no kink

Loving Ellie by Lindsey Brookes

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Grade: B-
Hotness Level: Spark
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Published: 2/10/14
Reviewed by Kate
251 ebook pages


Lucas rushes back to a home he left 3 years ago when he finds out that his younger brother has died.  The last thing he expects to find is his brother’s fiancé, Ellie, who is very pregnant.  Lucas lost his own wife and unborn child 3 years ago.  How can he help Ellie when doing so brings up so much from his past?

Okay.  I admit it.  I like pregnancy romances.  And this one worked on so many levels for me.  Lucas has been running from his past for years now, but being around Ellie is forcing him to face that head on.  Ellie grew up without any love and is unwilling to see that anybody might love her or that she may be able to love someone herself.  Two tortured souls who just might be able to complete each other.  Emotionally gripping, I could not put this one down.  I finished the book in under a day.

However, please be aware that this is a romance, not an erotic romance.  I prefer my romances to be ones that I would never, never recommend that my grandmother read.  And while this one is definitely a romance, there is no sex, on page or otherwise.  That being said, it was a beautiful story.

If you like emotional stories of two people helping each other move beyond their pasts while digging their heels in the whole way, and don’t mind a lack of sex-this one’s for you.

The Kraken King (Part 1) by Meljean Brook

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
20645265
Grade: A
Hotness Level: Ember
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Steampunk, Serial
Series: Iron Seas #4.1 (Part 1 of 8 parts for this story)
Published: 4/15/14
Reviewed by Anne
78 ebook pages

So, I did something I swore to myself I’d never do… I started a serial.  I hate cliffhangers.  I’d rather wait a serial out and read the whole thing once it’s done!  But then I saw this one.  And it’s Meljean Brook.  MELJEAN BROOK!  And it’s in the Iron Seas world.  One of the coolest worlds I’ve read.  Best steampunk I’ve read.  And can I wait until August to read the whole thing??? No.  I cannot.  So here I sit, in the mess I made for myself, wanting more but having to wait until the next installment.  Because it was GOOD.

Zenobia Fox, author of the tales of Archimedes Fox and Lady Lynx has always lived in the adventures she writes.  Besides a couple kidnappings, she hasn’t traveled much.  But she’s off to see the world now.  She’s smart about it, though, as she’s travelling under an assumed name and taking her trusted body guards with her.

Not long into her journey, the airship she’s on is attacked and blown up.  She’s rescued by her bodyguards, her own coolheadedness, AND by the Kraken King.  Ariq, the Kraken King, goes by many names. He’s mayor of his isolated town and has been fighting off and investigating the group that took down Zenobia’s ship.  Zenobia and her friends take shelter in his town as they wait for another ship to take them on to their destination.

I don’t think there’s anything mind shattering about the plot as it seems to be standard adventure fare, but the book really shines in the relationship between Ariq and Zenobia.  They’ve got a lot of sexual tension and they don’t deny it! Acknowledging it doesn’t mean acting on it, necessarily.  They’re both smart, and they’re not going to make stupid decisions.  There is no TSTL in this story!  Zenobia not only depends on her bodyguards, but she listens to them!

I’m primarily a romance reader, so I appreciate the development of Zenobia and Ariq’s relationship, but the action sequences really rock, too!  The escape from the airship was a scene I could picture in a blockbuster summer movie!  Well written and exciting!  And I really want to see the dead Kraken on the beach!

My only complaint (besides the fact that it’s a serial, and that’s my own fault for being weak and not waiting it out…) was the misunderstanding set up in this installment.  I hope that’s cleared up soon.

I think this one would stand alone if you hadn’t read the rest of the series.  The characters are all new – Zenobia has been mentioned in other books, but not featured.  The world building is easy to catch on to.  So, go forth and enjoy!  Join me in the agony of waiting for the next installment!

Taken With You by Shannon Stacey

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
18404803
Grade: A
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Kowalski Family #8
Published: 3/25/14
Reviewed by Anne
209 ebook pages

Hailey, the town librarian is happy with her life, but lately, watching all the Kowalski’s couple up and get married has got her wondering when she’ll find her own Prince Charming.  She’s pretty sure he isn’t in Whitford, because she’s looked!  And when her new neighbor, Matt, moves in, she’s sure it’s not him either.  She met him a few weeks before on an ill advised adventure weekend when she got lost in the woods.   He may have been able to guide her to safety, but he looked like he hadn’t seen a shower or washing machine in weeks!  And he might look a whole lot better in his forest ranger uniform, but she’s seen the real Matt and he’s not her Prince Charming.  That’s all just fine with Matt, who was burned once before by a girl friend who didn’t embrace his love of the outdoors.  So they’ll be good neighbors.  Maybe they’ll be very good neighbors… but both of them know they could never have a relationship.

Shannon Stacey’s humor and story telling is great in this book.  Hailey and Matt are both so sure they are just too different to make things work.  It’s a delight to watch them come together.  The small town of Whitford is all over the two of them, with everyone knowing they’ll be a couple before the two of them even get a whiff of it.  So fun and funny!

When I meet people who haven’t read romance lately and I want to recommend a book to them, Exclusively Yours, the first book in this series, is my go to recommendation.  It’s one of my all time favorite reads, right along side Yours to Keep, the third Kowalski book.  Even though the other books weren’t as good as those two, I’ve still enjoyed them as I’ve read through the series, but this one is a return to the best!  It’s not about a Kowalski, but there are plenty of Kowalskis in the story.  There’s not anything OF DOOM, but there’s still plenty of humor.  There’s some ATV fun and gossip at the diner and the grocery store.

This is a long running series, but you could easily jump in and read this book without having read the others – and I recommend you do!  It’s going on my favorite books of the year list!  Do you read the Kowalskis?  If so, what’s your favorite of the series?  And if you don’t, do you have a series to recommend?