Monday

Review: The Unexpected Duchess by Valerie Bowman


The Unexpected Duchess (Playful Brides, #1) 

The Unexpected Duchess by Valerie Bowman
Release Day: April 29th 2014
Review:

Oh my gosh!!! Valerie has done it again!!! I just have to say I absolutely adored this new series!
I’m not saying that because I absolutely love Derek and Garrett but man I super love them!!! Oh and Jane is just my kind of girl~ She’s so……. Me!!! LOL

Anyways, I was super happy to have received an early reader copy -in print- which I absolutely love and couldn’t put down! And can I say that cover is just amazing. But that right hand of hers is just, distracting…… It really looks like she’s missing an arm. O.0 ??

Okay, moving on. The story was very fast. I didn’t even realize I was almost finished with the book when I put it down the first time to check the time. It was just super fun to read! Man, these witty dialogue was hilarious and the banters really made it quit enjoyable.

Lady Lucy was a strong and independent kind of girl and super loyal to her closest friends. She’s witty and protective but can really have a sharp tongue that can give the opposite sex a lashing. I found myself many of the times, really thinking like Lucy, or more like having the same voice of witty counters she gave. But then I really did think of her as a imposing dramatic arrogant and annoying girl at the beginning. She really caused trouble and spoke for her friend way too much even when she thought she was doing the right thing in helping them and was just plain mean and rude! But then I did kind of like her, just not enough as I would like. Oh, there was one point where I was just appalled in her actions. A scene where she should definitely be guilty, and I mean GUILTY!!! Oh my gosh, I just couldn’t believe it but she did it anyway and I just really didn’t like her so much afterwards. And then she was going places with Derek….. ummm no, not cool.

Derek was super! I love him so much! He was just doing what he was told and trying to keep a promise. Plus, I loved that he could counter Lucy at every turn. Yes, I love it when the heroine does all the countering and surprising the heroes but in this case, I was on Derek’s team. He is a war hero and there’s some mystery as to his past and of the war but, I had a good guess as to what he was doing. He’s super determined and decisive in his actions and choices which made him the perfect opponent for Lucy. There wasn’t much that I didn’t like about him beside the fact that he was…..”getting” with Lucy at the same time he was trying to be honorable and court Lucy’s best-friend, Cass. But, all is good.

Can I say I love the banterings between these two? Yes, they’re super fun to follow and the tensions are all there but sometimes where it leads just make me needing to knock Lucy on her head. She just becomes a ninny of sorts and I get annoyed with her because of it. She’s supposed to be that strong witty will minded girl but she just….loses it with him. Which is great but I just want more oomphs, like push or slap him away and get your head on straight! Make more drama and build the tension up girl! Ugh~

But I did like it.

Other things I was…iffy about. Cassandra. Cass was in loved with someone and it was just….. it was a star-crossed one sided love. Very sad. But then Cass’ personality was very annoying. She was just a Ninny. She didn’t speak for herself and was just too plain and simple, but gorgeous, and just too, proper! But I kind of assumed that she and Jane, the amazing Jane, were up to no good behind Lucy’s back. LOL

Oh and Garrett, Lucy’s cousin was great! I super love him too. Him and Jane were another two I loved watching them banter and argue. They did not like each other but, they always did things together just to make the other annoyed. Jane was the bookworm and smart-ash so she loved to make Garrett feel dumb while Garrett loved to make fun of Jane. Ha! These two were great! It also made me think of who’s books is next in the making~ Hehehe

In all, I super enjoyed this book, with all it’s witty and fun banterings and interesting fun characters you won’t be able to put it down till you’re finish! If you want something fun and love Historical romances this will be one you want to pick up and try.

Rating: 4 out 4



Review :The Temptations of Anna Jacobs by Robyn DeHart


 

Review:

Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh oh my gosh Oh my gosh!!!I’ve been waiting for this book ever since I finished the first book and waited even more through all of her other releases for Entangled and….. Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it’s finally here!!!So, we left off at the end of the previous book with no murderer. But we got a glimpse of who it was. Well, sort of. The murderer is able to move among the ton and the noble with ease~ So that’s super chilling.

And as we all know, Drew is the brother that was accused of the murders!

But of course, why is he the hero in this book if he was sent to accused to be sent to the gallows? Maybe because he’s the brother of Alex, the Eighth Duke of Carrington, the previous hero. And of course because he was sent free on a mission by Investigator Simon Jacobs! Whom we found, because of his actions was shipped off the somewhere in Scotland.

So Drew is set free on a mission to find this killer knowing full well that everyone will be against him, thinking him as the killer. More the better to use that as his cover to figure out who’s framing him!

But of course troubles comes his way and trouble comes in the form of Anna Jacobs, Simon’s sister!
She believes him not the killer, but something much more, a drunkard arrogant prig! But very smoldering sexy. And it was his fault for getting her brother sent off to who knows where in Scotland to be punished for not catching the “Ripper”!

Of course things get hectic and their attraction to each other is fast and steamy! But then the killings is always there and once again throwing Anna and Jacobs together to solve the case.

Both of them are super sweet together and I just couldn’t kept from smiling. Sure they bantered but it was super fun to watch and learn that both of them didn’t judge each other nor care much for what society had termed them.

Sure Drew was dumb enough to get pinned for the murder but he’s turning around and trying to get his life on track. Most definitely his drinking which I was super happy that he was coming to terms that he had a drinking problem. And I loved that he cared about what Anna thought and how she saw things so they made for a very fun couple to follow through this dark and thrill seeking ride.

One thing I had troubles with was the title that Anna kept referring to Drew. Lord Carrington.

Shouldn’t Lord Carrington be referred to his brother the “Duke of Carrington”? That really bothered me sadly. But I do have an advanced copy so hopefully it was caught and edited.

But I super loved this and was hooked right from….well, ever since I finished the first book so I’m biased! LOL

But I really do recommend this and I hope you get ready for the last book in this thrilling ride for when we finally capture the Ripper!!!

This eARC was provided by the publisher for a honest review~

Rating: 5 out 5

Review: Wild About Her Wingman by Robin Bielman


 

Review:

I can’t believe it!!! I super love this story~ And I thought I super loved Luke and Sela and Shane and Kagan!

I have to say I was hooked right from the start and couldn’t put it down. I’ve read the others in this series and well, it just gets better every time!

I did have to run back to the past books to reread some of the past scenes just to refresh my memory and to see how these two met and interacted with each other and well, I’m so surprised that I didn’t see this coming! Well, maybe I was suspicious at first but that has been a while so now I’m just super happy to have this story to add to the Cascade town!

I love that these two have their own fears and wishes to over come. And I super loved that they each, during the process of trying to over come those fears, helped each other find their strength.

Yes, they have been attracted to each other from the gecko but because of their own…. I wouldn’t say insecurities because both of these characters, Troy and Erin are super sexy, so because of their fears of being heart broken, they didn’t hook up right away, I’ll say. But it was super great seeing them together and bantering and having a great time. Even the lusting was enjoyable~

You see, the both of them are super family oriented so being there for and having family around is really important to them, but then they’re both super closed off too about their life and struggles. Secrets and fears being apart of that so it was super difficult to let people in.

I really connect with the both of these. Not that I had been through the same things but that I myself aren’t so warm on opening and letting people in so it really connected to me. Maybe I should make a wish list of suitable boyfriend and find myself a wingman?? Hea hea hea~

But as they went through the process of finding Erin a boyfriend and Erin helping Troy fight is own fears, they begin to see each other in a different light of how everyone around them sees or assumes them to be. And as they start to know each other it gets harder to deny their attraction.

I super love how these two always seem to know something about the other before doing something. Like Troy knowing how Erin is ticklish because at one point he had to save her hand from bleeding to death and she couldn’t keep still as he stitched it back up. Or that Erin knows how Troy would react to certain things just by observing and watching and waiting for him to open up to her.

I just really like how these two get along and how perfect they are together. Opposites attract and these two are definitely opposites with secrets, wishes, and a past that got them that way, so it was super amazing to see them both see that of each other and then opening up about those pasts.
I can’t wait to see we get next!

This eARC was provided by the publisher for an honest review~

Rate: 4.5 out 5

Review: Dyed and Gone by Beth Yarnell


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Review:

This was my first reading of any of Beth’s book and I got to say it’s dang hilarious and awesome! Can I just say don’t judge a book by it’s cover? I know I did but not in a bad kind of way. It was more of in a hilarious way. Which it really was because look at it! It has a hiar dryer on the cover!! Wow this really had many great laughs out of me. But I did help with the cover reveal way back when so forget that.

But as you can see from the blues here we have Azalea March and a group of gal friends on a trip for a fabulous Hair-dressing show in Las Vegas and well, things turn bad. Yeah, not like where there are relationship problems or they gambled away thousands of money, but more like a Murder!!!!

Yes, murder. But it wasn’t just some random dude that got murdered it was the super star hair stylist of the whole show! And it just got even worse when one of Azalea’s friend confessed to the murder.
But of course Azalea know that her friend would never do such a thing, as it was impossible! She what does she do? She asks the hottes guy detective she knows to help her out and solve the case!
I really like what Beth is doing. I live all the mystery and twists and turns she out into this story and it just makes you not want to put it down!

I have been reading mysteries for these past couple of days and I’m telling you, they were all great but this one really got me laughing with right amount of humor and information to keep me engaged. Plus all the characters were very likable even though I had my suspicion on who was the culprit but then I was surprised again!

I was amazed that this was more of a mystery than romance or about hair! I mean Beth is great at romance and I know that because of the other books she has written, which I heard were scorching hot. So I found it just the right amount of everything.

The romance, now there was chemistry. It really got me to want to know more about each of their pasts but I love how they came to be where they are.

Azalea is a very strong a very likable heroine. She’s smart and very persistent because she doesn’t give up and that’s one thing that can be a fault or a good thing, and for this it was a good thing. She wanted to find the true murderer to save her friend. Plus, she’s a good friend. Despite how she feels and the trouble that will come she’ll be there for her friends no matter what and help them in the best way she could.

Alex is just hot!! He’s always backing Azalea up even if she gets or makes the trouble. But I love that he lets her help him with the case and doesn’t hold her back.

The secondary characters and her friends are what made this book fun! They’re such a hilarious and witty group. I believe if these characters weren’t in the book the story would still have been great but man, it would have lost some major entertainment.

Over all, I am going to keep my eyes open for the next books in he series and see where Beth take me next. And I really do hope to see some familiar faces in the future.

Rating: 4/5

Review (summary): The Billionaire and the Barfly

The Billionaire & The Barfly 
Review:

I thought this was a very good read for this new to-me author. I’m not sure what to call this but I believe it would fall under the New Adult sub-genre. This story was told in third person but we also only got to see the POV side from the heroine, which I didn’t think about it till now which is strange because I don’t think it was a problem for me, so yeah.

Anyways, this story is about a girl Aubrey who’s life never goes as planned. She was very well known back in high school with hundreds of friends but ended up having know one after graduation. She also lost her boyfriend who only used her for sex (which we learn she took up to keep her heart from breaking or connecting to people). She works as an assistant for this huge Company, Viola, that develops games. Yes! Games! Video games! Fabulous, I know right! But sadly she’s only the assistant to  her boss, Jenna, but then she gets to travel right? And of course later she gets promoted to Marketing by her boss’s boss, Mike, so she’s on her way!

As we read further into her story, we find out that she wants more to her life. She wants to climb up the ladder and one day become a boss of her own company. We also find out that her company has fierce competition with a new and much more modern company. Maximus. This new company has been taking their clients and well, her company is going to go under if they don’t find better ideas to up their games!

During this whole chaos Aubrey meets a very hot and very geeky gentleman. She thinks he’s stalking her for she had seen him during one of her business trips (and he had bought her a drink) and of all the places he had to show up in her small town. Plus, who could forget a man such as he! He wears super hero shirts under his suit coat! And there’s always hoards of woman swarming around him.
But yes, she ends up wanting him and he too, wants her, she knows of it, yet he always rejects her fun late night offers. Of course, one night he lets loose and gives into the heat and Bam! That’s where all the fire starts.

She learns he’s the CEO of Maximus. Not just that but The Maximus! Henry ‘freakin’ Maximus! Also, he was that geeky kid back in high school whom her friends used to tease, so she felt really bad to learn that he’s now a billionaire and super Hot! And Aubrey being Aubrey, she starts to push him away despite her growing feelings for him. But, Henry being Henry, he won’t have it! He has waited long enough to have her (since elementary!) and he’s not going to let her push him away. Not matter how much she dances with other men or ignores him.

But there was one thing. He challenged her to be celibate for three months and during that time, get to know people. If she passes 3 million dollars and well, unfortunately, their relationship got in the way and love happened. Plus, being a billionaire and having paparazzi about made for a very difficult relationship between two competing companies.

Well, you can read what happens on your own but here are some of my thoughts……

This story was in the POV of Aubrey. I didn’t so much mind not getting the chance to get into Henry’s head or have his POV but I did want to know why he thought the way he did about how Aubrey was. Like he said something about how she didn’t change from her high school days and how she wanted to flaunt her sexiness because she knew how good she was but won’t take any chances with the dudes who wanted her. Basically, she’s playing hard to get with all the dudes by flaunting herself and rejecting those who take the bait. He might have been angry at her at this the time he said it but it felt like his anger was also gut deep into the past. I just wanted to see more of why he thought that of her.

On the other hand, Aubrey was a great and flawed heroine. She had so much on her plate and had so much trust issues that I felt like it was ….. unbelievable to me yet it was of a sort. You see, we’re about the same age and well, I haven’t even done as many things that she has already done in her life so that was one thing I didn’t connect with her. But then she still lived with her parents and embarrassing as it is I am too. And then there was the fact that she was popular in high school which I wasn’t but she lost all and most of those friend when she graduated which I can highly understand and connect to, so yeah, I believed it to a point. There were also some points that I wished were done differently by Aubrey. Like I personally would have done some of things differently because those things really got me frustrated. Like I wanted her to play harder to get with Henry when he rejected her. But then of course wouldn’t that just help Henry’s case about Aubrey? She has flaws and those were some of the things that made the story move so I can’t say anything about it. But I do love that we saw how much she grew to trust Henry and even started opening up to people that isn’t her family. It was very nice to see that.

I also love that she had a very close relationship with her only and younger brother whom they can talk just about everything with. He was definitely going through some very grown up issues that he had to face at only 15 and I loved that Aubrey was able to be there for him during those hardships when their parents weren’t willing to help. She even moved out of their parents’ house and found an apartment when her brother was kicked out of the house. And she took him and his girlfriend in! Now that’s love between siblings. One thing though was that his girlfriend was such a spoiled brat that I just wanted to strangle her. She’s so selfish and didn’t help at all and was just so, so….ugh~ she’s So childish that I couldn’t even believe that she’ll even be smart for her own good! That she would even be sexually active was like, Oh my Gosh! I just so hate her! Rotten spoiled brat. Yes, she is a child at 15 but still, grow the freak up because you’re freakin going to be a freakin mother. Ugh! I really wanted them to break up but I just don’t know if that happened now do I. Nope. But she did return to her parents house so that, was fantastic!

Oh and another person I hated was Jenna, Aubrey’s ex-boss. She was such a two face. She lied to get her way up and she even lied to get Aubrey to lose her ‘hard-working’ status because she felt Aubrey was in competition with her position! Like heck Aubrey wasn’t! Ugh, she really got on my nerves.
Okay, on wards.

In this story there was something huge that I wanted more info on and that was the info on the other sibling that was given up for adoption. Aubrey’s older sibling. I mean I really thought it was that one gay guy friend of hers who was much older and who happens to had stopped by one day just to see her, and I was so hoping to get more of it but was really disappointed when it was only brought up that once and then dropped forever to never be mentioned again. I really wanted to know more about that, or for Aubrey to at least do something about it but sadly that didn’t happen.

One thing I really have to point out is that this really needed editing. I loved this story but it was really difficult for me to get through it without always pausing and ‘re-reading’ lines and sentences just to make sense of it. I know this is an ARC I’m reading but I do hope it gets fixed during its final edit.

Other than that, I thought this was a super great read and I highly enjoyed it. It was a fast paced and driven piece that had me reading it in one sitting. It kept me engaged and even got me holding my breath and grinding my teeth but all’s good. But do remember, this is a short story. A novella of sorts so, yup.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Review: Need You Tonight by Roni Loren

Need You Tonight (Loving on the Edge, #5) 
Review:

I am going to start by saying that this is my first read by Roni. Yes! I’m so ashamed that I haven’t read her as of yet till now but I’m so happy that I got to read this book! I know I’m super late in getting in on this series and the super hot and sexy Kade but wow, I was hooked when I got the chance to read an excerpt during Ramblings From This Chicks’ Naughty New Year Blog Tour Week.

So this is about Tessa getting back at her ex-husband for catching him cheating on her with her now ex-best-friend and calling her boring. So she comes up with a list to full fill with everything she wanted to do her entire life and even new things she wanted to try to prove that she is adventurous and wanted. Therefore her friend Sam signed her up for a cooking class with her and she is on her way to an adventure!

First of all, she learns that her name wasn’t on the sign up list and she meets a super sexy man willing to partner up with her for the cooking class. But of course that sexy man turns out to be the owner of the restaurant the cooking class was taking place in and well, things gets interesting.

Kade has been in love with Tessa since high school. Once he found out Tessa was now single he wants nothing more than to jump at his chances of having a fling with her, even if Tessa want’s nothing but a casual relationship between friends. Of course he’s willing to go smooth and slow but nothing will stop him from changing her mind. *wink wink*

And of course if you have read the previous books in this series you know Kade can be very convincing and well, fabulous and adventurous in bed. LOL

But yes, things are always complicated in a relationship and things does get in their way but in all, they get over those obstacles and move forward.

I really enjoyed reading this Book!!! I knew I would be hooked ever since that morning of Roni’s guest post for the Naughty New Years Hop and well, I was right! Even though I haven’t read the previous books in the series, I did happen to look them up and read clips and bits of them to familiarize myself with Roni’s writing and story telling skills and found them really, really, good.
I also know that in the previous books we didn’t get much of Kade or see a different side of him, but in this one we really got to know him and even got deep with him. I love how he helped Tessa stand up for herself and faced her challenges with her, especially with her ex-husband. As for Tessa I loved that we saw how she grew and changed throughout the story. She was really a great character to watch and come into herself even though she was not very likable if you think about it from her younger days being the popular girl and all but she turned out okay. Sure she was naive and it was very surprising for me to see but I was happy she learned a lot from her relationship with Kade; to know what she like and wasn’t afraid to try new things with him. They had chemistry which I loved, plus they had depth!!! Oh, and the flashbacks were also great. It really showed how they’ve evolved and told their story.

Though I don’t read much BDSM novels or Dominate and Submissive tropes, this was one I thought was….great. There were some scenes that got my brows raising (not in a bad way I think) but just in hesitation as to ‘what is going on here.’ I’ll say there were many very sexy and very hot sexual scenes and sometimes my feminist mind just got the red flags out but I couldn’t stop reading it. Though I did skim a bit to get back to the story, I thought I didn’t lose much in during so. LOL

So yup, I thought this was a really great read and wouldn’t mind going back and reading some of the other books in the series, most definitely of Kade’s past experiences~

This eARC provided by the publishers via NetGalley.

Rating: 4/5