Archive for &raquo; February, 2009 &laquo;

Review: Rogue by Cheryl Brooks

For more information about the author: Janet Evanovich

Feb

From Amazon:

Trag and Tychar are brothers sold into slavery when their planet was destroyed. Their race carries a feline gene, giving them sinuous beauty and extraordinary sexual powers. Tychar’s female conquests are legendary, but they never meant much to him, and Trag just laughs at his playboy brother. Living on Darconia, a planet of friendly but unattractive lizards, neither has been with a woman in many years. When the queen hires Kyra Aramis, a human from Earth, to teach piano to her children, Trag and Tychar agree to share the female and set out to win her over…

But suddenly Tychar becomes possessive - Kyra is unlike any woman he’s ever known. But he’s sure he’s ruined any chance of her trusting him with her heart…

I love the Cat Star Chronicles series by Cheryl Brooks. The books are original and keep my interest from the first page. In ROGUE, Kyra is a terran who has never been off-planet. In her own quest to find something more in life she accepts the job of teaching a princess on the planet Darconia to play the piano. During her first day she meets the “tigers” Trag and Tychar. She is instantly taken with one of them, but is still drawn to the other also. The relationship between Tychar and Kyra evolves quickly and is very steamy. I like how the author did give Kyra time to adapt to her new surroundings instead of having her immediately acclimate. The love story between Tychar, Trag, and Kyra is HOT and deeply emotional. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait for OUTCAST (June 2009).

To find Rogue:

Review: Talk Me Down by Victoria Dahl

To find out more about the author: Cheryl Brooks

Category: Erotic Romance, Paranormal Romance Tags: cat star chronicles, cheryl brooks, rogue Leave a Comment

Feb

talk-me-down What happens when the girl next door isn’t so innocent?

Molly Jennings has one naughty little secret: her job as a bestselling erotic fiction author. Until her inspiration runs dry - thanks to a creepy ex - and it’s time to skip town and move back to tiny Tumble Creek, Colorado.

One look at former high school hunk chief of police Ben Lawson and Molly is back in business. The town gossip is buzzing at her door and, worse still, a stalker seems to be watching her every move. Thankfully, her very own lawman has taken to coming over, often. The only problem now is that Molly may have to let the cat out of the bag about her chosen profession, and straitlaced Ben will definitely not approve…

I love, love, love this book. The characters are sexy and hilarious. I wanted more when I finished the book. I plan to put this on my keeper shelf (which is very rare - I probably keep 1 in 20 books I read). Molly moves back to her hometown after a bad breakup hoping to get her writer mojo back, and come back it does. The chemistry between Molly and Ben is hot, hot, hot. In addition to the sexual chemistry there is also a tender and loving relationship that I could feel through their dialogue. Ms. Dahl has crafted characters that had me laughing out loud and I can’t wait to read more by this author. (I went online and bought her historical novels and can’t wait for more contemporaries. I am hoping for a story about Molly’s friend, Lori Love.)

To find this book:

Review: Road Trip of the Living Dead by Mark Henry

More about the author and her books: Victoria Dahl

Category: Contemporary Romance Tags: sex, Talk Me Down, Victoria Dahl Leave a Comment

Feb

rad-trip Celebrity party girl Amanda Feral is back form the dead, and hungrier than ever for a good time. With her zombie gal pal Wendy and vampy gay sidekick Gil, this stone cold fox is dressed to kill, on the prowl, and ready to take a big juicy bit out of Seattle’s supernatural nightlife. But what’s a zombie chick to do when her “Mommie Dearest” gets sick? If you’re Amanda Feral, you can either ignore the wicked old witch - or bury the past by visiting Ethel before she kicks it. Amanda’s not thrilled about the idea of crossing three states just to be criticized. But Wendy, who’s always looking for fresh meat , is up for the adventure. And Gil, who just launched his “luxury” resurrection business, needs to disappear because a pissed-off client is out for his blood.

First, the pack their stiletto pumps and plasma into a skeevy rattrap on wheels that used to be a Winnebago. Then, with a little help from a Korean-ghost hood ornament, a masochist named Fishhook, and a slew of “moderately accurate” psychics, they hit the highway - their way. Pf course, they’ll have to navigate past some neo-Nazi skinheads, a horny dust devil, a hunky werewolf cop (who could pass for an underwear model) and an unsightly horde of Kmart shoppers. but for this glamorous gang of ghouls this trip is about to take a dangerous detour that could give road kill a brand new meaning…

The terrible trio is back. Amanda Feral has been kind enough to write another memoir with the help of her ghostwriter, Mark Henry. Amanda, Wendy, and Gil set out on a cross country journey so Amanda can pay her respects to her mother who is dying. Amanda doesn’t want to go, but Gil gets in a little trouble with his new business and getting out of town suddenly sounds good. Road Trip of the Living Dead is as gross and gruesome as Happy Hour of the Damned, This is a hard book to review, because while I loved it, it is hard to pinpoint why. It is not like anything else you would be able to find. It is pee in your pants funny and not to be missed.

Run out and buy it on February 24th or pre-order here:

Review: Too Good To Be True by Kristan Higgins

Check out the author’s website: Mark Henry

Category: Urban Fantasy Tags: Mark Henry, Road Trip of the Living Dead, Urban Fantasy, zombies 2 Comments

Feb

too-good-to-be-true When Grace Emerson’s ex-fiance starts dating her younger sister, extreme measures are called for. To keep everyone from obsessing about her love life, Grace announces that she’s seeing someone. Someone wonderful. Someone handsome. Someone completely made up. Who is this Mr. Right? Someone…exactly unlike her renegade neighbor Callahan O’Shea. Well, someone with his looks, maybe. His hot body. His knife-sharp sense of humor. His smarts and big heart.

Whoa. No. Callahan O’Shea is not her perfect man! Not with his unsavory past. So why does Mr. Wrong feel so…right?

Kristan Higgins is one of my favorite authors. Her books always take me on a roller-coaster of emotions. There are parts in this book that are laugh-out-loud funny and parts that are heartbreakingly sad. The characters are all realistic. Grace is put in the position of having to act happy and over her ex-fiance, which she really isn’t, so that her younger sister wouldn’t feel guilty. I think that many sisters would do the same thing, I know that I would. Her “boyfriend” is just a way to get everyone to leave her alone and not pity her. Callahan O’Shea is one hot man. Even with a less than perfect past, he is a man any woman would be lucky to fall in love with. The two characters dance around their attraction and it is a fun dance to read. I can’t wait for more by Kristan Higgins!!

To find the book:

Review: The Decadent Duke by Virginia Henley (new author challenge)

More about the author: Kristan Higgins

Category: Contemporary Romance Tags: Contemporary Romance, Kristan Higgins, Too Good To Be True One Comment

Feb

duke Lady Georgina Gordon’s sisters have all married prominent dukes or earls, and much to her dismay, she’s expected to make an even better match. There is no shortage of suitors for the vivacious beauty, but Georgina refuses to marry a man who doesn’t stir her urgent passion. Unfortunately her mother has already set her sights on Francis Russell, the powerful Duke of Bedford - a man who may be the most eligible bachelor in all of England but whose attraction completely eludes Georgina. Despite her staunchest efforts, and engagement with the Duke of Bedford may not be so easily avoided.

Scandal is sure to erupt, because Georgina is having trouble denying her desire for another man: John Russell, the duke’s dashing younger brother…

My first thought about this book is the amazing amount of research that Ms. Henley had to do in order to write it. The Decadent Duke is incredibly detailed and uses some historical facts in the story. As for the plot, I didn’t really care for it. For the first half of the book John Russell, the younger brother of the Duke of Bedford, is married and I didn’t see how he could have a relationship with Georgina. The Duke of Bedford was a terrible character. He is a womanizer, but Georgina’s mother kept pushing her daughter at him. It made me dislike the character of the mother and the Duke. In fact, there were very few characters in this book that I liked. Georgina was too young for everything that she was going through and John Russell was never really fleshed out. Much more time was spent letting the reader know who the Duke of Bedford was and very little was spent on John Russell. This just wasn’t a book I would really recommend.

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Review: Flirting with Temptation by Kelley St. John (new author challenge)

More about the author: Virginia Henley

Category: 2009 New Author Challenge, Historical Romance Tags: Historical, Virginia Henley Leave a Comment

Feb

flirting She’s playing it cool.

Wild child Babette Robinson doesn’t do relationships, but she does have a knack for helping other people with theirs. When she opens her own match-mending business and dubs herself “The Love Doctor,” she becomes the biggest name in Birmingham. She even attracts the attention of socialite Kitty Carelle, who hires her to fix her broken engagement to Jeff Eubanks - Babette’s ex!

He’s turning up the heat.

Three years ago, Jeff and Babette’s chemistry was off the charts, but though she basked in his sexy charm and wicked wit, she couldn’t commit to a deeper relationship. Convinced that all women have wandering eyes, Jeff issues a challenge: He’ll do as Babette asks and talk to Kitty, if Babette abstains from all flirting for one whole week. With Jeff doing his best to make her melt in his arms, will this sassy vamp be able to save her business? And after seven tempting nights, will she want to give up the man she once tossed away?

This was the first book I have read by Kelley St. John, but it won’t be the last. I loved it. The book is a sexy, fun read. Babette is a character that is completely real. Most people are better at fixing other people’s problems than their own. My only problem with the book was that I found the fact that Babette took Kitty’s case unethical. But, in the context of this story it works. I just had to suspend reality a little bit, but that’s what books are for - a break from reality. The sparks between Babette and Jeff really fly and I was rooting for them to get over their past and move on together in the future. My favorite parts of the book were those with the senior citizens that trade “Love Doctor” help in exchange for cooking lessons. I also loved Babette’s Granny Gert.

To find Flirting with Temptation:

Review: Fools Rush In by Kristan Higgins

Find out more about the author: Kelley St. John

Category: 2009 New Author Challenge, Contemporary Romance Tags: Contemporary Romance, Flirting with Temptation, Kelley St. John Leave a Comment

Feb

14591659 Millie Barnes is this close to finally achieving her perfect life…

Rewarding job as a local doctor on Cape Cod? Check. Cute cottage of her very own? Check. Adorable puppy suitable for walks past attractive locals? Check! All she needs is for golden boy and former crush Joe Carpenter to notice her, and Millie will be set.

But perfection isn’t as easy as it looks - especially when Sam Nickerson, a local policeman, is so distracting. Sure, he needs a friend after being dumped by Millie’s fortune-hunting sister, but does she really need to enjoy his company that much? He is definitely not part of her master plan. But maybe it’s time for Millie to start a new list…

I love the way Kristan Higgins writes. I always feel like I AM the character. Her heroines are always flawed, but hopeful that they can overcome what they see as their problems. In Fools Rush In, Millie has always been in love with Joe Carpenter and she just knows that he is the guy for her. But thinks might not be the way she thinks they are. Millie is very dedicated to her family and spends a lot of time with her nephew, Danny, and ex-brother-in-law Sam. I loved these scenes in the book, they were my favorite. My only complaint about the book was that I felt the ending was rushed. I would have liked to know what happened next for Millie.

To find this book:

Review: Addicted to Love by Lori Wilde

Check out the author’s website: Kristan Higgins

Category: Contemporary Romance Leave a Comment

Feb

adicted-to-love Addicted to Love

Growing up in Valentine, Texas, can make anyone believe in happily ever after. But recovering romantic Rachael Henderson has decided that love stinks. After having not one but two grooms ditch her at the altar, she commits an uncharacteristic act of rebellion that leaves her feeling liberated - until she’s arrested by Sheriff Brody Carlton.

Once upon a time, being hauled against the taut, rippling body of her first crush would have had Rachael planning the wedding of the year. Now it spurs her to create Romanceaholics Anonymous, and soon all of the anti-love cynics. But when Rachael starts fantasizing about a lust-filled affair with Brody, she wonders if this time it just may be possible to have her wedding cake and eat it too…

This is the third book in the Wedding Veil Wishes series by Lori Wilde. This one is my favorite so far. Valentines week was the absolute best time to read this book. Rachael is a die-hard romantic who is giving up on love. She doesn’t just give up on love, she starts a Romanceaholics Anonymous group to help others get over their fascination with romance. The only problem is that in the town she grew up in romance was the most important thing. I loved the chemistry between Rachael and Brody. I kept waiting for them to realize how they were made for each other. The other love stories that take place in the book kept my interest too. Sometimes when I read a book and there are subplots that take away from the main story I get irritated. In Addicted to Love the subplots reinforce the main love story. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series, All of Me (April 1st).

To order this book:

Barnes and Noble

Review: Simply the Best by Shirley Jump

Check out the author’s website: Lori Wilde

Category: Contemporary Romance Tags: Addicted to Love, Lori Wilde Leave a Comment

Feb

simply-the-best From the back of the book:

“This could be the end of a beautiful friendship…”

Nothing takes the sheen off a marriage proposal quite like discovering that your prospective fiance already has a wife. And for newspaper writer Alexandra Kenner, this is just the latest in a series of unfortunate relationships that are good for only one thing - badmouthing over beers with her best buddy, Mack Douglas. For a guy - especially a distractingly sexy, determinedly single guy - Mack has his decent side, offering to let Alex stay with him while he helps her remodel her house, even setting her up with a potential Mr. Right. What more could Alex ask for - except perhaps an encore of the out-of-the-blue, completely earth-shattering kiss Mack just laid on her?

Mack can’t pinpoint the moment Alex stopped being the girl next door and became the marquee name in his wildest fantasies. She’s always been gorgeous, but lately the commitment-phobic contractor wants her in ways and places that would change their friendship forever. That’s something Alex will never risk, unless Mack can find a way to convince her that together they can build something that’s bigger, better, and definitely made to last…

I found this book only ok. The back blurb is misleading in my opinion. I was looking for a contemporary romance with best friends falling in love. This book does fit that, but there is a lot more going on. I think that this book is mainly about Alex coming to terms with her past. The daughter of a teenage mother who died when Alex was 5, she has a lot of anger and abandonment issues which overshadow the romance.

To try this book for yourself”

Barnes and Noble