Friday, December 28, 2012

The Professional/The Player (Men Out Of Uniform #13 & #1)


This book was read as an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) provided for free by the publisher and NetGalley.com

Two books were combined into one double book The Professional: The Professional/The Player.

BookThe Professional (Men Out Of Uniform series #13)

AuthorRhonda Nelson

Rating: M (for Mature Audiences – nothing that you would find in your run of the mill romance novel)

Bookshelves: 2012, fiction, Georgia, military, romance, USA,

Begun: December 12, 2012
Finished: December 15, 2012

Media Type: eBook (read on the Kindle app on a Nexus 7)

Setting: Georgia, USA

Characters: Jeb Anderson and Sophie O’Brien

Synopsis: Someone is stealing valuables at a very pricey and very exclusive old age community. This place is the place to retire to and someone is running around exploiting the elderly and taking valuable jewelry out of locked safes. Jeb Anderson is a retired Army Ranger whose twin brother, Judd, is also in the service and is currently stationed overseas but is on leave. Jeb has taken the job of finding out who is stealing the valuables and his first suspect is Sophie O’Brien, a vivacious and pretty massage therapist who owns her own farm and makes soaps that are sold at the retirement community. But, Sophie’s not his thief and there are dark secrets hidden in her closet. Can the two come together to find the jewel thief in a retirement community where the residents act like it’s spring break all year long?

Review: This was a very cute, quick, and well written read. I loved the backstory on both main characters and how Rhonda Nelson really pulled you in to the plot from the very beginning. Sophie’s back story kind of came to an abrupt ending which I think might have been a little more dramatic is it had been drawn out and played with a little more, but, overall, it was a good book.

  
BookThe Player (Men Out of Uniform series #1)

AuthorRhonda Nelson

Rating: M (for Mature Audiences – nothing that you would find in your run of the mill romance novel)

Bookshelves: 2012, fiction, Maine, military, romance, USA,

Begun: December 12, 2012
Finished: December 15, 2012

Media Type: eBook (read on the Kindle app on a Nexus 7)

Setting: Maine, USA

Characters:  Jamie Flanagan, Audrey Kincaid

Synopsis: Jamie Flanagan owed Colonel Garrett a favor. How else would he have ended up at a “distressing” camp in Maine called Unwind? No on his own, that’s for damn sure. This tough as nails ex-US Army Ranger would rather be back on the battlefields than painting pictures and talking about his feeling. And the only thing he’s feel right now is hot for the girl he’s supposed to be guarding, Audrey Kincaid, owner and proprietress of Unwind … and Colonel Garrett’s granddaughter. A raven haired beauty, Audrey left the world of financial analysis after having a heart attack at age 26. Now she’s stuck with an emotional vampire of a boyfriend who is asking her to marry him (with the ultimatum that he will dump her if she says “no”) and a hot, hot, hot colleague of her grandfather that is having trouble getting over the death of a battle buddy. What’s a girl to do?

Review: This was another well written, great, quick read. I was kind of hoping to get Judd Anderson’s (Jeb Anderson’s twin from The Professional (the first part of this book)) story but Jamie’s story was very good also. After reading these two stories, I do plan to go out and get the rest of the books in this series.

 In my opinion, this book gets:

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Doctor Knows Best



AuthorBetty Glen

Rating: X (for erotica and sex as main plot)

Bookshelves: 2012, erotica, fiction, medical, romance,

Begun: Dec. 16, 2012
Finished: Dec. 16, 2012

Media Type: eBook (Kindle app read on Nexus 7)

Setting: A doctor’s office (presumably in the USA)

Characters: Dr. Chad Carson, Eve Kline, Darlene

Synopsis: Eve Kline works in Dr. Chad Carson’s doctor office and has been having a huge problem … she can’t help but get aroused when Dr. Carson is around. It’s ruining her job and she just can’t stand for anything to bother her as much as Dr. Carson is. He’s sexy and passionate about his job but all Eve wants is to know what he’s like in bed. When her gynecologist cancels her appointment at the last minute, Dr. Carson offers to give her an exam (not knowing that this is for a sexual problem). What will happen when the sexy doctor is asked to help Eve with a problem that he is creating?!?

Review: Sexy and provocative, I liked this very short novella. Definitely not a long read but worth it for a short thrill. Dr. Carson’s character easily could have been mad a more dynamic character. But what can you do when it’s like 300 words long. I liked it and would look for other books by Glen.

In my opinion, this book gets:


Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Five Days Grace (The McRae's series #4)


This book was read as an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) provided for free by the publisher and NetGalley.com


AuthorTeresa Hill

Rating: M (mature reading audiences)

Bookshelves: 2012, Afghanistan, fiction, infidelity, Ohio, mistaken identity, romance, USA, war veteran, wounded warrior,

Begun: September 28, 2012
Finished: October 2, 2012

Media Type: eBook (read on Bluefire app on iPhone)

Setting: Ohio

Characters: Aidan Shaw, Grace McRae

Synopsis: Grace is escaping the memory of her husband. She was supposed to be headed to visit her in laws for the first time since her husband’s death months prior but she just couldn't bring herself to show up. And not because she was devastated over his death. She loved her husband, but the fool had been cheating on her with someone from the University at which he taught. Grace decided to high tail it to the McRae’s family cabin on a remote lake. But when she gets there, she has to deal with an intruder.

All wounded Naval Intelligence Officer Aidan Shaw wanted was a quiet place to convalesce after his helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan and all his crew killed. Mentally and emotionally scared, Aidan is instructed by his commanding officer to lay low while he recuperates because there is also someone after him.

In walks Grace to the secluded cabin and scares the pant of Aidan who draws a weapon on her until he realizes that he is the little sister of the friend who loaned him the cabin. What will happen with these two strong personalities in the same cabin for a weekend?

Review: I was hoping for a miracle with this book. I really, really wanted to like it. But, unfortunately, the story line, plot, and characters all fell flat for me. Everything felt one dimensional and didn't even come close to pulling me in. I, even, put the book down for about a week and came back and read it because I knew I just had to finish it. But it was painful! Even one of the more exciting parts of the plot (the fact that Aidan is in hiding because there is someone after him) crumbled when Aidan’s commanding officer just says something like … oh, don’t worry. We figured out it was a kid. You can come back now.

I don’t know that I would recommend this book to anyone else to read.  

In my opinion, this book gets:
2 out of 5 stars.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

The Stranger (Just One Night series #1)


This book was read as an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) provided for free by the publisher and NetGalley.com

BookThe Stranger (Just One Night series #1)

AuthorKyra Davis

Rating: X (explicit sexual content)

Bookshelves: 2012, ARC, California, cheating, erotica, fiction, Las Vegas, romance

Begun: December 18, 2012
Finished: December 18, 2012

Media Type: eBook (read on Kindle app on Nexus 7)

Setting: Las Vegas, Nevada and California

Characters: Kasie Fitzgerald

Synopsis: Kasie is about to enter into a boring, bland, and vanilla marriage with a man who hasn’t even asked her to marry him yet. But, he’s discussed the feasibility of finding the perfect diamond for the perfect girlfriend who will, undoubtedly, make him the perfect wife, too. But the problem is Kasie has been dragged off to Vegas but her adventurous friend who wants her to go out and flirt with men and drink with a stranger. Until she starts playing the tables and a gorgeous hunk of a man invites her back up to his room. How can she say “no?” When she gets back to California, what will happen when she finds out her mystery man is a new client at her firm?

Review: I’m not a huge fan of “cheating” stories, even when the cheating is justified away. Kasie is so wishy washy. I completely forgot that her name was something as different as Kasie. Kasie’s should be exciting and vibrant but this Kasie was just as vanilla as her horrible sounding boyfriend. And she can never make up her mind. Sometimes I found myself flipping back in the pages because I felt like I missed something. Details that seemed like they would be important were glossed over and forgotten.

Davis’s writing was good but not extraordinary. And the novella just seemed to … end. There was really no good conclusion and instead of it seeming like a cliff hanger, it was more like a door slamming in your face.

I’m not sure if I would read a second book in this series if I didn’t get it for free or from the library.

In my opinion, this book gets:
Just ... ok.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Roman and Juliet (The Aerie Doms series #4)




Rating: X (explicit sex)

Bookshelves: 2012,Colorado, Denver, erotica, fiction, romance, USA

Begun: December 17, 2012
Finished: December 17, 2012

Media Type: eBook on Kindle app (read on Nexus 7) - FREE ON AMAZON AS OF DATE THIS BLOG WAS PUBLISHED

Setting: Denver, Colorado

Characters: Juliet Howard, Roman Grainger, Xavier Greer,

SynopsisJuliet is a submissive whom most dominants won't touch because she looks very frail and fragile with white/silver blonde hair and huge doe eyes. Juliet likes it rough though and is saddened by the few men who given her a second look at The Aerie (a BDSM club in Denver, Colorado). Until, that is, the sexiest cowboy she's ever seen steps out of her fantasies and walks into the club. Can Roman and Juliet make a connection?

Review: This was a good novella. Took about an hour to read and was very enjoyable since it was the fourth book in a series. You don’t feel like you are missing anything not having read other books in this series. The characters were dynamic and well rounded. Thacher is a quality writer. My only complain is that of the “book,” only about ½ of the book was the novella and the other ½ were the first chapters of her other three books in the Aerie Doms series. Granted, this wasn't so bad since they were all pretty good reads and enticed me to look up the other books. I just felt tricked that I would be reading more than what I had in front of me.

In my opinion, this book gets:
4 out of 5 stars (good book that I'd pick up again and recommend to friends)

Saturday, December 15, 2012

A Wizard For Christmas (A Protector Series novella)


This book was read as an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) provided for free by the publisher.


AuthorDorothyMcFalls

Rating: PG (slight violence - a creature attacks a woman and there a couple dead bodies but they aren't described in detail - just that they are dead)

Bookshelves: 2012, Chicago, fantasy, fiction, paranormal romance, romance, USA, wizard

Begun: December 6, 2012
Finished: December 7, 2012

Media Type: ebook (read on Kindle)

Setting: present day Chicago, Illinois (USA)

Characters: Holly, Hadrian

Synopsis: Holly was an orphan who grew up to be a loner. When her friends ask her about her Christmas plans, Holly lies and says that she’s going to her family’s home where all sorts of fun things happen (like a cousin who keeps the memory of her dead “uncle” Burl Ives alive by singing Christmas songs to the family). But a strange … stranger keeps popping up in her neighborhood. Hadrian is a Protector and knows that Holly is not what she thinks she is. She’s really a wizard, or, as they call themselves, a Protector. And Hadrian knows that to defeat the big baddie on the lose killing innocent mortal Chicagoans Holly will have to learn the truth and start to trust someone other than herself.

Review: I was not a huge fan of this novella. In the beginning of the novel, I found Holly to be a dynamic character and that her interactions with the mysterious Hadrian were intriguing. But, the author fell flat creating a completely three dimensional world with Hadrian and Holly at the center.  Very quickly, Holly became the kind of heroine that I despise: insular; never listening to anyone else (especially those with more experience that can help her); and one that runs away from problems (both real life and perceived problems). She spends more than 3/4th of the books hating Hadrian and running from him and then in the last few pages (when the ultimate confrontation occurs), she totally flips her stance on the matter. Magic played a very, very small role in the novella and was discussed only as a cursory item (which is strange since the title is A Wizard for Christmas).

In my opinion, this book gets:

3 out of 5 stars (fair - could be better/could be worse)