Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: Third Person, Dual Series: Bennett Sisters, #1 Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Max Connor Heroine: Julia Bennett Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: March 07, 2016 Started On: February 21, 2023 Finished On: February 22, 2023
God knew Max had given her nothing, not so much a single hello in almost two years, and yet, and yet, and yet, her crush stuttered on like a corrupted MP3 file, making her feel electric and helpless and nauseous and depressed in turns.
Book one in the Bennett Sisters series is another wonderful story by the critically acclaimed author that is Eve Dangerfield. Locked Box, published initially in March of 2016, brings to readers the story of 33 year old Senior Constable Max Connor at the Brenthill Police Station where 25 year old Julia Bennett works as the IT person aka “computer girl”.
Julia harbors a massive crush on the all too married Max and that has been the case for a long time, something which mortifies and petrifies her in equal doses. When on the eve of a long weekend, Julia gets roped into organizing the entire computer section of the Brenthill Evidence Room which is definitely not a one person job, and she gets locked in the the room, the man who strides to her “rescue” is none other than Max himself.
When a series of mishaps ends up with both of them locked in together, things start to get interesting as we get our first insights into how Max actually feels about Julia and the truth about his marital status. Max and Julia met years ago, a night that has left its impression on both of them equally. While Max moved on and got hitched, Julia has steadily been working towards her goal of launching her own video game.
As things start to heat up between Julia and Max, it is Julia’s desperation that pushes past the reluctance and the walls that Max shields his heart with. A rushed marriage which had gone awry with time has left its mark on him, and having to suppress his needs has left him feeling him exhausted. But Julia tests every bit of his resistance until it lies in tatters around him, and he gives in to the scorching heat that has always existed between them since day one, something he has denied for far too long.
Max does not want to feel the way he does around Julia, all inept and mindlessly horny as he puts it. But then love and lust in combination does strange things to even the most intelligent and coherent of people and that is what makes him warier than ever. Even as Max tries to put distance between himself and Julia, things certainly do not go according to plan as Julia tests the reserves of his strength, and makes him question every aspect of why he had walked away all those years back.
I loved both Max and Julia and thoroughly enjoyed knowing that there was no way that Max was going to be able to walk away this time around. I loved how Ms. Dangerfield brought out the tidbits of their past entwining with the present, giving their attraction and the intense connection between the two more meaning. Max is wild for Julia, there is no doubt about that. And Julia has her work cut out for her when it comes to convincing Max to take that chance on her, which ends up being the factor that gave this story the angst that I always need in my romance novels.
Recommended for those who love a broody and reluctant hero who spikes up your heart rate just by stepping into the pages.
Final Verdict: Multi-layered with a forbidden love angle that we all love, Max’s intensity and Julia’s unwavering love made this memorable!
Favorite Quotes
“Max.” “That’s it, say my name.” Usually, an orgasm turned her body to stone, but this was so raw, so surreal, all Julia could do was thrash against Max, who was thankfully strong enough to keep her in check. She shrieked and shuddered and cursed enough to kill several fairies but he didn’t slow down, he kept stroking her G-spot until she did something she’d only ever done once before; gushed into his open palm. It was as excruciating as she remembered, painfully pleasurable, completely unable to be stopped.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: Third Person, Single Series: Standalone Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Sean Heroine: Megan Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: January 02, 2006 Started On: February 10, 2023 Finished On: February 11, 2023
“How did you reach the point of,” she searched for a polite way to phrase the question, “considering prostitution as a source of income?” “Some of the kids I knew were whoring, but I wouldn’t at first. I was sure I could find a job. But the days went on and I had no money. This kid, Donnie, convinced me sucking c#ck was a pretty simple way to make fifty bucks. So one night I did it.” Megan swallowed. “How did you feel about it?” “I didn’t feel anything. He was right. It wasn’t such a big deal and I had enough money to eat for a few days.” His voice was perfectly steady and emotionless.
Finding Home, written by Lauren Baker and Bonnie Dee, published in January of 2006, is a story that is beautifully crafted. It is a story about finding love in places that you least expect, of how society often seems to fixate on the wrong issues instead of righting the grave injustices inherent, and how love of the truest kind will always persevere.
Written in the third person, told solely from the heroine’s perspective, Finding Home brings to readers the story of 23 year old Megan who works as a copy editor at a weekly LA paper, with dreams of becoming a reporter. To speed things up on making that transition, Megan decides that a freelance expose was in order, and sets out to tackle the issue of male prostitution.
When Megan meets 17 year old Sean (known as Mouth on the streets), she is fascinated by how self possessed he appears and how nothing seems to faze him. Quickly befriending him, Megan finds out that the story that she started out to write in an attempt to advance her career is not for the faint of heart, and that she cannot detach herself from the lived realities of the young adults who are forced into prostitution for one reason or the other.
As Megan finds herself in over her head when it comes to Sean, and a sequence of events culminates in Sean requiring time to heal from injuries inflicted, Megan offers him room and board at her place, at least until he is better able to take care of himself. Megan’s offer comes without any expectations on her end, and it is heartbreaking to come to the understanding that for a young adult like Sean, his life which has been an endless series of being taken advantage of by other people, trust is the hardest commodity to come by.
As proximity gives room for the awareness that has always existed between the two of them to grow in leaps and bounds, Megan finds herself in the unenviable position of having to deny her heart when it comes to Sean, as the feelings that she harbors for him increases by the day. Things come to a head and when Megan finally gives in, it is not without self-recrimination, doubts, and being self-conscious about society’s perception on the relationship which buds to life between them.
Sean’s story is not a unique one, but nevertheless a heartbreaking one. A deadbeat mother who was more concerned about where her next fix would come from, Sean had abandoned ship as soon as he was able to, with the knowledge that he could take better care of himself than his mom ever could. Being homeless and bunking with other kids who were of the same fate, Sean had found himself bartering away his body for cash to make ends meet.
The lifeline that comes in the form of Megan is one that Sean doesn’t realize that he needed. Megan, with her soft heart and bleeding emotions for the boy she gets to know and the man she comes to love, rescues him from a life of continued destitution and poverty, and gives him that needed chance to be independent, find himself, and find his way back to her. His home.
That was in essence what was so moving about the story. This was why it was such an emotionally gripping tale that turned out to be a riveting read in many ways. Even though Megan is older of the two in terms of age, it is Sean who seems to be emotionally more mature, perhaps as a consequence of having shielded himself for so long from the realities of childhood trauma.
The chemistry between Megan and Sean from the onset, sexual and otherwise, was an intriguing aspect of the story. Megan’s warmth towards Sean is evident from the start, and even when their relationship crosses all those lines it rightfully should not, somehow it makes sense because Megan and Sean fits in a way that is indescribable.
Megan truly does try to resist giving in, and I believe if the positions were reversed, even I, as the reader would not have felt the need to explain how much she tried to resist. It is the norm to read about and hear about older men succumbing to much younger women, or getting into a relationship with a woman in a vulnerable position. But because it is the woman who holds the long end of the stick in this dynamic, I guess we needed “more assurance” than we usually would under the circumstances. Which is telling in itself about the inherent bias that we harbor.
Society perhaps, will always reserve judgement about cases such as Sean and Megan, and it is with good reason, I admit. But there are also those rare happenstances when two people just fit, and age becomes just a number. Fact that it was Sean who took the needed time to start on a path that would allow him to start healing, to face the demons of his past, showed the kind of maturity that I would expect from an older character. His declaration of love for Megan was all the more meaningful because he comes to that conclusion on his own terms, and that, was just beautiful.
The fact that the story was written solely from Megan’s perspective was another reason why this story made such a huge impression on me. I am a sucker for stories where it is hard to read what the hero is feeling except through the heroine’s often biased perception. And that, is a treat to my senses!
Definitely recommend this gem of a romance to readers who can set aside their preconceived notions and give Sean and Megan the chance they truly deserve!
Final Verdict: Finding Home is the kind of novel that invades your heart with stealthy determination, until absorb all of it, one must. Therein lies the true beauty of this story!
Favorite Quotes
She wondered what, or who, he was thinking of to make him so hard, and hoped it was her. Megan felt caught in a trap, unable to move, her senses on overload, and while every brain cell screamed at her to get out, step back into the corridor and ignore what she’d just seen, her animal instincts wanted her to move closer. Her body betrayed her. She felt hot and wet and melting to the core of her being, her sex aching for his touch.
He started slow, holding back and building the pressure with light, controlled strokes, driving Megan into a frenzy until she grabbed his ass with both hands, pulling him deeper inside her. Her gesture seemed to shatter his self-control and he started really fucking her, hard and fast. His mouth slipped down from hers to her neck, biting her, until she reached her peak again, and much to her surprise, because Megan wasn’t usually a screamer, she swore and cried out, overwhelmed by the strength of the climax which ripped through her.
Megan turned her mouth into her shoulder to stifle her moans. She gripped the edges of the sink as she was carried on a wave of pleasure that seemed to crest ever higher, triggering spasm after spasm in her. This was so hot, so wild, and so not her. She wanted to scream or sob. Sean leaned forward and his hand snaked over her hip and onto her clit, rubbing and circling. He continued to slam into her hard and rough. Their harsh breaths and the slap of flesh on flesh were the only sounds in the room. Megan whimpered as her whole body contracted and released in an amazingly powerful orgasm.
A faint trail of hair led toward his chest. She examined the hard planes of his chest, his peaked nipples, the sharp lines of his collarbones and his broad, muscled shoulders. The curve of his neck led to his face. Sean looked down at her, lips slightly parted, his wet hair messy on his forehead, his blue eyes caught between arousal and amusement. As their eyes locked, he ran his tongue across his lips. Megan sighed. “Jesus, Sean,” she breathed. “You’re beautiful.”
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: First Person, Dual Series: Standalone Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Brant Elliott Heroine: June Adeline Bailey Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Published On: May 17, 2022 Started On: January 20, 2023 Finished On: January 28, 2023
“There is no sense in love,” I counter, swiping away more tears. “It’s a senseless thing.” Mom pauses, pinching the bridge of her nose, chin tucked to her chest. I forge ahead. “And I didn’t pursue him. He didn’t pursue me. It just… happened. Because that’s what love does. It happens. It sneaks up on you, and then it burrows. It festers in your blood. And once it’s in your blood, you can’t just flush it out. It’s a part of you now. Trying to get rid of it would be like cutting off a limb, or carving your heart right out of your chest.”
June First by Jennifer Hartman is a transformative reading experience. No two ways bout it. This story truly digs into your psyche making you ache in the best way possible, a true testament to the romance genre and why I stick to reading romance even when good books are so hard to come by now. Told in the first person, published in May of 2022, this phenomenal story brings to readers two characters who stake their claim on your heart from the get-go.
The story begins when the hero Brant Elliott, is six years old, and his parents die in a murder-suicide, instigated by his father leaving him without family. His savior comes in the form of his neighbors, the Baileys, of whom Theo is of the same age as he is, and his best friend. When the Bailey’s takes him in, it is also with a new addition to their family unit, a baby girl that they name as June Adeline Bailey, June because she was born on the first day of the month, on that fateful night that Brant’s life was marked forever.
It is June that saves Brant’s life unknowingly when memories of “The Bad Night” as he calls it, haunts him too much. The Bailey’s adopt him and call him their own, giving Brant the kind of love and security that would never have been possible if otherwise. From the start, the bond between June and Brant is one that is indescribable. As Ms. Hartman takes readers through the formative years of both their lives and beyond, readers get glimpses into how their relationship metamorphoses and shifts to accommodate the ever growing and changing love between them.
It is not easy journey for Brant and June, even if June at first does not recognize the feelings burgeoning inside of her as she comes of age. For Brant who is six years older, it is a different matter altogether, being old and wise enough to understand the strength of his attraction towards June. The conflicting emotions that runs amok through Brant renders him the perfect definition of a tortured hero, which of course gave this story a ton of angst which I absolutely adored.
For Brant who promised June that he would always protect her, the hardest thing to face is him being the person that she needs protection from. But no matter how hard Brant may try to keep his distance and hurting June in the process, there is no stopping the tide when it comes to the strength of the magnetic draw between two halves of one soul.
The night that Brant succumbs to the temptation that is June, tragedy strikes, splintering the fragility of what took place, the guilt factor multiplying exponentially. As someone who was transfixed by the variety of emotions that coursed through me as I waded deeper into the story, I found that the longing that drips from the pages to be unparalleled, the angst and slow burn unlike anything I have ever come across.
The delivery on that build-up was out of this world, and I could not have asked for more. The writing is deeply evocative, the prose perfect, the build-up of the tension, not just in terms of the attraction between June and Brant but the entire story – all blends exquisitely to deliver a tale that makes you bleed your emotions all over. Every single aspect of this novel just drives home the fact that Brant and June are the true definition of two halves, one soul.
Evocative writing and exemplary characterization makes this book stand out from similarly themed taboo romances, and I cannot recommend this gem of a book enough to all romance readers!
Final Verdict: With June First, Jennifer Hartmann pulls off the kind of story that few authors can. The sheer magnitude of the undertaking is visible from the start, making this perfect in every sense!
Favorite Quotes
“June.” I take her wrist in my hand and lower her arm, catching the flash of worry in her eyes. “Junebug, you should get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning.” I don’t let her question it, or convince me to stay. I just go. I walk out. I can’t be in here right now. She’s too soft, too vulnerable. I’m still surging with adrenaline. I’m still suffocating on the awful awareness that the child I watched grow up, the angel I swore to protect, the little girl I craved in a million beautiful, innocent ways—is now becoming the girl I crave in the only way I shouldn’t. And it’s not fair. It’s not fucking fair. If my father hadn’t murdered my mother, I would still just be the neighbor boy, and she would be the girl next door. Instead, he branded us with a label; forced me into something twisted. He turned the only girl I’ve ever wanted into the only girl I can never have.
Brant lets the door swing shut behind him, his brow furrowed with confusion. “Why are we over here?” He senses something off about me and moves in closer, his hand extending to my forearm. “You’re scaring me a little.” It’s so quiet on this side of the doors, and I fear he can hear my heart screaming in terror. I lick my lips. “I’m not trying to. I just… I have to do this.” He shakes his head, a baffled laugh slipping out. “You’re not making any sense. Do what?” Breathe in. Breathe out. Just get it over with, June. “This.” I don’t think. My hands lift, reaching up and pulling his face down to mine. His stunned breath is the last thing I hear before our lips crash together, and I’m inching up on my tiptoes, my palms clasped around his jaw, my mouth parting on instinct. I didn’t intend to part my lips, but I do. We just hover there for a moment, our breaths heavy and unsteady, turning into pants the longer we linger, while our mouths connect in a way they never should. And then something happens. I don’t know what happens, but something happens. I feel his hand cinch around my waist, while the other drags up to my hair, tangling in the mound of loose curls. My pelvis jerks forward without warning. Then he kisses me. Truly kisses me.
Pulling away from his touch, I sweep around him and march my way to the front door. I don’t grab my bags, but I’ll come back for them. It’s fine. I just need to go. When I reach the door, I twist the brass knob and tug it open, prepared to dart into the hallway and escape this mess of confusion. Only, I’m stopped short when a hand plants against the door right above my head, slamming it shut. I draw in a sharp breath. He’s right behind me, his chest whispering along my back as he cages me in. Swallowing hard, I squeak out, “Brant…” Electricity hisses all around us.
“It’s not fair that your face is so perfect; a piece of art on display that I’m not allowed to touch. I should only adore it from afar, even though its beauty calls to me. Even though I’m convinced it was created just for me.” Her eyelashes flutter as she sways, as if she’s drunk on more than rum or whiskey—as if she’s drunk on her very own words. “It’s not fair that it holds two eyes that look at me the way they do, like they were made for seeing only me. It’s not fair that it has lips that I’ve memorized, that I can’t forget, and a tongue I’ve dreamed about tasting me over and over again.”
“You always smell like springtime and lemon drops,” I say gently, kissing the top of her head. My eyes close with contentment as I breathe her in. She sighs, her breath warming me through the cashmere of my shirt. “You always smell like spearmint and Ivory soap.” Songbirds serenade us as we stand in the center of the patio, enmeshed in a potent embrace, breathing in perfect time, and swaying lightly, as if nature is singing just for us. Then we say it at the same time: “Like home.”
June whimpers as her shaky hands make their way to my hair, fingers sifting. Nails grazing my scalp. Her pelvis jerks up, just slightly, like it’s instinct, like she’s silently begging me to sample her. Her legs spread farther apart. And I lose it. I fucking lose it. I trail my fingers underneath the hem of her panties, yanking them down past her knees. Then I bend over and bury my face between her thighs. June cries out. She lets out a sharp, primal moan as her hips thrust up against my mouth and her nails carve into my scalp. I feast on her. Untamed. Untethered. Hungry.
“Are you happy?” I ask softly. There’s a catch in my voice, sounding louder than my words. Worry claims her pretty features, and she reaches up to hold my wrists. “Of course, I’m happy. I’m so happy.” “Even though you’re not dancing? Even though you’re not in New York?” She falters. It’s only for a second, only for the briefest, tiniest moment, but I see it. I see it
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: First Person, Single Series: Kindled, #1 Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Jackson Heroine: Faith Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: August 26, 2021 Started On: January 03, 2023 Finished On: January 03, 2023
Maybe Jackson would be different if he were in love. If he were in a relationship. Or if the world outside this room hadn’t fallen into violent chaos, hadn’t become a constant war we have no choice but to fight. Maybe he would take his time. Be softer. Gentler. Maybe he would smile or even laugh. Maybe I would be different too.
Haven by Claire Kent is a book that had me psyched for a very good reason. I had just found out that Ms. Kent previously wrote as Zannie Adams, an author who suddenly disappeared after publication of a handful books of which Complicated ended up being a favorite of mine, which as a result is an author I have been trying to find for the past thirteen years! It has been a long wait to re-discover Ms. Adams writing as Claire Kent, and I was so excited to pick this up and indulge to my heart’s content.
First published in August 2021 and told in the first person from the heroine’s point of view, this is a post apocalyptic romance featuring 25 year old Jackson and 21 year old Faith, both survivors of an event known as the Impact. The Impact is an event which took place five years prior to the story, during which an asteroid hit Europe, wiping out the whole continent, wreaking havoc on the environment, and destroying economies and governments across the globe. It was estimated that more than half of the global population had died off since the Impact and its aftermath which continues five years on.
Faith is the daughter of the couple who set up the New Haven Farm years before the Impact, the place where the story mainly takes place. Her parents, wanting to live off the grid, built a farm with all the necessities required for self-sustenance, the main reason behind the survival of those at the farm when the rest of the world had pretty much collapsed.
Faith has known Jackson since she was twelve years old, Jackson having come to live on the farm as an angry and surly teenager having spent his most formative years in foster care. Even though Faith had more or less being fascinated by Jackson since then, which she never would admit to, neither of them show much inclination of having deeper feelings for each other, that is until you peel back the layers which reveals a whole other story.
As the story delves deeper into the lives of Faith and Jackson, readers get to see what simmers underneath; the red hot attraction between the two that blazes to life, consuming both of them. What starts out as an occasional night during which Faith goes to Jackson and they have the kind of sex that most talk about and few ever actually get to experience in their lifetimes, turns into a craving that just a few nights a month won’t satisfy.
What is most interesting is how Faith’s inner turmoil and restlessness with life becomes key to bridging the gap between the physical and emotional connection between the two. Jackson I would say, was a delight in every sense. Sexy, silent, broody, and the kind of man who takes charge in the bedroom, leaving you breathless and wanting more!
As the story is written solely from Faith’s point of view, the reader must understand Jackson through her eyes, and I would say it was delightful, going on that journey of discovery right alongside with Faith. The true depth of Jackson’s feelings for Faith starts becoming more evident as the story moves towards its climax and I loved Jackson for being the man who gives Faith a safe space to just let go and be vulnerable, which was sexiest aspect of the story if you ask me. There is nothing sexier than a man who knows how to treat his woman right, who knows when to nudge, take charge, and offer the comfort of a warm embrace when in need. Such is Jackson, and I loved him to bits for that very fact. The pace at which Faith and Jackson’s relationship develops and progresses was realistic. And the sex scenes outrightly naughty and smutty in the best way possible!
Recommended for readers who like romances in post-apocalyptic settings, with a commanding hero who makes you swoon just by stepping into the pages.
Final Verdict: Rediscovering Zannie Adams as Claire Kent was definitely the best find in recent times. Loved the adventure, the buildup, hot sex, and tenderer emotions explored in this post apocalyptic romance!
Favorite Quotes
It’s dark in his room. He’s already in bed. A board squeaks on my third step, the same board that always squeaks. I hear his covers rustle. He’s moving now. He knows I’m here. I set the candle down on the table. When I reach the bed, he grabs for me and pulls me onto the mattress, stretching me out as he rolls on top of me. Without a word, he kisses me, deep and hard and hungry.
His eyes crawl up and down my body. From my face to the place his cock moves in and out of me. My eyes have adjusted more so I can see more details. His messy hair keeps falling into his eyes, and he’ll give his head a quick jerk occasionally to move it out of the way. His bare chest has a scattering of dark, coarse hair, and the impressive definition of his arms—the strong, corded muscles there—flex and tense. I have a brief impulse to stroke them. Feel the shape of them. To trace his familiar features with my fingertips. To push his thick waves back from his forehead. I don’t do any of that.
Then he rasps out one word. “Kitten.” Right before he pushes me up against the wall and kisses me hard. I should be annoyed by the mocking nickname, but I’m not. Irrationally, it gets me really hot. I grab for his neck and open to the kiss, and before I know it, I’m wrapping one leg high around his thighs and grinding my aching pussy against his leg.
He makes a guttural sound and jerks his head slightly, his nostrils flaring. “Tell me you want me.” I make a sobbing sound as the words trigger something deep. I scratch lines into the skin of his arms. “I want you.” He speeds up, pounding into me so hard the bed bangs loudly against the wall. “Tell me who you want.” “You. Jackson. I want you. Jackson. You. Only you!” The last words come out as a hoarse cry because I come hard on the heels of them.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: First Person, Dual Series: The Windsors, #1 Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Ares Windsor Heroine: Raven Du Pont Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: October 15, 2022 Started On: November 25, 2022 Finished On: November 26, 2022
“Does no part of you want me even a little?” Her voice is soft, pleading, and her eyes are filled with an emotion I can’t quite describe. “No,” I lie to her. “The friction from you moving on top of me made me hard, yeah, but I don’t want you, Raven. I’ll never want you. I’m not sure what you’re thinking, but you need to stop. Do you know how much your actions tonight would hurt your sister? Fuck, it’s hurting me, Rave.”
The Wrong Bride by Catharina Maura is the debut book in The Windsors series, first published in October of last year. Catharina Maura is a new-to-me author, having come across some of her books on Amazon from time to time. The Wrong Bride’s blurb promised the kind of story that I always hanker for, a marriage of convenience between the main protagonists of whom the heroine has been in love with the hero since forever.
Told in the first person from both the hero and heroine’s point of view, The Wrong Bride tells the story of 31 year old Ares Windsor as the hero and 21 year old Raven Du Pont as the heroine. When the story begins, Ares is engaged to be married to Raven’s older sister Hannah who is an actress in whose shadow Raven has always remained. Raven is a model herself, working hard to establish her own business. Raven is the neglected child in the Du Pont family, the one who always has to give in to Hannah’s needs and wants that takes precedence in the lives of her parents. Raven is more than willing to watch her sister get married to the man that she loves beyond anything else in this world, as Ares who considers her as a valuable friend and nothing more.
Ares is one of the six siblings of the Windsor family ruled by the matriarch that is their grandmother. The merger between the Du Pont and Windsor’s family sealed the deal when it comes to the arranged marriage between Hannah and Ares, with the wedding having been postponed multiple times because of Hannah’s busy filming schedule.
However, when Hannah calls off the wedding for the last time, citing her career to be more important to give into the demands of the terms of the arranged marriage, circumstances dictate that Raven take her place instead, something Raven fights till the last minute. While Raven makes it clear that she wants a real marriage and not half-hearted attempts at one, Ares proposes a marriage of convenience for the sake of fooling his grandmother, and promises Hannah that he would wait for her during a moment of weakness that overtakes his faculties.
Thus begins the rocky journey on which Ares and Raven embark upon as husband and wife. Hannah of course, makes things complicated by accusing Raven of trying to take her place, of trying to steal the man who rightfully belongs to her. For the marriage to be given a real chance, Ares would have to fight not only the demons that hound him but also that of Raven’s and convince her once and for all that for Ares, there is no one like Raven and there never would be.
As mentioned earlier, The Wrong Bride is a story that had a lot going for it, elements that would make it a stellar read. I found myself agonized on behalf of Raven for all the heartache and pain that she goes through, which is all well worth it in the end. There were points when the constant advance and retreat on the part of Ares and Raven gave me a whiplash and then there were those moments that I reveled in because Ares was adorable in his absolute cluelessness when it came to his possessiveness and jealousy regarding his wife.
I abhorred Hannah for the despicable way in which she treats both Raven and Ares, but in a way I understood that her sense of entitlement stemmed from parents who had danced to every single one of her tunes and never really fulfilled their responsibility of instilling values and discipline in Hannah. Raven in the shadow of Hannah, grew up to be the graceful one, the one with a backbone of steel and ambitions that made her choose a path that diverged from her family’s and gave her much needed independence.
There were moments that I felt truly frustrated with Raven for how she believes whatever that Hannah tell her to destroy the fragility of what was developing between Raven and Ares, but at the same time I understood that the emotional scars from such sheer neglect that had made Raven believe that she was never going to be good enough played a critical role in the way she reacts every single time.
Ares I believe, is the character that changes all of that, even when I wanted to slap him silly when his actions hurt Raven in a way that was unbearable. But then again, I recognized where Ares was coming from as well, having believed himself to be in love with Hannah for so long, never acknowledging his true feelings for Raven because he never let his heart move in that direction.
Ares is a man of honor in every sense, staying true to the course even when he could have taken undue advantage of the situations that arose at times. He would also have been well justified to do so, given the revelations towards the latter half of the novel. I loved Ares for his patience in dealing with Raven, in understanding the depth of her insecurities and working to make her understand and believe in him and their love. He deserves a medal for his forbearance even when it came to dealing with Hannah, the least deserving of such consideration in my opinion.
The coup de grace of the story was when Raven finally stood up for herself and cut off ties with the toxicity that was her family. I rooted for her big time and brought out the pom-poms at that point! The spice and heat between Raven and Ares was icing on the cake in the tale as it unfolded, and went a long way towards bridging the emotional gap between the two and giving Raven the needed confidence boost to believe in their love. The only thing I could have asked for was more angst – which I believe required Ares to be a bit colder than he actually was. Alas, one cannot have everything I suppose!
Recommended for the true romantics who love a good marriage of convenience story. This one is for you!
Final Verdict: The Wrong Bride by Catharina Maura is a truly remarkable tale that delivers the perfect balance of spice and romance with just the right touch of heartache to make it memorable!
Favorite Quotes
I pull her against me and thread one hand in her hair before tipping her head back to expose her neck. She gasps when I lower my lips to her ear, my teeth grazing over her earlobe. “This is how you posed with Tom Foster, wasn’t it? Tell me, my love, was he as hard as I am when he held you like this?” I kiss her neck, my teeth grazing over her skin for a moment before I suck down, leaving a small mark. Raven’s breath hitches, and the way she pushes her chest against mine makes me fucking feral. Her hands thread through my hair, her grip tight.
“Do you truly want me? If we weren’t married, would you want me?” He smiles and walks toward me, his stride confident and impatient. His arm wraps around my waist, and he pulls me into him, his lips finding mine with the same urgency he portrayed earlier. Ares groans as he kisses me, his hands moving over my body impatiently. I’m pushed against the wall, and his hand curls around my thigh as he hooks it around his hip. I’m panting as he pulls his lips off mine to kiss my jaw, before placing them just below my ear, pressing a soft kiss to my neck that makes me shiver. “Is that enough of an answer, Raven? I want you so fucking badly that it hurts.”
I lower my lips to her neck, my teeth grazing over her skin before I suck down on it, marking her as mine. “I’m fucking obsessed with you,” I admit. “Every little thing you do, every smile, every sigh that leaves your lips. All of it.” My hand delves underneath her dress, and I smirk when I realize she isn’t wearing underwear. “This,” I groan against her lips. “I love this about you. You always want me just as badly as I want you.”
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Romantic Suspense POV: Third Person, Dual Series: The Bodyguards of L.A. County, #1 Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Hunter Phillips Heroine: Morgan Elizabeth Taylor Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: October 09, 2012 Started On: November 19, 2022 Finished On: November 21, 2022
“Let go of me,” she said weakly as her heart pounded—but it wasn’t fear that made it race. “Not yet,” he murmured, pulling her bottom lip between his teeth, nibbling gently, his gaze burning into hers. “I’m the only person around here who’ll be taking a bite out of you, Morgan. You remember that.”
I don’t quite recall how I came across Morgan’s Hunter by Cate Beauman, a new-to-me author that I wanted to try out. The first book in The Bodyguards of L.A. County, which has about eleven books published to-date, this is the story of 28 year old Hunter Phillips who becomes bodyguard to 26 year old Morgan Elizabeth Taylor, a story of opposites attract with a reluctant hero to boot!
Morgan is a wildlife biologist and socialite, whose idyllic existence is shattered when she receives a phone call that changes her life forever; that her research team had been found slaughtered. With no clues coming forth and the case growing colder by the day, Morgan is determined that she would get to the bottom of it, even if she has to go down to the location herself and find out what happened.
Knowing that Morgan is resolute about going, she is assigned a bodyguard from one of the best security firms in the country. Morgan gives in, more so to appease her father than anyone else, and finds herself saddled with a man who takes her breathe away and at the same time makes her grit her teeth from the need to say something that would bring him down a peg or two.
Hunter has no qualms about labeling Morgan as he sees her (through his prejudiced eyes), the altogether too beautiful but spoiled bitch (his words, not mine), whom he judges at first sight to his own detriment. Hunter has scars that has never truly healed from losing his best friend in Afghanistan, and he is dead set on remaining emotionally impervious to everyone he comes across, lest he has to put himself in a position of vulnerability all over again.
As a result, Hunter bristles at the sexual heat that ignites between him and Morgan from the start, an attraction that is so fierce that neither he nor Morgan is able to deny the strength of it which draws them together. Even as Hunter pulls back just as much as the orbit around Morgan reels him in, the more time he is forced to spend with Morgan, the more he realizes that in Morgan lies a woman of strength, beauty, brains, and the right touch of emotional vulnerability that he could definitely get on board with.
As the danger closes in on them and the story reaches its ultimate climax, revealing the villain to be someone too close to home for comfort, it is up to Hunter to decide whether he wants to fight to keep Morgan by his side as much as he fights to keep both of them alive during the mission, or walk away from the best thing that has ever happened to him in his lifetime.
I liked this story mostly because Hunter did not turn into an overly needy, clingy, and endearment pushing hero overnight. I so dislike romances where the hero is sold as someone who has emotional baggage, a reluctant hero, and resists getting close to anyone, and voila, by chapter two, he is totally into the heroine and calling her everything beautiful under the sun!
Hunter is a different breed, and he stays true to his convictions at the beginning, which begins to erode away bit by bit as he gets to know Morgan better, which is more realistic in my opinion. I liked Morgan too; she was feisty in a way that did not break the story but rather complemented what was unfolding and was exactly what Hunter needed. She knows when to push, when to give in, and when to walk away from something that is detrimental for her own good.
I must admit that some of the writing did feel a bit choppy and I did not appreciate the repetitive style by which it was reiterated over and over how sexy Morgan was, which I believe the readers got the memo of after the first two chapters. However, I am willing to overlook those bits because the story that unfolded was great in every other aspect. Just wish that the epilogue (which is published separately) was part of the book, which would have amped up the enjoyment factor that much more.
Recommend this for those who love romantic suspense novels set in the wilderness, with forced proximity playing its critical role in bringing two opposites together!
Final Verdict: The debut book in The Bodyguards of L.A. County starts out with a bang, bringing to readers two characters who seal the deal with the sizzle between them that scorches the pages through!
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Romantic Suspense POV: First Person, Dual Series: Standalone Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Myles Sumner Heroine: Taylor Bassey Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥 Published On: June 06, 2022 Started On: August 19, 2022 Finished On: August 19, 2022
Based on appearances alone, this man might have just walked out of a criminal underworld. If the permanent scowl on his face didn’t scream villain, then the long, unkempt hair and poorly scrawled tattoos do the trick, as do the scars on his knuckles and the side of his neck.
My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey is the kind of story that has you laughing one minute, swooning the next, and agonizing over what is coming, because you know that your heart is going to squeezed rather painfully and perhaps broken in a place or two before being fixed as the story plunges head on towards its climax.
Released in June of last year, though it has mystery-thriller elements as a major element of the story, this is still classic Ms. Bailey with the kind of characters that you root for, with the steam factor ramped up high! Told in the first person from the perspectives of both the hero, Myles Sumner, and the heroine, Taylor Bassey, the story begins with Taylor and her brother Jude traveling to a luxurious beach house for six days of vacation. Taylor, a second grade teacher who has always more or less being responsible for her younger brother by three years, has scrimped and saved through the years to finally go on her dream vacation.
However, all of that comes to a standstill when they discover a corpse in the rental house, and things certainly go awry, especially when the rough and tough looking Myles turns up in pursuit of the killer. Nothing prepares Taylor or Myles for the heat that they generate together even when Myles is being his obnoxious best, trying to keep Taylor at bay lest his control be tested.
Taylor however, is a woman on a mission, firstly to prove to herself (and perhaps her parents and brother) that she too has the bravery gene that runs through their family, and hunting for a killers seems like a fool-proof plan to prove that from where she stands. Gunning after Myles too falls into that category, because for the first time in her life Taylor feels as if she has met the type of man who would show her what she is missing, the type of man who would not be afraid to show her what it means to be handled with anything but kids gloves on in the bedroom, if only she could convince Myles of this sound plan as well.
For Myles who has done the marriage thing once and failed at it, knowing deep down that Taylor is the marrying kind means he plans on steering clear of her no matter how much she may tempt him otherwise, or how he knows deep in his soul that she is sort of, kind of, made for him. He also carries a wealth of guilt from his old job as a detective at Boston PD, and it has been three years since he has been making a living as a bounty hunter mainly just running from one location to the other to keep the pain and the memories that haunt at bay.
Taylor definitely wants what Myles can offer, but unless Myles is able to face the demons that plague him and comes to accept that he has what it takes to give someone precious like Taylor the ultimate happily ever after, there is no future for the two of them in the long run. The baggage which Myles carries and prevents him from seizing his own happiness plays its role in delivering the angst factor, which I loved!
I enjoyed this rom-com, mystery-suspense novel, so much so that I read this in one day, which is a rare happenstance nowadays. I loved both Taylor and Myles; Ms. Bailey can do no wrong in characterization and delivery of the steam factor, which was off the charts hot in this tight little number as well.
I was also intrigued by the side drama that was happening, which just leaves readers with tantalizing glimpses of Jude’s love-hate relationship with his best friend Dante, and Ms. Bailey announced this August that she would be releasing a novella with their story pretty soon, which I am pretty sure a lot of readers are anticipating.
The epilogue was in an essence the best thing about this novel. It gives you the laughter, heat, and swoons, all in one! Definitely recommended!
Final Verdict: She is a second grade teacher, the type you take home to meet your mother. He is a bounty hunter, rough around the edges and prefers solitariness. When these two collide, it is fireworks all the way through!
Favorite Quotes
It’s obvious that something happened. I took three wrong turns on the way home. I’ve been responding in one-word sentences, but now that I’ve processed—mostly—what happened, I need someone to confide in. “First there was some kissing.” No need to go into detail. I’m not even sure I could say what happened without sweating through my yoga pants, anyway. “Then we broke up even though we were never dating in the first place. We’ve been ending our non-existent relationship since we met, actually. It’s kind of our thing.”
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Fantasy Romance POV: Third Person, Single Series: Orc Sworn, #1 Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Grimarr Heroine: Jule Norr Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Published On: October 28, 2019 Started On: August 07, 2022 Finished On: August 19, 2022
“Cursed woman,” he hissed, mouth smeared with red, eyes glittering, hair hanging down over his face. Hands flat to the earth on either side of her head, his broad bare chest heaving, streaked with rivulets of sweat, every muscle stark and corded and beautiful in the firelight. “My woman.”
Anyone who knows of my reading tastes can attest to the fact that I am a huge fan of dark romance, the darker, the better. Having come across the Orc Sworn series by Finley Fenn on Instagram was a godsend in this regard, and my first foray into this fantasy monster romance series was wonderful in every sense.
The Lady and the Orc is the first book in the series, with eight book published to-date. Told in the third person from the perspective of the heroine, the angst factor was greater because of the fact. The debut book in the series brings to readers the story of Grimarr leader of five clans of orcs that lives under his command, from The Ash-Kai clan who have long served as the orcs’ leaders and captains, and Lady Jule Norr, married to a man a decade older than her for the past five years.
Jule is a woman who is an “outcast” in the human world, having been determined to be barren, unable to bear children for her husband. Jule’s husband is a man who has given her little in the way of happiness, and totally disregards her welfare, well-being, and safety as is his responsibility. This ends up being a pivotal reason why Jule is ripe for the picking and is captured by none other than the Orcs who are rumored to be huge, hideous, dangerous, deadly, and constantly raiding human territory for goods and women.
Jule has heard of the terrible fate that women are subjected to, once they are taken by the Orcs. Jule does not forget the callous disregard with which her husband had treated her fears right before he had departed leaving her alone, without a means to defend herself, with the parting shot that even Orcs would want whole women, and that she was not even good enough material to be taken hostage by the Orcs.
When Jule realizes that she has been taken by none other than Grimarr, the leader of the Orcs, she is intrigued as much as she is frightened by the prospect that awaits her, and determined that she would not give in to the fear that is her first reaction to the hideous creature that stands before her. Grimarr is the Orc who has led his brothers for the better part of 30 years, and became the captain to steer the ship just recently. He is determined that he would do right by his brothers, even if it means destroying his own self in the process.
Surprisingly for Jule, it is only Grimarr who sees her husband for who he is – a man who is equal parts weak and a fool, who exerts his strength and uses it to demean the weak. Jule however is distrustful, and rightfully so when it comes to the Orc, but also drawn to Grimarr despite everything she has heard about the Orcs and the dangers they pose to humans, especially womenfolk. At the same time, as a captive, Jule is also forced to look more closely at the events that have unfolded between the Orcs and humans, and reassess her opinion on who the perpetrators and the victims are in the decades old conflict between the two.
Jule also understands that there is a reason behind her being taken as a captive by the leader of the Orcs; after all she is the wife of the leader of the human clan with whom the Orcs war with and it gives Grimarr a strategic advantage unlike any other. Against her own judgement, Jule also finds herself strangely drawn to Grimarr in a way that makes her wary, and yet is helpless to walk away from. The hold that Grimarr and his scent has on her, and the way Grimarr keeps talking about her as if she is his fated mate lures her in, until she is hooked well and good.
Ultimately, her need for him outweighs everything else, and it is not long before she pledges her allegiance to him and claims him as her mate leading to a series of events that is anything but kind to her burgeoning feelings for him. Even as Grimarr takes steps to amend his behavior and do right by Jule, he also has far more devious plans that outweigh his connection to her or his need for her, which proves to be the ultimate test that both Jule and Grimarr face in this heady tale as it moves forward.
I loved this highly unusual and sensual tale that Ms. Fenn has gifted to readers and the world building that offers a lot of tantalizing possibilities for future stories down the line. It is stories like these that makes me marvel at the infinite boundaries of the human imagination, about to conjure up stories like this one. The aspect I loved the most (as you must have guessed), is the world of hurt in store for both Jule and Grimarr before all is said and done, giving readers like myself the perfect combination of angst and romance which I adore.
For Jule, trust is a hard commodity to come by, given how she has fared in her marriage up till she had been taken by Grimarr to be used as he likes. For Grimarr, even if he acts as if Jule is replaceable in the strategic “war” that he has begun, his actions speak otherwise, or rather reading between the lines leaves you with that impression, which ramped up my enjoyment factor with this novel. Grimarr was the perfect balance of ruthlessness, gentleness, hedonistic, and dangerous – the kind of hero that I love best. He delivered on all aspects spectacularly and I could not have asked for a better hero.
Definitely recommend this for readers who love their romance on the spicier and darker side. Nothing to lose by taking the plunge with a story well written, and a happily ever after that is guaranteed!
Final Verdict: The Lady and the Orc was unexpected in the most captivating way; I was all for the darkness of the characters and the transformation both underwent in the journey to their happily ever after!
Favorite Quotes
“Where are we?” she asked toward Grimarr, without thinking — but then she went stock-still all over, because she was looking at him, and he was looking at her. And here, standing in the bright, unforgiving daylight, the infamous captain of the orcs was truly, thoroughly hideous. His skin was a deathly shade of grey, latticed over with scars, one almost bisecting his long, crooked nose. His eyes were sunken and black, framed by stringy black hair that was tied back in a matted mockery of a braid, and his neck was thick and corded, angling down to sloped, bulbous shoulders.
Jule’s mouth barked out a hoarse, high-pitched laugh. “What, the gods decree that orcs have to kidnap women, and make them bear their sons? You can’t honestly believe that?” “No,” he said, and one of those big hands slowly lifted toward her again, this time settling warm and heavy against her hip. “This — kidnap — you speak of, this was from the war. From men who deny us women. Who deny us our sons, and our freedom.” Oh, so now it was all the men’s fault, but Jule’s retort was silenced by the feel of Grimarr’s other hand, coming to spread flat and warm against her belly. “But it is the gods’ decree that orcs mate with women,” he murmured. “If it were not so, there would be no sons. No pleasure in the mating.”
The blinding light of the sun was almost painful, after all that time spent underground, and Jule blinked at its brightness through her fingers. Halfway up the curve of the sky, it was mid-morning, and had Grimarr kept his whole band waiting here all this time, just for her? “Do you hunger,” came Grimarr’s curt voice beside her, drawing Jule’s unwilling gaze — and then she squeezed her eyes shut, breathing hard. Gods, he was hideous. Absolutely repulsive, in the light, like a grey rotting corpse whose face had been carved into by maggots, and had she truly kissed that mouth? Had she welcomed the touch of those hands? Had she sworn to make him her mate? What the hell?
Jule’s eyelids fluttered, her mouth suddenly sucking on that invading finger, and Grimarr gave another one of those low, rolling laughs. “This pleases you,” he murmured, as he tugged the finger free, and went back down, pooling more of that thick sweetness onto it, and then bringing it back to Jule’s mouth. “How do I taste, woman.” Jule should have lied, but her swirling tongue would have betrayed it, and her gaze was trapped in those watching, half-lidded eyes. “Sweet,” she managed, around his finger. “Like honey.”
“You really think I’m judging you harshly? Do you not recall, down while I was making supper for you and your hundred friends, how you publicly threatened to burn my clothes and force me while they laughed?” Grimarr’s eyes blinked again, and Jule leapt to her feet, not caring if she was still naked and filthy, just needing to get away, as far from him as possible. “You are the one who brings shame to me, orc,” she gasped. “And to all your fellow orcs as well. You have shown me that in comparison to you, my husband Lord Norr, who I believed to be one of the cruelest men I have ever known, was in fact a patient and generous soul. And if ever presented with the choice” — she gulped in a breath, glared at those eyes — “I will immediately reject you, and run back to Norr Manor, and thank the gods for my blessed good fortune!”
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: First Person, Dual Series: Doctor, #1 Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Finn Burke Heroine: Pepper Sensuality: 3 Published On: April 16, 2019 Started On: May 15, 2022 Finished On: May 18, 2022
“People are such assholes behind their computers.”
The Doctor by E. L. Todd is the debut story in the four book series, Doctor. First published in April of 2019, The Doctor brings to readers the story of 30 year old Finn Burke and 26 year old Pepper, the latter being six months divorced from Finn’s younger brother, and Finn himself having left the military in which he had served for the past decade as a trauma physician.
Fate definitely seems to have crossed over its wires when it comes to Finn and Pepper, even when their fascination with each other, and the way they gravitate towards one another tells a story of its own. Even though Pepper’s marriage had ended with Colton after five years of being together, when Colton had come out as gay, they continue to live in close proximity to each other, and in each other’s lives, because for some reason, both Colton and Pepper believe that a divorce does not negate what they are to each other or have been to each other for a good part of both their lives.
Pepper who has a thriving lingerie business that she is proud of, helping women find the right fit and overcoming their self esteem issues through the beautiful pieces she selects and sells, finds herself in a bind when Colton’s coming out and the subsequent divorce does e a number on her own self esteem.
Even with Pepper making the moves pick up the pieces of her life and meets someone to some effect, Finn’s arrival changes all that. While Finn tries to regain his footing in civilian life, there is no turning the tide when it comes to the tightly wound string that pulls him towards Pepper, one destructive step at a time.
Being a four book series, this one of course just sets the groundwork for the rest of the books to follow. I found the story to be quite repetitive in most places, perhaps that is how the author manages to drag the story on for four books, to milk this story for whatever it is worth. Sometimes the story reads like a gay rights pamphlet which I particularly did not like, rejoicing in how open and progressive a person’s thinking is judged to be, all because they take things in stride when they find out someone close to them is gay.
I did not care much for Pepper’s ex husband Colton either, who seemed to hold onto Pepper and takes advantage of her presence to keep the truth at bay from the “lesser” progressives. Ultimately, the truth is, Colton and Pepper’s relationship post-divorce, seems like a recipe for disaster, which certainly did not win any points for me. While I understood in some aspects, the whole set-up was just too weird in my opinion.
I believe that the novel should have just focused on Finn and Pepper’s story, the forbidden nature of the feelings that blossoms to life between them, the heartache and the angst that they go through,and the ultimate happily ever after (I am assuming there is one at the end of the long draggy tunnel of four books), rather than focus on a bunch of secondary characters that I did not have any interest in. In my view, they did not really add any value to the story as it unfolded and just wasted the reader’s time from getting to the good bits.
I don’t think I will continue to read this series. It has been a year since I read this, and I am yet to muster up enough interest to hunt down the rest of the books in the series. If the first book is indicative of the amount of skimming I would have to do to just focus on Finn and Pepper’s story, I would rather not waste my time.
Recommended for fans of E. L. Todd, and those who love book series featuring the longer road to the happily ever after.
Final Verdict: The Doctor had interesting elements going for it, which ultimately did not end up being enough to make me stick to the series!
Favorite Quotes
“Am I the only one who feels something here?” It was a bold thing to say, to blurt that out right to his face. But I felt comfortable with him, like I could say anything at all with no repercussions. I’d just asked my former brother-in-law if he felt the chemistry between us, and if he said no, it would be humiliating. But if he said yes, that might be even worse. He set his beer down without watching his movements. Then he slowly shifted on the couch closer to me, his eyes unblinking throughout the entire exchange. He stopped right beside me, and the only time he pulled his eyes away from mine was when he glanced down to look at my lips. I stopped breathing.
His fingers dug into my hair and pinned it back from my cheeks, just so he could get a better look at me. He hadn’t even kissed me yet, and it was the best I’d ever had. He directed my head against his and rested his forehead against mine. He was dead silent, his warm breaths falling over my cheek. Pine needles were even more fragrant in my nose. It was the closest I’d ever been to him. I hadn’t even hugged him before. Now I was cradled against him like he owned me.
Format: E-Book Read with: Kindle Paperwhite Length: Novel Genre: Contemporary Romance POV: First Person, Single Series: Wildflower Duet Publisher: Self-Published Hero: Thayer Holmes Heroine: Salem Grace Sensuality: 3 Published On: March 23, 2022 Started On: April 10, 2022 Finished On: April 13, 2022
He cuts off my question, pressing me into the corner of the maze, the dried corn stalks rough against my back, and then he kisses me. It’s a rough, searing, soul-stealing sort of kiss. Thayer Holmes has branded himself on me. And I know, without a doubt, that whatever this is, whatever we become, if we grow and flourish like the wildflowers behind our houses, or crash and burn, it won’t matter because when I’m old and gray, lying in bed thinking about my life, he’ll be the best part.
The Wildflower Duet by Micalea Smeltzer was released early last year. Ms. Smeltzer is an evocative writer, whose elegant prose and characterization left me spellbound when it came to the story Sweet Dandelion. Being a sucker for May-December tropes, I was quick to grab this as it was released and I was not disappointed – at least with the first installment of the duet.
Salem Grace is 18 years old when the story begins, having just finished high school and dating the quintessential popular guy you come across in small towns. 31 year old Thayer Holmes moves in as Salem’s next door neighbor, and an unlikely friendship is forged with the single father whose gruff and silent manner should have been off-putting but draws Salem to him like a moth to a flame.
As Salem starts to babysit for Thayer’s son, the relationship between the two deepens to something much more, and a love forges to life, unlike any Salem has known. With Thayer, Salem feels safe from the nightmares that plagues her, and she feels cherished in a way that she has never known. However, tragedy is not too far from their lives when the unthinkable happens, driving the kind of wedge between Thayer and Salem that only time alone would heal. As the story moves to its second installment, Salem returns to her hometown six years henceforth, forced to come home and face the music at long last. This time around, she is older and wiser, and has a secret that she left with all those years ago.
As mentioned earlier in the review, I did enjoy the first installment in the series. Salem and Thayer invoked so many emotions in me that at times I felt chock full of it. Salem’s tragic past had me wanting to hurt someone, a very specific someone, and Thayer was all kinds of appealing. He has his own demons to fight with, but the connection between Salem and Thayer is one that all too real for him to ignore, even with the huge age gap between them.
I could understand why Thayer acted the way he did towards the end of the first installment, because some losses, you never ever fully recover from. The fact that Salem loved Thayer enough to know that and understand that was one reason I loved both of them to bits. But as the story moved to six years later, I found that there was not much essence nor conflict to the story to keep the reader hooked and the pages turning. I would have been happier had the first installment being extended a bit, and this was just a single book story. I believe it would have been more fitting.
Towards the end, I skipped huge parts of the latter half of the second book, just so I could get to the ending. I don’t like reiteration in my novels to the point where I have to force myself to keep my eyes open. That is what happened with the second installment in the series, with mundane details of everyday life thrown into make the pages count. I just sorely wish that had not been the case because if not, this would have been a stellar 5-star read!
Recommended for fans of the author and fans of May-December themed romances.
Final Verdict: The Wildflower duet is a story of tragedy and heartache. It is also one of deep abiding love and hope that gets you through the darkest moments of life!
Favorite Quotes
“I’ll get our drinks.” I head back to the kitchen for them. I grab another Diet Coke from the fridge and turn to get his, but nearly smack into his chest. “Jesus Christ!” My hand flies to my chest. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.” He makes no move to back up. “Thayer?” His brown eyes stare at me intently. “W-What are you doing?” His tongue wets his lips and I realize he’s staring at my mouth. “Are you going to kiss me?” I blurt my thoughts out loud. He towers above me, lowering his head so I’m cocooned with the mini-fridge behind my legs and his body blocking everything else. I know if I wanted to move, he’d let me pass, that’s the kind of man he is. But the fact is, I don’t want to. His voice is deeper than normal when he asks, “Do you want me to?” I swallow. Do I? “Yes.”
“Salem,” he murmurs my name between kisses. I wind my legs around his waist, gasping when I feel the hardness of his erection. We are chaos. Unrestrained passion igniting with a single spark.
“Need to be in you.” He sounds like he’s aching with the same need I am. He shoves his jeans down and his boxer-briefs with them. Thayer Holmes is naked in front of me. I don’t look away. I take in every inch of him. Every. Long. Perfect. Inch.
He doesn’t hesitate. Grabbing the base of his cock, he plunges into me. I cry out, my back arching. He’s so big and I’m so full. “Fucking hell, Salem,” he curses, exhaling heavily. “Am I too tight?” I squeak, because my God, he’s stretching me. He shakes his head, brown hair falling over his forehead. I reach up, brushing it away so I can see his eyes. I need to see them. He can’t hide from me that way. “No,” he rocks slowly out and back in, “it’s just…” His fingers tighten around my hips, angling me up to meet his thrusts. “You feel like mine.”
His hips push into mine and I gasp at the feel of him hard and ready. “Thayer,” I pant. He wraps a hand around my neck. I moan, surprised at how much I like his hand there. “Do you want me to fuck you against the wall, Salem?” God, yes. “Yes.” “Good.”
“Thayer,” I pant, breathless, “right there. Don’t stop.” I fall over the edge, my orgasm rattling me to the bone. His lips press open-mouthed kisses to my neck. He pumps his hips harder, faster into me, and impossibly I feel my body building toward another high. “Thayer!” I scream his name, my orgasm rippling through me.
“If you wouldn’t have chosen a peony, what did you think my favorite would be?” “Sunflowers,” he answers without hesitation. “I guess that’s because you remind me of them. You’re so bright and happy most of the time.” “I didn’t used to be,” I admit mournfully. His finger is warm beneath my chin, lifting my head to look at him. “Who we used to be doesn’t matter, it’s who we are now, what’s in our hearts that matters most. You’re sunshine, Salem, but even the sun doesn’t always shine.” His hand moves to cup my cheek. A sigh passes through my lips as I lean into his touch. “I’m not bright like you, but I promise, when your days are dark, I’ll be your light.”
“You feel so good,” he murmurs into the skin of my neck. “Fucking made for me, Salem.” “God, yes.” I squeeze my legs around him. He rests his forehead against mine, our noses brushing, breath to breath. He makes love to me and I soak in every bit of that, letting it fill me up. This is what it means to be cared for. Cherished. Anything less is second best.
One of his arm winds around my back and he lifts me effortlessly, pressing my back to the shower wall. His erection presses into my core, my hips grinding against him on their own accord. “Yes,” he encourages, guiding my hips with his hands, “get yourself off on me.” He kisses me again, and it’s rough, aching, so desperately needy. My fingers grapple against his slick back. I rock my hips harder, faster. It feels so good. He feels so right. My orgasm shatters through me so fast with so much force that I scream.
I bite my lip, holding back tears. My voice is barely above a whisper when I say, “I never stopped caring about you. I moved on, but my heart didn’t.” He pulls the truck abruptly off to the side of the road. Gravel and dirt kick up behind us as he slams the vehicle into park. He turns slowly in his seat to look at me. “Thayer—” I start to question, but he doesn’t give me a chance to finish my thought. He cups my cheek in one hand, his mouth descending on mine in less than a heartbeat.
A Maldivian's Passion for Romance 