A Lust For Reading: May 2014

Friday, May 30, 2014

Book Review: The Morning After (Morning #1) by Adriane Leigh

Georgia and Kyle have been together forever. Since they were twelve years old, to be exact, and he was the only person able to break her away from her pain. But now their relationship feels off. Needing something, though she hasn't a clue as to what really, Georgia buys a beach house in North Carolina, where she is going to spend her summer. Not to be away from Kyle, she wishes he would join her, but works keeps him away and in D.C. As usual. She convinces her best friends Drew and Silas to join her though and she is looking forward to quality time with her besties and redecorating her dream home. However, Drew brings some unanticipated guests along with her in the form of her boyfriend and Gavin and his best friend Tristan. Tristan with his slightly too long golden hair, piercing green eyes and panty melting smirk. He is the definition of manwhore, but that doesn't stop the attraction. But Georgia needs to stop thinking about him. She needs to stop lusting after him every time he walks into the room. And she really needs to stop kissing him. Her life and future are with Kyle. Aren't they?

Now, I'm not new to Adriane Leigh's work. I read and very much enjoyed both Wild and Ridge. But this book? This book blew. me. away. Yes it is very sexy but it was also extremely emotional. I'll worn you now that if you have issues reading books that contain cheating, this might not be for you. Although I would strongly urge you to give it a shot anyway.

Georgia is pretty broken inside and has always counted on Kyle for everything. But without realizing it, something in their relationship has shifted. Or maybe something in her is finally waking up. I have to say, as the book went on and the more I saw how Kyle treated Georgia, I liked him less and less. In fact, by the end I was pretty darn close to hating him. So that probably made the cheating a lot easier for me to swallow. I wanted Georgia to be truly happy and I just didn't see that happening with him when it is clear he will always put himself first, his job second and then she gets whatever is left over. Which isn't all that much. Eff that.

Book Review: The Seduction (The Seduction #1) by Roxy Sloane

Vaughn has what most men would probably consider a dream job - getting paid to seduce and sleep with women. His clients pay him to sleep with their wives and return with the evidence that can be used against them. Since he has no intention of ever dating or falling in love, this set up works quite well for him. Keely is a paralegal and the lowest woman on the totem pole at the firm where she works. Her boss is a complete jerk and the only bright point in her day is meeting with the sweet old man to finalize his will. Little does she know that she is Vaughn's next target. Or how meeting with that client just might change her life.

As soon as I read the blurb for this book a few weeks back, I was hooked. I needed it! So as soon as my ARC hit my inbox, I loaded it onto my Kindle and just a little over an hour later I was finished. It doesn't matter that it was the wee hours of the morning, I HAD to read it immediately. And I was not disappointed.

Vaughn has an absolutely filthy mouth and is 100% alpha all the way. I love all that about him but I also hate him because his job sucks and he's an arrogant asshole. There is clearly something in his past which led him to do what he does, but we have no clue what it is yet. We also don't really know who hired him to compromise Keely, though I have a few suspects in mind. She has no husband and really is just a good girl.

Cover Reveal: Hot Blooded (Ohana #1) by Kendall Grey

Cover Reveal: Alex (Cold Fury Hockey #1) by Sawyer Bennett

Cover Reveal: Wreaking Havoc by Angel Steel

Book Review: Taint (Sex Education #1) by S.L. Jennings

Justice Drake runs an exclusive sex therapy spa for high society women. These women are all here for one reason: to try and regrab the attention of their philandering husbands. And Justice is going to teach them how to do that with sex. Justice loves his job. Loves making the rich, uptight bitches uncomfortable. Loves breaking them down to unleash their inner sex kittens. While he also loves sex, he remains cold and aloof towards the women that learn form him at Oasis. He knows better than to dabble where he works. Except something feels different about this latest group. And that difference is Allison.

Allison has been married to Evan Carr for 5 years and he has been unfaithful the entire time. And she knows it. Hell, the entire world knows it. Now her cheating husband has sent her to Oasis to learn how to fuck. Yeah, he's awesome, isn't he? Justice is drawn to her like sunshine and no matter how hard he tries, and he does try, he can't stay away. He knows he can't have her, not forever anyway, because when her time with him is over, she will go back to her husband, Cheating jerk or not.

To say that I have been anxiously waiting for the release of Taint is a gross understatement. From the minute the cover and blurb were releases I've been dying to get my hands on it! So when release day finally arrived, I put my kids on the bus and dove right in. And yes, I totally had cover model Mike Thurston's Instagram page up on my iPad while I read this. I admit it. I have no shame.

Cover Reveal: Mid Life Love & Mid Life Love: At Last by Whitney Gracia Williams

How To Seduce Your Woman By Matt Connover

Deep down, all women are sensuous creatures. They think about sex… the same way men do. Maybe not as often, but with just as much relish. The problem is that they are often too reserved to voice what they really want so most want the man to take the lead. Here are my tips on how a man can successfully seduce his woman. Feel free to pass these tips on to your husband, boyfriend, lover and enjoy the resulting orgasms.

Book Review: Legal Affairs - Confessions of a Litigation God by Sawyer Bennett

Three words: Matt. Fucking. Connover.

This book. Holy shit this book. I know some readers are wary of a follow up book from the other person's point of view because they don't want it to be just a retelling of the first book. Or books, as in this case. Trust me, you do not need to worry about that here. This is not simply a regurgitation of Mac and Matt's love affair. Sure there is some crossover conversations and events, but truthfully, this story is so different coming from Matt.

We already knew that Matt was arrogant and an asshole at times. But now we get to see just how deep that arrogance is. Yes he is a litigation god, and an oral god, and he owns the world around him. But the truth is that inside, Matt Connover is a broken, hot mess. His ex-wife has left him more jaded and damaged than even he realizes. Watching him struggle with his feelings for Mac was actually quite painful. In fact, I'm fairly certain I cried a lot more reading this then I did when reading the original 6. Even though I knew the outcome, I still hurt for Mac. And now this time I hurt for Matt too. I loved Matt Connover before I read this but seeing the vulnerability in him has completely pushed me over the edge.

Book Review: Love, In English by Karina Halle

There are some books that you just know you are going to love, simply from reading the synopsis. This is one of those books. Even though Love, In English is so different from Karina Halle's previous books, it was simply wonderful.

Vera doesn't exactly fit in with her family or anywhere really. She has her brother and one friend she is close with and that's about it. She prefers to be alone; life is just easier that way. Safer. But everything is so different at Los Palabros. Staying for free in exchange for working in a program to help Spanish professionals with their English for one month, never did she expect that month to completely change her life. Vera makes new friends, friends she is closer with than anyone back home, and she just feels more free.

Then there is Mateo. He's older, he's handsome, he's sweet and he is very much married. The mutual attraction is obvious, but Vera does everything that she can to fight it. She doesn't want to be the other woman. But sometimes things are just inevitable. The big question is, what happens when the program is done?

Book Review: Fortune Said (Haberdashers Tales #2) by Sue London

Whit Whitman is known amongst the household staff as a harmless flirt. As the Earl's valet, he also has a uniquely personal relationship with Gideon. When Whit comes down with a deathly fever, it is up to newcomer Sissy Devonport to care for him. She has only been working at the Earl's townhome for six months, ever since her entire family lost their lives to this same fever. But she survived it and now she may be the only thing that can get Whit through it. Whit and Sissy were fond of each other before, but inevitably this brings them closer together.

This was such a sweet and lovely romance. Both of these characters are lonely in their own way, and the few weeks they are forced to spend in confined quarters together really makes their love blossom.We also once again get to see just how much Gideon cares for his staff. They may work for him, but he doesn't treat them as lesser beings and he is genuinely distraught when Whit becomes ill.

I absolutely adore these side tales that go along with author Sue London's The Haberdashers full length series. Now they can all be read solo of course, but when you read them all, you gain so much more depth for the characters and the era. And if you especially enjoy steamy historical romance novels, I recommend you check them all out.

Drifting Into Darkness by J.M. La Rocca

Sadie's life is in a bit of an upheaval. Her boyfriend of 6 years broke up with her, her father couldn't keep his pants zipped and has moved their family from Chicago to Texas for a new start. Now she is in a new town, trying to make new friends and in desperate need of a job. When the chance to work on the Johnson Farm presents itself, she jumps on the opportunity. And that is where she meets Landon. Landon works hard on his family's farm because it is what his parents want; but his true passion is cars. Racing them and building them. He doesn't date, but has a harem of bleach blondes following him around town. Sadie has no intention of joining that mob, but she can't help but be attracted to Landon.

Working on the farm together every day helps fuel the connection between these two. For the first time in years, Landon wants to spend time with and get to know a girl. And although Sadie has had her heart broken before, she is willing to risk it again for him.

I truly enjoyed J.M. La Rocca's first two novels, Lifeless and My Beautiful. So I was looking forward to reading this one. It was well written but unfortunately fell short of the mark for me. I just didn't connect as well with the characters or the story. And honestly, I wasn't feeling the connection between Sadie and Land either. I needed something more from them. Then there is the ending. Yeah, I was not a fan. My issue isn't really with what happened at the end, but more of how it happened. It felt abrubpt and with no closure.

While this book and I didn't hit it off, I will still continue to read this author.

Book Review: Sweet Filthy Boy (Wild Seasons #1) by Christina Lauren

A sexy new adult novel written by the amazing authors of the Beautiful Bastard series? Yes please!!

Mia and her two besties, Lola and Harlow, have just graduated college and are heading to Vegas for a celebratory weekend. Away from her father's disapproving and overbearing eyes for a few days, Mia wants to take this time to pretend to be everything she wishes she was. Free. When she meets the sexy half French / half American Ansel, he brings out a side of her no one has ever seen. She talks to him about everything, opens up about her deepest insecurities and can't help but to get swept up in his charming dimples. When he asks her to spend the summer in Paris with him, she knows it is crazy and she shouldn't do it. But the future her father has planned looms in front of her and she knows this is her last chance to grasp some freedom, if only for just a few weeks. But what happens when her time in Paris is up?

Book Review: After This Night (Seductive Nights #2) by Lauren Blakely

Finally, the conclusion to Clay and Julia's ridiculously hot story! I felt like I've been waiting forever for this when really it has only been a few weeks.. When we left these two in Night After Night, things had just ended between them. That was completely depressing because they are so good together. Now Clay and Julia both struggle to move on after their whirlwind love affair. Clay does a fairly good job of keeping hid mind off Julia, or so he tells himself, by burying himself in work and the gym. Until an innocent email from her starts everything all over again. Can Julia finally let Clay all the way in by sharing her secrets? And can Clay stop letting his past relationship affect his current one?

I have to say that I was a bit terrified of what was going to happen in this book because of the Michele factor. beautiful female best friend that's been in love with Clay for a decade? yeah, so many ways that could and like I said - terrifying. I can't say what did or didn't happen, but I was nervous about her right up to the very end. Clay and Julia still have issues to overcome, but when she opens up to him completely, I think I let out a huge sigh of relief. I finally had hope that this could work out, But mob bosses with a price on your head, unrequited love and 3,000 miles between you have a way of making things extra difficult. One thing I can guarantee is more smoking hot sex between Clay and Julia. I just love them together!

This is a must read book and series in my opinion and I think they are Lauren Blakely's hottest yet. I promise you will love it!

After four years of working for “the billionaire boss from hell” Ally Caldwell thinks she finally has her life on the right track. Her fiancé is out of dental school, ready to go to work at a thriving practice, and it would finally be her turn to go back and finish her college degree. Unfortunately, her carefully planned future crumbles when she finds out that her fiancé, the man she’d nearly killed herself to help get through school, has been cheating on her. With her wedding looming in the near future, Ally’s blindsided, realizing she’d never even knew the man she’d been planning to marry. Suddenly, her carefully organized life is turned upside down, and not one single thing is turning out the way it was supposed to happen. Even her boss, Travis the Tyrant, is beginning to act differently, throwing Ally into an even more confused and chaotic state of mind. Travis, the one man who she’d always counted on to be a jerk, was now the guy who actually steps up to try and help her straighten her life out again. Unfortunately, she doesn’t much care for his highhanded arrogance or his methods of “helping.” Ally wants to hate Travis. It makes her life so much simpler to fight with him than to admit to the combustible chemistry growing between the two of them. But as she begins to see more and more of the real Travis beneath his dark façade, she can’t seem to resist the dangerous lure of their unlikely attraction.

Book Review: Very Wicked Things (Briarcrest Academy #2) by Ilsa Madden-Mills

When I read the first book in this series, Very Wicked Things, last year it absolutely floored me. Nora and Leo's story was emotional and all consuming. In that review, I used the word exquisite to describe author Ilsa Madden-Mills' writing and that once again applies here in book two.

Cuba Hudson is the most popular, best looking and most athletic boy at Briarcrest Academy. Girls throw themselves at his feet even knowing he doesn't do the girlfriend thing. One would think he is the happiest guy at school. But as we have come to know about the kids at Briarcrest, looks are usually deceiving.

Dovey Beckham is not part of Cuba's rich, entitled world. A scholarship student, once her classes and dance practices are over, she heads back home to the unsavory side of town. They don't make any sense together, except for a brief point in time when they did. But that is all in the past and there is no future for them. Is there? Cuba and Dovey haven't spoken in a year, since he took her virginity and then shattered her heart in front of the entire school. He's done everything in his power to ignore her and she's done everything she can to make him see her. Until the day when it all changes. Again.

This is the prequel novella to Very Wicked Things, and it should without a doubt be read first. This novella goes into how Cuba and Dovey first met, and how he subsequently pursued her. Relentlessly. I loved it because this is where you really see the sweet, loving side of Cuba. And I honestly think it helped me get through some of the crap Cuba pulled in the next book, knowing that there was this part of him he was hiding away. Knowing that the guilt was weighing down the wonderful young man he really is. So yeah, read it and then dive into Very Wicked Things.

Favorite Quote

"We have a connection. I knew it the moment I sat down with you. You want to resist me, that's fine. I like it. It's like foreplay."

Book Review: Bound and Unbroken (Out of Bounds #1) by Skye Callahan

Who knew that a chance meeting at a bar could alter the course of your life? When Lena's roommate drags her out one night, she finds herself sitting alone at the bar. Until a handsome strangers sits down next to her. Though she tends to keep herself well hidden within her walls, he inexplicably has a way of getting under her skin and drawing her out. Eric has more than enough on his plate right now and really doesn't have the time for a new, inexperienced sub. But he just can't stay away.

Lena clearly has some serious demons in her past causing her to his in this shell. But Eric makes her want to crack them; to be her true self and finally indulge in her dark fantasies. While she is brand new to the world of BDSM, Eric knows it is what she both wants and needs and he slowly introduced her to it. What follows is a sensual journey of erotic exploration. I loved how Eric truly wanted to get Lena to open back up and of course I enjoyed the techniques he used to get her there. You could feel the pain of her past suffocating her and you could feel the relief when she finally starts to set it free.

Cover Reveal: The Seduction by Roxy Sloane

***Part 1 of a filthy, seductive new serial***

Bend: An Anthology from The Erotica Consortium Excerpts

Title: Bend
Author: The Erotica Consortium
Genre: Erotica, Contemporary Romance
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21504374-bend
Release Date: May 5, 2014
Synopsis:
Eight mistresses of the erotic bring you eight original, never before published stories to excite and arouse, including USA Today Bestseller CD Reiss, and NY Times Bestseller K. Bromberg.

These are not your mother's erotic stories.
We're not giggling about foul language over tea, or avoiding smut talk at the Tupperware party.
This book is slick fingers and flesh on your lips. It's twisted bodies late at night when the city sleeps and the moans fall where no one can hear them. This book is pain and pleasure, lust and passion, a body brought to the breaking point. It's drenched in the the musk of sweat, shuddering at the touch of a Master.
It's not your mother's erotica. It's yours.

Book Review: Gorgeous Chaos (Beautiful Mess #3) by T.K. Leigh

Here we are, at the end of Alex and Olivia's journey. So far, they have been on quite a bumpy ride and this is no different. If anything, it's about to get harder. There are several things we can always count on with these two: 1. hot sex and 2. angst. On the damn angst. They sure don't like to do things the easy way, do they? My frustration level was pretty high once again with them between Alex's secrets and Olivia's running. I wanted to smack them both (repeatedly) and then lock them in a room together to get everything out in the open. Followed by that hot sex I mentioned. But they wouldn't be Alex and Olivia without all that crazy now would they? And hell, I don't want them any other way!

As they start planning for their wedding, the people after Olivia start kicking things up a notch. They have run out of patience and want what they think she has. These are awful people who don't care who they hurt in the process. Will Alex ever tell her about her past? Will she even know what it is these people are looking for? There is a brilliant twist here that I did not see coming until seconds before it smacked me in the face. It was totally an "oh shit!" moment for me.

T.K. has given us a great conclusion for Alex and Olivia in Gorgeous Chaos that just makes you feel. It wasn't easy and it hurt a lot at points, but it was the perfect fit for these characters. Once you read this, and you WILL read this (waves hand like Jedi), I want to you to come back and tell me if you figured it all out!