Romance Book Review: Shelly Laurenston's Bite Me

Author: Shelly Laurenston
Series Connection: The Pride Series
ISBN: 978-0758265241
Genre: Paranormal, Shifter Romance
Publisher: Brava

Purchase Link: Amazon

Honey Badgers are not usually the most revered when it comes to shifters. They are generally thieves and grifters and one would be wise to watch their backs when Honey Badgers are concerned.

At least that is most Honey Badgers, then there is Livy. Since meeting her still best friend Toni as a teenager, Livy has been more interested in taking pictures, then stealing paintings. She isn't anything like her relatives—whether it be Kowalski or Lang.

Vic Barinov is a hybrid shifter. Part tiger, part bear he's big and many fear him. He is also a pretty good tracker and is doing pretty good working on his own.

Livy has found that she likes breaking into Vic's house, as only a Honey Badger can. Mostly because she can usually be alone there as Vic is often out of town, and also because he has some great honey in his cabinets.

When Vic asks Livy to do a little breaking and entry for him to find some answers about a full-human who is hunting shifters, it sets off a chain of events that sends Livy's mostly boring life into a dangerous search and into the arms of Vic. Can a Honey Badger from a dysfunctional family like Livy's ever find a mate of her own to love?

Without much of funny comeback lines that I so adore with Shelly Laurenston's work, this story was a slight disappointment in the beginning, however keep reading this is a great story filled with  exciting story line. Fans of other Pride Series books will find lots of old friends and those looking for something different will meet the crazy Honey Badgers that are completely different personalities than the other shifters from the series. I'd love to see some of these new Honey Badger characters have stories of their own.

Description:

Livy Kowalski has no time for idiots. When you shapeshift into a honey badger, getting through life's irritants is a finely honed skill. Until she gets stuck housing her nutso cousin and dealing with her dad's untimely and unexplained demise. That's where Vic Barinov comes in - or his house does. Vic can't step outside without coming back to find Livy devouring his honey stash and getting the TV remote sticky. It gets his animal instincts all riled up. But he'll have to woo her at high speed: all hell is breaking loose, and Livy is leading the charge...

Romance Book Review: Celia Kyle's Ridgeville Series Vol. 1

Author: Celia Kyle

Series Connection: Ridgeville

ISBN: 978-1490930886
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Shifter Romance, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Celia Kyle

Purchase Link: Amazon

Celia Kyle recently releases an anthology that features the first three books to the Ridgeville books to get readers familiar with the popular series. The first two books features the stories of the Ridgeville Lion Prime, Alex O'Connor and his mate Maya. Maya decides she would like to blow off some steam and maybe hook up with one of the sexy shifters in the area when she walks into a club on just the wrong night.

When Alex sees Maya he can't help but want to grab her and lock her away from all the other horny males in the club. She's really not suppose to be there on that particular night. What else can he do but try to save her. But who is going to save Maya from Alex.

In book 1.5 Your Lion, Maya takes a trip to the doctor with her five body guards. Slipping out the back door after she gets some shocking news isn't as hard as you might think. She runs right to her best friend Carly for a little girl time.

In the third installment in the Ridgeville series, Ball of Furry, rabbit shifter and Maya's best friend Carly found her mate months ago, but she isn't interested in a relationship that is all about making more little shifters and ladies' man Neal seems to have one too many women in his life. Staying away is the hardest thing she has ever done.

Neal can't figure out why Carly keeps avoiding him. She knows they are mates, but every time he tries to spend time with her she runs the other direction. When he finally gets her alone and naked will he spoil all of the work he did just to get time with her?

While Neal and Carly try to come to terms with their relationship, there is someone else who wants to see Carly gone forever. Can the Lion, rabbit and wolf shifters save Carly?

These first three books really set the stage for the rest of the series. I'd already read He Ain't Lion and enjoyed it, but this book was a better deal rather than just purchasing the next two, so I grabbed it. Not sure whether or not the author will do the same with some of the other books.

These are short stories, but they are well written with sexy men, big, beautiful, women (BBW) and steamy love scenes.

Description:

This book contains the following novellas in the Ridgeville series: "He Ain't Lion", "You're Lion", and "Ball of Furry". If you already own these books, please do not purchase this title. 

The first three books in the Ridgeville series is now bundled together for one great price! (64,000 words)

***

"He Ain't Lion" - Life sucks... And then you get turned into a werelion... Curvy Maya Josephs is looking for a little fun after a bad break up. When she meets the hotter than hot, super-sexy owner Alex O'Connell, the alpha lion shifter is just the man to fit the bill for a one-night stand.

***

"You're Lion" - With new pregnancy hormones making her inner kitty extra bitchy, Maya's not sure who she's going to murder first: her gyno for discovering the pregnancy, her guards for following her every move (and annoying the living shit out of her), or the striped beyotch cooing over Alex. Screw it. She'll start with the tigress and work her way back to the other two. Lucky for everyone involved, it's a good thing Alex knows how to tame her inner she-cat...and make her purr.

***

"Ball of Furry" - Perfectly plump Carly has no need for a gorgeous hunk of werelion. But the hunky man pounces and claims her before she has the chance to say "no." Furry bastard. As if her life isn't crazy enough...it just happens to get that much crazier when someone decides they want her dead. Lovely.

Part of the "Ridgeville" series:

*FREE* He Ain't Lion - Available Individually (FREE) and in Ridgeville Series Volume One

You're Lion - Available Individually and in Ridgeville Series Volume One

Ball of Furry - Available Individually and in Ridgeville Series Volume One

Head Over Tail

Fierce in Fur

Deuces Wild

Sealed with a Purr

Like a Fox

Big Furry Deal

Romance Book Review: Diana Palmer's Wyoming Bold

Author: Diana Palmer

Series Connection: Wyoming Series

ISBN-13: 978-0373777242

Genre: Western romance, Contemporary romance

Publisher: Harlequin

Purchase Link: Amazon

Merissa braves a snow storm to tell her neighbor Dalton "Tank" Kirk that his life is in danger. While she knows her visions are real, Tank doesn't know Merissa well enough to know if she is just a crackpot or he should believe her.

It isn't long before Merissa premonitions start coming true and Tank realizes that the worst day of his life is coming back to haunt him and someone really does want him dead. 

Tank brings in an old military buddy, Rourke, to see who could be after him. Throughout the story readers become reacquainted with the Rourke's friends from Jacobsville (Long Tall Texans). 

As the story unfolds the man targeting Tank decides the best way to get to him is by messing with the woman Tank is falling in love with. 

Merissa has spent years being ridiculed because of her abilities, now she finally has found a man who accepts her and all she wants to do is keep him safe.

As a fan of Diana Palmer of all time, I have been a little disappointed in some of her recent books, but I've seen some of the old Diana in this book. This story kept readers wondering what the bad guy would do next. Of the three brothers I liked Tank's story the best. I wasn't expecting this from his personality in the other stories and it was a nice surprise to see a sensitive hero.

Description:

Former border agent Dalton Kirk thought his life was over—literally—when a gang of smugglers left him for dead. Defying all odds, he survives his ordeal and returns to his Wyoming ranch ready to dedicate his future to a more peaceful home on the range. Until lovely Merissa Baker knocks on his door. 

Merissa is well aware of her reputation as the local eccentric—she knows things before they happen—and she's had a vision that Dalton is in danger. Even though her beliefs clash with Dalton's cowboy logic, she's determined to save the handsome rancher she's secretly loved forever. 

Visions? It's all ridiculous to Dalton…until things start happening that prove Merissa right. And now Dalton is not the only target—so is Merissa. Can Dalton be bold enough to trust the unknown? Is this Wyoming man ready to love?

Romance Book Review: Bijou Hunter's Damaged Series

Author: Bijou Hunter
Series Connection: Damaged Series
Genre: New Adult, Erotic Romance, Violence, Contemporary

Purchase Link: Amazon

Damaged and the Beast

ISBN-13: 978-1484084328

The first in the Damaged Series, Bijou Hunter explores the world of a biker gang and the girls that fall in love with the men in the gang. 

Farah Smith couldn't wait to get away from the life with her father who was always on the run for the cops and the bad guys he owed money to. She finally gets to realize her dream and gets to go to college to become a school teacher. On the first day of school she meets Cooper Johansson. 

Cooper is everything that Farah doesn't want. She wants a respectable man who she can live the white picket fence American dream with. But as soon as Cooper sees her, he knows she's who he wants. 

Cooper is the rich heir of a motorcycle club. His dad was in charge of the town's crime syndicate and he was soon in line to take his dad's place. He could have any woman he wanted, but the minute he walked into class and met Farah he knew she would be his even if he had to stalk her to get her attention. 

This isn't a sweet romance story. Nothing about Cooper and his motorcycle gang friends is soft and cuddly. This story has a lot of grit and Farah has a lot of work out to get over her past and get started on her future. I find her character a little bit of a whiner, but I know she needs to be cut some slack because she's getting over a lot. Cooper is a little bit too cocky, but it makes for comic relief throughout the book. Despite all, I decided to read on in the series and see what else the author had to offer. I wasn't let down. 

Description:

Heir to the local motorcycle club and crime syndicate, Cooper Johansson is accustomed to taking what he wants. His newest conquest is college freshman Farah Smith.

When the tattooed bad boy reminds her of a rough childhood she desperately wishes to forget, Farah keeps him at arm's length. Yet, Cooper refuses to give up. He pushes her buttons, tears through her walls, and forces her to admit her feelings for him. What begins as lust soon builds into something more powerful than either expects.

Can a beast like Cooper heal the damage inside the girl of his dreams?

Damaged and the Beast is the first book in the Damaged series.

***Warning: This novel contains scenes of a sexual nature, violent themes, and coarse language. It is intended for mature readers.

Damaged and the Knight

ISBN-13: 978-1490946993

Tawny Smith was left behind to deal with her father, his violent moods and a life in danger when her sister left for college. Locked in a motel room, while her father ran off for to who knew where, men taunting her door, Tawny had no idea where she was. 

When her knight shows up at her door she would follow him anywhere. 

Judd O'Keefe has been sent by his boss Cooper to find his girl friend's sister. When he finally finds her all he can think of is getting her back to her sister before he does something stupid. She's a 17 year old girl and he's too old to want more from this messed up kid. 

Once Tawny turns 18 all bets are off. Judd stayed away as long as he could, but he wasn't sure his life as the club's enforcer was anything that he could bring Tawny into. With all she's been through she doesn't need him messing her life up more. 

I loved Tawny's tough girl attitude. She doesn't use her past as an excuse. When she finally gets back with her sister, she knows that she needs to pull herself together so she can heal and pick up the rest of her life. Judd is the silent hero and just as messed up as Tawny. They'll both have to work hard to help each other heal. 

Description:

After he saves her from certain death, Tawny Smith falls for her knight in shining armor.

Judd O'Keefe isn't an easy man to love. As an enforcer for the Johansson family business, he hides his heart behind cold walls built from a lifetime of pain. Yet, his angel Tawny awakens a desire in Judd more powerful than he ever imagined possible.

Can a man with blood on his hands heal the damaged girl of his dreams?

Damaged and the Knight is the second book in the Damaged series.

***Warning: This novel contains scenes of a sexual nature, violent themes, and coarse language. It is intended for mature readers.

Damaged and the Cobra

ISBN-13: 978-1492860044

While Lark has had a hard life as her mother moved from husband to husband and lived her selfish life without consideration of her children, she always tries to have a smile on her face. Being held under the thumb of her latest stepfather and having to deal with a creepy stepbrother isn't easy and when she meets Aaron she will do anything to get to know the sexy artist with a tattoo of a cobra on his neck. 

Aaron is Cooper's childhood friend, a member of the club he tends to stay off to the side running his tattoo shop that he co-owns with Cooper. When he see the lovely Lark at Cooper's wedding he falls instantly for her, but soon he realizes he'll have to get past her over protective family to get to Lark. 

This book is a lot more light hearted than the others, but that doesn't take anything away from the book. Lark lives with the guilt of losing someone close to her when she was child and has to deal with that to get ready to live her new life with Aaron. Aaron is a beautiful artist type, much more sensitive then the other guys we've met so far in the club and you just have to love him. 

Description:

Aaron Barnes has found his muse in Lark Foster. However, his inspiration is saddled with a domineering step family and the lingering guilt from a childhood loss. Once Aaron claims his muse, Lark embraces the fighter inside her gentle heart. When fate stands in the way of love, the only choices are giving up or taking what your heart demands.

Damaged and the Cobra is the third book in the Damaged series.

***Warning: This book contains scenes of a sexual nature, violent themes, and coarse language. It is intended for mature readers.

Damaged and the Outlaw

ISBN-13: 978-1494286187

Lark's beautiful sister Raven left town when things got to rough living with their overbearing step father. Thinking her loser boyfriend was the answer to her problems, she soon realizes that she can't run away from her own life issues and heads back home to Lark. 

Seeing Lark has a new boyfriend who is taking care of her and feeling out of place she decides it is time to find her way. She has banned men from her life and she decides to go on her own. She makes friends with the ladies from the motorcycle club and continues to check in with her sister. 

When she meets Vaughn, the outlaw cleaner of the group, her no man ban is lifted for a one night stand. Promising to be just friends with benefits, the two slowly turn one night into love, but Vaughn has a price on his head and he doesn't think his life will last much longer. That doesn't stop Raven from falling for him, but can Vaughn outrun his past and make a life with Raven. 

This book has a out loud laugh moments as Vaughn tries to come up with the best nickname to describe Raven. Also watching the two with their own messed up problems come together and deal with their struggles is quite an interesting task. Like with all the Damaged books, Bijou Hunter pulls the reader into the world of her characters and helps the reader understand that although these people are fighters, killers and criminals they live by a code and protect those they love.

Description:

After turning against his former MC, Vaughn Majors found refuge in Ellsberg. Years later, he remains a dead man walking, avoiding commitments and hiding his loneliness.

Raven Hancock refuses to fall in love again. Men are her poison and Vaughn is all kinds of bad news. He's also the hottest, funniest, sweetest bastard she's ever met.

Can Outlaw free himself from the dangers of his past and build a home with a girl able to see more than the blood on his hands?

Damaged and the Outlaw is the fourth book in the Damaged series.

***Warning: This novel contains scenes of a sexual nature, violent themes, and coarse language. It is intended for mature readers.

The next books in the series will be out beginning in May. 

Romance Book Review: Lisa Swallow's Because of Lucy

Author: Lisa Swallow

Series Connection: Butterfly Days

ISBN: 978-1492223184

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Independent

Purchase Link: Amazon

Too much pressure from her parents leads Ness to not attend university as once thought. She takes a job she hates and moves in with her best friend Abby who is going to the university. At one of Abby's many late night parties Ness meets Evan, a arrogant, drunken English major who at first pushes are of Ness's buttons. 

That is until she gets to know him a little better and realizes that the sexy student isn't what he first appears. 

Evan escaped to university to get away from his obligations and Lucy, but when Lucy finally catches up to him she threatens to ruin everything that he has worked to create for his new life. Being secretive about his past and Lucy is putting a strain on his relationship with Ness, as well. 

I like the suspense that the author creates as readers work to determine who Lucy is and how come Evan is avoiding her. This story features two "new adult" characters that are still working on coming into their own. They are influenced too much by their pasts and deciding on what they want for their future and whether they fit together. 

Description:

Ness's parents are shocked when she turns down her place at Leeds University and takes on a full-time job in a call center. Determined to begin her adult life the way she wants, Ness moves to Leeds to live with her best friend Abby.

One night she meets Evan, who is everything she hates about guys. He may be hot but he's also drunken, arrogant, and on top of that, he apparently has sex with girls and forgets about it. But Evan isn't what he seems and Ness soon discovers they have more in common than she thought.

Evan is struggling to escape from his past too, and when Lucy appears she threatens his new relationship with Ness. Unsure if she can deal with the effect Lucy has on Evan, Ness makes a decision about her future which pulls them apart.

When their new lives don't go as planned, Ness and Evan are both faced with difficult choices. 

All because of Lucy...

Romance Book Review: Gina Watson's Shatter

Author: Gina Watson
Series Connection: St. Martins Family Saga
ISBN: 978-1941059081
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: Gina Watson

Purchase Link: Amazon

Jessie is going through the motions at her Italian restarant that she ran with her husband until he died five years ago. Logan knows how to help her fix what's wrong with the restaurant if he'll let her help. He offers a partnership. If she sells his beer exclusively in her restaurant, he will help her make her restaurant the success it should be.

Right from the get go Logan is attracted to the widowed mother and when he meets her young son it is love at first sight. He knows that he wants to be part of their family, but Logan has secrets and with this new blow that has been handed to him, he isn't sure that he wants to mix Jessie and her son in his troubles. The only problem is Jessie is attached herself and she may not want to let Logan go.

This is book three in the series. I haven't read the others in the series and so far it didn't seem to take away from this one book. Logan is a wonderful character who is still finding his way after a lot of blows in her young life. Jessie has her own mixed up past and a young son to take care of. She's at a breaking point and Logan maybe exactly what she needs to make everything better.

Description:

Logan St. Martin has secrets. For instance, why does he operate a brewery instead of putting his medical license to use? Why is he so unlike the rest of the St. Martin family? Mysteries aside, he is smart and successful in all that he endeavors and he has set his sights on Miss Jessica Hunter, a flame haired goddess who owns the Italian restaurant in town. A business merger is the next item on his agenda. 

Jessica Hunter is on a mission. Her child needs a father, a responsible and disciplined man that will make a good role model for her son. Certainly not some irresponsible brute with shaggy hair and facial stubble whose wardrobe consists of flip-flops, cargo shorts, and screen-print T-shirts. However, while her son has need of a father, her body has needs that have gone unfulfilled for over five years and it seems a shame to waste the steamy bronzed hunk of man that is Logan St. Martin. 

When their first encounter leads to an unexpected but explosive bout of steamy sex, Logan tells Jessie there’s absolutely nothing that can keep him from making her his, including the pits of hell. Too bad Jessie has no intention of following him on his way to eternal damnation

Romance Book Review: Alicia Sparks' Primitive Series

Author: Alicia Sparks
Series Connection: Primitive Series
ISBN: 978-1495430541
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Beau Coup Publishing

Primitive Fix

This two book in one story begins the tiger shifter "Primitive" series. In the first two stories tiger shifter brothers Kenyon and Nik are introduced. The first story tells of Kenyon's desperate attempt to free his older brother and alpha of the clan, Nik from a tiger gage as a truckstop side show.

After being arrested for trying to release Nik, Kenyon's destined mate is called in to free Kenyon from jail. Sage, a wolf shifter, loves Kenyon, but she's afraid that he sees her only as an obligation and not someone he can love.

While the two search for a way to release Nik their attraction grows, but their are forces that want to break their bond forever.

The next story picks up where the first left off. Juliette escaped from her captors years ago, but she knows they are still out their somewhere just waiting for her to come out in the open. She hides away in a cabin in the woods. One day Juliette finds a man shot and in need of help. She takes him in and nurses him back to health.

Nik rushes to get away from his captors. Shot and ready to collapse he takes off into the swamp and to Juliette's property. Everything turns to black. When he next wakes he is in a soft bed and being nursed by a beautiful woman. He knows that Juliette has saved his life and when he realizes that Juliette is hiding from something he wants to return the favor and make sure she is safe forever. Both these lost souls really need each other, but are too worried what their secrets could do to the other.

I appreciate that the first two books could be found in one, however the books as individuals were short on details and backgrounds for both characters. It would have been better, but for the most part this was a pretty good start to an interesting series.

Description:

Meet two brothers, tiger shifters, and the women who bring out the beast in them. 

Part 1 - Kenyon 

Sage Villalobos has been destined to marry Kenyon Maddux since the day she was born. As the second-born in her wolf clan, she came into this world owing a debt to the family of shape-shifting tigers who rule the Louisiana swamps in the Atchafalaya Basin. Kenyon is the only man she’s ever wanted, the man who sets her blood on fire, but she’s tired of being indebted to his family for something she didn’t do. She wants him to choose her because he loves her, not because he owns her. When Kenyon’s brother, Nik, is taken prisoner, Kenyon turns to Sage for help. Using her unique skills, she knows she can help him free his brother, but there will be a price. If she agrees to do this, she wants Kenyon to release her from her debt. However, the only thing Kenyon wants to do is hold on to her and never let her go. 

Part 2 - Nik 

After months of captivity as part of a roadside attraction, Nik Maddux is finally able to escape. Injured and at death’s door, he makes his way through the swamp only to collapse near Juliette’s home. Juliette pulls the naked man into her cabin and begins nursing him back to health, marveling at the black stripes which cover his body and the feline features of his face. She knows he’s not quite human and realizes she may have found a kindred spirit, someone whose secrets are as deadly as her own. When Nik awakes, his attraction to Juliette is instant. While she heals his body, he wants to heal her soul. But danger is lurking in the swamp, and the longer they stay together, the more likely they are to lose everything. 

**Content Warning: May contain graphic content and sexual situations. Intended for 18+ Audience

Primitive Need

In the second book in the Primitive series, Primitive Need features Juliette's brother, Logan. Logan is a former soldier that was hurt in freak helicopter accident. In the accident he loses his arm and volunteers for experimental surgery that brings his arm back better than new. 

After leaving the military he takes on the job as a bodyguard for a young girl under the guise that her father has some powerful enemies, but really it is because her father is worried for her and a secret ability she has. 

Hadley can't control her ability to change the weather. She feels lost and is looking for someone to help her. She finds someone who tells her he understands exactly what she feels, however it is a trap and she is kidnapped. (This is part of Primitive Fix). 

Now the sheriff and no longer Hadley's bodyguard, Logan goes looking for her and is hurt in the process. When the two are released from the hospital her father hires Logan again to be her bodyguard. With the people who know about Hadley's ability after her, Logan will do anything to save her. Even work with creatures he thought were only in fairy tales. 

The second book in the Primitive series took a few twists and turns before it settled into a good book. The beginning was a little confusing as the author tried to push the story into the series of the first book. For instance in the first book the sheriff acts like he barely knows the missing girl and she is just a nuisance, however in the second story they have been flirting for years and actually had a passion filled night. 

Keep reading however the story gets better and shows promise for the rest of the series. I like Logan's character. As a human, he's pretty strong, but against the shifters of the world he's just an average human. It takes a lot to admit he needs the help of the Maddux clan to protect the woman he loves. That's sexy.

Description:

Continuing the Primitive series with book 2 

Ten years ago, Logan’s life changed when the Blackhawk helicopter he was flying went down over Afghanistan. The pain immediately hit him, intensifying and running down his arm, and when he woke up, he realized he’d become part of a military experiment complete with robotic arm and superhuman strength. After leaving the military, he returned to his hometown of Bon Teche, Louisiana to live a quiet life as the town’s sheriff, but the mayor has other plans for him. 

Mayor O’Connor’s only daughter, Hadley, is blessed with powers she can’t understand or control, and the old man fear for her life and his sanity. When he hires Logan to be her personal bodyguard, no one expects immediate sparks to fly between the two. Headstrong and spoiled, Hadley does not like being followed around by someone who watches her every move, and what she hates even more is the fact she can’t trust herself around Logan or the way he makes her feel. 

Logan knows he can’t live without her, but convincing Hadley of that is next to impossible. With danger swirling all around them, Logan makes his feelings known, but Hadley has a secret which could destroy them both. As her secrets are revealed, she and Logan become entangled with the Maddux clan, a group of shape shifting tigers who want Hadley for their own purposes. 

Deep in the Atchafalaya Basin, Logan is determined to protect Hadley and to satisfy her Primitive Need. 

*Content Warning: Intended for 18+ Audience, may contain explicit details or scenes