29 August 2013

Down to You (The Bad Boys #1) by M. Leighton


Down to You (The Bad Boys, #1)




The scorching tale of one girl, two brothers and a love triangle…that’s not. Olivia Townsend is nothing special. She’s just a girl working her way through college so she can return home to help her father run his business. She’s determined not to be the second woman in his life to abandon him, even if it means putting her own life on hold. To Olivia, it’s clear what she must do. Plain and simple. Black and white. But clear becomes complicated when she meets Cash and Nash Davenport. They’re brothers. Twins. 
Cash is everything she’s always wanted in a guy. He’s a dangerous, sexy bad boy who wants her in his bed at any cost. He turns her insides to mush and, with just one kiss, makes her forget why he’s no good for her. Nash is everything she’s ever needed in a guy. He’s successful, responsible and intensely passionate. But he’s taken. Very taken, by none other than Marissa, Liv’s rich, beautiful cousin. That doesn’t stop Olivia from melting every time he looks at her, though. With just one touch, he makes her forget why they can never be together. 
Black and white turns to shades of gray when Olivia discovers the boys are hiding something, something that should make her run as far and as fast as she can. But it’s too late to run. Olivia’s already involved. And in love. With both of them. Both brothers make her heart tremble. Both brothers set her body on fire. She wants them both. And they want her. How will she ever choose between them?





Hello, hello! I'm checking in with my review of the above book- Down To You by M. Leighton. It was read by a female and a male duo, which, I am starting to really enjoy that particular format, and the point of view switching and voice switching. This one was read by Kate Rudd and Benjamin Darcie. Both voices were excellent and they each read wonderfully. This book was pretty good, VERY twisty and turny, so I won't go into details and spoil the major ending and plot twist! Just know that it's worth it and it's a super fun and ultra sexy book! I loved all aspects of this book except for one major scene, which I can't really mention w/o completely blowing the whole book for you all- which I don't want to do, just know that it was silly beyond belief! LOL! Anyway, this is a good start to a series that I'm looking forward to continuing! I have book 2 loaded up on my mp3 player and really am excited to start it! :)



This book gets, an easy:

24 August 2013

Cloak & Silence (The League #6) by Sherrilyn Kenyon


Cloak & Silence (The League, #6)




One of the fiercest soldiers the Phrixians have ever produced, Maris Sulle has been an outsider the whole of his life. He grew up with a secret that cost him everything- His birthright, his family and his military career. In all his life, he’s only had one love and he has sacrificed his own happiness to see his best friend reunited with the woman he loves. But now that his good deed is done, he feels lost and adrift. Even though they do their best to include him in their new family, he’s once again on the outside looking in.
Ture has spent his life hiding from everyone around him while trying desperately to fit in. His family, the world, you name it. Badly hurt by everyone he’s ever known, he trusts no one except his own best friend. And honestly, he can’t understand why he trusts her. Nor can he believe her when she describes a loyalty between friends the likes of which he’s never seen.
But when he is in his darkest hour, he’s saved by a hero he thought only existed in novels. A man who is every bit as scarred and mistrusting as he is. One who has no interest in being dragged into another relationship with anyone.
Having spent his life as a living study of doomed relationships, Maris is well aware of the courtship and fiasco that invariably follows. Still, there is something about Ture he can’t resist. Something that won’t let him walk away when he knows he should.
But when old enemies return to threaten them both, they either have to stand together or die alone.


Hi all! I'm back quick my review of the 6th book in The League series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. It's been a while since I've had the pleasure of listening to a Kenyon book, and this one didn't let me down one bit. Even though it was a "novella", or only about 6 or so hours via audio, it was nonetheless, one of my favorites of hers, EVER! :) This one was about Maris and Ture, who happen to be both males, and obviously, gay. I haven't listened to too many male on male books before, but this one was great. The whole 'gay sex' thing doesn't bother me AT ALL (maybe... the opposite? mmm? *eg*) so that didn't phase me... what phased me was knowing the audio release of this was considered late/not on schedule particularly, because the reader- Holter Graham has relapsed in his battle against cancer. I knew this, because I follow Kenyon on Facebook and she had mentioned it briefly, with nothing but love and respect towards the matter. So, I KNEW beforehand, Graham's situation to an extent. But I didn't think it would really impact me as much as it has, to be honest with you. The very last 20-30 mins of this book, I got on an googled his battle and read through his blog, and wow. The man is a trooper, and literally ONE of the BEST audiobook readers that I've ever had the pleasure of hearing! I've listened to many, many books read by Holter Graham and just love his voice! And you can really tell the struggles that he's going through (I wasn't aware of how severely he was battling until I read his blog) by listening to this book. He reads... differently. You can hear it in his voice, that he's going through a lot, physically and emotionally. He used the same tones and voices he's used in the past with her books, but it was just DIFFERENT. Not bad, different, not good different, just DIFFERENT. This touches me deeply because earlier this year my father in law was diagnosed with bladder cancer and I've watched the small struggles he's gone through (Holter mentions in his blog about a chemo treatment that makes his tongue slough off the dead cells and it's just a horrible, nasty icky thing... my my FIL is going through the same thing right now, and has described it to me in detail, it's just... eww! poor guy!) and continue to watch him battle cancer, and it just reminds me that not everyone has it as seemingly easy as my FIL has it. He's still pretty active and is LIVING semi-okay. Holter just seems like he's struggling a lot from reading his blog and the compassion I feel for him through this is just overwhelming! It's all very touching and even though this has nothing to do with the plot of the book LOL, it's just something I really feel compelled to add to my review! LOL! I sincerely wish Holter all the best and a speedy recovery and I really really hope that isn't the last book that I hear, being read by him! :( His lovely voice and everything he adds to the characters, no matter the writer, is just beyond compare! He makes the books what they are, for me. Kenyon is an outstanding writer, and I totally love her regardless, but Holter REALLY makes her books on audio worth while. :)


This book and HOLTER GRAHAM himself, deserve a million stars, but to be fair:

Not sure what's next... see you soon.

23 August 2013

Claim Me (Stark Trilogy #2) by J. Kenner








Claim Me (Stark Trilogy, #2)



For Damien, our obsession is a game. For me, it is fiercely, blindingly, real.
Damien Stark’s need is palpable—his need for pleasure, his need for control, his need for me. Beautiful and brilliant yet tortured at his core, he is in every way my match.
I have agreed to be his alone, and now I want him to be fully mine. I want us to possess each other beyond the sweetest edge of our ecstasy, into the deepest desires of our souls. To let the fire that burns between us consume us both.
But there are dark places within Damien that not even our wildest passion can touch. I yearn to know his secrets, yearn for him to surrender to me as I have surrendered to him. But our troubled pasts will either bind us close . . . or shatter us completely.
Release Me is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.





Hello, hello! Here I am, back with my review of the above book, which is Claim Me, book 2 in the Stark Trilogy by J. Kenner. I think I might have overshot just a tad bit, in having given book 1 four stars, so I gave this one only three. Even though the plot is steamy, it really lacks any substantial realism. Something you can actually grasp onto and hold onto really tightly, and believe. This genre is getting kind of tiring to me, I guess. All these stories and plots seem to be the exact same, with just different characters and slightly different writing styles. Obviously some of the other books in this same erotic genre are written better or worse, they all carry the same basic plot. It's just getting old! *yawn* And there was a slight little "break up" in this one, but damn, it literally lasted like 5 seconds and I didn't even get that gut wrenching sensation that generally comes with a break up! LOL! Desperate and embarrassing Nikki was groveling at Damien's overbearing and "I'm doing this for the greater good"s feet. This store, and these two characters are just getting really unbelievable and are lacking substance the further we go along in their story. Which, you'd think the OPPOSITE would be the case, you'd think we'd delve deeper into understanding their why's and what for's, but nope... it's all kinda the same stuff regurgitated and a bit stale. I WILL be reading book 3, but I've got a few on my list that I'm really looking more forward to, so I'll move onto those and eventually come back to Damien and Nikki. I just think I need a break from these two! They are starting to annoy me! LOL!



Only this many stars from me, hoping book 3 kicks it up a notch:






See you soon! :)



17 August 2013

Release Me (Stark Trilogy #1) by J. Kenner

Release Me (Stark Trilogy, #1)


For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey and Bared to You comes an erotic, emotionally charged romance between a powerful man who’s never heard “no” and a fiery woman who says “yes” on her own terms.  He was the one man I couldn’t avoid. And the one man I couldn’t resist.  Damien Stark could have his way with any woman. He was sexy, confident, and commanding: Anything he wanted, he got. And what he wanted was me. Our attraction was unmistakable, almost beyond control, but as much as I ached to be his, I feared the pressures of his demands. Submitting to Damien meant I had to bare the darkest truth about my past—and risk breaking us apart. But Damien was haunted, too. And as our passion came to obsess us both, his secrets threatened to destroy him—and us—forever.
Release Me is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.



Hello, hello! I'm back with my review of Release Me, which is book #1 in the Stark Trilogy by J. Kenner. Apparently, even on Goodreads (^^^^), they are shelving this book along side other books like 50 Shades and Bared To You... although to be quite honest with you, this wasn't as good as either books! It was OK... don't get me wrong, I did end up giving it 4 stars! But really, I've listened to this type of book a million times before... bazillionaire man (who flies, nonetheless), obsessed w/ mid level half way pretty and strong willed woman... blah blah, both have emotional/mental scars, both just can't seem to LIVE w/o one another... yanno. The same ol' song and dance! Like I said, I've plowed through tons of these types of books and they're all relatively entertaining with some pretty smokin' hot scenes. There were only a couple of things that bothered me with this book, one being a major Booooh! is that it's in 1st person, I just hate the I, me, etc! It's kinda funky, as a lot of books aren't written this way! Also, the reader; Sofia Willingham, I don't personally recall ever hearing her read before (looking up her names proves my point) but she sounded really familiar and had this breathy whisper she took on during sex scenes which was slightly creepy. I didn't really prefer her reading voice and is kinda bleh'd out by the fact that she reads all the rest of the books in this series! Ugh! Another thing that bugged me, towards the end, (I gotta be blunt here... no way around it) Damien and Nikki are involved in some errrr.... uhhhh... well, 'anal sex' and to be quite honest, it's so ridiculously described that I honestly can tell that the author merely googled it to write the part in her book for an extra bit of somethin' somethin'! It's honestly NOTHING like this book describes it. Just to let you all know that! Hahahah! No, that isn't fair... I mean I guess it COULD be vaguely similar, but yeah... just really... not accurate at all! Anywho, the book clearly left the ending wide open for another book, which there are two others so far, that I'm sure I will be listening to as well after this one and don't really have any high expectations regarding the content or writing style or anything. I'm sure it will be the same thing I've just listened to, but just the two characters in different scenarios and situations. I'm sure we will get to know Nikki and Damien a little more, learn more about why they 'tick', per say but I'm really hoping that there aren't anymore poorly developed scenes like the anal sex scene! :X


A good start, hoping the next book is even better!


See you next time!




15 August 2013

Anything He Wants (Dominated by the Billionaire #1) by Sara Fawkes



Anything He Wants (Dominated by the Billionaire, #1)

DOWN ON HER LUCKLucy Delacourt's temp position isn't quite her dream job but it pays the bills...barely. The highlight of her day is riding the elevator in the mornings: she always manages to time it so that she sees the handsome stranger every day. He's fuel for her fantasies and way out of her league, but a girl can look, right?
BUT NOT FOR LONG
Everything changes however the day the handsome stranger seduces a stunned Lucy, first in the elevator then again in the parking garage after work. Completely out of character, she yields without a fight, but she has no idea her wanton acts with a man whose name she doesn't know will start a sensual chain of events that forever change her life. Because the sexy stranger is none other than Jeremiah Hamilton, billionaire CEO of Hamilton Industries, and one taste of the hot little temp isn't near enough to satisfy his need.
The billionaire has big plans for the wayward temp, plans that have nothing to do with filing paperwork...




Hi all! *waves* Back with my review of the above book, Anything He Wants by Sara Fawkes. Apparently her books are all relatively shorter and are released in a mini series situation, and I saw no mention of anything audiobook related for upcoming titles of this book on her blog, facebook or Audible, so I have no idea when I'll ever be able to listen to any of the other books in this series, as there are quite a few! And this book had quite the cliffhanger ending! UGH! This book was okay... it was honestly really hard to GET INTO... like the first 3-5 chapters had me rolling my eyes, gritting my teeth and whining about how incredibly silly it was. Lucy started off having fantasies of a man that frequented the same elevator as she did (come to find out- yeah... billionaire @@!) and apparently the man noticed after a fashion that she always was eyeing him... one thing led to another in the elevator on that fateful day *snort* and he ends up fiddling with her and giving her the BIG O... then just goes about his merry way, getting off the elevator on his floor. Like... WHAT THE FUCK? Really? Oh and the next day... or later that day, who the hell could even keep up, he pins her against a wall of a parking garage and humps her face off!!!! No "Hi how are ya?" no "Hey,  by the by, are you on birth control..." or "Hi there, what the fuck is your name?" Just... really ridiculous and a horrible start to a book that ended up being sort-of, kind-of okay for me. It did have some risque sexy sexy parts to it, which were nice, but honestly, the average Jo, if put into the dominating situations Lucy was put in, probably would have had a lot more to say about it... like Oh, you're putting that where? Oh my... there? Um wait. I am a butt sex virgin!!! Oh what does REALITY have to do with books anymore?! NOTHING! LOL! So yeah... just a corny, typical ho-hum book for me. Nothing stood out as OMG, nothing amazed me, everything was pretty average and just OK.


Honest the first half of the book should get LESS than -5 stars, lol! But it all balanced out in the end... barely...



Not sure what's next! Stay tuned!



11 August 2013

The Darkest Craving (Lords of the Underworld #10) by Gena Showalter


The Darkest Craving (Lords of The Underworld, #10)





New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter is back with a breathtaking Lords of the Underworld tale about a warrior trapped by darkness and the woman determined to save him 
Having endured weeks of torture in the bowels of hell, Kane wants nothing to do with his beautiful rescuer, Josephina Aisling. The half-Fae female threatens to awaken the demon of Disaster inside him—a beast he’s determined to kill, no matter the price. 
Josephina is hunted by a brutal enemy—her royal family—and Kane is her only source of protection. He’s also the only male to ever set her aflame, and even he succumbs to the heat. But as they navigate the treacherous world of the Fae, they are forced to make a choice: live apart…or die together.



Hi all! Back with my personal review of The Darkest Craving by Gena Showalter. Which is book #10 in the LotU series... or Lords of the Underworld, for those of you who're aren't hip on Showalter's books! ;) This book was great and it was good and comforting to hear Max Bellmore's voice reading it, as he's read all the other books in the series. It's neat to hear she's up to book #10 in the series and it's hard to believe I've read that many of the books with these amazing characters! Most all of them make an appearance in this book, just as a lot of the others, and I really love that about this series. Showalter even brings in the "high ones" or really, angels from another of her series that is just starting out called The Angels of the Dark, where there are two books, and each of those two books briefly mentions the Lords! It's so clever and awesome when that happens, I love it! Makes things more recognizable and comfortable.

So this story was about Kane... poor Kane! I always thought his story was kinda sad and funny at the same time. When he was in other characters books, and his demon got a little antsy, something would happen, like the ceiling would just crumble and fall on his head, or something random like that would happen to him. His demon is disaster and so small, crazy things were always happening to him and those around him. His story has been going on for a few books now, he went missing and they were all concerned, but he kinda just fell off the map for a bit and now he's got his own book! heh! It was a good book too, I always enjoy anything LotU related! It had enough steamy (though not too detailed) scenes, warm fuzzy, action, fighting and funny scenes to make it really great! The way that Tink or Josephina ;) gets around the whole demon possession thing is pretty clever, so props to her! Anyway, the book leaves A LOT open, so I'm sure Showalter will be extremely busy writing for quite some time! Can't wait! :)


This book gets:


...and I'm really not sure what I will be listening to next. I have several options, will have to figure it out soon! :) Until next time!


06 August 2013

Everlasting Kiss (Everlasting #1) by Amanda Ashley



Everlasting Kiss (Everlasting, #1)


Daisy O'Donnell doesn't get the attraction some women feel for vampires. She likes men with a heartbeat. And she's just met one who's full of life: Erik Delacourt. There's just one thing--Erik is a powerful vampire out to hunt the Blood Thief who's draining young vampires all over the city. Original.










Hello, hello!!! So, I just finished the above book Everlasting Kiss by Amanda Ashley... narrated by Jennifer Ikeda- whom I've not ever listened to before, but thoroughly enjoyed her voice! She did a wonderful job trying to put some "life" into this book. Even though her reading skills were above average, this book was a serious flop for me. It was... pretty painful. LOL! This was a good little vampire starter book. For people who've never read/listened to a vampire book before. This is something I'd let my 10 year old daughter read, to be quite honest with you! The details were fuzzy, the sex scenes were cringe worthy and the "head over heels" crap was just wayyyyy tooooo sweet and silly. It felt a lot like Twilight with a tiny bit of sex. I had to constantly remind myself that Daisy (oh gods, that name!) and her brothers were supposed to be ADULTS! Everyone talked and acted like freaking teenagers in this book, it was awful. And I'm really surprised that I even made it through. I'd just ditched the menage book prior to this one and was a little grumpy about it (because I love me a good menage book *ehem*) but this one barely held my interest, it was just flat and well, silly. I recall reading reviews on GR briefly about this book before I gave it a go and was like hmmm, sounds kinda interesting, the fact that Daisy was a blood thief and not an actual hunter (like her father and brothers), so might have some potential, but... NOPE. Not having been raised on Anne Rice and Laurell K. Hamilton... nope nope nope. I have the second book in the series too and will NOT be indulging in that one! I'm actually deleting as I type... I'm multi-talented, don't ya know?!

Anyway, I'm soooo flipping stoked about the book that I'm going to be starting soon, I can hardly contain myself... maybe that's why I wanted to rush through this book and it wasn't rushing quickly enough for me? I dunno!

... this silly little book gets:




...and oooooo mmmmmyyyyy gosh... looookie what I have!!!! eeeep! YESSS!

The Darkest Craving (Lords of The Underworld, #10)

02 August 2013

Their Virgin Captive (Masters of Ménage #1) by Shayla Black




Their Virgin Captive (Masters of Ménage, #1)



Brothers Gavin, Slade, and Dex, fall hard for Gavin’s new secretary, beautiful Hannah Craig. The oil executives know they must give her time to get to know them before she can choose one . . . who will seduce the virgin and keep her for his own. But when a dangerous predator begins stalking the small-town beauty, they work together to protect her, abducting Hannah and spiriting her to an isolated hideaway. Once alone with her, none of them can contain their burning desire. Though Slade and Dex don’t mind sharing, Gavin’s tragic past has put distance between him and his brothers. Now, they’re hoping that not only will Hannah love them back . . . but maybe mend their fractured family.
After overcoming her initial fears, the men teach her wild pleasure she’s never imagined. She grows closer to each, their devotion melting her inhibitions. Hannah finds herself embracing love with all three men—and hoping she can heal Gavin’s wounded soul. But her new found happiness turns to terror when her stalker finds her. Will Gavin, Slade and Dex lose their woman to a menace that threatens everything they hold dear, or will they finally unite to make Hannah theirs forever?




Okay, okay... I started this last night and I honestly can not finish it! Now, it has NOTHING at all to do with the fact that the story feels like I've completely missed the office memo. Like it all started several dozen chapters ago, and I wasn't privy to it! The narration wasn't too terrible, it was by someone whom I had not listened to before, Serena Daniels, but the way she was doing the voices, especially Dex, was just terrible! It really felt like I SHOULD have known who these people are, how they are related to one another and why in gods name they felt like they ALL had dibs on poor Hannah?! I mean, I've listened to some terrible shitty plots before, but my god, this one takes the cake. It was honestly TERRIBLE! It sucks because I shut it off right as it was getting hot. But we were on chapter FOUR and one of the guys said something about marriage and I was like WTF!?!?


It was just not something I have the patience for right now. I guess I'm not terribly sex crazed at the moment and I gave this FOUR chapters of my life, LOL! I am sorry, I rarely NOT finish books but this one... it's shelved for the time being! 


There's a first time for everything!


The Warlock King (The Kings #3) by Heather Killough-Walden


The Warlock King (The Kings #3)


Jason Alberich wears the crown of the sovereign of the warlocks, a dark breed that uses darker magic. He wears it well, skillfully wielding a power that would corrupt others. Yet he has paid the price for his control, bearing the scars of a time when his power had control over him. He is haunted by the regrets of a shady past and now lives each day and night with an isolated soul. 
Chloe Septeran is an Akyri like no other. A member of a race that must depend upon warlocks for sustenance in exchange for servitude, Chloe runs from the dark magic users, choosing instead to live free of their hold. She has existed empty and “hungry,” but stubbornly free of the warlock’s dark embrace. However, now the fates have chosen to bring her running to a halt, as the 13 Kings each discover their queens – and the Warlock King discovers his.
A mighty power is awakening, wreaking havoc on the supernatural world. The 13 Kings, their queens, the werewolf nation, and the witch covens with their high leader, Lalura Chantelle, must band together and stand strong in the face of a dawning nightmare that threatens the very fabric of all they hold dear… and from which none may escape.





Hi all! Me again! Back so soon?? Well yes, these darn books are pretty short! This one was barely 6.5 hours long! :( Anyway, I wasn't sure that I would go on to book 3 in this series, but I'm slowly falling a little bit on love with it! LOL! This one is book 3 of The Kings series by Heather Killough-Walden (what a name!) and it was about the Warlock King... hence the book title! ;) It was pretty good, and the epilogue at the end touched on the Goblin King and his mini introduction and... well, I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on it! I'm interested to know more! I guess that makes it a pretty OK book? I will await it's release on audiobook format and bide my time listening to other books! :) I've just taken a short minute to go glance at this author's website and I think I might be waiting on the rest of the Kings books' in this series for a long, long time. Apparently she's taking a break from writing, is overwhelmed with health/allergy issues and that's kind of a bummer. But I guess if a writer is passionate about writing, it will come to them, regardless of their lack of interest in writing! I hope the Kings haunt her dreams! heheh! That might spur her into writing more books about them. BUT, writers are only human, this I understand, and releasing books to the masses and expecting book after book, is probably very well and true.... A LOT OF PRESSURE! I couldn't handle it! I barely like having the pressure of several custom graphics orders at once, like blog makeovers and blinkies before my brain kind of shuts itself down and says NOPE, NO MORE! Though that pales in comparison to famous authors, I can empathize a wee bit! ;) So I wish I would have read and known about her "break" before getting emotionally invested in these characters, lol! Further and further I was allowing myself to get into these stories and this one was an alright one. Granted, they are a bit fast paced for me, she crams a lot of a lot into these short books, and adds just soooo much information and the smexy smexy scenes feel rushed and like they could be just SO MUCH MORE! These books could be so much more, I know they could, so I hold out... until then! ;) I enjoyed meeting Jason and Chloe! It was funny how Chloe fought Jason the whole time and then all of a sudden realized, yeah, he might be for me! LOL! and his nickname for her, Stardust, is just... perfection. :) I am not sure I would suggest this series to people as it's probably going to remain an unfinished series, or the next books will be few and far between. Not a lot of readers really like that type of scenario! And these books on audio would have to be for the hardcore listeners, because this Antony Ferguson really makes it difficult to listen to! ;) I'm hoping that Heather feels better come fall and winter and she can find it in her to write more Kings books! :)

Sorta kinda:


I had finished this Warlock King book last night pretty late, and didn't want to review it but didn't want to doze listening to nothing, so I started my next book... and I have to say... right at this moment, it's not looking so hot... or sounding so hot... it's actually kind of terrible! LOL! We'll see!

Their Virgin Captive (Masters of Ménage, #1)
 

Attn: Blog Reviewers!

Not happy w/ your current blog graphics/layout? Need a fresh start for the new year? Need somewhere that is totally "YOU"? Don't settle for sub-par blog designs! I'd love to makeover your book review blog! Check out my services:

Designs by Sarah Custom Services