Kay

Withstanding Me by Crystal Spears

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Withstanding Me (Breakneck, #2)

       

Grade-B
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series- Breakneck #2
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
264 pages

I had to read some other reviews to see if people felt the same way I did about this book. I found out several people did feel the same way I did. There’s plenty of chaos here, violence, steamy sex scenes and filthy mouths.

ZZ aka Zig Zag aka Mason is another member of the Breakneck MC. He lives that lifestyle to the fullest. He takes care of his family despite his daughter’s attempts to constantly test his patience and sanity. He balances this well enough but his focus is distracted because of Storm. Storm is a former sex slave that the MC rescued. She works for the Prez’s wife and is enrolled in school for a business degree.

ZZ wants to take her to bed so bad but she rejects him at every turn. You see, she wants more. More than he is willing to offer her right now. She tells him he’s gonna fall in love one day and it’s gonna be with her. He insists that he has no desire to be a one woman man. She tries to date and he blows a gasket. He even runs her date off. You have all the elements of a Crystal Spears’ book but it felt kind of scaled down. It wasn’t as emotionally engaging as Seize me. It was emotional but not as much. It wrapped up some ends and opened more story arcs for this continuing series. I’m very invested in what goes on from here on out but I want the same intensity as Seize Me.

I hope that in the next book there is some of that but am scared because of Shadow being a sadist. That is one of my very least favorite story lines but I’m gonna trust her not to disappoint. Spears writes really badass heroines so Tatiana is going to be fun to read about and I await a release date.

Through The Smoke by Brenda Novak

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Through the Smoke
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Genre-Historical
Reviewed by Kay
303 pages

This one surprised me quite a bit. This is way more than a romance.

The Earl in this story is trying to clear his name over his wife’s death. They were estranged and he headed home to confront her about her pregnancy that wasn’t his. There was a fire at his estate and he was the only survivor. He was pulled out of the fire by his cousin, With. He follows up on leads that send him in the direction of a book seller. Her father worked at the earl’s coal mine and is a suspect in the fire.

Rachel is the coal miner’s daughter. The earl is sure she has information that can help him in clearing up the mystery and his name. They share an almost instant attraction and to make a long story long, they end up lovers. This decision ruins Rachel and makes her neighbors mistrust her. She truly loses almost everything she has.

There was a great mystery in this book. The plot was very well done. Good character development and scene description. My problem was there was little to no heat. Also, I like my historical to take place in Scotland or England. I want the Ton and ball gowns. I got none of that here. It was a good story but I was left wanting more.

How To Handle A Highlander by Mary Wine

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne


How To Handle A Highlander (The Sutherlands, #3)

       

Grade-C
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-The Sutherlands #3
Genre-Historical
Reviewed by Kay
352 pages

This is the continuing saga of the Sutherlands. They are an overlord family of Scottish Highlanders. This story Is about Gahan and Moira. Gahan is the illegitimate son of the Sutherland chieftain. He was acknowledged by his father so he could be a semi titled man. After his father recovered from the attempt made on his life by the Frasers, they have been obsessed over safety and watching the Frazers closely. Due to this watching, Gahan notices that Bari Frazer is going to marry off his half sister to the Matheson family. This marriage will bring an army with the Frazers against Gahan’s family.

Gahan is instantly drawn to Moira, the bride. Moira’s husband is impotent at his advanced age and therefore their marriage is never consummated. The two start an affair and it causes quite the situation. The story is about duty to your clan, family loyalty and revenge.

I’m a big fan of Mary Wine and I get giddy when she releases one of her Highlander books. My problem with this one has to due with the infidelity throughout the story. I know that they thought back then that a marriage wasn’t a marriage without consummation but the marriage in this book took place in a Church. This left me uneasy. I absolutely do not like adultery in my historical romances. Despite the fact that the story and love scenes were good, my rating was less because of this. I hope this won’t be a continued theme in her following books.