This week at Smexy…

A review – Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt (mandi)
B+ review – Claiming Her by Kris Kennedy (mandi)
B review – Torn by Cynthia Eden (tori)
B review – Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas (mandi)
B review – Dirty Sexy Inked by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde (tori)
B review – The Darkest Torment by Gena Showalter (tori)
C review – The Wicked Duke by Madeline Hunter (tori)
C review – Alien Warrior’s Mate by Nancey Cummings (sheena)

Feature: Gambled Away Anthology
Mandi’s June To-Be-Read

News from Mandi: Beyond Ecstasy by Kit Rocha is not my favorite in the series – I didn’t connect with the romance that well and I wish we had gotten to be involved in the action a little bit more. I have a joint review with Tori coming this week.

That Despicable Rogue by Virginia Heath features a heroine trying to win back her family home as she poses as a housekeeper. It’s a light and easy read – a little slow at times. I’ll feature it in our monthly mini-review post later this month.

Mr. and Mr. Smith by Helenkay Dimon – I’m always on the lookout for a m/m, and this one with both of them spies appealed to me. However, I want to punch one of the heroes in the face. He is frustrating me. I’m almost done – will be posting my review this week. Not a favorite of mine.

Up next is Primal Instinct by Tara Wyatt – I enjoyed book one – I have high hopes for this one!

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News From Tori: Anne Frasier’s The Body Reader is a chill tingling mystery thriller that focuses on a homicide detective who was kidnapped and tortured for 3 years. Frasier does an excellent job of channeling this damaged woman and the obstacles she faces trying to learn how to function in society again while investigating a series of missing person cases that mimic her own abduction. Review to come.

Smoke and Mirrors by Jess Haines  will thrill fans as Jess spins off her H&W Investigations world with a new series (Blackhollow Academy) that introduces a soon to graduate sorcerer in need of a familiar to the Others. An interesting set up reveals a lightweight urban fantasy that balances delicately on the edge of YA and NA.  A faint romance and hint of bigger things to come assures the reader we haven’t seen the last of this world. Review to come.

I have wanted to read Marie Harte’s Test Drive since I was first introduced to Del Webster (What To Do With A Bad Boy-McCauley Brothers, #4) and the sexy crew of mechanics she works with at her father’s Body shop. A sexy romance contemporary with erotic undertones offer a fresh take on the redemption of the bad boy though some of the narrative and self esteem issues gave the hero a younger feel. Review to come.

Rock Steady by Dawn Ryder starts off as the classic Cinderella trope using a rich and famous rock star and a struggling but talented tattoo artist but with some interesting characterization, and some twists in the story, Ryder makes the story her own. An enjoyable and sexy erotic read with a strong heroine who knows what she wants though the hero’s attempts to self sabotage the relationship became annoying. Review to come.  

Hostage by Jamie Begley (Predators MC, #3) picks up and resolves a storyline that has been seen in both her VIP and Last Riders series. I liked this one though wasn’t blown away. It consisted of the MCs arguing most of the book with a few oddly placed plotlines that didn’t seem to have a use beyond filler. I was also put off by the heroine’s behavior. She didn’t have the background set up to pull off her actions.

Until June (Until Her, #2) by Aurora Rose Reynolds is a spin off of her main Until series. Even with the formulaic premise and predictable outcome, Rose still manages to engage you with her familiar tale of love, loss, and redemption between a high alpha male and the woman he cannot live without.

Beyond Ecstasy By Kit Rocha brings us another dark and complicated erotic romance between two lost souls whose attraction may not be enough to fulfill their needs. Deliciously naughty and shocking in it’s arc advancement, this wasn’t one of my favorites. Review to come.

This weekend I’m finally reading Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels and Running Wild by J.L. Sheppard- a new author (to me) AND MC romance.

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News from Kini:

A slow reading week, but pesky things like work and other real life things keep invading my spare time.

Unbreak My Heart by Nicole Jacquelyn– New to me author. Hard to describe in one sentence, but involves wife’s best friend, several children, and a kind of a jerk, widower hero. Review to come soon.

Grin & Beard It by Penny Reid– Book 2 in the series about the Winston brothers. Latina, smart, normal/plus-sized who is secure with her body heroine. Bearded, park ranger hero. I have read all of her contemporaries and I like her awkward and quirky characters. This book was not without some small flaws, but I enjoyed it.

Up next: Heart of a Bad Boy by Sugar Jamison. I am listening to Dark Wild Night by Christina Lauren. It takes me a long time to finish audiobooks, but I am pleased with it so far.