Category / Tortured Hero

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase

Format: E-booklordofscoundrels
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Scoundrels, Book 3
Publisher: Avon
Hero: Sebastian Leslie Guy De Ath Ballister
Heroine: Jessica Trent
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: March 30, 1995
Started On: June 15, 2011
Finished On: June 16, 2011

Lord of Scoundrels is a historical romance that has earned its fair share of awards in the world of romance. Being at the very top of the AAR list of 100 romances is no small feat and I went in with high expectations when I started out with this book. True to the awards the book has received, I was totally enchanted and captivated with the story that unfolded and hopelessly and madly in love with both Sebastian and Jessica before halfway through, and enjoyed the third book in the Scoundrels series as much as I imagined I would.

Lord of Scoundrels tells the tale of Sebastian Leslie Guy De Ath Ballister, the son of the Earl of Blackmoor and his second wife. A man who is more besotted with his property than anything else, the Earl holds little regard for his young wife and even less so towards the ugly son that she bears him.

From a young age, Sebastian is a bewildered child because he doesn’t have the remotest clue as to why his father goes out of his way to avoid him. And the only source of warmth and compassion in his life leaves him at the tender age of 8 when his mother runs away with her lover, leaving a scared little boy with a resentful father. Its not long before Sebastian is sent away to boarding school where he learns to toughen up and where he learns to give back as good as he gets and earns the respect of his notorious peers. Needless to say between the merciless teasing and fights with fellow students and the continuous flogging sessions received at school, Sebastian has any figment of love, tenderness or hope beaten out of him long before he turns into an adult.

Twenty five years later, Sebastian is filthy rich and a man powerful in his own right who is still feared by the members of the respectable society towards which Sebastian feels nothing more than contempt. But when beautiful and feisty Jessica Trent invades his life and starts creeping under his skin, Sebastian tries the only trick he is left with; drive her away by being his most notorious self whilst inside his heart and very soul cries out for Jessica in a way he had long since forgotten.

Jessica is no wimpy female who finds her own fascination with Sebastian troublesome to say the least. Animal attraction she can supposedly handle, but marriage and the prospect of falling in love with the most hard headed male she has come across wasnt exactly what Jessica was looking for.

In Jessica Sebastian finds that for the first time in his life that he needs someone else to complete him and knows that if she ever were to leave him he would just wither and die away. You would think that once the man realizes that he would make things easier for his newly wedded wife. But pride and his vow never to let anyone close enough to hurt him has Sebastian trying to drive away Jessica albeit unsuccessfuly and the antics that follow make for quite an engrossing tale.

You can’t read Lord of Scoundrels without falling in love with both Sebastian and Jessica as they together make an explosive combination that just keeps you turning the pages, wishing that the story would just go on and on. I seriously loved the spunky and fiesty Jessica because she was insightful enough to know Sebastian inside out and strong enough to fight him fair snd square where their love is concerned. I especially loved the witty bantering between Sebastian and Jessica whose way with the words cannot help but invoke huge-ass grins all over. And Jessica’s attempts at seducing her husband and the resultant effect on her overly self-controlled husband is definitely one of the highlights in a story that definitely deserves and has more than earned its fair share of millions of fans all over the world.

Highly recommended for fans of romances.

Favorite Quotes

The trouble was Jessica could not feel at all sensible. A magnetic current was racing along her nerve endings. It slithered and swirled through her system, to make an odd, tingling heat in the pit of her belly, and it melted her brain to soup.
She wanted to kick off her shoes and trail her stockinged toes up and down the black, costly boot. She wanted to slide her fingers under his starched shirt cuff and trace the veins and muscles of his wrist and feel his pulse beating under her thumb. Most of all, she wanted to press her lips to his hard, dissolute mouth and kiss him senseless.

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

outstandingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Hotter than Wildfire by Lisa Marie Rice

Format: E-bookhotterthanwildfire
Read with: Kindle for I-Phone
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Protectors, Book 2
Publisher: Avon Red
Hero: Harry Bolt
Heroine: Ellen Palmer
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: April 5, 2011
Started On: June 7, 2011
Finished On: June 10, 2011

Book 2 in the Protector series didn’t wow me as much as its predecessor did. But nevertheless Lisa Marie Rice still managed to hold my undivided attention as I delved into the story of Harry Bolt, someone who has a very painful past from which he still has recurring nightmares.

34 year old Harry is one of the 3 “blood” brothers that own RBK Security. Having served in the army and with enough scars to last for a lifetime, Harry’s savior comes in the form of the sweet and sultry voice of the mystery singer only known as Eve. By a twist of fate it is Ellen Palmer i.e. Eve herself  who makes her way to seek the services of RBK Security who specializes in helping out beaten and battered up women fleeing for their lives with nowhere else to turn to.

For someone who believes that nothing in this world could surprise him anymore, that is exactly what Harry feels when he discovers that the scared red haired beauty in front of him who has awoken his dormant libido after two years is none other than the goddess whose voice it had been that had led him out of the shit hole his life had been in back then.

Once Harry claims Eve as his, there is no turning back for either of them as heady passion stronger than anything describable takes hold of them delivering sensuous scenes of love that is trademark Lisa Marie Rice.

As with most of her stories, the bad guys are vicious in their intent and actions and nothing short of Eve’s death would stop them. As the bad guys pull all the stops to find out where Eve is in hiding, Eve finds herself in a cocoon of love, warmth and friendship which she fears would shatter if she stays around too long. Its touch and go during the last showdown with the bad guys and once again Mike, Sam and Harry work together to save the one woman who lights up Harry in more ways than one.

As I said earlier, though I didn’t love this one as much as I did Sam and Nicole’s story, nevertheless I still loved Harry as a hero. Strong and uber protective, Harry is enough to melt any woman on the inside because of his caring nature. And I loved seeing glimpses of Sam and Nicole in this one and of course the two very beautiful epilogues at the end of the second one which takes place a year later hopefully signals the beginning of Mike’s story.

As some readers have pointed out, I too have problems with how Ms. Rice tends to go a tad overboard with her descriptions making it a bit tiresome to tread through the repetitive material to find the actual story beneath it. But, being a huge fan of Ms. Rice, I’m willing to look beyond that into the story and would rate this as a great read worth your time if you love Lisa Marie Rice or if you love romantic suspense with an all-out alpha who would literally make you swoon as you get to know him. And I have to warn you, this one’s got a pretty powerful prologue to it that may just require you keep a wad of tissues handy.

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

greatread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Breaking Point by Pamela Clare

Format: E-bookbreakingpoint
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: I-Team, Book 5
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Hero: Zachariah McBride
Heroine: Natalie Benoit
Sensuality: 4
Published on: May 3, 2011
Started On: May 3, 2011
Finished On: May 4, 2011

Oh…my…stars!

In the words of our heroine Natalie Benoit, that about sums up this delectable addition to the already 5-star plus I-Team series by Pamela Clare, in which each individual book in this series has rocked my world in so many ways. The 5th installment in the series has been a much awaited one by the thousands of fans of this series all over the world and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I have been on tenterhooks ever since Ms. Clare announced the release date of Breaking Point on her blog a few months back. The wait though an agonizing one has all been worth it as Ms. Clare once again proves her remarkable talent in delivering what readers like us truly want when we pick up a novel of the RS genre.

Breaking Point with its fabulously drool-inducing cover tells the story of the beautiful I-Team reporter Natalie Benoit and Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Zachariah McBride (Zach) who meet each other in the most trying circumstances. Zach is former Navy SEAL and has more than his fair share of battle scars, a testament to the Medal of Honor that he receives upon honorable discharge from the army. Now a U.S. Marshal who puts his life on the line day in and day out doing what he does best, Zach is betrayed by a fellow agent and wakes up in a hell hole from which he has no means of escaping.

Born and bred in New Orleans, Natalie Benoit moves to Denver after Hurricane Katrina brought with it tragedy into her life from which Natalie still suffers. Working for the Denver Independent on the elite I-Team for the past 3 years, Natalie finds herself signing up for a 3-day convention in Mexico because she needs a change of pace from the usual. However Natalie finds more than she bargained for when she finds herself a captive of the notoriously cruel Los Zetas who have their own nefarious agenda all lined up for her.

It is at the compound to which she is taken to and held captive that she meets Zach who is clinging on to his reserves of strength to stay alive amidst the torture that is dished out daily in order to break him. The surge of protectiveness that courses through Zach when he first sights the beautiful Natalie takes him unawares and Natalie’s tenacious efforts to escape infuses Zach with a slight ray of hope that they just might make it out of Mexico with their lives intact.

Thus begins a desperate race across a harsh and unforgiving desert to make it to the safety of U.S. soil, the desert providing its own sources of danger at each and every turn. As Natalie and Zach spend time depending on each other, the attraction that neither of them can deny heats things up to the most delicious levels, the scenes of passion that unfolds between the two done in classic Pamela Clare style, hot enough to skyrocket one’s inner temperature to eyebrow singeing levels. But back home does not turn out to be the sanctuary it promises as danger of the life threatening variety keeps after Natalie, bringing heroes from the previous I-Team books into the picture making this the most action-packed romance that Ms. Clare has written to-date.

There are so many things that makes this a 5+ star read for me. One of them being the unbeatable style with which Ms. Clare brings to life her characters who have the ability to imbed themselves into the deepest recesses of my memory and heart, rendering each and every one of them unforgettable for years to come. Likewise, Zach McBride is the type of hero who has the ability to fuel any woman’s dreams of the naughty as well as the non-naughty variety as he steps up and does what he is  best at – protect the woman he loves at all costs. His attention to detail in bed and out of it carves him a well-deserved notch in my unforgettable-hero list. Though Zach has his own demons that needs to be laid to rest before he can embrace his happily-ever-after, it is Zach’s take-charge attitude that appealed to me the most.

Natalie is a kick-ass heroine in her own right as she battles her own fears and overcomes them to escape the men who hold her captive. Natalie’s inner vulnerability makes her easy to relate to and the way she has the ability to draw Zach out of his shell and make his playful side come out to play was one of the most endearing qualities about Natalie. She has no qualms about expressing her love for a man who deserves all that and so much more and refuses to back down from the fight for her own happily ever after even if it means that the battle she wages is with the man who has earned her heart, body and soul.

And of course, let me not forget the impact the rest of the I-Team heroes bring to the novel as Marc, Gabe and Darcangelo come together and put their very own lives on the line to protect their own. The interactions between the 3 left me with huge grins on my face each and every time and found myself going “Aww!” at a scene towards the end of the book that shows the depth of the relationship between Julian and Marc. Gabe and Marc both get in on the action rendering me speechless a time or two, especially Gabe who seems to have gone up in my total-hottie-alpha-male list after reading this book, if it is at all possible!

If I were to continue rehashing what made this book work for me, I would never reach the end of this review and would probably end up boring you all to tears. But the flowery gushy tone just comes out to play when I end up loving a book to bits as I did with this one. If you are already a fan of the I-Team series and haven’t read this yet, my question would be, what on Earth are you waiting for? Like me, just put your entire life on hold for a couple of hours and indulge in Zach and Natalie’s story as it will sweep you off your feet right from the very beginning. If you have never heard of Pamela Clare and have no idea what the I-Team series is all about, I say its high time that you educate yourselves on this fantastic series. You can find reviews of all the books in the series here if you are interested and I dare you to pick a book and give yourselves a couple of minutes with the story that unfolds. I assure you, time and money well spent!

Favorite Quotes

He felt empty, broken, defeated.
He wrapped his arms around her, refusing to let go, his head dropping to rest against her chest.
Without a word, she enfolded him in her embrace, holding him to her breast like a mother comforting a child, her fingers curling in her hair, her heartbeat steady in his ear. And he clung to her.

“Shh.” He pressed his finger to her lips. “When I realized I was going to die, the only thing I could think about was you and what an idiot I’d been for not telling you how I felt about you. I think I’ve loved you from the moment you lifted that awful blind off my face. I opened my eyes, and there you were, the bravest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever known. You set me free, Natalie. In so many ways, you set me free.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo | Diesel Ebooks

outstandingread

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

So, with the publication of this review, I’ve decided to take things a tad further and do my first giveaway for two reasons. One being that my blog just surpassed the 10,000 hits mark and second because I just adore Ms. Clare as an author and what she can do with her stories. So to celebrate in style, I will be giving away a 20$ Amazon gift certificate to one will be picked out from a random draw which will be held 4 days from now, on the 9th of May 2011. To enter you have to do the following:

  1. Like this review post if you are on Facebook and spread the word to your friends who might be interested.
  2. If you are on Twitter, share this and tweet about the giveaway!
  3. And last but not the least, leave a comment with the post stating your email address and if you are already a fan of the I-Team series I would like to know your favorite hero from Marc, Julian, Gabe, Reece and Zach and why. If you haven’t read the I-Team series yet, I would like to know your favorite romantic suspense novel that you have read to-date. And if you have tweeted or shared the review on Facebook, please mention it on your comment as well as your name would be entered 5 times into the draw. Even if you do not share this review on Facebook or Twitter you can still  leave a comment behind and enter the draw. Good luck fellow readers!
by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Wolfsbane by Ronie Kendig

Format: E-bookwolfsbane
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Military Romance
Series: Discarded Heroes, Book 3
Publisher: Barbour Publishing
Hero: Captain Canyon Metcalfe
Heroine: Lieutenant Danielle Roark
Sensuality: 2.9
Date of Publication: July 1, 2011
Started On: April 29, 2011
Finished On: April 30, 2011

Wolfsbane is the 3rd book in the series entitled Discarded Heroes by Ronie Kendig. This series focuses on men who have served their country in the military, men who have been discarded by their government who are then infused with hope by a high ranking official who gives them a chance to become a member of an elite black ops team known as Nightshade.

Captain Canyon Metcalfe is such a hero whose career as a Green Beret medic had been ripped out of his hands 24 months prior to the start of the novel. Discharged from service with little to his name apart from shame and guilt  that hounds him day and night, Canyon is a loose cannon until once again he is given a purpose in life as a member of the Nightshade team.

26 year old demolitions expert, Lieutenant Danielle Roark is a woman who has visited hell on earth and survived. Having spent almost six months in Venezuela as a captive raped and tortured at the hands of the VFA i.e. The Courage of Bolivarian Army headed by the notoriously evil General Humberto Bruzon. Danielle escapes with her life barely intact only to be labelled as a traitor by her own country requiring that she return to Hell on earth once again to prove that she had not been fabricating the story of how she was captured and was held against her will.

Though it is Canyon’s younger brother that lays claim on Danielle at first, it is the undeniable connection that springs forth between Canyon and Danielle that makes her feel safe for the first time since her ordeal at the hands of General Bruzon and his men. Though Canyon tries to do the honorable thing and step aside to leave the field clear for his younger brother, emotions that Canyon had thought long since buried after losing the woman he loved renders Canyon unable to turn away from how Danielle makes him feel. And as luck would have it, it is Nightshade that is tasked with the responsibility of getting Danielle safely in and out of Venezuela to find the proof that she needs in order to clear her name.

Ronie Kendig does a swell job of describing the many a risky situations in which the hero and heroine finds themselves in, together with the team of Nightshade. The descriptions were vivid enough to make me feel as if I were watching a movie rather than reading a book, which was one of the best parts about this story. I loved how Canyon and Danielle’s relationship unfolded, both broken people who heal along the way to deserve each other and the love that springs forth between them as time works its magic on their bruised emotions and feelings. A realistic pace is what the author sets with Danielle, a woman who endures the worst type of horrors that anyone of the fairer sex can undergo, and emerges as a broken woman in body and soul, nearly driven to take her own life until she learns to gather strength from the man who stands unwaveringly by her side through the worst of times in her life.

When I picked up this novel from Netgalley, I really had no idea  that this was also categorized under Christian Romances though I later saw the label which at first I missed. I usually refrain from reading books that preach any sort of religion and was keeping it in mind to stop reading if the book were to get too preachy for me. However it turned out that reading a Christian Romance wasn’t so bad after all – in the end its just about instilling hope in those who seem to have lost their way.

Though Ms. Kendig brings to life the sizzling attraction that flares up between Canyon and Danielle right from the very start of their relationship, there are no scenes of any explicit variety included in the story. So this would be an ideal romance for those who like the build up to the act and leaves the actual act of sex to the imagination of the reader. I recommend this title for fans of the Discarded Heroes series, Ms. Kendig definitely knows what she is doing with these hot-as-sin ex-military heroes and I’m sure her fans would agree with me on this 100%. I would also recommend this title for those who love military themed action-packed romances because this is one story that delivers on all counts.

Favorite Quotes

His deep laugh rumbled through the night – and straight into Dani’s soul. As he scooted in and looked around, his gaze stumbled into hers. He stilled, his smile slipping.
Dani’s pulse hiccuped. She wanted to look away. Even told herself to. But if she did, she might never find a moment like this again.

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

greatread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Sweet Revenge by Nina Bruhns

Format: E-booksweetrevenge
Read with: Kindle for iPhone
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: New Orleans, Book 2
Publisher: Silhouette
Hero: Auri “Creole” Levalois
Heroine: Grace Summerville
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: July 1, 2002
Started On: April 2, 2011
Finished On: April 4, 2011

Nina Bruhns is an author who caught my eye when I first stumbled across her Passion for Danger series which I just devoured upon discovery. I found Nina Bruhns to write a well balanced romantic suspense whilst juggling a lot of characters, delivering edge of the seat suspense together with enough heat to make  her books the kind you can count on to keep you entertained throughout.

Sweet Revenge is the 2nd book in the New Orleans trilogy featuring the very hot Cajun hero, New Orleans Police Detective Auri “Creole” Levalois. Creole is a man who has survived the harshest and cruelest existence in life suffering at the hands of those who are bound to protect him. A victim of the mostly brutal foster care system, Creole’s only close friend is his foster brother Luke for whom Creole would lay down his very life for. Luke’s death at the hands of the notorious crime leader James Davies comes as a shock to Creole who vows revenge on the man who is responsible for his foster brother’s death. Creole’s only lead is to follow the trail of Gary Fox in the hopes that he would lead Creole right onto Davies’s doorstep.

Psychologist Grace Summerville travels to New Orleans to find out why her twin sister Muse Summerville has disappeared all of a sudden. Grace and Muse are as different from one another as night and day with Grace being the sensible and responsible one with Muse living up to her well earned reputation of being the wild one. Grace is pretending to be her sister Muse when her path crosses that of the sexy French Cajun detective who stirs up all her senses and makes her clamor for his attention each and every time they come across one another.

Creole is a man who is well versed in the art of female deception. That along with all the women in his life who has betrayed him till now makes Creole a man who is wary of feeling too much for anyone of the fairer sex. But even his well guarded heart is not immune from how all his senses go on red alert when he comes across the alluring Grace Summerville who he is keeping under surveillance thinking Grace to be Muse.

Grace who has sworn that she would never let herself fall for a wild and undependable man like her father finds herself nevertheless a helpless victim of desire when it comes to the wildly dangerous Creole who sets off all kinds of reactions of the right variety deep within her as they team up to find out what happened to Muse and to draw in Luke’s killer.

The mystery potion of the story is quite small with the main focus of the novel being on how the relationship devlops between Creole and Grace. Creole is a hero of the yummiest kind who whispers all the right erotic stuff in sexy Cajun which makes my knees go wobbly each and every time. He is a tortured hero who doesn’t come across as a brute, but rather is a man who has so many endearing qualities to him that I couldn’t help but fall hard and fast for him. Though his history is not overly much detailed, the reader is able to piece together a painful past which makes Creole a man who is doubly protective of his heart and trust.

Grace had grown up with a father who had upped and left when the going had gone tough. Past relationships had shown Grace that she doesn’t have the best taste in men, always ending up with someone who wants to live for the moment. So when Grace comes across Creole to whom her reaction is volatile at best, Grace does the next best thing and denies anything she feels for the man who kisses her senseless and makes her forget each and every sensible thought ever to cross her mind.

However, even when Grace witnesses firsthand the type of honorable man Creole is, even when he shows her over and over again how hard it is for him to trust people and nevertheless wins over his trust, even then Grace never fully understood Creole enough not to walk away from him towards the end. This fact rankled a bit for me with this story, made me feel at times that Grace didn’t deserve someone like Creole who has a broken soul which heals under the Grace’s tender ministrations. However, thankfully things did work out in the end, and I ended up with a huge grin on my face after reading the epilogue which shows my Creole all happy with the kind of love and family he has never had before.

If you are looking for a contemporary romance featuring a hot Cajun hero, a romance that features a bit of suspense to make things interesting, grab yourself a copy and read this one. Though I expected Creole to be a bit different from the hero he turned out to be, nevertheless he makes for a hero who induces all the right kinds of feelings making this a well rounded story in the end.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo

goodread

by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Fight or Flight by Natalie J. Damschroder

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Carina Press
Hero: Tyler Sloane
Heroine: Chelsea Conrad/Regan Miller
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: March 28, 2011
Started On: March 27, 2011
Finished On: March 27, 2011

Natalie J. Damschroder is a new author for me. Having never heard of her before didn’t stop me from requesting for an ARC of this title on Netgalley, which is to be released on the 28th of this month from Carina Press. The cover was what drew me to the story at first and then the blurb gave the impression that this could be my kind of story. And from the very first chapter itself, Fight or Flight reeled me in and kept me captivated, turning the pages to reach its conclusion, to see how Regan and Sloan fare in the end.

37 year old Regan Miller is a woman who has been on the run, who has continually looked over her shoulder for any danger that may come for the past 19 years. Regan had lost her parents in a home invasion when she had been 12 years old and had become a victim of the foster care system from which she had escaped with the help of an excellent social worker who opened up the opportunity for her to enroll in an elite boarding school in California where she meets Scott Harrison the father of her daughter Kelsey. The news of Regan’s pregnancy had brought immense joy to Scott which had been short lived as Scott ends up giving up his life to save that of his pregnant girlfriend and to warn her to run for her life.

Regan is a woman who would do anything to keep her daughter safe, even if it means working hard at creating a facade of normalcy in their lives. Kelsea had grown up thinking that her mother suffers from psychological problems at worst, living life constantly at the edge waiting for a danger that had never materialized.

But the minute Regan lets her guard down enough to invite even a semblance of normalcy into her life, the danger that she has been waiting for explodes into her life without a care for the wake of destruction and chaos it leaves behind. 18 years of training and words of advice Regan has given kicks in when Kelsey receives the call that brings life as she knows it tumbling down right in front of her.

And thus begins a race against unknown enemies who are willing to cross anything or anyone that stands between them and Kelsey. It is Regan’s sexy next door neighbor of 2 years Tyler Sloane that steps into help at the most unexpected hour, someone who seems to know more about them than he lets on, earning Regan’s continued distrust as danger continues to greet them at every turn. However, even a lifetime habit of being wary around people doesn’t stop Regan from responding to the heat that flares between her and Tyler every time, a fire that burns out of control long before Tyler gains Regan’s full trust.

With surprising twists towards the end, Fight or Flight is a novel that lives up to its very well deserved title. Regan’s race to keep her daughter safe at all costs is one that requires her to be vigilant at all times, ready to fight dirty or to flee and get the hell out when the moment calls for it. The adventure of the nail-biting variety is non-stop which is complemented by the very well done and explosive scenes of passion between Tyler and Regan whose feelings blossom amidst all the chaos that reigns.

I enjoyed my first novel by Natalie immensely which features a kick-ass heroine who would lay down her very life for the daughter she loves. Tyler is a bit of a mystery throughout the story until towards the end when everything about him comes to light. Even then, the story is not told from his point of view at any stage in the story, but his feelings are well portrayed by other means which makes his feelings towards Regan seem more real.

My only peeve with the story is the lack of a proper ending; for me the way the story concluded seemed a  bit rushed. I would have loved to see Regan’s life with Tyler afterwards, a completely different Regan from the woman she has been forced to be for the past 18 years of her life.

I finish off my review with a quote from the story, the scene where Tyler tries to confess his feelings towards a Regan who is not at all ready to hear what he has got to say – lending the moments that follow a more emotional wrangling quality which would have not been possible if otherwise.

“Regan.”
It was low, almost pleading. The curtain moved slightly. Regan pulled away from the wall and slid it sideways enough to see his face, and the pain and hope there almost undid her.
“Tyler,” she whispered, and then there was no space to say more. He caught her against him, his towel falling to the floor, his mouth capturing hers in a desperate, plunging kiss. One hand braced on the back of her neck and the other just above her hips, he stepped over the edge of the tub and crowded her against the wall.
Regan fell. Not physically, because she held him as tightly as he held her, and neither one was letting go. But she fell just the same, into a swirling maelstrom of desire and fear and need.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Carina Press

amazingread

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Loving Luke by Jenny Andersen

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Hero: Luke Stone
Heroine: Hannah Bluefield
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: November 17, 2009
Started On: March 23, 2011
Finished On: March 25, 2011

Romances featuring ex-convict heroes are one of my favorite types to read. I got this title off a discussion thread on Amazon and the promising blurb had me acquiring this book into my to-be-read pile. Eons later I suppose, I finally took the plunge and read Loving Luke, and while there were things that could have made this book a better read all around, I still enjoyed reading about Luke’s journey to happily ever after with Hannah.

The story kicks off with Hannah Bluefield going to visit Luke Stone at Deep Mountain Prison to offer the man she has loved all her life who is up for parole a job at her ranch. Hannah dreads finding a miserable and hopeless Luke and instead finds a bleak and hard version of the Luke who had taken over the reins of his family ranch to skyrocket it from thriving to mega successful in a few years. Sentenced to prison for the murder of his wife Chrissy, Luke had been one of the most successful horse trainers in the country before his arrest.

Luke grabs the lifeline that his childhood friend Hannah throws at him though marriage to any woman or giving up his heart once again to be trampled all over is not on his agenda. Luke is determined to remain celibate throughout their marriage, until he can prove his innocence and walk out of Stone Crossing for good, forever. Hannah dreams of finally achieving her dreams of having Luke in her arms and her life for good when Luke doesn’t even remember what took place between them 12 years back, the night she had given up her virginity to the only man she has ever loved.

Life is far from idyllic when the one man who pursued the avenue of Luke doing time for murder is now the new mayor of Stone Crossing and is determined to send Luke back to where he rightfully belongs. However in Hannah he finds a worthy opponent, who would do anything to keep the man who is her only from going back to prison, even if it means that he would walk out on her once his name is cleared.

A fresh murder in Stone Crossing, similar in M.O. to Chrissy’s have the local police hounding on Hannah’s doorstep making Luke fear that his freedom is going to be a short lived one. Though Luke starts depending on Hannah and considers her his lifeline, Luke has trouble letting go of his past, how he was duped before into loving a woman more than his last breath and continues to reject all his emotions where Hannah is concerned until the very last minute when the turn of events towards the end makes him realize that what he has yearned for since his prison cell door slammed on him 10 years back is right in front of him.

I liked the premise of the story well enough and Luke is a yummy hero to dream about. The horse training business that serves as the backdrop was an interesting one and proves to be something that both Hannah and Luke have an immense talent for. I liked Hannah well enough and considered her mother-tiger-protecting-the-cub routine when it comes Luke an endearing one. Though she wears her heart on the sleeve and would love nothing more than for Luke to return her feelings, that doesn’t stop her from trying to ease Luke’s pain and make him see that if he wants, they could have a wonderful life together. And I reveled in the simmering tension between Hannah and Luke which was of the toe-curling variety and lent the story the spice it so rightfully deserves.

However, even with all those things that I liked, there were a certain things that didn’t work for me in the story. I wanted glimpses of Hannah and Luke’s past which Hannah seems to think about a lot. I wanted to know how she fell in love with him, and I wanted Luke’s fascination with Hannah which had started when he was 20 years old to come to the spotlight as well. These issues were just skimmed over, the momentous night in which Hannah gave herself up to Luke all but forgotten and his proposal to Chrissy the very next day just mentioned. The emotions both Hannah and Luke had felt would have made this story a much better read with insights into their shared past lending the story what it needs to make this a 5-star read.  But nevertheless, Loving Luke is a good read, recommended for fans of western romances in a contemporary setting.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo | Wild Rose Press

goodread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Return by Jan Bowles

Format: E-bookthereturn
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Siren-Bookstrand
Hero: Robert Tremayne
Heroine: Marielle Stevens
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: December 1, 2009
Started On: March 22, 2011
Finished On: March 23, 2011

A fan of tortured hero goodness through and through, I picked this book up on a whim because the blurb promised a tortured hero which guarantees a whole lot of emotion wrenching goodness in a story. However, I found myself just a tad disappointed with how the story unfolded, not because it wasn’t an interesting one, but there was something about the character development together with how the story is narrated that just didn’t sit right with me.

The Return is the story of Marielle Stevens whose soul mate Robert Tremayne captured by Islamic Jihadists in Iraq who the British government gave up on returns two years afterwards, a changed man inside and out. Robert who has regretted his trip to war torn Iraq in order to make a name for himself as a journalist comes back home to the devastating news that the woman whose image had pulled him through hell and back in Iraq has gone and married his best friend James.

The story picks up 3 years later when Robert finally returns back home after that fateful night which had literally brought his world crashing down. The news that James had died and left Marielle a widow certainly helps his decision to come back and tie up loose ends back home where memories that are better left alone continue to haunt him upon his return.

The mother of all shocks leaps up when Robert discovers the truth about Marielle’s 3 year old daughter Jemma. The sense of betrayal that he feels on missing out on his daughter’s life for the past couple of years cut deep and Robert is unwilling to forgive and forget what Marielle’s marriage to James had done to their relationship.

But when Robert’s celebrity status brings focus onto Marielle and his daughter Jemma, Robert does what he thinks best to save them from the vicious cycle of their whole life being plastered all over the British tabloids. Robert proposes marriage to Marielle, who professes to have never stopped loving him all throughout the years.

Marielle has her work cut out for her to bring back the caring and loving man Robert was before he left to Iraq, glimpses of the man Marielle yearns for which she sees in Robert’s tormented soul. Marielle knows  that although the heady and scorching hot attraction between them runs deeper than ever, without learning to talk about the past and willing to forgive and forget what the past 5 years have meant to both of them, they would not have a chance of making their marriage work.

Before their happily ever after comes calling, Robert has to learn to slay his demons, the emotional scars left behind by the 2 years he spent in Iraq barely making it day after day and listen to what Marielle went through and hear her side of the story to finally begin to thaw the ice around his heart.

Though the storyline is an interesting one set in the UK, I found myself a bit impatient with both Robert and Marielle. I found myself irritated with Marielle because she professes to love Robert more than anything else in the world but hesitates to give Robert the chance he needs to see what they could be together. Robert on the other hand is a tortured soul yes, but I just couldn’t grasp on the fact that he kept on blaming his emotional trauma suffered in Iraq as the sole reason for his coldness and aloofness when it comes to relationships. In my opinion, the betrayal he suffered at the hands of his best friend served as more of a catalyst to make him completely close himself up to any sort of relationship with the opposite sex apart from just getting together for sex. I wished Marielle would grow up a bit and Robert would try and be an adult for once and listen to what Marielle had to say without running off to wallow in his emotional scars.

Jan Bowles is an author who shows promise and I believe her stories will continue to get better. I would certainly not say no to reading another novel by her. However, I do wish that publishers wouldn’t use the same cover on different books which just most of the time turns me off from buying a book. This cover sports the same cover art as that of the novel Just My Type by Erin Nicholas, which might be the reason why this book caught my eye in the first place.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

averageread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Crimson Shadows by Trisha Baker

Format: E-bookcrimsonshadows
Read with: Microsoft Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Horror
Series: Crimson, Book 3
Publisher: Pinnacle
Hero/Villain: Lord Simon Baldevar
Heroine: Meghann Katherine Agnes O’Neill
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: February 1, 2003
Started On: March 20, 2011
Finished On: March 21, 2011

Its with a feeling of bittersweet melancholy coursing through me that I write this review and bid farewell to one of the most enthralling paranormal/horror romances that I have read to date. I bid farewell to my most favorite villainous hero Simon Baldevar with a heavy heart and I don’t think any hero that I come across afterwards would ever be able to completely surpass what he has made me feel throughout the trilogy.

Crimson Night, book 2 of the Crimson trilogy ended on a bittersweet note with Simon and Meghann going  their separate ways, torn apart by the one thing that was supposed to bring them closer to each other. Vampire pregnancies being rare caused much upheaval on Meghann and nearly destroyed her life before she bore Simon twins, Elizabeth their mortal daughter and Mikal their immortal son. Knowing that Simon’s enemies would never give them a moments peace if it were to come to light that an immortal vampire offspring walks the Earth, Simon does the most unselfish thing he has ever done in his life and subjects himself to separation from Meghann, the woman who holds his heart for eternity and their beautiful daughter to bring up their son who from the very beginning show signs of depravity unlike anything encountered before in the story.

Meghann brings up their beautiful daughter together with the help of her immortal friend and confidante Dr. Charles Tarleton and his life partner Dr. Lee Winslow who adopts Elizabeth as his own child and forgoes transformation to look after Elizabeth during daylight hours. 17 years pass by without any sort of connection between Simon and Meghann apart from the letters they exchange with one another. Elizabeth grows up knowing love and affection from 3 people who dote on her by her side whilst her twin brother Mikal with his unholy appetites and psychotic behavior grows up with his father on a remote Scottish island.

After 17 long years, Simon finally comes seeking his beloved daughter and Meghann whom he has missed more than he would ever let on. Their reunion though a happy one ends on a devastating note when Meghann realizes what her son Mikal is truly capable of with the utter force of destruction that he brings down on her loved ones with a cunningness that stuns them all.

Mikal’s need for vengeance and destruction goes beyond anything rational and before the day is through, both Simon and Meghann are forced to call on reserves of strength and summon friends and foes alike to fight a battle with their mutual enemy; their own son to save their most prized possession of all, their daughter Elizabeth from the clutches of a mad man who makes Simon seem puny in size when compared to the evil that seeps out of him.

Crimson Shadows is a fitting end to a love that has weathered many a storm between Meghann and her centuries old vampire husband Simon. Both Meghann and Simon do a lot of growing up to become worthy of each other’s love, the unabated desire between them strong as ever upon their reunion after 17 long years of celibacy and waiting for each other. However there is a vague sense of incompleteness as to how the story ended because I would have loved to see how the surprising love that stems and grows between Elizabeth and Simon’s hated enemy i.e. Meghann’s ex-lover Jimmy Delcroix fared in the end. And there were a couple of pages towards the end that I felt appalled at Simon’s instinctive lashing out towards Meghann because she dared protect Elizabeth and Jimmy from Simon’s wrath upon his discovery of their coming together that made me wonder whether Simon would ever learn to curb his inner demons and become someone who would never hurt the woman he loves. But I guess if that were to happen, Simon wouldn’t be true to his character and such a total turnabout would be in total antithesis to what we have come to expect from Simon.

Simon is a character that would continue to haunt me for a long time I suppose because even the most “evil” gamma heroes I have come across holds nothing when compared to Simon’s character which compels the reader to hate and love him in equal doses, love triumphing towards the end. The way how Simon’s character changes over time is what captivated me the most because this didn’t happen overnight but rather over a span of 70 years starting from 1944, the year Meghann was turned into a vampire beholden to her Master Simon Baldevar.

The last and final book in the series is definitely not for the faint of heart as once again Trisha Baker pulls no punches in delivering exactly what I have come to expect from her novels. Mikal’s character knows no boundaries when it comes to manifesting pure and unadulterated evil which just makes him a very worthy opponent for the invincible Simon. There were moments towards the end where my poor nails bore the brunt of my utter panic as there seemed to be no end to the cruelty that Mikal was capable of dishing out until the very end.

I recommend all 3 books to those who would love a twisted dark hero to seduce them completely and make you fall for him, however reluctant you may be to do so. I loved every single minute of this trilogy and am saddened by the fact that there are no novels published by the author afterwards.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Abe Books

outstandingread

by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Rush of Darkness by Rhyannon Byrd

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Primal Instinct, Book 7
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Seth McConnell
Heroine: Raine Spenser
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: March 29, 2011
Started On: March 9, 2011
Finished On: March 10, 2011

I can’t exactly pinpoint the reason why, but there is something seriously sexy about paranormal romances that involve a human on one side and a paranormal being on the other end. Book 7 in the Primal Instinct Series takes this one step further where the ultra sexy and uber alpha hero is the human whilst the strong and yet endearingly vulnerable heroine turns out to be the paranormal being.

Rush of Darkness is the story of Raine Spenser and Seth McConnell. Their story began in Touch of Temptation, book 6 of the series which I reviewed earlier. Seth McConnell is an ex-hunter who has spent the past 20 years of his life slaughtering every vampire that he could get his hands on.  Raised in Southern California, Seth had been a young teenager when a rogue nest of vampires had taken away everything that mattered to him and nearly killed and destroyed him in the process as well. His salvation had come in the form of the Collective Army whose aim it has been to remove all traces of paranormal existence from Earth. Driven by rage and the thirst for revenge, Seth had honed himself into a lethal killing machine, unstoppable and feared by the creatures that he hunts down until circumstances force him to take stock of his life and what was actually happening to turn his life around and start working for his lifelong enemy.

Raine Spenser is unique amongst ancient clans; part Deschanel vampire and part Alacea psychic, Raine had been brought up in a loving home by parents who had adored each other and their children. Having led a pretty much sheltered life, Raine had been working for charities that had been investigating the effect of deforestation as her work as an environmentalist when she had been kidnapped by Ross Westmore, a Kraven vampire who gets his high from the thrill of victory. Westmore’s plan is one that is bound to destroy the world and plunge it into darkness and chaos which is what the Watchmen – a group of shape shifters who watch over the clansmen and women of their preternatural world are trying to prevent. Held against her will over a month during which Raine has suffered numerous forms of physical, mental and emotional abuse from her captors, it is a tortured and guilt-ridden Raine that emerges from her captivity at the hands of a mad man.

Seth’s fascination for Raine from the very moment he carries her in his arms after her rescue from Westmore is an unexplainable one. His need to drive away the haunting look that has settled deep inside of Raine and the electric way in which his body reacts to Raine’s mere presence has him at first running away from how he feels but inevitably finds himself unable to stay away from the one woman he wants to claim as his own more than he has wanted anything else in his life.

Raine’s emotions when it comes to the human soldier is as complex as his feelings towards her. Fear of her growing feelings towards a man who had previously made it his life’s mission to destroy her species has Raine pushing him away masking her need for the fierce warrior who stands in front of her with a loathing that she can’t seem to summon. Her dreams of them entwined in lovers embraces has Raine pushing up the shields that guard her emotions and heart more fiercely than ever. But as moths drawn towards flame, these two can only deny their explosive feelings towards each other for so long and it is a combustive coming together if there ever was one that has these two finally taking things to the next level.

However, their journey towards happily ever after is not an easy one. Continuous danger from Westmore who sets in motion an elaborate plan to turn the war that is brewing onto the side of evil once and for all nearly destroys both Raine and Seth and the fragile bond that seems to have forged between the two. The need to protect one another from danger has each of them engaged in a battle of wills with the other, and it is only with ultimate trust and learning to let go of their pasts that would  bring about true happiness to two souls who deserve it more than anyone else in the primal instinct world.

This one wins by far on all fronts in the Primal Instinct series for me. I loved the uniqueness the fact Seth the hero being the human brought into the story. Regardless of the fact he is a human, his wants and needs are as ferocious and as primal as the shape-shifters that I have come across in the series. And Seth totally wins my heart and soul as my favorite hero from the series with his tortured broodiness that makes him so very much appealing. I loved the fact that explicitly drawn out sex scenes weren’t what drove the story right from the very 1st chapter itself, but rather the sexual tension that simmers between Raine and Seth is drawn out, making their ultimate surrender a very explosive and unforgettable one. Don’t let me forget Raine, whose character and what she suffered at the hands of a monstrous species makes her so vulnerable but even then it makes her a determined one in her need for revenge on a group of men who had taken away something from her life that can never be replaced.

All in all, a tortured, hot as sin alpha hero that had my salivary glands working over time, a heroine that needed a bit of TLC and a knock on the head or two to figure out that Mr. Tortured and Hotness himself was here to stay, with the continuous adventure that is always a part of this series makes this book a huge 5-star winner for me. Very highly recommended for fans of the series and fans of Rhyannon Byrd. Mind you, you can always read this book as a standalone without much hassle because Ms. Byrd doesn’t make her supernatural world a complex one, but rather she keeps her explanations simple, drawing the reader in and making you feel right at home with all the species that crops up in between.

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

outstandingread