I am in such a weird place right now, with blogging. A slump, I guess. So in an effort to keep me going, and less overwhelmed, I'm switching over to Short and Tweet reviews for a bit. We'll see how it goes!
Genre:
Contemporary/Sports Romance
Publisher: Intermix
Publication Date:
6/17/14
Format:
eARC
Source:
Publisher
GoodReads | Amazon | BN
Sometimes the best defense is a good offense…
Aileen is a sports reporter trying to make a name for herself without relying on her looks, And what better way to do that than to break a scandal about one of the fastest rising stars on the Santa Fe Bobcats? Killian seems too good to be true, so she knows he must be hiding something…
It’s hard enough breaking into the NFL—even more so when you’re a single dad. Killian isn’t proud that he’s keeping his son a secret, but his ex has a reputation that could tarnish his squeaky clean image for good. So when Aileen starts sniffing around, Killian decides to distract her by any means necessary. But Aileen is more than capable of giving as good as she gets…
My review - One Night with a Quarterback
First Line "Sweet Christ." It was the last thing Killian Reeves remembered uttering before having a heavy, unfortunate smelling man slam him to the ground.
My Short and Tweet, Twitlonger-Style
I adored One Night with a Quarterback, and was excited to get the quiet, mysterious Killian's story. What made this one different was the fact he was a kicker, a mostly overlooked position. And he liked it that way, but why? Killian has a big secret, and sports journalist Aileen is curious. She follows him, looking for a story. Killian gives her thirty days, after that, she has to leave him alone. You can probably guess where the story goes from here yeah? A big-time attraction heats up, but still, Killian's holding something back. Something to do with his son and ex-girlfriend. I was hoping for something good, something worth the not knowing for almost all of the book. Luckily, the secret is a pretty good one, but I wasn't sure that it was totally worth the drama. I liked this one well enough, but the frustration over Killian did hamper that. Loving Him Off the Field wasn't all I'd hoped for, but a good read.
Rating: 3 stars
Favorite Quote
"Did you have something you wanted me to sign?"
"Oh, uh, no." She was wasting her one opportunity. Aileen fought for something--anything--then blurted out, "What the hell happened when you got hit?"
His annoyed frown turned into a scowl. "You know, you might be the worst groupie I've ever seen. You're supposed to make the guys feel like gods, not knock them down off the pedestal."
The Santa Fe Bobcats Series
(covers lead to GoodReads pages)
Series: Fast Track #8
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: 10/7/14
Format: eARC
Pages: 304
Source: Received from publisher
GoodReads | Amazon | BN
Switching into high gear……
At a friend’s lavish wedding, Harley McLain and her twin sister, Charity, meet sexy stock-car driver Cooper Brickman. The more reserved Harley is immediately smitten—until he hits on her twin. But Harley has had enough of being the “nice” girl, and after trading dresses with Charity, she seduces Cooper for a night of wild sex.
……ready for a hot lap.
What was supposed to be a one-night fling gets complicated when Cooper needs a nanny to look after his kid sister—and is convinced sweet, dependable Harley would be perfect for the job. She can’t resist the money—or Cooper’s hot bod. But when her deception is revealed, will it destroy her dependable image—or will he finally realize how sexy sweet can be?
My review - Full Throttle
I'm honestly surprised that I couldn't get into this book. I always enjoy McCarthy's books, even giving most 5 stars. I made it approximately 50 pages into Final Lap before I put it down. I'm chalking this one up to a few issues: the twins' identity-switch, which I found mean and gross; the fact that it seemed Cooper was didn't care which twin he dipped his wick in as long as he got some; and finally, my insanely picky reading mood. I might love this book in a year. Who knows? But for now, I just didn't have enough good to get invested.
Rating: DNF at 20%
The Fast Track
Series
(covers lead to GoodReads page)
(covers lead to GoodReads page)
Series: Four Horsemen MC #2Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Snippy and Snarky Ink
Publication Date: 9/5/14
Format: eARC
Pages: 330
Source: Received from publisher
Cowboy is a former rodeo star and a member of the Four Horsemen MC. He spots Daisy Weston stripping in a club owned by the club’s rivals, the Raptors. They have taken her younger sister, Rose, and Daisy is determined to free her at any cost. With Cowboy acting as her bodyguard and guide to the outlaw world, she is getting closer to discovering Rose’s whereabouts, one lap dance at a time. Despite his better judgment, Cowboy finds himself falling for the pretty ex-marine and putting her in harm's way every night is becoming more and more difficult. Can they rescue Rose, before the Raptors discover they are really working for the Four Horsemen?
My review of Sweet Perdition
Opening Line I want her.
My Short and Tweet, Twitlonger Style...
Hot as Hades was a fun, sexy and fast-paced addition to the Four Horsemen MC series. We have a cowboy biker - this is Texas, after all - and an ex-Marine-turned stripper who's hell bent on saving her sister from a gang of bad bikers. We do have a few moments of ridiculous over-the-top behavior (kind of typical for MC books) and a couple of TSTL moments from the heroine (I hate that term, but it applies here). But we also get a basically good MC, determined to do (mostly) right, great female friendships, excellent bromances, nice sexual tension, scorching hot sex and a good love story. Looking for a new MC series? I say give Hot as Hades a try.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Favorite Quote
"My guess is this will all be over before they even get here."
"Shit," Cowboy said, with a frown. "Well, we'll do this Alamo style."
"They died."
"Fuck. Bad example, but it sounds comforting, you know. Because we're Texans and all. Hey, I got it. We'll do this like Butch and Sundance."
"Also dead," he said with a sigh.
"Fuck it," he said and changed the topic.
The Four
Horsemen Series
(covers lead to
GoodReads pages)
Series: Carolina Bad Boys #1Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: 9/25/14
Format: eARC
Pages: 290
Source: Author
GoodReads | Amazon | B&N
Hell on wheels meets Hell in high heels.
Bad boy mechanic Josh Stone likes to get his hands dirty any way he can—the filthier, the better. Ever since his wife walked out on him and their young son, he’s only had room in his heart for two loves: the kid and cars.
Roped into playing his best buddy’s gay boyfriend during a romance writers convention, the player meets the girl who’s gonna rock his world. Leelee Songchild. Shy, bashful, beautiful Leelee who blushes at the drop of a hat yet writes hardcore smut to rival Josh’s backlist of Penthouse Forum.
The only problem is his hands are tied. Josh can’t stab his old friend/fake lover in the back even though all he wants to do is take luscious Leelee to bed, and maybe, love her. When the truth comes out, all hell breaks loose.
Too bad romance is just for books
My Short and Tweet...
| This book has a great cover. I love his...wrench. I can see where this one will hold a lot of appeal for many readers, particularly those who love the "inside look" at book conventions. Loved what is said about male models at cons, in particular. The story does have a nice hook, but I found the pace, or tone to be a little frenetic -for me - and I wasn't a fan of the MC's voice. Those are strictly personal tastes and nothing against the book. |
Favorite Quotes
Jeanette spends her days surrounded by hunky alpha
men…at least in her imagination. In real life, she’s a wife and a mother,
keeping tabs on her husband of seven years, her four year old daughter (often
called Tot) and the family dog, a lovable (but completely stupid) Goldendoodle
named Clyde. Hang around long enough and you’re guaranteed to hear at least one
or two stories about these three. She and her family currently live just outside
of St. Louis.
What’s with the two names? Great question.
Jeanette writes for a few different publishers. And due to the timing of some
releases, two names just seemed like the right option. But Jeanette can assure
you, no matter which pen name you’re reading, you’re going to get sexy
contemporary love..
If you want to stay in the know on when Jeanette’s
books are coming out, sign up for her newsletter below! She will keep you up to
date when new releases are coming out so you’re never caught unaware!
Website | Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads
Cynthia's first erotic book was written when she
was thirteen. Of course, the most risqué thing was a chaste kiss, but it was the
talk of her middle school!
Cynthia Rayne is a multi-published author in many
romance, erotica and erotic romance fiction genres including romantic comedy,
bondage/discipline, contemporary, fantasy, gay/lesbian and light and dark
paranormal.
Cynthia is happily single and currently lives in
Ohio. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in education and writes
whenever she can. In her spare time, she enjoys dating, shopping, reading way
too many romance novels, drinking an obscene amount of coffee, and going to
movies.
That Erin McCarthy book would really annoy me. I would be frustrated with the switching of twins and the guy being OK with sleeping with whichever twin. How disgusting!
ReplyDeleteI do really like the sound of Hot as Hades! It sounds like a fun book.
Great reviews! I need to do more of these short reviews too.
I get in those blogging slumps more often than not. It's okay! Just enjoy your reading time. :) I love these short reviews!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the others, you don't need to write essays all the time. Sometimes it's a relief to write something short! I really enjoyed Erin's Fast Track series, I'm sorry to hear that this one isn't as good (I really liked the older woman/younger man combo in the previous one).
ReplyDeleteI love these short reviews you do. Sorry some of these just didn't hit the mark for you but thanks for the honest reviews!
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of these on my kindle (probably because I saw them on your Rewind ;) I'm sorry that McCarthy's book didn't work for you. I've only read one by her, but I liked it. I'll make sure to give Murray's and Rayne's a whirl though.
ReplyDeleteI understand about being in a weird place with reading/blogging, Andrea. I do love your short reviews just as much as your regular reviews. I hope you find something to help you over the hump, as it were. You and your reviews always make me smile!! :)
I had issues with Loving Him Off the Field as well, Andrea. Killian's abrasive &'distrustful behavior was a little hard to get past when I didn't know exactly what his reasons were until about the 70% mark. I did love Final Lap but I usually hate identity switch stories. They stress me out.
ReplyDeleteI've been having a little bit of the blogger blues lately, too. I'm visiting Goodreads less and less just because I can't keep up with home, work and everything else lately. I think I'm going to take off all of December to recharge. I'd do November but I already have too many commitments.
Ew, that twin switching one sounds gross. I read one of her adult books years ago and liked it. Not part of this series. I think it was Smart Mouth. I still want to try her NA books.
ReplyDeleteAw a lot of misses. That sucks. I liked Murrays a good bit and thought the reason was pretty valid but he drove me a little crazy too. I really liked the heroine though :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what TSLT is but I love your honesty anyway. Sorry you're in a funk.
ReplyDeletewell at least the covers are pretty to look at o.o sorry some where hit and a miss.
ReplyDeleteThese sound good. I have some a few of them to read that I've not gotten around to yet. Great idea with the short and sweet reviews. I've been in sort of a slump also, kind of been feeling more like a chore than a pleasure. I'm going to try to slow down and take a bit of a break over the next couple of months, catch my breath, and just get back to enjoying reading. One thing I've started doing is listening to audio books of ones that that I've been wanting to read for a long time, but haven't had time to, which has been really enjoyable. Now I just need to write reviews on them all.
ReplyDelete