Broken review

Broken
Shiloh Walker
336 pages
Ratings:

Source: The Book Vixen
Avaliable: March 2, 2010

Challenges: 100+ Challenge, 144 books in 2010, Romance Reading Challenge, Contemporary Romance Challenge, 2010 Romance Challenge

Synopsis:

Shattered

Quinn Rafferty is working as a bounty hunter and bail bondsman in St. Louis when a new neighbor catches his eye. He’s tempted by her beauty—but he knows from experience that anyone desperate enough to live in his building is damaged goods. Besides, he has his own soul to mend before he can worry about anyone else.

Desperate

Sarah McElya is on the run, but not for the usual reasons a woman goes on the lam. She’s not an abused wife, and she’s not a criminal. But she does have a plan for her future. And as much as she finds herself attracted to her gruff, tough neighbor, she can’t risk telling him the secrets she’s hiding. There’s just too much at stake.

Driven to desire…

But Quinn must get closer to Sarah when she turns out to be the target of his new missing persons case, and he discovers that there is something more complex and dangerous to her than he thought. Now, both Quinn and Sara will have to expose their true feelings—as well as their fragile hearts—if they hope their love will survive…

Review:

Quinn is a bounty hunter for a private agency. He's very good at his job because he doesn't get to close to anyone much less trust anyone either. See Quinn comes from a troubled past....broken home, abusive parent (with certain addictions), the whole nine yards. So when his mother dies of a drug overdose Quinn is put into the care of the father he never knew he had. Oh, and he has a twin brother named Luke that he never knew about either!

Sara has been on the run for a long time. She's got her reasons, but they aren't the ones that you'd typically expect. Because of those reasons she doesn't stay in one place all that long. Once she moves into this quaint little apartment and meets her new neighbor, the Mighty Quinn, she's instantly attracted to him but decides that she should stay away to protect herself from the unknown.

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN MY WHOLE LIFE SHILOH WALKER?! This is the first book by Walker that I have read and I will DEFINATELY be reading more! I read the book description on Goodreads not long after The Book Vixen "gave away" the opportunity to become involved in the ARC tour for this book and decided that it was defiantely a book that I was interested in learning more about.

I was a little confused about Elena, who is a character from Quinn's past. But I'm hoping that reading books prior to Broken will answer the questions that I have about her and Quinn's "relationship."

In the beginning I was slightly confused about the little tidbits from Sara's text messages and the little glimpses into her past but the further I got into the book the more this information made sense to me.

Oh and lets talk about the SIZZLING sex scenes! The last couple books haven't had ANY love scenes in them at all...Completely Asexual! I got to my first "scene" I was beyond pleasantly surprised....Defiantely a change in pace from the last couple of books that's for sure! ;)

Overall, I found yet another author to add to my favorite author list! I really enjoyed the way that the story was written, the characters the whole works. This was a very fast paced read....I'm SUPER short on sleep because I had to know what happened next. I defiantely recommend getting a copy of this book once it becomes available on MARCH 2!

What we're really thinking:

J, G & L - READ IT NOW!

Devil of the Highlands review

Devil of the Highlands

Lynsay Sands

384 pages

Ratings:

Challenges: 100+ Challenge, 144 Books in 2010, 2010 Romance Challenge, Romance Reading Challenge 2010

Synopsis:

They call him the Devil . . .
He is the most notorious laird of Scotland: fierce, cold, deadly . . . and maybe even worse. Yet Evelinde has just agreed to wed him. Anything, she thinks, is better than her cruel stepmother. Though Evelinde should be wary of the rumors, she can't help but be drawn to this warrior . . . for the Devil of the Highlands inspires a heat within her that is unlike anything she has ever known.
They may call him whatever they wish, but Cullen, Laird of Donnachaidh, cares only for the future of his clan. He must find a wife, a woman to bear him sons and heed his commands. He has no need for beauty or grace, but one taste of his lovely bride's sweet lips and the sultry feel of her skin arouse an untamed passion. Perhaps there's more to marriage than he thought . . .

Review: I picked this book up after reading Taming the Highland Bride because it made references to this book in certain parts of the story. I am very glad that I picked it up because I was most definately NOT disappointed! It totally had me guessing right up until the end!

Evelinde is promised to "The Devil of Donnachaidh" and all she has heard about him are EXTREMELY horrible things. Assuming that these stories are all true she assumes that she is headed for a life of abuse and a great big FAT ZERO on the love scale. A fluke accident has her meeting Cullen under very unusual circumstances which leads to an equally unusual explaination of who he really is.

After the wedding (which goes SOUTH FAST) Cullen does what he needs to get Evelinde out from under her evil step-mother's fingers fast. After Cullen and Evelinde reach Donnachaidh Evelinde realizes somethings about her husband....1. He doesn't talk much, but he does grunt and growl A LOT. 2. He's really not as bad as everyone has made him out to be. 3. He is a pretty great lover. and 4. That the deaths that have happened in the past at Donnachaidh may or may not have been accidents.

But the more time that Evelinde is at Donnachaidh things start going down hill....Random accidents keep happening to her. Some of which she barely escapes with her life from. But Evelinde keeps asking questions about the deaths that have taken place at the castle and Cullen keeps rescuing her when the next accident happens.

In the end, some very interesting things happen (which I'm not going to give away). Each of the main character's learn a little something important about the other and all the miscommunications that they had had in the not so distant past are easier to understand.

What we're really thinking:

Jamie - I really liked this book a LOT! It was rather difficult for me to put this one down. There was a lot of humor, drama, and UBER HOT (in my opinion anyway) love scenes to keep the story very fast paced. The only little quirk I had with the book was the language...again this isn't a genre that I usually read so that may factor in quite a bit.

GnL - Oodles and Oodles of "Team Cuddle" time! Only downside to the story was when it made Jamie giggle...It kept waking us up from our peacful slumbers!

Taming the Highland Bride review

NOTE: A BRAND NEW COPY OF THIS BOOK IS BEING ADDED TO THE BOX!
Taming the Highland Bride
Lynsay Sands
384 pages
Rating: 4/5

Source: Purchased
Challenges: 144 books in 2010, 100+ Challenge, 2010 Romance Challenge, Romance Reading Challenge 2010,

Synopsis:

She was ready to let her heart run wild . . .

Merry Stewart has had enough! Enough of her brothers, whose behavior would make even the most improper lady blush. Enough of their Highland home, which would surely have fallen to ruin were it not for her. She dreams of escaping into the arms of her betrothed, Alexander d'Aumesbery-even though they haven't yet met. But when they do, Merry is devastated. It seems he's no better than the men in her family. So beautiful, so brazen . . . From the moment he meets Merry, Alexander is determined to make her his.

Desperate to convince her he's nothing like the members of her roguish clan, he will prove he is every bit the well-mannered gentleman. Yet, beneath it all beats a heart as intense and uncontrollable as hers. And finally, when his life is threatened, Merry realizes he's the husband she's been waiting for . . . and their passion becomes the one thing that cannot be tamed.

Review:

I picked this book up while I was out one morning running some errands. I hadn't read any of Lynsay Sands books up to this point and I thought I'd give it a shot. I am very glad that I did! I guess my only "gripe" with the book was some of the dialogue was a little hard for me to follow, but that might be because I don't usually read this genre of romance.

Merry Stewart has had it! Her brothers and father are drunks. She vows to never have anything to do with drunks again. She's been promised to a English royal who is drunk as a skunk when she shows up. Which obviously does not sit well with Merry and she takes an instant dislike to her new husband. Alex on the other hand has almost and instant attraction to his wife. He make a vow to show her that he's NOTHING like her father and brothers but there is a small problem...he is constantly feeling and acting like he's drunk.

While on a trip to visit his sister Alex's life is threatened and Merry comes to the realization that maybe her husband isn't the jerk she thought he was and that maybe someone is making him act this way and is out to try and kill him while they're at it.

What I was really thinking:

Beginning: Her brothers and father are A$$es!

Middle: I see it how come Merry doesn't see it? Or, does she and she just doesn't want it to be real?

The End: I NEED MORE!

McKettricks of Texas: Tate review

McKettricks of Texas: Tate

Linda Lael Miller

368 pages

Rating: 5/5

Source: Purchased

Synopsis:

There are barely enough hours for divorced dad Tate McKettrick to run the Silver Spur ranch, do the suit-and-tie thing for his business and run herd on his beloved six-year-old twin daughters. But time stands still at the sight of Libby Remington. When they were high school sweethearts, the wealthy McKettrick couldn't convince Libby he loved her. But now they're both back in Blue River, Texas. And cattle rustlers, a manipulative ex-wife and a killer stallion can't keep him from trying again.

Libby has her hands full taking care of her mother—and running the Perk Up Coffee Shop. Caffeine, she needs. Tate McKettrick, with his blazing blue eyes and black hair? No. Oh, heck—yes. But can they really hope for a second chance?

Review:

I LOVE Linda Lael Miller's books! I saw the trailer for this series out on the book blogosphere and I knew I needed to add this series to my list of MUST READS! I love how the author makes all the character's likeable...even Tate's manipulative ex-wife! The tension between Libby and Tate is PHEMONINAL! In my opinion that tension and history that they share really made the story for me. Let's talk about Tate for a minute....THERE IS SOMETHING INCREDIBLY HOT ABOUT A GUY WHO PUTS PRETTY MUCH EVERYBODY ELSE FIRST and then thinks about himself after everyone else's needs are taken care of. Oh, and the fact that he see's himself as just a "normal guy" who happens to have a BOATLOAD of MONEY! There is plenty of humor, drama, love scenes and interactions with Tate's little girls to really keep the story going at a fast clip. I guess my only "gripe" with the book was that the ending was a little predictable (in a good way of course) but that's about it. I had a very hard time putting this one down to basic everyday things. By the end I was ready to read the next book in the series and was very sad to see that I have to way until JUNE!

What I was really thinking:

Beginning: WOW! Who would Tate look like in real life?

Middle: I don't know how he stays so humble? Libby....your mother is BATSHIT CRAZY!

The End: I WANT MORE!

Devil May Cry (Dark Hunter series) review

Devil May Cry

Sherrilyn Kenyon

384 pages

Rating: 4/5

Source: purchased with my own money
Challenges: 100+ Challenge, 144 books in 2010, 2010 Romance Challenge, Romance Reading Challenge

Synopsis: (from Barnes and Noble)

Sin, a Sumerian fertility god turned Vegas casino owner, and Kat, the zealous servant of bossy Greek goddess Artemis, knock boots and kick butt in Kenyon's juicy 11th Dark-Hunter paranormal love-fest (after 2006's Dark Side of the Moon). Sin's been on the warpath for thousands of years, since Artemis stole his godhood. Sin's also upset about the disappearance of his twin brother, Zakar, and the imminent invasion of the vampiric Sumerian gallu, who plan to liberate the Dimme superdemons and destroy all humanity. Kat agrees to kill Sin before he kills Artemis, but instead the two fall in madcap love while trying to prevent Armageddon. It's just another day's work for the immortals, who act a lot like ordinary quarrelsome people with way cool superpowers. Though readers may need a scorecard to keep up with the cast, this series puts a contemporary spin on classical mythology that an increasing number of fans have found irresistible.

Review: This is the second book I've read in Kenyon's Dark Hunter series and I think I have a Dark Hunter addiction! Sin's a real bad ass who's been doing things pretty much on his own since Artemis took his godhood from him, trusting almost no one and looking to extract revenge on Artemis. Then Artemis catches him doing "something bad" and calls upon Katra to go and kill Sin only to find out that the "something bad" Artemis saw him doing was actually something good. See the Sumerian gallu are days away from escaping there prision and when they do escape they plan to liberate the Dimme and that pretty much means the end of humanity unless Sin and a small army can stop them.

Oh and then there's Artemis' BIG secret that she kept from Acheron! Not going to give that one away though. Gonna have to read the book to find out what that is.

I really like how Kenyon wrote this story. Big ole bad ass Sin getting verbally slapped around by little ole Kat....Good times. The fight scenes were GREAT in my opinion too. All the characters, even the not SO good ones, were written in a way that made them all at least a little bit likeable. Oh and then there is the sex....those scenes were written really great too! Just saying.

What I was really thinking:

The Beginning: Sin's a bad bad guy! Get him Kat!

The Middle: Ya gotta save HUMANITY Sin! OMG THAT is one big ole secret to keep from Acheron! NOT smart Artie!

The End: Poor Artie! Sin and Kat are going to drive you CRAZY!

How To Tame A Modern Rogue review

How To Tame A Modern Rogue
Diana Holquist
320 pages

Source: Public Library
Challenges: Romance Reading Challenge 2010, Support Your Local Library Challenge, 2010 Romance Challenge, 144 Books in 2010, 2010 Contemporary Romance Challenge, 100+ Challenge

Synopsis:
Commitment-phobic Sam Carson has only dated model-gorgeous women. But one stolen kiss from a plain-Jane schoolteacher and he’s hell-bent on stripping away her floral dresses and teaching her the art of being bad. If only her good-girl ways didn’t make him want to be a better man…
Ally Giordano is at the end of her rope. Her beloved grandmother actually believes that she’s living in her favorite romance novel in Regency England and Ally doesn’t have the heart to set her straight. But now Granny Donny’s last wish is for a retreat to the country and Ally can’t refuse her…until she demands that Sam accompany them. And though his smiles turn her knees into jelly, Ally knows better than to trust a playboy…and she definitely knows better than to try to change one. Or does she?

Review: Overall, I really liked this book. It’s a little smut in a pretty package. Loved Granny Donny…In all her Regency era mindset. Ally was kind of a hard ass though…But still likeable. I guess you get to be a bit of a hard ass when life dumps on you pretty bad. Sam has a heart of gold under all those bad boy tendencies too. I’ve never read this author before but I do like her writing style a lot. I’ll be reading more of her books for sure.