Review: Never Enough by Lauren Dane

Never Enough

by Lauren Dane

(Brown Siblings # 4)

Contemporary Erotica

It feels as if I've waited for Adrian's book forever. We've sort of fallen in love with him throughout the series as the reliable and steady presence. Funny, caring, a bit spoiled, but I really never saw him as THE stud of the series. Well, ladies be warned and prepared... Adrian Brown is amazing! He might just be Mr. Perfect for me! LOL With his tats, sexy arms, and more than talented ways, as well as pretty much no inhibitions when it comes to what he wants and what his girl wants.

First of all, I'm actually really happy he gets to have a family. Even though this is really a ready-made family, because he apparently got a girl pregnant 13 years ago, and wasn't aware of it. But to the kid's benefit, the real mother didn't raise him, but his aunt did, and she had actually adopted him.

So Miles, who is now a teenager, has his own little band and is a wonderful kid, finally gets to meet his father, the famous rock star, Adrian Brown, after his real mother confesses to his adopted mother, Gillian, who the father is, right before she dies.

Gillian goes looking for Adrian because she wants to give her son the opportunity to know and spend time with his father. And after an initial shock and setbacks, Adrian falls in love with both Miles and his mum. She pushes all his buttons, and everything she does turns him on.

The whole Brown clan is pretty involved in this story, and even though at times they can be overwhelming, they love Miles and welcome Gillian into their tight knit family.

But Gillian has secrets and issues to work through, as does Adrian, before they can be happy together. Although, this book didn't have a major event tearing them apart, and it's mostly a happy relationship between all involved during the entire book, which is something I usually don't like, it worked well for me this time. I didn't feel the need to all of a sudden have a huge fight break out or anything like that.

Adrian has some ass moments, and in my opinion those were understandable being that he is a big celebrity and there are things they should always watch out for and be careful of, or a certain lifestyle they are accustomed to and they cannot understand why they can't do what they want. But in the end his intentions were always good, he is truly a devoted father, a caring lover and he loves his family completely.

Gillian is the perfect compliment for him. She's prim and proper, with her english background, and she's an amazing mother. She is very grounded and that is exactly what Adrian needs. Like she said, she's not his fan, she's his lover and the mother to his kid. But behind that exterior she is just a WILD and DIRTY woman! And wow did that match Adrian to a tee.

These two steamed up the pages non-stop, in some extremely hot and creative ways. Adrian is very dominating, loves to dirty talk, and loves to please his woman! *fans self* He is definitely my second favorite man in this series now (of course, Brody still has the number one spot!)

Since we've gone through all the Brown Siblings I'm guessing the series is over now, but I can only hope there will be a spin-off since we didn't get to read Raven's story, and the girls needs to have a HEA and someone to fix her head a bit. But we also met some pretty cool girls that are friends with Gillian, Mary and Jules. We'll have to wait and see!

Favorite quote:
"She ruined him for all others, and that was fine since he didn't plan to have any others but her."

And the debate still stands as to who would be the perfect Adrian Brown?  According to Lauren Dane's Facebook Page, it is Ryan Bingham

BUT, this is who I had in mind.... just add the tats a wee bit of muscle.

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ARC Review: Bad Boys Do by Victoria Dahl

Bad Boys Do

by Victoria Dahl

(Donovan Brothers Brewery)

Contemporary Romance

There aren't many things sexier than a hot young man, with blondish hair, a wicked grin, a sexy mouth, a beer at the ready.... and a kilt! Jamie Donovan is sex on a stick, or as I said before, sex on a kilt with construction boots. He is the bad boy, the black sheep of the family, the "irresponsible" Donovan brother, who works at the brewery as the bartender and public face of the brewery, flirts with anything female, and has a reputation for sleeping around (and being damn good at it!)

But there's a whole other side to him and it was so sweet to see that he is actually looking for recognition, looking to belong and feel comfortable. He loves his family and wants to prove to them that he is not the fuck-up they see him as. But he has a hard time of proving this to his brother! They had a lot of family conflict in this book, which at times was almost too much to read and maybe one of the reasons why this wasn't a 5 star read for me.

Now onto the romance. I'm sooooo happy I was confused and wrong about who was Jamie's HEA. I actually thought he would end up with Monica (from book 1) and I really couldn't see how that would work out, being that she had betrayed his family. But I'm happy to report it's not her! We meet Olivia Bishop when she first goes into the brewery with her book club friends and they are all drooling over Jamie, especially when he bends over with his kilt *sigh* where was I? Oh yeah! So she's divorced, her ex is totally crazy and stalkerish in a way, and she hasn't been able to get back in the dating game.

So when Jamie ends up as her student on one of her college classes about restaurant development and has a proposition for her, she can't refuse. She will help him with his plans for the Brewery and she will get some no strings attached fun!

And let me tell you, Jamie knows how to show a girl a good time! He can melt the panties off ANY girl! I have one complaint though... after all the drooling we get to do over his kilt, the one time they have sex with him wearing it, it's a "fade to black" moment. I feel cheated!!!! LOL

This book was scorching hot, yes more than book one. A LOT of family drama, the investigation into the brewery break-in continues. Jamie has a lot to prove to himself, to his family and to Olivia. But he definetely got to my heart!!!

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Interview and Giveaway with Julie James!

As you may have heard, Contemporary Author Julie James is our Author of the Month for September 2011! Julie writes the most hilarious, most entertaining contemporary romance I've read in a long time. Her books make me burst out laughing and thus get me some weird stares, but it's worth it! Each book is like it's own anti-depressant! So, Maidens, help me welcome the wonderful Julie James to Under the Covers! For more information on Julie and her books, please visit her website here.

Hi Julie! Thanks so much for chatting with us today! Let's get started, shall we? You were a lawyer before you started writing full-time. What made you decide to be a writer? Was it hard to make that transition from one occupation to another? 

 I have no writing background, have never taken any sort of creative writing class and, frankly, had never envisioned myself doing anything other than practicing law. But I love movies, and I love reading. I’d always had an idea for a romantic comedy film and one day, I just decided to sit down and write it. So I bought a book on how to write screenplays and got started.

Since I knew no one in Hollywood, after I finished the script I began cold querying agents and managers in L.A. There was some interest in the script, and I signed with a film agent. Shortly thereafter, a Hollywood producer optioned my script, but, unfortunately, the movie was never made. After the option expired, my film agent suggested that I turn the screenplay into a book, and I decided to give it a shot. When I’d finished the book, my film agent hooked me up with a literary agent, and shortly after I signed with her we got a two-book deal from Penguin/Berkley. And the rest, as they say, is history.

In terms of the transition from one occupation to another, sure, there are times when I miss practicing law, but I enjoy writing even more. It’s tough to beat a job you can do in sweatpants.

Do you have any must-have items while you are in the writing dungeon? 

 In the morning, I need something chocolate before I get started—usually Nestle’s Tollhouse chips right out of the bag, and at mid-day, I go out for a Starbucks run.

You write fantastic contemporary romance, but if you could dabble in another sub-genre, what would you pick and why? 

I’m very happy writing contemporary romance and don’t currently have any plans to explore another sub-genre. But if I did, I suppose I might try my hand at romantic suspense. Back in the day when I wrote screenplays, I wrote two suspense scripts so I have some experience with that.

For the most part, your books can be read as standalone novels. In the future, would you like to tackle the challenge of writing a series? 

While not a series, my third and fourth books, Something About You and A Lot Like Love, are linked by recurring characters. My upcoming release, About That Night, is also linked to those two books. I’ve created this criminal justice world with the Chicago FBI and U.S. Attorney’s offices, and I would like to write additional stories in that setting. In fact, this summer I went on private tours of both the U.S. Attorney and Chicago FBI offices, and I’m fascinated by what they do. That being said, I would never force a story just to get it into a certain setting—so if a standalone idea is what appeals to me most, then that’s the story I’ll write next.

I love all the heroes of your books! Jason Andrews is the sexiest man alive. Jack Pallas has that glowering thing going on and Nick McCall is my number one lover! How do you make sure that your heroes stand out?

What characteristic should all heroes have?  My approach is that I start with an awesome heroine, and then come up with a guy who deserves her. My heroes tend to be more sarcastic types, the kind who are far more likely to trade banter and quips with the heroine than be super-expressive about their feelings. But when they do fall in love, they fall hard.

Here's the sex question...Jason Andrews is the SEXIEST man alive. But there's no sex in his book! I personally think it works well. What was behind your decision to keep it this way? 

Actually, there is sex in the book, it’s just at the very end and it’s not graphically written. There are two reasons I did that: First, Just the Sexiest Man Alive was my first book, and as I mentioned earlier, the story was originally written as a romantic comedy screenplay. And with scripts, the writer doesn’t write detailed sex scenes—it’s up to the director to figure out the mechanics of the scene. So when Taylor and Jason do finally get together in the book, I wrote those scenes in a similarly non-explicit fashion because that’s what I was familiar with. (My books have since gotten steamier as I’ve become more familiar with the contemporary romance genre.)

As for why the characters wait until the end? Because, simply, that’s what fit with the story. Because Taylor (the heroine) had been cheated on in the past, she had major concerns about getting together with Jason, who is the biggest movie star in Hollywood and a notorious womanizer. It wouldn’t have made sense for her to sleep with him until she completely trusted him.

About that Night is Kyle's book! What can we expect from this upcoming release? More hysterics, I hope! 

Well, any book that’s about a guy who’s a billionaire heir/ex-con/computer genius nicknamed the “Twitter Terrorist” who went to prison for hacking into Twitter and shutting it down after his girlfriend broke up with him via a tweet has to have a few laughs, right? At least, I hope it does. What can I reveal about the book…? Hmm… well, the heroine is a woman from Kyle’s past, and the book picks up right after he has been released from prison. I would say, in terms of tone, that the book is most similar to Just the Sexiest Man Alive (meaning pure contemporary romance, no suspense subplot). But there is definitely sex in this book : )

 Fun questions! Let's say Kyle Rhoads, the infamous Twitter terrorist, got on Twitter again. What would be his first tweet? 

 LOL. Knowing Kyle, it would probably be: “I can’t believe these jokers let me back on.”

 I'm sure readers would agree that they drool over your sexy heroes. But who do YOU drool over? Who is your favourite literary hero?

 Oh, I’m a sucker for Mr. Darcy from Pride & Prejudice. He’s just so smitten, despite all his efforts to the contrary, and so intent on winning over Elizabeth. I read that book once a year.

Is there a book and/or series that you wished you have written? 

One of the screenplays I wrote back in the day is a romantic suspense about a woman (an attorney) who goes on safari in Africa and discovers that one of the people on that safari is a hitman hired to kill her. There’s a really hot ranger in the story—but the heroine doesn’t know if she can trust him because he could very well be the hitman. I came up with the idea after going on safari in South Africa—that was the most incredible trip I’ve ever taken and would love to set a book there. I’ve pitched the idea, but have been told that books set in exotic locations don’t sell well. But I haven’t given up hope—maybe some day!

Thanks so much for stopping by, Julie!

 

Author of the Month Julie James will be giving away TWO COPIES of A LOT LIKE LOVE! This contest is open to everyone! 

To enter, please:

1. Be a follower

2.In the comments, tell us who your favorite literary hero is! And leave a valid email address too!

Extra entries are acceptable. If you post or tweet this giveaway, we ask that you provide links. Thank you and good luck!

Review: Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James

 

 

Practice Makes Perfect

by Julie James

Contemporary Romance

In Practice Makes Perfect, James takes on a whole new meaning when she says “laws of attraction”.

Two of Chicago’s best lawyers, Payton Kendall and J.D. Jameson are in the ultimate contest. Surely a test of how-bad-do -you-want-it , this battle has been eight years in the making, where Payton and J.D. go head-to-head with one another for their dream of being made partner.

But when Ben, their boss tells them that only one of will be made partner, the race is on as Payton and J.D. duke it out in the final haul.

Let me tell you...This is the most entertaining book I’ve had the pleasure to read in some time. Julie James has a way of bringing laughter in all her little books. There’s no question about it. But for some reason, this book seemed to surpass all her other hilarious moments. Ms. James has made me into a crazed fan because of her incredibly smart and agreeable characters, snarky and witty dialogue, one-two punch one-liners and the stream of constant warring between these two? Man, you won’t want to miss out!

It was such a joy to read about Payton and J.D. They have such amazing chemistry, even when they are fighting. I never thought I’d say that I enjoy them equally when they have heating up the sheets or simply heating up in anger and frustration.

Here’s just a snippet of what you’ll encounter if you pick this treasure up:

He would wait for her to come in. Not that he had any fucking clue what he was going to say when he saw her. “Hi, Payton, thanks for the apology, that was nice. Did you see they’ve got muffins in the break room? Oh, by the way, I sliced off one of your heels and shoddily glued it back together hoping it would break off in court and leave you hobbling about like a drunk one-legged prostitute. Have a nice day.”

Somehow, he had a feeling that might not go over so well.

See? You’ll thank me later when you’ve finished reading this one. (“You’re welcome” in advance.)

J.D. Jameson is a man of money. With good looks (yummy smoky blue eyes), a great job (a freakin’ lawyer!), a sports car (definitely not the Prius type), he’s the man that everyone wants to be. But he’s also an asshole. Or as Payton would say, The Asshole. He’s over-confident, never taking no for an answer. He’s controlling and dominating (though that may not be such a bad thing in certain circumstances). And basically all the things that should make me hate him, makes me love him even more!

J.D. can be a douche, no question. But like Pride and Prejudice (read the book and you’ll understand this reference!), Darcy wins the girl by being nice to her. And when J.D. puts on the charm...ladies, be prepared to melt!

 

 

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Ecstasy by Bella Andre

 

Ecstasy 

by Bella Andre

Contemporary Erotica

Candace is a Young Adult author who has been seduced by sensual words. Now, she wants to be make the jump from YA fiction into erotica. Nervous about this career change, Candace goes to a convention to affiliate with other erotica authors. There she meets Charlie Gibson, a well-known and loved author of erotica. In their first meeting, Candace makes such an impression that Charlie offers to be her mentor, teaching her the trade.

This is the first book I’ve read by Bella Andre and she gets an A+ from me! I loved the idea of two erotica writers getting together to “research”! It was so unique and really set up the story great. This is a novella, so while short it still packs a lot of heat! There were a few parts that I felt where a little underdeveloped but I think that was moreso due to the length of the book than lack of detail.

But regardless of the length, this book was hot! I enjoyed the little snippets of Charlie and Candy’s work in progress throughout the book. It added more sexiness to an already smutty read.

And yes, I loved Charlie! He is a damn good teacher and I wouldn’t mind him teaching me a thing or two!

 

 

Purchase Links: Amazon

ARC Review: Good Girls Don't by Victoria Dahl

4.5 Feathers
Good Girls Don't

(Donovan Brothers Brewery # 1)

by Victoria Dahl

(Contemporary Romance)

First of all... I'm so excited that I got an ARC of this book! I've had it on my list since I heard about the new series coming out. So of course before I started reading this book, I loved Victoria Dahl's writing. Now after reading the book, I LOVE VICTORIA DAHL'S WRITING! Yeah, excuse the fan girl moment. But I'll explain to you why. Ms. Dahl manages to create interesting worlds where the storylines are believable and fun, the characters are likeable and you are actually glued to the pages because you care about what happens to them! At least, that's my opinion. I haven't read a book by her that I don't feel like that.

Good Girls Don't is the first book in the Donovan Brewery series. If you read the prequel in The Guy Next Door (and I think you should because it does give you a little bit of background info into the storyline) you'll notice that the characters featured in book 1 are NOT the characters in the prequel. Some people are a bit upset about that. I personally didn't mind at all because this book is about the only sister in the Donovan Brewery, Tessa Donovan, and she is the coolest chick around. I loved her! Yes, she has a few immature moments, but she's young and only wants her family to be together and live happily ever after.

Tessa was just a lot of fun! She even tweets just to torment her brother Jamie, which I thought was hilarious. She is kind of put in a place where she has to save a very big contract for the brewery and she tries to do this all by herself. But a girl needs to have some fun in the meantime right? So lets bring in sexy small town cop Luke Asher. Hold on, let me wipe the drool off the keyboard. He is HAWT! Tortured hero, not good at relationships, thinks he's too damaged to be dating material, especially for such a sweet girl. But Tessa knows just how to tease him and he just melts in her hands!

The romance was really cute, you can feel the chemistry and see the sparks flying from the first moment. And I do like that Luke doesn't try to act all tough and fight it, he actually goes to her against his better judgement. I think she's just the type of girl he needed.

There still a bit of drama with solving a crime (someone broke into the brewery) which is where Luke comes in, and how this affects the business-deal-about-to-go-bad (all thanks to Jamie's playboy ways) which gives this book the perfect backdrop to the story. We do get a good view as to what happens in the day to day lives of a lot of the characters in the story. And I love how Beth's character from the prequel is weaved in at a few points. I do think those two need the time she's giving their story to develop.

Now onto Jamie... His book is next and I'M WORRIED. Especially not knowing exactly what already went down in this book between him and Olivia. But I'm definitely curious to see it all play out. And of course to see more of sexy Jamie in his kilt. 

Purchase from Amazon.com

Review: Dangerous Desire by Diane Escalera

Dangerous Desire

by Diane Escalera

Contemporary Romance

I really enjoyed reading this one! At first, I was a little skeptical about the whole pet detective thing. I wasn’t sure how something like this would hold my attention, but I was thrilled to admit that I loved it!

Dangerous Desire starts off when Sienna Diaz comes home after losing her job. She hopes to gain some comfort from her little Beagle Zola, but instead she finds her home broken into and her precious Zola gone! In an effort to get her little Zola back, she contacts her Cruz Santino, an ex-cop who runs Top Dawg. When the evidence shows that little Zola may have been taken to use in a dogfighting ring, things get pretty rough.

Now let’s start with all the things I loved about this book....First off,  Cruz is some hawt stuff! I adored his character and from the moment he was introduced, I realized then that I would love this book! Ms. Escalera does a fantastic job with her characters. I absolutely fell in love with all of them! Sienna is a complete sweetheart and I loved reading from her POV. Tori, Sienna’s best friend was freakin’ hilarious! She may be my favourite of all. I loved her rapier wit and upbeat personality! I almost wish she were real so I could be friends with her. Dan, Tori’s boyfriend was always a great character. I loved his dynamic with Cruz. And lastly, Cole, Cruz’s brother. Wow, what can I say? Please tell me there’s a book about him! I would love to read it!

In addition to the great characters, I also really loved the bursts of personality that Ms. Escalera added in. The humor was fantastic, making me laugh out loud at some of the things I’ve read. I can truly say I really enjoyed reading this one.

The plot progressed smoothly and efficiently and I loved the author’s overall writing style. This review is bordering on a fangirl obsession, so I’ll just say this. Dangerous Desire was a great read that got me all hot and bothered over Cruz and laughing out loud with Sienna and Tori. If you’re looking for an entertaining read, then this is it. Look no further.

 

 Purchase links: Amazon

Review: The Guy Next Door by Lori Foster, Susan Donovan and Victoria Dahl

The Guy Next Door

by Lori Foster, Susan Donovan and Victoria Dahl

(Men Who Walk The Edge of Honor # 0.5)

(Donovan Brothers Brewery # 0.5)

Contemporary Romance

Ready, Set, Jett by Lori Foster
3 Feathers

This story is the prequel of a new series by Lori Foster called Men Who Walk The Edge of Honor. First of all, the whole concept of the series is very appealing to me, so I was very excited to start it by reading this story. AND this is my first time EVER reading Lori Foster. I have heard such great things about her writing and that just made my expectations higher.

And, quite frankly, I was disappointed! So disappointed with this short story. First of all I think the heroine, Natalie, is just a tad stupid. I mean, she's had issues because she comes from a wealthy family, where there was no concept of family at all, no values, and no love. And on top of that every man that has ever wanted anything to do with her was to get her money. So, ok I get it. She has to be very careful. But in this case, she just doesn't want anybody to know who she really is, and she feels that she can't EVER have a real relationship, no matter how much she likes the guy. Thaaaaaaat was a bit extreme for me.

So she's living in an apartment complex, and out of the blue, kind of, one thing leads to another and she ends up having a "booty call" affair with her hunky neighbor, Jett. And when I say booty call, that is strictly all she ever does. They don't have conversations other than dirty talk, they are never seen in public together, she leads her life as if nothing was happening between them. Supposedly, this is to protect herself.

But Jett really likes her, and he wants more from her. Since he was injured in the line of duty, he is now a PI of sorts and he does some background checks on her and discovers her past. He then decides that he will push his way into her life and into a relationship.

So, I'm not going to tell you how the story ends, but it just felt that she all of a sudden has a change of heart, on issues that I thought were a little stupid to begin with, and all of a sudden they're going to get married. Hmmmmm

One other thing that I didn't enjoy as much as I thought was the actual writing. I felt it was choppy at times, either something would drag and then all of a sudden it was done. It didn't flow for me as I was expecting. I have seen from other reviews that this is not Ms. Fosters usual style and I'm still very hopeful to read a full book by her. Novellas and short stories can be very difficult to write and still convey the same connection as a full book.

I am interested on how the first book of the series was set up and I can't wait to read it.

Gail's Gone Wild by Susan Donovan
3 Feathers

This story was actually cute, it flowed nicely, it was entertaining at times, but it was one of those stories where you just want to beat the hero with a stick over the head.

Gail is 36, with a 17 year old daughter who's dying to go to the Florida Keys on spring break. Gail is recently divorced, her husband was actually embellishing money from a lot of people and just a lying con artist, so she's been hurt and has been alone for some time. So when her daughter brings up spring break vacation, she decides to go with her to chaperone and at the same time give herself a little much needed fun time.

What she wasn't expecting is the hot cuban who lives next door to her rental, with the salt and pepper hair and earring. She is smitten with Jesse's charm. But Jesse has also been burned before. At 38, he's a very successful author, and he recently had a woman who rented that house whom he became involved with only to find out she wanted to make money off of him, and she had sued him for abuse, accused him of getting her pregnant, in the end a media disaster.

So what does Jesse decide to do? NOT tell her who he really is. She thinks he's a tour guide. She is very straightforward with him, and tells him all about her past and how important honesty is for her. And he keeps going with his lie.

Of course, these two have really good chemistry, and during the course of her vacation they develop feelings for each other, that is until the time he decides to come clean.

This story was cute, it was sweet, but it certainly wasn't compelling me to not put the book down. There wasn't anything that special about it. But as short stories go, I think it's pretty good!

Just One Taste by Victoria Dahl
4.5 Feathers

And this is the reason why I wanted to read this book. I love Victoria Dahl and I can't wait to start on her new series about the Donovan brothers and their brewery. Set in Colorado, the Donovan brothers, and sister, have a pretty successful business and in this prequel, Eric Donovan, the oldest, gets stuck at manning the booth at the local business expo. He is the behind the scenes guy. His youngest brother should be the one doing this, you know serving beer to prospective clients wearing his kilt. But he can't make it and it's up to Eric to take his place, along with trying to make new business contacts to get their beer out to more people.

Except, he almost can't concentrate because all he can do is stare at the hottie in the booth across from him, and its a booth for the sex shop in town nonetheless. She is the last person he should try to get involved with. He's the serious guy. But he can't hide his attraction, and when she comes up to him thinking he is Jamie, he decides "Why not? Jamie would do it."

Beth has a thing for preppy guys. If her friends from work would know she'd be the talk of the town and ridiculed, but that's her ultimate fantasy. But that guy in the Donovan Brewery booth is a preppy God! When she passes the booth she looks at the name tag on the table: Jamie Donovan. She's heard of him, kind of a player reputation. Maybe she could have a fling with him and no one would have to know.

This story was sexy, hot, cute, everything. I loved it. And it has a very open ending which makes me want to rush and read book 1!!!!

Another great story by Ms. Dahl!

Purchase from Amazon.com

Review: Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James

Just the Sexiest Man Alive

by Julie James

Contemporary Romance

Find it on Goodreads!

Taylor Donovon is a star Chicago lawyer who comes to Los Angeles to represent her firm at an important trial. As a lawyer, Taylor is sharp, efficient and ruthless. But her dating life hasn’t had the same success as her work life.

Betrayed by her fiancé, Taylor finds herself hurt and untrusting towards men. And I don’t blame the girl. Catching your fiancé with his teaching assistant isn’t something a woman needs to experience. With this, it’s no wonder why she is so resistant towards men’s advances.

And then comes the Sexiest Man Alive.

Jason Andrews.

When her boss asks her to do a favor for him, Taylor agrees not realizing that she has just accepted babysitting duty for the number one top celebrity and the three- time “Sexiest Man Alive.”

Jason Andrews is used to getting what he wants. So when Taylor Donovon struts in and points a finger at him for his mistakes, Jason is taken aback by her tenacity. And this intrigues him.

I loved the “cross-examination” part! I thought it was hilarious and Taylor really kicked ass in that scene. For me, the best thing about Taylor’s character was that her feelings where persistent. Despite her growing affections for Jason, she didn’t automatically turn around and start falling to her knees for him. I loved that Ms. James kept that resistance in her throughout this entire book because even though Taylor does fall in love in this one, she doesn’t forget her past hurts.

The fact that there is no sex in this book is an example. Catching your fiancé with another woman is traumatic and has scarred Taylor’s dating life. So there is no way a woman who has been cheated on will suddenly jump in the sack with some guy. Even if he’s the sexiest man alive.

This book was another hit for James. I loved it and if you’re a fan of sweet, smart and witty romances, then this is for you!

Review: An Enchanted Season Anthology by Nalini Singh, Erin McCarthy, Maggie Shayne & Jean Johnston

An Enchanted Season (Psy Changeling #3.5 & Murphy Sisters #1)

by Nalini Singh, Erin McCarthy, Maggie Shayne & Jean Johnston

Anthology-Paranormal Romance & Contemporary

Find it on Goodreads!

Overall Anthology Score:

I thought two of the stories in here were great I loved them, but the other two not so much. But I think likeing 50% is pretty good so I definately don't regret buying this anthology

Melting Frosty by Maggie Shayne

Holly and Matthew both had tradegy strike when they were 12 years old around the Christmas holidays. They both reacted completely differently though, Matthew has become a Scrooge who hates everything about Christmas and Holly who loves it and sees it as a chance to celebrate her happy childhood.

I didn't like this story that much, I found Holly really irritating, I don't like to think of myself as miserable, but bloody hell I hate it when characters are all happy-happy-joy-joy, does it make me a bitch if it makes me wanna slap and tell them to stop smiling all the damn time?! Matthew was okay, he was meant to be ruthless and icy, but he soon melted under the glare of all that Christmas cheer.

It was a quick read and it did have some funny and sweet moments but it just wasn't for me.

Charlottes Web by Erin McCarthy (Murphy Sisters #1)

Charlotte has loved for 8 years. 8 years of lusting and yearning for him. But what she doesn't know is that Will loves her right back, has done for years. With a little bit of witchery will they finally get together this year?

I LOVED this story. I have never read Erin McCarthy before although I have had Flat-Out Sexy on my TBR mountain for quite a while! I think now that I have had a taste of EM's writing it is going to be bumped up a bit! The story was funny, sexy and a little mischevious and it definately left me gagging for more.

Beat of Temptation by Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling #3.5)

This is novella is the reason I got this book and I am so glad I did! It is about Tamsyn the DarkRiver packs healer and Nate one of the packs Senitals. If you have read the Psy Changeling books you will recognize them, they have been together for a long time and this book lets us see just how they got together. Like all NS's book it was fabulous, I loved both Nate and Tamsyn and I think together they make a great couple.

If you are a fan of the Psy Changeling series then this is a great little story about two of the recurring characters, if Psy Changeling is new to you then this gives you a glimpse in to the amazingness of this series!

Gifts of the Magi by Jean Johnston

A couple are running a Bed & Breakfast but it has hit hard times, a mortgage payment is due and a massive snow storm has just started meaning that all the guests booked into the Inn for Christmas have had to cancel. But when a Buddist, a Jew and a Muslim (yes I know the start of a bad joke lol!) unexpectedly walk through the door it all starts to look up.

A really sweet story about looking on the brightside and the virtues of hardwork. It was nice, it was cute, but it wasn't for me. I found it a little boring and there wasn't much of a story going on, just a series of unfortunate events that turn in to a series of miracles. It wasn't bad, but maybe I would have apprciated it more if I read it at Christmas time!!

Some stories are hotter then others but over all: