This week at Smexy…

B+ review – After the Kiss by Lauren Layne (contemporary)
B+ review – The Naughty Corner by Jasmine Haynes (erotic)
B review – Red Hill by Jamie McGuire (horror)
B review – Secret Unleashed by Sierra Dean (pnr)
B review – Unbound by Cara McKenna (erotic)
B review-  Sweet by Erin McCarthy (New Adult)
C+ review – Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt (historical)
C review –A Seaside Christmas by Sherryl Woods (women’s fic)
D+ review – The Counterfeit Mistress by Madeline Hunter (historical)

Guest Author Karina Halle
Mandi’s Favorite New Book – The Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith
Brazen Halloween Tour – Tessa Bailey Shares an Original Scene
Smexy’s Top Ten

News From Mandi: I had to DNF Luck of the Dragon by Susannah Scott which features a dragon shifter world so I was excited to try it. Unfortunately, the dragon world is barely touched on (I read 50% of the book). The hero finds his soul-mate only to not even be that excited about it – but she is also human so that could mean conflict. The heroine repeatedly gets pushed around by the hero and her brother – she had no “balls” and that really disappointed me. So I stopped reading.

I was very disappointed in Geekus Interruptus by Mickey Corrigan – what looked to be a very cute and quirky blurb turned out to be a crass, not so great novella.

Friday Afternoon by Sylvia Ryan is a marriage in trouble trope, which I always  look for. In this one, the hero and heroine have been married fifteen years and have lost that physical connection, so they decide to meet on Friday afternoons at their house before the kids get home from school to have some wild sex. Which they do – and in the first 15% of this book they have pretty much solved their sex woes. The rest of the book is just sex scene after sex scene with no real emotional growth or anything to keep me hooked in the story. The book also ends at 79% which made me frown. Full review coming.

In better news, Winning the Boss’s Heart by Hayson Manning worked really well for me. The hero is a very broody, intense workaholic who hires a new assistant – she has spunk and is funny and gives the hero quite a hard time for being such a stick in the mud. They have great chemistry. Review coming this week.

I also read Obsession by Jennifer Lyon, which ends her trilogy. I liked how the romance plays out over all three books but the drama and conflict didn’t quite end as well as I would have liked. Review coming.

Tori’s News: So, Oreos are now considered nature’s cocaine. Hmmmm. I have to think about this. While I’m thinking on that, let’s talk about ME ME ME and what I read this week. I read the entire Turner Brother series by Courtney Milan. Unveiled, Unlocked, Unraveled, and Unclaimed. Gorgeously mature and swoon worthy historical romances steeped in love, humor, and emotional completion.

Kicking It is an urban fantasy anthology offering stories by some of UFs hottest authors-Faith Hunter, Chloe Neil, Alex Croft, ect…Enjoyable fast reads though I want to warn readers that most are niblets built upon established series in progress. Review to come.

Maybe This Time by Chantel Fernando is an NA that has potential but was lacking in character and storyline development. I felt that I had only scratched the surface of what was there when I finished. Hero became annoying with his constant screw ups and feeling that an “I’m sorry” was a significant apology. Heroine was a bit on the immature side.

Abigail Roux’s Shock & Awe is the first in her Sidewinder series-a spin off of the Cut & Run series. Absolutely loved the humor and love we see in her. So glad Roux is letting us get to know the Sidewinder’s better. S&A occurs right after Touch & Giroux (Cut & Run #7) so if you haven’t read that one, there will be some tiny spoils. Review to come.

Archangel’s Legion by Nalini Singh is a stunning PNR that offers up an emotional love story intertwined around a suspenseful storyline. Singh gives us what we asked for-more time with Raphael and his hunter born consort, Elena. Arc advancement is at a premium and the ending is a shocker. I cannot wait for the next installment. Review to come.

Kristen Higgins A Perfect Match takes us back to Blue Heron and the crazy Holland family. Though not as funny as book one, I still laughed and cheered as Honor struggles with love, loss, and the value of friendship. Review to come.

A Little Too Much by Lisa Desrochers is the sequel to A Little Too Far. Here we learn Alessandro Moretti’s history and the girl who he never forgot. I enjoyed this one more then book one. The storyline was smoother and engaging. I also felt the characters were more realistic and better developed. Review to come.

Crossing The Line by Kele Moon (Battered Hearts #3) is Wyatt’s story and boy does he have a story to tell. This book shocks you coming out the gate and is a testament to Moon’s exceptional writing skill. I will be reviewing this with Amy over at FictionVixen.com.

I’m currently reading Teased by Jamie Begley and then it’s on to Bold Tricks by Karina Halle. It’s also a three day weekend here (the kid has no school Monday) so MAYBE we will go find a corn maze to get lost in. w00T!