ARC Review: Southern Nights and Secrets

I met Robin Covington at the RWA Conference last July. I'd previously read her books before and I really enjoyed them. So, when I saw that her new release was up on NetGalley, I immediately requested it. Check out my thoughts below!

Title: Southern Nights and Secrets
Series: The Boys Are Back In Town, #4
Author: Robin Covington
Publisher: Entangled: Indulgence
Release Date: September 19, 2016
Pages: 208
Buy Links: Amazon | BN | iBooks | Kobo | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

Blurb:

Being a doctor is everything to me, but I’m not going to let bureaucrats tell me how to practice medicine. It’s about saving lives no matter what, screw them and their paperwork.

When the one woman I could never forget, Ginger Crawford, shows up as my boss all bets are off. The heat between us is tough to ignore but I have to if I want a future at this hospital. It isn’t easy. Every time we argue, I want her even more.

But I’ve got secrets she can never know, and she’s always going to be way too good for me. So it’s best if she hates me…at least that’s what I keep telling myself.

I love, love, love this book! From the very beginning, it was action-packed, and frankly, that was how you properly start a story. Well done, Ms. Covington!

"These are people. Patients. Not outcomes."

Dr. Beckett Sutherland... Gee, where to start? Oh, let's start with the cover. One thing I noticed was the model's lips. How appropriate were those lips to represent Dr. Sutherland? So sexy. Anyway, Beck was a complicated character, but he had the biggest heart. It might not have been obvious, however, because he chose to hide his true self. He didn't think his actions were enough to atone for his mistakes when he hadn't a choice as a kid. 

"Dr. Sutherland. Didn't your mama ever tell you that you get more flies with honey than vinegar?"

"My mama didn't stick around long enough to teach me shit, and you know my tongue can be mighty sweet when I want it to be."

Virginia, aka Ginger, was a force to be reckoned with. Being the daughter of a NAVY Seal, she learned many skills including the ability to shut off her emotions most of the time. To be honest, I found that very admirable. Her character was fiery when she wasn't hiding behind a mask. She was a firecracker when Beck was able to push her boundaries. Their chemistry was explosive!

Ginger had always spent a ridiculous amount of money on underwear that barely covered the fun parts.

Who could resists Beck's charms? He had the ability to even charm some men, but I bet that had something to do with his pure heart rather than him actually trying. I'd say he was probably one of my favorite book boyfriends this year. 

The serpent in the Garden of Good and Evil had nothing on Beckett.

The cameos of the other boys from this series made me want to read the previous books. Where had I been living? A rock?! I totally missed out!

Want some more? Check out the sexy snippet below by clicking on the button... if you dare. 

He moved forward, his arms raised and his hands placed flat against the door.

"Gin, baby, let me in," he whispered against her ear, his warm breath brushing the tendrils of her hair against the skin of her neck. She arched her neck involuntarily, her silent plea answered by the fleeting brush of his lips against her lobe. She shivered, her keys almost slipping from her fingers.

Fuck, she wanted him. Beckett didn't have to wear her down like the waves crashing against the shore, his power was like the undertow, swirling around her, playfully enticing her farther out into the water. The harder she fought against the pull, the more seductive his movements became. Take this move--she should have expected him to show up at her door, but she didn't. It didn't fit in her ordered plan for her world, and the surprise delighted her inner romantic who refused to see that being swept off your feet usually led to a painful crash. She couldn't let him in no matter how much she wanted to.

Virginia braced her trembling hand and inserted the key into the lock, twisting until the tumbler gave way and she released the keys to grab the doorknob.

Beckett's hand closing over hers halted her movement and prevented her escape. Or was she planning to invite him in? She had no idea.

All she knew was that her blood was hot, her sex was wet, and her heart rattled against her chest like it was trying to escape.

"Let me in." His voice was deeper, rougher, and accompanied by a tender scrape of his teeth along her shoulder, lingering on the spot where it sloped upward into the exposed skin of her neck.

She let out a long, shuddering breath.

"If you let me in I will fuck you until you cannot move. I know how to make you feel good, and I promise you will feel the pleasure a week from now." He huffed out a breath caught between a laugh and a moan against her flesh. "You know I can fucking do it."

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ARC Review: Claiming the Enemy

When I read the blurb of this book, I wanted to read it right away. I didn't realize that it was part of the Pulse series, in which I reviewed Seducing the Boss by Mari Carr previously. Check out my thoughts of the story below!

Title: Claiming the Enemy
Series: Pulse, #3
Author: Lauren Hawkeye
Publisher: Entangled: Brazen
Release: September 12, 2016
Pages: 144
Buy Links: Amazon | BN | iBooks | Kobo | Amazon UK | Amazon CA

Blurb:

Piper Dawson has spent a lifetime living by other people’s rules.
She’s worked hard to get what she wants—a residency at her first choice hospital—and no one will ever tie her down again, not even her severe yet incredibly sexy supervisor, Dr. Alexander “Ace” Lennox.

Ace is done with love. He’s had his heart shattered, and he never wants to go there again. But when he’s inexplicably enticed by the sexy, tattooed woman with blue streaks in her hair and a perpetual smile on her lips, he figures that maybe he can keep it to just sex.

The problem? He thrives on control, and Piper dances just around the edges of it.

But when they're together, control is the first thing to go...

This book was explosive, there were times when I was afraid I'd explode while reading it!

Ace and Piper didn't like each other. They always butted heads; Ace thought Piper was crazy, and Piper thought Ace was a jerk. Ah well, opposites attract, right?

I really liked that Piper was a smart ass in the beginning. She enjoyed messing with Ace for the most part, and reeling him into pretending to be with her was just the cherry on top.

Once Ace was on board with the game, he was proven a great player. Oh, and did you know Ace was a dirty talker? Oh boy, he was good. No wonder Piper was all over him. He also had weird little things that he liked about Piper like her tan lines and her back. Sheesh, he was gone before he even knew it.

"Piper had an orgasm over her dessert."

Piper was just a joy in all kinds of ways. She was open and confident, though she did feel insecure at times about how she looked. See, Piper wasn't rich, but Ace was. I couldn't blame her if she felt intimidated sometimes.

I recently developed a thing for men dipping their women. Ace clearly knew what was good because in one of the scenes, he dipped Piper just to say something sexy to her. Piper's reaction was: "Holy. Shit."  Yep, exactly.

There were so many other delicious surprises in this book, but I wouldn't spoil it. Let me just say that Ace couldn't keep his hands to himself as a result. 

Lastly, I really enjoyed that Kellan from Seducing the Boss made a cameo. He was such a great man, and funny as well!

Kellan: "Fill these (sexual harassment forms) out while I go check on Dr. Alvarado." He was halfway out the door before he hesitated and turned back. "Do not have sex on my desk."

So, what are you waiting for? Get this book now!

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ARC Review: Full Exposure

It's finally here: the last book of the Hands On series! Read my review below to see what I thought!

Title: Full Exposure
Series: Hands On, #3
Author: Cathryn Fox
Publisher: Entangled: Scorched
Release Date: September 5, 2016
Pages: 86
Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | BN | Kobo

Blurb:

I’ve just had the best two weeks of my life! Who’d have guessed that a big part of my rehab would involve giving a gorgeous psychologist private lessons in sex? The problem? I’m hooked. I want more and that wasn’t part of the deal. But I have a job to go back to, and she’s already pushing me away. So what the hell am I going to do? Still, as a quarterback, I know some things need a playbook and I’m used to winning. So before I walk away from this incredible thing between us, I’m going to use every strategy I know to convince her that the only hands she needs are mine…

This is the final book and it was amazing!

Danielle was even bolder and more honest with Jack like never before. She flirted openly with him and made him want her like he'd never want anyone in his life. The chemistry was even more explosive than the last two books, if that was even possible.

Jack: "Dessert?" 

Danielle: "Yes, and I already know what I'm having."

Jack: "Don't you want to see the menu first?"

Danielle: "I don't need to. I'm looking at what I want."

I also appreciated that Violet was in more scenes than in the first two books. I really hoped that she would get her own little series or one full novella. I wanted to see just how naughty she could be, but I also wanted her to find love. I thought she deserved it as much as Danielle did.

Violet: "Ohmigod, it's Thor."

Danielle: "Thor? Actually, I think it's Luke."

Violet: "As in Jack's brother Luke?"

Danielle: "Yeah, I mentioned something about bringing him by today."

Violet: "You do love me."

Danielle: "Go easy on him."

Violet: "Not a chance. Besides, he doesn't strike me as the kind of man who'd want anything easy."

Danielle: "He co-owns a service bay with Sam, and he's also an MMA fighter."

Violet: "He's got trouble written all over him."

I also got to see Danielle surrounded by Jack's family and it was so beautiful. They enveloped her in their familial love and I would bet that Danielle never wanted to leave. They were so sweet and sometimes rowdy, but so perfect. There was also the relationship between Jack and Jamie, his best friend. I loved nothing more than two best friends being able to communicate with just the look in their eyes. Okay, now I wish Jack's brothers AND Jamie would have their own books. That would be a mini dream come true. 

This serial is definitely a must-read. It's also now available in print as a boxed set so you could devour it all in one sitting if you so desire. Go, go, go!

Want to see my review of the first two books?

Hands On, #1

Body Contact, #2

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Review: Once Should Be Enough

Once again, I was super lucky to edit another interesting book. Just the same, I read the story, and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Title: Once Should Be Enough
Author: Nikky Kaye
Self-Published
Release Date: August 17, 2016
Pages: 92
Buy Links: Amazon

Blurb:

Are friends with benefits worth the cost?

My cocky friend Will doesn't believe that I'm frigid, but what does he know? His promises might make me shiver but it doesn't mean he can give me a happy. He's so confident he's betting me money on it, and a thousand bucks is a lot of money to a poor college student.

Once should be enough to taunt him with "I told you so," right?

But I didn't know he meant trying everything once...

Humorous and sexy at the same time. Was it actually possible?

The simple answer? Yes. I couldn't actually believe how much I enjoyed reading and editing this book. The characters were so likeable and well-developed even for a short book. Though there was a bit of hesitance on Will's part at first, his true desire wouldn't let him hold back for too long.

It was also a good thing that the friendship wasn't on any deeper level so the "friends with benefits" thing wasn't that big of a deal. I really enjoyed the fact that Will cared so much about his friend that he wanted to make sure that she didn't surrender to her insecurities. Talk about a great friend.

The steamy scenes were really hot, as well as funny, which what I really enjoyed the most. Usually, when I read about friends getting together, I felt a bit uneasy because there was no going back when the line between friendship and sexual relationship had been crossed. Thankfully, this book didn't give me such an uneasy feeling. Very interesting, indeed.

One of my favorite reads this year, for sure!

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ARC Review: Body Contact

If you missed it, I reviewed the first book of this series called Hands On. If you've seen that review, you knew how much I wanted the second book to be released right away. The day had come and I couldn't be more excited!

Title: Body Contact
Series: Hands On, #2
Author: Cathryn Fox
Publisher: Entangled: Scorched
Release: August 15, 2016
Pages: 72
Buy Links: Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBooks | Amazon UK | Amazon CA

Blurb:

Asking pro football player Jack Rider to teach me everything he knows about sex might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I'm not so sure I can handle a guy like him. I thought he'd just straight up do me, ridding me of my pesky virginity sooner rather than later. But no, he had his own ideas about bringing me up to speed on sex. His two weeks of slow seduction might just be the death of me, but since he's the one in charge, I have to play the game his way. Not that I'm not enjoying it. I am. Who wouldn't, right? I guess I just can't help but wonder how I'll ever let another man touch me after him.

Danielle learned sexy things in this book.

First things first, I was glad that we got to meet Jack's family briefly in this book. I loved the banter between his brothers and hoped that there would be more in the final book of this series. The connection was unmistakable, and I'd love to see how Danielle would respond to such a bond.

The other thing I loved about this book was the mention of Jack's best friend Jamie. There was a time when Jack was considering asking his best friend to tag team if Danielle wanted a threesome. Well, I sure hope that she would want one so I could read about it in book 3 ;)

As with the first book, Danielle's innocence was still so cute. No wonder Jack was hooked like an addict to drugs. He couldn't get her out of his mind, and she was getting under his skin. I smell romance.

Danielle: "Are we going to have sex?"

Jack: "If you consider my mouth, hands, and tongue on your body, touching and tasting you everywhere--and I mean everywhere--sex, then yes, we're having sex."

In this book, we also met Jack's physical therapist. I thought she was a good, professional woman, until she propositioned Jack. Not cool, missy. Next!

Besides Danielle's innocence, it was also cute how eager she was at learning the art of sex (ahem). She was reading about it, and honestly telling Jack about it. Clearly, she had no idea that telling him would probably turn him on. I loved how effective the author was in making Danielle likeable while being innocent.

"You know what happens to naughty girls who overstep boundaries?"

Unfortunately, I'd have to wait for the final book in September to come out before I found out what happened. Darn it! Book 3, come quick, please ;)

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ARC Review: Burn Down the Night

I wanted to read this book because I liked the blurb. Check out my review below to see if I ended up liking it. This was the first book I read from this author.

Title: Burn Down the Night
Author: M. O'Keefe
Publisher: Loveswept
Release Date: August 9, 2016
Pages: 334
Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks | BN | Kobo | Books A Million

Blurb:

The only thing that matters to me is rescuing my sister from the drug-cooking cult that once enslaved us both. I’ve run cons my whole life, and I’ll use my body to get whatever I need. Max Daniels is the last connection I have to that world, the one person reckless enough to get involved. Besides, now that his brothers have turned on him, he needs me too.
 
The deal was supposed to be simple: a place to hide in exchange for rescuing my sister. Now he’s my prisoner. Totally at my mercy. But I’m the one captivated. Enthralled. Doing everything he asks of me until I’m not sure who’s in control.
 
We both crave the heat. The more it hurts, the better. But what if Max wants a different life now, to leave the game . . . to love me? I thought I knew better than to get burned. Now I’m in too deep to pull away. And the crazy thing is . . . I don’t want to.

Dark, gritty, and so steamy.

When I started this book, my first reaction was that it was hilarious. I loved how funny it was, so much that I went to work and told my coworker about it and showed her some quotes I highlighted in my kindle app. My favorite part was the daydreams about a boat.

Me and Joan--we were a scene just breathing.

Beyond the humor, however, was something quite dark. When reading this book, I felt like I was surrounded with the darkness that always had the characters in its tight embrace. The self-loathing was strong, though softened by the humor.

All I wanted was my sister back and somehow I adopted a biker.

Another thing to mention about this book was the heat level of the sex scenes. The characters weren't even touching, but it was so hot all the same. That was quite an achievement, I'd say. 

This book had three parts, and it seemed like a really long book. It only let me get attached to the characters some more, though. The first part was all the darkness. The second part was when light was starting to creep through the darkness. And finally, the third part was when the darkness had been conquered. 

I knew that I was getting an ARC of the book from Netgalley. However, the amount of typos I encountered were a bit much. I had read many books from Netgalley and the typos were pretty minimal, except for this book. I still enjoyed the story, but I did hope that the final copy would be polished well.

Would I recommend this book? Sure, if you like dark, humorous, sexy romance. :)

Check out the quotes below:
J: "Hey, Max. How you doing? Rise and shine!"
M: "Fuck off."
J: "And hello to you too. Do you know what year it is?"
M: "Let me sleep."
J: "Can't do that. I need you to answer some questions. Do you know what day it is?"
M: "Wednesday."
J: "Do you know your name?"
M: "Max Daniels."
J: "My name?"
M: "Joan-the-crazy-fucking-bitch."
J: "Good enough. How are your ribs?"
M: "Hurts...to breathe."

"You're not so tough," I whispered, because it was funny. Because he was a murderous son of a bitch. But at the moment he was my murderous son of a bitch.

J: "I forgot about those burritos."
F: "You ate so many, I thought you were going to turn into one."

"Save your act for other people. The lies and the show--I don't want it. I want you. Fucked up and crazy. I want you." It was poetry.

M: "What's good?"
J: "The peach pancakes."
M: "Do I look like a guy who eats peach pancakes?"
(A little later on, the waitress came over to ask for their order)
J: "I'll have the pulled pork eggs benedict."
M: "I'll have the peach pancakes."

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