This week at Smexy….

A review – Killing Time by Cindy Gerard (romantic suspense)
A guest review – Hopeless by Colleen Hoover (new adult)
B+ review – Haunted Sanctuary by Moira Rogers (paranormal)
B review – Don’t by Jack L. Pyle (erotic m/m bdsm)
C review – Revving Her Up by Joy Daniels (contemporary)
C review – The Downfall of a Good Girl by Kimberly Lang (contemporary)

Mandi Discovers the Bound by Magick series by Lauren Dane
May discusses The Much Loathed Triangle
A Visit and Giveaway from Moira Rogers

News From Mandi: One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean didn’t quite do it for me. I liked both characters individually – the heroine is an odd bird and the hero is a somewhat reformed scoundrel. But I felt it was more lust than love. I’ll be reviewing it soon.

Killing Time by Cindy Gerard is a fun start to her new One Eyed Jacks series. She writes well done romantic suspense books filled with ex-military men, sarcastic comments and lots of action. If you have never read her, I highly recommend her Black Ops Inc books – they are crack! Killing Time is a spin-off of sorts but can be read as a stand alone.

I DNF’d two books this week. Wait Until Dark by ML Buchanan had no plot. At least in the first 20% I read. Nothing was forming into a story. It just plodded along with the two mechanics who may or may not have feelings for each other. I also DNF’d Rush by Maya Banks, although for this one I made it 50% and I’m going to write a post about why I dnf’d in a week or two. It has a very cold, not romantic hero who bothered me quite a bit. I’ll expand in my post.

Finally I read Midnight Alias by Elle Kennedy. I super enjoy her Out of Uniform series, so I thought I would try her newer romantic suspense series. This one was okay. It has a good beginning but it ended up lagging as the book went on. I feel like she takes more chances with her character development in her Uniform series than this one. Review coming soon.

I’m currently reading Addicted by Charlotte Stein and it’s fun and sexy (and oh so dirty).

News From Tori: I love Marjorie M. Liu’s Dirk and Steele series. So deliciously dark. I picked up two novella’s this week and enjoyed them immensely. One, A Dream Of Stone and Shadow (#4) takes place between The Red Heart of Jade and The Eye Of Heaven. Absolutely loved it. Romance, suspense, action, and just enough humor to keep you hooked to the end. The second one-Where The Heart Lives (#11.5) was good but extremely short and would have worked better as a freebie attached to either #11 or #12 in the series. Both of these were previously pubbed in anthologies.

Dream A Little Dream (Chicago Stars #4) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I have noticed that Ms. Phillips romantic contemporaries tend to follow the same outline. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl hate each other. Boy often humiliates girl throughout the story. Boy and girl have sex. Boy and girl begin to actually like each other and end up getting married. While I am a huge fan of Ms. Phillips, this particular story wasn’t a fav of mine. Our hero is not only terrible to the heroine, he allows his siblings to pick at her relentlessly and is mean to her child. I didn’t like that. Be mean to the adults but leave the kids out of it. Regardless, I will still be reading the next in the series. I hear it’s a fav or everyones.

With all the hype about MCs and biker outlaw fiction, I thought it would be good to read a nonfiction book that chronicles a real biker outlaw’s journey as an undercover informant and his help in taking down one of the most violent land largest MCs in California-The Vagos. Gods Of Mischief by George Rowe is a true story of a reluctant anti hero who finally got tired of the violence and brutality that controlled his hometown of Helmut, CA. The story reveals in a non apologetic manner. Rowe doesn’t ask or expect forgiveness for the things he has done.He merely tells the story and leaves the absolution to God. Review to come.

A smexy little niblet, Raphael/Parish (Bayou Heat #1-2) ,by Alexandra Ivy, gives us two short stories packed with suspense and some serious were-shifter lovin’. Only $.99 and worth the price.

Razing Kayne by Julieanne Reeves is an romantic suspense that revolves around two emotionally scarred individuals. Interesting sub plots and well developed characters made this a fast read for me. There were a few development and editorial stumbling blocks, but as this is Ms. Reeves debut attempt, I foresee these will smooth themselves out in future releases.

Red Zone by Sherri Hayes is a sexy sports orientated romance between a playboy football player and an uptight FBI agent. The parks fly as these two heat up the sheets while trying to keep one step ahead of a stalker. The ending was a bit abrupt but hear Hayes has pulled the ebook for editing and is rewriting the ending.

Olivia Cunning’s Sinners series is hit and miss for me. I loved Brian’s story but was not a fan of Sed’s or Trey’s story. Hot Ticketis Jace’s story, and in my opinion is the best in the series. A well developed storyline and romance balances well against the overall arc…especially when Cunning has created two perfect protagonists who fit each other like missing pieces to a puzzle. I especially liked how our heroine was presented. Normally, I am not a huge fan of Cunning’s heroines as they come off as emo drama queens. It’s easy to get irritated with them. Yet, Aggie is more down to earth, unapologetic in her desires or needs. She is strong, funny, and definitely isn’t a drama queen. My review will post at HeroesandHeartbreakers.

Noella Adam’s A Negotiated Marriage is a sexy marriage of convenience story that chronicles the journey of our protagonists as they attempt a real marriage when love enters the picture. Though touted as an erotic, it’s not. Plenty of lovely sex scenes but nothing very intense. I would have liked the conflict to have had more of a foothold in the story and our hero’s POV would have been appreciated but regardless, it’s a fast enjoyable read. Free on Amazon for Prime members.

Spanking Ms. Whitman by Kate Richards is a hot steamy erotic niblet about a Dom boss and his naughty employee who can’t seem to show up for work to time. What works in here is the fact that both parties have been attracted to each other for years and the cumulation of their attraction explodes when they admit their feelings for one another. We get alternating POVs which goes a long way to validating their actions.

Hannah Jayne’s Under The Gun was a DNF for me. While I enjoyed this series in the beginning, our heroine has not emerged from her Mary Sue persona fast enough for me and the love triangle continues to fight the storyline.

Eddie Harris’s Wild Burn was a HUGE surprise for me. A wild, fun, adventurous romance between a gunslinger and an ex nun. I was hooked from page one and read straight thru till the end. Definitely on my top reads for the year.

I am currently reading Heartless by Jaimey Grant. I have S.E.C.R.E.T. by L. Marie. Adeline and Sophie Oaks Once Upon A Time In Bliss also loaded on the kindle for this weekend.