Night After Night

Night after Night is the 2^nd book in The Reliance Group series by Janelle Denison. From the author’s website. ~

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS…

The son of a con-artist, Sean O’Brien learned the hard way that living by your own rules comes with a price. After a brief time behind bars, Sean is now ready to live an honest life, and pay for his past mistakes. But even his gorgeous face and seductive charms can’t make up for his prison record…until a member of The Reliance Group sees Sean’s potential for good and gives him a job at the Onyx Casino.

WILL KEEP THEM COMING BACK FOR MORE…

Zoe Russo has met all types of men on the Vegas strip. But when Sean pays a visit to her casino boutique, she knows he’s in luck. They share an immediate, irresistible attraction, and for the first time in her life she’s found a man she thinks she can trust. But when Zoe stumbles onto the truth about Sean and his reasons for pursuing her, she can’t help but question his feelings for her. Is he for real, or has she been a fool for love? Until now, nothing has prepared her for the thrill, and risk, of gambling on love.

I've been a fan of Janelle Denison since I read one of her first Wilde books and was so excited when she announced her new series, The Reliance Group. I loved Into the Night, the first book in the series, and was very excited when Janelle was offering up ARCs of Night After Night one day on twitter. Of course I begged for one and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this story early.

As much as I loved the first book, Night After Night is even better. We saw a bit of Sean in Into the Night and I was drawn to his character, so I was really happy to see Night After Night was his book. Being not only the son of a con-artist, but a con-artist himself for a while, Sean is probably one of the best at working undercover…that is until he has to work undercover to help find the man who helped send his father to prison. He can handle finding Mr. Russo, but he doesn’t expect to be attracted to Zoe the minute he sees her. Keeping himself at a distance is pretty much impossible from day one.

Zoe must decide if she can forgive Sean when she finds out he was undercover and using her to find her father before he can tell her. Although she still has trust issues with Sean, Zoe does call Sean for help when she is in trouble. The attraction is very strong between Zoe and Sean, and they are explosive together once they finally give in to their attraction for one another. Zoe and Sean find they are also a really great team as they work together to find Zoe’s father. Sean even learns more about what happened between their fathers all those years ago.

There is also a secondary romance in this book  between Zoe’s best friend Jessica Morgan and her high school sweetheart Noah Young, who just happens to run Taboo, the night club at The Onyx and works with Sean.  Noah and Jessica are still in love today as much as they were when they were in high school. A trauma from Jessica’s past is what has been keeping them apart for years. I loved watching Jessica and Noah find one another again. There romance was every bit as fun and sexy as Sean’s and Zoe’s.

Night After Night is one of my favorite romantic suspense books I’ve read this year. I really like the members of The Reliance Group and am hoping we will get more books in this series in the future. Night After Night release date is October 4, 2011, and I’ll be buying my copy that day for my keeper shelf.

Dare Me

Dare Me is the latest novella release from Julie Leto, which was originally published in 2005 under the title Dare to Desire. From the author’s website.~

When faced with a choice between saving the world and reclaiming your one true love…why not take both?

Secret agent Macy Rush is on a mission: find the counter-code that will thwart an impending terrorist attack. But her operation goes from bad to worse when she discovers the New Orleans mansion she must search is now owned by rival spy Dante Burke—the man who betrayed her in the most intimate and destructive way.

As lead agent for The Arm, an elite, black-ops division of the CIA, Dante has already searched the house from top to bottom. Though he’s come up empty, Macy insists on checking for herself. Dante agrees—for a price. During the day, he’ll help her try to save the world. But at night, she will be his.

Dare Me is a fast-paced fun and sexy novella. I loved that Macy is such a strong and smart woman.  Although Dante appears to be pretty devious, I still found him to be super sexy in that secret agent/007 kind of way. Macy is forced to work with Dante again to try and save the world. She is allowed full access to search their current location during the day for a price…she will be his each and every night.

After so many years, Dante is full of surprises. Macy doesn’t know what to expect as Dante slowly seduces her. In fact, the slow seduction was hotter than if they had just jumped back into bed. Of course, saving the world must still be their priority no matter how much they want one another, and Macy must decide if she can trust Dante again after all these years. They ended their relationship based on a pretty big misunderstanding. Dante will have to be totally honest with Macy to keep them on the path to reconciliation.

I really loved Dare Me. It moved really fast and was full of smart characters. Dante and Macy are good together as agents and as a couple. Would love to see more stories from some of the secondary characters in the future.

New York to Dallas

New York to Dallas is the latest book in JD Robb’s best selling In Death series. From the inside cover flap.~

JD Robb presents an intense and terrifying new case for New York homicide cop Eve Dallas, one that will take her all the way back to the city that gave her her name-and take you deeper into the mid of Eve Dallas than ever before.

It was one of Eve Dallas’s earliest takedowns, back in her uniform days. A monster named Isaac McQueen had been abducting young victims and leaving them scarred in both mind and body. Thanks to Eve, he wound up where he belonged, removed from civilized society in Rikers. But he’s not behind bars anymore.

After his escape, McQueen has two things in mind. One is to take up where he left off, preying on the young and innocent-when necessary, with the help of a female partner, all too willing to be manipulated and to aid and abet his crimes. His other goal: to get revenge on the woman who stopped him all those years ago, now a high-profile lieutenant in the NYPSD and married to one of the city’s richest men.

Commanding Eve’s attention with a chilling and brazen crime, McQueen sets off the chase-forcing Eve down a road marked with blood and tears, a road that eventually leads southwest to Dallas, Texas, the home Eve fled long ago. And each new twist brings her closer to the harrowing memory of when she wasn’t a hardened detective but a vulnerable girl just like McQueen’s innocent prey. As her husband, Roarke, tries to rescue her from the nightmares that claw at her mind, and her partner, Peabody, doggedly works to support her, Eve must confront-and call upon-the darkest parts of her own soul in order to survive.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the In Death series is one of my most favorite series ever! There have been a few of the books that I didn’t love, but overall I love the series. There have been a couple of books in the series that never really connected for me. That being said, New York to Dallas was a winner to me. I felt like Robb went back to her old school ways with this book.

Eve Dallas is forced to re-visit her past in New York to Dallas, and there is nothing her husband Roarke can do to protect her this time. I really think NYTD was the most intense book in this series to date. Eve is taken back to her very first takedown from when she was in uniform. The McQueen takedown is the one that got her started on the path to detective. Now McQueen has escaped from prison and he wants Eve to be his grand prize. Of course, first he must start up his collection of young girls, and he once again has an older woman to help him kidnap those young girls.

With Eve’s past, I knew going back to Dallas would make for a very emotional journey. Being in Dallas again always brings back memories for Eve, and it doesn’t help that McQueen kidnaps and rapes young girls. There is huge revelation for Eve while she is in Dallas. I totally saw it coming, but it still was extremely emotional to read. Luckily, Roarke knows his wife and has Dr. Mira come to Dallas to help Eve through this latest ordeal.  We didn’t get to see Peabody and Feeny as much with this book, but they were still in the background through much of the book. I liked many of the cops Eve worked with in Dallas, but was very happy once the case was over and they were heading back to New York.

I was very scared that by changing the book name from an “In Death” book to New York to Dallas might mean the end of the series. I’m really glad to say this isn’t the end of the series. Was a great next book in the series and probably one of the most emotional books I’ve read in this series.  Next up in the series is “Chaos in Death” novella set to be released in October.

Bad Boys Do

Bad Boys Do is the 2^nd book in The Donovan Brothers Brewery series by Victoria Dahl. From the author’s website.~

Olivia Bishop is no fun. That’s what her ex-husband said. That’s what her smart bob and glasses imply. And with her trademark determination, Olivia sets out to remake her life. She’s going to spend time with her girlfriends and not throw it all away for some man. But when an outing with her book club leads her to a brewery taproom, the dark-haired beauty realizes that trouble – in the form of sexy Jamie Donovan – may be too tempting to avoid.

 Jamie Donovan doesn’t mean to be bad. Sure, the wild streak in his wicked green eyes has lured the ladies before. But it’s time to grow up. He’s even ready for a serious romance. But how can that be when Olivia, the only right woman he has ever met, already has him pegged as wrong.

I requested Bad Boys Do from NetGalley and was so excited when I received notification I was approved for an ARC. We first met Jamie and the rest of the Donovan clan in Good Girls Don’t. Jamie intrigued me from the first, but couldn’t really say why until I read his story.

I loved Olivia from the first minute we met her. I could so totally relate to her as I admit I’m a total geek and saw a little of myself in her. I’ve never been really comfortable around guys, especially guys as sexy as Jamie. I loved that Olivia was ready to do pretty much anything and everything to turn her life from safe to fun. Which of course is where Jamie comes in to the picture. Jamie is all about the fun. In fact, his own family still treats him like he is still an irresponsible kid for the most part. I hate to use the phrase they completed each other, but they really did. Jamie brought out the fun in Olivia and that helped her to be more confident in herself. Olivia helped Jamie with getting organized in business which allowed him to finally stand up for himself with his family. Olivia and Jamie are attracted to one another from their first meeting. They were so hot together and I was cheering them on from the first.

I also really loved the friendship between Olivia and Gwen. It was nice to see women who work together become friends, even when the women are so different from one another. Loved that Olivia and Gwen talked about men just like my friends and I talk about men.

Now, I’ve never been a fan of how Eric treats Jamie. I don’t care if you are the oldest sibling, you eventually have to see your younger sibs as adults. Jamie isn’t without fault in this situation. He has allowed Eric to continue to treat him as the kid brother. Jamie is the middle child in the family, and the second son. As the middle child, I understand being in the shadow of an older sibling. However, at some point you have to let the birth order thing go and move on. In fact, once Jamie finally stands up for himself, I think his family, especially Eric, finally saw him for who he really is.

I’m a big fan of Victoria Dahl and really enjoyed Bad Boys Do. I’ll buy my keeper shelf copy on the release date, which is 9/29/11.

Storm's Heart

Storm’s Heart is the second book in The Elder Races series by Thea Harrison. From the back cover.~

He’s a Wyr warrior, and god of storms. She’s the heir to the Dark Fae thrown. But desire will bring both to their knees in this all-new Novel of the Elder Races.

During the rule of her murderous Dark Fae uncle, Thistle “Tricks” Periwinkle found sanctuary among the Wyr in New York. Her ethereal beauty and sparkling personality won the hearts of the public, but after her uncle’s death, there are those who don’t want to see her ascend to the thrown…

Able to wield thunder and lightning, Wyr sentinel Tiago Black Eagle has ruled the skies for centuries. His massive build and thunderous power make him one of the Wyr’s best weapons. And he’s the one sent to protect Tricks when she’s almost assassinated in Chicago.

Soon, both Tiago and Tricks will fall prey to the stormy hunger that engulfs them-a passion that will shake the very foundations of all the worlds…

Dragon Bound is the first book in this series and it is still one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. I’d even go as far as to say it’s my favorite paranormal romance I’ve read this year. So Storm’s Heart already had a great deal to live up to for me. That being said, I loved Tricks from the time we got to spend with her in Dragon Bound and was really excited to get her book.

I really liked Storm’s Heart. We learn Tricks’ real name is Naniane Lorelle, but no matter how often others call her Naniane, I still think of her as Tricks, and love learning more about her. Also, from the very beginning, it is obvious Tiago will do everything within his power to keep Tricks safe. Tiago proves he is capable of protecting Tricks from the multiple attempts on her life in Chicago. Yes, he does make a few mistakes along the way, but he doesn’t give up. We get to spend more time with some of the Wyr sentinels, meet many new faces of the Dark Fae, and even spend time with Vampyre Queen Carling. There are more battles and action packed scenes in this book, and at times the action had me on the edge of my seat.

I think Tiago and Tricks are so perfect for one another. Bother are such strong individuals and when they finally give in to their feelings for one another, it’s explosive. In fact, Tiago and Tricks were down-right HOT together. I did figure out who was behind all the attempts on Tricks’ life before it was revealed and really hated that a couple of new characters were killed in the final battle. However, I really liked everything else about this book and can’t wait to read Serpent’s Kiss, the 3^rd book in The Elder Races series, which is scheduled for release on October 4, 2011. Now, I’ll buy my copy for my keeper shelf on that day, but I get to read it early thanks to a friend who has loaned me her early copy.