Found this more depressing than Me Before You, loads of sad story arcs in this one and not an entirely enjoyable read. Redeemed in the end by some snaFound this more depressing than Me Before You, loads of sad story arcs in this one and not an entirely enjoyable read. Redeemed in the end by some snarky British humour and of course Louisa. Its impossible not to cheer for her....more
Liked this one a lot. I have a soft spot for the tortured alpha hero so this worked. Very addictive series with all these MC brothers waiting in the wLiked this one a lot. I have a soft spot for the tortured alpha hero so this worked. Very addictive series with all these MC brothers waiting in the wings to have their stories told. ...more
I rolled my eyes a fair bit while listening to this and can't believe I'm rating it 4 stars , it was just very amateur, rushed during the few action sI rolled my eyes a fair bit while listening to this and can't believe I'm rating it 4 stars , it was just very amateur, rushed during the few action scenes and hit all the stereotypical biker themes (SOA) along the way with nothing too special. Its ultimately a sweet MC story. Still I enjoyed this, way more than expected. The author is Australian so there are some Aussie words strewn about. I wish the narration via Audible hadn't been with an American accent that would have made this stand out more. ...more
Took me over a month to read this and was honestly a bit of a slog to get through. Disappointing romance between Cait and Duke/G.B and what the hell wTook me over a month to read this and was honestly a bit of a slog to get through. Disappointing romance between Cait and Duke/G.B and what the hell was Jim doing here? Not much. I didn't feel that this advanced the series at all. The whole 500 + pages could have been accomplished in about a chapter. Sorry Ward. I used to love you....more
Well holy hell this was fun, a totally addictive read, sucking me right into the underground world of the motorcycle club. I wasn’t actually sure thatWell holy hell this was fun, a totally addictive read, sucking me right into the underground world of the motorcycle club. I wasn’t actually sure that I would like this, I mean I’m not really into reading about woman being considered property but once again my GR’s friends steered me in the right direction, this is so much more than it appears on the surface. Joanna Wylde has also done her homework in regards to showing the ins and outs of club life, so that as well as this being an off the charts, anything goes, sexy-time read it’s also utterly fascinating. Who knew the MC world was such a secret society with so many of its own customs and rules?
Yeah I’ll admit this is also downright outrageous at times, even shocking but it’s a ton of fun, hilarious, romantic, and impossible to put down. Just a great bit of escapism that any of (us) Sons Of Anarchy fans will love.
I was initially a little thrown by our hero “Horse” LOL, yeah that’s right (because he’s hung like one) He is obnoxious, uber alpha, into all sorts of illegal business –which is never deluged just described as “club business” don’t go there. He’s a total chauvinist, considers women property but thank god he’s got soft side too. Pretty much from the moment he meets Marie he’s fucked. He wants her, has to have her and is willing to do anything to get her. I think even he was shocked by the intensity of his feelings. Marie was a great heroine too, adventurous, spirited a bit naïve and loyal to a fault. I had a good time being in her head.
Marie Jenson has just split from her abusive, cheating husband and moved back into the trailer she grew up in with her brother. Her Mom is spending a bit of time in jail so for the time being it’s just the two of them. That’s when the Reapers Motorcycle club comes calling. Her stoner brother is doing some *cough*“web design” for the club and as much as these tattooed badass bikers scare her they also intrigue her especially the one they call Horse, him she can’t top thinking about (me either). The last thing she needs right now though is another man laying claim to her and she can’t help but be wary of his criminal lifestyle and the way he watches her.
Everything goes to shit however when her brother is caught stealing from the club, now they need to be paid in blood or they’re going to kill him. Marie is blood and until her brother finds a way to pay the Reaper’s back, they own her. She’s got 20 minutes to pack a bag before they torch the trailer, then she’s Property of the Reapers, Horse’s very own house mouse. But he may be getting more than he bargained for from this “sweet butt.”
All in this was a great read, I was surprised by how into it I got and how sigh worthy romantic this ended up being. I can’t wait to continue on with the series. 430jb4.5
Opening Line: Grave. And not as in serious. As in headstone and freshly disturbed earth, as in body down under, as in ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”
I’Opening Line: Grave. And not as in serious. As in headstone and freshly disturbed earth, as in body down under, as in ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”
I’m one of those obsessive JR Ward fans that knows the release date of her latest book about a year in advance and plans accordingly, rearranging my work schedule and blocking off several uninterrupted days to read it. If I’m honest though her Fallen Angels have never quite made it to the same level as her BDB boys however I did feel (at least with the last book (Envy) Ward had turned a corner with the series, as it was a fantastic read and really got me excited about what was to come. Unfortunately with this installment it just feels like we`ve gone back to square one because in the end I came away feeling underwhelmed and disappointed.
Don't get me wrong, it’s still ‘new’ Ward so it’s still all kinds of awesome but Rapture took me over a week to finish with sections where my mind wandered or I just felt like I’d read it all before. There wasn’t really anything new here with characters, traits and events that felt rehashed and a little too familiar along with a slow moving storyline and not a whole lot going on in the romance department. I also don`t feel like this book moved things forward; in fact I would go as far as to say that Rapture stalled, essentially taking the series nowhere.
Okay now that that’s out of the way. Rapture is book 4 in the Fallen Angels series following our angel Jim Heron as he battles the devil in the ultimate endgame of good vs evil. Jim has been chosen (by like GOD himself) to rescue the souls of seven people from one of seven deadly sins. If he fails so does all of humanity, so the stakes are pretty high. Currently he stands at a win of 2 to 1 with events in the last book hitting him hard as Devina (the devil) took out one of his team *sigh* Well and then there`s that little issue of him having sex with her, and oh that whole Sissy trapped in hell situation. Anyways.
As usual going in Jim (and the reader) don’t know whose soul is going to need saving. I have to say I was a little surprised to learn that previous bad boy Matthias was being resurrected here as the latest hero. Can’t say I liked him much before, but I wasn`t supposed to. Of course through clever writing Ward manages to transform him into, if not swoon-worthy at least redeemable enough that I felt for his plight.
We join Matthias as he wakes up naked on top of a grave (Jim’s) He has no memories of how he got there, in fact he has no memories at all which might actually be a good thing considering the type of life he lead before his little trip to hell. As the leader of XOps (a covert group of assassins) he was a bit of a monster and his body still has the scars to prove it.
So Matthias stumbles around the graveyard, getting used to his dysfunctional legs before wandering onto the road and getting hit by a car. Say hello to Mels Carmichael; reporter for the Caldwell Courier Journal, user of Beth’s coffee mug and romantic lead. Mels is your standard Ward heroine; little bit Jane, a dash of Griers, entirely forgettable but perfect for Matthias. And while their romance was fine it was nothing special, they did however seem to spend an exorbitant amount of time in hotels and restaurants or eating in general.
All the Wardisms are here, yup Ward's unique brand of slang and riddelesque product placement is in full bloom, which sometimes makes me laugh but also gets to be a bit much particularly in this series. “He’d come to the land of Lysol, piss-green tiles, and scales that were used to weigh brains and livers” -Um, couldn`t you just say morgue?
I’m surprisingly becoming a big fan of Devina, what with her ongoing therapy sessions, OCD, hoarding issues and school girl crush on Jim her POV`s are always a blast to read.
I also just have to mention Adrian; the sacrifice he makes here is so well... moving, it had me way more invested then the whole crossroads climax that we had supposedly been waiting all book for. That was kind of meh, what did he do that for? Whereas Adrian, he broke me. Cheers peeps. ~3.5~ 329jb35...more
Opening Line: “Daisy, California Population 2,726.”
As much as I love Amy Lane I have to admit this one was a struggle for me to get through. Don’t getOpening Line: “Daisy, California Population 2,726.”
As much as I love Amy Lane I have to admit this one was a struggle for me to get through. Don’t get me wrong the writing is still fantastic and there are passages that literally take your breath away but the story is so painful, so angry, so freaking desperate and depressing that it almost became more then I could take. I wasn’t even convinced of the love story taking place here, it just seemed a little frantic, a little violent, a little for the moment.
You’d think with a title like “Mourning Heaven” I would have been prepared though, especially after already having my heart shredded (in a good way) by several of Lane’s other books. I was expecting angst and pain here but I was also expecting awesomeness or at least something redeeming or hopeful to cling to throughout this sad story. But with every page angst-riddled and every character broken, tormented and grief stricken this was ultimately just exhausting.
“Oh shit he was disintegrating, dissolving, coming apart again and Peter needed to be there for once, someone needed to be there to catch Bodi as he fell. Peter was up and wrapping his arms around Bodi before one more painful word happened and Bodi was crying like he hadn’t cried when (spoiler) and Peter was crying with him because this was Michael Bodi was crying about and Michael had hurt and Michael had broken and he hadn’t let them fix him and now he would never be fixed and they’d always be a little bit broken in their souls where he’d left a Michael shaped hole.”
Peter moved to the small prejudiced town of Daisy at the age of 12. He’d moved around a lot in his short life and while his mother loved him she was just never able to provide for him eventually depositing him with his Aunt Aileen and her son Michael. It wasn’t all bad though because there was Michael. For Peter his cousin is the sun and the moon, he is everything good and strong and protective and right in the world. Just to hear him breathing through the thin bedroom walls at night makes him feel like everything is going to be okay. And then there’s Michael’s friend Bodi, the boy that Peter loves from the moment he sets eyes on him. Of course it’s not easy being gay in a town like Daisy the church is …well very vocal in its views on that sort of evil behavior and everyone in this backwards town goes to church so it’s not a place you want to be out.
“He’d told his mother that he thought boys were more beautiful than girls, and she’d told him that he would have to be either brave or quiet about that, especially in Daisy.”
The meat of this story however takes place years later; Peter is now 23 and the only one still living in Daisy. Michael his hero, his everything who he hasn’t seen in 6 years is finally coming home and Peter now has the task of finding Bodi and bringing him back too because Michael is coming home in a casket. Slowly we the readers learn what happened 6 years ago that splintered the trio, sending Bodi off in the middle of the night into parts unknown and Michael to the nearest recruiting office where he enlisted in the service.
Together Bodi and Peter have to get through their grief and pay homage to Michael, restoring his motorcycle and giving him a proper send-off while trying to get through the hate, ignorance and prejudice that this town tends to feed on. Bodi is so broken that it will be a miracle if he survives even with Peter’s love and Peter; well he has to learn that even heroes aren’t perfect. 327jb35
SIDECAR was one of those books that I couldn`t stop reading yet wanted to put away and slowly savour because I just dOpening Line: “The Kid was cold.”
SIDECAR was one of those books that I couldn`t stop reading yet wanted to put away and slowly savour because I just didn`t want it to end. I absolutely loved Casey and Joe and I`m fast approaching phonebook status with author Amy Lane, you know if she wrote a phone book I`d read it cover to cover, probably cry at the end then write a gushy fangirl review all about it. Everything she writes just grabs me by the guts, sometimes destroys me, always makes me sigh and smile and generally leaves me a hot tear streaked mess. Sidecar was no exception.
This is amazing and rare story; encompassing twenty-five years of love and well, life. And because of the length of time we get to spend with our characters this also becomes more than just a story, this is a lifetime, this is every little heartache and hope and triumph. This is epic. Thanks for the ride Amy!
Ponytailed, Harley riding, bear of a man Joe Daniels is on his way home from his job as a pediatric nurse when he comes across a visibly distraught teenager on the side of the road. Joe has picked up his share of runaways over the years in this remote area, feeding them and giving them a safe place for a few days until they head out into the world again. He’s assuming this 16 year old will be the same but Casey is about to change everything.
At first Casey is wary of accepting the big hippie bikers offer, knowing some of the shit he`s had to do over the past few months just to get a meal. But he`s also reached the end of his endurance; he’s exhausted, dirty, hungry, lice riddled and reeling from the recent abuse of a trucker. He can either go back to the bridge he almost jumped off or he can go with Joe.
Casey’s story is not a revelation, on the run because his parents couldn’t accept him being gay; now all he needs is a break, just a place to make a start for himself. He`s found it with Joe and so much more. Joe doesn`t want anything from him (definitely not sex even though Casey offers) he just wants Casey to have a chance to grow up without judgement and become a good man. So Casey doesn`t leave, with Joe as his legal guardian he goes back to school, gets a job, helps remodel the house, they get a dog, he dates a few boys and life goes by.
At 27 Joe is pretty settled in his life, he works at the hospital, he likes his seclusion, he loves having Casey around and he dates a few girls and a few boys. Their relationship works, for several years it works but Casey is growing up and he`s never hidden the fact that he wants Joe. So far Joe’s been able to play it off, telling him he`s just a kid and doesn’t know what he wants and that’s where the conflict comes in because suddenly Casey isn`t a kid, suddenly, overnight (well 6 years) Casey is a man and Joe can no longer deny what s been growing between them. How it hurts now to see him with his silly boyfriends.
Gawd the moment Joe realizes that he`s in love with Casey, that he wants him is so perfect and so beautiful and so well written it makes you want to cry. I`ll be honest though I had my doubts as to whether Lane could pull off this transformation taking them from a pseudo father son relationship to lovers but I needn’t have worried and YES, Finally, the payoff for their first time together is so worth the long wait.
”I want you. I want to hold you. I’m suddenly, terrifyingly, overwhelmingly possessed with the idea of what your mouth would taste like under mine, and I don’t know how to say it or even think it.”
And still their story goes on. Joe wants a child, same sex adoption wasn`t really a thing in the nineties so that’s a problem, Joe also wants Casey to travel, to see the world and experience everything before he settles down. Casey just wants Joe and time marches on, in the blink of an eye 25 years has passed and that is life. Cheers.
I want to mention that Amy has also included a song title for each chapter, relevant to when it takes place and what our characters are going through. And because this starts in 1986 –the year I graduated (!) I had an absolute blast with this playlist, bringing back lots of memories for me, when I had super big hair and Corey Hart was the bomb. 319jb5+
Just noticed that this series is switching to a hardcover release!
Which pisses me off. I'm not sure I'm invested enough in Ward's angels to shell outJust noticed that this series is switching to a hardcover release!
Which pisses me off. I'm not sure I'm invested enough in Ward's angels to shell out the $$ for hardcover especially when I'll just end up replacing it in PB so my series is all matchy, matchy. (Yeah I know) Damn I hate when publishers do this.
So far this series isn't up to BDB standards, and what I mean by that is that I've yet to reread any of the books whereas my BDB's are trashed, I've reread them several, several times so it doesn't hurt so much having 2 copies.
Opening Line: “The urge to run was overwhelming. But Andrew Jackson had not survived the last fifteen years in a maximum security prison by running soOpening Line: “The urge to run was overwhelming. But Andrew Jackson had not survived the last fifteen years in a maximum security prison by running so he walked through the last set of locked gates leading to the outside world.”
Now I know this is a favourite read for many people and I really wanted to love it. Based on reviews I expected to love it and I did fall pretty hard for the hero Jackson but due to the high cheese factor and melodramatics of the heroine I can only give it 3 stars.
The story was good enough, I mean convicted murderer and preachers daughter hooking up, okay you’ve got my attention, sounds intriguing. And the hero was kinda awesome; all emotionally tortured and misunderstood, riding around on his Harley, looking sexy and just wanting to be loved. But the heroine, jeez she drove me crazy with her gasping, feinting, sobbing and over the top tantrums. How do these TSTL women keep getting all the great guys?
Yes the melodramatics were high here which was too bad. Ultimately I could have overlooked those moments but then we also had the stilted and phony dialogue to contend with. I mean who talks like this…
“When she tried the lights she found to her dismay that they didn't work. “Pooh" she said, (really, Pooh?!) but she wasn't afraid of the dark. She knew this place like the back of her hand."
And the love scenes, I actually eye rolled and cringed my way through those because of the clichéd sappiness…
"The room was dark, but they didn't need light to see with their hearts."
“Their dance was timeless and yet for them all too new.”
Part of my problem may have stemmed from the fact that I went into this expecting a somewhat darker read. Where I got that idea I’m not entirely sure (the back blurb?) but this is definitely not dark, some of the themes sure, but not the writing.
Jackson Rule has just been released from prison after serving a fifteen year sentence for manslaughter. Convicted at the age of 15 he lost his youth inside the walls of Angola State Pen. Now at 31 Jackson has a lot of catching up to do, but society doesn’t give many breaks to an ex con and in the first few chapters we watch as he frustratingly tries to reconnect with his sister and build a life for himself. Getting a job proves the hardest, especially without a driver’s license and it’s just dumb luck that sees him filling out an application at Rebecca Hill’s nursery. For some reason she see’s something in him others don’t and is willing to look beyond his past mistakes. After all he’s done his time. Her father the preacher however is another matter entirely.
Of course the sparks fly between our couple, Rebecca knows that Jackson is a good man –probably because he keeps rescuing people (from burning buildings, from would be rapists, from heart attacks) but Jackson is emotionally scarred from the violence in his past and tries to keep his distance, feeling that his reputation would ruin Rebecca. Really though it’s just a matter of time.
Lots of readers love this story so don’t take my word for it, this isn’t a bad book and Jackson is worth putting up with a silly heroine and some corny dialogue for. Cheers.
Opening Line: "Meow,"Tessa Sheridan frowned at the grey-and-white cat perched next to her on the sofa."
A lot of people really liked this book, and it’Opening Line: "Meow,"Tessa Sheridan frowned at the grey-and-white cat perched next to her on the sofa."
A lot of people really liked this book, and it’s received a ton of 5 star ratings, which is of course why I bought it, unfortunately though I struggled through it. I mean this was a real effort to finish, plodding through long drawn out repetitive scenes and way too many introspective conversations that added nothing to the overall story. Even with a hunky outlaw biker hero to drool over, sizzling love scenes, and several LOL moments I still came away kind of meh about the whole thing.
That’s not to say I hated it, because I didn’t, in fact there were several things that I really enjoyed, Toni Blake’s writing style for example and the way she incorporated random ideas into her characters and story; like dancing with Ellen and the numerous classic rock songs mentioned. I also liked the issue of our heroine dealing with Chron’s disease; this was a unique affliction and dealt with very well.
I think one of my favourite things though would have to be that Lucky as a “bad boy” biker actually speaks like a biker, he swears a lot and listens to AC/DC and Metallica. He has armloads of tattoos and a realistic past considering his gang ties. It was also obvious that Blake put some research into Harley motorcycles, specialized paint jobs and the MC language and lifestyle in general. But overall at almost 400 pages this felt like a VERY long drawn out Harlequin and would have held my interest a whole lot more and benefited with about 100 less pages.
In this 3rd instalment from the “Destiny” series Tessa Sheridan has returned to her quaint hometown of Destiny (lots of that going on in romancelandia these days) She’s had to leave her career in the big city because of a chronic illness and now all she wants to do is recover, spend time with family, and embrace life. Tessa wants to be a bit wild and experience things the old Tessa would never dream of, like skydiving, and having commitment free sex with her delicious biker dude neighbour.
However Lucky Roma may be a little more then the shy, sweet Tessa can handle, he not only looks the biker part but comes complete with a gang past and more skeletons in the closet then any woman should have to deal with. Still, Lucky has a way of making Tessa feel alive again and she just can‘t resist; he’s dangerous, sexy and exactly what she needs. What starts out as a fling soon becomes much more until Lucky’s past finally catches up with him and Tessa learns that this bad boy is in fact dangerous too and she may not know him at all...more
Really!? How did I not know earlier that the hero of this book was going to be Thomas “Veck” DelVecchio, Jr from Lover Unleashed
Gah, how awesome is thReally!? How did I not know earlier that the hero of this book was going to be Thomas “Veck” DelVecchio, Jr from Lover Unleashed
Gah, how awesome is this? I love the crossover.
This must mean we'll also get to see his partner...Jose del la Cruz, yippee. Endless possibilities here; Butch sightings, Lessers, The Band of Bastards (Throe) and the subsequent headaches leftover from his scrubbing.
The year long wait for Tohr's book just got a little easier! You rock warden.
*Confirmation given at Ward's latest signing (thanks Mahlet) that Throe from the Band Of Bastards will indeed play a role -"has a meaningful moment in it" and that we will see more crossover between the two series in general.
~So here's my Spoiler Free review~
As others have mentioned this is the best yet from Ward’s Fallen Angels series. She seems to have gotten the mix just right here and I found myself completely caught up in the story, it’s romance and all the many sub characters and their ongoing battles. I suppose introducing the hero in the last BDB book didn’t hurt matters, as from the get-go I was wondering how a Vampire attack and Veck’s subsequent “memory loss” was going to be explained. However the two series feel very different to me now, and even though I can still sense the BDB world in the background, its no longer a distraction.(I do become a squealing fan girl when I find those cameos though) Speeding black Escalade in the rain or old landlord in a butlers uniform anyone.
I would describe this as a romance wrapped in urban fantasy. The mix works though, along with Ward’s usual hilarious male banter, excessive product placement, seriously hot love scenes and a few major surprises -which we should see the trickle down effect from for several books to come. I also feel that she finally got the romance right here; I enjoyed Veck and Reilly and found myself rooting for their HEA.
Through some unique world building we also get a much closer look at arch angels Nigel and Colin(who are growing on me) and of course our sexy saviour Jim and his badass fallen angel sidekicks Adrian and Eddie… (Sigh)
Lastly I have to mention Devina. She is just awesome, probably Ward’s best female character to date and a superb villain. Yes she is evil but she is also so much more, what with her therapy sessions, hoarding issues, insecurities and school girl crush on Jim -which let me tell you he uses to his full advantage. Alls fair in love and war bitch.
As with all of Ward’s books there are many characters fighting for POV time; popping us back and forth between hero and heroine, into heaven and hell and the minds of angels, demons and anyone else caught in the crossfire of battle #3. I can honestly say though that I didn’t ever want to skip any of their sections (Lessers) as each POV was an integral part of the story and more than held my interest.
Yes, the WARDen got it right with ENVY and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
Homicide detective Thomas “Veck” Delvecchio is convinced he’s just killed a man. Haunted by the legacy of his serial killer father and followed by a dark shadow, it was really only a matter of time until he gave in to the dark side. The problem is he doesn’t remember the attack and the evidence says he’s innocent. Sent to monitor Veck is internal affairs officer Sophia Reilly whose interest in Veck grows increasingly personal as they share pizza and a mutual admiration for Victoria’s Secret.
Entwined in their budding romance is Jim Heron, now facing the 3rd round in the ultimate end game of good VS evil. He and his two back up angels have been given the task of battling against the devil for Veck’s very soul.
Bringing our group together is Reilly and Veck’s investigation of missing person Sissy Barton. She is of course being held by Devina (Crave) Jim is determined to find her body and retrieve her soul from hell whatever the consequences which gives him more reason then ever to shadow Veck, who’s own internal struggle is just beginning. Honestly I could go on and on about the plot. So much happens and I‘m not doing it justice here so I will stop. It is intricate, shocking, suspenseful, exciting, sexy and just well played. Cheers ...more
Opening Line: "I am a fisherman, an Alaskan fisherman, and a Bering Sea crab fisherman with thirty-seven years on commercial boats."
As a long time fanOpening Line: "I am a fisherman, an Alaskan fisherman, and a Bering Sea crab fisherman with thirty-seven years on commercial boats."
As a long time fan of TV’s The Deadliest Catch and an avid biography reader it was a given that I’d read Time Bandit, I just didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did or be given such candour into Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand’s lives. Now thanks to the boys I also know just about everything I’d ever want to about; Alaskan weather, rogue waves, hypothermia, what happens when you party naked, ice flows, never quitting, how many groceries you need to feed 7 hungry men for two weeks, the coast guard (coasties), eagles, seagulls, the Bering sea, red gold, flares, silly string wars, crab pots, survival suits, cod, salmon, the fishing industry in general and how to get out of jail in Mexico.
If you’re a fan of The Deadliest Catch then you’ll love this even though you will have already seen some of the stories played out on TV. However all the behind the scenes details and the intimate look into Andy and Johnathon’s lives really make this worthwhile. Exhilarating, anguished and often hilarious these modern day pirates give a first hand account on what its like to face death on the Bering Sea with stories that are in turn riotous and often sadly reflective. They talk here just like they do on TV too so expect the F-bombs, a general feeling of unruliness and a hell of a lot of fun.
Ghost written by Malcolm Macpherson, he cleverly takes an assortment of the Hillstrand brother’s tales, adds some facts and then layers them all within a gripping adventure. Starting with Johnathan drifting alone in his 38 foot fishing vessel 'Fishing Fever'. He has lost power, doesn’t have a radio and is quickly running out of cigarettes however by the end theres still 1 flare left and he hasn’t cracked the Crown Royal.
Jonathans narrative takes us through the Hillstrand brothers rough and tumble childhood, the tempestuous relationship they had with their father and onto the Time Bandit into 2008. He provides a great deal of humour throughout, none of which I can repeat here but sure made me laugh and is without a doubt the “bad boy of the Bering Sea” A couple of chapters in we switch to Andy’s POV on his horse farm in Indiana. He has just received the call that his brother’s gone missing while salmon fishing. Andy’s narrative is less personal and places a lot of emphasis on family, marriage and having a life away from fishing. And although the more reserved of the pair make no mistake Andy has a wild streak too
Macpherson takes us back and forth between the two brothers with Andy waiting and worrying at the ranch and Jonathan drifting into Shelikof Strait, eating raw salmon and rationing cigarettes. The ending of this true life adventure is well…just another day in the life of a Hillstrand.
Opening Line: " The whole thing started because of Lizzy's Jeep."
This was a quick, easy and very enjoyable read that I had trouble putting down. I’m aOpening Line: " The whole thing started because of Lizzy's Jeep."
This was a quick, easy and very enjoyable read that I had trouble putting down. I’m a bit of a sucker when it comes to the gay-for-you romances anyway but this one was just perfect.
PROMISES is a slow burning romance but that just made it all the better because we get tons of sexual tension and character development. Watching these guys go from friends to lovers over an extended period of time felt realistic. The love scenes also seemed accurately portrayed, nothing gratuitous just for the sake of a sex scene and initially with lots of fumbling and uncertainty before they got down and went for it. I liked both Matt and Jared and really felt as if I’d gotten to know them both despite the fact that this is written exclusively form Jared’s POV. Matt is equally accessible here due to some great writing. Marie Sexton was a new author for me but I will definitely be looking for others in this series.
As I said this is told from Jared’s POV, he’s lived his whole life in a small Colorado town and while openly gay he doesn’t flaunt his status either. In fact one might say he’s even closeted refusing to become a teacher for fear of bigoted parents and jeering teens. Nope, Jared is content to while away his days in his family’s hardware store, meeting up a couple times a year with his fancy man to scratch the itch and never expecting anything to change. Well it does the day Matt Richards struts into the store. He’s just been hired by the local police department and the two strike an immediate friendship. Spending their weekend’s mountain biking, camping and watching football. Matt is straight and doesn’t care what the townsfolk are saying about them spending so much time together, he does however make a point of dating one of the towns flooziest women just to set things right.
Jared is of course in love with Matt from just about day one and wishes there could be more. On the other hand he doesn’t want to risk losing Matt’s friendship either, so he just puts all horny thoughts out of his mind (for the most part) And that’s when the sexual tension comes in; the meaningful looks, the light touches, the massages, the hand in the hair, the fact that he never wants to go home. Hmmm maybe Matt is willing to take this friendship to a whole other level?
Yeah this was super good, lots of complicated situations and interesting secondary characters and a just a great story. I was really rooting for these two because the odds were stacked against them. Funny in the end it was Jared who had the most issues with being in a committed gay relationship not his hetero partner. Bah, labels who needs them. Cheers. 286jb5...more
“Forget desperate. One hundred and eighty years without an orgasm had finally taken its toll. She’d crossed the line from desperate to completely dera“Forget desperate. One hundred and eighty years without an orgasm had finally taken its toll. She’d crossed the line from desperate to completely deranged.”
Vampire Viviana Darland has come to the small Texas town of Skull Creek seeking out the last and only man to ever gave her an orgasm and she‘s not leaving until she gets it. Hot on her trail are two revenge driven vampires she created, hell bent on destroying Viv to regain their humanity in a kill the sire become human again domino effect.
Viv’s tired of running and she’s willing to pay for her past but first she’s going to seduce Garret Sawyer and get her last O on. This vampire is going to go with a bang. (LOL, I don’t think I’ve ever used the O word quite so many times in a review before)
When not creating custom motorcycles at his chop-shop or breaking horses Garrett is also searching for the one that created him. He‘s close now, he can feel it, so the last person he has time for is Viviana. It’s been over a hundred years since he’s seen her and despite banging everything in sight he still hasn’t been able to get over the pain of his first love’s betrayal. And now just when he’s taken a vow of chastity she’s trying to seduce him, come on, like that’s ever going to happen again. Theres just no way he’s going to give her what she wants, what she needs.
This is the final book from Kimberly Raye’s sexy and hilarious Love At First Bite trilogy. Set in Skull Creek Texas (I want to move there) These quickie romances follow the love connections of eccentric but completely likable women as they get their groove on and find true love with gorgeous Texan cowboys who also just happen to be vampires.
Now while I loved the first two books Dead Sexy and Drop Dead Gorgeous this final instalment was a disappointment. It was missing the humour, small town antics and hilarious secondary characters that made the first two books great. The ending also felt rushed and was really more of a set up for her next series then a satisfactory conclusion. Still this had its moments on motorcycles and underwater and I will give it this; it’s very Blaze-ish (if you know what I mean) but I guess with a tag line about a vampire seeking her last orgasm how could it be anything but erotic. I would recommend the first two from the series and sadly give this a miss. ...more
Opening Line: "The electronic ring of the telephone shrilled through the darkness of the bedroom."
Originally published in 1998 BODY LANGUAGE is a lighOpening Line: "The electronic ring of the telephone shrilled through the darkness of the bedroom."
Originally published in 1998 BODY LANGUAGE is a lighthearted, and amusing friends to lovers story. Touted as romantic comedy this is a quick read that for the most part I enjoyed, especially during the ending chapters when there were less misunderstandings between our couple and a few surprises.
Sandy and Clint have been best friends since they were kids. Growing up on the wrong side of the tracks they learned early on that they could always depend on each other. Sandy’s now the successful owner of a video production company and Clint’s award winning photography keeps him in demand, drifting from one exotic job location to the next. However at the end of the day, no matter where he is, his thoughts always return to Sandy.
By the time Clint realizes that he’s actually in love, jumped on his Harley and roared back into Sandy’s life to declare himself she has (of course) set her sights on another man. And oh the irony, now she’s asked for his help in landing this new ultimate dream man. Somehow Clint’s going to have to teach Sandy the art of seduction and body language all without giving himself away in the process. To complete the comedy of errors we soon learn that Sandy’s also secretly in love with Clint but doesn’t want to risk losing her best friend and knows his free spirit can’t be tamed. So begins a series of mixed messages and wrong impressions as our pair set about seducing each other under false pretences.
I usually find poor communication as a plot device tiresome but this was handled well and never taken too far. The dialogue however does tend to get a little cheesy at times and for some weird reason halfway in Clint’s starts saying “mercy” or “lord have mercy” every couple of pages. This not only didn’t suit his character but just plain annoyed me.
Clint as our drifting badboy in leather is a fun and sexy hero though and I liked the fact that he wasn’t written as the stereotypical biker boy either. This metrosexual also knew a thing or two about women’s clothes, hair and makeup (from shooting fashion models) and seeing him apply Sandy’s make up and coif her hair was fun albeit slightly strange.
I was bothered though by the fact that Sandy kept trying to change Clint even though she supposedly loved him the just way he was. She got him to cut his hair, shave off the beard and then dressed him in LL Bean and collared shirts when I just wanted him to keep wearing those delicious faded jeans and leather jacket. I’ve noticed that Brockmann spends an obscene amount of time talking about hair and clothes. I’m new to her writing so I don’t know if this is a trademark or just particular to her category romances? All in all though a quick, enjoyable and easy read. Cheers...more
“It was the best sex she'd had in months. The only sex. Which wouldn't be such a bad thing except that the elusive O came courtesy of a red vibrator c“It was the best sex she'd had in months. The only sex. Which wouldn't be such a bad thing except that the elusive O came courtesy of a red vibrator called the Big Tamale rather than some hot, buff cowboy with a slow hand and an intoxicating smile.”
So with an opening paragraph like this you know you’re in for a fun ride and for the most part DROP DEAD GORGEOUS doesn’t disappoint. This is book 2 from Kimberly Raye’s sexy and hilarious Love At First Bite trilogy. Set in Skull Creek Texas these quickie romances follow the small town antics and love connections of some rather eccentric but completely likable women as they get their groove on and find true love with gorgeous Texan cowboys who also just happen to be Vampires.
Dillon Cash used to be the biggest geek in Skull Creek until he inadvertently got between two warring vampires, losing his human life in the process. Now he’s back and better than ever, in fact except for whole burning to a crisp in the sun thingy and a small aversion to garlic, his new life rocks. This former nerdy computer tech’s been transformed into a hunka, hunka burning vampire love and every woman in town wants a piece of him.
Meg Sweeny or “Manhandler Meg” as she’s been known since high school, can’t believe the changes in her old friend Dillon. Now not only does she want his body but she wants his secret as well. You see Meg is a closeted geek and if Dillon can suddenly morph into a stud then theres a chance that with a little of his instruction she can become the much desired sex kitten she’s always wanted to be too.
All Dillon wants to do is erase his geeky reputation and blaze a trail as the towns studliest guy, possibly even emerging #1 on the coveted "Randiest Rooster" list. But theres something about his old pal Meg he can’t refuse, she see’s past his new muscles and heartthrob status and damn if he hadn’t always thought she was irresistible anyways. Our couple engage in a cat and mouse game of who’s seducing who and of course lose their hearts in the process.
Although I didn’t enjoy this as much as Dead Sexy this was still a good read. My only real problem being that geek heroes just don’t do it for me and regardless of his hot vampire makeover I never felt much of anything for Dillon. Even the love scenes (which are plenty spicy) didn’t work for me. But that’s just me. However the truly great thing about this series (besides the fact that it’s frigging hilarious) is the awesome cast of unconventional townsfolk and the crazy adventures they manage to get themselves into. Raye has written this in such an endearing, fun way that I find myself wanting to move to Skull Creek just so that I can spend Friday nights at Joe Bob’s Bar and Grill and buy my groceries at the local Piggly Wiggly. Not to mention the fact that I might bag myself a cowboy Vamp and make it onto the Gazette’s hot chicks list. Cheers...more
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