Review: Too Tempting To Resist by Cara Elliott

Review: Too Tempting to Resist by Cara Elliott

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Release Date: May 1st, 2012

For more info and back cover blurb visit Cara's website here.

A flourishing romance, a sensuous coupling, and the language of flowers...

Elliott easily makes horticulture the sexiest thing ever in this story of an unlikely pair drawn together by chance, and a love of nature transcending beyond simplistic view. In one corner there's the sister of a lord, a widow, bent on keeping her freedom to live without a husband, and determined to save her brother from ruin.

Lady Eliza Brentford is finally free.. of marriage. She would prefer to keep things that way if her brother would just quit attempting to live the frivolous life. Eliza is a delight! She's a painter, a lover of flowers, and one who speaks there language. I have a lot of respect for a woman who protects family and endears people to her by providing care and intelligence. Unfortunately, for Eliza her brother doesn't think of her as a benefit, but as a hindrance. Another part of Eliza is she's closed off to sexual aspects. She's never really experienced anything along the lines of desire or passion. Meeting Gryffin, Marquess of Haddan will change that.

Gryffin is a man of interesting tastes, typically known for his debauchery and insane pursuits. Yet lately the pursuit has lost it's luster. I found a man searching for something meaningful a wonderful storyline for the rakehell. He's looking for more and his travels lead him to Eliza. The air sizzles, the common interests delight, and before you know Gryffin is looking for any reason whatsoever to be near her. Gryffin is one of those heros that's enchanted with the unfamiliar, and in this case the unfamiliar is a female creature he can't seem to shake. I liked this hero as much as I liked the heroine. The setting, the subplots, and the character development was extremely enjoyable.

My only caveat was the fact that Gryffin and Eliza spent a lot of time building false tension and conflict. You could have developed plenty of different scenerios to excite the reader without a misunderstanding between Gryffin and Eliza occurring. For me the 'misunderstanding' line is the most overused in the business and I prefer plain speaking. Honesty and trust build relationships.

Overall, this is a good story about two people who should have been together all along, but just weren't ready to be. It's a great mid-way point for Elliot's Lords of Midnight trilogy, and I can't wait for the final installment and hellhound Cameron's tale. If you enjoy Stephanie Laurens you'll like this book.

Review: Scotsmen Prefer Blondes by Sara Ramsey

Review: Scotsmen Prefer Blondes by Sara Ramsey

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

For more the back cover blurb or more info on this author visit Sara Ramsey's website here.
A second dose of heart stopping romance and how a woman can release the animal in any man.

Amelia Staunton is on a mission to help her friend wed, and wed well. That means a trip to a castle in Scotland. Amelia hopes to stand by her friends side and get some inspiration for her latest story. Instead she finds herself attracted to the very man her friend would marry Malcolm MacCabe.

Determined to be the Laird his people need, and keep the tenants in Scotland MacCabe needs a respectable wife who can give him an 'in' to the hearts and minds of the English Lords. Amelia is no such woman, but MacCabe can't help the attraction to her defiant and fiery nature nor the desire such actions spark. Soon the two are caught in situation warranting the unthinkable marriage between the two with no escape. Can the desire and love growing between them survive all?

Amelia, a writer and a woman with a sharp tongue. I loved her! She's very stubborn, but when it comes to caring about someone she has a heart of gold. This character has a beautiful way with insults too, and knows just when those barbs are gonna hurt the worst. There are many moments where Amelia has a problem with keeping her mouth shut, but surprisingly this part of her character didn't ruin the story it enhanced the conflict because I didn't really know what she was gonna say next. A woman who speaks her mind isn't always a bad thing. ;)

MacCabe is the domineering male, who's not always the brightest when it comes to judging people. Amelia's mouth and tendency to let whatever fly out of it is more of a turn on for him; rather than a turn off. Now, readers of the blog will know I'm a sucker for alpha's. MacCabe is pretty close, but not quite there. Regardless I liked him and his ignorance when it came to not figuring out Amelia's writing secret sooner.

Ramsey definitely has a theme with her Muses of Mayfair series. The ladies have secrets and the men getting entangled with them either have to step up to protect the ladies or abandon them... if you want to know what happens then you'll just have to buy the books. Let's just say regardless of MacCabe's decision there's plenty of hoops to jump through and a historical good time. I'm definitely primed to get my greasy paws on the last of this trilogy.

Review: The Siren by Tiffany Reisz

Review: The Siren by Tiffany Reisz

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!

For back cover blurb or more info about this author visit Tiffany Reisz's website here!

Sexy, emotional, heart-wrenching!

There's only one other book so far in 2012 that can claim the word heart-wrenching from my lips, but the first on the list is The Siren. Realistic characters who make you long to give up the vanilla bed-style for something a little darker in taste. Men who are smokin', and one woman who knows all the right moves. Reisz provides it all.

She's created a world where belts, whips, and chains are okay. Leather and tight spandex fitting material are not just the norm, but the rule. Collars mean more than a wedding ring, and pain is merely an alternative word for pleasure.

Can you tell I'm being cryptic? At least I'm going for cryptic, but I will share the fact that I read this book in 4 hours. 4 gut-wrenching hours because Kindle didn't want to download my purchase and because I had to find a wall outlet halfway through to charge the damn thing. There were moments of tears, I exclaimed out loud (which is rare for me), and I found Reisz's character development above and beyond. In my opinion Reisz reached into her own personal vault, dug deep, and ripped her emotional intestines out with this story. Sex... good sex (not perfect sex) is hard to write. An excellent story that contains sex, and not just any sex but BDSM sex, is a damn challenge. Reisz has officially set the bar just a bit higher on the scale, and I fear my erotic reading mind may be ruined for all other authors.

The book is all about Nora and her wacky way of convincing the men who love her to leave her be or tie her up. She's just trying to get her book published, and by the end of the story I was dying for her to get the publishing deal too. Nora is a go getter in every sense of the word and the everything from the dialogue to the internal conflict proves why she deserves to win. The backdrop of the New York and the surrounding is present, but doesn't hold a candle to the tension and emotions running rampant through the streets and in little hidey holes. I will caution those who aren't adventurous to steer clear. This book is definitely one you must walk with eyes and mind open to the possibilities.

Previous fans, and followers of Tiffany's blog will be happy to know this story falls within the realm of the Kingsley/Eleanor world we were introduced to early on in Reisz' Spice Briefs The Seven Day Loan and Immersed in Pleasure. I'm really not going to provide any more details beyond you must read this book. It does contain hardcore relationships and Reisz never uses the dreaded 'M' word.

P.S. No clue when the next book comes out, but it will be on my pre-order list.