This week at Smexy…

B+ review – Dirty Thoughts by Megan Erickson (contemporary/mandi)
B review – Opening Up by Lauren Dane (contemporary/helyce)
B- review – Arrow’s Hell by Chantal Fernando (contemporary/tori)
B- review – Yours All Along by Roni Loren (m/m /mandi)
C+ review – Uncharted Territory by Tamsen Parker (bdsm/mandi)
C+ review – Blood, Pain, and Pleasure by Nadien Mutas (paranormal/mandi)
C review – The Iron Princess by Sandra Lake (historical/tori)
C review – Do Not Disturb by Stephanie Julian (erotic/tori)

Wicked Wednesday: Sweet Agony by Charlotte Stein
Mallory Crowe shares her Favorite Romance Tropes
Smexy’s Top Ten

News from Mandi: Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy was a fabulous new adult male/male hockey romance. I HIGHLY rec! Out this August.

Paladin by Sally Slater is a Fantasy (felt YA-ish) that was so darn cute, at least the first half of the book was. It features a bad ass heroine who disguises herself as  a man so she can train as a warrior. A hero who is half demon (the warriors train to kill demons) and their trainer who is fun and gets exasperated. Great action. The second half fell a little flat though. The romance was definitely in the background and I think the story was too long. Reviewing soon.

Up in Smoke by Tessa Bailey is a very sexy read. BUT! I have to say – the hero is extremely possessive and controlling. From the moment he sees the heroine he falls in love and want to completely run her life. I think some may be put off by this. I took it as a fantasy hero and just rolled with it and he amused me. But I think some will have some strong reactions to him. I’ll be talking more about it this week.

News from Tori: Today is my baby’s 14th birthday so we are headed to the Springs right this minute. YAY!!!

Starlight on Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs, #11 in her Lakeside Chronicles, is a sweet convoluted contemporary that brings two struggling families together and teaches them that the ties that bind family aren’t always forged in blood. Love, loss, grief, and hope all swirl together to leave the reader content and satisfied. A mild romance infuses the story as watch these people learn to let go of the past in order to see their futures. Looking forward to more from Ms. Wiggs and her Lakeside family. My review will appear in the Sept issue of RT Book Review Magazine.

Viper’s Rule by Stephanie Tyler takes us back to Skull Creek and the MC that watches over the town with a eagle eye and iron fist. Second chance romances are the best, especially when it’s the heroine who has to convince the hero that she deserves the second chance. Plenty of side plots add to the general mayhem though I was worn out by all the drama that seems to follow the heroine. Review to come.

Lucky by Ryanna Hawk is the first in a PNR MC romance series that promises high octane romance, sex, action, and some suspense. Instead we get a weak storyline with awkward dialogue, a ridiculous amount of plot lines, and a conflict that never bears fruit.  Review to come.

Up this weekend is Christine Feehan’s Earth Bound and Yasmine Galenorn’s Flight From Death.