Category / Toe Curler!!

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh

Format: E-bookminetopossess
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Psy-Changeling, #4
Publisher: Berkley
Hero: Clay Bennett
Heroine: Talin McKade
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: February 5, 2008
Started On: July 10, 2013
Finished On: July 11, 2013

Clay Bennett, a leopard shifter and one of the sentinels of the powerful DarkRiver leopard pack in San Francisco is a changeling constantly at war with his two selves; the human and leopard halves that fight for dominance and co-existence. The barely controlled fury inside of him is a living being, a result of his past that constantly puts him on the edge, making him vulnerable to going rogue, if he were to let his leopard half win the battle of wills.

28 year old Talin McKade is a woman who lives with a mix of guilt and self-loathing that is almost palpable. A victim of child abuse and the state entrusted in taking care of children like herself, its not surprising that Talin grows up to become a social worker, her kids and protecting them at all and any cost her sole purpose in life until danger comes calling.

Talin is forced to seek out the help of the one Changeling who terrifies her and the one man she knows would never turn her away in her hour of need. Desperate to find the killer(s) behind the abduction and murder of street kids who are hers, Talin finds herself coming face to face with the one man who had been her past and undeniably her future all in one. But the fury that lurks close to the surface inside of Clay after a 10 year separation is not one to be tamed easily, his beast not ready to accept certain facts together with Talin’s ultimate fear of him that comes close to driving Clay to the edge and beyond. Will Talin & Clay be able to find a way to heal & move on & at the same time find a killer in a race against a ticking clock?

Mine to Possess is the 4th novel in Nalini Singh’s fascinating PsyChangeling series. Mostly set in San Francisco, the story is told from both Talin & Clay’s points of view.

When I first started on the PsyChangeling series a year or so back, the one thing that drew me in as I am guessing with all the fans of this delectable and heart thumping series is the fascinating world building that happens and continues to grow and change with every story. Words simply cannot describe just how awe-inspiring it is to wade through a world of limitless possibilities, a world that I bet Nalini must live in constantly if the way these stories grab the reader by their souls and doesn’t let up is any indication to the fact!

The brief hiatus in my continuation of the series certainly seemed to have whetted my appetite for more and like a Changeling requiring touch and contact of its pack to survive, I found myself plagued with the need to completely lose myself in the compelling and sensuous story that unfolded. I let my senses soak in the world, the palpable feelings of a love so beautiful and vivid that it took my breathe away.

Clay is one of the darkest heroes in the series, made so by the fact that his beast is one that refuses to be tamed, his need to let it roam free understandable given the fact he had lived half of his life forcing himself to ignore that side of him completely. And now that his Talin, yes his Talin is back, there is nothing Clay wouldn’t do, even if it means unleashing all that glorious fury with murderous intent on anyone who dares take her away from him.

One of the best bits about the Changeling world is the concept of how they seem to thrive in the little and yet meaningful touches that is integral and much needed for their survival. Unlike the Psy stripped of their emotions, Changelings are directly the opposite, and one can’t help but feel the need to be petted and stroked, especially by the likes of someone like Clay who actually purrs under the touch of his mate Talin.

The backstory and end of Talin and Clay’s shared history is one mired in violence, and the life Talin had led till now one of half existence. It is inside the warm circle of Clay’s possessive embrace that Talin starts to let go of the fear and accept the fact that with Clay lies her future. I absolutely reveled in how Clay seduces Talin to give in & in turn how Talin has the ability to bring the powerful sentinel to his very knees.

The point in picking up a Nalini Singh novel is that you don’t just end up reading a highly sensuous romance between a dominant alpha male and his mate for life. Rather, it gives you a world so beautifully complex to indulge in that the fascination with what Nalini does with her characters and the story doesn’t ever abate! If there’s one thing that can be said about Nalini and her PsyChangeling series is that once you are in, there’s no going back – period!

To see the picture perfect world the Psy seem to think they have created and the nefarious ends to which their powerful Council is willing to go to keep their stronghold on the power they wield is another mind grappling asset of the story. With their world being stripped away and their fatal flaws being exposed layer by layer, there’s nothing one can do but sit back and watch the ultimate destruction of a race that thought that Silence of emotions is the best way to lead a healthy life.

Recommended for fans of paranormal romances with multifaceted characters and four dimensional world building that is ethereal in its beauty and complexity. There’s none that can compare to what Nalini delivers with this series.

Final Verdict: With each book in the series, Nalini Singh draws the reader deeper into her world of Psy-Changeling and resistance to the effect is a futile endeavour at best!

Favorite Quotes

She was unquestionably small, but not fragile, not easily breakable. There was strength in the straight line of her spine, but also a softness that promised a cushion for a hard male body. The woman had curves. Lush, sweet, curves. Her butt filled out the seat of her jeans perfectly, arousing the deeply sexual instincts of both man and cat. He wanted to bite, to shape, to pet.

The kiss he brushed over her lips caught her breath, blew her confusion to shreds. His skin was a little rough, his mouth pure demand…and his kiss so right it hurt.

He purred into her mouth.
Nipples shocked into sudden pleasure by the vibration, she pulled back. “You purr?”
His smile was pure cat. “Only for you.”

“Bully.” It was a gasp.
“Brat.”
That clever, clever tongue was doing things to her she had never believed possible. She found herself pressing closer, begging him with her body, her thighs tight around him, her heels digging into his back. Then he bit her.
She made a sharp, shocked sound before the world exploded around her. The pleasure was so raw, so rich, so acute, it blasted through her body with the strength of a supernova, leaving her quivering in its wake.

“Move,” she said, voice husky. “Please move.”
He nuzzled at her throat, caught her lips in a kiss. “Ready?”
She looked into his eyes and nodded. “Ready.”
The last thing she remembered thinking was that she had never seen a more beautiful man in her life. A moment later, pleasure crashed through her like thunder and Clay became her world, her universe, her reason for being.

He came to her, laying his head on her thigh. She should have berated him for choosing to end the argument this way but what she did was stroke him. “Beautiful,” she whispered, sinking her hand into the black and gold fir. “Magnificent.” Petting words, because while he was big and tough, he was also hers to love, hers to adore.
Green eyes caught hers, a gleam of smug pride in their depths.
“Vain,” she added.
He growled, bared his teeth. And still she stroked him. Her mate. Her everything.

“You’re not angry anymore?” It came out hesitant, searching.
“How can I be angry with the other half of my soul?” he asked, his tone so tender it tore little pieces out of her heart. “I have a temper, baby, and I know I fucking brood. But even if I act pissed, even if I snarl, it doesn’t mean I love you any less. Your soul shines, Tally, and I’m so damn glad it shines for me.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Scorsolini Marriage Bargain by Lucy Monroe

Format: E-bookthescorsolinimarriage
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Royal Brides, #5
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Principe Claudio Scorsolini
Heroine: Therese Scorsolini
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: May 1, 2006
Started On: July 9, 2013
Finished On: July 10, 2013

Principe Claudio Scorsolini is the crown prince of Isole dei Re and for him his duty to the country and its people comes first. Therese Scorsolini is the wife of Claudio who marries him under the terms of a marriage of convenience.

Though Therese gets married to Claudio out of love, for Claudio it is an arrangement that guarantees that he can focus on the more important issues of his country rather than undergo the emotional upheavals that are bound to follow once love enters the equation. However, Claudio is not as aloof as he would like to think he is and not at all ready to let Therese walk away from him when it becomes evident that that is exactly what she wants after three years of being together.

The Scorsolini Marriage Bargain is the 5th book in the Royal Brides series and has a contemporary setting which is told from both Claudio and Therese’s points of view in third person.

The Scorsolini Marriage Bargain deals with a very real issue that is faced by a lot of women of today. Therese is faced with the hardest decision of her life when she finds out that she might never be able to provide Claudio with a heir to the throne and for that reason alone, Therese is willing to be the better person and walk away. I could feel Therese’s conflicted emotions as though they were mine and understood her reasons for being unable to come outright and tell Claudio the reason behind her need to walk away.

I loved Claudio, one reason being, he stays true to his character throughout the story. He is committed, loyal and actually enthralled by the woman Therese is. Just how enamored he is by her is revealed slowly as the story progresses. But the angst that was a palpable part of the story was mainly due to Claudio being unaware of the shift in his emotional response to his wife and also due to the lack of proper communication between Therese and himself. Claudio remains clueless about a lot of aspects of their relationship and it was endearing to learn of all his efforts to actually show Therese how much he cares about her. Loved the way he stepped up and took care of Therese when the time called for it. If there is a reason to love Claudio, for me, that alone suffices.

I loved the fact that what Lucy actually portrays in the story, i.e. the issues that Therese and Claudio face in their marriage are the same as any other couple who might undergo such a difficult phase in their marriage; and especially if the communication barriers get broken down. There are underlying messages that Lucy conveys through the story that I received loud and clear.

For one thing assumptions is the mother of all evil where relationships are concerned. Its always healthier to ask and be certain rather than assume the best or the worst about your partner. But then again, relationships are never that simple are they.

Secondly, communication is an integral part of any relationship. If the proper channels of communication does not exist or get broken down along the way, even the smallest of things can get blown out of proportion and in the end might even be the leading cause of a breakup of a relationship. If Claudio and Therese had talked to each other and I mean really talked to each other more often, half of all the agony that both of them went through would have been avoided. But then, it wouldn’t have given me, the reader, all that angst that I absolutely reveled in throughout the story!

Thirdly, yes, there is such a thing as being far too independent. Being independent and getting things done on your own is all well and good, but then there are times that you have to lean on your partner and let him or her take care of you. If Therese had in fact let Claudio know what she was going through and let him help her along the way, they both could have discovered that there is much much more to their relationship than just a convenient arrangement on Claudio’s end.

The one thing that irked me a bit was the fact that Therese went so long without telling Claudio the actual reason behind her wanting to leave. I felt that she dragged it on for a bit too longer than necessary which actually made Claudio draw his own conclusions which certainly didn’t help matters along. And then there were areas in the story that just seemed to rehash the same stuff over and over again which became a bit tiresome to read, but overall, the story managed to captivate me enough to lose a bit of my sleep over it in order to see how Claudio and Therese would fare in the end.

Recommended for fans of Lucy Monroe and fans of angst-ridden romances. This one’s filled with just that!

Final Verdict: The Scorsolini Marriage Bargain should come with the warning; “Emotional roller-coaster ride guaranteed!”.

Favorite Quotes

She opened her eyes to look at him and saw that his head was thrown back in abandon like hers had been, his face etched with sexual pleasure. She leaned forward and bit his chest in an act so primitive, even in her advanced state of passion…it shocked her.
He was not shocked, though, but merely growled and increased the rhythm, slamming into her with pounding force with every thrust. It was so intense, she felt like she was on the verge of shattering into a million over-pleasured bits.

He gripped her tighter and she wrapped her arms around him, pressing to his body, the only sense of reality in a universe exploding from pleasure. He was silent when he climaxed, his teeth bared in a feral grimace that said more eloquently than any words could have how intensely he was feeling.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Escape from Desire by Penny Jordan

Format: E-bookescapefromdesire
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Zachary Fletcher
Heroine: Tamara Forbes
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: January 1, 1983
Started On: July 8, 2013
Finished On: July 8, 2013

Zachary Fletcher is a man of privileged upbringing who had found his calling in serving the army. Aloof, ruthless and cynical, Zach is a man not to be crossed.

Tamara Forbes is 26 years old and engaged to marry the man who she thinks would serve her interests the best, though misgivings and doubts continue to plague her about their suitability as the date draws nearer.

Tamara and Zach’s paths cross when both end up taking a vacation in the Caribbean at the same time. Zach is recuperating while for Tamara its a vacation long overdue. When both of them are held hostage by a terrorist organisation after a hiking trip that goes awry, Tamara must put her trust in a man who is far too masculine, appealing and ruthless on her senses and for her peace of mind. By the time they make it back to civilisation, nothing remains the same.

Escape from Desire has a contemporary setting and takes place in both the Caribbean and London. Story is narrated from only Tamara’s perspective in third person.

I admit I’m someone who likes a whole lot of conflict and angst in my romances, not the type that makes me want to pull my hair out mind you, but the kind that makes you want to swoon into a puddle of dreaminess when all’s said and done.

I like revisiting the Harlequin romances for a reason. They were practically my first  source of adult romances and some of the authors such as Penny Jordan shaped my love for ruthless heroes and the women who fall for them with no way of turning back. And thats exactly what I was looking for when I picked this up to read and exactly what it delivered as well.

Tamara is naive, inexperienced and a bit of a reserved character; not surprising given the way she was brought up. Tamara appears standoffish to a lot of people and that starts chipping away the minute she encounters the enigmatic Zach who makes her instinctively take a step back because even with all her inexperience, she knows that Zach would be dangerous a man to play with.

I sometimes think that perhaps the reason why I am drawn towards heroes who can practically be called assholes is because real life tends to deliver alpha heroes of that variety. But once they fall, and boy do they fall; they are smitten to the point of obsession and displays of possessiveness & jealousy that I absolutely love. And Zach certainly was no exception to the rule. There were moments I wanted to slap him, and then there were moments I wanted to say ‘A-ha’ and sit back and watch with glee as he tried to wrestle with his feelings for Tamara. Though I’d have loved a bit more of the story to have been set in the Caribbean, this still turned out to be a captivating read that I finished in one sitting!

Recommended for fans of older Harlequin romances, fans of ruthless, mean, jealous and possessive heroes and fans of Penny Jordan. Its a testament to her impressive talent that even her earliest novels still holds appeal today.

Final Verdict: Angst-ridden goodness!

Purchase Links: Amazon | AbeBooks

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by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: The Sword Dancer by Jeannie Lin

Format: E-bookthesworddancer
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Tang Dynasty, #4
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Zheng Hao Han
Heroine: Wen Li Feng/Hua Li Feng
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: June 1, 2013
Started On: July 6, 2013
Finished On: July 8, 2013

Zheng Hao Han is a thief catcher who is equivalent to the modern day bounty hunter. Han sees matters relating to justice being served in black and white with no room for any shades of grey as part of the picture. An honorable man, Han hardly sees it as so and sees himself as a failed scholar who does what he must rather than the revered man he is amongst society for his infamous arrests.

Wen Li Feng is an enigmatic sword dancer whose sole aim becomes finding the reality behind the elusive memories that she has of her parents, especially her mother. With little recollection of her parents and family, it is the vague memories that continue to haunt her that makes her come out into the real world and face life with no holds barred.

Li Feng’s path crosses with that of Han, the illustrious thief catcher when her journey to seek the truth takes a dangerous turn as a result of putting her trust in a group of bandits with their own agenda of vengeance to mete out. From the moment Han lays his eyes on the smooth and supple movements that is Li Feng when she is performing, something irrevocably shifts and changes deep inside of him. And as the game of cat and mouse between Han and Li Feng continues, confusion sets deep inside of Han as he struggles to come to terms with the woman who means everything to him and the beliefs that he has lived by his whole of up till that point.

The Sword Dancer as almost all of Jeannie Lin’s novels is set in China during the period of Tang Dynasty and is the fourth book in the series, told from both Han and Li Feng’s points of view.

China has always been a country that has fascinated me. And with the prejudiced view of China that I had in my mind, all thanks to the various propaganda machines coupled together with the contrastingly poetic and magical image of China that I have experienced time and yet again through Jeannie Lin’s books; all of that merged together in my recent visit to the country during which I certainly fell irrevocably in love with the country and its people.

It was my craving to read something by Jeannie Lin while in China that led me to the information on the release of this novel and the review opportunity which was open on Jeannie’s website. Though my review is more than a month late, coupled together with my own experiences in China and that of the world that Jeannie presents, this time around, the story, background and its characters seemed to make more sense to me, and the colors and hues of the story more vibrant than ever, if at all that is possible.

One cannot read a Jeannie Lin book and not be captivated. Her prose is one that never changes in its smoothness and beauty, one that always transports the reader to the era in China that she describes. Fraught with corruption of bureaucrats and danger from lawless bandits, Jeannie takes the reader on a journey that is unforgettable in The Sword Dancer.

Han is a hero that I would describe as one of the most beautiful heroes I have come across to date and I do not say this without reason. Han’s beauty lies in that integral sense of honour deep-seated inside of him that he fights with and at times struggles to live by. When Li Feng enters the picture and disrupts his whole world and all the things he has believed in, Han takes a gamble and pursues his developing feelings for a woman who continues to break whatever hold he has on her and disappear, until he finds her time and yet again, true to his promise to Li Feng.

Li Feng is the direct opposite of Han; she is the yin to his yang though that’s a fact that Li Feng would rather not face. Li Feng’s vulnerability lies in the fact that she too feels that undeniable connection between herself and Han which only grows stronger with time and each encounter between them. With a future that seems bleak at best for both of them and with the changes her life undergoes which continues to throw further obstacles in their way, it almost seems like an impossibility that Li Feng and Han would ever find their own happily ever after.

In the end the combination of the sensuous and beautiful love scenes together with the mystery and the aura of danger which continues to be a part of the story made for a compelling and hard to put down read. In my opinion, Han made this book and I am betting with everything that is inside of me that none can read The Sword Dancer without laying their heart out for Han to conquer.

If you read The Sword Dancer, the question of whether Li Feng’s brother getting his own story is one that begs to be asked, the answer to which only Jeannie Lin and time can only tell.

Recommended for fans of historical romances in exotic settings and fans of Jeannie Lin.

Final Verdict: From one of the masters of historical romance comes an earthy, beautiful and sensuous story of love, mystery and intrigue that is unputdownable.

Favorite Quotes

Her laughter rang free and child-like in the forest, intertwining with the driving rhythm of his pulse. His body still hadn’t recovered from the jump and Han was at once angry and elated and uncommonly aroused. He rolled himself over her and kissed her.
She sighed into his mouth. Her lips were warm, soft. Her body curved against him as he pressed her gently into the grass. She was a live and wild thing and he was mad with the taste of her. He broke the kiss to frame her face in his hands. He ran his thumbs over the shape of her cheekbones and kissed her again, claiming her in the only way he could.

He finally did kiss her. A passionate, insistent kiss that parted her lips. There was no more wash cloth, only his strong, sure hands rounding her breasts and stroking her stomach. She moaned around his invading tongue, sucking gently. He responded with a low, almost feral sound as his arousal pressed hard against her.

He repositioned his hand at the back of her neck, the possessiveness of it unmistakable, and thrust deep. The completeness, the fullness of accepting him overwhelmed her and her flesh convulsed around him as she was consumed with heat and a rush of elation. She squeezed her eyes shut as the climax drained her of all thought and resistance.

In the absence of sight, there was only the sensation of their joining and the heat of the day around her. She felt the roughened tip of his finger caress against her just above the juncture of their bodies, focusing her pleasure. She became his creature, straining towards his touch, her head thrown back and helpless as he stroked her.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said huskily.
Her eyelids fluttered open and her chest squeezed tight when she saw that he had been watching her the entire time. His mouth was tight, his face nearly expressionless except for the fire in his eyes.

“You love me.” His breath was hot against her ear. “But you don’t want to.”
Sensation crested within her, rising to a point where darkness beckoned. She had no will to protest.
His body sank deep, holding her captive as she shuddered around him. He held on tight through it. He may have spoken her name in a choked whisper but she could no longer hear. She was in her own world, alone.

His kiss was gentle, yet shockingly intimate out here with the great city around them. Such an act was a private thing meant for closed doors and drawn blinds. Yet when Han kissed her now, it was more than a precursor to lovemaking. It was language. His lips caressing softly to find her. She responded in kind, pressing close to him. It was longing and it was farewell.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Saved By The Bride by Fiona Lowe

Format: E-booksavedbythebride
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Wedding Fever, #1
Publisher: Carina Press
Hero: Finnegan Callahan
Heroine: Annika Jacobson
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: April 15, 2013
Started On: May 10, 2013
Finished On: July 1, 2013

Hero: Finnegan Callahan, driven and ambitious, is a man who steers clear of emotional entanglements. He knows for certain that forever never works. After all his parents had been the perfect example of how bad things can turn out when “love” leaves the equation.

Heroine: Annika Jacobson, a little bit klutzy with a whole lot of heart and enthusiasm for everything she puts herself into. She might not look too deep into herself and take care of what requires fixing when it comes to her own self, but she certainly does all that and more when it comes to the people that she loves.

Storyline: Saved by the Bride is the 1st book in the Wedding Fever series. Annika is the heroine who is determined that she would save her ailing hometown of Whitetail, Wisconsin at any cost. She is willing to go to any lengths, even if it means gatecrashing into the engagement party of the daughter of one of the most influential businessmen who owns property in Whitetail, if that is what is required to fix things up. Things however don’t go according to plan and before she manages to gracefully gatecrash, she is in dire need of rescuing and along comes Finnegan Callahan, a man who makes all her girly bits sit up and take notice when they really should not.

Before long, Finn and Annika are embroiled in a summer long affair that has no room whatsoever for emotional entanglements. But then when has love ever gone according to plan?

Setting: Saved by the Bride has a contemporary setting and takes place in the small town of Whitetail, Wisconsin and is told from both Finn and Annika’s points of view. Other secondary character viewpoints are also included.

Likes: Fiona Lowe has a talent for weaving stories with a lot of humor and heart in it with characters that really drive the story forward. Saved by the Bride is my second book from Fiona and I liked what the story had to offer. Being the first book in a new series always means laying the foundation for the novels that’d follow and I believe that Fiona has done a splendid job in the setup and I certainly did fall in love with the way of life in Whitetail.

The enthusiasm with which the folk of Whitetail takes on the project of turning their ailing town around rather than sitting on their bums and endlessly worrying about the dire circumstances they had all fallen into was really infectious. If everyone in this world puts that much heart and effort into solving their problems I bet that this world would be a whole different and a much better place.

Finn and Annika’s budding relationship is a mix of treading wearily into murky emotional waters and a whole lot of heat in the physical aspect. The attraction between Annika and Finn is one that sizzled right from the onset and is one the reasons why someone like Finn who is all too wary of anything emotional to take that step towards Annika, be it even if his intention at first had been to enter into a solely physical relationship.

The relationship between Finn and his father Sean was at times hard to read about. There is so much angst involved, the emotions that had been locked down for so long on Finn’s part upon all that disappointment he had encountered while growing up is hard to just forget and move on from. It is Annika who makes him face what he doesn’t want to and in turn it is Finn who makes Annika face all that she doesn’t want to.

I loved and loved the romance between the secondary characters Bridget and her fiance Hank. Bridget’s need to get everything perfect in the misguided notion that her wedded life would be everlasting if then was an aspect of the story that I found myself really interested in.

The one bit that I truly liked was the time Annika was “forced” to take in order to find herself and make peace with her past and finally be able to return to being who she is supposed to be. I think love in its finest and lasting form can only happen only when you are at peace with your own self.

And way out of topic, but something that just tickled my funny bone; Annika being called “Anni”. Mohamed Nasheed or rather “Anni” as he is known amongst his supporters is one of the Presidential candidates in the upcoming Maldivian elections in September 2013!

Dislikes: I might be the only one who thinks so, but I thought that the story sometimes deviated a bit too much from the focus that should have been Finn and Annika. Sometimes that’s the drawback of reading stories featuring a lot of characters; focus is lost from the main leading characters and I believe that happened in Saved by the Bride too. Not that the other characters and their interactions weren’t interesting and lent its own colorful richness to the unfolding story. But I’d have loved to read about Annika and Finn just a tad more.

Recommended for: Those who love romances set in small towns that encompass a lot of humor and heart. This one’s for you!

Final Verdict: A whole lot of humor, a little bit of angst and love of the heartwarming kind. You are definitely going to fall in love!

Favorite Quotes

She opened her mouth under his and sighed. He tasted of malt, of hot, starry summer nights and a tantalizing sense of long-lost joy. With her hand still pressed against his chest, she curled her fingers under the gaps between the studs of his formal shirt, and the tips met hot skin and taught muscle. Her breath hitched and her palm itched to feel more.
His hands slipped down her neck, caressing her bare shoulders and journeying along her arms – the touch leaving a trail of intoxicating bubbles that joined together into an effervescence of unadulterated need.

His mouth melded to hers and his heat flooded her like the blast from an open furnace – swooping through her like a hot wind on an August day. It instantly fanned all the tiny embers of desire that had been burning deep inside of her for days, into a ranging and out-of-control wildfire. She plundered his mouth with hers, filling herself with his taste of coffee, mint and sex. As she lost herself in his mouth, she pressed her hands to his naked skin, touching him and soaking him up like parched land absorbs rain when the drought breaks.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: Rancher to the Rescue by Jennifer Faye

Format: E-bookranchertotherescue
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Cash Sullivan
Heroine: Meghan Finnegan
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: July 1, 2013
Started On: June 27, 2013
Finished On: June 29, 2013

Hero: Cash Sullivan; retired from the rodeo circuit and successful owner of Tumbling Weed his very own ranch. Cash prefers things be simple and has little trust for love or women and likes his solitary lifestyle just the way it is.

Heroine: 28 year old Meghan Finnegan, a smalltime celebrity with her own cooking show whose going to get married to the man that she loves; or so she thinks until everything goes horribly wrong at the last minute.

Storyline: Meghan flees the scene of her wedding and stumbles into Cash who becomes her reluctant saviour despite all his misgivings. With no one she can turn to for help and wanting the much needed timeout from everything her life had become, Meghan relies on Cash and his hospitality to lick her wounds in private and come to terms with how much her life has changed since that fateful day. As Meghan goes through these changes, so does the relationship between Cash and Meghan grow to slowly become something much much more than anything they both bargained for.

Time period: Rancher to the Rescue has a contemporary setting and is told from both Meghan & Cash’s perspective in third person.

Likes: I liked lots of things about Rancher to the Rescue. For one thing I find that Jennifer has a compelling style of writing that begs the reader to thoroughly explore what she has to offer. And this being just her debut novel I’d say that Jennifer is an author who has a promising future in the romance arena.

I liked both Cash and Meghan. Cash is the reserved type of hero, all gruff on the outside but a major softie on the inside. He is helplessly ensnared in the web of tangible attraction that sizzles to life between himself and Meghan right from the start. His connection to Meghan surprises, infuriates and arouses him in equal turns making him a mess which in turn makes him reinforce those walls that he had built around his heart and emotions throughout his life. And the one thing that is almost palatable is Cash’s sense of honour that drives him to protect Meghan from himself, even at the cost of losing the one woman he has come to care about above everything else.

Meghan is a sweetheart too. No reason to not like a woman who is independent, a goddess in the kitchen and has the ability to empathise and see beyond the image that Cash tries so hard to project. Neither Meghan nor Cash are perfect as characters but I think thats what makes them both so special.

On a side note, the story piqued my interest on Meghan’s two sisters & being the greedy reader that I am, cannot help but wonder whether they will both get their own stories too.

Dislikes: I’d have liked to see a little bit more development for Meghan and Cash on the physical intimacy side. After all that sexual tension that sizzled, it would have been wonderful to see the story veer towards that direction just a little more. And I think an epilogue would have worked wonders too!

Recommended for: Those who love romances featuring jilted brides and the reluctant heroes that come to their rescue.

Final Verdict: Wonderful & heartwarming; Cash Sullivan should be every woman’s reluctant hero.

Favorite Quotes

The breath caught in her throat and the blood pounded in her veins. She was totally caught up in an overwhelming need to have him kiss her—here—now. For just this moment she wanted to forget their circumstances and lose herself in his arms.
His hungry gaze met and held hers. He wanted her too. She’d never experienced such desire. Her stomach quivered with excitement. But she held herself back. She’d prom- ised herself the next time he’d be the one to make the first move. She couldn’t risk being shunned again—no matter how much she wanted him.

He sought out her tongue with his. He tasted fresh and minty. Her arms trailed around his neck and she sidled up against him. She wanted more of him—so much more.
In the background, she heard a bowl hit the countertop with a thud before his hands slid around her waist. His fingertips slipped beneath the hem of her top to stroke her tender flesh. She lifted her legs and wrapped them about his waist, never moving her mouth from his. His kisses were sweeter than honey and she was on a sugar high. She’d never get enough of him. Ever.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Harlequin

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by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Lost In Kakadu by Kendall Talbot

Format: E-booklostinkakudu.jpg
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Escape Publishing
Hero: Mackenzie Steel
Heroine: Abigail Priscilla Mulholland
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: August 1, 2013
Started On: June 21, 2013
Finished On: June 27, 2013

Lost in Kakadu is one of the most different romances that I have come across to date. And I mean different in a really good way. I’m a huge fan of romances that comes with the survival in the wilderness theme. I believe that when you really have no option but fight with everything you have to survive, there are no pretenses to be had and you really honestly get to know a person.

Abigail gets on the small plane that is to take herself and husband Spencer along with a handful of other passengers to Kakadu, with a sense of foreboding that she cannot explain; one that her husband ridicules and takes pleasure from. In the end, the feelings of unease that had been coursing through Abigail from the beginning turns into nightmarish reality and the plane crashes with herself and 2 others as survivors.

Abigail is a woman who has led a rich and pampered albeit a confusing and at times a heartbreaking life. She is not the kind of woman who would actually enjoy vacationing in the great outdoors, much less surviving in the wilderness with no hope of rescue coming their way any time soon.

Mackenzie Steel mourns for the loss of his lover, partner and savior who is killed on the trip. The grief that he feels is an undeniable one, but he knows deep inside of his heart that Rodney would want him to survive and to fight to stay alive at all cost. With a woman who surprises and infuriates him in equal turns as company, Mackenzie finds his hands full exploring the lengths to which he is ready to test his comfort zones in order to survive and come out victorious.

As I mentioned earlier, there is no better way to get to know the real person hidden inside than to have to depend on each other for survival. Abigail is the sort of female lead that shows glimpses of a woman who could be so much more but because of the life that she had forced herself to live till now makes it a difficult task to find that woman inside all those protective layers that she had put up to survive.

Discovering the woman that Abigail could become turned out to be one of the best aspects of the story. Neither Abigail nor Mackenzie wakes up the day after the plane crash and turns into soldiers who had been trained to live under the sort of conditions they find themselves under. Rather it is a journey of discovery on what works and what doesn’t, on learning to work together as a team and in the process discover that one can find love of the most beautiful kind even under the most trying and unusual circumstances.

Lost in Kakadu is a portrayal of how much the author Kandall Talbot loves the outdoor and adventures. And I think thats one of the main reasons why the story compelled me to keep turning the pages and let me lose myself in the wondrous journey of self discovery, love and the limits of endurance of the human body that is willing to survive at any cost. I loved the slow awakening of Abigail and Mackenzie’s emotions for one another. A case of depending on each other which had turned into friendship, mutual respect and then a love that defied all odds made for a triumphant read in my opinion.

Charlie and the letters that he had written to his family all throughout his life turned out to be another moving aspect of a story that already had a lot going for it. The epilogue that was tucked in at the end that gave a sense of closure to Charlie and his longing to be reunited with the family he had lost turned out to be an ending that provoked all sorts of mixed emotions from me. But if I were to give it all away here, well, that would mean ruining the journey that is Lost in Kakadu for you.

Lost in Kakadu is a tale of endurance, grief, survival and undying love that comes highly recommended. If you love romances featured in the wilderness and love stories that feels like a journey rather than just a happily ever after, then this one is for you.

Favorite Quotes

His arousal was swift and absolute and he leant toward her upturned face, searching for a sign. He tried to resist the throbbing in his loins but when she didn’t turn away he couldn’t wait a moment longer. As his world blurred into a haze of lust he pressed his lips against hers. She tasted of rain drops. From the very first touch his uncertainty was swept away. Abi parted her lips allowing his tongue to explore the softness of her mouth and the hairs on his neck bristled as her hand clutched his neck pulling him down to her. A groan tumbled from his throat.

He brought her to the brink of no return and then he pulled back, hovering above her on his hands and knees, his breathing ragged. She wanted him … now, and reached up to pull his mouth to hers. Their lips touched with sizzling passion. Their kiss deepened, tongues probing, exploring. She was lost in the moment, savouring the fire deep within her. He eased himself into her and she gasped, digging her nails into his muscular shoulders.
They became one, entangled in an intensity that united them with feverish appetite. Her body came alive, throbbing inside and out as he thrust himself into her.

Purchase Links: Not Available

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by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Cutest Couple by Kate Davies

Format: E-bookcutestcouple.jpg
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Girls Most Likely To… #2
Publisher: Carina Press
Hero: Marc
Heroine: Bree Oliver
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: April 29, 2013
Started On: May 4, 2013
Finished On: May 10, 2013

Hero: Marc, finishes high school and acts out on his duty to his country to and joins the military to do his part for the war on terror.

Heroine: Bree Oliver, becomes a single mom right out of high school.

Storyline: Its the ten year high school reunion of Bree’s and Marc’s class. Marc being based nearby decides to come and find out how Bree had faired only to receive the shock of his lifetime; that he is the father of a little boy who looks just like him.

Time period: Cutest Couple is set in the present time and is told from both Bree and Marc’s points of view.

Likes: I loved Marc, for being the standup guy he is. His inherent good character manages to shine through even though this is a very short novella and focus on him is just a tad less than that compared with Bree. And on the hottie side, I am certain Marc in military garb would be enough to fuel a couple of fantasies for long cold nights.

Dislikes: I am disappointed to say that I didn’t like Bree’s character overly much. I found her to be a bit shallow and selfish and I say this with reason. Though I understood that Bree’s fears of commitment with Marc stemmed from valid reasons owing to her childhood, I still was irked by how little of a chance she gave to the guy she dated and knew inside out during the last couple of years of their high school together. It just seemed unfair to say the least that she never really put in much of an effort to reach out to Marc, at least just to let him know that he is the father of their child.

And I certainly would have loved to know more about Marc and his history which I know is asking for an impossibility in a novel of this length.

Recommended for: Fans of the series, fans of reunion romances and fans of author Kate Davies.

Final Verdict: A good 2nd installment for the Most Likely to series.

Favorite Quotes

He tugged her closer, wrapping his free arm around her back, and teased her mouth open with his tongue. She didn’t respond, not at first, but right as he was about to pull away, she whimpered softly and kissed him back.
It had been ten years since he’d tasted her, ten years during which he should have forgotten her mouth, her tongue, her white teeth nipping at his lip. It was an intoxicating mix of the familiar and the new, and he delved in again, wanting more, wanting it all.

Turning her, he backed her blindly into the locker bank. Urging her leg up, he wrapped it around his waist, rocking into her in a steady rhythm that built and built. Her head dropped back, banging against the metal locker with a hollow thunk.
He ripped his mouth away from hers, sliding his lips down her cheek to her jawline, feathering over the column of her neck, until he reached the sensitive spot where her pulse raced right under her skin. He mouthed over it, grimly satisfied with her gasping cry. Then he latched on and sucked.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Tempt Me Not by Susan Napier

Format: E-booktemptmenot
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Lucas Grey
Heroine: Victoria Bailey
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: February, 1993
Started On: May 8, 2013
Finished On: May 10, 2013

My respect for Susan Napier and her ability to continually surprise me with how different and engaging her stories are continues to grow with each book I read from her. Tempt Me Not is a novel that did all of that and more and as a reader who adores romances that really reaches out to me and grabs my emotions at full throttle, I definitely couldn’t have asked for more.

Meet Victoria Bailey, a woman that most people have tended to overlook all throughout her life. The surprises that Victoria as a character continues to give to the developing story was one reason that Tempt Me Not was so hard to put down. Victoria is a woman who exerts a huge amount of control on her emotions, wants and needs. But that control seems to chip away when she meets Lucas Grey, the temptation that he offers being something even that she cannot ignore.

Lucas turns out to be one of those ever patient heroes that makes you fall in love with them because that’s the sort of understanding required by a hero for a heroine such as Victoria who is quite ‘skittish’ by nature. All the while it drives Lucas absolutely mad to make a little bit of progress with Victoria only to find that the next day she is back with more armour in place to protect herself from him.

Victoria finds herself at an impossible impasse when what has been holding her back all throughout the years ceases to be no more and the guilt that has always been a part of her conscious ever since Lucas invaded her life leaves giving free rein to the sensuous and wanton side of her nature that comes undeniably alive for Lucas.

Though sometimes it feels like Victoria gives Lucas a hard time just to play coy with his obvious interest in her, there is a valid and solid reason behind Victoria’s reluctance to do something that she would never be able to forgive herself for putting both herself and Lucas through.

In the end, all the twists and turns seemed to give me a gut wrenching satisfying read, my emotions going haywire with all the conflict that seemed to evoke all sorts of jumbled up emotions inside of me. Highly recommended for those who love romances that gives you something different to enjoy.

Favorite Quotes

She shifted in his arms, but only so that she could lift her own hands to his shoulders, reaching out for the forbidden fruit that she had glimpsed that afternoon with an abandoned eagerness that would have shocked her if she had been capable of conscious thought. The kiss deepened abruptly to a kind of consummation, a woman accepting the savage thrust of a man inside her body. The gentle eroticism with which Lucas had begun the assault was swiftly overtaken by a primitive need to stake his claim, to stamp her with the image of his sexuality.

Purchase Links: Amazon

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Desire in the Sun by Karen Robards

Format: Paperbackdesireinthesun
Read with: NA
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Harper Collins
Hero: Jocelyn San Pietro
Heroine: Delilah Remy
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: December 26, 2006
Started On: April 15, 2012
Finished On: May 5, 2013

Desire in the Sun by Karen Robards is a book that has been sitting in my TBR pile since I bought a paperback copy of it when I was in Malaysia in 2009. I have been putting off reading this for one reason or the other and almost one year after I started reading, I actually managed to finish the story and loved it too!

Delilah Remy (Lilah) is the much pampered and only child of her very rich father who has ensured that she led a very privileged life growing up. Though Lilah dreams of being swept off her feet by some mysterious man who would turn up and make her heart beat faster and make her go all dewy eyed in remembrance, Lilah is of the mind that such things do not happen in real life. That is until Jocelyn San Pietro (Joss) happens into her life who shows her a glimpse of how wonderful it could be and everything goes so horribly awry afterwards.

One minute Joss is his own boss, the commander of his own life who has a feeling that meeting Lilah has changed his life in an inexplicable way and that life would never be the same for him ever again. The next, he faces ultimate betrayal and finds himself taken as a slave, his fierce pride and the anger that flares to life at the injustice nothing short of violent in its desire to be unleashed on those who caused the misfortune to befall on him.

Though it seems unlikely that Lilah and Joss would ever find a way to make things work for them, fate seems to have a different plan in store as they find themselves thrown together time and yet again. When stranded on an island with no one else to act as a buffer to the smouldering passion that is almost always a tangible part of the connection they have with each other, its inevitable that the dam burst open and the passion held on a tight leash find free rein in its abandoned glory.

The trials and tribulations that Joss and Lilah go through in their journey to finally be able to love each other freely and on their own terms was an amazing journey, every minute of which I loved. I loved both Lilah and Joss. I found Joss to be a refreshingly different hero from Jonathan, the hero from Island Flame and Sea Fire who turned out to be the material out of which ass-hole heroes are made of. Joss has this sweetness about him even though he is all alpha when it matters. Lilah seems to be the perfect fit for him and even though there were some gruesome bits to the story, there were those moments of hilarity that occurs between Joss and Lilah that gives the reader no choice but to laugh out loud.

All in all a very enjoyable historical romance by one of my favourite authors in the romance genre, recommended for fans of the genre and fans of Karen Robards.

Favorite Quotes

Lilah gasped as she felt the fiery heat probing against her. Then he was inside the first little bit and his hands on her hips were tugging her down, down until he filled her and she was squirming against the hugeness of him.”Love me,” he muttered again, the words thick. His eyes were glazed, his face flushed with passion.

Lilah cried out as his hands closed over them.
As if that small sound had snapped something inside of him, he groaned and pulled her down to him so that he could take her breasts in his mouth. He suckled with savage hunger, his hands hard and hot on the silken roundness of her bottom as he held her still above him and ground himself upwards into her.

She clasped her arms around his back and lifted her hips to meet him as he thrust wildly inside her.
At last, when he had brought her trembling to the brink and then pushed her over, she got what she wanted. As he convulsed inside her and groaned the words in her ear: “I love you, I love you, I love you.”
Over and over, like a litany.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

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