Month: July 2014

The Royal Treatment by MaryJanice Davidson

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
574854
Grade: A
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, Alternate History
Series: Alaskan Royal Family #1
Published: 5/1/2004
Reviewed by Kate
256 pages

 

This one is an oldie, but is one of my absolute favorites (the whole series is actually).  MaryJanice Davidson has written a world in which Alaska is it’s own country.  And it’s a country ruled by the most unking-like king you could possibly imagine.  King Alexander is ready for his oldest son, David, to settle down, get married, and start working on the next heir to the throne ASAP.  Prince David’s not all that interested in dating, after all he’s got his hands full taking care of his personal flock of penguins.  Christina is working in the kitchen on a cruise ship and after her boss gropes her, she knees him in the nuts and quits. She walks off the cruise ship which leaves her stranded in Alaska with only $50, so of course she uses the money to go on a fishing trip.  On the fishing boat, she meets the king (who’s trying to blend in with the commoners, and not doing all that well).  The king invites her to stay at the palace-can we say matchmaker?  Like I said before, Prince David’s not all that interested in dating…until he meets Christina.

I could go on and gush and gush about this book.  The wild, crazy, royal family that Christina finds herself with is an absolute hoot!  Not to mention some of the palace staff (Edmund in particular).  But even though the family is such a strong presence in the book, they don’t over shadow the romance.  The sigh-worthy, blush-inducing romance of Prince David and Christina.

Filled with MaryJanice Davidson’s quirky, whitty, snarky dialogue, this is one book that will have you laughing out loud and reaching for #2 (The Royal Pain) right after you finish the last page.  If you haven’t read MaryJanice Davidson before, I highly recommend you start with this one!

I love an author that can write funny snarkiness well, and MaryJanice Davidson is one of my faves.  Who are some of your favorite snarky authors?

Bound to Please by Joey W. Hill

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
20752208
Grade: B-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: High Kink
Genre: BDSM, Contemporary, novella
Series:  Naughty Bits Part 3
Published: 6/17/2014
Reviewed by Kate
107 pages

Ever since Madison inherited her sister’s lingerie shop, she’s been slowly working her way to a relationship with Logan, a Dom who owns the hardware store next to the lingerie shop.  They’ve messed around a bit as Madison explores the submissive side of herself.  Logan has promised Madison a session to explore the pain/pleasure connection, she just has to tell him when.

Madison has a history of failed relationships.  Ones where she has invested herself 150% but her partner never even got close to 100%.  She’s determined to protect her heart by avoiding relationships altogether.  Every step that Logan makes toward a relationship made me cheer while every resistance from Madison left me utterly frustrated.

My biggest complaint about this one (and the series) is that it’s being released in a serial format.  Which I hate.  I’m not a patient person.  But I’ve hung with this series this long.  I can’t wait to read the 4th installment!

A heads up:  this one includes a scene with Madison and another man.  No sex between them, but if that kind of thing bothers you…

Peanut Goes to School by Thea Harrison

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Grade: A
Hotness Level: Spark
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Non-Romance, Paranormal, Shifter
Series: Elder Races #6.7
Published: 7/14/14
Reviewed by Anne
49 pages

Note: This is *not* a romance, but it’s an awesome short story that I recommend for readers who have enjoyed the Elder Races series, or even just Pia and Dragos’ story.

Drago and Pia have a son, Liam, nicknamed Peanut.  He’s biologically about 6 months old, physically about 6 years old, and mentally even older.  Oh, and he’s an incredibly cute magical shapeshifting dragon.  He’s maturing very fast, and his parents want him to have some social experiences at a school before he progresses too far beyond his physical peers.  So they send him to first grade.

Most of the story is told in Liam’s point of view, and I really enjoyed his voice.  He runs into situations at school that were a little far fetched, but I’ll accept it as normal in a world that holds dragon shifters.  I especially enjoy the world building and explanation of predator and prey as explained from a young boy’s point of view.

It’s a cute story that could stand alone – I know I have only read a couple in this series and still really enjoyed this one.