Virgin Territory (Hellions Angels #3) by Lia Riley

I’m not a big sports person, but if I had to choose one to watch I suppose hockey is the least of all evils.  At least I understand it for the most part.  But, lord help me, I love a good hockey romance.  I love Lia Riley’s novels.  Her Hellions Angels series has been an extremely entertaining, over-the-top sexy ride.  

Her books do sway a little into the cliché territory in some ways, but honestly I don’t mind that at all because the writing is full of humor and the plot is full of misunderstandings and dramatic scenes, which are some of my favorite things in my romance novels.   One of my favorite parts of her books is that they seem to be the perfect length.  They get where they’re going, there aren’t many detours, and I’m left satisfied yet eager for her next book.

Lia Riley’s Virgin Territory is my favorite book of the series so far.  I love the virgin trope in my romance novels, but I’ve never read a romance novel where the guy was the virgin.  Never, ever.  But after reading Virgin Territory I’m wondering why more people don’t write them!  It was hands down one of the sexiest plots I’ve ever experienced.

Blurb:

Patrick “Patch” Donnelly has what it takes to be the best goalie in the NHL…if only he could learn to control his temper. When Coach orders him to get his head in the game with private yoga classes, Patch isn’t having it. There’s no way this tough Boston guy would be caught dead downward dog-ing his way to inner peace. But if he refuses, he risks his starting position and the dream he sacrificed everything for, including joining the priesthood.

Yoga instructor Margot Kowalski is over men. After yet another toxic relationship, she’s eager to forget love and focus on growing her business. Doing the Hellions head coach a favor by helping out a troubled player can't hurt, and it might give her career a high-profile boost. But free-spirited Margot is soon charming the pants off Patch. Literally. Her sassy combination of sweet and sexy proves irresistible to the goalie. Before Patch can give into temptation though, he’ll have to confess his biggest secret: He’s a virgin.

 But Patch is hiding more than sexual inexperience, and his dark past soon threatens to destroy his shot at true love.

Review:

Patch is a socially stunted, adorably awkward man with slight anger issues who is desperate to please his woman.  I’m sorry, can you hear that?  It’s my heart ricocheting into my sternum on repeat.  He had me laughing out loud, aww-ing audibly, and then immediately fanning my face as he went from tentative virgin to sexual powerhouse.  I thought he’d be 100% brooding, 100% of the time, but Lia Riley successfully paired brooding with humor and it worked. 

Margot is a badass lady.  She handles her exes, her business, and her social interactions with a wild confidence that I can only dream of one day obtaining.  I loved how self-assured she was, but appreciated the moments where even she had her doubts.  I loved the way she handled Patch’s anxiety regarding having sex for the first time.  The way she coached him was incredibly erotic, in a way that I never really thought sex with a virgin could be.  The passion between them was moment after moment, page after page, of utter perfection.

This book is a wonderful addition to the series.  I read it while I was nannying and unfortunately the baby woke up before I could finish, so I spent the next three hours waiting for the baby’s second nap so that I could finally feel complete again.  Worth the wait.  I will be thinking about Patch and the taking of his virginity for quite some time.  The book is out March 6^th.  Get your Kindle edition here for only $3.99 or get the whole series here for $8.97.

One More Promise (Band on the Run #2) by Samantha Chase

I love when the main characters in my romance novels are as book-obsessed as I am.  People who love books deserve their happily-ever-after more than anyone else.  That’s my opinion but it’s also a fact.

Paige Walters is ecstatic to finally be given the opportunity to prove herself in the family public relations business, especially since she’s usually stuck in her perfect sister’s shadow.  But when her sister hijacks her literary campaign and forces her to work side-by-side with a rock star fresh from rehab she thinks she’s hit a new low.  Still, she believes in this campaign and will do anything to make it successful, even if it means babysitting this infuriating man who is just looking for an easy way to fulfill his community service hours.

The main conflict in this novel isn’t necessarily the relationship between Dylan and Paige, which is weirdly refreshing.  There’s tons of drama, but it comes mostly from outside sources: her father, her sister, the press, the campaign, etc.  Paige and Dylan have their crazy moments, of course, but they mostly stem from two independent people spending a lot of time together.

The book was a very pleasant read.  I don’t know that it completely, absolutely wowed me, but I wasn’t bored reading it.  I enjoyed the (not always friendly) teasing between the Paige and Dylan, but I also loved the sweet moments they experienced with one another.  Contemporary romances always have a way of sneaking right through to my heart and prodding it gently.  The ‘between-the-sheets’ moments were romantic without being raunchy, sweet without being explosive.  And sometimes that’s why you want (though I do tend towards the more erotic novels most of the time).

Paige’s family was the cause of most of my stress during this read.  Her father, infuriating.  Her sister, more so.  I don’t know why family issues get to me so much (especially since I, myself, have a relatively drama-free family), but there’s something about jerk relatives that makes my blood boil.  The only disappointing part of this novel was that I didn’t feel Paige didn’t get the vindication she deserved after everything they put her through—but I suppose that not everyone is the ‘torch the bridge’ type when they’ve been wronged.

All in all, One More Promise was sweet and entertaining.  A good addition to the Band on the Run series by Samantha Chase. It's out now, check it out here.

Hard Crush (Back to You #1) by Mira Lyn Kelly

Do you ever think about your high school exes and wonder what your life might be like if you were still with them?  I’m thinking I’d be a lot worse off than I am now, but some of you might have had some better boyfriends than me.  Still, that’s the appeal of second chance romances, no?  A chance to do it over.  Hard Crush by Mira Lyn Kelly is light-hearted, positively adorable, and full of some cute romance that will make you wish you had a high school romance like Abby and Hank.

Blurb:

Abby

Technology has it out for me.  And I’m not talking about my ever-ailing phone or the temperamental Smart Board in my classroom.  I’m talking about the internationally hailed “Tech Genius” formerly known as the boy I used to love.  It was bad enough seeing that cocky smile staring back at me from my newsfeeds, the gossip sites, and—fine—the scorchingly hot men’s fitness magazine I bought in a moment of weakness.  But now he’s back home, teasing me with the memories I’ve tried to leave behind, crowding into my space and taunting me with the kiss I can’t resist.  I know it’s only a matter of time before I lose him again.  He’s already told me he isn’t staying, warned me he’s changed.  I know better than to let him get too close, so why can’t I push him away?

Hank

They call me a visionary.  An innovator.  Hell, last week a headline touted me as the billion-dollar geek keeping Silicon Valley’s panties wet.  Try living that down.  Strip away the media BS and I’m just a tech-minded guy with my eyes on the future and no time for a past I can’t change.  So what am I doing following the sweet sound of its laugh back to the woman who passed on our chance for forever?  I tell myself all I want is to say hello.  To see her smile.  Just a few minutes to pretend we’re still the ‘us’ I thought would never end.  But once I’ve had a taste of the too tempting woman she’s become, a few minutes isn’t enough.  The man I am today is used to getting what he wants, and I want her.  The problem? She wants the guy I used to be.

Review:

Reading Hard Crush was like taking a nice long bath after a hard day of work.  You just sort of sink into it and lose track of time, only snapping out of it when you’re a big prune and the water’s cold (or in my case, when the baby you’re watching wakes up).  It was a nice change of pace from the romantic suspense and erotica I’ve been reading lately—those novels can get so freaking stressful.  There was plenty of drama between indecisive Abby and lovesick Hank, but it wasn’t the sort that’ll make you sweat and grind your teeth.  Just your typical relationship conflict between two people who go back and forth more times than a ping pong ball in the Olympic matches.

Abby was a very likeable character.  She was pleasantly naïve, cute as a button, and god-awful with technology, but she was also so incredibly frustrating.  For instance, it is positively beyond me to imagine a world where a gorgeous, billionaire hunk is desperate to make me his and I say no.  My imagination just isn’t that good.  I mentally screamed at her time and time again to give up her dreams of small-town life and follow Hank wherever he wanted to go, but she wasn’t having it.  Eventually the author leads us to a greater understanding of Abby’s past and then I felt guilty about yelling at her so much.

Hank is a dream.  He’s sexy, he’s smart, he looks amazing in thick-rimmed glasses, and he’s desperately in love with his high school sweetheart.  Can you hear me drooling from here?  Sigh.  I have an absolute weak spot for men in glasses, but my husband has perfect 20/20 (he likes to brag a lot since I have shit eyesight).  It’s fun to read about standoffish men with commitment issues, sure, but it’s an absolute delight to mix it up once in a while and read about a man who loves his woman so much he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make her his… again.  Makes your belly ache and your heart clench, especially since Hank is just so freaking sweet.

Hard Crush is good for those readers who don’t want to sweat from anxiety during their romance reads but still want that tiny bite of excitement that comes from conflict.  Witty banter, cute kisses, and a warm loving feeling are the main things you’ll get from this book.  It comes out March 6^th, so pre-order it here for your Kindle.

Desperate by Katerina Winters

I’m sure many readers can relate to this age old story.  You have tons of books on your TBR list.  You can’t—shouldn’t—add anymore.  But suddenly there is pops up on your feed.  The words FREE DOWNLOAD look up at you from your Instagram feed, Facebook page, emailed newsletter, etc.  You know you shouldn’t click the button but you can’t help it.  It’s taunting you.  Staring up at you, begging for a click.  And then you give in and look with delicious guilt as the novel downloads onto your Kindle.

That’s the story of how I ended up with Desperate by Katerina Winter.

Desperate by Katerina Winter is a contemporary love/hate (emphasis on the hate) romance novel.  I love love/hate novels.  There’s something about all that hate turning to unbridled passion that gets me all in a tizzy.  Desperate though, if I’m being honest, takes the hate part of things farther than most novels.  If the hate part is your favorite part (sort of guilty) then you’re going to love this.  I don’t know if I’ve ever read a romance novel where the male character despises the female character quite this much.  I got decently far into the book and started to wonder whether Gabriel was ever going to get over his dislike for Salene or whether I was going to spend the entire book simply hoping they’d screw.  No worries though, eventually they get to the romance.

In Desperate we are introduced to Gabriel and Salene. Always calm, gracious, and collected Salene Agnew’s perfectly mapped out life-plan has come to a crashing halt. With no money and nowhere to go Salene finds herself standing at the door of her worst enemy with all that is left of her worldly possessions.   From the moment Salene and Gabriel Breslin met, tempers flared and hate burned deep, Salene’s fierce independent aura directly clashed with Gabriel’s misogynistic arrogance. Desperate to get her life back together Salene will have to endure a man who is cold as ice. 

The minute Salene walked through his door with that sharp tongue and those honey brown eyes, Gabriel was ready to send her packing—until he realized how much fun he could have at her expense. Agreeing to let her stay Gabriel has every intention of making her life a living hell. What he wasn’t prepared for was her to do the same. No woman could get under his skin and enrage him like Salene could. With each passing day, Gabriel could feel his hard earned control slipping towards his prim and proper house guest. Just how far will their hatred run until one of them breaks? 

Gabriel isn’t a sweetheart.  Or even that nice of a guy really.  He’s sort of an asshole.  He’s also cocky, arrogant, and filled with anger and jealousy.  There were a handful of times where I was wondering if he had any sort of redeeming qualities really, but thankfully the author saw fit to include some.  If you’re particularly sensitive to guys flying off the handle for minor indiscretions and general dickiness from your male characters then consider this your warning.  I happen to be a fan of the rather sexist 1980s romance novel subgenre so I didn’t really blink an eye, but some might find the story grating.

Salene isn’t a perfect person either.  Her naivety is both charming and annoying.  She’s guilty of assumption after assumption.  I enjoyed her desire to exert her independence, but I loathed her inability to stand up for herself.  But that’s the problem isn’t it?  I both want the woman to submit to her man and punch him in the face.  I live a complicated, hypocritical life.

I won’t say that this novel is perfect.  The dialogue gets a little forced in some places, it’s drama after drama after drama (which I love but not everyone else does), and it’s missing some information that I would have loved to know.  Not necessary information, but I would have enjoyed knowing more about Salene and her ex-best friend, Gabriel and his ex-wife, what the hate looked like between Gabriel and Salene in the beginning, what Gabriel’s (SPOILER) odd sex habit was supposed to be (because if it was simply that he’s a little domineering in bed then either I’m reading way too much erotica or that was supremely disappointing, even though their sex was very hot).

Though, I don’t supposed it’s a terribly bad thing that the worst part about this book was that I wanted to know more.  I’d say that’s rather close to a compliment.  Either way the book is still free for a short time, so why don’t you decide for yourself by picking up a Kindle copy here.

The Last Wolf by Maria Vale

Werewolf fan?  Stop what you’re doing.  The Last Wolf by Maria Vale is the most authentic werewolf book I’ve ever read.  You’ll find yourself stopping to think… Are werewolves actually real?  That’s how intense and well-researched this novel is.  Amazing.  Thorough.  And freaking hilarious to boot.

I’m not even a fan of werewolf books, to be honest.  Shifters are more my thing.  So imagine my surprise at how much I absolutely adored this novel, especially given that the shifters are the bad guys (cue gasping noise here).  But I’ll shut up because I pride myself on spoiler-less reviews and I don’t want to back track on that now.

In The Last Wolf we are first transported back in time to 1668 when the original clans made the brave decision to uproot themselves and move to a new land, aka. America.  All the shifter and werewolf stories I’ve ever read are modern day and it was intensely cool to be able to see how things started out.  Eventually the story moves up to present day, but that doesn’t mean that the wolves are modern in the least.  This is a whole new take on that tired old werewolf story you already know.

Silver Nilsdottir is at the bottom of her Pack’s social order, with little chance for a decent mate and a better life. Until one day a stranger stumbles into their territory, wounded and beaten, and Silver decides to risk everything on Tiberius Leveraux.  But Tiberius isn’t all he seems, and in the fragile balance of Pack and wild, he may tip the destiny of all wolves…

At first glance you think it’s romantic that Silver chooses to stay with Tiberius but the reality of the situation is that she just doesn’t want to return to her pack the lowest of the low waiting for the day that she’s kicked out altogether.  If she and Tiberius can get his wolf under control then they have a chance of entering the pack as a real pairing.  The absolute best part of this book is Silver’s oddities.  She hates her human form and would much prefer to live forever in her wolf form (might still), she has strange teeth that never fully look human, and she understands nothing about the human world. And just try to get her to wear clothes.

Watching her try and understand Tiberius’ human side and watching Tiberius try to understand life as a wolf was one laugh after another.  And yet, it was still such a serious book.  I don’t understand how Maria Vale managed to create a book like that, but somehow she did and I’m so happy about it.  I would read any and every book that this woman ever creates from here on out.  You can tell from her writing that she didn’t just pull a werewolf story out of nowhere.  This is a well-researched novel from start to finish.

You can purchase the book here.  Anyone into the paranormal/shifters/werewolves or even someone just looking to branch out a little will enjoy this story, its witty banter, and its action packed pages.

Hold Me Down (Carolina Girls #1) by Sara Taylor Woods

Hold Me Down by Sara Taylor Woods was everything I never knew I needed.

Talia Benson has always been independent, unafraid to go after what she wants, regardless of setback, injury, or failure.  But between her father’s conditional tuition payments and her mother’s nagging concern over her emotional state, Talia’s suffocating.  So when Talia meets doctoral student Sean Poole, she can’t figure out why she wants to control her.  Why she wants him to boss her around.  Why she wants him to hurt her.  Talia learns the hard way that not all control is create equal and sometimes submitting is the most empowering thing in the world.

If you read romance, then there’s a good chance that you’ve come across Fifty Shades of Grey.  I don’t want to start a riot or anything, but we all know that Fifty Shades is not the most stellar rendition of a health BDSM relationship.  I’ve read many books that were good examples, but as someone not familiar with the BDSM world there has often been questions I’ve had regarding the relationships and ins and outs of this particular kink.  Hold Me Down is the book to answer all those questions and more.

Hold Me Down should be the book you read before you go down the BDSM bunny hole.  It’s a wonderful, informational book regarding BDSM that also delves deep into the shame associated with certain kinks.  Watching Talia struggle with her desires and others perception of those desires was a painful experience, even for someone who doesn’t live the BDSM lifestyle.  For those who do live the lifestyle I’m certain that Talia’s struggles would be reminiscent of much of what they had to go through from the judgmental public.  In fact, after I read this book I went straight to Goodreads to see what others had to say and found a good number of readers wishing that they had this book back when they were struggling to identify and normalize their own kinks.

I love an author who doesn’t take long to get to the point and that’s the case here.  Sean and Talia meet mere pages into the book and the connection is immediate and explosive.  He’s patient and understanding while she tries to sift through her desires, emotions, and outside pressures.  The perfect alpha male in my eyes.  Talia was frustrating at times, but it was more because I wanted to help her than anything.  I wanted to give her a hug and tell her not to bother listening to those whispering in her ear about things they don’t understand.  Watching her slowly discover and become sure of herself was quite the rollercoaster of emotions for me.

This book did a really wonderful job of spelling out a healthy dominant/submissive relationship.  Anyone who has ever read Fifty Shades of Grey should also have to read Hold Me Down to balance out the inaccuracies with a healthier alternative.  I learned a lot about the BDSM kink and I positively adore this book.  Not only was the writing spectacular but the message behind it was as well.  If you’ve ever struggled with accepting your kinks and who you feel you are then I strongly suggest you read this book.  This novel is a welcome addition to the erotica genre.

Elemental Claim by Miranda Grant

Elemental Claim by Miranda Grant is a paranormal whirlwind; a veritable supernatural treasure chest.  Vampires, shapeshifters, angels, elementalists, gods and goddesses—all are found within these pages.  What a relief not to have to choose a specific creature to read about in your romance novels. In Elemental Claim—the first in the War of the Myth series—we meet Emma and Rogan, two individuals who could not be more different forced to work together to protect the world from great evil... and Emma's twin sister.

Emma lived her whole life believing she was a mere human, but when she’s attacked by a gang hunting creatures of the Myth, her entire existence is called into question. As she is forced to go on the run with a dangerous man, she learns that monsters are real, her twin sister has turned into a mass murderer, and despite her earth upbringing, she’s actually a bona-fide descendant – a forbidden child of the gods.

Rogan is the leader of an Elv’ve’Norc team, a Mythical agency tasked with the protection of the Seven Planes. He’s on a mission to stop a sadistic vampire, bringing him into the path of Emma Sterling – the twin sister of the woman he’s most likely going to kill. And if that wasn’t enough of a romantic deal-breaker, he’ll be ordered to send Emma to stand trial, where she’ll be sentenced to life in the Myth’s highest-security prison simply because of what she is.

The violently passionate connection between Rogan and Emma is immediate, despite the fact that he’s kidnapping her.  They spend half the book fighting their feelings for one another and when they finally—finally—figure shit out they discover Emma’s plagued by a really nasty curse.  I won’t give away what the curse is but it’s definitely a delightful twist.  I thought that the chemistry and relationship between Rogan and Emma found a really nice balance with the complex plot.

I have a confession to make.  I read weird.  When I read a book for the very first time I tend to do this thing I call ‘skim reading’.  I’m too excited to find out what happens so I tend not to take in all the information at once, too desperate to get to the end.  My husband, however, reads incredibly slowly taking every little bit of information into his brain.  He can remember specific people, places, and things from Game of Thrones and I can remember… well, very little… but I did read the whole series in a couple weeks.  Rereading books is what cements the information into my head, and reread I do.  Pros and cons to both systems, I suppose.  You may now be asking where this tangent is going.  Well, Elemental Claims is a complicated tale that will involve lots of paying attention.

Readers who loved Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series will enjoy this trip into Greek Myths and more.  However, where Ms. Showalter slowly builds her world and characters, easing her readers into her creation Miranda Grant dives in full force and sets a quick pace.  This story is not for those who wants some easy and breezy to kill some time.  Elemental Claim is an intricate story with lots of twists, turns, and terminology. This isn’t your everyday, boring, overdone paranormal tale.  It’s unique, it’s different, and it’s full of wicked romance.

You can purchase a Kindle edition of the book here for only 99 cents!