C Reviews

Rule by Jay Crownover

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Rule (Marked Men, #1)
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-None
Series-Marked Men #1
Reviewed by Kay

Shaw is a pre-med college student who has parents who want to control her life. Even as they kind of overlook her existence. She basically has a surrogate family in the Archer’s. She met Remy Archer in high school and the two formed a strong bond. They were the perfect couple who wasn’t.

Rule Archer is a great example of an anti-boyfriend, admittedly. He has piercings, tattoos, self destructive behavior and a horrible attitude. He is very estranged from his family, way past awkward.
His twin brother was Remy and has an older brother named Rome, who is in the armed forces.

These two characters, Shaw and Remy, have been raised through the teenage years together. Rule has always only seen Shaw as Remy’s. Shaw has always seen Rule as hers. Through all of the trials, Shaw only sees Rule as worthy of redemption.

This book caught my eye last year and has sat on my Kindle for months and months. I finally told my self that it was time and opened it up. I have to say there is a lot of emotion in this book relating to the relationships in the story. Heavy emotions too. The characters have to deal with death and the awful ways it changes you. Those things I liked. The things I didn’t like? Rule’s mother was a monster and his father a total doormat for the monster. I also don’t think a man that has a fight with the girl he’s dating has a right to kiss another girl.  The other thing I did not like and my biggest complaint was the heat level. In my opinion, men that have piercings and tattoos should have sex scenes that are blistering not just warm. Don’t tell me how hot he is and then have a lukewarm sex scene. It doesn’t add up for me or work for me. Ultimately, it killed the book and the series for me.

Slow Burn by Anne Marsh

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Slow Burn (Smoke Jumpers, #2)
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-None
Series-Smoke Jumpers #2
Reviewed by Kay

Faye Duncan is looking for a second chance. She desperately needs a do over on her life. Her career is doing pretty well but her divorce is final and it still stings. Not about the hurt but about the fact that it didn’t hurt. She cashed in her 401K and buys herself a Corvette. Camera in hand she heads to the town of Strong to take pictures of firemen for the magazine she works for. My only question here is if they are taking applications at the magazine.

Evan Donovan is a smoke jumper like his brothers and friends. He works in Strong and gets a phone call from an old military buddy. His friend, Mike says his ex-wife is headed to Strong and wants Evan to check up on her. Evan thinks its weird but says okay. He finds Faye in the local bar, drunk off her butt and takes her to his cabin since there isn’t a hotel in town. From there the story goes on.

This was an okay read for me.  Not great but not bad. I liked the characters primary and secondary. I adored the secondary romance between Ben and Nonna. I thought the mystery unfolded a little too fast for my taste.  This is an okay series and I may read more of it.

Hope Breaks by Alice Bello

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Hope Breaks
Grade: C
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Series: 1st book in a same couple trilogy
Reviewed by Kate

Hope is a professional photographer whose specialty is romance book covers. She needs an exciting and new cover or her job is toast. Unfortunately, the only model agency in town is fresh out of models. A trip to the local Wal-Mart produces two potential models (see Wal-Mart really does carry everything, cover models-aisle 23) as well as a broken down car. Luckily Jake, a mechanic in the Tire and Lube Express department is there to save the day. Jake and Hope go on a whirlwind dating adventure. Then Hope makes a mistake that makes Jake walk away.

I liked that Jake and Hope are such normal people, not über-rich. Jake, of the thick and luscious lips, is your everyday grease monkey (but sexy, of course). Hope has worked her way into a rut lately, just the same old, same old. Her main excitement comes from her dreams of Brad Pitt. Jake and Hope together are cute and sweet and they have that urgent excitement of a new relationship. I felt like I could know them in my daily life.

While I found the dialogue well written, at times the rest of the writing wasn’t as smooth. There were also a few things that pulled me out of the story. At different points in the story, Hope is referred to as being both twenty six and thirty-seven. Hope has some relationship issues that are strongly hinted at, but never disclosed. On the other hand, Jake’s history seems to be a blank slate. No issues or problems to speak of. The love scene, while very descriptive, went on way too long for me.

Hope Breaks, the first in a trilogy by new author Alice Bello, does not include an HEA. I would assume that will come in the last book. The characters and dialogue were the strong points of the story. In this debut novella, Ms. Bello shows promise. I look forward to finding out what happens to Jake and Hope next.