I Dream of Danger by Lisa Marie Rice

They are the Ghost Ops: a covert squad of super-elite soldiers. After their team was betrayed and massacred, the three surviving members went underground and built Haven, a community of misfits and geniuses. Now they're at a crossroads, facing a new threat capable of destroying everything they hold dear.

In the second book of Lisa Marie Rice's thrilling Ghost Ops series, the Haven team is faced with a new addition to their secret society-and a threat capable of destroying everything they hold dear.

When Nick Ross disappears from Elle Thomason's life, she is certain she'll never see the man she loves again—except in her dreams.

Ten years later, as a respected researcher breaking new ground in psychic phenomena, she sends a desperate call for Nick's help. One by one, her colleagues have started disappearing . . . and Elle knows she's next. An elite soldier, Nick never meant to hurt Elle, duty kept him away—and then she vanished. Now troubled by unusually vivid, disturbing dreams of Elle in danger, Nick will rescue the only woman he's ever wanted and bring her back with him to Haven. Though powerful men are after Elle and her special abilities, Nick will die before leaving her side again.

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

Lisa Marie Rice is one of my favorite erotic/romantic suspense authors, and I love this futuristic - but not overly SciFi-esque - world she's created. I've been so looking forward to this second installment of her Ghost Ops series, and like the first book, Heart of Danger, it's action packed, fast paced and sexy, but I have to be honest, it also dragged in places.

Approximately the first 30% of the story is devoted to to the backstory, and while that might seem like a bit much, there's a lot of important information here. Things we need to know and wouldn't be able to get any other way without going the flashback route, which I'm not a big fan of.

I truly enjoyed reading about Nick and Elle's history. They're both great people, each in their own right... but put them together and they're amazing. It was emotional, poignant, romantic, sexy...but there was more introspection and lamenting than I like. I found myself skipping paragraphs at a time to get to the actual dialog and 'the good stuff' - the rebuilding of their relationship, and the new information surrounding Dr. Lee and Arka Pharmaceuticals. It's such an intriguing plot that I just wanted to skip all the 'filler' and get back to Nick, Elle, the Ghost Ops team, and the rest of the residents of Haven.

I hope Ms. Rice writes fast because I'm anxious to find out what's going to happen next!

Note: Something I failed to mention but feel that I should is that there is a cliffhanger with this story, but NOT concerning the HEA of our hero and heroine. It's strictly plot related.

My thanks to Avon Books for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange of an honest review.

The Story Guy by Mary Ann Rivers

Carrie West is happy with her life . . . isn’t she? But when she sees this provocative online ad, the thirtysomething librarian can’t help but be tempted. After all, the photo of the anonymous poster is far too attractive to ignore. And when Wednesday finally arrives, it brings a first kiss that’s hotter than any she’s ever imagined. Brian Newburgh is an attorney, but there’s more to his life . . . that he won't share with Carrie. Determined to have more than just Wednesdays, Carrie embarks on a quest to learn Brian’s story, certain that he will be worth the cost. But is she ready to gamble her heart on a man who just might be The One . . . even though she has no idea how their love story will end?

*****

I will meet you on Wednesdays at noon in Celebration Park. Kissing only.

This isn't the kind of story I'd normally pick up, but there was something about the idea of two lonely souls meeting once a week to share stolen kisses in the park. I couldn't stop wondering what would compel Carrie and Brian to enter into such an arrangement. It sounded so tawdry, so shallow, and yet, so heartbreaking and hopeful.

Honestly, I simply couldn't resist finding out what brought them to this point in their lives.

My Thoughts -

It doesn't often happen that a book takes me completely by surprise, but The Story Guy is one that did. I had no idea where this relationship between Brian and Carrie was going - if it was going anywhere at all - but what starts out as a sexy, intriguing, quirky tale, soon becomes a poignant, impassioned love story that I couldn't put down. It's a fairly short read but what it lacks in page count it more than makes up for with complex characters, a deeply moving story, and the promise of a beautiful, destined, happily ever after.

I wish we had been given an epilogue of some sort, something to show us where Carrie and Brian will be 5, 10, 20 years down the road. And believe me, this not a criticism, but a testament to how much I came to care about them both.

I'm looking forward to reading more by Mary Ann Rivers, a very gifted writer.

My thanks to Loveswept and Netgalley for granting me a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.   

Things Good Girls Don't Do by Codi Gary

Things Good Girls Don’t Do is a fun, sexy, romantic story about living life on your own terms, even if it means disappointing those around you.

The Story:

Katie Connors has spent her entire life living up to everyone else’s expectations of what being a “good girl” means: Good girls don’t steal. Good girls don’t visit sex shops. Good girls don’t have one-night stands. They practice good decorum, never make a scene in public, never talk back to their elders… in Katie’s world, the list of what she can do is far shorter than the list of what she can’t. Even now that her mother has passed away, Katie continues living by the standards that were instilled in her, practically from birth, but after being dumped by her longtime, cheating, lying boyfriend, she starts to wonder if all the effort she’s put into being good has been worth it.

Enter Chase Trepasso.

Chase has a reputation totally the opposite of Katie’s. He owns a tattoo shop, rides a motorcycle, dresses in jeans and t-shirts, and is considered by the small town and its small-minded people to be nothing but trouble. He knows Katie’s a good girl, not at all someone who would be interested in a guy like him, but there something about her that draws him in. When he runs into her at a local bar and finds her making a list of all the things a good girl like her would never, ever do, he can’t stop himself from offering to help check each item off of her list.

Katie knows she should run the other way, but Chase’s teasing and tempting offer set something off inside her. A need to prove that she can break rules, that she can be naughty. Sometimes. And as long as she can keep her heart out of it, everything will be just fine.

And we all know how that’ll work out, right?

My Thoughts:

This is such a fun, sassy, sexy, romantic story! I’m a fan of small-town romances, anyway, and this one has the elements I most enjoy – close friends, people you’ve grown up with, quaint traditions… but there’s also the less appealing side of small town life. Busy bodies, people who know everyone’s business – or want to – and think it’s their job to keep everyone in line and, honestly, I do wish there had been a bit less of the confrontations between Katie and Mrs. Andrews. That said, watching Chase and Katie 'do their own thing,’ despite the interference from well meaning friends, was at times beautiful, at times funny, and at other times, very hot.

The Bottom Line:

If you’re a fan of Contemporary Romances set in small towns, and if you want characters you can fall in love with and happily ever afters you can believe in, you’ll definitely want to give this story a read. It’s not too light, not too angsty, just a comfortable, feel good story.

Note: I’m not sure if this is book 1 or 1.5 in a series, but there was a short story in the Kiss Me anthology directly connected to this book. That said, both are wonderful stories and work well on their own.

Update from the author: "It's technically not a series, they are stand alones based in the same town, but you can call them Rock Canyon Romances. :)"


My thanks to Avon Books for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

Avon Books and Avon Authors ROCK!

Very rarely do I post anything on my blog that isn't a review or, at the very least, promoting a specific book or author, but this is too cool not to share!! 

I got this awesome T-shirt in the mail today from the wonderful  Powers That Be over the Avon Addicts program, Pamela Spengler-Jaffee, Jessie Edwards, and Caroline Perny! I'm blown away by how stealthy they got and all the effort they put in to having this done for Amy Valentini (Unwrapping Romance) and me. Our shirts traveled to the Romantic Times Book Convention in Kansas City, then to the Romance Writers of America Convention in Atlanta! 

If you're one of the authors who signed this shirt, THANK YOU!! 

But also, thank you for your wonderful stories! You lift us up and you inspire us. You make us laugh and make us cry. You take us to places we'd never otherwise get to go while making us smile and giving us hope. But best of all, you make us fall in love, again and again. So yeah, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!

If you're a romance lover, head over to Avon Romance and take a look at all they have to offer; Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance, Romantic Suspense, New Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal... the list goes on and on. And chances are you'll find that some of your favorite authors are Avon authors. 

All Out of Love (Cupid, Texas #2) by Lori Wilde

For years, a small group of women in Cupid, TX, led by Millie Greenway, have taken it upon themselves to keep the Cupid legend alive. Now Millie has roped her four disbelieving granddaughters into joining the cause.

Lace Bettingfield knows for a fact that the Cupid legend is bogus. As a shy sixteen-year-old, she left a letter at the statue and got nothing in return but heaps of embarrassment when her letter ended up printed in the school newspaper. But now the boy she longed for is back in town and Lace can't help wondering...what if?

*****

"Love just plain hurts sometimes, but we can't let that stop us from loving. Love is the only thing in the world that really matters. " - Sandra

This is such a fun book! The second in Lori Wilde's Cupid, Texas series, it's even more fun, more passionate, and more engaging than the first.

I fell in love with our hero, Pierce Hollister, in spite of - or maybe because of - his cocky-jock attitude. You know what they say...the bigger they are, the harder they fall...and this Dallas Cowboys Quarterback falls hard, in more ways than one. A potentially career ending injury knocks his ego down a peg or two, and then add to the mix Lace Bettingfield's sassy mouth and sexy body wanting nothing to do with him and you've got a hero who's used to snapping his fingers and getting whatever - or whoever- he wants, doubting his cocky-jock-studliness and not knowing what to do next!

I enjoyed Lace, a lot. She's smart, determined, devoted to her friends and family, and fun in a quirky geek kind of way. My heart broke for her high school humiliation, and while I understood where she was coming from, I think she went a bit overboard with her denial of the attraction she had for Pierce, and what was developing between them. Then again, living in a small town that can't seem to forget the past can do a lot of damage to a girl's self esteem.

Lori Wilde writes great small-town stories. She's got a real gift for capturing the comfortable feel that goes along with knowing the people around you, and loving them despite their flaws. This world Ms. Wilde has created has such a warmth about it. The relationships are solid, the romances sweet and sexy, and all this makes me want to find Cupid, Texas and make it my home.

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

An English Bride in Scotland by Lynsay Sands

Sexy, funny, exciting... a fantastic start to this series!

An English Bride in Scotland is the first book in Lynsay Sands's new series. Set in the Scottish Highlands, this story delivers all the things we Highlander historical romance fans want in our reading; humor, excitement, passion, love, and hot, hunky, men in kilts. And out of kilts. Especially out of kilts.

The Story -

Annabel's life was decided for her when, at seven years old, her mother left her at Elstow Abbey where it was expected she would grow to an age then take the veil to become a nun. Things didn't progress as planned, however, because Annabel had problems following the rules. She wanted to be good, she really did, but she just never quite measured up.

Then one day, out of the blue, her mother arrived to take her home, as it turns out, to marry the Scottish Laird her older, runaway sister was betrothed to. Annabel had been raised to be obedient in all things, so she didn't really question this or put up a fuss, but that didn't mean she wasn't concerned. She had no idea how to run a keep or be a wife, but knew she'd have to learn. And in the Abbey she'd heard frightful stories about how painful and distasteful the whole marriage bed bit was, but she decided that'd be something she'd just have to endure.

Laird Ross MacKay wasn't thrilled to be saddled with an English bride, but one look at the shy, lush, Annabel, and all Ross could think about was getting her into bed - even though he knew she wasn't the woman he'd been betrothed to since childhood. Why the Withrams were swapping daughters on him, he couldn't say, but all he wanted to do was claim his sweet, curvy bride and return home to his clan and life with Annabel at his side.

My Thoughts -

Lynsay Sands is the author of the insanely popular Argeneau Vampire series, but she's also penned some historical romance novels. I've only read two of them, this one included, and I have thoroughly enjoyed them both. Ms. Sands writes heroes and heroines who feel so real, it's easy to forget that they're just characters in a book. They laugh, they cry, they learn, they love, and they often make me do the same.

One of my pet peeves in Highlander HR is when the authors fail to give me enough of that sexy Scottish brogue I love so much! That's not a problem in this book, though, as the dialogs are full of ayes, nays, no', ha'e... Well, you get the idea. I love that! And there's also enough talk of daily life in a Highland castle to keep my feet firmly panted in the past - which is exactly where I want to be while reading.

The Bottom Line -

Lynsay Sands is one very talented writer, and if you're like me and want great characters and entertaining stories, you should definitely give her a try. Whether you're in the mood for hot, hunky vampires, or sexy men of the past, you won't want to miss her stories! I'm very much looking forward to the next in this series!

My thanks to Avon Books for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review!

Laura's Big Break by Janet Elizabeth Henderson

Laura needs to interview the hero of the moment to keep her new job with a women's magazine. She'd rather stick a fork in her eye. Twelve years have passed since her disastrous one night stand with Charlie and they've barely exchanged two civil words in that time. She calls him the Neanderthal and he calls her The Iron Maiden. If it wasn't for the fact his sister was Laura's best friend, she wouldn't have anything at all to do with him.

Charlie has come back from a stint in Afghanistan with a souvenir - nightmares. After one afternoon arguing with Laura, Charlie makes a wonderful discovery: she's so irritating, she scares away his dreams. So Charlie agrees to give her an interview - at a price. She has to accompany him on a two week cycling holiday in Holland, that way he might actually get the rest he needs. He takes particular delight in the plan because he knows that Laura hates exercise, loathes the outdoors and despises him. It feels good to have the upper hand for a change.

Laura needs an interview. Charlie needs sleep. And they both need to grow up and get over the past. But not before Laura cycles into a canal, sets fire to a tent and posts nude pictures of Charlie on the internet - all with the hope of getting her story.

*****

Laura's Big Break is a steamy, quirky, funny, friends to lovers story. Okay, "friends" might be stretching it a bit. Laura and Charlie can hardly stand to be in the same room (or tent or country) together.

I enjoyed this story and read it in a day. The author has such a great way with dialog and creating characters we can relate to. It's a bit on the shorter side and some of the relationship building suffered for the lesser page count, but all in all, a very entertaining read!