This week at Smexy…

B review – Into the Blue by Chanel Cleeton (mandi)
B review – Moonshot by Alessandra Torre (mandi)
B- review – Even Odds by Elia Winters (kini)
B- review – Stripped and Bound by Rebecca Moon (sheena)
C- review – Moonstruck by Lauren Dane (helyce)

Kini’s Favorite Reads of 2016….So Far.
Mandi’s July TBR
Buzz Books 2016: Romance

News from Mandi: Game of Shadows by Amanda K. Byrne has a good suspense premise – the hero is a baddie and the heroine is a trained assassin. They team up to fight the baddies going against them. I liked the premise but I wish the hero and heroine had a harder time with each other at first. They seemed to get to know each other too easy. Review coming later this month.

Struck by Eros by Jenn Windrow is a light and cute paranormal romance about a man and a woman who cupid put together – but they don’t like each other. My complaint is that I didn’t love the heroine’s fiance (he is not the hero) in the story for so long. Otherwise this is cute. Review coming

I’m starting Loving a Lawman by Amy Lillard this weekend.

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News from Tori: It’s hot here in FL. Like REALLY hot. 106 degrees hot. The “I can’t go outside I may die” kind of hot. Even the pool is hot. *sigh*

Sam Crescent’s new NA mafia series-The Family-is your typical Sam Crescent fare. Book one-The Stepbrother’s Debt starts YA and goes into NA when the heroine’s mother marries into a mafia family. The hero, the stepbrother, is supposed to find out what the heroine knows about some money her father, an enforcer for the family, hide before they killed him. Lots of threats, melodrama, and the ever-present anal sex makes up the story. Book two, I’m Nothing was much better. This deals with one of the hero’s besties. He had a hard childhood and saves a woman who was also dragged into the family’s business without her knowledge. The characters were more fleshed out and romance was better developed.

The Devil in Disguise by Cynthia Eden is the first book in her Bad Things series, a dark humorous PNR revolving around the devil and his reactions to falling in love. The delightfully sexy romance, well plotted world, and laugh out loud moments hooked me right up. Review to come.

Who’s Afraid of Mr. Wolfe by Hazel Osmond-I adore British romance contemporaries and fans of Jill Mansell will enjoy this one though I believe Osmond is a little darker. This employer/employee romance addresses the finer points of infidelity, death, and learning to let go of the past. I really enjoyed the first half. Ellie is a hoot with her unfiltered dialogue and punchy side kick. I loved the antagonism fueled banter between Jack and Ellie. It was a delicious form of foreplay. The romance is where I had issues. Jack is womanizer whose deplorable actions are excused due to his tragic past. His vehemence towards love and the way he chose to take it out on Ellie was shocking. We get our HEA but part of me wanted Ellie to tell Jack to go to the devil and find someone who didn’t need therapy in order to comfortably love her.

Once Upon A Half Time by Sosie Frost. I love Frost’s sport romances. Sexy messed up alpha men and the strong and very unimpressed heroines who they fall for. There is always a surprise pregnancy, lots of outstanding smexy times, and a whole lot of hilarious baby mama drama. In this episode, a sports photographer from a VERY traditional family spends the weekend in Vegas with a very yummy Lothario football player and ends up married to him. But forgets. Oops. Lots of secrets try to keep them apart but true love always finds a way. Probably one of my favs in this series.

Rock Wedding by Nalini Singh. Fans of Singh’s Rock Kiss series will adore this lush, sensual, and bittersweet second chance romance that helps a former drug addicted rock star find his way back the woman he promised to love, honor, and cherish. Happy sigh. Review to come.

I DNF’d Lilah Pace’s His Royal Secret. I may go back to it later but frankly the first couple of chapters bored me to death. It was probably more a ME thing then the story. Mandi is reading and will be reviewing.

I’m currently reading Unbreak my Heart by Lorelei James.

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News from Kini:

July is a busy month in my family as several of us have celebrate our birthdays, including mine right around the corner. To celebrate I am going to read as much as possible ;) The extra day off for the 4th was great because it was rainy and I got to lay around and read.

Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen– Yep, I am not ready to stop talking about how much I loved this book. I love this author’s voice. I would say this book straddles the line of being NA, but low angst. Griff is my new favorite book boyfriend. Growly outside, soft marshmallowy inside. I liked the heroine, Audrey a lot as well. I highly recommend this book.

Married by Contract by Noelle Adams– A quick read, could probably be classified as a novella. Marriage of convenience is one of my favorite tropes. I wasn’t disappointed here. Full review to come soon.

Reading this week. I just received a copy of Cream of the Crop by Alice Clayton and I am excited to read it. It’s been awhile since I’ve read one of her books and I love rom-com.

I hope no one bothers me this weekend because I need to have it finished by the 12th, when Steadfast by Sarina Bowen arrives on my Kindle. Jude seems so tortured and I love tortured heroes.

And if I write it down that will hold me accountable to read a historical this week, because I have never read one. Don’t shun me, book friends. At the rec of some Twitter friends, I am going to read The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie.