This week at Smexy…

B+ review – Trust the Focus by Megan Erickson (m/m/ mandi)
B+ review – Hearts of Fire by LH Cosway (contemporary/mandi)
B+ review – Inferno by Kathryn Kelly (contemporary/sheena)
B review – Misfits by Garrett Leigh (m/m/m/ mandi)
B review – Cherry Blossom by Sotia Lazu (paranormal/tori)
B- review – The Warlords Wife by Sandra Lake (historical/tori)
B/C review – Cherished & Blessed by Tere Michaels (m/m / tori)
C review – Figure of Speech by Dana Marie Bell (contemporary/sheena)
D review – Freeing the Beast by Tina Donahue (contemporary/may)

First Chapter Reveal: Mermen by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
Book Sale and JR Ward Cover Reveal
Smexy’s Top Ten

News from Mandi:  Rock Hard by Nalini Singh was sooo adorable and sexy. Pair a super alpha, intense, ex-rugby player with a shy, mild heroine and the sexual tension is off the charts! So well done.

Hot and Bothered by Crystal Green was an okay contemporary romance. It starts with a hot dose of good sexual tension but the stalker storyline made me lose interest after a while. I wanted the hero to stay in his intense, manwhore ways a little longer too. Review coming.

I tried Try With Me by Elyssa Patrick, but this series just doesn’t work for me. I had problems with book one too. I enjoy her adult contemporary work, just not her new adult voice.

I dnf’d Slightly Noble by Lilly Gayle. The premise intrigued me – pregnant, out of wedlock heroine and a pirate hero who needs a wife and an heir to inherit his beloved estate. I liked the heroine a lot, but the story was too slow moving for me. I lost interest at the halfway point.

This week I’m reading Blindsided by Holly Mortimer and Soaring by Kristen Ashley

News from Tori:

Trust Me by Ella Sheridan is #2 in her Southern Nights series is a dark suspenseful romance suspense with a super protective dirty hero and the strong intelligent warrior woman who knocks him on his butt. The explosive chemistry between the MCs mixes well with the insidious plotline. A fast engaging read that has me eager for the next in the series. Though part of a series, it can be comfortably read as a stand alone.

Cherry Blossom by Sotia Lazu, #3 in her Vampire Cherry series, is slightly darker than book one but still packed with laughter and lust as our former porn star heroine and her newly turned boyfriend find themselves meeting the ‘rents and fighting a former enemy bent on their destruction. Review here.

Sam Crescent is one of my crack dealers for outrageous, over the top, alpha bikers with huge chips on their shoulders.  Whizz, #9 in her Skulls series, is Whizz’s (Adam’s) story. Softer and tamer than her usual fair, Crescent does a good job of helping two damaged people find solace and comfort in each others arms. The romance is stronger and not all about the sex.

Another surprise read for me was Shade by Jamie Begley. I haven’t liked Shade throughout the series and it was solidified in his book Shade’s Fall. In here, Shade backtracks through everything that has happened to the club throughout the years, focusing a little on each member and their journey to their HEA. This story works because it’s all from Shade’s POV and it was nice to finally see the man behind the mask. Action packed, with a bittersweet romance, long term arc resolution, and a epilogue that left me crying huge ugly tears, Begley certainly brought her A game to this time around.

Served Hot by Marie Harte is #2 book in the Best Revenge series. A funny, sexy, kinky, second chance romance that starts with blackmail but ends in love when two former friends meet again. Though the heroine’s issues and the hero’s tendency to fudge the truth to get what he wanted bothered me, the chemistry and author’s ability to make me believe it was real makes up for it.

Vincent by Sarah Brianna. #2 in her Made Men series. I think fans of Tijan and Rachel Van Dyke would enjoy. Set right out of high school, two mob families fight for their territories while finding their one true loves in all the wrong places. Vincent, son to one boss, finds his love in his little sisters best friend…too bad she isn’t feeling the same. Humorous and saturated with over the top dramatic situations and scenes, it is a quick read that despite my reservations, I enjoyed.

This weekend I will be reading Binding Ties by Shannon K Butcher and The Virgin Romance Novelist by Meghan Quinn. I have been inundated with emails telling me I have to read it. I will report back next week.