Tag Archives: review

March 10, 2013 · 12:00 pm

The ‘Lexi Steele’ Series by Cheyenne McCray (Book Review)

Includes The Edge of Sin by Cheyenne McCray


Blurb: Zane Steele lives a life of extraordinary danger as a government agent an has never let anyone get too close. Then he sees the one woman who will change his life forever

 
 
Reviewing only Cheyenne’s contribution:
Cheyenne hooked me from page one with the ice cream scene. As I was reading it, I had a hankering to make a trip to the local ice cream parlor. The restaurant sexcapade was funny and sexy. I like how C.M. stated the bathroom was clean. It would have to be squeaky clean for me to get busy in one. 🙂

The rest of the short story was just as hot and didn’t lack in funny moments. There was a brief encounter with some bad guys but that was quickly wrapped up and the story ended on a funny/sweet moment. 

 

 
Heart rating system 
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤

 

An Elite Partnership
Alexi Steele is determined, relentless, and driven to protect the innocent. She’s a top agent of the NSA’s clandestine Recovery Enforcement Division, specializing in human trafficking and sex crimes. Her current mission: To infiltrate the inner circle of Boston’s exclusive S&M clubs in order to save young women who are about to be auctioned off to the highest bidders. But Lexi’s only way in is under the control of her new partner in crime, Nicholas Donovan.

An Erotic End Game
Nick will do whatever it takes to bring down the billionaire sex-ring mastermind who’s kidnapped his sister. But the games he must play as Lexi’s dominant are burning away his icy control, and blurring the lines between partners. Meanwhile, their enemies are closing in as they enter a devastating race against time…bringing them dangerously close to THE FIRST SIN.

 
~Quick Thoughts~
 
The emotional and physical torment Steele, Kristen, and the numerous unnamed ladies of the story went through was heartbreaking. I couldn’t imagine being in their predicament for a solitary minute. Unfortunately, human trafficking/sex slave rings are not a thing of fiction even though this story was one. 


Internally, I was screaming and clapping when Steele got her revenge on Cabot. Cheered louder when Kristin got the upper hand on the Professor. I wish all ladies and gents in their position were so lucky. 
 
 
Heart rating system 
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤

BUY THE BOOK: IndieBound | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million

 

 

They are Bound by Duty and Desire

As an undercover agent for the NSA’s Recovery Enforcement Division, Alexi Steele is no stranger to the ways and means of the country’s most notorious sex criminals. Still, she’s never seen anything quite like this. Girls from across the globe are being recruited for a modeling competition in New York City, only to end up as enslaved prostitutes. Now it’s up to Lexi and her partner—and lover—Nicholas Donovan to infiltrate the operation.
Will Their Fight for Justice Tear Them Apart?
Finding the mastermind behind the sex trafficking is only one half of the challenge. The other is Nick. Even though she has always trusted him, Lexi can’t help but wonder whether he’s keeping something from her—a shocking secret from his past on the Special Forces unit. Meanwhile, time is running out for the victims—and Lexi may be forced to do the unthinkable to see that the job is done.


~Quick Thoughts~
In this installment, Lexi and Donovan are still on the hunt for Hagstedt, the head honcho. I won’t spill if they ride the world of him or if he evades capture. What I will say is, this story is action packed and violent. But like the last story, one major woman fights back. Dasha was horribly abused but in the end, she becomes the hero. How? Read the story and you’ll discover the answer. 

Trust me, you won’t be able to put this story down once you get started on it. 

Luckily for us, we don’t have to wait a year to read the next installment. It’s already out!  

 
Heart rating system 
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤

 

 

Special Agent Lexi Steele is an operative with RED—the Recovery Enforcement Division, a highly secretive offshoot of the NSA. Her sexy, too-hot-to-handle partner, Nick Donovan, not only ends up in her bed but also gets inside her in a way no man has ever done before.

Lexi and Nick are on the trail of Karl Bachmann, a criminal mastermind who deals in sex slavery. To Lexi’s shock, her team is ordered to pull back. Despite the horrendous crimes Bachmann has committed, they are forced to stop their investigation. Lexi is furious—why would the government let a criminal like Bachmann get away?

Bachmann is out for revenge and is bent on destroying Lexi. When her family is targeted, it’s a run against time as Lexi and Nick search for a missing family member and the man behind it. They find themselves in a web of deceit and betrayal that goes to the very core of the U.S. Government itself.

In the midst of all the turmoil, Lexi fights her emotions for Nick, a distraction she can’t allow. Nick wants her trust and her love…something she doesn’t know if she’ll ever be able to give.

The clock is ticking. Time is running out.

 

~Quick Thoughts~ 

Even though Nick and Lexi were the main characters of the book, the shining star of this installment had to be Rory, Steele’s sister. That girl went from a mouse to a lioness in two seconds flat. Way to go! 

I liked the brief moments when Ryan, Lexi’s brother, and Georgina were near each other. There was a noticeable connection between them so I’m hoping Cheyenne writes their story next. I’m dying to know why Georgina’s eyes were so haunted after she delivered vital intel to the team. Yup, there’s a backstory there. Write it up. Please. 

The ending of the book….. it was very sweet. 

 

Heart rating system 

1 (lowest) and 5 (highest)
Score: ❤❤❤❤❤

BUY THE BOOK: Pink Zebra | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

 

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March 3, 2013 · 1:00 pm

Wicked All the Way by Shayla Black (Book Review)

 
Retired military colonel Caleb Edgington has spent two long years trying to achieve the most important mission objective of his life—but not behind enemy lines. He’s trying to capture a woman with a broken heart. Having lost at love once, he understands being gun shy. The residual fears from Carlotta Buckley’s nasty divorce have stood between them, but he’s done with that. And he’s got the perfect strategy to lure her in…

Carlotta never thought she’d fall in love again. Once bitten, she’s now more than twice shy. And Caleb is everything she can’t handle—fierce, relentless, uncompromising…sexual. She’s managed to mostly avoid him, but now his son and her daughter need their help. Can Caleb and the spirit of the season convince her that she’s ready to take a chance on love again?

 

 

Outside of paranormal romances, I haven’t read or seen many erotic stories centered around people over the age of 50. I’m sure they are out there, but I’m simply not aware of any. 

In the 100+ pages, Shayla did a marvelous job of bringing Caleb and Lotta’s love to life. She showed passion doesn’t stop at 20-40 and it shouldn’t. 

The only section I wasn’t quite “feeling” was the usage of Hunter’s dungeon. For me, it was like “doing it” in your kid’s bedroom. I’ll pass!  

Besides that one snafu, I liked the story very much. 

 

Heart Rating System 

1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 

Score: ❤❤❤❤ 1/2

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February 17, 2013 · 1:00 pm

Last Kiss Goodnight by Gena Showalter (Book Review)

 

THE SWEETEST TEMPTATION…


 Black ops agent Solomon Judah awakens caged and bound in a twisted zoo where otherworlders are the main attraction. Vika Lukas, the owner’s daughter, is tasked with Solo’s care and feeding. The monster inside him yearns to kill her on sight, even though she holds the key to his escape. But the human side of him realizes the beautiful deaf girl is more than she seems—she’s his.

THE ULTIMATE PRICE…

 Vika endures the captives’ taunts and loathing, hoping to keep them alive even if she can’t free them. Only, Solo is different—he protects her. But as hostility turns to forbidden romance, his feelings for her will be used against him…and he’ll be put to a killer test.

 


Once again, Gena has created a home run hit with the first book in the new “Otherworld Assassin” series.
I was glued to these pages, had to find out how Vika and Solo finally escaped the dreaded Cirque de Monstres. And, what a battle they had on their hands – black magic, cuffs that held many debilitating  functions, and more than one villain. 
Through all this, they found strength in each other and love. 
Bloody brilliant read! 

Book Two debuts – (November 2013)
 
Heart rating system:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤❤
 
 

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February 10, 2013 · 1:00 pm

A Love Untamed by Pamela Palmer (Book Review)

 

They are called Feral Warriors—an elite band of immortals who can change shape at will. Sworn to rid the world of evil, consumed by sorcery and seduction, their wild natures are primed for release . . 

The newest member of the elite Feral Warriors brotherhood, Fox is eager to prove himself on the frontlines of battle against the Daemons. When paired with the legendary Ilina warrior Melisande, he expects the fierce beauty to quickly fall under the spell of his quite considerable charm. Instead, he finds himself spellbound by a woman who’s his match in every way.

Beneath Melisande’s brittle exterior lies centuries of pain and a violent hatred of all shape-shifters—a hatred that slowly crumbles after she and Fox are caught in a deadly and cunning Mage trap and she glimpses a surprising depth in her far-too-seductive partner. Their survival demands unconditional trust—and their salvation surrender to a wild, untamed love.
 
 
 



Out of all the series I read, and I read a ton, this one is definitely a series I’d love see hit the big screen. The action scenes would be epic with the strides Hollywood has achieved in special effects. 

In this tale, the Feral Warriors are on the hunt to reclaim their stolen Radiant. Fox and Mel, both determined not to fall in love, do in fact fall hard for each other. They tried to deny their feelings, more her than him, but when you find your mate… your heart can’t help but open up. 

Their first love scene was sweet and heart-breaking. The one following it was passionate. Would I recommend this story to others? Hell yeah! 

 
Heart rating system:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤❤
 

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February 3, 2013 · 1:00 pm

The ‘Portal’ Series by Maggie Shayne (Book Review)

Book # 0.5
Amazon Kindle
 Website
 
“Once upon a time, there lived three witches….”

As a child, Amarrah loved her grandmother’s stories of three witches who were members of the king’s harem. But they were more than just stories. Amarrah knows she was there with them…and now their legacy, along with an ancient box that once belonged to them, lies in her hands.

Charged with keeping the box safe, Amarrah is heartbroken when it is stolen from her while she moves to America. Years later, she is shocked to see it on TV and is determined to get it back. Tracking the artifact leads her to Sergeant Harrison Brockson, a handsome soldier who stirs memories of a man she knew centuries ago in ancient Babylon. Is Harrison the key to finding the box—or could he be her destiny?

Prequel novella to Maggie Shayne’s exciting trilogy, The Portal.

Review
 
I actually read this short story after I read “Mark of the Witch” and it explained a couple unanswered questions about the mysterious box. I wondered how it arrived at Cornell. If you decide to skip over this Prequel, don’t sweat it. You won’t get lost when you read book one. However, this story does introduce us to not only Amarrah and Harrison (Harmon) but also we meet Padre Dom for the first time and see a glimpse of his true colors. 
 
Heart rating system – 1 (lowest) and 5 (highest)  
Score: ❤❤❤❤
 

 

Book # 1
Amazon – Kindle Edition
Amazon Paperback


She was born to save what he is sworn to destroy

A lapsed Wiccan, Indira Simon doesn’t believe in magic anymore. But when strange dreams of being sacrificed to an ancient Babylonian god have her waking up with real rope burns on her wrists, she’s forced to acknowledge that she may have been too hasty in her rejection of the unknown. Then she meets mysterious and handsome Father Thomas. Emerging from the secrecy of an obscure Gnostic sect, he arrives with stories of a demon, a trio of warrior witches—and Indira’s sacred calling.


Yet there’s something even Tomas doesn’t know, an inescapable truth that will force him to choose between saving the life of the woman he’s come to love—and saving the world.


Review
 

Have you ever had a nightmare so real that you woke up dazed, in a cold sweat, and for a minute thought it was real and thanked your lucky stars it wasn’t? Well for Indira, she didn’t have such good fortune. Or did she? Despite her reluctance to fully believe in magic again, her heart wouldn’t let her forget it. Her mind just needed a little catching up and when it did….WOW.

I was pleased she didn’t rush the rejoining of Indira and Tomas. She balanced flashbacks with present day events remarkably well, which kept the plot flowing smoothly. Great first book of the series!

Heart rating system – 1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 

Score:❤❤❤❤




Book # 2

Anything for their child

Lena Dunkirk is a practicing witch, Ryan McNally a wealthy playboy. Logic says mismatch, yet from the first they share a passion that defies reason, as if they know each other from another place, another time. Then Lena gets pregnant and runs for the safety of home.

Months later, when Ryan appears at her door looking to help raise their child, Lena doesn’t know whom to trust—particularly now that “guru to the stars” Bahru has taken an interest in her baby, offering gifts forged of magic.

Soon she and Ryan are sharing eerie dreams of ancient lands, while a vengeful demon plots to take possession of their child. As the moment of birth approaches, the demon’s power rises, forcing the hand of love to wield the blade that will decide the fate of a child’s soul—and the future of the world.

 

Review

As I read the second installment in the series, not including the .5 prequel, I thanked my lucky stars all I had to deal with in my two pregnancies was a few days of morning sickness and wobbly balance. As for Lena full-blown running scene during labor – a mother is capable of miraculous feats when their child is in danger. For me at nine months along, I couldn’t manage more than a brisk walk but then again, I was in NO danger. 🙂
 
For the “villain” in this story, I knew who the bad guy was supposed to be but I didn’t expect the reason behind his evil intentions. Way to keep me on my toes. 
 
Heart rating system – 1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤❤
 
 
 
Book # 3

As an ancient king’s favorite harem slave, Lilia committed the worst of all possible crimes: loving another man. When the king discovered her treason, her lover was sentenced to lose his soul and linger in eternal imprisonment, and Lilia herself was executed alongside her sisters. While they reincarnated through countless lifetimes, she lingered alone between worlds for thousands of years, waiting for the moment to rescue her beloved Demetrius.

Now that moment has come. Demetrius has broken free, but without his soul and in the thrall of the same high priest who betrayed them so long ago; he has become a ravaging demon, devoting himself solely to pleasure and power. Somehow Lilia must convince him to reclaim his humanity, to abandon the enemy tempting him to give in to his cruel desires—or her life will be lost alongside his, both of them condemned to eternal damnation, eternal isolation, their love lost one final and irrevocable time.

 
Review
 
I wasn’t too shocked with whom reincarnated into Father Dom’s body, but Gus, yup that was a total shocker. I absolutely adore authors who can surprise their readers so with that unexpected twist, this story deserved a 5 star rating. 
 
Demetrius and Lilia, their journey back together didn’t wow me but not every love story can be an earth shattering journey. Even though I wasn’t completely blown away by these two, I still liked their tale and how the Portal Series ended or is this really the end. The final pages had me wondering and I’m sure it will have you wondering too. 



Heart rating system – 1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤❤❤

 

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