Category / Tortured Hero

by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: Deceiving the Protector by Dee Tenorio

Format: E-bookdeceivingtheprotector
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Carina Press
Series: Resurrection, Book 2
Hero: Jensen Tate
Heroine: Lia Crawford
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: August 15, 2011
Started On: August 1, 2011
Finished On: August 1, 2011

You know that uber satisfied feeling that you get when you have read a book that has managed to hit all those spots that crave to be petted and stroked when you immerse yourself in a good book? Well, at the moment I am like the cat who got her full bowl of cream and then some as the 2nd book in the Resurrection series managed to completely woo me and left me spellbound once again with Dee Tenorio’s ability to blow me away with her stories.

Jensen Tate, brother to Alpha and one of the generals of the pack is tasked with the job of finding a female “stray” and bringing her to safety. A job that stirs up feelings that Tate has thought long since buried when he comes into contact with the half-starved, gritty, determined and surly Lia Crawford who seems to call out to the inner wolf inside of him to come out and stake its claim on the woman whose bewitching green eyes show remanents of a hidden fear so deep that it just about tears up Tate on the insides.

Lia knows that there is no turning back for her on the path she has chosen to walk and that neither is Tate supposed to be with her if what he and his brothers have worked so hard to bring about is to remain on course without the vicious hunters on her trail getting to them through her. For the safety of her sister Laurel, Lia is willing to do anything, even put up with the constant darkness that never seems to leave her life, always one step ahead, forcing her to accept the fact that she would never ever be a free woman of her own will.

Tate knows that Lia hides more than she is willing to let on and it drives him nuts trying to protect a woman whose sheer stubbornness alone makes him want to lay her down somewhere and make her forget the dead weight that she seems to carry on her shoulders. As Tate “forces” her to go along with his plans, Lia finds herself charmed by a man beneath whose gruff exterior lies a wolf begging to be petted and stroked and a man whose rough tenderness just about breaks every wall and shield she has erected to safeguard her emotions & heart.

As their trek towards the next safe house continues, Tate comes face to face with the danger that stalks and preys on the absolute fear that it demands from Lia as he finally starts accepting the fact that Lia is his mate for life, if she can just trust him enough to protect her and save her from the evil that refuses to let go.

Deceiving the Protector is fantastic in all the ways that counts. The way Dee builds up her paranormal world, subtly bringing in the details in the midst of the character development is what drew me in. The constant whirl of my thinking cap trying to figure out what would happen next was what I loved most about this paranormal romantic suspense and the reality and horrors behind what Lia underwent at the hands of mad men willing to rid the world of shifters anyway they can just left me with a bad taste in my mouth and shivers of the bad kind running up and down my spine.

Jensen Tate is a hero that practically invaded my heart as layer by layer his character unfolds, revealing a man of immense strength and beauty, though being called beautiful might piss Tate off and make him growl a bit before settling down, but nevertheless that is how I find him to be. A man so worthy of tender touches and healing kisses, whose protective nature refuses to step back and let his mate be the protector instead, no matter how chauvinistic that might seem to be. The reason why I fell so deeply for Tate is how he manages to gently draw out the hidden woman inside of Lia who has been cowering inside, afraid to show herself and refuses to let her return back to the shell of a woman she was before. His charming manner of telling a good story of course had me sighing all over the place and of course nekkid Tate is a sight to savored on its own.

Lia is a heroine who finds the strength to go on against all odds, a woman who has been on her own for so long that she finds the concept of accepting help a foreign one. Nevertheless, her fascination with Tate that continues to grow as they spend time together is one that refuses to be denied, and the need and desire that unfurls deep within her to claim his wolf as hers is one that continues taunt and tease her until she is ready to serve herself to Tate on silver platter. It is Lia’s immense courage and strength that awed me, and the way she perfectly complements Tate and knows how to soothe & appease the inner wolf inside of him and at the same time be a mate worthy enough to stand by his side that won me over.

It is a testament to Dee’s ability that she managed to make a slight part of me feel for the villain who continued to terrorize Lia until his demise, and I couldn’t help a tiny part of myself from thinking that it is the monsters who had carved him into what he turned out to be that should be rotting in hell. I know that the as the Resurrection series continues that everyone would get what they deserve, in fact I’m counting on that to happen so that I can revel in it big  time when their asses get kicked to Hell never to return!

How Dee does it I would never know, but let me tell you I loved every single minute of it! One minute I am practically drooling and panting over the explosive passion between Tate and Lia, the next I am immersed in tender emotions so deep that I just feel like curling into a ball and sighing in contentment and the next thing I know I am laughing out loud at the witty banter between Tate and Lia that never fails to amuse! Kudos to Dee who manages it so effortlessly and made this book one entertaining fest that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon!

Highly recommended for fans of the series, fans of Dee Tenorio and fans of paranormal romantic suspense.

Final Verdict: Delivering a kick-ass paranormal world with a heady mix of suspense and romance that one cannot resist,  Deceiving the Protector is a SHOULD NOT MISS!

Favorite Quotes

Then he stepped into an orchard, on a rise of packed dirt between tree groves, and proceeded not to give a rat’s ass what she might be trying to do.
The scent was finally clear.
And it went straight to his head.
Female. Apples. Cool water. Rich earth. Rain. Sunshine.

Sometimes, she wasn’t sure when she was seeing him, except for those few moments when their eyes met and she couldn’t look away to save her own life. She could see the protector in him then, sense the hunter. Raw strength emanated from him in those moments, his intensity surrounding her, suffusing her. She could almost feel his arms around her, trying to pull her under his protection. She’d be safe with him. Not cosseted, maybe, but…she’d be able to breathe. To know the next breath was coming, sure as the sunrise.

(Tate) “Sure, she can. She also makes a staff out of light that can cut people and the cars they’re driving in half. Five-feet-five-inches of pure power. Even at her best, it’s like having a nuclear bomb for a sister-in-law.”
“Boy.” Lia laughed, and by the look on his face he knew it was at his expense. “She must love you.”
“We have a complicated relationship,” he agreed with a self-depreciating nod. “Sort of a cross between suspicion and fuck you.”

His hands gripped her hips, slowing her descent. She could feel him savoring her, quaking at the feel of her claw tips sinking into his shoulders. His eyes flickered, the gray color she loved having shifted to the glowing yellow of his Wolf. She smiled, bucking against his hold.
“This time, I take you.” She pushed down, filling herself with him. He growled, drowning out her sigh. He squeezed tight, but she refused to be held back. She lifted up, rocking forward before sliding back down, savoring his groan against the beaded tips of her breasts. “I’m claiming you, Jensen Tate.”
Because you’re mine.

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Sunrise Over Texas by M. J. Fredrick

Format: E-booksunriseovertexas
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Carina Press
Series: Standalone
Hero: George Trace Watson
Heroine: Katherine Barclay
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: September 6, 2010
Started On: August 2, 2011
Finished On: August 2, 2011

This week’s Tuesday started like any other day except for the fact that I had this sudden urge or should I say craving?, to read Sunrise Over Texas by MJ Fredrick. I don’t know how or why, and I am not even going to question the urge to do so because Sunrise Over Texas turned out to be wonderful in all the ways that counts.

Taking place in the Texas frontier in 1826, Sunrise Over Texas tells the story of the remarkable Katherine Barclay (Kit) who fights for survival every minute of the day as the only one left behind along with her mother-in-law Agnes and sister-in-law Mary at the garrison standing guard between the Karankawa tribe and Stephen Austin’s colony of San Felipe. With the food supply depleting with each meal, Kit struggles to keep things going, no mean feat when her in-laws have always lived in the lap of luxury and are not much of a help when it comes to practicalities. Mourning for the death of her husband followed by that of her young son Daniel, the last thing Kit wants is for a stranger to ride up to their “safe” haven and for her to take on the responsibility of nursing him back to health.

George Trace Watson left home to get away from the memories of his dead wife and his stillborn child. When he finds himself raging with fever and nursed back to health by Kit, the first thing he notices about her is her sheer determination to go on against all odds. Though Trace doesn’t want to get involved, much less be responsible for the safety of three women, the honorable man inside of him refuses to turn his back on them, especially when Kit herself stirs up longings that he thought he had buried with his wife.

Though guilt-ridden by the fact that he feels things for Kit he should not, even that doesn’t stop him from embracing the desire that unfurls between them right from the very start. Kit whose take-charge attitude in life also extends to the bedroom makes for very interesting and provocative scenes of passion with a much laid-back Trace who fits her quirks in the bedroom and out of it in every way.

Towards the end of the book, I had a knot the size of Texas in my throat from all the emotions that coursed through me as Kit faced one hurdle after the other and came out winning and stronger than ever only to nearly be turned away by the man who owns her heart because of the fear that rules over his emotions of ever being too vulnerable again.

For me, Kit is the best thing about this western romance. Although I loved Trace to bits, his gentle and giving nature making it hard not to, it is Kit whose inner strength that drew me like a moth to flame, because her character demands nothing less. Its not easy for an author to write a heroine who manages to outshine the hero when majority of readers like us swoon over the hero just because he merely breathes and I can’t help but send high praise MJ Fredrick’s way for being able to do just that without making me feel cheated out on any aspect of the story.

Its hard to believe that this is her first historical because the story flows smoothly and the characters just tug at your heartstrings, making Sunrise Over Texas a wonderful western romance to sink into.

Highly recommended for fans of the genre and fans of MJ Fredrick.

As soon as I post this, I am scurrying off to acquire every available e-book by MJ Fredrick because I find myself with no will left to resist the lure of her books at this moment.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Carina Press

amazingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Wife, Mother … Lover? by Sally Tyler Hayes

Format: E-bookwifemotherlover
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Silhouette Intimate Moments, #818
Publisher: Silhouette Books
Hero: Mitch McCarthy
Heroine: Leanne Hathaway
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: October 1, 1997
Started On: July 26, 2011
Finished On: July 27, 2011

Thanks to the recommendation from my friend Saly over at Goodreads, I had the immense joy of reading and enjoying this Silhouette Intimate Moments novel which I may never have come across otherwise. Throw in a grieving widowed hero who is struggling with the demands of being a single father to twins and the estranged sister-in-law who comes to the rescue at the most unlikely hour; his dead wife’s sister who makes him feel again and I was in romance heaven with this little goodie which I adored right from the start.

32 year old Mitch McCarthy is a cop and single father to 16 months old twins Timmy and Teddy, struggling to make everything work with his demanding job requiring more of him than he is capable of giving whilst raising two active boys which is a full time job in itself. Nearly at the breaking point from being torn apart by the continuous conflicting demands, Mitch is about to give into his manipulative mother-in-law’s demands and give up the twins to his in-laws care when Kelly’s elder sister Leanne Hathaway comes to his rescue.

Same age as Mitch, Leanne had left home 12 years back and had rarely come for visits in between. A nature and exotic places photographer for travel and nature magazines, Leanne’s job allows her to travel all over the world and to immerse herself in work to the point that she can forget the pain that resides deep inside of her because of the rift that has been caused by her step mother in her family.

When Leanne receives a letter from her pregnant sister Kelly whilst in the middle of a Nepali jungle, Leanne finds out that she has received the letter a trifle bit too late for Kelly. When 16 months later Leanne receives the news that her brother-in-law Mitch is about to give up Kelly’s babies, despite all her misgivings about facing her family and Mitch himself, Leanne rushes back home to rescue Timmy and Teddy from falling into her step mother’s care.

Hostility and anger at Leanne is what Mitch feels at first, but knowing his precarious position in taking care of the twins, Mitch is forced to accept Leanne’s help and is more than surprised when he finds the vulnerability that lies beneath what Mitch has perceived to be Leanne’s cold and aloof nature. When Leanne’s step mother forces Mitch’s hand in asking Leanne’s hand in marriage, the one thing Mitch never expects is for Leanne to worm her way into his heart, to heal the big hole that has resided in it for the past 16 months and for her to make him fall in love again.

Wife, Mother … Lover? is a beautiful romance, one that is filled with intense moments of body tingling passion, heartwarming romance and two beautiful kids that would make anyone melt on the inside. Mitch is definitely a swoon-worthy hero that touched a place deep inside of my heart and I loved him for everything he is and the way that he understands Leanne unlike any other. And Leanne is a heroine who is wonderful in her own right, in the way that she completely embraces the fact that she has fallen for her sister’s husband even hounded by the guilt that she feels every day.

What I loved most about this book was the fact that both Mitch and Leanne weren’t afraid to talk about their emotions, communication being the key to the success of their burgeoning relationship. They don’t let each other spend hours in agony over a misunderstanding, but rather face their guilt and fears over their relationship together which makes them that much stronger as a couple.

A happily ever after that is truly deserving is what this novel was all about and I highly recommend this one to fans of romances.

Favorite Quotes

His taste was sweet and sinful and absolutely forbidden. Quite easily, she could become addicted to it. He pushed forward until her back was firmly against the cabinets, and then held her there with his body pressed intimately to hers. Desire surged through her and him. There was no mistaking the feel of it.
He wanted her. Terribly, it seemed. All from just a kiss.
His mouth opened more fully over hers, his kiss bordering on desperation now. And for a moment, the world seemed just about perfect.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo | Harlequin

outstandingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Smooth Irish by Jennifer Saints

Format: E-booksmoothirish
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Between Your Sheets Publishing
Series: Weldon Series, Book 2
Hero: Jackson Weldon
Heroine: Nancy Miller
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: December 8, 2009
Started On: July 22, 2011
Finished On: July 23, 2011

It is a very rare occurrence for me these days to start on the next book of a series by an author before taking a break in between. However, I found myself tempted to skip my ‘rule’ and go ahead with the 2nd book in the Weldon series, to find out for myself whether the passion between the grieving widower Jackson Weldon and Nancy Miller would be as explosive in reality as I had envisioned it in my mind after practically storming through the sensuous scenes of passion in the 1st book of the series.

35 year old Jackson is the eldest sibling of the 4 Weldon brothers in Savannah, Georgia. Jackson is a man still grieving for the untimely death of his wife Amy and blames himself for her death which prevents him from joining the living world. Jackson creates for himself a rut in which he is more than comfortable in, and lets the music that runs in his soul do the rest for him. With no aim or plans in his life to pave the way forward, Jackson stumbles into each day as it arrives until he meets his sister-in-law’s best friend Nan who makes his heart beat in anticipation for the very first time since the death of his wife.

30 year old Nan is goal-oriented if nothing else and plans her life to achieve those goals which will take her further and further away from the wanting little girl who lived and grew up in a less than stellar trailer on the backside of a country road. Dedicated to her profession as a nurse, Nan rarely gives herself time to stop and smell the roses, always focused on reaching the next step of her plan.

When Nan meets the sexy as sin older brother of Jesse Weldon, her best friend’s husband at her wedding, for the first time she finds for herself the lure of sexual attraction though she makes herself walk away from Jackson and his aimless life once she finds out that there is no future to be had with the man.

Three months since she walked out on him and the memories of the feverish kisses they shared still linger on, haunting her and teasing her to taste what she never let herself fall for during the brief time they had dated. With her dreams and fantasies escalating out of control each passing day, Nan finds herself saying yes to one weekend of decadent pleasure in the arms of the one man who has the ability to turn her mind to mush and makes her body hum in pleasure.

But when reality comes knocking at the door, Nan is once again forced to face the fact that Jackson with his past haunting him is not the man for her though she may have fallen head over heels in love with him. Its up to both Jackson and Nan to want each other and love one another enough to move past beyond the shackles of the past and to face the future that would be the stuff fantasies and dreams are made of if they were to face it together.

I have to say that being still on the high left over from Jesse and Alexia’s story, I felt a tad disappointed with how Smooth Irish unfolded though this one also made a favorable impression on me. Jackson and Nan were both endearing characters whose passion for each other draws them together, no matter how much Nan tries to prevent herself from walking into disaster with both eyes open.

Jackson is a tortured hero, who hides a wealth of pain and guilt behind a facade of charm that refuses to be hidden from Nan who makes short work of opening up his wounds that have continued to fester rather than heal during the 4 years Jackson has tried to forget the pain with which he lives.

For me, the passion between Nan and Jackson wasn’t as explosive as I hoped it would be, but still Jennifer Saints has added mouth watering scenes of passion that brings out her talent in delivering the readers with sensuous scenes of love that would remain with them for a long time.

Its good to know that though this is the last published book in the Weldon Series for now, Jennifer plans on making additions to it which would be well received by its fans.

Smooth Irish is a book that goes down like a tall, cool glass of water on a sweltering hot day and leaves you begging for more!

Recommended for those who have read book 1 and are dying to get their hands on book 2; for those who love stories with tortured grieving widowed heroes and for those who are fans of Jennifer Saints who writes under the pseudonyms J.L. Saint and Jennifer St. Giles.

Favorite Quotes

“Eventually you will come to understand that love heals everything, and love is all there is.”
Gary Zukav, author

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Smashwords

greatread

by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: The Merzetti Effect by Norah Wilson

Format: E-bookthemerzettieffect
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Self-Published
Series: A Vampire Romance, Book 1
Hero: Dr. Delano Bowen
Heroine: Ainsley Crawford
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: June 6, 2011
Started On: July 20, 2011
Finished On: July 21, 2011

The Merzetti Effect is a novel that caught my eye whilst I was browsing through Amazon’s book recommendations. Long before that Norah Wilson landed in my list of authors to try out after seeing a review of her romantic suspense novel Guarding Suzannah by author Pamela Clare up on Goodreads. Reading the blurb of The Merzetti Effect sealed the deal for me and to my utter surprise and delight I managed to get this little birdie from the amazing Norah herself who approached me for a review. The rest as they say is history and ever since I turned page 1 and lost myself in Norah’s unique take on the world of vampires, there was no turning back for me – ever.

Ainsley Crawford has just lost her job working as an OR nurse in a Level 1 Trauma Center and the job offer by a Dr. Delano Bowen seems like a godsend to her until she is attacked by a rogue vampire as she makes her way for the job interview. Her savior comes in the form of her prospective employer himself who makes Ainsley think the most inappropriate thoughts of them tangled in the sheets, all sweaty and naked when she fully lays her eyes on the enigmatic and compelling man with an intensity in his eyes that takes her breath away.

Delano is a more than 200 year old vampire who believes that in Ainsley’s blood lies the cure from the virus that rages inside a vampire that drives them to sate their thirst for blood. Though Delano would go to any lengths to keep Ainsley by his side and wants her to remain totally unaware of the potency of her blood on his species, the one thing that Delano never counted on was his libido to sit up and take notice of the one woman whose blood might mean the end of his life.

Undying need and red-hot desire grows stronger and binds both Ainsley and Delano together until the explosive culmination of their mutual want which kickstarts a series of events that Delano never foresaw, nearly bringing him to his knees when his old enemy comes to seek Ainsley for himself, to eradicate the one thing that could destroy his blood thirsty rampage on Earth forever.

The Merzetti Effect is an amazing paranormal romance that introduces us into a fresh take on the lives of vampires, with a few surprises thrown into the mix. Delano is a hero with whom I fell head-over-fangs in love with right from the very first encounter. His intensity, utter control which shreds to pieces with Ainsley and his devotion to do good and right the wrongs done by his species no matter what makes him one of my favorite vampire heroes. And of course I freely admit to the fact that the way he seduces and is in turn seduced by Ainsley was out of this world hot, rendering me into this puddle of goo half way through.

Ainsley is the type of heroine that earns my love and wholehearted approval because there are so many endearing characteristics that makes up who she is. Her fierce loyalty towards those she holds dear, the way she wants to comfort a two century old vampire with whom a deep connection is forged and the way she completely gives into the love that overtakes her without playing coy games is what I loved most about her.

With this novel, Norah has enticed me to want to know more about each and every character that she has introduced along the way. I will definitely be on the look out for future books in this ‘series’ and am definitely a fan of Norah Wilson if the complete and utter ease with which she drew me into the story is anything to judge her other books by. Very highly recommended for fans of vampire romances. This is one book you ought not miss!

Favorite Quotes

And heaven help him, there was that pain again, the one that pierced him to his very marrow and started all that emotion bleeding out of him.
Dammit, he loved her.
He’d been denying it for weeks now, but he could deny it no longer.
Not the giddy drug of infatuation. Not the mind-blowing drive of unadulterated lust. Not the bone-deep need to possess.
It was all of those things wrapped up together, but so much more. It was simple, really. She had somehow become all that mattered.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble 

outstandingread

by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Falling Hard by J.K. Coi

Format: E-bookfallinghard
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Carina Press
Series: Standalone
Hero: Gabriel Gunn
Heroine: Amelia White
Sensuality: 3.5
Publication Date: July 18, 2011
Started On: July 17, 2011
Finished On: July 18, 2011

Falling Hard by J.K. Coi which has released today from Carina Press as I write my review is a novel that combines a well developed ethereal world which delves into the heart of an age old struggle between angels who want the ultimate freedom from the emotionless shackles that have bound them for millennia.

30 year old Gabriel Gunn has no idea of the freakish hell his life is about to turn into when he walks out of a club with his best friend and band manager David. Within minutes Gabriel lies in a pool of his own blood after watching the horrific attack on David take the very life out of him. Rescue comes in the form of a woman whose mere presence makes Gabriel feel alive, the same kind of energy he only feels when he sings. What Gabriel doesn’t know is that the woman who rescues her is an angel who has sworn to protect Gabriel at all costs, even if it means giving up her own life for the cause.

Amelia White has been tasked with the job of watching over Gabriel for the past 30 years during which time she has looked over upon the trials and tribulations that has shaped the man that stands before her now. Knowing that Gabriel’s very soul holds the key that could unlock the angel’s realm and give them the freedom that they have been stripped bare of a long time back, Amelia knows that safeguarding Gabriel is going to be the toughest mission she might have undertaken yet, as her senses start to come alive and emotions that Amelia is sure she is not capable of feeling starts pricking and poking at her to give in.

It is a journey filled with twists and turns filled with potholes that Gabriel and Amelia embark upon to find a way out of the mess Gabriel finds himself in. With rogue angels hunting them down at every turn and with Amelia’s own fears and insecurities to battle with Gabriel finds himself with more questions than answers about his mysterious guardian angel who makes him want as he has never wanted before. But that doesn’t stop him from realizing and embracing the fact that life as he knew it is never to be again as he stands in the midst of a game of tug of war between the good and the bad angels. The ultimate showdown would mean that Gabriel would have to embrace his darker side which would in turn mean his death at the hands of the avenger who happens to be the angel who owns his heart, body and soul.

Falling Hard is a book that plunged me deep into a world that had me fascinated right from the very beginning. Amelia with her sparkling beauty and the emotions that she fights so much at the beginning is a heroine who would go to any lengths to protect the man that she loves. The concept of the heroine being the protector was a novel experience which I loved, though that doesn’t mean Gabriel is a man who would willingly step aside and let a woman do all the work.

Gabriel is the perfect rock star hero material, intense, broody and energetic, a man who is buried so deep in regrets of his past that blinds him to any other emotion except pain, anger and sadness until Amelia lights up his world with her aura. It is Gabriel’s intensity that I was drawn towards right from the very beginning which was complemented by the calm serenity that is Amelia.

The passion between Gabriel and Amelia is scorching in its intensity and though not explicit in nature it had me fluttery in all the right places. J.K. Coi has certainly penned a splendid romance with paranormal elements that gives the story that unfolds an extra edge that makes this unputdownable. The ending does make me wonder whether J.K. Coi plans to start off a series with this novel as there are lots of secondary characters that I would love to know more about.

Recommended for fans of the genre and fans of J.K. Coi.

Favorite Quotes

Her scent took him off guard. Spicy and sweet. Intoxicating but casual – the most dedicated virgin and the most celebrated siren wrapped up in one deceptive little package.

Her purposeful movements made him want to dig his fingers into the silk of her hair and muss her up. He vowed to be the one to unsettle her. He wanted to make her pulse hammer beneath that smooth skin and force those lips to part on high gasps of unexpected pleasure.

His soft lips felt sinful, so incredible. She moaned and Gabriel responded in kind, pressing for more, sliding his tongue over the seam of her lips before slipping inside to sweep her mouth. Again and again until she matched him, giving him her tongue so they they dueled together in a slick, sensual challenge.

His heart beat strong and fast beneath her palm. His breathing had quickened, too, blowing against her nape in short, heated blasts. “You’ve got me wound tighter than I’ve ever been, Amelia. You piss me off quicker than anyone else can. And you push every one of my buttons. I look at you and I want to make you feel the same way—edgy, uncertain and desperate.”

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Something to Talk About by M.J. Fredrick

Format: E-book
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Lyrical Press, Incorporated
Series: Standalone
Hero: Noah Weston
Heroine: Ellie Morgan
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: June 20, 2011
Started On: July 16, 2011
Finished On: July 16, 2011

Something to Talk About is the novel that officiates M.J. Fredrick’s position in my favorite authors list, authors that are must-buy as their stories are so very worth it. There are no blazing guns, no hair raising adventure in this as in the two novels Don’t Look Back and Breaking Daylight by the author that I have read and reviewed prior to this. Rather, Something to Talk About is a contemporary romance that nevertheless packs into it a story that any romance lover ought to read because this is a novel that swept me away on a journey towards a happily ever after that I very much rooted for right from the very beginning.

Something to Talk about takes place in the small town of Winchester Cove, California where 30 year old Ellie Morgan has ended her latest relationship with the golden boy of the town and high school football coach Trey Berenger. Knowing that she wants much more from a relationship than Trey’s self-centered nature allows him to give, Ellie cuts off ties with the man whom she had been seeing for almost a year – a personal best for her where relationships are concerned. What Ellie didn’t expect to happen upon her breakup is for everyone in town to once again start talking around corners, whispering behind her back and painting her in the same light as that of her mother who had left a husband and three children behind 14 years ago and never looked back.

35 year old Noah Weston is just starting to recover from the blow that fate had dealt him when his wife had brutally being snatched away from his life, just when they were happily anticipating a new addition to their family. Almost a year and a half had passed by and Noah was starting to notice the vibrancy that has always been part of his wife Lily’s best friend Ellie who lights up his otherwise grey world with her mere presence. Wary of a desire that seems to grow stronger rather than abate as the days go by, Noah wills himself to take a chance amidst the fanfare of small town life that supports and berates his choice to move on with his wife’s best friend.

Ellie doesn’t recall just when and how her libido and emotions had started going on instant alert whenever Noah is around but Ellie knows that its a passion worth risking her heart for if the answering fire of need that simmers in Noah’s eyes is anything to go by. As their desire explodes and makes each of them embrace new heights in a physical relationship that neither of them was expecting, other emotions start getting involved lending their relationship a fragility that could break the bonds that bind them together so very easily.

With Noah battling his fear of starting over and trusting his heart to guide him in the right path and with Ellie fighting her need to become anything but the center stage of Winchester Cove’s gossip central, both Ellie and Noah certainly lead the reader on an emotionally wrenching journey towards their happily ever after made infinitely that much sweeter because of the fact.

Something to Talk About is definitely landing in my favorite reads of this year as M.J. Fredrick completely took me by surprise with the turn of each page, bringing forth emotions that I didn’t think I was even capable of feeling. Noah Weston with his killer dimples, his intensity that can fry the brain cells of any woman and his quiet strength is a hero worth savoring and worth allowing into your dreams, yes because he is the stuff that dreams are made out of. Ellie is a heroine who made me fall in love with her because she has those qualities that makes a reader root for the heroine right from the very beginning. Beautiful inside and out with a heart that yearns for a love like her friend Lily had found in Noah, Ellie is a heroine who is willing to fight for what she believes in, even with the whole world frowning down on her.

What endeared the story most to me is the way M.J. Fredrick managed to make Noah and Ellie’s love work without sullying up the beautiful relationship that Noah had with his wife Lily, without painting Lily as the good for nothing previous wife who deserved what she got in the end. Rather than doing that, Ms. Fredrick explores the possibility that yes, you can find love in the most unexpected of places and let it be a beautiful one, untainted by a past that is beautiful in its own right. All the secondary characters in the story from the reverend to Noah’s charming nieces to the navel-pierced psychic who manages to catch the eye of the reverend all wormed their way into my heart not to be easily forgotten.

With an epilogue that beautifully ties up everything and made me grin and inwardly smile at the same time, this is a contemporary romance that is definitely worth talking about, worth your time and money and comes highly recommended from the sunny side of life.

Favorite Quotes

He stepped inside and caught her fresh scent from the shower. He wanted to drop the toolbox and pin her to the wall behind the door, taste the dampness of her skin, the warmth of her mouth. He wanted to feel her hands on him, but he kept walking.

She made a small sound in the back of her throat as he slanted his mouth over hers, reining in his hunger to concentrate on the taste of her, the feel of her, the rhythm of her breath, of her heart. He wanted to absorb her, to savor her.

Every now and then he’d look her way and smile and she tumbled, just tumbled right over into love.

Reviewer’s Note: Though Ms. Fredrick didn’t request for a review, she did provide me with a copy of this wonderful romance for which I want to thank her and show her my appreciation. The fact that she gave me a copy had no effect whatsoever on my review or rating of the story. 

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Lyrical Press 

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Don’t Look Back by M.J. Fredrick

Format: E-book
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Hero: Captain Gerard Delaney
Heroine: Dr. Olivia Olney
Sensuality: 3.5
Publication Date: August 12, 2010
Started On: July 13, 2011
Finished On: July 14, 2011

Don’t Look Back by M.J. Fredrick is going to be a hard book for me to review, not because I didn’t love the story that unfolded but rather because of just how much the story drew me in and wrapped its words around me, making me savor every emotion that it wrenched from me that I want to do this book the justice that  it deserves. Before I begin my review however, there are two things that I would like to thank the very wonderful M.J. Fredrick for. Number one being for the blog post that she published which drew my attention to this gem, and the second for being generous enough to give me a copy of this book which I appreciate from the bottom of my heart.

Don’t Look Back kicks off seven years prior to the start of the actual story when Dr. Olivia Olney is rescued by a team led by Captain Gerard Delaney from Special Forces who specializes in hostage recovery. Broken, battered, raped and barely alive, Olivia finds the strength to persevere and come out fighting by never letting go of the image of the tough blue-eyed soldier who arrived to her rescue when she had right about given up hope.

Seven years later, Olivia is a changed woman, the scars of the ordeal that she underwent which she carries with her every day. However, that doesn’t stop her from helping out the less fortunate souls who struggle to survive the depths of hell that is war riddled Africa, even if it means going back to the one place that brings back the nightmares of how she was captured and tortured at the hands of violent and vicious men.

When her best friend Jill gets taken as a hostage by the man who imprisoned Olivia and introduced her to the depths of hell, there is no stone that Olivia would leave unturned in her quest to rescue the one woman who stood by her through every single step of her recovery. When Olivia finds out that the soldier who has haunted her dreams since the night of her rescue is very much alive and living in exile in Spain, she doesn’t hesitate to pull out all the stops, even kicking Delaney where it hurts to get him to lead their rescue operation.

Delaney is a man who has been stripped bare of everything, a man with nothing left to lose who remains in hiding, fearing for the life of his son and his ex-wife whom he has left behind. Three years of merely existing comes to an end when the sexy and vibrant Olivia sashays into his life, opening up the wounds that have been quietly festering all this while. Olivia forces Delaney to confront his fear of failure and his reluctance to go back to a country that has already taken too much from him and left him high and dry.

Making their way to Amadan, a jungle-choked country with very poor roads begins their journey towards endless violence and danger which seems to lurke amidst every step they take. But the biggest threat comes not from the danger to each of their lives but rather that to their hearts when desire races like a raging inferno through both of them until there is no choice left but to surrender.

Combining sizzling sexual tension, toe-curling passion, heart pounding adventure and vicious war lords whose agendas change as swiftly as that of the colors of a chameleon, M.J. Fredrick earns herself 5 solid stars for penning such a fantastic romantic suspense that ALL fans of the genre must read. Bringing together two souls who have already seen the worst life can offer, but still has the courage to stand tall, both Delaney and Olivia are heartwarming and endearing characters that I fell in love with right from the very beginning.

In my opinion, the fact that M.J. Fredrick portrays the story in gritty and realistic terms to the very last detail made this earn a spot from my favorite reads for this year. Raw and honest in the gut wrenching emotions that it brings forth, heartbreaking in the details of the rape and torture that is part of every day life for women in the region, Don’t Look Back is a novel that has got it all. If a well-balanced romantic suspense with a bit of dark edge to it is what you want, don’t hesitate to pick this one up and let yourself be taken away on an intense adventure that would have you biting your nails before halfway through!

Favorite Quotes

To compensate, she took a deep breath and found herself with a noseful of Del-scent. Something about the sharp smell of him, lying beneath what might be Old Spice, made her want to bury her face in his throat and breathe him in.

Words escaped him. All his energy was in controlling his desire. He had no business looking at her, no business wanting to run his fingers through her hair, to bring her body against his and warm her with his kisses. He was the last thing she needed in her life.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Addicted to You by Bethany Kane

Format: E-bookaddictedtoyou
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: A One Night of Passion, Book 1
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Hero: Rill Pierce
Heroine: Katie Hughes
Sensuality: 4.5
Date of Publication: June 7, 2011
Started On: July 1o, 2011
Finished On: July 11, 2011

Addicted to You by Bethany Kane is one of those titles that I stumbled upon quite accidentally whilst hopping through Twitter. Upon seeing the cover I was tempted and seeing the “friends-to-lovers” tag scream at me, I was sold and within minutes I pushed everything else aside and loaded up with this delectable piece of erotic contemporary romance, I let myself be swept away on the heady journey filled with all sorts of body tingling moments towards Rill and Katie’s happily ever after.

36 year old Rill Pierce is a brilliant, widely acclaimed writer and director who seems to have lost his way after the death of his wife Eden. Ever since the untimely demise of Eden which had shocked him with the news it had brought forth, Rill retires to the secluded town of Vulture’s Canyon in Illinois where he has been holed up for the past 18 months, licking his wounds which keeps on festering rather than healing. Tortured with the thoughts of how he has failed his wife whom he had adored with his very soul, Rill is a man who seems to be drowning himself in the oblivion that drink seems to bring him when his best friend’s little sister storms into his life, forcing him to face the demons that seems to hound him.

30 year old Katie Hughes is a tax attorney from Beverly Hills who quits her lucrative job because of the feelings of discontentment that seems to be lingering with her of late. Having always had a huge crush on her brother’s best friend who married her best friend Eden in the end, Katie is determined that she would save Rill from the darkness that he seems to shroud himself in. But once Katie turns up to find a drunk Rill who seems to be hell bent on seducing the “Angel” that has turned up on his doorstep, there is no stopping the flood of longing that manifests itself in one of the most explosive one night stands I have come across.

Rill finds that with Katie around, his self imposed exile and attempts to keep his baser nature reined in is a lost cause as his libido awakens with a bang and continues to tempt him beyond anything he has ever experienced before. With each explosive and sizzling hot encounter after another, Katie shatters his already frayed control where she is concerned until at last Rill surrenders knowing that there is no turning away from Katie and the intense connection between them. Though mind-blowing sex is the only thing Rill thinks that he has left to offer to Katie, the consequences of their first night together forces both Katie and Rill to explore their deeper emotions, to let go of Rill’s hold on a past that seems to lessen with Katie in the picture.

Addicted to You is an explosive dynamite of a read with enough sizzle to jumpstart all your nerve endings. Sensory overload is a fact and not just a mere say-so when it comes to the debut novel of the series entitled A One Night of Passion. A story that reels you in right from page one, Rill is a hero I fell immediately in love with, taking in his surly nature behind which lies a heart that is tortured by the events of his past. Katie is my favorite type of heroine; strong, nurturing where its needed and with a heart of gold that bleeds for the pain Rill finds himself in. She doesn’t give up, even when Rill is his meanest, trying to drive away the woman who is a match for him in every single way. Towards the end there is a swing smexing scene that any fan of erotica ought to read. Imaginative and mind numbingly hot is all I’m saying!

Recommended for fans of erotic contemporary romance who loves the friends-to-lovers trope and a high content & variety of sensual material in their stories.

Favorite Quotes

Something swooped up from his chest to his neck until it tightened like a clawed hand on his throat. It took him a second to recognize the sensation as blinding need.

“Don’t make me wait,” he whispered, leaning over and nipping at an earlobe. “I want you so bad I think it’s cutting at me from inside out.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo | Book Depository

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by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: One Good Reason by Sarah Mayberry

Format: E-bookonegoodreason
Read with: Amazon Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Going Back, #33
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Jon Adamson
Heroine: Gabriele Wade
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: July 26, 2011
Started On: July 5, 2011
Finished On: July 6, 2011

I am like a kid with a new stick of candy when it comes to books by Sarah Mayberry. I want to savor every emotion the book invokes, I get frustrated when anything takes me away from my indulgence and I am left with a feeling of melancholy once I am done, knowing that it would be quite sometime afterwards that I would get to indulge in a book by my favorite Harlequin author again.

The release of this book has also brought to light the fact that I am the worst possible stalker in the world. Ever since I read Sarah Mayberry’s last release earlier this year which features Tyler, younger brother of the hero Jon in this novel, I have been looking up various websites to see when and what her next release would be. Even then, somehow I managed to miss this title until I saw a review of the book from my friend Jill on Goodreads. You could probably imagine my reaction when this happened and lets just say that I was not a happy camper at all. LOL!

As I mentioned earlier, One Good Reason is tied with Sarah Mayberry’s last release The Last Goodbye. Jon Adamson is the older brother, the one who fled home as soon as he was able to and moved to Canada where he had owned his construction company and made a name for himself until his return back to Australia upon the death of his father. Quieter and more intense, Jon is a man who keeps all his emotions under wrap, control being his most important and coveted feature until he meets the prickly and independent to the boot Gabriele Wade (Gabby) who pricks and pokes into all his emotions until his control shreds to pieces.

Gabby works as the office manager at the T.A. Furnitures owned  by her ex-boyfriend Tyler who is now very happily married to the love of his life. Gabby had spent 3 years of her life with Tyler, wondering when he would open up to her, and finally walking away when she realized that Tyler would never change.

From the start, Gabby and Jon rub each other the wrong way, polite conversation a foreign concept for both of them when they are together. All this culminates in one of the most explosive desk smexing session that left me breathless, that tore apart both Gabby and Jon’s control to pieces, that somehow brings home the fact that for both Jon and Gabby, their encounter means more than a meaningless roll in the hay.

But Jon is a man who has his own demons to fight, the residue of a childhood spent with an abusive father, his hold on Jon still a deep rooted one even from beyond the grave. For Jon, trust and opening up himself doesn’t come easily and for Gabby who has once being through all this before, its like her worst nightmare come true all over again when her feelings are much more involved than the last time around.

What I love about Sarah Mayberry’s books is the fact that she writes about ‘real’ people with problems you can relate to. Honest emotions, fears and doubts are dealt with in a way that brings forth a lot of emotions of the good and bad kind and once you are done, you can’t help but want more.

Jon’s character is such an endearing one, his physique and the fact that he is wearing a god-damn tool belt on the cover earning him all plus points in spades. And Jon is much more than just a pretty face, described as a gentle giant in the book which pretty much sums him up, as beneath his tough exterior lies a heart that bleeds.  Gabby is a heroine who wormed her way into my heart because deep inside she wants Jon to be happy, for Jon to be able to move beyond the shackles that has bound him till now. Her independence, the fact that she is fiercely protective lends her character a charming facet that has landed her in my favorite heroines shelf.

One Good Reason is a book that deals with a difficult subject. Child abuse at the hands of those that should protect them from the evil that lurks in the rest of the world. The effects that still linger and the emotional scars left behind are all dealt with honesty earning this novel a corner from my favorite reads this year.

Recommended for ALL fans of contemporary romance.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo | Harlequin

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