Hello!
If you're traveling to this blog from one of my Goodreads reviews or old Instagram posts I wanted to let you know that Romantically Inclined Reviews has moved to it's own web domain.
Please check out www.romanticallyinclinedreviews.com for Author Spotlights, book reviews, book-related posts, giveaways, and more!
Thanks!
Kate LeBeau
Romantically Inclined Reviews
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Monday, July 9, 2018
His Distraction (X Enterprises Book #1) by Tanya Gallagher
The first book I read by author Tanya Gallagher was A Slippery Slope about a young woman starting her own lube company with the assistance of an old friend. It was a breath of fresh air for contemporary romance mixed with some fun lube facts. You can read my review of A Slippery Slope here. When I was contacted about providing an honest review for her newest book His Distraction I jumped at the chance because I love the unique, sex toy centered plot lines of her novels.
Blurb: Jeremy Glass, CEO of Seattle’s hottest sex toy company, has a fantastic life: he’s single, rich, and has a parade of “product testers” to help him warm his sheets at night. He’s about to land the deal of a lifetime and finally prove that his untraditional business is more than valid. The only problem is he just fired the one woman his client insists handle their account. He knows if he hires her back, Vanessa Reese will be a distraction—after all, she’s gorgeous, sweet, and witty. Jeremy knows better than to mix business and pleasure, but he suddenly finds himself chasing after a woman for a change, and this one’s determined to keep him on his toes.
When Jeremy asks Vanessa to come back to X Enterprises, she isn’t interested in what he has to offer—not his pretty face and sculpted body, and certainly not his arrogant attitude—until Jeremy makes her a deal: spend ten weeks in his employment, and then he’ll help her land the social work job she really wants. When Vanessa agrees, she finds herself plunged into a world of sin and indulgence she never imagined. Despite the attraction between herself and Jeremy, Vanessa is determined not to give in and hand over her dignity and her chance at a steady paycheck. Probably. Because the more time she spends with Jeremy, the more she uncovers the kind, charming man hidden under his cocky exterior.
Can a sex toy CEO and a bleeding heart ever find love, or will their connection destroy everything they’ve worked for?
Review: His Distraction is an interesting take on the hot boss-sexy employee trope. It has all the wonderful elements of forbidden love thrust into a sex toy environment. I love that Tanya Gallagher can take something so taboo in every day culture and bring it to you in such a relatable way. Everyone should read this book if only to eliminate some of the stigma that revolves around usage of sex toys on your own or in your relationship! I also learned a little about how dildos are made… who knew (insert shrug here).
Vanessa is a bleeding heart social worker and I can relate to that as a social worker myself. Nothing makes forbidden love sweeter than a social worker falling for a corporate asshole. She was a confidence, hard-working, sex bomb of a lady with a penchant for putting other’s needs above her own. What more do you need out of a heroine?
Jeremy was an aggravating son of a bitch who slowly gained my appreciation once he stopped being such a tool. But that’s the attraction of a cocky boss, no? Vanessa’s influence on Jeremy is a slow but steady approach, but I loved that he was willing to put aside his instinct to control everything in order to be the best man for Vanessa. Nothing is sexier than a powerful man coming to his knees for his woman.
I think Tanya Gallagher has a real talent for creating dynamic characters who push each other to be better people. His Distraction is a really fun read for those who fancy contemporary reads with a sexy twist. Forewarning there’s sex and tons of it between these pages and with a sex toy creator as a main character the sex can get…creative. Be ready to expand your knowledge of play in the bedroom… and the restaurant.
Pick up your copy today!
Pick up your copy today!
**This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. I do not post reviews of books on my blog unless I truly enjoy them, regardless of how they were acquired. My own personal policy.
Monday, June 25, 2018
Runaway Heiress (A Dare to Defy Novel) by Syrie James
Blurb: Brainy and college-educated, American
heiress Alexandra Atherton will do anything to avoid marriage to the English
peer her mother has chosen for her—even abandon the life of privilege she's
always known. But as her escape goes horribly wrong, Alexandra must invent a
new identity to gain the help of a handsome stranger.
Thomas Carlyle,
the Earl of Longford, sweeps in and out of London disguised as a humble artist,
earning just enough to keep his ancestral Cornwall estate afloat. When
Alexandra crashes into his life, she awakens feelings and desires that he vows
will stay buried. Despite himself, he needs this beautiful newcomer, for his
sisters have run off another governess.
Alexandra is
surprised to find she thrives in her new position at Longford's home. But as
she grows closer to Thomas and his sisters, and her relationship with the
emotionally guarded earl unleashes their hidden passions, the truth Alexandra's
been forced to hide may end up coming between her and the only man she's ever
loved.
Review:
I know that I’ve
mentioned multiple times how much I love runaway heiress/hidden identity
novels, but oh-my-gosh I love them and I want to scream it from the
rooftops. Runaway Heiress by Syrie James is no exception to that rule. In fact, it’s even better because both the
hero and the heroine are operating under a case of hidden identity. That might be the first time I’ve read a
runaway heiress story with that unique of a premise.
Sometimes in
historical romance novels the women are timid and naïve, a consequence of the
time period obviously, but I do so prefer brave heroines who know what they
want—or don’t want—and reach out and take it.
Alexandra is that heroine. Not to
mention she’s amazing with the children she’s tasked to educate and that made
me adore her even more! I found the fact that she was an American heiress to be a unique twist on what can sometimes come
off as a been there-done that a million times story.
Thomas Carlyle
was an interesting hero. For one, I don’t
recall ever reading about a hero in a historical romance wearing glasses—alright,
so they’re fake, but still! That’s
sexy. Maybe I’m biased because I wear
glasses and want everyone to think they’re sexy. I don’t know.
Let’s move on. Watching Thomas
move from indifferent to his sisters to actually enjoying being in their
company was something special. I
positively adore children in romance novels because they bring such humor to
the storyline.
Runaway Heiress has drama. So, if that’s your thing: perfect!
There’s attempted kidnappings, there’s—obviously—mistake identities,
there’s making out in dark hallways, there’s beautiful paintings, and there’s
big, decrepit manors. All in all, it’s a
wonderful read that I was sorry to see end.
I eagerly await the rest of this series!
You can purchase Runaway Heiress now.
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Pucked (Pucked #1) by Helena Hunting
I’ve never been
into dating athletes. Most of my
ex-boyfriends have been artists in one way or another, but then I met my
current husband who is an avid water polo player and did myself a romance cliché. The nerd married the jock. Insert
gasps here. But I, like many other
women, don’t mind reading about hot, buff men once in a while… if I have to, you know? Hockey romances are my absolute favorite, so
one-clicking Pucked was no hardship.
Blurb: With a famous NHL player for a
stepbrother, Violet Hall is well acquainted with the playboy reputation of many
a hockey star. So of course she isn’t
interested in legendary team captain Alex Waters of his pretty, beat-up face
and rock-hard six-pack abs. When Alex
inadvertently obliterates Violet’s misapprehension regarding the inferior
intellect of hockey players, he becomes much more than just a hot body with the
fact to match.
Suffering from
a complete lapse in judgment, Violet discovers just how good Alex is with the
hockey stick in his pants. Violet
believes her night of orgasmic magic with Alex is just that: one night. But Alex starts to call. And text. And email
and send extravagant—too quirky—gifts.
Suddenly he’s too difficult to ignore, and nearly impossible not to
like. The problem is that the media
portrays Alex as a total player, and Violet doesn’t want to be a part of the
game.
Review:
I think my
favorite part about sports romances is that they focus so little on the actual
sport. I much prefer focusing on the hot
men, big dicks, and huge biceps. And Pucked gives you that and so much
more. It should properly be classified
as a sports comedy romance because it was really a hoot and a half. I read this book while babysitting (after the
kids had gone to bed of course) and had to stifle some major laughs to keep
from waking up the kiddos.
Pucked is quirky
with a capital Q so if that isn’t your thing I’d steer clear. Both characters struggle with a strong case
of word vomit and some major relationship awkwardness which I found to be
absolutely adorable given that Alex is supposed to be some sort of sex God, but
he’s really just a nerd in a buff dude’s body.
Best of both worlds!
Violet reminded
me a lot of myself with her ill-timed jokes and inability to shut up when she
needed to most. I liked her willingness
to express her emotions, her strength, her desire to stand up for herself, and
the way she was confident in herself.
Sometimes her words and actions had me cringing, but that only made
Violet a more real, more fabulous character in my eyes.
Alex is a wonderfully
strange man. The things that came out of
his mouth sometimes were utterly bewildering but then they were also hot as
hell. I’ve never read a romance novel
with a man who asked permission nearly every step of the way and you’d think that it would be a little
dramatic, but oh my god, it wasn’t. It
was so freaking sexy. Alex was so real
that he didn’t seem completely unattainable.
He seemed like someone you could find in a bar down the street.
Helena Hunting
has a very interesting way of writing that puts you directly into the character’s
minds. It felt a little like stream of
consciousness and took a small bit of time to get used to, but once I did I was
totally engrossed in the read.
I started
reading Pucked because it was first
up on my Kindle and I wanted to read something that wouldn’t be too much
trouble to put down if my babysitting parents came home and I had to pause my
read for the drive home. I ended up
reading the entire thing before they got home.
I didn’t expect to love a random one-click for my Kindle as much as I
did, but I’m so, so, so glad that I gave it a chance. It was a beautiful thing, this book. You can pick up Pucked here!
Disclosure: Pucked
is no longer free on Kindle, but I think it is totally worth a
purchase. I’ll be scooping up the rest of
the series ASAP. Also, the Instagram
user who recommended this book is @tweezyreads.
She is always sharing free or very cheap one-clicks, so if you’re
looking for someone to follow I’d check out her IG!
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Think of Me Demon (War of the Myths #2) by Miranda Grant
This book had a
totally different feel to it than Elemental
Claim, the first book in the War of
the Myth series. That book was all
hunting, chasing, fighting, and traveling to multiple locations. A real world-builder. In Think
of Me Demon (War of the Myth #2) the world shrinks to one castle housing a
family of demons and one telepath being held against his will. A smaller cast and a quieter plotline, but no
less exciting than the first of the books.
Blurb: Matakyli is a demon warrior princess and one of the
guardians to the backdoor of Niflhel. Her death could lead to the dead
escaping, potentially bringing about the annihilation of the Seven Planes. So
when a prophecy claims that she will die by the hands of an ancient vampire,
she and her brothers do all they can to change her fate. But there's only one
solution.
For her to
live, her lifemate has to die.
Only Galvanor
isn’t willing to be led like a lamb to slaughter. He's still suffering from his
last visit to hell and isn't keen on returning, especially not for another
woman. But it's in Matakyli's nature to play with fire and enjoy the heat of
its flames. As she digs into the secrets he wants to keep buried, Matakyli discovers
a soul worth saving. But is his worth the cost of her own?
Review: When I first saw the cover to Think of Me Demon I had two
thoughts. First, I wasn’t certain that I’d
ever read a story featuring a demon before. And not like Gena Showalter’s Lord
of the Underworld series demons (let’s be honest, they’re not really demons),
but like… an honest to gosh “evil” demon.
Matakyli and Galvanor are only in each other’s presence because her
family kidnapped him to murder him, after all.
The second thought was that I’d never read a story where the heroine had
red skin. Intriguing right off the bat.
I enjoyed
reading about Matakyli, a bad-ass demon with a shitty Harry Potter-esque
prophecy hanging over her head. I don’t think I’d be so cool about my death
being predicted but she doesn’t let it hold her back from slicing and dicing
her enemies. A formidable heroine to say
the least. I’ve been reading a lot of
romance novels lately with shy, hesitant heroines, so this was a delightful
change of pace.
Galvanor though…
man, he was really what makes Think of Me
Demon stand out. I won’t give away
too much because Romantically Inclined
Reviews is spoiler-free (to the
best of my ability) but Galvanor isn’t anything like the heroes in other
novels. He has suffered greatly in his
life which makes his ability to form romantic relationships incredibly
difficult. But still, despite the pain
that has maintained a hold on him all these years, he’s not nearly as weak as
he thinks. I’ve never wanted to hug a
hero so much.
Neither
Galvanor nor Matakyli, despite all their differences, can keep their attraction
under wraps and it’s evident in the way their chemistry jumps right off the
page. Matakyli was a patient,
understanding heroine who could murder a man with her bare hands and Galvanor
was a troubled, intelligent hero full of secrets and inner strength. Definitely a match made in heaven.
Think of Me Demon was an incredibly unique tale. I can honestly say that I’ve never
experienced a character like Galvanor in a romance novel, so if you’re looking
to shake up your world (and love supernatural/paranormal romances) I would
definitely recommend you pick up this series.
My review for Elemental Claim
can be found here and you can begin purchasing the series here.
Monday, June 11, 2018
Captivated by Tessa Bailey and Eve Dangerfield
Sweet Lord
Almighty. This book is heaven. This book is perfection. This book is thigh-quakingly good. The minute I read the description for Captivated on Tessa
Bailey’s Facebook page I knew I had to have it, so I did what I rarely do and I
one-clicked the heck out of it. And then
I forgot about it for a little bit until low-and-behold last night the
beautiful masterpiece simply downloaded itself onto my Kindle and I thought, “Yes,
this is what my life has been leading up to.”
Then I binge
read it today while the baby I nanny napped and a little while the baby was
awake and trapped in her jumperoo, and maybe a little while the baby snacked on
some string cheese, and the last twenty pages while bouncing the baby on my lap. Addicted. Couldn’t put it down.
Read the description and see if you feel
that same tingle of ‘yep, this is a must-buy, must-read’ that I did: Secret aspiring comedian Autumn
Reynolds is a girl gone...not wild exactly. More like lazy. Since her boyfriend
abandoned her in New York City for a bunch of improv groupies she’s had two
priorities; sucking the nitrous out of whipped cream cans and making sex comics
about her mysterious landlord.
Blake hates
people—and sunlight—with good reason. Imagine his surprise when he finds
himself lusting after his upstairs tenant, a sunny, Australian people pleaser down
on her luck. Turns out his ability to terrify with a single scowl comes with an
advantage. Autumn seems to like it. A lot. As evidenced by the prisoner-captive
comic Blake was never meant to see.
As they embark
on a three-date arrangement the rules are clear; filthy, ground breaking sex,
no feelings or commitment required. When chemistry is this strong, though,
attachment follows. As Blake and Autumn attempt to negotiate their New York
romance, their prior histories and secret dreams come to the foreground. How
long can these polar opposites remain Captivated, when all signs point to
disaster?
Review: I
didn’t even realize at the time of downloading that Captivated is a work by Tessa Bailey (a favorite author of mine)
and Eve Dangerfield (a familiar name, yet I haven’t read anything by her
before). The two couldn’t have created a
more perfect novel together. There was
absolutely none of the ‘who wrote this part?
Whose idea was this scene’ shit that sometimes happens when two authors
collaborate. There was nothing but harmony
between the covers of this book.
So, the most
wonderful surprise is that the description doesn’t tell you mention the insane
amount of kink between these pages. There’s
a stalking fetish, a prisoner fetish, some nice pleasant dominance, some voyeurism,
exhibitionism… and more. If you are a
fan of vanilla sex then I implore you to look elsewhere for your reading,
although if you’re a fan of Tessa Bailey and/or Even Dangerfield then I have to
assume you’re not really one for vanilla anything.
Autumn is such
a wonderfully quirky character without being too over the top about it. Every time she opened her mouth I found
myself laughing. And I can’t even
imagine how hard it must be to create a character who longs to be a stand-up
comedian and have that come across via the writing, but both authors did a wonderful
job with it. Autumn is the embodiment of
all women who wave the feminist flag but like a little choking in their sex
life every so often. She makes women who
have that secret kink feel normal about
it, rather than ashamed. A very special
character.
And Blake. Well, I’m not even sure what to say about
him. Perfecto. A big, hulking mass of man who is down to tie
up a girl but still wants to take her out to dinner and make her feel
loved. I mean, what’s better than
that? He’s the kind of hero that will
carry over into your dreams and make you never want to wake up. Thee
alpha male we all dream about. Totally
swoon-worthy.
These two
authors need to collaborate more often because it was the most flawless
blending of story-telling that I’ve ever come across. It’ll be a while before this book leaves my
brain and the second it does I’m going to read it again…and again…and again,
because Tessa Bailey and Eve Dangerfield have created something
incredible. Pick up your copy today and
you will absolutely not be sorry you
did.
Friday, June 1, 2018
The One You Can't Forget (The Ones Who Got Away) by Roni Loren
It takes a very
special author to be able to write a romance novel that revolves around a
school shooting, especially with what’s been happening in The United States in
the past few months, years, and decades.
Most authors wouldn’t touch this subject with a ten foot pole but not
only does Roni Loren touch the subject, she treats it with the respect it
deserves. She weaves a story of
survivors without exaggerating the circumstances or making the subject into a
spectacle. It’s quite the feat.
Blurb:
Most days
Rebecca Lindt feels like an imposter.
The world admires her as a survivor.
But that impression would crumble if people knew her secret. She didn’t deserve to be the one who got
away. But nothing can change the past,
so she’s thrown herself into her work.
She can’t dwell if she never slows down.
Wes Garrett is
trying to get back on his feet after losing his dream restaurant, his money,
and half his damn mind in a vicious divorce.
But when he intervenes in a mugging and saves Rebecca—the attorney who
helped his ex ruin him—his simple life gets complicated.
Their
attraction is inconvenient and neither wants more than a fling. But when Rebecca’s secret is put at risk,
both discover they could lose everything, including what they never realized
they needed: each other.
Review:
I don’t know
that I loved The One You Can’t Forget
as much as the first novel in the series The
Ones Who Got Away, but that’s less about this novel and more about how
utterly amazing the first book was and how connected I felt to the
characters. The One You Can’t Forget is equally as incredibly written and
devastating to my emotions as the first.
You just cannot go wrong with Roni Loren.
Rebecca is a
special breed of woman. I was pleased
that we were given yet another incredibly strong heroine, and even more
delighted to discover that Loren gave her a dark secret she’s still suffering
from today. It made her experience all
the more realistic, to not have this heroine comes out of this dark experience
a perfectly healthy, well-adjusted individual.
I won’t spoil the secret (because I’m spoiler-free y’all), but you’ll
probably get a good feel for what it might be just a little ways into the story.
This book had a
different feel to it because rather than having two survivors of the Long Acre
school shooting you have one survivor—Rebecca.
But Wes is a survivor of his damaged past. He was really a great counterpart to the
perfectionist Rebecca and his opposite personality was exactly what she needed
to finally feel safe and able to open herself up to others. I loved that he wasn’t perfect himself, but
together they had a delightful chemistry that went beyond the bedroom.
Honestly, this
series is something special. I’ve never
read anything quite like it before and I don’t know that anyone else could do
it quite as well as Roni Loren (so no one even try!). If you like your romance novels fluffy and
just skimming the surface of dark emotions, The
One You Can’t Forget is not for you.
Don’t get me wrong. There’s a
time and a place for all types of romance novels, including the fluffiest of
fluff, but this series delves deep into raw human emotions and the after
effects that school shootings can have on individuals for the rest of their lives,
it’s not a book you should prepare to take lightly.
Check out my
review for the first book (The Ones Who Got Away) and then make your way to order it and preorder The One You Can’t Forget, which comes
out June 5, 2018. You will not regret
this purchase.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)