Friday, August 30, 2013

Misleading rock


6538757Rock Chick by Kristen Ashley

Indy Savage, cop's daughter, rock chick and used bookstore owner, has been in love with Lee Nightingale, once bad boy, now the man behind Nightingale Investigations, since she was five years old. No matter what ingenious schemes Indy used to capture his attention, Lee never showed an interest and Indy finally gave up. Now Indy's employee, Rosie, has lost a bag of diamonds and bad guys are shooting at him. When Indy gets involved, Lee is forced to help. Complicating matters, Lee has decided he's interested, Indy's decided she's not. But she can't seem to keep Lee out of her life when she's repeatedly stun gunned, kidnapped and there are car bombs exploding (not to mention she's finding dead bodies).

Indy's best bet is to solve the mystery of the diamonds before Lee. Lee's challenge is to keep Indy alive and, at the same time, win back her heart.



Rate & take



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Heat Index  3  ☼☼☼


The reasons I bought this book; I saw it recommended on another blog and it was deeply discounted on Amazon.

Because my book buying habit is quantifiable(y) large I do love a good bargain when I can get one. I am always doubly pleased when said bargain turns into a really good read, which was sure the case here. What I didn't expect was my falling in love with the whole whole slew of characters that populate this very entertaining story. I so want to be a part of their group! Well....most of the time anyway.

I had seen this book cover around cyber space more than once but didn't give it more than a passing glance because the cover did not inspire me (I know, very snobby of me, I am working on it though!) and the title also made me think this is a whole story about some crazed fan waiting backstage concert after concert.

Hello, I was so wrong yet again with all of my prejudices!!! Thankfully I got all that out of the way and just let the book take me on a great ride.

Another thing I found I enjoyed (and that kind of surprised me) was that the steamy scenes give you just what was necessary and left out most of the clenching, quivering, and pulsating details. An author who treats the readers like they have thinking capacities of their own, I love it!



Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Butt kicking Guardians


15757099Hidden Wings by Renae Cameo

Seventeen is a life changing age for Emma Wise.
As her family's sole survivor in a car crash, she is left with a broken arm and a few scrapes and bruises. But these are only outward marks; inside, her heart is broken and the pieces scattered.

Whisked away to Alaska, to an aunt she’s never met, Emma starts over. Secrets unveil themselves and now…she doesn't even know who or what she is.

A centuries old prophecy places Emma in the heart of danger. Creatures of horrifying and evil proportions are after her, and it will take Emma, her aunt, and six, gorgeously captivating Guardians to keep her safe. But, if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday... things will change.




Rate & take


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This book starts the YA series, of the same name, and felt as though it was opening the way for a much deeper story to come....at least I'm hoping that is the case. Either way I will find out in the next few weeks (when I read book two) and report back when I do. I love who the 'guardians' are in this story, and that they love kicking butt! Sorry, I try hard not to give any spoilers away in my reviews so I can't say more about the them other than I get a little girlie when they are in action mode. Except for a few excessive teen girl internal monologues, I did enjoy this read.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Home Bound


17884886Bring Me Home by Cassia Leo


"Sometimes letting someone go is the ultimate act of love."

Claire Nixon is a college student with a past full of secrets and heartbreak. She was saved once by her first love, and rock star, Chris Knight. But when she encouraged Chris to leave town to pursue his dreams, both Claire and Chris didn’t realize it would be the biggest mistake of their lives.

After a devastating year apart and thousands of miles of distance between them, Claire met sexy surfer Adam Parker. With his awful jokes and profound patience, he helped Claire pick up the shattered pieces of her broken heart for the second time.

But now Chris has returned and he is willing and determined to make Claire’s dreams come true—the same way she did for him when she let him go.

With Adam’s former girlfriend in the picture, Claire finds herself torn between the new, passionate love she shares with Adam and the love and family she shares with Chris.




Rate & take


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Heat Index  3  ☼☼☼


This book wraps up the Shattered Hearts series and it was such a satisfying finish. The e-book version also had an interesting bonus....since there is a lot of talk about music/specific songs in this story there were staff note icons that linked to You Tube and the particular song mentioned. For those that either have a paperback or an e-reader that can't go to the links the author lists all of the songs. I've noticed more and more that authors are sharing the songs they listen to when they write. Music and books seem to be more linked than ever, yet another way to enjoy/enhance the reading experience!



Friday, August 23, 2013

In pieces


17397495Pieces of You by Cassia Leo


"Sometimes letting someone go is the ultimate act of love."

In Relentless, college student Claire Nixon and surfer Adam Parker each had a painful past too heavy to carry alone. Claire tried to push Adam away, but Adam's relentless pursuit of her heart and her secrets made her walls come crumbling down.

But now Claire's attending college a hundred miles away from Adam. With their new relationship already hanging by a thread, Adam is sent to Hawaii on business.

And Claire's first love, rock star Chris Knight, is back in her life.

Chris wants his ex-girlfriend back. Both he and Claire know that only Chris has the power to mend the final missing piece of Claire's shattered heart. But Claire's strength is tested as she is forced to confront the demons she's been running from for more than a year.

Now Claire must choose between a long-distance relationship with Adam and a second chance at true love, family, and home with Chris.




Rate & take



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Heat Index  1 ☼


This is the second book in the Shattered Hearts series. Book one I reviewed here. As I predicted this book brought us fully into a triangle that wove its way through this story, and what a gripping story it was. I found it difficult to put down and now I am off to book three, Bring Me Home....stay tuned, review to follow.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Learning


17978680Unteachable by Leah Raeder


I met him at a carnival, of all corny places. The summer I turned eighteen, in that chaos of neon lights and cheap thrills, I met a man so sweet, so beautiful, he seemed to come from another world. We had one night: intense, scary, real. Then I ran, like I always do. Because I didn’t want to be abandoned again.

But I couldn’t run far enough.


I knew him as Evan that night. When I walked into his classroom, he became Mr. Wilke.

My teacher.

I don’t know if what we’re doing is wrong. The rules say one thing; my heart says screw the rules. I can’t let him lose his job. And I can’t lose him.

In the movies, this would have a happy ending. I grow up. I love, I lose, I learn. And I move on. But this is life, and there’s no script. You make it up as you go along.

And you don’t pray for a happy ending. You pray for it to never end.




Rate & take


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Heat Index  3  ☼☼☼



The writing in this flowed so well and the main character Maise was written in a way that made her feel so real. The author also manged to take the creep factor out of the student teacher pairing and instead exposed the relationship from the perspective of many other characters. Make no mistake this isn't the usual fluffy romances I read, this is several steps beyond and well worth the read.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Taken


15735453Take Me by Olivia Cunning


She is one woman he should never touch…

Sole Regret’s enigmatic vocalist, Jacob “Shade” Silverton, is a consummate womanizer, but even he knows better than to get involved with one special woman from his past. Mixing friendship and pleasure can only lead to a broken heart, and he’s suffered enough heartache to swear off relationships for a lifetime.

He is one man she has always desired…

Amanda Lange knows all about Shade’s naughty reputation, but that doesn’t stop her from wanting to dive into the gorgeous rock star’s arms and into his bed. She convinces herself that one night of passion won’t complicate their friendship, but can she convince him of that?

They’re both playing with fire.

Neither of them realized how far one kiss would take them. As the flames of their passion ignite with the intensity of an inferno, will either of them escape the experience without being burned or will both be branded fool enough to take a chance on a relationship that was marked for ruin before it even began?




Rate & take



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Heat Index  5  ☼☼☼☼☼


Without the benefit of having read the 7-in-1 box set below I don't think I would have ever come across the Sole Regret series, and I would have been missing some very good writing and this fun, evolving story of the members of the band. I am partial to band stories but this one is really great and there are plenty more books to come which is sure to make my TBR list very happy. 

Friday, August 16, 2013

A banging good time


Alpha Bad Boys 7-in-1 Box Set by various authors



18129695



Their Virgin Captive (Masters of Ménage #1): Shayla Black and Lexi Blake
Brothers Gavin, Slade, and Dex, fall hard for Gavin’s new secretary, beautiful Hannah Craig. The oil executives know they must give her time to get to know them before she can choose one…who will seduce the virgin and keep her for his own.

Try Me (One Night with Sole Regret #1): Olivia Cunning
Melanie has no desire to meet the members of the rock band, Sole Regret, but her groupie of a best friend gets them both backstage and then rushes off with the band's lead singer. Will Melanie and the band's drummer, Gabe, only share a single night of passion?

Tempt Me (One Night with Sole Regret #2): Olivia Cunning
Madison will take one more hot-and-heavy night with Sole Regret's sexy lead guitarist Adam before she cuts all ties with him for good. She has no problem tempting Adam into her bed, but can she tempt his heart into taking a chance on love?

One Night Forever (The Cinderella Chronicles #1): Lisa Renee Jones
She's a struggling good girl taking care of a sick mother. He's the hot one night stand that she dared indulge in a year before...and now he's her sexy, rich new boss. Fate has thrown Lauren into the arms of a man who takes her to the absolute edge of passion, but will he destroy her career in the process?

Ask For It: Selena Blake
Trevor Wyatt has lusted for journalist JJ Fairchild since before he retired from the NFL. Now she's back in his life and he's not going to miss the opportunity to show her just how good they could be together.

Tucker's Fall (Purgatory Masters #1): Eliza Gayle
Scandalized professor Maggie Cisco returns to her hometown to lick her wounds and reconsider her future when a snowstorm puts her in the path of stunningly handsome, insanely rich and equally intense, Tucker Lewis.

Educating Ansley: Cat Johnson
Society girl Ansley Craig’s is banished to a ranch in Colorado, just for having a little too much fun at a graduation party. She expects to find cows and boredom. What she doesn’t count on are the Kane brothers.




Rate and take



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Heat Index    5  ☼☼☼☼☼   (most stories)



What a find this was!! So many pluses:

                   
  - Five of the authors were new-to-me.

  - Story 1 and 7 involved brothers, a new dynamic in my reading that I really      enjoyed!

  - Two rocker stories!!! I love rocker stories and plan to continue to follow that series.

  - There was plenty of crazy heat going on in this collection.

  - It was a great bargain of a purchase, I love smut on the cheap!


For full disclosure I will say that there was one story (that will remain unnamed) that I didn't care for, but considering all of the rest were enjoyable reading I still think I got a great deal all the way around with this pick.


Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Bliss


Manic (Rook and Ronin, #2)Manic by J.A. Huss

It’s three months of body art modeling! That means three months of Spencer Shrike’s paintbrush all over her body, three months in front of Antoine’s camera, and three months of twenty-four hour filming for Spencer’s Biker Channel reality show.

Wait a minute…what reality show? Maybe she should’ve read that STURGIS contract a little closer? ;)

Sure, Rook’s bank account is almost overflowing, but Ronin is angry, Clare is trying to escape rehab, Antoine is a worried mess, and Elise is just trying to hold everyone together. Her new family is about to fall apart before she even gets the chance to enjoy them.




Rate & take



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Heat Index   1  ☼

This is book two in the Rook and Ronin series (book three -and final - in the series will be out in October) and I just continue to love the way this author writes. She makes the dialog and internal thoughts of the characters so real and lively. The author also is a natural at balancing the story with just enough light and dark so that no one element gets the best of the other. I hope this author has many more books in her. Here is my review of the first book in the series...interesting that it reads very similar to this one.

Monday, August 12, 2013

No seconds


Twice Tempted (Holland Springs, #2)Twice Tempted by Marquita Valentine

Born into wealth and power, Christian Romanov is Hollywood’s favorite bad boy with a golden touch…until the day his agent receives pictures of the movie star celebrating his birthday in a not-so-legal way. Now he’s been ordered to find a small-town girl to be seen with in order to improve his partying image. He agrees, but for an entirely different reason-to protect the reputation of an organization that helps get teens off the street and back into the school. Not only is he the anonymous donor that's been solely supporting the organization since its inception, he's slated to be their newest spokesman.

Zoe Ambrose is a hopeless romantic masquerading as a realist. But she’s also a successful novelist, trying to fit herself into a staid life when what she craves is the adventure she found one night in the arms of a playboy who never knew her name. When her successful crime series is optioned by a major studio, she travels to Las Vegas to find that the prince of her fantasies and single night of pleasure is the main contender for the male lead. But for four years Zoe has been publicly eviscerating the man who left her stranded that night—he’s the villain in her series! Now the movie star doesn't recognize her, and Zoe is determined to protect her heart this time.

When Christian braves the small town of Holland Springs and Zoe’s overprotective family to win the girl of his dreams, he finds that his Hollywood skills might not cut it—and learns a shocking truth he never imagined. Can he can tempt her again and finally give her the epic love story she has refused to write for herself?




Rate & take


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Heat Index  1  ☼


This is book two in the Holland Springs series but it reads well as a stand alone.
The overall story was sweet, but many times it got too repetitive with the continual hints at the big secrets the main characters were keeping. I did enjoy reading about the small town of Holland Springs and its residents but not enough for further visits as the series continues.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Still Arranging



The Arrangement 9 (The Arrangement, #9)




 
The Arrangement 9 by H.M. Ward

When Avery finds out that the cowboy who requested her services for the night is Marty, things take an unexpected turn. If Avery declines her friend, she'll be in trouble with Miss Black, but if she accepts--this could mean a new, normal relationship and saying farewell to Sean forever.










Rate & take


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Heat Index  1 ☼


Oh my dear Avery sure seems to get deeper and deeper right into the waiting arms of trouble of every sort. It seems the story had narrowed her into quite the corner.

The author has said she does not know how many more will be in this series, at $2.99 each on Amazon this is a costly way to read what is basically serial short stories...but damn I love them too much to give it up now!!



Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Three-for by Breena Wilde


Blurred Lines (Blurred Lines, #1)Blurred Lines


*** Cadence lives her life without holding back. She's all in. Her life is raw, real, and unapologetic. If you aren't afraid to experience all Cadence has to offer, read this series. ***

Hooking has four important rules.

1. Cash only.
2. Use protection.
3. Carry mace.
4. Don’t fall in love.

Twenty-year-old Cadence is a prostitute and she lives by the rules. They keep her alive and they keep her heart protected. But when she agrees to take one last job to get out from under her pimp, she discovers some of the rules might be worth breaking.





Distorted Lines (Blurred Lines, #2)Distorted Lines


Cadence is in the worst predicament of her illustrious career as a hooker. She's doing her best to please the client, but John Zane is voracious and incredibly egotistical.

He's got her in the Blue Room. It's called that because of all the pain, the bruising inflicted within the four aluminum walls.

While her body responds to his touch, her mind keeps wandering back to her accidental night with John Cruze, the famous Hollywood actor whose gorgeous eyes and kindness have melted some of the ice around her heart.

But can the wrong John ever have feelings for a hooker?




Crossed Lines (Blurred Lines, #3)Crossed Lines

Cadence is working for one John and developing feelings for the other.
Her dilemma is annoying and impossible. It’s also delicious and satisfying, sexually and intellectually.
Both John’s are interesting and are teaching her things she never knew existed.
Still, her heart craves one man and her body can’t get enough of the other.

Which will she choose? Can she? Should she?




Rate & take (average for all three)



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Heat Index   3  ☼☼☼


Here I go again...finding another series that is mini book length that has made me a total addict jonesing for the next short to come out. At least each e-book is reasonably priced at .99 cents on Amazon so I can rest easy knowing I will be able to afford the next one even if I have to go couch diving for change!!

Normally I would have stayed away from a hooker story...not sure why I should be judge-y here since I read almost all matter of fantastical smut and I loved the movie Pretty Woman...but I am so glad I gave this one a chance because the writing is very good and the dilemma between two very different men is delicious fun. Should I even say it, or do you already know that I can't wait for the next one....and the next....and however many will be written?.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Bounded?


Bound By Ivy (Devoted, #3)Bound by Ivy by J. Lerman

When drama student, Sophia Rose, falls for her teacher – the dark and brooding Hollywood star, Marc Blackwell, she has no idea where their forbidden love affair will end.

Drawn into Marc’s shadowy world of strict discipline and control, Sophia awakens a secret erotic self she never knew existed – and finds herself deeply, obsessively in love.

Now Marc wants Sophia to be his forever. But Sophia can’t commit to marriage without her family’s approval, and her father doesn’t trust Marc – yet.

Sophia’s father says he will only approve of the marriage if Marc and Sophia can pass the ultimate test. Three months apart.

Can Sophia and Marc’s relationship stand the separation? Or will Marc’s jealousy and Sophia’s friendship with co-star, Leo Falkirik, drive them apart?




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This is book three in the Devoted series and I can't find any information on whether this is the end of the series or we can expect more, but to me it all felt very wrapped up. Here you can find my reviews of the first two books.


Even though the character Marc continued to remind me of a shadow of Christian Grey I still found myself enjoying this title and the pages just flew right by. There was lot of interesting plot turns that sometimes had me wondering where it would all end up.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Some society


The Society of Sinners (Sinners, #1)The Society of Sinners by Charity Parkerson

Nestled high in the mountains...
The quiet community of Jackson Station is where everyone knows your name and...species?
Vampires have existed since almost the beginning of time, but not in the way we have been led to believe. These were not men cursed by the devil but warriors blessed by God to have great strength, agility, and eternal life.
Eternal life came at a price, the price of human blood.
Some chose to live within their own society; The Society of Sinners.
The Society of Sinners is the first in the new sinners series by Charity Parkerson introducing a paranormal world filled with vampires, werewolves, changelings, and God's greatest warrior.



Rate & take


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Heat Index  1  ☼


Confession: I am a serial book buyer, a collector, a hoarder of e-books. I get two emails each day (check out 'Booky sites' above if you are interested) that list discounted and free e-books and there are several other sites I frequent to get recommends for yet more e-books!! The title above was purchased in one of my frenzies and then languished on the book carousel of my Amazon app, until this week.

Sometimes I have cover prejudice (you'd think by this stage of my reading life that would never be the case) and that happened here, I kept seeing this book when I wheeled around the carousel and thought, meh, it doesn't look that good, or it looks like it could be cheesy. Needless to say by the four skull rating above I was wrong on all my assumptions.

The book was filled with short stories but eventually we get established relationships with all of the characters. It was fun, light reading and it never got bogged down or into any predictable ruts. I wish all reading could be this fun and effortless.