by mvbookreviewer

Pick of the Month Giveaway Winners!

My first ‘Pick of the Month’ giveaway wasn’t a resounding success. But even then, 6 participants made their way and entered the contest, to each of whom goes my thanks for livening things up a bit.

Requests were placed for 3 titles from the 6 available. For the 2 titles which more than 1 participant requested for, a random name picker was used to draw a winner.

GIVEAWAY WINNERS!!!

Betsysalt made the wise choice of requesting for Beg For Mercy by Jami Alden. Congratulations Betsy! I will be contacting you via email very soon!

Provoke Me by Cari Quinn received a lot of requests. Barbara won this title from the giveaway. Congratulations on winning one of the best erotic contemporary romances out there. Hope you enjoy this title as much as I did!

Sweet As Sin by Inez Kelley goes to my fabulous peep Ally. Congratulations girl! Finally you are about to find out what John Murphy is all about! And he will not disappoint!

Once again, a huge THANK YOU for those who were kind enough to spread the word about the giveaway and for those who took the time to stop by and enter the contest! You guys rock, in more ways than one!

by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: The Fifth Kingdom by Caridad Piñeiro

Format: E-bookthefifthkingdom
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Carina Press
Hero: Special Agent Guillermo Santana
Heroine: Dr. Deanna Vasquez
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: July 11, 2011
Started On: July 4, 2011
Finished On: July 5, 2011

The Fifth Kingdom by Caridad Piñeiro is a novel that combines romance and adventure in equal spades delivering a romantic suspense that ought to please many a fan of the genre. Most of the story takes place in Mexico where the buried treasure of a long lost civilization seems to bring out the most cutthroat criminals who would cross no boundaries in order to attain the prize they are after.

The heroine Dr. Deanna Vasquez is a history lecturer at one of the premier prep schools in Manhattan. When Special Agent Bill Santana from the CIA seeks her out claiming that her estranged mother might be in trouble, Deanna’s first reaction is to go crawl under a rock and forget that she ever heard the news.

When Deanna comes to know that her mother’s quest to find the tomb of Montezuma, one of the last Emperors of the Aztecs might have borne fruit after 14 long years during which she had left behind her 13 year old daughter and husband behind, Deanna knows deep in her heart that she can’t turn away from her mother’s obvious need for help with her conscience intact.

What stirs Deanna more than anything else is the strong and larger than life Bill who manages to invoke all sorts of emotions in her, a man with a heartbreaking past of his own who finds a haven of warmth and comfort in Deanna’s arms. As Bill and Deanna travel to Mexico in the guise of engaged lovers, their pretend arrangement suddenly takes a more realistic edge as both of them give into the feelings of passion that have stalked them right from the very start.

As danger escalates together with each step they take closer towards the buried treasure, their salvation comes in the form of a relic that could change the world as we know it, that could drive the world to the brink of disaster and beyond if it were to land in the wrong hands.

The Fifth Kingdom proved to be an entertaining romantic suspense with an endearing hero and heroine thrown together by circumstance, and yet find the best thing to happen to each of them in one another. Bill is a tender hero who doesn’t let his past color his future and Deanna is a strong heroine who finds reason enough to trust in a man like Bill. The scenes of passion between the two were hot and tender at the same time, perfectly in tune with the adventure aspect of the novel.

Recommended for fans of romantic suspense.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Man Trouble by Sabine Ferruci

Format: E-bookmantrouble
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Hero: Jack O’Brien
Heroine: Elizabeth Nash-Swenson
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: March 1, 2009
Started On: July 3, 2011
Finished On: July 4, 2011

Man Trouble by Sabine Ferucci has certainly delivered me from the funk I was in after my last two reads which turned out to be disappointing. I am so very glad that I took the chance and obtained myself a copy of this delectable read which turned out to be fun, entertaining and sexy as hell!

The hero Jack O’Brien who is about to turn 40 is a man who has had more than his fair share of disappointments in life. A single dad with his 6 year old daughter Laurie, Jack is a man who is leery of commitment, marriage and the whole lot that goes along with it, not surprising given his past encounter with marriage and the ugly divorce that had followed.

33 year old Elizabeth Nash-Swenson is a single mother with two boys and had lost her husband almost two years back. Beth is a woman stuck in her past refusing to let go of the memories of her precious husband Tim until Jack invades her life, a man as different from Tim as night is to day.

When Jack approaches the woman least likely to turn stalkerish in a bar, he has no idea that Beth is the woman who has been refusing to pay his construction company for services rendered. Before he knows it, he has kissed her senseless and promised her that he would come around her place to find out what the problem was all about.

When Jack strikes a bargain with Beth that he would finish up whatever repairs at her place personally, this paves the path in which their repressed feelings of red-hot desire for one another fosters and starts to grow amidst all the misgivings each has against the other. When a marriage of convenience comes into the picture, all bets are off when the headstrong and stubborn Jack meets more than his match in Beth.

There were so many things that I loved about Man Trouble and Jack tops the list without any competition. He is broody, uber-alpha, a man who works with his hands and someone who definitely knows the finer points of keeping a woman satisfied on all counts in bed. He is stubborn to the point of being a pain in the ass but I couldn’t help but fall in love with him as he was and subject myself to the continuous streaks of hot flashes which was a constant when Jack was around.

Beth is someone who finds it hard to let go of the memories of her dead husband and Jack certainly gives her a hard time in acting out whenever any semblance of closeness begins to develop between them. I loved Beth because she gave as good as she got from Jack and finally managed to convince him that with her lies his future steeped in love and warmth, something that has been missing from Jack’s life since childhood.

A very satisfying contemporary romance recommended for EVERYONE who loves books of the genre. I read this in one sitting, acquiring myself hours of lost sleep which was all worth it because of the very sigh and drool worthy Jack O’Brien.

Favorite Quotes

Jack muttered a few choice words and stood. “So. You still need a hug?”
She nodded. Desperately.
He walked over with his hands in his pockets and a look in his eyes that could only be called tenderness. “I got to tell you. It’s going to be tough to keep it brotherly. I was never anyone’s brother.”
“I’ll risk it.” She lifted her arms to him.
He reached down and swooped her up, afghan and all, then sat down in the rocker with her in his lap. He pulled her close, pressed her head to his shoulder, and steadily rocked the chair.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | New Concepts Publishing

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by mvbookreviewer

Pick of the Month & Giveaway!

Being blessed with the ability to read and enjoy books is one of the many things that I am thankful for in life. Though I may never say it enough, I always appreciate the hard work that authors put forth to deliver us with books that give us the most beautiful and luscious stories of love without which the world of romanceaholics like mine would be incomplete.

To show my appreciation to all those authors who light up my world by creating those stories that make my day, I have decided to host a pick of the month event on my blog which would be held each month starting from this point forward. The pick of the month post will also on most occasions be included with a chance for visitors like yourself to participate in a giveaway, most probably of my pick of the month.

Since this is the start of an event that has been a long time coming, I aim to kick start the Pick of the Month post with a bang and this month’s post will include my favorite reads for each of the months from January till June of this year. And the good news – I’ll be giving away 6 books in this months post and you can pick which one you would like from all the 6 books in my favorites list for the year up till now.

So without further ado, I move onto the list of my favorite books from January till June for the year 2011.

January

singmyname.JPGSing My Name by Ellen O’Connell is an American-Western historical romance that just about took my breath away. I fell in love with Matt Slade hook, line and sinker and made my entrance into 2011 by kick-starting my reading fest with this great read. Kudos to Ellen O’Connell who continues to amaze me with her evocative storytelling that never fails to please the senses. And here’s to many more of such fabulous reads from her in the future!

February

sweetassin.JPGSweet as Sin by Inez Kelley is my pick of the month for February. And what an amazing find this turned out to be as Inez Kelley pulls no punches with the story and the depth of emotion that she delivers right along with enough sensuality to make your hormones and other  vital organs sit up and take notice. John Murphy is one hero that anyone who loves romance should read about because he invokes all the right sort of emotions from the reader making this one of the best contemporary romances I have read to date! Please let there be more from where this came from!!

March

Alotlikelove.JPGWith Jed Hill’s chiseled jaw gracing the cover, A Lot Like Love by Julie James lived up to and surpassed all my high expectations when it comes to Ms. James. Nick McCall’s smoldering sensuality, the lively banter between Jordan and Nick together with the scorching hot romance and a healthy dose of a creepy villain to liven things up, Julie James lit up my world with the most beautiful of colors as I tumbled head over heels in love with this delectable read! Here’s to an author who continues to grow with each novel that she publishes and a prayer that Spring 2012 gets here as soon as possible.

April

begformercy.JPGReceiving an ARC of Beg for Mercy by Jami Alden was the best thing to happen to me during the month of April. Intense with a capital “I”, Beg for Mercy is a novel that delivers on all counts where romantic suspense is concerned. I couldn’t get enough of Cole Williams and his smoldering sensuality which bursts forth upon his total loss of control where Megan is concerned. Fast paced, Beg for Mercy is a romantic suspense that is not to be missed, the sequel to this one I am stalking even as I write this.

May

Yourstokeep.JPGWith so many great books to line my e-book shelves during the month of May, Yours to Keep by Shannon Stacey still managed to worm its way to the top of my favorite reads of the month. My first taste of Shannon Stacey certainly proved to be addictive as I practically inhaled the 3rd book in the Kowalski Family series, because yes it was that good! Sean and Emma’s chemistry is combustive, their passion the heartwarming and toe-tingling kind and the love and romance just enough to make you sigh and moon in all the right places. A contemporary romance not to be missed is what this delectable edition is  & if you want a taste of what I am talking about you can always enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy of this one.

June

provokeme_msr.jpgProvoke Me by Cari Quinn wins hands down any contests between my June reads as she once again dazzled me with the unique blend of romance, witty banter and passion of the knock-your-socks-off and then some variety as I gobbled up this goody in one sitting while reeling from one of those 24-hour bugs that plagued me that day. Spencer continues to stalk me and my dreams even long afterwards, provoking me to do a re-read of this very tasty plus sized novel that any fan of contemporary erotic romance should not miss! Spencer darling, you can rock my world any time and I would welcome you with open arms and then some – if you know what I mean! LOL! Kudos to Ms. Quinn for rocking my world in more ways than one with Provoke Me and I can’t wait to see what she does with the rest of the interesting characters in her Unveiled series!

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

For a chance to enter and win a copy of any of the 6 books included in my pick of the month list (please note that all of them would be e-books), you need to do the following and leave a comment with this post signalling which book you would like and why. Please leave your e-mail address so that I would be able to contact you at the end of the giveaway if you win a copy of the book of your choice!
  1. Leaving a comment behind stating why you would love to win a copy of that particular book gives you a single entry.
  2. If you share this post on Facebook or Twitter, you gain 5 more entries for each. Please state in your comment if you have done so.
Go on and spread the word because I give you my word that each of the books included in my list are to die-for!
Giveaway will end on the 6th of July 2011. I will be announcing the winners hopefully sometime on the 7th! Good luck and don’t forget to leave a comment behind!
by mvbookreviewer

Review: Dangerous Kisses by Trish Milburn

Format: E-bookdangerouskisses
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Jake Radley
Heroine: Sydney Blackburn
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: June 7, 2011
Started On: July 2, 2011
Finished On: July 2, 2011

I am someone who wants to give in to a good crying jag when I pick up books that do not live up to my expectations. This one stirred my interest and of course along with it my ‘high’ expectations upon seeing the rave 5-star reviews for the book on Amazon. Needing a good romantic suspense with enough scorching passion to light up my world, I trusted the reviews and believed that Dangerous Kisses would deliver a smashing read and sadly I found this to be just an average read, most of the story which I skimmed through to reach the end.

32 year old Sydney Blackburn is the police beat reporter for The Nashville Courier and someone who takes her job of keeping the public informed very seriously. When a girl is found murdered in her town, all her reporter senses go on red-alert knowing that the police would always withhold vital facts that could save someone from stumbling onto a killer’s path.

Jake Radley is the officer in charge of the investigation of the murder of Maggie Field, a murder which brings home the fact that Nashville has a serial killer amongst its midst. Jake is a man who has been burnt badly by a reporter early on on in his career with her ambition to get ahead no matter the consequences. Needless to say, Jake has a deep rooted mistrust for reporters which rears its ugly head when the beautiful reporter from The Nashville Courier is relentless in her efforts to get the details of the investigation from him.

All that Sydney knows is that although Jake’s mere presence makes her feel breathless with longings better left unvoiced, Jake has no such problems when he goes out of his way to be his utmost rudest with her. But when the killer’s unwanted attention focuses on Sydney, Jake pulls out all the stops in his quest to keep her safe from harms way, the result of the ‘forced’ proximity building up a layer of intimacy between the two which makes both Jake and Sydney give into their desire of one another. However, Jake is a man who believes that he is better off alone and goes out of his way to drive home the fact until it might be all too late to let the woman he loves know that he is a man who is ready for the ultimate commitment.

For me, Dangerous Kisses didn’t make that much of an exceptional impression. Yes there was a hot hero and there was a gutsy heroine who didn’t back down but I just didn’t feel that sizzle between the two and didn’t find myself captivated by the chemistry between them. The killer though creepy made for an okay villian and even though he managed to surprise me when his identity was revealed, yet again I wasn’t wowed with the thriller aspect of the novel as well. It just pains me to write reviews such as this one when I am someone who reads for enjoyment, the sizzle and the adventure which provides me with my escape from reality. Though this one didn’t live up to the mark for me, it just might be what the doctor ordered for you.

Recommended for fans of Trish Milburn.

Now I am seriously in need of a story that would deliver me from the funk I find myself in at the moment. Sigh!!!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Smashwords

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Passion Becomes You by Michelle Reid

Format: E-book
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Presents, #1752
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Leon Stephanades
Heroine: Jemma Davis
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: June 1, 1995
Started On: July 3, 2011
Finished On: July 3, 2011

Passion Becomes You by Michelle Reid is an okay read, that somehow didn’t live up to my expectations. I wanted this novel to captivate me, the hero to dazzle me and of course wanted all my emotions in a tangle because of the hero and somehow I ‘think’ that I just expected too much from this Harlequin.

24 year old Jemma Davis bears the scars of living with two promiscous parents whose lifelong passion it had been to goad one another by sleeping with the next available piece of human flesh of the opposite sex. A determination that she would never let herself become embroiled in passion that could make her vulnerable, Jemma doesn’t know what it is that hits her when Greek tycoon Leon Stephanades strolls into her life and turns it completely upside down.

Jemma says yes to her very first affair with eyes wide open, fully knowing what it is that Leon is offering and just how vulnerable her emotions are when it comes to Leon. Though Leon tries to show otherwise, he is as much besotted with how she makes him feel and throughout their two month long affair during which Jemma keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop, for her fragile happiness to come crashing down in front of her.

When Jemma realizes the consequence of her first night of reckless abandonment with Leon, and knowing that Leon wouldn’t take the news of impending fatherhood lightly, Jemma hides the fact from him until a turn of events once again brings Leon back into her life; this time a determined Leon who wants her in his life once and for all.

What I expected to find from this short story and what I actually did find were two entirely different things. I wanted a ruthless and passionate hero whose desire to possess the woman who ignites him unlike any other woman make him lose his iron-clad control and of course I wanted the angst that would go with a story that includes such a strong hero. But Leon though is a passionate hero, I didn’t find myself overly fascinated with him and neither with the heroine though Jemma is not the type to get on one’s nerves. The story lost its appeal halfway through and I found myself skimming through the bits and pieces to reach the end.

Recommended for fans of Michelle Reid.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Abe Books

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Caressed By Ice by Nalini Singh

Format: E-bookcaressedbyice
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Psy-Changeling, Book 3
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Hero: Judd Lauren
Heroine: Brenna Shane Kincaid
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: September 4, 2007
Started On: June 30, 2011
Finished On: July 1, 2011

The 3rd book in the Psy/Changeling series seems to be a favorite amongst its fans and I too have succumbed and joined the legion of fans who loved the story of the very lethal Psy Judd Lauren and the strong Brenna Kincaid whose dark past would have completely broken down a lesser woman.

Judd is a fascinating Psy not only because this is the first time that a male Psy is in the position of a hero but because Judd is a defector from the Psy world where he was trained to be a lethal killing machine, a member of the elite team of soldiers known as the Arrow Squad. Highly skilled in the art of mental martial combat, Judd is a Psy who is more in control of his emotions than most Psy, someone who has been conditioned from the tender age of ten to never ever give in to any sort of emotion which would make him and the others around him vulnerable to his abilities.

Brenna Kincaid is the wolf from the SnowDancer pack who manages to escape the brutal kidmapping and invasive rape of her mind by the psychotic Santano Enrique in the first book of the series. Since then, Brenna struggles every day to fight her fears and come out a winner although it feels like an uphill climb every single moment that terror paralyzes her. Surprisingly, it is towards Judd that she turns to knowing that he would give her exactly what she wants and needs instead of the constant pity and understanding to which she is subjected to by her own kind.

It is the vicious murder of a male wolf in the pack that bears eerie similarity to how Enrique used to cut up his victims that kick-starts a series of events that propels the growth of the relationship between Judd and Brenna. Judd who resists the feelings and emotions that are as foreign to him as the lack of any sort of emotion or touch is foreign to Brenna, whose changeling nature needs and craves emotional and physical contact to survive.

Though Judd faces animosity from Brenna’s brothers who go beyond the bounds of normal protectiveness given Brenna’s close encounter with death at the hands of a Psy, Brenna is a wolf who knows what she wants and is prepared to go through any lengths to make a union between her and Judd possible by any means.

Judd is certainly a dreamy hero; ruthless, dangerous and a hot inferno of feelings waiting to burst forth when it comes to Brenna. His mate for life though mating is a foreign concept to Psy is strong enough to take him as he is and wouldn’t have it any other way. There is no way on Earth you can read Judd and Brenna’s book and not crave some of that icy-hot passion for yourself that Judd is certainly more than capable of giving.

Together with their romance continues the story of the play for dominance by the Psy race who think themselves to be superior than any other beings to inhabit the Earth. As they move onto the next phase of Silence, a plan so nefarious that within the Psy population itself starts a movement of rebellion helped along by their allies on the outside that makes for a great continuing story.

Recommended for fans of the series.

P.S. I am having such a hard time sticking with reading the series in order. Hawke is tempting me to jump into his book which is the 10th book in the series and the temptation certainly seems to be doing its number on me. Sigh!!

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Walking the Edge by Zee Monodee

Format: E-bookwalkingtheedge
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Corpus Brides, Book 1
Publisher: Noble Romance Publishing
Hero: Gerard Emmanuel Besson
Heroine: Morgane Mary Catherine Van Heerden
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: June 30, 2011
Started On: July 1, 2011
Finished On: July 1, 2011

Walking the Edge is the explosive debut novel of the Corpus Brides series by Zee Monodee. Shrouded in mystery and half-truths until its climactic ending, Walking the Edge is a romantic suspense novel that rightfully earns its position as one of the best romantic suspense novels to line my e-book shelves this year.

Walking the Edge kicks off with the heroine Amelia in the midst of a shopping complex, closely guarded by the hulk of a man sent with her seemingly for her protection by the cold and aloof man who proclaims to be her husband. Amelia suffers from amnesia and though her ‘husband’ tries to keep her under the influence of mind altering drugs, some deep hidden instinct within Amelia refuses to let her believe the nicely made up history of her life that comes out of Peter’s mouth.

Its the dreams when she she is forced to slumber that brings her to France to meet the man who seems to have been her lover, a man who doesn’t recall the fact which makes her lose all hope of ever finding out the truth about herself.

The last thing Gerard needs is a woman to turn up claiming to be his long-lost lover even though he has no recollection of the beautiful woman in obvious distress who stands in front of him. When Amelia saves his life from a close call and inevitably shows a side of herself that even she is not aware of, Gerard knows that he cannot walk away from the lure that this woman poses, a woman who makes him crave as he had craved for another woman that he should best have forgotten about.

As Gerard and Amelia give into the explosive mind numbing passion that whirls between them, questions about who she is and why she resembles the woman whose death seven months back which still haunts him mount up with no answers forthcoming. Amelia who is a mass of contradictions refuses to bow down to the fact that she is just merely the wife of someone she can’t stand and continues to stalk the truth about herself which frustratingly remains elusive until everything comes tumbling down, giving both Amelia and Gerard answers which once again has the power to drive them apart once and for all.

Walking the Edge delivers the sort of suspense that I love to find in books and movies, the type that makes my mind restless to find out the hidden truth which is so very well done in this novel. Together with this aspect, Zee Monodee keeps up with the relentless passion of the red-hot variety which escalates from one encounter to the other, delvering raw emotions between her characters that they both need to face head on. The basis of the covert secret agents that makes up the bare skeleton of the series is well done and I for one am definitely looking forward to more novels in the Corpus Brides series.

Recommended highly for fans of romantic suspense novels who love those stories that deliver on a mystery that puzzles you and makes you positively itch to find out the truth. A story that combines red-hot passion, sizzling sexual tension, a mystery that taunts you to read on and a love so powerful that even forgotten memories couldn’t keep them away.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Noble Romance

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by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Viper’s Kiss by Shannon Curtis

Format: E-bookviperskiss
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Carina Press
Hero: Luke Fletcher
Heroine: Margaret Elizabeth Kincaid
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: July 25, 2011
Started On: June 26, 2011
Finished On: June 26, 2011

Who in the world wouldn’t want to read a title with a cover as this one? I fell completely for it and though Shannon Curtis is a totally new author for me, within the first chapter itself I knew that in this instant judging the book by its cover had been the right thing to do.

Margaret Elizabeth Kincaid is the Information Services Librarian at the University of Washington whose wildest nightmares couldn’t have shown her the turmoil her life could turn into. Arrested and taken into custody for economic espionage and murder, Maggie’s orderly life is turned upside down when being arrested with the whole university looking on is just the tip of the iceberg.

When the squad car in which she is held is stopped by gun-toting vicious looking goons who have no problem with killing two federal officers whilst they are at it, Maggie undergoes the goons’ vicious onslaught whose only aim is to retrieve the research of the world-altering kind she supposedly has stolen for their boss. Being called the ‘Viper’ when she she has no clue as to who she is, Maggie is at a loss which doesn’t stop her from fighting for her right to survive.

Maggie narrowly escapes being manhandled to death by one set of goons only to run smack-dab into the arms of Luke Fletcher who is Ex-Special Forces and works for the McCormack Security Agency who has been entrusted with the task of retrieving the sensitive information stolen by the notorious and vicious Viper.

What Luke doesn’t comprehend happening is that he would screw up his first solo assignment so royally by lusting after the notorious Viper, almost believing the lies that comes out of her delectable mouth. Tall, blonde and too dangerous for her peace of mind is what Luke is to Maggie who has never been so tempted to break her own ninety day rule before. The fact that he almost makes her forget the reason for their acquaintance is reason enough for Maggie to be wary of the man whose rough and hard kisses stir her to her very soul.

And just when it seems like things may finally work out for Luke and Maggie, reality intervenes making Maggie take matters into her own hands to prove once and for all that she is not the infamous Viper whom everyone thinks she is.

For me, Viper’s Kiss turned out to be a surprisingly enjoyable read. I liked both Maggie and sexy as hell Luke and the chemistry between the two. Luke surprisingly is the only ex-military hero that I have encountered who actually has plans of settling down and what scares him is the fact that Maggie is the one he wants to do that with whilst still thinking her to be Viper.

The adventure aspect of the novel was fast-paced with plenty of action and thus never a dull moment in the story. And I enjoyed Drew Michaels and Noah Samuels entry into the story, the two other agents sent in who lend the story something extra with their presence. Would love to see more stories about the rest of the guys at MSA and I definitely look forward to reading more from Shannon Curtis.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: The Way That You Play It by B.J. Thornton

Format: E-bookthewaythatyouplayit
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Hero: Trenton Michael Buckney, Jr.
Heroine: Caroline Curran
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: July 7, 2011
Started On: June 30, 2011
Finished On: June 30, 2011

The Way That You Play It by BJ Thornton set to release on the 7th of July is a novel that fans of romances who love a bit of music with their romance ought to read. It tells the story of the 29 year old Trenton Buckney who has lost all 3 jobs which he had been working to support his mother and baby sister. From Bibb City Georgia, Trent is down on his luck, a man at his wits end as to what to do to turn his life around whilst deep inside he fears that it might already be too late for him.

31 year old Caroline Curran is a song writer who has been cheated out of everything by her slimy ex-boyfriend who has dumped her for a much younger and happening singer. Caroline might still feel like bawling her eyes out every time she sees the much younger woman’s pictures plastered all over magazines but she is determined to get back every dime he owes her even if it means resorting to less than legal means to get what she wants.

When the beaten down looking Trent turns up looking for her, courtesy of Reyes, the man who seems to be hellbent on making a favorable impression on her and whose motives remain unclear to Caroline, she is taken-aback at first until she hears the magic that Trent’s voice can weave. From then on, Caroline is determined that she would pick up the pieces of her broken professional life and that Trent would be her means of achieving that.

Trent is afraid to let hope rein in and lodge itself permanently in his heart, afraid that everything will come crashing down the minute he lets his guard down and give into what Caroline makes him feel. As his music career moves forward so does his burgeoning feelings towards Caroline until his tenuous control on his emotions break finally, releasing them both to embrace a passion as heady as the beautiful music that they make together.

But Trent’s happiness is a short-lived one when his past actions come calling, forcing him to walk away from the only thing that his heart yearns for in its otherwise bleak existence. Their happily ever after when it comes is a hard won one which makes their union all that much stronger and their story a more wonderful one on all counts.

The Way That You Play It is a great romance that encompasses the struggles of a nearly broken man who emerges a winner through no small feat. Though Trent might not be your typical hero material, he is nevertheless a lethal combination of charm and a body that could provoke a saint to sin. Caroline is just the right woman for a man like Trent with her combination of sweetness and the iron grit that lets her dig her heels in when Trent pushes her away when he actually needs her love the most.

The story between the enigmatic Reyes and Caroline’s best friend Jackie is an interesting one that was left unresolved by the end of the story. I am hoping there might be a story loosely tied with this one in the future that would give them both a fitting happily ever after even though Reyes does come off as a bit of a snob and control freak in this story though he might have had the best of intentions.

The Way That You Play It is a beautiful and different contemporary romance that fans of the genre should give a go just to experience the difference. With two characters who makes you root for them right from the very beginning, The Way That You Play It would make for an ideal summer read to escape reality, one page at a time.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Omnific Publishing

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