by mvbookreviewer

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Rumor by Skye Jordan

Book Blurbrumor

Former Navy SEAL Josh Marx thinks he has it all figured out. He’s living the bachelor lifestyle in southern California, running risk assessment for the Renegades, but most importantly, he’s finally gotten over the unrequited love he’s harbored for his former teammate’s ex wife. Then his buddy calls from overseas, worried because he hasn’t heard from his ex, and asks Josh to check in on her. Josh doesn’t want to get involved, but the same code that urged him to walk away in the first place is suddenly pushing him to change his Christmas plans.

Grace Ashby doesn’t appreciate the sexy SEAL trying to step in and take over. He thinks she’s hit rock bottom by working at a strip club, but she knows differently. She could set him straight, but he’s already rejected her once, and she doesn’t need one more man judging her.

She tells him to butt out of her business and her life. But Josh’s conscience won’t let him walk away this time.

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

Excerpt

From this angle, Grace could only see one wall of the storeroom; it’s bare studs now covered with gypsum board. Trepidation crawled through her chest. She was going to be so pissed if Dean had gone for the cheapest labor he could find to—
“Whoa! Oh, my God!” The familiar male voice carried from inside the large room, one that made Grace’s feet stop mid step. Made her heart flip and squeeze. “What’s this? There’s two of you?”
The twins giggled.
“Good Lord, what a handful,” Josh said. “Your poor mother. No, little dude, don’t touch that. Here, I’ll show you how this works.”
An electric buzz filled the air, followed by more giggles from the boys.
Grace didn’t know how to respond to his voice. She was first shocked, then angry, then confused, then angry again.
I’m going to find a way to help—both you and Carolyn.
Josh’s last words filled Grace’s head. No, dammit, she was so done with this freaking rollercoaster. He wasn’t going to come in here and start controlling her life.
Teeth gritted, she pushed her feet forward and gripped the doorframe as she turned into the room. Angry words filled her mouth, ready to spill, but the sight on the floor in front of her froze her tongue.
Josh knelt on the floor between the twins. He was shirtless, wearing only jeans, lightweight suede work boots, and a leather tool belt. And Grace instantly understood Jasmine’s Trojan Ultra Ribbed metaphor. This wasn’t the first time she’d seen his body. Over the years she’d seen him in swim trunks dozens of times.
But, God…this was like seeing him again for the first time, all bronze and beefy, the thick muscles of his shoulders and biceps curved and cut. The scars on his right shoulder had healed well, but left thick, discolored welts on his skin. Somehow, it only made him more authentic, more masculine more…delicious.
“Dillon, Dalton.” A strong male voice called from the back door. “Let’s go.”
The boys ignored their father, enamored with Josh’s drill.
“Sounds like Dad’s here.” Josh put the drill down.
“Noooo,” Dalton whined, the twin with hair a shade lighter than the other.
“Again,” Dillon chirped, leaning into Josh, half in his lap, hanging on one broad shoulder. “Do it again.”
“Little man,” Josh said, “I am not gonna get my hiney whooped by your daddy today.”
He wrapped an arm around each boy’s waist and whipped them up and over his shoulders, one on each side. The boys squealed and giggled, and Josh’s smile could have powered the club for a week. But what Grace saw was a wide, chest, six-pack abs and jeans pulled so low by the heavy tool belt that the hollows at his hip bones pointed to what Grace’s body craved most.
Jasmine appeared at Grace’s side, laughing. “Oh, God, they’re going to want to come here after school every day.”
“Excuse me ladies.” Josh carried the wiggling bundles of happiness through the doorway, his muscles flexing, then passed through the short hallway toward the rear door where Rocco waited.
Both Grace and Jasmine turned to watch him go. The muscle in his back played in the shadow of the hallway, rippling beneath his tattoo—the skeleton of a frog overlaying a waving American flag, with the word Frogman curved into the design. His ass and thighs filling out his jeans deliciously. Two little boys gigging on his shoulders.
Grace’s mind was in the clouds, the only clear thought: I want that. All that.
“If your panties haven’t melted by now,” Jasmine murmured, drawing Grace’s mind from the haze, “I might start thinking you’re sexual preferences have changed.”
The comment directed Grace’s attention between her legs where she was hot, tingling, full, aching, and…wet.

About Skye Jordanskyejordan

Skye Jordan is a pseudonym for New York Times bestselling romantic suspense author Joan Swan. Skye’s novels are about enjoying that little wild streak we don’t let out often enough. About those fantasies we rarely get the opportunity to indulge. About stretching limits, checking out the dark side, and maybe even acting a little naughty. They’re about escape and fun and pleasure and romance.

And, yes, even love, because while wicked-great sex is good, happily ever after with wicked-great sex is even better. Skye (aka Joan) lives on the central coast of California in the heart of wine country with her husband and two daughters. As often as possible, she retreats to a hotel with critique partners for a power-writing week where much drinking, laughing, and yes, even working, ensues. When she’s not writing, Skye goes to breakfast with her hubby, attends her daughters’ barrel races, and spends a lot of time with her own horse, Riddle…while her two dogs, Paxton and Indie, tag along. She also loves to read, knit, craft, row, ride, and dabble in photography.

Links: Website | FB | Twitter | GR | PInterest | Newsletter

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What You Need to Know!

There are two giveaways included! The grand prize which happens to be a 6″ Kindle Tablet (1 winner from the entire tour – US/Canada ONLY).

The other giveaway is applicable to the post that appears on this blog.  Includes winner’s choice of Reckless, Rebel or Ricochet AND a 10$ gift card (1 winner; US/Canada ONLY). 3 Swag bags, up for grabs for 3 winners! Cool stuff! Both sets of giveaways are provided by the author Skye Jordan.

Grand Prize

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Blog Tour Stops

November 10, 2014

Smut Book Club

So Many Reads

Same Book Different Review

November 11, 2014

I Am A Book Addict

Just the Write Stuff

November 12, 2014

Cricket’s Chirps

TBQ’s Book Palace

November 13, 2014

Becky on Books

Books-n-Kisses

Maldivian Book Reviewer’s Realm of Romance

Ms. Romantic Reads

November 14, 2014

Smut Book Junkie Reviews

by mvbookreviewer

Promotional Post & Giveaway: Just Not Ready Yet by Brooklyn James

Excerpt

justnotreadyyet

“Charlie,” Cage whispers tenderly, kneeling in front of her. For all of their quarrelsome banter, a shared empathy sustains. His hands preoccupy themselves with strands of straw at the floor as he fights the urge to touch her, comfort her.

“What about his heart? Dylan’s? Did they check it? At the hospital?” She anguishes through tear-stained eyes, the constant worry that something could be wrong with it, much the same as his daddy’s.

“It’s fine. He’s fine.” Cage looks up at her, forcing an encouraging smile.

“What about yours? Did you ever have it checked?” The thought of losing another McCloud man to a faulty heart continues to break hers.

He shakes his head. “I’m sure it’s fine.” The elder McCloud of the same mindset as his late brother―if there is something wrong with it, he’d rather not know. Cage gives in to his compulsion, touching his hand against the left side of her chest. “It’s yours that concerns me.” The rapid lubb-dubb of the life-sustaining organ ensuing beneath his hand causes him great turmoil, wishing he knew what to say, what to do, to calm it.

Charlie emits a quiet sob. The warmth of his flesh against her shirt coupled with his shielding presence so inviting yet so wrong, a betrayal. Tears fall from her eyes, collecting at the corners of her mouth, her words crackling with the moisture, “I want him back, Cage.”

His hand transferring from her heart to his own, he lightly taps it off his chest. “I would trade places with him, if I could.” His chameleon eyes, now devoid of the sun’s rays appear light green, resonate with a kindred yearning and solitary guilt only an older brother would understand.

Charlie shakes her head, swallowing a conflicted protest, knowing his virtuous solution to be entirely impossible. The passing thought causing guilt in her eyes to match his as she momentarily contemplates such an avowal, the life of one brother for another.

“When we were kids,” Cage begins, his deep voice now completely free of its customary pretense as it grows quiet and compassionate, giving in to the emotion the memory brings, “I could fix everything. If Cash had a problem, I had the solution. If we got into trouble, I’d take the heat. When he needed a cool ride to impress his uptown New York college girl, I gave him mine.” His full lips soften, curling up at the corners, thinking about all the time and money he put into rebuilding the classic 1970 Chevrolet Cheyenne pickup only to turn around and hand it over to Cash.

Charlie chuckles, sniffing back tears. “Even that was a test,” she remarks, knowing the Texan in him thought that would be a surefire way to smoke out the prissy New Yorker in her―sending his baby brother to pick her up in a jacked-up, old-school pickup. “Bet you never expected me to keep it…or keep him.”

“Nope. But you did.” He releases an admirable smile, grateful for the happiness she gave his little brother. “And I’ll fix that damn truck for the rest of my life. Keep it running for you.” He reflects on the numerous tune-ups the truck has required since Cash’s passing, knowing she keeps it as an homage to him. His smile disappears as he quells the rising lump surfacing just beneath his Adam’s apple. “But I’ll be damned if I can fix this.” He looks at Charlie, his expression as hopeless and helpless as hers, knowing there is no way to fix death.

“It’s okay,” she forces the words from her mouth somehow hoping to believe them herself. “I just keep waiting for it to get easier, you know.” She wipes the back of her hand across her face and nose, gathering leftover moisture from the leaky orifices. “I keep waiting for the memories to fade so I won’t miss him so much. I guess maybe I thought I’d eventually forget how his arms felt around me. The sound of his voice. What he looked like.” With her sentiment, Charlie looks away from Cage, who remains a constant reminder, maybe some sort of living, breathing apparition of her dead husband.

“I know,” Cage whispers. “I know that’s the reason you can barely stand to have me around. Why you’re always dodging my efforts to help out around here. I’m sorry it hurts you to have to look at me.” He dips his chin to his chest, camouflaging his face, the ruggedly handsome form usually a most impressive calling card to women only seems to push Charlie away.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s just confusing, that’s all.” Her unsteady hand takes a course of its own, her fingers gently cupping his chin and raising his face from his chest. She sucks in a deep breath, her abdomen fluttering with a second round of tears. The feel of his squared jaw and dark five o’clock shadow―the pattern unequivocal to Cash’s―against her palm conjures a sensation she presumed as departed as her late husband. “If I didn’t know any better, I could just close my eyes…and you would be him.”

Cage exhales somewhere between a sigh and a moan, pressing his cheek tighter to her hand, unable to refrain from enjoying the feeling. “I know. The closest I’m ever gonna get to Cash again is you.” He rises, his torso in line with hers, their mouths mere inches apart. He breathes her in, their shallow breath exchanging off each other’s lips.

Her eyes dart back and forth between his, a mixture of trepidation, guilt and desire, knowing that the reverse is equally true―the closest she is ever going to get to Cash is him. “We can’t,” she whispers a verbal warning, unable to refrain the visceral pull.

Book Blurb

Charlize ‘Charlie’ McCloud, young widow and mother, is seemingly content with her secluded life on a sprawling Texas ranch. Her moonlit horseback rides provide the perfect dreamscape to obsessively reminisce about her college sweetheart—her first and final love—Cash McCloud.

When intern Hunter Bowie arrives on her ranch to work for the summer, his engaging persona threatens Charlie’s treasured reliving. Her interest in moving on as departed as her late husband, Hunter’s youthful exuberance and guitar revives dreams she once laid to rest.

Hunter’s presence stirs up everyone around the ranch, including her late husband’s older brother, Cage McCloud. A near replica of Cash, Cage’s very existence is a painstaking reminder of how much she has lost.

Unintentionally revealing the truth about Cash’s death, Cage sets off a firestorm of emotions, ultimately propelling Charlie to face her future—hopefully one that includes him.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

About Brooklyn James

Brooklyn James is an author/singer/songwriter inspired by life in the Live Music Capital of Austin, Texas. Her first novel, The Boots My Mother Gave Me, has an original music soundtrack and was chosen as a Quarter Finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. This book has ranked in Kindle’s Top 100 Coming of Age and Women’s Fiction.

When she is not writing books, she can be found playing live music around Austin as part of an acoustic duo. Like most everyone, she treasures her time spent with family and friends. Brooklyn has been in a Weezer video, met Harry Connick Jr. as an extra on the set of When Angels Sing, and she was Mira Sorvino’s stand-in on Jerry Bruckheimer’sTrooper pilot for TNT. She enjoys reading, dancing, working out, fishing with her hubby, and a good glass of kombucha.

Brooklyn holds an M.A. in Communication, and a B.S. in both Nursing and Animal Science. Her nursing career has seen specialties in the areas of Intensive Care and Postpartum. She serves as a Guest Speaker with a focus on awareness and prevention of Domestic Violence and Suicide.

Contact: FB | Website | Twitter | E-mail

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by mvbookreviewer

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Sceadu by Prashant Pinge

Sceadu-Promotional-Image-Prashant-Pinge

Author Prashant Pinge’s new YA Fantasy novel hits the Amazon Kindle bookshelves globally today, November 10, 2014! As part of a promotional book tour, Prashant is visiting us here today and answered some very interesting questions about his new book. He is also giving away THREE e-copies (either PDF, ePub or Mobi format) to three random winners who would be selected at the end of the giveaway.

So please give a huge, warm welcome to Prashant Pinge and take a look at what he had to say about his newest release.

MBR: Welcome to MBR’s Realm of Romance Mr. Prashant. So nice to have you here with us today. So what inspired you to write Sceadu?

Prashant: I have always been fascinated by shadows. But it was a simple question that inspired me to write Sceadu. What if our shadow held a land replete with dangerous creatures waiting to find a way into our world?

MBR: Why did you choose the young adult fantasy genre? Is there a particular reason as to why you were driven to write Sceadu in this particular genre?

Prashant: I have always been a huge fan of the YA fantasy genre. The concept of a land inside the human shadow could have been done justice only by this genre.

MBR: How did you come up with the title Sceadu? Is it closely tied to what takes place in your story or is there a deeper meaning behind the title selection?

Prashant: Sceadu is the old English word for shadow. The story takes place inside the human shadow. So yes, the title is closely tied to the place. At the same time, there is a deeper meaning attached to the title since the shadow has been interpreted from a psychological perspective.

MBR: What would you say was the hardest part in writing your novel Sceadu?

Prashant: The hardest part of writing Sceadu was creating a fantasy that could be explained logically. It involved a lot of research in the domains of psychology and mythology.

MBR: What were the challenges you faced, if any, in bringing your story to life?

Prashant: It was quite a challenge to create a completely new world, but one that I thoroughly enjoyed. This story has a lot of intricate elements and bringing them all together was also quite a task. Ultimately, I wanted the reader to be completely immersed in the fantasy.

MBR: Which other genres might we see you writing later on?

Prashant: I am very interested in writing historical fiction.

MBR: Are you currently working on another story? If so would you like to tell us a little bit more on what you’re working on?

Prashant: I am currently working on a romantic comedy. It has some really funny twists and turns, but I also aim to bring out the humour through the language.

MBR: How much of the story Sceadu would you say is realistic? Is it 100% pure fantasy or are there elements of truth if you dig deep enough?

Prashant: I can assure you that by the time you are done reading Sceadu, you will be wondering whether your shadow actually holds a land. I would say that Sceadu has a very strong realistic component when it comes to the protagonists, their relationships with each other, and the personal victories they register along the way. Ultimately, it is a story about the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

MBR: What would you say is the message that you want to convey to your readers through your novel?

Prashant: If there was one message I would want to convey, it would be the importance of balance and harmony in life.

MBR: And finally, who is your favorite author, why, and what are some of the books by this author that you’d recommend?

Prashant: It would be very difficult to list one favourite author. The name that would immediately jump to my mind though would be Phil Pullman. He writes beautifully. My recommendation would be His Dark Materials Trilogy.

MBR: Thank you so much for spending some time with us. It was a pleasure having you on MBR’s Realm of Romance.

Book Blurb:sceadu

All this while, Matilda’s shadow had been growing larger and larger. Suddenly, it lunged out of the ground and swallowed her, like a python does its unsuspecting prey.

Nine year old Matilda ends up with a century old book through a series of strange coincidences. And disappears. Her brother and cousins are forced to suspend their hostilities and pursue her to Sceadu, a land inside the human shadow. Once there, the reluctant visitors find themselves chased by the vicious Hefigans, creatures of Sceadu. However, everything changes with the revelation of an ancient prophecy that foretells the doom of the world they left behind.

With the stakes suddenly raised, the children must now navigate the dangerous terrain, overcome grave challenges, and unlock the secrets of the shadow. But can they do it in time to thwart the plans of the treacherous Hefigans? Or will they succumb to the guile of a ruthless enemy who is equally determined to destroy mankind?

Sceadu is a fast-paced adventure which blurs the boundary between the physical and the psychological, the real and the mythical.

Find out more: Website | FB | Amazon

Excerpt:

Matilda sat at her old wooden desk, staring into the thick yellowed pages of a book under a dull moth ridden beam cast by the night lamp. But every time she blinked, it seemed as if the words had played a round of musical chairs. And the moths, fluttering through the words at times and hovering over them at others, did not make things any easier.

Matilda was about to turn the page when there was a tug at her feet. It was a very gentle one, almost imperceptible. Surprised, she glanced down, but there was nothing. Perhaps it’s just my imagination, she thought. She was about to shake her thick dark brown curls out of her face when she felt it again.

Matilda pushed her head down and looked into the dark void with furrowed brow. Her skinny legs stared back. But before she could decide on whether she had actually felt anything, there was another tug, an unmistakable one this time. And another one. The truth suddenly dawned upon Matilda. It was her shadow, trying to drag her into itself.

Matilda jerked back the chair, kicking hard at her shadow. But it snapped back, pulling at her even more viciously. She stomped upon it repeatedly. But the dark grey shape began jabbing at her feet and ankles. Matilda pushed herself up and made a frantic attempt to run. But her legs refused to move, and she almost toppled forward.

All this while, Matilda’s shadow had been growing larger and larger. Suddenly, it lunged out of the ground and swallowed her, like a python does its unsuspecting prey.

About Prashant Pinge:Prashant Pinge

Prashant Pinge was born and brought up in the picturesque neighbourhood of Shivaji Park in the bustling city of Mumbai in India.

A quiet and diligent student throughout his schooling and college years, Prashant proceeded to pursue electrical engineering at Purdue University in the United States. Over the next decade, he accumulated three more degrees, a master of science in management from Lancaster University, a post graduate program in management from Indian School of Business, and a post MBA master in international management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Apart from enjoying the company of books, Prashant had always had an imaginative bent of mind. But writing only happened in the fall of 2003, when a remarkably intriguing dream interrupted an uncharacteristically deep spell of slumber, compelling him to stagger to his desk and pen down the idea. That book is still a few years away from being written. Prashant, however, continues to work from his cauldron of creativity and churn out critically acclaimed works of fiction.

In addition to his literary pursuits, Prashant is Managing Partner in his marketing and branding firm, Media Panther. In his spare time, Prashant enjoys collecting old coins, reading fiction, travelling to exotic destinations, watching movies, and listening to music. He recently wrote and produced a short film titled Freedom of Expression. Prashant is also keenly interested in the subjects of psychology, mythology and ancient history.

Prashant lives with his wife and son in Mumbai.

Connect: Website | FB | Twitter | LinkedIn | G+ | Goodreads

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Without Words by Ellen O’Connell

Format: E-bookwithoutwords
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Breton J. Sterling
Heroine: Hassie Ahearne Petty
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: September 30, 2014
Started On: November 6, 2014
Finished On: November 7, 2014

The very first note that I made as soon as I started reading Without Words by Ellen O’Connell was, “Reading an Ellen O’Connell after so long. I’m so excited.” That excitement pretty much started as soon as I stumbled upon Ellen’s newest release and held all throughout, since then up till I turned the very last page. Ellen O’Connell is a master unto herself. A force to be reckoned with when it comes to self-published and otherwise authors out there. Her writing style rivals that of one my favorite authors of Western themed romances, i.e. Maggie Osborne. Her heroes never fall short of making you fall head over heels in love with them and her heroines are just the same. And Without Words is definitely not an exception to the said rule.

Breton J. Sterling (Bret) is a bounty hunter, who after confronting his latest convict finds himself saddled with Hassie Ahearne Petty; it was either take her or leave her to fend off for herself which would have ultimately meant that she would starve to death or worse. Hassie has no choice but to do as the icy-eyed bounty hunter orders her to. A childhood accident had rendered Hassie without the ability to speak loudly and coherently enough for people to understand. That had pretty much defined Hassie’s life since then and she had been resigned to living the life that had been hers until Bret storms into her life and her heart, making her a changed woman forever.

Without Words is not just a story. It is a journey of two people who at first seems to have nothing in common, a man and a woman joined together by circumstances. Bret is man who is paying his self imposed dues to his family, and Hassie has no family to speak of. While Bret has no need for a woman, he can’t help but be protective of Hassie, a woman who defies every single hardship that had befallen her and still manages to see the beauty the world has to offer. And before long, Bret finds himself yearning for more of his violet-eyed Hassie, something he had never thought would happen in his lifetime.

Hassie’s awakening towards Bret as a man is one that progresses slowly. She has no experience to put her trust in when it comes to anything good happening between a woman and a man, but Bret makes her want to trust and put her belief in the honor that is practically stamped all over the man himself. The trust that unfurls in Hassie towards Bret grows in leaps and bounds until of course Bret becomes the only man she has ever loved, even though his past warns her of the consequences that this love would wreak on her heart.

Without Words is a story in which practically everything worked and meshed well together to give the sort of read that is so hard to come by in the modern world of romance today. There is a reason why I still yearn for the “classics” that started me on my journey of reading romances. And Without Words brought that back with an effortless ease that made me want to cry because there aren’t enough authors who write today like Ellen O’Connell does.

Like I mentioned earlier in my review, Ellen creates some of very the best heroes and heroines I’ve encountered in romance novels. There’s a voice to Ellen’s work that speaks to you on a level beyond just words strung together that give meaning. These words, they speak to your soul. It invokes emotions in you that you don’t think possible and yet if you are a romance reader like myself, yearn for with every fiber for your being. I cried during moments of sweet angst and smiled so much at times that my face hurt. There’s nothing more beautiful to a reader than a well spun story that they can lose themselves in and Ellen has provided just that with every full length novel that she has published to date.

Bret; I swear I just trembled from want, every single time that icy control of his that shattered under the strength of his passions, be it anger against the wrongs in this world or his desire for the woman who consumes him. Bret is a hero who is uber masculine, one who is unabashedly manly and yet has a core of strength and honor in him that makes a woman fall like a ton of bricks. And fall hard, I did. There is no other way to say this; Bret, you own my heart.

With Hassie, Ellen has once again created her trademark variety of heroine. The fact that Hassie can’t speak was a novelty in itself, her outlook towards life, that sheer joy deep inside of her that reaches out from the pages and practically engulfs you in its hold is a powerful one. Without Words is an apt title for a book that speaks to the reader on so many levels and that too with a heroine who is unable to use her voice to communicate. I loved Hassie for everything she stood for. Her love for Bret hadn’t happened overnight, neither had she thrown herself at him just because she was dependent on her. Their love had been a slow and a fiery one, one that consumes you and leaves you with that wholesome glow of having been loved and loved well.

Ellen explores with her stories the hardship that life was during those times. The imminent threat of starvation, the price women had to pay to make a livelihood for themselves and the harsh reality of women without a man by their side, the rough and at times unforgiving land that could make or break a person; all that is vividly brought to life in every single novel that I have read from her. I’m so glad that I happened across the release of this one and Ellen, you’ve made my whole month by this beautiful story, which if you are a lover of romance novels definitely ought not miss!

The problem with finding a book that moves you enough to render you unable to do anything afterwards is the fact that you never want the story to end, you want the pages to go on, the magic to continue, the feelings that courses through you to never cease. And once you turn that last page, you feel like mourning, you feel like no other book would ever have that impact on you ever again and mostly it turns out to be true, because it is so rare these days to find new books that has everything going for them. So I treasure this diamond in the rough that shines vividly through and hope that someday soon I find yet again the magic that I discovered while reading Without Words, that undeniable magic that makes being a romance reader worthwhile.

Final Verdict: Without Words is a beautifully crafted masterpiece that touched every single piece of my soul. Definitely recommended!

Favorite Quotes

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ve done this too often to count, and I’ll be back before you know it, but you need to be ready to move out fast then.”
Her hand rested on his cheek, fingers soft by his temple, palm warm even through the growth of several days’ beard. Her body pressed close. She hugged him and was gone.
The cool wind blew in vain as he rode toward the town. The memory of her touch warmed him every step of the way.

She anticipated the kiss, expected hard pressure on her mouth and an invading tongue. Instead his lips brushed hers as lightly as butterfly wings before settling more firmly. Her arms tightened. So did his.
Her body molded to his, chest to chest, belly to belly. Her quickened breath matched the rhythm of his. His mouth caressed hers, played against hers. His teeth tugged gently on her bottom lip, and she opened for him, not invaded at all but joined. His tongue teased until she tried to imitate. From the sound he made deep in his throat, she succeeded.

The mattress moved under his weight. His lips feathered across hers. Her breath caught. A small moan escaped, and she tried to stifle it.
“Don’t,” he whispered against her lips, “Don’t keep anything inside. If you feel like talking that Greek at me, do it.”
She laughed, felt him inhale her laughter.
“You have the most beautiful laugh. It runs up and down my spine, shivers over my skin, and makes me want to grab hold of you like a mad man. You have no idea….” His mouth closed over hers again, his tongue tracing her upper lip, lower, along the seam.

The fever rose again, and soft sounds of desire escaped with each breath. She pulled at his shoulders again to bring him over her, and this time he gave what she wanted, settled between her thighs, slid into her hot, wet core, stretching her past what she had known. Her muscles spasmed, and he groaned.
She did it again, deliberately this time.
“Hassie.” Her plain name sounded like it belonged to someone else, someone beautiful and desirable and loved.

His heat enveloped her or maybe only merged with hers until the room lost its chill. Sweat prickled along her spine, and the tiny knot of reservation inside her dissolved in the flood of pleasure. She moaned softly, her teeth in her lower lip. Mine, she thought. Her hands fisted in his hair. Mine.

“Is that how you think of it?” she signed.
“I was being poetic, but yes, it got harder every year. I’m glad to be done with it. My only regret is I’ll never again see the look of wonder on your face when you see something like the Missouri River for the first time.”
“There will be other things to wonder at.”
“Without mountains and rivers what will there be?”
She fought the temptation to tell him of the greatest thing they would wonder over.
“There will be Christmas trees.”

Purchase Links: Amazon

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by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Shattered Witness by Anna DeStefano

Format: E-bookshatteredwitness
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Hero: Cole Marinos
Heroine: Shaw Cassidy
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: November 11, 2014
Started On: November 5, 2014
Finished On: November 6, 2014

Previously published under the name of Her Forgotten Betrayal, Shattered Witness by Anna DeStefano is a standalone romantic suspense of the contemporary genre. Shaw Cassidy, CEO of Cassidy Global Research wakes up at the hospital, suffering from amnesia after a terrible assault on her at her office premises. Three weeks later, Shaw finds herself living atop High Lake Mountain, trying to summon her elusive memories through rest and recuperation.

FBI Special Agent Cole Marinos insinuates himself into the investigation surrounding Shaw Cassidy for one reason. Shaw had been the only woman he had ever loved, her betrayal being the reason that had sent him away from her life 15 years back. While the whole investigation centers around the fact that the agency thinks Shaw has been selling groundbreaking research to enemies of the US like Iran, Cole believes in Shaw’s innocence. With her memory in tatters and the whole investigation riding on the return of her memory, Cole finds himself going above and beyond the call of his duty when he finds himself protecting Shaw once again, a role he swore to himself that he would never again partake in.

From the moment the presence of Cole penetrates through the fog of sheer terror that surrounds Shaw, her trust in him is an inexplicable one. Her need to move close to him one that embarrasses her on so many levels, making her think that the lonely existence that she had lived up till then had made her that desperate for affection. However, when her memories start rolling back in, Shaw realizes that there is more to Cole than meets the eye, their shared past one which makes her realize just how much Cole had sacrificed for her years back. Racing against a ticking clock and a villain who knows far too well what Cole and Shaw are up to, Cole finds himself taking the risk of losing the woman he loves more than his own life all over again by trying to clear up Shaw’s name and getting to the bottom of who it is that is toying with the both of them.

Shattered Witness is a well written novel. Anne DeStefano has a writing style that draws you in. The one thing that really stood out for me was the villain in the story. Surprising? I know. Though the villain is pretty easy to figure out for the reader, the villain would have won if not for Cole’s intervention. The plan all along had been to discredit and let Shaw take the fall or perhaps even send her to the loony bin. With years of meticulous planning, it would have been achieved had not Cole come riding to Shaw’s rescue. I like a good villain in a suspense novel and I got that in Shattered Witness.

Though Shaw and Cole are well created characters, I found myself on the side of feeling an intense dislike for Shaw. Though it did mellow a bit towards the very end of the story, I found Shaw to be a bit too self-involved perhaps? I could relate to her not being able to be there for Cole the one time he had needed her, which had been the reason why he had walked away all those years back. But from the moment Cole enters her life once again, and though he lies to her about him being an agent of the government which is something he had to do given her fragile frame of mind, Cole is nothing but sensitive to her wants and need for protection. His actions spoke louder than words. But the minute Shaw found out, the only thing she could find to do was lay the blame of them not working out this time around because of Cole and his deception. Ah!

Cole is one of those sexy and protective heroes that ladies will definitely love. However, I wanted him to man up a bit and make Shaw see the error of her thinking. One minute she is scared out of her mind, the next minute she’s the one that initiates the physical intimacy between them and towards the third act, she is throwing all the blame his way. In my opinion, from the very beginning Cole had loved Shaw more than the other way around. Or perhaps it is the protective streak in Cole that is a mile wide that goes to work the minute he sees the woman he loves in danger. Either way, I thought Cole to be a bit of a pushover; sorry to say that, which is why the impact of his character wasn’t as powerful on my emotions as I wanted it to be.

Even with the elements of the story that didn’t quite work out for me, I managed to enjoy the what Shattered Witness has to offer. Judging from the reviews that this story has received up till now, I think I am in the minority of those who feel this way about both Cole and Shaw. Recommended for fans of romantic suspense novels featuring protective heroes. Cole is definitely someone you’d want by your side when there is a mean villain out to get the best of you and you have absolutely no idea as to why.

Final Verdict: A villain that brings the story to life; there’s always a first time for everything.

Favorite Quotes

Breaking her vow not to scare Cole away by doing what she’d longed to since first setting eyes on him, she kissed him. Those inviting lips, chiseled cheekbones, and the lids of his bad-boy eyes. She tasted him . . . and . . . she remembered.
It burst to life within her—a savory mixture of needing and wanting and having. It wasn’t a beginning, the molten desire that consumed her. It held the full-on rage of completion. It was a craving for something she’d denied herself for too long, something that could own her forever in ways that would refuse to let her go.

She brushed his lips with hers. His breath rushed in. Her fingers dug into his biceps, determined to keep him with her if he decided to move away. His body tensed beneath her touch. His mouth inched away, and she prepared to beg. But then his lips crashed back to hers, this man who’d become a bridge between her dreams and her reality. And she was lost, swept along by the need pouring into her from his kiss.

Purchase Links: Amazon

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Chemistry With Calvin by Katie Allen

Format: E-bookchemistrywithcalvin
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Human Design, #3
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Hero: Calvin Scott
Heroine: Lauren Mayes
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: October 8, 2014
Started On: November 5, 2014
Finished On: November 5, 2014

Katie Allen is an author that I discovered a little bit earlier on to when I started my review blog. Katie is a superb writer of erotic romances. One of these days I just might give her books like Breaking the Silence another go and do a review. That was actually my very first book by Katie which I loved to pieces. Of late however, Katie has been focusing more on writing erotica of the m-m variety which I am not a fan of. Chemistry with Calvin that came out recently seemed a good place to once again revisit a favorite author of mine and that’s how I ended up reading this in one sitting.

Chemistry with Calvin is the third book in the Human Design series, the first book of which is Experimenting with Ed which still sits neatly in my TBR shelf in my iBooks. That being said, Chemistry with Calvin can be perfectly read as a standalone since I wasn’t any worse off having started with book #3 in the series.

Calvin Scott works as the mailman at the firm where Lauren Mayes works. Calvin being a man who keeps to himself with a huge beard covering most of his face and a don’t-come-near-me vibe that keeps most people away, Lauren cannot explain why she has such a fascination for the man. There is just something about Calvin that makes Lauren seek him out, something about him that calls to her inner woman that has a hard time keeping herself down.

When danger comes calling and Lauren rapidly falls into the mess, Calvin is left with no choice but to take Lauren with him to a safe place. With government agents who would stop at nothing chasing them across the country, Lauren finds out that with Calvin she has found just a tad bit more than she bargained for.

The attraction between Lauren and Calvin is one that sizzles right off the charts. Calvin is one who cannot remember a past that goes beyond his capture by the government agency that had experimented on him. And Calvin would do practically anything to not fall into their clutches once again. Though Calvin finds Lauren to be an utter distraction, he can’t help but be drawn towards the woman who cannot stop talking, who gets under his skin in more ways than one and brings out an animalistic side of him that Lauren definitely knows how to provoke.

The dialogs between Calvin and Lauren were at times laughter inducing. Calvin and his reluctance to get involved doesn’t prevent him from getting busy with Lauren in many other ways. And I totally found Calvin’s bossy kisses a huge turn on.

Recommended for fans of the series. Though in my opinion this is not the best of Katie Allen, it still has certain elements to it that testifies to the great writer she is.

Final Verdict: Chemical explosions of the scorching variety guaranteed!

Favorite Quotes

Air left her lungs in a rush as she clung to his shoulders, digging her short nails into his skin. It had to hurt but it only seemed to incite him further. He raised and lowered her, bringing them together with quick, almost violent thrusts. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything except hang on and enjoy the ride. The rougher he fucked her, the more she enjoyed it, which would probably bother her if she weren’t flying toward an orgasm that promised to be more mind-blowing than any she’d ever had before.

“Babies, needles, psycho scientists!” Her hands flew in frantic circles. “We got the jumbo-sized box—how could we forget to use a condom?”
“Shit.” Cal sat up next to her. “You were touching me.”
She bounced out of bed and felt the evidence of their condom-less deed trickle down her thigh. “So it was my fault.”
“Fuck no.” He paused. “But your hands were touching me. Everywhere.”
“And you grabbed me and just popped it in, all bare and naked and possibly baby-making.” She started pacing.
“Fine. It was my fault.” He tracked her with narrow, hungry eyes. “It was my fault I fucked you bare. My fault you felt so incredible, so hot and wet and tight around my cock, I had to come in you. My fault I wanted to mark you, make you smell like me, make you mine.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | ARe | EC | eBookMall

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by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Trapped at the Altar by Jane Feather

Format: E-booktrappedatthealtar
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Trapped, #1
Publisher: Pocket Books
Hero: Ivor Chalfont
Heroine: Ariadne Daunt
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: July 22, 2014
Started On: November 2, 2014
Finished On: November 5, 2014

Trapped at the Altar by Jane Feather is her debut novel in the Trapped series which turns out to be my very first experience of her writing as well. The premise of this story was an interesting one. Ivor Chalfont and Ariadne Daunt had grown up together, childhood friends, their entwined fate as husband and wife decided when they were merely children. When the time of reckoning had come, Ariadne had been in love with another, so totally not ready to give herself up to Ivor who seemed perfectly at home with what is expected of him.

What could have turned out to be a delicious read somehow headed astray right from the very beginning. Jane Feather’s writing style is not one that is difficult to follow. But turns out, I had a problem with connecting to either Ivor or Ariadne. There were moments in the story where I though I might be able to fall in love with Ivor which turned out to be a couple of false alarms. If you ask me, Ivor was the lesser of the two evils where the two protagonists of the story are concerned.

Ariadne was in love with another man which was fine by me. She was reluctant to enter into a forced marriage which was yet again fine by me. And Ariadne giving up her virginity to the man she had supposedly been in love with was also fine with me. What I wasn’t fine with was the deception she lived under up till everything just pretty much exploded in her face. I felt that Ariadne was just a little bit too spoiled and selfish, and I guess rightfully so when she herself admitted to the fact towards the end of the story. Ariadne has this habit of thinking of just herself and though there forges this connection between Ivor and herself as man and wife, she has a hard time putting her trust in him and letting him know how she feels about certain things related to their marriage.

Ivor was the character I felt that could have turned the story around for the better. Ivor had everything going for him which Ariadne’s lover did not. He had the body, the charm and the sexual knowledge to seduce his wife into loving him and I don’t believe that Ivor lived up to his potential in that aspect. There is this aloofness about him or I should say a stiffness about him that seems almost unyielding. For two people who had known each other and practically grown up together as confidantes and best of friends, I had a hard time envisioning that connection between them. There were scenes where that connection seemed to materialize and then something would happen and it just went poof in the air. Somehow, I wanted more from both Ivor and Ariadne and I never got that.

The whole aspect of Ivor and Ariadne’s forced nuptials is based on both Ivor and Ariadne’s family getting their reputation back at the King’s court. There was an uninteresting storyline about Catholics and Protestants which I couldn’t get into and towards the end, a vague sense of unfinished business that lingered on regarding this particular storyline even when the book ended. I believe that the next couple of books in the series would follow that line of story to the end? But frankly I would have to say that I am just not that interested enough to find out more.

Recommended, if you are a fan of Jane Feather.

Final Verdict: Jane Feather pens a mediocre start to the Trapped series with Trapped at the Altar.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | eBookMall | iTunes

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by mvbookreviewer

TV Series Review: The Killing (US)

thekilling

Have you ever watched something that you couldn’t get enough of? That consumed your every waking thought and haunted your dreams at night when you finally managed to close your eyes? I know this is not the kind of thing I usually write about on my blog, but I had to make an exception this time around because this series, The Killing, had a profound effect on me and I have been practically been itching with the need to write down my thoughts on this one.

The Killing premiered for the first time as a US Television Drama on AMC in 2011. Based on a Danish television series known as Forbrydelsen (literally The Crime), the first season premiered with the story of the dead body of a 17 year old girl known as Rosie Larsen found in the trunk of a submerged car. Detective Sarah Linden, the lead detective on the case who actually finds the body is supposed to leave Seattle and move on with her fiance and her young teenage son to a new city, for a brand new start.

From the moment Sarah finds the body, she is consumed with the need to find the killer though she is obviously conflicted with the needs her personal life demands from her. To make matters worse, Sarah is saddled with the new incoming Detective Stephen Holder, the seemingly laid back rookie detective that she would rather not have by her side. But Holder surprises Sarah and the viewers with his ability to make people talk, put kids at ease because at one time or the other he practically looks like he belongs with them. Holder brings humor to the otherwise tension wrought drama that unfolds. Holder-isms as they are known as among fans is one endearing quality to his character that I couldn’t get enough of.

To make the story more intriguing, there is the ongoing election that sheds light on the dirty politics that governs the city and is somehow intrinsically tied to the murder of Rosie Larsen. There is also the continuing storyline of how the Larsen family continues to deal with the tragedy of losing their only daughter, the effect it has on the two boys left behind and the most shocking secret of all revealed towards the end of season two which signaled the end of the Rosie Larsen case.

Season 3 brought to life a different sort of case, a serial murderer who targets mostly little girls, some as young as even 12 years old, living off the streets by selling their bodies. None of what follows makes for an easy watch, the underlying story of child prostitution, the decay rotting deep inside society that allows that to happen and the story of a man convicted for the murder of his wife, a prostitute, who had been killed eerily in a manner similar to that of the bodies of the young girls turning up. What makes the case personal for Sarah is the fact that it had been her first case, the conviction though she had not been entirely convinced had gone through and now Sarah fears that they have sent the wrong man to hang for a crime he never committed.

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The emotional intensity of season 3 in my opinion was way higher than the previous two seasons and I would say the best season altogether if you compare the four seasons. The episode that highlighted the hanging of the said man set my heart racing. I couldn’t speak, and at times I couldn’t breathe properly for the fear that Sarah and Holder wouldn’t be able to get him freed in time. What followed was shocking and I am still paralyzed at times when I recall the total and utter havoc that particular episode wrought in me. Definitely something I wouldn’t forget anytime soon.

The Killing, as what happens to any TV series that I actually like, went into its final season this year. The fourth season just premiered 6 episodes, and I am forever thankful to Netflix for giving viewers the closure that they require after having laid a path of utter destruction in the wake of its episodes the previous three seasons.

Season 4, though didn’t offer a crime of the nature that set my pulse pounding, it nevertheless once again opened up a storyline that few would highlight upon. The amount of bullying that goes on in military academies for boys from ultra rich families that is sort of a last resort for the families and their often devastating implications. We always seem to stereotype the rich kids as to having it all. Season 4 of The Killing certainly sheds a different light to that theory altogether. The seemingly normal family of one of the young men, brutally slain, reveals secrets in the wake of their murders, secrets that have consequences which the finale addresses.

The Killing is a series that doesn’t offer neatly wrapped solutions at the end of each episode. The Killing shows what it actually means to solve a murder, something not as easy as clicking a mouse and finding locations of the killer as some crime drama on TV might have us all believe. It affects the lives of the detectives, none can hold a seemingly normal life and no wonder, after having to deal with the worst of the scum the human life has to offer. There goes periods of time they keep running on cigarettes and coffee for 36 hours straight and there are times they make mistakes, huge ones with devastating consequences as the seasons would attest. That is the realistic edge to this show that makes it stand out if you ask me.

Besides the in-depth story lines involving the crimes, Sarah and Holder turned out to be two characters with an equally interesting past to them. Sarah’s inability to commit to anyone in her life, her less than exemplary parenting skills, the way she puts up her walls so thick and so high; I only get to read about characters like Sarah in books and it was a novelty seeing it practically happen on the TV screen. I totally got Sarah’s character; some might not. Her son is practically everything in her life, but her childhood had left its own scars that become vivid, displayed in technicolor every time Holder got her to open up. And given that those times were quite few, I lapped them up with the kind of interest you wouldn’t believe.

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Then there’s Holder. Holder got under my skin, into my mind and into my heart from season 1 itself. There is that certain something about him that deems him irresistible. He is a complete asshole at times, he has a past, the demons of which still hound him, and he too has a hard time fostering relations with his family. Above all that, he is loyal to boot, something that shines through his character in every possible manner.

Sarah and Holder definitely make a pair. They are partners in every sense. There for each other through thick and thin, their feelings towards each other strong on a level that is inexplicable, especially on Sarah’s part. The end to Sarah and Holder’s story came in a way that satisfied my soul. I wanted something more for them when all had been said and done. Some didn’t feel it right that they would feel something more for each other than what was portrayed in the series. I saw beyond that.

I saw the fact that while Sarah had no problem getting it on physically with a number of men, she kept Holder at an arm’s length. The one time Holder couldn’t hold back, Sarah turned away, and they never spoke of it again. To me, that signified how important Holder was to Sarah though she wouldn’t admit it even if you tortured her in a million little ways. The period of separation that happens between them, Sarah going off to find herself, to lay her demons to rest and to eventually return to Holder, the only place where she had felt at home proved what I had felt beyond a shadow of doubt from the beginning. Holder and Sarah are ying and yang, complete only when together. I think ending season 4 without showing any sort of physical intimacy between Sarah and Holder was the director’s way of letting the viewer reach a conclusion that best suited them. Some find it easier to say they remained as friends, I say, she wouldn’t have returned after saying her goodbyes just because she wanted to be friends. And in there lies the reason I was able to make peace with the ending of a show that would continue to haunt me a long time to come.

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If you are fan of deep story telling, characters that would drive you positively nuts and willing to lose sleep over a television drama, I would recommend The Killing. I lived through it and survived. I just hope you do as well.

by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Imaginary Lines by Allison Parr

Format: E-bookimaginarylines
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: New Adult
Series: New York Leopards, #3
Publisher: Carina Press
Hero: Abraham Krasner
Heroine: Tamar Rosenfeld
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: April 14, 2014
Started On: October 31, 2014
Finished On: November 2, 2014

I fell in love with Abraham Kramer when I was twelve years old.

Tamar Rosenfeld had fallen in love with Abraham Krasner when she’d been just twelve years old. Growing up with him had only intensified the feelings and at the age of 19, Tamar decides to put her heart on the line and confess of her undying love to the man himself. The rejection of her love, the answer that Abraham only sees her as a little sister gives Tamar the jolt that she needs to cut ties and heal her broken heart and get over her injured pride. Until four years later, she moves to New York as a sports reporter.

New York is where Abraham lives, his career as a New York Leopards linebacker ensuring that. When Tamar comes to New York, Abraham is determined that he get to spend as much time as possible with her as their schedules would allow. And the more time Tamar spends with Abraham, the more she goes onto realize that she had been kidding where her heart had been concerned, where she had convinced herself that she was so over Abraham. And Abraham certainly doesn’t make it easy for Tamar to move on; he pursues her with a relentlessness that Tamar finds she can only resist so much before giving in.

Imaginary Lines is a story told in first person in the heroine’s point of view. Being the third book in the New York Leopards series and having never read the two books published before this one, I would say that the fact I wasn’t left with a question mark in my head where the secondary characters were concerned is a pretty good signal that this book can definitely be read as a standalone.

Imaginary Lines proved to be a novel experience for me in my journey as a reader of romance. Tamar and Abraham are both Jewish coming from big Jewish families. I’ve never read about a Jewish couple, about their customs and food of choice for celebrations and such and thus it was an interesting exploratory journey of sorts for me. Many a time I used the search the web function on my iBooks to find out what a delicacy mentioned in the story looked like, which holiday were they talking about etc. I even managed to read a bit on Judaism on the religion section of BBC, something I’ve been meaning to do for quite sometime. So all in all, Imaginary Lines turned out to be quite the informative journey for me.

I loved the subtle hint of humor interwoven into the story. There is a sense of humor to Tamar that is hard to resist and if you can read a couple of chapters with a straight face, well you are a person in more control of your emotions than I would ever be. Tamar and Abraham, both turned out to be equally likable characters who are strong, so much in love with each other and yet true to who they are individually. I loved Tamar for having the guts to stand up for what she believed in, facing all that crap because she dared rattle around what pretty much everyone else had thought an area of football that she should have just left alone. Abraham turned out to be the sweetest guy! I sort of expected him to get pissed off and storm off, but he proved me 100% wrong by sticking with his woman and standing by her side even through the most difficult of time. That in essence is what true love is all about.

Being a story told in first person, which is something I don’t like for obvious reasons, yet somehow I get roped into reading books featuring just that, it wasn’t easy to garner Abraham’s emotions, something I felt the lack of. I wanted to see Abraham’s reactions, read deep into his mind, see his thoughts and the way he viewed the shared past of his and Tamar’s childhood. I think the novel would have provided a more wholesome experience to Abraham’s character if the author had integrated his point of view into the story as well. That being said, Tamar seemed to see into who Abraham truly is, seeing beyond the facade that Abraham puts up with the rest of the world giving Abraham a true sense of homecoming after four long years of separation.

Though the story seemed to lose focus on Abraham and Tamar during the first half of the story, it definitely picked up the rest of the way and gave an enjoyable read that is recommended for fans of sports romances. Abraham and Tamar would definitely end up being a favorite.

Final Verdict: Childhood friends to lovers; not your usual run of the mill story!

Favorite Quotes

He groaned and leaned back. The lamplights silhouetted him perfectly, light and dark. Dreams made real. When he looked back, he cupped my face in his hands. “I’ve been resisting doing this for years.”
I just stared. I was melting. I was hot clay under the summer’s sun.
He let out a soft sound of desire. The air between us simmered with need, and my whole body yearned toward him. I could barely think, couldn’t blink. Small breaths slipped in and out of me like the hopeful flutterings of a hummingbird and then his lips were on mine.

The air shimmered between us. With each breath I took, I could feel my body pushing against his, my breasts full and aching as they strained against the fabric of my shirt. My hands smoothed down over his biceps, smooth as carved marble under my fingers, living marble. His hands ran down over my body, coming to rest in the small of my back, holding me tight against him. I ached for those hands to keep moving, to keep roaming. My breath hitched but our locked gazes never faltered.
He pulled me down and kissed me.

When the door snapped closed I turned, heart in my eyes, hot and wild as the man striding across the room toward me. He pushed me up against the wall, and we were kissing, tangled in each other, his tongue parting my lips with exquisite skill until I was moaning under his ministrations. There was nothing anymore, just him and me, the sensation of tongues and lips and sliding hands. His hand pushed my dress up around my hip and curved down around my ass. It slid up to the inside of my leg, and toyed with the thin cloth.

And then he lost control, wild now, plunging and plummeting, so quickly that we were both ablaze. There was no control anymore, no anything, just the fierce dance of our bodies, the beat, the rhythm, the everything, and I wanted more and more and I was blind except for him, it had always been him, and it would always be him—
He let out a great shout, a great noise that ripped from his throat. And then I felt the crystalline desire break me apart, a shattering of tension, bringing a great, crashing wave of pleasure and relief that lost the world to me. There was no world. Only the forever of the night and the brightness of the moon, carrying me on a dizzying rush through the stars. I was awash in desire and joy and happiness, aware of only one thing.
Only Abraham.

He withdrew and then slid back in, slow at first, and then increasing in speed and force. It drove me mad with desire, and I rocked against him, helpless and wanton, meeting each thrust with my own, until I was wild with want and empty of thought. We were hot and fast, light lightning, a storm after a dry spell. We were the roaring ocean, the brightness of the moon, the inexplorable tide that tied them together. I let out a cry and clung to him, and he to me, and we were lost together.
Lost and found.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Slow Burn of Silence by Loreth Anne White

Format: E-booktheslowburnofsilence
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Snowy Creek, #1
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Hero: Jebbediah Cullen
Heroine: Rachel Salonen
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: June 24, 2014
Started On: October 31, 2014
Finished On: October 31, 2014

I seem to be running through a streak of good luck where new to me authors are concerned. The Slow Burn of Silence was a novel recommendation I got off of Amazon that has been sitting tidily in my to-be-read pile for a while now. Recently, my interests have veered towards finding good romantic suspense novels and The Slow Burn of Silence coming with raving reviews turned out to be my next read of choice.

27 year old Rachel Salonen is enjoying her engagement celebrations in Bali when she gets the shocking news of the deaths of her sister and husband. Returning home to find that her sister had appointed her as the guardian of their eight year old daughter is the first wave of flooring news that Rachel receives followed by the name of the actual father of her niece. Life as Rachel knows it comes to a standstill and six months later Rachel finds herself without a fiance, fearing the return of Jebbediah Cullen (Jeb), father of her niece, her high school sweetheart and the man convicted for the rape and assault of two women, one of whom had never been found.

Jeb returns to Snowy Creek for one reason alone. For retribution. To clear his name of the wrongful charges upon which he had been convicted and thrown into jail for which he had lost nine years of his life. The betrayal of a town that had seen him as the man from the wrong side of the river, the easiest target to put all the blame on burns. But the need for justice outweighs the anger that simmers deep inside of him, partly due to his unwavering determination that his daughter would not grow up thinking herself to be the offspring of a rapist and murderer.

Jeb aims to rattle the cages of those that had made him the scapegoat of a crime that he didn’t commit. What Jeb doesn’t aim on happening is for his daughter and Rachel to rattle his emotions inside out, giving the men who wouldn’t want him making a ruckus in his crusade for the truth to come out fighting dirty. Anger, vile and filled with hatred consumes the small town grappling in the fear of secrets spilling forth that could mean grave consequences if Jeb isn’t stopped in time.

The Slow Burn of Silence is a novel filled with evocative writing. Rachel’s thoughts are written in the first person point of view, the reason for which I have no clue. I thought it quite odd that throughout the whole story, multiple character view points were included, but it was only Rachel’s that was told in the first person. Me being not such a fan of first person viewpoints just thought its worthy of a mention in the review.

The result of a heated lover’s spat that had gone wrong nine years back forms the basis of the story. For Jeb there had been none other than Rachel and vice versa. While I understood why Rachel had testified against Jeb and revealed his secrets to the jury that had been the foundation of his conviction, I found myself a little bit reluctant to forgive her for leaving Jeb in the lurch when he had needed her the most. They had had a strong bond between them, from childhood to adulthood. Theirs had not just been a love that had kindled at first sight in high school, rather a love that had been borne out of mutual like, respect and a lot of shared moments throughout their years of friendship. And for that I just found it a trifle bit hard to forgive Rachel even though she comes out with guns blazing to clear Jeb’s name later on.

Jeb was the character who made the novel in my opinion. Life had not been easy for Jeb even as a child and at the cusp of adulthood, he had been thrown into prison together with the most vicious of criminals. The way he turned himself into someone that could make a difference made me admire him, when he could have given into bitterness, hate and resentment and let his life while away. Rachel’s sister is worthy of a mention, as a crusader for justice without whom Jeb would never have made it out.

The Slow Burn of Silence is a story steeped deep into the small town life that is Snowy Creek. Multiple characters that stand out makes the story an unbeatable one. It is small town relationships beneath which secrets lurk and wounds fester that forms the basis of the suspense aspect of the novel and it is those same frissons and ripples that made everything come to its satisfying conclusion.

The one thing that would stand out for any reader of this book is the writing. It is almost as if you are right there, in the town of Snowy Creek watching everything unfold and unravel. With the simmering secrets threatening to swallow you a whole, your heart racing in the attempt to uncover the deadly lies and half truths that had put Jeb away before it is too late. The Slow Burn of Silence is a novel that will pull you in and submerge you with a tale that is riveting and suspenseful. Recommended!

Final Verdict: Deadly small town secrets, undying love and a quest for the truth. A definite must-read for fans of the genre.

Favorite Quotes

He comes out of the bathroom. Naked. His erection sheathed and gleaming in a condom. His thighs muscular. My throat goes bone-dry as he pulls the drapes shut over the windows facing the house. Somehow he seems even more powerful unclothed. He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

He’s between my thighs, kneeing me open even wider . . . and he plunges into me. To the hilt. Hot, hard, quivering. I gasp, my fingers digging into his back as my body accommodates to the size of him. I can feel his balls, soft against my skin. Then he’s moving, sliding, driving into me. Hotter, harder, faster. I’m arching, sweating, shaking, desperate to have him even deeper yet, I’m aching for something even more than the sensation inside of me. More than sex. I’m aching to be whole. To be released.

She smiled at him, a slow, seductive smile that invited him in, that clawed back the years, made every terrible thing just melt away. She reached up, taking his waist and raising her knees, opening to him. Jeb’s vision swirled into shades of scarlet and red as he lowered himself and slowly thrust his cock back into her. She was hot, tight, her muscles humming. And as he sank into her, he felt as though he’d somehow come home. Like he fit, belonged.

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