Reviews

GIVEAWAY: The Reluctant Princess by MC Vaughan

12/5/2018

Title: The Reluctant Princess

Author: M. C. Vaughan

Length: 266 pages

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

TBR Reviewer: Stefan

Rating: 5-a must read

Heat: 4-smoking hot

Zara is a wannabe painter who is struggling to make it financially. On the eve of her big breakthrough, fate takes a hand and a fire destroys her paintings. Her pride won’t allow her to borrow money from her friends or estranged family. She’s a living lookalike for a cartoon Princess Ravenna and takes a gig, dressed as the princess, to paint the children’s faces. The birthday girl’s father, Brendan, is a sexy surprise she isn't expecting.

I love this romance. The story flows wonderfully and, and for me, resonated.The story switches perspective between Zara and Brendan. The sex scenes are hot, but don’t overwhelm the romance. Without the sex, it would make a first-rate made for TV movie,—in my opinion a compliment. Brendan becomes Zara’s muse, and her paintings rise to the occasion and become sensual. Every good romance requires a few bumps in the road to true love. The Reluctant Princess has them all…overbearing parents…an interfering/jealous ex,…a spirited young girl and more. The story has well developed believable characters and a happy-for-now ending.

The Reluctant Princess is a story you’ll want to read again and again.

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Giveaway:

Ms. Vaughan is giving away an ecopy of The Reluctant Princess!

The TBR Pile is giving away 2 prize list books.

TO ENTER: Comment below on why you want to read The Reluctant Princess. Have you read this author before? For extra entries: Share this post using the Facebook and Twitter buttons below.

3 Comments

REVIEW: The Flight by Erin M. Leaf

12/3/2018

Title: The Flight, Ethan and Sebastian

Author: Erin M Leaf

Length: 51 pages

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Music, Gay

TBR Reviewer: Bella

Rating: 4 Stars - Highly Recommended Read!

Heat: 4/5 - Smoking Hot!

Sebastian is dealing with his mom’s death, being broke and now a rock star that gets him interested in the mile-high club. Ethan is tired. Tired of his music career, tired of fans, tired of the drama. Can a chance meeting make them both find a happy future?

Poor Sebastian. Poor Ethan. This story is about two unhappy guys finding each other. There’s an instant and fantastic chemistry as soon as they meet but the sex happened way too fast! Then it jumps to three months later where Ethan is miserable without Sebastian. They meet again at a concert and Ethan is ready to start something real. This is a very sweet scene that did have me swooning. This story is very rushed though. I wish the author had fleshed the story out to really give us some depth. At 51 pages it needed more meat but there is so much promise in this story that I had to give it four stars.

If you like romance that revolves around music, you’re going to love The Flight!

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REVIEW: Chasing Butterflies by Jennifer Labelle

12/3/2018

Title: Chasing Butterflies

Author: Jennifer Labelle

Length: 86 pages

Genre: Romance, Contemporary

TBR Reviewer: Bella

Rating: 4 Stars - Recommended Read

Heat: 3/5 - Blush Worthy

Sawyer and her sister left their drug addicted parents behind. She opens up a tattoo shop and it looks like things are going to improve until a blast from her past shows up. Jagger is sex on legs and a major danger to Sawyer’s heart. With tragedy and her ex, will she ever find that elusive happy ending?

The point of view was confusing. The blurb is in first person but the book was in third. Thankfully, third person is my favorite to read. This didn’t detract from the story but if anyone is expecting first this is just a heads up. That said, this is a fantastic story! Sawyer is a badass and I love me some tough heroines. I like that the past with Jagger is so heavy but also that she can’t help but let him back in her heart. The romance is too quick for me despite their past. I also wish there was some action in there. The sex is really great and the chemistry is perfect.

If you like a book all about the romance then Chasing Butterflies will be perfect for you!

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Book Spotlight and Giveaway: Hothar's Folly by Gail Koger

11/29/2018

22 Comments

Casey meets her new partner at eight thousand feet, when Hothar is suddenly wrapped around her like a limpet. He declares he has come to rescue her from a watery death. All the butthead is going to accomplish is getting them both killed. She’s a battle-tested Siren and quite capable of catching the turncoat without his help.

Or maybe not. There’s suddenly a shitload of bad guys trying to kill them. Casey quickly realizes they are an unbeatable team. She’s a bit surprised when the young Coletti warrior brags that he knows how to perform over one hundred sex acts from his mind meld with the Overlord. Does she have a budding Don Juan on her hands? He’s certainly eager to try out every one of those positions. Come to think about it, so is she. But first, they must expose the traitor before billions die.

- SNEAK PEEK -

I surveyed the tiny island and a shudder shook me. Except for the trees full of cane spiders there wasn’t any place for me to change. I jerked my thumb at the warriors. “I don’t want to strip down in front of all of them.”

Uncle Saul turned to the five Coletti warriors who had been following our conversations with great interest. “Check the island for any signs of the Rodan.”

“As you command,” they said in unison, clamped their right arms against their chests and vanished.

I smacked Hothar’s hands as he tried to unbutton my shirt. “I don’t need your help to undress. If you’ll both turn around, I’ll get out of my fat suit.”

“As my lady wishes.” He obediently turned to face the ocean.

As soon as my uncle had his back to me, I kicked my boots off and stripped down. I tugged and tugged on the fat suit’s zipper. The friggin’ thing was glued shut. I yanked and yanked and yanked some more. Since Uncle Saul didn’t like me cussing, I went with, “Son of a monkey. Mothersmucker!”

Hothar asked casually. “Do you need help?”

“I do, but don’t you dare laugh at me.”

“We wouldn’t think of it,” Uncle Saul promised solemnly.

“Fine. Get me out of this.”

Both men turned around. There wasn’t a trace of emotion on their faces as they studied the fat suit.

“A very effective disguise.” Hothar glanced at my uncle. “Cut it off?”

Uncle Saul bobbed his head. “I agree.”

They pulled their knives and went to work.

I heard a muffled snicker and looked over my shoulder. Uncle Saul was grinning like a loon. “You promised.”

“Sorry sweetheart, but you gotta admit this is pretty damn funny,” Uncle Saul said. “You resemble the marshmallow man from that silly ghost movie.”

“How was I to know the suit ballooned up in salt water?” I expelled a long breath when the foam rubber concoction fell away. The ocean breeze was pure heaven. “Thank you.”

“You are truly beautiful,” Hothar stated.

The naked desire in Hothar’s eyes had me blushing. “And you win the grand prize for awesome dimples.”

“Knock it off you two.” Uncle Saul’s mouth tightened into a hard line. “Get dressed. The Overlord will be here shortly. He’s anxious to interrogate Jarok.”

My eyes widened in horror. “Do I still look like I have the plague?”

“The Overlord won’t even notice,” Uncle Saul promised, refusing to meet my gaze.

Seriously? My skin was the color of a boiled lobster with pieces of white foam still stuck to it. “What happened with the horrendous space battle?”

“The Overlord,” Hothar said and handed me my clothes.

“Right. The big scary came, saw, and blew them all to hell.”

Guttural screams rent the air.

I took one look at the horde of hairy spiders covering Jarok and scrambled up Hothar’s back like it was the Matterhorn. Once I was perched on his shoulder, I cried, “You said cane spiders were harmless.”

“Those are not cane spiders,” Hothar replied, endeavoring to loosen my death grip on his head.

“No shit!”

“Language, young lady,” Uncle Saul warned as he reached up to pull me off Hothar’s shoulders.

Immense power rippled the air around us as the Overlord teleported in.

We all froze.

Zarek’s cold amber gaze examined us and the pieces of my fat suit. He cocked a dark brow. “I cannot wait to hear your explanation.”

“Spiders frighten my mate,” Hothar clarified.

“Mate?”

I smacked the top of Hothar’s head. “Am not.”

Letting out a sigh, my uncle pointed at Jarok. “Spiders.”

As if on cue, Jarok uttered a bone-chilling shriek.

Zarek took it all in and tapped his warrior’s bracelet. Ten seconds later, the spiders scurried back into the monstrous web.

“You don’t think they ate the other warriors, do you?”

“They did not. I had them teleport back to the ship.” Zarek replied.

“Oh, that’s good.” I released my death grip on Hothar’s head and smoothed his hair down. “Sorry.”

Uncle Saul plucked me off Hothar’s shoulders. “You should be.”

“Before you return Casey to the ship, make sure she is dressed. My crew knows she is your daughter General, and Jones females are highly sought after.”

“Casey is mine,” Hothar growled, a hand on his sword.

An aura of sheer menace radiated from Zarek. “Are you challenging me?”

Wazzock’s piss! I jumped in front of Hothar. “No! He’s not. He’s annoyed that Waewae got away. We all are. Annoyed. That is.” There was no way in hell I wanted the two of them fighting. It would get messy. Really messy and for some darn reason I couldn’t let Zarek hurt or kill Hothar. What was up with that?

All the Overlord’s terrifying power was suddenly wrapped around me and I flinched when he started mucking about in my head. How had he gotten through my shields? Using every trick Quinn had taught me I tried to evict him, but nothing worked.

Zarek’s deadly voice sounded in my mind. “You wouldn’t let me harm Hothar?”

“No, sir.”

“How did you plan on stopping me?”

“I’d keep dumping you in the ocean until you cooled down.”

Zarek leaned down and whispered in my ear. “It wouldn’t have worked.”

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Giveaway:

Ms. Koger is generously giving away a $15 Amazon gift card!

The TBR Pile is giving away 2 books from our prize list.

TO ENTER: Comment below on why you liked about the excerpt. Have you read Gail Koger before?
For extra entries share this post using the Facebook and Twitter buttons below.

Winners

$15.00 gift card: Linda
Prize List Book: g, Kate and ELF

22 Comments

GIVEAWAY: Their Mating Illusion by April Zyon

11/27/2018

3 Comments

Title: Their Mating Illusion

Author: April Zyon

Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Erotic, Magic

TBR Reviewer: Bella

Rating: 4 Stars - Highly Recommended Read!

Heat: 4/5 - Smoking Hot!

Maya believes in a prophecy to free her, to find her one true love. Too bad that man happens to be Quincy, who believes love is for fools and everything has a price. Magic, Crowns and the chance for a happy ending…

Maya is a very likeable character if a little too hopeful. She pins her future on her mate who as it turns out doesn’t believe in love. That makes for a good character conflict. Quincy has had a hard life and I just wanted to hug him! He’s been through so much and it has darkened him. Their romance is overly sweet in some places but also very hot. I like how the author blended the action with magic and sex. It made for a page turning read.

Purchase Here

Giveaway:

Ms. Zyon is giving away an ecopy of her book, Their Mating Illusion!

The TBR Pile is giving away 2 books from our prize list and a $5 Amazon gift card!

To ENTER: Comment below on why you want to read Their Mating Illusion. Have you read April Zyon before? For extra entries: Share this post using the Facebook and Twitter buttons below!

Winners

$5 Amazon gift card: Melissa
copy of Their Mating Illusion: Pam S.

3 Comments

REVIEW: Denying The Alpha Manlove Editon

11/27/2018

Title: Denying the Alpha: Manlove

Authors: LJ Longo, Pelaam, Angelique Voisen, Nell Rockhill, Marie Medina

Genre: Anthology, Gay, Paranormal, Romance

Length: 278 pages

TBR Reviewer: Bella

Rating: 3 Stars - A Good Read!

Heat: 4/5 - Smoking Hot!

When a man wants to claim his mate, there is no denying the alpha. This is a five story anthology all about sexy men finding sexy mates and how they go through hell to find their happy ending.

Tortured Heat by L.J. Longo: I’m totally in love with Tortured Heat by LJ Longo. That’s probably my favorite of the bunch. We’re instantly in the middle of it but the author does a fantastic job of explain what’s going on so the reader isn’t lost. There are lovers betraying, twists, torture, shifters, magic, yummy sex and a really interesting plot. I would have totally given this story 5 stars by itself. (5/5)

If You Can’t Stand the Heat by Pelaam: This story was okay. It was very jumpy. I honestly found the story a little boring and predictable. The sex also felt very rushed. There was some action at the end. (3/5)

Five Dollar Mate by Angelique Voisen: Cal just went through a really bad breakup and he’s selling everything in his apartment for…five dollars. Everything. Diesel is the shifter that won’t leave until Cal agrees to a date. Cal is way too trusting of this complete stranger and not only do they go on a date, but they have sex in the park before the night is over. I just couldn’t get behind Cal and Diesel. Their actions made me cringe. Then they’re talking about not breaking each others hearts and it happens way too fast. Things did get some action when Pierce (Cal’s ex) returns. (3/5)

At the Edge by Nell Rockhill: This is actually a confusing story at first. Did he choose to be wolf or was he stuck like that? It is very muddled. The drug Allum is confusing as well. I wish that would have been explained better. I didn’t feel any heat between Sorrel and Ari. When Sorrel is naked Ari barely notices and yet they’re mad for each other? I did like the way the author dealt with the Allum addiction and how that played out. (3/5)

Hunted by His Alpha by Marie Medina: I loved the world building in this story but the romance happened way too quickly! Two pages in, after just meeting, they’re talking about sleeping with each other. The mating hunt is a fun idea though. (3/5)

This anthology has a range of interesting stories. If you love erotic tales with fated mates then you’ll probably enjoy Denying the Alpha: Manlove edition

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REVIEW: The Seductress by Treva Harte

11/26/2018

Title: The Seductress (Soliciting a Lady 3)

Author: Treva Harte

Length: Novella, 83 pgs

Genres: MF Romance, Action Adventure & Suspense, Historical Suspense, Historical Romance, Murder Mystery

TBR Reviewer: Jean

Rating: 4 Stars – A Recommended Read

Heat: 3 – Blush-worthy

Marriage for the sake of title is not what Emily Whitehorn had in mind for her future, but with few romantic prospects after caring for her ailing mother for years, can her cousin Sarah, the former Lady Northenly, help her check off her list of suitable gentlemen to approach? This is another interesting installment to the Soliciting a Lady series, that further elaborates on the complexities of society in a time gone by. Again we have a curious murder mystery, a heroine who is a tad eccentric, and an unintended hero with his own eccentricities garnered from the bedroom and the battlefield. When the top contender for Emily's hand, the current Earl of Northenly, is found poisoned, both Emily and the new object of her affections, the Earl's half brother Christopher, become immediate suspects.

Thus begins the unwinding of the mystery, and while equally intriguing as the previous series, the action happens extremely fast and with little buildup or explanation. This makes the story not only confusing but leaves the reader feeling that they've missed out on some juicy details. What remains juicy however is Emily and Christopher's bedroom activity, which occurs not just in the bedroom but in other, less conventional, settings. I think we can look forward to even more eyebrow-raising escapades as this quirky period-piece series continues!

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REVIEW: Gravedigger by Ceeree Fields

11/26/2018

Title: Gravedigger…the Rayburn Mysteries

Author: Ceeree Fields

Length: 224 pages

Genres: Suspense, Romance

TBR Reviewer: Stefan

Rating: 3 Stars - A good read

Heat: 3/5 - blush worthy

This one’s a romantic detective story—with detective as the dominant. Jo Rayburn is a tough female cop who often speaks first and regrets later. Sullivan Krane is her male partner. They’re assigned a new case,…the gravedigger.…A serial weirdo who digs up recent bodies and then returns them a week later. There are a few zombie jokes thrown in and in a strange twist, Jo has to work with her half-sister, Karma and male partner, Maker Schumaker.

In my opinion, too much emphasis is put on the conflict between the sisters and spoils the detecting flow. If you’re wondering what happened to the romance angle, it's introduced relatively early, but not much happens in the first one-hundred pages. Rhys Harrison is the assistant coroner. There are a couple of blush worthy sessions in the latter half, including a hot phone sex scene. The story’s detective climax is exciting, with twists and fights as the serial gravedigger is cornered in the cemetery. In the end, Jo lands her man for a happy-for-now romantic ending.

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REVIEW: Step Into Love by Lili Draguer

11/20/2018

Title: Step Into Love

Author: Lili Draguer

Length: 103 pages

Genre: Gay, Contemporary, Taboo, Romance

TBR Reviewer: Bella Star

Rating: 4 Stars - Highly Recommended Read!

Heat: 4/5 - Smoking Hot!

Step brothers are having a hard time dealing with their romantic feelings toward each other. Will this taboo situation really have a happy ending?

The book starts right in the middle of their first kiss. I don’t like that start at all. I have no idea who these characters are, what makes them the way they are and what their personalities are. The kiss just felt out of left field. Why start there when we don’t care about the characters yet? After this awkward start, we do learn more about Colton and Asher. They have had feelings for each other for a while but neither of them was willing to act on it. Until now. The resulting cat and mouse game is really entertaining. They are both attracted but Colton is unsure while Asher knows exactly what he wants. There’s a side drama of bi-polar that I found interesting and Colton’s dad who’s a jerk. The ending is extremely satisfying and really sweet. I really enjoyed Step in Love and I look forward to reading more from this author!

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REVIEW: His Ward by Sam Crescent

11/20/2018

Title: His Ward

Author: Sam Crescent

Length: 116 pages

Genre: Erotic, Romance, Contemporary

TBR Reviewer: Bella Star

Rating: 3 Stars - A Good Read

Heat: 4/5 - Smoking Hot

Luca has a bad history and he was just given guardianship of his friends kid. Only the kid in question is a curvy eighteen-year-old that is testing his willpower. Mavis’s parents died and as it turned out, she wasn’t close to them, at all. She is however interested in her new guardian…

Mavis hated her parents, she feels like Luca wouldn’t be attracted because she’s not model thin, and a virgin. Okay so there are some clichés and jumping to conclusions here. I still liked Mavis. She reveals more about her life and how not perfect her parents were. Luca is screwed, or he’d like to be screwed. The more time he spends with Mavis the more he finds himself drawn to her. And then he spanks her? Really? That came across as so random and odd. Up until that point I was really getting into the story. Then she catches him watching porn which is much more understandable and works well to get back into the story. Then Luca takes her virginity and leaves her because he feels so guilty which makes Mavis feel used. There is so much potential here I just wish the author didn’t make it so clichéd. Once Luca does accept that there’s something important between them the heat factor kicks up to like a thousand. Very sexy! The ending is sweet and a happily ever after.

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GIVEAWAY: The Reluctant Princess by MC Vaughan

Giveaway:

REVIEW: The Flight by Erin M. Leaf

REVIEW: Chasing Butterflies by Jennifer Labelle

Book Spotlight and Giveaway: Hothar's Folly by Gail Koger

- SNEAK PEEK -

Giveaway:

Winners

GIVEAWAY: Their Mating Illusion by April Zyon

Giveaway:

Winners

REVIEW: Denying The Alpha Manlove Editon

REVIEW: The Seductress by Treva Harte

REVIEW: Gravedigger by Ceeree Fields

REVIEW: Step Into Love by Lili Draguer

REVIEW: His Ward by Sam Crescent

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