They call her the Unattainable. Lady Margaret Chattan spurned every suitor for her hand, vowing never to marry. The only way to break the curse plaguing her family for two centuries is this ultimate sacrifice. But now her brothers’ lives are in danger. Determined to save them, she risks her very soul by traveling into the heart of the highlands to battle a force that has transcended time.
Heath Macnachtan is not superstitious. Laird of the most independent, nonconforming, madly infuriating clan ever to grace Scotland, he believes he has his hands full. And then, a woman lauded as one of the most beautiful in England, arrives on his doorstep with wild accusations and a mystical quest . . . one that just might help him discover who murdered his own brother. But the real danger for Heath and Margaret is not a supernatural foe, but a very real love that could destroy them both.
Lady Margaret Chattan is on a mission, traveling to Scotland and accompanied by her new abigail, Smith who keeps looking at her strangely, but it might be because Smith thinks Margaret is a little crazy. Margaret is on her way to see if she can break the Chattan curse and save her brothers before they die. The curse was put on the Chattan’s two hundred years ago by a vengeful witch and has caused panic and death for years as every Chattan male that falls in love, dies. Margaret’s brother Harry believes she is the key to breaking the curse as she is the first female born since the curse was cast.
Society thought Margaret was perfect and both the men and women of the ton either wanted her or wanted to be her. She rarely went out however instead of people thinking it was strange, they just thought it was another thing to love about her, she was mysterious. She on the other hand does not feel worthy of anyone, as she has a secret that not even her brother’s Neal and Harry are aware of.
Margaret found a kitten when she was ready to leave on her trip, a strange little creature with big eyes and flatten ears, she calls it Owl. However no one else in her traveling party can see the cat, Smith thinks she is unwell and when Margaret questions the others in the party to see if they see the cat, they all look away. So she leaves the “cat” by the side of the road and they travel on. About a mile out of their destination the weather turns and the wind pulls them off the road and down the hill where all but two perish.
Heath Macnachtan is the 16th chief of Macnachtan, a raggedy clan that is almost bankrupt. They are in danger of losing their home, Marybone. He is thinking of selling to help his sisters however does not want to leave his clan to the mercy of others that might not treat them well. Up until a year ago Heath had been first officer aboard the HMS Boyne when he heard about his brother’s death. Brodie had been ambushed and murdered; they still have not found the murderer. Heath finds Margaret near where his brother was killed and he recognizes her right away from seeing her in London. He takes her to his home and when she awakes she again acts a little crazy, she is missing a book she was carrying, Fenella’s book of Curses. They all tell her they never saw the book and not believing anyone, she shoots Heath – really?
As Heath and Margaret search for clues they unwittingly find the answers to other unsolved mysteries, all the while fate and other sources are at work trying to prevent her from finding anything about the curse.
This was a nice conclusion to the Chattan trilogy and a must read if you are curious about how it all ends, however I just did not really like the main two characters much and I did not see any chemistry with them. Heath was unhappy being the chief of his clan, wanting to go back to the sea and be in the Navy, when he decides to stay I was not convinced that Margaret is the reason. Margaret was just not very likable at all, she was rude to her abigail, Smith during the ride, then she was rude to Heath’s family and even when she apologizes, it was not sincere. I know she was trying to save her brothers but being accusatory to all those around her when they had saved her – ugh. I did like Heath’s two sisters, Laren and Anice; they were engaging and fun and accepted life with a sense of happiness.
The answers at the end seemed a little unbelievable, I suppose for a book about witches and curses it could make sense however I could not buy it. I also was unsure of what happened with Fenella and Rose, the two that started it all centuries ago; I thought there could have been more about them and the mysterious cat. Over all, the book was well written and a must read for the end of the trilogy however I wish I connected with the hero and heroine better.
I give The Devil’s Heart by Cathy Maxwell 3.0 stars!
Are you an alpha girl? Do you prefer bookish men? Do you find yourself drooling over a great cover? A story line? A simple character? What makes you connect to a book? What takes that book to the next level of greatness for you? For me it’s a simple equation. The right amount of quirk, kink and action sets this reader a pantin and has me coming back for more every time. When the action is done right just, the men are total softie alphas and the heroine are capable females intent on getting what they want…..I’m in love. I swoon. I laugh. I cry. I get pissed. I become part of the journey. A sidelines player in the game the author has set forth. I admit I can be a fickle reader. What works in one book does not work in another. How the author sets the scene is key. If the scene is set to much, the author rambles and I get bored. If not enough is done then I’m confused and irritated. It’s a high wire balancing act with every book I open. At stake is my opinion, which is not worth all that much but every author I’ve met cares about what each individual persons opinion of their book is. They may learn not to respond to the negative opinions and it’s true you can’t please everyone. But they do care.
Lately though I’ve found something to be lacking. Sometimes a character just doesn’t sit well with me or I find myself bored while reading. Doesn’t mean the book wasn’t good it just means I never fully connected with the authors vision. In fact I “liked” the books….but I didn’t “love” them. There was nothing in it that had me running to my computer to tell anyone that would listen how much they NEEDED to read this book or even how much I hated it and loathed the ink it used to be printed (or storage it took up on my e-reader). So I’m left with a what do I do scenario. Do I try and fake it for an entire review? Rack my brain to come up with a review that I deem long enough? Or do I simply tell people that I liked it and if it’s in the genre they like too they might want to check it out.
Out Of Control by Alexandra Ivy Ph.D student Angela Locke has a crush on her sexy professor, Dr. Nikolo Bartrev. When she learns he’s actually a Sentinel with extraordinary powers, she joins forces with him to catch a psychopath. But soon, their hottest pursuit is of each other…
Ties That Bind by Nina Bangs Cassie Tyler agrees to sub for her friend at the funeral home where she works. But she gets more than she bargained for when a group of men attack her and a vampire comes to her rescue. . .
In Still Darkness by Dianne Duvall Immortal Richart d’Alençon can’t forget the woman who rewarded him with a sensuous kiss after he saved her from a trio of vampires. While Richart knows that loving a human can only bring trouble, the taste of forbidden lust is too great to resist. . .
High Stakes by Hannah Jayne When vampire fashionista Nina LaShay’s design contest rival is found dead, she’s the prime suspect. Sexy photographer Pike is number two. He’s the kind of man who makes Nina salivate. But will she have to reveal herself to have him–and to save them both? Or does Pike have a secret of his own?
Anthologies are hard to review. Simple as that. Most times there is at least one in an anthology that doesn’t click with a person. It’s very rare that I find myself loving every single story. As was the case with Predatory. The first half of this book was awesome. Let’s talk about that first. Alexandria Ivy and Nina Bangs were new to me authors. I had no idea what to expect from them and so I went into those with zero expectations. This is generally better for me as a reader/reviewer. Both Ivy and Bangs wove a quick paranormal romance tale that ensured that I would check out their work again. Both were engaging, well plotted out and had enough heat to have me entertained. Though in that respect Ivy clearly won out because the Bangs novella was lighter on the heat and heavier on the story line. Duvall’s addition, while part of a series I have enjoyed in the past left me wanting more. I didn’t enjoy the characters and at one point she phonically spells out Richart’s name as Ree-shart. Does she not know what shart is? Does anyone but me know what that is? Well here’s a lesson for you…shart is when you fart and shit your pants. Sexy huh? Yeah didn’t think so. Just let me do what I do in every other book with a weirdly spelled name. Let me weeble-wobble between pronunciations in my head. Then to top it off it ended so incredibly abrupt I thought the publisher had left a chapter out. The last novella was by Hannah Jayne and it re-visits her Underworld Detection Agency series with Nina as the lead instead of a secondary character. I gave up on this series at book 3 and to to be honest I knew from the get go this one wasn’t going to work for me. What started out fun has quickly turned into a puddle of quicksand that I have no intention of getting sucked into. I only read the first 2 chapters of that one before giving up. I just don’t connect to her anymore.
Meeting Jett was like lightning. Dangerous. Better left untouched. And better forgotten. But lightning always strikes twice.
Brooke Stewart, a realtor in New York, doesn’t do relationships. When she’s sent to a remote estate to finalize a real estate deal, she discovers her new boss is no other than the guy she left naked in bed.
Sexy, dangerously handsome, and arrogant Jett Mayfield attracts trouble, and women, like a lightning rod. But the night he meets Brooke he gets more than he bargained for. The green-eyed millionaire playboy isn’t used to taking no for an answer, and he isn’t about to start now.
When he proposes two months of no strings sex, Brooke is intrigued and accepts his proposal. Little does she know Jett’s determined to claim the one woman he can’t have, pulling her deeper into his dangerous world.
A man who doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. A woman afraid to surrender to love. Two lives that are about to cross…and secrets laid bare.
I so very badly wanted to read this book, love it immensely and sing it’s praises to everyone. I mean look at that cover! Holy hell almighty that’s a hot cover. The blurb is rockin. The heros name is JETT. That says it all right there. Smoking, hot, incredibly rich Jett. It’s an erotic romance, which I what I’ve been reading a lot of lately….and maybe that’s part of the problem. A year ago I think I would have read this and been all over it. But it’s getting harder and harder to impress me lately because I’ve read so much. Nothing seems original anymore. Reed does a good job with setting the scene but I never felt the heat between Jett and Brooke. It felt like they were going through the motions. Intense, hot, sexual motions…but motions none the less. While I liked Jett for all the reasons I already stated, I didn’t think she took him far enough. He needed to be more in control. More alpha. He needed more to his persona and more to the story line then just the sex.
Now don’t get me wrong. I “liked” this book. There are moments in it so perfect they made my heart hurt just a bit. Jett is all mysterious at times and I played into it as much as Brooke did. The little side plot on Brookes heritage and how it plays into everything will be a source of my interest in how thing will play out in book two. Which I most definitely will read. I look forward to watching Brooke handle her new problems and what and who follows her to her new life.
Erotic romance fans that tend to like less story and more sex should enjoy this one. I enjoyed Reeds writing but I think this could have been better. Been more.
Available: Now Amazon/B&N (e-book now, paperback August 2013)
Type: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Forever
My Copy: Sent
Reviewer: Nikki
He pushes her sexual boundaries . . . From the moment waitress Karina meets him in a New York bar, she knows James is different. Daring. Dominating. Though he hides his true identity from her, the mysterious, wealthy businessman anticipates her every desire and fulfills her secret fantasies. Awakened by his touch, Karina discovers a wild side she hadn’t known existed and nothing is off limits. She aches for more . . . What begins as an erotic game soon escalates to a power play that blurs the line between pleasure and pain. Even as she capitulates to James’s sensual demands, Karina craves more. She wants his heart, his soul. She wants his love . . . and she’ll break all the rules to get it.
Slow Surrender had all the makings for something I would slobber over, but it never quite got there. From some of the questionably icky foreplay…i.e. vaginal stimulation by toe…to the complete over the topness of everything else. Butterfly clit stimulators being set off while trying to order pizza, a happy ending parlor woman using a glass dildo on the heroine while the hero skypes in and watches, then the realization that the hero is simply, too big to fit in which I immediately started singing:
When this book worked, it worked well but there was too much mystery surrounding the hero. Karina doesn’t even learn his name till the very end. It was just one orgasm to the next without actual penetration. Because of course he’s just too large and it takes him a week of different sized toys to “ready her”. There was no emotional depth to it at all. So while I enjoyed the marathon foreplay the story line lacked a plot that I could get behind. But I kept reading waiting for the next over the top scene to make me chuckle. Probably not what the author intended but I’m actually looking forward to book two to see where else the author can take this. Because really? Where do you go after vag stimulation by toe? *shudder*
All three of these books earned a 3.0 star rating from me. I like them and I will come back but I hope for more on the next go around. I want more emotion. More alpha. MORE PLOT. I want to go to my happy place when I read them only to emerge and feel saddened by the last words. I didn’t quite get there with these ones, but I have high hopes for the next ones.
What about you? What makes you pick up a book? Continue a series? Are you saddened when you decide to stop reading a series or author? Why?
Daphne Dale never could have imagined that when she answered an advertisement in the newspaper that she would find true love. Now she has the opportunity to meet her unknown suitor, but it means traveling to Tabitha’s wedding, and into the heart of her family’s sworn enemies. Everyone knows the Seldons are terrible rakes and bounders, but Daphne will risk anything to gain the happiness she is certain is right around the corner.
Lord Henry Seldon is aghast at the latest addition to the house party guest list—one would think after the unforgettable scandal Daphne Dale caused at the duke’s engagement ball, she wouldn’t dare show her face at the duke’s wedding. But here she is, poking her nose where she shouldn’t and driving Henry mad . . . with an unforgettable passion that will turn enemies into lovers.
The most sensible of the Seldon family, Henry, lives a quiet existence, just enjoying life with his twin sister Hen. They have let all the gossip, speculation and rumors fall on their nephew Preston for years and he took it well, enjoying life as a rake. However Preston has fallen in love and has become quite the respectable gentleman of the ton. In the meantime, Henry seems to be getting all the attention, much to his dismay.
On one of his last drunken binges Preston and his friend Roxley thought it would be fun to post an advertisement in the Morning Chronicle for a bride for Henry and since then there has been an avalanche of responses, there seems to be many ladies seeking husbands in Town. One such response got Henry’s attention and he decided to reply using the alias of Mr. Dishforth. Miss Spooner showed spunk in her first letter to Henry and has not changed her personality in all the correspondence since. They have become quite enamored of each other through the letters and were looking forward to meeting at Tabitha’s and Preston’s engagement party. She was told to wear red; however that color seems to be popular this season.
At the party both Daphne’s friends, Harriet and Tabitha know about Mr. Dishforth and are constantly speculating about which gentleman he might be. While she searches, she is dreading the traditional dance that Tabitha wants her to take part in, whoever is standing up for the bride must dance with whoever is standing up for the groom. She knows that that person is Lord Henry, a Seldon. The Seldon’s and Dale’s have a long standing feud and do not associate with each other; she is not looking forward to it.
Both Henry and Daphne meet before the special dance, not knowing who each is, they enjoy a dance together and think they have solved the mystery of Miss Spooner and Mr. Dishforth, however when the dance is over, while they are still glowing over each other, they find out who they are, Seldon and Dale. Hilarity ensues for the rest of the book as they go from liking each other to hating each other and totally in denial about how, deep down they really know that they are Miss Spooner and Mr. Dishforth.
This was an enjoyable funny historical romance full of misunderstanding, mischief and all around good fun. I was a little tired of all the run around by the time the end came, however I did like the way it ended. Henry is a very staid individual letting Preston gain all the notoriety for the family however with Preston getting married to Tabitha he has been “oh so proper” while Henry seems to be getting into trouble every way he turns. I enjoyed watching Henry get flummoxed each time he got into trouble, as though it was so foreign to him, and the reaction of his twin sister Hen was priceless. I had a hard time liking Daphne, it grew tiresome as she denied who she though Mr. Dishforth was even after Henry figured it out. I also was never sure about what the “centuries” old feud was about, not much of a back story of why these two families will never mix. The story also dragged a little in the middle while they were at Preston’s home for the wedding as the two would gravitate toward each other yet pushed each other away.
Daphne’s two friends were entertaining and I am looking forward to Harriet’s book as I also like Roxley, the two of them will be an engaging couple to watch as they have known each other since childhood. I liked Henry’s Aunt Zillah who you would not know was in a room, yet all of the sudden she would speak her mind and she would know it all, she was a hoot. An overall good second addition to the series and I will defiantly pick up the next one.
I give And The Miss Ran Away with the Rake by Elizabeth Boyle 3 stars!
Garrett Hawkins is the most valuable asset to his Special Forces unit—because frankly, the guy doesn’t care if he lives or dies anymore. Since the love of his life, Sage Weston, was kidnapped and killed with her medical unit a year ago, Garrett has turned the shell of his soul into the impenetrable armor of a finely-tuned fighting machine. Being the first tapped for the unit’s craziest missions is just fine by him. The less time for memories, and the agony they carve into his soul, the better.
It’s a plan that works—until one night, deep in the jungles of Thailand, Garrett’s world is upended when memories become stunning reality. The unit is called to rescue a group of kidnapped aid workers, only the head count on the retrieval is unexpectedly doubled. Sage and her teammates, believed dead, are very much alive. Only now that Sage is back in his arms, Garrett doesn’t know what to do. He has changed in dramatic and daunting ways, especially in the darker tastes of his passion. If he touches Sage again, he’ll want to claim her, restrain her…dominate her.
Is Sage’s love strong enough to let Garrett back in not only as her fiancé, but her Dominant? Can she trust that visiting the new shadows of his life will lead her to ecstasy and not ruin? Or can it be that Garrett’s discipline is exactly what her own soul needs to find its way back to life—and love—once again?
This book had all of the ingredients to create a hot romantic suspense including a sexy alpha hero, a strong heroine, scary situations with bad guys, along with some BDSM thrown in. Garrett was uber-alpha, Sage was kick-ass in her own right, and the action was pretty dramatic. Unfortunately there was so much internal emotional struggle between Garrett and Sage that the erotic aspect took a back seat, and it never felt very romantic at all.
Garrett “Hawk” Hawkins has been going through the motions for the past year, spending his life not caring about much of anything since Sage went missing. When her medical unit disappeared and no bodies were discovered, the world assumed the worst. Garrett pours everything he has left into being a stone cold soldier always up for the most dangerous missions. It is on one of those missions that Garrett stumbles upon his very much alive fiancée. Despite the changes over a year of captivity and fighting for survival have wrought, Garrett knows her immediately. The rest of the world may have accepted her death, but his heart had never truly let go. Now that he has her back, he vows to protect her at all costs and never let her go again.
Sage has never been so glad to see someone in her entire life. She’d been through hell for the past year, never knowing what her fate would eventually be. Somewhere in the back of her mind, though, was always the hope that Garrett, her soldier, her love, would find her. When he and his team rescue her and her fellow captives, she feels it is a second chance at life with him.
Things never quite go according to plan, though. The bad guy(s) have a way of resurfacing at completely inopportune moments. Frankly I don’t understand why the author had to continue that storyline. It seemed to me that Garrett and Sage had enough problems and struggles without throwing in the bad guy that just won’t go away. I would have liked the focus to be on them finding their way back to each other through the murky waters of their new relationship. Maybe they could have had a smoother path if they’d actually had the time (and maturity) to talk things through. Between Garrett’s overprotectiveness that he used to justify his secrecy, his inability to trust Sage with his true desires, and the games she played to try to see behind the walls he put up, they never quite got their act together.
Garrett was determined to suppress his sexual desires, believing that BDSM and sexual bondage/slavery have no place in a relationship between a man and woman who love each other. He was ashamed of his wants and refused to believe Sage when she insisted she shared those same wants. There were two really great parts of this book. The initial reunion between Garrett and Sage in the jungle was full of angst and emotion. I loved when she called him her hero. The scene in which Garrett finally gives in to his Dom/sub urges was very hot – if you can ignore the circumstances, as well as the fact that it took most of the book to reach that point. I would have preferred to read more about how these two overcome the past year of hell they both went through, and explore their new desires, and less about the bad guys and the couple’s inability to communicate. The sexy and romantic reunion story I was hoping for never quite reached its potential.
I give Saved By His Submissive by Angel Payne 3 stars.
Publisher: Originally Publisher by Pinnacle in 1995 – rights reverted back to author
My Copy: Sent/NetGalley
Reviewer: Michelle
Scotland, 1750. In the aftermath of the Jacobite rebellion, Maggie MacDrumin vows to keep fighting to liberate her people. But the intrepid Scotswoman is risking her life for a dangerous cause. When her latest mission lands her in a London courtroom on a trumped-up larceny charge, she has only one hope of survival. Enlisting the aid of Edward Carsley, the powerful fourth Earl of Rothwell, is a two-edged sword. The seductive aristocrat who awakens treacherous desire is her clan’s mortal enemy—a man she can never trust. Edward will do whatever it takes to quell another bloody uprising. But how can he fight his passion for the rebellious Highland beauty in his safekeeping? As their lives come under siege, Maggie lays claim to the one thing Edward vowed never to surrender: his heart.
There was a fierce political separation between England and Scotland during the mid-1700s, despite Scotland officially being under English rule. This book capitalizes on that battle between countries, pitting a Scottish heroine, Maggie MacDrumin, against an English lord hero, Edward Carsley, the Earl of Rothwell. The MacDrumin clan is determined to hold onto their heritage, refusing to bow down to English laws – they continue to bear arms and smuggle whiskey, vowing that the first is necessary to protect themselves and the second is their primary means of supporting their clan. They also continue to support the Jacobite cause, which is how Maggie ends up in London.
She travels to the English city intending to deliver messages to known contacts who also support the uprising. Unfortunately her plan goes awry after taking a wrong turn and her coach is stolen, her servants are killed and she herself is accosted and injured. When Maggie winds up in court accused of theft, she realizes if her true purpose in London is discovered, the thievery charge will be the least of her problems. Alone, afraid and unsure of what to do, she confesses to an association with the Earl of Rothwell, hoping his name will be enough to help her. The earl, by English law after the rebellion, was granted the MacDrumin lands, so Maggie knows that he is her benefactor of sorts, or at the very least her landlord and the only honest connection she has in London.
Unfortunately Edward is as English as they come, determined to uphold the law and bring Jacobites to justice. He is patient, intelligent and compassionate when confronted with Maggie’s plight, however, and pledges to do his best to keep her out of trouble and get her home to her family. Of course, that does not coincide with Maggie’s plan of reaching her Jacobite friends to pass on her messages, which lands her in even more trouble. Edward knows that the best way to protect Maggie is to get her out of London, so he decides to escort her home to Scotland. In addition to getting her out of London, he also wishes to oversee how things are being handled on his land by the MacDrumin clan.
The majority of this book focused on the historical aspect of that time period. It is a good demonstration of the battle between the Scottish and the English, with true love finding a way to overcome that battle. While neither Maggie nor Edward ever gave up their beliefs in their respective countries, they were able to find common ground and eventually fall in love, despite their differences. Unfortunately someone looking for a historical romance will get a lot of historical and not a lot of romance. I would have preferred to read more about Maggie and Edward, both individually and together, with more romantic scenes included. The description of this book is way more exciting and romantic than the book ever was.
Jake Conway is good with his hands. A veterinarian known for his gentle touch, he’s also the most eligible bachelor in Wyoming. But like any wild animal, Jake longs to roam free . . . until a sultry redhead with a smile from here to heaven turns up in town.
When her estranged father dies, Meg Stanford inherits his rustic ranch-and all the painful memories that come with it. She’s determined to settle the estate and face down the ghosts of her past. But a series of midnight break-ins have Meg running from the ranch-and into the arms of the sexy cowboy next door. As their passion grows hotter, the attacks grow bolder. Can Jake keep her safe, or will he lose the only woman he’s ever loved?
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Jake was a spur of the moment read for me. I found myself growing tired of paranormal romance and needing a break from it so I decided picking up an easy-going contemporary romance was the way to go.
After finishing Jake (which is 3rd in the series BTW) I found myself conflicted. I liked it but I didn’t love it. It was an easy read, the characters well defined and the overall story was one I found to be entertaining. In a word…it was…”cute”. This book (and most likely the series) would be something I would recommend for readers looking for a safe read. Something to pick up that was fun but not overly steamy. Something I would pick for my mother maybe. I tend to like my romances a bit more on the racier side.
Jake finds that after meeting Meg for the first time that he feels an unexplainable draw to the city woman who is just back in town to settle her late fathers estate. He feels the urge to help her in any way he can and the surge of feelings she evokes in him confuse him. But in his easy going cowboy manner he takes everything in stride and what unfurls is a romance filed with passion neither was expecting to find.
Though Meg has every intention of getting out of her hometown and back to her life in DC as quick as possible after meeting Jake she finds the pull to stay just a bit longer. Coupled with the fact that she just found out she has a little brother who needs her, Meg is torn between what she knows and what she is beginning to want.
Being a contemporary romance I found the last few chapters of the book a bit out of place since they are filled with suspense. Generally, even after a few attempts to scare Meg off her fathers property, I would have expected a tidy ending. Not so and Meg and Jake find themselves in the crosshairs of a person intent on causing them harm.
Even with that I found myself not over come with an emotional response. So I did like it but there was nothing that really set it apart from everything else I’ve read.
The find of the century will be lost unless Isis McGee and Connor Thorne unravel the truth behind an ancient Egyptian secret. Isis McGee believes her father, once a world-renowned archaeologist when he claims to have found the Egyptian tomb that’s been his life’s work. However, between August McGee’s crumbled reputation and painful descent into Alzheimer’s, Isis needs help re-finding the tomb before the valley where it’s located is flooded for a much-needed dam. But the only proof her father has is an artifact that’s been stolen. And all she has to jump start the search is the exquisite gold outer box that held the relic.
Ex-MI5 agent Connor Thorne had a near death experience in Afghanistan five years ago. There, love and duty collided, leaving him bitter, disillusioned, and with a special talent for finding lost things. Now working for Lodestone, he uses his uncanny sixth sense to find lost or stolen objects, which makes him the perfect operative to help Isis McGee find her father’s lost tomb. But Conner hates deserts, and the last thing he wants is a beautiful woman tagging along while he does his job.
From Seattle, to London and Cairo, they are in a race to find the clues before the sands of time run out. Red-hot passion ignites in the desert heat as Connor and Isis must outwit a faceless enemy more powerful, more ruthless, than either can imagine.
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As much as it pains me to say this, I just am not a huge fan of this book. I read the ARC so it’s feasible that some last minute changes were made in order to fix some of the issues, but since I don’t have time to read the finished copy, I’m going to just call it like I see it based on what I read.
Isis is intent on proving her wayward archaeologist father found Cleopatra’s lost tomb and she’s coerced Conner into coming along for the ride using what little money she has left to hire the Lodestone agent to help her track her fathers last movements. Her father safely tucked away in a nursing home suffering from dementia from a blow to the head in an attack that left only him alive on his last dig….the one where he claims to have found the tomb. Isis is stubborn and gets what she wants out of Conner by sheer force of will. Even though her bubbly attitude grated on me, I loved her tenacity to see it through to the end and prove her father wasn’t crazy. She’s not impervious to the danger and that felt like a real reaction coming from a photographer. She often needed reassurance from Conner about her safety and I was glad that by that point in the book Conner was able to give it to her without acting like a jerk. They are pursued by a variety of shadowy baddies who seem to have it out for both of them making identifying them difficult. I’m no doctor but since Conner walks with a limp and severe pain in his one leg I didn’t find the fight scenes believable. I liked he had limitations because often heros seem superhuman, but if his leg was that bad how did he managed to kick the shit out of trained professional hit men?
The relationship between Conner and Isis felt forced and superficial. I wanted to like them together but Conner comes across as such a huge pompous ass for most of the book. He has good reason I suppose, with his injury from an op gone wrong and forced hiatus from British Intelligence but it didn’t make it easier to digest or make his actions ok. He’s a stereotypical British man…too good for Isis and her little problem of finding a Egyptian tomb. Isis is the complete opposite from Conner and appears to have a personality akin to a Starbucks employee at 7am on a Sunday. You know…annoyingly happy…all the time. She refutes his snappy behavior each time and despite his surliness, she wants in his pants. So the romance aspect was seriously lacking. When Conner finally thaws out and he and Isis come together the sex was unremarkable. In fact I might call it boring. Because I didn’t feel any tension or draw to their relationship the sex felt like just a continuation in the story. Later in the book Conner does loosen up a bit and I did eventually grow to like him…somewhat…
The ending was just that. An ending. Very anti-climatic and quiet for a suspense type book. Things tied up neatly and bad guys Conner had been after for years are suddenly apprehended without fanfair. Much too tidy for my tastes.
I did enjoy all the Egyptian information and thought it made the books descriptive scenes really stand out. Adair excels at setting the scene no matter where her books are set. From the snowy mountains to the dusty deserts you never have any problems seeing her vision. Very Indiana Jones.
Relentless lost me early on, and though I did finish it, I wasn’t ever fully back on board. I liked book 1 and 2 of this series so I will be back for book 4 hoping we finally get to see Gideon, Zak’s (owner of Lodestone) missing brother who has been presumed dead since book 1.
Designer Jamie McIntyre is on a working vacation in Palermo, Sicily, soaking up the sunshine and the art, trying to contact a former law student of her grandfather’s. She’s thinking “nerd in a suit”. But Judge Stefano Leone is as far from a boring suit as possible. He’s also the toughest, sexiest man she’s ever met, in bed and out. There’s no resisting his commanding presence—or his beautiful body. Jaime quickly falls under his mesmerizing spell.
Until she’s forced to make an impossible choice.
Stefano Leone is closing in on one of the most dangerous mobsters on earth. He’s surrounded by armed men, his life under constant threat. He’s not had time for sex in years, let alone love. The beautiful American woman, however, slips right under his guard and into his bed…and his heart. But does she truly want Stefano? Or has she been sent to seduce him—or worse?
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Jamie has been looking for some inspiration in Italy while also trying to track down her grandfather’s prized past student who seems to be as elusive as his business practices. When she finally gains access she finds an enigmatic man who sets her blood on fire with every look he sends her way. His touch ignites a passion in Jamie she doesn’t know how to respond to but his commanding presence insists she learn….quickly.
It has been years since Stefano has let himself think about anything except bringing closure to his mobster case. He’s finally getting close to taking the operation down and in walks Jamie who represents everything that is right and that he can’t have. Allowing himself to feel again comes easily, letting her go does not.
I enjoyed the writing in The Italian but I think the story lacked a thrill. It was too short for me to get invested in the characters and for a romantic suspense there was much, well, suspense. Not much happens in the respect of the mobsters Stefano is so dedicated to taking down, until near the very end. What does happen doesn’t really involve Jamie directly and I was a little let down by that. The mobsters go all the way to the US to terrorize someone else when Stefano’s woman is basically right down the street. Why not just take her and really bring Stefano to his knees?
The book is mainly Jamie and Stefano laying low because he can’t go out in public, and sex. Lots of sex. Which is why I added in my own classification as an erotic romance. The sex is plentiful, and decently hot but not in any way original. So while it was nice…I wasn’t having any problems sitting on my couch if you catch my drift.
I will try something longer from Ms Rice because the writing was descriptive and I think, given more time, I could have enjoyed these characters on more then just on a surface level.
When she pitched the idea for The Men and Women of St. Blaise Regional Medical Center fundraising calendar to her Board of Directors, Beth Watkins thought she wrote the perfect prescription for the small town hospital’s budget shortfall.
The moment she got a green light, Beth went after the man she wanted to be her Mr. January and so much more. She had no time to waste. Hunky EMT Robert ‘Spence’ Spencer was leaving for medical school within weeks of the photo shoot she arranged and there was no way on earth Beth was going to miss the chance to sneak a peek at her old high school crush in all his glory.
Focused and dedicated, Spence wants bigger things than his hometown can offer, but when brainy, sexy Beth Watkins breezes back into St. Blaise with a plan that includes getting into his pants, he finds she is the one woman who can offer him something he doesn’t want to refuse.
I wanted to like this short story. What’s not to like? The EMT hunk posing sans clothing for a calendar and the lady who secretly lusts after him trying to get him out of his duds again. Beth came up with the calendar idea to try to raise money for the hospital where she works. They needed funds and how could sexy naked medical studs not raise funds? She mainly has Spence in mind because he’s gorgeous, she’s had a crush on him for years, and oh, he’s gorgeous. She knows he has plans to leave soon for medical school so she rushes the deal through in order to make sure his photo is included. Spence catches a glimpse of Beth sneaking a peek during his photo shoot and thinks maybe he has a shot at a little something more with a woman who has always seemed out of reach.
It was a decent premise, but for me everything just fell a little flat. Spence was supposed to be a big shot former jock turned med student, and yet he came across as an “aw shucks” kind of wimpy guy sometimes. I like my heroes a whole lot of alpha and he was way too insecure. After noticing Beth noticing him, he invents a reason to put himself in her path again. He doesn’t like his calendar photo and works out like a madman for weeks so he’ll look better. He tells Beth, “I look like a cow.” What man with any amount of testosterone in his body would say that? He never really could believe that Beth could be interested in him. He got completely tongue tied with her, even when they were making out. I want more of a take-charge kind of guy.
I never really got a good feel for Beth. I can’t even picture what she looks like. I got the impression that she was supposed to be a shy, bookworm type, and yet she was snarky and sexually confident and a little wishy-washy. She agrees to line up another photo shoot for Spence, mainly so she can see him in the flesh again. She knows he’s leaving soon for school, but if he’s taking his clothes off again, she’s there! Once they are forced into acknowledging their mutual want, the passion heats up. Despite knowing anything they start would only be temporary, neither of them can resist hitting the sheets.
One of the challenges when writing a short story is trying to fit everything you want into a small amount of pages. I’m sure it’s not easy and oftentimes some intensity or emotion or description gets left out. I don’t want the story to get lost amidst pages and pages of filler information, but something a little more than dialogue and “he did this” and “she thought that” would have been an improvement. The writing was disjointed at times and the characters seemed pretty inconsistent in their behavior throughout. I get that it’s hard to flesh out a character in just a few chapters, so I tried to take that into account. On the plus side, some of the scenes were very sexy and the level of heat was on par with an erotic short story. The storyline was good, but I didn’t love Beth or Spence, which is a must for me when reading romance.
I give Jumping Mr. January by Maggie Wells 3 stars
The breathtaking first novel in New York Times best selling author Gena Showalter’s new paranormal romance series, Otherworld Assassins, featuring a black ops agent who is captured and enslaved…and the beautiful deaf girl who holds the key to his salvation…
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.
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As a first book in the series I found myself not able to get into the story line, which is rare for me. I usually love the first book because the author starts world building and it immerses me in information that my head can wrap itself around and visualize. At the end of Last Kiss Goodnight I found myself unable to like or dislike. The book was okay and it had all the prerequisites that I usually need to love something but at the end all I felt was “meh”
Showalter spends a great deal of energy painting Vika as the villain in her fathers paranormal circus. At least in the eyes of the captives. What they fail to see is that she has no choice and that her abusive father controls her every move making it difficult for her to help them. She does what she can and attempts to make them comfortable but their fear and hostility cause them to be reactive and threaten her daily. Her father’s newest captive, a being she has never seen before, is no exception and the battered male regards her with such intensive rage she is instantly afraid and intrigued by him.
Solo is intensely aware of the striking female but as part of the circus that has imprisoned him, he can show her no mercy. Until she shows him some that is. Her patience and almost sad quality entice him to look deeper into her bruised personality. Keeping her safe suddenly becomes just as important as finding out who sold him and where his friends are.
I found both characters of Vika and Solo to be great on their own. However, together I found they missed the mark because I never felt the passion Showalter was trying to convey. I never got on board with them being together. Part of this was because they didn’t actually cave into their feelings until much further along in the book and while there was tension, nothing actually happened till towards the end. I felt for Vika at the hands of her brutally abusive father but I felt Solo could have been much more alpha and protective then he was. I wanted him to escape much earlier then he did but the wordiness of the book slowed everything down.
Vika is limited somewhat limited because she is deaf, a condition her father brought upon her in a fit of rage. She never let it get to hamper her daily duties and while she did hide it from the captives in fear they would use it against her, she found ways to overcome it and thwart her fathers attempts to beat her down. I found her strength is what gave me reason to like her.
The black ops angle was what interested me the most. I want to find out what happened to Solo’s friends the night he was sold and enslaved. The short span of time the reader is introduced to them promises an array of different males each with their own flawed personality.
Last Kiss Goodnight failed to excite me but I still feel that for an opening book it did okay. It does provide an introduction into a world I hope will just get better with time.
I give Last Kiss Goodnight by Gena Showalter 3 stars!
