Laid Bare by Lauren Dane

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Laid Bare
Series: The Brown Siblings #1
Author: Lauren Dane
Genre: Erotic Romance
Source: Personal Purchase
ISBN: 9780425229712

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Unexpected Desire…

It’s been ten years since clean-cut, sexy-as-hell police officer Todd Keenan had a white-hot fling with Erin Brown, the provocative, wild rocker chick next door. Their power exchange in the bedroom got under his skin. But love wasn’t in the cards just yet…

Now, life has thrown the pair back together. But picking up where they left off is tough, in light of a painful event from Erin’s past. As Todd struggles to earn her trust, their relationship takes an unexpected and exciting turn when Todd’s best friend, Ben, ends up in their bed–and all three are quite satisfied in this relationship without a name. As the passion they share transforms Erin, will it be enough to help her face the evil she thought she had left behind?

MY THOUGHTS

I am really hesitant in writing this review since so many are fans of this series.  I wanted to be blown away by it since the reviews I have read have been favorable.  Unfortunately, my feelings fell in the middle for this one.

The beginning felt really rushed to me.  I understand the author need to set up the relationship between Todd and Erin, but it ended up feeling forced and at times unbelievable.  I had hoped after the prologue it would even out and become better.  I love how the two of them reconnected.  I loved the D/s aspect of the relationship.  I even loved the other characters in the book as well.  Ben was even a good character even if I felt he got the short end of the stick in the relationship.  What bugged me about it was the way the relationships were handled and the back story of their lives while separated.

Erin’s back story I can believe.  Anyone who loses a child and suffered what she did would have a different outlook on life and love.  Todd’s on the other hand felt like just a quick excuse to get him back to Erin.  He got married after running away from Erin 10 years before because he thought his kink was wrong.  He grew up thinking his curious fetishes were not normal.  So he takes a pretty trophy like wife, tries the marriage thing for bit, then almost dies in the line of duty which also leads into a divorce.  After the divorce is over he moves back to his home town for a new job.  It seemed pretty extreme for me, but I went with it.

The relationship between Todd and Erin was just okay.  Then the author throws in Ben as another character in play for this relationship.  He is not an affair for them, but an addition in the bedroom and in their lives.  Ben is a long time friend of Todd’s so I guess the reader is suppose to just take it as it is.  Unfortunately, I didn’t feel any real spark between the three.

There is plenty of sex in this book to appease the naughtiest of readers with kink thrown in on certain scenes, but the plot and characters just left me feeling okay.  I wasn’t blown away as I wanted to be, but I still think I will keep going in the series.

MY RATING

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!

Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine

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Bitter Blood
Series: Morganville Vampires #13
Author: Rachel Caine
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Source: Publisher
ISBN: 9780451238115

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

For years, the human and vampire residents of Morganville, Texas, have managed to co-exist in peace. But now that the threat to the vampires has been defeated, the human residents are learning that the gravest danger they face is the enemy within…

Thanks to the eradication of the parasitic creatures known as the draug, the vampires of Morganville have been freed of their usual constraints. With the vampires indulging their every whim, the town’s human population is determined to hold on to their lives by taking up arms. But college student Claire Danvers isn’t about to take sides, considering she has ties to both the humans and the vampires. 

To make matters worse, a television show comes to Morganville looking for ghosts, just as vampire and human politics collide. Now, Claire and her friends have to figure out how to keep the peace without ending up on the nightly news… or worse.

MY THOUGHTS

Oh Morganville, how I have missed you. This series is addictive and never fails at nonstop action and adventure. Please forgive me for being so vague in this review, but if I were to say to much it would give away so much of the story.  We can’t have all the secrets spilled like blood in one review!

Bitter Blood is again told from multiple POV’s from all our favorite characters.  The one that excited me the most was Myrnin though! We get to glimpse into his crazy mind and the author did a wonderful job of letting the reader understand what he goes through each day.  Myrnin also knows that Morganville is changing.  It is  finally coming down to a war between the humans and the vampires.  Sides will need to be chosen and our loyal group of four will find themselves put right in the middle of it.  Previous evil villains will reemerge and try to play the game of chess with lives of all.  Some you won’t expect, others you will.  One character will finally die, but I won’t tell you which one or how.

We will also see the marriage between a vampire and human –Eve and Michael– come to a major play for this book.  Amelie didn’t want this marriage to take place for a reason and it will be revealed why in this book.  Shane and Claire will also have their own relationship struggle that will change their outcome as well.

Can I just say that what the author gave me as a reader in the last half of the book, was some of the best she has written yet.  She wasn’t afraid to take the road the fans will hate, but in time I believe it is for the best.  There has been build up for this scene throughout the last few books — if not all — that finally comes to a climax. I think I was just as flabbergasted and shocked as the characters.

After thirteen installments in the Morganville story, it is great to know that the author can keep shocking me and keeping the story line interesting.  For fans of Morganville, do not miss this one.  Things are changing and evolving with each new chapter!

MY FAVORITE QUOTE

–I lifted one foot from the brackish water, and the bunny slippers were soaked and drooped pathetically.  Even the fangs seemed robbed of any charm.
“Don’t worry,” I told it.  “Someone will pay for your suffering. Heavily.  With screaming.”
I felt I should repeat it for the other slipper, in case there should be any bad feelings between the two.  One should never create tension between ones’s footwear.
–POV is Myrnin, page 221

MY RATING

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!

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

Consequences by Aleatha Romig

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Consequences
Series: Consequences #1
Author: Aleatha Romig
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: B005IP26DG
E-Book Edition

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Besieged by memories of a brutal abduction, Claire Nichols wakes in an unfamiliar bedroom, within a luxurious mansion. Her recollections have one common denominator, the man she just met, Anthony Rawlings. 

Unbeknownst to Claire, for a very long time, she has been within Anthony’s sights. Many of the pivotal events in her life occurred, due to his sinister manipulation. Every action has a consequence, and his actions result in their chance meeting. 

More than a psychological thriller, Consequences is a vivid story of one woman’s struggle to survive incomprehensible circumstances. Every aspect of her being suddenly depends upon the tall, wealthy, dark haired, dark eyed businessman. Anthony Rawlings is known to the world as prosperous, benevolent, and kind. Claire quickly learns that he can also be a menacing controlling captor. 

With few options but concession, Claire attempts to earn her freedom, while enduring a hellish existence that truly appears perfect. Persevering tests and trials, she struggles to retain her pure Midwest values and beliefs. Encouraged by memories of a loving upbringing, she gains strength in the simplest of joys: solitude in nature and good in the face of evil. 

His goal in sight, Anthony’s calculated agenda encounters an unforeseen detour. He becomes captivated by Claire’s beauty, resilience, and determination. The interaction of these two compelling characters instigates strong emotions: fear, anger, love, and lust. Claire and Anthony’s tumultuous journey flows into uncharted waters of intrigue and passion. 

Utilizing vivid detail, this 167,000-word novel unfolds like a movie, before the eyes of its readers. From the opening criminal abduction, through twists and turns, to the unlikely romantic thrills, the suspense climaxes as Anthony’s motivation becomes evident. 

Anthony and Claire must decide if they will stay true to one another, or allow preceding actions to result in justifiable Consequences.

MY THOUGHTS

Holy freaking heck!  Yes, that is the main thought going through my mind after completing this novel.  I am surprised I can even get those three words to compute in my frazzled brain at the moment.  After Mandi from Smexybooks recommended this book to me, I thought she was out of her beautiful loving mind.  I thought to myself  that there was no way I would enjoy this book.  No romance? No supernatural plot? Are you insane Mandi? Then I finally decided to read it and step out of my comfort zone.

This is not — and I repeat — NOT a romance!  Also, if you are under 18 or cannot handle difficult scenes that include rape, violence or abuse, then this book shouldn’t be read without proper warning.  I warned Mandi that I would be tweeting her my progress with my thoughts on this book.  She listened and she supported me through the journey. I seriously could not believe some of the things that happened in this book.

I so wish I could give it a proper review with scene by scene playback.  I am not going to do that though for the sheer volume of space it would take.  This novel was huge and I agree with others in the fact that it could have been worked down to half.  The author goes into a lot of details and scene setups that I believe could have been left out.  Not to say that I didn’t enjoy those scenes, but it became too much with the other things that do happen.

I found myself starting to fall into the same Stockholm syndrome that Claire did.  I started to step into her shoes and think that if she just would have done one thing differently, it could have had a different outcome.  I thought Anthony was going to turn out to be a good guy and Claire was something special to him.  She was going to be able to fix him even if he was her captor.  DO NOT go into this book with a weak mind thinking that what I just said is true.  DO NOT think he will be a different person for her.  DO NOT be fooled as she was.  Remember that she was kidnapped and she had no choice in this.

The ending was a jaw dropper.  Not only did the 40% mark make me wish I had more wine to handle the story, but the ending was torture.  When Claire received that box, everything starts to fall in place.  Then when Anthony “meets” the next girl, you just know this isn’t going to go well.

This is one emotional story that will leave the reader hanging on by barely a thread of sanity and belief.  I personally can’t wait to step out of my comfort zone again and read the next book in this series.

MY RATING

Very Good! I would recommend this book!

My Book Haul (23)

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From now on I will be posting My Book Haul on Saturdays.
Feel free to link up in the comments if you would like to share your mailbox post 
with me (and others) to check out.

—————————————————————————-

FOR REVIEW

A Promise To Protect by Liz Johnson (signed)
— Thanks to author Liz Johnson —
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
— Thanks to Feiwel and Friends —
Furious by Jill Wolfson
— Thanks to Henry Holt —
Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine
— Thanks to NAL —
—————————————————————————-

So what did everyone else get this week?

Losing It by Cora Carmack

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Losing It
Author: Cora Carmack
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Personal Purchase
ISBN: B009QAKUYG / E-Book Edition

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible– a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if if that weren’t embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theater professor. She’d left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.

MY THOUGHTS

I will be honest is saying that I am having a hard time rating this book.  I found the characters of Bliss and Garrick to be great, the writing flowed at a good pace, and the supporting cast of characters just as good.  I think the only real problems I had was the summary doesn’t do the story justice and at times the author tried a little to hard to be funny.

The first part of the book felt forced because the author pushed the funny down the readers throat.  Bliss and her sarcastic wit and comments started to get a little too much.  Finally, once the story really starts moving and Garrick is introduced as more than a one night stand, it really started to take off.  Garrick is one hot professor with a British accent to boot!  I will even say that the cover image of him is pretty similar to what I had in my mind when reading about him.  YUM!  Bliss really does fall for him and you just know that the drama is going to unfold at some point.  You can’t have a story without the drama.

While there were some great dramatic parts of the book though, the ending was not what I expected.  The one thing the two were worried about the most — and one the reader thinks is going to happen — doesn’t even turn out to be the one thing that does happen.  The ending was sort of a let down for me after all the build up.  It was sweet and perfect for the couple, but I kept looking for more of a climatic story arc.

Even with all of those things that disappointed me in the story, I still found myself enjoying it.  I am interested in the future writing of this author and of her hints of writing spin-off’s for the secondary characters of this book.  Great for a debut author, but I am hoping she will choose to spread her wings a little more with the drama for the next one.

MY RATING

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!