contemporary

Gambled by Cristin Harber

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne


Gambled: A Titan Novella (Titan #3.1)
Grade-B
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Titan #3.1
Genre-Contemporary Roamntic Suspense
Reviewed by Kay
98 pages

A second chance love story between a husband and wife? I’m all over it!Brock Gamble is ostracized, black listed, an outcast from his old life. That’s what happens when you are considered a traitor. It’s what happens when you betray your best friends. Endanger people you care about or people they care about. Doesn’t matter that you had no choice, no other options. And when the people you did it for walk away, it leaves you with nothing.

Sarah Gamble never really knew what her husband did for a living. When she found out firsthand, she couldn’t forgive or forget. She understood his motivation but the danger that came with it was too much for her to handle. Too much for their daughters to handle. When she’s approached by an unlikely source regarding forgiving Brock, she’s forced to decidwe whether she really wants to lose the only man she’s ever loved.

I enjoyed this so much. Cristin Harber is a master at character description. You fall in love with them all and yearn for their happily-ever-afters. Watching Brock and Sarah get to truly know each other again was so sweet and sexy. I can’t wait to read the next novella in this series that keeps getting better and better.

Live by Mary Anne Rivers

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
18630722
Grade: A
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Burnside #1
Published: 1/21/14
Reviewed by Anne
267pages

Destiny Burnside is out of work, nearly out of money, and still mourning her father’s recent death.  Every day she treks to her local library to use their computers for her job search.  The only silver lining to this daily trip is the chance to see the quiet, good-looking wood carver doing restoration work in the library.  

Hefin is the woodcarver, and he’s noticed Destiny, too.  They’re both pretty quiet and shy, though, so it’s not until he sees Destiny crying one day that he approaches her.  He just wants to help her feel better.  This leads quickly to a friendship and an acknowledged attraction between the two of them.  The only problem?  Hefin’s time in the US is limited.  He’s heading home to Wales after he finishes the library project.  Destiny’s ties to her small town are many and strong, and this sets them up for an affair they know can’t last, but can’t resist either.

This is a kind of cliched setup, but I thought it was a very original story.  In fact, about half way through I realized I didn’t really know how they would work things out.  Hefin NEEDS to go back to Wales.  Destiny is very needed by her family in Ohio.  And, yes, I could guess at how they would work it out, but the journey to get there wasn’t a sure thing for me, and it was very enjoyable!

Another strength of this story was that Destiny and Hefin aren’t traditionally beautiful people.  Well, ok, Destiny kind of is.  I’ve always envied red heads and all their freckles.  It’s clear that Destiny doesn’t see herself as beautiful, but even more clear that Hefin DOES.  And Hefin thinks of himself as “quite hairy” which is not exactly a romance-land hero!

These two are both functioning, but functioning broken.  Limping along, living with the losses they’ve been dealt, and finding the courage to reach for more.  It was heartbreaking in a good way to read, because, yes, you felt their heartbreak, but you also got to go along for the ride through their healing.

I thought the sex scenes were hot and well written.  The characters felt like real people and the conflict was believable.  The pacing of the story was slow, but very enjoyable for me.  I can’t wait for more for Mary Ann Rivers!!

Bonds Of Denial by Lynda Aicher

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
Bonds of Denial (Wicked Play, #5)
Grade-B-
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Mild Kink
Series-Wicked Play #5
Genre-Contemporary/m/m
Reviewed by Kate
281 pages
 
Rock is a co-owner of the Den, an exclusive BDSM club. He’s also in the closet. After years of serving during ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ he’s never really even admitted to himself that he’s gay. However, he’s extremely drawn to Carter, an male escort he first sees on the security screens at the Den.
 
I have read the first 4 books in the Wicked Play series, and loved them all. However, this one was written in such a different direction. And I absolutely loved the new direction. The first 4 centered on the BDSM aspect of the relationships. In this one, BDSM is such a small part of their relationship. A very, teeny, tiny part. Despite the lack of BDSM, this was a steaming hot read.
 
The relationship that develops between Rock and Carter was filled with drama and tons of angst. Carter helped Rock discover things about himself, and Rock did the same for Carter. It was truly a joint partnership. Not a story where one character is near perfect and the other has to make all the changes.
 
I appreciate that the author has populated this series with a diverse group of characters. We have had the standard m/f books (#s 1, 2, and 4). But there has also been a menage book (#3-I loved it!) and now a m/m. They can each be read independently of each other but I would recommend the entire series. I can’t wait to see what the next book in the series brings us. Emotionally gripping with steamy scenes, I know this is one that I will be re-reading.