Category: B reviews (Page 43 of 74)

Beyond Jealousy by Kit Rocha

March 17, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the author.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) She’s been looking for the perfect man. She found two.

When Rachel Riley sacrificed a life in Eden to protect the O’Kanes, she earned her place in the powerful Sector Four gang. But the former crime princess is tired of being everyone’s sweet little sister . It’s time for her to get wild, to embrace her fantasies as only an O’Kane can—with a delicious exiled soldier and the gang’s wickedly sinful tattoo artist.

A saint…

Lorenzo Cruz is a warrior, taught by his commanding officers in Eden that involvement equals distraction. Emotion is a liability, and desire a sin. In Sector Four, he finds decadence, shameless sex—and his own dark urges. No battle strategy prepared him for how Rachel makes his heart race…or the way his rival for her affections sets his blood on fire.

…and a sinner.

Ace Santana has a dirty reputation and a mind to match, especially where his new lovers are concerned. He’s eager to help Cruz embrace his dominant side, and to explore the lines between pleasure and pain with Rachel. But corrupting them quickly becomes an obsession, a need he can’t deny—and a love he never imagined.

Three hearts on the line means a hundred ways their ménage a trois could go wrong. After all, even O’Kanes do forever two-by-two. One of them could be the missing piece that makes them all whole…or a temporary diversion destined for a broken heart.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I think it’s fair to say that for fans of the series, this book is much anticipated. Ace and Rachel circled around each other for a while and things were looking pretty promising, when, inexplicably, Ace backed away. Then Cruz joined the O’Kane Gang and he and Rachel looked set to have something going on but then she backs away from Cruz and next thing you know, Ace and Cruz are double-teaming women and Rachel is on her own.

They’d been living alternate lives, crossing just close enough to grind salt into the wounds because neither thought the other was bleeding.

Bone Rider by J. Fally

March 15, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: Quite a few of my friends, representing a broad range of reading tastes have loved this book so I bought it.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Riley Cooper is on the run. Misha Tokarev, the love of his life, turned out to be an assassin for the Russian mob, and when it comes to character flaws, Riley draws the line at premeditated murder. Alien armor system McClane is also on the run, for reasons that include accidentally crashing a space ship into Earth and evading U.S. military custody. A failed prototype, McClane was scheduled for destruction. Sabotaging the ship put an end to that, but McClane is dubbed a bone rider for good reason—he can’t live without a host body. That’s why he first stows away in Riley’s truck and then in Riley himself. Their reluctant partnership soon evolves into something much more powerful—and personal—than either of them could have imagined.

Together, they embark on a road trip from hell, made all the more exciting by the government troops and mob enforcers hot on their trail. Misha is determined to win Riley back and willing to do whatever it takes to keep him safe. When hitman and alien join forces, they discover their impressive combined potential for death and destruction. It will take everything Riley has to steer them through the mess they create.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): It’s going to be a challenge to describe the plot in a coherent manner and without giving too much away. McClane (who, when we first meet “him” is known as “System Six”) is an “intelligent armor and weapons system with codependency issues”. I pictured him a bit like the mercury man (aka the T-1000) from Terminator II when he was all melty. He needs a scaffolding (if you like) to adhere to – he needs a host. He is connected to a host when the book begins but McClane doesn’t like him even a little bit and wants out. When he gets his chance, he takes it. But McClane cannot be without a host for long and survive. When cowboy Riley Cooper drives along in his truck (more about why Riley is driving later), he “hitches” a ride and causes the truck to stop and Riley to investigate. Then, when the hood is up, McClane invades.

Indecent Exposure by Jane O’Reilly

March 10, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: The author contacted me requesting a review and sent me a NetGalley link.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Setting up the money shot…

Quiet, sensible Ellie Smithson is a highly respectable photographer by day – but there are only so many wedding photo-shoots you can take without your mind wandering to what happens when the blissfully happy bride is swept off her feet and straight to the honeymoon suite’s sumptuous four-poster bed…

So after dark, Ellie takes pictures of a more…intimate nature – a dirty little secret she’s kept from her accountant Tom. Until now. It seems Tom is the subject of her next racy shoot!

It isn’t just the blurring of work and personal boundaries that’s the problem; secretly Ellie has always had fantasies of a most unprofessional nature about the almost illegally gorgeous Tom. With such temptation on display, how will she ever stay behind the camera?!

The first book in the Indecent… trilogy

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I probably accept less than 10% of direct review requests. I have limited time and a massive TBR so the email has to get my attention and blurb has to hook me. This one did. I finished a book last night and was flailing about for something to read. Sometimes, when I can’t decide what I should read next (because having so many books can feel paralysing as Liz eloquently says here), I choose a novella. It’s not a big commitment and it works as a kind of palate cleanser for me. So, I opened Indecent Exposure.

I suppose the first couple of paragraphs were just a little on the clunky side but after that, I was completely reeled in (to complete the fishing metaphor). The story is told in the first person present tense POV of Ellie Smithson, photographer by day, erotic photographer by night (well, sometimes that’s during the day too). She kind of fell into it to pay the bills and she’s found it’s not only lucrative, she’s very good at it. Basically, people come and have sex (alone, with someone else, etc) in front of her and she takes classy photographs of them. It turns her on unbearably but she feels safe behind the camera.

Carolina Girl by Virginia Kantra

February 27, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I had this one on my TBR (in paper even!) and I wanted to be caught up on the series by the time Carolina Man releases in March.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Meg Fletcher spent her childhood dreaming of escaping Dare Island-her family’s home for generations. So after she landed a high-powered job in New York City, she left and never looked back. But when she loses both her job and the support of her long-term, live-in boyfriend, she returns home to lick her wounds and reevaluate her life.

Helping out her parents at the family inn, she can’t avoid the reminders of the past she’d rather forget-especially charming and successful Sam Grady, her brother’s best friend. Their one, disastrous night of teenage passion should have forever killed their childhood attraction, but Sam seems determined to reignite those long-buried embers. As Meg discovers the man he’s become, she’s tempted to open her vulnerable heart to him. But she has no intention of staying on Dare Island-no matter how seductive Sam’s embrace might be.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I listened to the first book and listening is a different experience to reading – for one thing, I can read a print book much faster. I took about a day to read Carolina Girl – which meant that I made extra time to read because I was enjoying it and also that it wasn’t taxing. It has an easy style reminiscent of Nora Roberts (as Brie says in her review here). There were a couple of things which disappointed me but overall, it was an enjoyable contemporary small-town romance and I liked it.

Kaleidoscope by Kristen Ashley

February 23, 2014 / Kaetrin

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

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Sexy, gifted, and loyal, PI Jacob Decker is a tall, cool drink of perfection who had Emmanuelle Holmes at “hello.” His relationship with Emme’s best friend kept them apart for years, but things have changed. Now that a case has brought him to Gnaw Bone, Colorado, the road is wide open for Emme and Deck to explore something hotter and deeper than Emme dreamed possible. So why is she sabotaging the best thing that’s ever happened to her?

It isn’t easy to catch Deck off guard, but Emme does just that when she walks back into his life after nine long years. The curvy brunette had her charms back in the day, but now she’s a bona fide knockout . . . and she wants to rekindle their friendship. Deck, however, wants more. Emme’s always been the one; she excites Deck’s body and mind like no other woman can. But a dark chapter from Emme’s past overshadows their future together. Now only Deck can help her turn the page-if she’ll let him . . .

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I ended up enjoying this book but it wasn’t my favourite Ashley. I did like that Deck and Emme got together quickly and that if felt natural for it to be that way. Because they had a history of a very strong friendship some years earlier, it was much easier for me to accept they’d get physical early. I also liked that Emme was in an actual sexual relationship with someone and that Deck waited to even kiss her until she was out of it.

“So, summin’ up, you got until Sunday to get your head together about McFarland. On Sunday, you scrape him off. On Sunday night, the boys are gone, you learn the true meaning of me callin’ you ‘baby.’ ”

Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk

February 15, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I picked this one up for 99c after it was featured in the Dear Author Daily Deals post in November last year.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Some things should stay buried.

Repressed scholar Percival Endicott Whyborne has two skills: reading dead languages and hiding in his office at the Ladysmith Museum. After the tragic death of the friend he secretly loved, he’s ruthlessly suppressed any desire for another man.

So when handsome ex-Pinkerton Griffin Flaherty approaches him to translate a mysterious book, Whyborne wants to finish the job and get rid of the detective as quickly as possible. Griffin left the Pinkertons following the death of his partner, hoping to start a new life. But the powerful cult which murdered Glenn has taken root in Widdershins, and only the spells in the book can stop them. Spells the intellectual Whyborne doesn’t believe are real.

As the investigation draws the two men closer, Griffin’s rakish charm threatens to shatter Whyborne’s iron control. When the cult resurrects an evil sorcerer who commands terrifying monsters, can Whyborne overcome his fear and learn to trust? Will Griffin let go of his past and risk falling in love? Or will Griffin’s secrets cost Whyborne both his heart and his life?

What worked for me (and what didn’t): A friend asked me to buddy read this book with her so, as is often the case, I started without reading the blurb or knowing much about the book other than that it was an historical m/m romance. So, the appearance of dark magic and rituals to bring people back from the dead came as a bit of a shock. In some ways, the book is in the same vein as The Magpie Lord. It isn’t the same book. The Magpie Lord is darkly amusing and Widdershins has a totally different aspect. It’s set in America – around 1890-something. Whyborne is a philologist (language specialist) for the Ladysmith museum in Widdershins, New England. He’s shy and socially awkward. One of the museum trustees, Mr. Rice, has commissioned Griffin Flaherty, a private detective, to look into the murder of his son. A strange book was posted to Mr. Rice by his son shortly before the murder and there seems likely to be a link. Griffin asked Whyborne to translate the book and they gradually become friends (and then lovers) and work together to solve the mystery.