BOOK ONE - Zack: Armed & Dangerous

Yuck – we are back to work and I am traveling like crazy this week.  I love to travel but it keeps me going till late at night so I won’t have a chance to read any more this week.  I’m glad that I had the chance to finish this weeks book.It was great and I am bummed that I won’t be able to strat the second one until Sunday. That just won’t do!!!!!!!! I guess I will just have to check in everyday with all of you to see if you like the other books.  Keep me posted, I will need to hear from everyone to make it through this week.

The Armed and Dangerous Series starts off with ZACK. For those of you that read the short novel “Wildfire” you will be blown away by this book and the additions. You can tell that she did a lot of research with regards to the different government agencies and the problems that they face on the Mexican border.  She left in most of the “steaming hot” sex scenes including my favorite, the restaurant!!  READ it just for that because you will always smile when you eat cheesecake from that point on. What she added to Zack was action, adventure and mystery and that’s what totally makes the story great.

Zack comes back into Sky’s life after being away for 10 years.  He takes a transfer back to his home town to be close to his aging and ill mother.  His assignment is to catch whoever is rustling the cattle from the local ranchers. When he runs into Sky while visiting the ranches he realizes that leaving was the worst mistake he ever made.  He will do anything he has to in order to prove to Sky that he is worth a second chance.

McCray keeps you guessing throughout the whole book. She does a great job developing the secondary characters. Out of those characters you know that someone has to be involved with the cattle rustling and she doesn’t give that away until the very end. This book has everything you need to keep you inside and reading on these cold days.  She doesn’t take the customary 100 pages to start the action scenes. You dive right into a steamy sex scene followed by a fight scene. And every chapter after won’t leave you disappointed.

Zack gets 4 Chocolate Dipped Strawberries from this Indulgent Blogger! If you are like me, you will read this book and be thrilled that there are two more in the series waiting for you.  Enjoy reading everyone…

Reviewed by Shari

Armed & Dangerous Week

We are getting Armed & Dangerous this week with Cheyenne McCray’s hot series.  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cheyenne McCray wrote the Armed & Dangerous series in addition to the Lexi Steele novels, another thrilling series filled with suspense and intrigue. Demons not Included is the first in her new "Night Tracker" urban fantasy series. Chey is a mom just like us in the Guilty Indulgence Book Club – she has three sons, three dogs, a messy house, and she will do anything to get out of cleaning which may be why she writes so much. You can learn more about Chey by visiting her website at http://cheyennemccray.com or by watching for her guest blog to be posted this week here on our review site.

Chey’s Armed & Dangerous series was first published by Ellora’s Cave as the Wild series, but then the storyline was expanded to create the series now published by St. Martin’s Press. The storyline is much improved, now more a mix of romantic suspense and contemporary western romance. Have you read either or both of the series? Tell us what you think.

The Indulgent Bloggers will review the first three books in the series during this week as we get ready for the final book to be released this spring. Make a comment on any Armed & Dangerous post this week and be entered into a contest to win an ARC of BOOK FOUR - Clay: Armed & Dangerous being released in April 2011.

BOOK ONE - Zack: Armed & Dangerous

Ever since bad boy Zack Hunter left her ten years ago, breaking her heart, Sky MacKenna hasn't been able to find a man who sets her on fire the way he did. Then he comes striding back into her life—bigger, badder, and sexier than before....

Zack Hunter never thought his job as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent would lead him back to his small hometown, and he never thought he'd set eyes on Sky again. Leaving her behind had been the stupidest thing he had ever done, but this time he isn't going to let her go. And as soon as Zack lays eyes on Sky, he makes it clear that he intends to make her his all over again.

When Sky becomes entangled in the case he's investigating, Zack can't help but take the threat personally. As the danger mounts, their passion burns even hotter.

Author's Note: Zack: Armed & Dangerous has its foundations in a novel I wrote several years ago for a small e-publisher, Wildfire. If you read that shorter novel, you will find this endeavor far different. Longer and richer with more action, adventure, and mystery. May you enjoy Zack Hunter and Sky MacKenna. And as I've been told many times: You'll never look at cheesecake the same way again.

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BOOK TWO - Luke: Armed & Dangerous

After four years abroad, Trinity MacKenna has returned home to her family's ranch in southeastern Arizona. Everything in her life is going just the way she planned it—a home in London, a brilliant career, and she's practically engaged to a gorgeous English gentleman. But when Trinity meets Luke, the cowboy turns her perfect world upside down. Everything about him is virile and sexy, dark and dangerous—and definitely not part of Trinity’s carefully arranged plans.

From the moment Luke Denver sees the sensual strawberry blond, he knows he's got to have her. Luke is intrigued by Trinity’s combination of sophistication and innocence, boldness and shyness. Even when Trinity tells him she's taken, Luke doesn't let that stop him, because he's determined to make her his…no matter the cost.

Author's Note: Luke: Armed & Dangerous has its foundations in a novel, Wildcard, I wrote several years ago for a small e-publisher. If you read that short novel, you will find this endeavor different. This novel is almost twice as long as the original book and richer with more action, adventure, and mystery. You will be glad to know that you'll find the sex scenes just as memorable as before, (yes, that hot tub scene and Luke's chaps are as sexy as ever!) and you're in for a lot more danger and intrigue.

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BOOK THREE - Kade: Armed & Dangerous

After a bitter divorce, reporter Kelsey Nichols has erected a border around her heart too strong for any man to cross. She's not ready for a relationship of any kind with any man. But when Kelsey meets Kade she can think of nothing but being in his powerful arms and in his bed.

Intelligence Agent Kade Owen is hot on the trail of a notorious smuggler when the sensual blonde reporter comes into his life. Once he gets a hold of Kelsey, nothing will stop Kade from winning her heart.

Author's Note: Kade: Armed & Dangerous is a novel I wrote several years ago, and was published with a small e-publisher. This novel holds a special place in my heart as it was my first romance. The characters are special to me, as is the location in southeastern Arizona where I was raised. Even the ranch where a good portion of the novel takes place mirrors the ranch I grew up on. Kade was formerly titled Wild Borders. It is my hope that you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Join the Cattleman's Club

This week has been rough.  I landed up getting a horrible cold and lost my voice.  For everyone that knows me, that is just tragic. I never realized how much I talk until I couldn’t.  Without the energy to do much else I turned my attention to reading.  I was dying to try something new (to me anyway). Between my cold and the snow, this has been an awesome reading week.  I hope everyone else is doing well and please take your vitamins, having a cold stinks.

 Cole Jackson and Kyle Harding haven't got any doubts that Hailey Mathews is up to something, but they ain't worried. They have their own wicked intentions and the full confidence that one little woman doesn't stand a chance against two Cattlemen. Hailey has had enough. Enough of Kyle and his smooth charm. Enough of Cole and his provocations. Not about to trust that either Cattleman has any interest in her other than playing a game, Hailey decides it's time to show them how it's done. However, if things don't go the way Hailey plans, the consequences might be more than she can pay. ** A Siren Erotic Romance

This is the second book in the Cattleman series. I like to pick up books from authors that I have never read. I enjoyed the first one enough to try the second. The story is simple but Jenny Penn does a good job with the flow. Hailey is a strong woman that owns her own Mechanic business. She has had shop class with Cole and Kyle in high school (who also own their own shop in town) and like most high school boys that are threaten by a girl that matches them in talent, they tormented her! She wasn’t going to stand by and just take it so she planned her revenge.  After high school, the games never stopped. Any yes, you know what we tell our children, if the boy picks on you then that means in truth he likes you.

This story is no different, except the boys turn into men that just happen to also be members of the Cattleman’s Club. In the club, the men learn how to pleasure a women and Cole became a “Master” while still in his teens. Hailey wants nothing to do with any Cattleman until she is finds herself hiding under Cole’s bed while he and one of his cousins “enjoys” one of the girls from the Club. After that Ms. Hailey can’t stop daydreaming about what it would be like to be with both Cole and Kyle.

The book is a funny and you really don’t know who you want to route for.  I loved Hailey’s character but then switched to Kyle and even Cole starts to grow on you. You wouldn’t think that the story line couldn’t keep up for 400 pages but it does.  If you want to read something just for fun and to laugh, then I would suggest that you give Jenny Penn a try (of course, start with Patton's Way, book one).  I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up another one of her books. 

I would give Hailey’s Game 3 chocolate dipped strawberries! Have you read it? Tell me what you think...

Flurry Friday

Another week has flew by. I can't believe it's almost February. It seems like we just were celebrating the holidays and I was trying to find a purple dress for New Years and here I am now plotting costumes for a trip in August. WOW! No complaints here. Warm weather can't get here fast enough. I'd rather read outside any day. My to be read list grew by leaps and bounds thanks to a trip to Jenn's, a package from Tyra and an email from Rebecca with new suggestions. I even bought home the Jenn's e-reader just to read the third book in the series I'm gonna write about today. So, you know I love this series if I actually left Jenn's with her e-reader.

It's rare I like the first book in a series but it does happen from time to time and this was one of those times. Cat and Bones are a great couple. They make me laugh, they make me cry and my favorite thing is that they work togather. Bones tries to protect Cat but she'll have none of that weak girlie stuff. She's a fighter. This series has a the good stuff. It has a great story, humor, other characters that make the story great, excellent adult scenes (raise eye brows here!) and two great main characters. What are you waitting for? Read the snippet from the first book in this series and go get it already!

Half Way To The Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father – the one responsible for ruining her mother’s life. Then she’s captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unlikely partnership.
In exchange for help finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She’s amazed she doesn’t end up as his dinner – are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn’t have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side … and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

Four strawberries without a doubt for Jeaniene Frost! Go grab this book, a blanket and some hot chocolate (add what you will to yours!) and relax and wait for more snow that they say is coming our way. Have a great week!

It's WILD

I know I seem to be doing things backwards… last week, I reviewed Nikki Duncan’s WICKED in Whispering Cove and now this week, I’m reviewing Mackenzie McKade’s WILD in Whispering Cove. Even though WICKED is the third of the series, I read it first and then just absolutely had to go back to read the others.

WILD is the first book in the series that authors Mackenzie McKade, Cathryn Fox, and Nikki Duncan have teamed up to write. It is an erotic contemporary anthology being released throughout January and February 2011. The premise is a bet made between three grandfathers to see which of their grandchildren they can marry off first. (For more on this, go back to review my WICKED review.)

WILD in Whispering Cove is the story of Andie Adair who left town ten years ago after a boating accident that killed her parents. Blaming herself, she escapes Whispering Cove and leaves behind her family, friends, and a fiancè. She manages to stay away until she receives an ambiguous telephone call from her grandfather that leaves her concerned for his health. If only she knew it was all part of his plan.

Desperate not to lose her only living relative before seeing him again, she flies across country and straight into the arms of the fiancé she left behind. Though Whispering Cove is the last place she wants to be, she finds herself falling into Brody McGrath’s arms. The reader is brought on a journey as Andie relives past memories and attempts to come to terms with her grief. Andie’s pain is palpable, calling on the empathy of the reader.

Now the town’s sheriff, Brody doesn’t know why Andie left all those years ago but he doesn’t plan on letting her go again. While he reacquaints her with Whispering Cove, he pushes her to work through the pain from which she’s running. Brody’s love is written with such depth that it comes off the page to embrace the reader. Even without the sizzling sex, their passion for each other is illustrated in every touch.

WILD in Whispering Cove has that piece that many short novellas miss – the strong back story that authenticates the characters’ motivations. Well done. 5 chocolate-dipped strawberries. I strongly recommend this anthology but definitely don’t follow my path. Start with this story first… WILD, then WET, then WICKED. Then tell me what you think. After all, just like my sister always said when I was growing up – it’s not all about me…

Happy (Snowy) Hump Day....KMM's Shadowfever!

Helloooo out there fellow Moning Maniacs. For those of you who have already discovered the genius of Karen Marie Moning, either in her Highlander series or her Fever series, join me in the ghetto booty dance of joy for the fifth and final installment of her Fever series....Shadowfever! I have to admit a personal obession with this series. (I will admit to having a JZB mark tattooed on my person, in case he ever needs to find me!) Take a gander at some JZB eye candy - guaranteed to warm the winter chill away (see me fan myself and reach for some ice water please!)

Shadowfever, Karen Marie Moning, Bantam Dell, January 2011

"Evil is a completely different creature, Mac. Evil is bad that believes it's good."

MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever.

Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister's murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals that have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.

What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief, while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh--a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King that contains the power to create and destroy worlds.

Shadowfever is the culmination of events in the wild roller coaster of MacKayla Lane's life. For those familiar with the series, Mac is the ultimate heroine and her transformation from naive, sunny Georgia transplant to hard core, ass kickin Sidhe Seer. She survives the loss of her sister, the betrayal of her fellow Sidhe seers and the constant machinations of Barrons, the Fae, V'lane and others. Her sense of strength and perseverance over the near destruction of the world inspire and drive the reader to push for answers to the never-ending supply of questions each book in the series raises. As much as I'd like to discuss particulars, there are too many of my acquaintances who haven't finished this capstone piece and I don't want to give anything away. (I will say, I cried all through chapter one with Mac in her greatest grief!)

Karen Marie Moning seems to have found a niche - incorporating fantasy, romance and highly intricate drama. Her characters are truly multi-dimensional, displaying the duality of good and evil. Exploring themes that are often graphic, emotional, by far more gritty and real than her previous series with their slight paranormal bent (Fae-light, if you will), her Fever series may not be for the faint of heart. Mac Lane defines survivor. Jericho embodies mystery and pain in a sexy package that leaves readers panting for more. Her greatest gifts drive the mystery from book to book, answering tidbits and leaving more questions than answers. Thankfully, Shadowfever manages to answer the greatest mysteries with some satisfaction. The tension, having built over the last four installments, continues to wind tighter and tighter until the fevered (no pun intended) pitch at the end. The final showdown with the Sinsar Dubh, the Seelie and Unseelie, the Keltar and the Sidhe Seers explodes on the page and leaves the reader exhausted, sated and hopefully finding some peace.

I happily give this frustrating, angst provoking, sexy dark epic tale a delish 5 chocolate covered strawberries and will always bank on KMM for her fabulosity!

Wounded Heart

Happy Tuesday everyone. The weather people are saying we are going to get about 5 inches of snow tomorrow, but I am not getting excited yet because they have told as that before and so far NADA. The review that I have for you this evening is from a new to me author and if you get the chance check her out.

This first book in the Heart series by Nicole Bradley is off to a strong start.

Charity Parris is going home. She is a survivor of an abusive marriage that cost her the life of her unborn child. Her ex-husband is now in jail and she is going back to New York to start her life over. Charity comes from a strong, close-knit family. Her mother is a district attorney and her father is the police chief at the precinct where she is now a detective, along with her brother. While her family may not understand why she stayed in her marriage, they are there to support and help her re-build her life.

Josh Muldoon is Charity's brother's best friend and a fellow detective. He is also the brother of her best friend and her teenage crush. Josh has had a long time crush on Charity as well but stayed away from her because she was his best friend's little sister.

Charity and Josh are made partners and have to investigate a murder case that is more than it originally appears. Can the partners learn to trust each other not only with their lives, but with their hearts?

This story has all of the elements to make it great -- strong lead characters, a good story and interesting secondary characters. I loved the extended families and see the potential for many more books based around the two clans. The mystery keeps you guessing until the end and the story line will draw you in. The only problem with this book is there are several disjointed scenes that interrupted the flow of the story. I think with some tighter editing on the next books, this series will be successful. I give Wounded Heart 3 chocolate dipped Strawberries.
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can be found at:
http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=1264

I've Got The Fever... Fae Fever.

Fever
Never know how much I love you... Never know how much I care... When you put your arms around me... I get a fever, that’s so hard to bear...
The Flu may be going around, but I have the Fever, Fae Fever!  I have just started Karen Marie Moning’s Shadowfever and can’t wait for Jenn’s review of it later this week.  To get you warmed up, I thought we would chat about the earlier books in Moning’s Fever series.  I was really lucky that I did not have this series recommended to me until last year. That way there were 4 books already out and I zipped through them. I have been waiting for Shadowfever to come out for more than six months and I was not sure I was going to make it. 

Darkfever is the first book in the series centered around  MacKayla "Mac" Lane a young (22 year old) woman who leaves a small town in the U.S. to travel to Ireland when her older sister is murdered and leaves a cryptic message on her cell phone.

In Dublin, Mac meets the mysterious and very hot Jericho Barrons, and learns more about the deadly Fae, beings that most of humankind don't even realize exist, but that Mac can see in their unrevealed and often gruesome form. The book takes you through all of Mac’s emotions grief and regret over the death of her sister, determination to find what destroyed her, and intrigue with the world she is learning about and her special role in it. On the romance side of things Moning begins the development of good sexual tension between Barrons and Mac and introduces us to the gorgeous V'Lane a death-by-sex Fae.

The first book is a great foundation for the other Fever books and Moning does an exceptional job with creating this world that contains both very disturbing and dark elements and laughter and humor as our unlucky heroine is able to laugh at herself and the situations in which she finds herself.  Moning builds suspense in many ways throughout the story and I could not get enough.  I became so invested with the characters that I wanted to read the next book as soon as I finished this one.  In fact, I had to go out and buy it the next day. 

My recommendation is that you get all the books in the series  before you started reading them, so you don’t have a panic attack wondering what is happening with your favorite characters while you are waiting for the next book to be shipped.   Read the first book, and you will see that this is definitely a Fever that needs to be fed.  I give the whole series 5 chocolate-dipped strawberries!

Reviewed by Cat Devon 

Yesterday's Dreams

Here's a little warm-weather read to warm you up during the chilly winter months...

Romance, drama and love – what a great recipe for Jean Adam’s Yesterday’s Dreams. This is the first of a two-part series set in Patiki Bay, a small seaside town in New Zealand. Yesterday’s Dreams comes together into a smooth read with a mysterious handsome hero, a strong heroine and a love story that transcends a decade.

As children, Emma and Kane were unlikely friends growing up in Patiki Bay. When she gave up her innocence to this blue-eyed bad boy certain to break her heart, she had no idea that he would haunt her dreams for years to come. But when he leaves Patiki Bay and her behind for a better life elsewhere, part of him stays behind and forces Emma to give up her dreams. Emma immediately earns a place in the reader’s heart with her strength, commitment and drive. She needs a man equally as strong and she can find that in Kane if she allows herself to take that step.

The book actually begins when Kane returns ten years later to find Emma nearly unchanged. Kane, however, has found success as a motivating speaker with a worldwide business. With Kane’s return comes a whirlwind of memories and unrequited dreams that Emma had hoped to leave behind. While she is fighting the attraction, Kane is embracing it. The author excelled in allowing the relationship to mature more naturally as the storyline rolled along. It was refreshing, and perhaps a bit more realistic, for the couple not to immediately fall into bed on their first moment of reuniting.

Kane holds the key to helping Emma out of the financial difficulty in which she has become immersed but Emma has a difficult choice to make in allowing him to help her. It is when she is forced into a corner by a corrupt bank executive that she turns to Kane for help. Her ability to ask for help exemplified her character and strength. The characterization was executed well.

The unique storyline in this love story is the introduction of their daughter, the very part of Kane that he unknowingly left behind all those years ago. Emma has been raising their daughter as a single mother but when Kane learns about her, he wants to know her. In the midst of a big storm, Emma learns to lean on Kane. The action during the storm lifted the books momentum at a point when I wondered what could keep the book going since resolution seemed nearly imminent. But the author packed in more emotion that solidified the book as a keeper and let the ending define the book.

RATING: Four Chocolate-dipped Strawberries!

This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can be found at: http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=1197.

He's Untamable

In her latest romance book Untamable, Becca Dale wisely chooses a theme that no romantic-at-heart can resist – the belief in a second chance at love. Though a short read, Untamable is a sweet story of misunderstanding and reconciliation between Lily Swanson and Thornton Hanson. Not everyone gets a second chance at a love they left behind but this couple does and its theirs to do with it what they will.

Eight years earlier, Lily left her hometown believing that Thor no longer loved her. Now returning for a charity rodeo and a visit with her best friend, she comes face to face with the cowboy who still holds her heart. Seeing him again conjures up old memories, but Lily finds it impossible to let go of the anger his betrayal infused in her heart. The character’s inner struggle provides her with depth and draws a reader’s compassion.

At the same time Lily struggles with her version of history, Thor lives with the belief that she left him when he needed her most. Her return calls up old feelings of anger and regret, lust and love, of the relationship he thought was perfect. And when Lily explains the truth behind her leaving, Thor is determined to turn their reunion into forever and never let her go again. His determination, and the acknowledgement that he was at fault, captures the reader who cheers him on in his pursuit of his lost love.

Untamable has a realistic storyline with characters to which the reader can easily relate. The theme of reconciliation is also one that calls to the romantic-at-heart who will not be disappointed in this story. Untamable is short and sweet... worth four chocolate-dipped strawberries.

This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found at http://erotic.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=1235.

Freezing Friday

This is my least favorite time of the year....winter. I hate cold weather and I hate being cold. Know what I hate even more? SNOW! The wretched white stuff that falls from the sky! The only joy I can find it the white stuff is that I can stay inside and read. This whole cold thing is just painful for us summer people. I would rather be reading by the pool or on the beach with an adult beverage. This week I'm gonna share with you another story by G.A. Aiken cause I'm loving this series.

About A Dragon by G.A. Aiken

For Nolwenn witch Talaith, a bad day begins with being dragged bed by an angry mob intent on her crispy end and culminates in rescue by--wait for it-- a silver maned dragon. Existence as a hated outcast is nothing new for a woman with such powerful secrets. The dragon, though? A tad unusual. This one has a human form to die for, and knows it. According to dragon law, Talaith is now his property, for pleasure...or otherwise. But if Lord Arrogance thinks she's the kind of damsel to acquiesce without a word, he's in for a surprise....

Is this woman never silent? Briec the Mighty knew the moment he laid eyes on Talaith that she would be his, but he'd counted on tongue-lashings of an altogether different sort. It's embarrassing, really, that it isn't this outspoken female's Magicks that have the realm's greatest dragon in her thrall. No, Briec has been spellbound by something altogether different--and if he doesn't tread carefully, what he doesn't know about human women could well be the undoing of his entire race....

This book had me laughing so many times I lost count. Talaith really doesn't ever shut up unless they are having amazing sex! This whole series is great and who doesn't love dragons that can shift into a hot guy? I mean really!

I give this story 4 chocolate dipped stawberries and a gag cause sometimes you just gotta be quiet! Have a great week everyone and stay safe on the roads when the white stuff from the sky falls. I would also like to note that there is no snow in hell. Just saying hand basket buddies! I'll be by the lake of fire working on my tan!

It's WICKED

Mackenzie McKade, Cathryn Fox, and Nikki Duncan have teamed up in a contemporary erotic anthology being released throughout January and February 2011. I was thrilled to receive an ARC of the third installment, Wicked in Whispering Cove by Nikki Duncan, to review. I met Nikki briefly at RAW2010 and was excited to have the opportunity to feature her newest book here on our review site.

The anthology takes place in Whispering Cove, Maine, a small seaside village, where a ten-year high school reunion is bringing back the students who have all left town after graduation. Though they have each found some level of success, they have yet to find love.

Great secondary characters – the town’s grandfathers – have turned into matchmakers as they prepare for the return of their grandchildren. During a poker game, the men place a wager on which of their grandchildren will be the first to the altar, and the first to give them some great grandkids. The grandfather sub-plot is truly at the crux of what makes this anthology a winner.

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In Wicked, the hero Braydon Mitchell is a sexy freelance writer who has spent the past ten years sailing around the world. He is returning home because of concerns for his grandfather’s health but Braydon also plans to mix in some fun and attend his high school reunion. But he certainly has no plans to put down anchor in the small town in which he was raised by his grandparents until he meets his grandfather’s sexy doctor and things change.

Danica Kent has returned as Whispering Cove’s town doctor after medical school and residency in the city. She provides care to all her patients but has a special place in her heart for the town grandfathers who suddenly seem to be up to mischief. A house call to one of them brings her face-to-face with Braydon, her high school crush, and she suddenly feels like the clumsy, dorky girl she was back then. Her reinvented self falters as she works to gain hold of her self-esteem in the face of Braydon’s return. Readers will appreciate and relate to how down-to-earth the heroine is.

Though it’s a short story, the reader watches not only the evolution of a sweet relationship, but also the blossoming of Danica’s spirit, as they discover a connection to one another. With a splash of humorous moments and some hot tantalizing encounters, Wicked is a good read. When sexual sparks flair between them, Danica and Braydon begin something that neither can predict how it will end. But I guarantee the hopeless romantics will not be disappointed.

Wicked In Whispering Cove gets 4 chocolate dipped strawberries.

Happy Hump Day....Glutton for Pleasure style!

So the big ole full moon theory strikes again! I am the firmest subscriber to this theory - more than just tides and animals go nutty around full moons....just ask any nurse or doctor, they'll tell you! So, in honor of the fact that tonight will no doubt be a crockpot of hot mess...have a quick nibble of something oh so delish! Mmmmm, mama loves her some eye candy!

In honor of our continuing Diversity Week highlights, allow me to bring up a story I read about a year ago by Alisha Rai. Glutton for Pleasure was my first of her works and let me tell you - I am sold, a true blue fan girl now! Ms. Rai knows how to spin a story that feels real, rings true, has great characters with real flaws and smokin' hot lovin! Yep - definitely a big ole fan girl! So without further ado....

Glutton for Pleasure, Alisha Rai, Samhain Publishing, March 2009

They’re craving something sweet. She likes it spicy.

Devi Malik knows how to heat things up. She does it every night as head chef in her family’s Indian restaurant. Her love life, though, is stuck in the subzero freezer. Now, with a chance to fulfill a secret fantasy with her long-time crush and his brother, it’s time to put her desire on the front two burners.

For Marcus Callahan, a love-’em-and-leave-’em attitude isn’t only a necessary evil of their kink. It’s a protective device. Lately, though, his brother Jace has been making noises about craving something more. Jace’s dissatisfaction with their lifestyle grows with every glimpse of sweet little Devi. Yet Marcus is too haunted by the pain of their shared past to give love a chance.
Despite their reputation for vanishing with the dawn, they discover one night with Devi isn’t nearly enough. And Devi finds herself falling in love with two very different men. It’ll take more than explosive sex to light up the shadows surrounding the Callahan brothers’ secrets. But Devi’s never been afraid of the dark…

Warning: This title contains two sizzling men for the price of one, ménage a trois, oral sex, anal sex, fun toys, great food, and creative uses for syrup and dressing rooms.

Alisha Rai's Glutton for Pleasure explores themes of interracial romance, child abuse, alternative relationships, the fears and pain men and women bring to relationships that have the power to hurt or heal. You mix two hot heroes with one spicy heroine and you have magic in the kitchen, bedroom, car, store, etc.! The relationship between Devi and the Callahan brothers is unique. I enjoyed the character's attempts to define her feelings for each man individually, as opposed to some stories which makes menage relationships seem like the two men are interchangeable or completely similar in their behaviors and motiviations. Even brothers have major differences with internal driving forces. And I really loved the way their emotions swept in and took them all by surprise - it's one thing to engage in an exotic one night stand and quite another to repeat it and discover that more exists beneath the surface. Okay - so this has most of my favorite things all rolled into one: M/F/M menage, rubenesque heroine, spicy indian food and, most of all, folks who get completely surprised by love sneaking up and smacking them between the eyes. Erotic writing at its best with sexual tension, well crafted storyline and characters with depth!

Color me a happy girl when all my favorite things get cooked up into a dish of absolute delight! I give this story five chocolate covered strawberries and call me a glutton for more....pleasure!

Falling for Sharde

It's another Tuesday, I just finished having dinner with the family and now I am listening to them clean the kitchen while I drink a glass of wine and tell you about the yummy book I just finished. This was the first book that I have read by Marilyn Lee but let me tell you that it won't be the last. This book is an erotic feast and I am glad I took a bite.


Falling for Sharde, Marilyn Lee, Self Published, December 2010
After nine years spent in love with her boss, Jefferson Calder, Sharde Donovan is tired of being treated like one of the boys. During a long weekend at a remote cabin, she seduces him.
Upon their return to the city, Sharde is dismayed by Jefferson’s assertion that he wants nothing more than friendship with benefits. In an effort to make him admit he wants more, she does the unthinkable—starts to date his chief business rival.
Clayton Frazier, the handsome owner of Fra-tech has never made any secret of his interest in Sharde. After outbidding Jefferson to secure a lucrative government contract, he now has his sights set on Sharde—just as circumstances forces Jefferson to realize how much she means to him.

Sharde has been working for and with Jefferson for nine years, and in that time she has watched him give his heart to two women who both cheated on him. Neither woman loved him the way that she does but he just didn't seem to see her as anything more than a buddy. Well that is about to change. She goes away for the weekend with him to his cabin with seduction on her mind. Her plan is successful and upon their return she is sure that things will become more serious.

Unfortunately Jefferson just wants to be friends with benefits and keep things casual. During a conversation both say some things that they wish they could take back and Jefferson leaves Sharde only to end up picking up a woman in a bar and taking her home. When Sharde calls to tell Jefferson that she understands his reluctance to rush into another serious relationship the woman answers. Hurt that he could leave her and go straight to bed with another woman Sharde turns in her resignation. When Jefferson finds the resignation he tries to explain that while he did pick that woman up he did not sleep with her, too hurt to forgive Sharde tells him to go and leaves her job. It's not until Sharde is gone that Jefferson realizes exactly how he feels about her, but now it might just be to late because there is another man that wants her.

This book was a classic example of how women usually attach more emotion to sex then men. Now I know not all women do...there are some Samantha's out there but for the most part we do. This was a very well written story and I found myself very much invested in the characters and what happen with not just them but the secondary character's as well. I swear if Darbi doesn't get a book I am going to cry!!! I give this book 5 chocolate dipped strawberries, and a LARGE glass of ice water on the side because this book is scorching!

Vampire Hunts Diversity

Welcome Diversity Week!!  So, I am not quite the voracious reader that some of our bloggers are, but in preparing for this week’s blog I looked through the list of 75 books I have read in the last 3 years and could not find a single one where the couple was inter-racial.  Not that every couple in every book is a postcard of Lovey and Thurston Howell, III, but for most of the authors I have read, ethnic diversity must be boring and so common place that they have moved on to species diversity.  So I will focus my blogging on that topic.

When you talk about romance among species, one femme fatale stands out-  Anita Blake.  Anita Blake is the main character of a wonderful series written by Laurell K. Hamilton.  Most of the Guilty Indulgence Book Clubbers are completely hooked, some have finished the series which currently stands at seventeen books and counting, and some, like me, have passed third base at book thirteen and  are sliding into home. 

Some of the  underlying themes include acceptance of who you are, the good, the bad and the ugly-whether vampire, necromancer, zombie, were, witch, or mere human, and secondly, there is much to be gained by working together in friendship and love with others who may look different and have different powers or strengths than you.  It is not only the right thing to do; it lets you kick bad guy butt!  

In the series, Anita Blake is an animator by day which is someone who can raise the dead, and by night she is a vampire executioner helping the St. Louis police department solve bloody murders and mishaps.  Out of her work for the police and her crazy personal life among the preternatural, she ends up creating a veritable menagerie by helping every wayward were or supernatural creature that gets in the cross hairs of a bad guy.  By the thirteenth book, she has wererats, werewolves, werehyenas, wereleopards, wereswans, and a werefox all looking to her for protection and leadership and all willing to sacrifice themselves for her.  Add to that a few Master Vampires at her beck and call and she has quiet the entourage.  She goes from being rather prudish and human-centric to having lustful encounters with werewolves, wereleopards and vampires,  sometimes all at the same time.  The books are full of diverse characters both good guys and bad guys as Anita travels outside St. Louis for work and the author shows you other venues and cultures both through current activities and flashbacks. 

If you want to spice up your life and become enmeshed in a very diverse world, pick up the first Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series book, Guilty Pleasures, you won’t regret it. Without hesitation, I give Guilty Pleasures 5 chocolate dipped strawberries.

Reviewed by Cat Devon

A Good Series With or Without My Review

Hello. It's Shari here... I get the honor of kicking off our Diversity Week! So I am posting a review on a book that you will see is diverse in a few ways.  Enjoy!

BOOK ONE: WITHOUT RESERVATION

Sometimes love just catches you by the tail…

Chayton Winston is a veterinarian. He is also a werewolf. Much to his Native American parents chagrin, he has always dreamed of a fair-haired, Caucasian mate. However, he never imagined his mate would be male. As a heterosexual man, he’s not quite sure what to do with a male mate, but more than willing to find out.

Keaton Reynolds wakes up, in wolf form, and finds himself with a mate. He’s instantly attracted, but not so thrilled to find out the man is straight. Having been in a relationship once before where his partner professed to be “Not gay” left a bad taste in his mouth. Keaton wants to make a break for it and pretend he never set eyes on Chay—but Chay is not ready to let him go.

Together the two work to solidify their shaky relationship and battle the prejudices against homosexuals. Chay must deal with not only his mother’s prejudices against gay men but also her hatred of white people. When a power struggle in Keaton’s pack threatens Keaton’s life, the two men learn to depend on one another and their relationship to get them through it.

Don’t knock reading gay romance until you have tried it. From the first one that I ever picked up to the 100 after I haven’t been disappointed unless the author was a total wash.  J. L. Langley isn’t one of those authors. Her With or Without series is fabulous. Who could ever resist reading a shifter series and these Native American men are hot? In the tribe being “fair skinned” is not accepted in fact even being a little on the light side is reason to turn your back.

Chay has always wanted his “true mate” and doesn’t want to settle for anything else. Finding your true mate is a rare occurrence in his tribe but Chay is willing to wait to find the other half of his soul. When an injured white wolf is brought into his clinic, Chay knows that he has found her. Imagine his surprise when he pulls the cover back during the examine and discovers that his mate isn’t a she but a he! Hilarious!!!! Chay is not one to turn his back on his true mate (even though he considers it) so he takes him home to help him heal and get to know each other.  Keaton on the other hand is gay and doesn’t want to deal with another lover who claims not to be gay. He leaves Chay to head back to his own apartment. Chay is not willing to give in especially when someone wants to kill his mate. On top of everything else, Chay has to deal with the prejudice of not only having a “fair skinned” mate but also a “male mate” on top of it. Even his own mother turning her back on him doesn’t stop him from trying to build a life with Keaton.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good shifter story.  It was a fast read because you really don’t want to put it down. I found myself searching my nook for the next book in the series and had to start it immediately.  I would give Without Reservation 5 chocolate dipped strawberries. And would suggest that you just go ahead and buy the next book in the series “With Caution” at the same time.

BOOK TWO: WITH CAUTION

A brother’s vow. A lover’s promise. Both could put them all at deadly risk.

Remington Lassiter is trying his best to stay out of trouble while he learns the ropes of being a werewolf. When his little brother turns up covered in bruises, he is driven to finally bring their abusive father to justice. To do it, he must face a past he hides behind his cocky, trouble-making attitude. A past so dark it haunts him only in dreams.

Jake Romero, a crack private investigator with a bad-boy biker image, realizes he has his work cut out for him when Remi asks for his help. From the first moment he turned Remi into a werewolf in order to save his life, Jake has been fighting to keep his inner demons at bay. He’s torn between the desire to tell Remi they are destined to be mates, and the need to first let Remi get used to the werewolf life.

Jake will do anything to protect Remi and help him break the cycle of abuse he has endured all his life, but his investigation is about to uncover something far more sinister and deadly than they ever imagined.

A past that could put all their lives at risk.

Book two in this series was better than book one.  I loved reading the first book but now Langley had developed the characters and the story line.  She brings not only the main characters but the supporting characters to life. The book is not just a happy love story like “Without Reservation”.  Remi’s is still being controlled and abused by his father and the unfolding of his life in this book is heartbreaking. Remi’s love for his younger brother is really the only thing that keeps him going. When we first meet Remi in “Without Reservation” you really don’t want to like him but as the story progresses and you find out what caused his rough exterior you can’t help but love him. Everyone roots for the underdog.

Jake on the other hand is all man and a dominate lover. You have got to love a dominate man. In fact that has to be my personal favorite type of lover.  Jake is trying desperately to hold back on this dominate nature because of Remi’s past. He wants to be with his “true mate” but struggles constantly.

The romance that develops between Jake and Remi is great!! You add a heartbreaking past that has deadly repercussions in the present and now you have a book you just can’t put down. It was the first time I went 6 miles on the treadmill and that is saying something.  I think that I burned 1000 calories with this book.  This book is definitely 5 chocolate dipped strawberries. 

Look for the next book in the series to come on 3-22-11, “With Abandon”.

Reviewed by Shari

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT!!!!

The end of military week is upon us and we are going to finish it up by kicking it old school with the third book in Monica McCarty's Highland Guard series, The Ranger.

The Ranger, Monica McCarty, Ballentine Books, December 2010
Chosen to help Robert the Bruce in his quest to free Scotland from English rule and claim his crown, the legendary team of warriors known as the Highland Guard battles on.

Embedded deep behind enemy lines, Arthur “Ranger” Campbell is prized for his razor-sharp senses and his ability to blend into the shadows. But when Arthur infiltrates the clan of the chieftain who murdered his father, his heart is locked on revenge. Inside he faces unexpected resistance from the sweetest of obstacles—a honey-haired siren who is his enemy’s daughter.

Intrigued by this ruggedly handsome newcomer to her father’s forces, the vivacious, enchanting Anna MacDougall is a woman whose skill at uncovering deception rivals Arthur’s own. Though yearning for a quiet life with a good man to love, Anna is drawn to this mysterious knight whose eyes devour her but whose words push her away. As danger, treachery, and the threat of looming war draw them closer into each other’s arms, a warrior made of steel must make a choice from the heart: love or revenge.

Well she has done it again! McCarty has given us another strong story to continue her Highland Guard series. I didn't know how she was going to bring these two character's together since they start at such opposite sides, not only in the ongoing civil war but in a long standing clan war as well. I enjoyed watching the two character's romance develop and can't wait to see who she brings us next. While some of the inner dialog can seem a bit drawn out it is so worth reading when you get to the action parts and the love story. I can't wait for my next trip to the 14th century.

Flustered Friday

Wow what a week! It was one bad thing after another. I even had truffles and that didn't even help so that tells you what a week it's been. But no worries cause it's the weekend and a three day one at that. Holla! This week was military week and believe it or not I for the life of me couldn't think of a military book that I have read to blog about this week. Told ya, it was one of those weeks! So, I was offered this story by a fellow blogger and said,"Hey, I'll give it a try".

All Man by G.A. Hauser

Physical therapist Chase Arlington comes to Wright Patterson Air Force Base thinking his skills could be better used to serve the men who fought for his counrty. Career Staff Sergeant Gary wilsonlives day to day, deeply in the closet passing the time until his tranfer to Al Taji Air base. When Gary meets Chase, the attraction is instantaneous, and grows fast

When Gary reports for duty in Iraq, he leaves behind a distraught Chase and the looming worry of a dreaded phone call. Chase does his best not to imagine anythingn happening to the man he loves, holding out hope for the day Gary comes home.

Sometimes it takes every ounce of strength you possess to convince the one you love that no matter what, you are still the man you were, all man, and nothing less.

I really didn't care for this story but I think it's because it was really short and things progressed at an unrealistic pace. I feel this way about almost every short story I read. I like the time frame to be believable and I'll be honest, I'm not one who believes in love at first site. Unless you're Vin D or Dwayne Johnson!

All things said and done it was ok and I had a crappy week. I don't know if I would have liked anything this week. I give this story 2 chocolate dipped strawberries and a beer. Raise your bottle and send a shout out to all the men and women who keep us safe and sacrifice their lives for us! Thanks for all you do!

Renegade Romance and Mystery

Lora Leigh writes another good story with her latest Elite Ops book, Renegade. Renegade is the fourth book in the series and we are finally getting to know more about Nikolai Steele. Sex and mystery are the intrinsic elements of Renegade’s plot and while these are strong, this is a less than masterful story.

I know it sounds ridiculous for me to call it a slow paced storyline when it starts right out with murder and masturbation just in the first 50ish pages but there are times when the story just seems to creep along. Usually I can’t stop reading Leigh’s books once I start but I had no trouble putting this down which speaks volumes to me about its appeal.

Speaking of appeal, Mikayla Martin just didn’t do it for me.  Mikayla is a lackluster heroine who makes other women’s wedding dresses while only dreaming of her own. Most remarkably, she is a 27 year old virgin (this was a bit much to swallow) living in her hometown amidst her overprotective family while awaiting her prince charming. She’s also very much a frilly girly-girl who wears dresses, heels and make-up just to go out of the house. She does try to be independent and redeems herself with me by demonstrating some spunk but then only manages to place herself in even more danger. As a reader, I just couldn’t sympathize with her and needed more depth to understand her motivation (but maybe even then I wouldn’t have liked her).

To top off her fairly sheltered existence, she witnesses a murder and positively identifies the killer. But the police, after doing an alibi check, don’t believe her. Now Mikayla must live with her hometown thinking she lied or placing her character up against the killer to prove them wrong. She decides to do whatever it takes to solve the murder mystery and clear her reputation.

Nikolai Steele, aka Renegade, is asked to help Mikayla as a favor to an old friend. The unique twist is that his friend is the very same person Mikayla has accused of the crime. He is adamant he is not the killer and Nik believes him. When Nik meets Mikayla, he is captured by “the fiery and determined beauty” and discovers that no matter how hard he looks, he can’t believe she is lying either. So instead of investigating her, they end up working together to solve the mystery.

Nik is another one of Leigh’s delicious alpha males always ready to devour a gorgeous woman. He has all the traits of the rescuing hero, the prince charming and, of course, Mikayla falls for him (which leads to some great sex scenes). In the midst of their developing relationship and Nik’s investigation, attempts are made on Mikayla’s life. In true Lora Leigh style, our alpha hero finds the real killer, clears his friend’s name, keeps Mikayla safe, and wins her heart. It’s all about the happy ending (though I thought the ending was a smidge far-fetched).

This was another good book by Lora Leigh but it is beginning to get repetitive, not just her writing within the books themselves but across the board as if she uses the same outline for each book. I’m a huge Lora Leigh fan and finished this book thinking: Lora Leigh could’ve done better.  Just 4 chocolate dipped strawberries for this one… not her usual 5 this time (sorry).