Shameless

Archives: Reviews

  • Grounded (Up In The Air Trilogy) by R. K. Lilley

    I triple-love when a series of books, movies, and TV shows gets better with age. The Up In The Air series is exactly why I continue with a series until the end: it gets so much better as things go along. I’m kind of shocked that Mr. Crazypants-Cavendish didn’t get himself committed (not a spoiler-alert), but I am surprised at how much I loved getting to the end of Grounded. Not because I wanted it to end, but because I love a nice story package, wrapped up and presented in a satisfying way. And we all know Mr. Crazypants-Cavendish is all about satisfaction.

  • All In by Raine Miller

    I loved reading this from Ethan’s perspective, but his voice seemed to be too simplistic for a successful security mogul. But then again, I’m not a man and maybe that’s really how they think. He loves his girl and will let nothing hurt her, not even himself. I can’t wait to read the 3rd! [November 2012]

  • Exquisite by Ella Frank

    I hate/love when a book I didn’t expect to bring me to tears makes me cry like Tammy Faye. In between the (what felt like) decades of sexual tension between Lena and Mason, there’s a lot of self-discovery and emotion and drama I love. Definitely one to read. [February 2013]

  • Seduced In The Dark by CJ Roberts

    The writing in this book and its predecessor is impeccable. Other than having to know what happens with Livvie and Caleb, the writing is what pushed me through to the end of the book. I’m more than glad I was encouraged by others who’ve read it to read on. The dark, disturbing story is one I think should be read by anyone who reads romance or erotica for the knowledge gained by getting a glimpse into human trafficking. This is one of those stories that will live on in my mind, not just as a love story but as a reminder of the need for social change. [October 2012]

  • Captive In The Dark by CJ Roberts

    While this book was elegantly written and the story premise is poignant, it was difficult to read through the torture of the kidnapped girl. This is DEFINITELY not a book for anyone with a violent past or a weak stomach. [September 2012]
    EDITED: That said, reading this book along with Seduced in the Dark and now Epilogue, Captive in the Dark is the start of a trilogy that is mind-blowingly amazing and not to be missed. [June 2013]

  • Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J. R. Ward

    If you like sex-crazed vampires in not overly weird or confusingly paranormal books, read the Black Dagger Brotherhood books.

  • The Gamble by Kristen Ashley

    I really wish Kristen Ashley would stop writing so many good books with alpha men I want to bang. Not only do I want to take Max into my bed, but I want him to be happy with Nina. Yes, that sounds dichotomous, but it’s how my brain works when I love a story and its characters. A super-great read. [February 2013]

  • The Education of Caroline by Jane Harvey-Berrick

    After being slain by the ending of The Education of Sebastian, there was no way I was going to pass up Caroline. Seeing as this is now one of my favorite books, I was not disappointed. And then going back and reading Sebastian after reading Caroline, my heart broke and healed so many times at re-reading all of the fulfilled dreams. Beautiful, wonderful, heart-crunching, heart-healing, and a must-read-or-die series.

  • On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

    Loved it. With Joss’s horrible past and the mystery surrounding her issues, this is slightly more than the typical romance story.

  • Three Stages Of Love: Lust by T. C. Anthony

    I’m nothing if not honest, so I’ll be totally honest and say that up until the last few chapters of this book, I was ready to write it off and give it barely 3 stars. But I read through and fell into what this book should have been for the majority of the story. The writing seems disjointed at times, and I didn’t feel for Alexander what I thought I should. And then the floor fell out from under me when I fell in complete love with everyone and everything, all while my heart was crumbling, wishing I could read straight into the next book in the series.
    In the end, it’s totally worth reading, and hopefully the disjointedness comes together in the follow up books.

  • A Beautiful Lie by Tara Sivec

    Holy moses, this is a trip and a half. Mystery shrouded in secrets hidden in international crime with a healthy smattering of sexual tension and sexy time. Though it could have probably been broken down into two books, this is an easy read if you can keep up with the military missions and intermittent flashbacks. A Beautiful Lie doesn’t have the humor featured in Tara Sivec’s hilarious Chocolate Lovers series, and you’d never know it was even the same author if she wasn’t so good at writing a love scene.

  • Consequences by Aleatha Romig

    I just. I…don’t. OK, I’m seriously pissed. Like, I can’t even think of the right words to say that exemplify my level of pissedness at this book. Or not at the book, per se, but the end of the book that I was made to wait through 100000 pages of torture and depression and sadness to reach only to fall deeper into depression when I finished. During the middle of the book (sometime last year considering the book is approximately 100000 pages long), I swore I wouldn’t want to start reading the 2nd in the series, but so much happened in the end of Consequences, I won’t be able to help myself from diving into Truth.

    This is getting a 4.5/5 star review rather than a 5/5 because it’s incredibly long. I know that’s a personal issue of mine, but hey, this is my personal review.

  • Naked by Raine Miller

    Much like many of the other seduced-by-a-billionaire-crazy-man books, Naked enticed me in with lovely love scenes and the promise of some drama in the upcoming books.

  • The Stranger by Kyra Davis

    I’m starting to think that I should know nothing about a book before I read it, because it’s becoming a habit that I like books like this one more than the books where I have some idea of expectations. Just One Night, Part 1: The Stranger is a great start to a series that I can’t fathom how it will turn out. Kasie is a flip-flopper in the truest meaning of the word, but I couldn’t help but understand her indecisions. I didn’t expect this to end in mystery instead of just a cliff-hanger, so when the 2nd part comes out, I’ll be snatching it up. [December 2012]

  • The Gift (Seven Day Loan) by Tiffany Reisz

    I loved this peek into Nora’s world before she became “Nora.” [October 2012]

  • Submit To Desire by Tiffany Reisz

    Is Kingsley taking applications for his School of Submission? I’ll take one. [January 2013]

  • Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

    A MUST READ. Brilliant. Major WTFness, making twists and turns, taunting me from my bedside table to keep reading. [July 2012]

  • My Favorite Mistake by Chelsea M. Cameron

    A sweet will they? won’t they? story of college kids with troubled pasts. I quickly fell in love with Hunter, wanting him to overcome his sweet jerkiness. It’s an easy, fun read for YA/NA romance lovers. [January 2013]

  • The Story of Rachel by K. D. McLean

    I’m not sure where to begin because there’s a lot going on here. At its core, The Story of Rachel is a falling-in-love-story *slash* intro-to-BDSM-story. Mix in some funny banter, talking head characters, and some heartbreak, and you’ve got this easy-read book.
    Because I’m honest in my reviews, I am disappointed in the lack of a final grammar editing, and I was left with some holes I needed filled (of the story variety, not the physical). I was also slightly confused at the 3rd-person narrative switching between paragraphs, but that may have been the author’s point.
    Overall, I liked it and was emotionally connected with the likable characters. [January 2013]

  • Double Time by Olivia Cunning

    Olivia Cunning can pen a sex scene better than any other smut author I’ve read. Mix in two bi-sexual men and their girlfriend, and this book burned my insides, giving me chills like no other book has. (And with the number of erotica books I’ve read, that’s saying a lot.) Trey’s story is not so different from Cunning’s other Sinners On Tour books, but I don’t read Olivia Cunning for a twisted plot-line or multi-layered cast of characters. I read Olivia Cunning for the creative, quiver-inducing sex scenes that go on for several delicious chapters, feeding my fantasies.
    Buy it, hide out, and finish every last drop. [September 2012]

  • Hot Ticket by Olivia Cunning

    I cannot get enough of these guys. No, really. I could read them for all of eternity and never get tired of delving into the back of the Sinners’ bus.

    Olivia Cunning can pen a sex scene better than any other author I’ve read. They go on for pages yet I never get tired of reading about the character’s exploits. She gives just enough information to make it titillating, sexy, and still want to read another sex scene. In Hot Ticket, the scenes get a bit darker than the other books in the series due to the characters’ history and penchant for BDSM. But unlike most other BDSM-heavy books, this book gives just enough of the dark sexuality behind mixing pain and pleasure. [October 2012]

  • Rock Hard by Olivia Cunning

    Deliciously dirty with some very public, very *ahem* titillating love scenes that follow up Backstage Pass nicely. [June 2012]

  • Backstage Pass by Olivia Cunning

    Featuring my first and favorite book boyfriend, Brian Sinclair, Backstage Pass sucked me into Olivia Cunning’s magical way of penning a sex scene. Good LORD, this book is HOT. The first book centers around Brian and his old-lady-name love, Myrna, and the second is about whinypants Sedric Lionheart (really) and his not-a-stripper/law student/ex-girlfriend, Jessica.

    If you take anything away from reading my drivel, buy Backstage Pass. And when you read it and get to about the 81% mark (by reading on the Kindle, I don’t know page numbers anymore), stop and write me your “Thank You” note.

    JEEZ OH PETE, that scene is bookmarked, highlighted, and forever emblazoned into my lady brain.

    PS – #Chapter32 🤯

  • S.E.C.R.E.T. by L. Marie Adeline

    Absolutely NOT the typical romance book. A great read for anyone looking for something different from the girl + boy + doubt + revelation = romance novel.

  • The Proposal by Katie Ashley

    Just like its predecessor, The Proposition, The Proposal is super sweet. But what I figured out with this book that I hadn’t in the first is that Emma is the epitome of Ludacris’s classic lyric, “she’s a lady in the streets but a freak in the bed.” Sweet, sincere, confused, loving, faithful Emma comes through for her man and gives him the spice his libido needs. I love following the story of Emma and Aiden, and with an upcoming story featuring a new friend, Pesh, I’ll definitely want to know how this adorable pair end up. [January 2013]

  • The Proposition by Katie Ashley

    Emma is almost so sweet, I didn’t want her to be defiled and hurt by Aiden. She’s the kind of character you never want to have anything ever bad happen to her, and yet, she falls for the guy who says he wants to give her what she wants knowing he’ll eventually crush her heart. I’m not spoiling anything because this book follows the typical romance novel story plot line. That said, The Proposition is a good read for those of us who like sweet and lovely mixed in with our sexy. I really can’t wait to see how these two turn out in the follow-up, The Proposal. [December 2012]

  • Dirty Red by Tarryn Fisher

    Seriously? You’re not my favorite person right now, Tarryn Fisher. Not once did this book make me cry or yell out or want to hurt my precious Kindle, but I think that’s probably because I pretty much hate Leah. But in a very good way. The only slightly negative thing I can say about this book is that I wish I’d had it to read immediately after reading The Opportunist. There’s so much that happens in both books that is referred back to in Dirty Red that I had to go back into The Opportunist for a refresher. Other than that, the level of WTFness that twists and turns and makes me want nothing good for any of these people is delectable. I CANNOT WAIT for the third book. [January 2013]

  • Rock Chick Rescue by Kristen Ashley

    You gotta love a beefy law-abiding, law enforcement officer who is wiling to put up with a crapload of trouble from the woman he loves. Because holy crap, Jet is a crapload of trouble, and Eddie keeps putting up with it time after time. Again, Kristen Ashley writes an adorable yet troubled yet both hard and easy to love heroine with a man who loves her no matter what crap she brings along. [February 2013]