Thirteen - By Kelley Armstrong

** spoiler alert ** Savannah gets to be with Adam which was what I was hanging out for. I mean we all knew it was a forgone conclusion but it was nice to have it in writing. The Cabals try to charge Savannah with killing someone important or something which leads to the death of some old guy who is related to them. Angels keep flitting in and out as do the demons. To be honest I lost track of this series a little after Paige got together with Lucas. Once I pick the books up I remember why I was hooked but they haven't been books that have stuck in my mind. The ending was satisfactory and the battles were definitely gory, actually more so than necessary. Everyone is still alive and happy at the end of it so it's a job well done.




It definitely isn't the best book in the series and I wish we had gotten more Clay and Elena overall. A solid series that does require a bit of mental maneuvering to keep them all together. I recommend the series to any fans of urban fiction, Devon Monk, Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs and Faith Hunter.




3/5




xxx

George

Big Sky - By Kitty Thomas

Kitty Thomas is an author who writes books that mess with your head. She pushes the boundaries on consensual sex, sometimes straight into rape territory the difference being her leading ladies DO ACTUALLY WANT THIS. It's very much the "I know you want it" yet not in a superficial way (well Thomas makes it that way). Big Sky is no different in that it can make you uncomfortable and not in a "oh she's writing about sex explicitly" way but more in a "is this okay? what if this were me? this is fucking weird" way. That being said I always find Thomas' books hugely erotic and well written.

Veronica doesn't know what she wants once she is fired and for some inexplicable reason is addicted to shopping and becomes homeless. Luke finds her and offers to take her with him back to his home on the range, in the middle of nowhere. She accepts and while having second thoughts thinks that this is better than her homeless alternative. Things take a weird turn when Luke wants sex but not your lovely dovey romance sex, sex whenever the he wants and however he wants it. Kind of hot, kind of freaky and disturbing. Not only that he wants Veronica to let his farm hands in on the action.

Veronica who has never been truly satisfied with her sex life is electrified by this dominant no barriers sex with Luke and orgasm is her new middle name. She struggles with the submissive roles Luke requires her to play because she is not some mindless toy. Veronica is very much insecure and Luke is hugely demanding without any compromise. The scene with the brand made me slightly ill and the lake scene definitely freaked me out. For a long while, you aren't sure if Luke is a good guy or a freakishly crazy one. I recommend it but remember that it's not a sweet romance novel.

4/5

xxx
George

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Wild Child - By Molly O'Keefe

When I picked up "Wild Child" I thought I was going to get another fluffy romance novel with barely a plot line and I was so wrong. Wild Child is a romance novel but there is more to it than that, it's also about the struggles of a town, a mayor, a celebrity and how others perceptions affect your view of yourself.

Monica Appleby is a celebrity wild child, think Paris Hilton without the rich family, so maybe the Kardashians-ish. She writes tell all novels about her life to attempt to know herself. She returns to small town in the middle of nowhere Bishop, Arkansas where she lived for a brief moment in her childhood. Yet that brief moment contained a devastating event that marked the town as well as Monica and her mother. Needing money to back her debt she goes back to write another tell all book this time about the death of her father. Monica is struggling to find herself and what it means to be a woman rather than a wild child.

Jackson Davies is a man with a mission, to be mayor and save the town. After the death of his parents he moved back to Bishop to look after his younger sister, Gwen. Several years down the line now, Bishop is in debt due to a factory shutdown and Gwen is full of teenage angst. All Jackson wants is meaningless sex and a life where he can be selfish. Surprise. He ends up entering the town in some competition which wins a biscuit factory and Jackson thinks he's got it in the bag until Monica arrives in town. Monica and Jackson have an attraction which stops and starts much like real life where the romance is awkward and uncertain. Eventually they find happiness in each other and realize that what you think you want isn't always what you actually want.

The book started off slowly because this wasn't your typical run of the mill romance where the focus is how quickly the couple can get into each others pants. Wild Child actually has story line substance and keeping up with the goings on in Bishop is highly amusing. Cora, the town chef is wonderful and Reba, the dog is a random cute companion. Shelby, the sassy pants art teacher is a welcome addition to the many characters, adding a little spice and more real life - not every woman gets the man and not every man is a knight in shining armor. I didn't think I would like it but after I got past the fact that this was no sex scene romance extravaganza I truly enjoy the crazy ass town that is Bishop, Arkansas.

4/5

xxx
George

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing - Bantam Dell and Molly O'Keefe for the copy!

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Caught by Menace - By Lolita Lopez

Grabbed - Book 2
We meet Naya trying to enter a "Grab" in order to save her friend Jenny? Juliet? I forget because this friend is irrelevant after Naya enters the Grab. Naya is a single, independent woman who runs a pawnshop and has contacts in high places. It is these contacts that allow her to enter the dreaded "Grab" to save J-girl. This novel is based on a planet called Calyx and has a human settlement called Connor's Run which is where our leading lady Naya lives. Don't worry if you can't quite figure this out, all you really need to know is that this isn't Earth, there is some kind of intergalactic war going on and there are these smoking hot warriors who fight called the Harcos. One such Harcos is Menace, yep that's his name.

Menace is a battle-hardened warrior with a heart of frickin' gold. All Menace wants is to settle down, reproduce and live happily ever after. In order to do this he must have a lovely lady and Harcos warriors have an agreement that they run these "Grabs" to catch a wife. Naya is of course caught by Menace in an interesting turn of events. Menace claims her as his wife but Naya has other ideas. You see Naya has believed that Harcos are evil, thieving woman en slavers and she's not actually wrong except for the evil part. Menace realizing that his wife has a bit of a warped view of him and quite afraid of becoming in anyway intimate with him puts on his heart of gold pants. He is understanding, sweet and absolutely wicked. He puts Naya at ease while pushing her boundaries with intimacy. It's a sweet seduction and I was definitely rooting for Menace! My slight issue with this part is that despite Naya's reservations they bond very quickly which doesn't seem to mesh well with Naya's hard ass character.

Anyway, they continue to build trust and Menace takes Naya to the mens club which is a super hot raunchy scene. But there is a shadow over their possible happiness, some asshole named Terror and Naya's dumb ass family. Terror confused the heck out of me, I wasn't sure if he was friend or foe or just general dickhead. I have not read the first book but he doesn't seem to have very good rapport with those characters either. Regardless, shit hits the fan, Naya gets stuck in the middle and Menace goes to save the day. A happy ending and an entertaining read.

This book is not very Dom/sub, it has smidgens of it throughout but Menace and Naya are not a hardcore Dom/sub couple so if you are looking for that this book is not it. There is some kind of story line surrounding the political drama of the planet Calyx but I didn't really follow it. It may be important in future books but in this is just seemed like a way to insert conflict for Naya. I thought Menace was a sweetheart which I did not expect and overall the story was interesting but not riveting. I would read the next book if it were about Terror because he was such a stand out character otherwise I'd let this series lie. Lolita Lopex, despite this book comes across as a solid fantasy erotica author and I am definitely going to have a fossick on the internet for other works by her.

3/5

xxx
George

Shout out to NetGalley, Lolita Lopez and Smith Publicity -- Ellora’s Cave Publishing Inc. for the copy!
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Wicked Beat - By Olivia Cunning

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Olivia Cunning? The Sinners on Tour series is one not to be missed if you love reading erotica but with a decent story line. Olivia Cunning had me at Backstage Pass which is book one in the series but with Wicked Beat she stole my heart. Eric Sticks is the drummer of the band who is a little bit of a class clown who is often in the background of the other books because Sticks, he likes to watch... In Wicked Beat we learn more about Eric and everything I learned made me adore him but first Rebekah Blake.

Rebekah is the sister of the sound operator Dave. I have to admit though I have read these books many, many times I had not remembered a Dave until I met Rebekah. Dave was in a serious accident from which Eric saved his life. Unfortunately the accident has left Dave in a wheelchair and the Sinners without a sound operator. Rebekah however, is every bit as skilled as her brother but has been able to put that skill into action. In a meeting of the band and Dave, she requests to take the position of sound operator until Dave is able to return. This is where she meets Eric. Eric sweetheart that he is falls head over heels for the young lady who has the same colour cobalt blue in her hair that he does. Who knew he was a closet romantic?!

Rebekah gets the job and heads on tour with the Sinners. Oh did I mention she has a little crush on Trey the guitarist who is in love with Brian the other guitarist? Brian is married to Myrna the sex therapist and they just had a baby. Twisted love circle aside, Rebekah practically has a threesome with Trey and Eric within moments of getting to the tour bus, they hadn't even started the tour yet! However, she backs out even though she is incredibly into because of some issues with a past lover. Rebekah's ex told her that when they had sex she felt "weird" and so they couldn't have sex. Yeah, he's an asshole but don't worry it gets explained.

Rebekah and Eric hit it off, he cracks immature jokes and she loves it. He cums too quickly because he's super turned on and Rebekah loves it because it makes her feel sexy, powerful and wanted. Rebekah learns that the key to Eric's stamina is how often he cums in a day and sets about testing her theory. Their carefree and loving relationship rips my heart out and makes me want to steal Eric away but even then I couldn't do it they are so perfect. Not only that their sex scenes are maybe not as steamy as other books in the series, Sed Lionheart you demon, but they have so much humour and love. Dear god this is coming off as much to mushy, they are in fact hella raunchy just like the rest of the Sinners crew!! Rebekah loves to role play and to have Eric watch her get down with her bad self. Eric is happy to play along leading to some hilarious and steamy scenes with a nurse, a french maid etc. They do have some rough patches and Rebekah's family are not all like laid back Dave but somehow they get through.

This book was the perfect mix of romance and erotica I've read, I would highly recommend this and the other Sinners books. Find the Sinner to your liking... I know I've found mine!! :) Buy them to read over and over again, at least that's what I do.

5/5

xxx
George

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A HUGE thank you to NetGalley, Olivia Cunning and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advanced copy! I will love you forever!!!
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Under A Spell - By Hannah Jayne

Underworld Detection Agency - No. 5

Being an urban fiction fanatic this story held a lot of promise. In between Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs and Devon Monk releasing their new books I try to find those series that are on par with them but I have missed. I thought that maybe I had found one with Hannah Jayne and her series the Underworld Detection Agency. Sophie Lawson is our main heroine and she is a null which means that magic doesn't work on her. She is also the vessel of souls which means... she gets a cute Guardian called Will who is British? I only started on this book which is in the fifth in the series so forgive me for not knowing. It's something important I tell you that.

Anyhoo, she has to go back to high school in order to investigate girls who are disappearing and showing up dead from the angle of witchcraft. She is not a police officer just a PARANORMAL investigator, something Alex, the fallen angel, likes to remind her about. Sophie has some kind of weird history with Alex, I think they used to date but now they are broken up? Regardless Alex is now a right douche bag and takes out his anger on Sophie. She acts horribly weak around him and though I gather their relationship went sour she is usually more kick ass confident than when she is in situations with him.

Back in the high school Sophie is masquerading as a teacher, which is very worrying because she is in no way trained and in addition has horrible memories of high school. She manages to get through her fear/disgust/horror/hate of high school and get the job done. I have to say Sophie came across as a little childish which made me a tad confused about her age because I thought she was an adult. She seems to be on the edge of teenager and adult but not enough of either to make her believable in the important job she holds. Investigating CRIMES, real life people die, crimes... She reminds me a lot of Stephanie Plum and though I just wrote a review on Ms. Plum I read this book before Notorious Nineteen. Sophie bumbles through her investigation with a lot of luck and protection from Guardian Will. She lives with Vampires which was an interesting twist though a bit of a tangential story line that often had me annoyed for being taken away from the action.

Her character was often highly judgmental and didn't change her opinion despite obvious evidence to the contrary. I wasn't entirely sure if this is because she was back in high school for this book or if it is the same throughout the series. Despite supposedly being an experienced investigator Sophie's investigating technique appeared to be nosy, rude and inexperienced. She was blunt, apparently oblivious to the affect her questions had. I think this is what confused me most about Sophie, that she is constantly stuck between two different people not being one or the other. She is smart but ditzy, experienced but rude, solves problems but fumbles through her job? Her personality isn't coherent and neither is the book, stuck weirdly between young adult and urban fiction. I felt a lot of promise with its potential as an urban fiction novel and really loved the ongoing story about the vessel of souls. While I really want to read the next book to find out about it I am not sure I would be able to read through more bipolar Sophie Lawson and asshole Alex. If the characters get a little revamp I could see this series as becoming a fav!

3/5

xxx
George

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Hannah Jayne and Kensington Books for the copy!
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Forceful Negotiations - By Eden Connor

Carmine Club Series: No. 1

I have to admit this book had me a little befuddled with the whole Eros, Peter and Ishmael thing at the
beginning. Peter sends Eros off to the human world because he is tormenting Ishmael (If someone would like to shed light on this whole thing that would be fabbo). Anyway, we end up with Eros at the Carmine Club by a woman called Willa Davis Seachrist. The club has been created to give women their ultimate, deepest, darkest fantasy. Teague Tillis wants in on it but her fantasy shames her, she wants to act out being forced into having sex. Willa remarks this is not at all an unusual request from women and thus we begin.

Cam Calloway is introduced to the club through his boss and is a former prosecutor, he goes in naive and on a budget. The bidding scene I must say was a stroke of genius, the women are displayed in a highly erotic manner which I won't go into too much detail here because I think it's best read yourself. Regardless it was a scene that is beautifully written and ramps up the tension between these two strangers. They obviously have an electric connection and Cam chooses to bid on her. However, once he realizes that her fantasy is to be forced he has problems because he prosecuted real life rapists and doesn't understand why someone would fantasize about it.

I was a tad iffy about the fact that he asks to retract his bid and then because he doesn't want another man to have her he decides to just go for it. This leads to a kind of run of the mill scene with all the posturing and hoorah of a man trying to dominate yadda yadda. Afterwards Cam takes it upon himself to question Teague's fantasy to her face making her feel bad which is mean a) because he makes her feel ashamed and b) because it was the ONE RULE in the club not to make the women ashamed of their fantasy! Idiot. They part ways and never see each other again until serendipity steps in. Their story I have to admit wasn't exceptionally interesting, I was distracted by the past of Willa Davis Seachrist and the secretary she has. The auction scene was decadent and as I said I am still confused about the whole Eros, Peter, Ishmael involvement. I felt they could have just been left out... All in all it's a quick read and I would recommend picking it up if only to read the auction. :)

3/5

xxx
George

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Eden Connor for the copy!

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Notorious Nineteen - By Janet Evanovich

I've always been a fan of Janet Evanovich and Miss Stephanie Plum. Who couldn't love the quirky female character she has brought into existence, a bounty hunter who has bitten off more than she can chew. Yet I find myself getting more and more frustrated with the Stephanie Plum novels. In this nineteenth installment the usual characters are there: Morelli, Ranger, Lula, Stephanie's Mum, Dad and the fabulous Grandma Mazur with the same jokes and situations. Where is the originality that initially sucked me into this series???

Morelli and Stephanie are a little bit more serious but when I say a little it really is the barest of changes. Stephanie has stopped thinking about possibly taking Ranger up on his offers but she still lives in her apartment. Ranger is still the hot man on the side with Stephanie making the same comments about said hotness. He hasn't changed much and to be honest his character doesn't do anything but save Stephanie from her ridiculous fiascoes. Fiascoes that used to be funny are now simply tired. Not to mention the fact that it has been how many years in Stephanie world and she still isn't any good at her job? You would think that she would do some training or find a different job. I'm actually not entirely sure why she is still a bounty hunter when it was only supposed to be a filler. You can take the "I'm new at this" only so far before it becomes "I suck at this and yet I still do it."

I guess what's missing from this series now is change. These characters have become stagnant and you don't read a sequel to receive the same book. It's the same old Janet Evanovich but that's what has become the problem. I won't be hanging out for the next book maybe I'll eventually borrow it from the library. If only to check if Stephanie has grown up after twenty books and whether Evanovich has let her.

2/5

xxx
George

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Highlander Most Wanted - By Maya Banks

Maya Banks hits the nail on the head again. This is the second book in the Montgomery and Armstrong series. Genevieve McInnes is a strong lead female character as most of Banks leading ladies are and Bowen Montgomery is an oblivious male who cares about her well being despite being gruff. This wont be a long review because I am a firm fan of all Maya Banks' work. As with most romances Genevieve and Bowen travel the winding path to love and happiness despite their shaky start. While I had not forayed into her more historical romance novels this one was a great and enjoyable read. It was heavy on the romance but that is what I have come to expect from historical romances. :) There was intrigue, danger and a slight twist. I would definitely recommend this book and if you don't like historical romance dig your teeth into other books by Banks, you wont be disappointed!

4/5

xxx
George

Thank you Net Galley and Random House Publishing for the copy! You're rock-stars!

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Breaking the Rules - By Kate Belle

Grace is an uptight old lady who seems to need Spanish Ramon to help her release her sexuality.
Maybe I am too young to be reading about a forty year old woman but I was incessantly annoyed with Ramon and even Grace. Grace's life seems fine, she is an academic faculty at a University and she has decided not marry. Go you, Grace. Until Ramon, a student wanting to study female eroticism and sexuality, asks her to be his adviser. Ramon is charming, handsome and annoying. He makes Grace feel uncomfortable. After the first meeting Grace is not impressed and hopes to transfer him to another faculty member.

But to her dismay her co-worker, Andrew, says that she has to have Ramon and it will be "good" for her. In the next meeting Grace falls in the rain. Thankfully Ramon is there to save her. Damsel in distress meet your saviour. Grace simpers because he smells so good and blah blah blah. Once they get back to the office Grace is not on guard like she normally is and Ramon takes advantage of this by fondling her leg, dripping water on it and then licking it. No, you read that right, licking her leg. The woman is hurt and the dude is licking her leg. If that wasn't ridiculous enough, Grace likes it. She tells herself she shouldn't be doing it and all those "I'm doing a bad thing" thoughts stupid women think. Luckily for her Andrew calls and interrupts the weird leg porn. Another male to the rescue. Someone please slap all the men in this book for being presumptuous assholes.

What I find most irritating about this dynamic is that Grace is an independent woman and she has a solid career but now she needs to be a sexual beast which only Ramon can help her with. Why can't Grace just want to jump the dude because he is hot?! Why does she need to be sexually weak and insecure? Why can't she buy a vibrator and have at it? As I said she is forty something so maybe I am just a product of my generation.

I finished this book, though it was frustrating, because it wasn't entirely horrible. I do wonder if my response to these characters was the difference in age. I will read the second in the series to see if the strong female characters Kate Belle introduces can remain that way throughout the story, fingers crossed. The sex scenes are well written but the plot well, I'll stop harping on about it. It may appeal to you, it may not and I hope I haven't turned you off it! Give it a shot, it's not a long read.

2/5

xxx
George

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Australia for the copy!
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10/10/2013 - Got the title mixed up with Bloom. My apologies.