REVIEW ~Tangled by Emma Chase

Title: Tangled
Author: Emma Chase
Series: Tangles #1
Release Date: August 2, 2013

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Drew Evans is a winner. Handsome and arrogant, he makes multimillion dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. He has loyal friends and an indulgent family. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed?

He’ll tell you he has the flu.

But we all know that’s not really true.

Katherine Brooks is brilliant, beautiful and ambitious. She refuses to let anything - or anyone - derail her path to success. When Kate is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating.

Then, just when Drew is on the cusp of having everything he wants, his overblown confidence threatens to ruin it all. Will he be able untangle his feelings of lust and tenderness, frustration and fulfillment? Will he rise to the most important challenge of his life?

Can Drew Evans win at love?

Tangled is not your mother’s romance novel. It is an outrageous, passionate, witty narrative about a man who knows a lot about women…just not as much as he thinks he knows. As he tells his story, Drew learns the one thing he never wanted in life, is the only thing he can’t live without.

Oh, Drew Evans. I'm not sure what to do with this hero. Drew is probably one of the most realistic heroes I have ever read. Tangled is told 100% in his POV, and he is extremely frank and open with his thoughts. Granted, some of his thoughts made me think he was a dirtbag. BUT, his explanations and development throughout the story garnered him forgiveness. Kate, on the other hand, is kind of an enigma. One of the reasons I can't wait to get a hold of Twisted is to get inside her head. I know her actions are probably an accurate portrayal of her feelings but, I just need that confirmation. Kate and Drew's story is energetic, fast-paced, hilarious and incredibly steamy. Tangled, is a story of two polar opposites that learn to take steps in the other's shoes. Drew is a very facetious, blase, playboy type, with his only drive being work. While Kate is a very driven individual in all things, and also uptight. These two come together in a meeting of chemistry, that turns full tilt into an emotional journey neither of them were prepared for. 

I loved that I didn't have to be inside Kate's head to connect with her. Yeah, I look forward to getting in her mind, and knowing her true thoughts, but given face-value I was able to connect with her throughout all of Tangled. Drew was more of a mystery. Ironic, since I was actually experiencing their story through his eyes alone. But, to an extent he was almost a contradiction. In the end though, I was left with absolutely no qualm about where his feelings, or loyalty lays. The beauty of this story comes in the last third. Drew Evans has forever redeemed himself, and earned men several brownie points in the process. His perseverance, and expert skills are quite a sight to behold. But, I won't ruin the plot for you :) I have to believe that these two met at the hand of fate, and I swear they tried everything within their powers to screw up her plans. They each take a few plays from each others playbooks and eventually meet in the middle. Kate and Drew learn to give and take with the best, and I can only hope that will be the building blocks when their relationship moves forward in Twisted.

This book is worthy of a slap to my head for waiting so long to read it. I enjoyed every bit of it. It was a refreshing break from the unrealistic books, that I obviously love, but Tangled had that bit of reality and hard work as its base. Obviously, as a whole this book is a work of fiction and most of it will likely never happen. HOWEVER, the characters in this book have a very real vibe to them. It is an extremely unique book. I have to say, as far as my read list is concerned, it is one of a kind. Ms. Chase has told a fun-loving story in an exemplary way. Even the secondary characters sucked me in, and I can't wait to read their stories either. The entire Tangled cast will fold you into their world and make you laugh, sigh with frustration, and wish you were a permanent part of their group. I will definitely be adding all of Emma's books to my TBR list and can't wait for Twisted to arrive!

Happy Reading!

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BOOK BLAST ~Embrace the Magic by Caris Roane~

Title: Embrace the Dark
Author: Caris Roane
Series: The Blood Roade #1
Release Date: July 1, 2012

Enter a world of blood-starved mastyr vampires and the rare women who can satisfy their deepest needs…

How can he resist his blood rose…

Gerrod, mastyr vampire of the Merhaine Realm, never thought to have his blood-needs satisfied by a mere human. But Abigail is no ordinary woman. She stuns him with her telepathy as well as the richness of her blood. However, her human DNA makes her an unacceptable mate. Yet how can Gerrod turn her away when she alone has satisfied his blood-starvation for the first time in a hundred-and-fifty-years?

Will she fall to temptation and give herself to a vampire…

When the dreaded enemy of all realm-folk, the Invictus, attacks at a fae wedding, Abigail’s simple human life gets turned upside down. She doesn't know if she has the courage to pursue a path that means giving herself body and soul to a mastyr vampire. Will she return to her normal existence in Flagstaff, Arizona? Or will she embrace the dark…

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Title: Embrace the Magic

Author: Caris Roane

Series: The Blood Rose #2

Release Date: August 31, 2013

When a blood rose enters Mastyr Ethan’s world, will he succumb to his deepest needs or lose her forever to an enemy intent on possessing her at all costs?

He desperately needs his blood rose…

Ethan, mastyr vampire of the Bergisson Realm, never thought to find his blood rose, the one woman who could ease the blood-starvation he’s endured for decades. But Samantha carries a surprising level of power as her newly discovered fae heritage emerges and she connects with his personal realm frequency, a vibration that ignites his passion. His commitment to ruling Bergisson, however, has priority, even over his driving need to be with Samantha. As desire rises, and Ethan finds himself drawn into the web of his driving, relentless need for her, will he be able to embrace his blood rose or will his guilt over past events prevent him from living life to the fullest?

How can she give up the life she planned…?

Samantha can’t believe she’s a blood rose, a woman who can meet the needs of a starved mastyr vampire. Her plans never included the world of the Nine Realms in which mastyr vampires rule millions of realm-folk, but learning that she’s half-fae has changed everything. As Ethan’s blood-needs become a life-or-death struggle, and cast her into a war against the dreaded Invictus, how can she choose to embrace her new fae powers and change her life so completely? Will she take on the role forever as Ethan’s blood rose? Or will her desire to follow her life’s ambitions force her to choose against love, passion, and unbelievable fae power?

Mastyr Vampire Ethan stared down into Sweet Gorge where two of his Guardsmen hauled up a body on a sling carried between them. They flew side by side, matching their movements by long practice. The night air, though usually fresh in early April, carried a rancid edge, something he’d connected with this area for a long time.

But he’d lost another of his Guard here at Sweet Gorge, killed sometime this past week, but located by a search patrol just a half hour ago. And this was the fourth murder in a month.

Something was on the wind.

“Invictus?” Finn scratched behind his right ear. He was Ethan’s second-in-command, his long red hair a beacon in any situation.

Using both hands, Ethan shoved his own unruly hair away from his face. Sweat dripped from his forehead. The temp wasn’t too warm in Bergisson Realm this time of year, but when his blood-starvation reached difficult levels, he’d often perspire like he’d been battling for hours. “What the hell was Paul doing patrolling in this area?”

Ethan didn’t know Paul well, but he felt responsible for him, as he did for all his Guard. He’d built his force to three hundred strong, but Paul, as a new recruit, wasn’t well-known to many of the Guardsmen.

“He didn’t have orders to go out here, not with three other Guardsmen dead in the past few months along the eastern border.” Ethan let his gaze move from one end of the gorge to the other, then along the monolith to the east. A familiar heavy guilt clawed at his chest. This part of his realm was off-limits having been the place of a massacre forty years earlier.

“Maybe his body was dumped.”

Ethan’s frown tightened his forehead. “Most likely.”

There was a connection between Sweet Gorge and the Invictus. He just didn’t know what it was.

Sweet Gorge used to be a place of great beauty and had once been a modest resort, a place his family had been to a lot in its prime. Fae leadership had also met here often.

Now his mother, father and sister were gone, lost in the attack, along with many loved ones, over two hundred realm killed all at one time.

Afterward, the stream had dried up, the source cursed by a powerful fae of unknown ancestry. No one had seen the fae female or the deed, only that the stream was blocked and no amount of power had ever released it. A wall of crystals resided there and none of the fae he knew would go near it.

Besides, there was always the stench to warn realm-folk away, of something not right, very ancient, and deadly.

He glanced over the wooded ridgeline along the north ridge. A breeze picked up sending sharp pine scents through the air.

But something else struck his nostrils, the scent of dark fae magic, as though it waited there. His muscles flexed involuntarily along the insides of his arms. Yet in all these decades not a single fae of power, in any of the Nine Realms, had been able to figure out where all that power was coming from, not even Vojalie, the most powerful fae he knew.

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Meet Caris Roane:

Caris Roane has published nine paranormal novels and novellas and writing as Valerie King, fifty Regency works. In 2005, Romantic Times gave her a Career Achievement award in Regency Romance. As Caris Roane, she currently writes paranormal romance for St. Martin’s Press and also self-publishes the continuing stories for her Guardians of Ascension series as well as stories set in other worlds.





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REVIEW ~Playing with Her Heart by Lauren Blakely~

Title: Playing with Her Heart
Author: Lauren Blakely
Series: Caught Up In Us #3
Release Date: August 17, 2013

My Rating: 4 stars

From the NYT & USA Today Bestselling romance author, a sizzling and addictive story of a woman with a broken past and the man who can’t fight his attraction to her…

Twenty-three year old rising theater star Jill McCormick has built a life out of pretending. Pretending she’s happy, pretending she’s not haunted by the dark secret that shattered her world six years ago. But then she comes face to face with her new director – sexy, sophisticated, possessive, all-alpha Davis Milo. He tries to resist the actress he’s cast, but the attraction between them is too powerful, and soon their private rehearsals spiral into new, forbidden territory. The passionate connection, the intense chemistry is undeniable, and it hits them anywhere, and everywhere – in the theater, on the piano, in the limo, in the restaurant…But the tragedy in Jill’s past stands between them. Davis has walls too, so they can either face their fears together, or risk the deepest love and greatest passion either has ever felt…

Playing with Her Heart is a hard one to review for me. It kept me off center the whole time, and not many books can do that. I usually have at least some idea of where a book is going, but not with this one. This is the first book I have read from Lauren Blakely, I know it is 3rd in a series but everyone was raving about it and they are technically standalones so I decided to dive in. I was surprisingly captivated by it. I find it hard to find a book/series where I have not read the plot line before. Playing with Her Heart was a new experience for me, I’m not used to a fun-loving contemporary having such strong emotions between the characters. We usually get all the angst and emotion, or all of the light-hearted love and humor. It's refreshing to read a book that has a perfect mix of both.

"You can play her, and you will play her. Hell you are her. I can feel her pain in you. Her secrets. Her sadness. How wounded she it. Most of all, I can feel her hope."

~Davis

We start off with Jill who is just beginning her career on Broadway. I liked her character, she has a nice head on her shoulders, and does not have that starry-eyed quality that one might see in a newbie. Then we have the veteran Director Davis Milo. Davis is the perfect fit for a brooding director, and he has got quite a dirty mouth! From the minute Davis sees Jill he is attracted to her, he can’t get her out of his mind and has to have her as is leading lady. Circumstances and the real world come into play and Davis does not get his way. Jill still ends up in the play and their late night practice sessions begin to heat up. Surprisingly enough it was not all sex right out of the gate, the author actually makes you wait for it, but there is plenty of heat throughout these pages. The story seems to be more concentrated on their actual relationship than their physical attraction. It was interesting to see the characters build their relationship and deal with the obstacles upfront instead of waiting for a blow up moment at the end. 

"He's fucking me with his words, and I am turned on beyond belief."

~Jill

I really adored the interactions between Davis and Jill, and I could not wait to see where their story was going to lead. I think part of it was a bit predictable but it did not keep me from devouring this book in a day.  It wasn't predictable in a boring way, Ms. Blakely kept my attention the entire time. I really could not put it down! I will definitely be reading the preceding books in the series and any future books by Lauren.

Happy Reading!

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Blog Tour: Forbidden Surrender by Priscilla West + GIVEAWAY

Title: Forbidden Surrender
Author: Priscilla West
Series: Surrender #1
Release Date: August 9, 2013

My Rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis:
“What gives you a thrill Kristen?”

The minute I saw Vincent Sorenson, I knew he was trouble. Billionaire. Bad boy. And dangerously sexy. He was everything I craved, and nothing I needed.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t just avoid him. The higher ups at my company decided they needed his business, and I was on the team to bring him in. Vincent Sorenson didn't seem as interested in business as he was in me, but I knew that was a door better left unopened. If I got involved with him, it would only unearth the pain I spent years trying to bury.

I thought I had it under control, but I seriously underestimated Vincent’s seductive charm and silver-tongue. I would soon find out how delicious it would feel to let myself fall into this forbidden surrender.

My Review:

Forbidden Surrender is such an excellent start to what I'm sure will be an excellent series. We are introduced to Kristen, a marketing associate trying to land Vincent Sorensen as her firm's newest client. Their connection is magnetic, but Kristen wants to prove herself on a professional terms not personal ones. Vincent make her want things she thinks she shouldn't want and detracts from her job-oriented goals. Kristen does fight tooth and nail trying to stand her ground against Vincent's charisma, but in the end she is swept up in all of his alpha glory.

Vincent has this ease about him, differing him from most book alphas. He's a CEO, but more than that he still holds his roots, and has not really changed from who he was before he made his money. Kristen on the other hand, even through glimpses of her past, has been changed inexplicably in the past couple of years. She is such a strong and determined person, and she is the perfect fit for Vincent. They are a perfect example of a give/take couple. They complement each other and neither one tries to absorb the other. They are equal parts independent and a duo.

This will be part of a serial, so don't expect the full story right away. BUT it does not necessarily end on a cliffhanger. While it is short-ish, it is a well developed story that is very enjoyable. I feel like most of the time, length should not be an issue, if the author delivers a developed, interesting and captivating story, then what's the problem? Bottom line, this is quick, intense and fun read that I would definitely recommend! And I will definitely be picking up the rest of the series!

Happy Reading!

*Review copy provided by the Author in exchange for an honest review*

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Meet Priscilla West:

Priscilla West is the author of the popular erotic romance series The Sandstone Affair and is currently writing the Surrender series. She likes to write stories with sassy heroines and strong but flawed heroes.

She enjoys: cuddles, men in suits, eskimo kisses, life-sized teddy bears, and eggs over medium.

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