~REVIEW of Tere Michaels' DUTY & DEVOTION~

Duty & Devotion (Faith,Love & Devotion #3)

Opening Line: " I think this couch just makes me horny"

What a great conclusion to this trilogy. It isn’t often that you get the story after the HEA and I really appreciated being allowed back into Evan and Matt’s relationship to see how things were working out for them. As is often the case their story which began in (FAITH & FIDELITY) left us with a lot of loose ends and here we are given a very complete conclusion to their romance. It was also fun to see Jim and Griffin again (LOVE & LOYALTY) and I loved the surprising and open friendship that developed between all the men.

As with all her books this is very much a character driven story which just so happens to include sexy M/M interludes. It feels wrong however to classify it as erotic just because of the occasional bit of bum lovin, I mean I’ve read that in mainstream romances too so?... Ah yes issues with labels, I think that’s what this whole book is about. Anyways Tere Michaels is also brilliant at writing multidimensional characters, including the secondary ones and I feel like everyone involved here is now a personal friend of mine. This is a fantastic series and I hope to be reading something (anything) from Ms Michaels again soon.

Matt & Evan, how much do I love these guys? It was so great to go back and revisit them and their evolving relationship. Surprisingly I did come away with a different feel to both characters then I did after reading F&F. Evan pissed me off quite a bit here and I actually felt sorry for Matt and his new househusband status, even though it appeared to be what he wanted. Their relationship still felt unequal, with Evan calling all the shots and Matt not receiving much in return. This would of course be the conflict that slowly gets resolved.

Theres not really much of a plot synopsis to give, we join Evan and Matt in their new house, Matt has taken over the role as househusband and Evan continues on with the police force and struggles with issues of labels and people knowing he’s in a same sex relationship. The return of Jim Shea pushes Evan’s jealousy buttons but forces him to face the facts and then of course theres Griffin who becomes a surprising ally and good teacher too once Evan gets over his own stereotyping.

~REVIEW of Lora Leigh's ELIZABETH'S WOLF~

Elizabeth's Wolf (Breeds, #3)

Opening Line: "The letter came at a time in his life when the battle inside his soul could have tipped either way."

Now this is the Lora Leigh that made me a fan. Erotic romance at its best; Steamy, graphic love scenes mixed with action and suspense. Written in 2004 (when she still used an editor and cared) and before her storylines became repetitive, ridiculous and made sense.

ELIZABETH'S WOLF was my first Breed book and even though its the forth in the series, stands alone just fine and had me captured from the very beginning.

Dash Sinclair is a wolf/human hybrid created in a secret lab from which he managed to escape as a teenager. Growing up alone and on the streets without friends or family Dash eventually finds himself in the military where he is trained to kill. After a horrific helicopter explosion in the Middle East that kills his entire unit Dash is slowly recovering in hospital when his commanding officer begins reading letters to him from a young girl back in the states.

She is Cassie Colder and something about her letters calls to him, something about the girl and her widowed mother makes him feel possessive and protective almost immediately, forcing him to recover faster from his life threatening injuries. When the letters abruptly stop Dash learns that Cassie and her mother Elizabeth have perished in a fire. In his heart he doesn't believe this to be true and hires a private detective to look into their situation. Learning that the two are actually on the run from the twisted, evil man known as Grange, Dash makes it his personal mission to protect them and claim them as his own. His mate and his child.

Months later Dash tracks down Elizabeth and Cassie and rescues them from another would be attacker. Cassie accepts him immediately but Elizabeth although fascinated is weary because she hasn't been able to trust anyone in a long time and those that have helped her in the past have died in the process. Having no choice however, Elizabeth allows herself to be rescued by Dash who whisks them away to a safe house where they can all begin to heal and recover. As Dash learns more about why Grange really wants Cassie his worst fears are realized but as Elizabeth comes to trust and love him he also knows that he will stop at nothing to protect what is now his.

Even though our heroes don't make love until nearly halfway through the book this is one hot read. Dash tells Elizabeth from the beginning that when she's ready he will have her and she accepts this knowing that there is no way to fight the growing attraction she feels towards this gorgeous alpha male. Ultimately the anticipation, the knowing looks, and gentle caresses, the reader foreplay is almost hotter than the actual act.

The sex scenes are graphic and so explicit that at times I was uncomfortable. Still this is a good, strong story full of action, intensity and family bonds. Dash's loneliness is heartbreaking but Elizabeth's character is written strong, she is a worthy mate who completes him. The scenes between Dash and the precocious Cassie are also well written and very sweet. Several breed characters (I'm assuming from past books) turn up for the exciting climax which comes together rather abruptly and finishes too quickly even though all the loose ends are tied up

~REVIEW of Lynda Hilburn's THE VAMPIRE SHRINK~

 

The Vampire Shrink (Kismet Knight, Ph.D., Vampire Psychologist #1)

Opening Line: "My involvement with vampires began innocently enough."

Dr. Kismit Knight is a respected Denver Psychologist who doesn't believe in the paranormal. She especially doesn't believe in Vampires. Kismit's character has been written like a real person, not your average romance heroine, she could be you or me and that's what makes it so great when she stumbles into the Vampire world. It could also be you or me.

The story begins with Dr. Knight taking on a patient with a Vampire fetish. The girl frequents a Goth club and has a crush on the owner, who she claims is a Vampire. She in fact wants to become one of the undead. Kismit of course thinks she's crazy but decides that this Vampire culture would be a great idea for a book. Kismit puts an ad in the newspaper promoting herself as the "Vampire Shrink" hoping to gain valuable research material. What she doesn't count on is meeting Devereux. The 800 year old, wealthy and extremely gorgeous club owner. After a two year drought in her sex life Kismit finds herself inexplicably drawn to him even though she thinks he's delusional for indeed claiming to be a Vampire. Through a series of misadventures and blood drained bodies she also finds herself spending time with FBI profiler Alan Stevens. Enter the love triangle.

Throughout this story we get to hear Dr. Knights running internal dialogue and it's awesome, especially after she learns that Devereux can read her mind. "Yes I desire you as well" he whispered into my mind.

The climax takes place at a Vampire ball on Halloween night. With a gruesome multiple-personality antagonist named Lucifer out to kill Devereux and drain Dr. Knights blood. It also finds FBI man Alan dressed as Gary Oldman from the movie Dracula. This is a hilarious book, full of sassy sarcasm and cool wit. It is also quite sexy. With both love interests more than suitable as romance material.

Highly recommended for fans of sexy Vampires, sexy FBI men, sarcastic wit, paranormal romance and an all around good read. I'm looking forward to reading (DARK HARVEST) next to see where the series takes us.

Excerpt from the Vampire Shrink:
"I choose fictional creatures for 500$ Alex."

Propping my feet up on the chair that'd been recently vacated by the firm hindquarters of the cutest FBI agent I'd ever seen, I raised my coffee cup in a solitary toast to the memory of his tight jeans exiting my kitchen and loudly vocalized the theme song from the TV game show Jeopardy.

I put on my best Alex Trebek voice. "These bloodsucking undead denizens of the night have taken over the rational minds of the populace of Denver" I pretended to push an invisible button on the table.

"What are vampires?" imitating Alex again

"Yes our new winner is Dr Kismit Knight formally a respected psychologist now a permanent resident of Denver Psychiatric Hospital"

I sang the theme song again, applauded myself and heaved a huge sigh. I definitely didn't get enough sleep."

~REVIEW of Cindy Gerard's WITH NO REMORSE~

With No Remorse (Black Ops, #6)


Opening Line: "Luke Colter's number one rule of self-preservation: Don't ignore the itch."

How great is it to be back with the BOI’s of Black-Ops Inc? I’ve seriously missed this series, as its been over a year since the last book and I think its one of the best romantic suspense's running right now. With this 6th instalment Cindy Gerard doesn’t disappoint either because we finally get Doc’s story and it's oh SO good.

I knew this fun loving cowboy medic would steal my heart I just didn’t expect to fall quite so hard or be given such candour into his fears and “ghosts”. Who knew that behind that sexy smile and sense of humour he was suffering so much? I loved getting to know the real Luke Colter (Indy fedora and all) and watching him find purpose with the woman of his dreams (literally).

WITH NO REMORSE is filled with non-stop action, adventure, passion and clever writing. Gerard whisks us away to yet another exotic South American location where we engage in shootouts, train robberies, kidnappings, explosions, donkey rides, the occasional pesky potato and some wicked arms dealers as our bad guys.

The romance is sweet, steamy and believable and with the entire wise cracking team showing up at about the half way mark I couldn’t have been happier. Yup, everyone makes a reappearance for the final show down including the ever lovable Johnny Reed, my boyfriend Gabe, Crystal and BJ (who kick serious ass) and even team leader Nate. It was fantastic catching up with everyone and seeing them in action. I should also mention that we get an intriguing look at Joe Green here and jeez does his upcoming story LAST MAN STANDING (*sigh* last in the series) ever have me excited.

We join our man Luke on a train in Peru. Its about a year since he was injured in the last book RISK NO SECRETS and he’s just coming off a much needed reprieve. Luke's body may be mended but his head still isn’t in the game and for the first time in his career he’s doubting his ability to still function as a valued team member. When bandits board the train and attempt to kidnap a “young boy” Doc’s training takes over, forcing him reluctantly back into hero mode.

With the bad guys in full pursuit it takes about a minute for Luke to realize he hasn’t rescued a boy but the woman of his teenaged fantasies. Just what the hell is supermodel philanthropist Valentina doing on a train in the middle of Peru? And who are the armed and very pissed off men hunting them down? More importantly though is how exactly is he going to not come across like a bumbling, star crazed stalker as he attempts to get her to safety?

I liked this romance a lot. Valentina although beautiful (she looks like Angelina Jolie, puleese) had a great back story and when it came right down to it was able to man up and well… save her man.  Together they had some fantastic moments evoking such memorable lines as “You had me at potato” and “We’ll always have Peru” I also loved that she called him Indy (the fedora was awesome and gave a nice visual aspect to Doc) Of course then there was the tear jerking secret goodbye at the limo, and damn that man knows how to grab a reader where it hurts.

I can’t say enough good things about this series, it captured me from book 1 SHOW NO MERCY and never let go. Each instalment is excellent; with hot alpha men falling hard for their lady loves. These guys are funny, endearing, good in bed and manage to give us quite a few sigh worthy moments while still packing a big gun and kicking major ass. The storylines are always exciting, expertly written and with a nice balance between the action and romance. I never find myself going “yeah right” with this series its just always amazing. Cheers

-And Rohg the last photo's for you babe :)

~REVIEW of Nick Hornby's HIGH FIDELITY~



~ SADLY I'M NOT ONE OF THE "COOL KIDS"~

Opening line: My desert -island, all time, top five most memorable split-ups, in chronological order:”

This is one of those modern classics on everyone’s “to read” list and while it wasn’t my first Nick Hornby book it is the one that everyone talks about so of course I went in expecting to be awed. I guess I should mention that I haven’t seen the movie (what! I know) so I knew nothing about the storyline, not that that would have influenced me I just went into this blind.

And, well I wish I could say I loved this (since that would make me one of the cool kids) but honestly the best I can come up with is under whelmed. Of course the writing is wonderful and it really is laugh-out-loud funny in places but I also found myself alternating between skim reading because the story wasn’t going anywhere and all the 80’s pop music references and top 5 lists got to be a bit much and being in absolute awe. Rereading and marking numerous passages because they were just genius, describing exactly how I felt/feel. I should also mention that the music references are somewhat dated now and anyone under the age of 40 will be scratching their heads especially if you live in America as this involves British Indie bands and pop music.

I think one of the main problems for me is that our protagonist Rob isn’t a very likable character. It was hard to have any sort of compassion for him or for that matter to even want to read about him and I actually found myself preferring any of the sections that placed him with other people because when we were alone in his head being all introspective I got bored. Rob is immature, selfish, self-absorbed and depressed, stuck in a job, apartment and relationship that have all gone stale. He has zero self confidence yet at the same time is so full of himself that he expects everything to revolve around him, which of course it doesn’t and this in turn makes him lash out at his friends, parents and girlfriend to feel better about the state of his life.

Rob is a bit of a loser; a thirty-something music junkie he spends his days running a near failing record shop and reminiscing about the 80’s when he was semi successful DJ. Rob’s life has stalled and he can’t see a way out so he compiles top 5 lists of his favourite bands, songs, episodes of Cheers etc, insults his equally lost friends and plots ways to kill the guy who lives in the flat upstairs and stole his girlfriend. Along the way Rob manages to grow up, (some) and realizes change might not be so horrible. Cheers

~REVIEW of Evangeline Anderson's THE ASSIGNMENT~

The Assignment (Assignment, #1)

Opening Line: "This is gonna take some getting used to."

Set in the early 1980’s (which kept me visualizing Starsky and Hutch and hoping for descriptions of Magnum-esque moustaches) THE ASSIGNMENT is a su-weet read. Just long enough at 161 pages and certainly steamy enough, I can see myself returning to this story again and again. Filled with suspense, random humour, genuine emotion and sexual tension so palpable it just about killed me, Valenti and O’Brian are a couple so deliciously hot and manly that you simply won‘t be able to get enough of them. Plus with cover art this good how can you go wrong?

Detectives Nicholas Valenti and Sean O’Brian have been best friends and partners for 6 years. Often teased because of their open affection, they’ve got each others backs on or off duty. Through danger, donuts and divorce there isn’t anything one of them wouldn’t do for the other including taking a bullet or giving the occasional back massage. That’s a good thing too because Captain Harris’s latest case is going to test the boundaries of even their tight relationship.

Nick and Sean’s assignment sees them going undercover at the infamous gay resort, Ramjack. Potentially they will be busting the notorious drug dealer who’s been flooding the cities gay bars with bad cocaine. It’s a plum job that’s going to look real good on their resumes, just as long as these hetro boys can convince everyone at the RamJack they’re really a gay couple that is. But just how far are these partners willing to go?

Once engaged in their roles as the "sugar daddy" and his "boy toy" the sexual heat literally jumps off the pages. Forced to ‘fake’ their affections in public Valenti and O’Brian’s discovery of each other though soft caresses and first kisses is beautifully done. And because Sean and Nick don’t start out as gay characters watching their miscommunications, emerging feelings and unfamiliar foreplay unfold is also interesting and exciting. Because of the way most men are, when the gentle embraces carry over into their private suite they don’t talk about their feelings or what’s happening between them, they just continue to misinterpret each other and wonder… The sex scenes here are erotic, tender and very satisfying. Eventually Valenti and O’Brian are left to deal with strong emotions neither anticipated having and a very straight world to go back to.

My only real disappointment would be the abrupt resolution to their big case. Its just over. However because I was still in shock from the previous events it just didn't matter.

A bonus 26 page short story called I’LL BE HOT FOR CHRISTMAS has also been included here. This takes place a year after the RamJack case and involves Valenti suddenly pulling away and distancing himself from an increasingly sexually frustrated and pissed off O’Brian. Could it have anything to do with his new and much younger partner? Sean becomes determined to find out what’s going on even if that involves kidnapping. Cheers