Here is what we talked about at Smexy this week:

B+ review -  The Duchess Diaries by Jillian Hunter
B+ review – Immortal Hope by Claire Ashgrove
B review – Celebrity in Death by JD Robb
B review – A Devil Named Desire by Terri Garey
B- review -  Time Out by Jill Shalvis
C+ review -  Love is a Battlefield by Tamara Morgan
C+ review – Fall Into the Sun by Val Kovalin
C+ review – Midnight Enchantment by Anya Bast
C review – Pixie Dust by Laura Lee

DNF Wrap-Up
AAD Spotlight – Katie Reus
Top Ten

News From Mandi: I finished my listen to Storm Front by Jim Butcher (Harry Dresden #1). Loved. Adored. I’m so invested in Harry I had to immediately start with Fool Moon (Harry Dresden #2). I also think James Marsters is an amazing narrator. Will keep you updated as I continue my series listen. I read Blood Avenged by Gabrielle Bisset. I was a little disappointed – it could have been a very dark, erotic world, but scenes were rushed and I never had a connection to the characters. A review will be posted soon. Next up was Caught in the Act by Jill Sorenson. I loved this book – definitely a favorite of hers! A mix of a contemp/rom suspense that throws you into the drug trade in Southern California/Mexico. Well done suspense, romance and great supporting characters. I have a thing for firemen, so I tried The Fireman Who Loved me by Jennifer Bernard. The supporting characters in this book ruined it for me. The entire supporting cast were just so over the top annoying, it really took away from the main couple (who I actually liked). Review to come closer to release date. I read Devil’s Luck by Carolyn Crane, which is Simon’s novella and loved it. I’m posting a review in a few days. I’m currently reading Twisted by Laura Griffin, part of her Tracer series (although they can be read as stand alones.) I love this author’s voice and highly recommend this series. It is very well developed rom-suspense, light on the physical romance, but well built relationships. I can’t say enough good things about this author/series.

News From Helyce:  My kids were off this week, so my whole reading schedule was interrupted, almost non-existent.  I managed to continue with my BDB re-read finishing up Dark Lover, Lover Eternal and Lover Awakened.  Oh boy, Zadist; I had forgotten how emotional his story was.  I’m about half way through Lover Revealed and am falling in love with Butch all over again!  I also read a beautiful if not heartbreaking story by Heidi Cullinan, A Private Gentleman. This is my first read by Ms. Cullinan and I could kick myself for not reading her before.  This story of two men who meet by coincidence yet have pasts that are intricately woven together was so well done.  Some parts were especially emotional and I’m not ashamed to admit that there were tears at least three times.  A truly beautifully written love story that really moved me.  Working on the review, which will post this week.  I picked up Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane after lurking on Twitter and seeing May and Tori talk about it. I was intrigued by the name "Terrible" that kept popping up. I had to see what I was missing, so I bought it. It is really different and not my usual type of paranormal, but it’s really good.  I feel anxious as I read it; anticipating something…I just don’t know what! I hope I find out soon, because it’s driving me crazy!  Lastly, I’m about a third of the way through Wicked Edge by Nina Bangs.  I really love the bad guys in this book; the female lead isn’t quite growing on me, but I’m not ready to give up yet! I hope to finish this up because the book faerie was very good to me this week and I have some great reads for March coming up!

News From Tori: It’s been an exciting week in Tori’s World!!

Well, no it actually hasn’t, but…well…you know how it goes. I was happy to see that J.D. Robb’s Celebrity In Death was all that and a box of cookies. Robb packs in her trademark mystery and suspense but enhances it with more humor and emotional bonding between not only Eve and Roarke but also the secondary cast of characters we have come to love. Kim Harrison’s A Perfect Blood released this week and I snagged it up quick because I adore this series. An interesting read but I I wasn’t taken in by this one as the previous ones. Pale Demon (the book before this one) was a climatic book and unfortunately, I found our heroine’s lack of emotional, mental, and magical grow to drag the story down. Review to come. I received Buried by Linda Joy Singleton. Buried is a spin off of her Seers series. A fast easy read that follows goth girl Thorn as she tried to solve a few mysteries while trying to find herself. I enjoyed it though it needed some fleshing out. Review to come. I succumbed to peer pressure and started Josh Lanyon’s m/m series-The Adrien English series. Egads, why did I wait so long? A fantastic series that really digs into you deep and doesn’t let go. Centering around two gay men, one of whom is so buried in the closet it’s scary. Adrien English is a book store owner/writer who seems to attract homicides. He meets Jake Riorden , a detective with the LAPD, and the two embark on a turbulent affair that is brutal in it’s honesty and emotions. I sweep through the first two and have the third one waiting. I also started Abigail Roux’s Cut & Run, another mm cop thriller that Mandi assures me I will love. So far so good. I like the antagonist plot line of two completely different federal agents forced to work together. LOL Ty, one of the heroes, is a complete arse. I am currently finishing Anne Bishop’s Bridge Of Dreams, third in her Ephemera series and Jessa Slade’s, Darkness Undone, fourth in her Marked Souls series. Reviews to come. I’m having issues connecting to both of them.

News from May: The great: Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane – I had previously felt I’d skip this series (drug addict heroine – who will always be a druggie), but after some peer pressure on twitter, and a price of $0.99 for the kindle version on amazon I gave it a go. Amazing book, and really great writing. What sold me was that the author does not try to make you feel sorry for or pity her heroine. She makes bad choices, but they aren’t justified or excused. They just are. I hope to start book 2 this weekend.

Duchess Diaries turned out to be a very fun read indeed! (not just a pretty cover). My review is posted here at smexy.

To be reviewed:

Midnight Rescue by Elle Kennedy, I’m sorry to say, did not live up to its epic set up. Heroine was adopted as teen after very hard life by an Army Ranger – who turns her into killing machine able to defend herself. She then becomes elite assassin. I was really pumped for such a strong heroine, hell in the opening scenes of the book she’s being beaten with a whip then literally rips a man’s eyeball out! Unfortunately, there were a lot of problems with the story and characters and it was a very disappointing read.

The awful:

Lady Rogue by Suzanne Enoch was an epic fail for me. It felt inconsistent, it was straight up weird how the heroine was acting/dressed as a young man the entire book, and just… no.

Next up:

I am currently reading a book called the Tattooed Duke by Maya Rodale. He seems like a cross between English lord and epic warrior, and heroine is currently posing as a maid in his home in order to report (she is a writer for tabloid of sorts) on his behavior and find his secrets. For the title alone it was decided I must try this book. I’m 100 pages in and now if we could get the plot moving forward, it could be quite a good read. Review to come next month. (for now I’m tweeting Mandi interesting quotes and bits)

I also started The Seduction of an English Scoundrel by Jillian Hunter. Heroine set herself up to be jilted at the alter so she can be free of marriage offers and hero is the cousin of the groom, known as quite the rake but is determined to do right by her and set a good example by his family, so he’s pretending to court her…