Tag / Lisa Marie Rice

by mvbookreviewer

ARC Review: Midnight Fire by Lisa Marie Rice

Format: E-bookmidnightfire
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Series: Men of Midnight, #4
Publisher: Carina Press
Hero: Jack Delvaux
Heroine: Summer Redding
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: September 21, 2015
Started On: September 14, 2015
Finished On: September 18, 2015

Summer Redding is the owner of the political blog/webzine called Area 8. With both her parents dead and being an only child, Summer leads an almost solitary existence. No men that entered into her life since her non-relationship with Jack Delvaux, who was killed in a terrorist attack that had rocked Washington DC, had ever measured up to her expectations. That is exactly who she runs into at a funeral that she would rather not have attended.

For the past six months, Jack had gone underground, disappeared by hiding in plain sight, all for one reason. To bring the perpetrators of the Washington Massacre to justice. Not your usual run of the mill variety of terrorists that mostly hail from Arabic origins. But homegrown and bred terrorists, possibly within the organization that he had dedicated a huge percent of his adult life to serving, i.e. the Central Intelligence Agency.

When Jack and Summer’s paths cross, Jack has no other choice but to come clean. Summer would have thought that given how things had ended with them previously, she would be immune to the tougher & much harder version of the golden boy she had fallen for so hard, years back. What Jack feels for Summer takes him by surprise as well. The feeling of being at home with Summer is one that is foreign to him, but one he realizes that is fates way of giving him a chance to work things out this time around.

When the bad guys come calling for Summer, all bets are off and once again the men from the previous books in the Midnight and Men of Midnight series get together to hunt and root out the bad guys before the fate of the entire country ends up at the mercy of the enemy that wants America to fall. And fall hard.

Midnight Fire is a book that holds the remnants & whispers of the Lisa Marie Rice that I used to know and love. There is a strong alpha hero of course. And then there’s the good sex; this time around on an airplane! The only thing that perhaps was different was the heroine Summer, who was feisty in her own little ways. Not the usually demure type of heroine that Lisa Marie Rice is famous for. For one thing Summer is strong and independent, but that doesn’t mean she is stupid enough to walk into disaster. One thing that stood out for me in this story was how Jack leveled with Summer when danger came calling, how he had just told her how things stood rather than ordering her to stay put. That spoke to me on a level that I wouldn’t have thought possible, but there it was.

Summer and Jack are both likable characters, but I wouldn’t say that there was anything extraordinary about them that touched me except for the fact that they both have the zeal to do what’s right, no matter the consequences. What I miss most from the Lisa Marie Rice novels that I used to love is the sizzling and at time scorching variety of sexual tension that exists between her characters. And Lisa Marie Rice is an author that delivers spectacularly on that. The uber protectiveness that comes along with the sexy, drop-you-down-to-your-knees variety of heroes that graced her novels. The ultra feminine & yet strong in the ways that count heroines who enter your heart right from the get go. Through it all, Lisa Marie Rice was an author that delivered on the suspense aspect as well, though one might not have the hardest time figuring out the bad guys in her novels. All that somehow seems to have changed with the recent novels that have been published and I for one mourn the loss of it all.

Recommended for those who love novels by Lisa Marie Rice. For those that love a strong hero and an equally determined heroine.

Final Verdict: A favorable installment to the Men of Midnight series.

Favorite Quotes

With his hand he silently told her to widen her stance and she opened her legs and oh my God! His fingers found her slick heat and she shuddered. He touched her just so. A Goldilocks touch. Not too hard and not too soft and oh! A probing finger rubbed over her clitoris then dipped inside her heat and she clenched. She clenched with her entire lower body, it was so intense.
She opened her mouth under his and gasped.
“That’s my girl,” Jack murmured.
“Jack,” she whispered.
“Darlin’,” he whispered back.

So hot, so hard, so…right. It was like a homecoming, something she’d wanted, missed for so long. Her legs rose, wrapped around him as tightly as her arms around his shoulders as she savored a connection that was a missing piece of her. As if she’d been half dead and was coming back to life.
Jack withdrew slowly, pushed back in, and it was sheer bliss, her body had missed this, she’d missed him so very much. To her horror, tears sprang to her eyes but her body saved her in the nick of time. She tipped over into orgasm and tears were perfectly normal while climaxing.
And she could pretend it was just sex instead of her heart opening to Jack Delvaux once more.

There was something exciting about being half dressed, having to keep quiet, some whiff of the forbidden. He was thrusting hard. He reached down, opened her up even further with his fingers so that his penis rubbed right…there.
She went up in flames. She clenched heavily once, twice and came with a huge electric rush, wanting to cry out but Jack covered her mouth with his. She couldn’t move and couldn’t cry out and it was as if her body turned in on itself, exploding.

Summer was done, she went lax. Her sex was soft and open to him slick with her juices. Jack’s movements became less rhythmic, jerky, moving in short hard thrusts so fast she was surprised she didn’t burn up from the friction. He gasped, thrust hard one last time and started coming in hot spurts inside her that, impossibly, gave her another climax.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Requested ARC Review: Midnight Promises by Lisa Marie Rice

Format: E-bookmidnightpromises
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Midnight, #5
Publisher: Carina Press
Hero: Sean “Metal” O’Brien
Heroine: Felicity Ward
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: January 19, 2015
Started On: January 12, 2015
Finished On: January 15, 2015

Midnight Promises is the 5th book in the Midnight series by Lisa Marie Rice. I got hooked onto Lisa Marie Rice ages ago when I first stumbled upon her Dangerous series. Lisa has a penchant for creating heroes that are as tough as they come. Demanding in the bedroom, gentle with their lady outside of it and lethal in the art of fighting and willing to lay their last breathe for the women they love. Ah! Those are the books that still linger afresh on my mind because the impact a good novel can have on you is imprinted in the deep recesses of your mind forever.

The 5th book in the Midnight series features a heroine in danger from the Russian KGB, for the secrets that she unknowingly holds in her hands. Felicity grows up in a household where her father had always looked sad, fear of being captured or worse always making him look over his shoulder. Her mother hadn’t fared any better under the life they’d been forced to live and Felicity had borne the brunt of it all.

Her trip to Portland had been a test of sorts, to see whether she could lead a normal life. A bit of a recluse and a genius in computer coding, Felicity is taken unawares when she is attacked in the airport itself. Her ingenuity and quick thinking saves her life and she lands on the doorstep of her friend Lauren, where Sean “Metal” O’Brien takes charge of her well-being and her heart in the process.

Midnight Promises for me held echoes of the Lisa Marie Rice that moved me to sigh over her books and squirm over the rough and oh so sensuous sex scenes she writes so wonderfully. Sean is the hero who has battle scars all over his body to prove that he is a toughie all around. Felicity, while she might’ve had to lead a reclusive life, is classy and beautiful with a heart that wants to trust that there just might be a person out there capable of keeping her safe from harm. And yet I found myself wanting more from both of them.

Though Midnight Promises had potential to be something more, it fell a wee bit short of hitting the mark. Sean and Felicity were likable enough, I just wasn’t able to connect with the rest of the story as much. Some parts of it dragged a bit, and I missed out on how Lisa tends to forge  a connection between the hero and heroine in her previous books that makes it feel like they are in a world of their own, a cocoon of their own making where they are the only ones that exists. But I still would like to say that even with the lack of that, the scene in which Sean makes Felicity his was superbly done; Lisa has a penchant for making the dirty variety of sex sound beautiful and poetic.

Recommended for fans of the series and fans of Lisa Marie Rice. I might be of the very few who found that the story could have been much much better.

Final Verdict: A little bit of the Lisa Marie Rice magic goes a long way!

Favorite Quotes

“She was pure sensation, feeling not thinking. Her brain just switched off, like in sleep only better. Because she was aware of the sensations.
His lips were soft but his stubble was rough against her skin. He somehow moved above her, in a dominant position and that excited her so much it scared her. He lifted his mouth for a second, so close she could feel his breath—actually she felt as if she was breathing through him. When he spoke, his lips were against hers, voice so deep it seemed to reverberate throughout her chest.
“I’m glad you aren’t with anybody. Because you are now.”

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

favorableread

by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Midnight Run by Lisa Marie Rice

Format: E-bookmidnightrun
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romantic Suspense
Series: Midnight, Book 2
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: Tyler ‘Bud’ Morrison
Heroine: Claire Parks
Sensuality: 4.5
Date of Publication: February 18, 2004
Started On: February 15, 2012
Finished On: February 15, 2012

 

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 90 A
The heroine 90 A
Story line 90 A
Emotional Intensity 90 A
Suck Me In Factor
 100 A
Heat & Sensuality  100 A
Conflicts within the story 90 A
Writing Style 90 A
Quotable Factor 70 B
The Ending 80 A
Overall Grade 89 A

Score Sheet Summary

Stopping after reading just one Lisa Marie Rice book is an impossibility for me. Midnight is a series that I have read completely out of order and because of that very reason I am able to say that Midnight Run sort of reads like a mix of the 3 books in the series put together. 

Bud is a cop, working undercover at a dance club in Portland known as The Warehouse when he sets his eyes on the beautiful Claire Parks. Bud is a tough, larger than life, total alpha hero who succumbs to the lure of the gentle and altogether too pretty for her own good Claire. Though Claire might be the last virgin in Portland, she has no intention of staying that way for long and its a weekend of decadent pleasures that Bud introduces Claire to, each and every encounter bringing the deeper emotions to the surface as their lovemaking grows more explosive as the weekend goes on.

Midnight Run is a book that is a feast for the senses. I say this because there wasn’t one non-tingly nerve in my body as Bud came into the picture and practically depleted the oxygen levels in the room with his take charge attitude in bed and out of it that serves to be a major turn-on. Though Claire is no pushover, it is always with pleasure I welcome heroines that Lisa Marie Rice creates, no feminists clouding up the story with their attitude in her novels.

The one disappointment for me was how the story ended. There was a lot of angst towards the end, and for me there were some “issues” that needed to be resolved between Claire and Bud before their happily ever after could begin. Of course, the love they have for each other is an unquestionable one, but I would have loved to see a bit of a prolonged ending to a story that had me reading the book in one sitting, giving my mind that much needed relaxation from the cloudy atmosphere of politics that is the current Maldivian environment.

Recommended for fans of the author and fans of the series.

Favorite Quotes

Yes, she, Claire Parks, who by all rights should have been dead these many years, her bleached bones rotting in the cold ground, was turned on. Waves of heat rolled through her body in liquid surges. The heat became almost incandescent in her breasts and in her loins, but her entire body burned and tingled with heat and life.

The rest of what she wanted to say was lost in his mouth. A red mist rose in his head. Fast as lightning, he picked her up, stripped her, pulled off his sweatshirt, pushed his sweat pants down—he deliberately hadn’t put on underwear, either—and embedded his c#ck in her. Just shoved it in because he’d die if he didn’t have his cock in her now.

With any other man, Claire would have been a little afraid, his expression was so fierce and dangerous-looking. She wasn’t frightened. This was Bud. He would never hurt her. “Why are you asking?”
Bud shifted his hips, pushing forward, moving even more deeply into her. “I want you to be comfortable,” he whispered, “because this is the position you’re going to be in for a long, long while.” His gaze held hers. “I’m going to fuck you all night.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | BoB | Ellora’s Cave

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Nightfire by Lisa Marie Rice

Format: E-booknightfire
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Erotic Romantic Suspense
Series: Protectors, Book 3
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Hero: Michael Patrick Keillor
Heroine: Chloe Mason
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: February 7, 2012
Started On: February 11, 2012
Finished On: February 15, 2012

It seems like I have been waiting forever for the release of the 3rd book in the Protector series. If you like myself have read the 2nd book Hotter than Wildfire, you would know why. Hotter than Wildfire ended on a cliffhanger, leaving the reader in a serious state of anticipation for this book to come out. And though Nightfire didn’t live up to all my expectations, it still managed to deliver the sort of sensually charged read that only Lisa Marie Rice can deliver.

35 year old Michael Patrick Keillor (Mike) is one of the 3 partners of the RBK Security Inc., one of the most successful security companies in the country. While his two brothers and best friends Harry and Sam had found their happily ever afters with wonderful women, Mike remains single, wandering as the restless soul that hides a wealth of pain deep inside of him. His home while stark, antiseptic and empty are a contrast to Mike’s emotions remain chaotic though he manages to hide it well.

28 year old Chloe Mason makes her way towards the building that houses RBK Security not for the usual reasons women seek them out. She comes to find out whether Harry could be her long-lost brother, hopeful and a bit apprehensive at the same time. Chloe is beyond ecstatic when Harry welcomes her with open arms, his fragile younger sister who had suffered and gone through so much in her life already. 

The attraction between Mike and Chloe is an immediate and an all encompassing one that flares to life right from the very minute the two of them lay eyes on each other. Chloe though fragile and delicate with zero experience when it comes to the opposite sex knows instinctively that Mike would never hurt her. However, after one very explosive kiss that burns hotter and brighter than any usual kiss, Mike’s less than stellar activities the previous night proves to be the reason why Mike takes a step back, though he doesn’t completely step away from Chloe’s life.

Story continues six months later, at the point where Mike is ready to bring and end to a promise that has kept him from completely claiming Chloe as he would have liked to do from day one of their “relationship”. And when Chloe’s life is suddenly under threat from ex-Russian military personnel, nothing and absolutely no force on this Earth is going to prevent Mike from claiming Chloe as his, and protecting her from any sort of harm that may come to her.

Nightfire combines all the elements that makes a Lisa Marie Rice book so memorable. Mike is alpha hero personified and Chloe is the delicate, beautiful and serene heroine who just makes you think of flowers and sunshine right from the very minute that you meet her. And the fireworks that bursts forth right from the very start is trademark Lisa Marie Rice, the heat and the off the charts sensuality always a reason to keep coming back for more of her stories.

There is none who can make a reader sweat right along with the hero and heroine as they dance around the heat that is between them, succumbing to the deep pull that is a constant throughout the story. Every single sliver of desire between Mike and Chloe was one I felt to my very bones, the reason why I loved this story so much. There were certain aspects of the story I didn’t like overly much, like the constant re-telling of emotions that seems to grip both Chloe and Mike until towards the latter part of the story. Yes, Mike has a story to tell, an immensely sad one at that too, but I wanted more action on the suspense side as well as the relationship that was fostering between Mike and Chloe to be the center of the story.

Even with all those little things that didn’t work for me, I still enjoyed the story of how Chloe and Mike find that special something with each other, the epilogue at the end that put a smile on my face the reason why I would rate this as a great read, recommended for any fan of Lisa Marie Rice.

Favorite Quotes

Her hand lifted without any volition on her part, as if it were the hand itself that wanted to be held by his. He gently grasped it in both hands, instead of the impersonal handshake she’d been expecting. His hands were as hot as a furnace. Slowly, watching her every second, he brought her hand to his mouth and—oh my God—kissed it.
Something inside her, something she’d never even suspected existed, pinged to life. Heat, excitement . . . desire. 

She whimpered, the sound lost in Mike’s mouth. She was entirely his, completely without willpower or volition. His mouth ate at hers, his shoulders curved in to her like some powerful wall of flesh. He moved his hips against her in short, stabbing movements, hands lifting her hips against his.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | BoB

greatread

by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Reckless Night by Lisa Marie Rice

Format: E-bookrecklessnight.JPG
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Dangerous, 3.5
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Hero: Viktor “Drake” Drakovich
Heroine: Grace
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: November 29, 2011
Started On: January 12, 2012
Finished On: January 12, 2012

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 100 A
The heroine 100 A
Story line 90 A
Emotional Intensity 90 A
Story’s ability to suck me in 100 A
Heat & Sensuality  100 A
Conflicts within the story 90 A
Writing Style 100 A
Quotable Factor 60 B
The Ending 90 A
Overall Grade 92 A

Score Sheet Summary

For me, Drake is one of those heroes that I would never ever forget. Lisa Marie Rice has a way of spinning a tale that takes you on this beautiful journey which you never ever want to end. And the Dangerous is a series that is one of her best in my opinion. Dangerous Passion is the 3rd and final book published in the Dangerous series and now we have a beautiful little novella that takes place a bit earlier than the epilogue in the actual story.

Drake is not your typical hero and if you want to know why, I suggest you read the book because giving away who and what he is would just be spoiling things for you. And if you already like myself are a rabid fan of the series, you would need no further nudging from me to remember who Drake is.

Drake and Grace’s novella too is focused on their happily ever after, bringing to light the changes that have taken place for both of them in their life together. Their love for each other is an all encompassing one and a beautiful one at that, and at times a scorching hot one too!

Lisa Marie Rice has done well in penning these novellas because if one isn’t already a fan of the series, she definitely wets the reader’s appetite to learn more. And for a fan like myself, I can’t help but want to re-read the entire series and will continue to wonder when my beloved Nick Ireland would get his own little novella to cast me off into my dream world with him along for the ride.

Favorite Quotes

She would never tell him and was ashamed to admit it, even to herself, but she’d fallen in love with him the instant she’d seen him. She’d been taken at gunpoint to the alleyway outside a gallery showing her paintings and had seen a powerful man, not tall but immensely broad. He was facing three armed thugs and he hadn’t looked frightened at all.
He’d looked dangerous.
And she’d fallen.

They had a fabulous sex life. Drake was an attentive, tender lover who took his time in pleasing her. But every once in a while something in him changed and she caught a glimpse of the truly dangerous man he really was. She hadn’t tamed him, not one bit. He just chose to show her a tender side he said he’d only discovered with her.
But sometimes the tiger in him growled and clawed its way to the surface. And then the sex was incandescent.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

amazingread

by mvbookreviewer

Score Sheet Review: Hot Secrets by Lisa Marie Rice

Format: E-bookhotsecrets
Read with: iBooks for iPad
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Dangerous, 1.5
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Hero: Jack Prescott
Heroine: Caroline Prescott
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: January 3, 2012
Started On: January 12, 2012
Finished On: January 12, 2012

CATEGORY SCORE GRADE
The hero 100 A
The heroine 100 A
Story line 90 A
Emotional Intensity 100 A
Story’s ability to suck me in 100 A
Heat & Sensuality 100 A
Conflicts within the story 90 A
Writing Style 100 A
Quotable Factor 60 B
The ending 80 A
Overall Grade 92 A

Score Sheet Summary

The Dangerous series by Lisa Marie Rice is one my utmost favorite erotic romantic suspense of the contemporary variety. Hot Secrets is a short, sweet and red-hot novella that takes place right after the very first book of the series, i.e. Dangerous Lover.

Taking place a year into Jack’s marriage to Caroline Prescott, the one woman whom he had never ever forgotten even through the long, hard and tough journey that had brought him back to her doorstep; through Hot Secrets Lisa Marie Rice allows us fans a much wanted glimpse into their happily ever after.

Jack might be besotted to the point of going crazy when it comes to his gentle and beautiful wife, but the one thing that he doesn’t let up on is his need to keep her safe, which is one reason why I fall so hopelessly in love with heroes created by Lisa Marie Rice.

Jack Prescott is alpha to the T, protective to the max and oozes a ton of sexuality just by merely existing in the story. Needless to say, I enjoyed every single minute of this little story which just drove home the point that I miss the beauty that is always a part of Lisa Marie Rice books.

For those who have never read a book from the Dangerous series, this is your place to start because if you are like me, you would be rushing out to buy the entire series before the day is through!

Favorite Quotes

She stepped closer to him, closer still, until her breasts touched his jacket, watching his eyes all the time. “My darling Jack.” She lifted herself up on tiptoe and awkwardly kissed the side of his mouth. “I’m yours. You know that.”
His control broke. His hands fisted in her hair and he kissed her hard, almost savagely. He knew he was bruising her mouth but he couldn’t stop himself. It was as if her mouth were giving him life. He would stay alive as long as he was kissing her.

He couldn’t wait—not one second more—and entered her with one long hard thrust. He was so careful with her, always, but this time he couldn’t be careful, couldn’t be gentle; he needed to possess her the way he needed to breathe.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

amazingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Midnight Man by Lisa Marie Rice

Format: E-bookmidnightman
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Midnight, Book 1
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: John Hunnington
Heroine: Suzanne Barron
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: November 12, 2004
Started On: June 11, 2011
Finished On: June 12, 2011

Midnight Man by Lisa Marie Rice is book one in her Midnight series. I have previously read and loved the third and final book in the series entitled Midnight Angel. This is my third attempt at reading Midnight Man, my previous two attempts halted somewhere in the midst of the first chapter due to one reason or the other.

Midnight Man tells the story of John Hunnington who is forced into early retirement from his career as a tough Navy SEAL. Known as the Midnight Man to his fellow comrades, John is a man well versed in the art of killing and now owns his own top notch security company known as Alpha Security International. It is his expanding business that makes him seek out Suzanne Baronn who is leasing out part of her building as office space, perfect for what he wants and in the process finds himself blindsided with the need to possess the classy and elegant beauty who stands in front of him.

Suzanne with her interior decorating business is the exact opposite of John. And the way John commands all of her senses right from the very first meet itself has Suzanne ready to flee from the intensity of her response to a man that she barely knows from Adam. However, from the moment John possesses her up against the wall during their very first date means that there is no turning back for Suzanne who has envisioned a very different process by which she would fall in love with the man she would share the rest of her life with. And when danger of the life threatening variety comes calling out of nowhere, it is to John that Suzanne turns towards who pulls no punches in ensuring that the woman who rocks his world in more ways than one would remain safe as long as he is capable of breathing.

The Midnight series tells stories of uber alpha males and the dainty yet strong heroines who are actually damsels in distress the said alphas race to rescue. With mind numbing passion of the explosive variety which is very well done, Midnight Man delivers on all counts and I loved reading every little bit of how two very different people find their soul mates in each other in the most unusual of circumstances.

I fell in love with John when I read the following part of the book where his burgoening feelings towards Suzanne is vocalized for the very first time in the story.

And I definitely loved the ending of the story though there was no epilogue in this one which somehow doesn’t end up feeling lacking.

Recommended for fans of Lisa Marie Rice/Elizabeth Jennings.

Favorite Quotes

The tree was pretty, she thought with satisfaction. It reached almost to the ceiling and the branches, thick and glossy, contrasted cheerily with the ribbons and apples and strands of fluffy white popcorn. The tree glowed with color. There were no store-bought ornaments on the tree, but that only made it charming, like something out of a Normal Rockwell painting.
“Pity we don’t have an angel,” she sighed. Her mother had a wonderful hand-made papier-mache white-and-gold angel picked up in Naples, which would have looked perfect on top of the tree.
John squeezed her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. His deep voice was quiet as he said, “You wouldn’t fit on top.”

 

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo | Ellora’s Cave

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Woman on the Run by Lisa Marie Rice

Format: E-bookwomanontherun
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: Sam Cooper
Heroine: Julia Devaux
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: October 1, 2005
Started On: June 10, 2011
Finished On: June 11, 2011

Julia Devaux finds herself in the mother of all fixes when she witnesses a mob hit and becomes a valuable witness who could put away the dangerous Joey Capruzzo behind bars for a good long time. However that also means that one seriously rich and pissed off Capruzo is after her pretty little head served on a platter which would mean another failed attempt by the US government  to indict him.

A book worm and film buff at the core, though Julia has lived a life of moving from one place to the other with her parents always on the move, she is not at all prepared to change into a Sally Anderson, a second grade school teacher in the middle of nowhere in Simpson, Idaho. With her life turned completely upside down, Julia is one step away from just simply sitting down and wailing at the winds when things take an interesting turn and she starts having an unholy fascination for anything to do with the tall, strong and silent Sam Cooper who turns up on her doorstep most unexpectedly.

Ex-Navy SEAL, Sam is a man who finds himself in serious trouble when the delectable new teacher in Idaho leaves him with a raging hard-on for the first time in almost two years. Sam’s past and the famous Cooper curse makes him a wary man on all counts. On top of all that, Sam is not a man who has much inclination to talk which has him sweating buckets when it comes to wooing and seducing the one woman whom he wants more than his next breath.

With a whopping figure of two million on her head, Julia is far from safe even in a no name town such as Simpson when it brings out a killer most cunning who will do anything to find out and kill Julia, all for the luxury the money for the kill would bring.

Whe Sam finds out that Julia, the woman who has turned his life and that of his town around is a woman on the run, there is no stopping him from pulling out all the stops in protecting the one woman who means the world to him. Towards the end, the cunning killer almost wins in putting Julia six feet under until Sam arrives to the rescue with just seconds to spare.

I loved Woman on the Run by Lisa Marie Rice as this turned out to be refreshingly different from the rest of her novels I have read to date. I say different because of the take on humor this story has which had me laughing out loud in several places when Julia’s quirky sense of self-depreciating humor along with the small town life comes into play.

From the aspect of the hero and the trademark LMR sensuality, this book is another winner with Sam being the uber-alpha and the protective kind whose want and need for Julia goes beyond anything describable. Julia is an endearing heroine whom I loved from the start of the novel though she sounds a bit confused of what she wants and needs at the beginning of the story. The villain when brought to light turned out to be the biggest shocker rendering this as one of the most enjoyable romantic suspense by the author. For me the best part of the epilogue of the story which takes place 4 years later turned out to be how different a man Sam is towards the end. And I would love to point it out that the overly descriptive narrations that annoyed me in Hotter than Wildfire which I reviewed earlier were non-existent in this one, making it earn a whopping 5 stars from the sunny side of life!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo | Ellora’s Cave 

outstandingread

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Hotter than Wildfire by Lisa Marie Rice

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: A Fine Specimen by Lisa Marie Rice

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: Lieutenant Alejandro Cruz
Heroine: Caitlin Summers
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: March 25, 2009
Started On: March 30, 2011
Finished On: April 1, 2011

Apart from the cover of this book which I just loathe, I loved every single thing about this very hot and well done novel by Lisa Marie Rice. Previously released and entitled as “Taming Nick”, A Fine Specimen tells the story of how Alex, the lieutenant at Baylorville PD falls like a ton of bricks for the sweet, sexy and beautiful Caitlin Summers.

38 year old Alejandro Cruz (Alex) lives and breathes police procedure. Alex had grown up in one of the poorest ares of Baylorville with an alcoholic for a  mother and a drug addict for a father. Alex had been on his way to becoming one of the most notorious punks in the area when his mentor and chief of the police department Ray Avery had seen something inside of Alex that had taken Alex years to see. The qualities that had made him a top notch badass had been trained and honed into making a perfectly lethal law enforcement officer, who had steadily climbed the ranks until Alex is to be the one to replace Ray upon his retirement the coming month. But Alex’s dedication had come at a price by turning him into a man who exists for his job alone, a man who has nothing else to look forward to in his life.

28 year old Caitlin Summers is a mix of adorable klutziness with an IQ that would amaze a lot of people. Caitlin had grown up with two parents who had loved and adored one another. Her father had died when Caitlin was quite young and it had been Caitlin’s utter determination and drive that had kept and seen her through school and university to become a double masters holder in behavioral psychology and sociology. Her latest research which relates to “Dominance Displays in Law Enforcement” brings her to Alex’s territory for a week, to observe the dynamics of police personnel and their behavior.

Caitlin is shell shocked to say the least when she meets the very formidable lieutenant to whom Ray has sent her to. From the first moment, her awareness of Alex runs deep which is returned in full force by the man who hasn’t cracked a smile in years. Alex is at first alarmed and a trifle bit impatient when the dainty and beautiful Caitlin shows up in the midst of one of the most important missions that Baylorville PD has embarked upon to-date. With great reluctance, Alex agrees to Caitlin’s request and what follows is a journey of sensual discovery by two people who are irresistibly drawn towards one another as moths towards a flame.

Alex’s fascination for anything to do with Caitlin slowly chips away at the formidable walls he has built up around his emotions and heart for 38 long years. A man who is practical to the core, Alex is the complete opposite of Caitlin who brings a kaleidoscope of colors into Alex’s world of black and white. Bit by bit, the amazing woman that Caitlin is slowly turns him around, making Alex yearn for things he leaves unsaid for far too long – until fate nearly wrenches from him the very best thing that has happened to him in his life.

A Fine Specimen is a tad different from the novels that I have read by Lisa Marie Rice to-date, a fact which I reveled in as I read along. I loved the fact that this story wasn’t focused on a sinfully sexy alpha hero who is hell bent on protecting the dainty and beautiful heroine from bad guys at all costs. Rather this story focuses on the relationship that develops between Alex and Caitlin, taking the reader on a journey that shows how Caitlin’s sunny and klutzy nature perfectly complements the tough as nails nature of Alex.

The love scenes are of the erotic variety but done tastefully, which is always a big plus point when it comes to novels by Ms. Rice. Her ability to paint with words – yes I would call it that, leaves me breathless at times, making me feel as if I am a vital living being in the story that unfolds. Alex is a sinful addition to my alpha male hottie list, a man who knows how to  take care of his woman in all the right ways. A Fine Specimen is certainly a delightful surprise if you can find it in yourself to go beyond the guy on the cover, who looks too full of himself if I may say so, which serves as a complete turn off when it comes to books. But beyond that is a story that is a delight to indulge in, a hero who surpassed all my expectations and managed to raise the yowzastic factor of the novel quite a bit with his inherently focused nature. Though I felt that the ending seemed a bit rushed, I would still give this 4 stars because I just absolutely love what Lisa Marie Rice can do with her rough and tough heroes and her beautiful and dainty heroines.

I finish off the review with peek into one of the many times during the story that Alex loses the internal battle he wages with himself when it comes to Caitlin, a loss that they both enjoy to the max and delights the reader in so many little ways.

Her mouth tasted as luscious as it looked, without the syrupy sensation of lipstick he now realized he hated. She was so delicious he didn’t even do what he usually did – make it a delicate, tentative kiss until he got signs from the woman that his advance was welcome.
No, sir. He dove in, licking, sucking, biting, as if she were a cream puff and he were a starving man.
It was like plunging into a sea of warm, fragrant flowers that caressed him back.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo | Ellora’s Cave

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