Review: Forbidden Fantasies by Jodie Griffin

Title: Forbidden Fantasies
Author: Jodie Griffin
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication Date: March 5, 2012
ISBN: 9781426893339
Received via NetGalley
Genre: Erotic Romance


The Blurb:

After fifteen years of marriage, Jessica Meyers's sex life is, well, a little predictable. Her handsome husband turns her on, but missionary style once or twice a week? It just can't compare to the hot new world she discovers in the pages of erotic romances. Her fantasies fuel the fire of her desire, adding a new spark to her and Alex's lovemaking. But Jess is afraid to tell her husband what shereally wants in bed-and her secrets start coming between them.

State trooper Alex Meyers is a master at uncovering the truth-except when it comes to his sweet, shy wife. She's clearly keeping something from him. An affair? She wants out? When he finally confronts Jess, he's shocked to learn she wants to turn her forbidden fantasies into nightly realities. But when he takes her to a unique B and B-Bondage and Breakfast-catering to couples and multiples, Alex is about to find out just how far he'll go.


My Take:


Jess has been living her sexual fantasies. In her head that is. She's afraid to tell her husband about the erotic books she's been reading and even more afraid to tell him that she wants to try some of the things in those books. It's a very believable fear, especially because the unknown often is scary. Alex believes the worst, thinking his wife is having an affair. She's been distant lately even after they're together and it bothers him. Until he finally confronts her and all is finally revealed.


This novella is hot, hot hot. It worked well for being so short and as such I didn't have a problem with the plot feeling too rushed etc. It was enjoyable to read and had parts that even had me blushing (and it takes a lot to make me blush.) Mostly, this type of story was right up my alley heat wise.


The one thing that I found I had a problem with was the dialogue. I had a hard time "listening" to the characters as thought the dialogue felt forced and stilted. Not believable. At least not to me. I find this to be a shame, as there is so much potential here to convey so much emotion and it fell flat in this area. I, unfortunately, found myself wanting to skim over the dialogue and get to the internalizations and "action" because it was all conveyed much better than the dialogue. I wish I could have connected to it more as I really enjoyed the story, but problems with dialogue are hard for me to overlook when reading and as such my rating reflects this problem.


My Rating: 3/5 Lattes







All My Best,


Kayla

Review: Hog Wild by Jenna Jaxon

Title: Hog Wild: A Three Pigs Twisted Tale
Publisher: New Dawning Press
ISBN:
Genre: Erotic Romance
Received: gifted by author/publisher for review


The Blurb:


When Lula Wolfendale’s motorcycle breaks down on her way to a Harley rally, she detours into tiny Shoshone, CA to find a new ride.  Seducing bikers Beau and Rob Hogue and commandeering their Harleys is easy; finding sexual satisfaction is a “hog” of a different color.  A Blue Phantom, to be exact, owned by the pair’s older brother, Jesse.  After a brief, unsatisfying encounters with the first two Hogues, Lula approaches Jesse with a proposition:  a sexual contest for his Phantom, where Lula will emerge with either a bike to die for or the climax of her dreams.  Or can she possibly obtain both?


My Take:


A twisted tale is right, but Jenna Jaxon twists this classic fairy tale in all the right ways. She writes with a talented hand and a clever voice and I loved this take on The Three Little Pigs. 


A woman in search of satisfaction who hasn't quite found it, gives two brothers quite an experience, that is, until the third and oldest brother gives Lula herself the experience she's been waiting for. 


It's a very quick and fast paced read and not to mention hot hot hot. She definitely meets her match with Jesse Hogue, the eldest. I just love how he takes control of the whole situation, I love his determination, and I love how he proves Lula wrong in terms of his ability to please her. She may not have been satisfied in the past, but Jesse makes sure that that's not the case with him as her partner. 


She was able to "blow" the two younger brothers down, but Jesse's house is made of brick, hehe, after all, he's the third Hogue brother. She has quite an effect on him, but not the same effect that she had on his two younger brothers or all her past encounters for that matter, which makes the game that much more enjoyable for the both of them.


As I said, it was a quick, fun, and sexy as hell read, and once again I find myself enjoying yet another of Ms. Jaxon's works. She hasn't let me down yet and I look forward to more from her.


My Rating: 4/5 Lattes








All My Best,


Kayla

Review: House of Saints by a.c. Mason

Title: House of Saints
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Publication Date: February 24, 2012
Genre: Paranormal Erotic Historical Romance with multiple partners, interracial/multicultural and including m/m/f, f/f/m, m/f, and discipline
Received for Review from Author


The Blurb:

In 1890"s London, young Simone Baden is left with responsibility of her two brothers. Being a woman of color with very little experience, she cannot provide for them through honest means and is soon desperate. From the women at the boarding house, she hears of a brothel that caters to the unusual- supernaturals. WIth the ache of hunger growing in her brothers' bellies and the threat of eviction looming, she has no choice but to barter her body and freedom.

Eravas Lilu is an ancient spirit of desire who excels at what he does- teaching the arts of pleasure to women- but Simone is different. With a male and female helper, decadent instruction follows to mold his charge into Magdalene. Enthralled by her inner beauty, he finds himself at a crossroads.

Shall he let her new profession take her soul, or give up his own in exchange for hers...?

My Take:

I loved this. It's as simple as that. It's a very quick read and I couldn't put it down. Many people may have issues with the heroine simply for the reason of her choice of profession to save her family, however despite her profession she never ends up giving herself away for money and for me, this is why I didn't have a problem with the heroine. She was put into a predicament that many people can sympathize with and living in different times, she does what she has to to make sure her little brothers are cared for.

I love how right from the start Eravas is enthralled with her though he won't admit it to her, flat out telling her that he will undoubtedly grow tired of her after a while as he does with each of his new charges, but Simone refuses to believe him. She brings out a side of him that Eravas didn't know he had and shows her the ultimate pleasure that one can experience.

I love how Simone brings out the good in Eravas that he never thought he had and I loved the ending very much.

The only problem I really had was how easily she accepted her new calling in life, yes she was shy with different things at first, but I would have liked to see a little bit more of an inner struggle with her and her new occupation and with what she is now meant to experience.

I recommend this story to anyone looking for a quick and sexy as all hell read and look forward to more of a.c. Mason's works.

My Rating: 4/5 Lattes




All My Best,

Kayla

Review: Wicked Weekend by Gillian Archer

Title: Wicked Weekend
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication Date: March 12, 2012
ISBN: 9781426893391
Genre: Erotic Romance containing BDSM
Received via Net Galley


The Blurb:

Why did Lauren Vaughn introduce her sister to the man she herself was crazy about? Now Lauren is watching the happy couple at their combined bachelor/bachelorette party-while Lauren sits all alone at the bar. Until she spots a hot stranger with the telltale black handkerchief in his pocket: the signal for "seeks no-strings affair with sexy submissive." Lauren can't take her eyes off him. So when he comes over, she kicks her inner good girl to the curb and follows Jamie Forman to his room, where he makes her scream with pleasure all night long.

But Jamie is a complicated man. He can't handle how desperately he wants her in his bed-and his life. It's up to Lauren to teach him how to make all night last forever.

My Take:


I've read maybe a handful of erotic BDSM type romances in my life so as such I wasn't sure exactly what to expect from this novella, but I very much enjoyed it. I thought the portrayal of a Dominant/Submissive sexual encounter was done very tastefully and gave me (I think) a realistic glimpse into this particular area of sex. It was tastefully done and very hot, just the way I like my romances :-D. 


Jamie was delicious and sexy and I loved how "gentle" he was with Lauren in her first few encounters with this particular type of sex life. Despite her always wanting to have a BDSM type relationship with a man where she could be completely submissive, she's never truly had one and as such has always been slightly unsatisfied with her sex life. That is, until she meets Jamie. He handles her with care, and makes sure she is completely one hundred percent comfortable with their respective roles in the bedroom. This being an erotic romance, they don't spend much time out of the bedroom, but that's totally fine and I feel that there was definitely character growth between the two of them regardless of them hardly leaving the bedroom.


The one thing I had a problem with is Lauren's complete lack of self-esteem. I know she craves being a submissive, and I know that he sister is a royal beyotch and always puts her down, and sure she should have doubts like any normal person during a sexual encounter with a man they've never met particularly when they are going to partake in some "kink", but her constant doubting of herself and her appeal and whether she can truly please Jamie and why he would want someone like her, got a bit annoying. I like my heroines to be somewhat confidant in themselves, we all have doubts, but it just seems that if someone has as many doubts and concerns running through her head during sex as Lauren did, wouldn't be able to enjoy themselves at all.


Otherwise, it was a very enjoyable read. It's hard to be completely objective to the BDSM quality of this particular story having never really read any prior, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a super quick and super sexy read.


My Rating: 4/5 Lattes







All My Best,


Kayla

Review: The Price of Innocence by Susan Sizemore

Publisher: TKA Distribution
Imprint: None
Publication Date: December 12, 2011
ISBN: 9781937776091
Genre: Historical Romance
Received via NetGalley


The Blurb:


Sherrie Hamilton is a woman with a scandalous secret past. When she travels to London for a Season of helping to launch her cousins on the marriage mart, she runs into her past. Literally. In the one place she never expected to find a pirate, she encounters the sensuous rogue who kept her as his lover years before.

Jack PenMartyn, Earl of PenMartyn, seeks to put his wicked past raiding the China Sea behind him. One thing he can't forget is the young woman whose pure innocence he stole; the woman who is the mother of the child he never knew he had.

He knows that with one false word, Sherrie will expose the secrets of his past. But does he dare to hope that she will give in to the temptation of their reckless passion for a future together?


My Take:


I have mixed feelings as I write this review. I'm not sure what I think about it or the characters. It's a mixture of feelings I guess. On the one hand I couldn't stop turning the pages, Ms. Sizemore definitely had me captivated, on the other hand the hero is constantly man-handling the heroine. There's, what appears to be to be forced seduction of the sort that yes she enjoys it but she says "no" and tries to stop him and then there's the revelation at the end that even though the hero, Jack has been beating himself up because of his repeated raping of Sherrie when she was his concubine nine years ago and the one time he raped her in present day, that Sherrie did not believe she had been raped at all and that Jack is mistaken. Rather, all her resisting was foreplay. I'm not sure if I believe that it's true and that Sherrie really believes this or if I believe Sherrie is clearly confused about what defines rape etc. 


I'm mostly confused because it both bothers me and doesn't bother me. I have a feeling a lot of people will not like this story and hate the hero and at times I did too. I particularly didn't like how toward the beginning of the book he called Sherrie a bitch (not to her face and more as internalization) but I feel it uncalled for, regardless of whether he was jealous or not. 


To me, as long as you get past it, you get to see Jack's good qualities particularly with the daughter he never knew he had. You can see his immediate love and caring for the girl and he has these moments when you clearly can tell he loves Sherrie and things do make a little more sense once he reveals some truths toward the end of the novel. Like I said, my mind keeps flip flopping on my feeling for this book. I really liked it and I would read it again, but a lot of it made me mad. Not sure what that says about me :-/ 


All I can say is that clearly, the pair have a very complicated relationship and that while they love each other, I'm not sure that it's a healthy relationship. At least not through most of the book. The ending seemed to clean some things up so that they were able to get a past a lot of their history that was hurting each other and ultimately I did find myself rooting for the couple to make it and so that they could have their little family and make it a bigger family and I adored their daughter and loved that he hardly even questioned whether the child was his when he found out. He just accepted it and started playing the role of father as though he was meant to all along which for me was a big redeeming quality for him. Also, his need to protect Sherri and Minnie redeemed him quite a bit. There were also a lot of small "sweet" moments, mainly of dialogue, toward the end that I very much enjoyed.


I did feel the whole suspense portion of the story with Lord Summer's fell a little flat to me. It could have been amped up to be more action oriented, but I did like how he was ultimately dealt with. 


I guess, even though the book made me mad in parts, it did keep me reading and I did enjoy it and found myself rooting for the couple and I would honestly read the story again so confused on my feelings or not, I think that basically says it all. I just want to warn some readers that they may not be as forgiving on the forced seduction as I was.


My Rating: 3 Lattes 





All My Best,


Kayla

Review: Motor City Mage by Cindy Spencer Pape

Title: Motor City Mage
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: Carina Press
Publication Date: March 12, 2012
ISBN: 9781426893384
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Romance
Series: Urban Arcana Book 4


The Blurb:



As a cop who keeps paranormals in line, Des has a hard time trusting them. So why does he want the beautiful werewolf Lana more than his next breath? She's mouthy, flamboyant and distractingly sexy-not the type of woman for a reserved mage like him. Lana admires Des, but she can't be with someone who won't take her seriously, no matter how much she'd love to rip off his dress shirt.


When a dangerous new drug shows up in Detroit, Des must locate the source, and Lana is determined to help. But their plan goes awry, trapping them in a demon dimension. To return home, Lana and Des must flee through a series of unpredictable alternate realities, fighting enemies while trying to shut down the drug trade. But if they're going to survive, they'll have to rely on each other, even though getting closer will add fuel to a fire that's already burning out of control...



My Take:


Lana and Des clearly have some history, that starting the series with book four, I missed out on, but it's okay I was able to follow along quite nicely. Des is a Wyndewin (a mage) that works for The Legion a secret government type organization that helps regulate the different species of populace in the world. Lana is a werewolf who is also friends/bicker partner to Des, their friends are friends/husbands/brothers etc and their little group is a mismatch of all different types of species. Fae, Werewolf, Mage, etc. The Legion isn't happy about because it's old fashioned in it's thinking that the different species shouldn't associate with one another so Des' work is constantly on his ass about his relations with the other species. 


Lana and Des get together to try and stop the making and distribution of a new drug called Demon's Dust and in the process come in contact with a Demon that let's Des know that his boss at The Legion is involved with Malen, an evil demon in the processing and distribution of this new drug. The three of them team up to take out Malen, but the plan backfires and all three are shoved through a portal that takes them to Malen's demon world where they are thrown in a dungeon. 


Then ensues the escape attempt and then following that their attempt to get back to their own world using a combination of portals that will hop them to different worlds in the process. It's the getting to these portals that most of the story takes place and then of course there's the big show down once they return home because Des discovered that his boss is telling The Legion that it's Des that's involved with the Demons, after all what's to stop him from dealing with them when he already deals with many other species. The whole family, blood and not, set out to destroy Des' boss and Malen in hopes of getting proof of Des' innocence.


My Thoughts:


As a new reader coming into the series in book four, I didn't have a hard time following along with the story because the author tries to fill you in. My problem with it was that at times the author gave so much information regarding all the past characters that I really thought I was missing something and found myself having a hard time following who was who with it, which I'm sure, is the opposite of the author's intent. I think it would have been easier to follow if I was given tiny tidbits to get me through. That being said, I was still able to read the story fine.


I felt as though the relationship between Lana and Des progressed waaaay too fast. Now this may be in part (I'm thinking it's probably so, but am not sure) due to the fact that the tension in their relationship probably started in earlier books in the series so me, coming into this series in book four, missed out on all the "foreplay" so to speak. Which the sexual tension leading up to the first sexual encounter between hero and heroine, is one of my favorite parts to read in a romance novel, so I found it to be a bit disappointing. It just felt like one minute they're bickering and the next they're going at it on her couch. Speaking of foreplay...all of the love scenes severely lacked it and as such, for me, the love scenes fell kind of flat. His manly parts are out and inside her before he even puts his mouth to her breasts half the time and that's really the extent of the love scenes. They're too short and lacking in heat for my taste. I'm all for reading a quickie in a story, but not every time they have sex. It needs to be mixed up etc. 


The characters both Lana, Des, and their whole slew of friends and family, are very fun and I'm intrigued enough to pick up the first three books to see the other's relationships unfold, just so I can revisit these characters. 


The one thing that bothered me character wise was Lana's attempts at movie humor. I just felt like her jokes fell flat to me and taking those bits out wouldn't have changed the way I see Lana one way or the other. It's like they were added in as an afterthought. 


I love that both Lana and Des complement each other in their roles, taking turns being alpha/submissive to satisfy both their needs for control and I love Des' anger every time Lana tries to take things into her own hands to protect him. It shows just how much he cares for her and doesn't want her to get hurt. 


I'd like to take a moment and applaud the author on her world building. The worlds are so detail oriented without info dumping, she weaves the descriptions into the story effortlessly and makes me wish their was such a world like this and at the very least, makes me want to revisit this world she created over and over again.


Finally, I absolutely LOVED the ending. Even though I hadn't read the earlier books, it was really awesome to be able to see both Des and Lana, as well as their loved ones from previous books, finally get their happily ever after in full. It was cute, sweet, and touching.


I very much look forward to reading more of Ms. Pape's work.


My Rating:


4/5 Lattes





All My Best,


Kayla

Review: Enraptured by Elisabeth Naughton

Publisher: Sourcebooks
Imprint: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: April 1, 2012
ISBN:9781402262128
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Received via NetGalley
Book 4 of the Eternal Guardians Series


The Blurb:


Orpheus may have joined the elite protectors known as Eternal Guardians, but they’ve never trusted whose side he’s really on. And the half-daemon couldn’t care less. Orpheus has only one goal: rescue his brother from the Underworld. He’s not expecting a woman to get in the way, especially not one sent by Zeus to seduce, entrap, and then ultimately destroy him. A woman who will dredge up a past he doesn’t remember, a love that once condemned him, and a dark and deadly secret as old as the Eternal Guardians themselves.


My Take:


I'll admit that while this story intrigued me, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about it when it came time to read it. What I mean by this is, I'm a big fan of Gena Showalters Lords of the Underworld series and being that this series of Ms. Naughton's also deals with Greek Gods, etc. I thought perhaps it would pale in comparison. I was wrong.


This is the fourth book in the series and I found that for the most part it stood alone very well since I personally haven't read the first three in the series. The storyline, though it deals with Greek Mythology, is nothing like the LOTU series by Gena Showalter.


Orpheus is trying to find an orb that will allow him to save his brothers life since Orpheus feels its his fault that his younger sibling lost his life to begin with. On this journey to find the orb, he is followed by Skyla, a siren, who was meant to find the orb and deliver it to her boss Zeus and not let it get into Orpheus' hands. However, in a twist she didn't expect, Orpheus happens to be the reincarnated version of the man she once loved and who's death she feels responsible for. She keeps this from him however. Orpheus isn't sure what's going on, only that he has an intense and unexplainable attraction to Skyla that irritates the hell out of him especially since he knows that she's only with him to take the orb from him once it's found.


There is not one but three Gods after them now trying to get the orb from them as possession of it will make the holder all-powerful so they team up together and Skyla realizes that she can't complete her mission because of her love for Orpheus.


There wasn't really ever a slow moment in this story, it was fast paced and fun and exciting. A tortured hero, a strong as hell heroine and a whole lotta evil ass to kick with extra spicy love scenes. I very much enjoyed the read. Except for a few things...


The use of the word déjà vu due to the hero and heroines past became annoying. I don't mind the whole reincarnated thing and I don't mind the sense of deja vu other that the fact that the term itself was used so often it became annoying to be. 


Also, while I enjoyed he glimpses into their last life together, at times it pulled me from the story and what was happening right that moment for them. 


Finally, SPOILER ALERT I love that they end up together but I've personally never been a fan of second chance at life type endings of this sort. The heroine died and got to choose between going to "heaven" or returning back to her life. Guess what she chose? Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that it wasn't executed wells much as its me not liking that particular type of ending... I feel it's an easy way to rescue things. Let's kill the heroine, but it's okay because I'll just bring her back from the dead so they can have their happily ever after... That's just me though.


Overall I really enjoyed it and I look forward to more of Ms. Naughton's work.


My rating: 3.5/5 Lattes





All My Best,


Kayla

Review: Double Heart Diner by Annie Jones

Publisher: TKA Distribution
Publication Date: December 11, 2011
ISBN: 9781937776046
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Received via Net Galley from TKA Distribution


The Blurb:


It was a little piece of heaven on Route 66. True, the famed Double Heart Diner had seen better days. But it was still such a special place for so many people. And Georgia Darling wasn’t going to let some city-slicker shut it down, no matter how handsome and sweet-talking the stranger might be.

It was a precious piece of land on the Texas panhandle, and it belonged to him. So why was businessman Jett Murphy letting some cute, fiery redhead try to talk him out of bulldozing the entire building? If Miss Darling thought she could beat him when it came to being headstrong...well, maybe he had met his match.

Route 66 Romance: Come along for the fun on the rocky road to love.


My Take:


First, I must say that this was a very cute read that had me smiling the entire time. Our heroine, Georgia Darling, is as zany as can be and channels I Love Lucy in the best of times. She has one thing that she cares about more than anything, saving her "home" the Double Heart Diner. Set in the midst of Old Route 66, the Double Heart Diner is scheduled to be bought out and sold to land developers, but Georgia won't have any of it so she decides to go to the press regarding her ex-employers plans to destroy the diner. 


Enter Jett Murphey. Our hero, a recluse who loves staying out of the spotlight during both business and personal dealing, is about to have a handful of problems when an ex employee threatens to go to the media with his intentions to buy and sell the Double Heart Diner. He has to figure out a way to stop her from doing so, but finds himself on a wacky adventure to save the Diner while traveling down the heart of America on Old Route 66 with none other than Ms. Georgia Darling herself.


Our hero and heroine are complete opposites, and as such are perfect together. Creating a yin and yang type relationship that balances each other. Georgia has an extremely playful attitude, that for the most part is cute and funny, but at some points (such as when Jett was on an important phone call) I found her to be a little immature. After all, even in stories, there is a time and a place for playfulness/humor. 


Regardless, it was fun uncovering everything the two of them had up their sleeves as they tried to outrace the media to save the Double Heart and in the process find themselves and love. As the Double Heart Diner saying goes: "If you've lost your love or lost your way, you'll find them at the Double Heart Diner."


The only main issue I had really, (and I'm not sure if it's because of the type of e-reader I was using) was some formatting constraints. There were scene breaks that didn't actually have the break so it would take me a second to realize we weren't on the same scene anymore. Other than that and the brief comment of how at certain time the humorous, fun and quirky attitude of Georgia came across as immature, I have no complaints and very much enjoyed it. 


These two characters brought out each others best qualities and as such created memorable characters that I look forward to visiting again. 


It's a sweet romance, only a few non-explicit kisses, and we all know how I tend to like my romances nice and steamy, however the sweetness of this fit the tone of the book well and it was such a quick read at just around 180 pages, that I do believe I may find myself reading it again at some point.


Great job on a great story, Ms. Jones.


My Rating: 4/5 Lattes




All My Best,


Kayla

Review: Got Game? by Stephanie Doyle

Publication Date: December 11, 2011
Publisher: TKA Distribution
ISBN: 9781937776206
Genre: Contemporary Romance- Suspense Elements
Obtained via Net Galley from TKA Distribution

The Blurb:

Oh, Yeah. Game On!

The world of professional golf is rocked when the new ranking system allows Reilly Carr- the country's best female player- to compete with the big boys. Now everyone wants to know if she will or won't play in golf's premier event...The American.

But her tough choices are complicated further when Luke Nolan- her on again, off again lover- suddenly decides now is the time to turn their friends-with-benefits set up into a real relationship!

If she's going to make the cut she'll need to battle her game, the press and most of all, her heart. The stakes have never been higher.

My Take:

I have always been a so-so fan of golf, don't really like watching it, but like to go to the driving range and hit-...errr... miss a few balls every once in a while. For me, it takes a talented writer and a great story to make me, a 24 year old bookworm, want to become a professional golfer. Ha Ha. But this story really made golf exciting for me.

Told in a very light, fun tone we get to experience the growth of Reilly Carr as she makes one of the biggest decisions of her career and as she deals with the repercussions of that decision. She loses friends from her women's circuit, gains enemies both on and off the course and struggles to redefine a relationship she's always wanted but was always afraid to pursue.

Reilly Carr and Luke Nolan are a great match, competitive enough to push the other toward greatness, but not so much so that it threatens their relationship. The sense of family loyalty in this story is great and the characters are all likable (well of course except for our stalker) That's right...stalker. Once Reilly is pushed into the limelight further after accepting the chance to play in The American, someone decides he wants Reilly to himself and only to himself. She receives threatening letters, creepy phone calls, usual stalkerish type behavior.

I loved this story, it wasn't so convoluted with golf descriptions that it weighed down the story, rather the golf action and training was weaved in perfectly throughout the story to give us a glimpse at what it's like to be a professional golfer and also to show us these wonderful characters personalities through the sport they know and love.

The sexual tension was hot, the sex ever hotter and it seemed to fit the characters to a T especially when you could see Reilly and Luke grow together even during the love scenes.

My only real complaint (spoiler alert! You've been warned!) is that, while I absolutely love when my heroine is married and pregnant in an epilogue, for me it felt like in love and married or not, this just didn't seem right for her character yet. I get that it's supposed to show that she's realized that golf isn't everything and it did and I thought the story had a good HEA and I felt it had closure, but I just didn't feel that it worked that she was pregnant yet. I feel like I would have liked to see how her life changed more in the golf world with her opponents, both male and female, in terms of competition etc. But even despite that, I'm still glad that finally after numerous divorces between them, that they finally found each other and their happy ending.

My Rating: "Fore"/Five Lattes



All My Best,

Kayla

Tundra 37 (A New Dawn Book #2) by Aubrie Dionne

Published By: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Publication Date: February 2012 (available now)
Genre: Sci-Fi Romance
ISBN: 978-1-937044-49-7
Received From: Entangled Publishing, LLC via NetGalley


The Blurb:


Gemme is a hi-tech matchmaker who pairs the next generation of Lifers aboard The Expedition, a deep space transport vessel destined for Paradise 18. When the identity of her lifemate pops up on her screen, she’s shocked that he’s the achingly gorgeous and highly sought after Lieutenant Miles Brentwood—a man oblivious to her existence. Believing everyone will think she contrived the match, she erases it from the computer’s memory.

Just as comets pummel the ship and destroy the pairing system forever.

With The Expedition disabled, the colonists must crash land on the barren ice world of Tundra 37 where Gemme is reassigned to an exploratory mission, led by Lieutenant Brentwood. Only in the frozen tundra does she understand the shape of his heart and why the computer has entwined their destinies.


My Take:


I had the opportunity to read this novel thank to NetGalley. I very much enjoyed it, but while there were parts I did like, there were also parts I didn't. However, the author has intrigued me enough that not only do I want to read the first book in this series, but I also can't wait to read book three in the series.


Aubrie Dionne does a great job with her world-building, creating a science fiction novel that is easily believable is hard work and I found myself really feeling as though this place could exist. Taking place far in the future (and I mean far as in the 2700's) the population of the human species has lived aboard a space shuttle of sorts (think Xenon, Girl of the 21st Century) for centuries as they leave behind the destruction of Earth and attempt to make their way to a new planet Paradise 18. And while most of the people on this very large ship The Expedition won't live to see this planet because of the fact that it takes centuries to get there, they set off in hope of a better future for their offsprings offspring. On the way to Paradise 18, The Expedition is hit by a comet shower and the ship is forced to land on the first available planet capable of occupying life, unfortunately, said planet is currently experiencing an ice age, but with no choice they land and now a team must gather together in search of the proper supplies in this unknown world to keep the ship and it's inhabitant alive so that they can start building a future on this planet. Tundra 37.


Enter Gemme, she was The Expedition's matchmaker, attempting to pair mates together to create the best offspring possible, until she finds her own name matched to the one man she thought she'd only ever be able to dream about being matched to. Afraid that the entire ship will think that she altered the computer system so that she was paired with the ships most eligible bachelor, she deletes the matching and not minutes later, her entire computer system is destroyed in the shower. Without a job, she is placed on a research and exploration team to hunt down minerals that are needed to keep everyone alive on the crashed ship. On his trip she is paired with none other than Lieutenant Brentwood, the very person who she was to be paired with according to the matchmaking system.


Lieutenant Brentwood has never met Gemme before the comet shower but he instantly knows that she is the person he is meant to be with at all costs. However, Gemme's arch rival wants Miles Brentwood for himself and she's also one of the four members of the exploration team. Drama ensues.


What did I like about this story? A lot of things really. The world building was great, and I particularly liked that the story had several different story lines in it concerning other members of the ship and their own personal journey during the crash and subsequent landing. The pacing was great, though at times I did find the constant back and forth of story lines was annoying as I kept wanting Gemme and Miles to have more screen time so to speak, but regardless, the story had me turning the pages.


What problems did I have? I feel that due to the other story lines, the romance between Miles and Gemme was more a secondary plot, than the main focus of the story and also I feel that said romance was a little rushed. I know and love stories of destined lovers, but these two didn't know each other, there was more romance between them when they were recalling their past lives and dreams and I feel the I Love You's came too fast for the development of the relationship. Also, I tend to like my stories on the steamier side, though this is more a personal preference and didn't reflect negatively on the story overall, I just would have preferred to see more than a few kisses etc. and would have liked the sexual tension to be amped up more.


The story end with enough closure that I feel it worked, but it left enough open regarding the future of this group of people to invite the next book in the series so I can't wait for it to come out so I can see what happens.


Even though this is book 2 in the series, the story stood on it own perfectly well and I had no issues following it. I very much enjoyed the story despite my feeling of the romance storyline taking a backseat to the others stories within.


My Rating: 3.5/5 Lattes (*Note: this lower rating is not entirely based on the story itself but rather the fact that this is a romance review site and that the story, while sold as a romance between Gemme and Miles, wasn't enough of a romance in my opinion. If I base my rating on the story being strictly a science fiction with romantic elements then I would likely give this story 4/5 lattes instead.)






All My Best,


Kayla

Coming This Month

Hi Everyone,

Here's a little of what you can expect to be seeing coming up this month of March 2012! I love seeing how quickly the site is expanding and look forward to it doing more so.

This month coming in reviews we have:

Tundra 37 by Aubrie Dionne
Got Game? by Stephanie Doyle
Double Heart Diner by Annie Jones
Enraptured by Elisabeth Naughton
The Price of Innocence by Susan Sizemore
Motor City Mage by Cindy Spencer Pape
The Wolf Who Loved Me by Lydia Dare
Kiss Me, I'm Irish Anthology by Roxanne St. Claire, Jill Shalvis, & Maureen Child
Wicked Weekend by Gillian Archer
Mr. Darcy Forever by Victoria Connelly
Forbidden Fantasies by Jodie Griffin
Believe It or Not by Tawna Fenske
A Lady's Revenge by Tracey Devlyn
Gate to Kandrith by Nicole Luiken
Hog Wild by Jenna Jaxon
and
Beauty in the Beast by Christine Danse

Also we have a few author spotlight this month so be sure to stop by and get to know:

a.c. Mason on March 16th
Ashlynne Laynne on March 17th
Arianna Skye on March 30th

It's going to be an exciting month and I do have a few more author spotlight spots open for the month. If you are interested please email me kayla.tocco@yahoo.com If you are also interested in having your book reviewed please email me. Note that currently, there is about a month to a month and a half wait list for books to be reviewed.

All My Best,

Kayla

February Round-Up

As my first official month as a reviewer comes to a close I thought I'd give summary of my ratings this month with links to each review should you like to read on the rating further:

Heart of Deception by Jenna Jaxon: 4 Lattes
Under Her Brass Corset by Brenda Williamson: 3 Lattes
A Waltz at Midnight by Crista McHugh: 5 Lattes RECOMMENDED READ
Chain Reaction by Zoe Archer: 4 Lattes
Almost Perfect by Jenna Jaxon: 4 Lattes
Blood Rage by Tory Michaels: 4 Lattes RECOMMENDED READ
Gentlemen Prefer Nerds by Joan Kilby: 3.5 Lattes
Deliver Me From Darkness by Tes Hilaire: 4.5 Lattes RECOMMENDED READ
Love's Prophecy by Brenda Dyer: 4 Lattes
The Last Beginning by Rachel Firasek: 2 Lattes
The Devil of Jedburgh by Claire Robyns: 4 Lattes RECOMMENDED READ

Thank you so much to all who helped make my first month of as a reviewer a successful one and I hope to continue to grow from here. If you are interested in having a book reviewed by me or in having an author spotlight at A Whole Latte Romance please email me at kayla.tocco@yahoo.com

I look forward to sharing many more reviews with you all.

All My Best,

Kayla

Review: The Last Beginning by Rachel Firasek

Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Publication Date: February 7, 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 9781937044565


I'll be the first to admit that while I haven't read the first two books, I jumped at the chance to read this when I saw it on NetGalley, Egyptian Mythology has always been something I've been interested in and this story sounded right up my alley. I was, however, disappointed. I'm not sure exactly if it's any one thing over the other, more so than a combination of things, but I really just could not connect with this story. I found the characters to be superficial, shallow, wishy-washy, arrogant and the execution of the plot was weak at best. I haven't read the first two books in the series, and I didn't feel as though I was missing any information when reading it, it did indeed stand alone, but I just couldn't connect.

The Blurb:


Though she's always hated being a phoenix, Sadie has to admit immortality has its advantages. She's seen and done more in the last 150 years than she'd ever dreamed of, but she can't get past the fact that Osiris has done nothing but manipulate her and her fellow phoenixes.

Or that, when her last incarnation as a phoenix comes to a fiery end, the fire slowly begins to consume her body.

Sun god Osiris is ashamed of his role as ruler of the Underworld, but unless he can figure out how to save Sadie, that's exactly where she's going to end up. Permanently. Terrified he's going to lose her, he takes her on a hunt for The Book of the Dead, which is the only way he knows he can save her-even if it means she'll hate him forever.


My Take:


I found Osiris to be selfish and arrogant, which in the beginning of a story is fine, the problem was right up to the very end he continued to be selfish and arrogant, even as he 's trying to save Sadie's life, I don't get the feeling he's doing it for her, but for him which takes away all the romance in the gesture of trying to save Sadie.

I found Sadie herself to be shallow and wishy-washy, I want him, I don't want him, flirting and then don't even think about it. It was like she was two different people and it was became annoying.

Frankly, for Osiris to be an Egyptian God, he didn't come across as godly, in addition to his selfishness (which, okay that's a bit typical of gods,) and arrogance, his obsession with Sadie was a bit too much to handle as though he was a puppy. He didn't come across as manly or alpha to me, as a God should in my opinion, especially one such as Osiris. Obsession isn't sexy, it's creepy.

The sexual chemistry for the two was non-existent though the author did try, and I think for the most part it was due to the characterization of the hero and heroine. I felt like it was just thrown in there for the sake of it. Most of the time I felt like Sadie really truly did not like Osiris which is why I felt like the sex and sexual tension was just thrown in.

I felt like I was floating above the story rather than being a part of it. As I said earlier, I just didn't connect. I really really wanted to like this story, which is why I finished it. I was hoping by the end that everything would fix itself, but sadly it didn't.

The story is on the shorter side, around 100 pages or so and perhaps this is one of the reasons I didn't connect, there was just too much plot and history between the characters to fit into just 100 pages. I felt that I was being told most of the history of Osiris and Sadie's relationship rather than getting to see it develop. This story, had it been executed better, could have been great. Sadly, it wasn't.

My Rating: 2/5 lattes



All My Best,

Kayla