Sunday, April 26, 2015

The Widow Wager by Jess Michaels

What started out as a forced marriage between Crispin Flynn and Gemma, the dowager countess of Laurelcross flamed into a passionate marriage.

Jess Michaels is one of my favorite historical erotica authors.  This novel was so hot, I thought my e-reader was going to burst into flames.  I loved Gemma's strength.  She isn't afraid to stand up to her father, the bully or show her passion to her husband.  It was if Crispin was just drinking and gambling out of boredom until Gemma came and he had a purpose.

I was thrilled to read that the next book will be Gemma's sister Mary.

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

Unbound - Colors of Love by Kathryn Taylor

I found this to be another book hoping to jump on the coat tails of that other book made into a movie.  The title is just the first hint.   Then, the main characters were very similar.  The female is naive and innocent and the male is dark and brooding.  The ending was rather strange and rushed.  The male takes the female to some sort of sex club and after having sex, she bolts because another woman is hitting on her man and she can't take sharing.

Sometimes, just because one book was a fluke and made a bucket of money, doesn't mean that others need to create in the image.

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

The Duke of Andelot by Delilah Marvelle

Again, Delilah Marvelle has proven that she is a master of Historical Erotica with the finale to her School of Gallantry with "The Duke of Andelot"

The story spans some 40 years and tells the story of Thérèse Angelique Bouchard otherwise known as Madame de Maitenon and her survival during the French Revolution and her love for Gérard Antoine Tolbert, the Duke of Andelot.  There is passion and depth in the characters with a love of a lifetime.  

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

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Sultry Groove by Eden Summers

I absolutely love this series.  Normally, I read Historical and am very picky about the few Contemporary that I read.  When I found the first novel, "Blind Attraction", I didn't stop reading until I was done.  I was blown out of the water.  The book was everything I look for.  It was entertaining with the dialogue between band members, the sex scenes were erotic and well written.  You wanted to be friends with the heroine yet were jealous of her because of her man.  I quickly read the next four and they too did not disappoint.

I have been waiting for "Sultry Groove" since I read Mason and Sidney's story.  The drummer for the band, Sean Taiden, has been in love with the woman that co-wrote their songs, Sidney Higgins for years.  He had a three-way with her and Mason, then lost her for four years when the sex tape went viral.  Now that Mason has reclaimed her, Sean is devastated.  He is having to attend their engagement party and pretend nothing is wrong.  He gets thoroughly drunk as the party progresses.  The band manager, Leah, introduces Melody Jenkins to the members of the band and finds Sean passed out.  Sean is tired of being the guy in the background, the one that groupies have sex with in hopes he hooks them up with the frontmen.  Sean has asked to star in the video for their new single Fighting Against the Attraction.  Melody is the choreographer.  She has quit dancing after a tragic accident and now runs a dance studio.  Once Sean is semi-sober, the attraction between them is immediate.  Melody is someone he can use to forget Sidney.  If he can only remember her name.

Did I say that I have been hooked since the first book?  I was reading something else but put it down as soon as I got this ARC.  I was not disappointed.  The interaction between band members is always hilarious.  The reader is left knowing that they are more than a band, they are family.  The guys support Sean and Sean respects Mason and does not want to destroy his relationship with Sidney as much as it rips out his heart.  Melody has her own scars that she must get past.  The story develops and holds the readers attention.  The characters develop as we get more depth from Sean.

This is a series that I have re-read several times.  I love Eden Summers edgy writing style.  While each book has a different member of the band to focus on, the other members still play a part.  I have been waiting for Ryan to have his HEA with Leah since book one.  The sad thing is I know once Ryan's book is written, the series is over.

I received this book as an ARC from the author, Eden Summers, in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you very much for the honor of reading this novel.


Friday, April 3, 2015

Kiss the Earl by Gina Lamm

Patrick Medowfair, Earl of Fairhaven, was attempting to help a childhood friend marry the man she loved when he grabbed the woman in the cape.  The woman in the cape is Ella Briley.  Ella has been sent back to 1820 by the matchmaking Mrs. Knightsbridge.  For now, Ella is stuck in 1820, running from men chasing Patrick and suffering from a major infection from a cut on her foot.  To top it off, Patrick is starting to fall for her when they are forced to marry.

I liked this book so much that I went and bought the first two in the series.  While this is part of a series, it could stand on it's own.  I liked how as the story progressed, Ella changed Patrick from the pompous ass to a more laid back Earl.  There is a lot of humor in this book along with the romance that made this the great read it was.  I am hoping that cousin Iain gets his own novel.  Nothing like time travel and a hot Scot!

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



The Harlot Countess by Joanna Shupe

Lady Margaret Neeley had been betrayed ten years ago by the one man she loved, Simon Barrett, the Earl of Winchester.  Now, she is back in the fringe of society as the Half-Irish Harlot, hosting wild parties and Simon is still drawn to her.  Maggie is stunned when she runs into Simon at a print shop.  Simon was in the shop because the artist Lemarc is humiliating him by calling him Lord Winejester.  There is still a spark between them and Simon will do anything to have Maggie.

I was thrilled because this was Simon's book.  When I read "The Courtesan Dutchess", I fell in love with Simon as much as Nick.  But, there was a point in "The Harlot Countess" that I wanted to reach in and strangle Simon.  How could he abandon the woman he loved and not find out what really happened?  Did he need to go on a three day bender in the whore house?  He deserved everything Maggie dished out at him.  But, as the novel progresses, Simon starts to realize that he had wronged her and is devastated when he discovers the truth.  Maggie was another strong character.  She made the most of her unwanted marriage and when her husband died, she discovered herself.  

Again, I loved this book so much that I pre-ordered it.  Joanna Shupe is an amazing writer.  I was hooked from the first chapter and didn't put this novel down until I was done.  It was smoking hot in the right places.  When I was done, I wanted to go back and re-read it. 

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

Bite at First Sight by Brooklyn Ann

This novel combined my favorite things:  historical romance and a hot, sexy, and scarred hero that needs to have a touch of the arrogance removed.  Combined with a headstrong heroine, this novel was to die for!

Cassandra Burton, Dowager Countess of Rosslyn meets Rafael Villar, Lord Vampire of London in a graveyard as she is searching for a corpse.  Cassandra wants to be a doctor and has been turned away at medical school because she is a woman.  Not one to be stopped, Cassandra studies on her own.

Rafael is on the peripheral of Cassandra's social set.  She knows he is dark and brooding but she isn't afraid of him or his scars.  I love heroines with gumption and don't wilt at the first flash of fangs and can see man beneath the scars.  Cassandra also didn't give up her dream of being a doctor once she was trapped by Rafale.  There was also suspense in the novel.

When I was writing this review, I was thrilled to find out that this is the third in a series.  I immediately bought the first two.

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