Review and Giveaway: Getting Rowdy by Lori Foster

Love Undercover Series:

Book 3:

Getting Rowdy: Rowdy Yates and Avery Mullins

Purchase on Amazon: Lori Foster – Getting Rowdy (Hqn)

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

Charismatic bar owner Rowdy Yates isn’t the kind of man women say no to. So when he approaches waitress Avery Mullins, he fully expects to get her number. However, the elusive beauty has her reasons for keeping her distance-including a past that might come back to haunt them both.

Avery spends her nights working for tips…and trying to forget the secret Rowdy is determined to unearth. But when history threatens to repeat itself, Avery grows to rely on Rowdy’s protective presence. As the sparks between them ignite, she will be forced to choose between the security she’s finally found…and the passion she’s always wanted.

Review:

Getting Rowdy by Lori Foster was an enjoyable ride of a book, I enjoyed it more than I expected too. I knew I liked Avery going into this book, she is a feisty character who wouldn’t let Rowdy treat her for less than she is worth. It was Rowdy I was concerned about, going into this book I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Sure he is a manwhore, I don’t have any problems with that, I enjoy a reformed manwhore story, I think it was more of as soon as Avery would let him down he’s go fishing in the same pond. Dude, Really?! You’re interested in a chick, like really interested but then go hit on chicks right in front of her. Eh, not cute. So I think that was my problem with Rowdy. In this book, while he starts off as still a manwhore we kind of get more reasoning behind it and while it is still not cute, he starts to prove that he is more than his man parts. I love how loyal he is to his sister and his friends. He might reluctantly be friends with cops but he will go out of his way to help any of them if they had need. He also shows he’s a freak’n bleeding heart where it comes to abused children, it’s quite touching actually. Rowdy ends up redeeming himself, at least to me. Avery, I liked coming into the book, as mentioned I wasn’t worried about her. She is feisty, take no shit kind of girl, but she wasn’t always that way. What surprised me is that Avery has a history of her own and not all of a good one. She comes from an affluent background but something happened that made her turn her back on all of money and society, she struck out on her own looking over her shoulder. When trouble comes, and it always comes, she is fiercely protective of Rowdy and cares for him as no one else has ever done. She rocks Rowdy to the core. She doesn’t do anything he expects her to do, leaving him off balance. Watching these two push and pull is highly entertaining.

The story is fast paced and pretty much has some sort of action throughout. Rowdy can’t seem to keep himself out of trouble. There are shoot outs, bar fights and other such things to keep you thoroughly entertained throughout the book. All the usual suspects also return, so you can catch up with some of the previous characters. I don’t think you will be disappointed with this installment of the Love Undercover Series, I know I wasn’t!

Rating:

*This copy was provided to me through NetGalley for an honest review, no other compensation was provided.

*This review can also be seen on Where the Night Kind Roam blog.

Now for the good stuff! I’m giving away a copy of this book! The rules: comment (and make sure to leave your email so we can contact you if you win) on this post about anything you want to be entered. It would be nice if you followed this blog on WP or “Liked” our Facebook page as well as Lori Fosters but it not required. This giveaway ends 11/03/2013

This is only open to US residents. Sorry friends, but international shipping can get expensive.

ARC Review: Rebecca Zanetti – Forgotten Sins

Sins Brothers Series:

Book 1:

Forgotten Sins: Shane Dean and Josie Dean

Expected publication: July 2nd 2013

Purchase on Amazon:  Rebecca Zanetti – Forgotten Sins

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

His Secrets Can Destroy Her

From the moment Josie laid eyes on sexy, mysterious Shane Dean, she was in love. Their desire ignited a passionate affair, and within weeks, Shane had slipped a ring on her finger. It seemed her every fantasy was coming true . . . until her new husband disappeared without a trace. Now, two years and one broken heart later, Josie is shocked by the hospital calls: Shane has been found . . . at a crime scene with no memory of how he got there.

Her Love Can Save Him

Shane can’t remember the blue-eyed angel at his bedside—or who he even is—but he knows something isn’t right. His hearing is razor sharp, his physical strength incredible, and the urge to protect Josie overwhelming. For powerful enemies are hunting him, and Josie is the key to discovering why. As Shane struggles to unravel his past, dangerous new truths come to light. Can he protect the only woman he’s ever loved? And can Josie trust a man she thought she knew—one who carries such a deadly secret?

Review:

I think that Ms. Zanetti has another hit on her hands. Here we have an action packed, intriguing, highly entertaining tale about military brothers with a few extras. I have to say I LOVED the brothers! There is something heartbreaking about kids that never get to be kid and I adored that against all odds the brothers banded together and gave only each other their loyalty. Matt is the oldest brother that kept them all together as kids and gave them hope that something else was out there for them, even if they had no idea what it was.

Shane is the second youngest brother, he was in deep cover for his brothers when he is attacked and loses his memory. He doesn’t remember much, be he does remember feelings and he remembers that he loved Josie. From the instant she enters his hospital room and he finds out they have been separated for two years, he knows only something intensely important could have kept him from her for so long and that he has been given a second chance and he is NEVER giving Josie up again. I loved Shane, an over protective alpha male that knows what he wants. He sets his sights on something and does not give up until he obtains it. Right now, his sights are set on Josie and keeping her protected. It seems that he has brought danger right to her door and he is determined to protect to her at all costs. Things get complex pretty quick as the threat to Josie and Shane gets more intense. The body count is increasing and the attempts on Josies life are getting more serious, there may be a threat that Shane didn’t count on and he may need some back up. The more he remembers the more realizes he is not quite normal and maybe leaving Josie is the best thing for her, even if it breaks his heart. After all a broken heart is nothing compared to knowing the one person you ever loved will be safe from your dangerous life.

Josie, I could take or leave. There were times I really liked Josie and then there were times that she annoyed the crap out of me. She was so damn concerned about her accounting job; I mean I get the desire for stability especially when you have a disappearing husband. But trust me when I say there is no job worth my life or the life of anyone I love. If going to my job means I’m am more visible to be kidnapped, raped, murdered, or attacked there is no way I’m going because if I’m dead, I’m dead and my job will no longer matter. Josie didn’t seem to understand that concept and insisted on going back in even though she kept getting attacked there. My a$$ would be long gone, on a leave, thank you very much. At times, she was pretty strong and others whinny, she was so cold and cold I was getting whiplash. At times I could see what Shane saw in her, I mean she is sweet, but sometimes I just didn’t get it. Don’t get me wrong she is not all bad and most of the time she was fine, but I wanted more for Shane since I loved him so much.

Overall, Zanetti spun a wildly entertaining story that I enjoyed from beginning to end. We met Shanes two remaining brothers and they intrigued me just as much as Shane did. I cannot wait for Matt’s story which I believe to be the next book. At times certain phrases got repetitive, enough so that I noticed but it wasn’t too distracting and may get cleaned up in final edits. This book was action both in and out of bed from beginning to end. You can expect to be wildly entertained by super sexy military men with a few special abilities! Enjoy the ride, I know I did!

Rating: 4 Romaticals

*This book was provided through NetGalley for an honest review. No other compensation was provided.

*This review can also be seen on www.paranormalromancenovel.com .

Review: Lori Foster – Bare it All

***We’re giving away a copy! Please continue past the review for the deets.

 

 

Love Undercover Series:

Book 2:

Bare It All: Reese Bareden and Alice Appleton

Purchase on Amazon: Lori Foster – Bare It All

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

“A cop’s craving to know more about the woman next door could prove fatal in the steamy new novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster”
As the person responsible for taking down a brutal human trafficker, Alice Appleton fears retaliation at every turn. No one knows about her past, which is exactly how she prefers it…until the sexy cop next door comes knocking.
Detective Reese Bareden thinks he knows what makes women tick, but his ever-elusive neighbor keeps him guessing like no other. Is his goal to unmask Alice’s secrets? Or protect her from a dangerous new threat? One thing is certain: their chemistry is a time bomb waiting to explode. And with no one to trust but each other, Reese and Alice are soon drawn into a deadly maze of corruption, intrigue and desire-and into the line of fire…

Review:

I’ve read a few Lori Foster books in the past and I have always enjoyed them. This book is no exception to that, I quite enjoyed this tale of love and danger! In the beginning Alice is a bit on the timid side, she has a secret a few of them actually, secrets she doesn’t want Reese her very sexy copy neighbor to find out. But fate seems to have other plans for Alice. Reese has been intrigued by Alice from the start but she never gave him the time of day until he got a dog. When he realizes that there is more to Alice then meets the eye his curiosity is amped up tenfold and there is nothing Reese likes to do more than solve a good mystery and something tells him that Alice’s is a doozy!

We pick up this book where I am assuming the first book left off. There was just a gun fight that almost got Reese killed if it had not been for Alice. He has taken up residence on her couch because his place is a crime scene. Reese almost doesn’t regret the crime scene since it got him into Alice’s apartment, finally! The sparks between Alice and Reese fly, even if Alice is not ready for it. She soon realizes that by protecting herself she is really hindering herself from truly living. I greatly enjoyed Alices journey from timid to seductress/heroine! She really comes a long way throughout the book. I love a character the truly grows. Reese, is good to go from the beginning. He’s sexy and a definite Alpha, but he has a sweet caring side that he lets out for Alice. All of his protective instincts are on high alert around Alice and it’s a good thing because she has a nose for trouble! One act of valor creates a downward spiral of violence. Alice is no stranger to violence but this time she has people she cares about involved and she will do anything to keep them safe including putting herself in danger. Reese is not about to let that happen, but he might not have a choice as his life is almost taken, again….

The pacing on this book is a little off, most of the book took place in the second half, if that makes any sense. He beginning was a bit slow, but still enjoyable as we got to know the characters. I didn’t read the first book, it is not necessary; however, I would recommend it. You also may want to consider reading the book where we first meet Alice, in the Men of Honor series. I also quite enjoyed the side characters, I think Rowdy is my favorite. I am really looking forward to his book! I can’t wait for him to be brought to his knees by a short red-head! Whoot Whoot!

*A copy was provided through the publisher for an honest review. No other compensation was given.

Rating: 4 Romanticals

Now for the good stuff! We’re giving away a copy of this book! The rules: comment (and make sure to leave your email so we can contact you if you win) on this post about anything you want to be entered. It would be nice if you followed this blog on WP or “Liked” our Facebook page as well as Lori Fosters but it not required. This will run through until May 26th.

Courtesy of  Veronica at Meryl L. Moss Media Relations

Lets Get Romantical FB Page

Lori Foster FB Page

This is only open to US residents. Sorry friends, but international shipping can get expensive.

Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a Waldenbooks, Borders, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and New York Times bestselling author of over 70 novellas and novels. She currently writes single titles for HQN.

Lori believes it’s important to give back to the community as much as possible, and for that reason she ran special contests in conjunction with a publisher, facilitating many first sales for new authors. She routinely organizes events among authors and readers to gather donations for various organizations.

Along with her good friend, Duffy Brown, Lori hosts a very special annual “Reader & Author” event in West Chester, Ohio. Proceeds from the event have benefited many worthy causes, including the Hamilton County YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, the Animal Adoption Foundation, The Conductive Learning Center for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy, and The One Way Farm, Children’s Home.

In 2007, Lori put together The Write Ingredients a cookbook of recipes donated by popular authors. Proceeds from the cookbook go toward Lori’s ongoing “Troop project” of collecting and mailing fun, and sometimes necessary, items to our troops.

In 2008, Lori coordinated with other authors of her choosing and arranged for the publication of The Power of Love, a special romance anthology of novellas about empowering women. All author and agent proceeds from the anthology go to the Hamilton Co YWCA Battered women’s shelter.

In 2009, Tails of Love, another romance anthology with Lori and other contributing authors, was published with all agent and author proceeds to benefit The Animal Adoption Foundation.

In 2010, The Gift of Love romance anthology, with Lori and other contributing authors, was published with proceeds to benefit The Conductive Learning Center, a school for children with cerebral palsy and spina bifida.

In 2011, The Promise of Love, a romance anthology with Lori and other contributing authors, was published with proceeds to benefit the One Way Farm, a home for abused and abandoned children.

You can read more about the charities that Lori supports here.

In 2012, Love Bites,  a romance anthology with Lori and other contributing authors, was published with all agent and author proceeds to benefit The Animal Adoption Foundation.

Lori has received many prestigious awards, including:

Romantic Times “Career Achievement Award” for:
Series Romantic Fantasy
Contemporary Romance

Walendenbooks:
Say No To Joe – second “Bestselling Original Contemporary”

 

Borders Group Inc.:

The Secret Life of Bryan – “Bestselling Original Contemporary” romance title

Jude’s Law – “Bestselling Romantic Comedy” romance title

Back in Black – “Bestselling Romantic Suspense” romance title

Lori Foster has been both a clue in the New York Times crossword puzzle and the USA Today Quick Cross puzzle.

Lori enjoys visiting with readers on her Facebook Fan page, Twitter, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

Visit her website – http://www.LoriFoster.com – for a complete listing of her books, social networks, and special appearances and events.

ARC Review: Susan Mallery – Just One Kiss

Fool’s Gold Series:

Book 11:

Just One Kiss: Patience McGraw and Justice Garrett

 

 

Publication Date: May 28, 2013

Purchase on Amazon: Susan Mallery – Just One Kiss (Fool’s Gold)

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

He won’t hesitate to put his life on the line…but will he ever risk his heart?

Falling for Justice Garrett was a high point in Patience McGraw’s otherwise awkward adolescence. Even after he disappeared, Patience never forgot the boy who captured her heart. Now, he’s back in Fool’s Gold, California, and her passion for him is as strong as ever. But how can she trust that he won’t abandon her again-and her daughter, too?

When bodyguard Justice Garrett was a young man, witness protection brought him to this idyllic town and he never forgot its warmth, or the sweet beauty of his childhood friend. He’s returned to open a defense academy, and the Patience he once knew is all grown up. He can’t resist her smile, or her curves. But Justice’s past doesn’t make him husband, or father, material.

Patience and Justice think they’ll succumb to just one kiss… Then one more… Okay, just one night together. But they might learn that falling in love is beyond anyone’s control.

Review:

A tale of rekindled love! Well kind of rekindled… Well they find each other again after something like 12 years. Once upon a time a young man was in the witness protection program from his own father, for his own safety he was sent to Fool’s Gold. While in Fool’s Gold he broke all the rules and befriended a girl from his school. He’s not supposed to have any attachments but there was something about Patience that called to him and he didn’t fight their growing friendship. Patience found herself on the brink of young love when Justice up and disappeared in the middle of the night. She never forgot about her first real crush… When he steps into her salon years later all grown up and looking like sin she is happy to see her old friend, glad he is alive and well. They pick up their friendship pretty much where it left, only they aren’t kids anymore and they discover a very adult attraction.

Susan Mallery has a formula for this series and she doesn’t really break from that formula. True it is a successful formula and it produces heartwarming, light funny reads, but someday I’d like for Susan Mallery to surprise me and maybe the female will run off from the man. That surprise did not occur within this book. We get the same formula; man has some issues from his past. Woman loves him despite his baggage and just when things are about to get serious man gets scared and runs off only to come to his senses and come back. Where female promptly forgives him and all is well in Fools Gold! YAY!

With formula in place Susan Mallery creates a fun light-hearted story. Patience is easy to love as a character. She is warm and has a natural welcomness about her. She is a single mother who still has the heart to dream! I love that she has a dream and once has the means to go after her dream she goes forward full steam. She has natural dreams of failure but the presence of Justice helps her a lot. He has a calming influence on her. Justice had a brutal childhood. His father would not be winning any father of the year awards. It is because of his father that he had to enter in the witness protection program. Later he joins the Army, becomes a specialist and then a premier bodyguard. Pretty much his entire he has been adrift not putting down roots anywhere but Fool’s Gold and Patience keep tugging at him. When he decides to open a business he decides to check out Fool’s Gold and check in on Patience. Now Patience is all grown up and those feelings he kept under wraps at 18 have a chance to fully develop. The romance between Patience and Justice develops naturally aided by a previous relationship even if it was just friendship. They fall into each easily and it feels good and warm. I love when a couple (in this case not really but kinda) rekindles. It always makes me happy and this is no exception.

Overall, a solid installment in the series, not the best but a good showing, It also sets up nicely for the next three books.

Rating: 4 Romanticals

*Review copy was provided through NetGalley for an honest review.

ARC Review: Kristen Callihan–Winterblaze

Darkest London Series:

Book 3:

Winterblaze: Poppy Lane and Winston Lane

 

 

Release Date: February 26^th, 2013

Purchase on Amazon:  Kristen Callihan – Winterblaze (Darkest London)

Summary:

Once blissfully in love . . .

Poppy Lane is keeping secrets. Her powerful gift has earned her membership in the Society for the Suppression of Supernaturals, but she must keep both her ability and her alliance with the Society from her husband, Winston. Yet when Winston is brutally attacked by a werewolf, Poppy’s secrets are revealed, leaving Winston’s trust in her as broken as his body. Now Poppy will do anything to win back his affections . . .

Their relationship is now put to the ultimate test.

Winston Lane soon regains his physical strength but his face and heart still bear the scars of the vicious attack. Drawn into the darkest depths of London, Winston must fight an evil demon that wants to take away the last hope of reconciliation with his wife. As a former police inspector, Winston has intelligence and logic on his side. But it will take the strength of Poppy’s love for him to defeat the forces that threaten to tear them apart.

Review:

I absolutely love Kristen Callihan, she has quickly become one of my favorite authors! The planning, plotting and sheer talent it must take to write one of her novels amazes me. She just has this way of taking little bits and pieces, stringing us along and then BAM it all comes together in the end that has you thinking now why didn’t I see that. In a romance genre it can sometimes be hard to be surprised but with every Callihan novel, I am surprised at least once. This novel is no exception to that trend and Callihan pulls out all of the stops for this one.

At first I had a hard time liking Poppy, she just seemed so remote, she was hard to get a read on and she didn’t seemed very “flawed”, she is so controlled and keeps things close. Little by little you see cracks I her façade and she becomes more likeable, she is a fierce protector at heart and a lot of that control was to make sure everyone was safe. Poppy has not lead a safe existence, as a part of the SOS she has been undercover pretty much her whole life. Secrets are second nature to her, but if she doesn’t want to lose everything she has to open up her life to her husband and let him. Just the thought of bringing Winston terrifies her, there is so much that can go wrong. Poppy ends up being such a strong character, I loved watching her walls start to crash down. It is than that we see the real Poppy and not the one she has had to be for so long. But, with a very powerful Demon after her and Winston, either her or Winston may not live long enough to make everything right…

Now, Winston I really wasn’t into that much from the previous books, as an inspector he popped up in both FIRELIGHT and MOONGLOW. In this book from the get go we see another side of Winston. We see a venerable side; we see the scarred man, both inside and out. There is so much more to Win that we never knew in previous books. I loved learning about him, by the end I was quite smitten with him and his strength of character. He also has a sharp mind that can put things together that others cannot, and that makes him an opponent that you don’t really see coming. He is underestimated at every turn, even by Poppy in the beginning but he proves himself quickly. But quickly, may not be soon enough, as there is a price on his very soul and the demon is ready to collect!

This book takes us on twists and turns as we navigate the London underground scene. We learn things in this book about new supernaturals that we did not know in previous books. More comes out about the GIMs and they have more than a few tricks up their sleeves! Marie and Jack Talent are in this book quite a bit and their skirmishes are quite entertaining. There was a moment with Talent that had me in tears; just thinking about it has me tearing up again! (You make me cry, you get a five rule!) As a character I have always loved Talent and it just broke my heart, but he’s strong so I have faith that he will pull through. I also quite enjoyed the ending in this book, it pulled everything together quite nicely. It wasn’t looking so good there for a moment for Winston and Poppy and I was wondering how Callihan was going to pull it out, but in true fashion she pulled it off spectacularly. This book was another rousing success from a rising star!

*This book was provided through NetGalley for an honest review. No other compensation was provided.

Rating: 5 Romanticals

*this review can also be seen at www.paranormalromancenovel.com .

Review: Kristen Ashley – Mystery Man

Dream Man Series:

Book 1:

Mystery Man: Cabe “Hawk” Delgado and Gwendolyn Kid

 

 

Purchase on Amazon: Kristen Ashley – Mystery Man (Dream Man)

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

While drinking cosmopolitans, Gwendolyn Kidd meets the man of her dreams. Then she takes him home. Then she wakes up alone. But her fear that she lost her dream man turns into a relationship with a mystery man when, night after night in the dead of night, he comes back for more. Hoping it will blossom into something real, she lets him.

But she doesn’t even know his name.

Gwen’s struggling with the decision to end their crazy non-relationship when her sister-from-hell, Ginger’s best friend pays a visit and warns Gwen that if she and her sister don’t get smart, they’ll both get d-e-a-d, dead. Gwen has no clue what’s going on but she’s used to Ginger’s antics and decides to lay the problem on her sister’s biker boyfriend’s doorstep. Bad choice. She hits the Denver Underground radar with a big, loud ping.

This means Gwen’s Mystery Man, Cabe “Hawk” Delgado has to step in to keep her safe. But when Hawk gets a dose of Gwen in the daylight, he makes the decision that he finally wants real with Gwen. However when Gwen gets a dose of badass, bossy, straight-talker Hawk in the daylight, she decides she’s done.

Thus begins the head-to-head of the Commando vs. Cosmo Girl as Hawk woos Gwen in his own unique way, Gwen survives firebombs, drive-bys, kidnappings, hot pursuits by biker hotties and gorgeous police detectives and discovers the heartbreaking reason why Hawk kept her at arm’s length.

And as all this happens, Gwen finds that her sister’s troubles are serious trouble and she must decide who to keep alive: her sister-from-hell or the man of her dreams.

Review:

When I saw this title come up on NetGalley I knew I had to snap it up and see what all the hype was about. The fourth book of this series Motorcycle Man was up for Best Romance of 2012 so I just had to see where it all started it. I am so incredibly glad I requested this title. I picked this book up and within the first few pages I was in love! I remained in love until the very end, I did not put this book down unless it was for bathroom breaks or that silly thing called sleep. Although I had to admit I was up until 6 am reading because I could not stop. Every time I thought I got to a stopping point, I wasn’t, I had to force myself to stop when I saw my clock!

Some might find that Gwen was having a non-relationship with a man for a year and half and didn’t even know his name a bit off putting, but worry not my friends, it is done in a way that is sexy and not a skeevy, in fact it’s pretty damn hot. Gwen as a character is too damn feisty and sassy to blame this lapse in judgment on her. Every now and then a girl has to live out a fantasy! And when you meet Hawk you will understand completely! LOL. Gwen had me cracking up the entire book! She is such a smart ass with a wonderful sense of humor. There are so many quotable lines in this book. I swear I was highlighting all the damn time. Gwen gives as good as she gets. She can handle her own against all of the alpha males in her life and all of the sudden they are all around her and all of them hot! Dispute the immense chaos that is surrounding her, she seems to handle her ish pretty well. She does not become a sniveling mess who just wants to hide out. She keeps her head and for the most part doesn’t make any of those incredibly stupid mistakes that the heroine is always doing in life or death situations. She for the most part listens to the experts and I silently cheer good girl! Gwen is also a compassionate woman, when someone asks her to name a few things that if she could have if there were no limits most of what she lists is for other people. I have to admit that tugged at my heart a bit. In her interactions with Hawk she can be a bit self centered but she almost immediately feels bad and realizes that she is F’ing up and works to fix it. She doesn’t keep a righteous opinion of herself.

Cabe “Hawk” Delgado is our Alpha of all Alphas. In a group of Alpha like men he stands on top. His machismo practically pours off of the page and I love it! I love Machismo in a man. He is ex-army and current something dangerous. He has a “Base” and his men to do his bidding. One of my favorite parts of this book is the epilogue which is in Hawks voice and it is so heartwarming. Our Alpha Hawk keeps our Gwen as safe as you can make a hardheaded refuses to stop living her life sort of female. He is more than enough to keep our Gwen in line which is no easy task! The firework explode between Hawk and Gwen, Hawk is determined to keep Gwen after a year and a half of waste. Finally he has seen what he has been missing. Cabe has a past that has kept him from getting close to any woman for a long time. But when he goes toe to toe with Gwen he realizes that may have been a mistake. When he makes a mistake he works to rectify it. And now he is working on Gwen and she’s not being very cooperative. Haha As with most Alpha males, Hawk protects what is his and he considers Gwen as his so he takes any and all measures to make sure she is as safe as he can make her, but her heart is not safe from him even as she does everything she can to protect herself and to keep Cabe out. He is just as determined to get in!

This book is pretty long so we have a lot of time to get to know our characters and I loved all of them. This book is full of a supporting cast that adds to the overall feel and humor of the book. Gwens parents are utterly loveable, her friends are supportive and each has their own distinct personalities. You come to care for them almost as much as Gwen and Hawk. Our other Alpha males are sexy and you almost can’t pick which one you like the most, which is ok because you don’t have too. They each have a book as well. Whoot Whoot. One of which I am going to go read now! I am really excited to see where this series takes us!

Hasta!

*Book was provided through NetGalley for an honest review. No other compensation was given.

Rating:

5 Romaticals

 

Review: Gena Showalter – Last Kiss Goodnight

Otherworld Assassin Series:

Book 1:

Last Kiss Goodnight: Solomon Judah and Vika Lukas

 

 

Purchase on Amazon: Gena Showalter – Last Kiss Goodnight (Otherworld Assassin)

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

THE SWEETEST TEMPTATION…

Black ops agent Solomon Judah awakens caged and bound in a twisted zoo where otherworlders are the main attraction. Vika Lukas, the owner’s daughter, is tasked with Solo’s care and feeding. The monster inside him yearns to kill her on sight, even though she holds the key to his escape. But the human side of him realizes the beautiful deaf girl is more than she seems—she’s his.

THE ULTIMATE PRICE…

Vika endures the captives’ taunts and loathing, hoping to keep them alive even if she can’t free them. Only, Solo is different—he protects her. But as hostility turns to forbidden romance, his feelings for her will be used against him…and he’ll be put to a killer test.

Review:

First of all I would like to address the cover of this book, which is gorgeous! I love the bright red dress and everything else in black and white. I’d have to say one of my favorite Gena Showalter covers and she does not slack in the cover department.

I love Gena Showalter I really do! Her books tend to be smart, funny and action packed. This book is a spinoff of her Alien Huntress series, which is among my favorite series. This book however left me a bit disappointed.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved both Vika and Solo. They were great characters and ease to enjoy. Vika is such a sweetheart, she cares for others more than she cares for herself. She is selfless even if none of her “charges” realize it. She has a kind heart and soul. Her life has been anything but good. Her father is extremely abusive to the point that she was beaten so badly, she can no longer hear. Despite her rough life she still looks for the good in life and in people. She has a goal, she will find the key to the OtherWorlders “chains” so she can free them and she will also disappear so that her father can never find her. Her goal is shot to hell when Solo is brought in. She has always tried to maintain a distance from the capatives but with Solo she cannot do so. She is drawn to him like a moth to a flame. He protected Vika like no other person has ever done before which called to her lonely abused heart. She also found that she is more attracted to Solo than she has ever been attracted to any other living being. His raw masculinity and strength called to her. Even in his beast state he did not frighten her, he was always protective and tender with her which was more than she ever expected from a man let alone a captive. By all rights he should have hated her, but instead treated her like a he cherished her.

By all rights Solo should hate Vika for putting him through this humiliation. Solo is not a man that is used to being able to be caged. His beast form pretty much guarantees that he can get out of pretty much any situation most unscathed. But somehow this cage holds him and his beast inside. This is the first time he is relaying on anyone to help him get out of any situation. Despite his situation he recognizes Vika as “His”, never before has he felt such an intense feeling for someone. It drives him mad that he can’t protect her like his instincts are demanding of him. All his life he has been treated as a freak show, but Vika never looks at him like that. Her kindness and tenderness gets to him like nothing else has ever been able to. He has been alone most of his life and now suddenly he has hope for a better future but he can’t get himself or his woman out of this damn situation. Solo is a fierce warrior but also a kind soul, but don’t tell anyone that, it could ruin his hard earned reputation! He is incredibly loyal to those he cares about and that list is incredibly short, but Vika has made her way to that list.

Although I LOVED the characters, there were a few things holding me back from loving this book. The first being the majority of the book, I think it was something like 80% of the book Solo is stuck in that damn cage. This really slowed the book down at some points it was made the book drag. Solo’s being in a cage limited the action of the book, he’s a fierce warrior forced into inaction for pretty much the entire book. The few times he was out, he was basically beat to ish. This also means pretty much everything happens in the last 20 or so percent of the book. Solo being in a cage also limits interaction between Solo and Vika. The interaction they did have was meaningful but when your male lead is confined and your heroine has to sneak around to see him interaction becomes limited and when there is extended together time a chunk of that time Vika is unconscious and there is again limited interaction.

The good and bad “Helpers” of Solo’s were kind of weird and a bit distracting. So they were like Solo’s version of the Good and Bad Angels that sit on someone shoulder; one whispering to do good, the other to do bad, corrupting. No one other than Solo can see his helpers so when he is talking to them he’s basically talking to himself. They were there to I guess enhance the story line but for me I found them an annoyance and hindered the story line. I found the Good Helper to be a bit preachy and the constant changing of the Helpers looks based on Solo decisions to not be a value add but a distraction.

Then there was the switching of the senses which I also found random and odd. I didn’t really see the point of it. I wanted a different outcome for this. I can’t really say more on this topic because it’s a spoiler but I really want to. =)

This book had plenty of potential to go so many cool places so I was a bit disappointed that it didn’t really go there. It was also missing Gena Showalters trademark humor. I want to laugh, but I didn’t find myself chuckling all that much. The characters were this books saving grace and I do encourage you to read this book one because Vika and Solo are such great characters and two because it sets up the rest of this spin off series and we do get visits from a few of the Alien Huntress characters. I know I will be looking to the next book in this series.

Rating:

3.5 Romanticals

 

Review: Rachel Gibson – Crazy On You

Lovett, Texas Series:

Book 2:

Crazy On You – Tucker Matthews and Lily Darlington

To order book on Amazon Click here:  Rachel Gibson – Crazy On You

Summary:

From Goodreads.com:

Lily Darlington’s been called crazy in her day-and, yeah, driving her car into her ex-husband’s living room probably wasn’t the smartest move ever made-but the louse deserved it. Now Lily is happily single, and she’s turned it all around. She knows she’s a good mom, a homeowner, and a businesswoman, all wrapped up in one good-looking package.

A package that police officer Tucker Matthews is dying to unwrap. This ex-military man sure doesn’t need another woman in his life. His last girlfriend left him with nothing but memories and a cat named Pinky! But living next door to Lily has been driving him nuts. He dreams about her long blonde hair and even longer legs. And maybe it’s time to go a little crazy . . . and fall in love.

Review:

This is a novella set in the town on Lovett, Texas; where Daisy’s Backin Town was set and where Rescue Me (RG’s next release) will be set. Lily is Daisy’s sister and one of the more memorable characters in Daisy’s Back in Town. If you read the book you will not forget that Lily drove her car through her Rat Bastard Ronnie’s front room. Actually that has to be one of the more memorable moment of just about any contemporary Romance I’ve ever read. LOL. So we already know we have a hella feisty heroine in Lily, but Tucker is no slouch in the hero department as well.

So this is a novella so it is pretty short, maybe a 100 ish pages. As a novella it is pretty quick paced and there isn’t a whole lot of room for full character development. So I am glad we had already met Lily, but in this novella she is a changed woman. She no longer does crazy things; she owns a successful salon, cares for her 10 year old son and lives a quite life trying to live down her crazy days. Lily knows she will always be a little bit crazy and rash in her decision making skills which is why she is wound so tight, but when Tucker arrives next door all that crazy threatens to come back and that’s really got Lily running scared even as she is running to him instead away from him like she should be doing.  I truly liked Lily but I think I liked her a bit more when she was a bit crazier, I mean we don’t need her running her car through any more houses but a little less controlled wouldn’t hurt. But Tucker does a pretty good job at starting to knock past those barriers.

Tucker, I’m still not sure I have a good handle on him. I know he is ex-military from a crappy childhood. He just wants a quite life now that he’s out of the army and that he feels like he adapts easily. But that’s about all I know about him. Oh and I know he’s good in the sack. Lol  He falls in love with Lily like warp speed fast, which usually grates on my nerves but this time it’s not obnoxious. He seems honorable and straight forward and mature beyond his years. Overall a good match to Lily, he can keep her under control.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was on the short side and missed some of the usual Rachel Gibsonness that I’ve come to love in her full length novels. I’m afraid to say Rachel Gibson will never be a novella queen, but this is a solid hit for a short. It’s no secret I adore Rachel Gibson and this book was no exception to my love affair with Rachel Gibson novels! Oh, there are tons of steamy scenes in this one, she really packs them in! Lily and Tucker were burning up the pages…

Rating:

4 orchids.