This week at Smexy…

B+ review – Chained by Night by Larissa Ione (paranormal/tori)
B review – Come Dancing by Leslie Wells (contemporary/tori)
B review – All Bets are On by Cynthia Cooke (paranormal/sheena)
B review – Jack by Juliana Stone (contemporary/tori)
C+ review – Taking Control by Jen Frederick (contemporary/tori)
C+ review – Offside by Shay Savage (contemporary/tori)
D+ review – Losing Streak by Kristine Wyllys (contemporary/mandi)

Tori’s Mini Reviews for September
Smexy’s Top Ten

News from Mandi: Rules for a Proper Governess by Jennifer Ashley was a pretty good read. Not my favorite in this series, but I like the fact that it features a truly poor heroine. No hidden titles or inheritance. A series of events leads her to be a well known lawyer’s governess. This hero is the brother in-law to a MacKenzie I think…they are somehow connected. Anyway, I felt the romance could be been ramped up a little more, but overall I liked. Review coming.

The Understatement of the Year by Sarina Bowen gets an easy A from me. It’s a great book. It’s a m/m new adult hockey book and I loved. Review coming.

In the Raw by Nikka Michaels and Eileen Griffen didn’t do it for me. It’s a m/m book that features two guys in culinary school. Their romance didn’t work for me and the culinary aspect disappointed me. Review coming.

I’ve started Alex by Sawyer Bennett. I’m only 10% in so I can’t say much but I will say – the hero is currently a big grumpy jerk and I’m looooooving him. I really hope this book stays good…I’ll report back!

News From Tori: I didn’t get a lot of reading done this week. I and the kid have been crushed under the iron hammer of Algebra 1. *thud* I’m talking 4 hours a night, people. Jaysus. I didn’t study that much WHEN I was in 8th grade. Regardless, she scored a 90 on her test so it was all worth it. :P

I had two DNFs this week which I think is a record for me. I hate dnfing a book but sometimes that’s the only way to go.

I dnf’d R.C Ryan’s Maverick of Copper Creek. I’ve enjoyed her other works so I was genuinely excited to read this. The book was in one word-boring. A majority of the storyline is tell not show. We hear of the actions, emotions, and what all from the characters but don’t really see it. The story seemed to struggle on what it wanted to be so I felt we were gypped on all aspects. The romance resolves itself with little fanfare. Honestly, I questioned the heroine’s ability to forgive hero that easily and the author’s willingness to make another character the “villain” in order to facilitate that romance. The faint inspiration tone didn’t set easy with me either. I’m sure fans will enjoy but this one didn’t work for me.

Red Light, Green Light by Rhian Cahill. DNF. I tried to like this one but the heroine made it nearly impossible. We spend the first chapter being told how much the hero loves her and listening to him defend himself against sleeping with her then basically ignoring her. He claims he let her go because he couldn’t give her what she wanted. 0_o She ends up marrying his best friend (years later) and hero decides to make his move again after they divorce. The second chance love trope becomes tedious when the heroine refuses to address the elephant in the room and be honest with the hero about why she keeps running from him. Also, a reference to “not being responsible for anything that happens when she’s drunk” rubbed me the wrong way.

Alice Clayton’s Mai Tai’d Up, fourth in her Cocktail series, is a frothy concoction of love, laughs, and learning to be true to oneself. Clayton brings us two adorable characters who find love amongst puppy breath and tiaras. Review will post in DEC issue of RT Book Reviews Magazine.

The Last Breath by Kimberly Belle. A mystery rom suspense that addresses the grief of losing two people you love and learning to forgive. Humor and pain balance well together as we watch a women head home after being gone for sixteen years to finally learn what happened the night her step mother was murdered and her father was accused and sent to prison for killing her. Review to come.

Doc by Dahlia West. Last in her burnout series. West brings us Calab (Doc’s) HEA with a bad arse bounty hunter who plays just as hard and fast with the rules as he does. Humor, action, great character dynamics, and some steamy loving takes this series out with a bang.

I’m currently reading Ann Aguirre’s As Long As you Love Me and up next is Samantha Young’s Echos of Scotland Street. COLE FTW!