Tag Archives: Contemprary

BLAST (Ben Blackshaw) by Robert Blake Whitehill-Review & Giveaway

Posted on by
11

BLAST (Ben Blackshaw 6) by Robert Blake Whitehill-Review and Giveaway


Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 24, 2022

Ben Blackshaw discovers a murdered woman’s corpse frozen in the Chesapeake Bay. All the signs point to her being crew on a massive Liquid Natural Gas transport ship that’s trapped in the channel ice. Blackshaw, his wife LuAnna, his friend Knocker Ellis, and a band of neighbors take different paths to solve the mystery before a thaw frees the ship to sail off with all the evidence, or destroy Washington, D.C. and the Chesapeake fishery, in a single fiery blast

••••••

REVIEW: BLAST is the sixth instalment in Robert Blake Whitehill’s contemporary, adult BEN BLACKSHAW military, suspense, thriller series focusing on retired US Navy SEAL Ben Blackshaw, his wife, former Natural Resources police officer LuAnna, and his eclectic company of cloak and dagger investigators, former military personnel and first responders. BLAST can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from third person perspective, following numerous intersecting paths BLAST focuses on the discovery of several bodies encased in ice. Winter in Chesapeake Bay is dark and dangerous but Ben and his fellow residents including Vietnam veteran Knocker Ellis Hogan, have stumbled upon nine bodies, all frozen in the ice, all with apparent bullet wounds and injuries. Further investigation reveals a large tanker, trapped in the ice, a tanker whose cargo and location are too far off course. As Ben and Ellis begin a search for the truth including a clandestine exploration of the ice-jammed tanker, a group known as Faction takes aim at our story hero. From the FBI to rogue assassins and hired muscle, Ben, LuAnna and Ellis find themselves at the mercy of Mother Nature, and a potential bio-terrorist determined to take down the eco-system in Chesapeake Bay.

The large ensemble of secondary and supporting characters include FBI Special Agent Molly Wilde, and her husband Pershing Lowry, executive Assistant director for Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence; Sonny and Mary Wright; gun toting Reverend Mosby, as well as several members of different government agencies. The requisite evil has many faces.

BLAST is an intriguing, thrilling, and thought provoking yet cautionary tale of what ifs: of home-grown terrorism, power and control. The character driven premise is dramatic, detailed and intense; the characters are animated and unconventional-the camaraderie between the Smith Island residents is dynamic and incredible-they work together like the proverbial ‘well-oiled machine’.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Deadrise
Nitro Express
Tap Rack Bang
Geronimo Hotshot
Dog and Bitch Island

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Follow Robert: Facebook / Website / Twitter /

Robert Blake WhitehillRobert Blake Whitehill was born into a Quaker family in Mardela Springs, just outside Salisbury on Maryland’s Eastern Shore peninsula. The family home lay next to the pond that powered a colonial-era relic, the Barren Creek Mill. He grew up sailing the Chesapeake Bay, and one of her most beautiful tributaries, the Chester River.

After graduating from Westtown School Whitehill stayed in Pennsylvania to earn his B.A. in creative writing at Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges. Later he trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City. As with David Mamet, exhaustive studies of the best English language drama for the stage and screen transformed an aspiring actor into a passionate writer.

An early focus on feature screenwriting earned Whitehill film festival wins at the Hudson Valley Film Festival, and the Hamptons International Film Festival where he also received an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship for his script U.X.O. (Unexploded Ordnance). His feature script Blue Rinse, co-written with Andrea Shane is currently under option with producer Bill Jarblum (Charley Bartlett, The Little Traitor, Cloudburst), with Olympia Dukakis to star, and Thom Fitzgerald slated to direct.

While writing many highly rated episodes of Discovery/Times Channel’s The New Detectives, Daring Capers, and The Bureau, he served as the Vice President of Independent Film Acquisitions for the groundbreaking Centerseat.com, developing and managing their Independent Film Channel.

His first thriller in the Ben Blackshaw series, Deadrise, was named by Cyrus Webb to the Conversations Book Club Top 100 Books of 2012. His second book in the series, Nitro Express, was named to the Conversations Book Club Top 50 Books of Fiction of 2013.

Movie studio HatLine Productions is optioning the first two books, as well as the third title in the series, Tap Rack Bang, for development into feature films.

Whitehill lives in New Jersey with his wife and son. For a number of years, he has worked with the Montclair Ambulance Unit as an emergency medical technician.

When not sailing, or knocking around the sky in a Cessna 152, Whitehill is a contributing writer to Chesapeake Bay Magazine

Robert Blake Whitehill is graciously offering a signed paper copy (US only) of BLAST to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please LIKE and Follow Robert Blake Whitehill on Facebook

4. Please FOLLOW  Robert Blake Whitehill on Twitter

5. FOLLOW us on FACEBOOK  for an additional entry.

6. FOLLOW us on Twitter for an additional entry.

7. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

8. Paperback giveaway is open to US only

9. Giveaway runs from November 24-29, 2022

Share

Rough & Tumble by Shae Connor – a Review

Posted on by
10

Rough & Tumble by Shae Connor – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Google Play / Apple

 

Description:
My name’s Grant Clark, and I have managed to screw up my entire life. In triplicate.
Number one: I fell in love with my best friend.
Number two: I thought he was straight.
Number three: Because of number two, I didn’t make a move on number one. Until it was too late.

Or is it?

When I accidentally interrupt him with another guy—and he turns out to be the worst—well, I think it’s time I finally make a move.

Don’t you?

 

Review:

As a lover of M/M romance, I was very excited to adventure into Rough & Tumble by Shae Connor. While the book itself and its characters are good and the plot easy to keep up with, I was a little disappointed on the spice level.

 

From the cover and blurb, I thought this was going to be a slow burn, friends to lovers’ story, however it is not. Grant and Darryn are young, they are in college, but the amount of immature drama was really not needed. There is always a need for conflict in a story, but Rough & Tumble characters have little maturity or growth. There were some awesome supporting characters that I would love to have seen Grant grow with, as well as more compassion from Darryn. The issues and misunderstandings between Grant and Darryn go on way longer than they needed to and the actual romance part doesn’t come up until the book is practically over. This again felt like the author was dragging out unneeded conflict for as long as possible.

 

Now don’t get me wrong, there are some really good moments in Rough & Tumble, funny tidbits that give the readers a giggle and meaningful moments between friends. I think the story had a great message and it was a good book. 

 

Reviewed by Sarah

Copy provided by Publisher

Share

Joy to the Wolves (Red Wolf #1) by Terry Spear-a review

Posted on by
12

Joy to the Wolves (Red wolf #1) by Terry Spear-a review

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 29, 2020

Meet the shifters of the Red Wolf pack…

Close quarters make for a cozy Christmas…

As Christmas approaches, red wolf shifter Brooke Cerise unexpectedly inherits an antique shop in Portland, Oregon. But when a missing reindeer calf turns up on her property, she becomes embroiled in a kidnapping case and the primary suspect of far-too-intriguing shifter Detective Josh Wilding.

Josh doesn’t intend to fall for the mysterious new woman in town, but Brooke gets under his skin from the moment they meet, and he can’t help his instinct to protect her. These red wolves are both on the hunt for love, but there’s a mystery to solve before they can enjoy their holiday happy-ever-after.

Spend every Christmas with an unforgettable shifter hero

•••••••••

REVIEW:JOY TO THE WOLVES is the first instalment in Terry Spear’s contemporary, adult RED WOLF paranormal, romantic suspense series focusing on the Red Wolf pack in Portland, Oregon. This is Detective Josh Wilding, and antiquities dealer Brooke Cerise’ s story line.

Told from third person perspective JOY TO THE WOLVES is a Christmas themed story line that follows red wolf shifter and antiquities dealer Brooke Cerise. Following the death of her great aunt Ivy, as the sole surviving relation, Brooke Cerise inherited her aunt’s antique shop in Portland, Oregon with the stipulation that she work and run the shop for a minimum of three years. When a missing reindeer calf shows up in Brooke’s courtyard, our heroine becomes the number one suspect and finds herself investigated by local law enforcement. Enter wolf shifter Detective John Wilding, the man with whom Brooke will fall in love but all is not well in the antiquities business when a mysterious shipment places Brooke in the direct line of fire, and the DEA and FBI are called in to help find the people responsible.

JOY TO THE WOLVES is a detailed story line that follows several intersecting paths including the romance, relationship and mating of Brooke and Josh; the appearance of an orphaned, teenaged wolf with no biological family to speak of; the murder of two antique dealers, millions of dollar in drugs and a missing thumb drive, and the discovery of a fortune in collectibles that are about to make our heroine a very wealthy wolf.

JOY TO THE WOLVES is a story of family, friendships, and relationships; a story of betrayal and vengeance; greed and murder; Christmas and love. The premise is heart warming and entertaining but saying that there is too much telling and not enough showing-sometimes fewer details allows the imagination take flight; the romance is seductive and fated; the characters are numerous and energetic.

copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Share

The Anti-Boyfriend by Penelope Ward-Review Tour

Posted on by
13

The Anti-Boyfriend ( A Man Next Door) by Penelope Ward-Review Tour

 Amazon /  Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Paper / Apple

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 31, 2020

At first, my neighbor Deacon frustrated me. Sure, he was great-looking and friendly. But our walls were thin, and on occasion, he’d bring women to his place and keep me awake while he “entertained” them.

As a single mother to an infant, I didn’t appreciate it. So, finally it was my turn. When my daughter wouldn’t stop wailing one night, Mr. Manwhore came knocking on my door.

Miraculously, at the sound of his voice, Sunny stopped crying. And when he held her…she eventually fell asleep in his arms. Deacon was rough on the exterior, but apparently on the inside? Mr. Single-and-Ready-to-Mingle was a baby whisperer. After that night, we became friends.

He’d go for coffee runs. Come over to chat. Normal friend stuff. But over time, our conversations ran deeper. We got closer. Until one night we crossed the line.

Our friendship turned into a complicated mess. I’d gone and fallen for a guy who’d sworn off commitment and kids. I knew Deacon was starting to care for me too, even though Sunny and I didn’t fit into any plan he’d ever imagined for himself. He was wrong for me—so wrong that I’d dubbed him the “anti-boyfriend.”

Then why did I wish more than anything that I could be the one woman to change him?

•••••••••

REVIEW:THE ANTI-BOYFRIEND by Penelope Ward is a contemporary, adult, stand alone erotic, romance story line focusing on twenty-five year old, former ballerina, single mother and PR rep Carys Kincaid, and twenty-nine year old, former football player and IT specialist Deacon Mathers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Carys and Deacon) THE ANTI-BOYFRIEND follows the slow building relationship between twenty-five year old, former ballerina, single mother and PR rep Carys Kincaid, and twenty-nine year old, former football player and IT specialist Deacon Mathers. After ‘hearing’ one too many night time forays from her neighbor next door, Carys Kincaid ‘politely’ notifies Deacon Mathers about his very noisy and very vocal bedroom conquests. Feeling guilty and a little bit attracted, Deacon apologizes with daily coffees and the occasional babysitting offer when needed in a pinch but Deacon Mathers doesn’t do relationships, and when their building friendship starts to turn into something more, Deacon begins to pull away, leaving a heart broken Carys in his wake. With weeks and months passing, and their dance of friendship continuing to straddle the line, jealousy reveals a mutual attraction that will be threatened when Deacon runs without looking back. What ensues is the slow building romance and relationship between Deacon and Carys, and the potential fall-out as Deacon is unable to let go of the past, and Carys is once again left heart broken when the man with whom she is falling in love, no longer wants Carys in his life.

The relationship between Carys and Deacon is one of immediate attraction but Deacon’s nightly conquests are a reminder of a life of which Carys is not a part. Once an up and coming football star, Deacon’s career ended before it began mirroring Carys’s life of dance that was destroyed in an instant. Deacon doesn’t do permanent relationships and struggles with the idea of family and kids, and in this Deacon prefers a friends with benefits arrangement that is about to implode when the heart is unable to accept the truth. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Carys’ boss Cynthia; her ex Charles; Deacon’s friend Adrian, as well as Carys’ infant daughter Sunny.

THE ANTI-BOYFRIEND covers several months and a few years in the life of Deacon and Carys. A slow building romance and relationship wherein weeks to months will pass where the reader is not privy to current events but you will not feel like the missing information is a necessary reveal. The premise is captivating; the romance is seductive; the characters are energetic, colorful and strong.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family-friendly career. She is the proud mother of a beautiful 11-year-old girl with autism and a 9-year-old boy. Penelope and her family reside in Rhode Island.

Facebook | Website | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads | Private Fan Group

Share

Dragon Lost (Dark Kings 16.5) by Donna Grant-Review Tour

Posted on by
11

Dragon Lost (Dark Kings 16.5) by Donna Grant-Review Tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 25, 2020

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Donna Grant comes a new story in her Dark Kings series…

Destinies can’t be ignored. No one knows that better than Annita. For as long as she can remember, it’s been foretold she would find a dragon. A real-life dragon. She’s beginning to think it was all some kind of mistake until she’s swimming in one of the many caves around the island and discovers none other than a dragon. There is no fear as she approaches, utterly transfixed at the sight of the creature. Then he shifts into the shape of a thoroughly gorgeous man who spears her with bright blue eyes. In that instant, she knows her destiny has arrived. And the dragon holds the key to everything.

All Royden wanted was to find an item his brother buried when they were children. It was supposed to be a quick and simple trip, but he should’ve known nothing would be easy with enemies like the Dragon Kings have. Royden has no choice but to trust the beguiling woman who tempts him like no other. And in doing so, they unleash a love so strong, so pure that nothing can hold it back.

••••••••

REVIEW:DRAGON LOST is the 16.5 instalment and novella in Donna Grant’s contemporary, adult DARK KINGS paranormal, fantasy, romance series and the latest instalment in the multi-authored 1001 Dark Nights series. This is beige Dragon King Royden Dreagan, and Annita Dragoumis’ story line. DRAGON CLAIMED can be read as a stand alone but for back story and cohesion, I recommend reading the series in order.

SOME BACKGROUND: The DARK KINGS is a spinoff from Donna Grant’s DARK WARRIOR series which in turn is a spin off from Donna’s DARK SWORD series- all set in the Highlands of Scotland. The Dark Fae and their King Taraeth, along with the Silver Dragon Mikkel had declared war on the Dragon Kings by exposing the dragon’s existence to humankind. The last wars between man and the world of the paranormal saw a great loss of life on all sides but someone or something is determined to push the Dragons back into another war; Mikkel wanted to become King of the Silvers, Queen Usaeil of the Light Fae had set her sights on claiming King Constantine as her mate, and the Dark Fae want the Dragon’s hidden weapon in order to rule Scotland and the rest of the world. With the emergence of a group known as the Others, the Dark Kings are facing several supernatural enemies determined to destroy them all.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Royden and Annita) DRAGON LOST follows beige Dragon King shifter Royden as he searches his cave on the isle of Crete, for a family heirloom lost hundreds of years before but Royden is stunned when a Greek beauty witnesses his shifting, and accepts that there are dragons in the world. Annita Dragoumis has always known her destiny was to find a dragon but our heroine had no idea if the dragon was a fantasy, a reality or a small toy left behind by a heart broken child. Meeting Royden meant her destiny had been fulfilled but Royden struggles with the knowledge that Annita is aware of the dragons’ existence. What ensues is the quick building romance and relationship between Royden and Annita, and the potential fall-out as Annita must chose between her family back home, or starting over with Royden at Dreagan in Scotland.

The relationship between Royden and Annita begins cautiously but there are some details to Annita’s destiny that now even Annita has been apprised. Both her mother and father know some details of the ‘seer’s’ predictions but Annita was never to have known about her future destiny. Royden struggles with his attraction to Annita knowing that the war with the Others could destroy them all but the heart wants his happily ever after, and Royden offers up a lifetime to his future mate. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top,sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Annita’s mother and father, and through memories of the past, Annita’s great aunt Chara, a seer who proclaimed Annita’s destiny to find her Dragon King.

DRAGON LOST is a fast paced story line of destiny and love. The premise is engaging; the romance is tender and captivating; the characters are colorful and dynamic but saying that I struggled to understand where Royden’s story line fits into the series other than to gift another Dark King with his fated mate.

Previous Reviews

Dark Craving
Night’s Awakening
Dawn’s Desire
Darkest Flame
Fire Rising
Burning Desire
Hot Blooded
Night’s Blaze
Soul Scorched
Dragon King
Passion Ignites
Smoldering Hunger
Smoke and Fire
Dragon Fever 9.5
Firestorm
Blaze
Dragon Burn 11.5
Constantine: A History Part 1
Heat
Constantine: A History Part 2
Constantine: A History Part 3
Torched
Dragon Night 13.5
Dragon Fire
Dragon Claimed
Ignite
Fever

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Donna Grant is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the sizzling Dark King series featuring dragons, immortal Highlanders, and the Fae.

She was born and raised in Texas but loves to travel. Her adventures have taken her throughout the United States as well as to Jamaica, Mexico, and Scotland. Growing up on the Texas/Louisiana border, Donna’s Cajun side of the family taught her the “spicy” side of life while her Texas roots gave her two-steppin’ and bareback riding.

Despite deadlines and voracious reading, Donna still manages to keep up with her two children, four cats, and one long haired Chihuahua.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | NEWSLETTER SIGNUP / TUMBLR / PINTEREST / GOODREADS

Share

Cowboy in Wolf’s Clothing by Kait Ballenger-a review

Posted on by
10

COWBOY IN WOLF’S CLOTHING (Seven Range Shifters #2) by Kait Ballenger-a review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 25, 2019

Born a cowboy and bred a warrior…
High Commander Colt Cavanaugh has spent his life defending his pack and its sprawling ranchlands. But the hardened Grey Wolf soldier has a dark secret that could destroy his life forever.
Belle Beaumont is a wanted woman, on the run from the wolf pack that kidnapped her. When fate brings her face-to-face with the Grey Wolf High Commander himself, rivalry becomes passion, and suddenly more than just her freedom is at stake.
Colt will fight to the death for the healing Belle brings to his battle—worn heart—and for this cowboy wolf, all’s fair in love and war…

••••••••••

REVIEW: COWBOY IN WOLF’S CLOTHING is the second instalment in Kait Bellanger’s contemporary, adult SEVEN RANGE SHIFTERS erotic, paranormal romance series, a spin off from the author’s EXECUTION UNDERGROUND series. This is wolf shifters doctor Belle Beaumont, and High Commander Colt Cavanaugh’s story line. COWBOY IN WOLF’S CLOTHING can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information for the previous instalment is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Colt and Belle) COWBOY IN WOLF’S CLOTHING follows the building relationship between wolf shifters doctor Belle Beaumont, and High Commander Colt Cavanaugh. Dr. Belle Beaumont, a rogue wolf without a pack, has been imprisoned by the Seven Range Shifters. Upon her escape, Belle would come face to face with High Commander Colt Cavanaugh, a wolf that stirred something deep within our story line heroine, something she is hoping to explore. An attack by a group of vampires and half-vampires leaves our hero struggling for his life, a life of which Belle is about to save. What ensues is the building relationship between Belle and Colt, and the potential fall-out as Belle discovers the truth about our story line hero, a truth he has been hiding most of his life.

Colt Cavanaugh is first and foremost a warrior, a shifter, and a cowboy at heart but Colt has been targeted by a group of vampires who know more about our hero than the pack he represents. Fighting for his life, Colt struggles with his attraction to a woman who could threaten any semblance of peace our hero has earned. At war with the rogue pack known as Wild Eight’s as well as the ongoing battle with a group of vampires hunting on their lands, the Seven Range Shifters must come to a decision as it pertains to the threat against all of their lives. Meanwhile, Belle Beaumont is desperate to escape the strangle hold of both the Wild Eights, and the Seven Range Shifters. Not quite a prisoner but detained none the less, our heroine struggles with her attraction to a man who doesn’t do relationships, and is more into one-night stands. A series of attacks against the Seven Range Shifters finds Belle on the run, not only for her life but to escape the man with whom she has fallen in love.

The relationship between Belle and Colt is one of immediate attraction but Colt doesn’t do relationships, and Belle is in no position to settle down. Belle gives as good as she gets including her one on one banter with our story line hero. With her freedom granted for services rendered, Belle heads to place unknown until news of a different kind changes her plans. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense but I struggle with the use of a certain four-letter word in my romance story lines.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Wes Calhoun and Naomi Evans (Cowboy Wolf Trouble #1), Colt’s sister Sierra, Packmaster Maverick Grey and his sister Maeve, Malcolm, Dean, Austin, IT specialist Blaze, vampire Lucas, and several members of the Seven Range Shifters and Wild Eights packs.

COWBOY IN WOLF’S CLOTHING is a passionate story of family, friendship, bonding and blood. The premise is dramatic, energetic and engaging; the characters are edgy and animated; the romance is spicy and hot. COWBOY IN WOLF’S CLOTHING is an imaginative and intense addition to Kait Ballenger’s SEVEN RANGE SHIFTERS series.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one COWBOY WOLF TROUBLE

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

BIO: Kait Ballenger is a full-time paranormal romance author, wife, bellydancer, graduate student, and soon-to-be-professor. She is the multi-published, award-winning author of the Execution Underground paranormal romance series. With a B.A in English from Stetson University, Kait is currently earning an M.F.A in Writing. Kait believes anything is possible with hard work and dedication. One day, she hopes to be a bestseller and to see her novels on the big screen. Look for the next two books in her page-turning Execution Underground series: Twilight Hunter, book one (August 2013) and Immortal Hunter, book two (January 2014). For more information, please visit www.kaitballenger.com or follow her on Twitter @kait_ballenger.

Goodreads / Twitter / Website / Facebook

Share

Misadventures with a Book Boyfriend (Misadventures Series) by Victoria Blue-Review Tour

Posted on by
10

Misadventures with a Book Boyfriend (Misadventures Series) by Victoria Blue-Review Tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play / iBooks /

 ADD to Goodreads

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 5, 2019

A washed-up model at the age of 27, Oliver Connely has gone from being a household name to barely making the rent. It’s time to think fast—and cash in big—with a can’t-miss idea inspired by the passion he sees in a handful of romance novel fans. Book Boyfriend Incorporated is born.

Can’t. Miss.

Right?

Except for the unexpected glitches Oliver’s business plan doesn’t cover—like falling for one of his “lonely lady” clients, Bailey Hardin, a politician’s wife who’s as smart and loyal as she is beautiful and sexy. Their chemistry, instant and scorching, is already a problem—but when Bailey’s husband turns up dead, the pair quickly learns they’re facing more than a simple PR nightmare.

The mess intensifies when Oliver’s best friend decides to put a bid in for the freshly vacated city manager position, ensuring Oliver is now caught between his longtime best friend and his new ladylove. The clock is ticking, and the political scandal is growing. Tough decisions must be made—especially because, for the first time in Oliver’s life, matters of his heart are on the line.

***Misadventures is a romantic series of spicy standalone novels, each written or co-written by some of the best names in romance. The stories are scandalous, refreshing, and, of course, incredibly sexy. They’re the perfect bedside read, a ‘quick blush’ for the reader who loves a page-turning romance.

••••••••••

REVIEW:Misadventures with a Book Boyfriend begins with Oliver Connely worrying about his future. He had the world by the tail as a male model. Household name? Check. Good looks? Check. And, unfortunately over the hill at 27? Check. His agent hasn’t called and Oliver is getting desperate. He is getting behind on his rent and doesn’t want to rely on his best friend and roommate, Skye. While he is poolside at his complex, he overhears some older women talking about a book that they had been reading and he has an idea. Why not start a company a company that feeds off of women’s passion for the romance novels they read?

After talking with one of the women in particular, he comes up with the name for his company: Book Boyfriend, Inc. and she becomes his ‘go to’ when he has questions. He places an ad and it doesn’t take long for someone to book a date with her favorite romance novel character. The first thing Oliver has to do is to get serious and actually read the books so that he can arrive in character.

His first date is a success, and more follow. What he didn’t count on was the feelings he developed for his very first client. As Oliver glides through his dates, he encounters his first client and learns that she has been thinking about him too. What follows not only changes their lives, but the lives of a lot of people around them.

Misadventures with a Book Boyfriend started off with a very intriguing premise, but, at least for me, veered into something quite different. Oliver basically becomes a male escort. Baily, his first date, is married (not a spoiler here, it’s in the blurb) and her husband ends up dead. Oliver’s best friend, Skye, gets caught up in the political mess that is Baily’s husband’s death as well. Oliver and Baily work together to try and figure out the political mess and fall for each other even more. Of course, everything works out in the end, but the story felt a little forced for me. I don’t feel that there was really enough character development, but the characters were likeable overall, maybe just not believable. As I said before, it has intriguing premise, but it fell a little short for me.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Vickie

Victoria Blue lives in her own portion of the galaxy known as Southern California. There she finds the love and life sustaining power of one amazing sun, two unique and awe inspiring planets and three indifferent, yet comforting moons. Life is fantastic and challenging and every day brings new adventures to be discovered. She looks forward to seeing what’s next!

Follow: Goodreads Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Share

Demon’s Temptation (Knights of Hell #3) by Sherilee Gray-a review

Posted on by
13

DEMON’S TEMPTATION (Knights of Hell #3) by Sherilee Gray-a review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 28, 2019

Half demon and club owner Brent Silva lives and breathes control—in all things. He’ll never give into the constant cravings of his incubus side again. Revenge against the ancient demon who almost broke him is all that matters. Until a captivating female, hell bent on pushing him to his limits, storms into his life and makes him hunger for so much more.

Waitress Chaya Westbrook is determined to join the war against the demons hunting her kind. And if her first assignment also helps her prove to her maddening boss that she’s more than capable of giving him exactly what he needs, in and out of the bedroom, she’s all for it.

But when the heat between them becomes impossible to resist, the dark secrets of Brent’s past are revealed. Will the truth finally set him free or tear away the only female he’s ever loved?

••••••••

REVIEW: DEMON’S TEMPTATION is the third instalment in Sherilee Gray’s contemporary, adult KNIGHTS OF HELL erotic, paranormal romance series focusing on a group of demon hunters known as the Knights of Hell, warriors whose birth was ordained by the mating of angels and demons. This is Demi-demon(s)and night club owner Brent Silva, and half-demon, waitress Chaya Westbrook’s story line. DEMON’S TEMPTATION can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. An important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: DEMON’S TEMPTATION contains M/M, Domme/sub and BDSM sexual situations that may not be suitable for all readers.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Brent and Chaya) DEMON’S TEMPTATION follows the building relationship between half-demons Brent Silva and Chaya Westbrook. Brent Silva wants Chaya Westbrook but his dark and sexually deviant past forces our hero to keep his distance from the woman that calls to his heart. Discovering that Chaya is working for a group of renegades in an effort to help the Knights of Hell, Brent is desperate to prove that they belong together. What ensues is the building sexual and romantic relationship between Brent and Chaya, and the potential fall-out as Brent’s past continues to haunt his days and nights.

Chaya Westbrook knows she is not a submissive but trying to convince the man that call to her heart that what she needs is not necessarily what she wants is easier than expected. Brent Silva is a succubus, and as such, his sexual needs are unlike those of most demons and men but trying to hide his nature from the woman he loves wracks our hero with humiliation and shame. Broken and struggling with sins of the past, Brent is unwilling to open up fearing the loss of Chaya’s love.

The relationship between Chaya and Brent begins as a working arrangement; a friends to lovers, Domme/sub relationship wherein Brent needs what Chaya is offering, a chance to submit to the woman he loves. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic, and intense.

The colourful secondary and supporting characters include Chaya’s sister Mia Westbrook and her demon hunting mate Zenon (Knight’s Salvation #2), Eve and Lazarus (Knight’s Redemption #1), as well as Victor, a man whose interest in Chaya is questionable and misdirected.

The world building focuses on the BDSM and Domme/sub relationship between our leading couple, detracting from the demon-hunting/angels and demons aspect of the first two instalments.

DEMON’S TEMPTATION is a story of betrayal, secrets, obsession and love. The premise is engaging, captivating and provocative; the romance is impassioned and steamy; the characters are determined, broken and energetic. DEMON’S TEMPTATION is a sensual and sexual look at want and need.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Knight’s Redemption
Knight’s Salvation
Demon’s Temptation

Own a copy

Reviewed by Sandy

Share