Dirty
Author: Megan Hart
Source: Personal Purchase
Genre: Adult Erotic Romance
Publisher: Spice
 (January 1, 2007)
ISBN-13: 978-0373605132

This is what happened…
I met him at the candy store.


He turned and smiled at me and I was surprised enough to smile back. This was not a children’s candy store, mind you–this was the kind of place you went to buy expensive imported chocolate truffles for your boss’s wife because you felt guilty for having sex with him when you were both at a conference in Milwaukee.


Hypothetically speaking, of course.


I’ve been hit on plenty of times, mostly by men with little finesse who thought what was between their legs made up for what they lacked between their ears.


Sometimes I went home with them anyway, just because it felt good to want and be wanted, even if it was mostly fake.


The problem with wanting is that it’s like pouring water into a vase full of stones. It fills you up before you know it, leaving no room for anything else. I don’t apologize for who I am or what I’ve done in–or out–of bed.


I have my job, my house and my life, and for a long time I haven’t wanted anything else.


Until Dan. Until now.

After hearing about Mandi rave about books by this author, I had to run to my shelves and find one.  I was in the mood for some sexy reads, so I picked out Dirty first.  Dirty. Yes that about sums up this book.  Hot, sexy, erotic and other adjectives all rolled together come out to Dirty. But it was a good Dirty to read. Don’t expect a lot of sweet romance, but do expect a dirty romance to bloom that puts a little color in your cheeks while reading it.

Elle does have a dark past that she is dealing with in her own way.  That way is sex and it has happened about 78 times.  Most people would be screaming whore or slut when they hear that number, but would you think that way if a guy had blurted out that number? I didn’t think so.  Then she meets Dan in the candy store. Dan is the temptation of a life she could have if she wanted.  While that might seem a little vanilla compared to her back story of sex, it doesn’t turn out to be.  Dan was ‘the guy’ that a woman would be happy to be with.  He seemed perfect and romantic while being sexy and mysterious at the same time.  I really enjoyed Dan in this book.  Elle was a little irritating at times but she slowly grew on me.

What I liked the most about this book was the fact that we got to glimpse into the darker side of Elle.  There is more than meets the eye with her history and it explains why she is the way she is.  There is romance that is perfectly balanced with the sex.  What is even better is that there is a plot as well that keeps this book interesting without falling flat between the sex scenes.  I can’t wait to read more books by this author!

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!

Goddess Interrupted
Goddess Test #2
Author: Aimee Carter
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
 (March 27, 2012)
ISBN-13: 978-0373210459

Kate Winters has won immortality. 


But if she wants a life in the Underworld with Henry, she’ll have to fight for it. 


Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans. 


As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future. 


Henry’s first wife, Persephone.

It seems like we have waited forever for the next book in this series!  I quickly dived into the Greek mythology and needed to find out what sort of things the Gods were going to put Kate through next.  Unfortunately, the Gods aren’t the ones who are going to test Kate in this installment.  It is the Titans!  Cronus is waking and he wants revenge on the Gods who bested him in the past.  With help from Calliope, Cronus is able to capture Henry — along with two others — and getting ready to strike against the Gods for all they have done.

I must say that even though I was excited to continue on with this story,  I actually had forgotten most of what happened in the previous book.  I had to go back and reread the first book so I knew what was going on.  That is why it is so hard for me to enjoy a series when the books are published so far apart.  The first half of this book moved a little slow for me.  Plus the constant crying from Kate about whether or not Henry truly loves her.  It got to the point to where I just wanted her to shut up or grow up.  Yes, Henry doesn’t really show much love towards her when she arrives back, but Henry is not the type of man to constantly fall at a woman’s feet since his last relationship with Persephone was such a disaster.

The book does pick back up though about half way through.  Then the action really starts.  Without giving away any spoilers, be prepared for a shocking ending.  Your mouth will drop and you will be full of frustration that the author gave us the ending she did.  I couldn’t believe it ended the way it did and wanted more!  Goddess Interrupted has a ‘true’ cliffhanger of an ending!

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!

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

Slide
Author: Jill Hathaway
Source: Amazon Vine
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
 (March 27, 2012)
ISBN-13: 978-0062077905

Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered. 


Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body. 


Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane. 


Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

This had an interesting summary and had me anticipating the story I was about to dive into reading.  While I enjoyed the book — enough to recommend it to everyone — there were a few problems I had with it that I think the readers should be aware of.

I loved the concept!  Vee has the ability to ‘slide’ into someones body when she least expects it.  All she has to do is touch something that someone has had in their possession and she slips into them briefly.  Sometimes she witnesses boring stuff, romantic stuff and this time she witnesses murder that has been ruled a suicide.  Vee is the only one who knows that her sisters best friend didn’t commit suicide.  She witnessed it from the killers perspective but no one will believe her if she tried to explain.  She is determined to try and figure out who did it and find a way to bring justice to her sisters best friend.

While I everything I mentioned above was great to read about, a few things stuck out as needing a little work in the story.  For one, at times I felt it to be a little reminiscent of early years young adult books.  Just some of the phrases that Vee would use and even some of her actions seemed a little out of character.  Another problem I had was the relationship between Vee and Rollins.  The author had plenty of chances to elaborate on their growing friendship and give the reader better glimpses into how Rollins really felt about Vee.  I didn’t like how he was rarely around her through the book and in turn it made it feel like a forced connection.  I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy a blossoming romance between the two friends when they hardly had any private time for it to grow.

As for the character of Zane the author leaves an aura of mystery around him.  He is the new hot guy in school but for some reason he is interested in Vee.  While I could see these two as a couple since they spent quite a bit of time together, the author does leave enough mystery to him that keeps you guessing about his true motives.

With the small clues that the author drops about Zane, Rollins, Vee’s family and friends along with a teacher who might have questionable intentions, the author does intertwine many plot angles to leave the reader guessing.  While I really did like the book,  some of the things I mentioned above keeps me from giving it a better rating.  Great for teens to pick up and give a try, but not one that made a huge impression on me.

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!

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