This week at Smexy…

A review – Ethan in Gold by Amy Lane (m/m)
A review – Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan (contemp)
A- review – The Wicked Wallflower by Maya Rodale (historical)
B review – The Sweetest Scene by Susan Laine (m/m)
B review – The Way Home by Cindy Gerard (contemporary)

B+ review – Heating up the Holidays Anthology (contemporary)
C+ review – Once a Rake by Eileen Dreyer (historical)

C review – Dark Witch by Nora Roberts (pnr)
C review – The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa (YA pnr)
C review – Trancehack by Sonya Clark (pnr)

Top Ten Reasons to read Beauty and the Billionaire by Jessica Claire
Read Pink!
Sarah Morgan Giveaway!
Smexy’s Not Top Ten

Tori’s News: Oy vey. It’s been a rough and disappointing reading week at Casa Benson.

I really enjoy picking up indie authors to read as there can be some real jewels found. But, you have to wade through a lot of paste to find a genuine diamond and this week, I mined a lot of crap.

I DNF’d Trial by Fireby Taylor Lee. It started out okay but the insufferable caveman hero who the whole town loves and wanted to emulate soon wore me out. Add in the racist qualifiers that permeated the book, I walked away and didn’t look back.

Kate Crush’s Plush was another DNF. This intimate look at a rock star’s demons should have been an insightful entertaining book but instead was a huge hot mess with an unlikable heroine, a weak unstructured storyline, and a writing style so riddled with oversaturated purple prose and serious grammatical errors I would be ashamed for it.

Harper Sloan’s Cage was a huge disappointment. I enjoyed book one-Axel and expected better with Cage. Instead I got a weak unstructured storyline with immature characters whose juvenile dialogue drove me insane. Not to mention the heroine called her breasts “funbags.” Really?

Heaven’s Sinners and Knight’s Sinner(books 2 & 3) by Bella Jewel were both enjoyable MC cracky reads with interesting characters, super HAWT raunchy love scenes, and a strong storyline that delivered.

Kathleen Peacock’s Hemlock is a werewolf PNR YA that was recommended to me by another blogger. I thoroughly enjoyed this intense, dramatic, and oddly sweet story about a young girl who seeks to find the werewolf who murdered her best friend. I’m looking forward to book two.

While I’m not a fan of serials, I found myself intrigued by the premise where the readers will choose who the heroine ends up with. Book one, Raw by Jo Davis, is a fully bodied romance suspense that packed a powerful punch in only 80 pages. I’m not sure I like where the book left off, though. Guess I’ll have to read book 2 and see. :)

Skin by Kylie Scott was a wonderful surprise. A humorous sexy post apocalypse zombie book that tells of a reluctant romance between a clueless survivalist and the woman he barters for. Well written with strong characterization and storyline.

Sarah Maas’s Crown of Midnight is a YA fantasy that everyone will enjoy. A strong female assassin heroine plays a dangerous political game as she struggles with a forbidden romance and a destiny that could destroy everyone she loves. Strong world building and an action packed storyline that will hold you hostage till the end. Review to come.

Alisha Rai’s Night Whisper was recommended to me by quite a few bloggers and I’m ashamed it took me so long to read. A strong heroine and a swoon worthy beta hero find love and dangerous adventure in a post apocalypse world. Totally ready for book two.

This weekend I’m starting Jill Mansell’s Don’t Want To Miss A Thing and whatever else catches my fancy. :P

Mandi’s News (very brief because she is running late for her kid’s soccer game!)

Rumor Has it by Jill Shalvis – Very sexy hero but didn’t love the other stuff in the book.

Naughty in Norway by Christine Edwards – DNF. Didn’t like the characters.

Chance of Rain by Amber Lin – A little slow and not enough tension.

Foreplay by Sophie Jordan – enjoyed a lot! Super sexy hero. Heroine and her friends although college age didn’t annoy me! Review coming.

Archangel’s Legion by Nalini Singh – Very good! I’d give it a solid B maybe B+. Slowed down a bit for me in second half but great addition to this series.