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REVIEW: Christmas with a Cowboy by Vanessa Deveraux

1/30/2014

Christmas with a Cowboy
By Vanessa Devereaux
Genre: Rubenesque, western, Erotic
Length: Short
TBR reviewer: Bella Star
Rating: 4 stars – Highly Recommended
Heat: 4 – Smoking Hot

I absolutely loved how this book started. Everyone can relate to some idiot riding their fender in dangerous weather. Turns out the idiot that was on Sophia’s bumper is a sexy cowboy that will change her life.

I loved the authors description of Flynn, I could see him perfectly and I’m pretty sure I started drooling. Sexy, right? Damn, Flynn was gorgeous, if a jerk of a driver. Then both their flights are cancelled and the hotel has a mix up. It seemed like fate was throwing them together weither they wanted to or not. So cute! I really enjoyed this short story. The characters were wonderful and the plot romantic. The only issues was that the scenes were jumpy because of all the Point of View changes. Normally, I’d bitch about spending time alone with a stranger but for some reason this pair worked out well. I felt their connection. The romance was so very well written.

If you want sweet and sexy without much angst, Christmas with a Cowboy is for you!

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REVIEW: Removing the Gargoyle's Mask by Charlie Richards

1/30/2014

Removing the Gargoyle's Mask
(A Paranormal's Love Book 5)
Author: Charlie Richards
Length: 91 pgs.
Genres: M/M paranormal romance
TBR Reviewer: Amanda
Rating: 4 Stars – Recommended read
Heat: 4 – Smoking Hot

Marty finds himself repeatedly going to the same coffee shop late in the evening looking for a mysterious, bearded man he has seen there several times. Raymond heads there as often as he can get away from it, hoping to see Marty, knowing that Marty is his mate but human. Ray is a gargoyle and is unsure how to start a relationship with a human that doesn't already know about the paranormal world. As the two start to take steps towards each other, outside forces both for and against them add to the pressure and may keep their fledgling relationship from ever getting off the ground.

I enjoyed this story thoroughly. The whole series is pretty unique, with gargoyles as one of the main paranormal character types, although mixing with vampires and shifters. I especially liked the way Marty ended up the much more dominant of this pair, even though he was the human and the one that was injured. Raymond's computer geek persona contrasted nicely with Marty's construction and business background, and I liked how even from his hospital bed, Marty could take charge. New secondary characters were introduced that I hope to see more of as well, and although I wouldn't have minded the book ending a little later than it did (I would have liked to see Raymond post-molt), I still felt it was a great read. This is definitely a series I will continue to read from an author I truly enjoy.

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REVIEW: Wayne County Holidays by Stephani Hecht

1/30/2014

Wayne County Holidays
(Wayne County Wolves #9)
Author: Stephani Hecht
Length: 42 pages
Genres: M/M paranormal romance
TBR Reviewer: Amanda
Rating: 3 Stars – Good Read
Heat: 3 – Blush Worthy

For the shifters living in Wayne County, life is almost always a battle. The shifter world is a violent one, and even the Christmas holidays are not safe from an attacking, invading pack that wants to move into new territory. Pregnant Alpha Mate Callie assigns Christmas decorating to Hale, and his mate helps to decorate the whole pack dwelling. Of course, it doesn't last long - they are attacked again and Callie's babies are on the way, too.

I think this series has started to go off the rails - maybe the stories are coming too close together, or maybe it needs a new editor, but I really have not enjoyed the last few the way I have the early ones in the series this spun off of or even the first couple of this series. The stories have become formulaic and the editing is poor. However, I really wanted to see what happened with the pregnancy and loved the choices of godparents/bodyguards. If you just want a quick look into the Wayne County Pack and the current couples, this story does that.

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REVIEW: Breaking Point by Susan Hayes

1/30/2014

Breaking Point
(Sunset Point series)
Author: Susan Hayes
Length or wordcount: 234 pages
Genres: Contemporary/Suspensey/Menage
TBR Reviewer: Victoria
Rating: 4 Stars - Highly Recommended
Heat: 4 - Smoking Hot.

Lexa's mom moved her away from Sunset Point when Lexa was only eight years old, convincing the young girl that the island was full of sexual deviants and an all-around bad place to be. Twenty years later, almost a year after her father's death (who she didn't see after leaving the island), she finally returns, having been located by her father's lawyer (and at-one-point-menage family member) Sam and informed of her inheritance of all of her father's belongings, including a marina. She quickly begins remembering her childhood on the island and runs into her playmates, Beau and Diego, who she'd jokingly said she'd marry one day (yes, both of them).The sex in this book is hot, heavy, and frequent once the trio actually runs into one another (that doesn't take place for a surprising amount of time - like 25% through the book before they finally make contact). I'm not generally a menage girl, but I loved how Ms. Hayes handled it, and how the men were up front and honest about wanting permanence with Lexa, and both of them involved with it. It was nice to have no man-on-man action. They were all about Lexa.

The secondary plot was a search for a drug smuggler who'd brought drugs to the island, and as cops, it was Beau and Diego's job to track the smuggler down. The secondary plot really came across as not so much of an after-thought, but more...filler. It really wasn't that big of a deal throughout the book, just sandwiched in between sex scenes (heh - a lot of sandwiching went on, with Lexa as the center).

And that brings me to the points that made me decrease the stars. 1) To my mind, the villain had a neon-pink sign over their head saying "I'm the villain, I'm the villain" from the very first time they showed up on the page.

2) The far more heinous, squicky aspect (which was much more responsible for the lowered score than the villain issue) was the fact that over and over and over again, Beau and Diego harped on the fact that they'd been dreaming about loving Lexa, being with Lexa, ever since she vanished. She left the island when. She. Was. Eight! They were dreaming about a woman they literally had not seen since she was eight. Not even a tween or a teen. Eight! Had she been a teenager, I really would have had very little problem with this, but there you have it. It really really gave me the squickies. I almost wonder if in an earlier draft she'd been older and then because of the need for Lexa to remember very little about the island, Ms. Hayes made her younger, and just sort of overlooked the age thing when having Beau & Diego go googly-eyed over their memories of her.

But, I really liked this book and think I'm going to go find others in the series, which is saying something considering my prior feelings about menage couples. Well done to Ms. Hayes for getting me to think more positively about menage romance! I loved it!

Thanks to the author for sending this to review!

PURCHASE HERE

REVIEW: Simple Man by Lydia Michaels

1/30/2014

Simple Man
Author: Lydia Michaels
Length or wordcount: 244 pages
Genres: Contemporary Romance/Men's (Women's) Fiction
TBR Reviewer: Victoria
Rating: 4 Stars - Highly Recommended
Heat: 3 - Blush Worthy

I will be honest up front. The hero (Shane) didn't meet the romantic interest (Kate) until the 28% mark. They didn't spend more than a few minutes/pages in the same room until approximately 45% of the way through the book. I truly thought it was the male equivalent of a women's fiction novel. Having just finished Simple Man, I'm glad I stuck with the book. Oh, wow. The ending...

The entire book is from Shane's POV (unusual in a romance to say the least), as he takes in the two-month old nephew he didn't know he had until after his sister dies (he didn't know she'd had the baby; last he'd known, she was going to get an abortion, and she'd vanished). The first half of the book was Shane adapting to life and the stressors that come with having a baby as a single father. Watching him grow over the course of the book ended up being an absolute delight. My heart nearly broke for him when there was a chance that the baby's biologic father might take him away.

The romance between Kate and Shane seemed to move fast at times, but that likely comes from the fact that they didn't even spend much page time together until the latter half of the book, so it had to grow fast. I wish there had been a little more interaction in the earlier portion of the book, and it's that reason alone that keeps this from ending up a five star rating. I just can't do it, not when I had trouble getting through the first half of the book. Then once Kate/Shane started progressing in their romance, the pages flew by for me.

So, I'm grateful I stuck with this and I'm so happy to have been introduced to Ms. Michaels' work.

PUCHASE HERE

CONTEST: Seeds of Transition, Book One: The Genesis

1/27/2014

Seeds of Transition
Book one : The Genesis Project
Series: Seeds of Transition
Author: Carolyn Holland & Kef Hollenbach
Length: 77
Genres: Science Fiction
Tbr Reviewer : Shyla

Rating: 4 Stars - Highly Recommended

The descriptive words were nothing short of masterful. Holland and Hollenbach did an incredible job of painting a vivid landscape. A new world foreign, frightening, and all too believable came to life among the pages. As an increasing change in climate creates wicked storms around the world, crops began to wither, food becomes scarce, and prices spiral out of control. The United states begins to recruit people to come over and help create new avenues via The Genesis Project. Our main character, Ghazi and his family are among the ones brought over.

This amazing tale is thought provoking, honest, and raw. You run the paces with these characters experiencing their joy, sorrow, frustration, and fear. In an unpredictable world they are forced to answer the question, what measure of a man ( or woman) make you who you are? It makes one wonder what you’d do if placed in the middle of a global crisis and asked to use your skills to help.

Each chapter opened with a phrase or quote, which I loved. It added an extra depth to the atmosphere. Almost as if I was watching a Sci-fi flick. They explored such interesting and weighty issues and circumstances. I felt this would’ve served better as a novel. There were characters that just faded to black, without proper explanation, jolting me from the reading experience with the abruptness. For this reason and the text alignment which I find a bit off putting , I gave it four stars instead of five.

If you’re looking for a creative Sci-fi read you can finish in one sitting this will fit the bill perfectly.

PURCHASE HERE

GIVEAWAY: The author are giving away an Ebook of Seeds of Transition. The TBR Pile is giving away an Ebook from our Prize List. To ENTER: Comment below on why you want to read Seeds of Transition.

REVIEW: Galen by Tianna Xander

1/24/2014

Galen
Author : Tianna Xander
Length: 131
Genre: Paranormal Romance
TBR Reviewer: Shyla

Rating: 5 Stars - A Must Read
Heat: 3 - Blush Worthy

Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time! In the blink of an eye, Kendra’s life is changed when she’s chosen by a mad scientist for experiments. Kidnapped, injected, and trapped in a cage. She’s forced to go through a painful transformation on her own. Her life is thrust further into craziness when she’s rescued by a task force headed by an arrogant man named Galen, who claims to be a shape shifter. Her desperate attempt to cling to the belief the nightmare she’s lived is just a dream is doused, and she’s pitched headlong into an adventure.

First thing I commend Kendra on is her caution toward Galen, whom I had a hate/love relationship with. On the surface this cocky, arrogant , almost one-hundred year old man rubbed me the wrong way. Her ability to put him in his place, and keep the stars from her eyes while he peeled back his layers made me cheer. Nothing wrong with making him “work for it”, as my mom would say. Independent, intelligent, and capable, Kendra is my kind of heroine. Her sassy, but realistic adaptation to her new home was delightful to watch unfold.

Galen is man that’s hard to like and easy to love. It sounds crazy right? He buries who he truly is deep under macho swagger, and sarcastic wit. Almost one hundred years old, the shifter has given up on finding his mate. His hardened heart, and gruff around the edges complex is challenged when he stumbles onto her. Maybe I’m a bit evil but I liked seeing him squirm and scramble! He comes around quickly, and soon steals Kendra’s heart and mine along with it.

Full of adventure, smexy scenes that build up to an explosion, Ms. Xander understands sometimes the wait can be half the fun. This unique story is a satisfying short read that will leave you eager to read another one of her books.

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REVIEW: The Surrogate's Secret by Mimi Barbour

1/24/2014

The Surrogate’s Secret
Author: Mimi Barbour
Length : 193 pages
Genres: Contemporary
TBR Reviewer: Victoria
Rating: 3 Stars - A Good Read
Heat: 2 - Flirty

This is the story of a surrogate (Sheri) who became the true mother to a pair of twins when the donor parents die in a car accident and their uncle, Miguel, who wants to claim his brother’s children as the last pieces of his brother, in part to help his heart-broken mother over her grief when it comes to the loss of his brother.

Sheri – I like Sheri for having the courage and will to not only agree to be a surrogate, but to take on the responsibilities for the children when the parents die. Of course, it’s not altogether surprising, considering the truth about the egg donor. She’s a good woman, and I like her chosen career which explains how she’s able to stay at home with the twins.

Miguel – Passionate and determined, he’s a good man, looking to take care of his own, and I can’t blame him for that. However, his methods (strong-arming her, taking advantage when she’s got a very sick child) could use some work, and thankfully Sheri didn’t just blithely fall into bed with him out of gratitude.

I had issues with the story, most of which I can’t mention in a review because it would spoil the story. However, two big blaring things that I can mention got me. First was the unreality of the situation when the baby boy needed surgery. Sheri’s reason for marrying Miguel is so she would have the cash up front for the baby’s heart surgery. I’m sorry, but no hospital in the US would require full payment up front. Yes, you might have to make a partial payment/deductible up front, but even with that hospitals will generally work with you. Second – at like 4 months old, the babies were getting bottles at night and SIPPY CUPS during the day? No 4-month-old uses a sippy cup. They can’t even crawl yet.

These two definitely had a path to walk and it took them a while. I liked the secondary cast (well, Charlie and Miguel’s mom. The housekeeper…not so much). I was glad to see these two get their HEA ending. They deserved it (though it would have come a lot sooner if they’d just talked to each other). Thanks to the author for sending this to review!

PURCHASE HERE

REVIEW: Night of the Horse by Elodie Parkes

1/24/2014

Night of the Horse
by Elodie Parker
Genre - Paranormal, menage
Length - Novella
TBR Reviewer - Daniella

Rating: 3 Stars - A Good Read

Heat: 4 - Smoking hot

Rosie is in her early thirties and she is feeling very lonely. One after the other her friends are partnering up and she no longer feels like she fits in her social circle. One thing she does enjoy is to watch the two beautiful horses, one black and one silver-white, that run past her house in the night. Nothing could have prepared her for how signing up for dance lessons led by a gorgeous dark-haired man and an equally gorgeous platinum-blond man would change her lonely life.

This was a pleasant short story, with an interesting fantasy/paranormal element. I think many people can relate to the loneliness that Rosie is feeling. Although, I am not personally a fan of instant love. I do like MFM stories, but in this story, somehow the two men didn´t fit as well. Still a quick and enjoyable paranormal story, well fitted to the short story format.

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CONTEST: Breaking Bethany by Anna Keraleigh

1/19/2014

Breaking Bethany
Author: Anna Keraleigh
Length: Novella
Genre: Lesbian, science fiction, BDSM, Erotica
TBR Reviewer: Bella Star
Rating: 5 Stars - A Must Read
Heat: 5 - Orgasmic

Clarin is helping Bethany get her sister back. That’s the simple plot. The complicated plot is that this is in the future with spaceships, domination and illegal slaves. Wow! Clarin has to teach Bethany to be a submissive to fit in with the illegal slaves so that they can save her sister. However, as the training progresses Bethany and Clarin start to fall in love.

This story was fantastic! I loved the world building, it was so wonderful. I felt like I was on the spaceship. There was this cool whip that would not leave a mark on a person but still cause a sting. Since it’s a domination/submission, I was confused when Bethany was calling Clarin master. Shouldn’t it be mistress? Later on, that is explained. The characters had a lot of layers which I enjoyed peeling back. There was action, hot lesbian sex and all of it in the darkness of space.

Breaking Bethany is a wonderful BDSM romance in a sci fi setting, a must read!

PURCHASE HERE

GIVEAWAY: Ms. Keraleigh is giving away two Ecopies of Breaking Bethany. The TBR Pile is giving away a book from our prize list. To ENTER: Comment below on why you want to read Breaking Bethany.

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