Review: Breakaway by Bianca Sommerland

Breakaway

by Bianca Sommerland

(Dartmouth Cobras # 3)

If there is one thing that I can tell you about this series is that there's a lot of kinky f*ckery and it's hot as hell!!!  I was actually very excited about the two male characters in this book, both sexy and kinky hockey players.  I can't say the same about the heroine.

We first met Jami as Richter's daughter in the previous book.  Very troubled, not accepting of his father's life and choices, and to put it simply...a rebel.  Although for most of this book I thought she was doing a lot better, incredibly so, I find that her HEA would've benefited from being written later in the series.  Why?  Because I still found her a bit immature and whiny at times and I think that's because of her age and that she just came out of what happened to her in the previous book.

That being said, I would've gladly taken her place!  She has great chemistry with both Luke and Sebastian individually.  I always love when authors take their time to develop the individual relationships in a permanent menage relationship.  And Ms. Sommerland always delivers on that!  And just how they each have a relationship with Jami, which is the reason they all come together, there is also a beautiful and deep relationship between Luke and Sebastian.  I was left wondering if Sebastian's connection to Luke wasn't too strong and overpowering of his love for Jami.  But I guess the balance was there most of the time.

Sebastian is all tall, dark and Dom.  This is THE man that will leave you biting your lip and panting for more.  His presence is commanding but he's also very caring of those he loves and others that have gone through what he has.

Luke was the lost soul in this story, which made me sad because I never thought that's where his character would fall to.  I've always seen him as the happy and good humored one of the bunch.  I have to admit when he first did his scene with Chicklet I almost wanted to see them explore that relationship because it was pretty hot.  Luke is a Dom but he also needs to give up control.  Sebastian fit into that perfectly and it was very real to see them, especially Luke, struggle with what his mind and body where saying.

Then there's the rest of the crew!  Silver is pregnant and even gives birth in this book and that was just great to see.  Sloan is also going through stuff in his personal life and even his relationship, so some of their issues come back to be dealt with.  I love to see the new and old always woven in the story because we want to know what's going on in their lives.

Overall, this BDSM book is not for the faint of heart.  It'll make you tingle in ways you didn't think were possible!  I can't wait for the next installment about the kinkiest hockey team EVER!

*ARC provided by author

Purchase Links: Amazon

ARC Review: The Marriage Mistake by Jennifer Probst

The Marriage Mistake

by Jennifer Probst

(Marriage to a Billionaire # 3)

The Marriage Mistake is the third installment of Marriage to a Billionaire by Jennifer Probst.  I must say that this book is the best of the three.  Ms. Probst mastered the art of sexual tension, smexy scenes and managed to add a heart-warming element to the story, not to mention the swoon worthy hero. 

Max and Carina are two people who are career minded.  Max already established in the business world with Michael Conte, Carina’s older Brother.  Carina on the other hand, had just finished her MBA and had come to America to learn the family business.  Because Max saw her as his BFF’s little sis, he felt like he was babysitting and was a bit resentful of this assignment.  However, what he did not expect was that Carina has grown up to be a beautiful, sexy, very independent woman and has been in-love with him for years.   And that, shocked the heck out of him.

I was intrigued with Max and Carina being 20^th century career focused but with a very heavy cultural background.  In the melting pot of New York City, this is realistic and very believable.  How many of us battle between making your career a priority, love life or family life.  Max and Carina managed to get both.  Not only that their story was heartfelt, but had funny banters, family love, extremely high sexual tension and very sexy love scenes. 

The secondary characters were just as great.  Nick/Alexa and Michael/Maggie made their cameo.  Momma Conte was there again and she was a major factor to this love story.  You know what they say, mother knows best.  And the “Book of Spell” that has made its way from Alexa to Maggie and Alexa, made its cameo.  Looks like IT will make its way to the next heroine for Ms. Probst series. *crossing fingers*

Overall, if you enjoy a light read full of romance, heavy with sexual tension and ends with a Happy-Ever-After, this book is for you.  Correction, this series is for you!!!

*ARC provided by publisher

 

Purchase Links: Amazon

ARC Review: Nauti Temptress by Lora Leigh

Nauti Temptress

by Lora Leigh

(Nauti Girls # 1)

First in a new series by Lora Leigh involving in some ways my favorite Nauti boys?  I'm in!  The Nauti series was one of the first romantic suspense stories I ever read so it really holds a special place in my heart.  They are all alpha males with lots of attitude, dominance, confidence and guns on occasion.  I was very excited about this series because I thought we would be reading about their daughters.  Which is not the case.  Don't ask me why I thought that, maybe I read it somewhere.

The good thing about not reading about the daughter of my favorite Nauti boys is that they are still young, still around and still kicking ass.  My favorite part of this book was the fact that they are all present in this story, especially Dawg.  See, it turns out that Dawg's father had a whole other family going and now Dawg is responsible for his half sisters and their mother.

Eve being the oldest works as a bartender and also helps their mother run the B&B that Dawg got for her.  And in both places all she sees is Brogan Campbell.  He's a bad boy, has been around for some time but rumor has it he's a thief and a traitor.  Dawg doesn't want his sister anywhere near him but Brogan has other plans.  He needs Eve so that he can get the help of the Mackay boys to solve the case he's been working on.

Overall not bad as far as a storyline goes, there was some action and some mystery.  But there were a lot of loopholes for me.  For example, at the beginning Eve seems like she doesn't know anything about Brogan they've barely talked before etc.  Towards the end of the book and without that much time passing, she knows everything about him from their prior interactions.  So either I'm missing something or this connection they had happened while I wasn't looking. 

But one thing is for sure... Lora Leigh knows how to turn up the heat.  Even if the story and characters are not 100% what I wanted, I have no complaints in that department.  Brogan is almost primal, a great dirty talker and knows exactly what to do for Eve.  I just wish for once the heroine wouldn't have been a virgin.  Maybe it'll happen one day.

*ARC provided by publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon

TART by Lauren Dane Spotlight - Review, Excerpt + Giveaway

  

Tart

by Lauren Dane

(Delicious # 1)

Ms. Dane has done it again.  TART is everything I was anxiously awaiting!  There's a wonderful new set of people in this series and women that have a close friendship and now it's their turns to find love. You'll feel right at home in their lives just as we did with the Brown Siblings.

Starting with Juliet.  We read about her in the CHERISHED anthology.  She owns a pastry shop and is a very independent woman, always used to doing things for herself and succeeding at them.  She doesn't have the love and support of her own family either.  But she's also the type of woman that will do anything to help others and sometimes that can get in the way of her own happiness.

She's had a crush on her buddy Cal for years, but then she thought Cal was gay, and then we he started dating both men and women she kind of gave up on the hopes that he would ever look her way.  So when hunky cowboy Gideon comes into town and she's doing business with his grandfather's farm, she acts on the sizzling chemistry she feels with Gideon.  Of course that's just what Cal needed to kick start him into action because Juliet should've always been his.

I like how Ms. Dane starts this series off in sort of the same way as her Brown Siblings, with a permanent menage.  And it works.  They all care about each but their individual connection with Juliet was cemented perfectly.  She's the anchor that makes the relationship work and when permanent menages can be hard to imagine working, Ms. Dane has a talent for making me believe that they can.

And just as the relationships and love were perfectly and independently developed, the sex was as well.  I can't say there's one thing she didn't explore and I loved every minute of it.  There's Gideon and Juliet, Cal and Juliet, Cal and Gideon and all three together with different roles.  It was hot and had me bothered! ;)

Then there's the familiar faces we love to read about.  I love the Brown siblings and I'm happy to report there's a lot of them in this book.  Erin, Todd and Ben are around and offer support for their menage relationship.  Erin and Juliet develop a close friendship which was nice to see.  Gillian and Adam are also getting married so they are going through the stress of that as well as the excitement.

I have to admit I might've gotten almost teary eyed at some parts and while this book is hot as hell and perfectly written as far as the relationship goes, it's also a bit emotional and sweet.  I can't wait to read more from this series!!  Wonder who will be next?

*ARC provided by publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon

Excerpt
Delicious: TART by LAUREN DANE

Copyright 2012, Lauren Dane

All Rights Reserved, The Berkley Publishing Group

Releasing in digital formats and trade paper, November 6!

“What’s going on?” Gillian walked in to Tart four days later with a look on her face that made Jules suck in a breath and steel herself.

“Um. A clue perhaps? What do you mean?”

Gillian put a hand on her hip and glared. “You won’t return my calls. Your texts are boring and lack even a basic amount of snark. Cal is moping around. Mary says you’re not here when she arrives in the afternoon and Gideon called my house looking for you. What in God’s name is going on?”

Jules sat in a nearby chair and told Gillian everything.

“Well, I can see why you needed the space to think. But why you wouldn’t come to me to let me help, I can’t imagine.”

“You have enough going on in your life. This is just . . . it’s . . . I don’t even know.”

“Don’t be daft. Enough going on. Sure, a wedding and a bossy fiancé and a teenaged son who is at turns sweet as pudding and then surly. But you’re my best friend, it’s my job to listen to you. Also, really to deny me the story of how two ridiculously gorgeous men offered to share you? Mean.” She fanned herself. “Well, are you interested? You know in both?”

“The thing is—and I’ve been thinking on this nonstop since that damned kiss—I’m with Gideon. I chose him when I went to his place to tell him about the kiss. But then he was all, hey, take us both and now I’m torn.”

“Torn because you’d rather have just one than both? And if that’s true, that’s okay too, you know. I’m not sure I could manage two men at once. Adrian gives me more than enough to do.”

Jules wiped a counter down to keep moving. “Do I want them? Individually? Sure. Look at them! It’s more than their looks, of course. I’m falling in love with Gideon in a big way and I’d be a liar, liar, pants on fire if I denied how long I’ve loved Cal. But together? At the same time? I don’t know.”

“Is it the overabundance of penis? Or worry that they’re not interested in your parts best?”

Jules laughed and then hugged Gillian tight. “Thank God for you.”

“I say this about you all the time.”

Jules was so glad Gillian had come in. She needed this so badly. Needed the support and honesty she got from her best friend.

“Gideon loves you. I admit that I’ve got a natural bias toward Cal. I’ve known him longest. He’s like family. But since I’ve met Gideon he’s been nothing but good to you. And you do deserve to be happy. If you can’t imagine being with them both, then don’t do it. Cal will get over it. He’ll have to.”

“What kind of flesh-and-blood woman with a pulse wouldn’t imagine being with them both? I’m only human, Gillian. I’ve imagined it all right.” So much her wrists hurt from masturbating so often.

Gillian grinned and cocked her head. “Have you thought about talking to Erin? I know she can be sort of bold and wild, but she’s a wonderful listener. She puts a lot of work into her relationship with Todd and Ben. It can work if you do it right and you have the right combo of people.”

“Honestly if you were telling me this story, I’d yell at you to get out of here and jump both men. You’re very patient.”

“You love them both. I know this about you. You’re thinking this over because it would change everything. No matter what decision you make, everything will be different. There’s no way around it, I’m sorry to say. Once Cal kissed you, things were thrown onto a wholly different path.”

“I know.” She paused and then blurted it out because she needed to say it. “It was a really, really good kiss. If he’d kissed me like that six months ago, we’d be happily together right now. He’s quite a dumbass for a man who looks as good as he does.” Jules chewed her lip a moment and then just said it. “I’m afraid Gideon will think the same thing about his kisses and they’ll get sick of me. It’s stupid and petty and I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Gillian made one of her polite little growls of annoyance. “He’s a fool for waiting so long. As for the kiss? I’m glad. I mean, I figured it was. You two, well, there’s years and years of built-up stuff between you. But back to the threesome thing. I don’t think this is about them both secretly being totally gay and then they’ll find out and dump you. I can understand why you’d worry. But they both want you. I’m telling you the total truth when I say I’ve watched Cal watch you for years. He’s in love with you, Jules. Not with anyone else. Same with Gideon.”

Berkley Heat is giving away a copy of TART to one lucky US maiden!

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Review: Iced by Karen Marie Moning

Iced

(Fever #6)

by Karen Marie Moning 

If you haven’t read the first five books of the Fever series, I strongly suggest you reconsider starting with this book. It’s not a spin-off. ICED is book 6 of the series. The events of ICED occur after some events in SHADOWFEVER. In ICED, you will encounter spoilers that will spoil the first five books, so you’ve been warned.

Readers say goodbye to Mac and Barrons (for now) and are introduced to the World of the Mega. Dani O’Malley is her name and don’t you forget it! Since the walls came down, the streets of Dublin are littered with Fae and violence. This is just one of the trubs that Dani is faced with. Dani is juggling a myriad of problems: Her ex best friend, Mac, is out to seek retribution, the Unseelie princes are dead set on killing her and Inspector Jayne has taken her sword, the only protection and weapon she has against the Fae. Like it could get any worse? KMM adds another weight to the Mega’s shoulder. Mysterious happenings are appearing all over Dublin where people are dying as they are frozen in spot, like some creepy version of freeze tag. It’s up to Dani to save what’s left of her city before it becomes too late.

I had the same concerns that I’m sure everyone else had about Dani. She’s young. 14 years old. Where does KMM think she’s going to take this story? But not surprisingly, KMM does a remarkable job of writing Dani’s POV so that it stands out without being too loud or rambunctious. There are times when Dani freaks out like a normal teen. It happens usually when she’s angry or stressed out. But I would rather have a heroine who is reacts rather than just lets things fly over her. KMM straddles the line. ICED is definitely not YA and by no means should be the norm for a young teenage girl. But that’s the thing I think people need to remember. Dani isn’t your average teen. At 14, she has seen and experienced things that have carved her into who she is today. The events from her past make her into a mouthy, independent superhero who doesn’t take shit from anyone. And I love it!

While I was reading this book, someone asked me if I was OK with all the sex that happens in this book, considering how young Dani is. My answer is: Would it really make a huge difference if she was of legal age? I doubt it. KMM’s writing is infused with rich depictions of sex and passion. If she had toned that down simply because of Dani’s age, I think readers would be furious. And if she had made Dani older, we wouldn’t have gotten the true story that KMM planned for Dani. Moning’s writing tends to cause strong reader reaction. Controversy is conflict. Needless to say, sex keeps the series interesting. And Dani’s age doesn’t define her. She has already proven that she can keep her legs closed until she decides she is ready.

Ryodan is the new man of the hour and oh my, he can nod at me anytime! Sleek and sophisticated, Ryodan’s got everything he needs to knock Barrons off that Top Alpha spot! There is so much more to learn about the boss of Chester’s and I’m definitely willing to wait another year just to find out!

I think it’s too soon to decipher who Dani will have her HEA with. But Ryodan, Christian and Dancer are definitely not bad candidates. Naturally, Ryodan gets my vote. I’m already a complete puddle of goo for him. Christian would be a good fit too but with the way he is now, I doubt the story would take the simplest route. Christian already believes that he is in love with her. If Dani suddenly decides that the she wants him, where would the story go? Dancer is like home for Dani. When she is with Dancer, she isn’t Mega the super-fast, super-smart superhero who is going to save Dublin. She’s just Dani. I’m just glad that all three of them know not just how amazing she will be when she is older, but also appreciate who she is now.

ICED just may be my favorite book of the year. Terrifyingly addictive, Karen Marie Moning has ruined me for any other author or book out there. Introducing Dani to an audience who are so passionate about the series was a risk, yet Moning has proven time and again that she is one of the premier authors of Urban Fantasy. ICED is an absolute must read!

Favorite Quote:

"This ain't no fecking campfire and cuddle!"

I was thinking along the same lines as she was. Dani just says what I'm thinking.

Purchase Links: Amazon