This week at Smexy…

A+ review – Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare (historical)
A review – Burn for Me by Cynthia Eden (paranormal)
B+ review – Reaper’s Legacy by Joanna Wylde (contemporary)
B review – The Runaway Groom by Virginia Nelson (contemporary)
B- review – Forsaken by Jacquelyn Frank (paranormal)
B- review – In Too Deep by Tracey Alvarez (contemporary)
C+ review – Shoreline Drive by Lily Everett (contemporary)
C+ review – Up From the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (urban fantasy)
D+ review – When the Rogue Returns by Sabrina Jeffries (historical)

Interview with Avery Flynn
Smexy’s Top Ten

News From Mandi: I had a good reading week. It started with Off the Edge by Carolyn Crane, the second in her Associates series but can be read as a stand alone. It’s a well done romantic suspense. Very sexy, tons of action. This author has a distinctive voice…I’ll explain more in my review coming this week. Super fun book.

I believe Staking his Claim by Tessa Bailey is the final book in her Line of Duty series *CLINGS TO DIRTY TALKING HEROES* Can’t wait to see what else she writes! Staking his Claim is dirty. The hero like to dominate, and the heroine – you guessed it – loves to be dominated. Fun pair – I liked this one a lot. I’ll be reviewing this week – there is a twist on a spanking scene we’ll need to discuss.

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare is amazing. SO romantic. SO adorable. May reviewed it this week and gave it an A and I totally agree. The hero is blind, recluse, scarred. The heroine thinks she is more plain looking and has a ton of confidence. They meet/stay together in a ruined castle. The romance – it’s a mix of total adorableness and dirty, dirty sexy times. Good combo.

I also read a non-romance book this week! Feed by Mira Grant. Sophia from Fiction Vixen rec’d it to me. It’s a zombie book taking place in 2040, about 25 years after the zombie apocalypse. It’s really good – follows a sister and brother who are popular bloggers who are reporting from the presidential election campaign. Lots of twists and action. It’s the first in a trilogy.

I’m currently reading Jaded by Anne Calhoun – I’m about half through. It’s hot – but slower and less emotionally gripping than some of her previous work. I’ll be reviewing this week as well.

Tori’s News: Boring, boring week. It’s cold, rainy, and my husband seems to be going through a midlife crisis that involves camouflage and pork rinds. My neighbor made me bacon stuffed cornbread which is practically a proposal in the South and I one of my daughter’s friends said she loved the gray highlights in my hair. 0_o

Fans of Jasmine Hayes will love Teach Me A Lesson. A deliciously dirty and wicked erotic contemporary with dynamic characters, humorous dialogue, and some steamy hot scenes that make being bad a good thing. Review to post in April issue of RT Book Reviews Magazine.

Bound & Unwound by Lorelei James. James’s newest erotic romance contemporary series-Mastered-tells the story of a small town girl and the secretive man who loves her. Bound, book one, didn’t impress me too much. Very miserly in both emotion and character development, I found myself unable to connect with our lovers or their story. I was offered book two, Unwound and decided to give it a try to see if book one was a fluke. Thank goodness it was. Unwound is definitely different. It explodes in a delicious mixture of passion, emotion, humor, and development. Though Unwound ends our lover’s story, the series has plenty of viable characters who can carry additional stories. I look forward to reading more. Reviews to come.

Clarissa Wild’s Fierce. A NA romance contemporary whose premise promised much but failed to deliver on all counts. You can read my notes and highlights here.

Marked by Lauren Dane, Kit Rocha, & Vivian Arend. An erotic romance contemporary anthology by three talented authors. Each book opens the door to love, hot playful sex, and a viable story line that delivers threefold. Kit Rocha takes us back to sector 5 and those wonderfully decadent O’Kanes, Dane introduces a second chance love trope for a triad relationship, and Arend gives new meaning to playing at cops and robbers.

Wild Things by Chloe Neill. Merit is back and up to her fangs in intrigue and murder when the pack is attacked and the vampires blamed. Add in a corrupt mayor and further trouble from the GP and Cadogan House will have to fight fire with fire with they want to see tomorrow. Review to come.

Melting the Ice by Jaci Burton. A cute lightweight romantic sports contemporary that gives romance a second chance to a pro hockey player and the girl he had a one night stand with in college. A engaging romance with some hot lovemaking and humorous scenes between two obviously compatible people. Review to come.

I’m currently reading Fighting For Irish by Gina Maxwell.