Tag: romance

Pillowtalk by Cassie Mae

Pillowtalk

Title: Pillowtalk

Author: Cassie Mae

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: April 4th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 191

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads): 

In this heartfelt romance from the author of the All About Love series, two people who thought they’d given up on passion turn to each other for emotional support—and maybe something a little more physical.
 
Kennedy Walters has had a tough year. Now she’s come to the lakeside town of Lyra Valley to finally say goodbye to the memory of her first love. But while she’s staying at his sister’s B&B, Kennedy is shocked to find herself undeniably drawn to a handsome local heartthrob—especially since she is n’t sure if she’s ready to move on.
 
Aaron Sheppard returned to Lyra Valley because he was fed up with the big city and everything it didn’t have to offer—like the beautiful, down-to-earth girl staying at the B&B. Aaron’s enjoying a little flirtation until he realizes that she’s Kennedy Walters, the girl who was dating his best friend. But after a power outage strands them together, Aaron and Kennedy wind up sharing some intimate conversation. And over the course of a night that neither will ever forget, they learn just how compatible they could be—if only they knew how to let go and fall into each other’s arms.

Look for Cassie Mae’s charming All About Love novels:
DOING IT FOR LOVE | NO INTEREST IN LOVE | CRAZY ABOUT LOVE

My review:

If you are looking for a book that focuses mainly on sex, then pass on this book because while sex is had in the book, it is not the main focus. Don’t let the title fool you like it did me. I really thought that there was going to be no plotline, one-dimensional characters and people having sex at least once a chapter. Instead, this is a beautifully written book about first love, grief, forgiveness, letting go and moving on.

Kennedy’s boyfriend, Jared, died a year earlier from cancer. Destroyed by grief, as any normal person would be, she put off spreading his ashes until she felt that she could handle it. Which I thought was great that the author did that. I have read too many books where the heroine is grieving and then the hero comes along and everything is forgotten and/or is made miraculously better. Not in this case. Kennedy is still raw from losing Jared and she doesn’t want anything to do with romance or men. And that is what made this book so bittersweet to me.

Aaron was Jared’s ex-best friend. Their friendship ended shortly after they graduated high school. I am not going to say why it ended only this: teenage boys are stupid and make stupid mistakes. He knew who Kennedy was and felt awful that he was so attracted to her. In his mind, it would be betraying Jared again. I was heartbroken for him because he hurt so bad. I kinda wanted to reach through the book and give him a huge hug. I also cried when Chelsea (Jared’s sister) talked to Aaron and basically gave him the go-ahead to go after Kennedy.

There were a few touches of humor in the book. Like when Kennedy hit on Austin, who is Aaron’s gay twin brother, and then went off on Aaron, assuming it was Austin when she saw him kissing his “friend” (use your imagination for the meaning) about two hours afterward. I was giggling my fool head off. She was so mad and then that turned into being beyond embarrassed. Charlie the husky puppy was another point of humor. He was comic relief for a couple of scenes when it was needed.

The sex scenes were hot. While there were only two sex scenes, I felt that the build-up to them was awesome. There was so much sexual tension between Kennedy and Aaron, it wasn’t even funny.

I loved the end of the book and the epilogue. Talk about a perfect ending for a great book!!

How many stars will I give Pillowtalk: 4

Why: A great book with relatable characters. I felt that the author did a great job portraying how hard it is to let go of a loved one and she also did a great job portraying how hard it is to get over losing a loved one.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and language

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Jocked Up by Summer Cooper

Jocked Up: A Secret Baby Sports Romance by [Cooper, Summer]

Title: Jocked Up

Author: Summer Cooper

Publisher: Unknown

Date of publication: August 20th, 2016

Genre: Romance

POV: Alternating 1st person and 3rd person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Drake, NFL superstar.

Six years ago, I left town for football…at least that’s what everyone thinks. The truth is, I couldn’t face what I did. I just wanted to be with her, my soon-to-be stepsister.

It was wrong, and the only thing I could think to do was to pack up and run! Just as I thought I had it all, running into her again made me realize that she is the only thing I’ve ever wanted. And this time, I will never run away.

I deserve my second chance in love, with her… only her.

Bethany, the good girl.

Talented, tall, ripped and with smoldering good looks that could burn your soul. Sounds like a deal too good to be true, right?

He is the biggest mistake I ever made in my life. His mum and my dad were going to get married, what was I thinking getting in bed with him? Lucky me, he left town the next day. Lucky me, our parents called off the wedding; otherwise, I would never have been able to forgive myself.

The only problem is, he is back in town and wants to take me out!

My best friend Amelia, who happens to be his sister, insists that he has changed. Do men like Drake ever really change? Maybe. Maybe not.

The thing is, I can not afford another mistake like this. Not now that I have him… my son, my only joy.

A romance full of twists and turns. Ready for an emotional roller coaster?

Note: This story contains mature language and themes, intended for adults only!

My review:

I have a soft spot for reading secret baby romance. Ever since my teen years and I was reading Harlequin Romances (yes, I will admit to that), I have always loved reading about men finding out that they have secret babies and laughing at their reactions. I distinctly remember one guy going “How did this happen”, almost bust a gut laughing and thought to myself “Did you take sex ed? How do you think this happened?”.  I am very happy to say that in Jocked Up, there is no confusion on how Bethany gets pregnant….lol.

While Bethany was had some justifiable anger towards Drake, I think her anger towards him was a little extreme and to be honest, she was very rude. But, if I was in her shoes, I think I might have acted the same way. Actually, to be honest, I would have acted worse. I also got why she didn’t want Drake around Peter. She was trying to protect Peter from getting attached and getting hurt when Drake would eventually leave. I did get slightly annoyed with her when she refused to tell Drake she was pregnant and was hiding her pregnancy from everyone. But again, I understood why she did what she did.

Drake, I couldn’t get a handle on him at first. He was a self-admitted reformed man-whore but that didn’t stop him from having unprotected sex with Bethany when she decided to out on a date with him. When she freezes him out, he goes back to doing what he does best….loving the ladies. But when he finds out that she’s pregnant, he stops it all and is all about her, Peter and the baby.

The sexual part of the book was sizzling hot. The chemistry between Bethany and Drake was obvious from the first disastrous date that they had. When they finally had sex, it was insanely hot.

The tiny plot twist that was revealed before Drake proposed to Bethany was good and it explained a lot.

The end of the book was definitely a HEA!!

How many stars will I give Jocked Up: 4

Why: This was a great book. Not something  I would read in a Dr’s office because of nosey people but I enjoyed reading it.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and language

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

Beastly Lights by Theresa Jane

Beastly Lights

Title: Beastly Lights

Author: Theresa Jane

Publisher: Inkitt

Date of publication: April 5th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: Unknown

POV: 1st person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Gambled away by her brother, Freya is now bound to the music world’s resident bad boy Liam Henderson as his live-in maid.

Freya Coleman is a struggling artist who can hardly get by. With a past, she would rather not revisit and a future that didn’t extend past her next cup of coffee, something had to change. Freya just didn’t know how much.

Liam Henderson lives in the spotlight. His wild nights and latest conquests make every woman want him, and every man wants to be him. The rockstar has a carefully constructed persona to keep everyone out. That is until a drunken night gets out of hand and he finds himself with the winning hand in a poker game, and the prize is a feisty redhead. A prize who just might break down the walls he has been so desperately hiding behind.

Thrown together, these two are a disaster waiting to happen. A disaster the world is eager to watch and comment on until their fingers drop off. What starts off as a fake relationship to improve Liam’s image, blossoms into so much more, and Freya is swept up into the world of bright lights and illusions. Everyone has an opinion when the lights are shining on their beloved rock god Liam Henderson, and they are eagerly waiting to tear down anyone who is bathed in the famous glow.

Can happily ever after exist when the whole world is watching?

My review:

This book was not what I expected. I was expecting a typical billionaire rock star romance with lots of hot sex, a heroine that was feisty but mysterious and a hero who was just as mysterious but had a heart of gold. Boy, was I wrong. What I got instead was a story about two polar opposite people trying to have a “normal” relationship while dealing with the hero’s suffocating clinginess, his career as a famous rock star and his drinking problem and dealing with the heroine’s issues. It is that story that blew me out of the water. Put it this way, I stayed up until 12 am reading because I got 110% into the story and lost track of time.

Freya had my sympathy for the entire book. She had been through so much before hooking up with Liam. She was with her mother when her mother was fatally shot, dealt with her brother and father blaming her for her mother’s death and treating her terribly. She also picked up the pieces of her father and then her brother’s life when they started drinking….dealing with so much verbal abuse it wasn’t even funny. I couldn’t even begin to understand why she kept Mason around except for the reason that he was family. I honestly wished that she had told him off sooner in the book because he totally deserved it. Then she had to deal with Liam and his issues, which were many.

Speaking of Liam, I felt awful for him too. He was 100% screwed up. I mean, he was this rock god who had everything at his fingertips….except friends and family. He also self-medicated by drinking himself into a stupor each night so he didn’t have to live with his memories. He was a hot mess who thought that everyone who loved and cared about him left. He also didn’t let anyone close because he felt that they would just end up leaving him. Then he met Freya and he was forced to let her in. Forced to stop drinking (well until his tour) and forced to start interacting with the few people that he let into his inner circle.

The love story between Liam and Freya was intense and to be honest, I wasn’t sure if it was actually true love until the last chapters of the book. She went from being his maid to being his fake girlfriend to being his real girlfriend in a short while. Even Freya wasn’t sure about how she felt about him or if he even cared about her. While he said he did, to me it looked like he was more afraid of being left alone than actually caring about her. And that, along with other things, was what ultimately hurt their relationship.

I will be honest, I am glad that sex was held off until the last half of the book. I think that it would have taken away from the story if they had sex earlier in the book. I also liked that the sex wasn’t really discussed in-depth. Only a few paragraphs and it wasn’t explicit. Which was really nice.

The secondary characters did make up a huge part of the book too. I never mention them but in this book, well the book wouldn’t have been as good as it was without them. They added depth to Freya and Liam’s characters and made it easier to understand why each of them acted the way they acted.

I also liked the chapters that were written like you were reading an online article about Liam and Freya’s relationship or lack of one. I was dying laughing at some of the comments by fans and nonfans.

The ending and the epilog were great if not predictable. While I loved the epilog, I kinda wish that it didn’t go the way it went. But it made sense with the changes that Liam made during the end of the book.

How many stars will I give Beastly Lights: 4

Why: I enjoyed reading this book. It had in-depth characters with real-world problems (anxiety, alcoholism). I could relate to both Liam and Freya, which is a first for me.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence, language. Also, a couple of scenes where Freya was attacked and traumatized. They might be triggers for some people.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Billionaire for Christmas by Em Brown

Billionaire for Christmas: An Erotic Billionaire Romance

Title: Billionaire for Christmas

Author: Em Brown

Publisher: TCK Publishing

Date of publication: February 6th, 2017

Genre: Interracial Romance, Erotica, Romance

Number of pages: 167

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads): 

Who knew a male escort could be so much fun?
Audrey Jones can’t believe her best friend gave her a gift card to a male escort service for Christmas. A successful finance executive, Audrey doesn’t feel like there’s anything missing in her life. But when she finds herself alone for the holidays, she decides to take a chance and embark on a personal journey that is both unexpected and highly erotic.

For billionaire Rance Durand, women have always come easily into his life, so why can’t he seem to get the time of day with the woman whose apartment unit is right next to his? When he overhears her calling the escort service, Rance decides to take their place, but he only has three days to seduce her.

More About the Book

In this contemporary erotic romance, billionaire bachelor Rance Durand, owner of a luxury boutique hotel, decides to impersonate a gigolo to seduce his workaholic neighbor. But what he thought would be a good joke turned into something he never expected.

When Audrey Jones, who hasn’t had the best luck with romance, decides to have a weekend of sex with a stranger, she gets the erotic experience of her life.

Neither expects to fall in love, but when Audrey is presented with a promotion that will take her across the country, both of them have a big decision to make.

This erotic billionaire romance book contains frequent and explicit sex scenes.

My review:

I used to have a ban on reviewing erotica. The reason: I was embarrassed about advertising that I read these books. Then one day, I had an epiphany. Why be embarrassed about reviewing books that have all sorts of sex in them? So I dropped my restrictions on no erotica and I am happy I did.

Billionaire for Christmas takes place over Christmas in San Francisco, which instantly I liked. San Fransisco is a city that I have always wanted to visit and seeing it featured in a book was awesome. Audrey and Rance did visit a few well-known areas (read the book to find out)!!

I really liked Audrey and how relatable she was. She was packing extra weight, she didn’t hold to her New Years Eve resolutions, she was very picky about men and she was a very hard worker. She also had a crazy bestie who gave her a gift card to an escort service. Which made me laugh out loud when I read that and made me wonder….if there even such thing as gift cards to an escort service. There probably is, now that I think about it….lol. I actually couldn’t believe that she called. But hey, she wanted to go out with a bang for her last couple of nights in San Fransisco. She asked for Denzel but instead got Colin (which made me laugh my butt off).

Rance was so hot but I wasn’t a fan of his deception at first. I mean, he lived next door to Audrey. How hard would it have been for him to actually just go, knock on her door and talk to her? But no, he had to pretend to be from the escort service. I was almost waiting for him to say her real name, not the fake one that she gave when they were having sex or out on dates. I did like that he was made to be a decent person too. He was the best man at his friend’s wedding, he had family that he talked to all the time in France (and yes, I read the book with him having a very slight French accent) and he was a great friend.

The sex scenes, they are written in great detail, were hot. Burning off the page hot. Like, fan myself because I was getting flushed hot. They had anal sex, vaginal sex, public sex (the one against the window….oh lordy) and unprotected oral sex (her going down on him). They couldn’t get enough of each other.

The ending, which was a HEA, had me going for a minute because I thought that it wasn’t going to be one. So I was very surprised when it ended up the way it did.

How many stars will I give Billionaire for Christmas: 4

Why: Besides the obvious hot sex, I thought that the backstory was fantastic. This is definitely a book that you should read at home, though. The sex scenes and there are plenty of them, are pretty descriptive.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes but with a warning about the ultra hot and very descriptive sex scenes.

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and language

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

The Door to Forever (The Land of Magic: Book 2) by Shirley Martin

The Door to Forever (The Land of Magic #2)

Title: The Door To Forever

Author: Shirley Martin

Publisher: Books We Love Ltd

Date of publication: November 9th, 2016

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Number of pages: 218

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Land of Magic

The Door To Forever – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

As a teenager, Kaylee suffered an attempted sexual assault. Now a woman, she remains fearful of men. She vows she’ll avoid the opposite sex.

When her dreams take her to an alternate world, a land of peace and harmony, she wishes she could stay in this world. There, a psychic with a crystal ball tells her she will find love, for he sees a man reaching out to her. He tells her she must learn to trust men.

Kaylee has no idea who this man is, and she knows she can never put her faith in a man. The memory from her teenage years is too painful.

Then she meets Logan. Will he be the man to change her mind? World-weary and cynical, Logan declares a respite from women. When he meets Kaylee, he knows she is a woman like no other. His head tells him to stay away from her, but his heart refuses to listen.

My review:

I really didn’t know what to expect when I started reading The Door To Forever. I honestly, don’t think that the blurb does this book justice at all. There is more meat to the story than what is described. This is one instance that I would say, don’t go by what the synopsis says….read the book.

Kaylee did have some major issues at the beginning of the book. She was deeply scarred from an attempted rape at 13 and then another attempted sexual assault when she was in college. After those experiences, she didn’t trust men. Which I don’t blame her. But then she starts dreaming of a land that she can only get through by opening a door in a dark, dismal forest. The land is called Vestoria and it is the home of elves. On her first journey there, she meets an elf called Nemek. After a few visits, she tells Nemek about her tragic past and he is appalled that men are allowed to treat women that way in her society and not be punished. It was at this point that I put the book down and applauded the author for putting this in because it is the truth. Sexual assault and attempted sexual assault are not like other crimes and only a small handful go to trial.

Vestoria is a land of peace and tranquility. Just reading about it made me wish that Vestoria was real. Violence towards women (or anyone really) was not tolerated and was swiftly dealt with. But it was a backward society. Women were expected to stay at home until they found their lifemate (ie got married). But it called to Kaylee (like me). After a few visits, she was granted visitation with the king and he told her that she needs to heal. To learn to trust men again and to find love.

I think Logan was the right person for her. He was the 1/2 owner of the restaurant she worked at and he taught English at the local university. He also came from money but he didn’t rely on his parents to pay his way in life. He was attracted to Kaylee but he didn’t want to go too fast because he sensed that she had been hurt in the past. He was the one to find out who was behind all of Kaylee’s mishaps at work and he was the one who stuck up for her when his friend wanted to fire her. Which he should have. I mean she didn’t come into work for a few days.

The romance between Kaylee and Logan was very sweet. To be honest, I was surprised when certain events happened because, honestly, I didn’t think it was going to happen. I really thought that Kaylee was going to end up with Nemek or someone from Vestoria.

The bad guys in the book, Gitta and Drummond, kinda annoyed me. Drummond seemed like he was a tool and Gitta, well she was power-hungry and didn’t double-check to see if the people she killed were really dead. Because she was surprised when she met up with her arch nemesis, Zurina, a witch from the first book. I was also a tad disappointed at how easily Gitta was defeated. But, Drummond escaped and I know he will make an appearance in the next book.

I liked the ending and loved how everyone was so happy. Normally I am a poop and I don’t like super happy endings but I loved this one!!

How many stars will I give The Door to Forever: 4

Why: I really liked this book. This is one of those books that you could read at the pool or a beach. The plot wasn’t too involved and the characters likable. While rape and attempted rape are mentioned, it wasn’t thrown in your face the entire book. It was part of who Kaylee was and the author didn’t dwell on it.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older Teen

Why: Some violence and both of Kaylee’s attempted sexual assaults were kinda graphic. There is one sex scene, at the end of the book, but it isn’t very detailed.

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

Bossed by Sloane Howell

Bossed

Title: Bossed

Author: Sloane Howell

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: March 28th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 203

POV: Alternating 1st person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

He’s the boss. But she’s ready to take charge.

In this provocative and sexy* office romance, a cheeky new hire tempts a hotshot sports agent to mix business with pleasure.

Jenny: Job interviews are a bitch under the best of circumstances, but when your potential boss is the world’s biggest prick, that’s when you should simply walk away. It’s just that I need this job so badly—and I’m mesmerized by Ethan Mason’s piercing gaze. Men like him aren’t supposed to exist in real life. But under the tailored suits and GQ looks, Ethan simmers with barely restrained ambition. And no matter how hard I work to fight the attraction, I’m going to get burned.

Ethan: You don’t become a top agent without learning how to close a deal. I always get what—or who—I want, by staying cool and in command. Then Jenny Jackson walks into my office with her lush curves and “screw you” attitude and blows away my intentions of keeping things professional. All I can think about is exploring the perfect body hidden beneath those conservative clothes or shutting her saucy mouth with one hot kiss. Jenny’s worth breaking the rules over—if I can convince her to break the rules for me.

*By sexy, we mean sexy. Like, 18+ sexy.

My review:

I was actually looking forward to reading Bossed based on the cover alone. I couldn’t get over the smirk that the model had on his face and hoped that the cover would live up to the book. I wasn’t disappointed on that end. The cover more than lived up to what I thought Mason would look like and to his arrogant behavior. I am just glad that Jenny wasn’t shown on the cover.

I couldn’t stand Jenny. She annoyed the ever-living out of me. I mean, she went into her interview and immediately started verbally sparring with Mason and then every scene with them afterward, at work, she was insubordinate. If she was my employee, she wouldn’t have been hired and if she was, she would have been fired as soon as she screamed at me to apologize to an employee who cost me millions of dollars. She was whiny too. I mean, she had her first orgasm, ever,  in the back of Mason’s car and then checks her phone to find out that her dad, who had terminal cancer, was in the hospital. She flipped out on Mason….like hardcore screaming and yelling at him. I get that her emotions were all over the place but dang, she needed to check it. And when her dad died, her flipping out on him because he went to a business meeting and his cell phone. I can’t even put that at grief. She was acting like a witch with a b. She was the one who sent him on the darn business trip…..with her blessings. There were some places in the book where I wanted to slip her a chill pill. She annoyed me that much.

Mason was just as unlikable at the beginning of the book. But I did like the change him in once he started seeing Jenny. I actually started to like him and by the end of the book, he achieved hero status by dealing with her. But, he wasn’t all nice. I mean, he broke up with her because he assumed that she cost him 10 million dollars on a pitcher when it ended up being information that he gave to her that was incorrect. And how he was at the beginning of the book…..he was a grade A idiot.

The sex scenes were pretty hot but what was hotter was the sexual tension between Jenny and Mason. It blew the book out of the water in that aspect because it made the first time they had sex beyond hot.

I thought the storyline with Jenny’s father was pretty sad and I really thought that he was going to make it. I actually cried when I found out he died.

The end of the book I liked. It was pretty standard with a HEA.

How many stars will I give Bossed: 3

Why: While I liked the story and half of the main couple, I really couldn’t get past Jenny

Will I reread: Maybe

Will I recommend to family and friends: Maybe

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and language

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Stripped Bare (Vegas Millionaires: Book 1) by Heidi McLaughlin

Stripped Bare (Vegas Billionaire, #1)

Title: Stripped Bare

Author: Heidi McLaughlin

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: March 28th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: Unknown

POV: Alternating 1st person

Series: Vegas Billionaires

Stripped Bare – Book 1

Can be read out-of-order from series: Yes, 1st book in series

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Goodreads synopsis:

They don’t call it the Strip for nothing. . . .

In this sinfully sexy Las Vegas romance from bestselling author Heidi McLaughlin, a man who has it all reunites with a woman who takes it all off.

Living in Sin City, Finn McCormick is no stranger to one-night stands, but the last person he expects to find losing big on the casino floor is a former high school fling. Even though Macey Webster’s clearly down on her luck, she’s still a knockout, and she’s dressed like a stripper—because she is one. Drunk off an unfamiliar cocktail of lust, pity, and compassion, Finn offers to pay Macey’s debts if she cuddles up to him around town . . . and does whatever he wants between the sheets.

Macey came to Vegas for one reason only: money. She’s got a young daughter to support, and the tips really are bigger in Vegas. But when she blows her earnings on blackjack, her guardian angel is the rich boy who once stole her heart and never called her back. Although Macey would love to turn the tables on Finn, she can’t afford to refuse his proposition—and soon she’s enjoying herself much more than she cares to admit. Macey’s used to bare her flesh, but baring her soul will take far more courage.

My review:

I am going to admit, I had very low expectations for this book based on the blurb. I should have known better than to read the blurb and go to myself “Oh, this book is going to interesting (insert sarcasm here) to read”. I really should have known better…sigh.

Instead of getting two people just banging each other for the entire book and then “falling in love”, there was a story. And the love part of the story, which mainly took part over two weeks, was drawn out. Sure there was sex and sure it was mind-blowing but that wasn’t the whole story.

My heart did break for Macey during the book. She really got the short end of the stick in life. She got pregnant at 17 after a one-night stand at a party, dropped out of high school to have her daughter and restored to stripping at night and waiting tables during the day to help pay the rent and keep a roof over her, her mother’s and her daughter’s head. She felt stuck because she couldn’t make enough money to move out of her mother’s apartment and she was upset because while she was working, her mother took care of Morgan, her daughter. Well if you called getting drunk and having strange men over all the time watching her. Macey feels awful because she has told Morgan to hide in the closet if strange men came over and that is not a way for a child to live. She also lives in fear that Children’s Services will eventually show up at her door and take Morgan away.

So, when she is told about how stripping in Las Vegas is so much better than stripping in the town she lives in, Macey decides to jump at the chance. She is desperate to get Morgan out of that living situation and feels that she has no other option but to go strip in Las Vegas. What a hard situation to be in and then to find out that when she went to the paternal grandmother for help, only to have the door slammed in her face, made it unbearable.

Finn, however, was a jerk in the beginning. When he saw Macey playing blackjack, he not only recognizes her as someone from his hometown but he tells Lamarr, his best friend, that he thinks he slept with her back before he went away to college and he pegs her as a stripper and maybe an escort. He then gets punched by Macey as she is leaving the casino in tears because she lost all the money that she earned. When he follows her, he propositions her. One week with him, doing what ever he wants when he wants for $30,000.

I found it funny that he assumed that Morgan was either Macey’s boyfriend or pimp. And I found it very ironic that Lamarr knew who Morgan was and if Finn had just asked, he would have known sooner and wouldn’t have put Macey through the wringer about it. I have to give her credit, though, she put up with his crap until the end and only because she needed the money.

Macey did get on my nerves, though, when she was dealing with Brandy. For such a strong woman, she was pretty weak about confronting Brandy and calling her out. She never thought to go to Finn and see if he actually said or did the things that Brandy said he did. She would just run back to the penthouse and cry about it until he came back and he explained things. Uggh.

I will say that the sex was very hot. Off the pages hot. I also liked that safe sex (because you know, I have nothing better to do with my life than worry about fictional characters sex lives) was used until almost the end. But by then, a lot of things had changed between Macey and Finn.

Like I said above, I thought the storyline was pretty reminiscent of Pretty Woman….except that Macey wasn’t a hooker, she was a stripper and she had a kid.

The storylines were wrapped up pretty good. I loved that Brandy got what was coming to her. I was in bed by the time I read that scene and I did a double fist pump. She was put in her place and then some!!!

I did figure out who Morgan’s father was by the middle of the book. I mean, the author didn’t try to hide it or throw red herrings out. So when it was revealed who it was, I was like “Yes” and “What’s next”.

The end of the book was a pretty standard HEA and the author made me jealous with the vacation location….lol.

How many stars will I give Stripped Bare: 4

Why: This was a hot read with a good but predictable plot. What I really liked is how strong Macey was. I also did like Finn towards the end of the book but I did think he was a jerk at the beginning.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes but with a warning about explicit sex.

Age range: Adult

Why: Explicit sex and language

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Capturing the Bear (Bear Shifter Games: Book 3) by A.J. Tipton

Capturing the Bear: A Billionaire Shifter Adventure (Bear Shifter Games Book 3) by [Tipton, AJ]

Title: Capturing the Bear

Author: A.J. Tipton

Publisher: AJ Tipton Enterprises

Date of publication: August 27th, 2016

Genre: Romance, Erotica, Paranormal

Number of pages: 67

POV: 3rd person

Series: Bear Shifter Games

Coaching the Bear – Book 1 (review here)

Conquering the Bear – Book 2 (review here)

Christmas with the Bear – Book 3 (review here)

Capturing the Bear

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Amazon):

A billionaire bear shifter afraid to leave his business behind. A controlling rabbit shifter who wants everybody to have fun her way. Lost on a tropical island, can they save each other?

Alpha Toby Toleri has spent his entire life ensuring the financial security of his clan. When he wins a tropical vacation with a beautiful stranger, his struggles to unplug put them both at risk. With torrential storms, deadly creatures, and hazardous terrain looming on all sides, can Toby save his dream girl before it’s too late?

Jadyn Hopper is a holistic therapist who thinks she has everything figured out. When she wins a trip to a resort with Toby, she pushes him to appreciate the wonder of nature on her terms. But when her well-intentioned hiking trip ends up with the pair lost in the jungle, she must reevaluate whether the handsome Toby may have more to offer than he seemed.

Capturing the Bear is a standalone paranormal romance novella in the “Bear Shifter Games” series, set in a contemporary world filled with unexpected wonders, magic, and suspense. If you like steamy romance, muscle-bound shifters, and tropical liaisons, you’ll love AJ Tipton’s breathtaking book.

My review:

Capturing the Bear features Jadyn, a rabbit shifter, who tied for first place with Toby, a bear shifter, and won a tropical vacation. Jadyn was excited (I mean, who wouldn’t be) but was getting more and more PO’d at Toby. See, Toby is having trouble unplugging….a problem that most people these days have. The whole plane ride and car ride to the resort, he was nose deep in the phone. Which drove her nuts (and to be honest, it would have driven me nuts too). So, once she got there, she decided that Toby and herself would take a hike on one of the paths in the jungle.

Toby was not happy about being dragged into the jungle and managed to keep his phone. Not that it did any good because it lost signal in the jungle. Which ticked him off because he was in the middle of a deal when he lost signal.

I really couldn’t get a feel for either Jadyn or Toby at first. Jadyn came across as pushy and Toby, well he couldn’t keep his attention on Jadyn. But that did change once they got lost and his phone lost signal. Then they had to depend on each other to outwit animals and weather while having beyond wild sex.

The sex, as always, was beyond hot. I did have a slight disconnect with them but I think that is because Toby didn’t take his darn head out of the phone until they were in the jungle.

The end of the book was pretty sweet and there was definitely a HEA!!!

How many stars will I give Capturing the Bear: 4

Why: I loved that this book was set in paradise and the hero couldn’t take his head out of his phone long enough to pay attention to the heroine, at the beginning of the book. Towards the end, he definitely paid attention to her. Oh yes, he did!!

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and language

I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it

Christmas with the Bear (Bear Shifter Games) by A.J. Tipton

Christmas with the Bear: A Forbidden Shifter Romance (Bear Shifter Games Book 4)

Title: Christmas with the Bear

Author: A.J. Tipton

Publisher: AJ Tipton Enterprises

Date of publication: October 2nd, 2016

Genre: Romance, Erotica, Paranormal

Number of pages: 64

POV: 3rd person

Series: Bear Shifter Games

Coaching the Bear – Book 1 (review here)

Conquering the Bear – Book 2 (review here)

Christmas with the Bear – Book 3

Capturing the Bear – Book 4

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A billionaire bear shifter longing for his forbidden love. A brilliant inventor, unable to control her temper. When these shifters from warring families fall for each other, will the feud tear them apart?

Billionaire architect Cabe Gabel has something missing in his celebrity-studded lifestyle. When he returns to his hometown to cheer on his nephew in the Christmas Shifter Games, Cabe comes face-to-face with his childhood friend and first love, Megan McPhee. The problem: Megan’s family has been at war with the Gabels for generations. Can Cabe defy his family’s heritage for his lost love?

Megan McPhee has a thriving business and a loving family, but she never forgot her first love, Cabe Gabel. When she sees him again, she vows not to let this second chance pass them by. But when their families’ past threatens the couple’s rekindled love, will Megan’s temper get in the way of what she truly wants?

Christmas with the Bear is a standalone paranormal romance novella in the “Bear Shifter Games” series, set in a contemporary world filled with unexpected wonders, magic, and suspense. If you like steamy romance, muscle-bound shifters, and Christmas magic, you’ll love AJ Tipton’s breathtaking book.

My review:

Christmas with the Bear is fashioned a little after Romeo and Juliet. I say a little because there were certain elements that reminded me of the play. The warring families was a huge one. The Gabel and the McPhee’s have hated each other for decades after the patriarch of the McPhee’s took the eye of the Gabel patriarch. Then there is also the romance between Cabe and Megan that was stifled in high school….because of the darn feud.

While this book is a Shifter Game short story, it is not focused on the adults. Lola made a version of the game for children. Cabe’s nephew and Megan’s niece are competing against each other in the game and the book takes off when Cabe takes his nephew to their secret training area and meets up with Megan….who also knows about the training area. It is there that Megan and Cabe’s relationship is jump-started again.

I loved that Megan was given an anger control problem. For some reason, it tickled me to read that. She was so touchy. I mean, the poor guy at the Ferris Wheel got the brunt of her temper at the Wonderanium.

I will say that the end of the book was pretty much a surprise to me. Only because it kinda came out of left field. But, it did explain all the hard feelings between the patriarchs….lol.

How many stars will I give Christmas with the Bear: 4

Why: I enjoyed the book. A great, short story in one of my favorite universes….ever.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and language

I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it

Conquering the Bear (Bear Shifter Games) by AJ Tipton

Conquering the Bear (Bear Shifter Games #2)

Title: Conquering The Bear

Author: A.J. Tipton

Publisher: AJ Tipton Enterprises

Date of publication: July 20th, 2016

Genre: Romance, Erotica, Paranormal

Number of pages: 103

POV: 3rd person

Series: Bear Shifter Games

Coaching the Bear – Book 1 (review here)

Conquering the Bear – Book 2

Capturing the Bear – Book 3

Christmas with the Bear – Book 4

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A shy billionaire hiding from the world. An easy-going hunk with a secret. Can they win the shifter games without losing each other?

Handsome billionaire Marc Rochester hates the fame that comes with his infamous family’s fortune. He works as a small-time veterinarian and he keeps to himself until his best friend pushes him to compete in a supernatural competition: the shifter games. When he meets Sylvester at the race, Marc finds there may be advantages to getting out of the house after all. Can Marc take the leap to let somebody in?

Sylvester Burrows is a confident competitor who can’t resist his passionate attraction for Marc. There’s one problem: in just a few short months, Sylvester is moving across the globe for his dream job. He tries not to get too close to the sexily aloof Marc, but Sylvester cannot deny his feelings for long. When fate pushes them together, Sylvester knows he will have to choose between his dreams or his love.

My review:

So this is going to be the dreaded short review. The reason why it’s short: I have two other reviews in the same series to write, an hour to do it and I will not be home tonight to write a longer review (taking my older two kids to a play: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe). So I apologize in advance to those who don’t like short reviews!!

I really enjoyed reading Conquering the Bear. As with Coaching the Bear, it was full of action, the shifter games, and some pretty hot sex.

I enjoyed seeing Marc and Sylvester’s relationship grow from competitors to friends to more during the course of the book. As competitors, they were the ultimate rivals and pushed each other during the game. As friends and lovers, they were sweet!!

I did feel for Marc. He was so shy and uncomfortable in social situations, it wasn’t even funny. I thought he might have anxiety but the reaction people gave when his last name was mentioned was self-explanatory.

The sex was hot, hot, hot!!!

I did like Lola’s way of setting them up. A romantic dinner and cleaning the house in a green speedo. The romantic date, I was like “Awwww” at but the speedo…I got the giggles.

I loved how the book ended up. I didn’t think it would happen!!!

How many stars will I give Conquering the Bear: 4

Why: I enjoyed reading this book. It was sweet but filled with sex and action!!! I honestly can’t get enough of this universe!!!

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Language and sex

I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it