REVIEW: Flirting With Texas by Katie Lane

Flirting with Texas

(Deep in the Heart of Texas #5)

by Katie Lane

4 HEARTS

From Goodreads

YOU'RE A LONG WAY FROM HOME, COWGIRL

On her own in the Big Apple, Jenna Jay Scroggs can handle herself when trouble arises. But when she tries to rescue a horse, the passionate do-gooder ends up on a runaway Central Park carriage ride with a hunky stranger. With his sexy drawl and well-worn Levis, Beauregard Cates is doing his darnedest to make Jenna homesick for the small western town she's spent years trying to forget. And it's working: She's dangerously close to falling head over boot heels for the rugged rodeo star with hair the color of moonshine.

Beau came to the big city to escape his past and live life to the fullest. Yet the leggy blonde with eyes as blue as a western sky causes a real hitch in his giddy-up. So when the well-meaning folks of Bramble plot to bring Jenna home, Beau will need to convince her that she won't ever get Texas out of her blood - or one good-time, ever-lovin' cowboy out of her heart.

Flirting with Texas is the 5th book in the Deep in the Heart of Texas series by Katie Lane. And although it's not my favorite of the series it was very enjoyable.

Jenna Jay Scroggs may have run away to the Big City, but she is still the tough Texas girl that can take care of herself. Turning herself into a real life super hero Jenna Jay constantly finds trouble and gives it her all to right it, which is exactly what has gotten her in her current predicament. Trying to resuce the runaway horse and carriage brings her face to face with a silver haired cowboy that she can't get out of her mind. Jenna Jay has no way of knowing how much her life is about to get out of control. Not only, does this sexy cowboy threaten to steal her heart, but the folks of Bramble, Texas are happy to join in and contribute to the chaos.

Beauregard Cates has a death wish. He would argue this, however. After his cancer diagnosis, Beau did all the right things and that may not have been enough. His latest scans show that the cancer may be back and he's done with chemo and living the life of the dying. He's decided to take life by the balls and experience it to the fullest. If this means taking huge risks, so be it. He refuses to have regrets when it's all said and done. When he's asked to check on one Jenna Jay Scroggs while in New York City he reluctantly agrees, thinking his time is better spent doing anything else other than playing babysitter. Little does he know how much the beautiful blonde spitfire is about to turn his life upside down. She makes him feel more alive than he's felt in years.

This was such a tale of both characters battling demons and accepting what life has thrown at them. Beau broke my heart. For the first time in his life he's in love and he's stuck with the terrible decision of professing his love and saddling Jenna Jay with a possibly dying husband or keeping his mouth shut and enjoying what time he has left with her. I loved Jenna! She tried so hard to help the underdog every chance she got and had no idea that she sometimes made it worse. She never felt quite like she belonged with her crazy family, yet they loved her and she loved them.

"Life isn't hell; it's a journey. A wonderful, breathtaking journey. Yes, there will be bumps along the way. And more than a few times, you'll find yourself down in a ditch that looks so deep you think you'll never get out. Some folks like to stay in the ditch. They like to moan and groan about how hard life is and blame all their troubles on other people. Little do they know that in the time they spent complainin' they could have been out of the ditch and standing on top of the mountain."

I so missed the crazy townspeople of Bramble, Texas and the Hens. Their antics never cease to make me laugh out loud.

This book was provided to me from NetGalley.com in exchange for my honest review.

Heat Rating

3 out of 5

REVIEW: Undressed by Avery Aster

Undressed

(The Manhattanites #1)

by Avery Aster

4 HEARTS

From Goodreads

Milan’s notorious playboy, Prince Tittoni, seems to have everything—Lamborghinis, exotic women, palaces throughout Europe and business success. Ramping up his fabric company to go global with a new apparel brand, he ruthlessly stops supplying fabrics to the American client who inspired the collection. But once they meet, what’s he willing to give to get her in his bed?

Upper East Side designer Lex Easton has already endured her fair share of hard knocks. She’ll be damned if she’ll let an Italian stud muffin knock her down. So what if she named her favorite vibrator after him? With Fashion Week approaching, she’ll do whatever it takes to secure the fabrics she needs to make her clothing line an international success—even sleep with her rival.

Lex’s Louboutins are dug in deep to win this war. All’s fair in love and fashion!

Inside Scoop: Though the hero and heroine remain monogamous, their Prada-wearing friends indulge in a ménage a trois and other fashionable sexual fun and games.

Undressed is the first book in the Manhattanites series by Avery Aster and holy hell it is a hot start to what I can only assume will be an equally hot series! Get ready for a hot, steamy Italian former playboy and a brash, sarcastic American designer. This book smolders one second and makes you laugh out loud the next.

Lex Easton is tired of life knocking her down at every turn. So, when she finds out the fabric company that supplies her design company has stopped shipment on a very important delivery she needs, for the upcoming fashion show that can make or break her company, she refuses to just meekly accept it and move on. After a frustratingly failed phone call she decides to hop on a plane and fly straight to Milan and confront the owner in person. Who cares if the company is owned by the very object of her every fantasy? She can control her lustful thoughts. She can do anything for her company.

Prince Massimo Tittoni is known as Milan's notorious playboy. To be fair, he is partly to blame for this public image, but he's changed. Yes, he still enjoys having a beautiful woman in his bed, but it's been far too long. He is concentrating all of his efforts on rebuilding the wealth that the family once had. That's why when the American company, that helped inspire his most recent clothing line, defaulted on their payments he jumped at the chance to stop shipment and sever the contract agreement. In doing this, he didn't expect the feisty American designer to show up on his doorstep demanding the shipment. More importantly, he didn't expect to feel such an instant attraction, an attraction unlike he's ever felt before. Now, he just has to convince her to act on the feelings he knows she shares, without compromising his company and all of the hardwork he's put in to change his life.

"I would give this up, House of Tittoni, Girasoli Garments, and Isola di Girasoli, my Milano life - anything and everything. I'll be faithful, and I'll be yours - forever."

In all honesty, I have to say there were a few scenes that I found unbelievable and impossible, but these led to the laugh out loud moments for me, so I was able to overlook them for the most part. You'll definitely have to be the personality type to not get caught up in the details or you'll never be able to fully enjoy the crazy ride that is this book.

I enjoyed how Prince Massimo showed so much growth, pun intended, from the beginning of the book to the end. There were times that Lex annoyed me, but was likable just the same. I really wasn't sure about the supporting cast, but in the end I really enjoyed them.

This book was provided to me by Edelweiss.com in exchange for my honest review.

Heat Rating

4 out of 5 

Click HERE for Jodie's review of Undressed

ARC REVIEW: Bound by Night by Larissa Ione

Bound by Night

(MoonBound Clan Vampires #1)

by: Larissa Ione

4 HEARTS

From Goodreads

The first installment in a sexy new paranormal romance series by Larissa Ione, author of the bestselling Demonica series!

A WOMAN OUT FOR BLOOD
Nicole Martin was only eight years old when the vampire slaves rose up in rebellion and killed her family. Now she devotes her life to finding a vaccine against vampirism, hoping to wipe out her memories—along with every bloodsucker on the planet. But there’s one thing she cannot destroy: her searing, undeniable attraction for the one man she should hate and fear the most . . .

A VAMPIRE OUT FOR REVENGE
A member of the renegade vampire MoonBound Clan, Riker is haunted by demons of his own. When he recognizes Nicole and remembers how her family enslaved his loved ones, his heart burns for vengeance. But when he kidnaps Nicole and holds her in a secret lair, his mortal enemy becomes his soul obsession, his greatest temptation, and, perhaps, his only salvation—a hot-blooded lover who could heal him with her touch . . . or bury him forever.

Whenever I hear about a new book from Larissa Ione, I am all over it in an instant. When I got this ARC, I was ecstatic. And as always, she did not disappoint.

At first—like, first few pages--I really wasn’t a fan of Riker. He seemed too emotionally hard. But like the word master she is, Larissa quickly had me falling for him. He was hard because he had to be, because he had been emotionally destroyed. His past was not only haunting him, it was torturing him underneath the surface. But as he spent time with Nicole, she started taking him apart piece by piece and putting him back together as a whole man. Oh he fought tooth and nail, pushed her away harshly, but he never abandoned her. He protected her, he fought for her, and oh man did he love her. He may never have wanted to admit it, but she was the most important person to him and she showed him another way to live—not forgetting or for revenge—but to heal and move on and finally allow himself to be happy.

Nicole was actually quite interesting to me. She had a traumatic even in her childhood that forever changed who she was. She hated vampires, but not enough to want to kill them. She simply wanted to give humanity an edge in co-existing with them. She spent her life learning all about them. Then when the unthinkable happens, she’s literally thrown into a world she had always feared. Her reactions to everything that happened was spot on. Her personality made her choices and suggestions believable given her situation. She thought on her feet, she was determined, and her knowledge of vampires not only healed Riker, but helped the clan as a whole. She was invaluable, and she proved it over and over again. She loved Riker with her entire soul despite her past, but she wasn’t so blinded by it that she was going to fool herself into being second best to him. She was proud of who she was and who she’d become, and in the end, that very essence captured the heart of the most amazing man.

The world Larissa created in this book has tones of futuristic qualities, but is not so far forward that you have to imagine it. This world is so realistic in itself, that I actually felt like I was living in this time—a time so close to ours that it felt real. The emotions and decisions made by the characters felt real and definitely gave me a sense of foreboding for the future. I enjoyed this world and these character immensely and am definitely eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Bravo, Larissa. Another winner in my book.

Hotness Rating
 3.5 out of 5

ARC REVIEW: Getting Rowdy by Lori Foster

Getting Rowdy

(Love Undercover #3)

by: Lori Foster

4 HEARTS

From Goodreads

An alpha hero's attraction to the one woman he can't have could draw him into a killer's snare in the sizzling new novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster. 

Charismatic bar owner Rowdy Yates isn't the kind of man women say no to. So when he approaches waitress Avery Mullins, he fully expects to get her number. However, the elusive beauty has her reasons for keeping her distance-including a past that might come back to haunt them both. 

Avery spends her nights working for tips...and trying to forget the secret Rowdy is determined to unearth. But when history threatens to repeat itself, Avery grows to rely on Rowdy's protective presence. As the sparks between them ignite, she will be forced to choose between the security she's finally found...and the passion she's always wanted.

Rowdy was a very bad boy in the beginning, and not in the good way. The little stunt he pulled made him come off like so much more of a douchebag than he really was, and honestly, I was surprised Avery even put up with him after that. It’s a good thing both Avery and I like him too much to nix him. Despite that little mishap, Rowdy was everything I thought he would be and more. He was alpha without being over the top. He was incredibly intelligent, from all his years on the streets. He never did anything without thinking it through and he always made sure he had a plan. I liked how, as the story progressed, Rowdy did more and more to keep Avery not only near him but also safe. She was slowly breaking through his walls and burying herself in his heart. It wasn't until it was too late that Rowdy realized what she really meant to him. His whole world was thrown upside down, and as it turned out, it was exactly what he needed.

Avery was quite the little spitfire, and the perfect kick in the ass for Rowdy. After what happened to her in her past, she wasn't about to let another person walk all over her, especially not Rowdy. She wasn't afraid to call him out on his shit, and she certainly wasn't going to delude herself into thinking his affections for her were forever. She took it as it came, knew what she was getting into, and fought for what she wanted when she felt she was being coerced. Although she was strong and had quite a backbone, she was also innocent in ways that made her irresistible. She had vulnerabilities, but she never let them show. Only Rowdy knew cause he was so good at spotting changes in people, and once he got a whiff of something he didn't like, he made sure he figured it out so he could fix it. She knew she wanted him, and as the story went on, she wanted to heal him too. She gave him her heart and her love, and in the end captured the heart of an incredibly amazing, passionate, and loyal man.

And for the record, I still don’t like Pepper. Just wanted to throw that out there.

Great story! I’m seriously excited for Cannon! (Please let his be next! Pretty please!)

***Thank you to NetGalley who gave me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hotness Rating
 3 out of 5

ARC REVIEW: Butterfly Cove by Christina Skye

Butterfly Cove

by: Christina Skye

4 HEARTS

From Goodreads

Girl's gone bad...for the town's new golden...

Maybe opposites don't always attract. If they did, architect Olivia Sullivan would have run away with bad boy Rafe Russo when they were teenagers. Instead, Olivia has spent ten years dreaming up designs for a life that hasn't gone the way she planned. Still reeling from her career's implosion and her father's death, Olivia thanks her lucky stars for the support of her three lifelong friends. But this good girl is through sitting on the sidelines. When Rafe returns to the beautiful Oregon coast where they grew up, her former flame ignites a new desire. Now Olivia must take a walk on the wild side to show the new deputy that in matters of love...being bad can feel very good.

Freshly back from Afghanistan, rugged ex-Marine and new deputy Rafe is done breaking laws and hearts. He's always regretted leaving Olivia behind, but now she's after adventure and he'd better proceed with caution. Because wanting her again might be easy, but fighting for a future together will be his biggest risk yet. 

 This was my first book by Christina Skye, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was interesting, the characters really grabbed me, and I was hooked on their story. The only qualm I have with this book was how the ending happened. It just seemed a little too easy and much too quick of a random turn-around. Otherwise, I enjoyed every moment of this book.

Rafe was just so delicious. I don't understand how Olivia stayed away from him as long as she did. Everything about him was like an aphrodisiac. He was an incredibly dedicated man. He took his job seriously, and when it came to Olivia--he refused to let even the most miniscule thing threaten her. I liked that he wanted her, knew it, and was determined to make something out of their reunion. It was a different approach, and one that definitely fit. It was interesting to see how he went from knowing they would have a forever, to doubting himself, to once again believing they were meant to be. It showed how a nasty past can really mess someone up and make them think that they're all wrong for someone, when in reality they are so right. I absolutely love Rafe. He really was a knight in shining armor, even if he didn't see it.

I liked Olivia's near-innocent personality. It made her views and decisions on things mean so much more. At the same time, she wasn't naïve or stupid. She knew what life is about, how hard it was, and the reality of everything. She was determined to live her life to the fullest and in the way she wanted. Nothing more. Nothing less. Despite being thrown into a rather rough patch, she never realized just how much her life was going to change. She loved her friends dearly, but never truly depended on them. She was her own woman, and more than showed that through her relationship with Rafe. She tried to resist in the beginning, but it was just hopeless. Her love for him was too strong, and once she admitted that, there was nothing that could stop her from keeping him. She was strong and independent and her purity help to defeat the corruption in Rafe's soul.

A book this good I had hoped would have a little bit more down and dirty going on. It was mostly implied, but there were a descriptive scene or two. Nothing to sit too high on my hotness meter. However, the romantic interaction they had was enough to make me happy. I just really wished it could have been a little dirtier. Everyone likes little romp now enough.

Overall, very good book! I'm happy to say I found a new author that I quite enjoy.

Hotness Rating
 3.5 out of 5

  

REVIEW: To The Limit by Jo Leigh

To The Limit

by Jo Leigh

4 HEARTS

From Goodreads

Subject: Captain Sam "Jaws" Brody

Mission: Test his limits...and push hers! Air force pilot Sam Brody's posting at Holloman AFB is a new start...and a brutal reminder that he'll never fly again. The bright side? It's the same town as teacher (and widow) Emma Lockwood-the woman he's always had a major thing for. The woman who married his best friend....

For years, Emma ignored the spark between her and Sam. Now that he's in town, the spark has turned into full-on electrical overload! She tells herself to stay grounded. She doesn't want another hotshot flyboy, no matter how sexy. But with every night of wicked passion with Sam, she finds herself closer to the point of no return....

Uniformly Hot! The Few. The Proud. The Sexy as Hell.

If you are looking for a great, emotion packed read To The Limit by Jo Leigh is the perfect book for you. This story has a lot of heat, witty banter and substance.

Sam Brody is grounded. As a fighter pilot he could never imagine doing anything else, but flying the jets that would scare the average person. Due to a vision problem he is being relocated to Holloman Air force base. Teaching the next crop of fighter pilots is a noble job, just not one he ever thought he would have. To make matters more complicated, his best friend's wife lives in that very town. He's always had an attraction to Emma that couldn't be ignored, but he would never have acted on it. After his best friend died in the line of duty, Emma asked for distance to get her life together and he gave it to her. Reasoning that it's the right thing to do, Sam looks Emma up and quickly finds that the attraction is not only as strong as it was, it's stronger.

Emma Lockwood is finally recovering from the death of her husband. She loved him, but sometimes love isn't enough. No one ever knew that she had planned on serving him with divorce papers when he was back from his mission, including him. He never made it back from that mission, so why let anyone know that she couldn't handle his high risk, adrenaline craving life. She vowed that she would never fall for the type, again. Now, Sam has popped back into her life and she realizes that you can't always dictate the type you fall in love with. Sure Sam seems to be less reckless than her husband was, but he's still a fighter pilot at heart. Now, she has to decide if it's worth the risk of her heart, again. After all, Sam is grounded and unable to fly.

The way this couple dealt with and navigated through such weighty matters as the loss of a loved one, dating one another with so much history and old fears gave this book so much depth. The sexy fighter pilot working his magic made this book so hot!

Thank you to NetGalley.com for the loan of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Heat Rating
3 out of 5

REVIEW: Covert Craving by Jennifer James

Covert Craving

(Project Genesis #1)

by Jennifer James

4 HEARTS

From Goodreads

She just stripped in front of an NYPD detective...

The glow-in-the-dark water at Camp Sunny Woods left Chloe Sanders with the ability to disappear from sight.

Thirteen years later, she uses her “gift” to take out criminals when she can. If she’s got to be part of a freak show, she’s going to do some good while in the buff.

And he’s enjoying studying every luscious curve…

Color blind detective Jacob Greiff smokes to weaken the overwhelming messages his nose sends him. One summer camp trip was enough for him. His priority right now is busting the vigilante leaving burglars tied up with panty hose and women’s scarves.

He thinks he’s hallucinating when he sees a petite, bare foot brunette in an enormous trench coat at his crime scenes because for the first time in years, he’s seeing someone in full color.

He’s not sure he’s buying it, but Chloe sure looks great when she’s “invisible.”

Despite his own supernatural abilities and the raging lust between them, Greiff wonders if Chloe isn’t some kind of nut who gets off on public nudity. She insists she can disappear from view when naked, that he’s the only one who can see her when she’s in the buff.

Their shared past comes to a treacherous intersection when a man shows up at Chloe’s apartment and informs them at gun point it’s time to report for duty—or else.

Covert Cravings is the first book of the Project Genesis series by Jennifer James and such an interesting start. I honestly didn't know what to think when I started reading this book, but it didn't take long to catch my full attention. The premise is a bit different from the average paranormal/fantasy books that are out there.

Chloe Saunders' parents sent her to summer camp as a child. They had no idea how that decision would forever change her life. The story told to her parents was that she was exposed to something in the water that changed her DNA. She would now forever have the ability to disappear from sight. Thinking they were doing the right thing they allowed the "experts" to take over her care in hopes they could help her with her new ability. Now an adult, Chloe is allowed to live her own life, but on a very short leash. She does as they say and when they say to do it. After all, she's no dummy she doesn't want to make them mad and become a test subject. The one thing she insists on using her abilities for is to help protect the public. If there is a law being broken or someone being hurt, she strips down and goes invisible. She has this gift why not use it to help those in need?

Jacob Greiff is color blind. This hasn't stopped him from being successful in the military and now as a police detective. At a crime scene he notices a beautiful woman standing in the shadows and he sees her in color. Of course, she gets his attention. After all, he hasn't seen color since he was a kid at summer camp. Chloe insists she can go invisible and she doesn't seem crazy, but Jacob isn't buying it. It's a shame, too. This is the first woman in years that has caught his attention and he finds himself drawn to Chloe and wanting things he never believed he could want.

This book is a series of secrets and intrigue. You never know who to trust and who not to. To make it even more confusing, I found myself sympathizing with one of the untrustworthy ones so much so that he broke my heart. I'm pretty sure he'll have his own story in this series. He almost has to!

Thank you to Jennifer James for the loan of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Heat Rating
3 out of 5 

REVIEW: First Position by Prescott Lane

First Position

by Prescott Lane

4 HEARTS

From Goodreads

Emory faces life’s challenges at the one place that’s never failed her, the ballet barre. But even the barre can’t steady her when fate brings her face-to-face with her old college flame, Mason, who’s hoping to return to the NFL after a career-threatening injury. Before they can surrender to their sexual desires and find salvation in each other’s arms, they need to come to terms with their past. Mason must confront the demons that have set him on a path of self-destruction, while Emory must decide whether to keep her painful secrets locked away, or expose them and risk losing the love of her life. But nothing can prepare Mason for what Emory has kept hidden, or the possibility that he himself may be to blame for the very secrets she keeps – and why they continue to haunt her.

First Position by Prescott Lane is an emotional ride from beginning to end. You'll find yourself yelling at the characters for creating problems for themselves that don't have to be. You'll find yourself crying for the pain they are going through. And you'll find yourself rooting for them to make it, no matter what.

Emory and Mason were college sweethearts. Actually, they were the perfect pair. Both were pretty conservative by college standards, they were dedicated athletes (albeit in very different fields) and they were committed to having a marriage and family one day. Then the unthinkable happened; Mason broke Emory's heart. Coming to him with great news that she's been accepted into a prestigious ballet group after graduation, Mason allows his insecurities to bubble over and tells Emory if she can't give up her dream to follow him as he pursues his NFL dream then it's over and he walks out.

Now years later, fate has thrown the couple together once, again. Mason is working to overcome a football injury and hoping to be hired on as the new quarterback for the Carolina Panthers. Yes, he wants his football career back, but more importantly, it's the very town that Emory lives in and Mason will stop at nothing to get her back. The passion and feelings are still there, but can the couple overcome the past hurts and the secrets they insist on keeping from each other.

I found Mason and Emory likable and I was pulling for them, while simultaneously wanting to shake them. But, the supporting characters are awesome! Emory's gay roommate and his boyfriend were absolutely fabulous! I loved them and their quirky personalities! Mason's sister in law and her lack of filter made me laugh out loud.

Thank you so much to Prescott Lane for the loan of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Heat Rating
3 out of 5

REVIEW: Making It Last by Ruthie Knox

Making It Last 

(Camelot #4)

by Ruthie Knox

4 HEARTS

From Goodreads

A hotel bar. A sexy stranger. A night of passion. There’s a part of Amber Mazzara that wants those things, wants to have a moment — just one — where life isn’t a complicated tangle of house and husband and kids and careers. Then, after a long, exhausting “vacation” with her family, her husband surprises her with a gift: a few days on the beach . . . alone.

Only she won’t be alone long, because a handsome man just bought her a drink. He’s cool, he’s confident, and he wants to take Amber to bed and keep her there for days. Lucky for them both, he’s her husband. He’s only got a few days in Jamaica to make her wildest desires come true, but if he can pull it off, there’s reason to believe that this fantasy can last a lifetime.

Wow, talk about real life! Making it Last, the 4th book in the Camelot series, by Ruthie Knox is not your average contemporary romance.

We met Amber and Tony in the first book of this series, How to Misbehave. And for those of you that wondered how they've faired after their whirlwind romance and subsequent marriage this is what you've been waiting for.

Amber had looked forward to the wedding/family vacation in Jamaica for so long. Every time she imagined it all she could picture was her and Tony in love and lounging on the beach, enjoying each other like they did in the early days of their relationship and marriage. The reality paled so much in comparison. Between the kids and the activity of the wedding her Tony had very little time for each other. Let's face it, it's just like home. Amber doesn't want to leave her marriage; she just isn't enjoying it quite so much. She's pulled in all directions and never feels appreciated and to top it off Tony is never home. She knows it's not his fault. He is working to take care of them, but she doesn't feel like a desirable woman anymore. She just feels like a cook, housekeeper, chauffer...well, invisible. That's why it takes her by surprise when on the day they are set to leave Jamaica Tony tells her he is taking the kids and she is staying on a few more days to relax and unwind.

They all wanted the same thing from her. Be here for me to talk to. Be here for me to grab and fill my hands with when I need you. Be here to feed me and listen to me and help me solve my problems. Make it possible for me to feel content.

Tony loves his wife and family with all his heart. It kills him to see Amber so unhappy and he does see it. He just doesn't know what to do about it. He can't lower his hours at work, they would lose everything. But, he can feel her slipping away. After getting a push from his mother in law he leaves the kids with her and goes back to Jamaica to surprise his wife. Entering the resort and seeing her sitting at the bar with a drink in hand he gets an idea. He approaches her, pretending to be someone else and she catches on right away. Can this little game be what they need to rekindle the spark that is slowly dying?

It's taken me awhile to get to this review. It was so hard for me to decide what I wanted to say about this book or how I really felt about it. I am a huge fan of the Camelot series, but this book was so different from the others in that it was reality at it's starkest. Marriage is hard and being a mom is harder. I don't know any woman out there that hasn't had Amber's feelings of being lost and taken for granted. I'm sure many men feel the same as Tony. He wants his family happy and cared for and to do that he has to work and keep them afloat. The helplessness this couple felt broke my heart! Thank goodness, in true Ruthie Knox fashion they found their happy medium and worked back to taking control of their lives. I loved how Amber never wanted to give up on the marriage even though Tony thought that's what she was leaning towards. She wanted her family together and she loved being a mom and wife. She just wanted to be Amber, as well.

Love wasn't mean. It was life that was mean. Love was where you found the strength to deal with it.

I would like to thank NetGalley.com for the loan of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Hotness Rating 

3 out of 5

Click here for my review of How To Misbehave (Camelot #1)

Click here for my review of Along Came Trouble (Camelot #2)

Click here for my review of Flirting With Disaster (Camelot #3)

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Night Pleasures 

(Dark-Hunter #2)

by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Carrington MacDuffie (Narrator)

4 HEARTS

The Blurbs

Dear Reader,

Have you ever wanted to know what it's like to be immortal? To journey through the night stalking the evil that preys on humans? To have unlimited wealth, unlimited power? That is my existence, and it is dark and dangerous. I play hero to thousands, but am known to none. And I love every minute of it.

Or so I thought until one night when I woke up handcuffed to my worst nightmare: a conservative woman in a button-down shirt. Or in Amanda's case, buttoned all the way up to her chin. She's smart, sexy, witty, and wants nothing to do with the paranormal-in other words, me.

My attraction to Amanda Devereaux goes against everything I stand for. Not to mention the last time I fell in love it cost me not only my human life, but also my very soul. Yet every time I look at her, I find myself wanting to try again. Wanting to believe that love and loyalty do exist.

Even more disturbing, I find myself wondering if there's any way a woman like Amanda can love a man whose battle scars run deep, and whose heart was damaged by a betrayal so savage that he's not sure it will ever beat again.

Kyrian of Thrace

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In Night Pleasures, Kyrian of Thrace - an immortal who protects humans from vampires - wakes up one morning handcuffed to the one thing that can scare him: a conservative woman in a button-down shirt. But Amanda Devereaux turns out to be his perfect partner for hunting down a deadly foe, and for helping him to regain his soul - and learn that love doesn't have to bite.

Audiobook Review

This is the first Dark-Hunter book that I've read and I really did enjoy it. All the different elements that are embedded in the storyline, like the Greek mythology and the different versions of vampires, just simply amaze me and I applaud Sherrilyn Kenyon for coming up with these ideas.

One of my favorite parts of the story was in the beginning of the book. Amanda had been having a bad day at work and Kyrian "came to her rescue" in a thoroughly satisfying way. It was one of those moments that all women who have been dumped would love to have happen. That's all I'll say about it.

Since for me this was an audiobook it was little hard to understand and retain all the intricate details. A lot of information to set up the world was given to us and at times it could be overwhelming. In truth it felt like I almost needed to take notes in order to keep track of all the intricate details and it was kind of frustrating. I understand the necessity of world building but it was too much for me.

Kyrian and Amanda made a great couple. Right from the very beginning you could tell that there was a connection between them. I particularly enjoyed the flashbacks of Kyrian's past. I liked being able to see what made him the Dark-Hunter that he was. What he went through because of Theone's treacherous behavior was horrifying. I even came up with the perfect theme song for that relationship: Bruno Mars's Grenade.


I was happy with the HEA ending however it was a little cliched. I could see the little surprise coming but it was nice to read anyways.

To sum up this review I have to say that I'm jumping on the bandwagon with everybody else. This series is something that you're definitely going to want to get into!

P.S. Though this is labeled as Dark-Hunter #2 it is the first official Dark-Hunter book that has a Dark-Hunter in it.

Hotness Rating

3.5 out of 5