Christmas Babies by Mona Rusk Reviewed

Christmas Babies (Holiday Babies) by Mona Rusk ~V^^^^V

This is a sweet romance. If you are looking for any steam however, you will not find it here. This is just a clean cut, holiday romance. The characters are well developed, the story is well paced and the concept is quite engrossing. I enjoyed this story quite a lot and it was a pleasant break from the sex overload that is quite common in Romance today. ~Michelle 

Yule Be Mine Anthology Review

Yule Be Mine Anthology by Lori Foster ~V^^^V

This is a Christmas themed collection of short stories by Lori Foster. Overall I will say that I liked it. Her writing style, flow and descriptions were very good. I was just disappointed by the length of the stories, I would really have loved more. 

He Sees You When You're Sleeping
Booker wants out of his current relationship because he has fallen hard for his neighbor and friend, Frances. This story skipped the relationship building because the couple are already friends. That I think is what stumbled me, I would have liked to witness it first hand. 

White Knight Christmas
Officer Parker Ross hates Christmas, while Lily Donaldson, his neighbor loves it. Among other issues for these two is her hero worship and their age difference. I am not sure what it was about this one but something just didn't work for me. 

Do You Hear What I Hear
Sergeant Osbourne Decker thinks Marci Churchill is a kook, and he wants nothing to do with that since his last relationship. However is ridiculously attracted to her. She also wants Decker, but he fights it hard. Really this had more time to develop but again was lacking something. I am suspecting there is a theme of prickly men that annoy me. 

The Christmas Present 
Levi and Beth had an out of control weekend after Beth discovered that her fiance cheated on her. Since then she has been running from Levi, ashamed of herself. Levi doesn't want it to be over. This story was another hard one to get into. I was uncomfortable with the stalkerish behavior of Levi, the bases were covered with her family present and at some point I got into it. The other thing is I think this goes with a series I haven't read. 
Once again I will say these short stories were well written and have good flow, I just wish they were all longer. Overall a pretty decent holiday read. ~Michelle 

The Naughty List Anthology Review

The Naughty List Anthology ~V^^^V


Naughty but Nice by Donna Kauffman- I felt like this is a short from a running series? The back story just felt like I was missing something and being brought up to speed. The story had a good flow and well developed characters, ,I just couldn't get into it. There really didn't seem to have anything to do with Christmas in it either. 

All I Want For Christmas by Cynthia Eden- I am really enjoying her stories. This one is about a holiday romance involving a couple who have known each other since they were young. Christie is a "good girl" and Jonah is a bad boy, together they are combustible. This is the highlight of the book. 

Tattoos and Mistletoe by Susan Fox- I can say that I liked the writing style, the flow and the characters were well developed. However I have to say that I didn't much care for Charlie (the female main character) she was very brash and hard to like. I was able to understand the reasons for her personality, I just didn't care for her. L.J. is excellent, a sweet nerd turned hunk. I love me some hunky nerds. LOL I think the romance had a nice pace and the sex scenes were pretty good. Overall I would say this was a little better than average story. 

Also as a whole the Anthology was pretty good. ~Michelle 

I'm Your Santa by Lori Foster

The Christmas Present by Lori Foster 
Levi and Beth had an out of control weekend after Beth discovered that her fiance cheated on her. Since then she has been running from Levi, ashamed of herself. Levi doesn't want it to be over. This story was another hard one to get into. I was uncomfortable with the stalker-ish behavior of Levi, the bases were covered with her family present and at some point I got into it. The other thing is I think this goes with a series I haven't read.
It's A Wonderful Life by Karen Kelley
Playboy actor Jeremy Hunter has to try to live the life to learn and earn his next role. Along the way he finds out a whole lot more than he expected. This story was very sweet and pretty loosely a Christmas story though there were shades of it. My only complaint is the length, I felt pretty rushed., 
Home For Christmas by Dianne Castell
This story was extremely confusing. I found myself going back and rereading whole pages multiple times to see if I was missing something. The air of mystery is really just confusing and the flow was very rushed. I also didn't much care for the premise. Lulu and "handsome" are a great characters, even if I didn't care for their names, and they seem to have some chemistry. Really though the story could have been so much better. This one is my least favorite in the book. 

Overall this anthology is average. ~Michelle 

UNWRAPPED ANTHOLOGY

UNWRAPPED ~V^^^V

BLURB:  The wind-whipped December sands of the isle of Kinloch invigorate Kira MacLeod as she sets out to tame rugged Shay Callaghan, a Scottish bachelor as wary of a wedding ring as a snowman is of the hot sun.

Blue Christmas
New York Times bestselling author Erin McCarthy

While a blizzard blankets the world outside, Blue Farrow burrows into the arms of her highway hunk at the No Tell Motel. Nice and oh-so-naughty, Blue and her man open up to each other as they keep the Yule log burning.

Snow Angel
National bestselling author Kate Angell

Snowed under in Chicago, free spirit Allie is trapped in Dutton's department store on Christmas Eve when the lights go off and our snow angel finds herself face to face with a dashing retail heir and her host for a night of winter wonder.

MY THOUGHTS:  Santa in a Kilt by Donna Kauffman

A Scottish romance; Kira MacLeod and Shay Callaghan, have had an attraction for a long time but are finally getting the courage to go for it. This was a MEH, for me. It wasn't bad it just didn't really get me that interested. 

Blue Christmas by Erin McCarthy
My favorite in this anthology. Blue Farrow hates Christmas and is trying to make her way to Florida, avoiding the holiday all together on a cruise. A blizzard and a car accident leave her stranded with hunky, Christian. He Loves Christmas and tries to change her mind about it. Honestly I may have synopsis-ed this wrong but either way, it was super hot and really sweet. 

Snow Angel by Kate Angell
Again another Meh story. Allie and Aidan met 3 years ago, had great sex and she ran. Now they are trapped together in a Chicago department store over Christmas. It was just not that notable. Could have been great but something just lacked for me. ~MICHELLE 

POISON PRINCESS BY KRESLEY COLE

POISON PRINCESS (ARCANIA CHRONICLES #1) BY KRESLEY COLE ~V^^^^V

BLURB:  She could save the world—or destroy it.

Sixteen year old Evangeline “Evie” Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they’re still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux.

But she can’t do either alone.

With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can’t totally depend on Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him?

Who can Evie trust?

As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of twenty-two teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it’s not always clear who is on which side

MY THOUGHTS:  This book was REALLY hard to review. Here are my issues first and foremost. This is definitely a teen book. The characters act very immaturely and they thought patterns made me want to strangle them. Of course in the case of all teen book series, this has to end with a cliffhanger. That is my NUMBER 1 BIGGEST ISSUE with YA! I think these books could be ended better, all of them. My last thought was that I picked this up thinking it was Teen Urban Fantasy but it is really more of a horror novel. 

So setting my issues aside I will say that the story was pretty good. I found parts a bit slow and other parts vaguely covered. I was very lost until nearly the end as to why were had this other point of view. I will say that the way it was dialogued by the male character I felt very much like it was copied from American Psycho, Patrick, which bothered me. But back tot he point, I think the concept, world, characters and story have a great potential. I am hopeful that they will all become a little more likable soon and if Evie, is going to be the main character, she needs to toughen up. ~MICHELLE 

Lord's Fall

Lord's Fall (Elder Races #5) by Thea Harrison ~V^^V

BLURB:  In the latest Novel of the Elder Races, two mates find themselves on different paths, torn between their duty to the Wyr and the passion that binds them…

Before she met Dragos, half-human/half-Wyr Pia Giovanni was alone and on the run. Now she’s mated, pregnant and heading south to repair the Wyrs’ frayed relationship with the Elves. Being separated from Dragos is painful, but for the good of the Wyr demesne they need to figure out how to be partners—in more places than just the bedroom.

In New York to preside over the Sentinel Games, Dragos is worried about his mate, but knows that finding two replacement sentinels is essential to show the rest of the Elder Races just how strong and brutal the Wyr demesne can be. But as the Games heat up, Pia’s negotiations with the Elves take a turn for the dangerous, straining her bond with Dragos and threatening everything they hold dear.


MY THOUGHTS:  This book has REALLY high ratings and almost all the reviews are gushing but I have to say I am not seeing it.


Well after completion I can say that I found it disappointing. Pia and Dragos are not together for the first half of the book and then after that it was really just blah. There were two different stories happening and it was just not working. I could have really cared less about either. I really would rather have had more Pia and Dragos living life together, not dealing with everyone else. I also found the birth of "peanut" to be very short and not as good as it could have been. 2 stars at best. ~MICHELLE 

Legally Hot Anthology

Legally Hot Anthology ~V^^^V

Sheila's Passion by Lora Leigh- This has all the trappings of what you expect from Lora Leigh. The first 5 pages are a vividly described intense sexual scene. It ends in some high school type drama and proceeds from there. There were pages where I was on board with the hero and others where I was on board with Sheila but mostly nothing really stuck out as original. I gave it an OK rating but I don't feel more stars are warranted because its much like any other LL you may have already read.

Deadly Dance by Cheyenne McCray- This was a VERY sweet romance. Despite the length it was never rushed and though there were a few time jumps it wasn't disrupting. I liked how the romance progressed smoothing and slowly and the story felt whole. 

Caught by Red Gardnier- I don't know how I feel about this one. I kept reading to see what would happen but really didn't feel rewarded. The whole story is pretty dark and disturbing. Meghan came off as a little clingy and desperate and Cody was the typical "I'm ruining my own life and your for your own good" guy. It got on my nerves. The back story was pretty gruesome but definitely has potential I just feel like, in my opinion, it petered out rather than really exploding. ~Michelle 

Lush by Lauren Dane

LUSH (DELICIOUS #3) BY LAUREN DANE ~V^^^^V

I was provided this book by Berkley Trade and NetGalley for review. 


A good story with a HOT cast. I liked the characters, the scenario, the flow and the sex scenes. I was a bit hung up on some of the details because I had not read the other books in the series. I went into this one actually not even knowing it was the end of a series. I think I will go back and read the previous books now. So the things that worked. The rock star life was pretty fun. I can't imagine its easy to be involved with someone in the spotlight. I liked how that aspect injected some drama into the relationship. It was nice to have the female character to not be the clingy one for once as well. So yeah I am giving this one high marks and putting it on my recommendation list. ~Michelle 

Covert Seduction by Callie Croix

COVERT SEDUCTION BY CALLIE CROIX ~V^^^^V

WOW! 

I was provided this book by Carina Press and NetGalley for review. So with that said I can honestly say I really liked this book. The characters had excellent chemistry, the sexy times were outstanding and the overall story was well done. 

Here is the blurb: Navy SEAL Reid Galvin is back from hell and eager to find comfort in Becca Anderson's arms. He knows he hurt her when he cut contact during his deployment, so when his call interrupts her date with another man, he has only himself to blame. But he can't forget what she means to him—or the sexy email she sent him—and he won't miss this chance to claim her as his own.

It's been weeks since Becca heard from the man she thought she was involved with. So when Reid wants to take up where they left off as if nothing happened, she refuses. Then he rescues her from a first date gone very wrong, and she realizes she's not quite ready to let him go.

Reid and Becca have a lot to talk about, but since she's not listening, he's going to have to regain her trust another way—by bringing her most erotic fantasies to life. Making her surrender to pleasure just might be his most important mission.

There are so many parts of this book that I thought were well done, that I can't really pick a favorite. I will tell you that I am going to track down more Callie Croix books for my own personal reading now though. ~Michelle 

Wicked Sexy by R.G. Alexander

Wicked Sexy (Sexy^3 #1) by R.G. Alexander ~V^^^^V

Blurb:  Callie has always known the Abbotts were different. Witches, though they call themselves "Magians." They are her second family. Harrison Abbott has been her best friend since they were children. Tucker Abbott, her life-long crush. And their brother, Tyghe? A magical pain in her backside.

When the Abbotts need her human perspective to solve a mystery, she doesn't hesitate. Especially since it means getting everything she ever wanted. A chance to be one of them, to have magic, even if it's only temporary.

Someone is attacking young women at Triune, a ritual that helps Magians find their perfect threesome--the match that will complete their magic and their hearts. Callie expected to be dazzled by her first glimpse into the Magian world, but the bone-melting desire between her and the Abbott brothers isn't part of the plan.

Nor is the decades-old secret that makes her the target of a killer.

WOW! R.G. can write some erotic romance! This story gave as good as it took. The sex scenes were fabulous. The tension was build to breaking point and still carried through even after the initial scenario. The mystery  non romantic aspect of the story was good as well. Her men are beyond HOT and so naughty. LOVED IT! ~Michelle 

Crystal Gardens by Jayne Ann Krentz

Crystal Gardens by Jayne Ann Krentz (Ladies of Lantern Street Series #1) ~V^^^V

This story took a little while for me to really get into. I think it might have something to do with the era. I am not a fan of victorian uppetty-ness (yes I made up that word). The story was an interesting murder mystery/ attempted murder mystery with a romance on the side. The characters, Evangeline and Lucas, were well plotted and had good chemistry as well as some intense sexual chemistry. I just can't put my finger on what it was that kept this story from REALLY sucking me in. It just seemed a bit stiff much like the era in which it takes place. Overall I would say it was a good story though. ~Michelle 

Wild About You by Kerrelyn Sparks

Wild About you (Love at Stake #13) by Kerrelyn Sparks ~V^^^^V


I enjoyed this one but there were bits that threw me off from the romance. I was very excited to finally get Howard's story. Before his book I didn't necessarily think of him as sexy but that has changed. Being the "quiet" bear that he is we finally get to see what is going on in Howard's head as well as what lead him to become the man/bear he is. I liked the backstory but was frustrated when we took jaunts off to deal with the past. Elsa was great as well. I loved the instant attraction she had for Howard and the fact that she didn't just jump headlong into it. The flow was excellent, the romance was sweet and the story was very good. So once again I was not disappointed by this series. ~Michelle  

Three ebook Novella Reviews

These stories are all re-releases in ebook. 

NightDrake by Lara Adrian ~V^^V 
Ooops, I read this one previously in the Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance. This story takes place after the Earth's shift in 2066 and resulting global changes. Nisha is a transporter, she moves goods around the world and has a reputation for not caring. Her latest transport is Drakor, a dragon shifter. From here she learns that everything isn't as she always thought it was and gives in to her attraction. It was an OK story, far too short, I think the concept could make a good series someday.


Lifestyles of the Rich & Undead bay Katie MacAlister ~V^^V
This extremely short novella really is just a teaser for the "Shades of Gray" story in the Undead in My Bed Anthology. How about that a novella for a novella!??! Anyway nothing really happens other than an introduction to the key players in the Gray story. It was cute but not really worth the $.99 I paid, should have been a freebie. 

Hearts Untamed by Pamela Palmer ~V^^^V
I grabbed this from the library and then found out I already read it in Bitten by Cupid. This is a rerelease in ebook. 

I am a big fan of the Feral Warriors. This story however is about Therians and Ilinas. This is basically an introduction to Ilinas. Zee and Julianne are great together even if they lack communication skills for a good hunk of the story. I love Pamela's erotica so I am going to give this a high rating. ~Michelle 

Beast in Him by Shelly Laurenston

The Beast in Him byShelly Laurenston (Pride #2) ~V^^^^V

Another great story. This series seems really hit or miss for me. One book will be fantastic and the next I will have to force myself through. Its very odd. At any rate, this book was a favorite. Jessie Ann and Smitty are fabulous. I love how Jessie treats him leaving fantastic banter. The whole book had me laughing, I think the Wild Dogs are my favorite. The other thing that is nice about this book is the interaction with past and future characters. I rate this book high on the reading recommendations.  ~Michelle 

Belong to the Night Anthology Review

Belong to the Night Anthology ~V^^V

I only read the Cynthia Eden and Shelly Laurenston contributions to this anthology so the review will be only for those novellas. Overall I have to say that I wasn't that impressed with the stories though. 

The Wolf, The Witch, and Her Lack of Clothing by Shelly Laurenston was about Coven Witch Jaime and the wolf Mayor of Smithville, Tully. I can't really put my finger on this one, something just didn't click for me. Jaime was very closed off and Tully was too laid back. They had good chemistry together but the relationship was kind of chopping in the telling. The story itself was quite slow and though the couple do make it to bed it just didn't do much for me. Shelly has many great stories, this is just one that I didn't much care for. 

In the Dark by Cynthia Eden- I am just starting her stuff and can say so far she has a great writing voice. Her stories seem to suck me in immediately and keep me guessing. This story however, I was unable to forgive Liam the way Sadie apparently did. I felt there was never really any explanation or apology and I just had a hard time believing they would just fall into bed again. The case was was well paced and plotted but the romance left me flat. ~Michelle

Happily Never After by Jeaniene Frost

Happily Never After (Night Huntress World #1.5) by Jeaniene Frost ~V^^V

Just kind of blah. This story is about Bone's friend Chase, helping out with a situation, as a favor to Bones. Bella is wrapped up in a mafia situation and is being forced to marry a mobster to save her brother. The mob references were really cheesy and Isabella wasn't that likable  The pacing seemed choppy, going along at a steady pace and then abruptly jumping ahead, several times. I just didn't think this lived up to what I have come to expect from Jeaniene. ~Michelle 

How to Drive a Dragon Crazy by G.A. Aiken

How to Drive a Dragon Crazy (Dragon Kin #6) by G.A. Aiken ~V^^^V

This story was pretty straight forward. The romance was just that, boy and girl know each other, fight the pull and eventually come together. It was pretty Blah. I know a lot of people were anticipating this one, I was not. Neither character did much for me. I had noticed in the previous book as in this one, Aiken is taking this to a fantasy genre, less romance. The end result is a good story but not a good romance. Overall the book was OK, not great and not awful. ~Michelle 

Samurai Game (Ghostwalkers # 10) by Christine Feehan

Samurai Game (Ghostwalkers # 10) by Christine Feehan ~V^^^V

There were things I liked about this book and others that drove me nuts. First of all Azami (Thorn) was a very interesting character, she kicks a lot of ass. He background was beyond tragic but I am still expecting to find Whitney knows of her. Sam is alright, I don't remember him from before but I am OK with it. The catch up with all the past characters was great as well. Feehan has stepped up her steam factor by using more commonly used Erotica terms so that was a bit shocking but acceptable. My main issues lie in the overuse of details and far to much dialogue unrelated to the main characters. The story seemed to drag and not have very much plot or overall story arch advancement. I find that much like many other Feehan stories this formula is getting old and over used. This is my favorite Feehan series, the one I haven't given up on yet. I am holding out hope that this is just a drab book and the next will be better. If not I will have to drop this series as well. =( ~Michelle 

Play It Safe by Kristin Ashley

Play it Safe by Kristin Ashley ~V^^^V

I though for sure I would love this book because so many people have been talking up Kristin Ashley. Sadly all I can really say is that I liked it but just for the romance itself. I didn't care for the first person writing from Ivey's perspective for two reasons. Number one I am not sure I even liked Ivey, she rubbed me the wrong way. Second reason is that without a peak into Gray's head I didn't feel like I understood his actions. I felt Ivey was pretty slow on figuring out her brother's story and I felt Gray and the whole town of Mustang was way too lax on the Buddy situation. I liked the idea of Gray and Ivey together and I will say that they suffered their trials and tribulations enough that they deserved their HEA so I accept that. 

So for the most part I enjoyed the story even if grudgingly. I down graded this book mainly due to editing needs. There were many run-on sentences and paragraphs, the flow of the story was unsteady, and some sentences and phrases were doubled up. Descriptively the story was easily pictured but the conversations between characters were flat. The story would give me hour by hour details of mundane scenes and then completely skip more trivial ones. Really I think all of this could be cleared up with an editor, it may not be as bothersome to other readers but for me it was an issue. 

So long story short I give it a 3 out of 5. ~Michelle