ARC Review: Down & Dirty by Rhenna Morgan

Series:	Men of Haven #6
Pub. Date:	March 11, 2019
Publisher:	Carina Press
Length:	368 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

Welp. Here's another book for my favorites shelf. That's not really surprising given how much I have been raving about this delicious hero as we waited for his story throughout the series. It killed me to not be able to devour this book in one sitting - but work kept getting in the way and this review is way later than I expected it to be. But it was kinda nice to spend a little time with the book each night before I fell into bed... too bad I didn't have an Axel there to "run lines" with. ;)

ARC Review: Outcast by Lexi Blake

Series:	Thieves #9 / Hunter #4
Pub. Date:	Dec. 4, 2018
Publisher:	DLZ Entertainment
Length:	325 pgs
Source:	InkslingrPR

I absolutely love the Thieves/Hunters world, and these are some of my very favorite urban fantasy books. Unfortunately I made the mistake of starting this book late at night, so I was up until 2am finishing it. Now my brain is too tired to write a coherent review!

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: Serpentine by Laurell K. Hamilton

Series:	Anita Blake #26
Pub. Date:	Aug 7, 2018
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	512 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

It's hard to believe that Serpentine is the 26th book in the Anita Blake series. I wish the Merry Gentry series had so many books out! I'm glad they are both still going as, whenever one comes out, it's like spending some time with old friends (who are ass-kicking monster killers).

ARC Review: Disorderly Conduct by Tessa Bailey

Series:	The Academy #1
Pub. Date:	Aug. 29, 2017
Publisher:	Avon
Length:	354 pgs
Source:	Publisher

I hear people rave about Tessa Bailey all the time, and her steamy dirty-talking heroes. This is my actual first time reading her, and though this story was not for me, I did like her writing style and will be reading her again in the future. I will probably even continue with this series as I think I will like the other lead characters to come.

Audiobook Review: Queen takes Knights by Joely Sue Burkhart

Series: Their Vampire Queen #1 Pub. Date: May 8, 2018 Publisher: Tantor Audio Narrators: Tristan James Cassandra Myles Length: 5 hrs 31 min Source: Publisher

So my friend Deanna has been raving about a lot of reverse harem lately, a new trend/trope in the romance community, particularly with indie authors. It seems that most of these stories are written in the young adult and new adult age groups, but I wanted to give it a shot and see what all the hoopla is about. The Their Vampire Queen seemed liked a good and steamy place to start, with each book being a quick read of about novella length.

Shara Isador grew up not knowing what she was or anything about her heritage. All Shara knew was that she was in constant danger, and both of her parents died protecting her. But when two handsome strangers come to Shara's rescue one night in the middle of Arkansas, it begins an enlightening and awakening for Shara where she will learn her true nature, potential, and power.

ARC Review: Stand & Deliver by Rhenna Morgan

Series:	Men of Haven #4
Pub. Date:	June 11, 2018
Publisher:	Carina Press
Length:	384 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

Stand & Deliver is the fourth installment of Rhenna Morgan's steamy Men of Haven series, that features a close-knit group of alpha males who have created their own family, regardless of blood ties. While this story could probably be read as a standalone, I do not recommend it. You will want all the mouthwatering details from the beginning, so start with Jace's story in Rough & Tumble to get the scoop on how this brotherhood started.

Audiobook Review: One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Series:	Night Huntress #2
Pub. Date:	Oct. 20, 2010
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio
Narrator::	Tavia Gilbert
Length:	9 hrs 47 min
Source:	Hoopla

My binge of the Night Huntress series continued right through my 3-day road trip, and I of course couldn't skip probably the most infamous book of the series. Having met Jeaniene a few times at signings now, I have heard her speak about this book more than once. Whenever Chapter 32 gets brought up, I can't help but chuckle at her story. She really is one of the most down-to-earth, humble and funny authors that I have met.

Note: This review may contain spoilers for prior books in the series.

ARC Review: Guardian's Bond by Rhenna Morgan

Series:	Ancient Ink #1
Pub. Date:	March 12, 2018
Publisher:	Carina Press
Length:	393 pages
Source:	NetGalley

I'm a big fan of Rhenna Morgan's Men of Haven series, but this is the first time I have read one of her paranormals (despite having her Eden series on my TBR forever). So I'm glad to be getting in on the Ancient Ink series at the outset, and this will spur me to get started on Eden. 

Ancient Ink centers around a race of magical people in a somewhat clannish society. Their various powers are tied to the Otherworld and they have a animal companion, which allows them to shapeshift into that form. They are a long-lived race integrated with human society, but don't seem to be "out" as far as their magical abilities go. The world setting is the modern United States, so not a ton of world building is needed and you instead will be focusing on the characters and their relationships.

Audiobook Review: The Charmer by Avery Flynn

Series:	Harbor City #2
Pub. Date:	Nov. 31, 2017
Publisher:	Entangled Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Tatiana Sokolov
Length:	282 pages 7hrs 35min
Source:	NetGalley / Hoopla

This is my first time reading Avery Flynn, and I have to apologize for this review being way late. This is one of the books that fell through the cracks when I was moving across country, so I've pulled it from my blogger shame list with one of my new year's goals to get caught up.

I haven't read the first book in the series yet, and I didn't feel like I was lost or missing information. So if you are reading these out of order, you should be fine.

Hudson Carlyle is our wealthy and artistic hero, and younger brother to Sawyer (hero in The Negotiator). Hudson is a fun-loving and smooth-talking flirt, who hasn't met a woman whom he can't charm. Well, that was the case until he met our confidently nerdy heroine, Felicia Hartigan. When Felicia doesn't fall for his alluring wit, Hudson devises a scheme disguised as an experiment to make Felicia redirect her interest his way. I really liked Hudson. He was a lot of fun and a little dirty, and definitely got things steamy when it counted.

ARC Review: Judgment Road by Christine Feehan

Series:	Torpedo Ink #1
Pub Date:	Jan 23, 2018
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	462 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

I have been totally excited about this new series from Christine Feehan. I was a little worried as its a spinoff of the popular Sea Haven series and, despite my work on reading her back list, I haven't read this entire series yet. While there were a few areas where I wished I had the backstory, for the most part I was fine reading this without reading that earlier series.

So... Torpedo Ink. A motorcycle club and family forged in horrific circumstances. Seriously, the back story on these guys (and girls) is so sad and intense and sometimes hard to read. So it was emotional as hell y'all. In addition to their tortured background, these guys are trained assassins and most have some special ability. There were only light paranormal elements, not enough to really classify this as a paranormal romance, but a nice blend of fantasy and dark reality to make our characters more interesting.

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: Heart on Fire by Amanda Bouchet

Series:	Kingmaker Chronicles #3
Pub. Date:	Jan 2, 2018
Publisher:	Sourcebooks Casablanca
Length:	448 pages
Source:	NetGalley

The Kingmaker Chronicles has been packed full of action and sensuality, and is one of my favorite series over the past year. This riveting conclusion is how I rang in the new year, and it was somewhat bittersweet to know that the series is ending so soon.

In Breath of Fire, we saw Catalia "Cat" Fisa, mature as a character and start to accept her fate as future queen of Thalyria. In Heart on Fire, Cat continues to realize what the gods intended by imbuing her with their power and setting her on the path to become a savior of Thalyria. I liked that Cat was continuously humbled by everyone's belief in her and support of her power bid. I also thought that the touch of vulnerability in Cat when it came to her relationship with Griffin helped humanize her, and soften the edges of our kickass heroine.

ARC Review: The Hookup by Kristen Ashley

Series:	Moonlight & Motor Oil #1
Pub. Date:	Dec. 19, 2017
Publisher:	Self-Pub
Length:	358 pgs
Source:	InkslingrPR

I don't know whether to sigh or swoon. This book was all the best things... sweet, sappy, a little sad, and definitely steamy. I can't tell you how excited I am about a new series from the Queen, Kristen Ashley. The Moonlight and Motor Oil series promises to be just as captivating as The Burg and Colorado Mountain has been, with lots of endearing characters and small town charm. 

Audiobook Review: Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

Series:	Ice Planet Barbarians #1
Pub. Date:	Nov. 21, 2017
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrators:	Hollie Jackson Mason Lloy
Length:	5 hrs 51 min
Source:	Publisher

So I'm not a huge reader of science fiction - I just had not found the stories that were that good mix of fun, romance and implausibility to hold my interest. But I have been hearing about the Ice Planet Barbarians for months and months now, and I wanted to give them a shot. However, between the move and work, I just haven't been able to fit the print books into my reading schedule. So I am super excited that Tantor Audio has picked up this series in audio so I can listen to a little alien action while I'm working around the house on the weekend. These big blue barbarians sure made my day of meal prep more interesting! And I am definitely a fan of this series, and it has made me more willing to consider other science fiction reads in the future. (Bonus - as of the date of this review, the ebooks are available on Kindle Unlimited.)

ARC Review: Tempted & Taken by Rhenna Morgan

Series:	Men of Haven #4
Pub. Date:	Nov. 20, 2017
Publisher:	Carina Press
Length:	432 pages
Source:	NetGalley

I have been thoroughly enamored by Rhenna Morgan's Men of Haven this year, and I will be very impatient about having to wait until next year to get my next Haven alpha fix.  This series is premised on a group of testosterone-laden men, some with tragic pasts, who have made their own family of in a sort of alpha brotherhood. While each makes his own independent living, the brothers stick together when the going gets tough or when there is fun to be had.

Knox Torren is somewhat of an alpha geek, one that you often behind a computer screen writing code or hacking secure systems. He is also a serial ladies man, a love 'em and leave 'em (screaming after an orgasm) type. Though Knox doesn't set out to hurt the women he sleeps with, and is honest with them from the start that he doesn't do relationships, he can't quite keep them from getting emotionally involved. And who can blame them with the way Knox takes care of business? So why doesn't Knox do relationships, well that's a story for his tragic past that is better discovered by the reader. I liked Knox, but not quite as much as I went gaga for the previous heroes in the series. He was a bit more aloof and bullheaded about the "no relationships" aspect, and I felt like the bit about his past was a tad overblown. But that is me injecting my own sensibilities onto a fictional character. He definitely had talent, no doubt perfected by the repeated practice with women all over town. But once Knox fell... he fell hard and went after his woman with a single-minded determination.

Audiobook Review: Fire in His Blood by Ruby Dixon

Series:	Fireblood Dragon #1
Pub. Date:	June 20, 2017
Publisher:	Forever Romance
Narrators:	Noelle Bridges Jeremy York
Length:	11 hrs 27 min
Source:	Publisher

Ruby Dixon is a new-to-me author but one that I have been hearing about quite often, usually in reference to her Ice Planet Barbarians series. So I was looking forward to a little dragony alpha action, and this hero did not disappoint.

I liked the world-building for this series. We are operating in a post-apocalyptic Dallas, but not too far past the catastrophic event. About seven years ago, a big whole ripped in the sky and dragons came through. Most of them went crazy and started scorching the earth and killing off humanity. So now those who are left are eking out a meager existence behind makeshift forts with militia men and dictatorial mayors. The populace either has to obey the rules, or risk their safety on the outside. Neither is a good option.

ARC Review: Nauti Angel by Lora Leigh

Series:	Nauti #9
Pub. Date:	Nov. 7, 2017
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	349 pages
Source:	NetGalley

I was a big fan of the early Nauti books, but it has been a long time since I read them. I thought I would try to jump back into the series with the latest installment, Nauti Angel, and I ended up having a hard time with it. I couldn't remember quite what happened in those earlier books, and I have obviously missed what has been happening with the Mackays over the last few books of this spinoff series. 

Our heroine is a rough and tumble kickass mercenary chick, at only 23 years old. She has been taught to fight and survive since she was 3 years old, and she can allegedly remember everything back to her first birthday and first steps. While I like a good kickass heroine, that memory thing was a bit of a stretch for me. Nevertheless, Angel (f/k/a Beth) was a good heroine. She was tough, but caring. Capable and sure of her self, but that surety often came across in humorous ways. She also had a lot of vulnerability from her past that she tried to hide and stuff down so no one would see it. So overall I found her to be relatable and engaging, and I was glad our hero was around to break down her walls.

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.

Guest Review by Julie: Forever Mated by Alma Black

Series:	Shifter Date #4
Pub. Date:	Jan 10, 2017
Publisher:	Self-Pub
Length:	100 pages
Source:	Author

Professionally, Kyra is a confident and intelligent woman. When it comes to relationships, however, that same confidence disappears leaving her struggling on the dating front. She's made a fool of herself once in the love department and has no desire to repeat the experience. But there's just something about Zac that calls to her inner lioness.