Smexy Books

Romance and Urban Fantasy Reviews

  • Review Request
  • Contact
    • Smexy Reviewers Profiles
    • Contact
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe To Our Daily Newsletter!
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • By Genre
      • Paranormal Romance
      • Contemporary
      • Erotic
      • New Adult
      • Urban Fantasy
      • Historical Romance
      • Romantic Suspense
      • M/M Romance
      • BDSM
      • Fantasy
      • Historical PNR
      • Young Adult
      • F/F
    • By Letter Grade Rating
      • A Reviews
      • B Reviews
      • C Reviews
      • D Reviews
      • DNF Reviews
  • Features
    • New Releases
    • Weekly Wrap-Up
    • Smex Scene Sunday
    • To Be Read
    • Smexy Deals!
    • DMV Romance Events
You are here: Home / Christina Dodd / Tori’s Mini Reviews

Tori’s Mini Reviews

May 8, 2018 by Tori 3 Comments

Disturbing the Peace by Tessa Bailey
Series: The Academy, #3
Contemporary Romance
Grade: C+

The 3rd book in Bailey’s Academy series brings us a forbidden relationship that grows complicated their feelings for one another increase. A police academy instructor falls for a recruit; throwing him into a tailspin. Add in she is his younger brother’s bestie along with his own commitment issues and you have a sexy and humorous contemporary romance overflowing with emotional angst and sexual tension. I did feel the story moved a bit to fast and didn’t flow as easily as Charlie and Jack’s stories. There was a sense of urgency to the relationship that and I felt the main conflict dominated in terms of character design and plot, leaving little room for us to see the actual romance developing.  A fun read but not my fav for this series.

 

 

 

Dead Girl Running by Christina Dodd
Series: Cape Charade, #1
Romance Suspense
Grade: C

The latest romance suspense series from Christina Dodd is an odd story that offers readers two interesting mysteries as readers find themselves trapped at an exclusive resort where everyone seems to have a secret.  The tagline instantly captivates;

I have three confessions to make:
1. I’ve got the scar of a gunshot on my forehead.
2. I don’t remember an entire year of my life.
3. My name is Kellen Adams…and that’s half a lie.

and hooks you up as the story reveals a mixture of suspense, intrigue, action, and murder. Told from the heroine’s POV, Kellon, we see how she came to the resort and why as she flashes between the past and the present. While Dodd reveals the motives of the various mysteries almost from the beginning; it becomes apparent that there is so much we and the heroine do not know. Multiple plot lines give readers a plethora of suspects and clues to unravel while the obviously unreliable narrative and odd dialogue create an interesting abet confusing paradox of information. The anti-climatic and cliffhanger ending wasn’t expected and left me feeling manipulated and skeptical of Dodd’s intentions. Enjoyable up to a certain point, I think I will pass up the sequel.

 

Kiss Me Back by Sidney Halston
Series: Panic, #3
Contemporary Romance
Grade: C

A security guard falls hard for a bartender in a popular nightclub but secrets on both sides could stop the relationship before it even starts. Kiss Me Back is the 3rd in a contemporary romance series that started out strong but weakened considerably as the story unfolded.  Very melodramatic and unrealistic in some areas, I found myself struggling to connect to the characters-especially the heroine. The hero grew on me as his secrets revealed. Very insecure due to his childhood, his flashy trappings and boldness stem are nothing more than a protective mechanism. He loves hard and it showed. *swoon* The heroine, on the other hand, was a bit of a diva whose need for independence had her struggling for no reason. Sometimes a helping hand is just that…a helping hand. I also don’t want to spoil but I bartended for over 20 years (small to large clubs) and while I can certainly accept the heroine’s ability to do her job, I found it hard to believe she could keep it hidden from her employers and the staff. Especially by the method she used. Overall not bad but not a favorite.

 

Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao
Literary Fiction/Cultural Heritage
Grade: A

A stunning debut that examines the enduring power of love, friendship, hope, and perseverance. Evocative without being manipulative, Rao writes the story of two best friends with a sure hand and a powerful voice that doesn’t go quietly into the night but rather shouts from the heaven the atrocities that befall them and the amazing tenacity and willpower that allows them to survive. A bittersweet story that is a stunning tribute to women and feminism as through the lens of misogyny and poverty that will break your heart a million times but leave you oddly satisfied in the end. One of my top reads for 2018. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Rao in the future.

 

 

 

Planet Dragos by Thea Harrison
Series: Elder Races #9.8
PNR/Novella
Grade: C+

Harrison takes readers back into her best selling world of shifters, fae, vampires, and witches with a short action-packed novella about the Lord of the Wyrs and his wife, Pia. Weddings, death, and revenge form a potent base when Dragos’ past comes barrelling into their lives, forcing them to address some lingering issues in their relationship and their future. Incorporating certain elements and characters from past storylines and her spin-off,  Harrison not only expands the world but also certain relationships.  I enjoyed seeing a certain someone from Moonshadow and hope we see more of them in this series and the spin-off. I do still have issues with Pia and her diva moments. The moments that cause her to do TSTL stuff because Dragos made her angry. I also felt Harrison rushed the conflict. The villain bordered on comical and their reasons for revenge were underdeveloped. Regardless, the end was certainly unexpected and interesting and I’m looking forward to seeing how that plays out in the future.

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • More
  • Print

Related

Filed Under: Christina Dodd, Mini Reviews, Shobha Rao, Sidney Halston, Tessa Bailey, Thea Harrison

Comments

  1. Kareni says

    May 8, 2018 at 2:30 pm

    I’m looking forward to reading Planet Dragos by Thea Harrison; thanks for sharing your thoughts, Tori.

    Reply
  2. Helyce says

    May 9, 2018 at 12:45 pm

    T, the book by Rao…what country does this take place in?

    Reply
    • Tori says

      May 9, 2018 at 3:24 pm

      India and the US.

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Kareni Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sign up for Daily Emails

Kini’s TBR

Angela’s Reading:

Follow Us!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on Instagram

Top Posts & Pages

  • Top Ten December 13
  • Review: Regretting You by Colleen Hoover
  • Guest Post: Sexy Fall and Winter Holiday Romances by Xan West
  • New Releases: Week of December 9-13, 2019
  • Angela's Minis- Reviews for Books by Alexa Martin, Eva Leigh, and Nalini Singh
  • Hump Day Sexcerpt & Giveaway: The Chef's Cutie by Rebecca Norinne and Jamaila Brinkley
  • Smexy Deals!
  • Weekly Wrap-Up
  • Smexy’s Ten Favorite Sex Scenes of 2009
  • An On Dublin Street Christmas by Samantha Young

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Disclosure

The majority of the books reviewed at this site have been provided by publishers, authors, or other third parties like NetGalley. We do earn a small commission on links to Amazon.

Find Our Reviewers

Kini @kinilei1 l Goodreads

Angela @fv_angela l Goodreads

Sheena @readingvixen l Goodreads

Mandi @smexybooks l Goodreads

Tori @smexys_sidekick l  Goodreads

 

 

Copyright © 2019 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.