Here is what we talked about at Smexy this week:

A- Review – Last Man Standing by Cindy Gerard
B+ Review – If You See Her by Shiloh Walker
B+ Review – Thread of Death by Jennifer Estep
B+ Review – Wrong Side of Dead by Kelly Meding
B Review – The Night is Mine by ML Buchman
B Review – Stud by Cheryl Brooks
C+ Review – Packing Heat by Kele Moon
D Review – A Town Called Valentine by Emma Cane

A Chat With Stephanie Laurens
Mandi Has a New Favorite Book (Discussion of Broken by Megan Hart)
Guest Author Shiloh Walker
Smexy’s Top Ten

News From Mandi: First up I read Time Out by Jill Shalvis, which I was excited for, as I’ve never read any of her Harlequin Blazes. I liked this one – very alpha, over the top protective hero (maybe tiny bit too much for me) but otherwise a fun book. The hero is a NHL coach – I like sports romances. Next I read Kismet by Monica Burns, which is being rereleased is mass market paperback. It takes place in Morocco and has a sheikh hero. Fun setting! Review to come soon. I read Tempted by Blood by Laurie London and I think this is my favorite of the series so far. I really liked the plot in this one – had a tiny issue with the romance, but otherwise a nice read. I also read Broken by Megan Hart this week and it is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I talked about it here. I’m currently reading Fallen From Grace by Laura Leone – it is a contemporary romance with a prostitute hero. Oh yes. It’s angsty and pretty good so far. It keeps surprising me. And currently, I’m reading A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean. I’m adoring it. It is the start of a new series, and it is so so good. A very dark, broken hero who forces his childhood friend (they are friends no longer) into marriage. Oh. The drama. The heroine has just enough spunk to make his life difficult as well. Review coming at the end of the month.

News From Tori:

News From Tori: It’s been a reading-pocoypse up here at Casa Benson. I reread The Outsiders by SE Hinton. I find when I get overwhelmed by review books, since I tend to stay on a supernatural bent, that reading out of the genre is like a palette cleaner. The Outsiders is one of my favorite books from my youth and I enjoyed the nostalgic feeling it invoked. Everyone has been raving about Kristen Callihan’s Firelight so when I saw Embers, the prequel to Firelight, I decided to get it and try. One word. LOVE. I love the world Ms. Callihan created, made more personable with her strong characters. I will definitely be getting Firelight.  Beth Fantaskey has a cute YA series out. The first in the series, Jessica’s Guide To Dating The Dark Side, is about a high school girl who finds out her destiny is not to go to college but to take her place as the queen of the vampires with her king-the sexy Lucian. The problem? Jessica isn’t a vampire and she already has a boyfriend. I enjoyed this and the novella attached. Humorous with an engaging realistic plot line. A bit wordy and there were some scenes that only served to drag the storyline. I have already gotten the second in the series and look forward to seeing how Jessica makes out. I finished Shannon K. Butcher’s Dying Wish. #6 in her PNR series-The Sentinels. I swear, how Ms. Butcher manages to keep this series fresh and addicting in beyond me, but she does and I was once again blown away. The last two books have shown an increase in humor which only makes for a better read. I will be guest reviewing it at Bookpushers.com. Looking for a good southern fried mystery? Brandilyn Collin’s Gone To Ground is mystery thriller that takes us into a small southern town terrorized by a serial killer and the three woman who have to decide how far they will go to protect their loved ones and friends. (Review to come). Looking for some uber hot m/m? Look no further then Kele Moon’s Packing Heat. OMG, simply crack-tac-ular. This is my first m/m by her but it won’t be my last. I got a few blogger recs this month. Jane from Dear Author got me interested in Jamie McGuire’s Beautiful Disaster. So I bought, read, and enjoyed. An interesting , enjoyable YA that focuses on the relationship of two college students who’s heavy baggage takes them on an angst filled journey. My review here. Katie aka KT Grant introduced me to Cindy C. Bennett’s Heart On A Chain. An emotional and triumphant YA about a young girl who’s best friend comes back after being away for 6 years and finds a lot has changed, and not all for the best. There are some explicit abuse scenes in here to be forewarned if that is a trigger for you.

News From May: To say this week was a wild one would be an understatement. But I’m back home, and hoping to soon finish Tessa Dare’s book, A Week to be Wicked, as I’m about 60% in and I totally ADORE it so far. *crosses fingers for free time* I am also reading Breakaway by Deirdre Martin. It’s set in rural Ireland, the hero being a NHL player (for her fictional team “the blades”) and he’s returned to his home town to try and make nice after being a total a-hole. Problem is? He seems to still be a complete jerk. Hoping to see some attitude change soon! Watch for review on Tuesday here at Smexy Books.

News From Helyce: I read Packing Heat by Kele Moon! Ms. Moon certainly knows how to write some smexy sex! Loved the characters. I followed this up with another m/m story by Josephine Myles, Tailor Made. Really enjoyed the humor in this one and especially loved the characters, Felix and Andrew! Definitely an "opposites attract" theme.  Really good! Review will be up later this month.  I also read Inked Magic by Jory Strong.  My first read by this author and it was pretty good. She handled the love triangle in an interesting way and I enjoyed the paranormal aspects. I’m still on the fence with this one because I disliked the ending. I felt too many things were unresolved. Review will be up for this later this month.  Also for an upcoming review, I read Immortal Hope by Claire Ashgrove.  This one started out a little slow and I worried that I wouldn’t be able to get through it, but once it picked up, it flowed really well and I enjoyed it. A very interesting take on the Knights Templar; think 12th century man meets totally modern girl! Today I started The Last Night by Nico Rosso.  I only a few pages in, not sure about this one yet.  Lastly, a friend of mine did a nook "lend" to me so I opened this up early this morning when I couldn’t sleep.  It’s Fury (New Species #1) by Laurann Dohner and in a very short time I was 350 pages in.  There are many similarities with the Breed books by Lora Leigh, specifically the splicing of animal DNA and humans.  In spite of that, I found myself pulled in and I look forward to seeing where the author goes with this theme.