Ames I read and reviewed Maya Bank's newest release from Samhain called Stay with me.
Check it out over at Breezing Through :)

Getting her back will be the toughest deal they’ve ever negotiated.

On the night of her fifth anniversary, Catherine Cullen-Wellesley intends to break the news to the two men in her life. She’s pregnant with their child. It’ll be the perfect preamble to the vacation they’ve promised her: Two weeks on a Jamaican beach. No cell phones, no emails, no business.

But when Logan and Rhys blow off the trip for yet another “business emergency”, Catherine faces some difficult truths. She hasn’t come first in her busy husbands’ lives in a long time. Defiantly, she packs her bags for her long-awaited vacation—alone. It’ll give her a chance to figure out what the hell she’s going to do with the rest of her life.

When Logan and Rhys come home to an empty house, they realize two things: One, it was a mistake to take Catherine for granted. Two, they’re not willing to just let her walk out of their lives.

Winning her back will be the most difficult battle of their lives—more important than any business deal they’ve ever negotiated.

Goldilocks by Kimberly Zant
Published by New concepts publishing
Why I read this: I needed to read a book by an author with a last name starting with the letter Z.

Goldie’s car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Stranded, lost and in dire need, she stumbles upon the home of the three rednecks, Erryl, Farryll and Daryl Bayer.

Well, the summery is almost right. Even though the guys have red necks names, they are actually described as surfer looking dudes.

Goldi is on her to way to view a house that she may buy when her car breaks down. The brothers are away at a party when Goldi breaks into their home in search of a phone. She uses the toilet, gets drunk drinking three beers, eats a pizza, takes a shower, then falls asleep naked in one of the beds.

The brothers come home and do some fighting with each other when they notice the missing beers and pizza. After they discover naked Goldie, she offers herself to them in payment for breaking in.

Goldilocks gets a D. I seriously think that they released to us the rough copy of this book.
First of all, when Goldi left the brothers house after a night of (boring) sex, she was only wearing a shirt that came down to her knees. Not even a pair of panties.
She went from her car to a gas station, then right to the house she planned to see the day earlier. No one at the gas station, or the realtor seems to notice that Goldi is nearly naked.
There were several extra words all throughout the book. Example,

Ever so carefully, she climbed scooted down the bed and climbed off at the foot.

Goldi also 'shrugged' three times in one paragraph.

This book had just 67 pages (on my ebookwise) It took me only 15 minutes to read. There was no reason to have so many mistakes in it.

Seriously, the super hero stories written by my almost ten year old son have less mistakes in them. I want my money back.

Breaking all the rules by Summer Jordan
Published by Total-e-bound
Why I read this: I loved the first one in the series.

Margo Allen never expected to meet a hot guy in this staid neighbourhood and didn’t dream she’d fall in love with a younger man. But she never knew what hot sex was until she met Brit Hunter, or how much fun they’d have breaking the rules. Deceived by former partners, each has to learn trust, but making love and making up are fun to do. Frequency, location, performance, and love…Brit teaches Margo things she never knew.

I went into this book with very high expectations. Let me entertain you, the first book from this series was very well done. It ranked high on my list of the best books that I read in 2007. This book, Breaking all the rules, was just okay.

There is a 14 year age difference between the Hero and Heroine. Older women/younger men story lines rarely do it for me, and this was no exception. I did like seeing the couple from book one make some appearances, and the love scenes were off the charts hot!

Brit is the head of thier home owners association, and they meet when he tells her that she can't paint her house a certain colour. Both of them are attracted to one another, but Margo has a hard time getting over how much older she is than Brit. Brit gets frustrated with her attitude about that, and so did I.

Breaking all the rules was on Okay read, that I'll give a C. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. I just wish that the conflict in the story had been something other than their age.

Also, its been months since I read the first book and I remember it like I read it yesterday. This book I read just a little over a week ago and I struggle to remember anything other than the amazing love scenes. Needless to say that Breaking all the rules is not very memorable.

You can read my review of the first book here.

Charmed and Dangerous by Candace Havens

Published by Penguin Group

Why I read this: I admit it, the cover attracted me.

When Bronwyn turned twenty she took the oath to protect, and for the last five years she's kept that promise, working as a kind of one-witch secret service to the British Prime Minister. Her arsenal includes a combination of potions, spells, explosions, mind-reading tricks, and general butt-kicking skills. But Bronwyn has a soft side, too-especially when it comes to Dr. Sam, the favorite physician of her new hometown, Sweet, Texas. He's smart, funny, adorable, everything she could want in a man. Except he's also a warlock-a big no-no in Bronwyn's book of dating. Being a witch is definitely getting in the way of her sex life. If zapping evil jerks is easy, why is finding a boyfriend so hard?

Yeah, this wasn't my cup of tea. I didn't get very far into it before giving up.

Written in the first person it opens with Bronwyn talking about how she has found the perfect guy. She goes on and on about him. He is laying beside her in bed, and the only problems is that he is dead.

Chapter one has her flying somewhere to do a reading for some Prime Minister. Bronwyn is a Witch.

Thats all I got, folks. The writing style threw me off. It was very awkward. It was written almost in a diary style. I enjoy first person POVs, but this one wasn't doing it for me. I almost made it to chapter 2.

Charmed and Dangerous is the first book in a series. I'll stop at this one.

DNF.

Wanted:Kept woman by JW McKenna
Published by Elloras cave
Why I read this: I liked the office slave books, and this one is loosely connected to them.

When slightly chubby Suzanne Montgomery comes across a personal ad in her local free magazine for a "Kept Woman", she's intrigued enough to keep the paper, but not brave enough to respond. That is, until her best friend Wendy takes her by the bra straps, encourages her to get over her crazy ex-husband, lose the weight she's been complaining about and move on with her life.Encouraged, Suzanne emerges from her sheltering cocoon a new woman. New hair, clothes and attitude regarding her body—along with the help of her "I'm not taking no for an answer" girlfriend—give her the courage to respond to the ad that continues to not only run in the magazine but in her mind. It also helps that her current battery-operated boyfriend isn't doing such a great job lately.

Enter Brian Armstrong, a self-made man, dating all the wrong women. He's good-looking and the CEO of Armstrong Control Systems. Women want him—want to change him, that is…control him. But what he wants is a sexy, confident, intelligent…submissive woman. Oh yeah, and one who likes Chinese food and miniature golf. With the help of his Administrative Assistant, a sexually submissive woman herself, Brian places a personal ad for the woman of his dreams. Someone willing to be "kept" by him. Loved by him. Controlled by him. Eat pizza with him.When Suzanne and Brian meet, sparks fly and dreams of a possible future emerge but then so, too, does Suzanne's just out of jail ex-husband.

Brian is a rich CEO who is sick and tired of his love life. All the woman he dates turn out to be shallow gold diggers, who are much to forward.
With the help of his secretary he decides to put out a personal add, ISO of a kept woman. A woman who is naturally submissive.

Suzanne (who was not in Office Slave, but was mentioned as the ex-secretary who stopped working for Jack after she got married) is also looking for love. Well, she is really looking to get laid. Her last relationship was with her ex-husband. A super jerk, abusive stalker.

Kept woman was not at all what I expected. Considering the title I was expecting some BDSM, but it wasn't like that at all. The most dominating that Brian got was to order their meals ahead of time without giving Suzanne a chance to look at the menu, and to tell Suzanne what to wear when they went away together for the weekend.

I'll give Kept woman a C+. I liked the H/H a lot, and the psychology of them figuring out that the others is just what they need was well written. It was believable and made sense.

Good book!

Fairyville by Emma Holly
Published by Berkley
Why I read this: I heard there was some good man on man love happening.

Zoe Clare is a medium who has no trouble communicating with the dead-or with real live fairies, for that matter! But she can't seem to get her feelings across to her landlord-slash-manager- Magnus Monroe, Fairyville, Arizona's most eligible bachelor. She's tired of his erotic antics with every woman in town but her. So when her high school flame returns to town, Zoe is more than a little vulnerable to his charms. How Alex broke herheart is a scandal no one in Fairyville has forgotten. But even if Zoe isn't ready to forget, she's willing to forgive. The rules they're about to break will bring out the jealousy in Magnus-and the astounding truth.

Zoe is a woman who has the ability to talk to dead people. She lives in Fairyville, a town that is known for it's magic.

Alex is a Fairy, however, he does not know that he is a Fairy. He is also Zoe's old boyfriend. They have not seen each other in 15 years.

Brian is friends with Alex and has had a crush on him for years.

Magnus is a Fairy Price. He is on this side...the human side...on a magic visa. The terms of his visa is that he must sleep with a new woman on every full moon. Winning her heart, then giving it back to her.

Even though Fairies are very sexual and can stand to do it several times a day, Mangus decides to only do it when he must-once a month. He is in love with Zoe, and even though they are currently only friends, Magnus can't stand the thought of getting into a relationship with her, and then having to cheat on her every month.

Zoe has very strong feelings for Magnus, and she wants to be with him, even if it means that it will only be for one night. Magnus sends her very mixed signals. He wants her, he loves her, but he doesn't want to hurt her. None of this he is able to explain to her.

There is not only a whole lotta sex in this book,(Alex/Brian, Zoe/Magnus, Zoe/Alex, Brian/Magnus, Alex/Zoe/Brian, Zoe/Magnus..all in that order) But there is also a pretty good story-line.

Alex was ran out of town 15 years ago after he had an affair with his coach, and at the same time, cheated on Zoe. Alex has loved Zoe all these years, and thinks of her as the one who got away.
Before coming back to town Alex starts a relationship with Brian, his Private eye partner.

Alex and Brian are investigating the possible abduction of a little boy. His mother swears that the child she has now is not the same one she gave birth to. So, Alex and Brain go to where the child was born to investigate. The child happened to have been born in Alex's hometown.

No one knows this right off the bat, but Magnus is the answer to the questions that Alex and Brian have about the (possible) kidnapping.

This was a pretty good book. Emma Holly is a hit or miss with me, and I'm happy to say that this was a hit. Yummy sex, good plot. I give Fairyville a solid B.

Having said all that, this needs to be said. I don't know about the print version of this book, but this e-version I read is horrendous! The editing is the worst I have seen in any ebook I have ever read. Not a single chapter went by where I wasn't pulled out of the story because of a misplaced word or crazy spelling. If I was the author of this book I would be demanding that every place that sells this ebook pull Fairyville off the virtual shelves until someone can get in there and fix the MANY problems. Berkley publishing should be ashamed of themselves over this.

Office Slave, and Office slave 2: El exposed by JW McKenna
Published by Renaissance books
Why I read this: (book 1)I saw Holly's review, so I just had to. (book 2) Because I wanted to read more about El.

The beautiful but haughty Ellen Sanchez thought she could get away with
embezzling from Jack Sawyer, the powerful CEO of Sawyer Metalworking.
When she was caught, she said she’d do “anything” to avoid going to jail.
Anything turned out to be a new position for Ellen: Company slut. Jack began to break her down slowly, using her to win new contracts for his firm and reward employees. After months of pleasing everyone on command, Ellen began to lose her identity until she found she didn’t mind being their “Office Slave.”

Ellen works for Jack as an accountant. Ellen gets caught stealing money. I think it was over 2 hundred grand. Jack is really mad, so he confronts her and then attempts to call the police. Ellen stops him and begs him not to. She says that she will have sex with him in return for not calling the police. He says that having sex with her is not worth such a big amount of money, and she counters with telling him that she will do anything (sexually) anywhere, anytime and anyway he wants. They discuss it for a while and come up with a plan. El gets X amount of money for each blow job and act of intercourse. Money that will be tallied towards what she owes him.

El (her new slut name) gets right to work. They figure it will take around 18 months to pay off her debt. Over this 18 months El has sex with many many people. She is a total slut and is eager to please Jack, her Dom.

Since El is a slut now, a few of her co workers figure that they can just do her when they want to, but Jack steps up and lets everyone know while they may gawk and copafeel, everything else needs to be cleared with him first.

At the end of the 18 months El is told that she has now repaid all that she owes and she is free to go. El begs Jack to let her stay, and he says okay. He builds an apartment for her where she can be available to anyone who wants her.

Alright, I laughed my way through this book. It was just so unbelievable and out there. It gets an B+ for the porn factor and laughs, D for the story.

Continues the best-selling story of Jack Sawyer and his sex slave El. A disgruntled employee turns in Jack and he and El are arrested. But the case doesn't go exactly like the prosecutor expected. Read the surprising developments in this exciting sequel.

Okay, this story was pretty good. Unlike the first book, this one had romance and I like that.

Gloria, a woman who also works for Jack gets all bent out of shape when she finds out that her brother in law is one of the men that El is sleeping with. She goes to the police and totally rats on Jack and El.

Jack and El are arrested for various sexual crimes. Office Slave 2 has El figuring out why she allows herself to be dominated by Jack so easily. She also finds out that not just anyone can push her around. When someone else in a position of power tries to take advantage of her in much the same way that Jack did, she fights back.

Jack and El have a 2 year separation but in the end they end up together. Married, monogamous and trying for a baby.

B-. I'm going to look for more books from this author.

Lessons in love by Kate Davies
Published by Samhain

Hungry for adventure and eager to break free of her snobby home town, Brynn Dexter takes a teaching job in a foreign country, sight unseen. But when she arrives, she discovers the Laurivenia Academy doesn’t exist. And neither does the teaching job.
Alex du Charbonneaux, crown prince of Laurivenia, is tired of intense media scrutiny, and wary of social-climbing women who stoop to feigning interest in his vulnerable five-year-old daughter in order to get close to him. So if he fudged the details of the “teaching job” to protect his child—and his privacy—who can blame him?
His careful plans begin to unravel the moment Brynn appears on his doorstep. She is beautiful and free spirited, nothing like the dowdy, obedient nanny he ordered.
While being a nanny to a princess is a far cry from the teaching position Brynn expected, she quickly realizes the child is in dire need of a little fun in her life—as is her stuffed-shirt father. As she sets out to teach both of them how to live a little, sparks fly and unexpected passion burns between her and Alex. But Alex’s deep-rooted suspicions linger, and Brynn struggles with the feeling that she is not good enough for him. So when the paparazzi discover their affair, all bets are off.
Can the prince and the nanny find common ground—and learn to trust in love?

Brynn thinks that she is going to another country because she was hired as a kindergarten teacher at an exclusive private school. What she doesn't know and doesn't realize till after she arrives is that she was really hired to be the teacher/nanny for the young daughter of the Crown Price of Laurivenia.
Prince Alex is a sexy widow who had to hire a teacher for his daughter as discreetly as possible. The last thing he wants is his daughter in the public eye, or finding out he hired someone who is there under false pretense.
At first, Brynn is angry that she was lied to and plans to go back home. Alex, being a smart sneaky prince asks Brynn to have dinner with him, where he introduces her to the little Princess.

Brynn stays on the teacher/nanny and even though she is attracted to Alex, she knows that it is not a good idea to get involved with him. Not only does Alex have the same feelings for Brynn, but he can't believe some of the things that she says to him. Unlike every other women he knows, Brynn talks back, argues and stands up to him. And he likes it.

I'm not sure if it was the exotic foreign country or what, but Lessons in love reminded me of some of my favourite stories from the Presents line at Harlequin. I enjoy that line of books, so it was a treat for me to feel that connection.

I like Brynn. I noticed a lot of myself in her, and a few times she said some things that I would have said. Actually, Brynn is so similar to myself that if I knew the author and we were friends, I'd call her up and thank her for putting me in her book. lol
My only complaint is that the story opens in the middle of a conversation. It always bothers me to have the first line of a book be dialogue. The ending was rather abrupt, so I would have liked an epilogue.

Lessons in love gets a B+ from this reader. I recommend it to all my friends. You can buy it here. It was romantic, charming and fun to read. I'll definitely be on the look out for more from this author.

Stranded by Eve Vaughn
Published by Samhain

India Powers is at the end of her rope. After dumping her cheating fiancé and having a falling out with her parents, she decides to take a much needed vacation. In route she meets two hunky fellow vacationers in the form of Rafe Santiago and Grant Thompson. Though she’s not looking for love, India sees no harm in a little island flirtation. Rafe and Grant have been friends since they were kids; both from broken homes, all they had were each other. Their closeness leads them to the discovery they enjoy sharing the same women. After surviving a stormy marriage that nearly destroys their friendship, Rafe vows to never let another woman come between them. To celebrate Rafe’s divorce, he and Grant take a vacation in hopes of finding Miss Right along the way. Tragedy strikes when their plane goes down. In a twist of fate, the only survivors are India, Grant and Rafe. Stranded for weeks, their daily fight for survival turns into something much deeper when India falls for both men and they for her. However, when they’re rescued and returned to civilization, they fall under public scrutiny. Can their newfound love survive when outside forces step in to tear them apart?

This is a new to me author that I discovered while searching through the books at Samhain. I have fantasies about being trapped on an island with the man of my dreams, and since India is trapped on an island with two hunks who want to worship her body, I thought that this book would be my thing.

India is a lawyer who grew up in a house with very hateful parents. They were emotionally abusive, and even though India is now an adult, things have not changed. Her parents still treat her with disrespect.

After catching her fiance cheating on her, India decides to take a vacation to clear her head.
In the airport she meets Rafe and Grant. Best friends who each have bad childhood memories as well. There is a spark of interest between the three during their first meeting, but India doesn't plan to let it go anywhere.

Engine troubles cause their plane to crash into the ocean. India, Rafe and Grant are the sole survivors. For over 50 days they are trapped on an island by themselves. They start a menage relationship and make plans to continue it after they are rescued.

Once rescued, India starts to have doubts about their three way relationship working.
After a confrontation with her parents, India decides that she will happy and complete once she is with her men. They move in together, and the epilogue of a year later shows that they are still together and living happily ever after.

Stranded was okay. It was an all right menage book, but after a day or two it wont stand in memory. It's a C.

I found that there were gaps in the story. I felt as if parts of it were rushed or added last minute. As a reader I wish that I had been allowed to watch them fall in love. I know how they felt about their parents and childhood, but we don't know how they felt about each other. Sure, India mentions she is falling more and more in love with the men every day. That was it though. One minute she is freaked out because the men want to have a menage relationship, and then a few pages later she is in love with them. There was no build up to them falling it love. Same goes for the guys. One minute they are lusting after her, and the next they are deeply in love. It just happened with the flip of a page. I even went back to see if I had skipped a chapter or something.

I also would have liked to have known more about the rescue. They see a plane and are excited about it, then on the very next page it's already a week later. Again, I went back to see if I missed some pages. At the end of the book I felt as if I had read only half a story. Even the epilogue did little to tidy up the ending as epilogues tend to do.

Annabelle's Courtship by Lucy Monroe
Published by Samhain

Ian MacKay, Laird of Graenfrae, has no use for love or marriage. However, his stepfather's will mandates that marriage is what he must have...to an Englishwoman.
A sensible man, Ian develops a list of requirements in a wife: Plain, moderately dowered, older and practical. He thinks he has found the
perfect candidate in Lady Annabelle. Labeled The Ordinary her first season, Annabelle longs for a man who will see her as beautiful and love her as her father loved her mother. When she meets Ian, she thinks she has at last found that man. Until his proposal, in which he has the audacity to list his "requirements."
She refuses his proposal. He informs her that she will marry him at the end of the season. The battle of wills is on.

Ian is a Scottish Laird who is in great need of funds. His tenants homes are falling apart and several farming items need to be purchased/repaired in order to keep everyone happy and healthy. His step fathers will states that the only way Ian can get his inheritance is if he marries an English woman. Ian was once betrayed by a beautiful rich woman and it turned him off the idea of marriage. Once he understands that he has no other choice, he puts together a list of requirements. His new wife must be Plaine, Modestly dowered, Older and Practical.

Ian arrives in England for the start if the Season and after asking around he decides that Annabelle is the perfect woman to marry. Belle is attracted to Ian, and she is flattered that he is paying attention to her. Unfortunately, Ian believes is honestly, so he tells Belle flat out that he wants to marry her, and he tells her why.

"Your looks are not too grand and you are well past the age for marrying. You do not wear expensive jewels or gowns, which bodes well for future demands on my purse."

Even though she likes him, Belle does not take his proposal well. She tells him off.

"I am not interested in marriage. If I were, it would not be to an arrogant Scotsman who believes my lack of face and fortune make me willing to marry on such short acquaintance.'

Ian is arrogant, and doesn't understand why Belle doesn't fall at his feet. He keeps on trying to get her to marry him, and the more she flings the proposal back into his face, the more he wants her.

I like Ian, I really do. He starts off like such a typical conceited man who is used to getting what he wants, when he wants it. He is all about honesty, but he doesn't seem to realise that his words are hurtful. Even though Ian comes off as an ass some of the time you wind up laughing, because Belle does not let him get away with it.

"Do you really think I wish to dance with you after your insult?"
"'Twas not an insult, lass. 'Twas a proposal."
"My name is not 'lass'. Is it Lady Annabelle, as Ceddy told you on these
many days past. Are you hard of hearing? Perhaps you need an ear trumpet."

See? It's hard to stay mad at Ian, when it's clear that Annabelle can take such good care of herself.

Laird Ian does figure out that his words are hurting Belle, and he tries to make it up to her. He agrees to court her and he is very sweet. He is protective and amazingly romantic.

Right after Belle finally agrees to marry him they get all touchy feely. Ian stops before it goes to far and Belle asks if they could keep on going. She wants to know why they must wait before they make love. She also reminds him that they have done other things, so is it not the same thing? Instead of giving the stock answer of 'I must know my heir is really mine."

He says,

"What we did was share pleasure, but when we make love we will join our bodies, We will become one. It is not the same. It is more and it is for marriage."

How romantic.

Yes, Ian started off insensitive to Belle's feelings, but he quickly changed his tune.

There is a villain in Annabelle's Courtship. A man who needs money, wants to marry Belle and then do away with her after he gets an heir from her. Belle is put in danger a few times, and Ian never fails to rescue her. I love a Hero who beats up on the person who threatens his love, and Ian didn't disappoint me.

We have a Heroine who wont let a man talk down to her and is far from being a wimpy simpering Miss. A Hero who did well in redeeming his early behaviour. Several moments where I giggled at what Belle said or thought, and of course, a romantic love story. This is what all historicals should be like. An A from me.

Let me entertain you by Summer Jordan

Published by Total e bound

The good doctor has a secret. A marriage counsellor and syndicated columnist who's courting a book contract, Dr. Mike's wife left him for another man. Leanne Jameson, Wives-R-Us entertainer and queen of ambiance is the woman he needs to pose as his wife and the mother of his two-year-old twins. He soon discovers he needs her in other ways, and in those ways, her needs are every bit as strong as
his.

This is such a great book!

Lea is a divorced woman who works with two of her friends in a business they started together. They are a trio of divorced women who decided to start up a company called Wives r us. What they do is act as hostess, cook and organizer for men who don't have wives, but need wife-type help.

Single dad Mike goes to Wives r us because he needs help getting his home organized for a dinner with some very important people that he wants a book deal with. He also wants to pretend that Lea is his wife. See, Mike is really Dr. Mike. Famous marriage counselor. The problem is that Mike's wife ran off with some guy on the internet, and he is terrified that the public will find out he couldn't keep his own marriage together and then lose his book deal.

What I liked most about this book is that Mike is such a wonderful guy. A lot of men in books these days seem to do one assholoic thing after another. They say hurtful things, act alpha macho, etc. Mike is a nice guy who isn't a weak pushover.

Dr. Mike is the type of man that we wish our daughters would bring home.

The emotional turmoil is very well written and believable. Lea is falling hard and fast for the Doctor, but she is a little uptight and isn't sure if she can be a good mother to his twins. Mike teaches her to relax and simply let go of some things. He watches her get close to his children and wishes that she was their mother.

An A from me. In Let me entertain you, the love scenes are scorching hot, the sexual tension as thick as syrup, the love story purely romantic and Dr. Mike is every woman's dream.

Lord of scoundrels by Loretta Chase
Published by Avon
Grade: A

Tough-minded Jessica Trent's sole intention is to free her nitwit brother from the destructive influence of Sebastian Ballister, the notorious Marquess of Dain. She never expects to desire the arrogant, amoral cad. And when Dain’s reciprocal passion places them in a scandalously compromising, and public, position, Jessica is left with no choice but to seek satisfaction...Damn the minx for tempting him, kissing him...and then forcing him to salvage her reputation! Lord Dain can't wait to put the infuriating bluestocking in her place -- and in some amorous position. And if this means marriage, so be it! --
though Sebastian is less than certain he can continue to remain aloof...and
steel his heart to the sensuous, headstrong lady's considerable charms .

The gals at Book Binge bullied me into reading this. ;-) I had borrowed it out of the library twice, but brought it back unread each time. I hated Lord Perfect so much, that there was no way this one could be any better.
My library only had the one copy of it, and by the time I was ready to read it the last person who had it had lost it. Damn.
So, I bought it in ebook. I'm happy that I did. It was as good as everyone promised.

Dain and Jess have a love/hate relationship. They love to pretend to hate each other. Jess has a rather stupid brother who thinks that Dain is Gods gift to the world. He wants to be just like Dain, so he does all the things that Dain does in order to be 'cool' like him. Jess's brother isn't too bright, and everything he does just makes him look bad, or gets him into trouble. When his bad gambling starts to put him in the poor house, Tess wants him to stop hanging around Dain.

Tess buys an icon of The Madonna not knowing that it's worth a lot more than what she paid for. When Dain finds out how much the icon is worth, he tries to buy it from her. Jess says that as long as he agrees to leave her brother alone, then she will simply give him the icon.

Dain doesn't like being told what to do, so he makes it a point to drive Jess's brother even deeper than he already is.

Even though Dain is a Lord, he never dallies with a Lady. He sleeps with trollops and pretends they are respectful for as long as it takes to rut with them, but thats as far as it goes. Dain didn't have a childhood filled with love and acceptance, so now as an adult, he doesn't feel that he belongs or is worthy to receive it. When he finds that he is more than just attracted to Jess, it puts him in a bitter mood.

There is plenty of reluctant flirting on the part of Dain, and Jess is such a witty little thing, that she doesn't just blush and bat her eyes at him. I really enjoyed the dialogue between the pair.

At a ball Dain is caught by some gossips with his hands up Jess's skirt. He thinks that she set him up so that they would be forced to wed. Dain decides to put her in her place by pretty much calling her a whore in front of everyone and then stalking off.

They do eventually get married. After Jess paid him back by shooting him. That has got to be my favourite scene in the book.

Loretta Chase wrote an excellent back story for Dain in the beginning of the book. Even though he isn't your typical handsome Hero, I found myself falling for him as fast as Jessica did. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and give him a big hug.

Awesome book! No doubt that I will re read it again and again.

Campus Cravings: Coach by Carol Lynne

Published by Total e bound

Grade: A

Being a gay high school football coach isn’t easy, especially in a small town. For five years, Justin has repressed his sexuality in order to keep the job he loves. His only serious temptation is the father of his star running back. Sparks fly between the two men, and one Friday night after a winning game, Justin just can’t say no. Luc is the man he’s been searching for his entire life. But is this new relationship worth risking his career?

This is the first book in the Campus Cravings series. Justin is the coach of the highschool football team. He likes the dad of his star player, but he knows that he would never be accepted in town if word got out about his sexuality.

Luc has also kept his feelings hidden all these years, but with the help of his son, the two men finally get the chance to have a date, and the sparks really fly. Justin and Luc spend almost all their time together, and before long they fall in love.

After the couple is caught kissing by a reporter, Justin is forced to tell the school board what is going on with him and Luc.

This book is just more proof that all the hot nice guys are either married or gay. Coach is a touching love story, and I hope that everyone has the chance to find the type of love that Justin and Luc share.

One of the big reasons why I don't normally read short stories is because it's hard for me to believe in the love, and thats why I read romance...for the love. With shorts there just doesn't seem to be enough time for the people to fall in love. The Coach time line was perfect and Carol Lynne did a great job of making the love story believable.

A third party by Chris Tanglen, A third and a fourth party by Chris Tanglen
Published by Ellora's cave
Grade: A-/B+

In keeping with my rereads for the month of June (I have given up on that BTW, lol) I wasn't planning on reading these just yet.
But then once I read the review at Bewitched by books I couldn't hold off any longer.


When Theresa reveals her #1 fantasy to her fiancé Dale, she doesn't expect anything to come of it. After all, it's just a fantasy...right? Real women simply don't get the opportunity to be sandwiched between two strong, handsome men.But when Dale admits that he's open to the idea, Theresa finds herself in the surprising and wonderful position of trying to find a suitable third party. It's a comical search that finally brings them to Jeremy, who is charming, attractive, and more than willing to share his hotel room bed.Grab the whipped cream, cinnamon-flavored body oil, and some restraints; it's going to be the hottest weekend of Theresa's life!




Last year, Theresa's fiancé Dale made her ultimate fantasy come true: two guys at once! Their search for the perfect third party ended with Jeremy, a sexy, charming stranger who was more than willing to give Theresa the best weekend of her life.Now Theresa and Dale are married, and though they have a fantastic sex life, they've put those wild times behind them.Or so Dale thinks. Because these days, Theresa has been giving a lot of thought to returning the favor. After all, his birthday is approaching, and a present of two women at once would certainly beat socks and a tie.But there's a major complication on the way to finding another third party, when Dale has a chance meeting with Jeremy…and both men decide that they're interested in a repeat performance!A THIRD (AND FOURTH) PARTY is another hilariously sexy romp, proving that three ISN'T a crowd…and neither is four!

Ok, both books were super funny! You are not going to find some great romance though. Theresa and Dale have already met and are in love, so we are well past all those issues. There is no great conflict, no magical moment where they realise that s/he is 'the one'. No big fight, no grovel scene. What we have in these two books is sex, sex and more sex. Lots of laughs, too :)

In A third party Theresa and Dale set out to search for the perfect third person. They are not interested in any long term thing. Just a sex filled weekend of fun. Some of the conversations this couple have had me LOL'ing! When they were writing up a profile on an adult site, and then when Theresa made Dale go talk to a guy in a grocery store. I was laughing so hard. I'm laughing right just thinking about it, lol

The man they end up choosing to fulfill Theresa's fantasy is named Jeremy. He is not new to swinging and is eager to get it on with Theresa. After a weekend of hot hot lovin' where the men are careful that there is no cock to cock contact, they part ways. Jeremy goes back to his life, and Theresa & Dale go get married. They have wonderful memories to keep them occupied when they are not having hot one on one sex with each other.

In A third and a fourth party, Theresa wants to fulfill Dale's fantasy. She looks for a cute woman to bring home for Dale. Meanwhile, Dale has run into Jeremy, and they get to talking about Theresa.

Just like the first book, this is full of yummy sex. Sex between Dale and Theresa. Then Dale, Theresa and Jeremy. Then we meet Melanie who is there to surprise Dale on his birthday. So then we have Theresa, Melanie and Dale sex. Unlike the men, the women are not afraid to touch each other. It then moves on to a foursome. Thats a hilarious orgy where everyone is having a grand old time. Again, the boys don't want to touch, but they enjoy watching the girls make out.

Keep a glass of ice water next to you when you read these ones. You'll need it.

Her best friends lover
Published by Ellora's Cave
Grade: C

Dale loves women, and they love him. His love life is a revolving door. No one special, no one stays, except Lauren, his best friend. She's a sweet, beautiful, talented woman. His rock, the steadying influence in his life. So why is he starting to see her differently? Where are these lustful thoughts coming from? Guys don't sleep with their best friends.

Lauren has loved Dale for five years, from the moment she saw him. She loves his smile, his walk, his deep, sexy voice. But he isn't in love with her. She's his pal, his confidant. Until one hot, steamy night…

I have not read too many friends to lovers book, so that it what attracted me to this book. When I first read it there were a number of things that had me complaining to my husband.
A nurse saying that the Heroine is 9 inches dilated when she was in labor. Um 9 *inches*? That should be cm, not inches. Waiting 6 weeks before having sex after the baby is born-talk about outdated advice. The OB suggesting monthly ultrasounds in order to watch the growth of the baby. OB says that Heroines birth canal is small, so a baby over 8 lbs with have to be a c section. WTF? THEN the dr wants biweekly ultrasounds. Holy crap! Seriously, I know pregnancy and childbirth-trust me. All that stuff is just so wrong wrong wrong. AND my number one pet peeve when it comes to Heroines is when they don't tell the dad when she gets pregnant. ARGH!!!! The kicker here is that the dad does know, and he loves her, and he wants the baby. He WISHES the baby was his, but she doesn't tell him.
The amount of miscommunication going on with this couple-oy! Seriously, the first time I read this, it was a DNF.

Lauren has been in love with her next door neighbour for years. As beautiful as she is, Dale only sees her as a friend. His buddy. One night Dale gets very drunk, and the two of them end up having sex.
The next morning Dale does not remember.
A few weeks later Lauren finds out she is pregnant. Dale is mad because he wants to kick the ass of the guy who knocked her and left her. She doesn't tell him that he is the guy.

She is sick with morning sickness a lot, and Dale helps her out. He spends lots of time with her, and starts to wonder why they never dated. He end sup falling in love with her, and they get married. She still doesn't tell him that he is the dad.

They have the baby. Dale loves his daughter and feels jealousy about the 'other guy' Dales wishes that he was the biological father.

6 weeks after the birth is when it's all out in the open. Dale is very angry. Understandably!

They do a lot of talking and work through it. Correction-Dale does the talking. He forces Lauren to communicate with him. Otherwise, they would never get it worked out.

In the end Dale understands why Lauren lied to him. I don't though. So Lauren was left by her own parents, and growing up in the foster system sucked. Millions have people have a crappy childhood. Thats no excuse.

C+ because since I read the book the whole way through this time, I found out that she ended up birthing vaginally after all. As much as Lauren sucks, I really like Dale. He is an awesome hero! You can't beat the love scenes either. Hot, hot hot! Something that is important to me when I read is that I believe the love. As much as don't like the Heroine I believe their love.

Submission Revealed by Diana Hunter
Published by Ellora's cave
Grade: A

Sarah and Phillip are planning their marriage and exploring the boundaries of anextreme Dominant-slave relationship. As Phillip opens the doors to Sarah'ssubmission, she discovers places she had buried deep within herself. Under hisguidance, she will become the woman she has always yearned to be.But chaosensues when Sarah's secret submissiveness is revealed to the world, andPhillip's dominance is considered abuse when the law gets involved with theirsex lives. Their happiness is threatened, their lives put on hold as they areforced to defend their most private actions and the sex games they play.


This book is the sequel to Secret Submission. I read SS, but I didn't review it. Now I wish I had, because it was just as good as this one.
In this sequel, Sarah and Phillip are planning their wedding. Sarah is giddy in love with Phillip. She is thankful to have found someone who treats who so well and loves her unconditionally. Phillip is as much in love as Sarah is, and he is happy to have found the woman of his dreams.

Two weeks before the wedding, Sarah is in a car accident. She has some injuries caused by the accident, but doctors find some other marks on her that could not have happened during the crash. The marks are suspicious enough for hospital staff to call the police. Phillip does not deny giving her the marks, and they end up arresting him for domestic assault.

Phillip and Sarah are forced to put their wedding on hold while they deal with the authorities who don't understand their way of life.

Submission Revealed is an emotional read and had me getting angry, not at the book, but at how the couple was treated, because authorities refused to believe/accept that what was going on in their bedroom was consensual.

They couldn't understand how a woman would not only ask to be spanked with a cane, but also crave it and orgasm from it. Sarah got up on a witness stand and told this to a judge a jury. I can't imagine having to do that.

Just because you do not understand something, it does not mean that it's wrong. Sure, the majority of the world is into monogamous, vanilla, straight sex, so I understand the hesitation when it come to a couple who call each other Master and slave. Still though, a lot more acceptance would do a world of good.

This was a really enjoyable read. I didn't want to put it down. Even if there are no more books based solely on them, I hope to get a glimpse of Phillip and Sarah in future books.

Absolute Trouble by Michelle Jerott
Published by Avon
Grade: B-

At six-feet-tall, red-haired, and an ex-cop, Dulcinea Quinn isn't someone you
want to mess with. But she meets her match when a friend on the police force
asks her to hide a valuable eyewitness to a murder on her New Orleans houseboat.
Julien Langlois is tall, dark, and dangerous--a man who hides secrets he doesn't
want Dulcinea to discover--and he's willing to use all his Cajun charm and
seductive persuasion to convince the beautiful redhead to free him from
protective custody. Neither Julien nor Dulcinea are prepared for the powerful
force of attraction that pulls them together--nor for the danger they'll have to
face before they can learn if their love will survive the threats to their
lives.

I was surprised at how much I liked this book. It was a free ebook release of the authors fist published story.

Dulcie was forced to retire from the police force after she was beat with a bat and had her back broken. She now lives in a house boat, and makes dolls.

As a favour for her friend, Dulcie agrees to let Julien, a yummy Cajun stripper who is witness to a murder, stay on her houseboat for a few days. It's not long before it's realised that Julien isn't just an innocent witness. His plan all along was to kill the Dragon..the man responsible for the death of his little brother, as well as the injury to Dulcie's back. Something went wrong at the hit, and instead of killing the Dragon, Julien saw the Dragon kill someone else.

Julien tries to use his charms against Dulcie in hopes of getting her to let him leave the boat. Dulcie isn't an innocent miss. She knows what he is up too, and she doesn't mind playing around with him in the sack. She makes it clear that no matter how many times they have sex, she wont be letting him off the boat.

The book is not without flaws...

- Dulcie thinking that she can't have babies because her back was broken. Um Ok.
-If you know anything about police procedure, you'll probably roll your eyes at the way Julien's 'protection' was handled.
-Dulcie falls in love in only 2 days even though she knows he is a liar pants on fire.

I was able to overlook those things because the story was enjoyable, and in the end I really did believe that they loved each other deeply.

The commander's slave, By KS Augustin
Published by New concepts
Grade: B

About the book:

She doesn't know who she is. She is found wandering the crash-site of a ship and taken to Hell's Market where she is sold to a hard-eyed mercenary with nothing but sex on his mind. But things are never quite as they seem. For a start, the 'mercenary', Tangus, is Commander of the last remnant of the Seti species, his home-world and its entire civilian population blown into oblivion in a single act of unspeakable brutality. In an uncaring galaxy he is determined to find a way for his all-male contingent (and the Seti name) to live on and obtain justice for their planet's destruction even if his plan involves inter-breeding the Seti with females from other species.

After her ship crashes, Asha is left with no memory of who she is. She is captured by a group of males who auction her off to the highest bidder. She is lonely, weak, hungry and has no idea who she is, yet she feels safe with the controlling ship commander who has bought her.

Tangus is the leader of a the remaining males of his species. Without women to have babies with, his race will die out. Tangus sees Asha and believes that she is the answer to their problems. He decides that she will be the first woman to start the breeding with and re populate his race.

Asha and Tangus have incredible sexual needs, and please each other well. However, it's not long before Tangus has to put his personal feelings aside and choose either his people, or the woman is he falling in love with.

This is a wonderful read that I recomend it to anyone who enjoys sci-fi.

Double Jeopardy, by Rachel Bo

Published by Ellora's Cave

Grade: D-

About the book:

Kendall Aaronson can't believe the incredible
attraction she feels for two young hunks, Joshua Reed and Sutter Campbell, the
first time they enter her shop. Soon, she finds it's an attraction she can't
resist! As their unique relationship heats up, so does the temper of Sutter's
father. When David Campbell threatens to destroy everything Kendall has come to
cherish, her strength and determination are the only things standing in his
way.

Oh my gosh, I don't even know where to start.

I guess I'll start with what I did like. The Heroine and Heroes have something that they call 'the bond'. They are able to project images and feelings to one another. It's great for them during sex because everything is intensified. I wouldn't mind reading some books that have that type of thing going on.

Now what I didn't like. Oh man.

First of all, the Heroine is fat. Like, fat-fat. Not plump or big boned. Fat. There was talk of lifting her belly. I shit you not.

Then he lifted her belly as well, his soapy fingers stroking the sensitive skin
just below her abdomen and above her bush.

That's not the only time there was belly lifting talk either.

I suppose it's my own fault. This book does have 'rubenesque' in the genre description. I should have Googled the word before I bought the book. Not that it would have done much good, though. I did a search for rubenesque, and everything I have read described the body type like Mae West. Pear shaped, ample breasts, soft-full lips and alluring curves. The Heroine did not come across as having a body like Mae West to me.

Bread sticks, pool cues and spaghetti were used during sex. Ellora's Cave made sure to make a note about the male/male scenes, but where was the 'unusual objects inserted into the vagina' warning?
I can't talk about it. I'm trying to forget.

The Heroine is 10 years older than the guys. I don't like it when the Heroine is older than the Hero, but I can live with it. The problem here was that the age differences were mentioned pretty often. Also, based on the way she spoke to and acted with the guys, it sounded like she was their mother. The only time I didn't get the 'parent' vibe from her was when they were having sex.

Sex. That brings me to my last annoyance. I never thought I would utter these words about this genre, but here I go...

There was too much sex.

There. I said it. I found myself skimming the sex scenes. There was just so much. For a novel I would have liked some more substance.

The book description mentions a problem with the father of one of the Heroes. Well, it wasn't till the end of the book that anything really happened with that. The Heroine, being the mommy figure I guess, took care of it with help from a friend. Not from her husbands. She treated them like babies through out the book.

I have a learned a few lessons. NEVER read a book that has a rubenesque person in it. Don't think that becuase a book has a lot of praise, that it's going to be a good read.

Branded by gold, by Carol Lynne (Book one. Men in love series)
Published by Ellora's cave
Grade: B+

About the book:

On the run from her stepfather, Jenny Barnes wakes up in hospital to find
the two men she's loved for years are with her. Her stepbrother, Jake, and his
best friend and lover, Cree, have finally been called to her side after they
spent years searching for her. But when they take Jenny home to their new ranch,
even they can't keep her tormentor away. With the help of their ex-Seal buddies
they set out to keep the love of their lives safe and to capture Jake's own
father.

Seriously, I didn't know what this was about before I bought it. I saw the cover, fell in love with the hottie next to the girl and didn't think twice. Look at the lines of his face. Nice! I didn't even notice the other guy hiding in the background.

Jake and Cree, are two hottie guys who are in love. Please see this thread of conversation at Sanctuary's Finest for a little bit of opinion about hot male/male sex.
The guys love Jenny, and built their ranch with her in mind (she has her own bathroom and closet in the master bedroom) but they have not been able to find Jenny in years, so the guys don't feel complete with each other, or at home with out her.

When Jenny is finally found...in a hospital violated, and almost beaten to death, the guys are happy to find her, but angry that they were not around to protect her. They bring her home to the ranch where they hope to live happily ever after. It's not all smooth sailing, because Jenny's step father is the one who hurt her, and he is back to finish the job.

I liked this book. Jake and Cree are perfect Hero's. They are gentle giants who take their time with Jenny. Never forcing her to do anything she isn't ready to do. Even though Jenny has been to hell and back she is a strong soul who doesn't back down from a fight. I was rooting for her the whole way through.

My only problems..One of the guys is supposed to have an eight and a half incher. Yeah Ok. That does not sound sexy to me. There is only so much room in a body for that thing to go to. I'm the first to admit that size DOES matter, but lets not go overboard. There is such thing as too big, yah know.

Also, the dialogue tended to get long in some places. I felt like telling some of the characters to take a breath.

As far as I can tell, this is the first book for this author (at least under this name) She only has one book at EC, and I can't seem to find anything else for her on the net. I hope she writes the second book to this series soon. I can't wait for it! I want to read a story for Nicco, one of the secondary characters.

Go buy this book now!