Thursday, November 28, 2013

Million Dollar Wife by Margaret O'Neil


AuthorMargaret O’Neil           

Rating: M for Mature (discusses sex as an act but does not go into detail)

Bookshelves: kindle, free read, romance, Michigan, New York, Caribbean, nanny turned wife, wife by contract, movie star

Begun: 11.28.13
Finished: 11.28.13

Media Type: eBook (on Kindle)

Setting: Los Angeles, California (briefly); Michigan; Dominica; Manhattan, New York

Characters: Bryce Courtland, Heather Courtland, Hope Courtland, Marja Lundstrum, Anne Courtland, Sallie Courtland

Synopsis: Bryce Courtland is a Hollywood heartthrob with two twin, eight years old who need a new mom. Sallie died two years ago but Bryce still mourns her but it’s time to move on for the sake of the girls. After dating a string of Hollywood starlets, Bryce knows that he needs someone more down to earth. In walks Marja, his sister, Anne’s, college roommate. Marja is as straight laced as they come but there is something under that prim and proper business suit. Bryce lays it out for her, asking that they have a contract marriage for 10 years (and each of those 10 years she will be paid 1 million dollars). Marja says “no” because she knows that she will grow attached to the girls (and they her) and she won’t want to let them go after 10 years. She wants to have the option to adopt them after the first year. Bryce counters with an offer that after their first year, he would like it to be a true marriage with all the physical rights due him as a husband. Marja says “yes” … eventually. But she knows she can’t let herself get too involved in the marriage because in truth … she loves Bryce and has loved him ever since she met him (even while watching him marry his first wife, Sallie). But can this prim and proper scholarly woman get the hotter than sin, Hollywood hunk to love her back?

Review: great book. I plan on keeping this one in my Kindle (I’m a read-it-and-delete-it kind of girl). The characters could have used a little more development to make me want to invest myself in them but this wasn’t bad!

In my opinion, this book gets:


Saturday, March 30, 2013

All I Want (A Tryst with a Twist)


BookAll I Want (A Tryst with a Twist)

AuthorS.L. Scott

Rating: M (for Mature – general romance novel material)

Bookshelves: 2013, cheating, Christmas, fiction, romance, short story

Begun: January 1, 2013
Finished: January 1, 2013

Media Type: eReader (Kindle read on Nexus 7)

Setting: location never mentioned but it’s someplace where it snows at Christmas time

Characters: Christina, Lawson

Synopsis: Lawson has been working hard at his job in the Christmas tree lot but the bright spot of the day is when the pretty lady who works at the coffee shop walks by. A little flirt and smile can’t hurt can it? What will Lawson do when Christina invites him home with her … what will her husband think, if he finds out?

Review: This was a great, quick read with a very cute twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. I got this book for free when I read it but even if you do have to pay for it, the short story is WELL worth it!

In my opinion, this book gets: 

Friday, March 29, 2013

There Goes the Groom


AuthorRita Herron

Rating: M (for Mature – general romance novel material)

Bookshelves: 2012, Atlanta (GA), con-artist, detective, fiction, jail, police, Rita Herron, romance, twins

Begun: December 25, 2012
Finished: December 26, 2012

Media Type: eReader (Kindle read on Nexus 7)

Setting: Atlanta, Georgia

Characters: Marci Turner, Paul Pendergrass, Cade Muller

Synopsis: Marci Turner wasn't always the “bright” twin but she’s the pretty one. More like … the sexy one. And she knows it. Why not use that attribute to her personal gain? When wealthy businessman, Paul Pendergrass, sets his sights on her and asks her to be his wife, of course, any girl with half a brain is going to jump on board. She's finally getting her life together and celebrating with the biggest, Cinderella-style wedding of the century.

So, why are bullets ringing out at her wedding? When shots are fired and police attempt to arrest Paul before he hightails it out of the church, Marci is bewildered … and then arrested.

The sexy jilted bride is now in rugged and sinfully sexy Cade Muller’s custody. There is NO way that her fiancĂ© could be guilty of running the scams he’s run and taken advantage of all the people he’s stolen from (especially defenseless and trusting elderly like his dear grandma). Sitting in jail, Cade watches as Marci tried to help all the others in the cells around her. Could this blonde bombshell be innocent?  

Review: Another fantastic read by Herron. While I did prefer the first book in this duo about the “good sister,” reading about the bad sister was just as entertaining. Herron did a great job of writing a male character for Marci who was just as hardheaded and just and strong as her. Great read. I can’t wait to get my hands on other books by Herron.

In my opinion, this book gets:


Thursday, March 28, 2013

Lover at Last (Black Dagger Brotherhood series #11)



AuthorJ.R.Ward

Rating: X (for explicit sex scenes (m/f and m/m)

Bookshelves: 2013, Black Dagger Brotherhood, Caldwell (NY), J.R. Ward, New York, paranormal romance, romance, urban fantasy, vampires

Begun: March 26, 2013
Finished: March 26, 2013

Media Type: hardcover book

Setting: Caldwell, New York (suburb of New York City)

Characters: Qhuinn, Blaylock, Saxton, John Matthew, Wrath, Tohr, Rhage, Zsadist, Phurry, Layla, iAm, Trez, Beth,

Synopsis: Qhuinn is a male on the edge. He has been half in almost every world available to him as a male born into the glymera. Born with the “physical defect” of one blue and one green eye, Qhuinn was disowned from his family after his transition when his eyes did not correct themselves. He’s always been made to feel like a freak and unloved from almost everyone in his life. Everyone, that is, except Blaylock (Blay), his best friend in the entire world. He best friend until Blay admitted to Qhuinn that he loved him and Qhuinn did not reciprocate. Time has passed, though, and Blay has moved on … to Qhuinn’s cousin, Saxton.

Qhuinn has finally realized that the emotions he’s feeling towards his former bestie is a little more than friendship. But is it … love? How much more of a freak would that make him if he were … gay? But something deep inside is churning and the fates have something in store for Qhuinn and Blay. They can never go back to being best friends, but can they become something more than that?

And will either of them get past the hurt and unspoken emotions that they both feel to realize that there is something they both need in the other?

Review: I loved this book. I have been waking for my Qhuay for so long. These two boys were meant for each other since day one.


[HERE BE SPOILERS]

You knew this was coming. You knew the romance and the love would be there. But, damn Ward, you made me hurt so much before they came together. Almost right away (well ok in the first 50 pages), I was already in tears. There is a part when Qhuinn gets his Hummer stolen and flipped and Blay ends up in the tow truck with him while they are bring it back to the Brother’s compound. Qhuinn has no idea what to say to Blay who knows that he has slept with Layla (the Chosen whom he serviced during her needing in Lover Reborn (Tohr’s book)) and gotten her pregnant. Qhuinn just stares at Blay because he has no idea how to tell his best friend and the only person who has ever given two shits about him that he feels like he betrayed him and cheated on him with Layla (whom Qhuinn knows he serviced because both he and Layla have never really had family and they want to create family). When Blay all but says “so what,” Qhuinn takes off out of the truck and Blay stops him, telling him that they can’t go back to the way they were before (before Blay told Qhuinn he was in love with him and Qhuinn didn't reciprocate) but that they should be civil to each other since they have to work together. And Qhuinn believes that Blay no longer loves him and (like I said) Ward just breaks your heart.

I wouldn’t want it any other way though. Blay and Qhuinn need the heart break and hurt so that they can work their way to a place of peace for both of them. Ward out did herself this time. The book is beautiful and transcends the stupid “oh, it’s a book about gays” bullshit. It’s a beautifully written masterpiece of the romance genre where one heart finds both its pieces and becomes one again. I found myself crying and laughing at the same time. Ward is an excellent writer who weaves in pop culture and humor into all of her novels.

As always, this book will be reread numerous times and enjoyed more and more each time I get my hands on it. And, as always, I can’t wait to read more of the adventures of the BDB.

In my opinion, this book gets:


Saturday, March 23, 2013

Here Comes the Bride



AuthorRita Herron

Rating: M (for Mature – general romance novel material)

Bookshelves: 2012, Atlanta (Georgia), fake fiancĂ©e/girlfriend, family, fiction, lies, Rita Herron, romance, twins, twin switch, Virginia,

Begun: December 28, 2012
Finished: December 29, 2012

Media Type: eReader (Kindle read on Nexus 7)

Setting: Atlanta (Georgia) and Virginia

Characters: Austin McDane, Kimberly Turner

Synopsis: Kimberly Turner is straight laced and practical. Always one to help out her flighty twin when she’s in a pinch, Kimberly steps in when her sister needs her help escorting a client. Austin needs a girlfriend or, better yet, a fiancĂ©e to quiet down his pushy family who thinks he should be married already. Kimberly poses as both her twin sister AND Austin’s fiancĂ©e when they travel from Atlanta to Virginia and back. How hard can it be? I mean her sister isn’t a sleazy escort. She’s just company. But Austin is kind, gentle …. AND so, so sexy. Can she keep it just business?

Review: This was a breath of fresh air. I loved this story and I fell in love with the characters who seemed more like friends you would want to have than characters in a book. Well written and a fantastic read. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series about the “bad” twin!

In my opinion, this book gets:


Friday, March 22, 2013

Blood Rights (House of Comarré series #1)


BookBlood Rights (House of Comarré series #1)

AuthorKristen Painter

Rating: V (for violence)

Bookshelves: 2013, blood donor, fiction, Florida, France, future, House of ComarrĂ© series, Kristen Painter, paranormal romance, vampires, urban fantasy

Begun: January 1, 2013
Finished: January 3, 2013

Media Type: paperback

Setting: New Florida (assumed to be in the same location as our Florida), Corvina, France

Characters: Chrysabelle, Maris, Maddoc “Doc,” Malkolm “Mal,” Katsumi, Ronan, Fiona

Synopsis: Chrysabelle is royalty in the hidden world of vampires. She is ComarrĂ©, part courtesan, part blood donor. She was a blood virgin when she was bought by her master for the highest purchase price ever. Beautiful, blonde, and tattooed from head-to-toe in intricate gold threated that were imbedded under her skin, Chrysabelle finds herself on the run from the vampire society when she finds her Master beheaded. Not knowing who did murder her Master, Chrysabelle runs to her aunt in New Florida to look for help. What she finds there is Mal. Mal is a vampire but a low class vampire who killed another of his kind. How can this outcast help a murder suspect?

Review: House of ComarrĂ© … what can I say. I really wanted to fall in love with this series but there is just something there that makes this series very … one-dimensional. Yes, the characters were well written. Yes, the plot was good. But there were big holes in the plot, questions that were not answered, and an ending I saw coming from a mile away AND called about 1/3rd of the way into the book. It was ok but it wasn’t fantastic!

In my opinion, this book gets:

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Alone At Last



AuthorMegan Waso

Rating: M (for Mature)

Bookshelves: 2013, Christmas, erotica, fiction, Megan Waso, short story

Begun: Jan. 2, 2013
Finished: Jan. 2, 2013

Media Type: eReader (Kindle on Nexus 7)

Setting: no location specified (presumably a wintery resort location)

Characters: Sam, wife (never named)

Synopsis: Sam and his wife are on a vacation and just want a little down time away from their family. They just need them to … go away … for a little bit so they can let off some steam.

Review: This was a good, quick read. But I never got invested in these characters and was just a piece of fluff.
I, actually, had a hard time remembering that I even read this book when it was time to write this review!

In my opinion, this book gets:

Monday, January 21, 2013

Darynda Jones' "The Trouble With Charley"

If you are in love with the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones, you need to make sure you've read this "in between" short on her website (here).

The series is about Charley Davidson, a reaper (yes ... Grim Reaper ... reaper) who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is friends (and more than friends) with Reyes ... who is the son of the Devil. He's hot. She's hot. When they get together ... it's more than hot. 


You really need to give this series a read and don't forget the short (link above) at Darynda's website.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Big Girls Do It Better (Big Girls Do series #1)


This book was free from Amazon.com here at the time of this blog’s publish date.


AuthorJasinda Wilder

Rating: X (for some explicit sexual content)

Bookshelves: 2013, BBW, erotica, fiction, Jasinda Wilder, rock star, romance, singer

Begun: January 2, 2013
Finished: January 2, 2013

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

Setting: an urban setting

Characters: Anna Devine, Chase Delany, Jeff

Synopsis: “Two things get me into trouble: food, and my mouth. That’s how it all started with Chase: first food, then my mouth.” Wilder’s first book in the Big Girls Do series is a romp into Anna Devine’s affair with the sexy rocker Chase Delany. A karaoke DJ at a dive bar … called The Dive … Anna is struck when she literally stumbles into the tall, dark, and handsome Chase. She can’t understand why Chase wants to sit near her at the bar and why the heck he seems interested in her. She actually takes it as a joke. Why would a guy as hot as Chase be interested in a BBW like Anna? Could he really be into her?

Review: I liked Wilder’s Big Girls Do It Better. She portrayed Anna just as I think a strong BBW would be. Internally, she’s self-doubting and self-effacing as any respectable BBW is. Internally, us fat girls are a little fragile. Externally, Anna is a strong warrior who wears bustier and sexy shirts. I love Chase but I hope he doesn’t turn into a pansy or wreck Anna’s heart in later books in the series.

In my opinion, this book gets:
4 out of 5 stars
A great read I’d recommend to friends

Friday, January 18, 2013

The Gift (The Original Sinners series #0.5)


BookThe Gift (Previously issued under the name: Seven Day Loan) (The Original Sinners series #0.5)

AuthorTiffany Reisz

Rating: X (Explicit sexual content)

Bookshelves: 2012, Dom, erotica, fiction, sharing lovers, SMBD, Sub, Tiffany Reisz

Begun: December 24, 2012
Finished: December 24, 2012

Media Type: eBook (read as PDF file on Sony Vaio laptop)

Setting: New England

Characters: Eleanor, The Master, Daniel

Synopsis: While he goes on vacation, The Master is sharing his Sub with an old friend, Daniel. Daniel lost his wife (who was his Sub) five years ago and hasn’t had an easy time since then. Celebate since her death, Daniel is starved for affection. Can he find it with Sub Eleanor?

Review: This was a strange read. I definitely could tell that this was a part of a larger series. I just couldn’t tell where it was from (was a 0.5? or a 4.5? I couldn’t tell). Strong writing and characterization but weak on the details that would have made this novella a strong stand alone. Short and sweet … I might consider reading other books in this series but I don’t think I would go looking for these books unless I had nothing else to read.

In my opinion, this book gets:
Just ok read

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Affaire Royale (Cordina series #1)

The updated cover of Affaire Royale
BookAffaire Royale (Cordina series #1)

AuthorNora Roberts

Rating: M (Mature Audience – nothing out of the ordinary for a romance novel)

Bookshelves: 2012, Cordina, Cordina Royal Family, Cordina series, Europe, fiction, Nora Roberts, prince, princess, romance, royal family, royalty,

Begun: December 20, 2012
Finished: December 24, 2012

Media Type: paperback

Setting: Cordina (fictional country in Europe)

Characters: Her Serene Highness Princess Gabriella de Cordina (Brie), Reeve MacGee, Armand de Cordina, Alexander de Cordina, Bennett de Cordina, Nanny Carlotta Baryshnova, Christina Hamilton, Eve Hamilton

The original cover of Affaire Royale
 (c.1993)
Synopsis: Her Serene Highness Princess Gabriella de Cordina, known to her friends and family as Brie, was found running along a rural road like a woman possessed before she passed out. Coming back from the brink of death, Brie can’t remember anything. No one around her looks familiar; not her father, Prince Armand, ruler of Cordina, or her brothers Alexander and Bennett. Not even the handsome man who has come to protect her from an unknown danger. Reeve Bennett, wise and street savvy is the son of a friend whom Prince Armand went to college with. A former detective, Reeve was just a farmer looking forward to spending down time on the from porch of his farm house until the ruler of Cordina called his father to ask for a favor. He needed someone to play bodyguard to his eldest child, twenty-five year old, Brie, who was kidnapped while out on her own and held hostage at an undisclosed location for almost a week … biggest problem? Brie can’t remember anything from before waking up in a hospital surrounded by strangers! Can this streetwise America heartthrob help Her Serene Highness Gabriella? Or will Brie us her own skills to solve her mystery?

This is the compilation copy of books 1
through 3 that I am reading
Review: I liked this book. Knowing that it was one of Nora Robert’s earlier novels, I was a bit hesitant to read it. Some of her stuff from the 80s isn’t my cup of tea. This must have been one of the books where she began to flush out the bad writing and step more towards the author she is today. I like the intrigue and the amnesia-patient angle that we get out of Brie (and how she has to find her life out again like a jigsaw puzzle that’s been all jumbled up … and there is no picture on the front of the box). Her father is adamant that no one just … tell her … who she is. She’s got to do most of the “figuring out” on her own. That was a little bit annoying, to tell you the truth. The reader is just like: explain to her she is a princess with all the trappings and get it over with. Ultimately, you could figure out where the relationship with Brie and Reeve was going but I think Roberts let us simmer a little too long. You are told pretty early on that Reeve remembers and kind of lust after Brie after meeting her at her 16th birthday/coming out party. Then, the reader has to wait to find out if Brie actually remembers meet him … ever.

This is definitely not one of Roberts' strongest books.

In my opinion, this book gets:
Good but not … great.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Wild About You (Love at Stake series #13)


BookWild About You (Love At Stake series #13)

AuthorKerrelyn Sparks

Rating: M (Mature Audience – nothing out of the norm for a romance novel)

Bookshelves: 2012, Alaska, bear, fiction, Love At Stake series, Kerrelyn Sparks, New York (upstate), old wives tales, paranormal romance, romance, shapeshifter, werewolf

Begun: December 4, 2012
Finished: December 6, 2012

Media Type: paperback book

Setting: coastal Alaska, upstate New York

Characters: Howard Barr, Elsa Bjornberg, Roman Draganesti, Shanna Whelan/Shanna Draganesti

Synopsis: Howard Barr is a former football playing hulk of a hunk who secretly lusts after the Amazonian Nordic beauty, Elsa Bjornberg. Blonde and beautiful, Elsa works for a DIY home-wrecking/remodeling TV show that has taken the job of revamping (pun COMPLETELY intended!!) Shanna and Roman Draganesti’s cabin near the Dragon’s Nest School. Shanna and Roman (as vampires) can’t oversee the remodel of their cabin during the day … but Howard (head of security at the school) can. Howard is FLOORED when he sees Elsa, in person, for the first time. For the first time in … ever … Elsa feels like a feminine woman around a man. Howard is a huge, six-foot-six beast of a beautiful man with gorgeous eyes and hands that makes Elsa want to forget the stories her family passed down from the old country about the berserkers who would eventually kill her. Howard’s biggest problem? He’s a bear-shifter … and one of the berserkers that Elsa’s family has warned her about. Can Elsa give in to her feeling for Howard? Can Howard save the beauty he’s come to love … even if it’s from himself?

Review: I love, love, love, love, love Kerrelyn Sparks and all of her books in the Love at Stake series. This was a great book that finally tackled Howard’s story. I’ve been waiting for Howard’s tale since I started reading this series a couple years ago. The only problem I saw in this book, I actually remember more compassion and emotion coming from Howard in some other books that only mentioned him as a side character. Sparks is a fantastic writer but I feel like Howard needed a little more attention and to be a little more rounded. I just think Howard was almost a little too flat. But Elsa was perfectly rounded. I can’t wait to hear more about them as the series continues on.

In my opinion, this book gets:

Perfect … just perfect.