Tag Archives: Sensitive Scene or Issue

Sidney’s Triple Shot (Apache Crossing #1)

By Lori King

Synopsis

Sidney Rowe has been abused in ways that most people can’t even imagine. After a horrific miscarriage, she left behind everything she had to escape her ex-boyfriend. She finds refuge in the kindness of the three Dawson brothers. They give her a job and a sense of security in the small town of Apache Crossing.

Xavier, Tyce, and Noah Dawson have built their bar, Triple Shot, into a profitable enterprise. The three former Marines have also built a reputation for integrity in the community, but their sex appeal and charm are legendary. They enjoy their playboy status…that is until a jumpy, skittish Sidney stumbles into their lives needing their help.

Sexual tension explodes when the brothers decide they want to protect and share Sidney, but to have her they have to stop her ex from haunting her. Can they keep her safe and win her damaged heart?

Review

Loved this Menage romance, it had great suspense, humour and strong personalities from the four main characters.  There is a solid build up with their romantic and physical relationship, it was not rushed and was allowed to develop.

The three men, Xavier, Tyce and Noah all brought their own individuality to the relationship with Sidney.  I loved how they all in their own way assisted Sidney in moving forward from her previous relationship.

The suspense story that revolved around Sidney’s previous life provides great moments towards the end of the story.  I would have loved for her story to end where it started but in a happy moment for her and the men, like a rebirth of such.

Sidney’s emotional state and moments where she falls apart are well written and show how the three men give her confidence.  When she begins to stand up for herself, sing, laugh and enjoy moments with the men are my favorites.

The menage scenes were hot, steamy but also full of emotional attachment.

I do feel that the ending was slightly rushed and I have a few questions, perhaps they will be answered in the next book in the series.  There are certainly many characters, their marine friends,  that could have their own story.

Sidney’s Triple Shot (Apache Crossing #1)

My Rating:  

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Rescuing Rayne (Delta Force Heroes #1)

By Susan Stoker

Synopsis

As a flight attendant, Rayne Jackson is used to cancellations, but she never dreamed her latest would lead to a whirlwind tour of London with a handsome stranger…or a life-altering night in his bed. One evening is all the enigmatic man can give her, and Rayne greedily takes it, despite suspecting it will never be enough.

Heading home after another extreme mission, Keane “Ghost” Bryson hadn’t planned to seduce someone during his layover, but Rayne is too sweet to resist. Being a Delta Force member means lying to protect his identity, which is unfortunate, considering Rayne seems made for Ghost, right down to the tattoo on her back. For the first time in his life, regret fills him as he slips away the following morning.

Both are shocked when, months later, they meet again—under the worst possible circumstances. Seems fate has given them a second chance…if they can survive the terrorist situation they’re in. If Rayne can forgive Ghost his lies. And if Ghost can trust Rayne to be strong enough to endure the secrets and uncertainty that come with loving a Delta Force soldier.

** Rescuing Rayne is the 1st book in the Delta Force Heroes Series. Each book is a stand-alone, with no cliffhanger endings.

Review

I actually read and loved Rescuing Emily (Book 2 of the Delta Force Heroes) first and it was great to see that story overlap with this one.  Emily and Fletch were wonderful characters and I loved their story.

Ghost and Rayne’s story takes place over a long period of time, they first meet and then reconnect months later.  The initial meeting I really enjoyed, there were no expectations, they had fun and enjoyed their moment in time.  Their one night stand was passionate and when he leaves broke my heart.

Fast forward and Rayne’s life being in danger, that was harrowing and I was begging for Ghost and his team to rescue her. Whilst she recuperated, their relationship deepens and we also meet more of the Delta Force team, they are all definitely alpha.

Rescuing Rayne is a very easy story, has great flow, moments of tension and in the end a great romantic journey with a HEA, all the elements to make you happy.

Rescuing Rayne (Delta Force Heroes #1)

My Rating:  

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Hell Upside Down

By Mia Villano

Synopsis

Scarlett Ferguson wanted out of her dreary life in Cutler, Maine. Every day was only an existence living in poverty in a run down trailer with her dad and his girlfriend. Working a dead end job in a restaurant, Scarlett’s life changes the day Hugh Cruz walks into her world.


He is gorgeous, rich and charming, sweeping Scarlett off her feet after a few dates. When he wants to marry her in a rush, she thinks nothing of it, other than it is true love. That changes on the night of her honeymoon. The night Scarlett realizes, things are not what they seem. It doesn’t take long for Scarlett to become someone she swore she never would be, in a life she swore she never would want.

Heartbroken and confused, Scarlett realizes that the life she ran away from is the life she truly wants.  Secrets unravel as Scarlett discovers the real reason Hugh came into her life. No one is who she thought they were and the people she trusted are soon revealing their true identity. Hell Upside Down is a dark, emotional standalone novel filled with suspense. Each page has you wanting more. 

Review

Hell Upside Down I literally finished in a just a few days, I could not put this mystery romance down.  The author begins her novel perfectly, we are given a taste of Scarlett’s life, we then go back to where it begins.  The first half of the story we are heading to that pivotal moment in her future.  I was simply on the edge of my seat knowing this and the hell she was going to endure.  The pacing was perfect to me, giving me enough to keep turning the pages.  The second half of the story is forging a new life for herself and this is where she simply shines.

Scarlett is such a strong and resilient character, she was my purpose to continue this often dark and dangerous tale.  Her marriage and will to survive in an abusive environment was simply heartbreaking.

Durango did not disappoint, I had hopes for him in the beginning and he plays his part to perfection.

The most surprising of this whole story was all the mystery and players in the second half, this story is no way finished when Scarlett gets rescued.  The story literally begins and we learn so much about all the people in her life.  I never picked all the knights in shining armor that were silently there in the background nor the hidden dark players.

Hell Upside Down

My Rating:  

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On Her Master’s Secret Service (Masters & Mercenaries #4)

By Lexi Blake

Synopsis

Her submission fulfilled her

When Eve St. James married Alex McKay, she had her whole life ahead of her. They were the FBI’s golden couple by day, but by night Eve gave herself over to her husband’s world of Dominance and submission filled with pleasures she came to crave.

His betrayal destroyed her

Worried for her safety, Alex left Eve behind to tackle a dangerous mission. But Alex never suspected that Eve was the real target and her security is destroyed by a madman. By the time he rescues her, his wife has been changed forever.

But when her life is in danger he is her only hope

Unable to heal the damage, Alex and Eve are still trapped together in a cycle of pleasure and misery that even their divorce cannot sever. But when a threat from Eve’s past resurfaces, Alex will stop at nothing to save her life and reclaim her heart.

Review

Alex and Eve’s story has blown this series out of the park, this is my favourite so far.  So much action, emotion, passion, and secrets.

Firstly, about halfway through I had a feeling about a character, I was beside myself wanting to know if I was right, the ramifications!!  What a fine tale the author wove and I can only imagine what Big Tag’s story is going to give us.  The last few pages give us an insight and I am so excited.

Alex and Eve have been two characters who held my attention from the first book.  Eve has played her part in helping Sean, Adam, Jake, and Liam to open their hearts to love.  Can Eve open hers again?  Her story is tragic and one I was not prepared for.  This story flowed really well and I could not put this down.

I kept changing my thoughts and opinions on characters, who the bad guys were, who would be Eve’s saviors?  She is a fighter and my heart wept with joy with her returning to Alex and his strength and dominance.  These two characters are simply soul mates and I loved seeing them return to each other.  I hope further miracles happen for these two.

On Her Master’s Secret Service (Masters & Mercenaries #4)

My Rating:  

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A is for Alpha (Homefront: The Sheridans # 4)

By Kate Aster

Synopsis

Who put the “O” in Aloha?

Yeah, that’s me. Camden Sheridan.
A guy who will bring you to “O” faster than you can text it.
Former Army Ranger with the standard issue 8-pack.
And now, a bartender who’ll get you safely back to your hotel after too many margaritas… and you won’t want me to leave.
Believe me, you won’t.

I live life by my rules in my bachelor pad paradise here on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Until a Ranger brother needs me to take care of his little girl while he deploys.
A four-year-old cockblock in pigtails.
My sex life comes to a screeching halt.
Then the babysitter shows up.

Annie.
Smart, principled, good with kids. All the things I don’t look for in a woman.
I want her anyway.
Annie’s got a fortress of secrets surrounding her. But I’ll break it down and claim her as mine.

If this kid will just take a nap.

Review

So I thought FAKING IT would be the last book in the Homefront: The Sheridans series, but it turns out I was wrong. In A IS FOR ALHPA, we meet three of the Sheridans’ cousins: Camden, Fenway and Dodger. Yes, their parents named them after baseball stadiums. Sick of being known as the “other” Sheridans, they moved to the Big Island to get away from the rich and successful side of their family.

A IS FOR ALPHA was an easy and average read for me. Both Camden and Annie are likable characters, but there isn’t anything about them that stands out. The same could be said for the story, because even though it’s only been a few days since I read it, I’m struggling to remember what happened. What I remember most is how often Annie alluded to something that happened to her on the mainland. Something so bad it forced her into hiding on the Big Island. I remember it because I was already annoyed by the repeated teasing at the 35% mark, before the incident was finally revealed at the 60% mark. 

A IS FOR ALPHA is told in dual POVs, comes with a sweet HEA for Camden and Annie, and while it is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. Will Fenway and Dodger get their own stories? I’m not sure. Would I read them? Yeah, I think I would.

A is for Alpha (Homefront: The Sheridans # 4)

My Rating:  

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Homefront: The Sheridans Series

Atticus: A Woman’s Journey with the World’s Worst Behaved Dog

By Sawyer Bennett

Synopsis

A heart-warming and deliciously funny story about the world’s worst behaved dog and how he trained his human how to love herself again.

Through the haze of vodka and self-loathing, Hazel Roundtree saw the poor creature lying in a ditch.

One brown eye. One blue.
Covered in mud and crying from pain, the puppy was desperately trying to free itself from a hopeless situation.

She almost kept walking by. She had her own problems and besides… no one had ever stopped to help her.

Who we’re ultimately meant to be is a journey without end, but there’s always a defined start…

Hazel had no idea the dog would be her beginning, her second chance, the miracle she never saw coming. She named him Atticus. He grew up to be a very bad–and completely awesome–dog. He took Hazel on a life-changing journey filled with mischievous adventure and painful heartbreak. In the end, Hazel grew up to be completely awesome, too.

Review

Wow!
Seriously…just WOW!
Beautiful.
Emotional.
Heartwarming.
Gratifying.
An absolute must read.

ATTICUS is a story about love, friendship and forgiveness, but is it a love story? I’d say yes, but not in the way you might be expecting. Told in the POV of Hazel and Atticus, it’s about the unconditional love that forms between a dog and his human. It’s about Hazel learning to love herself and that she is someone worthy of being loved. There is a sliver of romance towards the end, but romance is not the focus of this story, and the story is beyond amazing without it.

I want to say so much more about ATTICUS, but I’m really struggling with words because I feel as though no matter what I say, I just can’t do this book justice. So I will simply say this:

I could not put this book down.
I laughed.
I cried.
I was deeply moved.
This is the best book I have read this year, and I strongly recommend you read it.

Atticus: A Woman’s Journey with the World’s Worst Behaved Dog

My Rating:  

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My Defender (Bewitched and Bewildered # 8)

By Alanea Alder

Synopsis

When a mysterious illness begins to sweep through Noctem Falls affecting the children, Eleanor Kimball is called to the city to see if she can determine what is wrong. As a pediatrician Eleanor loves children and desires many of her own, however, after several dating disasters she has not only sworn off men, but has given up her dream of a family, and the promise of a destined mate.

After discovering Grant in Noctem Falls she is faced with her own insecurities and finds it hard to believe in his love.

Grant Douglas is a man of few words and doesn’t do well surrounded by others. He is scared to death of finding a mate. He believes the harshness of his past, where he struggled to survive, didn’t cultivate a gentle heart. After a series of terrifying nightmares where his mate is at risk, Grant has decided he doesn’t want a mate at all.

When he meets Ellie, he realizes there are some things worth fighting for. Even if it means putting himself out there by becoming the Alpha he was born to be and facing the power he desperately tries to hide.

As Ellie starts to believe in Grant’s love it will take every ounce their combined strength to discover why the shifter children are suddenly falling ill before it’s too late.

Review

MY DEFENDER is the eighth book in the Bewitched and Bewildered series and was another enjoyable read. The story continues on from MY CHAMPION and follows the mating of Grant (wolf shifter) and Ellie (elephant shifter), and we’re still in Noctem Falls.

As I’ve said in my reviews of the last couple of books, the romance and relationship side of the story is lacking, but that doesn’t really bother me anymore. Instead, I choose to focus on everything else that is going on in this paranormal world that connects these books together.

I don’t remember much about Ellie, other than she’s a really sweet, caring and loving woman. I don’t even remember Grant from the previous two books, even though he’s one of the top Unit Warriors at Noctem Falls, and I assume readers have met before. But while I might not have remembered him at the start, I don’t think I’ll be forgetting about him any time soon. From how he comforts children, to hearing about everything he went through between the ages of twenty and fifty, you can’t help but admire his strength, his compassion and his ability to adapt and survive.

MY DEFENDER is told in dual POVs, with the epilogue being told in Etain’s POV as he’ll get the next book. While each book is about a different couple, the books in this series cannot be read as a stand-alone and must be read in order.

My Defender (Bewitched and Bewildered # 8)

My Rating:  

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Bewitched & Bewildered Series

Trouble (Made & Broken #3)

By Nora Ash

Synopsis

I share everything with my twin—every man I kill, every woman I fuck. But once my sight is set on her… she’s all mine.

Audrey

If there is one thing I don’t have time for, it’s men. Especially not men six years my junior, with a wicked smile and abs for days. No self-respecting woman with career goals and bills to pay would fall for a guy like Liam Steel—he’s everything I never wanted, with his easy laugh and complete disregard for rules.

He’s not the man for me, I know he isn’t. He’s got secrets, and if I get too close they’ll end up burning me alive.

So why can’t I stay away?

Liam

It was meant to be a harmless fling—she was supposed to be just another quick fuck before I was out the door. But Audrey Waits is so much more than I ever thought she’d be.

She’s the one.

I should be happy I’ve found the woman I want to marry. After all, isn’t that what everyone spends their entire life searching for? Their one true love.

Too bad I’ll never get my Happy Ever After.

How can I, when being with me means she’s marked for death?

Louis

It was always Liam and me. Through every hit we’ve done, every woman we’ve fucked and every loss we’ve suffered, we’ve been left standing because we had each other’s backs.

Then she showed up. The prissy little bird who’s wrapped my twin around her finger, making him careless. Making him vulnerable.

In our business, you have a weakness, you’re dead. And if there’s one thing I won’t survive, it’s losing Liam.

So I’ll protect him—even from himself, if I have to.

I’ll make her think I’m him.

And then I’ll break her.

She’ll regret they day she fell in love with a Steel.

Review

I admit I have loved the Made & Broken Series, the first two were five heart reads.  This final installment had an action-packed second half with emotion and spine-tingling moments.  I felt the emotional connection between Liam, Louis, and Audrey.

Liam and Audrey’s romantic journey felt slow for me.  Louis played a sneaky game of the heart and it felt too quick within the storyline.  Trouble in some parts just felt rushed.  I could not feel the three characters connection as deeply as I did other couples in this series.

The author created tense and exciting final moments for the mob family drama and secrets were well played.  Can I say I really loved the Russian when he dealt with Audrey, it provided humour at a dark moment.  Also, my favourite brother being Marcus returns so I was very happy.

.  The author neatly tied up all the family with a great Epilgoue.  This series had a great trio of strong female characters who all balanced these mafia brothers, I would have loved to have met Ellie.

Trouble (Made & Broken #3)

My Rating:  

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Speakeasy (True North # 5)

By Sarina Bowen

Synopsis

Sometimes you fall for Mr. Right. And sometimes for Mr. Right Now…

May

Did you hear the one about the girl who walks into a bar and catches her live-in lover kissing someone else? No? You’re the only one in town who missed it.
Luckily Alec is there to wrap me up in strong arms and carry me out the door before things get too ugly. And that’s not all Alec is good at. Our unexpected chemistry makes him the perfect rebound guy.

Alec

I should know better than to hook up with my rival’s little sister, but the fiery look in May’s eyes really turns my crank. She needs cheering up, and I’m just the guy for the job.
It’s not like I’ll fall in love. Not even after a string of scorching hot trysts, and the realization that we’re good at the same things: wild nights and familial disappointment. I don’t do love, never have, never will. So this is the perfect arrangement, for both of us.

Nobody would approve, but nobody has to know…

Review

SPEAKEASY is the fifth book in the True North series, and I’m sorry to say it was my least enjoyable read from this series.

I liked Alec, who was fun to be around and who treated May like she hung the moon. I liked May, who battled her alcoholic demons every day, and while the struggle at times was immense, she won that battle every day too. I think Sarina did a great job of getting her readers inside the mind of a recovering alcoholic. Not only did I like them as individuals, I liked them as a couple as well. I also liked that we got to see how three of the previous four couples were doing in their lives and how their relationships were progressing.

While I liked the characters and their story, there were two things I wasn’t a fan of. I didn’t like the lesbian fantasy scenes that I felt Alec pushed May into talking about, which he did so purely to satisfy his own sexual curiosity. I also didn’t like how down on themselves Alec and May were throughout the story. I got to a point where I just could not handle their “I’m not good enough” thoughts anymore.

SPEAKEASY is told in dual POVs and comes with a HEA for Alec and May. While it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. As per Goodreads, there will be at least one more book in the True North series, but at the time of writing this review, book 6 is currently untitled, makes no mention of a release date and doesn’t mention who it’s about. I’m thinking it might be about one of Alec’s brothers.

Speakeasy (True North # 5)

My Rating:  

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True North Series

Unhinged (The Amado Brothers #3)

By Natasha Knight

Synopsis

Eve

Two years ago, I made a deal with the devil. That night, I lost everything. That night, I thought he died.

But he’s back. Risen, like Lazarus, from the dead. And he’s dark. Darker than he was before. More dangerous. Unhinged. A scarred, tattooed savage.

The way he looks at me should terrify me, but I’m drawn to him, to his intensity. Consumed by it. By him. Even though I know if I’m not careful, his obsession will destroy me.

Zach

I should have died that night two years ago. My mistake cost my men their lives. It should have cost me mine. But I survived. And the day I learned she did too, I made it my mission to find her.

I sought her out. Tracked her. Shadowed her every move. I’ve been inside her home. Eaten her food. Drank her liquor.

I’ve stood beside her bed and watched her sleep.

She has so many secrets, and I know one of them. It’s the one where our pasts collided. The one that destroyed me.

And it’s the reason I’ve come for her.

I never intended to touch her, but I did. And now that I’ve had a taste, I want more. I want her. But that won’t change why I’m here. It won’t change why I came for her.

Review

Unhinged had me hooked from the first few pages, upon finishing the Prequel I immediately wanted to know how Eve and Zach survived. Personally, the Prequel gives you the background to the deception that Zach believes and explains the isolation for Eve.

I love the cover of this book, it is easy to imagine Zach and believe the tension and his need for answers and revenge.

There were so many secrets in this story and questions that are all answered, I never guessed or saw the double-crossing.  This is definitely standalone within the series, I could easily follow the entire story and have no questions at the conclusion.  There are some dark and violent moments but they are relevant to the story, nothing is unnecessary.

Eve was strong and Zach was very conflicted.  Their passionate scenes were well placed within the flow of the fast-paced story.  Their moments were frantic at times in line with the story but also sensual and romantic and healing for them both.

Unhinged is another dark and dangerous read. This author knows how to give us a tortured alpha with whom we follow their path to finding that strongwilled woman to heal their heart.

Unhinged (The Amado Brothers #3)

My Rating:  

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