Blue Lines by Toni Aleo

Blue Lines (Assassins, #4)
Grade-B
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Assassins #4
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay

Piper Allen loves Erik Titov. She has wanted him for a long time. She knows the kind of man he is. He’s a womanizer through and through. She can’t seem to get over him, maybe because she sees him constantly. Being that he is her brother-in-law’s brother, it adds to the trickiness of her feelings. Then one night, they go home together from a bar and have wild hot sex. She never hears from him again. Then she realizes she’s late and takes a test where it comes up blue lines or positive. She tried to get a hold of him but he never called her back. So at six months pregnant she goes to his home and drops the news on him.

I really liked so much about this book. I loved the depth of Piper’s love for Erik. I loved seeing the characters from the other books. I loved Erik’s parents. I loved the fluidity of the writing. My big problem was Erik. He was a complete douche bag. On every level. So very selfish and cruel. Through almost 90% of the book I felt he was beyond redemption. Really. I truly wanted Piper to move on from him. I know his backstory and as horrific as it was, I just couldn’t handle his cruelty. It kept this book from being a five star read for me. I don’t think I have ever read almost a whole book hating the main character. When I was done reading, I only barely liked him.

Toni Aleo is my favorite new author of the past year. I love her books and can’t wait to read them. She wrote an almost completely beyond redemption lead male character and made you at least like him. She is a true writing talent and an auto-read for me. Her books are always a bit of an emotional roller coaster, which I love. The acknowledgement section at the end of the book broke my heart. I’m so very sorry for your loss, Mrs. Aleo as I am also a motherless daughter.

Temporary Arrangement by Karen Erickson

Temporary Arrangement (The Renaldis, #0.5)
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-The Renaldi’s #0.5
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
46 pages

Solid start to what I think will be a fun series. This is a prequel kind of. More of a teaser really.

Matteo Renaldi is in some way in the fashion industry. Not really sure exactly what he does though. His wife died a few years ago but it wasn’t a happy marriage. His mom is helping him find a nanny so she can go home to Italy. She runs into Paige Stewart at a coffee shop and after they talk she offers Paige the job. That was a little sudden for me.

Paige is a small town girl now living in New York. She was just fired from her previous nanny job because the husband tried to force himself on her. She’s down on her luck and is grateful for the position she gets from Matteo.

There was a self pleasuring scene and an almost sex scene in this short story that were pretty steamy. I will read more of this series because I’ve got to see how their story ends.

All I Want is You by Elizabeth Anthony

Grade: C
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Historical, Erotica
Published: 10/22/13
Reviewed by Anne
336 pages
 
  This was under the “erotica” category at NetGalley, and it sounded interesting. Sophie is a maid at a big country house – it has a Downton Abbey vibe to it!  The visiting Lady Beatrice has a plan that includes Sophie seducing Lord Ashley, who Sophie has a mad crush on.  It sounded like such a great set up, and for about the first half I enjoyed it.  However, it is very Danielle Steele like, which doesn’t work for me, but it may work for her fans. It’s got a lot of angst. 

The story is focused on the heroine, Sophie and her personal journey, not the relationship between her and Ash.  I would not consider this story a romance, as I think a happily ever after ending is necessary in a romance.

At first I was pretty proud of Sophie and the decisions she was making to be true to herself, but it quickly turned I to a situation where she was cutting off her nose to spite her face! She ran from safety time and time again. Sophie she goes through a lot of tough times, yet continues to push away any help Ash would offer.  Some of her decisions had really awful consequences, but put in the same situation again, she made the same choice.  And in the end, the story just made me angry.

I do think the writing was solid and the editing was good. It just didn’t like the ending or the angst.