Sunday, October 28, 2012

Maya Banks--The Darkest Hour (KGI #1)

Genre: Contemporary Romance-action

It's been one year since ex-Navy Seal Ethan Kelly last saw his wife, Rachel, alive. Overwhelmed by grief and guilt over his failures as a husband. Ethan shuts himself off from everything and everyone.

His brothers have tried to bring Ethan into the KGI fold, tried to break through the barriers he's built around himself, but Ethan refuses to respond.....until he receives an anonymous note claiming Rachel is alive.

To save her, Ethan will have to dodge bullets, cross a jungle, and risk falling captive to a deadly drug cartel that threatens his own demise. And even if he succeeds, he'll have to force Rachel to recover memories she doesn't want to relive-the minute-by-minute terror of her darkest hour--for their love, and their lives, may depend on it.

{4 stars}
Truthfully, this book sat in my TBR pile for some time. I just thought it would be one of those books to kill time between my favorite reads. But suprise, it was a great book. It is full of action, and a journey of 2 people trying to make ammends for the mistakes they made and thank the universe for the second chance they have. Love isn't always enough, but it gives you enough to know what is worth fighting for. They are surrounded with a great family, and with lots of brothers who will have upcoming stories. So much better than I had thought, can't wait to read the next ones.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Sylvia Day--Relected in You (Crossfire #2)

Genre: Contemporary Romance-erotic

Gideon Cross. As beautiful and flawless on the outside as he was damaged and tormented on the inside. He was a bright, scorching flame that singed me with the darkest of pleasures. I couldn't stay away. I didn't want to. He was my addiction...my every desire....mine..

My past was as violent as his, and I was just as broke. We'd never work. It was too hard, too painful...except when it was perfect. Those moments when the driving hunger and desperate love were the most exquisite insanity.

We were bound by our need. And our passion would take us beyond our limits to the sweetest, sharpest, edge of obsession....

{4 stars}

I was so looking forward to this book after the red-hot first one. Eva and Gideon are an electric couple. You can't help but be mesmerized by their passion. But the first two-thirds of the book they were either fighting or having sex. Lot's and lot's and lot's of sex. Confusing to say the least. Where was this story going? I didn't understand where the plot was, what was happening to them, and watching them fall apart. But, leave it to Sylvia Day to put a spin on it that I didn't quite figure out till the end. I did guess some major clues. But I didn't really see the whole picture until the last few pages. Gideon loves Eva beyond anything sane, she is his whole reason for living at this point, and he will do ANYTHING to protect her. Even when protecting her means hurting her, even if it is just for a short while....

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Kristen Ashley--creed (Unfinished Hero #2)

Genre: Contemporary Romance


Way too young, eleven year old Tucker Creed and his six year old neighbor, Sylvie Bissenette, find they have something awful in common. Creed then decides he’s going to do everything in his limited power to shield his Sylvie from her ordeal. So he does and Creed and Sylvie form a bond that grows and blossoms with their ages.

They plot to leave their lives behind, the town they live in that will hold them down and the histories they share that, unless they break free, will bury them. Sylvie goes to their special place, Creed never shows and she doesn’t see him again until it’s too late.

With Creed gone, Sylvie is forced to endure a nightmare and do the unspeakable to end it. To deal, she develops a hard shell with sharp edges that very few can break through. So when Creed again finds his Sylvie, he discovers the girl he loved is locked away and he has to find his way back into her heart without getting shredded in the process.



{3.75 stars}

I have to say that I didn't enjoy this one as much as Knight and Anya's story. I really didn't like Sylvie at first, she was hard, damaged, and jaded. The story was a little confusing starting out, but once I caught on to who Creed was it started to flow a little better. The flashbacks to their lives together prior to her eighteenth birthday are sweet and emotional. And it is how we discover why there is a Creed and Sylvie. I loved the emotional journey we took learning about their past and them coming back to each other. But at times I skimmed thru pages of internal dialogue that bogged the book down for me, I kept waiting for some action to happen and we just seemed to be spinning in place. Liked the story, didn't love it, but will keep reading the series. And we did get to see a small, really small, glimpse at Knight and Anya.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Kristen Ashley--Knight (Unfinished Hero #1)

Genre: Contemporary Romance-erotic

Anya Gage has learned that to get anything good in life, you have to work for it. She has no expectations, no dreams.

Then she finds herself at a party where she doesn’t want to be and she meets Knight.

Knight Sebring knows who he is, what he wants and what he likes. And he gets it. But he never expected something as sweet as Anya Gage to wander into his bedroom during a party he did not expect to be having to borrow his phone.

Knight tries to leave Anya to the life she deserves of white picket fences and a man who watches football on Sundays – good, normal and clean. But when Anya comes to his nightclub and finds herself in a situation, he knows someone has to look after her, he can’t fight it anymore and he decides that man will be him.

Knight teaches Anya that, just as with the bad, in life you should also expect the good. And he teaches her this by giving it to her.

But Knight has a dark past and just as he desires Anya for exactly who she is, he fears when she finds out exactly the man he has become and always intends to be, she’ll leave him for good, normal and clean.


{5 stars} **spoiler alert**
Yes, I am on a Kristen Ashley marathon read. Lot's to catch up on. I had really put off reading this one because I had read some earlier reviews and didn't think I would really like this. Boy was I wrong! Knight is a very dominant alpha male, and after he meets Anya (who is trying to escape a party at his house) he can't stop thinking about her. He slowly starts to take over her life one small thing at a time. First getting her a new phone, getting her building more secure, etc. He slowly but surely takes over her life. But Anya is an independent women, used to taking care of herself, doesn't go into it without a fight. She is not willing to be a "burden" or "mooch" to Knight. She wants to earn her own way, and achieve her own goals in life. But Knight just can't be anything but the dominant controlled man that he is. They slowly become a couple, and Anya gets her way as much as Knight does. She is just more subtle about it. Alot of the earlier reviews said they didn't like Knight's need for Anya to call him "Daddy" while in bed. I admit, it's not my thing, but it doesn't take anything away from the story, I just ignored it. The erotic component is not the strongest I have ever read, Knight is controlling and very much into spanking, but he doesn't go overboard into any other "kink". Lot's of drama surround the couple, which keeps it interesting. But I have to say I am glad I read it. This is not a series where we will continue to read about Anya and Knight, so there story is done, but it's a great love story all the same.....

Kristen Ashley--Rock Chick Regret (Rock Chick #7)

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Sadie Townsend is known by all as The Ice Princess and she’s worked hard to earn her reputation. Her father, a now-incarcerated Drug Lord, has kept her under his thumb her whole life and she’s learned enough from living in his world to give everyone the cold shoulder. But one inebriated night, she shows the Real Sadie to the undercover agent she knows is investigating her father, the handsome Hector Chavez, and he knows he’ll stop at nothing to have her.

Hector makes one (huge) mistake; he waits for Sadie to come to him. Tragedy strikes and Sadie’s got a choice, she can retreat behind her Ice Fortress or she can embrace the Rock Chick/Hot Bunch World. Guided by Hector, the Rock Chicks, the Hot Bunch and her new gay roommates, Buddy and Ralphie, Sadie negotiates a life out from under her father’s thumb, a life that includes poison, arson and learning how to make s’mores.


{5 stars}
This series just keeps getting better and better. It looked like it was wrapping up in the last book with Stella and Mace, and if you don't want any spoilers, don't read the epilogue in that one. I did, but I still really enjoyed Sadie and Hector. Hector is that all encompassing Latin Alpha Male. He knows what he wants and (usually) doesn't stop until he has it. But this time Hector waited for Sadie to come to him, big mistake. He didn't realize how much danger she was in until she showed up brutalized at Nightingale Investigations. After that, he made it his mission to win her over and keep her by his side forever. Sadie didn't trust anyone, she grew up as a rich, sheltered girl with no friends. So being encompassed in the Rock Chick bunch was a little scary and she fought it (at first). But when she starts to loosen up and have fun, all bets are off. Hector and Sadie's love affair is fun, hilarious, passionate, and a fantasy come true....

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Kristen Ashley--Rock Chick Revenge (Rock Chick #6)

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Stella’s the lead singer and lead guitarist of the Blue Moon Gypsies and Stella used to be Mace’s girl. Mace broke up with her though and the loss of him rocked her world. But Stella gets a call, late at night (again) from one of the members of her crazy band. She has to go play clean up (again) and runs into Mace (and a shed load of police) and ends up getting shot.

Mace finds he doesn’t like it much that his ex-girlfriend got shot, right in front of him but it’s worse. A very bad man has thrown down the gauntlet and ALL the Rock Chicks are in the firing line. Stella doesn’t want Mace to be the one to keep her alive but she has no choice… mainly because Mace isn’t giving her one.



{4 stars} **spoiler alert**
I have mixed feelings about this one. Stella and Mace are an amazing couple, and their path to each other was a long time coming. But it wasn't easy. What bothered me about this book was that we didn't really get to focus solely on Stella and Mace, we snapped back and forth to all the Rock Chick/Hot Bunch. I really would have loved to have a more lengthy scene when Mace was reunited with his mom. And the epilogue gives away spoilers to the next 2 books,  and makes you feel like this is the end of the series and she is rapping up and telling us how they turn out. So don't read it if you don't want to know, because Hector's story is up next.  But that is my only real issue, I love the Rock Chick series. It is funny, sexy, and a fantasy I really really wish was a reality sometimes. There really just aren't men around like that (and I've looked), but they don't live in my neighborhood. 

Stella conveys her feelings with music, what she can't say, she can sing. And at one point she sang Pearl Jam's "Black" to Mace. I'm including some of the lyrics so you get the point of the emotional intensity of these two. They saved each other from the black and it was incredible.......

All the love gone bad turned my world to black
Tattooed all I see, all that I am, all I'll be... yeah...

Uh huh... uh huh... ooh...

I know someday you'll have a beautiful life,
I know you'll be a star in somebody else's sky,
But why, why, why can't it be, can't it be mine
?
 
 

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Kristen Ashley--Rock Chick Revenge (Rock Chick #5)

Genre: Contemporary Romance--Super HOT Alpha

Ava hates men, she has reason and she’s vowed not only never to get involved with another one again but also to exact vengeance on her best friend’s, lying, cheating husband. Since Luke, Ava’s childhood crush, is now a private investigator, she thinks to enlist him but changes her mind at the last second.

Too late, Luke knows she’s up to something and he’s already seen many a Rock Chick try to fight her own battles without the Hot Bunch stepping in. He’s having none of it. She’s having none of him. The clash of the Rock Chick and Hot Guy begins but Luke’s got the advantage. He has handcuffs and he’s not afraid to use them.


{5 stars}
What was I thinking when I took a break from reading this series? Crazy obviously. The Rock Chick series is every women's fantasy. HOT Alpha Men, sweep you off your feet romance, and lots and lots of action. The Rock Chick bunch can't stay out of trouble, exasperating their men and making me absolutely LAUGH OUT LOUD with their antics. The men are every woman's fantasy man, they are strong, HOT, and don't take no for an answer. When they see a woman they want, there is no ends to what they will do to get her, protect her, and make her the focus of their world. The "Hot Bunch" men at Nightingale Investigations have their hands full chasing after the Rock Chick's when they have their minds set on something. They start out just wanting to have fun, but somehow seem to attract drama. Drama in the way of kidnappings, car chases, assaults, and explosions. But all's well that ends well right? I think Ava and Luke are my favorite couple, I can kinda identify with Ava a little. They fight, make up, and are amazing together. Their banter is great, their passion is even greater. Luke is the absolute alpha male with a soft side for just one woman......sigh.......dream worthy. The whole gang are along for this ride and it was great!!!! If you haven't read this series, YOU MUST start at the beginning, it's important that you meet each couple in the order that they fall in love. I recommend this series to ALL women who need a little happy fantasy to get thru their week.....

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Jennifer Ashley--Wild Cat (Shifters Unbound #3)

Genre: Paranormal Romance

When Feline Shifter Cassidy Warden saves detective Diego Escobar from plunging to his death, the naked Shifter woman takes his breath away. But she'd been breaking all kinds of human laws, and Diego, to save her from termination, has to promise his department he'll watch over her.

Diego finds the task harder than he thinks--Cassidy is trying to find out what kind of mysterious hunter killed her mate two years ago, a hunter that could bring danger to all Shifters. Plus Cassidy has scent-marked Diego--essentially telling all other Shifter females, "Hands off."

Diego risks his personal and professional life getting involved with Cassidy, but he realizes he'll do anything, even confront the deadliest of assassins and his own inner demons, to keep her safe.


{3.5 stars}
This was quite a different story than the first ones, we move away from the Austin Shiftertown to Las Vegas. And at first, I really didn't like this bunch that much. They weren't as funny or charming as the Austin bunch. But I really liked Diego, and he really made the difference for me. He is a great alpha male, and the constant action keeps your attention. Diego and Cassidy go through a lot in this one, and even though I miss my Austin bunch, I am looking forward to reading more about them.