C Reviews

All I Want is You by Elizabeth Anthony

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Grade: C
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Historical, Erotica
Published: 10/22/13
Reviewed by Anne
336 pages
 
  This was under the “erotica” category at NetGalley, and it sounded interesting. Sophie is a maid at a big country house – it has a Downton Abbey vibe to it!  The visiting Lady Beatrice has a plan that includes Sophie seducing Lord Ashley, who Sophie has a mad crush on.  It sounded like such a great set up, and for about the first half I enjoyed it.  However, it is very Danielle Steele like, which doesn’t work for me, but it may work for her fans. It’s got a lot of angst. 

The story is focused on the heroine, Sophie and her personal journey, not the relationship between her and Ash.  I would not consider this story a romance, as I think a happily ever after ending is necessary in a romance.

At first I was pretty proud of Sophie and the decisions she was making to be true to herself, but it quickly turned I to a situation where she was cutting off her nose to spite her face! She ran from safety time and time again. Sophie she goes through a lot of tough times, yet continues to push away any help Ash would offer.  Some of her decisions had really awful consequences, but put in the same situation again, she made the same choice.  And in the end, the story just made me angry.

I do think the writing was solid and the editing was good. It just didn’t like the ending or the angst.

Ivan by Roxie Rivera

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Ivan (Her Russian Protector, #1)
Grade-C+
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Her Russian Protector #1
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kate
99 pages

Erin has been solving her druggie sister’s problems for a while. Now her sister’s missing and Ivan may be the only one who can help her. But Ivan’s rumored to be a part of the Russian mob. Will Erin end up making a deal with the devil?
 
I struggled with this read a lot. I understand that Erin loved her sister more than anything else in the world. I’m just not sure that I can believe she would jump into a sexual relationship so quickly with such a shady character, especially since it wasn’t part of a deal to find her sister. Ivan was one of those heroes who is rumored to have been involved in anything and everything secretive and dirty. And I know that it is a personal preference of mine, but I have trouble falling for a hero who is/was a mob boss and drug dealer.
 
Personal preferences aside, I liked the writing. It was sharp and the plot moved quickly. I wouldn’t hesitate to read more by Roxie Rivera, but probably not more of this series.
How about you? Is there such a thing a too bad of a bad boy?

Welcome to Paradise by Rosalind James

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
Welcome to Paradise (The Kincaids, #1)
Grade-C+
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-The Kincaids #1
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kate
340 pages
 
The History Channel is getting ready to film its reality show America Alive: 1885. Mira and her douche of a boyfriend Scott are going to be contestants as well as Gabe, a sterling example of a hero, and his twin brother Alec. There are 16 contestants total, but the book follows the pairs of Mira and Scott and Gabe and Alec.
 
I’m a huge sucker for the reality show premise. Give me a book that takes place in or around a reality tv show and I’ll move it to the top of my TBR pile. There’s just something about them that I can’t turn down.
 
As a reader, you hate Scott right from the get-go. He’s an absolute asshat. He’s condescending and rude and arrogant and…well, you get the picture. And for me, I found myself wondering why in the world Mira was with him for any length of time.
 
Gabe, of course, is perfection personified. Although I did get a chuckle over the fact that his twin brother is described as being the hotter of the two. As a reader, you will cheer at the way Gabe treats Mira.
 
All that being said, after finishing the book I just couldn’t get excited over it. There was really nothing (apart from the reality show aspect) that stood out as being great. And I felt the conclusion was a bit soap opera-ish and over the top.
 
If you enjoy the reality show premise, then it’s probably worth checking out. Otherwise, I’d steer clear.
It’s obvious I’m a sucker for the reality-show setting. Is there a setting that you just can’t pass up?