Category: B reviews (Page 30 of 74)

The Spring Bride by Anne Gracie

July 10, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I was provided with a review copy by the publisher. (One of the first paper books I’ve read in ages!)

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) A dog in need of rescue brings together a young debutante and a mysterious stranger in this regency charmer from the beloved Anne Gracie. For fans of Mary Balogh and Madeline Hunter.

On the eve of the London Season, Jane Chance is about to make her entrance into high society. And after a childhood riddled with poverty and hardship, Jane intends to make a good, safe, sensible marriage. All goes according to plan until a dark, dangerous vagabond helps her rescue a dog.

Zachary Black is all kinds of unsuitable—a former spy, now in disguise, he’s wanted for murder. His instructions: to lie low until his name is cleared. But Zach has never followed the rules, and he wants Jane Chance for his own.

If that means blazing his way into London society, in whatever guise suits him, that’s what he’ll do. Jane knows she shouldn’t fall in love with this unreliable, if devastatingly attractive, rogue. But Zach is determined—and he‘s a man accustomed to getting what he wants.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I don’t read very much historical romance these days I must say. But the blurb for The Spring Bride enticed me to read – I do like a hero in pursuit. I listened to The Autumn Bride but haven’t (yet) read The Winter Bride. I don’t think it’s entirely necessary to have read the second book but I think it probably helps to have read the first. Jane Chance is the younger sister of the heroine of that first book and it contains the story of how the four Chance “sisters” came together and how they ended up in Berkeley Square with Lady Beatrice.
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Off Base by Tessa Bailey & Sophie Jordan

June 30, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I saw some buzz about this one on Twitter, including that the hero of the Tessa Bailey book was a virgin, so I pre-ordered it.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) OFF BASE: Kenna and Beck By Tessa Bailey

A welcome home he never expected…and will never forget…

When Kenna Sutton is tasked with driving home newly returned Beck “True Blue” Collier, she expects the strategic Army mastermind to be a pasty number cruncher. Never at a loss for words, Kenna is nonetheless rendered speechless by the gorgeous, inexperienced and tightly-wound Army major that lands in her passenger seat. Outraged by Beck’s lack of a welcome home after seven long years overseas, Kenna takes matters into her own hands, giving Beck something he’s only ever fantasized about in his bunk.

Beck has never shied away from a test of will and Kenna gives new meaning to the word challenge. One problem? Kenna’s father is the lieutenant general presenting Beck with the Silver Star and Beck is determined to treat Kenna with the respect she deserves, even if her eyes beg Beck to act out his most secret desires with her. Desires he’s always been told were the work of the devil. But how long can one lonely, starving man hope to resist the woman he craves?

What worked for me (and what didn’t): While Beck is a virgin, he’s not shy and he’s not reticent. (In my opinion, this is the best kind of virgin hero!) He had been dating a girl from his hometown who was a pastor’s daughter and they’d decided to “wait”. When she broke up with him while he was deployed, he didn’t have the inclination to change his status and so he ended up a 26 year old virgin.

Kenna’s mother had a reputation on base as a “loose woman” and it amuses Kenna to dress in short skirts and tight tops but never, ever, put out on base. Her dad is Lieutenant General Sutton and no soldier has been prepared to try his luck with the beautiful daughter of the commanding officer – although they like very much to look. Kenna gets her itch scratched off base when the need arises. She has a complicated relationship with her (now divorced) parents. She has never measured up to their expectations, although she has mostly moved beyond acting out for attention. When she picks Beck up per her father’s request, she is struck by how strongly she feels about the fact that there are no family or friends welcoming him home. It doesn’t hurt that he’s built and gorgeous but I think what strikes her the most is Beck’s almost completely successful efforts to look her in the eyes and not look her over. In fact, she makes her best efforts to try and draw his eyes to her chest and behind so he can be neatly categorised as “just like all the other guys”. It so happens she gives him a special “welcome home”, but the emotional connection between them scares her and she rabbits. Continue reading

Hold by Claire Kent

June 27, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I bought it after positive reviews from trusted bloggers.

Note: This book was previously published by Ellora’s Cave under the same title with the author’s pen name being Zannie Adams. This is the self-published version which has been “substantially revised and re-edited”.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Find the strongest man there. Give yourself to him in return for protection. It’s the only way you’ll ever survive.

Convicted of a minor crime, Riana is sentenced to a prison planet—a dark primitive hold filled with convicts vying for power. Her only chance of survival is with Cain, a mysterious loner who has won his territory in the prison through intelligence and brute strength. Sex is all she has to offer, so she uses it. She’s under no delusions here. No one is ever released, and no one ever escapes. Survival is all she can hope for—until Cain.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Set in a future dystopian world where the galaxy is ruled by a corrupt and somewhat amorphous “Coalition”, this novella certainly packs a punch. Thrust into a prison where there are no rules and it’s very much survival of the fittest, Riana gets a piece of advice by a sorta-friendly guard: “Find the strongest man there. Give yourself to him in return for protection.” The guards don’t really guard. They don’t spend time in the hold really. There is no patrol to keep order. They drop the prisoners in and that’s about it. Every day food gets dropped down a kind of chute and there is a fight to see who gets to eat and how much. Even though Riana is no pushover, she is no match for tens of males who forgot the rules ages ago. She might have been able to hold her own against one, maybe two, but not against all of them and not for long.

Golden Trail by Kristen Ashley, narrated by Brian Pallino

June 25, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I was supplied with a review copy by Audible.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Tanner Layne and Raquel Merrick fell in love young, hard and fast and both of them knew a beautiful life they thought would be forever.

Until Rocky left Layne, no explanation, no going back.

Layne escapes The ‘Burg only to come back years later because his ex-wife has hooked herself to the town jerk and Layne needs to make sure his sons get raised right. Layne manages to avoid Rocky but when Layne gets three bullets drilled into him while investigating a dirty cop, he can’t do that because Rocky stops avoiding Layne. They make a deal to work together to expose the dirty cop but they have no idea the strength of their enduring attraction or the sheer evil at work in The ‘Burg.

As Tanner Layne and Raquel Merrick play their game and dance around the pull that draws them together, Layne has to discover the dark secrets buried so deep in Rocky’s heart she doesn’t even know they’re there at the same time untangle a sinister web of crime so abhorrent it has to be stopped… at all costs.

And to do it, Layne has to enlist everyone, including his ex-CIA mentor, Rocky’s detective brother, the town’s unpredictable informant and Layne’s two teenage sons all the while stopping Rocky from doing something crazy and keeping their game secret so Layne won’t get himself dead.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Happily for hero-centric readers like me, Golden Trail is told almost entirely from Layne’s (third person) POV. Perhaps surprisingly, given that I am a hero-centric reader, it took me a while to realise it (doh!). Maybe I was distracted by the fact that when the book opens, Tanner Layne is in the hospital, having been shot three times. Raquel “Rocky” Merrick Astley is sitting by his bed. 18 years earlier she had left him. They’d been happy for three years together and then, suddenly, she left. No explanation, no take backs.
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The Mistake by Elle Kennedy

June 18, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I preordered this one. I loved The Deal so much it was a no-brainer.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) He’s a player in more ways than one…

College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he’ll be forced to walk after graduation. A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he’s worth a second chance.

Now he’s going to need to up his game…

After a less than stellar freshman year, Grace is back at Briar University, older, wiser, and so over the arrogant hockey player she nearly handed her V-card to. She’s not a charity case, and she’s not the quiet butterfly she was when they first hooked up. If Logan expects her to roll over and beg like all his other puck bunnies, he can think again. He wants her back? He’ll have to work for it. This time around, she’ll be the one in the driver’s seat…and she plans on driving him wild.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I had a lot of fun reading this book. While it didn’t have quite the same “omigodIlovethis” factor as The Deal, it was still a great read. Logan is a swoony hero (sure, he’s not Garrett, but he’s a close second) and Grace is pretty awesome too.

In The Deal, Logan appeared to have a crush on Hannah (aka Wellsy), Garrett’s girl. That didn’t stop him hooking up with just about anyone who showed any interest. He was very much the manslut and things haven’t changed when The Mistake begins. The Briar hockey team has won another Frozen Four championship and there’s plenty of reason to celebrate. Parties and pretty girls and bathroom blowjobs are all part of the fun. Hanging around with Garrett and Hannah has become painful for Logan so he goes to parties he otherwise might not attend, just to get away from their lovey-dovey happiness which rubs him raw.
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One Cut Deeper by Joely Sue Burkhart

June 12, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy via the publisher.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Her needs are dark. His are dangerous.

Charlie MacNiall has been bringing his beautiful king shepherd to the vet clinic where Ranay Killian works for the better part of a year. She doesn’t realize he’s been slowly wooing her. She certainly has no idea that he picked her deliberately—that she is to become his. A broken heart and a desperate desire to be dominated make her the perfect victim.

His perfect victim.

Charlie fixes Ranay, testing her emotional limits while pushing her sexual boundaries past anything she’d imagined possible. Pain is their shared pleasure…until Charlie disappears and Ranay is all but destroyed.

The FBI says the man she loves is a serial killer. Ranay can’t deny there’s a darkness in Charlie, a monstrous hunger that drives him to the brink. She even believes he could kill. But Charlie’s hunger is what bonds them—it’s the foundation of their love. Would he actually kill her?

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I’m hoping that by the time I get to the end of the review I will know what grade to assign the book. I admit I’m at a bit of a loss. On the one hand, the story was engaging and compelling. It was easy to read in the sense that it seemed like no time at all had passed when I realised I’d read 150 pages and I needed to go to bed. On the other hand, it was pretty far outside my comfort zone and in that respect, it was not at all easy to read.
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