Dearest Rogue by Elizabeth Hoyt

Breakdown: 

Lady Phoebe Batten is the sister of the Duke of Wakefield. She is cherished, treasured, and protected because she is nearly blind. Hired by her brother, she is guarded by Captain James Trevillion, previously from the 4^th Dragoons who has been prematurely retired due to his injuries while serving the king.

Lowdown:

I was looking forward to this book. Not as good as Duke of Midnight which is Book 6 of the Maiden Lane series but still highly entertaining. Why? Because of Captain James T.

Stoic. Silent. Capable.

Injured in the line of battle. Hardened by the streets of London. 

Protective. Possessive.

Should I go on?

I am a sucker. A sucker I tells you for the strong, silent, cerebral male. Loud, obnoxious alphas have their place. But give me one that can shut the f*ck up and can still get his testosterone filled point across anyways?

Mmmmmm……

Don’t judge me.

Trevillion tries desperately to hide his passion for his charge and, at first, is highly successful in his endeavors. She is too young. Too innocent. Waaaay above his station in life so he cannot go there. You only know his true struggle because of his inner monologue.

She looked young and a little lost, though she stood in her own ancestral home. He wanted rather badly to go to her and take her into his arms again. To offer comfort where it was neither needed nor wanted. Something in his chest ached— just once, briefly— before he shoved it down and covered it with all the reasons his instinctive reactions were impossible

For her age (one and twenty), status (a caged noblewoman), and her blindness, Lady Phoebe's character is as developed as her environment would allow. How can you grow when you have an older brother who protects you to the point of suppression? She is treated like a frail, weak creature. She is suffocating under the guise of well intentions. She tries to tell her family her need for some freedom but they fall on deaf ears.

There’s a suspenseful plot buried in this love story. It wasn’t that plausible and, to tell you the truth, it didn’t really hold my interest. I mainly read this book for the story between Phoebe and Trevillion. I find that subplot was more background noise than anything and I could have done without it.

All in all. A good read.

Never Kiss a Stranger by Winter Renshaw

Breakdown: How do two single, career-obsessed workaholics get together and blow off some steam? Anonymously, that's how. 

Through a hookup phone app.

But here's the catch, they have no idea that they are newly minted steps...

Lowdown: Okay, this is a genre that is quickly gaining popularity among the contempo-romance reading community: fake taboo step-brother romance.

After reading several books with the same premise, this book was better than most.

Granted, the premise was a little...skeazy. They hooked up via iphone app. It's called Herpes.

I'm kidding. (Not really)

But if you would suspend disbelief for a minute, the story was saved by really good writing and character development.

Addison is trying to escape the past by excelling in her career. 

There is no room for any lovey-dovey stuff. She just wants a release coming from somewhere more organic than a hand-held. And that's why she swipes on Wilder's profile.

However, Addison and Wilder can't keep their feelings separate from their arrangement. Eventually, they start to fall for each other. I'm not really spoiling the story here as this IS a romance novel and it always ends up in with an HEA.

What I really liked about this book is the pursuit. Even though Wilder adamantly tells Addison that this is a strictly physical proposition, he is the one who falls flat on his face first. 

Wilder is handsome (of course), extremely rich (a cliche ...but okay), and aggressive in his professional and personal life (yum!). 

I'd been looking for some like her for years. No muss, no fuss. No commitment. No expectations.

I was supposed to be able to f*ck her sideways and not think about her again. I was supposed to go about my days like a man who got laid on a regular basis and didn't give a f*ck about where his next lay was going to come from.

But it didn't happen like that.

Another plus in my book...dual POVs. I'm not to fond of first person stories but I'll take one that has the POV of both protagonists and not just the mussing of one.

All in all, a sexy book and easy to read.

Skin Deep by Dez Burke

Shane was a race car driver was used to fame and the women that came with it, until his accident where he was horribly disfigured. He needs a pretend girl-friend and hires struggling actress Angela to fill the role.

Business only. No hanky-panky.

That's the end of my description for this book. Now, for the meat of it....

Here's the thing: Overly descriptive narratives will kill a book for me faster than a speeding bullet. It wasn't really the story line or the premise (though that one was a far reach as well but I could have forgiven it if the writing was any better). 

Everything was handed to you by the author. I mean EVERYTHING. She gave it all away in the character's thoughts and none through their actions or dialogue. And a lot of the stuff in there was nonsense that didn't contribute to creating an environment or the story....just noise that wasted your time.

Sasha had seen the papers and Angela had had to explain it was nothing serious, just a PR thing as part of a new project she was about to take on. It was at times like this Angela was glad that her father couldn’t really follow the news or gossips for now. She wouldn’t have been able to explain how come she was now dating a famous racecar driver that none of her family members could meet.

Angela wandered into the kitchen and picked a couple of the delicious ready-made courses the chef had waiting for them in the fridge. She learned he came in a few times during the week to whip up different dishes from a menu Shane picked out. Shane leaned toward heart-attack-on-a-plate meals with lots of red meat and potatoes. Always watching her weight, Angela was glad to find a few healthier meals she could enjoy. She wondered how hard it would be to convince the chef to cut back on some of the fatty meals. It couldn’t be healthy for Shane to eat the way he did. Unfortunately she wouldn’t be around long enough to find out. Pushing that thought aside, she finished with lunch, eager to see what the rest of the day would bring.

This goes on and on and on...for chapters at a time. Just the author TELLING you stuff. No inference, no guessing, no reading into it.

Oh, and the cheese....it wasn't even on the side. It was right on top...extra helpings of it.

The book is filled of awkward dialogue followed by even more awkward internal monologue.

Anything else besides this book. Moving on.



View all my reviews

The Game by H.J. Bellus

I really did want to like this book. I've read "That Girl" which is book one of this series and loved it to pieces.

This one....not as enamored.

When I started this book, I was really into it.

Then, I ran into the FC Jazzy. As soon as that happened....

Yes, Kevin, boy did it ever. And not in the way you meant it. I mean, downhill.

Levi is an arrogant, self-serving, football player currently on hiatus. In this story, he runs into Jazzy, a ball buster of a blonde, who is the best friend of his sister-in-law. As the norm in this genre, insta-attract happens and lusting ensues.

I have no problem with that at all. This is what I have a problem with... the instant snark that was turned up to 11. From the minute they meet to about several chapters in, every time the two protagonists collide it was just...

Jazzy was on a non-stop rant. Every time she ran into the poor guy it was like..

I understand. Levi was a lot to take. Yes, he's a bit of a d*ck. And, at first, he did come on strong. But, Holy Jeebus!!! 

It got more than a little irritating. I get. I get. You hate him because he was a douche when you first met.

And he rubbed you the wrong way.

And he looked at you funny.

No need for the constant reminder.

Although, I did finish the book so there is something to recommend in this story line. There were moments of true interest. I liked it when they just suddenly reveal parts of themselves in one line sentences to each other. It was almost as if they were having two different conversations to each other. Like all that poison and venom built up and suddenly let out, revealing their true inner cream cheese.

I have to tell you, though, That Girl was a much...much better book. I recommend picking that one up over this one.

Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt

Out of the whole series, this book is one of the better ones. Think Batman but set in the 1700s. 

Same premise. 

Maximus Batten, Duke of Wakefield, is an orphaned as a boy and has vowed revenge. He also vowed to bring pride into the house of Wakefield in honor of his fallen father. So, that means, he needs an appropriate wife of particular lineage.

And….this is a perfect way to introduce an impoverished heroine who just happens to be the paid companion of his targeted wife to be. Artemis Greaves was gently born, but life has led her to a life of quiet poverty. Even though her cousin was a much better prospect, Maximus is sinking fast like a lead weight. Maximus now has to fight off what he really wants, for the sake of what right for the family as dictated by society and culture of the day.

Pssst...that’s not exactly original. And you’ve read at least 20 books with the same story lines....

If the author is kick ass and the editor is also, then the story line will always be new to me. 

It was heartbreaking to see Artemis fall in love knowing that Maximus’s obsession with restoring his family’s honor would always keep them apart.

It was equally heartbreaking to see Maximus intentionally hurt the woman he loves when his instinct is screaming at him to do otherwise.

Yep, plenty of feels in this one. Oh, and there’s a villain. It didn’t feel like it was thrown in as Maximus was as obsessed as finding his parent’s killers as he was with keeping Artemis.

 All in all a deeply satisfying novel.

Sincerely, Carter by Whitney Garcia Williams

HINT: If you get your books from Amazon. Always, always, ALWAYS, try a sample. It will save you the headache of reading a truly awful book. (And insulting the author by offering them to find a new editor or career) It doesn’t work 100% of the time but my chances of reading a burn-it-burn-IT-WITH-FIRE book reduced significantly since I started.

So, utilize that power my friends. Use the force.

With that said, I knew by the first 5 pages that I had a gem.

What can I say about this book except…

I have a ton more of these but you get the idea.

My first love in romantic story lines is the “unrequited love” scenario.

My second love…is best-friend-turned.

This is the second one.

I know… I know… Been used a thousand times before. But really, as the great Pink once said, So, What?

The book was smart, funny, and really tugged at me. Ate this up in one sitting and woke up with a book hangover.

Well worth it.

The book goes back and forth between Arizona and Carter’s point of view which I love. I don’t like first person books too much but I like it when it has more than one person’s voice in it. I also like when the author leads me to feelings and scenarios through dialogue and gestures. I hate it when I’m lead there through overly descriptive narratives. It makes me feel dumb. Readers are smart people. We can assume A LOT.

 I also love the fact that she puts their letters to each other as they grew up. It makes the reader understand why the abrupt 180 in their relationship. From platonic, ew-cooties friends to WTF was that?!!!

They have been building up this passion for years and like Mt. Vesuvius it just takes off with a life on its own.

Oh and the sex scenes….

Carter… I didn’t know that about you but DAMN! More please.

What I didn’t like… no epilogue. But I know what the author was going for so it’s okay. I’ll accept it for artistic purposes.

Other than that…. Fan-fucking-tastic.