Page 154 of 274

Hold by Claire Kent

June 27, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I bought it after positive reviews from trusted bloggers.

Note: This book was previously published by Ellora’s Cave under the same title with the author’s pen name being Zannie Adams. This is the self-published version which has been “substantially revised and re-edited”.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Find the strongest man there. Give yourself to him in return for protection. It’s the only way you’ll ever survive.

Convicted of a minor crime, Riana is sentenced to a prison planet—a dark primitive hold filled with convicts vying for power. Her only chance of survival is with Cain, a mysterious loner who has won his territory in the prison through intelligence and brute strength. Sex is all she has to offer, so she uses it. She’s under no delusions here. No one is ever released, and no one ever escapes. Survival is all she can hope for—until Cain.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Set in a future dystopian world where the galaxy is ruled by a corrupt and somewhat amorphous “Coalition”, this novella certainly packs a punch. Thrust into a prison where there are no rules and it’s very much survival of the fittest, Riana gets a piece of advice by a sorta-friendly guard: “Find the strongest man there. Give yourself to him in return for protection.” The guards don’t really guard. They don’t spend time in the hold really. There is no patrol to keep order. They drop the prisoners in and that’s about it. Every day food gets dropped down a kind of chute and there is a fight to see who gets to eat and how much. Even though Riana is no pushover, she is no match for tens of males who forgot the rules ages ago. She might have been able to hold her own against one, maybe two, but not against all of them and not for long.

Golden Trail by Kristen Ashley, narrated by Brian Pallino

June 25, 2015 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I was supplied with a review copy by Audible.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Tanner Layne and Raquel Merrick fell in love young, hard and fast and both of them knew a beautiful life they thought would be forever.

Until Rocky left Layne, no explanation, no going back.

Layne escapes The ‘Burg only to come back years later because his ex-wife has hooked herself to the town jerk and Layne needs to make sure his sons get raised right. Layne manages to avoid Rocky but when Layne gets three bullets drilled into him while investigating a dirty cop, he can’t do that because Rocky stops avoiding Layne. They make a deal to work together to expose the dirty cop but they have no idea the strength of their enduring attraction or the sheer evil at work in The ‘Burg.

As Tanner Layne and Raquel Merrick play their game and dance around the pull that draws them together, Layne has to discover the dark secrets buried so deep in Rocky’s heart she doesn’t even know they’re there at the same time untangle a sinister web of crime so abhorrent it has to be stopped… at all costs.

And to do it, Layne has to enlist everyone, including his ex-CIA mentor, Rocky’s detective brother, the town’s unpredictable informant and Layne’s two teenage sons all the while stopping Rocky from doing something crazy and keeping their game secret so Layne won’t get himself dead.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Happily for hero-centric readers like me, Golden Trail is told almost entirely from Layne’s (third person) POV. Perhaps surprisingly, given that I am a hero-centric reader, it took me a while to realise it (doh!). Maybe I was distracted by the fact that when the book opens, Tanner Layne is in the hospital, having been shot three times. Raquel “Rocky” Merrick Astley is sitting by his bed. 18 years earlier she had left him. They’d been happy for three years together and then, suddenly, she left. No explanation, no take backs.
Continue reading

Review at AudioGals

June 23, 2015 / Kaetrin

I’m over at AudioGals with a review of One Wish by Robyn Carr, narrated by Therese Plummer. Robyn Carr and I have broken up. We’ll always have Virgin River, Robyn.

Review at AudioGals

June 19, 2015 / Kaetrin

I’m over at AudioGals with a review of Escorted by Claire Kent, narrated by Simone Lewis. As far as male escort books go, I liked Curio much better.

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.
Continue reading

Review at Dear Author

June 16, 2015 / Kaetrin

I’m over at Dear Author with a review of Asking for It by Lilah Pace. Powerful and confronting, in some respects I won’t know what I think about Asking for It until I’ve read the second book. (Trigger Warning: Rape)