This week at Smexy…
A Review – Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey
A Review – Chase in Shadow by Amy Lane
B Review – Heart of Brass by Kate Cross
B- Review – Rogues by Ava March
B- Review- Embrace of the Damned by Anya Bast
C+ Review – In the Company of Witches by Joey W. Hill
C+ Review – Angel’s End by Cindy Holby
C+ Review – The Origin by Wilette Youkey
C Review – Nadia Knows Best by Jill Mansell
D Review – Blood on the Bayou by Stacey Jay
May wants ‘More Average, Less GI in her Joe’
News From Mandi: A Gentleman Undone by Cecilia Grant is a very good historical romance. It has a different feel than her debut last year. This one focuses on two people who are desperate for money, and bond over playing cards. Smartly written with great sexual tension. Review to come soon. I got a sneak peek at Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt. Winter finally gets a book and the author does such a great job at making him a romantic hero! I love that on the outside he is this drab man who wears brown and is very dour. But watch out. She makes him so sexy. Great romance. Review coming later in June. I tried to read the UF, Electric Storm by Stacey Brutger but it was really hard to follow. I didn’t understand the world or what was going on with the heroine so I put that one down. I read the very dirty (and I mean very dirty) Make Me by Charlotte Stein. She is becoming a favorite erotic voice of mine. I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the other stuff I’ve read by her. It was a little more harsh and while it had a HEA, it didn’t feel romantic. My review is coming this week. I saw Tessa Dare tweet about Her Wicked Ways by Darcy Burke so I had to read it. I really enjoyed the first 85% of it. However, I had issues with the end. But otherwise a nice read and I’ll definitely be checking out her next one. I’ll post a review this coming week. And finally, I read one of my most anticipated books of this year – Armed and Dangerous by Abigail Roux – and it was fabulous. I adore this book. I’ll be posting my review on Monday. One of the best series I read.
News From Tori: I went AWOL for 2 days with the kid. I got to help chaperone 40 plus kids for 2 days as we all headed to Tampa to visit the Lowary Park Zoo, spent the night at the MOSI museum, and then wrapped it up with an all day adventure at the water park. *thud* Not a lot of reading done those 2 days.
Roxanne St. Claire’s Barefoot In The Sand was a cute sexy romantic contemporary though the misunderstandings and lack of communication were annoying. I also wished the heroine had stood up for herself more. Jaye Well’s Blue Blooded Vamp was an excellent ending to this fab urban fantasy series. I’m going to miss Sabina Kane and her crew. Review to come. J Lynn’s (Jennifer Armentrout) Tempting The Best Man is a cute fast paced novella that embraces every romantic contemporary cliche to boot. Review to come. Still working through Barbara Ashford’s Spellcrossed. I loved the first in the series but this one is slow and I’m having a hard time connecting with the storyline. Review to come. Jes Battis’s Bleeding Out is the finale to his OSI series. This one confused me. We switch rapidly between the heroine’s voice, thoughts, and dreams. It was hard to figure out what was going on. Very metaphysical. Review to come. After reading La Nora’s The Witness, I decided that I had to reread her Carnal Innocence and Carolina Moon. Still two of my favorite stand alones of hers. This weekend I will be reading Lisa Shearin’s All Spell Breaks Loose and a few non review books off my TBR.
News From May: Oh what a reading week! I didn’t realize I squeezed quite so much reading into my birthday week – lucky me!!
I started by reading books 2 and 3 in the Jaye Wells UF series (Sabina Kane). I really enjoyed them – and I’m going to start book #4 on Monday, as the 5th and final book comes out on Tuesday and I hear good things. My one complaint about these books is that Sabina lacks a certain something. She’s very hard, very badass, but there’s not much else to her and I wish she was developed deeper I guess, or that we’re given more to like about her or something.
Next up, the Revenge of Lord Eberlin by Julia London. As I read it I quite enjoyed it… but I don’t recommend it. The hero is bent on ruining the heroine, the heroine excuses herself for the part she played as a child in his father’s death. I really just never felt like it all came together.
Her Wicked Ways by Darcy Burke was a Twitter (@TessaDare) recommendation, and wow! I really loved the hero who runs an orphanage and the spoiled Duke’s daughter who is banished to his town to live with distant relatives. It’s such a strong debut – but the book suffered from the all too common “doesn’t know when to quit” syndrome. The heroine got stuck in an idiotic cycle of drama we didn’t need, and if it had concluded sooner I’d have been a lot happier.
Finally this week, I’m reading Tessa Dare’s next novel set in Spindle Cove (A Lady by Midnight) – oh. Oh MY.
“You’re handsome,” she said.
“You’re absurd.”
“If I am speaking absurdities, it must be your fault. This hard angle of your jaw” – she traced it with a fingertip- “quite scrambles my thoughts, and your eyes… There’s some puzzle in them I want to solve.”
“Don’t try. You don’t know me.” His voice was harsh, but his gaze was stark with hunger. Open, naked hunger.
It has me flailing, squeaking, and generally giddy like crazy. I’ll be reviewing it here at Smexy eventually.
@ May – I read that Julia London book and didn’t enjoy it too much.
The Tessa Dare – you kill me with the quotes! Must read it. :)
I liked the start of the Julia London – somebody (you? nah…) told me it was good so I got it on a deal… read it and was just not impressed overall.
Yes, lucky you! Hope it was an enjoyable week!
Oh my is right, A Lady by Midnight sounds great. I have to go add it to my TBR list right now.
I’m about 75% through and this may be my favorite Ty and Zane book.Hands down. If there were troubles with Urban’s stepping down from series, I didn’t felt it at all.
I read Nora Roberts when I was in high school and my favorite was about some magician girl who is also a thief. I think it’s Honest Illusions or something like that…
Totally agree – my fav Ty and Zane book!
I finished the Tessa Dare… I made it last 3 glorious days… wow. I really, really liked it. I’m going to have to re-read it and think hard so I can come up with something i didn’t like!