Review of Below the Belt (Worth the Fight #3) by Sidney Halston

Who needs pancakes?!?!

 

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance (MMA)

Book Length (Est.): 272 Pages

Book Description/Synopsis: 

In Sidney Halston’s latest sizzling MMA romance, a former title contender turns the tables on his knockout trainer with a lesson in seduction.

Once one of the most sought-after names on the mixed martial arts circuit, Antonio “Scarface” Marino watched his career go down for the count as he chased skirts and made tabloid headlines. Now he’s finally making a comeback, and it’s all thanks to Francesca Silva, a Brazilian bombshell as tough as any of her fighters. But who’s the real Francesca: the trash-talking trainer who rides him hard, or the vulnerable woman who blushes at his touch?

Francesca went to the mat to sign Tony because she believes he still has the potential to bring big success to her gym—if she can keep his head in the cage and out of her personal life. After a short-lived marriage soured her on love, a one-night stand is all she can handle. Now Tony’s kisses are stirring up complicated feelings—especially when he agrees to face her ex in the ring. Francesca’s used to freezing guys out. But Tony’s tempting her to give in to the heat.

 

YAY – Double Review!

 

Jennifer’s Review:

*I received an ARC of this book free from NetGalley on behalf of Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept in exchange for an honest review*

I had so many highlights on my kindle for this book that I’m not even sure where to begin. Below the Belt has an ass kicking feminine lead, an imperfectly perfect sexy MMA fighter, princess named kittens, and all the characters I loved from the first two books in the Worth the Fight series.

Francesca is a suit wearing, high heeled strutting, beautiful woman who not only owns a MMA gym, but can also be known to put a man in his rightful place. But it’s all a façade. A mask she’s worn so long she doesn’t even know who she is anymore. And she’s fine with her life…until she signs Antonio.

Tony used to be the best, but age and life has caught up to him and Francesca and the WtF gym are basically his last chance. He should be grateful, he should be ecstatic, but all he can think about is the sexy woman who’s always jumping his ass to work harder.

In Tony’s attempt to get the woman he’s infatuated with things become much more than he ever would have expected. It won’t be just her body he’s after, oh no, he also will want her heart. Problem is Francesca is unable to give her heart to anyone, not even the man who she’s grown to truly care about.

Below the Belt is another great book in the Worth the Fight series. It has humor mixed with the complicated emotional love story. It’ll make you laugh, it’ll put your heart in your throat, and it’ll make you love Sidney Halston for writing another incredible book.

My Favorite Laughable Moments: Honestly I have a few. I love it when Francesca explains their relationship timeline. Not exactly traditional, but it sure was hilarious. Oh, and when they discuss meals that are better than pancakes…first his and then hers…her response made me laugh out loud. And I’m sure there are more like when his mother smells her chicken soup, but I’ll end with Tony’s ‘notes to self’ when Francesca is drunk. They were kind of hilarious. 

My Favorite Moment: When Tony calls Francesca out after she attacks his car…when he tells her what she should be saying to him. Talk about emotional!

 

Mindy’s Review:

*I received an ARC of this book free from NetGalley on behalf of Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept in exchange for an honest review*

Antonio “Scarface” Marino’s career is going down fast. Worth the Fight takes him on to help renew his image, train him and get him some fights. Tony is a hot head fighter that does not know the word defeat, or the fact that he is getting older. If you ask him he can win a fight without even training.

Francesca “Frankie” Silva is the co-owner of Worth the Fight and decided to give Tony a chance to help make the facility some money. She is finding it very hard to keep his head on training and fighting and out of her personal life.

Frankie had a short marriage in her younger days that has made her very closed off from the idea of being in a relationship. With Tony asking her out almost every day she is finding it very difficult to stand her ground. He just wants to go out with her and she just wants him to put that same effort into training.

Tony gets his chance to meet the real Frankie when he is signed to his next match……her ex-husband. Finally getting her to agree to a date and him putting in all the training that he can, it seems that life is turning out to be great. Until trust gets in the way.

I loved this book. This is the third book in the Worth the Fight series and I was not let down. The chemistry between Frankie and Tony is intense and it fits them perfectly. They both have series issues but together they are whole.

Please say Cain gets the next book!!

My Favorite Moment: I absolutely loved and laughed so hard when Francesca finally met Antonio’s mother. Oh for the love of soup! 

*Clicking on the book cover above will take you to the Amazon purchase page.

Review of Little Kisses by Doug Court

Pleasurable Innocence

Genre: Erotica

Book Length (Est.): 28 Pages

Book Description/Synopsis:  

Some nights he’s a bouncer, some nights he fights in the MMA ring; tonight, he saves innocent young singer Emily Graham from a confrontation with her obsessive ex-boyfriend.

Her record label is making a fortune off her Christian songs and chaste image, but she’s had other urges stirring inside her; and a pickup truck, a full moon, and the rough-living brute who protected her are about to unleash her true passions, and change him forever.

This is the debut erotic romance story from Doug Court.

8,000 words, explicit.

Jennifer’s Review: 

*I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Little Kisses is a short story about fantasy becoming a life altering reality. It’s told in first person from the man’s point of view, but not once does it mention his name. I don’t think I even realized that until I started to write my review and then I had to go back and double check, but no, not even when he meets her face to face does he say what his name is. So much for introductions.

Emily is sweet, but she’s feeling the pressures of her manhandling ex and all the suits who want to make money off of her. Just once she wants to let go and experience life without someone telling her what to do…and she does that with a stranger she meets in a hotel parking lot.

From innocence to little kisses to purple panties tucked into pockets. Now that’s a night to remember.

“I would have bet everything in my wallet on her picking cab.” 

It’s a very quick read and the ending will leave you wanting more, but that’s just because it’s left open and honestly it left me feeling kind of bad for him.

*Clicking on the book cover above will take you to the Amazon purchase page.

Review of More (All or Nothing #2) by Lea Griffith

A captivating sexy suspense!

 

Genre: Contemporary Romance, BDSM, Erotica, Suspense

Book Length (Est.): 261 Pages

Book Description/Synopsis:  

Sure to please fans of erotic romance, Lea Griffith’s All or Nothing series returns to the deepest places of longing and obsession.

Three years ago, Ruthie Copeland ran away from an erotic connection that shook her to the core. Now she realizes that Tobias Edwards is the only man who can give her what she craves. Determined to reignite the dangerous flame between them, Ruthie seeks him out at The Underground—and discovers a changed man. Though Ruthie, blind since childhood, cannot see the scars on Toby’s face that forced him to seal off his heart, her gentle submission eases the pain of her body’s only Master.

Toby stopped feeling after Ruthie left, stopped expecting to find release in meaningless dominance play. Now that Ruthie has taken their dance to the limits of ecstasy, Toby’s lost in a haze of sensation. Yet the enemies that left him disfigured may reappear at any moment. Ruthie’s love gives him the strength to face those who seek to break him, but Toby fears he must leave her to save her life.

More is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

 

YAY – Double Review!

 

Jennifer’s Review: 

*I received an ARC of this book free from NetGalley on behalf of Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept in exchange for an honest review*

Blindness does not equal incompetence. Ruthie is one strong and feisty woman who doesn’t take no for answer when she truly wants something. Life hasn’t always been fair to her, but she has never let her disability keep her down. Known as the Blind Painter she has turned her passion for painting into a very profitable business, but she wants more. She wants Toby. And this time she isn’t letting him push her away.

Toby isn’t the most prestige citizen. His life has been wrapped in crime since he was young, but with the help of his friend/Ruthie’s brother, Jeremiah, and The Underground things have slowly been changing. Although there will always be those links that connect him to the unsavory crime filled life and he doesn’t want Ruthie anywhere near that part of him. He’s damaged goods and she’s too good for him. No matter how badly he wants her, he won’t push his darkness onto her light.

Now that Ruthie is back in town she will get Toby back, no ifs ands or buts about it. And he will without a doubt give into her stubborn beauty, but when past crimes threaten their future he will stop at nothing to keep her safe, even if it means pushing her away…again.

More is filled with strong characters, intense passions, blazing hot sex, and don’t let me forget the crime, torture, and suspense. It’s a perfect balance that will keep you glued to the pages. I cannot wait to read book #3, Never Enough.

My Favorite Laughable Moment: I absolutely loved when Ruthie shows up at The Underground to witness, front row, Toby’s scene with another woman…too bad he’s unable to finish once he sees her there. What she says to him about his panties had me laughing. 

My Favorite Moment: I love what Ruthie says to Jeremiah at the end of this book when she reminds him of what she said at the age of nine.

 

Mindy’s Review: 

*I received an ARC of this book free from NetGalley on behalf of Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept in exchange for an honest review*

Ruthie Copeland wants to be dominated by the one man that she has loved since she could remember. She has a craving that can only be provided by her brother’s best friend and business partner, Tobias Edwards.

Tobias Edwards is all business and does not want to see Ruthie hurt. Given his past he knows it will eventually catch up with him. Sending Ruthie away is the best thing for both of them.

Ruthie does not let her blindness get in the way of what she desires. Being gone for three years she knows Tobias is the only man that can give her what she and him both need. She will stop at nothing to get her man. When Tobias’ past comes full circle Ruthie will be in more danger than she might be able to handle.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Being the second book in the series All or Nothing I was really excited to get my hands on this, and I was in for a dominating, suspenseful, lust driven surprise. The chemistry between Ruthie and Tobias is scorching! They have deep love for each other and it shows even when they are trying to stay away from each other.

All or Nothing is a great series that should be read by anyone that loves a great story and not afraid to be dominated.

My Favorite Moment: I loved when Ruthie decided that she is going to get her man even of that means watching him in a scene with someone else. Priceless! 

*Clicking on the book cover above will take you to the Amazon purchase page.

Review of Kiss Me Kate (The English Brothers #6) by Katy Regnery

People are not always who they appear to be…

 

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Book Length (Est.): 225 Pages

Book Description/Synopsis:  

Kiss Me Kate is the sixth of six books about the Philadelphia-based, wildly-handsome English brothers (and one lovely cousin!) who are all on the look-out for love.

Kate English, cousin to the beguiling English Brothers, has relocated to Philadelphia and now works with her cousins at English & Company. The problem with moving to Philly? It was where Kate met her first love, Etienne Rousseau. Since the move, Kate can’t seem shake the painful memories of a romance that broke her heart.

Etienne Rousseau, neighbor and arch-enemy of the English family, is recently single and has every intention of enjoying his newly-minted bachelor-status. That is…until his brother inks a deal with English & Company, forcing Etienne to work with his one-time lover, Kate English. Though he wants to hate the girl who once destroyed his life, he can’t deny the fierce attraction or hide the deep tenderness he still feels for Kate.

With vibrant flashbacks of their passionate, teenage love affair making it impossible to ignore their unresolved history, Kate and Etienne will commit to unraveling the secrets of their heartbreaking past to make way for a breathtaking future.

Jennifer’s Review: 

*I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Kiss Me Kate was a great finale for the English Brothers series. The story between Kate and Etienne was one a hopeless romantic would love. Two kids who fell in love when they were teenagers, who only had one week together and then were separated by life and circumstances beyond their control.

No matter how much Kate should have hated Etienne she just couldn’t help but think of him. It was funny to watch her prepare to see him again after so long of a separation.

“It was one thing to sneak onto Facebook and indulge an unhealthy, but harmless, fantasy. It was quite another to sit across a board room table from the object of that fantasy and be expected to deliver coherent sentences.” 

From the view of the English brother’s Etienne wasn’t worthy of their time let alone their cousin Kate, but points of view can sometimes be wrong, and things can become distorted when opinions interfere.

Her uncle and cousins each nodded at her solemnly after this short speech, until she got to Alex, who looked at Etienne. “If I was wrong,” he offered belligerently, “I’m sorry.”

“I understand,” said Etienne. “You thought I disrespected Kate.”

“I would have bet my life on it.”

“You would have lost.” 

I loved Etienne’s determination and his lack of control when it came to controlling his own actions around Kate. When the truth behind his actions over the years comes out you can’t help but love him as much as Kate does.

“He stared at her, gaping, unable to move, unable to look away, because oh my God, she looked so fucking hot, just staring at her made heat shoot like a bullet to his groin.” 

I enjoyed getting bits and pieces of their backstory, but what I didn’t like was getting it throughout the rest of the book. It felt like a yoyo between stories. Every time I’d start to get pulled in it would jump backwards.

The English Brothers series is great and I’d recommend all six books to anyone who enjoys a good romance. They can be read as standalones, but if you read one you’ll want read them all. I’m looking forward to continuing with Katy’s upcoming series The Winslow Brothers.

My Favorite ‘Oh ya’ Moment: I absolutely enjoyed when Etienne called out Kate’s date. He couldn’t help protecting her even when he knew he should just stay out of it. 

My Favorite Moment: The ending!

*Clicking on the book cover above will take you to the Amazon purchase page.

Blog Tour: Review of Rough Justice (Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club #1) by Sarah Castille

Hot Alpha Bikers……One Hot Biker Chick

 

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense, MC Romance 

Book Length (Est.): 385 Pages

Book Description/Synopsis:  

From bestselling author Sarah Castille comes a scorching new series featuring red-hot, hard-riding bikers and the women who can’t help but love them…

IT TAKES A GOOD, STRONG WOMAN

Raised in a motorcycle gang, tough, beautiful Arianne Hunter has always dreamed of a normal life. But no sooner does she escape her father’s domineering grasp than she wakes up to find herself in a rival gang’s clubhouse—at the mercy of the dangerously sexy Jagger Knight.

TO TAME A MAN WHO’S HELL ON WHEELS.

The alpha leader of the notorious Sinner’s Tribe, Jagger Knight is all muscle, all biker, and all man. But somewhere inside this hard tattooed outlaw, Arianne senses a kindred spirit—and she can’t ignore their tempestuous attraction. Can she beat him at his own game in a revved-up blaze of glory? Or will their passion spark a war that’s the end of the road for them both?

Mindy’s Review: 

*I received this book free from NetGalley on behalf of St. Martin’s Press and Barclay Publicity in exchange for an honest review*

Arianne Hunter just wants to live a normal life but what she craves the most is freedom. Freedom from her father and the club. While trying to save her brother from living the life of crime she falls right into the rival gang’s arms.

Jagger Knight is the President of the Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club. Nothing is more important than his club and his brothers. Being a leader means making all the decisions and living by a code.

Jagger definitely has his hands full when it comes to dealing with the one woman that can make him feel again. Not only if she mouthy, smart and beautiful she is the daughter of Viper, the rival gang’s President. To keep her safe from her own father he will have to make her his and that might not even be enough.

I really had a hard time putting this book down once I started reading it. The instant chemistry between Arianne and Jagger is electric. He has a strong sense to protect her and she just wants to live a free life out of the biker world. He has no idea what to do with a woman that is more of an equal and not just another lay. But he does know one thing for sure, he will do anything to protect her and keep his club safe at the same time. Even if that means letting her go.

Overall, this was a great read that I would recommend to anyone that loves a steamy romance, great suspense and some hot alpha bikers. I know I am definitely going to be reading more of this series.

My Favorite Moment: I really enjoyed the bar where Arianne was playing pool to pay off her brother’s debt. Talk about alpha male Jagger making a statement that this girl is definitely his. 

*Clicking on the book cover above will take you to the Amazon purchase page.

 

Blog Tour Courtesy of:

Life doesn’t always go as planned…

I promise we’re not MIA, but our blog will be mostly silent for the rest of the week…maybe longer. My dad had an abdominal aortic aneurysm Saturday night. No one thought he’d make it through surgery. Surprisingly he’s doing much better than anyone expected now, but I’ll be in snow covered Missouri for a little while and my laptop is back in Texas.

Honestly, I’m reading a lot to keep myself busy while I’m holed up in this lovely waiting room, but I haven’t really slept in a couple days, because who can really sleep on a hospital waiting room loveseat, so I wouldn’t trust my reviews to make sense. So happy I can highlight and write notes in books in my kindle because some of these books are awesome and I can’t wait to share them with you.

Hope everyone is doing well.

~Jennifer

 

Review of Surrender (Devil’s Den #1) by Violetta Rand

I Surrender…

 

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotica 

Book Length (Est.): 239 Pages

Book Description/Synopsis:  

Welcome to the Devil’s Den, a Texas strip club where the air is heavy with desire—and sometimes dreams come true.

Ever since her mother kicked her out, twenty-year-old Robyn Gonzalez has been working the poles at the Devil’s Den, saving up to finish college and travel the world. With only her wits and her gorgeous body to rely on, Robyn has learned to be independent—fiercely independent. She’s never been tempted to let a man distract her from her dreams . . . until she meets the dead-sexy Garrick Dempsey.

The club’s new head of security, Garrick had walked away from a career as a mechanical engineer to return to his roots in Corpus Christi. He hadn’t planned on getting to know someone like Robyn, with her sinfully sweet combination of vulnerability and strength, at the Devil’s Den. She acts tough, but only because she’s been hurt. Soon Garrick knows he will do anything to win Robyn’s trust. And if that means surrendering to the red-hot chemistry between them, all the better.

Mindy’s Review: 

*I received an ARC of this book free from NetGalley on behalf of Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept in exchange for an honest review*

Robyn Gonzalez was kicked out of her parent’s house at a young age. Since then she has been doing what she needs to do to pay her bills and go to college. Working at Devil’s Den as a dancer brings in quick money and when the customers start to get closer than she prefers she isn’t afraid to throw a punch.

Garrick Dempsey has walked away from a job that has taken him away from his family for too long. Getting the job at Devil’s Den will keep him close to them and it will also allow him to keep an eye on the woman that he rescued from a very dangerous man.

Running into Robyn at the pier is a night he will never forget. She just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. She might not even be alive if Garrick didn’t help get her out of the situation. The only thing they know for sure is the instant chemistry that they feel for each other.

As the relationship starts to heat up the more working together seems impossible. Although Garrick is a very passionate and caring man he has a strong desire to be protective over Robyn, especially when the most dangerous man in the area has his eyes set on Robyn.

I enjoyed reading this book. The story line is very well written and the characters are without a question very strong minded. Robyn has been hurt in her past and has a hard time trusting anyone, especially a man that she is falling head over heels for.

My Favorite Moment: I really liked when Garrick was going through all of the employee files and realizes how many times Robyn has been written up and the reasons. 

*Clicking on the book cover above will take you to the Amazon purchase page.