C- Reviews

REVIEW: The Duke Is Mine by Eloisa James

REVIEW: The Duke Is Mine by Eloisa James

Dear Ms. James: I confess that my dislike for the portrayal of one character in this book really overshadowed everything else.  I haven’t been following this new series of yours closely but I understand that you are revisiting classic fairy tales.  This story is based on the Princess and the Pea.  The Princess and the(…)

REVIEW: Daddy, Daddy, and Me by Sean Michael

REVIEW: Daddy, Daddy, and Me by Sean Michael

Dear Sean. I like your voice. I really do. After all, it’s why I keep trying your books. I’ve even enjoyed some of your Hammer Club series (Kinky Klub of Kinkiness, ahoy! in which Sarah learns about sexual sounding. O.O ). I just wish you believed in plot a little more strongly. I think I’ve(…)

REVIEW: Shaedes of Gray by Amanda Bonilla

REVIEW: Shaedes of Gray by Amanda Bonilla

Dear Ms. Bonilla, If there’s one character type I love seeing, it’s assassins. Especially female assassins. I could probably stand to see less redheaded assassins though. Seriously, what is it with fantasy and redheaded assassins and/or redheaded women? Still, the promise of a female assassin was enough to lure me into picking up your debut.(…)

REVIEW: Devilishly Hot by Kathy Love

REVIEW: Devilishly Hot by Kathy Love

Annie Lou Riddle had a plan: Move to New York City. Break into the fashion industry. Work her way to the top. Nowhere in that scenario did she expect to accidentally sell her soul in exchange for a job at Hot! Magazine. Oops. Demons, it seems, aren’t big on letting mortals off the hook. Now(…)

REVIEW: G-A-Y series by Kim Dare

REVIEW: G-A-Y series by Kim Dare

Dear Ms. Dare. I’ve been intrigued by your writing for a while. Your tagline is “Kink, love, and a happy ending. Do you Dare?” which I think is incredibly cute. Honestly, though, I’ve been put off by your publishers (Total-e-Bound and Resplendence Publishing…who?) and by the fact that your series are quite so long (TWELVE(…)

REVIEW: Bittersweet Victories by Rachel Smith

REVIEW: Bittersweet Victories by Rachel Smith

“Marty Lopez is living with HIV. He is also a recovering cocaine addict and has done time because of his addiction, before developing a second career as a substance abuse counselor. Over his family’s opposition, he moves to Texas from California, looking for a new life in a small town. Angie Davis is divorced. She(…)

REVIEW: Steampunk! edited Kelly Link and Gavin Grant

REVIEW: Steampunk! edited Kelly Link and Gavin Grant

Dear Authors, Steampunk is that subgenre I want to love, that I think has so much potential. Unfortunately, we have a rocky relationship. I’ve attempted to read too many novels in which the steampunk trappings are superficial — put a pair of goggles on someone, mention an airship, and have someone drink some tea seem(…)

REVIEW: Because of the List by Amy Knupp

REVIEW: Because of the List by Amy Knupp

Dear Ms. Knupp: In looking in my past reviews, I don’t see that I’ve read you before but I believe I have and just not reviewed the book(s) that I’ve read.  Because of the List starts out with a old but favorite premise.  Hero is best friends with heroine’s older brother.  The twist in this book(…)

REVIEW: Rocky Mountain Heat by Vivian Arend

REVIEW: Rocky Mountain Heat by Vivian Arend

Dear Ms. Arend: This is the first book in Six Pack Ranch series which, given that there are six boys in the Coleman family, means that each book will likely feature one of the Coleman brothers.  The oldest brother is Blake and this story has a friends to lovers theme.  While I liked the concept(…)

REVIEW: The Body Thief by C.J. Barry

REVIEW: The Body Thief by C.J. Barry

Dear Ms. Barry: In my hunt for more shifter books, I came across your November title. I had heard good things about you in the past. Your book, Body Master, won the 2011 Winner of RomCon’s 2011 Reader’s Crown for Best Sci-Fi, Futuristic or Time Travel. Reader’s Crown was a reader judged contest and I(…)

REVIEW: The Virtuoso by Grace Burrowes

REVIEW: The Virtuoso by Grace Burrowes

Dear Ms. Burrowes: I have been anxious to read your books since The Heir came out and circumstances (and other books) have always interfered with that goal until this month.  I bought The Virtuoso the day that it came out and sat down one evening with great anticipation.  The sad fact is that there scarcely(…)

REVIEW: Avenger’s Angel by Heather Killough-Walden

REVIEW: Avenger’s Angel by Heather Killough-Walden

Dear Ms. Killough-Walden: I was excited about this book because while I found your self published title compelling, it was rough. I hoped that a professionally edited and full length story would bring out the best in your writing.  Unfortunately, the voice that I found so interesting in the short self published work seemed missing(…)

REVIEW: The Son He Never Knew by Kristi Gold

REVIEW: The Son He Never Knew by Kristi Gold

Dear Ms. Gold: I probably should have stopped reading at the first chapter when I figured out that the male protagonist of the story would not figure out he had a son until said son was 10 years old, but I didn’t. Unfortunately, the story never got any better. Jessica Keller and Chase Reed are(…)

Review: Bound by Night by Amanda Ashley

Review: Bound by Night by Amanda Ashley

Dear Ms. Ashley. I have no idea where to start with this review. My reactions to this book ranged from glee to boredom. The heroine is a personality-free wimp. The hero is an ass. The story brings nothing new to the table and reads like fanfiction. And yet every time I told myself I would(…)

REVIEW: Cowboy Take Me Away by Kathleen Eagle

REVIEW: Cowboy Take Me Away by Kathleen Eagle

“When photographer Skyler Quinn first fixed her lens on gorgeous cowboy Trace Wolf Track, she liked what she saw but didn’t give it much thought. Until everywhere she went—the rodeo, the Double D Wild Horse Sanctuary—there he was, and the heat between them built to the boiling point. As a widow struggling with debts and(…)