the security business. From the moment Jack had encountered the sexy siren version of Talia, Jack had been a goner. And watching Talia pick up the pieces of her tattered life and come out fighting the demons that must haunt her just makes Jack feel emotions of a stronger nature towards a woman who already has him on a dangerous edge. Jack stays on the sidelines, never letting Talia know just how much he is affected by her, and only re-enters her life 2 years later in order to severe the ties that binds him to her, or so he tells himself.

But so it happens, danger is never too far from Talia and Rosario and once again Talia is the focus of a stalker who would stop at nothing to complete a legacy that he claims to be rightfully his. Jack once he learns of the danger is as unmovable as a ton of steel and whether Talia wants it or not, Jack is around to stay until he can once again breathe easy, knowing that Talia and Rosario would remain safe from the clutches of mad men.

As always, Jami Alden does a superb job out of creating a villain, whose vicious thoughts alone is enough to give a person the shivers of the bad variety. But knowing who the villain was right from the very start somehow stole all the glory from the suspense aspect of the story, though the nature of the villain’s fascination with Talia and how he goes about securing access to Talia is one that was splendid.

Talia was a tough nut to crack. Though she is beautiful, smart and independent, she has a lot of self esteem issues, understandable when throughout her life men had deceived and made use of her. Talia is not ready for a relationship, especially not with someone like Jack who makes her feel uncomfortable and tingly all over, all at the same time. Talia is cautious with whom she gives her trust, and comes across as a bitch sometimes and makes life pretty much miserable for Jack who adores the very path that she walks on. And maybe it was because of that reason that I couldn’t like Talia much though she makes for a strong heroine in most of the ways.

Now, Jack Brooks is the type of hero that I salivate over all the time. I like larger than life heroes and Jack is one of them whose sheer size is in direct contrast with his gentle nature. He has “knight in shining armor” syndrome, something that had been triggered due to the abuse he had witnessed and gone through as a child. And when it comes to Talia, Jack’s over protectiveness is something to behold, his utter lack of control around Talia something to be savored. His gentleness around Talia who is skittish as a newborn colt when it comes to expressing sexual desire was one of the best aspects of his character. I totally fell for him because Jack is a man who is willing to do anything, and I mean literally anything to be with the woman he loves, to protect and cosset her and give her the life that he feels she deserves.

So, even though certain elements within the story didn’t work that well for me, Run from Fear still made for a great read, Jack Brooks’ character the reason I am bumping the rating from the “good read” range to the “great read” range.

Recommended for fans of the series and fans of Jami Alden. Jami certainly knows how to deliver on heroes that would appeal to the female readers and Jack Brooks is no exception.

Favorite Quotes

[Jack] “Don’t kid yourself for a fucking second that I don’t feel anything for you.”
Her lips parted in shock, but before she could get a word out, he covered them with his own. She made a high, startled sound in the back of her throat.
Pleasure, red, blinding, exploded through him at the first taste. Sweet, spicy, better than all his fevered imaginings. Her lips soft and giving against him, her tongue delicious and moist as he sucked it into his mouth.

She couldn’t deny him anything. She reached behind her and unhooked the bra, leaving breasts completely bare to his stroking hands.
Her mouth sought his, licking, sucking, leaning into his touch as she tried to tell him without words how much she wanted him, needed him. How desperate she was for his touch, how she’d needed him, needed this, all along and hadn’t even realized it.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | BoB | Book Depository

February 19, 2012September 26, 2017 by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Catch Me by Jennifer Probst

Format: E-book catchmejp
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: 1 Night Stand, #89
Publisher: Decadent Publishing Company, LLC
Hero: Rick Steele
Heroine: Tara Denton
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: February 16, 2012
Started On: February 18, 2012
Finished On: February 18, 2012

CATEGORY	SCORE	GRADE
The hero	85	A
The heroine	85	A
Story line	90	A
Emotional Intensity	80	A
Story’s ability to suck me in	90	A
Heat & Sensuality	95	A
Conflicts within the story	90	A
Writing Style	95	A
Quotable Factor	80	A
The Ending	80	A
Overall Grade	87	A

Score Sheet Summary

Jennifer Probst always tells a good story. That unbeatable combination of likable characters, searing heat and sensuality that just melts you right on the spot and beneath all that her ability to convey the story that she has to tell is one of the reasons why I flat-out adore her books.

Catch Me is a very short and quick read that is part of the 1 Night Stand series from Decadent Publishing. Rick Steele is a man who refuses to allow himself to acknowledge that he is lonely, that he misses that elusive something which he doesn’t want to name. Rick allows himself to be talked into indulging in a one night stand, arranged by the infamous Madame Evangeline’s 1Night Stand dating service.

Tara Denton is a woman who has been scarred both on the inside and the outside by her previous boyfriend. Looking for a man who would teach her to look beyond the fear that cripples her whenever she tries to initiate physical intimacy, Tara doesn’t envision the “Thor” like personality that obliterates everything else that surrounds her to be the man to break past her barriers.

Their attraction towards one another is an immediate one that brings down the walls of resistance that Tara has built around herself. But one thing remains certain in Tara’s mind even as she gives herself over to the man whose tender, demanding and evocative touch brings her pleasure beyond anything she has imagined; that come morning she would leave because she doesn’t want to be beholden to any man ever again.

It was seeing Rick through Tara’s eyes that made me fall for him – big time. From the moment Tara envisioned Thor, I was hooked line and sinker. Tara’s vulnerability reached out to me from the very beginning and I wanted all good things for her, things I knew that Rick would be able to give her once she gave herself up to his magical touch. And Rick did that and much more, giving her the space she needed in order to believe in herself and her ability to be loved and desired by a man who wanted to love and cherish her until death does them apart.

Recommended for fans of Jennifer Probst and fans of red-hot novellas! You cannot go wrong with a Jennifer Probst.

Favorite Quotes

He waited one beat. Two.
She lifted her head.
A strange longing rose up and caught him in a chokehold. Her eyes widened as they locked with his. The anxious worry he glimpsed deep in their depths caused a protectiveness to surge from within. His second thought centered on what she would look like when he thrust deep inside her and brought her to orgasm.
He hardened instantly. Son of a bitch. It was going to end up being an interesting night after all.

[Rick] “Do you know how beautiful you are?”
Disbelief shimmered in her eyes. “Thank you, but—”
He closed the distance between them. She gasped as he grabbed her hand and laid it on his straining erection. “This is what you do to me. From the moment I laid eyes on you I wanted you. By the end of the night, you’re going to believe it, sweetheart. Make no mistake.”

He wanted to make her scream with delight, to cry his name as she orgasmed until she couldn’t remember the last time another man ever laid a hand on her. Possessiveness was not a natural part of him, but he didn’t fight the urge. Instead, he embraced the basic male tendency to hunt. Conquer. Claim.

[Rick] “Tara.”
The sound of his voice snapped her away from the memories. His command brooked no argument as he looked up from between her spread thighs.
“Eyes on me.”
His voice told her not to think, dominated every part of her soul, until she couldn’t fight him, and she slipped firmly back into the present.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Smashwords | Decadent Publishing

January 21, 2012September 26, 2017 by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Color My Horse by Bev Pettersen

Format: E-book colormyhorse
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Westerhall
Hero: Mark Russell
Heroine: Jessica Boone
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: August 16, 2011
Started On: January 16, 2012
Finished On: January 19, 2012

I was a bit apprehensive diving into my second book by Bev Pettersen, not because she tells a bad story, hardly that. Jockeys and Jewels which was my first Bev Pettersen turned out to be a good read for me because there was a lot of horse jargon involved that detracted me a bit from enjoying the story that unfolded. But I was absolutely delighted to discover that true to Bev’s word, Color My Horse turned out to be one of those stories that was hard to put down because of the sheer number of emotions that coursed through me while I was reading the story.

Jessica Boone is the heiress to the Boone fortune. With a controlling grandfather who wants to map out her life the way he wants it, Jessica is a woman who is stuck in a hard place with no way out. With her skiing career a choice no longer available with a severe knee injury, Jessica grabs at the last straws to assert her independence. She bargains with her grandfather to allow her to give her the cash she needs to start her own dog kennel. But it does come with a price. Jessica has to work at the Belmont racetrack for a set period of time, living entirely on what she earns from her job, failing to do which she has to come work for her grandfather.

Enter 31 year old Mark Russel, who is a horse trainer, who runs a tight ship with his workers with his no nonsense attitude towards horse training as well as life in general. Mark has the fear that he might turn out to be just like his father; a man who thought with the wrong body part when it came to alluring females. And when Jessica’s grandfather coerces him into accepting Jessica on board, Mark doesn’t expect the rich heiress to last much longer than a day mucking stalls and scrubbing down horses which is a far removed life from that of a woman of the elite society.

However, Jessica surprises Mark and herself as well when her resolve to to regain her independence gives her the strength to persevere in spite of all odds being stacked against her. Jessica is a character who is so very full of life. She tends to spread vivid color everywhere she goes, spreads a kind of joy that intrudes and cracks the reserves around Mark’s emotions before he is even aware of it happening. Though Mark tells himself that it is only a heady sexual attraction and desire that he has towards his newest employee, feelings of the much deeper kind continues to develop as both of them indulge in an affair that leaves them both wanting more.

What makes Color My Horse such a fabulous book to read is the way Bev Pettersen brings the story to life. Her love for horses shines through marvelously and I couldn’t help but pout just a little bit because I live in a country where running into a horse is an impossibility. I loved how Bev paired off someone whose bright outlook on life lights up the life of a man for whom looking after the horses that he loves means everything. The thread of suspense that is woven throughout the story just served to be the icing on the cake and I loved every single minute of Jessica’s journey towards discovering all that she is capable of and in the process finding the love of her life.

With all the things that I loved about the story, there was just one teeny tiny thing that irked me for a bit. I couldn’t get over just how little Mark seemed to be affected by Jessica’s return towards the end of the book. I know that Mark is a man who is reserved in his display of emotions and the fact that he continues to carry on Jessica’s “traditions” when it comes to looking after horses does tell a lot about how he feels towards Jessica. But I would have loved the ending a bit more if Mark had been a bit more forthcoming about his feelings towards Jessica, and maybe while he was at it, if he had tried to reach out to Jessica a bit sooner. But in the end, I guess it all comes down to Mark’s character and the fact that he doesn’t stray far from how his character is portrayed throughout the story.

Recommended for those who love character driven romances, those who love stories where heroines who are full-of-life meets up with the reserved type of hero. And of course, for those who loves horses. You cannot find an author who practically grabs you with the way Bev brings the culture and life of horse training and racing to life like she does.

Favorite Quotes

Mark just stared as she spoke about plastic flowers in the winter, but he couldn’t focus on her words. He’d never realized he had such a possessive streak. Possessive with horses, sure, but not with women. Never with women. She was leaving in a week, was extremely high maintenance, not to mention Boone’s granddaughter. And he hated those gaudy purple braids.
But life would be so gray when she left. She didn’t just color his horse, she colored his world.
Unable to speak, he stepped forward, pulled her into his thumping chest and simply held her.

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

January 9, 2012September 26, 2017 by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Departed by Shiloh Walker

Format: E-book thedeparted
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: The Missing, #2
Publisher: Berkley
Hero: Taylor Jones
Heroine: Desiree Lincoln
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: January 3, 2012
Started On: January 5, 2012
Finished On: January 6, 2012

The Departed by Shiloh Walker is apparently the book that she never thought she would write. However, questions from fans of book 1 which happens to be The Missing finally managed to convince her to dig deeper to find the story that Taylor obviously had to tell. And what a story it was that woke me up last night half way through my midnight slumber and refused to let me succumb until I had read enough to satisfy my curiosity about a story that is filled with dark elements which sometimes tended to creep me out but nevertheless managed to deliver a great read which any fan of Shiloh Walker ought to read!

Desiree Lincoln is a psychic who can communicate with the ghosts of the dead, those who continue to linger on Earth because for some reason or the other, they have unfinished business that keeps them around without giving them the closure that they require so badly. A part of the team that is headed by FBI Special Agent in Charge Taylor Jones, Desiree or Dez knows no respite from the ghosts that continue to seek her out, wanting and craving the one thing that had been denied from them for so long.

Special Agent in Charge Taylor Jones comes across as a controlled man who seems emotionless to the point of being considered coldhearted. But beneath the tough shields that he puts up to keep emotions at bay lies a soul that continues to churn in turmoil, the hidden depth of pain deep inside of him so vast that its a wonder he is able to function the way he does. He has the uncanny ability of identifying people with special gifts who helps him keep the dark and twisted souls that roam the society at bay, and hopefully prevent another little girl from going missing like what happened to his sister.

For Taylor, there is nothing more dangerous to his peace of mind than letting himself care about someone else, but the way his emotions go haywire whenever Dez is around tells him that remaining aloof when it comes to her is an option no longer available to him. When Taylor’s impeccable shields crack, out comes pouring the passion and desire that he holds in on a tight leash, but the joy of the moments of abandon he finds in Dez’s arms is a short lived one when reality intrudes and Taylor drives them apart with his need to control his emotions.

It is 14 months later that Taylor comes across Dez in the one place where he never thought he would find her. Dez is drawn to a small town in Indiana by a ghost that draws her to the midst of the evil that lurks in the mind of a crazed teenager who is willing to do anything and everything in his power to play out the games that lurks deep inside of his mind no matter what the consequences. But something much deeper and elusive than the evil that lurks in the shadows keeps a hold on Dez until she starts digging to unravel secrets that could forever change the lives of so many people, for better or for worse.

The Departed is a story that definitely has a lot of dark elements to it, and yet or maybe because of it, I found myself totally fascinated with the tale that unraveled. Shiloh Walker has a way of surprising the reader with her villains and she definitely has the talent for muddying up the shades of gray when it comes to right and wrong that just has the reader on tenterhooks. For me, The Departed worked well because I was so in tune with both Dez and Taylor, whose need for one another grounds them and makes them cope better with all the darkness that is so much a part of their daily lives. I had nothing but admiration for both Taylor and Dez who works relentlessly to find the worst sort of scum that wander the Earth and it is a job that I know a lesser person would never be able to handle without breaking apart.

Though the romance aspect of the story was a bit laid back when compared to the suspense and paranormal elements in the story, The Departed nevertheless kept me riveted on the relationship that unfolded between Dez and Taylor as well as the huge hurdles that both Dez and Taylor cross to reach the ultimate truth that seeks to be brought out into the light. The one thing in my opinion that would have made the book better was an epilogue; for me the book tended to end a bit abruptly to bring me the closure that I wanted and needed for both Dez and Taylor.

Heartbreaking at moments and wonderfully moving at times, The Departed is a novel that combines elements of suspense, paranormal and romance to deliver a read that would linger on long after you are done!

Favorite Quotes

He hauled her against him and as his mouth crushed against hers, her brain clicked off, shut down…
And her body came to life. After more than a year of existence, Dez felt like she was living again. His free hand gripped her hip, keeping her body pressed close to his while his other hand tangled in the short strands of her hair to yank her head back.
This wasn’t just a kiss, she thought. It was…more. It was everything. He breathed her in, just as she breathed him in. After so much time apart from him, she felt complete again. Whole.

Taylor worked a hand between them and stroked his thumb over the erect little nub of her clit. Lifting his head, he stared at her, watched as a harsh, broken sob fell from her lips.
Her nails bit into his skin as she started to come and he gritted his teeth, holding back until he saw her going over. Then, and only then, did he bury his face in her neck and start to move again, hard, fast.
He muttered her name, blind to everything but her…completely and utterly lost in her.

“My name,” he muttered. He turned his head, pressed a kiss to her palm. “Say my name, damn it.”
Chuckling, she pulled his head close. “Taylor.” She said it against his lips. As she did that, she rolled her hips against him, squeezing down with her inner muscles so that she milked him in a teasing, taunting caress.
Oh, shit…
Little warning tingles were already shooting straight up his spine, but he gritted his teeth. No, damn it. He wasn’t going to lose it after thirty fucking seconds. Especially since he hadn’t told her yet.
But then she did it again, and again.
“I love you.” It came out a broken, harsh groan against her lips, the words he could no longer keep trapped inside. The words he had to share with her, now.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Diesel E-books

A Maldivian's Passion for Romance

Book Reviews, from the Sunny Side of Life!

Category / Scarred Heroine

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Review: Breaking The Rules by Barbara Samuel

Requested Review: Uncross Your Heart by Taryn Elliott

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Requested ARC Review: Tactical Deception by J.L. Saint + Giveaway!

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Review: If You See Her by Shiloh Walker

ARC Review: Run from Fear by Jami Alden

Score Sheet Review: Catch Me by Jennifer Probst

Requested Review: Color My Horse by Bev Pettersen

Review: The Departed by Shiloh Walker

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