This week at Smexy…

A review– Hide and Keep by K. Sterling (contemporary mm/helyce)
B+ review – Ride Steady by Kristen Ashley (contemporary/tori)
B review – Claimed by the Highland Wolf by Stephanie Marks (historical pnr/sheena)
B review – Moonlight on Nightingale Way by Samantha Young (contemporary/tori)
B- review – True Devotion by Liora Blake (comtemporary/tori)
C+ review – Paladin by Sally Slater  (fantasy/mandi)
C- review – Bengal’s Quest by Lora Leigh (pnr/helyce)

Top Ten
Wicked Wednesday: Top Ten Reasons to Read-Up In Smoke by Tessa Bailey
Release Day Blast: J.C. Daniel’s Misery’s Way
Mini Reviews for June

News from Tori: This week has been a hectic between birthdays, Fathers Day, and the A/C going out. UGH. Luckily I have internet and my kindle so life is good in that aspect. :P

Flight From Death by Yasmine Galenorn. The first in her new Urban Fantasy series, Fly by Night, Galenorn expands on a new world set in Seattle and a cast of supernatural characters who work for an investigative firm. Fans of her Otherworld series will recognize this world as it was first introduced in the novella-Flight From Hell. Action packed with an intriguing cast of characters, interesting premise, and plenty of side plots to explore. Over all enjoyed this story though it is heavy in setup and has some repetitiveness as Galenorn seeks to make sure we understand what each supe can and cannot do. Review to come.

Earth Bound by Christine Feehan. The fourth book in Feehan’s Sister’s of the Heart series gives us an action packed humor laced PNR that chooses to break from the previous installments by focusing more on the protagonists and their issues rather then expanding on the arc that overflows from the Sea Haven series. Thoroughly enjoyed meeting Gavrill and getting to know Lexi better. Review to come.

Right Next Door by A.J. Pryor. An emotional and sexy hot romance contemporary that brings to damaged souls together when they move next door. A bit of a drama llama in the relationship wise as the push and pull was wearing, I did enjoy the protagonists back stories and watching them each learn the means at which they choose to grow and deal with their problems. Review to come.

An Outlaw Wedding by Jenika Snow. I enjoy Jenika Snow’s Grizzly MC series and this novella is the starting point of the romances for the MC member’s kids. Sexy, raunchy, and dramatic; it’s a fast read that gives a well rounded story and sets us up for the next in the series.

This weekend I’m reading  Indelible Ink by Matt Betts and Drive Me Wild by Shari Slade.

News From Helyce:  I haven’t done one of these in forever, but I had two reviews post this week and I was happy for the opportunity to talk about one of these books again.

Hide and Keep by K. Sterling Sterling is a new to me author and I’m so glad I took a chance on this book.  An M/M romance with a very unique character, Aidan has Asperger’s Syndrome.  High functioning and super smart, he just can’t stop himself from saying the first thing that comes to his mind. Lane is completely unprepared for Aidan’s brand of honesty, but they forge a bond that was touching and emotional.  I laughed and cried.  This story surprised me in a really good way.  Review HERE.

Bengal’s Quest by Lora Leigh: I have been a diehard fan of this series since I discovered it.  I love the science side of it and the fact that the Breeds are not shifters, though as the series has evolved, we’ve seen these Breeds often take on some of the characteristics of their animals.  This is book 30 and I was looking forward to Gideon’s story.  Sadly, I was disappointed, but I can’t quit this series until Leigh gives us Cassie’s story.  If she doesn’t do Cassie justice, I will finally be able to say goodbye to this series. Review HERE.

Ghost in the Flames by Daisy Harris: This is book 5 of the Fire and Rain series and is Rick and Stan’s story.  Rick was kind of set up in previous books as the guy you liked to hate, but I knew there had to be more to him and there had to be reasons for his attitude.  It’s a bit of a second chance love story as Rick and Stan knew each other in high school.  We learn that Rick has survived a traumatic event in high school which goes a long way to explain how he is. Now, years later, he reunites with Stan under some embarrassing circumstances, but is able to rebuild their friendship and find love.  Review to come.

Tyed by L.J. Shen: Another new to me author, I was intrigued by the MMA storyline here.  I really liked our lead characters, Ty and Blaire, and the circumstances that brought them together.  I had a little trouble with the fact that it sometimes felt like I was reading a YA that changed to a NA but had strong adult content. Interesting characters with a nice tease for a possible second book.  Review to come.

The Ground Rules by Roya Carmen: The blurb for this book was enough to make me want to read it.  Five simple rules that infer that the story would involve something along the lines of couples who swing or share.  I was intrigued.  I tend to be a bit more lenient than some when it comes to cheating in my romance books, and this book promised to take me out of that comfort zone.  Is it cheating if all parties agree? And what happens when the most important rule is broken. An interesting take on something forbidden and begs the question, can one have more than one soul mate? Ends in a cliffhanger with a weird little tease for book 2 that had me saying, “WTF?”.  Review to come.

Sweet by Tammara Webber: I read this for fun because I loved the previous books and was excited to see what this author would do for Boyce and Pearl.  I really loved this book.  I adored Boyce’s character growth and watching him and Pearl find their way to each other.  Clearly the definition of soulmates, Boyce and Pearl fell in love as children, though they surely didn’t know it.  They each had to grow up, find their place and only then could they be to each other what they always were meant to be.  Loved.

I am kind caught on up on review books at the moment, so I am reading some books for fun.  Up this weekend is Trust the Focus by Megan Erickson. Have a great weekend.