I’m reviewing Stir Me Up by Sabrina Elkins at Smexybooks

Stir Me Up by Sabrina Elkins
Mature YA/Contemporary Romance
October 1, 2013
Harlequin TEEN

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “Chaos is good.” “Good? There are people humping in the closet. Before cake.”

Cami Broussard has her senior year all mapped out. She will continue to work in her father’s restaurant and become an apprentice chef once she graduates; allowing her to continue working along side her boyfriend, Luke. When Cami’s step mother, Estella, announces her nephew, Julian, will be coming to live with them to recuperate from a war injury, Cami is put out by the onslaught of change coming into her home and her life.

Julian Wyatt was raised by his aunt when his mother and father passed away. Severely wounded in Afghanistan when he and his team came upon a roadside bomb, his aunt decides to bring him home from the VA hospital, hoping that she can help heal more than just his physical wounds. He doesn’t want to be there and makes his opinions known loud and clearly.

From first meeting, Cami and Julian lock horns and butt heads. Cami feels bad for what Julian has gone through but she refuses to coddle him or allow him to take his frustrations out on her. Julian is understandably angry. He is dealing with a severe case of PTSD and survivors guilt. He’s also feeling guilty for his attraction to his seventeen year old housemate.

As their prickly animosity grows into a heady attraction, Julian and Cami will discover a lot about themselves and each other.

 

Read the rest of my review at Smexybooks.

I’m reviewing Hydraulic Level Five by Sarah Latchaw at Smexybooks

Hydraulic Level Five by Sarah Latchaw
Romance Contemporary
E book, 225 pages
Omnific Publishing

How does a woman get over her one great love? With whitewater rafting, bluegrass, and a touch of revenge…

Kaye is an extreme sports addict with a kind heart and an axe to grind with her childhood sweetheart and ex-husband, renowned writer Samuel Caulfield Cabral. While Samuel enjoys a celebrity life in New York, Kaye remains in their hometown of Lyons, Colorado, running her PR agency and chatting daily with Samuel’s family, the beloved Cabrals—first-generation Mexican-Americans who have embraced Kaye as their own.

But when Samuel returns home for his sister’s wedding with a new love interest, stunning editor Caroline Ortega, the gloves are stripped off. Kaye is determined to unearth the reasons behind the death of their marriage and why two people who lived to love each other were driven apart, all leading to startling revelations about Samuel, about life…and about herself. (Goodreads)

Hydraulic Level Five by Sarah Latchaw was brought to my attention by Jane from Dear Author. She tweeted about it and in reading her light review on Goodreads, I was intrigued by the premise. I have always enjoyed second chance love stories. There is something addicting in seeing a love affair gone wrong and the efforts the couple will put into making it right again. Lately, those tropes have been mired in over blown dramatics and angst with dollops of miscommunication and the required villous figure who helps in facilitating our couples relationship demise. The mapping out of the story is easy to follow and you know exactly how it will end. just not the specifics of the journey.

What I truly enjoyed about this story is the lack of formula. As I started reading I became fully invested in Samuel and Kaye’s story. It is an emotional,  honest journey of love, loss, regret, guilt, and forgiveness. Well written with a smooth storyline, well plotted conflicts, and an underlying message of forgiveness that forces our couple to look deep inside themselves for the answers  to their questions. Strong realistic characters will sweep you up and break your heart as you follow this tremulous love story.

 

Read the rest of my review at Smexybooks

I’m reviewing J. Lynn’s Wait For Me at Smexybooks

 

Wait For You by J. Lynn (Wait for You #1)
New Adult
April 2, 2013
William Morrow

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “I think the key to the start of any good relationship is to remember how the other person likes their coffee.”

Avery Morgenstern starts her first day of college by literally running into campus hottie and player, Cameron Hamilton. Six feet plus of pure unadulterated smexyness who suddenly becomes Avery’s shadow. He makes her feel like a goddess but Avery has secrets. Secrets that haunt her days, nights, and impede any chance of her having a normal relationship. Avery arrived at college thousands of miles from home to escape a traumatic event and make a fresh start but when she begins receiving hate filled emails and texts, Avery will have to make a difficult choice. Can she come clean with Cam and let him help her heal? Or will she be forced to stay silent and lose the one person who makes her feel whole again?

**Though this is set to release for publication in print in September through William Morrow, I actually read this months ago when it was released by J Lynn herself in ebook format. I have read both releases many times. The book is available digitally**

Wait For You is a well written addictive new adult novel that addresses a serious subject matter with heartfelt emotion, drama, intrigue, romance, and humor. A fluid storyline that ebbs and flows seamlessly as we are submerged into the lives of the protagonists Avery and Cam. I’m a huge fan of the author, J Lynn, also known as Jennifer Armentrout. I adore her mature YA’s and her adult romantic contemporaries and was delighted to see her writing NA.  Fans of her previous works will not be disappointed. A prolific author whose true gift is her appealing voice and her ability to make her characters realistic and three dimensional. Her characters aren’t perfect and while we do see drama and angst, it’s not over flowing or used as merely a plot device. She digs beneath stereotypical behavior and gives us the real story behind it. Witty dialogue, dynamic scenes, and a well plotted swoon worthy romance serve to make this story an unforgettable read.

 

Read the rest of my review at Smexybooks.

I'm reviewing K Bromberg's Driven at Smexybooks

Driven (#1 The Driven Trilogy) by K. Bromberg

Romance Contemporary
May 1, 2013
Self Published

Favorite Quote: “ So…you just fuck’em and chuck’em?”

Rylee Thomas lives an orderly controlled life and likes it that way. Working for a non for profit that specializes in helping abused and traumatized orphans, Rylee feels her life is complete.

Until she meets Colton Donovan.

Colton, a playboy race car driver, sees Rylee at a charity auction and decides he wants her in his bed. And Colton always gets what he wants. When Rylee turns down his rather crude offers, he makes a bet with her. By the end of the night, she will accept a date with him. When Colton uses nefarious means to win the bet, Rylee can’t see her way out of it. Rylee isn’t like the women who normally throw themselves at Colton and her rejection of him intrigues him. Colton wants more than just a single date with Rylee so he maneuvers her into spending more time with him by promising to fund her new charity project if she escorts him to every single event involving the project.

Rylee enjoys her time with Colton but his edict that he doesn’t do relationships doesn’t make sense to her and she refuses to be another notch in his belt. As she gets to know the real Colton, her feelings for him grow and she soon finds herself falling for him. But Colton has a dark side and as Rylee begins to get under his skin and closer to his secrets, Colton finds himself willing to do anything to stop her from discovering the truth…even if means destroying them both.

Read the rest of my review at Smexybooks. 

I’m reviewing Bull Headed by Catt Ford at Smexybooks

 

Bullheaded by Catt Ford
M/M Romance
Ebook
Dreamspinner Press

Cody Grainger is at the top of his game when it comes to bull riding and he is ecstatic his lover, Johnny Arrow, is there to share it with him. Cody loves Johnny but their age difference has Cody often making decisions concerning their future without consulting Johnny. When Cody steps over the line one too many times, Johnny leaves Cody and it sends Cody into a tailspin.

Johnny, ten years younger than Cody, is just starting to make a name for himself as a bullfighter. When Cody fails to understand or respect Johnny's career choice, Johnny knows it’s time to leave and follow his own path. Johnny never expected the path to be so lonely without Cody.

As Cody struggles to deal with losing Johnny, he is also starting to doubt his skills in the ring which leads to one of the rodeo seasons worse slumps. Time apart shows Cody and Johnny that they belong together but their pride maybe the one obstacle they can’t overcome.

Bullheaded is a M/M romantic contemporary set amongst the backdrop of the NRA (National Rodeo Association). Cait Ford shows the depth of her rodeo knowledge with a glossary of terms situated in the front of the book and detailed descriptions throughout the story. Told in alternating POVs, we get a sweet, sometimes frustrating story of love, loss, and growth. Flamboyant characters, humorous dialogue, and well plotted scenes will have you sighing while trying not to laugh as our heroes struggle to find their place together in their world.  I enjoyed the fact that we got dual POVs. It’s always interesting to watch (or read in this case) the same scene told by two different people. It’s easier to see where some of the anger and frustration that each man feels, comes from.

 

Read the read of my review at Smexybooks.

I’m reviewing Kristan Higgin’s Until There Was You at Smexybooks

Favorite Quote:
“Think she likes me?
“Of course she does Liam. It’s the law isn’t it? Women must fall at your feet.”

When former bad boy heartthrob Liam Murphy walked into Cordelia (Posey) Osterhagen’s parent’s restaurant she had imagined a million scenarios…but never one involving her wearing an ill fitting German waitress outfit and her cheeks stuffed with potato dumplings. Posey has always loved Liam from the first moment she saw him ride up on his motorcycle, decked out in leather and wearing an attitude a miles wide. When he began to work at her parent’s restaurant, she thought she had died an gone to heaven, but Liam never noticed her beyond being his bosses daughter and unintentionally breaks Posey’s heart. Liam goes on to fall in love and marry the town’s golden girl and leaves town. Now years later, Liam is back with his fifteen year old daughter. His wife passed away a few years ago, and he wants Nicole to be raised in his hometown, close to her grandparents.

Liam is happy to be back in Bellsford. Though his high school reputation left a lot to be desired, he is all grown up now and just wants to raise his daughter in peace. The woman of the town all to well remember the former bad boy and stalk him like he’s the last chocolate chip cookie in the package. Except for one-Posey. Not sure if he should be relieved or put out; he enjoys the fact that Posey isn’t grabbing, pinching, or slipping phone numbers into wherever she can reach. As he and Posey run into one another more and more around town, he stops seeing the skinny sixteen year old from the past and begins to see the woman right in front of him.

 

Read the rest of my review at Smexybooks.

I’m Reviewing Any Man Of Mine by Rachel Gibson at Smexybooks

Any Man Of Mine (Chinooks Hockey Team #6) by Rachel Gibson

Favorite Quote:
“You seem to have lost your panties again.”
“Oops. I bet that happens a lot around you.”

Blurb: What happens in Vegas . . . doesn't always stay there.
Autumn Haven's Las Vegas "to-do" list said to catch a show and play the slots—not wake up married to a sexy jerk like Sam LeClaire. The first moment she saw him eyeing her like a luscious piece of the dessert buffet, her usually responsible self told her to run. And she did—right into the wildest fantasy weekend of her life. But Monday morning jolted her back to reality, and before she could say "pass the coffee," Sam was gone.
Now a successful wedding planner, Autumn hasn't clapped eyes on the heartbreaking hockey superstar for over two years . . . until she organizes his teammate's "Special Day," where Sam makes a big play to pick up where he left off! But she has vowed any man of hers plays for keeps. Is Sam the man for her or does she banish him to the sin bin forever?

 

Read ore about Sam, Autumn, and the rest of my review at Smexybooks

My Review of Icebreaker by Deidre Martin at Smexy Books

Favorite Quote:
“As far as I can tell, you’ve got no flaws and can walk on water.”
“Divinity is a bitch.”
Sinead O’Brien is a high power attorney who lives and breathes her job. The only female partner is her law firm, she walks the straight and narrow to hold her own on an all male playing field. Dating clients is against the rules. When she is approached by the New York Blades to defend a player accused of unnecessary roughness, Sinead begins to think that rules are meant to be broken.
Adam Perry, the new captain of the New York Blades, plays hard and makes no apologies for it. He’s out to win the Stanley cup and no one is getting in his way. When he is accused of assault on the ice and the league tells him to bring it down a notch, he has to put his career and life in Sinead’s hands. And soon he doesn’t want to be anywhere else.

Read the rest of my review at Smexy Books and comment to win your own copy of Icebreaker.