I am not sure if it is my advancing age, the thousands of books I’ve read over the years, or just changes in my personal taste but my list of deal-breaking words and scenarios in new book blurbs has increased and now I find within the first few sentences of a book promo I can eliminate over 75% of romance books as potential reading material. Personally, I’m inclined to blame being burned and let down by too many books with certain tropes and set-ups or just being burnt out on the ‘sassy’ Continue Reading
Review: Bad Influence by K.A. Mitchell
Bad Influence by K.A. Mitchell (Bad In Baltimore #4) M/M Romance April 15, 2014 Samhain Reviewed by Helyce Jordan Barrett disappeared the night that his parents found out he was gay, made him go to a conversion camp where he could have died from their methods and upon seeking help from the one person he thought he could trust, gets the door slammed in his face. Out of that supreme disappointment in people who claimed to care about him, rises Silver-a street smart young man who falls into Continue Reading
Review: Saugatuck Summer by Amelia C. Gormley
Saugatuck Summer by Amelia C. Gormley Romance Contemporary, Erotic, M/M, New Adult E book, 363 pages May 19, 2014 Riptide Publishing Reviewed by Tori Favorite Quote: When the shaking stopped We were left in dust and flames Buried our heads in shame How did we let it come to this? Topher Carlisle; young, gay, and fabulous (if he says so himself) has just scored a summer at his best friend’s parent’s home on Lake Michigan. A whole summer to work towards college without his Continue Reading
Top Ten Reasons to read Hard Time by Cara McKenna
Annie Goodhouse doesn’t need to be warned about bad boys; good sense and an abusive ex have given her plenty of reasons to play it safe. But when she steps into her new role as outreach librarian for Cousins Correctional Facility, no amount of good sense can keep her mind—or eyes—off inmate Eric Collier. Eric doesn’t claim to be innocent of the crime that landed him in prison. In fact, he’d do it again if that’s what it took to keep his family safe. Loyalty and force are what he knows. But Continue Reading
Guest Author Jess Michaels and Giveaway
We are happy to have author Jess Michaels at Smexy today. Jess is celebrating the release of Beauty and the Earl.... Broken Jess Michaels Hi everyone and a big thanks to Mandi for allowing me to hang out today here at Smexy Books. I’m a very large fan of the smexy stuff and always have been, so I feel like I’m amongst my people here. The cool thing is that as an author, I get to write as much of the sexy as I want to… and I want to write quite a lot of it. The other thing I love to Continue Reading
Billionaire Giveaway! (not money – but books and chocolate!)
I don't have a billion dollars to giveaway. Sorry y'all! But I do have books featuring billionaire heroes and godiva chocolate. That's a good compromise, yes? Included in this gift basket: Estranged from his adoptive father, Sage Lassiter earned his own billions. But when J.D. Lassiter leaves a fortune to his private nurse in his will and cheats his own daughter of her rightful inheritance…Sage is enraged, to say the least. He's sure nurse Colleen Falkner isn't the Continue Reading
Review: The Opposite of Nothing by Shari Slade
The Opposite of Nothing by Shari Slade New Adult Released: March 20, 2014 Self Published Reviewed by Mandi Callie is in college and on the side works as a DJ for the local campus radio station. We learn she had a really bad childhood and she struggles with friendships. People made fun of her, threw trash at her - she is a social pariah. Even in college she has trouble making friends. She feels awkward in the school cafeteria or any other public gathering place. She has her own tiny Continue Reading
Smex Scene Sunday
Just a tiny peek into a very sexy book that releases this Tuesday.... Hero: Eric Collier. When the book opens, he is in prison (has been there for 5 years). He ends up writing dirty love letters to the prison librarian. Then he gets out.... Heroine: Anne Goodhouse. Librarian. Can't help but feel intense lust for a prisoner. Encourages his dirty love letters. Then he gets out.... A man, touching a woman for the first time since his freedom had been taken away. A woman, Continue Reading
Weekly Wrap-Up
This week at Smexy... B+ review - Last Breath by Jessica Clare and Jen Frederick (suspense) B+ review - Special Interests by Emma Barry (contemporary) B review - Absolution by Angela McGurk (paranormal) B review - Home Sweet Home by Sarah Title (contemporary) C+ review - The Rebel Pirate by Donna Thorland (historical) C review - Tough Love by Heidi Cullinan (m/m) C- review - Plain Jayne by Laura Drewry (contemporary) D review - Laura's Wolf by Lia Silver (paranormal suspense) A Continue Reading
Smexy’s Top Ten – April 11th
10. So I hear last week Tori perused my Facebook account and stole a not so flattering picture of my husband and myself - we MAY have consumed some beers at the baseball game, and then she posted it in the Top Ten. Oh....there will be revenge Tori!! *wait for Tori to post a bad pic* 9. Cover reveal! Coming December 2014, Revenant by Larissa Ione. I wouldn't mind if he flapped his wings at me. 8. JR Ward had her annual signing and Q&A session last weekend. I updated my JR Continue Reading