Tuesday, September 22, 2015

The Madness of Lord Westfall by Mia Marlowe

Pierce Langdon, Viscount Westfall, is mad.  His uncle had him committed to Bedlam.  The Duke of Camden had him released because Langdon has an unusual psychic ability and is useful for his Order of the M.U.S.E.  Pierce can hear the thoughts of those around him. It is the duty to protect the Crown from psychic attacks.  Lady Nora Claremont is the mistress of a man that the Order is targeting, but once she meets Pierce, she realizes she wants him.   Nora is the courtesan with the heart of gold, though a broken heart due to her husband's death and parents disowning her.  Can Pierce mend her heart?

I loved the twist on the historical with the psychic abilities of the Order of the M.U.S.E.  Pierce was my favorite type of hero - the tortured hero.  Nora was a woman that didn't think she deserved love and was surprised to find it in Pierce.  I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and loved the twists and surprised that were revealed.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

Sunday, September 20, 2015

The Prince and I by Karen Hawkins

Robin Hood meets Warrior Prince Charming in "The Prince and I".   Maksim Romanovin is escorting his grandmother the Grand Duchess Natasha Nikolaevna to Lord Loudan's house party.  His group is stopped by the Highland's version of Robin Hood and his merry men.  The bandits take only what they need.  Max figures out that Robin Hood is really a woman.  As he discovers where Lady Murian lives and why she lives there with a group of old retainers from Loudan's castle, he falls in love with her.

I just loved this twist on Robin Hood.  The characters, from Max and Murain to Tata Natash and Orlov, were well written.  I was cheering on Murian as she supported her old retainers and as she fell in love with Max.  Karen Hawkins has written another wonderful novel.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

Saturday, September 12, 2015

The Rogue You Know by Shana Galen

Lady Susanna Derring has always been under her mother's thumb and she is sick of it.  She meets Lady Winthorpe in a ladies' retiring room at a garden party.  Lady Winthorpe hints that her mother has a lost love that she met at Vauxhall Gardens.  Now Susanna wants to go to Vauxhall Gardens in an attempt to connect with her mother.

Gideon Harrow is a thief.  He is attempting one last con against an old partner when he meets Susanna.  She blackmails him into taking her to Vauxhall. As their adventure takes them into the London underworld, she finds that Gideon isn't what he first appeared to be and she is falling in love with him.

This is the second in a series and I loved it just as much as the first.  Susanna has spirit and is not the wilting Ton debutant.  I also liked the secondary love story of Susanna's mother.  Gideon is a swoon-worthy hero.  The HEA resolution is great.  And, the dog is an important part.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you very much!


Never Resist a Sheikh (An International Bad Boys Romance) by Jackie Ashenden

Move over Harlequin Sheikhs.  Jackie Ashenden's Sheikhs are in a bad boy category of their own.

Felicity Cartwright was in Al-Harah to present her company's proposal to Sheikh Altair when she was taken from the car she was riding in in a bride game.  Sheikh Zakir thought Princess Safira was in the car and was surprised when he got American Felicity.  Zakir needs a wife and heirs and Felicity will do.

Zakir is a soldier that never thought he would be Sheikh until his brother killed his bride then himself in a fit of madness.  He is a man that is a stranger to love.  Felicity is a genius.  At twenty-four she has started her own company. Her parents are people that never should have reproduced.  Her dad wanted a boy and her mother wanted to make her dad happy.  When Felicity was not the perfect debutante and didn't find the perfect son-in-law, her parents got a divorce.  Zakir likes Felicity's fearlessness and how she will not back down from him.  

The only thing that would have made this novel better was Felicity introducing Zakir, the king of his own country to her parents.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Possession of the Soul by Trinity Blacio

I was drawn to this novel because the cover is also used on one of my favorite author's website.  Somebody just added a dragon's head.

After reading the first chapter, I put it down.  I did not like it.  This ended on the DNF pile.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Claimed by the Mate by Kate Douglas and A. C. Arthur

This is a 2-in-1 shape shifter romance.

Feral Passions by Kate Douglas

Cherry's sister Christa and her BFF Stephanie convince Cherry to go on a week vacation to a resort named Feral Passions.  The resort only books six spots and only for women per week.  It is also a preserve for wolves.  Traker Jakes and his pack have opened Feral Passions to find their mates.  When Cherry's group arrives, Brad and Cain are immediately attracted to Cherry.  Cherry has had one experience with a boy in high school who was using her to get a good grade in a math class.  After he posted pictures on the internet, she does not trust men.  She starts to trust Brad and Cain while noticing that the wolves that hang out with her, and have their same eye color, are never around when Brad and Cain are with her.

I enjoyed this novel.  The sex scenes were hot and part of the ending was unexpected.  I like that it was a group of characters that got their HEA   I am hoping that this is the first in a series.

The Alpha's Mate by A. C. Arthur

So, I am revising my review.  When I first read the book, I was relatively new to shifter novels and found this one was way different.  I decided to go back and read it.  And, was I blown away.

There isn't a cookie cutter mold for shifter novels.  Every author has a different take.  I love the spin off of Greek mythology and the different types of shifter packs.  I love how the characters have more of an edge.  Kira was an awesome, strong alpha female.

THANK YOU!!!

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you.


Sunday, September 6, 2015

The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne

I was hooked from the beginning and didn't want the novel to end.  This was an adult Beauty and the Beast complete with the supporting characters.  I love a tortured hero and the strong heroine that save him.  Farah and Dorian are wonderful characters and the supporting characters added to the dynamic of the novel.  This is one of the books that you put on your "to read again" shelf and re-read when you need a novel with intrigue and an awesome HEA.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.   Thank You!

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Broken Play by Samantha Kane

Samantha Kane sets the bar for historical erotic romance and just set the new standard for contemporary erotic romance with Broken Play.

The Birmingham Rebels are the worst team in the NFL.  They are where players go when they are washed up.  Cass Zielinski is the center for the team and his best friend Beau Perez is the tight end.  Part of Cass's deal with the Rebels is Beau goes everywhere he goes.  He had pulled Beau out of his addiction and has supported Beau since.  As a pair, they are notorious for a sex tape that had gone viral.  As the captain of the team, Cass is determined to make the Rebels the best team in the league.

Marian Tredwell has made the jump from coaching college football to coaching in the NFL.  She is well aware of the sex tape and is finding it hard to be in the same room with Cass and Beau and the images from the tape playing in her head.  Marian has a scarred past herself along with a betrayal by her father.  Cass understands that there is something in her past that is troubling her, but he is taking things way too slow for Beau.  Once they get past her defences, the heat between the three of them is released.

I was thrilled to see that Samantha Kane had a new contemporary novel coming out but I was reluctant to pre-order at first because I am not a football fan.  I decided to order it and I am glad I took that chance.  I am now a Birmingham Rebels fan.  There were parts of the book that I read two or three times.  This isn't just a quickie erotic novel.  There is depth to the characters and their relationships with each other.

The next Birmingham Rebels book is about Tyler, one of my favorite supporting characters.  I am waiting for Donnie's book because there are questions about Marian's father that I hope get answered.

If you liked this novel, check out the Brothers in Arms series.