Dangerous Pasts

C&M Security

Author: Moira Callahan

Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Length: Novel

TBR Reviewer: Bella Star

Rating: 3 Stars - A Good Read

Heat: 4/5 - Smoking hot

I've read this series before and loved it! This book however, well, the beginning was very jumpy. It started with a 'summary' about Chandra, former CIA agent. Then at chapter one she wakes up after being tortured which was a fantastic scene but then we leap to 8 days earlier. It was all very well written and entertaining but like I said, jumpy. Some scenes were slow moving, I'm not sure if that because of the choppy beginning. After reading about her torture I wanted to get into the action. How does she get out? How did they find out about her past? Is she going to kick some serious butt? But what I got was her telling her boyfriend about her past. It was interesting but slow. The sex was really hot but then we skip to two days later. So, the pace was definitely off. Once we eventually got to the action again it was a great read. What really made me enjoy this book were the characters. Chandra was a badass with a soft side and Zach, her boyfriend, was a sexy hero. 

I would recommend the C&M Security Series. 

Title: Chasing The Wind

Dancing in the Rain #2 - Can be read as standalone

Author: Dianna Hunter

Length: Novel

Genres: Paranormal, Romance

TBR Reviewer: Cecile 

Rating: 5 stars - A Must Read

Heat: 3/5 - Blush Worthy 

Dana is a member of a badass group of fighters called the Nautica Guardians.  Whether killing zombies, or chasing a powerful witch she deals with danger, blood, and gore on the daily.  With the help of her companions Reese and Finn she must navigate a new adventure looking for a very bad witch who has even worse motives.  Which of these men will capture her heart and help her end the dastardly plans of that witch? It will be up to Dana to not only make a choice as to what man she wants to love and to fight the witch who would otherwise take out not just her and her friends but their bloodlines.  

I found Dana to be a refreshingly strong female character, which is a refreshing angle.  I also found the world building and the plot to be very complex yet easy to read and enjoyable.  I found Dana to be relatable in her sense of humor.  Dianna Hunter’s attention to detail brought the world to life and had me creeped out by the zombies at all the right times.   Finn is a man’s man though he also was able to bring out Dana’s femininity at a time where she was all rough edges and battle.  I give five stars for this wonderful adventure that is sure to keep the reader turning pages! 

For the love of Patrick by Shannon Rouchelle

Category: Contemporary Romance

Length: 45 pages

TBR Reviewer: Shyla

Rating: 3 Stars - A Good Read

Heat: 2/5 - Flirty

Ms. Rouchelle switches things around in this story with our hero as the dancer looking for love. Wronged by the woman he thought was the one, Patrick’s sworn off women for over a year. But Valentine ’s Day has come around, and his hopefulness pays off when he sees a woman who catches his eye. Life gets in the way when he’s accosted and fate begins to play a game of keep away with the two potential lovers. Allison Stewart is a woman still climbing her way out of the pit her last break-up left her in a year prior. At the insistence of a friend, she heads out to the local club where male dancers will be performing. From there, her life changes, and so does her luck in love.

While I loved Rouchelle’s ingenuity, I really wanted more depth from the characters. I didn’t feel like I knew who they were or why they’d work well together. We spent most of our time watching “The chase” as life sent them in different directions, and I would’ve liked a bit more time spent on their actual connection and courtship. Filled with humor, and a unique plot line, this was a story that stands out.

GIVEAWAY: Ms. Marie is giving away an Ecopy of her book. The TBR Pile is giving away a book from our prize list. To ENTER: Tell us if you've read this author before and why you want to read Scandalous Endeavors! 

Jason

Anita Blake # 23

By Laurell K. Hamilton

Length: Novel - Purchased

Genre: Paranormal, Vampire, Shifter, Romance

TBR Reviewer: Christine K.

Rating: 3 Stars - A Good Read

Heat: 3/5 - Blush Worthy

This book was just...not how I wanted the series to end. Although I heard the author is writing more in this series. Anita meets Jason and his girlfriend J.J. at the airport. They’re all having conflicted emotions when it comes to their relationship in the bedroom. They all go back to the circus. In Jason's bedroom there’s a ‘romance’ scene. From there they go to Jean-Claude’s bedroom and add Jade. Another romp. Then she leaves and they have another go at each other. Then they all have a long, and I mean long, drawn out conversation about Jade and J.J’s girlfriend. They both want to break up.  And then the book ends. Really dissapointed. I was so excited to read about Jason! He's one of my favorite characters. But the story had no plot. It was fun to read but the ‘romance’ aspect was kind of dulled because there was just so much of it.

Dead Ice is the next book in the Anita Blake Series. I think it comes out in June or July of 2015.

Title: Dipping His Pen In The Office Ink

Author: James Cox

Length: Novella

Genres: Paranormal, M/M, Shifter

TBR Reviewer: Cecile 

Rating: 4 Stars - Recommended Read

Heat: 3/5 - Blush Worthy 

Quinn is a man that not only suffers from a deteriorating vision condition referred to as night blindness; he also has a terrible taste in boyfriends.  The story begins when he breaks up with his psychotic boyfriend Sean for beating up his boss.  Things go downhill from there with Quinn running for his life and moving to the moon to escape Sean.  It’s then he meets his new boss Lyon who is not only the most attractive man Quinn has met, but also mysterious.  Can a relationship happen between them or will Sean take away Quinn’s chance at love?  Lyon’s secret may make or break their odds… 

While this was a novella, it was engaging from the beginning to the end with no real lag time.  I gave the book four stars for filling an ambitious amount of worldbuilding, character building, and love story into 38 pages.  This is also a free read so it does whet the appetite for the author’s other works and I will be reading those in the future.  I gave the one love scene a three in terms of sizzle as it came later in the book and while hot I feel as though I was left wanting more time between them in the sheets!  Quinn’s sarcasm and banter was fun and the book was enjoyable from start to finish.  If you want a quick read that will make you smile I suggest this book!

A new James Cox book! Yay! I love this series. It’s so unique and seriously sexy. We have Alyx. The good guy, go by the law, ambassador for earth on this foreign planet. He picks the wrong guy to date and this guy frames him for kidnapping! Alyx is sentence to prison. He’s humiliated by the verdict and is taken to a prison space ship where he’s handcuffed to the sexy dragon like man, Torquil. I like to refer to Tor as sex on legs. Gorgeous! Bad boy with a heart that been beaten so badly he thinks he’s a monster. Then there’s a riot on the ship and they’re stuck running while chained together. Then someone in their prison escape group starts killing them off!

This wasn’t just sci fi, it had mystery and romance. It was a clash of genre’s that was played out perfectly on paper or my Nook, depending on what you’re reading. I loved Alyx. He was such a sweet guy who just had really bad taste in men. And Torquil is going to stay with me for a while. That ending with the dragon tattoo transfer, Damn! There are funny one liners. Ridiculously hot sex and I was surprised by who the killer was. It was a race to see which bad guy was the worst of the lot. The romance between Alyx and Torquil just topped off a fabulous story. I loved that flying scene. Can’t give too much away but when you get to it, you’ll know.

Handsome Men Bite Back is a blend of sci fi, mystery and erotic romance. Do not pass this series up! 

Giveaway: Mr. Cox is giving away 2 Ecopies of the first book in this series - Handsome Hero Wanted. The TBR Pile is giving away an Ebook from the prize list. To ENTER: Comment below why you want to read Handsome Men Bite Back.

Affliction

Anita Blake # 22

by Laurell K. Hamilton

Length: Novel - purchased

Genre: Paranormal, Vampire, Shifter, Romance

TBR Reviewer: Christine K.

Rating: 5 Stars - A Must Read

Heat: 5/5 - Orgasmic

Micah’s father is dying because of a mysterious zombie bite and Anita goes there to help. What she doesn’t expect is to find dozens of cases of missing people who are now killer zombies.

First of all, fabulous, action packed book. Second, stop putting Micah and Nathaniel in harm’s way! Although I am becoming very fond of Wicked and Truth. This book was fantastic. I loved the mystery aspect of it although I did know who the ‘bad guy’ was pretty soon in. It was still enjoyable to watch the plot play out and the characters learn the truth. There’s a death that kind of surprised me and a death twist at the end that I didn’t expect. The action was so thick in this book. Zombies were abound and really brought out Anita’s fantastic necromancy. The romance was mainly with Nicky, her lion bride. He’s okay. I’m not a big fan of him. Not sure why. My gut says don’t trust him. Or maybe it’s because I’m smitten with Micah and Nathaniel. Also Wicked and Truth. On a side note, there's only one book left in the series. I said this before but I really hope the author will add more. I love this series and it just gets better as the books progress.

Affliction was a zombie killer adventure with some romance with our favorite characters. A must read! Onward to Jason!

Kiss the Dead

Anita Blake # 21

by Laurell K. Hamilton

Length: Novel- purchased

Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Vampire, Shifter

TBR Reviewer: Christine K.

Rating: 5 Stars - A Must Read

Heat: 5/5 - Orgasmic

Now that the mother of all darkness is gone and the European Council pretty much in shreds Anita can relax. Yeah, Right. A group of vampires have decided they don’t want a master. They begin a deadly game with her and the people she loves.

Loved it! Even without the heavy plotline of the Mother of all Darkness, this book was fantastic! There was a ton of action. Vampires, bombs, suspicious detectives, Zebrowski, lol. Even Asher starts to show his true nature that gets Anita hurt. There was so much going on and it really came together in the perfect balance. Again Nathaniel’s in peril. I wish the author would stop doing that, makes me nervous. Nathaniel is one of my favorite characters! There are only 2 books left in the series. I’m seriously going to miss the Anita Blake world. I hope the author decides to write more.

Onward to Affliction!