To try an catch up on some reviews, I decided to do a list of books I have finished over the holidays and at work lately. They are ones I haven’t had a chance to write full reviews on, but should still give you an idea of what I rated them and an overall expression for each one.

1. THE IMMORTAL WHO LOVED ME by Lynsay Sands

The Immortal Who Loved Me
(2 Stars)  

I love Lynsay Sands and her vampire romance books, but this one just felt as a filler book with no real chemistry between the two main characters. It felt forced, rushed and bland. It didn’t have the creative spark that she has had in the past books of the series.

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2. LONDON FALLING (THE RULEFORDS) by Emma Carr

London Falling

(2 Stars)

Wasn’t a huge fan of the writing in this one. The plot was okay but poorly executed for me with little appeal. It did have some aspects that lured it to the 2 star rating but it never made it past that.

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3. HANSEL#1: An Erotic Fairy Tale by Ella James

Hamsel
(1 Star)

Creepy and skeevy in my opinion. I was not as thrilled with this one as other readers have been. I just couldn’t get past some of the things that happened. I honestly had to force myself to finish this book and then have to deal with the ending we were given.

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4. KALEIDOSCOPE by Kristen Ashley

Kaleidoscope
(3 Stars)

Love this author but her writing voice grated on my nerves slightly in this book.  I think I am just over the speech –and sometimes lack of speech– that this author is famous for. I might reread this one in the future though to see if it is just my reading preference at the moment.

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5. IN KELLY’S CORNER by Roxie Rivera

In Kelly's Corner
(4 STARS)

Absolutely loved this book.  While it did have a little bit of story hiccups along the way, I truly enjoyed the journey and entertainment of this book. Another author I am adding to my auto-buy list.

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We are so excited about the cover reveal for Jay Crownover’s ASA! ASA is the sixth and final book in Jay’s Marked Men Series, published by HarperCollins. Check out the hot cover and don’t forget to pre-order your copy today!

 

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Amazon US ** iBooks ** Barnes & Noble ** Kobo

About ASA:

Starting over in Denver with a whole new circle of friends and family, Asa Cross struggles with being the man he knows everyone wants him to be and the man he knows he really is. A leopard doesn’t it change its spots and Asa has always been a predator. He doesn’t want to hurt those who love and rely on him, especially one stunning arresting cop who suddenly seems to be interested in him for far more than his penchant for breaking the law. But letting go of old habits is hard, and it’s easy to hit bottom when it’s the place you know best.

Royal Hastings is quickly learning what the bottom looks like after a tragic situation at work threatens not only her career but her partner’s life. As a woman who has only ever had a few real friends she’s trying to muddle through her confusion and devastation all alone. Except she can’t stop thinking about the sexy southern bartender she locked up. Crushing on Asa is the last thing she needs but his allure is too strong to resist. His long criminal record can only hurt her already shaky career and chasing after a guy who has no respect for the law or himself can only end in heartbreak.

A longtime criminal and a cop together just seems so wrong . . . but for Asa and Royal, being wrong together is the only right choice to make.

 

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And don’t miss the previous books in The Marked Men Series!

RULE

JET

ROME

NASH

ROWDY

And don’t miss Jay at 3pm EST over at the Between The Covers page on Facebook today! Come chat with her!

 

Jay CrownoverAbout Jay Crownover:

Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men series. She also introduced the dark and sexy world of The Point that started with BETTER WHEN HE’s BAD and is currently working on her newest series The Saint of Denver. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she’ll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs.

 

Website ** Blog ** Facebook ** Twitter ** ASA Goodreads ** Jay Crownover Goodreads

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Kallypso Masters has a
surprise new release!
The fifth book in the
Rescue Me Saga released Dec. 9. While we all were expecting it to be time for
Luke and Cassie, Kally’s recent battle with cancer derailed those plans. But
not wanting to disappoint her fans, she wrote what was going to be a book about
half this size but just kept growing so that she could give her fans a book
this fall as promised.
NOBODY’S LOST is about
two characters who have had minor roles to this point in the Rescue Me Saga,
but who will play a large part in the future books in the series, including
NOBODY’S DREAM (Luke’s book which will release by March 4, 2015 now that
Kally’s cancer free and able to concentrate on it again.)
Haven’t read Kally’s
books before? No problem! NOBODY’S LOST provides readers with a new entry point
to the series. However, most readers enjoy and understand the depth of these
stories much more so when they read in order, starting with the first book, MASTERS
AT ARMS & NOBODY’S ANGEL (almost 500 pages in print!), which is FREE
everywhere. That’s the ideal place to start! Here’s the reading order for all
available books (including preorders):
MASTERS AT ARMS &
NOBODY’S ANGEL (FREE!)

NOBODY’S HERO

NOBODY’S PERFECT

SOMEBODY’S ANGEL

NOBODY’S LOST (releases Dec. 9–available for preorder one more day)

NOBODY’S DREAM (releases March 4 at latest–available for preorder)

Nobody’s Lost Description
and Buy Links
A standalone novel about
two characters with very minor mentions in the earlier books.
Ryder Wilson returned
from serving multiple deployments but can’t leave the hell of combat behind
him. Frustrated and ashamed of his inability to function in the world as well
as the veterans he served with, he retreated, choosing to engage only with
those he trusted. When retired Master Sergeant Adam Montague sends him on a
mission to protect his sister from some unknown danger, Ryder’s days of hiding
out may be over. Can he fulfill his mission without failing again?
Megan Gallagher has two
big-brother Marines bent on protecting her from the evils of the world, but
she’s tougher than they think. When her older brother sends Ryder, one of his
recon Marines, to her doorstep in the wee hours one night following a break-in,
she realizes he needs rescuing more than she does. A friendship forms quickly,
but unexpected passions run hot and complicate her resolve never to have a
romantic relationship, much less marriage. So why are her body and her heart
betraying her every time he comes near?
Can these two wounded
people lower their defenses long enough to allow love to grow?
Current buy links for NOBODY’S
LOST
Amazon Australia: http://tinyurl.com/nqygngt
(Coming Dec. 15 to All
Romance eBooks and Google Play, as well)
If you preordered and
live in the UK or elsewhere in Europe, Australia, Africa, New Zealand, and
other locations “east” of the United States, please read this newsletter
message about a mix-up in the file you received in case you need to know more
about how to update your device to get the correct file. Kally apologizes for
the mistake, but was only trying to get a better version to you when all hell
broke loose. 
http://tinyurl.com/mhpsap7
Kally tells us about herself and her writing and appearance
plans for 2015
I write emotional,
realistic Romance novels with an emphasis on healing using sometimes
unconventional methods, including BDSM (bondage, sado-masochism, kink,
interrogation scenes from hell, and more). My alpha males are dominant (whether
active in the BDSM lifestyle or former active-duty military or not) and
attracted to strong women who can bring them to their knees. I’ve brought many
readers to their knees, too—having them experience the stories right along with
her characters in the Rescue Me Saga. I know that Happily Ever After takes
maintenance, so my couples don’t solve all their problems and disappear at “the
end” of their Romance, but will continue to work on real problems in their
relationships in later books in the saga. That’s why it’s difficult to read the
series out of order (except for NOBODY’S LOST).
I enjoy meeting readers
and have traveled extensively to try to get to every state (someday!) to hold
events as big as a KallypsoCon or as small as an intimate dinner for 3.
However, because I want to give my readers more books to read, I’m scaling way
back on appearances in 2015 so I can hunker down in the writing chair. (I write
in a glider, exactly like the one I describe in Adam’s bedroom at the Masters
at Arms Club.) Coming in 2015 are NOBODY’S DREAM (Rescue Me Saga #6–the
long-awaited Luke and Cassie story) and a novella (or short novel–you know I
don’t write short because NOBODY’S LOST started out to be a 35-40,000-word
novella and it ended at 71,000 words. The couple in that novel will be Pamela
(the NICE ex-girlfriend of Marc D’Alessio’s who you met in SOMEBODY’S ANGEL)
and Master Roar (Kristoffer Larson–a relative of Gunnar Larson’s, who trained
Damian and Grant as dominants). Then I’m not sure which direction I’ll go.
Grant and Patrick were HUGE in NOBODY’S LOST, and I planned a spin-off
three-book romantic suspense (with BDSM) for them. I may have to decide if the
time is right to begin Patrick’s story. Let me know what you think after you
read LOST!
But I’m also wanting to
start the spin-off series about Angelina Giardano’s firefighter brothers with
Tony (her brother) and Carmella (Marc’s sister) as the potential first couple.
Sparks sure were flying between them in that scene in SOMEBODY’S ANGEL.
Definitely something I want to explore!
As far as 2015
appearances, I’ll be attending RomCon in Denver, Colorado, in September. And
the weekend before I will be conducting a Rescue Me Saga private sightseeing
tour of the places I write about in Denver and areas near Breckinridge. That
package will include lodging for three nights, bus transportation for the tour,
and at least one special meal each day.
I’m also planning my
second KallypsoCon to be held in the Boston, Mass., area in late October or
early November. In March, I’ll be announcing the authors who will join ne AND
will open up registration for the VERY limited number of reader spots. (We want
to keep this intimate and relaxing, which is what everyone at the first event
loved most. We only had 85 attendees, including 7 authors, but will probably
have 8 or 9 authors and up to 110 readers at this one (since so many of those
who were at the first one want to be there).
What else is there to
know about me? Well, I’ve been writing full-time since May 2011, having quit my
“day job” the month before. I live in rural Kentucky and have been married for
more than 30 years to the man who provided my Happily Ever After. We have two
adult children, one adorable grandson (Erik, who my followers on FB hear about
often!), and a rescued dog.
Here are some of the
places where you can learn more about me and my books online:
My Facebook Profile (I’m close to max friends, so I only send friend requests to
those who message me saying they want to engage by commenting or posting on my
timeline, BUT anyone can follow me and see almost everything I put up there.
It’s 99.9% public.)
For fans of my Rescue Me
Saga who don’t mind spoilers and are caught up with the series as much as you
can be, I have a secret Rescue Me Saga Discussion Group. To join, just
send a friend request to Karla Paxton (a dummy account that is ONLY there to be
a gateway to the group and is monitored by one of my team members). If you are
already a member of the group, please don’t send another request. Karla
unfriends you after you are added so we can keep up with new requests. 

 

Rocked by the Billionaire by Mandy Baxter

 

Bad-boy Luke “Lucifer” Blackwell is living the life. Being the lead singer for the rock group Riot 59 has brought him everything he could ever want—billions of dollars, endless parties, and enough groupies to last a lifetime. But when Luke’s wild life starts to wear him down, he returns home to Texas—and ends up in the arms of the one woman who’s always made his heart beat faster than a pounding drum…Kayleigh Taylor likes being a small-town girl, so she’s always been wary of Luke Blackwell’s fast-paced life—and of Luke himself. Fully expecting never to see the sexy singer who broke her heart years before, Kayleigh is completely shocked to find him back home, avoiding the spotlight and pursuing her instead. Kayleigh knows this can’t be right–his heart was always devoted to his music. But as they spend more and more time together, Luke is awfully convincing that his heart belongs to someone else… 

This is book 3 in The Billionaire’s Club Series.

First of all, can we all take a moment to drool over this cover!

*drools*

Okay, now that the drooling is over with we can get to the review.

A second chance romance involving rock stars had me eager to read this story.  I admit that I didn’t know it was part of a series at first. While I wouldn’t say you have to read the other books, I did find that if I had read them, this story and characters may have been better liked.

I have to say that I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. While the writing was okay, I just couldn’t click with the characters enough to enjoy their story. I don’t know if it is the “billionaire burnout” or if this series just isn’t for me.  If this book would have had a bit more dialogue instead of descriptive and over telling of narrative words, I think this book would have been a bit better for me.  I felt held down by all of the filler text.  Out of the two characters, I would have to say that Luke was my favorite — mainly because he is described as a hot rock guy who is sexy.

I think I am going to start at the beginning of this series and give it a try again after I finish the first two.

[sc:rate3 ]

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