Category / Tortured Hero

by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Mine to Take by Cynthia Eden

Format: E-bookminetotake
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Trace Weston
Heroine: Skye Sullivan
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: June 17, 2013
Started On: June 29, 2013
Finished On: June 30, 2013

Hero: Meet Trace Weston, a man that oozes danger and sex appeal in lethal doses. When he walks into a room, everyone knows. Men are wary of that barely concealed wildness inside of him that has never been fully tamed. When he is on the hunt for the woman who has always been able to mess with his head and make him go uber possessive; then be on the look out. Because Trace is a man who will go down fighting for the woman he loves, the woman who had made all other women pale in comparison since he turned 17 and their worlds had collided that one fateful night.

Heroine: Skye Sullivan, the renowned prima ballerina who harbors a deep and undeniable longing for the man who taught her how destructive a force love and lust can be and left her broken in pieces. Skye has done her darnedest to forget and move on; but then some men are never forgotten are they?

Storyline: Skye is being watched and stalked and she fears that the next time HE finds her, she would never make it out alive. When everyone else refuses to listen to her fears and labels her as merely conjuring stuff out of thin air, Skye turns to the one man she thought she would never ask help from. The minute Skye walks into the plush offices of Weston Securities and sets eyes on an older and a more lethally appealing version of the man who broke her heart, all the feelings that had barely been kept under a leash pulsates back to life back in full force.

There is no turning away from the hunger nor the desire to possess and be possessed. And with the danger relentlessly closing in on her in all directions, Skye has to ask herself the question whether she has entrusted her life to the right man; a man who can still make her or break her if she lets him.

Time Period: Mine to Take has a contemporary setting and takes place in Chicago and New York and is told from both Trace and Skye’s points of view.

Likes: There are some authors who can induce instant lust with their male lead characters and Cynthia Eden is one of them. Trace Weston makes you sit up and take notice the second he enters the equation and there is no going back – ever. He is the uber-alpha type of hero that you envision would one day walk into your life and take you to heaven and beyond. He is the kind of hero that women would throw themselves at because of that intense vibe he exudes, because a woman just knows when a man who can turn her head around walks in.

The way Trace takes care of Skye and is besotted with her is one worth reveling in. I loved the little bits of the shared history between Trace and Skye tucked into the story that made the intense connection that is between them seem that much more real. With the kind of heat that singes and you can’t get enough of, Cynthia Eden has penned another winner with Mine to Take.

This is by no means a light and fluffy read and nor a predictable one. Figuring out who the stalker is takes some doing. There are elements of abuse and a bit of a dark edge to Trace and the whole story that unfolds. I loved the heat, the darkness and the love that is so raw and elemental that is between Trace and Skye. Perhaps a love like their might never materialize in real life but its always a wondrous thing to read about.

I loved the fact that this story captivated me enough to keep burning the midnight oil even when I had work the next day. You can measure a book’s worthiness by how much you are willing to forgo sleep when you know you will regret it the next day.

Dislikes: None.

Recommended for: Those who love dark heroes, hotter than sin sex and fast paced suspense. This is one book that you will not be able to put down.

Final Verdict: Dark & edgy with a passion that sears and a love that defies everything; Mine to Take is a must-read!

Favorite Quotes

His name was a husky murmur from her. Denial and need all tied together.
Her lips were too close. She smelled too good. Sweet vanilla. Good enough to damn well eat.
He took her mouth. Not gently. Not softly. Because he’d never been that kind of guy. Trace knew he wasn’t the tender lover type.
He’d fought for every single thing that he had. He’d keep fighting.

Her bra was tossed across the room.
The cool air hit her nipples, making them go even tighter.
Then his mouth was on her. His mouth wasn’t cool. It was hot. Seeming to singe her and the rasp of his tongue against her nipples felt so good.
She was wet.  She could feel the wetness on her panties, and Skye wanted them gone. She wanted Trace thrusting into her—
“I’ll let your hands go, but don’t move them. I get to touch. I get to taste.”  His hands eased away from hers. “I get to take.”

Release was near, so near—
“Tell me, Skye,” he demanded. A dark note had entered his voice. One that should have made her hesitate. Possessive… fierce… “Only me.”
She hovered on the brink of release.  “Trace, I need more—“
“I’ll give you every fucking thing.”
A zipper hissed down.  He lowered his body against hers.
He thrust into her.
Not easy. Not tentative.
He drove deep, filling her completely, and she stopped being on the brink.

He was hot and hard and strong in her hand.  Moisture gleamed on the head of his arousal, and she knew that just a few more—
“Not that way,” he snarled, the words dark and hard. “In you.”
Her panties ripped.  He lifted her hips.  Her skirt swirled around them. He lifted her—and thrust deep.

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

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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

Requested Review: Officer Off Limits by Tessa Bailey

Format: E-bookofficerofflimits
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Line of Duty, #3
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Hero: Daniel Chase
Heroine: Story Brooks
Sensuality: 4.5
Date of Publication: June 10, 2013
Started On: June 16, 2013
Finished On: June 21, 2013

The Brazen line of romances by Entangled Publishing has quickly become a favorite of mine. The sizzling heat packed into these novels are unbeatable. For someone who loves a lot of heat of the tangible variety in her romances, the books that I have picked up to read from the Brazen line so far have proved that the titles do live up to their name and their super smexy, mouth watering cover images.

Officer-Off Limits is a book in the ‘Line of Duty’ series by Tessa Bailey. Mind you, though this is a series, this book reads perfectly as a standalone and not having read the other books in the series I do not have any idea on whether they are loosely or remotely tied to each other. But the one thing I do know is that if hotter than sin cops in the line of duty are your thing, then you’ve definitely come to the right place.

Story Brooks gets dumped by her fiance just a couple of weeks before they are supposed to tie the knot. A kindergarten teacher who has led a pretty much by the book life till now, Story takes the news that her father has been admitted in a hospital in New York as a godsend in the aspect that it provides her with a much needed excuse to get away and think things through and get her life and perspectives in order.

The one thing she doesn’t count on nor expects is to run into her father’s protege and partner Daniel Chase who turns her world upside down and throws her off-kilter on so many levels that Story doesn’t even know what hits her. Daniel is a skirt chaser if ever there was one and though Story knows she should stay away from all the temptation that he offers, her body has other ideas whenever Daniel is in the vicinity. The wealth of dark emotions that Daniel hides behind his facade of being a womanizer is one that tugs at the heartstrings. And when Daniel encounters the beautiful Story with that sad tinge about her, Daniel goes crazy with the need to possess her and mark her as his.

But what is Daniel to do when his mentor warns him away from his daughter and tells him to keep his grabby paws to himself when all Daniel in fact wants to do is get down and dirty with Story in every single manner possible? And what is Daniel supposed to do when all the emotions that blindsides him makes him crave Story on a level that is completely alien to him that he is completely muddled up with possessive streak that completely takes him by surprise.

The attraction between Story and Daniel is instantaneous, believable and oh-so-scorching hot that I found myself panting almost throughout every combustible scene in the book. There was not even one inch of Daniel that I didn’t love; I completely took him on board as my book boyfriend and wanted to chant his name to sleep. Yep, that’s how obsessed I was with his character and simply put, I just could not get enough of him. I love my heroes with a bit of a dark edge to them, a tinge of possessiveness and jealousy inside of them that makes certain scenes that arise from the predicament they find themselves in that much more delicious to read about. And Tessa Bailey provided me with just that!

Tessa Bailey is a completely new to me author. But her writing style is one that I felt completely at home with, the ease with which she drew me into the story one that is hard to find these days. There are so many books out there that I want to read but have such little time for; or maybe I have just grown a bit jaded with the usual story lines that seem to fill up the bookshelves. So to find a book amongst all of it which drew me in so effortlessly is one that is commendable at the highest level. One thing is for certain, Tessa Bailey has definitely earned herself a place in my auto-buy list.

The one thing that disappointed me was the lack of an epilogue which would have made the story complete in every sense. One thing I would like to mention is how much I loved Story and her best friend Hayden’s banter. Reminded me of the conversations that I have with my younger sister; outrageous, hilarious and of the laugh yourself to pain in your tummy muscles variety. I would love to read Hayden’s story, to find that man who would shake her world so thoroughly that she wouldn’t know how to be so prim, proper and obedient all the time. Oh well, I trust Tessa Bailey can do the magic and deliver one helluva of a read when the time comes.

If you love a dirty talking hero (and oh my lord, does he talk dirty) with enough action to back that all up, grab yourself a copy and indulge. Be warned, keep a glass of ice cubes, yes CUBES, at your side because trust me, the heat from the novel is of the searing and scorching kind and you wouldn’t ever feel the same afterwards.

Highly recommended.

Favorite Quotes

Story might as well have never been kissed before. All at once, she felt reckless. Wild. Free. Digging desperate hands into his hair, she pulled him closer, begging him to deepen the kiss further. Daniel obliged, sinking his tongue into her mouth with a growl.
As they parted for breath, his voice grated against her lips. “If you keep working that hot little tongue against mine, I’ll have no choice but to fuck you.”

“Say please, baby.”
“Please,” she moaned.
Then he tugged on the thong and her mind went blank, oblivious to everything but the pleasure coursing through her. She shook against him as her orgasm battered its way through her system, prolonged by the calculated tugging of material between her legs. His mouth latched onto hers, absorbing her cries, groaning at her wild response.

He bit her ear hard, pulling it with his teeth. It should have hurt, but instead it felt like an attack on every erogenous zone in her body. Her knees buckled underneath her, but his weight kept her upright.
Daniel laughed darkly, palming her roughly once before removing his hand from between her legs and yanking her dress back down. “Who am I kidding? When I finally get inside you, I’m going to fuck you until your voice is hoarse from screaming my name.”

Then he spoke directly against her ear. “Are you ready to scream, gorgeous?”
With a single thrust of his hips, he buried himself deep inside her. She screamed his name, her hoarse cry mingling with Daniel’s shouted expletive. He didn’t stop to savor the moment, however, his hips angling upward and pounding into her in a demanding rhythm, sliding against her exactly where she needed it.

Outside their car, three doors slammed, an engine started, and the van pulled away.
Story screamed his name as the orgasm rippled through her, light exploding behind her eyes. Half of what she said was drowned out by Daniel’s own hoarse cries of release as he plunged into her one final time and let himself go.

Daniel wore all black, from his dress shirt down to his buffed shoes. Somehow he managed to look fresh from the shower and a little dirty at the same time, a day’s worth of scruff covering his jaw. When he started toward her at the bar, he moved with such sensual purpose that Story saw a woman begin fanning herself at the bar. He looked hungry. He looked determined. And he was there for her.

Biting her lip to keep from screaming again, she used what limited movement she had to meet his advances with her hips.
“Daniel. Daniel, please.” She fought the delicious tingling as it built once more, even as she reached for it in desperation. With a throaty cry, she turned and sank her teeth into his bicep.
“Fuck yeah. Bite me, gorgeous. Mark up my whole body. I want everyone to know who I belong to. Who I get hard for. Just you, Story. Just you.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Honeymoon Baby by Susan Napier

Format: E-bookhoneymoonbaby
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Do Not Disturb, #2
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Raphael Jordan
Heroine: Jennifer
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: October 1998
Started On: May 7, 2013
Finished On: May 8, 2013

For the lack of something to do to distract my mind on the long plane ride I found myself on, I started reading Honeymoon Baby by Susan Napier knowing that she would deliver a read worth delving into as the two previous books that I have read from her had proved to be stellar reads. True to my conviction, I found myself totally enamoured by the story that unfolded and for the first time in a long while, I found myself being seduced by a hero to such an extent that I found myself daydreaming about him!

Jennifer Jordan (Jenny) seems to be your average proverbial spinster who in your mind you label as someone who would end up old and whither away in the small town of New Zealand where she lives until the too sexy for words Raphael Jordan (Rafe) comes bulldozing his way into her life, wanting to claim the baby that Jenny is carrying, all righteous indignation and smouldering fury evident in every line of his body.

Jenny finds herself in a trap of her own making when Rafe is determined to stay and confirm for himself that Jenny is woman enough to take care of his son or daughter in a fashion that he would be satisfied with. The awareness that had always zinged to life when Jenny and Rafe had crossed paths in the past seems to blaze out of control as both of them discover the depth and reasons behind the frisson of awareness that had always existed between them.

Susan Napier is an author who writes and brings sensuality of the scorching hot kind so effortlessly into her stories. Its the way she creates her heroes and the heroines who are strong enough to love them that makes her books topnotch in that aspect. Rafe is such a delicious hero in every single way that I could wax lyrical poetry about him all day long. I wouldn’t mind it at all if he were to turn up on my doorstep and lure me onto the path of inevitable destruction itself; yep, he is that good.

Its not just Rafe’s good looks alone that appealed to me at a baser level. It is his character that came to life as Susan delved deeper into a story that rocked my world in every sense possible. Jenny might seem like a ‘nobody’ when you first encounter her in the story. But Susan has a few surprises in store for the reader regarding her ‘mousy’ heroine who is anything but that, who rocks Rafe’s world in a way that leaves them both reeling from the aftershocks of every explosion in the wake of their desire for each other. Rafe and Jenny are exactly two halves of one soul, each complementing the other on a scale that made me feel envious.

Its a testament to an author’s ability in writing a romance when the hero and heroine appear perfect for each other and even then makes a small part of you wish and dream for a man like Rafe to come sweep you off your feet; even to an ’embittered’ and ‘jaded’ soul like mine. Honeymoon Baby was just what I needed to kickstart the journey and I’m certainly going to go through Susan’s backlist to find what other delectable heroes that I have missed out on.

If you want to read a Harlequin romance with plenty of heat and a story that doesn’t offer you every single cliche you’ve heard of and manages to grab a laugh or two out of you while you are at it, find yourself a copy of Honeymoon Baby. I promise you, Rafe is a force to be reckoned with.

Favorite Quotes

She tipped up her face to protest and, shockingly, her mouth met his. His lips were firm and resilient, his tongue limber as it slipped moistly past the guard of her teeth and stroked her silky interior. Shock turned to violent craving and she moaned, her mouth opening to receive him. His head tilted, his mouth slanting to deepen the kiss, deepen the penetration of his tongue into her willing depths. He broke off and bit at her lips, licking and sucking at the juicy pink flesh, his hands twisting in the loops of her belt, dragging her closer into the hot, wet embrace of mouths.

She found she was trembling as he looked down over her shoulder at what he had uncovered. She heard him suck in his breath at the sight of her firm creamy breasts straining against the watery silk, their faint tracery of blue veins guiding the way down to her barely concealed nipples.
‘Sexy, he growled, fingering the pure silk hem where it lay against her hip “, but otherwise touching her with only his eyes as he lifted the robe from her shoulders and let it fall in a hush to the floor, leaving her exposed to his reflected view.

She glanced at Rafe, to find him locked in his own world, his head tipped back and his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling as if he’d been running, his arms hanging tense at his sides, the curled fingers of one hand glistening with a faint slick of moisture that it made her blush to see it. He looked as if he was praying to some pagan god, and out in the darkness a molten fire burst accompanied by another crackle of silver brilliance seemed to be his answer.

But no sooner had the pleasure begun to slam into her than he was rising to his feet again, pulling her hips further forward onto the very edge of the desk, ripping open her blouse to expose her transparent bra and tipping her flat on her back as he hooked his arms under her bent knees and mounted her in a single thrust.

We can’t…’ she moaned as he tugged at the back of her jeans and her bare bottom scraped against the matted fibres of bark. She arched against him, and with a grunt of satisfaction Rafe wrenched open the fly of his jeans and guided his thick shaft into the narrow gap between her constricted thighs, pushing himself up inside her until he felt her shudder and accept his full length in a slippery rush.
‘God, I needed this…I can’t ever get enough of you,’ he gritted […]

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

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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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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Traitor by Julia Sykes

Format: E-booktraitor
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Impossible #2
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Sean Reynolds
Heroine: Claudia Ellers
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: April 12, 2013
Started On: April 22, 2013
Finished On: April 23, 2013

Hero: Sean Reynolds, the man who sends my pulse skyrocketing every single time he enters the picture. To reveal his character here would be spoiling the story for those who would love to get their hands on this delicious trilogy.

Heroine: Dr. Claudia Ellers, pediatrician who is kidnapped at gunpoint in the first book which sets the ball rolling; changing the woman she is and the things she had believed in, once and for all.

Storyline: Traitor is book 2 in this delectable series by Julia Sykes. Book 2 continues where book 1 ended on a cliffhanger. Claudia decides to go undercover, all the while telling herself that it is for the good of the man she has come to care so deeply about in such a surprisingly short span of time.

Time Period: Traitor has a contemporary setting and is told in first person in Claudia’s point of view.

Likes: I am not a patient person. Everyone who knows me well knows this. And I am someone who cannot stand it when I have to wait for such a long time to read a book, especially from an author who is dear to me. And yes, even with the one book that I have read by Julia, I have turned into a fan and would be on the lookout for more of her books. Back to the point, Traitor being out already proved to be a blessing for me when I finished Monster. Where seldom most books hold little interest for me these days, Julia Sykes changed that and it has been a while since I have anticipated a book so much I am even willing to read it while waiting for the bus. That tells a story in itself.

Sean proved to be as delicious as he was in the first book, maybe even more so because as Sean’s character slowly comes to light through Claudia’s eyes, it invoked a lot of mixed reactions deep within me; all of them which were good I should point out. There is that dark edge to him no doubt and I would love nothing more than to finally read about the man who Sean is and the things he had gone through in his life. He is a mix of tenderness, ruthlessness and darkness; all very contrasting characteristics for a single person to hold. But he blends them well and that dominating nature of his is enough to turn even a BDSM skeptic like me into a believer. Oh well, lets not get carried away and say that Julia Sykes does a brilliant job out of it and managed to invoke a lot of seat squirming moments for me! The thing I loved most about the BDSM aspect was that even though Sean may think he is in the driving seat and he is pretty ruthless in his attempt to drive home that point;but its apparent that Claudia holds just the same amount of power or rather should I say even a stronger hold on the man who is Sean? Well, the 3rd and final book will tell I am hoping.

Traitor did threw me to a loop by delving into the relationship that fosters between Claudia and Agent Clayton Vaughn. One second I start believing that Sean is not the one for her and that she would be better off with a man like Clayton who is totally alpha in his own way with a tenderness that beckons Claudia to divulge all her deepest innermost secrets. He provides her with a source to dump all her worries, to cleanse her mind of all the worries and that dark pain that she keeps ruthlessly stamped down. And in the next minute, I start second guessing his intentions and motives for being who he is. Nevertheless to say, it speaks of the impressive talent an author has when she can make a reader go through all that and that too just by projecting only a single character’s point of view in the story.

I should mention that I loved the fact that Claudia is woman enough not to want Sean to treat her as fragile piece of glass that requires delicate handling. I love it that Claudia can see through to Sean, and that she believes in him and wants the best for him though she may not be traversing down the path that everyone might believe to be the most fitting. Nevertheless, I know Claudia’s heart is in the right place and the inner war she wages with her conscience day in and out tells the story far better than I ever could.

Dislikes: None.

Recommended for: Fans of Julia Sykes. Fans of BDSM-themed romances and for fans of ruthless, dark & edgy heroes and the heroines who are women enough to handle them as they are.

Final Verdict: The Impossible trilogy just gets better. Volatile, intense and gritty; I loved it.

Favorite Quotes

His hands were suddenly gripping my waist, jerking me up with him so that we were standing. I twined my arms around the back of his neck, holding him to me so that he couldn’t break the kiss. His hands were fumbling at the buttons of my blouse, trying to expose me for for him. But he wasn’t satisfied with his progress. His low growl rumbled through me as his hands fisted in my shirt. With a jerk of his powerful arms, he ripped it open, the buttons flying free, making small popping noises as they bounced against the hardwood floor.

I could feel him hardening impossibly further, his need for release mounting even as I was pushed towards the precipice. As I felt him jerk inside of me, his fingers found my clit, pinching hard. At the same time, his grip on my throat eased, and blood rushed to my head. The high was incredible. I was shoved over the edge, falling into a bliss-filled haze. Sean was the only real thing in the world as I flew out into the abyss, pleasure consuming me. I didn’t recognize the strangled cry that echoed around the room as my own.

He was pulling almost all the way out of me now, taking me harder and faster. My hips began to move against him, meeting his thrusts.
“You’re mind now, Claudia,” he growled as he drove into me harshly. “Mine!”
“Yes!” I wanted to say, but it came out as an unintelligible groan. Even if I hadn’t been gagged, I wouldn’t have been able to speak; I seemed to have lost control of my tongue. The only movement I could manage was rocking my body back against him, and even that was pure instinct rather than an action I controlled.

Purchase Links: Amazon

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Monster by Julia Sykes

Format: E-bookGolden Portrait
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Impossible #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Sean Reynolds
Heroine: Claudia Ellers
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: March 29, 2013
Started On: April 20, 2013
Finished On: April 22, 2013

Hero: Sean Reynolds; an enigma that if I describe would spoil the book for those who would love to get their hands on this one.

Heroine: Dr. Claudia Ellers, a pediatrician whose life goal has been to take care of kids, who puts up emotional walls so high to keep herself disconnected from the rest of the world as a way to keep herself from getting hurt.

Storyline: Claudia finds herself kidnapped at gunpoint and escorted to the premises where Sean Reynolds is in need of treatment from a gunshot wound. Secrecy surrounds the man known as Sean, a man who tempts Claudia beyond reason even under the most bizarre circumstances that life has dealt her with yet.

Time period: Book 1 in the Impossible series has a contemporary setting and is told in first person from Claudia’s point of view.

Likes: It was quite by chance that I came across this novel for free on Amazon for the day and the blurb convinced me to add it to my pile of reads. I am someone who always loves it when an author delivers something different, a hero that is not putty in the heroine’s hands from chapter one of the story. Perhaps its because my love for romances began with stories that tended to have heroes who can be assholes to quite a degree, but when they fall, it makes me more appreciative of the men they are. And Monster seemed like a good story to focus my attention on when authors hardly deliver those kinds of heroes anymore; not surprising when feminists can give reviews that can practically break a book in half and perhaps end the writing career of an author just as she begins to get started.

Hence to my amazement, I found Sean to be a hero having that perfect balance of charm and a wealth of secrets in his eyes and the kind of arrogance that lets you know that he has truly earned the right to be arrogant where women are concerned; if you know what I mean. And then there is that dark and edgy vibe to him that made me practically squirm in my seat right along with Claudia herself who is helplessly ensnared in the depth of hidden pain that lurks in the shadows of those beautiful green eyes of his.

Being just the debut novel of this series entitled “Impossible”, the book ends on a cliffhanger and provides those tidbits that makes it hard to not buy the second book in the series which I did so immediately after I finished Monster last night.

There is a certain degree of darkness in the book, a little bit of BDSM which lends this book the right mix of scorching heat which just made Sean more appealing in my eyes. And then there is Claudia. She is dedicated, loyal and has been hurt so badly in the past that she locks the warm, giving and sensual woman she is deep inside and seldom lets that part of herself come out. But when Sean comes into the picture, regardless of all the advice that she gives herself, she finds that she is unable to say no to the answering fire that blazes to life in Sean’s eyes as they are both caught in the web of desire that refuses to let go!

I loved every bit of their reluctant yet scorching hot attraction towards each other which just blazed across the pages and made the read that much more unforgettable.

Dislikes: It is always a facet that irks me when authors choose to write in first person and tell the story from just character’s point of view because I feel that I miss out on the other character’s feelings and reactions. But somehow Julia Sykes makes this series work, if the 1st book is anything to judge it by. I’m just going to hold my tongue for now and see where Julia leads me as the 3rd & final book in the series is to come out early next month!

Recommended for: If you love a romance with a sexy alpha hero with a bit of a dark edge, Monster is the place to start. If light BDSM doesn’t turn you off, I recommend that you try. I certainly couldn’t get enough!

Final Verdict: Intense & thought provoking, Monster is definitely an appetite whetter!

Favorite Quotes

For a moment, his mouth was still against mine. My only warning was a low, rumbling growl. His hand left my face to tangle itself in my long hair, fisting at the nape of my neck. He pulled sharply, and I drew in a shocked breath at the slight pain as my head dropped back in response. Only when my lips were offered up to him in the way that he wanted did he finally take my mouth.

I let out a small whimper at the overwhelming intensity of his dominant gaze, but it turned into a shocked, delighted cry as he abruptly drove into me in one long, swift thrust. My arms jerked against his grip as I writhed beneath him, trying to adjust to the sudden large intrusion that stretched me so ruthlessly after years of emptiness. But he held me fast, his steely grip and his hard cock pinning me in place. He stayed utterly still for a moment, his face contorted with the effort of holding himself back.

He stared down at me forbiddingly, the ferocity of his expression instantly stilling my efforts. “What did I just tell you?” He asked harshly. “Who controls this fuck, Claudia?”
I quelled under him, my body trembling as I felt myself submit to him completely, ceding to his will. “You do,” I whispered.
[…] “Your pussy is mine now, Claudia,” he said roughly, driving home his possessive words with another harsh thrust. “Isn’t it?” Another demanding thrust. “Tell me,” he growled.
“Yes,” I said breathlessly, almost delirious from the pleasure he was giving me. “I’m yours, Sean.”

Purchase Links: Amazon

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Jackson Rule by Dinah McCall

Format: E-bookjacksonrule
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Harper Collins
Hero: Andrew Jackson Rule
Heroine: Rebecca Ruth Hill
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: October 13, 2009
Started On: April 1, 2013
Finished On: April 6, 2013

I’ve been meaning to read Jackson Rule by Dinah McCall for quite a while now; perhaps its being more than a year or so since it landed in my ever growing pile of books that I want to read and never find the time for. Finally, the urge to read a book that would captivate me, and also the fact that something kept nagging me to pick this up for my next read had me finally brushing away the e-dust and turning one page after the other until I was fully immersed in a book that contains a mix of some of my favorite tropes all in one.

Jackson Rule walks out of prison 15 years since he was convicted and sentenced for a crime deemed unforgivable by society at large. Now 31 years old and looking for a way to find a place for himself in the society, it is by a quirky sequence of events that Jackson finds himself at the doorstep of the shop owned by none other than Rebecca Ruth Hill in his attempt to find a job.

Rebecca hires Jackson against her better judgement and amidst the misgivings of her closest friend as well as her preacher father. But Rebecca who is willing to give Jackson the chance that no one is willing to offer somehow reaches into the tightly ensconced heart of Jackson, a heart that Jackson didn’t even know was up for grabs.

As the days go by, Rebecca finds in Jackson more and more reasons for her to abandon all caution aside and finally surrender to the wild desire that courses through her and is mirrored in Jackson’s eyes. But the past would have to be laid to rest if Jackson ever were to find happiness of the kind that he is more than deserving.

I loved Jackson Rule though there were bits that felt too drawn out at certain intervals. But overall I would say the story that unfolds is one that captivates and touches the heart at its very core. Jackson’s character reaches out to you, not because he is wickedly handsome, rides a Harley and has a body that would make a woman self-combust from all the heat that he generates just by walking into a room. Though that bit certainly helps things along, its got more to do with the fact that Jackson is a man who believes himself unworthy of a woman like Rebecca because of a childhood that had been more nightmarish than anything else.

If I were to talk about the reasons why Jackson is a character that invaded my heart right from the start, I’d most probably end up giving away spoilers which would ruin the story for someone who would love to read the book. All in all let me just say that both Rebecca and Jackson makes for two beautiful characters, who finds each other against all odds and finds in the other a love worth fighting every single obstacle that stands in their way from attaining ultimate happiness.

Recommended.

Favorite Quotes

As she took a step closer, her breasts brushed against his chest in a taunt he could not ignore.
“Be careful, lady.” His voice was harsh as his hands raked through her wet, tangled hair, bringing her face closer to his own.
“Of what?” She slid her arms around his waist, moving her body into perfect alignment with his.
Instinctively he braced himself and pulled her close, rocking gently against her in an age-old rhythm.
“Of this.” He cupped her hips with his hands and lifted her off of her feet. “Of that.” His groin had swelled in one huge ache and was pressing into her flesh. “Of me.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Lady Reluctant by Maggie Osborne

Format: Paperbackladyreluctant
Read with: NA
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: St Martins Press
Hero: Thomas Edward Montmorency
Heroine: Blusette Morgan
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: November 15, 1990
Started On: March 6, 2013
Finished On: March 9, 2013

18 year old Blusette Morgan is the one and only daughter of the notorious pirate Beau Billy. Having grown up in a pirate’s cove, the only life Blu has known is that of a world where the fittest of all survive. Well versed in the art of self defense, there is not a bit of ladylike mannerism instilled in Blu, something that her father regrets enough to come to the decision that Blu would be sent off to her mother in England so that she could become a lady in the truest sense and perhaps find the sort of life that he would never be able to provide for her on Morgan’s Mound.

When Blu sets her sights on the 29 year old Thomas who comes to Morgan’s Mound, the one and only thought that crosses her mind is that he would be the one upon whom she would bestow upon the honor of divesting her of her state of virginity. And when things go hardly according to the plan she sets and Blu finds herself on Thomas’ ship on the journey that would take her towards the woman who had abandoned her and never looked back, Blu more than butts heads with Thomas, whose appeal though never seems to fade away even when Blu would love nothing better than to turn her back on him and of course prove him wrong on all aspects.

It would seem that when Blu reaches her final destination that Thomas would become nothing but a mere memory of a man who had appealed to her on levels she would never admit. But fate has other plans when their lives cross each others and a love most forbidden blooms between the two of them, a love that seems most impossible against the insurmountable odds that stands in their way. Through a lot of moments of the laugh out loud variety – and I am not kidding on that aspect, and a lot of heart wrenching moments of agonized longing, Maggie Osborne once again proves that she is unbeatable in providing readers with stories that never gets old, especially in a genre where no stone is left unturned by the various authors who try their hand in creating stories that their readers would never forget.

The one aspect of Osborne novels that never changes is that she is always brutally honest in depicting the lives people would lead during the times which she bases her stories on. For instance, if it were any other author, I am almost 100% certain that even though Blu had grown up in a pirate’s cove, she would end up being the one innocent flower amongst all the thorns, refreshing in her ladylike manner for which Thomas would have certainly fallen in lust and love with once he sets sights on her. But Osborne doesn’t make it that easy on either Blu or Thomas. Rather she depicts Blu as a woman who grows up under the circumstances would end up being, femininity a totally foreign concept, something she abhors with everything she is.

When you pick up a Maggie Osborne novel, you always know that you would get your money’s worth as she fashions stories that are made to entertain in the truest sense. The only thing I wished was a bit more of Thomas and Blu, something I craved for especially during the last couple of chapters of the story. Final verdict? I cannot recommend Lady Reluctant highly enough.

Favorite Quotes

Brooding, she turned her dark eyes toward a cluster of sails, picking over the bones of a Spanish wreck just north of the reef. There were days when she was depressingly convinced she would go to her grave a virgin. Her stone would read: “Here lies a woman no one wanted.”
“And to think I wanted that rat dropping to be my first! How right were you, Monsieur! I was spared a disgrace of the first water.” Raging, she paced and turned, paced and turned, her sword banging against the cot, the trunk, and Monsieur’s dodging knees.
“I advise we shift this turn of events to advantage.” Monsieur lowered his head and examined her over the rim of his splintered goggles. “I suggest we employ the next weeks to our profit.”
“We bring the crew over to our side and seize the ship?” Blu inquired hopefully. “We instigate a mutiny?”

Then, as her knees were about to collapse, his arms were suddenly around her, his body tight and hard against her own.
Because she could not have done otherwise, because she had dreamed of and longed for this moment, she lifted her mouth and gave him her lips. A shock of lightning jolted through her flesh as his mouth claimed hers. Fire erupted in the pit of her belly and flamed through her limbs, scorching flesh and bone and igniting her mind. She wanted him. His tongue penetrated her secrets and she wanted him as a starving man wants food and drink.

Purchase Links: Abe Books

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Seduction of Samantha Kincade by Maggie Osborne

Format: Paperbacktheseductionofsamanthakincade.jpg
Read with: NA
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Dangerous Men, #1
Publisher: Warner Books
Hero: Trace Harden
Heroine: Samantha Kincade
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: September 1, 1995
Started On: December 10, 2012
Finished On: March 6, 2013

It might have been ages since I have read a Maggie Osborne but I certainly have not forgotten the magic that she can weave with her stories; which is one reason why I keep purchasing her out of print titles at hideously expensive prices. But I believe its money well spent since each and every one of Maggie Osborne titles I’ve read so far always gives a story worth reading, a story that is so much more than just a romance, and The Seduction of Samantha Kincade is no exception to that rule.

23 year old Samantha (Sam) has pretended to be a boy half her life. A gunslinger and a bounty hunter who is famous for her kills, Sam is someone who hates the idea of being a woman, of being submissive and restricting herself to what society thinks she can and cannot do. More than half of her life has been focused on one goal; killing Hannibal Cotwell, the man who had taken away the center of her very existence. And nothing and no one is going to deter her from getting there.

Trace Harden is on the hunt for Hannibal himself when he is pursued by Sam as a means to the end that she is working for. Although Sam’s hatred for Hannibal and anything to do with him knows no bounds, Sam is forced to re-evaluate her strategy in getting to Hannibal when both Trace and Sam finds themselves on the run from the law with the same ultimate goal in mind. But what Sam doesn’t realize is that in her ambition to see to the promise she has made to herself 12 years ago, she would also find the woman she has lost in her a long time back and love in a place where she wouldn’t have ever expected to find.

With complex and multilayered characters, The Seduction of Samantha Kincade is a seduction unto itself. The slow awakening of Sam as a woman, the side of herself that she has hidden from herself and the rest of the world is one to be savored. Sam might be one of the best bounty hunters out there and adept at fooling the whole world when it comes to who she really is but with Trace she finds that from the first moment that that’s not the case. Trace gets under her skin, makes her want the impossible and awakens strange yearnings in her that Sam knows would lead towards one inevitable conclusion.

The fact that Trace who has seen it and done it all gets seduced in turn by the woman that Sam slowly turns into is one to revel in and I loved the bits where Trace is so darn frustrated from his attraction for a woman who exasperates, infuriates and challenges him at every turn but he can’t help but want her with every fiber of his being. For someone who prefers dainty and feminine women in his life, the fact that he is drawn towards the one woman who doesn’t know the lethal weapon she could become if she were to totally embrace her feminine side was an aspect of the story that I absolutely adored.

Trace has his own demons to fight on the journey he takes towards reaching Hannibal. To avenge the legacy left behind by his dead wife Trace knows he would do what he must, even if it means a vital part of himself would die along with it. Trace and his magnetic presence in the story fires things up, starts a slow burn that reaches its very explosive culmination by the time the reader is about to self combust. The slow build up, the ultimate conclusion to all that heady desire and attraction is one of the best bits about books by Maggie Osborne. Its one of the reasons I mourn the fact that she stopped writing a long time back.

The bit that struck me the most when I was reading The Seduction of Samantha Kincade was how I felt about the villain in the story. Hannibal is a hard to place character, something inside of me wanted redemption for him which I knew would never come. Nevertheless his character is one that made me think deeply, his childhood and what he had undergone something that would continue to haunt me for quite a while. I saw the good bits in him which doesn’t excuse all the heinous crimes he had committed most of his adult life, but that didn’t stop me from weeping for him and all that he could have been as the story reached its conclusion.

It takes tremendous talent for an author to create books of this caliber and each one of my reads has been top notch when it comes to Maggie Osborne. Cannot recommend this enough to readers who love American Western historical romances with unusual heroines and undoubtedly, sinfully alluring heroes in the mix.

Favorite Quotes

Trace watched with smoldering eyes. He could recall hundreds of times when he had become aroused while observing a woman remove her clothing. This was the first time he had become powerfully aroused while watching a woman put clothes on. He would have thought such a thing impossible.
Later, he would remember this unique experience and laugh. Right now, he watched her don a pair of pearl ear drops and practice a smile in the glass. He wanted to throw her on the bed and tear off the undergarments she had so carefully assembled. He wanted to touch her all over, and stroke her, and caress those small swelling perfect breasts, and tease his fingertips along the inside of her strong thighs until she gasped his name and begged him to take her as she burned to do.

His lips came down on hers, hard and hot and as possessive and demanding as the hands grabbing her waist. Sam fell against the haystack, her arms going around his neck, and she kissed him back, hard, her lips opening beneath the insistent pressure of his.

 

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

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