Review: Midnight Kiss by Robyn Carr, Victoria Dahl, Jean Brashear

Description:

Take a risk.

At the inaugural New Year’s Eve party at Jack’s Bar, two lonely revelers decide the best balm for their broken hearts might just be each other.

Find the perfect work-life balance.

When a flinty lawyer with a bad-boy addiction meets the quintessential nice guy, sparks fly that consume their expectations of life and love.

Get those finances in order.

Working over the holidays on a messy bank takeover is made worse for two federal specialists by an ill-advised kiss that will never happen again...right?

Review:
I requested this book from netgalley because I love Victoria Dahl. She is hilarious and it's never wrong to try some new to me authors. So I grabbed this chance and I yep it was a win. All three stories in this anthology are about this special moment when the new year starts with a big bang.

Midnight Confessions by Robyn Carr
That was my first glimpse into Ms Carr's writing and I have to admit I expected a bit more. We meet a rather depressed and pessimistic heroine. Sunny is nothing like her name. She suffers from a bad breakup- one where you are the only one in front of the altar. I know that is bad and it probably makes you see the world with different eyes but it didn't hep me like the heroine. She was just too negative for my taste. Drew is a medical resident who also had a bad break-up but he handles it way better than Sunny. The whole story is more about him "healing" her. He tells her how he sees life and how he went on after the end of his last relationship. I would have loved to actually read more about these two and how their love developed. This story had too much baggage for my taste. The writing was great but the smex was missing. Yes I can be greedy.

Midnight Surrender by Jean Brashear
I never read Ms Brashear either but I'm 100% sure I want to do exactly that. Her writing caught my attention from the start, her voice is wonderful and her characters so much fun. Our heroine Jordon is a man-eater- she lives a free and independent life. She's an attorney and stands on her own feet. When she wants something. especially a man, she grabs one and pushes him away when she has enough. I actually like her even though she was annoying from time to time. Our hero Will is an Irish hunk who searches for the perfect woman to care for him- including sewing, gardening and cooking. Anyone else looking like this O_o ? So yes he has some old fashioned ideas but believe me he makes up for it with being totally sexy. I really would take one of those men. I like how those two fought and made up. *wink* They are so different and it was really enjoyable to watch them find their way. Wonderful story that will leave you wanting more.

Midnight Assignment by Victoria Dahl
Finally at last the story I waited for. I was totally proud of myself for not just skipping the first 2 stories to start with this one. I didn't even read the blurb before I started this book so I was very surprised to find it set in a "financial" setting. Yep, at first I thought. Booooooring but it really wasn't. It more one of those naughty office stories- you know these two shouldn't get involved but you cheer them on like a maniac because you know you will love every second of it. And I loved everything. The character are as always funny and witty- not only the main couple. We find some wonderful side characters in this book. I also liked how Ms Dahl introduced her characters through the story- it accompanied the unfolding of the story and gave Midnight Assignment a nice touch. I loved how the story developed- I love this theme of two people being apart because of a misunderstanding. I loved how they figured it out. *wicked grin* As always Ms Dahl's sex-scenes are made of hawtness. I loved every second. Definitely my favorite in this anthology.

Midnight Kiss is a very entertaining anthology with a nice cast of characters that will leave you craving more. Highly recommended!

Read other reviews @Goodreads, buy @The Book Depository

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Review: The Kiss Test by Shannon McKelden

Description:

Margo Gentry's life is perfect. She loves her job as a DJ for Manhattan's only country music station, and she has a great boyfriend who accepts her need to avoid marriage and tolerates her Elvis obsession-even the velvet Elvis painting in their bedroom.

But then it all falls apart. The radio station changes formats and fires all the DJs. Margo's boyfriend decides he wants kids and a house in the suburbs and kicks her to the curb. And to top it all off, her Mom is getting married-for the 11th time! -and expects Margo to be there as maid of honor.

With no job and no place to live, Margo has to bunk on the couch of her best friend, Chris, whose revolving bedroom door has played host to half the women in New York-at least, the ones who pass his "kiss test." Worse, he's insisting she attend her mother's wedding, and he's personally driving her cross-country to ensure she shows up.

Forget about surviving the road trip-can their friendship survive The Kiss Test?

Review:
I really hoped I would like this book but unfortunately I couldn't. I just had too many problems with the characters and how the story unfolded.  The first few pages I liked the heroine and everything sounded really promising but after the first chapter this book lost me.

Margo is an independant woman living in NYC. She's working as the morning DJ at a Country radio station and loves her life the way it is. A great job, a boyfriend who likes their relationship the easy way it is without any marriage and kids plans in their future. But it gets even better- she wins an award for best country DJ in the US and she can't believe how lucky she is. But then everything starts to crack and she's left with nothing besides her love for Elvis and her best friend Chris. I think that's the way the author wanted the heroine to be seen, but for me she was more like a self centered child at times. She seemed to be unaware of how other people see her or feel about her. Margo has definietely too much denial in herself for me. She always wanted to be seen as independant and strong, but for me her fears of accepting anyone else to help her or show her any kindness made her not very likable. She was sometimes even a bit TSTL for me. Some things were so obvious and she didn't see them coming at all. I wanted to slap her silly.

Then we have Chris. He's a heart-breaker and full of charm. He has this certain appeal that gives woman this mushy and warm feeling inside and makes them forget everything else in their lives. He likes sports to the extreme and has the body to prove it. I actually liked him sometimes. He was fun and witty and yeah at some points he would have won my heart.. But on other occasions I thought WTF is that guy thinking. In the middle of the book he lost all his hero appeal for me with this one huge fiasco he produced out of nowhere.

The story was okay. I liked the idea of the roadtrip but some things happened I just couldn't accept at all. It's hard to say what I didn't like without spoiling the book, so that's why I'm all mysterious here. I didn't like how the characters acted, they did really stupid things,  in my opinion. Things I would have never been able to forgive a friend. And yes I think that makes me prude and closed-minded but that's the way I am. I personally have mostly male friends and never onces would they have even thought about doing something like the hero did in this book. For me it felt like the totally betrayal of his "best" friend- the one person in his life who's always there. It feel like I ranted about this for hours. (thanks Caro for listening to my bitching). Also at the end where some revelations who were just too easy for me and some were even unbelievable. But I won't start about this now or this review will never end.

Ms. McKelden's writing is really good though. It has a good flow and I think it was one of the reasons I didn't give up on this book. It compelled me to keep going and I couldn't stop- even when I thought about throwing the book at the wall.

I would have actually liked this book if there weren't the problems with our main couple. I think this book hit all my pet peeves (okay nearly all). I know many reviewers loved this book, I think I'm just not made for this kind of story.
 
To learn more about Shannon and her books please visit her website here.
Other Reviews:
- Sabrina @About Happy Books 5 out of 5 stars
- @Goodreads

Purchase the book @Carina Press

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Review: Undertow by Moira Rogers

Description:
Victor left behind a life of crime to focus on a new vision--helping his alpha build an island sanctuary for werewolves. Harsh experiences prepared him for the hardships involved, except when it comes to dealing with the young female refugees of the brutal Boston pack--especially Simone, who rouses his inner wolf like no other. A woman he must resist, or risk becoming just the latest man to make demands on her.

Born to wealth and privilege, Simone lost everything when she fell for the seductive whispers of the textile heir who turned her. Once adrift, now she is fired by a new sense of purpose--the chance to broker peace between werewolves and European wizards. Yet even as Europe beckons, her instincts--the same ones that led to trouble before--keep drawing her back to Victor.

During a sailing trip to the mainland for supplies, Victor finds it impossible to hold himself aloof from the warm, engaging Simone. And when a winter storm traps them together during a full moon, she breaks through his walls so easily and completely, the question is no longer how he'll stay away, but how he'll let her go.

Review:
Each time I think it can't get any better Moira Rogers proves me wrong. I really liked A Safe Harbor but I loved Undertow. Perhaps it's because I already knew the setting but I think it's more because of the wonderful characters you find in this novel.

Undertow features Simone and Victor, two wolves from different worlds. Simone is stronger than you would expect from someone who was in the group of woman Edwin horded around himself. She isn't as much damaged by this as the rest of the ladies, she suffers more from the guilt she puts on herself. She feels responsible for not helping the girls even though that wasn't something she could have done herself. She needs to feel respect and that is one thing Victor doesn't seem to give her, at least in her eyes. She only sees him turning away everytime she gets near him and the only logical  explanation she can  come up with is that he hates her and just can't stand to look at her. How wrong she is. *evil grin* Simone is the comfort of our little wolf pack. She's the person everyone turns to for emotinal reassurance and help when they are afraid to turn to someone else. She's warm and welcoming and knows how to sooth an agitated wolf. A wonderful woman who highly underrates herself.

Victor is one of those dark and brooding heroes, my favorite kind by the way, and he's completely smitten with Simone. He wouldn't admit it if you asked him, even less when you use the word smitten. He's rather serious about everything and sometimes he seems to be even stern but he has a soft spot. He's a thinker and when he set his mind it's hard to sway him. He's also really compassionate and doesn't want to hurt anyone. Again I noticed that Moira Roger's heroes  aren't the sterotypical alpha shifter - they seem to be more caring and loving. Not that most alpha males aren't but these heroes are more warm, yes they are still hot *wink* but for me they are so much more.

The story of Undertow is adventurous, stormy, heartwarming and scorching at times. I love the dynamics of the character interactions- they did everything the way I would expect them to do it without being predictable. I already have some side characters I want to get their own books. These series is highly addictive- it has everything I want and more.
Make sure you don't miss this addition to a wonderful series.
  
To learn more about Moira Rogers please visit their website here.

Building Sanctuary Series:

1. A Safe Harbor: my review, other reviews @GoodReads, buy @MB&M

2. Undertow: other reviews @GoodReads, buy @MB&M

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Review: Harvest Moon by Krista D. Ball

Description: 

Cursed, abused, and desperate to know her future, Dancing Cat sneaks a glimpse inside her tribe’s Sacred Bundle, a powerful source of spirit magic. Instead of the future, she sees her most powerful ancestor, Small Tree and incurs her wrath. Small Tree strips Dancing Cat of everything —her home, her identity, even her gender – and drops her in the middle of enemy lands.

Injured, and in a strange, new body, she is befriended by Bearclaw who is on a spirit quest. He offers her assistance and asks for nothing in return; a kindness Dancing Cat had forgotten existed. She struggles to weave a path around the obstacles of friendship, identity, and longing in order to survive her eventual return home to face even further punishment.

And she does it while wearing someone else's skin.

Review:

When Krista asked me to review her novella Harvest Moon I was a bit unsure at first. It's not what I usually read but I thought why not and gave it a try. I won't tell you more about the story because this novella only has 35 pages and the description already says everything. 

In Harvest Moon we meet Dancing Cat, the Cursed One. She's a young woman living in band of people who hate her and don't see her as more than dirt. She's lonely and desperate too. For the last two years no one really  touched her or said something nice to her. I really felt for Dancing Cat but at times she also seemed really immature to me. She's always telling that everything is not her fault and never really says why. It felt like her being childish and stubborn. Later in this story the reason is revealed and I felt bad for judging her too quickly. I also would have wished to learn more about her past messenger job. It's said that it's unusual for a woman to do that but there isn't an explanation why Dancing Cat was one. 

Bearclaw is such a nice character. He's pretty mysterious at first but with time we discover what kind of man he is. I have to admit at first I imagined him as an old guy and I was a bit confused when the attraction between these 2 started. 

That brings to one point I didn't like so much in this novella. I found myself often imagining the setting around our heroine and I couldn't. I had a picture of the direct surrounding but the general landscape just eluded me. I like the insight into the Native American way of life  and the characters were nicely developed. The overall story plot was nice, at the end it was a bit too easy for me taste but everything fit together and left me with a satisfied smile on my face. 

All in all a good fiction novella with a touch of romance- you should give it a try.

To learn more about Krista and her book please visit her website here.

Other reviews @goodreads, buy the book @Muse It Up Publishing

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ARC Review: Hurt Me So Good by Joely Sue Burkhart + Giveaway

Description:
One sub to please the Master…in any way he wishes.

Victor Connagher is no stranger to the Dallas BDSM scene. As CEO of a risqué cable channel that caters to adventurous adults, he ensures the lifestyle is portrayed in a positive light. He even supports a local bondage club. Yet behind the cool, confident mask, Victor lives in fear.

Once, and only once, he lost control of his inner Dom—and it cost him his fiancée. Now, no one knows how hard he works to keep his darker appetite for pain buried. No matter how much his saucy, confident associate producer makes his fingers itch to once again take up his riding crop.

Shiloh Holmes is a sub, but she’s no doormat. She’s always suspected Victor has the skills to feed her insatiable need for pain, and now she’s found the perfect way to crack his formidable control. Develop a new reality show, America’s Next Top sub…and dare him to compete.

Week after week, as Shiloh fearlessly challenges the real Victor to come out of hiding, he realizes his past mistake was only a blow to his pride. If he loses Shiloh, he could lose his heart.

Warning: Explicit sex, BDSM, reality television, a very reluctant Dom, an audacious sub willing to do anything to win for him, and one very wicked riding crop.

Review:
When Hurt Me So Good arrived in my inbox I was thrilled to finally read Victor's story. Joely teased us for months with little snippets and I was desperate to finally read this book. I knew he would be more intense than Conn but wowza I didn't expect this. *fans herself* So I should warn everyone if you're not fond of BDSM this book isn't for you.

Victor is the CEO of VCONN, a local Dallas TV channel which specialize in the more erotic topics. He is a Master at heart and for him pain is more like sex than anything else. He doesn't only like to deliver the pain, he also uses it on himself if there's no other way to relieve the pressure building inside him. Victor is 100% sure that no woman would be willing to freely accept what he has to give. He had this one traumatic incident with his ex-fiancée- she wasn't prepared for his darker side because he hid it through their relationship and he scared her away- big time. Now he's afraid that he is just too much. So he keeps this side of himself under lock and key. It hurt me so much to see him suffer. He completely believes that he will never find someone who truly can take it all. When he meets Shiloh he is immediately attracted but he struggles with accepting her surrender and promise of submission. He's afraid of hurting her in a bad way and that she will run away and leave him behind- alone and heartbroken. This would break his heart and this time it would be broken for good. At first for me it was hard to see this strong and dominant Master with so much doubt and conflicts in himself. He should be the strong and confident one but it gave him more "realness". I never really like these perfect characters in books and Victor is just exactly right for my taste. He was demanding at some points and yes perhaps one scene was a bit too "intense" for me but it's all about pushing your limits and yes I enjoyed it a bit perhaps. *wink*

Shiloh is one kind of a woman. She's strong, intelligent and knows what she wants: Victor. She's been working at VCONN  for some time now and wants to get closer to Victor without looking like a desperate underling trying to catch his attention by all means e.g. walking naked in his office. Since day one he seems to ignore her and she just has to know if he really is the Master she believes him to be. She sees her chance with a new show and when he accepts her challenge she can finally get closer to him and see him like he really is.

As you can imagine this book is full of erotic scenes. Yes most are really intense and I'm sure I wouldn't survive any of this. It's hard to explain but even though I don't share the inclination for that much pain I could always see and feel why the characters did this and that. I think it speaks highly of Joely's writing that she didn't lose my attention even when her characters did thinks I wouldn't even consider in my darkest moments. It was always really erotic and sometimes also shocking. A fascinating combination that caught me unguarded at moments. How can I find something erotic and at the same moment think it must be hurting too much.

Joely drew me in no matter where the action went. Her story-telling is compelling and fascinating. I loved her characters and I can't wait to read more about the other characters we met in Hurt Me So Good. I highly recommend this book to all erotic lovers with at least a bit of inclination towards BDSM in their books.
Extraordinaire writing with a compelling fascinating and highly erotic story- Victor just won't lose you attention. It's not his name for nothing. ;)

To learn more about Joely and her books please visit her website here. You can also read the free prequel Lie To You here.

- Read other reviews @goodreads 
- pattepoilues aka The HEA Lover's review @ Book Lovers Inc. 
- soleil noir' review @Black Sun Reviews 
Buy Hurt Me So Good @MBaM

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~*~*~Giveaway~*~*~

Thanks to Joely one lucky commenter will win an ebook copy of Hurt Me So Good.

Just leave a meaningful comment on this review or ask Joely a question. She will visit through the day and try to answer all the things you want to know. ;)

Please leave me a way to contact you (email in blogger profile or twitter name works for me).

Giveaway ends on Tuesday October 12th and I will announce the winner on Wednesday.

Good Luck!

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ARC Review: Selfish is the Heart by Megan Hart

Description:

The national bestselling author of No Greater Pleasure delivers a new novel featuring a reluctant student of seduction.

To escape an arranged marriage, Annalise Marony decides to become a Handmaiden of the Order of Solace. But she is thwarted at every turn by Cassian, a teacher of the faith, who must test her dedication. Older than most of the girls, Annalise knows that she will be expected to please a patron in pleasures of the flesh-and she is not shy about teasing Cassian. And as they both play out the game of master and student, the secrets in their souls will either tear them apart-or bind them together forever.

Review:
Before I start this review I have to give a shout out to pattepoilue. She is one of the nicest and loveliest persons I ever met and without her I wouldn't have had the opportunity to read this book. Thank you! And thanks to Megan Hart too, for being such a wonderful writer and person.

Megan Hart did it again- she wrote a romance novel different from anything I ever read before. Sure we have the romance and the usual struggle till we get to our Happily Ever After but the way we get there is again something so unique, it will catch you flat-footed.

I enjoyed the first 2 books in The Order of Solace Series and I was always curious how these Handmaiden studied their profession before their first patron. I think I had many things in common with Annalise there, we both were full of prejudices and false ideas about how naughty this education would be.

Annalise went to the Motherhouse for the wrong reasons. She wanted to escape an arranged marriage. She is bethroted to her gay best friend but she knows with all her heart that they both will be unhappy in an union like this. She had to find a way out of this without making their lives even harder as they already are. So she
feigned a vision and ventured to the Order to become a Handmaiden. She is a strong heroine with a will of steel. She never backs down or is not once afraid to say what she thinks. She's not one of those cold hearted woman though, she is full of compassion and understanding for others. She stands up for what she believes and seems to be fearless in her actions. On her her journey to the motherhouse she meets the dark and broooding Cassian and he leads her astray. Later she discovers that he's her teacher and not only this first meeting makes them clash together more than ones. They don't often agree about anything and their attraction to each other isn't helping them either.

Cassian has his own struggles to live through. He worked hard to become the hard looking and untouchable teacher he is now. He likes to be on his own, unbothered by the rest of the world. He likes to bath in his guilt without interruptions. And Annalise just won't let him hide behind his cold mask- she always picks at him without mercy but still he just can't bring himself to not care for her even though she's a nuisance.

It was totally refreshing to read about those two. It's really not your typical romance. Most of the time they are fighting and you always think now they will make up. *wink* I loved how Annalise was never afraid to tell Cassian and everyone else what she thinks but never was too much. I loved that she knew how to push his buttons and it was wonderful to watch them grow closer with every single fight. I think this is one of the facts why I love Megan Hart's books so much. She never goes the traditional way and so it never gets boring for us as the reader. I think Ms. Hart describes it wonderfully in this book:

In her dreams, in the fae stories, such a declaration was always met with a kiss and an embrace, with mingled laughter and tears and followed by a wedding.

This was not a fae story.

Selfish is the Heart is by far my favorite Order of Solace novel. The heroine is wonderful independent and strong- I could completely relate to her. The hero is just wonderful broody and dark and both together made my heart ache. This series is so different to every thing else I read in this genre so far. As always  I adore Ms. Hart's writing and her words just enthrall me from the first page.
Wonderful exotic fantasy romance- you won't be able to put it down and it won't leave your thoughts long after you closed it.

To learn more about Megan Hart and her books please visit her website here.

Read other reviews @Goodreads, buy @Book Depository

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Review: A Safe Harbor by Moira Rogers

Description:
Find out how it all began...

During the bite of the Great Depression, sole female dominant Joan Fuller struggles against the rise of cruelty among her alpha counterparts. The men tolerate her interference--until she breaks from the pack and allies with a witch and a vampire. Now the Boston alpha intends to bring them all forcibly back into the fold--and teach her a lesson she may not survive.

Seamus Whelan and his werewolf bootleggers intend to retire from smuggling and savor their fortune, but first they must do a favor for an old friend: escort some female wolves to safety. An easy job, if their leader wasn't a prim ex-debutante with enough power to challenge Seamus himself. Chance makes them allies; powerful need makes them lovers.

Together, they have the opportunity to build a sanctuary for their kind, but first they must free themselves from Joan's past, and the powerful man who would see her destroyed.

Review:

A Safe Harbor is the first book in Moira Roger's new series Building Sanctuary. This series is a prequel to their Red Rock Pass Series but I can assure you, you don't have to read these books before diving into this one. I haven't and I loved this book nonetheless.

Joan is a strong woman even though she had a rough life. She escaped her cruel alpha and allied with a witch and a vampire- very uncommon for those to be seen together without killing each other. She build their own little pack with other fragile female wolves she rescued from a life of violence and hatred. She feels deeply responsible for those in her care and she ponders every move she makes to be sure to not hurt them more. She wants to bring them peace and perhaps a place to call home. Joan really touched my heart. She's a wonderful person even though she doesn't often show her "nice" side to those she doesn't know or trust. She's a fierce alpha for her little pack and would do anything to keep them safe. When she meets Seamus she is concerned about her priorities. She doesn't want to lose focus of what she thinks is the most important thing. She would prefer to be unhappy to risk the lives of her girls.

I loved Seamus. He's an alpha like I never saw one before. He's not one of those guys who takes what he wants, no questions asked. He really wants to take care of his people. He wants what's best for them and tries to do this with so much care- it just melted my heart. I loved how he handled Joan. He was so careful to do everything right, to give her space and not to rush her. He took small tiny baby steps with her and he conquered my heart on the way. It was surprising to see how he never turned into something less than alpha for me even though he was so considerate with everything he did. You always feel his strength no matter what he does.

The side characters in A Safe Harbor all have their own cross to carry. They are unbelievable fleshed out and I, for my part, could really imagine them interacting with each other. I already have some favorites to see again in future books. Moira Rogers really knows how to grab your interest with a small tidbit thrown into the story here an there.

In A Safe Harbor we get a wonderful mix of romance action and thrill. I was glued to my seat and I enjoyed the whole ride we live through with Joan and Seamus. The author duo behind Moira Rogers really knows how to put the right amount of world-building and characterisation in their books, no matter the length. You won't see me say that often about a novella but Moira Rogers did it exactly right- I'm completely in awe of their writing. I never felt overwhelmed with the amount of information and you won't find the common overloading with world-building of a first in a series in this one.

 I highly recommended A Safe Harbor to all Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy lovers. This book is a real treat and won't leave your heart untouched.

To learn more about Moira Rogers please visit their website here.


Building Sanctuary Series:
1. A Safe Harbor
2. Undertow (release date October 5th)

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