REVIEW: Safe Surrender by Kristin Daniels

ISBN 9781603104746
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance with Menage
(c) May 2010, Red Sage Publishing
Kristin Daniel's website

Rating: 2 stars

Available at Red Sage Publishing (ebook).

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy hot erotica with ménage, as this book has plenty of heat and the author writes very vivid sex scenes. Unfortunately there was very little relationship development and depth of plot in this book.

Carli is a woman who has recently lost her sister to a drug overdose and decides to get in good with the drug dealer to get revenge. She manages to get revenge but she also manages to get on the drug dealers to kill list. The book starts out great with a gun fight between the detectives and the drug dealer’s crew. At this point Carli is saved from being shot down herself by Wes, the police detective. Carli provides vital information to the detectives about the drug dealer. She is then placed under witness protection.

Wes and Ian, his longtime friend and partner, are assigned to her protection. Both Wes and Ian are attracted to Carli but Ian has problems with forming relationships with women so Wes is the one who ends up bonding with Carli and offering her comfort. I’m sure you can see where it goes from there. The situation is further complicated by a big secret Wes is keeping from Carli and Ian.

The whole book takes place within a couple days' time frame so there isn’t really much romantic development. It’s more like introductions then sex. Wes offers distraction from her current situation by having sex with her, and the ultimate distraction would be by having sex with both him and Ian at the same time. Wes's big secret when it was finally revealed, in my opinion, was not so substantial.

I do have to say that there were some pretty hot sex scenes in this book and if that’s the type of mood you're in and don't care much about plot and relationship development, then this would be the book for you. Unfortunately, I like a good story as much as hot and steamy scenes so this book wasn't really for me and that's why I gave this book 2 stars.

Reviewed by Danielle
Romance Book Junkies

Book Summary:

Carli Jacobs wants revenge. When her plan to bring down the drug lord responsible for her sister’s death goes awry, she finds herself thrown into the protective custody of two sexy detectives.

Wes Lucas and Ian Gray are determined to keep her safe. But there’s tension is in the air, and it’s not just sexual. Secrets are being kept. Lives are on the line, and trust is put to the test. As desire rips through each of them, heartbreaking truths will be revealed and lies will be exposed.

Are the three running away from danger, or are they headed straight for it? In Wes and Ian’s quest to keep Carli safe, will she end up surrendering her heart as well?

REVIEW: Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn

ISBN 9780061491894
Genre: Historical Romance
(c) June 2010, Avon Books
Julia Quinn's website

Rating: 2 stars

Available at Book Depository (print).

"Good read for light, frothy entertainment at the end of a hard day at work"

Annabel Winslow needed to marry a rich husband in order to provide for her seven brothers and sisters, and her grandparents found a good candidate in the Earl of Newbury. He's rich and titled and...well, rich. He's interested in Annabel, hoping she'd provide him with the necessary heir because he didn't want the earldom to fall to his younger and more pleasing-of-visage-and-form nephew, Sebastian Grey, whom he disliked from the time of the younger man's birth.

However, Annabel found a kindred spirit in Sebastian whom everyone had taken to warn her was poor, and so she was torn as to which man she should choose, provided either or both made her a proposal...

Ten Things I Love About You is a fun, lighthearted romance, with the trademark Julia Quinn humor in the characters' observations and dialogue.

Sebastian Grey is the usual rougish hero, with lovers left and right, but with a penchant for laughter. He also has his own code of honor in that he didn't hit older men and he didn't seduce debutantes, but he found himself captivated by Annabel, with her form, her wit, her humor and eventually, he realized he'd found a kindred spirit in her. And I like this. Too many times we're told by the authors that the main characters are soulmates, that they're destined to be together but we're rarely shown how the characters came to that conclusion. Back to Sebastian, he also struck me as a sensitive kind of guy, the kind who love books and the written word, which he did. His banter with Annabel was fun to read, the result of his natural cheerful mien, and I couldn't help but laugh out loud at times.

Annabel Winslow is a courageous young lady who's caught between a rock and a hard place and trying to do right by her family. Like all women in her time, she has limited options, well, it seems like her only option here is to marry the right man. Right being rich enough to help her family's financial woes. Now, I wonder. Is marriage really the only option for her? Couldn't she have become a governess? Wouldn't that earn her enough money to help her family?

Sebastian was a bit different from other heroes in that he didn't act all caveman-like and protective when it seemed Annabel needed rescuing. He was even reluctant, though he was attracted to Annabel. I find that reaction fresh and realistic, and I like it. After all, he didn't know her very well yet at that point. But once he realized he wanted her, he pursued her with single-minded intent and acquired the aforementioned caveman-like protective and territorial instincts. And that's so exciting to read as well.

The only flaw I saw in this story was that, since Annabel's maternal grandparents were a viscount and a viscountess (Annabel's mother married beneath her, I believe, and her grandparents never approved) and they have connections in Society, why couldn't they have found Annabel a better man to marry? Why the Earl of Newbury, who's as old as her grandparents, and who had been her grandmother's lover besides? That her grandmother would even think of foisting Annabel on an old flame is something I find unacceptable. Unless that's what they do in those times?

Annabel isn't ugly either. No, she's well-endowed and as Sebastian said, no man would see her and not think of seduction. Her grandparents shouldn't have to settle for the Earl of Newbury, as I don't think it would've been hard to marry Annabel off. Moreover, even if the grandparents were still angry at Annabel's mother and weren't inclined to throw their granddaughter a ball, they were invited to other parties. Surely, Annabel could've found a better match there. Were all the other gentlemen in Society at that time blind or already married?

Of course, if there were other gentlemen suitors, then there wouldn't be this particular conflict and the story would've been different.

This book is a good read if you're looking for light, frothy entertainment at the end of a hard day at work. However, since the foundation of the plot is a bit shaky, I cannot, in all fairness, give this a high rating. So, the final rating I gave is "2".

REVIEW: The Defender by Cara Summers

ISBN 978-0-263-86212-6

Series: The Angelis brothers, Book 3

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense

(c) 2007, Harlequin Blaze

Cara Summers' website

Rating: 2 stars

Buy Link: Book Depository

"Fell a little short in romance and suspense"

When Sadie Oliver's sister disappeared and her brother, heavily injured, became a suspect in a murder, she had no choice but to turn to Theo Angelis for help, whom she'd been attracted to for some time. Sparks fly between them as Sadie disguised herself as one of Theo's interns and she worked with him to solve the mysteries surrounding her family.

It was only when I read the author's note that I realized this book was part of a trilogy and it's the third book! I think it's clever of the author to spin out three stories from one single event, though it's been done by other authors as well. For those who want to know, it's not necessary to read the other books to get the whole story on this one, though it may help to keep the storyline and the characters clear.

The story started out with promise for me (I love Aunt Cass's prologue, which I think is aimed at setting up the atmosphere--suspense with the hope of making you care for what's gonna happen to the hero), but sad to say, the story spiraled downward as I read on.

I get the feeling that the author was aiming the sex scenes to be hot, but it fell a little short, especially when I didn't get the characters' urgency for it that first time. It's not like they've been pining for each other or teasing the other for so long. Maybe the sex was brought forward because well, after all, it's Blaze? Also, I think the story would've been more enjoyable if the sexual tension could be ramped higher. As it was, I think there's not much tension before the characters got down and dirty.

The mystery was also rather confusing, with the lack of names and accurate descriptions (coz Sadie didn't see the faces in the dim light) and going only by the number of shots fired. If I'd wanted to really be clear about this, I would've read it twice (or maybe thrice), but I didn't want to bother. After all, it's a Blaze book, not Intrigue. But if you're finicky about this type of thing, you may be a little bit frustrated. And it didn't get better.

Some things would've been better if it had been showed rather than told, such as the car chase with Theo's passenger car ending up wrecked. I thought that'd be good for a suspense moment from Theo's POV and his extreme relief that Sadie didn't go with him, but since he was only helping out, perhaps this scene was featured in one of the other books.

I also thought the moment when Sadie was taken hostage up on the roof would be full of tension, but the writing was rather flat. So, don't read this for the suspense and maybe I was wrong to expect it, since, as I've said, this isn't Intrigue but Blaze.

Buy Link: Book Depository

REVIEW: Possess Me at Midnight by Shayla Black

ISBN 9781416578468

Series: Doomsday Brethren, Book 3
Genre: Paranormal Romance

(c) November 2009, Simon and Schuster

Shayla Black's website

Rating: 2 stars

Buy Links (paper): Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes and Noble

Buy Link (ebook): Barnes and Noble Ebook

"Could be better."

The Doomsday Brethren series is a continuing saga of the fight against Matthias, the evil wizard who wants to take over magickind.

When Matthias attacked Bram's (the leader who'd been injured in the previous book and is now unconscious) mansion for the Doomsday Diary, the warriors had to flee for their lives. Isdernus Rykard or Ice was charged with protecting Sabelle Rion, Bram's sister, who had the diary. Attracted to Sabelle from the moment he'd seen her, Ice couldn't help but issue the mating Call to her when he kissed her, for wizards knew their mates by taste. However, they faced a lot of obstacles: social gap (she's Privileged while he's Deprived), enmity between Ice and Bram, Sabelle's reluctance to mate without Bram's approval and the need for her to have an advantageous union that would aid in the fight for the good of magickind.

Sabelle, as seen from Ice's point of view, is good, kind, courageous, etc. Not that we really see the good and kind parts. She's more of a watering pot to me. Many times throughout the book, Sabelle is either crying or fighting not to cry. I mean, I get that she's under a lot of emotional strain, what with worrying over her brother, fearing that Matthias would get the diary or kill Ice or take over magickind, but really, does crying help? Descended from Merlin, she's like magickind's princess with the gift of emotional suggestion. Her saving grace is that at times, she's smart and diplomatic and proves she's not the helpless princess after all.

Ice, on the other hand, is big, bad and dangerous. He's able to kill 80 Anarki all by himself, but a slip of a woman felled him. He'd give up his life for Sabelle and that's so romantic, except that I don't see how Sabelle is worth it, especially when she can't make up her mind about Ice and uses the convenient excuse of needing Bram's approval. Ice is an interesting character, but how he almost defeated Matthias didn't quite ring true. That Ice is incorruptible...I don't buy it. Because no one is incorruptible. Evil attaches to evil, well, isn't there something evil/bad about Ice's need for revenge against Matthias (he tortured and killed Ice's sister)? The way Ice let revenge drove all his actions and created a wedge between him and Bram? Is revenge okay just because the object of the revenge is the villain?

I think I'm more interested to know Lucan's and Shock's stories. Will Anka return to Lucan or was their relationship damaged beyond repair? What about Shock? On whose side is Shock really throwing his lot with? Duke sounds interesting as well. But Bram? Didn't like him in this story and his murky relationship with the mysterious Emma didn't pique my interest at all.

Buy Links (paper): Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes and Noble

Buy Link (ebook): Barnes and Noble Ebook