Saturday, November 29, 2014

Romance Book Review: Lacey Wolfe's Counting Cowboys

Author: Lacey Wolfe
Series Connection: Carver Ranch Series
Digital ISBN: 9781940744483
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Beachwalk Press Inc.

Purchase Link: Beachwalk

In her new series, Lacey Wolfe introduces the Carver family. The Texas family live on a large successful ranch. The oldest brother by five minutes Tucker had never through of settling down until he met his new accountant.

Lauren moved in with her father when her fiance broke her heart. She takes over her father's accounting firm and meets one of her father's clients, Tucker and his family ranch.

When Tucker turns on the charm Lauren decides that she isn't really ready for a new relationship but wouldn't find having a little fun with Tucker while she decides if she wants to stay in Texas or move back to Georgia.

Now all Tucker needs to do is to convince Lauren that it is worth staying in Texas so he can settle down with Lauren.

If you like sexy cowboys and a good western love story, this is a great story for you. This is a well written start to a new series.

Description:
Can a hot cowboy convince Lauren to stay in Texas and take another chance on love?

Tucker Carver likes to have fun and has no intention of settling down anytime soon. He handles the business side of Carver Ranch for his family, and on the day he's scheduled to meet with their accountant, he instead meets a beautiful woman who changes everything.

Lauren Ford packed up and moved to Texas to start over after her fiancé had an affair with her best friend. Her father's retiring and has offered to let her take over his accounting firm. When she meets Tucker she's immediately taken with him, despite his reputation as a ladies' man. Knowing she isn't looking for love, or even if she wants to stay in Texas, she decides to have fun with Tucker and keep her feelings at bay.

After one taste of Lauren, Tucker has other plans. Lauren is the woman he wants, but for some reason she's resisting. And it doesn't help when her ex-fiancé shows up in town wanting her to go back to Georgia with him. Can Tucker convince her that his feelings are true, or will he lose her forever?


Content Warning: contains adult language and explicit sexual scenes

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Romance Book Review: Lisa Knight's Dessert First

Author: Lisa Knight
Digital ISBN: 9781940744506
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Beachwalk Press Inc.

Purchase Link: Beachwalk Press

Abby is traveling the world after she reaches rock bottom at home in Australia. Getting her chance to finally see the beautiful Niagara Falls, she steps into a coffee shop and comes face-to-face with handsome Ben. Abby can't help but fall for the Ben, but soon it is time for Ben to head back to school and she has the opportunity of a lifetime back home in Australia. Can these to young lovers survive a long distance relationship?

Cute, fast sentimental love story featuring two characters who are literally living a world apart and need to make the decision that would be a major change for either of them.

Description:
Does being in love mean giving up everything?

Overwhelmed by shame after a dodgy one-night stand, Abby Henderson finds herself in Niagara Falls and hopes sexy barista Ben Pryor can help extinguish her ever present guilt. When a letter arrives from home, turning her life upside down, she realizes her holiday fling actually feels a lot more like the real thing.

Long-distance romance proves harder than Abby thought, and with crazy advice from fortune tellers to 'follow the scent', she finds herself forced to choose between her rising career and the man she loves.


Content Warning: contains some sexual content and explicit language

Monday, November 24, 2014

Romance Book Review: Ellen Cummins' The Heartbeat Journal

Author: Ellen Cummins
Digital ISBN: 9781940744476
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Beachwalk Press, Inc.

Publisher: Beachwalk

Erotic romance author, Everly, is looking for her own happily ever after, especially after she breaks it off with her last cheating boyfriend. When an obsessed fan begins stalking and attempts to kidnap her, Everly she is helped by a police officer man she briefly met at a local garden center. Could Ben be the man she's been looking for or will she have met him too late, before her stalker ends her chances for the happy ever after she wanted?

A little slow moving in the beginning, this book offers a spirituality, along with light suspense. 

Description:
When fate slams two suffering souls together, can love help heal them?

Everly Afton, a romance novelist, is haunted by the memory and spirit of her brother Evan, whose suicide she blames on her father. Her broken home leaves her craving a healthy love. At twenty-seven she thought she'd be married with a family, but her boyfriend Jake's cheating ways has her rethinking her future.

After they break up, she visits the garden center for some flower therapy and is approached by Ben Colt, who strikes up a conversation about the hummingbird that fluttered in front of her face, and speaks of myths and angels. Everything about him is delicious, from his scent to his muscular body to his expressive brown eyes.

When Everly discovers she's being stalked, she's surprised when Ben is the detective assigned to her case. He's determined to see to her safety. But he has a painful secret of his own—a powerful revelation that leaves him vulnerable and her willing to soothe him in any way possible.

Everly's journal, a link to all things spiritual, helps to bring her universe together with his, and they collide in a storm of danger, passion, and truths that could change a person's life forever.

Content Warning: contains sensual sex scenes and some violence

Monday, November 17, 2014

Romance Book Review: Celia Kyle's Grayslake series

Series: Grayslake
Genre: Paranormal, Shifter Romance
Publisher: Summerhouse Publishing

Purchase Links: Amazon

The Grayslake series follows a family of werebears in Georgia. In the first book No Ifs, Ands or Bears, Clan leader, Itan Ty, answers a call as sheriff of the Clan's hometown, where a werebear is attacking a Mia a new resident to the town. 

Mia knows all about werebears. Her father is a werebear and her mother was human. Mia can't shift. When she returns to her new home she finds a baby bear in her pantry. When a werebear comes pounding on the door for the bear, Mia decides that she just can't put the baby into the werebear's custody until she knows exactly what is going on. The same goes for the sexy sheriff. 

Ty knows that there is something special about Mia, but bears don't mate for life so why is his bear saying that he should take Mia forever. 

This first book is a good introduction to the Grayslake series offering a good backstory and conflict for the couple. 

In book 2 All Roar and No Bite, Grayslake werebear enforcer Van has hated humans since he was a young child, but he doesn't realize how far that hate has gone until he meets his own human mate Lauren. 

When Lauren steps in the middle of a fight between her best friend and her friend's husband (the mayor) Van is called out as a deputy with the local police department. When he arrests Lauren, he realizes there is just something about her that keeps him coming back. When he realizes that Lauren is in danger, his bear pushes him to protect. 

Lauren has no idea that there are werebears, and when she accidentally finds out the werebears law says she either needs to be mated to a bear or killed so that she can't share their secret. 

This second story brings on its own challenges for the Grayslake werebear clan and specifically Van and Lauren. This story gives readers the chance to learn more about the other members of the clan family. While this book can be read alone, it is good to read the first book in the series to learn about the clan and other members of past and future story lines. 

In Book 3 Roaring Up the Wrong Tree, werebear clan member Keen has always been the odd one out. As clan leader Ty's youngest brother he had no real role in clans leadership, Keen has been the one that no one took seriously, but he is more alpha than any of his brothers and stronger even if he hasn't proved it. He isn't interested in leading a clan.

Ty has order that all werehyenas leave the area at once. Trista is working to just survive. She has never been part of the hyena clan, but has lived on the fringes of the clan. She knows about the purge, but insists she is just visiting according to law.

No one in the werebear clan knows the rules better than Keen, so when he agrees that she is doing everything by the rules of the werelaw, Ty allows her to stay. She must continue to follow those rules and when she is delayed the werewolf alpha decides it is time to step in and enforce the purge by killing her.

Keen will do whatever it takes to protect Trista, who he declares as his mate.

This book is by far the best in the series. I think that these two make the best couple in all the books. They compliment each other in so many ways, from backgrounds to current problems.

In book 4 Love at First Roar, werebear Issac is ready to leave town because he knows that with his current clan he is never going to find a mate. Since the fight with the hyenas (from book 1) Issac was left scarred on the face and most of the female werebears can't even stand looking at his face. As the town's healer that is a problem for him.

His new neighbor, weremole Kira doesn't seem bothered by his scars at all. Of course Kira is mostly blind and has scars of her own. Issac's bear takes immediately to Kira of course both Issac and his bear can do without her dog, but that's something they can handle if they have her.

When a werebear female comes after Kira with the same poison that the hyenas to scar his face, there are lots of questions that need answers.

This is one of the books that it is best to read the first book in the series before this one. Although there isn't much about Issac in the first book you do begin to understand his character more.

Kira is the best of the mates in this series. I love her strength and sense of humor.

No Ifs, Ands or Bears About It
ISBN: 9781311709158
Description:
The first day of Mia’s new life in Grayslake, Georgia is not going as planned. The house her grandfather left her looks ready to crumble, boxes cover every inch of the floor and—oh—there’s a bear cub in her pantry. It gets worse when the cub’s uncle comes by and busts out his fur and claws while on her front porch. Then it gets loads better because suddenly there’s a hot hunk of badge-wearing werebear on her lawn ready to rescue her. Yum. Of course, he has to ruin things by trying to take the cub out of her hands. Ha! 

The cub is hers… No ifs, ands, or bears about it.
Werebear Ty can’t seem to get the curvaceous, delectable Mia to understand that, even if she is one-quarter werebear, she isn’t keeping the cub. Ty is the Grayslake Itan, the clan’s leader, and the little werebear is going home with him… Unless it isn’t. It’s her smile. If she’d stop smiling and being gorgeous, his inner-bear would support him and Ty would get his way. But the beast wants to make their woman happy, so it’s perfectly content to let her do as she pleases. Then things change. Threats arise, danger comes close, and Ty demands she return to his den. No ifs, ands, or mates about that.

All Roar and No Bite
ISBN: 9781311031419
Description:
Who needs claws when you’ve got a baseball bat? Lauren Evans sure as heck doesn’t.

Human Lauren has a protective streak a mile wide and one immediate goal in life—get her best friend out of an abusive household. If that involves a little bat-based redecorating, so be it. 

Unfortunately—or fortunately—a certain sexy-as-hell cop breaks up the fight before she has a chance to really get going. Grayslake police officer Van Abrams is too hot for his own good, and his handcuffs make all those wonderful places tingle. Too bad he, you know, arrested her and stuff. But then he becomes overbearing, demanding, and commanding. Suddenly Lauren finds herself in his arms, in his bed, and mated to his werebear butt. What’s up with that?

Werebear Enforcer Van Abrams doesn’t want anything to do with humans. He’s got reasons, and they’re damn good ones. He doesn’t need to explain himself to anyone, especially the curvaceous, luscious, gorgeous, human Lauren. Then, his bear decides Lauren is his mate and Van’s anti-human feelings abandon him. He still hasn’t figured out if that’s a good thing. Of course, when danger rolls in from Boyne Falls and joins with a powerful prick from Grayslake, Van realizes that, human or not, Lauren is his.
Van hopes he can kill their enemies and still make it home for dinner.

Warning: This book contains bad guys (more than one) being bad to good girls (two if you’re counting), and one group of humans who sorta end up… dead. Unfortunately, all that comes with a lot of blood, tears, and balls of fur. In this one, boy bears really do drool and human girls rule (and kick ass). We also learn that you can never have enough baseball bats, brake fluid, or fire pokers. Just sayin’.

Roaring Up the Wrong Tree
ISBN: 9781936950829
Description:
What should Trista do when faced with a hunky werebear who can’t decide if he wants to kill her or screw her?

Half-hyena, Trista has spent years rotating between Grayslake, Redby, and Boyne Falls. When the Grayslake Itan—the local clan’s werebear leader—orders a purge of all hyenas, she finds herself fighting to hold onto the hand-to-mouth life she’s created. Her carefully built existence is threatened further when a gorgeous werebear strides into her life and demands not just her heart, but her very soul. She’ll think about it, but not until her shift ends at seven.

Keen seems like a happy-go-lucky, sex-and-sin werebear, but that’s nowhere near the truth. In reality, his inner-animal wants to go on a bloody rampage and kill half of Grayslake—just because it can. After that, it wants to claim the seductive, curvaceous half-hyena female Keen can’t get out of his head. The animal doesn’t care that most bears wouldn’t mind a little hyena tartare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Nope, it peers at her through Keen’s human eyes and has one thought: mate.

When push comes to shove, Keen has to decide if he would rather have the family he was born with, or Trista—the woman who makes him realize that true happiness comes in a lush, hyena-shaped package.

Enjoy the third book in the bestselling Grayslake series. This new BBW paranormal shapeshifter romance from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Celia Kyle is sure to secure a spot on your keeper shelf. 

Love at First Roar
ISBN: 1502964473
Description: 
What happens when a half-blind weremole girl falls for a scarred werebear guy? A match made in furry, dirt-caked heaven. Mostly.

Weremole Kira Kolanowski has spent twenty-nine-ish years of her life half-blind and occasionally half-dead. (Her family isn’t exactly loving.) In an effort to remain fully alive, she moves to Grayslake, Georgia, with her poor excuse for a guide dog—a guide dog who decides to lift his leg and relieve himself on sexy-smelling werebear Isaac Abrams’ belongings. And when he roars…well, it makes her heart go pitter-patter and other parts go “ooh baby, ooh baby.” Just when she thinks she might have found happiness, a raving she-bitch werebear chick tries to kill her with the same poison that scarred Isaac to hell and back. The poison that Kira’s family happens to manufacture…

Isaac Abrams is leaving Grayslake. He’s tried, lord how he’s tried, to settle into life in Grayslake after the birth of his niece, but it’s not happening. He’s been home for a year, and it’s been 365 plus days of women looking past him and flat-out pretending he doesn’t exist. The battle with the hyenas didn’t just ruin his face, it ruined his chances at finding a mate in his hometown. So, he’s leaving. Or he was leaving until one day a lush, curvaceous weremole wanders into his half-packed house with that damned peeing dog of hers…it’s a good thing she’s so gorgeous.

Maybe he will stay—stay and keep Kira Kolanowski all to himself. Well, once he kills everyone who’s trying to kill her.

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Romance Book Review: Christa Wick's Wolf Clan Series

Author: Christa Wick
Series Connection: Wolf Clan
ISBN: n/a
Genre: Paranormal Romance, BBW Romance, Shifter Romance
Publisher: Christa Wick

Purchase Links: Amazon

Continuing series featuring a secret group of shifters, witches and hunters battling for survival and power. In Christa Wick's series shifters live in a secret world being pursued by a group of hunters who are interested in killing and draining their power. Within each clan is a witch obligated from birth to take care of the clan. The hunters also want the witch's power, so the shifters protect the witch. 

In first book, Wolf Curves, Alpha Seth meets his mate, Leah in an elevator while out searching for hunters. The only thing is his mate isn't a wolf, but there is something about her that has made the wolf inside Seth sit up and take notice. It appears that Leah is a latent wolf. She can't shift, but she has wolf genes in her family tree. 

Leah doesn't know anything about werewolves and witches and can't understand why suddenly hunters want her dead. She does know that the sexy alpha Seth makes her want to sit up and beg, but living in his world could get her killed. 

In book 2  Curve Charm, witch Esme and alpha wolf Dana have known each other since children and at one point Esme thought that Dana really loved her, but something went wrong and she has no idea what. When the clan alpha requires that Esme pick a mate so that they know her loyalities say with the clan, Esme would rather pick anyone but Dana, but he leaves her no choice. 

Fine, she'll mate with him, but that doesn't mean she has to spend anymore than the one time with him at all, because Dana has made it clear he would rather be with anyone but her.

In book 3, Alpha Curves, Alpha Cade knows that things are are changing within the clans. Over the last several months there have been several latents and children found among the general public and they are need protection from the hunters. While out trying to find another latent Cade can't believe that he finds his long lost mate Iris.

Iris was nearly pushed from the pack a dozen years ago by the pack alpha, Cade's father Hank. Hank is long gone, but Iris had no idea and has stayed away, but now that she's been gone from the pack so long she realizes it was all for the better. While with the pack she never shifted and she had a lot of magic that the other wolves didn't have. She was so much of an outcast that the only one that accepted her was Cade. But Cade can't let Iris go now that he's found her again. She can't go back to her human world anyway, now that the hunters are looking for her. 

The first three short novellas tell individual stories of the members of the clan, however should be read in order. The series is expected to continue with other stories in the future. So far the series reads well, if not a little short in each version. It would be great to have one full length novel on the story and get into a lot more detail and world building. The stories all together are certain worth on full version. 

Description:
Wolf Curves—Book 1
Leah Howard doesn’t believe in werewolves, even if she dreams of shifting. Pack alpha Seth Gladwin can’t understand why a human female is ringing all his mating bells.

When Seth chases Leah down in her apartment building and partially shifts in front of her, he wants nothing more than a forgetting spell placed on the plus-size beauty so he can continue investigating a secret society of Hunters intent on making the local werewolf clan extinct.

Only this time, the society’s prey isn’t shifters -- it’s Leah. 

Curve Charm—Book 2
The sheltering of new latents threatens to expose the local wolf clan to a secret society of Hunters intent on driving the shifters to extinction. To strengthen the magic protecting their land, the clan's leader demands an ancient ritual that will bring Esme and Dana together for one sexually charged night but could drive them apart forever -- if the Hunters don't kill them first. 

Alpha Curves—Book 3
Nine months have passed since the influx of latents onto clan lands began. For Cade Mercer, the time has been a season in purgatory as he leads his team on a series of dangerous runs to locate mates for other shifters -- a sour, jagged pill to swallow when his own mate disappeared more than a dozen years ago. 
When the current rescue goes south in a hurry, Cade is more than a little tempted to follow his teammate’s suggestion and throw the woman they seek back into the "latent pool."
Until he smells her and all hell breaks loose...