no kink

Christmas on 4th Street by Susan Mallery

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Christmas on 4th Street (Fools Gold #12.5)
Grade-B+
Hotness Level-Ember
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Fool’s Gold #12.5
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
336 pages

“That’s the thing about love. We often get more than we deserve and isn’t that incredibly wonderful?”
Yet another installment of Susan Mallery’s Fool’s Gold series and I fall more in love with the series every book. This one is about Noelle who runs the Christmas Attic store in town. That’s right a store specializing in Christmas 365 days a year. I can’t help it, it warms my heart.  Noelle was very sick in the recent past but has overcome it. She lost her mother and grandmother to a auto accident and her fiancé to her illness. She made her way to Fool’s Gold and never looked back. She loves the town, townspeople, friends, her store and her home. But she wants her own HEA and watching her friends marry one by one is bittersweet
.
Gabriel Boylan is the brother of Gideon, who settled in the town a couple of years ago. Gabriel is a trauma specialist with the Army. He has worked overseas and had seen enough horror to last a lifetime. After losing his fiancé to a combat related his issue, he decides that he won’t ever fall in love again because it hurts too bad to lose someone you love. He comes to his brother’s house for the Christmas holiday and meets Noelle.

I so much enjoyed this book because of it’s sweetness. I’ll admit the ending was a little far fetched for most towns but not Fool’s Gold. I can’t wait for her next installment. My continued complaint regarding her separate books with this series is that the heat content is totally unacceptable.

The Darkest Craving by Gena Showalter

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

The Darkest Craving (Lords of The Underworld, #10)
Grade-A
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Lords of the Underworld #10
Genre-Paranormal
Reviewed by Kay
466 pages

Kane is the keeper of Disaster and everywhere he goes that’s exactly what happens. Horrible things befall him and he is a constant danger this fellow Lords of the Underworld. He recently spent time in Hell and it has left him a changed man. And not necessarily in a good way. When he is rescued by a fragile female, which he has no recollection of, confusion swamps him. Apparently he made a deal with her and she’s ready to collect.

Josephina is half human and half Fae. She’s the King of the Fae’s illegitimate daughter. She was sent to Hell as a punishment for something her half sister, the Princess did. In the Fae society they have blood servants who take punishment for the crimes committed by the royal family. Her treatment at the hands of he family is horrific. She has terrible self esteem issues and has no self worth. She sees Kane, a hero in her land,as her only way out.

If you haven’t read this series by Gena Showalter, you are missing out on one of the most entertaining paranormal romance series going today. Her characters are total bad asses and very sexy. I have been waiting for Kane’s book and boy was it worth it! These two characters were totally meant for each other. Josephina had self image issues and Kane was always the odd man out with his group of friends because of Disaster. Seeing them acknowledge their shortcomings and their acceptances of them was heart breaking and heart warming all at the same time. You also had multiple story lines going that held your interests just as well as the main one.

I can not wait for the next book, it’s about,wait for it,Torin! If you haven’t started this series yet, get hooked on this hilariously delightful series. If I had to complain about something it would be the heat level. It seems to have been turned down a little bit from her other books.

The Christmas He Loved Her by Juliana Stone

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

The Christmas He Loved Her (Bad Boys of Crystal Lake, #2)
Grade-A
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Bad Boys of Crystal Lake #2
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
352 pages

This is the second book in this series and I didn’t read the first one yet. I probably should’ve read them in order but honestly you don’t have to.

Jake is a former Army Ranger and served in Iraq with his fraternal twin brother, Jesse. Jesse married Raine who grew up with the boys in their hometown. These three got into all kinds of trouble together in their youth. Raine’s upbringing was non-traditional, so she enjoyed spending time with the boys and their parents.

When the story begins, you realize that Jesse was killed in action and Jake took a sabbatical from life. He returns home and sees Raine, his brother’s widow and the only woman he has ever loved. This story is the telling of their journey to one another.

I’ve wanted to read the first book in this series since I read about several months ago but at almost seven dollars a book, by an author I wasn’t sure about, that’s just too pricey. Well, after reading this one, as far as this series is concerned, Juliana Stone is an auto-buy for me now. I loved everything about this book. The characters were so real and the emotion so heartfelt. This was so very much more than a contemporary romance.

This is a story about love and it’s healing powers. It’s about family and facing a loss in the family. It’s about survivor’s guilt and the guilt associated with loving someone else after you lose your spouse. It was a story about redemption when it was never needed and the bonds formed through friendship. It was about the acceptance of one’s self, even with your faults. This was perfect for me. I just absolutely loved it!