{WICKED WINTER SATURDAYS} HONEY RED by LIZ CROWE

 

"Spring is here, and pollen is in the air. While you're sneezing your way towards Summer, pop those Claritin and lose yourself in a Sultry Spring Read."

Sexy Saturdays is a weekly post we started to challenge ourselves to read more steamy books and have a lot of fun. Feel free to join in. (let us know so we can add a link to your post).

The Autumn Review
Sim-Sational Books
Hackaroo's Review
Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Reviews
Insightful Minds Reviews
My Secret Romance
Globug and Hootie Need a Book


**The books featured on SULTRY SPRING SATURDAYS are for adults. If you are under 18 years of age, or do not like smexy books, please stop here. **

Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Tri Destiny Publishing
Publication Date: 12/30/13
Format: eARC
Source: Received from publisher for review

Two men suffering from visible and invisible wounds meet by chance circumstance.

Nick Traynor and Ian Donovan spend a lot of time and effort keeping it very hot, only physical, and purely superficial. But when their resolve starts to slip, a woman is tossed into their midst.

Hannah Williams wants nothing more than to do her job until something better comes along, but is forced to own up to her visceral reaction to Ian, her new boss, and later to Nick, his sometimes lover.

Lust has a funny way of turning into companionship, and eventually evolving into a deeper connection. Faced with the internal and external complications of their potential three-way relationship, they begin to heal and trust, to consider that it might work. Then life tosses them a hardball, forcing them back into their respective corners, where each must choose what is most important.

Three people determined not to commit, thrown together by fate and undeniable attraction--their nights heat up and emotions run high in spite of a claimed mutual desire to "keep it simple." In the process of honest self-discovery, can they learn that while love is never simple, it is definitely worth fighting for?

 

Honey Red was a lot more than I expected, and I really liked it.

In this story, you have three people dealing with their own complicated issues. Ian is the center of this unique relationship. He a single father, a former f*ck up, and I seriously liked him. He had this really blunt manner that made me smile, and I loved his personality. Ian is bisexual, and he has fallen in love with a man, Nick.

Nick was heartbreaking. A Vet who lost his love in an attack in the Middle East, the same attack that left him blind, Nick is broken, and understandably angry at the world. He was turned away by his parents when he came out in college, and all he has left is his sister, who is dating Ian's brother Gavin. Nick and Ian are immediately attracted to each other, and quickly act on it. But Nick's issues, both mental and physical, cause his to drive Ian away, into the arms of Hannah...

Hannah is a recent grad school graduate and she needs a job in a bad way. When she lands a job at Gavin and Ian's brewery, she is quick to notice the sexy Ian. But since she's been told that he prefers his own gender, Hannah doesn't think she has a chance with Ian. When she finds out that he indeed does like both men and women, she gives in to the attraction, but believing he can only love Nick, she tries to keep their encounters casual.

Until she meets Nick for herself. Then she understands why Ian is so hung up on him. As a matter of fact, she'd like to partake in Nick herself, and of course Ian is totally on board with that. After some convincing, Nick agrees to become involved with both Ian and Hannah. Things go well, until the dynamics of the relationship are put to the test. A few bumps and surprises occur along the way. Along with some hot hot hot lovin'. Wow, Liz Crowe really brought the steam in Honey Red. And I loved every single moment!

But seriously, besides the fun, complicated, and hot relationship, Honey Red was both sad and inspiring, particularly where Nick is concerned. I quickly became engrossed in the story and could hardly put it down. It was a really, really good story and I will definitely read more from this author in the future.


Favorite Quote:

  "You know what," Nick muttered into her neck as he trailed a hand up her thigh. "You need to make a beer that tastes like this." His hand went higher, disappearing under her robe.
  Ian laughed and brought the plate of food to the table. "Dude, if I could make a beer that tasted like p***y I would be a zillionaire by now."  ~76%

You can purchase Honey Red at:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble |  iBooks

{WICKED WINTER SATURDAYS} PARADISE HOPS by LIZ CROWE

Baby, it's cold outside! Time to snuggle up with a mug of hot chocolate (or a glass of wine!) and fall into a steamy, sexy book.

Wicked Winter Saturdays is a weekly post we started to challenge ourselves to read more steamy books and have a lot of fun. Feel free to join in. (let us know so we can add a link to your post).

The Autumn Review
Sim-Sational Books
Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Reviews
Insightful Minds Reviews
Taryn @ My Secret Romance
Globug and Hootie Need a Book


**The books featured on WICKED WINTER SATURDAYS are for adults. If you are under 18 years of age, or do not like smexy books, please stop here. **


Series: Stand alone
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Tri Destiny Publishing
Publication Date: 10/15/12
Format: ebook
Source: Received from publisher for review.

A brutal attack left Lori Brockton convinced she was damaged goods. By the time she emerges from hiding two years later, ready to run her family's famous brewery, she's determined to be independent--never rely on anyone ever again. Nearly a year of working in every corner of Brockton Brewing Company, from warehouse to pub, front office to kitchen, teaches her all she needs to know about the business. Then, she comes face-to-face with masculine perfection in a suit and her world is rocked in more ways than one. Garret Hunter is the new Brockton business manager who takes one look at the beautiful, sad young woman and his entire existence coalesces around winning her heart.

But standing between Garrett and what he believes is his true love, is a six-feet six-inch blond-haired bad boy brewer.

Eli Buchannan is a craft beer rock star, recently hired by Brockton to drag the company into the 21st century. He brings innovation and attitude plus a prima donna ladies’ man reputation. But he's sworn off anything resembling commitment, personal or professional, after getting burned at his last job on both fronts.

Garret Hunter is “The Perfect Man” -- handsome, successful, stable, eager to settle down. Eli Buchannan... is not. Compelling, smoking hot, creative and elusive, he represents everything Lori Brockton should avoid. But just as she makes a difficult choice, a drastic life-changing shift occurs, and nothing is ever the same again.

Fair warning: I'm going to be all over the place with this review. In fact, I've been sitting on this review for weeks, and keep looking over it to be sure that I wasn't being mean or unfair.  In some ways Paradise Hops really worked for me, and in other ways I'm feeling less than enthused. Let me break this down into three categories: Characters, Story, and Steam.

Characters
It's never a good thing, in my experience, when the main character is the least favorite. Lori is a young woman struggling to work through a very brutal experience. She is an Everywoman, sort of nondescript. I couldn't even tell you what she looked like, except maybe she had brown hair? I actually like that. Lori was mostly okay, until it came to dealing with the two new men in her life, Eli and Garrett. Garrett is the man who's going to save the family brewery. He's precise, kind, intelligent, and not spontaneous in the least. I dare say life with Garrett could be a tad bit boring, yet safe, which is definitely something Lori is looking for. Then you have Eli. Eli is the god in the world of beer brewing. He's cocky, mysterious, and dangerously sexy. Garrett's opposite. Lori loves Garrett, and she wants Eli. What's a girl to do, huh? Apparently Lori is out to have her cake (or cock, as it were) and eat it, too. Me? I didn't really care which guy she ended up with. Wait! Actually I did. I gave Garrett the slight advantage the moment Eli refused to wear a condom, and when he told her to basically speak now or forever hold her vaginal peace, because once he gets started with the boning, there's no stopping Good Old Eli. So that's where I stand with the characters of Paradise Hops.

**Sorry #1: I admit, I've been hard on poor Lori in this review. I'm sure that it would be difficult to decide between two gorgeous, sexy men. I just get frustrated with the back-and-forth.**

**Sorry #2: I don't mean to get ranty. A guy telling a girl that he can't stop is a personal peeve of mine and a complete turnoff. This may not bother other readers, but it really grinds my gears. **


Story
Hello. My name is Andrea, and I like beer. No, I love beer. In fact, I'm drinking a Sam Adams Alpine Spring right now and it is delish. I've literally had two sips so far, so don't think I'm drinking and reviewing, guys. So anyway, the fact Paradise Hops is set in a brewery is what initially drew me to the story. And I absolutely adored the cover. I actually enjoyed the basic premise of the story, but it took me a while to get there. The whole beginning felt disjointed. You have a prologue that ends with a big decision, then at chapter one, the story goes back in time. And that's fine, but it felt like taking a jump with no padding to cushion the landing. Lori meets Garrett, they are attracted to one another, then I felt like the story jumped ahead to them dating, and getting kind of serious. Then Eli comes in, and Lori is also attracted to him, of course. Then she and Eli are flirting hot and heavy, yet she loves Garrett, he wants to commit, but she can't commit because she has feelings for Eli, too. Are you following? I bet you are because I am seeing this happen in a lot of books lately. I'm actually okay with all of the back and forth, for the most part, but I'm not feeling the connection between Lori and either of the guys. At all.

Lori is eventually confronted with the choice: Eli or Garrett. BUT, and I have to give the girl props, she never makes a real decision, at least from what I can tell. The girl is working on having both cakes (cocks), guys. So anyway, big things happen. HUGE. And Lori is left to deal with the fallout, with the help of one of the two guys. I was shocked by the turn of events. And I actually really liked the ending, even if I never loved the characters. It was super emotional and wrapped the story up nicely.

Steam
The steam in Paradise Hops was pretty darn good. And it was plentiful, so, yay! The author did a great job of turning up the heat, and I got a little overheated a time or two. The only downfall was the instance with Eli that I mentioned above. Other than that, I really liked the steamy.


Okay, so overall, I liked Paradise Hops even though I didn't like everything about it. But I will say that at the heart of it, is a complicated love story. A nd like life itself, relationships like this are messy. I was compelled the entire time to keep reading, to find out who Lori would choose. Would they be happy? I wanted to know, so that says something about the story. The aspects that bothered me may attract other readers, so take that for what it's worth. Bottoms up.


Favorite Quote:

  She cupped his bearded jaw, grinning when he caught her finger in his teeth. His eyes blazed with intensity. He kept them trained on hers, held her gaze as he eased her knees apart slowly, then dropped his lips to her skin.  ~50%


Purchase Paradise Hops at:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble