Gambled by Cristin Harber


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

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!!

Wild On You by Tina Wainscott

Wild on You (Justiss Alliance, #1)

Grade-B
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Justiss Alliance #1
Genre-Romantic Suspense
Reviewed by Kay

This is the first full length novel in this series. I really enjoyed the prequel and has high hopes for this installment.

Risk is a former SEAL on his first assignment with the Justiss Alliance and his job is to protect the daughter of a military man. She’s an animal rights activist complete with an arrest record for her actions. Risk thinks this is a baby sitting job and not real thrilled at first. He knows he needs to prove his worth to his new organization so he vows to take this job seriously.

Addie Wunder is a little extreme but devout in her beliefs. She fights for the abuse of animals and she’s really quite successful at it. But she has gained enemies, yes in the plural form. She’s a pistol and nothing is going to stop her from her purpose. Not even the bodyguard her father has put on her tail.

This was a very cute book. I adored the characters and the storyline. You take a big carnivore and the animal rights activist vegetarian and pair them together and watch out. The cat and mouse game between them is entertaining and hilarious. I will never hear the words zucchini and radishes without giggling. This was suspenseful and hot. I already have the next book loaded and ready but with a release for May, I have to wait a while to read it.