I like my books like my coffee : Hot and Dark.

My reviews might contain heavy spoilers! Read at your very own risk.

Se afișează postările cu eticheta romance. Afișați toate postările
Se afișează postările cu eticheta romance. Afișați toate postările

2016/11/30




THE HERO’S HOMECOMING

Owen Loughman is a highly-decorated Navy SEAL who has a thirst for action. But there’s one thing he hasn’t been able to forget – his high school sweetheart, Natalie. After over a decade away, Owen is returned home to the ranch in Texas for a dangerous new mission that puts him face-to-face with Natalie and an outside menace that threatens everything he holds dear. He’ll risk it all to keep Natalie safe – and win her heart. . . .

Natalie Dixon has had a lifetime of heartache since Owen was deployed. Fourteen years and one bad marriage later, she finds herself mixed up with the Loughman’s again. With her life on the line against an enemy she can’t fight alone, it’s Owen’s strong shoulders, smoldering eyes, and sensuous smile that she turns to. When danger closes in, she holds close to the only man she’s ever loved…

EXCERPT 

Excitement or dread? She wasn’t sure she knew.
This wasn’t the first time she’d been on the ranch since her breakup with Owen. In fact, she’d been there several times since discovering Ragnarok, but this time was different.
This time, Owen could be there.
“I’m close,” Callie said.
The line disconnected. Natalie didn’t see the black fence that lined either side of the drive, or the cows and horses that grazed peacefully.
Her gaze was locked on the white house that drew closer with each second. By the time she parked in front of the two- story ranch home with its wide, wrap- around porch, all she could think about was the dinner she’d had the week before with Callie, Virgil, and Charlotte.
She put the car in park and glanced around. There was no sign that anyone else was there. Since she expected someone to come out at the sound of her car, she assumed Owen and his brothers hadn’t yet made it to the house.
Or perhaps, luck was on her side, and those choppers hadn’t been bringing the brothers.
She got out of her car, but it was more difficult than she imagined making herself go up the steps to the porch. She might be involved in all of this, but she’d never witnessed a murder scene firsthand.
Frankly, she didn’t want to.
But Orrin’s life was on the line. Everything she and Callie could discover only helped their chances of learning who took Orrin and where Ragnarok was.
She reached the front door. At least she wouldn’t have to see Virgil’s and Charlotte’s bodies. They had already been taken away.
That was her last thought as she walked through the doorway and found herself fl at on her back. Natalie knew the instant the large hands grabbed her that it was Owen.
Her heart skipped a beat, even as she instinctively reacted and used her momentum to pull Owen over her head. She got up, but in the next heartbeat, he had her pinned to the wall.
The heat of him was the first thing she felt. Then it was his hard body trapping her. She felt herself softening, needing to feel him after all these years.
She thought he would threaten her. Instead, he knocked off her cap. His dark brown eyes widened in shock.
How she wished her heart didn’t feel like it was about to explode out of her chest. He was . . . breathtaking. She drank in the very sight of him. Sharp, chiseled features that looked as if they had been fashioned from granite stared back at her. Gone was any hint of the teenager she’d known. Before her stood a man in all his masculine glory.
He’d always been tall, his muscles honed at an early age from working on the ranch. Now, however, Owen filled out his wide shoulders. His light tan tee stretched tightly across his chest, molding to every ripple of muscle in his arms and shoulders. The shirt was tucked into camo pants she imagined were for the desert by their sand and khaki color. His hair was longer, the dark strands shoved away from his face in long waves.
Her surprise at having Owen against her was quickly hidden. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted two more figures. How she wished she would’ve waited for Callie.
“Hi, boys,” Natalie said. It was the only thing she could think of. Owen frowned, the irritation clear in his sensual chocolate gaze. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“She’s looking for me.”
At the sound of Callie’s voice, most of the apprehension left Natalie. Now she wouldn’t have to face the Loughman men on her own.
She barely paid attention to anything going on around her. She was too intent on staring into Owen’s eyes. It was obvious that he was irritated to find her there, but he had yet to release her.
And she didn’t remind him of that fact.
Her allowing him to keep her pinned was an indication of how long it had taken her to get over him. And how she hated herself for it. After all she’d suffered, she should be shoving him away.
Her body had other ideas, however. With her blood burning through her and her nipples hard, she ached for his touch.
Yearned for it.
His eyes dropped to her mouth. Her breath hitched, caught in her throat. Yes! She wanted his kiss. It didn’t matter where they were or who was around.
Dimly, she heard Callie and Wyatt talking. Much to her annoyance, Owen released her. She was more hurt than she wanted to admit.
Perhaps it was for the best. She’d sworn off all men. Especially Owen. She quickly moved to stand beside Callie.
“Someone please tell us what’s going on?” Owen demanded. Callie shrugged. “I work here.”
Natalie looked at Owen and said, “I came to help.”
Owen’s breath locked in his lungs as he stared at Natalie’s long, brown hair streaked with strands of copper.
He wanted those deep green eyes of hers to land on him again, to fill with desire . . . again.
She was even more beautiful than he remembered.
The years had transformed her into a seductress who left him breathless and needy.
The girl had become a woman, and what a woman she was. He knew the weight of her breast in his hand, knew how it felt to sink into her body and hear her scream in pleasure.
And yet, the woman before him now held a hint of wariness that hadn’t been there before. What happened to her to take away that lighthearted girl he once knew?


***
ARC was kindly provided by the publisher for the blog tour.


Donna Grant really knows how to keep you on the edge with all the dangerous situations awaiting around every corners  .  If you are looking for a suspense / action book, look no more!


There is a reason why Navy Seal decided to follow his career  instead of  playing family with Natalie. Even if Natalie took it as an arrow in the heart and as a betrayal, all he really wanted was to keep her safe. All these years he never stopped thinking of Natalie. Until one day fate gave them another chance. A new chance for Owen and Natalie, a new chance for the brothers to come together and a new chance for the Loughman to reconcile. Except the three brothers can't easily forgive their father. In the past Orris brought too much pain and broke their family apart. Because of him the boys lost their mother and now their uncle and aunt are dead.  More than that , Natalie is at danger and so is the entire country. Orris is taken as a prisoner by the Russians while he was trying hard to hide a biochemical weapon, on the wrong hands this weapon can wipe entire counties of the map. Orris' life and hopes are in the hands of his sons. But the three brothers have their hands full already. The Russians started their hunt.




***


AUTHOR CHAT:
For those hosting before Dec. 9th, please include Donna’s Author Chat as part of your post. All the information is included below.
Date: Thurs., 12/1/2016
Time: 7pm CST / 8pm EST
Link to the FB Event is https://www.facebook.com/events/267169100347430
Hash Tag: #TheHeroDG





Author’s Bio & Picture:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Donna Grant has been praised for her "totally addictive" and "unique and sensual" stories. Her latest acclaimed series, Dark Kings, features a thrilling combination of dragons, Fae, and immortal Highlanders who are dark, dangerous, and irresistible. She lives with her two children and an assortment of animals in Texas.



Author Links:

2016/11/28


A free paperback copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.



Can't find Mr. Right? Why not create him? MedAct is the company that can make all your dreams come true! Just give them a call and let them create the perfect man for you. But remember, you can never give him up. It will kill him, literally. 

Loneliness and failed relationships made Phoebe want a cyborg of her own. With him, she would never be heartbroken again. When she turned to the medical and scientific company MedAct, she never expected to become one of the few people who passed their tests to be able to apply for a cyborg. 

Now, months later, his creation is complete, and they are about to come face to face for the very first time. The day she has waited for has finally arrived, and it is about to change everything.


 Is there any life for cyborgs after the death of their beloved one and after the bound is broken?Is the bound between humans and cyborgs actually real? Or is it just a way to control cyborgs?
What if "true feelings" are actually forced, programmed?Can cyborgs have any feelings? Can cyborgs be trusted at all ?

This was a new domain to me, my first book about cyborgs.The concept of the story was pretty neat and the  little love story between Shade and Phoebe was enjoyable. We also get enough details about other characters, bad characters included. 
Easy to read but the author was too repetitive , explaining on and on and on about the bound, how important it is and what role MedAct plays in all this. And I also hated the " owning" term.
Other than this was a good start for a series.





At the end of the book there was an additional short novella Tempted Cyborg (Bound By Her  #1.5).

The short story of Hunter, one of Nightmare's soldiers, we find out what happens to him after MedAct captures him . Also we get a little glimpse at his past and how he ended up as a Fighter.


2016/11/26



A free copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

When her car breaks down off the side of a lonely highway far from her sunny Miami home, tattoo artist Lia never expected her very own white knight to ride up on the back of a barely street-legal motorcycle...and she never expected to fall for her dark savior. After a string of failed relationships and a bruised heart, Lia is not looking for forever, and the hot mechanic, with his sexy scruff and shaggy hair, is simply impossible to resist and the perfect candidate for mind-blowingly-perfect, no-strings-attached one night stand.

Reid left his life in Chicago far behind him and hasn't been back, but he's never been able to escape the guilt he feels about his own painful role in inviting a monster into his baby sister's life. A monster who almost destroyed her. Being with Lia is an unexpected gift, one he doesn't feel he deserves, and their one night together has him wanting more than he should. Especially since she doesn't know the truth about his past. However, when he finds Lia’s bracelet in his bed, he has the perfect excuse to drive down and surprise her at her tattoo studio, Second Circle Tattoos, in Miami. He's in for an even bigger shock - and a fist to the face - when his past and present collide in the humid Miami weather when he runs into the last person he’d ever expect to see in a tattoo studio: Harper, the sister he betrayed, and the last link to his former life.


There were far too many coincidences happening in this story, some situations are unbelievable and illogical . Also to much drama : Lia getting blackmailed by her father, Reid reconnecting with his sister , Harper's mood swings and so on. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy a good  written drama but this story was not the case.
Moving on to the characters . 
Lia - bold, strong, a colorful character, with all her tattoos and pin up girl attitude....but that was about it. Looks and nothing more. Her character was too flat for me and her reactions abnormal. She agrees too easily with anything and anything  related to Reid. No questions asked.
Reid was no better. I honestly had no connection with either of them .

I'm not saying it's a bad book, it just didn't work out for me, too soapy for my taste. It was like watching one of those Spanish telenovelas.









2016/11/14





A smokin’ hot British player…
A jilted girl…
One night of mistaken identity…

Two weeks before her wedding, Remi Montague’s fiancé drops her faster than a drunken sorority girl in stilettos. Armed with her best friend and a bottle of tequila, she hops a plane to London to drown her sorrows before fall semester begins at Whitman University.

She didn't plan on attending a masquerade party. She sure didn’t plan on waking up next to the British bad boy who broke her heart three years ago—the devastatingly handsome and naked Dax Blay. Furthermore, she has no clue how they acquired matching tattoos.

Once back at Whitman together, they endeavor to pretend they never had their night of unbridled passion in London.

But that’s damn hard to do when you live in the same house…

One night. Two damaged hearts. The passion of a lifetime.


*A modern love story inspired by Romeo and Juliet*
**no one dies in the writing of this novel**



Oh, for fuck' sake! Could you two make up your minds already?? Just put your big pants on and stop the drama.

---
I really enjoyed Dirty English and I was really looking forward to read Dax's story. I'm not gonna lie, I'm quite disappointed with Filthy English.

I'm trying not to reveal too much from the story .

Heroine getting dumped on her wedding day? -- checked 
A wilde ex appears out of nowhere? -- checked
Ex husband too is returning , all tears and excuses? --  cheked
Love triangle is about to form ? -- checked
Move in with the ex instead of your (forgiven) future-husband-currently-fiance (who's house is just a few minutes away) and make things even more difficult , just for the sake of the ongoing plot?-- checked
A way too predictable "dark" secret comes out to light? -- checked


Their story would have been better without the extra drama. It didn't made the story any more  interesting, in fact, it's the opposite, it was slow and boring - not gonna lie here either!.  Their back and forth and inability to take  mature decisions was annoying . Their insecurity is driving me crazy !
The book wasn't THAT terrible but I can't say that I enjoyed it too much either.  The plot was a big cliche to me.






2016/10/21



For Virginia Traylor, Countess of Barrett, marriage was merely the vehicle to buy her father a title. Widowhood, however, brings a host of problems. For her husband deliberately spent the money intended for Virginia and her in-laws, leaving them penniless—unless she produces an heir. Desperate and confused, Virginia embarks on a fateful journey that brings her to the doorstep of the only man she's ever loved...

He's known as The Devil, but Macrath Sinclair doesn't care. He moved to a tiny Scottish village in hopes of continuing his work as an inventor and starting a family of his own. He bought the house; he chose the woman. Unfortunately, Virginia didn't choose him. Macrath knows he should turn her away now, but she needs him, and he wants her more than ever. Whatever game Virginia's playing, Macrath intends to win—one wickedly seductive deed at a time...



I have an odd déjà vu feeling with this one. The plot of this book seems oddly familiar to me. It might be because I  may have :

a ) read another book with similar story line
b ) I started reading this book a while back but got bored and gave up on it.

Now b) is unlikely to happen as I never drop a book , no matter how boring it is I force myself in reading it until I'm done. Also I came across this book on Amazon and simply purchased it out of curiosity- I didn't had it on my to-read list on GR.

Now to get to the point.
Don't you just love an unnecessary conflict that could have been resolved in five minutes ? All they had to do was to COMMUNICATE . Virginia is forced to marry a man she didn't loved, however, her husband was very ill and died shortly after. Now Virginia is desperate to find a way to save her family (and by "family" I mean her mother-in-law and the rest of the relatives of the defunct husband). During her short marriage she never stopped thinking about Macrath , a Scottish (rich) inventor who made all the needed preparations for them to start a happy life together.
To explain more detailed : Virginia and her husband were unable to conceive a child during their marriage, so without an official heir all of their wealth goes out the window (her husband's cousin inherited the title) , forcing Virginia to either work (so she can support herself and the rest of the women in the family) or marry a rich guy.
You can easily guess what Virginia did.
Of course she went to Scotland to find Macrath, her true love and sweetheart.  Macrath never understood why Virginia got married to another guy and soon he will find out how miserable her marriage truly was. Virginia's father played both of them. Sure, now they try to get over their prides and they try to fix whatever can be fixed, their relationship goes back and forth because the lack of communication. And they are not being completely  truthful either.
The characters of this story are overly dramatic, you either love them or you hate them.
I personally hate Virginia.
 I understood how tragic it was for her , being forced  to marry a man she didn't love and all that; but I never understood why the hell she tried to get pregnant  with a child so she could pass him off as her husband's and inherit the wealth.
Yep, that is what our heroine did. She went to Scotland to seduce her childhood sweetheart , get pregnant and then leave Macrath . Which she did. Had Macrath' son. And left Macrtah all by himself while she returned home and made everyone believe that the boy is her late husbands.
Seriously now, I'm so pissed off on this book ! This girl has no backbone and please, please don't talk to me about true love !!I can't wrap my head around her way of thinking. Her husband was death. She was young and  finally free to marry her sweetheart - who was RICH enough to support her and her family - but she ended up backstabbing him.
The only thing that I enjoyed in this book was Macrath's revenge over Virginia.




2016/10/12




Her story started long before she started working at The Sky Launch... 

Screw fairytales. The only reward Gwen Anders got from her rough childhood was a thick skin and hard heart. She’s content with her daily grind managing a top NYC nightclub—Eighty-Eighth Floor. So hers isn’t a happily ever after. She doesn’t believe in those anyway. 

Then she meets J.C. 

The rich, smooth talking playboy is the sexiest thing that Gwen has ever encountered, but she’s not interested in a night-in-shining latex. But when a family tragedy pushes her to the brink, it’s J.C. who’s there to teach her a new method of survival, one based on following primal urges and desires. His no-strings-attached lessons require her to abandon her constant need for control. Her carefully built walls are obliterated. 

Gwen discovers there’s a beautiful world outside her prison. Freedom is exhilarating—and terrifying. When she starts to feel something for J.C., she fears for her heart. Especially as she realizes that he has secrets of his own. Secrets that don't want to set him free. 

This series can be read alone or with the Fixed Trilogy.

Gwen is the manager of Sky Launch , the hottest nightclub around. She is very strict , hard working and very professional when it comes to her working place. She had a harsh beginning in life and this added to her cool and emotionally closed-off personality. She likes to stick by the rules and keep everything under control. ... until CJ makes his presence known by breaking every single rule of the club. 
" He was arrogant and crass. Ridiculous and entitled."
CJ now owns the club's VIP rooms and he enjoys pushing Gwen's buttons more than he enjoys breaking the rules.
"The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you do."

The story was good, but not great. The steamy scenes were great though , but I failed to connect with the characters on many levels..





Follow on Twitter

Popular Posts

Search on blog

Un produs Blogger.

WARNING !

REVIEWS AND THOUGHTS POSTED HERE MIGHT CONTAIN (HEAVY) SPOILERS ! READ AT YOUR VERY OWN RISK !