by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Duchess War by Courtney Milan

Format: E-booktheduchesswar
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Brothers Sinister, #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Robert Alan Graydon Blaisdell
Heroine: Willhelmina Pursling
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: December 6, 2012
Started On: February 10, 2013
Finished On: February 13, 2013

What an utterly beautifully captivating story. I finished this book in the wee hours of the morning and I was so overwhelmed by the emotions that raced through me all throughout the read, sometimes taking me unawares, other times caressing me with a gentleness and bittersweetness that made me want to weep; needless to say my very first Courtney Milan definitely impressed me beyond any level of expectation that I had when I first started reading.

The Duchess War begins with a glimpse into the very interesting and contrasting character of Willhelmina Pursling (Minnie), whose very entrance into the novel begins with her encounter with the ninth Duke of Clermont Robert Alan Graydon Blaisdell. Dressed rather severely and buttoned up to the extent that nobody would give her a passing glance, Minnie would rather she never be the focus of attention of anyone for long. But her days of hiding behind her the fortress that she has built around herself and perfected over the years are over when Robert enters her life and makes her yearn for the impossible.

Robert’s one mission in his life has always been to stay off the path his father had walked on as much as possible. Going as far as to atone for the bundles his father has made along the way, Robert is unlike any duke you would meet in any book. Well, I certainly haven’t come across any duke like Robert and that’s saying something since I have read my fair share of historical romances back in the day. Now, it is authors like Sherry Thomas and Jeannie Lin that makes me come back for more of a genre which I usually shy away from reading and with The Duchess War, Courtney Milan certainly has earned herself a spot in my list of authors to look out for when pursuing historical romances.

The Duchess War is certainly by no means your usual run of the mill variety historical romance. Contrary to that its comprised of complex characters which I had a hard time placing whether they belonged in the “good guys” category or not. Needless to say, Courtney continuously kept surprising me with the depth to her characters as she unraveled the story, one layer at a time and gives the reader an experience or rather a journey that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

There were times when I thought that I would hate Minnie for the choices that she seemed on the brink of making. But then I should have known better than that and trusted Courtney to do what fans of her books always rave about – that she delivers and hits all the spots and then some. And that was exactly what happened with each of her characters and the story that kept spinning its magic on me until I turned the very last page and heaved a sigh of contentment that would definitely have been heard from all corners of the Earth; if not for my need to quietly contemplate on what the story had done to me and my emotions.

Robert’s character is so so wonderful that it just begs some gushing on my part before I end the review. There were times I wanted to weep for the boy that had been the object of the tug of war contest between his parents, a boy who had grown up thinking himself to be unworthy of love of the lasting kind. A parliamentarian at the young age of 28, Robert is a champion of the underdog, someone who detests what the peerage system means. And above that all he is a man who has contained his passionate side for far too long and when he does start on the journey of discovery, boy does he make up for lost time and then some. The love scenes were so tastefully done and made me burn like a furnace that would never run out of wood anytime soon. Trust me on that.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about a book that wooed me in all the ways that counts. As a true lover of romance I definitely could not have asked for more.

Absolutely recommended!

Favorite Quotes

“Look in a mirror sometime,” he suggested. “Look beyond this.” He touched his cheekbone, mirroring the spot on her face where her scar spread. “Look at yourself sometime the way you are now, all fire and anger, ready to do battle with me. If you’d ever once looked at yourself that way, you wouldn’t question whether I’d want a flirtation with you. You’d know I would.”

Her head remained stubbornly bowed before him. He wanted to grab her and shake her. He wanted to tilt her chin up and force her to gaze in his eyes. He wanted –
He wanted to do a great many things after that, none of which he was going to get from her by force.
“I’m not pretending to flirt with you,” he said instead. “There’s no pretense in it. I want you. God, I want you.”
She let out a little gasp and then – almost involuntarily – she looked up.
For just one moment, he saw something he thought was not pretense – a hopeless yearning in the way her face tilted toward his, a flutter in her ragged exhalation. Her lips parted, and she seemed suddenly, devastatingly beautiful.

“Indeed,” Violet said. Don’t mind us. We’re scarcely even here. And rest assured, if you’d like to talk of secrets, I’ll never repeat one. I’m known for my trustworthiness.”
“This is true,” Sebastian said. “The Countess of Cambury is like a deep, dark hole – secrets go in, but none of them ever come out.”
“Sebastian,” Violet replied calmly looping the yarn about one of her needles, “it is neither proper nor respectful to let a woman know that you think of her as nothing more than a hole.”

Her hips rose to his. Her hand continued its motion, an added stimulation at the base of his cock. He could feel her pleasure all around him, first ebbing, and then gathering again as he took her. And as if the dam had been broken to bits with her first orgasm, this time she came quickly – in scarcely a minute, her release a scalding hot wash of pure lust that had her clamping down on him.
He couldn’t have enough of her. He pounded into her again and again, each thrust better than the last, each one building, building to a crescendo that washed over him in fierce waves. It was almost painful, his second release. It was messy and slippery and wrong, and it felt so, so damned right.

“It’s a good thing you have hold of your urges,” she said, more quietly, “because I’m so wet now, and it would be dreadfully embarrassing if you were to – “
He lifted her against the wall, wrapped her legs around him, and slid inside her. She was wet, so wet, and hot. The pleasure of her body, clasped around him, was so intense that it almost hurt. The light rhythmic sway of the car rocked him into her.
He braced them against the wall, his muscles straining.
“That’s right, Robert.” Her arms cane around him. “That’s right. Just like that.”

She came around him, tightening in waves of pulsating heat around his cock. And he pounded into her, hard at first, and then even harder, until his own climax came. In the moment when he spilled his seed, he imagined them connected by far more than the scrape of his teeth against her jaw, the tangle of their hands, the clamp of her legs still wrapped around him. It was more than just the physical act of burying himself in her body.
In that moment, for the first time in his life, Robert believed that there was someone for him.

He stood. She couldn’t read his expression at all.
But then he put his hands on her shoulders, and, when she looked up at him, he kissed her. He kissed her with no finesse, no gentleness. He kissed her with all the emotion that he hadn’t shown since he’d walked in the door – fiercely, savagely, as if he’d returned from an absence of ten years and needed to remind her of everything that had happened. His arms came around her, wrapping her to him as tightly as chains. He was scorching heat against her.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Paying the Piper by Simon Wood

Format: E-bookpayingthepiper
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Thriller
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Leisure Books
Hero: Scott Fleetwood
Heroine: NA
Sensuality: NA
Date of Publication: October 30, 2007
Started On: February 13, 2013
Finished On: February 15, 2013

Yep, I have gone and done it. In my need to read something other than a romance though I would always remain strictly a staunch supporter and fan of romances, I went scouring through the thousands of titles on Amazon and stumbled across Paying the Piper by Simon Wood. When I first started reading I was an avid reader of thrillers, mainly focusing on titles by Sidney Sheldon that I couldn’t get enough of. Somehow my fascination with reading thrillers came to a standstill because I couldn’t find an author who satisfied all the adrenaline pumping suspense that I crave from a good mystery/thriller. But then I may just have found what I was looking for in Simon Wood because Paying the Piper certainly was an edge-of-the-seat read for me.

The book opens into the harrowing scene where Scott Fleetwood, a reporter for San Francisco Independent races his way towards the school where his twin sons Sammy and Peter go to school, the premises from which Sammy had been kidnapped.  Little does Scott know that when he receives the call demanding ransom, it would be the notorious Piper on the line, a serial kidnapper who had gone underground eight years earlier when his last kidnapping had ended up in murder.

Scott suffers from his fair share of guilt on the last known kidnapping that Piper had executed. It had been his involvement and need for a hot story that had escalated the events to the level that had ended the life of an innocent young boy who otherwise would have been set free. From the FBI comes his nemesis since then, the lead detective assigned to the case Tom Sheils who has his own grudge and contempt for Scott for what had taken place in the past. But when it becomes evident that this is by far no ordinary “Piper” kidnapping and that the stakes are too high and way too different from his usual MO, it is the joint effort that leaves no stone unturned that finally takes the reader towards the end of this story. And I have to say I loved every single minute of it.

Simon Wood is certainly a master at what he does. Never did there come a moment of lull in the story where I wanted to start a new book because The Piper wasn’t doing it for me. Rather I snatched whatever reading time I could in between chores and raced through the book, most of the time my heart accelerated in its beating because the taut suspense that Simon carries throughout the book is that good.

For fans of suspense and thrillers, this is one book you wouldn’t want to miss. Recommended.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: Hard Irish by Jennifer Saints

Format: E-bookhardirish
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Weldons, #3
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Jared Weldon
Heroine: Roxanne “Rocky” McKenna
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: September 17, 2012
Started On: February 07, 2013
Finished On: February 10, 2013

Hard Irish by Jennifer Saints is the much anticipated and awaited 3rd book in the Weldon brothers series. I love Jennifer’s books, whichever pseudonym she chooses to write them under because she provides an unbeatable combination of romance and sensuous delights together with just enough suspense to keep the ball rolling in her stories.

Jared Weldon and Roxanne “Rocky” McKenna’s encounter happens quite by chance. Though Jared goes seeking her out and unknowingly stumbles into her life, blindsided by the desire and need that she invokes in him makes Jared hesitant to spell out his real reason for wanting seek her out. And when Jared is certain that someone is out to get Rocky, there is no stopping Jared from doing all that he can to safeguard the woman he begins to fall helplessly in love with, one scorching kiss and searing touch at a time.

Hard Irish brings to the forefront the lovable Weldon family together with the ultra-appealing four brothers 2 of whom I am already hopelessly in love with. Jared finds himself in a bit of a fix when he can’t come out with the truth about who he actually is, but he has no choice but to play along for the duration it takes to keep Rocky safe.

Rocky is a woman who has had a bit of a tough time of things of late. With her father out of commission after a stroke strikes him down, Rocky takes the lead role in their business and gets things going. As a divorcee who had a tough time with her ex-husband, Rocky has her own issues to deal with, emotional scars that are left behind from a relationship that had done more damage than good.

Added to the mix is the thick plot of a deranged killer intent on finding out the secrets that Rocky’s mother had taken to her grave, secrets for which Rocky just might have to pay with her life and the lives of the ones that are near and dear to her.

A good read, I recommend the 3rd book of the series to those who have enjoyed the Weldon brothers so far and those who love books by Jenni.

Favorite Quotes

“May God give you…For every storm a rainbow, for every tear a smile, for every care a promise and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share, for every sigh a sweet song and an answer for each prayer.”
—Irish Blessing

The one thing we can never get enough of is love. And the one thing we can never give enough of is love.
—Henry Miller

I know the depths of sin.
The wretchedness of the depraved.
I know the darkness within
I’ll never escape it, even in the grave.
Though I know it is wrong
And I’ll pay with my soul
I could not turn away from
The love that made me whole.
So I stole every moment of time
And lived in the shadows
To love this child of mine
Before facing heaven’s gallows
I was part of the unforgivable
Blood stains my hands
Still I pray for the impossible
That in the end mercy will stand.

She didn’t have a chance to breathe before he caught her in his arms and planted his mouth on hers, instantly hot and demanding.
She opened to him, meeting the thrust of his tongue with hers, groaning deep from within as her starving senses found succor for her every want. His tongue tangled with hers, leading her in a seductive dance unlike any other.

Her body tightened like bow. She was going to explode. “Take me,” she whispered. “Hard. Give me everything.”
“Hell,” he cried out. His control snapped. The bed shook with his frenzied thrusts, banging the headboard against the wall. She arched and rocked, slamming herself against him. “Come,” he demanded. “Come with me.”
She clenched hard, squeezing his penis with the muscles of her sex and screamed as a mind-stealing orgasm captured her body and her soul. Her vision dimmed, her heart thundered, and her body shook. Wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her, leaving her quivering, replete.

Purchase Links: Amazon

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Trading Favors by Tatiana March

Format: E-booktradingfavors
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Men at Work
Publisher: TM Romance
Hero: Robert Connell
Heroine: Madeline Livingstone
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: September 25, 2012
Started On: February 05, 2013
Finished On: February 05, 2013

Being a fan of Tatiana March and my restlessness to read something that would captivate me found myself visiting her website to find out whether any new books by Tatiana had come out. To my delightful surprise I found that she indeed has a couple of new books out which I am dying to read one by one. Trading Favors which is a novella caught my eye the most and from page one, I loved it so much that I read it in one sitting as soon as I went to bed that night.

Madeline Livingstone (Maddie) finds herself divorced by her husband Frank at the age of 32. On the night her divorce is finalized, upon the advice of her friend, Maddie gets drunk enough to get the courage to walk up to Robert (Rocco) and demand to know why he had cheated her out on the work she had hired him to do at her house. To her embarrassment, Maddie comes to the realization and hard truth that not only had her ex-husband dumped her and opted to go for a newer model, he had also duped her in so many other ways which brings to home just how naive her trust in him had being.

When Rocco turns up on her doorstep the next morning and makes a deal with her to finish the repairs on the house, the one glaring fact that comes to light is the red-hot attraction that simmers and flares to life between them. Maddie who has been told time and yet again that she is undesirable and that she would always remain so has a lot of self-esteem issues to recover from. Not to mention her childhood that had instilled in her the proper manners befitting a lady of her upbringing makes Maddie afraid to reach out and take what she wants when Rocco is more than willing to offer himself to her.

When Maddie does find the courage inside of herself to say yes to Rocco, he shows her a world of sensuous desire that Maddie never ever thought possible. A slave to the way he makes her feel, neither of them talks about the future and opts to live in the moment. With a little bit of tangible angst added to the mix and a hotter than sin hero who just made me melt in all the right ways, Trading Favors is an awesome read that lifted up my spirits and made me smile and hum in all the right places. One of the things I loved the most was the unique beginning to the story that certainly makes it worthwhile a mention. Highly recommended.

Beautiful and sensuous. I loved it.

Favorite Quotes

The water started coming down harder and a little colder. The stream cascaded over her head, rivulets running down her face. Rocco brought his mouth back to hers. Deep, consuming kisses. The heat from his mouth mixed with the cool drops that ran down her skin, creating the most erotic sensation she’d ever experienced.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea…” Her words trailed away.
“Maddie.” Rocco dropped his towel to the floor and walked up to her. He took the damp bundle from her and patted excess water from her hair, his movements clumsy. “I don’t know how to do this right.” He leaned down and spoke softly into her ear. “But trust me, when we get into bed, right is my middle name.”

Rocco lowered his head for a quick, rough kiss, and then he rose above her, his shoulders wide, his biceps rippling with force, his arms locked straight at the elbows. He pulled back and thrust back into her, hard and deep. She felt her body clenching around him. He withdrew again, only to surge back in. Once. Twice. Thrice. Her body spun out of control. Pleasure rolled over her, in crashing waves that swept her along.

“You won’t need any clothes tonight.”
He mounted her without any finesse, thrusting hard and deep, filling her. The first orgasm hit her almost at once, but he didn’t pause, didn’t even slow down. He seemed to go on forever, steady, insistent strokes that started the tension coiling inside her again almost as soon as rolling waves of the previous release had stopped buffeting her.
She couldn’t see in the darkness, couldn’t see his expression, but she could feel the frustration and ill temper that drove him, could feel the sweat that made their bodies slick. She could hear the harsh grunts that he made no effort to silence. Could almost taste the flavor of his anger, because she’d asked a question that implied she had no faith in him.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Smashwords | Diesel

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested Review: The Marriage Trap by Jennifer Probst

Format: E-bookthemarriagetrap.jpg
Read with: Adobe Reader for iPad/iPhone
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Marriage to a Billionaire, #2
Publisher: Pocket Books
Hero: Michael Conte
Heroine: Maggie Ryan
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: October 2, 2012
Started On: January 24, 2013
Finished On: February 2, 2013

On the surface, both Maggie Ryan and Michael Conte seems to  have everything going for them. Maggie is a successful photographer of male models and someone who is in absolute control of every aspect of her life. Though the fact that sometimes she yearns for the kind of love that her best friend Alexa has found with her brother Nicholas; the kind of love that would make her belong in every sense, well, Maggie ain’t going to focus on that.

Michael is a billionaire whose success is legendary. But coming from an Italian family means familial customs do take precedence over certain modern principles and that is how Michael finds himself scrambling to come up with a woman who would pose as his wife for a short duration of time. Michael doesn’t want the hassle of emotions or any untoward demands to cloud the arrangement. And Maggie seems like the perfect choice until Michael realizes that he should have known better and that with Maggie nothing would ever be as simple as he thinks it to be.

So amidst the charade these two set out on, Maggie finds a side of herself that she thought she had suppressed far too well for it to exist after all this time. She finds herself a slave to the scorching desire that had drawn her to Michael in the first place. Michael had known from the very first encounter with Maggie that she was the kind of woman who could get under his skin and really tempt him to look beyond the aspect of just appeasing his physical needs. And that is exactly what happens when these two fight, kiss and make up in true lovers-who-can’t-get-enough-of-each-other fashion.

Though The Marriage Trap started out with the feel of characters who seemingly lead these perfect lives, its far from that. True, materialistically neither Michael nor Maggie needs much from the other. But emotionally they are both vulnerable in their own way, complementing the other in ways that neither would have thought possible. Maggie’s childhood consists of memories of being passed off from one nanny to the other. There is this gaping hole in her heart that she refuses to acknowledge though sometimes the emptiness inside of her is enough to make her question what she really wants.

Michael, though he comes from one of the most loving close-knit families, the sacrifices that he has made along the way to step up to the plate and be everything he is expected to be had changed a part of himself that he had not been able to get back. And with Maggie he finds himself willing to take the chance again to be free deep inside of his heart, to reach out and grab the happiness that he yearns for.

Maggie turns out to be what Michael needs in his life, for him to open his eyes and realize that while he had been playing the role as the head of the family and big brother, all his sisters had grown up and were more than capable of making their own choices. For a man like Michael who is used to taking charge, that is not an easy conclusion to come to. Likewise Maggie finds herself continuously challenged by the man who is her pretend husband, someone who shows her all the reasons why surrendering all of herself to him could be the best thing to happen to her ever.

Filled with spine tingling moments of the sensuous variety, The Marriage Trap is a good read that is recommended for those who love romances of this variety.

Favorite Quotes

With one final plunge, Maggie shattered.
She screamed his name, and heard his hoarse shout right behind her. The world broke around her in jagged pieces, and she rode out the pleasure to the very end. When she collapsed on top of him, and his arms came around her, one word echoed over and over in her mind, her heart, her soul.
Home.
Then she closed her eyes and slept.

She moaned. He caught it and pressed a bit deeper, and Maggie opened her mouth and gave in.
He plundered and commanded in complete thrusts, reminding her of how he’d claim her body if she gave him a chance. She tried to surface and gain control of the kiss, but her mind crumbled and her body sang. He murmured her name, and her legs got shaky as she held on to him for dear life and kissed him back.

He moved. Each motion claimed her for himself, told her of his emotions and need for her to belong to him. The last of the fight eased from her body and she matched him thrust for thrust, her heels digging into his back as they climbed higher and higher. She exploded beneath him and he let himself go. The unbearable pleasure wrecked him, overtook him, and threw him over the edge. When the storm finally passed, Michael realized his life would never be the same.
And he didn’t want it to be.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: Craving Her Soldier’s Touch by Wendy S. Marcus

cravinghersoldierstouch.jpgFormat: Paperback
Read with: NA
Length: Novel
Genre: Medical Romance
Series: Beyond the Spotlight
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Ian Calvin Eddelton
Heroine: Jaci Piermont
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: January, 2013
Started On: December 22, 2012
Finished On: February 2, 2013

Being not much of a fan of medical romances doesn’t stop me from wanting to read Wendy S. Marcus’s romances set in the said genre when they come out. Its always a delight to encounter balance in a novel such as a medical romance; equal amounts of knowledge enhancing tidbits about the medical world and enough romance and heat to keep the blood pumping. And with Craving Her Soldier’s Touch, Wendy takes this a step further and includes an emotional depth to her characters that really touched my heart.

Craving Her Soldier’s Touch is about ex-army ranger Ian Eddelton who returns back home after surviving horrific injuries with a hoard of survivor’s guilt wrecking his mind and heart. The only thoughts that had kept him sane throughout had been that of the woman he had left behind in the rush and need to get away from the riot of all sorts of emotions of the deeper kind that she had been able to rouse in him. Though Ian is known as Ice amongst his army buddies, all his cool deserts him when the woman in question is around him.

Jaci Piermont might be a heiress with a fortune waiting to happen but she is one of the most down-to-earth and feisty characters that you would ever find. A community health nurse and Women’s Crisis Center advocate, Jaci is someone who is continuously on the move, always ready to help the neglected and the less fortunate sector of people in the society. Her heartwarming and caring nature together with her competency when it comes to everything she does is totally entwined with the story that unfolds; the story of how Jaci reunites with the man who leaves her in a wake of confusion when he left as he did.

I’d say that with every book that Wendy pens, her writing becomes more appealing and her characters show remarkable depth that makes the story hard to part with. Jaci’s character was one that really shone through in every aspect as her past and what she had gone through comes to light, painting a picture of a woman that has had more than her fair share of trouble in her life. The only thing I felt that slightly lacked in the story was the ‘healing’ aspect of Ian from his injuries as well as the psychological trauma he suffers from. Still, I would say Craving Her Soldier’s Touch made for a great read highly recommend it for fans of the author and fans of medical romances.

Oh and yes, lest I forget, I want to share the bit in the book where my beloved Maldives is mentioned, a lil prezzie that was left for me by the author. Thank you Wendy, for giving me that. ^_^

He twirled one of her curls around his freakishly long, thin, almost womanly index finger and held her in place. “Strolling the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Visiting the beaches of Bali. Shopping in Milan. Skiing in Switzerland. Yachting in the Maldives.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Harlequin

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Unforgivable by Joanna Chambers

Format: E-bookunforgivable
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Hero: Gilbert Truman, Viscount Waite
Heroine: Rose Davenport
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: January 15, 2013
Started On: January 23, 2013
Finished On: January 24, 2013

Unforgivable by Joanna Chambers is my first experience reading something by the author. Though I shy away from reading too many historical romances, there are certain themes that call out to the romantic hidden inside of me and one of them happens to be the marriage of convenience theme. Coupled together with a heroine who is not the type of beauty that men would happily go to war for (though I would never understand the concept behind the notion) I thought that this would be the perfect read to curl up with.

Unforgivable starts out with a sickly looking Rose Davenport who just survived a vicious bout of the chickenpox being offered to Viscount Waite for marriage. Rose has no clue as to how the arrangement to marry the very handsome and appealing Viscount Waite comes about. And since Rose is pleasantly taken aback with surprise because Viscount Waite makes her open up and feel alive for the brief moment in time they meet before their nuptials, she is more than bewildered to say when the man who turns up at the church to marry her remains cold and aloof at best.

Gilbert Truman’s intention to marry the beautiful Tilly who captured his heart flies out of the window when he is forced to marry a woman not of his choosing. Bitter about being cornered into a place he doesn’t want to be in, Gilbert does what he must in order to survive being married to Rose. He keeps her away at one of his country estates and ignores her completely.

Years pass on by and Rose grows up, loses the awkward edge about her and becomes determined that she would confront her husband and force him to acknowledge her existence one way or the other, and thus Rose makes her way to London and ends up getting embroiled in a scheme of deception that doesn’t end up all that well. Now Gilbert and Rose are at odds, both fighting their true emotions, each too proud to let go of the hurt and misunderstandings that grows and fosters between them to really see through all that and grab the chance at happiness that awaits them.

I didn’t end up enjoying Unforgivable as much as I thought I would. I didn’t overly like the hero much and believe me I am someone who practically likes every hero in a romance novel – even the ones that most feminist readers do not like. But somehow I didn’t relate that much to Gilbert and thus the enjoyable factor in the novel sizzled down a bit for me. And then there is the heroine Rose. I loved her at the beginning of the novel, rooted for her and ached to see her become all that she could be and more given half the chance. But then things went a bit downhill for me towards the latter part of the book. Nevertheless I’d still say that Unforgivable is a good read worth your time if you like a bit of angst in your romances.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Samhain | BoB | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Pick of the Month January 2013: Interview & Giveaway

Yes, its being ages since I’ve had one of these posts up on my blog. Don’t blame me, I just haven’t come across any books good enough to warrant a pick of the month post for like almost a year. I am partly to blame of course, for having lost my zeal to read as much ever since the political turmoil in the country began last February. Its going to be a year on the 7th of this month since the coup happened in the Maldives, something the rest of the world seems to have forgotten.

So before I go rambling about my sense of desolation about democracy and the loss of people’s rights, please welcome author Sarah Mayberry who as usual was wonderful enough to answer my questions regarding her January 2013 release, The Other Side of Us, which was practically the most wonderful read I have read for quite some time. And lest you may have forgotten, there is always a giveaway included with the interview.

The Other Side of Us by Sarah Mayberrytheothersideofus

MBR: How did you come up with the premise and the story line for The Other Side of Us?

SM: I was talking to my lovely fellow Super Romance writing friend, Joan Kilby, and she was telling me about how her dog, Toby, used to sneak through the fence in their previous house so he could go play with the dog next door. She said no matter what she did, that dog was a Houdini, and they could not keep him on their side of the fence. Well, that got my story brain ticking over. What if two people who didn’t really want to know each other were forced to do so because their dogs kept hooking up? Which then got me thinking about why these two people didn’t want to know each other… and I was away. At first I wanted Oliver to be the one recovering from injury – I thought I might even make him a cancer survivor – and I was going to make Mackenzie the one who had been betrayed for almost the entirety of her marriage. But then I decided to flip things, make her the loner curmudgeon and him the betrayed one, and all of a sudden my story brain was REALLY going crazy.

MBR: You always manage to leave messages in your novels on those little and not so little things that makes a relationship work. Do you make it a point to do that or does it come naturally as you plot the story?

SM: I don’t consciously think about adding those elements, but I do always strive to really show readers that these people have a genuine, heartfelt connection that’s about more than smokin’ chemistry. I really believe friendship is the foundation for any lasting relationship – a genuine liking for each other as well as love – and I am always looking for ways to show that my hero and heroine enjoy and “get” each other.

MBR: Whose character would you say was the hardest to write in The Other Side of Us and why?

SM: You know, both Oliver and Mackenzie had their challenges. I didn’t want to make him too mopey and angry, but I wanted to also be true to where he was in his life – ie recently badly burned and betrayed. And I knew that some readers might find Mackenzie too much hard work with all her prickles and hard edges, traits we are usually much more forgiving of in the hero. I had to constantly push myself with both of them to be true to my vision of who they were.

MBR: I loved the bits that were about Mr. Smith and Strudel. How much of the antics of your puppy would you say have found its way into the story?

SM: Well, my little Cavoodle (Cavapoo in the US, I believe) is no escape artist – he loves people too much to run away from them! But certainly I tried to inject my new found love of the quiet, wordless companionship dogs bring to a home. I’ve been really blown away by how much having Max has changed my life – I truly adore him, as anyone who follows me on Twitter can attest! – and I loved channeling that doggy love into the book.

MBR: So what’s next from Sarah Mayberry and when can readers expect to get their hands on them? (I for one cannot wait!! – as usual)

SM: You’re always very kind to me! I have another Super Romance scheduled for September. This one is called Her Favourite Rival and is an enemy to lovers type story. Audrey and Zach both work at the same retail hardware company, and they are aware that while they are equals at the moment, they are also each other’s greatest rivals for the next promotion that comes up. Unfortunately, they are also both aware of a niggling attraction that just won’t die a quiet death. An incident at the company conference throws them more fully into each other’s orbits, and from then on it’s a slippery slope for both of them from attraction to lust to something much more profound. I’m really enjoying watching these two try to swim against the tide and protect themselves.

I’m also hoping to be able to get another self published book out there before the September release – in my head, I’m thinking maybe May, which would be a full year from when I did my last self pubbed book. It will be the first book in my Fitzgerald’s Run winery series, set on a winery on the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne. It’s great wine country, and it also happens to be near and dear to me because it’s near where I live. I’m really looking forward to getting to know the Fitzgerald’s and the first story I will tell is Jess Fitzgerald’s. She’s a tom boy, and she’s about to realise the man of her dreams has been living under her nose for half her life…

Thanks so much for the questions and your interest. I’m so glad you enjoyed the book.

To finish off the interview, Sarah was kind enough to provide some pictures of Max, her Cavoodle. Ain’t he just the cutest? ^_^

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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

This month’s giveaway includes 2 copies of The Other Side of Us (either e-book or paperback); open internationally. If you are requesting for the paperback version, your country has to be on the list of countries to which Book Depository provides free shipping to.

Giveaway Rules:

  1. Open a page of the current book that you are reading. (If you are not reading a book at the moment, open a page of the book that’s nearest to you.) And give me 3 sentences from the page you open up. Please do not forget to mention the book title and author as well. And tell me whether you like what you have read so far!
  2. Leave a valid e-mail address for a way to contact you in case you are the winner!
  3. Help spread the word about the giveaway! Tweet and earn 5 extra entries, or recommend this post on Facebook & earn 5 extra entries. Post the URL of your tweet or recommendation post on Facebook in your comment.
  4. Like my page on Facebook to gain 5 extra more entries. If you are already a follower of my page, just state so and you would gain your 5 extra entries.

Giveaway Timings:

  • Giveaway begins: 00:00 hours, February 2, 2013 – Maldivian Time
  • Giveaway ends: 00:00 hours, February 3, 2012 – Maldivian Time
  • Maldivian Timezone: GMT+5
by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: The Stranger by Kyra Davis

Format: E-bookthestrangerjustonenight
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Series: Just One Night, #1
Publisher: Pocket Star
Hero: Robert Dade
Heroine: Kasie Fitzgerald
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: January 21, 2013
Started On: January 18, 2013
Finished On: January 22, 2013

The Stranger by Kyra Davis is part 1 of a trilogy entitled Just One Night. Having never read anything prior to this by the author, I didn’t know what to expect from this book apart from the fact that it had received a mixed set of reviews even before its release date. I’m someone who always welcomes it when an author pushes beyond the normal “comfort zone” that is the haven of most romance writers. At this day and age when critics surround you from left and right and you have to cater to the whims of the general populace of romance readers, readers like myself who crave for something a bit different gets sidelined quite easily. So for me, The Stranger fit in quite nicely, a book that provoked me & perhaps made me empathize with the heroine, something that must have been really hard to do for majority of the readers of this book.

Kasie Fitzgerald is the good girl, the one who has always performed as expected and done everything according to the plans laid out in front of her. A Harvard graduate working at one of the most prestigious global consulting firms in the country, Kasie has almost everything going for her, a complete package when you take in her steady boyfriend of six years David Beasley. 

Kasie’s one night of indiscretion comes when she makes a visit to Vegas with her friend Simone in tow, Simone who seems to understand Kasie way better than she gives her credit for. And it is in Vegas that Kasie finds out that even the most innocent of caresses from the right person can shake you to your very core and turn your entire world upside down. It is in Vegas that Kasie finds the headiness of true passion, just how alive she feels when this stranger takes her in his arms to show her a world filled with sensuous pleasure that she has never thought to be possible.

Kasie leaves with the memories of her night of indiscretion knowing that she would never become that person ever again. She doesn’t realize how wrong she could be until the CEO of the new company that contracts her firm turns out to be none other than the mystery man from Vegas and it turns out neither Kasie nor the man himself is ready to let go after all.

I can understand why most romance readers would shy away from touching this book. The Stranger is a book that contains many aspects of cheating, not just one time, but time and yet again, and that too on the heroine’s part. But once you get to see Kasie’s character, step into her shoes and try to unravel her past which remains shrouded in a bit of mystery, one begins to realize that Kasie is not as clear cut as her character initially appears to be.

In my opinion, David, the man she has been with for so long has no inkling at all of what Kasie is all about. David puts her on this pedestal upon which Kasie sits, perfect in poise, never wavering in what he believes her to be. And Kasie has lived up to that image the entire period of their relationship until the night in Vegas, a night of undeniable passion that stirs up a side of Kasie that she never even thought existed inside of her.

How could it be possible that a man that she had shared just a few decadent hours of pleasure with could see through to every facet of her and understand her better than anyone else? How could it be possible that she craves for him like nothing else; that no amount of self criticism on her part gets her to do what’s right when the moment of reckoning comes and once again passion and red hot desire comes knocking at her door?

Kasie is a woman whose torn between doing what’s right and what her heart and body wants her to do, what they yearn for her to experience. And though I’d never encourage anyone to cheat on the person they are with, I can “understand” the reasons one might be tempted to do so. There are instances when things aren’t so clear cut as people who sit on the sidelines judging the entire time might think them to be. This is one reason why I refuse to judge people and their behavior, unless of course the person is a habitual liar and cheater, which then becomes an entirely different case altogether. 

What won’t work for many a romance reader turned out to be something I savored reading as Kyra doesn’t make any apologies or offers any unnecessary explanations to make Kasie appear angelic or to make it appear that what Kasie is doing cannot be considered as cheating. What made the book special for me is the fact that Kyra leaves the reader with enough bits and pieces of the puzzle to string them together to form a hazy picture of what Kasie is all about, what Kasie is capable of being and what’s holding her back. It delves into the psychology of a woman who has restrained herself from ever doing something that could be considered as abnormal behavior on her part, a woman who has always tried to do what’s ‘right’ according to the people who ‘control’ her life. 

Its at a pivotal point in the story that book 1 ends, and left me definitely wanting to find out more. For those who cannot look beyond the aspect of cheating that is certainly a huge part of this story, The Stranger is definitely not the novel for you. But for those like myself who love to read novels that explores areas beyond the normal comfort zones of romance novels, this one’s for you. I loved the fact that The Stranger invoked in me emotions that few books have the capability of doing and that it made me step up and THINK while reading for a change.

To sum up; gritty, honest & real. This is a trilogy worth a shot, if book 1 is anything to judge this series by.

Favorite Quotes

“Kasie,” he whispers. My name is the final caress I need. My free hand grabs the armrest of my chair and my hips push forward as I follow this dangerous path to its only possible conclusion. I hear him moan again. I know I’m not alone. I know what I’m doing, to him, to myself.
My body shakes as the orgasm comes with a convulsing and heartwrenching power. It’s the final chord of an erotic rhapsody that leaves me with the mingled emotions of satisfaction and endless longing.

“This is the last time,” I say one more time as I lean back against his desk and open my legs. “So let’s make it good.”
And in less than a second he’s on me. His mouth is crushed against mine as he pulls my hair, his hand reaches up my skirt, and I feel him roughly pull my panties aside before his fingers plunge inside of me. This time I don’t resist. His mouth tastes both bitter and sweet. His fingers start to move faster and I gently bite his lip and struggle to hold back my moans.

We choose our religion, our politics, our philosophies, and we see the world in a way that fits within those chosen confines. And if certain glaring facts don’t fit neatly into our belief systems, we just ignore them or see them differently. We make them fit even if it means we have to squeeze them into completely unnatural shapes.

“I don’t often invite people over,” he says. “I don’t entertain. But ever since Vegas, I’ve wanted to bring you here.”
“Why?” I ask. “You’be had me in your hotel room, your office, on the screen of your computer … why do you need me here?”
“Because,” he says, then pauses as he searches for an answer. “I’be been inside your walls,” he says slowly, “and this is the only way I can think of to bring you more fully inside of mine.”

And as he laughs I lower myself unto him.
And then the laughing stops … but not the smiles. As I ride him slowly then faster, his hands on my waist, my head thrown back, his eyes on my body, the smiles stay until the passion is so strong that our mouths stop working that way.
But the smile inside me never falters.
And I know without a doubt that his inner smile matches mine.

He kisses me on the forehead and I feel the completeness of his affection. As I watch him leave, I feel something else, too, something that springs from deep within me. I want it to be love.
But it feels a lot like obligation.
I was in Dave’s debt before, what with the job and his frequent kindnesses  But now that I’ve betrayed him, I owe him so much more, more than gifts or favors. I owe him happiness.

As he lowers me onto the bed, I forget. Dave, my work, my ideals …
… and I remember … the kisses, the taste of him, the feeling of him inside me.
I exhale as my shirt falls to the floor; my bra isn’t far behind. I gather the blankets beneath me into my fist as he grazes his teeth over one nipple, then the next.
Some feelings are almost too strong. They can’t be harnessed. Some desires can do nothing short of overwhelm.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Other Side of Us by Sarah Mayberry

Format: E-booktheothersideofus
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Oliver Garrett
Heroine: Mackenzie Williams
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: January 2, 2013
Started On: January 17, 2013
Finished On: January 18, 2013

Having a new Mayberry book come out is like receiving a surprise gift from a loved one. Having being away from the reading world for quite a while, I had almost forgotten about the Mayberry book that would be out early this year and discovering the fact that it was out already made my weekend! It has been so long since I have anticipated reading a book and got exactly what I bargained for when I made the purchase that in itself alone is enough to make me send a box load of smooches Mayberry’s way.

Oliver Garrett is on the verge of divorcing his wife Edie after 6 years of marriage. The way things had ended leaves Oliver reeling from the shock of betrayal and immense sense of loss, hurt and anger such that he doesn’t know how to overcome the constant voice of anger and frustration that is always at the back of his mind. It is to escape his tormented thoughts more than anything that he makes his way to the beach house of his late aunt with his dog Strudel in tow.

When Oliver introduces himself to his new neighbor Mackenzie Williams, his first impression of Mackenzie is hardly a favorable one, owing mostly to the standoffish manner in which Mackenzie treats his presence at her doorstep. Mackenzie is recovering from a horrific accident that had taken away from her everything that she had sacrificed her whole adult life for and getting back on her feet and re-entering the world that she had been forced to leave behind is what keeps her putting one foot in front of the other and pushing herself beyond her body’s limits.

Though Oliver and Mackenzie both want nothing to do with each other, Mackenzie’s dog Mr. Smith and Strudel both decide differently and it is through ‘misbehavior’ on their part that these two reluctant people are forced to interact with each other. And when disaster of a different kind comes calling, it is then that Oliver and Mackenzie discover that beneath their reluctance to be in each other’s company lies an attraction that is fiery, hot and undeniable coupled with many qualities that both of them find endearing in the other.

The Other Side of Us is by no means a light fluffy story of second chances and love that comes calling to make every single trouble fade away. Rather it is the story of two very real and relatable people who find each other at the lowest points of their lives, both of whom stumble upon a second chance at love; only if they are willing to trust each other and put in the effort to make it work, regardless of all the insurmountable twists and turns ahead of them.

I love how Mayberry brings her characters together, how she unravels the beauty of two people who are flawed, yet have all those redeeming qualities that makes you fall in love with them as you read along. Discovering each of Mayberry’s characters come to life is like unraveling a gift wrapped up in many layers, each layer giving away a hidden facet of its character that makes the gift that much more treasured. Likewise Oliver (be still my heart) is a hero that I fell in love with by the turn of the first page of the story. And yes, this is the unvarnished truth if you don’t believe me. Oliver is hard not to fall in love with. He has got the looks, the characteristics that makes a guy essentially alpha and endearing, both at the same time. And yes men of the world, you can be manly and alpha without becoming arseholes about the whole thing. And oh, how I loved his sense of humor, even his rambling thoughts at times giving me a reason to smile and grin in a way that just made his character that much more lovable!

Oliver hurts deep inside, though he might put up a facade of normalcy as much as he can for the benefit of the people around him. But when he is alone and when the thoughts of his marriage and the failure it had become starts haunting him, there is no escaping the emotions that blindsides him with a ferocity that continues to make him believe that he would never find a respite from it all. But slowly and surely, with Mackenzie entering into the realms of his thoughts, heart and life, Oliver starts to discover that there just might be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Mackenzie is the ambitious and driven sort of person who doesn’t let any obstacle stand in her way – not if she can help it. She had made huge sacrifices for her career along the way and being sidelined because she is not physically up for the challenge just makes her want to push herself that much harder and forgo the limits of endurance that her body is yet ready to handle. And then along comes Oliver, and with him arises the thoughts and possibilities of a future that is for a different version of Mackenzie, a Mackenzie that takes each day as it comes, a Mackenzie that starts to dream of a different path to walk upon, with Oliver right by her side.

It is beautiful the way Mayberry can put so much heart and emotion into a story that I sacrificed my weekend sleep hours for in order to reach the inevitable happily ever after for two people who deserve that and so much more. What I love about Mayberry is the fact that she continues to touch subjects that are difficult to explore, such as Mackenzie’s journey towards recovery, a very real nightmare that Mackenzie lives through each day. And at the very end, when Mackenzie pursues Oliver and turns up at his doorstep, that was when the waterworks began that had me reaching for the tissues at my bedside. If I had already not being head over feet in love with Mackenzie, I would have fallen for her like a ton of bricks then and there, because she understood Oliver and empathized with him on a level that is a crucial factor if any relationship is to survive.

If not for anything else, the fact that this is the one book that I have read in ages that had me coming back for more is reason enough to say this is an outstanding read. This is a story that reaffirms the reason why I love the romance genre so much! The Other Side of Us is a story of second chances, yes, but it also shows that love finds you, regardless of the circumstances one may be in, and that if you are to grab your chance of happiness; a little bit of faith, a whole lot of love and a bit of hard work would get you there eventually. Kudos to Mayberry, for you have done it yet again.

Highly recommended.

Favorite Quotes

Then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.
The world stood still. Her heart stuttered in her chest. She forgot to breathe. Then his mouth moved against hers and heat exploded in her belly and breasts and between her thighs. In that fraction of a second she knew how it would be between them – hot and wild and desperate.

He kissed her, his body shaking with barely controlled need. His hands covered her breasts, his fingers plucking at her nipples as he pressed his lips against hers. She’d never been so turned on in her life, every inch of her skin screaming to be in contact with his. Desire was an ache between her thighs, insatiable and demanding.

Mackenzie rode him with her eyes closed and her head tilted back. Her breasts rose and fell, rose and fell as her movements became increasingly urgent. Her watched her through half-closed eyes, his hands gliding over the warm silk of her skin, fighting the growing need to grab her hips and thrust into her soft, yielding warmth.
Finally it was too much for him and he gave in to instinct, driving himself into her, need an urgent tattoo in his blood. She gave a small, inarticulate cry, her head dropping forward, her hands clutching at his shoulders. He felt her pulse around him…and was gone.

“Once upon a time I used to think I was happy,” Oliver said after a moment of perfect silence.
She drew back a little so she could look into his eyes. “And now?”
“Now I know. Beyond the shadow of a doubt.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | BoB | Kobo | Harlequin

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