Book Review: The Secret Prince by Justine Lewis

Title: The Secret Prince
Author: Justine Lewis
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: personal shelf
Published: November 4, 2014 by Penguin Australia

Prince Alexander Davros is on the run. From the press, from his bodyguards, and from a secret that threatens his position as heir to his country's throne ...

Journalist Maddie Lawson is determined to prove herself capable of covering hard news. She's fuming when her boss tells her to investigate reports of a European prince holidaying undercover in Sydney. As far as Maddie is concerned, Alexander Davros is a freeloading playboy.

When their accidental meeting results in a media frenzy, Alex is convinced Maddie's just been using him for a story. And Maddie can't believe the cute surfer she kissed was actually royalty. With her professional reputation in tatters, Maddie has no choice but to accept the royal family's offer to travel to Europe to write a profile on the Prince.

While furious that his father has arranged for Maddie to visit, Alex is forced to keep her close or risk having her uncover his secret. And as they spend more time together, the attraction between them grows. But if Maddie discovers the truth, she'll have to choose between the career she's worked so hard for and the man she's just getting to know ...

amazon | goodreads

Book Review: Truth & Temptation by Riley Edgewood

Title: Truth & Temptation
Series: Summer Love, Book 3
Author: Riley Edgewood
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided by author
Published: July 23, 2015 (self-published)

She's a liar. He knows the truth.

Teagan Walker gets around. Ask anyone—hell, ask her. She'll own it with a smile. But beneath that smile is a girl whose parents didn't want her. Whose grandparents raised her without affection. Whose struggle with a burning anger threatens to consume her, though she'd rather punch someone in the face than talk about it. With a new job looming, she's determined to work her way into a better life. When she meets the sexiest guy she's ever seen, she decides to kick it off with a bang. And she makes her move.

But he's got moves of his own, and before the night is out, he strips her of way more than she means to reveal—without removing a single piece of clothing. That comes, too, of course. He's gotten under her skin like nobody before him, and what's the harm in one night with a sexy stranger? Exposed or not, she never has to see him again.

Except she does.

On Monday morning, they come face-to-face. He's the son of her new CEO—and her boss for the summer—and he threatens to bring her entire world crashing down, making her face every lie she's ever told.

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Reviewed by: Sara

Book Review: Hellcat’s Bounty by Renae Jones

Title: Hellcat’s Bounty
Series: Rosewood Space Western, Book 1
Author: Renae Jones
Genre: Science Fiction, F/F Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: bought
Published: October 7, 2014 (self-published)

The hellcat of Rosewood station is the best of the best. Anelace Rios is a good old-fashioned troublemaker, fiercely independent, and best of all, a steady hand with a flamethrower. Carnivorous amoeba are slowly taking over the half-abandoned mining port, and the freelance exterminator rakes in big bounties killing them off—then she spends those bounties in a grand way. Work hard, play hard.

Meidani Sintlere's reputation is exactly the opposite of her wild friend. She's the station’s hardworking black market doctor. She’s shy. She's nice. She's got a weakness for imported chocolate and pastel dresses. And she gets mad as a sani-vacced cat when Anelace shows up missing chunks of skin.

The hellcat never lacks for a willing partner. Even so, Meidani's got notions to cut to the front of the line and stay there. She upends everything Anelace knows about good girls and the bad girls who don’t deserve them, and in a blisteringly hot night they go from friends to lovers.

But their new closeness forces the kind of reckoning even tough Anelace can't escape unscathed. She thrives on her job, relishes the payoff, but now she's endangering more than her own adrenaline-junkie hide—every run risks Meidani’s happiness. For the first time, Anelace is risking her shot at love.

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Reviewed by: Lesley

Book Review: Flight from Death by Yasmine Galenorn

Title: Flight from Death
Series: Fly by Night, Book 1
Author: Yasmine Galenorn
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: July 7, 2015 by Berkley

I’m Shimmer, a blue dragon shifter. Thanks to a mistake, I was exiled from the Dragon Reaches and sentenced to work for Alex Radcliffe, a vampire who owns the Fly by Night Magical Investigations Agency. Now, not only do I have to adapt to Earthside culture, but every time I turn around, somebody’s trying to kill us. And worse, Alex is as gorgeous as he is exasperating. But you know what they say: All’s fair in love and bounty hunting…

When an old friend of Alex contacts him about a haunting at the High Tide Bed & Breakfast in Port Townsend, Washington, we think we’re on a simple ghost hunt. But our investigation quickly transforms into a deadly fight as we uncover an eighty-year-old murder, a cursed house, and a dark force trapping the spirits within. To stop impending disaster we must break the curse and lay the angry spirits to rest.

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Reviewed by: Babs

Book Review: The Daughter of an Earl by Victoria Morgan

Title: The Daughter of an Earl
Author: Victoria Morgan
Genre: Historical Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: July 7, 2015 by Berkley

An American businessman in England, Brett Curtis has little use for the haughty ton beyond seeing his sisters happily entertained in London. But when his cousin mysteriously disappears after inheriting the title of Duke, he sets out to locate him and drag him home.

Lady Emily Chandler plunged into deep despair when her fiancé died in India, and now she is determined to prove that he was murdered. The brash American Brett Curtis’s reputation may be less than sterling, but he’s just the man to help Emily on her quest—if she can convince him to accept her dangerous proposition.

While their alliance uncovers a web of scandalous secrets, their undeniable attraction threatens to reveal something even more dangerous: true love.

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Reviewed by: Sara

Book Review: My Cowboy Promises by Z.A. Maxfield

Title: My Cowboy Promises
Series: The Cowboys, Book 4
Author: Z.A. Maxfield
Genre: Contemporary Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: June 16, 2015 by Intermix

To become the man he’s meant to be, one cowboy will have to be the man he never wanted anyone to know he was…

Ryder Dent is a true-blue cowboy. A devoted son, husband and father, but one who is living a costly lie. When they were both young, Ryder and his closest female friend Andy thought they’d found the perfect solution to both their problems—she was single and pregnant, and he was secretly gay—so they got married and raised Jonas together.

When Ryder gets hurt at a party, his son’s new pediatrician comes to the rescue. The connection between Ryder and Dr. Declan Winters is sudden, powerful, and undeniable. Ryder loves Andy and the family they’ve created together—but they both need more. Can they pursue their hearts’ desire without destroying the life they’ve built and losing the son they love?

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Reviewed by: J9

Book Review: Some Like It Scottish by Patience Griffin

Title: Some Like It Scottish
Series: Kilts and Quilts, Book 3
Author: Patience Griffin
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: July 7, 2015 by Signet

Kit Woodhouse’s matchmaking business is such a success, she’s expanding to the Highlands of Scotland where the hot, prosperous, and kilted are anxious to connect. Now, looking to fill her stable with eligible bachelors, Kit’s arrived in Gandiegow to recruit potential Real Men of Scotland. It’s not until she meets her tour guide that she discovers just how real they can be.

With his sexy grin, jeans, and black wellies, Ramsay Armstrong is an unpolished hulk of a Scottish fisherman—and a skeptic when it comes to romance. Not exactly a man of “pairing attributes” when talking marriageable matches, but he does make Kit’s heart beat a little faster. Maybe it’s the scent of the sea in his hair. Maybe it’s the challenge. Maybe it’s the thrill of the unexpected. Then again, maybe it’s love.

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Reviewed by: Sara

Book Review: Tricking Chase by Jessie G.

Title: Tricking Chase
Series: Devils Pride MC, Book 1
Author: Jessie G.
Genre: Contemporary Romance, MC Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: bought
Published: May 8, 2015 (self-published)

As Sergeant At Arms for Devils Pride MC, Tyler “Trick” Malone’s take no prisoners reputation make him one of the most feared and respected members of the club. Unbeknownst to the MC, Trick indulges his most dangerous secret, traveling out of state twice a year to trade his cut for the whip he expertly wields at a gay dungeon.

Trick’s well organized life takes a turn when he saves bar back, and terrified submissive, Chase Ward in a Georgia dungeon. With his protector and dungeon owner dead, Chase is no longer safe in the place he once called home. With the new dungeon owners circling like sharks, he desperately begs for sanctuary in the arms of his savior.

A year later the MC is still none the wiser that Trick’s houseboy is anything more than a grateful servant. Chase knows if the club finds out they will kill Trick, the man he’s come to rely on for everything from the food he eats to the pleasure he feels to the security he craves. Even when gratitude turns to love, Chase never expects reciprocation from his ruthless Master. After all, the only way for them both to survive is if Trick remains the heartless bastard the MC knows.

Trick is positive he has it under control and having Chase around has definitely made his life easier. There doesn’t seem to be any harm in letting Chase take a part-time job at Velvet Ropes, especially after meeting privately with the owners. That is until a bomb explodes at the club, leaving Chase fighting for his life and forcing Trick to face his long hidden feelings.

Even if Chase survives, that bomb has done more than rock the foundation of the popular leather club. It’s blown Trick and Chase’s well-guarded secret out of hiding, putting their lifestyle and their lives at risk. Now there is only one thing Trick needs to do before the club gets them and that’s to get revenge on the person who dared to hurt his precious boy.

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: Crissy

Book Review: Fallout by Lisa Henry and M. Caspian

Title: Fallout
Author: Lisa Henry and M. Caspian
Genre: Urban Fantasy, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided by author
Published: April 17, 2015 by Smashwords

High-school boyfriends Jack Haldane and Bastian Wade thought everything would be perfect once they reunited at college, putting disapproving parents and small-town attitudes firmly in the past. Now Jack’s on track for a PhD scholarship and a career as a researcher, and Bastian . . . well, living inside a broken body and trailing along in Jack’s shadow didn’t feature in his lofty teenage ambitions.

A weekend camping trip back home offers a chance for them to reconnect, but an ugly confrontation with the local motorcycle gang is only the start of their problems. When disaster occurs and the world unravels, will Bastian and Jack manage to hold on to each other, or fall further apart as they try to survive?

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Reviewed by: Crissy

Book Review: Drawing the Devil by Jon Keys

Title: Drawing the Devil
Author: Jon Keys
Genre: Contemporary Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: February 3, 2015 by Samhain Publishing

A heart can live a lifetime in eight seconds.

Ever since his father caught him with another boy and threw him out at the tender age of sixteen, Dustin Lewis has been fighting his way up the national bull-riding rankings. He’s on the brink of qualifying for the National Finals when he draws Diablo, a notoriously rank bull—and the ride goes bad.

When bullfighter Shane Rees frees Dustin from the rigging of the same bull that nearly destroyed his face, he comes dangerously close to dropping his guard. Shane knows the potential consequences of being gay in a sport loaded with testosterone-overdosed cowboys, and the resulting scars of mind and body have left him with little self-worth.

Their near-death-by-bull first meeting sparks an attraction that awakens every last one of their personal demons. Yet as the National Finals draws closer, so do they. But they’ll have to overcome emotional highs, near-tragic lows, and bone-crushing danger before love can bust out of the chute.

Warning: Contains man-on-man boot knocking, rawhide and raw emotions, badass cowboys and even badder-ass bulls. This ain’t your old man’s rodeo.

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Reviewed by: Crissy

Book Review: Darkness Eternal by Alexandra Ivy

Title: Darkness Eternal
Series: Guardians of Eternity, Book 7.5
Author: Alexandra Ivy
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: March 31, 2015

After being held captive by one vampire for four centuries, Kata had no intention of taking another one to the underworld with her. Yet even in the pits of Hell, there’s no ignoring the intoxicating desire awakened by Uriel’s touch...

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Reviewed by: J9

Book Review: While It Was Snowing by Elyssa Patrick

Title: While It Was Snowing
Author: Elyssa Patrick
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality Rating: Innocent
Source: free Kindle book
Published: March 8, 2014 (self-published)

Felicity Evans and Harry Walsh have been best friends forever, but lately, Felicity has noticed the looks Harry has been giving her. And she's going to do something about it. Sex solves everything, or so she hopes. But she never knew Harry was a virgin--until now. Being snowbound in a Vermont cabin is the perfect opportunity to take things to the next level . . . and perhaps dare to lay her heart out on the line.

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Book Review: Binding Ties by Shannon K. Butcher

Title: Binding Ties
Series: Sentinel Wars, Book 9
Author: Shannon K. Butcher
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: March 3, 2015 by Signet

Lyka Phelan is a Slayer, sent to live among her enemy to guarantee lasting peace with the Theronai. Yet she has a secret—and it could make her a slave to their power. But when a pack of Synestryn destroys her home and captures her packmates, Lyka realizes her freedom is a small price to pay for the safety of her people. So she strikes a bargain with the leader of the Theronai—one that reveals her true identity and binds her to him forever.

Joseph thought he knew better than to tangle with the beautiful, hot-blooded Lyka. One misstep could send their races straight back to war. But now he has no choice other than to help her. Forced to protect her with his life, Joseph finds himself increasingly drawn to Lyka. As they risk everything in their fight against the demons, he realizes he must convince her to surrender to him completely—otherwise she will never truly be his.

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Reviewed by: J9

Book Review: Simply Pleasure by Kate Pearce

Title: Simply Pleasure
Series: House of Pleasure, Book 0.5
Author: Kate Pearce
Genre: Historical Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: November 25, 2014 by Kensington Books

Experience the illicit passions of Regency England in Kate Pearce’s House of Pleasure series…

MASTER OF SEDUCTION

Ten years as a sex slave in a Turkish brothel have left Val Sokorvsky a master in the art of erotic seduction. But even as he offered his body, he never offered his heart. Now that he is returning home he wonders what kind of welcome he will find. Only one person understands his pain and Val is helpless to resist the passion he feels for Peter Howard, his English lover…

MASTER OF SUBMISSION

Peter learned to survive his years as a sex slave by coaxing and teasing his lovers to the heights of sexual ecstasy. But there is only one man he’s ever loved, one man he can never take as his own. Returning to England may save him from captivity but it may also take away Val, the one man to whom he’d willingly give his body and soul

Reviewed By: J9

Book Review: No Boundaries by S.E. Jakes

Title: No Boundaries
Series: Phoenix, Inc., Book 1
Author: S.E. Jakes
Genre: Romantic Suspense, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: November 18, 2014 by Samhain Publishing

When your past closes in, running isn’t always an option
The jobs Marcus Lowry works for at Phoenix, Inc. Investigations are quick and easy, and they don’t give him the nightmares his days as a CIA operative did. That is, until he gets involved in a case that grabs him by the throat and won’t let go.

Cole Jacobs left behind his old life on the streets to make a name for himself rebuilding high-end and vintage cars and bikes. But when a stalker threatens to kill him—and to hurt anyone who stands in his way—his past closes in on him, and he’s not sure where to turn.

The last thing Marcus wants to do is take on a charity case, and to say that he and Cole don’t see eye to eye at first is putting things mildly. But when the first attempt on Cole’s life nearly kills them both, Marcus realizes that Cole is in real danger, and Cole is forced to reveal everything. Almost everything. Because Cole’s deepest secrets could destroy them both.

Book Review: Savannah Sacrifice by Danica Winters

Title: Savannah Sacrifice
Series: Nymph, Book 4
Author: Danica Winters
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Sensuality Rating: Sensual
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: June 9, 2014 by Crimson Romance

Answers she must find . . . A truth that he can’t escape . . . And ghosts up to no good...

Being a demi-god has its privileges. For young nymph Starling Jackson, it means the gift of seduction and, more than that, near immortality. Yet when her life is filled with spirits, forever may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

With the help of her bodyguard, Jasper Gray, and secret books left to her by her late mother’s friend, she may have found the answer to all of her problems. But first, they must find a way to locate the books in their enemy’s hotbed, all while staying safe and, most importantly, without falling in love.

In the battles between the head and the heart and enemies and friends, Starling and Jasper will need to face tough battles, and even tougher consequences. Do they have the strength together and apart to withstand Savannah’s underground spirit world?

Reviewed By: Babs

Book Review: Very Bad Things by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Title: Very Bad Things
Series: Briarcrest Academy, Book 1
Author: Ilsa Madden-Mills
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: September 9, 2013 by Little Dove Publishing

Born into a life of privilege and secrets, Nora Blakely has everything any nineteen-year-old girl could desire. She’s an accomplished pianist, a Texas beauty queen, and on her way to Princeton after high school. She’s perfect...

Leaving behind her million-dollar mansion and Jimmy Choos, she becomes a girl hell-bent on pushing the limits with alcohol, drugs, and meaningless sex.

Then she meets her soulmate. But he doesn’t want her.

When it comes to girls, twenty-five-year-old Leo Tate has one rule: never fall in love. His gym and his brother are all he cares about... until he meets Nora. He resists the pull of their attraction, hung up on their six year age difference.

As they struggle to stay away from each other, secrets will be revealed, tempers will flare, and hearts will be broken.

Welcome to Briarcrest Academy... where sometimes, the best things in life are Very Bad Things.

Reviewed By: Laura

Book Review: Ashley’s Allegiance by Robyn Neeley

Title: Ashley’s Allegiance
Series: Emerald Springs Legacy, Book 5
Author: Robyn Neeley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: June 2, 2014 by Crimson Romance

Meet Ashley, the fifth of five unforgettable characters in the Emerald Springs Legacy.

Life in the small town of Emerald Springs, Washington, is anything but slow and peaceful. An old feud between former business partners Whitman and Sanders keeps competition on a high burner, fueling resentment, renewing rivalries . . . and love. Now someone is trying to bring down Emerald Tea Farm, and it’s up to both families to protect their future while still wrangling over the past.

The last five months have been nothing short of exciting for the Whitmans and Sanders. Adam, Chad, and Daniel Whitman have all begun to carve out their niche in the family dynasty. Now it’s Ashley Whitman’s turn. She’s ready to step up with her marketing ideas, talent, and drive to prove she has just as much to contribute to the family tea legacy as her successful cousins.

Deputy Sheriff Jacob Sanders is closing in on who is responsible for the suspicious activities plaguing Emerald Tea Farm and Split Acres. When a questionable encounter outside the local bar forces him to tag along to San Diego and play bodyguard to Ashley Whitman, any other man would jump at the chance to be in close quarters with the beautiful, blonde Whitman. Too bad they hate each other. Forced to spend time together, they discover their mutual dislike might be something else entirely. But can a Whitman and a Sanders really be happy together?

Reviewed By: Babs

Book Review: Two Week Trial by Missy Jane

Title: Two Week Trial
Author: Missy Jane
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: free Kindle book
Published: April 7, 2010 by Ellora’s Cave

Hi. My name is Mari. I’m of average height, average weight, average looks and I hold an average position at Hardy’s All Goods, my personal version of retail hell. To sum up, I’m nothing special. So why has Devon Campbell, the city’s Most Eligible Bachelor—and my unrequited high-school crush—suddenly crashed back into my life, claiming I’m the one who got away? Devon can’t possibly want to keep me for the long haul, right? My screwed-up past is enough to make anyone run screaming in the opposite direction. Still, he’s determined I give him a chance…and I’d be crazy to turn down his offer of a two-week trial.

Book Review: Hearsay by Taylor V. Donovan

Title: Hearsay
Series: Bylaws, Book 1
Author: Taylor V. Donovan
Genre: Contemporary Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided by author
Published: May 28, 2014 (self-published)

Senior associate attorney Derrick Swain wants it all: a loving husband, a fulfilling career, and a couple of kids. After years of hard work he's on the fast track to a promotion. He’s also met the man of his dreams. A week of daily lunch meetings in Central Park provides the perfect setting to get to know him better, and Derrick thinks it won’t be long before they take the next step and go on a date. But instead of asking him out, the object of his affection stops showing up without explanation, leaving him to wonder what went wrong.

As part owner of one of the most prestigious law firms in New York City, Roman Bradford knows that professional success isn’t the be all end all. Although he’s been lucky in life, true love has eluded him for the most part. One too many failed relationships have caused him to be leery of trying again, until he meets a man that can only be described as temptation personified. A few conversations is all it takes for Roman to start believing things will be different this time around. It doesn’t matter that they are boss and employee, or that he’s feeling too much, too fast. Not when he can see the same emotions in Derrick’s eyes. Then life turns on a dime, and Roman has no option but to let his chance at happiness go.

A battle of wills ensues when a life-altering case brings them together a year later. Roman wants to do the right thing by not letting anything happen between them, and Derrick is determined to prove they’re meant to be together. Evidence will be presented and final arguments will be made. Will they be able to come to an agreement, or will they opt to have their potential relationship dismissed?