Category Archives: 5 Flames

Naked in Death
In Death Series #1
Author: J.D. Robb
Source: Library Loan
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Berkley
 (August 3, 2004)
ISBN-13: 978-0425148297

SUMMARY

In a world of danger and deception, she walks the line–between seductive passion and scandalous murder… Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant hunting for a ruthless killer. In over ten years on the force, she’s seen it all–and knows her survival depends on her instincts. And she’s going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, an Irish billionaire–and a suspect in Eve’s murder investigation. But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it’s up to Eve to take a chance in the arms of a man she knows nothing about–except the addictive hunger of needing his touch.

I have never had much interest in reading mysteries.  I am a reader who likes my books simple but fun.  I don’t like having to think too much while trying to enjoy a story.  Little did I know that I was wrong.  After hearing so much hype around this series by J.D. Robb — who is actually Nora Roberts — I finally caved and decided to venture into this genre of reading.  I had to see what all the fuss was about and to finally figure out what all the other people were swooning about whenever ‘Roarke’ was uttered in a sentence.

Lt. Eve Dallas is searching for a serial killer.  A killer that takes enjoyment in killing licensed prostitutes while playing mind games with the police is just the tip of the iceberg in this story.  While Eve is trying to pin down who the killer is, she is also dealing with other cases, political personnel who think they are owed their undivided attention, and a suspect who is quickly becoming a person of interest in her personal life.  Now granted,  I guessed the killer early on but it still was a surprise to discover I was actually right!  I also found that the mystery part of the book wasn’t at all difficult to follow along with.  The author did a wonderful job of only revealing certain things at certain times to keep the reader second guessing.

Now lets talk about Roarke.  Hotness has entered the pages and taken over this readers imagination!  Roarke demands attention and leaves you wanting more.  I couldn’t wait until Roarke stepped into a scene in the book because he brings Eve to life and leaves the reader drooling.  He is smart, rich, sexy and has an accent — the ultimate reader fantasy!  Eve struggles not only with personal reasons in letting Roarke into her life, but she also deals with job fallout as well when they get hot and heavy.  I was cheering for Eve and Roarke the whole time and I loved how Eve finally opened up to him.  I can’t help but think that Eve still has a bunch of history to work out in future books involving her past.  I also can’t wait to learn more about Roarke’s past as well.

I admit that my review is a little scarce on the plot, but I am worried about giving too much away in case you haven’t read it yet.  I will tell you that there are some amazing side characters as well and that the main characters will keep you interested up until the end.  I am now a new fan of romantic suspense that author J.D. Robb obviously knows how to write.  Bring on the next book because it is going to be a fun ride to read about!

“I want to see you again.” He stopped, took her face in his hands. “I need to see you again.”
Her pulse jumped, as if it had nothing to do with the rest of her. “Roarke, what’s going on here?”
“Lieutenant.” He leaned forward, touched his lips to hers. “indications are we’re having a romance.” 

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!

Once Burned
A Night Prince Novel #1
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Source: Publisher
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Avon
 (June 26, 2012)
ISBN-13: 978-0061783203

She’s a mortal with dark powers…


After a tragic accident scarred her body and destroyed her dreams, Leila never imagined that the worst was still to come: terrifying powers that let her channel electricity and learn a person’s darkest secrets through a single touch. Leila is doomed to a life of solitude… until creatures of the night kidnap her, forcing her to reach out with a telepathic distress call to the world’s most infamous vampire…


He’s the Prince of Night…


Vlad Tepesh inspired the greatest vampire legend of all — but whatever you do, don’t call him Dracula. Vlad’s ability to control fire makes him one of the most feared vampires in existence, but his enemies have found a new weapon against him – a beautiful mortal with powers to match his own. When Vlad and Leila meet, however, passion ignites between them, threatening to consume them both. It will take everything that they are to stop an enemy intent on bringing them down in flames.

OH. MY. GOD!!!!  It is finally here! The book we have all been waiting for in the great world that author Jeaniene Frost has created.  We finally get Vlad in all of his sexy glory.  I admit that when this book arrived for me to review, I almost fell over from excitement.  I screamed in joy, overheated at the sexy cover, and even told my family to get the heck out of the way while I ran for my favorite reading chair.  The family went without dinner.  They were not allowed to bother me.  All regular chores ceased as Vlad arrived in my mailbox.

We start off in the story reading about Leila and her life.  She is disfigured due to a freak accident long ago by   touching a downed power line and has joined the carnival as an entertainer.  She is aware of vampires in the world because her partner for her act is a midget vamp.  Don’t let Marty’s small stature make you think he is a puny vamp though.  He is like a Father figure to Leila and he has a heart bigger than most regular sized people.

When Leila is kidnapped by other vampires, she is forced to use some of her other ‘gifts’ that came about after the energy absorbed from the power line.  She can touch things with her right hand and send out electrical shocks.  She can also see glimpse’s of the past, present and future with a small touch.  She pulls these glimpse’s from leftover essence that a person leaves behind on things.  The vampires that have kidnapped her are working for a stronger vamp who is searching for Vlad.  He wants revenge on Vlad and will use any means necessary to get him.  When Leila is forced to use her gifts, she is surprised to learn that Vlad can hear her spying on his present.  She figures he is the less of the two evils and asks for his help.  Vlad comes to the rescue and sweeps Leila away to his castle in Romania so they can work together in finding the bad guy.

As they try to work together, Leila finds herself attracted to the mysterious and ruthless Vlad.  He has the sex appeal and strength she craves.  Leila has never been in a relationship before due to her ‘shocking gifts’ and is venturing down a new path with Vlad.  Her gifts have no real effect on Vlad and she can’t believe how wonderful it feels to touch someone without hurting him.  Vlad is his typical confident and arrogant self knowing how he is having an effect on her since he can read her mind.  What ensue’s is heated glances, confident flirting and a bunch of sexy time!

Two Leilas seemed to be battling it out inside me.  The first was outraged that he still considered it a fait accompli that I’d give in to him, and the second…that slutty bitch was wondering what Vlad looked like naked.

Oh yes, by this time in the book you are wondering the same thing.  Trust me in saying that the author does not disappoint in describing in glorious detail the image of Vlad’s body.  Before you even ask, yes there is even another hot and steamy shower scene that involves a very excited Vlad. *swoon*

As things get even more dangerous for Vlad and Leila, Vlad brings her family to his castle as well for protection.  We get to meet her father and Leila’s sister, Gretchen.  To see Leila so close to a man is shocking to say the least for them.  Especially when they notice Vlad is able to hold her hand with no show of pain.

I seized on the change of topic.  “These gloves are specialized rubber.  They block the current.”
Gretchen’s gaze traveled over Vlad, disbelief still stamped on her features.  “Yeah, but how do you two do anything else, unless he has a special, current-repelling glove for his —“
“Gretchen!” my father cut her off.
My cheeks felt hot.  Don’t say a word, I thought to Vlad, seeing his chest tremble with suppressed laughter.

The author does not disappoint with her flair of hilarity whenever Vlad is around.  He is even hilarious when Bones and Cat decide to make a brief appearance in the book.  Again, Bones loves to tease Vlad and he grabs the chance to tease at him when he teaches Leila how to block Vlad from reading her mind.

If I had one complaint about this book, it would only be the ending.  I can’t even really call it a complaint though.  The way it ends, you are left hanging with the knowledge that their story is far from over.  Since this is going to be at least a two book series, we have to wait until the next book to have some things resolved.  This was very frustrating only because we have waited so long as it is for Vlad to have his own book.  Now the reader has to wait again!

Overall the story sucked me in, chewed me up then spit me out. It left me wanting to read the story all over again.  I wanted Vlad before, but now I need more Vlad.  To say it is going to be a long and torturing wait is an understatement.  If you haven’t read about Vlad before, you are missing out on one of the sexiest alpha vamp’s in the paranormal genre!

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!

*I received this ARC free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

The Bro-Magnet
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Source: Author Submission
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
File Size: 757 KB
Print Length: 240 pages
Publisher: TKA Distribution
 (December 11, 2011)
ASIN: B006KYQ36U

Women have been known to lament, “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” For Johnny Smith, the problem is, “Always a Best Man, never a groom.” At age 33, housepainter Johnny has been Best Man eight times. The ultimate man’s man, Johnny loves the Mets, the Jets, his weekly poker game, and the hula girl lamp that hangs over his basement pool table. Johnny has the instant affection of nearly every man he meets, but one thing he doesn’t have is a woman to share his life with, and he wants that desperately. When Johnny meets District Attorney Helen Troy, he decides to renounce his bro-magnet ways in order to impress her. With the aid and advice of his friends and family, soon he’s transforming his wardrobe, buying throw pillows, ditching the hula girl lamp, getting a cat and even changing his name to the more mature-sounding John. And through it all, he’s pretending to have no interest in sports, which Helen claims to abhor. As things heat up with Helen, the questions arise: Will Johnny finally get the girl? And, if he’s successful in that pursuit, who will he be now that he’s no longer really himself? THE BRO-MAGNET is a rollicking comedic novel about what one man is willing to give up for the sake of love.

Author Lauren Baratz-Logsted is an author who never fails at giving a wonderful read.  Whether it be young adult themed such as Crazy Beautiful, or adult contemporary like The Bro Magnet, I always know it is going to be a great read full of emotion.  After reading the review of this book by Fiction Vixen,  I just knew I had to read and review this book.  Seriously, FV never lets me down on recommendations, and frankly, the author has never let me down either.  So when I received a copy for review, I stayed up late reading the fun —  and at many times hilarious — adventure of Johnny finding true love.

Think about it for a minute.  Most romance books on the shelves focus on the women finding true love.  It is usually a given since women are the main readers of romance.  When I read the blurb and it was about a guy who was actually looking for romance I jumped for joy at seeing how it was going to be written.

What is a guy to do when the moment you are born, you realize you are going to be cursed at never finding love? Seriously, when you read about the day he was born, you can’t help but laugh and think that poor boy!  Either he would turn out with a complex for being a guy or embrace it and be a wonderful man.  The only downside is if you turn out to be the all around great guy, you seem to make a bunch of girls as friends and less romantic relationships with them.  We get to see flashbacks of his life and finally make it to the present with him in his thirties.  When he meets Helen though, he really wants to make a relationship with her work.  The only problem is that he needs help from his friends to basically give him a makeover.  He likes his beer, sports and backwards baseball hats, but he is also a warm, funny and all around great guy.  When you get a supporting cast of side characters who come to his rescue, you will laugh, cry and sometimes both at the same time.  Of course, then we have Helen who is trying to be something different for Johnny as well.  As they both struggle to impress the other with what they think each one of them would like, you can’t help but laugh and hope they will both come to their senses and just be themselves.

There was so many times I laughed in this book that narrowing down some favorite quotes was extremely difficult. Trust me in the recommendation of buying this book.  You will not be disappointed in the writing and I can guarantee much laughter from beginning to end.

“So,” she says slowly, reviewing my case item by item, “you like ice holes, sinkholes, peepholes and blowholes?”
I nod.
“But not loopholes?”
I nod again.
“Hole this, hole that – even when I’m determined not to just be myself, I’m such an asshole. I just can’t help it.” 

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!

*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Yours To Keep
Kowalski Family #3
Author: Shannon Stacey
Source: Personal Purchase
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: HQN Books
 (February 21, 2012)
ISBN-13: 978-0373776863

Emma Shaw needs a husband, and fast! Not because she’s interested in romance—after all, she’s too busy with her landscaping company—but because Grandma Shaw is coming to town, and she will have nonstop questions about Emma’s (stagnant) love life. 


Sean Kowalski no sooner leaves the army than he’s recruited by Emma to be her fake fiance. Sean doesn’t like the deception, but he can’t help his attraction to the feisty brunette. A little pretend kissing won’t hurt anyone—especially when there’s no chance he’ll fall for a woman with deep roots in a town he’s not planning to call home. But when fake, innocent kisses lead to very real, explosive sparks, Emma and Sean discover that their big ruse might just lead to happily-ever-after…

In the third book in the Kowalski family love drama, we get to meet Sean and Emma.  I am going to start off by saying that this is my favorite book in the series so far and I wish the author would send Sean to me for Christmas!  I wouldn’t mind having him bundled up in a red bow — with nothing else — under my tree for a present!

When Emma is in need of a soon-to-be-husband, she thinks of the first person she thinks of and blurts out Sean Kowalski.  She finds herself in trouble though when her Grandmother decides to return for a visit from Florida to meet Emma’s future husband.  Emma is in a panic and reaches out to Sean after his return from the army and proposes her scheme to him.  Sean is floored finally find himself fake engaged to a woman he has never met.  He agrees to the scheme since Emma seems to be doing it out of love her Grandmother and not greed.  What ensues from this crazy scheme is laughter, blunders, and slow building romance between Emma and Sean.

I don’t think I laughed so much in this series until I started reading this book.  I loved the post-it notes that Sean leaves on the bathroom mirror for Emma to find when he needs to drop little secrets of himself to keep up the charade.  What this man goes through for Emma is so hilarious at times that I kept getting weird looks while reading it from my husband.  You can’t help but feel sorry for Emma and Sean, but you can’t seem to want to put the book down either.  I just had to know what would happen next no matter how crazy or sweet it was.

I also loved how previous characters in the series were included as well.  I enjoyed seeing how the characters have grown over the year and are still included in the family dynamics of this book. A great book in a great series that keeps getting better with each book! I need more Kowalski men!

She snorted and looked out her window. “Oh yes, Sean Kowalski. Your amazing kisses have made all rational thought fly out of my besotted brain. If only you could fill me with your magic penis, I know we’ll fall madly in love and live happily ever after.”
–Emma to Sean, page 135

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!

Faith & Fidelity
Faith, Love, & Devotion #1
Author: Tere Michaels
Source: Personal Purchase
Genre: Adult M/M Romance
Publisher: Loose Id, LLC
 (January 22, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-1596328365

New York City Vice Detective Evan Cerelli has lost his wife, the only person he ever loved and slept with. He’s trying to get on with his life, build a life for his children. Former Homicide Detective Matt Haight is a ladies’ man, all sex/no commitment. He’s depressed, having a midlife crisis, and not sure where his life is headed. 


The two find friendship in the bottom of a shared bottle. When the friendship turns to love, it shakes two straight men to the core and flips their lives inside out. Kids, families, careers that are not gay-friendly — can all the love in the world overcome the obstacles to faith and fidelity? 

Wow.  Not only has it been a long time since I have read a M/M romance book, but it has been a long time since I read one with so much emotional struggles that actually made the plot worth reading about.  Usually erotic M/M books are all about the smut —  which isn’t really too bad when done right — but they usually fall flat on the book having an actual story line.  With Faith & Fidelity, author Tere Michaels includes a perfect balance between smut heaven and deep feelings of what if.

Evan and Matt are both straight men going through a rough time in their lives.  Evan is still trying to deal with the guilt over his wife’s death and raising four children.  Matt is getting older, lost his shield as a cop, and hating his job lately.  They both meet at a retirement party for a cop, and hit it off as friends needing someone to talk to.  Within a few weeks, the two start to realize they have growing feelings for each other that involve more than just friendship.  Together they try to come to terms with the growing attraction between them and the struggle with accepting that they might not be as straight as they thought.

What I loved the most about this book was the internal struggles that each character went through in learning to accept their sexual orientation.  They had justifiable reasons in being hesitant in continuing with the relationship.  Evan was worried about how his kids and former in-laws would react along with his co-workers.  Matt didn’t really care as much about anyone else’s thoughts on it except for how it would effect Evan and the children.

I also loved the scenes with the children.  They really craved the attention that was lacking from Evan.  When Matt was around, the children noticed that their father was happier and in need of a friend.  I also loved the side characters of Helena and Vic.  They were very supportive of the relationship between Evan and Matt after getting over the initial shock.  Evan’s in-laws were overall a crappy bunch, but they did keep you thinking about how prejudice could keep a couple from exploring what could be.

I laughed, cried and felt like I was riding a roller coaster throughout this book.  The ending was bittersweet because it made me realize the book was done.  I wanted more and thank goodness this is part of series so I can read more.  A new author for me to add to my auto-buy list!

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!