Category / Self Published

by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: A Very Sinful Valentine by Charlotte Featherstone

Format: E-bookSinful
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Historical Erotic Romance
Series: Sinful
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Matthew Wallingford
Heroine: Jane Rankin
Sensuality: 4.5
Date of Publication: February 2012
Started On: March 5, 2012
Finished On: March 5, 2012

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

Score Sheet Summary

Sinful by Charlotte Featherstone is one of those novels that I ended up loving to death. A hero that I could not get enough of, a heroine who was his match in every single way and sensual scenes penned so vividly and erotically that it took my very breathe away, needless to say, Sinful is a novel that I would remember till the end of time.

So it was to my delightful surprise that a friend on Goodreads alerted me to this delicious number released I guess in time for Valentines Day and I am so thankful that Charlotte Featherstone like myself hasn’t forgotten the impact that Matthew has on the female senses.

This little novella finds Matthew basking in wedded bliss so to speak with that untamed wildness within him roaring its head because his beloved wife Jane has been avoiding him for the past 3 months. A man who has a voracious appetite for anything and everything to do with carnal desires of the flesh, Jane had been the woman to bring him down to his knees and possess his heart for all eternity. So it is a brooding Matthew we find ourselves with, dangerous and turbulent emotions swirling deep inside of him, all the while wrecking his brains trying to think up the reason why his strong and brave Jane suddenly seems to be without the very fire that stirs him up.

Jane has her own reasons to be shy around Matthew. Giving birth has put its own toll on her body and needless to say a woman who thinks of herself plain when compared to a husband whose dark vivid good looks is the talk of the town has Jane hesitating to give herself over to her husband, even when she aches to do so.

What Matthew does is breathtaking in its eroticism, beautiful in the way that it brought everything female deep inside of me alive and had my senses humming all throughout. Every woman, and I mean every single woman deserves a man like Matthew who can love like he does, without reservations, without conditions, for time and eternity, until death does them apart. Let the sighing fest begin!

Cannot recommend this highly enough for those who love Matthew. He is the man!

Favorite Quotes

[Jane] “You know how I feel about you. About what we share. I did not mean it in such a way.”
“No?” he whispered wickedly, his gaze finding hers, latching on with strength and determination. “I don‟t believe you. I think you had better show me, Jane.” 
She kissed him, slow, lazily, her lips moving over his mouth, slowly winding, becoming deeper, sensual, and then slowly her tongue penetrated his mouth, touching his tongue, flicking around the tip of his. He groaned, wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her up against his bulging phallus that felt so large and hard. Her core ached, needing that deep inside her.

“I’m a hedonist, and you, Jane, my wife, should know that about me. You’ve shared my body and bed, you know things about me that no other soul on earth does. Who can I not be a sensualist with than, you, Jane? Who else to act out my wicked fantasies, than the woman who inspires them? There is no shame in fantasies, in pleasure. Who other than us needs to know what we’ve done, what brings the other pleasure?”

[…] “But Jane, tonight I’m going to watch–and so are you. It will not be dark when I look upon you. There will be no clothes–only your skin. There will be no wiggling and squirming away from me. You will lie still and let me look. I will take as long as I want, gorge myself on the sight of you, and you will not resist. You will not utter one word to the contrary. You will accept everything I give you. And you will be loved, Jane. Loved so that you never forget that you are the only woman for me. You always have been. And you always will be.”

“Don’t” be shocked, Jane,” he murmured as he lifted her higher, and poised her at the tip of his cock. “Don‟t be embarrassed. Not with me. You‟re gorgeous, and everything about you is perfect.” 
She nodded, met his gaze, and they held each other as she sunk down slowly upon him, impaling herself.  
She cried out, her hand flying to her lower belly. 
“Feel me all the way up there, do you my love?” 
She nodded, began to move, and he let her, just felt her body move and undulate beneath his palms.

“Jane, look at me,” he asked, and when she did, he knew she was seeing what she needed in his eyes. 
“You are the only woman for me–it‟s only ever been you. I told you once before, that I have never loved before you, and I will never love again. Jane,” he said, forcing her face to down to his. “There is no condition on my love. No end to my desire. Don‟t put them there, my love.”

“Jane,” he whispered as the streaks of dawn broke through their bedroom window. “Once more. In the daylight, so I can see you with the sun upon your skin.”
And she rolled over, smiled, and held open her arms to him, welcoming him home at last.

Download Link: Mystic Castle

outstandingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Bluestone Homecoming by M.J. Fredrick

Format: E-bookbluestonehomecoming
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Welcome to Bluestone, Book 1
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Leo Erickson
Heroine: Trinity Madison
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: January 31, 2012
Started On: February 17, 2012
Finished On: February 25, 2012

M. J. Fredrick has a talent for creating characters that one can always relate  to. The romance that sizzles is always an added incentive to seek her books out because I for one am always certain that if the book is written by M. J. Fredrick, I wouldn’t ever have a reason to regret my purchase.

Bluestone Homecoming is the debut novel in a series centered around the small town of Bluestone. Leo Erickson is the hotshot war correspondent that had always felt the need to get away and had done so as soon as he could from his hometown Bluestone. And now Leo is back, the first step he takes in making amends towards his son Max whom he had left behind, too taken up on his own grief after the death of his wife to take care of his son’s needs. 

Trinity Madison is the Bluestone Elementary School counselor and is the daughter of a Reverend, still paying for her one indiscretion during her youth, one which her family still hasn’t forgotten and won’t let her forget or forgive herself. When Leo comes into town, her emotions take a leap in a direction it hasn’t for the past 8 years and Trinity is both scared and in anticipation of what could come out of a brief fling between herself and Leo with Leo uncertain of how he wants to proceed with his future.

Leo never takes into account how he well he might settle into small town life, especially with the way Trinity makes him feel deep inside as if he could once again be happy and have a second chance with his son with whom he has a difficult time at first. But Trinity’s secret when it comes out, would it have the power to drive them apart or would Leo be the man Trinity believes him to be deep in her heart, the man who would save her from her endless guilt and give her the love and support that she needs to move on with her life.

Bluestone Homecoming starts out a bit slow, laying down the foundation of the series, introducing the reader to the wholesome and charming and sometimes intriguing characters of Bluestone. Once the story picks up pace and things start happening, Bluestone Homecoming definitely pulled me in and charmed the socks off of me. Leo and Trinity both being likable characters made for an endearing couple, the attraction between them somehow sweet and sizzling hot at the same time. Leo’s relationship with his son Max was one of the most beautiful aspects of the story. That initial awkwardness and the pain both of them have never let out since the death of the woman who had meant the world to them is one that had my heart going out for them. 

Bluestone is a town that has been hit hard by the financial climate and it was heartwarming to see all of them band up together to find a way to generate more income for their small community. Leo finds his footing and his place in Bluestone through this process of helping the town remake its image, in getting involved with ordinary day-to-day life that somehow ends up being moments that he starts savoring once he gets into the groove of things.

Though the ending was a bit rushed, I decided to forgive M. J. because she has got the next book out already and Quinn and Lily’s book which I am counting on to be explosive and already my most favorite couple from the series would be out latest somewhere in March. Couldn’t ask for a better birthday present for myself if Lily and Quinn’s story turns out to be everything I expect it to be and I am certain M. J. won’t disappoint.

Great introduction into a heartwarming series whose characters, the scene and the setting worms their way into your heart before you know it.

Favorite Quotes

He closed the door behind her and turned, blocking her view of the surprisingly neat room to crowd her against the door. “I’ve wanted to do this all week. Even dreamed about it this morning.” And he touched his lips to hers.
She curved into the warmth of his body, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, her fingers tunneling through his hair as he dipped his tongue between her parted lips, stroking, playing, teasing. 

The next thing she knew, he’d turned her so her back was against one of the wider trees. He stroked the hair back from her jaw and kissed her, his mouth hot and hungry. She returned the intensity, her arms around his shoulders, her fingers in his hair, her body pressed against him as if just that could ease the ache coursing through her. His hands molded her waist, bringing her closer, his tongue stroked between her lips in a rhythm that made every nerve sing.

He lifted his head and looked into her eyes as he tugged at her shirt, pulling it from beneath her, pulling it over her head until she lay beneath him in her bra, and an insubstantial one at that. His nostrils flared as he took in the sight of her in the dim light, and he trailed his fingertips over the slope of her breast to touch her extended nipple. She held her breath in anticipation as he paused, then rolled it between his fingers. When he bent his head, she closed her eyes, and let the heat of his mouth become the focal point of her world.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

greatread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: In the Marshal’s Arms by Emma Jay

Format: E-bookinthemarshalsarms
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Historical Erotic Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Rhys Burgess
Heroine: Maddy Colby
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: December 15, 2011
Started On: February 6, 2012
Finished On: February 6, 2012

US Marshal Rhys Burgess is on the hunt to bring bank robber Edward Colby to justice. His search brings him to the somewhat derelict home of Maddy Colby, mistress to the brothers who had wreaked havoc with their penchant for stealing and being one of the most ambitious bank robbers of the past decade.

When Rhys meets Maddy, she is unlike the woman he has envisioned in his head. Maddy intrigues him with her intelligent mind, the way her hair seems to shimmer and shine with the most contrasting vividness and the way his senses start humming whenever Maddy is around.

For Maddy, Rhys is a temptation that is hard to deny. A woman who is completely comfortable in her sexuality, Maddy has no qualms about seducing and being seduced by Rhys who makes her feel desirable, cossetted and loved all at the same time. But then reality is not too far away and intrudes right at the moment where Maddy is willing to put her faith, trust and love in the one man who has broken down her barriers, the one man she wants to spend the rest of her life with.

In the Marshal’s Arms was a short and hot read that features a most refreshing heroine. Emma Jay has a way of writing her heroines bold, sexy and comfortable with who they are and Maddy is no different. Rhys is a bit shy and uncertain when it comes to expressing his desire for a woman who he has no intention of getting involved with at first. But the heart has an agenda of its own and that is how Rhys finds himself in the best kind of trouble he has ever gotten into in his life.

I loved the ending, the way Rhys wins over Maddy’s affections. In the Marshal’s Arms is a good read, recommended for those who love historical erotic romances. Emma Jay has a way with her heroes that just makes you want to sigh over & over again once you are done.

goodread

by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: This Heart for Hire by Elysa Hendricks

Format: E-bookthisheartforhire
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher:Self-Published
Hero: Jacob Gallagher
Heroine: Christina Goodwin
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: October 12, 2011
Started On: December 11, 2011
Finished On: January 21, 2012

This Heart for Hire by Elysa Hendricks takes place in Texas in 1870 and brings together the tough gunslinger Jake Gallagher together with the innocent and convent reared Christina Goodwin amidst the violence and harsh beauty that was life in the wild west.

Christina is on the run for her life with her brother Christopher in tow when Christopher is killed at the hands of bandits who seemingly wants to have their way with her. Rescue comes in the form of Jake Gallagher who to Christina looks to be the lesser of the two evils. When Jake gets injured on the run and it is on Christina he depends on, it is on sheer guts alone that she survives the next couple of hours.

When Jake recovers from his injuries, he has no recollection of who he is or any memories of the past 2 years of his life. All that he knows for sure is that he would lay down his very life for his angel, the woman who draws him to her unlike any other. It is Christina’s gentle innocence and her natural curiosity when it comes to the desires of the flesh that keeps drawing Jake to her like a moth towards flame. And to Christina, Jake epitomizes everything that has been forbidden to her during her 12 years in the convent. And when love enters the equation, there is no stopping her from claiming Jake as hers, even with Jake doing all that he can to keep her at arm’s length.

This Heart for Hire is not a light fluffy read. Elysa Hendricks does a splendid job of bringing her characters to life and paints a vivid picture of the harsh realities of life in the wild west. But that doesn’t mean that this story is all filled with dark moments. Contrary to that, the story contains beautiful moments as well as moments taut with the sizzling sexual tension that flares up between Christina and Jake from the very beginning. And then comes the harrowing couple of last chapters where reality intrudes and Christina experiences the violent reality of bandits who towards the end have an agenda of their own when it comes to her.

Christina might be the gentle innocent in the story. But even then, she is a woman who has a depth of courage that we begin to see when push comes to shove, her determination to escape and take revenge on the men who so callously violates everything she has been taught till now the burning fire that keeps her going. Her need and love for Jake shines through when he is around, but the way he pushes her away, one time too many makes her stand up for herself.

Jake is tormented throughout the story by the lack of his memories which aren’t as forthcoming as he would like them to be. With a void in his past and the possibility that he might be a wanted man by the law makes him push Christina away time and yet again. Jake continues to deny his need and love for the woman who invaded his heart much earlier than he would care to remember until Christina is nearly snatched away from his life for good.

I loved how the story came together and brought along with it its fair share of surprises along the way. There were moments where I was like “Heck, I didn’t see that one coming”, which is always a good thing when you are reading any sort of book. And I loved how elements of both Jake and Christina’s pasts entwines them together, fating them to be the better halves of one another for the rest of their lives. The one thing that could have made this book that much better was the end to Christina’s attempts to reach her uncle which was unresolved even when the story ended. I would have loved a bit of a lengthier end to the story, maybe an epilogue at that, which could have shown the happily ever after that Jake and Christina fully deserves.

Recommended for fans of American Western historical romances. Elysa Hendricks spins a tale that is hard to put down.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Smashwords

awesomeread

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

amazingread

by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Inappropriate Thoughts by Ian Dalton

Format: E-bookinappropriatethoughts
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Victoria Wilde, Book 1
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Brian Nash
Heroine: Jillian Grayson
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: October 25, 2011
Started On: January 7, 2012
Finished On: January 7, 2012

What’s an erotic romance writer to do when she has a severe case of the writer’s block that prevents her from writing down scenes of the steamy erotic variety that makes her books such a hit? That’s what happens to Jillian Grayson when she goes through a divorce that seems to rear its ugly head whenever she tries to write. Even the wild antics of her best friend Victoria Wilde doesn’t seem to help and Jillian is resigned to the fact that this writer’s block might just stick around, given the way that even her dating life ends up being equal parts hilarity and horrific all at the same time.

Brian Nash is in the middle of his senior year in Georgia State University and is best friends with Jillian’s son Rob. Unlucky in his attempts to get the girl he is crazy about to feel the same way about him, Brian seems be in a rut until Rob invites him over to his mother’s place to spend the holidays together.

When Brian and Jillian meet, the attraction that stems between them is not of the right-there-in-your-face variety. Rather, it is a subtle one that keeps on growing as they both start to learn more about each other, many a time the time that they spend together had me in splits with uncontrolled laughter. 

Brian is such a sweet hero. He might be much younger than Jillian, but he has a maturity that makes him the perfect partner for Jillian. Their connection is forged upon mutual likes, and as their friendship progresses, both Jillian and Brian find those things that just click for them when they are together, not to mention the sexual awareness between them that grows day by day.

For Jillian, Brian becomes the man who once again kick starts her creative juices to flow. But Brian becomes more than just her muse when feelings that Jillian never thought she would feel towards her son’s best friend starts to develop. Jillian too is an endearing character, one who wormed her way into my heart and emotions as the story sped along. And the author very cleverly uses intense sets of tennis matches along the way which serves as a very appropriate form of foreplay for two people who are crazy about the game.

To bring that extra edge to the story, we have Victoria Wilde, whose wildness and sexual escapades rightfully reminded me of Samantha from Sex and the City. And the author’s comparison of Victoria as such just cemented the deal for me.

I just loved the fact that Ian Dalton being a guy managed to deliver such a well rounded tale of romance that didn’t feel out of place at all. I loved the humor, the emotions and the sensual aspect of the novel which delivered a pretty great read in my opinion.

The one great thing about this novel is the fact that Brian and Jillian’s story doesn’t end here. There are 2 more books in the series which means for fans of the characters that you meet in this novel get to revisit them and be a part of their journey towards the ultimate happily ever after!

Recommended for those who would love their erotica with a bit of humor and bit of spice and for those who love older heroine romances!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Smashwords

greatread

by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Blame it on Texas by Tori Scott

Format: E-bookblameitontexas
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Logan Tanner
Heroine: Megan Flynn
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: November 24, 2011
Started On: December 25, 2011
Finished On: December 26, 2011

Blame it on Texas by Tori Scott was a great read, one that I enjoyed immensely. I was subjected to a lot of emotion as I read this novel, one I am finding out that Tori Scott is quite adept at dishing out to her readers. Toe-curling sexiness together with a lot of heartwarming characters with a hint of a secondary romance to follow, Blame it on Texas is a novel I would recommend for fans who love romances that makes you feel like you are part of the journey of the hero and heroine’s way towards happily ever after.

The fact that Logan Tanner hates going back to his hometown in West Texas is an understatement. The misplaced guilt Tanner feels about his mother’s sudden death when he was just around 12 years old still haunts him which keeps him away from a land that has no mercy in Logan’s eyes. A successful game designer and the father of a beautiful daughter whom he doesn’t get to see enough of, Logan has a lot on his mind when he is summoned by his sister Carol to take care of their father after he has a debilitating stroke.

When Logan’s daughter Katie turns up on the ranch’s doorstep with Carol’s friend Megan Flynn in tow, the feelings that courses through the rigidly controlled Logan is one that shocks him to his core. Divorce from a woman whose theatrics has soured him from commitment and relationships seems to have no place in his life when the sweet, courageous and sexy Megan steps into their lives. A connection that Logan doesn’t want or need nevertheless forms between the two and Logan doesn’t know whether to thank the Lord for sending her his way or to curse the fates because he has too many stuff to deal with at the moment.

Tragedy strikes, bringing out the best in each and everyone that is part of Logan’s hometown and in the midst of it all, Logan finds that he is not strong enough to turn away from the warmth and affection that Megan seems to shine upon his life, a woman who seems to understand the very things that he wants and needs.

Megan has her own dreams which she yearns to fulfill with everything inside of her. A veterinary practice in a small town where she would feel a sense of belonging is all that she wants from life until Logan Tanner and his daughter Katie invades her heart throwing her into the chaotic realms of love.

The reason I enjoyed Blame it on Texas so much was that Tori Scott managed to mix up all the right ingredients to give me an engrossing tale that in the end has its own message to deliver. Logan who has lost his way because of his misplaced guilt goes through a lot of hurdles to reach a place where he is ready for a happily ever after, and I loved the angst his tortured nature lent to the story.

I loved Megan. For me, she was the best thing about the story. She has all those qualities that I love about a heroine and for me she was just the right person to bring Logan out of the darkness that seems to consume him until there is not even a flicker of light left in his life. I loved the family dynamics and the small town aspect of the story that lent the story a charm of its own.

Recommended!

Purchase Links: Amazon

greatread

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

awesomeread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley

Format: E-booksweetdreams
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Colorado Mountain, Book 2
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Tatum Jackson
Heroine: Lauren Grahame
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: April 23, 2011
Started On: December 21, 2011
Finished On: December 23, 2011

I have never been so grateful for a book being so lengthy. Almost 700+ pages of pure magic is what Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley is all about, and Kristen managed to satisfy all my cravings within these pages, delivering one of the best contemporary romances that I have read to-date.

42 year old Lauren Grahame is on a venture to find Nowheresville, the one place where she can fade away into the background, work at a job that she doesn’t hate and just settle in with the fact that her quest to find that something special in her life had failed miserably. Four and a half months on the road and Lauren ends up in Carnal, a small town in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Securing the job of a waitress at the biker bar known as Bubba’s, Lauren is all set on her quest when she runs into the too sexy for his own good, the tattooed biker and part owner of Bubba’s, Tatum Jackson.

44 year old Tate is a bounty hunter, one who has a pretty eventful past that leaps from one corner or the other as the story proceeds. He is larger than life, has got a ton of attitude, is taciturn, totally alpha, a bit of a jerk at times, possessive enough to make butter melt, and through all that Kristen cleverly draws out the man who made my heart go aflutter every.single.time. His attraction to Lauren is one that he doesn’t need and want, he has too much shit going on in his life to really have any time left over to pursue that possessive streak that hits him when he eyes Lauren at his bar.

Lauren and Tate’s attraction, their relationship and how it proceeds to the happily ever after is a heart-warming and emotion wrenching one at best. Lauren the woman who has been betrayed so badly by her ex-husband and the people she had considered to be her friends has certainly done a number on her self-confidence. But slowly and surely with Tate’s powerful brand of seduction which at times might be found crude by certain readers (which I disagree 100% and certainly had my juices flowing all the time) made for one of the most interesting aspects of the novel. The growth of both Lauren and Tate’s characters throughout the story, how their love for each other makes them better people all around, and how their love is an all encompassing one was just beautiful, no two ways about it.

I was a bit disappointed at first with the fact that the story is told from Lauren’s point of view in first person. I wanted to learn first hand what was going through the mind of  Mr. Hotness himself and I thought that Kristen would not be able to pull his character off as I wanted it to with the story being told in the first person. But boy, was I proved deliciously wrong time and yet again as Kristen pulls off Tate’s character so fabulously that I seriously could not have asked for more! And I seriously mean it!

Lauren’s character is a fantastic one. I fell in love with her right from the very start. The way she is ready to embrace what life has to offer, the way she puts her heart and emotions on the line, taking a chance with the one man who seems to be all sorts of wrong for someone like her, but proves to be the right man in ALL the ways, Lauren’s character is one that I wouldn’t be forgetting anytime soon.

The secondary cast of characters is what makes Sweet Dreams such a perfect story. The characters whose lives that Kristen brings so vividly to life through Lauren’s eyes, the way they all embrace Lauren and her special brand of charm is what makes this story just so very special. The bit on the serial killer and the mystery behind the gruesome killings just proved to be the icing on the cake, and as I said before, I cannot pin-point at even one teeny tiny bit of the story and say that I wish it had turned out differently.

I am so thankful at the moment to all my Goodreads friends and their reviews on this fabulous book, and especially to Kim for loaning a copy of the book to me. I was all apprehensive about starting a book so well received by all the readers, sometimes high expectations can make a story not work for you.

Sweet Dreams is an outstanding read, I would recommend for EVERY SINGLE ONE of you who loves romances. Tate’s character alone is reason enough to buy this book, the way he calls Lauren “Babe” rendering the term as my word of the month. I found myself drooling all over the book because Tate’s character demands nothing less, that beautiful male specimen that just made everything female inside of me rejoice in the fact that I adore romances! And you’ve got to love a hero who isn’t afraid to be ALL that he is with the woman he loves, his no holds barred passion that just lights up the pages throughout the story. I just want to say to Kristen Ashley, thank you for giving me Tate! He is a character that would live inside of me for the rest of my life.

If you are waiting around because Kristen is a new author, don’t. Just buy yourself a copy and indulge. This lengthy read will leave you completely satisfied, purring like a cat who got all her milk and then some; that is what a perfectly done romance does to you!

Favorite Quotes

Tate’s kiss…
There was no describing it.
It didn’t start slow, it started hard and wet and so demanding I had no choice but to give back what I got. And I did. Our tongues sparred then our teeth bit at each other’s lips and our heads twisted this way and that, all of it a mindless, sexy dance that was all-consuming. There was nothing but his mouth and my mouth, what they were doing and what they were making me feel. Nothing. Not in the whole universe.

We were both quiet a long time and I was about to fall back asleep in the curve of his arm with his warm body at my back when he called my name.
“Laurie?”
“Yes,” I muttered, my voice sleepy.
“I was pissed last night.”
“I know.”
“You look good.”
“Sorry?”
“No way you can look like all the rest.”
My eyes shot open.
His arm curled me deeper into his body and I felt his face burrow into my hair.
“You’d always shine through,” he muttered and now he sounded sleepy but I was again wide awake. “Somethin’ special,” he finished.

He grabbed my calves and yanked them apart, then pushed them up so my knees were bent. He put a knee to the bed and moved forward, releasing one of my calves, his hand wrapped around his cock and I felt his weight begin to hit me.
“You come with me inside you, Ace,” he gritted and then he was inside me, filling me, beautiful.
At the feel of him, so hard, making me so full, my back left the bed again. “Tate.”
He moved, driving deep, fast, hard. Our mouths attached, our tongues clashed. His hand went between us and he touched me and that was it. It hit me like a rocket and I combusted, my world exploding, taking me with it and I loved every nanosecond.

“The first time I met you, you told me you grew up here, I’d call you a liar,” Tate informed me.
I tipped my head to the side and asked, “Really?”
“Really.”
“Why?”
“High-class,” he replied.
“Sorry?”
“You looked high-class,” he semi-repeated.
“I’m not,” I stated.
“No, Ace, you’re not. You’re a different kind of class.”
“Farmer class.”
“Pure class.”

After more of his sweet torture, I called, “Tate, honey?”
“Yeah, baby,” he answered.
“Am I under your skin?” I whispered as my hips moved with his hand.
He replied instantly, “Oh yeah.” His thumb tweaked my clit harder, my hips jerked and a low mew slid out of my throat as the fingers of one of my hands slid into his hair and the other arm held on tighter. “Fuck yeah,” he growled and his lips left my ear, his mouth found mine and he kissed me, wet and deep.

I stopped looking around when I heard a soft “mew” and I looked toward Tate to see he was crouched. He straightened and turned to me.
I froze and stared.
Tatum Jackson, ex-pro football player, ex-cop, now bartender/bounty hunter, tall, beautiful and more man than I’d ever experienced in my life was standing on the edge of his kitchen holding a cat.
And it wasn’t just any cat and he wasn’t just holding it. He was cradling it. 

His forehead dropped to touch mine. “I’m gonna piss you off ‘cause I can be a dick. That’s who I am. And you’re gonna piss me off ‘cause, babe, you got attitude. That’s who you are. And that’s who we’re comin’ out to be together. And I’m all right with that because, with what I had before, even when you’re a bitch, I like it. But when you’re not, it’s a sweetness the like I’ve never tasted.”

His hand slid up my back and his fingers sifted into my hair to cup the back of my head.
“Kiss me, baby.”
I used the moonlight on the angles of his face to aim and found his mouth. The minute my lips hit his, he rolled partially into me, forcing me to my back in the bed, and my mouth opened as did his. My tongue slid inside, he growled against it and when I absorbed that in my mouth, a small moan escaped my throat. His head slanted one way, mine tilted the other and my kiss turned into a kiss.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Smashwords

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Cinderella and the Sheikh by Teresa Morgan

Format: E-bookcinderellaandthesheikh
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standlaone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Sheikh Rasyn ibn Bakr ibn Rahman al Jabar
Heroine: Libby Fay
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: April 6, 2011
Started On: December 14, 2011
Finished On: December 15, 2011

Sheikh Rasyn is the next in line to rule in Abbas, North Africa. His one goal is to let his uncle know that he is totally unsuitable to be the ruler of his country. Because his uncle refuses to pay heed to his pleas and bargains, Rasyn does the next best thing; find the most unsuitable woman to be the queen of his people and marry her.

Libby Fay works at the Hotel Scheherazade in Manhattan, New York. The very first moment Libby had laid eyes on Sheikh Rasyn had been a cosmic one, one that had been an uncomfortably humiliating experience as well. Though Rasyn’s dark good looks and the way his heavy lidded gaze continues to follow her across the room reduces Libby to a quivering bundle of nerves, she has no intention of being seduced and discarded by a rich playboy.

Libby is a woman who holds onto the dream of being united with a man who would give her a happily ever after like the one that had been her parents married life. It is with that thought at the back of her mind that Libby agrees to accompany the man who seduces her so effortlessly with his charm and with the way he makes her senses hum with just his mere presence.

But unknown to Libby, Rasyn continues with the charade that would give him exactly what he wants though sometimes the region around his heart pains at the thought of all the humiliation and pain that Libby is subjected to. As with most of the best laid plans, Rasyn’s plans also backfire on him, making him realize a little bit too late that somewhere in between playing the besotted fiance’ and husband, he had actually fallen for his wife.

I am not much of a fan of romances involving Sheikhs. Though when I first started reading category romances I indulged in them every now and then, overall I am not much of a fan girl of Arabic men who wear and flaunt their obvious wealth to the rest of the world. So because its being ages since I read a Sheikh romance, I decided to grab the review opportunity when presented by the author. And overall, I have to say I would consider this as a good read that compelled me to keep the pages turning, just to find out whether Rasyn had to grovel enough to win back the affections of Libby towards the end.

Libby is a sweetheart of a heroine. She is beautiful on the inside, and is a bit naive when it comes to the likes of men like Rasyn who have the whole world at their feet. Libby’s true nature is what draws everyone around her to come be a part of her world, no matter how much of a misfit she is at the beginning. To see Libby win over the affections of everyone against all odds was one of the best parts about this story.

Rasyn on the other hand was a hero I didn’t love overly much. Maybe it had something to do with the way he treated Libby without any regards whatsoever for her feelings or maybe because I just felt that Libby gave in to his affections much more easily than he deserved after deceiving her so well and through. But, towards the end there is this bit with a lost shoe that just made a bit of the ice around my heart melt towards Rasyn and I guess that was a scene that just went to show how much he had changed on the inside where it matters when it comes to Libby and how he views the rest of the world.

This one’s for fans of Sheikh romances; Teresa Morgan’s fascination for the magic and love that is part of the Arabian folklore shines brightly throughout the story.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Smashwords

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