Love Romance Passion » Poor Eyesight http://www.loveromancepassion.com Because Books Don't Fall Asleep Afterwards! Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Review: Maximum Witch by Jodi Redford http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-maximum-witch-by-jodi-redford/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-maximum-witch-by-jodi-redford/#comments Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:07:31 +0000 Susan S. http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=13407

Reviewed by Susan S.

Summary: Book Three in That Old Black Magic Series

Maxwell Truitt (hero) is a shark-shifting sheriff. And for reasons unbeknownst to me, I want to sing that to the tune of Bob Marley’s song, I Shot the Sheriff.

All right, let’s move on. Max is patrolling the Atlantic one night when he rescues a woman from the clutches of a leviathan. And now Sheriff Truitt wants answers! Why was the leviathan so far from its territory? Why was Willa Jameson (heroine) parked near the ocean…at night? Max may want answers, but he’s not going to get them. For starters, Willa’s unconscious. When she does come to-she doesn’t remember what happened. And when she does remember, her memories can’t be trusted. Someone’s tampered with them.

The sheriff and his seal-shifting friend (Boone) will give Jameson medical assistance and nurse her back to health. But their involvement with the witch is about to plunge them into a deep-dark oceanic secret. A secret that may herald a horrific Armageddon. It’s a race against time to find Poseidon’s trident! Can a shark-shifter, one seal, and a witch save mankind from annihilation? May…be. After all, Willa’s not exactly-human.

Review: Ms. Redford is exceptionally proficient in escapism. In this third novel in That Old Black Magic series she introduces us to a plethora of new characters (all shifters): sharks, seals, dolphins, eels, walruses, and soul collecting leviathans. Just to name a few. Those readers who enjoy fantastical worlds will enjoy the portal journey from a land based Georgia into a watery Atlantis.

I felt that Maximum Witch was funnier than the earlier installments, and thoroughly enjoyed Willa’s inner slut as well as her naked cowgirl. It was also nice reading the contrasts between what the characters’ were thinking vs. what they actually say. It’s those contrasts that shed light onto the characters themselves, and also make for some comedic moments for the reader.

Because books one and two explored the witch-familiar link, I kept expecting Maximum Witch to do the same. Which sadly, it didn’t. On the plus side, the author gives us an eerie insight into the leviathans’ powers. How the soul collecting ones track a soul and how they’re able to transform their physical appearance, etc. This is one of those I can’t-get-enough-of series! And I’m eagerly awaiting Getting Familiar with Your Demon. It’s about a virgin witch and a demon soul collector named Samael Gorasola.

Recommendations: Recommended for sea loving paranormal erotic romance readers, erotic readers, adults who enjoy the fantasy genre, and those who like stories about Atlantis. Note: This novel contains certain paraphilic scenes such as steamy voyeurism and exhibitionism. It also has M/F and M/F/M sexual encounters.

What I Enjoyed:

Favorite Character: I thought the antagonist rocked! Reva’s a homicidal siren. If her ear-splitting wail can crack a driveway, imagine what it could do to your eardrums. Reviewer shudders violently.

Scene: There’s a scene where Max and Willa are having sexual intercourse in a Jacuzzi and Boone’s watching them. `Course it isn’t long before he goes from watching to participating. Reviewer grins wickedly. Then rereads the scene for the umpteenth time.

Disclaimer: I received this novel free of charge in exchange for my honest review.

What’s Next? Getting Familiar with Your Demon which releases in Feb. of 2012.

Rating: ★★★★½

Buy: Maximum Witch

Samhain Publishing, Ltd., eBook, Copyright 2011, Paranormal Erotic Romance, ISBN# 978-1-60928-530-2.

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-maximum-witch-by-jodi-redford/feed/ 2 Review: The Forbidden Wife by Sharon Kendrick http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-the-forbidden-wife-by-sharon-kendrick/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-the-forbidden-wife-by-sharon-kendrick/#comments Sat, 26 Nov 2011 09:54:34 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=12212

Before you start: Have you read Jane Eyre? Did you like it? Well The Forbidden Wife followed Jane Eyre to a Tee, which is great if you love Jane Eyre (which I do) but awful if you’re looking for new surprises (I was and there wasn’t any).

Heroine: 18 year old Ashley Jones is an orphan who grew up in the foster care system. She’s got lots of debt and so desires jobs that include room and board. She’s pretty perceptive and has a lot of insights on people’s behavior because of her upbringing. Working as Jack’s live-in assistant at Blackwood Manor is her ticket for something better, even if it’s located out in the middle of nowhere on the moors.

Hero: 30 something Jack Marchant is working on a novel about his experiences in the military where something bad happened (but is never explained). He suffers a lot from bad dreams which might be indicative of PTSD (but again never specifically stated). He wants Ashley, his little oddball, something fierce, but the trick is making her realize she wants him and can have him.

Wife in the Attic: Or in this case the cruel wife in a coma. She tricked Jack into marriage with a fake pregnancy, which he honored even after finding out because he didn’t want her to swindle him out of money for a marriage that was only 3 months old and also because his pride demanded he make it work anyway.

Review: I wanted Forbidden Wife to do more. If it explored more emotional depth out of Ashley and Jack it could have been a solid update on Jane Eyre. I found this review of the story hilarious because it really tells it like it is.

Rating: ★★½☆☆

Buy: The Forbidden Wife (Harlequin Presents)

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-the-forbidden-wife-by-sharon-kendrick/feed/ 0 Review: Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-dreaming-of-you-by-lisa-kleypas/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-dreaming-of-you-by-lisa-kleypas/#comments Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:06:36 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=8208

Let me start off by saying Derek is one hot hero, he's like number 11 on my top ten heroes list, just a hairsbreadth from being there.

Derek Craven is a self-made man. He’s wealthier than most of the gentry, but he is not one. Born in the slums of London to a prostitute and abandoned into the care of others, he’s had to fight for everything. He gets his kicks sleeping with the married women of the ton as a way to get back at the men who won’t let him into their inner circles. He makes the mistake of tangling with Joyce Ashby, who seeks retaliation when he breaks off their affair.

Miss Sara Fielding is a quiet country mouse and an acclaimed author. Most people confuse her with the fictional character of her second novel. Part of the reason her novels are so well received is because they are so well researched. Determined to make her third novel on gambling an equal success she decides to research the most infamous and exclusive club of all – Craven’s.

Favorite Sex Scene: Where Derek introduces her to the pleasures of doggy style… and how she thought sex wasn’t possible if she was on her stomach. Tehe. It was hot and cute at the same time.

Aw Moment: When he steals her spectacles so he can keep a little reminder of her in his life.

Big Page Suck: I could have done without the giant interlude at Greenwood Corners where she gets engaged to the pompous mama’s boy, Perry Kingswood. At the very least I felt that maybe Derek should have stalked her or been lurking nearby somewhere.

Evil Woman: I could also have done without the wicked and perverted Lady Ashby. Without her the giant angst-ridden conclusion wouldn’t have gone off the way it did what with kidnapping, presumed death, etc. but something similar could have occurred and been just as good.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

PS - Magdalen this is the book you've DNFed a few times, so don't go out and buy a copy again! lol

Buy: Dreaming of You

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arcrev1

Healing Luke is a modern day retelling of the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. It’s quick and lighthearted with a few gems revealed towards the end on love and relationships.

Luke Morgan was on a boat when it blew up leaving him with burns, one eye, and no thumb on one hand. He feels his life is ruined forever and is scarred to go to his occupational therapist for fear of failing. Angry and bitter, Luke is sinking fast and his brother and dad have no idea how to help him cope.

Abby Stanford is visiting Florida on what should have been her honeymoon. She’s doing all the trips and outings they had planned, including snorkeling alone. She meets Luke and is surprised and hurt by his antagonism. An occupational therapist herself, albeit with a different focus than what Luke needs, Abby longs to be useful and to help.

Luke watches his brother Aaron flirt with Abby and jealousy rears its ugly head. He wants Abby for himself but is no longer confident of his appeal to women and to one woman in particular.

I loved the workings of the Morgan family: Luke, withdrawn and wounded; Aaron, flirtatious and outgoing; Bart, quiet and unassuming. Abby was such a great fit with them and I really enjoyed seeing that in a romance.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Buy: Healing Luke

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A lady in Victorian times had little options when it came to acceptable jobs. Writing novels was simply not one of them and certainly not publishing them. That’s why Collette Jardiniere hides her authorship of The Last Days of a Rake behind the pseudonym Collin Jenkins. That is until some trumped-up peacock of a rake refuses to deny authorship. So she goes to London to rectify the gross injustice of her work be unfairly attributed to another and for the first time finds herself experiencing freedom and passion. A very heady combination for a virginal spinster.

Charles Jameson (Jamie) wants nothing more than to meet the man behind the scandalous novel and pick his brain. As a lover of the literary world but lacking skill with a pen, Charles is very much a man of the time. He refuses (at first) to believe woman capable of intelligence, thinking they merely parrot men in their lives. He also can’t believe that they write, let alone one having written a novel he considers to be written by a rakehell.

Simpson does an excellent job weaving both characters together. They’re helpless attraction to each other doesn’t hurt either. She carefully chips Collette’s cowardice to claim authorship away and slowly builds Charles’ character up so that he can be the hero Collette needs. Of course their relationship is not without a series of hardships but eventually all obstacles are overcome.

In addition to Love & Scandal, I read the companion novella Last Days of a Rake. It’s not a love story. Collette didn’t write a romantic piece, it’s a dark look into the redemption of a rake who doesn’t even understand why he’s changed. It reflects everything the characters from Love & Scandal claim it to be and that includes its flaws. If you have a little time on your hands, be sure to check it out and read it before starting the other. I thought it helped a lot with understanding points made in the novel about the heroine’s writing, but you don’t have to read it to enjoy the romance.

Rating: 4 Stars

Buy: Love & Scandal

Free Download: The Last Days of a Rake

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-love-and-scandal-by-donna-lea-simpson/feed/ 0 Review: Hunt Her Down by Roxanne St. Claire http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-hunt-her-down-by-roxanne-st-claire/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-hunt-her-down-by-roxanne-st-claire/#comments Sat, 30 Apr 2011 15:58:37 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=5484

bookreview0

Remember when I ran into Roxanne St. Claire at the bookstore? I asked her what her favorite books were that she wrote and Hunt Her Down was one of them. I was not disappointed in fact my socks were knocked off! I think I may just have to get back into reading lots and lots of romantic suspense because of this novel.

There’s this sexy shed scene where Dan masturbates that really did it. The scene is so hot you boil reading the pages. See, Dan has bad night vision and thought the heroine couldn’t see him. They were locked inside the shed (were they used to make love a lot when they knew each other years ago) by the bad guys and while they were waiting to be rescued they had a little trip down memory lane.

As Roxanne St. Claire said on twitter:

You know, every hero has to have a flaw. ;-)

To which I said:

I'd take that flaw in a few more heroes haha

I so would! Whew!

Maggie Varcek believes in signs from the universe or at least her Baba (grandmother). When a fortune cookie fortune accurately acknowledges her pregnancy, Maggie is ecstatic and determined to go to the baby’s father to tell him the news. She knew he’d take care of her and they’d figure out what to do (e.g. how to get away and stay safe.) On that fateful night however, Maggie does not get the chance because Michael Scott dies when the FBI and DEA rush in to haul Ramon and Alonso Jimenez off to prison.

Flash forward a decade later. Ramon is released and back on the streets. Dan Gallagher, formerly Michael Scott, undercover Bullet Catcher, knows his ex-lover Maggie might be in danger if Ramon figured out she was the leak. His plans to protect her go awry when he finds out they had a kid. Now he’s racing to solve a case of missing millions, 100 million to be precise, and the mysteries of the heart, specifically his own.

Sizzling, suspenseful, and superb. As I said before, I think I may just have to get back into reading lots and lots of romantic suspense because of this novel. Can’t wait to read Make Her Pay!

Rating: ★★★★☆

Buy: Hunt Her Down (Bullet Catchers)

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-hunt-her-down-by-roxanne-st-claire/feed/ 2 Review: Flirt by Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake #18) http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-flirt-by-laurell-k-hamilton-anita-blake-18/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-flirt-by-laurell-k-hamilton-anita-blake-18/#comments Wed, 20 Apr 2011 09:50:52 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=6575

Flirt is the first of two Anita Blake novels to come out this year. Bullet will be out in June. It’s an extra novel like Micah, but doesn’t focus on the relationship between Anita and one of her men.

In Flirt, Anita is going to patch up one of the holes in her physic abilities. Yes, that means what you think it does. Sex! But not as much sex as you think. It happens once, but it happens with a new character.

The novel was inspired by an incident that happened to Laurell in real life. It was pretty neat to learn about the whole process from start to finish. It revolves around an inside joke of sorts… less inside now that it’s been explained.

When Anita turns down two creepers trying to raise their dearly departed spouses, one of them decides to force her hand in the matter. A team of werelions are called in to kidnap her and successfully manage it. Unfortunately for them Anita is a bigger badass and the whole thing goes up in smoke.

I really liked this novel. It’s short and I devoured it within a few hours.

The ending is a bit like The Laughing Corpse with Anita raising the whole graveyard. The scene had a small inconsistency or a large one depending on your point of view. I noticed it right away but I didn’t care about it.

I even like the new werelion that’s going to be sticking around for future novels (well I think he will be anyway because the poor guy was rolled and enslaved to Anita’s magic hoo-hoo).

Jean-Claude didn’t get any screen time, but he’s mentioned at the end trying to ride to her rescue only to be thwarted by the sun. I’m glad to see he’ll get more time in Bullet. A lot more time. Rubs hands together in glee.

Don’t get me wrong I love Micah and Nathaniel but Jean-Claude has my heart.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Buy: Flirt (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 18)

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-flirt-by-laurell-k-hamilton-anita-blake-18/feed/ 4 Review: Once Upon a Time in Space by Heather Massey http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-once-upon-a-time-in-space-by-heather-massey/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-once-upon-a-time-in-space-by-heather-massey/#comments Wed, 20 Apr 2011 09:50:51 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=10154

The Situation: Earth is a dying hunk of rock in the wasteland of space, but humans are doing their best to deny it while digging tunnels deep under the surface to avoid the sun’s harmful rays. Humanity is 40 billion strong and counting. There aren’t enough resources to go around, jobs are limited and nobody has enough to space to think let alone live. Desperate doesn’t even being to cover it.

The Hero: Nick Venture is leader of a tunneling team, but he’s fired, and so is his team.  He can hardly believe it. Just when he was supposed to get a place of his own the company cans them in order to not comply with their side of the agreement. He stops by a bar before calling it a night and his act of heroism leads to an unjust imprisonment that’s the equivalent of a death sentence. Lucky for him, his secret heritage, works like a get out of jail free card. In exchange he must do something he’s clearly unqualified for, but he’s going to try to do his best. He’s going to claim a newly discovered habitable planet.

The Heroine: Raquel Donovan is a space pirate searching to revenge herself on a military man abusing his position and his power. For years she’s been building a reputation for herself as the deadliest pirate in the galaxy. They call her the Siren. When this eye-patch toting captain captures Nick’s ragtag crew near one of the solar system’s outer planets sparks fly. She never expects him to turn the tables on her and put her in a position she can’t refuse. Another earth? Impossible!

Review: I regularly follow Heather Massey’s blog on science fiction romance and I’ve picked up a thing or two about this genre. Massey has written a book with elements she thought the genre needed more of and really that’s the type of book authors should write. While I don’t read much science fiction romance, I watch a lot of sci-fi with my father and I can honestly say this story had a very unique take on the Earth-in-peril plot. The tunneling underground was extremely well done and the space exploration and pirate endeavors were interesting and well thought out. For the sci-fi Heather Massey gets 5 out of 5!

That said, I wasn’t too hot on the hero. I like my heroes more alpha and Nick Venture is really more of a beta hero. He’s the leader of a ragtag, but experienced group of individuals in space flight, while he had none. I don’t really understand why being Christopher Columbus’s last descendant qualified him for the job or the respect he received. He kind of bumbled along and got lucky because he was an out of the box thinker.

I also thought the romance was a tad unbelievable with Raquel being so hot and cold (a double standard?  Heroes can usually get away with this…) She constantly pushed Nick away and considering how much time spent away from each other on separate ships with little communication, I found it hard to buy Nick’s near instant-love for the sexy pirate.

Recommended: For SFR fans, readers who love beta heroes, female pirates, and characters beating all the odds for a happy ending.

Rating: ★★★½☆

Buy: Once Upon A Time In Space

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-once-upon-a-time-in-space-by-heather-massey/feed/ 0 Review: Ripping the Bodice by Inara Lavey http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-ripping-the-bodice-by-inara-lavey/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-ripping-the-bodice-by-inara-lavey/#comments Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:04:24 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=2275

bookreview

Old School romance daydreams + embarrassing contemporary situations * 2 potential heroes = exponential fun.

Inara Lavey writes loving parodies of old school romance for Cassandra to daydream. Of course our plucky heroine (who is the very definition of spitfire) gets caught out time and again. She lands in some very funny situations as she sleep walks during some of them.

Cassandra Devon works in customer relations at a paper product company back in San Francisco and when her skuzzy boyfriend ditches weekend holiday plans she is determined it’s for the last time and dumps his sorry butt. Cassandra calls up her best friend Val and remakes plans to enjoy a holiday with her in Palm Springs.

There she meets:

Connor is the charming Irish rogue who’s passionate personality makes him the ideal romance hero.

Raphael (Rafe) is “the physical incarnation of every romantic hero who'd ever strode, seduced, stalked or swashbuckled across the pages of countless romance novels.”

What did I tell you about Lavey? That's just a sample of her voice. Trust me, her writing is a hoot! Cassie’s internal dialogue is as sassy as any contemporary romance heroine and the daydreams are as equally riotous.

Now the only question that remains is who Cassie will choose: Rafe or Connor?

Rating: ★★★★☆

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bookreview

You know how they say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, well I do. I picked up Jacquie D’Alessandro’s Sleepless at Midnight last fall because of the cover. It was sensual while not being risqué. I bought it when I read that the heroine sneaked into his room to spy on him bathing. I was not disappointed. What followed was some of the best dialog I had ever read in a romance novel with a touching story besides. In addition to the witty repartee the bedroom scenes should be noted. They are exceptional: steamy, sticky, and sexy.

Miss Sarah Moorehouse is plain, bespectacled, and unfashionably tall with a naughty side a mile long. She forms secret clubs, reads a novel that would raise eyebrows, sneaks into men’s private rooms, and draws pictures of naked men in her sketchbook. Matthew Langston finds her fascinating.

However, Matthew can’t afford to find her so. He has to fulfill two death bed promises to his father. The first is restoring the estate and the second is getting married within a year of the old man’s passing. His father’s last few words were about a windfall hidden on the estate. If he could find it before time was up he could marry the woman of his dreams and not the one of the pretty heiresses staying at his house party.

Rating: ★★★★★

Happy Readings!

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