This week at Smexy…

A review – Rogue Spy by Joanna Bourne (historical/mandi)
A review – Indecent Proposal by Molly O’Keefe (contemporary/tori)
B+ review – Master of Crows by Grace Draven (fantasy/mandi)
B review – David’s Selfie by Daisy Harris (m/m/ helyce)
B review – Vincent by DB Reynolds (paranormal/tori)
B review – Starstruck by LA Witt (m/m/ mandi)
C+ review – Love’s Last Call by Beth Matthews (new adult/mandi)
C review – Semper Fi by Keira Andrews (historical m/m/mandi)
C- review – Blue Days by Mary Calmes (m/m/ helyce)

Tori’s November Mini Reviews
Smexy’s Top Ten

Mandi News: The Masseuse by Sierra Kincaid is a decent erotic romance – it’s the start of a trilogy but there is a pretty solid HEA in the first book. Outside conflict with the hero and his job is going to bleed into book two. Hero is very alpha. Heroine stands up to him well. I wasn’t a big fan of all the suspense and drama towards the end. The sex was plentiful – but a little predictable. I’ll probably read book two though. Review coming.

I loved Lovely Wild by Megan Hart. It’s not a romance, more just fiction. It’s about a family, more particularly the wife/mother who had a horrible neglected, starved childhood. Secrets come to light, a selfish husband comes into play, and even her children are written well. It takes place over one summer. I was captivated. Well done. Review coming.

Las Vegas Layover by Eve Siedler didn’t do it for me. It’s a very short story about a woman who meets an airplanc mechanic on her way to Vegas. I like the idea of an airplane mechanic hero but I didn’t care for these characters. Review coming.

Blue Mountain by Cardeno C is a male/male shifter romance featuring an alpha and an omega. The problem for is that the alpha didn’t act super alpha. He was too emo. But it’s a sweet story. I just like my alphas more….assholey?

I finished listening to Andy Cohen’s new book, The Andy Cohen Diaries. I enjoyed a lot. But I love him so…

Up next for me is A Gentleman on the Street by Alisha Rai.

News From Tori: Getting ready for the holidays sucks huge balls of tinsel. The thought of dragging out holiday decorations and put them up makes me want to shove an ice pick into my ear. So instead, I shall pull a Scarlett O’Hara and declare I’ll think about that tomorrow.

Schooled by Lorelei James is a short novella in The Mastered Series that revisits Rohan and Amery Black. Plenty of sex and romance highlights how far these two have come in their relationship since first meeting. Review to come.

I got on a Roxie Rivera kick earlier this week with Sergi’s and Nikolai’s Volume 2 which both are continuations of their lives now that they are married. Most of Rivera’s books happen simultaneously so it’s not unusual to see similar events taking place in each book, just from another point of view. Hot, sexy, and suspenseful, each book further alongs the ongoing arc. I especially liked Nikolai’s book because we see Vivian taking a firmer hand with her Russian and in certain aspects of their marriage. Collateral, first book in her Debt Collection series, is the first part of Ben Beciraj’s story. Per usual, you get steamy erotci sexual scenes and a violent conflict. There is a book 2 for this couple which makes me super happy. Seduced by the Loan Shark is Hagen’s story. This one was okay. I was a little put out by the insta love that occurs and the heroine’s submission in first 5 minutes upon meeting sexy loan shark. She allows hero to sexually assault her over her brother’s unpaid gambling debts but is okay with it because she is attracted to him and he gets her off. Hmmmm. Then he pays off her brother’s HUGE 50K gambling debt because he wants a good girl in his life and they live happily ever after. HMMMMMMM.

Elias by Sabrina Paige. Saw this one being bantered around on twitter and I can’t turn down a $.99 special. I liked it overall. A cute sexy NA about a famous actress and wounded vet. Incredible chemistry and banter between protagonists was the highlight of the story. My only qualm was I really wanted to see the heroine confront her lousy family and ex fiance Maury Povich style. Hopefully Paige will give us the scene in the future.

As Hot As It Gets by Elle Kennedy. Kennedy once again brings us a super sexy hot romance about a Seal and the woman he claims as his own. Humor and light angst balances well against the high octane sexual play that makes Kennedy’s books so popular. Reviewed for RT Magazine.

Wild For Him by Jill Sorenson–A short steamy novella that plays off her series-Aftershock. Two opposites find out that they do indeed attract when a earthquake places them in close quarters together. Review to come.

Don’t Judge A Lady By Her Cover by Sarah Maclean. The final installment in Maclean’s dark and lush historical romance series-The Rules of Scoundrels. While I found this story wasn’t as dark as some of the previous ones, the well plotted storyline is chocked full of lust, angst, tension, and redemption. A winner across the board. Review to come.

The Darkest Touch by Gena Showalter–TORIN…KEELEY…YAY!. What happens when a man who can’t touch anyone meets the Queen of touchy-feely? Fun. Times. Though the first half was extremely slow going, the second half picks up the pace considerably and provides an action packed, intriguing, humorous ending. Review to come.

Revenge, Curse’s Claim, and Blind Devotion by Sam Crescent. I really enjoy the Chaos Bleeds and Skull series by this author. Two MC series that intertwine and play off one another. Overly alpha men, strong multi faceted women, raunchy sex, shady deals, and plenty of violence almost makes this a viable alternative when my fav show-SOA-isn’t on. They aren’t pulitzer winners but frankly, I don’t care.

The Throwaway Girl by Kristine Scarrow.  A thought provoking YA that addresses abuse suffered by a young woman through her memories. Fast pacing made for an easy read though I found the story seemed to only skim the surfaces of her memories and we are left not really connecting with the protagonist. Review to come.

This weekend I am reading Serenading Stanley by John Inman and hopefully Gunpowder Alchemy by Jeannie Lin.