Veena’s review of Hunter Reborn (Moon Shifters, Book 5) by Katie Reus
Paranormal Romance published by Signet Books 03 Feb 15

A few years ago I was at a book convention when I was introduced to Ms. Reus’s werewolves particularly the Armstrong Cordona pack. They recently came back on my radar screen and I’m pleased to continue this series. I particularly enjoy the mystery and suspense aspect of these stories as much as I enjoy the paranormal. This book picks up where the last left off, when the pack discovered that vampires were distributing tainted blood and preying on pregnant werewolves. As they go in search of the culprits, Adrian finds his long-lost, believed-to-be-dead bond mate. However, all is not well in this paradise because it seems that Larissa has no recollection of her bonding with Adrian, nor is there any explanation for how their mating bond was severed. It’s an explosive story definitely worth reading to find the truth.

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Stevie‘s review of Ward Against Disaster (Chronicles of a Reluctant Necromancer, Book 3) by Melanie Card
Young Adult Fantasy Romance published by Entangled: Teen 19 Jan 15

In my quest to find new-to-me authors across the full range of genres I read, I’ve found myself jumping into the middle of a few series recently. Fortunately, although I’d no knowledge of either of the two preceding stories, this book worked well for me as an introduction to the characters and their world. Equally fortunately, I found that the setting felt fresh and original, which is a difficult accomplishment in the world of Young Adult fantasy at the moment. Sadly, I did find the characters a little too angsty for my tastes at times, although I’m sure the reasons behind their dilemmas will appeal to many readers of the genre.

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Sandy M’s review of Accept this Dandelion by Brooke Williams
Contemporary Romance published by Prism Book Group 4 Feb 15

I’m not a fan of the reality show The Bachelor. I’ve tried watching it, and I roll my eyes throughout every time. So I no longer bother. With that insight, I can’t tell you why I even looked at this book to review. I’d hoped from the blurb it would be as quirky and fun as it sounds.

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Veena’s review of Against The Sky (The Brodies of Alaska, Book 2) by Kat Martin
Romantic Suspense published by Zebra 27 Jan 15

I’ve crossed multiple state lines adventuring with these series over many years and definitely look forward to a thrilling ride with a new strong and silent super sleuth every six months or so. We are now in Alaska with Nick Brodie, who is burnt out from his job solving true and very dreadful crimes. The book gets off to a great start when he heads of to Las Vegas for some much needed R&R and rescues Sam from the overamorous overtures of a hotel guest.  Not only do the usual thrills and chills take a while to materialize, but the path to true romance is definitely choppy…

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Stevie‘s review of Something True (Out in Portland, Book 1) by Karelia Stetz-Waters
Contemporary Lesbian Romance published by Forever Yours 13 Jan 14

Much as I love the various niche and specialist publishers, especially within LGBT fiction and subsets thereof, it always gives me a thrill to see a major mainstream publisher take a chance on a branch of romance different from their norm. If there’s any fairness in publishing, then we ought to see more lesbian fiction taking off in the wake of the mainstream’s (partial) adoption of m/m romance. But, first of all, the mainstream needs to publish lesbian fiction that’s readable and that will appeal to a broad enough audience. Hopefully Something True will help kick off the trend.

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Veena’s review of Surrender by Tawny Taylor
Erotic Romance published by Kensington Books 27 May 14

Abby is willing to do anything to save her brother from going to prison for a crime he did not commit and CEO Kameron Maldonado (Mal) seems open to helping her – for a price. BDSM in the workplace? Is she willing to keep her baby brother out of jail, even if it means that she’ll have to submit to the sexy, dominating CEO? The first kiss is devastating and then things seem to cool down a bit between them, but the upcoming business trip is definitely intended to set the stage to take their relationship to the next level. Except…

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Veena’s review of Harbor Island (Sharpe and Donovan, Book 4) by Carla Neggers
Romantic Suspense published by MIRA 26 Aug 14

I stumbled upon this series by accident and even though I’ve been promising myself to go back and pick up the earlier books that I’ve missed, I haven’t been able to make time to do that as of yet. I find this next installment in the same vein as the other Sharpe and Donovans, with their team on the job solving murders and associated art crimes, but what appeals to me in this book is the evolution of the relationship not just between Colin and Emma but some of the other characters in the book. Read the rest of this entry »

Sandy M’s review of To Kiss a Kilted Warrior (Claimed by the Highlander, Book 3) by Rowan Keats
Historical Romance published by Signet 2 Dec 2014

I’m always up for trying new authors who write Scottish historical romance, one of my favorite reads. This is my first book by Rowan Keats, and for the most part I enjoyed this story. The main characters are interesting and getting to know them and watch them overcome adversity are the best parts. You feel Scotland on every page. Even the mystery of Wulf’s loss of both loved ones and his memory is well done. In the end, though, the book falls short from getting a top grade.

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Veena’s review of Viper Game (Ghostwalkers, Book 11) by Christine Feehan
Paranormal Romance published by Jove 27 Jan 15

It’s been more than two years since the last installment in this series came out, so I had all but forgotten the mad scientist with his genetic and DNA experiments to create super soldiers for the US government, along with his manipulation of his creations in fascinating and untold ways that lead to perfect genetic matches planned way back when some of these people were children. It seems he’s now gone beyond men and women and is genetically engineering children and using them to continue his experiments. With mounting disbelief and outrage, I had to remind myself that this is fiction, but I do have to question where this madness in search of a “perfect” story stops.

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Stevie‘s review of The Baron’s Betrayal (Marriage Mart Mayhem, Book 4) by Callie Hutton
Historical Romance published by Entangled: Scandalous 12 Jan 15

There are three things that will almost always throw me out of a story: a main character with the same name or title attribution as a real person, particularly a person alive at the time the story takes place; a hero or heroine with a disability or injury that they use as far more of an excuse to avoid commitment than it merits; and a story title that’s enough of a mismatch with the plot that I keep on waiting for a big turn-around that never comes. This story has all three. However, stories have overcome bigger obstacles and still gained my regard, so I gave this one a fair chance, especially since the first issue was one I could have recognised and avoided if I’d checked whether this was part of a series (the character whose name caused me problems is central to all the books as far as I can see).

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Sandy M’s review of Hero by Samantha Young
Contemporary Romance published by NAL 3 Feb 15

This is my first Samantha Young read. I’ve wanted to delve into her On Dublin Street series, but I’ve hesitated at this point just due to time restraints to start a multi-book series. So when given the chance to read and review Hero, my hesitation was a thing of the past. I’m so very glad she’s written this non-series book so I was able to finally sample her work. Now what’s a reader-reviewer to do when she wants more?

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Veena’s review of Playing By The Greek’s Rules (Puffin Island, Book 0.5) by Sarah Morgan
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Presents 01 Feb 15

In many ways this is a typical Cinderella story featuring an innocent who works several jobs to make ends meet, until she meets up with a handsome Greek billionaire who changes her life forever. What makes this story stand out is the sparkling repartee between the two as they meet and romance. I couldn’t resist reading aloud some of the witty dialogue to my travelling companions during my recent vacation, which had our fellow companions staring at us as we convulsed in laughter. At least two of my traveling companions and people around us asked for the name of the book and added it to their MUST-read list just from the snatches of dialogue they heard.

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Veena’s review of Hot Blooded (Dark Kings, Book 4) by Donna Grant
Paranormal Romance published by St. Martin’s Press 30 Dec 14

Things are definitely heating up in Dreagan’s corner of Scotland as enemies of  continue to mount and make significant inroads into the Dragon Kings’ defenses.  On the flip side, for all the gloom and doom, love seems to flourish as the kings continue to find mates.  I don’t know how far deep into the dragon kings we are, but Ms. Grant continues to keep me coming  back for more. I  actually sat up all night devouring all four parts of this story, while I battled with a terrible cold, and isn’t that a great testimonial for how much I enjoyed this story.

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Veena’s review of Always A Stranger by Amara Royce
Historical Fiction published by Kensington Books 15 May 14

From the opening chapter as Lord Skyler Ridgemont is hooked by the exquisite Japanese dancer and her language of fans, I was equally hooked and reeled in with the unfolding story. A word of caution: this is a real-life romance between two characters who belong to different cultures and different socioeconomic levels and the obstacles they face.
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Veena’s review of If The Viscount Falls (Dukes Men Book 4) by Sabrina Jeffries
Historical Romance published by Pocket Books 27 Jan 15

I have been a long-time fan of Ms. Jeffries’ writing, but this series, for some reason, has just not hit the right spot for me. I almost abandoned the series mid-way but was glad not to have done so, because I quite enjoyed the previous story and Dominick’s character appealed to me from the get-go. Unfortunately…

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