+Giveaway

Romance, contemporary - novel
TBR Reviewer: Luta Wolf

Wynne Smith sees a pattern and is unable to stop even though she is told to. Only one man will hear her out, US Marshal Seth Vassar but will there determination into finding the identity of a serial killer make them the next target. As they search by day and heat the sheets by night one thing is clear, they’re time together is anything but boring.
 
I love a good suspense book, one that leaves me guessing who did it all the way to the end and this really fit the bill for it. The plot is extremely well balanced even while going from the past to the future it was all seamlessly blended together. The villain is really dark and a serious creeper but the author once again did an amazing job of balancing, just when it would become too much the author would throw in a nice dish of steam. Oh and was this story hot, two alpha characters circling and sniffing each other out. Just as I thought one
would go in for the kill, clothes are being thrown about. 

I loved the characters! Honestly, the suspense was so strong in this story that I was a bit surprised at just how well done these characters were. The chemistry was viable, the description and history  made them so real. I truly hated to leave them when the story ended. My only complaint is how stupid Wynne could be but again, I can’t help but actually like that. It added a third dimension but beware that it will have you yelling at your book just as you yell in a horror movie at the idiot character that goes down the dark basement stairs.

In a Lover's Silece is the sitting on the edge of my seat romantic thriller and this book was a thrill that I highly recommend.

Present Day
Anchorage, Alaska

"I'm so totally screwed." The temptation to smack her skull onto her desk a few times was overwhelming, but Wynne Smith fought it. She needed to keep her head up so she could watch the progress of the three men following Donna. The  collections manager led them past the collections floor with its sections of cubicles, and into the office of Elliot White, the owner of the agency.

Over the partition separating their workstations, Wynne's friend, Rita Lang, peered down at her. "What's up? Who are they?"
 
Wynne figure cowering behind flimsy moveable barriers wouldn't do her any good. She stood up and propped her arm on the wall. She gave a quick wave to the dark-haired man carrying a cowboy hat.

 He dipped his head in return. The beginnings of a grin lifted his lips and amusement flashed in his green eyes. In her stomach, butterflies fluttered to life and the temptation to curl up against his broad chest had to be pounded into submission.

"You know them?" Rita scurried out of her cubbyhole to join Wynne.

"Not really. The big guy in the suit I don't know, but the smaller suit behind him is a special agent with the FBI. Dex Franklin. The one in the jeans and McCloud coat is Deputy US Marshal, Seth Vassar."

 "FBI? Marshal? What have you done? And what's a McCloud coat?"

Wynne laughed and answered the easiest of the questions. "Remember the 1970s TV series with Dennis Weaver? He always wore that suede coat with the sheepskin lining. That's a McCloud coat."

 "Ah." Rita's head bobbed up and down, her short red curls bouncing around her face. "So, what did you do?"

"Wynne." Donna's cool summons overrode Rita's question.

Not that Wynne wanted to answer either woman. No. If she had her 'druthers, she'd be out the office's front door and half-way home. But the look on Donna's face and the surprised glance from Amy Wright, the collection agency's paralegal, assured Wynne there was no opportunity for escape.
 
Grabbing the bottle of Dr. Pepper from her desk, Wynne sighed. "Pray for me, Rita, it's gonna be a hell of a Friday." She didn't wait for a response before crossing the room and following Donna into the owner's office.

Erotica - novel
TBR Reviewer: Shyla

Teach Me Master, is a steamy short that walks a tight rope between tension, resistance and surrender.  
 
Triss, “Treats” Long has been crushing on her neighbor, Mr.Sexy for years. Once she discovered her apartment was directly across from him she couldn’t resist watching him and the deliciously naughty things he liked to do with his partners.  Rope, leather, and spankings, are  things that should send a good girl like her running in the opposite direction, except it ignites a fire in her belly.  Years of longing and sexual frustration did nothing to compare her to what a face to face meeting would do to her body and her mind. From the moment Vince runs into Triss in his hallway, she’s the only woman he can think about. He’s had plenty of play dates to test his compatibility to other subs, but none have stuck. Yet, there’s something he senses in Triss, he’s willing to wait for. For the next six months he focuses his attention to winning her over to the dark side. When their nightly talks on the phone are no longer enough he gives her an ultimatum. They can move to the next level or go their separate ways. What follows next is a sexy lesson In self-discovery, pleasure, and toe-curling sex. 

 Ms. Rain did a wonderful job painting a picture of who the heroine was. Triss is an independent woman who works hard to pay her own way, with a writing career by day and an apartment cleaning gig in the evenings.  She’s satisfied with everything but her love life which is non-existent.  Literally , despite her age the erotic romance writer is a virgin. Yes the irony made me chuckle as well. 

That being said, I was left wondering about the hero Vince. Who was he other than the sexy Dom who craved Triss, wore nice suits, and made the decision to chase Triss after one run in, literally in his hallway.  What was it that drew him to Triss?  Why he was so sure she was the one? He was portrayed as a play boy, so it’d take a lot more than a hunch to make him quit other woman cold turkey. (  Woman everywhere wish players gave up this game this
easily, am I right?) I know that the story was only 105 pages, but I felt she could’ve taken some of the spot light off of the heroine and onto Vince. 

I also felt the story went a bit overboard explaining why, Triss was so dead set against the kink Vince had to offer.  True, it’d be hard to get used to the fact that what you desire is beyond what’s accepted as ‘the norm’ in society. But, we’re talking about a very independent woman who wrote erotica for a living. In my mind she would’ve gotten over her aversion sooner.  She’d lusted after Vince for four years, spent a year getting to know him, and six
months talking on the phone as a Dom and her Sub.  At this point, I was left wondering what she’s waiting for, and why Vince was still holding out. Not that a man shouldn’t wait until a woman is ready. But these two weren’t even going out on dates, or kissing. 

For those reasons listed above I gave Teach me Master three stars. I think if Ms. Rain had  taken out some of the background information, and focused more on the present, this could have earned a four star rating, easily.  Those tweaks would have erased the moments that made the story seem to drag, fleshed out the characters more and added more believability.