[image] Good grief! These kids books are slaying me. This was another recommendation from a fellow Goodreads friend, and of course, one that my girls [image] Good grief! These kids books are slaying me. This was another recommendation from a fellow Goodreads friend, and of course, one that my girls and I loved. I read until I started crying and then made my ten year old finish. It's a story that really parallels how a parent feels about their kids...how we sacrifice everything we have, everything we are just to see a smile on our kids' faces. There is nothing you won't do for your babies. And while that sentiment might go right over the kids' heads, they'll understand it one day, when they have kids of their own. ...more
Beautiful story for preschoolers and young school age children. A wonderful sentiment set to ease a child's fear about being away from his/her parentsBeautiful story for preschoolers and young school age children. A wonderful sentiment set to ease a child's fear about being away from his/her parents and home. My girls are 7, 9, and 10, and they all loved it! Thanks for the rec, KatLynne!...more
First off, I've gotta say that I love this cover...rarely do I see a cover match up so exactly with what I have in my head but this D and Jack is perfFirst off, I've gotta say that I love this cover...rarely do I see a cover match up so exactly with what I have in my head but this D and Jack is perfect...body language and all. D is sort of badass and standoffish, Jack is a bit more boyish and nervous. I love it!!!
This is a story about a hit man, D, and and his mark, Jack. You'd think that no excuse is good enough to convince you that a man who kills other people for a living could be a good person, but D can change your mind. He's not ALL good. He still kills people. But he gets to choose which jobs he takes, and he would normally pass a job like Jack up...D does have some scruples. Under threat of exposure, D is forced to put a gun to Jack's head...if only D didn't fell like he was losing his own humanity...
"He didn't like to think about how far gone he was into the abyss that even the humanness of lust was now foreign to him. At least he still felt hunger, and cold, and the craving for nicotine. How long until event hose animal sensations left him? Would he eventually be left with nothing but a set of skills that suited him for only one profession, and a head full of things he didn't want to know? Maybe he's disconnect enough that he would no longer swear, or piss, or get stupid songs stuck in his head. He's been told over and over again that he'd have to become a machine, but he hadn't really believed that he would. He knew better now."
Jack has worked for the last decade to get to where he is now...a maxillofacial surgeon who has not one but two college degrees, his work is his life. But now life as he know it is over. He's under witness protection after witnessing a mob like hit on an innocent woman, and has been forced to give up everything he's ever known...friends, family, job, house, life...
Now they are on the run together, hiding from some really bad people...people who used to be D's bosses and colleagues...who can and are trying their hardest to find Jack and D. But D's really freaking good at hiding. Which leads to a lot of down time for these two. A lot of time to to know each other. And their romance is so slow building, growing by miniscule increments. It's easy to see how these two fall in love...and it's real love, not the kind of lust that is life affirming in the face of death. Because D is just that badass, and Jack becomes quite proficient at badassery as well...
Honestly, the best part of this book for me was watching D accept who he is...not as a gay man, but as a man. A person deserving of the love that Jack has to offer him. I just feel so bad for D. His lot in life has been one of pure hell, all of it not under his own control. Circumstances have led him again and again into tragedy, and it's no wonder that he's shut down his emotions to the extent that he has. The way that Jack is able to get inside him is what fairy tales are made of if they're not made up by Disney. This dawning realization that Jack could very well be his soul mate...it's breathtaking. [image]
"To think I almos' put a bullet between them eyes, and took that life that now I'd die ta save, and I never woulda known what he was in the world, and who he was or could be, and I woulda never even known what I was misin', nor known how right it could feel just ta lay my fingers alongside his."
The sex is fairly PG13 for the most part...I'd not call this erotic at all. It's more romance than anything. It's a story of two people from such opposite walks of life who are thrown into circumstances that almost seem serendipitous. D and Jack are just meant to be together. They heal each other, they soothe each other, and this is their story...Oh, and the epilogue!!!! Made me so happy...all is not automatically bright and shiny for these two. But you do know how much they love each other, and you can feel how content they are. [image] ...more
4.5 Stars My not so interesting M/M history I remember about a year ago when I started noticing many
”It's impossible to be your own hero, yes?”
4.5 Stars My not so interesting M/M history I remember about a year ago when I started noticing many of my GR friends latching onto the M/M fanclub, I mentioned it to my husband and said something to the effect of, "I wonder what all of these women get from two guys together?" And after wrinkling his nose in disgust, he replied, "Well, guys fantasize about two girls together..." to which I wrinkled up my nose in disgust. Vaginas? Eeeww...maybe I'm like...a half gay man?
Well, after seeing the interest and popularity of this subgenre go a little bit cray cray, and after reading mainstream series such as Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooter's series (Jules and Robin, SWOON!) and J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brother hood (Qhuinn and Blay, SWOON, SWOON!!), I realized...ahem...yeah, two guys together is kinda hot! **blushing** Add in some angst and romance? Now just what is keeping me from jumping on the bandwagon? Why, nothing, actually. So, my lovely friend V and I decided to do our M/M cherry popping together...(eewww, V...are we that friendly?) and randomly polled our penis loving friends. After much deliberation (okay, one convo...it wasn't that hard to choose,) Hot Head was chosen as a great intro to the mysteries of all that is Male/Male romance.
The Book: First we meet Griffin Muir:
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A ginger haired, six foot four inch, KILT WEARING firefighter in New York City, Griff is a tender, lost soul living a normal life. And while I never got the sense that Griff is totally fucked up in the head, this author did an amazing job of delving into the psyche of a conflicted soul. Griff has led a tough kind of life, mainly due to his lack of family and support system that are so important to the human spirit. Thank God that he's had Dante Anastagio, his best friend, and the entire Anastagio family to step in and give him love and support for all of his life's moments. Griff tried the marriage route, but after the brutal effects that 9/11 had on his mental state, his marriage failed and he's back to being a powerhouse of one. Except that he's not just one. Because Dante is there for him and with him every day, endlessly supportive in his own BIG, LOUD, Italian, obnoxious way.
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Dante, aside from being the best friend that Griff could ever ask for, is a big time skirt chaser. This Italian Stallion sure lives up to the stereotype. Being a firefighter in New York City after the sensationalism surrounding firefighters became so prevalent makes women easy pickings, and Dante takes advantage of his God-hood. In fact, in their younger days, Griff and Dante occasionally dabbled with women together because why not?
Only, for some time now, Dante's big Italian hugs and gorgeous black eyes have had more of an effect on Griff than any woman ever had. And tactile as Dante is, it's becoming hard to hide the effect he has on his friend.
"He needed to sit down and talk about everything and nothing with the only person who turned him inside out without even trying."
My Thoughts: So, V and I decided on this one because we had heard that it was a little sexier than the other choice we were considering...the more penis the better, is that right, V? But I really was blown away by the romance that was within these pages. Griff just broke my heart, over and over again. He didn't just pine for his best friend. He longed for Dante. But the thought that Dante would ever reciprocate wasn't even a remote possibility in his mind. So Griff tries to tentatively explore the feelings that he's only now admitting to himself...he's attracted to men. Is he gay? But what if he's only attracted to that ONE person? The one person he could never admit these feelings to? Not only will he lose Dante, but the only family that he's ever known...really, his only people in all the world.
"Mr. Muir, loving your Dante is not a bad thing. He certainly loves you...although I don't know if he can love you in the way you wish. Or I wish, for that matter. Only he knows. You understand? Life is very rarely romantic."
When has a moment of revelation about the state of his finances and his half-baked idea to save himself, Griff is fairly stunned. And for good reason. Because this idea includes Griff...and Dante...and lots of naked skin. It's more than Griff ever dreamed he'd get from Dante, and yet he still has to hold back, because losing Dante for good would destroy him. Dante's openness with his sexuality and his "best buds will do anything for each other" mentality don't mean that Griff can reveal his feelings. They just mean that he'll get a fantasy come to life, and he plans on rolling with it!!
Now, this story is loaded...and I do mean LOADED with sexual tension! After all, men think about sex every four minutes, or something like that?! I'm a healthy American female, but good grief! So seeing as how this was written by a man and is about TWO men, the lotsa sexy times should be a foregone conclusion. But I was wrong there. That is not to say that there isn't a good amount of sexy times...there are quite a few fantasy inducing scenes...masturbation and voyeuristic and yummy like that. But the actual sex is reserved for one of the hottest, most beautifully romantic, hottest, sweetest, hottest, intense, and oh yeah, did I mention HOTTEST love scenes ever! It almost makes me wish Damon Suede would lower himself enough to write a hetero book, because I could totally use his kind of loving in some of my other romances!!!
The big difference that I noticed when it comes to the sex is how dirty it is...while still retaining romance, somehow. But the amount of fluid and lack of fastidiousness and the utter raw, animal lust that is involved was staggering. This is sex at the most primal level, a need that goes beyond lust. Simply put: It. Was. Awesome! Although why can you not do that to a woman, Griff? No excuses, buddy...women are not fragile creatures, and I felt like he was patting women on their little heads as an excuse to treat them as such.
I had a couple of issues with some things: mainly, don't excuse your homosexuality, Griff! So you didn't lust after your wife like you lust after Dante. She wanted rough, passionate sex and you didn't. That's not because you wanted to be gentle, that's because you're gay. Maybe that lesson was learned for him later in the book, idk. Another: pigeonholing all Republicans as gay bashing budget cutters is the same as any other stereotyping, so I wish that people would be careful with that. (Granted, this was one tiny comment, but it's a sensitive subject for me) Last thing: the CHEATING! Holy crap, does every married firefighter cheat in this book? From page one, at the ten year anniversary of 9/11, husband infidelity is rampant in this book, and it got to be a bit of a downer. Anniversary for the death of hundreds of your comrades? Go fuck a new girl!! Having problems at work/home/life? Pick a hoochie, any hoochie!! Even the newly out setup for Suede's next book was cheating on his wife. I'm not one to forgive that slip up very easily, and despite Tommy's heartbreaking story, he's still a cheater. How can I get behind that? We'll see.
So my apologies for this ridiculously long review...I'm so glad that I finally took the plunge. Many thanks to those who encouraged me, even after my wishy-washiness. Griff and Dante are such a memorable couple, and I'm anxiously awaiting more by this awesome author!!
My favorite quote: No one deserves to be punished for loving with an open heart."
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...more
DNF Well, I hate to do it but I've got to put this aside for awhile. When housework can lure me away from a book, it's probably time to choose another DNF Well, I hate to do it but I've got to put this aside for awhile. When housework can lure me away from a book, it's probably time to choose another read!
I think this could really work for a lot of people, especially the avid fans of the new New Adult genre. This was full of "new indie author" feel...lots of slightly off reactions, dramatic moments that really weren't dramatic at all, overly used phrases...
A couple of specifics...Dude has blue eyes...they are piercing blue eyes...light blue eyes...his blue eyes latch on to mine...blue...blue...blue... All right. I wonder what color his eyes are. Another thing that sort of ruined it for me was how each problem that arose had an immediate solution. While these obstacles could have added some mystery and suspense to the plot, there were many available "talking heads" available to provide immediate relief. The literal book with all of the answers to her past, the solution to how she has been hidden for all of these twenty years (view spoiler)[(a smoothie, really?) (hide spoiler)].
And I hate to say it, but the final nail on the coffin of this book was that I felt no connection to Dorian. He was flat, one dimensional, kind of a creeper guy. I rarely don't find male leads sexy...I'm a hooch like that...I love them all. But Dorian just didn't do anything for me. As for being compared to Barrons? Puhlease...
A final disclaimer: I only made it through about half of this book. I think this obviously could work for a lot of people, but not me. I feel like the author relied too heavily on the paranormal fallback, and her characterization and plot suffered for it. First make me like the characters, then make me believe your story. ...more
The good: *Jonah *Jonah *Jonah: The man is amazing...hugely muscled UFL champion, a god in bed, ridiculously tender with his womA few quick thoughts:
The good: *Jonah *Jonah *Jonah: The man is amazing...hugely muscled UFL champion, a god in bed, ridiculously tender with his woman and his Mom...nuff said
* Some really skanky adversaries that were actually treated like skanks instead of being sent on their way with a pat on their heads. Maybe I live in a bubble, but does any girl really act this way? Anyhow, they got what was coming to them...
*Blake!!!!! Why do I always fall in love with the oversexed male sidekick? I freaking LOVED Blake!!! He's unabashedly sexual, and he never lets up...but that's who he is, and it's just accepted. I liked how Raven just laughed him off instead of getting pissed at his chauvinism. It was all in good fun, and he was one of my favorite parts about the book...maybe even more so than Jonah?!
The bad: * Raven is not the tough chick I thought she'd be. At first, I thought that she was, but soon enough, the tears start to trickle...and flow...and soon I wondered if she'd wash away on her own self made river. She starts to rely on Jonah too much for my tastes. There's one thing about letting a man stand up for you and protect you, but another about hiding behind him and letting him be your shield.
* Some of the circumstances seemed pretty fantastical...some of the characters didn't act realistically. One example - why did pimp daddy go to so much trouble to pimp his own daughter? That's like his entire goal since she was a newborn...why? No explanation...there were quite a few sensationalized instances, in my humble opinion.
It was still an okay read, but again one that didn't grab me like I wanted it to.
A couple of fave quotes: -- "Anyone up for a ride on the bi-polar coaster..." (That's Raven speaking of herself...love that she could see her own flaws.)
-- "To think that I could experience this all consuming lust, as well as the soul-shackling love that I would die to keep is life changing. This tiny girl who works on cars, laughs at stupid jokes, and blushes at the slightest flirtation is min. There is nothing I wouldn't do for her. I would spend the rest of my life making her happy if she'd let me. So this is love. My life will never be the same..."
--"That's it!" Locking her eyes with mine, she throws her hands in the air. "I'm done. I'm switching teams. I despise men and from now on will only date women... "Are you going to be okay?" I'm grateful to see her previously purple face fade to a splotchy red. "Me? Hell yeah, I'll be okay. I'm a lesbian now."...more
"Please. I'm begging you. I'm begging. I'll do anything you want. I'll be anything you want..."
`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~` Great start. I'm picturing this heroine as a sort of punk girl, for some reason. Her attitude is one of total dedication to her music and complete loyalty to her choice friends. But she also has a sort of eff you attitude toward the world and everyone in it. `~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`
"Teachers told poor kids they might be seen if they busted their violins on the streets if they had to. Dream-feeders. Fuck them. Some of those kids should have gone into accounting, and that line of shit kept them dreaming a few too many years."
`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~` Kind of a really great mix of characteristics for her, and I am definitely intrigued. Monica is a female that I can sort of wrap my head around up to this point. I'm kind of seeing Nicole Atkins as Monica: [image]
And Jonathan...now, he's another complex character. (I like Richard Madden for Jonathan...not exactly a redhead, more of an auburn haired hottie, but it's the best I can do.) [image] He's rich as heck, but he seems to be a fairly down to earth guy. No secrets, really, no hidden agendas. He's divorced and there is some big history with his ex wife. That's about all we know about him...other than that, he is very interested in Monica, and he likes control in the bedroom. Not necessarily BDSM control up to this point, but whew. The lone sex scene in this book was explosive. `~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`
"Please," I said again." "Not yet." "Jesus, Jonathan. What do you want?" My sex ached for him. It didn't feel empty. It felt full to bursting, a throbbing, pounding hunger filling my skin. "I want you to want it," he said.(...) "Beg for it."
`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~`~*~` I was wondering and hoping that I would fall into the "love it" category for this series as so many of my friends have recently, and I'm happy to say that I am intrigued in a big way.
"He'd shown her how sex was supposed to be, and there was no going back..."
Errmahgerd!!!!!!!!!
I love you guys, I really do! I love how you know my
"He'd shown her how sex was supposed to be, and there was no going back..."
Errmahgerd!!!!!!!!!
I love you guys, I really do! I love how you know my tastes so well sometimes. My wonderful Pher recommended this to me recently...and I ho-hummed about it. Pretty cover, but really? Another hot and sexy millionaire? And the my lovely friend Wm recommended Knight & Stay, and I caved.
So glad I caved!!!!!!!!!!
MY SYNOPSIS: Sophie is pretending to be an ostrich. Why would she do that, you say? Well, Sophie's husband has been going on extended business trips, having many, many late night work nights, getting numerous secretive calls and texts...and...oh, yeah...hasn't slept with his wife in six months. So yeah, Sophie has her head in the sand. She knows what's going on but just won't admit to herself that her high school sweetheart is cheating on her. So instead of the inevitable confrontation, Sophie decides that she needs to amp up her boring life, starting with her crap job.
"Sophie knew better than to let herself think about it too deeply, because then there would be questions that needed answers. Up until now, she hadn't wanted to ask them, even though they were there in huge black capital letters. The gulf between them had slowly widened into an ocean awash with the flotsam and jetsam of a neglected relationship; countless cold shoulders instead of enveloping hugs. Too many dry pecks on the cheek rather than passionate clinches on the dining table. Too many hurriedly hidden text messages. The circumstantial evidence all pointed towards another woman, and Sophie's sexual confidence had ebbed away in the face of Dan's undeniable rebuttals in bed. She'd been feeling old, and cold. Until now. Until she'd stepped into Lucien Knight's force field yesterday evening.
Lucien Knight's initial thoughts on Sophie are that she's a hot piece, very qualified for the job as his personal assistant, but also way too innocent and naive to take on the job as the PA of a wildly popular sex club/toy shop owner. When Sophie shocks him during their interview with her reluctant show of bravado, Lucien checks into her life...and finds out about her husband's infidelity. Instantly......
All bets are off.
Lucien feels no guilt going after a woman who's husband treats her wrong and won't see what a gorgeous, sexy vixen he has.
MY THOUGHTS: What thoughts? Holy crap, was this book sexy as hell! I was told to prepare for some smut, and they were right!!! It's got some really awesome smut. And I was actually really satisfied with the way that things were initially starting out. Then the emotions started eeking into Sophie and Lucien's story, and it became so much more!
This was ultra quotable, so I'm just going to add a bunch of my favorites here, a la Sharon style...
~~ "Don't lie to yourself because you feel guilty, Sophie. He's cheating, and you deserve better. You deserve to be adored, and you deserve to be fucked until you can't stand up...."
~~ "It wasn't lovemaking. It was pure fucking."
~~ "Sex with Lucien was a cross between the most sweeping romantic movie an the filthiest porn flick; he was feather gentle and filthy erotic all a the same time..."
~~ "I figured I could screw you happy, I guess."
To be honest, this book was a lot more romantic than I expected it to be. Lucien, the ever present bad boy with a past...is, throughout nearly the entire book, a really nice guy...completely and utterly devoted to worshiping Sophie, proving to her how desirable and attractive she is, and showing her what she should not only expect from her husband, but demand. ~~
"Why have you tied me to a tree?" She demanded. He plucked the woolen hat from her head and unzipped her jacket. "It's a game." "A game?" He nodded. "You'll like it." He lifted her hair so it fell behind her shoulders and kissed her exposed neck. "It's called Let's show Sophie how fucking beautiful she is..."
2.5 Stars I knew going in to this that it wouldn't be a favorite of mine, but I'm a stickler for reading order. And it wasn't necessarily HORRIBLE. In 2.5 Stars I knew going in to this that it wouldn't be a favorite of mine, but I'm a stickler for reading order. And it wasn't necessarily HORRIBLE. In fact, I can see the appeal for some readers. But I've been much more stingy with stars as of late, and this book just didn't cut it. So 2.5 Stars...
My Synopsis: Natalie is a photographer living in...you guessed it, Seattle. One fine morning while walking along the beach, snapping photos of the beauty that surrounds her, she is suddenly assaulted by some strange, huge, HOT man who is apparently enraged with her. He is adamant that she not take his picture. Once Natalie finally convinces the loony that she was indeed only out for nature pics and other non personal photos, he does your basic one eighty and asks her out. Of course, our smart girl wants nothing to do with the crazy man, and politely refuses.
When Natalie runs into Luke again a few days later, he is adamant that she get coffee with him, and Natalie finally agrees. Little does she know that the yummy male hotness that she starts to see on a regular basis is none other than Luke Williams, famous actor now gone reclusive due to a kind of phobia concerning fans and paparazzi. For the longest time, she doesn't figure it out. And when she finally does, the angst begins...and doesn't end...
My Thoughts: My biggest problem was how much sex there was. Now, don't get me wrong...I like sex in books. In fact, I LOVE sex in books...when it's done right. In Come Away With me, there was seriously a sex scene in nearly every other scene in the book.
Go to lunch....have sex Go to dinner....have sex Meet your parents....have sex Meet your roommate....have sex Have a fight....have sex Take a shower....have sex Walk downstairs....have sex Smile funny....have sex Breath....have sex
It was seriously redundant. Not to mention that the sex was soooo boring and mediocre. These two have sex like they've already been married for ten years and the lust is gone. Most of the sex scenes themselves lasted for only one page or so and consisted of a brief kiss, rubbing of chest or breasts, possibly a little oral action, and a quick thrust or two before a guaranteed orgasm... I prefer quality sex to lots of sex. Give me one ten page love scene with tons of description, slow, aching movements, and a drawn out climax to ten short and sweet sex scenes that feel like a handful of slam, bam, thank you ma'ams.
There just wasn't much room left for a fully fleshed out plot. What there WAS of the plot was a good one. I liked both Luke and Natalie a lot. Neither was stupid, neither was thoughtless. They fit together well. I like the families...I LOVE the fact that each of them have a supportive, loving group of people that will continue to be a part of this series.
There were a few other things that bugged me. I get frustrated at medical stuff being thrown in but not researched properly. (Hyperemesis gravidarum is usually a VERY serious situation for pregnant women, and here it was glossed over as if it could be taken care of with an anti-nausea pill. Very much not so in real life.)
I'm going to stop here, because I don't want to come across as nit picky. Suffice it to say, if I didn't have a few of my friends assuring me that this series gets better, I'd likely have stopped right here. I really had to push on through to finish this one. However, I really do see potential in this author. I understand that this was a debut novel for her...please correct me if I'm wrong...and she has since moved on to get better and better ratings/reviews. So I'm still very excited to read the next installment! ...more
I hoped to love this but I kept getting held back from really liking the heroine for some reason.
The "three diamonds" are courtesans...a nice word foI hoped to love this but I kept getting held back from really liking the heroine for some reason.
The "three diamonds" are courtesans...a nice word for prostitute back then, only supposedly for one man at a time. And the heroine in this book is one of the three diamonds, a very popular trio. Events lead her to meet the Duke and all of London is abuzz with talk of the "Dangerous Duke" and the "Duchess of Dalliance".
I couldn't get over the fact that Juliette wouldn't come clean about her past, and made no excuses for her supposed line of work; yet she expected Pelham to just accept her lifestyle. And of course, she got her feelings hurt when he wouldn't marry her and make her a true Duchess. What?! You're a prostitute! Not that people shouldn't be forgiven, but I think that the time frame of this novel is only two to three weeks. Give the man a break! He's a stuffy, pompous Duke! You have a reputation as a famous mistress, and you expect him to fall at your feet?
Now, that's not to say that Pelham isn't quite the ass a couple of times. The man was downright cruel. But he changes quite drastically, and I just felt like Juliette expected major changes from him without even revealing her true self...let alone change to fit the title of Duchess.
I'm oversimplifying the plot here, and I know that. This was just one of those books that didn't do much for me, for some reason....more
"You need to reach down deep and find that wild, courageous girl you used to be before Rick the Dick put an arrow through your heart. And your Vagi
"You need to reach down deep and find that wild, courageous girl you used to be before Rick the Dick put an arrow through your heart. And your Vagina."
In accordance with everyone else that read this book, I laughed until I cried...Alli's inner dialogue (and sometimes outer dialogue) is fah-reaking hilarious!!!!
Allison is a fairly newly divorced mother of one really kick butt teenage girl. Her husband, "Rick the Dick", apparently was a cheating fool. He shows up a couple of times during the story and proves how Dicky he can be.
"Rick can go to fucking hell. I sigh proudly. Sara would b proud of me. I might not have said the F word, but I definitely thought it without flinching. That's fucking progress."
So Allison is going through a bit of an identity crisis. She's thirty five years old, beginning to sag in funny places, but she's also in her sexual prime. She has little to no experience outside of her marriage bed...and that's including fun toys. So her best friend (and naughty enabler) gives her a mighty shove in the right direction. She drags Alli's ass to a gigolo for a night of sexual freedom, trying to stimulate her bestie into getting back on the horse...the dating horse, that is. Instead, she looses the wild woman in Alli, who quickly becomes addicted to what Slade, her gigolo, gives her. But Slade is awfully young, and Alli is both turned on and guilt ridden by her new found sexuality.
Meanwhile, Alli's professional life is changing as well. Her new boss Alex is...ahem, well, lets just lay it out there...absolute perfection. He's around her age, he's settled, he's got a great sense of humor, and he turns her on like NONE OTHER.
"He laughs and, no lie, a shiver rolls down my spine. I may want to take a bath in his laugh. Then shove it up against the wall and have violent sex with it. And I should probably not drink this much wine ever again."
So on the weekends, Alli is learning to get her groove back. During the week, she's dealing with her crisis of conscience, and trying out the numerous things her best friend comes up with to make her feel and look sexy and fun...Brazilian waxes and Botox, naked hot tubbing and gigolos. Girl goes a little bit cray-cray, and it was a lot of fun to watch!
There is a bit of a deeper message, if you look reeeeally hard and stop laughing long enough to pay attention. Alli is a great heroine. She's easy to relate to. Her daughter loves her, and they have a wonderful relationship. Her best friend is really just a freaking loony bin, and her husband Rick the Dick...he truly lives up to his name. On the other hand, the men in her life are somewhat opposites, and fulfill different needs.
What kept me from going the full five stars is how the story wrapped up. There is a bit of a twist that is fairly easy to catch, but one that is also somewhat taboo. Although the steam level is not erotic, the subject matter itself may seem that way to some. I did like the resolution, but it was almost too quick. Wrapped up with a pretty bow, which was really a great bow...but it was too fast and too easy. I wasn't sure if I ethically agreed with the way that Alli handled the situation. However, it was really pretty easy to take this read for the lighthearted, fun read that it was meant to be.
If you're wanting something totally different, if you need to laugh your A$$ off...READ THIS! If Seduction and Snacks type humor is a bit over the top for you but you still like the potty humor like me, then this is perfect for you!
"During the day, I'm Allison. I'm responsible and hard-working and ambitious. But at night, when I'm not at work, I'm Alli Cat. I'm fierce and daring and fun. And I have a freaking bald vagina."
Okey dokey then...I was already addicted to the series after book two. Honestly, books one and two got four stars from me, but I wanted to give them fOkey dokey then...I was already addicted to the series after book two. Honestly, books one and two got four stars from me, but I wanted to give them five just because I think my subconscious could feel the awesome-ness leaking from future books. Those two just built the tension, set the stage, and left me wanting more.
THIS BOOK was amazing!!! Seriously, Karina Halle has this mind boggling ability to draw out the beginning of a story until you're craving release...be it sexual or another type of stimulation. This talent is readily apparent already in regard to the Experiment in Terror series, but she also does it anew with each installment. At the end of Dead Sky Morning, I was strung so tight, I couldn't function in life until I finished the book.
Okay, so Perry and Dex are headed to Canada to investigate and film an island that is reputed to be haunted by the ghosts of Chinese lepers. These poor people were sent to live far away from civilization and other than monthly supply barges, promptly forgotten. Basically, they were sent there to die. Aside from an priest and a woman that choose to live among these lost souls and aid them in their plight, the world simply doesn't exist beyond their rotting bodies and a basic will to survive for as long as their disease allowed. And now, they haunt any who stop foot on the island, the place of their banishment....
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Of course, Dex and Perry must travel dangerous waters; literally and spiritually, in order to get footage for their internet ghost hunting show. Only, as we dedicated EIT fans already know, Dex and Perry are already somewhat haunted in their own right. Their residence is a lonely tent on a beach,
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braving the weather and the unknown of the island for the two days that they PLAN on staying to film. Looks nice an cozy, right? Especially all snuggled up to the Delicious Dex... (Did you catch that PLAN back there?)
When wild animals start doing weird things and the ghosts make their arrival known, it's hard to tell what's real and what's not.
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Problem is, for Perry, it's all real. Real enough to kill her.
This installment was almost sad for me. More of each of Dex and Perry is revealed in bits and pieces. But instead of bringing them closer, the revelations seem to add to their mistrust of each other. It's a long haul for these two to trust anyone at all, but even more so each other, I think because each of them knows how much they could mean to each other if they could just give in to their attraction, to the something that draws them together...this invisible line made almost visible by their inner demons and the creepy clown lady's strange messages. Plus, they're just MEANT for each other! They compliment each other, and it's so apparent to the outside observer! Their wit and sarcasm toward one another is awesome...
"You know, Perry, sometimes I get this uncanny impression that you are flirting with me." It was true. I let myself feel awkward for exactly 2.5 seconds before I said, "You think the waitresses at Denny's flirt with you, Dex." That was also true. And I didn't blame them. "Because they do," he finally said. "Who can resist this handsome mug?" He stroked his broad jaw and I tried my hardest not to nod along. "Complete with rapist facial hair," I added. "Touche," he said..."
and
"Really brings out your eyes," Dex said, standing behind me, meeting my gaze in the mirror's reflection. It was almost romantic. Then he said, "They aren't as angry as usual."
Haha...she totally knocked that nasty 'stache, yes she did. I think I love her. She can see past the awkward and unattractive parts of Dex unlike most modern heroines. Dex and Perry are perfectly flawed and perfect for each other.
If you haven't yet been all that scared by the creepy crawlies and ghosties so far, that may change in this book. Let me just say that tough badass ghost hunter Perry, after all of her antics thus far, literally passes out with fright during one scene in this book. And aside from the obvious scary part including ghosts, this book was EEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!! Nasty, gory ick!!!!
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And also scary as hell!!! Action packed and oh, yeah...are you like me and completely sexually frustrated with the aching slow-ness of Dex and Perry's obviously lust-fully delicious tension? Well, without giving away TOO much, I can say that your wait is...kinda sorta maybe over...a little bit?!?! But not really. **Insert maniacal laghter**
This is my favorite of the series so far...each book is exponentially better than the last. And I can say that with the utmost authority, as I've read up to book five at this point. I can't seem to slow down long enough to gather my thoughts for coherent reviews. It's safe to say at this point, however, that this is shaping up to be one of my favorite series EVER!!!...more
On this episode of Experiment in Terror, Dex and Perry are called to Red Fox, New Mexico to investigate a report of a haunted ranch. Not only haunted,On this episode of Experiment in Terror, Dex and Perry are called to Red Fox, New Mexico to investigate a report of a haunted ranch. Not only haunted, but bombarded with night time rock hailstorms and overrun with wild animal sightings...inside the house.
Believed to be the work of something called a skinwalker, the entity feels evil to Perry. Skinwalkers are said to be violent and malevolent beings, a legend of many Native American tribes. These are not nice creatures.
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The couple that Dex and Perry are sent to help are devout Christians, and won't allow any 'sinful behavior' to go on uner their roof...which leads to Dex and Perry pretending to be married for the duration of their stay on the ranch. They share a room and a bed, which leads to a few heartfelt discussions and a little more bonding time than we got in the first book. In fact, Dex's past is inadvertently brought to light through one of his friends from his past, and it goes a long way in convincing Perry and this reader how multilayered he is.
“Dex,” I whispered. “Mmmm?” he grunted. “I hope you never stop feeling alive.” I could have sworn his heart skipped a few beats. He tensed. Then relaxed. “As long as you’re around,” he said softly, “I’ll be alive.”
Again, while there were definitely some freaky goings on, I wasn't too overwhelmed with fright. Although I fully admit to ensuring a well lit room was where I parked myself to read! These skinwalker things are freaky!!! Not to mention that the majority of the book takes place on a ranch in the middle of the desert, miles from anywhere.
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This is a couple that is like none other that I've read before. Each book gives you just a bit more of who they really are, each book brings them just a tiny bit closer as friends, and with the sexual chemistry that fairly SCREAMS from the pages, you know that once these two finally cut loose, it's gonna be good! I can't help but think that Dex and Perry are a lot more alike than they think. ...more
Annabelle is an antiques dealer and lover of erotic art who recently caught her boyfriend with his head between his secretary’s legs. Oh my…
A3.5 Stars
Annabelle is an antiques dealer and lover of erotic art who recently caught her boyfriend with his head between his secretary’s legs. Oh my…
As a way of consoling herself and forgetting her troubles, Annabelle persuades her best friend to attend a New Years Eve party at a swanky rich people hotel. A hotel owned by the drop dead gorgeous Golden brothers. When Jared Golden sees Annabelle at his gathering, he’s intrigued enough (and turned on enough) to invite her to his “invitation only” private party later that nigh. Annabelle decides to live on the wild side for once and when a second man joins in on their party of two, and their party of three ends up in a voyeuristic party of many, she simply lets all inhibitions go.
Thus begins the entertaining story of the eternally single playboy rich man and the shy, quiet, and low key good girl. Surprisingly, most of the rest of the story centers around their relationship and how they overcome obstacles such as distance and lifestyle differences. Don’t get me wrong…there is a healthy dose of some really, really (really) hot sex…in forbidden places… a couple of them, and with more than just the two of them. After all, Jared has one super hot friend whom he seems to have shared many of his past lovers with. All heterosexually, of course! Don’t get excited, M/M fans.
"Jared didn't thing the guy would notice if a bomb dropped on him. From the expression on his face, Jared could tell the guy had the serious hots for Belle.
And his blood began a slow boil.
He caught himself before he barged in and laid claim to her, like a goddam caveman. Put his arm around her shoulders and draw her into his side. Better yet, press a kiss to her delicate, sensitive nape. She'd shiver and her eyes would flutter closed. The other man, standing with his hands shoved in his pockets, would know she was off limits. His.
Which was ridiculous. He didn't do possessive jealousy. Hell, he actually liked to share."
There is a surprising and original back story involving Annabelle’s unconventional upbringing by her three parent household. I suppose she had a predilection toward threesomes, so this taboo wasn’t necessarily taboo for her. However, she has hidden her past from everyone for years, and Jared is determined to know all there is to know about this woman. After all, he doesn’t normally have women voluntarily leaving him the way Annabelle did after their one night of fun. So the chase is on, and what a chase it turns out to be! Jared is persistent and very…patient and in tune with Annabelle’s needs, including her hidden desire to have four hands roaming her body. One thing that I wish were answered is what happens to the third party of this sporadic arrangement. I’m not clear on whether or not this sexual relationship will continue or if Jared and Annabelle commit to only each other. Somehow, I think not…they enjoyed the situation a bit too much.
I sense another book coming between Annabelle’s best friend and Jared’s brother. They seemed to have a pretty intense connection from the start, despite their pretended indifference. Overall, this was a great read if you want hot sex with a plot. There is a menage, but it's good for readers of the lighter erotic...it doesn't feel lascivious, and there's none of the BDSM that seems to pop up in so much of today's erotica. I feel like I got to know the characters and was invested in their relationship. It was possible slightly forgettable only in that there was nothing to stand out among the masses of erotic fiction out there, but it was satisfying entertainment with little to no editing issues for once. Also, it's a completely self contained story... GASP!!!!!
If that next book does become reality, I will for sure read more by this author!
My thanks to my GR friend Jamie for the rec…you picked a goodie!!...more
This was a fun, fairly light Young Adult novel. I think it may have been a bit young for my preference but I still enjoyed it q3.5 FUN AND SEXY STARS!
This was a fun, fairly light Young Adult novel. I think it may have been a bit young for my preference but I still enjoyed it quite a bit...the emotions were real, and the drama was necessary to move the plot. Yes, there was an ACTUAL PLOT in a YA romance. Not just contrived for angst! It's as if the author didn't have to try too hard...she told her story and then ended it, in way that was refreshing in this world of cliffhanger series books.
Violet and her mother are a hoot. I seriously laughed until my stomach hurt...these ladies start talking gibberish when they are nervous and spout off extremely inappropriate things in really bad places. I loved it! I love how Violet is portrayed as awkwardly endearing. She's pretty but not beautiful, shapely but not skinny.
"I used to be fat. Really fat. I was an emotional eater. I mistook Twinkies for love. Common mistake. I blame it on my dad. When he left my mom for some woman he found on the internet, I stopped overeating. I'm not going to say that my overeating was entirely his fault. But it was."
So yeah, she's not the type of teenage girl who hates herself. She's just accepted her lot in life and doesn't realize that she's grown into a pretty girl. Nor does she really care...until she meets the super hot Zane in the most awkward of situations. And then realizes that circumstances are going to force them into spending a lot of time together.
"Zane just looks at me for a moment, as if unsure what to say. He probably hangs out with gorgeous super confident women all the time, and I'm like a new species of insect to him. The neurotic kind that fly into your face, and freak out when you try to swat at them."
There's a fun twist that I actually didn't even see coming. The sexual tension is off the charts but the actual scenes, while mature for teens, aren't descriptive at all.
This was a surprisingly fun read...a complete fantasy for most teens (and some adults...me, me!) My thanks to my Goodreads friend Amaryllis for the recommendation!!...more
"And yet, yo see, North and South has both met and made kind o' friend in this big smoky place." [image][image]
I almost feel like a fraud reviewing bo"And yet, yo see, North and South has both met and made kind o' friend in this big smoky place." [image][image]
I almost feel like a fraud reviewing books like this. I know that there are probably many details that I miss entirely, some nuances that go straight over my head, but these are my thoughts...however scattered they are.
Margaret Hale's father has been the spiritual leader of his community of Helston for decades. Now he questions his faith...not necessarily his belief in God, but maybe the infallible constancy that ministers should have. While Margaret herself has been living among high society with her aunt for the last years, when her father decides to leave the church and uproot his family, she moves with her mother and father to the Northern city of Milton.
"Her keen enjoyment of every sensuous pleasure, was balanced finely, if not overbalanced, by her conscious pride in being able to do without them all, if need were."
Milton is an industrious city full of factories and rich tradesmen and merchants. But there are also the poor, the underfed, the "little guys" who work in those factories day after day just to make enough to feed their families. Margaret's first impression of Milton is not a good one, and her prejudice about her new home town is made known to any who will listen.
And while there were time that Margaret's prejudice really grated my nerves, she grows so much as a person during the course of this story that it's next to impossible not to empathize with her. Both of her parents seem to be weak in character, leaning so heavily on their daughter and giving her so much emotional responsibility as to question who the parents are. What did they do while she was away from them? By the end of the book...poor Margaret!!
"I have passed out of childhood into old age. I have had no youth - no womanhood; the hopes of womanhood have closed for me - for I shall never marry; and I anticipate cares and sorrows just as if I were an old woman, and with the same fearful spirit. I am weary of this continual call upon me for strength."
Mr. Hale has taken up tutoring those who wish to learn. One of his student is John Thornton, who happens to be one of the richer men in Milton. [image][image]
He and Margaret definitely do not hit it off on their first meeting. These are two very strong personalities, people with rigid convictions who aren't afraid of speaking their mind...and they often do.
Still, Thornton has a fascination with the outspoken Margaret.
"He almost said to himself that he did not like her, before their conversation ended; he tried so to compensate himself for the mortified feeling, that while he looked up on her with an admiration he could not repress, she looked at him with proud indifference, taking him, he though, for what, his irritation, he told himself he was - a great, rough fellow, with not a grace or a refinement about him. Her quiet coldness of demeanor he interpreted into contemptuousness, and resented it in his heart to the pitch of almost inclining him to get up and go away, and have nothing more to do with these Hales, and their superciliousness." [image][image]
Despite her disapproval of everything he is and does, he is continually drawn back to her; due to circumstance or compulsion, he always comes back. Margaret also wages a subtle battle with herself in regard to her feelings for Thornton...though she hides it extremely well. This was a frustrating aspect of the book for me. Thornton is a very kind man. He reveals his difficult childhood to Margaret, he becomes a very good friend of her father's, and shows the Hales every courtesy he can, despite their fairly low status in society. And yet Margaret takes her sweet time coming to terms with the fact that he's a very good person.
"Their intercourse had been one continued series of opposition..."
While this slow moving romance develops, the meat of the story is the industrial revolution taking place in towns like Milton. Factories needed workers, and often those workers were treated no better than animals. The threat of a strike is ever present. And a strike in those days, when no work meant no food, was much more violent than what it means today. Deplorable, dangerous, and inhumane working conditions led to chronic illness and death for many of the employees.
One such family portrayed in this book is the Higgins family. Nicholas, the father, and Bess and Mary, his daughters, are a huge part of the story. Not only are they fast friends of Margaret's, but Bess has some sort of sickness of the lungs from which she is dying. Her friendship with Margaret and her faith in God when every one around her is faithless is heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once.
Tragedy is ever present in this novel. Death comes to everyone, but it seemed to come an awful lot for the people in Margaret's life during the two plus years that she is in Milton.
"And that was death! It looked more peaceful than life..." [image][image]
So while this is definitely not an uplifting romance, it's definitely a story about friendship. Relationships can be formed with people from all walks of life, and it's those relationships that shape who you are. Margaret starts off resigned to her fate, living in this dirty, loud city with these boisterous, rude people. Her character development is by leaps and bounds and huge revelations.
"Oh! had any one such just cause to feel contempt for her? Mr. Thornton, above all people, on whom she had looked down from her imaginary heights till now! She suddenly found herself at his feet, and was strangely distressed at her fall."
Though the end is quite abrupt...it really needed more. After this epic journey of self discovery, to end a book in the middle of one of the most powerful scenes was a bit of a downer. And here's where I can tout the miniseries from which all of the pictures in this review came from. Rarely do I like a movie more than the book that it is about, but I sure did in this case! I'm glad that I read the book first, for sure. But the movie clarified some of my questions and romanticized the story enough for me to relate to it a bit more.
Buddy read with Blacky, Karen, Tea, Cathy, and Amaryllis...Muah!!! ***************************************** This ebook is FREE!!! It's considered a public domain book, so you can download it at Project Gutenberg here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4276 in many different formats, and share away! [image]...more
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