Beyond Pain

A woman with no future…

Live fast, die young--anything else is a fantasy for Six. She’s endured the worst the sectors had to throw at her, but falling in with Dallas O’Kane’s Sector Four gang lands her in a whole new world of danger. They’re completely open about everything, including their sexuality--but she hasn’t survived this long by making herself vulnerable. Especially not to men as dominant as Brendan Donnelly.

A man without a past…

Bren is a killer, trained in Eden and thrown to the sectors. His one outlet is pain, in the cage and in the bedroom, and emotion is a luxury he can’t afford--until he meets Six. Protecting her soothes him, but it isn’t enough. Her hunger for touch sparks a journey of erotic discovery where anything goes--voyeurism, flogging, rough sex. He has only one rule: he won’t share her.

In Bren’s arms, Six is finally free to let go. But his obsession with the man who made him a monster could destroy the fragile connection they’ve forged, and cost him the one thing that makes him feel human--her love.

The Beyond series is one of my favorite series I've read. I'm so thankful I was able to get an ARC from the authors of Beyond Pain. The release date was August 22, 2013.

I loved Bren from the very beginning and knew he was the right guy for Six once they met. I love them both even more now. Part of what I love about the Beyond series is the fact that everyone is so open about everything. No one makes any excuses for their choices either. Six came from a sector where men used women and didn't mind hurting them. O'Kane's Sector Four is a huge shock to her system. Bren and Six together almost melted the screen on my kindle. OMG the smoking hot sex whether they were actually having it or watching others was awesome!

Not that it is an easy path for Bren and Six. Both have trust issues and Bren pushes Six to the limit. I'll admit I still love Bren, but he pissed me off royally and I was so glad to see Six was stronger than I gave her credit for to that point. 

 The Beyond series has some of the hottest, dirtiest sex scenes I've ever read, and yet as soon as I finish reading one of the books I want the next one or to start back over from the very first book in the series.

Buy link from Amazon

Kissing Under the Mistletoe: A Sullivan Christmas

The Sullivan siblings have captivated the hearts of readers worldwide, and this Christmas, New York Times bestselling author Bella Andre shares the love story that started it all…

For Mary Sullivan Christmas is, and always has been, about family. And this year is no different. As she awaits the arrival of her eight children and their partners at the cottage in Lake Tahoe, she hangs the ornaments that they made for her over the years. Each decoration brings with it a tide of memories, all of which she holds dear to her heart.

But when she comes across the oldest ornament, the one her beloved husband, Jack, gave her on their very first Christmas together, Mary is immediately swept back to the first days of their whirlwind romance, to the love that would be the foundation on which they built the family she is so proud to call her own.

Join the Sullivans this Christmas for a story that explores the wonder of the holidays, the meaning of family and a love that transcends time.

I was lucky enough to get a review copy from the publisher through NetGalley. The release date is set for September 24, 2013 and the publisher is Harlequin MIRA.

The Sullivan series is one of my favorite series I've read in forever. I've loved reading about each of the siblings finding the HEA and had always wanted to know how Mary and Jack fell in love. Ms. Andre totally delivers with this special Christmas story for her readers.

As Mary is pulling out all the Christmas decorations for the family tree, she is blessed with memories of each of her children making their ornaments. I loved each and every one of the ornaments the kids made, but Sophie's was my favorite, and it made me cry and smile at the same time. When Mary gets to the first ornament Jack gave her all those Christmases ago, we finally get Mary and Jack's story.

I have to say that Jack's sons are so much like him it is almost scary. Much like Jack, once they met the right woman, no one else would ever be right. I loved that Jack pretty much fell for Mary at first sight, and while Mary was a bit more cautious because of her past, I could tell she fell just as fast.

The chemistry is super hot between Jack and Mary from their very first sighting of one another and it only gets stronger after their first kiss under the mistletoe. Jack will do anything to make sure Mary feels how much he loves and respects her. Jack does so many sweet things to help prove his love to Mary, but trying to take things slow when they both want each other so much was one of the sweetest.

I also loved how important family was to both Mary and Jack and how Jack helped Mary get closer to her parents again. I actually cried like a baby the first time Mary saw her mom again after so many years apart. 

Jack and Mary are so perfect for one another and I loved how much they loved each other. The passion between them was obvious from their very first kiss and only grows stronger each time they make love. I loved that Mary's parents put them in separate rooms and Mary sneaked into Jack's room so they could make love and sleep together. Their wedding was fairy tale beautiful to me and made me cry once again.

I loved reading about how the Sullivan family began. I both laughed and cried at various times while reading this story. While I've loved all the books from the Sullivan series, I know Mary and Jack's is my absolute favorite.

Buy your copy in print from Amazon.

Always on My Mind

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE THE REAL THING

After dropping out of pastry school and messing up her big break on a reality cooking show, Leah Sullivan needs to accomplish something in her life. But when she returns home to Lucky Harbor, she finds herself distracted by her best friend, Jack Harper. In an effort to cheer up Jack's ailing mother, Dee, Leah tells a little fib - that she and Jack are more than just friends. Soon pretending to be hot-and-heavy with this hunky firefighter feels too real to handle . . . 

No-strings attachments suit Jack just fine - perfect for keeping the risk of heartbreak away. But as Jack and Leah break every one of their "just friends" rules, he longs to turn their pretend relationship into something permanent. Do best friends know too much about each other to risk falling in love? Or will Jack and Leah discover something new about each other in a little town called Lucky Harbor?

The publisher is Forever Grand Central Publishing and the release date is set for 9/24/13. I was lucky enough to receive a review copy through NetGalley thanks to the publisher.

I love each visit to Lucky Harbor. I also love a friends to lovers story and Ms. Shalvis pulled it off very well with Leah and Jack's story. Leah has been gone from Lucky Harbor for a while. She is back to help her grandmother in her bakery until her grandmother recovers. Leah just competed in a reality cooking show for the chance to get her own pastry shop, and while she knows she messed up big time, contractual obligations keep her from sharing with anyone in Lucky Harbor, which includes her grandmother and her best friend Jack. While Leah can't share her work life issues with anyone, luckily she now has a couple of best girlfriends (Ali and Aubrey) to share her love life issues with...or lack of love life anyway. That is until she tells Jack's mom, who is recovering from chemo treatments, that she and Jack are a couple. 

Honestly, watching Jack and Leah fall, made me laugh out loud so many times. They had great chemistry between them, but each seemed to be holding back trying not to get hurt. Leah has always run when things got rough for her, and Jack is the one person she has always kept in touch with no matter what is going on in her life. I have to say I fell a little bit in love with Jack myself in this book.

Always on My Mind is a must-read for all Jill Shalvis fans. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to more Lucky Harbor books in the future.

Purchase from Amazon for kindle or in print.

Book Drive

Today I welcome  Heather Lire here and ask anyone who can help with the book drive to do so. I plan on sending an Amazon Gift Card to Heather on Friday to help her out with buying books for the Colorado Children's Hospital. I know if I was going to spend an extended period of time in the hospital, I would need something to help me escape from reality for a bit. Thanks for allowing me to post about this book drive, Heather!

I'm an author, a book reviewer and a literature teacher. Reading has always been close to my heart. It's an activity I can do through good times and bad. When I'm happy I can celebrate with a good book, when I'm sad, lonely, depressed or stressed a good book will help me escape.  

Recently while at the Colorado Children's Hospital with my youngest son, I ran out of things to read. Upon seeing they had a family lending library I went looking. To my dismay I discovered most of the books were medical in nature or for small children. There was very little for a mom, dad, a teen or even a middle-grade patient to read. There were less than twenty books. I was bereft. Not only for me, but for all the other family members who had to spend hours in this empty waiting room with nothing to read.

After talking to the volunteers at the hospital about the lack of books the idea of a book drive began to take root. I saw a need that those in the book community could help fill.

Please help support this cause. We need new or gently used books. If you don't have books to donate you can give a monetary donation that will be used to purchase books.

The following kinds of novels are needed:

Middle-Grade Chapter books                                                                       

Young Adult (YA) books for girls or boys

Comics and magna

New Adult books

Adult General Fiction (mystery, drama, literature, romance, adventure, science fiction, fantasy, historical, paranormal)

Due to facility restrictions no erotica is allowed.

We will be collecting books all throughout September.

We ask that monetary donation are made in the form of an Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Cards.

A tax identification letter can be provided upon request.

If you are interested in participating in this drive please contact Heather Lire at heatherlire@live.com with Book Drive in the subject line.

Thank you,

Heather Lire

Contemporary Romance Author

The Book Reading Gals

Personal Assets

Personal Assets is the debut novel from Kelsey Browning. The publisher is Carina Press and the release date was August 25, 2013. From the Carina Press website.~

Sex therapist Allie Shelby has the professional credentials, but she could use a bit more practical experience. Finding the right man to bring out her inner bad girl is tough in a population-challenged Texas town. So when sinfully sexy Cameron Wright rolls back into Shelbyville, Allie wastes no time inviting him to join her in some hands-on research.

Cameron has come home to fulfill his dream of restoring classic cars. Back in high school, he knew the town princess, Allie Shelby, was way out of his league. Today he has even less in common with Allie, so he's shocked as hell when she propositions him. Still, he's only human, so he accepts her offer—and with each encounter, she shows him another, wilder side. Before long, he's thinking about more than just sex.

But while her personal life heats up, Allie's business is about to crash and burn. And she has to convince Cameron that she's one princess who's not looking for a prince to ride to her rescue

Personal Assets is the first book in the Texas Nights series by Kelsey Browning. I was lucky enough to be approved for a review copy from NetGalley thanks to the publisher.

I loved both Allie and Cameron from the moment they appeared on the page. The chemistry between them was incredible from the beginning, and only got hotter the more time they spent together. Allie is a sex therapist who hasn't had any practical experience in a while. When the ladies she meets with challenge her to step up and take a chance, Cameron is the only man that comes to mind. Cameron and Allie grew up on different sides of the tracks, so to speak. Cameron has been working since he was 15 to make sure his mom and brother had a good life. Allie grew up with pretty much all the comforts available. Big difference, Cameron had the love of his mom and brother and Allie never really felt like she has had the love of a parent after her mom passed away.

Allie had borrowed money from her dad’s bank to set up both her store Personal Assets and her best friend’s Roxanne’s lingerie store Red Light. Her dad is very unhappy with her choice in vocation and wants nothing more than to close down both her store and Roxanne’s. He calls in her loan and it is up to Allie to figure out a way to keep things going. I’ll admit Cameron messed up a little while dealing with Allie at this point, but his brother Jamie totally steps up to help Allie out and Cameron in the process. I have to say I fell a little bit in love with Jamie in this book and can’t wait for his story.

I fell in love with Allie and Cameron as a couple the more time they spent together. Not that everything was smooth sailing between them, but there was never a lack of emotion as I read this story. I loved Personal Assets so much. This book is laugh out loud funny at times. Add in the sinfully sexy moments between Cameron and Allie, and this book is a winner all around.  

Buy link for Amazon.