Category: B reviews (Page 31 of 74)

The Mistake by Elle Kennedy

June 18, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I preordered this one. I loved The Deal so much it was a no-brainer.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) He’s a player in more ways than one…

College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he’ll be forced to walk after graduation. A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he’s worth a second chance.

Now he’s going to need to up his game…

After a less than stellar freshman year, Grace is back at Briar University, older, wiser, and so over the arrogant hockey player she nearly handed her V-card to. She’s not a charity case, and she’s not the quiet butterfly she was when they first hooked up. If Logan expects her to roll over and beg like all his other puck bunnies, he can think again. He wants her back? He’ll have to work for it. This time around, she’ll be the one in the driver’s seat…and she plans on driving him wild.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I had a lot of fun reading this book. While it didn’t have quite the same “omigodIlovethis” factor as The Deal, it was still a great read. Logan is a swoony hero (sure, he’s not Garrett, but he’s a close second) and Grace is pretty awesome too.

In The Deal, Logan appeared to have a crush on Hannah (aka Wellsy), Garrett’s girl. That didn’t stop him hooking up with just about anyone who showed any interest. He was very much the manslut and things haven’t changed when The Mistake begins. The Briar hockey team has won another Frozen Four championship and there’s plenty of reason to celebrate. Parties and pretty girls and bathroom blowjobs are all part of the fun. Hanging around with Garrett and Hannah has become painful for Logan so he goes to parties he otherwise might not attend, just to get away from their lovey-dovey happiness which rubs him raw.
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One Cut Deeper by Joely Sue Burkhart

June 12, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy via the publisher.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Her needs are dark. His are dangerous.

Charlie MacNiall has been bringing his beautiful king shepherd to the vet clinic where Ranay Killian works for the better part of a year. She doesn’t realize he’s been slowly wooing her. She certainly has no idea that he picked her deliberately—that she is to become his. A broken heart and a desperate desire to be dominated make her the perfect victim.

His perfect victim.

Charlie fixes Ranay, testing her emotional limits while pushing her sexual boundaries past anything she’d imagined possible. Pain is their shared pleasure…until Charlie disappears and Ranay is all but destroyed.

The FBI says the man she loves is a serial killer. Ranay can’t deny there’s a darkness in Charlie, a monstrous hunger that drives him to the brink. She even believes he could kill. But Charlie’s hunger is what bonds them—it’s the foundation of their love. Would he actually kill her?

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I’m hoping that by the time I get to the end of the review I will know what grade to assign the book. I admit I’m at a bit of a loss. On the one hand, the story was engaging and compelling. It was easy to read in the sense that it seemed like no time at all had passed when I realised I’d read 150 pages and I needed to go to bed. On the other hand, it was pretty far outside my comfort zone and in that respect, it was not at all easy to read.
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Night’s Honor by Thea Harrison, narrated by Sophie Eastlake

May 29, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: This was one from my own TBL. The new release is out ~~soon~~ now and I wanted to catch up on the series.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) On the run from her former employer, Tess knows that she’s vulnerable on her own amongst the Elder Races. That’s why she decides to audition to become the human attendant of a powerful Vampyre of the Nightkind demesne. But while her position affords her the safety she seeks, her protector turns out to be more than she bargained for.

The right-hand man of the Nightkind King, Xavier del Torro is both terrifying and alluring. While his true nature frightens Tess, she can’t ignore the appeal of his innate sense of integrity and self-restraint. Thrown into Xavier’s world, Tess must quickly learn to navigate the dangers—both to her life and to her heart. But the biggest threat comes from her own past…

What worked for me (and what didn’t): The Elder Races books are some of the few paranormal romances I still read. I’ve gone off a lot of PNR compared to my reading diet a few years ago. I particularly enjoy them on audio because Sophie Eastlake is a favourite narrator of mine. Here, I think the format left me with a happier experience than would have been the case if I had read the book.
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Knowing the Score by Kat Latham

May 24, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I bought this one after multiple recommendations from trusted bloggers. When it came up in conversation again because of a special price, I dug it out of Mt. TBR.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Rugby player Spencer Bailey is determined to win a spot on England’s World Cup team. But with a month break before the selectors start watching him, he’s eager to have fun with a woman who knows the score: the relationship will end when rugby season begins. The lovely American Caitlyn Sweeney seems perfect for the role of temporary lover, since her visa will run out soon anyway.

Caitlyn works for an international disaster relief organization and can handle the world’s worst crises, but she flinches from her own. Her past has left her with a fear of intimacy so deep that she has trouble getting close to anyone—until she meets sexy Spencer. His hot body and easygoing nature are too much for even her to resist.

Neither Caitlyn nor Spencer expects to fall hard for each other. But with their relationship deadline approaching, the old rules of the game seem less important than before…until past secrets surface, challenging everything they thought they knew about each other.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I’m pretty happy with myself at the moment because I’ve just found a new author and she has a BACKLIST! Squeeeee! I really liked this book. The style worked for me as well so I know I will enjoy other books by this author. This is the first book in her London Legends series and there are two other full length books and one novella available with the next book in the series out in May (and I have bought them all mwhahahahaha). Continue reading

Back in Play by Lynda Aicher

May 18, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. The blurb just hooked me – a bit unusual and very intriguing; it lived up to its promise.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) For Minnesota Glaciers captain Scott Walters, skating on a bum knee—and self-medicating to keep skating on it—is all part of the game. That the painkillers he’s eating prevent him from having meaningful relationships is just one more sacrifice in a lifetime of them. He’s worked too hard to let his image be ruined by injury or dependency, so he hides the pain and fakes the rest—a girlfriend would only complicate matters.

High school teacher Rachel Fielding never needed a man in her life, but she also never intended to grow old alone. When she meets Scott while visiting her brother, she’s intrigued to find herself wanting him in her bed. For hours at a time, as often as possible. Scott is a giver, and just the memory of his attentions is enough to drive her crazy. Anything long-term is out of the question, though—the pills she finds in Scott’s house indicate he’s struggling with a lot more than growing older in a young man’s game.

When what starts out as a what-the-hell weeklong fling turns into Scott and Rachel exploring each other outside the bedroom, Rachel hesitates. But Scott asks for her support to break his addiction, and hearing him admit his secrets has her ignoring her own rules—until he breaks her heart. With the Glaciers refusing to renew his contract and his future with Rachel uncertain, Scott has some big decisions to make and a lot to prove—especially to himself.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I haven’t read the first book in the series (yet) but I think this one works well as a stand-alone. The story begins at the wedding of what I assume to be book one’s hero and heroine. Scott Walker, the Glaciers captain is in attendance. He was the best man. His knee is very sore and he’s popping pain pills but is being careful not to mix them with alcohol. He’s been hiding or downplaying the pain in his knee for so long and he’s desperately tired. He’s also desperate to keep playing. It’s the end of the season and the Glaciers have just missed out on winning the cup. He wants one more shot at it before he retires. His contract is up and the Glaciers have been coy about renewal. He’s 34 and he knows he’s nearing the end of his career. Is he already past his use-by date?

At the reception there is a very attractive woman Scott hasn’t seen before. This is our heroine, Rachel Fielding, the sister of a friend of the groom. She is in town visiting her brother Rock (short for Rockford) and his partner Carter, for the summer. Scott and Rachel are beyond attracted to one another but Rachel is going home in a week. It seems any potential relationship is doomed. Continue reading

Taken by Charlotte Stein

May 14, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I enjoy this author’s books so I bought it on release day. Charlotte Stein and I follow each other on Twitter and chat occasionally. I think she’s lovely. If I didn’t think I could be objective about her books, I wouldn’t review them. But readers may wish to take the foregoing into account.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) It was just a prank I didn’t want to be a part of. I never meant to hurt anyone, least of all Johann Weir. You wouldn’t know that he sells literature for a living. He has these wild eyes—eyes that light something up in me—and he must be twice as big as I am, with strong, warm hands. Hands I try not to imagine everywhere.

He scares me. And thrills me.

But now the deed is done, and I have to face the consequences. He says he just wants to hold me here until the police come, but it’s been hours and I’m still here.

Chained to a pipe in his back room like a prisoner.

The only person I have to talk to is Johann, and I tell him dark, shameful secrets—secrets that involve the metal around my wrist and him standing over me. But I can’t stop. I need him to know everything. I need him.

Johann has his own secrets—ones he wants to tell me too. And more than anything, I want to listen. And maybe, before he sends me away, he’ll punish me.

Just a little.

Just enough.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): As is most often the case with auto-buy authors, I didn’t bother reading the blurb. When I saw someone excitedly tweeting about it, I took a skim and saw “chained to a pipe like a prisoner” and thought – oh, this must be some sort of sexy game. Um, not so much. The book begins in a dark place. It doesn’t stay there long and Han’s actions after his initial blunder (blunder is not the right word – what he did was way worse than a blunder), are honourable. It is also true to say that all of the sexual contact in this book is entirely consensual. In fact, Rosie is the aggressor in the sense that she has to actively persuade Han to do anything at all. Once the doing gets going, the tables turn, but Han does not make a sexual move without Rosie’s enthusiastic consent. Which is all to the good because his first actions did not make me warm to him. Picking up a woman and chaining her in your basement is not cool. It is so far beyond not cool, I can’t fully describe it. Yes, he initially isn’t thinking clearly and yes, his plan (such as it was) was merely to “restrain” her until the police arrived (her friend was about to set fire to precious first editions in his antiquarian bookshop and Rosie was ‘helping’ her by not actively stopping her) but, let me make this clear: it is not cool to pick up a woman and chain her in your basement*. Continue reading