no kink

Body Heat by Katherine Garbera

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

22006786

Grade: C+
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Series: The O’Roarkes #1
Published: 6/30/14
Reviewed by Kate
384 pages

Andi is one of the rare female fire chiefs. She grew up in a household of men and learned quickly that to get ahead in her chosen line of work she would need to hide any part that made her seem womanly. Tucker is an arson investigator, content to never be settled in one place. And it seems that Tucker is the only man that sees Andi as a woman, rather than just a competent fire chief.

This one was a refreshing break for me. There’s no villian, no scheming, no conflict, no suspense. It was simply the story of Andi and Tucker learning to push past the things that have limited them in the past. And there is a passion between the two of them that was a joy to read.

If you’re looking for a light-hearted, but heart felt romance, this is the one.

Wolf Run by B.A. Tortuga

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
22404441
Grade: C
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Paranormal, Shifter, Triad, m/m/m
Published: 6/4/14
Reviewed by Anne
106 pages
 
Mick is a alpha wolf shifter who left his pack to travel alone.  He’s looking to set up new roots though, hoping start his own pack.  One day he comes across Scotty, a wolf shifter caged in a small yard running around like crazy.  When he offers to free Scotty, Scotty declines, explaining that he promised his mate Danny that he’d stay put while Danny was at work, since Scotty gets lost easily.  Mick is attracted to Scotty and has a strong urge to take care of him and keep him safe.  He wonders if Scotty and Danny might be the start of his new pack.
 
This was an impulse buy for me.  I was very interested in the set up and enjoyed the excerpt I read.  It started out as a good read, too.  I liked the way that the men’s wolf nature showed up in their human forms, too.  Scotty’s puppy-like hyperness was especially charming… until it hit me that puppies are babies or kids… and then I started having a hard time with it.  I want to be clear, Scotty is an adult in the story.  It’s just that his behaviors are so child like.  It just bothered me.  
 
Also, I enjoy reading about committed triads.  It did catch me off guard that there was sex between Mick and Scotty before Danny had even met or heard about Mick.  That struck me as pretty odd, though it may have just been a part of the world building?  Maybe this wolf society is a lot more open with sex?  
 
Speaking of sex, there were many sex scenes and they were hot and well written.  It did start to tip to the point of a little too much sex vs. plot, and the sex got a little repetitious.  As the book went on it started to drag for me, and I had to make myself finish the last quarter of the book.  There just wasn’t that much conflict or much left to be resolved.
 
So, it was an ok read for me.  I’d recommend it for people who like m/m shifters and a lot of sex.  I haven’t read a lot of m/m shifters, and I enjoyed that aspect of this book – please leave me a recommendation in the comments if you have one you like!

Pia Saves the Day by Thea Harrison

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

21003662

Grade: A
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Shifter, Dragon
Series: Elder Races #6.6
Published 6/23/14
Reviewed by Anne
86 pages

Pia and her husband/mate, Dragos are both shifters.  Dragos is very powerful dragon and leader in the shifter world.  A freak accident leaves him with amnesia and no memory.  He has no idea who he is, only that he was just attacked and injured.  This is a tricky personal and political situation, and Pia needs to step in and save the day.

OK, a long time ago (2011, I believe) I read the first book in this series, Dragon Bound and I LOVED it!  I loved it in that obsessive way where you try to convince all your friends to read it because it’s so awesome and not quite like any book you’ve read before and it just makes you feel gooey inside.  And then along came book 2, Storm’s Heart.  For whatever reason, I decided to listen to it instead of reading.  And I really didn’t like it.  I quickly grew frustrated with it and didn’t even finish it.  I moved on with my life and was a little sad that such an incredible first book had such a sophomore slump to follow it, but there were plenty of other books to be read.  Over the years I was aware that other books came out in the series, but I didn’t pay much attention.  I thought now and then that maybe I should give it another try, but I never acted on that until I saw this novella about PIa and Dragos!  Hooray!  I’m in!

I was a bit surprised when I checked in on Goodreads and saw I’d missed another Pia and Dragos book and a novella right before this one.  Sheesh.  I wondered if I’d even be able to keep up.  But I really had no problem jumping right back into things.  I think this book would stand alone, even without reading Dragon Bound.  My memories were hazy, but it still worked for me.  

Dragos is powerful, and with only fundamental memories he’s very vulnerable and dangerous.  Pia is determined to help him, even if he can’t remember her.  It’s a great story.  It’s even sweeter when Dragos falls in love with Pia again and finds himself jealous of the original Dragos!  It’s a quick, sweet, hot read I highly recommend – and now I want to go back and read the whole series again!

Have you read this Elder Races series?  Are you a dragon shifter fan?  If so, any books to recommend?