ARC Review: Flame (Dark Kings #17)

Flame (Dark Kings #17)

by Donna Grant 

Blurb:

If she believed in destiny, she would believe they were meant for each other.

But that fire was put out long ago. . .

Living among the Dragon Kings, Cain has spent lifetimes learning to distrust both mortals and Fae. He is a warrior born—and every instinct demands that he fight to keep his own kind safe. But when a fringe member of the Dark Fae contacts the Kings with an urgent warning, Cain is torn for the first time. How can he trust this beautiful creature when resisting his primal attraction to her is battle enough?

Noreen is horrified by what her kind and the malevolent Others are planning for the Dragon Kings. Dark Fae or not, there are lines she will not cross—even if it means risking her life. But she never imagined that she would risk her heart until she meets Cain. She wants him with a soul-deep desire that frightens her…and endangers them both. Is saying goodbye to everything Noreen has ever known worth a love that will span time and realms?

Themes:  Paranormal

Rating: 4.25 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

 The end of the war (and sadly this series) seems to be approaching faster than a speeding train but each story gets more and more complex and wonderful. I have watched this series evolve from the very beginning of the world-building that started with the Dark Warriors over 30-some books ago now and I have loved every moment of the experience. More and more we have learned that these Dragon Kings have sacrificed so much in order to protect humanity and it is their time to find happiness and peace.  As Grant takes us to the end, secrets are coming to light and we will finally get to know the all-important truth of Rhi’s past and see Con find his HEA in the next book as well, but this story instead focuses on the story of the King of the Navies and his most unlikely of mates. There was a bit of time since the last story and I found myself having forgotten a few of the names of the more minor characters, but luckily Grant is able to recollect our memories and show us how important those seemingly unimportant characters really are to the future of the Kings.  While I am sad to see that this series is ending, I understand that this world will continue with another spin-off so I go into these last two books with a lot of excitement and anticipation. Cannot wait for the next one, but this story was worth every moment and was definitely a great read.

Noreen is trying to get away from the Others, the group that has been pulling all the strings to try to bring down the Dragon Kings, but she wants to do what she can to help the Kings on her way out the door. When her message is received by the Kings, Cain is determined to find out her story is true and if she can be trusted to give them more information about the Others. He pulls her to safety and the chemistry between them is instant, the connection between them becomes deep fast.   But quickly their new relationship is put to the test when betrayal and danger puts them on opposite sides of the war.  Noreen is determined to do what she can to make up for her part in the Others’ plans to bring down the Kings, but she knows that forgiveness from Cain and his people will probably never come.  Facing their enemy together and surviving might not be enough, but Cain is going to fight for his mate, come hell or high water, even if he is fighting her.

Cain is an interesting Dragon King, seeming to be one of the more laidback and relaxed of the Kings we’ve met, but still waters definitely run deep in him.  Seeing him interacting with Noreen, whether they were running from danger, making love, or fighting each other, showed just how much passion he had, but at times I wanted to smack him for being so stubborn.  It’s not hard to understand that he was hurt, badly, when he thought he’d been betrayed, but he never took the time to look at the other side of the situation. He is sexy and dangerous by turns, but he was amazing to watch once he accepted that people make mistakes and forgave Noreen, turning him into an even more loving and fantastic man in my eyes.  Noreen on the other hand is a woman with so many layers to her that we really don’t know the full truth of her until almost the last chapter or the story. She begins the story as a fearful woman on the run, spends time as a determined but hurt woman giving up her love to make up for a mistake and ends the story as a kick ass warrior refusing to give up her man. I was so amazed how her truth unraveled over time and with so many twists and turns that it is not hard to understand how Cain fell in love with a woman like Noreen despite everything against them.

This story is one that is a little bit hard to review, mostly because it is hard to express the true greatness of this story without spoiling the whole experience.  Grant has a way with world building that is so complex that when you get to the end of a series like this there is just so much happening in each story that there is no real downtime for characters to relax and kick back, not even the side characters that aren’t the main H/h.  Noreen and Cain are definitely the focus, but their love story and experiences truly drive the overall plot forward at light-speed and without them I can’t see where the overall arc would have been headed.  Noreen is the perfect type of heroine, one that has lived so many lies and different paths in her life, but only by finding the true love of her Dragon King was she able to find her full strength and the path she was always meant to be on.  She has a lot to atone for from her mistakes and decisions, but one thing she knows is that she won’t give up her King once she has atoned. Cain loves Noreen; even when he thinks he can’t trust a word from her mouth, he can’t stop loving her, but he knows that she is integral to the future of the Kings even if he doesn’t want her to be a part of the battle.  His own mistakes and fears lead him to treat Noreen badly here and there, but protecting her with his life and standing by her side proves that he is a great man in the end. The passion and heat between Cain and Noreen is off the charts from the very first moment their eyes connected, and once they find a way through all their obstacles, the love that has developed truly is one for the ages.  The ending is barreling toward us and we get glimpses of what is coming in the next story that let us know the conclusion will be EPIC.  Constantine, King of Dragon Kings, is slowly unraveling and without some serious intervention he won’t be with us much longer.  At the same time Rhi’s stepping up in a big way and is determined that her people no longer be stuck under the influence and drama of the evil queen that has led them down the drain for millennia; finding out the name of Rhi’s King will become more important than ever, though we get some serious inklings of the truth in this story.  I am dying to read that final story and I know that I will probably have to take off work to devour the entire story in one sitting.  Grant’s magic never ceases to amaze and awe me, and I cannot wait for the next adventure.

 p.s. for those of you that have already seen/heard the spoilers of who Rhi’s king is, I refrained from mentioning it on purpose, as I felt that a mistaken release of info shouldn’t spoil it for others that haven’t heard.

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

ARC Review: Love and Other Responsibilities

Love and Other Responsibilities

by Lexxie Couper 

Blurb:

It all starts with getting wet...Randi Lockwood is kicking butt. Her teaching career is going great, she's on track to finish her Master's degree and she's fine with being single at thirty-five. And then BAM, suddenly there's a single dad and a whole lotta unexpected feelings in her life. Seriously, why the hell does her heart get all gooey over the guy? And how does she cope with the fact he's everything she didn't know she wanted, with a whole lot of baggage thrown in? Being a widower and raising two daughters at forty-two isn't easy, but Aussie Brody Thorton is doing his best. His kids are the focus of his life, and that's the way it should be. Anyway, he has no time for romance. Even if everything about his daughter's high school teacher makes his heart hammer. True love only ever happens once. Right? What happens when love comes with other responsibilities? Because Brody's memories of the past and Randi's plans for the future might destroy any hope of happiness for them as a couple. And that's only the start...

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating: 4.25 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

 A new series begins and while I was skeptical to begin this one, I couldn't resist giving it a try once I read the blurb. Most of my favorite stories from Lexxie Couper are what could truly be classified as shorter Erotica stories, but this story is more of a contemporary romance.  Not to say it isn’t a hot romance, because as with anything that Lexxie writes, it is very hot, but truly the romance is the focus of the story as opposed to the lusty connections as with many other previous stories.  There were also a lot of emotional pitfalls and issues to work through in this series that most of us aren’t used to with Lexxie, but it was so well done that you are amazed that she hasn’t gone there more. If you are a fan of a good contemporary romance such as the Rock Series by Nalini Singh or the Heartbreaker Bay Series by Jill Shalvis you are going to enjoy this new story that looks to be the beginning of a new series that might be enough to change any readers mind about what truly makes a good contemporary romance.

Randi Lockwood if a middle school teacher that is finally taking a chance in life when she embraces a chance on a sexy connection with a man she runs into—literally—at a waterpark and cannot walk away from.  Unfortunately she has learned one too many times that her life is never simple and rarely easy. Widower and single-father, Brody Thornton is beyond blown away when the gorgeous woman that grabbed his interest and finally convinced him to take a chance on dating again, turns out to be the teacher that he is squaring off against on his daughter’s behalf.  While the connection between Brody and Randi remains scalding hot, the needs of his daughters come first, and neither of them want to damage them, but surely a friendship couldn’t be a bad thing?  Too late they both realize that friendship isn’t what they want and that their hearts are too invested to be around one another without being together.  With a bratty teenager daughter, needy little girl, matchmaking nephew and  assorted group of friends, Brody and Randi have to decide if they are willing to risk everything for love and another chance at living after he’s already lost everything once and she’s never even had a chance.  Or is walking away the best thing for everyone before the damage is truly irreparable?

Randi was a kickass teacher, even when she didn’t have all the information she needed to do what was in everyone’s best interest.  It is obvious that she loves the kids she is teaching and when she finds herself becoming closer to Brody and his daughters, she tries so hard to be a good friend to them, something so much more important than being a “replacement mom”.  I can tell you from personal experience that a stepmom that is a friend is way better than one who is trying to be something she never could be. There were so many moments that you felt bad for Randi as she puts herself out there and finds her heart stomped on again and again, but she never lets her anger rule her or lashes out at anyone that isn’t an equal match.   It was also obvious she was an AWESOME aunt and nothing was going to stand in her way when anyone tried to come between her nephew and the life he wanted and deserved, not even his own parents.  She is the ultimate Mama Bear and the kids she is protecting aren’t even her own at that point, so heaven help the world if she has her own children (biologically) someday because there is no way anyone will ever threaten their happiness and get away with it.  While there were a few moments here and there that I wished she would have tried harder to keep Brody from breaking her heart, she was a great character and one I loved getting to know.  Brody on the other hand was such an ass so many times I wanted to just slap him.  Obviously he’s had some hard times thrown his way and he had to work through the emotional traumas, but it’s long past time that he let a few things go, as a model for his daughters needing to do the same.  How does he expect them to develop into healthy-minded and strong-hearted individuals if they watch him just caving under the pain of his loss and never living again? While every girl is going to be jealous of her daddy’s new lady, a truly loving daughter is going to see how much he loves and needs to be loved by a good woman, like Randi, and embrace the changes.  There were a few shining moments where I thought he was going to prove himself, but then he took giant steps back, until the very end when it took a big push to force him to terms with the future and his need for love not just for himself but for his girls.

Honestly I could not put this book down from start to finish, neglecting bedtime and making my coworkers lives hell the next day with my grumpiness! Randi and Brody were just so interesting to get to know and we kept wondering if they were going to get over all the obstacles in their path to find a way to happiness.  There were a lot of tears, a few laughs, plenty of heartwarming moments, and a heck of a lot of sexy moments, but in the end it was the roundedness and combination of a life and love well-lived that proved this story unstoppable.  Randi is a woman I can see myself aspiring to be, despite her own insecurities and I know that she is the type of woman that will lead and rule her family with love and understanding, along with discipline and compassion.  Brody was a good guy, obviously a loving father, and once he pulled his head out of his butt, he was a man that proved that his heart was big enough to have room for Randi without forgetting his first wife as it should be.  The heat and sensuality of the connection between Randi and Brody is off the charts, even when they are both fighting tooth and nail to be nothing more than friendly acquaintances, and there is no way they would have been able to fight that off for too long.  The chemistry was definitely the beginning, but I like to think that the emotional balance they provided one another once they found their way, was what will make their marriage lasting and deep.  I am looking forward to the other connected titles that we see mentioned in the end of the story, which I’m hoping with be the stories of Brody’s other Aussie Expat friends, because let’s be honest, there’s very little sexier than a hot Aussie on the hunt for love.  Keep the magic coming, Lexxie!

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

ARC Review: HOT SEAL Devotion (HOT SEAL Team #8)

HOT SEAL Devotion (HOT SEAL Team #8)

by Lynn Raye Harris 

Blurb:

She’ll ask him to marry her. And pray he says yes…

Kayla wants a daddy for her little girl. Navy SEAL Zack is perfect for the job. Kayla’s made wrong choices before, but she knows this one is right. Zack’s a strong, honorable man who will keep her baby safe.

Zack’s been twisted up inside from the moment he laid eyes on Kayla. It’s been months, and he still can’t untangle his feelings. Especially after the single night they shared. A night that took their relationship out of the friend zone and put it firmly into the hot zone.

When Kayla proposes a marriage of convenience, Zack won’t agree to a name-only arrangement. If he’s going to marry Kayla, and be a dad to little Ana, then it’s all or nothing.

But when Kayla’s past returns, threatening the life they’re building, Zack will sacrifice everything to protect his new family from harm…

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

 The devotion of a man to the woman that has owned his heart from the beginning and the little girl that has gradually stolen it, is front and center in this story of love and danger by Lynn Raye Harris. Long-time readers have been looking forward to this story and wondering when we would find out if Zack and Kayla would find their way to an HEA ever since they first met.  Chemistry and connection are so obvious, but we have been dying to find out if that deep love would develop and keep her safe from the danger that continues to stalk her.  The HOT series has evolved into one of my favorites since I stumbled on it a few years ago and the more operators we meet, the greater their stories become.  Harris has an amazing way of pulling you right into the lives of her characters and allowing you to live each and every moment with them as they go on their adventures.  The last few novels have had such a connection with her spin-off series (Black’s Bandits) and I can already tell that as the two continue to run parallel, the depth and greatness of the two series will only grow.  If you are a fan of amazing military heroes and the women that make them more human as they fall in love and make fools of themselves, you can never go wrong with the HOT series, and HOT SEAL Devotion is no exception, with two characters both going on false assumptions until they finally have to put all their cards on the table or risk losing everything.

Kayla hoped she was finally going to be able to move on from her past mistakes, but once again her past is back to haunt her. Danger is stalking her again and she has a crazy plan to keep herself, and more importantly those she loves, safe and happy.   Zack has lusted after Kayla from the beginning but after their one hot night together nothing was ever right again, so no one could be more surprised when she shows up on his doorstep and proposes marriage.  He won’t settle for anything less than everything though, and a marriage between them could be nothing less than explosive.  Terror lurks around every corner, but when his wife and new daughter are in the crosshairs, no way will Zack stand down.  Zack and HOT step up to keep Kayla and Ana safe, but it might not be enough and if he is too late he knows that his life will be destroyed so there is no way he will give up.   Can he be everything needed to save them or will the darkness of Kayla’s past win in the end?

I loved Zack, even when he was a bonehead, because he is just such a loveable bonehead.  Despite all of his skill in the female department, apparently he has no way to spot the instant emotional draw to the woman of his dreams, relegating the need to physical.  Once he is offered the dream he never even realized he wanted, he jumps in with both feet, moving ahead at light speed and making them a true family in no time at all.  I loved all the sweet moments as he tried to prove to Kayla how he felt without ever having to use the words and open up, bringing her little girl into his heart and falling in love with both of them so totally. He remains a true badass operator, but we get to see the softer and gentler side that makes him a good husband and father and I am looking forward to maybe seeing them with more kids later on too.  Kayla has so many insecurities from her past that color her outlook on life that I feel bad for her more often than not.  She has definitely drawn the short-straw most of her life, but getting to see her find her footing and standup for herself was wonderful.  She not only initiated just want she wanted out of life by proposing the marriage, she slowly asserted what she wanted from Zack once they began to communicate more and their emotions deepened.  She refused to live with anything less than his whole heart and she offered him the same in the end, finally giving that last bit of her trust at just the right moment to save them all.  She proved to us all that she is more than just a product of her life and experiences and that she has a backbone of steel.  I also loved the way she interacted with the other wives and her sister as she blossomed and found her place as one of the HOT women, making her an integral member of the family.

HOT SEAL Devotion was filled with emotional moments, surprisingly more often than you might expect from a story based around special operators that are basically alpha badasses.  Zack might be able to kick butt and take names when he needs to, but he can be gentle changing a diaper or sweet offering to hold his woman when she is an emotional wreck too.  I loved getting to know him and seeing every facet of his personality developed until he was a fully rounded man to admire.  Kayla had her moments also, coming out of her shell and beginning to understand for herself that she doesn’t always need someone else to come to her rescue, sometimes she can save herself.   She was the kind of wife and mother that most women need to model themselves after, fun and sexy, while remaining soft and strong equally to be the home that her man returns to after the devastation he sees in the dark world he protects with HOT.  The passion between Kayla and Zack was apparent in the first moment they met in previous novels and never cooled, though it was lowered to a simmer as they finally allowed their hearts to connect as well and they began to admit that their love was even stronger than just their lust.  I enjoyed each moment of this story, even the odd family moments of simplicity as Zack and Kayla began to build their lives together and I look forward to seeing them in future stories.  Whatever comes next for these HOT guys, I know the SEAL team is down to just one more bachelor and I can already guess that story is going to be monumental and sexy as hell.  CANNOT WAIT! Another masterpiece, Lynn.

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

ARC Review: Hush, Puppy (The Dogmothers #4)

Hush, Puppy (The Dogmothers #4)

by Roxanne St. Claire

Blurb:

John Santorini has his hands full this summer and not just with Maverick, the wild and willful puppy he recently adopted. He’s trying to franchise his business, he’s got serious staffing issues, and his biggest investor still hasn’t committed to financing. But all of those problems fade away when a five-year-old girl pounces on his puppy in the park and pronounces him “Mine!” John can handle a kid with a crush on little Mav. But he’s not so sure what to do with his instant attraction to her mother, a beautiful young widow who brightens his world the minute she arrives in town.

Summer Jackson has come to Bitter Bark for one reason: to meet a man. But the man she plans to connect with isn’t there. Instead, she finds two outrageous grannies who want to marry her off, discovers an extended and colorful family that wraps her in love, and crushes hard on a Greek charmer who offers her a place to stay and a job for the season. John may not have been the man Summer intended to meet, but his soul-melting kisses soon have Summer rethinking all her plans. He’s smart, sexy, sweet, and his impossibly adorable puppy is helping her daughter overcome her baffling speech impediment.

It doesn’t take long before Summer and John are dreaming of the happy ending they’ve both been denied. But when the past comes back to wreak havoc on all their lives, Summer’s real reason for coming to town threatens to destroy this budding little family. Will John have to settle for a Summer fling…or do the Dogmothers have the recipe for romance one more time?

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

 Oh my goodness the feels of this story were just too much at times but the end result was so worth all the tears in the end. Roxanne St. Claire has definitely struck again with her Dogmothers finding another set of victims for their matchmaking skills. Fans of this series, and its predecessor The Dogfather series, have watched as one after another of the Kilcannon-Santorini-Mahoney extended family have fallen in love and found their match with the help of the family matchmakers.  This story revolves around the next Santorini to find love, Alex’s Twin brother and the most logical thinker of the bunch, John Santorini.  His life is just finally getting on track for him to finally reach his goals and then the universe throws him a curveball the likes of which he never could have planned for.  I loved every moment of this story and am dying to see what happens next in the series, especially with a few of the kids we have already gotten hints about pairing off, but I suspect we have a lot of craziness in store.  There is an added bit of cuteness in this story revolving around the relationship between John’s puppy Maverick and Summer’s daughter, and while I can honestly say I am not a fan of kids and especially don’t usually connect with them as characters in romance novels, Destiny was such a sweet and vulnerable character, written as only Rocki can, that I was roped into loving her as much as the rest of the family.  This series continues to amaze and excite and I am so thrilled for every installment and each second I get to enjoy and to be fully honest once the last one has been written I can already see myself planning a nice long week of binge reading the entire two-spinoff series back-to-back just to relive every moment again.

John Santorini’s plans are finally all falling into place professionally after so many years of being put on hold and while his personal life is a bit lonely he knows that he isn’t the kind of guy destined for a great love like the emotion-driven members of his family.  If only he could get his new puppy Maverick to pay attention once in a while and give him a break he could genuinely relax for once, but the little stinker is forever getting him into trouble—until one day he leads him right into the path of a child who will change his life forever.  Said child’s mother, Summer, is appalled when her sweet girl latches onto a cute puppy in the town square and claims him for her very own, but the man attached to the other end of the leash is beyond intriguing. John and Summer both feel the connection, but with so much going on in both their lives, walking away seems like the right thing to do, until fate brings them together again at just the right moment in both their lives. Summer is in town on a mission, looking for a man, but not the one she suddenly finds herself tangled up and soon falling for, despite John’s appeal and the sweet way he treats her daughter.  Summer knows that she shouldn’t get attached to John any more than she should allow Destiny to be attached to Maverick, but the four of them can’t seem to be separated.  When John’s entire world begins to crumble around him, they both have to decide how much they are willing to risk to bring happiness into one another’s life and if the greatest reward, love, is worth the sacrifices they might have to make.

John is like the only logical Greek man you will ever meet, driven solely by spreadsheets, plans and the bottom line instead of the emotions, craziness and love that drive the rest of his family.  He once gave up his goals and his love in order to do the right thing for his family, but he finally has another shot to fulfill his dreams for his business when Summer comes into his life.  He is a hard worker, but beneath all his logic, the sweetness and love of his family and friends is truly what drives him.  He is willing to give up so much of himself and his own happiness in order to make sure that those around him are happy and healthy and that to me makes him the most amazing of men, not to mention so sexy.  The way he is able to connect with Destiny and draw out the little girl, giving her the confidence that she needed was beyond sweet and seeing him forming a small family with Summer and her daughter showed me a side of John that we never would have imagined.  In the end he really was a passionate, loving, and determined man, one that is willing to sacrifice anything for his loved ones. Summer has so much emotional baggage when this story begins that she is weighed down enough to make me cry for her.  She has been dealing with so much love, guilt, pain, and fear since her husband died, but when she finds herself being folded into the Kilcannon-Santorini Clan she quickly sees that having the support of those that love and believe in her can lift her up.  She is determined to do the right thing for her daughter and do whatever she can to make it so that she grow and bloom into the young woman she is meant to be, seeing her fall for Mav and John and knowing that it might cause her pain in the end to be separated from them, but that loving them is impossible to stop.  Summer also blossomed under Joh’s love and sweetness as she found her footing and faith in herself and those around her again, standing up for those she loved and defending them when an opponent comes to bring them pain.  I loved seeing them both bringing out the best in one another and becoming the best person they each could have been by being together.

Hush, Puppy was truly the sweetest and most emotional story I have read in a long time;  Filled with love, laughter, tears, and ultimately the love of two people coming together to build a family from a chance encounter.  All of the love and charm of this story is exemplified in the relationship between not just Summer and John, but also the one between John and Destiny that develops—that love of a father and daughter that so many overlook or ignore but that is so important in any girl’s life. John is the perfect man to offer his heart to Summer, and Destiny, with his deeply devoted sweetness and the love he showers on all those he brings into his circle.  His sexy brain and charming thoughtfulness round him out into the perfect man for any woman to love and of course the fact that he comes with an adorable puppy is not to be forgotten. Summer has had a hard few years but she and her daughter are determined to move forward in their lives and find a new balance—and a new puppy—for themselves, but she has no plan to find a new man for herself. Summer was the perfect lightness to balance out John’s solemn nature and bring him out of his shell while John is strong enough to give Summer a foundation and pillar to lean on which she needs badly.  They balance each other perfectly as the passion flares out of control between them and the love grows swiftly and settles deeply into their hearts.  I loved every second of this story, all parts of this story combining together to make the perfect mixture—a sexy Greek sweetheart, a lovely smart woman and her sweet daughter, and the puppy that brings them all together, rounded out with the huge clan of Greek and Irish loved ones that support them all. I cannot wait for the next Dogmothers story in the series and know that the very moment it becomes public I will be the first one to beg for a chance to read and review it. Roxanne St. Claire makes magic with every word she prints and this story is another spell cast on readers for sure.

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