Title: Collateral

 Series Title: Blood & Roses 6

 Author: Callie Hart

 Publisher: Callie Hart

 Genre: Contemporary

 Heat level:  3 flames (M/F, Oral Sex, BDSM elements, Violence)

 Rating: 

 Buy link:

Publisher Blurb:

The final installment of Zeth & Sloane's story is here!

With Lacey missing and everything falling apart, Sloane and Zeth will do everything they can to get her back. If that includes facing off against Charlie Holsan, the DEA, and anyone else who gets in their way, then so be it.

Faced with heartbreak, danger, and the increasing need to protect the ones he loves, Zeth Mayfair is finally realizing what it means to have a family. With her fears coming full circle, Sloane must learn that forgiveness is the only way to move forward.

Review of book:

All too often you find that the final installment in a series will go out with a whimper rather than the bang the author intends.  Have no fear, Collateral, the sixth, and final book in the wildly popular Blood and Roses series not only delivers on the proverbial literary bang, but it leaves you incredibly sad that it’s all coming to an end. Callie Hart has proven time, and time again that she’s got what it takes to craft plots fraught with innuendos, twists, and enough heart in your mouth moments that you’ll be frantically turning pages, hungry for the next emotionally charged exchange.

Zeth and Sloane are the perfectly imperfect couple; from distinctly opposite sides of the tracks, but well matched in inner strength and sexiness.  One has what the other craves – even when they’re not even aware they need it.  I’ve loved watching the two of them grow and evolve over the course of the series, but the peril and personal issues both have to overcome in Collateral, make this my favorite of the books.  I felt my heart break for them at times and rejoice in others, my blood pressure skyrocketing with each threat they faced.

It’s no surprise that Callie Hart has another winner with Collateral, and I double dog dare you to read it and not be unaffected by her smartly crafted plot and gritty, realistic characters.

 Title:    Sinful Southern Ink 

 Author:    S. J. Drum

 Publisher:    Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

 Genre:    Contemporary

 Publication date: July 6, 2012

 ISBN:    978-1-41994-0-408

 # Of Pages:  80

 Rating:  

 Heat: 1.5 peppers (M/F, Oral Sex, Public Sex, Adult Language, Minor Bondage)

Series: Sinful South #1

Publisher’s Blurb:

A towering cool drink of water with that dangerous cowboy attitude and piercings in all of the best places, Jed Weston has it all.  Except Abigail, who owns the piercing and tattoo shop Jed works in.  Until now he’s made sure that their relationship was always professional in nature – he is her employee after all.  When Abigail seeks solace in his arms to keep her violent past at bay, neither can deny the deep attraction they feel for one another.

Nothing will prevent Jed from loving the woman who sets him on fire with just a look – not her prison bound father, a crazy ex-girlfriend, or an overly nosy reporter – nothing.  In this fairy tale he’ll not only get the girl, he’ll keep her too.

Review: 

I was fully ready to love Sinful Southern Ink by S. J. Drum, but unfortunately the tale left me feeling a little short changed.  The story was well executed, but the plot moved so quickly there was no build up which made the passion somehow lackluster.  Going from zero to sixty might get you from the front door to the bedroom, but it doesn’t always equate to heat.  No matter how hard I tried, the connection I wanted to feel for Jed and Abby never developed and I just could not reconcile myself to that.

Ms. Drum had a lot of potential with Sinful that was never realized by this reader.  If she’d invested more into drawing out the plot and the budding relationship between the two main characters then I would have been well satisfied with the story.

Still, if you like a quick romantic read and love the whole Southern heat type of scenery, Sinful Southern Ink might just quench your thirst.

Review originally posted on TwoLips Reviews

 Title: Ninja Cupcakes

 Author: T. A. Chase

 Publisher: Total-E-Bound Publishing

 Genre: GLBT, Paranormal

 Publication date: January 14, 2013

 ISBN: 978-1-78184-189-1

 # Of Pages: 51

 Rating:

 Heat: 1.5 pepper (M/M, Oral Sex, Anal Sex)

Publisher’s Blurb:

With his special cupcakes and paranormal abilities, Ethan Gallagher was able to attract the man of his dreams.

Baking is Ethan’s passion and he’s renown for his tasty and seemingly magical cupcakes. His dreams become reality when he’s called upon to cater his sweets to a science fiction convention his brother is running.

Callum MacLaughlin is one of the panelists his brother has contracted with for the convention and incidentally also the one Ethan’s been in love and lust with for the last four years. Ethan figures he’s well overdue to let the astrophysicist know just how deep his feelings go, and the con is the ideal setting for it.

His dreams aren’t the only ones coming true with his special sweets – he’s made sure to spread a little of that magic around to his brother and best girl bud as well.

Review:

I’ve never read anything by T. A. Chase, but Ninja Cupcakes was a perfect introduction. I’m not going to lie; initially the title caught my eye and I thought, “I love cupcakes and I think ninjas are cool.” How could I NOT at least give this book a go? I was thrilled with what I found! Smartly written, Cupcakes introduces us to Ethan, a baker with a little secret ingredient of his own. He came across as warm, compassionate and goofy (at times) but utterly sincere in his patient pursuit of Callum, his crush of four years. I thoroughly enjoyed the build-up between the two characters and even more so how they truly seemed to care for one another beyond the heat of passion.

Even though this is a short story I didn’t feel the least bit cheated by its length. Sure, I wanted more; but that’s because I was emotionally invested from page one and wanted to see how the two of them made out further down the line. Heck, I even enjoyed the secondary characters almost as much as Callum and Ethan; to me that’s a quality piece.

If you’re a fan of male/male romance, or even romance in general I would highly recommend Ninja Cupcakes by T. A. Chase. It will satisfy your cravings for something sweet and sexy for sure!

Review originally posted on TwoLips Reviews

 Title: Rocky Mountain Angel

 Author: Vivian Arend

 Publisher: Samhain Publishing

 Genre: Contemporary, Western

 Publication date: November 2012

 ISBN: 978-1-61921-121-6 # Of Pages: 294

 Rating: 

 Heat: 1.5 peppers (M/F, oral sex, masturbation, outdoor sex)

                                       Series: Six Pack Ranch: Book 4

Publisher’s Blurb:

Needing a reason to come back home that will convince her family, Allison Parker hopes that she can fool her mother into thinking it was because of a budding romance. She needs to spend time at the Rocky Mountain House at all costs - because her mother is hiding a horrific secret from Allison and her siblings.

Ranching is hard and dirty work, so is dealing with your stubborn and verbally abusive father. Gabe is doing everything he knows how to keep the ranch afloat and minimize the tension with his father, but when Allison makes him an offer he can’t refuse - he sees the light at the end of the tunnel. She’ll facilitate the development of organic ranching and only wants a small thing in return - Gabe to be her pretend fiancé. Sounds flawless - right? Not as easy as they thought apparently. Night after night of pleasure and the daily stress of their lives makes the couple reevaluate their temporary arrangement and each wonders if what they’re feeling is the real deal.

Facing their uncertain future will take more courage than they know, especially if their feelings are real. Gabe and Allison will have to risk it all to see the return on their romantic investment.

Review:

I’ve had the pleasure of reading Vivian Arend’s paranormal series, and expected that she’d give me everything I was looking for as a reader with Rocky Mountain Angel. I was not only not disappointed, but thrilled that within a few short chapters I was thoroughly hooked! Gabe and Allison were real people to me - they had dreams, disappointments, hurts and most of all, hope for the future. Their struggles didn’t seem contrived to me as a stage for the sex - the plot was well crafted and engaging.

Allison was a strong and compassionate woman. She wanted to take care of those she loved and yet knew she had to be happy herself in order to do just that Gabe was all that and more - he desperately wanted to counteract all of the “bad” he felt he’d done in his life and sometimes went to almost ridiculous levels to accomplish it. Both had their hearts in the right place, just needed a little guidance to stay on the path. I loved that they didn’t hop right into bed with one another - there was a definite buildup and angst involved. When they did though it was hot and sweet and dirty and messy - absolutely perfect for the story.

I haven’t read the other books in the Six Pack Ranch series yet, but I was certainly able to follow this one just fine. Still, I loved Rocky Mountain Angel so much that I’m certainly adding the other installments to my TBR pile. Ms. Arend has done it again!

 Title:    Divination Falls Trilogy 2: Beast In Me

 Author:    Sommer Marsden

 Publisher:    Xcite Books Ltd

 Genre:    Paranormal, Contemporary

 Publication date: June 20, 2013

 ISBN:    978-1-190962-244-43

 # Of Pages: 187

 Rating: 

 Heat: 1.5 peppers (M/M, Oral Sex, Anal play/Sex, Masturbation)

                                Series:  Book 2, Divination Falls Trilogy

Publisher’s Blurb:

Cameron Bale is prompted to go to Divination Falls by Spirit and Brother Lightning, and find that the magic filled shifter friendly town has lately been under a dark cloud of sorts.  The local seers hope he’s the perfect person to turn everything around, and Cameron is willing to give it a shot.  Why not?  He’s got nothing else on his plate and he’s sure there’s no one waiting at home for him, which suits him just fine.  A persnickety lupine with to die for eyes, Trace is no stranger to the lone wolf existence, and when Cam sees him, he thinks that maybe they can spend their alone time in the same place.  Of course they have to work that around defeating the evil that has a foothold in Divination Falls, but who’s worried?

Review:

Sommer Marsden is quickly becoming not only one of my go to authors, but one that I actually anticipate her new releases.  Beast In Me, the second installment of her Divination Falls trilogy, is a prime reason why. While I supposed you could read this as a stand-alone story, my OCD mind is screaming that you’ll find it so much more entertaining if you start with the previous book.  Sure it's a paranormal tale with some of the hottest sex I've read in a long time, but it's also a love story between two lonely men that through no fault of their own have braved circumstances that might have done in a weaker person. 

Beast opens with Cameron running for all he's worth all the while being herded along by jolts sent by "Brother Lightning", ending up literally in Tryg and Luke's backyard and interrupting an intimate moment between the two.  After some suspicion on the part of Tryg, they recognize that he’s been called to their town to battle the evil that we saw manifest itself in the first installment of the series.  Cam is given a place to stay at the rectory with the local priest (who also happens to be a jackal) and encounters the most stunning and compelling man he’s ever come across.   One that makes him miss being able to have a relationship without the fear of shocking his partner – literally.  Trace is more than attracted to Cam, but has secrets of his own that make him continuously try to keep Cam at arms’ length.  

I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that I was alternately fanning myself and reaching for the tissues.  These two had baggage that no matter how out of the ordinary they might have seemed, really tore at my heart.  They were lonely, and while they’d seemed to accept it in some fashion as the “way it is”, it didn’t stop them from trying to work it through anyway.  I think that’s what I like most about Ms. Marsden – she has an innate ability to take the most out of the norm situations and make you suspend your belief without you even being aware of it.  I instantly felt connected to Cam and Trace; I rooted for them to open up to one another and even wanted to smack them when the pair were being stubborn.  I absolutely loved Beast in Me by Sommer Marsden and I can’t wait for the third installment of the Divination Falls series!

Review originally posted on TwoLips Reviews

 Title:    Lion Hearted

 Author: Sommer Marsden

 Publisher:  Xcite Books LTD

 Genre:   GLBT, Paranormal, Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense

 Publication date: January 31, 2013

 ISBN:    978-1-909335-58-5

 # Of Pages: 167

 Rating: 

 Heat: 1.5 pepper (M/M, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Masturbation, Public Sex)

 Series:   Book 1, Divination Falls

Book Blurb:

As the muscle for his pride, Tryg Avondale’s particular skills are called upon to track down two missing teenagers.  He’s under no illusions – this job is a way for him to experience a break from the unforgiving attitude the pride has towards his preference in sexual partner.  He’s a lion and gay, something the pride, who’s huge on procreation, isn’t too keen on.

Along for the road trip is one sweet looking empath by the name of Luke Dorchester.  He seems to sooth the savage beast in Tryg, while heating up the sheets in ways that the lion shifter has never known.  Tryg is determined not to look into the attachment he feels with his new lover, but he’s just as convinced he cannot and will not let him go when the trip is over.   A lusty adventure from nature’s camp grounds to out of the way motel rooms follows as they race to locate the missing shifters.  Their journey find themselves in an “other” friendly place none of the locals really know about, Divination Falls.  There they confront a deep, dark evil that threatens not only the townspeople but also the growing love between Luke and Tryg.

Review:

The first book in the Divination Falls Trilogy, Lion Hearted by Sommer Marsden is a hit right out of the gate.  A plot full of suspense, sex, and romance between two unlikely men kept me on the edge of my seat with a glass of ice water at the ready.  Yes, it was THAT hot.  I appreciated how the author took two men who were essentially outcasts from their respective peer groups and showed how with a little love and understanding, anything was possible.  The relationship seemed to form easily, but not so much so that I found it a leap.  Both Luke and Tryg were lonelier than each realized, denied the loving touch of those that should accept them not because of who they loved, but just because.  The fact that Tryg would still be loyal and dedicated enough to track down a couple of abducted pride members, even after knowing how unaccepting they were overall, speaks well to his character.  Was he perfect? Oh god, no.  He yelled a lot and made assumptions based on past events, but Luke faced each with a quiet calm that you just had to admire.

I’d never read anything by the author prior to this book but I’ll be honest – I can’t wait for the second installment of the trilogy to be released (hopefully it will be Sam and Eliot’s story!).  In the meantime if you like strong male alpha types with a soft heart, hot sex and a good dose of heart stopping suspense, I highly recommend Lion Hearted by Sommer Marsden!

Review originally appeared on TwoLips Reviews

 Title: The Professional

 Series Title: The Professional (3 Part Serial)

 Author: Kresley Cole

 Publisher: Simon and Schuster. Inc.

 Genre: Contemporary BDSM

 Heat level: 3 flames

 Rating: 

Buy link:

Part 1: http://www.amazon.com/The-Professional-Part-Kresley-Cole-ebook/dp/B00E2RX29I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391652188&sr=8-1&keywords=the+professional+kresley+cole

Part 2: http://www.amazon.com/The-Professional-Part-Kresley-Cole-ebook/dp/B00E2RX27A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1391652188&sr=8-3&keywords=the+professional+kresley+cole

Part 3: http://www.amazon.com/The-Professional-Part-Kresley-Cole-ebook/dp/B00E2RX1E4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391652188&sr=8-2&keywords=the+professional+kresley+cole

Entire Series: http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Game-Maker-Kresley-Cole-ebook/dp/B00JYDKV5I/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413070637&sr=8-1&keywords=the+professional+by+kresley+cole

Publisher Blurb:

He makes the rules . . . Mafiya enforcer Aleksandr "The Siberian" Sevastyan’s loyalty to his boss is unwavering, until he meets the boss’s long-lost daughter, a curvy, tantalizing redhead who haunts his mind and heats his blood like no other. Ordered to protect her, Sevastyan will do anything to possess her as well—on his own wicked terms.

Rules are made to be broken . . . PhD student Natalie Porter had barely recovered from her first sight of the breathtakingly gorgeous Sevastyan before the professional hit man whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. With every day she spends under his protection, she falls deeper under his masterful spell.

Are you ready to play? Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy’s reach, Sevastyan spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy in Paris, the two lovers will discover that even their darkest—and most forbidden—fantasies can come true…

Review:

I’ve never read a serial story before, and I was concerned that I'd hate waiting for each piece to be released. I shouldn't have worried; whether read in its separate parts or as a whole, The Professional by Kresley Cole is everything I knew I wanted in a book, and a ton of other things I had no idea I'd like so much. The gritty, action packed, and intensely sexual plot was much more graphic than what I'm used to by Ms. Cole, but she carries it off so easily, you'd think that it was her norm. Coupled with characters that you love (Natalie), and love to hate (because you don't want to love them - Sevastyan), there was no way that I couldn't love it.

Natalie is the girl we all want to be like. She's working full time to pay for college and earn her elusive PhD, and in spite of not knowing who her father is, she seems to be well adjusted and well liked by her friends. Not having a lot of free time to date though has left her lonely - when she can spare a moment to think about it. Natalie has also paid an investigator to try and locate her father, using DNA sampling, and is panicked because she hasn't received any response from him. Putting that to the back of her mind for a night, she hits the local bar with her friends and they make a game of her observation skills to gague potential dates. Not one to find the local offerings interesting enough to sample, she's suddenly drawn to a darkly mysterious man at the bar. Meeting Aleksandr "The Siberian" Sevastyan changed Natalie in ways she couldn't fathom at the time, and it's quickly apparent that the attraction went both ways. Suddenly, she not only knows who her father is, she's become embroiled in the world according to the Russian Mafia. "The Siberian" is no ordinary guy; he is her father's right hand man, his lead enforcer, and more complicated than a Rubik's cube after a sleepless night.

The chemistry that Sevastyan and Natalie have just jumps off of the page and grabs you by the throat. The enforcer knows that he has no business being so enamored of the boss's daughter, but he just can't seem to stay away. Natalie came across a little naive at times, which is understandable considering the culture shock she had to be experiencing, but I think it was instrumental in breaking down Sevastyan's defenses. It was refreshing that she didn't inherently "get it" all at once - her vulnerability lent realism to her character.

I don't want to give any more of the plot away, but I will say this; if you don't like your reading to be liberally sprinkled with dirty, kinky sex, then these serials are probably not for you. Let me repeat, The Professional is a much different feel than Kresely's Immortals After Dark series, though liking one certainly won't preclude you from enjoying the other. I'm living proof of that. I thoroughly enjoyed them both, but for very different reasons. If you don't mind having to fan yourself constantly over scorching set the bed on fire sex, and love an emotional plot packed with twists and turns, then I would definitely recommend that you pick up all three serial installments of The Professional by Kresley Cole. The author will be making all three parts available as one volume in the future, but I'm confident that you won't want to wait that long to figure out what all the fuss is about.