Under Control by Shannon Stacey book review

Shannon Stacey is back with more Hot Firefighters. *sigh* I read this book from start to finish in one sitting. It will totally keep your attention and the attraction between Derek and Olivia is really hot. *fans self*

This is the 2nd book in the series that I read and I read it out of order. The book can be a stand alone but it was nice to see some of the past characters appearing in this story. Derek is a single dad and has put his time into work and his kids. He has a good relationship with his ex, so his time is not spent fighting with her. They have both moved on from their marriage. Olivia is well off and can do things and travel as she likes. However, she is very wary of divorced couples because her parents got divorced when she was young and she is still dealing with their nonsense as an adult. There is no way she is ever putting herself in the middle of another divorced couple.

However, not everything goes according to plan when there is some major attraction going on. Will Olivia and Derek give into the sizzling chemistry going on between them? (my answer is always YES!!!) They characters in this book are responsible, motivated and driven people. But they have to be able to take a chance on each other. I would totally recommend this as a fun weekend read. If you love romance, you will love this book.

A Snowbound Scandal by Jessica Lemmon book review

This is a book in the Harlequin Desire imprint and I would definitely recommend it for the coming winter months! This was the first book that I read by Jessica Lemmon and I jumped into this book, which I figured had some preceding books, but it was fine as a standalone book.

The book focused on Chase Ferguson, who is a Texas oil billionaire and mayor of Dallas, and Miriam (Mimi) Andrix, who lives in Montana and used to date Chase 10 years ago. Both of them seemed to move on, but neither one of them was in a marriage or long-term relationship. So, this is definitely a second chance story. Chase travelled to Montana to get away from the stress of his job for the Thanksgiving holiday. He just wanted a quiet place to relax and did not really anticipate running into Miriam. After they ran into each other, Miriam felt bad that he was alone for Thanksgiving and decided to bring him some dinner. The snowstorm hits….and they are stuck together in his house during a blizzard. The chemistry from 10 years ago is still there and one touch will set them off, so they try to avoid each other for as long as possible. Miriam is not out to get hurt again. Chase does not want to have her affected by any scandals that stem from paparazzi like “reporters” because of his political involvement. It’s romantic that he is looking out for her, but not all women will appreciate that approach ;)

Their life choices have them going in different directions and it does not seem like their differences will allow them to continue their relationship. Chase has a prominent role in his family and his city, but Miriam has built her own successful life in Montana. If I had to be stuck somewhere with a hot man, a mansion in Montana is a good spot to be. The rest of the characters added some depth to this story. The setting makes this a perfect book to reading during a winter snow storm, curled up on the couch, in front of a fire with a glass of wine.

Unleashed by Caitlin Crews

I feel like I was just ghosted by summer, so it must have been the perfect evening for a book set in Iceland. Bring on the large, dominant, Viking men to get me through winter! I downloaded this book and read it in one night. It was good fun. I'm ready for a trip to Hotel Viking in Reykjavik. Thor Ragnarsson is our sexy hotel owner, but he is elusive in the first scene. Dr. Margot Cavendish has been trying to get a hold of him for a while, for some research, but Thor has been ignoring her requests. Margot decides to drive to the hotel and just drop by. Fortunately, she has been working in Iceland, so it was not a stretch that she would end up there.

I love that Margot's academic side came out in her dialogue. While Thor might not have been the academic that Margot was, he gave as good as he got. I think it's super sexy when both characters value some brains behind all the steamy hot passion. I think that Thor's backstory is important. Especially to establish the fact that he did not set out to own a "sex hotel." I don't know that I have ever considered the cultural norms towards sex, but there really was a valid argument in this story. 

This book is a great addition to the Harlequin Dare line. It's perfect for winter, especially during a snowstorm. Grab a glass of wine and don't expect to go to bed until this book is finished. I loved it! Oh, and I really am loving these covers. This one really captures the couple in the book.

Close To The Edge by Zara Cox

Are you looking for another Harlequin Dare book?  If so, you should get this book.  Lily Gracen is a genius computer coder who is being stalked.  She needs protection and she tracks down Caleb Steele to be her bodyguard.  He has a rule that he never gets involved with his clients.  Weelllllllll.....  Readers might start to guess what direction this will go in.

I love that Lily is making it in a male-dominated industry and she is really good at what she does.  Caleb is definitely an alpha male, but readers will be exposed to his vulnerable side. Eventually, Lily and Caleb will not be able to keep their hands off of each other.  The sex scenes are really hot as readers of this line should expect.  This is a bit of a suspense story and we get to know what the characters pasts were and how those experiences shape who they are today.

Props to the cover designer.  If I ever need a bodyguard, that is what I will be expecting.  Fun, action-packed book that you will quickly devour.

It Takes Two by Jenny Holiday book review

This is book #2 of the Bridesmaids Behaving Badly series and it's a perfect romantic comedy.  After reading the first book, I was ready to see who the next couple would be.  The settings are fun because weddings can be crazy and the author can do a lot of things with the characters that you can't do in an everyday contemporary romance novel.  In this book Jane is getting married to Cameron.  Jane is all about a low-key wedding because the last wedding they all planned was anything but low key.  However, when the bachelor and bachelorette party turns into a competition, it is anything but low key.  In fact, the running joke is that the bride is trying to be "low-key".  Jane's best friend, Wendy Liu is in charge of planning the party.  She is competing against Jane's brother, Noah Denning. 

They are both high powered attorneys.  Noah practices law in New York and Jane practices law in Toronto.  They used to be close and they grew up together, with Noah always protecting Jane and Wendy.  However, when Noah stood Wendy up at prom, he shattered her heart and she has never really gotten over that hurt.  From that point on, Wendy has made it her mission to see Noah as little as possible.  That becomes a bit difficult during the wedding festivities.  The reader can clearly see that the arguing and witty comebacks between Wendy and Noah are filled with sexual tension.  Wendy is all about one night stands, but Noah is more of a serial monogamist. Noah also has a thing against sleeping with his sister's best friend. Wedding shenanigans force the two together and they have to deal with the new direction their relationship is going.  A funny, steamy, sexy wedding romance is a perfect pick for this summer's wedding season!

Burn by Dawn Altieri book review

Looking for a firefighter romance?  You just may have found your next read!  This book is part romance, part suspense and part mystery.  A perfect combination for your next summer book.

Chloe moved across the country for a man who promised her a relationship and a job that would be perfect for her.  She took the risk and moved, but quickly found out that her boss is a total cheater, but a good investor.  Chloe thought she could make it work if she kept working for her ex.  She had proven herself time and time again in making shrewd business decisions for a company that was trying to revitalize run down parts of the city.  However, the day that Chloe was supposedly alone in one of the properties, the place caught on fire and prompted a arson investigation.

Ryan is a firefighter who is trying to work his way up to become an arson investigator.  His current boss believes in him and he is pretty good at assisting in some of the current arson investigations.  He just cannot believe that Chloe could be the arsonist, even when there are possible clues that point to her involvement.  Of course, they both know that they should not be getting close to one another.  To Ryan, Chloe could be a possible arsonist and Chloe could think that Ryan is trying to get close to her to investigate the arson.  Both of which would not be good starting points for a relationship.  As the mystery unravels, the sparks fly between Chloe and Ryan.  I had not read anything from this author before, but I am glad I did.  It was a fun and engaging read.  I wanted to finish it to figure out who set the fires!  It's worth your time if you are looking for a romantic suspense book.

Make Me Crave by Katee Robert

Make Me Crave is totally a sexy, summer romance read!  Perfect to take with you on vacation.  This is part of Harlequin's Dare line and it is probably my favorite line!  If you are looking for hot, "daring", edgy  sex scenes, you should pick up this book.

As soon as I read the name Roman Bassani, I knew I had met him somewhere before.  I quickly realized that this is book two and that Roman was introduced in Make Me Want.  Roman is a cutthroat, ruthless business investor.  He has made a name for himself acquiring businesses and will stop at almost nothing to get things to go his way.  When Allie doesn't even want to meet with him, he needs to figure out a way to talk to her.  Allie won't meet with Roman when he shows up at her gym and she keeps hanging up on him when he tries to call.  Allie does know that the shelter she runs is sucking up all the profits from the gym and her personal account.  But she will do whatever it takes to keep the women safe and employed.  Thus, she can never sell her gym. 

Becca convinces Allie that she needs to take a vacation and picks a ultra secluded vacation resort so that all their worries can just melt away.  It has literally been years since Allie has relaxed and tried to let go of the stress that goes with her business.  What she is not expecting is for Roman to show up on this island.  If the man can ruin a vacation, he might just have done that to Allie.  However, there is a bit of a mix up and it is also possible that Roman is not as ruthless as he appears.  As the mysteries of their stories unravel, so does their passion for each other.  You will want to read this book if you want to find out if love can overcome a business transaction ;)