Review: Not Until You Surrender by Roni Loren

Title: Not Until You Part VI: Not Until You Surrender
Series: Loving on the Edge, #3.56
Author: Roni Loren
Published: July 16, 2013
Pages: 57
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Source: Publisher (Penguin Intermix)
Rating: C
Reviewed by: Marq

summary from Goodreads
Cela willingly accepts Foster’s difficult penalty for what she’s done and finds herself more vulnerable and more attracted to him than ever. Unfortunately, she’s also more confused. She’s drawn to Foster’s dark desires but scared by the intensity of her surrender and her growing need for him. So as outside pressures mount, how is she supposed to make the hardest decision of her life?

Foster is falling further and further for Cela, but right as he’s tempted to tell her how he feels, she approaches him with a heartbreaking proposition. There isn’t much Foster wouldn’t sacrifice for Cela’s happiness, but this time that may mean watching the girl he could truly love walk away...

Review: His Roommate's Pleasure by Lana McGregor

Title: His Roommate's Pleasure
Author: Lana McGregor
Published: July 1, 2013
Pages: 84
Genre: M/M Romance
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Carina Press
Rating: C-
Reviewed by: Marq

summary from Goodreads
It started with an accidental click…but where will it end?

Desperate to turn in a paper, Adam borrows his roommate's computer and mistakenly opens a folder that contains Josh's collection of porn. Adam had no idea that his jock roommate was gay—and into leashes, paddles and domination. And Adam, an inexperienced virgin who's only ever kissed one guy, is surprised to find himself curious about submitting…

Josh can't believe that his roommate discovered his spank bank—and he can't believe that Adam is so turned on by the thought of giving up control to someone. Taking a chance, he offers to look through the photos with Adam…and maybe try acting some of them out.

Night after night, the boys delve into their darkest fantasies of domination and submission. And as lust and experimentation grow into the promise of something deeper, Adam must decide if he's brave enough to tell Josh how he feels.

Review: Fangs for Nothing by Erin McCarthy and Kathy Love

Title: Fangs for Nothing
Series: The Fangover, #2
Author: Erin McCarthy, Kathy Love
Published: July 2, 2013
Pages: 305
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Source: Publisher (Berkley Trade)
Rating: C-
Reviewed by: Ellie

Favorite quote: “You make me want to be less of an idiot. More respectable. That’s no small feat.”

summary from Goodreads
When one of their own ties the knot with a dominatrix (no pun intended), The Impalers—a vampire rock band—are ready to party down. But trouble awaits them once again when they wake up…

Attending their bandmate Saxon’s wedding seemed simple enough for Johnny Malone and Drake Hanover. But after waking up in a dominatrix’s dungeon, they realize their cash and cell phones have been stolen—along with the bride’s wedding dress and the groom. And then there’s the matter of the two women in the room…

Loose cannon Johnny is handcuffed to Lizette, an uptight paper pusher. She wants to help save Johnny from the horrible fate in store for him at the hands of the Vampire Alliance, but he won’t sign the paperwork. Then there’s Josie, the waifish caterer from the reception, who rescues Drake from a sex swing. Josie may be cute and make a great cupcake, but Drake knows she might also be the thief. Or it could have been that gang of drag queens all dressed as Cher…

Regardless, Johnny and Lizette need to get out of these handcuffs. Drake and Josie need to find their missing belongings. And Saxon needs to be located before the Vampire Alliance comes down on them hard.

Review: Down to You by M. Leighton

Title: Down to You (A BAD BOYS NOVEL)
Series: The Bad Boys, #1
Author: M. Leighton
Published: July 1, 2013 (reissue)
Pages: 304
Genre: New Adult
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Rating: C
Reviewed by: Ellie

Favorite quote: “Shhh, just let me love you, okay? Don’t think. Just feel.”

summary from Goodreads
One girl. Twin brothers. An uncommon triangle.

When college student Olivia Townsend returned home to help her father run his business, she never imagined a complication like Cash and Nash Davenport—twin brothers different in so many ways but with one thing in common: an uncontrollable desire for Olivia.

Cash is dangerous, sexy, and bad to the bone—a man whose kisses make Olivia forget she is playing with fire. Nash is successful, reliable and intensely passionate—and already taken. But all it takes is one soft stroke to make Olivia forget he belongs to someone else.

However, Olivia is in for a surprise. These boys have a secret that should make her run away as far and as fast as she can. If only it wasn’t too late. A sensual game between three players has begun, and it’s about to spin deliriously out of control.

Review: Wilde Nights in Paradise by Tonya Burrows

Title: Wilde Nights in Paradise
Series: Wilde Security, #1
Author: Tonya Burrows
Published: June 10, 2013
Pages: 250
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Entangled (Brazen)
Rating: C
Reviewed by: Marq

summary from Goodreads
He’ll guard her body all night long.

Former Marine Jude Wilde’s motto has always been “burn bridges and never look back,” so nobody is more surprised when Wilde Security is hired to protect assistant district attorney Libby Pruitt, the woman he loved and left. Although she makes it clear she wants nothing to do with Jude, they’re forced to fake a relationship for her safety. He can’t ignore the heat still simmering between them, and when her stalker’s threats escalate to attempted murder, he’s left with no choice but to whisk her away to a friend’s safe house in Key West, FL.

Cooped up in paradise together, Jude begins to chip away at Libby’s resolve to hate him. But even as she gives in to his proximity and her body’s demands for his, she refuses to fall for his charms again. Maybe a torrid affair in the sun is exactly what she needs to get him out of her system. But when her stalker tracks them down, can they escape the steamy Key West night without anyone getting hurt?

Review: Freefall by Jill Sorenson

Title: Freefall

Series: Aftershock, #2

Author: Jill Sorenson

Published: May 28, 2013

Pages: 384

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Source: NetGalley

Publisher: Harlequin

Rating: C

Reviewed by: Marq

summary from Goodreads

HE'S HER ONLY HOPE...

Park ranger Hope Banning's plans for a little R & R are put on hold when a plane crashes at the top of a remote mountain. Hope will have to climb the summit and assess the situation. And the only climbing partner available is Sam Rutherford--the enigmatic man she spent a night with six months ago.

FOR STAYING ALIVE...

Ever since Sam lost his girlfriend in a falling accident, he insists on climbing solo. But Hope and any potential survivors need his help. As Sam and Hope set out on an emergency search-and-rescue mission, he realizes the sparks still sizzle between them. And when they learn a killer is among the survivors, they must place their trust in each other for a chance at happiness.

Review: Flirting with Disaster by Ruthie Knox

Title: Flirting with Disaster
Series: Camelot, #3
Author: Ruthie Knox
Published: June 10, 2013
Pages: 448
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Loveswept Romance
Rating: C+
Reviewed by: Marq

summary from Goodreads
Fresh out of a fiasco of a marriage, Katie Clark has retreated to her hometown to start over. The new Katie is sophisticated, cavalier, and hell-bent on kicking butt at her job in her brother’s security firm. But on her first assignment—digging up the truth about the stalker threatening a world-famous singer-songwriter—Katie must endure the silent treatment from a stern but sexy partner who doesn’t want her help . . . or her company.

Sean Owens knows that if he opens his mouth around Katie, she’ll instantly remember him as the geeky kid who sat behind her in high school. Silence is golden, but he can’t keep quiet forever, not with Katie stampeding through their investigation. It’s time for Sean to step up and take control of the case, and his decade-old crush. If he can break through Katie’s newfound independence, they just might find they make a perfect team—on the road, on the job, and in bed.

Review: Officer Off Limits by Tessa Bailey

Title: Officer Off Limits
Series: Line of Duty, #3
Author: Tessa Bailey
Published: June 10, 2013
Pages: 250
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher (Entangled Brazen)
Rating: C-
Reviewed by: Marq

summary from Goodreads
His need to possess her is non-negotiable.

Story Brooks’ fiancé just called off their wedding two weeks before the happy day. As if that isn't bad enough, her semi-estranged father, an infamous NYPD hostage negotiator, has suffered a heart attack. Not wanting to examine her lack of emotion over the broken engagement, she hops on a plane to reconnect with her father before it’s too late.

Playboy hostage negotiator Daniel Chase has never, not once, been refused by a woman, so when a debate over hospital snack foods with a delectable kindergarten teacher ends in flat-out rejection, he makes it his mission to seduce her. His only obstacle? She’s the daughter of his mentor who implicitly forbade Daniel from pursuing her.

Despite her father’s warnings and Daniel’s troubled past, Daniel and Story can’t resist their intense attraction to one another. But when the reason for her fiancé’s abrupt wedding cancellation comes to light, can Story and Daniel's already forbidden relationship survive?

Review: Not Until You Risk by Roni Loren

Title: Not Until You Part II: Not Until You Risk
Series: Not Until You, #2
Author: Roni Loren
Published: June 18, 2013
Pages: 55
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Source: Publisher (Penguin Intermix)
Rating: C
Reviewed by: Marq

summary from Goodreads
Cela’s sexy game of Never Have I Ever with her neighbors has turned into a night of Truth or Dare, with her revealing her deepest desires and letting go like she’s never done before. After some seductive dancing, the trio decides to move to a more private location: a swanky hotel where Foster is determined to explore Cela’s wildest fantasies.

As the heat between the three begins to sizzle, Cela finds herself drawn to Foster, whose dominance over her is almost too much to handle. But Cela’s got a secret she hasn’t yet shared, something that could bring their passionate encounter to a screeching halt…

---

Marq's thoughts:
I am anxiously waiting for each installment. I love Cela and Foster. For me, Pike is a non-factor because clearly this story is all about Foster, Cela and their eventual HEA. My one complaint after reading the first installment was Cela's age. After doing some research, I discovered that this serial is a hybrid of NA and Adult romance. So I'm going to go with it and not focus on Cela's age too much anymore.

Foster, Pike and Cela leaves the club and goes to a swanky hotel. Foster spares no expense. Cela is looking forward to her menage with Foster and Pike but she has a secret. But she doesn't want to reveal the secret because she doesn't want Foster or Pike to hold themselves back, sexually.

Although the sex scenes between Foster, Pike and Cela were well-written, I felt like something was missing. Like there was no connection between Cela and Foster and Pike. Foster is a Dom and he is more dark and intense than Pike but I wasn't feeling it. Some parts lacked heat for me and Loren can write some smoking hot sex scenes.

Despite my issues, I am still enjoying this serial and can't wait for the next installment.

Review: Avoiding Mr. Right by C.J. Ellisson

Title: Avoiding Mr. Right
Series: Wild Side, #2
Author: C.J. Ellisson
Published: June 3, 2013
Pages: 160
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher (Red Hot Publishing)
Rating: C
Reviewed by: Marq

Favorite quote: "You don't know what you like. You fumble with the wrong men and think commanding them will get you what you need."

summary from Goodreads
Carla Johnson thinks issuing orders to a lover will keep her heart safe and leave her in charge of her own destiny. Afraid for Carla’s future, her best friend Heather implores her to change her self-centered ways, handing her a list of love life mistakes to steer clear of:

1. Casual Sex
2. Friends with Benefits
3. Avoidance of Intimacy

Carla ignores the list—unwilling to face she might have a commitment problem. Until she invites a co-worker to her place one night. She instantly regrets the hum-drum sexual encounter and discourages the accountant from pursuing her.

Andy Shea refuses to become another lover the feisty blonde dumps. It'll take a patient man with a strong hand to unlock Carla's sexual awareness and win her heart. He’s up for the challenge to convince her he’s the one—and eager to prove this number cruncher won’t make a boring bedmate.

Review: Wicked Memories by Nina Bangs

Title: Wicked Memories (CASTLE OF DARK DREAMS)
Series: Castle of Dark Dreams, #7
Author: Nina Bangs
Published: June 4, 2013
Pages: 304
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Source: Publisher (Berkley Trade)
Rating: C+
Reviewed by: Ellie

Favorite quote: “So what you mean is that if you told me what you are, I might refuse to go into the night with you?”
“Exactly.”
“Well, that’s comforting.”

summary from Goodreads
Thorn Mackenzie was a young Viking when he met Sparkle Stardust long ago. She used him and then abandoned him. Over a thousand years later, he has finally found a way to repay her. Employing his power of persuasion, he assembles a team that can create the ultimate fantasies and illusions. The group will work together in Nirvana, the amazing amusement park Thorn has built—right across the street from Sparkle’s Castle of Dark Dreams. To fight back before Thorn bleeds her business dry, Sparkle must hire a spy.

Kay Stanley needs extra money, so she reluctantly agrees to do some sneaking and peeking for Sparkle. But as she gets closer to Thorn, she discovers they have a lot more in common than just a need to crush the competition and a willingness to fight dirty. As sexual tension between them mounts, she finds it harder to see the gorgeous Viking as her enemy. But with an evil force working to destroy their city, they may not survive long enough for her to help him overcome his…Wicked Memories.

Review: No Strings Attached by Nicolette Day

Title: No Strings Attached
Author: Nicolette Day
Published: June 10, 2013
Pages: 65
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Entangled Brazen
Rating: C+
Reviewed by: Marq

summary from Goodreads
She wants one night. He wants her forever.

Hayden Summers just landed the job of a lifetime taking pictures for Time magazine, but she’s determined to leave with no regrets. The first thing on her list? Erase the memory of her cheating ex with a wild night of anonymous sex. The second? Figure out why her best friend, sexy bar owner Jace Jennings, stopped speaking to her the night she told him about the job.

Jace has a problem. Hayden isn’t just leaving the country, she’s risking her life—just when he’s realized he’s in love with her. When fate traps them in the storage room of his bar together, barely contained desire simmers to surface. In one last attempt to keep her, Jace offers Hayden the one thing she wants: a night of hot sex, no strings attached. But when the night is over, will Jace be able to let her go? And will Hayden leave with her heart intact?

Review: Billion Dollar Cowboy by Carolyn Brown

Title: Billion Dollar Cowboy (Cowboys and Brides)
Series: Cowboys and Brides, #1
Author: Carolyn Brown
Published: June 4, 2013
Pages: 352
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher (Sourcebooks Casablanca)
Rating: C+
Reviewed by: Ellie

Favorite quote: “Remember, this is supposed to be make-believe.”

summary from Goodreads
A Billionaire Can Buy Anything...

Colton Nelson was twenty-eight years old when he won the Texas Lottery and went from ranch hand to ranch owner overnight. Now he's desperate to keep the gold diggers away. It shouldn't be too hard to find a pretty girl and hire her to pretend to be his one-and-only.

Or Can He?

Laura Baker's got mixed feelings about this--she's on the ranch to work, not to be arm candy. On the other hand, being stuck for a while in the boondocks with a gorgeous cowboy isn't half-bad.

What neither Colton nor Laura expects are the intensely hard lessons they have to learn about the real cost of love...

Review: Entwined With You by Sylvia Day

Title: Entwined with You (A CROSSFIRE NOVEL)
Series: Crossfire, #3
Author: Sylvia Day
Published: June 4, 2013
Pages: 369
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Source: Purchased
Publisher: Berkley
Rating: C-
Reviewed by: Marq

Favorite quote: "We are totally dysfunctional."
"I prefer 'selectively deviant.' But we'll that to ourselves."

summary from Goodreads
From the moment I first met Gideon Cross, I recognized something in him that I needed. Something I couldn’t resist. I saw the dangerous and damaged soul inside–so much like my own. I was drawn to it. I needed him as surely as I needed my heart to beat.

No one knows how much he risked for me. How much I’d been threatened, or just how dark and desperate the shadow of our pasts would become.

Entwined by our secrets, we tried to defy the odds. We made our own rules and surrendered completely to the exquisite power of possession…

Review: Games People Play by Shelby Reed

Title: Games People Play
Author: Shelby Reed
Published: June 4, 2013
Pages: 304
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Source: Publisher (Berkley Heat)
Rating: C-
Reviewed by: Ellie

Favorite quote: “It’s just a game.”

summary from Goodreads
What she’s wanted…

Sydney Warren is a successful painter of erotic landscapes—just the artful fantasies of a woman whose own life has been stripped of passion. Though she has stayed loyal to her boyfriend, Max, he’s unable to ignite the sparks they once shared, leaving Sydney wanting. Then comes the stranger, a work of art himself, and everything changes.

is what she’s getting…

With chestnut hair, mesmerizing green eyes, and the perfect body, Colm Hennessy is every woman’s fantasy. He too is aroused, and more intrigued by the beautiful artist than he expected to be—because it wasn’t supposed to happen this way. For there’s something about Colm that Sydney doesn’t know...

in the ultimate game of control.

Colm is only pretending to be a model. He’s been hired by Max to seduce her—a twisted scheme to test her fidelity. But Max never imagined that Colm would feel something real. As Sydney and Colm’s intimacy grows, as passions neither expected are unleashed, the stakes in a cruel game are raised—and desire isn’t the only thing set to spiral out of control.

Review: Under the Covers by Rebecca Zanetti

Title: Under the Covers
Series: Maverick Montaina, #2
Author: Rebecca Zanetti
Published: May 27, 2013
Pages: 250
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher (Entangled Brazen)
Rating: C
Reviewed by: Marq

Favorite quote: "Darlin', I could have you coming around my cock in three seconds, and you know it."

summary from Goodreads
Opposites don’t attract. They ignite.

The small Montana town near the Kooskia reserve seemed like the perfect place for Juliet Montgomery to hide from her not-so-law-abiding family. But when her peace is shattered by a break-in and threatening phone calls, it’s clear someone back in New York knows where she is. It’s time to plan her getaway, and fast—but first, she needs to tie up a few loose ends. Namely, finding out exactly what the town’s sexy cowboy sheriff is hiding in his holster...

Sheriff Quinn Lodge has enough demons of his own to know when someone’s hiding something. Clearly, he needs to do a thorough investigation to uncover what’s beneath Juliet’s uptight, city-girl exterior—preferably one piece of clothing at a time. But when their chemistry goes from fizzy to full-on explosive, things start getting complicated. How can Juliet stay beneath the covers with Quinn, when doing so means blowing her cover?

Review: True to the Law by Jo Goodman

Title: True to the Law
Author: Jo Goodman
Published: May 7, 2013
Pages: 384
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher (Berkley)
Rating: C+
Reviewed by: Ellie

Favorite quote: “I want to breath the same air you do.”

summary from Goodreads
He was on the hunt for a runaway beauty

“Find her” is the only instruction that private detective Cobb Bridger receives from Richard Mackey. The scion of a wealthy Chicago family, Mackey is desperate to know the whereabouts of the woman who disappeared from his employ, taking with her something of great value. Intrigued as much by what Mackey won’t say about the missing item as he is by Mackey’s description of the missing woman, Cobb accepts the assignment.

And the one true lie that could destroy them both

Bitter Springs, Wyoming, has a new schoolteacher who may or may not be exactly what she seems. Upon making the acquaintance of Miss Tru Morrow, Cobb begins to question the guilt of this golden-haired lady—and the protective feelings she stirs in him. His investigation hinges on understanding where the truth lies. Can he believe in Tru? Or is she just another treacherous woman out to swindle this hardened detective’s heart?

Review: Taken By Him by Red Garnier

Title: Taken by Him: A Billionaire's Club Story (The Billionaire's Club)

Series: The Billionaire's Club, #2

Author: Red Garnier

Published: May 27, 2013

Pages: 112

Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance

Source: NetGalley

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Rating: C

Reviewed by: Marq

Favorite quote: "Don't pretend I mean something, Luke."

"Not something. Everything."

summary from Goodreads

Luke Preston is the ultimate playboy among his billionaire friends. Every bad girl in Chicago has surrendered in his bed. Some good girls, too. But when he ends up in the hospital after an assassination attempt, his friends suggest he take a long vacation to recoup, regroup and lay off the women until the man is caught. However, when Luke lays eyes on the stunning brunette across the beach, she inspires every dark, erotic thought his mind can conjure.

Peyton Lane has always been serious and responsible and she’s determined to have some fun for once in her life. And that means a deliciously, sexy affair with a stranger while she’s on vacation. So when a blond Adonis named Luke crosses her path at the Cancun resort, she’s determined that he will be the one. But Peyton gets more than she bargained for when Luke introduces her to a passion unlike any she has ever experienced and she discovers that behind that charming smile are secrets and a beautiful, damaged soul.

Review: Blush by Lauren Jameson

Title: Blush
Series: In Vino Veritas, #1
Author: Lauren Jameson
Published: May 7, 2013
Pages: 304
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Source: Publisher (NAL Trade)
Rating: C-
Reviewed by: Ellie

Favorite quote: “Who the hell carries nipple clamps in their jeans?”

summary from Goodreads
Madeline Stone is determined to heal from her tragic past, one difficult step at a time…and she doesn’t need any distractions. Then she meets a mysterious and captivating stranger—and over a glass of outrageously expensive wine, her world turns upside down. Try as she might to banish the wealthy business mogul from her thoughts, Madeline can’t fight Alex’s staggering appeal or his enticing offer of intimate discovery.

Alex doesn’t date—at least, not in the traditional sense. Still, he wants Madeline …and his sexual intensity provides her with a much-needed escape. They embark on a tumultuous erotic affair, one that takes them to the pinnacle of obsession and desire. But underneath each explosive encounter lie dangerous secrets waiting to consume them both.…

Review: Fever by Maya Banks

Title: Fever (THE BREATHLESS TRILOGY)
Series: Breathless, #2
Author: Maya Banks
Published: April 2, 2013
Pages: 416
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Source: Publisher (Berkley)
Rating: C-
Reviewed by: Ellie

Favorite quote: “Most of all, I want you to know without a doubt that I’ve got your back. And your front. And your sides. I’ve got all of you and I’m not letting you go.”


summary from Goodreads
Jace, Ash, and Gabe: three of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. They’re accustomed to getting anything they want. Anything at all. For Jace, it’s a woman whose allure takes him completely by surprise...

Jace Crestwell, Ash McIntyre, and Gabe Hamilton have been best friends and successful business partners for years. They’re powerful, they’re imposing, they’re irresistibly sexy, and Jace and Ash share everything—including their women.

When they meet Bethany, Jace begins to feel things he’s never experienced before: jealousy, and a powerful obsession that threatens him, overwhelms him—and excites him beyond control.

Jace isn’t sharing Bethany—with anyone. He’s determined to be the only man in her life, and it’s jeopardizing a lifelong friendship with Ash. Bethany will be his and his alone. Even if it means turning his back on his best friend.