Game for Trouble by Karen Erickson

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Book Synopsis

My Review

For those that don’t know, Karen Erickson is the pen name for the fabulous Monica Murphy. And while I love, absolutely LOVE Monica Murphy books, her writing under Karen Erickson is quite different. Not that that’s a bad thing. It’s what I like to call Brazen-y. 🙂
I truly enjoyed Game for Trouble, I just didn’t LOVE it.

When I initially read the book synopsis, I pictured Nick a bit different in my head. I read ‘cocky playboy’ and my mind just goes off on a tangent. Don’t get me wrong, he was still sexy as sin, but not so much cocky as he was almost mopey for parts of the book.

Years ago Nick and Willow were a couple that burned up the sheets. Then something happens, and Nick leaves her with a broken heart to pursue his football career.

Now he’s back and Willow is fining him hard to escape what with his friend and team member, Jared, being married to her best friend.

Nick knows that he made a huge mistake leaving Willow, and all he wants now is a second chance and he’s not above blackmail to get it.

Willow was a character that I liked at some parts and wanted to shake in others. She was spunky and wasn’t afraid to tell Nick where to stuff it. But I thought she was almost a bit too hard on him at times. I realize that she was hurt when he left, but Nick was obviously trying his hardest to make it up to her and she would always jump to the worst conclusion with him.

I read this book in one nigh, though I did find myself skimming through some parts I got slightly bored with.

It was a cute romance, but for me it was missing that something extra. That little oomph to make it a 5 star read. My 2 biggest quibbles were with the ending. BE AWARE: SPOILERS BELOW, highlight to see.

1. 1. The marriage proposal after such a short courting came off a bit cheesy for me. I understand that Nick and Willow already had history together. But they were only “together” now for a just a few weeks (if not less?) And it was rocky at best. It just didn’t seem very realistic to me. But then again, I always have a problem with instant engagements.
2. 2. I wanted a little more closer with Willow, her father, and Nick. It didn’t feel finished to me. I wanted some sort of resolution. Especially with what her father did to Nick in the past, and Nick proposing to her now.

[The marriage proposal after such a short courting came off a bit cheesy for me. I understand that Nick and Willow already had history together. But they were only “together” now for a just a few weeks (if not less?) And it was rocky at best. It just didn’t seem very realistic to me. But then again, I always have a problem with instant engagements. (hide spoiler)]

Aside from those two things, I did enjoy the book. It was a quick, cute, and steamy, although predictable and fluffy read. And while it wont be going on my keeper shelf, I still liked it.

If you like sport romances with sexy heroes, steamy love scenes, and spunky heroines, definitely give this one a go.

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Heaven’s Sinners by Bella Jewel

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Book Synopsis

My Review

I really wasn’t sure what I was walking into when I started this. I was not a fan of the first book. At all. And that’s putting it mildly. However, I thought that the author had potential once she worked through the kinks, and I was damn curious about Spike and his spikes.

What? The man has spikes in a certain area of his body, and rumor had it he liked his women to remove them…with their mouth. You saying you wouldn’t be curious?! Well either way, my pervy little mind was intrigued so of course I had to read it. I’m so glad to say that I was not disappointed with this one. I loved it!

Years ago, Spike and Ciara used to be friends. They weren’t just close friends, they were inseparable.

While both had feelings for the other, youthful ignorance, fear of ruining their friendship and mistakes kept them apart. Young Ciara loved Spike, but her inability to see his feelings for her drove him right into the arms of another woman…her sister. Then one night something that was already rocky, takes a turn for the worst and Chey, Ciara’s sister, gets killed in the crossfire of Spike’s mistake in crossing another MC.
Unable to work through her feelings of guilt, grief, and love, Ciara takes out her hurt on Spike and blames him for everything.

Now, having realized her mistake, Ciara is back. She wants Spike’s forgiveness but most of all she wants to get back the boy that she knew simply as Danny. And she’s willing to fight for him this time.

You know what’s so pathetic about this situation?” I rasp, my hands shaking. “It’s that no matter how angry I am at you, no matter how many times you spit hurtful words at me, or how many times I keep telling myself to walk away, I can’t. I want to save you. I want that friend that I know is in there. I can’t walk away, Spike. I hate you, and yet I can’t walk away.”

Spike is working through regrets and grief of his own. He once loved Ciara with everything that he had, but her ignorance pushed him away, and her blame wounded him deeply. He’s no longer the boy that she once knew.

Don’t want you to fuckin’ save me, Ciara. Don’t want you in my fuckin’ life. When will you get that through your head? I don’t want to be in your life. I didn’t chose you, I chose her. You need to fuckin’ move on. I am not the same person I was before.”

But feelings from their past are not that easily forgotten, and even though Spike does everything he can to drive Ciara away, the pull between them is too strong to ignore.

This book had everything that I found lacking in the first. Emotion, great relationship development, and a story that I truly grew invested in. Spike and Ciara’s relationship was filled with angst, emotion, and so much steam I felt like I needed a cold shower and a cigarette after every single encounter.

Come for me Tom Cat, fuckin’ come around my cock.”
“God, Spike, yes.”
“Say my name baby, fuckin’ say it.”
“Spike,” I rasp.
“No, the other one. Say my real name,” he growls, thrusting harder. “Danny,” I scream, my orgasm tearing through me like liquid fire. “God, Danny.”

This story might now be for everyone. There are a few things that I can see some might be uncomfortable with. One, is Spike’s treatment of Ciara. He is incredibly cruel and callous to her at first. You can see that it stems from his hurt and grief, so it didn’t bother me too much.

There is also elements of voyeurism in this book. If that’s something that makes you uncomfortable, this might not be for you. My pervy little mind ate it right up, so you will be getting zero complaints from this girl.

This is not a story about perfect love. It’s a raw and gritty story about 2 people learning to forgive, move on, and find their way back to each other. Their road was not a smooth one. It was filled with pain, mistakes, and grief; and I devoured it in one day.

I loved that Ciara wasn’t some meek little mouse. She had her moments where I wanted to smack her, but I really loved the way that she fought for Spike and stood up to him. Spike was just sexy as sin, him and his delicious piercings.

This book turned out to be such a pleasant surprise, and I’m looking forward to Jackson’s story next. Especially with that ending…

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Hell’s Knights by Bella Jewel

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Book Synopsis

Damn my clicker finger. She sees the words MC and a markdown to $.99 and she just HAS to one click. The compulsive bitch! Last time I allow her to make a decision for me.

I believe that the author had all the right ingredients for a fantastic book. But unfortunately I don’t think she mixed them right, and the end result was a bit…well…meh. At least it was for me. The book didn’t work for me for a number of reason. What are the reasons you ask? Well I’ll tell you.

100
The amount of times that Cade called Addison “sugar”. Yes I fucking counted. It drove me out of my ever loving mind. I was willing to overlook the “babe” and the overused “yeah” ending sentences, yeah? But the sugar thing. Gah! It was every other sentence. C’mon. Switch it up a bit here, Cade. There’s honey, baby, sweetheart, twat. Freaking anything but sugar!! I’m pretty sure I got to a point where every time I read “sugar” I just wanted to

20
Number of eye rolls I had over the at times juvenile dialogue. Addison was only 21 years old, so I can excuse some instances. But her behavior really didn’t endear me to her. She’s been through hell, and I wanted to feel for her. I truly did. But she just drove me crazy at times with her childish tantrums and behavior.

3
Number of times I almost DNF’d this book. As much as I wanted to like this book, the negatives definitely outweighed the positives for me. The story flow seemed choppy at times. The jumping between Past and Present would have worked if it was just with Addison. But when it had the same thing of an event from Cade’s past, it didn’t really work. The progression of the relationships between Cade and Addison, and Addison and Jackson weren’t believable. At least not in the time frames it happened in.

What worked for me


Cade. Well aside from the “sugar” business, he was sexy as hell. I seem to have a soft spot for the dirty talkers, and he really delivered on that end.

Sugar, if I wanted my dick wet, I could get it wet anywhere, with anyone. I             don’t want my dick wet. I want it fuckin’ drenched, drippin’ and surrounded           in you.”

Spike
I love me an asshole. The only thing better than an asshole, is a tatted and pierced asshole. And Spike is rumored to have some interesting “spikes” in some VERY interesting areas.

The sex
At least I think it was. Maybe? I got so frustrated with so many parts of this book that I skimmed through a lot of it. Sex included.

While the book didn’t quite work for me, I will gladly pick up Bella Jewel’s next book because I think this may have been the case of a debut novel and working out the “new book” kinks.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to get intimately acquainted with Spike’s spikes. Well, maybe not intimately intimately. But I have a VERY good imagination. I’ll make do. And I thank you

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Mine to Hold by Cynthia Eden

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Book Synopsis

My Review

There are 2 things I am almost guaranteed when I pick up a book by Cynthia Eden: A steamy romance with a protective and possessive alpha hero that is to die for, and a suspenseful story that will keep me at the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

After being introduced to Noah and Claire back in Mine to Keep I just knew that their story would be sizzling. And I was not disappointed.

After a horrific tragedy in her teens that cost her both her parents, and the recent brutal murder of her sister, Claire is running. That’s all she knows how to do, move from place to place and make no attachments. Especially to a man. But then when she has no other choice, she finds herself turning for help to the only man that has tempted her in over 9 years.

Noah is rich and successful, but beneath his expensive suit he is a man with a dark past and even darker secrets.

He doesn’t hold on to any woman for longer than a night, but for some reason he can’t seem to get Claire off of his mind. He knows that he must have her. And when Claire’s past comes back to threaten her, he knows that he will stop at absolutely nothing to protect her.

I loved this book. Noah was the perfect combination of dark and broody, possessive, and sexy as hell.

I wanted to fuck you from the first moment we met.”
She tried to suck in a deep breath.
“You feel so good.”
“Will you scream for me again?”

I also liked that Claire wasn’t a meek little mouse. She’s been through so much in her life, and she is still vulnerable from her past but she still had this strength at the core of her. I thought she was the perfect match for Noah and his past. I loved watching their relationship develop.

One of my favorite things about Cynthia Eden’s book is that she not only gives you dual POVs, but she also give you a peak inside the villain’s head. It really spikes up the suspense of the story.

I have to admit that I had a feeling who the bad guy was around the 20% mark, so I wasn’t all that shocked when the truth was revealed. But then when you think everything is all sunshine and rainbows Ms. Eden throws in a twist and a hell of a shocking surprise at the end.

Mine to Hold was my favorite book out of the series, and I can’t wait for future installments.

On a side note:
Please please please for the love of all that’s holy, can we get a book for Drake. How can you tease me like this, Cynthia? You give me hints and peaks at a damaged and broken man and expect me to wait patiently?!! I’m dying! DYING over here! And no, I’m not exaggerating dammit! I need, must have Drake’s book.
Now I am off to internet stalk the author to find out if and how soon I can get my hands on the deliciousness that is Drake. And I thank you

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Madeleine Abducted by M.S. Willis

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Book Synopsis

My Review

Well…hell. This book…Damn. I struggled with my rating on this one. There were things I loved, things that disturbed the ever loving fuck out of me, and a few things I could have gone without. I love a dark romance, and this book definitely delivered on that front. This is not an easy read by any means. It’s dark, gritty, disturbing, somewhat erotic, and not a book I’ll be forgetting any time soon. The author does not play around. She tells you exactly what you’re in for with the epilogue.

Madeline is a talented yet an incredibly sheltered young cellist. When her talent catches the eye of a certain man, her life takes a dark twist. She is taken from the only life she knows, and is thrown in to a den of vipers where depravity, violence, and brutality become her new surroundings.

Taken by a madman and given as a gift to his son for his 25th birthday, Maddy finds herself in the middle of a deadly game of power. While her new Master might not be quite as evil as the man that kidnapped her, she knows that he’s just hiding a different type of darkness.

Aaron is The Estate executioner. While he doesn’t blink an eyelash when meeting out death, he’s inexplicably drawn to Maddy’s innocence. While his brutality is the key to keeping her alive

I promised you pain for pain, Madeleine, and it only makes my cock harder when you fight back. Keep writhing beneath me, it’ll only help me along as I fuck your body and as I fuck your mind.”

The man that he hides beneath the violence and death seems to come out in her presence.

Dream of me, Maddy. See me as I want to be; not the nightmare who torments you, but the devoted and mystified man who worships at your feet.”

I loved Aaron. While he was not a white knight, he still had this soft side to him. It didn’t come out very often, but when it did…*sigh*

I’m not a good man, Maddy. I’ll never be a person worthy of you, of the beauty and light you provide to this world. I kill, I steal, I lie and I cheat. I take pleasure when I bathe in the blood of another man’s demise, when I watch the life drain from their eyes as they die. I enjoyed you as well, Maddy, not when I had to hurt you, but when I took things from your body that weren’t mine to take. I’ve done nothing for you, Mouse, nothing but what I wanted to do.”

But then again, I always do seem to go for the tortured and broody ones.

I loved the author’s writing style, it was almost poetic at times. There was a flip side of it for me though. I felt it was a bit much at times. There was almost too many descriptive sentences. I lost count of the many different ways that Aaron’s green eyes came across. It was a bit much for me. At times it almost read like a historical to me. I struggled to remember that this is set in a modern setting.

The brutality. I am not a virgin to dark and gritty reads, but some of the scenes in this book disturbed even me. The event that takes place at 89% for instance. It takes A LOT, and I do mean A LOT to truly disturb me, but fuck…that scene still fucking haunts me.


The romance. This took a while to really get into. It took a backseat to a lot of other things that were developing in the first half of the book. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t expecting instant Stockholm here. This is not really a complaint, but I do feel it necessary to mention.

Aaron’s background. We didn’t get much except for little hints and words. This is a continuing series, so maybe it will be covered in the future books.

Aaron’s father. Holy shit! Holy fucking shit! I have never…and I mean never spent so much time picturing killing a fictional character in quite such brutal fucking detail as I did here. The man was a sadistic asshole. The things that he did…Holy shit…just holy fucking shit. This book had some of the most brutal and descriptive scenes I have read in a while (And I’ve read and loved Captive/Seduced in the Dark, SKALS, and all of Madeline Sheehan books. I’m not exactly a fucking innocent here). I was left gaping, reeling, and so fucking disturbed I almost felt like I needed to take a break after reading those scenes. FUCK!

On a lighter note, I loved that even though Maddy was innocent, sheltered, naive, and in an impossible situation, she still came across as strong. Aaron was a great hero as well. My heart broke for him and his struggle. He tries so hard to protect Maddy from the brutality of The Estate, and when he failed at certain times, it was heart breaking.

In short, although this wasn’t quite the amazing 5 star read it was to many of my GR friends, I still enjoyed it thoroughly. With the little peaks the author gave us of Xander, I cannot wait for his book next.

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