This week at Smexy…

A review – Rebel by Callie Hart (erotic/sheena)
B+ review- Claiming His Mate by M. Limoges (paranormal/sheena)
B review – Give it All by Cara McKenna (suspense/mandi)
B/C review – Guilty Pleasures and Pleasure Principle by Jane O’Reilly (erotic/mandi)
C- review – Hero by Samantha Young (new adult/tori)
D+ review – She Loves Me, He Loves Me Not by Zeenat Mahal (contemporary/tori)
D review – Radio Silence by Alyssa Cole (suspense/mandi)
D review – A Dangerous Reality by Layla Wolfe (m/m / sheena)

Feature: Premiere – Anthology from RWA
Cover Reveal: Rock Hard by Nalini Singh
JR Ward Announces BDB Spin-off Series
Spotlight: Jill Mansell’s The Unexpected Consequence of Love
Smexy’s Top Ten

News from Mandi: Playing by the Greek Rules by Sarah Morgan is a cute, quick read that gives us just a tiny glimpse into the set-up for her new series, Puffin Island.  Didn’t quite feel the chemistry in this one between the hero and heroine – very cool, intense hero (she writes those so well) and a big-hearted heroine. Excited for her new series though. Review coming.

The Highest Tide by Marian Perera is a steampunk that has an excellent heroine….but I needed more romance. I liked the hero – they have an amazing first chapter together – but then I got a little lost in the world and the details. Cool world – but I was a tiny bit bored. This author has something going on though – I guess steampunk isn’t my first go-to genre, but she writes the hero and heroine well in this one. Going to keep an eye on her for more. Review coming.

I’m almost done Crazy Cool by Tara Janzen – book two in her Steele City series. I’m loooooooving this series. How have I missed them? Group of black op dudes, lots of guns, lots of fast cars, funny scenes, hot sex – I’m going to write a blog post next week recommending this series

I’m currently reading Once and Always by Julia Harper aka Elizabeth Hoyt writing contemporary. I like the hero but the story is bogged down by a Russian mafia plot. I just want the hero and heroine to wait out the snow storm by having sex in his cabin. Is that too much to ask? Not a fan of them running around with stolen diamonds and other craziness. We’ll see how it ends.

News from Tori:  It’s been an okay reading week. Some good, some bad, and some WTF was I thinking.

Radiance by Grace Draven is a breath of fresh air. A fantasy romance that focuses on a couple who are forced into a marriage of convenience. The hook? They are a different species from one another. Sexy, sweet, funny, and very low key angst wise, Radiance is why I originally started reading romance.   

Gable by Harper Bentley was meh. A typical overly dramatized NA with a bad boy and a good girl who indulge in anger, sarcasm, and jealousy while making cow eyes at one another. The usual “secret” that keeps them apart is rather minor and could have been cleared up had they just talked. The hero is a sexist jerk and the heroine starts out great but soon morphs into a whiny, clingy, drama queen.

I Don’t Dance by Lani Lynn Vale is a sweet, sexy, and of course humorous novella that gives us the back story on a favorite couple-Elliott and Blaine. It alludes to events from other books so I wouldn’t recommend starting this series here.

Keys To Her Cuffs by Lani Lynn Vale explodes with all the humor and outrageousness that I have come to expect from her stories. An action packed storyline with a well developed romance and conflict. Review to come.

Nalini Singh’s Rock Hard is ‘rockin’ good. Book two in her Rock Kiss series-Singh  doesn’t disappoint as she engages readers with an extra hot sexy alpha and the deceptively strong female he has decided is the one for him. T-Rex is a bad, bad, boy but as Charlotte finds out soon enough, sometimes being bad is the only way to be. The fabulously sensual romance blends well with an intriguing conflict, leaving this reader ready for more. Review to come.

Last weekend, I picked up the first two books in Jan DeLima’s new PNR series-Celtic Wolves. Celtic Moon– book one- is an admirable start to what looks to be an intriguing PNR. A second chance romance dominates the story with a slight build up to the arc. Book two-Summer Moon-amps up the romance and world building, giving readers the action and passion missing from one. Reviews to come for both.

The Other Inheritance by Rebecca Jaycox is an urban fantasy YA that focuses on a young girl and her magical destiny. Part of a series, Jaycox introduces us to a world of magic and mayhem that’s poised on the brink of war. A war only a young girl can stop. Interesting but with some flaws. Review to come.

This weekend I’m reading Soulbound by Kristen Callihan and The Tempting of Thomas Carrick by Stephanie Laurens.