Review: All He Ever Needed by Shannon Stacey

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All He Ever Needed
Series: Kowalski Family #4
Author: Shannon Stacey

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

He won’t stay put for a woman, and she won’t chase after any man.Mitch Kowalski lives out of a suitcase—and he likes it that way.

Traveling for work has the added bonus of scaring off women who would otherwise try to tie him down. But when he’s called home to help with the family lodge, he’s intrigued by the new girl in town and her insistence that she doesn’t need a man. If there’s one thing Mitch can’t resist, it’s a challenge.

After a nomadic childhood, Paige Sullivan is finally putting down roots. Determined to stand on her own two feet, she lives by the motto “Men are a luxury, not a necessity.” But when Mr. Tall, Dark and Hot pulls up a stool in her diner and offers her six weeks of naughty fun with a built-in expiration date, she’s tempted to indulge.

They’re the perfect match for a no-strings fling. Until they realize their sexy affair has become anything but casual.

MY THOUGHTS

All He Ever Needed is the fourth book in the Kowalski Family series by author Shannon Stacey.  The main characters featured are Mitch Kowalski and Paige Sullivan.

I love this author.  Whenever she has a new book released, I gather all of my pennies and dimes just to go purchase it.  Her stories always have the perfect balance between sweet romance and witty dialogue.  The characters are engaging and the plot is always something I enjoy.  While the two characters have instant attraction to each other, I loved how the author kept it from instant love.  Let me tell you though — the instant chemistry was hot.  The sexy banter and scenes were so good and the hero actually had to put forth some effort to get to the end goal.

Both of the characters kept me engaged in the story and I didn’t find myself distracted by an of the side characters.  The side characters just made the story more enjoyable and rounded out the plot.  Again, author Shannon Stacey has mastered the art of wit, romance, family and plot.  She is an auto-buy for me and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in this series!

FAVORITE QUOTE

“Honey, love isn’t like rappelling into a cave, where you can control your descent and how deep you go. It’s just falling into the hole.” 

MY RATING

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!

Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

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Pushing the Limits
Series: Pushing the Limits #1
Author: Katie McGarry

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

MY THOUGHTS

Pushing the Limits is the first book in the Pushing the Limits series by author Katie McGarry.  The main characters in this book are Echo Emerson and Noah Hutchins.

You see that boot over there?  That would be the boot that left the red mark on my behind for waiting so long to read this book. What was the matter with me?  I had heard great things about this book, but for some reason I had waited to start it.  I am so glad I finally got to sit down and read Echo and Noah’s story.

Echo was attacked by her mother and left with scars on the outside. Mentally, she has the incident blocked and can’t remember what exactly happened that fateful night that changed her life entirely.  She had recently lost her brother while fighting in the Marines, and then her mother does the unthinkable to her.  Afterwards, she saw a therapist who pushed her mind too fast to remember that night.  She ends up having a nervous breakdown from it.  When she starts school again, she is now the outsider. She used to be one of the most popular girls in school, but now she finds herself withdrawn and hiding from everyone.  The kids at school call her freak and have basically cast her aside from their social circles.  Not only has she lost family, but now she must cope with being a freak with no friends.

Enter Noah Hutchins. Noah, the sexiest stoner in school who is also known as a ladies man that pleases the women and then leaves the women when he is done with them.  When Echo finds herself tutoring Noah, they both find an attraction that shouldn’t be there.  Noah lost his parents in a house fire.  He saved his two younger brothers from the fire, but they were eventually torn apart in the foster system.  His main goal is to get his brothers back and make them a family again.  To increase visitation with his brothers, he must apply himself to school work and be tutored by Echo.

I loved the character of Noah.  I really liked how he was willing to put everything before himself.  He wanted his brothers back and was willing to give up college and his dreams to raise them.  He was also willing to help Echo with her problem of rediscovering that lost night that ruined her life.  Echo seemed a little self absorbed and whiny at times, but overall it wasn’t too bad.  Luke — Echo’s ex-boyfriend — was a jerk and I couldn’t stand him when he was given page time.  Grace — Echo’s ex-best friend — was also one I wish we could have erased from the story.  I didn’t like how her reputation of being the popular girl was more important than her friendship with Echo.  She treated Echo horribly and was glad that she wasn’t featured as much as I thought she would be.  The rest of side characters were great.  I loved Isiah, Beth and Lila. I loved the bickering and the wit each of them showed.  They were engaging characters that really helped move the book forward.  I am looking forward to reading more about those side characters in future books.

Again, I wish I had read this book sooner.  I am still going to be kicking myself in the pants for a few days while thinking about Noah and Echo’s story.  I can’t wait to start the next book in the series! An engaging read that will keep you up all night reading!

MY RATING

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!

Review: Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost

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Twice Tempted
Series: Night Prince #2
Author: Jeaniene Frost
*Review based on ARC copy*

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Dating the Prince of Darkness has its challenges…

Leila’s psychic abilities have been failing her, and now she isn’t sure what the future holds. If that weren’t enough, her lover, Vlad, has been acting distant. Though Leila is a mere mortal, she’s also a modern woman who refuses to accept the cold shoulder treatment forever–especially from the darkly handsome vampire who still won’t admit that he loves her.

Like choosing between eternal love and a loveless eternity…

Soon circumstances send Leila back to the carnival circuit, where tragedy strikes. And when she finds herself in the crosshairs of a killer who may be closer than she realizes, Leila must decide who to trust– the fiery vampire who arouses her passions like no other or the tortured knight who longs to be more than a friend? With danger stalking her every step of the way, all it takes is one wrong move to damn her for eternity.

MY THOUGHTS

Twice Tempted in the second book in the Night Prince series by Jeaniene Frost.

When this ARC copy arrived in my mailbox I screamed like a little girl.  My neighbors looked at me funny.  My dogs took cover thinking I was finally losing it.  My family even wondered if I had finally lost it.  Vlad, oh-sweet-lord-above-Vlad, how you love to mess with my heart.

Leila has finally had it with Vlad when we pick up shortly after the last book ended.  She decides that if Vlad can’t admit his feelings for her and express them with three little words, then obviously she isn’t worth enough to keep.  When he can’t give them to her, he lets her walk away from him. There is actually quite a bit that happens between the beginning and when she leaves, but I am not going to reveal too much so that it won’t spoil the book for you.  I will say that someone close to Vlad — and a previous character in the series — does stick around her and tries to keep her safe.  This person also tries to make her see that Vlad is not the one she should love.

When Leila returns home to the carnival, she doesn’t get to resume her previous life though.  Someone is hunting her and keeping one step ahead in the plot to kill her.  When the carnival is rigged with a bomb, Vlad is led to believe that Leila is dead at first.  A grieving Vlad is not a Vlad to mess with.  Although as scary as Vlad can be, Leila has a backbone that is just as strong. When she falls asleep, she is somehow connecting with Vlad.  At first she thinks it is a dream, but later on we find out it was real.  So thinking Vlad is just a dream, she lets her backbone stand at full attention with him.

His brows drew together like thunderclouds.  “Enough of this.  Tell me where you are.”
I almost said, “South Bend, Indiana” because what was the harm in telling Dream Vlad?  Then I paused. Why would I gratify Dream Vlad, either?
“I’m at the corner of None of Your Business and Screw You.”
–Leila with Vlad, page 95 in ARC copy

Needless to say, Vlad does finally catch up to Leila and he is not a happy camper folks.  He is ‘fuming’ — pun intended.  Even with Vlad angry though, Leila insists on pushing the subject of him not returning her love.
Vlad tries in his own words to explain his hesitation though.

“You see, you don’t want me to love you.  You want the version you’ve made up.  The knight, even though I’m the dragon and I always will be.”
–Vlad to Leila, page 169 in ARC copy

With Vlad walking away from her, Leila is determined to know everything about him so she can prove to love the real Vlad just as much.  Using her powers, she enters the Weapon’s Room that holds pieces of his past on display.  With each touch, she sees horrors of Vlad’s past.  With her powers being on the fritz though, she overloads her body and Vlad finds her just as she collapse’s. Before she passes out and goes into full arrest, she tells Vlad that she loves the real Vlad.

After she recovers, we are treated with Chapter 29.  Now let me point out that something MAJOR happens between Vlad and Leila, between her power surge collapse and this chapter.  After that major event, author Jeaniene Frost gives the readers something that is so gloriously good, that it will be rated up there with Chapter 32 in her Night Huntress series.  Loyal fans will know what I am referencing when I say Chapter 32.  While it may not out rank Chapter 32, Vlad and Leila’s Chapter 29 will tie pretty close with it.  All I can say is be prepared for scorching, sexy, and combustible!  Whew!

Again, after this hot chapter, many things happen.  The author doesn’t hold out when she comes out swinging with surprises and plot twists.  Some readers will cheer for some things, other things the readers will be shocked about.  All I can say is that Vlad will always be Vlad even in tender and quiet moments.  Just remember that he is feared for a reason, and the author makes sure to give very detailed imagery for you.  This book has a darker and bloody side, so be prepared.  While some things are resolved at the end of this book, there are still loose ends that will need to be addressed in the next book.  All I can say is bring it on Ms. Frost!

MY FAVORITE QUOTE

“This place stinks.”
“Did the guards forget to spray Febreze?”  Vlad asked in mock indignation.  Then he gave me a jaded look.  “It’s a dungeon, Leila.  They’re supposed to smell.”
Mission accomplished.  The stench might have actually killed my new appetite.  If Hell could fart, it would smell like this.
–Leila and Vlad, page 287 in ARC copy

MY RATING

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!

Review: Painted Faces by L. H. Cosway

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Painted Faces
Author: L.H. Cosway

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Come forth with an open mind, for an unconventional tale of love.. 

Dublin native Freda Wilson considers herself to be an acquired taste. She has a habit of making offensive jokes and speaking her mind too often. She doesn’t have the best track record with first impressions, which is why she gets a surprise when her new neighbour Nicholas takes a shine to her.

Nicholas is darkly handsome, funny and magnetic, and Freda feels like her black and white existence is plunged into a rainbow of colour when she’s around him. When he walks into a room he lights it up, with his quick wit and charisma. He is a travelling cabaret performer, but Freda doesn’t know exactly what that entails until the curtains pull back on his opening night. 

She is gob-smacked and entirely intrigued to see him take to the stage in drag. Later on, Nicholas asks her if she would like to become his show assistant. Excited by the idea, she jumps at the chance. Soon she finds herself immersed in a world of wigs, make-up and high heels, surrounded by pretty men and the temptation of falling for her incredibly beautiful employer.

In this story of passion and sexual discovery, Nicholas and Freda will contend with jealousy, emotional highs and lows, and the kind of love that only comes around once in a lifetime. 

MY THOUGHTS

Why did I wait on reading this amazing story?!  I will admit that if other reviewers had not given this book such high recommendations,  I would probably have completely passed this read over.  After everyone pushing it though, I caved and I can happily say that this book was SO GOOD!

Painted Faces is a love story, but it is so much more than that.  Plus, it isn’t your usual type of love story either.  Nicholas is a straight man that enjoys dressing up as a woman and performing as a drag queen. I wondered how in the heck I was going to get a “sexy and male feeling” for a man who dresses in drag, but the author certainly convinced me with the this book.  Then the author took it a step further and made the heroine Freda average weight!  YES, she actually had meat on her bones and wasn’t a size two!  Finally an author who writes a real sized woman.

Throughout the prologue — which is the readers first hint — and the rest of the story, we get to read bits and pieces on the question of why Nicholas dresses and performs in drag.  While the prologue actually gives you a pretty good clue, I think the author revealing everything in the spot she chose was perfect timing.  We got to see how Nicholas was shaped into the man that he is today.

Freda was hilarious.  I loved her quick wit and humor.  I laughed out loud so many times reading this book that I received may strange looks from my family.  The author has a unique writing style that brought the story to life in my mind.  Her attention to descriptions and details gave the imagery needed to form a colorful and unique piece of art in my head of what Nicholas would look like on stage.  I applaud the author for this amazing talent.

Overall, this has to be one of my favorite books I have discovered this year.  While I was sad to read the last page — realizing the story was ending — it was also an ending that was fitting.  A satisfying read that makes you want to read it again as soon as the last word is read.

MY FAVORITE QUOTE

“We all paint on a face to show the world,” Nicholas replies philosophically. “For some of us, that’s quite literal.” He takes a brief pause, “When you’re passionate about something, you don’t mind suffering a little discomfort.”
I give him a wry glance. “Have you had to suffer for your passion?”
He nods gently, his eyes roving over the crowds as they push by us. “More than you would think.”

MY RATING

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!

Review: How To Misbehave by Ruthie Knox

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How To Misbehave
Series: Camelot #1
Author: Ruthie Knox

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

What woman can resist a hot man in a hard hat? Beloved author Ruthie Knox kicks off her new Camelot series with this deliciously sexy original novella, in which a good girl learns how to misbehave . . . with all her heart.

As program director for the Camelot Community Center, Amber Clark knows how to keep her cool. That is, until a sudden tornado warning forces her to take shelter in a darkened basement with a hunk of man whose sex appeal green lights her every fantasy. With a voice that would melt chocolate, he asks her if she is okay. Now she’s hot all over and wondering: How does a girl make a move?

Building contractor Tony Mazzara was just looking to escape nature’s fury. Instead, he finds himself all tangled up with lovely Amber. Sweet and sexy, she’s ready to unleash her wild side. Their mutual desire reaches a fever pitch and creates a storm of its own—unexpected, powerful, and unforgettable. But is it bigger than Tony can handle? Can he let go of painful memories and let the force of this remarkable woman show him a future he never dreamed existed?

MY THOUGHTS

How To Misbehave by Ruthie Knox is the first book in the Camelot Series.

Amber Clark has been the good girl through life.  She helped take care of her siblings, went to church, and even had good grades.  She was never any trouble for her parents growing up.  She works at a community center and has had her eye on the contractor working on a wing there.  She thinks his name is Patrick, but it ends up being Tony — Patrick’s brother — that she is really interested in.  When a tornado warning is sound, the two find themselves together in the dark when the power goes out in the basement.  This is where the two finally start to talk and Amber talks about not wanting to be a good girl anymore.  She wants to misbehave and do things that aren’t expected of her.  Tony is willing to help her out, but warns Amber that he will end up walking away because he is the bad boy in the book.  Tony ends up falling for her though after one night of sexy time and they both need to find common ground to see if they can make a relationship out of it.

I loved this story by author Ruthie Knox.  Ms. Knox writes wonderful stories and can bring the characters to life with a flow of writing that is great.  I really liked Tony and the way that the author kept him a little bad even after he is trying to right his life after a major incident.  Amber was great as a heroine as well in the fact that she was like a butterfly coming out of her cocoon after laying dormant for so long.  I am glad to hear that there are going to be more books in this series so we can read more about Camelot and the residents of this town!

MY RATING

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!