Book Binge

Kris' review of Beauty's Beasts by Teal Ceagh.

Ames' review of Locked and Loaded by Samantha Cayto.

Former army-turned-ER doctor Grace McKinnon is through with going to bed with nothing more than fantasies and a yearning to resurrect her personal life. She’s determined instead to take the Cougar Challenge with a flesh and hot-blooded younger man. She discovers the perfect opportunity steaming up the curtain of exam room four.

Captain Mark Bennington has been locked and loaded—ready for action—since meeting Grace. He’s on a mission to heat up the Boston nights while on leave. This sexy older woman is lighting his way, fulfilling double-time every sex wish he’s ever made. But it’s going to be the toughest fight of his life to convince her to take a chance on more than just a fling.

Before I start my review I just want to say: That is a horrible cover and it definitely will not attract people to this novella, which was actually very good. Ok, now onto my review...

This ebook packed quite the unexpected emotional punch. Yeah it had some hot loving, but the story behind these two characters was really interesting!

Grace is an ER doctor in her early forties. I'm usually not one for older women/younger man romances because the woman usually feels such guilt over the younger man that it gets on my nerves. Grace didn't get on my nerves. Mark didn't give Grace a chance to get on my nerves. LOL

And Mark. Here is a man, in the military, who is sick of the casual hook ups and wants something that lasts longer than one night but that has a definite end date. He sees Grace and goes after her, recognizing that she'd be mature enough to handle a short-term affair. She wouldn't be into playing games. And he was right.

However, neither of them expected to begin falling for the other.

Now the romance in this novella was all well and good (and super hot) but what got me was the secondary plot revolving around Mark's friend who is suffering big time from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Now that really got my emotions involved and I was surprised that this novella packed such a weighty issue into the word count and it did and it worked.

So if you're in the mood for a hot novella that is a little bit deeper than other offerings at Ellora's Cave, definitely pick this one up. Locked and Loaded gets a 4 out of 5 from me!

This book is available from Ellora's Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.

Casee's review of The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld, Book 6) by Gena Showalter.

Forced to his knees in agony whenever he speaks the truth, Gideon can recognize any lie—until he captures Scarlet, a demon-possessed immortal who claims to be his long-lost wife. He doesn't remember the beautiful female, much less wedding—or bedding—her. But he wants to…almost as much as he wants her.

But Scarlet is keeper of Nightmares, too dangerous to roam free. A future with her might mean ultimate ruin. Especially as Gideon's enemies draw closer—and the truth threatens to destroy all he's come to love…

I'm in the minority on this one, people.

Unsurprisingly, The Darkest Lie was at least 100 pages longer than any other Lords of the Underworld book. Everything that Gideon says has to be a lie or he feels extreme pain. Such pain that he is incapacitated. All that are familiar with this series know very well what I'm talking about when I refer to "Gideon speak". For those that don't, when Gideon needs to say something like "I'm tired and need to sleep" he really has to say "I feel like I've slept for a week and really want to out." Half the time, Gena explained what Gideon was really saying and half the time she didn't. It was confusing and I wouldn't recommend starting out with this book.

In the last book, Gideon found out that he was (and still is) married to Scarlet--keeper of Nightmares. Only he has no memory of her. Not just that, but the Lords currently have Scarlet in their dungeon.

I liked this book because I liked Gideon. I've liked him from the start. I even liked Scarlet. She was an unorthodox heroine (to say the least) but not unlikable. What I didn't like was all the mythology, Greek and otherwise. It was very confusing, especially on top of all the Gideon speak. It was kind of like reading one of Sherrilyn Kenyon's books, actually. I never thought of it that way until now.

Something interesting about Scarlet was that while she did affect people's dreams in a bad way, she could affect the dreams of bad people. So she could affect the dreams of, say, Galen. That kind of backfires on her when Galen decides that he'll go to Gideon instead of waiting for Gideon to come kill him.

Honestly, the most interesting part of the book was where Aeron, Amum, and William go to Hell to rescue Legion. It shows an interesting side to both Amum and William, something I'm really looking forward to reading more about. We also get to learn more about Strider, someone that I can't wait to read more about.

My final verdict on this book is that while I enjoyed Gideon and Scarlet getting their happy ending, I enjoyed the secondary stories far more. I loved the progression of the series but I didn't love the book.

3.5 out of 5.

This book is available from HQN. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

The series:

Judith's review of Ice Cold Lover (Book Two in the Winged and Dangerous series) by Mel Teshco.

Celest has been having vivid sexual dreams starring Pascal Daniels. The son of a mobster, he is every woman's most dangerous fantasy. Pascal leads a charmed life and can have any woman he wants, any time he wants her. Celest is determined to have him--but just once. Because she has a secret she will fight tooth and nail to protect. She is human in every way but one: hideous bat-like wings, a permanent legacy from her once-cursed gargoyle father, Cray.

Pascal is used to attention from women, but he's looiking for someone special. He's interested in the Ice Queen, Celeste Diamond. He thinks hers is the perfect female form, one he'd do anything to possess. Pascal has decided it's way past time to warm up the mysterious, elusive Celeste. And perhaps h will share some secrets of his own.

As an Ellora's Cave novella, this work is definitely not a long read, but it has some interesting componenets to it. The author has certainly set out to craft a story that has a certain tension that is derived from Pascal's mob affiliations. A sexual tension is generated by the pursuit of this beautiful woman and, incidentally, her pursuit of Pascal, even if only for one night in his arms. Yet she insists that their time together be on her terms or not at all, and curiously for this Alpha-type male, he concedes the field temporarily.

This is a story that really hangs on Celeste's deeply buried self-hatred of her "disability" as she sees it: her gargoyle wings. Like her father, she is hunted by those who would make her a science project, capture and restrain her, poke, examine, and study her and essentially take away any future she could hope for. In all of this she is willing to have just one taste of loving and intimacy. It is also a study in human nature not unlike many who live in our world today, putting up icy walls to keep away curiosity seekers or anyone who inspire fear in them, even while desiring to know the fulfillment of close human relationship.

I found both Pascal and Celeste to be fascinating characters. Both were trying to live as humans in a world that hated anyone who is different. Even Celeste's parents--her human mother and her gargoyle father--had been forced to live secretly to protect any semblance of normal life. This hiding behind walls is not an unknown phenomenon and so many who find their love relationships falling apart could easily trace that break-down to the deep-seated fear of sharing themnselves fully with another person. Experience, unfortunately, has often taught people that being open and honest about oneself is an invitation to heartbreak at the hands of unscrupulous emotional predators. Celeste was determined not to be such a person.

I wasn't sure I would like this story but as I persevered in the reading I found that I became engaged in the story and saw the deeper themes that were present. I know this is erotic romance, but it is a story about living beings that are complicated, thinking, emotional and feeling creatures. As such they are of interest to me and aside from being entertaining, this novella certainly had some deeper worth. It is not a complicated plot, but I think it has merit as an entertaining literary piece and is worth a readers time and effort. Fantasy lovers and those who like paranormal romance with find this to be a nice way to spend some time. I would give this novella a higher rating except it is way too short. I would have liked for the plot, characters, their relationships and the basic conflict to have been expanded. I give a rating of 3.5 out of 5.

This book is available from Ellora's Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.

You can read more from Judith at Dr. J's Book Place.

Lori's review of Sexy as Hell by Susan Johnson.

Osmond, Baron Lennox, is known for his luck with cards and with women. But it seems his good fortune may have run out when a planned assignation with his mistress goes terribly awry. Specifically, he finds himself in bed with the wrong woman. The potential scandal leaves him with one option: marry the lady in question. And fast. However, Isolde Percival, Countess of Wraxell, has no intention of marrying Lennox or anyone else. In fact, she set up the compromising situation herself to avoid such a fate. That's just fine with Lennox, who never envisioned himself tied down to just one woman – especially one so headstrong and independent. Who would have thought that Lennox and Isolde would find something else in common – something that just might draw them closer to each other than they could have imagined?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I intensely disliked this book. For several reasons. First, the hero is a slobbering drunk. Oz and Izzy spend all their time either arguing and hating one another, or having sex. And not necessarily with each other. Oz keeps a mistress almost until the very end of the book. They fight and argue until the very last chapter at which time they declare their love for one another and they all lived happily ever after. Ugh.

So… hero is an alcoholic. And an asshole. A cheating asshole at that.

Heroine is a bitch. And a manipulative one at that.

They have sex the first time they meet, in fact, almost immediately. Then spend the rest of the book arguing and screwing.

While I found several redeeming qualities in this book's predecessor, Gorgeous as Sin, I found almost nothing at all to recommend this one. I was surprised that the hero was only in his early 20s – he had so much hard living behind him. When it was revealed that Oz was poisoned, I was thinking, "Finally. Put me out of my misery." But of course, he recovered, damn it. Lived to screw someone else another day.

If you don't care about glorified alcoholism, infidelity, or unlikable characters, then I recommend this book. If those things bother you? Don't bother.

1 out of 5.

You can read more from Lori by visiting, I Just Finished Reading and Living in the House of Testosterone.

This book is available from Berkley Sensation. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

ETA: Sorry all, I had the wrong title in there. Fixed now! Hope I didn't cause any inconvenience with my mistake. - xoxo, Holly

It's going to be a great release month for August and here's just a few of the books that I'm looking forward to.


1. Burning Up by Susan Andersen.

Though it's been years since the infamous Macy O'James stepped foot in Sugarville, Washington, everyone remembers what she supposedly did. The tiny town is still buzzing about her crime and lack of punishment.

Now back to lend her family a hand, Macy vows to hold her head high—especially at her high school reunion. But forget about the hottest man in Sugarville escorting her. Though she and fire chief Gabriel Donovan generate enough sparks to burn down the town, he's a law-abiding, line-toeing straight arrow. So not her type.

But maybe—just maybe—he can change her mind about that.

I've been curious about Burning Up for a while now because I still haven't read a Susan Andersen yet but I'm thinking I'm going to make this book my first. I hope it's a good one. I LOVE the cover.

2. Love Me if You Dare by Carly Phillips.

When hostage negotiator Rafe Mancuso takes a bullet to save Sara Rios, his former partner, his actions make him a bona fide hero—and New York City's newest most eligible bachelor. Then Rafe admits that Sara is much more than just another woman he's rescued. Suddenly, a firestorm of gossip turns him into exactly what he doesn't want to be: the Bachelor Blog's newest hot topic. His only solution is to leave town and get himself out of the spotlight…and sexy, jaded Sara out of his mind.

NYPD officer Sara Rios has Rafe to thank for saving her life, and Rafe to blame for the media chaos surrounding her. She wants to throw herself back into duty at full throttle, but until her injuries heal, she's on leave and in search of her rescuer. From the moment she finds Rafe and meets his large, boisterous family, she's hooked. But mutual attraction doesn't always mean happily-ever-after, and these two have a long way to go to find their fairy-tale ending….

I enjoyed the first book in this series and can't wait to own a copy of this one as well. Rafe sounds like a total dream boat and I enjoyed getting to know Sam in the first book. If you remember, Sam is Coop's best friend and she gets her story told in this book so be on the look out for it.

3. Finding Perfect by Susan Mallery.

Pia was your typical popular girl in high school – she made friends easily, cheered on the squad, and had her share of dates with the school jocks. But she’s always had a hard time committing to something, or someone. So when her best friend Crystal succumbs to cancer, Pia is devastated, but also shocked by the inheritance her friend has left her – her frozen embryos! Pia’s in a quandary. It’s not like she can just throw them away. But is she really capable of being responsible for another human being? For once, Pia throws caution to the wind and decides to embrace Crystal’s legacy. But as she struggles with her decision, another complication arises that Pia is totally unprepared for. She finally meets the man of her dreams…and her life becomes more confusing than she ever thought possible.

I really enjoyed the other two books in this series and can't wait to own a copy of my own for this one. Pia is one of those characters that I've come to care about through out the length of this series and I can't wait for everyone to be able to read her story. Also, Raoul from Sweet Spot is back and he gets his own happy ending, how can you not be excited for that?


4. Wicked Delights of a Bridal Bed by Tracy Anne Warren.

To her surprise, Lady Mallory Byron finds herself walking down the aisle with the last man she ever expected to ask for her hand . . . .

Everyone knows the Byron brothers are "mad, bad and dangerous." Now their sister shockingly discovers she's the newest talk of the Ton when she marries the scandalous Earl of Gresham. Faced with a tragic loss, she'd sought comfort from him as a family friend. But soon consolation turned to passion, scandal—and a wedding! In the bridal bed, she finds pleasure beyond her wildest dreams. But can nights of wicked delight change friendship into true love?

Charming rakehell Adam, Earl of Gresham, has secretly loved Mallory for years. He lost her once to another man, but now he has a second chance to win her love—and plans to do so by any means necessary. Will Mallory's heart give him what he so dearly desires? Or is the past too much to overcome?

Squeeee!!! It's Mallory's story. I cannot wait to read this book!

5. Maybe this Time by Jennifer Crusie.

Andie Miller is ready to move on in life. She wants to marry her fiance and leave behind everything in her past, especially her ex-husband, North Archer. But when Andie tries to gain closure with him, he asks one final favor of her before they go their separate ways forever. A very distant cousin of his has died and left North as the guardian of two orphans who have driven out three nannies already, and things are getting worse. He needs a very special person to take care of the situation and he knows Andie can handle anything…

When Andie meets the two children she quickly realizes things are much worse than she feared. The place is a mess, the children, Carter and Alice, aren’t your average delinquents, and the creepy old house where they live is being run by the worst housekeeper since Mrs. Danvers. What’s worse, Andie’s fiance thinks this is all a plan by North to get Andie back, and he may be right. Andie’s dreams have been haunted by North since she arrived at the old house. And that’s not the only haunting…

What follows is a hilarious adventure in exorcism, including a self-doubting parapsychologist, an annoyed medium, her Tarot-card reading mother, an avenging ex-mother-in-law, and, of course, her jealous fiance. And just when she thinks things couldn’t get more complicated, North shows up on the doorstep making her wonder if maybe this time things could be different between them.
If Andie can just get rid of all the guests and ghosts, she’s pretty sure she can save the kids, and herself, from the past. But fate might just have another thing in mind…

I've already squealed in delight on my book watch for this book but still, I GOTTA HAVE THIS ONE!

There are so many other books coming out but these are the ones that are fresh in my mind right now.

So share with me, which books are you guys most looking forward to in August?

Hugs,
Ween

Tracy’s review of Bonds of Justice (Psy/Changeling series #8) by Nalini Singh

Max Shannon is a good cop, one of the best in New York Enforcement. Born with a natural shield that protects him against Psy mental invasions, he knows he has little chance of advancement within the Psy-dominated power structure. The last case he expects to be assigned to is that of a murderer targeting a Psy Councilor's closest advisors. And the last woman he expects to compel him in the most sensual of ways is a Psy on the verge of catastrophic mental fracture.

Max Shannon, human cop, and Sophia Russo, Psy J, meet when Sophia is called in to extract a memory from a serial killer. J Psy are Justice Psy and can extract memories from people but because of the horrors that they see and who they are they have extremely fragile mental structures and are usually “rehabilitated” quite early in life (rehabilitated=brain stripped and basically turned into a vegetable). Sophia is one who is severely fractured but she’s been able to fool everyone for so long she just wants to hold on for a bit longer.

Sophia and Max are then called in to San Francisco to work together for Nikita Duncan, Psy businesswoman and Sascha Duncan’s mother. It seems that employees of Nikita’s inner circle are being murdered – even though some have been made to look like suicides. Nikita wants to know why and who and she doesn’t trust the other council members to help as they may be in on whatever “it” is.

Sophia’s Silence crumbled years earlier but she’s been able to playact the part of the perfect Psy for years. She discovers a bond with Max, however, and she knows this is her last chance to actually feel. Max has the same attraction and bond to Sophia and though he knows that there isn’t much time he’s not willing to give any of it up, or accept the fact that she may not be around for much longer.

Sophia and Max’s relationship was so tender and loving which was something that neither of them had had in their childhood or the years following. Sophia had broken Silence long before she met Max but he gave her the opportunity to be who she really was and experience the touching and loving that she deserved.

The plot unfolded in such a way that you really didn’t know who was doing what and it kept me on my toes and turning pages just as much as the romance portion of the story did. They were really quite intertwined so you didn’t feel like you were reading two different stories.

Also, even though this was a Psy/Human love story, Singh had a nice bit of Changeling stuff going on. With Max being Talin’s friend we saw her and had appearances by Dorian, Clay, Sascha, Lucas, Vaughn and Faith as well.

Once again, Nalini Singh gives a story that is beautiful in its love story and amazing in its world building. The intricacies of the Psy/Changeling/Human world that she’s built fascinate me every time that I read on of the books in this series. She really has a wonderful way of bringing all of the three worlds together in a way that I can picture it easily in my mind.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place.

The series:

Judith's review of Forgotten Hope by Aubrey Ross.

Masquerading as a vampire has kept Chevon Rankin alive for two centuries. She believes the mystery surrounding her sister's murder is nothing but a painful memory until an alien Setti hybrid invades her home and attacks while she is sleeping.

Hot on the trail of the Setti hybrid, Commander Brock Sihngal, a Phantom Warrior of the Foswick dimension, rescues Chevon, but the hybrid escapes. The Setti have pursued Chevon with obsessive determination and it's Brock's job to figure out why. Sexual interrogation is his specialty. he uses pleasure to motivate his prisoners, and he has been looking forward to his sessions with Chevon for a very long time.

Chevon thinks she is prepared for Brock's brand of erotic negotiations. Their torrid affair years before should have equipped her to resist his techniques. But every touch, every intoxicating kiss makes her hungry for more. her only option is to respond without hesitation and submit without fear. She frees her passionate nature and soon an equal desire burns in the eyes of her arrogant interrogator.

I have never read any work from this author previously so this was my introduction to the style and substance through this novella. It is classed as fantasy and erotic romance, and erotic it certainly is. In fact, this novella is dripping with sex scenes and if that is what the reader desires, then they will get their money's worth. I still want some literary substance and I came away from reading this work with the feeling that the plot was a little flimsy and the sum and substance of the story were not the main concern. Rather, they all were a very loosely constructed framework for the erotic scenes.

There were passages in this story that seemed to work well, and the characters seemed to have some validity. In other passages, however, the sex took over the story and it was what I would call the "driving force" in the work. Even in a fantasy piece there has to be some semblance of literary authenticity and I felt that the plot, the story, and the characters were in the service of the eroticism and not the other way around. Of course, we all have our "druthers" and I am certainly open to that. In my opinion, this story could have been so much stronger in a number of ways and I couldn't get past a sense of disappointment that an author that obviously has a very talented and creative imagination had not written an erotic romance with greater literary weight.

Even though this particular novella didn't "wow" me, I am hoping to encounter other of Ross' work. Hopefully, I will not continue to be disappointed. I give this piece a rating of 2 out of 5.

This book is available from Ellora's Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.

You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.

Holly's review of I Kissed an Earl (Pennyroyal Green, Book 4) by Julie Anne Long

Violet Redmond's family and fortune might be formidable and her beauty and wit matchless—but her infamous flare for mischief keeps all but the most lionhearted suitors at bay. Only Violet knows what will assuage her restlessness: a man who doesn't bore her to tears, and a clue to the fate of her missing brother. She never dreamed she'd find both with a man whose own pedigree is far from impeccable.

"Savage" is what the women of the ton whisper about the newly styled Earl of Ardmay—albeit with shivers of pleasure. Born an English bastard, raised on the high seas, he's on a mission to capture a notorious pirate for vengeance. But while Violet's belief in her brother's innocence maddens him, her courage awes him . . . and her sensuality finally undoes him. Now the man who once lost everything and the girl who has everything to lose are bound by a passion that could either end in betrayal . . . or become everything they ever dreamed.

The story was wonderful and absolutely what I've come to expect from Long. She always manages to just skirt the TSTL line with her heroines, but never quite cross it. Violet was no exception.

I wasn't sure I'd like Violet. In the last couple of books she's spoiled, brazen and bored. She does things just to gain attention and things herself far more clever and worldly than she truly is. She doesn't understand the dangers of the world, or what men are really capable of.

When she meets Captain Ashton Flint, the new Earl of Ardmay at a ball she's struck by how savage he looks. She's also completely baffled when he seems convinced that her brother Jonathan is a sea pirate. It isn't long before she realizes he may be talking about, and looking for, her oldest brother Lyon, who disappeared a year ago.

She tries talking to her brother Jonathan about her suspicions, but he laughs them off. So she decides she'll have to find out for herself. The best way to do that? Stowaway on Captain Flint's ship, so she can accompany him on his pursuit of the pirate Le Chat.

Captain Flint is furious when he realizes Violet has stowed away on his ship. He was offered an Earldom, yes, but he doesn't have the funds to support that type of lifestyle. The king has offered him a deal - if he can capture the pirate Le Chat he'll gain great wealth. Since all he really wants is to settle down on a piece of his own land and raise a family, the offer is tempting. But he doesn't agree until Le Chat sinks the ship of his mentor.

Having Violet aboard his ship is a liability he doesn't need. She'll distract his crew and cause nothing but trouble.Plus, he's attracted to her himself. Which can only be bad. But he can't deny her appeal. She's a lovely girl who is high-spirited, but thoughtful and caring. He expects her to be spoiled and pampered - which she is - but she isn't selfish or unwilling to admit her faults. This causes him a great amount of internal conflict, because he just can't pigeon-hole her as a snotty brat and be done with it.

Stowing away on Flint's ship seemed like a good idea at the time, but Violet fast realizes her mistake in acting so rashly. The longer she's at sea, the more she realizes how sheltered and spoiled she's been. She always felt stifled by her life, and her overly dramatic ways of relieving her boredom seem silly and immature now that she's faced with real danger. But she can't deny the excitement of being away from home, on the sea, and most especially alone with Captain Flint.

As always Long delivers a compelling, multifaceted story. The characters were well drawn and complex. Every time a layer was pulled back another was below it. Just when I thought I'd figured the characters out, or thought I knew them, they would do something unexpected and I'd realized I had it all wrong.

The plot was an exciting and adventurous one. Pirates, treasure, treason..I was thoroughly engrossed in the tale and anxious for Violet to find out if her brother truly was the pirate Le Chat, and what his motives for doing it were.It was easy to see how loyalties were divided, and how both Flint and Violet struggled to do what they considered right.

That isn't to say I didn't become frustrated with the characters at times. Violet and Flint were both stubborn and that resulted in several instances of them acting like idiots. More than once I wanted to smack one - or both - of them upside the head. But as always, Long managed to pull them back from the point of no return.

The worst part of the novel was the editing. The editing was terrible. Seriously terrible. There were typos every few pages - bad ones - and the hero said and did everything ironically. Every.single.thing. If he made a gesture, it was made ironically. If he made a statement, it was made ironically. It drove me batty. And it only seemed to get worse as the novel progressed. Or maybe I just became fixated on it the longer I read. Either way, the terrible editing detracted from my overall reading experience. Which is really too bad, because it was a stellar story.

For the overall story, I'd give this a 4.5 out of 5, but because the editing as terrible and it took away from my reading experience, my final grade is:

4 out of 5

The Series:



This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here or here in e-format.