Category / Score Sheet Review

by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Catch Me by Jennifer Probst

Format: E-bookcatchmejp
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

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by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Midnight Run by Lisa Marie Rice

Format: E-bookmidnightrun
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romantic Suspense
Series: Midnight, Book 2
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: Tyler ‘Bud’ Morrison
Heroine: Claire Parks
Sensuality: 4.5
Date of Publication: February 18, 2004
Started On: February 15, 2012
Finished On: February 15, 2012

 

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 90 A
The heroine 90 A
Story line 90 A
Emotional Intensity 90 A
Suck Me In Factor
 100 A
Heat & Sensuality  100 A
Conflicts within the story 90 A
Writing Style 90 A
Quotable Factor 70 B
The Ending 80 A
Overall Grade 89 A

Score Sheet Summary

Stopping after reading just one Lisa Marie Rice book is an impossibility for me. Midnight is a series that I have read completely out of order and because of that very reason I am able to say that Midnight Run sort of reads like a mix of the 3 books in the series put together. 

Bud is a cop, working undercover at a dance club in Portland known as The Warehouse when he sets his eyes on the beautiful Claire Parks. Bud is a tough, larger than life, total alpha hero who succumbs to the lure of the gentle and altogether too pretty for her own good Claire. Though Claire might be the last virgin in Portland, she has no intention of staying that way for long and its a weekend of decadent pleasures that Bud introduces Claire to, each and every encounter bringing the deeper emotions to the surface as their lovemaking grows more explosive as the weekend goes on.

Midnight Run is a book that is a feast for the senses. I say this because there wasn’t one non-tingly nerve in my body as Bud came into the picture and practically depleted the oxygen levels in the room with his take charge attitude in bed and out of it that serves to be a major turn-on. Though Claire is no pushover, it is always with pleasure I welcome heroines that Lisa Marie Rice creates, no feminists clouding up the story with their attitude in her novels.

The one disappointment for me was how the story ended. There was a lot of angst towards the end, and for me there were some “issues” that needed to be resolved between Claire and Bud before their happily ever after could begin. Of course, the love they have for each other is an unquestionable one, but I would have loved to see a bit of a prolonged ending to a story that had me reading the book in one sitting, giving my mind that much needed relaxation from the cloudy atmosphere of politics that is the current Maldivian environment.

Recommended for fans of the author and fans of the series.

Favorite Quotes

Yes, she, Claire Parks, who by all rights should have been dead these many years, her bleached bones rotting in the cold ground, was turned on. Waves of heat rolled through her body in liquid surges. The heat became almost incandescent in her breasts and in her loins, but her entire body burned and tingled with heat and life.

The rest of what she wanted to say was lost in his mouth. A red mist rose in his head. Fast as lightning, he picked her up, stripped her, pulled off his sweatshirt, pushed his sweat pants down—he deliberately hadn’t put on underwear, either—and embedded his c#ck in her. Just shoved it in because he’d die if he didn’t have his cock in her now.

With any other man, Claire would have been a little afraid, his expression was so fierce and dangerous-looking. She wasn’t frightened. This was Bud. He would never hurt her. “Why are you asking?”
Bud shifted his hips, pushing forward, moving even more deeply into her. “I want you to be comfortable,” he whispered, “because this is the position you’re going to be in for a long, long while.” His gaze held hers. “I’m going to fuck you all night.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | BoB | Ellora’s Cave

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by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Sex, Lies and Contracts by Jennifer Probst

Format: E-booksexliesandcontracts
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Red Sage Publishing
Hero: Jack Alexander Woodward
Heroine: Julianna Elizabeth Waters
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: February 2, 2012
Started On: February 2, 2012
Finished On: February 3, 2012

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 98 A
The heroine 98 A
Story line 90 A
Emotional Intensity 90 A
Story’s ability to suck me in 90 A
Heat & Sensuality  100 A
Conflicts within the story 80 A
Writing Style 95 A
Quotable Factor 80 A
The ending 90 A
Overall Grade 91.1 A 

Score Sheet Summary

32 year old Jack Alexander Woodward is the ultimate heir to his family’s shipping business and fortune; that is if he marries within the next couple of months as stipulated in the will by his father. Though Jack might be handsome as sin, sexy and charming enough to make any woman fall for him and rich enough to have any woman he wants, his heart yearns for love and the ultimate happily ever after that comes along only with love in the equation. So Jack sets off on his own, aiming to find the one woman who would love him for him, not because of his wealth and all that is at his disposal, but someone who would love him in spite of all those things.

Julianna Elizabeth Waters lives in New Port of Rhode Island. The promise that she made to her father on his deathbed is the only thing that prevents Julianna from leaving, the freedom which she had yearned for so long once again out of reach because she cannot turn back on duty which had defined her all her life. Julianna’s deeply sensual nature is hidden behind the ugly clothes that she wears and the intimidating expression that she puts on every day that keeps people at arm’s distance. Julianna’s plan is to find a man who is rich enough to save her family home, despite her misgivings and yearnings to do otherwise.

When Julianna and Jack’s paths cross, out comes Julianna’s needs and desires that have been lying dormant for so long, reveling in the heady sense of being woman enough to shake the sexy as sin Jack to his very toes. Jack’s rules are simple once he identifies Julianna to be another mercenary woman after a man’s riches. Julianna’s nights belong to him and him alone, until she is successful in her attempts to snatch a husband who would satisfy her materialistic needs. 

The Tantric Principle was my first Jennifer Probst and I expected a similar emotional read packed with sexual tension hot enough to singe through my e-reader. And let me tell you I wasn’t disappointed at all with how the story proceeded. The raw passion that seeped through the scene on the cliffs had me practically squirming on my seat, the scene being one of the most sexually charged and explosive scenes I have read of late. And oh when Jack talks dirty, quotes poetry that just sizzles along the nerve endings; let me just say, be warned that you would require a tall, cool glass of water afterwards.

The emotion that Jennifer weaves through all the very well done scenes of the erotic variety just sealed the deal for me for this to be rated as an amazing read, a novella I would highly recommend for those who love their erotic romances with that heady spice to heat up your insides. If you are looking for a hero who knows what he is capable of and has no qualms about going after what he wants with everything he has, if you are fan of heroes who talk dirty and can make even poetry sound like sex talk, seize this book and indulge!

Favorite Quotes

He obviously enjoyed her annoyance. He took his time and uncapped the bottle of water. Removed his ball cap. Dumped the water over his head.
Julianna’s breath caught. Her body slammed into overdrive at the raw sexual scene before her. Water dripped from his thick blond hair and ran down his face. Over a carved jaw. Slid down to dampen perfectly cut lips.
His t-shirt soaked up the liquid and clung to his chest like a Women’s Night gone wild. Hunger hit hard and deep as she followed the trail down to his belt buckle, where droplets slid under the denim and hid beyond.

Her gaze lifted.
And collided with a full-sized predator.
His eyes were the dark whiskey gold her father liked to pour in heavily cut crystal glasses. Liquid fire, potent and seething with heat. 

Then his mouth took hers.
Julianna didn’t have a chance. It was the Alamo all over again. Warm, capable lips molded perfectly to hers and with one push, his tongue slipped into her mouth. Like a marauding pirate, he conquered and enjoyed his territory, his hot tongue thrusting in and out in a teasing game before he dove deep and claimed his treasure. 

The night engulfed her with silence, and the horizon pulled her further into an alternate universe. Civilization left behind, she waited for him as the boat made its way deep into the ocean, then slowed. A million stars twinkled overhead.
She never heard his footsteps.
Like a wild stallion mounting his mare, he pressed his hard body against hers and dragged her legs apart. She gasped and held on tight as he yanked her up, spread her wide, and plunged deep inside.

Purchase Links: Red Sage

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by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Worth the Trip by Penny McCall

Format: E-bookworththetrip
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Penguin Group
Hero: James Aloysius Jones, III
Heroine: Norah MacArthur
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: November 2, 2010
Started On: January 24, 2012
Finished On: February 1, 2012

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 90 A
The heroine 70 B
Story line 90 A
Emotional Intensity 90 A
Story’s ability to suck me in 70 B
Heat & Sensuality  85 A
Conflicts within the story 80 A
Writing Style 90 A
Quotable Factor 70 B
The Ending
 80 A
Overall Grade 81.5 A 

Score Sheet Summary

Meet Norah MacArthur, a psychology professor at the Midwest School of Psychology who has got the whole nerdy, studious professor thing perfectly laid out. Beneath the boxy suites that she wears lays a heart that has encountered too many a betrayal from a father who is one of the best conman that the state has ever seen. With him being released from prison after 15 long years of his sentence, Norah expects that all those who had wondered about the 50 million dollars worth of stolen goods that had made her father famous would come out of the woodwork with the news of his imminent release. But never in her wildest imagination does she foresee the man FBI sends her way, churning up her perfectly stoic emotions and placing her on uncharted waters.

Enter James Aloysius MacArthur, III otherwise known as Trip Jones who is charming, sinfully good looking and has got the determination to hunt down the treasure that had eluded law enforcement officials for far too long. Trip knows that the only way he would ever get Norah’s father to crack under pressure is to keep Norah by his side. But when the threats against Norah start piling up, Trip’s mission becomes a doubly risky one all the while aiming to keep his heart and emotions intact around the bristly Norah who makes no qualms about showing him what she thinks of Feds and him specifically.

And so the two opposites butt their heads together, each never thinking of the possibility that beneath all the ruffled feathers lies a passion that is worth fighting for, and from that mutual desire for each other might stem a love that could defy all odds stacked against them.

It was certainly different reading about the heroine who had major issues about commitment and trust in general, understandable when growing up with a father like hers which were bound to leave some emotional scars behind. Trip proved to be the easier character to get to know, not just because of the sexy cover this book totes, but because he has an easy charm about him that just invites a person to move in and get to know him. But don’t make the mistake of thinking he is some pansy who can be wrapped around one’s little finger, far from that. For me, Trip Jones proved to be the factor that kept me turning the pages, his intense passion & need for Norah that is so much a part of the wicked banter these two indulge in the reason I didn’t give up on the story.

Recommended for fans of Penny McCall; her outrageously sexy hero and the banter is reason enough to add this to your book pile.

Favorite Quotes

[Trip] “You’re a pain in the ass. A wordy pain in the ass.”
“Here are two more words for you. Interfering jerk.”
“Stubborn idiot.”
“Government patsy.”
“Bookworm,” Trip shot back, and then he had her up against her car, his mouth on hers, his hands on her body, taking as much of her as he could get. She came right back at him, curling her hands into his shirt, trying to drag him closer, which was impossible since the only thing between them was a couple of thin layers of clothing and enough heat to cause spontaneous combustion.

 A bolt of lightning speared down into the lake, followed by a clap of thunder so loud Norah swore she felt the lighthouse quake.
“Jeez,” she said, shrinking back against Trip and not feeling stupid about it because it was nice to have a strong man around at a time like this. “Did you feel that?”
“Like the earth moved? That was nothing.” And he spun her around and took her mouth.

She got to her knees, running her nails lightly along his chest, loving the way he groaned, loving how his breath wheezed out when she took him into her hands, loving him, even when he reared up and said, “Now,” and took her waist in his hands and pushed her onto her back. She didn’t object or take offense. Words were beyond her, too, as he surged into her, hard and fast, and she forgot how to breathe and how to think. 

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Finally Satisfied by Tori Scott

Format: E-bookfinallysatisfied
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Satisfaction, Book 3
Publisher:Self-Published
Hero: Mitchell Turner
Heroine: Angel Kensington
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: January 16, 2012
Started On: January 17, 2012
Finished On: January 17, 2012

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 100 A
The heroine 100 A
Story line 100 A
Emotional Intensity 100 A
Story’s ability to suck me in 100 A
Heat & Sensuality  100 A
Conflicts within the story 100 A
Writing Style 95 A
Quotable Factor 50 C
The Ending 95 A
Overall Grade 94  A 

Score Sheet Summary

The 3rd and final book in the Satisfaction series in my opinion is by far, the best book in the series. All 3 of the books are novellas, so length-wise they might not mean much, but with this book, Tori Scott has certainly managed to deliver everything that makes a story memorable.

Angel Kensington is the elder sister of Cara, the heroine from the 1st book in the series. Angel is a woman who has undergone one of the most heart wrenching ordeals a woman may have to go through when she had to give up her baby for adoption. Ever since then, Angel has learnt to keep people at bay, to hide behind her passion that is photography all the while fighting panic attacks that has become almost part of her daily life.

Mitchell Turner is the one man who has the ability to make her feel, maybe a bit too much which is one reason she doesn’t desire to be in his company. And there is no helping the fact when Mitch turns out to be one of the best men in Cara’s wedding, a celebration Angel cannot miss out on, no matter how much she would like otherwise. One panic attack too many and Angel finds herself finally taking the plunge and seeing a psychologist who can help her turn her life around for the better.

For me, both Mitch and Angel were fantastic characters. They felt real and their emotions almost tangible throughout the story. Sweet and poignant as the ending was, I felt a bit cheated out on the way the epilogue seemed to be cut off a bit abruptly. Would have certainly made my day if the epilogue had been just a teeny tiny bit longer!

If you are going to straightaway jump into this book without having read the previous 2 titles, I would advice you not to because all 3 books are tied to one another. To get the full impact of ALL the characters in this series, I recommend the series be read in order.

Definitely recommended!

Favorite Quotes

When she looked up and smiled at him–a genuine, wide-open smile–it took his breath away. It lit up her face and those beautiful tawny eyes and made her more than just beautiful. Stunning. He’d never thought about the meaning of that word when it came to looks before, but at this moment he’d define it as feeling like he’d been hit with a two by four. Paralyzed but still breathing. Knocked on his ass, but still standing.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Smashwords

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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

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by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Reckless Night by Lisa Marie Rice

Format: E-bookrecklessnight.JPG
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Dangerous, 3.5
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Hero: Viktor “Drake” Drakovich
Heroine: Grace
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: November 29, 2011
Started On: January 12, 2012
Finished On: January 12, 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 100 A
Quotable Factor 60 B
The Ending 90 A
Overall Grade 92 A

Score Sheet Summary

For me, Drake is one of those heroes that I would never ever forget. Lisa Marie Rice has a way of spinning a tale that takes you on this beautiful journey which you never ever want to end. And the Dangerous is a series that is one of her best in my opinion. Dangerous Passion is the 3rd and final book published in the Dangerous series and now we have a beautiful little novella that takes place a bit earlier than the epilogue in the actual story.

Drake is not your typical hero and if you want to know why, I suggest you read the book because giving away who and what he is would just be spoiling things for you. And if you already like myself are a rabid fan of the series, you would need no further nudging from me to remember who Drake is.

Drake and Grace’s novella too is focused on their happily ever after, bringing to light the changes that have taken place for both of them in their life together. Their love for each other is an all encompassing one and a beautiful one at that, and at times a scorching hot one too!

Lisa Marie Rice has done well in penning these novellas because if one isn’t already a fan of the series, she definitely wets the reader’s appetite to learn more. And for a fan like myself, I can’t help but want to re-read the entire series and will continue to wonder when my beloved Nick Ireland would get his own little novella to cast me off into my dream world with him along for the ride.

Favorite Quotes

She would never tell him and was ashamed to admit it, even to herself, but she’d fallen in love with him the instant she’d seen him. She’d been taken at gunpoint to the alleyway outside a gallery showing her paintings and had seen a powerful man, not tall but immensely broad. He was facing three armed thugs and he hadn’t looked frightened at all.
He’d looked dangerous.
And she’d fallen.

They had a fabulous sex life. Drake was an attentive, tender lover who took his time in pleasing her. But every once in a while something in him changed and she caught a glimpse of the truly dangerous man he really was. She hadn’t tamed him, not one bit. He just chose to show her a tender side he said he’d only discovered with her.
But sometimes the tiger in him growled and clawed its way to the surface. And then the sex was incandescent.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Hot Secrets by Lisa Marie Rice

Format: E-bookhotsecrets
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Dangerous, 1.5
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Hero: Jack Prescott
Heroine: Caroline Prescott
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: January 3, 2012
Started On: January 12, 2012
Finished On: January 12, 2012

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 100 A
The heroine 100 A
Story line 90 A
Emotional Intensity 100 A
Story’s ability to suck me in 100 A
Heat & Sensuality 100 A
Conflicts within the story 90 A
Writing Style 100 A
Quotable Factor 60 B
The ending 80 A
Overall Grade 92 A

Score Sheet Summary

The Dangerous series by Lisa Marie Rice is one my utmost favorite erotic romantic suspense of the contemporary variety. Hot Secrets is a short, sweet and red-hot novella that takes place right after the very first book of the series, i.e. Dangerous Lover.

Taking place a year into Jack’s marriage to Caroline Prescott, the one woman whom he had never ever forgotten even through the long, hard and tough journey that had brought him back to her doorstep; through Hot Secrets Lisa Marie Rice allows us fans a much wanted glimpse into their happily ever after.

Jack might be besotted to the point of going crazy when it comes to his gentle and beautiful wife, but the one thing that he doesn’t let up on is his need to keep her safe, which is one reason why I fall so hopelessly in love with heroes created by Lisa Marie Rice.

Jack Prescott is alpha to the T, protective to the max and oozes a ton of sexuality just by merely existing in the story. Needless to say, I enjoyed every single minute of this little story which just drove home the point that I miss the beauty that is always a part of Lisa Marie Rice books.

For those who have never read a book from the Dangerous series, this is your place to start because if you are like me, you would be rushing out to buy the entire series before the day is through!

Favorite Quotes

She stepped closer to him, closer still, until her breasts touched his jacket, watching his eyes all the time. “My darling Jack.” She lifted herself up on tiptoe and awkwardly kissed the side of his mouth. “I’m yours. You know that.”
His control broke. His hands fisted in her hair and he kissed her hard, almost savagely. He knew he was bruising her mouth but he couldn’t stop himself. It was as if her mouth were giving him life. He would stay alive as long as he was kissing her.

He couldn’t wait—not one second more—and entered her with one long hard thrust. He was so careful with her, always, but this time he couldn’t be careful, couldn’t be gentle; he needed to possess her the way he needed to breathe.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: No Dress Required by Cari Quinn

Format: E-booknodressrequired
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Hero: Jake Conroy
Heroine: Noelle Gregory
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: December 25, 2011
Started On: December 29, 2011
Finished On: December 29, 2011

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 90 A
The heroine 90 A
Story line 90 A
Emotional Intensity 85 A
Story’s ability to suck me in 90 A
Heat & Sensuality 90 A
Conflicts within the story 80 A
Writing Style 100 A
Quotable Factor 50 C
The Ending 90 A
Overall Grade 85.5 A

Score Sheet Summary

Noelle Gregory has always had a thing for her best friend’s older brother Jake Conroy. Though Jake has always viewed her as a pesky younger sister, Noelle’s feelings for him run far deeper towards a whole different direction. The timing has never been right for Noelle to pursue her feelings towards Jake. And when the opportunity does present itself, who is she to say no to exploring what could happen between them? She is willing to take the chance that maybe, just maybe, Jake might feel the same way about her.

This is Cari’s first non-erotic contemporary romance and I loved it. After my last read which was pretty intense, I found the change of pace this offered sweet and just what I needed. Though a short novella, Cari’s writing is always superb with that emotional intensity that always sucks me in with her stories. I loved Jake and Noelle both, Jake because he was the one with the self confidence issues and Noelle the one who shows him that he is just mighty fine the way he is.

Though it is a non-erotic romance, don’t be fooled into thinking that there is no heat in this novella. There is plenty of that and more and Cari always delivers with her stories and leaves you begging for more!

Recommended for fans of Cari Quinn and fans hot contemporary novellas!

Favorite Quotes

“Jake,” she whispered, the hot blast of her exhalation making him groan. He gave in and fisted his hands in her hair.
She opened to him at once, her body melting against his, wilting into his embrace so that it felt like his light pressure on her cheeks was all that held her upright. But her mouth was a hungry thing, her tongue diving in to tangle with his while her arms wound around his shoulders. He slanted his head to plunder her as deeply as he could, ravenous to explore every inch of her mouth.
Forget kissing. They were eating each other alive.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: A Wedding Story by Dee Tenorio

Format: E-bookaweddingstory
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Bobby Wichowski
Heroine: Ruth Ann Barbellis
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: June 13, 2011
Started On: December 17, 2011
Finished On: December 17, 2011

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 90 A
The heroine 90 A
Story line 90 A
Emotional Intensity 80 A
Story’s ability to suck me in 100 A
Heat & Sensuality
 70 B
Conflicts within the story 80 A
Writing Style 100 A
Quotable Factor 50 C
The Ending 100 A
Overall Grade 85 A

Score Sheet Summary

I am wondering how it is I missed the release of this great little novella from Dee Tenorio. And it was quite by chance that I encountered a tweet about this little number, one that I am more than grateful for as for the last 1 hour I was grinning from ear to ear which ended off with a goofy smile on my face after reading that so very cute epilogue at the end.

A Wedding Story is a novella that has a promising  premise. Bobby and Ruth (nicknamed Rhubarb) grew up together, each always testing the limits of the other. As grown-ups they haven’t stopped getting on each other’s nerves, the hilarious antics that is shared here and there in the novella making me laugh out loud several times.

At the wedding from Hell where Bobby’s brother and Ruth’s sister are getting hitched, both Bobby and Ruth discover that in each other lies their future, not without delivering a lot of laughter along the way that takes them to that realization.

I just flat-out adored this little number. Equal parts hilarious and heartwarming, this little novella available for free  is the perfect place to sample Dee’s writing and obsess over her books as I continue to do ever since I became a fan! Highly recommended!

Favorite Quotes

“You know why I’ve always liked your mouth, Rhubarb?” he asked in that whispery voice again, but it was twice as intimate as before. He let go of his prizes and reached up his free hand to rub his thumb over the bottom edge of her lip. Those shivers started again. “Even when you’re calling me names, it’s the perfect shape for kissing.”
“There’s no shape for kissing.” She wasn’t quite sure how the words came out. Her brain was completely disconnected and so her mouth had to be on auto-pilot. Which explained why it didn’t do anything when his eyes closed and his lips descended to hers.

FREE Download Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Smashwords

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