At Smexy this week….

B review – Bound to You by Bethany Kane (erotic contemporary)
B review – Wolf Line by Vivian Arend (paranormal)
B review – Castaway Dreams by Darlene Marshall (historical)
B review – Last Stop by Lou Harper (m/m contemp)
B review – The Marrying Kind by Ken O’Neill (m/m contemp)
B- review – Mine to Hold by Shayla Black (erotic contemporary)
C review – Brush Strokes by Dee Carney (contemporary)
C review – Tempting the Best Man by J. Lynn (contemporary)
C- review – The Long Con by Lori Toland (m/m rom suspense)
D review – Bleeding Out by Jes Battis (UF)
D review – The Blacksmith’s Lover by Heather Massey (historical)

May’s Summer Recs
AAD Spotlight – Beth Williamson
Smexy’s Top Ten

News from Mandi: I started the week off with a book from the fun urban fantasy series by Jess Haines, Stalking the Others. This is a pretty solid book for being the fourth on in the series. The heroine is all about revenge in this one, and I liked it. I think things at the end are rushed and I wish a certain relationship had been examined more, but overall I liked it. Review to come. Next up was the utterly romantic, The Dark Knight by Elizabeth Elliott. I adored this book. Set in the 1200’s there are many “my lady” sentiments uttered. I swoon. I actually went to amazon and bought this author’s backlist – which consists of three historicals released in the mid-90’s. I’ve started The Warlord and I’ll report back.

My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin was slow for me. I was excited to try a book set in the Tang Dynasty of China, but it dragged. Had some trouble with the heroine too. Similarly, I’m halfway through Scandal Wears Satin by Loretta Chase and it is dragging too. While the beginning of the book is strong, I’m tired of the hero and heroine chasing this girl across London. The first book in the series blew me away, this one not so much. I do like these three sisters though.

I read the very quick and dirty Restraint by Charlotte Stein and really liked it. She has a great erotic voice. I tried Can’t Buy me Love by Molly O’Keefe but DNF’d it after 120 pages. I did not like the set up – heroine engaged to 89 year old man who dies and in his will, the son/hero must come back to ranch and work for certain number of months so his sister can get $1 million so she can live off that money. I didn’t understand why hero would be attracted to heroine. Not for me.

I’m currently reading Liquid Lies by Hanna Martine. A PNR debut, although light on PNR, the heroine is a water elemental and the hero is a human mercenary who was assigned to kidnap the heroine. Great sexual tension (hero has shaved head and tatts) and I really enjoy the heroine and the storyline. Lots of twists. I’m almost done this one and have really enjoyed.

News from Tori: This week was filled with romantic contemporary offerings. Jessica Scott’s Because Of You is a heartfelt emotional story about a soldier and a nurse who both suffer from life altering injuries. I loved the sense of realism that Ms. Scott impart to the story. She gives us an in-depth look at our heroes and heroines who fight for our freedom overseas and what happens when injuries bring them home. Can’t wait for more in this series. Getting Over Mr. Right by Christy Manby was a DNF for me. Similar to Jill Mansell and Susan Elizabeth Parker, this humorous and humiliating look at a woman who is determined to win her Mr. Right back falls flat as the heroine goes from funny to pathetic in a heartbeat. Jill Shalvis once again hits all my buttons with her Lucky In Love, which tells us the story of Mac and Amy. I really enjoyed this one. Mac and Amy are a delightful couple and the subplot adds a hint of suspense to the story. Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s The Great Escape is a book I’ve waited a whole year for. Taking place at same time as Call Me Irresistible, in here we learn what Lucy did after she fled Wynette and her wedding. Not quite as enjoyable as Call Me Irresistible; I didn’t connect with Lucy as well as I did Meg, but a few sub romances made a huge difference. All in all though, a nice wrap up to the entire storyline. Review to come.

Ruthie Knox is becoming the author to buy when looking for funny yet emotionally fulfilling romance. Her About Last Night and Ride With Me were both winners in my book. She doesn’t make it easy for our heroes and heroines but the end results are well worth the journey. Brooke Moss is releasing a new rom com, The Carny, and all I have to say is LOVE. Off scene smexy times don’t distract from the heartfelt second chance love story that blooms in here. Review to come.

I love debut UF author Amanda Carlson and was VERY excited to receive Full Blooded. It picks up 6 year after Blooded (her novella) leaves off. Similar to Ilona Andrews and Patricia Briggs, Ms. Carlson gives us a fun, snarky heroine, sexy, sexy shifters, and packs them all into a wild, action packed adventure of a lifetime. Review to come. Thea Harrison’s Devil’s Gate, a novella in her Elder Races series, is a sexy little story that further extends the storyline in True Colors. Delightful reading and just enough to keep you satisfied till her next full length comes out in Nov. Fellow chicken wrestler, Amanda Bonilla, takes us back into her dark and sensual Shaede series with Blood Before Sunrise. A emotionally dark and telling story that digs deep and shows us sides of our heroine that we may not like but that are necessary for character growth. Review to come. Jocelyn Drake’s newest series, The Asylum Tales, releases the first in the series, Angel’s Ink in October. She is releasing a prequel, Asylum Interviews, Bronx in July. A nice full bodied story for a novella that gives us insight into the world and its inhabitants. Review To Come.

Damon Suede’s Hot Head is a VERY hawt m/m romance contemp with sexy firefighters, a ginger haired kilt wearing hero, a gay porn money making scheme, and a friends to lovers story. Really, what more could you ask for? Try Me, by Diane Alberts is a short sweet story about a soldier who has always been in love with his best friend’s sister. A chance meeting proves to be his second chance at showing she’s the only one for him.

I will be reading Kristen Callihan’s Moonglow this week along with Kelly Gay’s Shadows Before The Sun. OMG-I have a feeling Charlie and Hank’s story is going to KILL.ME. Expect weepy and angsty tweets. Also a few off my ever growing, soon to topple over and crush me, TBR list.

News From Helyce:  It was pretty quiet here on the reading front. Firstly, I finished Cowboys Down by Barbara Elsborg. I really enjoyed this m/m romance-loved the characters.  They struggle through some tough stuff, but I enjoyed their road to happiness.  I had been reading Messenger’s Angel by Heather Killough-Walden and was getting frustrated with the author’s writing style and the constant flipping back and forth between character groups.  I find it choppy and it does not flow smoothly at all, BUT I like the characters and the books premise, so I decided to put it down and regroup with another book. So I picked up The Siren by Tiffany Reisz. Oh. My. God. This book is incredibly well done, but to describe it, I really have no words.  I was pulled in immediately and didn’t want to put the book down.  While we do not get a traditional HEA, there is a happy ending for one of the characters. It’s one of those books that sticks with you long after the last page and I find myself thinking about it when I least expect it. I will be impatiently waiting for book two, The Angel!  Next, I picked up Willow Springs by Toni Blake. This is a cute contemporary romance with the friends to lovers trope and I’m slowly getting through it. I wasn’t very far into it when something is revealed about the heroine and I was ready to DNF.  I don’t mind the friends to lovers theme, but this particular revelation just did not sit well with me.  But I’ve continued reading and now I’m invested enough that I’d like to see what the author does with it.  This weekend, my son has a tournament out of town, so I expect to have quite a bit of reading time as he and I will be at a hotel for two nights and what else is there to do but READ!  I’m excited to start Hawaiian Gothic by by Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane as the story is set in Hawaii and I’m very intrigued by the "Hawaiian mythology" mentioned iin the blurb. After that, it’s Shadow Rising by Kendra Leigh Castle.  This is book 3 in her Dark Dynasty series and each book just gets better! Have a great weekend!

News From May: So much for the vacation of lots of reading! I did not travel well on the train to Colorado, I spent much of my time being motion sick. Who knew?! I did read a historical by Jillian Hunter, Love Affair of an English Lord that was ok, but nothing special and I started Meljean Brook’s Demon Blood. LOVING it!

Wish me luck as I embark on the 32hr train ride home, I would sure love to read a lot of books!