Monthly Archives: August 2018
Riding the Edge by Janine Infante Bosco #MC #Romance #review
Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, something extraordinary comes along that knocks you on your ass…
“Wolf”
I’m a simple man with simple values. You either love me or you hate me, but the ones who need me, always got me. I’m the self-proclaimed Wolf of the Satan’s Knights MC, the beast who will fight his way out of any dark alley to defend your honor. The brother you call upon when you’ve lost your faith in humanity.
However, secrets and lies are the cancer of a man’s soul. Exposed, they will eat away all that is good and leave nothing but destruction in their wake. They’ll prove the best intentions sometimes fail and leave you questioning your life’s choices.
Now, searching for a purpose, I find myself facing the ride of my existence with a woman just as jaded as me. As she fights the biggest battle of her life, I want to be the man who stands by her side. The man who ain’t afraid to ride the edge of misery because he knows there is something beautiful on the other side…
“Maria”
I’ve prevailed against the mob, a deadbeat ex-husband and the woes of being a single mother. While someone else may have wished for a different life, I believe I’m stronger for everything I’ve endured. I’m someone who speaks her mind and fights for what is right. A woman who will smack you upside the head with a frying pan and ask questions later.
Terrified of love, I’m an otherwise fearless woman.
Until a doctor solemnly diagnoses me and my strength falters.
Now as fear engulfs me, an unexpected man dressed in leather, holds out his hand.
As a woman who never needed anyone, I suddenly need him.
His assurance.
His strength.
His love
***NOTE: Contains explicit sexual situations, violence, offensive language, and mature topics. Not recommended for people under the age of 18***
This book is the 3rd in the Satan’s Knights series and ends in an HEA. This series states that each book can be read as a standalone. This 3rd book is the first book I’ve read in the series and I found it hard to understand. So much happens to the characters in previous books that is not explained. The only part of this story unique to this book involves the romance between Wolf and Maria. I felt it was refreshing to have a romance for a mature couple with grown children.
The Oathing Stone by J.Z.N McCauley #Review
Book Two of The Rituals Trilogy—Fire magic wraps around her bones and strengthens them, but if the fire touches another, it does more than burn.
After a year blissfully hidden together in a small village on Ireland’s lush green, Catherine and Bowen are ready to tie the knot. The joining of an ancient druid doctor and a woman blessed with druid magic from the sacred oak tree calls for nothing less than a traditional Celtic ceremony. For this, to connect them to their ancestors and the sacred place where they marry, a key item must be chosen for the ritual, the oathing stone.
Their need for discretion allows for only a gathering of Catherine’s closest friends and family. But after the couple’s first night together, strange and sudden events unfold. Blood mingles with fire, and Catherine’s magic becomes unstable.
Meanwhile, the mysterious Faerie Kings send a Fae spy to witness Catherine’s magic which disrupts not only her life but her best friend Bella’s when she becomes his sudden obsession. Just after Bella goes missing, it is up to Catherine to get her back, but it is only the beginning of their problems as she finds they’re embroiled in the middle of a Faerie civil war.
Let me preface this review by saying that I rarely give 5 star reviews; I just don’t. A book has to really wow me to earn one, and this one did! It is obvious, even if I had not seen the subtitle, that this is not the first book in the series. However, the author has done an admirable job catching up the reader without completely re-telling the whole story. There were a couple of times that I felt like there was some information that I’d missed (I’ve not read the first book in the trilogy), but it was certainly not enough to detract me from the rest of the story. I very much enjoyed how the author has woven in threads from Celtic/Irish mythology and has given a fresh look at the world of the fae beyond “light” and “dark”. It takes a special book for me to want to go back and read the book(s) before it in a series so I get a richer perspective, and an even more special book for me to look past a cliffhanger ending. The book was not full of filler sentences to pad the word count, nor was it novella length, hindering the author’s storytelling. Well done! Now, I want to know Danny and Bella’s story!!!!!
Reviewed by HR Duby for Romance Authors that Rock
Animus by Ophelia Bell #Review
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Caressed by the Edge of Darkness by Amanda J. Greene #Review
Hardened by centuries of torture, former blood slave, Gabriel Erhard, is driven by an insatiable need to destroy his enemies. Violence darkens his battered soul, leaving no place for mercy in his world. Gabriel’s only desire is vengeance—until he finds her.
Seized by vampires, bound as a slave, and placed on the auction block, Jordan Culver is instantly entranced by the dangerous male who claims her. Jordan’s new captor vows to set her free, but his haunted gaze burns with savage desire and his wicked kiss makes her crave his touch and…complete surrender.
While Gabriel battles his enemies, he will break every sacred law to achieve his ultimate goal—uniting the Outcast Society and creating a new vampire Clan. But the distracting human with mesmerizing violet eyes jeopardizes his plans. With every soft whisper she evokes his tormented memories, tests his sanity and challenges his every boundary. Can Jordan help him overcome the miseries of his past and find a future with her? Or will he lose what remains of his soul and become a true beast?
This book is the 5th in the Rulers of Darkness series and ends in an HEA. Gabriel is a vampire that hates humans. He was tortured and sexually abused by a human for years. Once he was freed, he fought to free all slaves and became the king of the outcast faction of the vampires in Las Vegas. The irony of Gabriel becoming fixated on a human slave, Jordan, is not lost on any of his followers. Even though this story is fantasy, human trafficking is not. The abuse the humans endure is detailed and unpleasant, but necessary to show how much suffering the evil ones in this story are doing.
Burn by Lisa Carlisle #Review
A vampire on the run.
A shapeshifting bounty hunter hired to capture her.
Who will outsmart whom?
Layla Black flees London, on the run from a master vampire. She reinvents herself as Angelica, the singer of an 80s metal cover band in Boston, but her past soon catches up to her.
Devon St. Clair, bounty hunter extraordinaire, is in hot pursuit of a thieving vampire. Vampires, he hated them. Capturing Layla should be a satifsying gig that nets a nice profit.
But Devon wasn’t counting on spitfire Layla being his target, distracting him from his mission. Besides, shapeshifters and vampires didn’t mix. And more bloodsuckers are on their tail.
The hunt is on. But, who will be predator, and who will be prey?
Burn is the fourth installment in the Underground Encounters series, set in a club that attracts supernatural creatures. Each book features a different couple — and perhaps species! — and can be read on its own.
A vampire and a shifter? Really! A female rock star vampire, too. And not just a regular shifter but a shifter who can choose his animal. That alone was enough to catch my attention! The storyline and fast pace kept me reading. Hot steamy scenes were mixed with intrigue and suspense.
Overall it was well written. Characters were a mixed bag, though. The two main ones and a few others were fleshed out enough to be believable in their responses, but some of the other background characters seemed a bit flat.
As an independent reviewer for Romance Authors that Rock, I gave it a solid four hearts. The fast pace and premise earned it that, while the lack of depth in the bad guys and a few others kept that last heart away. Those steamy hot sex scenes, though!!!
Quadruple Duty by Krista Wolf #Review
QUADRUPLE DUTY will return to full price August 25th
Needed: Community Girlfriend for (4) Army Ranger Specialists at incredible lakehouse estate. Wife material. Long term only.
The ad was ridiculous. Beyond ridiculous! Yet for Sammara Madsen, bored in life and unlucky in love? The concept made her stomach do a sexy barrel roll.
After a chance encounter with a gorgeous soldier reveals the opportunity of a lifetime, Sammara goes along out of simple curiosity. Yet when she falls in love with the beautiful mansion as well as the three other handsome Rangers who live there? The idea of being shared between them as their girlfriend doesn’t seem so outrageous anymore.
Kyle is the charming, sculpted epitome of the perfect man. Dakota, the beautiful giant – and quintessential country boy. Ryan is the brooding, motorcycle-riding bad boy who shares Sammara’s lonely past, and Briggs is the mysterious alpha mercenary, dark and enigmatic, with wounds only a lover could heal.
Yet satisfying the physical and emotional needs of four strapping, powerful soldiers is not without its share of problems. Sammara is plagued by the woes of her dying business. And the four brothers-in-arms have a puzzling secret all their own… one that could easily put them – and their eager new girlfriend – in mortal danger.
Four Army Rangers… sharing the same woman, mind, body, and soul. The ultimate fantasy becomes heart-pounding reality as Sammara is taken into each of their beds – and hearts – one by one, two on one… and more.
Can Sammara succeed in fulfilling her role to each of her beautiful new boyfriends; that of friend, lover, and so much more? Or will sinister unknown forces crush their budding 5-way relationship before it can even begin?
QUADRUPLE DUTY is a sexy, stand-alone reverse harem military romance filled with humor, drama, pulse-pounding excitement, and enormous amounts of love. It also contains sizzling hot MFMMM menage sex, in single and multiple partner scenes so molten they’re bound to melt your kindle! HEA guaranteed.
Awesome! Super steamy sex scenes are the smallest part of why I loved this one. The author has created a completely believable situation with characters that react in a realistic manner. It’s a story that could go much farther and have some great insight into poly relationships if it did. For the short time you get to spend with this bunch, though, you grow to love each of them quickly. There’s a mysterious back story going on that keeps the action moving and pages turning. A few twists tossed in as well make it even more interesting. I was drawn to the heroine immediately. She is capable and strong yet vulnerable in her own way.
As an independent reviewer for Romance Authors that Rock, this one gets the full four hearts. It missed the last one only because it’s got so much potential for a longer book, or even a series by itself. So many things this author could do with these characters! Highly recommended for any woman who believes polyamory is possible.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2501893343
https://www.amazon.com/review/R2PYF6WPW0XZCZ/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv
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Highlander’s Desire by Joanne Wadsworth #Review
an alternate cover edition can be found here
There can be only one…for both of them.
In the twelfth century, a man named Gilleoin was gifted with the ability to shift into a bear. His clan was called Matheson, and when he mated with a woman carrying faerie blood, they created a line shrouded in secrecy, yet still, far into the future, whispers would abound…
For five long years, Isla Matheson has run from the one man her fae ancestor prophesized would be hers, but now her time for running is done. Her shifter mate is closing in and when he captures her and takes her home to his clan, she can no longer deny either of them. She chooses to merge with him in all ways, and in doing so sets a twelfth century prophecy in motion, one that sends her hurtling back through time to when their clan first began.
Highland warrior shifter Iain Matheson has fallen under his mate’s spell. She’s the one woman he would die to protect, and when a portal opens and takes her from him, he dives in after her. He’ll never allow her to escape him, not even when he becomes embroiled in one of the greatest feuds raging at that time.
Now they have a mission, to save their future line from extinction, to give hope to their people, both in the future and the past.
THE MATHESON BROTHERS SERIES
Highlander’s Desire, #1
Highlander’s Passion, #2, (Finlay’s story)
Highlander’s Seduction, #3 (Kirk’s story)
I’m absolutely in love with the way this author writes. Her stories flow along in such beautiful prose! The backstory for this series is superb as well, with the history and visions being passed down through the generations. I enjoy the premise of knowing instantly that you belong to each other, and of a mating bond that draws you together. The sex scenes are steamy and fantastic while being very classically written. This being the first of the series, I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on at first, but by the end of the book, I was looking forward to the rest of the stories and seeing how the overall storyline works out.
As an independent reviewer for Romance Authors that Rock I am giving this one four beating hearts. That fifth heart is always reserved for the books that have me in tears by the time I’m through. While I loved all the characters in this realm, there wasn’t that type of an emotional attachment. I enjoyed the story and recommend it to anyone who loves Highlanders, shifters and fae.
https://www.amazon.com/review/R31Q8X1YCRKOKJ/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv
Lost with A Lord by Emily E. K. Murdoch #Review
A man in search of a courtesan, and a woman in search of a ship – and neither will find what they thought they wanted…
Lord George Northmere is tired of his lonely existence, and takes the radical decision to go against the ton and society’s rules, and seek out comfort.
But in all his thirty years, he has never met anyone quite like the fiery Italian Miss Florence Capria.
After a riot forces them to take shelter for the night in an intimate small room, can Lord George ignore the growing passion Miss Capria is igniting in his once cold heart? Will being lost with a lord change Florence’s destiny forever?
This is the first in a series of eight Ravishing Regencies.
Excellent short read. Starts off a bit strange but that just serves to entice you into wondering about the second novel! Characters are well written, and you feel like you know them by the end of the story even though it’s so short. The interactions between the two before and after their interlude is realistic and believable, even for people who don’t believe in love at first sight. Which I suppose it wasn’t actually first sight, more like first night!
As an independent reviewer for Romance Authors that Rock, I give this book a full four hearts. As a short novel, it falls off the last heart since there simply wasn’t enough time to get fully enough attached to the characters to be emotionally involved. Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it highly!
https://www.amazon.com/review/R3E4IQZILFPBKG/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv
Hidden by Eva Gordon #Review
Mia’s testimony against Russian mobsters forced her to enter the witness protection program. She is relocated to a quaint cottage in Wolf Woods, near Mt. Rainier, far from everyone and everything she loved and cared for. All is calm, until she meets Dominic, the gorgeous ruggedly handsome owner of the mysterious Wolfe Estate. He is all alpha male, domineering, and controlling. The last thing she needs is to get involved with a sexy control freak.
Alpha werewolf, Dominic Wolfe, is the packs’ enforcer. When an attractive young woman moves into a cottage near his territory; his senses are heightened to obsessive proportions. A human pet to meet his desires.
Dominic is determined to unveil Mia’s real identity while keeping his own securely hidden. Haunted by the howls and shrieks coming from Dominic’s estate, Mia wonders if she can really trust the enigmatic man she suspects of wanting a dominant-submissive relationship. A man who brings out her darker desires. Will hidden danger keep them from gratifying their burning passion?
In book 1 of 3, Mia is on the run from the Russian Mob. Witness protection has placed her in a quiet cabin in the woods. Dominic is the “Big Bad Wolf” enforcer and controls everything in his woods. When he learns that the woman, whom he is instantly drawn to is in danger, he puts himself at risk against Lycan law to protect her. Although I wasn’t to sure what I thought about the premise of “keeping a human as a pet”, I really liked this story. There are strong characters and an action packed storyline. I normally get my reading material through ARC’s or KU, so the highest compliment I can give this book is that I went and bought the next story’s to follow in the series. I give this story 5 Stars.
*****Reviewer for Romance Authors that Rock I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*****
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30075424
https://www.amazon.com/review/R1VC04TF5ARI54/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv
Sext Me by Layla Valentine #Review
I like to be filthy. I talk dirty for a living.
But I never meet my clients.
Not until now…
Cole Hardcastle.
He’s a hot-as-all-hell SEAL with a body to die for
And a tongue as filthy as my own.
But there’s a problem:
His navy buddies signed him up to my sext line.
He thinks I’m just an ordinary girl.
And he’s got no idea he’s on a blind date with a professional phone sexter…
Looks like I’ve got some explaining to do.
But that can wait.
We’re gonna dial the steam up to eleven,
And I can enact my every last fantasy…
This is a re-release of Layla Valentine’s previously published book, SEXT ME. It’s the third book in the Once A SEAL, Always a SEAL series.
Working her way through medical school, Ivy has the lucrative job of sexting. Just home from his last mission as a Navy SEAL, Cole is excited to get a text from Ivy, thinking he met her the night before during his bar crawl. Over a few steamy texts they develop a connection, with Cole not realizing what Ivy’s job is. This is a quick HEA read, that you kinda see the climax coming, but that’s ok. The characters were interesting and pretty realistic. Only thing I had a hard time believing was the willingness of Ivy to meet up with someone from her sexting job. Cole I believed because he thought he’d met her, but Ivy?? Anyways, cute story. I give it 5 Stars.
*****Reviewer for Romance Authors that Rock I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*****
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41150953
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