Kate

Cowboy Heat by Sable Hunter

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Cowboy Heat (Hell Yeah!, #1)
Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary,  Cowboy
Series: Hell Yeah! #1
Reviewed by Kate

Libby has been battling leukemia since she was a teenager. When it finally goes into remission, her doctor encourages her to spend time doing all the things she has missed out on. Living on a ranch, riding a horse, and sex are at the top of her list. An opportunity to fill in for the housekeeper at the Tebow Ranch opens up ad Libby jumps at it. After all, the Tebow Ranch is run by the sexy McCoy brothers. Maybe one of them will help her wth her pesky virginity problem.

Aron survived a short marriage that nearly tore his family apart at the seams. He has no wish to visit the altar again, but four years without sex is a long time. When he sees Libby for the first time the attraction is instant. The fact that she agrees to a temporary relationship is great, the sex even better.

I liked the strength and weaknesses of both Aron and Libby. I liked the closeness of Aron’s family. I liked the storylines that ran through the book. My only complaint was that the dirty talk sounded a bit pornish. When I finished this one I immediately started the next book in the series. Could there be a better recommendation?

Mindlink by Kat Cantrell

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Mindlink
Grade: D-
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Sci-Fi
Reviewed by Kate

Aliens (who look like humans) have invited 10 of earth’s top scientists to a sit down, a meeting of the minds if you will. Ashley, a former child star (I kept thinking Lindsey Lohan), poses as a scientist in a publicity stunt to jump start her career again. When they land on the alien planet a probe is inserted into each of their brains, allowing the aliens complete access to the humans’ thoughts and knowledge. Ashley is sent to be executed when the aliens discover her deception. While awaiting execution, her probe links with the probe of ZXQ (all aliens have probes implanted at birth). Now Ashley and ZXQ, or Sam as she names him, can share thoughts and he agrees to help Ashley escape.

Sounds exciting, right? I thought so too. I really looked forward to reading this one.  Then I read it. In my opinion Ashley would have been better off sticking to the path other have-been actors take to start a comeback…Dancing With the Stars or any of Fox’s celebrity reality shows.

Unfortunately, she chooses aliens and we embark on the slowest 200+ pages I’ve come across lately. Her character has a sense of entitlement that put a sour taste in my mouth. The entitlement switched to a need to prove herself back on earth. It wasn’t until the last fifth of the book that she showed and character growth at all. On the opposite side of things, Sam goes from alien to full blown human in the blink of an eye. Very little struggle for him to adapt to a new program.

The romance between Ashley and Sam isn’t worth writing home about. Ashley had been there, done that. And probably for all the wrong reasons. Sam is experiencing his first taste of sex. And, of course, he’s magically wonderful at it (eye roll).

The ending that took forever to get to sort of fizzled.  A huge build up, then… nothing.  Like a lit bottle rocket that never launches.  A disappointing ending to a disappointing book.

Rituals of Passion by Lacey Alexander

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Rituals of Passion (Brides of Caralon, #1)
Grade: B-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: High Kink
Genre: Futuristic
Series: Brides of Caralon #1
Reviewed by Kate

Taking place over 1500 years in the future, in a time when it is completely acceptable for the average citizen to have multiple casual encounters but royal daughters must remain pure until marriage, this story starts off with a bang (pun definitely intended). Maven, an aforementioned royal daughter, has finally reached marrying age. Her father gifts her to Dane of Rawley, a man who is known across the land for his brutal and aggressive nature.

Dane has worked hard to earn his reputation. However, he is determined to give this marriage a chance. He knows Maven is innocent and he is looking forward to introducing her to the joys of sex. But Maven is nothing like the shy, timid virgin he was expecting. Maven is very strong willed and though she knows it is the role of a wife to be submissive, she has no intention of submitting to Dane.

While there was a lot of talk of submitting this didn’t really qualify as a BDSM read for me. There is no Dom/sub relationship between the two. No whips or chains. However, don’t doubt the inferno rating I gave the book. There is enough exhibitionism, voyeurism, and multiple partners to satisfy even the highest of heat ratings.

Incredible. Lovely. Beautiful. Marvelous. Tremendous. Majestic (my personal fave). No, I am not describing a unicorn as my husband guessed. These are some of the adjectives used to describe Dane’s *clearing throat* (as a romance reader you know what I mean). By the end of the book, I was so in awe I almost broke into song. “Oh say can you see, Dane’s magnificent…” Well, you get the picture.