Throwback Thursday- Immortal in Death by J.D. Robb

Grade-B
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-In Death #3
Genre-Romantic Suspense
Reviewed by Kay
322 pages

Eve Dallas' latest case hits a little too close to home. Her best friend, Mavis is accused of murdering a top fashion model who used to date Mavis' current boyfriend, Leonardo. Mavis had a few physical altercations with Pandora (the model), so when Pandora ends up dead, naturally Mavis is in trouble. Eve has to prove Mavis is innocent, she has to. So she enlists the help of Feeney (spell), Peabody, a illegals cop named Casto and Roark of course.

She goes into the most seedy clubs and meets sketchy characters all in her quest to prove Mavis' innocence. And all the while getting ready for upcoming wedding to Roark. What she doesn't realize is that proving her friend's innocence is just the beginning of this mystery.

I really do like this series more and more as I go on. I love the characters and the relationships that take place here. Eve is a tough bitch, Peabody, a straight laced, no nonsense cop, Feeney, comic relief and Roark is sigh worthy, as always. I have already started book four and look forward to the next mystery to be solved.

The Sum Of All Kisses by Julia Quinn

Grade-B
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Smythe-Smith Quartet #3
Genre-Historical Regency Romance
Reviewed by Kay
384 pages

Julia Quinn, Julia Quinn! Why do I always push your books to the bottom of my to be read pile, only to be put in my place time and time again by your wit, writing and story telling? I don't know.
Hugh Prentice made a terrible decision in his younger days and has paid the price ever since. He challenged his friend to a duel and it left both men changed mentally and physically. Hugh has a lame leg and he shot his friend in the shoulder. His friend was exiled by Hugh's evil father until Hugh could figure out a way to bring him home. Hugh is very clever and quite obsessed with figures and sums.

Lady Sarah Pleinsworth wants to marry, not only to love but to escape having to play in the family quartet. She's a Smythe-Smith and that's what the unmarried females in her family do. The only way to escape it long term is to marry or die. She can't stand Hugh Prentice because of all that she and her family have lost due to him.

These two polar opposites made me laugh so hard. I mean laugh out loud laugh. Belly laugh! It was such a delight to watch them to fall in love. Despite their families' problems these two realized that sometimes the best things in life are right in front of you. If you haven't read Julia Quinn, you really should.

Against the Ropes by Sarah Castille

Grade-DNF
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-High Kink
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
368 pages

Ok, so the blurb on this book sounds so very good.

Scarred MMA fighter, who's also a billionaire meets an almost EMT. He then hires the curvy almost EMT to do first aid at his underground MMA club. She needs the money and thinks he's hot, so she accepts the position, even though she abhors violence. They start to date and are totally into each other, then the book starts to hint at his BDSM tendencies.

I got a text from a friend of mine who was reading the book at the same time I was and she mentioned nipple clamps. My friend, who knows me well was warning me because I now have a "hard limit" with nipple clamps. I decided that I have enough to read without reading about that or any other books delving into BDSM.

This book started out so good. I was super excited but seriously, I have had it up to my eyeballs with this genre and it's flooding of the romance market. If you're into reading about that, then try this book. You may love it. Nice heroine and hot fighter. Even decent secondary characters. Quirky humor also.

Macrieve by Kresley Cole

Grade-B
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series- Immortals After Dark #13
Genre-Paranormal
Reviewed by Kay
358 pages

Uilleam Macrieve, Will, is a Lykae. He has a twin brother, Munro. He's extremely powerful, handsome, wealthy and on a course of self-destruction. Ever since his parents' deaths and his part in it he has been guilt ridden. Couple that with his capture and torture at the hands of the Order, he is a train wreck. Fighting, drinking and rough sex are his normal. He has given up on any happiness. His only hope, finding his mate.

Chloe Todd is a human soccer player headed for the Olympics. She has had to fight for everything she has ever wanted, despite having a loving father. She has noticed changes in herself for a while now. Subtle changes but changes still. After a rather disturbing discussion with her father, her world implodes. She's faced with things she's only read about. Horrible things. She's rescued by a huge, scary, sexy Scotsman.

This installment of Cole's outstanding IAD series is a great book. Funny, sexy and a little mystery thrown in. You find out who Chloe's add really is, what she really is and if she can save the doomed Macrieve. My two complaints with the book: Will's treatment of Chloe before he accepts her and not enough of the Valkyries. Not having enough of the Valkyries brought the rating of the book down for me. Otherwise, a great addition to one of my very favorite series.

Taken By Him by Red Garnier

 

Grade-A
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-None
Series-The Billionaire's Club #2
Reviewed by Kay

This second installment in the Billionaire's Club features the man-whore, Luke Alexander Preston and executive Peyton Lane. They both are on a hiatus from their regular lives. Luke, from sleeping with everything that moves and rehabbing from a gunshot wound. Peyton wanted a vacation so she could do something she has never done, have a fling with a man she's not likely to run into in the circles she keeps.

She meets Luke after he runs into her literally. From there they are hyper aware of one another. A fling starts that will end in two or three days time with no strings attached. This story worked for me so much. It was funny, a little sad and a whole lot sexy. Very descriptive love scenes, a favorite of mine. This was a short read and there could've been more story but with this for some reason I didn't care about that. I will definatley be reading the other books in this series and may go through the author's backlist. This is on my best of 2013 list.

Short Rides by Lorelei James

Grade-B+
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Moderate
Series-Rough Riders #14.5
Reviewed by Kay

Let me start by saying that this will be a joint review between Kate and I. We have each done a review with Anne but not one together. I'm super excited about it! We'll each give our reviews, a list of our faves of the series and our not so much faves. I hope you enjoy the review as much as we enjoyed the book and writing it.

This novel has three separate parts-

The King Of Hearts is about Cam McKay who is the deputy of this hometown since his discharge from the armed services. He was badly wounded and ended up with part of one leg and hand amputated. On Valentine's Day there is a murder suicide committed and he is on the scene. It was very disturbing because of the nature and brutality of the crime. It also talked about PTSD and getting treatment for it. It was okay for me but a little preachy about gun control. I did enjoy his scenes with the kiddos.

Rough Road was about Trevor, Edgard and Chassie Glazner. They are a committed triad. If you are unfamiliar with that, it means they are all lovers in a committed relationship. They all have children together and raise them together. This story deals with prejudice against their lifestyle involving their son. He's bullied by a child at school and he questions his parents about what the "F" words means.
I do want to point out that the parents of the bully were worst case opinion people. Not every one who disagrees with someone's lifestyle is a jerk about it. I loved the support they got from their extended family and the lovely vacation they got to take.

All Knocked Up is about Jack and Keely Donohue who are awaiting the arrival of baby number one. Between work schedules and pregnancy hormones it's a wild ride. The bonus to this story is that we get multiple babies!

I enjoyed all three stories and can't wait for the next installment in this wonderful series.

My personal favorites in order are (I didn't rate the novellas):
Raising Kane
All Jacked Up
Cowgirls Don't Cry
Chasin' Eight
Rough, Raw and Ready
Kissin' Tell
Branded As Trouble
Cowgirl Up And Ride
Tied Up, Tied Down
Long Hard Ride
Shoulda Been A Cowboy
Rode Hard, Put Up Wet
Cowboy Casanova
Gone Country

Don't get me wrong, I liked them all but some more than others. Now, on to Kate.

What does a series that already has 14 full length books (#15 is slated to be released on 6/18) and 2 novellas need? *waiving hand in the air* OOH, ooh, pick me. I know. An anthology containing a short story and two novellas!

King of Hearts featuring  Cam and Domini left me feeling a bit flat. It gives a glimpse of their home life, but it was lacking the heat that I've come to expect from a Rough Riders book.   D, blaze

Rough Roads revisits Chassie, Trevor and Edgard as they celebrate their anniversary and deal with issues their oldest son is having at school. I loved this one.  B+, inferno

All Knocked Up follows Jack and Keely through the end of her first pregnancy. This one made me laugh out loud. B, inferno.

For those of us waiting for the next installment in the Rough Riders series these stories will help fill the void and pass the time. I'm curious to find out how many of you are riding the Rough Riders train? What was your favorite book so far?

Kate's favorites in order:

I've not listed them before and it was funny because some of them I actually felt my lip curl just reading the title. And Kissin' Tell would have been a few spots lower on the list except for Lorelei James' masterful use of a trampoline :) Makes me smile every time I think about it. I'm curious to know what your favorites are.

1. Rough, Raw and Ready
2. Raising Kane
3. Tied Up, Tied Down
4. Branded As Trouble
5. Cowgirl Up and Ride
6. Strong, Silent Type
7. Cowboy Casanova
8. Kissin' Tell
9. Should Been A Cowboy
10. Cowgirls Don't Cry
11. Gone Country
12. All Jacked Up
13. Long Hard Ride
14. Rode Hard, Put Up Wet
15. Chasin' Eight

Just What He Wanted by HelenKay Dimon

Grade-B
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-None
Series-Holloway #4
Reviewed by Kay

This story is a novella for the Holloway series. The main characters are Travis Yardley and Andrea "Andie" Patterson. Travis works with his semi adopted family in their nursery business. He goes through his life thinking he has everything he could need for now, great family and friends, a job he enjoys and female companionship when he wants it. Then he is asked a favor by a friend and when he sees Andie , he is floored by her.

Andie is self described as chubby but I thought of her as full figured not fat. She came to Holloway after her break up with a total jack ass, who tried to make her feel bad about herself. She enjoys her job and her new town, even if the town is small and in her business quite a bit. She's here to start her life over and not with the hot young thing she just met.

I liked all of the aspects of this book: the full figured heroine, the younger man, the close knit family, the problem Andie had with the age difference and Travis' total disregard of that difference. He was firm that she was beautiful in his eyes and did not like her putting herself down at all. He really was the perfect hero in my eyes. He know what he wanted and that was all there was to it. And when Andie realized it she was all in too. It took her a while but she came around.  This was a sweet, cute, short and funny read. It has been a long time since I've read a book by HelenKay Dimon and I've missed her writing. I will end with my favorite line of the book: He was six feet of hello-there-handsome. It still makes me giggle.

The Rebound Girl by Tamara Morgan

Grade: A-
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Getting Physical #1

Reviewed by Anne

265 pages

I first read Tamara Morgan last year and thought then that she was one of the funniest romance writers I've read!  I read Love is a Battlefield and The World is a Stage and enjoyed them.  When I saw Rebound Girl was available I jumped at the chance to read it.  It has great characters who aren't like every other character you've read.  And it's so funny!   I laughed out loud so many times reading this! Not just smiled, but laughed. I woke my husband up laughing as I read far too late into the night to finish this story.  And because I enjoyed the style of writing so much, I give you a review with lots of quotes:

Whitney is a very self confident plastic surgeon.  She's no Barbie, though.

"...the thirty extra pounds she carried mostly in her hips didn’t make her a victim of low self-esteem or discounted standards. She liked that weight right where it sat—and she would have been the first to advocate going under the knife if she felt otherwise."  p.9

 

She and her friends have moved to the burbs, taken out a big loan and are opening the Surgery Center/Spa they've always dreamed of.  Whitney has always been a big city girl, but she has no doubts she'll be fine in the small town she's moved to.  This is her dream!  Finally coming true.

 

On one of their first nights in town, Whitney and her friends head out to the local bar hoping to hook up with willing partners, or at least have a good time .  Matt's brother has just talked him into going out for the first time since he split from his ex-wife.  Brother Lincoln is hitting on Whitney's friend, and Matt approaches Whitney.

 

"Now that she was seeing the man head-on, she could tell she was going to have to take it a little easy on him. He wasn’t bad looking—in fact, the hesitant smile and tousled sandy hair signaled nerd chic at its best, and there was a slight depression in his cheek that she thought might transform into a full-blown dimple if he tried. But the guy wore a corduroy jacket with elbow patches and drank something pink with little bits of fruit floating on the top.
He was obviously clueless."  p.8

 

The thing is, Matt's an old fashioned kind of guy.  A kindergarten teacher.  And he's not really looking to hook up with anyone.  He just wants to start moving on.  And Whitney isn't really interested in hooking up with Matt either, but when his brother and her friend leave the bar, Matt and Whitney agree that pancakes and bacon would be great and they make their way to a diner.

 

"Matt could hardly believe his good luck.
It was officially eight months since he and Laura signed the divorce papers, and most of that time had been spent hiding in his apartment, avoiding women and Lincoln’s single-minded insistence that Matt needed to put himself out there again.
He’d finally caved, and the first woman he’d gathered up the nerve to approach turned out to be this one. Easy to talk to, funny, pretty in a straightforward, no-nonsense way he wasn’t used to. And best of all, she’d already made it abundantly clear she had no intention—or expectation—of sleeping with him. She was like training wheels.
Awesome, bacon-loving training wheels." p. 19

 

After spending a little time with Matt, Whitney changes her mind about not having sex with him.  And because she's Whitney, she lets him know, no doubts about it.

 

'The space between them, infinitesimal as it was, felt thick with promise. “What you need more than anything right now is a rebound girl.”
“I do?” Then, “What’s a rebound girl?”
She smiled brightly. “I am. Here’s how it works. I don’t want you to buy me a ring. I don’t want to bear your children. I don’t even want to be your girlfriend. All I want is you and me and as much sex as we can possibly squeeze into the four hours before dawn.”
Matt’s mouth went dry. “That’s a real thing?”
“Oh, Matt. Poor, sweet Matt. You have no idea.'  p.24

 

So, that's the set up, and the book takes off from there.  Whitney is brash and independent and out of her element in the small town she's moved to.  Matt finds her refreshing and wants more than just a rebound with her.  Throw in some great secondary characters and annoying small town politics and you've got an interesting story.

 

I really enjoyed what a strong character Whitney was.  She's almost unlikable, except that you see where she's coming from and you like her all the more for speaking up.  I've always thought it's nice to have that one really outspoken friend who will say the things you really want to but wouldn't dream of.  That's Whitney.  And her mouth and her decisions get her into trouble.  But she takes responsibility and tries to set things right.  She was a refreshing change from the too good and too sweet heroines I read a lot of.

 

Matt is a beta hero, and a wonderful one.  That's another change from the tried and tried alpha-asshole hero!  But while he is beta, he does know what he wants.  He's not perfect either, but watching Matt and Whitney work out their issues and their relationship was really fun!

 

The author did such a good job painting Jared, Whitney's cheating ex, through Whitney's eyes that I really had a hard time being ok with him when he showed up. I see that there's a second book coming in this series and it's about him. Part of me doesn't want to read it because I still hate him for Whitney's sake! But the majority part of me wants to see how the author handles him and what his future brings.

Hooray for a strong female character! Hooray for a humorous and sweet romance! This one goes on my Best of 2013 list!

Wolf With Benefits by Shelly Laurenston

Grade-A+
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-None
Series-Pride #8
Reviewed by Kay and Anne

Anne and Kay are both huge Laurenston fans.   This is their joint review.

Kay: Ricky Lee Reed is one of those "Reed Boys". He's a wolf shifter from the Smith pack. He has recently relocated from Tennessee to New York to work security for Llewellyn Security, a shifter run company. Oh, he's also a slow talkin', swagger walkin', non blasphemin' Southern redneck hillbilly.

Antonella Jean-Louise Parker is a jackal shifter and very much a little girl lost in her family of prodigies. She's the eldest child of her family and has devoted her life up until this point to them. She constantly handles and protects every aspect of their lives. Let's not forget, these are shifter children, so to say they are handfuls, is an understatement.

This couple's romance builds slowly. It never boils but it was still precious to read. I was afraid I'd have unanswered questions at the end of the book but I didn't. I got to find out not only who the culprit was but what kind of shifter Livy was. This book had a little of everything. Romance, mystery and suspense.

Shelly Laurenston is a phenomenal author! This latest edition to her Prides series is a masterpiece. This is writing at its finest. Her best book by far and I say that every time she releases a new one. She has hit her stride and keeps on improving book to book. I am worshipping at the alter of Ms. Laurenston. At a time when I was asking myself who my favorite paranormal author is, I now have my answer. If you have never read a Shelly Laurenston novel yet, what the heck is wrong with you?

Anne:  I love Laurenston, too!  Her books suck me in and take me away from my real world!  I love the swearing and violence – though there was a little less swearing in this one due to Ricky Lee’s delicate sensibilities. :)  I don’t think I’d call this Laurenston’s best book yet, though.  For me that will probably always be either Irene and Niles’ book (“Miss Congeniality” in When He Was Bad) or Bo and Blayne’s book (Beast Behaving Badly.)  The fact that Wolf With Benefits has Irene AND Bo and Blayne as secondary characters is what pushed it to an A rating for me.

I thought Ricky Lee and Toni’s story was ok.  I wasn’t blown away by it.  I thought the story was more about Toni’s relationship with her family, especially her siblings.  So, on that basis it would have been a B for me, but when you add in the siblings, Bo and Blayne, and Irene…  well I KNOW I’m going to read it again.  So it bumps to an A.

 

What did you think of Toni's oldest sister, Delilah?  I thought she was horribly creepy!

 

Kay: I agree with you, Anne. She was creepy. She made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Her detachment was chilling. The scene between Olivia and her was scary. I thought the resolution was a little too simple though. What do you think?

Anne: Delilah’s story line made me sad. I really, really was hoping for redemption. I mean, here she was in this wonderful family, and I wanted that to be enough. I didn’t really like the resolution with Delilah either. Oddly, I think it was too complicated for me. There was a very simple ending that I wanted. I understood what they did, and even why they did it that way, but I didn’t like it.

Kay: And what about when they had to go looking for Miki?

 

Anne: While I vaguely remember that they did go see Miki, I don’t really remember it and can’t find it easily on my reader. 

 

Kay: DeeAnn goes to find Miki, who is part of the Magnus Pack. DeeAnn is the only one not afraid to risk the wrath of Sarah, the alpha female of the Magnus Pack. When she came out with the gun on the porch in her long T-shirt, I laughed so hard.

 

Anne:  Oh, yeah!  That was good! I bookmarked some favorite parts.  I LOVED this coversation between Kyle (Toni's 11 year old artist prodigy brother) and Bo Novikov:
 

(Novikov asks) “So do you play hockey?”

“No, sir."

“Really, How come?"

“Because I plan to use my brilliance for something real and important, not something petty like sports."

"Sorry?"

“See, what I like about what you do,” the boy explained, his hands accenting with each word, his voice intense, “is the raw rage and violence. I can use that in my work. And while you’ll probably be forgotten soon after you retire, which is the way of you athletic types whose happiest years are usually when you’re in high school… my legacy will live on for centuries. People will study my work, copy it. My work will start a new art movement, a new wave of creativity born out of blood and violence and rage. And you… youMr. Novikov will be my David."

"David?"

"Like Michaelangelo’s David? But instead my piece will be called Jean-Louis Parker’s Novikov, and it will be the greatest art anyone has ever seen. And you… you, Mr. Novikov, will be my muse."
 

This exchange between the two of them, and so many more scenes with Toni's siblings were just hilarious!  I also really loved Ricky Lee's wolf patience while pursuing Toni.  He was content to be with her and wait for her (or her family) to provide entertainment.  He saw through to the heart of things with her quickly, but was patient enough to let things play out over time.  I really enjoyed that.  Did you have a favorite part?
  

Kay: I also enjoyed the scenes where people tried to guess what Olivia was.   I was a little irritated with how Blayne was treated and am shocked that Bo put up with it. I love Blayne and Toni being mean to her did not sit sell with me at all.

Anne: Olivia!  She was awesome!  I was so afraid we wouldn't get to know *what* she was.  And when it was finally revealed, I laughed and laughed! 

I actually kind of appreciated that someone didn't fall in love with Blayne immediately.  I've always thought she was annoying, though in an endearing way. :) It was hilarious that Toni couldn't remember her name!

Back when we started this review, you said Laurenston just may be your favorite paranormal author.  I think that’s true for me, too.  I really love her books, and this one is one of her best – not so much in the romance for me, but the overall story and humor.  Awesome book!

 

One Good Earl Deserves A Lover by Sarah Maclean

Grade-A-
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-None
Series-The Rules Of Scoundrels #2
Reviewed by Kay

Pippa Marbury is smart. Really, really smart. She knows something about almost everything. What she doesn't know, she wants to learn. She's to get married at the onset of this novel and she wants to know more about sex. How to seduce her betrothed who seems oblivious to anything of a sexual nature.

Cross, no name but Cross for most of the book is part owner of The Fallen Angel gaming hell. He is close friends with Pippa's brother-in-law. Cross is a consummate rake by reputation. He was the spare that became the heir. He has a truckload of guilt and a few secrets to go with his rakishness. Is that a word?

Pippa goes to the hell to see if Cross can answer her questions on seduction and the physical aspect of marriage. Cross is dumbfounded but intrigued. He is tempted beyond measure but refuses her request for a number of reasons. Pippa misunderstand his refusal. See, Pippa is the smart girl but plain in her eyes and most others also. Listening to her description of why Cross refuses her is tear inducing.

This novel was almost a total hit for me. It was so close to perfection. I have been reading a lot of books that have been just okay. Not bad but not like this one. What kept it from a perfect rating for me was 1) they were both betrothed to other people at certain times in the book and 2) he was a redhead. I know it's petty but red headed men just don't do it for and it's hard for me to but into it.  Still, it's on my Best of 2013 list.

Checkmate by R.L. Mathewson

 
Grade-B
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Low
Series-Neighbor From Hell #3
Reviewed by Kay

This is book three from the Neighbor From Hell series. It features a non-Bradford male and a cousin of the Bradfords female. They are sworn enemies to the extreme. They've grown up since preschool with a never ending feud that rivals the Hatfields and Mccoys or the Montagues and Capulets. There was no murder involved although the authorities have been called in numerous times.

I enjoyed their relationship but it just wasn't as enthralling as the other two books for me. Funny but not as funny either. I did get a little giddy when the Bradford cousins showed up. I can't help it, they are too funny. There were some precious moments in this book and secondary story lines that tugged at your heart. You should definitely read it but I hope she goes back to a male Bradford next. Connor and Rory were entertaining but not near as big of eaters as I would've liked.

Like a Wolf with a Bone by Shelly Laurenston (Howl For It)

Grade-A
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-None
Series-Pride #0.5
Reviewed by Anne

(Note: I only read Laurenston's story.)

So, I am a big Shelly Laurenston fan.  I’ve been reading her stuff for a while and I love it all.  It’s not often that you can say that about an author, but her stuff is ALL good to me.  It’s set in an alternate present day where shifters (that most full humans don’t know about) exist.  One of the things Laurenston does best with her shifters is bring their animal traits into their personalities and habits, whether in human or animal form.  She's amazingly good! Her stories are  over the top funny and over the top violent, and I just don’t want to put them down when I start them!

I just finished the novella Like a Wolf with a Bone in the anthology Howl For It.  I need to take a moment and mention just how much I appreciate those title.   There’s some nice double entendre along with a nod to the shifterness of the story.  Awesome.

So Like a Wolf with a Bone is a prequel to the current stories.  It takes place in the 70s and there’s some humor to be had from the references that come up.  Darla and Eggie are the parents of one of the most recent heroines, DeeAnn.  Like a Dog with a Bone tells the story of their courtship.  There’s so much to enjoy!

Darla is attacked by a group of full humans.  Eggie manages to fend them off, and by fend them off, I mean that he easily and efficiently kills them all.  However, Darla is hurt and unconscious when Eggie is done with the humans.  Without a whole lot of thought to it, Eggie takes her away from her home – she wasn’t safe there! – and takes her to his military base hospital for treatment.  When Darla wakes up she assesses the situation and after some initial shock, she’s fine with Eggie having rescued her.  So, the conflict in this book doesn’t really come from the two of them together, but from everyone else in the story.  And while there is a lot of humor between Eggie and Darla, it’s the squads of secondary characters that really had me cracking up!

See, Darla has lots of sisters, and Eggie has lots of brothers.  And they are all dating each other.  Yep.  In the rural area I grew up in this wasn’t uncommon.  We used to joke about the family tree growing up, but not out.  Anyway, Darla and Eggie’s siblings have a lot to say about Darla and Eggie being together.  Actually, Darla’s sisters have a lot to say.  They do most of the talking.  And then there’s Eggie’s momma.  She may not know a pacifist from a polygamist, but she's looking out for her boy.  It’s just all good!

This story was ridiculously funny and I enjoyed it from beginning to end.  I highly recommend it!  It’s probably best appreciated if you’ve read some of the other books in the series, especially the more recent ones where DeeAnn and Eggie are mentioned.

 

 

Perfection by R.L. Mathewson

Grade-A-
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-None
Series-Neighbor From Hell#2
Reviewed by Kay

Zoe has not had the easiest life but still maintains a fairly good outlook on life. She's just lost her job and while she likes her townhouse,  her neighbor always takes her parking space. There's also a water temperature and pressure issue to deal with. She doesn't want to lose this small sense of security and with the loss of her job, she is now facing that.

Trevor, who is the cousin of Jason in book one, is totally oblivious to his neighbor. She's actually his tenant but he keeps that on the down low for awhile. He doesn't want to lose her as a tenant so he offers to help her out. As their friendship grows, he starts to see her differently and he comes up with an arrangement. From this point on, the story gets exciting.

This novel starts off action packed and doesn't really slow down. I pretty much read it in one sitting. I did have to stop a couple of times to give my stomach muscles a break from all the laughing I was doing. This is one food obsessed family and one terribly talented author in my opinion. She is now a auto buy for me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Playing For Keeps by R.L. Mathewson

Grade-B+
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-None
Series-Neighbor From Hell #2
Reviewed by Kay

Haley is a high school history teacher who lives in what she considers her dream house. She has fixed the place up just the way she wants it inside and out. She takes pride in these accomplishments. So it really upsets her that her neighbor could care less about his home. That in itself is bothersome but then there's his former conquests having drunken screaming fits on his front lawn in the middle of the night. She's even handled that without a word of complaint to him but when he starting pulling up her flowers...it's on.

Jason is also a high school history teacher at Holly's school, in the room next door, in addition to being her neighbor from hell. He is a big guy with a even bigger appetite on all levels. His property is not kept up. He has wild parties and crazy exes. He has even used his front yard as a urinal. He's also totally oblivious to his offensive ways until he pisses off the petite firecracker from next door.


This story was fantastic! I laughed out loud so much my stomach hurt. Haley is so loyal and kind. Jason is boorish but lovable. I have never seen another man love food this much! He loves it even more than J.R. Ward's Rhage or Julia Quinn's Colin and believe me that's something. This would have had a A rating but there was a thought by the hero that offended me greatly and colored my view a little. That being said, I would recommend this book to anyone.