Mandi:
Clean Break by Keira Andrews – I really enjoyed the first book in this series, A Forbidden Rumspringa. Amish gay romance – I didn’t think it would work but it’s a heartwarming story of two guys who get the courage to leave everything they know, families they care for, for a chance at living their lives on their terms. They run from Minnesota to San Francisco to where Isaac’s brother lives with his girlfriend. Isaac’s brother, Aaron, knows what it’s like to leave the Amish community and start off on your own. It’s a scary world out there when you have lived a very sheltered life. Simple things like certain phrases or slang is foreign to David and Isaac. They don’t have any ID or a birth certificates. They don’t have any money. They don’t know how the modern world works. This is the focus of this book. David and Isaac learning about their new future and dealing with the guilt they have of leaving their family behind.
This book didn’t quite engage me like the first one. It’s slower, as we get a lot of details on David and Isaac’s transition. I like both David and Isaac – they have good chemistry and they make me smile. They are eager to embrace this new life, yet a little sad at the same time. It’s a lot for both of them to take in and the author lets them experience this. I just got a little bored because not a lot happens. I would recommend you start with book one to fully enjoy these characters. Their story will be wrapped up in the third book.
Outside the Ropes by Ashley Claudy
I read about 35% of this book before I DNF’d. I wanted to read this book because the heroine was a fighter and I thought that would be a fun twist. Not so fun in this book. The heroine barely knows anything about boxing or fighting, but she has had a bad childhood so she does know how to survive. This story kind of rambles along – the heroine starts sleeping with a sleazy cop. There is a weird flashback that didn’t really need to be in the story. I assume the hero is another fighter named Gage, and not the sleazy cop – but maybe he is?? I don’t really care. The book needed more focus.
Rating: DNF
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Tori:
Obsession in Death (In Death, #40) by J.D. Robb
Obsession in Death marks the 40th installment of the incredible world and dynamic duo that Robb introduced fans to back in 1995. Still going strong as ever, Robb has turned our lovely Eve from a lonely insecure woman to a woman rich in friends and love. With a gorgeous husband away at her side and a rewarding career that has catapulted her into celebrity status, she now faces the greatest challenge ever-her very own stalker who is eliminating anyone who stands between them and Eve. Fabulous characterization and dialogue intertwines with the fast paced action packed storyline that divulges into the mind of a person who both loves and despises Eve. Friends and foes alike all come under Eve’s scrutiny as she struggles to locate the villain before they strike again.
Celtic Moon and Summer Rain ( Celtic Wolves, #1 & #2) by Jan DeLima
I met Jan DeLima at the Coastal Magic Convention and was intrigued by her Celtic Wolves series. Warned it was dark, I grabbed books one and two and proceeded to devour them. Book One, Celtic Moon, sets up the premise of the series which is based on Celtic mythology. A second chance romance bursts onto the scene and sets the stage for a coming war. Dylan Black, alpha of Rhuddin Village, has searched for his wife for over fifteen years. She ran away with their son, never to return. When she calls him, asking for help, Dylan leaps at the chance to see her and meet his son for the first time. Angsty and forbidding, the romance and conflict blend well in the first half of the book but seems to sizzle in the second half. Staying in the present, I feel we miss some world building and needed background information. A climatic ending resolves the romance issues but leaves the door open for the arc to continue to build.
Even though I wasn’t blown away by book one, I didn’t hesitate to pick up book two-Summer Moon. Rosa Alban comes to Dylan for the favor he owes her . Rosa was forced into marriage at a young age, she needs Dylan’s help to free her people and castle from those who seek to control her. Luc Black, Dylan’s brother, jumps at the chance to help for he is ready for his own territory and Rosa intrigues him. As Luc and Rosa fight for her freedom, the bonds between them tighten until a decision must be made to either let go of the past or lose their future.
Book two was so much better than one. Still well written and action packed, DeLima expands the world building, giving readers more in depth background and hints towards what to come. The romance demands more page space as we watch two alphas struggle to overcome their pasts in order to have a future together. Smoking hot love scenes balance well against the conflict. I look forward to book three.
RATING: C and B
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Keys to My Cuffs (The Heroes of the Dixie Warden MC, #4) by Lani Lynn Vale
I beta for Vale though I did not beta this particular book-hence the reason I’m writing a review for it. I love Vale and her crazy, eccentric, action packed, and humorous romance suspense MC series. She writes some of the most in your face alpha characters I’ve read in a while. I especially enjoy that fact that she, unlike most MC romances, manages to create exciting conflicts and panty dropping romances without following the predictable trend of humiliating the women or using cheating to create and dispel conflict. Her heroes almost always screw up but they are strong enough to admit it and grovel rather well. Keys To My Cuffs gives us Loki’s story. An undercover cop who for eight years has lived and breathed his assignment. His disgust at his actions has him hitting rock bottom until he meets his next door neighbor. She intrigues him but his being a cop and in an MC are two strikes against him. Channing has a past that demands she distrusts Loki but she is attracted to him and soon against her better judgement she begins to trust him. Emotionally deep and heartfelt, Vale builds a romance that brings two damaged people together-one who must learn to live again and one who must learn to trust again. Vale’s trademark humor goes hand in hand to help offset the brutal theme of this story. Scorching love scenes make the story even better. I laughed, I teared up, and I cheered when I got my happily ever after. Long time fans will love seeing the Dixie Wardens and the Freebirds band together to bring another brother back home.
Radiance (Wraith Kings, #1) by Grace Draven
I tried to read Draven’s Master of Crows a couple of years ago. I wasn’t able to get into it though Mandi has told me to try again because she loved it. When I started hearing good reviews for Radiance, I decided to try my hand at reading her again. I am so happy I did. Radiance is a wonderfully sweet, sexy, and dynamic fantasy. Two kingdoms (and species) are merged through a marriage of convenience that turns to love as the couple gets to know one another. What made this for me is the maturity of the couple and their romance. No over the top dramatics or emotional angst is added to merely increase the conflict of the story. Interesting world building, a well plotted storyline, and fabulous dialogue made this a joy to read.
I read Radiance and loved it. Not quite as epic as The Last Hour of Gann but still really good. I’ll be looking for more from this author.
I really need to read The Last Hour of Gann.