blaze

Love a Little Sideways by Shannon Stacey

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Love a Little Sideways (Kowalski Family, #7)
Grade: B
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Kowalski Family #7
Published: 11/26/13
Reviewed by Anne
195 pages

Liz, the youngest of the lodge-running Kowalskis is moving back home.  The only drawback to this situation is that she had a one night stand with Drew Miller, best friend to one of her brothers and chief of police.  That shouldn’t be too awkward, right? All she has to do is avoid him.  Except that as soon as she gets into town, she spins off the road and it’s Drew that comes to her rescue.  And he just keeps coming to her rescue.

This was a good story that I enjoyed, but it was always be “the one where they went camping again!” when I think of it.  Hilarious!  It was full of other enjoyable moments, too, though.  The pacing of Liz and Drew’s relationship was actually pretty slow and enjoyable. 

The main sources of conflict in the book were 1.)keeping their relationship a secret from Liz’s brothers and 2.) Liz not being sure what she wanted out of life and Drew knowing that he wants a wife and family.  The first one was resolved to my satisfaction.  The second one, after the leisurely pace of the rest of their relationship, felt a little rushed.

The Kowalski camping trip was great fun.  There were a LOT of secondary characters from other books that were getting jumbled in my head.  I finally decided I just didn’t need to try to keep track of them, and things went more smoothly from there.  Don’t get me wrong – I’ve read the other books and I like cameos from previous couples, but I think this book would stand alone just fine, since that’s essentially what it did in my memory!

It was interesting and enjoyable to read a story where the man was the one who was anxious to settle down and start a family.  That was a very nice twist.  But it’s really the relationships between Liz and Drew and their family and friends that make the book and keep me coming back to this series for more!

10 Ways To Handle The Best Man by Heidi Rice

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
10 Ways to Handle the Best Man
Grade-B-
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-Mild Kink
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kate
112 pages
 
Sabrina Millard has taken on the monumental task of organizing her best friend’s wedding, including the groom’s half-brother Connor McCoy. But can Connor and Sabrina control the sparks flying between them until after the wedding?
 
If you’re looking for a low-conflict, fun and flirty read, this is the one. Right from the start, you get the tension that develops between Connor and Sabrina. With phrases such as “orgasma-geddon” that had me laughing out loud, this book kept me turning the pages until I reached the end.
 
My one complaint was with how fast the characters jumped into the BDSM aspects of their relationship. I prefer the hero and heroine to have some on-page discussion about what’s going to happen BDSM-wise, but there seemed to be zero conversation between Connor and Sabrina. That’s probably just a personal preference of mine and may not bother most readers. If you can get past that, you’ll enjoy this one a lot.

Throwback Thursday-Holiday In Death by J.D. Robb

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Holiday in Death (In Death, #7)
Grade-A
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-In Death #7
Genre-Futuristic Romantic Suspense
Reviewed by Kay
308 pages

Eve Dallas’ latest case involves dating services, ritualistic murders and Santa Claus. Yes, I said Santa Claus. The city’s latest killer dresses as Santa to gain entrance to his victims’ homes. When he gets into their homes, he rapes, sodomizes, murders, cleans, does their make-up and poses them. He also leaves a piece of jewelry in the “12 Days of Christmas theme with the victims.

Eve and her team, Roark, Feeney, Peabody and McNabb find out that all the victims used a dating servicce called Personally Yours. As they try to track down this killer, Eve has to deal with Christmas shopping, a horrible fight with not only Roark but also with Peabody. As the clock winds down, the intensity of the case takes a toll on Eve both mentally and physically.

This was my favorite of the series so far. I loved everything about it. The bantering and pulse pounding suspense were fantastic. This series still manages to not only hold my interest but keep me fully engaged. A lot of emotions took place in this book. Eve had to face a lot of things that she wasn’t necessarily ready for. Now, me, I’m ready for the next book.