This week at Smexy…

A/B+ joint review – Down London Road by Samantha Young (contemp)
A review – Bare it All by Lori Foster (romantic suspense)
B review – Generation V by ML Brennan (urban fantasy)
B review – Dead Man’s Deal by Jocelynn Drake (urban fantasy)
C+ review – Cowboy Take Me Away by Jane Graves (contemporary)
C review – Nameless by Claire Kent (contemporary)
C review – His Southern Temptation by Robin Covington (contemporary)
C review – Game on by Tracy Solheim (contemporary)
C review – Sworn to Protect by Jo Davis (romantic suspense)

Guest Author Megan Frampton
A Chat With Samantha Young
Author ML Brennan – The Trouble with Titles
To Be Read…..
Smexy’s Top Ten

News From Mandi: I have quite a few books to talk about since I didn’t do weekly wrap up last week. I’ll try to make it brief!

I DNF’d Time Thief by Katie MacAllister. I couldn’t get in tune with the heroine – she kind of annoyed me. Didn’t make it that far in though.

The Stolen Luck by Shawna Reppert is a m/m fantasy out through Carina Press. I wanted to like this one because the two heroes are gentle and kind and I thought the premise of luck being stolen was different, but the story stalls in the middle and goes nowhere and I really didn’t like something that happens at the end. Disappointing. Review coming.

Drawing the Line by Kimberly Kincaid is a romantic suspense that was okay. The suspense part worked well for me but I had a harder time with the romance. It fell flat for me with no chemistry. Review coming.

Plus One by Brighton Walsh is an adorable friends to lovers story. Super short novella, but good nonetheless. Review coming.

Also cute was Straddling the Line by Sarah Anderson. Hero is a serious CFO of a custom motorcycle shop. Heroine wants him to donate money to her new school. They start off bumping heads but then end up bumping other sexier body parts.

Had trouble with The Lairds Forbidden Lover by Amelia Gormley. It’s a short novella and we go back and forth in time a lot with flashbacks, and it hurt the progression of the relationship in my opinion. Review coming.

I LOVED The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden by Jessica Sorensen. I’ll post a review on Monday. It does have a cliffie ending. But didn’t bother me. Really well written.

I DNF’d Tangled by Emma Chase. It is told in hero’s POV, and has some very funny moments but the hero is just sooo…sleazy sometimes with his thoughts and what he says to women. He does start to respect the heroine but I cringed way too much to continue reading.

I also DNF’d Seal of Surrender by Traci Douglass. I just couldn’t get into the supernatural world.

Wanderlust by Skye Warren is an extremely dark and twisted book. I’m still processing. I’ll post my review soon.

Finally I read Easy by Tammara Webber and I realllllllly enjoyed. So well done. Yes I’m on a New Adult kick! I’m trying Pushing the Limits this weekend!

Tori’s News: I found a new author.. Mandy Baggot. I picked up her Taking Charge and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. A funny, sweet, insane, high octane romantic contemporary that revolves around a woman’s return to her hometown when her father has to undergo bypass surgery and he needs her help saving his business and hockey team. Fans of Jennifer Crusie and SEP are sure to enjoy. I plan on getting her backlist ASAP.

I love Lauren Gallagher/L.A. Witt and was pleased I was able to finally read Damaged Goods. A sexy erotic romance/contemporary about a male escort and his client who cross the line from business to pleasure when they attempt a real relationship. I think Gallagher does a fine job of addressing the realities and concerns of dating someone who sleeps with others for money.

Kindle freebie, Rock Radio, is an interesting romantic contemporary that circles around two disk jockeys and the prices they pay for fame. Though set in the present, it has a faint 70s vibe. A hint of mystery keeps you on your toes.

Elle Kennedy’s Hotter Than Ever is TRULY hotter than ever. Though I’m not a menage fan at all, Kennedy’s polyamorous erotic romance is one of the most believable ones I’ve read. Engaging characters and smoking hot love scenes made this a winner in my book. Review to come.

True by Eric McCarthy is a sweet NA that follows the romance of a nerdy pre med student and a bad boy hottie. What makes this one different from all the others out there is the characterization involved. Both the hero and heroine are delightful as they struggle with their feelings for one another. Review to come

Plastic Hearts (another NA) is the debut novel of blogger turned author-Lisa De Jong. An emotionally heart wrenching story about a young woman who struggles to become her own person and the bad boy she falls in love with. A slight twist on the usual theme made for interesting read. Review to come.

Inked by Everly Drummond is a short erotic niblet that shows us one EXTREMELY steamy interlude between a hot tattoo shop owner and the girl whom he inked and can’t forget. Ms. Drummond has written a full length novel, expanding on their story, that is set to release this year. I plan on reading it. It’s free for kindle.

Exclusive Interview by Ava Lore is the first in an erotic rockstar romance serial. Though short, only 59 pages, Lore does a fantastic job of setting up the story and letting us get to know the main characters. A snarky heroine and a broody hero ensures us that humor and angst will go hand in hand in this serial series. Free for kindle.

Son Of A Preacher Man by Arianna Hart is a nice romance contemporary/thriller that follows a young woman’s journey back to her small hometown and the boy she never forgot. Low key conflict and adversity makes it a fast read well suited for the beach. Review to come.

After Math by Denise Grover Swank is a rom com NA about a math geek and a popular jock whose tutoring sessions turn into something more than either planned. A sweet romance with the requisite dark secret. First in a series.

I had to buy Sarah M. Anderson’s Straddling The Line after seeing her book trailer for it. I love it. Unfortunately, I didn’t love the book. I found both the hero and heroine annoying with their constant assumptions of each other. Plus, heroine was one of those people who gets so overwhelmed (turned on) by the hero, they stutter and can’t say complete sentences when ard their dream guy. *sigh* Maybe I’m just not a Harlequin person.

I dnf’d Fangsters by Ryan Field. Though the premise was intriguing, the tone of the book and the characters was odd and unappealing. I’m also not a fan of humiliation in a sexual context so once I hit that scene, I was done.

I also dnf’d Emma Chase’s Tangled. I originally picked this one up because was told it was similar to Alice Clayton’s Wallbanger which I LOVED. Though the story started out funny and appealing, the hero soon began to get on my nerves and I found his whole attitude towards women to be appalling and unattractive. The constant slut shaming and Drew’s passive aggressive remarks just went too far for me to enjoy the story.

This weekend I will be reading the Coincidence of Callie and Kayden because Mandi loved it. Hot Blooded by Amanda Carlson, and my SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE worthy arc of Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews.