Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Firelight
Sophie Jordan

RATING:4/5

Synopsis:

A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will’s dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She’ll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

Review:
I received this ebook as part of Book Soulmates RAK program.  I had been wanting to read it for a very long time and I was beyond happy when a very nice individual offered to send it to me as an .epub file so I could read it on my Nook.  Yeah for the RAK program!

I started this book late yesterday morning and once I got started I just could NOT put it down.  I had to finish it, I had to know what was going to happen next!

Jacinda, one of our main characters, is a Draki.  Draki are descendents of dragons and can shift from draki form to human form.  As an unfortunate bonus for Jacinda she is a fire-breather, the first one in her pride in MANY generations.  Which makes her a valuable commodity to her pride…Much to Jacinda’s dismay, she’s not real thrilled about the fact that her mate has already been picked out for her. 

After a near brush with Draki death Jacinda’s mom decides that for her families safety they are going to move….to the desert….to try and kill Jacinda’s Draki.  Again, much to Jacinda’s dismay.

This is a really great opposites attract love story.  Jacinda is a Draki.  The boy, Will, that she is interested in is a Draki hunter.  Even though she knows she should avoid Will like the plague she can’t help her growing attraction to him.  What I really liked about this budding relationship was that through the whole thing Jacinda’s personality doesn’t change one bit.  She isn’t afraid to stand up to anyone, Will included.

Will was a great character too.  I really enjoyed him a lot.  Not only does he do something he really shouldn’t have done at the beginning of the story, he also has a secret.  One that you don’t find out about until almost the end of the book.  It’s a pretty good secret too.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book a lot.  I had never read a book about dragon/draki before and I found the mythology captivating.  Like I stated earlier, I had a very difficult time putting this book down.  I had to know what was going to happen next.  The only thing I didn’t really care for and it’s really a teeny tiny thing, was the cliff hanger ending.  I can hardly wait for the next book to come out!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss
Stephanie Perkins

RATING: 3.75/5

Synopsis:

Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she’s less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all . . . including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? Stephanie Perkins keeps the romantic tension crackling and the attraction high in a debut guaranteed to make toes tingle and hearts melt.

Review:

I received Anna and the French Kiss a couple of weeks ago as part of Book Soulmates RAK program.  I had been wanting to read this book for a long time and I could never get my hands on a copy.  I am very happy that an unbelievable nice individual sent me this book as an .epub file so I could read it on my Nook.

I really wanted to love this book.  I really did.  I thought that all of the characters, even the not so good ones, were written in a way that made them seem like they are actual people and not fictional characters.  My personal favorite character was of course, St. Clair.  The good-looking American with an English accent and a French father that he doesn’t like.  At times I had a hard time liking Anna.  I thought she could get a little bit too whiney and wishy washy.

I really enjoyed the beginning and end of the book.  Though I did think that the middle was a little bit to repetitive.  Then there was Anna’s relationship with St. Clair….I thought that it was at times a little bit rough to the point of being rushed.

Overall, I did enjoy the book.  Once I got started reading it I had a hard time stopping, I just didn’t LOVE the book.  Though I can for sure say that I am looking forward to the next book by Stephanie Perkins.

EROTICA REVIEW ~ Four Play by Maya Banks and Shayla Black

Title: Four Play

Author: Maya Banks and Shayla Black

Series:

Genre: Erotica

Publisher: Berkley Trade

Release Date: October 5, 2010

Format: Paperback, 346 pages

Source: Bought for my Barnes and Noble Nook 

 

Rating: 4/5 overall

Smuttiness: 5/5

Pillow Talk - by Maya Banks 3/5

At the beginning of this story I was really into it.  It features main characters Zoe and Chase (who happens to be a yummy firefighter).  After a round of spontanious panty combusting sex they are having themselves a little pillow talk and they start talking about their fantasies.  Both fantasies are pretty incredible to be honest.

Well the vast majority of the story, ok all but a couple pages, are about fulfilling those fantasies.  In the beginning the sex scenes were Awesome Sauce, but as the story went along I think that it was mostly focused on the sex and not so much on the actual characters or the relationship. Which come to find out it was written like that on purpose as part of the story. As a result I was kind of turned off by this story by the end of it. Actually, I could hardly wait for it to end.

I'm not giving up on Ms. Banks though.  I can't base all of an author's works on one story.  I do like the way that Ms. Banks writes her works and minus an obscene (in my opinion anyway) amount of sex in this particular story she sure does know how to write one hell of a love scene.

Her Fantasy Men - 4/5

I really got into this particular story and was sad to see it end.  Of the 4 characters in this story Tucker is the only one that has actually known Kelsey almost her entire life.  The other two male characters are Kelsey's boss and her peeping tom-smoking hot-fire fighter neighbor.  I thought that Kelsey herself was a very likeable character who is one of those girls that be one of the girls as well as one of the guys.

It was actually very interesting to read how realtionship became pretty dang solid through the course of this story.  The truth of the matter is that the 3 guys only know each other because of Kelsey and they all kind of struggle with their possessiveness of her to make her happy.  Because she really can't bring herself to choose between them.  She reads very much like an "all or nothing" type of girl.

Naturally, the sex scenes were scorching hot.  What I really liked about this story is that each guy brought his own brand of lovin' to the story....complete with some BDSM for those of us who like that sort of stuff (I'm slowly but surely getting into it!)

Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

Title: Happy Ever After

Author: Nora Roberts

Series: Brides Quartet #4

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Penguin Group

Release Date: 2010, November 2

Format: E-book, 368 pages

Source: Purchased for my Nook

Rating: 5/5

Smuttiness: 2.75/5

Synopsis:

As the public face of Vows wedding planning company, Parker Brown has an uncanny knack for fulfilling every bride's vision. She just can't see where her own life is headed. Mechanic Malcolm Kavanaugh loves figuring out how things work, and Parker is no exception. Both know that moving from minor flirtation to major hook-up is a serious step. Parker's business risks have always paid off, but now she'll have to take the chance of a lifetime with her heart.

Review:

This in my opinion was an AWESOME SAUCE series!  I'm really sad to see it come to an end.  I thought that all of the stories in this quartet were incredible but I think that I really enjoyed Parker's story a bit more than the rest.  Park is very organized and likes things to run just so and when you throw hottie mechanic Malcolm Kavanaugh into the picture things just get more than a little bit off kilter for Parker.

Malcolm is the exact opposite of what Parker usually goes for in a man.  He's a mechanic, he's got a tricked out classic car AND a motorcycle...Which Parker gets on more than once.  He's also unpredictable, which sort of bothers Parker in the beginning. As different as he is from Parker I think that is what made him perfect for her.  He threw her off her game and made her come out of her comfort zone.

Overall, I really thought that Roberts hit this one out to the park. The main characters are perfect for each other, even if it took them FOREVER to realize it.  I liked that along with the romance there were parts with some humor to keep things from getting too over the top.  I think my two favorite scenes in the book were: when Parker is describing her hypothetical tattoo to Mrs. G and when the other guys are telling Mal how they feel now that they've found their "The One."

EROTICA REVIEW ~ Lady Sing The Blues by Mallery Malone

Title: Lady Sings The Blues

Author: Mallery Malone

Series: 

Genre: Erotica, Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Release Date: 2008, June 24

Format: E-Book

Source: Purchased for my Barnes and Noble Nook 

Rating: 5/5

Smuttiness: 5/5

Synopsis:

  Summertime-and the living is steamy in Hotlanta.

A Red-Hot Summer story.

Alina Gabriel has hit on the perfect formula to make her club, The Scarlet Lady, the hot spot in Atlanta-s night life. Men flock to see her alter ego, retired exotic dancer Miss Scarlet; and women line up to see Joshua Hanover and his blues band steam up the stage.

Alina herself isn-t immune to the blind guitarist-s sensual songs and musical dexterity, but she refuses to be just another notch in his groupie belt.

That is, until Joshua debuts a new song, -Red-Letter Woman-, to entice Miss Scarlet to dance. The song and dance leave them both hot and bothered, and when Alina retreats to her office for personal relief, Joshua joins her and offers to strum her desire.

But Joshua wants more than a one-night stand. He-s pushing for an encore, and Alina wonders if it-s her he-s after-or her exotic persona.

Warning: This title contains sensuous solos, decadent duets, dirty dancing, and a man who-s really good with his hands.

Review:

I found this one while I was checking out the "shop" on my Nook on Thursday.  Of course I broke my book buying ban naturally.  I mean...How could I pass up a book where there's a man who's REALLY good with his hands?!

I was pleasantly surprised by this one.  I found it to be a really sweet yet VERY sexy interracial romance about a former exotic dancer who turned club owner Alina "Miss Scarlet" and Joshua Hanover a blind blues musician.

The sex is seriously HOT but soon the seriously HOT sex turns into a relationship involving much deeper emotions.  Both characters are forced to deal with their issues (for Alina - what is Josh really after?  The REAL her or the exotic her? for Josh - his blindness and feeling like Alina was "untouchable") to keep their budding romance together.

Overall, I really enjoyed this e-book.  I devoured it in what seemed like no time at all.

When Harry Met Molly by Kieran Kramer

Title: When Harry Met Molly

Author: Kieran Kramer

Series: The Impossible Bachelors #1

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks

Release Date: 2010, November 2

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 432 pages, EBOOK

Source: Purchased for my Barnes and Noble Nook 

Synopsis:

Dashing Lord Harry Traemore is perfectly content to live out his days in the pursuit of pleasure. But when he's named by the Prince regent as one of society's 'Impossible bachelors', Harry is drafted into a ribald romantic wager. The rules of engagement are scandalously simple: the bachelor whose mistress wins the title of 'Most Delectable Companion' gets to remain unmarried. Harry is utterly unconcerned about his status...until his latest lightskirt abandons him. Enter Lady Molly Fairbanks. Harry's childhood friend - actually, 'foe' is more like it - is the most unlikely companion of all. She's attractive but hot-headed, and in no mood for games. Besides, what could the self-indulgent Harry possibly know about what makes a woman delectable? It's time for Molly to teach him a lesson once and for all...but will it lead to happily ever after?

The "Short Story:"

A cute light and fluffy read.  It has it's flaws but still a very good read.

The "Long Story:"

The prologue starts with a young Molly declaring her love for her sister's fiance' in a poem at a Christmas gathering, while also outing her sister for kissing her fiance's younger brother Harry.  The events that happen next set the tone for most of the book, where Harry and Molly pretty much HATE each other as a result of those events.

Then the Prince Regent decides one drunken night that Harry and the other 3 Impossible Bachelors should marry.  But to make things interesting he comes up with a competition.  Pitting the Impossible Bachelors and their mistresses against one another. The winner of the competition will get to remain a bachelor and will be FREE from all the matchmaking mothers, families and debutantes trying to nag him into marrying for 1 year.  But the loser of the competition will have to propose marriage to a woman chosen for him within 2 months.  Naturally, you can't take this story too seriously...hence the book being a "light fluffy" read.  The competition for this year is VERY simple.  The bachelor with the "Most Delectable Companion" or if your reading between the lines....the man with the best mistress wins.

While on his way to the competition Harry's mistress takes off and abandons him.  I chuckled my way through that scene.  As a result of circumstances Molly ends up being Harry's false mistress for the week.  Molly has to not only pretend to be Harry's mistress but also pretend that she ACTUALLY LIKES Harry (Oh the HORROR!).  From what you've read of this review so far you would think that Molly is nothing but a bitch, but that is so VERY much not the case.  See Molly is young and impulsive and she's spent 5 years at a school where she was forced to peel potatoes everyday and where they tried to teach her to be a lady in addition to trying to break her spirit.  In the beginning the competition is difficult for Molly because she is so very much out of her element but slowly but surely she starts winning over everyone including Harry.

I love all the secondary characters too!  My personal favorites were Hildur and Bunny.  Hildur was the "Dark Horse" of the competition being from Iceland and not speaking/understanding much English.

I've always had a soft spot for "hate turns to love" stories.  And at the beginning of this book and through a good chunk of it they really did HATE each other.  And the whole thing is all because of a silly little poem that Molly had written many years ago. I chuckled my way through a good chunk of this book, which I really enjoyed since I've been reading some pretty serious romances recently.

The love scenes in this book were also rather inventive as well.  The more time that Harry and Molly spent together the harder it was for Harry to keep his hands to himself and he spent a good chunk of the competition trying to protect Molly from becoming a "ruined woman" at the hands of his fellow competitors as well as himself. You'll have to read the book to find out more about these inventive scenes!

5/5

The Impossible Bachelors:

When Harry Met Molly 11/2/2010
Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right 11/30/2010
Cloudy With A Chance of Marriage 4/26/2011

EROTICA REVIEW ~ Texas Tangle by Leah Braemel

Title: Texas Tangle

Author: Leah Braemel

Series: 

Genre: Erotica

Publisher: Carina Press 

Release Date: 2010, June 28

Format: EBOOK

Source: Purchased for my Barnes and Noble Nook

Synopsis:

Thanks to her cheating ex-husband and her thieving brother, all horse breeder Nikki Kimball has left is a bruised heart, an over-drawn bank account and an empty home. When sex-on-legs Dillon Barnett and his brooding foster-brother Brett Anderson start showing more than just neighborly attention, Nikki is intrigued…and a little gun-shy.

Dillon and Brett have a history; back in high school, the two friends fought a bitter battle over Nikki. Now, ten years later, Brett still longs to be the man in Nikki’s life, but he’s determined to stand back and let Dillon win Nikki’s heart.

Society says Nikki must choose between the two men she loves. Is Nikki strong enough to break all the rules in order to find happiness?

The "Short Story:"

A HOT little number featuring a HOT cowboy, a HOT cop and a "HOT" chick that they BOTH want.

The "Long Story:"

I saw this e-book on one of Goodreads lists that I LOVE to frequent and I went to see if I could find it on my Nook...Since according to Goodreads it was available for Kindle users.  I was beyond happy when I was able to download this one onto my Nook!  I'm a HAPPY e-book reader!  I'm even happier that in the last 8 hours and 40 minutes I've read 2 books so far!

OMG was this HOT!  Our heroine Nikki is a divorcee who has been having really HOT fantasies about Dillion for MONTHS.  When they are finally driven together by unfortunate circumstances.  Then there is the SHOCKER...That there is another hero that wants to be with Nikki as well...Brett, the good looking cop, who has history with Nikki.  Now this is were things get a little dicey...all three of the characters are friends and none of them wants to hurt the other(s).  So who is Nikki gonna chose?!

What I really liked about this story is that ALL of the characters were of equal importance.  Meaning, they all got an equal amount of "page time." Which I really liked.  The background stories were well thought out and VERY vivid. 

The only quirk that I had with the story (and it's only a small quirk) is that I thought that Nikki at points in the story was written as whiney.  I didn't really care for that but it wasn't enough to knock the rating down any.

Which brings us to the sex....OMG!  It's panty-spontaneous-combustion!  There's some pretty AMAZING M/F scenes as well as a UBER HOT M/F/M scene.

5/5

EROTICA REVIEW ~ Brazen by Maya Banks

Title: Reckless

Author: Maya Banks

Series: Brazen #2

Genre: Erotica, Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Release Date: 2008, June 3

Format: E-Book

Source: Purchased for my Barnes and Noble Nook 

 

Rating: 5/5

 

Smuttiness: 5/5

 

Synopsis:

 

  He can run, but he can’t hide

A Red Hot Summer story and a stand-alone sequel to Brazen.

Sheriff J.T. Summers promised to keep an eye on his best friend’s little sister. What could possibly go wrong? A lot. “Little” Nikki Durant isn’t so little anymore. She’s sex on a stick, and she’s pointed right at him.

Nikki has always loved J.T., and she’s through waiting for him to come around. The soaring summer temperature is nothing compared to the heat generated when she sets fire to his senses. With a take-no-prisoners attitude, she’s out to get her man. But no matter how many ways she offers it, J.T.’s not buying.

What’s it going to take to get him to realize her love for him isn’t a passing fling? Get herself arrested? Hmm…

Review:

HA HA sucks to be J.T.!  I found this e-book yesterday morning while I was checking out the "shop" on my Nook.  The synopsis alone was enough to make me break my book buying ban.

Reckless is about a small town sheriff (the towns name is Barley...yes like Oats and Barley.) named J.T. who is trying really hard to fight his lust and feelings for his best friends little sister Nikki.  Now Nikki on the other hand is absolutely determined to make him hers, even though he's 12 years older than her...Failure is NOT an option.

She's been in love with him for many years and now that she's back in town and both of them are responsible adults she's not letting him get away without out a fight...Even if it means that she has to get herself arrested to achieve her goal.

Then when they finally get together there are shocking realities (in J.T.'s case), sizzling sex and a huge case of misunderstandings on both of their parts.  But there is a happy ending for all parties.

This is the stand-alone sequel to Brazen (yes I broke my ban again to buy Brazen).  The main characters from Brazen make an appearance in Reckless as well.

A Dead Man's Debt By Grace Elliot

Title:  A Dead Man's Debt
Author: Grace Elliot
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: N/A
Publication Date: October 10, 2010
Format: E-Book
Source: Received from author in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis:

A Dead Man's Debt - a story of blackmail, duty and an unexpected love.

After publicly humiliating a suitor, Miss Celeste Armitage is sent from the Ton in disgrace and resolves never to marry. But when she finds a sketch book of nude studies and discovers the artist is her hostess's eldest son, Lord Ranulf Charing, she finds herself dangerously attracted to exactly the sort of rogue she is sworn to avoid.
Nothing is as it seems. Lord Ranulf's life is a facade and he is being blackmailed over his late brother's debts. But just as the darkly restless Ranulf unexpectedly learns to love, the vengeful fury of his nemesis unleashed. In order to protect Celeste, Lord Ranulf faces a stark choice between duty and true love...
However Ranulf has underestimated Miss Armitage's stubborn resolve to clear his name, and in so doing places the woman he loves in mortal danger....

Review:

I found this historical romance to be a refreshing change of pace from all the YA I've been reading lately.  I haven't read many books that center around the Regency era but I did really enjoy this book.  I think for me the best part of the book was the "roller coaster" of emotions as well as twists and turns that took place through out the book.  Usually, I'm not one for "roller coasters" but I found this particular one to be of my liking, especially since it helped keep the book at a fast pace.

Our heroine Celeste, is sent away by her family after she refuses a suitor.  She's sent to live with Lady Sophia Cadnum at the Hazeldene House, where she is quite content to be Lady Sophia's companion if it means that she never has to marry.   Celeste don't want to be tied to a man and become his property...she's not interested in that in the least.  I saw Celeste as an independent woman for the time we are talking about.  But then Celeste meets Lady Sophia's son Lord Ranulf Charing and that's when the "roller coaster" ride really begins.

Lord Ranulf is known for being a seducer of women, a "one night Romeo" if you will.  But that's before he meets Celeste.  Once he meets Celeste things start to change.  He feels that Celeste challenges him and NO woman has ever challenged him before.  The more time that he spends in her company the more his feelings start to change.

But unfortunately there are many challenges that they must over come in order to get their chance at HEA. Oh, you know the basic stuff....He has to convince her that he's someone she'd want to be married to, she has to loosen up on the reigns when it comes to her opinion of love and marriage, then there's the blast from his past.

Overall, I thought that the book was EXCELLENT.  I thought that the characters were extremely well written and complementary to one another.  Writing wise I found the book to be crafted in a way that made you want to keep reading.  For me personally, I HAD to know what was going to happen next.  I would highly recommend this debut author to anyone who enjoys historical romance.  I will definitely be checking out more of Grace Elliot's books in the future!

 RATING:

5/5

EROTICA Review ~ Falke's Peak by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton

She couldn't believe her eyes.


Stressed out ad-exec Dakota wandered into Catamount Outfitters in search of a guide for a wilderness excursion. She didn't expect to be greeted by not one, but five of the most ruggedly delicious-looking men she'd ever seen. Not to mention a live cougar guarding the shop.

The Falke brothers have more than just good looks in their genes.

Eldest brother Axel agrees to guide Dakota on her mountain trek. In cougar form, Axel's twin, Gunnar, was there as a protection from predators—but he had his eye on the sexy client instead.

Into the wild...

While the rule with clients was "paws-off," both Axel and Gunnar couldn't resist Dakota's seductive Native American beauty and determination. As cold days led to hot nights in the cabin, Axel and Gunnar wondered if they'd finally found a woman strong enough to tame them...



Why I decided to read this book: I was looking through all the new releases on Netgalley and saw this one and as you can see from the reading the synopsis, it really tripped my trigger.  That and the cover I think is pretty neat too.

Likes?......: What really drew me into the story was Dakota.  The way she's described you think "fluffy city girl," but the farther you read into the book you definitely start to change your tune about her.  I also liked the premise of "modern day" shapeshifters....Especially extremely HOT "modern day" shapeshifters who give one hell of a back rub!  Is it wrong that I really liked the internal struggle of Axel and Gunnar?  Cause I REALLY did.

The sexual stuff?!?!?!?...Just as HOT as the "modern day" shapeshifters!

Dislikes?......: I don't have very many....I didn't particularly care for the "deception" scene.  I did feel that at certain points the story was a little bit rushed.  Overall, not too many dislikes.

Overall: I really enjoyed this story.  Even with the couple of dislikes that I found in the story I think that this is a VERY good beginning to the author's series.  I can hardly wait to check out the rest of the series!  Hopefully each of the remaining brothers and Heidi will get their own stories!