Shanna by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

Blurb...

All of London knows the Duke of Rutherford has position and wealth. They also whisper that he’s dissolute, devilish, and determinedly unwed. So why, everyone is asking, has he hired a governess?

When Miss Lily Russell crosses the threshold of the Duke of Rutherford’s stylish townhouse, she knows she has come face to face with sensual danger. For this is no doting papa. Rather, his behavior is scandalous, and his reputation rightly earned. And his pursuit of her is nearly irresistible—but resist she must for the sake of her pupil.

As for the duke himself, it was bad enough when his unknown child landed on his doorstep. Now Lily, with her unassuming beauty, has aroused his most wicked fantasies—and, shockingly, his desire to change his wanton ways. He’s determined to become worthy of her, and so he asks for her help in correcting his behavior.

But Lily has a secret, one that, if it becomes known, could change everything . . .onsents to wed a beautiful heiress . . . in return for one night of unparalleled pleasure.

In the fading echoes of hollow wedding vows, a promise is broken -- as a sensuous free-spirit flees to a lush Caribbean paradise, abandoning the handsome stranger she married to the gallows. But Ruark Beauchamp's destiny is now eternally intertwined with his exquisite, tempestuous Shanna's. And no iron ever forged can imprison his magnificent passion . . . and no hangman's noose will deny him the ecstasy that is rightfully his.

Wonderful!

This is my first foray into the brilliance that is Kathleen E. Woodiwiss's writing, even though I've had some of her books on my shelves for years. But when the publisher sent me a copy of Shanna I decided that there's no time like the present, and dove right in. And oh, how glad I am that I did because this isn't just a historical romance, it's an epic love story. There's mystery, romance, passion, sword fights, pirates, kidnapping, murder...start to finish it's one captivating, exciting adventure!

Needless to say - but I'll say it anyway - I'll be reading more of this author's writing, very soon!

My thanks to Avon Books for providing me with a copy of this story. In appreciation I'm giving them an honest review.

Jabril (Vampires in America #2) by D.B. Reynolds

Jabril is a continuation of book 1, Raphael, and a more brutal, heartless, evil vampire I’ve yet to meet than Jabril. He is not a good guy. He is not redeemable. He is nothing but evil, through and through. And no, I didn’t love him in spite of his flaws as I do so many alpha vamps. The thing is – the title is kind of misleading for most romance fans because while, yes, this is about Jabril, this isn't about him finding his happily ever after. There's no love interest (for him), no poor misunderstood male… he’s just the worse kind of evil, and this is his story.

Blurb

Houston, Texas-Cowboy boots, baseball and journeys to the stars . . . right? Wrong. Because Houston is also home to Jabril Karim, one of the eight powerful Vampire Lords who control all of North America. And as Private Investigator Cynthia Leighton will soon discover, not all Vampire Lords are created equal. For Jabril is the face of evil in the new world, a vampire who values no life but his own, who enslaves those he desires, steals whatever he covets and destroys anyone who stands in his way.

Running from L.A. and its seductive Vampire Lord, Raphael, Cyn sees the Houston job as a welcome refuge, a place to get away and heal her broken heart. But Texas will be no vacation. For in Jabril Karim, Cyn will confront a true enemy, one who will go to any lengths to satisfy his lusts, enrich his coffers and expand his power. Fighting for the lives of two young sisters, Cyn's journey will take her through the streets of Houston and back to L.A., where the human police are determined to bring Raphael down for the murder of one of their own. But the danger doesn't end there. For Jabril has set his sights on Cyn, and he will stop at nothing to have her.

Okay, so…

Any vampire with half a brain would know that messing with the woman Raphael’s claimed as his will not lead to good things, true, so this story is brutal, gory, harsh, violent… and it’s one of the best vampire stories I’ve ever read. I’m not going to go into much, but trust me on this… if you’re done with (or just need a break from) glittery, ethical vampires, and love to see bad guys go down hard… READ THIS BOOK! But first, you MUST read Raphael to understand the dynamics of this incredible world created by the very talented D.B. Reynolds.

As I said, it's a continuation of Raphael, and I'm happy to report that Raphael and Cyn finally pull their heads outta their rear-ends and are well on their way to their happily ever after!!

Thank the Kindle gods, I have the next several books already loaded and ready to devour!!!!!!!!!!

Slave to Sensation - Psy-Changling #1 - by Nalini Singh

Description…

Dive into a world torn apart by a powerful race with phenomenal powers of the mind—and none of the heart…

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of “rehabilitation”— the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was….

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a Changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy co-existence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several Changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion—and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities—or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation…

***********

4.5 Holy Hot Shifters stars!

Slave to Sensation is the first book in Nalini Singh’s wildly popular Psy-Changling series. This world she’s created is exciting, passionate, poignant… it’s like none I’ve ever read before. I’ll start by saying that I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for years, but never felt the pull to read it. My awesome Goodreads friend, Kristen, and I were chatting on the phone and she started raving about the audio version so, me being a recent convert to audio books, decided to give it a listen.

Sweet Mary! Am I ever glad I did!!

There are so many awesome reviews already written, but even though everything that needs to be said has already been said, I want to share my thoughts, too. Like I mentioned above; it’s an exciting, passionate, poignant world, and it’s so unique that if you asked me to compare it to some other series, or another author’s writing, I wouldn’t be able to do it. PNR and Fantasy are what lay the foundation for this world, and even though I am not a fan of the Fantasy genre, this worked for me, no doubt about it. A big part of why it worked is that the characters are people whose lives make this a very emotionally charged, poignant read, and those characters are people whose stories demand to be told.

Angela Dawe is the narrator and she did a fantastic job of showing the emotions these people feel; frustration, helplessness, pain… and yet hope, strength and joy.

I hear these stories just get better and better and I cannot wait to find out for myself!

Thanks for the not so gentle nudge to listen, Kristen! YOU ROCK!

Outlaw (Carre #1) by Susan Johnson

When her enemy, the infamous Laird of Ravensby, abducts her in order to win his brother's freedom from an English dungeon, Elizabeth Graham finds herself strangely attracted to this notorious privateer.

*****

Intriguing, romantic, and burns up the pages sexy!

I love it when an author can write a story that stays true to historical detail, but does it in a way that brings the characters to life, making me care about them and whatever course they’re on. Such is the case with Outlaw, the first of two books in Susan Johnson’s Carre series.

About the story…

With relations between Scotland and England reaching a boiling point, the last thing Johnnie Carre, Laird of Ravensby needs is the current complication of his brother’s kidnapping. His plan for a swift resolution is to do what any self respecting Laird would do; abduct Elizabeth Graham, the daughter of the man who holds his brother hostage, and keep her until his brother is returned. The only fly in the ointment of his plan is his uncharacteristic, uncontrollable attraction to his beautiful captive.

My thoughts…

Notorious ladies’ man, Johnnie Carre, Laird of Ravensby… boy, I didn’t care for him much in the beginning. Arrogant, manipulative, unrepentant man-whore… I really, really didn’t like him. But when he finally pulled his head out of his very fine, trews covered backside and realized what he was doing, what he was about to lose, that’s when I came to adore him!

Elizabeth Graham is a strong, independent woman determined to make her own way in life, and thanks to a very tidy sum settled on her at her husband’s death, she’s well on her way. It also took a while for Elizabeth to win me over, but when she did it was because of her love and unwavering devotion to Johnnie.

I really can’t share much of the story without giving away too many of the twists and turns that make this such an exciting, fast paced, couldn't-put-it-down read, but I can tell you this; If you love the attention to historical details and accuracy found in Kathleen Givens’ and Pamela Clare’s historical romances - along with an extra helping of steam - you’re sure to enjoy this sexy story of political maneuvering, kidnapping, torture, privateering, espionage, and sword-fighting, with a hard fought and well deserved happily after after.

My sincerest thank you to Susan Johnson for providing a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review! I'm looking forward to reading more!

Captive Bride by Bonnie Dee

Description...

San Francisco, 1870

Huiann arrives in America expecting to be wed to a wealthy businessman. She no sooner disembarks from the ship than she realizes Xie is not looking for a bride: Huiann is worth more to him as a high-end prostitute. Though her fate is better than that of other Chinese women forced into the sex trade, she has no intention of waiting for Xie to sell her virginity to the highest bidder. At the first opportunity, she escapes and disappears into the city.

When a beautiful woman takes refuge in his store, Alan's life changes forever. He's spent the last five years trying to forget the horrors of war, and had almost given up hope of finding love. He hires Huiann as his housekeeper, and though they can only communicate through signs and sketches, they quickly form a bond that transcends the need for words.

But Xie is determined to recover his property, and love may not be enough to protect Huiann from his vengeance.

 My review...

Bonnie Dee writes some impressive historical romances, if for no other reason than they are unique. She takes the same old storylines and gives them a twist which makes them distinctive and definitely interesting!

Captive Bride is another mail-order-bride-disaster story, but this time we have Chua Huiann who has come to America to marry Xie Fuhua, a successful Chinese businessman. Her parents hadn’t met the man, but through Lui Dai, one of Xie’s servants/agents, they were assured that their beloved, albeit unruly daughter, would have a life of prosperity and happiness. However, when Chua Huiann arrives in San Francisco she finds that things were not at all as they had been made out to be, and her life would be anything but happy.

Alan Sommers is the owner of a successful general store. He’s an honorable, hard working man who is running from the memories and nightmares that haunt him. Having fought in the Civil War and been taken prisoner early on, he spent years in captivity, not knowing whether he’d live or die, before he was finally released. Alan headed west to start a new life, but his nightmares followed him.

This story delves into the racism so prevalent during the time period, and the hardships Asian immigrants endured while trying to make a life for themselves. I don’t want to go into detail about how Huiann and Alan meet and spoil it for you, but I enjoyed watching their relationship grow into a sweet love story. Their cultural difference and the language barrier made for some fun and touching moments.

The bottom line...

Overall, Captive Bride was another enjoyable, sweet and sexy read by Bonnie Dee, and I’m looking forward to more by this talented author.

This story was provided to me by netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

Hard As It Gets (Hard Ink #1) by Laura Kaye

Tall, dark, and lethal...

Trouble just walked into Nicholas Rixey's tattoo parlor. Becca Merritt is warm, sexy, wholesome--pure temptation to a very jaded Nick. He's left his military life behind to become co-owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, but Becca is his ex-commander's daughter. Loyalty won't let him turn her away. Lust has plenty to do with it too.

With her brother presumed kidnapped, Becca needs Nick. She just wasn't expecting to want him so much. As their investigation turns into all-out war with an organized crime ring, only Nick can protect her. And only Becca can heal the scars no one else sees.

Desire is the easy part. Love is as hard as it gets. Good thing Nick is always up for a challenge…

**** 

Ink me up, baby!

Hard As It Gets, the first book in Laura Kaye’s Hard Ink series, is one of those stories that turned out to be not at all as I had expected, but more than I had hoped for. It’s fast paced, romantic, sexy, poignant… an exciting and entertaining read! 

My review

Part of the reason this story took me by surprise is that it’s really not a contemporary romance as I had expected it to be. In fact, I’d be more inclined to place it solidly in the romantic suspense genre due to the ex-military hero and his friends, and the very nature of this ‘mission’ they’re on. There’s kidnapping, sleuthing, fighting, killing, maiming, shooting, stabbing, chasing… all the things that scream romantic suspense, and add to all that the intrigue and passion that makes romantic suspense one of my favorite genres and Hard As it Gets made me one happy reader!

And a very pleasant surprise - I didn’t realize this until I had finished Hard As it Gets, but Laura Kaye also wrote the awesome novella Hearts in Darkness, and I know there are more than a few fans of that story amongst my reading buddies!

The bottom line 

With Hard Inked, Laura Kaye has created a world filled with complex, passionate, emotionally scarred people, and a storyline that grabbed hold and kept me on the edge of my seat wondering who, what, and why. I'm not so patiently looking forward to the next story, Hard As You Can! 

This ARC was provided by Avon Books via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Books in the series so far:

Striking Distance (I-Team #6) by Pamela Clare

Her past is a secret—even to her.

Discovering it will be the most dangerous move of her life.

TV reporter Laura Nilsson, known as the "Baghdad Babe," spent eighteen months in an Al Qaeda compound after being kidnapped live on the air. Two years later, she's still wondering why.

No rescue mission in Javier Corbray's fourteen years as a Navy SEAL affected him the way Laura's rescue did. No woman has stirred his protective instincts the way she has. And he wants her more than he's ever wanted anyone.

As Laura and Javier's passion ignites, so does Laura's need to discover the mystery of her past. Especially when she learns that her abduction was not random—and that she's still a target for a killer with an impenetrable motive. Now Javier will have to rely on his skills to keep the woman he loves from being struck down before she dares uncover the truth.

*************

Note: This review is based on the story I read as a WIP (Work in Progress), and as brilliant authors often do, there may have been changes made to the final copy.

Striking Distance is the sixth book in Pamela Clare’s I-Team series, and just like the five books before it, it’s amazing! It’s fast paced, exciting, heartbreaking, inspiring, romantic, sensuous… it’s everything we’ve come to expect from this amazing author!

This story deals with some difficult subject matters, including the heartbreaking aftermath of rape. The cover blurb alone tells us that this will be an emotional ride, but let me tell you… what Laura endured in captivity was hell. Even after being freed she continues to live that hell, and trying to put the pieces of her life back together and move on... well, I can imagine many women would just curl up and give up, but not Laura. She’s strong, she’s intelligent, she’s compassionate… she's truly a wonderful woman.

Javier Corbray is an amazing man. Of course he's sexy as all get out, but he's also protective, compassionate, honorable, devoted... he's all kinds of awesome! He understands all that Laura has been through and does whatever he can to make her life easier and to keep her safe. Laura has much to overcome, but with Javier on her side, anything and everything is possible.

One of the most compelling things about Pamela's stories is how she uses events or practices that really do happen, educating us to the world around us and doing it in a way that's entertaining. Don't misunderstand - I'm not saying there's anything enjoyable about drug rings, human trafficking, heinous acts in prisons, or setting women on fire... I mean that these are things we all should know about, but probably don't. Pamela gives this to us, making us aware of what's happening, but doing so in a 'first hand' way, through her characters' eyes, and giving us hope in the knowledge that there are people out there who are working to make a difference. To make things better. And who knows? Maybe we can find a way to help, too.

In case you aren’t already aware, Pamela Clare has given us a prequel novella, First Strike, which is Javi and Laura’s first meeting in Dubai, and the super sexy weekend they spent together. If you’re interested, you can read all about why this scene was cut, and how it came to be a novella, in My Spoiler Free Review of First Strike. As always, Pamela makes sure that, one way or another, her readers get her stories, told the way she wants them told - in their entirety!

Well, I best stop now before I start rambling - more than I already am. There's so much to say but all you need to know is that Striking Distance is a riveting, poignant story. Javi and Laura are a worthy addition to the other I-Team happily ever afters, and I can't ask for more than that!

The I-Team reading order, so far:

1. Extreme Exposure
1.5 Heaven Can't Wait - a novella found in the out of print anthology Catch of the Day and on ebook
2. Hard Evidence
3. Unlawful Contact
4. Naked Edge
5. Breaking Point
5.5. Skin Deep
5.9. First Strike
6. Striking Distance
6.5. Soul Deep
7. Seduction Game
7.5 Dead by Midnight

The Secret Life of Lady Lucinda by Sophie Barnes

Lucy Blackwell is desperate, reckless, and maybe a little bit crazy. That's the only possible explanation for tricking a man she doesn't know into a dance, a kiss, and an engagement - all in the middle of the biggest ball of the year! But Lord William Summersby is the final piece of her grand plan, and she'll do what it takes to make this marriage of convenience work - as long as it's convenient for her. She just never counted on falling in love...

**************

The Secret Life of Lady Lucinda is the third book in Sophie Barnes' Summersby series. It's a charming, romantic, sexy story full of mystery, adventure, humor, and some burn up the sheets lovin'.

Lady Lucinda Blackwell has a secret - and a mission - and she'll do whatever it takes to see it through, even if it means tricking the only man who can help her into marriage - which she does! Afterall, as Lucy surmises, it's not like they'll have to stay married for long, because if they just refrain from consummation, their marriage can be annulled. Simple as that, that!

Lord William Summersby has decided it's time to take a bride and the woman he's chosen will make him the perfect wife. Lady Annabelle Forthright is proper, intelligent but unassuming, pretty, healthy...  surely she'll provide him with plenty of good looking heirs. His life will be as it should be - quiet and uncomplicated. But when William finds that he has compromised a woman he's never laid eyes on before, he does what he and his family believe is the right thing to do - he marries her instead, turning his well ordered life into one of chaos and intrigue.  As the days pass and he gets to know his new wife better, William starts to think that maybe Lucy really is the best match for him - and she thinks to avoid the marriage bed? Not likely!

From the very first page when it grabbed hold and broke my heart, to the very last when I was left smiling from ear to ear, I absolutely enjoyed this story. The close knit - albeit unorthodox - Summersby family made for some great times with their teasing banter and obvious love for one another. While Lucy's plan to ensnare William was rather silly, given the time period it was also ingenious, and had me giggling from the irony of it all.

The bottom line: Sophie Barnes writes witty, romantic and sexy tales that are sure you leave you with a smile on your face, too. If you like your historical romance to be on the lighter side, but with an interesting plot and  loaded with passion, then you simply must read Ms. Barnes' stories, and the Summersby series is a great place to start!

My thanks to Avon Books for providing me with a copy of this story for review. It was such a pleasure!