This week at Smexy….

B+ review – Off the Edge by Carolyn Crane (romantic suspense)
B review – Wild Things by Chole Neill (urban fantasy)
C+ review – Melting the Ice by Jaci Burton (contemporary)
C review – Bound by Lorelei James (erotic)
C review – Be with Me by J Lynn (new adult)
D review – Kaleidoscope by Kristen Ashley (contemporary)
F review – Take a Chance on Me by Jennifer Dawson (contemporary)

Guest Author Carolyn Crane
Reaper’s Legacy Excerpt
Cover Reveal – Play by Kylie Scott
Top Ten Reasons to read Staking His Claim by Tessa Bailey
Interview with Elle Kennedy and Giveaway
Smexy’s Top Ten

News from Mandi: I though Jaded by Anne Calhoun was a little disappointing. I liked both characters but found the story to be very slow. Nothing to engage me and not emotionally intense as in her other books. I’ll be reviewing this coming week.

I also had problems with Protecting his Assets by Cari Quinn. I didn’t like the heroine at all and found their romance not sexy. Will be reviewing soon.

High Seduction by Vivian Arend is an erotic book filled with lots of action. It’a fun, sexy read  but I only gave it three stars on goodreads. I wrote the rough draft of my review and in it I call it my ‘I don’t know’ review. I don’t know why it’s not a four star read. It was just an okay romance for me. Part of it was how the romance unfolds. It’s very sexy just couldn’t get into it. Review coming.

The Dark Affair by Marie Claremont starts of very strong. The hero is addicted to opium and there is a marriage of convenience. I like the combination. I really liked the heroine in this one. The overall story stalls mid-way through this book though. Nothing really happens. I wish there had been more action or more emotionally gripping things. This is the first I’ve read of this author – I’d like to try something else. Review coming in March.

I didn’t enjoy What a Rancher Wants by Sarah Anderson at all. Nothing comes together in the story. Disappointed. Review coming.

My reading week was pretty blah! Starting Archer’s Voice this weekend so hopefully that will bring me up :)

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Tori’s News: Coastal Magic Con is going on this weekend in Daytona Beach so I am muy busy. Lots of great authors in town. You can follow hashtag #CMCC on twitter to see what’s happening at the convention.

It hasn’t been a great reading week for me. I seem to have picked some stinkers. Kendall Ryan’s Working It started out good but flounders towards the halfway point then goes down hill. Character development stalls and the storyline goes off the rails with some out there scenes that didn’t make sense. Ends on a mild cliffhanger. Review to come.

I DNF’d Cold Iron by D.L. McDermott. The writing and premise was wonderful, it just made me very uncomfortable. Unlikeable male characters and actions left me unable to finish. Review to come.

Jessica Scott’s All For You is an emotional bittersweet story that appeals to the heart. Scott does a fantastic job of looking deep into the souls of those who stand on the front lines and addresses the problems that follow them home. Review to come.

Fighting For Irish by Gina L. Maxwell is a steamy sexy romance suspense that addresses abuse and forgiveness between two people who discover that they are both worth fighting for. Review to come.

Strung by Bella Costa is a hot mess with Atrocious editing, a storyline that is all over the place, and stereotypical annoying characters.

I’m currently reading What Goes On Tour by Claire Boston.

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News from Helyce: I have the reading blahs, y’all!  I need to shake it off! The past two weeks have been busy and I’ve been feeling exhausted in the evenings. There just has not been enough down time to settle into a book and really enjoy it-and when that happens, I’m too easily distracted and it’s too easy to set the book down and do something else.  So, short list-here we go:

I finished Slide by Garrett Leigh. I remember I commented that I had not felt the emotional angst that I had expected.  Well, believe me, it was there! This m/m explores quite a bit  in the last half.  Our couple, Ash and Pete, are drug through the proverbial ringer when Pete is severely injured at work and Ash is the one having to keep it all together for a change. Ash, who has his own issues and suffers from PTSD due to a childhood trauma, has other things going on when this happens, but in the end we see a stronger Ash emerge from this. I like this author’s voice and look forward to seeing where this couple’s journey takes us.

For review, I read The Chance by Robyn Carr.  This is book #4 in her Thunder Point series which is a loose spin-off of her Virgin River series.  As a huge fan of this author, it’s impossible for me not to read her books.  They are everything I look for in a contemporary; however, the first few books of this new series, for me anyway, seemed too similar to the early Virgin River books both in set-up and story. Unable to give up, I did accept The Chance for review, and I’m glad I did.  I was very happy to read Eric and Laine’s story and get to know them better. Laine is an FBI agent we met in the previous book and she comes to Thunder Point to rest and relax and rehab after being shot in the shoulder.  Here she meets Eric and they are both in the right place in their lives to explore something, or the possibility of something. Full review to come.

Currently, I’m reading Live by Mary Ann Rivers.  While exquisitely written, with beautiful descriptive passages, I struggled with it over the first half.  Don’t misunderstand me, I think the story is incredible-but I also think you need to be in the right state of mind to truly enjoy this author’s voice.  I expect to finish it up this weekend (crossing fingers!). After that, well, we’ll just have to see what speaks to me.  Have a great reading weekend!