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Showing posts from January, 2017

seriously romantic: to tame a wild lady by ashlyn macnamara

a lot of the time the characters in historical romance novels don't necessarily behave in ways that are historically accurate. this is very true of the characters in  to tame a wild lady . i was surprised to realize that this was a regency, because given the character's staunch feminism it at least felt mildly victorian, but this was not the case. letting go of the historical accuracy piece is usually not a problem for me, and i did enjoy the novel in spite of the fact that i didn't think the characters were behaving in line with the setting.  lady caroline wilde is horse-mad. she wants to participate in the hunt, something no woman is allowed to do. she's raised and trained her horse all on her own. she's reserved fields of her father's land for her own pursuits, even at the estate's expense. when adrian crosby shows up to take over the estate agent position, caro is instantly attracted to him. he is the by-blown son of the marquess of wyvern, and has

simply all about too wild to tame by tessa bailey

ABOUT THE BOOK   Title: Too Wild to Tame Author: Tessa Bailey Series: Romancing the Clarksons, #2 On Sale: January 31, 2017 Publisher: Forever Mass Market: $5.99 USD eBook: $2.99 USD Add to Goodreads **NOW AVAILABLE IN PRINT FOR THE FIRST TIME** Sometimes you just can't resist playing with fire… By day, Aaron Clarkson suits up, shakes hands, and acts the perfect gentleman. But at night, behind bedroom doors, the tie comes off and the real Aaron comes out to play. Mixing business with pleasure got him fired, so Aaron knows that if he wants to work for the country's most powerful senator, he'll have to keep his eye on the prize. That's easier said than done when he meets the senator's daughter, who's wild, gorgeous, and 100 percent trouble. Grace Pendleton is the black sheep of her conservative family. Yet while Aaron's presence reminds her of a past she'd rather forget, something in his eyes keeps

strictly literary: long way home by katie mcgarry

the latest installment of the thunder road series, long way home , gives us chevy and violet's story. both of them have grown up in the reign of terror motorcycle gang. their fathers were both members, but they both struggle with living in the gang and its culture and having a normal life. i have to say, i've read each book in this series, and i struggle with the culture. i know we are supposed to see the gang as the heros, but the way being a member of the gang controls the life of everyone involved, even those who didn't choose the life, is so hard to swallow. i have rooted for every one of the guys in the previous novels to leave the gang behind, so i'm sure i'll be disappointed in chevy, even though out of all of them, he stands to gain the most from leaving the motorcycle life behind. he's an all-american guy, the star running back on his football team, someone who has so much possibility if he dares leave the reign of terror behind. but his grandfather

seriously romantic: her leading man by maggie dallen

caitlyn has a thing for cary grant . she wants a boyfriend who is silver screen worthy. her ex, she's come to realize was decidedly not cary grant. and her first date with ben is definitely not dreamy. though it's also probably more cary grant than she could have ever dreamed. i mean, in the philadelphia story or bringing up baby  it's definitely not love at first sight in her leading man   for either of the leads. ben does his best to make a giant ass of himself on their date. and then as luck would have it, he ends up being her sublettor. the thing is, ben isn't as gigantic an ass as he first seems. and the time they spend together begins to mean something. slowly they become friends. but they are also friends who have incredible chemistry. because that's the thing about cary grant. the man had incredible chemistry with his leading ladies. all that bickering was foreplay, and that's what cait and ben have going on. so when they do let go of their inhibi

seriously romantic: confession by calista fox

in this erotic novella, fallon carteris finally has a chance to be with bad boy billionaires devon mcmillan and morgan presley. she's known them her whole life. and she knows they like to share their ladies. after some time away from the bayfront area where they grew up, she's devoted some serious time into becoming the woman of their dreams. what she doesn't know is that something has come between devon and morgan, something so taboo they can't bring themselves to spend any time together, retreating to opposite coasts and ignoring their original bayfront property. they're only in town because they've received an offer too hard to refuse, and they need to talk about it. but the name of this book is confession , and you know they need to reveal all their secrets before things get all better. the short format makes quick work of explaining the back story, even though we don't get the full details of what happened that one night in seattle until after the m

seriously romantic: the feeling of forever by jamie howard

when felix donovan meets juliet st. clair it's over. he knows that she is all he wants in his life. she's the person he wants to be with always. and juliet feels the same way. they may not admit it to each other right then and there, but it's love. it's true and strong and forever. so why is there a whole novel about these two lovebirds called the feeling of forever ? well, it's complicated. juliet is a famous actress with a stalker problem. a stalker problem so bad that she had to testify and has extra security now that he's out of prison. and felix, well, we met felix before in all the ways you saved me . he's ian's bandmate who ended up paraplegic after a freak accident. it's been a year and he's still dealing with the emotional trauma of the incident. like he still hasn't let it be known that he's in a wheelchair. physically he's strong, he's fit. he's doing pt, he's doing all the right things. but mentally he&#

something from the archives: say goodbye - part 4

parts 1 , 2 , and 3 can be re-read at the links, while part 4 follows below the jump.

seriously romantic: the list by tawna fenske

when cassie michaels is forced to bring in her computer to computer tech simon traxel she is embarrassed beyond words. her computer has frozen on a rather incriminating document, the list . you see, she's been compiling a list of crazy sexy stories she's told her sisters, and that she might be expected to recount at her sister's upcoming bachelorette party. cassie is a soil scientist, a girl who loves getting down and dirty with nature and who has always felt like she needed to prove something to her super girly older sisters. she's so mortified when she meets simon that he can't help being intrigued. she's so shy and the things on her list are so naughty that he wants to know more about her. he hasn't felt like that about anyone in a long time. simon has a bit of baggage. his younger sister has down syndrome and while he is wonderful with her, and she is portrayed beautifully by the author, he's found that the women he has chosen in the past don'

seriously romantic: royal scandal by marquita valentine

in royal scandal , the fictitious exiled royals of the isle of man escaped their homeland as children, with only their eldest brother, colin,  of an age to care for them and honestly at nineteen he was a child himself. that's when he first meets della hughes, his seventeen year-old neighbor who has come to give him the what-for given that he's just evicted her stepmother. colin never reveals the reasons why his family has fled to this hidden enclave in the carolinas. he doesn't share that the two baby boys he cares for are his brothers not his children. he never lets della in on his big secrets. but when parliament decides to offer him a deal to return, one that would make him king and also marry him off to a stranger he decides to take matters into his own hands. at the same time, his family is outed in the press as the exiled royal family and the secure enclave they'd retreated to all those years ago is under siege by the press. so colin proposes to della. at fi

seriously romantic: just once by addison fox

book 2 of the brooklyn brotherhood series pairs cop daphne rossi with tech wizard landon mcgee. landon at his cooperative office space. daphne believes that the theft has all the markings of a personal attack. and there are several people who could be targeting landon. one is gloria reynolds who has a longstanding grudge against landon's adoptive mother. the other is landon's biological mother, amber, who left landon behind when her addictions proved to be too much. after a break-in that targets only landon doesn't really want daphne to go poking around in his past. he's pretty sure the break-in can be laid at gloria's door, and the last thing he wants is to reconnect with the woman who neglected him for years and then abandoned him. like the first book in the series, park heights, the brooklyn neighborhood these characters live in serves as a whole other character, and everyone has an opinion about the relationship and what the two characters need to do to m

seriously romantic: the devil's submission by nicola davidson

the devil's submission  is the second novella in the fallen series by nicola davidson, and picks up the story of grayson "devil" deveraux and his estranged wife, eliza. they had a whirlwind romance, and devil thought that he had finally found a woman who could satisfy his unique needs. when they first meet, eliza can't stop herself from seizing control during their sexual encounters. devil has a submissive streak, but he's also deeply ashamed of this, having been constantly humiliated and degraded for his preferences. but eliza comes from a very proper english family. her parents run a finishing school that promises perfect brides and excellent marriages. and her mother keeps telling her that she needs to be a good english wife. so she starts holding back her need to control things. and the more meekly she behaves the more devil pulls back, and he believes`that he's made a terrible mistake. that he has fallen in love with a woman who cannot satisfy the dee

strictly literary: wondering sight by melissa mcshane

i loved burning  bright , the first book in melissa mcshane's extraordinaries series, so i was thrilled to see  wondering sight   was just released. i mean, literally thrilled, because just like with burning bright the cover is so pretty. at first i kept expecting to see elinor and miles or some of the characters from the first novel, and i spent a lot of time trying to identify connections that weren't there. so eventually i figured that these books weren't necessarily connected, but that they clearly occupied the same world. and this is a fully fleshed out world, a paranormal version of our own regency england. sophia westlake has just come home from portugal, after years of service as an extraordinary seer. she leaves her government service in disgrace, having accused a peer of embezzlement that there is no evidence for. but sophia knows she is right. she is not just any extraordinary seer, she is among the best. and the doubt about her visions cuts her to the core of

something from the archives: say goodbye - part 3

parts 1 and 2 set the stage at the links, but part 3 takes us back to what happens after the end of departure. we'll see where things go after their one night, but it will be a while before we get there. we pick up the story one month earlier then, after the jump...

seriously romantic: first comes desire by tina donahue

i'm always up for a romance novel that takes place in an exotic locale, because nine times out of ten they take place in america or the british isles. first comes desire  takes place in madagascar, so interesting location is definitely a box it checks. unfortunately, it also checks the ridiculous purple prose box--actual phrases include "meaty balls" and "beefy rod," which, um, are not sexy. i personally prefer not to think of raw meat when sex is happening. and even more unfortunate, the way this love story develops is totally schizophrenic. diana has hunted tristan down because she thinks he kidnapped her brother--he didn't. when he gets the better of her, he locks himself in her bedroom, and tells her she wants him, kisses her when she says no, and informs her that the children she will bear him will not be bastards because they are getting married. then when his crew demands a turn with her, he seemingly acquiesces without a fight, lets her think

simply all about real good love by meghan march

A couple of weeks ago,  I talked up Real Good Man by Meghan March. The sequel, Real Good Love, is out today, so if you've been looking for some books to binge-read, have at it. see below for more information on both books, including places to order.   Real Good Love Real Duet Book 2 Release Date: January 17 From USA Today bestselling author Meghan March comes a sexy new duet with a hero you won't want to miss .   I’ve had my fair share of bad boys, but nothing prepared me for what it was like to be with a real good man. Logan Brantley changed everything. Somewhere along the way, what started as a fling became the best part of my life. He makes me want all the things I’ve never had, like forever and happily ever after, but nothing worth having comes easily. Everyone is betting on us to fail, but I’m ready to fight for this real good love. Real Good Love is the conclusion of the Real Duet and should be read following Real Good Man . iB

superbly suspenseful: at close range by laura griffin

the tracers series by laura griffin revolves a specialized csi lab called the delphi center and the local austin, texas area. at close range  follows daniele "dani" harper and scott black as they trace a serial killer in a connected series of murders that threatens them a little too directly. precincts near the when dani is first called into the double murder scene, she knows it's going to be a long night. and when she's made lead on the case because her senior partner is about to go out on paternity leave, her night gets longer. she's the only girl in a family of cops and lawmen, so she's psyched by the chance to prove herself and overwhelmed by the pressure. but she's tough and she sets things in motion in order to ensure that they get their guy. except the evidence says that scott black, the delphi center's ballistics expert is their guy. dani has known scott her whole life, he's her brother's best friend. she's had a crush on him s

seriously romantic: ruthless by gina maxwell

in ruthless , the second book in gina maxwell's playboys in love series, we see roman and addison light up the boardroom and the dance floor with their explosive chemistry and crazy sexual tension. addie has always been the girl who flouts the rules, she fights for what she wants, and works and plays hard. she wants roman as soon as she sees him, and even though he usually doesn't get tangled up with friends of friends sexually, she's going to make sure that he breaks that silly rule of his. there's a reason for this that addie isn't aware of. roman has certain needs that most girls he meets aren't up for. he enjoys sharing his partners, having another pair of hands on hand in order to increase his partner's pleasure. addie is taken aback by these needs, but she's open-minded enough to try things. especially given how intense the connection is between roman and her. when she ends up working at roman's newly-launched law firm, at first they try

seriously romantic: nine kinds of naughty by jeanette grey

lexie bellamy knows how to rule the boardroom. she's been at the top of her game since taking the reins at her family company and keeping the whole thing afloat while her brother figured himself out. in nine kinds of naughty   now that he's back in charge, she has to fight even harder to stay on top, to lean in, because as a woman, no one is going to give her more than one chance to succeed. and part of her success can be tracked back to her assistant, dane huntley. he knows what she wants before she even speaks the words. he's at her command, by her side every moment she needs him while he's on the clock. when he's not on the clock, well, she doesn't quite know what he does. his weekends are a mystery to her. but dane isn't really that mysterious. he comes from a firefighting family, and his older brother died in a fire. and since then his mother has kept him in a bubble, and to please her, he's lived his life inside the lines. taking a temp job t

strictly literary: my (not so) perfect llfe by sophie kinsella

can you keep a secret? and i've got your number  are two of my all-time favorite comfort reads--they are laugh out loud funny, romantic, and after i read them i can't stop smiling. my (not so) perfect life  hits all the right notes and joins the other two in my re-read pile for when life gets stressful or depressing. katie brenner is finally living the london life of her dreams. except her boss, demeter, is crazy demanding. and her flat is miles away from where she works and she's got terrible roommates. her salary barely covers her rent, and so mostly she pretends to herself and the world that her london life is perfect. doing so by instagramming picture-perfect moments that don't reflect the reality--filtering out imperfections and cropping out the reminders that, actually, if she sits down and takes stock, she's pretty miserable.  so when she is unceremoniously fired, she retreats back to her family farm in somerset where her father and stepmother are

something from the archives: say goodbye - part 2

i need to figure out a way to let people jump to the next part easily because this story is so freaking long, but the problem is that i can't do that in advance because there is no next part to jump to until the next thursday. but i could do it after the fact. it just seems like a lot of editing i'm not all that interested in doing. we shall see. maybe in my mythical free time. part 1 is at the link, while part 2 continues below. note that this part is pretty steamy.

seriously romantic: maybe it's you by candace calvert

the third book in candace calvert's crisis team series, maybe it's you , is a slow burn. a real slow burn. and it's not the christian romance angle that makes it so slow. i've accidentally picked up other christian romances before, and while i prefer things to be steamier, and less god talk in my romance novels, i still just love romance in any form, so those missing those two things is easy to get past. it's just that at 40% of the novel i couldn't believe i still had 60% to go. and i think it's partly because there is so much going on here other than romance. this is a medical romance, so there is a lot of hospital scenes, and we get some extended patient care scenes. the author is a former trauma nurse, so clearly knows what happens in an e.r. and understands how hospitals work. but i wanted more interaction between the two leads and cared less about the different medical cases sloane, our heroine, would be handling. unfortunately, it's not until