Sensual Surrender by Katie Reus

        

Grade-D
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-The Serafina:Sin City #2
Genre-Romantic Suspense
Reviewed by Kay
200 pages

Ellie works for the Serafina casino in Las Vegas. Her lover, Jay also works there. They live together and everything is going great until Ellie's past catches up with her. After that phone call, she packs a bag, leaves Jay a break up note, turns in her resignation letter and makes strides to move on. Her boss is suspicious as are her friends and her lover.
As her past continues to catch up with, her new group of friends try to figure out the pieces together on why she would disappear from a life that seems pretty sweet.

Ellie has to protect the people she cares about and can't let them get drug into her former life. But when she has to accept their help, she just hopes that she can keep them safe and that they'll still love her when she finally comes clean. With her friends by her side they go up against a crime boss and her former lover both demanding she help them in a heist that involves all parties.

I had high hopes for this one. It was romantic suspense and I love that genre. Unfortunately, it never clicked for me. I was bored most of the time. This was very disappointing for because I loved the first book in this series. I'm undecided on continuing with the series.

Wild On You by Tina Wainscott

Other

Grade-B
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Justiss Alliance #1
Genre-Romantic Suspense
Reviewed by Kay

This is the first full length novel in this series. I really enjoyed the prequel and has high hopes for this installment.

Risk is a former SEAL on his first assignment with the Justiss Alliance and his job is to protect the daughter of a military man. She's an animal rights activist complete with an arrest record for her actions. Risk thinks this is a baby sitting job and not real thrilled at first. He knows he needs to prove his worth to his new organization so he vows to take this job seriously.

Addie Wunder is a little extreme but devout in her beliefs. She fights for the abuse of animals and she's really quite successful at it. But she has gained enemies, yes in the plural form. She's a pistol and nothing is going to stop her from her purpose. Not even the bodyguard her father has put on her tail.

This was a very cute book. I adored the characters and the storyline. You take a big carnivore and the animal rights activist vegetarian and pair them together and watch out. The cat and mouse game between them is entertaining and hilarious. I will never hear the words zucchini and radishes without giggling. This was suspenseful and hot. I already have the next book loaded and ready but with a release for May, I have to wait a while to read it.

Waking Up Pregnant by Mira Lyn Kelly

Grade-B+

Hotness Level-Blaze

Kink Level-No Kink

Genre-Contemporary

Reviewed by Kate

224 pages

 

Jeff and Darcy had one night of bliss in Las Vegas before Darcy snuck out. But what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay there. Darcy ends up pregnant and heads to Jeff's office to find out what they're going to do now.

 

I was looking for a romance that was sweet and tender and yet spicy and this one fit the bill perfectly. Jeff and Darcy are open and honest with each other. There's no secrets being kept between the pair of them. What a refreshing change from the typical everybody's-got-a-secret storylines I've come across lately. And not only are they open and honest, but they talk to and actually listen to each other.

 

This one is loosely tied to Ms. Kelly's earlier work Waking Up Married but can be read independently. Mira Lyn Kelly is a new author for me, but I know I'll be going back to see what she's got on her back list.

Seven Sons by Lili St. Germaine

Grade-B
Hotness Level-Inferno?
Kink Level-Mild Kink
Series-Gypsy Brothers #1
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay
100 pages

I'm shaking my head here. What a hot mess of horror! It's not a conventional love story. At all. It's a story of revenge and reckoning.

Juliette grew up in the MC world until the age of fifteen. Her life totally changed as did she. Her father is murdered, her mother is drug addict who didn't protect her at all. Her innocence is shattered in the most horrific of ways. A police officer smuggles her out of town where she starts her new life. She was reported dead so her rebirth as Samantha is now her life.

She takes several years to plan her revenge and she does down to the last detail. The men that changed her life will pay and pay with blood. It may destroy what's left of her soul and pave her way straight to Hell. You totally are her side even as you cry as she sells her soul to the devil almost literally. There's a lot of emotions in this short novella and you feel every last one of them. I think there will be a romance in the future in the story but not now. I will say that there's sex in this book but it's not hot because of the circumstances. It's a cliffhanger and now to my own horror, I have to see it through. I have to see if she makes Dornan and his seven sons pay.

Be Were by Eliza Gayle

Grade-C
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Southern Shifters #5
Genre-Paranormal
Reviewed by Kay
175 pages

What was supposed to be a one night stand so they wouldn't have to be alone on Christmas turned into a mating for life. Dean sees Niki in his bar and she's about to punch a human who is drunk and trying to hook up with her. Dean steps in and stops Niki from hurting the human and they go back to his place. They have a hot night and Dean senses she's his mate. During their interlude, he bites her. Afterward he calls her mate and she runs out.

Dean finds out that his mate was kidnapped and he goes to get her. Oh, and she's pregnant. And she's a rare hybrid. A white cougar. It's a miracle Niki got pregnant since they were supposed to be infertile. That's what Niki thought anyway. She was led to believe that by her captors in the laboratory she was raised in and experimented on in. The real focus of the story is who masterminded the kidnapping of Niki.

This was a decent read. It flowed easily along. I liked the characters and the premise well enough. The sex was fantastic. I wanted to like it more but wasn't terribly disappointed. I've read another book in the series and enjoyed it as well. Very good humor too.

Wild Hearts by Tina Wainscott

Grade-A
Hotness Level-None
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Justiss Alliance #0.5
Reviewed by Kay
72 pages

This is a prequel novella to spawn a series about five ex-Navy SEALs. After a mission that was a clusterfuck, these men were discharged but thankfully not court martialled. Even though they were not responsible for this screwed up mission, they were the ones that were blamed to appease the masses. To avoid jail time they had to sign contracts forbidding them to talk about what really happened on that ill fated mission.

As they are leaving the courthouse, a man approaches them with a job offer. He is the founder of the Justiss Alliance and they handle what sounds like protection and black ops work. He leaves his cards with each of the men and asks them to consider his offer.

At this point, you get a glimpse at each of the men in this SEAL group. Some of their home lives and if they will join the Justiss Alliance. These men are named: Risk, Rath, Saxby, Knox and Julian.

I can't wait to read this series. I have the first one loaded and ready on my Kindle. I hope they are as good as Maya Banks' KGI series or Cindy Gerard's Black Ops Inc. series. I love romantic suspense and I adore military romantic suspense. This prequel had no sex in it and I do hope the series does. If it doesn't, well that's just stupid.

Staking His Claim by Tessa Bailey

Grade-C
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Mild Kink
Series-Line of Duty #5
Genre-Contemporary
Reviewed by Kay

Matt Donovan is a sniper with the ESU (police department). He's a very solitary soul despite his friends constantly luring him to be more social. He keeps to himself because he feels if his friends find out what really goes on in his kind, they would think he's a freak. He gets roped into transporting his best friend, Brent's little sister and her friend to New York for a visit. He does it to be a nice guy beacuse Brent is busy with wedding plans.

Lily Mason is a little bit of a free spirit. Or atleast she used to be. She's a college graduate with several job offers. Job offers she plans to put to good use to help her brother out financially. Her best friend decides to spend the weekend with her boyfriend instead of accompanying Lucy to New York. When she sees Matt Donovan she's overwhelmed by him and extremely attracted. Matt has never seen a picture of her and she knows he would never make a play on his best friend's little sister, so she introduces herself by her friend's name.

Matt likes what he sees in Brent's sister's friend. A lot. She also sending the vibes he wants to explore with her. He's hesitant because of his darker needs (his thoughts not mine). They have a scorching hot few hours together on their way to New York. But lies always come to the surface and Lucy's blows up in her face. This leaves her wondering if they have a chance at being more than a fling.

To say I was disappointed to find out Matt had Dom tendencies would be an understatement. I've been waiting for his book. I didn't hate the book but I didn't love it. Let me say that it was easy to read which I have come to expect from Tessa Bailey. I'm not sorry I bought or read this book, it just wasn't my favorite being that any BDSM storyline leaves me a little bit skeeved out. Still good characters, great humor, tremendous foul mouthed dialogue and scorching sex scenes. I can't wait to see what she gives us next but please Tessa no more Dom related stuff.