Review: Sacred Surrender by Ava Riley

"Rowan’s life had been perfect until his fiancé decided to seduce his best friend the night before their wedding and ultimately destroyed everything he’d dreamed of. After breaking off the wedding and the relationship, he vowed to never allow another woman to have that much control over his heart again. That is, until one morning when a knock on his door revealed beautiful, sexy Madison. Madison, having just moved to sunny California from a small town in Kansas, is in awe of the hunky doctor living next door, but her insecurities keep her from accepting his initial advances.

The connection Rowan and Madison experience after a night of hot sex cannot be denied, but will Madison’s insecurities be too much for their relationship to flourish? Will the relationship that Rowan is finally willing to accept end before it even gets a chance to start or can he convince Madison that her fears are unwarranted?"

Review: 

Let me start out by saying I have not read the first book in the series but I plan to. I just hope it's as good as this one because honestly I really did enjoy this one and didn't want it to come to an end.

I loved Rowan!! He is not only sexy and smart but he has a great career as a Doctor. He hasn't had it so easy in the love department but he is looking but he doesn't want to make another mistake. Than he meets his next door neighbor and sets his eyes on her. Rowan now has to win her over.

Madison just moved into a new house and is having trouble with the plumbing in her kitchen. She knows a Doctor lives next door so just maybe he can help her out. But she is expecting an old man so when Rowan answers the door lust over takes her.

Okay so I already said this but it warrants me saying it again. I really this novella. Rowan Is totally hot and now my new obsession with hot Doctors is in full effect! Lol

The story was well written, the characters were more than likable, and the plot made actual sense. Ava Riley covered all the major points. The characters fit well together. Almost as good as Rowan being with me. Lol

This story was not only upbeat bit exciting. I couldn't put it down and I really didn't want it to come to an end. I am hoping there will be more books in this series with some more sexy Doctors I can drool over. If your in the mood for a hot, romantic, and sexy novella this is for you. Happy Reading!

Review: Provoke Me By Cari Quinn

"Book Two in the Unveiled series.

Sometimes extreme provocation can lead to exactly what you need…

Attracted.


Kelly's focus is the bookstore she manages. Sex is relegated to a list of candidates on her PDA. Only one man pushes all her buttons―her boss.

Fascinated.

Spencer is determined to fight his desire for Kelly. For years they’ve bumped heads over the store they both love. But there's more than one reason their getting together is complicated.


Provoked.

When Kelly and Spencer unexpectedly meet up at a sex club, all the rules go out the window. Suddenly there’s only way this match of wills can end―naked, preferably all night long. In this battle for sexual supremacy, there are two winners—and two losers when their stubbornness leads to the very thing each dreads most. " 


ebook

Published by Ellora's Cave (first published June 22nd 2011)

more details...

primary language English

url http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9417-provoke-me.aspx

series Unveiled 

Review:

It's not news that I love all the books I have read by Cari Quinn but this has got to be my favorite book she has written. With Provoke Me she ha honestly topped herself.

Spencer Galvin runs a bookstore. He isn't only easy on the eyes but he is driven, focused and very controlled. Spencer now lives by the rules and one rule he will not break again is mixing business with pleasure, but this 35 year old now has a problem. Kelly is tempting him beyond his belief.

Kelly loves her job and has wanted Spencer for 3 years. Although she might be younger than him by 10 years that won't stop her from getting what she really wants. While out with a friend at the club, Kink she runs into her sexy boss and things start to heat up. Finally all bets are off.

So it's no secret that I loved this book and let's not forget it left me totally in love Spencer. I wanted to lick him over and over like a lollipop!!!

The plot was fun and exciting! It kept me on my toes from the beginning to the very end. The characters were so lovable and filled with emotions which made them more extra special.

Overall is was a very hot read! Cari Quinn not only broke boundaries with this read but she topped them. If you want love, romance and kink this is a must read. I need more Spencer in my life so Cari get back to work. *winks* Happy Reading!

Guest Post & Giveaway with Author Dee Carney

Today I want to welcome Author Dee Carney!! Hi Dee *waves* Thank you for stopping by! I am not a cougar YET, but I totally plan on becoming one!! LOL Take it away Dee!!

contest ends Thursday!

But…but, he’s so young!

This guy?

He's 18.

OR

This guy?

He's 24.

If you're over the age of 30, when's the last time you thought you'd be ogling someone that much younger? (Oh please. Don't tell me you weren't admiring them for a few extra seconds.) Here's the thing: women know a good looking man when they see one. It's only when the brain kicks in--hey now! he's kinda young--will she start back pedaling a little bit. But I'll tell you what. What if he's drop dead gorgeous on the outside, but an old soul deep inside? He still doesn't have experience enough to do or say the things a man of thirty-five years might, but what if he's deep enough to know how to treat a woman who is older? Might he be a little, teeny bit tempting then?

Yeah. I think so.

The older I get, the more I can appreciate younger men who can't do a darn thing about their ages, but their actions--the most important part to me--speak volumes. Meet Josh Smith and Regina Pace. He's 26; she's 41. He's been watching her since he was a teenager and now, six years after her husband's death, a chance naughty interlude gives him the chance to let her know about the torch he's been carrying all this time.

"Anyone who dared peek into my kitchen window right now would behold a glorious sight. Josh held me by one arm as I leaned back, my thighs spread, my skirt bunched around my waist. My shirt had twisted in our frantic groping. He’d positioned himself between my legs, one of his hands hidden beneath the material of my panties. We writhed together as he played with my body, bringing me to a ledge over which I wanted to jump before pulling me away again. He did this again and again, teasing me ever closer, never letting me fall.

Pleasure and sensation wound tightly through me, and inhaling the scent of Josh, savoring his taste and my mind traveling to the memory of yesterday and the reality of now, I felt assaulted from all sides and angles.

Our hungry kissing left my lips swollen, my cheeks and chin burning from the scrape of his light stubble. It’d been too long since I felt this wanton, this desired.

“Oh God…” My hands tightened on his biceps, the muscle unyielding beneath my grip. But I needed an anchor, something that would keep me tethered to the earth as Josh pushed me toward the stars.

“Don’t hold back, Gina. Let me see you come.”

His words spurred me higher, and something within me tightened. It exploded on a rush, shattering with such force that I cried out. I threw my head back, too focused on the way I’d come undone to hold myself together any longer. But Josh was there. Josh clung to me as I shuddered. As my muscles locked and bowed to the pleasure.

Come check out my older woman/younger man romance available now

One spark could burn her world down.

Six years after her husband’s death, Regina Pace is still just going through the motions, her only pleasure a nightly glass (or three) of wine to dull the ache. Tonight is no exception—until a sensual outdoor encounter with her neighbor’s son, freshly home from college. He’s older, wiser, more devastatingly handsome than she remembered. He’s also fifteen years her junior.

Despite her misgivings, it isn’t long before her nightly ritual includes a long, deep drink of Josh Smith. Ogling leads to touching, then the sparks flare into an erotic encounter that feels wickedly right—and deliciously forbidden.

Yet the intense heat can’t burn away the doubt pestering the back of her mind. That the gap between their ages is too large, even for the most determined leap of faith…

Warning: Features a boy-next-door who won’t take no for an answer, more than one sexual fantasy (including some outdoor self-loving!), and a burning romance that proves age is just a number.

**Dee is giveaway a copy of her latest release Keeping Pace ( My Review Here ) All you have to do is comment on the following question and you could win!! If you are a cougar who are you prowling? And if your like me and haven't become one yet who is on your list to pounce on? Good Luck!! **

Dee Carney is a best-selling, award-winning author of contemporary and paranormal erotic romances. To learn more about Dee and her cougar ways, or her books, visit her on the web at www.deecarney.com.

Thank You for stopping by Dee and I hope to have you back soon! 

Guest Post & Giveaway with Author Virna DePaul

Today I want to Welcome the awesome Virna DePaul... Hi Virna!! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Danielle, thank you so much for having me as a guest on your blog!  When thinking of a topic for today, I thought I’d focus on an important aspect of writing: meeting new people, whether they’re fictional or not.

Writers often give considerable thought to the names of their fictional characters.  How it sounds, what it means, whether beginning letters are repeated with other names, and whether the writer’s history has left the name with a bad connotation.  In addition, writers might try to find the name that “fits” the character’s background and back story.  A character’s name is basically a “short cut” or “clue” to who the character truly is. 

When it comes to meeting readers, writers often develop relationships through social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.  They’ll come to know readers/friends/followers by their handles.  Occasionally, we get to meet readers at conferences or other events, learn more about them as individuals, and make the type of connections you just can’t get online.  Some of these connections remain casual, but others become the base for something deeper.

Whether it’s a fictional character or a real online friend, writers develop their craft by opening themselves to a variety of people, places, and situations.  This includes being willing to explore the intricacies of both the hero and villain alike.  For example, as I work on the first book of my romantic suspense series for HQN, I’ve found my villain growing in complexity.  When I can truly feel a moment of compassion or sympathy for my villain, I know I’m finally beginning to dig deep enough into his or her character. 

I’ve never been a writer whose characters “talk” to me.  Beyond the names and characteristics I give them, they remain more like tools than friends.  But if I can do my job well enough, give them form and heart and soul so readers think of them as “real” and care about their struggles, it’s at that point they are actually given breath. 

I’m going to New York this week for the RWA National Conference.  I’ll be spending lots of time with my fictional characters, old friends, and hopefully new friends alike.  I love that my writing has given me the chance to meet people like Danielle and those friendships in turn provide me the opportunity to introduce more readers to my characters.  It’s a wonderful circle!

Virna will be giving away  a $10 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter. Are you looking forward to any upcoming conferences or which author are you most looking for to meeting? 

Good Luck!!!

Bio: Virna DePaul is a former criminal prosecutor who writes paranormal romantic suspense for Berkley (Para-Ops Novels), and contemporary romantic suspense for Harlequin Romanic Suspense and HQN.  www.virnadepaul.com

Synopsis

United by fate. Bound by desire.

Five years after the Second Civil War ends, humans and otherborn – humanlike creatures with superhuman DNA – still struggle for peace. To ensure the continued rights of both, the FBI forms a Para-Ops team with a unique set of skills.

CHOSEN BY BLOOD

Leader of an Otherborn clan, half-breed vampire Knox Devereaux would do anything to find a cure for the anti-vamp vaccine slowly starving his people into extinction. When the FBI contacts him about leading a team of hand-selected Others on a mission to reclaim the stolen antidote, Knox accepts. His new assignment places him in direct contact with Special Agent Felicia Locke, the beautiful human he’s craved since their very first meeting.

My Review Here 

Thank you so much Virna for stopping by and I look forward to having you stop by again soon. Hopefully I will get the chance to meet you soon since we chat so much and have a great time in NYC!!

Review & Giveaway : Beg For Mercy (Trilogy #1) by Jami Alden

"He lurks in the shadows, waiting and watching . . . And once he has you, all you can do is. . .

BEG FOR MERCY

Megan Flynn thought she was falling in love. Cole Williams wasn't just handsome and passionate, he was one of the good guys. Or so she thought, until he arrested her brother - the only family she has left - for a murder she knows he couldn't have possibly committed. Now, with her heart broken and her brother's life hanging in the balance, Megan will risk everything to prove his innocence. Even if that means throwing herself into the path of a sadistic killer with a hauntingly familiar MO.

Seattle Detective Cole Williams had given up on making Megan see reason where her brother is concerned. But when she insinuates herself into the most shockingly brutal case Cole has ever worked, he can't stand idly by. Plunged into a secret world where the city's elite indulge their darkest desires, Cole will do whatever it takes to bring down a madman who has made Megan his most coveted prey."

 

Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages

Published June 1st 2011 by Forever (first published 2011)

more details...

ISBN 0446572802 (ISBN13: 9780446572804)

Original title Beg For Mercy (Trilogy, #1)

Review:

So I was just telling Bells how much I really loved this book. Jami Alden did a wonderful job in bring in the suspense and oh yes the romance. I couldn't put this down once I got started. 

So Megan Flynn is dating the hot Cole Williams who just so happens to be a Detective. Well, while getting hot and heavy Cole receives a phone call that he needs to go to work and take care of something. It just so happens that something turns Megan's world upside down. Now what they have is on the fence. Can they make it through the storm that is approaching and fast?

Sean happens to be Megan's older brother who she loves unconditionally but with saying that a woman is found murdered in his home and he is being charged for the crime. He is arrested by the sexy Cole and is now on death row fighting for his life. Megan knows her brother is Innocent but no one believes her. Now she is set out on her own in trying to find the real killer.

 
Ok so 3 years later a woman is murdered and now brings Cole and Megan together once again. Classic! It also just so happens that Sean's Execution is coming up fast and Megan is desperate to find out once and for all who is behind it. But she needs help....insert Cole here. He reluctantly agrees to help her.  And the killer WOW! I would have never thought it would have been that person.... I was totally thinking someone else through out the story as I got more and more involved.

I loved the relationship between Cole and Megan! I mean one minute they are hot and heavy than the next they are cooling off. I really liked that Cole just happened to show his weakness towards her well because it was her and it has been her since they met. *dreamy sigh* It was suspenseful, romantic and such a mystery I didn't want to ever put it down.

It will keep you on the edge of your seat and wanting to figure out what the heck is going on. I wish there was more love but hey the suspense was enough that had me on edge and begging for more. Rumor has it that Sean's story is up next and when I say Wow!! I can't wait to see how his story will play out. Adlen did an amazing job, I am just sorry I have to wait so long for the nest installment in this series.  Happy Reading!!

                         ~~~GIVEAWAY~~~

Thanks to the wonderful folks at Grand Central Publishing, I am able to giveaway 3 copies of Beg for Mercy  to 3 lucky Followers! Follow the instructions below to enter:

• Leave a comment with your email address so I will be able to contact you if you should win
• Giveaway is open ONLY to followers in the U.S. and Canada.
• No P.O. Boxes please.

Please include email in comment if you want to enter giveaway. Giveaway will end on 7/3/11 at 12 pm. Winner will contacted via email and their name posted on the blog the same day. Please remember your copy will be sent out by Grand Central Publishing so please give the book ample time to get there.

Good Luck!!!!!

Review: Demons Prefer Blondes (Demons Unleashed #1) by Sidney Ayers

"With demons the hottest new heroes in the romance category, this is a fantastic debut paranormal.

When beautiful half-succubus Lucy Gregory's antique chest unleashes a Pandora's box of demonic activity in a suburban beauty salon, brooding demon Rafe arrives to run damage control. He's darkly sexy and everything she's avoided-icy and reserved-but that only adds to his mysterious appeal. Being a demon, he knows he should be able to resist Lucy's charms, but his resistance is slipping at the worst moment. And Lucy has no idea of the power she possesses..."  Lucy Gregory happens to own a beauty salon and actually enjoys it. She also enjoys spending time with her fun friends. One of her friends brings her an antique chest that she wants Lucy to translate the script that is carved on the box. They come to find out that the box is damned. Lucy has to know for sure and opens the box. Now she has released chaos into the world. Can she set it right?

The high council summons Rafe Deleon to get the box. Not only has chaos broken out in the human world but in the demon world as well. Rafe's help is needed more than ever. He wants to go and save his sister who just so happens has sacrificed herself . But the high council has something else on their agenda. Since this damn chest has gone missing and has some how ended up on Earth its up to Rafe to retrieve it before all hell breaks out on Earth. Will he be to late?

I am not going to say to say this was my favorite book ever because frankly it started out slow in the first few chapters and all the action was saved pretty much until the end of the book. The characters seemed very fun and they for sure had their witty moments but for me it just wasn't enough. They didn't take the situations very series and just continued to keep brushing the matter at hand a side. Just acting like all this just so happens to be normal kind of annoyed me at times.

Also this book had more then enough dialogue but left out a lot of explanations. I felt the background of the book was done in spurts. I have read plenty of books where there is a lot of background needed especially in the first book of a series but this lacked it and I found myself confused at times on what was really going on.

I am not saying this was a bad book at all but I was left wanting more. Hopefully the next book in the series will be so much better. It was a good start to the series I just wish somethings would have been explained better. I am looking forward to continuing the series and hope it gets better. Happy Reading!

Review: A Fool for You (Icon Men #3) by Cat Grant

"Book three in the Icon Men series.

Sexy Chase Aubrey plays blues guitar like nobody's business. One look at him performing at a New York nightclub, and twenty-year-old keyboard player Brian Barclay's smitten.

However, Brian remains true to his boyfriend Kit-until Kit cheats on him and steals all the songs they've written together. With nowhere else to go, Brian turns to his estranged father, Trevor, and Trevor's partner, Cameron. But even Cameron can't smooth over the tension between father and son.

Brian's in need of a friend, and Chase fills the role nicely-and quickly heats up the sheets with him as well. The passion between them is mind-blowing, until Brian discovers Chase's secret past. A past he's run from for years. And when the past threatens the present, Brian can't help wondering if the love of his life has played him for a fool."

This was my first m/m ever and let me tell you I was not disappointed. Grant not only brought me into a whole new world but she did an amazing job in telling this fantastic story. 

Brian is in a band with his boyfriend and a few other guys. They came all the way from Canada to New York just to make it on the music scene. Things seem to happen and Brian finally figures out that his boyfriend is well just no good. Brian once and for all finds out that his boyfriend for 5 years has betrayed him by not only cheating but stealing his music. Now Brian has to turn to the one man who had abandoned him 5 years ago for help. Can he get his life finally back on track and trust another? 

Chase is musician that is interested in Brian, but Brian really has no idea. Everyone has a past but Chase for sure wants to forget all about his. He decides to help Brian by collecting his belongings from his old apartment and sparks start flying from there. The relationship starts to grow, but when Chases past starts to surface Brian wonders if he can stand the heat and trust Chase with his heart.

I totally loved Brian and Chase from the beginning. The way they became friends and turned into something else was completely warming. Although they both are having some issues they help each other and try to make it through the storm so to speak. Grant did an outstanding job in telling this love story. It was like a movie I could actually see playing out.   

Not only does this story have some emotional parts but it includes a romance that just made my heart pound. The sex scenes were hot and passionate. You can tell how much they felt for each other. Brian and Chase are a couple you want to be together. They have both suffered some hard times in the past but by them coming together they get the chance to heal those old wounds.With love and forgiveness anything is possible for them  to make it.

A Fool for You is the third book in this series but after reading this story I for sure what to go back and read the first two books. This is a story that will capture you and drag you in. I wanted so much more. A truly wonderful read. Happy Reading!

Review: Wish You Were Here (Little Black Dress) by Phillipa Ashley

"Can a whirlwind romance ever go the distance?

When Jack proposes to Beth at the end of a holiday romance, she doesn't think twice--she knows he's The One. But then Jack walks out soon after their return, with no explanation, no nothing.

Eight years on and Beth finds a fantastic new job--working for Jack. She could definitely do without having to face him everyday, but then she can't do without the job...

As the two of them are forced to spend time together, Beth unravels the mystery of Jack's disappearance. Is there too much baggage for them to try again--or could they finally be in the right place at the right time?"

Beth Allen will do whatever she has to do. Since her father had an accident over six months ago she has been helping out in the family business. Now that business is slow she is looking to take on a part time position to earn money to send her younger sister to an expensive college. Who knew working in the travel industry could be interesting? 

 
Jack Thornfield is the new CEO at Big Outdoors travel company. It just so happens his assistant shows him Beth Allen's resume for the temporary position to be project manager. Not only does he know she can handle the job but is actually perfect for the job. The thing is 8 years ago they had a summer romance and he has felt guilty about it. Will Beth end up taking the job when she finds out who the CEO is? 

I thought this book was a little slow at times and felt myself kind of dragging to read it. It was a cute read with these two reunited lovers. Both, Beth and Jack were very likable and sympathetic characters. As their story progressed I became more interested and invested in it. Jack tends to come off as cranky but never with Beth. You can tell that Beth loves her job and is excellent at doing it. 

One thing I was disappointed in was the back story. I was expecting so much more. I wanted to hear more about the Jack part when he left 8 years ago. Until it is revealed you really don't get the full effect on why he left.

I am a sucker for happy endings and this book hit all the stops when it came to that part.  I love how it ended and was not disappointed. Phillipa Ashley did a great job on putting these two together again. What can I say, Romance is the key.

Review: Mercury Rising by Daisy Harris

"Take a sexy romp with the gods in this hilarious and hot ménage!

Over-extended - and closeted - charmer Mercury the Messenger struggles to accommodate all the factions of the Deities International Conference and Kibbitz. However, his skills at diplomacy stretch to the limit when the object of a chance tryst turns out to be his assistant, and his arranged fiancée arrives at the scene.

Dillon Rodriquez, Mercury's executive aide and a soon-to-be MBA student, refuses to be the closeted god's side-dish. But when an accident at the conference strands the god in the human world, Dillon agrees to act as his guide.

Traveling from San Diego down the Baha Coast to Cabo, Mercury experiences a side of life he never imagined, and he learns that if he wants to earn the love of the one man who matters, he has to stop trying to please everyone else."

Review:

This is story is more than hot but the storyline is unique! It happens to be about Gods and Humans getting to know more about each other and buliding the relationships between the two.
 

Mercury is a god who happens to meet a sexy ass human named Dillon while on assignment.  Little does he know that Dillon will end up turning out to be his assistant at a conference that is happening on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. Dillon ends up teaching Mercury about feelings and coming out into the open. I absolutely loved how the story unfolded.
 

Mercury and Dillon aren't the only characters in this story. You get the chance to meet Vesta who just so happens to be engaged to Mercury but ends up with two Viking Gods named Loki and his boss Thor. The scenes between these three were not only hot but hilarious. I loved they way they acted with Vesta and showed her how they wanted her with every fiber in them. 

You also get the chance to meet Peleus who happens to be a vampire.  It just so happens he is  captured by the Goddess Thetis. Their encounter is not only erotic but it leads to a surprise ending that will have you wanting and needing more. 

I thought this story was very creative and had a fresh new spin on the Gods. Harris not only made the story very unique but erotic and fun. She also threw in some life lessons and romance which is always a plus for me. I enjoyed it so much I am hoping the stories of the Gods will continue. Since this was my first Daisy Harris book I am looking forward to reading more from her. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. Happy Reading!

Guest Post & Giveaway with Author Jules Bennett

 Today I want to Welcome Author Jules Bennett... Take it away Jules !!

Is there chaos in your life? Seriously? I kid you not I feel like I'm never home and I've decided I'm going to ask the bank to pro-rate my payment. I mean, I only sleep here (and not every night) and I'm never home during the day. I think a pro-rated bill is more than acceptable:)

In the month of June alone, I had a 3 day conference, a wedding that will have me gone 4 days (10 hour drive), RWA Nationals in NYC (4 days), bible school with my kids (5 days), dance recitals and practices (4 days) and that's not counting all the errands I need to run or the book I need to write.

Have mercy, I'm exhausted and the month is only half over.

So here's my question. What do you all do in your down time? Do you have something that relaxes you? You can't say reading...that's too easy:) Personally, I like to work out, but I'd like to hear what you do and maybe it will inspire me to mix up my down time routine!

I'll be giving away a signed copy of my October Harlequin Desire, FROM BOARDROOM TO WEDDING BED? to one random person who give me a good idea;)

I want to Thank Jules for stopping by. I greatly appreciate it and I hope she will stop by again. Good Luck at winning her new release :)