Monthly Archives: October 2015

The Billionaire Takes a Bride (Billionaires and Bridesmaids #3) by Jessica Clare-a review

Posted on by
11

THE BILLIONAIRE TAKES A BRIDE (Billionaires and Bridesmaids #3) by Jessica Clare-a review

The Billionaire Takes a Bride

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / BAM

About the book: Release Date October 20, 2015

Billionaire Sebastian Cabral loves his family, he just doesn’t love their reality TV show, The Cabral Empire. So when his ex-girlfriend tries to rekindle their relationship on camera, Sebastian decides that drastic measures are in order.

By day, Chelsea Hall is a happy-go-lucky, rough and tumble roller derby skater. By night, she’s still living in fear of her past. Most of all, she just doesn’t want to be alone. And she really, really doesn’t want to date.

So when their mutual friends’ upcoming wedding turns Chelsea and Sebastian into fast friends, they realize they can solve both of their problems with one life-changing lie: a quick trip down the aisle.

But with one kiss, Chelsea and Sebastian suddenly realize that their pretend relationship is more real than either of them expected…

••••••••••••

REVIEW: THE BILLIONAIRE TAKES A BRIDE is the third installment in Jessica Clare’s contemporary, adult BILLIONAIRES AND BRIDESMAIDS erotic, romance series-a spin off from her Billionaire Boys Club Series that will focus on the upcoming nuptials of the Billionaire Boys and the women that they love. This is billionaire Sebastian Cabral, and derby girl Chelsea Hall’s storyline. THE BILLIONAIRE TAKES A BRIDE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty-any important information from previous storylines is revealed where necessary. Several characters from the original series cross over as Gretchen (Beauty and the Billionaire ) begins a series of parties aimed at matchmaking her bridesmaids with potential future husbands.

Told from dual third person perspectives THE BILLIONAIRE TAKES A BRIDE follows Sebastian Cabral as he stays hidden from the media while his extended family lives and breathes their own reality TV show wherein his meddling mother pushes an ex-girlfriend towards Sebastian in the hopes of higher ratings. But an accidental meeting between Chelsea and Sebastian at Gretchen’s pre-wedding party finds Sebastian making Chelsea an offer she can’t refuse-a marriage of platonic convenience to keep the paparazzi at bay, and his mother off his back. What ensues is a building relationship between Chelsea and Sebastian- but a relationship that finds Chelsea hiding secrets about her past that control almost every aspect of her present. Chelsea’s fear of the dark is only the tip of the iceberg as it pertains to her physical and emotional health. Sebastian is a very patient man when it comes to his wife’s fears as he endeavors to take things slow so not to add fuel to an already volatile situation.

The relationship between Chelsea and Sebastian is loving as our heroine tries to work through her demons, and her dark past that has left Chelsea emotionally fragile in certain aspects of her life. The $ex scenes are provocative, loving and seductive. Sebastian is more of a beta male who never forces or coerces his lover into anything she does not want to do; he is supportive, patient, and loving.

THE BILLIONAIRE TAKES A BRIDE has a large ensemble cast of characters including Chelsea’s roller derby team; her best friend Pisa; and several of the bridesmaids and groomsmen we met in the previous series. We are introduced to Sebastian’s mother- a throw back to Chris Jenner and her ‘momager’ ways of controlling the family and the unreality of reality TV. Sebastian’s ex plays a small role to add a bit of conflict to his life with Chelsea.

There are moments of fun and flirtation; drama and tension; heartbreak and moving forward. The premise is entertaining with a little bit of everything-romance, $ex, fun, betrayal, heartbreak and love. The characters are relatable, charismatic and familiar. Jessica Clare takes the reader on one couple’s journey from strangers to lovers in the blink of an eye-where the happily ever after is a promise for the future.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

Share

Host by Robin Cook – a Review

Posted on by
10

Host by Robin Cook – a Review

 

HostAmazon / Barnes & Noble / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
Lynn Peirce, a fourth-year medical student at South Carolina’s Mason-Dixon University, thinks she has her life figured out. But when her otherwise healthy boyfriend, Carl, enters the hospital for routine surgery, her neatly ordered life is thrown into total chaos. Carl fails to return to consciousness after the procedure, and an MRI confirms brain death.

Devastated by Carl’s condition, Lynn searches for answers. Convinced there’s more to the story than what the authorities are willing to reveal, Lynn uses all her resources at Mason-Dixon—including her initially reluctant lab partner, Michael Pender—to hunt down evidence of medical error or malpractice.

What she uncovers, however, is far more disturbing. Hospitals associated with Middleton Healthcare, including the Mason-Dixon Medical Center, have unnervingly high rates of unexplained anesthetic complications and patients contracting serious and terminal illness in the wake of routine hospital admissions.

When Lynn and Michael begin to receive death threats, they know they’re into something bigger than either of them anticipated. They soon enter a desperate race against time for answers before shadowy forces behind Middleton Healthcare and their partner, Sidereal Pharmaceuticals, can put a stop to their efforts once and for all.

 

 

Review:

Host by Robin Cook is another one of his exciting medical thrillers. We meet our heroine, Lynn Peirce, a medical student at Mason-Dixon University, who is in her 4th year. When Lynn’s boyfriend, Carl enters the hospital for a simple surgery on his knee, she goes to see him before going to school. She finds out that her boyfriend is now comatose, and considered brain dead, with no one really sure what happened, other than a blimp on the anesthesia machine.

Michael Pender is Lynn’s friend and also a 4th year medical student at the same school. Together they try to find out what went wrong. Going against all the rules, Lynn and Michael use their being students at the hospital to read the charts, and written explanations from doctors on the case. Before long, they begin to discover that this was not the first unexplained death in the hospital, and many of the complications were very similar. Soon they begin to receive threats of expulsion, and eventually death threats.

Though Michael wants to help Lynn, he fears she is pushing too far, putting herself in danger. Michael agrees to continue to help her, and as findings begin to show a pattern, the danger escalates that will put both of their lives on the line. They discover a conspiracy between the hospital, the Shapiro Institute, where comatose patients are sent, and a drug company that is run by a Russian billionaire. What follows is an extremely exciting, nail biting adventure, with Lynn and Michael on borrowed time, as they venture where they should not have gone, but discover what The Shapiro Institute is really doing.

We hold our breath, as Lynn tries to find someone to help, someone that would believe her, and fast before either her or Michael are killed. This was a very exciting and scary story, which makes us think if being in a hospital is truly a safe place to be. Robin Cook once again gives us a top notch thriller from start to finish. Host was an edge of your seat page turner, and a great read.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

Share

Break Me Down (Loving on the Edge 8.5) by Roni Loren-Review, Book tour & Giveaway

Posted on by
8

BREAK ME DOWN (Loving on the Edge 8.5) by Roni Loren-Review, Book Tour and Giveaway

Break Me Down Tour Button1

Break Me Down
Loving on the Edge 8.5
by Roni Loren
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotica, BDSM, romance
Release Date: October 27, 2015

Break Me Down

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / BAM

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 27, 2015

Samantha Dunbar needs to forget Gibson Andrews. When he trained her to be a domme, she experienced just how hot things could get with the sexy executive. She was ready to hand him everything—including her heart. But Gibson backed away, declaring them incompatible. He’s a dominant, and Sam’s no submissive.

But after an attack shakes Sam to her core, Gibson tracks her down at her family’s rundown farmhouse and makes her an offer. He’ll stay the week and be hers in every way—a helping hand for the renovation and a willing lover in her bed. He swore he’d never give up control to anyone again, but he hasn’t been able to touch another woman since Sam. Maybe a week alone with her will cure him of his relentless craving.

But one taste only makes them want more, and Sam and Gibson are drawn in deeper than ever. The man who won’t give in has just met the girl who won’t give up…

•••••••••••

REVIEW: BREAK ME DOWN follows the D/s relationship between Domme Samantha Dunbar, and her reluctant submissive Gibson Andrews. Gibson is a dominant at the local BDSM Club-The Ranch- but his fantasies find our hero in a position of submission especially as it pertains to Samantha Dunbar-a Domme whose need to dominate and control is beyond anything Gibson has experienced. What ensues is the break down of a man’s control, and a woman’s emotional and psychological need to dominate.

BREAK ME DOWN is a tale of erotica; of sexual, emotional and physical domination by a woman over a man with some dubious consent, and a rape fantasy with the female in the position of the aggressor. Gibson is a man with a past darkened by a controlling father; and Samantha is a woman whose past is mired in betrayal and abuse. Both our of leading characters act out their sexual aggression and fantasies both in and out of the bedroom but for all intents and purpose I felt a line was crossed when the fantasies and sexual domination became more about the power over someone else. Rape is about power, control and anger, and in this, our heroine was acting out against her own perpetrators who, years earlier, took away Samantha’s choices and control. The sado-masochist theme is strong throughout the storyline. There is also a questionable scene where the ‘safe word’ was ignored, and emotional threats against our hero, once again, stepped over the proverbial line.

I have enjoyed Roni Loren’s LOVING ON THE EDGE erotic romance series but BREAK ME DOWN was an uncomfortable read for me with so many questions of consent and coercion. The use of ‘force’ is questioned by the characters, and although the Domme, in the end, refuses to ‘force’ her submissive, the fear and anxiety about the potential situation is a part of the storyline-none the less.

BREAK ME DOWN is a sexually graphic storyline with contents that me be unsuitable for some readers. Gibson Andrews is a submissive who thrives on the pain inflicted by the woman that he loves; Samantha Dunbar is a Domme who must be in control and hold the power at all times but in the end, Sam knows when enough is enough.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

Excerpt

The floors creaked as he made his way back to the front of the house. He examined the dining room with critical eyes. It looked like one small patch of floor was left. Sam had been close to done when he’d interrupted last night. Yet another valid reason for her to be mad at him.

He squatted down and picked up the sanding machine. It’d been a while since he’d tackled any home improvement projects. His position as head of PR at Vandergriff kept him too busy. But when he’d first bought his house, it had been in pretty rough shape. He’d taken on weekend projects to get it how he wanted it. He’d learned a lot and messed up more. A handyman, he was not. But he understood the satisfaction Sam probably got from doing this herself. It could be cathartic.

“I don’t suggest you turn that on unless you know what to do with it,” Sam said from behind him.

He turned around, finding her at the bottom of the stairs, raven hair damp and twisted into a messy bun atop her head. Face scrubbed clean. She looked so young standing there. He was used to seeing her with her dark eyeliner and hair done in some quirky way. But this version of her was just as breath-stealing. He held up the sander. “Don’t turn it on unless I know what to do with it. There’s a dirty joke in there.”

She smirked, some of that trademark attitude back, despite the lingering ghosts in her eyes. “So do you? Know what to do?”

“With a woman or home improvement equipment?”

“I already know you know what to do with a woman.”

He tilted his head. Flirty Sam. Yes. Yes, he liked this. “I’m not quite as skilled with machinery, but I can hold my own. Why? Gonna put me to work to earn my keep?”

She walked forward, her beat-up Vans silent on the floors. “Hmm, now there’s an idea.”

The tone of her voice had slipped into a dangerous place, one he recognized. One his body recognized. “I don’t mind helping.”

She tucked her hands in the back pockets of her jeans, her vintage No Doubt T-shirt stretching thin across her breasts as she considered him. “Is that right?”

He lost his focus for a moment just looking at her. Her shirt read Just A Girl, but that was far from the truth. She was so much more. A fucking mystery wrapped up in smarts and sex appeal and kink. He’d only gotten to touch her once, but he hadn’t forgotten how those pert breasts had felt in his palms, how her body had responded to his touch, how it had seemed like the goddamned sun had come out when he’d made her come. His blood rushed south at the memory, and he had to shift his stance to tamp down the reaction. How big of an asshole would he be, getting hard and horny the morning after Sam had been attacked? He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I can help with whatever you need.”

Her smile was quick, not too big, but enough to punch him in the gut. “Those are mighty vague terms, Gib. You should know how dangerous that is in negotiations. I could make you strip naked and clean the bathroom grout with a toothbrush while I sip iced tea and watch.”

He set down the sander and ran a hand over the back of his hair. She’d meant it as a joke. He tried to smile but managed only a tight grimace. Any image where he got on his knees for her pushed that forbidden button inside him. “Right.”

The silver ring in her eyebrow twitched up as if she knew exactly what he’d been thinking. “Nah, never mind. I know how you can help. Leave.”

About The author

Roni LorenRoni wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has. Though she’ll forever be a New Orleans girl at heart, she now lives in Dallas with her husband and son.

If she’s not working on her latest sexy story, you can find her reading, watching reality television, or indulging in her unhealthy addiction to rockstars, er, rock concerts. Yeah, that’s it. She is the National Bestselling Author of The Loving on the Edge series from Berkley Heat.

 

Places to find Roni Loren:
Site: www.roniloren.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoniLoren
Twitter: https://twitter.com/roniloren
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4877863.Roni_Loren

Rafflecopter Giveaway

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the tour provider.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

author's pal

Share

Middle of Knight (Jack and Jill #2) by Jewel E. Ann-a review

Posted on by
8

MIDDLE OF KNIGHT (Jack and Jill #2) by Jewel E. Ann-a review

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: October 10, 2015

The living seek forgiveness. The dead seek revenge.

A first love.
A last breath.
A haunting past.

Armed with a sinful past and an equally sinful body, Jackson Knight absolves his vow of celibacy to pursue Sergeant Monaghan’s unsuspecting—older—housekeeper.

Ryn Middleton, on the cusp of turning forty with a snarky daughter, a killer dog, and an abusive ex-husband, finds Jackson’s advances humorous and unbelievable. After intense negotiations including Vera Wang, Ed Sheeran, and sex four times a day, Ryn accepts Jackson’s marriage proposal on their first date.

What could possibly go wrong?

While struggling to lay claim to the woman of the dreams he never had, Jackson is forced to deal with a grief-stricken Jillian trying to hold on to her past without letting go of her future—the doctor who took her heart and the Sergeant who gave her a new one.

Beyond the hope for light, lies the middle of darkness, the illusion of truth, and a haunting past.

•••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: MIDDLE OF KNIGHT is the second installment in Jewel E.Ann’s contemporary adult JACK AND JILL romantic, suspense series focusing on thirty year old twins Jillian and Jack Knight (aka Jessica and Jude Day). Their continuing story finds hero and heroine looking towards a future that doesn’t include their past. But the past has a habit of breaking free and threatening any chance of future happiness when Jack (Jude) finds himself falling in love with an older woman whose own past continues to haunt her present; and memories of the past continue to haunt Jillian(Jessica Day) Knight. MIDDLE OF KNIGHT should not be read as a stand alone as each installment builds upon the previous storyline.

Told from alternating timelines-past and present- as well as alternating between dual third person perspectives (Jack and Jill), MIDDLE OF KNIGHT follows three intersecting paths: Jill’s past and history with the love of her life Dr.Luke Jones: Jack’s relationship with an older divorcee-Ryn Middleton- whose abusive ex still has some semblance of control over his former wife and daughter; and Jill who has found herself falling in love with a man who does not have long to live.

MIDDLE OF KNIGHT is an emotional storyline about two siblings who are hiding in plain sight; a witness protection program of sorts where Jessica and Jude Day are now living as Jack and Jill Knight in a new town, a new state with new identities and new pasts. But our siblings want a future that does not involve lies, secrets or threats against their lives, and MIDDLE OF KNIGHT finds Jack Knight looking towards a happily ever after with the woman that he loves; and Jill Knight pining for the man she left behind. While Jill’s present focuses on the few remaining days and hours of her relationship with AJ Monaghan, the reader is pulled into an emotional free fall where there will be no happily ever after for AJ and Jill. This particular part of the story is heartbreaking, impassioned and real; the ‘in your face’ agonizing pain and tumultuous journey of two people whose love was never meant to last is intense and full of anguish.

Jewel E. Ann’s JACK AND JILL series takes a passionate look at love and loss; life and death; falling in love and letting go. The premise is powerful and visceral in its presentation; the characters are animated and fierce; the romance(s) is emotional, intimate and anxious.

I have been a big fan of Jewel E Ann since the release of her first novel HOLDING YOU. I am not much of a fangirl; I don’t kiss author a$$, and I don’t lie about the books I have read and reviewed, but if you are looking for a new author, a new book or series that will rip out your heart and leave you emotionally spent, then pick up one of Jewel E Ann’s novels-you won’t be sorry.

Copy supplied by the author

Reviewed by Sandy

 

End of Day
Jack and Jill #1
by Jewel E Ann
Genre: adult, contemporary, humor, romantic suspense
Release Date: August 17, 2015

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of END OF DAY

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / BAM

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 17, 2015

Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life.

Four caskets. Two bodies.

Jessica and Jude Day witness their funeral and that of their parents a few yards away from mourning family and friends. Stripped of the only life they’ve ever known, the Days say goodbye to San Francisco forever.

Six months later, two thirty-year-old misfits with elite self-defense skills and penchants for alcohol, sex, and trouble arrive like an earthquake to Peaceful Woods, a retirement community in Omaha, Nebraska, that thrives on rules and gossip. Welcome home, Jackson and Jillian Knight.

Jackson celebrates his new beginning by embracing his job and wiping his cavalier past clean with a temporary oath of celibacy. But Jillian’s past is branded into her soul—the deaths, the insanity, Dr. Luke Jones, and the need to make her lovers bleed. Her chance for redemption comes in the form of a next door neighbor, one Senior Master Sergeant Monaghan. He’s sexy, dangerously alluring, and riddled with emotional issues from years of service. He’s also … So. Damn. Grumpy.

Their mission is simple: Let go, start over, don’t kill anyone, and pray that nobody wakes the dead.

Share

Naughty King / Feisty Princess (A Sexy Manhattan Fairytale Parts 1 & 2) by Michelle A Valentine-a review

Posted on by
7

Naughty King / Feisty Princess (A Sexy Manhattan Fairytale Part 1 & 2) by Michelle A. Valentine-a review

A SExy Manhattan Fairytale

NAUGHTY KING
(A Sexy Manhattan Fairytale: Part 1)
by Michelle A Valentine
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic romance

ebook only 99¢: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca /

Naughty KingABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 14, 2015

The King Always Gets His Way.
Women, business, pleasure: When I want it, I get it.
I’m never denied.
Including her.
I will break her.
I will show her who the king of this city really is.
The Feisty Princess of Manhattan will learn I am not a man that can be tempted.
No matter how f*cking bad I want her in my bed.

•••••••••••••

REVIEW: NAUGHTY KING is the part one in Michelle A Valentine’s three part contemporary adult A SEXY MANHATTAN FAIRYTALE erotic romance novella series focusing on billionaire businessman Alexander King, and Margo Buchanan-the daughter of the man Alexander is hoping to financially destroy.

Told from dual first person points of view (Margo and Alexander) NAUGHTY KING introduces the players in a high stakes game of acquisitions and mergers. Margo is a recent Harvard graduate who has found herself the personal assistant to her father’s business enemy Alexander King. King is slowly acquiring Buchanan stocks, and is prepared to sell of the company to the highest bidder. What ensues is an acrimonious relationship steeped in sexual tension and palpable energy between two people whose hatred for one another borders on obsession and desperation. Margo has been hired by King as a favor to her father, but Margo is determined to stop the destruction of her father’s company by stopping Alexander King once and for all.

NAUGHTY KING is a sexually graphic and erotic storyline about two people thrown together by circumstance, power and greed. King is an arrogant manwhore; a sexy, powerful, egotistical jerk who uses woman and throws them away like yesterday’s trash but something about Margo draws Alexander like a moth to a flame, and it is that something that could be the ruination of both of their plans.

Michelle A Valentine writes a steamy storyline with charismatic and colorful characters including a Japanese businessman named Yamada whose personality is that of Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) from The Hangover. Yamada hopes to ensure the future happiness of Alexander King and sets our couple up on a Vegas adventure they will not soon forget.

NAUGHTY KING is a predictable but fun read; an enemies to lovers storyline that only touches the surface King’s dark secrets and broken heart. The premise is entertaining; the characters are intense; the installment ends on a cliff hanger but it is a serialized-style novella series and the cliffie is to be expected.

Reviewed by Sandy

_________________

FEISTY PRINCESS
(A Sexy Manhattan Fairytale: part 2)
by Michelle A Valentine
Genre: adult,contemporary, erotic romance

ebook only 99¢: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca /

Feisty PrincessABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 13, 2015

I’m f*cked.
Royally.
She tempted me—screwed with my head—and gained the upper hand.
She’s the enemy.
I can’t forget that.
My weakness jeopardized my company.
The Feisty Princess of Manhattan will not win this war.
No matter how fantastic her lips felt around my c*ck.

••••••••••

REVIEW: FEISTY PRINCESS is part two of Michelle A Valentine’s contemporary adult A SEXY MANHATTAN FAIRYTALE serialized erotic romance novella series. This is the continuing story of billionaire businessman Alexander King, and Margo Buchanan. FEISTY PRINCESS should not be read as a stand alone as the premise is built upon the events of book one-Naughty King.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Margo and Alexander) FEISTY PRINCESS follows our leading couple after a weekend in Vegas that changed the dynamics of their relationship and the possibility of a different kind of business merger between Alexander’s company and Buchanan Enterprises. What ensues is Margo and Alexander’s need to make believe they are a loving couple in the hopes of Alexander maintaining control over his company and the board of directors.

FEISTY PRINCESS reveals a different side to our leading hero- a family man whose is protective of his sister, and the people he holds dearest to his heart. Margo has been placed in a precarious position that allows for a modicum of control but will also find our heroine’s heart falling for the man she hates to love. The $ex scenes are intense but not as numerous as in the previous installment.

Michelle A Valentine’s characters are sexy, raw and impassioned. Alexander’s manwhore ways are tamed by the woman with whom he is falling in love but are his feelings for Margo real or just a side effect of their current situation. While Alexander continues to focus on maintaining control of the company his plans to take over Buchanan Enterprises hits a snag when Margo loses someone close to her heart. Margo and Alexander continue to face obstacles, some of their own making, but all in the name of big business, power and control.

Reviewed by Sandy

Share

Walk Through Fire (Chaos 4) by Kristen Ashley-a review

Posted on by
6

WALK THROUGH FIRE (Chaos #4) by Kristen Ashley-a review

Walk Through Fire

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / The Book Depository / BAM

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 27, 2015

Millie Cross knows what it’s like to burn for someone. She was young and wild and he was fierce and even wilder-a Chaos biker who made her heart pound. They fell in love at first sight and life was good, until she learned she couldn’t be the woman he needed and made it so he had no choice but to walk away. Twenty years later, Millie’s chance run-in with her old flame sparks a desire she just can’t ignore. And this time, she won’t let him ride off . . .

Bad boy Logan “High” Judd has seen his share of troubles with the law. Yet it was a beautiful woman who broke him. After ending a loveless marriage, High is shocked when his true love walks back into his life. Millie is still gorgeous, but she’s just a ghost of her former self. High’s intrigued at the change, but her betrayal cut him deep-and he doesn’t want to get burned again. As High sinks into meting out vengeance for Millie’s betrayal, he’ll break all over again when he realizes just how Millie walked through fire for her man .

•••••••••

REVIEW: WALK THROUGH FIRE is the fourth installment in Kristen Ashley’s contemporary, adult CHAOS erotic romance series focusing on the motorcycle club Chaos. This is event planner Millie Cross, and MC member Logan ‘High’ Judd’s storyline-a second chance romance for two broken souls. WALK THROUGH FIRE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from previous storylines is revealed where necessary.

Told from first person point of view (Millie), as well as several third person perspectives including Logan, WALK THROUGH FIRE follows the rekindling of a love between two people whose lives were destroyed when Millie pushed Logan out of her life twenty years before. Now in the early forty’s, Millie and Logan have once again crossed paths but Logan’s anger at Millie increases with every encounter and memory of the past. Millie wants to set the record straight why she walker away twenty years earlier but Logan wants nothing to do with the woman who broke his heart and destroyed his soul. But when a rival MC targets Millie, Logan is all about saving the first and only woman he has ever loved.

The storylines follows the rebuilding of a friendship; a relationship that was destroyed when Millie discovered that she could not give Logan what it was he wanted in life. Millie’s decision destroyed both she and Logan, such that Millie never had another boyfriend and remained faithful to the only man she has ever loved. Logan’s hatred for Millie, and the resulting destruction has found our heroine ‘persona non grata’ in the eyes of the Chaos MC. Millie was Logan’s old lady, and when she left she destroyed a good man whose life revolved around the woman that he loved. The $ex scenes are aggressive, erotic and intense. There is some dubious consent in the early pages of the storylines when our heroine gives into Logan’s demands and orders.

WALK THROUGH FIRE has a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Tabby and Shy (Own The Wind #1), Lanie and Hop (Fire Inside #2), and several members of the Chaos MC-Elivira and Malik; Boz, Hound, Big Petey, Tack and Tyra. We are introduced to Millie’s friends, employees, and her very protective sister Dottie and brother-in-law Alan who know that for Millie to walk away twenty years earlier has left a broken soul and deep emotional scars. And we can’t forget about Cleo and Zadie; Chief and Poem.

Told from memories of the past and present day text WALK THROUGH FIRE takes the reader on an emotional and heartbreaking journey of romance and love, revealing the growing love between two people meant to spend eternity in one another’s arms that was all but destroyed by a perceived betrayal and thoughts of what was to come. Logan’s treatment of Millie is heartbreaking, vicious and destructive. The world building continues to focus on the Chaos MC, and an impending war with a rival MC for territory and power.

I did have some issues with the storyline and there is some purposeful ambiguity in my thoughts to avoid spoilers but one in particular bothered me throughout the story:

As is pertained to the reason Millie walked away. We are given no details or explanation. There was no mention of seeking help or trying to correct the problem-what was the issue? Could it have been corrected? There are usually several methods to try and fix the problem but nothing was brought to light or attempted? It was as though our heroine gave up and walked into the sunset never to be loved or love again.

WALK THROUGH FIRE is an entertaining and engaging storyline about two people given a second chance at romance and love. There is plenty of drama, palpable anxiety and tension, and sexual energy. The storyline conflict is multi-layered; Millie’s re-emergence into Logan’s life upends family, the MC, and Logan’s plans for the future. The premise is gripping and profound; the characters are emotional and impassioned; the happily ever is revealing and hopeful.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Share

Luke (Blue-Collar Billionaires #5) by M. Malone-a review

Posted on by
9

LUKE (Blue Collar Billionaires #5) by M.Malone-a review

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 13, 2015

Child prodigy Lucas Marshall has always had a gift for tech. He’s done everything from write security software to hack into government servers (allegedly). There’s only one hacker alive who is better than he is. His online buddy C7pher.

Now that he’s the heir to a billionaire, he wants his friend to help him build coding schools for underprivileged kids around the country. He isn’t prepared for his best friend, his only friend, to say NO.

Or for him to drop out of his life completely.

Then he consults on a hacking case for the FBI where the hauntingly beautiful suspect seems to know a lot about Luke. Things he’s only told C7pher…

If the only person you’ve ever trusted is a liar, everything is fair game.

••••••••

REVIEW: LUKE is the fifth and final installment in M.Malone’s contemporary, new adult Blue Collar Billionaires romance series focusing of the five Marshall brothers-Tank, Finn, Gabe, Zack and Luke. This is youngest brother Luke Marshall, and Seven’s storyline. LUKE can be read as a standalone but I suggest reading the series in order for back story, history and cohesion as there is too much information missing to understand the family dysfunction and the brothers’ connection to one another.

Some background: The Marshall family consists of 5 brothers and half brothers; three mothers; and one father with ties to the Irish mob. Patriarch Max Marshall is a billionaire who ‘earned’ his money through mafia transactions, and had bequeathed each of his sons an early inheritance. The Blue Collar Billionaires series is their stories.

Told from alternating first person points of view (Luke and Seven) LUKE is the culmination of a building storyline wherein our hero, a child prodigy, will finally meet the father he never knew, and the online hacker he has considered a friend for close to ten years. Luke has always been a bit of a loaner; with few friends and only his mother as family and confidant. Seven and Luke will finally meet when the FBI forces our duo into an unscheduled meeting, but a meeting that will find Luke and Seven on a path to love and a happily ever after. Meanwhile, the family begins preparations for Tank and Emma’s upcoming nuptials.

Luke and Seven’s introduction to one another comes as a surprise to Luke as he never considered his online friend to be a woman. The introduction between Luke and Seven is built upon a lie, and Luke soon discovers that Seven’s appearance has much less to do with meeting Luke and more to do with a possible betrayal against Luke and his family. Seven’s past in the foster care system has left our heroine scarred and damaged; Luke’s life growing up without his father has been a struggle but more so for his mother who has had to work harder to keep food on the table and clothes on their backs. The $ex scenes are erotic and seductive.

The world building continues to focus on the Marshall brothers, their relationships with one another; and their mutual connection through an absent and troubled father. Luke’s relationship with his half brothers continues to grow, as our hero begins to accept the new additions to his ever-expanding family. Luke will finally meet the man he has never known, but is it too little, too late for a father whose life revolves around crime and illegal activities?

LUKE is a simple and predictable read; an interesting look at the youngest son of an absent father; a father whose life revolved around crime and the Irish mob. The premise focuses on Luke’s relationship with Seven, and the real reason Seven has sought out a face to face meeting with her virtual, online friend. The characters are engaging and colorful; the happily ever after is not unexpected but a twist to the family dynamics changes all of the brother’s lives for the future. The conflict resolution was disappointing and felt rushed to the finish. I was hoping for some more angst and intrigue.

Reviewed by Sandy

Share

Full Circle (Strong Karma #3) by Donya Lynne-a review

Posted on by
10

FULL CIRCLE (Strong Karma #3) by Donya Lynne-a review

Full Circle

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 19, 2015

n the final installment of the Strong Karma Trilogy, Mark Strong has accepted his feelings for Karma Mason and has found his way back to her after a year apart. Now he’s ready to pop the question and make her his wife. There’s just one problem. Mark still hasn’t gotten over being jilted eight years ago. How can he give Karma the huge wedding she deserves when he can’t even set foot in a church without suffering a panic attack? Then there are the secrets that have resurfaced from his past. Secrets he fears will scare Karma away once she knows the truth. But Karma knows Mark has a past. She can accept that he’s not perfect and never was. What she can’t accept is how he drags his feet every time she tries to get him to set a date for their wedding. If he can’t figure out a way to let go of the past for good, he could lose his future with the woman who owns his heart.

••••••

REVIEW: FULL CIRCLE is the third installment in Donya Lynne’s contemporary, adult Strong Karma erotic romance series focusing on Mark Strong and Karma Mason. FULL CIRCLE should not be read as a stand alone as the premise is the culmination of the previous two storylines.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Mark and Karma) FULL CIRCLE focuses on the continuing relationship and rebuilding of trust between our leading couple. Mark’s issues with his past continue to circumvent his present, and his avoidance of his emotional withdrawal and his handling of all things Karma Mason leads our hero on a journey of self deprecation and unrestrained hatred for the man he has become. Mark is a man deeply in love with the woman who holds his heart but ghosts from the past continue to haunt Mark’s ego and psyche. What ensues is the realization that Mark will never be able to move forward until he addresses his past-a past that could destroy any hope of a future with the woman that he loves.

Donya Lynne pulls the reader into an emotional storyline (and series) where two broken souls; two imperfect people traverse a winding path to love and a happily ever after. The premise is impassioned; the characters are heartbreaking and intense; the $ex scenes are erotic, explorative and intoxicating. FULL CIRCLE is a love story that will immerse you into an emotional roller coaster ride where your own heart will break for two people whose lives are controlled by the past.

Reviewed by Sandy

Share