REVIEW: Below the Belt by Sarah Mayberry

Limecello's review of Below the Belt by Sarah Mayberry
Contemporary romance released by Harlequin Blaze on 1 Jun 08

I'm glad I read this book - because it was one I wasn't sure about. I really like Sarah Mayberry's writing, but... boxing? A female boxer? (No, I didn't watch Million Dollar Baby.) Still, I did pick it up, and the reward was another good Blaze story. (Incidentally Harlequin is having a sale on Blaze books this month.) Read more

Tags: 2008, Below the Belt, Contemporary Romance, Grade B, Harlequin Blaze, June 2008, Limecello, Review, Sarah Mayberry

REVIEW: Slow Hands by Leslie Kelly

Devon’s review of Slow Hands by Leslie Kelly
Contemporary Erotic Romance released by 1 Jun 08

Slow Hands first caught my eye because it shares a title with my favorite song of the past five years or so. The blurb grabbed my attention as well, although it featured one of the hoariest setups in TV movies and romance: the bachelor auction for charity. I live a decidedly suburban mom existence, but I have never heard of one of these happening in real life. I was a bit nervous, because the whole plot seemed to hinge on a Big Misunderstanding (pretty much guaranteed groanworthy). But the ice princess/regular Joe pairing piqued my interest. Would Slow Hands deliver, despite my misgivings?  Read more

Tags: 2008, Contemporary, Devon, Erotic Romance, Grade B, Harlequin Blaze, June 2008, Leslie Kelly, Review, Romance, Slow Hands

QQ REVIEW: Then You Hide by Roxanne St. Claire

Connie's Quick Quack review of Then You Hide (The Bullet Catchers, Book 6) by Roxanne St. Claire
Contemporary romantic suspense released by Pocket Star 24 Jun 08

Bullet Catcher Wade Cordell is assigned to track down a woman on a Caribbean vacation to get her to meet her birth mother and see if she can help save the woman's life. Vanessa has known she was adopted and that her birth mother was in jail for murder and wants no part of meeting or helping her and has her own agenda for her vacation and leads Wade on a merry chase.  Vanessa is an extremely strong willed person and hates her birth mother.  Read more

Tags: 2008, Bullet Catchers series, Connie, Contemporary Romance, Grade B, June 2008, Pocket Star, Quick Quack, Review, Romantic Suspense, Roxanne St. Claire, Then You Hide

REVIEW: Fire Princes’ Bride by Rebecca Airies

Shannon C.'s review of Fire Princes' Bride by Rebecca Airies
Fantasy erotic romance released by Ellora's Cave 25 Jun 08

Fire Princes' Bride had a blurb that compelled me, and was a bit of an experiment on my part. It's obviously part of a series, and I know that I need to get over my compulsive urge to read everything exactly in order, so I picked this book up hoping the conflict would be entertaining and hoping I could follow along without having read prior books. It turns out that I could, although 'entertaining' is not precisely the word I would use to describe this book. Read more

Tags: 2008, Ellora's Cave, Erotic Romance, Fantasy, fantasy romance, Fire Princes' Bride, Grade D, June 2008, Rebecca Airies, Review, Romance, ShannonC

REVIEW: Pitch Black by Susan Crandall

Shannon C.'s review of Pitch Black by Susan Crandall
Romantic suspense novel released by Forever 1 Jun 08

I really like books about troubled kids and the adults that help them. I know a lot of readers are actively repelled by that sort of thing, but I'm not one of them. Stories about mothers, social workers, or concerned human beings doing anything and everything to protect their children just tug at my heartstrings and make my inner budding social worker squeeful. And in Susan Crandall's romantic suspense debut, she hits everything right.
Read more

Tags: 2008, Forever, Grade A, June 2008, Pitch Black, Review, Romance, Romantic Suspense, ShannonC, Susan Crandall

REVIEW: The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing by Maia Strong

Shannon C.'s review of The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing by Maia Strong
Fantasy gay erotic romance ebook released by Samhain Publishing 10 Jun 08

There are two things that are guaranteed to make me swoon with delight. One is fantasy. The other is a musician hero. This story features both, which made me exceedingly happy. While I did have my fair share of nits to pick, I thought that the world Maia Strong created was interesting and I would visit it again. Read more

Tags: 2008, Erotic Romance, fantasy romance, Gay Romance, Grade B, June 2008, Maia Strong, Review, Romance, Samhain Publishing, ShannonC, The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing

REVIEW: After the Kiss by Suzanne Enoch

LauraD's review of After the Kiss: The Notorious Gentlemen by Suzanne Enoch
Historical Romance published by Avon 24 Jun 08

I have a conflicted relationship with Suzanne Enoch; I have been unable to get into her contemporary series starring cat burglar-cum-sleuth Samantha Jellicoe, but I love me some historical Enoch. I actually read the first chapter of After the Kiss while sitting in the parking lot of the Big Box store, and since it's several thousand degrees right now in Texas that says a lot. Read more

Tags: 2008, After the Kiss, Avon, Grade A, Historical Romance, June 2008, LauraD, Review, Suzanne Enoch, The Notorious Gentlemen

REVIEW: Phantom by Lindsay Randall

Shannon C.'s review of Phantom by Lyndsay Randall
Historical paranormal romance released 27 May 08 by Love Spell

There's nothing more frustrating for me as a reader than a premise that shows so much potential but ends up failing completely when it's executed. That's pretty much exactly what happened with Phantom, which doubly sucks because I know several TGTBTU readers were excited about this book. Read on to learn what didn't work for me, although if you are the author, you might want to have a shot of something handy. Read more

Tags: 2008, Grade F, Historical Romance, June 2008, Lindsay Randall, Love Spell, Paranormal Romance, Phantom, Review, ShannonC

REVIEW: In Bed with the Devil by Lorraine Heath

Sandy M's review of In Bed with the Devil (Scoundrels of St. James, Book 1) by Lorraine Heath
Historical Romance released by Avon 24 Jun 08

If you want a beautifully written book with strong characters who push all your emotional buttons and an intriguing storyline every time, you have to read Lorraine Heath. It doesn't matter what era she chooses as the backdrop for her books, you will lose yourself just in the writing alone and you will fall farther still when her characters entrance you and give you their all. Read more

Tags: 2008, Avon, Grade A, Historical Romance, In Bed with The Devil, June 2008, Lorraine Heath, Review, Sandy M, Scoundrels of St. James series

REVIEW: When He Was Bad by Laurenston, Eden

Gwen's review of When He Was Bad by Shelly Laurenston and Cynthia Eden
Contemporary paranormal romance anthology released by Brava 1 Jun 08

This is my kind of anthology - not too many stories and they're long enough to be satisfying. With this book, we get two stories that are nice and long giving us time to really get to know the characters - shapeshifter and human alike. With one of the stories, this is a good thing. With the other, not so much. Read on to find out why... Read more

Tags: 2008, anthology, Brava, Contemporary Romance, Cynthia Eden, Grade A, Grade B, Grade D, Gwen, June 2008, Paranormal, Review, Shelly Laurenston, When He Was Bad

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