REVIEW ~Rock With Me by Kristen Proby~

Title: Rock With Me
Author: Kristen Proby
Series: With Me in Seattle #4
Release Date: May 1, 2013

My Rating: 5+ Stars!

Front Man Leo Nash from the world-famous rock band, Nash, is the last person on earth Samantha Williams would trust. She's already learned about loving a celebrity the hard way and isn't signing up for another lesson.

Every time Sam gives Leo attitude, he wants to knock that chip off her fragile little shoulder. What the hell did he ever do to her, anyway? He's not used to women treating him like he's poisonous, and he isn't about to let her run away every time he gets close. He's had enough of people running away to last him a lifetime...when this one runs, he gives chase. But, catching Sam isn't as hard as he thought.

The sexual attraction between them is so thick, Sam can practically hold it in her hand. There's no way she can deny herself the promise of pleasure being with Leo would provide.

But, pleasure always comes with pain and when secrets are revealed and trust is challenged, who will run and who will chase?

The With Me in Seattle series is hands down one of my favorite series out there. It's contemporary erotica, which is hard to find, much less find it done amazingly. But Kristen Proby gives us book after book of pure genius-ness. Rock With Me is the perfect addition to the series. We see rocker, bad-boy Leo Nash and stubborn, independent Samantha Williams fall head over heels for one another. I love that this series offers so much. Where else can you get a series with football players, rockers, actors, millionaires that are all sexier that should be allowed? Leo and Sm definitely hold up to what readers expect from this magnificent series. They fight, grapple, make-up, have fun, and completely consume one another. 

"'I'll take you hard, and soft, and every way in between.' He grips my face in his hands and looks down at me, his nose touching mine. 'I'm going to fuck the shit out of you.' Oh God, yes! 'And I'm going to make love to you until you're shaking and don't remember who you are.'"

~Leo

Leo and Sam are both very wounded. In different way, yet wounded just the same. So it's hard for both of them to trust one another. They've been so used to having casual flings that they are completely blindsided by their attraction from one another. Soon, they find themselves telling each other things they don't even share with their families. Their fears, hopes, fantasies. All of it drawing them deeper into this complicated relationship. While Leo has demons in his past, the major hurdle these two face is Sam and her trust issues. Growing up with a famous brother, and having been burned two many times, Sam is hesitant to step into the limelight with Leo. But he isn't willing to let her go that easily. Leo refuses to let the only person that he loves beyond a sibling love, walk away. He knows that Sam needs him just as much as he needs her. It's just a matter of proving that they can work.

"The thought of leaving Leo makes me sad. Okay, it makes me feel like my heart is being torn from my bloody body."

~Sam

I loved everything about this book. The emotions gripped me, the sex had me envious, the love had me swooning, and the characters antics had me cracking up. No matter how many times I read Kristen Proby, her wit, sense of humor and ability to connect with her readers will always astound me. This book doesn't just have one strong point. It has everything an avid reader looks for in a romance book and so much more! So, if you already a fan, you won't be disappointed and if you're not: I assure you this is one of my faves for a reason! 

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REVIEW ~Unleash by Felicity Heaton~

Title: Unleash
Author: Felicity Heaton
Series: Vampire Erotic Theatre #6
Release Date: May 18, 2013

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

A powerful vampire lost deep in his bloodlust, Snow is a savage animal, mindless with rage and a thirst for violence, and trapped with no hope of awakening from an endless nightmare… until a song draws him up from the abyss, restoring his sanity but leaving him haunted by the sweet feminine scent of lilies and snow, and fragmented familiar lyrics.

When the mysterious and beautiful songstress reappears in Snow’s room at Vampirerotique, she awakens a fierce protective streak and stirs dark desires that drive him to claim her as his female, even when he knows his touch will destroy her innocence.

A single forbidden taste is all it takes to unleash emotions in Aurora that she shouldn’t possess, tearing her between duty and desire, and luring her into surrendering to her wildfire passion and embracing hungers that burn so hotly they threaten to consume them both.

One act of kindness can lead to one thousand acts of sin though, each a black mark against the bearer’s soul and another grain of sand that slips through an hourglass. The clock is ticking and time is almost up. Can beauty save the beast?

So, I've been waiting for Snow's story since I started the Vampire Erotic Theatre series, and I could not have been more pleased with how his story turned out. I'm going to call Unleash a "heavy hitter". It dealt with so much baggage between all of the characters and even characters I didn't know existed yet but, that happened to have a huge impact on Snow's life. At the end, I didn't feel that there was a single loose end to be seen. Everything was resolved, and everyone gets their happily ever afters. But along the way I experienced so many emotions and my heart ached for Snow and Aurora . For me their HEA couldn't come quick enough.

Unleash touches a bit on each of the couples from previous books, we get to see how their relationships and families have grown. But, the main part of Unleash is Snow. At the beginning he is deep in bloodlust and in his own head, to a point where no one can get him out. The stories we've never been told though, are what happened when Snow first experienced bloodlust all those years ago that changed his life forever. Those stories are what Snow relives every time he experiences the bloodlust, and therefore we get to see the gore and trauma first hand as well. I never knew what set Snow off in his rampage to begin with, and we get a glimpse of that as well. The real turn of events is when we meet Aurora, an angel who saved Snow all those years ago and helped set into place the horror that would follow suit. After saving Snow, for every terrible act he committed it was a mark against her, causing her to be an outcast among the angels. 

So, how was this supposed to work? The girl who saved him, when he didn't want to be saved, and the man who caused her a lifetime of burdens and pain? Ironically, Aurora and Snow are perfect for each other. Both extremely misunderstood, they are the only ones who truly see the real behind their facades. The pain that Aurora and Snow have been through was almost unbearable to read about, but their pain didn't end once they found each other again. These two could only find solace in each other's arms. Aurora helps quell the bloodlust in Snow, and he makes her feel. But they have a long journey and many enemies to fight to get to their happy place. I loved every second of Unleash. It was definitely one of those "FINALLY!" books for me. Snow finally got his HEA, which he so rightly deserved. And Aurora, who we don't meet until this book will have a special place in your heart too. Ms. Heaton has done it again with lovable and captivating characters, and a spell-binding story that will hold you from beginning to end!

Happy Reading!

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BOOK BLAST + GIVEAWAY ~Trust Me by Anna Wells~

Title: Trust Me
Author: Anna Wells
Release Date: May 24, 2013

Lawyer Alaina Simmons never imagined that she would be defending her deceased father against accusations of terrorism when she agreed to protect his legacy, a group of documents he’d placed in an archival repository. FBI Lawyer Donovan Prentice insists that her father and the organization he worked for were terrorists and that crucial evidence is in the documents Alaina has sworn to protect. Now she is forced to combat the FBI and her compelling attraction to Donovan Prentice while unaware that she is also Donovan’s suspect.

Special Agent Donovan Prentice is working undercover posing as a lawyer in an attempt to gain access to the evidence he needs to convict a group of terrorists as well as determine if Alaina Simmons is working with them. Things become complicated as Donovan becomes more intent on getting his suspect in bed than putting her in jail.

When the bullets start to fly and the lies begin to unravel Alaina and Donovan begin to explore their intensely sexual relationship, but the couple will have to learn to trust each other both in and out of bed before the terrorists’ game of intrigue can end.

Warning: This book contains steamy sex scenes and amusing banter.

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Meet Anna:

I’m happily married with two children. I love to cook, hike, bike, and hang with my girlfriends.

I’m an avid romance reader and enjoy all types of romance novels including historical, contemporary, paranormal, and erotica.

Oh and did I mention I have my own consulting business?

I obviously had a couple of hours left in the day so I began writing romance.   I wanted to bring readers hot, sexy romances that are brought to life with compelling characters.  Who knew writing romance could be as fun as reading it! 

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REVIEW ~It Had To Be You by Jill Shalvis~

Title: It Had to Be You
Author: Jill Shalvis
Series: Lucky Harbor #7
Release Date: May 28, 2013

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Ali Winters is not having a good day. Her boyfriend left her, everyone in town thinks she’s a thief, and now she’s about to be kicked out of her home. Her only shot at keeping a roof over her head and clearing her name is to beg for help from a police detective who’s as sexy as he is stern….

After a high-profile case goes wrong, Luke Hanover returns to his hometown for some peace and quiet. Instead he finds a bombshell brunette in a heap of trouble. As he helps Ali put her world back together, the pieces of Luke’s own life finally seem to fall into place. Is this the start of a sizzling fling? Or are Luke and Ali on the brink of something big in a little town called Lucky Harbor?

First off, this is my first time reviewing Jill Shalvis on my blog but, I have read almost all of her books. I am a HUGE fan of hers, and her books are completely amazing. If you've read the Lucky Harbor series you know that it is filled with quirky characters, unimaginable chemistry, and snarky dialogue to boot. It Had to Be You is no different, and fits right in with series.  Lucky Harbor is definitely in the top 5 of my favorite contemporary series. It is so thrilling that after 7 books in this series Ms. Shalvis still delivers a refreshing storyline, spunky heroines, and lovable/hot heroes. I find that too often in a series like this the author gets redundant but, that is so not the case here. I love the small town of Lucky Harbor, and if it truly existed I would move there. No joke. With hot guys like Luke, Sawyer, and my favorite, Matt hanging around town I would never want for eye candy. And with hilariously fabulous friends like Maddie, Chloe, Grace and Ali there would never be a dull moment.

"I know I might look like a ball of fluff, but I'm not. Not even close. And the fact that I get up each morning and put a damn smile on my face is the same as.. Batman putting on his cape... I'm not done. It's... protection. It's my shield. It's me waving my middle finger to the world, because I choose to be happy. The bottom line, Luke, is that I know what matters and what doesn't."

~Ali

I think Ali is on my favorite heroines in the series. She has to put up with so much, when all she ever does is give. Then she has everyone in town doubting her innocence. Hero to the rescue? I mean Ali could have handled it all herself, but Luke Hanover offers her the unwavering support she has never had in life. So, when the cards play out and they find it is easier to protect one another while living in the same household, how are they supposed to stop the attraction that has been growing since the first day they met? Well.... they don't :) I love reading a couples first meet, where they're trying to fight the chemistry and I just scoff at them. But it wasn't just a straight shot to a HEA after that. Nope, these two have painful pasts, asshole ex-boyfriends, and crazy seniors to deal with and a mystery to solve. Ali and Luke's banter was downright hilarious, and their back-and-forth attraction kept me turning pages. And despite his vehemence to the contrary, Luke was just the guy for Ali to be able to trust and depend on.

"She came, flying over the edge with his name on her lips. He tried to hold on, tried to hold back, but it was too late. He was lost. Lost, and yet somehow found. It was as simple and terrifying as that."

I really enjoy the development that Jill Shalvis gives her characters. Add that to their relate-able personalities and you have an amazing, heartfelt book every. single. time. Luke and Ali make a great addition to the unique and eclectic town of Lucky Harbor and definitely found a spot on my "to be read again" shelf. If you are new to Lucky Harbor you're going to love it and each book is a standalone. And if you're returning, well, Ms. Shalvis keeps raising the bar with each book in this series so expect something equally, if not more phenomenal than her last book. Also, there are little tidbits in It Had to Be You that allude to Jill's new book Always on My Mind and I cannot wait to read it!! It's just sitting on my bedside table begging to be read! I strongly urge you to go pick up the Lucky Harbor series, it is truly one of the greats!

Happy Reading!
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Red Garnier: Taken by Him

Title: Taken by Him
Author: Red Garnier
Series: The Billionaire's Club #2
Release Date: May 28, 2013

My Rating: 3 Stars

Synopsis: Luke Preston is the ultimate playboy among his billionaire friends. Every bad girl in Chicago has surrendered in his bed. Some good girls, too. But when he ends up in the hospital after an assassination attempt, his friends suggest he take a long vacation to recoup, regroup and lay off the women until the man is caught. However, when Luke lays eyes on the stunning brunette across the beach, she inspires every dark, erotic thought his mind can conjure.
Peyton Lane has always been serious and responsible and she’s determined to have some fun for once in her life. And that means a deliciously, sexy affair with a stranger while she’s on vacation. So when a blond Adonis named Luke crosses her path at the Cancun resort, she’s determined that he will be the one. But Peyton gets more than she bargained for when Luke introduces her to a passion unlike any she has ever experienced and she discovers that behind that charming smile are secrets and a beautiful, damaged soul.


My Review:
First off, this is a very quick read, all told it is about 112 pages. Now, I have enjoyed my fair share of short books, and some can get a complete story told. However, Taken by Him did not quite do it for me. It has a good premise, and I enjoy the concept of the series overall, I just wish the author would expand and give the stories and characters more depth. Rather than give more background to the characters and their lives before meeting each other, the story is based on their purely physical attraction to one another. I found it hard to believe that the hero goes from self professed playboy to love at physical encounter in two point five seconds. One minute Peyton and Luke are agreeing to a vacation fling and then they are professing their love to one another after meeting up again. One of the bright sides to this book was Peyton, she was a strong willed heroine, and her character was refreshing next to Luke's typical playboy persona. I would like to believe that someone like Luke could change so quickly when they meet "the one", but since the story was so short it was a little far fetched. The author did create an interesting world and I will probably go back and read Chloe and Graves' story and will go forward and read Andrew and Daniel's stories. Overall, if you are looking for a quick hot read, this is a book for you.

Happy Reading!
*Review copy provided by publisher in exchange for a honest review*



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