ARC Review: Sin and Ink by Naima Simone

Series:	Sweetest Taboo #1
Pub. Date:	Oct 15, 2018
Publisher:	Entangled
Length:	240 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

I was so excited about this new series by Naima Simone that I got super grumpy when outside obligations started interrupting my reading time. Seriously, I need to start marking off a couple hours of DO NOT DISTURB reading time on my calendar every other day. Especially for a hero this supercalafragilisticexpialadopeshit.

ARC Review: Shot on Gold by Jaci Burton

Series:	Play-by-Play #14
Pub. Date:	Feb. 13, 2018
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	344 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

In the latest Play-by-Play novel, Jaci Burton has moved slightly away from the realm of professional athletes and provided us a story involving Olympians. I believe this is the first story I have read involving Olympic athletes, so it was a nice change of pace. While I don't typically watch the Winter Olympics, this story coming out during the start of the games has me curious enough to take a gander.

ARC Review: Scoring with the Wrong Twin by Naima Simone

Series:	WAGS #1
Pub Date:	Jan 15, 2018
Publisher:	Entangled
Length:	236 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

Scoring With the Wrong Twin is the first book in the new WAGS (Wives and Girlfriends) series by Naima Simone, and the whole series promises to be a steamy page-turner. Our current and future heroes are members of the Washington Warriors football enterprise and the best of friends. This hot bunch surely turns heads where ever they congregate, and I certainly wouldn't mind the cold and rain of Seattle if I had the chance to snag one of these warriors.

ARC Review: The Final Score by Jaci Burton

Series:	Play-by-Play #13
Pub. Date:	Sept. 12, 2017
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	352 pages
Source:	NetGalley

In the thirteenth installment of Jaci Burton's Play-by-Play series, we see the youngest Cassidy paired up with the son of Mick Riley (The Perfect Play) to give us the start of a new athletic dynasty (and room to expand the series maybe?).

Mia Cassidy has just graduated college and has undertaken an ambitious and risky venture to open her own sports management firm in San Francisco, where here brother and best friend play a little pro football for the San Francisco Sabers. Luckily Mia's family athletic affiliations and sports knowledge have prepared her for the business and dealing with athletes. I liked Mia's ambition and courage to take on such a venture at her age. But my favorite aspect of Mia's character was that she is a planner girl y'all! I totally loved that and got quite a few chuckles about her lists, planner addiction, and the hero teasing her about planner stickers.

Audiobook Review: Heartless by Winter Renshaw

Series:	Amato Brothers #1
Pub. Date:	Oct. 18, 2016
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrators:	Nelson Hobbs Loretta Rawlins
Length:	7 Hours 42 Min
Source:	Publisher

This is my first read from Winter Renshaw, and I was pleasantly surprised. I don't read as much contemporary these days, but I enjoyed this one quite a bit. 

Aidy Kincaid is a fashionable modern woman. She is a professional makeup artist working with her sister on their startup business, Glam to Go. It sounds like such a fun job, especially given my slight makeup addiction, so I was definitely digging Aidy. Right from the beginning she is obsessed with a journal detailing an adulterous love affair, which she she viewed as romantic and passionate. Having read the private thoughts from cover to cover, Aidy is ready to return the journal to where she found it, and hopes to catch a glimpse of the writer. What she didn't expect was to encounter a gorgeous but rude superstar... but it seemed like fate intervened to throw these two onto the same path numerous times over a span of a few days.  

ARC Review: Rules of Contact by Jaci Burton

Series:	Play-by-Play #12
Pub. Date:	Dec. 6, 2016
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	352 pages
Source:	NetGalley

Can you believe that this is my first read from Jaci Burton? I know, I know... what the heck is wrong with me? I have actually had this series on my TBR List for a couple years, but someone told me I needed to read from the beginning and I just haven't had the time to fit 10+ books onto the reading calendar. But I am very happy that I finally took the plunge and started reading about these yummy athletic heroes! Not having read the earlier books, I didn't feel lost. There were other couples popping in and out which I assume are from earlier books, but those stories were not vital to the romance at issue.

Review: Breaking a Legend by Sarah Robinson

Breaking a Legend 
by Sarah Robinson
Series:  Kavanagh Legends #1
Pub. Date:  Sept. 29, 2015
Publisher:  Loveswept
Pages:  273
Format:  eARC
Source:  NetGalley


My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

Perfect for fans of Katy Evans and Monica Murphy, Sarah Robinson’s blistering-hot series debut introduces the Kavanagh brothers—mixed martial arts fighters who work hard, play hard, and love with all their hearts. 

As one of the big names at his family’s gym, Legends, MMA star Rory Kavanagh is used to being in the spotlight—until a gruesome leg injury knocks him out of the cage. Rory is left feeling sidelined in more ways than one, battling the inner demons that come with losing the one shot at his dreams. Then Clare walks into his life and gives him a new dream: winning her heart. There aren’t many new faces in Woodlawn these days, but this tough, beautiful stranger makes Rory want to get his life back into fighting shape.

Clare Ivers doesn’t think she’ll be able to tell anyone what really brought her to the close-knit Bronx neighborhood where she just started bartending. But her life’s on pause and her past is catching up fast, try as she might to move on—with new friends, steady work, and a chiseled alpha male trying to get her attention. Even though Rory’s more than a little intense, she can’t deny that her heart beats faster when he looks at her with those soulful silver eyes. Clare thought she was done with love, but Rory might just be man enough to show her she thought wrong.

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title. 

This series revolves around a huge Irish family out of Brooklyn, five brothers consisting of MMA fighters, bad boys and cops... oh and their pop who dabbled in the Irish Mafia. Can you smell the yummy testosterone? I really liked this huge close-knit Irish family, their relationship dynamics were great and what you hope to see in any large family.

The eldest brother, Rory, has been suffering from substance abuse and depression since a career-ending injury (a grisly injury which you will get to experience at the outset of the story). Continuously popping pills and smelling of whiskey, Rory is not the fun-loving brother that the Kavanagh family grew up with. He has checked out and become somewhat of a loner. Obviously this is a difficult and tense situation, but I think a little more angst could have been added to create empathy and a stronger emotional connection to Rory's character. I liked his gruff personality and brooding alpha maleness, but its not hard to get me going in that regard. My favorite aspect of Rory's character was him working to rehabilitate fight/bait dogs at the animal rescue center. I also loved loved loved Rory's sidekick, Ace. The author did a good job with Ace's backstory so I actually had a stronger connection with this rescue dog than I did our main characters.

Clare has come to New York on the run from an abusive ex-boyfriend. She is trying to start over and keep everyone at a distance, but she also yearns for a family after losing her parents. Clare has this tortured past... but I never really felt it. She just didn't come off as a battered woman to me - but everyone responds differently to these situations so I tried to take that with a grain of salt. I just wanted a stronger connection with her character.

I started to disconnect with the story around 70% and I just could not renew my interest for some reason. I don't think it had anything to do with the writing, I think I was just headed into a reading slump. For the safe sex army, you may be up in arms about the lack of condoms and an oddly placed one sentence sex talk after some of the unprotected sexytimes has already happened a couple times. Usually this does not bother me and I just let it roll... but in this case, Rory was somewhat of a manwhore and they just dove right in and then after the second time there was that "are you on the pill?" and quickly changing the subject. So that highlighted the issue more for me than if the issue would have been ignored altogether.

I loved the Irishness of the story. (Is Irishness a thing?) However sometimes the random Gaelic phrases seemed oddly placed. Do Irish American families actually speak Gaelic? I didn't think people in Ireland actually speak much Gaelic anymore, so I don't think it was necessary to the story. That being said, it didn't take anything away from it either so kudos to the author for either knowing Gaelic or looking it up!

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

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Review and Blog Tour: Thick Love by Eden Butler

Thick Love 
by Eden Butler
Series:  Thin Love #2
Pub. Date:  Sept. 1, 2015
Publisher:  Self-Pub
Pages:  343
Format:  eARC
Source:  Author


My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

He doesn’t ask their names.

He doesn’t deserve to know them.

Ransom Riley Hale's friends think his life is charmed: first string as a freshman on a championship-winning college football team. A father with two Super Bowl rings. A mother with platinum albums and multiple Grammies under her belt. But that brilliant shine on the surface hides the darkness beneath; it's all Ransom has ever known.

Despite the shadows he walked in, once there was a blinding light fracturing the darkness. It brought the promise of hope and happiness. He’d been careless, filled with pride and stupidity and lost that light. Ripped it from the world. 

Now, the shadows are dimming again. Aly King surges into his life threatening to pull him from the darkness. She is everything Ransom can never be again. Her light feels too warm, promises him that there is more waiting for him beyond the shadows. 

But the shadows are relentless, resurfacing when he thinks he is safe, and Ransom knows he must keep Aly from them too before he pulls her down into the darkness with him.

For me, Eden Butler excels at writing new adult characters. If more characters were written like hers, I would read more of this genre. Her characters are mature and well-reasoned and don't make me feel like an old broad reading about young kids. And let me tell ya, I don't need anything else to make me feel older!

Now, this is the second installment of the series, but is not really the continuation of the original story, Thin Love. At first, I wasn't sure how I would feel about that. Thin Love was one of my 5 star reads for 2015, and I was a little worried that a sequel (so to speak) would pale in comparison. I mean, Keira and Kona were like an epic love that I just couldn't get enough of.

I knew my love was so thick, that what I felt for her then was something I didn't just want, but something I needed. Even when I pushed her away, even when I was so scared of what she did to me, even when I spent years laying in bed at night wondering if that feeling would ever go away, I knew no one would give me that. There was only ever her. No one does love like Keira.

But of course I didn't need to worry, and I realized really quick once I started reading that while the epic couple were still around, they were not going to overshadow Ransom and Aly. Instead we still got to see the loving and supportive and playful side of the parents, while focusing on the coming of age of the son. Unfortunately, not long after the big wedding in My Beloved, something tragic happens in Ransom's life and he has been wandering through life, lost, ever since.

"Ransom, you can't live like this." "Who the hell said I'm living?"

Ransom's back story is heartbreaking. You don't find out exactly what happened right away, so to avoid spoilers, I'm not going to discuss it here. But Eden does such a good job at character development, that you feel the heartache and love right along with the characters. The level of detail and inner monologue really let you get to know the players on a deeper level, and I absolutely love that when I'm reading. So I went on this roller coaster ride along with Ransom and Aly, and I still haven't come down from the ride.

Aly was an admirable heroine. She's a survivor, strong and persevering. Her passion for dance lept off the page much like Keira's music did in Thin Love. I loved her determination to help Ransom find his way back from the darkness, and that she didn't throw some immature hissy fit when he wasn't all she needed him to be. She never gave up on him. And this is what I mean about Eden's new adults... while these characters were 20 y/o and younger, their youth and immaturity does not overpower you while you are reading. Yes, there is angst - but it's a mature angst. (Is that even a thing? Can angst be mature? Well Eden makes her angst mature and that's a good thing... particularly for us readers over 30.)

Love was louder than logic.

I enjoyed riding along for this epic story with Ransom and Aly. It's a heavy tale of love, loss, friendship and family. And my smutty little heart wouldn't be happy without the sexual tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. Those dancing scenes were the sizzle that kept me on edge until our couple smoked up my kindle screen.

Your mouth makes me think the worst... best... filthy things.

There was also some character crossover in this book from Shadows and Lies. So if you have started that series, you will probably remember Timber, Missy and Summerland's Burlesque Review. As always, I love these stories set in New Orleans and Eden always make me feel like I could see one of these characters walking down the street here.

Now, the epilogue. I admit, that at first I was stompin' mad. It was just so unexpected and out of left field that I was totally blindsided. And yes I ranted and railed for a bit. But now I have let myself calm down and I'm not mad any more. The story isn't over. That's a good thing. I am looking forward to spending more time with Ransom and Aly... seeing how they have grown and changed and matured. So I take back all my curses that flew in my moment of shock. Sorry Eden!

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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About the Author

Eden Butler is an editor and writer of Romance, Suspense, Mystery and SciFi and Fantasy novels and the nine-times great-granddaughter of an honest-to-God English pirate. This could explain her affinity for rule breaking and rum. Her debut novel, a New Adult, Contemporary (no cliffie) Romance, “Chasing Serenity” launched in October 2013 and quickly became an Amazon bestseller.

When she’s not writing or wondering about her possibly Jack Sparrowesque ancestor, Eden edits, reads and spends way too much time watching rugby, Doctor Who and New Orleans Saints football. 

She is currently imprisoned under teenage rule alongside her husband in southeast Louisiana.Please send help. 

You can find Eden on GoodReads, Facebook and Twitter. 

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Thin Love Series

Review: Broken Play by Samantha Kane

Broken Play 
by Samantha Kane
Series:  Birmingham Rebels #1
Pub. Date:  Sept. 1, 2015
Publisher:  Loveswept
Pages:  235
Format:  eARC
Source:  Netgalley


My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

Perfect for fans of Shayla Black and Lexi Blake, the deeply sensual new Birmingham Rebels series introduces an unforgettable team of chiseled football gods—and the daring, provocative games they play behind closed doors.

Birmingham Rebels offensive linemen Beau Perez and Cass Zielinski are inseparable, on and off the field. Cass, the captain with the cowboy swagger, is a loose cannon. Beau, the veteran tight end, is cool under pressure. And ever since they were caught on tape in a steamy threesome, their exploits have fueled more than a few tabloid headlines—and naughty fantasies.

Marian Treadwell knows all about the video. And now that she’s the Rebels’ new assistant offensive coach, she can’t look at Beau and Cass without picturing their hard, naked bodies—with her pressed in between. Marian would like nothing more than to indulge those impulses, but she knows better than to get too close to her players, a bunch of adrenaline-fueled alpha males who don’t always follow the rules.

Just the thought of sharing the gorgeous yet guarded Marian drives Cass wild. At first, Beau isn’t sure she’s right for them . . . and lately, all he desires is a little alone time with Cass to explore their new intimacy. But it’s only a matter of time before Cass breaks through both of their defenses. Because when seduction is the game plan, he always plays to win.

Broken Play is intended for mature audiences.

I have to admit that I played the part of cover whore for this book... I grabbed it and didn't even read the blurb. So I was a bit surprised when I realized it was going to be romantica with a bunch of hunky football players... en masse so to speak! Holy Moley! This book was so hot I think my kindle was smoking.

Cass, the team captain of Birmingham Rebels, is a take charge country boy complete with cowboy hat. He likes to be in control no matter whether he is on the field, in the locker room, in the coach's office, or in the bedroom. He's just that guy. Beau is a big tattooed teddy bear, the calm to Cass' storm. When Beau's addictions run away from him, Cass gets him clean and shows him how to shift his focus to women... well, a woman sandwich so to speak. And that lucky bitch Marian comes along and grabs the focus of both of these mmmen.

There was not a ton of plot here... we got some football drama, and a bit of a tortured heroine in Marian. But this book was more about the sizzling sinful smmmexytime. We also got good introductions to the rest of the team which will be the focus on the series. But goodness, that is a lot of beefcake kinkery going on there. Phew! This is definitely a book for mature audiences who don't mind MFM, MMF, and even some MMFMM. You definitely don't want to read this one in public. I think I maintained a blush the whole time I was reading!

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

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Birmingham Rebels Series