ARC Review: Satisfaction by Lexi Blake

Series:	Lawless #2
Pub. Date:	Jan. 3, 2017
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	384 pages
Source:	NetGalley

This is one of my blogger shame books - a review that fell through the cracks back the first of the year when I had to get one of those dreaded eye injections. So I apologize to Lexi and Berkley for this being so late. I definitely wish I would have gotten to it sooner than now! Things have gotten very interesting in the Lawless family.

The next mark for the Lawless siblings is Carly Fisher, personal assistant to the evil television homemaker, Patty Cain. Carly got conned by an embezzling ex-husband and is being blackmailed to stay in her job with Patty, so her life is fairly miserable. When the country girl escaped from Alabama to join the glitzy team with Patricia's Paradise, things didn't turn out quite like she hoped. Despite her friendly and caring personality, things with Patty and the ex instilled Carly with self-esteem and adequacy issues. When she is approached by Brandon Lawless, with his movie star good looks and mesmerizing smile, Carly's perceived inadequacies often went into overdrive and had her second-guessing his motives, words and attraction.

ARC Review and Giveaway: From Duke Till Dawn by Eva Leigh

Series:	London Underground #1
Pub. Date:	May 30, 2017
Publisher:	Avon
Length:	384 pages
Source:	Edelweiss

Following The Wicked Quills of London series, Eva Leigh is continuing the theme of unconventional heroines of the commoner class paired with intriguing heroes of the nobility in this new London Underground series. Fans of the rags-to-riches trope will surely enjoy watching these women of questionable moral character get their hooks into dashing dukes and enticing earls.

Alexander Lewis, Duke of Greyland is a staid and stuffy lord with an air of vulnerability. After losing his heart to a disappearing widow, Greyland has now been jilted by his intended bride and must show himself to the lords and ladies of society to prove that he is not pining away in the ducal mansion. Despite his outward display of the utmost propriety, our poor duke feels quite unlovable and believes there is something wrong with him. This first introduction to Greyland got my empathy engaged and created a soft spot for the duke with this reader. Unfortunately, that was to the detriment of the heroine of this story.

Cassandra Blake is a swindler from Southwark, having grown up in the streets after her father expired in debtor's prison. She learned the art of the con as she matured, and played the beautiful destitute widow as a means to bilk men out of their money. This was the method of Cassandra's first encounter with our desirous duke, after which she disappeared, crushing his spurned heart in the process. Two years later, Cassandra will come face-to-face with Greyland as she assists London's finest to part with their funds inside a gaming hell. Unfortunately for her, knowing that Cassandra was a con artist and had crushed our hero's heart predisposed me not to like her character. Greyland got to my hole of empathy first and filled it up before I could consider Cassandra's tragic childhood and rough upbringing. It didn't help that she was obsessed with his privation and her privilege, and she attempted to make him feel bad for the circumstances of his birth. So I tended to nitpick her character flaws without much forgiveness for a hard-lived life.

Greyland's prior entanglement with Cassandra and his lingering feelings made the betrayal, once discovered, all the more poignant. I could not fault him for the spark of hate he felt, and felt bad that he despaired all the more for his unlovable self-identity. However, I did enjoy watching the stuffy duke come alive with his entree into the criminal underground to aid his deceptive damsel. Greyland learned that he thrived on the excitement and danger, and was tired of the mundane matters which he faced daily. I especially loved that our uptight duke had a naughty side, and became quite the capable dirty talker once he and Cassandra rekindled their intimacy. 

The betrayal of Cassandra by her business partner was a multi-faceted plot device. As the betrayer becomes the betrayed, she must walk a mile in the shoes of her victims, and she sees for the first time just how hurtful her actions may have been. The search for the missing business partner and funds also allowed our H/h to be thrown together in dangerous and titillating situations, which heightened their desire, and sparked and magnified the old feelings each had. I did feel like the duke bent his beliefs and understanding more than the heroine, but hope that we will see them in a more equal light as the series progresses. 

I recommend this story to fans of historical romance, specifically the rags-to-riches trope. I am particularly interested in the story of Amina and the Earl of Langdon, so I will be watching for the next release date. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Avon.

About the Author

Eva Leigh is a romance author who has always loved the Regency era. She writes novels chock-full of smart women and sexy men. She enjoys baking, spending too much time on the Internet, and listening to music from the ’80s. Eva and her husband live in Central California.

Eva also writes in multiple romance genres as RITA-award nominated Zoë Archer.

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Audiobook Review: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

Series:	Outlander #2
Pub. Date:	Oct. 26, 2006 (Audio)
Publisher:	Recorded Books
Narrator:	Davina Porter
Length:	38 hrs 58 min

I'm finding it hard to review a book that I have read five times... I'm worried that what I want to say would be too spoilery! So this will probably be a very short review of a very long book. If I ever got stranded on a desert island, I would hope to have the Outlander series with me - and not just for entertainment, but also in case I needed a step stool! At 700-1000 pages a pop, these books will aggravate your carpal tunnel both because of the weight, and because you won't want to put them down! I tend to do my re-reads of the series in audio these days because I just love the narrator, Davina Porter. 

Guest Review by Julie: The Darkest Corner by Liliana Hart

Series:	Gravediggers #1
Pub. Date:	May 23, 2017
Publisher:	Pocket Books
Length:	368 pages
Source:	NetGalley

A small town mortician, Tess Sherman is sweet and smart with a red head's temperament. She's also introverted, a terrible cook, and talks to herself more than she should. She's been saving her pennies to purchase the local mortuary, but someone else sweet talks the owner into selling out to them. Suddenly, Tess finds herself managing a group of men who are definitely not in the mortuary business. One in particular catches her eye, but she's been burned by a bad relationship and is no hurry to start again. 

Deacon Tucker is a man of many secrets. Burned from his previous job because of his moral compass, he now leads a select group of men called The Gravediggers- an intelligence strike force team created to combat domestic terrorism. He's had his eye on Tess for the last two years, but his current position isn't tailored for a relationship. When his boss tells him to bring her in on the current situation, he decides he's going to go for full disclosure with Tess and hope for the best.

Tess and Deacon's romance came on fast and hot! They had an easy banter between them that was fun to read and their chemistry provided amusing fodder for the rest of the town to feast on. 

The vast amount of information on mortuaries did drag the story out at times, but the unique environment had me curious enough that I learned more than I wanted..and discovered a morbid interest in a topic that gives me the willies just saying the word. Filled with an amusing variety of characters, Last Stop embodies the nosy, yet protective, nature that comes with living in small towns. Tess's gambling-addicted mother and Russian mafia connected grandmother raised my eyebrows with their antics a few times, while the "binocular watching" women as the Gravediggers work out had me cracking up!

The first book in the series, The Darkest Corner was a lot of informational set-up for further books in the series. The concept of the Gravediggers is pretty nifty with "dead" guys trying to keep the spread of terrorism from home soil and reminded me a little of Lora Leigh's Elite Ops series-except the Gravediggers had more mystery than suspense. My curiosity is now spiking about the guys' pasts, and I'm hoping the next book will provide more answers!

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About the Author

Liliana Hart is a New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly Bestselling Author of more than 40 titles. After starting her first novel her freshman year of college, she immediately became addicted to writing and knew she'd found what she was meant to do with her life. She has no idea why she majored in music.

Since self-publishing in June of 2011, Liliana has sold more than 3 million ebooks and been translated into eight languages. She's appeared at #1 on lists all over the world and all three of her series have appeared on the New York Times list. Liliana is a sought after speaker and she's given keynote speeches and self-publishing workshops to standing-room-only crowds from California to New York to London.

Liliana can almost always be found at her computer writing or on the road giving workshops for SilverHart International, a company she founded with her partner, Scott Silverii, where they provide law enforcement, military, and fire resources for writers so they can write it right. Liliana is a recent transplant to Southern Louisiana, where she's getting used to the humidity and hurricane season, and plotting murders (for her books, of course).

Find Liliana Hart Online

Website Mailing List Goodreads Amazon Facebook Twitter Pinterest

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Reviewed by Julie H. for Bambi Unbridled

Julie is a transplanted military brat that now calls the Midwest home with her own romantic hero, daughter and two furbabies. While she toils the day away in a medical office, she would really rather be reading! Julie loves historical romance, steampunk, romantic suspense, military romance (duh!), paranormal and urban fantasy.  She loves a kickass take-charge heroine, lots of action, and the all-important HEA. Julie can get down with an alpha male, but she does not discount a nerdy hero with a sexy brain.

Julie and Bambi met at the RT Convention where they found themselves standing in many lines, sharing their similar reading interests, and fangirling over attending authors.

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ARC Review: Wrecked by Cynthia Eden

Series:	LOST #6
Pub. Date:	May 30, 2017
ublisher:	Avon
Length:	384 pages
Source:	Edelweiss

Wrecked is the sixth and final installment of the Last Option Search Team series, that quickly rocketed to the top of my favorite romantic suspense list. So this is a bittersweet end for me. I loved getting to know all the members of the LOST team, but I'm sad to see them go. I hope that Cynthia Eden continues writing these dark gritty serial killer type romantic suspense stories, because she does it exceedingly well. Sometimes I want to peek into her brain to see how she creates the dark and twisty villains that were featured in this series.

ARC Review: Shadow Reaper by Christine Feehan

Series:	Shadow #2
Pub. Date:	May 30, 2017
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	480 pages
Source:	NetGalley

Christine Feehan has created such a unique series with her Shadow Riders... a sect of humans with the paranormal ability to "ride" shadow tubes, which allows them to travel place to place very quickly and undetected. The purpose of the supernatural Shadow Riders is to mete out justice to the derelict and deserving, usually those operating in the underbelly of society. In this second installment of the series, the Ferraro family finds itself the target of a dangerous plot which will see them suffering injuries and death before all is said and done.

If you have read Shadow Rider, you will remember that Ricco Ferraro was the darker and more mysterious of the Ferraro clan. He was broody and dangerous and reckless. After a near-death experience (one of many it appears), Ricco's family lays down the law that he has to shape up or Stefano will take him off the Rider rotation. This drives Ricco to look for a rope model that will allow him to lose himself in the art of Shibari. Ricco was the Ferraro whom I was most drawn to in Shadow Rider, as I have always had a thing for the dark and broody bad boy. I liked the amount of character development that we had for Ricco. The things he went through as a teenager, and the level of stress and responsibility he felt thereafter definitely created a level of despondency and desperation for our hero. I am impressed that he he held it together for as long as he did. But when Ricco finds his matching Shadow Rider, things are not going to be smooth sailing - especially as she has come to kill him.

ARC Review: White Hot by Ilona Andrews

Series:	Hidden Legacy #2
Pub. Date:	May 30, 2017
Publisher:	Avon
Length:	416 pages
Source:	Edelweiss

Well this book certainly grabbed me and wouldn't let go... until about 3am when I got to the final page. So I have Ilona and Gordon to blame for the deep dark circles under my eyes today. White Hot is an action-packed magical fantasy that sees our favorite couple heating up while battling a cold-hearted villain. 

Audiobook Review: Blame It on the Duke by Lenora Bell

Series:	Disgraceful Dukes #3
Pub. Date:	Apr. 25, 2017
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Beverley Crick
Length:	9 hrs 24 min
Source:	Publisher

I have been looking forward to this installment of The Disgraceful Dukes as it features Lady Alice Tombs, whom we met in How the Duke was Won as the intellectual eccentric who did not want to marry. This is my favorite installment of the series thus far.

Lady Alice is a unique and bookish young woman, who is engaged in the translation of an ancient Indian copy of the Kama Sutra. Longing to travel to Calcutta to share her discovery and work, Alice shuns marriage and finds creative ways to scare off fortune hunters and prospective husbands. This usually includes spouting random, detailed and grotesque facts about the topic of the moment, be it insects or murder. And if her bouts of TMI don't do it, Alice is ready with a trusty hat pin. I liked Alice and found her oddities to be refreshing. 

Guest Review by Julie: Power Game by Christine Feehan

Series:	GhostWalkers #13
Pub. Date:	Jan. 24, 2017
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	464 pages

Ezekiel Fortunes is a skilled doctor, has the mad skills of a hunter, telepathic, and he's extremely loyal to the select few who've earned it. So he sounds like a total bad ass, yet he only adds to his credentials with his behavior towards Pepper and Wyatt's triplets. (see Spider Game for the backstory, but in short, the triplets were an experiment gone wrong and they produce venom in their systems that kill). He's a total marshmallow and thought nobody knew about his jaunts out with the girls, singing and telling stories..swoon worthy moment, lol! With babies on the brain, Ezekiel becomes aware of how empty his life is beyond the team and his siblings. He's a protector, but wants someone who is independent and not afraid to lean on him, and vice versa, when needed; a tall order that's hard to fill. 

ARC Review: Come Sundown by Nora Roberts

Pub. Date:	May 30, 2017
Publisher:	St. Martin's Press
Length:	480 pages
Source:	Publisher

I devour every J.D. Robb novel that comes out, but I don't often find myself grabbing the Nora Roberts books. I don't have any rhyme or reason for that, other than time and opportunity. I do have some of the Nora Roberts audiobooks lined up for a my road trip next month though, so I can at least start working on the backlog.

Come Sundown is a a modern western romance, set on a horse ranch and resort in the beautiful landscape of Montana. Between the horses and the detailed landscape, it really has me wanting to go spend some time on a dude ranch (and maybe rope me a cowboy)!

ARC Review: Positively Pippa by Sarah Hegger

Series:	Ghost Falls #1
Pub. Date:	May 30, 2017
Publisher:	Kensington
Length:	352 pages
Source:	NetGalley

As a fan of Sarah Hegger's Sir Arthur's Legacy series, this is my first time giving her contemporary romance a shot. I'm not a huge reader of contemporary romance because I have gotten rather picky (it's a side effect of finding gray hair, I promise). But I will be adding Sarah to my trusted authors list for contemporary. Positively Pippa checked all my boxes with mature characters, a likable heroine, a fun flirty hero, a lovable secondary character, minimal angst and drama, and an awesome setting.

Audiobook Review: King by Eve Langlais

Series:	Space Gypsy #4
Pub. Date:	April 25, 2017
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Chandra Skyye
Length:	8 hrs 47 min
Source:	Publisher

I am sad that this fun and entertaining space odyssey romance series come to an end... it's been a wild ride! There have been some major twists and turns that hit me out of left field, and King is no exception.

Rafe, The Chosen One, is finally on the path to the lead his people home to the lost Rhomanii planet. Emma and Mikhail are along for the ride and following Rafe's lead by necessity. That doesn't stop Emma from being a ridiculous damsel in need of saving... but she amazingly still hasn't gotten on my nerves. I found her horrid helplessness amusing most of the time. Mikhail is still the odd man out, which made him a sympathetic figure. He is pining for Emma, hated by his people, and trying to understand a confusing relationship with his brother.  

Guest Review by Julie: Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs

Series:	Alpha & Omega #2
Pub. Date:	Aug. 25, 2009
Publisher:	Ace Books
Length:	286 pages

Wolves, vampires and fae..oh my..

The wolves are gathering for negotiations about coming out publicly to humans. Not all in attendance are in agreement with the plan, and something sinister is afoot.

I loved this entry! Anna has come a long way since her initial introduction, Charles has more humor and romanticism than I thought he was capable of, and the wolf drama..I so enjoy when the villains get their comeuppance!

Audiobook Review: Highland Blood by Melanie Karsak

Series:	Celtic Blood #2
Pub. Date:	Jan. 5, 2017
Publisher:	Clockpunk Press
Narrator:	Lesley Parkin
Length:	5 hrs 38 min

Highland Blood picks up after that cliffhanger that killed me in Highland Raven. There was too much time between me reading the books, so I went back and re-listened to  Highland Raven before starting this one. (It was just as good the second time around!)

The Celtic Blood series is a fantastical retelling of the life of Lady MacBeth (a/k/a Gruoch, a/k/a Ceredwyn), from the time she was a young girl and progressing through her life in Medieval Scotland. Highland Raven focused on Gruoch's early life and meeting of her soul mate, Banquo. In Highland Blood, Grouch has returned from her time in the Otherworld with a marriage contract solidified to Gille Coemgain. Gruoch had to learn to let go of Banquo and accept her fate as a pawn of King Malcolm II.

Interview with Maya Banks for New Release: Just One Touch

A suspenseful and sizzling story of a young woman who 
escapes a terrifying past… into a more uncertain future.

JUST ONE TOUCH

Slow Burn #5

Maya Banks

Released May 9, 2017

Avon Books

Multiple #1 New York Times bestselling author Maya Banks continues her Slow Burn series with a suspenseful and sizzling story of a young woman who escapes a terrifying past… into a more uncertain future.