This week at Smexy…

A review – Crown of Betrayal by Graceley Knox (fantasy/helyce)
B review – Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis (historical fantasy/tori)
B review – Eye Candy Anthology  (holiday/tori)
C+ review – The Final Score by Jaci Burton (contemporary/tori)
C+ review –The Unquiet Grave by Sharyn McCrumb (historical fiction/tori)
C review –Ride It Out by Cara McKenna  (suspense/mandi)
C- review –Remedial Rocket Science by Savannah Nix (contemporary/kini)
D review – Diving In by Kristina Mathews (contemporary/mandi)

News from Kini: I had to DNF a book earlier this week. It wasn’t bad, I just couldn’t get into it and it was boring. Life is too short to read books that aren’t working for me.

I started Acting on Impulse by Mia Sosa and I am enjoying it. This released this week and I will be reviewing it at some point soon.

I keep seeing Kennedy Ryan’s name and pictures of her books in my Twitter and Instagram feeds so I fell to the peer pressure and started her books on audio. The first, Flow is a prequel and was pretty good. The second, Grip, is 14 hours long. That is Kristen Ashley length right there. NA angsty, second chance love type of thing happening. The series is recommended by our very own Sheena, but as I type this I am 86% and I am not sure I can finish it. Bad things are happening.

This weekend is Baltimore Book Festival and I am heading into the big city to spend some time in the Maryland Romance Writers tent. I’m taking my knitting and paper to take notes. If you see me, please say hello!

News from Mandi: I really enjoyed The Reunion by debut author Sara Portman. Marriage of convenience. Mature, smart characters. The heroine is smart with a sharp tongue. The hero grovels well at the end! I liked this author’s voice a lot. Book two and three (new h/h) come out in the next two months. I have high hopes! (I also like that this book is priced at $2.99!)

Up next for me is Maybe This Christmas by Jennifer Snow. I guess it’s time for holiday romances!

I also decided to read the Unfinished Heroes series by Kristen Ashley. I’ve read here and there throughout all of her series but I feel like binging so damn it, I’m doing it. I just finished bossy, bossy Knight. You either love him or hate him. I DNF’d this book years ago. This time I liked him. I guess I knew what to expect. It’s also fun to text all the smexy girls dirty quotes. ;)

News from Tori: I’m baaaccckkkk. Hurricane Irma sucked eggs but we are thankful damage was minimal and no one was hurt.

I finally read the final book in Tijan’s Fallen Crest series-Fallen Crest Forever. It was okay and I’m glad to see they all their happily ever after. I found it somewhat anticlimactic overall and redundant with the same themes playing out. Books 6 and 7 could have easily been combined into one. Regardless, I will miss this cracky little series.

A Christmas To Remember featuring Lisa Kleypas and Megan Frampton is a lovely anthology that celebrates Christmas and romance with four delightful couples. My review will post Monday.

Chloe Neill’s The Hunt is the 3rd book in the Devil’s Cove series and amps up the energy and anticipation as Neill digs deeper into heroine’s past and her destiny.

I ended up DNFing Ember Raine-Winter’s There’s Something about Vegas. I liked the premise but I found the story’s manufactured melodrama just too out there for even me. Review to come.

Flame in the Dark by Faith Hunter is an excellent example of strong female heroines in urban fantasy. The 3rd story in her Soulwood series, Hunter offers readers a heroine who not only grows and excels but also fails and learns from that failure. While the storyline was certainly interesting, it’s the characters who keep me coming back. Review to come closer to release date.

Fight For Me by Jessica Lindon is a sexy romance with a nicely developed suspense-filled plotline. The hero comes off a bit old fashioned but not offensively so. A strong and secure heroine fits him perfectly. Review to come. NOTE: It’s currently on sale at AMZ for only $.99