Author Archives: Kristin

Guest Post: The Romeo Club by Rebekah L. Purdy

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Rebekah Purdy grew up in Michigan, where she spent many late nights armed with a good book and a flashlight. When not hiding at her computer and getting lost in her stories, she enjoys reading, singing, soccer, swimming, football, camping, playing video games and hanging out with her kids. She loves the unexplainable like Bigfoot, the Dogman, and the Loch Ness Monster (lots of good story material)! She admits to still having all the books she bought throughout her childhood and teen years, and she may or may not have an obsession with anything chocolate…

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Review: Charade by Nyrae Dawn

CharadeMockCharade
(Games, #1)
By: Nyrae Dawn
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: Oct. 22, 2012
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:
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Nineteen-year-old Cheyenne tries to portray the perfect life to mask the memories of her past. Walking in on her boyfriend with another woman her freshman year in college threatens that picture of perfection.

Twenty-one-year-old Colt never wanted college and never expected to amount to anything, but when his mom’s dying wish is for him to get his degree, he has no choice but to pretend it’s what he wants too.

Cheyenne needs a fake boyfriend to get back at her ex and Colt needs cash to take care of his mom, so they strike a deal that helps them both. But what if Cheyenne’s past isn’t what she thought? Soon they’re trading one charade for another—losing themselves in each other to forget about their pain. The more they play their game, the more it becomes the only thing they have that feels real.

Both Cheyenne and Colt know life is never easy, but neither of them expect the tragedy that threatens to end their charade and rip them apart forever.

 

1thoughtsI thought this was going to be a cute romance but there were some really heavy topics in this story. You see, Chey’s mother left her at her aunts house 10 years ago and never came back for her. So Chey’s lived her life never really needing anyone. So when her boyfriend cheats on her, she’s left to fend for herself in his world. Since after all, she came to this college to be with him. At the same time Colt is dealing with a mother who is losing the battle with cancer. He does everything he can to make sure she has everything she needs and that there’s enough money to pay for the medical bills. So when Chey comes to him with the opportunity to not only stick it to her ex-boyfriend (who he’s not fond of) as well as get paid for it, he takes her up on her offer. However, while they are playing this game, the game changes.

Like I said, I was surprised by some of the more heavier parts that take place in this story. However, it’s the heavier parts that make this story awesome. This could have easily been a bad boy meets good girl new adult romance but Colt isn’t really that bad, he’s just trying to cope with his mother’s condition. I will admit that there were a couple of parts where I got teary eyed. This is definitely not a light romance.

 

1favequote “It’s easier to hide in the dark…but easier to let go too.”

kRISTIN

Sunday Wrap-Up #31

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Review: Immortal Hunter by Kait Ballenger

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Review: How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

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Excerpt: Uncovering You by Scarlett Edwards

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Guest Post: Fighting Connolly’s by Roxie Rivera

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I like to write super sexy romances and naughty erotica that make your pulse pound. I also write erotic romances as Lolita Lopez including the red-hot GRABBED series for Ellora’s Cave and the upcoming Dragon Heat series from Forever Yours/Grand Central.

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Review: Thrill Ride by Julie Ann Walker

15831824Thrill Ride
(Black Knights Inc., #4)
By: Julie Ann Walker
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Published: April 2, 2013
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating:
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He’s Gone Rogue

Ex-Navy SEAL Rock Babineaux’s job is to get information, and he’s one of the best in the business. Until something goes horribly wrong and he’s being hunted by his own government. Even his best friends at the covert special-ops organization Black Knights Inc. aren’t sure they can trust him. He thinks he can outrun them all, but his former partner—a curvy bombshell who knows just how to drive him wild—refuses to cut him loose.

She Won’t Back Down

Vanessa Cordova hasn’t been the team’s communication specialist
very long, but she knows how to read people—no way is Rock guilty of murder. And she’ll go to hell and back to help him prove it. Sure, the sexy Cajun has his secrets, but there’s no one in the world she’d rather have by her side in a tight spot. Which is good, because they’re about to get very tight…

 

1thoughts“The story of a woman who was scared of the dark and a man who was scared of love, who’d come together to overcome all their fears…”

I don’t know why but I didn’t gravitate to this story like I did the others. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the story but I just didn’t get wrapped into it as much as the others and I’m not really sure why. The characters were likable and the sexual tension was there like the previous books. Heck, Vanessa and Rock are crawling through the Costa Rican rainforest and hiding in trees to get away from the enemy. So the suspense was there as well. I just don’t know why I didn’t fall into this story like the others.

“I just thought I should drag you down off that high horse you climbed up on. Wouldn’t want you to start suffering from altitude sickness or anything.”

I did like the humor in this novel. Vanessa doesn’t back down from Rock, and Rock tries his hardest to hide from Vanessa. You see, Rock lost his fiancee years ago and he never wants to feel that loss again and he knows that his life is currently forfeit and doesn’t want to cause Vanessa and pain either. So he hides behind behind being a sarcastic ass and Vanessa gives as good as she gets to hide her frustration over this man.

“She was in a hollowed-out log, in the middle of a Costa Rican rainforest, being hunted by the CIA with a man ho had no qualms telling her that, while he thought she was hot-to-trot and he wouldn’t mind letting her polish his rocket-so to speak-he has absolutely no plans to start anything permanent with her because…and get this… he would never-that would be with a capital N, his tone had made that very obvious-fall in love with her.”

Like I said, I enjoyed the story and all the puzzle pieces that fell into place but I just couldn’t dive fully into it for some reason. However, I still really enjoyed the storyline and look forward to the next Black Knights Inc novel.

 

1favequote“Zut! Just give me some bubble bath and a tampon. I think I’m officially part of the estrogen party.” -Rock

kRISTIN

Excerpt: Trust Me by Natasha Blackthorne

unnamedTrust Me
(Regency Risks, #2)
By: Natasha Blackthorne
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Erotic Historical Romance

Goodreads

Anne and Jon’s story continues.

Is she insane?

All of Mayfair is whispering the question.

Anne Lloyd, the new Countess of Ruel, thought she’d finally begun to heal from having witnessed the terrible death of her first husband. But, from her new husband’s grandmother to his ex-mistresses, it is all that is on everyone’s lips. What scares her more than the potential social ruin is that even she isn’t sure they aren’t right.

Jonathon Lloyd, the Earl of Ruel, has commanded men on the battlefield and women in the ballrooms and bedchambers with his dominant personality. It tears him apart that he can’t command his wife’s terrors to go away. To top it off, he has to battle his grandmother, for Anne’s acceptance as the new Countess. There are times when it seems to him that the bloody battlefields of Europe were easier to navigate than the so-called civilized graces of Society.

There are those who will stop at nothing to tear apart the fragile bond between thenewlyweds. Can Lady and Lord Ruel learn to trust each enough to keep their love, andher sanity, intact?

Reader Advisory: Trust Me is an erotic historical romance. It features frequent, graphic descriptions of sexual acts and frank sexual slang from the time period. As a work of historical fiction, it is not meant to be an accurate portrayal of modern BDSM lifestyles or practices. It is also not meant to be an accurate portrayal of modern treatment or recovery from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

 

Excerpt

 
Jon released his tension in quiet whistle, and then tapped his fingers upon the desktop again.
There was no help for it. They must face this. No one could be allowed to believe that either of them was hiding in shame.
The bed creaked and drew his attention.
Anne had sat up, her black-as-midnight hair tumbled over her shoulders and her dark blue eyes were huge in a face that seemed a bit strained. A catch in his chest caused him to hold his breath.
He glanced back at the letter.

You stupid boy, did you forget yourself and stash your brains in your breeches?

Lady S. tells me that this Lady C. threw herself at your head and made such a spectacle of herself that you will be forced to marry her. Lady W. B. and the Countess of C. both say they believe you are already gone away on your wedding trip. Is that it then? I demand to know! Have you married Lady C.? Please tell me you haven’t wed this hoyden!!!

“It is unfair to be judged solely on such a moment.” Anne’s voice was very soft.
“I don’t like it, either. But it is the way our world is arranged. You are a lady and now you are my lady.”
Her shoulders rose and fell with her deep inhalation and then they slumped. “She makes me seem so dreadful.”

He ran a caressing hand over her upper back. “Anne, don’t be distressed. You must trust me to think on what to do. And you mustn’t worry.” He squeezed her hand. “We’ll give lie to the rumours.” He put all the confidence he possessed into his tone. However, he knew Cherry and Maria could be very vindictive. As could his grandmother.
A slight pounding began at Jon’s temples. Was Anne strong enough to face the fire?
 

 

author

I am married to my own hero and we share our life with a very quirky calico cat. I have a BA in History and I love to read, both romance and scholarly history and I listen to a variety of music from classical to reggae. But mostly I am hard at work researching and writing my next story.

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Review: Uganda Be Kidding Me by Chelsea Handler

18127101Uganda Be Kidding Me
By: Chelsea Handler
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: March 4, 2014
Genre: Non-Fiction
Rating:
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Wherever Chelsea Handler travels, one thing is certain: she always ends up in the land of the ridiculous. Now, in this uproarious collection, she sneaks her sharp wit through airport security and delivers her most absurd and hilarious stories ever.

On safari in Africa, it’s anyone’s guess as to what’s more dangerous: the wildlife or Chelsea. But whether she’s fumbling the seduction of a guide by not knowing where tigers live (Asia, duh) or wearing a bathrobe into the bush because her clothes stopped fitting seven margaritas ago, she’s always game for the next misadventure.

The situation gets down and dirty as she defiles a kayak in the Bahamas, and outright sweaty as she escapes from a German hospital on crutches. When things get truly scary, like finding herself stuck next to a passenger with bad breath, she knows she can rely on her family to make matters even worse. Thank goodness she has the devoted Chunk by her side-except for the time she loses him in Telluride.

Complete with answers to the most frequently asked traveler’s questions, hot travel trips, and travel etiquette, none of which should be believed, UGANDA BE KIDDING ME has Chelsea taking on the world, one laugh-out-loud incident at a time.

 

1thoughtsThis is a quick and easy read about Chelsea’s travels. She takes us through the various places she’s traveled, the friends who accompanied her and the insanity that ensued.

I think the most interesting part of the book was her story about Africa. It was entertaining to read about their safari adventures as well as the difference between the different “camps” they stayed at. Not to mention the interesting characters that they came across while in Africa. For some reason I just gravitated towards this story more than the others. Not saying that the others weren’t entertaining to read but the Africa trip really took the cake with this one which left the other trips falling a bit flat for me.

This is the second book that I’ve read of Handler’s and I have to say that they all have the same feel to them. The writing style is the same and Chelsea always comes off sounding a little out of control. Instead of relaying information, it always sounds like she’s fabricating things to make it more interesting and funny. Or maybe she really is as obnoxiously out of control as the book says. I will be honest that if that’s the case, I feel bad for some of the people that she comes across in this book.

Those who enjoyed her previous books would probably like traveling the world through Chelsea’s eyes. However, if you are looking for a halfway civilized documentary about traveling with some humor mixed in then this is not for you. After all, we are talking about someone who likes talking with a stereotypical Asian accent, drinks heavily, and doesn’t take life seriously at all. In the end, this was a quick light read that was entertaining while it lasted.

 

1favequote“Why are babies allowed to cry when they wake up, but adults crying when they wake is frowned upon? Babies are permitted to act like assholes whenever they feel like it and no one blinks, but if an adult throws a temper tantrum, all of a sudden it’s on YouTube.”

kRISTIN