contemporary

Comfort Reads

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Maverick
Grade-A
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-None
Series-Elite Ops #2
Reviewed by Kay

Micah Sloane has no family. He is an Elite Ops agent and a former Mossad agent. He was a former Mossad agent because he’s no longer alive. By that, I mean that he was reported dead but he is actually still living. He is part of the group that Noah Blake is from. He has a chance to catch the killer that murdered his parents, but to do so he has to use Risa Clay as a way to lure out the killer.

Risa Clay has had the most horrific things happen to her. She was a victim of a kidnapping, she was drugged, she almost died, she was brutally raped while her father watched and she was wrongfully institutionalized to keep her quiet. She was raised by monsters who told her she was so ugly no one would ever want her and and she should never procreate and pass that ugliness on to a child.

She decides it’s been long enough after her rape to embrace her sexuality. She’s given the rest of her life six years to settle and now it’s her sex life’s turn. She meets Micah and from there her life will never be the same. As the situation is explained to her, she is resentful towards Micah, as she should be. But the part that hurt me was that she was accepting of the fact that there was a contract on her head. She was willing to go along with being the bait, she just didn’t want Micah posing as her love interest.

I rank this book right up there with Lora Leigh’s Wild Card. I even cried harder in this book. Every emotion is felt while reading it. You cheer for Risa because no one else ever has. Even at the height of betrayal for Risa she conducts herself with as much dignity as possible.  You have to read the entire Tempting SEALs series to fully understand what’s going on but I encourage you to do it. This novel is worth that and so much more.

Just Ask by Mia Downing

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
Just Ask
Grade-B-
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Low, some very mild D/s
Genre: m/m, contemporary
Reviewed by Kate
When tycoon Jordan Hill inherits half of an island resort, he wants nothing more than to sell it quickly. But first, he has to spread his uncle’s ashes and meet the other owner, Ryan McCale (you see where this is heading, don’t you?). His uncle wanted him to take a vacation and relax, but Jordan doesn’t do vacations or relaxing.

Jordan takes a horseback tour of the island looking for a places to spread the ashes, but finds himself looking at the male tour guide instead. Which is weird since he’s straight, right? When the guide turns out to be Ryan, Jordan knows they will be spending more time together.

Jordan gets the impression that Ryan might be interested in him and decides to throw caution to the wind. A weekend of sex sounds good to both Jordan and Ryan. Not wanting him to sell the resort, Ryan decides to use the lure of sex to force Jordan explore and really see the island as more than just a business. Both are surprised by their feelings in what was supposed to be a what-happens-on-the-island-stays-on-the-island weekend.

I liked the connection between Ryan, who is very secure in his sexuality, and Jordan, who is exploring this new side of himself. What pulled me out of the story a bit was the suddeness of their affair. One minute Jordan is wondering why he’s turned on by Ryan and the next minute they are romping naked in the ocean. There was no hesitation or second guessing on Jordan’s part. He jumped in with both feet, which seemed a bit unbelievable. Once I got past the suddeness I enjoyed the story.

Let Me Be The One by Bella Andre

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Let Me Be The One (The Sullivans, #6)
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-None
Series-The Sullivans #6
Reviewed by Kay

Ryan Sullivan and Vicki Bennett have been best friends since their sophomore year of high school.
Even with Vicki being a military brat and moving a lot they’ve kept in touch. Vicki is a sculptor and Ryan, a professional pitcher in the major leagues. So they are polar opposites and have been in love with each other for years. This story begins with a panicked message from Vicki to Ryan. When he gets to her she has a situation with a colleague who is making unwanted advancements. Normally, she’d just shut it down but he has a little power over her career so she has to tread lightly.

Ryan steps in and pretends to be her boyfriend in hopes this will scare the man off. This pretending kind of goes crazy and out of control. I thought the premise was cute and I liked the heroine. I also enjoyed reading about the other Sullivans. I didn’t care for Ryan’s character. He had moments where he was forceful but then he was very beta in his pursuit of her. So that was a big turn off for me. I love Bella Andre and the Sullivans. This book will not make me turn away from either of them but it wasn’t her best book in this series.