This week at Smexy…

B+ review – Can’t Stop Believing by Jodi Thomas (contemporary)
B+ review – Justice by Jennifer Harlow (superhero romance)
B review – Bound by Him by Red Garnier (erotic contemporary)
B review – Ruby by Jeffe Kennedy (erotic bdsm)
C+ review – Secret Maneuvers by Jessie Lane (romantic suspense)
C+ review – Still by Mary Calmes (m/m contemporary)
C review – Sole Support by Kaje Harper (m/m contemporary)
C review – Wife in Name Only by Hayson Manning (contemporary)
C review – What the Duke Desires by Sabrina Jefferies (historical)

May says – Shut up and Read This Book!
Smexy’s Top Ten Reasons to Lust over Hopper Kincaid

Tori’s News: L.H. Cosway’s The Nature of Cruelty is a romantic contemporary that tells the story of a young woman who has a love hate relationship with her bff’s twin brother. A bit long in it’s telling, the romance gets plenty of stage time but I would have enjoyed more antagonistic behavior between the h/h considering their history. Robert’s reasons were a poor excuse for his past behavior and Lana’s passive aggressive behavior towards end came out of nowhere.

Beauty and the Bad Boy by Scarlett Dupree is an okay mc biker story but the protagonists’ dialogue was cringe worthy at times and I felt the sex-a-thon prevented me from believing in their “love” . I did enjoy the main conflict and wish the balance between it and the romance would have been better maintained.

Lick by Kylie Scott is sure to appeal to readers who love bad boy rockers. Heavily character driven, Scott does a fantastic job of building a realistic relationship between two completely different people who marry on a whim in Vegas and allowing love to find it’s way at it’s own pace. The secondary characters were delightful and left me giggling throughout. I did wish the main conflict had developed more as it hit us fast and furious with the third party involved getting an easy out.

Jennifer Lyon’s The Proposition and Possession get muy thumbs up from me. Not a huge fan of dom millionaires and their virginal conquests, Lyons brings us two strong characters whose “plus one” status takes a huge hit when they come to mean more to each other then planned. I liked our millionaire tempers his dominance with sanity and our heroine knows when to give in and when to stand her ground. Not as much smexy time seen as usual in this trope, I loved the additional time given to develop and explore the romance and the intertwining plot lines. I need book three NOW.

No Reservations by Stephanie Julian was a wonderful follow up to book one. Much more emotionally based then book one; filled with more dominance games. I did find I missed having a external main conflict though. This story focuses almost purely on the couple’s romance. My review can be seen in the Sept issue of RT Book Review Magazine.

C. Shell’s Beneath Him is a sad mash up of FSoG and My Man. One dimensional stereotypical characters and a weak unedited storyline made this book read like a first draft.

I finally got to read Ruthie Knox’s Making It Last and Flirting With Disaster. Have to say I loved both. It was wonderful seeing Amber and Tony again and seeing their marriage not only survive the years but also their own insecurities. Amber annoyed me a little with her issues but I could understand how hard it is to communicate sometimes. Seam and Katie were delightful and my heart hurt for Sean and his problems. Their romance was believable. I like that Ruthie doesn’t sugar coat issues nor make them less in order to move the story forward. Both are wonderful reads.

The Taming of Ryder Cavanaugh by Stephanie Laurens is a delightful conclusion to the Cynster dynasty (well, of the marriageable Cynsters, that is) and I found both Ryder and Mary to be a delightfully well matched couple. Add in humor, romance, some suspense, and a formidable cast and you have a historical romance well worth reading.

The Duchess Hunt by Jennifer Haymore bring us the first book in a new series-The House of Trent. A deliciously sensual tale of forbidden love with hints of suspense and intrigue. Well plotted though I would have liked more hints on the mystery portion.

I’m currently reading Penelope Douglas’s Bully ( I feel like I’m following Jane from Dear Author-lol), and this weekend has If The Shoe Fits by Megan Mulry and Enthralled by Lora Leigh, Alyssa Day, Meljean Brook, Lucy Monroe.

News From May: This week I’m still savoring Meljean Brook’s Guardian Demon. At about 600pgs long it is a biggie – and so far it does not disappoint!! I’m reading it slowly as I never ever want to be done with Michael and all his angst. Review to come here at Smexy.

Also being read this week – I finished Shana Galen’s True Spies and I am very disappointed. It started so super cute but neither the action nor the romance ever took off – such a bummer. I’m also reading Jocelyn Adam’s book Stone Chameleon and I’m not really sure what it is going to be about – but I like the heroine and the urban fantasy world she’s set up so far so I have high hopes! Review to come next month.