Review: Backstage Pass by Olivia Cunning

Five stunning guys, one hot woman, and a feverish romance...


For him, life is all music and no play...

When Brian Sinclair, lead songwriter and guitarist of the hottest metal band on the scene, loses his creative spark, it will take nights of downright sinful passion to release his pent-up genius...

She's the one to call the tune...

When sexy psychologist Myrna Evans goes on tour with the Sinners, every boy in the band tries to seduce her. But Brian is the only one she wants to get her hands on...

Then the two lovers' wildly shocking behavior sparks the whole band to new heights of glory...and sin...

Whew -- there's a lot of sex in this book. Much more than I expected. I won't say if that's good or bad, but it did lead to some moments on my part where I wondered if Myrna and Brian really needed that much sex. At times, the copious amounts of copulation made it seem like that was all they were doing, despite the fact that their sex led Brian out of his writing funk.

As a character, Myrna was a study in contrasts.  She is attracted to Brian, has no problem showing such affection to him -- often and sometimes in the presence of his bandmates -- then she reacts badly after the fact.  Such as, when Eric "has a moment" in her hair.  She's fine having sex with Brian in Eric's presence, but once the sexy times are over, she's embarrassed.  Then she walks out into the living area stark naked in the next scene.  Or when she objects to having her picture taken.  It's clear there are issues with her ex-husband, but those are glossed over until *boom* her ex-husband arrives at her door. 

Brian wears his heart on his sleeve and, more often than not, any woman who captures it manages to break it by sleeping with Sed, the Sinners' lead singer.  So it's easy to see that he's concerned the same thing will happen with Myrna.  That, however, doesn't stop him from falling head over heels for her.

While I liked Backstage Pass, I did want there to be more romance, more of Myrna and Brian getting to know one another outside the bedroom or bathtub or tour bus.  Their road trip was the start of exactly that, but it was over too soon.

(I should note that I received an ARC of Rock Hard from Sourcebooks Casablanca and liked it more than Backstage Pass. Enjoying the second book of a series more than the first is a rare occurrence for me.)

 

Review: It Happened One Bite by Lydia Dare

HE'S LOST, TRAPPED, DOOMED FOR ALL ETERNITY...

Rich, titled, and undead, gentleman vampyre James Maitland, Lord Kettering, fears himself doomed to a cold and lonely existence--trapped for decades in an abandoned castle.  Then, beautiful Scottish wish Blaire Lindsay arrives, and things being to heat up considerably...


UNLESS HE CAN PERSUADE HER TO SET HIM FREE...

Feisty Blaire Lindsay laughs off the local gossip surrounding her mother's ancestral home--stories of haunting cannot scare off this battle-born witch.  But when she discovers the handsome prisoner in the bowels of the castle, Blaire has no idea that she has unleashed anything more than a man who sets her heart on fire...

We're entering the vampire portion of Ms. Dare's newest trilogy.  While I loved their first three books, featuring the Westfields, The Taming of the Wolf wasn't as strong in my opinion.  Since I'm trying to stay away from vampire romances, It Happened One Bite already has a strike against it.  Luckily, Ms. Dare pulls me back into their expanded, fast-paced world.   

Blaire has moxie and isn't afraid to remain true to herself or her coven, despite the fact that her older brother Aiden wants her to become a "real lady."  She's concerned about her two brothers and her coven, and often puts her feelings for them at the forefront (rather than be selfish and focus on her needs).  

Maitland, well, he's a tougher nut to crack.  He's drawn to Blaire, naturally -- that's why he's been imprisoned -- yet he's surprised by her actions and reactions and the fact that she's not afraid to throw herself into the melee. 

I was surprised -- and intrigued -- by a plot twist I didn't see coming, and I was also surprised by who the heroine of In the Heat of the Bite would be.  Needless to say, I'm very excited to read the rest of this new trilogy by Ms. Dare.  

(A very special thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca who provided me with an ARC of It Happened One Bite.)

Review: Prelude to a Scandal by Delilah Marvelle

Having been raised in the jungles of South Africa assisting her father in the study of mammal copulation, Lady Justine Fedora Palmer sweeps back into London to embark upon her coming out.

When her father's observations are made public, proving buggery is natural in the animal kingdom, all of London is in a huffing outrage, including His Royal Majesty.  Her father is imprisoned and slapped with outrageous penalty fees they simply cannot pay. 

Lady Justine becomes more than willing to trade her good name and her place in London's gossip-hungry ton to secure her father's release.  There is only one person she knows she can trust: her father's patron, the Duke of Bradford.  A dashing libertine, yes, but one she passionately adores for his unwavering kindness, wit, humor, and willingness to support her father's studies even as everyone has laughed her father off. 

To her astonishment, the Duke of Bradford is not the same man.  His newly marred face hides a scandal that is about to test them both...

(I snagged this blurb from Ms. Marvelle's website.)

Ms. Marvelle is a new-to-me author but she's got two things in her favor straight out of the gate: (1) historical romance, and (2) series.

"...Well.  In case I didn't formally inform you of it, Your Grace, the sort of relationship I am seeking from my husband is going to include more than mere physicality.  I want what goes on inside your head and inside your heart before these legs will ever part."

Lady Justine is a kick.  She's been exposed to animal copulation in the course of her father's work, but thanks to a literary tome about how to avoid scandals, she's keeping it close and far away because the one man who can help her remove her father from prison is the one man she's been lusting after for two years.  What is funny about Justine is that she relates the male/female relationships of the ton to male/female relationships of the animal kingdom.  Not that different, I suppose...

Bradford is a scarred man, literally and figuratively.  He's got some serious issues, and it makes him want Justine all the more, despite what he keeps telling himself.  He and Justine trade barbs easily and equally; it made them seem all the more real to me.  And I especially like it when that happens. 

(A very special thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin, who provided me with an ARC of Prelude to a Scandal.)

Eagerly Anticipating

               

Review: Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

As the public face of Vows wedding planning company, Parker Brown has an uncanny knack for fulfilling every bride's vision. She just can't see where her own life is headed. Mechanic Malcomb Kavanaugh loves figuring out how things work, and Parker is no exception. Both know that moving from minor flirtation to major hook-up is a serious step. Parker's business risks have always paid off, but now she'll have to take the chance of a lifetime with her heart...

Finally -- Parker and Mal! 

Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed because this novel seemed to encompass all the couples rather than strictly focus on Parker and Mal.  Certainly, they've been dancing around one another since Savor the Moment; I guess I just wanted Happy Ever After to be solely their story, rather than watch the Vows team planning their own respective weddings, in addition to the other weddings already on the schedule.
 
One moment I truly enjoyed:

“Why don’t you ask me in, Parker?”

She intended to say no, had intended to say no since she’d dressed for the evening.  Too soon, too much, too risky.

She opened the door, held out her hand. “Come in, Malcolm.”

He took her hand, shoved the door closed behind him.  His gaze stayed on hers, compelling, the only contact but palm to palm.

“Ask me upstairs. Ask me into your bed.”

She felt her heart beat, rapid kicks at the base of her throat. Be sensible, she ordered herself. Be careful.
Instead she moved into him this time, took for herself this time by laying her lips on his.

“Come upstairs, Malcolm. I want you in my bed.”

*fans self*

Review: You Dropped a Blonde on Me by Dakota Cassidy

A delightful new romantic comedy from an author who "never disappoints."* (New York Times bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson)


She was the perfect party-planning, haute-to-the max trophy wife. Now Maxine Cambridge is broke, unemployable and living with her mother and teenage son in a retirement village, with her self-esteem kicked to the curb.

Until her geeky former classmate Campbell Barker returns, all grown-up- and off-the-scale smokin' hot. Campbell refuses to believe Max isn't that smart, funny girl he's crushed on since high school. The more Max tries to show him he's wrong, the more she rediscovers her long-retired mojo. Now, she's ready to throw down some payback on her ex-life and fight for what she deserves...

I love Ms. Cassidy's voice.  Her first three Accidentals [The Accidental Werewolf, Accidentally Dead, and The Accidental Human] brought a lot of humor to the paranormal genre, something I'd not seen or read previously. 

So when I heard she would be writing a contemporary romance, a semi-autobiographical one, no less, I had to have a copy.  And she didn't disappoint.

It's the little things Maxine "Max" Cambridge cherishes: finding employment, making money, spending said hard-earned money at Wal-mart.  To watch her pick up the pieces of her divorced life and push forward while living in a retirement community with her mother, well, there's something to be said about that kind of gumption.  I cannot wait to see what advice Max plans to bestow on other ex-trophy wives.

(A very special thank you to Berkley who provided me with an ARC of You Dropped a Blonde on Me.)

Review: The Making of a Duchess by Shana Galen

A very dangerous attraction...

Julien Harcort, duc de Valere, is more than willing to marry the lovely lady his mother has chosen.  Little does he know she's been sent to prove him a spy and a traitor...

And an even more dangerous secret...

Sarah Smith's mission is to find out whether the duc's trips to the Continent are as innocent as he claims, but the way he looks at her are far from innocent.

Their risky game of cat and mouse propels them from the ballrooms of London to the prisons of Paris and into a fragile love that my not survive their deceptions...

The plot for this book was pretty straightforward: the hero and heroine are going to fall in love.  What Sarah and Julien do not have, however, is an instant chemistry, at least not one that I readily believed and wanted to see come to fruition.  But as the narrative progressed, their coupling slowly wormed its way into my mind.  Adding the is-he-or-isn't-he-a-traitor? only helped to further the cause, since Sarah wrestled with this same question over and over.  She comes to believe he is not and goes so far as to accompany Julien on what he hopes will be his final trip to Paris.  The real traitor -- and Sarah's true identity -- were points I didn't see coming, though I suppose I should have expected both.  I'm looking forward to reading the final two books in this series.