Review: Vice by Rosanna Leo

Rosanna Leo once again steps out of her PNR zone to write us a thought provoking, steamy contemporary romance that touches on sensitive topics and leaves us with the HEA we all crave!

Vice is a very different contemporary romance and in some ways it really has 3 main characters. We have our fabulously rich, alpha male, hero with BDSM tendencies Liam. Our rising from the ashes, Gamb-non type group leader with a sassy mouth and submissive tendencies Kate and we have Gambling and addiction the reason behind everything in the story. This gives this CR a very serious twist but does RL leave it at that ...nope she also has Kate be an epileptic and touches on this sensitive topic as well.

The sex in this novel is hawt!, dirty with elements of BDSM but this is not a BDSM love story it just happens to be a kink they both share. I don't want to get into the storyline much as to not to spoil the story but I will point out a couple a things. I really loved how our characters started as antagonists and the sassy mouth Kate had on her in the beginning was wonderful...I loved her.. and loved the conflict I just wish it hadn't been over so soon as it did give the "instalove" feel. I would have loved to see that spicey connection simmer longer and the sexy banter work more of it's way into the story....There was so much chemistry between the two of them the pages needed to smolder a bit longer:) . I also found that Kate got a bit "preachy" with her anti gambling sediments, it got a bit repetitive and I think when learning her story the point was made succinctly. I however did love that after the connection we had our couple confront aspects of themselves and acknowledge the need to grow to find themselves in a successful place. Bravo to RL for the twists that took us through.

This is a very sexy novel with sex being a big constant in the relationship and no one writes hawter and fresher sex scenes than our beloved Rosanna Leo. They were off the scale!! and I love that we find each of these scenes had a reason! Fantastic writing!!

Another great outing for Rosanna Leo wearing her Contemporary Romance writer hat....and it does look lovely darling! I enjoyed Liam and Kate's story immensely and love when writers are courageous enough to touch on difficult topics! 4 star rating from me and a recommendation for a sexy novel with integrity!


*thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this novel in exchange for an honest review*

Review: Idle Bloom by Jewel E. Ann

This is my second novel by Jewel E. Ann and I am finding with each one I just adore her writing style and the unique way her mind works as she is creating a story. I was lucky enough to receive this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When reading this novel I went through so many emotions; pity, anger, throat punching frustration, pity again, hurt, devastation, wanting to smack a character silly, wanting to hug a character and make everything better, did I mention wanting to throat punch a character?? Overall though because I did experience these feelings I know Jewel E. Ann had me in the palm of her hand.

I started out liking both characters a lot and loved how they met and how the relationship grew. The main female character Vivian is a very immature 21 and this is partly why I wanted to smack her silly. She had all the characteristics of a very sheltered young girl of that age and her decisions were that of a 21 year old. She hid, she lied she bent reality to see it how she thought it should be based on her emotional reaction to the situations. This is why I found it surprising that Oliver our 29 year old male main character was attracted to anything outside her physical appearance. I think in some ways he was trying to relive a youth that tossed him from happy to devastation in a quick minute. I did love Oliver, I felt sorry for him so many times, over the past, over Vivian, over his emotional challenges. Vivian I was not as sympathetic I think because her behaviour was so self centred, she could have been damaged so much worse than what she was...this is another throatpunch moment for me. Kai, Vivian's former boyfriend and now best friend....not sure how all that worked since it was obvious he still had feelings for Viv did come across quite stalkery....this made the relationships so many shades of fuckedup it was amazing to see how they all worked things out.

It sounds like I didn't like the story but I really really did and I think it was because of how unique JEA twisted the tale so that she could wring as much emotion from the reader and enfold the reader into the story. I didn't really like Vivian that much ...I did love Oliver and his family...all this makes it hard to decide how to rate this novel....I settled on 4 stars based on all the above ...if I had liked Vivian more I think it would have been a potential 5 star. I can't wait to delve into more Jewel E. Ann novels!

Review: Better When He's Brave by Jay Crownover Book 3 in Welcome to the Point Series

Wow!!! I feel like I just stepped out of hell and survived to talk about it! What a wonderful dark read by Jay Crownover. I love that she steps out of her "rainbow" world and moves to the dark-side for this intense series.

Where to start, ok the world. JC has described the Point in both prior novels and yet spent almost half the book rebuilding this world for the reader. We get it is dark, grimy, deadly in fact it very comic like in the intensity of how far it has fallen. In my mind I liken it to the tv show "The Arrow" with the dark, heaviness of the world. The lengthy descriptions lost me a bit in the first part of the book. The inner turmoil also cut into the interaction which would have built up the relationship between the two main characters which was a bit lacking. By the half way point though the story was into full swing and all the action just held me frozen to the book I couldn't have put it down even if I had tried (which I didn't ).

The expression two negatives make a positive is really what won the day in the romance of this novel. The negative aspects of our MC's personalities seemed to grab each other and sooth them so they could function and bring out the better aspects of their characters. I love this twist on the love story as it is fresh and unique to this novel. The female MC really wasn't very likable going into the novel, in fact she was a bad guy. I loved seeing how JC turning her into someone we could understand and empathise with and actually grow to like. Titus our main male characters we have seen in all the books so far. He came across as the "clean", "good" brother but his flaws are there and his "grey" just was buried a bit deeper than his brother's .

JC's creative genius shows through as does her talent making this dark, gritty book into a romance with a villain that was as evil as any you would find in a psycho thriller or horror story. I could not believe the evil she created with this character in a contemporary romance but I LOVED it. I enjoyed this darker take on CR yet not so dark that it crossed the line that romance readers could not handle it. It is a testament to JC's writing skill and instinct about her readers.

I could get into what the story is about but I don't want to spoil it for those of you who have not read it yet and those of you who are already engaged in the series will have a feeling about what is to happen. The next books in this series will be so exciting I can't wait to read about Nassir and Booker we already find out the challenges they are going to fight with their lady loves but I'm sure the"Point" will toss in a few that haven't been foreshadowed. I can't wait!

A dark 4 star rating for this dark, edgy novel that takes us places romance novels usually fear to tread. I recommend this as a Fall read!

Review: Under Contract by Jeffe Kennedy Book 3 in Falling Under Series

I have several friends who have raved over Jeffe Kennedy's fantasy novels and I had no idea she wrote BDSM based Erotic Romance so when I saw this on Netgalley I just had to request it. I Thanks the publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Jeffe Kennedy is a new to me author and I really didn't know what to expect. I was a bit worried because this is book 3 in a series and I try really hard not to start reading a series where I have not started at the beginning. I didn't feel I really missed much by not reading the previous novels in the series this was fine as a stand a lone. That being said I really enjoyed the novel and I will be looking for the previous novels and following this series in any future novels.

I really enjoyed the writing style of JK, she used wit, and sarcasm in a way I personally really enjoy. I also really loved that her "hero" was not the "perfect" male specimen..face like an angel yadda yadda. Nope our male main character was very much a product of his rough early years and it showed on his face and in his more intense moments in his behaviours. For me this made the character "real". I know several people in real life that hide accents etc but in intense or emotional moments the accents come through and their heritage is exposed. So we have a natural self made very rich man as our hero but to spice this up he also enjoys kink with his sex, to be specific he is into aspects of a BDSM relationship and usually eases women into his world of kink. Fortunately because of an exchange with our heroine he can honestly tell her what he wants and she can pick the aspect she thinks she will enjoy. That is all I"m going to tell you about the story because I really like the uniqueness of this exchange and how the relationship sailed through the give and take.

Our heroine found herself in a tough place with a lot of baggage dumped on her including two tween kids. I admit I wanted to smack these kids a few times in the novel but then again tell me of any tween that you know and don't wanna smack a few times *grin* ...I think our heroine did cater to them a bit but I can see why. I really enjoyed the humor that these girls gave to the story and the lightness that without could have made this a much darker story and I think less enjoyable.

I found that JK crafted the story in a way that we understood where the characters came from and what made them into the people they were at the time of the novel. I easily related to both of them and found myself cheering them on and hoping they would find a way to make a permanent relationship finding balance and a shared kink.

For those of you who enjoy reading BDSM elements in their romances this is definitely a novel you should give a read. If you are a reader who isn't into a master/slave type romance than you should give this a pass. I personally am giving this a 4 star rating and am anxious to track down more of Jeffe Kennedy's writing..I love her hot sexy scenes and wonderful characters.

Review: Hard to Fight by Bella Jewel Book 1 in her new Alpha's Heart Series

I love Bella Jewel, I have read her Motorcycle Club Romance series and really enjoyed it, so when I saw she had another genre of contemporary romance about to come out I jumped on Netgalley and requested it! Lucky me the publishers gave me a copy in exchange for an honest review! Thanks!

This is a very different read from the MC novels not as gritty or edgy but picks up the slack there with snark, humor and attitude. The premise of the novel is that Grace is a woman in a man's world and trying hard to prove herself. She is following in her Dad's footprints and is a bounty hunter. She is struggling to be taken seriously and treated as an equal to her male colleagues. Raide is accused of a crime he did not commit and jumped bail to get revenge on the true criminal. Yes, she is the one who gets the job of tracking him down. That is all I'm going to say on the story, you really need to read it and see how the two interact.

I'm reading the novel and for some reason Charley Davidson by Darynda Jones kept popping into my head and I finally realized that were many similarities to the the two....I actually think Bella Jewel must have been channelling Darynda as she wrote this novel. The female characters had a lot of similar traits and the plot lines and characters as well seemed to have a parallel going on . This is all good for me since I enjoy the Charley Davidson series. Just one of those things that make you wonder.

I did enjoy the characters they are fully rounded and easily relate-able. The secondary characters were essential to the progression of the story line and in some cases used as a vehicle to move the story ahead. The plot is well thought out and kept me pinned to the book well past my bedtime. I loved that I laughed out loud in some places and smiled in others. The story moves quickly and there were no places where it dragged. Overall I would say it was a fun, quick read that will have me coming back to read more in the series.

Just a couple things that kept the book from being a 5 star....repetition....several times it was pointed out how sassy Grace was....we got it already we are reading the book...and whining...I found Grace a bit whiny and that for me is a bit of a turn off and I thought the behaviour seemed out of character. Over all these are minor issues for a really enjoyable novel.

4 bright stars for this first book in a new series...Can't wait for the next one!!!

Delayed Penalty by Sophia Henry Book 1 of Pilots Hockey Series

I'm a fan of hockey romances, I think it is the Canadian in me coming to the foreground so when I saw this novel and that it was Sophia Henry's debut novel I just had to ask Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review...thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing it.

I enjoyed SH's fresh perspective on the hockey sports romance. I admit I did think this novel was going to be more new adult than young adult when I requested it and I have to admit freely that I am not a fan of young adult novels. The age of these characters is 20 and they are either attending University or playing professional sports so I do have to say up front I really wanted the characters to have a more mature physical relationship, although the chemistry was there it felt that the car kept chugging but the engine would not turn over. I admired that we had attraction without insta sex and that Aleksandr our hero and professional athlete was not a manwhore as so many sports figures are portrayed it really made it feel like he had respect for Auden which is why this should be classified as a Y/A novel.

The writing was excellent for a first timer and the plot was good. I enjoyed that the characters were Russian or of Russian descent, it gave a reality to the story as many of today's players are from that part of the world. I liked seeing Auden embrace her heritage but still be an all American kid. I also liked that it was a shared experience that brought our main characters closer together and gave them that common ground to connect with and grow on.

I do have to seek clarification from the author on one thing....I was reading other reviews and it seemed that most them thought Aliksandr played for a Canadian team ...but I do believe his team was a Detroit team that they just partied across the bridge and or tunnel in Windsor and that is why Canada was mentioned.Correct?

I really enjoyed Sophia Henry's writing and am looking forward to watching her grow with each novel. If you enjoy hockey romances and don't mind it being PG I think you will enjoy this debut of the brand new hockey series "Pilots" ...give it a go....3.5 stars for a well written story with depth and freshness.

Review and Recommendation: Wolf Trouble by Paige Tyler Book 2 in SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team

Now this is the book I was hoping for....after an average start to the series with book this book kicks the story and action into gear and gives this romantic suspense lover everything she dreamed of in a paranormal romantic suspense!!! Thanks Paige Tyler!!

Everything in this second outing is bigger and better than the first. The chemistry between Khaki and Xander is so hawt my fingers got singed as I was holding my ereader! The sex was hawt, steamy and scorched the hair off my arms! You add to that strong, charismatic characters and a realistic feel to the plot and you have an absolute winner. Looking for action? Bullets fly and the stalker stalks as PT weaves several different plot threads together to have them connect and create a story that has you wanting to start the book all over again once you finish.

I really enjoyed that both the male and female protagonists were strong and very equal to the task of being members of this elite SWAT team. No simpering females here....just a strong woman who can kick ass with the best of them. I really enjoyed getting to know more of the team and going deeper into who they are...made me anxious to read each of their stories...a great teaser for future instalments in the series.

I'm purposefully not going into the storyline and revealing what is so suspenseful but I have to say....this novel lived up to everything I look for in a Romantic suspense and more....4.5 stars and a definite t'irla recommendation....Start your fall off right and grab this novel I promise those new TV shows will wait...the book is way better!!!

*thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the book in exchange for an honest review*