Mandi:

Sheik’s Rule by Ryshia Kennie
April 1, 2017
Romantic Suspense
Grade: C

This started out good as our very alpha hero, Sheik Emir Al-Nassar, finds out his sister has been kidnapped. Along with this brothers, they are desperate to find her. Emir and his family are wealthy and run a large security firm, both in Morocco and Wyoming. The firm in Wyoming sends over one of the best, and newest resource to help discover what happened to his sister. K.J flies to Morocco and slowly backtracks Emir’s sister’s steps to help figure out who took her and why. Working closely together brings them close together.

I liked the beginning with the very growly brothers and how helpless they all felt when their sister goes missing. But this one fizzles fast. It really slows down once KJ comes over and starts to help. It felt like they were just rehashing the same information over and over. And the build up of the romance didn’t really work for me either. I liked KJ and Emir separately but I didn’t feel the passion between them.

Dutch by Madhuri Pavamani (The Keeper Series #1)
April 4, 2017
Erotic Urban Fantasy
Grade: C+

At times this book drew me in and the words were brilliant and I reveled in every sentence. At other times I felt like it slowed down too much and things just rambled on. It was definitely an interesting read! The hero (Can we even call him that?!) is a Keeper, killing those that have been brought back from death to live a second life. The heroine (who I really liked) helps those who have been brought back, acclimate to their second life. She herself was brought back from death. The hero and heroine have instant chemistry – but it’s a VERY complicated relationship. This urban fantasy is explicit and erotic. Sex fuels the story along. Like I said, it’s a fascinating read, but also for me it was confusing. I almost wished for a huge info dump so I could understand the world better. Had the world rules been more clear, I would have enjoyed this more.

Tori: 

Twist by Kylie Scott
Series: Dive Bar #1
Romance Contemporary
Grade: B+

Joe Collins; bartender, carpenter, and jack of all trades never meant to deceive anyone. He only wanted to close the dating profile he set up for his brother Eric but finds himself drawn to one particular response. Soon, Joe develops an online relationship with a woman and is spilling all his deepest secrets, except the most important one. When his guilt gets to be too much, he stops all communication with no explanation. Alex Parks is a graphic designer who is more comfortable holed up in her apartment than being the life of the party.  She decides to take a risk and travel to Seattle to find out why Joe stopped talking to her only to discover everything she knew about him was a lie.

Twist offers up laughs, love, and heartbreak with a bit of catfishing on the side when a woman discovers the man she has fallen for on the internet hasn’t been completely honest with her. Fans don’t have to read Dirty to enjoy Twist but it helps because of a strong character and subplot bleed over. Strong leads, addictive dialogue, and tantalizing chemistry will leave readers rooting for this couple when the heroine’s distrust slowly turns into friendship and more as she learns more about the real man behind the fake name. A subplot carried over from book one (Dirty) offers readers emotional angst and trepidation as it’s resolution pushes this couple’s new feelings for one another to the test. 

Unwritten by Jen Frederick
Series: Woodlands #5
Romance Contemporary
Grade: C+

Adam Rees’ dream has finally come true His band FMK has made it to the big time. There is only one problem. Adam has fallen head over heels for his new front man’s sister. And she is off limits. Landry Olsen has already ruined her brother’s chance at stardom once,  she’s not about to do it again. Even if all she can think about is the delicious Adam Ree. When Landry comes on tour with FMK, she and Adam try to stay away from each other for the sake of the band, but when danger rears its head, all bets are off.

Unwritten is a fun trope mash-up of insta-love and forbidden romance that blossoms against the background of an up and coming rock band. The romance slow burns as the two leads struggle to maintain a friendship without succumbing to the chemistry that blazes white-hot between them. Engaging characterization, smexy dialogue, and a strong storyline with suspense elements hooks you right up though the romance disappoints.  While the buildup is strong, the romance never quite delivers. The majority of this couple’s relationship consist mainly of external drama, fevered thoughts, and soulful looks. There was very little one on one interaction.  Regardless, fans will love the heroine and journey Frederick picks for this series’ favorite-Adam Rees.