ARC Review: Diary of a Bad Boy by Meghan Quinn

Pub. Date:	March 5, 2019
Publisher:	Self-Pub
Length:	371 pgs
Source:	InkslingrPR

I am a fan of Meghan Quinn's romantic comedies, and I haven't experienced one in a while, so I thought I would give this new contemporary romance a shot. I mean... bad boys and books from their POV seem right up my alley. So while this one wasn't a rom com, it still kept me entertained and had a drool-worthy hero to get my imagination going.

ARC Review: Rough & Tumble by Rhenna Morgan

Series:	Haven Brotherhood #1
Pub. Date:	Feb. 20, 2017
Publisher:	Carina Press
Length:	432 pages
Source:	NetGalley

I have been wanting to try this author since I got to hang out with her a little last year at the RT Convention (FYI - she is cool people)... but I just haven't been able to get a lot of personal reading on the calendar in the past year. Being more of a urban fantasy and paranormal fan, I expected to start with the Eden series, I even went on a one-clicking spree buying up the series with grand intentions to start ASAP. As my plans fell through in that regard, I was excited to see this new series, even though I don't read as much contemporary these days. Now I am just kicking myself for not reading her work sooner.

There's the family you''re given by birth, and there's the family you choose for yourself.

So let's start with the Haven Brotherhood. Five brothers (and two mothers) that are family, not by blood but by loyalty and obligation. They are not just rough and tumble bikers, but each brother seems to have hidden depths that the reader will love to discover as they fall in love (and lust) with these swoonworthy men. 

It's not where a man comes from, or what he wears, that matters. It's what he does with his life that counts.

Jace Kennedy is the first brother offered up for our reading pleasure, and he is an alpha male, intelligent businessman and co-founder of the Haven Brotherhood. He is also charitable and active in his community with at-risk youth, his philanthropic side being inspired by his childhood. But for all his alpha maleness, Jace has a vulnerable side that draws the reader in and, for me, created a strong emotional connection to his character. I was drawn to his character from the get-go and felt myself getting offended on his behalf when business deals tanked or were sabotaged by petty and ignorant people more worried about appearances than the good he provided for the community and his business partners.

The sooner you figure out who the hell you are on the inside, the happier you'll be.

Vivienne Moore is outwardly a straight-laced buttoned-up event planner, dressing in prim and proper business suits and living in a sterile environment. Viv didn't have the easiest childhood with an uppity mother, a drunk father, and a sister following in his footsteps. So she thinks that by suppressing her nature (and wild curly hair), she will go through life safe and bored out of her mind. Needless to say, Viv was in dire need of someone to come and mess up her perfectly boring existence. I found her to be a tolerable heroine... I usually have such a hard time with heroines in contemporary romance, they tend to get on my nerves by being overly dramatic or running away from adult situations/responsibilities, etc. However, I commend Viv on her mostly reasonable ability to stick it out with Jace even when she wasn't absolutely sure what she was doing. I think any negative feelings I had toward her were out of jealousy because I would have scooped up that man in a heartbeat so I didn't identify with her hesitance. 

The relationship was definitely the main focus of this story, so it got going pretty fast from the start. Jace is a man that knows what he wants and goes after it... but it was nice to see that he respected Viv and reined in his alpha nature so he wouldn't spook her and send her running the opposite direction. But O-M-G, the sexual tension between these two! It was off the charts. Rhenna did a great job with the build up and wrote some exceedingly steamy sexytime that is sure to satisfy any smut lover. (You know who you are!) These two interacted and communicated like mature adults, which made me happy. I hate seeing unnecessary drama these days - my drama llama tolerance is quite low.

Never underestimate a high-caliber wingman, let alone a trio.

But back to this brotherhood... man these are some yummy dudes. I think Jace may be my favorite, but he is going to have some strong competition with Axel and his playful nature and Scots brogue. Next up is Zeke's story in Wild & Sweet.

Haven Brotherhood

Audiobook Review: Saint by A. Zavarelli

Series:	Boston Underworld #4
Pub. Date:	Jan 13, 2017
Publisher:	Self-Pub
Narrator:	Tracy Marks
Length:	8 hours 19 min
Source:	Author

I have enjoyed the boys of the Boston Underground series, particularly listening in audio as the narrator, Tracy Marks, does a good job with the Irish and Russian accents. This series is not for the faint of heart... its raw and gritty and sometimes graphic. Proceed at your own risk.

ARC Review: Stealing His Thunder by Sparrow Beckett

Series:	Masters of Adrenaline #1
Pub. Date:	June 21, 2016
Publisher:	Berkley Intermix
Length:	217 pages
Source:	NetGalley

The Masters of Adrenaline series is an erotic romance where Fast and Furious meets Gone in 60 Seconds. As long as you don't mind the criminal element, this one will be a hit with some of my smutty fans and followers because it was H-O-T hot. 

What can I say about Fox Larson?  Mmmm... well let's start with his red gold locks, man bun and multitude of tattoos. Now pair that with an expensive suit, a nice house, a garage full of expensive cars, and a dominant personality. Sounds yummy right? I have to admit that Fox was pretty steamy. He was also the head of an family auto theft syndicate. He would be your Dom/Vin Diesel character in Fast and Furious. He was seriously bossy in a delightfully yummy way and, profession aside, I probably would let him boss me around too. But I just couldn't get behind all the car theft. He tried to justify it by saying they weren't hurting anyone - but I just don't buy that argument. This wasn't the scenario of the "good" bad boy... Fox and gang weren't out to help law enforcement or anything like Brian and Dom in F&F. This was just straight up stealing cars for profit. It wasn't sexy for me.

Addison Kennedy is a smart and sassy girl with lots of potential for a bright future. She is on scholarship to get her graduate degree in Electrical Engineering, and she has some real talent. But... she would rather be stealing cars. I honestly had a harder time with her character than Fox. I just couldn't relate to her as a professional female who spent a whack on my education, I can't imagine throwing it all away for the thrill that she got from boosting a car. Addison was also somewhat immature and I didn't like how she handled a rough patch in the relationship with Fox... I want my characters communicating instead of playing games. (Do I sound like an old lady or nerdy bird yet?)

It's been a while since I've read anything in the BDSM trope, and this author did a good job with the steamy sexytime. The focus was more on the sex than the emotion, and those parts were well-written and definitely fogged my kindle a time or two. Fox and Addison's chemistry was off the charts, even if they weren't good about the whole adult communication thing. I would have loved some more character development there... a little more backstory or inner monologue may have drawn me in enough to get past the criminal aspect. 

I really thought that I would like this series more when I read the blurb... I love the Fast and Furious movies so I didn't think this would be a far stretch. But apparently I need some kind of redeeming aspects to support the illegal acts. Who knew? Don't get me wrong... I think the author's writing was good and most of the characters were interesting, and I had no qualms with the pacing or plot. I just couldn't get in the right head space to accept the premise. This surprised me given my love for mobsters and hit men... but thieves, not so much.

I voluntarily reviewed  a gratuitous copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Berkley.

Series Saturday Audiobook Review: The Player by Kresley Cole

Series:	Game Maker #3
Pub. Date:	June 22, 2016
Publisher:	Valkyrie Press
Narrator:	Kimberly Alexis
Length:	8 hrs 11 min

I got hooked on this series when The Professional originally came out as a serial. Kresley Cole knows how to write a good broody bad boy hero. I picked up the second two books of the series in audio because I wanted to hear those delicious Russian accents... and Kimberly Alexis was able to pull those off splendidly. 

Audiobook Review: Reaper by A. Zavarelli

Series:	Boston Underworld #2
Pub. Date:	July 22, 2016
Publisher:	Self-Pub
Narrator:	Tracy Marks
Length:	8 hrs 42 min
Source:	Author/Audible

It's been a while since I've read a mafia romance... and this one intrigued me because the author said the audiobook was accent-heavy. I love accents in my audiobooks, so I jumped on the chance to review. It's also my first read by A. Zavarelli, and I have to say that I am a fan. I will definitely check out the rest of this series now.

Audiobook Review: Better When He's Bad by Jay Crownover

Better When He's Bad 
by Jay Crownover
Series:  Welcome to the Point #1
Pub. Date:  June 17, 2014
Publisher:  Harper Audio
Narrator:  Leland King, Mia Barron
Length:  10 hrs 42 min
Format:  Audiobook
Source:  Audible

My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

Welcome to the Point

There’s a difference between a bad boy and a boy who’s bad . . . meet Shane Baxter.

Sexy, dark, and dangerous, Bax isn’t just from the wrong side of the tracks, he is the wrong side of the tracks. A criminal, a thug, and a brawler, he’s the master of bad choices, until one such choice landed him in prison for five years. Now Bax is out and looking for answers, and he doesn’t care what he has to do or who he has to hurt to get them. But there’s a new player in the game, and she’s much too innocent, much too soft…and standing directly in his way.

Dovie Pryce knows all about living a hard life and the tough choices that come with it. She’s always tried to be good, tried to help others, and tried not to let the darkness pull her down. But the streets are fighting back, things have gone from bad to worse, and the only person who can help her is the scariest, sexiest, most complicated ex-con The Point has ever produced.

Bax terrifies her, but it doesn’t take Dovie long to realize that some boys are just better when they’re bad. 

Ah, I am kicking myself again for not writing a review as soon as I read the book. Here I am 3 weeks later trying to remember all the things that made me love this book. I do remember that this book started me on a bad boy kick, but none of my follow-up reads quite matched up to Bax and Dove.

ARC Review: Dirty Sexy Inked by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde

Dirty Sexy Inked 
by Carly Phillips
Series:  Dirty Sexy #2
Pub. Date:  April 5, 2016
Publisher:  Self-Pub
Pages:  168
Format:  eARC
Source:  Rock Star PR


My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

Breaking hearts is what wild and rebellious Mason Kincaid does best. Hit it and quit it is his motto, and with his bad boy reputation and tattoos, he doesn't lack for female companionship. Until one hot night with the one woman he swore he'd never touch becomes an all consuming addiction he can't kick. Katrina Sands has been his best friend for years, but now that he knows what she feels like, and tastes like, there is no going back to being just friends. Hot, dirty sex has never felt so good...or so right.

WooHoo. Much like Dirty Sexy Saint, Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde have produced another contemporary romance which made it past my increasingly hard-to-please self when it comes to contemporary romance. I am trying to get over the burn out, but its more miss than hit lately. So I am totally digging Carly and Erika as a writing duo.

Audiobook Review: Built by Jay Crownover

Built 
by Jay Crownover
Series:  Saints of Denver #1
Pub. Date:  Jan. 5, 2016
Publisher:  HarperAudio
Narrator:  Nicki D. Noir, Jay Crow
Length:  9 hrs 16 min
Format:  Audiobook
Source:  Audible
Challenges:  New to You (author)


My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

The first in the new SAINTS OF DENVER series from NYT bestselling author of the MARKED MEN series, Jay Crownover

Sometimes you have to tear everything down to build something new…

Sayer Cole is frozen inside. At least, that’s what it’s felt like for as long as she can remember. She’s yet to let anyone past her icy exterior – and the one guy she thinks might melt her heart couldn’t possibly be interested in someone so uptight.

Rough, hard and hot-as-hell, Zeb Fuller has rebuilt his life and his construction business since protecting his family sent him to jail all those years ago. His elegant client, Sayer, makes him feel like a Neanderthal in denim, but despite the many hints that he’s been dropping to get to know her better, she seems oblivious to his charms.

Just as things finally start to heat up, Zeb’s past comes back to haunt him and he needs Sayer’s professional help to right a wrong and to save more than himself. As these opposites dig in for the fight of their lives, fire and ice collide in an unstoppable explosion of steam… 

I started listening to this audiobook without realizing that its a series spinoff of Marked Men, which I have not read. Unfortunately, I think you do need to read that series first or you will not understand what is going on with some of these characters, particularly Rowdy, Salem and Poppy. There is a lot of character crossover from the previous series, so it would just give you a better working knowledge of who these people are and what they have been through.