ARC Review: Just a Little Desire (Sterling Family Crossover #2)

Just a Little Desire (Sterling Family Crossover #2)

Carly Phillips, Erika Wilde

Blurb:

I wasn’t the type of woman who indulged in one night stands, but the irresistible Liam Powers managed
to charm me right into his bed. By morning, he was gone, leaving me to wonder if our night together had been nothing more than a dream. . . until he showed up at my office a few weeks later, a wealthy investor interested in infusing cash into our struggling family business.

Liam Powers might be the man I needed to save our company, but I wasn’t about to fall for his flirtatious charm a second time. Not when I had so much to lose . . . including my heart to a man who had no intentions of settling down.

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

It’s always fun when  two authors come together to show off their nice and naughty sides so that we get to have a lot of fun reading an unexpected romance between two people that never saw one another coming. Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde always come together in an amazing way to bring us fabulous stories and this newest addition to the Sterling Crossover family is even more outstanding for us when a one-night stand turns into a life-changing relationship. Liam Powers gave up on relationships and happily-ever after a long time ago and when he escapes his brothers disgustingly happy wedding and finds himself at a bar, he has no problem deciding to pick up the sexy birthday girl for one night of outstanding sex. Morgan Starling woke alone after the night with Liam where she was afraid she’d almost lost her heart and despite being angry that he’d just disappeared she was determined to just move on. But neither of them is prepared when their lives crash together again because Liam has just signed a contract that makes them essentially business partners for the next year and they are going to be in one another’s pockets the entire time. Liam cannot resist the pull he feels toward Morgan, and despite not believing in relationships, he does believe in their chemistry and is determined to show her how good they can be together, even though it will open be temporary. Morgan feels the pull just as much, but the more time they spend together, the more she feels for Liam and wants to be more to him than just the woman he lusts after. Can they finally both let go of their past pain to find a chance at a future and what happens when a business secret threatens to come between their new budding relationship?

Reading this story was like watching an emotional roller coaster loaded with lust, fear, and chemistry between two people that had both been hurt previously and needed to let go of their pasts in order to move forward. Liam had been hurt by his previous fiancé and its obvious that he took far too much responsibility on his shoulders for her hurtful decisions. I would have loved to have seen him accept that he wasn’t the one to blame her choices and that he was worth being loved and having the devotion  of a genuinely loving partner. Morgan has similarly been hurt by previous lovers, but thankfully she knows her wroth and refuses to accept anything less from Liam than his utter devotion and full attention when they are together, even if she accepts that she won’t get to keep him long term. But when he finally accepts that they are meant to be together, losing his heart to Morgan to the point that he is almost willing to forfeit his company security to protect her. The passion and chemistry between these to is obviously from the beginning until the end, but the laughter and love they brought along with it made their romance even better. I am looking forward to more Crossover stories in this series so that we can see hints of this series and continue to meet more side characters that we might have missed in the original Sterling Series. Carly and Erika always make it a sexy adventure as they take us through the fun and games of new romances and I can’t wait for more.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.

ARC Review: Fate’s Design (Masters' Admiralty/Trinity Masters Finale)

Fate’s Design (Masters' Admiralty/Trinity Masters Finale) 

Lila Dubois

Blurb:

He vowed to never love again.

After the tragic death of both his wives and his sister, Eric knows that he’s cursed. Every woman he loves dies because he fails to protect them. That’s why, for years, he’s been fighting his feelings for Nikolett–the only person brave enough to stand up to him.

As leader of the dangerous secret society, Eric has the power to force Nikolett to marry someone else. He tried that, desperate to keep her safe, but circumstances, and Nikolett herself, conspired to upend that arranged marriage.

When a friend finally forces Eric to go to therapy, he realizes the past tragedies weren’t his fault, and that he has no desire to live without Nikolett. He arrives in Paris ready to woo the woman he loves…

But he’s too late. She’s on a date with another man.

Nikolett is planning to arrange her own marriage, even though she’s still helplessly in love with Eric. And a chance meeting with a sweet man in a coffee shop months ago might be the key to her future happiness.

Eric and Nikolett’s tangled love isn’t the only danger they face. An elusive enemy called the Spaniard is making plays against the Masters Admiralty, and the only way to catch him may be to use Nikolett as bait.

Themes:  Menage, Series Finale

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

 How does one right a review of not just a fantastic love story that has been in the making for years, but a book that brings to a close two twisting series that began over a decade ago written by two of the most amazing authors I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading and reviewing for? Let me tell you it isn’t easy, but after reading this story I have thoughts that just have to be shared and doing so without giving away any of the spoilers is going to be tricky.

To begin I wanted to thank Lila for giving us an ending that finally brings together the two people that we have all been clamoring for even though it has been a complicated and messy relationship, we refused to let her end the series without giving us Eric and Nikolett. And of course, a second and bigger thank you to both Lila and Mari Carr for giving us over a decade of fabulous twisty and turny stories as they moved us through the Trinity Masters and Master’s Admiralty series leading up to this fabulous ending.  Eric and Nikolett have led one another on a merry chase through a bitter and often heartbreaking adventure as they dealt with their hangups and fears, but finally they have found their way in this amazing tale of trauma, healing and love.  But they have an insidious enemy that has finally decided that the endgame has arrived, and he is no longer going to stay in the shadows. The Spaniard is coming out of the darkness to enact the ultimate revenge against the Master’s Admiralty, Nikolett and most importantly Eric. After finally finding love and forgiveness, Nikki and Eric have to fight for their lives and the lives of their people as the Spaniard works even harder to end them all in a flaming mess of pain and degradation.

I loved every painful, beautiful and heart mending moment of this story.  From watching Nikolett open up about her past again and again, finally coming to terms with her past and allowing love to lead her to the truth of her own worth, to showing those she loves the vulnerable woman that requires help sometimes. Nikki is obviously a woman that knows her own mind and strength, but sometimes strong women need to be able to put down their swords and let others shield them as they rest. Eric also finally came to terms with his trauma, admitting his shortcomings and releasing his fears and erroneous beliefs that everything that has ever gone wrong in his life was his fault, allowing him to heal and give Nikki the love and faith she needed.  Once he was able to offer her a healed and whole heart, he became the man she needed and wanted to stand by her side and be the lover and husband that she deserved.  Together they were finally able to learn more about and understand their enemy, no longer confused by their complicated relationship and allowing them to think more clearly, and oh boy was that enemy a doozy.  The Spaniard was truly and interesting and multilayered enemy, one that had interesting and deep-seated issues, and I would have liked to see him overcome and maybe get a book of his own later as a hero, but all good things must come to and end.  The passion and fire of the chemistry between Nikki and Eric was definitely undeniable and powered their relationship through the painful moments until they got past in order to heal.

I honestly almost died at the end of the book (until the epilogue) but thank gods we got that epilogue, or I might have tracked Lila down and made her pay. (j/k, sorta) But we now have a proper ending to the series and hopefully someday Lila and/or Mari will come back and maybe we’ll get second generation Trinity Master’s stories, but if not, I’m thrilled with this ending and can’t wait for whatever these two authors give us next. I’m sad to watch it end, but it’s been a wild and amazing ride that I’ll never forget, so thanks Lila (and Mari) for an amazing ending and a series that changed my life for the better.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.