Format: E-book

When April Vine approached me with a review request, I was no longer accepting books for review due to the sheer number of books I have yet to read and review. But somehow, the blurb enticed me enough to accept Unbound for review and from the first chapter itself I was drawn into the story that unfolded and I couldn’t have asked for a more fun read than what Unbound provided.

Michelle Stein is in a whole lot of trouble when her adorable and slightly crazy-in-a-good-way aunts who are witches casts a sex spell on her that renders her senseless enough to want to have sex with anything that moves. And during this moment of intense need, in comes Sebastian Gray, the man who walked away from her 10 years ago, breaking her heart in the process.

Sebastian has always wanted Michelle. The fact that whenever he thinks of home he always thinks of Michelle is one reason why Sebastian comes back to his hometown to find whether Michelle is as sweet as he remembers her to be. The Michelle that he encounters is far more enticing and alluring than he imagined and stirs his blood unlike any other woman.

The fact that Michelle Stein is the strait laced type of heroine who always follows the rules who somehow finds herself in a position that makes her do things that are totally unlike her was one aspect of the novel I enjoyed very much. And Sebastian turned out to be just the type of guy that Michelle needs in order to come out of her comfort zone and embrace who she is in reality.

Through a lot of moments that involuntarily made me howl out in laughter mixed up with scorching hot sex that was raw and unadulterated together with tender and loving, I enjoyed Unbound by April Vine and would recommend it to readers who would love a fun as well as scorching hot read that melts you in ALL the right places!

Favorite Quotes

His back bowed. His c#ck sank into her. All of him. She bit her lip to stop from screaming out. Used all her willpower to relax her body, to accept him inside her, to do whatever he wanted her to do. She held him as he f#cked her, oblivious to the pain until only pure, unadulterated bliss reigned.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | EC

Rating from the sunny side of life: ★★★★☆ 

Caliber Seal: GREAT READ!

Format: E-book

Score Sheet Summary

Logan Grant is the owner of L&G Brokerage, one of the most successful companies in the city. Chandler Santell is the owner of Yoga and Arts Center which she needs to take drastic measures in order to save and that includes going to Logan and risking it all on a deal that could go either way for her.

Chandler is a woman who has been burnt and burnt badly by those she should have been able to trust most. And understandably she is skittish when it comes to passion and feeling too much. But that is exactly what she cannot shy away from when it comes to Logan and his devastating sexuality together with that connection that is forged between these two people who are quite different from one another.

Logan finds his fascination with Chandler an enigma, the burning fire inside his soul an indication that his heart is not made of steel as most people would like to think. In Chandler, Logan finds that elusive feeling called completeness with her by his side. But any wrong move on his part could send Chandler fleeing and it is through a lot of trial and tribulations that these two eventually find their happily ever after.

I loved reading Heart of Steel. Logan and his utter focus on Chandler and the way he pursues her with that single minded intensity of his was such a huge turn on!

Jennifer Probst delivers a good bout of searing sensuality together with a story that sizzles in all the right ways. Recommended!

Favorite Quotes

Chandler prepared for a sensual, teasing game like the night before. What she hadn’t expected was the powerful, drugging need that touched fire to her body when his tongue penetrated the seam of her lips to thrust into her mouth, hungrily plundering the dark, silken depths over and over again. 

“I want you. I’ll drag out every damn secret you have. I’ll stalk every hiding place, haunt your dreams at night, and make your body burn for mine. When you finally surrender, I’ll make you feel more pleasure than you’ve ever known.”

She pressed her body against his, luxuriating in the feel of his hips cradling hers, the lean strength of his thighs, the bold evidence of his arousal. He pulled back, heard her strangled cry of protest, and re-slanted his mouth to kiss her more deeply. He used his lips and teeth and tongue to push her to the limits of control, until she became helpless beneath the onslaught and surrendered completely.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

Rating from the sunny side of life: ★★★★☆ 

Caliber Seal: GREAT READ!

Format: E-book

If you are a fan of Sarah Mayberry and her Blaze line novels, you must have come across Hot Island Nights which was released in September of 2010. In Hot Island Nights, Sarah leaves readers with a tantalizing glimpse into the relationship between Victoria and Martin and I for one was drawn towards it so much so that I mentioned in my review about wanting to read their own story. And finally, with Her Best Worst Mistake which turns out to be Sarah’s first self-pubbed story, she gives her die-hard fans the story of Martin and Violet and believe me, I couldn’t have asked for a more fitting story for the two of them.

Violet Sutcliffe and Martin St Clair tolerates each other’s presence for one reason alone. Their love for Violet’s best friend Elizabeth who happens to be Martin’s fiance is what keeps the claws sheathed behind a veneer of civility whenever they are around each other. Violet thinks Martin to be a bit stiff under the collar, someone who needs to loosen up a bit and live a little. Martin thinks Violet to be a bit too much, a bit too flashy and just a tad too much of everything. 

When Elizabeth leaves a floundering Martin behind in the wake of her realizing that her life is not going in a direction that she wants or needs, Violet is surprised by the feelings of sympathy and a riot of whole other emotions that cruises through her at the thought of Martin being all alone. While Violet battles with the unsettling feelings that seems to unravel deep inside of her all the while thinking that Martin despises her, Martin proves her wrong by turning up on her doorstep and leaves her reeling from the most explosive sexual encounter of her life.

Sarah definitely turns up the heat in this one. I for one have missed the heat she so effectively turns up in her Blaze books, not that I haven’t immensely enjoyed her Super Romance titles – I have. But, a girl needs a little bit of heat every now and then and in Her Best Worst Mistake Sarah gives us that and so much more with each encounter between Martin and Violet turning more explosive than the previous one. Don’t be lulled into thinking that its all about heat and explosions in this story. True to Sarah’s style, she gives readers two characters who have gone through their fair share of trouble in life to become the people they are today.

I loved, loved, loved Martin. I wanted to hug him and never let him go after reading the first couple of chapters. And my love for everything to do with Martin seemed to grow exponentially as the story continued. I wanted to be the one to ruffle his feathers, to make him lose that legendary cool and control of his. And when Violet does just that by merely walking into the same room as he is in; I felt like jumping out of my chair and shouting out “Hallelujah!” at the top of my voice. I was that invested in his character and the emotions that he invoked in me.

Violet was such a swell heroine. I loved her vivacious and bold nature right from the very start. Her loyalty towards her best friend is what keeps the guilt meter at an all time high when she is with Martin. But the attraction and the feelings of the more tender nature that courses through her when she is with Martin are ones not to be denied and I loved her for being true to those feelings, even when all the while conflicted with what she thinks is right and what she considers to be wrong.

The best part about the book was how well Sarah handles the crackling heat between Violet and Martin that they never even identify to be as such. I loved how realistically Sarah portrayed the turn of their relationship. I am always a reader who finds it a bit funny when two people who have such an explosive sexual chemistry right from the very start manages to just stay away from each other until the very last minute until the author is well and ready to deliver on all that tension. In my experience, if two people have that explosive a sexual attraction, it would be hard to just walk away when things tend to reach the point of no return pretty easily. And I loved Sarah for making Martin and Violet’s attraction just that – something I could identify with and loved from the very beginning.

If you have already read and enjoyed Hot Island Nights, I am sure you would have already grabbed your copy of Violet and Martin’s story and enjoyed it as much as I have. If you haven’t, don’t worry, you can still read Her Best Worst Mistake as a standalone. But reading the two books together makes for an awesome loosely tied series which I cannot recommend highly enough!

Explosive, beautiful and tender – a romance not to be missed!

Favorite Quotes

Martin smiled, the slow curve of his mouth revealing a dimple in his left cheek. 

Violet frowned, as she did every time she saw that dimple. 

It didn’t belong on his face. It was as simple as that. Dimples were impish and mischievous. They spoke of laughter and pleasure, not three piece suits and pipes and slippers and cardigans with elbow patches. 

“Why did you lift your top the other night in my office? Why did you flash your breasts at me like that?” he asked, his voice very low, his grey eyes intent on her.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. 
“Liar,” he said, and then he closed the distance between them and his hands were cupping her face and his mouth was lowering toward hers and her heart was beating so hard and fast it was a wonder it didn’t explode. 

“I’m sorry, I have to move. I have to. You’re so bloody tight. So good,” he groaned, his face distorted with need. 
He started to pump into her, long, powerful thrusts, the slap of flesh on flesh and the wet rush of their bodies moving together mingling with their ragged breathing. Everywhere she touched him he was hard as granite, as though every muscle in his body was straining toward completion. She’d never felt more desired, more wanted, more wanton or sexy in her life and she felt her own desire rising higher with every stroke.

Her perfume enveloped him as he reached for her. His hands smoothed over soft fabric before finding the warmth of her skin. She lifted her mouth to his and kissed him hungrily, greedily. 
She tasted so good. Like sin. Like every dirty thought he’d ever had. 

Purchase Links: Amazon | Smashwords

Rating from the sunny side of life: ★★★★¾ 

Caliber Seal: FANTASTIC READ!

Format: E-book

Jess Dee is an author who continually surprises me with how good her books turn out to be. Jess’s books always delivers a scorching hot read, and I mean scorching HOT! And together with that she also delivers that unbeatable combination of well developed characters that totally call out to you and mixes it all up with enough emotion to really make the story worth your while. And let me assure you, Office Affair is no exception to that rule!

Office Affair tells the story of the no-nonsense, one hundred percent goal oriented Melissa Sparks who has lusted after her sexy as sin colleague Ben Cowley from afar for far too long. Ben is a changed man, a man who has had his heart destroyed. Ben doesn’t know what else to do but bury himself in his work and ignore the gaping hole in his heart that hasn’t seemed to heal. And then Melissa turns up at his doorstep, offering herself to him, a strictly no-strings attached sex fest which should have been a dream come true for a guy like Ben who likes his relationships short and without any complications. But then, neither Melissa nor Ben takes into account that strange feeling that takes a hold of you and gives you something worth to hold on to and that is exactly what happens to both of them as their affair burns hotter and brighter than the burning sun.

Office Affair revolves around a lot of sex scenes, all of them top notch and over the top hot that I couldn’t get enough of them. That is why I keep repeating like a broken record that Jess certainly knows what she is doing when she delivers readers with erotica that goes straight to your blood! Ben is such a sexy, sexy, sexy man! He turned my insides to mush with his possessive streak, turned me on far more than I can remember being turned on by a book and left me wanting more, which is exactly how I love my heroes. And Melissa turned out to be such an endearing heroine, whose inner vulnerabilities called out to me and made me yearn for her happily ever after as if it were my own.

Beneath all the searingly mind blowing sex scenes lies the story of two characters who are broken in their own ways, both of them finding that healing touch that makes their future one filled with promise and happiness. For those who are squeamish, there is a menage scene tossed into the story which proves to be a pivotal point in Ben and Melissa’s relationship. And as always Jess handled everything so well that even I, who stay away from menages loved what took place when Ben gave Melissa everything she would ever want and more during that one night of unbeatable passion.

If you are a fan of Jess Dee, I don’t think you would require any further urging on my part to read Office Affair. If not, give Office Affair a go. You would not regret it if you love your sex melt-your-panties-off-hot and the story with enough emotional punch to leave you with a huge smile on your face once the ultimate conclusion is reached. Recommended!

Favorite Quotes

The next time she caught his c#ckhead between her p#ssy lips, he couldn’t hold back. He thrust once, hard, seating himself deep inside her body.

So good.

F#cking amazing.

Tight. Wet. Slippery.

Perfect. So f#cking perfect.

The orgasm slammed through him, hauling the breath from his body. He could no more have prevented it than he could have pulled away from her. He came hard. So hard he couldn’t keep his eyes open. Couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.
Couldn’t…
Oh, God. Oh, f#ck. So good. So f#cking good.

Gasping, searching for breath and inhaling only the heady scent of musk and sex, Ben realized one thing. He had just had the most powerful orgasm of his life—with his colleague.

“Ben!” She called his name, begged him.
“Right behind you, sweetness.”
And just like that a pair of hands wrapped around her hips, legs pressed close to hers, and something hard brushed the sensitized lips of her p#ssy.
Hard. God, so gloriously hard.
It didn’t vibrate. Not even a little bit, but with one clean thrust, that something hard filled her. Filled her, stretched her and delighted her like the toy would never have been able to.
Ben.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Samhain

Rating from the sunny side of life: ★★★★¼ 

Caliber Seal: AWESOME READ!

Format: E-book

Ladies! The days of stereotyping geeks are over. Meet Vincent, the geek of MY dreams and please take note of the ‘my’ in the sentence while you are at it *winks*. Cari Quinn has a talent for creating geeky heroes that appeal to all your senses and Vincent was no exception to this rule.

Vincent Armand Buonfiglio is a network specialist by day and an erotic romance writer by night. Oft late, his muse has sort of disappeared leaving him in a dry spell in more ways than one. Vincent needs to find something to jolt start the words that needs to flow in order for him to finish his book and Katherine Julia Wyatt (Kiki) seems like the best bet when she has been occupying far too much of his thoughts ever since he had seen her around 5 months back.

Kiki is determined that her crush on Vincent remain just that, a crush. She has no intention of getting entangled with a man who is notorious for leaving bleeding hearts in his wake and Kiki knows that although her girly bits would love nothing more than to jump his bones, her heart and other emotions are more wary of laying her heart on the line ever again.

But somehow, through a quirky set of events, both Kiki and Vincent find themselves in each other’s company, saying yes to that undeniable desire that courses through them whenever they lay eyes on each other. For Vincent, Kiki is someone who tests and pushes his comfort zone and tests his boundaries when it comes to his emotional involvement. Kiki has no doubt in her mind that when it comes to Vincent, everything between them is temporary and she is determined to not put her heart on the line.

But sometimes, the best of intentions are waylaid, and through all the chaos that reins, two people do find that special something called love that is worth holding on to, and that is exactly what Cari gives her readers with the story of Vincent and Kiki.

Vincent is such a fabulous hero. I swear. He is broody, a bit tortured and possessive enough to make this girl melt in all the right ways. I loved how possessive Vincent’s thoughts turn when it comes to Kiki, a foreign concept for a man like himself. And his ‘surliness’ as a result lends him that edge that I find extra appealing when it comes to heroes that I love. And yes, Vincent wins any contest in that department hands down.

Kiki was a wonderful heroine, everything that Vincent needs in his life and more. She is beautiful inside and out and her giving nature is what drew me to her and kept me a fan until I turned the very last page. She has her own issues when it comes to relationships and giving her trust, understandable after what she has gone through. But her willingness to put it to test with Vincent who makes all her senses hum just by being in the same room made her win my affection. I love a heroine who doesn’t dilly dally and Kiki is someone who is gutsy enough to go after what she wants and I loved her wholeheartedly for that.

A little toned down in the sexual aspect than what Cari usually delivers, nevertheless Virgin Territory makes for an awesome read, a book that is worth your time and money if a good, emotional contemporary romance is what you are itching to get your hands on.

Favorite Quotes

He threaded his hand through her hair, tugging her closer. Her body strained toward him, her breasts all but bursting the buttons of her flannel pajamas. She swallowed the last of the candy cane as he lowered his mouth to hers.

He didn’t ravage, as she’d expected. His mouth was soft and warm on hers, and the scrape of his stubbled jaw added to the thrill. She moaned and clung to him, her mind emptying like sand tumbling from a bucket.

Resist? Absolutely not. She wanted this. Him.

He tugged her over the threshold with his good arm, barely cognizant of her startled squeak before his mouth swooped down to cover hers. She tasted pepperminty, as if she’d been sucking on a candy cane again. He swept his tongue between her lips to taste more of her while her arms locked around his neck.

There were so many ways he could have answered her snarky question. But sometimes, direct worked best. Leaning forward, he hooked a finger in the waistband of her pants and tugged. She stepped forward without hesitation and met his mouth hungrily.
Well, hello.
[...]
She wound her hands into his hair, arching against him so that her thighs pressed against his. With the added height from her heels, everything lined up perfectly. Center to center, mouth to mouth, heart to heart.

Soft. She was so soft, and warm. So giving as she moved with him. Rising to take him in, the covers shrouding her back as she arched.
His lips clasped her nipple and she cried out, her fingernails dragging down his hips. She clamped around him. Squeezing. Taking. Giving more.

She surrounded him. Wet, hot. Indescribable. Spasms rocked her, and she lost herself in their rhythm, riding him so fast she was nothing but a blur. But as much as he wished it would never end, no times tables and no images of grungy linoleum floors could keep the flood of her orgasm from inciting his own.

Rating from the sunny side of life: ★★★★¼ 

Caliber Seal: AWESOME READ!

The evening breeze caressed my skin
as your lips touched my forehead..
The need that coursed through me,
took me by surprise..
A need so elemental
that sprang  to life deep inside of me,
that even long afterwards,
the thought of it has the power to drive me over the edge

Your voice whispered across my senses
And somehow I realized that I had been fooling myself all along
thinking that I would be able to resist, when push came to shove

 I turned my head around
Sought your lips with mine
And suddenly the world outside ceased to exist

I could only identify with one thing and one thing alone
And that was the need that coursed through me
to have more, to feel more and to hold on to you for far longer than possible..

Every stroke of your  tongue against mine
liquefied my insides
turning my body into mush
a willing instrument for you to do with as you pleased..

I cursed the fates and
I thanked whatever it was that brought you to me
Because it had been far too long since
I have lived in this numb shell of mine

If nothing else
The memories of what you gave to me,
The kiss that stirred me to my soul and beyond..
would always remain with me
haunting me with the need to return to you
to feel once again
what I can only feel with you… 

Format: E-book

Love’s Rhythm by Lexxie Couper is loosely tied to the story Tropical Sin Lexxie Couper that was published as part of The Bandicoot Cove anthology. Since I am not someone who enjoys menage stories, I refrained from reading Tropical Sin and I believe that Love’s Rhythm stands perfectly well as a standalone though Nick’s character might make a deeper impact on you (if at all that’s possible) if you read Tropical Sin first.

Nick Blackthorne is the stuff dreams and I mean erotic as well as sappy love dreams are made out of. Almost 37 years old, Nick is the ultimate rockstar who has had more than his fair share of fame and fortune. Sinfully good looking with a rich voice to die for and the lyrics of his songs which practically speaks to the soul of his fans, Nick is a man who seems to have everything going for him.

34 year old Lauren Robbins is a small town school teacher and the mother of 15 year old Josh who is the centre of her very existence. Lauren might keep her secrets closely guarded but at night she dreams of the man whose haunting music to which falls asleep to every night, the man who tore apart her world when he chose fame and fortune instead of giving them both the chance they deserved.

Nick’s restless musing and the memories invoked by the lyrics of the very first song of his that had broken records has Nick turning up in his hometown of Murriundah, wanting nothing more than to apologize to the one woman whom he should have done right by. From the first kiss itself that scorches and turns turns the tables around shoving all of Nick’s noble and good intentions aside, Nick becomes a man determined to show the love of his life that they both deserve a second chance and that this time he is committed to staying.

Love’s Rhythm was such a perfectly fantastic read that the first night I picked up the story I couldn’t put the book down. It was only the thoughts of falling asleep while at work the next day that made me reluctantly put the book down and sleep. Even through the rest of the busy work week that followed, I found myself thinking about Nick and those kisses of his that just reaches deep inside of you and tugs at your baser emotions. There wasn’t a single part of me that didn’t crave for Nick’s kisses and I could have seriously gone on reading about his kisses alone, because yes, they were that good.

Lexxie Couper is an author whose snarky humor always gets to me. I love and revel in a story that can make me smile, and an author who can write scenes of passion that can rock the very foundations of my existence is an author who earns my utmost respect. And with just having read two of her books, I can safely say that Lexxie is an author who has got what it takes and her Australian heroes just about makes me want to hop on the next plane and make my way to the land down under.

Nick makes for purr-fect hero material. His intensity, the way his focus never wavers from the goal in sight and the way he could just make me melt on the very spot won me over from the very start. I loved that Nick feels emotions deep into his very soul, that he lets his emotions play a huge role in the music that comes from the depths of his very being. And when he realizes that Lauren is the spark that ignites his very soul, there is no stopping him from laying it all out for the rest of the world to see and that in my eyes makes him one of the greatest heroes ever!

Lauren is scared, and rightfully so when she had been shattered the last time Nick had walked out on their life together. It had broken her apart and had taken her a long time to feel a semblance of normalcy in her life and when Nick turns up again and stirs everything up includng her voracious appetite for the man in question, needless to say Lauren is scared out of her wits in fear that all her secrets are about to come out in the open and that there would be no stopping them. Deep in her heart, Nick is the man Lauren yearns for and she knows that there would be none other who can complete her in the way Nick does. And I loved Lauren for being wise enough to accept that fact.

If a scorching hot read enough to melt your panties off with enough emotion to suckerpunch you when you need it and that unique dose of humor that can make you chuckle out loud is what the doctor ordered for the day; grab yourself a copy of Lexxie’s latest and indulge. You definitely cannot go wrong.

Like the lyrics of a beautiful song that resonates through you, Love’s Rhythm is a story that would blow you away because with Nick Blackthorne smoldering up the pages, Lexxie Couper demands no less!

Favorite Quotes

Lauren returned her phone to her ear. “Jenny!” she snapped, “I don’t have time right now. I need your help. I can’t move Nick by myself and I can’t leave him on the ground. He’ll catch a cold—”

“A cold?” Jennifer interrupted. “You can’t leave him on the ground because he’ll catch a cold? How ’bout you can’t leave him on the ground because he’s Nick Blackthorne?”

“Lauren,” he murmured.
She looked up into his face, into his glazed eyes. Her lips parted to say something cutting, pithy, witty—God, anything would be better than nothing—when he leant toward her, those angry-sky eyes of his growing intense with clarity, and then his mouth was on hers.
Lord, he still kisses…
His tongue dipped past her lips, seeking and finding hers with little resistance. He tasted as good as he had fifteen years ago—toothpaste and coffee and him. He tasted as good. He smelt as good. He felt as good.

Her tongue touched his, hesitant, almost shy. It was enough. Enough to bring their past, their passion, their desire, rushing back to him. He groaned, low and unabashed, and plunged his tongue deeper into her mouth, his hands snaking around her waist to snare her shirt in two tight fistfuls. She whimpered in reply, the sound pushing him over the edge.
With another groan—this one far more aggressive—he yanked her to his body, taking utter possession of her mouth as his hands roamed her back. She fit to his frame with perfection, firm and soft and lush. Nothing had changed. Her body against his ignited a primitive need in him he’d never been able to vocalize, not in song or word, no matter how many times he’d tried. It sparked a want beyond the physical.

She’d always loved beautiful underwear—lacey bras and knickers, usually white or the deepest burgundy. What colour was she wearing today?
His heart slammed faster at the thought and, unable to stop himself, he shifted his arm, bunching up her shirt to reveal that which his hand so desperately wanted to possess.
“Oh, babe,” he groaned, his stare falling on a cherry-red bra perfectly cupping her breast. Her nipple strained at the delicate lace, drawing his attention and making his breath quicken. “You are as beautiful as I remember.”

The kiss was deep and thorough and utterly possessive. It claimed her lips and rendered her knees weak. His hands cupped her face, his fingertips coming to rest on her temples, his thumbs stroking her cheekbones. His tongue delved into her mouth, seeking hers. Finding it, mating with it. She wanted to stop him, she knew she should—it was insane to let him kiss her like this—but the second the notion of pulling away entered her mind it was washed away by the waves of desire and need Nick’s kiss sent surging through her.

“I bet Josh doesn’t kiss you like that, Lauren,” he said, his voice as strained as her own. He pulled a ragged breath, his eyes half-lidded, his pupils dilated. “Tell me he does and I’ll walk away right now, but I’ll know if you’re lying. I always did. I don’t want to compete for you, babe, but I will. I will show you what this Josh can’t give you, I will reawaken the pleasure I gave you all those years ago until you can’t think of anyone else but me. Until you forget all about Josh and let me make you mine again.”

She wanted his swollen length in her hand, in her mouth, in her c#nt. She writhed against him, bare feet slapping on the floor as he spun around and propelled her backward.
Her arse hit the door first. His hips ground against her second. He fucked her mouth with his tongue, plundering, taking, possessing. And all the while his hands raked her body. Under her shirt, over her ribs, capturing her breast. She moaned, the sound turning to a cry when he pulled her pyjama top over her head and tossed it aside.

[...] And before she knew it the word was on her lips, lips being bitten and nibbled by his. “Pill,” she burst out on a breath. “I’m on the—”
He was inside her before she could finish the sentence. Inside her, stretching her. Pumping into her, one hand yanking her leg up around his hip, squeezing her arse, the other cupping and kneading her breast, pinching her nipple.

She came and then he was coming with her, his c#ck pumping inside her, his rhythm wild and frantic. His hands held her, gripped her. His moans became something else, something primitive and primal. The sound of utter release and absolute pleasure. The very sounds falling from her lips in shallow, moaning cries of surrender.

She swallowed thick spurts of release with fierce hunger, her own moans rising to his ears, vibrating through his shaft. He bucked into her, thrust into her, pumped into her mouth until rhythm ceased to exist to him and his body was no longer his, but hers. Until his seed was drained of him, and her tongue washed him clean.
Until he was lost to her. Christ, he was lost to her.

He entered the room, noticing three things at once. There was a fire beginning to build in the small brick fireplace on the wall to his left, the room smelt like its owner, clean and delicate and flowery, and Lauren lay stretched on the bed. Naked.
His heart slammed harder against his chest and his c#ck twitched again. At this rate, it wouldn’t take long at all before he would be sliding into her. Jesus, just looking at her turned him on. Turned him on and left him at her mercy. No, that wasn’t right. Left him…absolute. Without her in his life, he’d been insubstantial.

“Goddess,” he rasped, running his hands over her hips, up her legs.
“Lover,” she whispered back, threading the fingers of her right hand through the fingers of his left and moving his hand to her breast. It was heavy and swollen and ripe with desire. He scraped his thumb over her nipple, loving the way she closed her eyes and hummed in appreciation. He loved that she was in charge. He loved how she took pleasure from his body with such confident leisure. He loved how she squeezed her innermost muscles in pulse after deliberate, exquisite pulse as she rode his length. He loved how he was just that to her, her lover, not Nick Blackthorne rock star, but just the man she gave her body, her heart, her soul to. He loved her. Everything about her.

He slid inside her, his body moving over hers as she lay stretched out on her sofa, his kiss worshipping her mouth, his length embedded deep in her heat. He slid inside her, moved inside her, and there were no words. There were no words, no music, nothing but the rhythm of their hearts beating, the moans of their pleasure, the sound of their lovemaking. It was the most haunting, beautiful song Lauren had ever heard.
And it was enough. It was all she needed. For now, it was all she needed.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Samhain

Rating from the sunny side of life: ★★★★¾ 

Caliber Seal: FANTASTIC READ!

Format: Paperback

Score Sheet Summary

Uncaged by Lucy Gordon is a novel that has a promising and different premise that sucked me right in. Rather than the hero who has been wronged, it is the heroine Megan Elizabeth Anderson who finds herself accused of a murder that she did not commit and jailed for a period of 3 years until a technicality overlooked during the investigation sets her free. During the time that she had lost from her life, it had been the thoughts of her son Tommy and her burning hatred for the man who had been relentless in his belief that she was the murderess and set about to proving it without any thought or feeling that had been the focal point of her thoughts and dreams.

What makes Uncaged different is that it is the hero Detective Inspector Daniel Keller who makes the biggest mistake in his career when he wrongfully convicts and sends an innocent woman to jail. Daniel’s life had been far from perfect when the case had come to his attention and he had heeded advice from well meaning friends to take a break and grieve as he deserved to before trying to bury himself in work.

Thus circumstances, guilt and a whole lot of other conflicting emotions brings Daniel to Megan’s door, Megan who wants nothing more than to make Daniel as miserable as she is feeling. But as mistrust and other hostile feelings give away from both ends, there comes to light a desire for each other that surpasses any other emotion that they both have known, a desire that blinds them both into accepting the reprieve and emotional high that only they both can give each other.

Daniel is a hero who awakens so many emotions deep inside of you. You feel for his suffering, his anguish and empathize with what he was going through when he had made the worst mistake of his life. His guilt is an almost tangible one, that never ending grief in his eyes one that reaches out to you from the very start. Megan is quite the heroine who belongs in my list of unusual heroines. She is bold, vivacious and has a temper that fires up quite easily and she is a beauty that drove and continues to drive men crazy. Both Megan and Daniel have suffered so much in the past and the way they are able to see beyond their own suffering to empathize with the other was what made this book unforgettable.

Though the execution of the story could have been better, nevertheless I enjoyed the story and would recommend this read to those who love romances based around female convicts.

Favorite Quotes

With a low growl from his very depths, he pulled her against him and smothered her mouth with his own. There was madness in the passion that swept over him, engulfing him in its pounding urgency. Everything about this situation was insane. He knew that, but he was helpless in the grasp of sensstions that he’d never experienced before.

Through the roaring of her senses she managed to murmur, “Daniel…”
“Yes,” he said hoarsely.
“We shouldn’t do this…I know we shouldn’t….”
“Then tell me to stop.” She looked up at him helplessly, and with a groan he covered her mouth again. “Tell me to stop,” he repeated in a voice that was half command, half plea.
“I can’t…you know I can’t…”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | AbeBooks

Rating from the sunny side of life: ★★★¾☆ 

Caliber Seal: GOOD READ!

Format: E-book

Once in a while, you are lucky enough to come across a novel that calls to you, that feeds your senses and tantalizes you, that just makes you wish that the magic would continue. Breaking the Rules by Barbara Samuel was a novel I got off of Amazon for free from the bestselling lists for Kindle books. And boy, was I blown away with the story that unfolded, getting myself completely tangled up in the story that was just sheer magic to experience.

Rhetta Madeline O’Neal (Mattie) is on the run and finds herself in the nondescript town of Kismet in Arizona where she barely gets settled before the rough, tough and rugged Zeke Shepard strolls in and completely unhinges her and throws her emotions haywire. At a passing glance, Mattie might not be the type of woman that catches your eye but for Zeke right from the very beginning that he lays eyes on the drowning pools of her brown eyes, instinct tells him to turn his back and walk away and never look back.

Mattie knows that if she were to stay around much longer, she would risk blowing the cover that she has worked so hard to muster up and that Zeke could make all the bonds that holds her cards unravel and come crashing down. But fate plays a hand when the very men that Mattie is running from turns up in Kismet and it is Zeke who rides to her rescue on his big and mean Harley like a dark fallen angel who would do everything in his power to keep her safe from the woes of the killers that are after her.

Zeke might tell himself that he is hardened enough to turn his back on a woman in need but when push comes to shove, Zeke is just the type of softie that would make any woman’s heart melt. Zeke has numerous scars on his body that tells a story of a nightmarish childhood and the walls of steel around his heart remains impeccably strong until he gets tangled up in Mattie’s life. Zeke takes her away to the one place he considers as his home, his cabin up in the mountains that is surrounded by tranquility and peace if nothing else.

But peace and pure thoughts are the furthest thing from Zeke’s mind as he wages an internal war with himself, his desire for Mattie which continues to grow by the minute that unsettles him and shreds away at his control that has never failed him before. As the recipient of abuse at such a tender age, control is what Zeke thrives on, and being throttled by an overload of emotions is not what Zeke considers to be his forte.

But Mattie is a woman who has an abundance of patience, understanding and a soothing quality to her very touch that arouses, inflames and comforts all at the same time. Zeke might tell himself that he doesn’t want nor need any of what Mattie is offering but deep down inside Zeke knows that it is a losing battle that he fights with himself when the innocent hunger that blazes into life in Mattie’s eyes is one that he wouldn’t be able to turn away from.

I don’t think I can adequately describe what this novel did to me. I was taken away on a journey that was pure magic right from the very moment that Zeke takes Mattie away into the mountains, the way that Barbara brings to life the beauty of their surroundings one that charmed me in all the ways that matter. Zeke might tell himself and project that attitude that he is a mean son of a bitch, but the home he has built with his own hands from scratch and the sensual beauty of the place that he calls his home tells a story of its own.

Zeke is a man who sets the pages afire just by setting his foot in the scene. He is the larger-than-life type of hero that gets to me every single time, his intimidating size at odds with the way that he holds Mattie close to him and gives her shelter in his embrace. He is the type of man that as you read along you wish were yours to call your own, the type of man that can fuel your fire for quite some time to come. I can go on rehashing all those qualities that made me drool over and got drawn towards Zeke and I don’t think I would be able to do justice to his character even then.

Mattie was such a wonderful heroine. When a writer gets the heroine right in a story, that’s when I really admire the author’s talent. Mattie is the type of heroine who is comfortable in her skin, who doesn’t need to go out of her way to prove her mettle and worth to everyone she meets. She might not have been the world’s best judge of character when it had come to her ex-fiance but her instincts are spot on when it comes to Zeke and his lethal effect on her senses and heart that could prove more dangerous to her in the end.

The passion between Zeke and Mattie is scorching hot, brought vividly and so beautifully to life amidst the tranquility and beauty of the Colorado mountains where it seems as if Zeke and Mattie are the only souls who live on this Earth. That cocoon of well being is however intruded upon when reality comes crashing down and Zeke does what he does best; push away anyone that can lay siege on his heart and emotions. But Zeke underestimates the power of the love that courses through him, shaking the very foundation of his existence and giving him the explanation he has been seeking all the while for the way he has broken every single rule that has governed him for most of his adult life ever since he met Mattie.

There is nothing more you can ask from a romance when your whole self is immersed in the story, when all your emotions are engaged and I found myself in tears so many times throughout the novel that I think my ophthalmologist appointment today is not going to go down very well. There was this moment in the story when Zeke holds a baby in his arms and sways to the music, all the while whispering to him to calm him down. And then there was the moment when Zeke goes to visit his horse Orthello, the connection between man and horse an almost physical one that just makes you ache deep in your heart. And towards the end, I just cried from all the emotion overload that happened to me when Mattie once again turns up in Zeke’s life, giving him that opportunity to profess his feelings for her and make her stay a permanent one this time around.

The only thing that would have really made this book an outstanding one would have been a beautiful epilogue to wrap it all up, maybe 5 or 6 years after the last chapter takes place to show how Zeke and Mattie had faired as a married couple. I would have loved to see my Zeke all happy, without any of those shadows that haunts him surrounding him and only sunshine and happiness lurking in those beautiful green eyes of his.

Breaking the Rules is a novel that made me cry and one that made me smile deep within my heart because the sheer beauty of the storytelling and the emotions that it invoked demanded no less.

I cannot recommend this novel highly enough to anyone and everyone who loves a good dose of romance. 

I am definitely getting myself acquainted with each and every single title by Barbara Samuel. If the rest of her stories are half as good as this one, I would remain a very happy reader for the time to come.

Favorite Quotes

Yesterday in the restaurant, she’d seen his sex appeal and roughness. At her house, she’d seen his danger. This morning, at the river, she’d seen his beauty and teasing, and again that danger.

Of all of them, the tenderness she saw now was the most compelling. And terrifying.

His mouth. It touched hers lightly, just touched at first. And it seemed every nerve in her body suddenly rushed toward her mouth to join the explosion of sensation his lips brought. He moved his head and his mouth slid one way, then the other, and his fingers tightened around her neck, pulling her closer.

She wanted him. Not in the sweet way of poetry, though there was that music in the symmetry of his body, in the careful meshing of bone and sinew and flesh that made him.
Her want was raw. Physical. She felt it in the palms of her hands and the flesh of her lips and the heaviness of her breasts.
In her life, she’d been hungry, and thirsty. She’d needed sleep. She had never, in her life, needed to touch a man.

He kissed her before he knew he would do it. Cupped her small head against his hand and bent to touch her lips with his own, lightly tasting that sensuous mouth. He closed his eyes to feel it better—the moist plumpness of unseasoned lips, flavored with coffee and sugar and something that belonged only to her. And like an exhausted man sinking with gratitude into the down of a pillow, he sank into the softness, losing himself as he explored the edges and corners, the sensitive inner edge. He suckled gently and heard her sigh as she inclined her head to take him more fully.

He kissed her violently, wanting to somehow inhale her into himself, unable to stop the fury of his reaction, the trembling rocking hunger for her—so vast and all-encompassing, he couldn’t stand it.
Mattie, flowing all around him, met his savagery. He clasped her hips hard against him, found himself biting her neck, laving her breasts with his tongue. He felt such unblunted, furious desire he thought he might die of it.

The man was in his late thirties, with coarse black hair and a powerfully angled face. The horse with him made a sudden noise, a high whining sound, and its graceful head tossed, jerked. The man let the reins go, and the horse galloped to the fence where Zeke stood waiting.
Mattie glanced at him. He’d climbed onto the fence and leaned over the top, softly whistling a series of notes. On his face was an expression Mattie had never seen—equal parts joy and sorrow. 

His mouth was wet and hot and intensely demanding, so sharp and piercing with need that it broke through Mattie’s defenses the way nothing else could have. A burst of excruciating hunger made her almost frantic with wanting him. She shifted in his arms and met his kiss wide open, giving as furiously as she took.
“Oh, Mattie,” he said against her mouth. “I’ve never wanted a woman in my life like I want you. You’re driving me crazy.”

She came apart, and Zeke let go, driving into her without restraint, thrilling to the cry that escaped her throat. Her body convulsed around him, a roaring filled his ears.
He splintered into a billion pieces.
His heart, made of thinnest glass, shattered.

He looked up at the rain and closed his eyes, his hands still wrapped around her back. Mattie knew with an acute awareness that she would always remember this moment: both of them nude in the falling twilight of a mountain summer, sated and yet still hungry, Zeke’s strong face tipped to received the gift of rain, his broad hands warm on her. 

Mattie watched him cross the clearing with long-limbed ease, his movements loose and calm. His hair shone in the sunlight. Her heart caught. Strider.
Yes, she loved him. It wasn’t logical or sensible or anything of those other things. He was not the kind of man she’d daydreamed about all of her life, safe and stolid and dependable, but he was the one. The One.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Kobo 

Rating from the sunny side of life: ★★★★¾ 

Caliber Seal: FANTASTIC READ!

Thanks to everyone who made this giveaway a huge success.

A HUGE thank you to Tracey Garvis-Graves (who is really awesomely cool btw.) for spreading the word about the giveaway and being kind enough to answer the questions that I posed to her within such short notice.

The winners have already been emailed. Please respond back to me before the end of April 4, 2012.

Winners of the e-copies of On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves.

1. Taryn Elliott
2. Corinne

Winner of the 25$ Amazon gift certificate is Brie.

A warm round of congratulations to ALL the winners.