Category / Self Published

by mvbookreviewer

Short & Sweet Review: Risk the Night by Anne Stuart

Format: E-bookriskthenight
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Constantine
Heroine: Madison Mary Banks
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: January 13, 2013
Started On: April 16, 2013
Finished On: April 16, 2013

Hero: A man who calls himself Constantine, a termination specialist or otherwise known as an assassin.

Heroine: Madison Mary Banks, a reporter whose looking to do a story on men who lead lives as the one Constantine does.

Storyline: Its Madison’s need to seek the story that she wants to do on assassins that brings these two together. The attraction they have for eachother is immediate, fierce and undeniable.

Time period: Risk the Night has a contemporary setting and is told from both the hero and heroine’s points of view.

Likes: The fact that Risk the Night is a novella by my favorite author Anne Stuart is reason enough for a cause to celebrate. I loved Constantine, whose real identity is revealed close to the very end of the story; not that it makes much of a difference to the man he is. Constantine is lean, sexy and lethal and utterly too gorgeous for a woman like Madison to attract, or so she thinks. But the story that unfolds as a result of that burning need to possess & be possessed is one worth delving into.

And on a side note, all the while I was reading this book, the song Assassin by John Mayer, one of my favorites by him, kept repeating on a loop inside of my head. And it made the read all that much more enjoyable.

Dislikes: The only qualm I had with the story is that it was short. But then again Anne Stuart does a remarkable job in giving just enough tidbits for a book of this length to be enjoyable.

Recommended for: Fans of Anne Stuart who like myself cannot get enough of her books and her ruthless heroes.

Final Verdict: Lethal, hot and potent. Left me begging for more!

Favorite Quotes

And when she opened them he stood there, on the narrow little balcony. He was soaking wet, the rain running down his stark, beautiful face in rivulets, plastering his white shirt to his chest. He was there, as she somehow knew he would be.
He was everything she hungered for, everything that was wrong. She looked into his eyes, and her body convulsed in a tiny, shocking climax.
She was in deep trouble.
He pulled her, and she didn’t fight him. Pulled her out onto that narrow sliver of a balcony, out into the driving rain, and kissed her, his mouth hot and heavy on hers, wet, demanding. It was a lover’s kiss. The kiss of man who was ready to climax, and her hands, the ones that should have pushed him away, clutched his shoulders, holding on, as she surrendered to him.

“Let go,” he said, his voice a mere whisper. “Don’t fight it. Take it. Take me.” He bit her earlobe again, hard, and she cried out, sliding to a darker level of hell, shuddering in the final, building response that made no sense, she had come already, too many times, she didn’t want this, she was afraid …
And then the last barrier fell, and she tried to scream, but no sound came out as she tumbled into the darkness, free falling, her entire body shaking apart. She clawed for something to hold onto, but he fell with her, his silent, choked gasp echoing in her ears as everything went black.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: What Not to Expect When You’re Expecting by M.J. Fredrick

Format: E-bookwhatnottoexpectwhenyouareexpecting.jpg
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Rick Cassidy
Heroine: Bailey Summers
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: February 1, 2013
Started On: February 25, 2013
Finished On: March 12, 2013

Hero: Rick Cassidy, middle school history teacher who hires on as the new bartender at Summers to help along his brother and his family to make ends meet.

Heroine: Bailey Summers, owner of the bar and going through a surrogate pregnancy for her brother Mitch and his partner Dean.

Storyline: When Bailey hires Rick as the new bartender for the duration of the summer, she has no idea the complication that her life would become in more ways than one. The timing could not have been worse for her to meet someone that she finds alluring enough to turn her back on all those steadfast rules that she clings on to because she is so very good at being alone and taking care of herself rather than leaning on someone else from time to time. For Rick, Bailey is a complication he would not do without and when these two get up close and personal with each other even with all the odds stacked against them, well, that’s the part of the story that packs an emotional punch that is hard to forget.

Time period: What Not to Expect when You’re Expecting is set in the present time and is told from both Summer and Rick’s points of views.

Awareness between Rick and Bailey: From the moment Bailey and Rick meet, even with all the complications that exists in each of their individual lives, there is this tangible connection and awareness of the sexual and emotional variety that springs forth between the two which paves the way to lend the story some very delicious moments.

Likes: I loved Rick. There is no escaping the fact that Rick is one of the most giving heroes I have ever come across. Its hard not to fall in love with a man who is hot, has a tribal tattoo on one of his biceps and is there for the woman he wants even when his life dictates otherwise. The patience that he exhibits is one I wish I had sometimes and needless to say you need to read the story to get the full effect of Rick into your system and I tell you once you’ve done that there is no turning back.

As always I loved the emotional impact that MJ always leaves behind with her stories. There is always so much heart in all of her stories, and she takes on some very interesting tropes to base her stories on. Acting as a surrogate mother for Bailey’s brother and his partner might be one of the most selfless and giving acts one can perform but that doesn’t mean that Bailey doesn’t have her fair share of doubts and agonizing moments throughout the pregnancy about whether she is doing the right thing for herself. And MJ explores these aspects in depth that lends this story that unputdownable quality.

Dislikes: I wouldn’t say that I disliked how Bailey turned out because there were moments when I could actually glimpse the wonderful and caring person that she is on the inside. But there were times I wished she would open up, just a little bit so that Rick would get a woman who is deserving of all that patience and love he has in abundance.

Recommended for: Those who love contemporary romances that feature slightly unusual tropes. This one’s really good! And for fans of MJ, I know you would know what you are getting yourself into when you indulge in one of her books.

Final Verdict: What Not to Expect When You’re Expecting is a novel that throws a lot of messy emotions into the mix and delivers a read that would keep you engrossed till the very end.

Favorite Quotes

She’d barely turned around when Rick pulled her close, peeling one strap down and kissing his way to her nipple. She gasped and held his head close as desire pinged off every nerve before centering between her legs. She trailed her fingertips down his chest and inside the waist of his trunks, finding him hard and hot, at odds with the rest of his water-cooled body. He groaned against her breast and stretched the leg of her suit to reach her. She bit her lower lip to keep from crying out as he stroked her, then pushed his fingers into her, filling her, thrusting deep, again and again.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Hard Irish by Jennifer Saints

Format: E-bookhardirish
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Weldons, #3
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Jared Weldon
Heroine: Roxanne “Rocky” McKenna
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: September 17, 2012
Started On: February 07, 2013
Finished On: February 10, 2013

Hard Irish by Jennifer Saints is the much anticipated and awaited 3rd book in the Weldon brothers series. I love Jennifer’s books, whichever pseudonym she chooses to write them under because she provides an unbeatable combination of romance and sensuous delights together with just enough suspense to keep the ball rolling in her stories.

Jared Weldon and Roxanne “Rocky” McKenna’s encounter happens quite by chance. Though Jared goes seeking her out and unknowingly stumbles into her life, blindsided by the desire and need that she invokes in him makes Jared hesitant to spell out his real reason for wanting seek her out. And when Jared is certain that someone is out to get Rocky, there is no stopping Jared from doing all that he can to safeguard the woman he begins to fall helplessly in love with, one scorching kiss and searing touch at a time.

Hard Irish brings to the forefront the lovable Weldon family together with the ultra-appealing four brothers 2 of whom I am already hopelessly in love with. Jared finds himself in a bit of a fix when he can’t come out with the truth about who he actually is, but he has no choice but to play along for the duration it takes to keep Rocky safe.

Rocky is a woman who has had a bit of a tough time of things of late. With her father out of commission after a stroke strikes him down, Rocky takes the lead role in their business and gets things going. As a divorcee who had a tough time with her ex-husband, Rocky has her own issues to deal with, emotional scars that are left behind from a relationship that had done more damage than good.

Added to the mix is the thick plot of a deranged killer intent on finding out the secrets that Rocky’s mother had taken to her grave, secrets for which Rocky just might have to pay with her life and the lives of the ones that are near and dear to her.

A good read, I recommend the 3rd book of the series to those who have enjoyed the Weldon brothers so far and those who love books by Jenni.

Favorite Quotes

“May God give you…For every storm a rainbow, for every tear a smile, for every care a promise and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share, for every sigh a sweet song and an answer for each prayer.”
—Irish Blessing

The one thing we can never get enough of is love. And the one thing we can never give enough of is love.
—Henry Miller

I know the depths of sin.
The wretchedness of the depraved.
I know the darkness within
I’ll never escape it, even in the grave.
Though I know it is wrong
And I’ll pay with my soul
I could not turn away from
The love that made me whole.
So I stole every moment of time
And lived in the shadows
To love this child of mine
Before facing heaven’s gallows
I was part of the unforgivable
Blood stains my hands
Still I pray for the impossible
That in the end mercy will stand.

She didn’t have a chance to breathe before he caught her in his arms and planted his mouth on hers, instantly hot and demanding.
She opened to him, meeting the thrust of his tongue with hers, groaning deep from within as her starving senses found succor for her every want. His tongue tangled with hers, leading her in a seductive dance unlike any other.

Her body tightened like bow. She was going to explode. “Take me,” she whispered. “Hard. Give me everything.”
“Hell,” he cried out. His control snapped. The bed shook with his frenzied thrusts, banging the headboard against the wall. She arched and rocked, slamming herself against him. “Come,” he demanded. “Come with me.”
She clenched hard, squeezing his penis with the muscles of her sex and screamed as a mind-stealing orgasm captured her body and her soul. Her vision dimmed, her heart thundered, and her body shook. Wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her, leaving her quivering, replete.

Purchase Links: Amazon

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Beautiful Bad Man by Ellen O’Connell

Format: E-bookbeautifulbadman
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: American Western Historical
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Caleb Sutton
Heroine: Norah Gifford Hawkins
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: September 29, 2012
Started On: November 18, 2012
Finished On: November 25, 2012

From one of the best American Western Historical romance authors comes another fantastic installment, this time a book entitled Beautiful Bad Man, a most appropriate title for a book that delivered a story that was beautiful and fascinating as the hero in the story truly was, a book that made me sigh and yearn in all the right places as Ellen once again wove her special brand of magic on me.

Ellen O’Connell writes stories that are gritty and realistic. She is not an author who pulls any punches when she delivers novels that depict the harshness of life as it was back then. But amidst all the violence and chaos, Ellen still manages to give the reader something that turns out to be that much more precious and beautiful because of the fact and Beautiful Bad Man is no exception to this rule.

Norah Hawkins and Caleb Sutton meet under the most unusual and trying circumstances just for a brief moment in time as young adults. Years later, these two happen to meet again by a quirky twist of fate. Though both Norah and Caleb had never actively sought to think about each other as the years had passed on by, both had in fact wished the best for each other, and had somehow envisioned the other living the sort of life that would bring peace to the other’s mind. However, reality couldn’t be further from those dreams as Caleb finds himself facing a disillusioned woman who is ready to collapse from the lack of will to fight for what she wants. For Norah the jolt is a stronger one. Norah being someone who always has a clear cut vision on what is right and wrong finds herself confronting a man whose eyes show nothing but coldness, in it lying the truth of how survival of the fittest always means that you lose something precious and vital inside of you to come out as the winner in the game of survival.

A partnership forged between two people who couldn’t be more different from each other even if they tried would seem to be a venture doomed for failure right from the very start. But that is exactly the opposite of what happens as Norah starts to discover those startling qualities about the man she married, the man that she slowly starts to fall in love with as Caleb unknowingly shows her just what it is like to be married to someone who truly appreciates Norah and all that she can offer in the truest fashion.

Caleb is someone who believes himself not worthy of beauty or kindness that life has to offer, no wonder owing to the harsh brutality that he had suffered during his childhood. But Norah awakens in him something that runs sure and deep into his soul, a yearning to reach out for the impossible and hold on for as long as possible. 

The constant danger that both Norah and Caleb fight together to safeguard what is theirs brings these two closer and seals a relationship that already takes them to new heights in the physical sense. Norah is the type of heroine that I love to read about. The type of heroine that Ellen is so good at creating. And thus its no wonder that I fell in love with Norah right from the very start.

Caleb is a hero that is truly beautiful and bad, both at the same time, somehow making those two words strung together just that much more meaningful. Caleb is a hero in every sense. A bit alpha, a bit headstrong, just a tad stubborn and a total softie when it comes to his wife and their dog Early without even realizing the fact himself. 

If you haven’t read an Ellen O’Connell, its high time you did. She writes characters and stories that you would not forget anytime soon. A must read if you are a fan of American Western historical romances. Highly recommended!

Favorite Quotes

“The times they’d coupled by early morning light or with a lamp still burning, his face stayed a handsome shadow. In bright sunshine she saw every detail — the way the water had made dark spikes of his lashes, the way those lashes were half-lowered over eyes turning liquid with passion. She had not drowned in the shallow creek. She would lose herself forever in his eyes.”

“She expected his weight, the familiar. He turned her on her side to face him, draped her leg over his, and entered her, his eyes locked on hers. She shut her eyes, invaded in some impossible way beyond the physical.
He moved inside her slowly. She moved with him, giving herself to the pleasure. One arm held her close, one hand rubbed a nipple.
“Norah.” His voice was hoarse and deep, his words in the rhythm of their movement. “Look at me. Let me know you know it’s me. You want it to be me.”
“I know. You’re the only one I ever wanted.” She opened her eyes and let him see the truth.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

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by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Leaving Bluestone by M.J. Fredrick

Format: E-bookleavingbluestone
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Welcome to Bluestone, #3
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Quinn Alden
Heroine: Lily Prater
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: April 4, 2012
Started On: August 7, 2012
Finished On: August 9, 2012

 

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 85 A
The heroine 85 A
Story line 85 A
Emotional Intensity 85 A
Suck me in Factor 85 A
Heat & Sensuality 85 A
Conflicts 85 A
Writing Style 95 A
Quotable Factor 50 A
Ending 80 A
Overall Grade 82 A

Score Sheet Summary

The third and final book in the Welcome to Bluestone series was the story that I most anticipated for when I first read the debut novel of the series. Even though the book didn’t live up to all my expectations, nevertheless MJ Fredrick did a fairly impressive job of tying up all loose ends in the trilogy and delivered a fitting end to a couple who had it going from the very beginning – if only Quinn Alden would let go of his stubborn notions that Lily Prater was not for him.

Ex-military, a bit broody and with one of those tattoos on him that could drive a girl to do crazy things, Quinn was the hero that I drooled over the most in the series. Quinn suffers from survivor’s guilt which makes him turn his back on the searing need that runs through him whenever Lily is around. The bits about the struggle that Quinn goes through to come to terms with his familial ties were ones filled with lump-in-the-throat moments. MJ has a way of bringing that sort of conflict to the forefront & dealing with them that just makes her books that much worthy of indulgence.

Lily is the driving force behind the total turnaround that the sleepy town of Bluestone does. She is like this little ball of energy that never ceases to stop, that never gives up and its her unwavering enthusiasm that is what drew me to her the most. Though at times it was exhausting to even think of all the things Lily gets done, I was impressed and suitably so since I am one of the least energetic people this world has ever had the fortune of seeing.

What I loved most was seeing all the changes that Bluestone sees, thanks to  the collective effort of its citizens, mainly Lily who never falters in her focus on making a name for Bluestone in the grand scale of things. All in all a great addition to the series. Though this is the end to the trilogy, there were characters I met throughout the story that I wouldn’t mind knowing more about – and yes, I am selfish enough to want more books from an author who never fails to deliver.

Recommended for those who love small town romances.

Favorite Quotes

She padded barefoot to the door in her long flannel nightshirt–the nights were chilly already–and opened the door.
Quinn stood there, shoulders tense in his white T-shirt, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans for the split second before he took them out and grabbed her, dragging her forward, one hand in her hair, the other around her waist. Then his mouth was on hers, hot and hungry, lips firm, almost like he didn’t want to be doing this but had no choice. 

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Bluestone Song by M.J. Fredrick

Format: E-bookbluestonesong
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Welcome to Bluestone, #2
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Maddox Bradley
Heroine: Beth Lapointe
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: February 18, 2012
Started On: July 23, 2012
Finished On: August 7, 2012

Contrary to what I believed when I first started with the Welcome to Bluestone series, Bluestone Song ended up being my favorite from the trilogy. There is always something about the way that M. J. writes that explores the heart of conflicts ingrained deep inside of familial ties that just earns my wholehearted approval. And Bluestone Song is no exception to that rule.

Country singer and sensation Maddox Bradley returns to Bluestone, the one place that had always felt home to him after fourteen years of being away. He has been to the brink of disaster and back and returns amidst rumors of him turning to the bottle again for solace and comfort. Bluestone holds a lot of memories for Maddox, the primary source of those memories being none other than Beth Lapointe.

Beth has learned a long time back to give up on her dreams and the things that she yearns to do. Beth has had to sacrifice a lot for the sake of her family when her mother had died and alcoholic father had left, leaving her the sole responsible parent of three younger siblings. And fourteen years on, that ingrained sense of responsibility has not faded away as Beth continues to work towards providing a better future for her younger sister and her baby.

Seeing Maddox enter the bar where she works at is the last thing Beth needs with all sorts of trouble brewing at the home front. But there is no escaping the fact that the older and mature version of Maddox is no less lethal on her heart and emotions and she has a tough time trying to control herself around him, to not do anything rash that might end her up with a broken heart all over again.

There is a certain charm to Maddox’s character. His laid-back, easy and open manner and of course those lean good looks of his certainly helps things along. But it is that subtle charm of his, that special way of his in which he seduces Beth and gets seduced by her and just how right it is when he is with her that makes for the best part of the story.

Beth is a tougher nut to crack, no surprise given that she has had to fend for herself for far too long, never having anyone to rely on to share the burden and responsibility with. But the unassuming nature behind Maddox’s character in turn soothes and sets afire something deep inside of Beth that has laid dormant for far too long and it is not long before she says yes to everything Maddox has to offer.

Amidst all that’s happening between Maddox and Beth, M. J. takes readers through the rest of the developments that takes place in the sleepy town of Bluestone, how it comes alive bit by bit, how the efforts made by citizens to revive the town and its economy bears fruit and gives Bluestone that extra edge among other ailing small towns. 

Bluestone Song is the best installment in the series and I couldn’t get enough of Maddox and Beth.

Recommended for those who love contemporary romances in a small town setting. M. J. Fredrick is one author who would never steer you wrong.

Favorite Quotes

He tasted so good, hot and male, just a touch of sweetness from the pop he’d nursed while he waited for her. He pressed his body against hers and she sank into it, just for a minute, savoring the firmness of his chest against hers, his arms around her, the heat of his tongue dipping into her mouth. Every female nerve in her body sparked, and she wanted to drag him with her into the house, pull him over her on the bed, feel all the things his kiss promised, all the things her body remembered.

He felt so good, so hard, so male. His stubble rasped her cheek, and his breath blew hot against her skin as he devoured her, like he couldn’t get enough. Arousal shot through her, at once alien and familiar. He was the only one to ever make her lose her head like this.

“I love that you still sound the same when I’m inside you,” – Maddox

When she rose over him again to slam her body against his, he added his touch to the equation, feeling her swell and slicken against his thumb before—oh, man. Nothing could be as beautiful as Beth coming, her whole body going tight, then loose as shudders of pleasure ran through her.
And that was all he was able to register before he finally let go and followed her, his orgasm coming from every atom of his body, and pouring into her heat.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

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by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Skin Deep by Pamela Clare

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

 

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

Score Sheet Summary

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

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

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

Favorite Quotes

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

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

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

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

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: What She Doesn’t Know by Lina Gardiner

Format: E-bookwhatshedoesntknow
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Sloan Brockway
Heroine: Raven Delacoeur
Sensuality: 2.9
Date of Publication: January 29, 2012
Started On: March 27, 2012
Finished On: March 28, 2012

Raven Delacoeur makes her way to an isolated island in the bay of Fundy on the east coast of Canada to find out whether the rumors that her dead husband has surfaced and is living on the island could be true. It has been a year since her husband Barry had tried to kill her and died in the process and Raven would rather forget the lies and deceit than to poke her head into a hornet’s nest. But she cannot help herself from making her way towards an island that is surrounded by fog, where menace and evil seems to prick and poke at her from the minute she sets her foot on the island.

Sloan Brockway is working on a tight schedule to recover an ancient artifact in order to keep it falling into the hands of people like his cousins. The worst thing possible that could happen to him turns into reality when Raven turns up at his doorstep and Sloan is landed with the battle of his lifetime trying to juggle everything and keeping Sloan safe from the men who are relentless in their need to see the entire Delacoeur family buried six feet under.

Raven suffers from an immense loss in her memory owing to the death of her parents eight years earlier. The block in her memory hinders her every effort to find the truth that hovers so close by and yet seems to be unattainable no matter how hard she tries. Trust becomes difficult for someone like Raven who has been betrayed in the worst manner possible by the man who should have protected her at all costs and Raven has a hard time understanding what drives Sloan and whether what he keeps on telling her is the truth.

Before the story is through, Raven goes through a quest for the truth and comes up with more than she bargained for, the secrets that lurks in Sloan’s eyes ones that tends to drive her crazy enough to pursue what is hidden from her with a vengeance that both shocks and thrills her at the same time. Sloan operates on the procedure that if Raven were ever to find the truth behind his association with the men who ruined her life she would never be able to look beyond the surface to see a man who has loved and yearned for her for far too long.

What She Doesn’t Know reads more like an adventurous thriller than a romantic suspense novel. I found myself disappointed by the lack of heat or any sort of passion or connection between Raven and Sloan apart from their joint efforts in searching for a treasure that seems to create a lot of havoc in both their lives. I don’t need a lot of explicitly detailed sexual content in my novels to satisfy my thirst for romance, but both Sloan and Raven seemed too focused on other stuff to really forge a believable connection between them.

On the other hand, I loved the thrill of the chase so to say in the novel and the descriptions of the island that made the setting for the story come alive. But the story seemed to end on a sort of a cliffhanger conclusion where yes Sloan and Raven both express their love for each other but once again the adventure aspect of the story seemed to overshadow the “need” that they both should have for each other if their love for one another is as important to both of them as they proclaim it to be.

Not a bad read if you are the type to be satisfied with your romance without that passionate connection between the hero and the heroine and if you love the treasure seeking kind of thrillers you would love Lina Gardner’s What She Doesn’t Know.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Her Perfect Getaway by Emma Jay

Format: E-bookherperfectgetaway
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Bridesmaids in Paradise, #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Max Sullivan
Heroine: Elizabeth Black
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: March 19, 2012
Started On: March 21, 2012
Finished On: March 21, 2012

Elizabeth Black, along with her girl friends make their way to Hawaii for a week of relaxing and fun before Elizabeth’s friend Haven (from Two-Step Temptation) is to say her I-do’s in about 5 weeks time. Elizabeth is high-strung, a workaholic with a constant need to please her father and someone who hasn’t had a vacation in 3 long years.

Max Sullivan (Sully) the sexy and sinfully mouthwatering specimen of the male form turns out to be their guide for the duration of the trip. With an easy going laid-back  nature and a charm that puts everyone at ease right from the start, combined with his potent good looks, Elizabeth finds herself totally turned on by the different facets of his character that comes to light by the minute. Elizabeth thinks that her unruly attraction towards their guide would cause all sorts of problems but these worries fly out the window when she learns that Max too feels the same tidal wave of desire towards her.

A week is all they have got in a land that could be called Paradise on Earth and both Max and Elizabeth certainly make the best use of their time, the sex between them turning hotter and more irresistible with each passing encounter. Elizabeth might want to tell herself that her feelings aren’t involved at all, but as she gets to know the complex man beneath all that charm and good looks, Elizabeth starts to fall for Max bit by bit until there is no turning back.

Oh, how I loved this little story that just sucked me right in and got me feeling all blue to see it end. I wanted to continue reading about two people who completely made me fall in love with them and I wanted all good things to happen to both of them. Max, Oh.MY.GOD. Max, (takes a deep breathe), he just took my breathe away. From the minute he walked into the picture in flip flops and that beautiful mouth of his curved in a welcoming smile, everything female in me clamored to be his. Yes, I tell you, I was a goner from that moment on. I just knew then and there that Max with his beautiful hibiscus tattoo and his tendency to drive a motorbike (GOD YES), lets just say I may as well have took my heart out and wrapped it up in a neat bow and handed it over to him.

Max was such a swell character not because of his sheer good looks alone. It is his different facets that demands nothing less that makes him so irresistible. And that sexy Australian drawl of his whispering words in Japanese? Oh man, even though I know next to nothing in Japanese, I just know that Max would make it worth my while. And you’ve gotta love a man who can make you laugh and turn you on all at the same time and Max did just that to me, (darn it), I mean Elizabeth. 

So before I turn this review into a total drool fest about Max, I should mention how much I loved the way Emma brought to life the beautiful Hawaii. I wanted to hop on a plane then and there and zoom my way across to Paradise on Earth, to experience the heady culture and to mingle with the beautiful people and to just let all my worries melt away. Hopefully someday, even if it is just to experience the magic that Emma creates so beautifully in the story I will one day visit Hawaii, and of course I wouldn’t say no to a guide or two like Max to keep me company and surf through uncharted waters and gaze off into the sunset. *sigh*

Elizabeth is a bit of a tough cookie in the story. She suffers from ill placed guilt issues when it comes to her father, someone who makes sure he exploits those feelings that burgeon to life inside of her whenever he is around. The turning point for Elizabeth’s character comes during Max’s visit to Texas and Elizabeth stands up to her father and lets her feelings be clearly known. I loved that she was the one to take the plunge, to finally express her need to see whether their relationship could mean something much more than either of them bargained for and for that reason alone I loved her wholeheartedly, maybe just a tad less than I do for Max.

Though I would have loved a sappy ending with a lot of mushy expression of feelings tossed into the mix, somehow, the ending in the story seemed to fit these two people and seemed a realistic end to their story. The one thing you won’t tire of are the scenes of passion of the explosive and at the same time tender variety that just goes straight to your blood and pumps it up and makes you sigh all over at the same time. It was those moments of desperation that seems to hit both Max and Elizabeth, their need for each other something that neither can deny that I reveled in, during those moments that I practically drooled and salivated over my e-reader.

As a reader, I couldn’t have asked for more except wish that Max and Elizabeth’s story could have continued on for a long, long while.

Highly recommended for fans of erotica featuring sinfully sexy heroes who makes you hum on on the insides just by sheer instinct alone. And for 0.99 $, this is more than worth a story to indulge in, if only to see Hawaii through the eyes of the author. And of course Max. How could I ever forget him. *sigh*

Favorite Quotes

Vaguely she was aware of her moans floating across the backyard as her entire body tightened around him, then released, sending bits of her consciousness flying in all directions like the stars in the sky above. Her nails dug into his shoulder through his shirt as she anchored herself to him, as the orgasm pulsed through her. She felt the ripples of his own climax inside her, and then he collapsed over her, bringing both legs into the hammock and pulling her against his side.
“Perfect,” he murmured, and in a few minutes, his breathing evened out.

The gentleness of his mouth on hers surprised her, the slow caress of his lips and tongue not unlike the waves below them. She curved her hand around the back of his neck and let herself float on the rhythm, let her fears drift and her body take over. 

He entered her with a practiced thrust, his mouth finding hers, filling her with her taste and arousal so strong. She curled her fingers over his muscular ass and spread her legs wider, searching for the rhythm to match his. God, so perfect, the angle, the tempo. He looked down at her as she found it, as she met him stroke for stroke, so good, so hot, so deep.

She’d practically ripped his clothes off before they got into her apartment, had him inside her before the sound of the door closing had stopped vibrating through the apartment. He’d pressed her to the door and pounded into her until he couldn’t stand up. He’d carried her to the bedroom, where she took over, riding him until he curled his body up to embrace her, so that his breath was on her lips when they reached their climax together.

The next thing she knew, his cock nudged at her entrance. 
“Condom,” she managed.
“Taken care of.” He guided her hand to the base of his shaft so she could feel the sheath. “Ride me, Elizabeth.”
With a shift of her hips, she brought him into her, igniting desire she thought spent as he stretched her, stroked her inner walls.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves

Format: E-bookontheisland
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Thomas James Callahan (T.J.)
Heroine: Anna Lynn Emerson
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: September 4, 2011
Started On: March 6, 2012
Finished On: March 9, 2012

Never have I been so grateful for a recommendation received from the romance discussion forum on Amazon as I was when I finished On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves. By reading the book, you won’t feel that it is a debut novel, such is Tracey’s prowess and mastery with the words that you just want to go on reading, without taking any breaks in between if you can help it.

Thomas James Callahan (T.J.) is sixteen years old and three months into remission from Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He is on his way to the Maldives with his 30 year old tutor Anna Lynn Emerson who is to help him catch up on the months of missed school while T.J. had been undergoing treatment.

Tragedy strikes when the sea plane that is supposed to take them to the island which is their final destination crash lands, leaving Anna badly hurt and T.J. with the task of getting them safely to shore. Saying that it is a tough time that Anna and T.J. both undergo, especially during the first couple of days would be an understatement. Being from the Maldives myself, I understand how primitive conditions would be in an uninhabited island, how totally alone you can feel with nothing but the blue skies and the endless seas surrounding you. With no source of fresh water on the island, Anna and T.J.’s main problem lies in the depleting amount of fluids from their bodies. But somehow, part  through luck and partly through trial and error, T.J. and Anna make a life for themselves on the island when being rescued seems like an option that is no longer available for them.

From June 2001 till December 2004 when the devastating tsunami that wrought havoc from Indonesia to Africa serves to be the reason why they get rescued, Anna and T.J. depend and rely on each other and a relationship forms between the two, not surprising given the fact that T.J. had crushed on Anna even from the very start. Anna is the one who remains at first oblivious, for many a reason, one being the fact that she is 13 years older than T.J. For Anna, the protective instinct she has when it comes to T.J. surprises her but she doesn’t make much of it until after T.J. turns 18 and she too starts feeling the stirrings of desire when it comes to T.J. 

The way Anna and T.J.’s relationship progresses is a natural one. No lightning bolt moments in their relationship but rather it is one that is built on mutual affection, trust and a whole lot more than just a simple case of lusting for each other because it is the convenient choice. Both T.J. and Anna are characters who feel real, ones that you can relate to, ones that tug at your heartstrings as you read along. You can’t help but be invested in the outcome of their relationship, their time on the island that subjects them to the harsh reality of life and survival when there remains nothing but each other to look out for.

Being rescued brings along with it its own fair share of doubts and insecurities though both Anna and T.J. know that for them there would always be no love like the one that they have found with each other. The period of separation that they both go through was a much needed one to make their love that much more meaningful and profound and I was deeply moved through everything T.J. and Anna go through, both together and individually as well.

I loved T.J.. No surprises there. He is the kind of hero that you fall in love with immediately because there are no pretenses when it comes to him. He is the what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of guy and the way he grows into manhood, takes on responsibilities that would otherwise have been foreign if not for the circumstances just made him that much more appealing. He has a protective instinct that naturally comes into play with Anna, a woman he admires and crushes on from afar for far too long. When T.J. realizes the course of change Anna’s feelings towards him has taken, T.J. grabs the opportunity like everything else he does, with a zeal and zest for life that is so charming that you just fall in love with Anna right along with him.

Anna was such a lovely character as well. She is the type of heroine who doesn’t fuss around trying to become someone she isn’t. She is comfortable with who she is. Her regrets in life are ones that had driven her to take the job of tutoring T.J. in the first place. She doesn’t talk down to T.J. just because he is much younger than herself but rather treats him as an equal from the very start. Their coping mechanism for what they both go through are different, but in it lies that desolateness that is a result of the hope that diminishes as the months and years pass on by.

If I am ever to crash on an uninhabited island, I want a T.J. by my side, a man who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to lay his emotions on the line to get what he wants. When the epilogue and the beautiful fitting ending for these two lovely people came about, I was more than ready to embrace it, reveling in the blessings that life had bestowed upon two people who would remain with me forever. 

I have to warn readers like myself who are squeamish with books written in first person that this is indeed written in first person. But Tracey makes it worth your while by giving both characters equal amounts of attention to show you both their viewpoints. A nice touch I must say and I loved T.J.’s take on things. With characters I loved wholeheartedly, this gushy review is a testament to just how much I loved the story. And the story taking place in Maldives? The icing on the cake. 

Beautiful, poignant and real, On the Island is a novel not to be missed! I smiled, I laughed, I cried and I sighed with everything that is in me. There is nothing more you can ask from a book. Grab yourself a copy and indulge – I dare you!

Favorite Quotes

[T.J.] If she had gotten sick, the only thing I could have done was watch her suffer. Bury her next to Mick when she died. I didn’t know if I could make it without her. The sound of her voice, her smile, her– those were the things that made living on the island bearable. I held her a little tighter and thought if she woke up I might tell her that. She didn’t though. She sighed in her sleep, and eventually I drifted off.

[Anna] In February, I woke up from a nap. A bouquet of flowers gathered from the various bushes and shrubs scattered around the island lay on the blanket beside me, a small length of rope wound around their stems.
I found T.J. down at the shore. “Someone’s been checking the calendar.”
He grinned. “I didn’t want to miss Valentine’s Day.”
I kissed him. “You’re sweet to me.”
Pulling me closer, he said, “It’s not hard, Anna.”
I stared into T.J.’s eyes, and he started to sway. My arms went around his neck and we danced, moving in a circle, the sand soft and warm under our feet.
“You don’t need music, do you?”
“No,” T.J. said. “But I do need you.”

[T.J.] I pulled my arms out from underneath her body and tucked her hair behind her ears. “I love you, Anna.”
The surprised look on her face told me she hadn’t seen that coming.
“You weren’t supposed to fall in love,” she whispered.
“Well, I did,” I said, looking into her eyes. “I’ve been in love with you for months. I’m telling you now because I think you love me too, Anna. You just don’t think you’re supposed to. You’ll tell me when you’re ready. I can wait.” I pulled her mouth down to mine and kissed her and when it ended, I smiled and said, “Happy birthday.”

[T.J.] I kissed her as soon as we were inside her apartment, and I wasn’t gentle about it, holding her face firmly in my hands and pressing my lips hard against hers. She wasn’t anyone’s to own – I knew that – but right then she was mine.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

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