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Review: Scrumptious by Amanda Usen

Scrumptious
~Amanda Usen

Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 
Publish Date: January 1, 2012 
ISBN-10: 1402259824 
ISBN-13: 978-1402259821

From Goodreads:
Sparks between love 'em and leave 'em pastry chef and poker sharp Marlene Bennet and traveling chef-for-hire Joe Rafferty when the two culinary perfectionists are forced to share a kitchen. But several suspicious accidents at the restaurant convince Marlene and Joe to work together to uncover the saboteur. Maybe a little intrigue and high-stakes poker will be the perfect ingredients for these commitment-phobic foodies to whip up a happily ever after.

Marly Bennett is a bakery chef working in Olivia's (her BFF) restaurant, Chameleon.  Marly has worked at Chameleon for years - she grew up with Olivia's family and worked while Olivia went to culinary school.  Things are not going well for Olivia - her rat of a husband has cheated on her for the last time and is trying to take the restaurant down with him.  Marly knows they can keep Chameleon afloat but knows it's going to take some hard work.

Joe Rafferty is an old friend of Olivia's, passing through town on the way to fulfill his mother's deathbed wish - to visit his father and then settle down and marry a nice girl. After hearing about Olivia's predicament, Joe agrees to help out as chef, much to Marly's chagrin.  Their mutual attraction is tempered by their ability to butt heads in and out of the kitchen.  Besides, Marly is definitely not the type of girl Joe is looking for, and Marly does not want to settle down.

My thoughts:
Scrumptious was pretty sweet (pun intended).  Even though I hate to cook, I love stories about cooks - go figure...anyhoo:

I had kind of a love/hate relationship with these two.  I liked them both, they seemed like good, heardworking people, likeable, but with flaws.  I also liked the back and forth between Marly and Olivia; their friendship was believable and realistic.  The secondary characters were interesting and furthered the story without being obvious.  I really enjoyed the scenes involving running the restaurant, I felt like I was getting a peek into the workings of a real restaurant kitchen.  The mystery of how the kitchen was being sabatoged was interesting, I knew who was behind it but not how it was being accomplished.

What didn't I like?  My problem with Marly was that she used one of the secondary characters to "scratch her itch" and to get back at Joe when she was mad at him.  That's a no-no for me; not a good sign of character.  Joe had a bit of a double-standard that got on my nerves:  while he has a history of being a "himbo", he referred to Marly several times as a slut for the same behavior.  I really had a problem with his quest to find a virgin/good girl and marry her.  That seemed so 18th century and ridiculous given his own sexual history.

My other complaint was the ending was a bit far-fetched and fast.  I would have preferred less of the excitement at the end and more of Marly/Joe.

All in all though, a cute, fun read.  I'll be keeping my eyes open for more from this author.

My Rating:

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Wild Thing by Robin Kaye

Wild Thing
~Robin Kaye

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 
Publish Date: December 6, 2011 
ISBN-10: 1402257279 
ISBN-13: 978-1402257278 
ASIN: B005UEXEHW

From the author's website:
Whitewater-rafting guide Hunter Kincaid lands his dream job–guiding sportswear models through Idaho's rugged wilderness for a week-long photo shoot. When he meets Toni Russo, the goth New York manager of Action Models, there are enough sparks to set the forest ablaze.

When Hunter finds Toni's book on how to marry the man of your choice, he studies it as a joke. Before long Hunter realizes he's never cared enough for a woman to bother working this hard to get her. But the last man in the world this city girl wants is a Survivor Man wannabe...

Toni Russo is a city girl, through and through.  Hunter Kincaid lives and works in the wilderness.  When Action Models sets up a photo shoot with Hunter's company, taking their models rafting and hiking, Toni ends up having to accompany the models at the last minute.   Toni would rather do just about anything else; she has a phobia about being in the wilderness.  But Hunter makes it his personal mission to be sure Toni loses her fears and has a good time...

My thoughts:
We first met Hunter and his brothers, Trapper and Fisher, briefly in Ms. Kaye's previous book, Yours for the Taking.  I am happy to report that we get more of not only Hunter, but his brothers as well - I love these brothers!!  I found Toni a bit rough around the edges, and not as easy to like as Hunter, but by the end of the story I was rooting for their HEA.

Toni is a goth-wearing, city-dwelling woman with an aversion to anything that even remotely resembles the great outdoors.  We learn later in the story why she has this phobia, and watch as Hunter struggles to make the trip not only bearable but enjoyable for her.  Toni is used to being surrounded by gorgeous models and not being noticed, so Hunter really throws her for a loop.

Hunter is not used to having the feelings Toni brings out in him - protective, posessive, and head-over-heels for Toni.  He wants a real relationship with Toni, but she doesn't have enough self-confidence to believe it and thwarts his attempts at commitment at every turn by telling herself it's only temporary until she gets back to the city.  (This was actually one of the issues I had with the book was that he fell so quickly - I would have liked their relationship to take a little more time)

There's quite a bit of humor throughout the book, so many times I chuckled out loud:

Toni watched Hunter run across the street and put her boots in the truck.  She'd probably drop the things in the incinerator when she got home, but then, if she kept seeing Hunter, he'd expect her to wear them again.  God, her closet was too small for ugly shoes.~page 233, Wild Thing

There was also a side story of a charitable organization Hunter is trying to expand, and a quite funny storyline about a relationship-help book Toni brings on the trip...

Wild Thing is a cute, funny, contemporary romance by an author who's writing style I really enjoy.  Fans of contemporary romance and the opposites-attract storyline will have a great time reading this book.

My Rating:

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Pam's Review: Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

Tiger's Curse
~Colleen Houck

Reading level: Ages 12 and up 
Hardcover: 448 pages 
Publisher: Splinter 
Publish Date: January 11, 2011 
ISBN-10: 1402784031 
ISBN-13: 978-1402784033

From the author's website:
Passion. Fate. Loyalty. 
Would you risk it all to change your destiny? 
The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that’s exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever. 
Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

Kelsey is a high school graduate and needs a summer job before college. The temp agency she went to set her up to work for the circus in town for two weeks. She helps sell tickets, clean up after the shows, and brings the tiger, Ren, its food. There is something about the tiger that captivates her. Kelsey finds herself spending more and more time with him, reading him stories and poetry. She even gets daring and pats him through the bars. Near the end of her employment she gets offered another job to travel to India and help Ren travel comfortably to a tiger sanctuary there. She agrees, but little does she know that Ren is really a cursed prince, and she is about to go on the adventure of her life.

My thoughts:
This was the first book I’ve read with the setting in India; it was so different, it was so unique. I learned, through Kelsey, some myths and legends about the country, but I’m not sure if they were made up for the book or not. Either way, they were really interesting.

I generally liked Kelsey’s character. Her parents died when she was young, but she still turned out to be a caring, genuinely nice person. However, her character bothered me in the way she doubted herself. She thought Ren was too good for her, too handsome for her, basically that he was out of her league. It might be normal for a 17 year old girl to think like that, I wouldn’t know, it’s been a while. But the fact that she self doubted herself so much was a bit of a turn off for me.

Something about this book kept reminding me of the Twilight series as well. Maybe the fact that Ren was really old, really rich, and wanted to be with Kelsey even though she thought he could do better. But then I reminded myself that that is the way a lot of books are. If there is a vampire or shapeshifter who is old, they’re probably going to be rich. It kind of goes hand in hand I guess. Well, as long as they invest right.

Ren and Kelsey had romance, but I didn’t always feel it. Sometimes it just didn’t seem believable to me. Also, in the adventures that they had together pretty scary things went on, but I didn’t even feel like Kelsey was scared. This wasn’t enough to keep me from liking the book though. In fact I had the one more chapter problem. It was one of those books that you say to yourself, I’ll just read one more chapter, and you can’t stop. I went to bed way too late because of this; I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

I am already reading and enjoying the next book in the series. Review to come.

Buy the book here.



My Rating:

Pam

Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Pam's Review: Families and Other Nonreturnable Gifts by Claire LaZebnik

Families and Other Nonreturnable Gifts
~ Claire LaZebnik

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: 5 Spot (September 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446555029
ISBN-13: 978-0446555029
ASIN: B004RD8558

From Goodreads:
Despite her name, Keats Sedlak is the sanest person in her large, nutty family of brilliant eccentrics. Her parents, both brainy academics, are barely capable of looking after themselves, let alone anyone else, and her two uber-intelligent siblings live on their own planets. At least she can count on one person in her life, her devoted boyfriend Tom. Down-to-earth and loving, he's the one thing that's kept Keats grounded for the last decade. But when Keats's mother makes a surprise announcement, the entire family is sent into a tailspin. For the first time, Keats can't pick up the pieces by herself. Now she must re-evaluate everything she's ever assumed about herself and her family - and make the biggest decision of her life.

 Keats Sedlak is living a content, comfortable life. She is living in an apartment with her boyfriend of ten years and has a not so challenging job as an office manager. However, she is the oddball in her family, the normal one to say the least. Her brother, Milton, hasn't left their mother's house for two years. Her sister, Hopkins, is a genius, and she is currently saving lives as a neurologist. Her father, also a genius, is a published author and a professor at Harvard. Lastly, her mother drives her insane for many reasons, one of those is for always implying that Keats's boyfriend, Tom, isn't good enough or smart enough for her. In fact, her whole family seems to think that about Tom. They also don't like her job; none of them understand why she is working there and not getting a higher education.

While her family definitely drives her nuts, she is there for them when she is needed, like for going through items in the house she grew up in because her mother wants to sell it. In spending more time with her family, she is also spending more time with her dad's personal assistant, Jacob. Keats starts to question certain aspects in her life and witnesses all the changes taking place around her. She starts to see that change isn't always a bad thing.

My thoughts:
This was a very good read, but it made me a little depressed at the same time. Let me try to explain why without giving too much away. Keats’s parents, who have been separated for years, are finally going through a divorce, a family member suffers a medical emergency, and I think the fact that Keats has to constantly defend her boyfriend and her happiness made it a little sad for me.

Keats is a great protagonist though. Although her family is constantly on her case and questioning her happiness, Keats stands up against it and defends herself. She also clearly loves them and lends them a hand, or even a stubborn threat, to help them out. I definitely felt for Keats when she was dealing with her family, but it wasn’t always depressing. When she did interact with them there was usually some humor to be found in the struggle too. Here is Keats describing time with her dad:

“When he finally moves on from the topic of Keats’s Wasted Life, it’s to give me a lecture about the heart, both as muscle and as a literary trope. It’s clearly something he’s put a lot of thought into, but none of his observations seem all that original to me, and after a while, I can’t restrain a yawn, which sends him into a long rant about the deterioration of the American attention span—which makes me so bored I could scream, which I guess proves his point.” (p. 137)

While I wouldn’t say that this is the best book I’ve ever read, it was an enjoyable read with a melancholy sort of feel.

My Rating:

Pam

Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Pam's Review: Unleashed by Sara Humphries

Unleashed
~Sarah Humphries

Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 
Publish Date: October 1, 2011 
ISBN-10: 1402258437 
ISBN-13: 978-1402258435 
ASIN: B005EU511O

From goodreads:

What if you suddenly discovered your own powers were beyond anything you'd ever imagined...

Samantha Logan's childhood home had always been a haven, but everything changed while she was away. She has a gorgeous new neighbor, Malcolm, who introduces her to the amazing world of the dream-walking, shapeshifting Amoveo clans...but what leaves her reeling with disbelief is when he tells her she's one of them...

And shock turns to terror as Samantha falls prey to the deadly enemy determined to destroy the Amoveo, and the only chance she has to come into her true powers is to trust in Malcolm to show her the way...

Get swept away into Sara Humphreys's glorious world and breathtaking love story...

Samantha Logan tries to make it as an artist in New York, but her work isn’t selling, she just ended a relationship with a man who is turning into a stalker, and then there are the dreams. Samantha has been having strange dreams lately; dreams involving a man, one that she can’t see. There is also something about these dreams that makes her want to return home to live with her grandmother. Samantha decides to do just that. She starts to settle in back home, but then she meets her neighbor, Malcolm Drew, and she starts to feel anything but settled.

Malcolm Drew is a shapeshifter, part of the Amoveo clan. It is important for the Amoveo to find their mates; not only does it increase their power, but it significantly lengthens their lives. Malcolm is happy to have found his mate, Samantha. There is one problem. Samantha has no idea that shapeshifters actually exist. Will she be able to open her mind to all that Malcolm will present to her? Most importantly, will she be able to open her heart?

My thoughts:
I liked this book. It was different then any other shapeshifter books that I have read. I was able to vividly imagine all of the settings and scenery the way they were described; that doesn’t always happen easily for me. I could clearly see Sam’s art studio and her paintings that she was working on, and I had no problem picturing her house and bedroom.

Nonie, Sam’s grandmother, was a riot. Here’s something that she said that I’m going to hold on to and use when I get older.

“Don’t even think of arguing with me. I’m an old woman. If you fight me about it, it could give me a heart attack.” (p. 44-45)

She made me laugh out loud. I loved how she always seemed to know what was going on, and how she even had a few secrets of her own.

Malcolm was strong, tall, handsome, and confident. What’s not to like? Well, the one thing that irked me about him was the nickname that he used for Sam. The endearment itself was cute; I just thought it was a little overused. However, Sam didn’t seem to mind.

I had a hard time relating to Samantha, I’m not sure why. I liked her as a person. She is driven, and caring about her family and friends. One thing that bothered me was her acceptance to everything that Malcolm told her. She would be bothered by it but then would forget about it for a minute because she was so attracted to him. I just felt like it wasn’t realistic in that respect.

All in all, this was a good book. Even though it is about three hundred pages, I read it in about three days; it’s very fast paced. I enjoyed getting lost in the story and look forward to the next book in the series.



My Rating:

Pam

Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Pam's Review: Caressed by Moonlight by Amanda J. Greene

Caressed by Moonlight
~Amanda J. Greene

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Amanda Greene
Publish Date: May 6, 2011
ISBN-10: 0578064006
ISBN-13: 978-0578064000
ASIN: B004EEONLK

From the author's website:
Dorian Vlakhos is no ordinary aristocrat. He is a vampire king, who will do anything to save his clan from complete annihilation, before an ancient curse can claim his immortal life. 

Penniless and orphaned, Victoria Kingston has nothing to bring to a marriage, yet she must shackle an unsuspecting gentleman into marriage by the end of the month or forfeit her rights as guardian of her younger sister. With the help of her dearest friend, Victoria begins her hunt, and vows to stay far away from the dark, mysterious, Dorian Vlakhos. 

After meeting the beautifully innocent Miss Kingston, Dorian had to have her. He would do absolutely anything to make Victoria his. One sweet stolen kiss would bring them together while a force, more powerful than any vampire, would bind them for all eternity, but treachery, war, and death rule Dorian’s dark world and Victoria would be fortunate to survive.

Victoria Kingston’s father killed himself, leaving her as the sole provider and caretaker for her eight year old sister, Margaret. Because Victoria had to sell almost everything to pay off her father’s debts, she has no choice but to go live with their only living relative, Aunt Nelly. Aunt Nelly loathed Victoria’s mother and seems to feel the same way about Victoria. Aunt Nelly tells Victoria that she has a month to get married so she can provide for her younger sister, or else she will never be able to see Margaret. Victoria is determined to find a husband, and starts attending balls and such to do just that.

Dorian Vlakhos is a very old vampire and a king of his clan. He escapes to London to try to divert the attention of the witches that are attacking his people. Dorian must make sure that people see him in London; therefore he must attend the social gatherings of the Season. At one such gathering he meets a young lady, Victoria, and feelings that he doesn’t recognize slowly start to stir.

My thoughts:
This felt different than your typical vampire book, but in a good way. Victoria, as a woman who had an extremely difficult task set upon her to marry within a month, just took it in stride and decided that if that is what it would take to keep her younger sister with her, then that is what she would do. Her character is refreshingly strong, and in other circumstances which I can’t mention because of spoilers, she acts in the same way.

Dorian, for his extremely old age, wasn’t as hard, or emotionally unavailable, as would be expected. Honestly, although he was a vampire he seemed emotionally human to me most of the time. A vampire that Dorian looked up to did as well. Here is a quote that that vampire once told Dorian:

“Love is not a weakness, Dorian, but a strength. It can give you more pleasure, more sorrow, more power, and more pain than anything on this earth.” (p. 221)

The one thing I didn’t like so much in this book was the shifting of the point of view. I don’t mind so much if it shifts from one chapter to the next, but sometimes it gets confusing when it happens in the same chapter with no page break or anything to notify of the change.

This was a romantic adventure that kept me up late wondering what was going to happen, but in the end all my questions were answered and I was fulfilled. Because of the ending I believe another book is in the works, and I’m excited to read it when it becomes available.
My Rating:

Pam

Book provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Knight
~Julie Kagawa

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Harlequin
Publish Date: October 25, 2011
ISBN-10: 0373210361
ISBN-13: 978-0373210367

From Goodreads:
Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.  Unless he can earn a soul. 

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought. 

Then Meghan Chase - a half human, half fey slip of a girl - smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive. >

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end - a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Prince Ash of the Winter Court is on a quest - he intends to gain a human soul and thus be able to reside in the Iron Kingdom with his half-human love, Megan Chase, the Iron Queen.  As a fairy, he cannot be in the Iron Kingdom without becoming deathly ill, so he begins a journey to the End of the World to fulfill his promise to find a way to be with her.  No one has ever come back from the End of the World however, and Ash is going to need some assistance.  His traveling companions are quite a surprising and eclectic group, but they each have a reason for joining Ash's travels and hoping for his success.

My thoughts:
I absolutely loved the Iron King trilogy (my 5-star review of The Iron Queen here) and I was looking forward to Ash's story - I have been Team Ash from the first book.  That being said, The Iron Knight fell a bit flat for me.  Don't get me wrong - the writing was fabulous; Ms. Kagawa's imagination never ceases to amaze me.

We don't see much of Megan in this book, which makes sense since it's Ash's book, but I missed her.  We do get a big surprise in the form of a character from Ash's past.  I really didn't like her, though, and spent the whole book yelling at Ash to quit mooning over her.  Even though she redeemed herself near the end of the story, I still don't like her. (I think that might make me a bad person, lol).  Ash was also very moody around Puck.  I figured since their feud was over they'd be chums or whatever but no, he treated Puck pretty badly.  Upon retrospect, Ash has always been moody, so I don't know why this surprised me.

There were several aspects to the story that I did love:  The back and forth between The Big Bad Wolf and Grimalkin left me wanting more.  I'm pretty sure there's a good backstory there; I'd love to know what it is.  That would probably involve knowing what, exactly, Grimalkin is, so we'll probably never know...

The River of Dreams and the town of Phaed, where names are forgotten, were fascinating and creepy.  I am still continually amazed at the depth of Ms. Kagawa's creativity - the creatures that her characters encounter and the trials they go through are beautifully written and vivid.

I think, for me, the problem was that The Iron Knight was the story of Ash Finding His Way To Megan, not Ash And Megan's Happily Ever After With Adventures Together.  So the issue is with me, the reader, not Ms. Kagawa, the writer.

Would I still recommend this series?  ABSOLUTELY.  This is a series you don't want to miss.

My Rating:

This book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Pam's Review: Tamed by a Highlander by Paula Quinn

Tamed by a Highlander
~Paula Quinn

Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Forever
Publish Date: July 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 0446552364
ISBN-13: 978-0446552363
ASIN: B004CFASZG

From the author's website:
Desire knows no bounds...

A LOVER'S PROMISE
Connor Grant left his first love in the Highlands, vowing to return after serving in the king's army. Seven years later, he is still fighting for the crown, and his victories are legendary-both in the battlefield and in the bedroom. Yet he's never forgotten his bonnie lass. And he certainly never expected to see her amidst the splendor of the British royal court: beautiful, breathtaking, and tempting him past the point of no return.

A LADY'S DESTINY
The night he left, Mairi MacGregor banished Connor from her life forever. Now her heart belongs only to Scotland. As part of a secret alliance, she journeys to London in search of information . . . only to find herself face to face with the one man she swore she'd never trust again. Though Mairi's body still craves Connor's touch, she can't forgive his betrayal. But a traitor lurks in their midst and to protect her beloved Highlands, Mairi must make a leap of faith and join forces with Connor-even if it means losing her heart to him again.

England, 1685. Seven years ago in Scotland, Connor and Mairi were happy and in love. Then Connor broke the news to Mairi that he had to travel to England to serve his king who is also his kin. He asked Mairi to go with him, but Mairi thought that he didn’t mean it and that he wanted out of the relationship. Connor stayed in touch and was faithful for several years, but Mairi was angry with him for leaving and never asked him to come back, so he never did.

Fast forward seven years; they meet again in England. Connor is now a Captain of the King’s army and well known as a lady’s man, and Mairi is being pursued by an Englishman who is constantly at her side. These emotions cause them both a bit of jealousy and make them wonder if they still feel something for the other. They are both a bit angry, both wondering if the other feels the same, both possibly still in love.

My thoughts:
This was overall a good read, but here are the reasons why I rated it 3 ½ stars: In the beginning there were a lot of names thrown around that made me confused and caused me to reread certain paragraphs, and then I just decided that if they were important that they would be repeated later on. There were also a few times when I found myself having to revisit some sections just because I would lose interest. Thirdly, at about halfway through the book I just wanted to talk to Mairi and Connor personally and make them see that they both still loved each other, meaning that I felt that the relationship struggle between them dragged a little bit.

That being said, it was overall a good read, especially if you like historical fiction with a sexy highlander lead. Connor was a great male protagonist. He ended up doing some pretty romantic things for Mairi (can’t tell you without giving anything away), and he was the perfect combination of romantic, jealous, and aggressive. Mairi is a strong female lead as well, and she knows how to take care of herself. She is known to hide daggers under her skirts, and Connor might just know where those are located.

This was the second book I read by Paula Quinn, and I will continue to read others by her. She definitely knows how to tell a story.

My Rating:

Pam

Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Pam Reviews: My Dangerous Pleasure by Carolyn Jewel

My Dangerous Pleasure
~ Carolyn Jewel

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Forever
Publish Date: June 1,2011
ISBN-10: 0446563870
ISBN-13: 978-0446563871
ASIN: B004T4M600

From the author's website:
TEMPT THE DARKNESS Strong-willed and independent, Paisley Nichols is used to taking care of herself. But when an insane mage begins tracking her every move and threatening her at every turn, she has no choice but to put her life in the hands of a demon.

RISK THE PASSION Burned by betrayal, demon assassin Iskander won't get too close to anyone. He spends his days serving his warlord and his nights indulging in carnal pleasures . . . and that's exactly how he likes it. But when a mage wages a wrenching psychic assault on his beautiful tenant Paisley, Iskander must defend her. Under his protection, she will be drawn irresistibly into his life and learn about her own mysterious powers. And not a moment too soon. The mage haunting her isn't acting alone-and he won't rest until he destroys both Paisley and Iskander.

Paisley is an average young woman, living her dream by working in her own bakery. Life is good until she catches the attention of a certain man. They end up going on a date; and then the man who she was first attracted to, turns out to be a crazy stalker.

Iskander is Paisley’s landlord, and a demon. The very reason that Paisley does not have any magic in her is why Iskander has her as a tenant; so he knows that something is amiss when he feels magic coming from her apartment.

Paisley’s stalker turns out to be a mage that Iskander knows, and soon Paisley is relying on her landlord that she hardly spoke to before, for her own safety.

My thoughts:
This is the fourth book of a series. Although it’s not necessary to read the previous books, there was some terminology that I wasn’t familiar with, which made it a little confusing in the beginning. There is a glossary in the front of the book, so by the end of the first few chapters I didn’t have to glance back at it anymore.

It took me a while to warm up to Iskander; I think part of the reason was because of his whole playboy attitude. I did end up liking him as the book went on, but he was definitely not my favorite male lead.

Paisley, on the other hand, I liked right away. I liked how she would try to help out by doing what she does best, bake. (This book made me want to turn on the oven and bake some desserts a time or two.) She couldn’t pay Iskander for all his help, but she made sure that he ate really well.

Paisley and Iskander had some good chemistry, and some great sex scenes. The story flowed well and was interesting. While I won’t go back and read the previous books in this series, it was overall a good read.


My Rating:

Pam

Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: In the Heat of the Bite by Lydia Dare

In the Heat of the Bite
~Lydia Dare

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publish Date: July 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 1402245106
ISBN-13: 978-1402245107
ASIN: B00514OX4E


From Goodreads:
Chivalry is far from undead...
Matthew Halkett, Earl of Blodswell, is one of the few men in the ton who can claim to be a knight in shining armor- because that's precisely what he was before being turned into a vampyre. When he spies a damsel in distress in the midst of a storm in Hyde Park, his natural instinct is to rush to her aid...

But not every woman needs to be rescued...
Weather-controlling witch Rhiannon Sinclair isn't caught in a storm-she's the cause of it. She's mortified to have been caught making trouble by the imposing earl, but she doesn't need any man-never has, and is sure she never will...

But when Rhiannon encounters Matthew again, her powers go awry and his supernatural abilities run amok. Between the two of them, the ton is thrown into an uproar. There's never been a more tempestuous scandal...

Rhiannon Sinclair has traveled from Scotland to England in search of her younger sister, Ginessa.  Rhiannon's Aunt Greer has taken her to England for the Season, and Rhiannon is worried Aunt Greer has a hidden agenda.   While she's in England, Rhiannon is staying with her newly married friend, Cait, who is one of her coven sisters - Rhiannon is also a witch who can control the weather.

Matthew Hilkett, Earl of Blodswell, is over 650 years old.  He's back in England at his ancestral home with the newly turned vampire, Alec MacQuarrie.  Blodswell was forced to turn him after a vicious attack, and now he must mentor MacQuarrie as a vampire.

While Rhiannon is walking home from her aunt's home, she is so distraught over her sister's situation that she creates a terrible storm.  Blodswell, thinking she is a damsel in distress, attempts to rescue her, but she runs from him.  They keep getting thrown together (oftentimes at Cait's insistence), and Rhiannon soon realizes Blodswell is not as terrible as she supposed, and perhaps he had reason to turn MacQuarrie.  Blodswell, in turn, is captivated by Rhiannon, he cannot get her out of his head - he can't drink except from Rhiannon, which he will not do in respect for her honor.

She wants him, he wants her, but there doesn't seem to be a solution to their dilemma....

My thoughts:
I really enjoy the writings of the duo that is Lydia Dare; their historical paranormal stories are captivating.   When the coven was first introduced (in Tall, Dark, and Wolfish), I didn't think I'd like the witches, but I do.  I'm not as enamored by the vampires as I am by the wolves, but they are entertaining.  Blodswell is a man of utmost breeding and manners, and for that reason he had a difficult time recriprocating Rhiannon's feelings for him and acting on his feelings for her.  Rhiannon is more hot-headed and impulsive; she doesn't think twice about sending a bolt of lightning to make her point. 

While I liked both Rhiannon and Blodswell, I found that for me, the best parts of the story involved the secondary characters in this book - Cait's lycan brothers-in-law (Dash's brothers from The Taming of the Wolf) were wickedly charming and I especially liked the oldest brother, Archer Radbourne, who seems to be a fun-loving scoundrel.  I also found myself searching for passages involving MacQuarrie - his heartbreak over Cait's marriage to Dash and his despair that he'll ever find love himself have me looking forward to his story in the next book in this series - Never Been Bit, out in September.

My Rating:

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: A Weekend with Mr. Darcy by Victoria Connelly

A Weekend With Mr. Darcy
~Victoria Connelly

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publish Date: July 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 1402251327
ISBN-13: 978-1402251320
ASIN: B00514OWRC

From the author's website:
Dr Katherine Roberts is a lecturer at Oxford University and an expert on all things Austen. But she has a guilty secret; a love of racy Regency novels by Lorna Warwick. She’s even struck up a long-distance friendship with the novelist and the two of them have been sharing their closest confidences.

When Katherine gets her yearly invite to a Jane Austen Conference at the magnificent Purley Hall in Hampshire, she sincerely hopes that Lorna will be in attendance as well. She can hardly wait to meet her new friend, but it seems that Lorna may not have been completely honest with her…

Meanwhile, hopeless romantic Robyn Love is at her happiest when her head is stuck in one of Jane Austen’s novels – if only her boyfriend Jace Collins could be more like Colin Firth.

The weekend retreat is the perfect opportunity for Robyn to escape from reality for a few days – especially when she meets handsome stablehand Dan. But Jace isn’t going to be so easy to shrug off.

With misunderstandings, muddles and a few shocking revelations, the weekend proves to be even more than they bargained for. Like all true Jane Austen heroines, Katherine and Robyn will discover that finding their own Mr Darcy is far from easy…

Dr. Katherine Roberts is a Jane Austen lecturer at Oxford, but her guilty pleasure is reading historical romance by her favorite author, Lorna Warwick.  She keeps this guilty pleasure hidden, as her colleagues would not be very accepting of anything less than "pure" literature.  She's agreed to speak at a Jane Austen weekend, and she's hoping Lorna Warwick will be there - they've been exchanging letters and Katherine is excited that they might finally meet.

Warwick Lawton has a dilemma - he knows Katherine Roberts, thinks he might be in love with her, but she doesn't realize she knows him.  He plans to sweep her off her feet at the Jane Austen weekend but isn't sure how to go about doing it.


Robyn love is so excited about her upcoming Jane Austen weekend - she's having second and third thoughts about her boyfriend and she's looking forward to getting away and thinking about her future and wallowing in everything Jane Austen.  Things don't go quite as planned when her boyfriend, Jace, shows up to spend time with her while she's at the conference.  Later she runs into a mysterious stranger on horseback who makes her take a good hard look at her life and her relationship with Jace.

My thoughts:
As the story opens, we get a brief glimpse at Katherine's failed past relationships and Warwick's dilemma - he wants Katherine to know him for who he is, not what he is.  Katherine is supposed to be a smart, sympathetic heroine, but I do think it was a bit of a stretch that she didn't figure out Warwick's secret much earlier.  Their relationship progressed in spurts and stops - she goes from avoiding him after he runs her foot over with a suitcase, to "true love", to her discovery of his secret and the subsequent feelings of betrayal; this all in the course of one weekend.

When Robyn was introduced, I thought for sure I'd be more interested in Katherine's story, but I was pleasantly surprised by Robyn.  She's trapped in a boring job and her boyfriend's a boor; she's pretty much a doormat.  But, once she's at the JA weekend, she meets the fellow attendees and tries to view her life as Jane would have viewed it.  There were several scenes where I thought, "Robyn, what are you doing - here's your chance to make a change!"  But, as in real life, change does not happen overnight.  I enjoyed Robyn's path to self-awareness and self-worth, and Jace was a really cringe-worthy anti-hero.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the period costumes, the places where Jane Austen frequented while she was alive, and mentions of her family.  There are also several references to other Jane Austen authors and their books, which I thought was a nice "shout out" to this popular genre.

All in all, two sweet romances filled with fabulous Jane Austen references and history.  A Weekend With Mr. Darcy made me want to pick up my own copy of Pride and Prejudice for a nice, comforting re-read.

My Rating:

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Driftwood Cottage by Sherryl Woods

Driftwood Cottage
(Chesapeake Shores, book 5)
~Sherryl Woods

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Mira
Publish Date: March 29, 2011
ISBN-10: 077832947X
ISBN-13: 978-0778329473
ASIN: B004P5NXRS

From the author's website:
Single mom Heather Donovan’s dreams of home and family are tantalizingly within reach when she settles in Chesapeake Shores. The welcoming arms of the boisterous, loving O’Brien clan embrace her and her son. But accepting their support seems to further alienate her son’s father, Connor O’Brien. His parents’ divorce and his career as a high-powered divorce attorney have left him jaded about marriage.

Then everything changes. Will the possibility of a future without Heather make Connor look at love and his career differently? Heather’s just about given up on her old dreams — of love, of family and especially of Driftwood Cottage, the home she secretly wishes were hers. It’s going to take a lot of persuasion — and some help from the O’Brien family — to make Heather believe that some dreams are worth fighting for.

Heather Donovan has just moved to Chesapeake Shores with her one-year-old son, Mick.  She recently left Mick's father, Connor O'Brien.  Heather is estranged from her own parents, but is very close to Connor's family, which is part of the reason she moved from Boston, where she lived with Connor, into Chesapeake Shores, where Connor's family lives.  She's started a new life and a quilting business, and is surrounded by this surrogate family.  The O'Brien clan is a big family, always in each other's business, but it's obvious they love each other and treat Heather like one of their own.

Well, everyone except Connor that is.  He loves Heather; he just won't marry her.  His parents apparently went through a bitter divorce, and he is now a high-profile divorce attorney.  And although his parents reconciled and are now happily married, Connor just doesn't believe in marriage. And while Heather knew that going into the relationship, her feelings have changed and she feels like she deserves more than just "shacking up".

Connor wants to charm his way back into Heather's life and she won't let him if he's not going to marry her. When gets a glimpse of life without Heather, Connor makes a promise to God that he intends to keep; but Heather wants more than just words.

My Thoughts:
Driftwood Cottage was a sweet, comfortable read.  Sweet because the characters were likeable and I loved the "grand gesture" near the end.  Comfortable because Ms. Woods' writing is so descriptive that I felt like I was there, and Chesapeake Shores sounds like someplace I'd like to visit on vacation.

Connor and Heather are the hero/heroine, but so much of the story involves Connor's family: The O'Brien family is one of those big families that like everyone stumbling all over each other; Connor and Heather were good at ignoring all the matchmaking by his parents and siblings, but I wanted to holler at them to back off already. This is the fifth book in the series, and while we get some background information on the family members, there are some holes - like why is Connor so angry at his mother?  It's obvious he blames her for divorcing his father but we don't know why he's had a hard time forgiving her, especially if his parents are remarried.

It's apparent from the start that Connor and Heather love each other very much, but they are in a position that really has no compromise - either you get married or you don't.  Heather has decided she needs the security and commitment that comes with marriage, and Connor doesn't understand why he can't be committed to her and little Mick without signing a piece of paper.  In his mind, marriage just leads to divorce, so if you don't get married you don't get divorced. While I understood where he was coming from, Connor's cynicism got old quick.  If you took every time he gave his reasons for not getting married out of the book, you'd easily lose a quarter of the story.  Because of that though, Heather's reasons for not agreeing to a HEA right away made perfect sense - Connor had a lifetime of marriage phobia to overcome; I loved that she made him work for it and his grand gesture had me awww-ing. I enjoyed Driftwood Cottage and wouldn't mind reading the previous books to get the stories of his other family members.

My Rating:

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Pam Reviews: Lady of Seduction by Laurel McKee

Lady of Seduction
~Laurel McKee


Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Forever
Publish Date: June 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 0446544779
ISBN-13: 978-0446544771
ASIN: B0047Y0FGE

From Goodreads:
It's a mad, ill-advised journey that leads the usually sensible Lady Caroline Blacknall to the legendary isle of Muirin Inish, off the windswept coast of Ireland. Even so, she doesn't expect to find herself shipwrecked and then rescued by a man she believed she would never see again. A man who, long ago, held her life in his hands . . . and with it, her heart.


Reformed rake Sir Grant Dunmore knew he could never forget the beautiful woman he once endangered nor will he ever forgive himself. But history seems doomed to repeat itself, for as long as Caroline stays on the island, she is trapped in a secret plot that could forever free Ireland-or turn deadly for all. And yet, now that she is in his arms again, how can he dream of ever letting her go?

This book is the third in a series, but it’s not necessary to read the other two first. The story takes place in Ireland in the early 1800s. Caroline is a widow, who is in love with libraries, books, and the history of Ireland. In fact, she is recording Ireland’s history and there is one rare book in particular that she needs. Caroline knows that Grant Dunmore, who lives on the island of Muirin Inish, has a copy of this book.

Grant and Caroline have a little bit of an unusual history together, but they haven’t seen each other for a while. Caroline decides to go to the island for the book, and just maybe to see if Grant is the same person that he was when she knew him last.

This book takes you on an adventure from the first page with Caroline traveling by sea to Muirin Inish. She gets shipwrecked and then rescued by none other than Grant Dumore. Caroline and Grant have good chemistry together. They seemed to find themselves in one situation after another, and it was interesting to see how it would affect them and how they would pull through.

I really like how Caroline is portrayed as a strong, determined woman. Something she says to Grant is, “We will speak of this again, and again and again, until you see things my way.” (p. 23) She knows what she wants, what she likes, and she doesn’t question or doubt herself. Her character is refreshing that way.

There were a lot of times when I wanted to stop reading (to sleep or run an errand) but the chapter would end in a cliffhanger and I had to keep reading to find out what happened! However, there were also times when I found myself rereading the same paragraph because it just wasn’t captivating me at that point. Overall though, it was definitely a good read.

My Rating:

Pam

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Wish You Were Here by Phillipa Ashley

Wish You Were Here
~Phillipa Ashley

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publish Date: June 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 1402241445
ISBN-13: 978-1402241444
ASIN: B002V092T2 (May 1, 2009)

From Goodreads:
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 works in the travel industry; she does backpacking trips in various parts of the world. She'd been working her father's small local company until he had a serious accident six months ago; while he's been recovering the business has slowly wound down. Now her younger sister has been accepted to an expensive college, and Beth is looking for temporary work in London to help with her sister's college expenses.

Jack Thornfield is the newest CEO at Big Outdoors travel company. When his personal assistant shows him Beth's application for Product Manager, he knows she'd be perfect for the job, but is hesitant to interview her. Jack feels guilty about how things ended between them eight years ago, and she doesn't know he's been hired on at Big Outdoors.

Beth hasn't stopped thinking about her whirlwind romanced with Jack Thornfield - it took her years to get over the pain he caused her. When she gets to the interview (she thought she was interviewing with someone else), she's floored and runs out. After thinking about all the reasons she needs the job, she goes back and agrees to accept the job - with the caveat that they don't discuss their past. Ever.

Beth realizes she's still attracted to Jack, and thinks he feels the same about her, but she's got an almost-fiance at home, and needs to concentrate on helping her family's finances. Besides, Jack broke her heart eight years ago, she shouldn't forgive him for that, should she?

My thoughts:
Wish You Were Here was a sweet read; I'm a huge fan of the reunited lovers storyline. I liked both Beth and Jack, they were sympathetic characters and I found I was interested in their story right from the beginning: Beth shines in her role as Product Manager and enjoys living in London, making friends with her co-workers and experiencing big-city life; Jack is the slightly cranky boss who hides his feelings for her.

I was frustrated that we got Jack's backstory in tiny snippets. We knew he'd loved and left Beth, but we didn't know why until near the very end. The gradual way it was revealed left me thinking bad thoughts about him. After I got more information about his situation I changed my mind, but it took a while to get me there. Once I knew the full truth I was won over.

I know we're not supposed to like Beth and Jack's love interests, and I especially didn't care for Beth's almost-fiancee, Marcus. He seemed very one-dimensional and stuffy. I got the impression he was around the same age as Beth and Jack, yet his views on women's behavior was decidedly stodgy and out dated. Jack's girlfriend, Camilla, was stereotypically high-maintenance and not suited for life with someone who spends most of their time outdoors.

Beth's interactions with her father and her father's friend, Honor, were easy and sweet. You definitely got a sense of love and affection for Beth, and the fact that they weren't too impressed with Marcus gave them points in my book, lol.

I enjoyed the way Ms. Ashley ended the book - I love happy endings and Wish You Were Here pleased me on several levels.

My Rating:

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Heart of the Highland Wolf by Terry Spear

Heart of the Highland Wolf
~Terry Spear

Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publish Date: June 1, 211
ISBN-10: 1402245521
ISBN-13: 978-1402245527
ASIN: B004Y5AV1K

From Goodreads:
Ian McNeill, laird of Argent Castle finds his capital squandered through unwise investments and the wolf clan's home that has been theirs for centuries is in danger of being forfeit for nonpayment of taxes. When a movie producer contacts him with the notion of using his castle to produce a movie, Ian abhores the idea, but it's his only salvation. Even worse, his people become extras in this epic Highland movie. But when one American werewolf romance author, Julia Wildthorn, slips into the castle under the guise of being with the movie company, except she is trying to jumpstart her muse with writing a book set in old-world Scotland--specifically about his castle and his people as the characters in her newest book venture--she and Ian tangle.

Julia Wildthorn is a werewolf. She's also a romance author with writer's block. She's accompanying her friend Maria (who's also a werewolf) to Scotland for a movie shoot in the hopes that she'll find inspiration for her next book. She's also got a secret task given to her by her grandfather - find an ancient box that's hidden somewhere in the castle.

Werewolf Ian MacNeill is Laird of Argent Castle. Due to some bad investments, his pack is having some financial difficulties, so he reluctantly agrees to let the production company use his castle to make their movie. He's forbidden any of his people to associate with the movie people, and has set very clear boundaries about what areas of the castle can be filmed and what can't.

When Julia and Maria are involved in a car accident, Ian and his brother come to check things out. Ian can't believe how attractive Julia is, and doesn't want to let her out of his sight. Julia, however, doesn't want Ian's attentions while she's searching for the box. The only problem with that is that she can't stop thinking about him.

My thoughts:
Another fun and sexy read by Terry Spear! I enjoy her werewolf world and the characters in it.

Julia was a fun heroine - I loved that she was a romance author. The scenes where everyone is reading her books were cute. I laughed when she tried to be stealthy and sneaky and find the box, she really wasn't very good at it. Ian was definitely an Alpha - he was good at barking out orders, and Julia was very good at ignoring them :)

The secondary characters were just as much fun - I'm in love with Ian's brothers and am hoping that they'll get their own stories later on. I also liked Heather, a young werewolf who wants to get out and see the world without her pack watching over her.

Some of my favorite scenes in the book were the movie fight scenes where all the locals dressed in kilts and re-enacted sword battles.

I can't really get into the plot point I didn't understand without spoilers: it has to do with the box and a binding promise handed down between generations. Once things got to a certain point in the book, I didn't understand why it was still important.

Overall though, a fun sexy read with lots of werewolves and highlanders (two of my favorite things!), and as I stated above, I'm hoping we'll see some of the characters again.

My Rating:

Come back tomorrow for an interview and giveaway with Terry Spear!

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Guardian by Margaret Mallory

The Guardian
~Margaret Mallory

Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Forever
Publish Date: April 26, 2011
ISBN-10: 044657516X
ISBN-13: 978-0446575164
ASIN: B0047Y0EZG


From the author's website:
THE RETURN OF THE HIGHLANDERS: BOOK I
Four fearless warriors return to the Highlands to claim their lands and legacies. But all their trials on the battlefield can't prepare them for their greatest challenge yet: winning the hearts of four willful Scottish beauties.

PASSION IGNITED
After years of fighting abroad, Ian MacDonald comes home to find his clan in peril. To save his kin, he must right the wrongs from his past . . . and claim the bride he's long resisted.

As a young lass, Sìleas depended on Ian to play her knight in shining armor. But when his rescue attempt compromised her virtue, Ian was forced to marry against his wishes. Five years later, Sìleas has grown from an awkward girl into an independent beauty who knows she deserves better than the reluctant husband who preferred war to his wife. Now this devilishly handsome Highlander is finally falling in love. He wants a second chance with Sìleas - and he won't take no for an answer.

This is the first book in a new series: The Return of the Highlanders. In the prologue, four young lads go to visit the local wise woman to hear their fortunes. She gives each a snippet of the trials and tribulations they will face and sends them on their way...

Ian MacDonald and his three best friends have been gone from their village for five years, fighting in France. He comes home to find his father injured, his brother grown, and his clan being led by a heartless man after the death of their leader. He must help his best friend claim his rightful place as clan chief, which will not be easy since they keep getting attacked. He's also got to face his wife, Sileas, his childhood friend that he was forced to marry and hasn't seen since the day they married five years ago. He plans to end the marriage so he's free to marry someone else. When he gets home, he doesn't recognize the comely young woman sitting in his parent's room, and when his friend tells him it's Sileas, he can't believe it. He sees the lovely, smart, caring woman she's become; he also sees that another man in the village has been paying attention to Sileas, and Ian is jealous.

Sileas MacKinnon has loved Ian all her life and knows she'll marry him some day. Then, due to circumstances no one could predict, they're suddenly married, and it's nothing like she thought it would be. He's been gone since their wedding day. Five years later she's thinking about ending the marriage and finding someone else, someone who will care for her and wants to be with her. Then Ian comes home, and she finds he's still as handsome as he was before he left. But that doesn't make up for leaving her alone, and now he's going to have to prove he's good enough for her.

My thoughts: Margaret Mallory has introduced a great cast of characters in The Guardian. I liked Ian, then thought he was a bit of a jerk, then grew to like him all over again. Caught in an unfortunate (and innocent) situation, he's forced to marry gangly, awkward, 13-year-old Sileas, who's followed him around since she was small. He's angry and lashes out, then leaves to fight in France with his four best friends. When he came home he was all kinds of an idiot about how to treat his wife, but as Sileas made him work for her affections his character grew (just like in real life, sometimes they need a push, lol).

Sileas was a strong woman, enduring the pity of the villagers for her husband deserting her; becoming the glue that held Ian's family together while he was gone, nursing his father back to health. When Ian came back she refused to let him walk back into her life and take over, and I loved it!

Of course, you can't have a Scottish adventure without clan wars, intrigue, traitors and secret alliances, and The Guardian has plenty! Ian and his friends have to face treacherous relatives and land-hungry neighbors, and through it all attempt to guide their clansmen into choosing a new clan chief. There were some surprising twists that had me holding my breath to see how things would turn out.

The four friends who are the cornerstones of the series (Ian, Alex, Duncan, and Connor) are very engaging and I liked how they have different strengths to help each other out. The Sinner is book 2 in the series, and is his friend Alex's story. Alex is a bit of a womanizer, so I'm looking forward to reading about his exploits.

My Rating:

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Return of Black Douglas by Elaine Coffman

The Return of Black Douglas
~Elaine Coffman

Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publish Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 9781402250743
ISBN-13: 978-1402250743
ASIN: 1402250746

From the author's website:
The beloved ghost of the Black Douglas is back and up to his usual mischief. . .

And this time he takes you back to the ancient Scottish ancestors of the Mackinnon’s, from Elaine’s award-winning Mackinnon Series.

Longing for a man like Mr. Darcy and haunted by the feeling she was born two hundred years too late, Isobella Douglas never dreamed she would get what she wished for-- until she was hurled back five centuries to the Isle of Mull in the year 1515. She arrived in the midst of a battle between the Mackinnon’s and Maclean’s, only to be abandoned there by the capricious ghost of Black Douglas. Left to the mercy of her fate, she prayed for a hero when she saw him, a man as fierce and wild as the barbarous place that surrounded her.

Alysandir Mackinnon was a man who lived by his wits and the edge of his sword. He was a man of strong desires and in his prime, but what he wanted now were the answers to a lot of questions: Why is she here? Who sent her? And what am I going to do with her? In spite of suspicion that she is an English spy, Isobella adapts readily to castle life, and being an archaeologist, is soon up to her elbows digging in broken crockery bits, ancient bones and priceless relics, in spite of being forbidden to do so. Alysandir finds it difficult to trust the headstrong woman, or believe her preposterous time-travel story and battles the desire and distrust he feels, for Alysandir has been betrayed before.

Life in Early Renaissance Scotland is fraught with danger, deceit, clan rivalry and constant threats from the English- hardly the place for the course of true love to run smoothly. It seems the hapless couple is forever trapped in a series of unfortunate circumstances, and a happy ending never seems so far away. But, never underestimate the power of a man’s love, a woman’s understanding or the tenacity of a beloved Scottish ghost.

Twin sisters Isobella and Elisabeth Douglas are visiting Scotland after Isobella's broken engagement. The trip was supposed to be her honeymoon. She's sad about it and is complaining that there are no men like Mr. Darcy. The ghost of Black Douglas, a long-distant relative, hears her and decides to interfere, transporting Isobella (an archaeologist) and Elisabeth (a doctor) back to 16th century Scotland. Elisabeth is taken by the Maclean Clan, while Isobella is rescued by Alysandir Mackinnon.

While waiting for Alistair to rescue her sister, she gets to know him better. She also meets his family, and takes an unexpected family member under her wing. Throughout it all, there's a ghost playing matchmaker between a headstrong 20th century archaeologist and a stubborn 16th century Clan Chief.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed the story and wanted to give it a 4, but for me it did drag a bit in the middle. It was exciting at first - 20th century women suddenly transported back in time - and one gets stolen!!! But then, from the moment he rescued her (around ARC page 75) until they finally gave in to each other (ARC page 245), I kept waiting for something to happen - that's a lot of pages to wait (granted, it is a 415 page ARC); it seemed like they weren't doing anything to rescue Isabolla's sister, and Isabella didn't seem too concerned about it, which I found strange.

Once things got going though, I loved it! You could tell they cared for each other but each had reasons not to open up and show how they really felt. Between Alysandir's inability to trust, or rather, to allow himself to trust Isobella, and her inability to give herself fully to him, the poor Ghost of Black Douglas had his hands full! When Isobella finally got frustrated and went to see her sister, I was thrilled; I liked her sister and was interested in what was going on over at the Maclean castle. Isobella's "adopting" of young Bradan was sweet - I was honestly a bit surprised at Alysandir's treatment of the child and was happy to see how things worked out.

I'm not usually a fan of ghosts in stories, but I liked the ghost of Black Douglas - he was a big plot point but didn't have a big part, if that makes any sense.

I really enjoyed the story and have already ordered the first book in the series, The Bride of Black Douglas. I am hoping Elisabeth's story is next...

My Rating:

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Rock Hard by Olivia Cunning

Rock Hard
~Olivia Cunning

Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publish Date: April 2, 2011
ISBN-10: 9781402245770
ISBN-13: 978-1402245770
ASIN: 1402245777

From the author's website:
Sinner’s lead singer, Sed, had his heart shredded when Jessica left him to pursue her dreams,so when she dances her way back into his life, he's not sure he's ready for her brand of pain, or pleasure, again. When she convinces Sed to engage in a benefits with benefits relationship, things seem to be going his way, until one of his fans catches their explicit public display of affection on film and posts it all over the internet. Will Jessica ever trust Sed again? And has Sed become the man of Jessica’s dreams or is he just posing to get what he wants?

The Sinners are a world-famous rock band with a sexy lead singer, Sed Lionheart. We met Sed in the first book in this series, Backstage Pass (my review here). Sed is the bad boy, into threesomes and stealing his guitarist Brian's girlfriends.

In Rock Hard, Sed is at Brian's bachelor party and sees Jessica, his former fiancee and love of his life, working in a strip bar. He goes ballistic and grabs her, starting a fight between the band and the bouncers.

Jessica loved Sed, but she felt like the he was trying to control her life. When he told her he didn't want her going to law school, he wanted her to stay with him, that was the last straw - she left him. Two years later, she needs to make some quick cash to cover a class her scholarship won't pay for, so she starts stripping. After Sed's visit (and subsequent fight), she was fired. She heads over to the concert venue to tell him off, and ends up getting hired as a data assistant by Brian's wife, Myrna.

Even after two years, Sed and Jessica's attraction hasn't faded, and while Sed hopes she'll come back to him, Jessica's only looking for great sex; she doesn't want to her heart broken again. Fabulous (angry) sex, rabid fans, and a medical emergency (or two) ensue.

This is the second book in Ms. Cunning's Sinners on Tour series, but it can be read as a stand-alone.

My thoughts: I didn't like Sed very much in Rock Hard - I mean yeah, he was sexy and funny and all, but I had problems with the whole girlfriend-stealing habit he had. He does kind of address that in Rock Hard, but it did start me off on a bad foot with him. As it turns out, Sed was a totally different guy in Rock Hard - he definitely has a sensitive side I don't remember from the last book. And it's not that he wants to control Jessica, he just wants to help but comes across as controlling.

I had a hard time with one aspect of this book - while the actual medical drama was interesting and I pulled for the band member who had some issues with recovery, I had a hard time believing Myrna, a PhD (or almost-PhD), would not have recognized the diagnosis once it was pointed out to her - I would assume she had to take some psychology courses along the line somewhere. *spoiler* I also don't recall Trey being such a jerk before his incident and kept wondering if he had brain damage from the hit and/or surgery because he sure came off that way after surgery. He was more crass and rude than I recall, and I'm not talking about his behavior during his prescription drug addiction. *end spoiler*

Sed and Jessica's chemistry in the bedroom (and outside *wink, nudge*) was white hot. When their clothes were on, however, they threw off a different kind of heat. They had two big personalities that clashed and they both had to learn to see the other person's actions from a non-confrontational view. It was a slow and difficult change for both of them but worthwhile in the end.

I am loving all the band members, and can't wait for Hot Ticket, which is Jace's book. Hot Ticket looks like it might involve some BDSM, which should make for a steamy, naughty book. Rock Hard continues to give us more of the personalities of the different band members, as well as their musical abilities and band-related stuff, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I look forward to reading more.

My Rating:

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.