• Category Archives Reviews

  • Saige by Kelsie Belle

    Posted on by Karen Comment

    kb-saige-full

     

    Synopsis

    Haunted by the curse of a tormented past, Damien Thorn doesn’t believe love and a happily-ever-after is in the cards for him. A witch hunter and slayer who despises everything that has to do with witchcraft, he finds himself in a very uncomfortable situation when he has to help his adopted brother find his mate’s sister, who happens to be a witch. Soon, just a sniff of Saige Callahan’s peculiar scent has him panting after her and wanting things he vowed he would never want from any witch. Never did he expect to be drawn to her the way he is and he’s determined to stay away from her, even if it killed him.

    One look at Thorn’s luscious physique has Saige convinced that she has to have him, even if it’s just for one night. But how can she even get close to him if he’s determined to hate her at all costs? Can she cast a spell on this jaded shifter to make him see that all witches weren’t created equal?

    My Review

    This is the third and final book in this trilogy.  We finally find the third sister, Saige.  Saige was raised to believe in science, that monsters we not real.  She does remember a nightmare with a monster but was always told it was just a dream.  Thorn’s life was torn apart by witches.  He swore to avenge his parents and rid the world of them.  Until his “brothers” fell in love with Raven and Eryn.  When he meets Saige in the woods he is convinced that she has bewitched him.  What I got out of this book, is don’t judge a group of people just because of a few bad apples.  I can’t tell you what happens in the story more than this because it would give too much away.  I really enjoyed reading the story and in fact, it only took me two hours to read.  

    4 Hearts!  

    Excerpt

    A sudden movement in the bushes made her snap back to reality with a little jump. Biting back the sudden pang of fear, she forced herself to remain still and listen for a moment, but she didn’t hear the peculiar sound again. She expelled a breath of relief, realizing that her mind was probably playing tricks on her. In any case, it was perhaps time to get out of the water now. God only knew how long she’d been in here already. She hurriedly made her way to the riverbank, drying off and dressing in record time. But as she was gathering her belongings, she suddenly heard the movement in the bushes again.

    Another jolt of fear coursed through her, and she had to force herself to tamp it down. It was probably just an animal passing by, or maybe the tree branches rustling in the breeze. Absolutely nothing to be afraid of. She hurriedly began to make her way back to the campsite, moving her feet as fast as she could and looking about her wildly despite her efforts to remain calm. She was still several feet away from the cabin when a low growling made her stop dead in her tracks.

    Fear made her throat constrict like a closed-off tunnel when she noticed a pair of gleaming amber eyes peering at her through the darkness. The rumbling growl sounded again, louder this time, and then the owner of the eyes began moving closer toward her. The crunching of leaves under the creature’s feet resounded in her ears like firecrackers. She could tell it was advancing on her, but she still couldn’t make out its figure in the dim moonlight. She had no idea what it was, couldn’t decide whether she should turn and run or stand her ground and try to fight it off.

    Instinctively she began moving backward, calculating her best options for escape as she did so. At that moment, the animal made a sudden pounce, and she finally got to see what it was in a thin glimmer of the moonlight—a humongous black cat. Shocked, she opened her mouth to scream, but no sound escaped. Without another thought, she spun on her heels and made to run in the opposite direction, but before she made even one step, the cat was in front of her again. What the hell? Is there more than one of them?

    “Stay back!” she yelled, crouching to find something on the ground to defend herself.

    The cat just growled again and began stalking toward her once more.

    “Shoo! Get out of here!” she tried again, waving a stick she’d picked up. Still it came at her.

    She backed up some more, inching away from the animal as cold dread settled in her stomach. Soon her back was pressed up against the trunk of a large tree, and the cat was right in front of her, its amber eyes piercing her in the darkness. What the hell was she going to do now? This creature could tear her to pieces in less than a minute.

    “Nice kitty,” she whispered, her voice shaking under the stress of her fear. “Are you hungry? I ha-have food…W-would you like something to eat?” God, I must have lost my mind! Talking to a wild animal like it was a house pet was definitely sheer insanity.

    Just when she thought it wasn’t possible for her to be any more petrified, the animal suddenly began shaking, and then something completely unbelievable happened—it transformed into a very large man right before her eyes. Saige’s heart immediately jumped from her chest to her throat, blocking off the scream she desperately wanted to let out.

    The man cocked his head to one side, his amber eyes gleaming in the moonlight just like the black cat’s had, and whispered, “Don’t you know it’s not safe for little girls to go off into the woods all by themselves?”

    That was the last thing Saige heard before she crumpled to the ground in a dead faint.

    Buy Link: http://www.bookstrand.com/the-white-witchs-legacy-3-saige

     

    White witch

     

    Want to start from the top?

    The White Witch’s Legacy 1: Raven

    When Xander Kane meets a delectable exotic dancer in a bar, he is instantly drawn to her striking beauty. He knows he has to have her, but when he finally convinces her to let him take her home, she disappears without a trace after they share an electrifying night together. He never thought he would see her again, but when fate takes her right back to his doorstep he is intent on making her pay for running out on him like she did. But Raven is not what she seems, and the secrets she hides, coupled with his own dark skeletons, threatens to destroy any hope that Xander harbored for them.

    Raven embarks on a perilous journey to protect her mother’s legacy and finds herself fighting for her life at every turn. When she meets Xander Kane, he is everything she wants in a man and everything she cannot afford to let herself have right now. Will they be able to overcome the obstacles that confront them at every turn and find their way to love?

    Buy Links: 

    Bookstrand
    Barnes & Nobles
    Kobo
    Amazon

    The White Witch’s Legacy 2: Eryn

    Eryn Lancaster is grieving the loss of the only family she’s ever known, her grandmother Clarisse. She wants to sell their little business and move away from the village she has lived in all her life, in order to get over the pain of loss. Then a gorgeous business man walks into her little bookstore-cafe with an offer to purchase and turns her whole world upside down. But Eryn is in for the shock of her life when she finds out who she really is and just why Asher Valentino sought her out.

    Ash is on a mission to help his brother’s girlfriend, Raven, find her long lost sister, in order to defeat an evil sorcerer. But when he finally finds the enchanting beauty called Eryn Lancaster, the mission becomes the last thing on his mind. He wants her and he plans to have her by any means necessary. He plays a dangerous game of deceit by omission that almost gets him the prize he desires most, Eryn’s body. But he soon learns that lies and lust could cost him the prize that he needs the most, her love.

    About Kelsie Belle

    Kelsie Belle wears many hats – wife, mother and teacher are just a few but the erotic romance writer hat is by far her favorite. Kelsie is wildly gregarious by nature. She considers herself ‘forever 21’ and enjoys reading contemporary romance, Science fiction and fantasy, listening to music and dancing like there’s no tomorrow. A caffeine addict that lives life from one coffee mug to the next, she’s always on the go, ready and waiting for the next adventure.

    She has been a storyteller for as long as she can remember, her characters live inside her overactive mind and a thousand stories come to life in her head every day. This her first paranormal series The White Witch’s Legacy. It promises to be an exciting trip into her wild imagination and she hopes her readers will enjoy the experience of taking a ride outside the ordinary with her.

    Contact Kelsie here:
    Twitter: @mskelsiebelle
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelsiebelleplaying
    Website: http://kelsiebelle.wordpress.com
    Email: [email protected]
    Author Pages: http://www.amazon.com/Kelsie-Belle/e/B00JTLUEAW/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1409005664&sr=1-2-ent
    http://www.bookstrand.com/kelsie-belle


    Reviews Uncategorized

  • Becoming the Whiskey Princess by Toni Aleo

    Posted on by Karen Comment

    About The Whiskey Princess…

    For better or worse, for richer or poorer, ‘til almost death do they part…

    Amberlyn Reilly took a risk and found a new life in Ireland. She did something drastic and jumped in front of a loaded gun for the one she knew she couldn’t lose. And with her mother’s last request, she did more than fall in love. She fell into Declan O’Callaghan—with her eyes wide open and her damaged heart and soul leading the way.

    When Irish-born Declan O’Callaghan spotted Amberlyn across the lake, he knew his life was about to change. And it did. Now he has everything he’s ever dreamed of —he’s marrying for love, and with that love, the family distillery will now be his as long as he marries before the deadline.

    Things are moving fast. It’s now or never. And as their beautiful relationship grows, time is something these two don’t have a lot of. Declan’s and Amberlyn’s souls are tightly tethered, but will the questions and second thoughts of others prevent them from having a life they’ve both only begun to dream of? Will family and the obligations that come with the O’Callaghan name push them to their breaking point? Or has the Whiskey Prince truly found his happily ever after taking Amberlyn as his Princess?

    My Review

    OMG!   I have been crying all day reading BWP.  Phenomenal!  I swear to God I had to keep wiping my eyes to read, and don’t even ask about the cemetery scene.  I was trying to cook dinner and had to keep wiping my eyes…..so good.  A definite bottle book!  (A book you prop up on the soda bottle while you are cooking dinner so that you can still read)

    Whenever Amberlyn or Declan cried, so did I.  I even created a meme for this book

     
    If that doesn’t say how much I loved this book, nothing will.  It was an emotional journey in the relationship between Amberlyn and Declan.  The book shows the couple acclimating to how life will be after they are married.  Amberlyn is scared that she will have to give up herself to keep Declan.  Declan is scared he will lose Amberlyn.  Theirs is a love story for the times.  
     
    Five Hearts!

     ABOUT TONI ALEO…

     

    Toni Aleo is the author of the Nasvhille Assassins series: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, Empty Net, Falling for the Backup, and Blue Lines.  
    When not rooting for her beloved Nashville Predators, she’s probably going to her husband’s and son’s hockey games and her daughter’s dance competitions, taking pictures, scrapbooking, or reading the latest romance novel.  
    She lives in the Nashville area with her husband, two children, and a bulldog. Read more about Toni here.

     


    Reviews

  • Crashing the Net by Jami Davenport

    Posted on by Karen 2 Comments

     

    Hockey star Cooper Black and professional party crasher Izzy Maxwell return in this sequel to Crashing the Boards.
     
    Jealous boyfriends and glitzy parties can be a recipe for disaster. When the gorgeous yet controlling Cooper interrupts a party Izzy was paid to crash and almost ruins her career as a professional party crasher, Izzy kicks him to the curb. She learned early in life not to count on anyone, and she will not relinquish her independence, not even to a sexy-as-sin pro athlete who can melt her with one wink.
     
    As the Sockeyes hockey team opens their inaugural season in Seattle, Cooper finds himself minus a girlfriend and plus a surly teenaged nephew. Cooper doesn’t want to be a surrogate dad, he doesn’t want to play in Seattle, and he doesn’t want to be alone. He misses Izzy, but seeing her with other men at parties turns him every shade of green. Regardless, he wants her back, and he’s willing to change, if only she’ll give him a second chance. Aware of her precarious finances, Cooper makes an offer she can’t refuse by hiring her to be responsible for his nephew when he’s traveling with the team.


    Fearing Cooper isn’t capable of changing his control-freak ways, Izzy resists his efforts to turn their financial arrangement into a personal relationship. He needs a sweet, docile girlfriend, and Izzy cannot be that woman. Yet, when tragedy strikes, Izzy is there when Cooper needs her the most, and love has a way of getting what it wants, no matter the circumstances.
     

     


    I read a majority of this book while at work.  When I was finished, I posted this to Jami:
     
    “Damn you woman!!!! I am sitting at work. I just finished Crashing the Net, and I am struggling not to cry my eyes out.
     
    Just proves what a wonderful storyteller you are. I finished it, and loved it. I think it is my favorite yet. And yes this post will wind up in my review too.”
     
    Do I need to say more?  I keep telling you all how much I love the badasses who wind up with a heart of Gold.
     
     
    I think what I really loved about this book, is that we have 3 main characters and we get to have each of their points of view.  Reilly’s life growing up was no better than Izzy or Cooper.  I think they were the only two people who could really understand him and be there for him.
     

    5 Hearts!



    “What are you doing here?” Izzy hissed, ever mindful their voices could carry down the hallway to anyone loitering about the ballroom entrance.
     
    “Looking for you,” Cooper growled right back while his gaze raked up and down her body clad in a form-fitting little black dress which revealed a tasteful amount of cleavage and bare thighs.
     
    “Cooper, I told you I had to work tonight.”
     
    He scowled and stepped toward her, backing her up until she hit the wall behind her. He put his big hands on either side of her face and leaned in. “I don’t like you hanging out with all these wealthy businessmen and athletes who’re salivating after you like tomcats on the prowl.”
     
    “You are a wealthy athlete,” she reminded.
     
    “Exactly,” he responded with a grimace.
     
    “It’s just a job.” She stared up into his stormy blue eyes, forcing herself to stay on task and not get lost in those passionate depths.
     
    “I have more than enough money to support you while you go back to school. You don’t need to do this job.”
     
    “I love my job.” Izzy shook her head. She would never be dependent on anyone. After all, when you couldn’t trust your own parents to provide the bare minimum basics of food and shelter, why would you set yourself up to depend on anyone else?
     
    “I don’t.” He glared down at her, his strong jaw set and his kissable mouth drawn in a firm line. If she kissed him right now, he’d forget about everything and the situation would be defused. Until next time. She gathered her strength and did what she had to do. For herself, her sanity, and her business.
     
    “You, buster—” she jabbed her finger in his hard chest. “Do not get a vote.”
     
    He ground his jaw. She cringed at the thought of what that’d do to his implants if he kept it up.
     
    “Cooper, please—”
     
    “This isn’t working. I can’t live like this, not knowing where you are and what you’re doing.”
     
    “You know where I am. I tell you what parties we’re crashing.”
     
    “Yeah, but I worry about you.” Concern softened the anger in his eyes, but judging by his clenched fists, it still bubbled beneath the surface even as he fought to control it.
     
    “There’s nothing to worry about.” Izzy sighed. She wouldn’t quit this job. Number one, she loved it. Number two, it supported her three younger sisters and their college tuitions. Number three, Cooper would not take away her ability to control her present or future.
     
    “You don’t know these people.”
     
    “I don’t have to know them. It’s not like I’m going to establish a relationship with any of them.”
     
    “You did with me.” He pointed out the fact that they’d met at a party her company, the Party Crashers, had been hired to crash over a month ago.
     
    “That was the only time that happened.” She lifted her head and glared at him. “Is that what this is all about? You don’t trust me?”
     
    A muscle ticked in Cooper’s square, stubbled jaw, and his face hardened to stone. That was all the answer she needed.



    USA Today Bestselling Author Jami Davenport writes sexy contemporary and sports romances, including her two new indie endeavors: the Game On in Seattle Series and the Madrona Island Series. Jami lives on a small farm near Puget Sound with her Green Beret-turned-plumber husband, a Newfoundland cross with a tennis ball fetish, a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat, and an opinionated Hanoverian mare. She works in computer support in her day job and juggles too many balls, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.





     

     



    Reviews

  • After the Fire by Felice Stevens

    Posted on by Karen Comment
     
    Synopsis
    A single bullet destroyed the dreams of Dr. Jordan Peterson. With the man he loved dead, Jordan descends into an endless spiral of pain that nearly costs him his friends, his career and his life. When Jordan meets the aloof Lucas Conover, the investment banker’s mysterious past and unexpected kindness shocks Jordan back to a life he thought was lost forever.
     
    Betrayal and abandonment by the foster brother he’d worshiped as a child taught Lucas Conover never to trust or believe in anyone. Living a solitary life did little to free him of the nightmare of his past; it reinforces his belief he wasn’t meant to fall in love. Working closely with Dr. Jordan Peterson forces him to meet another person whose suffering equals his own and Lucas can’t shake the unexpected the first man to ever get under his skin.
     
    Mutual respect and rising desire bring Jordan and Luke closer than they ever imagined, and each man must come to terms with their past as they struggle to create a future together. And learning to trust in themselves and love again after tragedy and a lifetime of pain, may be the only thing that saves them in the end.

     My Review

     

    Jordan suffered a great loss.  For almost a year, he has sunken into a deep depression using drugs and alcohol to make it day by day.  He secludes himself from the friends that have always been like family.  Until one day he gets a letter that gives him motivation to move forward.  He will not fail Keith.

    Lucas had a pretty bad childhood.  The only person he ever looked up to deserted him.  When his foster family abandoned him while he was in the hospital, Lucas had to do everything he could to support himself and make something of himself.  If only the President of this new foundation would just answer his phone calls, things would get easier.  Once he finally gets Jordan in his office, he finds that he doesn’t really want him to leave.

    Working together to make Keith’s dream a reality, Jordan and Lucas fall in love.  But when a blast from the past threatens tearing Jordan’s “family” apart, tension runs high.  Jordan’s drug use threatens their relationship.   Love will always find a way.

    A very touching story with a reunion that we hoped would happen.  Again, I had tears.  Now, I am just waiting for the next book in the series.

    4 Hearts!

    Excerpt

     
    After the Fire Excerpt © Felice Stevens 2015
     
    “Damn, you look like shit.” Ash’s sharp gaze raked him up
    and down. “Ow.” He rubbed his arm when Drew elbowed him. “Don’t get mad at me,
    baby. You know he does. Look at him.” 
     
    “Can we come in, Jordy?” Drew’s kind smile strangely made him feel worse, not
    better. 
     
    He said nothing and pulled the front door wider for his friends, leaving them
    to trail behind him back through the house and into the spacious kitchen. Sunlight
    poured onto the terra-cotta floors and glinted off the glass-fronted maple
    cabinets. The kitchen was his pride and joy, and when he and Keith bought the
    brownstone, it had been the only room he cared about decorating. Jordan had
    always loved staring out of the large bay window as he relaxed with his cup of
    coffee in the morning. 
     
    “Did you have a party?” Drew tipped his head to the table, still cluttered with
    vodka bottles. 
     
    “Party of one, more likely.” 
     
    Jordan heard Ash’s muttered remark, and despite a throbbing head and a roiling
    stomach, he lashed out. 
     
    “Shut up, Davis.” He and Ash had never had the easiest of relationships, and
    even though Jordan knew how happy Drew was, the man still irritated the hell
    out of him. 
     
    “Why, Jordan? The truth hurts?” Ash’s voice, oddly enough, neither condemned
    nor derided him. Instead, it held an overall note of sadness, mixed with
    empathy that pulled Jordan up short. “You sit here, night after night, refusing
    our dinner invitations, as well as any social contact with Rachel, Mike, or
    even Esther. Don’t think we don’t know what you’re doing and why.” 
     
    Jordan winced. Shit. A kindhearted, sympathetic Ash Davis was almost worse than
    the usual sarcastic attitude he dished out to everyone. “I’m not in the mood
    for company; that’s all.” 
     
    “And I call bullshit on that. You’re still mourning Keith, and I get that, but
    that doesn’t mean you don’t go on living. When your only company since he died
    has been vodka or whiskey, you’re heading for disaster.” 
     
    “Jordy.” Drew slung an arm around his shoulder. “I’m worried about you. You’ve
    lost weight, skipped days at the hospital, and I was told that during surgery
    last week—” 
     
    “Are you checking up on me?” He pulled away from Drew, shaking with anger.
    “What the fuck, man? You’re not my goddamn keeper.” Humiliation, shame, and a
    sense of despair tore through him as he turned away from his two friends to go
    back and sit at the kitchen table. He ran his hands over the battered wood of
    the long farmhouse table. He remembered how happy he and Keith had been to find
    it in the small Pennsylvania town they’d stumbled upon oneSaturday. Making love
    on top of it after lugging it up the stairs of the brownstone was a memory
    etched forever in his mind. He gripped the edge of the table to steady himself. 
     
    A few deep breaths settled him, yet he couldn’t face his friends. 
     
    For over thirty years he and Drew had been friends; the man knew him better
    than anyone else. People might think Drew Klein was sweet and easygoing, but
    Jordan knew the core of steel within his friend. Drew refused to back down if
    he thought he could help. True to form, Drew dropped into the chair right next
    to him, challenging and direct. 
     
    “Jordan. Look at me.” 
     
    It took an effort to tear his gaze away from the tabletop, but he inhaled a
    deep breath and smiled into Drew’s face. “What is it?” 
     
    Drew seemed taken aback that Jordan was smiling and not lashing out with his
    usual anger. “I’m not checking up on you. It’s common knowledge that you showed
    up to your first surgery since Keith died and had to wait an extra hour to
    start because you had the shakes.” Drew’s mouth thinned to a hard line. “Are
    you crazy showing up drunk for surgery? You could lose your fucking license,
    for God’s sake.” 
     
    “I wasn’t drunk. I was overtired and hadn’t eaten since lunchtime the day
    before.” 
     
    Behind him he heard Ash snort with laughter. “Are you fucking kidding me,
    Jordan? You can come up with a better one than that.” 
     
    “Fuck off, Ash,” he shot back. “I couldn’t care less about your opinion.” 
     
    “Do you care about mine, Jordy? Don’t lie to me.” Drew’s stare remained
    unflinching, his eyes soft and knowing. “I know you’re still having a hard time
    moving on from Keith’s death, but it’s going to be a year soon.” 
     
    “It’s only been nine months. God almighty, did you expect me to forget him
    already?” Horrified, Jordan swept his hand across the table, sending the empty
    bottles and food containers crashing to the floor. “Could you forget Ash so
    quickly? Keith and I were together for almost four years. Stop pressuring me to
    move on with my life. It’s over for me. There will never be anyone else.” 

     

    About the  Author

    I have always been a romantic at heart. I believe that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending just around the corner. I started reading traditional historical romances when I was a teenager, then life and law school got in the way. It wasn’t until I picked up a copy of Bertrice Small and became swept away to Queen Elizabeth’s court that my interest in romance novels became renewed.
     
    But somewhere along the way, my tastes shifted. While I still enjoys a juicy Historical romance, I began experimenting with newer, more cutting edge genres and discovered the world of Male/Male romance. Once I picked up her first, I became so enamored of the authors, the character-driven stories and the overwhelming emotion of the books, I knew I wanted to write my own.
     
    I live in New York City with my husband and two children and hopefully soon a cat of my own. My day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. I practice law but daydream of a time when I can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there is bound to be angst along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.

     
     
     
    HOSTED BY:

    Reviews

  • Served hot by Annabeth Albert

    Posted on by Karen 1 Comment
    In Portland, Oregon, the only thing hotter than the coffee shops, restaurants, and bakeries are the hard-working men who serve it up—hot, fresh, and ready to go—with no reservations…
     
    Robby is a self-employed barista with a busy coffee cart, a warm smile, and a major crush on one of his customers. David is a handsome finance director who works nearby, eats lunch by himself, and expects nothing but “the usual”—small vanilla latte—from the cute guy in the cart. But when David shows up for his first Portland Pride festival, Robby works up the nerve to take their slow-brewing relationship to the next level. David, however, is newly out and single, still grieving the loss of his longtime lover, and unsure if he’s ready to date again. Yet with every fresh latte, sweet exchange—and near hook-up—David and Robby go from simmering to steaming to piping hot. The question is: Will someone get burned?
     
    A man who decided to change careers and opened a coffee shop.  See same man for months and is interested.  Is he gay or isn’t he?  Robby pushes David to see him.  David has had a traumatic experience with his last relationship.  Is he ready for another?
     
    I liked this story. I have seen this type of scenario before.  Robby is cute the way he gets David to express himself.  I felt like something was missing while I read.  I would have liked to see David’s side.  His sister came to visit, I would have loved to see that.  Perhaps have her convince David to continue with Robby.  Something. 
     
    That being said I did like the book.  I give it 3 Hearts.
     
     

     

     

    Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer.
     
    Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two toddlers.

     


    Reviews