I Only Have Eyes For You by Bella Andre

Sophie Sullivan, a librarian in San Francisco, was five years old when she fell head over heels in love with Jake McCann. Twenty years later, she’s convinced the notorious bad boy still sees her as the “nice” Sullivan twin. That is, when he bothers to look at her at all. But when they both get caught up in the magic of the first Sullivan wedding, she knows it’s long past time to do whatever it takes to make him see her for who she truly is...the woman who will love him forever.

Jake has always been a magnet for women, especially since his Irish pubs made him extremely wealthy. But the only woman he really wants is the one he can never have. Not only is Sophie his best friend’s off-limits younger sister...he can’t risk letting her get close enough to discover his deeply hidden secret.

Only, when Sophie appears on his doorstep as Jake’s every fantasy come to life—smart, beautiful, and shockingly sexy—he doesn’t have a prayer of taking his eyes, or his hands, off her. And he can’t stop craving more of her sweet smiles and sinful kisses. Because even though Jake knows loving Sophie isn’t the right thing to do...how can he possibly resist?

The first thing I want to talk about after reading this book is how much I absolutely loved it. I don't recall ever having read this author, Bella Andre, before but I can tell you I will most definitely be picking up the rest of the books in this Sullivan series. I don't usually go for the traumatized hero, but Jake was different. I could see beyond his tough exterior and knew that somewhere in his past was some sort of trauma. I was not surprised when I discovered that he was a victim of child abuse and abandonment. It became clear that his being unofficially adopted into the Sullivan clan played a big part in his drive to stay away from Sophie. His sense of belonging and his only experience with love had always stemmed from this family and to pursue Sophie, in his opinion, would be pure disrespect because underneath it all he always felt unworthy of their love and acceptance. 

The Sophie character had me hooked from page one. I was intrigued that her nickname was Nice and she wanted to be anything but that. She was the black sheep of the Sullivan brood. While her brothers and sister were outgoing and open she was more subdued and prone to leaving a patterned life. After all she was a librarian. I have so much respect for Sophie because she knew what she wanted and she had reached a point in her life when she was no longer happy with denying what she really wanted. She was in love and she wanted to act on that love.

I could barely breathe properly when the chemistry between Sophie and Jake erupted. I loved the pace of the story and how the brothers didn't play a part in the discovery and development stage of Sophie and Jake's relationship. But what I will say was my most favorite part of this book was Jake's struggle with his reading ability. At times it was actually painful to read his pain, his embarrassment and his fear of being found out. His reading troubles had followed him around since he was ten years old. I wholeheartedly agreed with Sophie when she told Jake how admirable, strong and deserving of love he really was. I found myself choking back tears at Jake and his struggle. When the end of the book came and there was some form of resolution with Jake and his reading capabilities I was so happy. 

This was a great love story with equally great love scenes. I cannot wait to read more about the Sullivan men and the women they fall in love with.  

Reclaiming Angelica by Zena Wynn

Reclaiming Angelica

Werewolf, Raul Santiago, learned a hard lesson early in life--never reveal to humans what you are. It's an easy rule to adhere to until he meets Angelica Ruiz, his human mate. Now she's asking questions he can't answer because the risk of losing her too great.

When she leaves him, Raul's determined to do whatever it takes to reclaim his mate. Once he does, he'll discover his angel's been keeping a few secrets of her own.

Let me start this review off by saying Zena Wynn is such an awesome author that when her books are released I’m like a crackhead with a fix, I GOT TO GET IT. :scratches neck: I drop whatever I am doing and pick up the book.

I don’t know how long ago she posted it, but the first chapter/excerpt was so gut-wrenching and painful I was instantly on board with the male main character and rooting for his HEA. If anyone deserved a happy ending, he did. The second thing I found interesting; well, the first being Raul was a sexy ass Shifter, was the numerous potential for spin-offs. Of course Raul had to have a pack and of course they weren’t mated. I cannot wait for their stories. For the sake of not ruining the story I won’t mention who else should get a story, but he is loosely related to Raul. From the events of the prologue I already knew it was going to be extremely difficult for Raul to move past his traumatizing childhood. I thought half of the battle had been won since he’d already discovered his mate, but I was in for a rude awakening.

Angelica is the perfect female character. She is feisty and decisive; when she sets her mind on something she follows through. It was great to see Raul was not going to walk all over Angelica.

Although, if I could change anything I would make it longer, but isn’t that always the case with your favorite authors. They can never write a book long enough. :) I enjoyed the interaction between Angelica/Raul. Whether they were arguing or in the middle of a steamy love session they were the perfect couple. I also enjoyed the sense of family and togetherness I got from Raul and his packmates. All in all I cannot wait for the continuation of these characters.

*you can find this title at www.loose-id.com

Bayou Heat (Raphael/Parish) by Laura Wright/Alexandra Ivy

RAPHAEL

The brilliant and dangerous diplomat of the Pantera shapeshifters, Raphael has devoted his life to discovering the key to the infertility that is threatening the extinction of his puma race. Creating a vast network of spies worldwide, he never expected to discover that the answer might be beneath his very nose. But when Ashe, a beautiful human female, crosses his path, his most primitive instincts are stirred. Unable to resist, he takes her to his bed, and is shocked when she becomes pregnant with his child. It’s a miracle that might prove to be the salvation of his people, but only if he can keep her safe from the mercenaries determined to kill her.

PARISH

Untamed and undeniably sexy, Parish, leader of the Pantera hunters, rarely leaves the magic of the Wildlands to deal with the humans he despises. But with the prized and risky Pantera birth on the way, puma shifter, Parish must travel to New Orleans to find and bring back a human doctor. The moment he sees the lovely, talented and all too human Dr. Julia Cabot he cannot resist the wild, potent drive to make her his. Betrayed and destroyed by love, Julia will not let her heart choose her path again. But as she and Parish fight to save the life of an unborn child, a fierce and overwhelming bond develops between them, threatening her frozen heart with the secret hope and ultimate temptation of love and family.

I stumbled upon this series on Amazon.com as I searched for some new books to read. To be honest, I purchased it for Raphael’s story, but fell in love with both. The Pantera world is steeped in lore and magic. I, personally, love a good shifter romance. The one thing I can say about this book is that it is entirely too short. Each book was just enough to whet the appetite. At the exact moment the book got good and I was completely invested I felt like the rug was pulled out from under me. Where’s more? I enjoyed both books and felt that as soon as I was fully invested in each story it was over. The instant chemistry between the shifter males and their mates is hotter than July. I am already anticipating the stories of specific secondary characters.

Shadow (New Species, Book 9) by Laurann Dohner

The first thing I’ll say about this book is that it catapulted Laurann Dohner into the top five of my favorite author lists. New Species (NS) never get’s old nor do I find myself losing interest.  I’m glad she decided to switch it up and have a NS/NS mating.  I also know I am not the only one that has been interested in getting to know more about the NS Gift women.  In a nutshell, the NS Gift women are different than the other NS women [females]. They were created to be pets, sexual slaves, to whoever had the money to afford them and as such many of the Gift women are deathly afraid of men in general and are very high strung. As a result of their treatment it is pretty much forbidden for the NS males to approach Gift women at all. Whenever a Gift woman is involved it is required to have a female NS or a human woman present to provide a calming presence.

If the reader is at all familiar with the series then they will be pleasantly surprised to find a Gift woman that deviates from the norm. Beauty is eager to put her past behind her and get on with her life.  In the process of reveling in her freedom she meets Shadow, a recently freed canine NS, and all bets are off. Stepping away from the story for one moment I think it’s important for the reader to know [remember, depending on familiarity with the series] that not all NS were subjected to the same tortures. Some were caged and considered failures, like Valiant, some were used exclusively for breeding purposes, like Shadow and Wrath, some were created for infiltration and espionage i.e. Justice , etc. In my opinion, this is one of the reasons the NS series does not get old. Each NS was created for a different purpose and as such they each have different hang ups, issues and inner battles to conquer.

What’s also awesome about this book is that it is not strictly a love story between Beauty and Shadow. There are other issues coming into play that directly and indirectly affect Beauty, Shadow, as well as NS as a whole and its allies. If sexy and possessive New Species males do it for you, Shadow will not disappoint. I personally love to see previous characters show up in the new books as well as an introduction to characters that could potentially have their own stories told. This is one series where I don’t see myself getting bored with. It could get into the double digits and I would still beg for more. I give this a high rating and recommend it to all.

Mine To Hold Wicked Lovers book 6 by Shayla Black

A friend’s duty.
Tyler Murphy was an LAPD detective, single and happy—until a near-fatal tragedy crippled his friend, fellow detective Eric Catalano. While Tyler supported Eric, he also became a shoulder for Eric’s wife, Delaney, to lean on. But with one naughty suggestion from Eric, a drunken night with Delaney spilled into erotic abandon. Before it was over, Tyler saw his best friend’s wife as a woman and yearned for more. When Eric struggled to deal with the aftermath, Delaney begged Tyler to leave. Crushed, he fled to Louisiana, hoping to escape his longing for the one woman he could never have again…and unaware of what he’d left behind.

A lover’s desire.
After two years of living with regret, Tyler finds Delaney on his doorstep, her husband having abandoned her long ago. She’s protecting a shocking secret and desperately needs refuge from a stalker determined to see her dead. As they fight to stay alive and catch the killer, they struggle to resolve the guilt of their past pleasures. But they can’t deny that what was once a spark is now a flame burning out of control. To possess Delaney—body and soul—Tyler must heal her pain and thwart the evil that’s a mere breath behind her…

Note: You won’t be lost if this is your first Wicked Lovers book.  

I don’t know how Shayla Black (SB) does it. Maybe she found a crossroads and made a deal with a demon to be one of the best at writing erotic fiction, maybe not. Whatever she did, she is making her way to the top of my list. After reading the excerpt, I couldn’t help myself and I started reading MTH at work. Bad idea; it literally set my office chair on fire. Smoke was coming out of my ears, out of my monitor, everywhere. I was forced to close the book and promise to return to it once I was at home with more free time.

I must be honest and admit that I was completely disgusted by the main male character’s promiscuity. Tyler was the definition of a man-whore. He slept around so much it made my head spin. I was not dissuaded from pursuing the story, but it was firmly implanted in my head that if he wanted Delaney he was going to have to prove his poondog days were over. I had self-elected myself as Delaney’s protector. To be fair, I’ll admit that the ease with which Delaney jumped into this life-threatening article was pretty irresponsible. In my opinion, she didn’t fully think through the idea of being the whistle blower on the corrupt Assistant District Attorney. If Carlson was as dirty as she thought he was than common sense would say he wasn’t going to go down nicely. But that’s just my opinion.

This book is number seven in the Wicked Lovers series. I have read one or two of the books in the series so I was somewhat familiar with the side characters. I have to admit, as is the case when reading any book in a series, you appreciate the characters more when you know their history together. With that being said it was nice to see characters I had previously been introduced to. I was able to catch up with their lives since their stories were told.  If you are an existing SB fan then MTH is not a disappointment and if it’s the first time you have read her it is the perfect introduction. SB gives you a nice dose of reality in her writing. SEMI-SPOILER ALERT!!! When Delaney’s husband first proposed the idea of Tyler sleeping with Delaney and he watching I literally had a WTF moment. I already knew that would not end well and sure enough, it didn’t. In reality, I didn’t see how a married couple could get past something like that when it was more than obvious that there was an attraction between the wife and the best friend. Smh Any-who, moving on…. I was able to side more with Delaney when she made it obvious she wasn’t just going to jump back into a relationship with Tyler. She knew, better than most, what kind of man Tyler was when it came to sex and women.

For the most part, I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the sneak peeks into their past, I enjoyed the closure Delaney/Tyler got from Delaney’s ex-husband and I definitely enjoyed the villain getting his comeuppance at the end. Each conflict was settled and if you prefer HEA’s, surprise you get one.



Any Price by Gail Faulkner

I know I have read this author in the past, but after finishing this book I can see why I did. I’ll start off by saying I did enjoy this book, but I’ll also admit that at the beginning of the book I was having a hard time getting into it. I was having a hard time because I became a bit confused at the lack of exposition at the beginning. I know that the “man behind the curtain” is usually explained at the end, but there are at least some bread crumbs to tide you over. I felt as if I had no clue why Lore and Kenna were so drawn together and their paranormal gifts were just shoved in my face. Whether these two issues have any grounds or make any sense, they are MY opinion.

Moving on….

The more I read the more I liked Kenna. I do wish I could’ve had more of a background on her – as far as her grandmother and her family knowing their true ancestry. The same I could say about Lore. I wanted more of a glimpse into his past before he became King. What I enjoyed most was the dynamic of the Keepers. At first glance I had the impression that the Keepers were meant to “serve” the One and the Keeper of the Treasure. After reading more I was happy to discover that between the Keepers there wasn’t a caste system, they did not live to serve the One and the Keeper. It was more like a large family whom were further enhanced by the Keeper of the Treasure, Kenna, and the One, Lore.  I enjoyed the variety of secondary characters that Gail Faulkner used. Case in point, the Keeper Boris whose family originated in Egypt, but in order to survive had to assimilate by intermarrying into European culture.

The chemistry between Lore and Kenna was so intense my laptop monitor was literally smoking. I found myself chanting do it every time they had a moment alone together. GF is very good at teasing the daylights out of her readers. As for the secondary characters, the inner circle of Keepers, I appreciated the individuality of each of them. They all had their own strengths, i.e. powers, and their own personal connection to the Keeper of the Treasure. At the precise moment where I decided I needed to know where these Keepers came from and how they evolved into them GF dropped that info into my lap. I wasn’t distracted by my ‘need to know’ and that was absolutely awesome. I became so firmly invested in Lore and Kenna’s story I was literally sick to see the About the Author page.  I’m happy to report that there will be more Keepers’ stories.

I give this series starter a Medium/High rating and definitely recommend it. To me, it would make an excellent series on the Syfy channel.   Hint hint : There is room now since Eureka is ending.

Darkness Dawns ( Immortal Guardians 1) by Dianne Duvall

Once, Sarah Bingham's biggest challenge was making her students pay attention in class. Now, after rescuing a wounded stranger, she's landed in the middle of a battle between corrupt vampires and powerful immortals who also need blood to survive. Roland Warbrook is the most compelling man Sarah has ever laid hands on. But his desire for her is mingled with a hunger he can barely control . . .

In his nine centuries of immortal existence, no woman has tempted Roland as much as Sarah. But asking her to love him is impossible -- when it mean forfeiting the world she's always known, and the life he would do anything to protect.

This is my first time reading Dianne Duvall; though, I have heard her name mentioned in a few of the reader’s groups I belong to.  On reading the synopsis my first thought was oh another guardian of humanity book, but after reading an excerpt or two I decided that didn’t matter. These ‘protect humanity from the things that go bump in the night’ books are a favorite of mine. I don’t mind reading these just as long as there not the same story. The only overlap I want to read is the fact that they’re protecting humanity.

From the first page I was yanked into this story. I admit I did have to read the first few pages twice because I wasn’t sure who the villain was – the man being left for dead or the ones standing guard to make sure he was dead. I thought the hero being in trouble and in need of rescue was a good way to shake things up. Sometimes the hero is portrayed as being invincible and always one step ahead, but I appreciate a good dose of reality. My favorite character out of this entire book has to be Sarah. She was the perfect combination of damsel in distress and Xena Warrior Princess. If her back was against the wall she could defend herself, but she still would need rescuing from her Immortal Guardian lover. Roland was a runner up. DD did a good job of making Sarah and Roland the perfect couple. Sarah was open and aggressive where Roland was silent and brooding. She drew him out of his shell and the readers, as well as the other guardians in the book, were able to see a different side of Roland – the direct opposite of his previous persona.

I think it’s very important to point out that this book is NOT chocked full of love scenes. If plentiful sex scenes are a necessity to you then you would NOT enjoy this book. Personally, sex scenes are a necessity, but there doesn’t have to be one in every chapter. I can honestly say I could’ve done with one more, but I still loved this book. There was enough scheming, conspiracy and conflict that I was satisfied.

I was intrigued by how DD explained the guardian’s existence, tying it in with vampirism and attributing it to being a virus that not everyone can survive. I was especially intrigued by the fact that the leader of the guardians, Seth, had some secret knowledge about their origins but kept it to himself for the ‘greater good.’ The fact that your chances of being successfully transformed into a guardian is dependent upon your status as psychically gifted or not reminded me of another author’s series, but that’s where the similarities ended. These psychic individuals are not just mates for guardians, but are potential guardians themselves. I also thought it was great that Seth had a connection with each of the guardians as well as the potentials. He could tell when a potential guardian was born, when one was converted and when one died. If there was any doubt on how heavy Seth’s burden was this clarified it. I am already anticipating his story. All in all, this was a good read and I recommend it and the series.