A Reviews

Tempt Me by Olivia Cunning

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Tempt Me (One Night with Sole Regret, #2)
Grade-A
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Low
Series-One Night With Sole Regret #2
Reviewed by Kay

This is story two in the One Night With Sole Regret series. Sole Regret is a rock band with five members. This story focuses on one of the guitarists, Adam Taylor and his frequent hook-up, Madison Fairbanks. They’ve hooked up whenever he’s in Dallas for the last year. They very much enjoy each other and the time they spend together. Madison met Adam as a counselor for substance abuse. He’d just survived a drug overdose and was in treatment.

Madison comes to the decision that this hook-up is their last because she’s acknowledging that she had fallen in love with Adam. She knows their not seeing each other again will be painful but less painful than a broken heart. Adam has realized he’s tired of non-discriminate hook-ups with random women. He gets almost giddy with anticipation when he thinks about Madison. He tries to keep it under wraps because his band mates would give him hell over it.  He realizes that Madison accepts him, past and all.

Each of these characters get an education about each other and what the other sees in and expects of them. Adam gets to find out that Madison accepts his rock star lifestyle even knowing she might not be able to handle being a part of it. Madison finds out that Adam has been keeping a few big secrets from her.

This story captivated  me from the first page and never stopped. I’ve been a huge fan of Olivia Cunning’s from the beginning of the Sinners On Tour series. I have the third one of that series on my Kindle waiting! Can’t wait! I recommend anything she writes although she writes something with time travel in it that haven’t read. Read this story with a fan blowing on you because it’s a scorcher.

All He Ever Desired by Shannon Stacey

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

All He Ever Desired (Kowalski Family, #5)
Grade-A
Hotness Level- Blaze
Kink Level-None
Series- Kowalski Family #5
Reviewed by Kate and Anne
note: there are some mild spoilers in this review

Goodreads Blurb:
A second shot at first love

After college, Ryan Kowalski decided to leave Whitford, Maine, rather than watch Lauren Carpenter marry another man. Now his siblings need his help to refurbish the family-owned Northern Star Lodge and he’s forced to face the past sooner rather than later when he collars a vandal—and learns the boy is Lauren’s son…

The last person Lauren needs back in her life is Ryan Kowalski. With a bitter ex-husband and a moody teenage son, she has enough man trouble already. But her son needs to learn a few lessons about right and wrong, even if Lauren has to escort him to Ryan’s door every day to work off his crime.

With all this close contact, Ryan and Lauren can’t deny the chemistry between them is as powerful as ever. But can a few searing kisses erase their past and pave the way for a second chance at true love?

Kate:
Things I liked about this book: 1. This is not an easy romance. The hang ups that Ryan and Lauren have are genuine. And not one sided (it’s not a case of one of them coming to terms with something while the other has no issues).
2. The resolution is realistic and satisfying.
3. The original Kowalski clan makes an appearance for Mitch and Paige’s wedding, but it fits in the story instead of seeming forced.

Things I did not like about this book: 1. I worry that the author is going to make Rosie sick with more than a flu/cold.
2. The author has made me care for too many secondary characters…Hailey, Rosie, and Andy. As well as making me curious about new character Tori. Well they get their HEAs, or will we be left guessing?

My favorite parts of the book: 1. The scene when Nick walks in on Ryan and Lauren in bed.
2. When Dozer is trying to ask Ryan if he slept with Lauren but can’t find the right words, so Josh helps out.


Anne:
I totally agree with you (with one exception mentioned below)! Here’s what I’d add
Things I liked about this book:
1. There is some pretty hilarious dialouge in this book.  Here’s just one example

His brother was quiet long enough that Ryan guessed he probably wouldn’t like whatever came out of his mouth next. “I thought you guys were just fooling around.  I didn’t realize it was that serious.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“No.” Again with the hesitation.  “Just a lot of hurdles, that’s all.”
“I got a ribbon in track and field.  I can handle it.”
Mitch laughed. “Dumbass, that was a participation ribbon. You sucked at track and field.”

2. Kate said this, but it bears repeating.  It just felt so real.  There were things about it that weren’t easy, but at the same time it felt worth it.
3.  I liked all the secondary characters and the building and background info for the rest of the series.

Things I did not like about this book:
1. I thought the resolution between Ryan and Lauren came a bit too easy.  No one said something really stupid, which surprised me.  And Ryan’s self realization surprised me, too.  It’s a romance, so it didn’t surprise me that he had that moment where he realized he was being a jerk.  It did surprise me that he realized it himself and no one else had to tell him.  All in all, this was a minor thing for me.

My favorite parts of the book:
1. The continued references to Ryan being Lauren’s “you know, whatever.”
2. The glimpses of Mitch and Paige at their wedding and mentions of the huge shower in their new house.

So, that’s a hearty recommend from both Anne and Kate.  Enjoy!

 

Suddenly You by Sarah Mayberry

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Suddenly You

 

Grade-A-
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level No Kink
Series-this is a sequel to another book, but it stood alone well
Reviewed by Anne

Generally I like really hot and explicit books.  But there are a few authors who I really enjoy and would probably read even if the book had little to no sex.  Sarah Mayberry is one of those authors.  Thankfully, Suddenly Yours is a wonderful contemporary romance that also has some wonderful sex!

Pippa is a single mom of a 6 month old baby girl.  Harry is a pierced and tattooed mechanic with a heart of gold, and best mate (friend) to Pippa’s ex.  When Harry finds Pippa stranded on the side of the road with a broken down car, it is just the first in a series of meetings that lead to Harry realizing how much his mate has abandoned Pippa.  He’s torn between loyalty to his best mate and wanting to help Pippa out.  And wanting to help Pippa out is further complicated by the fact that they are attracted to each other.  That’s a complication neither of them really want, but they can’t ignore, even if neither is sure the other feels it.  On top of that, Harry is a confirmed man-whore.  He doesn’t do commitment.  He knows this and Pippa knows it, too.  This story, with no real bad guys, is all about what they do with that attraction and how they handle the challenges life throws at them.

There were so many things I enjoyed about this story!  I love the Australian setting and the way the author and publisher *don’t* Americanize the book’s language.  I’m smart enough to figure out the slang and I enjoy it!  I thought the realities of being a single parent were well handled.  It’s messy.  Pippa isn’t suing her ex for child support out of bitterness or for revenge.  She’s doing it because she’s struggling to make ends meet and she wants to be able to feed her daughter.  Pippa also has a temper that gets her into some situations.  This didn’t feel like an author contrivance to create conflict.  It felt like Pippa was a real person who flew off the handle now and then, especially when feeling embarrassed.  She also has a tendency to blurt things out.  This leads to a few more embarrassing moments, but it never felt over the top to me.  It felt real.  Here’s a good example I bookmarked.  Harry is doing some work at Pippa’s house and he’s up on a ladder while she’s down below.  He’s just politely told her that a button came undone on her shirt and he can see down it.  She’s embarrassed but when she looks up she sees “an impressive bulge” in his jeans.  Her mind is whirling.  Is it possible that he’s attracted to her, too?  Is that all because he’d seen down her shirt?  She’s busy with her inner monologue, convincing herself it would be foolish to act on anything when…
 

“Good coffee, Thanks.” He stepped toward her, coffering her the empty mug.

Her gaze slid down his broad chest and flat belly to his crotch.

“Is that for me?” The words slipped out of their own accord, born of too many nights alone and bone-deep curiosity and need.

It had been so long, and she was only human.

Harry’s gaze tracked to hers to his groin. She held her breath, waiting for him to respond, aware of the pulse of desire between her legs.

A slow smile curled Harry’s lips. “This, you mean?”

Pippa watched with dawning horror as he reached into his pocket and drew out a tub of filler.

His smile grew into an outright grin, his eyes dancing with mischief and amusement. “I’m not sure whether to be flattered or intimidated, to be honest,” he said, eyeing the tube assessingly.

Pippa opened her mouth to say something to rescue herself but the only sound that came out was a small, choked cough. Heat flamed its way up her chest and into her face.

Harry was watching her, grin still in place, amused and entertained. IN a moment of blinding clarity, she saw herself through his eyes – frumpy single-mum Pippa, down on her luck, a bit quirky and needy in her pill-covered yoga pants and baggy old man’s shirt.

A million miles from the kind of woman that would inspire a hard-on the size of a tube of spackle.


This is why I love Sarah Mayberry’s writing. It’s so real!  Sometimes when you open your mouth you make an utter fool of yourself.  Mayberry captures that.  It’s a funny situation that makes me smile, and then ache at the same time, because you know how Pippa feels.  The book has a handful of moments like this.  (And don’t worry, Harry does reciprocate her feelings!  The embarrassment works out well for her.)

 There wasn’t much in the story that I didn’t like.  Alice, Pippa’s daughter, seemed to sleep a lot, but I’ll accept that in my fantasy read. Sometime’s Pippa’s ex seemed a little over the top, but it fit the story, so I’ll accept that, too. 

I highly recommend this book.  It was a wonderful feel good read.  Sarah Mayberry is a consistently good writer who I never regret spending money on.  I’ve still got some of her backlist to read through. Her latest newsletter mentioned that she’s going to self-publish some more stories (this, like almost all of Mayberry’s books, was published by Harlequin) and I look forward to them, too.