Friday, January 30, 2015

Eternal Brand (Wild Crush #3) by Sami Lee

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Reviewed by Tabatha

 

Eternal Brand is a complicated, but yet heartwarming read. It felt so real, and I could relate with all of the characters. It was an emotional roller coaster of push and pull where on the one hand you wanted Emily to just be with Bran, but then on the other you wanted her to just be with Jet, but even furthermore you wanted her to be with both of them because the three of them really worked well together. Like I said, it was a roller coaster of emotions and I enjoyed every moment. Had I been the one in Emily shoes, I don't know how I would have felt when faced with her boyfriend's former lover showing up to try to rekindle their relationship. From the start, it was undeniable that she had an attraction to Jet on a sexual level, but you could also see the progression of their very intimate connection that was further strengthened by their mutual love for Brand. Overall, I think that this is one of those sweet menage stories that is going to melt your heart. It's complicated and messy, but when things work out it leaves you with this warm feeling inside so you can't help but love it. Great job Sami, and I'm looking forward to reading more from you!

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

If you'd like to check out more about this series or other books by Sami, please head over to her website.

 

 
 

 


Breathless for You (Outback Skies #1) by Lexxie Couper

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Reviewed by Tabatha

 

If you’ve read Lexxie’s Heart of Fame series like I have, because we all know that I’m a die-hard fan, then you might have noticed that our hero in this new Outback Skies series made an appearance in Blackthorne. There he melted all of our hearts when he stepped aside for Josh and Caitlin to live happily ever after, and I think that we were all hoping Matt would find his someone special very soon. Well guys, I have to tell you that Lexxie totally delivered the perfect girl for him with Natacha. Both of them are escaping from the lives that they left behind when they came to the Outback, but they find an undeniable connection that brings them together for some blistering hot moments.

I’m always so happy to see Lexxie carry her side characters into her other books; because she always writes such compelling characters you can’t help but want their stories too. The other aspect of her writing that I love so much is just how amazing she is at writing sexual tension between her characters. It’s a serious gift that she has, and I think everyone who reads her books would agree with me. Overall, I enjoyed this is a sexy, little novella and it left me craving so much more in only the way that Lexxie can. When you add together one sexy as sin doctor and one tight-pant, sassy pilot, the chemistry between these two will undoubtedly leave you breathless.

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*

If you'd like to check out more about this series or other books by Lexxie, please head over to her website.

 

 

 


Saturday, January 24, 2015

The Princess and the Porn Star by Lauren Gallagher

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Reviewed by Tabatha

 

All I have to say is that the Princess and the Porn Star was a heck of a lot of fun to read, and I just couldn't put it down! The biggest thing that stuck out to me in this book was just how natural and real it felt. But that is also what I love most about Lauren Gallagher/L.A. Witt. She has definitely set herself apart from so many authors with her emotional and compelling characters, and she has landed herself on a very small list of auto-buy authors for me.

From the start of the book, I could totally picture a studio trying to help a star make the wrong type of comeback to break them out of a preconceived role. Using a porn star to do so just wasn't smart on their behalf *shaking head*, but it definitely drew attention to Olivia and brought Lee into the picture. This book was packed full of intense chemistry between Rachel and Lee! Whew it was off the charts guys! When they were dancing for the music video, I had to stop a few times and fan myself off. It was sizzling hot!

Now Olivia Taylor and Buck Harder maybe have been two mismatched people for Hollywood, but Rachel and Lee were beyond perfect for each other in the real world. I seriously couldn't get enough of these two! :) The Princess and the Porn star gets my seal of approval, and I definitely encourage you to give it a try. :) You won't be sorry!  

If you'd like to check out more about this or other books by Lauren, please head over to her website.

   

 

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble 



Friday, January 23, 2015

Starstruck (Bluewater Bay #1) by L.A. Witt

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Reviewed by Tabatha

 

I've enjoyed my previous reads from L.A. Witt, as well as her other pen name Lauren Gallagher, but this one came highly recommended to me by a friend. The one thing that drew my attention about this book the most, was that it was definitely more of an emotional read than a steaming hot one. Not that it detracted in anyway from my enjoyment, because honestly I enjoyed the slower pace with these guys, but I think that the book had a good natural progression with their relationship that was kind of refreshing. 

Levi and Carter were just so adorable together that you couldn't help but fall in love with them both. Levi has spent his near 40 years being in the closet, and Carter has been out and proud since his teens. They have both admired one another for their work for years, but the sparks ignite as soon as these two finally meet. It naturally took time for them to overcome some of their issues on both sides, but this made the story focused more about the building a relationship in a way that I found rather endearing.

Now I will admit, the story was a bit predictable as far as the plot went. On the other hand though, the characters were great and it was refreshing just how natural everything fell together. Overall, I'm excited to read more of this series and I can't wait to get back to Bluewater Bay!

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*

If you'd like to check out more about this or other books by L.A., please head over to her website.

 

 

 

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

The Professional (The Game Maker, #1) by Kresley Cole

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Reviewed by Tabatha

 

The Professional was an intensely erotic and thrilling ride that I never wanted to stop. I just couldn't put this book down, and I was completely absorbed into this dangerous world right along with Natalie. I think the thing that I loved most about this book had to be the heroine. Nat was an overwhelmingly smart, enchantingly witty, and incredibly sexy woman making her the perfect type of heroine to me.  As for Sevastyan, the man may not be very outspoken, but when he does talk he could melt any girls panties right off with his sheer amount sexiness! These two shared a scorching amount of chemistry that held me absolutely captivated to see just what would happen next between them.  Now I know that Natalie had issues with some aspects of their relationship, but given the amount of time they had been together it wasn't all that unexpected for them to have those type of issues either.  On the one hand, Some aspects of the book were kind of predictable, but I'm giving it a free pass because it really was heads above better than anything that I've read recently.  So overall, this one gets two enthusiastic thumbs up from me and I am desperate to get my hands on the next book as soon as it is released. 

If you'd like to check out more about this or other books by Kresley, please head over to her website.

 

 

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble 

Monday, January 12, 2015

Table for Two (Sunday Night Dinner Club #2) by Jess Dee

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Reviewed by Tabatha

 

I feel like I am a broken record in all my praise for Jess Dee's writing skills, but I truly feel that she is an exceptionally talented woman in my not so humble opinion. Jess just has this uncanny ability to write books that I find to be absolute perfection. For such a small package, you can always expect her books to be packed full of deep emotion, scintillating sexual tension, and just overall steamy, sexy greatness. Table for Two was no exception to this, and I loved every single moment of it. So with all that said, I guess I should stop singing Jess's praises for awhile and get moving onto the review.

I have to say that hands down Liv and Jimmy are two of the funniest characters Jess has ever written. I loved their witty banter, and found their struggles to come to terms with their new found relationship highly amusing. Oh, and don't even get me started on the intensity of the chemistry they had once they both realized that they were suddenly and overwhelmingly attracted to one another! Liv did put up an admirable fight, but Jimmy was very persistent in his pursuit once his mind was set on forever with Liv. He was absolutely in it to win it, and I was happy to see them both win in the end.

Table for Two was definitely a classic example of everything that I love most about Dee's books. It was a heart-warming tale of friends to lovers with scorching hot heat, but also had a sense of natural sweetness and tenderness to it as well. This is one you definitely don't want to miss out on, but as always I do highly suggest you read any of Dee's books as well. :)  

If you'd like to check out more about this or other books by Jess, please head over to her website.



Jorja (Secret Confessions: Sydney Housewives, #5) by Lexxie Couper

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Reviewed by Tabatha

 

Lexxie Couper definitely takes the steam level up a notch with her sexy and sweet addition to the Sydney Housewives series. Her hero Mud is one of the most Alpha males that I think I've ever read from Lexxie, and boy oh boy was he hot!

Jorja, just like all the rest of her fellow Sydney housewives, has a secret confession...she loves to be dominated in the bedroom. The book opens with a clear demonstration of how she craves the kind of power Mud has over her, but something is also amiss with her beyond sexy ruby player. The chemistry between these two was seriously intense. Honestly, I have no other word that can more accurately describe their connection. I loved that they had been together since college, so when you find out what has Mud all twisted up in knots, you can't help but find his insecurities to be adorable enough to melt your heart. Now I must admit, Mud did do something completely out of character. I felt like this element didn't really fit into the character that was crafted, but I did see where Lex was trying to go with it as well so I'm letting that slide. *winks*

Overall, this was a short and super sexy read that left me craving more with these two. I think that the characters were interesting and that Lex has a bit more she could tell with these two, but then again I'm always craving more of her characters so it could just be me. :) I really am enjoying this Sydney Housewives series, so I can't wait to read some more!

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

If you'd like to check out more about this series or other books by Lexxie, please head over to her website.



Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble 

Monday, January 5, 2015

An American Duchess by Sharon Page

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Reviewed by Tabatha

 

I was captivated from page one by An American Duchess, and I really must admit that Sharon Page truly knows how to write an exceptional book with remarkable attention to historical detail. I found the time period fascinating, because the book takes place just a few years after World War I has ended. And in my honest opinion, this is a time period we don’t see often enough these days in romance. I also found it especially appealing how she revealed that the consequences of war are difficult to deal with even several years after the fact. The cast of characters were definitely interesting to say the very least, and as a whole I enjoyed them immensely. But for as much as I loved these aspects of this book, I regretfully must admit that parts of it were infuriating for me as well.

I know that three stars (truthfully it is a 3.5) does sound rather harsh when I absolutely adored the first 70% of this book. I honestly thought up to that point that it was really a fantastic read, but unfortunately I didn’t appreciate the direction the book took after that level was reached. I just felt that Nigel and Zoe went through something difficult for even the most established of relationships to endure, and that these two didn’t have a solid enough foundation to pull their way out of that black hole of despair they were both sent into… not once…but twice. The most disappointing aspect for me overall though, was that the heroine literally turns into the most aggravating selfish twit that I’ve ever had the displeasure of reading. (I know…strong emotions here, but I liked her and she upset me so I feel justified) She made decisions that were solely based upon what she desired while demonstrating nothing but careless disregard for her husband’s feelings. Because of this, I really detested Zoe towards the end of this book. I would have thought given all she had endured would lend my feelings towards the opposite and tug at my heartstrings, but it was really unfortunate that I couldn’t move past her careless actions to support her. The end result was that I didn't enjoy the last third of this book, and I nearly didn’t finish it.

Overall, I feel this story could have been much shorter and this would have not only strengthened the book as a whole, but it would have also prevented my negative feelings towards the end as well. I have no doubt in my mind that with a few tweaks here and there An American Duchess would have been a complete hit out of the ballpark for me, but sadly it struck out. I don’t want anyone to think that my review is completely negative here, because there is still quite a lot to love about a good deal of this story. I think you should judge the book for yourself in all honesty, because Page did an outstanding job up until the tipping point for me. As goes with all reviews, reading is subjective so definitely give this book a try and you might be surprised just how much you’ll enjoy it.


*I received a review copy from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

If you'd like to check out more about this or other books by Sharon, please head over to her website.