ARC Review: Moonlight on Nightingale Way by Samantha Young

I was very much looking forward to this book, like all the others in the On Dublin Street series, despite the fact that Moonlight will be the final book in the series. Before I finished the first chapter, I thought to myself "This book is utterly delightful."

We met Logan in Echoes of Scotland Street through his sister, Shannon. Logan served two years in jail for putting her ex boyfriend in a coma after Shannon came to him bloody and broken from yet another beating. Logan had no idea that Shannon was suffering from domestic violence and his guilt from not being able to protect his sister from just made my heart melt. Fast forward to Moonlight and Logan is out of prison, head of security at one of Braden Carmichael's clubs, and going through women by the dozens. Unfortunately for Logan's neighbor, Grace, she knows just how happy the women are as their moans, screams, and overall pleasure come right through his bedroom wall to hers. They start out as tense neighbors with some under the current sexual tension, but end up united when a young teen named Maia shows up with Logan's eyes claiming to be his daughter. Grace immediately feels a kinship to Maia and the two become close as Logan navigates the new world of fatherhood. Through Maia, Logan and Grace include her and become an unlikely trio. Logan and Grace get closer and become more attracted but are still not exactly sure about where they stand with each other.

The delicious tension and hot chemistry between these two is so fun to read, but at times heartbreaking as well. Grace and Logan both have complicated histories with their families, and this brings them closer together. Their chemistry is apparent from page one and doesn't end. Logan is a big, strong, good man, despite his brutish behavior towards Grace at the beginning of the book. Grace is a sweet, fragile, but extremely strong woman considering what she dealt with during her formative years.  These two are a perfect match. Logan is sexy as sin and Grace is his provocative counterpart.

This was a beautiful ending to a great series and if you haven't read this series yet, what are you waiting for?

ARC Review: Back to You by Lauren Dane

The Hurley Boys have all found love, but in Back to You, Vaughan gets a second chance at making things right. Although Ezra Hurley is still my favorite Hurley, I loved everything about Vaughn and his redemption tour to get back his ex-wife Kelly. Nearly a decade has passed since Vaughan and Kelly had a whirlwind courtship, marriage, and baby on the way. Kelly was a model with a domineering stage mother she was disentangling herself from and Vaughan was living up the recent success of being in the band Sweet Hollow Ranch with his brothers. They had an instant chemistry that kept them stuck to each other like glue. But mama bear Sharon Hurley wasn't keen on the first of her boys getting hitched without the family meeting his bride first, especially when the beautiful Kelly shows up with Vaughan with a ring and a baby bump to boot. The stars were aligning to make a mess of this marriage and 2 immature adults and 2 children under 2 later, Kelly finally called in Vaughan's bluff about filing for divorce when she finds him in a compromising position with a groupie.

Eight years later, Kelly has found herself dating a safe and responsible man who wants to marry her and that fact has finally woken Vaughan up to the fact that he may be letting another man raise his girls and marry his true love. So, he turns on the Hurley charm and tries his best to get Kelly back. When one of the girls gets seriously ill, he makes a deal to move into the guest room at Kelly's house until their daughter is fully recovered. However, the stakes change almost immediately and Vaughan puts Kelly on notice: he wants her back. Kelly puts him on notice, too: she is not taking his shit, and he has an awful lot to make up for.

Kelly's backbone was to be commended in this book, but so is Vaughan's groveling. To call their connection merely chemistry is almost a mundane statement. They have a gravitational pull to one another, but the past eight years have given them time to grown into their own and appreciate each other for it. A hot, sexy read with an adorable hero and an awesome heroine.

(Maybe one day Jeremy the manager will get his HEA?)

ARC Review: Glimmer by Beth Kery

Glimmer has a simple premise at the forefront: a brilliant young MBA grad named Alice is recruited by the powerful Durand company to be part of their philanthropic camp as a counselor (and it gives them a chance to see her and other recruits at work before a small group of them are offered positions to work for their company.)  Alice falls in lust with the CEO, Dylan Fall, and they start a kinky clandestine relationship. However, underneath that simple premise is one more layered, a mystery that the reader is discovering the answers to at the same time as Alice.

The chemistry between Dylan and Alice is very hot indeed. He is the quintessential controlled businessman, but he loses all control with his lust for Alice. We feel his genuine affection for her as well, even as Alice pushes and pulls as she deals with her feelings for him. Their exploits are more than well documented, and while it seems silly to complain about the copious amount of sex scenes in an erotic novel it seemed to take away from the overall plot. Sometimes Alice and Dylan would go all night and we the reader went all night with them.

Overall the book was well written and I am a fan of Beth Kery's work. It looks like there will be a bit more of this story to tell, so expect some answers and some questions left open.

ARC Review and Exclusive Excerpt from Beyond Innocence by Kit Rocha

Ask anyone. I am a huge Kit Rocha fan, and it always feels like Christmas when a new Beyond book drops, whether it is a full length novel or a juicy novella. In Beyond Innocence, we finally get to read Jared and Lili's story and it is every bit as awesome as we are accustomed to reading from the duo that make up Kit Rocha.
Sparks flew in this one! Check out their chemistry in this exclusive excerpt:

He didn’t say anything, just watched her for so long that the intensity would have terrified her if being the focus of his attention wasn’t thrilling in a different way. Finally, he sighed. “I don’t know what to do with you, Lili Fleming.” 

Her heart lurched, and the words that spilled out were reckless—the most unguarded of her life. “What do you want to do with me?” 

Again, the hesitation. “There are ways I could help you,” he admitted, rubbing his thumb over the bowl of his glass. “Ordinarily, I would have already offered. But somehow it seems complicated now.” 

She watched his thumb make another slow sweep and couldn’t not imagine it smoothing over her skin. That was what he was talking about—he had to be. Touching her. Showing her the things her body wanted, even as her mind shrank away. 

“That’s not why—” Her voice cracked, and she took a long sip of wine and wished it was whiskey. “I’m not asking you for that. I don’t know if I—if I could…” God, she couldn’t even say it, her tongue tangling around the mildest of euphemisms. 

“I know you’re not asking.” He shrugged. “I guess that’s what makes it complicated.”
Because trades were simple. They never left you vulnerable. And he hadn’t really answered her question—he was so deft that she hadn’t noticed. “What do you want to do?” she repeated softly. 

Jared held her riveted, so completely that she barely noticed when he moved. She couldn’t look away, even when he took the glass from her hand. Even when he laid his hands on her face, his fingers curled around her neck to hold her, and lowered his mouth to hers.
She’d imagined kissing. Mouths touching, lips brushing. 

She’d imagined wrong, because Jared’s tongue was the first thing she felt, hot and shocking, as if he knew it would make her gasp. Because when she did, he went deeper, his tongue finding hers. 

It was too much. Too fast, too intoxicating. Her entire body throbbed along with her racing pulse, and her knees felt unsteady. She clutched for the only steady thing she could find, grasping his upper arms to keep from melting through the floor. 

Then his hands tightened, tilting her head back, urging her mouth open. His tongue swept over hers again, rough and rasping, and every tiny shiver of sensation built into an ache that settled between her legs. Not just an ache, a need, and she whimpered into his mouth. 

Jared broke the kiss with a shudder and smoothed his thumb over her tingling lower lip. “See?” he whispered. “Complicated.” 

She closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath. “Not sure that helped,” she said, an attempt to turn it into a joke. It had to be, or fear and longing would crash together and vaporize her. “I’m feeling all sorts of things now.” 

“It doesn’t have to stop.” His hands trembled on her face. “But that’s your choice to make.”
An impossible choice—need or fear, pleasure or peace. And all of it shrouded in mystery, because she couldn’t reconcile the O’Kanes’ wild glee with her mother’s whispered warnings to lie still so it would be over faster. 

“I don’t know.” She forced herself to look at him, to meet his patient, waiting eyes. “I don’t know anything. How can I make a choice when I don’t understand what you’re offering?”
“You’re right.” He smiled again and brushed her hair back from her forehead with a careful, gentle touch. “It’s not exactly fair, is it?” 

She was still clinging to him. Slowly, shyly, she eased her grip until she was touching, instead. His arms were solid, muscle flexing as she rubbed her thumb against his sleeve and wondered if he felt the same spark of sensation. “When I was on the drugs, everything seemed so clear. I thought they were all pretending. I didn’t believe in pleasure.” 

“And now?” 

Now it would be like not believing in water while she was standing outside in the rain. This wasn’t some gentle mist, either. She was caught up in a storm, and she’d seen what heavy rain could do to the desert. The clay couldn’t absorb the water, and the riverbeds couldn’t contain it. 

She wasn’t made for pleasure. Too much would sweep her away. “Now I’m scared.”

Jared has been breaking our hearts for a while as the quintessential hooker with a heart of gold, suffering from unrequited love. Lili is the broken princess of Sector Five who saved herself when her abusive father and husband finally went down. Jared's polished clothes and mannerisms reminded her of the Eden style of living that her husband Mac Fleming wanted to emulate, and it was actually a comfort to Lili to find someone in the O'Kane run Sector Four that displayed a semblance of what she knew. She didn't know whether the women in Four were as free as they seemed to be; Jared was an easy ally to test the waters and check out her new home. Jared was instantly attracted to Lili and could see the sensuality hiding underneath, but since he had just agreed to be a spy for Dallas O'Kane, the time for falling for a sweet thing like Lili was shitty indeed.

Lili can't believe her eyes whenever she attends an O'Kane party, and it's not the first time a heroine has been skeptical of the free lifestyle in Sector Four. Dallas O'Kane knows the key to loyalty, and that is free will. The O'Kane's are not simply a gang; they are a family. Jared and Lili must both figure out their own paths. Jared is playing a dangerous game with Eden officials, especially as a spy for Dallas. The closer he gets to Lili, the more he risks to become part of the O'Kanes as his attention is being split in half.

Sexy, leanly muscled, and ridiculously agile, Jared is a force to be reckoned with on the streets, in a parlor room, or in the bedroom. Lili connects with him in a visceral way; their chemistry is like a magnetic pull that won't let them leave each other alone, even when they are both afraid of what these feelings may mean. Jared is damn swoonworthy, and Lili is a heroine with a spine of steel and balls to match.

So damn good! The plot thickens overall as well with new players, new games, and new loves. Can't wait for the next one!

ARC Review: His Bold Heart by Ella Goode

The Motorcycle Clubs series is back, y'all!

We are knee deep in Wrecker and Chelsea's adventure with the Misery MC. There are some good guys in that club and some untrustworthy ones; it's Wrecker's job to figure out if the club is worth saving. Meanwhile he and Chelsea are more solid than ever to the envy of everyone they come into contact with. The stakes are super high as well, as Wrecker is still on parole and the chief is gunning for him any way he can get him.

This is another passionate, hot, and fast-paced gritty action read. The Misery MC brings a whole new dimension to The Motorcycle Clubs world, and there are some instant favorites there. Chelsea proves over and over again that she is a ride or die chick for her man, and Wrecker continues to proves that he is worth the Vice President patch.

Loved it, and can't wait for the cross over this summer!

ARC Review: Flirting with Scandal by Chanel Cleeton

Fans of the television show Scandal could definitely get into this juicy read by Chanel Cleeton. Jackie is a Washington D.C. native, born and raised amidst the scandals of politicians and elite. In fact, her very existence is a scandal; her mother is a Washington groupie who finds men willing to pay her bills or show her a good time, no matter their married or single status. Jackie wishes to stay far from her mother's lifestyle, and has made it on her own as an intern at a top political consulting firm. Nobody knows like Washington like it's native sons and daughters, and she has a natural gift to work the system.

Meanwhile Will Clayton is a young and hot senate hopeful who knows the rules - he needs to keep his squeaky clean image up if he plans on winning his bid. One day he runs into a tempting Jackie at the Hay-Adams hotel bar and all of the common sense he has flies out the window. Their chemistry is instant and ridiculous, but Jackie doesn't want to be like her mother, and Will has picked a terrible time to start dating a woman, especially one who won't let him get that close.

The scandals are plenty, the payback is plentiful, and the layers are thicker than an onion. Such a good, sexy read!

ARC Review: Playing Dirty by C.L. Parker

Playing Dirty is the first book in the Monkey Business Trio series by C.L. Parker, and introduces us to work colleagues/enemies Shaw Matthews and Cassidy Whalen. We get both sides of this sordid tale from the players involved and I'm still wondering how much of what I read wasn't dream sequence!

Cassidy and Shaw are both vying for partner status at their elite sports agency and their boss gives them the ultimate test: work together to secure hot athlete Denver for the sports agency and whoever gets him to sign them on as his personal agent will get the partnership. Cassidy and Shaw are both very good at their jobs. Cassidy is a successful woman working in a male dominated field; Shaw is a clever, sharp golden boy fighting for the top spot. Parker was able to let us see layers of these characters, which was nice and welcome, but I'm still not sure if I liked them. We do get a glimpse into the possible relationships of their circle of friends, who were endlessly entertaining and promise some fun reading in the future.

Cassidy and Shaw had some interesting chemistry. They were obviously attracted to each other but I was not expecting them to downright hate-fuck each. It turned a hot time into a cold time, and that left me unsettled, as did the end of the book. However, if a dirty talking, arrogant, and more complex than he seems man like Shaw sounds intriguing, then I say go for it.

3.5 stars

First Look: Violetta Rand’s Sin at Heroes and Heartbreakers

Hey! Check out my First Look at Sin by Violetta Rand, the third in the Devil's Den series. 5* hot read!

Jon Snow's Luxurious Mane: A Game of Thrones Rundown

This is a rundown for Episodes 1-3 of GoT's fifth season, late mostly because I'm gangster like Drogon and I drop by my blog to do a rundown whenever I fee like it. This is appropriately dedicated to Jon Snow's hair because it's fucking fantastic, much like this show, even if Kit Harington hates talking about it.

Stannis wants Mance to bend the knee, and he wants Jon Snow to make it so.

Mance is not feeling it. At all.

So Stannis kill Mance in a show of power. But Jon isn't going to let his boy Mance go out like a bitch.

Drop the mic, exit stage left.

Stannis is interrupting Jon all the damn time. Even while training up the next gen.

Then he sends creepy witch woman to get him.

She gets a little handsy.

No thank you, ma'am. Thirsty trick.

Stannis is pissed at Jon because Jon won't take his offer to take over Winterfell and get his name changed to Stark. Long hair don't care!

Besides, fucking Samwell Tarley nominated Jon to be Lord Commander and he WON

But there were some haters.

Jon had to prove he was no punk bitch. Like his father said, if you have to discipline someone, do it yourself.

BONUS

 SHADE:

FUCKERY:

 TEENAGERS:

ARC Review: Slow Ride by Ruby Dixon

We return to the Bedlam Butchers, who of course do everything in pairs, and we revisit Lucky and Solo. Lucky is the first fully patched female Butcher and is co-Treasurer with her man, Solo. However, she isn't feeling the respect that her patch should be getting her from inside or outside the club. The guys in the club treat her like and old lady, and the guys outside the club don't see her as more than a chick playing dress up. To top it all off, she is pregnant and is freaking out about the ramifications of that while hosting her little sister home from college for the summer who does not like the MC lifestyle at all. Just as Lucky gets herself together, she and the club have serious club business to deal with.

I devoured this on one sitting and of course I loved it like I have loved them all. Solo and Lucky are sexy as hell together and this book seems like it's the lead in to the huge Motorcycle Clubs crossover event this summer. I can't wait!

Review: Burn

Burn by Callie Hart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Zeth and Sloane are in the shit right now, undercover in a very dangerous man's villa. However they are closer than ever to finding Sloane's sister, Alexis, and Sloane isn't giving up even in the face of mortal danger. However, Zeth and Sloane are growing closer, too, and it is making both of them uncomfortable.

Between even more sizzling hot sexytimes and the intrigue of the criminal underworld, this is another hot and exciting entry in this serial. One click bait!



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