Smexy Books

Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey
May 29, 2009
Science Fiction/Fantasy
Grand Central Publishing

Jill Sorenson is back with another review!

You guys! I found it. The most awesome book in the universe. SQUEEE!!!

This was recommended multiple times in a thread at Smart Bitches. When I saw it at my local library, I snatched it up. I’m so glad I did. The author delivers strong characters, a sweet romance, and a fascinating dystopian world.

Santa Olivia is a small town on the border of the US and Mexico. Due to war, famine, and civil unrest, it was cordoned off. Now it’s a military zone, patrolled by armed soldiers. There is only one chance of escape. The general who runs the town enjoys a good boxing match. Each year, a citizen of Santa Olivia challenges the military champion. The prize for winners is two tickets out. So far, the townsmen have lost every match.

The beginning of this book is unique in that the main character, Loup, isn’t introduced right away. It starts with Carmen, her mother. She falls in love with a soldier-boxer named Tom. When she gets pregnant, he promises to marry her and take her away from Santa Olivia. A few weeks later, he’s killed in a suspicious accident. Carmen names their son after him.

Carmen eventually recovers from the loss. She has a hard life as a waitress in a diner. One day, a black soldier wanders in. There’s something strange about him, but he’s handsome and kind. Carmen is flooded with attraction. On impulse, she invites him home. They have sex, and it’s explosive, but she realizes that he’s not like a regular man. He admits that he’s some sort of government experiment, a genetic mutant with super strength. Women have always been afraid of him, so her desire is an unexpected gift.

Carmen becomes pregnant for a second time with Martin’s child. He has to flee Santa Olivia because he’s not really a soldier, but a fugitive.

The heroine is born a mutant. Loup (“wolf”) is fearless, fast, and strong. Her older brother Tom looks after her while Carmen works. He teaches Loup to slow down and use caution so she doesn’t get hurt or attract attention.

Tom wants to be a boxer like his father, and he’s big for his age. He trains hard in the gym and dreams of leaving the poor streets of Santa Olivia. When Carmen dies, he promises Loup that he’ll win a match and take her to Mexico to find her father.

This brother-sister relationship is the sweetest thing I’ve read in a long time. Tom is adorable. Loup doesn’t experience normal human reactions, so she isn’t afraid of anything. Tom worries about her taking too many risks. They are fiercely protective of each other.

While Tom continues to build muscle and boxing skills, Loup joins the Santitos, a group of orphans at the local church. They are raised by a hilariously foul-mouthed priest who lives in sin with two women, the schoolteacher and a nun. God has abandoned Santa Olivia. Religious beliefs are nil but good people still exist.

The Santitos (“little saints”) are a motley crew of hard-knock kids. When one of the older girls is raped by a soldier, they band together to exact some vigilante justice. Soon, anyone who commits a crime against the townspeople is subject to the Santitos’ wrath. Loup disguises herself as “Santa Olivia,” the local deity, and wreaks havoc on the bad guys.

Loup doesn’t even hit puberty until the second half of the book, so the romance comes late. She realizes that she likes girls, not boys, which amuses her brother. When she falls in love with one of the female Santitos, the relationship is sexy and heartfelt.

After years of preparation, Tom enters the ring to fight the military champ, with tragic results. Loup realizes immediately that something is wrong. His opponent is a genetic mutant, like her. She begs Tom to throw the fight, but he refuses. *sob*

I won’t spoil the rest. Although I did find some flaws in the second half, I loved this book. The characters and storyline are incredibly compelling. I wanted a full romance for Loup’s parents. They were hot together! I also appreciated the fact that Loup’s father is black and her mother is Latina. Everything about this story felt fresh and authentic to me. I loved the border setting. The author nails the mix of religion, language, and street culture. All of the characters, even the little kids, curse like sailors. “Santa fuckin’ Olivia!” is a popular expression.

Loup is my favorite type of heroine: the outsider. Her differences have very little to do with her race or sexuality. She’s freakishly strong and doesn’t understand certain emotions. I found this to be a particularly interesting choice on the author’s part. Instead of feeling distanced from Loup, it was almost as if I experienced fear and sadness for her.

If you’re looking for a unique heroine and an all-around great story, READ THIS BOOK. Seriously. It’s excellent.

Grade: A

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Today, Jill would like to giveaway a copy of the book! She will gift an e-book copy to a Kindle or Nook. To enter, just leave a comment. Open through Friday.

The Origin by Wilette Youkey (The Origin #1)
Urban Fantasy
February 27, 2012
Phoenix House Publishing

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “She had changed, he made sure of that. “

Our hero, Daniel Johnson, is a dark, broody, emotionally tortured young man who views his special powers as a curse. He never asked for the abilities to save the world and struggles to define exactly what he is. Rather like Batman in the Dark Knight-he is not a bright shining beacon of goodness. He doesn’t fight evil because he is inherently good but because he reluctantly feels he should. When a young woman from his past enters his life, he struggles to keep his distance. He fears emotional attachments and that he will inadvertently hurt her. But Olivia is determined to break through his shell and soon Daniel finds himself falling in love and accepting a future with her. That is until Olivia is kidnapped. Daniel crosses all the lines he has drawn for himself in his search for her and is left questioning if he is the hero or the villain.

We learn throughout the book that though Daniel thought he was alone, there are others out there like him. The reasoning behind that are quite unique and I enjoyed the path Ms. Youkey takes with that.

The Origin is an emotionally dark urban fantasy that plays upon the basics of good and evil with a twist. Set up in a comic book/soap opera style, Ms. Youkey build us a dark and philosophical multi-tiered character driven world that asks the basic question-what separates a hero from a villain? If you commit evil deeds for the good of mankind…can you still consider yourself good? Simple and straightforward writing style sets the story at a steady pace as we meet our hero and heroine and watch their lives unfold and intersect. Multiple sub-plots intertwine, giving us background on our characters and leaving us clues to future storylines. Engaging dialogue with injections of dark and snarky humor keeps the story grounded and realistic.

Olivia King, our heroine, comes off at first as being the perfect girlfriend for Daniel, but as you get to know her, you realize that she is fighting her own demons. An intelligent woman who knows what she wants and she wants Daniel. Their courtship is both humorous and very slow as Olivia struggles to understand why Daniel pushes her away. When he finally reveals his secrets, Olivia acts quite realistic with thinking he is insane and/or making up excuses. She eventually accepts he is what he says, though her kidnapping occurs right afterwards, so we never know exactly how well she was dealing with it. I like how Olivia handles herself in the end. No whoa is me or heavy histrionics. I look forward to seeing how she deals with Daniel in the next book. The romance is heavy with chemistry and tension though the physical scenes are few.

The secondary characters are interesting in their own right. Olivia’s father plays a large role as a controlling man whose actions concerning Olivia and others are going to come back and haunt him. We are left with the impression that he knows more about Daniel and his gifts. A bodyguard and ex boyfriend both have storylines that beg for more exploration.

The villain of the piece inspires sympathy as we watch his rise and fall. With his story you start to get the answer to the question The Origin asks. I would have liked to see more development with them. We only got what was exactly needed from them. That was a problem I had with the story. It stays firmly in the present so we are left with a lot of questions of how everyone got to this point. Hopefully this will be addressed as the series progresses.

The path to the end is convoluted as the main conflict wraps itself up but old and new storylines branch out and to lead us into the second book-The Forsaken-set to release in 2013. A mild cliffhanger promises interesting times ahead.

Overall Rating: C+

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Rogues by Ava March (Brook Street #3)
Historical M/M Romance
May 7, 2012
Novella
Carina Press

Reviewed by Mandi

Linus Radcliffe and Robert Anderson have been best friends for twenty years. They have built up quite the reputation in London as being rogues. Women flock to them, and they often use and lose them as quick as they can. They don’t mind this reputation, because behind closed doors, they both enjoy each other’s intimate company and living next door to each other makes this much easier. While Linus visits the bed of many men, Robert still enjoys women’s company. But even though Robert does enjoy the opposite sex, he feels himself falling in love with his best friend. It is the nights he spends with Linus that makes him feel most alive. He wants to be exclusive with Linus and finally gathers the courage to tell him. But to his dismay, Linus isn’t on the same page.

Linus likes to play the role of the bored, indifferent lover. Linus feels power and an intense attraction when Rob stalks behind him. Rob likes the feeling of the hunt, so these two play games with each other for some time. But when Rob comes to Linus, wanting to be exclusive, Linus is too afraid. He is afraid once he agrees, Rob will get bored and then this relationship that Linus treasures so much will disappear.

The final book in Ava March’s Brook Street trilogy is a pretty good one. I think Ava March does a nice job getting us invested in these characters in a short amount of time. As always, she writes emotional sex – scenes that make an impact, they don’t feel as if they are just dumped in just to have a sex scene. Her books always feel very romantic. I connected much better to these two guys than her previous book. This is a very simple story though. In a way, I wish the angst had been drawn out a little more, or when Linus finally comes to a decision to be with Robert exclusively, there was a little more impact. I needed a little more meat to this story. I still say book one in this series is my favorite, but I liked this one too.

Rating: B-

Recent Reviews:
The Book Pushers – C
The Book Vixen – 4.5/5
Under the Covers – 3/5
Seductive Musings – 3.5/5
Red Hot Books – A-
Fiction Vixen – B
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Heart Of Brass (Clockwork Agents #1) by Kate Cross
PNR/Steampunk
May 1, 2012
Signet Eclipse

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “She drove him to distraction, frustrated him, amazed him, and made him what to do better.“

Arden Grey, Countess Huntley, has everything a woman of the 19th century could want. Wealth, status, and independence. Everything except her husband. The Earl of Huntley disappeared seven years ago while on a mission for a secret government agency called the Wardens. Arden knows her husband is still alive and has never given up hope he will come home to her. One night Arden feels someone watching her and realizes it’s her missing husband.

Lucas (Luke) Gray, the Earl of Huntley, is now an assassin for the Company, a corrupt agency. Referred to as number 5, he is sent to assassinate Arden for her crimes against the Company. As Luke watches his target, he finds himself unable to complete his mission. Something about Arden is familiar and his attraction to her both excites and scares him.

Arden and Lucas’s best friend implement a plan and are able to capture and subdue Luke.They take him to the Wardens headquarters and learn that the Company has tampered with both his memories and his physical stature. Luke is definitely not the man he was seven years ago. The Wardens don’t trust him but Arden finally has him back in her life and will do anything to keep him there. As Arden and Luke struggle to reacquaint themselves with one another again, they have to stop the Company from killing them and Arden has to stop a serial killer.

Heart Of Brass is an delightfully adventurous steampunk filled with riveting action, wicked spies, steamy romance, and an all star cast. Lush world building transports us to an exciting time where carriages and automations are beheld side by side. Set in 19th century Victorian England, we are introduced to the Earl and The Countess Huntley. Married young, these two are challenged in different ways to keep England safe as members of a government agency called the Wardens. Our story starts out with Arden entering the seventh year her husband, Luke, has been missing. Unknown if he is alive or dead, Arden keeps the home fires burning, stubbornly defiant against all who claim Lucas must be dead. When Luke begins appearing to her, threatening her life, Arden realizes that he was captured and corrupted by the Company. As she attempts to stay alive and force Luke to remember her, she realizes that the man she married is not the man who stands before her.

There are two separate but equally important storylines that make up this story. Luke’s disappearance and subsequent return and a serial killer who is preying on young woman of London. Both interesting plots that run parallel but do not intertwine. The serial killer mystery is for Arden only and it strongly shows how fiercely Arden needed to be more then just Luke’s wife. Arden has a hidden vulnerability that engages our sympathies. She has never felt she was good enough for Luke, a feeling enforced by his family. So she strives to become everything Luke was after he left-to prove to him that she too can be exciting and challenging both in and out of their marriage. When we get their background story, we realize that Arden’s and Luke’s marriage had problems and things were said and done before Luke disappeared, which only reinforced her feelings of inadequacy.

I genuinely liked Arden. She is a strong, independent, intelligent, outspoken young woman who we learn has changed drastically since her husband vanished. She has had to stay strong against her own doubts and the doubts of those around her, causing her to take more control of her life then a woman of this time period might normally. She is a brilliant inventor and comes up with devices to help the Wardens but also certain female appliances she sells to be financially independent. She’s not a paragon of virtue though. She has a small drinking problem which started after Lucas disappeared. She is also very stubborn and obstinate. Being on her own for seven years has required to assume the helm so to speak and once Lucas returns, she has a slight problem sharing command.

Poor Luke. You can’t help but feel sorry for him even when you discover how he was before he disappeared. He is back with his wife with no memory of her or their life. Through Arden and his own returning memories, he begins to remember the man he used to be and finds himself disgusted by his previous behavior. He treated his wife as a possession-not badly, but rather indifferently. Being a Warden had meant everything to him and he did many things in his service to them, things that left his wife questioning his feelings for her. We learn his last mission required him to partner up with his mistress, a mistress Arden knew nothing about until after he disappeared. When Luke learns of this he wants to die, not wanting to believe that he brought even more pain to his wife. We also learn that he was not faithful while he was with the Company. When he discovers a tattoo on Arden’s shoulder that is an exact replica of a tattoo he got while he was gone, he knows then that no matter what happened to him while he was with the Company, some part of her was always with him.

Their reunion is bittersweet. In bed, they know exactly where they stand with one another but out of it, they are both somewhat at a lost. Watching them fall back in love with one another is very romantic as the chemistry between them is quite tangible and explosive.

Luke’s expression hardened. “If he came in here right now and told you that somehow I was behind it all, you’d believe that wouldn’t you?”
She scowled at him. “Don’t be a jealous idiot. I would not believe it, and if you’re so very concerned about my affections straying, why don’t you give me a good reason to keep them with you.”

Slowly, he straightened and came towards her. She felt a little like a Gazelle eyeing an approaching lion and didn’t know whether to run or simply accept her fate and offer up her throat. He gaze held hers until he stood mere inches away. His hand reached out and curled around the back of her neck, pulling her closer. “You’re mine,” he told her. “I’d kill any man who tried to take you away.”

Obstacles are handled, situations diffused, and honesty is finally given. We get some wonderfully passionate scenes and the lovely Mr. Huntley likes to talk dirty in bed. Ooo La La. While their situation isn’t 100% resolved, they are off to a wonderful start by the end of the book.

A well developed and personable secondary cast with individual storylines that intersect and spike your curiosity. Henry Huntley, Luke’s younger brother, is an angry young man who treated Arden terribly and was set to declare Luke dead when Luke reappears. He is not happy Luke is back and sets out to discredit Luke as the rightful Earl. Alister Wolfred is a member of the Wardens, a long time friend of Lucas’s, and in love with Arden. He is both elated and angry that Luke has returned from the dead. We met other Wardens, investigators with Scotland Yard, and various members of the Company. What I enjoyed is that no one is what they seem and their hidden agendas make for an exciting story filled with many twists and turns. Witty and engaging dialogue helps speed the story along and give us a more intimate look at out characters and their personalities.

The two mysteries keep us on our toes and resolve themselves simultaneously; giving us the identity of the serial killer and the person who betrayed Lucas and the Wardens. An heroic ending with an intro into the book two leaves us satisfied and more then ready for Touch Of Steel which releases December 14, 2012. I recommend Kate Cross’s newest steampunk series if you enjoy strong protagonists, witty dialog, delish romance, and exciting adventure.

One problem I had with the book is the cover. In the book, Arden wears a nose ring and has seven chains that stretch from nose ring to studs in her ears. It’s a pivotal part of her emotional make up and I was disappointed that it wasn’t shown in the cover art.

Overall Rating: B

Recent Reviews:
Love to Read for Fun – B+
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This is what we talked about at Smexy this week:

A review – The Siren by Tiffany Reisz
A review – Sunrise Point by Robyn Carr
B+ review – Karma by Carly Phillips
B review – Rough Ride by Keri Ford
B review – Bound to Me by Jocelynn Drake
B review  – Wicked Burn by Beth Kery
B review – Coveted by Shawntelle Madison
B- review – College Boys Daisy Harris
B- review – Under Fire by Catherine Mann
C+ review – Demonically Tempted by Stacey Kennedy
C+ review – Until I Die by Amy Plum  
D+ review – Crazy on You by Rachel Gibson

Interview with Carly Phillips
AAD Spotlight – Amanda Carlson
Smexy’s Top Ten

News From Mandi: I started the week with the historical, Invitation to Scandal by Bronwen Evans. It is a very sensual book but I had some problems with it feeling romantic. I did like the adventure feel and it has a very nasty villain. Full review to come towards the end of the month. Then I jumped to the historical m/m, Rogues by Ava March. This ends her Brook Street trilogy. I liked this one. I still like book one the best, but this one was very sexy. I maybe wanted a little more meat to the story, but still liked this love story. On the recommendation of Nicole, I read Barefoot in the Sand by Roxanne St. Claire. I enjoyed this one – a little too much drama towards the end that wore me out but otherwise a fun contemporary. I’ll be posting my review this week. I just finished the pnr/slightly steampunk-ish Blood Kin by MJ Scott. I really enjoyed book one last year, Shadow Kin and this one is good as well. The hero is a Templar Knight and the heroine is a thief and spy. I love this world the author has created. Review to come in early June. I’m currently reading One More Summer by Liz Flaherty. I’m also going to start A Gentleman Undone by Cecilia Grant. Excited to try that one.

Tori News- Slow reading week. Only four books. Maybe I’m sick? No. What happened is I got sucked into an Anne Bishop reread of her Black Jewels Trilogy. I blame the Moria half of the writing team Moira Rogers. A.M Arthur’s debut-Cost Of Repairs-is a sweet albeit emotionally sticky mm romance. Two tortured heroes have a long road to travel towards trust and forgiveness. Perfectly balanced angst and smoking hot smexy scenes. Another enjoyable mm romance is Kim Fielding’s Good Bones. A quiet architect moves into the country to find some peace and quiet and finds romance instead. Two adorable heroes you’ll fall in love with. Nora Roberts’ The Witness was a surprise with it’s suspenseful plot, lovely romance, and engaging characters. I’ve had some problems with some of her more recent offerings so I was pleased to see this is very similar to some of her earlier stand alones. Keri Ford’s Rough Ride is a sexy book with enjoyable characters and some hot, steamy romance. I really liked the secondary characters in here and look forward to reading about their HEAs. I am currently reading Barbara Ashford’s Spellcrossed, J Lynn’s Tempting The Best Man, and Roxanne St Claire’s Barefoot in the Sand.

News From Helyce:  First up, I read Embrace of the Damned by Anya Bast.  This is my first read by this author and I really liked it. It had great bits of humor and a strong lead couple.  My review will be up later this week.  I also read Jacked Up by Erin McCarthy.  I am a big fan this series centering around race car drivers. The first three books remain my favorites in this series and I was very happy to finally get Eve’s story.  I was pleased the author did not set her up with a driver and while Nolan is involved in the racing circuit I think I would have been disappointed if her HEA was with a driver. Watching Eve’s bitchy facade tumble down around Nolan was fun.  Review to come soon.  Next up, I totally inhaled Vivian Arend’s Granite Lake Wolves books-Wolf Signs, Wolf Flight, Wolf Games and Wolf Tracks. I have fast become a huge fan of Ms. Arend and I’m so glad I had time to read these before I read an arc of book 5, Wolf Line which is due out mid June.  Great characters and world; makes me want to be a wolf shifter. Last up, I had to read Rough Ride by Keri Ford after reading Mandi’s review recently. I really liked it for the most part.  I loved the familial relationships and very much enjoyed Gretchen, Flora and Tonya who provide some very funny moments.  Gretchen and Lane have great chemistry and watching him fight his feelings while she pretty much throws herself into his path was handled really well. It’s very smexy when they finally get down to it! I didn’t think the secret that Lane was hiding was a very big deal even though it was wrecking Lane big time.  I am so ready for the next book though!!! Pretty please?  This weekend, I am reading Cowboy Casanova by Lorelei James.  I realized that Kissin’ Tell comes out in June and I had not even read the last one.  I think I put it off because of it’s BDSM content, but I’ll brave it because I love this series.

News from May: While incredibly interesting and with 2 strong secondary romances not to mention unique characters and set up  – I just can’t recommend Mary Jo Putney’s The Rake to you. Enjoyable read, yes. I admired the author’s handling of the hero’s alcoholism as well. That said, the revelations about the heroine as well as the final quarter of the book or so just left me cold. It was a good airport/plane read though.

I also read Bare Naked Lola by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez, a mystery that had some strong potential, but ultimately I didn’t love Lola herself. Review on this book to come soon.

I am finishing off my week (and into this weekend) enjoying Jaye Wells UF series about half vampire half mage Sabina Kane. I read the first book (Red Headed Step-Child) and am heading into book #2. I have some concerns about overall world as well as heroine herself, but I have high hopes. We’ll see!