Every once in a while I like to do some “mini reviews” for books that for various reasons were not able to be included on the review schedule. I usually don’t grade these reviews, but after a few readers emailed me asking for grades, I decided to go ahead and add them. 

Love and Blarney (Ballybeg, #2) by Zara Keane
Contemporary Romance
E book/Novella
September 2014
Beaverstone Press, LLC
RATING: B

Very few international authors can hold my attention (I often find the phonetic spellings of the accents annoying) but Zara Keane holds mine tight in her romance contemporary series built upon the small town of Ballybeg, Ireland. Love and Blarney is a sweet and humorous novella that focuses on the wild Ruairi MacCarthy and the wife he left behind in America when he had to come back to Ireland for a family emergency. Keane combines humor and a little heartbreak into an engaging little second chance romance as we learn why Ruairi left his wife and the extent to which his wife goes to get him back. Miscommunication is the theme and meddling family members the saving grace as Ruairi and Jayme find their way back to love.

Rock Addiction (Schoolboy Choir, #1) by Nalini Singh
Contemporary Romance/Erotic Romance
E book/Novel
September 2014
RATING: A

As a huge fan of Nalini Singh’s UF and PNR series, I was thrilled when I learned she was writing a Rock Star contemporary romance. Built around four young men whose rise to stardom started when they were fellow students at boarding school, Singh writes a emotionally and sexually charged romance between the famous lead singer and a librarian. When Fox (lead singer of the band-Schoolboy Choir) sees Molly for the first time, he’s convinced she’s the one but issues from Molly’s past has her erecting a huge wall between them. Molly has already been burned by the media once and she feels being with Fox is only going to bring that hateful time in her life back up in full force. Molly gives Fox an ultimatum-she will have a 30 day affair with him while he is touring in her country. After that, they part ways. As Fox takes possession of her body over and over in the most delicious of ways, he is determined to also take possession of her heart and soul. Humor and emotional angst go hand in hand as Fox does everything he can to prove to Molly that he is 100% committed to their relationship and will never let her go.  A secondary romance is just as sweet and sensual is further explored in the novella-Rock Courtship-which releases later this year.

Hook Up (Game on, #1) by Kristen Callihan
Contemporary Romance/New Adult
E book/Novel
September 8, 2014
Self Published
RATING: A

I’m a huge fan of Kristen Callihan’s dark PNR series so when I learned she was writing New Adult series, I jumped at the chance to read. Though I love NA, there are few authors who I can honestly say write it well. To often they follow a formula that is plagued by redundancy in both characterization and presentation. Callihan writes a fresh and invigorating romance in the first of her Game On series-The Hook Up-featuring two intelligent, humorous, and sexy protagonists who, while they have issues, aren’t emotional black holes that suck the life out of each other and the story. A well plotted storyline gives readers a sweet, funny, steamy, and realistic romance with all the ups and downs that relationships entail. Dynamic dialogue will have you laughing one minute and melting in another. A cast of all star characters is headed up by a star college athlete (Drew) and his smart snarky classmate (Anna) with whom he has a crush on.  A chance hookup reveals some powerful chemistry between these two, but Anna doesn’t want a relationship regardless of that powerful connection. Luckily for the both of them though, Drew is no quitter. Fans of Callihan’s will be thrilled by her newest venture. I myself am looking forward to the second novel in the series-The Friend Zone- which is scheduled to release in the Spring of 2015.

Sweeter Than Sin (Secrets & Shadows, #2) by Shiloh Walker
Suspense Romance
E book/Novel
September 30, 2014
St. Martin’s
RATING: B

A single event in the small town of Madison forced the disappearance of a girl and boy. Years later, a body is found that blows open a secret so dark and wicked, the town isn’t sure it will ever recover. A young women knows the time has come for her to come home and let the town know exactly what happen that fateful night. Sweeter Than Sin is a dark and gritty romance suspense that brings together two addicts whose childhood ties are buried beneath a twisted sea of lies, betrayal, and deception. Shiloh Walker further divulges into the arc, expanding the scope and breath of the secrets this town has hidden for years. Your heart will break for the pain and agony some have experienced though Walker offers hope to readers that the evil has been identified and being dealt with accordingly. Emotional turmoil and angst are the basis on which a tragic romance is built. Two people unable to let go of the past have risen from their self inflicted penance to find one another when their need is greatest. Twists and turns will shock readers as Walker begins to put unravel the ties that bound this town to silence and the truth begins to pour out. I recommend reading the first in this series as the arc n on going and events in book two are contingent on the events in book one-Deeper Than Need.