3.5 stars

Illusion was an interesting and unusual start to the Swept Away trilogy, and I have just finished and need the next installment!

What would you do if you were kidnapped and stranded with a stranger - hot, but a stranger? This is what happens to Bianca.

I will say up front that I am a fan of Ms Cooper's work and have a lot of it sitting on my bookshelf, and while I liked the premise of this story, it just fell a little flat for me (sorry JS!)

Bianca and Jakob just seemed to go around in circles for a fair bit of the story, never seeming to move forward. Who could she trust? I trust you, I don't trust you etc etc. Jakob flip flops too and I was left thinking "gah, what are you two doing?"

There was a bit of a twist in the tale that I had figured out early in the piece, but was interested to see how things would all play out.

And it ended on a cliffhanger - so while I liked it, I didn't love it like I usually do.

But I will be reading the second installment to see where things go from here

ARC received from Gallery Books via Netgalley

3.5-4 stars.

Firstly, you will need to have read Illusion (Swept Away #1) as Disillusioned carries on right where book 1 ends.

Hear that sound?? That is the sound of my head spinning.

I liked this book more than the first one, I felt that the first book went around in circles a bit too much for the middle of the book.

Disillusioned seemed to be a bit more on track. Bianca and Jakob are still playing their cat and mouse game, with themselves and with each other. The "who are you" "who can I trust" what do you want game" did feel a little repetitive for a while there, and just as you felt you knew who was who and what was what, it was ripped out from under you.

We ended up with more questions than we began with! And we had a few at the start!!! There are lots of twists and turns, that we kind of ended up where we began - only with a lot more confusion and people thrown into the mix, just to stir things up a little more.

I know I will be reading Resolution, as I need to know whodunnit!

ARC received from author for an honest review

It has been a while since I have read a Hollywood romance, so I dived right into Forever In Hollywood.

And I am glad I did! While you expect your average Hollywood-superstar-meets-ordinary-folk-for-an-extraordinary-romance (phew!!) kind of book, this book is so much more.

I liked the instant connection between Andrew and Marissa, but LOVED that is was not an insta-love relationship - man I hate those! I adored how Marissa was around him, but what I liked more was how she dealt with him whilst dealing with all the crap going on behind the scenes in her life. Yes, she maybe in Hollywood in a movie, but there is so much more to her.

There is so much more going on in this book than just a romance. There is some quite suspenseful moments, especially when it comes to Marissa's friend Joce. There were some twists and turns that kept me interested the right through.

I hurt for, I feared for some of the characters at times as things came to the fore. I felt that our characters faults and flaw just endeared them to me even more.

And believe me when I say you are going to love love love our sexy Brit, Andrew.

This is a fine debut novel from Ms Rodolakis, and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future

4.5 Vandal-izing stars!

Review to come during blog tour at http://bjsbookblog2.blogspot.com

ARC received from author for an honest review

Kitty French has a new book? Let me at it!

If you have read Kitty's Knight series, you know she writes a sexy, sexy man.


And boy, is Abel Kingston a sexy man!

"He had a presence, a vitality, he was a big solid wall of Australian oh-my-god sexiness that made her throat constrict"

Genie Divine would do anything for her family and business. She is super successful at her job - burlesque dancer - and that seems to be the only problem Abel has with her.

The attraction between Genie and Abel is off the charts! You could cut the sexual tension with a chainsaw. The minute they see each other the spark, the pull is there, and you know it is going to be hot as Hades when they finally get together.

But do they get together? I will never tell! You need to read for yourself to find that out!

I have to say, as much as I loved Abel, may god he was an arse! A sexy, hot Australian arse, but man oh man! If I was Genie I would have kneed him in the balls and punched him in the face for being the way he was, for saying the things he says.

I adored Genie for sticking it to him like she did. She was never ashamed of what she does for a living, and she never let him make her feel so. He sure tried but she gave him the big middle finger about it.

I loved how this didn't go by the usually play book. Our lovelies bickered right to the end, none of this insta-love, misunderstanding, heartbreak, unplanned pregnancy (because there always seems to be one of these!!), get back together business here. They loved to hate each other, they fought their attraction at all turns. Love is not meant to be easy, and boy these two made it hard on themselves - and on each other.

I loved the background of the old theatre, you could almost see the glitter, smell the stage make up. Might have wanted this old, unfit body want to get up and dance.. almost! I may have laid on the couch eating chocolates instead though!


I have adored Ms French's writing since I first picked up Knight and Play, and I definitely was not disappointed with Genie. It is sweet, funny, sexy. I love the banter between Abel, Genie and the other dance ladies.


I hope we get more to this series!

Oh man, I never thought ant man in this series would give Braden Carmichael a run for his money, but Nate sure did!!

3.5 cute stars

Copy received from St Martin's Press via Netgalley for an honest review.

Nicole Michaels is a new-to-me author, and Start Me Up is a cute, if not predictable romance.

Single mum Anne meets sexy mechanic Mike and true love ensues.

While there is nothing new to this story line - boy meets, girl, boy likes girl, boy and girl fall in love, misunderstanding, breakup, boy gets girl back again - I did enjoy it.

At times Anne did annoy me - she was always on about being a mature woman, but she acted so childish at times, I just had to roll my eyes at her antics

Mike is typical alpha going after what he wants, and I think he really makes this book for me.

There are some great secondary characters, especially Anne's friend Callie and her mother Marie.

This is the first in the Hearts and Crafts series, but it is a stand alone.

There are two more books in this series, about Anne's friends Callie and Lindsay, and I will read them when they come out.

4.5 stars

ARC received from author for an honest review

I love it when we get an email from Ainslie Paton asking if we are interested in reading her next novel. Ever since we stumbled across her work a couple of years ago, we have read everything she has read, and she has never disappointed.

And Insecure is no exception.

Jacinta is a workaholic, career driven woman.

Mace is the IT geek she hits on for a one night stand.

Right from the start I adored Mace. He is like the Clayton's geek - the geek you have when you don't have a geek. Definitely not the pocket protector wearing, nerdy geek type. I think Jacinta sums him up the best:



"You're built for sex. Look at you, the most unlikely geek in the server room." She made a vague hand gesture at him. "You don't get to look like you from testing software."

Jacinta does not really live up to Mace's nickname for her - Princess Severe.

Yes, she is driven, one of a few women on the top of the game in her career. But beneath it all I could feel her vulnerability, her loneliness.

This is one of the things I love most about Ms Paton's work. They are not your average, run of the mill characters with average, run of the mill relationships. I love the role reversal in their relationship.

You could feel from the minute Jacinta and Mace "hook up" that there is going to be more to them than just one night. There is just something there. Her motives may have been purely based on aesthetics, - because Mace sure does look good - but there is a deeper connection from the get go.

There are so many things going on in their lives that they just don't have time for all that relationship bizzo. But you want them to be more, so much more. Every time they go to walk out that door, I wanted to call out "no, don't do it!!"


So, can Jacinta and Mace make a go of things? Will work get in the way of a good thing? Or will it really only be a one night - or one weekend - stand?

Nuh uh - for that you are going to have to read for yourself.

I really did adore Insecure. I could feel our lovelies insecurities coming through the pages.

There are some great secondary characters too, especially Dillon and Jay. There are some that I really, really disliked too - Malcolm is a dick with no redeeming qualities to me at all!

If you are looking for a book that is a little bit different, you need to give Insecure, or any of Ms Paton's books a go.