Such a charming sci fi standalone that warms the heart in such the sweetest of ways!!

A story that had me laughing sensual and sweet and full of promise. Great content and insight into Galen and Jessamy.

a great novella with the epic Raphael and Elena.....just love how well they see and understand each other in the little ways that mean the most. Left a smile on my face reading this.

Seeing the love between Sara and Deacon and what great parents they are. Charming and tender.

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

Summary 

Rhys Winterborne, has built himself up from the ground all the way to a wealthy tycoon. Rhys has always been able to get what he wants, but when he met Lady Helen Ravenel his world was turned upside down and he is determined to keep her for good. Helen Ravenel, was always nervous around Rhys, he intimidated her and when they were engaged, she could feel herself slowly falling in love with him. But through some complications and family interference, their engagement was broken off. Now Helen is determined to fight to have Rhys back in her life, even if that means compromising herself to be his wife. But soon after Rhys and Helen reconcile and begin anew again, their relationship is more vital and fresh and open than it ever was before. The passion they feel for each other is vibrant, but Helen is faced with a difficult decision. She learns some truths about who her father really is, a man that is a enemy of Rhys. Helen might have to face a future without a man she loves desperately to be taken from her---can Rhys and Helen find their happily ever after when there is a man that threatens to destroy the love they have built?

The Hero 

Rhys Winterborne, has not had a easy life, he has perservered through some tough situations. First off he is Welch, and for many he is looked down upon especially when he was younger. But Rhys even though he had parents that taught him right, weren't the most affectionate or loving of people but they taught him about hard work. Rhys built his father's small shop into an empire and he is one of the wealthiest men in England. Rhys seems cold and harsh on the surface, but on the inner part's he is craving companionship and love just like anyone else. He has made mistakes in the past but when Helen enters his life again, he refuses to let her go. Boy, can I just say that Rhys is one sexy hero!! One of the best Kleypas has written. Man he was mouthwatering, and I felt a bit weak in the knees just reading his character. I love how loyal and devoted he is to Helen. When he becomes committed...man does he do it so well but boy is he arrogrant about it all.

Lady Helen is so far above all men that none of us deserve her. Therefore, it might as well be me

I love how he stands by her and shows her how special she is to him and he doesn't care what others think of him. Love that!!

The Heroine 

Helen, out of all the siblings, she is the most gracious and well learned of them all. She can pass for any society miss. She gives the appearance of being the perfect debutante even if that is the exact opposite of what she truly wants in life. Helen, has been the dutiful daughter and sister. She has always said the right thing's, and did the right things. But when she loses Rhys after some miscommunications,,.,she has to fix it because she loves him and doesn't want to let him go.

" I wouldn't count on much adventure if I were you. I'm going to look after you and keep you safe."

She glanced at him over the rim of the cup, her yes smiling "What I meant was, You are the adventure."

Helen is a fighter when it comes to the people she loves. She is true to her word and to her family. Helen can be shy and reserved but is solid in every way that matters. She has learned to protect herself at a very young age. We see how she fights for the first time for what she truly wants and NOT what other expect from her even if it will cause a great scandal. I loved her from the beginning and loved seeing her get what she deserved.

Plot and Story Line 

Marrying Winterborne is finally HERE!!! And honestly ladies...and Gents of course (men are always welcome in the Kleypas fan club) I couldn't put this one down!! I bought it, read it and loved every single page. I will admit, after reading the first book Cold Hearted Rake, I was a bit nerve wracked over this book. I liked Cold Hearted Rake, but it wasn't like the other historical's that Lisa Kleypas has written in the past. However Marrying Winterborne was simply fantastic and I knew from within the first chapter, that she got her groove back and so thrilled.

Now this book, I would recommend reading Cold Hearted Rake first. You don't HAVE to, it can be read as a stand alone, there is some background information given that will keep you from being lost however having said all that, I do recommend reading the first book since it has the background information and the beginnings of their relationship. This book sets off pretty quickly after the last book ended. Helen goes into Rhy's office, to get him back. No matter what it takes. Our heroine, is pretty determined to fight for her man (*sigh* love this moment honestly, this scene is brilliant) Some beautiful moments and enough sensuality to curl your toes and they become reconciled and engagement is back on. But life is never simple especially for these two. Some complications, secrets and truths will need to be revealed before these two can find their HEA. What I truly admired the most about the way this story was spun is how each factor fit into the story. I honestly had a hard time containing my excitement from this book and not skipping because I wanted to find out what was going to happen. The story really builds when we learn who Helen's true father is (truly not a good guy at all) and is Rhy's mortal enemy, so there is quite a dilemma that Helen goes through.

Helen couldn't deny that Mr. Winterborne's personal attraction were high on her list of considerations. A man in his prime, radiating that remarkable energy, a kind of animal vitality that she found both frightening and irresistible. But there was something else about him...a lure more potent than any other. It happened during his rare moments of tenderness with her, when it seemed as if the deep, tightly locked cache of sadness in her heart was about to break open. He was the only person who had ever approached that trapped place, who might someday be able to shatter the loneliness that had always held fast inside her. 

My heart really reached out to her, because she wants to be honest with him even though others are warning her away from being honest. I wanted to smack these people, because REALLY!! But Helen she holds true to what she knows is right even if she is risking losing Rhys. And the way the story spirals downward is so right for these two and Rhys is a hero you fall in love with even MORE than before.

No, You're all mine. Every hair on your head. Every part of you was made to be loved by me

I don't want to reveal too much and I hope there isn't any spoilers here for you guys but seriously READ THIS NOW!! You won't regret it.

The Cover 

So pretty...I really love the purple with the white gown....so classy.

Overall View 

Marrying Winterborne is a truly end of your seat romantic tale that is guaranteed to make you fall heads over heels in love!! ROMANCE AT THE CORE!!

Books N Tunes 

[foogallery id="21728"]

This review was originally posted on Addicted To RomanceI received this book for free from Tka Distribution in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Love Hard is the third installment in the latest contemporary series by the talented Nalini Singh and I honestly adored this book. I was pretty on the shelf about it beforehand however, it really gobbled my attention up very quickly which I wasn't expecting as much as it did. I do get nervous around enemies to lover tropes to be honest, I never know the level of angst that will be in the story but boy how on earth do I ever doubt the talent of Nalini Singh? She did a fantastic job in penning this book in such the perfect way.

Our story begins with a wedding of the infamous T-Rex and Mouse (hero and heroine from Rock Hard) and finally we get to see their happy ever after actually happen. But this is where our couple meet up. Jacob has been working hard on his career and raising his daughter on his own ever since his high school sweetheart passed away. Now he is confronted with a ghost of his past, Juliet, who was his late wife's best friend. And Juliet and Jacob found such irritation in each other until the wedding and sparks fly between them and now they are both having to face feelings and a sexual tension that is new for them as they have always hated each other beforehand. But as they ease their way into this newfound relationship, they both will have to face up to the past to embrace their future...

Love Hard was such a emotion-packed and tension-filled story and I honestly adored every moment of it. I really had such a blast with Jacob and Juliet. The tension between them is quite unique because of the past they are both affiliated with. So you have some sweet emotion filled with this intensity. I really adored seeing Jacob and Juliet find their way to each other. Juliet has a hard time with trust, she has been burned badly and Jacob hasn't ever really had a firm relationship with another woman until Juliet. So I really enjoyed seeing them come to terms with certain aspects of themselves and find their way into their relationship. There is such an awkwardness between them that was so tender at times, you sense the type of feeling they have for each other, but this is such a new experience for them both so it's like seeing a bird learning to flap its wings and soar in the sky.

It was such a blast to see some of our old favorite characters and yes I mean the beloved T Rex and Mouse and seriously now I want to re-read their story again because *sigh* I love them. And so delightful to see this family again and their close-knit ties they have to each other. Eager for the youngest brother to have his story now.

Overall I found Love Hard to be a story of unique love, fesity angsty sensuality and a charm to knock your socks off.....

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

*May Contain Spoilers*

Pestilence is the first book in a new series by Laura Thalassa "The Four Horseman" which features a series surrounding the legend and myths of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. I will be honest, that what drew me to this book was the cover because dang isn't it gorgeous??!! I just love just about everything about it. (But for those that don't know, there will be a new cover soon --so sad--but the cover artist used a copy righted image but her latest update is that her new cover artist is one that has done some of Armentrout's book and many others so *crossing fingers* its just as gorgeous) And then I saw a raving review at Beware of the Reader and her review convinced me that I needed this book in my life. So I grabbed it in audio. I first wanted to mention this wonderful narration. The narrator is Susannah Jones and I hadn't listened to her before. She did a fantastic job in working this story so well and adding the right level of emotion when it was needed. She, did a superb job in making this story come alive for the listener, so if you love audiobooks...I highly recommend grabbing this one in audio if you can. :)

Pestilence is a book that might not work for everyone considering this is a book on the Apocalypse and our beloved hero is Pestilence, the first horseman. So if you aren't a fan of anti-heroes I am not sure that this book would work for you. However, if you adore Anti Heroes, enemies, to lovers trope, a slow burn romance and a apocalypse-mythological fantasy type setting, grab it because I promise you will love it just as much as I did.

Pestilence begins when the four horsemen of the Apocalypse arrive, where every battery and electrical and digital device goes down, their own version of an EMP. But then they disappear for five long years, while the human race is holding their breaths wondering what the future will hold for them.  But now the first horseman "Pestilence" has been riding through Canada, spreading the plague, and every town or city he rides in, the plague spreads to everyone and no one is safe. Our heroine, Sara is a firefighter and she is one of the last few to help get their town evacuated to a northern settlement. But the last four firefighters draw straws on the one who will stay behind, and attempt to kill Pestilence but it doesn't work and he comes to her and captures her wanting her to "suffer" not only for trying to kill him but also for not granting him mercy when he asked for it.

Getting angry at one of the horsemen of the apocalypse for bringing about the end of man is like getting angry at ice for being cold

At first, she thinks she will be dying soon, but she doesn't get sick like everyone else does. She is forced to travel with Pestilence wherever he goes, from town to town and she tries to give aid to those that are sick whenever she can. But the more time they spend together, a connection between Pestilence and Sara starts to develop. Pestilence, is an avenger on an errand from God, to deliver his errand. He only has one purpose, he doesn't understand human emotions or compassion. But Pestilence is capable of these emotions, and slowly Pestilence begins to understand human a bit more. He begins to understand what it means to grieve, to have loss, to enjoy the simple things in life such as a good meal or a passionate kiss. We see Pestilence struggle with his "duty" on an emotional level, and with each chapter, the bond between Pestilence and Sara deepens.

The kiss has only barely begun when it goes from sweet to wild and desperate. He’s my oxygen and I haven’t been able to breathe for months

Sara doesn't want to be attracted to Pestilence or start to have feelings for him. Because he is her enemy, and she feels like she is betraying the human race just by having these feelings for him. Their relationship takes a new turn when they come across a home with an elderly couple, that instead of being violent towards Pestilence, they welcome him with open arms. They understand his mission, and that the human race has a chance to redeem themselves if they choose to do so. And Sara begins to realize that she can help Pestilence understand that the human race is redeemable and can be saved. But will her love for Pestilence be enough to save those she loves?

GAH!! I LOVED this book so much, there is so much goodness in here and I couldn't put it down. I adored everything about it, and it worked my emotions so badly. This is NOT an easy romance, especially in the beginning. As this is a enemy to lovers trope, there is some angst obviously and at first, our hero has no feeling or emotions. Pestilence is definitely an Anti Hero, but so much character growth he goes through. We see how emotions begin to slowly build in him, and we see how he hates what he has to do, but in his mind....its needed and necessary. But once he captures Sara and begins to be drawn to her and understand her more, seeing her compassion and the way she grieves over the losses of the plague, he slowly becomes more aware of what it means to love and that there is goodness in the human race.

When you find someone worth spending that time with, you don’t want to share those minutes with anyone else

The bantering between them though is hilarious, I just love the way they go back and forth. Sara loves to talk and think about things and Pestilence prefers his solitude and so seeing such opposite personalities brings about some fun interactions because they are so different from each other and the way they talk with each other is delightful and guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

“What’s God like?” I ask. “That is not a subject I can discuss with mortals.” Of course it isn’t. “Well, then can you at least tell me what it’s like?” I ask. “What what’s like?” Pestilence’s grip has moved so that he’s now cupping my arm, his thumb rubbing circles into my flesh. “I don’t know—death. The Great Beyond.” I hold out my hand to catch a flake of snow “It would be easier to explain sight to the blind,” Pestilence says. “It can’t be understood by description alone; it must be experienced.” What is the use of having a horseman around if he won’t answer any of the fun questions?”

Seeing Sara and Pestilence fall in love is painful at times, and each of them tortures themselves over it. Because they are enemies, and they believe they are betraying themselves and their beliefs by having feelings for each other. We see them come to the point where they give into what they are feeling and admit that they love each other and seeing them fight for each other. The hero though he really surprised me in the end though, he makes such a change where he has to make a decision over his mission or the woman he loves and their sweet ending.....*sigh* just about made me cry.

Love is the greatest gift we can give or receive

This is definitely not a romance for the faint of heart, there is so much character development and seeing them fight for each other and learning what loving someone is truly about. And then the worldbuilding for the Apocalypse is AMAZING, so intense at times and I loved the way that this author wrote this book because it really opens the series just right and I can't wait for WAR....wish it was out like NOW!! hehe

Overall I found Pestilence to be a heart engaging, thrill you to your toes exciting, so romantic and emotionally engaging it tugs at the heartstrings and delivers an outstanding story that you can squee in excitement over....A DELICIOUS LOVE TALE!!!

The Fearless King is the second book in the “Kings” series and this is the newest series by Katee Robert and I am in love. There is something so unique about how this author writes her stories and she delivers some wonderful suspenseful elements that are mind-boggling and just immediately pulls you into the story. The Fearless King I have been waiting on for almost a year and I had so much fun time reading this one last night and boy I read this book really quickly.

The Fearless King features our main couple: Journey King and Frank Evans. We saw some explosive chemistry between these two in book one, so they have that whole I hate you but lust after you type of relationship going on. Journey is one of the King siblings and helps run their mother’s business. Now that their mother is gone, it’s up to Journey and her brothers to keep it going and repair the damage done to it. But then her father comes back to town and is taking over the company. Elliot is the only person that Journey fears, Elliot (their birth father) was highly abusive to his children before their mother convinced him to leave. But now he has stepped in and worked to manipulating his children. Journey and her siblings are working at getting Elliott removed somehow, but when Elliot finds out about Frank, he wants him removed from her life by any means necessary. Soon Frank’s life is in danger and Journey will protect him no matter what.

What a wild ride this book turned out to be and I honestly had such fun with this story. Not quite as much as book one, since I did have issues with these siblings in “The Last King” but I did like Journey’s character and loved the relationship we see between her and Frank Evans. Frank is black and so many people especially Elliott and her grandmother disapprove of her relationship because of his ethnic background, or even how the police officers that get involved treat him just because of his ethnicity. I really liked that Robert addressed this issue and showed that there needs to be more acceptance in the world and how bad some are treated because of certain prejudices.

There is quite a strong level of suspense and boy this book had my heart racing from beginning to end and I was so entrenched in this story and how this book was written. I was impressed with how this author wrote this book though and the level of intrigue and dangerous elements that are portrayed and I am curious over which sibling will be next. I am hoping its the next sister because of what we see happen to her.

The romance that develops between Frank and Journey is quite fun. There is a strong angst level, but not too overpowering. They have explosive chemistry of course, and at first its a “fake relationship/fling” like tropes but it quickly develops into more when we see how much these two try to fight the emotions they feel for each other. They both have powerful personalities and I liked seeing them find the right balance in their relationship.

The Fearless King was a story of delightful sexual tension, mind engaging storytelling and a romance you want to cheer on!!! AN EMPOWERING TALE!

I have had so much fun with this family here and I each book is guaranteed to keep you on your toes. Now I admit, first off, the cover here that Avon did is wonderful and so sexy, I love a naked man under a waterfall. But honestly, there is something so endearing about this series and you are always guaranteed a page-turner and a charming love story whenever you pick up Lynsay Sands.

The Wrong Highlander is a story that begins with Conran Buchanan, who has been assisting his brother Ronan with gathering herbs for his healing potions. Conran is the brother that is a “jack of all trades” and is always there with a helping hand. But now Conran has found himself in a heap of trouble. While cleaning himself in the river, he gets attacked and kidnapped and assumed to be his brother Ronan and demanding he help with their Laird being sick. But even though the circumstances aren’t the best, Conran can’t resist helping someone in need despite how it came about. Lady Evina refuses to let her father die of sickness and doesn’t feel that she has a choice and kidnaps Conran (she assumes him to be the infamous Ronan) and demands he heals her father. She will do anything for her father, even reduce herself to becoming a kidnapper. Evina refuses to marry, ever. But there are sparks that fly between herself and Conran and she can’t deny the feelings she is learning to have for him. But there is a plan to kill Evina, and when Conran’s family come to get him, they search for the unknown killer.

I found the Wrong Highlander to be quite an entertaining read for sure. There was something about this book though, that really appealed to me in such a unique way. First off, this book is a page turner, you won’t be able to put this book down. This is what I love about Lynsay Sands, her books are so engaging. In this book, I was really intrigued with the set up of the story, I do love a fun kidnapping story and Sands did a great job with this. I love how Conran doesn’t let what Evina does to him to prevent from healing her sick father, and he doesn’t resent her for it. He is so understanding and patient with her especially her fears of sex and marriage. She does have some good reasons for both and we see how Conran is steady like a rock and never loses hope on her. There is such growth in the intimacy that forms between these two here. They have some powerful sexual sparks of course, and yeah once they start kissing, they have a hard time stopping from touching each other and are just explosive. What I did like was that Sands shows how uncomfortable the first time for a woman can be and how Conran helps Evina deal with her fears of sex since their first time is pretty painful for her. But he is great in showing her how pleasure can be found despite the fears and misconceptions you may have beforehand.

We also have a level of suspense and intrigue introduced into the story and I really love how Sands has situated this aspect in this story and like the previous books, it’s wonderfully delightful to see it happen for sure. And it was quite fascinating to see this develop because when it begins, you don’t see it coming and boy this author had me on the edge trying to figure out why Evina and Conran were being targeted and who the real culprit was and yeah it blew me away. No matter how much you keep guessing you will never be able to figure it out….I guarantee it. Or if you do, you are my superhero, but seriously, I love how you never knew what was going to happen next especially in the last half of the story.

Overall I found The Wrong Highlander to be a tale of laughs, medieval adventures and some sexy kilted lovin’!! A ROMANCE TO DEVOUR!

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

Vampires Like It Hot is book number twenty eight!! I still can’t believe how large this series has become and man this book is one of the best of the SERIES. I was really impressed with how well this book was written here. I don’t know exactly what it was that really made such a big impression on me, if it was listening to this book or if this book was a bit different from anything this author has done in this series previously.

This story sets off with our hero, Rafaele Notte has come with his cousins to an exotic island and resort to relax and help a friend recover from a trauma of being a hunter. But then they start seeing signs of a rogue immortals around and multiple of them. Our heroine enters the scene, Jessica has come to the resort for her cousin’s wedding. Even though her parents are passed, family has become everything to her since she spent years in foster care and her adopted family are the best thing that ever happened to her. She is asked to babysit her other female cousin who is a bit unhinged and crazy at times, But what follows is that she finds herself dragged onto a pirate cruise ship with the assumption of feeding the sharks, but she knows something is fishy as the sun goes down. But then she discovers she is on the boat of vampires, and that the leaders thinks that she is his lifemate. But she manages to escape into the ocean and is rescued from shark infested waters by Rafaelle. Rafaelle and his friends look out for Jess and there are sparks that build between Rafaelle and Jess but Jess doesn’t realize that Rafaelle is also an immortal, and the truth could either break their relationship and bring them closer than ever before?

So this BOOK has it all!!! Its rare to see pirates in a contemporary type setting, and even though there are immortals (vampires) in this story its still rare to see this. At first I was VERYconfused to be honest with the hints that Jessica had two possible lifemates and meeting them around the same time? As far as I can remember (and I could be wrong) but I haven’t seen this in this series and I really enjoyed seeing this author handle this scenario and seeing Jessica realize who the right man is for her. Now its pretty obvious that Rafaelle is her choice because even though there is a lot of passion with the pirate captain but Rafaelle is her perfect match. I really enjoyed seeing Jessica discover what she needs the most between the two men.

It does not happen often, but sometimes a situation occurs where one person could be a life mate to two different immortals. It is always a difficult situation, and painful for the one not chosen. But a choice must be made

I was very curious to see how Sands would take this story and it actually developed really well. I adored both of these characters. Rafaelle has lived over two thousand years, has plenty of experience on his belt and close to his family. He understands close family ties and an experienced hunter. But more than that, Rafaelle, is understanding, kind and sensual and has the perfect blend of alpha and beta in him. I love how caring and protective he is of Jessica, but also lets her be herself and not being too controlling. Jessica, is such a strong lady. I really admired her character. She has risen above quite a bit. She grew up in foster care where she was abused in every way you can imagine, but then she found her own strength to overcome the past that torments her so that she is stronger than ever and I love her positive outlook on life.

Overall I found The Vampire Likes It Hot to be a stunning addition to the Argeneau series, a story of adventure, funny pirates, and a romance packed with sensuality and laughs! WELL DONE!