Review: "Vexing the Viscount" by Emily Bryan

Vexing the Viscount by Emily Bryan

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Having read - and not particularly liked - Pleasuring the Pirate a few days ago, I decided to lower my expectations about its sequel Vexing the Viscount. My reasoning was, if I didn't expect a masterpiece, anything from the same level of the previous book would be nice. Well, I'm sorry to say that not even my low expectations were met...

Daisy Drake was introduced in Pleasuring the Pirate as one of Gabriel Drake's nieces. Vexing the Viscount is her story. As the story opens, she's "admiring" an ancient lamp (shaped like a penis) on display at the Society of Antiquaries when she runs into Lucian Beaumont, Viscount Rutland, who's there to give a lecture about an ancient piece he's discovered that can lead to the recovery of a long lost Roman treasure. Lucian is almost in dire straits and needs to find this Roman treasure in order to restore his family's fortune and secure his future, but he doesn't have the money to afford the search. Daisy's interested in joining and funding his treasure hunt but, unfortunately, Lucian's father hates Daisy's uncle - and therefore all her family - so any association between Lucian and Daisy is (supposedly) impossible.

Bored and annoyed by Lucian's refusal to allow her to join his treasure hunt, Daisy decides to masquerade as a courtesan named Blanche and attend one of her great-aunt's parties. Lucian is invited to the same party, thanks to Daisy's great-aunt's doing, and he's instantly smitten with "Blanche". When Daisy realizes that he hasn't recognized her, she harbors the "perfect" plan to join the coveted treasure hunt: as "Blanche", she offers to fund his project, knowing he has no reason to refuse. And so he accepts, only to find out later that "Blanche" wants Daisy to act as "her" agent and work with him. Naturally, Lucian and Daisy working close together makes them fall in love with each other in short time. But wait, what about "Blanche"? Part of "her" agreement with Lucian includes lovemaking lessons, i.e., he wants her to teach him how to please a woman. Remember, he's a virgin and she's supposed to be a courtesan. But she's also a virgin, so what can she teach him??? *rolls eyeballs* Thankfully, it doesn't take long before Lucian guesses who's behind "Blanche"'s mask, this silliness is over, and they can concentrate on the treasure hunt. But there's more behind this treasure hunt that meets the eye... Is the treasure really valuable? Is it worth dying for?

This was a very strange story, with a mix of romance, humor and mystery, that didn't work for me. Lucian and Daisy were likable, but their romance didn't move me and I was actually more interested in following their treasure hunt than in watching their sexcapades. I "blame" Ms. Bryan's writing for that, because Lucian and Daisy's love scenes, from flirting and kissing to foreplay and lovemaking, just left me cold. I don't know what the problem is exactly, but there's something about Ms. Bryan's writing that doesn't work for me. Lucian and Daisy's interactions were sometimes funny, but never romantic or sexy in my eyes. The story was filled with sexual innuendos and phallic symbolism - based on what was found in Lucian's archeological dig, Romans were obsessed with sex -, but that didn't make it hot or enjoyable to read.

Lucian's character wasn't that well-drawn either. He was viewed by the ton as a reclusive rake, but he was actually still a virgin. Huh? How did he acquire such a "bad" reputation if he didn't have the money to attend the ton's social events, play cards for money, take mistresses, or even court (and slightly compromise) young ladies? It didn't make sense. As for Daisy, don't get me started on the whole acting-like-a-courtesan charade. Only a virgin could buy that act, LOL.

I know several readers enjoyed this book, but I'm sorry to say I'm not one of them. This was only my second book by Ms. Bryan and, considering both books failed to win me, I doubt I'll ever read another book by her.



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Review: "Winter Edge" by Anne Stuart

Winter's Edge by Anne Stuart

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I've read - and loved - several books by Anne Stuart lately, so I was more than excited to read this one even though amnesia stories aren't that attractive to me. But, hey, Lisa Kleypas made it work in Someone to Watch Over Me so I trusted Ms. Stuart to pull it off too.

Oh boy, I'm afraid to say she didn't - not for me, anyway.

Ms. Stuart can write, there's no question about it, and that's what kept me turning the pages, but there were too many holes in the plot to prevent me from fully enjoying this book.

First off, the amnesia plot device itself... I could have bought it without much of a problem, but the complete change that it brought on Molly's behavior was unbelievable! At one point, Patrick himself said, "amnesia is only supposed to cause memory loss, not total personality change." One could argue that Molly had been acting out of character during the ten months before her accident but, really, a ten-month temper tantrum doesn't qualify as an out-of-character behavior. If you could keep this trait that long, it wasn't acting, it was who you were. And that shouldn't have changed only because you lost your memory, IMHO.

Then, the hero and the heroine... I just didn't get either Molly or Patrick. Both of them were imature and I couldn't believe how they failed to communicate with each other - during ten whole months, no less! And, sin of all sins, it all started with a lie told by his jealous lover. Young, naive and gullible Molly bought it all and, from that moment on, a Big Misunderstanding was established and all lines of communication between Patrick and her were severed. Why they stayed married for so long when they couldn't even stand to stay in the same room, I'll never understand. I truly believed they hated each other and, quite frankly, I couldn't buy their HEA because they didn't spend enough time together patching things up after her accident.

As it was, Patrick turned out to be one of my least favorite heroes ever. He was cruel, cold, distant, refused to listen to Molly and never did anything to help her. Okay, she'd hurt him badly before the accident, but he was no innocent either. He cheated on her and had no qualms parading around the house with his lover by his side! He might have thought he was just getting even with Molly, for he believed she was cheating on him too, but that doesn't fly with me. My heroes don't do that! And what about when he finally realized Molly had lied about all the lovers? Why didn't he try to find out why? Since it all started on their wedding day, why didn't he try to find out what happened that day that made her act like that? I could only guess he didn't love her enough to care.

As for the mystery, I guessed from the beginning who the master villain was and couldn't understand why Molly didn't see it. He was so stereotypical and obvious that Ms. Stuart would have had to pull a hat trick if she decided to convince me it was someone else. The other "villains" came as a surprise but, at that point, I really didn't care anymore. I just wanted the story to end.

I was very disappointed with this book, but I still hold Ms. Stuart as one of my favorite authors. With a backlist as huge as hers, it was a given I wouldn't end up loving all her books, so I'm not concerned. I know there's still a lot of goodies in store. :)



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Review: "The Bride's Baby" by Liz Fielding

The Bride's Baby by Liz Fielding

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


The book blurb made me think this was a Secret Baby story... Well, it was but, at the same time, it really wasn't considering the fact that the baby wasn't a secret. Confusing? Yes, that's the feeling I had throughout most of the book.

Tom and Sylvie had a brief meeting when she was introduced as the wedding planner for his upcoming nuptials to her friend Candy. An unexpected attraction sparked on both sides, but considering that he was about to get married, Tom and Sylvie shoved that feeling aside and never let anyone - including themselves - realize it. But after six months of heavy planning and preparation, Candy ditched everything to elope with one of Sylvie's employees three days before the wedding. Naturally, Tom felt it was his due to unload all his "annoyance" on Sylvie - after all, she had plagued his dreams since he had met her - and, before they knew it, their mutual suppressed attraction took over and they were having unprotected sex on his bed...

Since this is Romancelandia, the "worst" thing you can get from unprotected sex is a pregnancy, so that's what Sylvie got. Unfortunately, Tom was no longer in the picture when Sylvie found herself pregnant, since he had left the country the day after their one-night stand. Unable to reach him by telephone, she had no choice but to deliver him the news by letter. Obviously, he never got to receive that letter and so this Failure to Communicate story took off.

This was one of those stories that wouldn't make past the first chapters if the hero and the heroine sat together and spoke clearly with each other. Regardless, Tom and Sylvie were likable characters, and that kind of "saved" the book for me and prevented me from throwing it against the wall - figuratively speaking, since this was an e-book. I rooted for their HEA and was glad when the darn Big Misunderstanding was finally resolved.

As for the writing, Ms. Fielding had the distracting habit of inserting the word "then" between the lines of the characters' speech. For example:

"Is that a fact?" Then, "So? Where are they?"

"I'd come and give you a hand but I have to take delivery of a cake." Then, "Do you need a hand up?"

I have to ask, what was the purpose of the word "then" in there? To gave us pause? To help her reach the necessary word count to meet the publisher's requirements? I know I'm nitpicking but that word was used over and over again in the story, and it was annoying.

All in all, I'm glad this was a freebie because I would have been mad if I had paid anything for this book.



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Review: "His Bare Obsession" by Lacey Thorn

His Bare Obsession by Lacey Thorn

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Here's a quick quizz to help you decide if this book is for you:

1. The night you gave your virginity away, were you able to go for another four rounds with your well-endowned boyfriend without bleeding to death?

2. The morning after, did you two have an epiphany, realize you were in love and start planning the future together?

3. Did you think about your future brother-in-law's sex life when you were introduced to him, just because there was "something dark" in his eyes?

4. That same night, while you and your beloved husband-to be were cuddling in bed, did he reveal all his brother's sexual kinks to you, neverminding that you had just met the guy?

5. If a killer was after you, would you make plans to set yourself as bait without telling your police detective husband-to-be?

If you answered "yes" to all the questions above, you're Moira - the heroine of this book - and you creeped the heck out of me. *shudders*

And if that wasn't enough, this book had some of the strangest dialogues I've ever read. Who talks like that? No one!



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Review: "Anastasia's Style" by N.J. Walters

Anastasia's Style by N.J. Walters

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This was a disappointing read, and that's saying something considering it's a short story and all I wanted was a quick and "brainless" read. When it comes to novellas, I have to like the hero and the heroine to enjoy the story because, let's face it, there's hardly any room to develop a top-notch plot.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen here. I didn't particularly like either Mason or Anastasia, and I wanted to shake them for their "stupidity". I mean, they left a silly Big Misunderstanding keep them apart for a whole year only because they couldn't find a way to talk to each other! At one point in the story, Anastasia even told Mason, "What’s even sadder is that if we’d been able to communicate better in the first place, she (Mason's mother) wouldn’t have been able to destroy our marriage." Well, that was sad, indeed. If they knew what the problem was, why didn't they do something to solve it?

The (two) love scenes were hot as expected, but that wasn't enough to bump my rating up to 3 stars. Oh well, at least I didn't waste much time reading this very short story.



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Review: "The Gift of Shayla" by N.J. Walters

The Gift of Shayla by N.J. Walters

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Before taking my 2-star rating at face value, you should know that I don't like ménage stories. So why have I decided to read this book, since the book blurb and cover make it clear this is a ménage story?!? Well, I don't like pointing the finger at anyone, but this was all Auntee's fault! ;) She thought the M/M angle of the story would be enough to make me overlook the ménage scenario and, to be fair, I thought so too. Sadly, it didn't work quite that way...

Adam Lancaster and Rob McKeith have been best friends since childhood. The problem is, Adam has been in love with Rob for years, but he's never acted on it because Rob has never shown any sexual interest in him (or any other men, for that matter) and Adam is afraid of jeopardizing their friendship. As if that wasn't enough to make Adam's life miserable, he's also attracted to Rob's wife Shayla. Poor Adam! Is he destined to always pretend he isn't jealous of Rob and Shayla's relationship and never let them know about his feelings? Well, it's Christmas Eve, the season of miracles, and Adam is about to get a very special gift from his friends...

I like Ms. Walter's writing style - her Jamesville series is a special favorite of mine - and that was the main reason I read this book despite its premise. As expected, she was very good at showcasing Adam's love for Rob and angst over the situation he was in. I liked him and felt his pain, which surprised me because he was basically the "intruder" in a couple's established, committed relationship and I was prone to disliking him just for that. Good job there, Ms. Walters!

Unfortunately, that was the only saving grace in this book for me. I didn't feel Adam's attraction to Shayla was that strong and his saying that he "loved" her too when they had "the talk" didn't ring true. On Rob's side, his feelings for Adam were a bit confusing and I'm not sure he really knew what he was doing. It was like he was just following Shayla's direction. She was the one pulling all the strings, but she was also the one whose character was less developed in the book. Did she love Rob as much as he loved her? I don't know. Did she love Adam? I don't know. The whole "Shayla thing" was kind of strange to me.

As it was, I finished the book wishing Adam and Rob had gotten rid of Shayla and lived as a M/M couple happily ever after. That might have made me bump my rating up to 3 stars, who knows?



Note: I received this eARC from Carina Press via NetGalley. That had no influence on my review/rating.



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Review: "Lover Unbound" by J.R. Ward

Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This isn't a review, it's a rant and it's full of spoilers. There are plenty of reviews of this book all around and I don't feel like writing another one. BUT I do need to get this anger off my chest, so here I go...

First off, let me say that I was warned about the crappy ending of this book beforehand. I wasn't thrilled about it, but I was willing to give Ms. Ward the chance to prove me that she had pulled it off in a satisfying way when all was said and done. Well, she didn't... at least, not where I'm concerned. Yeah, I know this is PNR and a ghost shouldn't be that strange in this scenario, but the oops-I-didn't-see-you-and-I-stepped-through-you freaked me out. Maybe I could have gone along with that if I didn't care much for Jane, but I liked her and felt that she got the shaft. What was wrong with Ms. Ward? The 1st time she gave us a BDB heroine with a spine, she kills her in the end! Not only that, she takes her spine off first, turns her into a clingy mess, then kills her. :( Is Ms. Ward so jealous of her Brothers that she had to smash the competition? I don't care that Jane and V were more than happy with her "fate" as it was, because I didn't buy it. The whole thing felt more like settling than a true HEA.

In my mind, V and Jane's romance was doomed from the start. As the story opened, he was still pretty much in love with Butch and jealous of the other man's shellan Marissa, so it was a shock to see how fast he fell for Jane. In fact, "fast" doesn't begin to describe it. I was glad to see him getting over Butch, because the last thing I wanted was to watch V pining over Butch over and over again like he did in Lover Revealed, but I didn't like the way Ward handled that. As for V's sexual kinkiness, I admit I was leery of it after reading the previous book because I'm not into BDSM. Once again, Ward gave V an instant character change and V's alleged Dom nature fell apart in Jane's hands. I admit I didn't miss seeing V in full Dom behavior since that isn't my cuppa, but I have to say that Ward failed to deliver what she'd hinted in the previous books.

May I rant about the other characters too? Oh boy, where to start?...

The Scribe Virgin - I loathe the ground air she floats in. I'd better stop here.

Phury - I still don't like him very much - his depression is, well, depressing - but I'm starting to feel sorry for him. Sorry, not pity. He's constantly "abused" by his Brothers, IMHO. He gives and gives and gives, then gives some more - and no one reaches a hand to help him. They know he loves Z's shellan Bella, but do they care? No. Z and Bella keep haunting him, asking him to help them go through some bumps in their "marriage" (I forgot what Ward calls it) without thinking how hurtful that must be to poor Phury. No wonder he turns into drugs for relief, which is another example of how little his Brothers care about him. They just sit back and let him sink deeper and deeper. There's no intervention, no tough love, nada.

Cormia - I'm on the fence about her. She's too innocent, frail and submissive, which can be explained by her being a Chosen but is still annoying. She reminds me of Marissa in her spineless days before she mated with Butch and that isn't a good thing, but who knows, Ward can give her a character change in the next book.

JM - What's happening to him? I'm not sure I like him posttrans and I definitely don't like him with Xhex because they don't fit, IMHO. I do like the Darius' connection, though. Will we ever find out what ties them together?

Qhuinn & Blaylock - JM's buddies' sole purpose in the story is to protect JM - at least, so far. Qhuinn's a manwhore and I'm sorry he can't catch any STD. Blaylock is sweet and I really hope he can find someone else to love. A gay man, if you please. Do you hear me, Ward?

Tohr - Where is he??? Isn't it time he came back yet?

As for the overal story, this book had good and bad parts. What I liked the most was the total absence of the Omega, whatever recruiter he had in charge at the moment and the mandatory new lesser-in-training. Sure, there were lessers around doing their nasty thing just to keep the Brothers busy and set the stage for the unfortunate HEA, but their scenes were more "connected" to the story this time. They had a purpose. In the previous books, every fight scene seemed the same and it only served to show how invincible the Brothers were. That isn't so true anymore, and that was good.

I also liked the development of the overall story arc - some surprises there! - even though Ward could have given V a better mother. I felt sorry for V, but that was an interesting twist in the story. And to think that his mother didn't content herself with playing havoc with his life... *shudders*

So, am I going to keep reading this series? As of now, no, but I might change my mind in the future. I do want to read Father Mine: Zsadist and Bella's Story, though.





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Review: "Angel's Master" by Sandra Sookoo

Angel's Master by Sandra Sookoo

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I must be a glutton for punishment, because I keep reading freebies from unknown-to-me authors in the distant hope of finding a hidden winner. I'm sad to say Angel's Master wasn't one.

Ethan Williams is a pirate - a romance book pirate, that is. He bathes and shaves regularly, his teeth are perfect, his sweat smells wonderful and, if that isn't enough, he's an anonymous philanthropist. Of course, his men are another story altogether, but who cares about smelly, toothless secondary pirates, right? LOL!

Jacqueline Massey is a reluctant American Navy spy, whose job is to uncover suspected pirates. She feels guilty about tricking those "poor men" and sending them to the gallows, but a girl's gotta do what her father demands - or so she's been told.

When Ethan and Jacqueline meet, the attraction between them is undeniable and before she knows it, she finds herself as a captive on his ship. Does he want to bed her? Duh! Does she put up a fight? Not really. And so it goes... until the unexpected twist near the end of the story comes and leaves utterly speechless. I don't think I'll ever understant what that was all about.

Naturally, the "crazy" ending had some influence on my 2-star rating, but that wasn't the only thing I didn't like in this book. Ethan and Jacqueline were okay - I mean, they had likable traits - but I didn't connect with them. Their interactions didn't ring true, their dialogues were unrealistic, their love scenes left me cold and I didn't see how they could have fallen in love in such short notice.

So, where did all that leave me? Pretty disappointed and unsatisfied, and the best thing I can say about this read is, I didn't hate it.

Note: This ebook was a gift from All Romance Ebooks. That had no influence on my review/rating.



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Review: "Texas Destiny" by Lorraine Heath

Texas Destiny by Lorraine Heath

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I love tortured heroes, and Houston was as tortured as one can be. Slighted (to put it mildly) by his father since childhood, he was forced to fight in the Civil War at the tender age of twelve, only to lose half his face, his eye, and hearing in one ear three years later. The way he saw it, his life was over by the time he was fifteen years old. Now, thirteen years later, he still wonders why he didn't put an end to it. Houston had all the markings to make me want to cuddle him and never let go but, unfortunately, it didn't work that way. The problem was, I love tortured and strong heroes who, once they realize they're in love with the heroine, at least try to overcome his fears and fight for her. Houston pretty much hid in the corner and let Amelia go.

As for Amelia, she was practically a saint but, like Houston, she wasn't one to fight for what she wanted. She accepted her marriage to Dallas, Houston's brother, with such calm that I grinded my teeth in frustration. And her asking Houston about what would happen on her wedding night with his brother?!? That was so insensitive! The worst thing was, he answered her question and even tried to reassure her! I still wonder how those two ended up together, since both were so intent on letting the other go. I guess it was their destiny.

This was my first book by Lorraine Heath and I liked her writing style. But I'm sorry to say, I was disappointed with the story. A friend of mine gave me the whole Texas trilogy, along with high praises about the books, so I'm already bracing myself to let her know I'm not too thrilled about reading the next books in the series. I'll probably read them because I'm curious about Houston's brothers, but that won't be happening soon.



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Review: "Believe" by Lauren Dane

Believe by Lauren Dane

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This story felt like an epilogue to Second Chances, which I haven't read, and I don't think it stood on its own. Jude and Rori spend a lot of time dwelling on their history and I felt like an outsider, not knowing how I was supposed to feel about it. In addition, their love scenes were out of my comfort zone - I am not into crops and floggers! - and I found myself skimming through them. As a result, there was little else to read.

Note: This story is also available in Naughty and Nice anthology.



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Review: "A Quick Bite" by Lynsay Sands

A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This story is marketed as being funny, light and cute. I prefer my PNR books to be on the dark and dangerous side, but I needed to read a "Q" book to finish the RRRC's A-Z Book Challenge and A Quick Bite was the only one I had on my TBR - for years, I might add - so I decided to finally give it a chance.

Lissianna Argeneau is a 202-year-old vampire who happens to be, gasp!, hemaphobic. That's not a good thing considering what she is. Concerned about her future, her mother Marguerite decides to give Lissi "the best birthday gift ever": Dr. Greg Hewitt, a 35-year-old psychologist who specializes in phobias. Marguerite is sure he'll be able to cure Lissi's phobia so she can leave a "normal" vampire life.

From the awkward moment they meet, Greg and Lissi feel attracted to each other, but nothing good can come out of it because (1) she's a vampire, (2) he's a mere mortal and (3) he'll have his memory erased as soon as he cures her phobia. Naturally, nothing goes according to Marguerite's plan, and Greg and Lissi find themselves running for their lives. But who's after them? Her wacky family? An unsuspected vampire hunter?

That wasn't a bad setup, but I'm afraid Ms. Sands didn't make it work for me. I didn't laugh at any of the attempted jokes, I hated Lissi's silly cousins (to the point that I lost track of who was who), I didn't care for the numerous one-dimensional secondary characters and I didn't feel any sexual chemistry between Greg and Lissi. They were both nice enough - well, they weren't annoying - but I didn't feel any love between them. They had a strong connection, I grant you that, but it only veered into the friendship zone - at least, that's how I felt.

Simply put, there was no character development in this book. Lissi was unbelievably imature for her age. I don't care if she was considered extremely young in vampire years. Come on, she was 202 years old! She should have been way wiser than she was. I just don't get it. Unless... Do vampire brains develop at a slower rate than mere mortals'? Does vampire blood affect their learning curve so bad that 200-year-old vampires act and talk like teenagers? *groans*

Greg was another "problem", as I couldn't understand his actions. He was kidnapped, tied up and left without food or water for hours, and took it all in stride. Sure, he had a hissy fit at first, but then calmed down and became the most complacent kidnapped victim of all times. Puh-lease! And when he found out that those deranged people who had kidnapped him were vampires, did he freak out? Of course not! He simply sat down with Lissi - actually, he was tied up to the bed, but at that point, he couldn't care less - and listened attentively while she recited History of the Vampires: Origin & Evolution. Gah!

To be fair, I thought the explanation for the origin of the vampires devised by Ms. Sands was unexpected and interesting, but I didn't like the way she explored that concept. When all was said and done, I got the feeling that the Argeneau vampires were just like any regular mortal human with a few enhanced characteristics to make them different. For a PNR, this book was the most un-PNR I've ever read.

So, as you might have guessed by now, I didn't like this book. It had some good parts - mainly when Greg and Lissi were on their own and away from her wacky family - but those few and far in between moments weren't enough to make up for everything else. Overall, this was a very disappointing read to me.




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Review: "Prelude to a Scandal" by Delilah Marvelle

Prelude to a Scandal by Delilah Marvelle

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This was only my first read by Ms. Marvelle and I'm sorry to say it was a great disappointment. The premise was interesting, but I just couldn't get into the story or connect with the characters.

Desperate to have her father released from prison, where he's been thrown for publishing his observations on innate buggery in the Animal Kingdom and stating that homosexuality is allowed by God and therefore shouldn't be condemned, Lady Justine Palmer approaches his father's academic patron, the notorious Duke of Bradford (better known to the ton as The Rake Extraordinaire) and offers herself up to him in exchange for his help releasing her father. Braced for surrendering her virginity to a man who (seemingly) presents no wedding prospect, she's shocked when he refuses her offer and proposes marriage instead.

Unbeknownst to Justine, Radcliff Morton, the Duke of Bradford, is as desperate as her. Consumed by his addiction to sex, he's been in seclusion for the last eight months in an effort to reform himself. Convinced that Justine is his last hope of salvation, Radcliff does his best to control the sexual urges that torment his body, knowing that he needs to become a better man for their marriage to work.

That was the basic premise of this book, but there were so many other subjects crammed into the story that it lost its focus. Besides his sex addiction, Radcliff and Justine also had to deal with his "mommy issues", his villainous brother Carlton, his brother's abused mistress Matilda, a gay servant, and other minor problems. It was too much, and I just couldn't make myself care for any of them.

Radcliff had the potential to be a great tortured hero, but his character fizzled. He was described as being a sex addict, but I never saw him acting as one. I was told over and over again that he was a sex addict, but he was one of the most self-controlled heroes I've ever seen. He stopped himself from consummating his marriage with Justine on their wedding night because he was afraid of hurting her, even though he was fully aroused and hadn't had sex in eight months. Oh, and she was willing and asking him to continue! I'm not an expert on the subject, but I don't think a sex addict would be able to control himself like that.

As for Justine, she was a pain. Assuming that Radcliff was indeed a sex addict, I thought she was very insensitive about it and did nothing to help him. I don't know why he put up with her incongruous demands and let her steamroll him, because he got nothing out of it. Not even sex! Their relationship was so unbalanced and unhealthy that I found myself dreading the HEA. Radcliff and Justine did not belong together!

As I mentioned above, this was my one and only read by Ms. Marvelle so far. I usually give new-to-me authors three chances to win me, and this one has been wasted. I have the next two books in this series on my TBR so I'll be reading them soon. I hope they're better than this one. *keeps fingers crossed*



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Review: "Do You Trust Me?" by Desiree Holt

Do You Trust Me? by Desiree Holt

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


GASP! There's a nekkid butt on the cover of the book - and I only noticed that now!? I think I need to schedule an appointment with my eye doctor. ;)

Romance novelist Sabrina "Rina" Devargas' life is turned upside down when a frantic call from her brother John has her flying from San Antonio, TX to his townhouse in Tampa, FL in order to retrieve their deceased mother's locket. Bad phone connection prevents her from understanding everything he says, and all she grasps before the call is dropped is that he's been betrayed by someone from his own black ops team so she must trust no one. It doesn't take long for Rina to find out that John has hidden a microchip inside the locket. Given his profession, there's no doubt in her mind that the microchip contains highly classified information and it's up to her to give it to the right person, but she doesn't know whom she can trust.

Connor McCall, John's black ops partner, is assigned to protect Rina when they realize that the bad guys John was investigating are after her and any info she might have. Having once shared an unforgettable night of passion with her, McCall finds it impossible to resist temptation and keep his hands off her, even though he knows that getting involved with her will certainly interfere with his ability to keep his mind on the job. He also knows that she's hiding something - namely, the info her brother has gathered to catch the bad guys - but while he's earned her trust in the bedroom, he's getting nowhere outside of it. With the bad guys closing in on Rina, McCall needs to gain her trust and ferret out the traitor in his team before it's too late...

The premise of this book is a common one in romantic suspense novels, but I was okay with it because I think that a good story is defined by its "details", not necessarily by its "formula". Unfortunately, this book had many problematic "details":

1. The plot had more holes than swiss cheese... What kind of idiot (Rina) wants to go home - and stay there like a sitting duck - when there are bad guys after her and they know where she lives? Why did McCall (and all his team, for that matter) agree with that and everything else Rina demanded, regardless of how dangerous it was? What kind of horn-dog (McCall) goes out to buy condoms and sex toys when he should be focusing on the job he had at hand? I have to say that McCall seemed to be quite incompetent. :( As for the identity of the traitor inside McCall's team, I guessed who he was pretty easily. No surprise there, which was disappointing because this is a romantic suspense novel. Now, to have Rina's friend Laurel to be in cahoots with the bad guys was a surprise. The unexpected connection was too contrived, though. I felt like Ms. Holt was playing Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, with Rina replacing Mr. Bacon. To think that Rina would have been involved, even indirectly, in the same event her brother had given his life to prevent even if he hadn't left the microchip with her was too much of a coincidence.

2. I didn't like McCall. He was too cold for my taste, and dragging the revelation of the reason behind his fighting any emotional connection with Rina until the end of the book played against him. When his "secret" came out, I was past the point of caring.

3. I didn't like Rina. Simply put, she was TSTL (see item 1 above). The way she refused to cancel her previously scheduled and much advertised public appearances (book signings and interviews) made her look reckless, not brave. I'm not an expert on the subject, but I don't think that calling off a couple of book signings and rescheduling some interviews would ruin her career.

4. The romance between McCall and Rina didn't work for me. I never felt they were in love with each other. They were definitely in lust and had sex on their minds all the time, but they had almost no interaction outside the bedroom (because McCall needed to "keep his distance" in order to focus on the job) and that made me skeptic about their ILY in the end. As this is an erotica/romantica story, the sex scenes were plentiful and darn hot, but I must say that the first one was a bit cringe-worthy. On the funny side, McCall's volunteering to shave Rina - no, I'm not talking about her head - and his fixation on her "backdoor" could put some of Lora Leigh's heroes to shame. ;)

Ms. Holt's writing was good enough to keep me turning the pages without wanting to throw the Kindle against the wall - figuratively speaking, of course - and I read the whole book in two sittings, so not all was lost. Even though I didn't like this book, I'm not against giving her another try because I liked her writing style.




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Review: "The Guy Next Door" by Lori Foster, Susan Donovan, Victoria Dahl

The Guy Next Door by Lori Foster

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Ugh, what a nightmare! This was one of the "strangest" anthologies I've ever read. The first story ends with a cliffhanger, the second has some of the most idiotic characters I've met, and the third makes no sense at all. :(


Ready, Set, Jett by Lori Foster (3 stars)
This story is a prequel to LF's new series, Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor. Jett Sutter and Natalie Alexander are "neighbors with benefits". Their no-strings affair should be the perfect setup for a man intent on maintaining his bachelor status, but for whatever reason, Jett feels uneasy about it. He doesn't want to marry Natalie, of course, but having her using him only for booty calls isn't enough anymore. He wants to see her outside the bedroom, even date her, but he knows someone has hurt her in the past and she's wary of getting emotionally involved with him. Will he be able to get past her barriers and, maybe, reach her heart?

I liked this story, but the cliffhanger wasn't necessary. In fact, all the events connected to it could have been left out of the story, as they added nothing to the development of Jett and Natalie's relationship and were only there to hook readers to the upcoming series. It had been a while since I last read a book by Ms. Foster and I had forgotten how much I enjoy her writing and how good her love scenes are. She made me care and root for Jett and Natalie's HEA, and the ending was satisfying enough. (In case you're wondering, Jett and Natalie do get their HEA; the cliffhanger has nothing to do with them.)


Gail's Gone Wild by Susan Donovan (1 star)
Gail Chapman's seventeen-year-old daughter Holly wants to go to Florida with her friend Hannah for spring break, but Gail knows better than to let the two girls take that trip alone. After some thinking, Gail concludes that she deserves a spring-break vacation more than them and decides to enjoy it at Key West, offering to take the dynamic duo (Holly & Hannah) with her. Gail is supposed to be the chaperone for the girls during their vacation, but after meeting Key West neighbor Jesse Batista - a sultry, sexy, earring-wearing sea captain with a big secret - she's the girl who's about to go wild.

Oh boy, what can I say? I thought the premise was absurd, the romance didn't engage me, and I disliked all the characters in this story:

1. Gail was an hypocrite: her concern about her daughter's safety and "virtue" simply disappeared after she met Jesse and she had no qualms doing everything she'd told her daughter not to do. Granted, she was thirty-six and her daughter was only seventeen, but she should have thought about the kind of example she was setting. Plus, her ditching her chaperoning duties and saying that she trusted her daughter didn't make sense, considering how she'd made a point of forbidding the two girls to spend spring break by themselves because they couldn't be trusted to be behave. Huh?!? I guess lust short-circuited her brain.

2. Jesse was a lecher and a liar. He was introduced to Holly & Hannah when they were fresh out of the swimming pool and wearing skimpy bikinis, and he couldn't help noticing Hannah's "hellacious curves and video-ho bikini". A thirty-eight-year-old man having that kind of thought about a seventeen-year-old girl is too disgusting for words so all I can say is, eew eew eeeew!!! Then, Jesse decided to hide his identity from Gail - he was a successful author with eight New York Times bestsellers under his belt - so he could be sure she wasn't after his money and fame. He went so far as to ask a friend who owned a bookstore to hide his books so Gail didn't find out who he was, disregarding the fact that Jesse's name was the only marketing hook his friend got to face the competition of the new chain store that was threatening to kill his business. With friends like Jesse, that poor bookstore owner didn't need enemies.

3. Holly & Hannah were stereotypical dumb teenagers, and I'm still wondering why did they deserve to have their own POV in the story. Nothing happened with/to them, so what was the point?

This was my first read by Ms. Donovan and it was very disappointing. Most of my friends like her writing so I'm willing to give her another try, but I'll wait until this story is out of my mind.


Just One Taste by Victoria Dahl (1 star)
This story is supposed to be a prequel to VD's new series, Donovan Brothers Brewery, but it's more like a teaser or a sneak peek because it has no ending. The story just stops and we're left with no resolution. WTF?!?

I don't know what to say about the plot(?), so I'll just copy/paste/edit some lines from Ms. Dahl's "Dear Reader" introduction:

The Donovan siblings run Donovan Brothers Brewery right in the heart of Boulder, Colorado. Tessa is the youngest of the family and the only sister, but she keeps her brothers wrapped around her little finger... while she keeps them in the dark about her extracurricular life. Jamie runs the front room at the brewery with ruthless charm and a devastating smile, though he can’t manage to get control of his love life. And then there’s the oldest brother, Eric...

Eric Donovan took charge of the family and the brewery at the age of twenty-three, and he doesn’t have a rebellious bone in his body. He’s the soul of responsibility... until the night he meets Beth Cantrell in a hotel hallway and decides there’s something to be said for an occasional walk on the wild side. Even the most straitlaced guy needs to loosen up once in a while, and Beth is a woman experienced in smalltown discretion.

That's it! Eric and Beth meet at a business convention, she somehow mistakes him for his brother Jamie and he doesn't set the record straight, they have wild-monkey sex and, after nothing was said and all was done, they part ways. The End.

Reading this story was a complete waste of my precious time. I'm sure everything that happened in it will be rehashed when the series is released, especially because Eric and Beth's book will be the last and readers will have forgotten this "prequel" by then. I could have ignored the lack of purpose in this story if Eric and Beth had been interesting characters, but alas, I didn't care for them. I never understood why she thought that being seen with him would ruin her reputation as an "erotic boutique" (aka sex shop) manager, and I thought his excuse for lying (by omission) about his identity was flimsy at best.

This was one of the most frustrating reads of my life and I'm sorry to say that, contrary to its goal, this story made me not want to read the series.


Note: I received this eARC from Harlequin via NetGalley. That had no influence on my review/rating.



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Review: "The Pearl at the Gate" by Anya Delvay

The Pearl at the Gate by Anya Delvay

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


When I read the book description, I thought this would be an interesting read, as a story about a married couple discovering their "forbidden" desires and kinks is right up my alley, but when I opened the ebook and realized it was a short story, I had to lower my expectations. Still, I thought it could be good, because skilled authors can make almost anything work.

Sadly, that wasn't the case here. The story's premise was never developed into anything resembling a plot. The book description was the whole story, or better, the setup for the sex scene where Roake's and Jenesta's hidden sexual needs were revealed. I've read and enjoyed stories like that (aka smut) before and I'm sure I'll read and enjoy others in the future, so why didn't I like this one? It all comes down to Roake and Jenesta, I'm afraid. I didn't "connect" with them so I found myself indifferent to their sex scene and HEA.



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Review: "Lone Star Trouble" by Autumn Piper

Lone Star Trouble by Autumn Piper

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


First, let me admit that I'm always wary of freebies, even though I can't resist their allure. Is it free? Gimme! :) Lone Star Trouble was one of the freebies given away by All Romance eBooks last December, but contrary to the norm, I was excited to read it. Based on the raving reviews and 5-star ratings I'd seen on different websites, I thought I was in for a nice treat. Well, color me sadly surprised...

Kiersten Day isn't too fond of Texans - for reasons that are still unclear to me - and billionaire cattleman CJ Howell is her current nemesis. He wants to buy her family ranch and has resorted to all kinds of dirty tactics and veiled threats to convince her to sell, but she isn't budging. A series of wrong assumptions leads Kiersten to believe that Cleve (né Cleveland), one of CJ Howell's sons, is just a mere employee of her nemesis. Cleve keeps quiet, hoping to gain her friendship - and something more - so he can find a peaceful solution for the feud between her and his father. Needless to say, Cleve's secret is revealed soon enough and... it's no big deal. Say what?! Yup, that's right. The Earth doesn't stop turning and Kiersten doesn't blow a gasket. She isn't happy, of course - but her reaction is quite subdued considering the explosive nature she has.

That didn't make sense in the context of the story and that was when I realized I wasn't getting it because this book was too "busy", with several secondary(?) characters and storylines that only served to confuse me. We had (1) Kiersten's grandfather, who was sick but refused to go to the doctor's, (2) Kiersten's friend Nate, who was in love with her even though he was gay(?!), (3) Cleve's twin brother Clay, who was also gay and sparked Nate's interest even though Nate was in love with Kiersten(?!), (4) Kiersten's deceased husband's friend Tracy, who was on trial for statutory rape (and something else I don't remember) and hated her guts, (5) CJ's longtime friend/employee Chaz, a chauvinist who hated Kiersten's guts, ... Phew! I could go on, but I think I've already made my point.

That multitude of characters and subplots hurt the development of Kiersten's and Cleve's characters and their relationship. I'm sorry to say, but I didn't like Kiersten. She was one of those heroines who thinks that being strong and independent means being bitchy. I understood she'd been through a lot, but her groundless prejudice against all things Texan, her potty mouth and her agressive demeanor prevented me from caring for her. As for Cleve, he was a nice guy - and that's all I can say about him. He was so bland that it was almost as if he was a secondary character. Overall, I didn't buy the "love" between Kiersten and Cleve and, blasphemy, I thought she had better chemistry with Nate than with Cleve! That was the ultimate blow. When I don't believe in the connection between the H/h in a romance book, the story is pretty much ruined for me.

Another thing that really bugged me was the way Ms. Piper wrote some - not all - of her Texan characters' speech. Here's a quote from the book:

"Hello there. Miz Day, Ah presume? Ah'm Charles. Chaz, most folks call me. Ah come to talk bizness."

Gah! That was so OTT and annoying, I had to take a deep breath whenever Chaz and CJ Howell, who also spoke like that, uttered a line. Cleve's and Clay's lines weren't written like that, even though they were as Texan as their father CJ and Chaz. Why the distinction? Only Ms. Piper knows for sure. My guess is, CJ and Chaz were old generation and sneaky, while Cleve and Clay were "modern" and trustworthy.

So there you have it: I didn't like this book - and I'm wondering what's "wrong" with me because it looks like I'm the only reader who didn't... Anyway, I didn't hate it either so I'm not striking Ms. Piper off my list for good, but if I come upon another book by her in the future, I won't let myself be too excited by no matter how many 5-star reviews I see.



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Review: "Fantasmagorical" by Annmarie McKenna

Fantasmagorical by Annmarie McKenna

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Gabe and Lance, who have been friends and lovers for years, fall "in love" with Evan 15 minutes after meeting her. Yeah, both men fall for her instantly and equally. Then, the happy trio spend all week having sex like bunnies in various combinations (m/f/m, m/m, f/m/m), all the while thinking what a match made in heaven they are. But what will happen when the weekend is over? Will Evan be interested in turning that sex fest into something permanent? Duh.

Sorry, but this story didn't work for me. I didn't feel any emotional connection with the characters and I didn't believe in their relationship for a minute. Considering the premise and the complete lack of character development, love should have been kept out of the picture. I've bought Instant Love stories in the past and I'm sure I'll keep buying others in the future. All I need is an emotional pull: I need to like the characters. That didn't happen in this story, hence the 2-star rating.


Ménage, Calvin Klein style:



Now, that's more like it. :)



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