Review: The Angel by Tiffany Reisz

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The Angel
Series: The Original Sinners #2
Author: Tiffany Reisz

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

No safe word can protect the heart

Infamous erotica author and accomplished dominatrix Nora Sutherlin is doing something utterly out of character: hiding. While her longtime lover, Søren—whose fetishes, if exposed, would be his ruin—is under scrutiny pending a major promotion, Nora’s lying low and away from temptation in the lap of luxury.

Her host, the wealthy and uninhibited Griffin Fiske, is thrilled to have Nora stay at his country estate, especially once he meets her traveling companion. Young, inexperienced and angelically beautiful, Michael has become Nora’s protégé, and this summer with Griffin is going to be his training, where the hazing never ends.

But while her flesh is willing, Nora’s mind is wandering. To thoughts of Søren, her master, under investigation by a journalist with an ax to grind. And to another man from Nora’s past, whose hold on her is less bruising, but whose secrets are no less painful. It’s a summer that will prove the old adage: love hurts.

MY THOUGHTS

The Angel is the second book in The Original Sinners series by author Tiffany Reisz.

Let me start by saying that I enjoyed the first book titled The Siren.  It surprised me and took me so far out of my comfort zone that I was thrilled to have enjoyed that ride.  When I started reading The Angel though, I was having a hard time getting into that mindset again.  It was dark, edgy and cringe worthy at times.  Certain scenes in this book had me picking my jaw up off the floor with shock.  I think the shock value is what made me give this book a higher rating than what I normally would.  After reading countless romance and BDSM books that are out in the book market today, this one blows them out of the water.  When a story can still shock me after many years of reading them, then the book definitely deserves the higher rating — whether I thoroughly enjoyed the book or not.

I think the main problem I had with this book was Nora for me.  I just couldn’t connect with her like I did in the previous book.  I am not sure exactly why, but again it could have been my mindset at the time of reading.  The writing was amazing and the author did not disappoint with her effortless skill.  Author Tiffany Reisz will bring it all out in a book and most likely when we don’t expect it.  I did enjoy the character of Michael.  Soren is still a character I can’t bring myself to love.  He is creepy and still on my perv radar.

Overall, the book was amazing with writing and shock value.  Unfortunately I just couldn’t get into our main character of Nora.  I am hoping whatever it was that bugged me in this book will resolve itself so I can enjoy the next book in the series like I did the first one.

MY RATING

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!

Review: Speechless by Hannah Harrington

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Speechless
Author: Hannah Harrington

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can’t keep a secret

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.

Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she’s ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.

But there’s strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she’s done. If only she can forgive herself.

MY THOUGHTS

Can we talk about this cover first to get it out of the way?  I find it hard to believe that the cover department couldn’t come up with something other than the boring cover of white that we got.  If I were to see this on a bookshelf at a store, I would pass it over without thinking twice.  Thank goodness I read the summary of this book beforehand and decided to give it a chance.  Truly a good example of not judging a book by its cover.

Moving on from the cover fiasco.  I was actually surprised by this read.  I thought this was going to be a plot that would be juvenile and not my cup of tea.  What we get though is something so good and the writing that actually kept me interested and curious to know more.  The author does a wonderful job at scene set up.  While I admit that the first part of this book was slow and something I had to force myself to get through, by the middle of the book it started to take off.  I ended up enjoying the characters and the plot of the book. Yes there is some angst.  Yes there is a boy involved. Yes there is teen drama and gossip.  The end result though was self discovery, consequences to actions, and characters that fit the story.

I really ended up enjoying this book and I can say that it was much better than expected.  Would I read the story again in the future? Maybe.  It won’t be one I will be dying to reread again anytime soon, but it is one I would recommend to read a first time.

MY RATING

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!

Review: One Night in London by Caroline Linden

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One Night in London
Series: The Truth About the Duke
Author: Caroline Linden
Historical Romance

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)


A bargain that was all business . . . and pure passion.

Neither wealth nor beauty will help Lady Francesca Gordon win custody of her young niece Georgina, saving the girl from a cruel stepmother; she needs London’s top solicitor for that. But when Edward de Lacey, son of the powerful Duke of Durham, hires away the one man who can do the job, Francesca decides Edward himself must champion her case . . . if only she can melt the dashing lord’s stony heart.

Edward has reason to be guarded, though. London’s tabloids have just exposed a secret that could ruin his entire family. When Francesca offers a unique chance to undo the damage, Edward is forced to agree to a partnership . . . and now, each moment together feeds the flames of his scandalous longing for the passionate widow. But when Georgina disappears, fate will test them both . . . and leave their love hanging in the balance.

MY THOUGHTS

One Night In London is the first full novel in The Truth About the Duke series by author Caroline Linden.  There is a short novella that is considered book #0.5 as well titled I Love the Earl, but I decided to read the full novels first.  The main characters in this book are Edward de Lacey and Francesca Gordon.

Let me first state that I really enjoyed this book.  While there were a few things at the end that bothered me, overall this was a great start to a new to me series.

While Edward’s father the Duke is on his death bed,  he asks for forgiveness from his sons.  Apparently, before he wed Edwards mother, he had married another young woman.  He has kept this a secret for years and now he is revealing it with his last dying breath.  Edward, along with his brothers Charles and Gerard, must form a search for this woman to clear their name and fight for the title to remain with them.  As Charles is the oldest, he has the most to lose including the title of Duke.  Unfortunately, Charles is a bit of player and really doesn’t want to deal with the work involved of finding this possibly deceased woman.  Gerard is furious and worries about the scandal along with being considered a possible bastard.  He is intent on finding this woman, along with someone who might possibly blackmail them, and is seeing red.  Edward is the middle ground man.  He wants to resolve this, but he also knows that he must do it the smart and legal way. After he hires a lawyer to help get everything straightened out, he is confronted by Francesca Gordon.  Edward has just stolen her last chance at claiming her niece through the works of that said lawyer.  They strike up a bargain to help each other.

At first I got the same feeling about Edward that Francesca did.  I felt he was cold, emotionless and stiff.  But after he meets Francesca and begins the bargain, he really came out of his shell.  He was passionate, cared for his family, and had a soft spot that I wanted to explore.  Francesca was a ball of fire who could give as good as she got.  I loved whenever she would stick up to Edward.  I also enjoyed her way to bring out the laughter in Edward. The scene at the art gallery where they renamed famous artwork was funny and the key turning point to their relationship.

The ending was the only problem I really had with this book.  It seemed to wrap up too easily and kind of seemed like a cop out for the author.  The way the problem with her niece is resolved seemed too easy and something that could have been fixed from the beginning if the two would have just talked.  I was also surprised with the way Edward was so determined to figure out the truth of the Duke’s previous marriage and save the reputation of his family then seemed to give up and hand the problem over to his brother.  I can understand it, but it seemed out of character for Edward.

If you are looking for a complete finished story line, it isn’t wrapped up by the end of this book.  It is part of a series, so future books will explore it more.  The conflict and resolution of the romance though is satisfying enough though that I will continue in the journey of The Truth About the Duke.

MY RATING

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!

Review: Taking A Shot by Jaci Burton

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Taking A Shot
Series: Play by Play #3
Author: Jaci Burton

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

If you want to score, you have to get in the game… 

The last thing Jenna Riley needs is more sports in her life. While her brothers are off being athletic superstars, she’s stuck running the family’s sports bar, whether she likes it or not. Then in walks pro hockey stud Tyler Anderson. As much as Jenna would like to go to the boards with him, she’s vowed to never fall for a jock-even one as hot as Ty.

Ty, intrigued by the beautiful bar owner, becomes a regular. He senses that Jenna wants to do something more with her life. And as he gains her trust, the passion between them grows, as does Ty’s insistence that Jenna should start living for herself. With his encouragement, Jenna starts to believe it, too…

But first, Jenna has to figure out what she wants, what she needs, who she loves, and if she has the passion and pride to take a shot at having it all-including Ty…

MY THOUGHTS

Taking A Shot is the third book in the Play by Play series by author Jaci Burton.  The main characters for this book are Jenna Riley and Ty Anderson.

Read one page then close the book. Swoon over the cover and imagine licking every drop off that cover models chest. Repeat.  Yep that is about how it went while I read this book.  Then I realized that if I ever wanted to enjoy the story I would have to actually read instead of drooling.

Jenna Riley is the youngest Riley child.  She is sister to the previous books characters, Mick and Gavin.  She is busy running the family owned sports bar after their father had a major heart attack.  While she enjoys her job at times, running a sports bar was never her dream.  After being surrounded by sports all of her life, the last thing she wants is to date anyone who is a sports fan.

Enter Ty Anderson.  We got to meet Ty in the second book in the series and I was glad to see him featured in Taking A Shot.  He is a pro hockey player and is attracted to Jenna.  He finds her piercings, tattoos and attitude sexy and wants to get know her better.  Unfortunately, since he is a pro hockey player, he gets shot down before he can even melt the ice around her heart.

I have to say that this was my least favorite book in the series even though I was anxious about Ty’s story.  I loved Ty and everything about him.  I think the main problem I had with this book was Jenna.  I wasn’t a fan of her.  What man isn’t going to at least like one sport? I am sure they are out there, but I have never met one single guy who hasn’t at least enjoyed on sort of sport — even if it is just one game a year.  I also didn’t like how she kept thinking she had to put her dreams on hold and run the Sports Bar.  She had good management in place and the means to open up a separate business of a music bar.  The hold up was thinking she had to give up everything just to do this.  I also didn’t like her being so back and forth with her feelings for Ty.

I will say this though–
Sex.
On ice.
Standing up.
On ice skates!

Whew! I wasn’t sure if the ice was going to break beneath them because that scene was HOT.  I still enjoyed the book as a whole, but I wish the main character of Jenna could have been better. Ty deserved more than what Jenna gave him.

MY RATING

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!

Review: Demon’s Curse by Alexa Egan

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Demon’s Curse
Series: Imnada Brotherhood #1
Author: Alexa Egan

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

A fast-paced and captivating debut—the first in the dark and sexy Imnada Brotherhood series about shape shifters in Regency-era England.

A rising star on the Covent Garden stage, Bianca Parrino believes she has everything she wants. Independence. Wealth. And a life finally free of her violent, abusive husband. But when her close friend, Adam, is murdered, and Bianca is suspected in his death, she is unwittingly drawn into the search for his killer, and soon must question everything she believes—about her friend, about herself, and about a world she never knew existed.

A member of the mysterious race of shape-shifting Imnada and part of an elite military unit, Captain Mac Flannery gathered intelligence during the Napoleonic wars. As a result of a savage massacre, Mac and the men he served with are cursed. Now one of them has been found murdered, and Mac suspects the existence of the Imnada has been discovered at last. His only link to unearthing the truth is the beautiful actress who turns up unexpectedly at Adam’s funeral.

Before long, Mac has more to contend with than Bianca’s overt mistrust, his ill-fated attraction to the haughty and beautiful actress, and his ongoing search for an end to the curse. Because Adam’s killer is back, and Mac is next on his list.

MY THOUGHTS

Demon’s Curse is the first book in the Imnada Brotherhood series by author Alexa Egan.

I was a little hesitant in reading this book.  I haven’t read many paranormal romance books written in the Regency era.  If I am going to read a historical book, I usually want it to be pretty straight forward.  I have to say though that this book was pretty good.  While it was different in ways with shape-shifting in the historical world, it still had the basic structure of one without the shape-shifting. There was romance and suspense that kept me hooked from beginning to end.  I will admit that the first half of the book was a little bit confusing for me, but I think it was because I was trying to force my way of thinking.  I wanted it a certain way because it wasn’t what I was used to.  After I got over my expectations and that line of thinking, it kind of clicked in place for me and became and enjoyable read.

If you are willing to read the fantasy, romance and shape-shifting thrown into the Regency era, then this book will fit.  I will definitely keep an eye out for the next book in this series and will be adding this author to my watch list.

MY RATING

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!