Book Review: Thicker Than Blood by Madeline Sheehan and Claire C. Riley

Just finished this book and what can I say? It was outstanding. I am a huge longtime Madeline fan a brand new Claire fan. This was so well written and punches you right in the feels.

Leisel and Evelyn are best friends, true sisters of the heart. They have been through so much together and as the book opens, we can see they will have a lot more to go through. The world is different now; four short years ago a virus started infecting humans and they died horribly but didn't stay dead. Lei and Eve have lost and lived through danger and tragedy. It didn't take long for the world to revert to older times when women were no more than chattel property to be used at a man's will. In the thriving but small community that we find them in they have been married off for years to high ranking men they do not want or love. Lei suffers all manners of abuse from her "husband" and when she finally snaps and retaliates, she and Eve are on the run.

My love for all things zombie-ish are well documented here, here, and here:

Beast Mode on lock, Ricktocracy in full effect #TheWalkingDeadMarathon
— BoxyFrown (@missboxyfrown) January 3, 2015

So many things happen and there are so many potential spoilers here, so I will just let the 5 stars speak for themselves. MS and CC were a terrific team who wrote a poignant novel about the bonds of unconditional love. You can't choose your family, but you can choose your friends, and these strong women have made a pact to take care of each other until the end and beyond. The only thing better than this book is knowing that there is another one coming!

Review: Filthy Rich

Filthy Rich by Dawn Ryder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



A super sexy story about the cool Celeste and the very hot Nartan. Love their chemistry and alpha battles! Stay tuned for a link to the full First Look at Heroes and Heartbreakers.

ETA: Here is the First Look!



View all my reviews

ARC Review: Hero by Samantha Young

I'm a huge SY fan. I have read every On Dublin Street novel and I'm eagerly awaiting the next in series. There is a weird thing us readers do - when our favorite authors veer out of their current world and write something from a new world, we get jittery, nervous, apprehensive, resentful even! How could they cheat on our world by writing about a new world? And is this new guy going to be as great as the other guys? He better be. Harumph.

Well.

I have a new book boyfriend named Caine Carraway. The financial entrepreneur is tall, dark, handsome, and broody, just the way I like them. Hero is a standalone novel told from the perspective of Alexa Holland, whose family has a dark and complex history with Caine's family. Talk about your awkward.

I fell in love with Alexa and Caine almost immediately. I love a spitfire who doesn't take anyone's shit, and SY has the talent to make a three dimensional heroine who isn't just piss and vinegar. Alexa is highly intelligent, motivated, and the perfect match for the broody and cold Caine. However, the thing is, once Caine lets himself drop his armour, he is the hottest and most passionate ungentlemanly gentleman. He inspires fear and respect in his colleagues, subordinates, and peers, but the small handful of people who really know him know that his is actually a sweet and sensitive man.

The chemistry that Alexa and Caine have is absolutely ridiculous and I found myself grinning like an idiot during their banter sometimes. The supporting cast here is also a riot, from Alexa's friends to Caine's closest confidantes.  So. Damn. Good.

 I have a book hangover today, so thanks a lot Samantha Young!

Sleepy Hollow: A Tumblr Rundown

I have been super lazy about doing Rundown recaps because a) I have been super busy, b) I have been super lazy, and c) I have been obsessed with making gifs. And of course it took me way too long to realize I could marry my tumblr and Rundown together. Whatever, shutup.

Last night's Sleepy Hollow was getting back on track by having our heroes together again! However, they were on shaky ground with each other after all of the baggage they have been carrying around because KATRINA ugh, and so now here we are.

1. Karaoke solves all problems. The way Ichabod looks at Abbie? I just can't.

2. Hawley had some sort of family problem. Whatever, he is super hot but he has to leave for noble reasons. Come back Hawley!

3. Ichabod is way jealous of Orion. Like, right in his wife's face.

4. The Mills sisters are a force to be reckoned with, as per usual.

5. Katrina is still useless. #KatrinaTheUselessWitch possibly turned Irving into a vampire.

witchy wife shade

6. However, all seems right in #TeamIchabbie, which makes us all happy. Mess with the bull you get the horns!

Follow all of my gifs at Miss Boxy Frown's Lair on tumblr!

ARC Review: Playing Doctor by Kate Allure

Playing Doctor contains three erotic stories about women who capture a spark in their lives, and they are all of course physician centered stories. In The Intern, we meet Lauren Marks, a recently divorced doctor who runs a clinic in a small Illinois town. Through a favor for a colleague she takes on a promising intern sight unseen, the sexy and much younger Courtney (who goes by Court.) She tries to keep it professional due to their age and her position as his superior, but after a while, the sparks fly and Court's young alpha passions convince Lauren to let herself have a bit of fun.

In My Doctor, My Husband, and Me, Valerie has an intense attraction to her tall dark and handsome foot surgeon. It looks like the good doctor reciprocates these feelings, so Valerie comes up with a scheme to get her cake and eat it too. She just has to make sure her husband and her doctor are on board.

Finally, in Seize the Doctor, Nikki meets Hunter out at a bar one night after a bad breakup. They made a great connection, however, it turns out that Hunter's friends were playing a number collecting game for points so Nikki decides to walk away. Imagine her surprise when she goes to her female only gynecology clinic and in walks Hunter! Can they overcome their initial meeting and start a hot and heavy relationship?

These were entertaining reads, although the first two definitely read more like vignettes with the third story having more of a satisfying conclusion. There were plenty of sexytimes to go around, and the men were plenty hot. 

Review: Surrender

Surrender by Violetta Rand

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



4.5 Stars
Robyn, a stripper at the Devil's Den, falls for the new head of security, Garrick Dempsey, while trying to stay out of the crosshairs of a cartel drug dealer named Carlos. A hot, sexy read! Stay tuned for a link to the full First Look at Heroes and Heartbreakers.

ETA: Here is the full First Look at Heroes and Heartbreakers!




View all my reviews

ARC Review: Double Down by Ruby Dixon

In Double Down, we return to the tag teaming Bedlam Butchers Motorcycle Club for a fourth installment in the serial. In the third book we met Cheyenne (Shy) who sought out the two biggest and meanest men in the Butchers for protection, Muscle and Beast. She is now settling in to their relationship but Shy and Muscle are both experiencing some growing pains along the way. A former military buddy of Muscle's is doing business in Butcher territory and is refusing to play by the rules. However, Muscle is experiencing serious PTSD symptoms brought on by his friend's presence. Meanwhile Shy is dealing with sweet butts and old ladies alike who refuse to give her any respect. Although she is claimed, she isn't an official old lady which puts her in a middle ground. Her shy demeanor also makes her a target. If she isn't bad ass enough to hang with the Butchers, she will either have to prove herself or...leave. Through is all, Beast is the steady heartbeat of the trio, keeping everyone from losing themselves.

As anyone who has read The Motorcycle Clubs series knows, these books are hot, kinky, and full of complete debauchery. Double Down is no exception with scorching page after page of salacious sexytimes. This is another panty dropping entry into the serial, and as usual I can't wait for the next one!

http://bitchesnh.tumblr.com/

Review: Wanted

Wanted by Amanda Lance

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Addie Battes is a very young woman who falls in love with her abductor, Charlie Hays. After Addie and her father drop her brother off at a military base to serve yet another tour of duty, they make a fateful pit stop at convenience store/truck stop to gas up and crab coffee, and Addie's fate was changed forever.

When I first started this book and Addie started wandering around the truck stop, being nosy and investigating gunshot-like sounds, I was like


But!
I stuck with it, and I actually ended up enjoying the story a lot more than I anticipated. The only other problem I had was that there were NO SEXYTIMES. I don't consider this a spoiler, because I would want to know, and I hate spoilers. I have to be in a certain mood to read a book with no nookie, so to get to the end of the book with no nookie was a bit of a let down. Anyhoo...

Addie stumbles (loudly) onto Charlie's crew robbing a truck driver and one of the men (and full time enemy of Addie) murders the driver in cold blood, which goes against the crew's policy of get in and get out. Charlie kidnaps Addie but he saves her, as the rest of the crew considers her collateral damage at this point. However, over the course of the book as she and Charlie fall in love, they warm up to her.

There are some dark parts here, and I appreciate that. Addie's background as a home-schooled almost genius also made her stumbling and bumbling through the dark at a truck stop believable. She was book smart, but had no common sense essentially, and I appreciated getting that info from the author as well. It made all the difference.

Charlie was something interesting. I really have a soft spot for him, and he pretty much fell for Addie at first sight. He is a criminal, and knows that Addie isn't good enough for him, but he can't help but be her knight, as it were, in this terrible situation. He also sounds pretty hot, and that doesn't hurt.

There is a novella and a sequel so I think I may check them out!



View all my reviews

Review: Once Loved

Once Loved by Cecy Robson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This book has a hot, awesome boyfriend who patiently helps his gf deal with the abuse in her family, and stand on her own two feet. Stay tuned for a link to a more detailed First Look at Heroes and Heartbreakers!

ETA: Here is the link to Heroes and Heartbreakers!



View all my reviews

Review: Invitation to Seduction

Invitation to Seduction by Jasmine Haynes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This sexy, quick read was about Debbie, who was living in a passionless marriage, and Stephen, an business contact that Debbie has never met in person but chats with via email daily. One night Debbie's girlfriends go out to celebrate one of them getting married (again) and go to an exclusive sex club. What Debbie doesn't know is that one of her friends has arranged for Stephen to be there to seduce her.....

This was a very sweet erotica, and written with care considering Debbie is still married but so very lonely and missing the passion that used to be a part of her married life. Stephen is great. We believe that he fell in love with Debbie via email and their connection in person is even more electric. Very nice read with an older May/December vibe. (Debbie is almost 40 and Stephen is almost 50.)



View all my reviews

Review: The Russian's Stubborn Lover

The Russian's Stubborn Lover by Leslie North

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



2.5
The premise here was fun: a Russian mining company and an American mining company decide to choose key employees to exchange for a year. Julia is one of the winning employees from the American side and on the night she celebrates, she unknowingly makes out with her future Russian boss. Fast forward a month and they see each other in a board meeting.

Editing and/or formatting issues really prevented me from enjoying this as much as I would have liked. It even made some parts difficult to understand unfortunately.




View all my reviews

Review: Next Song I Sing

Next Song I Sing by Donna McDonald

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



3.5 stars
This very enjoyable read is a story about Chloe, a curvy 40 year old divorcee who is making big changes in her life by moving back to California. She goes an a spa weekend with her two best friends and ends up catching the eye of the hotel owner, Jasper, and the adventures start there. This was funny, sexy, and Donna McDonald has a knack for writing about women of a certain age. Jasper, his brother, and his best friend were all super sexy men that I wouldn't mind taking a turn with! Some cliches were there and Chloe was so hard on herself sometimes, but I still loved the book :)



View all my reviews

My New Favorite Hot Mess: Empire

Mosey on over to Heroes and Heartbreakers and see what I had to say about the pilot of FOX's Empire starring Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard. Here's a hint: I liked it!

ARC Review: Betting it All by Kati Wilde

The Motorcycle Club series was part of my favorite reads from last year, and after reading Betting it All, I think it's going to be part of my favorite 2015 reads as well. This is my favorite read in the serial so far; between the writing and character development and the stoic and smoking hot Jack aka Blowback...yeah. I'm a fan.

Lily, aka Zoomie, is the only female patched member of the Hellfire Riders MC. She fought and kicked and earned her way in, but always felt like Blowback was constantly questioning her ability to have her brother's backs. This hurt, especially since they have so many things in common (military service, fixing bikes in the garage) that when he started getting on her ass, she started hating him (and lusting for him at the same time.)

Blowback has seen and done some fucked up things. His homelife was shit, his military service was top secret, and his home in the Hellfire Riders MC has been the best thing that has happened to him. What Lily doesn't know is that Jack has been patiently waiting for years to get to her, and with an offhand bet made two years ago, he finally gets his chance to have one night with her. All of this is going on along with a new MC encroaching on their land, and as the MC warlord, it's his job to stay on top of that situation.

I have liked Zoomie ever since she was introduced in the series. It takes serious balls to work her way in the male dominated MC lifestyle and she has more than earned her place. She is a badass, and the ultra-male Blowback is the only man that has turned her head. He is so sexy. I'm here for the bossy, brickhouse built, complicated men. He has a lot of secrets and as they are revealed I fell more in love with Jack. Great read, and of course, I am looking forward to more!

First Look at H&H: Dangerous by Patricia Rosemoor

Check out my First Look of Dangerous, a novel by Patricia Rosemoor over at Heroes and Heartbreakers!

Review: Fatalism: Alexa and Vincent's Story

Fatalism: Alexa and Vincent's Story by L.K. Collins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I'm kind of pissed at this book right now. When I started reading it, it was a solid 4 stars for me, but when I got 2/3 in (so close to the end!) the shenanigans started and I really wanted to quit. However, I stuck it out and while I'm glad I did I don't know if I can deal with similar shenanigans in the next book in this series. I'll try not to be spoilery, cuz I hate that!

Alexa has rules. As a paralegal she refuses to date lawyers and when she does date, it's usually only one night stands. One night while she was out with her girls, she runs into a hottie named Vincent, and they have instant fireworks, but part ways at the club without getting each other's info. Turns out Vincent is her new boss, Kane, and they have been emailing each other for the past week unknowingly for business purposes. When he wants to pursue a relationship she tries to fight the feeling but eventually gives in and while they have their ups and downs, they have a good relationship. (This is where I was happy with the book.)

Now here is where the tide turned ugly for me: These two spend every day at work and every night together because he has insomnia and can't sleep without her. At his father's restaurant opening (after Vince has given her his black card to buy dresses for her AND her bestie, get groomed, etc) his ex (who CHEATED on him) walks up to her in the bathroom and is like, yo he's my fiance and you need to leave. And she does!! WHEN does he have time to cheat on you Alexa??? And his response was heartbreaking. I was mad at him for trying to take her back, frankly.

Anyhow, all of that was resolved, but I was so put out, I felt like the book could have ended a few chapters before it actually ended. I did like the majority of the book, but parts of it really (obviously) made me feel very strongly in the other direction as well.



View all my reviews

What You Should Be Reading (According to My Best of 2014 List)

It's too hard to pick a top 5 or even a top 10 of the best books I have read over the past year. We will all be much happier if I can just do what I want with no restrictions. I wished that worked IRL!

My Favorite Author Auto Buys:
If you read this blog and haven't picked up a Kit Rocha book yet, whatchoo waitin' on? Dystopian backdrop, sexy times, powerful women, and hardcore men. This is a no brainer. The Beyond series whets the appetite for the gritty MC book lover, or hits the spot if you don't care what subgenre your erotica comes from. Smartly written overall world building and passionate HEAs each read (no matter what that looks like for the characters) these books just keep getting better and better. And we got spoiled with novellas AND novels this year! Here's to more in 2015!

Samantha Young's On Dublin Street series is another that never disappoints. This year 3 novels were released and depending on your favorite trope you may like one more than the other, but I liked all three delightfully. I'm a real sucker for friends-to-lovers books, so Before Jamaica Lane may win the prize for me. Olivia is a curvy, inexperienced woman who turns to her smoking hot friend Nate, a notorious womanizer, to teach her some moves to get a man. She gets one, all right!

R.K. Lilley rocked my socks off with Lovely Trigger, the finale of the Tristan and Danika trilogy (an offshoot of her In Flight series.) Whew. You want to talk about a nail biting finish?! Tristan and Danika had been through hell together and apart.  Masterfully done, my friend *bows* I also read The Wild Side Trilogy serials from Lilley this year and loved every mysterious sexy page.

That damn Joanna Wylde spoiled us with THREE Reapers MC books this year. Consistently the best researched and best written MC books, JW keeps the sexy times, drama, and overall story arc fresh and fantastic. Im not picking a fave, they are all awesome.

Another MC goddess is Madeline Sheehan. This year we were treated to Unbeloved, the resolution of a long time love triangle (that really has more than three sides but we aren't getting into all of that right now). Just read the series and understand that this is a fucked up crew of people who still manage to find love, even if it's years down the road. Every book is epic, every story intertwined with another. So good. MS also has a paranormal series I'm obsessed with and we got a novella this year, The Lost Souls. Gypsies, vampirish creatures, and true mates!

Nicole Jacquelyn's Aces series is about the Aces MC, and the drama that unfolds with each book is epic and straight from the school of Madeline Sheehan (see above.) I love a complicated, gritty book, and NJ delivers in spades with plenty of sexy times in between. Lots of heart in these books! Loved them this year.

I can be obsessive. Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling series is a fave of mine, and the sci-fi erotica-ish series isn't for everyone but it is so intelligently done, it appeals to the poser nerd in me. Shield of Winter gives us another hot Arrow Psy to read about, and something about the icy stoic Arrows makes me tingle. So good!

Great Reads by Great Authors:
I have long been a fan of Lauren Dane, and two novels from her Hurley Boys series were released this year. The Hurley Boys are a rock band of brothers called Sweet Hollow Ranch, after their family ranch. They are friends in fact of her other rock star hotties the Brown siblings. The Best Kind of Trouble was about Paddy, but it was Ezra's story, Broken Open, that blew my socks off. Sexy, touching, and real. Loved it!

The Ending series by Lindsey Fairleigh and Lindsey Pogue has been a fave of mine. Out of the Ashes is third in the series; this dystopian zombie-ish/heightened abilities series chronicles two best friends who survive sometimes together, sometimes apart. So well done, and another great series that feeds my sci-fi monster.

Salvation is third in the Defiance series, a post apocalyptic MC series. When the world is thrown in chaos, the haves and the have nots fight it out; luckily or unluckily in some cases, there are MC clubs that are organized and prepared for the new day in this alternate universe. All of the MC action, adventure, and sexy times we love, but nestled inside a captivating world.

Kristen Ashley ha a few series that I really enjoy, and this year I read the latest from The Unfinished Hero series and The 'Burg series.  Deacon, fourth in the UH series, was so damn good. That was a relationship that was a slow burn, and took a while to completely take root, but so hot and worth the read. Loved it. Meanwhile, The Promise was fifth in TB series, and definitely redeemed the heroine completely for me (as her character was sort of in question in previous books. I didn't dislike her, I just didn't know if I cared enough about her to read a whole book. I was proven WRONG.)

Most Devoured Reads:
Lili St. Germain's revenge drama sets the MC genre on it's ear. The Gypsy Brothers series is about a young woman who is raped, tortured, and thought dead by the man who killed her father and took his place at the gavel in the Gypsy Brothers MC. Now, years later, she is back with a new face and new body, with murder on her mind. This is gritty, grimy, and bloody. I love every second of it. Not for the faint of heart!

I'm a year behind on C.D. Reiss' Songs of Submission serials but I devoured them all promptly after getting my hands on the first one. Monica is a waitress who is looking for her big singing break, and Jonathan is a wealthy man who can make things happen for her. The stories are full of windy, twisty turns involving his ex, her friends, and the music industry. Hot, sexy, and a page turner. Pretty much all I require!

Out of Left Field Faves:
The Motorcycle Club Series by Ella Goode, Ruby Dixon, and Kati Wilde sets three different clubs in the same world with kinky, delicious bit size serials twice a month. Love this series so much! If you like MC books and you like erotic serials, this is a win-win.

Tragic (first of the Rook and Ronin series) took me by surprise. I really enjoyed the story of the homeless Rook who finds a new career modeling and falls for Ronin, the model runner and model himself. This isn't new, it was just new to me! Im really crushing on Spencer right now...does he get his own book? This is a trilogy set, so I need to finish the last two books.

Raw by Belle Aurora was a book I happened upon while scouring Goodreads for something new to read. As a self pub book, it's not as polished as some others on this list...however, when the story is as captivating as this one, I can forgive that. Lexi falls in love with her stalker, Twitch. Twitch has tattoos and piercings (instant win!), and saves her from a sexual assault. It's on a popping from there! I'm waiting very impatiently for the next in this series because the way this book ended...dammit...I need more information!

The Caroline & West series by Robin York is not my usual read; New Adult three-hanky snot fests are not my thing, but I got hooked by these two and their amazing circumstances. The first book ended on a cliffhanger, so of course I had to go in on the second book!

Fat Girl by Leigh Carron was a book I absolutely fell hard for. Deanna's past comes back to her in the form of Micah.the boy next door turned NBA player that she left behind when she ran away from her foster family at 18. So many layers and so much history in this book! The overwhelming theme of love, acceptance, and self confidence reign here. And DAMN Micah was sexy as hell.


So that's my list. I have read a lot of great books this year, including some from JR Ward, Donna McDonald, and Suleikha Snyder. Check here on my blog for my full list of books I have read, and check these books out!

Happy 2015!