Category / Scorcher!

by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Off Limits by Emma Jay

Format: E-bookofflimits.jpeg
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd
Hero: Zack Purser
Heroine: Paige Clark
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: February 7, 2012
Started On: February 1, 2012
Finished On: February 2, 2012

Zach Purser is the ultimate playboy. He has made it his life mission to never lay down his roots until he is darn well and ready to, the impact of a childhood spent struggling to achieve those goals that he had hungered for even back then. None other than Adam Clark,ounger sister Paige Clark remains the forbidden fruit to Zach, no matter how much he mi his best friend for the better half of his life knows his legendary conquests when it comes to bedding and leaving a wake of women behind and that is one reason why Adam’s yght hunger for her touch.

Paige had always crushed on Zach ever since she had reached the age where she had known what crushing and lusting was all about. She wants Zach and not even the towering fury that is her elder brother is going to stop her from trying to seduce his best friend. With no holds barred, Paige launches her mission of tempting Zach to take the plunge, to indulge just once in the sexual tension that always lingers between them whenever they cross paths.

Turning away Paige time and yet again is the hardest thing Zach has ever had to do. But a man can say no only so many times and Zach finally reaches the end of his rope and succumbs, only to find that walking away as he thought is much more difficult than he anticipated. Zach finds himself reaching out to Paige in a way that is foreign to his very existence, all the while trying to hide his emerging and very confusing feelings towards Paige from her brother and his best friend.

Emma Jay has a way of writing that always draws me in and leaves me with the need to find out more. And that was the case with this novella too. I love the way she portrays complex characters, the way she brings forth the emotion that kept me turning the pages even into the wee hours of the night, unable to let go of the hold Zach and Paige had on me and my emotions. Just one question remains on my mind as I write this review, will Emma Jay write a story for Adam and Paige’s house mate? I would love to see Adam fall, and fall hard. Yep, the evil cupid inside of me cannot resist voicing this thought.

Recommended for fans of Emma Jay & fans of erotic contemporary romances. Emma Jay gives you the emotion with the erotic, and that is one reason I will continue to come back for more!

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Samhain

greatread

by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: Hidden Fire by Jess Dee

Format: E-book
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Fire, Book 2
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd
Hero: Garreth Halt
Heroine: Jenna Brooks
Sensuality: 4.5
Date of Publication: January 31, 2012
Started On: January 25, 2012
Finished On: January 25, 2012

The day that Jenna Brooks and her twin brother Jackson turns 30 is the day that Jenna finds out that her brother wants to break the pact that had protected both of them, especially Jenna for the past 12 years. At 17, the vicious lies spread by an ex-girlfriend of Jackson who had been one of Jenna’s closest friends had affected Jenna more so than Jackson. The news that Jackson wants out leaves Jenna with a sense of freedom and exhilaration she barely allows herself to acknowledge before she is making her way towards the one man who has invaded the calm facade behind which Jenna has hidden to protect herself for the past 12 years of her life.

Garreth Halt has given up hope that Jenna would ever embrace the fiery connection that has been between them since day one of their encounter 2 years back. Resigned to heading back home in a couple of days Garreth doesn’t expect the warm bundle of woman who hurtles herself into his arms and demands that he take possession of everything she has to give and more. But the secret that Garreth hides is one that drives Jenna away, allowing her to once again put up the shields of steel around her heart and emotions, all but reeling from the news that Garreth imparts during the one time Jenna had opened herself up to him.

Intervention comes in the form of Jackson and his girlfriend, which forces both Jenna and Garreth into each other’s company, to lay their emotions bare and to confront the love that they have for each other. The passion that has always simmered between the two of them bursts forth in waves, the scorching scenes of over the charts hot sex as always so very well done by an author whose erotic contemporary stories I have come to adore.

Hidden Fire, though it reads as a standalone, in my opinion should be read after Winter Fire which first introduces the characters that we come across in this novella. Maybe because I didn’t read Winter Fire before, I found myself in total disbelief at how Garreth justifies his reasons for having done what he did; to remove the obstacle that was preventing Jenna from acknowledging her feelings towards him. The one thing that did redeem Garreth was the fact that he had always been there for Jenna when she had needed it, no questions asked. Even with Garreth’s character turning out the way he did for me, the style and wit with which Jess presents a story is one never to be missed and that’s why I would recommend both the books in Fire series to fans of contemporary erotic romance lovers and fans of Jess Dee!

Favorite Quotes

She kissed him in the exact same way he wanted to fuck her. Hard, insistent, determined, as though burning him with her mouth. Branding her taste on his lips, marking him as her own.

[Jenna] “I’m still scared to be me though,” she told him. “And I’m still a little scared of you.”
For the first time he understood what she meant. “You know what? I scare myself. I’ve wanted to make love to you for so damn long. But getting this close, knowing you trust me? Christ, Jenn, I don’t just want to f#ck you. I want to possess you. Make you mine. Become a part of you. Make you a part of me.”

F#ck, she was perfect. Making love to her wasn’t just heaven. It was the single most amazing experience in his thirty years of life. She may have been made for him, but he was made for this moment. For the ultimate instant when he and Jenna merged into one.

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

[xrr rating=4/5]

Caliber Seal: GREAT READ!

by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: Dare Me by Lexxie Couper

Format: E-book
Read with: Adobe Digital Editions
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: A Red Hot Weekend Story
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd
Hero: Robert Thorton
Heroine: Emily Julie Knox
Sensuality: 4.5
Date of Publication: January 31, 2012
Started On: January 25, 2012
Finished On: January 25, 2012

Sometimes, a red hot scorching erotic novella is just what the doctor ordered to chase away those blues and light up your inner fire. My very first Lexxie Couper turned out to be an outstanding read, a book that petted and stroked every emotion I had to give in the deeply emotional and erotic story of how brain cancer survivor Robert Thorton (Rob) finds his ultimate happily ever after in the arms of his ex-doctor Emily Julie Knox.

After 8 months of intensive treatment, Rob finally gets the green signal that his cancer is no more. Even then, nothing and not even his sexy as sin British oncologist Emily would keep him from flying back to Australia to be a part of his best friend’s wedding. Knowing that thinking about the good doctor would get him nowhere fast doesn’t stop his wayward thoughts from fantasizing about her. And when Emily turns up at the wedding reception, looking more appealing than ever, every sane thought that Rob has flies out of the window and its just need for the woman who has invaded his heart that takes control of all his very much alive and kicking body parts.

Emily is a woman who confronts the worst sort of nightmare a person who has undertaken the Hippocratic oath can ever face. Falling in love with her own patient was one thing she never foresaw, her emotions going on a roller coaster ride something she never expected with all that life had brought her way until now. But the memory of that searing kiss which had shaken her to her very toes propels her to hop on a plane, leaving everything familiar behind to go after the man with whom she had fallen head over heels in love with somewhere along the way.

Every minute of the encounters between Rob and Emily are filled with scenes of passion of the scorching hot variety. I loved Rob’s character, his zest for life and his daredevil nature that just shines through with everything he does. The way he cannot get enough of Emily and the way she sets his senses afire was one of the best parts of a story that I fell in love with from page 1 itself.

Emily herself turned out to be exactly what Rob needed to face the fact that he would always be a cancer survivor and that is one part of his past  that he has to accept in order for him to have any future worth living for. The cute little epilogue tucked at the very end of the story just served to make this a very satisfying read, one which I would not be forgetting anytime soon!

If you love a hero who can practically charm your panties off of you, I dare you to pick this little number up and indulge!

Definitely recommended!

Favorite Quotes

Her soft voice played over his senses like it always had, her English accent more pronounced than ever. Or was that because his ears had become acclimatized to the Australian accents around him again? 
He didn’t know.
He pulled in a slow breath, headache forgotten, the subtle scent of Emily’s perfume filtering into his body. His stomach knotted, his balls grew harder, that delicate fragrance flooding him with memories too haunting to bear. She’d cured him of anaplastic astrocytoma, and in the process inflicted him with something else. Something powerful and—he was discovering all too quickly—inescapable.

She stared at him, her heart in her throat. ‘Robert…” 
“Ah. fuck it,” he growled. blue eyes piercing her in the garden’s muted light. 1 can’t wait anymore.” He grabbed her wrist and, nostrils flaring. yanked her to his body and crushed her mouth with his.
His tongue plunged past her lips, stroking over her tongue in a kiss that was far more forceful than the one they’d shared in his hospital room fifteen days ago. That kiss had been gentle in its molten hunger. It had filled her with aching desire. This kiss, however.. .there was nothing gentle about it. He took complete possession of her mouth, invading it with not just hunger but ravenous greed. Its ferocity flooded her sex with damp pressure and made her head swim.

The raw urgency in Rob’s voice sent fresh blood flooding into Emily’s already swollen sex. She squirmed. feeling her orgasm approaching. Fast. 
“Say it again,” Rob ground out, dragging one hand up her torso until his fingers found her breast. He cupped its weight, worshipping its form through the soft fabric of her dress.
She gasped again, arching her back. “I want you,” she panted, the sensations his fingers on her breast created almost stealing her ability to speak. “I want you. I have from the very—”
He didn’t let her finish. His lips claimed hers, his hand squeezing and massaging her breast as his tongue plundered her mouth. He pinched her nipple with hungry force, his tongue matching the ferocity of the caress. Her body burned with pleasure at his feverish actions, the undeniable desire each stoke of his tongue, each flick of his fingers wrought on her body pushing her closer and closer to eruption.

She arched into his thigh, grinding herself on its solid length. another low cry escaping her as constricting tension pulsed through her core. 
“F#ck. I want to hear you come.” Rob caught her earlobe between his teeth, gave it a little nip before flicking his tongue in her ear. “I want to hear you lose control and know I’m the one that stripped it from you. His thumb stroked her nipple again, his lips scoring a languid path over her jaw and throat once more. “Show me why you’re really here, Doc,” he whispered, rubbing his thigh against her pussy with increasing rhythm, “and I will show you it was worth the f#cking trip.”

Heart pounding, he collapsed on top of her, claiming her lips with his as he did so, making love to her mouth with his tongue as his spent c#ck continued to spasm inside her p#ssy. Wanting to give her pleasure even as the steel left his length. 
She wrapped her arms around his back, tangling her legs with his as she returned his kiss. The pulsing pressure of her fading orgasm on his dick was an unbearable caress he would willingly endure until the end of time. An affirmation of the pleasure he gave her.
A confirmation of what his heart had been telling him since he’d first laid eyes on her: he was hers. Irrevocably and unquestionably.

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

[xrr rating=5/5]

Caliber Seal: OUTSTANDING READ! 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Mistress of the Groom by Susan Napier

Format: E-bookmistressofthegroom
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Presents, #1918
Publisher:Harlequin
Hero: Ryan Blair
Heroine: Jane Sherwood
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: October 1, 1997
Started On: January 22, 2012
Finished On: January 22, 2012

Sometimes, there is nothing like a good old Harlequin romance to really get your juices flowing. Susan Napier is a Harlequin author I have never come across before. And boy, was I glad to make acquaintance with her delivery of this perfect and sizzling romance of the red-hot variety late into the night, enjoying and reveling in every single moment of the interactions and the scorching hot attraction between two people for whom the phrase “hate is the beginning of love” is pretty much applicable.

Ryan Blair, the successful 33 year old millionaire and 26 year old Jane Sherwood who loses everything to Ryan’s methodical and ruthless revenge on her, are needless to say enemies who loathe and hate the very sight of each other. Jane had intervened and ruined Ryan’s wedding day to Jane’s best friend Ava, succeeding in driving Ryan away and giving Ana what she had wanted and had been afraid to ask for all along. Ryan’s revenge is a well-planned one, one that has Jane reeling from the effect of losing the business that had been the focus of all the churning emotions deep inside of her.

But beneath all the hatred and hostility lies a smoldering fire that blazes out of control the minute Ryan is provoked into taking Jane in his arms; the passion that bursts forth as hot and scorching as the anger that has blazed between them for a long time. One very decadent night of pleasure later Jane flees, the crack in her impeccable shields all but crumbs of dust around her after being so thoroughly seduced. But Ryan is a man not to be deterred in his attempts to seduce and charm the woman he wants into his arms and life, a battle Jane knows she is bound to lose with the love that she has hidden from the one man who has always been the one and only for her.

Mistress of the Groom is a novel that combines ALL the elements that makes a Harlequin romance memorable. I fell in love with romances amidst the stories of intense passion and ruthless heroes that is so much a part the Harlequin series back in the 80’s and 90’s. And I still love re-visiting those stories, and finding a new gem of a story from the thousands of romances that makes up the Harlequin world of romance – let’s just say it makes me one very happy romance reader!

The reason why I loved Mistress of the Groom so much was the fact that the story kept surprising me at every turn. From the beginning which was exhilarating and surprised me to my very core, Susan Napier spun a story that kept me on my very toes and in anticipation of every single bit of emotion that was wrung from me as the story progressed.

Recommended to fans of ruthless, determined and yet endearing heroes who just makes your toes curl up, fans of Harlequin romances and fans of romances where enemies turn to lovers!

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

amazingread

by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Hearts In Darkness by Laura Kaye

Format: E-bookheartsindarkness
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Short Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Hero: Caden Grayson
Heroine: Makenna James
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: April 20, 2011
Started On: January 16, 2012
Finished On: January 16, 2012

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 100 A
The heroine 100 A
Story line 90 A
Emotional Intensity 90 A
Story’s ability to suck me in 100 A
Heat & Sensuality  100 A
Conflicts within the story 90 A
Writing Style 90 A
Quotable Factor 70 B
The ending 85 A
Overall Grade 91.5 A

Score Sheet Summary

Meet 28 year old Caden Grayson; pierced, tattooed, scarred and big and brawny with a buzz cut to complete the look. Intimidating right? But on the inside Caden is a total sweetie, considerate and quite vulnerable due to the horrific accident that had taken place when he was in his teens. A loner who doesn’t like socializing much, Caden had me putty in his hands right from the very beginning.

Quite by chance, 25 year old Makenna James whose bright, cheery and heartwarming nature shines through from the very beginning enters Caden’s life when they are stuck together in an elevator for hours. 

I loved this little gem of a read; the sweet, yet vulnerable and hot as sin tattooed hero just what I needed after my intense reading spree of the Fifty Shades series. Caden makes for quite a surprising hero who on the outside looks all tough and totally bad-ass but when you get to know him, he is such a “cuddly” sort of hero.

It was how without knowing much about each other, the way that Makenna and Caden forms a bond in the darkness, each drawn towards the other in a way that they have never felt before that got to me so much. Their attraction is scorching hot and I was in awe because Laura Kaye does such a remarkable job out of making their intense physical attraction towards each other believable and an emotionally satisfying one as well.

The one thing that irked me a bit was the rehashing of the scenes from the opposite character’s point of view when the same scene had already been played out from the other character’s perspective.

But nevertheless, I loved this red hot novella and would recommend it to anyone who loves a contemporary romance with that deeply satisfying emotional and physical connection between the hero and heroine right from the start. And of course, those ladies who love a tattooed hero; Caden is certainly different and yummylicious!

Favorite Quotes

Caden let out his own moan when her lips pressed against the skin in front of his ear. She exhaled roughly. The rush of her breath over his skin brought goose bumps to his neck.
He trailed soft kisses across her cheek until he found her lips.
And then he couldn’t go slow anymore.
And neither could she.

He crowded right up into her space, pressed his body against hers—trapping her against the glass of the door behind her, plunged his hands into her hair until he was cupping the nape of her neck, and devoured her lips with his.

His demanding tongue tasted so damn good, and his piercing bit deliciously against her lip from the aggressive way he pursued her over and over. His hands tugged and massaged at her hair and neck. He just surrounded her. The difference in their height made Caden lean down over her. The way he forced her head back commanded her to open up to him. With the metal handle of the door pressing into her back, she felt completely enveloped in him, in his ardor, his scent. The world dropped away. There was just Caden.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Wild Rose Press

amazingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James

Format: E-bookfiftyshadesdarker
Read with: Adobe Reader for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Fifty Shades, Book 2
Publisher: The Writer’s Coffee Shop
Hero: Christian Grey
Heroine: Anastasia Rose Steele
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: September 15, 2011
Started On: January 14, 2012
Finished On: January 15, 2012

Fifty Shades Darker, book 2 in the Fifty Shades series begins right where book 1 ended. Fifty Shades of Grey ended on a bittersweet note, with Anastasia (Ana) walking out on Christian and their arrangement because she cannot accept the much darker needs that arises in Christian.

But the one thing that Ana doesn’t count on is just how much she misses Christian though their affair might have been a doomed one from the start. She doesn’t envisage that the calm, cool and always in control Christian might miss her on the same level, that her beautiful lover might be brought to his very knees because of her. And once again, Christian enters into her life, this time with an altogether different proposition, one that allows both Ana and Christian to find their way in the uncharted waters that is their relationship.

I absolutely loved the second installment of the Fifty Shades series. The first book found me a bit apprehensive about Christian’s character, but nevertheless I was drawn towards his tortured soul, one that is so tormented by his past that I was practically itching with my need to find more about him. And with the opening prologue itself, E.L. James delivered a glimpse into the darkness that had been Christian’s life as a child, a past that still continues to haunt him, a battle that he continues to fight in earnest to be someone worthy of Ana’s love.

Ana has her work cut out for her when it comes to Christian. With all her insecurities about not being enough for Christian, she has to take in stride the women from Christian’s past who makes their presence known and felt, some in more disturbing ways than others. But the one thing that rights true and constant throughout the story that unfolds is the love that grows exponentially between Ana and Christian, their need for one another a thing of beauty in my opinion.

Its sheer wonder to be part of the journey that Christian seems to be taking towards freedom; freedom from the shackles that seems to hold him back from embracing a life that is worthy of a man like him. He thinks so lowly of himself though Christian is the stuff heroes are made out of. Seen through Ana’s eyes, I cannot help but sigh and moon over him, the way he seduces and in turn gets seduced by the woman he loves something to savor through each and every well done encounter.

There were moments in the story when I thought that Christian and his lethal brand of seduction and the sexual tension that he creates merely by looking at Ana in a certain way would certainly be the death of me. But, oh dear God, how I loved each and every encounter that E.L. James creates and brings so vividly to life, nothing tacky or icky about any of the scenes; just pure sexual heat together with emotions of the more tender variety to make things that much more sigh worthy!

I am absolutely on tenterhooks now awaiting the arrival of the 19th of this month when the last and final book in the trilogy will be released, where my Fifty Shades would finally become free from the past that continues to haunt him. I am definitely rooting for a happily ever after that would rock me to my very soul when it comes to Ana and Christian.

Highly recommended for fans of the series and fans of tortured and tormented heroes.

Favorite Quotes

I gasp, and his mouth swoops down. He’s kissing me, violently. Briefly our teeth clash, then his tongue is in my mouth. 
Desire explodes like the Fourth of July throughout my body, and I’m kissing him back, matching his fervor, my hands knotting in his hair, pulling it, hard. He groans, a low sexy sound in the back of his throat that reverberates through me, and his hand moves down my body to the top of my thigh, his fingers digging into my flesh through the plum dress. 
I pour all the angst and heartbreak of the last few days into our kiss, binding him to me, and it hits me—in this moment of blinding passion—he’s doing the same, he feels the same.

“Cold?” Christian asks softly and bends to lick and suckle all the ice cream off me once more, his mouth hot compared to the cool of the ice. 
Oh my. It’s torture. As it starts to melt, the ice cream runs off me in rivulets on to the bed. His lips continue their slow torture, sucking hard, nuzzling, softly—Oh please!—I’m panting. 
“Want some?” And before I can confirm or deny his offer, his tongue is in my mouth, and it’s cold and skilled and tastes of Christian and vanilla. Delicious.

“This way,” he murmurs and abruptly is inside me once more, but he doesn’t start his usual punishing rhythm straight away. He leans over, releases my hands, and pulls me upright so I am practically sitting on him. His hands move up to my breasts, and he palms them both, tugging gently on my nipples. I groan, tossing my head back against his shoulder. He nuzzles my neck, biting down, as he flexes his hips, deliciously slowly, filling me again and again. 
“Do you know how much you mean to me?” he breathes against my ear. 
“No,” I gasp.
He smiles against my neck, and his fingers curl around my jaw and throat, holding me fast for a moment. “Yes, you do. I’m not going to let you go.” I groan as he picks up speed. “You are mine, Anastasia.” “Yes, yours,” I pant. “I take care of what’s mine,” he hisses and bites my ear.

“I want you, Anastasia,” he murmurs. “I love and I hate, and I love arguing with you. It’s very new. I need to know that we’re okay. It’s the only way I know how.” 
“My feelings for you haven’t changed,” I whisper. 
His proximity is overwhelming, exhilarating. The familiar pull is there, all my synapses goading me toward him, my inner goddess at her most libidinous. Staring at the patch of hair in the V of his shirt, I bite my lip, helpless, driven by desire—I want to taste him there. 
He’s so close, but he doesn’t touch me. His heat is warming my skin. 
“I’m not going to touch you until you say yes,” he says softly. “But right now, after a really shitty morning, I want to bury myself in you and just forget everything but us.”

“You love strapping me in, don’t you?” 
“In any form,” he says, a wicked grin playing on his lips. 
“You are a pervert.”
 “I know.” He raises his eyebrows and his grin broadens. 
“My pervert,” I whisper. 
“Yes, yours.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Writer’s Coffee Shop

amazingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

Format: E-bookfiftyshadesofgrey
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Fifty Shades, Book 1
Publisher: The Writer’s Coffee Shop
Hero: Christian Grey
Heroine: Anastasia Rose Steele
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: May 26, 2011
Started On: January 11, 2012
Finished On: January 13, 2012

Whenever there is too much buzz about a book, it is always worth checking out. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James is a book that landed in my pile of books to read because of that reason alone, time and yet to be bumped up again until I decided to take the plunge and see what the hype was all about.

27 year old Christian Grey is the CEO of Grey Enterprises Holdings Inc. and a very private person at that. 21 year old Anastasia Rose Steele (Ana) is about to sit for her last college exams and as a favor to her best friend Katherine Kavanagh (Kate), Ana agrees to go to the interview Kate has lined up with Christian for the student paper in her stead. 

Ana is almost a total innocent when it comes to men, someone who would rather stand in the shadows than stand out. So it is a reluctant Ana at best that presents herself to the impressive, attractive and commanding force that is Christian Grey. Ana doesn’t know what hits her when she meets the swirling depths of grey that is Christian’s eyes, and in her perspective, the interview goes totally downhill from the moment she stumbles into Christian’s office.

When Christian turns up at the hardware store where Ana works part-time, Ana cannot believe in the fact that Christian is interested in her plain and shy self. And when Ana gets a glimpse into the darkness that swirls in the depths of Christian’s soul and the sort of relationship that he wants to indulge in with her, the naive and innocent woman deep inside of her wants to run screaming to the other end of the world. But her inner goddess that awakens at Christian’s merest touch and the fire that burns in his eyes whenever their eyes happen to meet has Ana agreeing to be part of one of the strangest forms of courting I have come across in a novel so far.

Rather than taking place through a period of time, E.L. James takes the reader across the first couple of crucial weeks that makes up the beginning of the relationship that is between the misfits that are Christian and Ana. Combining elements of BDSM with the already scorching hot sex that is part of the relationship that Christian and Ana embarks upon, E.L. James tells a mesmerizing tale that is hard to put down, that compels you to keep on reading, a story that makes you want to be a part of the journey that Christian and Ana takes towards their happily ever after.

First of all, everyone who knows me and my reading tastes know that I am not much of a fan of either BDSM or books written in the first person. But in spite of all that, the fact that this story worked for me amazingly well is the reason why I am elbow deep in the 2nd book of the series even as I write my review. There is just something about the characters, the setting, the off-the-charts kinky and scorching hot sex together with the deeper and darker emotions that makes up the story that I just cannot turn myself away from.

Christian’s character is a mesmerizing one. I loved and wanted to slap him upside down in equal amounts and that was reason enough for me to continue reading. The fact that I had to gauge his reactions towards Ana, his developing feelings towards the woman who confuses, astounds and arouses him in a way he has never been before, through Ana’s point of view alone was frustrating and exhilarating at the same time. Christian is literally a closed book when it comes to his past, his emotions and his vulnerability when it comes to Ana. But the one thing he cannot deny is his need for Ana that grows exponentially through each of their encounters to the point he is practically obsessed with her.

Christian’s approach to what he wants from Ana was one I had a hard time taking in. Maybe because BDSM is a concept that is hard for me to take in because for me a satisfying relationship between two partners is one where they are equal in the giving, receiving and sharings. But when it comes to one partner being dominant over the other to the point that the submissive can only even look at the dominant with his/her permission; needless to say my skin practically itches from the need to just shake it all away. But somehow, the elements of BDSM in the relationship between Ana and Christian didn’t reach that scale because by nature, Ana is not the submissive that Christian thinks her to be. She challenges him in the bedroom and out of it, and though she might be willing to go beyond the boundaries that is uncomfortable for her, her inner self doesn’t allow herself to just practically mould herself into what Christian wants and needs from her with no questions asked.

Ana is a woman who has landed herself with a man who has issues with a capital I. The fact that Christian never allows her to touch him as she wants to and because he has such a vast amount of experience when it comes to carnal desires and because he is richer than one man alone should ever be makes her think that she is not worthy of a man like Christian whose mesmerizing good looks alone means he could have any woman he wants. But the fact that Christian drives home through the entire story is that from all the women in the world, Ana is the woman he wants by his side because when it comes to being vulnerable in the relationship that develops between them, Ana is not the only one.

I am so glad that the final book in this trilogy would be out on the 19th of this month because I don’t think I would have the patience to wait around much after finishing up the 2nd book. 

For those who think that this book might not work for you because of the BDSM elements in the story, I suggest you give this a try because a lot of people like myself have read and enjoyed this book a whole lot more than they would have ever thought. Because the way E.L. James brings Christian to life through Ana’s eyes is one that continues to bewitch me, I am going to say adios for now and continue with my reading.

Highly recommended for fans of contemporary romances, especially for those who would like to try something different, just to step outside your comfort zone in the world of romance you so much love and indulge in.

Favorite Quotes

His head turns fractionally toward me, his eyes darkest slate. I bite my lip.
“Oh, fuck the paperwork,” he growls. He lunges at me, pushing me against the wall of the elevator. Before I know it, he’s got both of my hands in one of his in a vice-like grip above my head, and he’s pinning me to the wall using his hips. Holy shit. His other hand grabs my ponytail and yanks down, bringing my face up, and his lips are on mine. It’s only just not painful. I moan into his mouth, giving his tongue an opening. He takes full advantage, his tongue expertly exploring my mouth. I have never been kissed like this.

[Ana] “You’re a sadist?”
“I’m a Dominant.” His eyes are a scorching gray, intense.
“What does that mean?” I whisper.
“It means I want you to willingly surrender yourself to me, in all things.”
I frown at him as I try to assimilate this idea.
“Why would I do that?”
“To please me,” he whispers as he cocks his head to one side, and I see a ghost of a smile.
Please him! He wants me to please him! I think my mouth drops open. Please Christian Grey. And I realize, in that moment, that yes, that’s exactly what I want to do. I want him to be damned delighted with me. It’s a revelation.

“Why don’t you like to be touched” Ana whispered, staring up into soft grey eyes. 
“Because I’m fifty shades of fucked-up, Anastasia” 

He grabs me suddenly and yanks me up against him, one hand at my back holding me to him and the other fisting in my hair. 
“You’re one challenging woman,” He kisses me, forcing my lips apart with his tongue, taking no prisoners. 
“It’s taking all my self-control not to fuck you on the hood of this car, just to show you that you’re mine, and if I want to buy you a fucking car, I’ll buy you a fucking car,” he growls.

This is a man in need. His fear is naked and obvious, but he’s lost. . . Somewhere in his darkness. 
His eyes wide and bleak and tortured. I can soothe him. Join him briefly in the darkness and bring him into the light. 

He’s naked except for those soft ripped jeans, top button casually undone. Jeez, he looks so freaking hot. My subconscious is frantically fanning herself, and my inner goddess is swaying and writhing to some primal carnal rhythm. 

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Writer’s Coffee Shop

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Elizabeth’s Wolf by Lora Leigh

Format: E-bookelizabethswolf.jpg
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Breeds, Book 3
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: Dash Sinclair
Heroine: Elizabeth Colder
Sensuality: 4.5
Date of Publication: June 30, 2004
Started On: January 7, 2012
Finished On: January 11, 2012

So, I went and did the one thing I swore I would never do again. Somehow, Elizabeth’s Wolf by Lora Leigh ended up tempting me into peeking into her world of romance once again, something I swore to myself I would never ever do because most of the books I have picked up by Lora Leigh seems not to have worked for me that well. But, with all the glowing reviews from my fellow Goodreads friends for this title prodding me along the way, I ended up picking this up, hoping that this would be worth my time.

Dash Sinclair is a loner, a military man who has served in the Special Forces, who loses 7 members of his team during his last mission and barely makes it out alive himself. He is pretty much about to give up on living, lying on a hospital bed with a lot of severe injuries when his salvation comes in the form of a letter written by the 8 year old Cassie, whose way with the words just tugs at his heartstrings. Suddenly Dash has a mission for which he would fight for with his very life; to protect the beautiful Cassie and her mother Elizabeth Colder whom he already considers as his, whose cries for help from the danger that surrounds her and her daughter makes him a doubly lethal soldier on his mission.

Elizabeth is barely surviving being on the run with her daughter Cassie from the men who refuse to stop hunting after them. Running from one place to the next is taking its toll on mother and daughter until through the blizzard walks in the larger than life Dash Sinclair whom Elizabeth has a hard time trusting. Nevertheless, with Dash by their side, Elizabeth starts feeling safe for the first time in 2 years and for the first time ever, Elizabeth starts feeling pinpricks of desire stab into her very soul with the barely reined in desire that flashes in Dash’s eyes.

Filled with lots of scorching sex, some of which I skipped over I admit, lies the continuing story of the Breeds of which I have never read a book so far. Dash was born out of genetic experimentation, his reclusive and aloof nature owing to his difficult past. With Elizabeth he finds himself in uncharted waters, the very presence of her scent capable of driving him nuts to the point of being obsessed about her. Dash somehow reminded me of my favorite Lisa Marie Rice heroes to an extent because of his protective instincts that flare to life when he claims Elizabeth and Cassie as his own.

Elizabeth is a mother who would do anything to keep her daughter safe. When the truth about Cassie does come to light, needless to say Elizabeth is shocked within an inch of her life, but to her Cassie is her daughter, the child she would fight with every fiber of her being in her attempts to keep her safe. She doesn’t expect anyone to help her without an ulterior motive of their own, but in Dash she finds her partner, the man who would die rather than see any harm befall on either of them. The heat and passion between them that drives her crazy seems to have the same effect on the man who makes her senses simmer, and their explosive passion cements a deal that Dash knows right from the start is an inevitable one.

Overall, I enjoyed Elizabeth’s Wolf more than any other story I have read from hers to-date except for her title Maverick which I read and enjoyed immensely. But alas, there were still those things that continued to bug me, those little things that kept hindering my enjoyment in the story. For one thing there was this bit with the word “vagina” that kept appearing over and over again. For me, that word is not enticing neither erotic. Maybe that’s just me. And then there was this “knotting” syndrome that happens when Elizabeth and Dash mate, and I couldn’t help but cover my parts a bit in a flare of panic. 

Even with all those things that irked me, I did manage to keep reading, enjoying those moments that were taut with the sexual tension that fairly sizzles across the pages. Recommended for fans of Lora Leigh and fans of the Breed series!

Favorite Quotes

He was tall, one of the tallest men she had ever seen. Dressed in jeans, boots and a cotton shirt. Thick black hair grew rakishly long, falling over the collar of his shirt. Intense brown eyes, almost the color of amber, surveyed the diner slowly before coming back to her. Electricity sizzled in the air then, as though invisible currents connected them, forcing her to recognize him on a primitive level. Not that she wouldn’t take notice anyway. He was power, strength, and so incredibly male that her breath caught at the sight of him.

His lips covered hers as he laid the gauze on her leg. Fiery pain shot through her flesh as his lips swallowed her cry, then replaced it with such amazing sensation she wanted to whimper in return. He licked her lips. He didn’t steal her kiss. He didn’t take it. He cajoled it from her. 

Yes, Elizabeth.” Dash kept his voice low, but let it rumble with his arousal. “I lived for you and Cassie. But while I fought to live I dreamed, and it was this I dreamed of.”

His lips covered hers swiftly, his tongue taking advantage of her gasp and sweeping in commandingly. He had asked for the caress earlier that morning, now he demanded. He conquered, he licked and stroked her tongue and gloried in her instant, if hesitant, response. She was shy. Wary. She wouldn’t give in to the heat pulsing between them easily. But she was curious enough about it to allow the kiss. 

Her eyes opened then. They were drowsy, slumberous, staring up at him with a hunger that was impossible to miss.
“I felt you,” she whispered, a smile tilting her moist lips. “Watching me. Should I feel you watching me?”
Was she asleep or awake?
“Of course.” He found the growl building in his throat. “Every time I look at you, baby, I touch you.”

She cried out into his kiss, her hands clawing his shoulders, adrift now in a pleasure that threatened to consume her. In her sexual lifetime she had never known anything like it. Had never tasted such a dark kiss, one that warned her he had no intention of making allowances for sensual inexperience. He was hungry. Needy. And she was the meal he craved.

She shuddered, convulsing beneath the whiplash of his tongue as the world dissolved around her.
“Now.” He moved before the last violent pulses stilled.
He came over her body, catching his weight on his elbows, staring down at her with savage intensity as the bulbous head of his c#ck nudged against the sensitive opening of her pussy.
“Now,” he whispered again. “I make you my woman, Elizabeth. Now.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Ellora’s Cave

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Deadly Heat by Cynthia Eden

Format: E-book & Paperbackdeadlyheat
Read with: iBooks for iPad & Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Deadly, Book 2
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Hero: Kenton Lake
Heroine: Lora Spade
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: February 1, 2011
Started On: December 26, 2011
Finished On: December 29, 2011

I have come to identify with the fact that Cynthia Eden writes romances of the no holds barred kind which I just absolutely love. My first taste of Cynthia Eden came with book 1 in the Deadly series which just rocked my world in all the ways that counts. Deadly Heat turned out to be just as intense, maybe more so with the heat literally and figuratively on from both the romance and suspense side of the story.

Kenton Lake, Special Agent from the FBI’s Serial Services Division (SSD) makes his way to Charlottesville where a serial arsonist is at work. From the first page itself, Cynthia lets the reader in on the mind of a vicious killer who starts out young, who has the ability to creep you out enough that you are practically sniffing around you just in case he turns up with a can of gasoline right next to you.

When Kenton collides with the fiery firefighter Lora Spade who just vibrates with an aura of energy that crackles whenever she is around, Kenton is as helplessly drawn towards her as she is to him. Lora who lost the one man she loved, the man who had been her best friend to the arsonist would love nothing more than to bring the villain to justice, which is the only reason why she agrees to help the sexier than sin agent from FBI; or so she tells herself.

From the first kiss itself that just heats up the pages, Kenton and Lora’s relationship and courting is an intense one, one that burns hotter and faster with each encounter. Lora might tell herself that sex is the only thing between herself and Kenton but deep in her heart she knows that the desire that burns between them is not just simply that but so very much more.

With the arsonist always one step ahead, taunting them with his ability to take lives and bring those whom he sees fit to “justice”, Cynthia Eden definitely delivers a punch with Deadly Heat, a book that is edgy, dark and scorching hot in all the ways that matter!

Recommended for fans of the series, fans of romantic suspense with a darker edge and of course fans of Cynthia Eden.

Favorite Quotes

“I’ve been dying to know,” he said again, “how you taste.”
Oh, hell. Her right hand grabbed the back of his head, and she yanked him down toward her.
Their mouths met. Open. Ready. Lips kissed. Tongues licked. And—damn!
Yes, she wanted.
The control she’d held so tightly began to crack. She jerked in her seat, struggling to press against him. He took her mouth. Tasted her. Tormented her. And she met him. No, she fought him, fought him for more.

The light from the hallway spilled inside her bedroom. She’d barely stepped over the threshold when he caught her. Kenton spun her around and yanked her up in his arms. Two steps, and they were on the bed. Crashing down. Falling hard into the soft mattress.
He caged her arms over her head, holding them with one hand even as he took her mouth.
That other hand—yes!—drifted down her stomach and pushed between her legs. He’d find her wet, she knew it. One kiss, and she’d been wet for him. Creamy, hot. Ready.

His fingers snaked between them and found her clit. His thumb pushed against her even as his cock shoved inside in a thrust that had her gasping.
“Come for me.” His whisper.
Her eyes opened. When had she closed them? Lora met his stare. “Make me.” A taunt. One she’d never given a man before. What the hell was her problem? What was she—
He pulled on her clit. Thumb and forefinger, tugging, then pressing, pushing down with just the right force as his cock thrust into her, again and again.
His hips bucked. Then his eyes went wild, and he came.
So did she. 

Then his hands were around her waist as he lifted her up. The muscles in his arms flexed as he held her.
Wow, didn’t realize the man was so strong, didn’t know—
She licked his throat.
Screw it.
Lora wrapped her legs around his waist. His cock pushed against her, pressing right at the wet entrance to her sex.
She arched toward him just as Kenton slammed deep.
So deep.
She bit her lip to hold back the scream.
Skin to skin. Hot. Slick. So full.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Diesel Ebooks

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Secretly More by Lux Zakari

Format: E-booksecretlymore
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Etopia Press
Hero: Jay Navarrete
Heroine: Kimber York
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: November 8, 2011
Started On: December 23, 2011
Finished On: December 24, 2011

Secretly More by Lux Zakari is a novel of one of my favorite tropes in romance. Yes, a friends to lovers story, a trope that I haven’t visited of late. My first Lux Zakari turned out to be a novel that ended on a bittersweet note, the difference in Lux Zakari’s prose and style in presenting her novel what made me an instant fan of hers. So I was expecting more of the same I suspect when I delved into this novel, but boy am I glad that I was proven wrong and was delivered with a happily ever after that had me humming all the while in satisfaction.

Jay Navarrete and Kimber York have been best of friends for almost 10 years through which Jay had been head over heels in love with Kimber. Kimber has no clue as to how Jay feels about her. Kimber’s relationship with her guitarist boyfriend Dane which sees its share of downs more than a relationship should sets Jay’s teeth on edge and though he would like nothing better than to come out clean and tell Kimber of his less than friend like feelings he has for her, the thought that Kimber would never ever feel the same way about him stops him cold.

When the opportunity presents itself in the form of a blind folded Kimber who is looking for a sexual escapade that would show her what she has been missing out on in her relationship with Dane is one that Jay cannot turn his back on. And before he knows it, he and Kimber lights up the sheets, each so hot for the other that reality comes crashing down only afterwards. Kimber who is blissfully unaware of the person who rocks her world in ways she has never felt before wants more of the person, her instinctive trust when it comes to her mystery man a surprising one in itself.

Through a lot of misunderstandings, feelings of betrayal and utter hopelessness on both sides, Lux Zakari weaves a tale of friends turning to lovers that makes for a great read, delivering the reader with scorching scenes of passion between a determined Jay and a willing Kimber which just makes the scenes that much more headier. I flat-out loved Jay’s character. He is a bit of an introvert and a nerd, and a cute one at that, someone who is always there for Kimber through thick and thin, someone who would rather cut off a part of his body than inflict hurt or pain on the woman he loves.

It took me sometime to warm up to Kimber. Surprisingly, it was seeing Kimber through Jay’s eyes that I felt myself warm up towards her, the way Jay sums up Kimber’s character that had me seeing her in a whole new light. The ending which was a fitting one for the two of them with a future that looms in front with endless possibilities was a heartwarming one. Recommended for those who love the friends to lovers trope of the erotic variety. Plenty of emotion to go along with scorching sex; what more can a fan ask for?

Favorite Quotes

“Still feel like talking?” she murmured against his mouth.
In response, he tore her panties down with a speed and finesse that left her speechless. She heard him rummage in his pocket and a foil wrapper rip, then he tugged her back in his lap, her knees on either side of him. He kissed her while she felt between them, fumbling for his c#ck and finding it already sheathed in latex. The knowledge that it was in preparation to fuck her made her dizzy with want.

 

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | All Romance Ebooks

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