Tag Archives: Violent Scene

Daddy’s Home

By Zoe Blake

Synopsis

No one escapes their past.
Two years ago she ran, but now he has found her.
He will make her pay for her past mistakes.
Trapped alone in a cabin with him, there is no hope for rescue or redemption.
He wants information and refuses to believe she doesn’t have the answers he seeks.
He’s willing to do anything…anything…to break her.
And he will get what he wants.

Review

Daddy’s Home is a quick and very decadent read, a bit longer than a normal novella. By saying that it means we got much more of a story along with the instant attraction.

Logan manipulates and controls Chloe in a dark and very sensual way. It definitely hits all the right spots.

Due to having a hard life growing up, Chloe is very young at heart. Despite her love of all things youthful, she had a darkness and strong sensuality.

Chloe’s past connections in her short life have been dangerous and they provide the drama and mystery.

Also, I really connected to Chloe from the first few pages, she was a loner for so long she needed to be cared for and Logan was perfect.

Finally, Daddy’s Home is finished off nicely and I was satisfied and could have read so much more on this couple.

Daddy’s Home

My Rating:

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Max (House of Payne #6)

By Stacy Gail

Synopsis

Chicago’s premiere tattoo studio, House Of Payne, is across the street from the Mad Cow diner, but it might as well be on another planet as far as waitress Paradise Simone is concerned. She’s a good girl from Waukegan with a past she’d rather forget, and a future that goes only as far as the next day. What does she know about superstars and paparazzi?

But Pari does know danger when she sees it, and tattooist Max Kulagin has it written all over him. A proper Waukegan girl should know to steer well clear, but she can’t resist Max when he leaves beautiful, intimate art sketched out on cheap diner napkins.

Beautiful, intimate art…of her.

Max knows ugliness. He was born in it. Raised in it. Had it shoved down his throat every goddamn day. So when he stumbles across true beauty, he worships it. There’s a deep sensuality in the waitress who likes to suck on her pen whenever he’s around, and he’s just the man to bring that beauty out in her. She might be a lady in the street, but one look at Pari tells him she’s going to be a freak in the bed.

And in the shower.

And while he’s driving with her head going to town in his lap.

The life Max leads might be in the spotlight, but it’s Pari who gets caught in the glare. When her past catches up to her, it’s her life that holds all the excitement, and not in a good way. But there’s no force on earth that can take Max’s beautiful Paradise away now that he’s finally found it.

Review

Max is book 6 of the House of Payne series and is a stand-alone. I have not read the other books as yet. You do not have to read the others to enjoy this, House of Payne provides merely a backdrop to Pari and Max’s love story.

Pari is a beautiful character and her relationship with her sister is portrayed in an honest and realistic way. The sister’s complicated history is what has brought Pari’s to her current life in hiding.

Maxi is wonderful, he is protective yet brash in the way he eventually gets Pari to soften her armour. He persists with his desire for her and allows her to find her heart and hope again.

There is actually plenty of humour in this story which is surprising. It is placed at moments that are perfect to the flow of the story.

Max and Pari’s sex scenes are aplenty and they are varied and very enjoyable to read, he is definitely dominant in that respect.

This story is concluded as all readers wish, you get to see them into the future and they are simply a wonderful couple to read about.

Quote: “Happiness. Belonging. Family” “I see forever in you”

Max (House of Payne #6)

My Rating:

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Slade (New Species # 2)

By Laurann Dohner

Synopsis

Dr. Trisha Norbit is flat on her back in a hospital bed, pinned under a really big New Species male. Though drugged out of his mind, he promises her ecstasy and is determined to deliver—but hospital staff intervenes. 215 is a man Trisha will never forget. But, when she meets him again at Homeland…he doesn’t even remember her!

The nosy new doctor wants to know all about the breeding habits between humans and Species. Slade proposes a hands-on education but she’s not interested in a one-night stand. He can’t offer more because he’s haunted by the memory of a woman he once tried to claim. He’s shocked when he realizes they are one and the same. He’s blown it—she’ll never give him a chance now.

But, when her life is in danger, he’s the only one who can save her. As they flee through the wilderness, their desire ignites and cannot be denied. Hot sex, on the run, has consequences that are even more dangerous and will change their lives forever.

Review

SLADE is the second book in the New Species series and, after reading FURY last month for the first time in a few years, I thought I’d keep going with the series. My plan is to re-read and review one book in the series per month, so hopefully by the end of 2018, I’ll have the entire series reviewed on our blog. Maybe by then there’ll even be a new addition to the series and I’ll be ready for it. * Hint hint, Ms Dohner *

We met Trisha and Slade in the previous book, and there was quite a bit of tension between them every time they were in the same room. In this book, we find out what’s behind that tension, but we also find out that while they “hate” each other, neither can deny their attraction.

“Don’t ever walk into my house again. What would you have done if I’d still been in the shower?”
“Walked in there to tell you they needed you at the center and handed you a smaller towel than you had on. Maybe a hand towel. Or a washcloth.”

Trisha is the lead doctor at Homeland, but her job isn’t going as well as she had hoped. She wanted to treat New Species and learn more about them, but since they’re mostly non trusting of humans, she’s been relegated to treating other humans instead. I felt bad for her, because you know that she really cares and just wants to help them. Slade is pretty crude, and a lot of the problems between him and Trisha could have been solved if he wasn’t afraid to have an adult conversation. But you can’t help but feel sorry for him because he kept ruining his chances with Trisha every time he opened his mouth.

SLADE is told in dual POVs and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. That being said, I think these books will be best enjoyed by reading the entire series in order. Be warned, there is an attempted rape scene which may be a trigger for some readers. Despite that scene, I found SLADE to be a lot more humorous than the previous book; the banter between New Species was more joking and at ease, and I absolutely loved the ending.

Slade (New Species # 2)

My Rating:

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New Species Series

Forbidden Seduction (Lee County Wolves # 2)

By Teresa Gabelman

Synopsis

Hunter Foster single-handedly exposed the shifter community after shifting in front of humans to protect a Vampire Council Warrior. With no regrets, he heads home to answer for his crime of breaking an outdated law.

Back in his town, he is faced with rogue packs challenging their alpha, his brother, as well as the woman he has spent years avoiding. Finally, he has to come to terms with what his wolf has been telling him and what he as a man has been fighting against.

Review

FORBIDDEN SEDUCTION is the second book in the Lee County Wolves series, and it’s been over two years since I read the first book, FORBIDDEN HUNGER. Because of that, I wondered if I’d have a problem following on from the first story, and I did, but not for that reason. I hit a few trouble spots because some characters and events introduced and talked about in this book relate to a different series. Because of that, I did feel like I was missing something, but it didn’t really affect my enjoyment of the story.

I liked Hunter, but his treatment of Emily when they were younger meant he had a lot to apologize for, and I don’t think he apologized enough. That being said, I did feel that he was truly regretful for how he treated her and will spend the rest of his life making it up to her.

I loved Emily. She was very sweet and she’d make sacrifices for those who deserved it, even if it came at her expense. Her sister was a vile human being, and as much as I loved that Emily did stand up to her most of the time, there were some times that she didn’t and during those times, she did come across as a bit of a doormat. If anyone deserved to be bitch-slapped, it was her sister. But when she confronted Hunter about how he hurt her in high school, she was absolutely magnificent.

“Never in a million years did I think you or anyone else for that matter would have to be threatened to take me out. I’m actually a pretty nice person who’s fun to be around.”

FORBIDDEN SEDUCTION is told in dual POVs and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. Although, as I said above, it is connected to another series and if you haven’t read that other series, you might feel a little lost a few times throughout this story. It’s a fairly quick read and a good way to spend a few spare hours, and I already have the third book waiting on my Kindle.

Forbidden Seduction (Lee County Wolves # 2)

My Rating:

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Lee County Wolves Series

Touch of Red (Tracers # 12)

By Laura Griffin

Synopsis

When crime scene investigator Brooke Porter arrives at the home of a murdered woman, the only thing more shocking than the carnage is the evidence that someone escaped the scene. But where is this witness now? A thorough search of the area yields more questions than answers, and before Brooke even packs up her evidence kit, she’s made it her goal to find the witness and get them out of harm’s way.

Homicide detective Sean Byrne has seen his share of bloody crime scenes, but this one is particularly disturbing, especially because Brooke Porter is smack in the middle of it. Sean has had his eye on the sexy CSI for months, and he’s determined to help her with her current case—even if it means putting his attraction on hold so he and Brooke can track down a murderer. But as the investigation—and their relationship—heats up, Sean realizes that keeping his work and his personal life separate is more complicated than he ever imagined; especially when the killer sets his sights on Brooke.

Review

I can’t say too much about TOUCH OF RED because I didn’t take a lot of notes while I was reading it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not a good thing either, because it means there wasn’t a great deal about the book that I considered noteworthy, good or bad.

I thought the case was very interesting; it was my favorite part of the story and I really enjoyed reading about it. I liked Sean, but at the same time, nothing about him stood out to me. I liked Brooke, but she also annoyed me. She’s intelligent and very devoted to her job, but at times she made decisions that left me thinking she was too stupid to live. Under the guise of helping, she would put herself in situations that had a high chance of not ending well for her. This was a woman who needed saving from herself.

TOUCH OF RED is told in dual POVs, but also in the POV of at least one other character. It is part of a series, but it can be read as a stand-alone, and it does come with a happy ending for Sean and Brooke.

Touch of Red (Tracers # 12)

My Rating:

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Tracers Series

Puck Love

By Carmen Jenner

Synopsis

Stella Hart is the hottest thing in country music. For ten years, she’s been Nashville’s darling. She’s pure, sweet, and a positive role model in an industry rife with scandals, sex, and sequins. Men want to own her, women want to be her—everyone wants a piece of her, and Stella? Well, she wants out.

As the center for the Calgary Crushers, Van Ross isn’t afraid of the spotlight, but he doesn’t much like it either. Despite his reputation as a player, the NHL’s bad boy lives for only two things: the game, and his younger brother. That’s why when he comes across a country music superstar seeking refuge at his home in the Canadian Rockies, he’s not too happy with the media shitstorm this surprise houseguest brings.

With a nationwide manhunt, paparazzi dogging their every move, producers of a reality TV show baying for blood, and a record label desperate to see their “good girl” returned safely home, Van and Stella’s lives are snowballing out of control.

While Van would like nothing more than to show the purest of them all how well he handles his er … stick, Stella is no puck bunny. Nor is she as innocent as she’d have the world believe.

With chemistry like theirs, tension runs high on and off the ice, but the end game is the same for both players: line up the puck, take the shot, and score. If only their hearts understood the play.

Puck fame and fortune.
Puck right and wrong.
Puck love.

Review

PUCK LOVE is the first book I’ve read from Carmen Jenner, and overall I found it an enjoyable read.

“Van, what happened to my panties?”
“I took one look at them and they just disintegrated into thin air. That happens quite a bit when I’m around.”

I liked Van. Yes, he could sometimes be a bit of a pig, especially to Stella before they started sleeping together, and he came on to her pretty damn strong, but I did find humour in some of his comments. I loved watching him with his little brother, Emmett, who has Downs Syndrome and who he clearly loved very much and would do anything for. I know there are a few readers who hated him because he “cheated”, but since he and Stella were broken up at the time and he put a stop to it very quickly, I don’t consider what he did cheating, so I’m not going to hold that one scene against him.

I liked Stella, but I don’t really have much to say about her other than she suffered from severe panic attacks when performing, but was suddenly cured after starting a relationship with Van. This was a woman who was questioning her entire career and life choices, but when the time came to return said career, she did so very easily and was suddenly loving it. I guess I just don’t understand how getting a boyfriend can change how you feel about your job.

I thought PUCK LOVE was written well. I didn’t notice any spelling or grammar mistakes, or any inconsistencies, and it did hold my attention pretty well. That being said, there were a few things that slightly bothered me. We never found out how the paparazzi discovered where Stella was hiding. The first half (ish) of the story takes place in the span of a few weeks, but after that the story takes huge skips in time, ranging from one month to four months. After feeling their connection build in those first few weeks, it was hard trying to feel that connection continue when they were apart for months at a time. Lastly, Van and Stella had a huge conflict around the middle of the story, so I thought it was odd to add another conflict at the 90% mark, especially when it was just a misunderstanding and was resolved within a couple of pages. It felt a bit pointless to me.

PUCK LOVE is told in dual POVs and is currently a stand-alone. However, that could change as Van’s friend and Stella’s manager seemed to have a little something going on in this story, but in regards to Van and Stella, they got their HEA.

Puck Love

My Rating:

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Most of All You

By Mia Sheridan

Synopsis

A broken woman . . .

Crystal learned long ago that love brings only pain. Feeling nothing at all is far better than being hurt again. She guards her wounded heart behind a hard exterior, and carries within her a deep mistrust of men who, in her experience, have only ever used and taken.

A man in need of help . . .

Then Gabriel Dalton walks into her life. Despite the terrible darkness of his past, there’s an undeniable goodness about him. And even though she knows the cost, Crystal finds herself drawn to Gabriel. His quiet strength is wearing down her defenses and his gentle patience is causing her to question everything she thought she knew.

Only love can mend a shattered heart . . .

Crystal and Gabriel never imagined that the world that had stolen everything from them would bring them a deep love like this. Except fate will only take them so far and now the choice is theirs: Harden their hearts once again or find the courage to shed their painful pasts.

Review

Most of All You is a heartbreaking but incredibly uplifting story of finding love and forging ahead. Gabe & Ellie gave each other so many firsts in life and my eyes tear up thinking of those.

Chapter 23 simply shattered me, when we learn fully of Gambit, Racer, Shadow, Lemon Fair, Lady Eloise – talk about arrow straight through my heart. I could not breathe once I realised the full significance of these pieces of Gabe’s puzzle. As I remember this moment I have tears in my eyes.

Gabe and Ellie both tell us their stories which entwine amongst each others recovery to be open to love. Both had stories of their youth being taken from them and losing family.

The first 30% of this book is incredibly hard to read. It is depressing to watch Ellie and how she accepts her life. My favourite part of this whole journey was Gabe showing her she is capable and entitled to a better life.

“The man who’d loved me enough to wait for me to love myself”

The last 30% is my favourite, so much repair and new love and life. The way Ellie on her own starts to rebuild her life is amazing and gave me pure joy.

So many wonderful moments in this story where I would highlight paragraphs of beautiful words.

I wanted to scream, cry, yell, curse but then I laughed, held hope and ultimately fell in love with this dynamic couple.

Chloe at first I did not like, I was like a protective shield wanting Ellie to have it all. The turn of events for Chloe was surprising for me. Dominic who is Gabe’s brother well at the start I understood his reservations and I loved how his character grew over the story and how his shell also opened from his guilt.

The passionate and emotional scenes and slow build up for Gabe and Ellie was just perfect for me, it was believable.

Gabe and his sculpting, it was like we were watching not only him sculpt William, he was cracking away at not only his shell but Ellie’s too. Gabe and Ellie gave each other so many firsts in life and my eyes tear up thinking of those, it gives me joy and reminds me why I read romance books.

“I don’t create beauty, Eloise, I just reveal what’s already there”

Most of All You

My Rating:

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Fury (New Species # 1)

By Laurann Dohner

Synopsis

Ellie is horrified to discover the pharmaceutical company she works for is doing illegal experiments. Company scientists have spliced human and animal DNA, creating exotic new species. One such “experiment” captures her heart and she’ll do anything to save him—even if he hates her for it.

Fury has never known compassion or love. He’s spent his life in a cell, chained and abused by humans. The one woman he allowed himself to trust betrayed him. Now he’s free and set on vengeance. He vows to end her life but when she’s finally in his grasp, harming her is the last thing he wants to do to the sexy little human.

Fury can’t resist Ellie—the touch of her hands, her mouth on his skin, her body wrapped around his. He’s obsessed with the scent of his woman. And Ellie wants Fury—always has. She craves his big, powerful body and wants to heal his desolate heart.

But loving Fury is one thing…taming him is another.

Review

I first read FURY back in 2011, and while I’ve read it two or three times since then, the last time I read it was over three years ago. So when I woke up recently thinking about this book and not able to get it out of my head all day, I figured that was someone’s way of telling me to pick it up again. Who was I to argue?

I’ve read every book in the New Species series, but it’s the first few books that I really love and that hold a special place in my heart. They say you never forget your first, and that’s true because this is one of those stories that I can remember everything in it and yet still enjoy reading it.

I love Ellie, who is a very strong and brave woman but who also has a heart of gold. She hates what the New Species have endured before and after their freedom, and her only goal is to help them. I love Fury too, who, despite having lived a horrific life since birth at the hands of humans, is willing and able to put his trust in them now that he’s free. He might be an alpha male, but there’s also this childlike innocence about him.

FURY is told in dual POVs and while it’s part of a series, the books can be read as stand-alones as each book is about a different couple. There are a couple of scenes that involve rape and gently coerced consent, so if those things greatly bother you or could be triggers, consider yourself warned.

Fury (New Species # 1)

My Rating:

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New Species Series

Calico

By Callie Hart

Synopsis

Coralie

Twelve years ago, I ran to stay alive.

Port Royal, South Carolina, was my home. I was born there. I fell in love there. And I nearly died there. I never thought I’d go back. Now, after so many years, I have to return to bury the man who made my life a living hell. Some nights, I used to cry myself to sleep, praying my father would die. Other nights were different. Other nights, there was him.

Callan Cross.

My first confidante. My first kiss. My first love. My first everything: Callan was the glue that held me together when everything else was falling apart. He was my savior. He was there for me whenever I needed him…

Until he wasn’t.

Every night, I’ve seen the love of my life in my sleep.
I just never thought I’d have to face him again.

Callan

Twelve years ago, I f*#@ed up big time.

Living life through a camera lens is sometimes easier than dealing with it head on. Scratch that. It’s always easier. For over a decade, I’ve been a master of my art, taking photographs all over the world. Yet despite all of the countries I’ve visited, the amazing things I’ve seen, the beautiful women I’ve screwed, my heart has remained in pieces.

Coralie’s the only woman I’ve ever loved, will ever love. And I’m determined to show her that we’re meant to be together. Even if it means unearthing the bones of the past in the process.

A lifetime and a thousand miles have stood between us.
Now, there’s no length of time I won’t wait, no distance I won’t travel, in order to make her mine.

Review

With the great ratings and reviews CALICO has on both Amazon and Goodreads, as well as how interesting the blurb sounds, I thought this was going to be a slam dunk of a great read for me. Sadly, it was not. The first and last 20% of the story grabbed me, but the 60% in the middle was, for lack of a better word, boring. It took me a few days to finish and there were several times I considered not finishing it at all, which was really disappointing.

I noticed several spelling mistakes, incorrect word usage and missing words throughout the story, which I’m surprised haven’t been fixed since it was published eighteen months ago.

What Callan and Coralie have been through and endured, especially Coralie, is truly awful, but apart from one flashback scene towards the end, I didn’t experience the strong emotions I was expecting to with this kind of story. Whether that’s because I was bored or because of the storytelling, I honestly can’t say.

I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that at least two adults knew Coralie’s father was beating her, but neither went to the police to report it. Neither of them were willing to help a teenage girl get out of a terrible situation, especially Friday, a mother figure who was clearly very fond of Coralie.

Finally, the second time they were intimate—in the present—had the potential to be a truly beautiful scene, but it changed so quickly I felt like I had whiplash. One minute they’re loving and emotional and declaring their feelings, and in the next, Callan is asking Coralie if she can handle a good fucking before taking photos of her in sexual poses. Then he starts telling her about all the women he’s had sex with and how they don’t compare to her. I think it was supposed to be a romantic gesture on Callan’s part, and if that is the case, it missed the mark spectacularly.

CALICO is told in dual POVs and in both past and present time. It is a stand-alone and it does come with a HEA for Callan and Coralie. It contains scenes of physical abuse, suicide and bulimia that may be triggers for some readers.

Calico

My Rating:

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Cross (Devils Nightmare MC)

By Lena Bourne

Synopsis

Cross

I’m the guy whose name brings fear into the hearts of even the hardest men. They call me Cross, because I’ve killed enough men to fill a cemetery, and I never saw any problem with that. Until a woman, I hardly remember brought my eleven-year-old daughter that I didn’t know existed, to my doorstep and left her for me to take care of.

At first, my daughter was a complication I didn’t need, but now I’ll do everything I can to raise her right. I’ll even stay away from her hot-as-sin guidance counselor Roxanne, who makes me feel like I’m twenty again, and not pushing forty. Which isn’t to say I wouldn’t show her what a real man can do with a woman like her.

Roxie

My father was the president of an outlaw MC, and until I turned twenty-one a world of bikers, mayhem and crime was all I knew. Then a rival gang destroyed it all, killed my family and everyone I held dear, and made me the property of a brutal, ruthless man. I ran away, got an education, and haven’t looked back.

Now I’m the guidance counselor at a small town junior high school, my old life so far behind me it might as well be someone else’s past, and I was happy to leave it there. But then I met Cross, the bad boy biker father of one of my wayward students. He makes me yearn for the life I lost, crave all the excitement that used to be my everyday. Makes me want to be a bad girl again, if only for one night.

But I won’t go down that road again. It doesn’t lead anywhere good.

Cross: Devil’s Nightmare MC is biker romance novel, which contains steamy sex scenes and deals with disturbing themes that may be uncomfortable for some readers. Intended for 18+ audiences.

Review

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Cross and it was my first book by this author. Beginning with a traumatic event for Roxie and entwining to current day with suspense.

It was fantastic to follow as all the pieces of the puzzle started to form. Paced perfectly and kept me entertained and wanting to turn those pages and not leave the characters.

Their romance has a slow build up at the start as Roxie really fought the pull of returning to what she grew up in. Cross was definitely the alpha male protector for her. Roxie has a great inner strength and her trauma as a young girl was intense.

The relationship with Cross and his daughter was an interesting inclusion. I thought the whole Motorcycle group of characters around Cross provided great support to the story.

My favourite component was Roxie’s family history. I loved how Cross stepped up with his Motorcycle group and repaired her life.

Finally, it has a great balance of romance and action that will keep you entertained until the last chapter.