Review: If You Want Me

Title: If You Want Me
Series: The Ashford Legacy, #2
Author: Cassi Carver
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release Date: June 24, 2014
Pages: 107
Buy Links: Amazon | Samhain | iBooks | BN

Blurb:

Revenge wasn’t supposed to be this sweet…

Sara Castillo has sworn never to get sucked into the world of the rich and famous, not after billionaire Benjamin Swayne broke her heart and left her carrying the burden of their shared secret.

Now Sara has a successful career working with her dear friend, Kyle Ashford, and her life runs like a well-oiled machine—until Kyle chooses Ben as his best man. No way will Sara let the renowned bad boy turn Kyle’s bachelor party into a front-page fiasco. She’s going to plan the party herself…even if she has to blackmail Ben into agreeing.

Ben isn’t thrilled about working with a woman who’d like to shank him and dump his body in a roadside ditch. But he’s willing to let Sara meddle, if only to teach her a lesson. And if the sight and scent of his old flame still makes his head swim…well, tough.

After Kyle’s party is wrapped up, Ben may finally be able to put Sara in the past. That is, if their time together doesn’t convince them they have a future.

Warning: This book contains a woman who likes being in control, a billionaire who likes to make her lose it, and enough sex toys to satisfy an army.

"You hungry?" he asked.

She wasn't, but it was such a waste to go to bed and let the fruit go untouched. She found the cupboard containing dishes and put a few skewers of melon and pineapple on a plate. "Sure, thanks. I'll take a couple of these to bed."

He put her purse down by her luggage. "You want a glass of wine or anything?"

Crap, he was being so nice, it was killing her. They hadn't been nice to each other for the better part of a decade, and Sara almost didn't know how to respond. "Water is fine...thanks. And can I get you...some fruit or something?"

He uncapped a bottle of water and handed it to her, then peeled back the plastic covering the dessert basket. "Nah. No fruit for me. I think I need something with a little more kick." He sorted through a stack of gourmet cookies and came up with a white chocolate macadamia nut slab as big as his palm.

She chuckled. "I don't know how you can eat like that and still look like you do."

He raised his brows and leaned back against the wall, surely knowing it made his shirt pull tight over his abs. "Why? How do I look?"

Her gaze ran over his lean, muscled body. He looked like he'd taste better than that damn cookie is how he looked. But they weren't so friendly yet that she'd admit it. "Healthy, Ben. You look healthy." He looked like her greatest mistake and her greatest temptation, all wrapped up in one heart-stopping package."

Where do I start this review? This book was all kinds of brilliant! It is late at night and here I am, writing this review. Go figure.

Let's just dive right into it, shall we? Sara was the kind of woman I wanted to be, if I was being honest. She was strong and powerful in her own way, even if she wasn't the boss. I wanted her skills in controlling her facial expressions and keeping her cool at all times. She was an absolute queen in my eyes.

"The women. I mean, do we have to share, or are we taking turns?
Is this by the hour or do we have all night?" --Sara

And then, there was Ben. Oh man... Ben had a friend called Big P. They were very good friends. I absolutely LOVED them both ;) This book was so funny and emotional at the same time. I absolutely loved that. I couldn't put this down. By the time I got to the end, I thought it was so epic that I wanted more! I didn't want it to end!

Sara and Ben had an explosive chemistry that was clear from the very beginning. I just found their story so romantic!

If I'm not mistaken, there's only one book left in this series. Oh, why did they have to end?

Anyway, if you're looking for a great read, I highly suggest this series. Click here if you want to read my review of If You Need Me, book 1 of the Ashford Legacy.

Arianne

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Review: If You Need Me

I think Cassi Carver is quite underrated as an author. Just look at her ratings on Amazon: she has 4 and 5 stars, but not enough exposure.. Here's to hoping this one review will change that, even if just in a small way...

Title: If You Need Me
Series: The Ashford Legacy, #1
Author: Cassi Carver
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release Date: March 18, 2014
Pages: 99
Buy Links: Amazon | Samhain | BN | ARe

I was gifted a copy of this book for an honest review.

Blurb:

How far will she go for love?

Erotica author Rayna Sommers wears a daring smile in her publicity photos, but the truth would shock her legions of fans. The woman whose stories take readers on wild sexual adventures to exotic locales is terrified of the world outside her front door.

Isolation may be safe, but it’s also quite lonely until Rayna meets a charming fan online. Kyle is sexy, funny, everything Rayna desires, and soon their daily emails flare into sizzling-hot video chats. Too bad Kyle lives on the East Coast and Rayna on the West. For a woman who can’t even cross the street, much less the country, her dream of a life with Kyle is just too far out of reach.

Kyle has an even bigger problem than getting Rayna Sommers to step outside her comfort zone. He’s head over heels in love with her, but he hasn’t told her the truth. He’s really Kyle Ashford, billionaire heir to the Ashford empire. The owner of the company that’s about to shut her publisher—and her livelihood—down for good.

Warning: This book contains a sexy billionaire who knows what he wants, a housebound author who’d love to give it to him, and a special-needs pet hen that just might steal your heart.

Contemporary is one of my favorite genres of romance. I just think it's the most relatable genre and most realistic.

I came across this book when Samhain was having a sale on their website. I contacted the author and it turns out, I had the perk of getting review copies for being part of the author's street team. Since this was the first book, I went ahead and accepted it to see if I would like it.

Rayna had agoraphobia which meant she couldn't leave the house without getting really panicky. I could understand the struggle since I have anxiety and sometimes being out in public is a difficulty. Having a relatable character certainly was a winner for me.

Rayna's relationship with Kyle could be viewed as too good to be true. However, Kyle proved that he was real and he was not messing around. I really appreciated the way he cared for Rayna and tried to understand her situation without judging her. 

I sent a message to Cassi a few times commenting on the book as I read, and one of my favorite parts was when Rayna shrieked at Kyle saying "give me my chicken!" I mean, not only did she have a phobia, but she also had a pet chicken. It was an interesting combination.

Overall, this was such a fun read. Just be warned that this book isn't a clean contemporary. I mean, Rayna was an erotica author. What do you expect? ;) I do think it's worth the read. I really enjoyed it.

P.S. I just bought the second book on Amazon. Watch out for a review in about a month or so :)

Arianne

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Review: Immortal Possession by Cassi Carver

Title: Immortal Possession
Author: Cassi Carver
Boxed Set: Seductive Supernaturals
Release Date: October 20, 2014
Buy the boxed set: Amazon

Blurb:

This story is being released as an individual book with exclusive and exciting bonus content.

When Dr. Evelyn Vale is paired with Immortal Bounty’s sexy commander to go undercover, she’s eager to get to work. Until she learns the catch… To keep her dream job and her even dreamier new partner, she’ll have to face her greatest fear—possession.

Commander Jesse Hayes has always been about completing the mission, no matter the costs. But he’s having doubts about loaning out Evelyn’s body to the spirit of a deceased Sentinel in order to infiltrate a dangerous, supernatural body-trafficking ring. Now that Evelyn is in his life, he doesn’t want anyone possessing her body but him.

Review

I haven't read paranormal in so long, so I was hesitant to read this book. However, since the author is my friend, I thought I'd give it a try. A copy of this book was given to me to beta read. I was pleasantly surprised and basically devoured this book.

"Macho is the front, the back, and the whole of me, Doc."

Commander Jesse Hayes was all kinds of macho and sexy. At first, I thought he was going to be one of those tough government agent and slowly soften up to his subject. I was surprised when he started showing a bit of his humor right away to Evelyn. Of course I enjoyed it when he would get all badass and fight the bad guys to protect her.

Evelyn felt like she had to prove herself to everyone so she worked so hard to get a PhD. Ooh, big deal, right? When she landed the job she's always wanted, she thought it was the chance she's been waiting for. Oh, but she didn't know what she was getting into, the poor thing. It's a good thing sexy commander was there to her rescue.

I loved how protective Jesse was, even if it was just Evelyn's reputation he was protecting. The tension between them was also very enjoyable. I love me some sexual tension! It makes a story seem more interesting, methinks.

"...maybe they'd seen him naked. That might convince a nun."

My favorite thing about this book is the comedic timing, especially coming from Haveland - the shape shifter. As with any man who knows what's good, he tried to flirt with Evelyn. Well, you can guess how Jesse responded to that.

"Commander, with all due respect, sir, canids have exceptional hearing. Don't make me open up a can of woof ass."

Lastly, I love a strong woman. Evelyn found something so astounding, I wish their story would continue. You'll have to read the book to find out what I mean :) 

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