This week at Smexy…

A review – The Redhead Plays her Hand by Alice Clayton (contemporary)
B+ review – A Righteous Kill by Kerrigan Byrne (romantic suspense)
B+ review – Law Man by Kristen Ashley (contemporary)
B+ review – Shadowdance by Kristen Callihan (Pnr historical)
B review – Chasing Kings by Sierra Dean (erotic)
B review – Love the one You’re With by Lauren Layne (contemporary)
B review – Take me On by Cherrie Lynn (contemporary)
C+ review – The Professional by Kresley Cole (erotic)
C+ review – Kentucky Christmas by Sarah Title (contemporary)

Smexy’s Top Ten Year in Review.

News from Mandi: I don’t have a lot of news to report. Christmas is kicking my butt and taking over my reading time. I did read a lot of quick, holiday novellas which I’ll be putting in one big post on Tuesday. I will say the best of them all has been Season of Second Chances by Brighton Walsh, if you want something quick and holiday-ish to read.

This weekend I’m reading Holiday for Two by Elyssa Patrick and Maggie Robinson. And I’ve started The Destiny of Violet & Luke by Jessica Sorensen. This series I tell you is crack. The characters have the WORST childhood and are so screwed up. I just devour them and this book is shaping up to be just as cracky/angsty/screwed-up. If you are unfamiliar with this series or author, I recommend you try The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden. Violet and Luke are supporting characters in that book (There is actually a second book for Callie and Kayden too which wraps up their story). It looks like Luke and Violet will get a second book too.

Tori’s News: Christmas is kicking my arse. I feel a day late and a dollar short this year. Not much reading done this week as I’ve had a full plate with other commitments.

Home For The Holidays, an M/M anthology by L.B. Gregg, Ally Blue, and Z.A. Maxfield is three stories about love, loss, and realizing home is where the heart lies.

Kristen Ashley’s Kaleidoscope, the fifth book in her Colorado series, brings us second chance love amiss the Colorado mountains. Though I enjoyed the story and protagonists much more then the last few books, there is a repetitive aspect to the stories that is becoming more pronounced with each new release.
Be With Me by J. Lynn is the second book in her Wait For You series. I adored book one-Wait For You so was excited to read this one. Plenty of angst and emotional barriers keeps the readers on their toes as two damaged individuals learn to forgive themselves on their path to their HEA. Not as balanced or developed as bk one & I missed the humor but still enjoyable.

FINALLY read Karina Halle’s Bold Tricks. Holy mac and cheese. Kale took me to the edge and left me dangling for days it seemed as she weaved her magic around these three very damaged protagonists. I was constantly second guessing myself the entire book. Bravo Ms. Halle. A well deserved ending to a fantastic trilogy.

Lunatic Times Two by Sharon Sala is a YA paranormal thriller series.The final book in this series, Sala does a wonderful job of using the main conflict to help wrap up series and answer all our questions.

Kresley Cole’s The Professional: Part One is a sexy steamy introduction to the Russian mafia and a dominant alpha when she goes on a search for her birth parents. Humor is prevalent with a strong gutsy heroine though I felt there was a distinct lack of connection with the protagonists. Cole tries to hard to define the characters into their roles and it’s disconcerting at times.

I DNF’d Monica Murphy’s Three Broken Promises which made me super sad. I absolutely adored the first two books in the series-One Week Girlfriend and Second Chance Boyfriend. In here, the hero annoyed me with his emotional whining and inability to make & stick to a decision. If the heroine hadn’t been completely upfront with what she wanted, I may have been more forgiving but she is brutally honest with hero and he basically strings her along and repeatedly pushes her away and then drags her back in. Owens story is next and I can’t wait.